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#and then i proceeded to stay up until FIVE IN THE MORNING adding the characters details and the words

aurorablue22 · 3 years

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Scarface - Young!Remus Lupin x Reader

Summary: Somebody decides to mess with Moony.

(A/N): This can be interpreted as a platonic or romantic relationship between Remus and the reader, it hasn’t been specified! Also, as far as I know, I have created the names and characters of Michael Bershire and his crowd.

Warnings: violence, blood, mention of scars, heavy swearing. If you are sensitive to these things, please do not continue below the “keep reading” line.

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

It was a typical Sunday night for Remus Lupin. As per usual, he had picked up prefect duties for this evening, and wandered throughout the corridors of the castle.

Midnight was fast approaching, and Remus paused for a moment. Due to him being a werewolf, his senses were amplified, meaning that one of his abilities was superb hearing.

Lupin cocked his head towards the dungeon staircase, where he heard a bit of commotion. He didn’t even have a moment to approach the noise before the cause was revealed.

Michael Bershire and his Slytherin gang.

Remus forced himself not to roll his eyes. Of course, they just had to be out while he was on prefect rounds.

It seemed that the five lads didn’t notice Remus until he cleared his throat. They quickly snapped their heads in his direction.

“Lupin, ol’ chap! What’re you doing out so late? Haven’t you got a book to read?” Michael Bershire held his head up high, an annoyingly perfect grin plastered on his face. His gelled auburn hair reflected so strongly the candlelight in the halls.

Remus had to refrain from rolling his eyes as Bershire took a few steps forward. “Gentlemen, it’s approaching midnight. I’ll have to ask you to return to your dormitories.”

“Oh and that we will do! It’s just, we’re a bit preoccupied at the moment. Isn’t that right, lads?” Bershire looked back at his companions, who nodded fervently.

Remus was taller than Bershire, but because of his horrible posture, they seemed to be on the same level. He bit back a grimace when Bershire’s painfully minty breath stung his eyes.

“Now if you’ll excuse us, we have business to attend to.” Bershire dramatically turned, his house robes swishing behind him.

“Well then,” Remus says, “I’m afraid I’ll have to report you to your head of house, and I don’t believe you’d want that to happen. So if you don’t mind-”

And just as dramatically, the Slytherin boy whipped around again.

“What was that, Scarface?”

Before Remus could even form words, Bershire was stalking towards him.

“How dare you speak to me in such an authoritative tone? After all, you’re... well you’ve got mud in your veins!”

“And blood on his face.” one of the boys behind him added. Remus recognized him to be Adam Percival, the greasiest boy he knew.

“You’re right Perce, he does have blood on his face. What, was ol’ Minnie upset you didn’t grade her papers for her? Or was it-”

“Shut it, Bershire.” Remus tried his best to compose himself, but couldn’t seem to look away from his shuffling feet. The full moon was only a few days ago, and he’d been left with a couple scrapes around his jaw and cheeks.

Michael Bershire was baffled. That is, until he came up with another one of his clever ideas.

“Boys, I’d say we teach Lupin a little lesson. After all, he should know - given his crowd - that snitches are frowned upon.” The 5 Slytherins slowly stalked towards Remus. “And you know what they say-”

“Snitches get stitches.”

It was then that Remus was swiftly grabbed by two of the boys, and his arms were held behind him as Bershire swung at his stomach. Once they’d decided he’d had enough, Remus’ arms were dropped and his knees buckled under their forceful kicks.

They pushed him onto the ground where they continued to harm him; kicking and hitting with all their might. It seemed like ages before they let up.

Slowly, they backed away, but not before Michael could kneel before Remus’ shaking form.

“Remember what I said, Lupin.”

And with that, he stood up and hurried away, while Remus was left alone in the dark corridor.

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

Sirius’ head perked up as Remus entered the common room portrait hole.

“Moony you’re back! Merlin we thought you got lost-”

“Where ya been, mate?” James cut him off. “We had to play three extra rounds of exploding snap waitin’ for you!”

Peter sat up from his position in front of the fireplace. “Alright Moony? You seem kinda quiet-”

“Good Godric Remus, you look awful!” Sirius shouted when Lupin faced them.

“Yeah, and I feel just as great.” he said, taking a seat on the worn out couch.

James came to sit on the armrest beside him. “What happened Moons?”

After Remus came to explain the series of events, the rest of the Marauders were fuming.

“Oh I’ll kill him. I’ll kill him!” Sirius shouted as he kicked over a coffee table.

“Sirius please, not now!” Remus groaned, covering his ears. “All I want right now, is to go to my room, and get a good night’s rest. Alright? I’ll deal with this bullshit in the morning.”

“Here, we’ll help you up.” James offered his arm, to which Remus took politely. Just as they were lifting the lycanthrope off the couch, they heard giggles coming from the staircase leading to the girls dormitories.

“Who’s there?” Peter whisper shouted, receiving a “You bloody idiot!” and a slap from Sirius.

“It’s just us!” Marlene whisper shouted back, as she, followed by you and Lily, entered the common room.

“What the hell are you doing up?”

“Nice to see you too, Black.” Marlene raised an eyebrow.

“If you really wanted to know, we were hungry, and figured the house elves might have some snacks for us. What’s your excuse?” Lily said, crossing her arms over her pajama top.

“Remus just got back from prefect duties, figured we would-”

“Sweet Merlin Remus, what happened to you?” you suddenly exclaimed, making Peter jump.

You rushed over to him, taking hold of his face, forcing him to look at you.

“It’s nothing (Y/N), really. My transformation was a little rough, that’s all-”

“Remus, your transformation was three days ago. What the bloody hell is all this?!”

“Bershire beat him up.” James confessed.

Remus turned to face Potter, shooting imaginary daggers at him.

“She was bound to find out anyway! Besides, look what he’s bloody done!”

“Michael Bershire did this to you? That bastard-”

Remus gently removed your hands from his face. “Listen, I appreciate your concern, but I really don’t want to deal with this right now. Can somebody please just help me to my room?”

The boys swooped in and half carried Remus to their dormitories, while you and your girls quietly said goodnight.

“Can you fucking believe that?!”

“Marlene, hush.”

“That fucking twat. Oh, I can’t wait to see what the boys have in store for him. I bet-”

“Marlene, please! Remus said he didn’t want to deal with this right now, so we’re dropping the subject. I say we go back to our rooms and get some rest.”

“But I’m hungry!”

“Swallow your spit. Now c’mon.” Lily ushered Marlene back up the stairs, before turning back and taking your hand.

“You alright, (Y/N/N)?” she gave you a knowing look.

“I’m with Marlene. I can’t wait to see what’s in store for him.”

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

Lily was the earliest riser in your dorm. That being said, she took it upon herself to wake the rest of you up in the morning. You’d had a half decent sleep, and as you rubbed your eyes awake, you heard the playful banter of Marlene and Alice.

“Marls, get a move on!! You know what we said about those Hollywood showers!”

“It’s Americano, Ally!”

“I don’t give a damn what it is! Get out!”

You and Lily were ready before the rest of the girls, so you walked arm in arm down to the Great Hall. It wasn’t until the Marauders sat at your table you recalled everything that happened last night.

“Alright (Y/N/N)? That vein in your forehead looks like its’ bout to burst.” Sirius said while grabbing a stack of pancakes.

“Do you have an bloody clue what you’re going to do about this?! Remus, you can’t let Bershire off this easy.” you turned your head towards your favorite (and slightly bruised) lycanthrope.

“I swear, I’m fine. And besides, the boys will work up something eventually.”

“Yea, eventually.” James exclaimed through forkfuls of food. “Moony made us promise to not even look at Bershire for a week!”

“A week?!”

James nodded enthusiastically, cheeks stuffed like a chipmunk.

“Since when do you defend bullies, Remus?!” you practically yelled, clenching the cutlery you were holding.

“It’s not that (Y/N), it’s just-”

“It’s because he’s afraid of him.” Peter blurted out, making everyone’s heads turn. His hands shot over his mouth in realization.

“Why is it the only time you open your mouth it’s to say something stupid?” Sirius said, hanging onto a glare.

“You’re afraid of Michael Bershire?! Remus that’s not healthy! That’s- that’s horrible! Sweet Merlin Rem, I’ll show him what to be afraid of-” Remus cut you off.

“I’ve told you already, please don’t make me repeat myself again.” Remus placed his hand over yours. “The boys will handle this eventually. If you really love me, stay out of it.”

You settled down then, but still scanned the Hall for any signs of Remus’ attacker. The rest of breakfast carried on as usual, the rest of your friends joining you for the meal.

Sirius walked you and Mary to class, giving you each a courteous bow.

“Shall I pick you up after your lesson, my fair ladies?” he said in a deep bow, with a rigid posh accent. “The gentlemen and I were planning on.. err.. skipping our courses.”

You giggled at Sirius’ poor attempt of finding a replacement word for “skip”.

“Yeah, why not. See ya then, Black!” Mary turned towards the door.

“I bid you farewell my lovelies!” he then proceeded to bound down the hallway to Astronomy, which was on the complete opposite side of the castle.

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

Your class, Defense Against the Dark Arts, passed fairly quickly. And just as he had promised, Sirius came to pick you up, now with James and Marlene in tow.

Marlene beamed at the sight of you and Mary.

“Thank Godric you’re here! I was getting tired of these two.”

James gave her a light shove. “We’ll be meeting Moony and Wormtail towards the east end.”

“Couldn’t convince Lily to come along?”

James looked like he was about to protest, but sighed in defeat. You and your friends continued down the corridor, eventually meeting Remus and Peter after their rigorous Astronomy note-taking. You soon found yourself squished between James and Remus, marching down the main hallway.

“Hey, I thought we were sticking to the east end?”

“Silly (Y/N), we were meeting in the east end.” Sirius explained, as if he were speaking to a child. “Now, we’re on our way to the west end.”

“Ah right, and it makes perfect sense to take the busiest corridor in the school.” Mary quipped, and Marlene giggled.

The walk was pleasant, and filled with greetings from fellow classmates. Every now and then, James and Sirius would snicker about something, or mutter jokes to the group. It was then, that you saw him.

Michael Bershire, proud and tall, lead his pack of nuisances opposite you down the bright hallway. Most students ducked out of the way to avoid him, and a few first years were visibly shaking at the sight of him.

Your vision went red as you locked eyes on your target. It was time.

“James,” you slipped your bag off and passed it to your left, “mind holding this f’me?”

“Uh, yeah su- (Y/N)!!”

In the blink of an eye, you had left your friends’ sides and found yourself hurtling towards Bershire. Although you were smaller than him, the sheer impact of your collision with him knocked the two of you off your feet. You landed on top on him.

He knocked his head off the stone floor, and for a moment you thought he’d lost consciousness. But the bewildered look in his eyes told you otherwise. It was now or never.

“YOU BLOODY BASTARD!” you screamed, letting hell rain down on Michael Bershire. You swung left and right, pummeling his once perfectly sculpted face. You could feel the bruises forming on your knuckles already. “HOW DARE YOU TOUCH REMUS LUPIN?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU BLITHERING FUCK!”

Somehow, Bershire had managed to wrap his legs around your waist, pulling you towards him and flipping your bodies so that you were beneath him. He pinned your wrists beside your head, and you felt the concrete sting your hands.

‘No, how dare you, you muddy little bitch?!”

And that’s what set you off. You produced a sound that could only be described as a battle cry, and flung your forehead up and into his. Distracted by the headbutt, Bershire’s tense core loosened the slightest bit. It was enough for you crunch up and bring your knees into his groin, causing him to cry out in pain.

Using his own momentum against him, you successfully flipped around again, resuming your position above his quivering form. Your hands found themselves around his throat, and without realizing it, you were bashing his head in the ground.

thunk, thunk, thunk.

It was only Professor McGonagall’s shrill cry of fear that brought you back to reality.

“MISS (L/N), GET OFF OF THAT BOY!”

You felt strong hands wrap around your arms and shoulders, whipping around to see that it was the four Marauders pulling you away from Bershire. The Slytherin gang was dragging said boy’s writhing and groaning form onto a cot from the hospital wing.

You only stopped your kicking and resistance when McGonagall approached you, pointing her finger in your face, looking more angry than you’d ever seen her.

“My office. Now.” she spoke, in such a tone that visible shivers went down your spine. The boys had yet to let go of your arms, and half carried you down the hallway of gawking and goggling students.

Once arriving to her office, McGonagall stood in the doorway. She looked expectant and impatient all wrapped into one. You were finally let go of, and slowly turned to the four boys behind you.

James and Peter still looked a bit shocked, and you found little comfort in the proud look Sirius was trying to hide. But Remus’ face is what hurt you the most.

“Rem, I-” you croaked. He wouldn’t even look at you. “I’m so sorry, I don’t-”

McGonagall cleared her throat bitterly behind you, cutting you off. You whispered another, barely audible “I’m sorry”, before following the Professor into her office.

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

Hello my lovelies!! Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed. Let me know if I should follow up with this fic!

Also, a reminder that requests are open!! <3

~Aurora

#Remus Lupin #Young!Remus Lupin #Young!Marauders #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin imagine #remus lupin fluff #young remus x reader #young remus x y/n #young remus imagine #marauders x reader #marauders era

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merakiaes · 4 years

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The One For Me - Aaron Hotchner

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x reader

Requested: By @nuvoleincielo

Prompts: #16, #30 and #63 from the fluff-list.

Warnings/notes: This is my first time writing for Hotch and Criminal Minds in general so please be patient while I get used to these new characters, might be slight OOC😭 It’s also the first piece I’ve written in a few months now and I’m a bit rusty, so please let me know what you think. Not proofread so I apologize in advance for any possible mistakes. Send in more requests for Hotch, Reid and Morgan and let me know if you want to be added to the Criminal Minds taglist! I hope you like it💕

Wordcount: 4118

Summary: Hotch has doubts about letting your relationship go further and you reassure him that he’s what you want.

After being raised in one of New York’s worst, most crime ridden and low poverty neighborhoods by a family who was constantly targeted by the law enforcement, the last thing you’d expect was that you would become an active worker of said law enforcement.

Your mother died ten minutes after giving birth to you and your father had never been a part of the equation, most likely having ran the second he found out your mother had gotten pregnant. With no other immediate family, you ended up in the system, where you were stuck for the first seven years of your life.

You jumped back and forth between families of all kinds but for reasons unknown, no one wanted to keep you. It wasn’t until a couple adopted you two days before your eight birthday that you finally felt like you belonged.

They had many children of their own as well as more foster children, all between the ages of ten and twenty-five at the time of your adoption. On top of that, the children had children of their own and aunts, uncles, cousins and friends stayed with you more often than not as they struggled to hold on to homes of their own.

It wasn’t the most ideal way to live, a dozen people staying under the same roof of a two bedroom house, but you had dinner on the table every evening and the love for family was strong, so despite the conditions you lived in and the struggles you were forced to face on a daily basis, you guessed you couldn’t complain; you’d had it better than most.

The people who lived in those parts were always getting pinned for various kinds of crimes, just so the police could get it out of their hands and go on about their lives.

The male members of your family and the company they kept were some of the biggest targets even though they rarely did anything wrong, but despite the injustices they faced every day, they remained respectful when staring in the face of a cop.

You, on the other hand, despised them. You were an outspoken little girl, too feisty for your own good and on more occasions than one, you’d ended up pissing off some rich kid in school for which your dad and uncles were forced to pay the price.

You’d always hated the injustice the less fortunate suffered every day, but it wasn’t until you witnessed your first murder at fifteen that your interest of making the world a better place really piqued.

The victim had been one of the boys living in your neighborhood. He was two years older than you and he always gave it his all to make something out of himself. He walked with you and your younger brothers and cousins to school every day to make sure you got there safely, studied hard, kept out of trouble and always remained respectful.

The only reason he died was because his skin was the wrong color in the eyes of the law and because he was born into a less fortunate neighborhood, and it was then your eyes truly opened to the police brutality and misuse of power plaguing your country.

You joined the police force when you were nineteen years old and you stayed there, on top of your game and determined to do it better than the bad ones, until you were twenty-one.

At that point, most of your family had passed away either out of old age, or simply from being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and your determination to help people was stronger than ever.

But even you, the tough little firecracker as your uncles had always called you, could only tolerate so much.

After two years on the force, you got tired of being undermined by your male co-workers and set out to step up your game, taking up studies of criminology and psychology among several other subjects.

You studied your ass off and was just barely able to get by with the money you had saved up over the years, and at twenty-four, you finally had your degrees and clearance to begin working in higher places.

Starting off in New York, you stayed there for six months before you were transferred to Quantico, Virginia, where you were recruited by the one and only Jason Gideon who had heard word of your talent in the field.

You had worked with the team for little over a year now and Jason, who had always acted as a kind of mentor and father figure for you, was gone, having left only a letter for you and Spencer each.

Taking his place was Aaron Hotchner, a fellow agent to which you hadn’t paid much personal attention before the departure of Gideon. But things changed when he left, a lot of things.

Hotch was fresh out of his divorce, moodier than ever and in a really bad mental state. He stayed in his office until the late hours of the night, sometimes even the early hours of the next morning, barely slept and often forgot to eat if he wasn’t reminded by his team members.

Everyone urged him to take some time off, to go home and get some sleep and to take care of himself, and although he always told them that he would, he never followed through.

Up until then, you still hadn’t spoken much with him except for when you were working on a case. You were just an agent and he was just your boss, there was nothing else to it. But you couldn’t just sit by and watch as he neglected himself, so you followed your team-mates’ example and approached him.

He dismissed you at first, like he had done everyone else who had tried to offer him their support. But as time passed by, in some miraculous way, you made him laugh, and as you continued your attempts on offering him your ear to listen, he opened up to you, and you grew to become more than just colleagues.

Your first and only date had been on your initiative. You invited him to dinner at your house during your weekend off, to which he agreed.

You cooked together and although it started off as kind of awkward – more from his side than yours – you ended up kissing later that night after having had a bit too much to drink, and fell asleep together on your couch while you were flicking through your childhood photo albums.

The next morning, he was gone. You had always been an extremely light sleeper so you found it strange that he had managed to slip off without alerting you and also having managed to wrap you up in a blanket before he left.

He didn’t leave without a word though. A note was neatly placed on the coffee table in front of you, on which he explained that he needed to pick up Jack and that he didn’t want to wake you, finishing it off with a thank you for the night before.

That was the first and last time you spent time together, just the two of you, but it wasn’t like it was intentional.

You wanted to do it again, to continue exploring the budding romance between the two of you and to see where you could take it, and although you knew nothing of his feelings, he wanted the same thing.

But work got very stressful; stressful to the point where you could never find a moment to talk to each other if it wasn’t in the presence of the entire team. But the spark between you wasn’t gone.

It was still there in the way he would let his hand hover above the small of your back when you were walking side by side and step in front of you if you were ever in danger, and in the way you would always take a second to ask how he and Jack was doing, if they were eating enough and getting enough sleep, whenever you were heading somewhere; no matter if the team was with you.

It was there in the way he would always encourage you to go on the less dangerous tasks while he took the ones that were more life-threatening and in the way he would always smile, the slightest of smiles, whenever you were exchanging jokes or sarcastic remarks with Morgan, or messing around with poor, clueless Reid.

It was there, but it was unspoken. At least until now.

The case you had been working on for the past two days was that of Gilbert Stratton; a serial killer who had targeted young women, killed them, drained them of their blood, and then proceeded to hang the bodies up by their feet in trees all around the city.

You had caught him just in time to save the last kidnapped girl and you had originally been the one assigned to question him, but Hotch had stepped in last minute after the man had made a crude comment about how ‘girls like you always tasted the best’.

You had attempted to tell him that you could take it, but before you had even been given a chance to state your case, he had shut the door in your face and you had been whisked off by JJ.

You were the one out of the entire team who was the most interested in the psychology of a serial killer so you really wanted to be the one to interview Stratton, but you knew that Hotch had taken over for the sake of your safety and not because he underestimated you, so you couldn’t even bring yourself to be mad.

While he did his job, you settled at your desk with a sigh, getting to work on the heft stack of paperwork that had been building up throughout the week.

The first ten minutes you kept close track of the clock next to you, wondering why it was taking so long, but the more time that passed, the more focused you became.

Soon enough, you only had a few reports left and you had completely lost track of time, when there was a sudden bang behind you, sounding an awful lot like a door slamming shut.

And your suspicions were proven correct, when you looked up to see Hotch march straight the bullpen.

The corners of your lips tugged up at the sight of him, but the arising smile quickly fell again when he walked right past you, without even an acknowledging glance, heading into his office and shutting himself inside without as much of a word to anyone.

Left behind with dumbstruck looks on their faces were the team, glances of bewilderment being exchanged.

“What happened?” Reid asked the question you were all thinking after a moment of silence, just as Emily walked in from the interrogation room.

Rather than answering Reid’s question, she looked right at you, offering you a small, comforting smile. “I think you better go talk to him.” She said simply, and as confusion and anxiety bubbled up inside of you, you slowly drawled.

“Okaaay…”

They all watched you as you stood up from your seat, brushing down your shirt and turning off the lamp at your desk before heading for the stairs.

You could feel their eyes following your every move and you would be lying if you said you weren’t nervous of what you were about to walk into.

Everyone had gotten negatively affected by a case or unsub at some point during their career, most more than once. They were all very good at getting into your head, no matter how little you wanted to admit it. But you had never seen Hotch react this strongly to anything before. The only time you had really seen him snap was during one single case, right after Haley had filed for a divorce.

Still, you kept walking until you reached his closed office door, stopping only then to peek inside the blinded windows to see him sitting at his desk, hands rubbing over his face.

You knocked on the glass gently and in any other case he would have looked up and meet your gaze, but when his head kept hanging this time, you let yourself in, only when closing the door behind you cutting off the curious eyes of the others.

Once you were inside, you wasted no time in approaching Hotch where he sat by his desk, analyzing his every move which led you to only one question.

What the hell had Stratton said to him to make him this distraught?

He didn’t even look up as you reached him, keeping his eyes closed as you came to a stop beside his desk.

Treading carefully, you reached out and gently put your hand on his shoulder.

“What happened?” You asked softly, the sound of your words instantly bringing a long, heavy sigh out of his nose.

“Why are you doing this?” He wasted no time in replying, causing a crease to form between your eyebrows.

“What?” You asked back, confusion lacing your voice.

Finally, he brought his hands down from his face and slowly spun around in his chair, forcing you to drop your hand from his shoulder and to take a step back.

He stared up at you, face wiped free of emotion as always. But the eyes said it all.

“Why are you so adamant on being with me? Why do you try so hard?” He questioned you, taking you by surprise.

Your eyebrows shot up and your eyes grew slightly wider, and you took a moment to regain your composure after the, to say the least, unexpected question.

“What kind of question is that?” You asked once you finally regained your senses. “Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when you want to be with someone? Try?”

One of your eyebrows sank again, leaving only one raised in question.

Hotch’s face softened slightly and for a moment, he averted his eyes, letting out another, smaller sigh from his nose before looking back up to meet your eyes once again.

“What I mean is, why do you want to be with me?” He asked again, clarifying and slightly shaking his head in what seemed to be disbelief. “The second you walked into this office, both Morgan and Reid had their eyes on you, and they still do. They’re closer to your age, they’re energetic, humorous, full of life, while I’m ten years your senior, and can’t offer you what they can. So why do you want to be with me, when you can have them, or anyone you want?”

“What is it that they can give me that you can’t?” You didn’t waste a second in firing back.

You had no idea what had brought this on, but it was clear that it was bothering him and quite frankly, you found it ridiculous even though you didn’t like making it a habit to judge other people for what they were feeling.

“They can make you smile-“ He started explaining, and you instantly cut him off.

“You make me smile, all the time.” You shook your head, but your affirmation only seemed to fuel his frustrations even more as he was up on his feet within the next second.

“But I’m not- I’m not fun.” He stated, staring you down. “My clock is ticking. I’m ill-tempered, irritable, too serious for my own good. I’m barely capable of taking care of myself at this point much less my son. I’m miserable and I’m a bully, who only cares about this job. Why would you want to be with someone like that?”

“Where is this coming from? I thought we had something good going.” Your face fell slightly, and you carefully reached your hands out to grab a hold of the front of his suit, taking a small step closer.

“Is this because of Stratton? Is he the one putting these doubts into your head?” You asked, keeping your eyes on your hands for a short moment before looking up to meet his heavy gaze staring down at you.

And once your eyes met his, he knew there was no point in lying; you were a profiler after all, and a good one at that.

“He did.” He confessed calmly, his lips pursing into a straight line.

“Aaron…” You began, the softness of your voice matching the one in your eyes.

“But everything he said is true.” He quietly interrupted you. “I’m not fun to be around, I push people away. That’s what I do, what I’ve always done.” His eyebrows rose and he stood still.

You knew about the doubts he had about himself. You know he felt inadequate as a friend, as a colleague, as a father, and more than anything as a partner after the way Haley had left him. You were aware of all of it, and yet the sound of those self-doubts being voiced aloud saddened you nonetheless.

Silence fell over the two of you for a moment as you took another step closer, flattening your palms out on his chest and your eyes never leaving his.

“Those people didn’t deserve you in the first place. They knew what they were getting themselves into when they started building a relationship with you, whether it be a romantical or purely platonic one. They knew how passionate you are about your job, how much you value it. Them leaving… That’s on them, not you.” You said softly, shaking your head. “I’m not about to give up on you, on us, just because you happen to be a few years older than me. Derek, he wants to have fun, to be young. He may be attracted to me but he doesn’t want anything serious. Spencer isn’t ready for a relationship either, for obvious reasons, and either way, they’re not the ones I want.”

He watched you intensely as you spoke, lips still tight and strained. “What is it that you want?” He asked you, and you wasted no time in replying.

“Something serious and stable, someone who’s ready to settle down, and for me, the best chance to get that is through you.” You smiled, breaking your eyes away from his to follow your hand as you moved it up to his face. “Regardless of what other people say, you’re an amazing person. You’re passionate, driven, kind, loyal, gentle, and so much more. Despite what you may think, you do have a sense of humor and you’re the only one who can make me smile until my cheeks hurt. If that’s not a good man, a good person, then I don’t know what is. I wouldn’t change a single thing about you.”

By the time you finished, the remaining doubt was wiped free from his face, a small, gentle smile instead having taken its place.

It was a funny thing, Hotch only ever spared the tiniest of smiles, and yet it was them that brought you the biggest and most intense amount of happiness. It was so rare to see his ever-stoic features reflect joy that you couldn’t help but light up like a kid on Christmas every time it occurred.

And true to what you’d always been told growing up, your smile was just so contagious that he couldn’t help but to smile wider at the sight.

“Thank you.” He whispered, and visibly relaxed where he stood.

Your heart swelled in your chest when you took note of the way he was slowly but surely shuffling closer to you, picking up a significant amount of speed when you then felt his hand brush against the side of your hip.

But he didn’t dare touch you, hesitation still lingering in the air. So you did what your heart told you and grabbed a hold of his hand, and pushed it down into the curve of your waist.

From then on, he moved on his own, raising his other hand to mimic the same position at your other side, and you let your hand drop from his, instead raising them to busy with his crimson red tie.

“I know you’re struggling, with yourself, with Jack, and that you’re still processing the divorce. And if it’s time you want, then I’ll wait.” You spoke quietly, feeling your skin flush hot under his touch as his thumbs began to move over the thin fabric of your shirt. “But if you want to keep going and see where this can go, then I’ll be here every step of the way to support and help you in any way I can. You just need to let me in.”

More shyly then before, you dared loo back up at him through your lashes, hands stilling on his chest.

His smile was gone and his eyes creased together in concentration, but his eyes were soft and his head slowly nodded. “You’re right.” He said, and you allowed yourself to smile again.

“Aren’t I always?” You lightheartedly teased, tilting your head to the side.

In return, a smile spread across his face, his head shaking. “Don’t make me take it back.”

“No, no take-backs. What’s said is said.” You kept joking, your smile only widening.

He kept smiling down at you for a few seconds longer, but then his face fell again, just like that, out of nowhere, completely sudden. The gaze he held on your face grew absent as he got lost in his thoughts, and before you could question him about the sudden change of mood, the words spilled from his lips as if there was no tomorrow.

“I think I love you.”

Your mind instantly broke into a flurry of thoughts, countless emotions battling in your body. Nervosity and excitement ended up coming out on top, the mixture of the two creating an uncomfortable, sickly feeling in your stomach.

Your face fell in disbelief and your eyes searched his as he came back to reality.

“You do?”

Your voice came out so quiet and small, you mentally cursed yourself for sounding so pathetic, but luckily, you didn’t get much time to beat yourself up over the anticlimactic reacting as he continued.

“You don’t have to say it back if you don’t feel the same way, but I needed to say it. Every day, this job puts all of our lives in danger. I couldn’t bear it if one of us died before I got the time to let you know how I feel.”

You sucked in a breath, feeling yourself growing weak at the knees as he absentmindedly rubbed your waist with his thumbs.

“Just a minute ago, you were trying to end… whatever this is, and now your proclaiming your love for me?” You asked.

It was meant to be a joke, an attempt to ease the anxiety you were currently feeling, but you realized quickly that said anxiety made it sound like the exact opposite of a lighthearted, teasing joke.

Luckily, the man standing in front of you was a profiler and knew that you meant no harm, understanding how shock could render your ability to react appropriately.

“I was never trying to end what we have. I just wanted to be sure that you were sure. That I won’t be holding you back.” He explained, and you finally managed to pull yourself out of the state of shock.

“Being with you motivates me. And I love you, too.” You confessed, the smile once again returning to your face as you moved your hands from his chest to wrap around the back of his neck.

“I’m happy to hear that.” He smiled right back. “Can I kiss you?” He quietly added, and your face instantly lit up in a mischievous expression.

“In the office?” You gasped dramatically, bringing your arms down, taking a step back and lightly slapping his chest. “Aren’t you feeling frisky today?”

A large smile stretched across his lips, his chest shaking as he chuckled. “Come here.” He said simply, and before you got the chance to argue, not that you would’ve if given the opportunity, he sat back down in his chair and pulled you down with him.

The chair spun in the process, causing you to let out a squeal of surprise. Your arms wrapped around his neck and your small laughs of glee quickly became muted as he placed his lips on yours, replaced by low hums of contentment.

You clung to him as if your life depended on it, basking in the feeling of his lips moving against yours and his arms tightening around your waist, and as your entire body burned with passion, you realized that he really was the one for you.

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simplybakugou · 4 years

Text

After All This Time

↝ At a small high school reunion with a few of your old classmates from U.A., Bakugou has to deal with your drunkenness.

BINGO SPACE: High School Sweethearts

⋆ PAIRING: prohero!bakugou x drunk!reader ⋆ WARNINGS/TAGS: swearing, alcohol (all characters are aged up), fluff ⋆ WORD COUNT: 1581

A/N: this is another bingo piece of the event going on in the @bnhabookclub server! Thank you to @happygalaxymilkshake for requesting bakugou for this prompt. And am i doing all the bakugou prompts first because deep down i’m genuinely afraid of writing for another character in fear of portraying their characters inaccurately? Yes so for now enjoy some more bakugou lol

FULL BINGO MASTERLIST

✐posted 07.18.2020✐

“Cheers!” You exclaimed along with your friends, all of you clinking your glasses together.

Mina sighed as she took a sip from her drink. “Man, I can’t remember the last time we met up like this!”

Uraraka nodded, grinning from ear to ear as her cheeks reddened under the dim lights of the tavern. “It’s so nice to see you all here today.”

“Too bad the other girls couldn’t join,” you said, a frown on your face as your face grew hot from the alcohol.

“Momo, Toru, and Tsuyu have early patrols tomorrow,” Jirou said.

Mina snickered, latching onto your arm. “I’m surprised Bakugou let us hang out with you, Y/N.”

You rolled your eyes at her, gesturing to the table beside you with a shaky finger. “He’s right there, Mina. It’s not like he’s keeping me from you guys or anything. I’m just another busy hero like the rest of us here.”

It had been five years since you and the rest of class A graduated from U.A. Slowly yet surely each of you worked diligently to make your way up the rankings, especially the Big Three of your class, Midoriya, Todoroki, and your fiance Bakugou who you had been dating since your first year in U.A.

“I can’t believe you guys have been together for so long!” Uraraka exclaimed, giggling at the sight of the boys’ table which was chaotically louder than any other table at the tavern. Kirishima had to hold Bakugou back as Sero and Kaminari were teasing him, egging him on to amuse themselves as they knew their easily angered friend all too well. Iida, Todoroki, and Midoriya, who were the only ones who were able to make it amongst the other boys, had left early as they had to work early in the morning, not wanting to risk drinking too much.

You hiccuped, leaning onto Mina’s shoulder as the effects of the alcohol slowly ran through your system. Jirou laughed at the sight. “I forgot how much of a lightweight you were.”

You narrowed your brows at her. “I’m not a lightweight!”

You sat up straight, grabbing your glass in hand and raising it to your lips. “I can drink so much!”

The girls attempted to stop you from consuming anymore alcohol but it was too late; you had downed the rest of your drink, slamming the cup onto the table as you had to breathe heavily just to catch your breath.

Bakugou, who had finally calmed down from his friends’ teasing and prodding, glanced over to your table as he noticed you had guzzled your fifth drink in a short amount of time. It was only a matter of time before your drunken stupor would overtake your judgement and behavior and Bakugou could only groan as he began to recall how the countless amount of migraines he got after dealing with your drunkenness.

“I’m gonna head out,” Bakugou said, slipping his coat on and placing a few bills onto the table to pay for your meal and his.

“Aw, come on! You just got here!” Kaminari complained.

“Y/N’s almost shitfaced and it’s getting late,” Bakugou said, giving his short and brief goodbyes to his friends.

“Where’s she going?” Kirishima asked, pointing to your wobbly figure walking over to the other side of the tavern. The girls tried to catch up with you but were blocked by the numerous people who were packed into the vicinity.

“That shitty girl…” Bakugou mumbled, making his way through the crowd as he didn’t hesitate to shove his way through.

You stumbled on your feet, bumping into the person in front of you. You rubbed your head, apologizing to the person. “Sorry.”

The man looked down at you, annoyed that someone had ran into him until a smirk crept up his face as he recognized who you were. “You’re that pro, (H/N), right?”

You nodded slowly, grinning aimlessly at him as you could barely keep up with the loud and raucous atmosphere. “Mhm, that’s meee!”

The man took a step towards you and you took one back, slightly intimidated and bothered by how close he was trying to get. He managed to corner you to a wall right outside the restrooms, which was where you were trying to go initially. He rested his hand right above your head, making you uncomfortable with the proximity of his figure with yours. “What’s a little lady like you doing here alone?”

“She’s not alone, dipshit,” Bakugou said from behind him, grabbing the man by the arm and shoving him to the side.

Before the man could try and pick a fight with the infamous brash hero, one of his friends stepped up, pulling the man by the arm. “Dude, don’t you know Ground Zero and (H/N) have been dating forever?! You can’t just hit on her!” He informed the creepy man in a low and harsh tone. The friend turned to you and Bakugou, bowing his head apologetically. “I’m sorry about him, he doesn’t know how to act sometimes.”

Bakugou scoffed at the two men as they walked away, agitated beyond a reasonable doubt about a stranger trying to make a move on you. You grinned up at your fiance. “Thank you, Katsu,” you slurred, extending his name with a hiccup.

Bakugou sighed, shaking his head. “I really can’t take you anywhere can I?”

You ignored his comment, as you grabbed Bakugou’s hand. “You know, what that guy did was weird when he did it but… I wanna do it!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Look,” you said, raising your hands to Bakugou’s forearms as you pushed him to the wall. He stared down at you in confusion, the feeling diminishing as he grew amused by your actions. You brought your hands up to either side of him, putting him into a kabedon.

“Am I intimidating?” You slurred, laughing at yourself as you were convinced you were just as menacing in this position as the strange man was when he forced you in the same situation.

A few women on their way to the bathroom giggled at the sight before them, one of them taking pictures of the famous hero couple. Bakugou rested his hands on your shoulders as you were much shorter than he was. “Y/N, you’re the last person on this goddamn planet that I’d be scared of.”

You jutted your bottom lip out, looking up at him disappointedly as you were somehow drunkenly convinced you were intimidating. “Really?”

“Really.” Bakugou pushed you forward gently, bringing your arms down to your side. “Come on, we’ve gotta get home.”

“But I don’t wanna!” You whined, shaking your head.

“I don’t care. You’re already fucking drunk, let’s go.”

“Wait.” You straightened up, walking into the bathroom. “Let me pee first.”

Bakugou sighed, leaning against the wall. “Fine. Hurry up.”

Bakugou could see from the opposite end of the room his friends’ laughing expressions as he was placed in another weird situation thanks to your drunkenness. He flipped them off as they were taking videos themselves. Even the girls were laughing at the sight of your attempt at a kabedon, one that they were looking forward to teasing you about.

Bakugou ignored them, waiting and waiting for you to come out. After some time you still hadn’t returned from your bathroom break and he pulled out his phone, sending you a ‘what’s taking so long’ text.

You quickly responded with a ‘I’m not leaving’ text, one that was filled with numerous spelling errors in which Bakugou could barely understand what you were trying to say.

Bakugou closed his eyes as you had successfully annoyed him like you usually did. Fortunately, Mina approached him as she could see how agitated he was, as if there was invisible smoke rising from his ears.

“Need some help?” She asked.

“That shitty girl’s not getting outta there,” Bakugou muttered.

Mina snickered. “It’s been almost eight years and she still knows how to push your buttons.”

Bakugou crossed his arms over his chest as he waited again, watching as Mina entered the bathroom. He could hear your whining and complaining as Mina quite literally dragged you out of the stall.

“Go home!” Mina exclaimed, pinching your cheek as you continued to express how you wanted to stay and spend more time with your friends. Mina said her goodbyes to both you and Bakugou before returning to the table with the girls.

Bakugou sighed as he turned to you, the alcohol now taking its full effect on you as you felt as light as a feather. “I’m not gonna hear another word from you. We’re going home.”

You glared up at him. “Fine.”

Bakugou, who was glad to finally have been able to get you to leave, proceeded through the crowd, wanting to make way for you until you grabbed his wrist, ceasing his movements. “What is it?” He asked, wondering why you stopped him this time.

You grinned, raising your arms up. “Carry me!”

Bakugou smiled softly at you, swiftly hooking his arms under your knees and around your back as he held you in his arms. Since the day you first met, you never failed to give him a headache and aggravate him to no end. But he knew he wouldn’t want anyone else by his side.

After all this time, you were still making him fall for you just like you did when you were high schoolers.

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mnictasbcl · 3 years

Text

Life’s beauty

For #dbhcolorsofdeviancy, prompt:

June 9th: The feeling of being alive @connor-sent-by-cyberlife

Rating: Teen

Characters: Connor, Hank Anderson

Relationships: Connor & Hank Anderson

Additional Tags: Fluff, Break, Swearing, Cabin, Woods, no not a cabin in the woods this is fluff lads, Beauty of nature, Fishing, Sensory detail,

Summary: After the Revolution, Connor had done nothing but work. Hank decides to take him away to the beauty of nature, to truly realise the feeling of being alive.

Story below! Or, read it on AO3

The androids fought, they won, they became free. In the weeks proceeding the revolution, Jericho’s sole goal was getting sorted the rights of androids so that deviants could truly be as human as they wanted to. Connor was involved in some of the proceedings, helping Markus word and practice his speeches, aiding North with logistical things and tasks to help with the thousands of homeless deviants seeking shelter. But as soon as the right was agreed that androids could work and earn a salary as humans do, Connor was right back at Hank’s side, working at the DPD. After all, whilst his help was needed in Jericho, he could be of much more use on the police force, especially given the rising numbers of hate crimes towards androids following the revolution.

Besides, it was nice to get back into a familiar routine, minus the all-seeing, all-knowing control of Cyberlife hanging over his head.

So, the months progressed. Connor worked as partners with Hank at the DPD, and the two were an unstoppable force, what given their bond and skills around deviancy. More rights were being fought for them in the background. Soon, androids were almost treated, at least by law, as equally as humans. They could not be discriminated against, not hurt, they could work, they could buy property, they could start families- everything. Months after the revolution, and things were looking bright on the horizon.

This didn’t mean that the hatred against androids all out stopped. However, crimes were slowly but surely falling, what with the consequences for committing them becoming stronger by the day. This left slightly less work for the DPD to sort out.

However, when Hank woke up one morning and decided he wanted some time off, Connor was still a little confused.

“Are you quite alright, Lieutenant?”

Hank groaned. “For the last time, it’s… never mind.” He paused, placing his coffee mug back on the kitchen table. “Why’d you ask, though?”

Connor shrugged. “I just wondered whether you needed the time off to rest, or recuperate, perhaps—”

The man shook his head. “You don’t always need a reason to take some time off, Connor. It’s been pretty hectic these past few months at the DPD and I just thought it was time for some change around here. Sumo’s barely seen us.”

“Alright.” He nodded, “But I will have to arrange with Fowler what partner I will be assigned whilst you are away.”

“Whoa whoa, who said you couldn’t use a break too?”

“I do not require breaks. I perform stasis every night and—”

“Don’t you just want to… to be out there?” Hank questioned, rather vaguely, Connor thought with a furrow of his brows. “Go out and do things. I mean, now that Markus and crew have got all those fancy rights for you all, I thought you’d want to go and experience them.”

Connor straightened his tie. “I already am, Lieutenant. Captain Fowler is paying me above minimum wage, and last week, Gavin managed to restrain himself from insulting me.”

Hank smirked. “Oh boy. Not exactly what I meant. Look- I’m not going to force you, but I’m offering: we take a week or so off work, I’ll show you some sights, or we can just stay at home and spoil Sumo, whatever you want. I just want to see you have fun, kid.”

Connor blinked. His LED briefly flashed yellow, processing. Eventually, he nodded. Perhaps the Lieutenant’s words had some reason to them. Aside from a couple of weeks after the revolution, he hadn’t done much outside of work. Of course, it hadn’t struck him as odd. Even with his new status as deviant, which came with its differences, such as emotions and connections with other people, he’d been used to constantly working, following orders, completing tasks, completing the mission. But maybe he could now benefit from not having anything to do other than… what was it… Be out there, as Hank had put it.

“Okay.” He agreed, LED circling back to blue. “Perhaps some time away from the precinct would be optimal. However,” Connor added, glancing to the clock, “we had better get going for work today, lest Fowler relieve us of duty for good.”

Hank cursed, chugging back the rest of his coffee. But even with the time limit now imposed on their morning, Connor noticed he was a lot less grumpy about the rush to work.

___________________

Luckily, Fowler had allowed them the week off work, and the time between then was spent planning what activities they’d get done.

Connor was pleased to hear that it wouldn’t be full of travelling and going a multitude of different places. Whilst he was excited (excited? Yes, he supposed he felt a rush of happiness every time he thought about their trip) about seeing the world, he didn’t really feel up to seeing everything at once, and, besides, travelling for long amounts of time bored him. There was nothing to do but listen to the tinny radio on Hank’s car, playing either jazz or heavy metal rock music, and flick his coin back and forth between his hands (at least for a short amount of time, until it was confiscated from him for being ‘loud as fuck, Jesus Connor’).

Instead, they’d decided upon going to a cabin Hank had managed to rent for a fairly cheap price, somewhere in a wooded, natural area. It wasn’t so out of civilisation that they would struggle to get supplies lest they need them, but it was far enough away from the traffic of the city and the hustle and bustle of busy daily life.

Sadly, the journey was still fairly long, a couple of hours out. Luckily, though, Connor had brought five US quarters with him, each one stored in a different place on his outfit.

Hank looked long-suffering by the time he’d taken away the third coin.

“You’ve got another one, haven’t you.” It was less of a question, and more of a statement.

“Affirmative, Lieutenant. You advised me to pack the essentials.”

“Like clothes. Food. Water. Ah ah ah—don’t you get cocky with me and say they’re not essential for you. I know.” He sighed. Connor smirked. He could tell that Hank was mildly annoyed but not angry with him. He tried his best not to antagonise his fellow occupant in the car, but he just couldn’t help it—since deviating, something in him had changed whenever he had to sit in a long car journey.

Boredom, his mind supplied.

boredom /ˈbɔːdəm/

noun the state of feeling bored.

Connor chuckled softly at the definition his mind supplied. Firstly, it was… incredibly unhelpful. Secondly, he must be bored if he was subconsciously searching the definition of boredom itself.

He decided he would need to find a way to occupy his mind on the journey. For now, he didn’t think getting out his fourth coin to play with would be a good idea, since Hank was a bit on edge, and he needed some coins for the journey back. So, laying back in his seat, he took to looking out the window. It wasn’t too long before they arrived, he deduced from a scan of his surroundings. Things were changing vastly now. There were no tall and looming buildings like those in the city, no cars shooting by, horns blaring, people running up the streets, late to work. The city was alive, kind of beautiful in its own way, but nature, he began to notice, had its own sense of beauty. What with the trees lined up along the landscape, varying in shape and height, and in density of leaves and branches. The skies almost seemed clearer, more vibrantly blue and interspersed with soft white clouds. It was aesthetically pleasing, he noted, even if not sharing the geometry of lines and symmetry that the city held.

He whiled away the rest of the journey watching the sights go by, managing to stay stiller than he had the first half of the journey. It was awfully serene. Still, when they reached their destination, car pulling up on a dusty road, the cabin sitting by a pond in the distance, Connor was eager to leave the vehicle.

Connor helped eagerly with the bags, carrying a couple in each hand and waving off Hank’s requests to take some off him.

“I can manage, Lieutenant.”

“Show off.”

“I could also carry the two you have, if that would be of help.” He added, teasingly, to which the man flipped him off. Which then caused him to drop a bag with the change in hand positioning.

Connor couldn’t help it. He started to laugh, which wasn’t a good idea when he was holding four bags. His side started to ache a little, and he eventually had to drop a couple of the bags onto the floor in order to supress the stitch.

“That’s it, we’re going back home.” Hank made to walk back to the car, trying to act serious, but the fact that the android was still sniggering didn’t help things. “You’re a little shit, you know that, right?”

“I believe… I… believe you have referred to me as that multiple… times…” Connor got out between chuckles, before taking a few deep breaths, getting a hold of himself.

“Well, here’s one more to add to the list.” Hank remarked, reaching down to pick back up the bags, following after Connor as he headed towards the cabin.

There was a moment of confusion as they tried to figure how to get the front door unlocked, what with all the bags, until they realised it was already unlocked, Connor leaning against it and finding it swing open.

“That’s safe.”

“I do not detect any beings inside the residence.” Connor informed him after a quick scan of the cabin.

“You sure? No pigeons or squirrels made a little home for themselves up in the attic?”

Connor began to walk inside, glancing around in case his scans hadn’t been accurate, but shook his head upon reaching the living area. “I believe not. There is no attic.”

He heard a slight thud of a bag being dropped onto the floor, and snorted.

___________________

The first late afternoon and evening at the cabin was spent getting everything unpacked and homely in the cabin, and Connor cooking a healthy meal for Hank (“There’s no takeaway service out here, Lieutenant”).

After that, however, Connor awoke them bright and early the next morning, coming out of status around 7.30am and pulling open the curtains.

“As per our schedule, Lie—”

“Jesus Christ, Connor.” Hank groaned, a phrase the android had become accustomed to hearing. He cringed. Perhaps he’d forgotten that coming out of human rest was different to coming out of stasis. He pulled the curtains slightly to, so that it wasn’t blinding early morning sunlight streaming into room. This time only a small slither of it.

“Apologies… Hank. I may have been too prompt. I’m just…”

Rubbing his eyes, Hank looked him over, seeing the android fully dressed in a long-sleeved black shirt with an image of a cartoon Saint Bernard on it, and some loose-fitting pants.

“Excited.” The man finished for him. “Well, that’s what I get for letting you organise a schedule for the week… If you get me some coffee, I might forgive you.”

Connor swiftly made his way into the kitchen and came back approximately 3 minutes later with a mug of coffee.

And so, that’s how the morning went on. Hank might’ve complained, used to this side of the android from how he liked to get the tasks done swiftly and properly at work, but he was fond to see Connor moving about and happy to do something other than work.

It wasn’t much later into the day that they were sitting out by the side of the lake, situated to the right side of the cabin. It stretched out a fair distance beside the residence, its waters calm and silvery on the surface. Just reaching midday, there were chirps of wildlife buzzing around them, but nothing too loud and overbearing.

Hank had decided one thing he wanted to introduce Connor to was fishing. He could remember going on to a lake not dissimilar to this one in his youth, being taught how to fish. Maybe he could pass that skill, or at least the experience, down onto the android.

After making sure he wouldn’t cheat and download a step-by-step guide on fishing in his ‘brain-computer-thingy’, as the man eloquently put it, Hank entrusted him with his fishing rod he’d brought along. It was a little rusty with disuse and he had little in the way of lures, but it didn’t seem like Connor wanted to harm the fish anyway, given from his reluctance upon seeing the sharp metal hook of the rod.

“I doubt they’ll actually bite,” he shrugged, guiding the fishing rod into the android’s hands. “But if they do, you can just release them back in. A little different to how I’ve done it, but…”

“Thank you, Lieutenant.” He stepped back a little, eyes squinting as he concentrated, focusing on flicking back the rod and casting the line as Hank had just shown him how to do. It was a few moments before he managed to precisely replicate the movement, and soon his line was bobbing in and out of the water.

After a few moments, though, he tilted his head, confused. “What now?”

“You wait.” Hank supplied, sitting back on a deck chair he’d brought with them, cracking open the ice box he’d brought with him. “Hey—where did all the beers go?”

The man was looking at him, holding out the can of lemonade. “It’s a much better alternative, Lieutenant. I did… I left a few beers in the bottom of the box, however I’d much rather you left those for later.”

Hank groaned, but complied, and Connor refocused his attention on the waters in front of him. The goal of the task was to catch a fish, and then reposit it back in the waters. But he was meant to wait for that to happen—

He shook his head. That wasn’t the goal. He supposed, from what he’d learnt from his short months of being human, was that there wasn’t really a goal to be attained with every action and thing he did. There were outcomes, but maybe the true aim of this ‘fishing’ wasn’t to catch the fish at all.

Not with the still waters, glistening on the surface, calm movements every now and then as something beneath rippled the current in its movements. Not with the calm hum of nature, the trees lightly dancing back and forth in the breeze. Not with the soft click of the lemonade can opening, Hank’s breathing, the warmth of companionship.

It was about the moment, he noted. The build up of planning their excursion, the anticipation in the car ride over, and now it was the moment he’d thought about. A break from modern day life, a chance to fully enjoy being human. Not working, not thinking constantly about android rights, having things to get done. That moment gave him a chance to reflect, as his eyes cast over the waters, line bobbing as something began to lightly tug on the end of it. To reflect truly on what had happened the past few months.

Because it was a lot. It was being created, being a machine, hunting deviants, meeting Hank… realising that there was more to life than following orders and completing the mission. Taking those orders and throwing them away, meeting the leader of the deviants, of their people, and finally becoming himself.

And now, he was realising what it truly was to be himself… it was freedom. Freedom was being able to have family, to move in with Hank and Sumo, to be free to choose his career path, choose what he wants to do with his life. Choose to take a break away from it all and immerse themselves in nature.

Nature, with all its beauty, all its life—

Standing there, realising this all, feeling the fresh breeze of air tickle his cheeks, the warmth of sun, shining soft yellow light, Hank teaching him to fish. He could do what he wanted. And it wasn’t a task; there was no mission. He could just have… fun.

“Connor? I think you caught one.”

He snapped back to reality. Hank was right. The line was tugging in his hands, and he moved swiftly to reel it in. A fish dangled from the edge of the line. He gathered it up in his hands, carefully, then crouched down, letting his hands hover partway through the water.

It was gentle, and the fish tickled as it moved in his hands, burrowing deeper into the water it could find. He laughed. It reminded him of the fish he caught back in the Tower, that one day, so far away. Connor let it back into the lake.

He watched it swim further away, down and down, deeper into the water. A pause. “Hank, is… is this what it feels like to…” he paused again. LED swirling in thought. “To be alive?”

Hank stood beside him, hand patting his shoulder. “This, and a lot of other things, kid.”

Connor thought it over for a moment. “I think I like it.” Being alive seemed to bring its downs, but even the hostage situation would bring the fish struggling on the floor to be saved. It would bring choices, choices he could make his own decisions on, and moments like this which he wouldn’t trade for the world.

“Great. Now, where were those beers you hid again?”

#dbhcolorsofdeviancy #dbh #detroit become human #dbh connor #dbh hank #dbh connor and hank #fanfic #dbh fanfic #it's all fluff here #I used to be a hardcore angst and horror writer but dbh has turned me sappy #dw tho I have angst coming on some later prompts >:)

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wiypt-writes · 3 years

Text

Stark Spangled Forever

One Shot: Wings

Intro: They say that once you’ve been inked, it kinda becomes an addiction…

Warnings: Bad language.

Pairings: Steve Rogers x OFC Katie Stark

A/N: CONTAINS SPOILERS FOR STARK SPANGLED BANNER

Disclaimer: This is a pure work of fiction and classified as 18+. Please respect this and do not read if you are underage. I do not own any characters in this series bar Katie Stark and the other OCs. By reading beyond this point you understand and accept the terms of this disclaimer.

Stark Spangled Forever Masterlist // Main Masterlist

“Jamie, ”Katie sighed exasperatedly as her 9 year old looked up from where he was sprawled on the rug of the den, piecing his newest lego kit that Sam and Bucky had bought him for his birthday “You need to get your stuff for school.” “Don’t wanna.” he pouted.

“Tough.”

“I don’t feel well.”

“Oh no, really?” Katie bent down, feeling his head. “Hmmmm. You do feel warm. What’s wrong?” “Sort throat.” “Oh, well… that means no soccer practice tomorrow then…and you should go straight back to bed until I can take you to the doctors later today…”

Jamie paused and looked up at her and she raised an eyebrow “Nice try Pal.”

“Mommmm”

“Don’t make me shout your father.” she used her ace card.

Jamie gave an exaggerated sigh and stood up, rolling his eyes. Katie bit her lip to stop herself laughing at the utter indignation on his face.

“It’s Friday dude.” she smiled at him. “You got all weekend to play legos if that’s what you wanna do.”

“Does that mean I can stay up late tonight to work on it?” he asked hopefully.

“Define late.” Katie looked at him.

“11?”

“Hmmmm, I dunno.” she said playfully.

“Please?”

“I’ll speak to your dad.” she said and he smiled at her, the pair of them both knowing full well that Steve was a soft touch when it came to stuff like that. He’d probably be there helping him out with it anyway.

“Ok Mom. Can you make sure Harry doesn’t touch it whilst I’m at school?”

“I’ll keep this door shut, I promise.” Katie assured him.

He left the room and true to her word Katie shut the door to the den and watched him head up the stairs, passing Aurora who was on her way down with her rucksack, Steve right behind her with their youngest placed on his hip.

“Hi mammamama!” Harry babbled at her and she grinned, taking him off Steve and planting a kiss to his cheek.

“Hi baby!” she grinned as his hand instantly went to grab the chain of her necklace.

“Jamie not planning on going to school today?” Steve asked her with a grin as Rori headed off to find her shoes.

“Tried telling me he was sick so he could stay home and play legos.” she snorted “Soon decided he was ok when I told him that meant no soccer practice tomorrow morning.” Steve shook his head, smiling to himself.

“Daddy?” Rori tugged on his trouser leg and he turned his attention to her.

“What’s up Princess?”

“I can’t find my sneakers.”

“Where did you leave them?” he asked, his hand gently dropping to the back of her head.

“Erm…” she pondered for a moment, before she looked up at her mom bashfully.

“Somebody left them in the middle of the lounge…” Katie looked at her. “So the Fairies put them away.”

“Sorry…” Rori wrinkled her nose and blinked up at her mom.

“It’s ok. They’re on the shoe rack sweetie.” Katie nodded to the kitchen in the direction of the utility room located at the back of the house.

“Thanks momma.” she said, running off to retrieve them.

“What time does Emmy’s train get in?” Steve looked at Katie.

“Just after twelve.” Katie said, blowing a raspberry on Harry’s cheek. “I’ll meet her and then take her straight to get inked…” Steve let out a breath from his nose. All Emmy had talked about since turning 21st was a tattoo. Steve wasn’t particularly sure he approved but then what could he do? She was an adult now. Katie hadn’t been bothered, but then as she’d pointed out, she had a big enough one on her thigh so it would be fairly hypocritical if she had. Emmy had won Steve over though when she’d asked him to draw it for her. She’d described what she wanted, a small Phoenix type bird that would sit just above her ankle. So after a few designs and sketches she’d finally settled on something she wanted and after a consultation she was having it done this afternoon.

“You staying with her?” Steve looked at Katie, concern etched across his face. Katie gave a soft laugh.

“She’s a big girl now Steve but yeah, I’m gonna stay.” she said, tugging on his beard playfully.

“Good.” he nodded, jerking his head out of reach. “Do you need me to pick the kids up later or…”

“No, by the time their afterschool clubs are done we’ll have finished so I’ll do it.” she smiled as Rori came back, sneakers in her hand. She sat on the bottom step and proceeded to push her feet into the pink converse, Steve crouching down on one knee to tie her shoelaces for her.

“Thanks daddy.”

“You’re welcome sweetheart.” he said, dropping a kiss to her head before he turned to look up the stairs “Jamie! Come on!”

“I’m coming…” came the surly reply, and no sooner had they heard it he appeared at the top of the steps, rucksack in hand.

“Drop the attitude.” Steve said sternly as Jamie trudged down the stairs, scowling. Steve looked at Katie, raising his eyebrow as their eldest son stalked past them, heading to the door, Rori running behind him.

“Wait for me Jay…” she called, her small feet slapping on the tiles of the hallway as she went.

“Told you…” Katie said, smirking “He’s a mini you…”

“That filthy look he had on his face? That is a Stark expression.” Steve said, looking back at her as he picked Rori’s rucksack up.

“Is not.” Katie laughed “That’s the face you make whenever someone’s pissing you off.”

Steve gave a snort before he dropped a soft kiss to her lips, making Harry shriek.

“Kissy!” he laughed.

“See you later.” Steve smiled against her mouth “Love you.” “You too” she said, and with a last peck and a ruffle of Harry’s hair he headed after Jamie and Rori, barking out an instruction for them to quit their squabble over who was sitting in the front seat.

“Easy solution…” Katie heard Steve say loudly “You can both get in the back. End of discussion.”

Their protest’s died as the door snapped shut.

Katie chuckled to herself and looked at Harry “Shall we get you ready to go too baby boy?”

“Go!” he nodded, grinning.

*******

Katie’s morning was reasonably easy. A meeting and a manuscript to review which she’d managed to do by half 11. Changing out of her office clothes into a loose pair of sweats, trainers and a hoody she headed out and made her way to Grand Central.

She spotted Emmy emerging into the main terminal and swept her daughter up into a hug.

“Hey mom.” Emmy said, squeezing her back.

“Ready to go get inked?” Katie asked, Emmy grinned and slung her satchel over one shoulder, linking her arm through her mom’s.

“You eaten?” Katie asked as they walked out into the early April sun.

“Yeah, followed the instructions.” Emmy nodded.

“Good.” Katie said. “Nervous?”

“A little.” Emmy shrugged “It’s gonna hurt right?”

“It’s not so bad.” Katie shrugged, “Some places hurt more apparently but…most important thing to remember is if you need a break just ask.”

“Ok.”

The two women walked a few blocks, catching up. It had been a couple of weeks since Emmy was home, fast approaching the last few weeks of the semester at Harvard before her exams started. All of her marks so far had been sky high, leaving her parents immensely proud, although both had taken great pains to tell her that they didn’t care what the outcome was, as long as she tried her best.

Eventually they reached the place and Emmy opened the door, stepping in. David, the man that had done the consultation a few weeks back beckoned them both through.

“Ok, so…” he said, tilting the screen to show Emmy the picture of her design he’d scanned “I gotta say I’m excited about this one, it’s pretty unique.”

“My dad drew it.” Emmy beamed.

“It’s phenomenal.” David smiled “I had to sharpen some of the lines up but there’s no major changes. Are you happy with it?”

Emmy nodded.

“Ok, and yours Mrs Rogers…” David clicked and the imaged changed. “The touches we’re adding to your thigh are fairly straight forward but this one…this is what I think it is right?”

Katie nodded.

“Awesome…” David smiled, and hit print and stood up to collect both the prints.

“Have you told Dad?” Emmy looked at her. Katie smirked and shook her head.

“Nope.” she popped the p on the word “Thought it would be a nice surprise when he gets to see it later.” “I’m not sure if I should be grossed out by that thought or not.” Emmy mumbled and Katie simply laughed.

Just over 2 and a half hours later they were done, leaving the parlour with strict after care instructions. Emmy had hardly flinched through hers, whereas Katie’s new one had been slightly uncomfortable due to the placing.

“Think that earned us a beer…” Katie said checking her watch. “Come on, we got time before we need to collect the heathens.”

***** “Show me! Show me!” Rori demanded.

“You can’t see it yet short stuff.” Emmy said fondly “It’s still wrapped up.”

“When can you unwrap it?” Jamie asked.

“Another hour or so yet.” Katie answered “So quit bugging your sister and go put your school bags away.”

“Emmy do you wanna watch Sponge Bob with me?” Rori asked.

“Only if we can sing the special song…” Emmy grinned, holding her hand out for a hi-five. Rori giggled, and slapped her smaller palm against her sister’s.

“What special song?” Katie looked at her.

“Oh just a variation on the theme tune we made up.” Emmy said, grinning mischievously

“I dread to think.” Katie muttered, watching Jamie and Rori head up stairs to deposit their rucksacks in their room.

Katie bustled around making dinner, simple spaghetti and meatballs as requested by all 4 kids…well, the elder 3…Harry merely clapped his hands and yelled “getty” in agreement. She was stood stirring the sauce when she heard Steve walk through the door an toss his keys onto the table in the hall little under an hour later.

“Daddy’s home!” she heard Rori shriek and a moment later Steve chuckled.

“Hey…” he said, sweeping her up and placing a kiss on her cheek. He carried her through to the kitchen where he greeted Harry with a ruffle of the hair as he sat by the table doodling on a pad with Emmy.

“Hi sweetie.” Steve said, as Emmy stood up to give him a hug. “How was the tattooing?”

“Good.” she nodded, “Oh, actually, mom….should I unwrap it now?”

“Errr, yeah.” Katie said, turning the heat down on the stove and accepting the kiss Steve offered. “Can you watch these 2. I’ll go help Emmy out…”

“Sure.” Steve said, “Where’s Jamie?”

“2 guesses” Katie grinned at him and Steve shook his head, smiling, knowing full well that meant he was nose deep in lego.

Katie and Emmy bounded up the stairs and returned about 15 minutes later, Emmy proudly showing off the design on her right ankle. Steve had to admit, it did look pretty good, but then he would say that, he drew it after all.

They dragged Jamie out of the den for dinner, where the boy managed 2 helpings before he ran off again, almost having a meltdown when Katie told him he had to share the den as Rori wanted to watch Cartoons. One stern look from Steve nipped the tantrum in the bud and the 4 kids departed once dishes had been deposited in the sink, Katie waving away Emmy’s offer to help, telling her to go spend some time with her siblings. It didn’t take her and Steve long to clear down and they were heading towards the living room to collapse onto the sofa together, but the shriek and cheers coming from the den made them both stop in their tracks.

“What on Earth are they watching?” Steve looked at his wife.

“Sponge Bob, apparently…” Katie said. The two looked at one another, before they headed back towards the den and peeked through the door which was open a crack.

Emmy was stood, swaying with Harry held on her hip, the pair of them laughing, whilst Jamie was doing some kind of strange running man dance as Rori bounced up and down on the sofa as the opening credits began to roll. Emmy opened her mouth and started singing along to the opening theme tune in a pirate voice.

Only she wasn’t singing the theme tune. They were completely different words.

“Who lived as a Capsicle under the sea?” Emmy paused to look at Jamie and Rori who both yelled back in chorus, Harry mimicking them as best he could whilst clapping his hands.

“CAPTAIN ROGERS!”

Steve blinked, looked at Katie, his mouth dropping open as she burst out laughing at the look of utter confusion and perplexment on his face. She pushed the door open further and all the kids turned to see their parents watching them. But instead of stopping, they continued to sing even louder at Steve as he folded his arms and leaned against the door frame.

“Saluting a hello and killing Nazis…” Emmy continued

“CAPTAIN ROGERS!”

“If patriotism be something you wish…”

“CAPTAIN ROGERS!”

By this point Katie was laughing that hard she couldn’t breathe. She doubled over, tears pouring from her face as the kids continued their relentless serenade to their father.

“Then throw a big shield and punch with your fist…”

“CAPTAIN ROGERS!”

That was it. Steve couldn’t keep his face straight any longer and he too started to laugh, grinning as Rori ran over to him and pulled on his hands dragging him into the room to make him twirl her round.

Eventually the song stopped and the room was simply filled with laughter which died down. Steve wiped his eyes and looked at his kids before he crossed his arms.

“You’re all grounded.” he smirked, and then ran as they started pelting him with throw cushions.

****

Later that night, as always, Steve couldn’t stop his eyes from roving his wife’s body as she walked out of the en-suite and into the bedroom, dressed in one of his shirts and a pair of sleep shorts ready for bed. As he lounged on top of the duvet, back propped up against the headboard, his gaze travelled down the lines of her body and he frowned as he spotted something on her thigh that looked different.

Suddenly it dawned on him what it was.

“Is that…is that a new tattoo?” Steve sat up, looking at her leg then to her face, and back again.

“Technically it’s an addition to an existing one.” Katie grinned as she made her way to the bed and knelt up in front of Steve. His hands gently fell to her hips as he examined the new ink. The area surrounding one of the 4 stars that formed part of the original tattoo had been shaded with red and gold in a water colour effect. He didn’t need her to explain, but she did anyway.

“That’s for Tony.” she said softly, “And these…” she pointed out 4 additional stars she’d had placed within the existing design “One for each of the kids.”

“Not one for me?” he eventually pouted playfully, looking back up at her.

She bit her lip and grinning slightly, pulled his shirt over her head leaving her top half naked, and she turned her torso slightly the left, holding her arm over her breasts so he could see. His eyes widened as he saw the design that was now etched onto her skin just underneath her left breast on her rib cage.

It was his wings. The wings he had worn on his helmet. The wings adopted by the Howlies as their symbol in the war. And above that sat a star that was the same as the others on her thigh.

“That’s for you…” she said softly.

Steve was struggling for words. There was something he was finding outrageously sexy about the fact she’d had that placed somewhere that no one would really see other than him. And something ridiculously sentimental about the design she had chosen.

“Do you like it Soldier?” she asked softly, biting her lip.

He looked up at her, smiling as his hands gripped her bare waist and he pulled her down with him so she was led on top of him. “I love it.”

“I love you…” she grinned, melting into his arms as his hands ran up her bare back, her nose nudging his softly.

“Back at ya pretty girl.” he smirked, before his lips claimed hers in a heated kiss.

**Original Posting**

#stark spangled forever #steve rogers #steve rogers fanfiction #Katie Stark #steve rogers x ofc #steve rogers x original female character #steve rogers fic #mcu #mcu fanfic #chris evans #chris evans characters

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karls-writing-space · 3 years

Text

『 Backstory 』

➵ Any TWs? :

➵ Subtle Mentions of Transphobia.

➵ Beau Romano - his deadname being Bianca - was born a year after his older sister, Faye. He lived with his semi-wealthy parents, Camilia and Dylan Romano in Manitoba.

When he was in second grade, Beau began to have a big sprout of creativity. He had drawn pictures of people and anthropomorphic animals, and create small little tales about these people/animals he has drawn. He Drew more and more of these as time slowly passed, and he enjoyed telling stories about these drawings. This had grown into a hobby, and something he enjoyed thoroughly.

His older sister came out when she was nine that she felt like a girl and that she was attracted to girls. Now, their parents are very accepting people and proceeded to assist and support Faye - who was formerly known as Lovino - get what she needed to transition.

Beau happily cheered on his big sister on, supporting her and showering her with love. He celebrated her transitions and her relationships happily, happy that he had such a prideful older sister.

By the time Beau was ten, he had begun to experiment with his sexuality by feeling some weird way towards a guy in music class. He talked with this guy more and more, and these feelings continued to grow.

After a couple of weeks, he felt the same way towards a girl in music class too. The feeling for the boy stayed, but now he had feelings for a boy and a girl.

One day, while walking to school with his mom, he heard two girls behind him talking about the people they liked. One of the girls had said that she was Bisexual, to which little Beau tugged on his mother's sleeve and asked what "Bisexual" meant. The woman explained that it was when someone liked two or more genders.

Beau put that into thought, and not even a minute later, he exclaimed "I'm Bisexual!"

His mom smiles and ruffled her son's - then daughter's - head. While Beau was still a kid, and she thought that Beau didn't know what he was talking about, the boy knew exactly what he was talking about.

Those feelings of the boy and girl faded over time. When Beau was twelve, he had fallen for another person. There had been this really cute girl in class who enjoyed drawing, and boy, what a talented artist she is.

Slowly, but surely, Beau began to fall in love with this girl, and spent time with her. Months went by, and the two had fallen in love.

The girl had confessed to Beau, which he accepted.

These two were a great, healthy Lesbian couple at the time. They were both very happy and loving. Beau had welcomed his girlfriend into the family, to which they welcomed with open arms.

The relationship lasted for two years until they fell out of love. The spark was gone. Their breakup wasn't nasty - they awkwardly stated that they lost that romantic spark on both sides. Beau had turned thirteen at the time. Beau and his ex-lover are on good terms to this day.

Once puberty hit, Beau looked at the body he had at the moment. He didn't quite fit with how it was. It made him feel like he didn't fit in a girl's body. He wanted to cut off his developing melons. So, he decided to talk to Faye later that evening, whom had fully transitioned. She was a beautiful woman. As he talked to her about what had been up, Faye stated that Beau could be Transgender, and even gave him a few articles on Gender Dysphoria.

Weeks of looking into gender identities later, Beau took the label "Trans Male" and used it to describe himself. With encouragement from Faye, he came out to his parents, who accepted him. He didn't want to transition as quickly as Faye, and wanted to take it slow. Testosterone and binding first.

As he grew older, Beau got bullied for being a Transgender Bisexual man. He was experiencing Transphobia from a few of his fellow peers. He knew that not everyone would accept him for being who he was, but this hurt quite a bit. Being bullied for this wasn't fair - he had every right to express himself! - but nooo, people were idiots.

His love for writing had grown more and more over the years. He began to write little stories that he presented in school and posted online. People loved his little stories. Whether they were fanfiction or characters and universes he had created in his head, they received a lot of positive feedback. Sure, there were haters, bullies, trolls, and rude people in general, but Beau didn't pay attention to them too much.

Beau had gotten top surgery when he was fifteen. He had been on testosterone for a year, and he had been binding for that time being. He loved his new, flat chest. Sure, he would have a scar on his chest from the surgery, but it didn't really bother him. He was happy that his tibbies were deleted. Now he could feel like a guy somewhat.

During the time passed from fourteen and fifteen years old, Beau had been watching a show known as "Total Drama" with Faye. The show was appealing to the young teen. The risky challenges were entertaining, most of the cast was likable, and it was really entertaining for the young boy. He'd talk about joining the show every now and then and would think about what his label or cliche would be on the show.

Timeskip to now, Beau and Faye are sixteen and seventeen respectively. After watching an ad to audition for the next season of Total Drama, Faye looked over at her little brother.

"Hey... You should audition to be on there!"

Beau, liking the idea, auditioned for the show. Once his audition was seen, Beau was invited to be on a season of Total Drama.

『 Voice Claim 』

youtube

『 Miscellaneous Facts』

➵ Theme Song

youtube

➵ Quotes

"O-Oh, hello...!"

"I'm Beau. It's nice to meet you!"

"It's too people-y in there. I-I'd like to stay right here."

"He's... Kinda pretty."

"Are you lonely? I could hang out with you if you'd like."

"I-It's not a diary! It's just a journal that I put my writing and ideas in."

"Sorry, I'd rather be by myself. I-It's nothing personal -- I j-just don't like large groups of people."

"Sorry... I'm rambling again, aren't I? Sorry about that..."

"He's a... He's a man. And I'm just a boy."

"Ciao, bello..!" (Hello, handsome..!)

"Aren't you guys a little too old for a bedtime story?"

"Fine, fine. Once upon a time, there were a few guys on an island who needed to go the fuck to sleep. G'night, guys."

"What do you mean that 'isn't a good bedtime story? I think it's a brilliant story."

"Fine... There was once this God named Fóllame de lado-"

"Hey - do you wanna fuck around with the others?"

"H-Hey! I apologize for interrupting what you were doing, but... I'd like to confess something if that's o-okay? Look, I'll cut to the chase. I... love you, dude. And not in some bromance way. Like... I have romantic feelings for you. I love you so much I could scream it to the world..! I hope you f-feel the same way. And if you don't? That's p-perfectly fine."

"Good morning, mio amore."

"Sorry, but could you like, shut up for five seconds? Thanks..."

➵ Ship Names (OC X Crush or OC X OC)

Duncan x Beau = BeauDun/ BeauCan

DJ x Beau = BJ / BeauJ

Alejandro x Beau = AleBeau

Mike x Beau = Meau/Bike

Lightning x Beau = Blightning/BeauLight

Topher x Beau = Beaupher / Beaupher

Shawn x Beau = Sheau / Bawn

➵ Random Facts

• If they're comfortable, Beau calls his male friends "Bello" (Handsome), and his female friends "Bella" (Beautiful).

For Nonbinary folk, it depends on what they prefer.

•Beau has learned how to play the ukelele from Faye.

•He would actually like to go windsurfing sometime!

• Speaking of his sister, she's a well-known acrobat/performer for her age. He admires her for being so talented in such a thing..

• His sister is an extrovert, and more outgoing than Beau. The two are opposites,,but yknow, opposites attract!

•Beau prefers to write stories that are/include horror, action, and supernatural/fantasy. He can write romantic stories, but he doesn't prefer writing things like that.

•He has written some shitty fanfictions when he was younger. He will share them among his friends and laugh at what he wrote.

•The languages he speaks are:

• English

•Italian

• (Some) Spanish. [Italian and Spanish are similar language-wise in a few ways. That, and Beau just wanted to learn Spanish.]

• Respectful boi when it comes to Pronouns, Names, People's likes and dislikes, etc.

•Beau has some family members that live in Italy. He has gone to Italy to visit them numerous times.

• Beau doesn't believe in soulmates. He thinks that it's just some fairytale thing that people believe in. He wants to love someone on his own accord - not someone who the universe was like "Oh, let's put these people together.".

♫♪.ılılıll|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|̲̅̅=̲̅̅|̲̅̅●̲̅̅|llılılı.♫♪

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

#td oc #total drama oc #beau romano #tdpi #tdas #tdwt #tdi #vix writes stuff #nico writes stuff #Youtube

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hansolmates · 4 years

Text

vernon; blossomed (m)

feat. tattoo artist!vern x flower shop fem!reader based on nonnie’s big brain

genre/warnings: flangst, lang, wild generalizations of how tattooing works, gratuitous love for side characters, mild drinking, phineas and ferb references, mild foreplay

word count: 12k

Vernon called you his Rose.

Not exactly his Rose, because you were definitely not anyone’s property and he wanted to give you nothing but your full autonomy, but it’s because he’s never had the chance to ask for your real name.

But when he first spotted you in the little lavender and honey colored flower shop across the street, you were tending to the rose bushes at the front entrance. You were cutting roses and you didn’t look utterly graceful, in fact you stabbed yourself more than once with the thorns. He couldn’t help but laugh when you laughed when your co-worker had to hand you a new bandage every minute.

He decided then that he liked you, even if it’s not wholly sexual or romantic, he liked you.

Or maybe he just liked the idea of you, the way you’d lounge around in the canopy swing with your boots tucked under the seat, fluffy yellow socks wiggling out in the sun. Sometimes you’d read a book, sometimes for well over an hour. He liked how you soaked up the heat and created your own little world, happily unproductive.

It was only a seven meter walk from the flower shop to the tattoo parlor, but the view from his front window required zero walking distance and a sure-fire lack of ever bumping into you.

“Vernie’s got a crush on the Flower Girl,” Yoongi sing-songed, chugging along a box full of random-ass materials that Vernon was supposed to clean in the morning.

Vernon scowled, and swatted away the older one’s hand when it dived in front of his face.

Yoongi whistled like he was an old-time animation, singing the day away. “Vernie’s stalking his crush.”

“I’m not stalking,” Vernon snapped, swiveling around in his rolling chair. “that involves shit like literally following her around, photography, I dunno, being a weirdo?”

“You definitely qualify for one of those.” Yoongi replied tartly, and he fought the urge to grin when Vernon finally turned back to the window, only to narrowly miss your form. The swing was now unoccupied, the only thing remnant were your working boots lined up against the entrance. “It’s been what, two weeks? Just ask her out already.”

“You think I would’ve done that by now if there wasn’t a reason why?“

Soooo you were dating someone. Some super tall, super handsome guy would stroll up to the flower shop every morning, coffee in hand. Before you’d take your proffered coffee, he’d pucker his lips for a good-morning kiss in repayment. Vernon looked back to Yoongi, who was staring right back at him and confirming his suspicions that yes he was being a fucking weirdo for paying attention to things like that.

Yoongi pressed his lips together, puffing his cheeks out in slight irritation. “So you’re stalking a taken girl,” he whistled lowly, “should I regret hiring you?”

“Not funny.”

“As repayment for effectively creeping me out,” The older one slipped his hand into his electric yellow windbreaker to twirl Vernon a ring of keys. “You’re closin’ up for tonight.”

The brunette’s jaw dropped to his lap, and he got up from his spot by the window. “What? What happened to Minghao?”

“Sick,” Yoongi shrugged.

Closing up meant that Vernon had to stay until 12AM, at the very least. The area was off a college town and that meant a lot of young lucrative artists would stop by pretty late, hence the closing time. Usually Yoongi and Minghao were the night owls, but tonight Minghao was supposed to fly solo because Yoongi landed a last-minute recording gig. “C’mon, can I at least close early?” Vernon whined, “it’s summer. No one’s here.”

“What, ya gotta date or something?” Yoongi smirked, swinging the entrance open. Halfway out the door, he added loftily, “don’t forget to water Patricia. It’s been two weeks.”

The door slammed and Vernon was left alone. He spared a glance at the window, only to see that your boots were now gone from the patio and only one light was on in the shop. Vernon turned to his company for the night, their jade succulent, aptly named Patricia Planty.

With Patricia Planty watered and a stomach full of Wendy’s nuggets in his body, Vernon busied himself up for a grueling five hours. Thankfully he brought in his laptop, as if he were expecting Yoongi to pull a fast one on him tonight. He drew some random things on his tablet: rockets, stars, the occasional squirrel, and roses. When he was tired of drawing, he’d blast the speakers off the joint and mess around with some of his music programming. When he was tired of doing both, he’d vegetate on the couch and read Reddit articles.

It was past eleven when the first customer of the night stumbled in. Vernon fought the urge to groan, putting down the pen of his tablet on a particularly intricate constellation.

“We’re closed!” He yelled through the office door. A white lie, but who would know?

“Google said you were open until 12!” A voice yelled back, sounding slightly strained.

Crap. Vernon lowered the volume and pushed away the swivel chair, swinging the office door open. With a rough clear of his throat and hoping not to look like too much of a jerk, he faced his customer, “Welcome to Nu ABO—”

It was you. Cheeks ruddied, and your eyes glassed with a fresh glaze of tears. Your lower lip worried into a wobbly frown. Vernon’s Reebok’s glued to the concrete of the parlor, effectively stopping him in his tracks. The smell of mulch and a mixture of flowers penetrated his nostrils, but it did nothing to distract the utter hurt etched on your face.

“Um, hey,” his voice was gentle, yet unsure. “What are you doing here?”

You just looked at him, incredulous. Vernon could have sworn he saw your left eyebrow twitch. Of course, you’ve never met him in your entire life, yet Vernon felt like he knew you since the beginning of your summer work. “Gettin’ a tattoo.” You replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, rubbing away a stray tear.

He didn’t want to say it, but Vernon sighed and reasoned, “But it’s just that, ya kinda look—”

You brushed past him, going straight into the artist room and plopping on the worn leather chair meant for customers. It was still high up because Vernon was cleaning the underside of the metal, so you had to do a little hop to get on. “I don’t care what kind of design. I looked up your Yelp online and everything looked pretty good.” And you then proceeded to unbutton the top of your blouse.

“Holy shit,” he bounded over to you, grappling his fingers between your shirt before you could undo the rest of it. His breath was probably hot and heavy, compared to yours which was fresh from the cool summer air. Your faces were so close, closer than he ever fathomed. He didn’t think you two would meet this early in the year, as he was emotionally preparing to visit your flower shop at the end of the month, making up some spiel on how he needed to purchase real roses to replicate a commission. Not now. Now was a spontaneous episode, where he was trying to refasten your shirt and ignore the petal pink lace of your bra baiting his eyes.

When he sensed that you would in fact, stop taking your shirt off, he backed up. “It’s just that, after eleven we don’t really apply tattoos. We just take consultations.” He tried to sound defeated, rubbing the back of his neck. Again, another lie. But Vernon wasn’t about to ink you on the spot, especially when you looked like this.

“Is it because I’m upset?” You cried, “because I assure you, I’m in the right mind!”

He winced, lolling his head back and forth. “That’s debatable.”

You frowned, “C’mon, I have money. Just do me this one solid.”

“What? No, you don’t even know what you want!” Vernon was exasperated. Not that he imagined the first time meeting you would be a walk in the park, but at the same time he wasn’t expecting to argue with you.

"Don’t you want to be part of my spontaneous young life? Give me a tattoo that I’ll think about with my children 30 years from now?” He would laugh if you didn’t look like you were crying a river ten minutes ago. “As long as it’s not a tramp stamp, because I don’t think I can pull that off—"

"Did you break up with your boyfriend or something?” Vernon blurted out before he could regret it.

Your face morphed into something Vernon couldn’t understand. Pain, for sure. But a sort of relief knowing that you didn’t have to hide it. “Damn,” you give him a tired smile, “does the whole town know or something?"

You cried again. This time, Vernon reacted quicker. Pulling out a Wendy’s napkin from his flannel pocket, he proffered it to you. He was thankful you didn’t question whether it was clean or not (it was!) and you proceeded to cover your snot and tears all over it.

"Do you wanna talk about it?"

You sniffled and blew a particularly large chunk of snot before you shook your head.

"Do you… want fries?” He gestured to the small table in the room, which had some leftover fries from his combo. “I can heat ‘em up in the microwave."

Due to the fact that you ran out of tissue room, you rubbed your face with the entirety of your sleeve. You peeked out mid-rub, and replied with a soft, "hell yeah I do."

His heart twitched. Even betwixt your teary expression, you were so freakin’ cute. He shuffled back to the office, nuking the leftovers in the microwave until they were piping hot. Vernon waited a bit for them to get cool, and fiddled with the music so a soft R&B playlist bounced off the walls. He couldn’t believe you were here. Scratch that, he could, because you were bound to run into him one day due to pure proximity.

But he didn’t imagine you’d be plopped in his artist room at 11:32, bleary eyed and shoving potatoes in your mouth.

Vernon busied himself with his phone, and typed a hasty you wouldn’t believe what just happened… to the employee group chat.

[June 11, 11:33PM]

Bo$$ man: dont tell me u put aluminum in the microwave AGAIN

Hao hao: the chinese mafia came for me, didnt they? good thing I called out

Jeonghan is a prick: use your resources! sharp items are everywhere :) emergency money is under Patricia’s table

Bernie: tf is wrong w all of you

Bernie: SHES HEREEEEEE

"M'sorry,” you mumbled with a mouthful of fries, breaking Vernon from his mid-text crisis. He felt his phone buzzing like hell as he shoved it in his pocket, but ignored it for the sake of you. Your previous high of emotions has long worn off, and now you were looking a little embarrassed as you fixed your gaze on the empty container of fries. Your face is blotchy and red, and you’re especially puffy due to the salt you just consumed. “I should go home."

He didn’t want to be intrusive, but the look on your face showed it was clear that you didn’t want to go home just yet. Drumming his fingers against the metal table, he casually suggested, "Why don’t I do your back?"

You looked at him like he was crazy. "You still wanna tattoo me? After I cried like an idiot and ate your fries?"

"You’re not an idiot for being upset. And I offered you my fries.” He pulled out an ink canister, and a thin needle. “This is temporary ink we use to practice, or for customers who wanna test out the look. Lasts one to two weeks. And y'know, it’s a nice distraction."

You looked skeptical, unsure of his kindness. "Why my back?"

He shrugged, "It’s the biggest canvas. And if you don’t like it, you don’t have to look at it."

Still, you’re not convinced. There was something strange about him, something almost too sweet. While your schema may be marred by television and movies, the man in front of you didn’t seem like he quite fit into this little shack. He’s full of color, in his eyes and in his stature, his words clean and pure as he tries to soothe your aching heart. And as much as you tried not to check him out, you spotted no tattoos on any viewable part of his body.

"And it’s kind of cathartic, really.” He watched your lips quirk up in a smile at the word usage. Not only sweet, but probably smart. Your first smile all night. Cheeks effortlessly heated, he continued, “you kinda just let go into the feeling. And it’s always fun to not know what’s been drawn until the very end."

You’re curious. There’s excitement in your vision as he gestured to the available cot, inviting you. "Alright. Ink me up."

Vernon grinned, and started preparing the workspace. Handing you a medical gown, he quickly shuffled away to prepare the ink and needles. He didn’t really work with the clients as deeply as this, he was really just a glorified secretary that took care of the consultation. While he washed his hands, he heard the faint rustle of fabric, definitely your shirt and bra. He turned up the temperature of the water, acutely aware of how hot his hands were getting.

"Um,” your voice is muffled from being pressed up against the cot, your face presumably propped with pillows. “So are you Yoongi?"

"Nah, I’m Vernon.” He wheeled over a cart full of supplies, the metal clanging against the concrete. “’M usually the guy who wipes the sweat off his brow."

You hummed your own name in response, resting your cheek in the plushness of the cotton pillow. There’s a number of sounds paired with the R&B in the background. The smack of Vernon putting on gloves, the click of the needles and the slickness of the balm Vernon has applied on your back. His touch was warm, as his palm crescents across your back to soothe the balm into your skin. He then wiped it down with a paper towel until your skin was smooth and dry.

"Any ideas yet?” He asked, and from the corner of your eye you see him switch out a needle for a new ink pen.

“Maybe, stars?” Your voice is muffled against the cushions, as you’re hugging them close to your body. “And maybe something inspired by Spiderman? I liked that new one with Miles, he’s a cool one."

You could hear the smile in his voice, "I liked that one, too."

You stuff your own smile in your pillow, how embarrassing could it be that this stranger can make you feel better so fast? Mingyu would be groveling if he saw you now, topless, letting a man ink you up in however way he wished. "Will it hurt?"

He chuckled at that, "Nah. The ink will sit on top and sink in, I barely have to apply any pressure. Just relax."

Under the discretion of Vernon, who offered you fries and liked Spiderman, you relaxed. The first stroke of the needle and you were a goner. You closed your eyes and let him do his thing, You couldn’t tell what exactly was going on through his mind as he was painting your back, but you could tell his art was rather cacophonous: stiff pokes here and there, smooth strokes, and wide breaths of ink staining your back. The ink melted into your skin, bonding to your cells under Vernon’s careful control.

It was almost 1AM when he finished. He tapped your back, urging you up. Tired, and slightly dazed, you sat up. You realized a little too late that you’re only wearing a thin hospital gown, the straps having fallen midway through the process. The air was cool against your skin.

Vernon totally would’ve gotten a complete view of your sideboob if he wasn’t blushing like a maniac and looking away, and you respected that. His arm is punched out, fisting your button down. You hastily snatched it away, and turned around in order to look decent.

“The ink won’t show up fully for another six hours, so until then let me know how you like it.”

“Thank you so much,” you smiled gratefully as you do the last button of your blouse, and pulled out your phone. “Do you accept Venmo or Cashapp?”

“Oh, yeah.” He accepted the proffered device, and put in the necessary charges.

Once he gave back your phone, you added a sizable tip to the price he typed up. “The time really flew by,” you noted the time on the corner of your phone, 1:07. “It was really, an experience like you said.”

He shrugged, and threw you an easy smile. “I try.”

"Can I get a real tattoo from you someday? Y'know, when I’m ready?"

"Ah, no. I’m not really under the apprenticeship.” He looked bashful when he said it, as if he were caught doing something wrong. “I just work here for the part time money. I do art on the side, though.”

You had the urge to ask what he doesn’t do on the side, but it was late and you were probably holding up the poor guy for your trivial questions. “Regardless, I’m still thankful it was you that did this for me.”

In three strides, he opened the small door for you. “My pleasure. Have a good night. Or, morning. Or if you’re one of those people who don’t consider it morning unless it’s light out, then good night?”

“Good night,” you giggled, “get home safely.”

“You too.”

The screen door slammed shut behind you, along with the main door. Your car is parked in the grass patching of the flower shop. You jogged over, and the summer air made you shiver, your back still raw and warm under Vernon’s touch.

You couldn’t wait until the flower shop closed.

If Wonwoo noticed that you moved the porch swing relative to the placement of Nu ABO, he hasn’t brought it up. You weren’t spying on Vernon, no. But your skin was starting to itch with curiosity and in your haste to leave last night, you didn’t even ask what he designed on your back.

“Are you stalking the tattoo guy?”

Despite the voice being petal soft, you flinched. Assistant Manager Joshua Hong with a bouquet of boat lilies, was accusing you of stalking. His Converse tapped rhythmically against the wood paneling, looking down at you like a guilty child.

“What?” you floundered, waving around the florist magazine in your hands. “Josh, I’m studying! And the sun was in my face so I moved the swing.”

“You’re studying,” Joshua flickered his eyes to the run down shack across the road. “The tattoo guy?”

“I already said I wasn’t!”

“Then you’re telling me you spent all last night doing that,” he reached over to tug at your starched work collar, “all by yourself?”

Your hand flew to your neck, as if you were trying to hide Vernon’s hard work. “I just wanna see what he did, all right? And I’m trying to be very patient until closing because if Wonwoo sees me going there,” you jerked a head none-too-gracefully at the direction of the parlor, “he’s gonna tell you-know-who.”

Joshua frowned, because he already knew. After all, he stayed in the back room with you all last night, wiping away your tears. “Well, whoever did it is truly an artist,” he said genuinely, “it’s beautiful.”

Joshua finally left you alone, and you suddenly felt emptier than before. Sure, the breakup with Mingyu was conventionally bad, but why were you so conflicted with your feelings? You didn’t want Mingyu to know you were hanging out with other guys, but you wanted to let go of him. Maybe you were trying too hard too fast.

But Vernon made everything so, so easy.

No, you are not letting him be a rebound. The inner conflict in your head was giving you a massive headache, you couldn’t tell if the vibes you were feeling last night were because of the recent breakup or just an authentic spark.

The storm door shuttered boldly, and you jumped. Wonwoo stepped out, and gave you a weird look. “You alright?”

“Me? Yeah, fine.” You gripped the collar of your shirt and pretended to fasten the buttons.

He was unconvinced, either that or the pinched look he was sporting was an indicator of a bad day. “Listen, I know things are gonna be weird because my best friend is your, y’know,” he trailed off, painfully trudging through this conversation as easily as trudging through quicksand. “He’s gonna stop by a couple more times during the week, doing me a few errands. So if you wanna take the week off, recalibrate before the the month ends, just let me know. ”

“Won, please,” you wanted this to end, “we don’t have to talk about this, alright?”

He awkwardly twirled around his car keys. “Alright.” As simple as that, he threw himself in his sedan and drove off, dirt brushing the pavement.

You glared at the dust cloud until his car was far from your sights, the mustard color blinding your vision. “Honestly,” you said to yourself, finally hopping off your swing into the direction of the shack, “he thinks I’m five and never experienced heartbreak.”

“Welcome to Nu ABO!” this voice was different, and you slowed your steps. It doesn’t quite have the husk that Vernon’s voice held, but definitely matched the energy. The boy stepped out, and his eyes sparkled in recognition. “Flower Girll,” he said to himself, and you suddenly felt like you got caught, “I don’t think we’ve met before.”

"We haven’t,” you replied warily at the pet name, “where’s Vernon?"

"Oh, he’s around.” The guy waved noncommittally to the air in the room, crouching his head to look down at you. He stuffed his hands in his black overalls, which covered a painfully bright rainbow tye-dye tee. “Curious to see Vern’s ink though. He’s only ever done small stuff.”

“I thought he wasn’t an apprentice.”

He flicked his wrist around to show you a beautiful line of Chinese calligraphy. "Keep the secret between us, ‘kay?” He winked.

“Minghao, leave her alone.” Vernon stepped out of the small bathroom hidden in the artist room, a white towel behind his neck. You took in his disheveled appearance. His face was red from washing his face, and he wore the same clothes from yesterday. “Hey.” He said.

“Hi,” you replied, “did you sleep here last night?"

"Uh, yeah.” Vernon rubbed at his neck again, and stuffed the towel in his backpack. “I usually do the morning and afternoon shifts, I covered for this guy last night,” he jabbed his fist in Minghao’s shoulder, “but still had to do my day shift.”

“So,” Minghao rocked back and forth in his boots, “why are you here?”

You suddenly felt self-conscious, and gripped your phone between your two palms. A little part of you was disappointed that Vernon was not alone, but another part of you was relieved. It helped slow down the pace of your feelings (feelings?) that was heading in a direction you were not anticipating. “I wanted to say thank you again for last night.” You coughed, and Minghao grinned wider at your explanation. “And I was wondering if you could take a picture of my back? I haven’t had a chance to look at it.”

He beamed, and you could tell he was happy that you wanted to document his work. “Oh, of course! I completely forgot last night.”

Vernon moved to grab your phone, but Minghao swiped a hand in front of him. “Can I take your photo?” He asked you, although the look in his eyes said that you didn’t have much of a choice.

Your cheeks burned at the sudden intrusion. “Huh?”

“I mean, have you seen this guy’s Insta?” Minghao scoffed, albeit playfully as Vernon mirrored your flush.

“What are you talking about?” Vernon exclaimed, thoroughly insulted, “my profile is tastefully abstract.”

“It looks like it was tastefully done by a three year old.” Minghao pulled out his iPhone, and adjusted the filters. “I’m doing you a favor here, Flower Girl.”

You looked warily at Vernon, who slumped in defeat, “If you’re going for that e-girl vibe, I guess Hao’s a better photographer.”

“Better than your pictures coming out blurry.” Minghao shot back, holding the camera to your face. “There’s no light in here,” Minghao glared at the singular window in their tiny studio, the sill decorated with a single jade succulent. “Got any ideas?"

Vernon shrugged, "You said I have the taste of a three year old, so."

With Wonwoo gone for the day, you realized that you did have an idea of where you could take a tasteful picture. The thrill excited and terrified you. You only wanted a simple picture to see what it looked like, but Minghao looked as equally as excited to see your ink. Maybe it was the fact that the art was fleeting or that Vernon was really that talented, but it encouraged you to offer the setting up.

"I think our greenhouse has plenty of light,” you gestured out the studio’s only window, which was in perfect view of the flower shop. “We should be closing up soon, so it’s free."

Minghao nodded approvingly, "We can try."

And with a hasty "be back @ 4:20!” sign taped on the front door to Nu ABO, the three of them walked across the street to the greenhouse.

You went in first, nearly bumping into Joshua who was bent over, pot in hand.

“Hey Josh,” you grabbed the keys from the front desk, “borrowing the greenhouse."

"Hey Josh,” Minghao and Vernon mimicked, who found it amusing that you just brushed by without an introduction.

You rolled your eyes, hearing them exchange pleasantries and bro fists. The plexiglass doors to the greenhouse unlocked with a turn of your key, the smell of heat and grassy rain hitting your nostrils. Joshua placed the pot somewhere, following suit as the boys were right behind you.

“Awesome,” Minghao exhaled, stepping further into the greenhouse. It was a small one, but comfortable enough for a couple patrons to browse around. “I’m gonna move around some plants if that’s okay, I gotta vision.”

Joshua looked a little frazzled watching Minghao talk to himself and start moving the settings around (“The hydrangeas don’t go there, are you crazy?”) and started helping Minghao move the pots and placements around. You and Vernon hung around the entrance, giggling to yourselves.

You tried to bump his shoulder, which didn’t even reach his. “So, what’s your Insta handle?”

He quirked his brows at that, “Why, so you can judge my aesthetic too?”

“No,” you replied, faking your shock. “I would never insult your taste!”

With a roll of his eyes he said, “Speaking of taste, since your shift is over and my shift is over,” Vernon rocked back and forth on his feet. “Wanna grab a bite?”

Something’s fluttering in your stomach, and you stomp it down. It’s an innocent invite, yes. Unfortunately it was not-so-innocent in your twisted mind knowing that you are still fresh from a breakup, yet your backed is marked with Vernon’s work. “You must be tired though,” you tried to reason, “you should get some rest, I don’t wanna bother you.”

“Not a bother,” he said immediately, “besides, I wanna ask you something.”

That got you curious. Before you had a chance to ask, Minghao was ushering you over, telling you to stand in front of a bundle of orchids. They’ve bloomed a Canary yellow, encasing you in a golden ring of flowers overlooking the terrace. The new friend has gestured for you to undo your shirt and he turned away in respect. It’s different with an audience and an expectation. You made haste to undo the buttons of your blouse, then your bra, throwing it aside. You felt the warm, moist air kiss your back, and you heard a low whistle coming from Minghao.

“Beautiful,” Minghao exhaled, “Vern, you’ve outdone yourself."

Beautiful. Vernon made you beautiful.

Your body was simmering, and you could do nothing as you let Minghao photograph you. You focused your eyes on a puddle dripping from a faucet in front of you, counting the seconds between each droplet.

“And, done.”

You shoved on your clothes, and felt extra awkward as you fumbled to reach for the straps of your bra. You nearly slipped on the puddle as you walked back to the boys, who were busy over Minghao’s shoulder.

“Super awesome,” Minghao handed you the phone brightly, “so much texture and feeling.”

The screen showed a halo of foliage that surrounded your bare back, blush orchids kissing the frame with color. Your work shirt bundled under your hips, and fell under your elbows to reveal a city sky. You were breathless, zooming in to capture every detail of the ink. A navy sky, blanketing buildings across your back in a diagonal, splaying from the bottom right to the top left. On the bottom, skyscrapers reaching for the stars.

If you zoomed in enough, you could tell that the stars were shaped like roses.

“I don’t know how many times I’ve said thank you in the past two days,” you started, causing Vernon to grin widely. “But thank you, I’ve never felt so beautiful.”

Vernon scoffed, “I didn’t do anything, I’ve only enhanced your beauty. That’s our shtick.”

You handed Minghao back your phone and thanked him. He then rushed off, saying he had to stay at the parlor since Yoongi was coming soon. Immediately, Joshua began putting back the plants in their rightful places. You and Vernon followed suit, starting with the smaller ones.

“So,” Vernon picked up a tray of succulents, “are we still on for dinner?”

Wide-eyed Joshua crept in-between the foliage, laughably appearing under a series of hanging plants like a madman. “Dinner?” he asked, looking between you two.

“Yeah man,” Vernon reached to pull Joshua away from the plants, “wanna come?”

Simultaneously disappointed and relieved, you let out a subconscious exhale. Joshua was coming, which meant that there would be no possibility for feeling weird (or catching feels), being awkward or fighting any oncoming feelings with Vernon.

"On Thursdays there’s this really good half-off sushi deal by my place. We can take out and eat at my apartment?” Joshua’s kindness was palpable at the offering of his home, and the both of you smiled gratefully.

Not more than two hours later, the three of you are bundled away in Joshua’s two-room, empty boxes of carryout stacked high. The television was playing reruns of Full House, the only source of light in the dim space.

“Are you gonna go home soon?” Vernon asked, and turned his head to the corner of the room. Joshua is cuddled up in the single couch, tucked in a wearable blanket with the armholes.

You shrugged, “I dunno. Usually I crash here for sushi nights,” you patted the couch lovingly, “This is my second bed.”

Vernon chuckled, tucking his feet under his thighs. It made him look impossibly small in comparison to how tall and lanky he actually was.

“So, what did you want to ask me?”

Vernon looked between his legs, as if he were trying to piece his words together. “Long story short, I got waitlisted at my top graduate school option,” he then pulled up his phone, revealing the picture of your back that was taken that afternoon, “but I was thinking that if I made a portfolio of this kind of art, it would really tip my application over the edge. Originally I was thinking of just sending my usual art, but it just popped in my head today while we were doing it.” He looked up through his eyelashes, wisps of copper looking expectantly at you. “If you’re comfortable with it, would you be my canvas?”

“Live art,” you surmised, “honestly, I’m honored that you would want me to be a part of something so big. You think I’m that good?”

No, you weren’t doubting Vernon’s art one bit. The fact that your back would be out on display for a bunch of strangers was unnerving, to say the least.

“Are you kidding?” Vernon zoomed out of the image, revealing the curve of your back and the generation of life reflected in the greenhouse. “This is wicked. You’re stunning. We’d make a great team!”

You felt your body heat at the statement. His presence was almost too refreshing, and you wanted to return the favor of helping you out last night.

“Lucky for you,” you shot a quick text to Wonwoo, “I’ve planned to take this week off.”

Over the course of the week Vernon wanted to do an artistic timeline of sorts, adding and retouching the already existing ink on your back until the canvas was full. It felt fulfilling, letting yourself become a vessel of success for someone. The following day, Vernon shot you a text revealing his portfolio, and said how excited he was to see you.

You met in the shack after his shift, and Vernon let you into the office and locked the door. You can hear the rap being played in the artist room where Minghao and Yoongi were working with a client.

The artist was muttering to himself as he invited you to sit at the couch. Something about whether he wanted to start from the “top-down” or “bottom-up.” Instead of contributing to his madness, you turned away from him and started shedding your shirt. Today was a plain cotton shirt, and you shucked it off and balled it in your arms.

No less than five seconds was Vernon’s hands on your back, and despite the warmth radiating from his fingertips, you couldn’t help but shiver. Vernon had explained that while he did a large portion of your back the first time, there was still room for growth and he wanted your back filled by the end of the week.

“Do you mind if I,” his hand hovered over your bra.

You shook your head, and with his thumb and forefinger he flicked off both your bra straps with ease. Your hands flooded themselves in the fabric of your t-shirt, which silently accepted your death grip.

“Sorry, do you feel weird?” He definitely sensed your lack of vocality, and put one strap back in case.

“I’m fine,” your voice is light, what else could you say?

“Whatever you say,” he hummed, and resumed his work.

You opt to take in the sounds. Minghao laughed about something in the other room, coupled with the zing of the needle. The music pulled to a stop and boomeranged back into a smoother arrangement.

“I think we’ll start from the bottom-up and build from there,” he then placed his hands around your waist, poking at the dive between your waist and your bottom.

There’s an unmistakable heat that pooled within you, which caused you to wring your shirt harder. It was going to be a long week.

By Wednesday, he was in your apartment, working on the sides of your waist. The day after every session, Vernon would take a picture of yesterday’s work and show it to you. A gummy grin would always take over his face, either proud of himself or happy that you loved the new addition.

Despite the fact that the only thing covering your body was a thin gown medical taken from the shop, every pore of your body felt unbelievably hot. You really shouldn’t be mixing alcohol on a Wednesday night, but Vernon was excited that he was halfway done with the project and it was time to be “poppin’ bottles.”

You felt a little drowsy as a result of that, but nothing terrible. Like he said, the feeling was cathartic.

“Aren’t you drunk too?” you murmured into your navy blue whale plush, “what if you accidentally stab me?”

Vernon laughed, and it shook the couch. You couldn’t see his face as he sat on the floor, getting in the crevices of your skin. He poked at your skin a little harder than usual, as if he were testing the possibility. “That’d still take a lot of strength.”

“You’d be surprised,” you sighed, “those little sticks florists use to keep the babies upright? Flat as a thumb and I still manage to impale tomatoes with them.” He doesn’t respond to that, and you’re left drowning in your own answer. You wondered if he truly thought you were a crazy tomato-killer, or was concentrated on detailing a particular patch of skin. “Can I tell you a secret?” you blurted, “honestly, I think flowers are beautiful, but I really hate working at the florist. The only reason I’m doing it is because Joshua really needed the help and he knew I wasn’t going to do shit until my city job starts in September.”

“Huh,” Vernon stopped, resting the heel of his hand on your back. “That’s funny. Explains all the cursing when you’re cutting roses outside.”

“You’ve watched me outside?” you grinned into your cushion, “creepy much?”

“Do you wanna know a secret?” Vernon blurted, evading your question with one of his own, “I’ve had the biggest crush on you since you came by in May.”

You tensed, and if Vernon noticed, he didn’t react. He kept on doing his business, marking your back with baby’s breath. It had to be the alcohol talking. If he drank at all, you couldn’t even tell because you couldn’t get up and he was strikingly coherent. All this time, and you didn’t even notice?

“You don’t have to answer,” he said, as if he knew you were strung speechless. “I just, wanted to say it. We’re cool.”

And you agreed, pretending to fall asleep.

Friday was around the corner before you knew it, and Vernon wanted to photograph the final piece where it all started. The greenhouse was devoid of human life at the crack of dawn, unless you counted Joshua who was asleep on the counter because he was the only one with a key that knew of your recent escapades with Vernon.

Vernon was just as tired as you are, but he was adamant about having the photo taken at dawn, as the first picture was taken in the late day. There was some contrived symbolism attached to it that you didn’t really understand, but you trusted his vision. Besides, your panda eyes wouldn’t be revealed in the photo, so you could master the art of sleeping upright while he took photos.

“Alright,” Vernon set up his camera. He was dressed in a university zip up and matching sweatpants, like he just rolled out of bed. “Everything’s set up, whenever you’re ready.”

Likewise with you, and you pulled off your hoodie, not bothering with a bra. Despite the fact that the room was temperature controlled, the cold morning air still managed to worm its way to your bare top. You quickly rubbed down your gooseflesh with your palms.

You two engaged in a comfortable silence as you tested out your poses and he adjusted his frame. After a couple of practice shots, the air seemed calmer.

“Cold?” Vernon asked casually.

“Anything that isn’t under the sheets of my bed is cold as hell,” you muttered, trailing your fingers delicately across your waist.

“That’s a nice pose,” Vernon said to himself, “we’re almost done. Then you can go to bed for the rest of your day. Unless you’re down for breakfast?"

You two still haven’t spoken about his little confession the other day, but in all honesty there was no reason to bring it up. Your lives were going in different directions, and you knew Vernon deserved more than a halfhearted summer fling.

"I think I’m down for bed and breakfast,” you replied wryly.

“Smart girl,” Vernon chuckled, “can you change your pose for me? Like, pretend that you’re stretching.”

You didn’t understand what he meant by that, so you ended up flexing your arms in different directions.

“No, we’re not doing yoga.” He let his camera swing around his neck as he rushed over to you. The sun was a soft white, the antithesis of golden hour as you two rushed to make the magic happen. He grabbed your arms from behind, twisting the left wris in an unusual angle.

"Ah, Vernon!” You jerked around to face him, now fully awake. “I’m not a Barbie doll, you can’t just move me like that."

Vernon doesn’t respond. He let go of you as soon as you screamed, eyes blown wide and pupils a thick black. His stare is frozen to yours, and his hand is in mid-air, a centimeter away from your bare breasts.

"Oh,” you said, “did I whack you with my boob when I turned?"

"Yeah, you boobed me.” Vernon looked afraid to stare anywhere but your face. “I’m so sorry."

"It’s okay,” you bit the inside of your lip, “I don’t mind if you touch me there."

Now, Vernon looked terrified.

It’s been a long week. A long, surreal week. You wanted to tell Vernon about your conflicted feelings, you wanted to ask about his little crush, and what on earth did he find appealing about you. You wanted to tell him how much you trusted him with your body, and how you wanted him to do more to you than just ink.

It’s then, the gaping boy shook himself together. His hands encircled your neck, haloing at the finishing piece of his work, an echelon moon. Vernon’s fingers trailed to cup your face, and you felt your whole body warm in anticipation. Patient, you waited for his carmine eyes to flutter shut, and you smiled, finally closing yours—

"The fuck is this?"

In an instant, the air was sucked out of you like a blackhole, and Vernon immediately shielded you, throwing his jacket across you like a towel.

"Mingyu,” you said shakily, clutching the cotton coat tighter around your form.

It’s then that a no-longer bleary-eyed Joshua stumbled into the greenhouse, seconds too late.

Mingyu threw down the sack of fertilizer he hauled on his back, black dirt smattering the floor. “Its been barely a week and you’re fucking someone in the greenhouse, of all places?” Mingyu was angry, plain and simple. “I thought we agreed on a break."

"You agreed on a break,” your thighs were numb from leaning on them, but Vernon’s hand on your back encouraged you to get on your feet. “I agreed that two years was too long to wait."

"And who are you?” Mingyu squinted his eyes at Vernon.

“He’s none of your business,” you stepped in front of him, tugging his hoodie closer around your frame.

Mingyu’s face fell in realization, and he looked between you two with forlornness that made your stomach churn. “C’mon baby,” your nails embedded themselves in your palm at the jab, “can we go outside and talk about this?”

“I’m not going anywhere with you,” your voice was paper thin, but loud enough for Mingyu to hear across the room, “I’d prefer you leave us alone, and do not talk to me ever again.”

It took all your composure to turn around, and you glared a hole into Vernon’s chest. You felt your body bleed goosebumps around your arms and legs, not out of weather, but out of anxiety. You hugged yourself to shut the prickly feeling down. You heard Joshua do the only helpful thing this morning and it’s his soft utterances that finally pulled Mingyu out of the greenhouse. ,

What’s left is the drip of the hose, and the two of you, unmoved.

Thankful for the silence, you looked up at your companion, who was speechless. Vernon’s lower lip was puckered out slightly, face contorted as if to say I’m sorry, that kinda sucked. The tell-tale signs of emotional overload began to prick at your eyes.

“I’m so sorry,” you wiped your face. Since when did you start crying? “I’m so sorry that I let all of this happen, and I let myself let this happen, and I’m such a mess and I’ve been trying to hide it all this time, but I’m selfish and I just wanted to see what would turn out of it.”

“What are you apologizing for?” Vernon tried to lighten up the mood, and offered you an easy smile and reached for a hug.

“I’m sorry because I don’t know if I like you or not!” you outburst, and pushed him out of arm’s reach. “I feel so fucking guilty I just got out of a relationship and I can’t tell if I like you or I like your attention, honestly. And it isn’t fair because you’re just so sweet and kind and easy to love. Either way at the end of the summer I’m moving into the city for my full-time job. And I, I, I don’t know!”

Vernon forced his way into your space, barely a foot apart. He didn’t touch you, but his warmth still emanated from the jacket you were wearing. He didn’t seem upset, then again you were probably upset enough for the both of you.

“Hey, I offered to do your back because I knew you needed a distraction,” Vernon said softly, “no strings attached, ever. You do you, right? Focus on yourself.”

You wished he was mean about this. It would’ve made it easier. “What if this is the last time we talk? What if I want to ignore you for the rest of the summer?” you murmured, already knowing you. should enjoy these final moments.

“We’ll live,” he shrugged, and finally broke the space between you. His lips planted themselves between your forehead, melting away the lines that marred your brows apart, “and we’ll heal.”

The city was daring. The city was unforgiving.

You tugged your scarf closer around your neck, which constricted your airflow but also prevented any possible windchill from slicing your neck. In your other hand you were hauling a week’s worth of work in a luggage that had once packed your things in August and sent you to this very career path.

As much as you loved your new life, you wished things would be a little more boundless. The box of your workspace, the box of the elevator, and the box of your goshiwon apartment were starting to feel particularly stifling this weekend.

It was Friday (or FriYay, as your co-workers dubbed) and that meant a weekend vegging out with a comfort meal and a new movie. There was a Burger King and a Gongcha under your apartment complex, both calling your name.

Boba and burgers, the perfect way to end a week.

You munched on your fries as you scanned the Gongcha menu, craving something sweet to contrast with your salty meal.

It is then a low, sultry whisper sauntered in your direction (in a Gongcha, with children) and you almost choked on your fry. “I would know that back anywhere,” the offender drawled.

What a strange pick-up line. The paper bag crinkled in your grip, and you turn around to see a familiar perky face in a scarlet Adidas tracksuit. Of all the places, he was here.

“Hey, Flower Girl.” Minghao greeted, wiggling his fingers in a wave. He was on a tall stool, long legs splayed out and a cup of oolong milk tea hung lazily in his grip. His cup was at least 50% ice, and he was shaking the cup like a rattle every ten seconds.

“Normally, people would start with a simple hello,” you replied wryly, ushering him over to wait with you in line.

“Normally,” Minghao shrugged, and slipped an arm around your shoulders as if you were long lost friends, “how have you been doing? Planting gardens for the spring?”

“Please,” you scoffed. To Joshua and Wonwoo’s chagrin, you’ve forgotten a lot since the summer. “I can’t even make a corsage anymore, my brain’s on overload. What about you?”

It looked like he was waiting for you to ask that. You barely got your order in before he started spitting out his story. “Didn’t you hear?” Obviously you didn’t, and he didn’t give you a chance to answer. “Two letters. RM.” Again, nothing. “The RM? The hottest rapper in Korea? Anyway, he was one of our clients in August—he got a sick design of a koala and an alpaca, cooler than you think—and gave us a massive tip on his Instagram story. We were famous overnight! We were getting crazy clients left and right—fuckin’ Sana wanted a little heart on her sternum, hottest thing.”

“So you were able to relocate the parlor to the city?”

“The big push was when Yoongi dropped RM his demo,” he shook his cup furiously, ice clanging, as if he never got tired of this story. “Like, I didn’t even know they were texting! I’ve been running the parlor mostly, I’ve always wanted to live in the city, but RM funded a lot of it and is helping Yoongi make his mix.”

In the back of your head, the question of an aspiring grad student was niggling in your brain, but you pushed it down. “So, if Yoongi’s working on his demo and you’re supposed to be running the parlor, why aren’t you there now?” you asked.

He stared at you as if it were the most obvious choice. “Because I’m here, drinking boba with you.” Minghao then grabbed your finished drink from the employee’s hand, ushering you out the door. “And now you’re going to follow me, because my break was over fifteen minutes ago.”

“What?”

“I have your boba,” he’s already out the door, waving your precious beverage like a fish to its line. “Hurry up, now I’m sixteen minutes late!”

You groaned, lugging your suitcase full of work and now cold french fries back into the freezing weather. The wheels of your suitcase are cracking in exhaustion, mirroring yours. You just wanted your damn milk tea, hot fries, and a Netflix catch-up. What was the point of following Minghao to Nu ABO, when there was no reason to be there other than …

“Oof!” your face slammed into Minghao’s back. The light was red. “Did Vernon move here too?”

“Duh, who else would be covering for me?”

“You’re trying to set me up!” You cried in betrayal, jabbing him in chest with your finger. “Y'know what, I’m just going to get another boba. You keep that.”

You two glared at each other. Minghao looked relentless, ignoring whoever was bumping into him on the streets. His eyes suddenly glinted to your rolling luggage, and he snatched it from your grip, running into the streets.

“Can’t replace your work, right?” He laughed, forcing you to chase him down the block.

You felt sweat start to develop on your back, contrasting with the icy weather. Your work blazer and pinstripe loafers were not suited for vigorous activity. Minghao has an unfair advantage, being tall and athletic, and you had just finished half a bag of Burger King. Damn him.

Minghao stopped in front of a sunken in building, with stairs leading downwards to a neon-lit parlor with the name glittering in electric periwinkle font. Flustered, you gasp at the cold air, finally able to stop. Despite having lost your breath ten meters ago, you managed to tell Minghao you’re proud that they have a real parlor.

Your heart was beating in your ears, and you can’t tell whether it was because you haven’t worked out in months, or because Vernon was behind that door.

Minghao dumped your luggage behind the reception area, and went straight into the artist room. This new parlor was much bigger, so when Minghao disappeared into a hallway he was out of your sight. You wait around, letting yourself sink into the familiar hip hop playlist. There are pictures littering the walls, all covered with a clean black frame. You see Yoongi and the supposed RM, sporting his koala and alpaca ink (which actually did look sick) and some photos of Minghao’s work, all of his designs being simultaneously colorful and graceful.

It’s then in the epicenter of this wall is a long black frame that cut across the horizon, seven images of a woman with flowers and stars inking her back.

Your back.

“Beautiful, right? I’m sure it takes you back.” Minghao was over your shoulder, flicking his fingers between the photos. “Lots of customers have requested these designs. He never makes them the same way, though.”

Instead of answering, you followed Minghao down the hallway and into the artist room. Vernon had just finished with a client. Poking in head first, you saw him ticking off protocol off a printed list, speaking concisely. The client was listening intently, and you see he has an arm sleeve with peonies. It’s then he noticed Minghao intruding once more, and frowned.

“Dude, you got milk tea without me?” Vernon said, affronted.

“Ya didn’t ask.” Minghao vigorously shook the ice in your tea like a baby rattle.

“You didn’t mention it, therefore I couldn’t have asked.”

“You’re so smart, Hannie,” he beamed at him like a proud parent complimenting his son, “that’s why he’s going to grad school.”

You let yourself in fully, and you felt shy as Vernon’s lips parted slightly upon realizing who his second guest was.

“Hey,” Vernon exhaled, and gave you a small smile. He looked happy, content. As handsome as ever, he ran a gloved hand through his hair, soft curls bouncing as he shifted around the parting. “This is uh, a surprise.” his eyes flickered to Minghao, who held his arms out in a passive shrug. “A good one to end the week.”

“Hi,” you bit your lip, feeling shy, “so, you decided to get certified and you’re going to grad school? I missed out on a lot.”

“That’s okay, we got time.” Vernon assured, “besides the fact that I got a project due tomorrow morning that I’ve barely started, and then I have a field trip I gotta go to on Sunday—”

Before it could drag on any longer, Minghao hacked out a very loud, and very fake cough. You broke out of the rêve, and muttered a “gimmie that” before snatching your precious bubble tea out of Minghao’s hand.

Vernon mirrored the cough, more out of embarrassment than annoyance. “Lemme finish up with this client, yeah?” And he jerked his head back to the patient, going on about safety.

Minghao led you out of the room, whispering a “you’re welcome” in your ear that taunted you for the rest of the night.

Vernon finished at 5, just like he did back in the little shack at university square. He came out in a 2XL neon green hoodie, leading the client out the door and telling him to “take it easy”. As soon as the client’s gone, he comes over to you. You’re still staring at your pictures, as if you couldn’t believe that you were on display, looking like a tasteful nude model.

“Hi again,” he said, dusting the imaginary dirt off his pants.

“Hi,” you replied, feeling tingly at the sound of his voice. Did you really miss him that much?

"Um, is it cool if I hug you?"

It certainly has been awhile. You nodded, unsure if you could form a coherent response because you could tell Vernon was blushing and he was being too damn adorable for you to handle.

Upon permission, he brightened. The warmth of his cotton hoodie enveloped you like the way hot chocolate feels after a cold day. You breathed in his scent, realizing how much you missed the scent of fresh laundry, especially on him.

"How are you?” He asked casually.

“Uh, m'okay.” You answered softly, “a little cold nowadays."

He hugged you tighter in response. With one more squeeze he let himself go, but kept you at an arm’s length. "Wanna get dinner?"

You looked at him funny, "didn’t you say you had a project due tomorrow morning that you haven’t started?"

Without missing a beat he altered, "Wanna get takeout? I’ll do work and eat while,” his eyes darted to your luggage, “you do work?"

While you wanted to say that it was Friday (FriYay!) and you weren’t planning to open Pandora’s Box until Sunday night, you obliged and followed him to his place.

On the way over, Vernon got his well-needed milk tea (and your second round) with two matching cartons of jajangmyeon. You trailed behind him rather than next to him, due to the fact that he was also lugging a Joshua-sized canvas on his back. In fear of being knocked out or ruining his work, you settled for walking a meter apart.

Vernon lived on the second floor of his complex. You imagined a sizable one-room similar to your goshiwon, but you’re in awe when you see a fully furnished living room and kitchen. You smiled at the singular jade plant decorating the windowsill, one you remembered as Patricia Planty one session months ago. The hardwood was so shiny you could see your reflection in them. Kicking off your shoes, you stumbled over the kitchen countertop, reveling at the onyx granite.

"I’ve never seen this much granite in my entire life!” You cried, spreading your hands over the cool rock. It was so well polished, you could see your reflection. He was certainly living the high life this year.

Vernon shook his head, setting the take out down and pulling out the containers. “It’s RM’s old place. I rent it out with the guys."

"God, this is ten times better than my place! Your kitchen is bigger than my apartment!"

He flicked your bowl of jajangmyeon over to your side of the countertop, the sauce and noodles premixed for you. "Eat up, babe.” He stuffed a radish in his mouth, now working to mix his own noodles, “we got a lotta catchin’ up to do."

Whether it was your hunger or the casual use of the word "babe”, you abandoned the granite for now and did as told.

An hour later, you’re flipping through their mounted TV, taking full advantage of their Disney+ subscription as Vernon is laying on the floor.

“I thought you were working,” you chastised, letting yourself sink further into their couch. It was like resting on a big, fluffy marshmallow. You never wanted to leave.

Vernon is splayed out like a starfish, papers and watercolors spread around him. His large body stood out against the white linoleum floor, his neon green hoodie reflecting on the shiny surface. “I am.” he replied blandly, “I’m waiting for lightning to hit me with a burst of inspiration."

"Grad school’s biting you in the butt?"

"Big time."

Another bout of silence hit the two of you, and it was surprisingly nice. You finally started to notice that Vernon is picking up some art utensils and is doodling something. (He still is on the floor and hasn’t sat up properly, but progress is progress.)

It felt oddly domestic, but you didn’t mind. There was no need to ask about the past, Kim Mingyu, or any other silly drama you two entrapped yourselves into last summer. What mattered now was the warmth of each other’s presence on this chilly night.

Your eyes are heavy and fighting against the long day, and before you know it, you’re asleep just as Rapunzel escapes Gothel’s tower.

You haven’t awoken to the morning sun in a long, long time. While the notion sounded awfully depressing (because it was), you really didn’t have much of a choice because the goshiwon was closet sized, and closets had no windows. But today, the sun blasted you, forcing you up. This was accompanied by the the tell-tale sounds of breakfast, which was weird because you only ever ate cold food in your room, because there was zero ventilation. The scent of dark roast muddled your senses, forcing you awake. You twitched at the sudden stench, and snapped your back straight. Were your walls always this pristine white?

"Didn’t know you were this early in the game, Flower Girl."

You never went home. While Vernon was long gone and probably off presenting some haphazard art, Minghao and Yoongi (for the first time, in the flesh!) were watching you from their marbled island, while you rubbed the crusties out of your eyes. "Usually, encroaching on a significant other’s apartment is reserved for the 5th or 6th date.” Minghao teased, waving his Nutella toast in your face.

“Oh, shut up,” you glared at Yoongi, who was slowly chewing on his own toast. There’s was black spark in his eyes, like he’s relishing on whatever has unfolded. “And you, you. I know this is the first time we’ve met and you haven’t said a word. But shut up too. Your thoughts are awfully loud.”

You’re embarrassed, and you pull up your hands to mediate your fired cheeks. Instead of your palms, you feel worn cotton dabbing at your face. You wiggled your fingers under the neon green hoodie. Vernon put on his clothes for you to wear. You were in a very uncompromising position, and his roommates were reveling every second of it.

Yoongi shrugged, throwing you a flippant grin. “Whatever you say, Flower Girl.”

Contact emerged in the form of texts and images. You wondered how Vernon managed to keep things casual in light of how sudden your meeting was, but you relished in the way things fell naturally.

[February 19, 2:10PM]

Vern: Is this still your number

Vern: If so, here’s what i submitted for my project

Vern: IMG.934

Vern: if not, pls enjoy this picture of a pink platypus. the medium was watercolor nd if you’re curious, i got the idea from sunsets and phineas and ferb. Enjoy your day

You: hey look, there’s perry

Vern: nice

Vern: wait, this doesn’t confirm if ur u or a stranger

Vern: are u just a perry enthusiast

Vern: evidence pls

[February 19th, 6:08PM]

You: IMG.48

[February 20th, 12:22AM]

Vern: ooh

Vern: look cute in my hoodie

You’ve toggled with the idea of just cutting straight through the bush and asking him out the next time you see him in person. A little part of you liked the chase, however. That feeling where you’re tugging between friendship and something more, and you can’t help but feel like you’re fifteen everytime his name popped up in your messages. You self-dubbed it the-honeymoon-to-the-honeymoon phase.

[February 27, 5:34PM]

Vern: what are you up to

You: it’s hour 32. I’ve been under the covers and have survived solely on celery and honey-butter chips. currently binging all netflix comedies. debating on whether to send for help otherwise i may never get up

Vern: that’s the spirit

By the time two weeks passed, you felt confident enough to ride off the mutually weird text messages and constant contact to meet with him. By then, you’re knees deep in the honeymoon-to-the-honeymoon phase. You’re languidly floating in that river, hoping you’re not rushing it by agitating the waters.

[March 8th, 10:10PM]

You: hey

You: you up?

Vern: nah. mastered the art of sleep textin

You: just wanted to ask if you could help me pick out a tatt that would fit me

You: if you were available. I’ve heard from the mullet-monster that you’re a hot commodity drowning in appts and deadlines

Vern: wait forreal?

Vern: i can pencil u in. tomorrow night @11?

You: so soon? What happened to being busy

Vern: not for u. Already have an idea in mind

By the time you arrived Saturday night, Minghao was slapping your back across the door, gabbing on about a “major banger” they were missing uptown. He looked the part, the only person you knew that could fill out an all-studded denim fit. Like a disco ball at a rodeo. He barely said good-bye before he hopped in a Lyft, cheering for freedom.

You poked your head into the artist room, and saw Vernon playing on his phone. His fist dug into his cheek, carob pupils glazed over. You almost felt bad for wanting his attention this late.

“You usually do the day shift,” you commented quietly, holding up a bag with two milk teas in hand.

Vernon looked up, illuminating in a half-smile. “Y’know me, always covering. Just for the hour though, this shouldn’t take long since we’re just looking at ideas.”

He slapped a hand on the client chair. This one was much better than the cot they had in their shack. This one was pure leather and gleamed high quality. You placed your drinks on the countertop and eagerly bounced onto the seat. “Comfy,” you murmured, and wriggled your sneaker-clad feet.

“Good,” there’s a sharp snap from the plastic seal and Vernon is sipping into his milk tea seconds after you put it down. He’s chewing on a particularly large gulp, gnawing on pearls like no one’s business. With his rolling chair, he slid over to you, seamlessly reaching for your wrist.

If he noticed that you’re wearing a particular neon item, he doesn’t comment. He turned on the overhead lamp, letting a soft white light bathe your form. When he finally spoke, he chanted your name in a sing-song, tapping your wrist in beat. It’s as if he were envisioning the color blooming on your skin.

You let him do his thing, and he pulled out his phone, scrolling through his gallery. You see pictures of his friends, some of his family, and digital art. He scrolled slower at the myriad of images: a colorful orca, lavender constellations, and budding roses.

You were seeing a lot of flowers nowadays, with the burgeoning of spring and the recent ending of Valentine’s. It’s only now that you notice how apparent the theme is throughout the parlor, particularly in Vernon’s affinity.

“Why don’t you call me it?” you asked softly, peering over his form to see him mulled over a picture of periwinkle lupines.

“Huh,” he’s distracted, and has now swiped back to the colorful orca image.

“Flower Girl,” you uttered, “they call me that, but you don’t.”

Vernon clicked his phone down, the lupines flicked away. He peered at you through his lashes, the white overhead making his eyes appreciably bright. “Before I knew your name,” he started slow, making faces to himself as if he were debating on whether to tell you, “I’d call you Rose. You were always by the rose bush planted outside the shop.”

“Avoiding work,” you crinkled your nose, however relished in the endearment, “being named after a rose is too big a compliment.”

He snorted, “That’s what they said. Hence, Flower Girl was born,” he’s easy about it, but now he’s put his phone down and is rubbing circles in your wrist. You wonder if he felt how clammy your palms were getting from the minute intimacy.

“You know what flower I’d compare to you?” you asked, “freesias.”

“And what do those mean?”

“Thoughtfulness,” the pad of his thumb still lingered on your skin, his grip painfully apparent. “And renewal.”

“Why renewal?”

“Because,” you swallowed, “you make me feel renewed. And this time I’m sure it’s because it’s you.”

Vernon looked like he wanted to smile, trying so very hard not to embarass you whilst you poured your heart out with delicacy. His coral lips were tucked in a thin line, teeth biting at his lower lip. Drop by drop, he was going to accept that dew with as much care as possible. “Only me,” he inquired, pressing into your pulse.

Your mouth was sand dry. “Uh-huh.” You exhaled a breath long clutched in your throat, hot air fanning into Vernon’s face. He paid no mind, and (to no avail) was still trying to hold in his smile. “You’re dimples are showing,” you whined, poking the little dip in his cheeks with your free hand. “Use your words.”

“Like?” he elongated, playing dumb. You supposed you earned his brand of torture, after all, seven months is a long time to make up for.

“Like how we want the same thing?” you tried.

“How do you know I want what you want?” he feigned, furrowing his thick brows. Acting could’ve been another career possibility for him, portrayed by the way his eyes were blown with confusion, his mouth parted like a kitten.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake! Forget words!” you broke, nearly shaking from the nerves.

It’s then that Vernon finally gave you a concrete response. His grip on your wrist was near painful as he eagerly tugged you closer, kissing you. There’s enthusiasm in every action from the way he pulled you closer, large hands melding to cup your cheeks. A little part of you is both breathless and invigorated at the energy stinging the room, and you can barely keep up until Vernon spilled kisses down your neck.

He threw up the armrest holding him back, tucking his knee between your legs as he lapped you up, kissing you fully. The chair was much too small for the both of you, his large body pressing you further into the cushions.

He sat up a bit, bumping his head on the lamp. He paid no mind. “By the way, I like you, too.” Vernon puttered cheekily, rubbing his scalp. Just as swiftly, he latches onto your neck and sucks at a sensitive spot. You can feel his teeth showing from the smile in his kisses. His thumbs rubbed lazily over your jaw, enjoying the feel of your soft skin under his rough palms.

“Really,” you exhaled, relaxing against the headrest as Vernon’s wandering hands traveled lower. “Had no idea.”

“But I’m happy,” Vernon is fumbly and sweet, mumbling in the crook of your neck while his fingers toyed with the waistband of your sweatpants, “happy you’ve healed, and happy for us.”

He’s excited, almost too excited. The space between you two was warm, the lamp beating under your skin, awakening something between you two that was left behind that summer. It’s as if winter left him dormant, and you were the fresh flower waiting to be bloomed under his touch.

“Are you always,” you gasped, two fingers already worming their way inside your panties, “talkative at this part?”

“Not if you wanna talk,” and the ever-zealous Vernon Chwe gets to work, sticking out his tongue in surprise when he finds that you’re already drenched. “Shit, you’re so beautiful,” he holds onto that word dearly, and pressed his forehead against yours, “I’ve always wondered what it would be like to hold you like this,” he reached for your delicious bud, and you felt your senses flower into pleasure.

He makes a noise, low in his throat as he watched you melt against the seat. “I like you like this,” he said thickly, his voice matching the slick sounds emitting from yourself. “Comfy, relaxed. You always looked so stuffy in those work suits,” you feel wholly undeserving of this worship, as he licked a long strip from your collarbone to your neck, “would love to help you chill out a lil’ more.”

A whine bubbled from the back of your throat, your eyes rolling shamelessly as you feel the pads of his fingers working circles between your folds. “Ah, I’ve—I’ve fantasized about this,” you confessed, “every time you’d ink my back. At one point we just stopped covering myself with those stupidly thin gowns. All you had to do was turn around.” Vernon blinked rapidly, mental pictures ticked like film in his pupils. His hands stuttered across your slick, inserting two fingers between your folds as you continued. His pace was slow, yet purposeful as he made sure you felt him with every thrust. Rings adorned his fingers, and the cool sensation surprised you. You shivered in pleasure. “Mm, I’ve imagined us kinda like this in that little shack, hard against the cot overlooking the shop,”

“Dirty,” he said, as if recalling the weather.

“And ah—wondering what kind of tattoos you have,” and in your haze you reached for him, your hand gripping firm at his gunmetal belt buckle. You tucked your fingers between the button of his light wash jeans, palming the telltale signs of something hard, “please? You’ve done too much for me, lemme return the favor.”

“Not now,” he pressed his forehead to yours, “you can guess my ink on our way home.”

“Wha?“ You’re dazed, feeling warm with affection and drowned in the moment. You feel his fingers, slowly pumping out of its rhythm and resting on your thigh. You groaned at the premature end, his shiny digits resting on your fleece sweats.

“They’ll kill me, this is new leather,” Vernon said, “and now we can afford security cameras, which are so small even I can’t find them.”

“Unbelievable,” you laughed. You’re not frustrated, only endeared.

“Besides, I’d rather have our first time somewhere private. Undisturbed,” he pressed a kiss to your forehead, "somewhere where there’s lots of granite."

You melted, pulling at his collar to pepper kisses on his nose. The mention of coming home to his pretty kitchen was icing on the cake. "You know how much I love your granite."

(After your granite fantasy was fulfilled, you spent the rest of the weekend huddled in Vernon’s room. You’re living off take out and mutually satisfied with the unhealthy means. When you’re not eating or watching movies, the two of you are drafting your first piece.

Freesias and pink roses.)

(His tattoo was also very cute.)

#vernon #vernon fic #seventeen fic #seventeen smut #vernon smut #vernon fluff #seventeen fluff #vernon fanfic #hansol vernon chwe #seventeen scenarios #kpop #kpop fic #kpop scenarios #kpop smut #blossomed

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cotncandyboifics · 3 years

Text

1989 [High School AU]: Chapter 8

AO3 Link

Masterpost

Chapter 1 ~ Chapter 2 ~ Chapter 3 ~ Chapter 4 ~ Chapter 5 ~ Chapter 6 ~ Chapter 7 ~ Chapter 9 ~

Pairings: slight Logince, eventual Prinxiety & Logicality

Word count: 2,407

Story summary: Roman Prince is your stereotypical Jock, with everyone swooning after him. Every day a crowd of people follow him around, only to disperse at his personal whim. In reality, he's lucky to have such good acting skills that help him cover up the disdain he has for his life. He only wishes he could use his skills properly.

Patton Whitelock's always there to lend a helping hand, no matter who you are. If you need a favor or just need someone to talk to, go to him. In reality, he's been taught from a young age that kindness should be held above all else. No one suspects that he took it the wrong way.

Logan Montgomery is the smartest boy in the Senior class. He's stern, and most people are too intimidated to speak to him. In reality, he despises most all of his fellow students. He sticks to his studies and doesn't stray, for fear of being stuck in his father's shadow his whole life.

Virgil Black is the most emo kid in school, let alone 12th grade; everyone knows to leave him be. In reality, he's very fortunate. He has two parents who love him dearly. But everything beyond his life, everything within his mind, is utter chaos and turmoil.

what will happen when they're assigned a biology project together?

General CW: food, swearing, implied s-lf h-rm, non-graphic descriptions of s-lf h-rm scars, graphic and non-graphic descriptions of anxiety attacks and panic attacks, drug abuse, minor character intoxicated on heroin, non-graphic drug overdose description, sickness/description of sickness, blood, non-graphic descriptions of needles, (will be added to as I write more)

Chapter CW: food, (let me know if i missed anything please!)

Author notes: alternate title: Virgil's very subtle epiphany. also Patton has a gay panic moment lol

...

Slam.

Monday morning. Mr. Berry was slapping a small poster on each student's desk like a stamp, one-by-one and painfully slowly.

"This," he began, "Is the official welcome to the schoolyear; audition posters for the Fall Talent Show." His bloated belly hardly fit between the desk rows, and students made futile attempts to scoot away from him before they were bombarded by his tyrannical tummy. "As a retired thespian and a life long supporter of theatre and the arts," he continued, bringing his pile of posters to his chest in his passion, "I highly recommend you at least consider looking into auditions. Everyone has a passion, or at least a hobby, and the talent show is a perfect freelance opportunity to show off your skills."

Roman rolled his eyes too dramatically. This was upsetting him more than he thought it would, and his eyes shot daggers up at his large superior as he slammed the next poster onto Roman's desk.

"Auditions will be held next week, on the specified dates. The show itself will be two weeks later, I believe on Friday night. Be there, and I will award you some extra credit points. All you must do is present me with your ticket, which must have your name on it," he eyed a few mischievous students in the room, "With a stamp on it from the Talent Show admissions booth, on the following Monday." As soon as Mr. Berry had given a poster to Virgil and moved on, Virgil quietly crumpled it and shoved it into a random part of his backpack, proceeding to fold his arms on his desk and put his head down. This caught Roman's attention, and his subconscious latched onto formulating a teasing remark for after class as a distraction from his own feelings about the Talent Show.

After class, the usual place where Roman and Virgil were shortly alone and had a short interaction - most often consisting of some insufferable tease from Roman or occasionally a debate spurred by Virgil making a witty side comment - the two met once again. After their first class of the day was usually the only time they were both at their lockers at the same time, as it happened, and Virgil was always thankful that it was the only time. Since their assignment to the Biology project, however, Roman had taken to walking with Virgil from their English class to their lockers and beginning his bouts of banter prematurely.

"Not a fan of the infamous talent show, are we?" Roman paced quickly over to Virgil, who had just made it outside the classroom door as they'd been dismissed. Virgil huffed in defeat as his attempt to escape before Roman could catch him had been fruitless.

"It's ridiculous," Virgil didn't slow his pace for Roman, and began essentially speedwalking down the hall. Roman was slightly taller than him and was able to keep up, but still got a little out of breath doing it. "Hey everyone, come and show everyone in the school something you really enjoy so they can all collectively judge you and make you self conscious about your interests and - oh no! you don't wanna do it anymore because you feel horribly inadequate? shoooot. Sorry man, no one could have seen that coming. Oh well, better luck next year when you'll just ruin a different passion for yourself!" Virgil flailed his hands at the end of his mini-rant.

"How can you stay that sarcastic for that long consecutively? I'm honestly impressed," Roman said, huffing as they arrived at their lockers. Virgil's permanent frown seemed to somehow deepen. "Though, I guess I really can't argue, Count Woe-laf. I see your point. The pressures of an impromptu performance are... undeniable." Roman focused his attention on the padlock hanging from the latch of his locker, while Virgil looked to him with widened eyes.

"Really?" He didn't look away from Roman until he would look back.

"What?" Roman defended.

"It's just..." Virgil focused on his own padlock now, "You never agree with what I say. It always becomes a debate," he pulled his locker open lazily, pulling his backpack off his shoulders and putting it on backwards so that he could more easily exchange things. When Roman didn't reply, he continued, "like... I don't know. Why is it any different now?"

Roman was exchanging things as well, and didn't have an immediate answer. Well, he knew the answer (or in this case, answers), but it wasn't one he was even ready to admit to himself, let alone anyone else, and especially let alone Virgil. He just eventually shrugged.

This reaction only further alarmed Virgil. He opened his mouth to continue his flabbergasted interrogation, but the bell rang right at that moment. Roman slammed his locker shut suddenly.

"Well, that's our queue I suppose. See you tonight, Incredible Sulk." Roman elbowed Virgil in the shoulder a bit awkwardly and began skipping down the hall to his next class. That left a dumbfounded and nearly-panicking Virgil standing in front of his open locker in an almost completely empty hall.

He wished Roman would stop leaving him like that.

...

Roman had texted the Biology Project group chat that weekend, saying he had an important football practice on Monday that went until 5. they'd have to have their meet-up at Roman's a bit later in the evening. Logan simply waited it out by heading to the school library to get his other homework done, while Patton and Virgil shot the breeze, walking down random hallways of the school.

The two of them were grabbing a snack from a vending machine when Virgil checked his phone. It was 4:50. They got their respective snacks - Patton got a strawberry Pop tart and Virgil got a Sunny D - and made their way to the designated meeting place. It was a concrete bench at the front of the school. They expected to find Logan there, but he wasn't. The two of them simply sat on the cold bench and exchanged bits of each other's snacks, and continued talking until Virgil noticed someone approaching.

He figured it would be Logan, but this person was shorter and more filled out than Logan. He trained his eyes better and realized that it was Roman. Roman, who happened to have a towel around his neck and sopping-wet crimson curly hair unabashedly on display. A drip of water rolled down his cheek and along his jawline, and Virgil realized he was staring. Roman finally got within conversation distance.

"Like what you see, Charlie Frown?" He teased. Patton looked to Virgil, noticing his awe, and giggled.

"Hah, in your dreams, Meta Knight," Virgil deflected half-heartedly, still finding it hard to pull his eyes away from Roman's unfortunate perfection. It was only worse that Roman knew just how attractive he was.

"Why's your hair all wet, silly?" Patton asked, standing energetically to greet him.

"We rinse off after practice. I considered leaving my shirt off so i could just get a clean one when i got home, but i knew that might be a bit too much to handle for some of us," Roman elbow-nudged Patton, who just giggled again and pushed his glasses up. Virgil knew that was extremely forced, especially after their conversation on Friday.

"Well," Roman checked his wristwatch, "Where would my nerdy Wolverine happen to be? It's ten past, and if there's anything Logan certainly is, it's punctual."

"Quite right you are," a stern voice came from behind them, to reveal Logan's lengthy form approaching casually. "My apologies for my tardiness. I got quite engaged in a particular Physics problem." Roman turned to him smiling, and pecked him on the cheek. Virgil didn't need to look at Patton to feel his friend's heart sink through the floor.

"Shall we then?" Roman turned to lead the way on the five-block journey to his house.

...

"hmm, that reminds me," Roman said from his sprawled position on his bed, "what are all your sexualities?"

That sure caught everyone's attention. The clock beside Roman's bed read 6:28 PM. Logan was studying their plants and taking notes, Patton had been cooing quietly to Roman's pet turtle, and Virgil was sitting in Roman's spinning desk chair scrolling on his phone. They all looked at Roman at once, and then at each other.

"Heh," Roman sat up, "My apologies for blurting such an intrusive question, I was just looking up at my-" he gestured toward his ceiling- "glorious flag, and it made me wonder. No man must answer that which he does not desire to." Roman was blatantly referring to the Bisexual flag that was pinned to the ceiling above his bed. They all looked at it, and back at him. "I suppose it's obvious now, but yes, I am undeniably bisexual," He faux bowed.

The silence wasn't doing anyone good, so Patton broke it before it got too much more awkward. "I, I'm gay," he said sheepishly, continuing to observe the turtle. Virgil gave him a soft smile, and decided to offer himself up next.

"I'm pan," he seemed to recoil further into his hoodie, if that were even possible. Logan turned to the other three, adjusting his necktie.

"I'm not usually one to admit this to many people, but since you have all been so transparent and calm about such personal information," He started, "I am comfortable telling you that I am Asexual."

No one regarded this with much surprise, except for Roman. "Oh really?" He said, seemingly surprised and embarrassed. Virgil scoff-laughed at him.

"What, upset you can't make your sexual fantasies a reality?" Virgil teased. Roman gasped, bringing a hand to his chest in an offended gesture.

"Excuse me!" He exclaimed, a look of disgust contorting his face.

Before a classic Roman-Virgil debate could ensue, Patton decided to share his thoughts.

"Well, I, I mean, I'm not ace but I, I guess sex isn't really so important to me," he was fiddling with his ring yet again.

"W-well, it should never be the centerpiece of any relationship!" Roman declared. They all looked at him skeptically. "what? I mean, personally, I prefer grand gestures." As he spoke, he stood and walked to Logan. "In my opinion," he produced a pristine bouquet of deep red roses that none of the others had noticed anywhere in the room before, "they are the key to any person's heart."

Logan seemed tame, Patton thought. As if he were performing. If he were being his normal self, he would have been very confused by where Roman had hidden the bouquet, and how it looked so perfect after being concealed. Instead, he just took it with a very gentle sweet smile, and thanked him quietly. Instead of Logan, Patton was now the one confused.

Virgil's face was red, and his neck a blotchy pink; thankfully he was mostly hidden under his purple bangs and hood. He huffed and excused himself to use the restroom. Patton noticed this time, and grabbed his arm before he made it out of the room.

"You okay?" he whispered gently to Virgil. Virgil just looked at him, mustered a small smile and a nod. Patton knew exactly what that meant. Virgil was okay, he just needed a moment. He returned the smile, and released his gentle paternal grip on Virgil's arm, allowing him to leave.

There was the sound of someone calling Roman's name from another part of the house, and Roman excused himself, rushing off to find its source.

Logan slipped his phone into the pocket of his navy slacks. "Well, I must be going now," He began. Instead of reaching to gather his things, he trained his acute attention directly on Patton, who was startled by the sudden focus on him. "Patton, do you have a ride home today?"

"I, uh, well," He tried blurting out an excuse but none came to his mind. "No, not exactly..."

Logan was slowly approaching, and Patton tried to back up but hit the terrarium containing Roman's turtle after just one small step. "Would you like a ride? My parents would be more than happy to assist in your safe transport home."

"Well, well I really don't want to intrude, or-" He stopped dead when Logan placed a slender hand gently on his shoulder.

"I insist. It's no intrusion or burden to them. They appreciate being able to help others when they can, especially people whose company I enjoy." Logan didn't feel as though he was figuratively lying through his teeth, but he knew that his parents didn't exactly feel that way. The nature of the situation was more that they took kindly to those that Logan worked well with on academically related subjects, such as people from his study group or the like.

Patton caught himself before letting the thought "you enjoy my company?" escape his lips. He just smiled. He knew there was no way he could get himself to deny Logan's offer when his heart was taking the reins.

"I would.. really appreciate, a ride home, yeah," He said quietly. Logan was just looking into his eyes with a tenderness Patton hadn't seen before. He pushed away any thoughts that Logan may have looked at Roman the exact same way during their date. He hoped he hadn't, and cursed himself for hoping it.

"Wonderful," Logan pulled himself out of their shared momentary trance. "I will let them know. I'm sure they will find it a pleasure to become acquainted with you. They should be here in less than five minutes, so I suggest gathering your belongings." Logan's thumbs padded across is illuminated phone screen as he spoke, until he once again slid it into his pocket and began collecting his things along with Patton.

Virgil entered once again, hood off and face slightly red and wet. it was clear that he hadn't been crying due to the sporadic nature of the droplets of water across his face; it looked more like he'd just haphazardly washed his face in the sink and hadn't bothered to wipe the remnants away. Patton smiled at him brightly.

"Ah, Virgil," Logan addressed as he slung his bag over his shoulder, "It was pleasant to see you again. We are on our way out now. Are you ready, Patton?" He looked to Patton, who also slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Yep! Logan's giving me a ride," Patton blatantly could barely contain his excitement in his ever-growing grin, so Virgil only returned it with a small thumbs up.

"Alright, ill see you guys in class tomorrow," He hugged Patton tightly, and half-heartedly saluted to Logan without making eye contact. Logan simply nodded to him, and the two left shortly, leaving Virgil alone in Roman's room.

#ts virgil #virgil sanders #ts roman #roman sanders #ts patton #patton sanders #ts logan #logan sanders #prinxiety #logicality #logan x patton #roman x virgil #slow burn #high school au #sanders sides fanfiction #sanders sides #thomas sanders

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emy-mystory · 3 years

Text

Unit 3: KIDSNEXTDOOR

Probably a good amount of my childhood was dedicated to watching cartoons. I did have my fair share of drama shows on Nickelodeon but the cartoon shows that were shown on Cartoon Network were always the most intriguing to me. I'm talking about Chowder, Misadventures of Flapjack, Total Drama Island, Adventure Time, Regular Show, etc. I even enjoyed watching the older cartoons that the channel would show early in the morning which included classic Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry episodes. In fact, I've actually always have had a soft spot for older cartoons. For some reason, it gives me a sense of comforting nostalgia that I wished I had endured earlier. I currently feel the same about the older Simpsons episodes but that's not the case for this assignment.

The one cartoon that sticks with me the most was this very awesome, action-packed show called Codename: Kids Next Door.

If you have not seen at least an episode of Codename: Kids Next Door then you either did not have a TV, a great childhood, or both.

This show was so engagingly unique, that I would not mind doing a marathon of rewatching all of the episodes X2.

It was a show focused on these five friends that all lived in a rambunctious treehouse that acted as their headquarters for their sector V, Kids Next Door. Each kid is usually referred to as their number (1-5) and has a specialty that can range from smarts to fighting wit. In order to defend themselves from enemy agent sectors of teenagers and adults, they create and utilize wacky gadgets that can be made from odd materials such as bubblegum, old wood, spare tires, etc. They belong to a bigger agent organization of other sectors also filled with kids that have the same purpose. The universe of this show is so well-thought-out that it can easily become a world one kid would wish to live in. Overall, each episode consists of one goofy yet intense mission after another which leaves you with bewildering eyes while being on the edge of your seat every time.

I must admit, I have to give credit for the diversity given in this main cast. Literally, one kid is British (red) while the other Australian (orange). We have representation of POC (Black and Asian), and there's even body diversity from the heavy kid! (Blue)

I think it's pretty safe to say that almost every kid's dream was to make and live in a treehouse. Unless you have a fear of termites.

The whole show in general really did cater to kids. Whether if it was imagination fueled by the variety of weapons and missions or the distaste of teenage culture and embarrassing parents, it really was genuine to being level-headed with the perspective from a child's visionary point of view. To me, the show took on a genuine take on being made for kids.

It even covered a variety of topics that would have the affected demographic be children. But it did it in a way where it was not only creative but also obtain a more complex feature to it. For the sake of keeping the storyline interesting while also making the lesson of the episode even more memorable for children to learn from. Whether it'd be out of reflection or relatability.

I'm talking about:

PINKEYE

(I actually related to this one because I would always get pink eye. Oddly enough, I think I had pink eye while watching this episode for the first time.)

LICE

BEING FORCEFED GRANDMA'S FOOD

A KID'S CURIOSITY OF HOW A TEENAGE GIRL'S BODY FUNCTIONS

Even though the storyline of these episodes would be rather dramatic, it still was fun to watch all the creativity unfold as a child. If anything, it helped lighten the mood of such issues with witty dialogue, ambitious fighting climaxes, and silly innocence. It gives allows children to feel relatability on certain issues they would go through in which can be whole-heartily comforting to a child's fear of getting lice or pinkeye for the first time. I know I was pretty comforted or at least felt accompanied to the pinkeye episode when I saw it for the first time. It felt cool to see some other kids going through the same thing all the while the episode takes a dramatic turn to help alleviate that common, boring topic into a story concept that's grander and intricate; something that will interest the kids. Overall, these episodes gave kids a distracting yet whimsical portrayal of life's struggles.

I would like to touch base back to the bra conversation. Basically in that episode, Number 1 and Number 2 thought BRAs stood for "Battle Ready Armor," which made them think bras were actually magical weapons to help them fight more efficiently. (I wish)

So they went to their friend's house (Number 5) who was sick at the time. While keeping up a front to "care" for their friend, they ended up sneaking into her teenage sister Cree's bedroom where they found her stash of bras.

And I'm pretty sure you can figure out how that went...

youtube

(Of course anything with bras is forbidden for children, right?)

((I really hope you can see this because this scene itself just defines the badass action sequences this show can hold))

Anyways, I wanted to point this out because it reveals also another theme that is prevalent in this show: Growing up.

As I said, this show presents agent organizations run by kids, teenagers, and adults. Well, it is actually all a tear-jerking cycle that is upheld within this universe.

The kids are kids until they are 13 where they are decommissioned and get transferred to the teenager agent organization where they stay until they are 18.

Even though this process sounds absurd, the sentimental value of it hits harder than you think...

youtube

Yes, they wipe any memories they have of being in the Kids Next Door.

This explains why teenagers can be so fierce and violent towards KND because they do not have any recollection to possess any empathy for the organization they partook in during their beloved childhood years. This heavy implication of agism can connect back to how as teenagers, we always think being a child is embarrassing. But that's probably because we barely take any consideration of all the fun that emerged in being a kid.

And of course, there are some goofy gags to this kid vs teenagers concept as well..:P

youtube

(The slapstick comedy and clever humor from both videos always gives me a giggle)

(I guess babies come from Philly...you heard the man!)

((I also want to point out how Number's 5 "knowledge" of such a provocative concept just added to her spunkiness because it implies that she's supposed to be that one friend that happens to know a lot more than you do. From that, I always thought of her as an iconic girl character whom I wished was my friend...she really did give out that Boss Girl energy))

But regarding the growing up issue brought up in the show, I can still say that topic is also relevant to me, even to this day. Especially when it came to graduating high school, going to college, trying to make a name for myself, etc. I kind of wanted to take some kind of gap year or break or SOMETHING from it all to stop myself from feeling older and proceeding to life's deeper void. But I know I should not view it that way. We should not view growing up as something so disgraceful. We, especially I, should start viewing it as a way to grow wiser, to sustain emotional strength, etc. because how else are we going to learn from life's values and struggles if we don't have the willpower to maneuver through it in the first place? How will we know we won't succeed if we don't even make an effort trying? We shouldn't let agism intimidate us with demeaning stereotypes as there is advice to be taken and lessons to be learned.

In conclusion, Codename: Kids Next Door helped kids feel known, reassured, and most of all, have fun.

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moondustaeil · 4 years

Text

interlude _ lee taeyong

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⋅ʚ♡ɞ⋅ ⋅ interlude, regular to irregular ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

⠀ about

⋅ genre : mafia x soulmate au. angst, fluff, like two lines of smut

⋅ characters : taeyong x reader, nct, guest appearances of superm and exo

⋅ word count : 24k

⋅ warning : mafia au, violence, swearing, like a few lines of smut if you ask me, slight psychological abuse

⠀ ⠀ ⠀ ⠀

⠀ ⠀⠀ summary { pt 1 }

⋅ “That was your last step, darling” Those were the words that replaced the alarm for the counter that had stopped ticking. From then on, life was like a dream in a nightmare. And there’s no button to reverse.

That was your last step, darling.

Your unmanipulated dream haunted you for the second time in a row. The cold gun pressed against your forehead while a pair of intense eyes were connecting to yours as if you hadn’t been connected by the soulmate timers yet. He could see the fear in them and felt like a vampire feeding himself off of blood, but instead, he gained his strength by watching your fear-filled eyes. Your dream was no different from the reality, aside from little details such as his eyes or the noises adding with each time you dreamed about the scenario. Aside from your own feelings being reflected, it was also as if your second point of view came through Taeyong’s eyes, a fearful experience when your own death was one of the thoughts occurring in his mind.

“tik tok.”

You would have let out a sarcastic laugh if you weren’t in front of Taeyong right now, fear was making you stand still in fear but your face changed to a frown upon hearing the unhumorously funny words. Your eyes were quick enough to glance at Taeyong’s lips, but they hadn’t moved, and in fact, his body hadn’t moved in the past seconds. Like a glitch in a video, where you were the only one able to move while Taeyong was set on a halt because of an error in his malfunctioning brain. Once knowing he couldn’t move, you turned your head to the right to detect where the voice came from but you were greeted by the undecorated right side of the hideout that you were brought to. Maybe this was even scarier than when Taeyong was able to move and shoot you through the head.

“baby, you gotta wakey”

Those words made you open your eyes faster than you had expected, a small mutter falling from your lips in the process. You were about to think you were awoken by the voice in your mind, though one glance away from the high ceiling made you realize that you weren’t the only one in the room: a tall figure stood hovering over the bed, his lips graced with a slight smile when he saw your eyes open. “Good morning,” he said, the combination of his cheerful voice together with the smile on his lips made you doubt if the past two days had been real. You arched your back slightly before trying to move upward in an attempt to sit up, but before you had even attempted it, you were tugged back against the cold frame of the bed. “You shouldn’t try that, you’ll only hurt yourself,” The man said as he lowered his height by sitting on the edge of the bed, a creaking sound leaving from under the bed by the sudden extra weight put upon it.

“I’m Johnny,” He said to you, almost reaching out his hand until his brain cell kicked him to say it wasn’t possible since you were wearing the handcuffs to keep you attached to the bed. You barely heard the introduction because of the noises that seemed to be going on in the level above, yet, you still realized he had said his name. “Are you a part of them?” you asked, speaking without thinking about the consequences it could have. It wouldn’t be the first time you found yourself in the darkness because of the words you said. His response was to let out a laugh at first, nodding his head afterward to confirm your words. “I am, it’s a shame that you don’t know me but it must be because you’re Taeyong’s little toy and not mine,” he said, his thinking face disappearing when he mentioned Taeyong.

The name alone brought you to fragments of not too long ago, when almost every day you would hear his name on the radio or when you would see his face on tv. “He might be mad, but he’s a softie. The hair dye just got to his head” Johnny said, snapping you from your train of memories about seeing Taeyong on television but instead you stepped onto the next train that took you back to when your eyes crossed his in the intense reveal of who your soulmate was. The transition of hair colors throughout the times you saw him on tv also crossed your mind thanks to Johnny, although that was probably the thing you had to worry about the less. “You joined the mafia too, you must be crazy too. Don’t act as if doing this shit is normal!” you protested to Johnny, rolling your eyes at how the young man talked about everything. But once again, Johnny could only laugh at your stupidity or cuteness. “You might as well think about the difference between mad and crazy. Or well, you’ll find out the definitions soon enough.” He said as he stood up from the bed again.

“You might be either of the two soon,” Johnny said, tugging his lip between his teeth as he was excited to see you transitioning into someone you were not. Your eyes glanced up at him when you heard footsteps getting further away from you, which you now also couldn’t see because you were bound to be handcuffed to the bed. “But for now, you’re just a no one but a number to Taeyong.” He said, changing his attitude to make you confused about his identity.

The sound of his footsteps disappeared like a song fading out in the background, instead, you could hear the door closing and being locked multiple times. Then, it became completely quiet.

Your short fingernails began to press into the skin on the palm of your hand, creating small moon shapes. Though they no longer would resemble the moon like they did in your childhood, instead it was a mental counter to know for how many days you had been stuck inside the basement. Five small moon shapes seemed to smile at you, but you had no will to smile back at them. Day five had started, but would there ever be an ending day or was it a never-ending span of lifeless days that you were living through?

“I miss you” you whispered to no one in particular, your voice week as you had been undergoing a silent protest in the few couple of days. You missed everyone: from your friends to your parents and all the way to Johnny who had managed to make your day a tad better by saying a couple of sentences to you on day two. Last time you had used your voice it was towards another member of their mafia: one that had a smile that could cure bad days if he wasn’t the one that made the day so bad. You still remembered how he had told you his name was Jaemin, which proceeded in him repeating ‘nana’ in a sing-song voice for what seemed like hours. Only when tears of annoyance and weakness were in your eyes, the young boy had left you with a satisfied smirk lingering on his lips.

Your words were left in the air until they lingered away without anyone hearing them or saying them back to you. It was a way to break the silence that was your savior but at the same time fucked with your mind more than once a day. Your senses had seemed to rely on hearing rather than seeing in the past days, sometimes a good way to tell what time it was and when someone would give you the meal that you sometimes refused to eat as it just wasn’t edible. Maybe you longed for someone to bring those meals to you because despite you not eating them, it was the only source of contact and the only glimpse of the staircase that one day hopefully would be your escape.

‘It should be evening now’ you thought to yourself as you once again relied on the silence around you. Even on the level above yours, you didn’t hear the footsteps that you would normally hear, you felt as if you hadn’t heard them in hours today. The last time you did, it was when you could also hear a gunshot, and afterward some overdramatic laughter from one of the men that you had heard the laugh of before. Evening wasn’t specific enough for you to really tell whether it was closer to afternoon or night, but you guessed it was close to the night since you felt the tiredness of your body slowly taking over.

You closed your eyes after gazing upon the palm of your hand where the moonish shape of your nails had been in before. Day five hopefully was coming to an end, but that hope wasn’t needed as after day five, there was still a day six to live. Your fingers curled up into a fist to keep themselves warm, trying to avoid the cold metal of the bed’s frame and the handcuffs that still kept you in your place. Thoughts halted in your mind when sleep pushed its opinion through to make you do as told.

voices

Dizziness stirred your tired mind as your eyes opened, you didn’t know if it was because you thought you heard voices or because you had opened your eyes faster than they could adjust to your state. The handcuffs rang like a dysfunctioning bell against the frame of the bed, leaving you to forget about the sounds outside of your room for a second. When you finally focused back, you noticed the door was open and you could see the empty staircase but no ending point of it. “You’re awake,” a voice said, surprising you even though you should have been smart enough to realize that someone was in your room when the door was open like that. You still weren’t completely used to being here.

Your eyes saw the person that you had never seen before, glancing at him in confusion even though he probably was a part of the mafia just like everyone else here was. The only difference was that youth overwhelmed his appearance, compared to others you met such at Johnny at least. The promise to stay in silent protest was kept when you didn’t answer to the words, even though you wished he would build a conversation with you and stay for a few minutes. Only having the voice in your mind, or better said, yourself to keep a conversation with, wasn’t enough to keep you sane for as long as possible.

“I’m Jisung.” The boy said as he slowly stepped inside the room further, by the sound of his footsteps it seemed as if he was hesitant and maybe somewhat afraid to come too close to you. “Yangyang is coming soon. He’s kinda new, but he wanted to see you because Chenle told him that you were Taeyong’s soulmate…aren’t you cold?” the boy rambled endlessly until he realized there was no response coming from your lips. Instead of complaining about you not speaking, he shot you a slightly awkward smile. “Aren’t you supposed to speak to anyone but our leader?” he asked even though he knew in the back of his mind that he wouldn’t be able to get an answer to that question either.

The awkwardness luckily didn’t last as long as he had expected it to be, smiling when he heard Yangyang coming down the stairs. “I’m here” the other male announced as he walked in a lot more casual than Jisung had done earlier, maybe it was the small age gap that made Yangyang less hesitant or maybe it was just his personality. Immediately Yangyang walked towards the bed you were handcuffed to, glancing at you through his own tired eyes. “Are you y/n?” he asked to which Jisung looked up at his older friend, trying to say without words that you wouldn’t be a waterfall of words. “Oh, I see. You don’t speak, because Taeyong the cat has gotten your tongue. That’s cute! You’re so whipped” Yangyang said, laughing at his own fantasy as none of those things were actually true.

“Just say one word for us, ask us about Taeyong! I know you’re curious” Yangyang insisted seconds after he had read his own mental fantasy book out loud. The boy loved knowing things, and rather than that loved risky things: that taking risks and seeing other taking risks. “I’ll give you three questions, like a genie. Genie, genius equals me” He said as he pushed Jisung aside, sitting on your bed as if he wanted to have a close-talk like best friends would have in times of need. You let out a soft sigh as you were mentally struggling with the opportunity he gave you: one that could break the mental promise you had made to yourself, but also one that could bring you closer to things that you hadn’t discovered yet. Right when Jisung wanted to protest to Yangyang for forcing you to speak, you opened your mouth. Then, “okay” left your lips, almost inaudible as if it wouldn’t count as breaking your promise when you spoke like that.

Yangyang excitedly brought his hands together, clapping one time before all of his attention was on you again. “Ask the genius,” He said with a proud smirk, gesturing to himself even if he reminded you more of an annoying orange than a genie or genius as he claimed to be. You thought about the three questions you would ask, though you didn’t want to put closure on the subject of your soulmate only. “How long has it been since I came here and what time is it?” You asked first, even though you were pretty confident about both of those things, you had to know if you could trust your own mind with information like that. The orange-haired boy hummed as he looked down at you “do you want me to take that as two questions or one?” he asked you instead of replying to the things you asked, raising his index finger before also letting his middle finger join. “just one, please.” you said, hoping being friendly would get you somewhere as your parents always said it could bring you far in life. “It’s two in the morning, and you’re on your sixth day. Congratulations on making it this far!”

Another clap came from his hands, but this time to congratulate you on still being alive at this point. An achievement you would rather not get a clap for because sometimes you had even wished you hadn’t been on this earth, to begin with. You were living this life, destined to be together with a mafia member and you bet that was even worse than being the soulmate of a serial killer. For a newcomer as Jisung said he was, Yangyang was pretty challenging towards others and you doubted if he actually had enough brain cells to take up a big role in the mafia. He probably was young like Jisung was, but more rebellious. “Next question please, it’s not because you got a free ticket that you can waste my time,” he said, sounding a little bit too excited about feeling in charge over what he was doing. Your eyes went to Jisung who seemed to be listening but had his head hung low for an unknown reason, which left you to wonder if this was the first time he was actually doing something like this. “Why are you two here at two in the morning?” you asked even though you hadn’t meant that one as the one you wanted to get answered by the fake genie in front of you. But you weren’t going to get lucky, you didn’t need a genie to tell you that. “Good second question” Yangyang snickered before he turned more serious all of a sudden. “We aren’t supposed to be here, so after this, pretend as if I never was here. Continue the life you have now…even though it’s non-existent. Especially don’t tell Taeyong! If you do, then you’ll carry some heavy consequences” he said, his eyes getting intense which made it obvious that the two young men were breaking the rules by being here. But it didn’t seem to be stopping them from doing so, something you already expected since they were a part of the mafia.

“Up to question three, ja-ja-ja-jackpot!” Yangyang said a little too loud, tilting his head as he looked at you questioningly. The loud voice startled you but you knew you shouldn’t try to show your fear, that was what they lived off of or at least that’s what you saw when you dreamed about the first meeting between you and your soulmate. “When will I see Taeyong?” you decided to ask when you couldn’t find a better third question, and only upon you pronouncing his name, Jisung shot up his head to look at you. “Oh my little prize, Taeyong isn’t here now. I know your little heart longs for him. But he will return tomorrow from America. And just to spill the tea even more: he, Mark, Ten and Lucas are in another little mafia crew together with other mafia members. Call it the avengers of mafia, it’s a concept” Yangyang said, not stepping back from spilling secrets he wasn’t supposed to hand out like they were leaflets. He had expected you to ask about freedom or seeing your loved once again, but maybe this question was even better than the one he had imagined you to ask. You nodded unknowingly as you listened, trying to save all little details of the conversation you had in your tired mind. You knew you had to keep it for yourself, not because of what Yangyang said but you didn’t want them to know you knew secrets that others weren’t informed about yet. “But now, genie goes back into the bottle. bye-bye,” he said cheerfully as he got up from the bed. He gave you one last look, waving at you happily before he pulled Jisung with his hand and dragged the younger male out of the room with him.

“You should wear this!” Jungwoo chirped happily as he threw the white outfit onto the bed, on top of your body as if it was easy for you to sink into them without moving your limbs or body in general. You could hear and see the excitement radiating from the tall blonde-haired boy, but he seemed to forget a couple of details due to that same excitement. “I can’t,” you said, sounding more apologetic because the boy was just too excited to disappoint. A puppy-like pout appeared on his lips “ah why~” he whined softly as he grabbed the pieces of clothing in his hand, observing them to see if they were stained. “I picked them out for you! Not my style but Taeyong wanted white so I listened!” he said, trying to convince you without knowing that the problem was that you were handcuffed to the bed. It was already a miracle that you were able to sit up, but being out of your handcuffs wasn’t the case clearly. “Because I’m handcuffed,” you said, trying to say it calmly even though Jungwoo was the kind of boy you wanted to hug for doing the effort and for being so sweet without limits.

Jungwoo’s lips turned into an oh shape as he finally realized the one thing he forgot. His hands slipped into the back pocket of his pants, rummaging through until his fingers were able to grip the key. “Sorry y/n, I forgot,” he said as he thought about the other things he was supposed to do in the upcoming hour. This was just an exciting thing for him, which was why he forgot small details: it was the most fun mission he ever had to do and he couldn’t wait to see the results. “You will see your soulmate today,” he said as he hovered over you, his tall frame leaning down until he could reach the lock of the handcuffs properly. The words made you understand why he had brought an entire outfit and a beauty kit to the basement, maybe he had gotten the task to make sure you appeared like a real beauty in front of Taeyong. “Taeyong?” you asked just to be sure, usually everyone referred to him as leader or Taeyong, but Jungwoo put the emphasis on the rumored man to be your soulmate. A hum left Jungwoo’s lips he freed you from the metal chains that kept you together, grasping your wrists lightly to check if you didn’t have any marks on them from wearing them too long. “He’s your soulmate right?” Jungwoo asked, to which you nodded your head even if you hated to admit that he indeed was your soulmate.

“First I will let you take a shower, after you get dressed and I can make you pretty….but you’re pretty already,” Jungwoo said, listing all of the things that he had to do more for himself than for you. He helped you up, making sure to link his arm through yours in case your legs had gotten weak from not being able to use them properly for a long time. Trips to the bathroom didn’t take longer than needed, and the walking towards them was often replaced by carrying if they thought you went too slow. For some reason, Jungwoo seemed to trust you more than others, as others would just take you away with handcuffs around your wrist while Jungwoo only linked your arms together like cliché girls would do in a movie. The two of you left the basement that these days became your home, going up the stairs and afterward taking another stairs to the upstairs level of the place.

Jungwoo helped you into the bathroom with a smile, showing you around by just showing you what was shampoo, what shower gel was and how the warm water of the shower worked. Despite you knowing well how skincare and bathrooms worked, you let Jungwoo be his cheerful and talkative self because you did enjoy it. “I’ll come back in 15 minutes” he said before he left you alone in the bathroom, standing at the door so that he could hear what you were doing at any given time.

Fifteen minutes later, you had been ready to go back down to the basement as weird as it sounded or even felt. Being able to shower had been like feeling a glimpse of freedom, and wearing new clothes was like you were a butterfly who had just gotten its wings. Jungwoo opened the door when you knocked upon it as a sign that you were ready, smiling when he saw you in the outfit. “It’s time to make you prettier than you already are!” he said as he made you sit down on the chair where you had put your clothes on earlier. The beauty kit that he took, was placed on your lap so that he could use both hands for doing the job of makeup artist and hairdresser. “I won’t do much makeup, but I want to brush your hair” he said as he already placed his hand upon the towel-dry hair, just to feel the texture and imagine how beautiful it would look once he was ready with it.

He took the hairbrush in his hand as he smiled, carefully starting to brush through your washed hair. He avoided hurting you whenever knots started to form from drying it with the towel not long ago. “Does it hurt?” he asked occasionally whenever he had the feeling that he was making you suffer, but each time you hummed as a sign that he could continue. Being cared for by Jungwoo felt like going to your best friend after a bad and long day, while being cared for by the others was a push and pull game of getting what they wanted and you not giving it to them. “I’m excited for you, Taeyong will really say you look beautiful,” he said as he was imagining two soulmates in love coming together.

Another half-hour later you were ready and in the main room, the room where you hadn’t been since the day you saw Taeyong for the first time. “Jungwoo!” you heard a voice fill the room, pushing out the silence that was there before. Jungwoo shot a confused look at the older man in front of him. “Yes Doyoung?” he asked, seeming more obedient than you had ever been in the past couple of days. “You forgot shoes!” Doyoung claimed as he looked down at your bare feet placed upon the cold flooring. Something that made you do the same as you hadn’t even realized that your feet were bare unlike the rest of your body. “Ah…I’m a potato” the cutie mumbled to himself, but knew there was no way to get to shoes for you at this moment, simply because he hadn’t bought them for you, so there was no solution for the problem. “Get her socks then” Doyoung said as he didn’t need Jungwoo to tell him that he didn’t buy shoes, he already knew that.

“Taeyong arrived!”

It was the voice of Renjun who shouted the words, in his hands the bottle of red wine he had prepared for Taeyong to drink later on. A small swear word left Doyoung’s words as he knew it now was too late to get socks for you, something he would get the blame for even if it was Jungwoo who was the owner of the exact task. “You should stand here” Renjun said, shoving the bottle into Jungwoo’s hands so that he could grasp your hands in his right now.

As Renjun led you over to a spot, your eyes fell to the birthmark he had on his hand. Something you hadn’t seen before and never heard it mentioned somewhere else, despite it possibly being a big clue to revealing his identity to the world. “Here” Renjun said as he made you move just a tiny bit more, then stood in front of you to consider if that was the spot. He hummed in approval when he saw how he positioned you like you were a doll. You stood still to wait for it all to happen: a weird feeling of angst spreading through your stomach, but you put the blame on having to see your unwanted soulmate for the second time in your life.

The sound of the car you heard seconds ago came to an abrupt halt, everything turned fearfully quiet as seconds on the invisible clock went slower than minutes did. All of a sudden the door was thrown open wide, a familiar body structure appearing in the doorway. But you didn’t dare to look up yet, your eyes only staring at the floor that had gotten warmer under your feet.

The footsteps came closer slowly, they sounded challenging you like you were getting teasers until you were finally able to fully see him again, the only problem was that you were too scared to face him. The other members who seemed to be there before suddenly seemed gone, or maybe they fell silent just like you did out of shock. You mentally gathered the courage to finally look up at Taeyong: first scanning the hair color that jumped into your sight before anything else did, then only your eyes lowered to meet his. The intense eyes you had been having nightmares of every single night that you spent in that bed, the intense eyes your hidden feelings sometimes longed for anyway. The eye contact was intense, his pupils never changing its size which made him even more intimidating.

Taeyong’s steps slowly came to an ending, only taking a few more before he stood in his position. It was only then when you realized why Renjun had put you in that spot without imperfections. You and Taeyong standing there like you did the first time your eyes met, the time a gun was pointed at your head to shoot when the wrong movement was made. That thought sent goosebumps to rise upon your skin, even underneath the fabric of the virgin white clothes. What scared you, brought life to Taeyong.

He had waited long days until this moment, had counted the days and sometimes even the hours until he could see you again, until he could see the fear in your eyes again. The soulmate he could form into the perfect lover, someone who could be just like him but still stay underneath the leading role he took up. Through the days that he had been in contact with the other members, he found out about your protest of silence unless it was Jungwoo, he had found out that you would be wearing innocent white when he would lay eyes on you for the second time. Each day Taeyong had started to long more and more for you, so much that he nearly wished his timer would start running again so that he could relive the moment to the fullest. And this was as close as it was going to get to the actual moment.

“That was my last step, darling”

Taeyong’s voice was loud and clear, yet, they made you feel as if your head was getting hit with a hammer. The most Harley Quinn mooded scenario that you could get at this moment. Your eyes slowly left his eyes when he said those words, instead, focusing themselves on the grin he had plastered on his lips. By the looks of it, he was enjoying the moment. The fear in your eyes brought life to his eyes, something you managed to miss even though he hadn’t wanted you to see that side of him on the second time you met. You swallowed once, trying to do your best to keep a strong image but never would you be able to appear as strong as him.

Your silence was broken when he took another step towards you, close enough for you to have a whiff of the perfume he sprayed onto his nightblue shirt. He leaned closer to you, breaking every barrier of having private space around you. Another shiver ran down your body when you felt his breath against your neck, his lips brushing over the warmed-up spot. “There is my little cherry lollipop” he said against your skin, letting his teeth touch your skin lightly before withdrawing from the unexpected intimacy. One step backward was all it took for him to be able to look at all of you: from the outfit you were wearing to the way your body looked in it and then back towards your unkissed lips. He couldn’t wait to have a taste of those lips, but not here, not when many eyes had witnessed the moment he just created. Taeyong was known to love showing off, being unbothered to take it to the next level when everyone had their eyes on him…but you were different. Dressed in angelic white to accentuate your innocence, and to underscore that his name was your brand.

“Would you like a glass of wine, Taeyong?” Renjun asked as he realized he had forgotten to pour a glass of wine, he wouldn’t have forgotten if it wasn’t for the stupidity of two members that were older than him. It was a risky question, as just one second after asking, Renjun already noticed his mistake in just asking it. Taeyong turned away from you and towards Renjun, giving the seventh youngest a glare before all of his attention was on you again. But leaving the question unanswered was an opportunity he wouldn’t let slip past him. “As much as I’d like to stain my angel’s white clothes, it’s not with red wine, Renjun” he spoke, his tone having the matter-of-fact dimension. From the corner of his eyes, he could see Renjun giving him a small nod of understanding.

Taeyong’s eyes solitary went to you again, his hand reaching out to stroke over your heated cheek. Heated from stress rather than the kind of heat it would have whenever you fell in love. “you look like an angel, but are you one?” he asked, his fingertip roaming over the skin as if he was judging every little blemish upon it. The question he asked was one you didn’t answer, but instead, you listened obediently. “Answer me, my cherry lollipop ~” his voice was more demanding. The tip of his thumb stroking over your upper lip, smirking when he traced the cupid’s bow in the middle.

A sigh left your lips before you could control it, the sigh filled with nerves warming his thumb but it didn’t make him pull away from you. This time your silence was not a silent protest, it was just a fear of saying the wrong things and possibly ending up with your body being deep down the ground where no one would ever look for you. Your soulmate’s patience got tested with each time you didn’t reply, and if there was one thing that Taeyong hated it was when things didn’t go as he wished. The perks of being a perfectionist, who also wished for his soulmate to be perfect. “Are you an angel?!” He asked as the demanding tone had now completely undergone a transformation to anger, and by the fear in your eyes, he could see that it was giving the desired effect.

“I can be if you want me to”

“I think it is time to move,” Taeyong said as he glanced at the other members that had gathered around him in a circle. He knew that you could hear him talking and yet he had no intention of allowing you in the circle. Being part of the mafia was a men’s job in his eyes, and he wanted his soulmate to stay out of that chaotic kind of business. It went from quiet to noisy, with all members whispering and mumbling things to each other as if their leader wasn’t in the middle. But Taeyong was sharp enough to hear almost everything they were saying to each other. “Enough!” he said in a demanding tone, overpowering the twenty other voices. It should have been quiet after his little lash but he could still hear Haechan whining to Mark about it. “Which little bird can’t shut up?” Taeyong asked, his eyes looking around as if he was trying to find the one who hadn’t stopped making noises, but then finally, his eyes landed on Haechan.

Your eyes were on the younger boy, already wishing that he wouldn’t get a bad treatment just because he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. But the look in Taeyong’s eyes made it clear that he wasn’t pleased with the endless whines and talks of the boy. “We are the mafia, not a coffee shop,” he said, stepping closer to Haechan until the younger man had no other option but to look in his eyes as he was speaking. “If you really want to speak, say your last words” Taeyong finished his sentence, stepping away after his eyes intimidated Haechan for a few more seconds. By the manner Haechan fumbled his fingers together in his sleeve, you could see that he was filled with fear for those words to be real.

“As I was saying…” Taeyong started his sentence again after the little moment of inconvenience, his feet slowly taking steps until he was back at the spot where his leader capacities allowed him to stand. “I think it is time to move away from our hideout,” he said as a slight smile appeared on his lips when he said those words. You had heard from Doyoung that aside from being a strangely intimidating leader, he could also be soft and caring once you got to know him. And the strong act he was keeping up, usually was because he was responsible for twenty other members and you as well. That same strong act was one he showed because you were there as well: wanting to intimidate you so that you wouldn’t get yourself in the wrong hands of rival mafias or just so that he could show that he was more than just somebody on this earth. You heard a laugh escaping from Mark’s lips who clapped his hands in excitement, he really wanted to have a proper bedroom rather than one where all he got was a mattress. “Wow” you heard someone say, but your eyes were too late to see who’s lips had produced that sound. “And our y/n, is coming too” Taeyong said as he beckoned for you to be part of the circle now.

Your steps were slow as you moved towards the circle, seeing Kun making a bit of space next to him so that you could stand there. It was a scary feeling with so many pairs of eyes on you, and maybe a bit embarrassing because of the handcuffs that kept your hands from grabbing a gun or doing other risky things. You stood still beside Kun, who smiled down at you to make you feel a little bit more comfortable. Instead, Taeyong decided against it and wrapped his fingers around the little chain that connected your handcuffs, dragging you closer to where he was without leaving you to decide for yourself. “y/n is coming with us. y/n will no longer be staying in a basement. And just like some of you have many clothes, I request of Johnny and Yuta that they will pick up y/n’s clothes from the old apartment.” Taeyong spoke as he looked at the two he assigned the job to, once they had nodded, Taeyong allowed his eyes to rest on the sight of you. “Anything else you need from your old apartment?” he asked, his tone sweeter than you’d ever heard him. The kind of tone that made you think you could ask for anything, or open up to him about the questions that you still had. “Can I have my phone? And maybe some pictures of my family and friends?” you asked as you looked at him questioningly.

From the corner of your eye, you could see the look Kun had in his eyes. Realizing a little bit too late that you probably would get a negative answer to that question, but maybe also a lash out that counted for free bonus points. Taeyong cleared his throat as he was staring at you, his facial expression never changing even if he maybe was surprised at your request. Everyone was uneasily quiet as they waited for Taeyong to respond to your question. “You can have your pictures, but I can’t give you your phone. It’s too much of a risk, it could maybe save you but instead kill all twenty-one of us” Taeyong explained calmly, reminding himself that your question was only natural because you longed to hear your family. On the other side of the story, it was dangerous: they could track your location and it would lead others to them, and then they would be in big trouble that possibly had no solution to it. “One day, I will get you a phone that you can use but not now, little cherry lollipop,” he concluded when he saw the slight disappointment on your face. He imagined it could be hard for you to be away from your loved ones, but in reality, all of them had to be away from loved ones and only had each other to survive with. They were not a charity case that brought families together, and if he couldn’t see his family then no one could. NCT was more than just a mafia, overtime they became a family: with motherly figures, moments of laughter and friendship, with younger members to care for.

Taeyong slightly patted a hand over your shoulder to make you feel comforted, his hand waving in motion as a signal that the small meeting had ended. “It’s gonna be fine, my cherry lollipop will forget about everyone once she sees the good in being here.” Even though the small meeting had ended, he still had to talk to Johnny and Yuta about a plan of how to get in your house when no one could possibly be there to look for you, but also tell them about your phone that he never wanted to be found again by anyone. A tear burned in your eye but you refused to let it slip out as you didn’t want to be seen crying because you knew you would never see your family again. Thoughts ran into your mind at rapid speed, it made you lose track of reality so you hadn’t noticed yet how Taeyong was already away from you to talk to others. It was Kun who was still by your side when the others left to do their job, not that Kun didn’t have other things to do, but just like Taeyong, he took up a small leading and motherly role over the members.

“y/n?” Kun asked as he placed his hand on your shoulder, the same shoulder that Taeyong had patted earlier in a weak attempt to make your sadness less harsh on you. You slowly turned your head to Kun, letting out a soft sigh in the process. “I can’t even see my friends again?” you asked him, wondering if that was really how it went in the life of a mafia member. The thought of that already brought another tear to your eye: you had never imagined that was the way you’d be separated from your best friend. Kun shook his head sadly at your words, the hand that was on your shoulder turned into an arm around you to comfort you a little bit more. “Everything is behind you now: friends, family, your job, your home,” he said, speaking in a calm tone so that comforting you could combine with telling you the truth, no matter how ugly the truth could be sometimes.

It didn’t surprise you to hear the words and still it brought some fear along, the thought of never being able to walk outside again to love your friends and family. Never going to the store late at night because you were too busy with your life and forgot to get food for yourself. No more nagging from friends who told you it was time to look for your soulmate. All of that, you had to leave behind for one single person. Taeyong. You didn’t know if it was normal to feel sick whenever you even heard the name, but the feeling became worse now that you knew only half of the conditions you had to keep your life to. The handful of rules would soon be overwhelming, but it was following them or giving your life. Or at least, that was what you heard from one of Yangyang’s nightly visits to the basement. “Maybe you could ask Taeyong to join us? Doing small missions, killing people” Kun said, his words a little bit too casual as killing people was something you hadn’t written down in your bucket list. The shock displayed in your eyes made Kun mentally slap himself against the head for saying such a thing. “We’re not like you think we are, we don’t kill people for fun and we have to work hard” he protected himself and the connection that you still had to form with your soulmate.

You had to admit your head was filled to the brim most of the day. Probably because there were twenty people declaring opinions onto you and you didn’t know anymore which ones to believe. For example about Taeyong: some said he actually was soft and caring, but because of his role he couldn’t always show it, while others said Taeyong could be a scary person who had two personalities and you’d just have to watch to see which one you were going to get. They knew Taeyong longer than you did, they saw him more often than you did so you believed a little bit of everything and hoped to find out for yourself that he indeed had a softer side as well. In conclusion, each member ended with the same set of words. ‘Don’t worry about it’

“You’ll get used to it, especially when we move. And you can finally live in a proper room” Kun said, trying to make things lighter for what seemed like the millionth time in a couple of minutes. You knew Kun and his leading abilities were much different than Taeyong’s, but Kun seemed more of like a sub-leader who took care of what others called NCT China but in reality was called WayV. “Where will you live?” you asked when you realized their group was divided into other groups so that they could endlessly grow unless they were a fixed unit. You wondered if they all lived together 365 days a year and twenty-four hours for seven days a week. Kun hummed at the question as he looked at you “we kind of live everywhere. Sometimes you will see us in the new house, other times we will be in China. Depends on the things we have to do and our own safety as well” he explained to you, just telling the truth since you already knew so much so even if he lied, once you spilled tea, you were going to have to get killed by one of them. “Will I live in China too then?” you asked as you really were trying to get the hang of it. After learning how the NCT concept was formed yesterday, you today had other questions that you wanted an answer to. A sigh of relief left your lips when Kun shook his head. “You won’t live there. You are located here with 127 but I don’t think Taeyong will leave you home alone, so for some missions, you will travel along. I think, at least” he said to you, hopefully answering the question right as he didn’t want to appear like the one that set you on an abandoned road with incorrect information.

“Thanks for talking to me,” You said to Kun and smiled a bit, it eased your mind a bit more now that you two had talked and the way his voice sounded was just a calming factor to you. Kun returned your smile, knowing deep inside that even though things were rough now, soon everything would fall into its rightful place. “It’s okay, y/n” he said as he ruffled a hand through your hair in a more playful way. He stepped away from you to do whatever task followed for him, but before leaving you in the room, he turned back with a smile.

“just remember, we are your family”

Those words reflected in your mind for another hour as you watched how others gathered their stuff to move, while you could only stand in the middle of the room and watch how the nearly empty hideout, turned completely empty. They seemed to be busy collecting everything or getting rid of evidence that they had been there. Whenever one of the members passed you by, they’d give you a smile or a hey sometimes, simply because there was no time for longer talks than that. Just as you were about to say hi to Chenle who passed by, Hendery stood right in front of you. “I’m going to bring you to Taeyong,” he said as he handled you the same way Taeyong did earlier, though he was much more careful when he led you forward by holding onto the chain between your handcuffs. You had no option but to walk behind him like a child who had no idea how to get to the park on its own. “Why?” you asked as you were walking, your eyes scanning the empty walls around you as you found yourself in something that looked like the hallway. “Because he wants to speak to you, he’s your soulmate,” Hendery said as he removed his hand from the chain when you finally stood in front of the door that separated you from Taeyong.

Before Hendery could attempt to know upon it, the door already opened with Taeyong standing right in front of you only a second later. “Thank you, Hendery,” Taeyong said, giving a nod as a sign Hendery had done his task well but also so that the young man would leave you alone now. Taeyong looked into your eyes, in the meantime wanting to take the chain to pull you inside the small room with him, but instead, unintentionally wrapped his fist around your hand. Unlike the time you felt shivers when he touched you, you now felt the warmth spreading through your body and mostly warming up the wrist which not too long ago revealed how many steps there were to take until you met him. He turned back to lead you along with him, a smile gracing his lips when he felt that flattering feeling overtaking some of his other emotions.

“y/n” Taeyong breathed out your name as he turned back towards you once you were in the middle of the room, the smile was no longer on his face but you couldn’t miss what you had never seen. His hand still held onto yours, unable to distance himself from an unfamiliar feeling spreading inside of his body. You hummed in response, your eyes searching for his but this time it was him who avoided looking back into yours. “I want you to be my date. There will be an official event coming up to introduce superm to our co-mafia groups. Much like a formal ball, without the dancing.” He said, getting to the point so that he didn’t have to show too many feelings while he told you. He felt nervous that you’d reject going with him even though he would force you to come with him somehow. “You want me to be your date?” you asked, tilting your head to the side as you were surprised he even wanted a date or a plus-one. He seemed like the type to go alone, simply so that he didn’t have to take care of someone else. “I do, you’re my soulmate,” he said honestly and nodded his head, he could have lied and said others were looking forward to meeting you but then he would spoil how he already told co-mafia groups about you which probably seemed a bit too desperate than he would like. “Tomorrow, one of the members will help you pick out an outfit. Then that same evening, the ball will take place. When returning, we could already go to our new home” He said quickly, ruining the chance of having a sweet moment between you and him even though he had wished he would have grabbed the opportunity.

Taeyong looked at you as he waited for your response, hoping you would be just as excited as he was for the ball or for just being together like real soulmates were supposed to do. “I’d like that” you chimed out while a smile was on your lips, maybe it was because he had directly said that he wanted you to be with him because you were his soulmate or maybe it was because you felt warm on the inside when your hand was holding onto yours like that. A smile appeared on his lips when you smiled as well, it was the first genuine moment you had seemed to spend with him and you weren’t sure if it was because no one was around or because of another reason. “Good” he said as he gave your hand a small but reassuring squeeze.

“Who do you want to come along with you to pick your outfit?” Taeyong asked before once again he would get too much into the moment where he felt as if he could fall in love. He watched the way your face changed as you were considering your options, you would have picked the ones you would get along with the best but knew Taeyogn probably wanted someone who could protect you when it was needed. “Can I pick two?” you asked soft, hoping he would say yes just because two could be nicer than just one, especially if you were going to try and make it a fun day. When Taeyong hummed in approval, you again started to think about who you wanted to come along with you. “Jaemin and Winwin” you said as you remembered both of their faces, maybe an unexpected choice as you remembered the way Jaemin had brought you to tears on one of your first days in the basement but when you heard him laughing, you figured out he was a fun and youthful person. Winwin was laid back, loved doing nothing and at the same time felt like the kind of best friend anyone wanted to long for. Your choice made Taeyong nod his head “I will tell them, I bet they’ll like it.” he said but kept his lips parted as if he wasn’t done speaking yet. “I bet you will pick out something beautiful, and don’t worry about prices, I will pay it” he continued to say. Calming your thoughts before they had even been able to get into your brain, even though you were against the idea of him paying for the outfit you would wear. “If Johnny and Yuta get to my apartment, they could bring me my money,” you said as thought about it, your paycheck should have been in the mail or on your credit card. Taeyong disapproved by shaking his head at the suggestion, there was no chance of you paying for your own ball outfit when he was the one who invited you, and on top of that, he made enough money for you to enjoy it together. “Don’t worry about it, you’re my soulmate and I want to. What I did before was wrong, but it was for your safety and our safety. From now on, things will only get more dream-like” he promised as he stroked his thumb over the back of your hand. It was double-edged that he used those words when your wrists were still attached by a little metal chain, preventing you from creating trouble.

Your eyes fell on the filled street for what seemed like the first time in your entire life. Winwin who held the car door open was focused on the way you looked at the outside world with adoration and yet he could see the fright because of your body posture. “Are you ready to go y/n?” he asked for the second time, though this time his question was still left unanswered just like the first time he asked in. Jaemin who had been waiting in the backseat for you to move forward so that he could get out, was starting to get slightly annoyed when his patience was tested. He shoved his ass to the other end of the car, getting out through that door as he had enough of waiting. His eyes communicated with Winwin’s, just as a gesture that Winwin had to pull you out of your inconvenient little trance. “y/n? Come on!” he said, this time repeating it louder as a sign that you really had to get back to reality. The longer they stayed out there, the bigger the chance was that danger came closer to you and them. Jaemin sighed out of annoyance as he moved towards you, his arm pushing against your shoulder as Winwin was too much of a wimp to do so apparently. “y/n, it’s nana. If you don’t pick an outfit now, Taeyong will…kill you” the pink-haired young man said, his tone was filled with hesitation and yet confidence. He knew those words could get him into trouble if you told Taeyong, but if he told Taeyong the way you stared at the outside world, you would be the one getting into trouble.

Finally, your eyes snapped away from the sight of a family that came outside the flower shops and walked towards the end of the street. Maybe you hoped to see your friends around here, or maybe you were just dreaming of walking here just like any other normal person would be doing. The words about Taeyong killing you made you want to protest after you had seen the side of Taeyong that no one told you about, but he was and always would be a part of the mafia no matter the soft side he had shown you. “Taeyong said we’d find you something here,” Winwin said as he pointed to the store that was on your right side, making you turn towards it to check the name of the brand displayed above the door. He kept holding onto your hand once you had taken a step forward, strict orders from Taeyong to prevent you from running away just in case the trust Taeyong built up with you was all just fake. “Maybe, but it’s expensive, isn’t it?” you asked as you faced Winwin again, noticing that next to Winwin was Jaemin who was seemingly playing on his phone. Winwin hummed in response “I don’t know, maybe. Chenle once bought five complete outfits here and didn’t even lose five percent of the entire money he made so far” he mentioned if that wasn’t a lot, but you knew that Chenle could be just as rich as a CEO of a successful company, yet he didn’t act rich unless his friends made him flex. You quickly dismissed the doubts you had when Winwin started to walk into the place where you would get your attire for the ball.

Two hours of fitting, choosing, discussing, talking and occasional coffee drinking passed by. Of which one of those two hours was spent in the first store where Winwin advised you to choose an outfit of that brand, but where you said no because you couldn’t find something that would exactly fit with your style. Jaemin knew better, and knew it was because you didn’t want to be the one who brought the number on Taeyong’s card in a red zone but he didn’t say mention it as he didn’t like any of the things that were in this year’s collection. Thus you had ended up picking up coffee, or well Jaemin did because he was the only one who could cover his face with a mask to seem less suspicious. After a small coffee break, it was time to end up in the second store. One that you picked out because you had shopped there before and it was within your own price range, if you could pay it then Taeyong surely could do so as well.

“Do you like this?” You asked as you got the nightblue colored outfit in your hands, holding it by the hanger as you turned to Winwin and Jaemin who were inspecting the accessories on the shelves. Jaemin was the first one to look at the pieces of clothing you picked out, but Winwin was still focusing on the jewelry. “I do, if it’s your style” Jaemin said as he ran his fingertips over the fabric, casually checking if the fabric had a high quality. Upon hearing Jaemin’s voice, Winwin turned towards you as well to see what you were holding. A smile appearing on his lips as the pieces you picked could easily combine with what Taeyong had picked up a couple of days ago as well. “You should fit that, in the meantime, I will pick some accessories,” Winwin said as he pushed you towards the fitting rooms together with Jaemin. While Winwin still checked if the bracelets and other jewelry really were silver or gold, you and Jaemin went to the fitting rooms.

You wondered if it was something Taeyong would like to see you in, but maybe he would be too busy with the other guests to focus on you so maybe it didn’t matter as much as you thought it would. “How is it to go to a ball?” you asked Jaemin as the curtain separated you two from you seeing each other, which was a good thing as you weren’t completely comfortable with him seeing your body without clothes. “It’s a little bit busy, everyone wants to speak to you, everyone judges everyone silently. But this time is a special occasion” Jaemin said as a smile appeared on his lips at the thoughts, he had been to a ball before and secretly he liked the aesthetic a ball had: the cliché color scheme, the moments, meeting people you hadn’t seen in a long time. “Taeyong will be around you all evening, and everyone will be so happy that you found each other,” He said, a little too dreamily as he imagined the night you and Taeyong would have at the ball. You probably wouldn’t dance but he knew Taeyong would have his arms wrapped around you while he proudly told others that you were his soulmate.

The adjusted the last bit of your outfit before opening the curtain for Jaemin to judge you like he was a fashion designer. “What do you think?” you asked with a smile as you looked at Jaemin, hoping he would like it as much as you did even if Jaemin wasn’t your date or soulmate. “Taeyong will love this,” he said as he smoothed out the fabric on the part of the back that you couldn’t touch yourself. Then his eyes went to look at you through the mirror, but in reality, he was imagining the day he would meet his soulmate just like you met Taeyong. “Are you sure?” you asked as you looked at his eyes through the mirror, trying to see whether he was telling the truth or not. “I’m very sure, we’re taking this,” he said, making you go back in the fitting room to undress and leave the rest of the outfit for tonight at the ball.

The rest of the shopping spree was for purchasing shoes and Winwin taking you to a store that had real silver and gold jewelry instead of those fake ones that were worth less than what they were sold for. You protested but Taeyong’s card didn’t, something you were not surprised by as Taeyong had told you he would buy everything you wanted or needed for the event. As much fun as you had, you were happy when you finally headed back to the place you called home, just so that you could get properly ready with the help of others. Jungwoo had already claimed to do your hair, while Jaemin was going to help you properly put on your outfit despite you being able to do it alone. One glance at the watch on Winwin’s wrist revealed that it was still three hours until the ball actually took place. Three hours in which you would have to eat, get yourself ready, have others help you to get ready… and then when it finally was time, Taeyong would be able to see you.

….

You waited outside the venue together with Yuta, who had a loose grip on your hand to give you freedom and yet keep the peace to his own mind with the thought of you being unable to escape. It wasn’t cold but despite that, your mood had dropped like the temperature would in the evening. Excitement had bubbled up inside your stomach hours ago, only to find out that Taeyong wouldn’t be able to properly head to the venue with you as he was a part of superm, instead, you would just have to see you there. You were aware that it would make you seem like an intruder who most of all didn’t have a date to begin with, without Taeyong by your side people would probably ask questions on who you were and why you found yourself in the middle of a ball, dressed like that. With each time a car arrived, you wished it were the other members so that you could head inside soon: sometimes you were lucky enough like when the entire of NCT dream got out of a car, or when WayV arrived looking like gods that owned the red carpet. “So who are we waiting for?” you asked as you had lost count of the members that had already arrived and those who still had to come. It probably was busy on the road or hard to get all members ready at the same time, it was already impossible to fit all twenty-one in a car so you imagined the trouble they had with other things as well.

“I hope you’re waiting for me, there’s no prince coming tonight”

The voice from behind you made you spin around quickly, slipping your wrist from Yuta’s hold in the process. Your eyes seemed to light up when you found the owner of the voice, Taeyong. His nightblue attire fitted with yours, but that detail had slipped from your mind as you were making eye contact instead. Without you realizing, Yuta stepped away from the situation to go to the other members and wait for the rest there. “I wasn’t waiting for the prince.” You said with a smile as you shook your head at his earlier words, the words making him let out a soft chuckle. “But you weren’t waiting for me either?” he asked playfully because he didn’t expect you to be waiting for him after the news that he wouldn’t be the one to really pick you up for the ball. You shrugged your shoulders at his question, biting your lip. “I was wishing for you rather than waiting,” you said, your voice sounding quiet as you maybe were too shy to admit it but Taeyong had heard every word of it. “I see, seems like your wish has been granted,” he said. His fingertips inched closer to yours, brushing them together lightly which made it feel as if a coat of magical moondust was falling upon them.

“You look beautiful” Taeyong spoke again before you were able to reply to his words, smiling as he finally eyed the things you were wearing together with the way your appearance looked a little more special tonight. “Thank you, as do you. I didn’t expect us to wear the same color” you said as you looked at his shirt, noticing it was exactly the same color as your outfit was, in the light you could recognize some patterns on the shirt to make it stand out more. “Great minds think alike, they say” he responded, his free hand awkwardly trying to place itself on your shoulder as he wanted to hold you but he was unsure of how to initiate such contact. Upon noticing his cute struggles, your hands guided his to wrap around your waist instead, an action you didn’t even expect from yourself, leave alone from Taeyong. “Sorry for abandoning you in the past time” he said as an apologetic smile formed onto his lips, saying sorry cost him a lot because he didn’t like being wrong but knew he left you with twenty guys you barely knew, sleeping in a cold basement and a pair of handcuffs wrapped around your wrist instead of real silver bracelets he could buy for you. “It’s okay, Taeyong. I know you’ve been busy” you said, forgiving him for the little mistakes he made through the past weeks that you had been his soulmate. Though little mistakes he made had been minor compared to the others, your mind was a whirlwind of thoughts conflicting with the way you wanted to act towards him. But Taeyong thought differently and shook his head before you had been able to finish your sentence properly. “It’s not okay, you’re my soulmate. I just never learned how to be one” he admitted to you, his head hanging low as he was unable to look at you once he imagined the way you must have felt or looked when you were locked up in a basement, with your wrists being chained to a bed like in some gore sm movie. “and that’s okay, you didn’t join the mafia to learn how to become a soulmate. Even in school, they don’t prepare you to meet your soulmate” you whispered when you saw his ashamed state, cocking your head to the side as you felt worse now than you did back when you were in the basement. Seeing your soulmate like that, tore a little piece from your heart and it was painful.

The silence between you two was painful for Taeyong but he knew you were only quiet to think about things that could potentially cheer him up. “Lift your head, your invisible crown is falling, prince,” you said soft, one hand reaching out to play with bits of his hair in a comforting way. Taeyong let out a soft breath and looked at you, trying to show a genuine smile despite feeling guilty for the way he treated you. “Do you think I’m worthy of a crown?” he asked before his feelings could stop him from doing so, he would never get a crown so why was he wondering if you thought that he would be worthy of one?

“It wouldn’t suit you, I prefer a mafia soulmate rather than a prince soulmate” You said softly as you twirled a strand of hair around your finger, letting go of it to see the light curl that you created in it. “But I do think you’re worthy of my heart” you whispered soft to him, opening up to the feelings you had started to develop for him in a short amount of time. Taeyong’s eyes were on yours when he heard the words, they hadn’t been able to sink into his mind yet, but they seeped into the little cracks of his unfinished heart. “Do you really think so?” he asked, sounding desperate to get the confirmation that he indeed was worthy of all he ever wanted in his life. His soulmate’s heart. Without hesitation, you nodded your head to give him the last bit he needed to believe everything that had fallen from your lips. The heartbeat of the man you had grown to love started to speed up, it was as if his heart had properly been fixed to process the feeling that was called love. The words he wanted to say were ones that didn’t exist, or words just no longer seemed to make sense in his head, no matter which way he tried to turn and twist each word to fit into the sentence. Instead of using words, he pulled you in for your first kiss as soulmates: his arms wrapped around your waist to draw you closer while his delicate lips first brushed over yours to let the butterflies in his stomach fly freely, not even a second later his lips pressed against yours more firmly. The kiss you shared has a hint of the red wine he tasted at the preparty but it was the kiss itself that brought you to a haze of love and feelings you had never experienced, automatically two pairs of eyes closed themselves to savior the love shared between two hearts.

The kiss seemed to end a little too soon, with Taeyong’s lips longing for more while you needed a few seconds to breathe and properly realize what had just happened. “You’re so precious,” He said as he looked at you, unable to tear away his eyes from the beauty that carried your name along. The soulmate he had never wanted but always longed for turned his world upside down, healed the wounded heart that had been running on survival mode for years. “But most importantly, you’re mine” he said, his hands reaching out to wrap around you again. Not even once was he reminded that he was part of superm and that probably everyone was waiting for him or possibly even started without him. With you, he wasn’t the mafia leader that everyone was intimidated by, with you he got the title of soulmate. Unable to hold himself in, Taeyong pressed another loving kiss onto your lips, followed by one that held more passion in it. Your lips were as addictive as the drugs he had taken in his teenage years, but this haze was way better than the ones he had experienced before.

“Shall we go inside?” You asked against his lips as he was midway through the kiss, slightly letting your lips linger together when he heard your small mumble. A hum left his lips, finishing the kiss with another peck before your lips separated fully. “We should,” he said as his hands fell from your waist but instead took your hand proudly to show you off before even being inside. As you walked inside, you couldn’t really recognize what kind of building you were in but it surely wasn’t just a small-sized apartment that you could rent for a night to have a small party. Taeyong had been in this location many times before but never had he imagined to walk here with his soulmate, holding hands as a glowing sign of love. From the moment you walked into the spacious room, you noticed eyes fell on you and Taeyong, which maybe was normal seeing you two arrived way later than it actually started or maybe people had been warned that Taeyong would be bringing you and they had been eye-locking with every person that seemed worthy enough to be by his side. To some people Taeyong bowed, making you think they were his seniors or leaders of other mafia groups that were close to his. “Don’t feel scared, they’re eye-fucking you and judging me for being late” Taeyong mumbled through gritted teeth, he felt like pulling out his gun to send off a warning for no one to look at you with lustful or judging eyes. He didn’t care if they judged him, but you were a masterpiece so they had no right to judge you for being you.

When everyone had stolen a glance at you at least once, the quiet mumbling and talking started again as if nothing had even happened. Taeyong carefully pulled you along with him to where he saw his other members talking to members of mafia group exo, that was undercover as x-exo today as a dangerous mission had nearly meant the end for some of them. You didn’t learn their names but as you stood there with all of them: you learned to understand that Baekhyun and Kai from the exo clan were part of superm, together with Taemin from SHINee who unfortunately was the only one from his clan to come tonight. Aside from the faces of the rest from NCT, you weren’t really able to paste names upon the faces of the others: maybe because there were so many people that you had maybe heard of once on tv, or maybe never even heard of because they were new or not known to the media because of their low-profile missions.

Through the evening Taeyong’s hand had never left yours, neither did his presence go further away from you than a couple of inches when he had to greet another senior of his. Whenever he felt someone was looking at you, he’d remember their names to perhaps threaten them if he really was in the mood to do so. It was only when a clumsy person spilled champagne on his hand that he knew he had to leave you there rather than taking you to the restroom with him. “I will come back soon” he said to you and smiled, pressing a kiss to your cheek before he walked past that same clumsy person with a glare on his face. The feeling of being in love had overtaken his sharp senses to look for danger in every place that he went, which was one of the biggest mistakes he made even if he hadn’t realized it at all. And you didn’t see the danger that you were getting trapped in either.

“You’re y/n, right?” A man asked you as you were following the same way Taeyong did when he seemed to be gone for longer than you thought he would be. The hallway was light but not a soul seemed to be waiting in it to use the restroom or perhaps to just be away from the chaotic babbling of others. You tilted your head at his question, wondering who he even was since he didn’t look like any of the people you had been introduced to earlier. “I am, who might you be?” you asked, feeling defensive when his hand suddenly reached to yours but you were fast enough with your reflexes to pull away. “Taeyong knows who I am, you should ask him” the man answered your question with the kind of answer you hadn’t expected at all. “Oh wait…, you won’t be able to. I nearly forgot some people don’t have good intentions, and I’m one of them” he said with a small smirk, and before you were able to react, you felt something pierce through your clothes and within seconds the syringe roughly created a wound onto your skin. The moment seemed to go by so fast, your reflexes possibly slowing down from the bit of champagne that you had been offered and had been drinking from Taeyong’s glass as well. “Stop” you said as you pushed him away with your arms, causing the syringe to fall but the pain from the needle hitting an unexpected angle was left behind. He was quick enough to regain power over your arms again, watching as your reflexes seemed to disappear with the life in your eyes.

And when Taeyong came back, there was no sign that you had ever been there.

“Didn’t I tell you to keep your fucking eyes on y/n? Have I not told any of you guys. There’s twenty of you, at least one must have heard when I said that. Or were you all so fucked up and drunk!?” Taeyong’s voice was angry and ran through the entire room. What was supposed to be a ball, was now the day he lost eyes of what was most precious to him. Everyone was now at their new home, but no one had been given the chance to explore the place or put their things away, instead, all twenty of them were probably going to risk their lives for you. Everyone stayed quiet aside from Xiaojun who removed the fake ring from his nose because it was too uncomfortable to walk around with it now that he had no reason to wear it anymore “you didn’t,” the words sounded harsher than they were meant to be but Taeyong had been ranting ever since the second he realized that you were no longer with them. “I definitely did, Xiaojun! It’s not because you wear airpods, that it means you can only focus on music” Taeyong said back to Xiaojun who immediately kept silent after that.

Taeyong paced around the room as he was thinking, his eyes closed to focus more on the things that could possibly lead you to him again. But since no one had seen anything, there was no trace to follow. “Does anyone know where y/n was going?” he asked slightly calmer as he looked around the circle of members that each looked more guilty than ever before. Protecting you was a never-ending mission that all members had their share in: when one couldn’t watch, the other would have to take over that role. Without it being in a contract, it was a rule everyone knew he should be following. “She was going to check where you were,” Johnny said as he did remember the way you continuously kept glancing at the door that Taeyong had walked into after he excused himself, but what happened after that was a mystery. If it weren’t for the context, Taeyong would have smiled at the cuteness of his soulmate who missed his presence even after a few minutes, but now was not the time for that.

“Maybe we will get a call soon,” Yangyang said as he instantly thought about that moment in movies whenever people had to pay a lot of money in order to get their loved ones back, but the young boy wasn’t sure if that’s also what it went like in real life. “Yangyang, this is not an action movie, shut up if you don’t have any good ideas!” Jaemin said as he rolled his eyes at the idea of his friend. Even though they seemed to have the same hair color, they had different ways of thinking that completely didn’t go well together now. Doyoung was about to stop the two from continuing their argument, but Taeyong had already turned to them, his eyes angry and yet there seemed to be tears in them. “If both of you don’t shut up now, I might as well sew them shut and throw both of you in the basement!” he shouted, his voice seeming louder because of the room that they were in.

The two arguing boys turned quiet after hearing the words, not because they were scared it would actually happen but because they knew Taeyong had his soulmate. “I suggest we split into groups and each do our tasks to find information about y/n” Taeil suggested to Taeyong, knowing he could speak up because he was the oldest out of all of them so he had a say in those things as well. Taeyong listened to the suggestion and rapidly nodded his head, he didn’t care what way they had to work, as long as he would get you back into his arms soon. “Ten, Jaehyun, Johnny and I will go back on location before the cleaning company arrives,” Jeno said already so that there wouldn’t start a fight over who did what job right now. The men that belonged to the names quickly nodded their heads immediately, the given task was going to get cleared so that you would be back soon. “We will get our guns, earpieces and everything we need and we’ll be leaving. We’ll be in contact” Ten announced as he gave Taeyong a comforting pat on the shoulder before disappearing behind the others that he was teamed up with. “Taeil, Doyoung, Renjun, Chenle and I will focus on the telephones coming in and signals from possible triggers,” Lucas said as he had needed a second to properly think about the words he had to use to explain what task his team would be going. “Jungwoo, Jisung, Hendery, Jaemin and I will contact other guests at the party,” Winwin said as he knew well enough that those boys had enough charms to talk to others and himself would lead the operation. Taeyong watched as everyone else divided into the groups without his help, he felt the slightest bit of pride, knowing that his team would do such a thing for his y/n. In the end, he was left with Yangyang, Yuta, and Kun while the last team also divided to go outside undercover to places around the location of the ball.

All teams got to their work and Taeyong knew he could trust them with the given tasks more than ever before. He was filled with stress and fear but hoped there was someone that would give you a chance to stay alive or even that they were willing to take you in if you spilled secrets on their mafia. Anything to keep you alive, even if it was being away from you forever. “We will be waiting until the others give clues and then check where we can lead them to,” Taeyong said to the ones he had teamed up with. He knew Yangyang was perfect to connect clues together while Yuta was smart and could easily find missing dots, Kun could take care of the calm atmosphere in their team whenever either of them was too stressed. For the first time since he was the leader of a mafia group, he felt as if he couldn’t do anything, as if whatever he did wasn’t going to lead to a beautiful ending. In his head, he wondered how he could have been stupid enough to leave you behind, especially after you had felt uncomfortable when others stared at you. The night of which he thought would resemble one of the most beautiful nights, became a nightmare that he walked into with open eyes. “We will find her” Kun said to Taeyong when he saw the man being in his own world, on a deserted road where he couldn’t escape from. “When she’s dead maybe” Taeyong mumbled under his breath as all he wanted to do was cry until there was no life for him to continue living, but Kun shook his head in disagreement. “You never gave up before, so now you won’t either.” he said, seeming like he was the one with the most confidence right now, but he knew it was needed now that Taeyong was already planning the end of his own life.

For a couple of hours everything aside from small and unneeded clues were shared through the earpieces, each time Taeyong had hoped they would find a clue but rather than that it was usually nothing more than a piece of someone else’s business. But with each incoming clue, Taeyong’s hope seemed to seep through his heart to leave droplets on the floor. Everything was getting endless, and there was no hope he had left at this point. It was already later than two in the morning, so you could have been killed hours ago for all you knew. He looked to his left to see Yuta pressing his fingertip against his earpiece, intensively listening to the words that someone else was saying to him. “Ten found a syringe right in the hallway near the restrooms,” Yuta said as soon as he had fully heard the sentence, but after that turned silent again as more information followed from Ten. “Probably used since there was still liquid in it, and some blood on the needle itself” Yuta copied further to Taeyong. Once the information had been copied, Yuta removed his finger from the earpiece and turned his chair to face Taeyong again. “Did you hear anything of what I said?” the Japanese man asked as he saw how Taeyong’s eyes seemed to stare at the computer screen in front of him.

Taeyong replied with a small hum as a sign he did hear everything that Yuta had said to him, he could have heard it from Ten if he hadn’t been too stubborn to turn off his own earpiece. “I did” he answered the question properly, his fingertips clenching around a pen that was laying on the desk. “And? Isn’t that hopeful!” Yuta said, which was confirmed by Yangyang who seemed to lose control of his excitement. “It is a good thing! It means she could be here by tomorrow if we’re lucky, I could get the car and drive there myself!” He exclaimed, unable to hear the pen breaking in Taeyong’s hand due to the frustration building up in his body. “Syringe! Is there something you don’t understand about, you annoying orange! It means y/n could be lying under a pile of sand, dead. And all you think about is racing without license, you’re a great fucking friend” Taeyong snapped at the boy who hadn’t joined the club long ago, but did have a large influence on it. As soon as Kun saw Taeyong lunching forward to grab the gun from the desk, he pulled Taeyong back by his shoulder. “Don’t. We can’t lose anyone” Kun said, keeping his hand on Taeyong’s shoulder so that he was pressed between the chair and Kun’s hand.

All that Taeyong could think was that he truly wasn’t worthy of your heart.

An hour later team one, aka, Jeno , Ten, Jaehyun, and Johnny returned as they had to leave due to security and cleaning service coming. Luckily team leader Jeno had been smart enough to take the syringe home, no fingerprints of either of them on it as they had used gloves to pick it up and inspect it. All of them believed the syringe to be one of the biggest clues that still had been present at the location. In that same hour team two brought the news that no calls that mentioned your name had been made, neither were there text messages that contained information. Through the charms of team three had been one tiny tip including that one of the guests had seen you walking there, but no one had seen the things that happened once you were in that hallway, and thanks them mafia team Exo would also be keeping an eye out for the enemy or you. For the rest, the time had gone by without critical information, time went slow and yet they couldn’t find you fast enough.

Once the syringe was able to get into Taeyong’s glove covered hands, everyone knew he would be the one to uncover what was wrong. His network was larger than that of other members, and he could easily get to clues that others looked past because they were too small. Everyone stayed quiet at that same moment, one word now and somebody could get shot if it was the kind of talk that Taeyong didn’t need. He twisted the syringe between his fingers, inspecting every little detail about it: from the slightly bent needle, to the dried blood upon it, and also the liquid that remained in the tube. One conclusion: fighting back, was something you had done.

Something seemed to be missing in his little set of details, and no matter how much he used his sharp eye, he couldn’t look upon what it was. Was it the liquid that they would need to identify? Was it the fingerprints of the predator that they needed to research? All of those things were ideas to consider, but along with that he also needed to consider that those things were easier said than done. They weren’t the FBI and surely didn’t have a couple of spare days to do the needed work. If they had to find you, it would have to happen within twenty-four hours. “Come on, what is it?” Taeyong asked, his warm breath coming right back to him as it was pressed against the fabric of the black mask that covered his mouth.

His eyes fell to the sudden appearance of the red circle upon his wrist, a hiss leaving his lips when it was accompanied by pain. “Shit” he cursed to himself, tightly holding the syringe so that he wasn’t able to drop that during the moment of pain. “What is it?” Chenle asked, asking before he realized that he broke the beloved silence in the room. Taeyong slowly turned back towards the members, carefully placing the syringe down to prevent it from dropping onto the floor. He extended his arm to show the others what had suddenly appeared on his frail skin. “What the hell is that?” Taeil asked as he nearly felt grossed out by the sight and surely wouldn’t like to have a closer look at it. Before Taeyong could claim that he had no idea of what it was, Lucas decided to speak up. “That looks like a cigarette burn. When you put a cigarette on someone’s skin” he said at first saying it as if it was the most normal thing to happen to someone. “Do you smoke?” He asked Taeyong, confused as he had never seen their leader smoking.

It was as if heaven ascended the hint he needed right there. “No, but the person who has y/n smokes,” Taeyong said while already turning his chair back towards the desk. His fingertips wasted no time in taking the syringe back between them, there was something he could get out of this. “Smoking” Taeyong repeated as he went over a list of signs that people were smoking: aside from a possible bad breath and being unhealthy in the future. He remembered moments he saw others smoke, bringing the syringe up to his eyes to inspect it closely. Even though they basically knew the hint that the person smoked, it was a hint Taeyong had to see on the syringe before he was able to believe the story. Despite the pain in his wrist, he would continue because you were in more pain than he was. Then the hint seemed to push away all of the other thoughts in his mind, and instantly he brought the syringe to his nose to smell it. He knew that the smell of cigarettes would leave its prints on fingers, and when he could smell that exact scent on the syringe, a smirk appeared on his lips. It wasn’t just this one puzzle piece in his mind, many puzzle pieces from fragments of time had come together in his mind.

{fb} “I will come back soon,” Taeyong said to you with a smile on his lips, he pressed a delicate kiss on your cheek before he walked past the younger man that spilled half a glass of champagne over his hand and shirt. After passing by the younger man, he passed by other groups in conversation but most importantly someone that looked oddly familiar but there was no label he could paste on the man. “Sir, you are not allowed to light cigarettes inside the building” A part of the staff also coming from one of the groups here interrupted the man, Taeyong briefly paid attention to the way the man had lit his cigarette but afterwards tore a piece of it off to put down the stick and avoid starting an argument. {fb end}

“I know who it is” Taeyong mumbled to himself as he once again dropped the syringe back onto the table, there were no more doubts he had at this point, and his feeling of hope was still close to non-existent but there was space for a change. His head took a train to when he first saw that person, in a rival mafia group that they broke down after killing one of their former members. For so long Taeyong hadn’t heard of that mafia group, with the thought that the extermination had been done properly. But today was the day life had returned to one member of that group, all with the intention to now break the group that proudly carried the name of NCT. “I have to go and get y/n,” he said, rash thoughts entering his mind as he forgot about risks and dangers he would have to take just to get to you. Risks that could not only get him killed but also could get you killed right next to him. “Not alone,” Doyoung said, as the only one who didn’t have his head in the clouds in hopes of a good ending, he was always the type to speak honestly and also be right about such things. “I have to go, I’m her soulmate!” Taeyong protested to Doyoung, he was calm enough to do it himself so he didn’t understand why he had to carry twenty members under his arm to save you. “Exactly, you’re too connected to her.” Doyoung said, breaking down the point of Taeyong being your soulmate, the only one who could use that argument was him by saying that the bond between you and him was way too emotional.

Taeyong shook his head with a deep sigh “Doyoung, there are two people important in a story. It’s the couple. So all twenty of you, won’t fit on the white horse” He said sarcastically, almost annoyed that Doyoung didn’t get why it had to be him saving you. But Taeyong also knew that there was no point in fighting against Doyoung, somehow Doyoung was just always right just like teachers would always be right in the eyes of a young child. “Fine, you can come. But I’m not staying here” Taeyong said as he heard some members letting out something that sounded like a soft cheer. Despite not wanting to hear cheering yet, he didn’t say anything about it this time, this mission would be legendary.

“Let’s make the rules”

The nightblue sky in your dream brought peace to your mind, hazing you through a few more minutes of being away from reality. The small smile was displayed on your lips when you heard Taeyong’s voice in your mind, your body turning towards where the voice came from. But when you looked: no one had been standing behind you, you had been waiting for no one…no one

The night seemed to turn darker in a split second, and an unexpected shriek left your lips in pain. Enough to pull you out of the dream you found yourself in, your glazed eyes looking down upon your wrist. Even with the blurry sight, you could see the red circle that formed at the exact same place where you felt the burning sensation. It was too dark to clearly see what it was, and when you looked up you realized the man hovering over you was the one creating that darkness. “So now you’re with me, soulmate” He spoke to you, his fingertips pushing the cigarette back between his lips.

“What?” you asked softly as you tried to hold your wrist but noticed that like one time long ago, you were unable to move your hands thanks to the wires around your arms and handcuffs around your wrists. You tried to use your eyes to look at his face, but gave up due to weakness of your eyes and probably your drugged up mind. “Spill your heart to me, tell me about Taeyong” he insisted as he moved to sit on a chair opposite of you, watching you with intense eyes. The things he’d do to you if it weren’t for his overpowering interest in Taeyong and killing you. “Taeyong?” you asked as you cocked your head to the side a little too fast, creating a feeling of sickness directly in your throat, but you swallowed it away before anything could happen. “Yes Taeyong, he was your fucking soulmate a few hours ago, so I assume that he still is at this second!” the man snapped, losing his temper which resulted in you getting another burn mark displayed on your wrist. Finally, when you saw the cigarette, you clicked the pieces together.

When you didn’t reply to those words, the man roughly shoved his chair backward, which created a loud sound against the wall. “Taeyong got your tongue?” He asked you, making you feel intimidated when his body hovered over yours until you had nowhere to look but at him. The feeling of your wrists burning made you feel a little more sober with each new jolt of pain, even though you weren’t sure if that was a good thing, this was something you’d rather not remember. “He doesn’t, but he has my heart” you replied, not meaning them in a cliché way but yet they sounded that way. You would never betray Taeyong and hang his secrets off of a big clock for everyone to read whenever the hour hit, if that was the case then you’d rather die for him and take the secrets with you in the grave. “Isn’t that sweet? Young love, soulmates sharing souls” he said, not meaning a word of the things he was saying by extravagantly pronouncing them. “I’m not letting you get out of here until you tell me everything you know, which I figured out is a lot” he said, pointing the cigarette at you to threaten you some more into telling him everything. “I’m not speaking until you get these wires off of me, I’m not a tv, I don’t need a cable” you said back to him, trying to lean against the chair that you were sat on.

“Do you think I’m stupid?” The man asked and rolled his eyes, letting out a laugh. As if he was going to believe that you would stay quiet. “Shall we test the theory right away?” he asked with a little smirk as he picked up the knife from the floor next to him, but was hesitant when he could no longer see fear pooling in your eyes. “As long as you don’t kill me because then you’ll have nothing” you replied casually, knowing your eyes could keep secrets now that they were glazy enough to blur most of your view. But little did he know you had better senses to rely on, senses you taught yourself by living in the basement of Taeyong’s hideout. You pursed your lips shut and decided to listen to the noises, hearing how he picked up a knife from the floor and took one step closer to you. Seconds after you could feel the cold metal pressing against the parts of skin that the outfit never covered, slowly towards your collarbones where the trail came to a halt. “Taeyong and I used to be friends, you know?” he asked, trying out every trick he knew but he probably wasn’t as socially skilled as he was with weapons. On the tip of your tongue laid the words ‘great for you’ but you didn’t let them slip out.

The inside of your cheek was harshly bitten by your teeth when a stabbing wound was created right above your collarbone. The pain was unlike you had ever experienced before, and you were sure tears streamed down your eyes but there was too much pain to care about that. “But instead, I thought maybe you and I could be besties. I promise I won’t kill you” the voice rang faintly in your ear, yet a hazy beeping-sound seemed to be taking over from the voice. A muffled laugh was heard, along with the sound of the knife hitting the floor. “Unless you wanna play the game, and see who dies first?” the voice asked. But you tried to focus on the sound of the gun and its safety being taken away by the man. So this was the last moment of your life, although in your imagination your kiss with Taeyong would always be the last moment of your life. This was just a pure nightmare, and what you experienced with Taeyong was a beautiful dream in which you wanted to live forever.

“We don’t need to play a game for that but since you insist”

Behind the voice of the man also appeared the faint familiar voice of Haechan, a soft giggle slipping past his lips to make him sound like a maniac who was all in for the killing people part. “Let’s play rock paper scissors to decide who gets to start,” he said, seemingly excited for the challenge. The man had his body turned towards Haechan fast enough to identify who it was, who didn’t know Haechan? He was a part of NCT and two sub-groups within the empire that they had built up through the years. But one important detail about Haechan, a brat who would never give up the fight, no matter how badly injured he was, and his strong point was the whining and distracting. “Where are your friends?” the man asked with a fake laugh, swinging the gun towards Haechan in an attempt to show he was armed and ready to shoot. “Wouldn’t you like to know? If you’re so curious, we should just do hide and seek” Haechan suggested playfully as he clapped his hands, knowing quite well he was getting on the nerves of the man.

“Everyone hide! We’re playing hide and seek!”

The shout seemed to echo throughout the house, there was no need to confirm if others heard it because they surely did. Haechan already ran up the stairs that he had skipped down from earlier on, the man following barely one step behind him. The improvised plan left the members that were on the ground level to figure out the rest of the plan within seconds, whether they would hide or instantly shoot the man with the risk of Haechan getting shot in the process as well. And for the sake of Taeyong getting to the basement to save you, playing the nostalgic game seemed to be the best solution.

The man’s eyes furiously checked every piece of the room that was in front of him, while Haechan moved to sit on top of an awfully old coffee table he had placed in the middle of the room. “tik tok, time is ticking” Haechan said with a whine once he noticed the man wasn’t making any move towards a place that could reveal where the members were hiding. “I could just shoot you if you don’t play along” Haechan warned as he revealed his own gun, his fingertips running over his own name that was engraved in it. Upon hearing Haechan’s threat, the man started to take steps around his own house as if he had never been there before.

Seconds ticked by as Haechan was losing his patience, but he wasn’t the only one who was getting tired of a one-way game. “C’mon you, slowpoke, this is an action movie, not a plus 18 movie” the voice of Yangyang filled the silent void. His body coming leaning against the staircase where he had been the entire time but was quiet enough to escape from the man’s focus. “It’s not because we give you a free testing ticket, that you can waste my time,” he said, the slight German accent making its appearance when he spoke. The man’s eyes went to the new appearance in the room, around the same time also noticing noisy Jaemin who had lazily laid himself on the sofa while waiting to be discovered. “Where is Taeyong?” the man asked, grabbing Jaemin by the collar of his shirt and throwing him off of the sofa without hesitating. A humph left the pink-haired boy’s lips, slowly getting up after ‘dusting’ off his knees.

“Taeyong?”

The man rolled his eyes at the neverending game, you had already tried to pull the goddamn same trick on him. But before he could fire his gun at anyone, Jaemin stood in front of the man. “If you want to know where Taeyong is, why don’t you look for him? This is hide and seek after all,” he said with an overly sweet tone, smiling as if it really was the playful game he would play when he was five years old.

“Tell me where Taeyong is!”

The demanding tone was something that all members were used to from when Taeyong would do so, it wasn’t as if they were easy to scare away by such things. “isn’t that him, there, behind you” But the older man didn’t care who it was that said the words this time, instead, he turned his body as fast as he could. Only to be greeted by the one and only Taeyong standing right in front of him once he had finally made the turn complete. “Were you looking for me? I was here all along” the leader spoke up as a smile graced his lips, as desperate as he was, he couldn’t wait to kill this man with his own hands rather than letting others do it, maybe because of that he had also forgotten that you could be waiting somewhere for him, hurt or dead.

“I have something to give back to you,” Taeyong said as he reached into the pockets of his formal blazer, taking his slow time to test the patience of the man. He just continued the same teases that the others started up, his tongue running over his lower lip as he finally pulled out the object from the small pocket. “You killed our friend with this,” he said as he held up a gun, fingers instantly turning off the safety to kill this man with the exact same weapon. “And now I will kill you” he finished his long-awaited sentence after so long.

The gun aimed towards the man’s head as Taeyong took another step forward, the last one he took so that there was only a mere gap between the two bodies. Unseen by the eyes of Taeyong and the others was the gun that the man was holding in his hand, pointed at Taeyong’s stomach which he would have felt if it weren’t for the blazer that covered his skin. “Shall we do a countdown?” Taeyong asked, feeling a little bit too confident since he hadn’t considered any of the things that could be on his path of life. “Maybe we should! Members, let’s get it!” Yangyang shouted from the living room, his legs dangling over the sofa while he watched the intense scene.

Immediately after that the members who had still been away from the eyes, came into sight of Taeyong, trusting him that he would end the life of the man right then. But still, no one had been able to be prepared for what the man improvised in a short span of seconds. “Three!” Taeil shouted loudly, his arm slung around Winwin who was enjoying the spectacle from his spot against the wall. “Two!” The next voice shouted, it being Ten who looked more excited than he had ever looked before, and yet his red velvet-fabricated blazer made him look hot at the same time.

“one.” None of the members had moved their lips through the eyes of Taeyong even if he had been able to look at all of them from the position that he had been standing in. The sound of the gun came before the pain did, yet, Taeyong was taken back a step by the sudden shock through his body. “seems like I win this round” the man said as a grin was displayed on his lips. In his head was a victory song playing, even though it was still a little too early to claim that victory. As much to his dismay, Taeyong stood up straight and let out a loud laugh “you’re such a jokester, it’s sad that we’ll have to do our countdown again” he said, pointing his gun at the man with confidence.

Members who had already been running towards Taeyong were left in shock despite knowing that Taeyong was wearing a bulletproof vest underneath two layers of clothes, tucket away neatly for others to forget that idea. “Three!” the countdown started again, this time by Taeyong who nodded as a motion for the other members to protect spaces like doors so that the man couldn’t escape. “Two” Jisung spoke up, his expression neutral but on the inside, he was just as happy as the others were at this moment. Before the last digit left someone’s lips, the sound of the bullet being fired filled the room.

Taeyong pushed the man away, allowing the dying body to hit the ground loudly, after all of these years, he had gotten revenge and had been able to save you from the hands of this man. “Thanks for playing with us,” Haechan said, kicking his foot against the man’s leg while he walked by but those words were unheard by Taeyong who suddenly solemnly focused on the thought of you. He sprinted towards the door and went to the basement as fast as his feet could, through a rush of adrenaline everything was possible, everything for you to be fine.

“y/n!” Taeyong shouted out as he ran into the basement, eyes frantically looking for your presence. But that’s when he noticed you on the floor, hands busy by stroking a knife over the wires that tied you together, it was like you were playing a musical masterpiece on the violin but only in a different angle of lighting. hen you heard his voice, your head was raised, and not even one second was needed for you to recognize the person you called your soulmate. His legs felt weak but his feet wouldn’t stop from moving themselves over to where you were sat. Once close enough, his arms wrapped around your body in an attempt to ask for forgiveness, and a way to say that he was happy to see you alive. When he felt one arm wrapping back around his body, he knew some secret genie must have granted his wish for forgiveness. “Can you help me?” you croaked out soft, your voice weak regardless of the silent protest that you had undergone for the second time in your life. Maybe it was the fright that had left its impact on your voice, but Taeyong could never blame you for such a thing. Taeyong pulled away from the embrace as soon as he heard the words, taking over the knife from your hands to cut the remaining wires until your body was freed from them.

“Let’s go home” Taeyong said as he lifted your body up into his arms, not needing one bit of strength to do so. He could feel the way your body shivered as you were so close to him. And his eyes dropped their gaze on the burn marks scattered across the skin of your wrist, resembling the marks that haunted him as well. He was silent as he carried you up the stairs and out of the basement, all he wanted was to get you out of the terrible nightmare you were forced into. It was Jungwoo who opened the door for you and Taeyong to go outside, where cars had been gathered due to twenty-one people never making it into one car. Some had already gone back home on Kun’s order to get everything ready for your arrival. Others watched as Taeyong carried you into the car that Johnny would safely drive back to the place where you belonged, everyone tried to add a helping hand even though you only repaid them with a smile. You were their family

Johnny drove the car homewards minutes after you had gotten in, sometimes his eyes glanced at the backseat through the mirror instead of the road, and he was unable to wipe the smile off of his lips when each time he saw what love meant. Taeyong’s arms wrapped around you as your head was laid on his shoulder, your eyes were closed and small wounded blemishes were exhibited on your skin, yet, that small smile lingered on your lips. From time to time Taeyong’s lips pressed to your cheek, when he did, his own eyes would close for a mere second before he opened them again and looked at you as if the were an angel living on earth.

he came to the conclusion, you didn’t only look like an angel, but you were one…

Sorrow filled Taeyong’s mind as you still hadn’t opened your eyes, even after hours of him being by your side. Maybe the medication had lulled you to sleep a little bit too well, or perhaps you had just given up on trying to wake up due to the possible trauma that you would develop. Whatever it was, not knowing, worried Taeyong a little bit more with each passing minute. Missions that he had, fell into someone else’s hands so that he could make his mission to sit by your side until the moment you opened your eyes. His hand reached out to grasp yours, his head tilting to the side when it was still as cold as an hour ago. How was your skin not warming up, despite him giving the order of heating up the bedroom to Doyoung? His skin felt feverishly warm, while yours was like the exact opposite of that: it was like living in the same room with different seasons on each half. You lived in the icy winter, while summer accompanied his side of the room.

Sitting here got quite lonely, even when you were around him, or even when the other members occasionally came in for the needed food or updates on missions that he no longer had the leading role in. Still, waiting became something he continuously did, and somehow never got tired of because he was waiting for the love of his life. Even when he took an hour off to shower and fill up his bar of other needs such as eating, on the inside, he was still waiting. Approximately fifty-six hours had gone by, fifty-six hours filled with endless waiting, and fifty-six hours in which three thousand three hundred sixty minutes had ticked by on his watch. Time passed slowly when the wait was endless.

In the room along with you and him, was also his worried mind that visited a little bit too often. As a surprise, it brought different kinds of scenarios with each time it opened the door, just like a magical black hole would do. Sometimes the sane thoughts were replaced by ones that had written out thousands of words, with only unhappy words in them. Often it combined the word death together with your name, despite Taeyong’s plead to not do so, there was no stopping his mind once the start button had been hit. Shamelessly, his mind continued to betray him like that each time, and each time, things got more cruel or realistic. Either of the two, but the differences lived on a thin line that Taeyong’s sharp eyes couldn’t find.

“We have to take y/n to the hospital”

The whisper came from Taeil who had done his best to silently interrupt the haze that his younger friend was young through. Sock-clad feet silently roamed further into the room until he was close enough to lay eyes on your body. The stabbing wound had pulled its attention, but a close second place was the blemishes that scarred your face, turning you into a different person. The disinfecting spray in his hand was placed down on the nightstand, next to a plate with uneaten food that had been for Taeyong. Taeyong turned his head towards Taeil when he heard the voice, realizing he no longer was alone in the room together with little elements that made it a little less lonely.

“y/n is staying here, don’t even think about taking her there” Taeyong protested against Taeil’s words, shaking his head defensively as he never had or would consider taking you there. His eyes went back to your body, for a moment trying to see it from a pair of unemotionally attached eyes, something he failed at the moment he saw your closed eyes. “y/n is dying” Taeil answered calmly, even if the words pained him at least half as much as they hurt Taeyong, the ugly truth had to be said even if Taeyong’s ears were closed before the words were said. “Then she’ll die in my arms, not in the fucking hospital!” Taeyong said unrealistically, thoughts that had been sane before now took the worst turn as he spoke. All twenty guys had been trying to convince Taeyong to take you to the hospital, despite Taeyong having a well-educated doctor by his side almost every day since you had been like this: a doctor wasn’t a nurse, and a doctor wasn’t a hospital. “Do you even hear yourself, we’re speaking about your soulmate. You want to risk your soulmate dying, just so that she can be under your eyes?” Taeil asked as he shook his head, disappointment evident in his voice as he at least expected Taeyong to want you alive and not dead. Truth was, Taeyong wanted to see you alive next to him, spending the rest of your lives together with more ups than downs but the fear stopped him from doing so “I just can’t lose her.” the words spoke out the fear like it was: scared to lose you.

“You already lost her” Taeil’s words were like a hammer repeatedly hitting on Taeyong’s heart. If it hadn’t been broken when he first saw your state, then it surely was broken by the time Taeil’s words had sunken down into his mind. Taeyong looked away from Taeil, solemnly focusing on you rather than his friend that was trying to feed him spoonfuls of bittersweet lies, or was it the truth that unfortunately had the same taste. Your cold fingertips were brushed by Taeyong’s, trying to create warmth through the fiction of love, in hopes to make you open your eyes. “I didn’t!” Taeyong sneered when he didn’t get the desired reaction out of you, his free hand wildly motioning for Taeil to leave the room. Silence filled the room, making Taeyong wish it had taken Taeil’s space so that he no longer had to hear the nagging of the brown-haired man, luckless he was left in the room when he heard Taeil’s footsteps pacing around rather nervously. “You did. y/n is dying!” he spoke again, setting off Taeyong in a silent moment of rage.

“What will you do when she’s dead, you won’t have a soulmate to love anymore. And it will all be your fault!” Taeil said, pointing his finger at Taeyong, a finger that pointed out blame and responsibilities. You weren’t even dead, far from it, which was why Taeyong didn’t understand why everyone had to push him to the limit of going crazy. “I’ll dress y/n up each day, bathe y/n each day, eat together, sleep together, love y/n like I have never done before” Taeyong said as his eyes closed upon the imagination of taking care of you every day for the rest of his life, until the day that his own life was taken away which would hopefully be the day after yours. “If I were you, I’d give her a chance to live.” were the last words Taeyong heard before Taeil finally left the bedroom as if he had never been in there in the first place. Though the remains were left, upon the floor in front of the man that called himself your soulmate.

Words reflected in Taeyong’s mind like they were a mirror, projecting the words from the view of the mirror onto him. “Give me your hands” he spoke to you as he already held both of your hands in his, providing the warmth that your body needed but no longer produced. Every function that your body would no longer give you, was something he wished he could take over but the realization came that he wasn’t a machine who could do such things on command. He couldn’t replace your heartbeat with his, neither could he be the one that brought warmth upon your skin despite his endless tries. “Listen, y/n ~” he started his words as his thumb rubbed slow and uncoordinated circles on the back of your hand, he took a deep breath filled with courage before he urged himself to go on. “I have to give you away” he continued but was still left speechless at the end of those words, they were painful enough for a lump to form in his throat. In his mind, he could hear you reply, but none of those times your lips had genuinely moved to form the reply that his mind provided him with. “I have to take you to the hospital”

The abnormal moment of him making himself cry occurred, it was like listening to one of his family members saying the words, but instead, he was listening to himself for the first time in his life. Those kinds of words rarely left to the words, if asked, his frequently used words would involve scolding ones towards the members, or code words that were said during the most dangerous missions. Those words no longer were important, as lately, your name had been the word that laid upon his tongue the most, and it was your name that he liked to hear the most as well. “I don’t know what will happen after that, y/n,” he said in a softer tone, the meaning behind it showing that he really was unsure of life after your hospitalization. Taeyong’s eyes searched for yours, even though eye contact wasn’t made, he looked away in shame before a miracle could have happened. “Will I ever see you again? Will you be in my arms once the hospital healed you?” He questioned himself out loud, the answers formed by his mind were all negative and answered with the word ‘no’. Thousands of people visited hospitals on a daily basis, and many of them were healed, but the hatred he had towards those hospitals had no intention of seeing it that way.

“I will call in Jungwoo, and tell him to prepare everything.” Taeyong spoke sadly as he decided by himself that it was time to get you to the place that you needed to be at. If you would die here, then he at least should have given you the chance to be alive in the hospital. With shaking hands, he reached for his phone and searched through the hidden contact list that involved all twenty others that belonged under his brand. Time to hesitate didn’t exist, his fingers had already indicated the call towards Jungwoo before his mind told him to take away that chance.

With the call being made, the last minutes of you by his side were counted on an invisible timer and he wished time wouldn’t pass by so damn fast. Unable to sit in the car when Jungwoo and Johnny took you to the hospital, he had to say goodbye to you while you were still next to him, where your heart truly belonged. Wishes were being made in silence, but life lacked a wishing well or a real-life genie to grant them for him: and wishing for a miracle was like walking on the earth beside next to ET who no longer wanted to phone home. The noises outside the room pulled him out of the trance that he was pulled in once he thought about everything he had still wanted to tell you.

“y/n” Taeyong breathed out your name silently, his head tilting upwards for the tears to be spared until the moment he was completely alone with the sadness dripping from his bedroom walls. “My little cherry lollipop,” he said the nickname, which no longer tasted as delicious on his lips as it did before. The once sweet taste was replaced by bitterness, and the words no longer rolled off of his lips while a smirk was attached to them. “Please don’t be an angel” he whispered to you, his face getting closer to yours so that you were able to hear the silent voice he communicated with. His fingers ghosted over the scratches on your face, wishing he could wipe them away along with the pain that ran through your veins. “Please” Taeyong begged, his forehead resting against yours when a wave of emotions overwhelmed his body.

A knock upon the bedroom door washed away the wave, but he had already drowned into it by the time the members came to rescue you. Taeyong’s eyes never left your body, his goodbye to you was something the members wouldn’t catch him into, which probably was something they all discussed downstairs. “Just be you, don’t be the angel I once asked you to be.” He whispered to you, stroking over your cheek once more before the touch was broken completely.

‘I was missing you and another day passed’

The small white-post it hung upon one side of your bedroom wall, amongst a couple of others that were the same kind but in different colors such as yellow, blue, and green. The adhesive strip attached to the note prevented it from dwarreling down onto the floor, and once it was between your fingertips, it glued onto it like you were supposed to read it more than once. The handwriting in which the words were penned down, didn’t exactly ring a bell in your head. At first, you put the blame on those who owned a key to your apartment: like your best friends or perhaps your parents. Perhaps your parents had wondered where you were, thus had been inside your apartment to leave a small note for when you came back. Though, you knew your parents wouldn’t randomly comb out your house and leave it in a mess afterward.

Your eyes glanced to the other notes around your bedroom, they covered only one wall in the room luckily. One step closer revealed some of the things that had been written upon them, as the handwriting wasn’t always clear when you weren’t up close. The note that you held first dropped to the floor when your eyes landed on another one, reading it when it was still stuck to the wall. ‘I was missing you and a week passed by’ it read, proving that whoever came by had been here more than just once. You moved the little note from the wall onto your index finger, wanting to keep it close as you walked past a few notes to read the one that had caught your eyes due to the dark color of the paper. It nearly seemed like the person had been here more often compared to the number of times that you had slept in this bedroom, you could tell that from some messages despite a missing date of when they had been written. Your free hand tore the dark post-it from the wallpaper, bringing it up close so that you could read the confusing message out loud.

“A soulmate is someone who has locks that fit our keys, and keys to fit our locks”

When you read the words out loud to yourself like that, it felt like you were dedicating them to yourself like someone would read you a love letter. But it was a way of trying to understand the sentence that was made up of many understandable words, but together they formed a new meaning that you had yet to discover. It wasn’t hard to understand that it was something to do with a soulmate, keys, and locks that belonged to both the soulmate and yourself. Perhaps it was due to the hospital that thinking in bright colors had disappeared, but what could you expect when for the past weeks your thoughts had been led by other people that unexpectedly bossed over you when you couldn’t lead yourself. They locked the door that was your reality and threw away the words with the explanation that all of them were lies. The heavy colors that painted your life were replaced by black, white and a million shades of grey. The ‘adult’ world is what the doctors and nurses would name it each time you tried to mention something that you remembered.

Reading the words a second and third time didn’t bring you much chance to see it in a different daylight. You were positive that you had met your soulmate, and just like in the quote on the note, your soulmate was the person who had locks to fit your keys and keys to fit your locks. Even though figuring out the exact meaning of the words was hard, you felt as if you understood without having to examine the words one by one. The name of your soulmate rested on your lips but you didn’t make the movement to let it slip past them.

With a soft sigh, you moved a couple of steps away from the covered wall and sat on the edge of your bed, your eyes scanning the other walls that were still clad with old wallpaper. And then your eyes went back to the wall where tens of notes had been left: notes that each time came to the same conclusion, but were written out with different words. The glue on the note that you held, was slowly starting to wear off, causing the note to fall on the ground like leaves in fall would fall down trees to say goodbye to the previous season. “What does it mean?” you asked yourself soft, your eyes still glancing at the wall despite the empty feeling on your fingers now that the note had settled down on the floor. Soundlessly, your question was left unanswered and you didn’t have enough knowledge to win the silent guessing game.

You turned away from the brightly colored wall, letting lies pull you along to a new road, a new road on an old life that you led. The path was one you used to walk on, yet you got lost due to every little detail being so alike that it confused you. Tears formed in your eyes as you thought about the things that you had forgotten, how could you cry about the things that you had forgotten? Simply because you remembered what it was like to stand on the other path, your hand securely held by your soulmate as he was the light that shone you through the shadows. Your fingertips slid down the nightblue shirt that clad your cold skin, it brought you warmth despite it not being yours or simply not remembering buying that piece of clothing for yourself. The shirt used to have the same scent as your soulmate, as far as you could remember, but it turned into the intoxicating smell of a hospital. An image in your head popped up when you tried to remember the scent of your soulmate, but instead noticed the way he was wearing the same patterned shirt that was lingering onto your skin right now. The vague memory brought you a little bit closer to the truth, if it weren’t for the way his lips moved but you had forgotten the way his voice would pronounce certain words.

Your fingertips slowly let go of the fabric, just like your mind let go of the vague memory to focus on reality for a couple of seconds. Instead, your fingertips started to feel around the mattress in search of a tissue that you’d keep there for whenever your nose started to run on a cold winter night. You lifted the pillow off of the mattress, your tear-stained vision looking for the simple white object but instead something else was found. “What’s this?” you asked softly to yourself while your fist grasped the object, creating a sound that you recognized from at least a thousand of other objects. Once you opened your fist, you noticed what was now laid out in the palm of your hand. The green bent stick was accompanied by bright red lollipops on each side, reconstructing a cherry in candy form.

My little cherry lollipop

Since when did it start? From where did it start? Whenever you looked for him, or even before you did, he was already there in some shape or form. Whenever you saw him, you could see parts of yourself and yet, it was your mind that thought about him first. It was him that walked through the roads with you, even on the road that you were placed upon now: it was like saying not to be lonely or sad anymore because he would walk on the tough road just like you did. Leading you in the monochrome world wasn’t easy, because just like the rest, his appearance was monochrome and didn’t give you the light you needed to see the colors of the world. Overtime your chest became an empty shell, with only a gorgeous outer color. While the heavy colored heart of your soulmate, carried around the pearl of your empty shell, keeping it safe until the day you would no longer be gone.

Your ears unknowingly protected you from hearing the two voices in the living room, maybe it was because of the little haze that pulled you from reality. The front door hadn’t opened once, but Taeyong still managed to stand there, in company of Ten who wanted to come to be a mental support center for Taeyong. “When will you stop?” Ten asked out loud as his footsteps moved around until he let himself fall on the sofa lazily, being a little bit too careless in Taeyong’s eyes. After a few seconds of silence, Taeyong looked over at his friend and let out a sigh. “This is my last time,” he said, his voice filled with hesitation as he knew he couldn’t stay away from the last things that kept the memory of you alive. His fingertips stroked over the note he was holding, smearing out the ink that had been wetted due to the tears that he shed whole writing it.

Ten only nodded at the words as he looked around your apartment, his eyes avoiding the mess that Taeyong had made not last time, but the time before that. He still remembered the times he came here, but when the mess hadn’t decided on the state of your apartment. He was about to speak but was cut off when he suddenly noticed Taeyong was already in your room, with the door closed behind him to have privacy. It was nearly like a private mission to paste the new note on your wall, and afterward, disappear with no remains but the note and the mess left behind.

Taeyong’s steps into your bedroom were slow and quiet, the combat boots that were on his feet somehow didn’t sound as loud as they usually would. When he glanced in front of him, his mind formed the image of you sitting on the edge of the bed, clothed in the shirt that he dressed you in before you were brought to the hospital. The shade alone brought memories to his mind, specifically the memory that belonged to either his most beautiful but also most painful moment. The night of the ball that started its chapter with the first time your lips met in a loving kiss, but the chapter ended abruptly when it also was the night that he lost eyes of you. As much as he loved to think about the night where his lips tasted yours for the first time, there was no positive daylight to shine down upon that memory. His lips formed into a sad smile by the projection of his mind, he was grateful, at least he could meet you in small fragments of dreams that he had whilst living in a nightmare. “Hey there,” he whispered, feeling less lonely because of the thought that he was around you, a warmth engulfed him with comforting feelings. If time had allowed it, he would have stayed by your side forever, but for now, you had gone away.

“Goodnight, angel”

Taeyong’s voice was nothing but a mere whisper into the cold room, his own words filling up one of the many voids in his heart when he imagined you to be the angel that would stay by his side forever. Upon hearing the voice, it was you who snapped out of your haze and slowly turned to the source of the familiar voice. Two pairs of eyes were met for what felt like the first time in forever, though it weren’t strangers looking at each other, everything still seemed the same as it was before. “y/n” his voice called out for you, his fingertips no longer caressing the thin air but instead, he felt your soft skin underneath the patches of his rough fingers. He thought you had disappeared and turned into an angel, yet he would come by nearly every day to bring you a note. As much as your mind wanted to scream for him to go away, reality dawned upon you that you had been right all along with each time you had tried to tell someone your story. His fingertips moved to your cheeks, brushing over the now healed skin until his own fingertips were so numb that the image of you had to be real.

“Don’t be sad anymore” you whispered when you caught the tears in his eyes, knowing the way he was feeling since your souls still connected as one, as if the string that everyone tried to cut was still completely intact in the way it had been left before the world turned painful. Even if he had told Ten today was the last time he would come to you, he would have returned every day for you, because you were not really gone. “Please hold me in your arms” you said soft, seconds before Taeyong’s heart mended with yours in a tight hug.

“Don’t leave”

Taeyong’s voice was filled with tiredness as he called out to you, his eyes still closed but he could already imagine the way you looked when you silently tried to escape the bed. A small laugh left your lips when you heard his voice: he said those words at least once a week if it wasn’t more, simply because he had grown to love staying in bed with your love surrounding him. He didn’t explicitly say it like that but both of you knew why he always said those words. His hand reached out for you, feeling around every spot that you would normally occupy but he couldn’t feel anything aside from the warmth slowly fading away. “Say please,” you said with a smile on your lips, already close to giving in and joining him for another few hours of deserved sleep if it weren’t for the playful mood that you found yourself in this late morning. “Please” he mumbled, his mouth barely moving as he pushed out the word. He expected you to make him say it again properly, but instead he was greeted by your warm body cuddled up against his.

His arms wrapped around your body lazily, holding you close in an attempt to continue his sleep, and this time not get woken up by a playful soulmate. Not that he even minded, despite maybe pretending he did just so that he could enjoy seeing you like this more often. If there was one thing he knew, it was that you weren’t the angel he first wished but afterward refused you to be. You were close to one, though filled with too much life and love when he looked into your eyes. “Taeyong?” you asked soft, your fingertip brushing over his bicep lightly to keep him awake. When a hum fell from his lips, you smiled to yourself. “Would you ever be able to erase me?” you asked soft, your playful mood making a turn towards a talk that either of you would always avoid when the other wanted to talk about it. Just like all times before, Taeyong opened his eyes when the new subject was dropped between you. “I’m not confident, I don’t think I could” he answered your question after only a short minute of silence, and during that minute it had been him remembering the things he would rather erase instead of the entire memory of you. Truth to be told, he would never erase you from his mind, not because he couldn’t due to your connection as soulmates, simply because he didn’t want to.

The bad times in his mind were soon replaced by the real world in which you were comfortably resting in his arms, where you belonged and where your home was. Home wasn’t just a house that you would live in together with the other twenty members that became your family, your home was Taeyong and everything you created together around that. “Taeyong?” you asked for the second time that morning, this time not snapping the tired boy out of something that was nearly like a small nap. “Again, but yes?” he asked you, his eyes looking at you as he waited for you to speak about the things that concerned your mind. You were known for those thoughts, and Taeyong was known for replacing them with beautiful memories on a daily basis. “Nothing” you said soft as you rested your head closer to his, the ceiling plainly bringing you to a world of colored love that you shared with Taeyong. “Whatever you want, I can handle it” He whispered in your ear when you gave no clear answer, his lips pressing a soft kiss to the side of your neck.

However that one soft kiss, turned into more kisses when you didn’t reply to the words. He knew you sometimes kept worries for yourself, or asked for his help when in reality you just wanted to make sure he was there for you even when nothing special occurred. His eyes were set on you after each kiss, smiling against your skin when he finally saw that you reacted with a small laugh. “my little cherry lollipop” he whispered to you, knowing that nickname was something you cherished despite the maybe unexpected sexual undertone in them. This time it was you who hummed, head tilted in advance as you were hoping for some more kisses to go along with that nickname.

“Angels don’t get needy, you know that?” Taeyong spoke against your skin with a small smirk, his fingertips slipping underneath the shirt of his that covered your skin. The warm feeling of your skin under his fingertips, made him trace small figures onto it just to contrast the coldness with the warmth: a great feeling for him, but it brought shivers onto your own body. “Did I already tell you I’m not an angel?” you asked as you pulled away from his kisses, only to be the one who got to make him feel bothered instead. A soft chuckle was about to leave his lips but got stuck when he felt your teeth nipping at the side of his neck. “You did, but you never told me what you wanted to be called instead” He said, his eyes closed when your tongue soothed over a newly made love bite in his neck.

Minutes later you were pinned underneath his body, the nightblue sheets gripped by your fingertips whenever a new wave of pleasure overwhelmed you. Taeyong thrusted harder into you upon seeing the reactions of your body on the pleasure, though he was chasing his release just like you were on the hunt for yours. “Do you want to cum?” He asked, licking his lower lip to stop himself from moaning when you tightened around his cock. You could only nod your head in response, trying to urge some words out but only a stuttered “p-please” was pushed past your lips.

Those were the only words Taeyong needed to hear before he picked up the pace once again, getting closer to his own release when he heard you moaning out his name. “Fuck” he cursed silently, his cock twitching as the last bit of pleasure that he needed had been provided by the heavenly feeling. As he spilled his warmth inside of you, his eyes remained open, admiring the way your eyes closed when a little piece of heaven washed over your pleasured body.

The gap between your two bodies became larger when he pulled himself out of you, dropping himself on top of you to close that gap once again and you weren’t one to complain about being cuddly right after some intimate lovemaking. Both of his arms wrapped around your body, as your hand moved to make two little kitten ears of his newly dyed grey hair. Silently both of you came down from the pleasure, lovingly laying together in a beautiful fragment of time.

“So if you don’t want to be called angel, what do you want to be then?” Taeyong asked, breaking the silence with his soft voice. The way he tilted his head questioningly made him seem cute, especially in combination with the way his hair stayed in the shape of two cat ears. His eyes met yours, seeing nothing but love in them just like you saw in his eyes.

“just your soulmate, my little cherry lollipop”

687 notes · View notes

epochofbelief · 4 years

Text

Breath Control, Chapter Ten

an A Court of Mist and Fury College Swim Team AU

Feysand and Elriel

All characters belong to SJ Maas

Please let me know if you’d like to be tagged!

Author’s Note: Is it too early to apologize?

Enjoy!

Full Fanfic: Masterlist Link

TEN

~~~Feyre~~~

The world spun around me as I slammed back through the glass doors into the dark hallway of the club. I could have sworn I heard a voice shouting my name from far behind me but that was probably all the alcohol talking. I mean, I was going crazy right? Surely it hadn’t taken all of two days before my brand new boyfriend decided to cheat on me? I was just imagining that. Right?

I stumbled through the bathroom door and barely made it to a stall before I hurled up everything left in my stomach.

“Shit,” I spit out. Then--

“Shit,” I said again as I somehow managed to puke up even more alcohol. It was red--what had I been drinking that was red?

Fairly certain I was done emptying my stomach, I wiped my mouth, flushed, and emerged from the stall.

My eyes directed at my shoes, I bumped directly into Rhys’s hard chest.

“Get the fuck away from me,” I said quietly, pushing off his chest and stalking over to the sink. Well, I tried to stalk. The few steps from the stall to the sink seemed to take years, rather than a few seconds. Everything was spinning, ever so slightly.

“Feyre, you’ve got to let me explain.”

“No.”

“Feyre, please.”

I turned at his desperate tone of voice.

“Were you or were you not just kissing Amantha? I mean, Amarntha. You know who I mean!”

Alcohol, you are not my friend tonight.

“I was. But--”

“No buts! That’sss called cheating, Rhys, in case you didn’t know. So get out of my way. I’m going--”

I realized I had nowhere to go. I was staying with him, for crying out loud. I did have my car at his place... But I was drunk.

So I was stuck.

“I’m going somewhere and you better not follow me there! Wherever there even is!” I was shouting now, and Rhys looked like he wanted to keep talking, but I turned, stumbled, and burst back through the bathroom door into the quiet dark of the hallway. I ran as fast as I could without falling flat on my face and didn’t stop until I was in the center of the dance floor.

Bodies pressed against me tightly from every direction. Only two people grabbed my ass on the long journey to the middle of the group. I was pretty sure I was crying, the world spinning around me thanks to the alcohol and what I’d just seen, when I finally found Mor. One look at me and she stopped dancing.

“Feyre!” She shouted, gripping my wrists with her hands. “Are you okay?”

I shook my head. “I have to leave. Can you call me an Uber? I don’t have the app!”

Mor nodded, looking concerned. She pulled me outside of the club and we sat on the curb, leaning against each other as she fumbled around in her pockets until she found her phone. Ten minutes later, our collective drunken efforts resulted in a successful call for an Uber.

When it pulled up, I looked at Mor. “Wait, where are you sending me?”

She shook her head as though trying to clear it. “No, no. We’re going to my place! Where I hope to hear everything.”

At her mention of “everything,” I started to tear up again. Damn it. Sad drunks were the worst and now I was one of them. Mor merely tugged me off the curb and we collapsed into the back of the Uber together. Twenty minutes later, we were outside yet another massive estate on the edge of town.

“You Nights don’t mess around,” I mumbled.

“What?” Mor asked, giggling a little.

“Nothing, nothing. Can we just go inside?”

She nodded seriously and led me around to the back door.

“My father really doesn’t approve of my inclination to party, so I have to sneak in and out. Shhh,” she added before another fit of giggles hit her. That was Mor. Her upbeat mood could not be beaten, even while drunk and with a crying friend tagging along behind her. And I was full-on crying by now.

Mor carefully unlocked the back door. She led me into an enormous kitchen bathed in shadow. We made a brief stop so Mor could grab a huge bag of chips and a couple bottles of water. Except for a close call that involved a cat on the staircase, we made it upstairs unnoticed.

Mor’s room was the first door on the right on the second floor. She led me inside, flipped on the light, and proceeded to flop down onto her enormous bed in the center of the room. Her room was… like a fairytale. The four-poster bed, hung with gauzy white curtains, seemed to float freely in the center of the room on a white fluffy carpet. The pale blue walls were covered with pictures of her and her friends, band posters, Polaroids, and other various paraphernalia. A terribly cluttered white desk sat on one side of the room, and a white dresser on the other. In one corner there lay several enormous white bean-bag chairs covered in luxurious blue and gold pillows and blankets.

“Alright, Archeron,” Mor said, sprawled across her bed, her shoes kicked off and her mouth stuffed full of chips. “Please tell me why we just fled the club faster than Cinderella at midnight.”

I wasn’t sure why, but I chose to sit down on the floor in the center of her bedroom, halfway between the door and the bed. “I don’t even understand what just happened, Mor.”

“Well, tell me and I’ll help you puzzle through it. And maybe start with why we stranded Rhys at the club?”

I let out a groan and flopped onto my back. The ceiling was still spinning, but only a tiny bit now.

“Drink this,” Mor said and chucked a water bottle at me.

I jumped as the water bottle landed right next to my head. Then I sat up, chugged it down, and put my head between my knees.

“Mreesechertedonme.”

“What?” Mor said sharply.

I raised my head. “Rhys cheated on me.”

Mor sat straight up on her bed. “What,” she said again.

I sighed, then explained what I had seen and heard. The tears kept coming as I told her about Amarantha and Rhys admitting to me what he’d done.

Mor looked thunderstruck. Her water bottle, which had been halfway to her mouth when I’d broken the news, was slowly dripping water onto her shirt. “And he said he wanted to explain? I’m confused. Rhys would never do something like that. Ever. Especially not to you.”

“What do you mean, especially not to me?”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re not serious.”

“Serious about what?”

“Rhys has been in love with you from the moment you set foot on campus for your recruiting trip.”

“That’s a bunch of bullshit. I barely knew Rhys until like a month ago, when he saved me from the Halloween party.”

Mor shook her head slowly, her mouth hanging open. “No,” she began, eyes wide, “it’s not bullshit. I don’t know if you remember much about your recruiting trip. But Rhys and I were freshmen that year. You showed up to campus, your usual gorgeous self--” she winked at me “--and Rhys was a goner. He thought you were so pretty, and so cool, and you talked about books or something for like five seconds and then he thought you were so smart, too (which you are). And when the team decided to make the really dumb decision of drinking with the recruits that weekend, you turned down every offer for sex, drugs, whatever, that came your way from the upperclassmen guys, no matter how drunk you were. Not that he would have judged you if you had. But he could tell you knew what you wanted. It would have been easier, as a senior in high school on a recruiting trip, for you to do and say whatever the upperclassmen wanted in order to fit in. But you had those values, and you stuck to them. You surprised him.

“And then,” she added, laughing as I stared at her in disbelief, “you, drunk off your ass, got up on that table in the middle of the party, and announced to everyone that you were committing to swim at Prythian as soon as you sobered up enough to call the head coach. May I repeat--he was a goner.

“So,” she added somewhat awkwardly. “I hope he doesn’t hate me for telling you that shit. There’s a lot more behind it but I wanted to explain a little because you’re so obviously clueless!

“But none of that excuses him cheating on you, of course.”

Now it was my brain that was spinning instead of the ceiling. Rhys had been acting suspicious around me since the Halloween party--I had suspected his feelings even then, unwilling to admit it to myself. But I would never have guessed that he’d been interested for over two years… Why on earth had he cheated, then? Being drunk wasn’t an excuse. But it didn’t make sense that someone who was supposedly… in love… with someone else would go and cheat on them two days into their very new and fragile relationship.

I couldn’t puzzle this out right now. “Yeah. Um. I just want to go to sleep. Can you take me to Rhys’s in the morning so I can get my car and leave?”

Mor nodded sadly. “I wish things turned out differently,” she said. “But I do think you should talk to him.”

I shook my head. “Maybe. Where can I sleep?”

She patted the bed. “Right here. I’m about to pass out anyways.”

I merely stood up and shuffled over to the bed. I kicked off my shoes, tossed my rings and bracelets on the ground. The last thing I remember was how impeccably soft one of Mor’s pillows felt against my cheek as my tears dripped onto it.

~~~Elain~~~

***three days later***

I really did not want to do life for the next few weeks.

Okay, that might have been a slight over exaggeration. Really, I just didn’t want to do my classes and finals for the next few weeks. Christmas break was coming up, and the last thing I wanted to focus on during the holiday season were my exams. Nursing was hard--why had I decided to do this, again?

Of course, I did have one thing to look forward to now that I was back in Prythian.

Azriel.

We’d spent hours on the phone, texting, since the storm had stopped and Azriel had walked me to my car. He hadn’t kissed me. I’d wanted him to. And he seemed like he had wanted to. At least, that was what it seemed like.

I pulled my car into the parking lot, locked it, and started the trek to my eight hour long Monday morning nursing immersion ‘course’. I didn’t even want to think about all the ‘fun’ I’d be having until five pm tonight. But I only had to make it until five. Then I was meeting Azriel in the Student Union for dinner. His practice ended around five, so the timing was perfect. And I did like my degree, and job. It was just going to be very difficult to concentrate when I knew who I’d be seeing at the end of it.

Focus, Elain. Do your job.

Eight hours later, I shuffled out of the building, exhausted but satisfied after a hard day’s work. I barely made it to my car. I sat there for a moment, reclining the seat all the way back, and told myself I could close my eyes for just two minutes.

Twenty minutes later I jerked awake.

“Shit!”

I put the car into Drive and made it across campus to Student Union parking in what had to be record time. Still in my scrub top, I raced across the parking lot, body slamming my way through the front doors and directly into an extremely tall male standing just inside of them.

“Oof! I’m so sorry--Az?”

“Elain?”

“Uhhhh…” I suddenly became aware of what I must look like. I was wearing scrubs, my hair hadn’t been touched since that morning, and forget about makeup. Not to mention the crazed look that was probably in my eyes after my accidental nap and subsequent frantic race across campus. “Hey!” I gave him a hug.

His arms wrapped around me and as if by magic my body relaxed. Shoulders falling, I sank into Azriel’s strong chest, my head barely coming up to his shoulders. I breathed out. “This is nice.”

“It is,” he agreed.

“But I’m starving.”

He chuckled as I broke away from him and made a beeline for the line to the fast-food place that served the best chicken in the whole world. At least, it was the best chicken in the whole world when I was this starving and had no other options.

The line was way too long for a Monday night on campus. I was definitely going to die--of embarrassment at my appearance or hunger, I wasn’t sure which would kill me first.

“Elain?”

“Huh?”

“I asked you a question.” Azriel grinned. “But I understand if you were too busy bouncing on your toes to listen.”

I lowered myself to the ground and chuckled awkwardly. “I’m sorry--I’ve just had a horribly long day and haven’t eaten since eleven o’clock this morning.”

“I love it when you laugh like that.”

“Like--what?”

“When you’re uncomfortable--you have this laugh you do and it’s honestly the cutest thing I’ve ever heard.”

I covered my face with my hands and stepped forward to the front of the line. “Ohhhh my gosh. That’s so embarrassing.” I clenched my jaw to keep myself from laughing again.

Azriel gently prised my hands from my face and then put his fingers under my chin and pressed slightly. “Don’t do that! I live for every embarrassed laugh from you.”

I swatted his arm away--but I was smiling. “Alright. If you get to keep my embarrassed laughs, I’m gonna need something cute and embarrassing to hold over you.”

“Good luck finding one. I’m the portrait of smooth,” he said, rolling his eyes, hands in his pockets.

“We’ll see about that,” I said as I flounced up to the register. Azriel insisted on paying for my food--after he swore to let me pay for our third date. (Third date!!) It was ready before we’d finished paying and he swiped the tray before I could get to it. He carried it over to a table and chairs on the second floor balcony of the Student Union. I flung myself into the chair, resting my wrists on the armrests and slouching down.

“Stop looking at me like that,” Azriel said.

I raised my eyebrows and put my chin in my hand. “What makes Azriel Umbra uncomfortable? Hmmm..”

He shook his head, rolling his eyes.

“That’s it!” I said. Several heads whipped over to stare at us. “I mean,” I whispered, “That’s it.”

He sat down across from me. “What’s it?” Eye roll.

“You roll your eyes way too often. Like, way too often.”

I watched him attempt to restrain the eye roll.

“See, now that you’re aware of it you’re incredibly self-conscious.”

He stared at me. Then rolled his eyes. “I give.”

“Ha!”

Toward the end of the meal, I decided to be nosy.

“So… have you talked to Rhys recently?”

He looked up from his food so fast I thought he’d give himself whiplash.

“He mentioned a couple of things.”

I put my elbows on the table. All around us, the Union was emptying out for the evening.

“Feyre won’t give me any details about what happened between them. All I know is they went to a party, Rhys did something, and Feyre drove straight back to school from his place the next morning. She didn’t even come home to see if I wanted a ride. And I’ve heard squat from her since. They just seemed so… happy.”

Azriel sighed, leaning back in his chair. “I never actually saw them when they were ‘together-together’ because they got together over the break, but I know that whatever must have happened, Rhys didn’t do it on purpose. I’m not sure how much to tell you, but… he’s liked Feyre for a very long time.”

I bit my lip. “She was just so different while we were at home for the break. Much different than she’d been since she started dating Tamlin. Carefree, bubbly, talking with my father, joking with Nesta, of all people. I don’t know what to do.”

“I’ll try to get more out of Rhys. All he said on the entire car ride back to school was that he made a mistake, it was out of his hands, and it was probably better for Feyre if she hated him anyway. And I know that’s not true.”

“Let me know if he tells you anything else.”

“I’ll try,” he said. “Shall we go?”

He walked me back to my car. It was full dark outside, only the light of the streetlamps guiding us.

I opened the driver’s side door and threw my purse in. “I had a really good time--”

The world never heard the rest of my sentence because he kissed me before I could finish it.

His kiss was gentle, his hands cupping the sides of my face. My hands fumbled up to wrap around his shoulders as his lips caressed mine, increasing the pressure slightly. I understood and his tongue swept in. I ran one hand down his chest, feeling the hard muscles beneath his t-shirt, my other hands pulling him closer to me.

But he pressed one more kiss to my lips, then kissed the top of my head. “Good night, Elain.”

I gulped down air, the chill of the night surprising me as soon as his body moved away from mine.

I smiled at him and he kissed me again, briefly this time. “Good night, Elain,” he said again. “And there’s the laugh I was looking for!” He exclaimed after I chuckled nervously, but not unhappily, after the kiss.

“Oh go to hell!” I said, and he rolled his eyes. Purely for my benefit, I knew. I didn’t stop smiling the whole drive home.

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