#chapter 1: fix your shoelaces

[bigtreefest]

Chapter 1: Fix Your Shoelaces

From: The Rainmaker Series

Pairing: Mob! Steve x Forensic Scientist! Reader

Summary: Two simple pleasures in life include sleep and chocolate milk. You just never thought they’d both be ruined in one weekend.

Word count: 3,862

Content/warnings: Swears, curdled milk, riding a horse, alcohol consumption, suspicion, dancing

Author’s Note: This takes place at the same time as chapters 5 and 6 of YCMBWH.

This is the first installment of The Rainmaker storyline in the Outta Nowhere AU. This is also a very different environment from where we will usually see this pairing, but that’s the fun in it.

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Outta Nowhere AU | Series Masterlist | Next >

You were awoken from your deep sleep to someone pounding on your door. As you put on your robe and shuffled through the living room, you caught a glance at the clock on the stove. 10:43pm. Who in their right mind would be at your door this late? A better question: why were you on your way to answer it? You didn’t even answer calls from unknown numbers.

You opened the door and immediately squinted at the bright fluorescent light of the hallway as it hit you in the face. Standing there in a full suit was a man with tall, broad shoulders and kind blue eyes under a tuft of blonde hair you assumed had lost its styling from a long day. If you asked your best friend, her evaluation would be ‘totally your type.’ He was a gorgeous, pretty boy….yeah….pretty seemed like a fitting description. Good looks or not, though, he woke you up hardly two hours into your sleep schedule.

“What do you want?”

“Um, good evening. You’re…” he looked down at a sticky note in his hand. “…Decks, right? I’m here to talk to you about a matter concerning Honeybee-I mean-“

You cut him off, grabbing his arm to drag the handsome man into your apartment and out of the hallway so you wouldn’t get another noise complaint from the old lady next door. Although, it was probably already too late for that since he had been banging on your door for who knows how long. “Yeah, yeah, that’s me. I know what you’re talking about, come in.”

Steve gently closed the door behind him as you moved to turn on a lamp by the couch. You flopped down in an arm chair while he perched himself on the couch cushion closest to you. Even with your messy hair in the dim light, there was something intriguing about you to him.

You leaned back and squinted at him. “So what’s going on? Are you Bucket? I’ve been told about you.”

Steve straightened in his seat. Bucky was going to love that he was the topic of one of Bee’s conversations outside the farm.

He smiled and shook his head. “No, actually. I’m Steve. I work very closely with Bucky, though. I was sent here to take you over to the farm. There’s been an emergency and we need all the closest people there to help out.”

You looked at him skeptically. “Why didn’t anyone call first? Why were you sent here?”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, you probably wouldn’t have picked up if I called, and time is of the essence. I can explain more on the way there.” He shrugged.

You looked at him with confusion. “Listen, I love my friend and all, and I’m willing to be there for her, but I’ve got work tomorrow. What am I supposed to do about that?”

Steve waved his hand and closed his eyes in reassurance before speaking softly. “It’s already been taken care of. Just, if you could go ahead and pack a bag, grab only essentials because we need to get going.”

You groaned. At least you’d heard of Steve before, your bestie had described him as pretty decent, and you hated that she was right, in more ways than one. You grabbed a bag off the back of your door and tossed it at Steve. “Okay, fine. Pack some snacks, it’s a long way to go at this time of night.”

He simply nodded and walked to your pantry, packing up everything that could easily be eaten on the road, along with a few bottles of water.

You emerged from your room with a duffel on your shoulder to see him waiting for you on the couch, food bag in his lap.

When Steve saw you, he was captivated. You’d changed into an old college sweatshirt and sweatpants, hair in a messy bun, but your face looked like it was ready to take on the world, despite the premature rise from sleep.

He got up and followed you to the door, turning off the lamp on the way over. As you locked your apartment, you whispered over to him. “What did you bring here? Let me see your keys.”

Steve dug into his pocket, pulling out the keychain with a jingle. “Range Rover.”

You grabbed them out of his hands. “Perfect. I’m driving.”

It had been awhile since you’d been all the way out to the farm. You used to come and help out over the summers during college, mostly baling hay and feeding animals. It was fun, but it wasn’t your life. Your degree and passion had drawn you to the city and kept you there for all these years.

You explained that to Steve on the drive over, in between the times you made him feed you the snacks. You noted that you were proud you could still drive this route by heart, too. Steve told you a little bit about how he did business in the city and how he knew Bucky, along with a story about why Bucky was out here in the first place. You had already heard the story from your roommate, so it wasn’t a surprise, but you were confused as to why they hadn’t called some sort of law enforcement to help. Something didn’t quite add up, but if someone you trusted so much trusted these men, that was good enough for now.

As you were nearing the end of the drive, Steve continued in his attempts to make conversation. “So how did you get the nickname ‘Decks?’”

You laughed dryly. “It’s a-“ you cut yourself off. “Hold on, I need to make sure I make this turn. It’s kind of hard to see at this time of night.”

You heard the wheels hit gravel as you pulled into the driveway and in front of the house, the headlights briefly lighting up Curtis leading a couple horses and tying their reins to the posts of the front porch in the darkness of the moonlit night.

Your eyes adjusted as you moved to get out of the car and watched Curtis jog over to the passenger side of the vehicle where Steve had just stood up, sticking out his hand.

“Hey, I’m Curtis, you must be Steve. Buck hasn’t left her side yet, so I’m gonna take you on back.”

Steve shook his hand “Yeah, good to meet you.”

Curtis gave him a slight nod and patted his shoulder, then ran around the other side of the vehicle to greet you by the driver’s side door. He reached his arms around your shoulders to give you a big hug with a tight squeeze. “Good to see you, Decks.”

“Yeah, you too, Curtis. Steve told me what’s going on. We should probably get back there.”

You rubbed his back before Curtis freed you from the hug and nodded in response, then looked back at Steve.

“You know how to ride?”

Steve couldn’t help the scoff that came from his lips. “Not one bit.”

Curtis sighed and looked between the two of you. “Okay, no worries. You’re with Decks, then. I’ll help you up. We’ll talk over all the details on the way there.”

Curtis led you over to the porch and helped you up onto the bigger of the two horses, then helped to prop Steve up behind you before getting onto his own horse and leading you toward the mines.

As your hips swayed back and forth with the horse’s footsteps, you could feel Steve clinging onto you for dear life. “You can ease up your grip a little, ya know. We’re not even going that fast. And you’re like, five feet off the ground. I promise you won’t get hurt.”

You could feel Steve nod in acknowledgment, his head resting against your shoulder, but nothing changed. If anything, his hold tightened. You laughed through the vice of his arms that was squeezing your diaphragm and continued on to the caves in the distance.

“So Steve told me one of the caves collapsed, and I’m not surprised because I know how old these things are, but why were you guys even back there? How did it fall so suddenly?”

You looked over at Curtis and he met your eye. “I want so badly to say it’s Bucket’s fault, but I know it’s really not. Your dear bestie insisted we go for a walk to show him the mines, and when he kicked one of the supports, the whole thing came crashing down. Could’ve happened to anyone at any time, though.”

You nodded. “Well, I’m glad she’s okay at least, but being trapped in there must suck. Either way, we’re happy to help with whatever’s needed.” Steve hummed against your shoulder in agreement.

You stopped the horses at the mouth of the cave and yawned from the early hour, stretching as Curtis helped Steve, then you, down from the horse. A man with brown hair and broad shoulders sauntered over to the three of you, greeting Steve with a hug and you and Curtis with a handshake. He wore a hard look on his face, but you could see the lace of concern through his forehead and eyes. Ah, this was Bucket.

“I’d take you guys in, but it’s sort of unstable right now. I’ve got direct orders from Honeybee, though, as to what we’re all supposed to do.”

He went through the plan, but in your tiredness, you barely caught his words. “I’ll go back over it in the morning, but the general gist is that we need to keep everything running smoothly and draw as little suspicion as possible.”

You looked between the men. None of them had caught on to one important detail. “I’ve still got Steve’s keys, but Buck, you’ve gotta tell your guys to move their cars, then. I’ve never seen that many in the driveway. People will notice. Move them into the hay barn. It should be empty enough this time of year before the next round of bales gets made. Can probably fit most of them.”

You all looked at Curtis and he nodded in agreement. “Yep, just as she said.” Bucky snapped his fingers and a young kid in a suit came running over to him, ready to take the command. What an odd interaction. You shrugged it off, though. Your brain hardly had any power at this point. It was just enough to ride back to the house and move the Range Rover into the pool barn behind the garage before flopping down into one of the guest bedrooms.

You woke up with a jolt to one of the roosters crowing. You forgot how loud those little bastards were, but something about it was comforting. You got dressed and brushed your teeth before making sure your hair was out of your face. You could smell breakfast and followed Curtis down the stairs to see Bucky making plates already.

That was surprising. As far as you knew from your conversation last week, he was struggling to get out of bed, and now he was up early enough to gather eggs and cook for everyone? Weird.

The steps creaked behind you as Steve matched them with his own groan, flopping into a chair. He wore a set of farm clothes you believe he’d borrowed from Curtis and his hair was a floofy mess. It was kind of cute, and you’d be lying if you said you didn’t enjoy the casual wear in juxtaposition to his suit from the night before.

Bucky pulled out a sheet of paper and explained your tasks again. You were so excited to be put on animal feed duty. You loved petting the little goats and sheep, they were so adorable.

As Bucky explained Steve’s tasks to him, you watched an almost unreadable expression grow on his face. He looked almost scared, daunted, intimidated? Maybe it was just dread? Eh, he’d probably be fine.

You finished up your plate and set it in the dishwasher before getting on with your day.

At mid-morning, you rolled up to the farmers market to help run sales with Bucky. You caught the sight of Steve carrying in his last wagon load of produce crates. His biceps bulged as he placed them all in the right places, and you couldn’t help but drool a little. Not only did he look good while being put to work, but he didn’t complain while doing it. Sure, you knew Bucky was technically his boss, but something about his willingness to help out did you in. Made you feel warm.

You watched as Bucky gave him a final set of instructions, and Steve walked back into the field. Man, did his ass look good in those jeans.

Hours passed by running the market with Bucky. You could see that a few repeat customers were happy to see him, some even trying to go in for hugs and offer him free drinks. You could see the charm you’d been told about.

As things began to slow, you found yourself standing next to Bucky, the both of you watching an older customer leave with some produce and a small jar of honey.

“Mrs. Jensen is definitely a talker. I think she needs someone else around.” He leaned towards you to say it lowly.

You laughed in response. He demeanor now was the same as when he was dealing with her, but somehow she was still so happy with their interaction.

Bucky continued. “Maybe I’ll let Jake see his mom later if he’s good.”

That caught your attention. “Wait, Jake is here? Why? Like, the Jake that broke my best friend’s heart? I thought they haven’t talked since before college.”

You could see Bucky trying to avoid eye contact with you. He was hiding something. Why would Jake be here?

“He’s done a lot lately that has made business difficult for both me and Bee. Since we are business partners after all. My people reached out and he came to apologize. Also happens he’s able to run some pretty complex calculations on his computer. He was more than happy to help out down at the mine when he heard she was in danger.”

You looked at him skeptically. “Okay…”

After you and Bucky had finished cleaning up the farmers market, you headed back to the house to relax some. You slipped off your boots and laid down on the couch, pulling a blanket up to your chin.

You were shaken awake and opened your eyes to see a pair of blue ones before you. It was Steve. He smiled.

“Hey, Decks. It’s time for dinner. You want some?” You nodded, stretching to sit up, seeing Curtis and his cousin, your best friend, bringing food to the table. You scrambled to toss the blanket off of you and ran over. You’d never hugged her so tight.

“You’re not dead! I’m so happy to see you.” Was muffled into her hair.

She laughed and rubbed your back. “It’s good to see you, too, Decks. Now let’s get some food. I’m starving.”

You nodded your head, still not letting go, as she waddled you to your chair next to Steve. He looked at the two of you, noticing you felt for each other the same way he felt for Bucky. There was a deep trust and appreciation that could rarely be matched.

As you were eating, you hardly realized Bucky wasn’t at the table until it was brought up in conversation. After a long day, and frankly, a long week, you all went upstairs and straight to bed.

You woke up to the sunshine, somehow sleeping through the roosters, probably from sheer exhaustion, and changed into your college hoodie and sweats. You walked downstairs to search through the fridge and find something decent to eat. As you were making toast, Steve came down and pulled out the pitcher of milk along with chocolate syrup.

“Ooh! Can you make me one, too? It’s been forever since I’ve had chocolate milk.”

He leaned up into the cabinet above you, abs brushing your back to grab another glass. You shivered slightly at the touch. You weren’t around people much, let alone people who looked like that.

“Sure thing, Decks, as long as you promise to make me toast.”

Your eyes narrowed, looking at him for a second. “Deal.”

After eating, you sat on the couch with Steve, sipping your chocolate milk and making small talk. He stayed vague about his everyday business dealings, and you felt like you didn’t have much to add since a lot of your work was confidential, and you didn’t have much time to do things outside of it.

You watched Bucky run down the steps and peek his head in the office before closing the door behind him.

You were about to offer to play a card game to pass the time with Steve since Curtis was due to be done any minute and could join, but there was a knock on the door.

You opened it up to see a ridiculously large vase of hydrangeas and a delivery driver already retreating back up the driveway. Oh great, what sorry guy sent these? She’s gonna hate them.

You picked up the vase to bring it inside, not expecting the sour smell that came off of it. You held it at arm’s length, fast walking to the office before knocking on the door with your foot. You held the vase in one arm to quickly open the door, showing the flowerpot, your face blocked by the large bouquet.

“Ugh! Decks, get that out of here. Where the hell did those come from?”

You ran back towards the front door, where Steve was holding it open, to set them on the porch. “Just got delivered. Don’t worry, I’ve smelled worse. There’s a card here.”

It’s true, you had smelled worse at work before, but it still didn’t mean it was very tolerable after some time. Everyone else stood back, hands covering their airways as you plucked the small piece of paper from the petals and read it out loud.

“Peach, can’t wait to milk our deal together. -Cole”

Everyone exchanged glances, disgusted by the weirdly suggestive statement, as you pulled the hydrangeas out of the vase and tossed them into the yard. You peered into the vase and gave it a sniff. In the bottom was a white goop, which you assumed had once been a liquid before a chemical reaction took place.

“He put the flowers in milk…and,” you sniffed again, “lemon juice?”

You fought a gag while you carried the vase out into the yard and did your best to get all the chunks out of it, eventually opting to spray it out with the garden hose. It still was a nice vase.

In your attempts to clean it, though, you knew some of the spoiled milk had splattered back on you and you’d need to get it off as soon as possible. So much for enjoying chocolate milk with Steve, because you were going to remember that smell for months.

You turned off the hose and grabbed the vase, stomping back into the house and slipping off your shoes.

Now frustrated with the situation, even though the mess was partially your fault, you were done. Most of it was probably due to the fact you couldn’t finish sipping the delicious beverage Steve had made for you. You shoved the vase into Steve’s chest and he cradled it with an oof.

“Finish cleaning that. And dump out my glass. I won’t be able to drink milk again for months.” You grumbled, moving towards the steps.

“Where are you going?” You heard behind you.

“To take a shower.” Your head whipped back around.

You continued to stomp up the stairs before gesturing aggressively with your arms above your head. “WHY DO GUYS ALWAYS SEND YOU WEIRD SHIT LIKE THAT!?”

You could hear Steve as you reached the bathroom. “I think I’m gonna need a shower, too, after this.”

Steve and Curtis chatted while they waited for you. “So like, what’s the deal with the trucks?”

Curtis shrugged as he opened the back door for Steve to get in, seeing you coming from the house. “Good for hauling stuff. You’re not gonna see many people out here without trucks, so it’s a good thing your fancy SUV is hidden away.”

Steve nodded, thankful you were on your way to end his awkward conversation-making skills that were not working very well on Curtis. Well, either that, or Curtis wasn’t very talkative, however, he never saw that same issue when you were around.

After a nice long, hot shower to remove the scent, you were relaxed and ready to go. Steve could smell your perfume, causing him to smile to himself.

Curtis opened the passenger door for you to hop in, and the two of you talked in the front seat on the way over as Steve sat in the back, watching and listening.

After spending hours at the bar, you were standing near the edge of the dance floor, chatting with Bee.

“So what do you think of him?” She tilted her head to gesture toward the blonde, wearing a hat that looked entirely too good on him.

You thought for a second before answering. “He’s a charmer, alright, in a really weird, awkward way. Kinda reserved, but very helpful. I respect it.”

“Yeah, I thought so.” She nudged your shoulder with her own.

“Well hold your horses, there, Honeybee. Some of us need a little more time to see what’s going on under the surface. Not everyone seems to fold so fast like your tall, dark, and handsome Bucket. Steve’s got something to him I just can’t figure out.”

“You will. I’m sure of it. That’s why you’ve got your job and I’ve got mine. You’re meant to be a scientist. An investigator.”

You laughed and rolled your eyes. “Yeah, okay.”

The music began to blare up above your conversation. Well, that’s a familiar tune.

“Oh! You love this one! You remember the dance I showed you in college? I think you’ve got some new guests to teach!”

You looked over to the pool tables to be greeted by Steve’s gaze directed right back at you with a dopey grin. Must be the alcohol, you thought to yourself. Bee had already left your side to go get Bucky.

“Do you want to dance?” You mouthed to him across the bar. He shrugged and mouthed back “I don’t know how.”

You gestured your arm for him to come towards you “I’ll teach you. Come on.”

Steve set down his cue and made his way through the crowd, only able to see your hat through the sea of people. He crouched down to reach your ear so you could hear him in the loud bar. “Don’t make fun of me if it’s bad.”

You laughed and shook your head at him as you set him up to stand in front of you. “No promises,” you yelled back.

Next >

Bonus A/N: Thank you for reading! Comments, likes, reblogs, and asks are soooo appreciated.

What do you guys think of Decks? I love imagining her take the vase out to the yard, so fed up with the shenanigans that always happen around Bee.

Series Taglist:

@evie-119

#Steve rogers #steve rogers fanfic #steve rogers fanfiction #steve rogers x you #steve rogers x reader #steve x reader #steve rogers fluff #mob Steve #mob Steve rogers #mob! Steve #mob! Steve rogers #mafia Steve #mafia Steve rogers #mafia! Steve #mafia! Steve rogers #mob Steve x forensic scientist reader #mob! Steve x forensic scientist! reader #mafia Steve x forensic scientist reader #mafia! Steve x forensic scientist! reader #the rainmaker #the rainmaker series #the rainmaker chapter 1: fix your shoelaces #chapter 1: fix your shoelaces #curdled milk #chocolate milk #outta nowhere au #bucky barnes #chris evans #curtis everett #sebastian stan

[sinsandsweetness]

Attitude (sex and zombies- chapter 11)

pairing- {Shane x fem!reader}

summary-You and Shane have something in common.

warnings- 18+ content, MDNI!

notes- flashback/ bonus scene for a Shane request. lets say set in between chapter 1 and 2.

“What the hell is he doin' over there? Gearing up for world war three? Jeesus.”

You were successful in holding in your laugh. Though a tiny smirk escaped that Shane unfortunately happened to see. 

You were standing with him and Rick at the picnic table. Gearing up for the days search party for Sophia. Switching the route up and sending people out in pairs. You’d hoped for Rick as your search companion but Dale was weirdly insistent on being his partner. And so you got stuck with Shane. 'Stuck' might be a harsh word. You got to pair up with Shane. 

“He’s just well prepared I guess.” You shrugged. Also watching the hunter from across camp, geared up with an incredible amount of leather on. Fixing up arrows and cleaning several of his guns. The tying of his shoelaces around his pant leg was what sent Shane over the edge. Prompting the rude jokes about his overpreparation and dedication to the cause. 

“It’s smart! No mice can get up in there.” You tried to defended the man, though still chuckling at Shane’s jokes even at the expense of Daryl. 

“Yeah well he’s still an idiot.”

“He’s just trying to help, Shane.” “You don’t need to be such an asshole,” You and Rick both spoke at the same time. He looked over and gave you a sweet smile at your silent agreement. Both sticking up for the man you were beginning to befriend. Shane huffed a quick ‘whatever’ and continued cleaning his gun. 

You let Rick run over the game plan once again. Paying extra close attention to the veins in his hand and the way his long fingers pointed at the map, and definitely not enough to the words he was actually saying. 

“You ready?” Shane tapped your hip with the back of his hand, grabbing your attention away from the dirty thoughts about what Ricks fingers could be doing to you. 

“Yup. Gun. Knife. Phone. Wallet. “ You joked, patting down your pockets. Your face dropped at his lack of reaction, “Just kidding...” 

He rolled his eyes and let himself smirk at your awful attempt to humour him. “I’ll meet you in the truck,” and lightly smacked your bum. Sending you off towards the driveway. 

You watched him and Rick talk from the window of the vehicle. Lot's of eye rolling from Shane, and a clear argument between the two. His head still shaking as he entered the drivers seat. 

“What?” You asked. The obvious shift in his attitude from before. He shifted the truck into drive and peeled out of the driveway. 

“Is everything ok?” You asked after a moment of his heated silence. 

He looked over while driving, contemplating what to tell you. 

“Rick. He just- I don’t think he gets it. I mean come on, you 'n me both know we ain’t ever finding this girl.”

“Not with that attitude,” You joked.

He glared again. Serious written all over his face. You straightened up. 

“Wait you actually want us to leave? To give up?” You looked at him. Honestly shocked at his forwardness. “Would you do that if it were Carl? Or Lori? Or me?”

“I wouldn’t have let any of you run off in the first place. Rick's too focused on the what if's. What he needs to focus on is the reality. She’s dead. Gotta be. There’s only so much ground to cover here. Hell we coulda been in Fort Benning by now."

“Rick is doing everything he can. He's trying to find a little girl who is scared and alone, surrounded by crazy flesh eating monsters. And you want us to leave? To Fort Benning? You really think that’s gonna be any better than here?”

“Yeah. I do.” 

You scoffed a little. Rolling your eyes and turning to watch out the window. 

The rest of the ride was quiet. You parked and walked the section that Rick had you two searching. 

While you trekked through the forest, Shane began shit talking again. He started by complaining about Daryl, then Dale, then going back to Rick. Which normally you’d love to listen to since it involved Ricks name. But with the condescending tone Shane was speaking with, you were just irritated. 

“-n everyone always has to listen to Rick. Take sides with Rick. Doesn't help that you and that redneck won’t hop off his dick-"

You whipped around quickly. Getting fed up at his bitching.

“Ohmygod Shane. What is your deal? Are you jealous or something? Is that what this is all about?”

“Jealous?” He scoffed. “I need him to get his head out of his ass, and start being a real leader. Focus on his family-” 

“All he does is focus on his family!! You’re just mad that he’s doing a better job leading than any of us could.” You looked up at him. Not shying away from the scowl burning into you. “Or does this have to do with the fact that you're obsessing over his wife.” 

He pulled at your collar, tugging you real close. 

“I am not obsessing over anyone,” He hissed, nose almost touching yours. 

“Well you’re not being very subtle about wanting to fuck her then.” No emotion could be read from your voice. 

He thought for a moment. 

“And you’re not very subtle about wanting to fuck Rick either.”

What an ass. 

“Looks like we got something in common then.”

You tugged yourself out of his grasp and turned around, returning your focus to your search. Checking the ground for prints and hair and clothes. Anything that could have signalled Sophia’s presence in the woods. Looking for everything that Daryl had tried teaching you about. 

“Hey! Get back here. We ain’t done yet.”

“Shane, I'm trying to find Sophia can we please just focus on-“ you were interrupted by his hand turning you by the shoulder and abruptly crashing his mouth against yours. What the fuck is he thinking. 

“Agh- Shane!” You pulled away. Confused and surprised.  

“Aw come on baby. You just said it. We have something in common. You’re pining over him... I ain’t getting over her. Let's take this out on eachother.” 

“Shane I told you I-"

“Don’t even try and tell me that you're saving yourself for someone else cause I know that’s bullshit. He's married. And loyal. Now take your jeans off.”

You could feel your cheeks turn red. Getting turned on by the way he ordered you around. And the way he wouldn’t take no for an answer. 

“We’re in the middle of the woods-" you kept your voice low, trying to pull away but he shushed you, moving in on your frame and pushing you against a tree. 

“You afraid Rick's gonna see us? Huh?” Shane started kissing down your neck as his hands fumbled with the button of your jeans. Tugging the fabric down your ass cheeks. 

You couldn’t think of an answer. Yes. Kind of. Definitely. fuck. 

Not only did you not want Rick seeing, but you really didn’t want Daryl seeing. He might actually fight you if he found out.

“Just like last time baby, just relax,”

He palmed at your breasts, and you could feel the wetness pooling in your lace underwear. 

“That was supposed to be a one time thing Shane-"

He shut you up with his tongue in your mouth. You groaned, feeling him hum against your mouth. There wasn’t much you could do except give in to his grabby hands, pulling at your jeans and moving on to your flannel. Not caring about the search and rescue mission anymore. Just the possibility of getting bent over a tree stump and fucked into oblivion. 

You were no better then any man. 

You kissed him back as your hands went to his chest, pulling on his t-shirt, fingernails digging into his skin. You could hear him undo his belt.

“Fuck,” You whispered as his head dipped back to your neck, kissing down to your shoulder. You kicked your pants off to the ground beside you. Flannel unbuttoned and hanging open with his reach going for your panties, tugging them to the side. 

“Up,” he tapped twice on the backs of your thighs. So you threw your arms around him and held on as he lifted you up. Pulled your legs around his waist and pushed you up against the tree. 

“Atta girl.” He moved his mouth back over yours. Kissing you rough and messy as he lined himself up with your slit, the head of his cock running through your slick a couple of times before he pushed all the way in. 

You let out a groan. From the stretch of practically zero foreplay, but mostly just the pleasure of being filled right up. 

“Fuck baby. So wet and ready for me.” He said against your lips. You only moaned in response.

He fucked you into the tree, your back scratching against the bark and his hands holding tightly at the skin on your thighs. He wouldn't stop talking, spitting continuous praise, and occasional mocking.

“So fuckin' tight for me,”

“You like that? Getting fucked out here for anyone to see?”

“Damn baby you always this loud?”

“Bet I'm takin' care of you better than Rick ever could. Don’t you agree sweet stuff?" 

He kept on going until you were an incoherent, moaning mess. 

“Shane!” You could feel yourself getting close, digging your fingers into his biceps. 

“Yeah princess? You close for me?”

“So close-” 

He lifted you up a little further, bringing your legs up and over his shoulders. Unsure of how he was even holding you up at that point. But the new angle made you cry out. Hitting a spot so deep inside of you that it borderline hurt. The sounds you made were unavoidable, not that he minded. If anything it just boosted his ego and made him try even harder.

"That's right, come all over my cock baby. Fuck. Such a good girl for me." He fucked you through your orgasm. Hard and fast and destroying your cervix. Eyes rolling back with his name on your tongue. 

As soon as your breathing shallowed, he lowered you back down to the ground. 

“On your knees,”

You happily complied. Getting down and taking him in your mouth, hands pumping at the base as you finished him off. Didn’t take long before you were swallowing every drop. 

You looked up at him with swollen lips and half lidded eyes. 

“Goddamn. You really are something else.”

He did up his own belt as you adjusted your thong, and buttoned up your shirt. 

Shane helped you up and started to pull your jeans on. Being sure to cop a feel of your ass as he did. You chuckled at his predictability.

“Hey,” he grabbed your jaw tipping it up. “Feel a little better now? Get some of that attitude fucked out of you?”

"Did you?"

His eyes darkened. "Do we gotta go another round or are you gonna smarten up?" He joked. Mostly anyway.

“You’re still an asshole.” You shook your head and tried not to smile.

He laughed and grabbed your ass again, pulling you in for one last kiss. 

“We should get going. Get the rest of this region checked.” 

You nodded and grabbed your weapons off the ground, following closely behind him. 

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

"Nothing?" Daryl jogged up the driveway as you hopped out of the truck. You shook your head.

"You?"

He shook his head too. Disappointment flooding his face. "Fuck."

"We'll go again tomorrow. We did all we could for the day." You let him grab at your shirt, pulling you towards the camp. Only looking back at Shane for a second, to see him smirking at you from the truck. What a shit head.

"Rick was asking for you." Daryl said as he kicked a rock down the gravel.

"Really?!"

"You don't have to sound so excited about it." he grumbled.

"Shut up."

"Seriously. I'm just glad you weren't paired up with him today."

"Why?"

He almost laughed in response until he realized you were serious.

"Cause you're way too fuckin' easy. Woulda made a cheater out of the poor guy the second you got him alone." 

"I would not!" You shoved his arm gently. Couldn't help but feel a little hurt at him calling you easy. Mostly because you knew it was right. And while Daryl may have been relieved about you not being paired up with Rick, he probably didn't realize he should've been worrying about Shane.

If he knew how truly easy you'd been in the woods, he'd have you over his knees for sure.

#twd fanfiction #smut #shane walsh #shane walsh x reader #shane walsh fanfiction #shane walsh x you #shane walsh smut #sexandzombies #sinsandsweetness

[yagirl-kore]

Birdflash Fic Rec Alert

Please be mindful of the tags! 

Yes, I know this is very long, I’m feeding my starving birdflash children 

COMPLETED FICS:

1) Sing, Little Bird by Myoneloveismusic 

A YJ fic featuring a hurt Dick relying on Wally for help! Eventual relationship. Really good if you’re looking for emotional hurt/comfort.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/15838155/chapters/36882792

2) Shoelaces by JuniperTree2000 

Oh my god. If you haven’t read this, go read it right now. Why are you still reading this note? Go read it. Featuring soft fluffy boys in love with a sprinkling of angst and hurt/comfort. You will probably cry. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24018001

3) Safety Net by flashhwing 

Really cute fluffy cuddly boys featuring Wally worrying about Dick constantly. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16087211

4) This Definitely Tops the Weird Sh*t by Queerbutstillhere 

Dimensional travel mishap for Wally! Super cute and well-done. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/21560521/chapters/51400513

IN A SERIES:

1) stupid words by itried - Completed 

Like, it’s descripition, the soulmate AU no one asked for. But it’s the one we deserve. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/3749002/chapters/8319094

2) The Art of Quantum Physics by esoteric_criterion - Completed 

Time Travel fix it fic featuring Dick and a bit of Hurt with a side of Sass TM. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4304424/chapters/9756045

3) Business as usual by Mari_UC - Completed 

SUPER good. I loved every bit of the angst and hurt/comfort. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/16591670

4) you lost the starlight in your eyes by novaviis - Completed 

Sick!fic featuring Dick and Wally worrying. R E A L L Y good fic that I absolutely recommend. You will cry. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/19879603/chapters/47083078

5) Thunderbird by CoyoteFang1987 - Completed  

Soulmate AU featuring Hanahaki disease. You will cry. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/20792909/chapters/49416626

6) I Saw Your Ghost Tonight by DustyTales - Completed 

Super cute Titans fic featuring Dick and Wally as the best friends that they are. Loads of hurt/comfort. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/18980185

7) Photograph by Birdie_Writes_Stuff - Completed 

Wally just really loves Dick, okay? Sometimes you just have to sing about it. Dimensional travel. I cried, you might not. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/14842461/chapters/34355682

8) The Duet by Zakuya_Kanbara - Completed 

Birdflash AU of the CW Flash show. The entire series is amazing and I highly recommend. I cried reading other fics in this series. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23627335 

9) new in town by cissathebookworm - Completed 

Another CW Flash AU but it’s of Dick and Wally meeting. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/23033974

10) The Floor Is Lava by Novaviis - Completed 

The first fic in the famous Watercolour series. I absolutely love some of the later fics in this. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/13983993

11) A Different First Meeting by Omward - Completed

Soulmate bakery AU. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/22727461

12) Birdflash by Idontcare1835 - Completed 

 Featuring hurt Dick.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25162633/chapters/60974362

13) Relief by Yagirlkore 

I have to do some self promotion for my kissing prompt list. Please make me write more of it. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24694399

14) The Concept of Relative Movement by esoteric_criterion - Work in Progress (Sequel to #2)

Same fic as #2 but with waaayyyy more birdflash. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/6077166/chapters/13929264

Works in Progress: 

1) Baby Bird by WonderfulWonderWorld - (Series) 

Reverse Robins AU featuring a slight dusting of birdflash. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/12148272/chapters/27564867

2) Home by Dragonfire13 - (Series) 

This is an amazing deminsional travel fic (I personally needed it after reading Photograph lol).

https://archiveofourown.org/works/4923511/chapters/11297086

3) Brick by Brick by CreativityFlow 

Dimensional Travel with the YJ team to the Titans universe. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/8492626/chapters/19462645

4) cry out what you need to. by lanestreets 

In which Dick adopts a child. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/17488562/chapters/41189762

5) Just Like Romeo and Juliet by HellenisticSun

Really funny fic of Dick and Wally trying to hide their marriage from the League because of secret identities. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25259794/chapters/61236841

6) the road to ruin (and we started at the end) by twelvefeetdeeper

In which Dick’s brothers figure out that Dick has had his fair share of troubles. Briefly mentions birdflash. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/24227572/chapters/58371814

7) you live in my mind, rent free by fourhorsemen

Dick gay panicking while rooming with two red heads. 

https://archiveofourown.org/works/25136224/chapters/60903388 

I hope you all enjoy these! Happy reading and please be safe reading the tags! 

#birdflash #dick grayson #Wally West #let them kiss #let them love each other #Young Justice #titans #fic rec #self promotion #soulmate au #dimensional travel #hurt/comfort is my bread and jam

[liibrii]

Chapter 2: Tattered 

Ojiro Aran x fem!reader

Series Masterpost || Ch. 1

wc: 3.2k

warnings: swearing, internalised guilt and shame, intrusive thoughts, self doubt, depression.

a/n: I don’t really have anything to say other than I’m enjoying writing for Aran so much. if you wanna be tagged in future chapters lemme know, and as always feedback is greatly appreciated! 

Aran knows people don't always mean what they say.  Even he had done it before and it destroyed a few of his relationships. Knowing that doesn't make your words hurt any less.

He tries to convince himself you didn't really mean it, still a part of him wonders if that's how you really feel. How you've always felt. For all those years he was assured of your friendship and now you've pulled the rug from under his feet. None of your words align with the image in his head. Perhaps you've never been the person he remembers. The you in his mind is just that, a memory, a perfect picture he created from bits and pieces he chose. Has he truly always seen only what he wanted to see?

Thoughts of you run through his mind as he stands on the back line. One more serve before he wraps up. Bam.

To always see good in people is what he was thought growing up and what he still tries to do to this day, even if years had thought him people aren't only their good sides. He always thought of you only at your best and failed to even get to know you properly. What kind of friend does that? You're in pain and he can't help because he has no idea where the wounds are. He has no idea where to look for them because he refused to see. 

Perhaps he is a terrible friend after all.

Bam. The ball gets caught in the net and falls. Aran watches it roll away before picking up another. He breathes deeply. It's all about focus, he reminds himself, even when his mind wants to slip he has to remain focused.

All of his teammates have left already. Home, to their partners, their families. What will he return home to? An empty apartment with take-out he'll eat on the couch. Alone. Maybe he should get a pet. But when will he have time to care for it?

Bam.

He should call home. Check on his friends. Maybe if he had checked on you more often then-

Bam.

What use is pondering over what could've been? With each serve his palm aches more, his muscles already sore from practice but he doesn't want to stop yet. One more.

“There's a difference between training hard and overdoing it, you know?“

Perhaps life is just memories of days long gone sipping into present.

When he turns to face you uneasiness rises in him. Any other time he'd be elated to see you. Now even words to greet you with escape him. You come closer, shoes softly squeaking on the gym's floor. “Doorman let me in. After a little bit of convincing.“

“Really?“

“No, I slipped past while his back was turned. How long are you planning on staying? I saw all of your teammates leave already.“

Aran turns the ball in his hands. It's becoming slippery from all the sweat. He can't bring himself to look you in the eyes. “My serves are gettin' sloppy. I need more practice.“

Bam.

You stay where you are, watching and fiddling with the strap of your bag, until you can't bear the silence anymore and speak up. “Aran, I actually wanted to talk to you. About you know... what I said.“

“T's okay. I know ya didn't mean it.“

“I did.“ Your voice eerily echoes in the otherwise empty gym. “As shitty as it is, it's how I felt.“ You're eyes stay fixed on the floor. “I'm sorry.“

Aran catches the ball he just threw in the air for another jump serve. When he looks over at you you're still intently focused on your shoelaces, gripping the strap of the bag so tight your knuckles turned white. Why are you beating yourself up so much? If you feel something, you feel it. What reason for it do you need to have? Knowing how you felt hurts, that much he can't deny. And yet he can't hold it against you.

He puts the ball on the top of your head, just like boys used to do back in high school to annoy you. “If ya really insist on apologisin' then I guess I have no other choice but to forgive ya.”

As his words sink in you shyly glance at him. “You sure?“

“'Course I am,“ smiles Aran, balancing the ball so it doesn't roll from the top of your head.

“You're not angry? At me?“

He takes the ball and starts throwing it from one hand to another. “Not really. Very surprised. A little hurt.“

“I'm sorry-“

“Yeah, yeah, I know,“ he cuts you off. “Set for me and we'll call it even.”

“Aran, my sets are in no way near the level you're used to.“

“So?“ he asks already walking over to fetch the ball cart. “Ya still remember where to stand, right?“ he teases, cackling softly when you roll your eyes and take off your bag and jacket, all while trying to hide a smile creeping on your lips.

It takes a few tries for you to remember how to make an overhand set. Aran's filled with giddy warmth when you manage to send the ball in the right position for him to spike it over the net. Perhaps all those lessons with Atsumu years ago didn't go to waste after all. Your little victory jump makes him burst into laughter and he rewards you with a high five.

It really is an echo of history.

Your skills are rusty, something that makes you apologise profusely every time you mess up, even after he reassures you he doesn't mind, and ruffles your hair.

With each set you relax more, till every smile and laugh seem sincere. Only now Aran realises how he missed this carefree side of you. Time always flies too fast when you're around and soon enough, out of breath and wiping the drops of sweat from your forehead, you call an end of this individual practice.

He hurries with showering and changing into fresh clothes, not wanting to leave you waiting for too long, especially since you have morning lessons tomorrow. He buys you a drink from the vending machine. It's not much, but staying hydrated is important, he tells you when you tease him about it.

“You know, that brought back a lot of memories,“ you say while walking to the train station, then poke his shoulder. “Thanks.“ The smile dancing over your lips makes his cheeks warm up. You glance over to the sky hiding behind a golden halo that city lights cast over the rooftops. “Do you ever miss Hyogo?“

“Sometimes.“

“I miss the stars.“ You kick a small stone from your path. “You've become quite a star too you know. With all the fans and attention I really wonder, do you get lonely?”

Your question catches him off guard. “I'm too busy to get lonely,“ he lies.

“I get lonely sometimes,“ your eyes still search for a glimmer of a distant star. “And tired. Some days I just want to sleep all day. Do you ever get the urge to do that? Skip practice and stay in bed?“

“No. If I skipped practice how will I become better?”

You purse your lips and nod. “That's why you're a professional athlete and I'm just trying to figure out why I have to separate blue and red laundry.“

“Those are two very different things.“

“Both are just some pieces of cloth. Why do I have to separate them? If they got problems with each other they should grow up and talk it out.” 

That’s not what he meant, but your slight annoyance over technicalities of doing laundry still makes him laugh.

In the coming days Aran checks his phone every chance he gets, just to see if you already wrote back. No matter what you talk about he wants to hear it; be it about your day or the delivery man being late with your order. His teammates notice and tease him about it yet he denies you're anything more than just a friend, and they exchange knowing looks when his back is turned. Even if his entire body heats up at the sole mention of your name Aran isn't ready to admit to himself, let alone others, he wants you to be more.

Not when he isn't sure if his feelings for you are being muddled by his memories.

That Tuesday you grab a dinner together that turns into a late night walk through the streets. It's not a date, Aran keeps reminding himself. It's just two friends hanging out as you've done a thousand times before. So why is his heart threatening to thump it's way out of his chest?

After that night weekly hanging out with you becomes a regular occurrence. Sometimes you go out to eat, sometimes you drag him along when you go shopping, saying he has a good eye for colour combinations. It has nothing to do with the fact he buys you ice cream every time. Some days you come to his place to play video games or watch movies. Seeing his favourite series making you laugh warms his heart.

As you become more comfortable around him your facade slowly, bit by bit, starts to crumble. He's scared to see what lies beneath yet at the same time he wishes it would break already. He can't help you if he doesn't know, can he?

Whatever is troubling you he wishes you'd trust him enough to confide in him. In the back of his mind lingers the question he's too scared too ask.

Does Kita know what's on your mind? Do you still talk to him?

You used to be close to the team. The one they relied on. The one who so lovingly tapped their fingers before each game. Do they know your eyes are puffy? Do they know every sleepless night that goes by makes the dark circles under your eyes harder to hide? Do they know his heart breaks every time he sees the tremble of your lips when you force a smile?

No matter how bad he wants to hold you, tell you it's going to be okay, the mere thought of reaching out paralyses him.

What if you don't want his help?

If you did, you would've asked already, right? Not even practice can stop him from thinking about you. His disappointment grows a little when he sees no new messages. Perhaps you don't want to talk to him after all.

He's just leaving the gym when his phone lights up and seeing it's your name makes his heart flutter. He eagerly picks up. “Hi!“

“H-hey.“ Already in the first word the strain in your voice is apparent. “Um, am I interrupting you?“

“No, of course not. I just finished with practice. What's up?“

“I-“ He hears you take a deep breath. “Um, I don't, I don't feel so good...“ Your next words are almost a whisper. “Could I come over?“

“'Course ya can come over. I'll be home in about an hour.“

By the time he arrives you're already there, standing by the entrance nervously stepping from one leg to another. You give a shy wave when he approaches. He noticed you've been acting weirdly sheepish around him and he's not used to it. You're friends. What's making you so nervous?

You trail behind him, hands tucked deep in your pockets. You don't even pull them out when taking your shoes off.

“Tea?“ he offers when you make your way towards the sofa.

“Sure,“ you nod, sitting and tightly hugging a pillow. “Sorry about that,“ you say when he joins you with two cups of tea, “I just... bad day, you know? Didn't want to be alone.“

With a smile he assures you it's no problem. You're welcome to come by whenever you want.

You tell him about college, about work. “Boss is a shit bag,“ you complain. The working hours make you late for your lessons and even professors are getting fed up with you always being late. Not to mention your classmates aren't keen on lending you notes to copy.

It's all too much, you say, work, college, the pressure of everyone's expectations. Your fellow students give you funny looks sometimes, you tell him. It's only a few years but you're still older than them, at the age where your parents are asking when you are going to settle down. Have children. Get a stable job. Well how could you when you haven't even gotten your degree yet? It all makes you feel like a failure.

And yet something tells Aran that's not why you're here. Maybe it's the nervous fumbling with the hem of your clothes. Maybe it's because you don't look at him at all. A silence falls on you as you sip your tea. Aran considers asking out right but you gather the courage before he does.

“Shin called.“  

“Ah.“ That's all he manages to say.

“He's doing good, in case you're wondering. He asked if we have any plans on visiting any time soon.“ Your eyes skim over his face. “That would be nice, don't you think?“

Aran forces a smile. “Sounds great.“ Once again your words threaten to shake the ground he stands on. All he hears is 'seeing Shin would be nice'. His grip on the cup tightens and he puts it away before he'd crack it.

“Do ya miss him?“ he asks, words coming out more choked up than he intended. He clears his throat when he leans back on the couch's backrest.

You think over his question. “I miss my best friend.“

He asks. Even if he doesn't want to know the answer, he asks. “Will you get back with him?“

“No.“ Your answer is quiet, but firm. You readjust yourself to lean on the backrest, facing him, the pillow still tightly squeezed in your grip. “Shin is a great guy just... not the right for me. Wasn't easy to accept but that's how it is.“ You fumble with the thread sticking out from the stitch. “I wasn't good for him, you know?“ you quietly continue. “He protected me since we were kids but at some point it all just... fizzled I guess. I was so used of always being by his side the thought of living without him terrified me. He was that stability I craved. For a long time I believed he would give me a goal in life, or something similar.“ You chuckle. “Try getting through seventeen-year-old-me's head that's not how relationships work. I knew we wouldn't work out. But I stayed because I was selfish and stupid... and scared. I think he knew. And it started to take a toll on him. So I left before he'd break.“ Tears start forming in your eyes. “Shin could never understand why I'm so sad without a reason... Maybe if I left sooner... well, it doesn't matter now.“

“Ya can still go back,“ hearing his own words shatters Aran's heart, “once ya feel better.“

The brief laugh you give almost sounds like a sob. “Can I?“ You forcefully wipe the tears away. “Even if I could it wouldn't be the same as I remember now. It's hard to explain but somehow, what’s in your memories is always better than reality. Know what I mean?“

He knows. Memory is the thief of future.

The lump in his throat grows larger, heavier as he watches you try to hide tears starting to run down your cheeks. He's lost, not knowing what else to do but to pull you closer, tucking your head under his chin. He hugs you and softly caresses your back. “It's alright,“ he whispers when you apologise through sobs and tears. He keeps repeating, it's alright. What else could he possibly say?

You relax in his arms and your sobs slowly turn to muffled sniffles. Aran only wishes you feel safe in his arms, your head leaning on his shoulder, your arms shyly wrapping around his middle. It's not the most comfortable position but he's to scared to readjust. He hears your hitched breathing sync with his own as he runs his hands up and down your back and, exhausted from your crying, you're soon fast asleep.

Perhaps for the first time in his life Aran's starting to really understand you. It pains him, knowing your struggles. You, who were always so full of light, you who were the pillar, tall and unyielding, one he could always lean onto. How memories managed to muddle his perception of you so much is beyond him. The only thing he can do is promise himself to never let them deceive him again. After all, who needs memories?

He messages you more frequently. Not too frequently, he doesn't want to appear nosy or pushy. Just often enough to let you know he's there for you if you need him.

You've been busier with college lately, so weekly hang outs turn to late night phone calls. Hearing your voice feels like a refreshing cool breeze on these hot summer nights.

He collapses in his bed, only half listening to your rambling on about one of the professors. He didn't catch her name.

“Aran? You still there?“

“Yeah, I'm still here. T's been a long day, t's all.“

He hears you hum and he can imagine the way you lean your head to the side. “Coach in a bad mood?“

“Not really. I'm just not feelin' my best. Couldn't sync with Aritsura's sets. But ya know, more practice 's all we need. How was your day?“ he asks, forgetting you just told him a few minutes ago.

“It was alright,“ you say instead of repeating what you already told him. “Actually, I wanted to apologise. About last time. I shouldn't have dumped all my problems on you.“

“How many times do I need to repeat it's okay. I'm here for ya.“

“Still. I'm sorry. It was a lot. I... I don't want to be a burden.“

His brows furrow. How many times does he have to repeat it? Why don't you get it? “Yer not.“ Your low chuckle makes him irritated . “I mean it. If ya ever need to talk just say, alright?“

“Yeah, yeah I will... Thank you. It's just that... I don't want to ruin this friendship too. That's all. Tell me when I become too much. Please.“

What are you talking about? “Whatever is on yer mind I promise I can handle it.“

“Can you? So you not being able to play your best has nothing to do with me dumping all my problems on you?“

Something in the way you say those words pushes the wrong button. He's only trying to be here for you, why can't you see that? “I don't care enough to let it impact me.“ Fuck. Even before the final word leaves his mouth he knows it came out wrong. “I'm sorry, fuck, y/n, I didn't mean it like that-“

“It's okay,“ you interrupt. “You're right.“

“I'm-“

“Get some sleep Aran. You have practice tomorrow. G' night.“ You end the call before he gets the chance to say goodbye.

Fuck.

Ch. 3: In the light, your name

Tags: @rosecaffelatte, @aonenthusiast

#ojiro aran x reader #ojiro aran imagine #aran x reader #ojiro aran x y/n #aran x y/n #ojiro aran #aran haikyuu #inarizaki x reader #hq #haikyuu #inarizaki #haikyuu x reader #ojiro aran x you #aran x you #libri scribbles #all that is gold

[nikibogwater]

A Shot in the Dark: a Tales of Arcadia Fanfiction (Chapter 2)

"...The Arcane Order doesn’t actually care whether you live or die. They have given me permission to do to you whatever I deem necessary. So...” Douxie swallowed and grit his teeth as Rivan’s hand began to glow with an ugly, pulsing red light. “...I will ask politely one more time before I resort to more extreme measures. Where is the forest-child Nari?”

When Douxie is stripped of his magic and captured by a new enemy, Nari and Archie risk everything to come to his rescue.

(Chapter 1)

(Chapter 3)

Thank you all for the wonderful response to Chapter 1! I know it wasn’t the most exciting start to a story, but I promise everything in it was very important for setting up this week’s chapter. And now, your patience shall be rewarded! This is the part where everything goes Horribly Wrong. I hope you all enjoy. 😁

(Also don’t forget about the Author’s Commentary if that’s the sort of thing you’re interested in!)

Read on Ao3

Or under the cut:

Douxie wished he could bring Nari to Central Park every day.

The moment her feet touched real grass again, her face lit up like he had never seen before. She ripped off her shoes and dropped to the ground, running her hands across the blades lovingly. She bounced up a moment later, flitting to the nearest tree and pressing her palms against it, giving a breathless laugh of joy as she felt its spirit reach out to greet her. It was a bit like witnessing a long-lost family reunion from the outside, and Douxie felt a strange ache settle in his heart as he followed the tiny forest goddess, who danced from one place to another, wide eyes glowing like sunlit amber.

“...She should have this all the time,” he murmured to Archie, who, after having his own little roll in the grass, had returned to his perch on Douxie’s shoulder. “She shouldn’t be stuck in that prison cell of an apartment.”

“I agree,” Archie replied softly, following Nari’s movements with his eyes as she clambered on top of a large rock and held a hand out for an inquisitive sparrow fluttering around her. “But it’s not safe for her to be out in the open like this for longer than a day.” The Familiar gave his wizard a sympathetic look. “You are doing everything you can for her, Douxie. But above all else, she must be kept hidden from the Order. Not just for her sake, but for the entire world’s.”

“...I know.” Douxie understood the weight of his responsibility. He had seen the Arcane Order’s power firsthand, had even gone up against it himself. Even without the power of the Genesis Seals, they were capable of the most destructive kind of magic he had ever encountered. There would be no hope of stopping them if they ever found Nari. Once the Seals were opened, all hell would break loose, and no one, not even a Master Wizard like himself, would be able to stand against such chaos. Though the thought was like a twisting knife in his heart, his duty as Nari’s guardian would always have to come before her happiness.

Nari had stopped chattering at her new feathered friend and was looking over at him, her brows beginning to furrow with worry. He immediately forced his spirit back into a state of calm, subduing the waves of melancholy that had been gently churning within his aura. He flashed her a bright grin and gestured back towards the path.

“Come on. There’s a lot more to see. Let’s go find one of the ponds.”

“There are ponds?” Nari gasped, her eyes sparkling in delight as she lifted the sparrow back into the air, where it took flight with a cheerful twitter. Douxie laughed at her apparent ecstasy as she slid to the ground, bounded to his side, and began tugging on his arm eagerly.

Even with the weight of the world on his shoulders (not to mention the recent discovery that something strange was lurking nearby), Douxie would have been perfectly content to spend the rest of his life in this moment. ***** “What do you suppose it would take for Americans to learn how to make a decent cup of tea?” Douxie grumbled, glaring at the disposable coffee cup in his hand as though it had personally offended him. “Seems like any hack street vendor with a pot and a filter can be taught to make a solid enough cup of coffee in this country, but ask them for a simple cup of hot water with a bag of leaves in it, and somehow no one knows how to do it properly.”

“From what you have taught me about proper tea preparation, I would say it is a rather complicated affair,” Nari opined, taking a sip from her own drink. “And their sweet teas are not so bad.”

“Sweet tea is an abomination and I only let you get one because we’re eating out. But never shall such a detestable liquid be found under my roof.” Nari pulled her cup closer to her in a mock show of defensiveness and giggled. Next to them, Archie was contentedly licking out the inside of a creamer packet.

The day had passed by in a green and golden blur for Douxie. He had spent the majority of it trying to keep up with Nari as she pranced with endless energy across several miles of the park. Exhausted as he was by the end of it, he had still dreaded telling her that it was time to leave. He had seen the crushing disappointment sweep over her face with painful clarity in his mind’s eye, but when the cursed words finally passed his lips, she had surprised him. She had simply given a nod of agreement, slipped her shoes back onto her feet (which were miraculously clean after an entire day of hiking barefoot in Central Park--apparently there were perks to being a woodland demigoddess), and resumed her place at his side. She hadn’t even looked wistful as they left, instead seeming quietly content, as though she’d had enough to sustain her for the time being. Now they sat underneath an umbrella outside a tiny street corner cafe, watching the sky turn red and the city begin to glow.

Nari’s eyes drifted across their surroundings, not with the same loving gaze with which she had surveyed the park, but still with benign curiosity. Suddenly, her eyes fixed on something behind Douxie’s left shoulder, and her countenance lost all trace of happy intrigue. The wizard was just finishing off his last dredges of tea, grimacing as he set the empty cup down, when Nari’s hand slowly crept across the table and brushed against his. Douxie felt a sudden alertness shoot through his tired body like a bolt of electricity.

“...He’s here,” she whispered, her gaze never wavering, though her other hand clenched nervously against the table. As subtly as he could, Douxie shifted in his seat just enough to trace her line of sight, while pretending to be re-tying his shoelace.

The man in question certainly didn’t look particularly threatening. In fact, he looked like the kind of person Douxie would find unbearably dull, all business and academia and such. He lacked any trace of youthful energy or optimism, though his physical appearance suggested that he wasn’t a day past twenty-five. He was standing in front of a store window, apparently looking at the displays. If Nari hadn’t been so petrified by his mere presence, Douxie wouldn’t have even spared him a glance. He straightened up and resumed his original position.

“You sure that’s the same guy?” he murmured, tracing the logo on an empty sandwich wrapper with his finger and attempting to look bored. Nari nodded, finally tearing her eyes away and looking down at her hands, which were nervously folded in front of her.

“It could just be a coincidence,” Archie put in softly. “He may be a magical anomaly, but we don’t have proof that he intends us any harm.”

“I...I think we should go home,” Nari squeaked. “He just....gives me a bad feeling.”

“Alright,” Douxie agreed, rising from his place and lifting Archie up onto his shoulder. He moved around the table and took Nari’s hand as she stood, squeezing it reassuringly when her other hand came up to anxiously grip his sleeve. They stopped by the bins to dispose of their trash, and Douxie looked back at the stranger one more time. His stomach twisted uncomfortably as he saw nothing but an empty sidewalk in front of the store window. He pulled his hand out of Nari’s grip and tucked her against his side as they walked, reaching out with his magic and draping it over her like a veil.

“Celare,” he whispered, his breath catching as the spell sapped a little more of his strength. It was easier the second time, but his steps still faltered for a few moments afterwards. He felt Archie dig his claws into his shoulder, a wordless admonition for wasting his magic, but Douxie ignored him and pressed on, silently shepherding Nari through the rapidly darkening streets.

The walk home was quiet. Douxie found himself listening to the rhythmic sound of their feet moving against the concrete, as around them, the streets began to glow golden beneath electric lights. A chill wind picked up and pushed gently against their backs. Under his arm, Nari shivered and pressed closer to him.

“Here,” he offered, bringing them to a halt beneath one of the street lamps and setting Archie down beside his feet. He slipped off his hoodie, leaving him in his black tank top that showed off the intricate pattern tattooed across his shoulders and upper arms, and held it out to Nari.

“Oh, no, Douxie,” she began to argue. “What about you?”

“I’m fine,” he insisted, draping the garment over her shoulders. She tucked her arms into the sleeves somewhat reluctantly, but Douxie didn’t miss the satisfied little hum she emitted as she closed the warm fabric around her. He gave her a grin and ruffled the top of her hair, while Archie curled around her legs pleadingly. Nari giggled and picked up the Familiar, wrapping him up in her arms snugly.

“Thank you,” he purred politely as they continued on their way. “I’d hate to be seen as fastidious, but this pavement really is very cold on my pads, and Douxie puts up such a fuss if I grip his bare shoulder with my claws.”

“‘A fuss?’” Douxie echoed. “Archie, those things are like curved drawing pins! If I let you ride on my shoulders without any protection, I--” The words died in his mouth as suddenly as a gust of wind. Out of the corner of his eye, he had caught sight of the stranger from before, strolling unhurriedly on the other side of the street, just a few dozen yards behind them. His hand moved to Nari’s shoulder and gripped it tightly. “Okay...” he breathed. “Okay, he’s definitely following us.”

“Douxie...” Nari squeaked, as her eyes followed his line of sight.

“Just keep walking,” he muttered, giving her an encouraging nudge.

“Douxie, whoever he is, he cannot be allowed to know where we are staying,” Archie hissed.

“I know, I know. I’m thinking.” As nonchalantly as he could, he drew his phone out of his pocket and pulled up their location on his GPS, studying the map carefully as they walked at what he hoped looked like a calm, relaxed pace. “...Okay, in about thirty meters, we’re going to be passing an alleyway that branches in two directions. If you two take the left fork, it should put you out just a few blocks behind our complex.”

“Just us? What about you?” Nari objected. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to wait for him at the fork, find out what he wants. He’s been pretty covert out here in the open, but I bet he’ll be willing to come closer if we’re somewhere a little more out of the way.”

“But....Douxie..!” Nari began to argue, as they reached the turnoff into the alley. Douxie pushed her into it, his strides becoming longer and more hurried as they slipped into shadow. They reached the place where the alley split, one branch continuing straight, the other going to the right. Douxie brought them to a halt and snatched Archie out of Nari’s arms, the Familiar sputtering with protest.

“Celare,” he panted, wrapping his aura around his best friend and pulling it tight. He grit his teeth as his chest lurched painfully, his exhausted magic leaving him with a cold rush.

“Douxie!” Archie hissed, struggling out of his wizard’s arms and dropping to the ground with an angry huff. “Why would you waste your magic like that?! No one is looking for me!”

“Because I need you to take Nari back to the apartment, and this guy might be tracking us through our auras,” Douxie labored, bracing himself against the nearby brickwork.

“Douxie, I cannot leave you here!” Nari protested.

“Neither can I,” Archie added.

“Archie, please, I need you to go with Nari and keep her safe,” Douxie pleaded, shooting a nervous glance over his shoulder, well aware that the stranger could appear in the alleyway at any moment.

“You are my Familiar!” the cat shot back. “My duty is to protect you first and foremost!”

“Archie, please.”

The two stared each other down in silence for a moment, Douxie’s hazel eyes both beseeching and trusting. He could have ordered Archie. Traditionally, a wizard’s Familiar was always subservient to their chosen human. It was part of the sacred bond they shared that the Familiar would obey any command their wizard gave them. But Archie had always been more than Douxie’s assistant. They had made an agreement when Douxie was still a small child that the boy would never use his position to force Archie to do anything. Familiar he may be, but Douxie had always seen Archie as his brother, his equal in every regard, and Archie was a creature who valued his freedom, even if he had chosen to dedicate his entire life to protecting and aiding Douxie.

Even at his most desperate, Douxie wasn’t demanding. But he was begging, with every ounce of his heart, calling on the bone-deep affection that had always bound these two together.

“...Yes, Hisirdoux,” Archie sighed, and Douxie’s heart ached with a rush of love and gratitude for his Familiar. “...Nari, come with me.” With a flick of his tail, the cat turned and began to move further down the alleyway.

“...N-no... Archie...!” Nari stammered, looking frantically between the two of them. “Douxie, please!”

“Everything’s going to be fine, sweetheart,” Douxie soothed, giving her a gentle nudge forward. “I’ll meet you both back at the apartment later.”

“But...!”

“Nari,” Archie called, looking back at her with soft golden eyes. “This way, please.”

“Go,” Douxie insisted. “I’ll be okay.” Nari stayed rooted to the spot for a second longer, staring at Douxie with a look of betrayal. He was unrelenting, and gave her another little push towards Archie. Finally, she tore away from him, and together, she and Archie disappeared into the darkness, the Familiar giving Douxie one last glance over his shoulder before the shadows claimed them.

It wasn’t even a full thirty seconds later when Douxie heard the scrape of shoes against the concrete behind him. The well-dressed stranger was standing at the end of the alleyway, his hands in his coat pockets, leaning his weight on one leg casually, as though he and Douxie had planned to meet each other here. He was still wearing his sunglasses, in spite of the darkness.

“...Can I help you?” Douxie asked, pushing away from the wall, trying not to audibly gulp when his vision spun for a split second--he must have used even more magic than he’d originally thought. He’d have to try to stall without using his magic for as long as he could.

“I suspect that you can,” the man replied, his tenor voice bouncing off the walls of the alleyway and making Douxie feel eerily claustrophobic. “Forgive me for the intrusion. My name is Rivan. I’m looking for someone. A forest-child by the name of Nari, who I’ve heard dwells somewhere in this city.”

“Forest-child? I think you’re in the wrong city, mate,” Douxie chuckled, his fingers twitching with the desire to activate his magic vambrace. “At least, I’ve never heard of anyone like that. Certainly not here in the Big Apple.”

“...Haven’t you?” Rivan’s tone was irritatingly polite, as was the inquisitive head tilt that accompanied his words.

“No,” Douxie replied shortly.

“I see.” There was a long pause. Neither of them moved.

“...And I’d appreciate it if you’d kindly stop stalking me,” Douxie added a touch irately, his left fist clenching at his side as he withheld the urge to summon his staff. Rivan gave a short sigh and an apologetic bow of the head.

“As the gentleman wishes.”

There was a blinding flash of red light. Douxie barely had time to throw himself to the side as the magical charge soared past him, crackling and spitting like electricity. At least, he assumed it was magic--but he couldn’t feel any magical energy radiating from it as it flew past his head. He stumbled back to his feet, his own magic gathering in his palm, when something slammed against his right wrist, causing his shoulder to jerk back and throw him off balance again. There was a click and a soft whirring sound, and suddenly the magic in Douxie’s hand was pulled out of his grasp, leaving his fingers cold and empty. The wizard cast a frantic look down at his right arm to see an iron band locked around it, its intricate engravings glowing the same color as his own magic.

An inhibitor cuff.

Oh fuzzbuckets.

His stomach lurched as he was swept off his feet and hurled against the wall. The last thing he was aware of before his head slammed against the brickwork was the feeling of his phone shattering in his back pocket. ***** Consciousness returned to Douxie sluggishly, as though it had to crawl a great distance in order to reach him. The first thing he was aware of was that he was very cold. The second was the sound of water lapping against concrete somewhere nearby. And the third was that he couldn’t move his arms.

Face scrunching in discomfort, he forced his eyes to open, blinking a few times against the fog that was still clinging to his vision. He was in some kind of empty warehouse, though it was a little hard to tell in the pale gloomy light shining from a solitary electric lantern nearby. Judging by the sound of waves outside, he was probably somewhere near the shoreline, maybe even at the harbor. He was tied to a metal folding chair that, after a bit of experimental jostling, he concluded was fixed quite firmly to the ground, likely with a standard binding spell, if the lingering presence of active magic was anything to go by. His wrists were bound behind him, the rope also fastened into place with a spell. There wouldn’t be any undoing of that knot without magic. He tried to summon a bit of his own, but the moment it began to move from his chest and down into his fingertips, the cuff around his right wrist glowed bright blue, and sapped his power, leaving him with an icy feeling in his veins for a few seconds. Douxie heaved a frustrated sigh and strained against the ropes halfheartedly for a minute, though he was fairly certain that was a pointless endeavor as well.

The sound of Rivan quietly clearing his throat froze Douxie in place, and his eyes flicked up to see his captor leaning against the wall nearby, just outside of the pool of light cast by the buzzing lantern. He was still wearing those damn sunglasses.

“You awake, then?” he asked, the false benign curiosity in his voice grating against Douxie’s nerves like nails on a chalkboard.

“...Where am I?” Douxie rasped, willing his voice to keep steady, though he was shivering from the cold. “What do you want with me?” He had a pretty good idea what the answer to the second question was, but he was still hoping to get away with playing dumb.

“Apologies, but I would rather not divulge your location to you at this time. As to your second question, I told you before: I’m looking for a woodland sorceress--Nari of the Eternal Forest.”

“And I told you before, I have no idea who that is or where you could find her.” He needed more time. He just had to stall long enough to come up with a plan.

“Mr. Casperan--” Rivan paused and turned his head in Douxie’s direction, though Douxie got the strange feeling that the man was not really looking at him from behind those sunglasses. “That is your name, right? That’s the name my employers gave me, at any rate. I admire your loyalty, but nothing frustrates me more than when people pretend to be stupid. I know that you are the forest-child’s chosen guardian. I know that you brought her to this place in the hopes of concealing her from the Arcane Order, who are seeking her for their own purposes. I traced her aura to this city and very nearly pinpointed her exact location--only for said aura to suddenly disappear. Only the auras of you and your Familiar remained, leading me to conclude that you had something to do with the girl’s disappearance.”

“You traced her aura...You’re a witch-hunter?” Suddenly the presence of the magic-suppressing cuff made a lot more sense--not just anyone would have equipment like that. Only those whose job it was to capture and retain rogue magic-users. Merlin had always warned him about such people, who were specialized in sensing and following auras, but Douxie had never encountered one before now. However, something wasn’t adding up here.  “...Wait, what do you mean she disappeared? You were there, you were following us, you must have seen--” Douxie cut himself off, suddenly realizing what he was saying, but it was too late. He had clearly piqued Rivan’s interest.

“Ah, so she’s still somewhere in the city, then?” he said. “Excellent. That makes my job a bit easier. As for seeing...” Rivan sauntered over to Douxie and slipped off his sunglasses. The area around Rivan’s eyes was burned and scarred over, red, bumpy flesh stretched across the permanently sealed lids. Douxie forced himself to swallow the bile that rose in his throat. “...I’m afraid I haven’t done much of that--at least, not with my eyes--since the late nine-hundreds, when your kind attempted to wipe the Shades from the earth.”

A Shade. Of course. That explained why Nari couldn’t sense Rivan’s life force or aura. Shades were a rare breed of wizard, who transmitted their living and magical frequencies on a level no other magic user could detect. This made them greatly feared, but also greatly prized in the magical bounty-hunting industry--you couldn’t run from someone you didn’t even know was chasing you. And a mage with Rivan’s level of skill in sensing and tracing auras would be almost impossible to evade forever, even if he could be sensed by magic. He didn’t need his sight to find his quarry. His magic told him everything he needed to know about the world, and the people in it.

...Unless someone managed to blind him twice over. Douxie thanked his lucky stars that he had thought to use that concealing spell. If Nari’s aura couldn’t be sensed, Rivan couldn’t recognize her, even if she was mere feet away from him. Douxie’s overbearing sense of caution was the only thing that had kept Nari out of harm’s reach today. If he ever made it back home in one piece, he would be sure to rub this in Archie’s face for years to come.

That was starting to look like a pretty big if, though.

“Now, I hate to inconvenience you,” Rivan continued. “but I promised the Order I would deliver this asset to them in a timely manner, and I’m already running a bit later than is good for my business reputation. If you would be so kind as to divulge the girl’s whereabouts, then I--”

“Spare me the pleasantries,” Douxie interrupted. “I’ll die before I’ll let the Order anywhere near her.” Rivan seemed to regard him for a moment, as if he was gauging the boy’s sincerity. Then he let out a short, weary sigh.

“...I see. Ordinarily, such a statement would needlessly complicate my work. However, the Arcane Order doesn’t actually care whether you live or die. They have given me permission to do to you whatever I deem necessary. So...” Douxie swallowed and grit his teeth as Rivan’s hand began to glow with an ugly, pulsing red light. “...I will ask politely one more time before I resort to more extreme measures. Where is the forest-child Nari?”

Douxie stared back at Rivan defiantly, his jaw clenched shut, though behind his back, his hands were trembling with dread.

To be continued. ✨

#tales of arcadia #fanfiction #a shot in the dark #douxie #nari #toa archie #the magical siblings #and their therapy cat

[unchartedterritoria]

A Scathingly Brilliant Idea, Not So Much (Sam Drake x Reader) -Chapter 2: The Date

There wasn’t supposed to be a part 2 to this, it was supposed to be a little one off piece of fluff. Well now I guess it’s a two chapter piece of fluff.

Part 1

Chapter Summary: The Date and why painkillers have warning labels

This is a horrible idea. This is a horrendous idea. This is an absolutely absurd, preposterous idea! You think to yourself as you pull on the sling that cradled your arm. Your whole arm hurt, a dull throbbing coming from the sight where you were shot by your soon to be date.

It had always been quite a production yourself getting ready for a date in the past, and that was with two functional arms. Allowing yourself a little more time than usual and a generous glass of white wine, you gingerly wiggled yourself into something presentable, a snow leopard print blouse with a pair of dark blue jeans. As you zip up the side of your boots, tying shoelaces impossible at the moment, your cellphone chimes.

Be there in 5.

“Oh boy,” you say aloud to yourself nervously.

Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, you pull a brush through your hair with your free hand, letting your hair hang down long and natural for the night, going light on the makeup as well. Anything more than that just wasn't in the cards in your current state. You give yourself a once-over in the mirror. You grab your glass of wine and finish it off.

I'm going on a date. With a guy who shot me. Because I was hiding in his bushes. I'm officially a bad Lifetime movie.

The thought makes you chuckle and shake your head, but the slightest movements to your shoulder and arm cause you to wince in pain. Even with being as careful as possible, the wound was fresh. The hustle and bustle of getting ready had caused the pain to go from a dull ache to a loud throbbing roar, despite the wine you used to try and numb your pain as well as your nerves.

Reaching into the medicine cabinet, you grab the small bottle of pills that you picked up from the pharmacy that afternoon; A prescription for painkillers the ER doc had given you the night before with your paperwork. You give the directions a quick look:

'One every 4 fours hours as needed for pain.'

I can do that.

DO NOT DRIVE OR OPERATE HEAVY MACHINERY.'

He's driving, no problem there.

MAY CAUSE DROWSINESS.

Don't see that happening, WAY too nervous.

DO NOT DRINK WHILE TAKING THIS MEDICATION, MAY INTENSIFY THE EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL.

You purse your lips and stare moodily at the empty wine glass on your nightstand.

Well shit.

You shift your shoulder slightly to test it. A bolt of pain shoots down your slinged arm, and you swear you can feel your heartbeat in your wound. It makes you hiss and curse under your breath.

Fuck it, I'll be fine. It's not like I'm a lightweight.

You shake one out of the bottle and pop it in your mouth and choke it down with a gulp of water from your bathroom faucet. You wipe your chin with the back of your good hand as the buzzer to your apartment shrieks.

Oh lord, he's here.

You grab your purse, haphazardly throw the pill bottle in the bottom and head out the door to meet him in the lobby, not wanting him to get a glimpse of your disaster zone of an apartment.

As you come down the last flight of stairs, you see the man you had been ogling from your friend's balcony for the previous few weeks. Sam is studying the assortment of last names on the mailboxes, his hands shoved in his back pockets. He turns towards the staircase as he hears the sound of boots coming down the stairs. The sight of you makes an approving grin form on the corner of his lips.

Making your way towards him, you stop short.

“Hold it,” You tell Sam, his smile turning into a confused frown.

“Did you leave your gun at home?” You ask him.

He lets out a small relieved chuckle.

“No guns, I promise,” Sam assures you as you walk towards him.

“You're sure you're not armed?” You question him again.

Sam holds open his leather jacket, giving you a peek of the hunter green shirt and dark tan pants that he wore underneath.

“You wanna frisk me and check?” He asks, a hint of suggestiveness in his voice.

“I think you would enjoy that too much,” You tell him.

“See? Look at that, you know me so well already,” Sam flirts, the friendly banter draining the nerves from both of you as he escorts you out the door.

The restaurant Sam picked was nice, very nice. Waiting list nice. Sam orders a bottle of white wine and pours you a glass. Taking it in your hand, you pause for a moment, your brain flashing back to the pain pill that you had taken earlier. You didn't know a ton about pain medication. Still, you remembered the small, yellow sticker on the bottle warning you to not mix them with alcohol that you had already ignored once tonight.

“You alright?” Sam asks, seeing your hesitation.

You glance past the glass of crisp, white wine and fix on the eyes across the table from you. Sam's bright, inviting hazel eyes.

Screw it. What's the worst that can happen?

You take a sip and set your glass back down.

“Better now,” You tell him.

“How's the arm?” Sam asks, setting his glass back down on the table.

“A little sore. It's also got a hole it, thanks to you,” You inform him in a sickly sweet, sarcastic voice.

“Hey, you can't say I didn't warn you,” He says, raising his hands in defensive.

“I still can't believe you shot me. With a gun!” You try and keep your voice low. The sling on your arm was already giving you more attention than you were comfortable with. Evidently, broken people didn't go to fancy dinners.

“When I said I was gonna shoot, what did you think I'd use, a blow dart?” Sam quirks an eyebrow at you.

“It'd be original. But not very practical,” You nod in begrudging, logical acceptance.

At that moment, and possibly for the first time in your life, you felt your toes rubbing against the socks in your boots. A comforting sensation that stuck out to you and made you wiggle your toes back and forth against the cozy material.

Hmm, this is new. My feet have never felt so comfy in my socks before.

You take your wine glass in hand again and crinkle your nose. For some reason, it feels awfully light.

I didn't take that big of a sip, did I? You wonder, holding it in front of your face.

Fingers interlaced, Sam rests his chin on his hands while he watches you bounce the glass of wine in your hand.

“Problem?” He asks.

Your eyes snap passed the glass.

“Nope,” You say, setting it down gently next to you, “Nope, all good,” You give him a reassuring smile, despite the fact every muscle in your body had now relaxed to a point it hadn't in ages.

Dear Lord, I think I might be stoned, being your last thought as the waiter approaches the table, setting down a very large dinner plate with a small pink lump in the center, surrounded by multi-colored dots and swirls. You nervously thank the waiter and lean in towards Sam.

"Um, did we order, and I just forgot?" You ask him in a hushed voice.

Sam chuckles a little.

"Nah, this is just one of those places where the chef decides what you want, and they just bring it to you."

“Swanky.”

“My brother told me about it, said it'd be a good place to take a date.”

“You know, I think I had sheets that looked like this when I was a kid,” You tell him, waving your fork over the sauces covering the plate, making him smile.

“I think I did too,” He nods in agreement.

You poke at the pink mound at the center of the plate.

“It's a little pink lump,” You report to Sam.

"I think it's supposed to be crab or lobster," He says, poking at his own. His eyes suddenly go wide. "Oh shit, you're not allergic, are you?" He says as he watches you fork it into your mouth. You stop suddenly and stare at Sam in horror. You couldn't watch Sam squirm for more than a few moments before laughing mischievously.

"Nope, all good," You assure him, a visible wave of relief washing over him as he tilts his head back with a sigh.

“I'm sorry, I just- I had to. You set it right up there,” You tell him, waving your arms in defense, your fork still in your hand,

"But it is a tasty pink lump, so I would definitely eat it." Gesturing at his plate.

Sam ran a hand over his face and through his dark hair.

“Jesus, you had me there for a second,” He breathed, finally taking up his fork. “I would have felt like a real asshole if I put you in the Emergency Room two nights in a row.”

“Yeah, that would suck,” Your voice louder than you think, making Sam grin, not to mention causing eyes from tables close to you to dart your way as you top off your glass and Sams.

"So, what made you move next door to Jenn?" You ask, setting the bottle back down carefully on the tabletop.

"I got tired of doing what I was doing. I wanted something different," He admitted, wiping his mouth, "I figured a fixer-upper house like that would keep me busy for a while."

"That house? Oh yeah. When the old people left, it was like a straight-up ghetto move. Jenn and I looked inside when they were gone, and it looked like something out of an episode of Hoarders."

As you finish your sentence, your waiter appears and removes your plates, replacing them with new ones. The large oval in front of you now contained three small green lumps topped with delicate weeds surrounded by a swath of colored foams.

You scrunched your face as you stared at your plate, absently scratching at your immobilized arm. Sam eyed his own matching plate suspiciously.

"So, what do you think, animal, vegetable, or mineral?" He posed the question to you.

“Be dipped in shit if I know,” You mutter to yourself.

“What?” Sam asked incredulously, not sure if he actually heard you right.

“Hang on, you don't know? Haven't you ever been here before?” You ask, gesturing around the room with a finger.

“No, it was just somewhere Nathan told me about,” Sam put down his fork in resignation. “To be honest with you, this isn't really my kinda thing,” He admitted, leaning in closer to you.

"Oh, thank god! Cause I don't know how much longer I could do this. I'm high as a kite, and that foam looks like someone spit on my plate," The words tumbled out of your mouth quickly and honestly, making Sam laugh comfortably for the first time that night. For him, it felt like the pieces were starting to be put together.

You caught sight of one of the waiter's passing by and called them over to your table.

“Excuse me, can you tell me how many courses there are this evening?”

"This evening, the Chef is featuring a total of 9 courses with three sorbet intermissions for palate cleansing," The suit-clad lad in the apron said confidently and obviously well-rehearsed.

“Ah lovely, now, can you tell me, are any of those courses chicken wings or barbeque ribs?”

The waiter stared at you as if another head had sprouted from your armpit. His mouth gaped open, his brain obviously not ready for such a question. Sam smiled and felt for his wallet in his back pocket.

“Uh no, we don't have those,” He said slowly, each word spoken as if he wasn't sure if it was correct.

“Ah thought so, thank you very much,” You said politely before turning your attention back to your date.

“Can we get out of here?”

“Thought you'd never ask.”

“So tell me again why you shot me instead of Jenn?”

You sat cross-legged on spongy grass of the park near your apartment, the wind full of smells from the line of food trucks along its edge, and the sound of music and conversation from the people that filled the park that warm evening. Sam sat comfortably next to you, his back resting against the large silver maple like you, a charred spare rib clamped between his fingers. A sample of the small feast that sat between the two of you of ribs, wings, cornbread, and Cokes.

“No, seriously! She was the one that was making the noise!” You argue, dredging a saucy chicken wing through a puddle of blue cheese.

"Wouldn't that make her the better target?" The emphasis of the statement making a dollop of blue cheese fall from the wing onto your arm.

“You got stuff on you,” Sam said, his words muffled by the pork in his mouth.

You glanced down at the dressing on your forearm before looking back at Sam. Holding his stare, you bring your arm slowly to your mouth, and, doing what could only be called your best impression of a turtle at dinner time, ate the blue cheese off your arm with deliberate slowness. Your arm made it back down to your side before your face cracked, and you snickered with laughter. Sam's head dropped between his knees, his body hitching with laughter, a hand to his mouth to keep the food in. Finally managing to swallow, he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand.

“Ok, seriously woman, how many of those pain pills did you take?” Sam asks curiously.

“One! I swear!” You suck the last of the sauce from your fingers and reach blindly into your purse, feeling around until your fingers wrap around the small pill bottle.

“See? Just one!” You shake them in front of Sam.

“And, uh, that little warning tag there that just says don't mix them with booze, that was just there for decoration, yeah?”

You ponder your words for a moment.

“I thought that it was more of a suggestion as opposed to like a guideline or a rule,” You say smoothly, all the while Sam stares you down, unconvinced but amused. You were an adult who was he to tell you what to do?

“Yeah, how about I take these guys off your hands here. Temptation and all that,” Sam says, plucking the now sticky bottle from your fingers and putting them in his coat pocket.

“Um, hey now, what if the gunshot victim needs one?”

"Then the gunshot victim can call me," Sam grumbled in a low voice. His face close enough to yours, you could see the 5 o'clock shadow beginning to emerge on his face and the stray sliver of bbq sauce that splashed the edge of his chin.

All you can do is laugh skeptically.

“What?”

"Sam, you went on a date with a woman who was doing a Peeping Tom in your windows which you then shot. Said woman also made the oh so grown-up decision of mixing booze and painkillers. She proceeded to make an ass out of herself, not just at a fancy restaurant, oh no. Worst of all, I let you watch me eat wings in public, which is never a good idea.

I don't know if you haven't been on a lot of dates recently or what, but I was what you would call a bad date.”

“I once saw you hold up a 10 out of 10 scorecard and high five Jenn when I split my pants outside one day. You think I didn't know what I was getting into?” Sam said, cocking his head to the side.

“Jeez, did you see everything we did up there?” You mutter under your breath.

"How bout this?" Sam proposes as he stands up, brushing off his trousers, "Saturday night, we try this again, something more our speed, how's that sound?" He asks, holding out his hand. You take it as he effortlessly helps you off the ground.

"I like that idea," You say with a smile, face warming, and stomach aflutter.

“C'mon, lemme walk you home,” He says low in your ear, planting a chaste kiss on the apple of your cheek.

You take ahold of Sam's arm as you walk through the streetlight lined park, down the craggy sidewalk.

“You know, I wouldn't have needed those meds if someone hadn't shot me,” You say sardonically, nudging Sam in the ribs with your elbow.

“Jeez, you talk like you've never been shot before. Well, now you have, welcome to the club,” He says mockingly.

“You've been shot?” You ask, gripping his arm tighter, your eyes wide in surprise.

“And that story we'll just save for Saturday.”

#My writing #scathingly brilliant idea #samuel drake x reader #sam drake fanfiction #sam drake x reader #reader x sam drake #sam drake fluff

[bubbyleh]

I See La Vie en Rose - Chapter 7

cw for mentions of past character death and limb loss (not explicit)

Chapter 7: Hitch a Ride

Tommy: Hey this is gonna sound weird but Tommy: Do you want to meet my nephew?

Darnold ♡: You have a nephew?

Tommy: Not like. Biologically. Tommy: You’ve met Gordon and Benrey! He’s their kid, his name is Joshua.

Darnold ♡: Oh! Darnold ♡: I didn’t realize they were together!

Tommy: Yeah, they have been for a while. Tommy: But, uh… Tommy: I can’t really get into it, but things have been tense lately? And it’s mainly centering around Gordon :( Tommy: Everything’s fine! But Tommy: I kinda wanna take Joshua out for a day, you know? Tommy: And I’m asking you to come with

Darnold ♡: Of course! Darnold ♡: I heard the museum has free admissions for kids tomorrow. Do you think that’s a good idea?

☆○☆○☆

Tommy: Benrey?

Benrey!!!: oh hey Benrey!!!: ur awake Benrey!!!: why

Tommy: Why are you awake? :(

Benrey!!!: cant sleep

Tommy: Is it Gordon?

Benrey!!!: yeah hes Benrey!!!: i dont know Benrey!!!: why are you texting me? u can come over?

Tommy: I’m kind of comfy in bed right now Tommy: And it’s late Tommy: And Tommy: Is it fair to say I don’t want to? :(

Benrey!!!: oh more than fair

Tommy: But I want to ask you something Tommy: I was talking with Darnold Tommy: NOTHING SPECIFIC! Tommy: Trust me. Tommy: But he suggested, and I agree, that we could maybe take Joshua to the museum tomorrow?

Benrey!!!: i dont know man Benrey!!!: i feel like feetman would yell at me if i let joshy head down now Benrey!!!: if he yells at all Benrey!!!: hes just been so quiet lately Benrey!!!: i hate this

Tommy: I really wish you’d talk to us, Benrey. Tommy: I hate to say it, but Tommy: Maybe we could have avoided this :(

Benrey!!!: … Benrey!!!: maybe

Tommy: I think getting out will do Joshua some good, though? Tommy: We can have a fun day! Tommy: It’s just that Tommy: All this stuff! Gordon not acting like himself! Whatever’s going on with you Tommy: He’s in the same house as that Tommy: So I think NOT being in the same house will help?

Benrey!!!: wait

Tommy: What?

Benrey!!!: gordon not Benrey!!!: i think u have a point Benrey!!!: about a few things Benrey!!!: yeah u can take joshy down tomorrow Benrey!!!: ill make sure gordon agrees just Benrey!!!: dont come back until i tell you okay? Benrey!!!: i think i can fix this

Tommy: Yeah?

Benrey!!!: yeah Benrey!!!: make sure joshy gets something at the gift shop Benrey!!!: get something for me too?

☆○☆○☆

The next day is overcast, but Tommy’s not sure that it’ll be rainy by the time they leave. Still, he has Joshua grab his jacket before they leave, just in case. Not that it’s actually possible for either of them to catch a cold, but getting soaked isn’t fun!

“Re-remember Joshua,” Tommy says as they approach the museum. “Darnold is a friend, but the- the rules still apply!”

Toomy feels Joshua nod into his back, which is a good enough response when you’re giving someone a piggyback ride. Joshua loves asking Tommy for piggyback rides, though it’s more a result of Tommy being the tallest than any special uncle privileges.

“Is, um,” Joshua asks. “Is this the guy my dad says is your special friend?”

Tommy holds back a laugh. With everything happening, he hasn’t actually gotten a chance to share his updated relationship status with everyone. “What are- what are your dads telling you?”

Joshua, being three years old, caves in immediately. “Um! They say that there’s a guy you really like, and you want to kiss him and marry him someday!”

“Marry!?” Tommy exclaims. “I mean, I-I like him and all, but marriage is a… it’s a little ways off right now.”

Pouting, Josh swings his legs. “But I wanna go to a wedding! I wanna go to a party after a wedding!”

“Weddings are mostly boring, actually. I was- I was at your dads’.” Tommy says. “Hey, climb on my shoulders. Try to- to find Darnold for me.”

While Joshua does comply, he complains as he crawls up. “I don’t know what he looks like!”

Tommy sighs, unlocking his phone and handing it up to Joshua. “Look through the gallery, he’s- he’s in there.”

There’s a moment of silence and Joshua navigates through Tommy’s phone. “Woah!” he shouts. “Why do you have so many pictures of him?!”

“He’s my boyfriend, I- I like having pictures of him,” Tommy explains. Joshua blows a raspberry down at him.

A hand tugs as Tommy’s sleeve from behind, and after turning his head, there’s Darnold. “Hey-” he starts, but is cut off when Tommy places a finger over his own lips.

“Do you, uh… do you see anything u-up there?” Tommy asks, and though he’s speaking to Joshua, he’s looking right at Darnold.

Joshua sighs. “Uncle Tommy, I don’t think he’s here.” He presses his face into Tommy’s propeller cap. “I guess we just have to go into the museum without him.”

“Oh, but I really- I really like him!” Tommy pretends to whine, and Darnold covers his smile with a hand. “Try looking a little bit lower? He’s kinda short.”

That earns him a jab from Darnold’s elbow, which he wasn’t exactly undeserving of. However, Joshua feels the jolt, and their little game is done.

“L-look Josh! There he is!” Tommy acts surprised. He lifts Josh off his shoulders and places him on the ground.

“Hey there, Joshua!” Darnold finally gets to greet them. “I’m Darnold. It’s a pleasure to meet you!” He offers his hand mostly as a joke, but Joshua does end up taking it and giving his best attempt at a handshake, albeit appearing confused the whole time.

“Hi,” Joshua manages. “Uh. I don’t really hear about you.”

“No?” Darnold chokes back a laugh. “Does, uh… does Tommy not talk about me?”

Joshua shakes his head. “No, he talks about you with the grownups. We talk about dogs! And cowboys!”

“Dogs and cowboys?” Darnold looks up at Tommy, smirking.

“He’s three,” Tommy defends himself. “There’s not a lot of- of topics to cover.”

☆○☆○☆

After paying their admission (Tommy insisted on paying for Darnold’s, after all, being a god allows one access to a healthy sum of money), Tommy swipes a pamphlet and begins to look through the museum’s different exhibits. They’re stopped for a moment, because Joshua’s shoe was untied and he wanted to show Darnold that he learned how to tie it last week, but his hands are so small and it is so difficult. Anatomy, no. Dinosaurs, definitely. He judges them, one by one, until a specific exhibit catches his eye.

“Hey Joshua, my- I lost the ability to read.” Tommy places the pamphlet in front of him and points to a specific line. “Can you tell me what that says?”

Forgetting about his shoe, Joshua squints at the paper. Ugh, he might be taking after Gordon in the eyesight department. How are you supposed to get a child god with no actual birth certificate prescription glasses?

“T… th… the w…” Joshua sounds out. “The wil...d… we… st? The wild west?” His eyes light up immediately. “Cowboys!? They have cowboys!?”

“A cowboy exhibit?” Darnold leans over to check out the pamphlet. “Huh, would you look at that.”

“Are we- are we heading there first?” Tommy addresses the other two.

“Yeah!” Joshua throws his arms in the air and jumps off the bench. He takes off in a random direction. “Cowboys! Cowboys! Cowb-”

“Wait, Joshua! Your shoelace!”

Smack!

☆○☆○☆

The moment they step into the Wild West exhibit, Joshua stops sniffling and rubbing his red cheek, instead excitedly wiggling out of Tommy’s arms, marvelling at the presentations around him as if it were a candy store. Realizing that he’ll be

murdered

if he doesn’t capture this moment, Tommy pulls out his phone.

“So,” Darnold asks. “What’s with the cowboy thing?”

Tommy chuckles. “It was- Benrey showed him Toy Story 2, as a joke. He- he really liked it, kinda went from there.”

“Not Toy Story 1?”

“Joshua has never seen Toy Story 1.” Tommy snaps a few photos of Josh, making a mental note to send them to everyone later.

Tommy and Darnold end up mostly dragged along by Joshua, who constantly runs ahead and then doubles back to get them to read a placard for him. Josh seems to take a liking to Darnold, which Tommy is thrilled to see. Occasionally, Tommy will reach to hold hands with Darnold, only to find that Joshua has beaten him to it.

If it wasn’t so cute, Tommy would be a little angry.

“Look! Look!” Joshua shouts and points. “Real cowboys! Real pictures of real cowboys!”

“Heh,” Darnold remarks, nodding towards one of the black and white photos. “That one kind of looks like your dad, Joshy.”

Tommy is frozen.

Joshua grabs onto Darnold’s shirt. “Lift me! I wanna see!” Darnold complies, and when he lays eyes on the portrait, Joshua gasps. “That- that looks just like Daddy!”

The man in the photograph has the same chin, the same cheeks, same nose. But he’s so different too. His hair isn’t pulled back into a ponytail, but rather falls down around his shoulders. One of his hands isn’t ghostly and transparent, instead something flesh and whole. He’s smiling, and Tommy can’t remember the last time he saw that smile genuinely.

“Let’s see here.” Darnold reads the plaque underneath. “The Free Man, date unknown. The Free Man spent his days hunting down violent offenders in the west for private individuals. He disappeared, and his fate remains unknown.”

Not unknown. Tommy gulps.

That doesn’t just look like Gordon. That is Gordon.

It’s easy to forget. Gordon’s been around for two and a half centuries at this point, and Tommy didn’t know him before that. He doesn’t know the man in the photograph, who let his hair down and laughed and still had two hands. Who lived and had a beating heart. Who was betrayed and killed in a cave in the desert.

Tommy doesn’t like to think about the fact that Gordon was mortal once, and how he got to where he is.

He looks away. Tommy turns his head a full ninety degrees to the right, because he can’t look at this right now. He’s looking at another display, one with a small wagon, a plastic horse, and a skeleton standing upright. It’s nice, probably about trade, or ranchers, or-

Hang on a second.

“Maybe it’s an ancestor of yours or something?” Darnold theorizes. “What do you think, Tommy?”

Why is there a skeleton there?

“Uncle Tommy?”

#hlvrai #half life vr but the ai is self aware #sodashipping #tommy coolatta #darnold #my writing #i see la vie en rose #hlvrai gods au

[brieannakeogh]

Ambition, Butter, and Wine- Chapter 7

Ambition, Butter, and Wine- Kylo Ren x plus sized reader. Crack! Fic. You’re a new First Order recruit. Trained in the culinary arts at the top schools and they dare make you serve the common folk. What happens when you have the opportunity to serve Lord Ren?

Master List / Previous Chapter

Took so long to get another chapter ready! So sorry about all that. Also I think it’s pulling away from crack fic stuff. It’s still going to be funny and epic but I think more to cannon and changes to that. 

Chapter 7

Still upset at him at dinner, you give him the cold shoulder. Which is perfectly fine with him as he reminded you that there would be consequences. In the morning at breakfast he tells you to be ready to head down to the planet Jakku, which you had never heard of. This time you are quiet for different reasons and he almost tells you to stay on board. He hadn’t ever seen you timid or nervous, other than you’re first interactions with him and even that you pushed through. He was confident that you could handle it and if not he would easily be able to protect you from the riff-raff on the surface. 

Loaded onto the First Order transport ship, you double checked that your blaster was on your hip and your shoes were tied. You saw the subtle shake of Lord Ren’s head as you imagined tripping on your shoelaces and shooting yourself in the gut with your own blaster. 

Thankfully that didn’t happen. The villagers looked like scattering ants below as you looked out the port windows. Once you landed and Lord Ren stepped out, chaos ensued. It was loud and gunfire was raining all around, mostly from the troopers to the unarmed villagers. You weren’t really in the mood for cold blooded murder but when some started firing at Ren, you saw red and were out for blood, or deadly burn wound, but that just didn’t have the same ring to it. 

He let you take out your aggression on a few before he caught a blaster shot out of the air and pushed you back behind him. This one he captured. This was the one he came here for. This was the one that made him more grumpy. You sat on the sand beside Ren and glared at the man that thought he was so funny and charming. 

You were quite proud of yourself after the whole ordeal. You hadn’t panicked, had actually fired and hit some people that had guns too. The important part is you didn’t freeze up, unlike that one stormtrooper that you saw walking back to the shuttle like nothing happened. Lord Ren cocked his head to the side and his helmet followed your eyeline, turning back to you. Replaying what you had seen in your head to the man beside you. 

Back on board Lord Ren left you to your personal devices. You watched him stalk towards the ship’s bridge, admiring the way his cowell and robes flowed out behind him. Even if you were still a little upset with him, you could appreciate the way he walked away. 

He seemed to be in a better mood at lunch, and even gave you a compliment. Well he said you were “adequate”, so you assumed that counted. You had just sat down his dinner when the ships alarms went off. The order to “Stay here.” was robotinized as he quickly threw on his helmet and left. You weren’t sure what was going on, but didn’t want to disobey orders, so you sat at the little table and waited, and waited, and waited some more. 

It was several hours later that he came back and from the set of his shoulders, you could tell he was fuming. “What are you still doing here?” His words clipped and even with the voicecoder you could hear the menace he was invoking. 

“I’m sorry sir but you told me to stay here, so I did.” His shoulders slumped a little and removed the mask. “Did you want me to reheat your food? I put the plate in the cooler while you were gone or I could fix you something else?” 

He just shook his head and started removing his outer layer, throwing it on the small couch. “You may go.” You just nodded, not wanting to upset him further with your words, but before you could make it to the door he spoke again. “You were right.” It brought you up short. “The storm trooper, he defected and helped the prisoner to escape. On top of which we couldn’t even track them down on Jakku. Hux should just listen when I tell him to use clones, then things like this wouldn’t happen!” He sat heavily on the couch with his fingers pulling at his hair. 

You slowly walk up to him and pry his hands away from his locks. “You shouldn’t be so rough with your hair. You wouldn’t be half as attractive without it. Then Hux really wouldn’t listen to anything you say.” He huffed out a startled laugh, not expecting your reply. Combing through his hair, you set it back to rights. “Why don’t I make us some comfort food? Was there anything you liked to eat as a kid?” 

His eyes darkened a bit and he stood up abruptly. “No, just leave.” Walking into his bedroom and slamming the door. Sighing, you do as he asks. 

On the way to your quarters you hear from the rumor mill what happened. What Kylo had told you was true. A storm trooper helped the prisoner escape, but what he really wanted was a little BB8 unit that also escaped Jakku with two fugitives. The disturbing part is the fact that the messenger to Lord Ren was force choked and is now in the medical wing, along with a whole section having to be closed from light saber damage. You decided at that moment you didn’t care what he said, you were going to make him something anyways. 

An hour later you were walking back to his quarters with a tray full of all your favorites from childhood, along with some milk and cookies, because who didn’t love milk and cookies? You knock on his door when it doesn’t immediately open up for you. “Open please. I made you second dinner.” You knock again. “I made all...I mean my...well I just guessed what you liked. If you don’t open up I’m gonna sit here and eat it all.” The door opens then and you see him standing in his bedroom doorway in his PJ’s and wet hair. 

“Of course you would eat it all, they are all your favorites.” He moves to the little table to sit as you start to unload the pile on, pulling out two plates.

“Don’t blame me. You refused to tell me what you wanted so I figured that most kids were alike.” He snorts at this. Pulling off the lids and setting out containers he looks questionable about a few dishes, but those were regional items and your mom wasn’t the best cook in the world, plus she liked to experiment, but you still craved it sometimes. He doesn’t comment when you take a seat beside him filling up your plate while he does the same. It’s mostly silent while you eat, other than the scrape of metal on ceramic. He finishes before you again and very unsubtle looks around like something is missing. “Can’t wait for me to finish before dessert?” Raising an eyebrow to him and you smile as he clears his throat, settling down, almost becoming deathly still. You get up, even with food left on your plate, to go heat up the cookies and pour the milk. 

The plate is hot to the touch, but you make it to the table without burning yourself. Simple chocolate chip cookies set in front of him with a glass of cold milk. His shoulders slump a little more after each bite and you know he’s starting to relax a bit more. It’s at this time you want to know the truth. “Are we going back to the freezing world?” He ignores you and continues to eat the cookies. “I just need to know if we aren’t because I would have to change the food choice. I’m surprised they didn’t stock the kitchens enough.” 

“It’s because of me. I told them we would only be gone a few days, but Hux fails along with Captain Phasma not sending that traitor to a mental reset!” His voice starting neutral before converting to harsh venom. The sound and clatter when his fist hits the table has you react startled, more so than the first time you met him. This time you weren’t in fear for yourself but in fear for him. Even though none of it had been his problem, and his failure, he was being blamed for everything. You could hear the talking whispers about what happened in the last few hours, the officers and troopers alike giving him the blame, not their superior. 

This thought went straight through your head before you looked up to make sure he wasn’t reading your thoughts. His eyes locked onto yours and you knew he had. That he had seen all of the guilt people were placing on him. “I know already. They don’t matter, none of them matter. Snoke will trust me on this. He has to trust me...Regardless, I will fix it and learn what I need, even if I kill them all.” 

“So do you think that will take one week or two?” He smirked at your confidence as you both went back to eating. 

Next Chapter

Alright! Hopefully next chapter won’t take so long. I got to go back and watch the first movie of this thing so I can keep it close to what happens, at least at first. Let me know what you think!!

If you want to be added to the tag list let me know.

@stevieang​, @albinotigerpython​, @paintballkid711​, @lilypalmer1987​, @tnupsweetpie​, @ebonyqueen-1​, @mbaku-babygirl​, @grandloser​

#kylo ren x reader #kylo ren x plus size reader #plus size reader #kylo x reader #star wars fic

[unreachablevoice]

Moving In Is What Started It All

Summary:

With Marinette’s parents being away with work, she is left in the care of one of their supposedly family friend; who just so happened to be someone who she has always been idolizing. And throw in the fact that she is having a hard time with friendships experiencing hardships, bridges being burned, and secrets unraveling and her parents unintentionally (plus being clueless with their daughter’s suffering) throwing their daughter in a pit of misery.

Note:

This fanfic will not contain Miraculous. Though, This does still contain the concept and some of the episodes of the show just cut out the parts of Ladybug and Chat Noir.

Previous | Next | Masterlist | AO3

Chapter 1 |The Surprise (to be honest, not quite)|

Narrative POV

It was a typical Monday morning, those mornings where you just don't want to get away from your bed.

Where you don't want to open your eyes.

Where you don't want to get up early and go to school.

But too bad, Marinette had school today because it was Monday, the day of the week where people were the laziest. Her phone rang under her pillow, it was where she puts it so that she'll hear her alarm more clearly. Slowly, Marinette's eyes fluttered open.

She woke up.

Still being a bit sleepy, Marinette rose from her bed and slowly headed towards her bathroom to get ready for school. She took off her nightwear, getting ready to hop into her tub that's filled with hot water to the brim. She dipped her toes in, and then the rest of her body was next. Her white, pinkish porcelain skin covered in warm water stood up after a short soak. She then got out of the tub and walked towards the shower to wet her hair. Marinette put her unscented shampoo in her hair and gently massaged her scalp.

After, another drop of unscented body wash was put on a fluffy baby pink scrub. Marinette began to scrub her body lightly; gently and carefully cleaning every part of her body she could find. Again, she went to the shower and took a fast but thorough rinse, making sure that no soap was left on her body. Her feet then, gracefully walked towards the tub, ready to jump into the warm water once again. As her toes touch the warm water, a slight tingle had risen in Marinette's body, maybe it was because of the cold rinse from earlier.

After a long soak in the tub, Marinette got up, patted herself dry, and drained the water-filled tub. She wrapped herself with her towel and went out, it was a good forty-minute bath.

Opening her closet, she grabbed a nice set of neatly folded clothes. She wore something a bit different, Marinette had an oversized red sweater with long sleeves that has "Princess" written in the middle of it, in a cursive font, and white color. She partnered it off with white shorts that just covers up one-fourth of her legs. And she wore sneakers that have white shoelaces and is the same color as her top. Her hair was put in her signature hairstyle, low pigtails tied using a pair of red ribbons.

Marinette was ready to head off to school, all she needed was to eat her breakfast. She then rushed downstairs to their kitchen and greeted her parents. "Good morning Maman et Papa! What's for breakfast?"

Her father answered with a bit of an apologetic tone for her mother was too busy to even utter a single word to her. "Good morning Marinette, I'm sorry but the bakery is a bit busy right now. Would it be alright if you cook food on your own?" Tom asked.

Marinette just nodded off. Knowing that both her parents are too busy to even catch a glimpse of her, she decided to skip breakfast so that she won't be a bother to her parents in the kitchen. She went back up to her room and brushed her teeth. Then, she grabbed her readily prepared bag, which was fixed beforehand on the previous night. She then ran downstairs again and left for school.

But before she could even touch the doorknob, her parents called over to her and said, "Don't stop by anywhere today, okay? We have something important to tell you when you get home." Marinette let out a small "yes" and now, went out for school.

When she arrived, Marinette was greeted by her best friend Alya. "Morning girl! Well, you're early today. Did something good happen?" she asked, raising her eyebrow and spoke with a singing tone. Marinette giggled at the ridiculous action that Alya did.

"Nothing, really. I just, unexpectedly, woke up from my alarm." she smiled and shrugged nonchalantly.

Alya rolls her eyes at her best friend, "Whatever you say, girl. Come on, let's go. I've been standing here for like a minute or so."

Marinette threw a fit of laughter, a laugh that was not too loud but was audible and pleasant. A little giggle if you might call it. And Alya liked the sound of it. Everything about her voice, from speaking to laughter.

Alya may be a responsible, and a great blogger and reporter, but she sure can be laid back sometimes..., Marinette thought. After a few seconds of laughing, Marinette wipes the tears that were formed because of her giggles and nods to Alya's request to go to their classroom.

When they arrived, there were not that many people yet so they decided to head to their lockers to get some stuff. "Girl, what's our third period for today again?" Alya asks.

The girl shook her head, not knowing what Alya would do if she wasn't around to help her. "It's Science Alya, you kept on asking that exact same question every Monday for like a whole month now. Do you even have a copy of our class schedule?" the blue-eyed girl asks, being a bit disappointed that her best friend was being extra laid back, except for reports and blogging that is.

"Haha... Funny you asked. You see, I kinda threw it away...? I figured since it didn't have any use, I had to get rid of it." the brunette answered in a kind of a questioning and nervous voice. Marinette facepalmed and sighed. I guess it's that time of the year where Alya gets super laid back, huh? Marinette thought.

She just smiled back because she still loves her best friend even though she's like this and because it was too early in the morning for her to scold the stubborn brunette. After they grabbed their stuff, they head back to their classroom and saw Adrien already sitting on his seat. Marinette was feeling nervous, there sat Adrien, the love of her life. She was ready to do anything just to greet the blonde normally in the morning.

Adrien noticed the two best friends and gulped, he prepared himself awhile ago to greet them in case the two girls were early today. He wished Nino was with him right now. "Good morning Alya! Good morning to you too Marinette! Y-You're early today! Hehehe..." Adrien smiled and became flushed right after, he felt embarrassed that he stuttered in front of Marinette and Alya. Plus, he just laughed weirdly in front of her. Both girls greeted back, although Marinette’s was as awkward as the blonde’s.

Alya facepalmed at the actions that her two friends just made. These dorks, why don't they just get together already?! Such oblivious lovebirds... Alya sighed. She knew both of them were in love with each other, they were just too oblivious to see it. Plus, the other one thinks he's got no chance with the other one and vice versa.

A while later, Nino arrived. And now, the whole gang was there.

Alya explained to Nino how she just witnessed an irritating event. And Nino groaned, equally pissed off as Alya. The couple ships the two, they're their major OTP. But too bad, the noirette and the blonde wasn't together, crushing both the couple's dreams. They cried silently and internally, but that didn't stop them. They swore to each other that they will do everything in their will power to make their two best friends a couple too. “Operation: Project Adrienette” as they (or everyone in the classroom — sans Chloé) calls it.

Alya and Nino started dating a while back when Nino finally told Alya his feelings. In which, she returned with much glee so it was obvious that they would ship the two as much as the others would.

After a few chatting, the whole class was now there and Mlle. Bustier arrived, a bit later than usual. The class stood up and greeted her, Mlle. Bustier greeted back while gesturing for them to sit down. Their attendance was checked, surprisingly nobody was absent, and then the discussion started. The class was being taught of different things, there were some instances where someone makes a joke and everyone would laugh that they would get off-topic and forget that they're being lectured about something.

After periods of teaching, it was now lunchtime. Marinette didn't go back to her house since she decided to skip lunch, again. She decided to wait for classes to start again while playing with her phone. She texted Alya, her parents—because they asked her why she hasn't returned and she lied saying that she'll just eat outside, and someone very important.

The bell rang and everyone arrived in their classrooms, including Marinette. The gang—Marinette, Alya, Nino, and Adrien—greeted each other. As usual, they were all very happy to see each other, acting as if they haven't seen each other for years.

And another set of periods that contained thousands of knowledge was bestowed upon Marinette and her friends (*this sentence right here is a bit weird hahaha*). And after that, it was time to head home. Alya was supposed to invite Marinette and the boys to eat somewhere outside, like a café or something but Marinette refused, she told Alya what her parents told her to do and, thankfully, she understood.

"Sure girl, but promise me you'll hang out with us sometime, okay?" Alya gave with a reassuring smile, and Marinette nodded.

Sadly, even Adrien couldn't hang out today. "Sorry Alya, I also can't make it. My Father said he also has something important to tell me," he said feeling melancholy.

Adrien really wanted to hang out with his friends, but then his father had to ruin everything. Though, everything's alright since Marinette also had something important to do. Alya sighed and turned to Nino, "I guess we'll all just hang out some other time then..." Nino nodded sadly in agreement. And they all bid each other goodbye.

Since Adrien's driver was busy picking up his father from somewhere, Adrien had to walk back home. When he reached his house, his father was already in their living room, waiting for him. The older Agreste noticed him arrive and greeted him.

"Welcome back son. We have guests today so after you put your bag down, and come sit down here. I cleared your schedule for today, so let's wait for them together." his father said in a formal look but with a soft voice, smiling like a touched father who just witnessed his son pet a stray little puppy. Adrien smiled back. He ran upstairs to his bedroom, throwing his bag in his bed, too excited to even notice his stuff became scattered on the floor because of his strong throw.

He rushed back downstairs, feeling thrilled. Having a smile plastered on his face, he felt that the people coming over are going to be good news. I might not be able to hang out with Alya, Nino, and Marinette, but I still get to spend time with Father so I guess that's alright with me. Adrien thought.

◎◎◎ ◎◎◎ ◎◎◎

As Marinette arrived back to her home, her parents were waiting for her at the front door. Marinette was confused, why were her parents downstairs? "Dear, we will be gone for as long as it takes, we don't really know when the problem's going to be solved... I guess you could say it's a business about that again." her Maman sighs and shakes her head disappointingly, giving emphasize on the word ‘that’.

So it's about that huh? Wonder what's the problem this time? Marinette thought, irritated by the fact that a problem has stirred up again.

"Oh! And you will be left in the care of our old friend! He has a son your age so we think you'll like it there. So go upstairs and pack your stuff, we'll go there today." her Papa added, looking at her Maman with a small, secretive smirk plastered on his face which was also copied in her Maman’s face. Something that Marinette didn’t quite understood.

"So.... I'll be staying at your old friend's house while you're away? Why not in the usual one instead?" Marinette asks, it was weird how they seemed to have changed their usual setting. 

"Dear. You know it's too far. We said you're going to school by car but we heard that you didn't want to cause a stir so you chose to walk and we don't want you to get too tired from all that walking. So we decided to ask our friend instead."

Marinette just nodded in approval and her parents told her to hurry up and pack since they'll be leaving in an hour.

Marinette did as told and went to her room. She packed her clothes that are enough for a couple of months, her sketchpad that contained some of her latest designs, her diary, and of course her sewing kit and machine. She put them all in a pink, white polka dotted luggage, she grabbed her signature pink purse and skidded downstairs.

"Maman! Papa! I'm ready!" she shouted. As she was about to take the next step on the staircase, she tripped, face planted on the floor. Marinette groaned as she slowly lifted her now crimson red face, clearly being hurt by the bad fall.

Her parents scrunched their face, showing a pitied and hurt expression for their daughter. "Geez Marinette, be careful!" her Maman said while her Papa helped her up. Marinette gave out an embarrassed laugh and accepted the given help.

They headed out to the front door and locked it. There, outside, they saw their silver car waiting for them. Their chauffeur put Marinette's luggage in the trunk and they hopped in and rode to a white mansion.

Wait a minute, this place looks familiar... Marinette thought, squinting her eyes to get a clearer vision of the house. It took a while for her to remember what the mansion reminded her of, but it eventually came. 

"The Agreste Mansion??!!"

#adrienette #adrinette #ml marinette #adrien x marinette #ml #miraculous marinette #miraculous ladybug #ml fic #ml fanfic #miraculous adrien #miraculous alya #miraculous nino #marinette dupain cheng #marinette deserves better #mlb #ml adrinette #ml adrien

[blueyesandleatherjacket]

The Fallen, 2/17

Volume: 1.

Number of parts: 2/17.

Pairings: Nine x Rose.

A/N: Written for Whumptober. Human Shield (D4), Dragged Away (D6). Tagging @thebookster on her demand.

“We've all fallen, but at the same time we're not broken. There is the hint that we are going to get up again.” - Amy Lee.

CHAPTER 2:

“Who are you?”   It was laughable how this question was always coming back to him in whatever life he was living. Laughable how different the species of the universe could be, and yet how identical they were. They hated the emptiness, the unexplained. They need to name things, to name people. That was an obsession, a necessity. He had given many answers to this question. Many lies and many truths for many reasons. The only reason he had to lie today was for his safety. He didn’t like the place, didn’t like the staff. He was distrustful. There was an atmosphere here that he would qualify of unhealthy though he couldn’t quite identify why it made him so uneasy.   “I’m the Doctor. What about you?” “Doctor who?” “Ding ding ding, we have a winner for the jackpot.”   This joke never got old and never failed to make him laugh. The person in front of him didn’t find him any funny though. He was only worsening his current condition. They already thought he was crazy. He couldn’t deny it. When he had woken up after fainting in that street, he was in a tiny room with cracked white paint. He was laying in an old bed that was grating every time he moved. By his right, there was a small window with bars and a blind partially shut. Under that window, there was a small wonky table. There were two doors. One was facing the window, the other was facing the bed. One was locked, the other was leading to a bathroom barely large enough for a shower booth, a sink and toilets. He was stuck in this room for as long as whoever locked him here would want to keep him. With a sonic screwdriver, he might have been able to get out. But he had nothing. Not even a shoelace. That’s how he had understood where he was. A mental hospital. Not a surprise. Later that day, a nurse had come in and he had followed her obediently. He had been introduced in the office of a certain doctor Nash Grieve. His therapist. He had sat down and listened o her as she explained to him that he had been found babbling incoherent things in the streets. The police had brought him here. He had been so defeated that day, so down to have failed that he accepted to be locked in this building until he was better. The medical staff was coming to him every now and then to check on him. He wouldn’t be out of bed. Sometimes, they would sit down and talk to him for a couple minutes. He would say nothing, just stare at the ceiling as if it was holding the answers to his questions. He would follow the group he was assigned to when it was time to eat. All of this for a full week and now, he was back in this office and playing dumb in front of the doctor Grieve. But the feeling if uneasiness he was feeling in this place gave him the strong urge to run away. Which he couldn’t.   “You looked better than a couple days ago.” “I’m feeling better. Your staff has taken great care of me.” “They are concerned about you.” “Why’s that? I don’t cause troubles.” “Indeed you don’t.”   The doctor Grieve leant back in her chair and crossed her hands on her stomach. She fixed him silently for a moment. It was making him more uncomfortable than he already was. This woman wasn’t impressive though. She maybe was in her fifties with dark brown hair turning to grey on her roots and temples. She was thick-set but not fat. There was something motherly about her. She couldn’t be a bad woman. So why was he detecting something wrong in here?   “They gave me the police report of that night.”   He gave a nod. It had been mentioned already. He remembered facing a police officer and losing it but he didn’t remember what he was saying. Something that had caught their attention. Something that was justifying his presence here. But he was better, so it would be logical to let him go. Which wasn’t gonna happen. If the medical staff had concerns about him, they would keep him in this hospital to be sure he wasn’t a danger for anyone, himself included.   “The blood test they ran on you showed that you were negative to drugs and alcohol. Yet, you were babbling about something being in your head and in someone else’s head. A woman named Rose. You’ve added: ‘I need the Doctor. The Bad Wolf isn’t gone’.” “Oh. I see. That’s embarrassing.”   He had done this dream numerous times these past days. It wasn’t really a dream. It was a memory. He remembered it fully now: he had kissed Rose Tyler on Satellite 5 to take the Bad Wolf out of her head and save her. That was the original plan. And it had gone wrong. Really, really wrong. He hadn’t felt it immediately. That was only when he woke up in the middle of that street in Manchester that things had appeared clearly to him and from that moment, he had known that he had to get to Rose to the new Doctor and tell them about the situation. However, he couldn’t get to Rose – thanks to Jackie who probably hated him more than ever now – and the Doctor hadn’t seemed to catch any of his distress calls. Or he was deliberately ignoring them. For once, he would be following the rules. Wasn’t it ironic? There was an unspoken rule in the Time Lords’ community, an unspoken story. They were keeping these hidden because of the shame these superior beings had toward this part of them. The Doctor was called a thief for stealing a type 40 TARDIS, but the truth was that all Time Lord were thieves. They were born with one face and were stealing the eleven others among people they met in their long lives, and when they were regenerating, the face they had taken was sent back to its previous life without any memories of being a Time Lord or Lady for many years. That was why there were so many missing persons, especially on Earth. Humans shapes were easier to steal, made it easier to fit in in the universe with how far they had spread their territory. And they didn’t suspect anything when they came back on Earth. This face belonged to a man named Maxence Spitz. When the Doctor had come across him, he was a young man going through a hard time. He had just lost his best friend and was falling into a dark circle of depression. He made friends with the teenager and kept him in mind when he left. When he had stolen his face, Maxence was in his thirties and was struggling to find a job. He had done lots of small jobs but couldn’t find a career of his own. The Doctor had given him the stars and a heavy weight to carry on his shoulders. He should have forgotten about all of this when he sacrificed himself for Rose. It was underestimating the Bad Wolf. The entity split in three. A part of it went back to the TARDIS, the two others remained stuck in the two humans’ minds. That was a really problematic. His instincts were warning him that telling his real name to this woman wasn’t a good idea. It would be used against him, against his family. He would never let anything happen to his mother and brother, especially with the power now sleeping in his head. He would stick to the Doctor for now, even if that meant staying here for a little longer. He had to contact his family so they could come and see him, and hopefully free him from this hospital. He wouldn’t get out on his own.   “What’s embarrassing?” “This is a trouble I’ve developed when I was a little boy. I had night terrors and was sleepwalking in time of great anxiety. I was never really diagnosed. Mom and I both knew what was causing them.”   It was a lie though it really could have happened to him. His youth hadn’t been one of the best. He shouldn’t be able to remember because of how young he was back then, but he did. There were the cries, and the yells, and the pain. Sometimes, they were coming back to him. But he hadn’t heard them in years. Not the ones of that night. Instead, he had heard the screams haunting the Doctor’s dream and he was forever stuck with them now. There were more pleasant memories thankfully. He would cherish them.   “Alright.”   The doctor Grieve didn’t seem entirely convinced with his explanation but she was accepting it anyway and adding it to the file. His file. He had a medical record in a psychiatric hospital. He would have laughed if he had been able to. It was useless to worsen the situation even more.   “Who’s Rose?” “My ex-girlfriend. She had just dumped me when the police found me. Her mother kicked me out and I was so stunned that I sat down in a corner and cried. Must have fallen asleep after that.” “What’s your name?” “Why do you want to know my name?” “What don’t you want to give me your name?” “I prefer staying anonymous. Let’s stick to ‘the Doctor’ please.” “You’re not making things easy for yourself, you know.” “Yes, I know.” “Enough with bollocks!”   Both the doctor Grieve and the Doctor jumped in surprise when the voice raised out of nowhere. The door was opened with violence and an angry man came. The therapist held herself back from sighing and rolling her eyes upon seeing him while the Doctor froze and stared. It is impossible… And yet, it was. Jeremy Backfire, his father, was standing there, in the threshold. The Wolf felt the confusion and fear and rage rising in its host and feed on it to get some strength back. It hadn’t been in control in the last few days, hadn’t showed up because it wanted him out of this hospital. That wouldn’t happen if it was being visible. Plus, it had been considerably weakened with the loads of energy it spent with his arrival on Earth and his attempt to get to Rose but its host’s negative emotions and the evil aura coming from this newcomer was giving him new strengths and enabled him to rise again. The Doctor got up so fast that it sent the chair to the floor with a loud noise. His eyes had that bright golden glow again. The Wolf was there but he still had control. It didn’t have enough power. It was still channelling, absorbing. It would come out at the right time hopefully.   “There you are,” exulted Jeremy. He turned to Nash, totally unimpressed by the power his son was spreading in the room. “His real name’s Maxence Spitz. He told you the truth about being the Doctor. What you’re witnessing now is the Doctor teaming up with the powerful entity called Bad Wolf.”   Contrarily to Jeremy, Nash was clearly impressed and pretty scared by what she was seeing. An order was given: The Doctor had to be mastered and taken to an isolated cell. Nurses came in. They obviously had been waiting for this order to come. The doctor Grieve didn’t agree with these methods. Jeremy Backfire was her boss. He owned the place and she certainly had nothing to say to him about his way of ruling the place. But this man, Maxence Spitz or the Doctor… whatever he was called, was her patient. It was her duty to protect him and she couldn’t have him thrown into an isolation cell just because she was asked to. She was about to place herself in front of Maxence to stand in the way of the newcomers when the man she was trying to defend moved. He was so swift that she only saw a trail of golden light and then, he was holding one of the nurses with an armlock in her back and was threatening to kill her if Jeremy wasn’t going away. He was using that poor innocent as a human shield. If it had been Nash, it would have worked. But Jeremy only smirked. The Wolf broke the neck of the poor woman and let her body fall to the ground like a puppet. The other nurses stepped back. So did Nash. She was genuinely terrified now.   “You won’t have him,” growled the Wolf. “I won’t let you.”   Maxence Spitz was his host now and the entity would protect him until his death. Which hopefully wouldn’t happen anytime soon. They needed the Doctor to fix this mistake he had made, but he was turning a deaf ear. So Maxence and the Wolf had to team up to survive and protect themselves.   “Take him away. Now.”   The voice was firm. The order was clear. The Wolf wasn’t strong enough at the moment to deal with four nurses and a mad director. It faded away in the middle of the struggle and Maxence was abandoned to the hands of medical people that were dragging him away. Nash tried to protest but Jeremy wouldn’t change his mind. This patient was his now.

To be continued...

The Fallen © | 2019 | Tous droits réservés.

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#doctor who #ninth doctor #rose tyler #bad wolf #doctor x rose #dw fic #the fallen

[t0ngue-tech]

All Yours | Six

“’Y/n?”’

‘Hm?’ You answered with a low hum whilst tying your shoelace. There was a crack in Yoongi’s voice when he said your name so it concerned you.

You stood back up on your feet and turned to lock eyes with him. ‘Yeah?’

He opened his mouth to answered, but licked his lips instead. ‘I—nevermind. It’s—I kind of answered my own question in my head.’

There was a nervous chuckle that left his lips and you tried your hardest to not think too much of it.”

↠angsty fluff (lots of dialogue in this one yall) universityAU ↞

word count: 5.8k

↠series: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | ↞

A/N: WHEEEEEEEW POSTING JUST BEFORE THE MONTH ENDS LMAO. this is a late thanksgiving gift huhu. i am so thankful for all of you who appreciate my fics because i know im not the best writer out there, but you guise help build my confidence huhu. this is totes long overdue and i really hope you guise enjoy this chapter. (i apologize if there are any errors, ya girl is exhausted so i might fix it up later lol) i love you guise so much ♡

⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓⇓

Morning.

How were you able to fall asleep perfectly fine until the morning?

When you awoke, Yoongi was sleeping peacefully with the front of his body facing towards the wall. This made it easy for you to roll out of bed without bothering him.

You stirred your coffee and yawned so deeply you felt as if your jaw was going to dislocate. Going to your classes was the last thing you wanted to do. Your body craved sleep and your eyes were still sore from crying last night. But going to class meant avoiding any awkward conversations with Yoongi, so you opted to go.

And yet, this also meant you were going to see Seung Ho, the guy Seolhyun cheated on Yoongi with. This was a class that you couldn’t skip because you desperately needed more attendance points to bump your grade up a little higher.

You tanked entire cup of coffee, ignoring how hot it was, and sighed. Maybe you were overthinking things. Seung Ho didn’t have any business with you so why would he confront you with anything regarding the situation in the first place. But he did know how close you were with Yoongi and if he put two and two together, Seung Ho would know that Yoongi talked to you about it.

It was only 7:30 in the morning and you were already ready to choke yourself with your hair, so you drank whatever was left of your coffee and gathered your clothes to shower.

The shower was able to destress you a bit, but as soon as you stepped out, everything came rushing back. You just needed to survive the day and then you could open up another bottle of wine to have before you go to sleep.

When you entered your room, Yoongi was curled up on his side, facing the door and scrolling through his phone with squinted eyes. He noticed you walk in and instantly sat up.

“Good morning.” He rasped, still half asleep.

“Good morning. Nice hair.” You smiled at the way some of his blond locks stuck out and curled upward.

Yoongi shook his head, running his fingers through his hair. “What time are you leaving?”

You stared at your phone and pondered for a few seconds. “Hm, maybe around 9:15? I need to go over some of my corrections  on my literature paper with my professor before I print it out.”

“Did you eat breakfast?”

“I’m about to.” You combed your fingers through your damp hair, shaking it a bit. “Care to join me? Waffles are on the menu.”

↠↞

The atmosphere felt different as you two stood in your small kitchen. Yoongi was preparing himself a cup of coffee while you were waiting for the last pair of chocolate chip waffles to pop out of your toaster. It was comfortable, yet heavy, but normal at the same time.

Yoongi moved naturally inside of your kitchen: going through your fridge to grab the bottle of syrup and even making you a cup of coffee, knowing you probably already had a cup as soon as you got up.

He propped himself on the sofa and carefully placed both of the coffee mugs beside each other. Your attention was so fixated on Yoongi that when the waffles popped out of the toaster, it scared the living hell out of you and made you yelp.

“Goddamnit.” You muttered, quickly pulling out the waffles.

“I don’t think there’s ever going to be a day where you don’t scared of something popping out of the toaster.” Yoongi laughed and sipped on his coffee.

“Is than an insult, Min Yoongi?” You trotted over to the living room with two plates of equally divided waffles on each.

“Yes it was, y/n.” He answered sarcastically and stole one of the plates from your hand.

To your surprise, you both had a lovely breakfast together. Yoongi vividly described the dream he had which dealt with freakishly large goldfish bowls and lagoons of chocolate that surrounded bowls. You jokingly advised him to never indulge in hot pockets before sleeping unless he wants more dreams like that one.

“Yeah, but at least the goldfish weren’t mutants.” Yoongi said entering your kitchen with the dishes.

“Still, nobody wants to see fish that big staring at you.” You commented. Why were you two still discussing his dream? You weren’t even sure yourself. But it was nice to know that you could talk to him as if nothing happened.

You stared at your closet for a few seconds, forgetting that you flipped your work schedule to work tomorrow instead of today—if you knew all of this would’ve happened, maybe you would’ve kept your original schedule.

“Are you staying here?” You asked Yoongi as he flopped back down on your bed.

“I might step out for little. I’m not too sure yet.” Yoongi replied, watching you stuff your pencil cases with a few more pieces of stationery.

“Should I leave you my key or are you going to go back to your dorm?”

“Actually—“ Yoongi took a second to think. “I’ll probably just stay cooped up in here.”

“Whatever sweetens your coffee, Yoongs. Just try not to eat all of my snacks.”

You stood in front of your mirror and ruffled your hair to give it an illusion of voluminous locks and behind you, you could see Yoongi sitting cross legged on your bed. He was picking at his nails, something he usually did whenever he was in deep thought. There were so many things that could be swarming inside of his head at that moment and you decided to not wreck your brain over it.

After staring at yourself in the mirror for what seemed to be ten years, you decided to switch out your coat for a hooded jacket. Since it was pouring last night, you wanted to be prepared just in case there was going to be an unexpected downpour.

You let out a deep sigh and slipped an arm through one of your backpack straps. “I should get going.”

Yoongi hopped off the bed to walk you to your door. It wasn’t necessary but you didn’t protest. He closely followed behind you and gave you room to sit on your floor to put on a pair of shoes.

“Y/n?”

“Hm?” You answered with a low hum whilst tying your shoelace. There was a crack in Yoongi’s voice when he said your name so it concerned you.

You stood back up on your feet and turned to lock eyes with him. “Yeah?”

He opened his mouth to answered, but licked his lips instead. “I—nevermind. It’s—I kind of answered my own question in my head.”

There was a nervous chuckle that left his lips and you tried your hardest to not think too much of it.

“Oh—kay. Then, I’m off.” You smiled at him and walked out, locking the door behind you.

↠↞

Y/n, you need to relax. If Seung Ho even notices that you’re acting a certain way, he’ll probably call you out on it.

It’s only been ten minutes since class started and you already felt your hands sweating. Seung Ho had already greeted you with his usual hey beautiful once he sat down and you ignored him as you always did.

The class was mostly quiet besides the students who asked the professor for help on some math problems. You sat at your computer, clicking away and solving the problems in your notebook in front of you. Once in a while, you would glance at Seung Ho to see if he was as focused you were—focused was a loose term considering how much bricks you were shitting.

What was Yoongi doing at your dorm? What was there to do there? Unlike their dorm, you didn’t have a gaming system and you took your laptop with you because you needed it for your meeting this morning. All Yoongi had was your television, his phone, and your snacks.

God, I hope he doesn’t eat all of my snacks.

You made a mental note to bring dinner for the both of you before heading back home.

50 minutes flew by at the speed of light. Everyone was stuffing their bags with their binders and signing out of the math website while the professor was reminding everyone about the objective due on Sunday. All you needed to do was rush out of the classroom before Seung Ho could say anything else to you; not even his see you next week, babe. You shuddered at the thought. It never really fully bothered you whenever he talked to you like that because he never made any advances towards you at all. But now that you knew what he did with Seolhyun, it disgusted you.

Like a god sent act of mercy, you were able to leave the classroom before Seung Ho did. Unfortunately, the devil works just as fast because you were able to walk about five feet from the doors and when you properly swung your bag over your shoulder, your pencil case flew out as well as a few of your pens.

“Fuck, fuck, fucking mushrooms on my pizza.” The choice of words that tumbled out of your mouth confused yourself and you creased your eyebrows together. You tried to gather your pens with haste and right when you were going to grab the last pen that almost strayed into the grass, Seung Ho stepped in to pick it up for you.

“Hi, y/n.” He handed you the pen and you grasped it in between your shaky fingers.

“Hey..” You breathed.

“I’m going to safely assume that Yoongi told you what happened.”

You almost argued with him by saying something like why the fuck did you get in bed with her in the first damn place but this wasn’t your fight. So you just nodded your head and avoided any eye contact whatsoever.

“Seolhyun wants to talk to him.”

“Yeah well, she can ask him herself.” Ouch, y/n. Too sassy?

Seung Ho adjusted his hat and pulled the sleeves of his flannel down to his wrists. “He isn’t answering any of her calls or text messages.”

“Can you blame him?” The sass spewed out naturally and with everyone walking by, you really didn’t want to have this conversation at that moment. “I need to get to my next class, Seung Ho-”

“Just tell him that Seolhyun wants to talk to him tomorrow. She just wants to have a chance to explain herself. Yoongi deserves an explanation.” You visibly exhaled a deep breath and looked at the time on your phone. “Please, y/n.”

You folded your arms and rolled your eyes. “Fine.” What am I? Their messenger?

Seung Ho gave you a weak smile and put his hands together as a thank you. He brushed passed you and you stood there knowing damn well Yoongi is going to stubborn and not talk to Seolhyun. If you were in his shoes, you wouldn’t want to talk to her either.

But you did kiss him, making Yoongi walk out of your dorm with the look of regret on his face.

You frowned and looked back at your phone. Great, you dragged your mood even further through the mud and you had three minutes to get across campus to your next class.

↠↞

It was a long day—a long school day at least. Lectures seemed a lot longer than usual and the breaks between your classes were supposed to relieve you, but it only made you feel more tired. You needed to pick yourself up a little, so you headed towards the university coffee shop where you found Hani flirting with Seokjin over the bar counter.

“My dumpling!” Hani completely abandoned Seokjin and rushed towards you. “How are you? You didn’t open up my text so I was worried.”

“I’m alright, Hani. Sorry, I’ve just been out of my head since this morning.” You sat down on the empty stool beside hers and Seokjin handed you a vanilla latte.

“I hope you don’t mind, I kind of bribed Hani to tell me some details because I couldn’t wait until your shift tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it’s fine. Can you heat up two paninis? The spinach and the chicken one? Just take the payment out of my paycheck, I’m too lazy to grab my wallet.”

Seokjin did just that, leaving you and Hani to talk.

“So, is Yoongi still at your dorm?”

You nodded your head whilst taking a sip out of your latte. You also texted him during your last class just to make sure he was still there.

“Other stuff happened last night—no, no! Nothing like that!” You laughed at the way Hani’s eyes turned into moons. “I—I really don’t know if I have the right to tell you, but I love you and I trust you.” She nodded her head and anticipated your next few words. “Seolhyun cheated on Yoongi last night.”

Seokjin came back at the perfect time. The dropped the bag of food onto the counter with his mouth agape. Hani mirrored his expression and blinked a few times.

“She cheated-cheated?!” Seokjin exclaimed.

“Yeah,” You sighed. “She was having sex with Seung Ho when Yoongi walked into her room.”

“Yoongi saw what hap—oh my god.” Hani raised her fingers to her lips and remained stunned. You were just as shocked when Yoongi told you, so you understood when they didn’t have much to stay.

“I should get back to my dorm.” You reached over the counter and looped the bag handles through your fingers. “Thanks for these, Seokjin. I’ll update you guys if anything else happens.”

Hani hopped off her seat and opened her arms for you to enter. Her hug was warm and it was something you really needed. You wanted to cry and tell her how stupid you felt for doing what you did last night, but this wasn’t about you. So, you just smiled at the Hani and Seokjin, promising again to update them.

↠↞

The hallway was toasty warm compared to the cold air outside. You were so grateful to finally be back at your dorm where you could throw on pajamas and have your spinach panini—and have casual talk with Yoongi too. Speaking of Yoongi, you didn’t even have a chance to tell him that you bought a small dinner for the both of you.

Oh well, food is food.

You unlocked your door and found both Yoongi and Jungkook sitting in your living room. You first made eye contact with Yoongi and then with Jungkook who had sauce stained on his chin.

“Uh, hi?” You chuckled and slid your shoes off.

“Hey, y/n! Welcome back!” Jungkook lifted his styrofoam bowl up for you to see. “Beef broccoli?”

“Thanks, but I have mines.” You raised the bag that was clutched in between your fingers.

Yoongi beckoned you to join them on the sofa and Jungkook scooted over to make room for you to sit in between them.

“If I knew you were here, I would’ve gotten you a panini too.” You waved the chicken panini in front of Jungkook before passing it on to Yoongi. It seemed like he ate already judging by the second styrofoam bowl that was on your coffee table, but he still took it from you and unwrapped the paper.

“I thought Yoongi told you.” The both of you flickered your attention towards Yoongi who paused mid-bite.

“Sorry.” He mumbled after fully sinking his teeth into the toasted bread. “I literally have no idea where my phone went after I texted Jungkook to come over.”

“He left his phone in our fridge once.” Jungkook mentioned, scarfing down the rest of his food.

“There was one time where he left his phone in between the couch cushions at the lounge. I’m surprised it was there the next morning.” You laughed and Yoongi gave you the are you done yet look.

“Oh! He once—“

“Jungkook, don’t you have a study group to go to?” Yoongi quickly cut him off and flung the panini wrapper square in the face of Jungkook.

Jungkook took a swig from his water bottle and looked down at his phone for the time. Within milliseconds, his eyes grew wide and almost choked on his beverage.

Jungkook pushed himself off your sofa and messily gathered his things. He stuffed whatever trash was lying around into the plastic bag he got with his food.

“I’ll toss these out outside, y/n.” Jungkook shook the plastic bag around his wrist. He waddled over towards your front door where all of the footwear was neatly placed and stepped into his slides. “Bye y/n! See you later, Yoongi!”

He shuffled out of your dorm accidentally slamming your door because of all of the things he was carrying. You heard the muffled sound of Jungkook’s voice saying sorry! behind the door.

“He’s seriously the cutest. I understand why you love him so much.” You chuckled and scooted over to sit where Jungkook was sitting.

“Ehh, I don’t love him that much.”

You laughed at the look Yoongi gave you because you could already tell he was lying.

The room fell silent and you weren’t sure if it was the perfect time to mention Seolhyun’s name. There was no mention of her name whatsoever since this last night, so bringing her up too out of the blue didn’t seem right. Within the silence, Yoongi looked as if an idea had struck him and he fished in between the couch cushions and like magic, his phone was uncovered.

“Well, shit.” He breathed and you snorted with laughter.

“You didn’t even feel any sort of vibration or hear your text message tone at all?” You were at the brink of tears at this point and abdominal muscles were already forming over your stomach.

“No, I—” Yoongi continuously clicked on the home button as well as the lock button. “I guess my phone died?”

The confused look on his face made you laugh even more.

Defeated by your amusement to his confusion, he shook his head and retreated into your room to grab a phone charger.

“Now that I think about it, I did invite Jungkook over around two and I think my phone percentage was around fifteen percent?” Jungkook sat on the floor so he could keep his phone close as he charged it.

“And for four hours, you lost your phone?” You got comfortable and stretched your legs out onto your sofa.

“Yeah and what took you so long anyway? I thought your last class finished at three today.”

“My lab partner and I wanted to perfect our hypothesis and experiment—actually, I texted you this.” You chucked in disbelief and showcased your conversation with Yoongi.

[12:46] You: i might fall asleep in this library

[1:03] Yoongz: I already took two naps. One on your bed and another on your sofa

[1:35] You: i’m going to die in my criminology class

[3:22] You: hey, i’m staying back to fix up my lab. idk when i’m going to be back but don’t eat all of my food pls

Yoongi stared blankly at your phone and once his phone booted up, it vibrated on your floor like crazy. The sound startled you and you sat up to take a quick look at his phone.

There were a few twitter and email notifications, but the thing that stood out the most was Seolhyun’s name on his phone that he already changed to her first and last name. Yoongi remained quiet as he stared at the multiple text messages he received from Seolhyun. There were repeated messages of please call me back and talk to me. Yoongi shifted his body and you quickly looked away from his phone.

“Are you?” You cleared your throat. “Gonna call her back, that is.”

He didn’t turn to face you, instead, he took a deep breath mumbled, “I don’t know.”

On an impulse, your fingers reached up to gently graze a few strands of Yoongi’s hair. You continued to move up and massage his scalp with your fingertips. “Don’t you want to hear an explanation?”

“And listen to her rant about how I’ve been such a bad boyfriend to the point where she had to cheat on me?” There was clear anger in Yoongi’s words and you couldn’t blame him.

“Yoongi-”

“I don’t want to hear anything that she has to say, y/n.” Yoongi twisted his body around and with the lightest grip you had on the back of head, your hand was now resting on his cheek when he turned.

Your eyes felt like they were stinging with tears and you didn’t even know why you felt like crying. Maybe because it was the pain that Yoongi held in his eyes and see how fast he was breathing. Yoongi didn’t deserve this, and Seung Ho was right, he deserved an explanation.

“Seung Ho talked to me after class—Yoongi please just—just listen,” Yoongi rolled his eyes and you cupped his face with both hands. “I know you’re assuming that you’re going to hear her mention about you being a bad boyfriend and hey, maybe you won’t. But Seung Ho even said that you deserve and explanation and frankly, I agree.”

Yoongi focused his attention to somewhere else on the floor and you squished his cheeks and made him look at you. “This is closure. I know you’re done, but you should also get everything you want off your chest too because she needs to know how much you tried and how much it hurt to be the only one trying.”

The stern look in his eyes grew softer and it seemed like he was finally listening to you. Yoongi rested one of his hands on your knee and drummed his fingers against the fabric of your jeans.

“Fine.” He sighed and you softly smiled at him. “But only on one condition—you have to come with me.”

Your jaw dropped a little and your pace of your blinking grew rapid. “I—I don’t think that’s a good idea, Yoongi. Especially since, for some reason, you told her that you kissed me.”

“She’s not going to do anything to you. I won’t let her.” Yoongi’s voice sounded certain. “I just don’t want to be left alone with her.”

He grazed your knee and you tried not to flinch. You really didn’t want to be around Seolhyun, especially because she knows that the two of you kissed. But if it was the price to pay to let Yoongi have his closure, then so be it.

“O-Okay..” You said quietly. “I’ll go.”

“Thank you.” Yoongi’s voice was just as quiet as yours and his lips twitched upward into a small smile.

Honestly, if Yoongi continued to look at you the way he was at the moment, you would lose all restraint and kiss him again. Yoongi’s eyes held every star in the universe and you didn’t understand what made Seolhyun want to cheat on someone like him.

The sound of your text message tone made you two break eye contact; you were disappointed yet relieved.

“Everything okay?” Yoongi asked whilst standing up.

“Yeah, Jungkook just asked me if you found your phone yet.” You chuckled a little and tapped away at your keyboard.

“I guess I should text him.” Yoongi bent down to retrieve his phone. “By the way, sorry if I invited him over like it was my own place. I just asked him to bring me my bag with some clothes and my charger.”

“It’s no problem.” You answered. “You’re not heading back to your dorm?”

Yoongi set his phone back down and stuck his hands into his pockets. “U-Uh, no. Not tonight, if that’s okay with you?”

“Yeah, it’s fine.” You breathed. “I”m uh, I’m gonna take a shower. I probably smell like chemicals.”

↠↞

That hot shower hit the spot. Even if the shower was the perfect place to stand in deep thought, you didn’t want to think about anything that had to deal with Seolhyun or Yoongi staying over again. You did promise yourself to not lose anymore self control because now was not the time to think about kissing him again or even cuddling with him. You caught yourself blushing as you dried your hair.

“Get yourself together, y/n. Keep your shit together.” You huffed quietly and unplugged your hair dryer.

When you walked into your room, Yoongi was changed into a gray tracksuit and was sitting cross legged on your bed. You spotted his backpack sitting on your desk chair which reminded you that your bag was still in your living room.

“You’re going to sleep already?” Yoongi called out.

“No, I have to make a few revisions on my paper.” You returned shortly, basically dragging your bag on the floor.

“Oh. Uh, well, if you’re done early, do you want to watch something on Netflix?” He averted his eyes away from you and found the loose thread on your blanket more interesting.

You chuckled at his shyness and took a seat across from him with your laptop tucked underneath your arm. “Sure.”

While you clacked away at your keyboard, Yoongi was absorbed in a game on his phone. He plugged his charger into the usb port on the side of your laptop, so he was lying down with his body at a 90 degree angle against your wall. It felt like nothing ever happened between you two because his presence was comforting.

After a few more strokes on your keyboard, you cracked your knuckles in front of you and sighed. “Done?” Yoongi asked whilst sitting up.

“Yeah, for the most part. I just hope this is the last revision I need to do.” You set your already heated laptop on your desk to properly cool. About 40 minutes had passed since you started revising and your back felt like it needed to be snapped in half like a glow stick.

“Let’s watch Coraline. It’s been a while.” Yoongi suggested and you didn’t complain, it was your favorite movie.

He took the liberty to take your laptop and set it up near the footside of your bed. You shared Yoongi’s Netflix account along with Jungkook, Jin, and Seolhyun; he was probably going to change his password soon.

The “continue watching” section was an array of genres ranging from anime to serial killer documentaries to food related videos. But Coraline always remained somewhere on that list. Yoongi didn’t know you rewatched the movie last week, but you didn’t mind watching it again and you especially didn’t mind watching it with him.

You were in the kitchen pouring some chips into a bowl and grabbing two water bottles out of your refrigerator when you heard the start up music of Coraline.

“I was so close to getting a yellow raincoat because of this movie.” You tossed a water bottle to Yoongi who already made himself comfortable against your head board.

“What stopped you?”

“My will power.” You snorted at the contradiction of your words and placed your head pillow onto your lap to sit next to him.

It was now farther into the movie, the chips were completely finished after two refills and the empty bottles were sitting on your desk. You were still sitting up with your legs stretched out to avoid your feet falling asleep. On the other hand, Yoongi’s entire body was already stretched out onto the mattress with his head sunk deep into the pillow.

“You know the first time I saw this movie, I really wasn’t expecting it to be this creepy.” You chuckled at the memory of you being a bit more terrified than your liking; it literally gave you a few sleepless nights after the first time watching it.

You waited for Yoongi to tease you or make some sort of sarcastic remark and it struck you as odd when you didn’t hear anything coming from him.

“I swear if you’re—” You turned your head to him. “Asleep.”

Yoongi had his head tilted towards your body and his hands were resting flat on top of his stomach. It almost felt like a crime to wake him up because he looked peaceful whilst sleeping, so opted to move as quiet and nimble as possible. You started to reach forward to pause the movie and with the subtle movement you made on the bed was enough to awake him.

“Finished already?” He tried to play it off and stretched his arms up and placed them behind his head.

“You’re not slick, Min Yoongi.” You scoffed and continued to clean up the mess around you two. “You literally took two naps today and you still managed to sleep while watching Coraline.”

“Are you surprised?” He shuffled his body to curl up on his left side to watch you clean up.

That answer was coming from the same boy who slept for almost a full day, had dinner, and then fell back asleep after letting himself digest for about an hour. All in all, I guess you weren’t as surprised as you thought.

Without exchanging anymore words, you put everything away into its respectful places and turned off your light with only the dim light from outside peeking through your curtains. Yoongi was still lying on his side with one hand tucked in between his knees and the other underneath his cheek. While your eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room, you could still see the whites of Yoongi’s eyes. You continuously told yourself to stay cool and to not show any signs of anxiety about lying down next to him. Everything between the two of you remained the same since this morning so just because you were going to sleep beside him doesn’t mean that it was time for the energy to change.

“Y/n?” Yoongi’s voice cut through your thoughts.

“Hm?” You hummed and sat down on your space of the bed.

“Can I—Can I ask you something?” As Yoongi stated the question, he sat up himself to sit cross legged towards you.

Your heart thumped against your chest cavity at the way he said can i ask you something? “Sure.”

The sigh he pushed out was audible and scooted closer to you. His eyes were darted elsewhere and the silence was weighing heavy around you.

“Can…” He started. “Can I have another kiss?”

Yoongi’s question knocked the wind out of your lungs and made your heart stop beating for a second. In what world would Yoongi be asking for a kiss because this had to be a dream. What made things worse was that you were actually giving it some thought and you were just telling yourself to get your shit together.

Now was not the time to be thinking about how soft his lips were or how lovely the dainty features on his face looked like. You especially didn’t want to think about how much you really wanted to kiss him.

Let’s be real; kissing him was a stupid and painful decision that you made on your own, but was it a crime to want to kiss him again? It had to be.

“Why..?” Your question came out as a tiny squeak and you were hoping you didn’t sound offensive or bothered by the idea.

“I just..” Yoongi rubbed the back of his neck. “I like the way your lips feel.”

You wanted to laugh at the way he started, but he spoke without a mere chuckle so everything else that followed deemed serious.

“I also thought about why you would’ve kissed me and I think I figured it out.” You swallowed the lump in your throat. “There’s also a lot I want to talk to you about. It’s stuff that’s been bothering me, but we can talk about all of that another time.” He sighed and made heavy eye contact with you. “I just really want to kiss you.”

This had to all be a dream; you would’ve slapped yourself to check, but now was not the time.

It didn’t feel right to kiss him. It didn’t feel right to want to hold his hand as you laid down next to him because he just went through an ordeal. Yoongi needed to rest, even if he had a good amount of rest today. He needed time to gather himself especially since he agreed to meet with Seolhyun to have closure. All you had to do was politely tell him that now was not the right time for this. But as sane as you were most of the time, you were selfish about some things sometimes.

And now was one of those times.

“O-Okay..” You breathed.

Even in your dimmed room, you saw Yoongi’s eyes light up at your answer and it almost made your lips twitch into a smile.

“I can kiss you?” He asked again.

“Yeah.” You reassured. “You can.”

Compared to yesterday, the entire world around you started to slow down. Yoongi shifted his weight onto one hand to keep him at bay while he reached up to run his fingers against your cheek before cupping it.

Your breath hitched in your throat as Yoongi crept in to close the gap in between you two. At first you were hesitant in closing your eyes, but just before Yoongi fully reached the flesh of your lips, his flickered to yours. The gaze he gave you was calming and instead of it helping you relax, it only made your more nervous. You could practically hear the sound of your heartbeat ringing through your eyes; probably loud enough for Yoongi to hear.

It felt like hours before you watched Yoongi’s eyelids flutter close and yours followed in suit.

The initial touch of his lips sent a jolt of electricity throughout your body and as his lips molded carefully into yours, you sighed into the kiss. You could almost feel your body grow numb, but was revived back to life as Yoongi’s lips moved shyly against your own.

Your hands were balled into fists on your lap until you gained feeling back in your hands. You blindly reached for his hand and once you found it, he eagerly accepted the invitation to interlock fingers with you.

After what seemed to be forever, the bliss of kissing Yoongi came to an end once he pulled back an inch away from your face. You opened your eyes to find him staring back at you and he chuckled. The sound was music to your ears because along with the short sound of his laughter, he smiled. He still had his hand resting on your cheek and before you could say anything or even exchange your own laughter, he gently tugged at your face to plant another kiss on your lips.

Excitement bubbled inside of your chest all over again and you couldn’t even stop yourself from cracking a smile as you kissed. You liked Yoongi for so long and so damn much that feeling this happy had to be a crime of some sort. And if it was, you were more than ready to accept whatever sentence was given.

♡ rae

#bangtan boys #bts #bts fics #suga fics #suga scenarios #suga angst #suga fluff #bts angst #bts fluff #hello everyone #how u doin #finally updating all yours lol #took me about ten years #eNJOOOOY #yoongz #rae writes

[miraculoussideblog]

Ways To Forgive Chapter 8

Catch up with the first fic in the series  Ways to Say I’m Sorry

Chapter [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][You are here]

[AO3]

Chapter 8-The Reunion

Nathaniel worked on character designs for his comic in his office. Adding the mother as the new villain went well with his editor, but he felt a little guilty using his future mother in law as the model. He changed her design slightly to distinguish the two, but anyone who knew him would know where he got the inspiration. He had a lot of explaining to do before the character debuts. He could see the headline now: “Future husband of Heiress Pokes Fun of the In-Laws.”

He checked his phone for messages from Chloe. Since he left her alone with the box last night, he’d been worried sick. But this was something she wanted to face on her own. She needed to understand the past to better her future relationship with her mother.

“Time for coffee,” Nathaniel shut his computer.

Chloe had a shift at the bakery at this time, however he doubted she’d actually be there. She called out yesterday, so it was likely some was covering for her again today. He had to go check, either way he wanted something sweet from the bakery.

He gathered his things and walked to the bakery. It was less busy in the afternoon. Marinette was assisting a customer when she spotted Nathaniel standing in line. She frowned for a half a second before, plastering back on her customer service face as she handed over a box of pastries.

Nathaniel stepped up to the counter. “Are you all right?”

“I’m fine, just worried about Chloe,” Marinette signed. “This is the second day in the row she called out. Ever since her mom…”

“I know.”

“Bourgeois family drama, right?”

“Right,” Nathaniel chuckled weakly. Andre was right, it was his drama now. He’d have to get used to it.

“The usual?”

“Of course.” He fished out a few Euros and handed them to her.

Marinette started making his drink. “By the way, even though I’m insanely busy with the the relaunch, if Chloe wants me to design her wedding dress let me know.”

“We talked about that the other day. Sorry so much has happened.”

“No worries. To be honest I’ve been waiting for her to ask me for months. I just assumed she was too proud to ask.”

“Not it’s not that,” he said. “She knows things have been insane after the wedding. If we didn’t have the wedding budget, we might have asked for the favor.”

“I feel like there’s an insult in there somewhere.”

“No...I don’t think… what I’m trying to say is now that we can afford something without the massive discount you would have given us, we didn’t want to add anything to your plate.”

“It’s okay. Now that you can afford it I can charge you full price.” Marinette placed her hand on the counter and leaned in. “Truth be told, we need the publicity. Designing the dress for the wedding of the century would boost sales and get the company in the black.”

“Is it that bad?”

The bell on the front door jingled. Nathaniel glanced behind him the only customer in line was a man in a green tracksuit.

“I’ll be just a minute,” Marinette said.

“Take your time,” the man said in a thick Italian accent. He bent down an looked a the pastries displayed.

Marinette packed up Nathaniel's order and handed it to him. “As I was saying, it’s pretty bad. For starters the founder of the company was a supervillain who terrorized the city for nearly five year The marketing team thinks it will be hard to bounce back from, especially since we’re renaming the company Agreste’s. It’s like the name is tainted. Adrien wanted to keep the family name. He invested a lot of money into this rebranding because didn’t want his father’s employee’s to suffer. I won’t let it fail.”

“And you won’t. I’ll talk to Chloe once this thing with her mom blows over.”

“Thank you.”

Nathaniel took is coffee and pastries and walked out of the bakery. He didn’t plan on staying to work. He had an office for that now. The only times he sketched in the bakery was when Chloe was working.

Nathaniel nearly tripped on his shoelaces and a little coffee spilled on shit. “Crap.” He stopped to tie his shoe, out of the corner of his eye, the man in a green tracksuit stood close by looking in a shop window. He didn’t have a single pastry from the bakery. An eerie feeling washed over Nathaniel. He stood up and glanced over his shoulder again.

The man was gone.

Chloe placed two wine glasses on the coffee table. After her mother’s performance at the engagement party, maybe wine wasn’t a good idea. No, she was going to need a glass or two if she wanted to get through this conversation.

Audrey was already fifteen minutes late, Chloe was about to call her when she heard a knock at her door. Strange, she never heard the buzzer.

“Here we go,” Chloe muttered as she opened the door.

“I’ve been standing outside for five minutes waiting for your doorman to let me in.” Audrey stood in the doorway. She wore a white pantsuit, black hat and round dark sunglasses. The only color she had here her bright red lips. She dressed way too high fashion for a chat with her daughter in her small apartment.

“I don’t have a doorman.”

“Than who was the small man who opened the door for me.”

“Probably a neighbor?”

“Oh,” Audrey took off her sunglasses. “Are you going to let me in?”

“Of course. Have a seat.” She gestured to the couch.

Audrey’s face contorted into a mixture of disgust and confusion as she surveyed the apartment. For a half a second, Chloe felt embarrassed, but she quickly shut it down. Why would she be embarrassed about an apartment she pays for herself? That deep down urge to please her mother bubbled to the surface and she did not like it at all.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“I’ll have a vodka tonic on the rocks.”

“I have wine.”

“What year?”

Chloe grabbed the bottle off the counter and glanced at the label. “2017.”

“That will do,” Audrey said through her fake smile. Lord forbid the great Audrey Bourgeois drank a wine from this decade. Chloe poured he mother a glass and watched her mother take a sip of the cheap wine. “Thank you.” Audrey placed her glass on the table, clearly displeased.

Chloe took a big gulp of her own wine before starting. “So I got your cards. Daddy kept them in a box all these years. Thank you for the money.”

“Consider it an early wedding present.”

Chloe couldn't tell if she was being serious or not. Either way, she had to push on. “Listen, I’m not going to pretend that seeing those cards will magically fix whatever is broken between us. There are so many reasons why I shouldn’t give you a second chance. You insulted my fiance and embarrassed me in front of my friends, twice.” She paused to let it sink in for a moment before continuing. “But I can’t ignore the fact that Daddy kept you from me and that you in some strange way are trying to reconnect. All I can say is, if you are going to be around, this might be the only opportunity I have to really get to know you and decide for myself if I want you back in my life.”

Audrey smiled. “I’m glad you came around.”

“Where have you been, mom?”

“America mostly,” she started. “I worked with a few fashion magazines and build a reputations. I moved to Italy a five years ago and started my own magazine. Investors said I was crazy, because print was practically dead, but I didn’t listen. That little venture failed…” her voice trailed off. “After that I started traveling around Europe before I came back here.”

Chloe nodded politely. Audrey wouldn’t have accomplished so many things if she had stayed with Andre. It pained her to know her mother’s life was better without her.

“I would have taken you to America if I could,” Audrey said as if she read her mind.

“But you couldn’t be a fashion mogul with a toddler attached to your legs.” Chloe said. “Let’s not talk about the past.”

“All right, tell me about Nathaniel. What’s so special about him?”

“He was there for me when I was at my lowest. He saw the good in me when no one else would and helped me become the best version of myself. He’s a little shy, but so funny. And his art…” A smile formed on her lips. “He has a beautiful soul and when I think it’s impossible to love him more, he surprises me every day.”

“Wow.”

“I’m scared mom,” She confessed. “I know how to be a good wife.”

“You’re asking the wrong person, but I can tell from the few times we met that he loves you fiercely. I only wish I had a love like that in my life.”

“Did you ever love Daddy?”

“When we were young, yes, but people change. Sometimes the timing is wrong. He wanted to grow up and I didn’t. Some marriages just don’t workout.” Audrey took another sip of wine. “Chloe this is absolutely terrible.”

“It’s what I can afford right now.”

“What about the wedding money?”

Chloe tensed. She knew it was a matter of time before that topic came up. “The lawyers are keeping track of the receipts. Every dimes has to go to the ceremony.”

“Oh,” she frowned. “No matter. The wedding is soon enough. You’ll be back in the lap of luxury before you know it.”

“I like my apartment. It’s the first place I paid for with my own money. My lease will be up before the wedding, so I’ll have to figure that out eventually. Nathaniel and I haven’t really talked about where we’re living after the wedding. There are a lot of thing we haven’t talked about. I might be putting off school now, so I can pay for tuition with the inheritance.”

“School?”

“I’m didn’t finish university. I want to go back to get a degree in business.”

Audrey laughed. “You don’t need a degree to do business if you’re rich.”

“I do if I want to do well.”

“I guess you didn’t learn that lesson from your father.”

“Sabine actually. She became a pseudo-mentor when I was living with her and Tom. Why does she hate you?”

“That’s a story for another time,” Audrey checked her watch. “I should get going. I have a hair appointment in twenty minutes.”

“Okay, yeah.”

“I can see myself out.” Audrey walked to the door and opened it. “If you want to do this again, just call. I’m not going anywhere.”

Chloe slumped back down on the couch. Her first attempt to reconnect with her mother went better than she anticipated. It wasn’t perfect, but they weren’t trying to force anything. This could work. As long as there weren’t any more surprises.

But given Audrey’s track record, it was only a matter of time before she found a new way to disappoint Chloe.   

#miracilous ladybug #ml fic #chlonath #chloe bourgeois #nathaniel kurtzberg #audrey bourgeois #miraculous #ml fanfiction

[daydreaming-away-reality]

Cyborg [Chapter 1]

Steve Rogers x Reader | ☁️ + 🌠 + ✨ | 1.8k | Cyborg!Reader

[ Cyborg Masterlist ]

You stared at the dark sky, stretching in preparation. It was barely daybreak, yet, here you were standing outside in the chilly air in a t-shirt and tights for running. Breathing out, you could see a small cloud appear and fade before you in the dim streetlights. 

Five o’clock use to be a dormant time for you, lying in bed and recharging the electricity in your body. Ever since you moved into the suburbs of New York though, your roommate had a habit of going on a ‘morning run’, and since you were eager to experience the world with him, you picked up his habit too.

“Alright, (Y/N),” a deep male voice called out to you. “Sorry for the wait. Ready to go?”

You turned, (E/C) eyes meeting beautiful blue ones. Seeing Steve’s smile in the morning was almost enough motivation to get you up and moving for the day.

“I’m ready when you are,” you chimed out.

Steve gave you a once over and frowned. “Wait.”

He moved towards you, leaning down. You curiously watched him, uncertain of his next move. Reaching forward, he began to tie your shoelace.

“Don’t want you tripping and hurting yourself,” Steve explained as he fixed it.

You blushed lightly. “Thanks, Steve.”

Your roommate was Captain America, the one and only Super Soldier who saved America. After waking up as a cyborg, you had been assigned as the Captain’s assistant when he woke from the ice - much like how JARVIS was for Tony Stark. After the Battle of New York though, you had been forced out from hiding and moved in with Steve for the past two years.

Living with him finally let you experience the world for the first time and try out your new abilities.

Overall, you enjoyed the mundane way of life that you and Steve shared as you both tried to adjust to your surroundings. 

“Sure you’ll be warm enough?” Steve asked, noticing how you didn’t wear a jacket.

“Don’t worry about me,” you reassured him. “I’ve altered my internal body temperature and adjusted the cooling system to match weather right now. Are you ready?”

Steve couldn’t help but smile at your technical terms. Being a cyborg, you often spoke in this manner out of habit. Steve found it cute how you always tried to find ways to make things easier for him. As much as you found it to be your responsibility to look out for Steve, Steve felt it was his responsibility to protect you. Perhaps it was old fashioned, you personally admitted to Steve that you found his gestures to be endearing.

All in all, you both had a strong, reliable relationship as partners - even though it was clear there was something more between the two of you.

“Let’s go,” Steve agreed.

The two of you took off, starting off slow before picking up the pace. It was the usual long running route around New York, one that Steve would aim to do at least four or five times.

Initially, you had struggled with the run, unaccustomed to the extensive activity. Steve didn’t mind - in fact, he took it easy with you, building your endurance and pacing. Now, you were fully able to keep up with him and Steve commended your efforts.

The repetitive sound of feet pounding against the ground paired with steady breathing became the only sound that filled the air. Surprisingly, someone else, a man, running the same route as the two of you.

You fell back a bit, trailing behind Steve as the two of you ran by.

“On your left.”

It wasn’t long before the two of you saw him again as you ran along side the lake.

“On your left,” Steve called out again.

“Uh huh, on my left,” the man responded. “Got it.”

By the time you were about to make the third round past him, you decided to slow your pace down.

“Don’t say it, don’t say it,” the man chanted. 

Completely out of habit and courtesy, but at this point out of amusement, the words slipped out of Steve’s mouth.

“On your left.”

“Come on!”

You chuckled, changing your pace to match the man’s.

“Sorry about him,” you said, smiling. “He’s dedicated to his routine.”

The man panted but nodded. “He’s fast, how do you keep up?”

“Practice, its not easy though,” you cheerfully replied. “Nice to meet you, by the way, I’m (Y/N)!”

“Sam Wilson,” he replied. His brown eyes flickered up to the disappearing figure of Steve’s. “Sure it’s okay for you to leave your partner?”

“I’m sure we’ll catch up, if not, he’ll find us,” you brushed off. With how hard you had been pushing yourself to keep up with Steve, this pace felt more leisurely. “Is this run part of your morning routine?”

“Yeah,” Sam said. “Hard to break habit.”

By the time the sun was out and shining brightly, you and Sam took a break, resting under the shade of a tree. Using the connection link in your brain, you sent a message to Natasha, letting her know the morning run was over as promised.

Standing in front of Sam, you slowly stretched as you complied the statistic elements of your run, keeping track of your development. A notification in your brain alerted you to the Steve’s approach as well as Nat’s reply, ‘Thanks sweetheart. I’ll be there soon. :)’

“Need a medic?”

Sam laughed, looking up at the newcomer. “I need a new set of lungs. Dude, you just ran thirteen miles in like thirty minutes.”

“Guess I got a late start,” Steve replied.

“Really? You should be ashamed of yourself. You should take another lap. …did you just take it? I assume you just took it.”

You smiled, fondly watching Steve interact with Sam. It was nice seeing him converse with others.

“What unit are you in?” Steve asked.

“Fifty-eight para rescue, now I’m working down at the VA.”

With this new information, you almost instinctively searched Sam up in the military database. After working with the Avengers, it had fallen into a bit of a habit - perhaps, you could look up this former soldier, but at a later date. 

“Sam Wilson.”

“Steve Rogers,” your roommate answered. “I’m assuming you met (Y/N)?”

Sam and you exchanged nods.

“Must have freaked you out coming home after the whole defrosting thing.”

Steve sighed. “Takes some getting use to. I have (Y/N) here though, so it’s not that bad.”

Blue eyes met yours and you immediately caught onto his gesture. Walking over to his side, you waited for Steve’s next move.

“It was nice meeting you, Sam,” Steve acknowledged, turning away.

Your eyes flickered over to Sam, noticing his approach.

“Your bed,” Sam started.

“What?” Steve asked.

“Your bed is too soft,” Sam said. “Over there, I used rocks for a bed and pillow like a caveman, now I’m home, lying in my bed and it’s like...”

“Lying on a marshmallow,” Steve finished, nodding in agreement. “Feel like I’m going to sink right to the floor.”

The men continued their talk, and you flickered over the plan for the day in your head. Steve had so much to do after joining SHIELD, he always had the best intentions. You appreciated the efforts he put into every little thing - caring for you included.

“Marvin Gaye, 1978, Troubleman soundtrack. Everything you missed, jammed into one album.”

“I’ll put it on the list.”

Steve pulled out his notebook, the one kept around to note things down by hand. Despite having you, he hung onto simple things like this, showing his attachment to the past.

“I’ll add it too,” you mumbled, mentally adding to the growing list of things Steve wanted to look into.

Steve’s phone buzzed and the message flashed in your brain too.

‘Mission alert. Extraction imminent. Meet at the curb. :)’

“Alright, Sam, duty calls. Thanks for the run, if that’s what you want to call running.”

“Oh, that’s how it is?”

“Oh, that’s how it is.”

“Any time you want to stop by the VA, make me look awesome in front of the girl at the front desk, just let me know.”

“I’ll keep it in mind.”

The roaring approach of Nat’s car by the curb shifted your attention. 

“Hey fellas, either of you know where the Smithsonian is? I’m here to pick up a fossil,” Nat greeted. 

“Hilarious,” Steve retorted.

“Let’s run again together sometime!” you called out to Sam with a wave. Ducking into the backseat, you greeted the redhead. “Morning, Nat!” 

“Morning, darling,” Nat replied, flashing a smile your way.

Being the youngest among the group appeared to make you the soft spot for everyone. Most of them indirectly met you during the Battle of New York, when you had wirelessly communicated and aided Steve. Over the past two years, you’ve actually met some of them in person, proving them cared about you all the same.

“Can’t run everywhere,” Steve said to Sam.

“No, you can’t,” Sam agreed.

The car quickly took off and you made sure to click in your seat belt.

“Did Director Fury give me permission to come with you guys?” you asked, eager to hear Nat’s response. “I’ve been getting stronger, I think I can handle a mission.”

Nat offered you a sad smile when she made eye contact with you through the rear view mirror.

“Sorry sweetie. Fury say its not safe for you and because of the location, you won’t be able to contact us either.”

���I’ll try to convince Fury to let you join us next time,” Steve added. “I know you’ve been improving. Your hand to hand combat is great.”

You sighed, sparks of electricity fizzling from your fingers. Your inner bioelectricity was buzzing, waiting to be used. Concentrating, you let the electricity flow and made sure to control its power. A small electromagnetic force field appeared, pulsing with energy.

“When did you learn that?” Nat remarked, as you tore your eyes away from your hands.

“A few weeks ago,” you replied. “I’ve nearly perfected it.”

“Don’t underestimate her, Nat, (Y/N) is incredible.”

You blushed at Steve’s compliment and it appeared that Steve realized his words too, flushing slightly. Nat’s perceptive eyes didn’t miss a thing as she glanced at the two of you.

A incoming message alert flashed in the corner of your vision - urgent. You let the message open up, the content surprising you.

‘Meet me in SHIELD headquarters once Captain Rogers and Agent Romanoff head off for their mission. - Director Fury’

#captain america imagine #captain america imagines #captain america x reader #steve rogers x reader #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers imagines #steve #steve rogers #captain america #marvel captain america #x reader #reader insert #imagine #imagines #cyborg #chapter 1

[ignisisthicc]

The Curse - Story of the Night Child (Part 1)

//before we get into this I have a few things to address:

1.) this is all taking place during the boys' childhoods although in coming chapters time will progress and there'll probably be a time skip somewhere I haven't really secured much of this plot yet

2.) secondly this is probably going to be updated very vERY slowly so um... I apologise but I really don't want to rush the plot and ruin it and so I'm going to take my time trying to make each part the best it can be

3.) i don't own any of these characters apart from the ocs mentioned ! (I feel like there may not be many other ocs though)

4.) I'm new to the fandom so I am aware that some things might be incorrect or some facts might be kind of vague, but there isn't a lot of detail on other characters like Ignis's past so I'm going to try my best to keep it accurate and not write about what I'm not sure of. Please be patient with me guys>•<

5.) this is my first post as you can probably see so feedback is greatly appreciated! that's all I have to say for now, so read on and let me know what you think !

***

Sunlight.

Such rich, golden radiance, casting it's glow on the people below and their beautiful city. It reflected off of the creamy stone walls and illuminated the fresh, vibrant grass, a spotlight in a forever blue sky.

A girl of perhaps twelve years stood by a window, which was purposely topped with a curved roof, as if to shield the girl from this warmth, this radiance that immediately put everyone in the Crown city in a good mood. Only a sliver of it slipped it's way into her dark chambers, the white streak luminous against the dull, granite-coloured floor. The girl, as if in a trance, held her hand out to this light, tentatively reaching her fingers out to touch it, to feel it's soft embrace.

And then it happened.

She remembered, and there she was again, reliving her past. Dancing through the city, a melodious laugh escaping her lips as she twirled in her fern green summer dress and stepped out into the sunlight.

Hot, searing pain.

Screeching, her skin feeling as if it had been set on fire, patches of mahogany red spreading like wildfire across once smooth, marble skin.

And she was back in the present, retracting her hand from the sliver of light she was about to mistakenly bask her fingers in.

She was cursed, and her curse was to never be able to set foot in the daylight ever again.

She was the night child.

***

Ignis Scientia looked up from the shoe he was tying to meet eyes with King Regis, who was approaching him and the young child he accompanied in strong, confident strides, his stance always emanating such power and regality.

Regis was a kind man - and had proven his soft heart to Ignis, looking out for him when he had no one else and when he had been orphaned from such a young age. His son, Noctis, meant a great deal to the boy, and he took especially good care of him, acting as an older brother figure and always sticking by him when he was on his own.

Noct had also lost his mother when he was very young, and Ignis, knowing the pain of no longer having a parent by one's side, immediately stepped in to look after Noctis and make sure he had company, someone who would read him bedtime stories, cook for him, and like now, tie his shoelaces, until he one day learnt how to do them himself. Although Regis had encouraged Ignis to watch over Noctis for him and try to remain close with the boy, Ignis naturally found himself doing so anyway, his caring and paternal side shining through and causing him to behave this way towards the younger child.

His majesty now stood before them, a tall man with a kind face and twinkling eyes, who greeted both young boys by their names before announcing some important news.

"I'd like you both to come with me today. There's someone for you to meet - a child around the same age as you, Ignis - who I'm sure you'll definitely get along with just fine."

At this new information, Ignis's eyes widened in curiosity, though he merely nodded, whereas his counterpart, Noct, reacted in a slightly more... informal manner on hearing the news.

"Someone our age? Who? Why do we have to meet them? Is it important?" The young child rambled, a slight whine to his tone which made the king chuckle.

"Now now, Noct," he said, ruffling the inquisitive child's hair, which elicited an annoyed sound from the young one as he shook his head to fix his hair again.

"Just come and you'll see. It's very important that you do. This person is someone who would make an excellent friend to the both of you, and they too would benefit from making friends with you both, as they are quite lonesome themselves."

Ignis was quick to catch on with what he meant by this. Regis was referring to their upbringing, the incomplete families they had that the mystery person also seemed to share. He wondered if they had anyone else, a single parent like Noct's, or if they truly were alone like himself. At this thought, Ignis felt a slight pang of pain in his chest. He knew the feeling of solitude and loneliness all too well himself, and knew that if this person also grew up the way he did, they would have known these emotions very well too.

Instead of enquiring to hear more about this anonymous child, he turned to the young prince, standing up from where he was tying his shoes earlier.

"We should listen to your father, Noct. I'm sure this person we've to meet will be a great friend to us," he told him, hoping the boy would listen the first time and not refuse his suggestion. "Besides, weren't you curious to see who they were?"

"I... guess," the child responded, though he didn't seem too convinced. "But if we go now, when will we play our game? You said you were going to show me that trick you did last time..." Noctis pouted.

"I'll show you right after," Ignis promised. "Let's just go see this person for now." Regis nodded in thanks to Ignis' interference. Being close in age with the young child, he had an easier time convincing him to follow orders that were given, though the boy was quite rebellious and made it often a difficult task. Still, this didn't mean at all that he was impolite, rather the opposite; as a prince manners were one of the first things he was taught and was made to put them straight into practise. However, he did have a bit of an attitude at times, which was all but part of his personality, though many were not particularly fond of this sassy trait.

The large corridor was silent, save for the echoing footsteps of the three who made their way to meet the anonymous person. Streaks of sunlight peeked through the arched windows, burning into the floor and walls. The young prince acquired a slight skip in his step when he noticed the pattern it made on the floor, jumping over the highlighted areas of the ground and dodging them, playing this little game with himself to make the long walk a tad bit more bearable. Regis looked over at the boy and smiled fondly, though he spoke no words. The love the king had for his only child was immeasurable, and perhaps something that the Prince would never fully understand or recognise until he himself would one day bear his own children.

Finally, the three of them reached a door towards the front of the palace, a chamber that was often considered a sort of "waiting room", if one seeked an audience with the king. Regis placed his hand firmly on the handle, though he stopped to turn to Noctis before revealing the stranger inside.

"Noct," he murmured, though his eyes were serious. "Remember to behave."

Before the offended prince could complain to his father about the statement that had just been made, the door swung open, and inside, a young girl around the same age as the young advisor sat patiently, her legs swinging from the seat she was on, and a parasol held over her head which shielded her from any possible source of light. She turned, her eyes surveying the new company she had before standing and curtseying politely, her head bowing respectfully.

"Your majesty," she spoke, her voice as soft and quiet as a mouse. "It is a pleasure to meet you both. My name is Nova Esther Lamentia. I hope we can be good friends."

The girl looked up finally, cheeks gently flushed, to see the two boys watching her wide eyed, though she was sure it was merely from curiosity. She was a strange spectacle to behold: a porcelain doll, skin as pale as snow, bandages wrapped around her arms, and the loud mark that splashed across her right cheek, a mahogany firey red, though it seemed dull now under the shade of her parasol.

Regis smiled kindly at the young girl, gently nudging Noct forward so that he would introduce himself to her.

"Oh, it's nice to meet you too," he replied, nodding to her politely. "I'm Noctis."

"The pleasure is all mine," came a voice from behind Noct, and stepping forward, the older male bowed towards Nova, his lips pulled into a soft smile. "My name is Ignis Scientia."

Though his actions were swift and formal, the boy could not ignore the sudden thudding in his ears, caused by the hot rush of his blood, and he knew straight away that they had turned pink out of embarrassment again.

Though the girl before him was a peculiar sight, he found her almost mesmerising; with her eyes as black as night, skin creamy and pale, her small rosy lips like a doll's, ebony hair that fell about her waist, which stopped just above the tufts of the ivory dress she adorned, patterned with pale pink ribbons, it's design too matching the one on her parasol. He had never seen the likes of her before, and it made him all the more inquisitive, being ever so curious as to how she had gained such scars and wounds that she had to be wrapped in bandages, and that she carried around with her this parasol when the day was so pleasant and warm. And perhaps it was so for that, to shield her from the heat, as Ignis knew and saw many who dealt with the sunlight by using the shade of a parasol.

Despite his burning curiosity and all the questions he had that he so wished to ask, a certain prince beat him to it, his curiosity also at a peak.

"Why do you have an umbrella with you, by the way?" Noct blurted out, his head tilted in confusion. "I thought they were for rainy days. And what happened to your arms? Were you hurt?"

At this, the girl's eyes widened, and she stepped back, hiding her bandaged arms behind her back.

"Noct," both the king and young advisor spoke at once, and the boy found himself shrinking away from their reprimanding voices.

"I was just asking!"

"Forgive my son," the king spoke apologetically, outstretching his hand to the girl. "He often forgets his manners."

Noctis bowed his head, pouting at the floor, though he did not defy his mistake. "I apologise for my rudeness."

Tentatively, the girl placed her small hand in the King's, allowing him to pull her to his side. She smiled shyly at Noct, shaking her head.

"It's alright," she replied. "I got these in an accident, the same way I did with my scar." She pointed to her face, although it was beyond obvious she was talking about the only visible marking on her face.

At this, Noct's lips formed a round 'o' shape, but before he could ask any further, his father interrupted with his loud, booming voice.

"Nova is without her parents just like you, young Ignis," Regis informed him, and on hearing his name the boy reattained his focus, paying attention to each and every word of the king. "I want you to both treat her kindly and with respect. She is a very gifted young girl, Noct, and has also been given a place and title in this palace that she will acquire once she is of age. For now, she lives with other family, but she will be here frequently. I shall hope you all get on."

"But of course," Ignis responded, his head bowing towards the king. Regis smiled, he knew he could trust Ignis with anything. However, he wasn't so sure if it was the same with his son, although he had some faith and knew that inside, Noct was a kind and good child.

"Then I shall leave you both to show her around. She has already seen this floor and the gardens as I have asked the maids to do so, but I trust that you may show her the rest."

Once again, the older boy nodded, and with that, Regis turned to exit the room, hesitating as he turned once again on remembering something.

"Ah, Nova," he addressed the girl, eyes serious as he held her gaze. "If there is ever a problem you are faced with, do come to me or inform the boys. We are at your aid."

At this, Nova nodded, smiling in thanks towards the king, to which he returned the action. Thus, he exited the room, leaving the three children in a slightly awkward silence.

"So," Noct spoke up, turning to the girl beside him. "What do you want to see first?"

#ffxv ignis #ff15 ignis #noctis lucis caelum #ffxv noctis #young noctis #regis lucis caelum #final fantasy #ffxv #ffxv fanfiction #long reads #oc #ff15 #ff15 fanfiction

[edogawatranslations]

999: Alterna (1) - Part 3, Chapters 6-7

Table of Contents | Previous: Part 3, Chapters 4-5

Chapter 6

Lotus stepped back into the room. “What happened? Why are you yelling?”

“It’s nothing,” I said, holding back my anger and recovering my breath. “Did you find anything?”

“No. I thought that maybe this key would be able to open one of the other doors, but none of them would budge.”

I had expected as much, but my shoulders sank in disappointment upon hearing the news.

“What about the door at the end of the hall?” I asked.

“I haven’t checked there yet. I thought we should all be together if we were going to go through it.”

“I’ve had enough of this room,” Santa said while standing up. “Let’s get a move on and head through that door.”

“No, not yet. We still need to find June,” I said, balling my fist up.

“But she’s not here. She could be on the other side of that door.”

“How would she get there without a key? Also-”

I only took my eyes off her for a few seconds. During that time, I was standing in the hallway. It would have been impossible for her to have gone through the door.

“June’s not here. You’re wasting your time looking for her.” Santa bent down and started fixing his shoelaces.

“You-”

“Well, I told you to listen to me. Since you didn’t actually figure out the hidden image in the picture, I’m not obliged to tell you... But whatever. I’ll talk. She disappeared somewhere.”

“Where?” I asked, repressing my anger.

Santa took his index finger and pointed above his head.

“...?”

“To the other world.”

I finally lost my patience. My whole world turned red, and before I realized it, I had socked Santa in the face.

He flew over the sofa he was sitting on and struck the wall. Something fell out of his pocket on impact. It bounced on the carpet and rolled over to where I stood.

“Junpei, calm down!” Lotus shouted.

“I’m sorry... I’m okay... I’m okay now.”

While catching my breath, I picked up the small object at my feet. It was a piece of silver crafted in the shape of a four-leaf clover. It was about the size of a pea, but it was exquisitely made down to the fine details. The letter <R> was engraved on the back.

“Give it back. Keep your hands off of what’s not yours.”

Suddenly, the silver was snatched out of my fingers. I looked up and saw Santa standing there.

“Though I guess I could send it as a present to June in heaven.”

“You asshole, if you keep fucking around like this...”

“I’m not fucking around.” Santa rubbed his right cheek and started smirking. “You get it, right? There’s no way in hell someone could just up and disappear from a closed space like this unless they were a ghost. So June was a ghost.”

“That’s enough. You-”

I was prepared to send Santa flying once again, but Lotus pinned my arms back from behind. I tried channeling energy into my upper body to shake her off, but I wasn’t able to make any headway. She was stronger than she looked.

“Lotus, let go of me!”

“And what do you think doing that will accomplish? We need to find June, and fast.”

“But this bastard...”

This bastard was the only one I couldn’t forgive.

“You ever hear the story of the ghost who appeared on the Titanic?” Santa spat on the carpet. His saliva was stained red with blood. The inside of his mouth must’ve gotten cut. Serves him right.

“I’ve had enough of your shitty stories.”

“You two realize that this is the Titanic, right?”

“What do you think you’re saying?” Lotus replied. “Sure, the big staircase looks like the one in the film... But that ship sank around 100 years ago!”

“Apparently there was a mummy loaded onto the Titanic that was swiped from a pyramid,” Santa continued, ignoring Lotus. “Ya see, that mummy had somewhat of a shady history. People associated with it met their unfortunate ends one after another.”

“Are you saying that the mummy caused the Titanic to sink?”

“That’s enough,” I interrupted. “Lotus, there’s no point in listening to this guy’s bullshit stories. He’s just enjoying fucking around with us.”

“There were a few passengers on the Titanic who reported seeing a ghost the night before the ship sank. Might’ve been the spirit of the mummy roaming around.”

“Shut up!”

“That mummy was the princess of the Temple of Amon-Ra, and she was quite a beauty. Much like June...”

“Shut the fuck up! June’s not a ghost, and there’s no way in hell she’s a mummy!”

If I had to listen to any more of Santa’s drivel, I’d end up beating him half to death. I kicked the floor and stormed out of the room.

“Where are you? June!” I shouted while running down the hallway. “June! Please! Answer me!”

I jiggled all of the doorknobs as I ran past the doors. But none of them would open.

“...Kanny!” I shouted her name over and over. I reached the numbered door at the end of the hallway and fell to my knees, fatigued. “Damn it... Where did you go?”

Unable to repress my exploding emotions, I pounded the ground with all my might.

“...Maybe she was taken away by Zero.” Lotus said hesitantly from behind me. I didn’t know when she had gotten there.

“How? I was standing right outside the room!” I screamed. My throat had gotten cut somewhere, so the taste of blood permeated my mouth.

“What if there was a hidden door inside the room? Zero could have used it to take June.”

I opened my eyes wide and stared at Lotus. Her suggestion wasn’t impossible. “Then let’s look for that door and-”

“That won’t do us any good. Even if we did find a door, it would probably be locked.”

“We won’t know unless we try, you know?”

“Junpei, calm down. We don’t have much time left. There’s no point in wasting one or two hours looking for a hidden door. We need to move more efficiently.”

“Efficiently...? What are you suggesting?”

“You won’t get a reply by yelling at the top of your lungs. June’s not around here anymore. So we shouldn’t waste any more time here - we need to continue through the next door. Maybe there’s some sort of clue beyond it.”

While listening to Lotus, I regained my composure. If Zero had taken June, then there must have been some meaning behind it. She wasn’t about to be in grave danger, was she? Maybe it was safer for her than continuing to play this game. I realized it might be better for us to continue moving forward, and if we did end up concluding that Akane was still in this area, we could always come back.

“...Alright. Let’s get going.” I stood up.

What was I thinking? It wouldn’t have been so bad to die here? I had no use for such cowardly thoughts right now. Even if death was the only fate that awaited us, I didn’t want to be killed knowing nothing at all. I wanted to at least discover the reason for us being here before my death.

I walked back down the hallway I had run through earlier and reached the door at the very end.

“We’re going,” Lotus said. She inserted the red key she had found behind the large frame into the keyhole and turned it to the left.

Another trumpet sound effect echoed out, and the monitor above the door handle started displaying the same text from earlier.

~Question! What is the name of this ship?~

I pressed the <ANSWER> button below the text with my index finger. The screen flashed and now displayed a keyboard. At the same time, a skull symbol appeared on the bracelet on my left wrist, and the familiar beeping sound started once again.

“What? What’s happening?” Lotus asked frantically. Her bracelet also had the same flashing red skull.

I looked back up at the monitor.

[79]... [78]... [77]...

A countdown had started on the top right of the screen. As I stared at it, the numbers kept getting smaller. The time limit must have been the same as when we had passed through the numbered door - 81 seconds.

“It’s okay. It should stop once we input the correct answer.”

With a trembling hand, I guided my index finger to the <T> key. Taking care to avoid spelling the word incorrectly, I typed in <TITANIC> and pressed the enter key.

A buzz rang out and the word <ERROR> covered the screen.

“Wait... Why?!” Lotus shouted, her expression turning grim. “What about that big staircase then? Everything about it screams the Titanic!”

I shot a glance at the top right of the monitor. Less than 60 seconds remained.

“What are we going to do?” Lotus asked, shaking my body violently.

“Hey, the fuck is goin’ on?” Santa rushed out of Room 93 in a panic, as he must have finally noticed the bracelet activating. His right cheek where I had punched him was red and swollen.

“Shut up! I can’t focus.” I turned back to the keyboard and tried inputting <OLYMPIC> this time.

“Olympic? What’s that?” Lotus asked.

“It was a ship built the same time as the Titanic - a sister ship with the exact same interior and exterior design.”

Please work!

Filled with hope, I pressed the enter key.

But the cruel buzzer sounded out, and the word <ERROR> once again covered the screen.

“Shit!” I vented out my shame and anger on the door. Unlike when I had hit Santa earlier, my fist now grew numb with pain. “Why isn’t it right?”

We were down to less than 40 seconds. This was the end. I was out of ideas.

“Were there any other ships like the Titanic?” Lotus yelled.

“Well...” I suddenly looked up.

“The Titanic was the second of three sister ships. All three were completely alike, inside and out.”

Wasn’t that what I had said to Akane?

...Three sister ships?

Which meant that other than the Olympic, there was another ship that was identical to the Titanic.

Think. If you know that there were three sister ships, then you must know the name of the-

The interval between each beep was getting shorter. Less than 20 seconds left.

“Enough. Move over.” Unable to wait around, Santa grabbed my arm.

“Wait, give me a second!” I shook off his hand and started nimbly hammering away at the keyboard. I typed in <BRITANNIC> and hit the enter key.

Without thinking, I closed my eyes. But there was no buzzer. I nervously checked the monitor and saw the word <OK> lighting up on the screen. The beeping from our bracelets had stopped.

The sound of the lock disengaging echoed out from the door.

“Yay!” Lotus practically leapt at me. “How did you know that?”

“Well...”

I avoided giving a direct answer. After all, I didn’t know myself. I was more surprised than anyone. I hadn’t even heard of the Britannic before. How did I know such a thing?

...No, wondering about that could wait. We had to look for Akane.

“Let’s go.” Putting a strong grip on the door handle, I forcefully pushed the door open.

Chapter 7

We entered a wide hallway.

The air felt colder than before. I didn’t know if we were getting closer to the exit, or if the air conditioning was simply stronger here.

All of the doors lining the left and right sides of the hallway were locked, and we ended up entering through the only one we could open. Just as Lotus said, Zero had us in the palm of his hand, which didn’t make me feel at ease. But since there was only one way forward, there was no point in complaining.

I carefully stepped through the door and checked the inside of the room. There was a large refrigerator and gas range, and counters with neatly organized tableware. I could tell immediately that I was standing in a kitchen.

“Oh.” Lotus’s shoulders drooped in disappointment.

“You expectin’ something else?” Santa laughed scornfully as he entered the room after us.

“Well, of course!” Lotus raised her voice, her eyes glaring at Santa. “An exit out of here, for starters.”

“As if we’d be able to escape so easily,” I muttered to myself, before shouting at the top of my voice, “June!”

However, the only reply came from an echo off of the walls, with no response from Akane herself. I opened every cabinet and drawer in sight, but there wasn’t anywhere for a person to hide.

“Junpei, over here,” Lotus said, standing in front of a door further inside the room.

The door, which was painted green, clearly stood out from everything else. A familiar monitor was installed above the doorknob.

“Not again...” Quite frankly, I was fed up. I didn’t want to experience that kind of tension ever again.

Lotus grabbed the doorknob and tried turning it, but it simply rattled and showed no sign of opening. “No good. We need another key.”

I stepped closer to the door and touched the screen. As expected, a new question appeared.

~Question! What is the scaaaary disease that connects the nine of you together?~

“Angel Fever,” I said without hesitation.

“Huh? What did you just say?” Lotus asked in response.

Now that I thought about it, I had been so distraught over Akane’s disappearance that I completely forgot to confirm with the others.

“June and I were discussing a few things earlier in Room 92. Why did Zero gather the nine of us here? And what is the connection between us?”

“And? Did you figure it out?”

“While we were talking, there was something we realized by coincidence... Both June and I had been hospitalized at some point with Angel Fever. June nine years ago, and I a month ago.”

The color in her face changed ever so slightly.

“...Well, that happens, right?” Lotus shrugged. “After all, there was an Angel Fever epidemic nine years ago. Up until now, there have been almost 10,000 people who caught the disease. That’s just a coincidence-”

“Both of us reached Stage 3.”

Lotus raised her eyebrows and gazed at me with a stiff expression.

“It was extremely rare for patients with the disease to reach Stage 3. Probably not even 100 cases. Many of those individuals must have died too, so isn’t it natural to think that the number of people alive who had reached Stage 3 is much lower than that? And it just so happens that two of us are on this ship. Do you really think it’s a coincidence?’

Lotus continued staring at me and didn’t try to respond. Looking carefully, I noticed that her lips were trembling slightly. I didn’t even need to ask. She must have realized now.

“It’s not only me and June. Clover also mentioned that she had Angel Fever in the past, although I don’t know what stage.” I looked over to Santa, who was crouching and peeking inside the refrigerator, and continued. “Santa, have you had it too?”

Santa looked over with an annoyed expression. “What?”

“You’ve also had Angel Fever in the past, right?”

“Yeah.” Santa nodded as he scratched his neck. “Nine years ago, when it spread like wildfire. I caught it from my little sis.”

From his uncooperative attitude with the group, I had him pegged as an only child, so it surprised me to hear that he had a younger sister.

“What stage?”

“Dunno.”

“Were you hospitalized?”

“Maybe for about two weeks?”

“Then you had Stage 3.” All of my doubt cemented into certainty. “As I suspected. What connects the nine of us is-”

“Wait,” Santa interrupted, pulling out wrapped sausages from the refrigerator. “You think I can eat this?” He brought his nose closer to it and grimaced. “Ugh, nevermind. It’s totally rotten.”

If I paid him any more attention, I would’ve wanted to punch him again. I didn’t want to needlessly hurt my fist, so I ignored him and turned back around to Lotus.

“Lotus, you-”

“Hate to ruin your genius deduction here, Sherlock. But aren’t you forgetting something important?” Santa tossed the bag of sausages away and started walking towards me. “The vast majority of those diagnosed with Angel Fever were children. It’s only in super rare cases that anyone over 20 like you got infected. Wasn’t there no one over 25 who caught the disease?” Santa said, shooting a glance over to Lotus. “The disease was first diagnosed twelve years ago. There’s no way auntie over here was younger than 25 back then.”

“Could you quit calling me ‘auntie’?” After raising her voice, Lotus sulked against the wall of frying pans. She crossed her arms and continued, “But he’s right. I’ve never had Angel Fever.”

Next: Part 3, Chapters 8-9

#999 alterna #9 hours 9 persons 9 doors #nine hours nine persons nine doors #zero escape

[welovekpopscenarios]

Coincidence Pt. 2 (Jimin x Reader)

Admin: Mimi

Prompt/Ask: coincidence was so good jshdj i was wondering if you'll make a chapter 2

So, the guy you slept with is your new lecturer? Ok. This shouldn’t be awkward. At all. Nope.

Fandom: BTS

Genre: Fluff, Smut, Angst

Pairing: Jimin x Reader

Warnings: language, smut

Word Count: 7814 (WHOOPS)

Authors Note: HO BOI IT’S FINALLY DONE. I am so so sorry for the wait, and that I haven’t been putting out fics as fast as I used to, but I’ve spent ages on this one and I am drained lmao. And what makes this even more special, ‘Coincidence Pt. 1’ surpassed 500 notes! I’m so happy that many of you enjoyed my story and thankful to everyone who read it! So without further ado, here is the (long ass) sequel for Coincidence. As always, let me know if there are errors, and happy reading!

 - PART 1 -

 - PART 3 -

 - BONUS -

-

It felt as if this hour long lecture would never fucking end.

That’s all it was. One hour. But it felt as if time suddenly slowed, moving at an agonising snail’s pace, and it slowed because of one individual in the class who entered with a smile that morphed into a devilish smirk as soon as he made eye contact with you.

Jimin – or Mr. Park, as he were to be called now, was now your new literature professor until Ms’ Abbot returned from her maternity leave, which most likely will be until next year, seeing as she left just at the start of the second half of the year.

In other circumstances, this wouldn’t have affected you. He was just a lecturer, doing his job. You were a student, studying to get a career. The usual.

The fact that you slept with said lecturer the night before was an interesting addition to the situation, certainly. Jimin didn’t help this fact back glancing at you occasionally with narrowed eyes and the corner of his lip turned up ever so slightly, ever so cockily. And you hated how each miniscule peek would not fail to let those annoying butterflies in your tummy go wild, would not fail at causing heat to rush to your face as you just wanted to bury your head in your bag like an ostrich to sand, would not fail at making you feel as giddy as a little girl on her birthday.

To further add to your torment, your friend would not stop looking back and forth between the two of you with knowing eyes and a humorous glint in her eyes, finding humour at your expense.

Poor you.

Finally, finally, the clock struck 12 and like Cinderella (without the dress, glass slippers and rodent helpers) you ran out of the lecture hall as fast as you could, nearly tripping over your shoelaces, ducking your head to avoid the looks your got from others as you rushed past them.

Especially the one who practically seared holes into your form as you left.

Your friend fought through the crowd to catch up with you and question exactly what the fuck was happening, because it was obvious from the way Mr. Park was looking at you that he was interested in nothing else but you.

Reaching the cafeteria in no time, you headed over to one of the quieter tables near the side of the floor to ceiling window overlooking the vast campus of the college. You sat down with a huff, rubbing at your temples as your friend plopped into the seat across from yours, laying her bag on the table and fixing you with a pointed stare – one that clearly said she wanted answers.

You sighed and folded your arms in front of you, returning her gaze wearily.

“Alright, where do I start?”

“Well,” she began, “you can start by telling me what the hell happened last night,” she advised. And so, you were quiet for a moment, recollecting your thoughts as to how you were going to explain what happened last night in the simplest way. Mistaking your silence for hesitance, she continued, “I mean, nothing bad could have happened, right? You’re not the type to sleep around or mess with people, so really, nothing crazy would have happened when I left you last night. You looked like you were having fun,” she reasoned.

If you could have somehow converted ‘: )))))’ into actual words, or even a proper expression on your face at that moment, you would have in a heartbeat. It would have been easier than explaining that you had a sudden change of personality last night for the only man who was capable of causing it. The one man who now happens to be teaching your literature class.

“Uh, well. Uhm,” you stammered, desperate to get out actual words than nonsensical sounds that seem to be the only thing your mouth can form at the moment. Your friend just stared at you as if you were performing some weird dance before her eyes, ready to get up and get you a bottle of water since you looked like you were struggling to even breathe let alone speak, until you groaned and slid further down your seat, hands covering your face as you mumbled something.

“I’m sorry, what? I didn’t hear you,” she apologised, and leaned over the table to hear you better.

You kept your face hidden, and tried again, slightly louder this time.

“I….with….” you repeated, but it still did not reach your friends ears.

“My god, Y/N, I really can’t hear you when you’re whispering like that. And it’s even worse since the cafeteria is full. Just tell me,” she implored, and you gave a miniscule sigh before shifting the hands on your face so that while your eyes were covered, your mouth wasn’t.

“I had sex with him,” you whispered, and awaited your friends reaction, world still in darkness thanks to the hands on your eyes, as if you could hide away from the embarrassment.

Silence.

An uncomfortable silence, your friend was always one to talk and be chatty and loud. So the silence was unexpected, and you peeked from behind your hands to catch a glimpse of her face.

She was frozen in shock, jaw hanging open and staring at you as if you grew an extra head in the time that passed since the conversation started.

She recovered after a few seconds, and in the worst way possible she broke the silence and returned to her boisterous personality.

“Oh my god, you fucked the new professor?!” she exclaimed and you sat up quickly with wide eyes, hands covering her mouth as you looked around, praying that no one heard her. Seeing no heads turn your way, you fixed her with a glare.

“Would you be quiet? I don’t want everyone to know, thank you very much!” you snapped, and she nodded frantically, prying your hands off her face.

“Oh wow, you actually had sex with him? With a stranger?” she questioned, and you had to keep from rolling your eyes. You weren’t that quiet, were you?

“Yes, I did,” you retorted, and scratched at your head. “I really enjoyed being with him and, I don’t know, I just…invited him in. He was interested, I was interested, and…”

“One thing lead to another?” she snorted in disbelief, and you gave a slight chuckle and the cliché phrase.

“Yeah. One thing lead to another,” you imitated, and the two of you sat in silence once more. She laughed after a while.

“What the hell happened to my best friend in a few hours?” she wondered and you scoffed in response, eyeing the table instead of her. A small smile made its way to your face as you recalled the events of last night, a smile your friend didn’t miss.

“So,” she announced, “you’re going to tell me everything. And I mean everything. Don’t leave out any gory details.”

You grimaced at that. “I’m going to leave some details out,” you said, and she gave a quick sigh before muttering ‘yeah, yeah, I’ll get those details someday’ before moving her hands in a ‘get on with it’ motion.

And so, you retold the tale of your night with Park Jimin, from start to finish, leaving out explicit details to stop any perverted comments, and finished the story at when you woke up that morning. Your friend said nothing when you concluded your story, instead, she stood up and stretched, gesturing for you to follow her outside.

Stepping out through the doors of the cafeteria, you take a deep breath, inhaling the sweet spring air. The leaves on the trees around you were regaining their colour, and the campus was becoming more colourful and lively in preparation for summer. You both walked in silence towards benches near the science buildings, taking a seat and just taking in the air around you.

She looks over in your direction and catches your eye when you turn your head towards her, a strange smile playing on her lips. Like she knows something you don’t.

“What,” you ask her, eyeing her wearily. She was definitely hiding something.

“Nothing!” she beams too innocently, “Just wondering, what are you gonna do now?”

“Uh…I don’t know. Avoid literature to save myself from repeated deaths from embarrassment?” you reply sarcastically. “Why? What do you think I should do?”

She hums. “Oh, I don’t know. I just figured you should think of a solution fast, since Mr. Park is walking over here now.” And with that, she gathers up her things, making to leave and let you face your doom alone. What are friends for?

Whipping your head around, you find she was telling the truth. Jimin was heading in your direction – actually, heading towards you, specifically, and you reached out to grasp at your friend’s wrist to beg her not to leave but she was out of reach at that point, sending a wink over her shoulder at you before walking away.

Passing by Jimin, she sent a polite ‘hello’, to which he replied with a nod and a small smile, before training his eyes directly on yours now (eyes which were nearly popping out of your skull).

Jimin strode up to you with a shy smile, a contrast to the man in the classroom when he had been in a superior position. You return a nervous smile of your own, nails scratching at the material of your jeans in your lap. You flush when he approaches, and you offer the seat next to you. He sits down, closer than one normally would, and the proximity is enough to make your head spin just like last night.

Jimin grins at you, those beautiful eyes of his lost as his lids form a crescent shape, and his smile is bright enough the blind you. He looks just as good as last night, dressed smart yet casually for work in a plain t shirt and jeans. A combo overlooked by most other, but one that almost makes you drool and wonder why he wasn’t a model instead of a teacher. But maybe that was the lovestruck girl inside you saying that.

Maybe.

“Hey Y/N,” he begins coolly (but it was fake, Jimin spent the better half of the lunch break working up the nerve to even text you, let alone seek you out, and he spent a further ten minutes psyching himself up and going through what he was going to say to you when he noticed you walking around campus).

“Hey, Jimin…” you return quietly, too nervous to look him in the eye so you settle for looking at your surroundings.

And then it’s quiet. And it’s awkward. So very awkward. It’s as though there’s a barrier between the two of you, one that definitely was not there last night. It felt horrible, but you didn’t know how to act now, especially with the knowledge that he is your lecturer for the next few months.

Likewise, Jimin had trouble coming up with something to say (again, but this time he didn’t have the luxury of freaking out in private). His mouth opened only to close once again, and he sighed through his nose, running a hand through his hair.

Finally, you spoke up, bringing to light the only thing running through your mind since Jimin entered that class this morning.

“So…you never told me you were a professor,” you commented, and saw Jimin wince out of the corner of your eye. He gave an awkward laugh, attempting to lighten the situation, before stopping when you didn’t follow suit.

“You never told me you were a student here,” he countered, and you looked at him at that. He had a slight furrow to his brows, but other than that, his face was relaxed, seemingly unbothered by the taboo situation at hand between the two of you.

You gaped, tongue heavy in your mouth before you choked out “how come education never came up in our conversation? Of all things?”

Jimin did laugh at that observation, offering a shrug in response.

“I don’t know, actually. I guess I was just too distracted getting to know the real you than the you that others see,” he admitted smoothly, and your face burned hotter than any sun in the galaxy. How could he just say things like that? And so effortlessly at that? (Ha. ‘Effortlessly.’ Pity you didn’t realise that when Jimin folded his arms across his chest, it was to hide his hands that were clammy and slightly shaky after that comment.)

“O-Oh, well,” you stuttered, at a loss for words. The man could simply breathe in your direction and it would be enough to make you weak at the knees while simultaneously firing up your body better than any drug. Just how could one man do this? You only knew him for a few hours, at best!

Jimin coughed and dropped his gaze to his lap, his nervous disposition appearing again, his cool front fraying at the edges because of one girl who made his whole existence brighter with just a look.

“I wanted to apologise for running out on you this morning,” he starts. You furrow your brow. You know why he did it, he had a job to get to (evidently).

“It’s fine, Jimin, don’t worry,” you reply, and his name sounds like honey dripping from your lips. No other girl has made his heart beat as fast as you, cause the nicest pain in his chest when he thinks of you. You could tell him ‘fuck off’ in this moment, and he would thank any gods above for gracing him with your presence. Please don’t tell him to fuck off, though. He doesn’t know if he could stand the rejection, and the thought sends a chill through him. He doesn’t understand his feelings properly, not at all. But he knows he wants more of these feelings that only you can bring. He’s raptured with you, and he wants you.

“I felt terrible though. I would never do that to someone, especially someone like you,” he objected, flickering his eyes up to meet yours. His breath hitched at the beauty of them, and he almost forgot what he was going to say before he mentally shook his head to get himself back on track. “So, I was hoping you could give me another chance,” he asked.

You stared at him, slightly confused, before replying “what did you have in mind?”

Jimin smiled slyly with a coating of sugary sweetness that left you both perplexed and excited.

“I was hoping to make good on my offer of taking you out for coffee,” he announces, and your tummy twists in thrill. “I meant what I wrote. I really enjoyed being with you last night. And…I was hoping that I could get to know you even more.” He really does. He can’t describe it, but there is this inexplicable pull towards you, and he can’t resist, as if you have him wrapped around your pinkie finger (which you do, you definitely do).

You bow your head to look at your fingers which are fidgeting in your lap. Your hair shrouds your face, which you are grateful for, not wanting Jimin to see the giant grin on your face. You’re pretty sure if you open your mouth something devastatingly embarrassing or weird will come out, so you settle for nodding your head and mumbling ‘sure’.

Jimin’s shoulders deflate in relief, and an amazed chuckle escapes his lips. He feels impossibly giddy, and can almost feel his body start to vibrate from excitement and nerves. He unfolds his arms and rubs his hands against his thighs, a grin so wide plastered on his face it’s possible his face could crack.

“That’s great!” he gushed, nodding to himself. This was better than great, he didn’t expect you to want more. He was about to say more when he noticed the time on his wrist watch, and shot straight to his feet with a curse.

“I’m sorry, but I have to get to my next class,” he grimaces, and you wave off his apologies with a small smile. “I’ll text you later?” he wonders, and it’s hard not to miss the hopeful gleam in his eyes.

“Yeah. I can’t wait,” you blurt out and want to smack yourself. Calm down Y/N. But Jimin doesn’t laugh at you, but gives you the most beautiful, blinding grin possible, and you were positive fairies were about to arrive and fly around him.

“Me either,” he agrees, and starts walking backwards, offering a small wave in parting. “See you, Y/N.”

“See you, Jimin,” you replied, watching as he turned around and jogged back towards the centre of the campus.

Your grin didn’t leave your face the entire bus ride home, nor when you were eating dinner, nor when you were settling into bed, feeling lighter than you ever had before.

And it just got wider when you received a simple ‘hello 😊’ text from Jimin, and it even didn’t fade when your awoke groggily and exhausted after a night full of texting.

-

After agreeing to meet up on Friday afternoon at one of the quieter coffee shops in the city, the panic began to settle in.

The other lectures you had with Jimin were both awkward but amazing, considering any chance you had to see more of him was not an opportunity wasted. You just wished your friend would stop with the snickering whenever she caught Jimin stealing glances at you or favouring your opinions it class. She said he always looks at you with the dreamiest, lovestruck look on his face, but you don’t believe that. Even though you want it to be true.

But as the days progressed closer and closer to Friday, you grew nervous. What if he doesn’t like you as much as he thought? What if he regrets it? You couldn’t bare be in the same room with him if that was the case, your heart would hurt too much. There were also plenty of girls (and guys) who were interested in Jimin. I mean who wouldn’t be? It was Jimin for crying out loud – he was beautiful, sweet, charismatic, caring, the list goes on. Why would he want you when there were plenty of other people prettier and more interesting than you?

Your friend nearly ate your face off when you voiced your concerns to her, calling you crazy. Her ‘tough love’ methods shone through, yelling compliment after compliment at you, reasons why Jimin chose you, etc. It was oddly endearing, if not intense, but you appreciated her words all the same.

On Friday, your nerves were worse than ever. You thanked god you had a day off college, so you had plenty of time to prepare. But that ended up being worse than being busy, left to drown in your thoughts and anxiety before it was time to leave. So you readied yourself, prepped yourself up, and headed out the door.

Jimin offered to pick you up, but you declined. You didn’t want him to go out of his way for you, and besides, you figured the walk could help you clear your mind (it didn’t, you were still nervous as hell).

When you made your way to the coffee shop you were surprised to see Jimin already standing outside of it, considering you were at least ten minutes early. He was fidgeting; hands moving from his pockets, to pulling down the sleeves of jumper to his hair, running through the strands.

He looked nervous, and that set you slightly at ease. At least you weren’t the only one.

You strolled over to him and greeted him with a ‘hello’ and he nearly jumped out of his skin in response.

“Y/N! You’re here! You’re early,” he chirped and laughed awkwardly while he shifted his weight.

“So are you,” you countered, eyebrow raised in amusement.

“Ah, well, I just got here,” he smirked. Wow, Jimin should really stop lying to you, but he supposes it’s better to act cool than to let you know he sat in his car for ten minutes making sure everything was going to go smoothly as possible, he wasn’t going to fuck up, or scare you, or anything else embarrassing like that. Before you could make a comment, Jimin interrupted you. “Let’s head in! The coffee here is the best.”

He placed a hand on the small of your back, just like the other night, and ushered you into the shop. The smell of freshly brewed coffee and sweet baked goods immediately hit you, filling you with a sense of comfort. The coffee shop was quaint; warm hues of brown an cremes along the walls, dark mahogany tables and chairs spread throughout the area. Jimin led you to a table in a secluded corner of the shop, pulling out your chair for you like a gentleman.

“What would you like? My treat, of course,” he beamed, positively proud of himself.

“Oh, you don’t have to Jimin,” you started, “I can pay for myself, don’t trouble yourself.”

“I want to treat you,” he insisted, and you would argue more but he looks set on his decision, so you look at the list of coffees and treats on offer before relaying your order. He sends a wink your way and says he’ll be back soon, well enough since you’re burying your face in your hands.

You look around the café in the meantime, admiring the little ornaments and artwork hung on shelves. It seems like a popular café but you’ve come in at one of its quieter moments, only a few customers in the in the room, most who appear to be students like you. You make a mental note to come here again to relax when college becomes too much.

Jimin returned shortly after and placed your drink in front of you along with a little chocolate cake for you.

“Something sweet for an even sweeter girl,” he chuckled, and you snorted unattractively in response, quickly covering your mouth and thanking him for the cake. Jimin only smiled some more, thinking it was one of the (oddly) nicest sounds he’s ever heard, and saves it in the back of his mind for a rainy day.

“So, how was your day so far?” he asks once you’ve taken sips of your drinks.

Absolutely nerve-wracking you want to say. But instead you settle for “it’s been good, pretty boring but now it’s better. You?”

Wow, was Jimin blushing?

“Ah, it was ok. Classes kinda dragged on, I just wanted to be here with you all day,” he admits, and you would have gawked at the comment but it was the former half that caught your interest.

“Ah, yeah. Classes, because you’re a professor. At my college. In my class. Professor Park,” you stammer, and Jimin drops his gaze to his fingers resting on the dark wood of the table. He looks uneasy, and you almost regret bringing it up (that was not a face you wanted to see on Jimin, ever), but you wanted answers that have been plaguing your mind since that first class, so you persist and stay determined.

“Yeah…I’m sorry I didn’t tell you anything. I just didn’t expect you to be in my class, or the same college, to be honest. And since it didn’t come up in conversation, I just left it. I didn’t see a point in bringing it up, you know? We were having so much fun, I didn’t want to interrupt you when you were talking. I honestly could listen to you talk for hours,” he prattled, catching himself and giving a cough of humiliation.

“You’re a bit young for a professor, aren’t you?” you quizzed. Jimin barked out a laugh, skimming his fingers over the edge of his mug.

“Yeah, well. The college was looking for a replacement for Ms’ Abbot, and I had a degree. The college decided to take me in in the meantime while they looked for a more qualified replacement. I need the money and experience, so I took it,” he explained, and everything was clearer to you know. Yeah, that made sense.

“Kinda funny how it happened to be my class,” you comment in wry amusement, and he bobs his head in agreement.

“Doesn’t hurt though. I get to see your beautiful face every day, don’t I?” he smirks and you purse your lips to keep from screaming. How can he just say these things so casually? Doesn’t he understand he’s killing you on the inside?

“Sure, Jimin, if that’s what makes you happy,” you reply sarcastically, and Jimin’s face fades from a smirk to a smile brimming with warmth, gazing at you with a gleam in his eye you can’t discern.

“Yeah,” he breathed softly, “it really does.”

All you can do is stare in awe at his confession. Keep it up, Jimin, and he might just be able to make you spontaneously combust. Those butterflies that haven’t left since Jimin arrived agree with you, for they themselves are ready to be set alight with Jimin’s honeyed words.

-

The date was just as good as the night at the bar, if not better, for there was no difficulty in trying to be heard by the other because of the lively crowd. Instead, this was quiet, intimate, and it made your heart soar. It felt like it was just you and Jimin in the café, in the world, and with how incredibly close he was paying attention to you, hanging off every word you said, you might as well have been the only person in the world.

For you were the only one that mattered to him.

You had him hooked, and he doesn’t even want to try to escape.

That date set off a string of others, of varying degrees of excitement. He would take you to places such as the museum, book readings, restaurants, the local carnival, the park, anywhere and everywhere. And you loved every single one of them. They were full of nothing but laughter and bliss, young love in the air, and ended in kisses and hugs that warmed you better than any fire ever could. Every second you spent with Jimin, you fell harder and harder, to the point you were certain you were buried underneath everything Jimin, your own personal grave that you didn’t mind staying in, for Jimin was with you at all times.

During class times and college, you kept a low profile, sparing secret smiles you kept only for each other and quick words before and after class. You managed to brush off most of the questions your friend barrages you with, your business is your own and you only tell her what you want to share. That doesn’t stop her teasing, though, or even her protective side. Jimin had been perplexed when she stalked up to him one day as you were talking with him, warning him that if he so much as breaks your heart she’ll break his nose in kind, and Jimin assured her wholeheartedly that he had no intention of doing that. Ever.

Your favourite moments with Jimin, if you had to choose out of the many wonderful moments you’ve had these past few weeks, would be the time you’ve spent with him in either his apartment or yours. Those moments were relaxing for the both of you – hours upon hours spent cuddling and talking, or watching movies or reading together, even cooking together. It was just so…domestic. And it made you yearn for more of that lifestyle with Jimin. He made your days brighter by just existing, and slowly but surely, he brought you out of your shell, while sticking to your boundaries. And you couldn’t be more grateful for him. He was a missing piece in your life, and you don’t want to get rid of him.

It was on one of these nights you find yourself on Jimin’s couch, resting between his legs while his hands play with your hair, not paying much attention to the movie on the screen. You have never felt more content in your life, you would stay in this position for the rest of your life if you could. But Jimin had other plans for the night.

Since your ‘one night stand’, and since your first date, neither of you have ventured farther from kisses and hugs. Honestly, you wanted more like that night, you just didn’t know how to bring it up. Jimin, ever the observant one, noticed how your lips would linger on his a bit longer than they should, how whenever he’d smirk at you, your legs would rub together to create fiction you sought after. And Jimin was a caring person, and he cared for you. So, whatever you wanted, Jimin would do for you.

You opened your eyes at the sensation of lips making their way to the spot behind your ear, sucking on it and causing a gasp to leave you.

“Jimin?” you questioned, but he shushed you, his hands that were resting on your torso moving underneath your breasts. Your hands flew to his knees around you and gripped hard, tensing as he nipped and sucked at your neck.

“I’m gonna make you feel good, baby,” he answered, and you moaned at the pet name. His hands cupped your breasts and he squeezed, listening to your breath hitch. “Do you want me to make you feel good?” he wondered, and you realised he was giving you an out if you weren’t comfortable. But you wanted this so badly, so you nodded, and could practically feel the smirk at the back of your neck.

“Good girl. Just leave it to me”

And with that, he snuck his hands under your top, fingers smoothing along the expanse of your stomach before moving under the cup of your bra, kneading the soft flesh with care. Your head rolled against his shoulder and you shuddered, feeling yourself already get wet.

Jimin rolled his hips into your backside, erection poking you through his jeans and he groaned, moving in a steady pace, seeking friction for his hard on. You rolled your hips into his as well, and he gave a low whine, lips returning to your neck with fervour.

“Take me to bed Jimin,” you asked, and he almost flew up from the couch, pulling you up with such a speed that you almost got whiplash. He tugged you into his bedroom and promptly shut the door, spinning around and pulling you in for a kiss that left both of you equally breathless. He moved until your knees hit the edge of his bed and you fell backwards, dragging him on top of you, hands tugging on his dark hair. He grunted and lifted (more like ripped) your top off along with your bra, head ducking back down to your chest where he swirled his tongue around your right nipple before nibbling lightly on it, other hand pinching the left nipple. You threw your head back against the bed, arching into his mouth as he switched his attention to your left breast.

“Oh, Jimin,” you moaned out, and Jimin nearly came at the sound. He loves when you say his name, always have, always will. But tonight, he wants to hear something else. He bit down on your nipple and you yelped, looking down at him.

“I want you to call me sir. I’m your professor, aren’t I? You should be treating me with respect, remember?” he commanded, smirking up at you from your bust.

Fuck. You opened your mouth to respond, but a high pitched whine escaped you instead. Jimin chuckled, and asked again.

“Are you going to call me sir?”

You nodded frantically, but Jimin wasn’t pleased. He tutted and moved to sit up, gripping your thighs and settling between them.

“I want an answer, baby girl,” he demanded, and narrowed his eyes at you, eyes that were darker than the night around you.

“Yes, s-sir,” you meekly responded, and he grinned devilishly, giving your thighs a squeeze that had you jolting in surprise. He slid his hands up to the waistband of your jeans and pulled both your pants and underwear off all at once, leaving you completely bare before him. Keeping his hands on your thighs, effectively stopping you from closing them, he gave a smirk.

“Good girl, I think you deserve a reward,” he declared, and with that, he bent down and you watched as his head nearly disappeared as he lowered himself to your sex, licking a long stripe up your folds which had you crying out, hands gripping onto his hair for dear life.

He licked up and down your pussy, circling your clit before flicking his tongue against it in rapid motions that had you seeing stars. He brought his tongue down to your entrance, hesitating a moment before plunging in, and you nearly screamed at the sensation. He pumped his tongue in and out of you, bringing a hand up to rub a thumb against your nub, and you could feel you end approaching. You bucked your hips in to face, hearing him chuckled before the pressure from his thumb got harder, and it became more difficult to stop your orgasm. You looked down at Jimin, and as you caught his heated gaze, watching as his tongue licked around your folds as he smirked, you came undone from the sight, mouth forming the perfect ‘o’ shape and a loud moan escaping from your chest. He licked you through your high, hands rubbing at your thighs for comfort. You tugged at his hair when it became too sensitive and he sat up, licking you essence of his lips, the taste of you making him shut his eyes in bliss.

“You taste so fucking good,” he breathed out, and you didn’t have it in you to blush at the crude comment, too focused on his erection straining against his jeans. Remembering his orders, you licked your lips, stuttering out “d-do you want to fuck me, sir?”.

Jimin growled out a “fuck yes” at your words and rushed to remove his clothing until he was as bare as you, hand pumping his cocking as he held a condom.

“Put it on for me,” he requested, and you complied, sitting up and grasping at his dick. You moved your hand up and down in his place, listening to his breathing get heavier, and on a whim, you leant down and pressed your lips to his tip. His reaction was immediate, hands gripping tightly onto your hair as he groaned. You gave a few kitten licks, gathering up the courage to eventually place your lips over his cock. You prepared yourself, taking a deep breath before sinking down until he hit the back of your throat. You raise your head again, before repeating the process. You bob your head up and down his dick, hearing his breathing hitch when you sucked on a particularly sensitive spot, but he pulled you up, wanting to cum inside you.

You lay on your back, waiting for Jimin to place the condom on, hands reaching out for him when he came closer, kissing you with a smile on his lips. You felt him poking at your entrance so you reached down, allowing him to push into you with a whine. You sighed as he filled you up so perfectly, hands clinging to his shoulders as he began to move his hips in and out of you. You gasped, pulling him in for a desperate kiss, feeling the knot in you steadily build up once more. Jimin sat upright, moving your legs over his shoulders, and the new position caused him to brush against that spot inside you repeatedly, making you near cross eyed at the feeling. His thrusts get faster, and when you feel his fingers rub at your clit you know you aren’t going to last long.

“Come for me,” he groans, rolling his hips into yours and you cum as if a switch was turned on inside of you, heat clouding every one of your senses. Jimin’s hips started to move at an erratic pace, seeking his high and he got it after a minute of plunging his cock into you, spilling his seed into the condom with a drawn-out moan. He pulled out after a few seconds, throwing the condom into a nearby bin and pulling you into his arms, wrapping the blanket around your forms and peppering kisses all over your face, leaving you a giggling mess.

He pulled back to smile the warmest smile at you, and you could have cried in that moment. You loved Park Jimin so much it hurt, but you couldn’t tell him that. Not yet.

For now, you’re content to stay in the warmth of his embrace, falling asleep to the sound of his heartbeat and his lips on the crown of your head.

-

As the saying goes, nothing lasts forever, and all good things must come to an end.

You just wish you had spent more time with Jimin before you had to let go.

Your bliss came to an abrupt halt one day while sitting in the park with Jimin. He had guided you over to one of the many deck chairs and tables strewn about the park, sitting across from you as you both enjoyed the ice-cream you bought, soaking in the rays of the sun.

It had been a lovely day (as it usually was, any day with Jimin was amazing), and the two of you were simply enjoying each other’s company, the weekend spent with one another as always.

The more you spent with Jimin, the more you loved him, as if it was even possible at that point. You noticed and cherished the little things he’d do or say, small gestures of love and care that made your heart burst, keeping them locked away in your heart, those little things warming your bed at night when he wasn’t there to do it.

You wanted him all to yourself, but of course, life had other plans.

It came in the form of Jang-mi, another student in your class who you got on reasonably well with. You weren’t friends, exactly, but she would strike up a conversation with you whenever she saw you. And, of course, she saw you in the park. With Jimin. Who, you noticed, she also had a keen interest in since day one.

She walked over towards your table with a smile, eyeing Jimin carefully as she reached you. Jimin became tense once he recognised her, but offered her a polite smile all the same, if nothing but to keep up appearances. He didn’t want your day together to be ruined by seeming rude and causing a fuss.

“Y/N! We haven’t talked in forever! How are you? Out enjoying the sun,” she questioned, eyes flickering to Jimin every few seconds. And every few seconds, you felt your gut clench in discomfort. This was bad, and you couldn’t explain why exactly, but you knew it was just going to get worse.

“Hi, Jang-mi,” you greeted quietly, “I’m good. How are you?” you asked politely, but honestly you couldn’t care less in that moment. You just wanted her to leave along with the feeling of dread clawing at your chest. Jimin shifted awkwardly beside you, ice-cream long forgotten, and rubbed at his neck, a nervous tick you picked up on. He must feel as uncomfortable as you.

“I’m great, thanks! I was just out shopping,” she giggled, and shifted her focus to Jimin who stilled under her attention, strained smile plastered on his visage. “Mr. Park, it’s so nice to see you!” Oh, I’m sure it was so nice to see him. “What are you doing here? Are you two…together, or…” she trailed off and your blood ran cold. What could you tell her? Before you could panic any further, Jimin answered her for you.

“I was just helping her with some extra work. She asked me for help, and I could only do it today,” he lied, and you blessed him in that moment for being so quick.

“But…I don’t see any books around,” she observed, ready to say more before Jimin interrupted.

“That’s because we just finished, all our stuff is put away now. I wanted to come to the park to relax and asked if she wanted to tag along,” he smiled saccharinely at her, and she blushed a bright red.

She still looked unconvinced, however, but decided to drop it in favour of keeping Jimin’s attention on her.

“Ah, I understand. Maybe you could give me some extra lessons sometime, Mr. Park?” she inquired, coy smile playing at her lips. You wanted to roll your eyes but refrained from doing so, lest she saw. Were you jealous? No, that’s crazy. You aren’t a jealous person. (You weren’t, except when it involved Park Jimin).

Jimin coughed in surprise before reluctantly agreeing, giving the excuse that he had to check his schedule to see if it was free. Jang-mi giggled and batted her eyes at him, and the sight almost made you puke.

“For a second, it almost looked like the two of you were a couple,” she laughed, and you froze. “But that’s insane, isn’t it? I mean, that’s not allowed, and I don’t think many people would be happy if the two of you were together. He’s a teacher, you’re a student. That’s practically illegal,” she mused, tilting her pretty little head to the side and shrugging. “At least it’s not true. I’d hate to see a teacher as good as Mr. Park get fired over something like that. Anyway, I need to go. I’ll talk to you on Monday! See you Y/n! Bye Mr. Park!”

And with that, sending one last impish grin at the two of you, she walked off in the other direction. Jimin was deathly quiet beside you, and you hated it. All notion of finishing your now melted ice-cream was gone, so you picked up the tub to throw it in the nearest bin. Jimin followed suit, throwing his away too, and went to walk near you but you moved away from him at the last second.

You could feel the weight of his stare on the side of your face as you walked out of the park together. It was eerily silent and uneasy between you, a feeling you’ve never once experienced with him before. You hated this, couldn’t handle the flood of doubt and hurt clouding your mind, couldn’t handle the silence.

Without realising, you both had walked towards where his car was parked just outside the park. But instead of getting in, you went past it, and continued on in the direction of your apartment by foot. Jimin called out your name in confusion, and you came to a stop, turning around to face his troubled face; furrowed brows and down-turned lips and all. A face like his should never wear an expression like that, and you despised yourself for being the cause of it.

“What are you doing,” he asked in confusion. You stared at your feet, unable to look him in the eyes as you whispered out your reply.

“I’m walking home.”

“But…I’m giving you a ride,” he questioned, perplexed at your sudden change in demeanour. You took a deep breath, not feeling enough air get into your lungs, before replying:

“It’s kinda weird for professors to give their students rides home all the time, isn’t it?”

Jimin’s face dropped (along with his heart and his stomach). So, you were as freaked out about the encounter with Jang-mi as you seemed. He cleared his throat.

“Are you seriously going to listen to her Y/N? What she said was stupid, you shouldn’t listen to that. She’s probably just jealous. We’re fin-“

“But we’re not!” you snapped, eyes flying up to meet his and Jimin fell silent. “She’s right! We shouldn’t be doing this kind of thing! You could get fired, Jimin. I know you need the money and the job.”

“But it’s bullshit!” he argued back. “We have a good thing going, and in these past few weeks I can honestly say I’ve never been happier in my life than when I’m with you. Please, don’t listen to her.” Please don’t leave me.

“But how much longer are we going to sneak around? She’s gonna tell others about us, eventually they’ll see us, the college will hear about it,” you rambled, your throat constricting with each word. Fuck, you loved him too much. And this hurt the same as if someone was stabbing you repeatedly in the heart. But you don’t want Jimin to suffer because of this. Because of you. You don’t want his career to end before it begins.

“Jimin, we can’t do this anymore.”

Jimin was positive he was about to puke on the path where he stood, but he couldn’t even bend over to do it, standing stock still at your words. His heartbeat slowed until he was sure it stopped, and he felt pure panic take control of mouth as he spluttered out a mess of words, words like:

“No, no, no, please!”

“This can’t be happening.”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!”

He felt the tell tale burn of tears in his eyes, and he knows blinking won’t will them away, especially since he sees some rolling down your cheeks, the most heart breaking sight he can imagine. You refuse to come any closer to him, afraid to break down even worse in his arms. You need to put distance between you. You need to get used to it. (You won’t, though, you won’t ever get used to the hole in your heart now.)

Jimins hands are shaking, and he so desperately wishes to cling onto you, to hold you and never let you go, but when he sees you walking backwards slowly, he hides them in his pockets, cursing himself for not being braver. Coward, his mind hisses at him, and he meekly agrees with it.

“I’m, so, so, sorry, Jimin,” you sobbed, and increased the space. “I love you, and I’m so sorry.”

And then you ran, out of sight as you rounded the corner, but certainly not out of Jimin’s mind, as you left him standing on the sidewalk, a sniffling mess as he tried to pick up the pieces of his heart after your admission and departure.

But he couldn’t. Those little pieces followed you as you ran, for you owned his heart. And he loved you too. But he couldn’t tell you that anymore.

The decision was made.  

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