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twilightdruig · 3 years

Text

andante, andante

pairing: george weasley x fem!reader , george weasley x angelina johnson, bill weasley x fem!reader

summary: (part iii of mamma mia! series) after arriving on the island of kalokairi, she’s met with a storm, a horse and another very attractive ginger man.

warnings: mamma mia!au, muggle!au, angst, fluff, au where george isn’t that close with his family, mentions of storms, thunder, lightning, mentions of an abandoned house, broken stairs and windows, etc.

words: 3.7k

a/n: i mentioned in the first two parts of this that this was an au where the weasleys aren’t siblings but i decided they were so… yeah :)

y/n explored the small secluded island.

she found a large abandoned house. she could really make something out of it, she thought.

she saw something in it, a hotel maybe or a restaurant. an attraction for tourists and newcomers. sure, the place had broken windows and moldy floors but with the right motivation, what could stop her?

the place had a blue tone to it. aquamarine doors and shutters. the white walls and destroyed rooms. there were vines all over the place, intoxicating the beauty of home.

she tried sliding down the railing of the beautifully made staircase, she ended up destroying it.

she heard thunder from a distance, a few short minutes later, rain started pouring down with lightning. but, she still continues exploring the abandoned house.

faint noises of neighing can be heard in the distance. she steps down on unstable looking stairs, to what looks like a basement. the walls were made out of rocks and there was rainwater coming inbetween the loose floorboards from upstairs.

“hello?!” she yelled.

she found a tall brown horse tied down to piece of plywood. y/n could barely see anything.

the horse panicked, he jumped and broke the piece of wood. the floorboards from above collapsed due to the horse’s sudden movements. y/n yelped and jumped back.

the piece of wood the horse was tied to now under the debris. the rain was pouring, she was soaked from head to toe.

y/n thought for a moment ‘what could she do?’ she thought of calling for help. “wait there, okay? i’ll be back, yeah?” she ran back up to look for any bystanders or passerby’s.

she ran down a gravelly road until she was met with a man driving a motorcycle.

“stop! stop!” she stood right in front of the moving vehicle to catch the rider’s attention.

the rider had bright ginger hair and freckles just like the other two men she’s been with in the past week. the man stopped his motorcycle looking concerned and scared.

“can i help?”

she dragged him out of his bike and back to the house. she led him down to the basement, trying to avoid all the damage they could cause.

they prodded across all the broken floorboards in front of the horse.

“you have a plan?” she panted.

“oh, absolutely, i’m a trained veterinarian.” he uttered.

“really?” she looked up at him, a little hope enflaming in her heart.

“no. no, i’m a businessman but don’t tell this guy that” the small hope in her heart died out. how could he be joking at a time like this?

he lifted her over another piece of debris before marching over to the panicked animal. the horse jumped and the stepped back.

“woah! okay!”

“i’ll distract him, you grab the halter” she offered.

“good plan,” he looked at her “what’s the halter?” he asked, confused.

she did a double take at him until forming a new plan “just — just talk calmly.”

“easier when i’m calm” he expressed “alright, my friend.” he climbed over the fence

“storms are scary,” he started “and i wish i was home and dry right now, too, but believe me,” y/n climbed over the fence too but going over to the horse’s behind.

“it came down to a choice between leaving you and helping you,” he looked at y/n then back at the horse.

“there’s no choice at all.” the two of them stepped closer to the horse and grabbed his forehead, calming him down. y/n was clinging onto his gear and rope.

“good boy, good boy” she rubbed the horse’s forehead.

—

the two became quite acquainted. she’s noticed a type since she’s departed off to explore the world. tall gingers with freckled faces. she’s also noticed that only ron’s mentioned his last name. for all she knows they could all be siblings.

he introduced himself as george. he mentioned he lived, in the exact words, ‘in a shack on a hill’.

“ha! and what the hell were you doing there?” she laughed at his answer. they were exploring the seaside while getting to know each other.

“uh… i don’t know, running away i guess.” he stammered “everything at home was lined up for me. a great job and just, you know, my whole life mapped out. i wanted to take a break before i signed up to it” he sighed.

“how ‘bout you?” he nodded over to her.

all she did was purse her lips and shrug. “i have absolutely nothing mapped out. and no clue about what the future holds.”

she walked forward “enough walking. let’s ride.” he smiled at her and followed.

—

he brought her to the town. she went shopping for her new wardrobe. george just thought it would be fun to go with her.

right now, she was in a changing room trying on all her different outfits.

“so, how come you’re here all alone, saving horses?” he asked right outside the curtain.

“uh,” she stammered “i’ve been traveling my whole life. my dad was never in the picture, and my mum’s always on tour.”

“oh. she sings?”

“sweet as sugarcane.”

“you know, there’s some great stuff here. this dress would look very pretty on-“ he was holding up a very tacky blue dress that looked like a nighty. he turned away from the hats and dresses as she emerged from the curtains in a whole new outfit.

she was wearing denim dungarees with a floral yellow top. she was barefoot and spinning around to show him to full outfit.

“you don’t know me at all do you?” she noticed the dress he was holding. the two just laughed it off.

—

once again they found themselves somewhere else. this time a small restaurant, pub, bar whatever you could call it.

there was a live bad and the lead singer was obviously drunk and absolutely horrible.

“god! this whole place is incredible” she exclaimed as george came back with their drinks “i am definitely staying here forever.”

“yeah? your mum wouldn’t miss you?”

“no, she’s not that kind of mom” she brushed it off and laughed.

“oh, i’m sorry. i didn’t…”

“oh! oh, this isn’t a sob story, i’m fine!” she furrowed her brows and assured him.

“and it’s not easy being a mother. if it was, fathers would do it” she continued.

“well, i wish i could stay here, too.” he absorbed everything happening around him. a chaotic love band in front of him and a very pretty lady right next to him.

“oh, when do you go back?” she sipped her drink “to your fully programmed, good job, short haircut life?”

they both let out a small laugh “i have a week”.

“oh!” she cleared her throat and her focus went back to the band.

“listen, about what’s waiting for me back home.”

“yeah, hang on, hang on” she cheered for the band as they ended a song.

she was laughing and cheering and having the time of her life. “i am definitely staying here.”

he forgot what he was about to say and just laughed at her antics.

she raised her hand at the short lady behind the bar. “excuse me. are you the owner?” she inquired.

“my son the owner. he had to buy bar because no other place he let his band play.”

“hello!” the lead singer, the lady’s son sat down on their table “so, how can i help you?”

“well, firstly, you’re all awesome” this was the thing about y/n. even if he was horrible and drunkenly singing, she loved that he was having fun and enjoying what he was doing. that should be the purpose if everything in life.

“oh!” his eyes lit up at the compliment.,”and second,” she placed her hands on his “i’d like to sing here sometime with my group.” she offered.

“you have a good voice” the owner raised his eyebrow.

“oh, sweet as sugarcane” george affirmed and winked back at y/n.

“okay… then let us hear.” he gave the mic to y/n.

“oh, no. not just like that.” she leaned back on her chair and chuckled nervously.

“here on island, everything just like that. it’s the path of happiness. you think too much, you get unhappy” the man exaggerated, stood up and offered his hand to y/n.

she stood up from her chair, silently asking george for help. all he did was shrug in response.

“thinking at all is pretty much… a mistake.” he lead her to the stage and twirled her around.

“well, in that case,” she sighed “uh… okay.”

she started humming, then singing andante, andante by abba, capella.

everyone was shocked to say the least. george, the owner’s mother, the few customers all paid attention to the stage.

the instruments started platinum in the background while a disco ball softly spun. she chuckled nervously before continuing.

she walked off the stage while singing.

“you are hired!” the owner excitedly yelled.

“really?” her eyes widened.

“yes! you are really, really, really, hired!” he hugged her.

she cheered while the owner gestured for his mother to serve them drinks.

—

later that evening, george brought y/n to his little “shack on a hill” to stay for the night.

they stopped right before the door, the stars brightly shining in the sky. before any of them knew, the two leaned in to press their lips against each other’s, george’s hand on the side of her face her arms around her neck.

it seemed like all time went out the window, she was laying in his bed, fully nude under the covers right next to him.

—

the next day, george planned a whole itinerary for the two. they went for breakfast in the town. he told her about all the food his mum cooked for his whole family. he exclusively told her about his twin brother, his sister and his parents. he didn’t want to talk about the others.

right after breakfast, here they were, on a boat to explore off the island.

“right” george grunted as he lifted the paddles of the boat.

“i don’t think you know what you’re doing” y/n chuckled.

“i’m hoping,” he panted “if i keep pulling these two bits of wood, we might eventually bump into land”

“oh, okay.” she was uncertain and a bit nervous to say the least. non of them knew where they were going, for all she knows they migjt end up stranded.

“there’s another little island over there. i thought we might go for a little picnic” she looked over his shoulder where she assumed where the island was.

“where’s the food?” she leaned back to absorb the sunlight shining down on them.

“oh, you’re gonna catch it, on the way” he winked. she chuckled and picked up what was supposed to be a fishing net.

george continued rowing we he admired her beauty.

“uh…” she stammered “so, we haven’t talked about last night.”

george faltered “no…”

“you should know that i never do that, as fast.” she explained “i mean, hardly ever.”

she paused “well, sometimes — a bit recently, in fact. but not on the whole, not.”

“i thought it was miraculous” he assured.

“um, i’m gonna say something here, and you should shut up as i’m saying it because you’ll think i’m crazy for a while, but gradually you’ll… you’ll realize i’m right, and then you’ll spend the rest of your life thanking me for saving so much time and getting straight to it.”

george looked at her skeptically “well, i’m ready”

“i wasn’t joking yesterday, i was serious. i want to stay here, and i think you should, too. i think we should make a choice to do something radical and wonderful, to live in this extraordinary place with someone…” she hesitated before continuing “someone miraculous.”

when george just stared at her she spoke up again “i told you, you’d think it was crazy.”

he sighed before speaking up “i don’t think it’s that simple. nothing is.”

“everything is, when you break it down”

george looked out at the distance before looking back at her. she was the most miraculous thing he’s ever seen, touched, interacted with.

y/n was biting her lip as she awaited an answer from him. when he chuckled, she felt a smile creep onto her face.

“i don’t think it’s crazy.”

she chuckled “that’ll do; for now”

he took out his camera to snap a picture of an angel in human form, sitting across him. he didn’t know why he ever thought of leaving her, even if they did just meet a day ago.

they had a lot of fun the rest of the day. taking photos of each other, catching fish, having a picnic and almost getting lost.

—

another few days went by, they slept in the same ‘shack’, in the same bed, doing everything together.

y/n was wide awake at 5am in the morning. she was scribbling in her journal everything that’s happened with george. she was happy ; no, ecstatic! she felt alive and amazing.

she stopped writing as she gazed at him. still fast asleep next to her.

she went out to the balcony and walked around wherever her feet took her. picking oranges, doing cartwheels on the sand. she also fell while picking said oranges, it fell on her head and a goat almost chased her off the island.

when she got back to george’s shack. she made the two of them breakfast. she was almost done before she opened a drawer on the kitchen island.

in it was a bunch of knives and other cutlery, and a journal, most probably george’s. it was brown leather with a sealed with a leather band.

she couldn’t help it, she picked it up and pulled a photo that was sticking out of it.

y/n’s fantasy world crumbled at her feet. it was george. her george. he was cradling a dark skinned woman at his side. she was tall, beautiful, everything george probably wanted. she saw a gaudy engagement ring on her finger. that did it for y/n, she slammed the book down and ran for it.

the loud noise woke george up. he put on some clothes and ran after her.

she just ran and ran until she arrived back at the farmhouse she found the horse in.

“y/n! y/n! please, just listen to me” he pleaded.

“love to” she yelled sarcastically.

“you will?”

“yeah, of course. i’ll listen while you answer three questions” she stood at the too of the broken stairs, glaring daggers at him.

all he did was nod in response.

“are you engaged to that beautiful woman?”

“yes”

oh lord, did she feel like breaking down again. but she couldn’t, he was right there in front of her, a few steps down.

“and did you tell me about it?” her ring clad hands clenched into tight fists.

“no” he shook his, looking down at his shoes.

“and do you seriously think i could ever forgive you?” she asked one last time, breathless.

“please, y/n.” he pleaded once more.

“go! leave!” she stomped up the stairs, not caring if she fell through the pathetic pieces if wood.

“please just listen to me”

“that is enough listening! go!” she screamed at him at the top of her lungs before marching up the stairs again.

he just stood there. not knowing what to say. he just lost the possible love of his life.

of course, he loved angelina. but did he love her the way he loved y/n? considering how heartbroken he is about y/n now? probably not.

he heard her slam a door. he sighed before leaving the farmhouse in despair.

he ran back to his house with tears in his eyes. he packed up his bags, and decided to just go home.

y/n on the other hand was destroying what was left of the farmhouse. she pulled at her own hair while she watched the waves going back and forth through the window. she really like george, between ron and bill.

she most definitely thought he’d be the one.

the last time y/n saw george was when he was leaving with a boat. she was standing by a tree as he was whisked away back to his planned life.

she came back to the horse under the farmhouse. she stroked and hugged it for comfort.

—

a few days go by of y/n sitting in the old overgrown room, sobbing. she was heartbroken.

the only way she could fix it was either by singing, which she was not in the mood to, or being with her friends.

it resulted in option number two. she waited for fleur and dawn at the dock.

when she heard gasps of her name, she immediately turned to see her two most favorite people in the world.

her sullen face turned into a small smile as she ran to hug them. the two were screaming and shrieking to see their best friend again.

they met in the middle of the pier in a tight hug. they missed each other so much!

“oh my god! i see what you mean!” fleur exclaimed.

“this is beautiful!” dawn was jumping around, arms wide open as she twirled to see the place “this place is paradise!”

“i’m so glad you’re here” she sniffled.

they noticed her expression. their faces fell. “what’s happened?” “where’s the hot architect?”

“oh.. turns out he was lying to me.” she confessed.

“he’s not an architect?” dawn asked.

she shook her head no “he’s engaged, to someone else.”

she let out a small pathetic laugh “and she looks beautiful, and now he’s gone back to her.” her voice was shaky almost breaking down in tears again.

“i hate it when they do that” fleur rubbed her arm comfortingly.

“oh!” the three hugged again.

—

she explained to them everything that’s happened, including ron, bill and the pub, everything.

they rode the horse as she led them to where she’s been sleeping. “so, i’ve been sleeping in this farmhouse. but it’s the most beautiful place in the world. and it also has a horse.”

“yes, very romantic. we’re taking you home.” fleur sighed.

“uh, not before a fabulous performance by the greatest girl band in the world.” dawn interjected.

“yes!” “we’ve got all the gear! where are we playing?”

“oh! no, no, no. i can’t. i can’t. i’m not in the mood” y/n groaned.

“oh! but it will put you in that mood!”

“of course it will! the floodlights, the grease paint, the adrenaline of the crowd. a thousand descendants of great greek warriors cheering and clapping furiously as the irresistible beat transforms their bodies into pulsating pilars of flesh!”

—

when they git to the pub. it was as dead as the relationship between y/n and george.

no one was there. the band was exhausted out of their mind and the owner’s mother was serving just one customer.

“i don’t know how to sing about love when i’m not feeling it.”

“then, sing about what you are feeling.” fleur suggested.

y/n sang the beginning of mamma mia by abba in a sullen, depressing tone.

the band started watching her with comforting smiles in their faces. y/n slowly moved to the center of the stage, standing and swaying her hips a little.

when she got to the pre-chorus, the pace picked up a bit and the tone was more fiery and fun. the band started playing again.

dawn and fleur cheered before joining her on stage.

“yes, y/n!”

when they continued performing to the second verse, the owner whistled for more people to come in.

people started crowding the pub when she ran back on stage. the three were jumping and stomping to the beat.

the dancer around the pub and ended up on the bar counter.

dawn ended up accidentally pushing y/n off the counter and into the arms of another familiar ginger man.

“bill?!” it was bill. the man with the boat.

fleur was eyeing the two up and down. she definitely thought bill was attractive.

fleur and dawn left them alone against fleur’s will. she didn’t pass up the chance to walk by them every time though.

when fleur sat back down across dawn, she started ranting.

“my point is—“

“i know what your point is.”

“you don’t know what my point is.” she argued.

“your point is that you fancy him.”

she hummed back “you see? you were wrong. that’s not my point. it’s not that i fancy him. my point is, actually, that i love him and i want to have his babies and eventually push him around in a wheelchair and scatter his ashes.”

dawn spit her drink back into the glass to look at fleur weirdly. “i see.”

“and he likes y/n. and i don’t think that’s very fair.”

“he can help her feel better.”

“d’you know what makes me feel better when my heart’s broken? cake. why doesn’t she just do that instead? just eat humongous amounts of cake and leave hot ginger guy to me.”

they looked back over at y/n and bill. they were talking and laughing and generally just enjoying themselves.

“i’m going in” fleur smiled.

“no. you’re staying out, sister, because you love y/n and you want her to be happy.”

as dawn sat fleur back down, y/n and bill approached them. “hey guys”

“hi” the two said back, fleur’s drink accidentally spilling from her mouth.

“this is my friend bill” she pointed to him.

“hi!” fleur said again, flustered “it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“we’ve heard nothing about you.” dawn said, fleur laughing saying ‘hi’ again.

“i brought y/n here on my boat.” bill explained.

“you’ve got a boat!” fleur exclaimed “he’s got a boat!”

“and then i worried about her so i came back.” bill continued.

“he worries, he cares. and he’s got a boat!”

“and now, i’m taking her out to sea again.”

“taking her out to sea again. in the boat”

dawn looked at fleur weirdly before fleur sat down and downed her drink.

“you don’t think i should go?” y/n stepped forward and whispered to dawn.

“are you kidding? of course, you should.” dawn turned around the get fleur again “tell her she should go.”

fleur stayed silent for a few seconds before dawn slapped her arm a few times. “you should absolutely go.”

“that’s what i’m saying”

“i- i’m saying it too. go.”

“go! and do everything i’d do!” dawn stepped forward.

“nearly everything. i’m sorry.” fleur pulled her back.

“thanks, guys. i’ll be back soon.”

“bye, darlin’!” “bye.”

when y/n was out of sight, fleur’s smile faltered. “could i get some cake please?”

“some cake over here?” dawn gestured for a waiter.

“— a lot of cake!”

#hogwarts #harry potter #george weasley #george weasley x reader #george weasley x fem #george weasley x fem!reader #george weasley x y/n #george weasley x you #george weasley imagine #bill weasley x y/n #bill weasley one shot #bill weasley x reader #bill weasley #bill weasley x you #bill weasley fic #bill weasley imagine #george weasley angst

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bvidzsoo · 3 years

Text

Playing with fire

Author: bvidzsoo

Warnings: mentions of sexual situations, light violence, sexual assault mentions

Pairing: Wen Junhui x female reader

Word count: 14, 360

Summary: You are on your own in a man-ruled world. Whatever you do, whatever you say, just make sure it doesn’t piss them off. And you feel alone, you never experienced any parental love let alone a partner. But things change for the better when five mysterious men show up in town, but maybe they aren’t who everyone thinks they are? After all, five bandits are on the loose for robbing numerous places.

A/N: Hello, hello lovelies! Welcome back to a wild-west themed oneshot! This story was totally inspired by Baekhyun’s Bambi MV and well, I couldn’t help myself! There’s nothing very graphic in the story, just wanted to point that out. There might be a few things that couldn’t have happened in that era, but this is fiction, so please turn a blind eye to it. I hope the jump between the timelines won’t be confusing as I tried out something new! Hope you like it and your feedback is always appreciated! Enjoy now.

Present time

My teeth clattered against each other involuntarily. Mainly it was due to the chill air that surrounded me, but fear also played along. I’ve never been inside a prison cell before, but I guess the time comes for everything. My robes were covered in dirt and torn in various places due to the events that took place not even an hour ago. Many people would regret getting involved into something like this, but I wasn’t. I knew my inevitable death was approaching, but I couldn’t feel sorry for finally having chosen to live a bit. Do something that I wanted to do without being forced into doing it. My eyes got used to the darkness surrounding this underground place, but I couldn’t help squint when footsteps echoed around in the far end. The silhouette was tall and wore dark clothes as his feet dragged along the cold tiles, menacingly approaching me.

Two weeks ago

My fingers were covered in wrinkles from the excessive scrubbing I had to do with a wet rug. Mornings were always a little bit rough, having to clean up the mess the customers left at night was bothersome at first, but then it became bearable. It brought money; I couldn’t complain too much. I worked at an Inn, because quite frankly, this was the best I could do. We lived in a man ruled world, where the woman was created to please him left and right, with no right to an opinion. You just bow your head and go on with your life, acting like a house rat. Squeak once too loudly and tomorrow you won’t be breathing anymore. It was unfair, how little respect women were offered, after all, these dirty bastards wouldn’t be here if we didn’t give birth to them. But as a woman, you weren’t supposed to think about such things…actually, you weren’t really supposed to think at all. Just entertain blindly, do the house chores, feed the hungry, make dozens of children and please your husband…or any man, really. I learned it the hard way, after multiple beatings when I dared to speak back to a man, I learned my place.

My family was poorer than the already poor ones, no one really raised me, I just grew up and learned by myself how things worked in this world. When I turned fifteen, I realized if I wanted to live a longer life, I would have to earn my own money as my parents provided none for me. I ran away from my hometown, which was two hours away in the middle of the hot desert from the current town I was living in, and settled down here. This town was bigger and paid better, after all, the second headquarter of the National Bank was here. All types of people came and went, yet the locals knew everyone and paid close attention to the newcomers. They were wary, especially ever since a gang of five bandits started robbing banks all around the South. No one knew what they looked like; however, they were able to find out their leader’s name could be Kwan. All sheriffs were looking for this bandit group, so far, they weren’t very successful.

The door opened and the bell chimed atrociously loudly, ringing through the quiet Inn. It was nine in the morning, no one bothered to come in, unless they stayed at the lodge upstairs or forgot to go home last night. I was at the bar, wiping the glasses dry with a yellow towel, when the customer approached me. I glanced up to see a very handsome, young, man standing and looking around. His lips were full and his hair fell neatly onto his forehead. He wore clean clothes, even smelt good, and I straightened my posture, totally forgetting about the rags I was wearing.

“Well…why don’t you sit down, young sir?” I let my voice take a soft tone, dare I say, seductive as the man turned his gaze onto me. He hummed and took a seat on the stool, leaning his hands against the bar.

“Good morning.” His voice was warm and my lips pulled into a big smile. Handsome and well mannered? Was this my lucky day?

“Good morning,” I bat my eyelashes at him timidly, hoping he’d find it attractive, “Would you like to have anything specific?”

“Well…” His eyebrows furrowed as his eyes fell on the shelves behind me, “Do you have something that’s not alcohol?”

I chuckled, leaning against the bar, “Sir, with all due respect, does it look like you walked into a Caffe? This is an Inn…”

“Ah,” He muttered, smiling at me embarrassed, “I must have missed the street…”

“It happens to new people in town.” I muttered, placing a clean glass in front of the stranger.

“You know I’m new in town?” The man’s eyebrows rose and I laughed, head falling a bit backwards. I grabbed the chamomile tea I prepared an hour ago for myself and poured half of it into the glass.

“Sweetheart,” I licked my lips, taking a gulp of the tea that remained in the tall bottle I was holding, “Only two types of people dressed like that come in here. The rich boys looking for a fun night from the north side of the town or the tourists who happen to be passing through the town.”

The man eyed the content of the glass I just poured tea into and then looked back at me, “The name’s Joshua. What did you pour for me?”

“Chamomile tea,” I said with a sigh, finding his name unusual, “You are lucky I woke up a little stressed today. Chamomile tea has the ability to calm your nerves a bit, you know?”

“I did not know.” Joshua muttered and raised his glass to take a sip of the tea, “And it’s not even bad.”

“Of course, it’s not bad!” I exclaimed with a laugh, “I made it.”

“And you must have a name?” Joshua’s eyebrows rose and I glanced around, making sure no one was listening to our conversation. I didn’t use my real name at the Inn.

“It’s Y/N.” I muttered lowly and Joshua hummed, looking around.

“It seems to be deserted here…”

“Sweetheart,” I laughed again, truly amazed by how naïve this man seemed to be, “Inn’s are only full at night, people don’t come here at day, only if they are drunk already.”

“That’s a pity,” Joshua’s lips pulled into a grin, and I returned it as it was contagious, “They are missing out on some luscious chamomile tea.”

I laughed loudly as the bell chimed again, signaling a new client. It wasn’t a client this time, it was Little James, the boy who delivered the newspaper.

“Newspaper!” He hollered loudly as if the place was noisy, throwing down a stack of newspaper at the entrance.

“Bring one here, Little James!” I beckoned the boy, “And stop shouting, everyone can hear you crystal clear if you speak at a normal volume.”

Little James ran up to me with a pout, holding a newspaper to his chest, “But Big James told me to shout while I distribute these.”

“Big James probably forgot to tell you that you only need to shout at the market.” I ruffled the boy’s blonde hair, taking the newspaper from him. I glanced at Joshua, he was staring down at his tea, so I swiftly grabbed a little sack of cookies from the counter and gave it to Little James. He stuffed it into his pocket and offered me a wide grin.

“Miss Katie, you are the best!” He exclaimed as he ran off, leaving the door of the Inn open behind him. I didn’t mind, the fresh air of the morning was welcome.

“Miss Katie?” Joshua’s eyebrows rose as I sat in the chair by the sink, a few steps away from where I was just standing.

“That would be me.” I hummed as I unfolded the newspaper, checking the first page as the hot news were there.

“I thought your name—”

“People know me as Katie here, I don’t use my real name.” I explained absentmindedly as my eyes ran over the words. A big WANTED sign and underneath five black figures with question marks on their faces, coated most part of the first page. There was a new robbery, but at a pawnshop this time, just two hours away from this town. My hometown. Jewelry and money were taken, quite at a high value, and sheriffs were desperately asking people to keep their eyes and ears open, to help capture these bandits. They also made an estimated map of where these five men were headed, and this town was next. I huffed as I browsed through the other news, eyes falling on Joshua when I heard rustling of paper. He was also reading a newspaper, left leg crossed over the right as a subtle, smug, smile slipped onto his lips. I narrowed my eyes at him as I folded my newspaper, leaning forward to rest my elbows onto my knees.

“Found anything you like?” I spoke up, making Joshua jump. He peeked at me through his eyelashes as he cleared his throat, then evened his expression.

“Not really…just the usual news about these five bandits stealing some more.” I couldn’t help but notice the smug tone of his voice as he spoke, controlling his expressions this time.

“Yeah…they’ve been causing quite the chaos for these past three months, haven’t they?” Joshua hummed in agreement as he flipped through the newspaper elegantly, as if he was afraid, he’d rip the paper.

“Well…word says they are headed here.” I raised my eyebrows at Joshua and he mirrored my actions, “You should be careful when you speak to a stranger again.”

“I’ll keep that in mind next time your friends come around.” I winked at Joshua as he stood from his seat.

His eyes narrowed just the slightest bit as he searched his pockets, “Who said I’m traveling with friends?”

“A man like you wouldn’t be traveling alone.” I just shrugged and dryly gulped when I saw the amount of money, he threw on the table. He folded the newspaper and tucked it underneath his armpit; I stood to grab some change to hand back.

“I’ll take this with myself.” He referred to the newspaper as he bowed his head a little and I nodded, crouching down to count the money I needed to hand back.

“Sweetheart, here’s your—” I stood alone in the Inn, behind the bar, as Joshua disappeared, door closed now. I stared down at the change in my hands, then at the money on the table. Without a second thought, I grabbed it before my greasy boss could see it, and tucked it carefully into the top of my corset. This money will last me for a week at least.

The next day, another two strangers walked in. It wasn’t in the morning this time, but almost lunch time. I was actually getting ready to place out my cold rice onto the counter to eat, when the doorbell chimed. With a heavy sigh, I ignored the churning of my belly, and tried to smile. Unlike Joshua yesterday, who blatantly approached me, these two men sat at a table close by the exit. One was shorter and his eyes seemed to be narrowed as he glanced at the few people already inside the Inn, and the other one was a little bit taller as he stood with his hip jutting to the right a little bit. The shorter one must have felt my eyes on them because he turned around and glared at me. He was intimidating and as I was about to look away, but he raised his arm and called me over. I dusted my hands off on some rug from the counter as I walked around it to approach their table. They both took a seat and watched me as I stopped a few feet away.

“Welcome to our Inn,” I greeted politely, using the same tone I used on Joshua yesterday, “Anything you’d like?”

“What’s your best drink?” The taller one asked and I glanced back at the bar, to see if we still had Bourbon.

“It would be the Bourbon, young sir.” My answer made the man laugh, as the other one smirked amused.

“That’s a horrible way to call me, don’t you think?” He raised his eyebrows and I shrugged my shoulder; I called everyone like that.

“It’s Seungkwan,” He grinned, extending his hand, “I’ll take that Bourbon…”

“Katie,” I shook the man’s extended hand with a small smile, “I’ll bring it over just in a second, and for you…”

The shorter man, who was actually about my height, looked at the bar, “What are you drinking?”

I stared at him surprised before clearing my throat, “Chamomile tea, young—”

“That’s really awkward, my name’s Woozi.” He cut me off before I could finish my sentence, “I’ll drink Chamomile tea.”

I nodded my head and walked to the bar, stopping by a table when they waved me down. The man didn’t have anything to ask for, he just called me over for a snide remark. I remained emotionless as I walked to the bar, ignoring the laughter that followed the table after the man’s words. They were the worst customers, always pissing me off. They were from the north side of the town and only came here to make fun of others and bully them. The man who called me over for nothing, his name was Sehun, and he loved to torment me. I grabbed two glasses and poured Bourbon into one and Chamomile into the other after I placed them on a tray. I held the tray with both hands and walked to the table of the strangers, making sure to avoid walking by Sehun’s table as it wouldn’t be the first time, he’d try tripping me while I was carrying something.

“Here,” I whispered as I placed the glass of Bourbon in front of Seungkwan, and the glass of Chamomile tea in front of Woozi. I held the tray to my chest and went to walk away when Woozi pointed at the newspaper on the table.

“Didn’t this make the first page yesterday too?” He asked, eyes watching me. I craned my neck to see the same news as yesterday, the one both Joshua and I read together.

“I suppose,” I said with a shrug, standing back straight, “People must be panicking since the sheriffs said the group is headed this town.”

Woozi and Seungkwan chuckled at the same time, sharing a knowing glance, and my eyebrows furrowed. First Joshua, now these two. They weren’t dressed as fancy as Joshua, or Sehun’s group for that matter, but their clothes were clean and their cologne smelt nice. Even if they weren’t from the north side of the town, they definitely had enough money to take care of themselves. There wasn’t a middle class in this town, you were either poor or rich, so they too weren’t from around here.

“Even if they wanted to, they couldn’t possibly stop these boys.” Seungkwan chuckled at Woozi’s words and I raised my eyebrows intrigued.

“Why not?”

“Woozi likes investigating crimes, Katie,” Seungkwan explained, his lips forming into a pout, “He has a lot of knowledge and evidence point out that these bandits are well prepared and hard to catch, they leave no traces.”

“You said Woozi likes to investigate, but seems like you know a lot too, sweetheart.” I smirked at the two men, their lips pulling into amused smiles.

“Well, Woozi is my brother, we share the same interests.” Seungkwan explained and I hummed, widening my eyes. Did they really expect me to believe that lie?

“You don’t look very much alike.”

Woozi hummed then pushed the newspaper away, “We get that a lot.”

I narrowed my eyes at them, but when they looked away, I knew it was my cue to leave. I nodded to myself, turned to leave, but a thought made me halt, “You don’t happen to know Joshua, do you?”

Seungkwan laughed as Woozi glared at me, staying silent as he took a gulp of the tea, “Who is Joshua?”

I shook my head as I started to walk away, “Just a tourist, like you two.”

And these tourists seemed to have a lot of money as they tipped me even better than Joshua did yesterday. It made up for the few dollars Sehun, accidentally as he said, forgot to pay.

The third time more strangers showed up, it was the afternoon and more people populated the Inn this time. When the first man entered, he seemed lost and confused, it almost made me laugh. You could hear the bell chime, but the loud chatter of men and women slowly would grow louder and louder. This stranger seemed like he didn’t know if he wanted to stay or not, so I approached him.

“Good evening, would you like a seat at the table or at the bar?” I asked with a smile, raising my eyebrows when the man remained silent for a few minutes.

“I’m with someone…” He trailed off and I hummed, looking around for an empty table. I found one next to a bigger group of people that were the loudest in the Inn so far, and I led the stranger to it. He thanked me quietly and looked around awkwardly.

“Anything you’d like to have?” I raised my eyebrows and he looked back at me with a grimace.

“Bourbon, and do you have anything to eat?”

“Smashed potatoes and stew, as of now, if you wait longer the cook will return to prepare more dishes.” The stranger hummed and seemed to be thinking for a second.

“No, it’s fine, bring me two portions…please.” I smiled at him and nodded my head, walking to the bar. I prepared the glass of Bourbon and asked Aleksi to prepare two plates of smashed potatoes and stew. When I got back to the table, I placed the two glasses on top of it, and smiled at the man sitting there awkwardly.

“My name is Katie, if you need anything, just call out my name!” The stranger nodded and I left to gather the empty beer bottles from the loud table nearby. I placed them on my tray, there were at least six, and turned to walk back to the bar when my shoe got stuck in a misplaced floorboard and I was sent flying forward. I yelped and got ready to feel the hard floor, but instead I was hauled backwards, bottles clinking together, but none fell. A few eyes fell on us as I let out a deep breath, gaze connecting with Aleksi’s, who was shaking his head with a grimace. I let myself lean into the body that was holding me for a second, glad that I didn’t cause a bigger scene. The frame was taller and leaner than mine, the top of my head reached their shoulders. Big, calloused hands held my waist firmly and I jumped when the man chuckled from behind. I quickly stepped out of their hold and turned to thank them for their help. But when my eyes fell on his face, I was awestruck. I haven’t seen a man as handsome as him before. His nose was long and well defined, his lips plump. His dark eyebrows complimented his face nicely and his sharp eyes felt like they were staring into my soul. He stood there too, watching me, looking just as amazed. It was a weird feeling and I walked away giggling when Aleksi shouted my name. Their food was prepared and I cleared my throat before walking back over, subconsciously pushing the few stray strands that fell out of my braid behind my ear. The first stranger to enter stopped looking so awkward and he was actually smiling now as he conversed with the handsome stranger. When I got close enough to hear what they were saying, I couldn’t understand anything, they were talking in a different language I haven’t heard before.

“Dinner’s ready.” I cursed myself quietly for the breathy voice, but I couldn’t help it when the stranger looked at me so intently.

“I hope you like smashed potatoes and stew.” I said with an innocent smile as I placed the plate in front of the man that caught me from falling. He glanced at the food before looking back at me.

“Anything that you bring I will like.” His voice was light, but it had a deep ring to it, as he spoke. I chuckled, blinking rapidly before biting my lower lip. I knew the charm was working when a smirk crossed his lips and he stared at my lips.

“If you see anything else you’d like to have…” His eyes lit up with mischief, “Call for Katie.”

“I need a few tissues…” The other man muttered with a grimace, very displeased by the exchange happening between his friend and I.

“Anything, you say?” He sharp eyed man raised his eyebrows, ignoring his friend’s remark.

“As long as it’s on the menu…” I said with a chuckle, playing with the tray in my hands.

“Do you not have special treats here?”

“Only on Friday’s.” The stranger bit his lower lip and I smirked, feeling heated all of the sudden.

“If you have a list…put me on it as first,” I giggled and nodded my head, “The name’s Junhui.”

“Junhui.” I repeated after him, the two of us sharing a small smile, “Consider it already done.”

“Great.” He winked before grabbing his fork to eat his dinner, “Oh, and…I think Minghao asked for tissues?”

“Yeah, I did.” Minghao threw Junhui a glance before he offered me a small, uncomfortable, smile.

“Of course, one second!” I grinned at the two foreigners and went to the bar to grab a few tissues for them. I didn’t know who these two were, but I sure hoped they’d stay for a little longer. Were they with Joshua, Woozi, and Seungkwan? It could be possible, but they could be just tourists passing by. It’s not so rare. However, people stopped traveling so often out of fear of getting robbed. We haven’t had tourists in over a month. These five strangers felt…fishy. But what do I know? I’m just a waitress at an Inn.

Present time

I didn’t look up when the figure stopped in front of my prison cell. I knew it was an officer; a very familiar one; and that he would mock me. They couldn’t wait for someone to commit a crime so that they can torture them for it.

“Well, look at that!” The officer’s voice was mocking, like I expected it, “If it isn’t Katie…”

I didn’t react as I continued staring at my feet, trying to hide the shake of my body. It was from the cold, but the officer standing in front of me, made me realize just how real everything that happened was. How my death was closer each second.

“Won’t you look at me?” I didn’t want the officer to enter the cell, so I shook my head. He scoffed and hit something hard against the metal bars, the loud clank made me jump. The officer laughed loudly and I could feel his burning gaze on me.

“I told them all not to trust the little whore you are, now you’ll finally go where you belong to.” I bit my lower lip, palms clenching into fists as I tried to remain silent. If I spoke back, I’d die in a beating and not by getting hung. And quite frankly, I prefer getting hung in the town square. Maybe I’ll make headlines and my parents will see their only child is now dead.

There was a scoff before the officer started walking, his hard footsteps echoing around the place, “See you in hell, officer.”

Two weeks ago, Friday

The Inn was full of people. A local lousy band was playing some music, but the chatter and laughter of men and women was louder. There were no empty tables, some customers even sat on the front porch and enjoyed the party there. The staircase leading up to the lodge was also occupied by drunk men who didn’t find a table. Aleksi and Andrei worked at the bar, while Joy, Maria, Luna, and I rushed around the place, trying to please everyone. Fridays were the most hectic days besides Saturdays, when you couldn’t take even a second long break. It was hard to maneuver around drunk people, especially the dancing women, but thankfully I always found the safest route to the table I had to rush to. That table excluded the one where Sehun and his boys were sitting at, playing some card games and throwing money on the table. They even managed to charm into their gambling game a few men from the table next to theirs, men who were already poor and had nothing to offer. And they wouldn’t win as Sehun and his boys cheated at any given chance. He made a comment about how tonight I wore clean clothes instead of the rugs I’m usually in, when I was delivering their fifth round of expensive beer. I only glared at him and walked away before he could comment anything. Yes, it was true, I wore my most expensive dress tonight. It was white and no one in their right mind would wear it to a place like this one, where you can stain it easily, but I was expecting someone. Junhui. He said he would be here tonight…well, he didn’t explicitly say it, but it’s what he meant. And I glanced at the clock to see it hit midnight with him nowhere around. I was disappointed, but I couldn’t focus on what I was feeling as an old man gripped onto me. It was Mr. Lee, the biggest drunk of the town.

“Oh,” His eyebrows were furrowed and I grimaced at the foul scent, “Katie?”

I nodded and his eyes were barely open as he raised a hand, “Walk me to the exit!”

His slurred words were barely audible over the loudness inside the Inn, but he was a regular here, I already knew what he wanted. I called out for Joy, to ask her to take over the order from the table I just served, and placed one of Mr. Lee’s arms around my shoulders.

“Let’s get you out, old man.” I shouted and he grinned, his yellow teeth showing. We stumbled around the tables, hitting a few people on our way out, and I groaned when his stumbling made us run into the corner of the entrance. The old man laughed loudly and I threw him a glare, that I knew he couldn’t see, as we finally made it outside.

“Katie!” It was an officer, leaning against the railing, “Did you forget to bring me my beer?!”

“Of course, not!” I exclaimed as we walked around a half-asleep woman, “I asked Joy to deliver it to you.”

The officer grimaced and looked at Mr. Lee, leaving me the impression that he’d offer to help, but when he started laughing, I realized he wouldn’t help. He was here to have fun and suddenly what I was doing was entertaining him. I bit the inside of my cheek to stop myself from throwing him a menacing glare and held Mr. Lee’s side as firmly as I could as we had to walk down the few stairs of the porch.

“Now, Mr. Lee—” I turned my head towards him, trying to gain his attention, “I need you to focus and keep your balance, alright? The stairs aren’t easy to conquer!”

“Conquer it all!” Mr. Lee exclaimed, making the people laugh who heard him, as he stumbled forward. I shrieked, unable to untangle myself from him, as he pulled me after him. We were supposed to tumble down the stairs, maybe twist an ankle or something, but I never made it down the stairs, unlike Mr. Lee. His feet became a tangled mess and he was rolling down the stairs, people hollering in laughter around us. My eyes widened as I watched the old man sprawl out on his back, mouth in a wide grin. He seemed amused by what happened but I feared his old bones weren’t strong enough for even a small fall like that one. No one seemed to want to help him up and as I went to step down the first stair, I realized someone was holding onto my waist tightly. My shoulders tensed and I turned my head, eyebrows furrowed. However, it wasn’t the person I was expecting to be, it was even better. Junhui. My eyes must have lit up because the man started smirking, squeezing my waist.

“Well, if it isn’t Katie…” He muttered smugly and I bit my lower lip, gazing into his eyes, “Do you stumble on purpose when I’m around? You want me to catch you?”

I giggled and did nothing to move out of his hold, “It’s not on purpose, but it certainly is more fun.”

“Just admit it—” I raised my eyebrows as Jun leaned his head a little down, “You want me to hold you.”

I raised my chin, to be closer to his face, and returned his little smirk, “Why would I want that when you could do other better things to me?”

Junhui’s eyes narrowed and I blinked up at him, my smirk turning innocent as he chuckled. His hold loosened on my waist as he opened his mouth to speak, but someone interrupted him.

“Is this how you treat your customers?” The officer’s voice rang out as I turned my head, “You leave an old man lying on the cold ground?”

I couldn’t help but throw him a glare as a second ago he wasn’t even willing to help.

“No need to cause a scene, now,” The soft voice alerted a few people as they turned towards the stranger standing next to Mr. Lee. It was Joshua, and he was helping the old man up, “You can’t expect a woman to carry around a drunk, heavy man, officer. Maybe if you helped before they stumbled this wouldn’t have happened.”

A few people started muttering as they threw Joshua various glances, making the officer’s jaw clench. Mr. Lee was on his feet and Joshua dusted his pants a little as the old man tried to stand straight.

“Will you find your way home?” Joshua asked politely, gripping Mr. Lee’s shoulder.

“Yes, sir, yes!” Mr. Lee did a slopy salute and everyone laughed, making Joshua smile. He returned the salute and Mr. Lee turned his body as he started singing loudly. He slowly started walking away and I moved out of Junhui’s hold.

“When did you arrive?” I asked as I faced him, ignoring the glares of the officer.

“A good hour ago.” Jun answered as Joshua approached us.

“Good evening.” He greeted politely and I giggled, letting him place a kiss against my knuckles. When Jun and Joshua shared a look, I realized they knew each other. And suddenly, standing a few feet away, were Seungkwan, Woozi, and Minghao. When my eyes connected with Woozi’s, I realized my suspicions were all along right. The five strangers knew each other, in fact, they traveled here together.

“Well,” I placed my hands on my hips, “Why did you stay outside?”

“There’s nowhere to sit.” Minghao answered with a pout and I rolled my eyes.

“Maybe if you would have tried looking for me, you would have found a table.” Woozi rolled his eyes as I threw them a displeased glare.

“Lead the way, lady, then.” He gestured inside the Inn and I grinned, gripping Joshua and Junhui’s arms to drag them after me. Once inside, the loudness of the Inn was almost deafening after having stood outside for so long. My eyes scanned the space, of course there were no empty tables, but I spotted some empty space at a table. I grinned to myself and lead the way, losing my grip on Junhui a few times as he seemed unable to keep up with my long strides. When we got to the table, it quieted down as Sehun threw his card on top of the stack with a grin.

“I win—”

“Excuse me, you’ll have to share your table!” I informed Sehun and his boys and didn’t wait for an answer as I pushed Joshua down into the empty seat, “You took the biggest table when you don’t even have enough people for it…now, you share it!”

I could hear Woozi cackle behind me as he passed by and patted a glaring Sehun on the back, plopping down next to Joshua. Minghao seemed reluctant to sit at the table but when I released my grip on Jun, he pulled his friend with him and sat them across from Woozi and Joshua.

“Seungkwan, is the name.” He extended his hand towards Sehun, who took it quickly and shook it, Seungkwan’s face all serious and cold. It was different from when him and Woozi came by, it seemed like he knew Sehun was the leader of the band of baboons and wanted to show him he wouldn’t put up with bullshit coming from them tonight. My eyes landed on Jun and he threw me a flirty wink, I blushed.

“Bring over your finest beer, Katie!” He cheered loudly and I chuckled, turning around to bring the beers for him and the rest.

The Inn was just as full as hours ago, however, it had quieted down a notch as the somewhat sober people headed home and the drunk ones remained. The lousy band departed a long time ago after we gave them free drinks, and finally all workers of the Inn could take a little break. My feet were killing me and the corset of this dress was a lot tighter than I initially thought it would be, my lungs were screaming to be released. But we still had two more hours of work, it had to wait. My eyes scanned over the empty tables, Joy and Luna have cleaned them up already, as they stopped on the biggest table. They were making a mess, three were standing on the table and singing loudly some old song, while the others continued playing cards between each other. Somehow, they got Jun and his friends involved into the game too, however, Sehun lost each round. Which made him angry and therefore it made him drink even more. He disappeared a while ago and I assumed he just went somewhere with a woman, like he does every time he’s here, and would return the next day. My eyes were drawn back at Junhui, who watched me closely the whole night, and I smiled at him. His sharp eyes narrowed before he looked down at his single card in his hand, then threw it on the table. Seungkwan and Woozi started cheering loudly as Junhui smirked and looked at me. He won again and Sehun’s friend pushed a smaller pouch of money onto the table, Woozi grabbed it greedily. I chuckled as Jun winked at me, then turned to look at his sleeping friend. Minghao’s head was resting on the table, he was sitting a bit further from them, as he slept. Joshua was walking around the Inn, which was surprising, and making conversation with people. He even had two men trailing after him as he conversed with various people, sometimes even offered to bring them drinks. Aleksi didn’t like it much, but when Joshua brought the money, they paid, over Aleksi stopped complaining.

“My break is up, go take a breather.” Luna’s voice caught my attention as she walked up to me, tying her small apron around her hips. I hummed and undid my own apron, throwing it at Andrei. He caught it with a hiss, throwing me a small glare. I just shrugged and walked around the counter, downing the glass of water he placed there for me. Andrei and I had a complicated relationship, we weren’t on good terms but we looked out for each other. He helped me get this job when I moved into town but after we started working together, we realized how annoying the other was. I downed another glass of water in one good, humming in appreciation as the water finally washed over the dryness of my throat. My dress had a small pocket, I sew it there, and I tapped it to see if it still contained what I have placed there at the beginning of my shift. When I felt the thick object, I headed to the backdoor and pushed it open, the chilly air of morning greeting me. It was refreshing to be outside after a night of running around and pleasing everyone, I would have to wash up before going to sleep as I had sweat more than usual this time. I fished the match and tobacco out of my little pocket, leaning against the wooden planks of the Inn. I lit the match and placed the tobacco in my mouth, sucking on it hard to make it light up. Tobacco was expensive, I would smoke it from time to time if the girls had it, but Junhui and his friends left so much money during their visits that I could finally afford to buy one for myself. The taste burned the back of my neck and I coughed quietly as I let it settle, blowing out the smoke. Finally, I had time to think and rest. I was expecting Junhui to approach me at some point of the night, but all he did was constantly order drinks and he’d refuse to take them unless it was me serving them. I could feel the tension between him and Sehun, as both were immersed in playing cards, and both were cheating. Sehun finally found his match. I chuckled when I remembered how pissed Sehun looked after the third round was won by Jun once again, and looked at my half-finished tobacco. I quickly put it out, not wanting to smoke it in one go. I could save it for later when I was chilling in my room. I placed it back into my pocket and leaned my head against the wooden planks, staring up at the starry sky. It was turning a lighter shade as the sun would soon rise. My quiet peace of moment came to an end when someone’s body heat invaded mine. I straightened up as I looked the person in the eyes, grimacing.

“Finally got you alone…” Sehun’s raspy voice was low, his eyes were narrowed as he still wasn’t sober enough.

“Did you want to get me alone?” I raised my eyebrows, off-thrown by his statement.

“Well…what do you think?” He asked with a chuckle, leaning one hand against the Inn, trapping me between him and the wall.

“I think…” I bit my lower lip, glancing away, “That you’re really annoying and a douchebag.”

Sehun started laughing as I looked back at him with a glare, crossing my arms in front of my chest, “Come on…stop playing so hard to get now. I know you dressed up just for me—”

“What?!” I snapped outraged, scoffing, “You wish, rich filth, I don’t give a damn about you!”

“You’re always so rude!” Sehun suddenly exclaimed, and I jumped before I quickly pushed him back. His tallness was intimidating and he used it to his advantage as he stepped back and gripped onto my hair.

“Let go!” I screamed, clawing at his arm, trying to free myself.

“I’m going to teach you a lesson.” He hissed out and my eyes widened when I felt his other hand trying to undo the front of my dress. I yelped and gripped his hand, pushing him again. His grip on my hair was painful as I struggled against him but I didn’t care, I wanted to free myself.

“Sehun!” I yelped when he gripped my jaw tightly and slammed me against the wooden planks, my head colliding with them. I groaned and fisted his shirt, trying to still push him away. This wasn’t anything new, men did this often, but I didn’t want his filthy hands on me. Especially since it was Sehun. I knew he’d be bragging about it to everyone, I didn’t want this. Suddenly, there was a new voice that exclaimed in a different language and I struggled more against Sehun, knowing who it was.

“Piece of shit!” This time I understood what he said, and the next second Sehun was pushed off me. Junhui and Sehun stared up each other and in a swift motion, Junhui landed a punch to his jaw. Sehun stumbled backwards, clutching the area, as he turned to look at me.

“Whore.” Was all he said before he turned around and ran off. I scoffed and spat on the ground, angered by his words.

“You throw yourself at me but I’m the whore?!” I screamed at the top of my lungs, hopeful that everyone would hear it, as I took deep breaths to calm myself.

“Katie,” Junhui’s voice was soft and I looked at him taken aback, “Did he hurt you?”

“Nothing I’m not used to…” I muttered and undid the ribbon that kept my braid together. Junhui followed my hands with his eyes as I ran my fingers through my wavy hair, massaging the back of my head where I hit it.

“Does he bother you often?” Junhui continued asking and I shook my head with a sigh.

“Not like this.” I answered and attempted to smooth down my, now wrinkled, dress. Why did I even wear it? Junhui is just a tourist, he will be soon gone, and for all I know, he might just be a little bit overly flirty. Why do I always assume people find me attractive?

“Tell me where he lives and I’ll make sure he won’t set foot inside this place ever again.” Junhui’s sharp eyes were narrowed and I laughed as I leaned back against the wooden planks.

“You’re funny!”

“I’m being serios.” I chuckled embarrassed and looked away from Jun, gazing at my feet. He sighed and approached me, taking Sehun’s previous place. This time, I wasn’t bothered. I went stiff when his hands ran up my arms and hovered over my chest. I looked up into his eyes and he gulped as he averted his gaze.

“He undid it…” He muttered, voice weak, and I smiled, “It’s a—pretty dress.”

I giggled and looked down to see his fingers delicately tying the dress back together, “Thank you, I wore it because I hoped you’d come tonight.”

Junhui paused and I smiled at him innocently, “You did ask me to sign you up as first customer on the ‘special treats’ list, didn’t you?”

Junhui opened his mouth to say something but he couldn’t as he gulped again, it made me giggle once again. I took his hands away from the top of my dress and placed them around my hips, pulling Jun into me.

“It seems like you really like holding me.” I teased him with a grin and he rolled his eyes, sneaking his arms around my hips tightly. His eyes dropped onto my lips and I quickly licked them, pressing up onto my tip toes to connect our lips. My eyes fluttered closed as Junhui’s lips pressed back against mine eagerly. His lips were cold and rough, he tasted like all the alcohol he’s been drinking all night, but I wasn’t bothered. My arms sneaked around his shoulders as I urged him to lean lower down so that I wouldn’t have to stand on my toes and made a surprised noise when he tried to push his tongue into my mouth. His scent was mixed with sweat and aloe vera, a very weird scent indeed. I opened my mouth to grant him access and he moaned as he sucked on my tongue, making me suck in a harsh breath. He pushed me up against the wooden planks, trapping me further between himself and the Inn, my body curving up into his. I moaned and pulled on the ends of his hair when he groped my breast through my dress, squeezing it appreciatively. Perhaps I wasn’t so wrong this time, this handsome stranger might have found me pretty attractive as he still hasn’t pushed me away.

One week ago, Monday

The Inn was closed for today, Aleksi wanted to do a thorough clean as Saturday’s little party left a big mess. Besides, he now had enough money to repair the bathroom for the workers and rebuild the back of the barn, where the wooden planks had rotten over time. Andrei and him were busy, they probably wouldn’t finish by dusk but with the money, he could afford to call over a few men tomorrow to finish the construction instead of them. Only Luna and I worked today, as they other girls asked for a free day and well…I live upstairs, so I really had no excuse but to come and work. And Luna…she hates her husband nowadays so she spends most of her time at the Inn with me. Which kind of brought us closer, I didn’t really have friends in this town. I didn’t have the time nor the energy to invest it into making connections.

I let a sigh fall from my lips as I finally finished scrubbing the floor clean, it was practically shinning now. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen it this clean…what a pity it’ll be ruined by tomorrow. Luna was singing along to the soft tunes of the radio, cleaning off the storage room as she had finished with the bar already.

“You’re in a good mood.” I commented as I raised to my feet, approaching the woman. She glanced back at me with a cheeky smile before giggling.

“Indeed, I am.”

“Well…won’t you tell me why?” I pressed on, my curious nature pushing through. Luna sighed before she turned to face me, leaning against the shelf.

“Yunho was called to work in the mines that are five hours from here.” She answered with a grin, sighing dreamily, “I finally get to be on my own—for two months!”

I chuckled and raised my eyebrows, feeling a little confused, “Isn’t that bad though? Working in mines is dangerous nowadays…”

“Oh, please!” She exclaimed, rolling her eyes as she turned back to the shelf to continue scrubbing it, “I don’t even care if he never comes back. He’s a sick bastard! I’m done bending to his wishes, everything is about him all the time!”

I hummed and rubbed my hands together, trying to warm them after they froze from having to rub the floor with cold water, “Didn’t you marry him because you loved him?”

“That was five years ago!” Luna laughed, shaking her head, “Nothing lasts forever, you know, Y/N…”

I hummed and bit my lower lip, thoughts flying to Junhui. Indeed, nothing lasts forever. I’m not even sure he’s still in town. After we kissed, he left without a word and by the time I went inside, everyone who came with him were also gone. It was really disappointing, I thought I’d get to spend more time with him. Maybe, get to know him better, maybe, we’d end up sending letters to each other. It was nice to dream.

“Y/N?” I looked at Luna questioningly, not having heard what she said, “I asked…how are things going with lover boy?”

“Lover boy?” I asked confused, thoughts instantly swerving to Sehun. Maybe she heard me scream after him or maybe Sehun already started spreading lies about what happened.

“The handsome foreigner!” Luna exclaimed, coming to stand in front of me, and gripped my hands into hers, “Please! I saw the looks you exchanged and—”

“And…what?” I urged her on to speak as I watched a mischievous smirk spread on the woman’s lips.

“And…I saw you two having that very fiery make-out behind the Inn on Friday.” My cheeks suddenly felt hot and I averted my eyes from Luna’s, looking anywhere but at her.

“Look who’s shy now!” Luna teased and I rolled my eyes, snatching my hands out of hers.

“Shut up…” I muttered embarrassed, taking a few steps away from her.

“Honey, I’m glad you’re finally enjoying yourself. All you do is work and run away from people—”

“That’s not true!” I opposed with a scowl but Luna just chuckled.

“Sure, honey…besides, he seemed like a genuine man.”

“Yeah,” I sighed, hearing the front doorbell ring, “He’s also probably gone by now and I’m—”

“Anyone there?” My throat closed up and my eyes went wide as Luna smirked, retreating back inside the storage room.

“Go!” She whisper-shouted, quietly closing the door. I scoffed but walked to the front quickly, eyes falling on the tall young man. He wore clean clothes, his hair was a bit tousled, and he held his hat in his hands in front of his torso.

“Hello,” I offered him a shy smile, “We’re currently closed, maybe tomorrow—”

“I’m not here to drink.” Junhui’s words cut me off and I gulped, hope filling my thoughts. Was he here to see me? Maybe he’ll ask me to go with him on his journey? Will I finally be free?!

“I heard there’s a lodge attached to this Inn; I’d like to rent a room for a few days.” Oh. I cleared my throat and tried to mask how disappointed I felt hearing his words.

“Yeah, you heard right, Junhui, we have a lodge…” I muttered and went to the bar, “What kind of room do you want?”

“Fitting for a person.” He answered quickly as he came closer, leaning against the counter as I crouched down to search for the keys.

“One person?” I asked as I grabbed one key, “Aren’t you traveling in five?”

Jun looked away before clearing his throat, “The others are staying somewhere else, I—didn’t find a room there—”

“Right.” I gave him a look as I straightened up. He was lying, I knew it by the way he avoided eye contact and played with his fingers. But who was I to ask anything? He was acting like the kiss didn’t even happen, so, I didn’t know how else to act but oblivious.

“Follow me.” I called as I walked around the counter and headed for the stairs leading upstairs. Junhui was hot on my tail and I glanced back to see him raise an eyebrow at me.

“Anything wrong?” He asked wonderingly and I shook my head, biting my lower lip.

“No, nothing in particular,” I lied as we went up to the third floor, “Just—aren’t you afraid to travel during these times?”

“Why? Should I be?” Junhui asked with a chuckle and I shrugged again as we came into the long hallway, on both sides, numerous doors stood to our service.

“The sheriffs have estimated the group of five bandits was headed this town…and…well, no one has been really traveling ever since they started robbing out of fear of getting robbed as well.” I spoke as I lead Junhui down the long hallway.

“Are you trying to assume something here?” Jun asked with a chuckle, but his voice held an accusatory undertone to it, and I shrugged again. We stopped in front of room nr. 888 and I pushed the key into the hole to unlock the door.

“I don’t know…does it sound like I’m assuming something?” I muttered, more to myself, as Jun walked in after me, “I don’t know, honestly…It’s just weird the five of you show up here, you are strangers to this town, and one of you is called Seungkwan. Don’t you think? I’m not trying to accuse you of anything, I’ve just been thinking—”

The door was suddenly slammed closed behind me and Junhui was standing in front of me in a second, his hand gripping my neck tightly as I was walked backwards and into the door. The collision wasn’t as harsh as with Sehun, Junhui’s eyes have darkened and his expression was fierce, but I didn’t feel threatened right now.

“Thinking is dangerous, Y/N…” My eyes widened a bit at the hearing of my real name, Jun’s lips pulled into a cocky smirk.

“How do you know?” I whispered, feeling a bit lightheaded by the hold he had on my neck but also by his closeness. He still carried the scent of aloe verra and it was so foreign that it felt intoxicating.

“From Joshua, of course,” Junhui chuckled and I gripped his wrist, trying to loosen his grip, “Now…this can go two ways, sweetheart. You either shut up and keep this revelation to yourself or—I will have to get rid of you…”

“What?!” I exclaimed quietly, eyes growing wider than ever before, the air leaving my lungs from shock, “You’re—the—bandits—”

“Why are you acting so surprised?” Junhui chuckled as his finger started stroking the skin of my neck, “Didn’t you just accuse me of—”

Junhui stopped talking, realizing his mistake, and I remained gaping.

“I didn’t accuse you of anything! I was just…assuming?” Junhui hissed and closed his eyes, letting go of my neck. I rubbed the skin with my own hand and took two deep breaths, watching a distressed Junhui.

“Fuck!” He hissed to himself, opening his eyes to look at me. He didn’t step back, and I didn’t move away either. I wanted to be close to him.

“Listen, I—”

“If you tell anyone, Y/N, I swear I will kill you.” His voice dropped octaves and became dangerous, finally, I felt like a prey and a shiver ran down my spine, “I don’t care how pretty and nice you are—I will kill you.”

Realization dawned on me, that in fact, the man standing in front of me wasn’t any kind of tourist. He really is part of the bandit group. He is a bandit, himself. I gulped and licked my lips, trying to mask how nervous I felt.

“I won’t tell anyone—”

“How can I know that?” He snapped, but it felt like he was more frustrated with himself than me.

“I—” I huffed, running a hand through my hair, “You can’t. You will have to trust me, I guess.”

“But can I trust you?” Junhui’s gaze latched onto mine and I felt hypnotized.

“Maybe.” I muttered and my eyes fell on his lips when he sighed out. I knew he saw it when he took a tiny step, to be even closer to me.

“What if…” A smirk came onto his lips and my heart started racing as he looked me up and down, “I offer you something in exchange of keeping our secret?”

My skin felt on fire when Junhui’s fingers trailed over my exposed collarbones, coming to rest on the front of my dress, “I don’t need anything to keep your—”

My words got muffled by Junhui’s lips pressing on mine and I reacted instantly, fingers curling into his hair. The next thing I knew, I was naked, and then, Junhui’s naked body was laying on top of mine, moving in sink with mine. I tried to keep quiet, but no one’s ever made me feel what Junhui did. My heart was beating furiously the whole time and Junhui’s skin felt on fire as he kissed my lips hungrily. And then, I realized, maybe I liked this man a little bit too much. This bandit…how was I going to let go of him now?

One week ago, Wednesday

It was lunch time but the Inn was unnaturally buzzing with people. Most people only came in to get their shot of vodka for the day, but some came to have lunch. Most were working men from the market as this was all they could afford; the Inn wasn’t expensive and they loved it here. I wiped a few glasses clean as Andrei poured some liquor into three tall glasses, calling out my name.

“What?” I muttered as I walked over, looking at him tiredly. I haven’t slept much ever since Junhui’s last visit. My heart raced every time I thought of him and what we had done, and I couldn’t help it but feel sad. Now I knew he was one of the bandits, I never even considered telling anyone, but I knew once they made their robbery they would leave and I’d have no one once again. I longed to have someone who would comfort me and love me, but I accepted that I just wasn’t meant to experience these things. Junhui’s room was right above mine and him walking around and dragging something heavy against the floor for the past two nights made it also hard to sleep.

“Our little new friends ordered these.” Andrei’s finger was pointing at a table of five people. Seungkwan, Woozi, Joshua, Minghao, Jun. I hummed and took the glasses placed on a tray and walked over to their table. Their previous conversation ceased as all eyes fell on me and I gulped nervously as I placed the glasses on their table.

“A bit early to be drinking liquor, isn’t it?” I tried to joke, ease the tension, but it didn’t do anything. Seungkwan and Woozi were glaring daggers at me and it actually scared me, even Joshua had a cold expression as he reached for a glass. Minghao wasn’t paying attention to me as he was muttering something to himself, he was also scribbling something on a paper. And Junhui sighed quietly and placed a hand on my waist to squeeze it swiftly, before grabbing a glass to drink the liquor from it.

“Well…” I cleared my throat and turned to walk away, “Raise your hands if you need anything else.”

“What I need is you keeping your damn mouth shut.” Woozi’s voice was low as he snapped and I bit my lower lip, trying to hold back the tremor of my hands. He was scary, too scary, as he stared me dead in the eyes with the most vicious glare I have ever seen.

“Seriously!” Junhui snapped, slamming a fist onto the table, “I told you I took care of her!”

“How?” Woozi chuckled and Minghao glanced at Junhui then at me, and then proceeded to ignore what was happening.

“I have my ways—”

“Pushing your dick down someone’s throat is not a very convincing way, Junhui.” This time it was Seungkwan who snapped and I gulped, averting my eyes at the accusation. That didn’t happen, even if we had sex. It wasn’t their business what Junhui and I do behind closed doors.

“Shut up.” Junhui snapped, his eyes glaring at both Woozi and Seungkwan threateningly, “Don’t mind them, go do your work.”

I nodded my head slightly and then bolted back to the counter, coming to stand next to Andrei. He was preparing a few drinks and I placed the tray down for him to take when he was done. I went to wash my hands and took deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart and push back the tears that threatened to escape my eyes. I wasn’t expecting their personalities to take such a turn, but I guess I was a threat to them now. I wouldn’t tell anyone, but I guess they couldn’t just blindly trust me like that. Maybe they are planning my death and that’s why they are here, to observe my every move. I groaned at my thoughts and ran my fingers through my wavy hair, deciding to braid it really quick. I was fed up with always getting disrespected by men and I hated how they could always make comments freely without anyone telling them they were inappropriate. If I wasn’t afraid of Woozi and Seungkwan, I would’ve told them a piece of my mind, but once again, that’s never a good idea.

The bell chimed and I looked up to see two officers walking in. One was the same officer who was here on Friday night and didn’t help with Mr. Lee. His eyes swept over the place as the other officer walked around the tables which were occupied. The familiar officer, however, was headed straight our way. Andrei groaned and gave me a side glance.

“Did you do something?” He hissed lowly and I shook my head quickly, straightening my back when the officer stopped across from us.

“Hello.” Andrei greeted with a half-hearted smile and I bowed my head a little bit, eyes falling on the other officer for a split second. He was talking to everyone who was sitting at the tables and I suddenly felt hotter, like I was inside an oven.

“Yeah, yeah…” The officer muttered rudely and then placed a crumbled piece of paper on the counter for us to see. It was the newspaper from last week, the one that was talking about the five bandits headed our town.

“I’m sure you all know by now the bandits are headed this way, have you seen any suspicious movements? Heard anything?” The officer continued and I was itching to look towards the table Junhui was sitting at, but I was afraid it would trigger something in the officer that would make him realize it was them.

“Not really,” Andrei shrugged his shoulders, crossing his arms in front of his chest, “People say a lot of crazy things, but nothing about the bandits.”

“And you?” The officer’s eyes landed on me and I gulped nervously, hiding my trembling hands behind my back as I corrected my posture and opened my mouth to speak.

“There’s five strangers here,” The other officer approached us, cutting me off before I could even say something, “They say they arrived last week and will be leaving this Friday. Apparently, they are some travelers looking for some old artifacts or something like that.”

“Yes,” I spoke up before anyone could say anything else, I cringed at how loud my voice sounded suddenly, “They told me the same thing. I heard they found some old vases in one of their researches! They’ve been renting a room here, even attended the parties last week.”

I made sure to maintain eye contact with the officers as best as I could, to keep my voice leveled and my expression clear and soft. My heart was beating like crazy and my hands were shaking a lot more now, but I tried to ignore those. If I said anything wrong their cover would be screwed up and then I for sure would be dead by tomorrow. Andrei gave me a confused glance but when the officers looked at him questioningly, to confirm what I said, he just shrugged.

“I was on a leave for the past month, only returned recently, so what she says must be true.” I almost sighed out in relief but managed to catch myself before doing it.

“Very well then,” One of the officer’s said as his eyes ran over the place again, my eyes followed his and I smiled a little when I saw Junhui’s table laughing about something, clanking their glasses together, no doubt pretending like they were having fun.

“We’ll be going.” The same officer spoke and turned around to leave. The familiar officer gave me a look, as if he sensed I was lying, but turned and walked out with his partner. I finally relaxed and let a breath out, I felt Andrei’s confused gaze on me.

“Did you lie to them?” He asked skeptically, going back to doing what he was before the officers interrupted us.

“What? Why would I?” I scoffed and wiped my brows, unaware of the sweat that has accumulated there. Andrei just shrugged in response and my eyes inevitably fell on Junhui’s table. Joshua and Minghao were gone but I made eye contact with Woozi. He raised his glass, an amused smirk on his lips, as he tilted it in my direction. Seungkwan also looked smug and when I made eye contact with Junhui I felt a sense of calmness wash over me, as if I just passed an important evaluation. I guess Woozi and Seungkwan were pleased that I didn’t rat them out. When the doorbell chimed again, Joshua and Minghao were holding some big bags in both of their hands as they walked inside. Junhui rose from the table and he played with the keys to his room as he approached the two men, leading the way upstairs. He gave me one last look, and a tiny smile, before all three men disappeared upstairs. I let out a small sigh and took the tray with the drinks when Andrei complained about me being as slow as a snail. They were planning something, and suddenly I was feeling uneasy about knowing who they really were. Was I putting myself in danger indirectly?

Present time

My head snapped up at the sudden sounds echoing through the cold hallway. It sounded like two people struggling and the echo that carried their words here made no sense. My heart started beating quickly and my fingers latched onto the cold bars of the prison cell. I didn’t know what was happening and when keys startled rattling, I knew the end has come for me. This was it; I was going to die at the age of twenty-five for being the accomplice of a robbery. I shut my eyes closed tightly and took deep breaths as heavy footsteps neared me, the sound almost maddening as it felt like forever. I didn’t dare look nor breathe when I felt eyes on me, I didn’t even know how to react. I didn’t want to show fear, but when the cell was unlocked, my whole body started trembling. And then I couldn’t keep quiet anymore.

“Please!” My voice broke, but I still tried to speak, “I didn’t know! I swear I wasn’t helping them—”

I yelped when a strong grip on my forearm yanked me forward, and I didn’t want to open my eyes, but I was afraid I was going to fall and proceed to look even worse.

“Calm down.” My heart somersaulted at the calming voice and my eyes snapped open. Before I could control myself, I jumped into Junhui’s arms, gripping his shirt like my life depended on him. Quite ironically, it did depend on him right now.

“What are you doing here?!” I gasped, unable to let go of him, I was afraid I’d collapse to the ground.

“To get you out, of course.” Jun’s voice was hurried as I felt him move around before pushing me slightly off him, “I know you’re scared, but we have to go now, if we want to get away. Can you gather yourself and do as I say?”

I was still shaking but I took a deep breath and tried to reassure myself that I was capable of doing this. If I didn’t, I would die. And I wasn’t ready to die, not yet, not when I had Junhui in front of me.

“Yes.” We made eye contact and Jun’s lips pulled into a small smile, he patted my head affectionately. I stepped away from him and Jun’s eyes ran over my body quickly, stopping on the end of my skirt. I looked down confused and got even more confused when he kneeled down and gripped the fabric.

“You can’t run in this.” He muttered and suddenly, my dress was getting torn apart. I gasped but didn’t try to stop him, he was right, the long skirt didn’t offer much mobility for my legs. Jun ripped the fabric up until my knees, the feeling was weird, I supposed the dress now looked really ugly. It wasn’t just dirty, but torn too. Junhui stood up and remained still for a second, but then he pressed a quick kiss against my lips and my heart started racing. Did this mean I was going with them?

“Let’s go.” An excited grin appeared on his lips and I took his extended hand, but couldn’t share his enthusiasm. I was supposed to die a few minutes ago, I was still supposed to be dead, if they catch us for the second time. My heart raced as Junhui ran us through the hallways, towards the door through which light flooded the dark and cold dungeon. We were breaking free.

Earlier today, around 9 a.m.

My attention was drawn towards the ruckus coming from the stairs that led upstairs. Aleksi was in the storage room so I allowed myself to abandon washing the dishes and walk to the stairs to see what was happening. My lips formed into a pout as I watched Woozi pull a heavy looking bag after him on the floor, which was the one causing the ruckus. My eyebrows furrowed as I watched him confused while he descended the stairs.

“What are you doing?” I asked, curiosity lacing my tone. Woozi’s head snapped up and he looked at me, his eyes narrowed into intimidating slits. I gulped and pushed myself away from the railing, not wanting to piss him off so early in the morning.

“None of your business.” He snapped with authority in his voice and I nodded once, stepping away.

“Right, sorry…” I muttered and went back to washing the dishes, ignoring the second pair of boots that loudly descended the stairs. The front door opened and Woozi was outside, leaving me alone in the Inn with Junhui. I didn’t turn around when I felt his eyes on me, if Aleksi was to come back now and see that I wasn’t doing my duties, he’d be really angry.

“Y/N,” Junhui quietly called out, knowing it was just the two of us inside for now, “I have something to ask of you.”

I sighed but didn’t turn around to face him, “Don’t worry, I won’t say anything to anyone. Even after you disappear…I’ll bring this secret with myself to my grave, I suppose.”

Junhui hummed and remained silent for a few seconds before I heard him sighing, “That’s not what I wanted to ask of you…today…just stay around the Inn, alright? If you want to walk around town, just stay here instead, it’s safer.”

“Whatever you say.” I muttered, drying my hands as I finished washing the dishes.

“And…I wish we had more time to spend together…” I turned to face Junhui, and was surprised when he actually looked sad, “Your company is really pleasant, I think…I think we could have been something more…”

I chuckled and crossed my arms in front of my chest, ignoring the pang in my chest, “Well, yeah…our lifestyles don’t match, I guess. Don’ worry, this happens all the time. I’m sure you’ll find a pretty woman in the next town and forget about me…I’m better off alone, after all.”

Junhui didn’t comment anything further, he just gulped and nodded his head in agreement. The words I said didn’t fit well with me, but after all, I was just saying the truth. I haven’t known this man for long, but he was the first one to respect my boundaries and the first one who didn’t look down on me. It was a nice feeling, but nothing lasts forever.

“Goodbye.” He whispered and I offered him a last smile, disappointed we were parting ways this way.

“Goodbye, Junhui.” His lips pulled into a tight line at the hear of his name and he walked away with a sigh, not looking back. I pursed my lips and looked around the empty place, what if I went with him? Would the others allow me to join him? Would I want to become a bandit myself? But before I could dwell more on these thoughts, Aleksi was standing right next to me.

“Why are you standing there and doing nothing?” He raised his eyebrows and I cleared my throat, evening my expression.

“The guy who occupied room nr.888 just left, I’ll go clean up.” I muttered to Aleksi and walked around the counter, headed for the stairs.

“Good, and after that, go to the market,” He extended his hand and pushed a piece of paper into my hand, “We are running low on a few supplies.”

“Sure…” I muttered and placed the piece of paper into my small pocket, heading up the stairs.

Earlier today, around 1 p.m.

It was a sunny day and the hot sun shone down on us. I was covered in sweat already and I have barely left the Inn five minutes ago. The market was just around the corner so I didn’t have to walk much, which was to my benefit as I wouldn’t have to carry the heavy things for a long time. The market was buzzing with people, sellers and buyers, and the cacophony was worse than most nights at the Inn. I avoided bumping into a woman and her three children as I side stepped them and my eyes fell on the National Bank from across the street. People were coming and going casually, everyone minding their own business. I sighed and stopped at the first stand to buy the vegetables Aleksi had written on the list. My eyes fell on the blonde-haired boy sitting to the back, in the shadow, and I smiled at him.

“Miss Katie!” He exclaimed with a smile, offering me a small wave.

“Enjoying your day off, Little James?” I asked with a chuckle and the young boy nodded with a grin.

“The kid runs so fast he delivers the newspaper way faster than I ever could,” Big James spoke up as he filled my bag with potatoes, “Figured he deserved a day off.”

“That’s nice of you,” I said politely, handing him the money, “He’s a hard-working kid!”

“Like you, Katie!” Big James winked at me and I walked away with a small laugh, eyes falling on the flower stand. It was standing on the side of the Bank and I couldn’t help it but walk there. I always loved flowers, sometimes I would buy some and sneak them inside my room. Aleksi didn’t know about them because I bought them from the money, he gave me to purchase the items he needed. If he were to find out, I’d probably be kicked out, something I didn’t wish for.

“Hello!” The lady offered me a warm smile and I bowed my head in greeting as I touched the petals of the lilies. They were beautiful and I let out a small sigh, glancing down at the money in my other hand. Should I buy some for myself? Would Aleksi notice this time? He didn’t give me much money, maybe I shouldn’t—suddenly screams erupted and as I looked towards the noise, a loud BANG went off and next thing I knew I was thrown to the ground. My side was throbbing as I lay on the sandy ground and my ears were ringing like never before. I was shocked to see people laying on the ground around me, even some of the flowers littered around me. I was confused as I pushed myself up to all fours, trying to gain a sense of the situation. What has happened? Why does everyone look so scared and disoriented and why can’t I hear anything expect the ringing in my ears? I tried to get up to my feet, but I felt a little light headed so I took deep breaths, closing my eyes. But next thing I knew, someone crashed into my body and I cried out, my side throbbing even more. The person said something, I couldn’t understand from the ringing still going on, and then I was roughly hauled up and I froze when I felt something cold pressing against my temple. Suddenly, I became aware of the sirens in the distance and I became even more scared when I saw various vendors pointing their shotguns in my direction. I didn’t understand what was happening, why was I being held at gunpoint? The voices started coming back, my hearing clearing, and then I understood everything.

“If anyone dares to move even one inch, I will shoot this woman to death!” My capturer screamed at the top of his lungs, squeezing my side, making me cry out in pain. The body holding me was solid and firm, I wanted to look who was holding me, but I was afraid if I moved, I’d be dead.

“Leave Katie alone and we can talk this through!” It was Big James, his eyes were narrowed, he was the only one not pointing his shotgun at me directly.

My capturer laughed crazily behind me and I shivered, “You think I’ll fall for that?!”

I whimpered and turned my head slightly when he pressed his chin, which was covered with something, against my cheek, “If you don’t come with me, I will kill you.”

My lips were trembling and I raised my hands in surrender, showing everyone, I was unarmed, “He—he said he’ll—let me go, if—if you don’t shoot—”

The man holding me made an appreciative sound and pulled his head away from me, “Move and you’ll never see Katie again!”

I whimpered again, biting my lower lip when his hand left my side to grip my forearm. The grip was strong and I felt fragile as the man started running, pulling me after him. The shotguns went off and I cried out in fear of getting hit by a bullet, but the man holding me swerved around and made us run behind the bank. As we were running, my eyes fell on the side of the building, and I was shocked to see a huge hole in it. They blew up the bank! These were the bandits! Eyes falling on the man that finally slowed down as we came to a stop next to a black car, I realized it was Woozi. I jumped when he opened the backdoor and pushed me inside harshly, making me hit my face in the cushion. Suddenly, he was sitting inside and the engine of the car was ignited to life and put into movement. I sat up straight in the seat, I’ve never sat inside a car before, my whole-body trembling in fear as I bit my lower rip, trying to stop myself from crying. It was quiet inside the car and I realized five men were sitting inside. Three in the front, the seats were connected, and two on the backseat with me. I knew immediately who they were and it made me more fearful.

“Will—will you kill me?” I choked out and one whipped his head around, his eyes being the only thing I could see through the rag that he wore as a mask to protect his identity.

“I don’t know, should we?” I shook my head furiously ‘no’ and someone hissed.

“Stop fucking around with her! She’s already scared shitless!” Junhui snapped from the driver’s seat and my heart started thumping furiously.

“Why did you even take her?” Joshua’s soft voice was cold and I looked down at my lap.

“She was good distraction, I only got away because the town people didn’t want to shoot her.” Woozi said and suddenly Seungkwan started cackling loudly, throwing his head back. I didn’t understand what was so funny but I didn’t want to find out.

“What are we going to do with her?” Minghao muttered, glancing at me from beside me. I looked away and prayed to myself no one would say ‘kill her’.

“We’ll think about that later!” Junhui snapped before the others could say anything else. And then suddenly, loud sirens could be heard coming from behind us and I turned my head to see the sheriff’s car chasing after ours. Then gunshots rang through, the boys screamed at each other inside the car, and then all I could remember was a loud screeching noise, and the car in the air flipping over. Then, I woke up in a prison cell all alone, hurt and scared.

Present time

Junhui and I had to be silent as we ran through the corridors of the station, having successfully escaped from the dungeon. Jun was guiding me from behind and as we rounded the corner, I ran into a solid body. My cry was silent as my face was pressed into the chest of the man, but before I could start further panicking and making a scene, Junhui pulled me away and I saw it was Joshua. He gave me a glare before exchanging a glance with Junhui and disappearing around the corner.

“What are we doing?” I whispered confused to Jun, raising my eyebrows at him as I pressed myself up against the wall.

“Breaking out.” Junhui answered with a chuckle, looking around the corner. Then he gripped my hand into his and we were running down the long hallway once again, coming to a stop in front of the closed door.

“Listen, once we get out…nothing is guaranteed. Are you ready to make this commitment?” Junhui’s voice was low, warning but reassuring at the same time. I took a deep breath and looked into his eyes as I let the breath out slowly.

“Do you promise not to abandon me then? Will you let me become one of you?” I whispered at Jun, squeezing his hand.

“We don’t have much of a choice, do we?” A smirk pulled onto his lips and I mirrored him, suddenly feeling excited about the promise of a new life.

The door got cracked open suddenly and I jumped scared, looking at Jun, “If you’re done being disgusting, take this.”

It was Woozi and he pushed a handgun into my hand, then another one. I looked at Junhui confused as he took one but left the other for me.

“Don’t shoot any of us—the rest we don’t care about.” My mouth fell open as Woozi opened the door and pulled me outside, shielding my body as he looked around.

“Coast is clear.” He muttered almost so quietly I didn’t hear him, “We only have to get to that car.”

It was the sheriff’s car and it was a good one-hundred-fifteen meters away from where we were standing. I readied myself to run, when suddenly a bullet wheezed past our heads. I screamed and ducked down, Junhui and Woozi forming a barrier around me.

“Fuck, they noticed too quickly!” Junhui hissed as we were ducking behind some old wood kept for heating in the winter.

“Whatever, we have to go!” Woozi shook his head and turned his head to look at me, “You start running first and we’ll make sure you don’t get shot, yeah?”

“What?!” I exclaimed but before what he said could settle in, I was pushed forward and even almost faceplanted into the dirt. Gunshots almost immediately went off and I screamed as I scurried off the ground and started running. I couldn’t help but scream the whole time, gun waving around in my hand, until I got to the car. I rammed into the side of it, chest rising and falling as I tried to shield myself from any further danger, but the shooting didn’t stop even for a second. The driver’s door got thrown open and suddenly I could see Jun and Woozi running our way. They were running in zig-zag as they sprinted towards the car and my eyes widened when one officer, the one I was familiar with, started running after them with his shotgun raised high. My heart thumped wildly and all I could think of was, what if he shoots Junhui? With trembling hands, I raised my arms, gripping the handgun with both tightly, and stepped away from the little safety the car offered. And then I started firing as well, on the verge of screaming once again. But as Junhui jumped inside the car, I pulled the trigger for the last time, and got dragged inside the car by Woozi. My eyes widened when I saw the officer falling to the ground with a loud cry, holding onto his leg. The car door got slammed shut and almost immediately we took off, kicking up dirt behind us. I remained looking ahead shocked, unphased by the dangerous maneuvers Junhui was making. I just shot a man. And then suddenly, everyone in the car was cheering loudly. I yelped when my back was patted roughly by Seungkwan, who was sitting in the back, a wide grin on his lips.

“Welcome to your new life, Y/N.” Seungkwan said with a smirk and a breathy chuckle left my lips as I looked at the five men sitting inside the car.

“I just shot a man!”

“Won’t be your last time.” Joshua said with a proud smirk and I couldn’t say anything.

I never thought my life would turn into this, but oh boy, this was the best choice I made after leaving my hometown.

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alice-angel12x · 3 years

Text

💔Gem!Deku x Gem!Reader

"You think this is the place?" Asked a rouge.

"Yep, that's what our sources tell us," Said another.

"You got the cages and rope ready," The leader asked.

"Yeah of course, but why did we bring this dead weight," A low Lackie asked kicking a tarp-covered cage.

"Because this dead weight is our bait. Those rocks have a soft spot for their own kind, especially the weaker and fragile ones," The leader said as he ripped the tarp away.

Revealing a bound Phosphophyllite gem with messy dark green hair and green eyes. His wrists and ankles were tied together, and a piece of cloth was wrapped around his mouth.

"You know the drill, right Deku," The leader smiled cruelly.

"MMhhm! NNmph!" Deku tried to scream.

The Trappers grabbed the helpless gem as they descended into the caves.

The Kessho people, or gem people many humans call them. Being made entirely of crystals of all kinds, they are highly sought after by humans. Because their entire body was made of pure and untainted crystals, many hunters seek these beauties. For things from jewelry to weapons, or just want a shiny servent, many reasons.

So the gems hide in many places of the world, from small islands to deep underground tunnels and caves. Anywhere out of human reach.

-------

Please. I don't want any part of this. Please let me go! I tried to cry out but I couldn't with the gag in the way. The memories of previous raids started resurfacing. They would use gems like me to lure others out of hiding, for what reason they help me varies. Some communities of gem had an elitist-like community, or even ones made up of one kind of gems. But when they got close they were ambushed and locked away in cages. They would after be turned into weapons and jewelry.

"Here, place him here," The leader Rato said.

They placed me down near a ledge and ripped away from my gag. Looking over I could see two gems walking by down below. I tried to stay as quiet and still as I could so they wouldn't notice me.

"Deku's too quiet," Rato growled.

He stomped on my hand shattering it. I could hold back the pain as I cried out, it echoed throughout the cave. Looking down at the gems below they quickly spotted me and ran away. Good at least they won't get caught.

-------------

Suddenly there was a rustle and a-

"SMASH!!" shouted a large gem.

The gem delivered a powerful punch knocking three of the rouges away. Deku stared in awe at the scene and the powerful gem with a brave smile on his face, but the wind was so strong that Deku was blown off the edge. Time seemed to slow as he watches the edge grow farther and farther away. Deku shut his eyes closed waiting for his painful end When an f/c blurr caught him.

"Are you alright?" Asked a kind voice.

Deku looked up to his hero to be meet E/c eyes with their hair the same color to match. His eyes sparkled as his hero's hair Glimmered beautifully in the moonlight. He looked down to see he was being held bridle style.

"Y-yes," Deku stuttered bashfully.

"Don't worry your safe now, as long as your under All Mights protection you have nothing to fear," The (gem type) smiled.

But Deku couldn't help but just stare at this new gem as an infatuation grew. His captures were long dealt with as the new group of gems escorted him back to their hidden home.

"u-um who are you?" Deku asked the mysterious G/t(gem type).

"Well my friends like to call me Y/n," they smiled as they untied Deku.

"I-I'm Deku," He said with a beet-red face.

"Pleasure to meet you Deku," Y/n greeted as they handed him over to other gems.

"Ochaco, Momo this is Deku. Please get him property clothed and make sure he feels welcomed," All Might a Yellow diamond smiled. (No not that one)

-------------

From that day on I have lived with these Gems for the past 300 years, and my feelings for Y/n only grew. They were so brave and confident, was also one of the greatest fighters in the village. One of the few gems trained under All Might. Sadly cause I only have a toughness scale of 3, so I wasn't suited for combat.

Though All Might noticed that I was very observant and good with notes, so he assigned me to the encyclopedia. My job is to take notes of the enemies we encounter and record events. Then there were some books about stuff I made up, humans would call them fantasies or stories. Though I didn't mind this being my job cause Y/n would come by and read my works. I couldn't help but feel lighter than air and embarrassed at the same time as they were reading my work.

Y/n would always come in after her patrol, come in and read, or more often just sit down and talk to me. Though most of the time it was just him listening to whatever good memories of the human world, or my memories of my original home.

I tried to keep my feeling to myself the best I could by just doodling in my private book, just for my eyes only, but I guess I wasn't secret enough.

"Wow dude, you really have a thing for Y/n," said a voice.

I gasped as I jumped back to see it was Denki, who quickly snatched my drawing book and speed through my embarrassing drawings.

"Wow, you've got it bad. All these drawings are of Y/n and you being lovey-dovey," He said out loud.

Attracting the attention of Iida the Topaz and Ochaco the pink diamond ( No not that one you SU fans). They quickly came over and looked through my book.

"Wow, looks like Touya has a love rival," Ochaco gasped.

Touya the padparadscha gem, was also one of the top fighters for the village and is always Y/n's patrol partner, who was also pinning after them too. There would be times he would just randomly jump into our conversation and steal their attention. But I couldn't hear what they were saying as I covered my ears in embarrassment.

"Oh no, Y/n forgot their other sword," Momo gasped.

"I'll take it to them!" I offered as I quickly grabbed the weapon and ran out of the library.

"Does he know where Y/n and Touya are?" Momo asked.

"It even notes was Y/n patrols today," Denki said flipping through the pages not paying attention.

----------

Y/n and Touya stood guard at one of the cave entrances, as the warm sunlight funneled through. Y/n smiled as she felt the warm light on her powered covered surface.

"Hey Y/n, do you ever wonder what could be on the surface?" Touya asked.

"Ever since Deku came and told me stories of the surface, it only fueled my imagination," Y/n turned to her trusted partner.

"One day we'll be the ones on top, and I'll take you all over the surface. Just you and me," Touya said with confidence.

" That's an awfully big promise Touya," Y/n said as they sat next to him.

"I mean we can always just wait till the humans go extinct," Touya suggested.

"Haha, all right. I'll hold you to that promise," Y/n laughed as they gently held Touya's hand.

Deku watched from the side of a tunnel wall, as he sighed sadly and turned back into the tunnel. He wandered the cave tunnels as he hugged Y/n's sword close to him. As he turned the corner he bumped into something, something large.

------------

I felt lighter than air as I stared into Y/n's e/c eyes.

"AAAAHHHH!" Someone screamed.

"How did the enemy pass us?" Y/n gasped.

"No, maybe the other entrances were compromised," I suggested.

"You go check the next entrance over and see if anything is wrong, I'll go check up the tunnels," Y/n said as she ran down into the dark caves.

With a sigh, I ran to the next entrance that leads to the forests, which was supposed to be guarded by Katsuki and Shoto. Turning the corner he saw two humans picking up pieces of Shoto and Bakugou and stuffing them into potato sacks. Touya quickly drew his sword and cut down the intruders.

Touya to worried about his partner quickly stuffed the rest of Shoto and Bakugou into the bag, not caring he is mixing their pieces, and quickly ran to the village.

---------

"Looks like we caught a phosphophyllite, hold that rock tight Nomu," A light blue hair human smile.

The giant mutant humanoid figure Nomu nodded silently as it the poor gem in its giant hands. Deku's arms were broken off as he was restrained by Nomu's brute strength.

"What fine craftsmen ship, able to slice through rock," Said a tall human with dark back- purple hair.

"LET ME GO!" Deku screamed as he tried to break free from the Nomu.

"Nomu shut the pebble up before he alerts the others," The man growled.

"HEY!" Y/n shouted.

"Another one," The other human grumbled.

"Y/n," Deku smiled in relief.

"Let him go," Y/n said lowly.

"Nomu get it," Tomura pointed at the G/t.

Y/n ran towards the creature and sliced its head clean off, with the sharp edge of her arm. Deku stared with worried and sad eyes as he looked over their damaged form. The left section around her face was broken off, the elbow broke off their left arm, they were missing their right hand, and her right leg was horribly cracked, and it looked like it could fall apart at any moment.

Y/n moved swiftly and kicked the human hard in the face. Deku quickly got up as the two ran down the tunnel.

Deku looked back to see Y/n was having a bit of trouble keeping up with Deku.

"Y/n, are you okay?" Deku asked.

"Don't worry turn right and follow," Y/n said as she pushed forward.

As the two quickly turned the corner, the humans regained their composer and made chase after the two. Y/n pushed a medium-sized boulder away from a tiny hole in the side of the cave wall. Deku hesitantly got in when suddenly Y/n started to close the opening.

"Y/n What are you doing?" Deku asked as the opening became too small for him to even squeeze out of.

"Hiding you, I'll come back for you. I have to lead them away from the village," Y/n explained as they backed away.

"No, Please don't do this. Don't leave me Y/n. I- I want to tell you something first,'' Deku said quickly.

Y/n smiled sadly as she turned to face Deku from the other side of the boulder. Deku could tell they were ready to throw their life away for everyone, for him.

"Y/n, I love-,"

Suddenly Y/n's head was sliced clean off by a thrown sword. Deku gasped in horror as he watched Y/n's body fall to the ground, he tried to reach out but he had no arm to hold out.

Deku wanted to scream and cry, but no sound came out of him. Y/n slowly turned their head towards Deku and mouthed.

'Please live for me, Deku," they mouthed as the humans quickly gathered her broken body.

They were in such a rush they left Y/n's head behind. Deku fell to his knees as he stared at his crush for so long. It felt like an eternity When All Might and Touya arrived, Their eyes widen with horror and sorrow as Touya fell to his knees and held Y/n's head. He put their foreheads together as he cried out in sorrow.

"NOO!" Touya cried.

All might soon notice Deku was trapped behind the boulder and quickly moved it aside with no effort.

"Let us go Young Deku, we need to evacuate the village before they bring more of them," All might said as he helped Deku to his feet.

-----------

(400 years later)

It has been a long time since Y/n's death, All Might changed in a way after his student's death. If he weren't needed, he would lock himself away, but for the most part, he was still the jolly smiling gem he was before. Touya, on the other hand, didn't take Y/n's death all that well, he did lose his love who was his partner for 800 years. He started to call himself Dabi and started to cover only parts of his face, giving him a patchwork look. It not only scared most humans but fellow gems too.

I was upgraded to a medic after Momo was taken about 200 years back, we some people over the years and gained new ones too. I helped piece gems back together, but my main goal is to bring Y/n back. The village moved up high into the mountain, so high it would be difficult for them to breathe, but Humans would risk their lives and come up anyways. Some came with Weapons and tools made of gems, and many times they were G/t so I slowly put Y/n back together piece by piece.

I Finished them for the most part, but there were still 3 large gaping holes in their torso. I tried to use other gem pieces that matched her Mohs scale. Yet it only worked sometimes, she would wake up for about three minutes. Yet when they do everyone who was watching my work quickly rushed in to tell them how much they missed them and update them on everything.

Even Tou- Dabi would come by. Y/n was weirded out at first but they got used to it quickly and I would never really get a chance to talk to them, but I will never forget the last time they woke up. As they said their goodnight to everyone, they turned to me as said.

"I'll miss you Deku, I can't wait to wake up to see you again," Y/n smiled as they fell back unconscious.

I'll bring you back Y/n so I can tell you how I feel.

#houseki no kuni #gem #mha #mha angst #mha deku #izuku mydoria #izuku x reader #deku x reader #angst #bnha midoriya #bnha #bnha x reader #mha x reader #CrossOver

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teenwolffan-with-nolife · 3 years

Text

The Witch and The Wolf Pt.51

Word Count: 1,924

Characters: Derek Hale, Scott McCall, Stiles Stilinski, Liam Dunbar (brief), Sean (forgot his last name), Noah Stilinski, Melissa McCall, Peter Hale, Braeden, Jordan Parrish (brief), Reader

Pairings: Derek Hale x Witch!Reader

Warnings: angst, some fluff

A/N: ---

Masterlist Series Masterlist

You sat in the bed, looking down at your arms, feeling slight aching as the black veins were slightly visible. You wrapped your arms around yourself, before sighing.

Derek put his arms around your waist, pulling you in slightly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing,” you shook your head.

He held your arms, looking at the veins on your arms.

“(Y/N),” he gasped.

“It doesn't hurt like last time,” you shrugged.

He began taking your pain, before stopping, letting out a shaky breath.

His hands were shaking as you put your hands on his shoulders, looking at him carefully.

“What's wrong?” you frowned.

“I-I don’t know,” he shook his head.

He looked up at you, his eyes glowing blue before they turned yellow. You gasped slightly, in shock.

“Your eyes are yellow,” you said softly.

“I don’t know what's happening…” he collapsed into your arms as you jumped slightly.

“Derek? Derek!” you shook him gently, trying to wake him up, but he stayed still.

“Derek!” you heard Peter yell as he ran into the room.

“Get out!” you yelled at him.

“No! Derek! We were robbed.”

---

“Good morning,” Derek laid his head in your lap as you sat up in the bed, turning your phone off.

“Hey,” you gave him a soft smile, kissing his forehead before stroking his head softly.

“I think Peter’s downstairs,” Derek sighed.

“Sana obstructionum,” your eyes flashed purple as he frowned.

“He can't hear us now. How are you feeling?” you asked softly.

“Exhausted,” he shook his head.

“You don’t look well either,” you said.

“I’m just cold,” he shook his head.

You pulled the blanket on him before he took it off.

“Peter’s not gonna leave any time soon. I should probably go make sure he doesn't do anything stupid. I think Braeden’s coming,” he explained, standing up as he put his shirt on.

“I really think you should rest for a few days,” you said.

“Resting won’t help find Kate any sooner,” he retorted

“It's been a week-”

“We’ve been in bed all night, we got to rest. It’s time to go do stuff,” you got out of the bed, walking towards him.

“I don't have stuff,” he wrapped his arms around your waist while you put yours around his neck.

“Did you call Sheriff Stilinski yet?” he raised an eyebrow as you groaned.

“It’s a good opportunity for you,” he said.

“I’m gonna spend who knows how long following deputies and Sheriff Stilinski around. I just don't think it's a good use of time,” you shrugged.

“Go,” he replied.

“No.”

“Seriously, go,”

“You’re sick. So no.”

“I’m not sick, I’m fine. Now go.”

“I don't need a job,”

“You need a life that doesn't just consist of a group of 16-year-olds and me.”

“Stiles is 17.”

“And your ass is 20 in a matter of weeks.”

He glared at you before his face fell into a small smile.

“I will call you and update you with everything that happens. Now go.”

You knew the main reason as to why you didn't want to work there. He only wanted to hire you because a good amount of his deputies were gone, they were dead. And you were the one who killed him.

“I’ll go for the day and then make my choice, okay?” you raised an eyebrow.

Derek pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“Good. Now call him, I’ll make us breakfast,” you nodded while he walked out of the room.

---

You walked in front of the Sheriff station, slightly nervous before taking a small breath.

“(Y/N)? What are you doing here?” you heard Parrish’s voice as you turned to face him.

“Hey, uh I decided to take Sheriff Stilinski up on his offer. He wants me to just follow him today and see what I think,” you explained.

“Right, I forgot about that,” he shook his head.

“Well. where are you off to?” you asked.

“There was a murder last night. A family. I’m going to their house,” you heard your phone ring, receiving a text from Sheriff Stilinski.

“Mind giving me a ride to the hospital?”

---

“So, he hasn't spoken a word since he got here. Probably still in shock,” Sheriff Stilinski explained as you walked alongside him and Melissa to the morgue.

“This was his whole family?” you asked.

“Yeah, mother, father, older brother. He was the youngest and the only one who got out of there alive,” he explained.

Melissa unzipped the body, while you examined the wounds.

“So it’s not supernatural, clearly,” you noticed the ax wounds.

“A combination of sharp and blunt force trauma,” Melissa explained.

“What was the kid’s name? Sean?” you asked, looking at the body before turning to Melissa as she nodded.

“Is he asleep?” you asked.

Noah frowned slightly.

“Yeah, he is. What are you gonna do?” Melissa asked.

“Well, maybe I could see what happened?” you suggested.

“I don't want Scott involved-” Melissa started.

“He doesn't need to be. I can look,” you said.

After a moment of silence, they both agreed while you walked to Sean’s room.

He was sleeping, while you walked in, placing your hands on his head. He moved slightly, while you held him tighter, your eyes glowing purple.

“Requiem,” his body went limp as he let out a shaky breath.

You let out a shaky breath, realizing it had been a while.

You can do this

You closed your eyes.

Sean locked his front door, after entering his house.

“Mom? I can’t find him!” he called out.

The house remained silent, before he turned off the lights, heading back to his room.

He got into his bed, before hearing a slight jingle.

“Willow?” he looked under his bed, spotting a small figure.

“Willow! There you are,” he let out a soft breath.

“Willow?” he picked up a flashlight, looking under his bed before gasping, jumping back. His dog was under the bed, covered in blood.

You jumped slightly, while you heard screams coming from outside his room. They screamed no, screaming for mercy before Sean opened the door, seeing a shadowy figure walk in front of him, with blood dripping from his ax.

Sean slammed the door shut, breath heavy before the ax broke through his door. He ran, running to his bathroom as he locked the door.

“Hello, Sean. I just killed your whole family, and I’m gonna kill you too unless you want to fight,” a distorted voice came from behind the door, while Sean held in a cry, wrapping his fist with a towel.

He punched his window, before jumping out, running down the street.

---

Your eyes watered as you gasped lightly, pulling away from Sean. Your hands were shaking as your breathing was heavy, clenching your jaw tightly. Your hands were shaking as you leaned against a chair, trying to gather yourself. Your entire body was still aching, only slightly duller than before.

You heard your phone ringing as you wiped your face, taking a deep breath.

“H-Hey,” your voice was shaking slightly, while you answered the call from Derek.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing. What’s up?” you sighed.

“Just wanted to check in on you. Not going well?”

“No, it’s… it’s going well. Just this poor kid,” you sighed.

You walked out of his room, walking in the hallway.

“His entire family is gone.”

“Well, he’s a survivor,” Derek said.

“Yeah,” you turned, walking to the front before seeing Scott and Stiles, holding up a younger kid.

“Wh-” you frowned.

“Babe, I-I’ll call you back in a bit,” you said, making your way to Scott and Stiles.

“Okay, love you.”

“Love you too,” you hung up the call, giving Stiles and Scott a look, before turning to the pre-teen standing between them, limping.

“What did you two do?” you asked.

“Can you just call my mom?” Scott asked softly.

You looked between the three of them, before nodding, calling Melissa to the front.

“What did you guys do to this… baby?” the three of them gave you a look.

“I’m 14-” Liam started.

“You’re a baby. Here, do you want to sit down?” you pulled up a wheelchair, while he hopped to it.

“What happened?” you whispered to Scott.

He shook his head, looking down in guilt while your face softened.

After Melissa took Liam, you turned back to the two of them.

“What are you doing here?” Scott asked you.

“I was here with Sheriff Stilinski, I’m pretty sure he’s somewhere around here,” you replied.

“Oh, you took the job,” you nodded softly.

“So, what happened?” you asked.

Stiles cleared his throat, looking at Scott before turning back to you.

“We were playing lacrosse… I guess we kind of took it too hard and next thing we know Liam’s leg is broken,” Stiles explained.

“It was an accident,” Scott added.

“So then why’s Scott… it was an accident, Scott,” you frowned slightly.

“Dude, you can't seriously blame yourself for this,” Stiles groaned.

“You heard what he said about his grandfather and stuff. I just ruined his chances of playing,” Scott’s voice was low.

“But that’s not your fault. Accidents happen,” you replied.

“It shouldn't have happened at all. If I wasn't so focused on keeping my place on the team… maybe we could use a new team captain,” Scott said.

“Well, it happened. It could've been so much worse. But he’ll be okay. He’ll heal eventually. It was just an accident and nothing more. You deserve to be captain, Scott,” you caressed his back softly, before he nodded.

“I have to get home… I promised Malia we could study together,” you smiled softly.

“What?” Stiles asked.

“Nothing, it’s nice to see you finally with someone. I’ll see you later,” he rolled his eyes before leaving you and Scott.

“So, what have you been doing all week?” Scott asked.

“Trying to find Kate,” you shrugged.

“Do you need help?”

“It's not your problem, don't worry about it,” the two of you stood silently for a second before he laid his head on your shoulder.

“I still want to go apologize to Liam,” Scott said.

“Scott…”

“(Y/N),” he groaned.

“Fine, go,” you rolled your eyes.

You pat his back once more before he ran off.

---

“Hey! How was your day?” Derek wrapped his arms around you tightly as you put your bag down.

“Actually, not that bad,” you shrugged.

“Well, Braeden’s here. She also kind of looked at the case you saw,” you walked with him to the table, seeing Braeden standing across from you.

“I’ll tell you what I told him. It wasn't a normal axe. But, I’ll need a minute to talk to my resources,” she explained.

“Wait… you don't think this has something to do with Kate, do you?” you frowned.

“It can’t be a coincidence that Kate leaves, and she knew about the vault, and then this guy comes in and murders a whole family. This has something to do with Kate.”

You felt chills going down your spine as you nodded softly.

“Thanks,” Braeden was a bit surprised by your words, before she nodded, giving you a small smile.

“I’ll see you two in a bit,” she waved off, before grabbing her helmet, leaving the loft.

“I missed you today,” you kissed his cheek softly.

“I missed you too. Since it’s only 8… how does moving this little conversation to the couch sound?” he raised an eyebrow, a small smirk on his face.

“Well, I’d love to,” he pressed his lips against yours, before pulling you to the couch.

Taglist: @supernatual-crazed-girl

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hatterstan-shameblog · 3 years

Text

The Best Quiche in Tokyo

Rating: ‼️18+ Minors Do Not Interact ‼️

Warnings: explicit sexuality (it literally takes place at an orgy so like.......Y’know)

Characters: Hatter (Takeru), Aguni, and Female Reader (You)

Summary: When one of your customers invites you to a potluck-slash-orgy, you assume the “orgy” part is a joke—because nobody really hosts a potluck and an orgy at the same time, right?

Notes: One time, @nessinborderland (happy belated birthday btw) gave me the brilliant idea of Hatter hosting an orgy and serving really good food and I just......ran with it. This ended up being part comedy, part character study—and mostly features Aguni, if you can believe it! I don’t know, I just let the story take me where it wanted to go! (Also, this is definitely the longest thing I’ve written on here, so get ready to dig in!)

It’s a beautiful Sunday afternoon in March, and you’re standing in front of a hat shop. Well, technically, you’re slightly to the left of a hat shop, peering down a skinny alleyway in search of a door or a set of stairs—something to indicate that there is, in fact, an apartment up there and this is not just an elaborate prank.

There is a very good chance this is a prank—after all, the eccentric man who walked into your stationary store two weeks ago seemed...off. Not in a bad way, just. One-of-a-kind. Unique. Entirely himself, in a way that people usually aren’t.

Was he flirting or was he just overly friendly when he leaned in just a bit too close to see the various fonts available for his choosing? It’s difficult to say. He did seem genuinely interested to know the difference between serif and sans serif, which doesn’t much thrill your customers on the regular. Does asking for an extra business card ‘for his personal records’ count as a pick-up line? It’s hard to say. Not that it matters much, of course—you are a professional, he is a customer, and there’s nothing more to it.

And you really are a professional, because when he told you that he wanted—in metallic gold, 30-point, center aligned—to say, quote, “The Third Annual Springtime Potluck and Orgy: Presented by Danma Takeru,” you didn’t so much as bat an eye. Partially because he was very insistent that you spell his name correctly, and partially because. Well. How does a person respond to that?

In truth, he ended up being one of your better customers—he showed a genuine interest in the process while still deferring to your expertise—and when one of the printed invitations arrived in your mailbox, you figured you might as well go see what the fuss is about. It could be an opportunity to meet some new friends, maybe drum up a little business if you’re lucky.

And besides—a potluck-slash-orgy? Who would even do that?

The merry little jingle of bell catches your attention, and you turn your head to see a solemn-looking man peeking his head around the hat shop’s glass door. He looks at you. He looks at the plastic-wrapped pie in your hands. He looks back at you.

He frowns.

“Hi,” you say, putting on your most charming smile in the hopes that he’ll stop looking at you like you just slapped him across the face, “I’m, uh, I’m here for the party!”

You shuffle over to him, careful not to scuff the white of your sensible-yet-pretty patent leather heels on the sidewalk. Maybe you’re dressed too formally—he’s wearing a plain white t-shirt and a pair of jeans while you’re sporting a calf-length chiffon dress dyed in a lovely array of watercolor blues and violets.

Oh dear, what a faux-pas! There was no dress code listed on the invite, but maybe you should’ve dressed in a more casual fashion. You don’t live far, you could probably run home quickly and change...

“Do you...have an invitation,” the man asks, crossing his arms across his chest and furrowing his brow. Is he annoyed? No, no. He seems. Confused? Wary? How very strange.

“Oh, of course,” you answer, reaching a fumbling hand into your purse to search for the little pink envelope, “I almost forgot it walking out the door, but I remembered at the last second! I can be a bit scatterbrained sometimes!”

The man doesn’t say anything, but leans forward to inspect the invitation once you manage to produce it from the cluttered mess that is your handbag.

“I know the time said it started at three, but the pie took a little longer than expected. It takes time for the chocolate to set, and—“ you gasp, covering your mouth with your invite-laden hand, “I haven’t kept you waiting, have I? I’m so sorry, Mister...?”

“Call me Aguni,” he says, and his eyes narrow slightly when you give him your most chipper ‘thank you’ and apologize for not being able to shake his hand at the moment. What a strange man.

“You,” he asks slowly, “you read the invitation, right?”

“Of course I did! I’m the one who made them,” you explain, puffing your chest up with pride, “and our host was kind enough to send one to me! He must have really liked my work!”

“...Yeah,” the man called Aguni says, “I’m sure that’s it.”

But, to your pleasure, he steps aside and holds the door open for you to enter. Such a strange man, but at least he’s gentlemanly enough to hold the door for you as you step inside.

“Oh, wow,” you say, “this place is amazing!”

And maybe it sounds silly, but you’re being entirely honest. There are hats in shelves, hats hanging on the wall, hats on faceless plastic heads on the counter and placed atop a long wooden table to the left—all of them in different shapes and colors, embellished and feathered and ribboned to the nines. There’s a certain magic to a little place like this, a kind of whimsical charm you want to bottle and keep on the kitchen windowsill.

“Walls could use some paint. Floor needs polished, too,” Aguni says, “but...yeah, I guess it’s nice enough.”

You follow him as he leads you towards the back, your eyes drinking in all the details of this fascinating little shop.

“No, no, the walls and the floor are perfect,” you assert with a wide-mouthed smile, “it gives it character. Makes it feel...like home, I think.”

“Takeru says the same thing,” Aguni answers with a chuckle, “although I also think he just doesn’t want to put in the work. He’s...not very handy.”

There is a second door at the very back of the shop, and once again, Aguni holds it open for you. Perhaps his original air of discontent was a simple case of shyness—maybe he just takes a bit to warm up to people. Well, just wait until he tries your homemade triple-chocolate silk pie; you’ll be best friends in no time!

He leads you into a tiny courtyard, which is just barely big enough to hold a steep set of metal stairs and a handful of plant pots, which remain empty due to the early spring cold. But, oh, it must be so lovely back here when the plants are in full bloom! You say as much to your companion, who actually manages to smile a bit in your direction as he leads you up the stairs.

“Those are mine, actually,” he tells you, his boot-covered feet thunking up the stairs at a leisurely pace, “He lets me garden back here.”

You picture it—this tall, stoic man, kneeling on the ground, his gloved hands tending little green sprouts as the morning sun shines gold and warm on the cold stone ground. The thought of it warms you. Does he know anything about succulents? You’ve always thought they would look so cute in the shop...

“Look,” Aguni says when the two of you reach a very drab-looking door, “I’m not trying to be a jerk, but...you sure you’re ready for this?”

What an odd thing to say! Maybe you’re acting more nervous than you originally thought? It is rather daunting, walking into a party of strangers; but, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

“You’re sweet for worrying about me,” you respond, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder, “but if everyone is half as lovely as you, I’m sure I’ll do just fine. I will probably stick with you for a while—if that’s okay, of course!”

“Alright, then.” Aguni says—and is that a hint of a blush you see creeping up his neck? All this time, you thought he was just being strange, but he’s just a little shy! You give his arm a knowing pat before withdrawing your touch, and he quickly turns around to unlock the door.

Are all of Takeru’s friends this adorable? You hope so. You follow your bashful escort inside—the genkan is already full of shoes, but you manage to squeeze yours in between a pair of snakeskin wedge heels and the wall. Aguni also removes his boots, and you’re happy he isn’t going to stay down in the hat shop the whole time. He can introduce you to everyone, and maybe—

You hear something. Was that...? No, no, you must be imagining things. You definitely did not just hear a woman moan on the other side of the wall. You stop and angle your head towards the door slightly to get a better listen. It’s all rather muffled (it must be well-insulated!) but there’s definitely some kind of music playing. Maybe it’s part of a song?

It happens again. This time, it’s deeper, and more of a prolonged “ah” sound. And then laughter. Aguni is looking at you in that concerned way of his again.

Instead of waiting for him to open the door for you a third time, you decide to take initiative and open it yourself—a show of confidence, to put his mind at ease. For a moment, it looks like he’s going to try and stop you, but he instead just crosses his arms and watches as you open the door to the rest of the house.

The first thing you see is candles. Little flickering spots of yellow-orange flame, winking inside clear glass votives. A trio of them on the kitchen table to the left, surrounded by a mismatched variety of trays and plates and bowls, each holding a different delicacy.

There’s a candle on the kitchen counter, next to the refrigerator. One on a bookshelf, which is filled to bowing with vinyl LP’s. Two on either side of the television, and a cluster of them on a coffee table next to a fishbowl of shiny gold squares and—

Oh.

Oh, dear.

There are limbs. Moving, writing, reaching. Hands grabbing. Mouths kissing. Mouths...doing things other than kissing. Oh, God, there’s boobs. And somebody’s butt. Aw, geez, there goes another one. How many naked people are there in here, anyways?

“Oh, hey!”

A familiar voice calls out from the fleshy throng, and your stomach drops. Like Venus emerging from the surf, you see Danma Takeru rise up from the crowd, hair mussed and smiling mouth smudged with at least two different colors of lipstick. While he does appear to be wearing some kind of brightly-patterned robe, the more he stands, the less confident you are that it’s actually covering anything.

You spin on your heel, unwilling as of the moment to become visually acquainted with your host’s penis, and you’re met once more with Aguni’s concerned stare. This time, though, you understand why he’s looking at you like that, and it makes the burn of embarrassment creeping up your neck that much hotter.

“Do you want to leave?”

This is. Oh, boy. This is a lot. Aguni must be able to sense your discomfort, although you imagine it’s rather palpable at the moment.

“I,” you say, “I don’t...know.”

And you say you don’t know because you truly don’t know what to do. Was it really so naïve of you to think that the ‘orgy’ part of the invitation was some kind of weird inside joke? Is there some kind of social protocol for these things?

You feel two hands descend upon each of your shoulders, and you try to convince yourself that they are slightly damp with sweat as opposed to any other kind of aqueous material.

“You made it,” Takeru exclaims with genuine excitement as he gives your person a gentle shake, “I’m so glad you decided to come!”

“He’s covered, don’t worry,” Aguni says to you before directing his attention over your shoulder, “I take it you didn’t tell her.”

“Tell her what?”

The hand on your right shoulder stays while the left slips away, leaving room for Takeru to stand at your side and squeeze you against him in a weird little half-hug. In another situation, you might enjoy the way the silk of his robe whispers against the skin of your arms, perhaps smile at the warm comfort of a lazy arm thrown about your shoulders like a heavy scarf, but. Well. Right now, it’s just a little...awkward.

Aguni rolls his eyes.

“About that,” he says, gesturing impatiently at the debauchery behind your back, “I mean, just look at her face.”

“Mori-chan, how could you be so rude to our lovely guest? Darling,” Takeru says, turning your face towards him with two fingers under your chin, “don’t listen to him, you’re...ah, I see what you mean.”

Is your expression really that bad? It must be, because Takeru very slowly and very carefully withdrawing his arm from around your shoulder and taking a generous step to the side. His mouth is twisted into a rather comical gaping frown, his eyes nervously darting side-to-side.

“In my defense,” he says, putting his hands up like some kind of fucked-out traffic cop at a four-way intersection, “the, uh, the orgy part was very prominent. Big letters, right at the top.”

“I,” you reply, “I thought it was...a joke?”

“This is why we don’t just hand out invitations,” Aguni grits through his teeth, “for fuck’s sake, Takeru, we’ve talked about this!”

“I know, I know. I am humble enough to admit when I’ve fucked up, and this time, I have fucked up in a truly spectacular fashion,” Takeru’s gaze shifts from horrified to quizzical as he scrutinized you for a moment, “Unless...you’d like to stay?”

You look at the pie. The slowly-warming chocolate is beginning to sweat beneath the thin film of plastic wrap you so lovingly secured with lilac ribbon.

“Or you could slap him on the way out,” Aguni offers, “he’s very slap-able.”

“It’s true! And when you slap me,” he whips his head to the side suddenly, “my hair does that and it looks really cool!”

Yeah, okay—it did look pretty cool. But, does he deserve to be slapped? Probably for something else, but not for this. It’s a simple misunderstanding, and honest mistake on both your parts.

“I want...” you start, and the way they’re looking at you, wide-eyed and breath-bated, reminds you of the final rose ceremony on The Bachelorette.

It’s kind of hilarious, actually.

“I, uh,” you continue, “I want to...to put this in the refrigerator, if that’s okay? It’s, uh, starting to melt...”

To say that Takeru’s face lights up is an understatement. With a mega-watt smile and a sparkle in his eye, he swoops his arm back around your shoulder and begins leading you towards the kitchen.

Although you have (almost) gotten used to the sea of strangers fucking and moaning in the background, you still choose to politely avert your gaze as you pass them by. You instead focus on Takeru, who has taken this opportunity to explain the inner-workings of...whatever this is.

“...And I personally see to it that these events remain exclusive,” he says, “Although I do occasionally invite outsiders, such as yourself. You were just so sweet and helpful, I couldn’t resist trying my luck and sending you an invite.”

“Thank you,” you say, “although, I, uh...”

He opens the refrigerator door and motions for you to place the pie inside. Luckily, it’s mostly empty, save for a collection of bottled water and a tin of what looks to be cat food. You’re grateful to not have to carry it around anymore, and thank him for his assistance.

It’s finally time for you to acknowledge the proverbial ‘elephant in the room’—except, you’re not exactly sure how to begin.

“I,” you start, stopping to bite your lip, “I, uh. Is it okay if I...don’t, y’know, do the whole...uh...sex thing?”

“Oh, do you prefer to watch?”

“No! I mean, no, uh,” you laugh nervously, “I’m just...”

Takeru chuckles.

“I’m only teasing. You’re more than welcome to skip the sex and go straight to the food. As long as you’re on the kitchen side, nobody will touch you. It’s one of our rules.”

He motions for Aguni to come over with a wave of his arm, smiling when the tall man comes to lean against the kitchen counter.

“Mori-chan also prefers to abstain from the more salacious aspects of our little gathering, so the two of you can keep each other company.”

“I’m usually in charge of the food,” Aguni adds, “and I try to make sure the candles stay lit.”

“I, uh, I noticed those on the way in. They’re nice.”

Takeru leans towards you as if he’s about to share a secret.

“I don’t mean to be indelicate,” he says in a low tone, “but there is a certain stench that comes with these events. Sweat, musk, various secretions...it all really adds up in the end.”

“It’s awful,” Aguni concludes, “but candles help dissipate the worst of it.”

“Oh, and the ambiance,” Takeru exclaims, “there’s just nothing like candlelight to really get people in the mood for—“

A sharp ding! makes you jump. From what you can gather, it came from the small oven to Aguni’s left.

“Hold it right there,” Takeru growls towards Aguni, who had been in the middle of donning a pair of floral-printed oven mitts, “she needs thirty more seconds.”

Aguni looks at you and rolls his eyes. You stifle a giggle behind your hand, hoping your host doesn’t notice.

“I saw that,” Takeru snips towards Aguni, “honestly, Mori-chan, you get one new friend...”

And even though he’s mid-scold, there remains a joviality to Takeru’s tone—a testament, you believe, to what can only be a long-standing friendship between him and Aguni. It’s hard not to feel jealous of their easy back-and-forth, their banter like a well-matched game of tennis.

“Now you can take her out,” Takeru says, “but, so help me God, if you don’t let her rest for seven minutes–“

“–They’ll never find my body, I know, I know,” Aguni finishes, gingerly placing a metal pan on the stove, “Look, we’ve got it handled. You can go back to your side of the party and I’ll call you when it’s plated.”

“Fine,” Takeru answers with a false pout, “but only because I know she’ll keep you honest.”

And just like that, it’s just you and Aguni once more—but, this time, he seems much more at ease to have you around. Happy, almost. It must be kind of boring, sitting alone in a kitchen while everyone else is...well, busy.

“So,” you say, moving to Aguni’s side to peer into the baking pan, “looks kind of like...a quiche?”

“Not just any quiche,” Aguni answers, opening the drawer to his right and digging a hand inside, “the best quiche in Tokyo.”

He pulls out a shiny silver chef’s knife and places it on the counter. Next comes a pair of dainty forks, delicate little things one might use for tea cakes at a French-inspired bistro. Knowing what you know about Takeru—which, granted, isn’t very much at all—it doesn’t surprise you in the least.

“You’re in front of the plates,” he says, tapping the cabinet directly in front of your face, “grab us some?”

“But we’re supposed to wait seven minutes,” you protest, all while following his instructions, “it’s only been...like, three.”

Aguni’s eyes take on a glint of mischief.

“Only a problem if we get caught.”

Honestly, it looks divine. Pillowy-soft and the perfect pale-yellow hue, delicate tendrils of steam billowing out as he drags the knife through. You hadn’t ever seen a non-rectangular quiche before, but you suppose it makes sense; there are a fair few people in attendance, and the standard circular composition wouldn’t quite feed everyone.

He serves you first. A corner piece (which he insists are the best), speckled with herbs and studded with little pieces of what you assume to be some kind of ham. Little strings of cheese stick to the blade of the knife, and Aguni scrapes them off with the side of a fork, which he then hands to you.

“Takeru doesn’t cook much,” Aguni explains, playing his own small square, “but when he does...”

The sound that comes from your mouth as you take your first bite of quiche could rival any of those happening in the orgy across the room. Oh, that is so good! Buttery crust, the salt of cheese and ham, the subtle bite of onion—and there’s something else there, something you can’t quite place, but you know it tastes absolutely heavenly. Immediately, you take another bite.

“Grew the herbs de Provence myself,” Aguni mentions, “He refuses to use store-bought.”

“Makes all the difference,” you respond, “I could eat the whole pan by myself.”

“I did that for my last birthday, actually,” Aguni chuckles around a forkful of quiche, “Takeru insisted on putting all thirty-eight candles in before carrying it to the table—you know, like a dumbass. Part of his hair caught fire, and I had to give him a haircut at two in the morning because he was so distraught.”

The two of you laugh—Aguni at the memory, and you at the idea of a tearful Takeru sulking as Aguni snipping the fried locks with a pair of kitchen shears.

“He forgave me, even though I took a whole two inches off,” Aguni sets his empty plate in the sink and looks out of the small window above it, “He’s not a bad guy, you know. Doesn’t always make the best choices, sure, but he’s got a good heart in him.”

There is a sadness here, something in Aguni that speaks to a troubled past you haven’t quite unearthed yet—and you know better than to press him, especially here, especially now.

“Well, I can’t say I’m an expert,” you say, handing him your plate, “but you two seem like decent people. Orgies aside, of course.”

“Of course,” Aguni nods, “though I don’t suppose you’ll come to the next one, will you?”

For the first time since your arrival, you allow yourself to watch the festivities happening across the room. It isn’t that bad, you suppose—it’s just a group of people having a fun time together, laughing and gasping and enjoying each others’ bodies in a safe and comfortable place. It’s not something you necessarily want to do yourself, but...well, the ‘weird’ factor of the whole thing has gone down exponentially over the past hour or so.

“And miss out on the best quiche in Tokyo,” you say, nudging against Aguni’s arm with your shoulder, “not a chance!”

#alice in borderland #hatter #danma takeru #alice in borderland netflix #spicy boy #morizono aguni #writings and such #THIS TOOK ME OVER A MONTH TO WRITE OH MY GOD #alice in borderland fanfic #obvi this takes place before borderland #so I guess this is an au?#also I hinted at Ziggy the cat because I am self-indulgent and evil #can’t believe I actually wrote it lads

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paper-chain-queen · 4 years

Text

The Bake Sale * Yuki Soma X Reader

I know I’ve been kind of MIA. Just been caught up in a lot but I do want to get back to posting one shots and short stories now and then. I’ve had this sitting around, practically finished since early Summer. Just got distracted and kind of forgot about it... whoops XD

This is just a little something I thought would be cute :) hope you enjoy

Summary: Kakeru decided that he needs to be a good wingman and his best plan? Lie to the girl that Yuki keeps staring at about a bake sale that’s in need of cookies.

Also a huge thank you to @bubblegumnnebula for reaching out to me with such kind words of encouragement and reading this one over before I posted <3

Rating: Teen

Words: 5,000+

The first week of the new school year and soft pink petals fell like snow in the courtyard. First-year student Sohma Yuki was finally able to find some space from groups of giggling girls as he carried his lunch in one hand, looking for a spot.

“That’s not much of a lunch.” A matter-of-fact voice spoke out, and it made Yuki slightly jump as he looked over and saw a cute girl looking at the single rice ball he had bought for the convenience store last night.

“Oh. Um. I guess I never really learned how to make myself lunch.” Yuki admitted, slightly embarrassed, but the girl just smiled, and Yuki felt his heart skip a beat.

“Well I’ve got lots! Come on.” The girl took him by the hand and started heading to a tree were a few other students were hanging out.

“By the way. I’m (l/n) (f/n). From class 1-B. Nice to meet you.”

“Sohma Yuki. It’s nice to meet you too.”

“Where is Nabe-Kun?” Another student asked as he raised a brow at Yuki, who clearly wasn’t ‘Nabe-Kun.’

“He stole my pudding cup and ran off! But look, a fellow first year!” (y/n) cheered as if she made some great discovery.

It was a group of people he had never seen, but he looked over at the girl who had all but pulled him over was smiling at him. She wasn’t blushing and giggling like all the other girls.

(l/n) (y/n) was just treating him like he was just another student, welcoming him into her group of friends like it was the simplest thing in the world.

He still felt anxious about the new school and worried about by mistake exposing the curse in a school full of girls. But there seemed to be kind people who only wanted to sit and enjoy the sunshine and good company. Even with all of Yuki’s fears about the new experience, he looked over at the girl who had befriended, and she was happily chatting away with her friend before turning back to him.

She was just smiling at him, offering him a tart pastry from her yellow bento and saying that he was free to take whatever he wanted. A smile as warm the sun, and Yuki felt his heartbeat quicken as he joined the small group and took part in their lunch.

Yuki brought the desert to his mouth and timidly bit into it. He was with a burst of flavour and quickly devoured the treat that was a hundred times better than anything that could be bought in a store.

The boy was looking forward to spending more time at school, with people who were kind and shared their lunches. Perhaps even make friends with people with warm smiles.

* year and a half later*

“Have a good weekend!” A cheery voice called out to a few girls who were on their way out.

“You too (y/n)-chan!”

2nd-year student (l/n) (y/n) waved to the girls before checking her phone. Something made her giggle to herself before pressing a few buttons and slipping the phone into her school bag.

“What are you looking at, Yun-Yun?” Vice student council president Kakeru Manabe asked as he tried to follow the popular boy’s eye line.

“Huh, oh um, nothing.”

Kakeru looked over to where the school’s Prince had been looking, and there stood a fellow classmate. (L/n) (Y/n) from Kakeru’s class slipped on her shoes while putting away her school slippers.

“YO! (l/n)-Chan!” The energetic boy yelled out to the girl who looked over at the boys.

“What are-” Yuki tried to stop his VP, but he’d already skipped over to the girl and started up a conversation, throwing his arm casually over her shoulder, and they seemed to be close. Yuki battled with himself on whether to walk over and smack the boy upside his head.

Kakeru said something which made the girl laugh sweetly, and Yuki couldn’t help but glare.

What are they talking about?

The Vice President looked back over at Yuki and waved him over, and the grey-haired boy suddenly felt very nervous. Yuki let out a sigh and walked over, hoping that no one would notice his sweaty palms.

“This is our president, Sohma Yun-Yun.” This earned Kakeru a cold glare from Yuki, but his eyes widened when he heard the girl’s light giggling.

“Ah, we’ve actually met before. But nice to see you, Sohma-San. I’m from 2-A’s class with Nabe-Kun (l/n) (y/n).” She bowed, and Yuki mimicked, trying to fight back the urge to deck the Vice President for dragging him into this.

“Prez and I were just talking about a fundraiser for the cultural festival, and we thought maybe a bake sale.”

“Wait No-” Yuki was about to correct him, but Kakeru brought him into a headlock and covered his mouth.

“AND I know that your parents have the best bakery in town, and I thought maybe you could whip up some treats. With the Prez and my help, of course!” Kakeru proposed a broad grin on his face.

“Sure, I would love to help. I’m working today and tomorrow, but I’m free Sunday if you guys want to come bake. Ah, speaking of work, I’m late. I gotta go, later!” The girl was off, waving to the boys as she speed-walked away before disappearing around the corner.

Yuki was finally able to break free and brought a fist to the top of Kareku’s head.

“Why would you do something like that?” Yuki scolded him, but he just gave him a cheesy grin before raising his arms and resting them behind his head.

“Aww don’t be like that, Yun-Yun, I just thought I would help move things along. You’re always looking at (l/n)-chan.” Kakeru wiggled his eyebrows, and Yuki felt his face go hot.

“I do NOT!”

“You do”

“NOT.”

“Do too.”

“DO NOT! Enough I’m outta here.” Yuki angrily put away his school slippers and marched off.

“Don’t forget about Sunday! I’ll text you her address.” The energetic vice president waved vigorously at the blushing Yuki, who tried to block him out as he marched home.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The Prince stood in front of a baby blue and white two-story building. It looked like something out of a small European town, a wooded sign in the shape of a bird reading - ‘blue whisk bakery.’ The display window was full of baked goods, from loaves of bread to glazed donuts.

Just looking at the delicious display made his mouth water.

“Need something?” A tall man who looked to be in his early twenties, a large crate in one arm, glared down at Yuki, and suddenly, he felt like he was the size of a mouse.

“I’m... I’m here to see (L/n)-San?” Yuki told him, a little nervous with the way he was looking at him.

“I’m (L/Y). What do you want?” Yuki was now able to see the slight resemblance between this man and the girl from his school. It was subtle, but it was there.

The colour of their eyes.... but (y/n) ’s are more...welcoming

“(L/N) (Y/N).” Yuki corrected, feeling smaller and smaller the longer he stood there.

“She’s not here. Go Away.”

“Nii-san!” A voice broke through, causing the two boys looked over, and there stood (l/n) (y/n), hands on her hips wearing a baby blue apron with daisies over her simple t-shirt and jeans, her hair up in a ponytail.

Cute...

“I don’t remember saying you could have a boyfriend?” The older boy scolded, but the slightly annoyed girl just rolled her eyes.

“Okay, first of all. Where do you get off telling me that I can’t have a boyfriend? Secondly, He’s not my boyfriend. He’s the student council president, and he’s here to do baking. Remember? I talked about it at dinner last night?” (y/n) explained to him as she put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot.

The tall man then scoffed and turned away, muttering something incoherent.

“Fine, whatever. Figured he’s not your boyfriend, he’s almost prettier than you are.” The brother smirked as he kicked her behind the knee lightly, just enough to make her stumble.

“Just go make your deliveries already, or I’m gonna tell Mom that you’ve been hiding a pet tarantula in your room.” (y/n) threatened, sticking her tongue out at the tall man. Yuki had to slightly turn his head to try and hide a laugh.

“Alright, alright. I’m out.” the man scoffed before adjusting the crate in his arm before putting it in the back of the bike and driving off.

“Sorry about him, he’s kind of annoying, but he’s my brother.” The girl apologized as she smiled at Yuki and invited him in.

Before the two could step in, Yuki’s phone went off, and he excused himself to check it.

A text from Kakeru -

‘Can’t make it, sorry! Enjoy your date Yun-Yun. Oh and don’t worry (l/n)-Chan isn’t one of your fangirls XD’-

“Is something wrong?” (y/n) asked as she noticed that Yuki had stopped dead in his tracks.

“Kakeru-San can’t make it.” Yuki said through gritted teeth.

“Oh, is he okay?” She brought her phone to check her texts and seemed to roll her eyes at something.

He won’t be when I’m done with him

“He’s fine.”

“We can do this another day if you want?” (y/n) offered, worrying that maybe it would be uncomfortable with just the two of them.

“No!” Yuki yelled out a lot louder than he meant to as he reached out and (y/n) widened her eyes a bit.

“.. I mean.. Um. I wouldn’t want to put you out anymore. We should get on with it.” Yuki quickly rushed out awkwardly.

“Okay?” (y/n) seemed unsure, and Yuki cursed himself for his poor word choice; his nerves felt like they were all over the place.

Stepping into the cute bakery, his senses were met with the smell of freshly baked goods.

“Oh is this the boy?” The woman from behind the counter had just finished helping a customer and turned to the two teens.

“Sohma-San this is my mother, (mother’s name). Mom, this is Sohma Yuki, my school’s student president.” (y/n) made the introductions while her Mother fixed something on (y/n) ’s apron, fussing as he supposed good mothers did.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you (l/n)-San, thank you for having me in your shop.” Yuki was sure to be polite and bowed to the kind-looking woman who certainly shared many similarities with her daughter.

“Hello sweetheart, nice to meet you. So exciting that you asked our honey bun for help with a bake sale. She’s been so excited, she was basically vibrating when she told us.” Her Mother teased as she gave the two teens a knowing smile. (y/n) only smiled back, a slight blush on her cheeks.

“We’ll be in the back. Come get me if you need a hand with anything.” (y/n) told her

“No need, enjoy yourselves.”

“Oh, and Yuki-Kun. These cheese and jalapeño scones are delicious. She made them fresh this morning.” The woman grabbed one from under the counter and put it in a small bag before handing it to Yuki.

“(l/n)-San I couldn’t possibl-”

“Please, it’s on the house.” she winked; Yuki bowed his head and tucked the baked good in his bag before continuing to the back of the store.

(y/n) was running around, grabbing containers and placing them at a station in the corner. The back of the bakery was bustling with a few other people working, baking, mixing ingredients and checking the oven for their baked goods.

It smelt amazing, Yuki felt like he could practically taste the air if he just stuck out his tongue.

“So what would you like to make?” (y/n) asked as she washed her hands at the sink and gestured for Yuki to do the same.

“Umm.”

Yuki wasn’t actually very familiar with sweets and (y/n) had might as been speaking another language because after cookies and cakes, what else was there?

“We could do cupcakes or cookies? Cream puffs? Eclairs? Macarons? Macaroons? Or maybe even strudel? Oh, how about tarts!?”

Yuki noticed she sounded a little more excited about the final suggestion.

“Tarts?”

“I’m in charge of the pastry shells, so we already have a lot in stock. We would just have to make a filling. Maybe a lemon meringue tart, they’re pretty easy to sell.”

“........”

“You’re not very familiar with sweets, are you?” The girl noticed the clearly bewildered look on the Yuki’s face and worried that she had overwhelmed him.

Yuki just shyly shook his head, feeling like a fish out of water.

“I’ll be right back.”

(y/n) returned with a plate of various cookies cut in half and a few different tarts.

“I figure we should have a little variety, and cookies would be simple enough to make alongside the tarts.”

“Now, here is a small tart sample, and then these are a few cookies types.” She gestured for Yuki to try them, and he polity thanked her for the desserts.

“The chocolate chip is a classic, but the oatmeal raisin sells well along with the molasses sugar, or we have delicious peanut butter cookies, and then there is the bird-nest, and we have sugar cookies with blueberry glaze. Those are a specialty.” (y/n) spoke with such enthusiasm that Yuki could hardly pay attention to anything but enjoy the beautiful smile on her face or the excited look in her eyes as she explained each cookie.

“But my favourite is the macadamia nut cookie with white chocolate chips.”

(y/n) was about to hand the cookie to Yuki, but it was snatched right out of her hands.

“Thank’s for the cookies.”

“We’ll take those too.”

“WAIT, we were using those!” Yuki’s schoolmate raged, fire in her eyes as she looked at the cookie thieves.

The identical-looking boys just stuck their tongue out at (y/n) before running off.

“Sorry, my brothers are a bit of a pain.” She laughed while shaking her head.

“How many brothers do you have?” The grey-haired boy was still in shock over how quick the two boys came and went.

“Five.”

“Five?!” Yuki’s eyes nearly bugged out of his head as his jaw dropped, and this caused (y/n) to giggle. She had seen the infamous Prince around the school but never imagined him, such as an expression.

She liked it.

On the other hand, Yuki was still having trouble imagining having 5 brothers, he only had one brother, and he was a handful, sounded like some sort of nightmare.

“Yep, and I’m the youngest, my parents REALLY wanted a girl.” She laughed while rubbing the back of her head, a small blush on her cheeks.

The two got back to trying to decide what they would bake, but the answer seemed obvious to Yuki.

“Let’s do your favourites.”

“Are you sure?” She asked, but it was hard to hide her grin, excited to share her recipe with the boy. Yuki nodded, and she rushed to grab him a plain blue apron for him to throw over and even tied it for him as she rambled on about what she had to grab from the pantry.

The counter was soon filled with various sheet and mixing bowls, and lots of different ingredients. Yuki could only recognize one or two. The flour and sugar.

(y/n) learned that Yuki is very much useless in the kitchen, but she helped him with everything. Patiently teaching him to properly whisk ingredients and roll out dough.

The brother that been out on deliveries was back and was now working in the kitchen, he made sure to keep his eyes on Yuki, and the boy could feel his stare. Looking over his shoulder as (y/n) was busying and measuring something out, he caught the brother’s eyes as he took two large trays down with perfect balance. Even spinning them one-handed as he was trying to assert dominance over the workplace.

It was slightly impressive to see a big guy so delicate with the baked goods; Yuki would give him that.

“Soo, how long have you been baking?”

“Probably since the moment I could stand up on a chair and reach the counter.” Yuki watched her soften as she thought back on the happy memories. He could just picture it, her as a little girl excitedly helping her mom make cookies in the kitchen, laughing and making a mess.

“You seem to really enjoy it.” Yuki’s small smile made (y/n) ’s heart race.

“I do. I always feel happy when I’m in the kitchen, like everything in the world is right. I get to create something that many people can enjoy, and I get to experiment with things to make something new every now and then.”

“Sorry, I must sound so silly.”

“It’s not. It’s... I think I understand, actually.”

While Yuki wasn’t a cook or a baker, he was a gardener. It was something he did that made him happy, something that needed him, and he felt he could make the world maybe just a little greener.

The two we’re placing their finished creations on the cooling rack when the bakery’s back door was pushed open, and a booming voice filled the work kitchen.

“We’re home!”

“Hey Pops!! (y/n) has a boy in the kitchen!” The twins piped up and (y/n) let out a sign while muttering that she was never gonna do anything nice for the twins ever again.

“WHAT?!” Yuki heard heavy footsteps rushing through the room, and a part of him felt the need to run.

Yuki was now looking up at two tall men, one was clearly (y/n) ’s father, and the other just seemed like a younger, male version of her Mother.

Another one of her brothers?

“And you are?” The tall man stared down at Yuki as if sizing him as he crossed his arms.

“Dad! I told you-”

“Sohma Yuki, I’m the student council president at our school.” Yuki subconsciously put on polite prince act, hoping it would be enough to get him by.

“And you’re here because?”

“....” This man’s stare was something else, and Yuki wished Kakeru was here to help. Or at least there to suffer with him at the mercy of the tall, intimidating man.

“Dad, I told you! There’s a bake sale.”

“And they couldn’t do it themselves?” The man didn’t take his eyes off Yuki, and the teenager had to gulp a bit.

“Dad!” (y/n) whined, embarrassed over her father’s attitude, and that’s when an angel must have been listening to Yuki’s prayer because a saviour appeared.

“Okay dear, that’s enough out of you. How about you go get started on closing up, and I’ll get started on dinner.” (y/n) ’s Mother came to the rescue as she dragged off her husband and what had to be another one of (y/n) ’s brothers.

The Mother sent a wink Yuki’s way, and he covered his face, exhausted by everything.

“I’m so sorry. They’re just... well protective, I guess.” (y/n) sighed as she continued topping the lemon tarts with the meringue.

“I should tell you the truth..” Yuki decided to come clean.

“huh?”

“There is no bake sale.”

“What?! Then... why?” (y/n) looked at him, and Yuki really wished there was a bake sale, so he didn’t have to come clean right now.

“Kakeru-San was trying to help me, I guess..” Yuki admitted, and it made (y/n) freeze in her actions and turn to face him.

“Help you with what?” (y/n) truly had no idea what he was getting at. She was honestly surprised that Yuki, the most handsome boy in school, even knew who she was. The brief meeting in the first week of school was most likely forgotten by the popular boy.

Why would Yuki need help from her friend Kakeru with anything concerning her?

“…. what happened?” Yuki asked.

“What do you mean?”

Yuki had been racking his brain, wondering what had made (y/n) stay away. He had seen her around the school; she had a warm laugh and always seemed to be a kind and friendly person.

He couldn’t help but notice that she would smile at him when he passed her by, but it wasn’t like the other girls. She wouldn’t blush and get all fluttery and call him prince Yuki or anything, just smile like a passing hello and then return to her friends.

“Did I do something to offend you, maybe?” Yuki asked, and (y/n) let out a sigh, and Yuki decided to push forward, knowing he probably wouldn’t have another chance.

“No that’s” Yuki had stepped too forward and somehow pushed the bowl of the whipped meringue into the air, and it flew before landing.

Right on top of Yuki’s head.

I want the ground to swallow me up

Yuki stood there with the silver bowl on top of his head, the white froth of the meringue and a gentle hand lifted the edge, peeking under while trying not to giggle.

“I imagined none of your fangirls have ever seen you this side of you. I feel a little bad for them.” (y/n) giggled cutely as she lifted off the bowl and handed him a towel.

Yuki looked over at her and the soft look on her face, her cheeks’ gentle flush, and warm, inviting eyes. Yuki felt his heart race as she reached out and wiped away some of the sweet froth from his face with a wet cloth. It was done so tenderly, and he found himself wanting to lean into her touch.

“Back at the beginning of first year. You invited me to eat lunch with you but then..”

“Oh..... well... um.”

“You’re… fangirls made it pretty clear that I was to stay away.” (y/n) remembered that day like it was yesterday. She had been cornered the day after she had lunch with Yuki. One of the girls was even in his class and insisted that she had bothered Yuki with her presence.

It had hurt.

Because she was interested in getting to know the quiet boy with the small convenience store lunch. Yuki had been a little awkward at lunch, but there was something aloof and awkward about him, something that made (y/n) want to know more. But there was never a chance to talk to him, and the Prince Yuki Fan Club was more like an army then it was a fan club.

So, she stuck to just giving him friendly smiles whenever they would pass each other in the hallway, which she doubted he noticed.

“And then you never seemed to... always feel so far away. I figured that you just didn’t want to be friends-” (y/n) was cut off by Yuki, who had reached forward and grabbed her hand and (y/n) felt a jolt of electricity from the skin on skin contact. Both looked a little taken back, but Yuki continued on, wanting to be heard.

“I really wanted to spend... More lunches together.” Yuki admitted, and it felt like some sort of mysterious weight had been lifted from (y/n) ’s shoulders.

“Really?”

“I’ll get the bath ready.”

“And... maybe you wouldn’t mind staying for dinner? I know my family is a bit much, but my mom is a great cook.”

“I’d love to stay.”

Yuki was now wearing some of (y/n) ’s brothers’ clothes, the second oldest who was away for college. He was studying business and was supposed to be graduating come the spring. He even came in for video chat for a bit while the Mother fussed over how he was eating and if she needed to go pay him a visit to restock his fridge.

This was a close family, and Yuki felt like it was something that he wanted so bad that it almost hurt.

Yuki was properly introduced to all of (y/n) ’s five older brothers, and while a few poked fun at (y/n) for having a boy over, it seemed she wasn’t afraid to sick her father on them. A glare from him was enough to shut them up.

Yuki couldn’t help but notice that throughout dinner (y/n) would give the best things on her plate, which led to the brother who had come in with her father earlier, cutting his portion in half and sneaking it onto her plate. It was a sleight of hand, but he caught it.

Conversations flowed with ease; Yuki had worried that he would feel like an odd man out, but somehow the family made room for him.

The food was delicious, and the company was warm, and they made him feel like he had been simply part of their family for years. He could see where (y/n) seemed to get her cheerfulness and confidence; how else would one survive in a family with 5 older brothers.

There was a bit of a break between dinner and dessert which (y/n) had made, and there was time for some sort of game that Yuki had never played, but (y/n) ’s father was actually quite patient in telling him the rules of ‘Cheat.’

Turns out the best player in the house was the Mother who came in for one last round and wiped the floor. The woman had a powerful poker face, which was surprising coming from the seemingly innocent woman.

The strawberry shortcake that (y/n) made was the best thing that Yuki had ever eaten, and he even got dragged into an arm-wrestling contest for the final piece. He lost, but the other brother just laughed and split the last piece in two while saying ‘no hard feelings, pretty boy.’

Maybe it should have bothered him, but it also felt like he could fit in, just a little.

A spot for him in that large warm family. Where the siblings looked out for one another, where the parents fussed over their kids’ eating habits, where everyone laughed together as they shared a meal.

“Thank you for having me.” Yuki bowed to the family, and the Mother gushed over how polite he was while the father said he was welcome to come back.

Y/n walked him to the door downstairs.

The two teens stood on the sidewalk; the display window of the family baker way now empty. A ‘Closed’ sign hanging off the door. It had gotten so late, but Yuki had barely noticed as the time really had flown by.

“Here, the cookies we made together and a few tarts to share with your family.” (y/n) handed him a nice blue bag paper bag that had some weight to it. They had certainly made a lot of goodies. Okay, (y/n) had done most of the work, but she would insist that they had shared the work.

“I’m sorry about lying to you... about the bake sale” While Yuki hadn’t been the one to tell her about the bake sale, he had still gone along with it.

“Don’t be, I know how Nabe-Kun can be. I’ve known him since middle school, should have known. I hope you had fun, though. I’m sorry about my family. They can be... a little much.” (y/n) loved her family but they had undoubtedly given Yuki a hard time it seemed, she worried that they had scared him away.

“Your family is very kind. I enjoyed getting to know them.” (y/n) let out a sigh of relief and gave Yuki a smile that could have lit up the darkest nights.

“But I was really happy.... that you wanted to bake with me... And that you spent time with my family and me, Sohma-San.”

“Please... call me Yuki... And It... It made me happy too.” Yuki admitted, and he wondered if only he had been braver, then maybe they could have been making cookies and having dinners together a long time ago.

“See you at school tomorrow?”

“Let’s have lunch.” She smiled, and Yuki couldn’t help but stare at cupid’s bow of her lips.

“oooooh are they gonna kiss?” The twins called from the upstairs window, and the teens both erupted into red.

His heart was hammering in his chest, still not believing he had been so close that maybe if he just leaned down a little, they would have connected.

And soon, the entire family was popping their heads out the windows of their second-story apartment and peeping on the two teens.

“Aww he’s so cute, honey bear, you better catch him before someone else digs in.” (y/n) ’s Mother teased, and she called out to her family to please stop.

“Wait, no! No one’s touching my baby sister!” The 1st most protective brother called out, waving his fist at Yuki.

“Wait I’m not-!” Yuki shook his hands and stepped away from (y/n) as if to give her space, but this started a whole new argument with the brother.

“Are you saying she’s not good enough!”

“NO! I-”

“Then, What?! Do you not like her!? I OUTTA-” The older brother was practically hanging out the window with the middle brother holding the back of his shirt to make sure he didn’t actually fall.

“I DO LIKE HER!” Yuki snapped under all the pressure as he clenched his fists.

Silence.... dead silence, except for maybe the sound of his heart beating so fast that it wanted to jump out his chest and get out of there.

“I like you too.” (y/n) broke the silence, and everyone watching from the balcony above laughed and started goading the two teenagers on.

“Just kiss already!” The twins called out, laughing as they taunted, and Yuki could hear the parents scolding them and trying to get all their kids to leave their only daughter in peace.

Both of the teens were bright red, but Yuki’s chest somehow felt so light. This family was certainly... loud and a little out there. But there was nothing but love and joy to be felt all around. (y/n) smiled up at him, her cheeks still dusted with pink, but her eyes kept looking up at him and then averting to the ground shyly.

Adorable

Yuki wasn’t sure what came over him. He certainly didn’t want the large audience of her family’s hooting and hollering, but how could he resist when she was finally within reach?

The teen leaned down, careful to keep the distance between them, even using his hand as some sort of force to hold her back and slowly, gently met her lips with his.

As he expected, she tasted so sweet, but with a slight tang, a tartness from the strawberries they had been eating earlier.

He wanted to lean down again, but an angry voice brought him back to earth.

“Thats IT!!! I’M GONNA KILL HIM!!”

“You better run.” (y/n) advised, unable to hide her giant smile and her pink cheeks, even in the dim lighting.

“Lunch tomorrow?” Yuki asked, feeling confident that they would no longer just share brief smiles in the school hallways.

“It’s a date.” And she leaned up and placed a quick kiss to Yuki’s cheek before he ran off before (y/n) ’s brother could lay his hands on him.

As he walked home, Yuki felt like he walked on clouds and never looked so forward to school. Yuki could barely wait for the lunch hour where he could look upon that bright smile and perhaps even sneak a sweet kiss.

His phone beeped, and Yuki checked the phone to see another text from Kakeru.

- How did it go, Yun-Yun????????? I GOTS TO KNOW?!?!?!-

Yuki never thought he would find himself doing this, but he was in such a good that he figured it would be fine.

- Thank you -

Yuki also made a note NOT to share any of the tarts or the cookies he and (y/n) had made together.

….

Okay, maybe just one, but that’s it.

#fruits basket fanfiction #furuba x reader #yuki sohma x reader #sohma yuki x reader #Fruits Basket #furuba

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power-rings · 3 years

Text

Growing Pains

Chapter Two: A Bond

"I need you to know I would never be this strong without you You’ve seen how I’ve grown you took all my doubt Cause you were home..."

Weeks and months went by, and Maria succeeded in sneaking Shadow out of the lab. It happened so often to the point it was no longer a secret to her grandfather; not that he minded anymore, now. Shadow was developing just perfectly on his own, without anything from IVs, fluid, and some oxygen from a machine. So, Prof. Gerald was more than happy to allow Shadow some exercise. Although, the lifeform was developing just fine he did struggle to keep his balance every so often. With the help of Maria, he was able to maneuver around their unique home in Space. Over the time they've spent together they were becoming quite a interesting pair. It wasn't common they would get into trouble, but sometimes trouble would end up finding them.

One accident occurred between a middle-aged female nurse, which Maria swore to Shadow that she was like 150 years old and would never die. (He didn't quite understand, yet nodded in agreement either way.) Everyone called her an old hag on the A.R.K. but she did well at her job, despite her nasty attitude towards... well... everyone. For the first several years that Maria was on the Space Colony, this nurse didn't allow Maria to do anything except stay in her bed. She would force her to take some horrible medications, with worse side-effects. She didn't believe the old lady that they were helping her immune system, but Grandpa reassured her worries. Nobody really calls her by her real name, therefore she is known by That Nurse, and some other nasty names Maria would not repeat. That Nurse always wore her hair up in a bun, with a light blue pin tightly in her hair. For years, she told Maria that leaving her room would be a disaster for her health, she even hinted that she should go on Earth... because her grandfather wasn't present all the time. Unbeknownst to Maria though, she didn't have any living parents on Earth, so grandpa had to be best option for a guardian. If she was able to go out of the room, she was forced to wear a protective clothing, and uncomfortable masks. Eventually, Prof. Gerald had enough and told her that the treatments will be enough to keep her immune system strong, she of course argued with the man to no avail.

Can you guess how she felt about her friend, Shadow? She would spit out insults at Shadow, such as "you're just a lab rat", and "get back in your tube where you belong!" Maria frowned at her, and continued on her way, blocking the nasty old lady out. Thankfully, the rest of the residents were more approving of Shadow, and even found him to be quite interesting. None of them really knew what Gerald's purpose behind his creation, but that answer will come in due time.

Throughout their days together, Maria invited Shadow to try various foods from the cafeteria. Most of which was prepared by some of the greatest cooks that Gerald hired. It was quite different than some of the foods that they would enjoy on Earth. Her grandpa said that Shadow didn't have to eat, and could get away with eating one meal a week or longer. But, she insisted. Some of the foods such as veggies were packed tightly in portioned out boxes. (at that time they were trying to figure out how to grow veggies, and fruit in Space, so most of it were grown from Earth. ) Shadow was grossed out by broccoli, unless it was covered in the yellow substance called cheese. Anything else that was green, he refused to consume. Some of the other foods given were hand-prepared by the cooks among those meals... spaghetti were their favorites.

Their days would end by looking out the observation room where Earth, and some other planets orbited near them. It was absolutely stunning. Maria talked and talked about the books she read about this beautiful planet, Shadow of course soaked it all in. When it was it their curfew, this alarm would go off around the Space Colony, and everyone made their ways back to their rooms to settle for bed. Prof. Gerald would always walk Maria to bed, and would leave Shadow in the lab, but for the first night, he allowed Shadow to stay in Maria's own room. She worked on a make-shift bed for him, which was surrounded by soft pillows, and tons of stuffed animals - you would almost confuse Shadow for one! This became a routine every night from then on.

Maria's 10th birthday of all days she fell really ill. And when she got sick, it can be very deadly for her. Shadow was forced to stay out of the room, doctors, Prof. Gerald, and That Nurse were huddled around her bedside, checking her vitals, poking her with needles injected with medications. He waited outside of her door for days to come, faithfully obeying Prof. Gerald's orders. She was ill for about fourteen days, but gradually regained her strength, and Shadow was able to keep her company. No one knew what caused her to get ill, but whatever it was, almost everyone caught it and less people were seen roaming around. The next couple of weeks were slow, and their typical routine were a little different because Maria was struggling to regain her strength. When she was allowed to leave the room, because of the illnesses spread amongst the crew were no longer contagious, Shadow ended up carrying the girl to the observation room to see Earth... together. Their bond had grew drastically, and the two were inseparable.

A year went by since Shadow's creation, he grew to be typical hedgehog's height, and weight. Still a shorty, as Maria teases. During that same year, the nurse that everyone thought would never die, she ended up falling sick, and was sent back to Earth and died peacefully surrounded some of her grandchildren. It was almost weird not to hear her voice echo through the corridors of the Space Colony.

"What does it mean to die?" Shadow asked the pre-teen, he watched the screen in the cafeteria, that displayed various pictures of the nurse to pay tribute to her - they learned her name was in fact... Linda.

Maria raised an eyebrow, this wasn't a subject that children typically talked about. But, for her she had came close to the jaws of death more times than she liked. It didn't mean it didn't scare her. Any normal being would be scared... "Grandpa describes as a deep sleep..." Which he wasn't exactly wrong when he watched many of his creations go to sleep and never wake up. Maria played with her food, a little distraught, "but he says that Linda isn't suffering anymore." She gave a little smile. Shadow blinked, and the whole topic of death was completely dropped between the two.

His first year alive was literally hell from then on. Those scientists that observed him when he was tiny... they returned to discover any progress being made with the Ultimate Lifeform, he almost forgot that's what they called him. Shadow was being lead down the hallway to a room that he never knew existed, it was labeled as the "Testing Room". It was a huge empty room, no windows except for the up ahead where his creator observed, and the six other men standing before a platform that had a ton of buttons. "Let's see what it's capable of, shall we?" Stephen who had higher authority than the other 5. "Lifeform," he spoke into the microphone, his harsh voice echoing in the room. "destroy these robots." Within seconds, two robots were dropped from the ceiling. Prof. Gerald nervously watched above.

Shadow's ears pricked back, rather confused. Why did he have to destroy them? It wasn't like they were trying to harm him - OH SHIT, nope nevermind they're shooting at the lifeform now. He winced in pain, and growled. Tossing a glare at the men watching him. They kept firing. Shadow dodged left and right. Eventually, he was on all fours, panting. He was bleeding, but nothing that wouldn't heal on it's own unlike any other living being. His opponents approached him while he was down. "Lifeform! What in the hell are you doing?! DESTROY THEM!" He hollered from the control room. It was at that second Shadow's friend ran inside to his side, shielding him.

"STOP! You're gonna hurt him!" Upstairs, Gerald's face went white as the robot found a new target.

"SHUT IT OFF!" He roared, he shoved the men out of the way, and slammed his fist on the red button in the middle of the console. Immediately, the robot's systems went idle.

Maria hugged Shadow close, tears falling down her cheek - concerned deeply for her friend. Coming to reality, Shadow return the embrace. "Let's get you out of here..." She sniffled.

#my writing #fanfiction #maria robotnik #shadow the hedgehog #growing pains chapter two

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hugsandpeaches · 3 years

Text

It's U Again

Fluff

bxg

jiu x reader

---

Minji and you are High School sweethearts, well, before.

Both of you wears the same clothes, dream the same dream, thinks the same thing most of the same time. You two are defined as 'soulmates'.

She was very talented, you too as well. As said earlier, both if you has the same dream. A dream of being idols.

"I got accepted as a trainee!" Both you two surprised each other at the same time. It was an accomplishment you two dreamt of. Both of your hardwork has been paid off. But there's a thing...

Trainees can't date.

Your dreams led the both of you to separate ways. It hurts. Minji's training period is coming and you have to send her away on the train station.

The day she's leaving was very gloomy. It rained hard as you and Minji waited for her train to come. Her head laying on your shoulders, hand holding yours tightly. She want to savor her last moments with you as her boyfriend.

"When you debut, I'll wait for you"

Her heart skipped a beat and then she lifted her head up, meeting your eyes.

"You'll do the same thing too, right?"

Her eyes glistened in tears and hugged you side ways.

"When we became successful someday, let's not forget each other." As she told you the words, her train came and you stood up, helping her with her bags. She entered the train and you were left behind the yellow line she just crossed. There's just a little number of passengers getting inside the train so the train doors closed as she stepped inside.

Minjin stopped on the glass door looking at you, tears streaming down her eyes. She waved her hands at you and you copied what she did.

"Y/n-ah, we'll meet again"

The train started moving slowly and you followed it's direction, still looking at Minji. She was smiling at your actions and was shocking her head. The train moved faster and you felt the rain slap your face as you ran.

"I love you"

Minji mouthed you behind the glass doors and you ran as fast as you can, dropping your umbrella, just to say back the words.

"Minji saranghae!"

Once again, Minji waved her hands and you stopped from running, rain washing you and your clothes.

<6 years later>

5 years ago, Minx debuted and then 1 year later, Dreamcatcher was born. The group's popularity started to climbed up as they toured around the world. Minji never forgot you. She always kept your picture on her bag without the members knowing. Minji always ask for you whenever she come home but too bad you weren't there. Your parents told her that you moved to US to do something. Minji understood but it kinda hurt her because you didn't let her know.

Well, she lastly asked for you 6 years ago. Now, dreamcatcher is having their comeback and have been busy this past few months not noticing this rookie soloist under SM Entertainment.

Fans started going crazy about his visual and how soothing his voice is.

Lee Y/n.

Your name was all over internet. You didn't knew you were going to be this viral after your cover of Xiumin's You last week. SM promoted you by singing their ballads then dropping your teaser the day after. You've been busy preparing for your debut for a month so you didn't recieved any news from her. Netizens was amazed by you and then started talking over you.

You were the current hot topic.

But the only thing that you want is being noticed by her.

Did she recieved the news?

Did she read something about me?

Is she proud of me now?

Questions took over your mind as you became nervous coming into the stage. You were the first performer of today's Mcountdown.

You placed your position on the stage and hopefully searching for her on the dark crowd but she wasn't there that broke your heart. You bowed your head in disappointment and then started performing as the your song started playing.

After performing, you took your last glance on the now bright crowd but still, didn't saw her figure. You forcefully smiled at your audience and bowed before exiting the stage. You saw your manager waiting at you and you hugged him, thanking him for your successful debut.

While walking, you were your sad expression. You can't believe she wasnt there supporting you.

"I miss her"

Just then, a loud heels running on the hallways was heard by you and then someone suddenly bumped on you while doing your turn on the intersection hall.

A tall yet not so taller than you just bumped their head on you chest and then ran off without saying sorry. That was rude but you guess she's chasing someone important.

You looked down and then saw bunny necklace, you were familiarized by it and took it anyway. It was the same necklace you gave Minji 8 years ago.

The girl must been dropped it while bumping at me. You thought and then walked back at your dressing room. You sat there and then looked at the thing on your hand.

"When will I meet you again, Minji?"

I placed the necklace on my pocket and then stood up.

"I'm hungry"

Jiu's POV

"I'm here, manager unnie" I opened the door and saw my members on their phones. "Unnie, there was a handsome guy on the monitor earlier. You're late to see him" Gahyeon said while munching her food. "And he's the same age as you, maybe..." Dami wriggled her eyebrows at me while smiling sheepishly. I sighed and then sat down beside the two maknaes.

"I told you guys, I'm not interested" I said and then placed my hand over my neck. An unfamiliar feeling came into my body as I didn't touched my necklace.

"My necklace is missing" Dami looked over at my neck to confirmed it. "You rarely took that off, maybe you didn't wore that earlier? " Gahyeon asked. I shook my head and stood up.

I went out of our dressing room to find my necklace.

That wasn't just a necklace. That was his gift from our 1st year anniversary, how can I lose it. I led my way to the girl's comfort room where I went earlier and again while turning into the hallway, I bumped into someone... again.

Wait, maybe I dropped the necklace after bumping on someone earlier!

I avoided who I bumped into and was about to run when I felt my arms being pulled.

"Wait miss, you bumped at me 2 times already and you didn't even apologize "

Is that- that voice sounds familiar.

"I'm so sorry, something important is missi-"

Third Person's POV

Minji stopped on her tracks as she saw the person's face. The person was also shock from who she is, forgetting his hands was still on her arms.

"Minji?"

"Y/n?"

The bot immediately let go of her hand and then bowed at her. "Annyeaonghaseyo, Lee Y/n imnida" Y/n greeted with the widest smile plastered on your face.

Y/n can't believe what's happening just now. He's now face to face with his first love, the only girl he loved. Jiu on the other side was surprised but same as Y/n, she cant contain her happiness. Her lips started to spread into a smile and chuckled.

"Is that really you, Y/n? Am I only dreaming?" She pinched herself just incase. "Ani, I'm real" the boy spread his arms and turn around. "I'm real Minji" his smile never left his lips. Jiu came and pinched his cheeks as well.

"You're real!" Minji exclaimed. You then heard footsteps coming into one of the corners but luck is on your side. You two were just standing infront of your dressing room.

You opened the door and pulled Jiu in. She never complained, why would she? She had been waiting for this moment to happen.

As the both of you went inside, you immediately enveloped Minji a tight hug. You felt her hug back that made you tear up.

"I can't believe this is happening, please tell me I'm not dreaming!" You told her and you felt her shook her head on your chest. Then suddenly, you felt your shirt getting cold.

"Minji?" You broke the hug and you saw her brightly smiling at you, her tears rolling down her cheeks with her mascara. "Yah, don't ruin your make up" you wiped her tears using your sleeves. "You're performing soon, I'll watch beside the stage" she nodded at you and got out from your arms.

"Oh- I remember, your necklace " you grab the necklace on your pocket and turn her around to put on the necklace on her.

After putting in on, you kissed Minji's cheeks making her blush and turn around at you. "Yah, we're not official yet, take me out to date first" she said and pushed your shoulders.

"Hmm, noted. So...?"

Silence filled the room, the both of you smiling while staring at each other. "I missed you" you look down on the ground while fiddling your fingers. "Me too" you heard her said that made you blush.

"Have you watched my performance?"

"Performance?"

Your head shot up and you glared at her. "Y oi u missed it, did you?" Minji bit her lip and looked down. You smiled at her cuteness and then went closer to her again.

"It's okay though, at least we met again. So Minji... I mean, Jiu-ssi" you said and took out you hand for her to take.

"Faith really made us see each other, would you like to go out on a date with me on Saturday" you kneeled down at her and she started squealing. "Yah~ what are you doing, get up" she held your hand and pulled you up but you remained in your place.

"Only if you agree, Jiu-ssi" she smiled sweetly at you and pecked your lips.

"Of course, I would love too" you smiled and then stood up, pulling your necklace that was hiding behind your shirt.

On your necklace, there are two rings that was familiar to Minji. It was your necklace since you were still together. You wore it everyday. She wants to ask why there are 2 rings on it but her head says 'it's just design, that's it's

"Kim Minji, you were mine before, I'll make you mine again" you pulled out the rings and put the small one on her left hand. She blushed and you put the larger ring on your left hand.

"Now we're unofficially enganged" you smiled cheekily and kissed her forehead.

"Welcome back"

#jiu #dreamcatcher #jiu reader #jiu scenario #dreamcatcher scenario #dreamcatcher imagines #dreamcatcher oneshot #jiu imagine #kpop imagine #kpop oneshot #kpop #kim minji

18 notes · View notes

plush-rabbit · 4 years

Text

Can I Ask You Something?

| Part 14 |

You close your laptop with a sigh and crawl out of bed to put it away. You raise your arms over head and arch your back, letting out a soft moan when your back lets out a pop. You sigh and shake your hands. “I should shut it down properly next time,” you mumble to yourself, eyes growing misty when a yawn that you can no longer suppress breaks free from you.

You lie in bed, covered under blankets and your phone pulled close as you scroll through your social media, smiling softly and hearting pictures. When another yawn moves past your lips, you slide your phone onto the nightstand and pull the blankets closer under your chin, finally allowing your body to rest.

You’re pulled out of your sleep with a hand clamped over your shoulder, shaking you out of your slumber accompanied by a raspy voice telling you to wake up. Your mind still foggy with sleep, you raise a hand and weakly wave off the sudden motions, mumbling incoherent words that are laced heavy with sleep. The shaking stops and the hand is removed, and you melt back into bed a small grin on your face and then your eyes shoot open. You scramble to turn on the lamp and wince when the glow from it makes your eyes sting.

Your bleary vision lands on a dark figure and you open your mouth to scream when a hand clasps over your mouth. You let out a muffled cry when your head collides with the headboard, tears springing to your eyes and a dull pain filling your already cloudy mind. You kick your legs out and they are entangled in the blanket, your chest is rising and falling heavily, a surge of panic and fear coursing through your veins. Your arms go stiff at your sides, your nails digging into your thighs and you’re shaking.

“Fucking- Just relax. It’s me. It’s me,” a raspy voice calls out to you, the hand clamped around your mouth loosening.

You blink back your tears and one slides down your face and disappears into the hand. Your eyes flicker around your room until they hand on the assailant. “Tomura?” Your voice is muffled and slowly the hand leaves your mouth.

He stands in front of you. His hair has grown longer and it’s a snowy white. He has faded marks around his neck and when you glance down, all air escapes your lungs when they land on his left hand- he wears a metal brace and you can only see two fingers peek out of it. When you look back, he has bags under his eyes but he stands tall. He stands dignified and his gaze meets yours and unlike you, he doesn’t look away.

“Why—”

“Just shut up and let me think.” His eyes finally turn away from you and land on your dresser, eyes narrowed and glaring at the bottle of cream that stands there. The hand at his side curls in and out of a fist and he lets out a harsh breath. His eyes come back and you stiffen under his gaze, your nails marking your skin with crescent shaped reminders. He stares at you for what feels like eternity, his eyes burning with an intense flame in them and his foot is tapping on your floor at a rapid pace. Abruptly, he turns around and buries his face in his hands. He’s agitated and cursing under his breath.

You glance to the side and you’re dumbfounded. It’s a strange thing to watch where he’s unnerved even if he did break in and shake you awake. It makes you forget that he’s a villain. Right now, with sleep slowly fading from your mind and body, it feels as if he just woke up from a nightmare during a sleepover. Your shoulders slump and you let out a quiet breath.

“Do you want a glass of water?” You whisper, glancing at the door and your hands unfurling from your sides.

His body stiffens and you nervously swallow. He turns around slowly and you recoil involuntarily when his eyes meets yours. “I’m getting on the bed.” You don’t have a chance to respond- not that you would have anyways- when he crawls into bed, sitting down on the space next to you.

Both of you sit in silence. You grow agitated and your eyes slowly begin to droop close with your head nodding off. Sleep is powerful thing- it erases time in the blink of an eyes, it sends anxiety to the back of the mind- it wins over you when you have panic coursing through your veins and pumping your heart at an erratic pace. He doesn’t move an inch. He sits upright when his back against his bedframe and hands in lap. He’s quiet and you want to call out to him. You want to hug him. You want to scream and pound at his chest. You want to curl into him and pretend that he’s still Tomura and you want to sleep. You want him to touch you. You missed him. And now here he is, less than a foot away from you in your bed and all you can do it sit idly, forcing yourself to stay awake as adrenaline begins to pump itself into your body.

You sit with your back against the bedframe, the pain in your head dulling by the second and the blankets are crumpled at your feet. You slowly reach over to grab them, feeling his eyes on you and when you bring them back, you turn around and hold them close to your chest. Your heart beats rapidly, it pounds in your chest, shaking your ribcage and you think you’re close to seeing it pop of out your chest and stain you in scarlet. Your legs still shake and you clamp a hand down at them in a weak attempt to stop them.

“When did you figure it out?” His voice cuts through the silence and your hand curls deeper in the blanket.

“A bit before you came over the second time,” you reply after a moment. “Remember when I started talking about that friend? When I cried in front of you and gave you a gift?” You voice cracks and you stop talking.

“You haven’t told anybody?”

“Who could I ever tell?” Your laugh is bitter. “We knew each other for a while after that. It would have made me like an accomplice or something.” You think you’re going to die here. You wish you would have at least been asleep for it.

“You’re lying,” he accuses you.

“Tom—”

“You could have gone to the authorities and told them I was blackmailing you. There were a lot of things you could have done where you came out as the victim who was manipulated by me.” You can feel his eyes bore holes in the side of your head. “So, I’ll ask again- why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know,” you answer honestly. Your mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton and your desperate to reach over and grab the water bottle that stands idly on your nightstand but you’re afraid to make any sudden movement. “I think… You let me know your name. You let me see your face.” You take in a deep breath and exhale it for just as long. “I don’t think I could handle it if I betrayed you like that.”

“Look at me,” he tells you and you know better than to disobey him.

You turn slowly to meet him, your bottom lip sucked between your teeth slowly rolls out and your eyes won’t meet his.

“I told you to look at me.” His voice is gentle; and it sounds more of a request than a command.

“I can’t,” you whisper, closing your eyes and bowing your head.

You hear him mutter a curse under his breath. “How?” When you don’t answer, he presses. “How did you find out?”

“Do you remember that attack that happened near the park? The one that I fell at?”

“Where the people tripped you?”

You nod slowly. “Bingo,” your hands clench the blanket tighter. “Well it was the day after that. I uh, I don’t know why but I- I felt compelled to learn more about it and well the news links lead me to you.” You open your eyes and slowly raise your head. He meets your eyes and your breath catches at your throat. “Well then I forgot about it when you called,” you smile softly, “and then I remembered your face and I thought and I tried making excuses for it but-” your eyes shine with unshed tears and a shaky breath makes your chest shudder. “Your picture popped up on one of the news sites. It was a bit blurry but-” your voice cracks and you stare at your lap- “I thought that couldn’t be you. You were nice and had nice eyes and you had a nice smile,” a tear slips, “but it was you.” You chew on your bottom lip, dragging your teeth across the soft skin. “I didn’t like that it was you.”

It all happens abruptly and it shouldn’t surprise you but you still stiffen under his touch and stop breathing when his hand grips your face tightly. His face is close yours and you can feel his breath that fans across your lips. “I could kill you,” he whispers but the threat doesn’t match his soft tone.

Crimson eyes flicker to your lap when your hand slowly unfurls from the twisted blanket, the soft turquoise lands softly still bundle close together. You hand is shaky as it moves towards his face. Your heart skips a beat when you grasp his face in a reflection of what he’s doing to you. Where his hands are dry and calloused, yours are soft and delicate; they’re featherlike on his skin. It’s easy to break out of your grip, but he doesn’t. He allows himself to feel your touch. You’re shaking and tears slip out, but you still sit by him, you still look at him with sorrowful expression. You still touch him.

“Yeah,” you whisper, “I guess you could kill me.” Your forefinger strokes the corner of his lips before coming to a still when his canine gleams in the yellow lighting.

“What will you do if I do kill you?”

“I think I’ll cry,” you whisper, your eye breaking away from his when your thumb strokes at his bottom lip and traces over his scar. “What will you do?” Your hand slides down and ghosts over his neck, you see his Adam’s apple bob and you tut. Your fingers are delicate over his healing and healed scars. “What will you do?” Your hand leaves his neck and he can’t breathe. “Will you cry? Will you destroy everything I own?” When he doesn’t answer you press on. “If you do, can you at least leave a note saying I ran away? I don’t want my family and friends to worry.”

His hand tentatively leaves your face; his fingertips stroke your skin with soft touches full of desire and reluctance. Under your chin, they mold into a fist and he presses the flat under his thigh. He looks away from you, his eyes focused on the wall in front of him. “I hate you,” he says softly, his voice full of emotion that makes it crack and sound broken whispered in the middle of the night.

The lump in your throat won’t go down, and you let out a shaky breath, nodding your head softly with eyes full of pained tears. “Yeah,” you lick your lips, “I like you too.” Your hands slide odd your lap and rest in the space between the two of you. His arm twitches in response and you lower your head, closing your eyes so the tears don’t escape. You take a deep breath and force yourself to look at him, your bottom lip quivering as the words leave your mouth. “How did you realize it? It took me a bit and then when I did it- I didn’t take it well.”

“Why?”

“Why what?”

He frowns. “Why didn’t you take it well?”

“Because at the end of the day you’re Shigaraki and I’m a civilian who’s too scared to do most things.” You feel your chest grow tighter. “And you? How did you take it?”

“Tried to deny it,” his voice is light and genuine.

“Makes sense,” you say in a weak voice. “It’s an unlikely relationship, isn’t it?” You joke, your smile not reaching your eyes.

You watch as he moves to sit beside you, his legs crossed and you follow suit. You can’t look into his eyes, always stopping at the tip of his nose looking away from him. He was a text message, a disembodied voice, a person in front of you, a friend who held your neck in his grasp, and now he sits in front of you and tells you that he likes you while sitting on your bed as if he didn’t just break in. You missed him. You tried to forget him- his memory only bringing misery to you. Yet here he is in front of you, sitting cross legged and waiting for you to meet his eyes.

“I don’t know what to think,” you whisper, looking down at your hands, playing with the drawstring from your shorts. “I’m happy but,” you trail off, not finishing your sentence and when you meet his eyes, he nods dolefully.

He’s in front of you and you sit there. You raise your hand and your fingers jump when they touch his face. He’s tense for a moment before he relaxes into you and you move your hand, sliding it down to his neck and underneath, you can feel his steady pulse and your chest tightens. Your hand returns to cusp his face, your thumb tracing his cheekbones and fingers stroking at his jawline. Your fingers glide over his skin and your eyebrows knit together when you see a scar. Your fingertips run over a blemish and the bumps and ridges and they solidify who he is- they make him real.

“You have so many scars,” you mumble, your eyes beginning to gloss over, a wistful smile tugging on the corner of your lips.

“I can never give you a normal life—” his lips part and he tilts his head, pressing further into your palm and letting his eyes flutter to a close— “not until I do what I have to do.”

Your eyes are heavy and sting with tears, with a shaky breath you begin to speak, “I know that you can’t,” your voice cracks and he opens his eyes, “but I still like you- a lot. And, I don’t want you to go again.” Your voice is soft and in the comfort of your room, in the middle of the little life that you’ve made for yourself while a man with scars littering his body nestled into your palm, it makes it all that much more intimate. “I can hold you. You don’t have to give up your dreams.” There’s a pause and you ran you hand back to his throat. His pulse is rapid beneath your fingertips. “I trust you.”

You sniff and wipe your eyes. “I uh,” you clear your throat. “What’s on your hand? Did you break it?”

His eyes widen a fraction. “You didn’t see the news?”

“Just enough to get the gist. I uh, heard there were causalities. Did you have something to do with it?” He nods and you turn your head. “Yeah,” you chuckle humorlessly, “I thought you did.” You turn back to face him. “So what happened?”

“My hand got crushed.” He says it so nonchalantly that it takes you a second to process the true meaning behind his words. He clears his throat. “Just three fingers. The other two are fine but I have to wear the brace for the time being.” When you don’t respond, he looks through the corner of his eyes and frowns when you stare intently at the brace that covers his hand.

He holds his hand out to you and the brace is just a brace, but to you, it’s painful to even look at. You take a shuddering breath and start to cry.

“I’m not going to kill you,” he whispers, slowly curling in the two fingers that he has left, ready to pull away. “I have control of it.”

“You’re-” your voice breaks- “you’re missing fingers,” you say miserably, your words interrupted by hiccups. Your bottom lip wobbles and your shoulders shake softly as you cry, your body hunched in on itself with your hands bunching the blanket underneath.

He’s silent for a beat. “Yeah, it happens.” He clears his throat and sits up straighter. “The other guy looks worse. I promise,” he tries to make light of it, one corner of his lips tilting upwards but falling as you continue to sob.

He jumps when your own hands clutch his, your skin digging painfully into the brace but you don’t let go and he makes no motion to tell you. You lower your head, shamefully, tears still slipping down and catching in his hand. “You’re hurt,” you whisper, your voice catching. You sit in front of him on your knees, holding tightly onto his hand as you cry in front of him.

“I was hurt. Not anymore.” The words are meant to be comforting, but they have the opposite effect- you cry harder, biting down on your lip to muffle your pained whimpers. “Stop crying.” His own voice breaks. Even after so long, he still cares deeply about you.

“I can’t stop,” your words slur together pathetically. “I can’t.” He watches you with hurt eyes, his hands perfectly still, not daring to move even when your tears pool into his palm. He doesn’t know how to comfort you. You’re crying because of him, he’s the one injured and you’re on your knees sobbing, holding onto his broken hand like it’s the only thing that’s keeping you grounded. And he realizes with a wince that it is- time went fast for him, all of it a blur, a blink of an eye and suddenly everything was where it should be and he lost a few things on the way, but every war carries its casualties. But you weren’t involved in the war. You sat at home and kept him company. And now you sit in front of him, the red blanket that he loved is crumpled and meshed with the lighter turquoise one- you’ve lived your life without him and so has he. “You got hurt. You lost-” you hiccup- “you lost part of your hand,” you curl in on yourself still holding onto him.

You hold onto him as if he’s you’re lifeline. Your tears flood and you weep into his open palm. Whatever rationality that you held, any fear or anxiety, is gone and it’s replaced by sorrow and helplessness. You’re quite literally putty in his hands, you missed him. His sits in front of you but he isn’t the Tomura you once knew- he’s different now. His hair is longer and it is now a snow white color, he has scars that mar his skin, a brace holds his hand together. He stands taller and his eyes hold pain behind them and all you can do is cry and cling onto him like a child.

“I missed you.” He holds his breath as he waits for your reply, watching your shoulders come to a still and your eyes slowly meet his. They’re bloodshot and tears stain your cheeks. Your bottom lip is red and swollen. “Did you?”

You nod slowly. “I missed you too.”

He pulls his hand away from your tight grip and your fingers stretch and reach out to his retreating hand. He holds his palms open in front of him and when he turns to you, and his arms are spread open. He calls your name and looks into your eyes. A wave of confusion is washed over your face before you take in a deep breath and throw yourself on him, burying your face in his neck, nuzzling into old scars and whispering incomprehensible words to his ear. You give out quiet sobs, your hands clutching the back of his coat and you feel safe. You push yourself closer into him, letting your eyes flutter to a close while you hold onto him.

He holds you tightly and he’s thankful you’ve hidden yourself from him. His eyes widen and lips are pulled into a tight line. His eyes glass over and his fingers thread through your hair. His hand slides through your hair and his fingers trail down your spine and with a nervous breath, he slips his hand under your shirt and gasps when you tighten your grip on him. You don’t erode under his touch. You stay as you are, buried into his neck and whole.

Your sobs soon turn into whimpers which quiet into deep breaths where you can feel your eyelids droop, tears still catching and dripping and marking his skin. Your grip on him softens and you think you can asleep in his arms with his fingertips rubbing shapes into your skin. Your hands slide down his back and you pull away from him, turning your face and covering it with a hand. You sniff and shiver when his hands slide out from under your shirt and ghost over your sides. You open your nightstand drawer and grab a travel pack of tissues that you keep stuffed away for emergencies and shakily open the packet. You shakily pull out a few and hand them to Tomura where he takes them without resistance.

Tears stain the once pristine white tissues and you hold them gently in your hand. You swing your legs over the bed and count the stripes on your socks. When another pair join you, you look at him and lean your head on his shoulder, choosing not to comment on how tightly he grips the tissues in hand and the wetness that still dots the corner of his eyes. The bed whines as you both get off, the used tissues getting tossed into the bin in the corner of your room. You look up at him and when the lump in your throat begins to take form once again, he sighs and runs a hand down his hair, looking to the side and squeezing his eyes shut. You get off of the bed and he follows in suit, the bed groaning under the shift in weight and you toss the used tissues into your trashcan. He pulls you into a hug and you bury your face into his chest, leaning your weight on him, you’re soothed by his heartbeat.

“I missed you Tomura.” You close what little space is between the two of you with a small step. “I missed you so much.”

He holds you tight in his arms, a soft curve in his back as he buries his face in your neck, eyelashes fluttering softly across your skin, his nose pressing into your skin and inhaling your scent. His lips are chapped and broken, pressed against your soft skin which beats under him. His breath is warm and his lips glide across your skin as he breathes and lets the silent words etch themselves upon your skin. His hands rest on your back and slide down, smoothing every wrinkle that marked your shirt. His hands glide across your back and slip underneath your shirt, where you only melt further into him, a low hum vibrating in your throat and tickling his nose. His hands are calloused and feather light on your sides, dancing above and pressing down to leave imprints of him on you. He folds into you, burying himself and greedily taking your warmth and love. Tomura stands tall, but bows to you.

His hair pools around him in a silvery halo, an arm under you and a hand latched onto your shoulder. You rest on your side, head nestled above his shoulder and your eyes trace the fading scars that paint his skin. You have an arm thrown across his stomach, his shirt riding up and exposing skin where the pad of your fingers tickles his skin. An arm is bent into your chest and you hold the hand with the brace, his remaining fingers hooking around yours firmly.

“Hey,” he whispers, fingers tapping your shoulder.

“Hm?”

“Can I ask you something?” He rolls his shoulder where you lay and you rest your chin on him to look him in the eyes.

“Of course, Tomura,” you smile softly, inching closer to him. The hand tracing on his stomach comes to a stop and you tug the blanket further up his chest.

Red eyes flicker down to your lips and he swallows. “Can I kiss you?” Both hands curl tighter on your skin. His chest stops rising and he goes still beneath you, holding your gaze. He clears his throat and his eyes flicker to the left. “I—”

You capture him in a kiss. It’s a quick peck, a soft brushing of your lips against his, and with a shuddering breath against his lips you deepen the kiss, pressing yourself deeper to him and a low whine sounds in the back of his throat. It’s a slow and unsure kiss, where teeth clash and your breath hitches with hands and limbs shift and nudge into each other while trying to find their place.

Your chest rises and falls and you look at him. His eyes are wide and lips are parted and he runs his tongue across his lips. You feel his trembling breath fan across your lips and there’s a moment of stillness where you two stare at each other, eyes soft and face slightly flushed only to be broken when his arm snakes and presses down your back, pushing you against him. Your hands cradle his face and his own hold onto your back, fingers curving over your shoulder and the other resting on your side.

He’s covetous, pressing you deeper against him, hands running under your shirt and fingers hooking under the collar, gasping, broken breaths whispered against your mouth. It’s rushed and makes it feel as if you’re being consumed by the sun. He takes your breath away, greedily taking you all for himself, a smile playing on his lips when you mewl, holding tighter onto his face. You grow flush and the blanket above warms you to his core and you slide a hand away from his face and rest it on his neck, curving your palm around his heart beats erratically you chuckle breathlessly. You pull away, a grumble of protest spoken softly only to be quieted by another peck.

His hands are cold, cooling your body as they stay in place and hold you; his smile is warm and gentle, shining at you like the sun on a summer’s eve. You kiss down his neck, humming in response when he chuckles softly, arms wrapping around you and holding you in place.

You’re ceiling is dark, illuminated only by glow-in-the-dark stars that glow a pale yellow that’s already began to dim. His hand plays with your hair, holding it above and wrapping it around his digits and letting it slip out only to repeat the process.

“I don’t want you to go,” you speak softly, lips brushing against his neck and smiling softly when he jerks in response.

“I have to,” he replies, voice tight and matching your own softness.

“What happens now?” You curl your leg around his and let your hands trace the edge of his brace, run over his fingers and commit the feeling to memory.

“I spend the night,” his fingers curl over yours and the one wrapped around you, digs into your skin.

“But you’ll leave,” emphasizing the last word in a strained whisper, holding tighter onto him, as if that would prevent him from leaving.

“In the morning-” he sighs, twirling your hair in his hand- “before you even wake up.” Your hair spills out of his grasp and his hand returns to you, ghosting over your skin.

“I don’t want you to go,” you murmur.

“I’ll come back.” You feel his lips press against the crown of your head and the pull away slowly.

“When?”

“When I’ve won.” He makes it sound so easy, a promise that won’t be broken, and he whispers it, letting it fill the silence.

“Tomura,” you whine, pulling away from his neck and looking at him through glassy vision, brows furrowed and you pout at him.

He shakes his head and looks away- a faint dust of pink appears on his face. “Or whenever. It won’t be as often. I have things to do.” His hands hold you tighter.

“But we’ll stay together?”

He looks at you. “Of course.” He nods his head and kisses the corner of your mouth. His lips are salty and wet when he pulls away. “Of course.”

“No more getting hurt.” He nods. “And you can’t die on me.” He doesn’t nod. “Tomura, you can’t die.”

He presses his lips against yours. They’re wet and salty and you gasp with his touch but you kiss him back just the same, your hands tugging his hair and going down to grip onto his shoulders, your nails digging into the thin fabric of his shirt. His hands lower onto your hips, pulling you closer to him.

“I’m not going to,” he whispers against your lips, taking in a breath before he presses himself against you.

“You promise?”

He holds up his pinky. “I pinky promise.”

Your shoulders slump and you give him a soft smile. You push his pinky back, folding it back into his palm and you bring his hand up to your lips and place a feathery kiss on the knuckle of it. “Come back to me soon, okay?”

He nods solemnly, letting his knuckle linger on your lips. “I will.”

“You’ll win?”

“Do you want me to?” His brow bones raise at his lips are parted as he asks, a wariness on his voice as if your permission was all that he needed.

“I don’t know,” you answer honestly. He pulls away his hand but you keep a lock on it, sliding it down to the space above your heart. “I- I don’t like all the killing or the destruction and while heroes aren’t all that great either,” your breaths are shaky and you have to hold tighter onto his hand to calm yourself, “I don’t like the death that’s going to come.”

“I can’t change that.”

“I know,” you whisper.

“When I win,” he inches closer to you and welcome it, “I’ll bring you with me.” Tears sting at his eyes, and he turns his face to bury himself into you, tears slipping slowly down his features and staining the pillowcase.

You smile sadly at him, a lump in your throat appearing and making your words sound broken. “You’ve gone soft Tomura.” You wrap your arms around him and rest your head on his shoulder.

“It won’t be easy-” his chest shudders as the words leave his mouth- “being with me.”

“Of course it won’t be,” you reply, holding his hand in yours and running the pad of your finger down his brace, “but, you’ll be there.” You turn your head and press a kiss against his collar bone. “It’ll be worth it if it’s with you.

“I’ll be there and you’ll be here,” he replies. “You make it worth it.”

“And you aren’t dying.” He nods. “If- If I hear that you died, I won’t forgive you,” your voice cracks and he nuzzles deeper into you. “I mean it, Tomura. I’ll be angry and I won’t forgive you.”

“I won’t die.” He pauses. “I’ll be gone for long intervals of time.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know.” He pulls you closer. “I have a lot more things to do now, so I’ll be busy whether I like it or not.” He kisses your temple. “But I’ll be back before your know it,” he whispers to you. You nod. “You can come with me.”

“I can’t.” A tear slips and you turn to bury your face into his chest. His heart beats fast under you and his grip around you tightens for a moment before loosening. “I’m not cut out for the life you live.”

He heaves a sigh and stays silent, hands holding you tighter, his fingertips lightly scratching at your skin. You both are silent, your words hanging overhead and as much as you would try to deny it, as much as he would try to convince you to go with him, to take his hand and runaway, it would fall on deaf ears. He knows you tell the truth. He was raised for this life, wanted to be a hero and ended up murdering his family, you grew with a family and craved friendship. And for now, while he still hasn’t achieved his goal, he can accept your hesitance, he won’t hold it against you, won’t manipulate you, he’ll hurt, he’ll cry when you’ve gone to sleep, but he’ll accept you. You’ve accepted him, flaws and all; he can do the same for you. He’s always going to return your love.

He nods and runs his hand over your arm, lulling you to sleep, letting his eyes flood with tears and seep out. He lets his eyes close with you in his arms, his breath slowing and deepening, mumbling a good night to you where you respond with sleep laced in your voice, slurring your words together and he purses his lips when he feels your lips press at his collarbone and drag down his skin.

The blinds are left open and bright sunlight enters the room and pulls you out of your slumber. You moan in your sleep and your hands curls around the empty space. Your eyes shoot open and you rise with palms pressing down on the mattress. True to his word, Tomura isn’t next to you. His space is cold and it feels a bit harder to breathe. You grab the pillow he laid on and hold it tight in your arms, nose buried deep into the pillow and unshed tears sting your eyes.

You hold the pillow tight, never letting go, tears that wash down your face, dot at the pillow and there’s an aching feeling in your chest, one that is only healed when you remember his touch on you, how he kissed you and gripped tightly at your skin. You smile softly through the tears and wipe them with the back of your hand, holding your hand against your chest.

You grab your phone and curse yourself, forgetting to ask for his number or any other means of communication. You sniffle and hold the phone tight in your hands. You’re exhausted, your body still heavy with sleep. You’re revived, smiling at the thought of him, the blanket still faint with his scent and you let it rest on your bed in a pile. Your walk to the kitchen is slow, touching the walls, making sure that everything is still real, that you aren’t alone and that last night, was reality, that you can still feel the brace under your fingertips, you can still remember the cool touch of his skin, the warmth of his smile and how he took your breath away with his kiss. It was real. And he’ll be back.

You enter the kitchen and lean against the counter, eyes still blurry with sleep and you run a hand through your hair, when your phone vibrates in your hand. You try to keep the hope in your chest snuffed, not daring to cry so soon after you’ve just seen him. The message makes your lips curve into a grin and you giggle, pressing the phone against your chest.

Unknown:

[The offer still stands if you want to come with]

[This is Tomura btw]

You read his words over and over, smiling wide that it hurts your cheeks and filling your chest with happiness and a light feeling that makes it feel as if you’re going to float away. You phone buzzes again and a new message fills the screen that makes you giggle and bounce in your step.

[Love you]

Tagged:

@suneaterofthebig3 @ maxinekotodama @ z-il

@rogueofbullshit @ juiccy-rollss @ choros-main-hoe

@loveableasshole @lilgaga98 @ princeofnonsense

@yul-is-sparkling@noonewouldlisten25@noodlenerd101

@localdisaster@snackgod@iikillerkitteh

@drapetomaniaac@shigaraki-is-my-master @ spaceman-main

@rekoii@ txmaki0 @katelyn-cuteson

@bat-eclecticwolfbouquet-love @ crispingloverscrispylover

@justoneofthosepeople @bloodyantichrist

@maxinekotodama @avada-kedavra-1998

#can i ask you something #ciays

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miraculousandbts · 3 years

Text

BTS | AMAs

P.S. The story is in y/n's perspective. Just because I wanted to.

Summary: You get your first big nomination, but you just had to stumble into a very handsome stranger.

Pairing: OT7 X Reader (Platonic)

Genre: Fluff

Word Count: 2.2k

Warning: Reader’s train of thought goes crazy every once in a while. I feel like this should be a warning.

I was hugging my manager and jumping in circles with her, as a way of expressing my happiness. Ashley was not only my manager, but also one of my closest friends, always supporting me and believing in me since the start. Both of us were ecstatic with the news, and this was our way of showing it. Aside from jumping, we both were also screaming very loudly. I had never been so thankful for having a house near the forest area without neighbours.

Oh, wait! I never introduced myself; how rude of me. (Yes, I was thinking about the Thea Stilton books...) I'm y/n, a singer and songwriter. I live in LA. Me and Ash were just watching the American Music Awards nominations, and we just couldn't control our excitement when they took my name. This was my first nomination for an award. It wouldn't be that big of a deal for an experienced artist or someone who has been in the industry for long, but I'm still a rookie, debuting only two years ago.

Me and Ashley finally calmed down when a very startled guard came in and told us that we screamed so loud that he saw bats fly away from deep inside the forest. We sheepishly apologised, and decided to go to sleep. I had been recording a song the whole day, while she had been busy with manager duties, so we both were exhausted. I had actually known her for the last four years, and she often stayed over. So often, in fact, that my guest room had become 'Ashley's Room' very quickly.

After bidding each other happy good nights, we both went to bed in our respective rooms, falling asleep speedily.

*****

Taylor was applying my makeup, while I sat in the stiff makeup chair. This had been going on for the past hour, despite me telling her that I wanted light makeup and a simple dress. Instead, she and my stylist Ben decided to go against my wishes for once. Ben had prepared an extravagant dress too fancy even for a royal ball, and I was thankful it wasn't pink or blue or yellow; I absolutely did not want to look like a princess, that just wouldn't be me. Taylor kept on applying a little too much makeup on my face for my liking. She was very talented, so at least I was sure I wouldn't look bad.

Right now, she was working on my eye makeup, expertly putting on eyeliner and...something. I'm not good with this stuff. Taylor's assistant, whose name I always forgot, was painting my nails. I looked at her working. She was a pro at this. She smoothly glided the brush over my nails, effortlessly painting them purple, and then decorating them. She used as less materials as possible, knowing I hated it when even my nails felt heavy; my face was enough.

After two more hours of torture, I was finally ready. I looked breathtaking, but if I had an option, I would still go with something lighter. After another hour of sitting in the limo, we were finally there.

I got out, and there were cameras in my face. All I saw were purple blotches, because the camera men couldn't use their brains enough to shut off the flash. Or maybe those cameras didn't have an option to shut off the flash.

Anyway, I struck a few poses, blew some kisses, and walked ahead. And then I saw Dan. He was a reporter for such gigs, and I often did short interviews with him. He wasn't like the others; he didn't ask about rumours or made new ones, he didn't ask controversial questions to increase their channel's TRP.

I gave him a grin and walked towards him.

"Hey, Dan."

"Y/n! Looking beautiful as always."

"Oh, you flatter me." I kept a hand on my chest.

"Okay, stop with the over dramatics, girlie." You grinned.

He motioned his cameraman to start recording. I tuned out the whole introduction, and focused when he asked me a question, the said question being how was I feeling about being here even though it hadn't been long since my debut. "It's all thanks to my fans. I love making music, and I believe that if you do something with true passion, you will be successful. I guess this is destiny's way of showing me that what I'm doing is right. And not gonna lie, it feels like I've been feeling like I'm on a sugar rush since the nominees were announced, because of the adrenaline."

After some more questions and smiles, I finally went in.

I was too focused on not tripping on my own feet because of the long dress, so the first thing I did after entering was bump into someone. Great! I wasn't even surprised anymore, knowing how I was. "I am so sorry!" I looked up with wide eyes, only to meet kind brown ones. It took me a second to register that he wasn't alone, six other men behind him. They seemed familiar. I could tell they were from east Asia. I glanced at all of them, and then looked at him, apologising again.

"It is okay." He had a cute accent to his English, and I internally smiled, not only because of his accent, but also because he wasn't mad. I must've smiled in relief, because he looked amused. Now that I was looking at him properly, he was handsome, with a capital H. Little round face, pretty eyes, cute boop-able nose. And then he smiled. And then I died. It was the cutest smile I had ever seen!

Thankfully, I wasn't the kind of gal who would stand there checking him out. All of this took me a second, and I excused myself after thanking him.

*****

"Oh, hey!" I heard a smooth deep voice as soon as I sat down. I looked to my side and found one of the friends of the man I had bumped into earlier. I was right, my brain didn't forget. I smiled a small smile. "Hey."

Extending my hand towards him the old fashioned way, introduced myself. "Y/n."

He shook my hand, seemingly unfazed by my apparent childish behaviour. "Kim Namjoon, more commonly known as RM."

That's when it clicked. RM. K-Pop. BTS. My eyes must've widened; I was always terrible at hiding my emotions. "Everything okay?" He brought me out of my stupor. "Uh, yeah. Just, when I stumbled into one of you guys before, you all seemed familiar, I just couldn't place your faces anywhere." I replied honestly. "Oh." He simply leaned back into his chair and nodded.

"So, in which category are you nominated?" He continued.

"Top social artist. You?"

"Same. It'll be a four year streak for us if we win again."

"Ooh, really. Well then, I hope you win."

"Don't you want to win?"

"Coming here already feels like a dream. I don't think I can handle the adrenaline if I do win."

"So basically you want us to win for completely selfish purposes, huh?"

You both laughed at that remark, and continued making small talk for a while. Then he said he had to use the washroom. I hummed in his direction, and as soon as he got up, I saw the guy I had ran into in the chair next to his.

He had noticed Namjoon getting up too, so he was looking on my direction. He grinned at me, and sat in Namjoon's chair. "Hello."

"Hey."

"I am sorry. My English is not that good. Only Namjoon speaks English." He sheepishly rubbed his neck. "Why are you apologising for that?" I was genuinely curious. It was okay to not know perfect English. Even though I was a native English speaker, I still made mistakes. Everyone did. And the said language wasn't even his first language. "At the entrance, I wanted to talk."

"Oh. Well, You should have, I don't judge because of stuff like this." He smiled at that. "I will introduce you to them." He gestured to his band mates who were very engrossed in the show. Before he could do that, I interrupted him. "Hey, sorry. I haven't been in the industry for long, and I've only ever heard your guys' name, so...I only know RM and V? Is that right? So, yeah, I don't know your name."

I cursed at myself internally. Way, to go y/n! So damn awkward. He must've sensed my hesitation, because all he did was offer me his hand. Ooh, the old fashioned way. Good to know I wasn't the only one.

"Suga."

"Y/n." I shook his hand. Namjoon came back at that moment and him and Suga said something to each other in Korean. Wait, Suga? That does not sound right. Oh, right! It must be his stage name.

And then I facepalmed. Literally. I didn't think before my hand met my forehead. I must've made a pretty loud smack, because both of them were now looking at me like I was some weirdo. I sighed and slowly hid my face in my hands. "These kind of things always happen to me..." I mumbled.

I looked up when I heard them chuckling. I pouted, but I knew they could see the relief on my face that they didn't think of me like I was demented. "Don't worry, we've been living with these guys for the past eight years, these kind of things don't faze us anymore." Namjoon gestured to the other guys, who were still oblivious to their surroundings, absorbed in the performances.

I let out a breathy chuckle at the fact that they were so openly dissing their own friends. Namjoon, by now, was seated in the chair in which Suga was previously sitting in.

"So, I refuse to believe that Suga is your real name. And I would rather be literal friends with you guys, rather than two artists who just know each other."

"Yoongi. Min Yoongi." The way he said it reminded me of how Geronimo Stilton introduced himself. 'Why my brain has to go down completely random memory lanes is beyond me...and why am I thinking about a kid's book series?'

Within the next hour, I had been introduced to the other guys, and all of us were conversing about anything and everything. Seokjin was very happy that I was loving his dad jokes, Hoseok was a little too excited about my proposal of shooting a dance cover on one of mine or their songs, Jimin, Taehyung and me got along very well, as we were all the same age, and Jungkook had offered to teach me boxing, after I expressed my wish to learn it.

All in all, I was getting along very well with them. They were fun to be with, and it was absolutely adorable how they sometimes got flustered over their mistakes while talking. After the fun night ended, I congratulated them on their win, and went home, completely exhausted.

*****

"Noona!" Jungkook was the first to notice me. With wide eyes and a happy grin, he came to hug me. I had decided to surprise the boys by coming to Korea. Right now, I was standing in their dance studio. Even after four years, we were still going strong. It felt like now I had four elder brothers, two twins, and a kid. '...that was a terrible reference...god, please tell me what is wrong with me.'

Soon, all the boys came to hug me, though I tried running away to avoid their sweaty hugs, but Jungkook held me at one place, while I tried to squirm away. I should've just waited in their dorm.

"Kookie!" All I got in reply was a mischievous giggle. He really was a baby. Later that day, a collaboration between us was confirmed, and I couldn't have been happier.

Geronimo Stilton and Thea Stilton might be kids’ books, but they’re still the best!! Change my mind, I dare you.

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jeonggukookies · 4 years

Text

too young || three

summary: jungkook tells you the truth about his “daughter” and the girl’s mother

word count: 3,003

genre: parent!au, single dad!jungkook fluff/angst/slow burn

one || two || three

“Jungkook, look!” Lifting your head up from your book, your eyes watched Jules drag Jungkook into your direction. You bit your lower lip to stop yourself from laughing as he and Jules stumbled onto the light blue checkered blanket. “Wow! Small world, am I right?”

“Indeed,” you joked.

Jungkook was wearing a long-sleeve yellow button up with his sleeves rolled up to his elbows. His shirt was tucked into his ripped light jeans. His outfit matched Jules; she was wearing a white t-shirt with yellow checkered shorts. For the first time in forever, her hair was down.

“Do you mind if we join you?” He asked while Jules put her hands together and gave you a begging look. He ran his left hand through his brown hair as his other hand held a large picnic basket. “If not, it’s cool.”

You let out a small laugh and rolled your eyes at his attempt of being a cool guy who didn’t care. “I mean I suppose if I get something from the basket.”

“Yay!” Jules cheered as she sat down right away across from you. “I’m glad the three of us are having a picnic.”

“What are you reading?” Jungkook as he sat down. He put the basket lightly in front of him and opened the lid. He gave you a teasing look. “Let me guess: E. L. James?”

“I’m sorry to disappoint.” You lifted the book from your lap to show him the cover of the book you were reading. It was a graphic novel that documented a life as a refugee escaping the Great War. He stared at your book for a while before taking out the first container out of the basket. “Not what you expected?”

“I don’t know actually.” He opened the lid of the container, revealing chocolate covered strawberries. “I mean, I don’t really know you.”

“You will soon,” Jules whispered under her breath. She shoved a strawberry in her mouth. “Soon.”

“What was that, kiddo?” Jungkook asked as he grabbed hand sanitizer and squeezed some onto his hands.

“Nothing.” Jungkook then started parting Jules’s hair into three sections and began braiding her hair. “I’m eating strawberries.”

“Who taught you how to braid?” You asked, getting a strawberry from the container. Once you tasted it, you knew you couldn’t stop; they were that good. “I feel like you can braid better than most people.”

He laughed, and just like Jules’s laugh, it was like hearing the most precious sound ever. You just wanted to listen to it over and over again, and you would never get tired of it. “I asked Jin to teach me how to braid when Jules started living with me, but then I taught myself how to do the fancy ones.”

Trying to hide your confused facial expression, you closed your book. Jules didn’t always lived with Jungkook, and he had moved and changed his job in order to fit around Jules’s schedule. Did that mean Jungkook and Jules’s mother were divorced? Did her mother suddenly not want her anymore?

You watched as Jungkook carefully and gently braided Jules’s hair without hurting her. “I wish I knew how to braid.”

“You don’t know how?” Jungkook asked as he grabbed the brown hair tie from his left wrist and wrapped it around the end of Jules’s braid. Again, he put santizer onto his hands and then reached to grab a strawberry. “You never learned?”

“I’m just really bad with my hands,” you said without thinking.

“Oh god,” Jules mumbled as Jungkook bit his lower lip, trying not to laugh. “What does that mean?”

“That’s not what I meant.” You let out a laugh. “I just couldn’t braid, so my mom or my friends would always do it for me.”

“Maybe one day, I’ll teach you.” Jungkook offered. Jules gave him a ‘what is this’ kind of look. You watched Jungkook nudge her, and Jules got back to eating the strawberries. “Perhaps, I’ll be the teacher, and you’ll be the student.”

Before you could reach for another strawberry, Jungkook reached for one and handed it to you. “Thank you.”

“I’m glad you like them,” he said. “Jules and I made them.”

“They’re delicious.” Jules smiled and patted herself on the back.

“Do you like coming to the park to read alone?” He asked.

“I’m fine by myself.” You shrugged. “Even if I didn’t want to be alone, I couldn’t invite someone. No one would want to come just to be with someone who’s reading.”

“I just think you haven’t found the right person for that.” Jungkook’s alluring eyes met yours. He was looking at you as if he was trying to look into your soul and understand what was going on in your head. “I know you said you were okay with being alone, but don’t you feel lonely sometimes?”

You knew that he asked with concern and wonder, not with the intent to hurt you, but somehow, it did hurt a little. You never thought too much about it, but you were amazed he could read you that easily.

“And what makes you think that?”

“I mean, you’re reading a book alone where someone is seeking asylum in a new foreign place, and I just had this feeling,” he explained. “Do you feel like you’re alone?”

You didn’t like depending on anybody else, but there were times where you did feel alone, even when you surrounded yourself with a bunch of people. You just distracted yourself away from that feeling by talking to other people. The feeling of loneliness eventually does go away, but it eventually did come back. It was just a cycle you had to deal with.

“Way to go, Kook,” Jules gritted through her teeth. “You know how to make a person feel good about themselves.”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I didn’t mean to be nosy or anything. Or sad. I wouldn’t want that on you.”

“I’m fine, really. I’m just thinking.” Jungkook was practically a stranger to you, yet you felt comfortable enough to share personal information with him. Your feelings towards Jungkook were changing. You knew that you started to like him and trust him. “I think that’s why I wanted to work in a school environment. I’m able to connect with a bunch of people who have different stories, so it makes me feel less lonely and alone. And I want to help them, so they don’t feel like that.”

“Did you feel like that growing up?” He asked.

“I mean, a little.” You thought about your childhood. “I was an only child, and I didn’t have a big family. I grew up with my parents and spent a lot of time at school with some friends, so when I wasn’t with them, I did feel alone. But I knew there was always someone there.”

“I get it.” Jungkook gave you a small smile and reached your shoulder to rub your upper arm in soothing circles. His touch felt like a thousand bolts went through your system. It was like he made your senses stronger. “Thank you for being comfortable enough to share that. Especially with me.”

He had the kind of energy where you felt like you were at home; you felt comfortable, safe and at peace. You were so used to being that type of person that you weren’t used to seeing other people like that too. As much as you didn’t want to admit it, you needed that. “Thanks Jungkook. For listening. For not judging.”

“Are you always that brave?” He teased. “Like I’m glad you trust me and all, but you took a risk by telling me. What if I run away this instant and tell the whole world how you felt?”

”Ha.” You released another laugh. “My mom owns a casino, actually.”

“Oh?” He said, not getting your point. “You go to casinos, and that’s why you like taking risks?”

You rolled your eyes and playfully shoved him. “She told me to always take the chance even when I’m afraid and don’t know. She didn’t think I would want to lose what I could have had,” you explained. “I took the risk to tell you, and hopefully you don’t run away from me.”

He smiled. “She’s smart.”

Jules then cupped her hands around Jungkook’s ear and whispered into his ear. She was terrible at it as you heard her ask, “Jungkook, when are you going to do it then?”

He looked at you and said, “Monday.”

___

That following Monday, you looked up from your laptop once you heard a knock on your office door.

There, at the door, Jungkook, in a cotton candy blue long sleeve button up and white pants, had a bouquet of purple Alstroemerias in his left hand. He gave them to you, and before you could say anything, he asked if he could cook you dinner at his house on Friday night.

You didn’t have to say anything. The smile on your face was your answer, and Jungkook knew it.

“I took the risk.”

“Are you glad?”

“Hell yeah.”

____

“Yeah, so I actually can’t cook.” You were with Jungkook at his home theatre room. You two were lying on your sides, facing each other under the big pillow and blanket fort that Jules was still setting up. Just like kids, you three were having a sleepover.

“I can tell,” you joked as you looked down at the leftover pizza on the paper plate that outside the fort. You arrived earlier than what Jungkook told you, and he tried to rush you into the theatre room. As you went into the room, you saw the pizza delivery guy come to the door with a box of pizza in his hand. You kept teasing him about it as you both ate the pizza. “It’s okay. I like it still.”

“Jules, do you want to join us?” Jungkook asked.

“I’m still setting this whole fort up, Kook!” She yelled from outside the fort, adjusting the sheets above your head. "I’m almost done! One more thing!"

“Do you guys always make forts?” You heard loud footsteps run towards the other side of the room, and the lights are turned off. Then, a switch is turned on, and you looked up to see stars through the blankets and sheets. "Fancy."

“Probably every other weekend.” You nodded. “Just to keep things interesting.”

Jules then got into the fort and laid between next to you and Jungkook. Jules then wrapped her arms around Jungkook's body. He laughed, rubbed her back and quietly sang her a soft lullaby. You couldn't help but to smile at how precious they both were.

"How's work?"

“Bearable,” he joked. "I get to see Jules in the morning and after school now, so I'm glad."

Despite the fact that Jungkook forgot to pick up his daughter, you knew he cared about her deeply. There was no way he couldn't. He took the time to learn to braid her hair, sacrificed his career and always made sure she was okay.

"Look at you being a cuddler."

“I like you a lot, ya know?” You let out a small giggle.

"I sure hope so," you teased back. “The pizza really shows.”

“I want to get to know you better.” Jungkook began asking questions. He didn't ask you the simple things like your favorite color, food, movie or any of small talk. He knew he could always ask those later. Instead, he asked you questions that made you think and see what kind of person you were; he really wanted to get to know you and how you see life. He asked questions like lyrics that stood out to you the most, what you thought your purpose was, your worst habit and more.

You told him that you always wanted to help kids. To you, kids were special, and you wanted them to be on the right path as they grow up and develop their own ideas. You wanted them to be in a safe environment, wanted them to learn and be happy. You thought your purpose was doing that: making others live happy and shaping their lives, so they choose the path to do something great.

Jungkook told you that he had a similar purpose. He told you that he thought his purpose was to make art with words and sounds; making music was perfect for him. He loved the idea that people turned to music in times of happiness, sadness, needing of comfort and more, and he wanted to make all kinds of music that people could turn to. It was a small thing, but he believed he could help people.

You liked that about him a lot. He wanted people to be happy, just like you did.

"Do you think your purpose changed with Jules in your life?" You asked. “Do you think it shifted towards to Jules instead of your career?”

He looked down at Jules who was peacefully sleeping in his arms. "A little. I still make music, but I still want the world's happiness for Jules. I guess it’s having multiple purposes in life."

You couldn't help but to ask him. “Why does she call you Jungkook?”

He raised his eyebrows, scrunching them together. “Because that’s my name? Is she supposed to call me Martin or something?”

You rolled your eyes causing him to smile at you. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

He took a deep breath, and his facade of being happy and a joker came off. He became serious. “Ask me what you really want to know.”

“Why doesn’t she call you Dad?”

"Because I’m not her dad." He started stroking the back of Jules's hair. "I thought you knew that."

"What do you mean?" You tilt your head, confused. “How would I know?”

“I just thought Jules would have told you by now, or you looked into her file at school.” He started to explain. “"When I was growing up, my family was close to Jules's mother's family. They had a daughter about four years younger than me. Her name was Sarah."

"That's Jules's mom's name?"

He nodded. “Jules looks just like her. Brown hair, hazel eyes, and the dimples.”

“Same personality too?”

“I think she’s more like you.” He chuckled, having a small smile on his face. “Jules has a big heart, is smart and knows what she wants. For her age, she’s not afraid of anything. Sarah wasn’t quite like that. She struggled a lot in school and really was more of a follower than a leader.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Right, but I think it just led her to make the wrong choices. She partied a lot, argued with her parents and wasn’t responsible. I was like her older brother. I had to take care of her and made sure she was coming home at night, alive and breathing.”

“So what happened?”

“Sarah told me everything. Seven years ago, she told me the night before her graduation that she was pregnant.” He paused. “But she didn't know who the Dad was. It was a one night stand."

You felt bad for Sarah already, having to raise a child at such a young age and all alone. Although Jules seem to not mind about not having a Dad, you felt bad that she never had the opportunity to meet him. She was left with a lot of questions not answers.

“I already graduated university and had my own career ahead of me.” Jungkook continued his story. "I didn’t do much, but I tried and helped Sarah here and there once Jules was born. I bought diapers, paid for babysitters and visited like once a month and on birthdays.”

“You did that even though you didn’t have to.”

“I cared for the both of them.”

“Where is she now?” This story could go anywhere, and you weren’t prepared at all. Did she become an alcoholic and was deemed unfit to parent Jules? Did she leave Jules? Did she just give Jungkook a baby and walked away?

He took a deep breath. “A couple months before you were principal, Sarah was on her way to pick up Jules and got into an accident. Nothing could have been done to save her.”

“How did you get Jules then?”

“Jules didn’t have any other family but her uncles, and in Sarah’s will, she entrusted me to be Jules's guardian."

"Oh, Jungkook." You knew Jungkook adored Jules, but it wasn’t the life he planned or wanted; it just happened. “I’m so sorry.”

"You have nothing to be sorry about, Y/N." He kissed the top of Jules's head and held her a little tighter. "I'm glad Jules is in my life, but there are some days where they are harder than others."

"I mean, that's still a big adjustment." Jungkook agreed with you. "You had a whole life already, and now you’re living a life you didn’t think you were going to live.”

“It wasn’t something I wanted to choose, but there was no other choice.” He sighed. “Life is crazy and works in mysterious ways.”

“You asked me if I felt alone.” He nodded. “Do you feel like that?”

“Sometimes when I am lost and confused,” he answered. “I have the boys, but sometimes, I don’t know what I’m doing with Jules. I feel like it would have been better for Sarah to raise her, and I wouldn’t have to be hard on her sometimes when she misbehaves.”

“You’re just doing your job,” you assured him. “She loves you and knows you love her.”

“But on good days, I’m glad I have Jules. I know then I’m not alone.”

“But you still miss what you had before.”

“Missing my old life won’t change anything. It’s not going to bring me back my old life or bring back Sarah. It’s better just to move on,” he said. “Besides, I’m really happy with what I have now and Jules. And I am definitely happy that I met you.”

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