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snoozepotato · 1 year

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We’ll Be Fine -14- (Simon ‘Ghost’ Riley x f!Reader)

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the original source material or any of its characters.

she/her pronouns + female anatomy

Category: slice of life, slow burn, mutual pining

Warnings: 18+, SMUT, swearing, eye contact, p-in-v sex, unprotected sex, over-stimulation, multi-orgasm, creampie, soft Ghost, anxiety, scars, tattoos, fluff

Masterlist

Summary: Ghost shows up at your room late at night, he just got back and has been gone longer than expected. You missed him a lot and things get out of hand (≖ᴗ≖)

Part 14

~UNDONE~

You’ve been trying your best to keep the negative thoughts at bay, it's not abnormal for missions to take longer than expected. But Ghost's vague estimate of a few weeks left you unsettled, even more so as time started to pass. A few weeks had turned into a few months, as life slogged by on base around you. Keeping yourself weighed down with busy work while your mind drifts.

Things take time, hell, you know that from experience. Even so, you’ve been worried about him, it's started affecting your already inconsistent sleep schedule. And dammit, you missed having tea with him in the morning!

You'd been brooding in your room since completing your work for the day, curled up in bed wearing Ghost’s hoodie. You're thankful he never asked for it back, in moments like these it was one of the only things that kept you grounded. Snuggling into the garment and taking a deep breath. It's been a while but somehow his scent still lingers in the fabric, or maybe it’s just some wishful thinking on your part.

Fuck, you're a wreck…

A sudden knocking on your door startles you from your position on the bed. Staring perplexed, why would someone be here this late? There's a sudden spark of fear that shoots through you, with the odd hour, what if it's bad news? You're frozen there for a moment, feet dangling off the edge of the mattress. Anxiety sitting cold in your gut as you just stare blankly through the darkness.

Until another knock erupts from the other side of the barrier, louder this time. You spring from the bed, the fear overtaken by curiosity. Whoever it is better have a good reason for waking you… Well, you technically weren't asleep, but you should be. You hastily unlock the door to peek your head out, only to be greeted by a broad chest.

There in your doorway, looking a little worse for wear is Ghost.

You're struck by the view of him standing there clad in that worn mask with the skull face plate. You've seen him wearing it on more than a few occasions, usually when he's on his way off base for work. It's rather intimidating, you're sure it serves its purpose out in the field. But if you're being completely honest, it's always left you feeling a little heated.

“You’re home,” dazed words escape you, feeling foolish at your choice of phrasing.

“Did I wake you?” He's grasping the door frame with a gloved hand, peering down at you with mild concern. Did he strip his gear off and immediately come looking for you? When did he even get back?

“No, I couldn't sleep… You can sit down,” you mutter, turning on the light and motioning him in. Taking one last glance out into the vacant hallway before closing the entry after him. Leaving you alone in the quiet of your room with Ghost, who's stripped off his jacket and taken a seat at your desk chair. Your frazzled mind is racing while you try to keep your rapidly slipping composure. The space grows quieter by the moment as he sits there staring at the ground between you.

“Everything ok?” You ask, but his mind is somewhere else, “Simon?” Stepping forward you stand in front of his seated form. The sound of his name coaxes his gaze up to meet yours, and fire erupts in his dark eyes.

“I’m fine,” he mutters.

“I was worried about you,” the words fumble from your lips as you take another step forward to stand between his widened legs.

“That why you're moping about your room… In my clothes?” He's smirking beneath the fabric of the mask, very obviously taking in your form before him. You can’t help but feel naked under his heavy gaze despite the oversized garment.

Observing wordlessly as he removes his gloves, and rests a now bare appendage at the hem of the sweatshirt. Your eyes are locked, as he searches for any sign of hesitation. Caressing the delicate skin of your thigh before trailing up to halt at the waistband of your shorts. Heartbeat hammering away in your chest as he dips a finger beneath the thin fabric. Dragging it down till the garment slips, pooling at your feet. A shaky breath escapes you as his lingering touch skims back up your leg to rest on your bare hip.

“Nothin' under those, you waiting up for me?” He murmurs darkly, eyes burning into yours.

“I missed you,” the words slip out as he lazily pulls you down to settle into his lap without resistance.

You reach out to caress the side of his face, thumb brushing over the rigid material of the weathered mask. He's watching you, curiously eyes meeting yours. Embarrassment creeps in as he catches your dreamy stare. Looking away with blushed cheeks and shifting restlessly.

“You seem to like this one,” he coaxes, tugging you further against him, putting an end to your weak attempt at retreat.

“I never said that,” you mutter defensively, caught off guard by his accusation, not that it wasn’t true…

“Don’t have to, I've caught you staring at me,” he pauses, “guess I never thought that was why.”

The dry words only further your embarrassment, as your head slumps against his shoulder to hide your feverish complexion.

Suddenly you’re hoisted upwards, choking down a shaky breath as the stiffness of him presses against you. Your legs braced around him as he makes his way over to your bed, lowering you onto the cot and caging you beneath him. As your body sinks into the thin mattress pad your mind is suddenly plagued with doubt, insecurity sparking in your chest.

“You're sure?… You were gone a while” you murmur awkwardly, propping yourself onto your elbows as you peer up at his looming figure.

“I’ve been waiting so patiently, love,” his words drip with desperate sincerity, that fire smoldering in his eyes as he descends upon you.

His hands work their way up your sides to snake beneath the material of the sweatshirt. Pulling the garment over your head and tossing it onto your desk chair. Your bare state would have felt unjust if his own shirt hadn't followed suit immediately after.

Leaving you laying there trying not to gawk, while nimble hands make quick work of his belt. Freeing the beast that's clearly trapped within the confines of his pants. To say the scale was daunting would be an understatement, but lying there beneath his toned figure, you were more than willing to accommodate.

“You ready for me?” He drawls, stroking his hard cock as he gazes down at your exposed form, like he's about to devour you.

“I’m all yours,” you coo as he brushes your entrance. Slowly teasing his head in and out of your already dripping slit, taking care to drag across your needy flesh till your thighs are twitching with building anticipation. A tightly coiled spring ready to burst, trembling and desperate for more.

The impatience quickly takes hold, hooking your knee over his hip to pull him deeper into you as he hisses out a curse. Consumed by the satisfying pleasure of being filled to the brim, his name uttered as a breathy sigh escaping your lips. Glazed eyes half-lidded as he admires your blissed expression, all for him.

“Fuck, you're tight” he rasps, the pressure building as your release begins to spill over. Gripping your knee, he pushes your leg up to split you open for his greedy length.

Gasping out in desperation, you arch to meet the friction of his rhythmic thrusts. Chasing that perfect angle, body tensing as you pulse with crackling pleasure. Riding out your orgasm all the while swimming in his murky gaze. The feeling of unraveling in his hands, fallen apart and at his mercy.

It's overwhelming.

Catching notice of your unrest, his pace slows as you try to catch your breath. But your eyes are downcast, suddenly afraid to meet his stare.

Icy doubt licking at your chest.

“Keep your eyes on me love,” hushed words murmured against your ear. You suck in a sharp breath, swallowing down a whimper as his heat leaves you. He grasps your chin with a firm hand, forcing you to meet his sharp gaze. Expecting to face the reaper, only to catch sight of his bare stumbled jaw. Your eyes lock for a long moment, the mask is gone. You're left gaping at him, eyes wide and startled.

“You alright?” His words are short, concern sparking in his stare.

You're so used to anonymity, it's easy to never see someone's face when you're sitting behind a computer all day. There was always that sliver of secrecy with Ghost until this moment, and it had always felt normal. Even so, it's still his eyes that draw you in, his trust in you is so blatant now. Every ounce of anonymity was stripped away, Simon caging you beneath him.

“I’m good,” you mutter through a sigh, leaning into his touch as his hold relaxes to caress your flushed face. His tense features unwinding at the view of you smiling up at him.

“Bend over for me love, I want to look at you, all of you,” he murmurs, your eyes held in his tender gaze.

Pulling you from your lying position, to bend you over the bed before him. Anxiety creeping in again as he admires your form from behind, feeling utterly vulnerable under his heavy gaze. But this heat washes over you, like he’s engulfed you in the fire smoldering in his eyes.

“Pretty little thing,” he breathes, running a hand down the length of your back, thumb tracing along the curve of your spine. He can feel the scars that lie beneath the white of your tattoo, a reminder of where you've been, how you got to him.

“Look how easy you’ve come undone for me,” he teases, an evident smirk in his tone.

Your back arches as he drags the head of his cock over your already sensitive flesh. Entering you again from your position bent over the bed. Your leg lowers to the floor to retain your balance as he presses deeply into your soaked folds. Simon letting out a low grumble of a moan as he thrusts to bury himself completely within you.

“Fuck, you're so wet,” he groans.

A strained wine escapes your lips at the friction, vision losing its focus momentarily. Craning your head to the side, catching his dark stare out of the corner of your sight.

“Your eyes… Do something to me,” you gasp breathlessly, your heated words gripping him as he continues relentlessly thrusting into you.

“Sensitive,” you sputter, bucking against him as the walls of your heat twitch with building pressure. Rough hands pulling you by the waist to meet his pounding length.

“Good,” he pants, “let go for me.”

Snaking a hand around you to rest the pad of his finger on your swollen clit. The action alone causes your hips to spasm involuntarily from overstimulation. Trembling wrists nearly give way as he circles the tender flesh.

Biting back a gasp as you're pushed over the edge again, your walls clenching around him as another orgasm rolls through you. His large hand cradles your breast, arching your back further as his thrusts grow frantic, cock pulsing as your heat spasm.

“Fuck,” he rasps, groaning as he jerks stiffly within you. Release spilling over, your body pressed against him, his breath hot in your ear. You shudder as his cock throbs, filling you with warmth, and you're unable to suppress the soft moan that escapes your lips.

His fingers curl into your side as he buries his face into your shoulder, thrusting sharply into you once more, completely drained.

You knew he'd eventually have to leave, but you couldn't help but drift off to sleep nestled against him. Simon's back to the door as he gazes down at you, keeping watch over your resting form.

The mask has returned when you wake sometime later, to a hand brushing the stray hair from your face. He murmurs something but you don't quite catch it through the haze of your slumber. In your foggy state, you completely miss him nabbing the mug off your desk before heading out the door.

The sound fully rips you from your stupor as you sit up in your cold bed, realizing you're once again alone in your room. You contemplate letting sleep take hold, but instead get up to re-clothe yourself in the sweatshirt he'd discarded on the chair. You feel kinda pathetic laying there sulking again in his absence, missing the furnace of a man in your bed...

But your thoughts are halted by a firm knocking on the door. Before you can second-guess yourself, you're already yanking the entry open. And there he is standing outside your door again, but now holding two cups of tea. Changed out of his dirty clothes from earlier, but still wearing that mask…

What a fucking tease.

“Told you I'd right be back,” he states plainly, making his way back into the small space and taking a seat at your desk.

Watching amused as you settle back onto your bed. It's quiet as you sip your tea, mask left discarded on your pillow. His short-cropped hair lay disheveled, pressed against his head from the long hours of wear. Calling your name softly, he looks so tired but there's this levity in his eyes.

You might have made a lot of mistakes in life, but meeting Simon Riley wasn't one of them. Looking at you with that tender gaze, it felt like home. Somewhere to return after the horrors of the world take their toll, hands to guide each other through the darkness.

WELL then, I hope you enjoyed (′ꈍᴗꈍ‵)

Thank you so very much for reading, this is all I have planned for this section of their story. I've got a few related fics/oneshots mulling in my brain so be on the lookout for those and more art!

@tallrock35 @violet-19999 @hypernovaxx @k4marina @sebsbee @d4z01 @ramadiiiisme @embers-of-alluring @enfppixie

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violetsiren90 · 2 months

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All I Haven't Said | Namjoon/Reader

💜 Chapter 3: Part 2 💜

Table of Contents: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (part 1), Chapter 3 (part 2)

Pairing: idol!Namjoon/f!Reader

Genre: Soulmate AU; idol AU; chapter fic; strangers to lovers; a bit of idiots to lovers, tbh; slow burn; eventual romance; eventual smut; angst (life is messy & hearts are complex); OT7 featured

Summary: You found your soulmate - or rather, he found you. Turns out he's an idol of much acclaim who needs you for very real and unglamorous reasons. What could become of two hearts so used to giving of themselves when they are confronted with needing each other?

Chapter Word Count: ~7k

Chapter Warnings: This fic is 18+, as is all my work and my page as a whole; depictions of cancer and its treatment; secondhand embarrassment; awkward situations; soulmate skinship; loss of consciousness; dudes dude-broing a bit lol; mentions of minor character death (in past); cursing; chemo therapy and its symptoms; nausea and vomiting; characters eat meals; Reader is starting to grapple with some difficult feelings; Hybe kinda sorta depicted as being collective assholes in responding to this situation (gonna be a theme, guys)

Author's Note: Here comes part two! I know this is months coming (again), but I've finally found my stride with writing and work. I had this mostly done, and then redid some parts and finished editing, and well...I just hope you all enjoy it! My hope is to post part three in two weeks - I really want to get into a groove with plot progression here!

There is a lot of content in this chapter about medical procedures and treatment. I tried my best to represent these as accurately as possible with what information I could acquire, but if there are any misrepresentations, great or small, please don't hesitate to let me know!

Thank you again to all who have stuck with this story! I continue to be blown away by how much love you have all showered upon it, and I'm so excited to walk the path I intend for these two and have you all along for the ride!!

P.S. If you want to join the tag list, drop me a comment or an ask!

P.P.S. If no one has told you yet today, you're loved and worthy of love! 🧜‍♀️💜

"Out of sheer taciturnity the ceiling listens To the fall of ancient leafless rain, To feathers, to whatever the night imprisoned." ~Pablo Neruda

Chapter 3: My Windows Ache

Namjoon's labs had come back with even more promising numbers. A radiology scan had shown no shrinkage in his tumors, but the doctors commented that these were early days, and that the effects of the bond might even be keeping them from inflaming due to the chemo. You had watched him, smiling as the doctor reviewed the result, and couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. Your soulmate was on the road to recovery.

Nurse Cha quickly checked both of you over before initiating another skinship session.

"I saw you out on the grounds earlier, and for the first time in weeks," she said, shooting Namjoon an approving grin. "Keep that up. He needs sunlight and fresh air," she remarked to you, flustering you even as you nodded in agreement.

Why was she telling you that? Were you his keeper?

Actually, you supposed, in fact, you were.

You peeked back up at him and found him regarding you with a small, amused smile, which disconcerted you further. You shook your head, shooting him an eye-roll as you made your way into the bathroom to disrobe.

After your first few experiences with skinship, you had asked Matt to acquire you some sporty, conservative sports bra and boy-short sets, and you slipped into one, pulling a hospital gown over it. After the way your conversation with Hyung-seo had unfolded you were glad to have them - the practical underwear felt far less intimate and flirty than your typical bras and panties, giving you much more peace of mind.

As you left the bathroom and made your way back to Namjoon's half of the suite, you noticed him sitting on top of the covers, long legs stretched out in front of him, in nothing but a black tee and blue boxers. He had a drip attached to a tube that ran under his shirt. When Nurse Cha glanced up from her touchscreen tablet to see you approaching, she waved her hand for you to come around to the other side of the bed, which had been adjusted to accommodate Namjoon's upright position.

"We’re going to try this sitting up today," she explained as she typed. "He's on a chemo drip right now, and the doctor wants to see if the bond will help ease the nausea and some of the other side effects. I heard you just had a nice lunch, so it would be wonderful if Namjoon could hang onto his."

She shot him a rueful smirk and he let out a chuckle. You smiled in turn and nodded as you slipped off your hospital gown and draped it over the end of the bed. You glanced up at Namjoon who had cast his eyes down at his hands, folded in his lap. The huge apparatus was lower than usual, so you slipped rather easily into it and against Namjoon's side. He raised an arm to drape over your shoulders and you settled against him, pressing your bare leg against his. It was comical how much shorter yours were, but you could only think of that for a fraction of a second as every other thought in your mind melted at the feeling of the man beside you.

Butter. Warm, melted butter. It was as if every single muscle group in your body had suddenly released every bit of tension it had been holding. So many sensations at once, but this was the one you felt like leaning into at the moment. You felt like collapsing against him.

He sighed deeply through his nose. Yeah, you felt that on a spiritual level. Mmh.

Your melty, bond-induced reverie was broken, however, by a dissatisfied noise from Nurse Cha as she stepped toward the bed. You looked up to find her expression matched her tone.

"You're not really getting much contact," she said, scanning her eyes over everywhere you touched...and didn't.

You raised your arms slightly and a bit uselessly. You felt Namjoon lean forward.

"Should I...like..." you looked to her for direction, but she was already in motion.

She grabbed your arm, guiding you off the bed and motioned for Namjoon to scoot back to the middle. She said something to Namjoon in Korean and suddenly he was tugging his shirt over his head. You felt your cheeks getting hot. Social norms had not prepared you for this amount of casual nudity. You stood there, eyes glued to Nurse Cha, hugging your arms over your middle and hoping that Namjoon was playing his usual blessed game of "look anywhere but soulmate". The nurse took your arm again and guided you back toward your previous perch.

"Sit between his legs and lean back against his chest," she instructed, nudging you to join him.

You looked up at Namjoon. His face looked like you felt. And then it was just too much. You were standing in a hospital in South Korea in your underwear being asked to sit in a practically naked celebrity's lap so that he wouldn't die.

You busted out laughing.

Nurse Cha jumped, surprise clear in her features as she regarded you.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" You gasped, bending over to support yourself against the bed as you continued to chuckle, "This is just..."

You snorted. Mortified but still attempting to swallow your giggles you clapped a hand over your mouth and looked up at Namjoon whose dimples were out and whose shoulders were shaking with his own silent amusement. Nurse Cha's lips curved up a bit to one side, but her narrowed eyes spoke of far less hilarity felt.

"Here's the thing," you said, turning to the nurse while still biting back your laughter, "Namjoon is spoken for, and...well...I have a pretty nice ass."

The nurse's eyes widened.

You were probably being really impolite. That would have been borderline in the States. You weren't sure about here, but you felt like that might have broken some unspoken rules. Or, maybe spoken ones because there were a lot of formalities, you were learning. But you had reached your limit with all this. The awkwardness levels were at maximum, and you were gonna cope the only way you knew how - with humor.

When you hazarded a look at your soulmate, he had drawn his knees up, grabbing them with his hands, his head dropped between them and his shoulders shaking as he badly repressed laughter of his own. You could see those dimples again. They were even deeper than before.

"We need to get maximum skin-to-skin contact during these sessions," Nurse Cha insisted indignantly, clearly a bit flustered.

"I know, I'm sorry, I'm sorry," you offered her a contrite smile as you rocked back on your feet.

"Ah!" Namjoon drew your attention as he pointed behind you. "Throw me that pillow?"

You grabbed the little green cushion from the corner of the couch and tossed it to him. He lowered his legs and placed it over his lap.

"How's that?" he asked with a closed-lip smirk.

You gave him a thumbs up and clambered back onto the bed to situate yourself between his legs. You looked back over at Nurse Cha.

"Better?"

She raised a brow as she handed you a blanket. You thanked her quietly and cleared your throat as you fanned it out over your legs and Namjoon's, tucking it up to your waist. The nurse checked Namjoon's vitals and said that she would return in an hour to take him off the drip.

You sank back tentatively against your soulmate's chest, careful to avoid the little port below his sternum. There it was again. Butter.

Somewhere above and behind you, Namjoon chuckled. You smiled knowingly.

"What?" you asked indignantly.

"Did you see her face when you said that?"

You shrugged against him.

"Hey, it's true!" you insisted.

"Sorry if this is uncomfortable for you," he murmured.

You could hear that he was still smiling, but he sounded serious all the same. You let your head fall back.

"Honestly, I felt bad for you," you huffed in another laugh before sobering. "And, thank you," you turned, casting your eyes up over your shoulder, "For always being so respectful. It's made this a lot easier."

"Oh," Namjoon responded softly, "Of course."

You looked at his arms resting at his sides and thought of what Nurse Cha had said. You slowly picked up his hands in yours, raising them slightly.

"May I put them around me? For more contact," you asked.

You asked it boldly, but you felt shy. You wanted the chemo to work. You wanted it to stop hurting him while it did. When Namjoon let out a low hum of assent you drew his forearms around your waist and laid your own over them.

Your eyes slipped shut. So euphoric but it always made you feel like sleeping. You weren't going to give into the urge, though, not just yet. There were conversations to be had.

"Tell me about Hyung-seo," you prompted softly, shifting against him to get comfortable.

He was quiet for a moment.

"Well," he responded slowly, "what do you want to know?"

"How did you meet her?"

He went quiet again. Then he sighed a small sigh. You wondered what that little breath carried.

"She debuted in 2019. A buddy of mine - Seo Jungkwon, he goes by Tiger JK in the industry - had signed her to his agency. Bangtan was just taking off, things were blowing up. I actually collaborated with him which is when I met her."

He silenced for a moment.

"We had a lot in common - how we approached life and music."

"Had?" you asked, gently.

He heaved another sigh.

"The last few years have been really tough on her. I mean, she hasn't had an easy life to begin with, but..."

He paused, as if deciding whether or not to utter the words he wanted to say next.

"Anyway," he redirected himself, and you wondered what thought he had dismissed, "Preparing for a tour is grueling, and this is her first one. I think the stress is really getting her."

You hummed in acknowledgement. You recognized it in his voice - you should after all, as the same sound had echoed so often in your own - the hollow clemency of lying to yourself on someone else's behalf.

"Well," you offered, "She's lucky to have you supporting her, especially when you're going through such a difficult time yourself."

Namjoon scoffed.

"I mean, yeah, I'm sick, but...I don't know. In a lot of ways my life has been a lot easier these days. A lot simpler."

"Really? In what way?"

He huffed out a wry laugh.

"I have so much time to just do whatever. Read, write...I've been learning a couple of languages. I get to do v-lives with ARMY pretty regularly, as the company allows - Jungkook went kind of crazy with it before enlistment so we have to go through them for access now."

You had no idea what a v-live was, but from what little you had seen of Jungkook, you could imagine it took very little for him to get up to a significant amount of shenanigans. You smirked.

"Did you have so little time for those things before?" you queried.

"No! No way. It was like running non-stop for ten years. During my time in the military, I got a bit of a break and a change, but then I got sick and had to be discharged early, so...well, I didn't even get to experience that like I should have."

You felt your hands tighten in response around his forearms. His life hadn't been cake-walk either, that was clear. You wondered if he knew that, if he acknowledged it.

"Well, I'm glad you have more time for those things. You should keep as much time for them as you can, even when you're better."

He paused for a moment before whispering agreement into your hair. You felt it even though he didn't say it, the caveat - if he got better. He would. You'd never make him a promise you couldn't guarantee, but you could make one to yourself. So you did.

For the rest of the session you talked about Bangtan, and the recent history of the group's situation.

You learned about conscription and that it applied to idols as well. You learned the members had decided to enlist pretty much around the same time so that they could reunite to tour again after being discharged. Namjoon had been released ahead of schedule when he had fallen ill, and at this point most of the members had followed, save Yoongi who was set to be discharged the following week. He fondly reported that they were all anxious to meet you, and that Jungkook and Jimin hadn't stopped pestering him with all manner of questions in your regard since their visit the previous day.

Every time you had heard him speak about his members, the deep brotherly affection that permeated his words was incredibly evident.

You asked him to tell you about each one, and he did.

You blinked your eyes open as you felt Namjoon shift you in his arms. You slowly pulled yourself forward, struggling to focus.

"I...I'm sorry," you murmured, "I fell asleep on you again."

Namjoon chuckled and assured you it was quite alright. As you wearily slipped off the mattress to stand, you suddenly felt the room tilt and your knees buckle. Namjoon's reflexes were quick enough to catch you in his arms. He stood to pull you up and hold you against him.

"You okay?" he asked in concern.

"I...I got dizzy..."

You attempted to put your weight into your legs, but failed, sagging weakly against his broad frame.

Nurse Cha was already in motion.

"Help her to the bed," she ordered, striding across the room.

Namjoon wasted no time in scooping you up in a bridal carry to follow her. You gasped despite yourself, the sudden movement and his strength equally surprising. But every thought was fleeting as you found yourself struggling to maintain a grip on consciousness.

You felt Namjoon lay you gently on the bed as cold, sticky monitors were pressed to your skin; heard him ask the nurse what was the matter, his voice tinged with anxiety.

You heard him say your name.

And then you heard nothing.

You groaned as you came to. Your throat felt like the Sahara and your head was pounding. Pushing yourself to sit up, you became aware of the sound of voices on the other side of the curtain. Carefully drawing your legs to the edge of the bed, you clutched your IV stand as you struggled to your feet.

Pulling back the hanging divider, you were surprised to see Matt occupying the little couch, a cup of coffee on the low table in front of him. Namjoon sat in the opposing chair, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees in rapt attention as the older man spoke. It was dark out.

"Matt," you croaked, shuffling forward.

Namjoon's head whipped around at the sound of your voice and he sprang up, just a moment faster than his guest, striding over to take you by the arm. You faltered just a moment in your steps as his hand cradled your elbow and you felt it - his touch and what it did to you. You wanted to curl into him. You wanted him to hold you.

You gently tugged your arm away.

"You're awake - let me call the nurse," he said, almost to himself as he moved to press the red call button.

You sank down beside Matt.

"What time is it?" you asked in a husky murmur. Your friend checked his watch.

"1:33am."

You frowned, blinking blearily.

"What the heck are you doing here at the hour?"

"Well!" Matt laughed before taking a sip of his coffee, "It's nice to see you too."

"You know what I mean..." you grumbled, rubbing your eyes.

"He called me," he said, gesturing with his raised mug toward Namjoon, who had returned to the armchair. "Said you'd had a fainting spell."

Your eyes followed his motion to your soulmate, who was already scanning his over you, brow furrowed and full lips pursed pensively.

"How are you feeling?" Namjoon asked.

You huffed out a mirthless chuckle.

"Like I got hit by a freight train."

The worry lines on his brow deepened.

"Hey, look..." you held up a hand to wave it weakly between both men as they regarded you in apparent concern. "I'm probably just adjusting to the bond or something. Cancer isn't contagious, you know," you ribbed, shooting a tiny smirk at Namjoon who attempted to return the expression though the smile didn't reach his eyes.

The night shift nurse and an aid entered the room to assess you. Namjoon asked to speak with a doctor, and was told that Dr. Na would be checking in first thing in the morning. The nurse had very little else to report other than that your blood work had been sent to the lab and that they would be able to determine more once your results were available. He informed Matt that some charts would likely be available in twenty-four hours, but that your CMP could take up to three days. The aid urged you to try to get some more rest. Before departing, the nurse removed your spent sodium chloride drip and said that a meal would be sent up which you were advised to eat if possible, but to be sure to report any signs of food-rejection should they appear.

Namjoon stood and sighed, rubbing the back of his neck as he gazed at your little portion of the suit.

"They want you to rest, but how the hell are you supposed to sleep with me over here snoring? It's keeping you up, right?"

You smirked.

"Well, most of my rest over the last couple of days has been due to a lack of consciousness, but I do have to admit that you woke me up a couple of times last night."

Namjoon groaned discomfitedly.

"It really isn't a big deal!" you reassured him, "I'm a pretty sound sleeper."

"And still I woke you up."

"Don't worry about it..."

"It's not just that, though," he insisted, hands in the pockets of his sweats and head cocked to one side as he continued to consider the small space across from his. "You don't even have a window. If you want privacy, you have to sit behind that curtain in the tiny bed -- I hate it. I've hated it since they were first preparing for you to arrive. I'll make some calls tomorrow. You need your own room," he stated decidedly, returning to the chair across from you.

He fished his phone out of his pocket and leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees as he fired off a message.

Namjoon did have a point, it was a pretty meager space you currently occupied. But they must have had a reason, you thought, for wanting you to share a room with him. And you didn't want to cause any kind of fuss in the name of personal convenience that might detract from his treatment or recovery.

"Namjoon, it's fine..."

He looked up at you, his brown eyes assured and determined.

"Just let me handle it. I've got you."

A sudden warmth spread through your chest like the rising sun on the frost of your anxieties, his gaze melting away the familiar worry of burdensomeness. You looked away shyly.

"Good man," Matt said to him with a nod, and they shared a look as your soulmate nodded in return that seemed to be one of mutual masculine respect. You wanted to roll your eyes a little bit. You also felt pretty damn grateful.

Matt stood to leave, pressing a kiss on your temple and promised that he'd return in the morning. He paused to shake Namjoon's hand.

"If there are any further developments, don't hesitate to call me," he said, to which the younger man nodded in agreement.

"Or I can call you!" you rasped after him as he raised his hand in one last gesture of farewell while shutting the door.

You huffed.

"Smart guy," Namjoon remarked, sitting back down in his chair. "You know he's read Toegye exhaustively?"

You raised a brow at him, your lips quirking with a wry grin.

"Two peas in a pod. He's probably going to be coming around here nonstop until he leaves just so you two can gab in genius."

Namjoon smiled and touched his fingers absently to his jaw, his eyes trained on the linoleum.

"Are you bothered that I called him?" he asked abruptly, glancing up at you.

"What? No, of course not," you reassured him with a shake of your head. "I just..." You rolled your eyes and smirked. "I'm not used to sitting around while boys decide what's best for me."

"Aaahhh," Namjoon responded with a nod, interlacing his fingers, "Well, you've been looking out for me since you walked through that door back there, and honestly, I could get used to that..." he leaned forward a bit, "But only if I get to return the favor. You said we don't owe each other, but that doesn't mean you get to be the only one doing the giving."

You stared at him. The only one to do the giving. The words jarred something loose inside you. You swallowed the strange feeling that threatened to well into your throat.

Before you could respond, an aid entered with your meal. A tray loaded with dakjuk, rice, and several banchan was placed before you. It smelled fantastic, and you actually felt you could eat. You moved to take the tray to your side of the suite but Namjoon stopped you.

"Hey, wait. I'm hungry. I'll eat with you."

He crossed to the other side of the room to pick up the telephone.

"Go ahead," he said with nod of his head a little grin, "Don't wait on me."

He didn't have to twist your arm. The chicken porridge was steaming and savory, warming you up within just a few bites. A similar tray soon arrived for Namjoon, and you found it did feel far nicer to eat with someone than alone.

Between bites he asked you about Matt.

"He's my dad's best friend. When he died - my dad - Matt and his wife Rebecca helped to take care of us for a while. They've been really good to my family."

Namjoon's face sombered.

"I'm sorry about your father."

You smiled softly at him.

"It was a long time ago, when I was ten. He was a firefighter."

He nodded quietly, giving you the opening to continue. You decided to take it.

"A fire broke out at a high-security prison. The situation got really bad with a lot of people still inside - prisoners. They told the team to stop attempting rescues, that it wasn't worth it, for people like that. But my dad kept going. Alone. He saved seventeen more lives before...well, he couldn't make it out."

When you looked up at Namjoon again his eyes were locked on you, his chopsticks resting idly in his hand.

"Wow," he murmured after a pause. "And you were ten years old? That must have been so hard."

You dragged your spoon through your dakjuk.

"It was. But managing things after he was gone...that was harder, I think."

Namjoon's brow knit in question but he didn't press you further. For the second time that night, you were grateful. Death was easy to explain, other things were much more difficult.

You finished the rest of your meal chatting about Matt, Neo-Confucianism, and unequivocal humanism between mouthfuls of rice and porridge.

The next day, you were moved into your new suite a few doors down. Namjoon had received no resistance from the hospital in procuring you the space, as apparently Hybe's representatives had been the ones to originate the request that you be at the idol's immediate disposal.

Your room mirrored the setup of your soulmate's, being on the same floor but across the hall, and Kang Dae had dropped in with a catalog stating that you could select whatever you wished to make the space more comfortable. You had circled a few things and he had departed to procure them. Matt had brought the bulk of your luggage, which meant a good portion of books, your art supplies, and finally more clothes which you would blessedly now have no worries of mixing up with Namjoon's. You changed into jeans and a comfy Nirvana graphic tee.

You were busy unpacking when a knock came at your door. You called for the person to come in while you continued to stack books onto a small set of shelves. The doctor had cautioned you and Namjoon against further skinship sessions until your blood work had come back, so you were anxious for the results, not wanting him to go through another bout of chemo without the aid of the bond.

When you glanced up expectantly, however, you found your curiosity would have to wait - at least, concerning your charts - as in the entry stood none other than Kim Hyung-seo.

She lingered in the entryway at the mouth of the space, her arms wrapped around her middle. She looked much more casual today in a pair of big baggy camouflage cargo pants, a tight black crop top, and chunky white sneakers. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, and she had black mask pulled under her chin. She was bare-faced, save for two small red dots under her right eye.

You stood from your crouched position, trying your best to keep the surprise from your face.

"Hi," you greeted her with a small smile, which she returned remorsefully, still hugging herself as she glanced around the room. "Would you like to sit down?" you offered, motioning to the furniture beside you.

She nodded, crossing over to take a seat in the little arm chair. You moved to sit across from her. Your first instinct was to offer her something to drink, only to realize you were in a hospital room with no way to deliver, at which you both laughed awkwardly. After a moment of tense silence, she looked up at you, gnawing her bottom lip.

“I owe you an apology," she sighed.

You gave her an encouraging smile.

"Fuck..." she dropped her head in her hands, and you waited for her to collect herself. Finally, she raises her eyes to yours, interlacing her fingers with their long white nails in her lap.

"What I did...what I said yesterday...I was cunt. I'm sorry."

You let out a little laugh at her choice of words.

"Well, I do accept your apology...but, don't be too hard on yourself. It was a really bizarre and unprecedented situation for all of us. I'm glad we're moving forward, and in a better direction."

You smiled again at her reassuringly.

She nodded, her lips pursed and quivering slightly. You could tell she was blinking back tears.

"Me and Joon...we'd only been engaged for a few weeks before we found out...you know, that he had a match. That it could be his only option to live - bonding. With you. It's just all really fucking scary."

You nodded sympathetically. She released another sigh as she continued.

"He had to decide so fast, they pushed him to just make this huge life commitment as fast as they fucking could and now..." She raised her arms, looking around the room in resign, "Here we are. And we have to figure everything out, and I'm about to leave and..."

"I'm sorry," you murmured sympathetically.

She looked down into her lap, worry still twisting her features.

You wondered why she was leaving, now of all times - when things were the way they were. But that wasn't for you to judge.

"You know," you offered hopefully, "At least he's on the mend. At least you know he'll have someone to look after him."

She hummed. You wondered if it was an agreement as her eyes flitted over your face searchingly. Anxiety from the previous day's encounter began to seep into your chest as you considered if you had chosen your words poorly. You had said what would have comforted you in under the same circumstances. But maybe you were different - too different.

You softened your heart, determined to reserve judgement. Life had given Hyung-seo had her own shoes, and you would do everything you could to understand what it was like to walk in them.

"Can I add you on KakaoTalk?" you asked, realizing you were still clutching a book, and setting it onto the low table to pull your phone from your pocket.

She was chewing on her lip again when you looked up. She stared down at the hardback.

"You read a lot, huh?" she asked, though it didn't sound like a question.

"I do," you answered slowly, wondering where her train of thought was headed.

"All that stuff you said yesterday, you seem, like really in tune with people. And smart. You guys are, like, the same."

She pressed the words out in a strained voice. She looked so small and so sad. Your heart sank for her.

"Namjoon actually said that very thing about you yesterday."

She glanced up at you in surprise and confusion. You smiled.

"He said that when you met he was struck with how much you shared in how you saw the world, and how you approached music."

She regarded you silently as you continued.

"And that's your life right, your great love? Music? What a wonderful thing, to base your life with a partner in a love you share."

She nodded slowly, her eyes watering.

"Thank you," she finally whispered, and you nodded in understanding.

You reached out to take her hand and she squeezed yours. After a few moments of silence, she rose and wiped her eyes.

"I'm leaving tomorrow and I want to see Joon again before I go," she explained.

You nodded.

"Thank you for coming to talk to me and for sharing about how this has been for you. I really appreciate it."

She smiled - perhaps genuinely for the first time since you met. It was a lovely smile.

You sighed as she left. It wasn't much, but it was progress. Maybe she would let you in. Maybe it wouldn't be so hard after all.

When several hours had passed with no updates on your lab results, you decided to take a walk down the hall to see how your soulmate was faring. You knocked on his door, but received no answer.

"Namjoon!" you called softly with another rap of your knuckles, but were still met with silence.

Just when you were about to turn and go, the door creaked inward on its hinges, slipping open to reveal your soulmate's tired face.

"I just came to see how you were doing...are you okay?."

You followed him as he slumped back into the suite, but before he could even reach his bed he turned and pushed past you to hurry into the bathroom. It caught you a little off-guard and you stumbled, catching yourself on the opposing wall, but quickly realized the reason for his urgency when sounds of retching followed.

The bathroom door was cracked open and you could see him hunched over the toilet, breathing heavily as his body wracked with each attempt to expel the contents of his stomach. You hesitated a moment, then pushed the door in slowly, coming to kneel beside him and gingerly place a hand on his back.

He raised his head, eyes fluttering when you touched him. You gently pulled your palm up and down his spine, feeling the warm surge of the bond even through his shirt. He reached for a piece of toilet paper to wipe his mouth.

"You don't have to do that..." he murmured, resting his forehead on his arm propped on the porcelain rim.

"I know," you answered quietly, continuing to slowly rub his back. "Can I put my hand under your shirt?"

"You're not supposed to be touching me until we know what's going on with you."

You slipped your other hand out to curl your fingers around his exposed bicep below the sleeve of his tee. He sighed, shoulders sagging as the comfort and warmth of the contact soothed his aching body.

"Can I?" you softly persisted, and he nodded his head where it laid against his forearm.

Slipping your hand beneath the baggy cotton you ran your fingers over his soft, taut skin, heart squeezing at the definition of his spine and the ghosts of his ribs.

"Did you do chemo without me?" you asked.

“I've been doing it before you got here, you know,” he retorted weakly.

"How are you supposed to gain weight if it makes you this sick? Please don't do it again without me."

"You passed out, Y/n," he shifted his head to look at you.

"We'll figure that out," you smiled, "But you need to be as agreeable to these treatments as possible, right?"

He nodded.

"Hyung-seo paid me a visit this morning," you remarked after a moment of silence.

"She told me."

"Said she leaves for her tour tomorrow. When does she get back?"

"February."

"Of next year?" You paused to temper your shock, "That's a long time."

"It's a world tour. That's how it goes."

"Wow."

You realized for the hundredth time in as many hours that there was so much about their lifestyle to which you were ignorant. You had so much to learn, but one thing you did know: he needed you right now, so you stayed by his side until the sickness had subsided.

Nurse Cha arrived shortly after to conduct routine checks on Namjoon, and you sat by, thumbing through the latest issue of Batman and Robin which Matt had been kind enough to drop off with your things.

"Your initial blood work came back with some concerns," she said, turning to you and picking up her tablet to access the results. "There are signs that your body's nutrients are being depleted. Since your fainting spells have been occuring during skinship, we ask that you refrain from touching until your CMP comes back."

Namjoon glanced over at you, a chiding expression on his features. You flatly ignored him.

"I need to be able to touch him, especially if he feels ill. He needs to keep down his food, right?"

Nurse Cha hummed, pursing her lips.

"Well, I'm going to run this by Dr. Na, but if absolutely necessary, keep it light and brief. And please be sure to document even the smallest instances of skinship so that we can track the effects."

You agreed readily, and she left to continue her rounds.

Glancing out the window, you noted that the evening was mild, and the gardens were aflutter with birds and awash in soft late-afternoon light. You thought about what the nurse had said before about the fresh air.

"Hey," you remarked, still looking out the window, "We should take a walk - it looks so nice out. You up for it?"

"Great idea," he replied, joining you to look out across the greenery. "I'm definitely feeling up for it." He huffed out a little chuckle.

"What?" you asked suspiciously. You were beginning to recognize his different laughs - this particular chuckle was always at your expense.

"Gonna keep pushing it with the poor nurse, huh?"

You scoffed.

"Well, if I hadn't would you be feeling well enough to go out right now?"

"No."

When you glanced up you found that he was gazing raptly at you, his face filled with unchecked thanksgiving. Your witty response faltered on your tongue.

His touch, you were pretty damn sure that for the rest of his natural life you would never grow used to it...but his eyes? It was almost the same. Was this part of the bond? Or was it just...him? Did everyone feel this way when he held them in those eyes? When he looked at them, really looked...

You couldn't tear your eyes away. You couldn't find words.

When Namjoon's phone suddenly buzzed you thanked almighty Samsung and sagged against the window pane.

"Damn," he muttered.

You looked at him questioningly.

"I have a consultation with my radiation oncologist in ten minutes. Go ahead! I'll meet you down there right after."

He pulled a sweatshirt over his head and changed his slippers out for his shoes.

You returned to your room to grab outerwear as well. The evening was temperate enough to go without, but you were feeling chillier than usual. You felt your phone buzz in your pocket.

Mom flashed across the screen.

Your chest tightened and you silenced the ringer. You'd call her tomorrow, you told yourself. Besides, she had already spoken to Matt.

When you reached the garden, you decided there was someone you should call while you waited. Ambling down a gravel path, you held the phone up to your ear, stuffing your other hand into the pocket of your jean jacket.

"Matt told mom that you passed out - are you okay?" Diana's voice on the other end registered genuine distress.

You rolled your eyes and sighed.

"I'm fine. My body is just adjusting to the bond and probably jet lag and whatnot."

"You better fucking be fine or I'm coming out there to make sure you are."

You laughed.

"To South Korea? On a Wednesday?"

"You know what I mean, god! You're so - hey! How did the fiancee thing go?"

"I knew you'd want an update."

"Spill."

You sighed.

"Uh-oh," she hummed, "That was your, things-are-an-effing-disaster sigh."

"It was no- why do you keep trying to divine my air flow like they're casting-runes or something? Will you just let me tell you?"

"You don't always say."

You huff in exasperation.

"Okay, well, I won't tell you what that sigh is," she mumbles in trepidation, "But I will tell you that I know enough to shut up and let you continue. Go on."

"It didn't go swimmingly."

"Fuck."

"Yeah,” You lifted your fingers to absently stroke at the petal of a rose. “She seemed very frightened by the whole situation, which is completely understandable. But then...she also kind of came at me. She started asking pretty intimate stuff about the bond right off the bat. When I tried to redirect by suggesting we get to know each other better she started saying all this stuff she already knew about me. About Dad and Mom."

"What?!" Diana gasped incredulously.

"It was almost as if...I don't know, I could have been reading her incorrectly, but it was almost seemed as if she was trying to bring things up that might knock me off my footing. Make me...insecure."

You suddenly remembered your conversation with Namjoon the previous night. He hadn’t let on that he had already known your father passed when you were a child...but he had known. Passing out during skinship had gotten in the way of the conversation you had intended to broach with him about knowledge of the other. You had done research before meeting him, but only the basics. You had felt that as much should come from him as possible. Clearly you hadn’t been given that opportunity.

"That bitch," Diana seethed, pulling your mind back into the moment.

"Hey, hey, hey," you cautioned her, "She's in a extremely difficult situation. And that was just my biased impression of her intentions. Don't be too quick to judge her, Di."

Diana hummed discontentedly.

"Also, she came to apologize to me today before she leaves on tour. We made progress, I think."

"Apologizing? Bare minimum," Diana said with an air of dismissal. "What did you say her name was?"

"Kim Hyung-seo. Her stage name is Bibi."

Diana was silent for a moment.

"Found her," she declared.

You smiled to yourself - of course she had found her, the woman was famous. It wasn't as if stalking measures were necessary (though you had no doubt of Diana's abilities should that have been the case).

Diana clicked her tongue in disappointment.

"She's hot."

"She is very pretty," you agreed.

"Yeah, but you're hot too. And, y'kow, you're you. Bet you're smarter..."

"Di," you said, stopping to pinch your brow, "We're not in some kind of competition. We're both just human beings navigating pretty uncharted waters, okay? We both have our strengths and weaknesses. She's going to be part of my life as Namjoon's wife, so not only is building a good relationship with her important to me, I have a responsibility to her as well. We all do. To each other."

Your sister paused on the other end before relenting sullenly.

"Yeah, yeah. I guess you're right - you do need to make nice with her...as long as they're married, that is..."

"DIANA."

"Okay! Geez!" Diana cleared her throat. "How is the soulmate doing?"

"He's getting stronger every day," you answered, happily moving the topic away from Hyung-seo.

"That's great!" she crooned.

"It is."

"Are you smiling? You sound like you're smiling."

"How are you doing, Di? Classes are starting soon."

You smirked as your sister's attention surged in a new direction, and for the next half an hour she regaled you with tales of her new housemates, and the smarmy and unseemly Johnnie (who had come crawling back, as predicted, upon returning to the States).

Upon hanging up with Diana, you checked the time, and discovered that it had been nearly an hour since you left Namjoon. You were starting to feel weak, and a bit cold - hunger, you told yourself - so you decided to return indoors for dinner.

You called Namjoon on the way up to the fifth floor to inform him if your change in plans. He apologized profusely, saying that the doctor had been detained, and asked you to join him for dinner.

Letting yourself into his suite, you shrugged your jacket off as you headed for your usual spot on the couch when, suddenly, you froze.

A man was rising to stand from where he had been seated on the sofa. He was clad in a dark blue button-down with a golden emblem on the shoulder and black slacks. He wore a black cap which bore a similar insignia to the one on his shirt and fit snugly over his short dark hair. He wasn’t as tall as Namjoon, though his shoulders were nearly as wide. His features were soft but arresting, and his deep brown irises, you thought, seemed to hold a bit of everything a pair of eyes could. Your comic book was in his hand.

You crossed the room toward him.

"Hi, I’m sorry, Namjoon will be here soon - oh, I'm his soulmate, Y/n," you stammered, before catching yourself.

The young man's sharp eyes widened, his lips parting as you bowed.

"Je ireum-eun Y/n imnida," you started over in Korean.

He bowed in return, raising his dark brown eyes to you again as he responded in a soft deep voice.

"Annyeonghaseyo, je ireum-eun Min Yoongi imnida."

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valentinetypewriter · 8 months

Text

Me and My Husband

This includes casting, chapter masterlist and summary

Sirius Black x Remus lupin x reader

My Main masterlist

this will also be posted on ao3 - a link to the fic

Chapter 1 / chapter 2 / chapter 3 / chapter 4 / chapter 5 / chapter 6

Summary

Sirius Black III the usually flirtatious boy had become completely infatuated with someone he knew he could never have, but tied to someone he never thought he could love.

Remus john lupin the self hating Werewolf who doesn't believe he's worth loving, but his heart aches for two people who he thinks he doesn't deserve

Y/n l/n has hated love ever since she was young, a pure-blood family like hers doesn't get love, they only have to keep their blood pure. But maybe she could make something good out of this

Set during the marauders 7th year and onwards, canon divergent, just changing a few things up to make the fic work a bit better. This fic will be filled with unnecessary angst and drama because I'm a horrible person

Casting

Casting will include movies/shows for a more specific look for major character

Ben Barnes as Sirius Black (Dorian grey)

Andrew Garfield as Remus lupin (Never let me go) and yes this is exactly how I imagine remus to act/talk - A link for a YouTube video since clips of his character are hard to find

Aaron Taylor Johnson as James Potter (kick-ass / Nowhere boy)

Dane dehaan as Peter pettigrew (Kill your darlings)

Timothée Chalamet as Regulus Black

David Tennant as Barty Crouch Jr

Maxence Danet-Fauvel as Evan Rosier

Supporting cast

Sophie skelton as Lily Evans

Alicia Vikander as Marlene McKinnon

Sofia Bryant as Mary McDonald

Louis Garrel as Severus Snape

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onestepbackwards · 1 year

Text

Love That Bites

I’ve been playing Symphony of the Night randomized for months, and rewatching some stuff from the anime, this series has had me in a choke hold. I’ve had a thing for Dracula for Y E A R S and the first season of the anime did not help (Even if I have my gripes with that adaption). Unfortunately, there is very little Dracula x reader content out there, and I can only reread it all so many times. o(TヘTo) I also started writing this a bit before the Dead Cells x Castlevania crossover was announced, so that only fueled my motivation to write this. This series is also going to ignore some stuff in canon like some stuff in Aria and Dawn of Sorrow. Canon is just a sandbox and I’m making a castle. I hope you all enjoy the start of this new series! This is part 1, and is mostly setting up the scene for the story. Hopefully there will be more to come! Apologies if this chapter is a little messy. (❁´◡`❁) Summary: When you decide to take a vacation to get away from a toxic home life, you just expect a few days of relaxation to revitalize yourself. However, you didn’t exactly plan on finding the castle belonging to your family’s arch nemesis. Especially when he should be dead for the next century... CW: Reader is a Belmont, Anxiety and anxiety attacks, brief mentions of past trauma, mentions of toxic home life, increasing stress, death mention, paranoia and confusion, you’re safe though don’t worry. Word Count: 6016 words! First: Here! Next: Link

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All you had wanted was a break.

You wanted, no, needed to get away for a week. Simply put, your home-life had become unbearable once again.

Normally, you at least tried to plan ahead when you wanted to take a break away from home, but things had been piling up. You knew if you didn’t get out, you were going to crash and burn again, and that was the last thing you needed as of late.

So early in the morning, before anyone else in your home had awoken, you packed a few small bags, and loaded up your vehicle.

You left a note on your kitchen counter for your relatives, and quickly left. If you thought too much about it, you’d start feeling guilty again, and stay behind.

Thankfully, the quiet car drive had been a welcome one, every mile further away from your home only seemed to lift the stress off of you little by little.

It took a while to get to your destination, but a few hours were nothing to you, considering your profession.

When you have to go on hunts across the country, and occasionally around the world, you learn to get used to the long travel time.

The trip to your current destination had always been worth it, though.

It was a small cabin out in the countryside. Your family had purchased some of the land a few generations ago, and it was a sort of vacation spot, at least until recent years.

Not many family members knew about the property anymore. Your late mother had been one of the few that knew about it, and had still used it. When she was alive, she took you often as a kid to get a break from your training.

You had nothing but fond memories of the place.

The little cabin and surrounding wildlife had become more than just a place with fond memories as of late. It had also become a safe haven.

When things got rough at home, it became a habit to take off to said little safe haven.

So here you were.

The cabin was the same as you had left it, not that it ever changed.

You walked through the overgrowth on the porch, and pushed through the front door. The inside was just as old and dusty as you remembered leaving it a few months ago.

Despite the layer of dust, it still looked well kept and comfortable. Just like you liked it.

Lugging your bags through the entry, you let out a sigh as you made your way through the small cottage. When you entered the living area, you unenthusiastically dropped your bags to the floor, and fell onto the couch with a loud sigh.

You didn’t do anything for a while, simply staring at the ceiling as you sat, your thoughts fast, but your head feeling empty. Overwhelmed, but dissociative.

It was like this every time you came here, but you could finally breathe.

No yelling, no arguing, no working your days away with chores at a house. If you were lucky, there wouldn’t even be hunting involved. Just pure, unbothered peace.

A scoff left your mouth at the thought.

“Some Belmont I am…” You muttered to yourself. What Belmont doesn’t like going hunting? Your aunts and uncles probably still jump at the chance to do so, and your step family would already be out the door with weapons in hand.

You didn’t hate hunting. But nowadays, you were beginning to dread doing it.

Either you were hunting all the time, especially on trips that were long and hard on you, or you were at home, forced to play housekeeper half the time. Anytime there was a hint of a possibility of a monster near your city, your step family took the job. They essentially barred you from doing anything nearby, only having you do the tedious jobs.

As much as you liked traveling, you didn’t like doing it for a hunt that might be a bust half the time. When you arrived at your destination, either the monster was long gone, never existed, or was already killed by a local hunter instead.

It’s become a drain on your personal finances, and a drain on your energy. Especially since you were always ‘expected’ to come right back home. Didn't matter if you were an adult, they needed their precious servant back.

“What a joke…” You huffed, before closing your eyes.

Attempting to relax, you took in the scent of the area, listening to the slight breeze and wildlife from outside.

There was so much going on in your head, but the cabin was already helping, you could tell. Despite your thoughts, your body was already beginning to lose tension.

This was just what you needed.

You waited a few more minutes, taking everything in, before you got to work. Getting up, you grabbed your few bags, and hauled them off into a bedroom. You dropped them on the bed, and moved to the closet, looking for something specific you had left behind years ago.

Opening the closet, you pulled out an old backpack, and brought it to your bed. With memorized ease, you opened your bags, and tossed a few things in.

It’s not like you’d need a lot for a hike. Just a few snacks, some water, and a few weapons just to be safe.

You weren’t exactly afraid of monsters showing up, but being who you were, you couldn't afford to be too careful.

Chances were you’d be fine. Monsters were incredibly rare on this stretch of land, and the wildlife tended to keep to itself.

You paused though when you gripped The Vampire Killer. The whip that had been in your family for centuries.

Would you really need this for a hike to clear your head…?

You stared at it for a moment, battling with yourself in your head. You took it just about everywhere. Not so much for hunting, but so it wouldn’t end up in anyone else's hands.

Eventually, you came to a decision, and placed the whip to the side. The whip was safe here at the cabin, and you had several weapons. It would be fine. You would be fine.

With your mind made, you finished packing your backpack, and slung it over your shoulder, before heading for the front door of the cabin.

The door locked shut behind you, and you set out in a random direction. It was still early in the day, just around noon, you figured you could go out by the mountains. You raised a hand up to the sky, wincing at the light.

“The shade should be perfect to come back this way by 5….” you mumbled, and got to walking.

You wouldn’t be out longer than a few hours. By the time you got back, you could make something light to eat, and catch up on some reading, if you were lucky.

Wandering around, you followed a few paths, before turning around the base of a smaller mountain. You knew the area well, but still enjoyed venturing out and exploring.

Especially as of late, the beauty and nature of the area was an amazing way to clear your head and de-stress.

The walk was nice, and you swore you remember a lake being in the area. If you could find it once again, it would be the perfect place for a picnic.

It had only been an hour of walking when you turned the corner of the base of the mountain, where you normally would have been able to see the lake.

Something felt a little bit off, though. Despite the weather forecast being clear for the day, the sky seemed to be clouding up the further you walked. Then the further you walked, the more on edge you felt. It was as if you were somewhere you weren’t supposed to be.

However, instead of a beautiful lake surrounded by a forest and mountain range, you were met with a sight that made your stomach drop.

Out across the edge of the lake, just past the tree line, was a humongous castle. One you distinctly remember not being there in the first place.

Lightning occasionally flashed around it, and you could hear the thunder in the distance. Despite how dreadful the dark clouds looked above it, the weather almost seemed deadly calm. It faintly reminded you of the eye of a storm.

You felt sweat beginning to form all over you, and you swallowed thickly as you stared at the ominous structure. Your hands shook, and you were finding it hard to stand.

Dracula’s Castle.

There was no doubt about it. You had learned about this castle your whole childhood, and understood what its presence meant.

Sitting down on the grass beneath you, you took a shaky breath. If you stood any longer, you were worried you would faint.

How was this possible? Dracula hadn’t been vanquished for that long…. Right before you had been born, if you remember correctly.

Has someone resurrected him? Or was someone trying to take his power? You had heard of both scenarios happening, and you weren’t sure which one you wanted to be true.

Hell, you knew it was possible for Dracula to be revived just a few years after being defeated, if someone powerful enough wanted to.

But if you were being honest… You hadn’t expected Dracula to be back in your lifetime, or at least in your youth. You had somewhat hoped it wouldn’t be your problem.

You didn’t exactly want the fate of the world resting on your shoulders.

It had been something you had feared since you learned the truth of your lineage. That Dracula may very well come back, and you, or your future kids may need to step up and defeat him. That you might have to be the one to save the world from destruction.

Licking your lips, you tightly gripped a strap from your backpack till your knuckles went white, and looked up at the sky.

“Hey God? Why me?” you asked, genuinely serious.

As expected, you received no answer, just another flash of lightning and clap of thunder in the distance.

Your eyes then landed back on the castle, and you let out a nervous sigh.

You knew you needed to check it out, despite the feeling of dread in your gut.

As you got up though, a sudden thought struck the back of your mind.

The Vampire Killer was back at your cabin, almost an hour away.

Groaning loudly, you couldn’t help but smack your face in frustration.

“Of course! The one time, the one time-! Of all times to have decided not to take the whip with me!” You cursed, frustration building in your chest alongside the anxiety.

Yeah, you could go back to the cabin and go grab it, but that would be wasting possible precious time.

“Okay… So, it’s not the end of the world… Yet… People have defeated Dracula before without the Vampire Killer. Not a big deal.”

It was a big deal, to you at least. This was huge. Dracula could be planning to attack humanity at any moment, and the best weapon against him was sitting snugly on your pillow back at your cabin.

You sighed.

Still, as you watched the castle in the distance, you couldn’t help but notice something odd.

You didn’t see any monsters. Hell, you didn’t see any bodies outside the front of the gate. Didn’t Dracula have monsters all over his castle, inside and out? Not to mention all the stories you had heard, involving impaled corpses that tended to sit outside the castle every other resurrection.

It was quiet.

No monsters. No bodies. No Dracula.

It made you feel sick, like you were waiting for something to attack you from just around the corner.

But the attack had yet to come.

You weighed in your options. Could you really just leave and go back to the cabin? How were you so sure nothing was watching you right now? What if something followed you back, and found your cabin?

Another thought suddenly hit you like a freight train.

Just how long had Dracula’s castle been here?

It has been over a year since you last checked out this lake. The castle was in the perfect place to remain hidden from view at the cabin, being behind a mountain. The castle could have been here this whole time, just an hour away from you, and you were never the wiser.

The very thought sent chills throughout your body. Just how close to death had you been this whole time?

You felt like you were going to hurl.

As much as you want to leave, and puke from the overwhelming emotions, you force yourself to stand your ground.

You had to investigate.

It wasn’t up for debate. As much as you would like to throw excuse after excuse until it was nighttime, you did not have that luxury.

You came to a decision.

The most important thing you could do right now is head into the castle and check things out. You had some weapons on you, so it wasn’t like you were going in defenseless.

If push comes to shove, you could always make a hasty retreat, and head back over to the cabin. There you could grab The Vampire Killer, and return after regaining your strength.

Was it the best plan? No. But right now, any plan was better than nothing.

A thought passed through your mind as you took a step forward.

Should you call for backup?

You had your father and step brothers, and even your uncle and aunt. Quick, you pulled your phone out, only to sigh in frustration.

“No service. Figures.”

You should have guessed. There was just barely usable service at the cabin, why would there be any out here in the wilderness?

Looks like it was all you. No help was coming for you.

If you died… You doubted help would come for you as well. Your family would probably only come looking for your equipment, if anything. The chances of them looking for you, especially here at this lake, were slim. There wasn’t a question in your mind that they would miss the castle.

Just like you had for who knows how long.

Gripping your phone for a moment, you sighed, before shoving it back in your pocket.

Calling was no use. It really was just you against the forces of evil.

“So much for an uneventful, relaxing trip…” You mumbled, and reached into your bag. Pulling out a dagger, you gripped in your hand for a few moments, before finally heading towards the castle.

The walk towards the looming castle wasn’t as long as you had hoped it to be. All the while, it also felt like it lasted an eternity.

Must have been the impending doom and anxiety, which only increased with each step you took.

Why hadn’t you come across any enemies? So far, just like you had seen from afar, there were no monsters.

Even as you quickly approached the gate, you saw no adversaries. No undead armies. No wolf men ready to tear you to shreds.

Just an old, rusted looking gate.

You couldn’t help but wonder, what was Dracula’s game? In nearly every journal you’ve read with family members in the past hunting him down, his castle is filled with enemies of all sorts. Even at the gate, monsters are usually ready to attack.

Yet, it was quiet.

For a few moments, you could only stare. It was now or never, and you couldn’t exactly ignore the fate of the world.

Gently pushing at the massive iron looking gate, you were surprised at how easy the door gave way. It slowly opened with a loud squeak of the hinges, stopping just a few feet forward, waiting for more force to push it forward.

You were a bit dumbstruck.

Was it really that easy? You weren’t going to lie, when you approached the gate, you assumed you may have to find another way in, or some obtuse way of opening it.

Peeking your head in, your eyes widened at just how… empty the courtyard was.

There were a surprising number of plants and trees, sure, but other than that? The only sign of movement there was, was the plants moving from the wind.

It was ominous. The lack of any life, or undead rather, made your hair stand on end.

A low rumble of thunder went off above you, and you looked up at the dark sky. Despite being early in the afternoon, it felt so late with the clouds surrounding the area like this.

It was fitting, you supposed.

Steeling your nerves, you pushed the door open further, and stepped into the courtyard. Each step had you on edge, with you anticipating an attack that never seemed to come.

That didn’t stop you from keeping an eye out though.

Approaching the door to the castle was more or less the same as the gate. Though it wasn’t any less daunting. The doors towered over you all the same, and did nothing to quell your nerves.

“...Should I knock?” You mumbled to yourself, before shaking your head.

“Stupid… It’s a Vampire Lord’s castle, who of which I’m supposed to vanquish. ‘Should I knock…’ what a dumb question.” you grumbled to yourself. Though at this point, it felt like you were stalling.

Taking a deep breath, you pushed the door open, fully expecting an attack.

But once again, you were completely surprised to see an empty entry hall.

“...Now this is definitely weird.” You mumbled, carefully eyeing the long, dimly lit hall.

You pushed past the door, and let out a small squeak as it shut behind you. The grip you had on your dagger tightened, and you shuddered at how the temperature seemed to drop.

It was cold. Unnaturally cold.

The air was stagnant, and hardly cold itself, but something about the area was nearly sapping your warmth. Was it your nerves? Or just some aspect of the castle being supernatural?

Perhaps it was the strange nerve wracking loneliness that seemed to echo with each step down the hall?

Either way, something was not right about the castle, and it wasn’t just the fact it was a being of Chaos.

It was the fact that the further you walked in, you were encountering nothing.

The courtyard and entry all weren’t the only empty areas. The large open room you entered after that had also been empty, along with the hallway and stairway after that.

Not a monster in sight.

There wasn’t even any sign of life in this place. Sure, you hadn’t encountered anything yet, but every room you entered, every hall you cleared…

It was as if nothing was here in the castle.

You weren’t going to lie. You were starting to have doubts about this being Dracula’s castle.

But at the same time, there wasn’t any explanation for this place otherwise.

Not to mention, the air in this place wasn’t normal. There was an underlying power in the air. The same kind that made your hair stand on end. The same kind that made the air feel colder than what it was.

What castle could feel this way, besides Castlevania?

“Still… none of this makes any sense…” you mumbled to yourself as you cleared another empty room. At this point, you were both extremely nervous, and incredibly frustrated.

You had combed through several parts of the castle at this point. It was getting late, and you were getting nowhere. Already you had been through what looked like an art gallery, passed by a library, and pressed on through a giant dining hall.

As you neared another set of stairs, you could only run a hand through your hair in irritation and stress.

Despite how much ground you have covered, you found no sign of this place being lived in. You only had so much daylight left, and you were beginning to feel like you were investigating a weird, lost cause.

Still, you persevered. If there was a throne room, you at least wanted to check it out. If you didn’t find anything, you would come back another day more thoroughly prepared.

And if you found something? Well…

You could hope for the best. Maybe if Dracula is there, he would be weak? It would make sense, given the lack of life and monsters in the castle. If he was weak, you wouldn’t have to worry about not having your whip, you hoped.

If not… Well, you could run away. Despite the lack of weapons on you, you still had a few tricks up your sleeve. You didn’t live this long as a monster hunter without learning a few ways to give yourself a back door for a fast escape.

Thankfully, it wasn’t too hard to figure out where the throne room was. It tended to be high up in the castle in nearly every iteration your ancestors talked about in journals.

Still, as you came across a final staircase leading up to a separate tower of the castle, you couldn’t help but be more on edge than ever before. The clouds circled above you, occasionally cracking off lightning and thunder uncomfortably close by.

“It really feels like I’m about to be in some final showdown from a movie…” You mumbled as you approached the door, your dread pooling in your gut.

However, much like the growing trend of this castle, you noticed something odd.

The door to the throne room was open, and creaked on its hinges. It was as if it was half hazardly pushed away by someone running out the room.

You briefly wondered if that was a bad sign or not.

Going against the little voice in your head telling you to turn back, you pushed past the door and walked in.

The first thing you took note of, despite the poor lighting from outside, you could see just how huge the room was. You could easily imagine it being big enough for a battle, or a council meeting.

Then there were the giant windows that occasionally lit up the room whenever lightning strikes. Some were even open, clacking open and closed from the wind outside, said wind occasionally pushing the curtains back every so often.

It certainly added to the creepy atmosphere.

Finally, there were the two most glaringly obvious parts of the throne room. The giant throne on top of a set of stairs, and what looked to be a statue kneeling in front of it.

You could only stare in silence. The tension you felt in the air was so thick, you felt it could snap at any moment like a stretched out rubber band.

Your curiosity pushed over your fear, and you found yourself walking forward. Each footstep echoing through the chamber, the sounds of your steps bouncing off the walls.

Coming to a stop a few feet away from the throne and the statue, you couldn’t help but feel… odd at the sight. A mixture of fear, dread, curiosity and intrigue turned in your gut as you stared down the statue.

It was Dracula.

Or at least… You thought it was Dracula.

The statue was big, despite the figure kneeling on one knee in what looked like pain or exhaustion. A hand gripping his gut, while another reached forward, clawed fingers pointing towards you. A cloak seemed to wrap around his body, but it hardly hid his large form.

The head was… a lot of things.

His face was hauntingly beautiful, much like you had come to expect from vampires. What was his hair seemed to beautifully frame his face, with his mustache and beard only adding to the charm.

However, under the beauty, you could see traces of what he really was. A monster.

Despite his handsome features, his face was contorted in what looked like a pained snarl. His fangs were bursting forth, large and ready to pierce.

And his eyes… His eyes were wide open, the whites a darker shade than the iris, which only added to his supernatural and inhuman look.

The room was silent, and you felt your blood run cold, despite the sweat on your skin.

It was Dracula, no doubt about it, but…

Why was he a statue?

Tentatively, you took a few steps forward, but still kept your distance.

You studied the statue a bit more, rounding it cautiously. After a few moments, you carefully stepped forward, and poked the shoulder, before jumping backwards.

Pure stone.

Your hands fell to your sides. It really was just a statue.

“Unbelievable.” You mumbled, confusion and disbelief clear in your voice.

Just what was going on? The castle was here, so in theory, so should Dracula. Not a statue of the guy.

“Unless…” You murmured, putting a hand along your chin in thought.

Dracula being turned to stone somehow… Perhaps that was the reason the castle was like this?

It made sense, the more you thought about it.

“It’s as if the whole castle is asleep…”

If Dracula was technically alive, but out of commission, then it would make sense. Though if you were being honest with yourself, you were still surprised you weren’t seeing some of his more powerful supporters. Surely you would have at least seen Death by now?

The deity was loyal to its master, appearing even when Dracula had not always been in control. So where was Death, or any other powerful monsters that no doubt would support the Lord?

Perhaps being petrified like this, also cut ties with his presence to those powerful monsters? He simply seemed asleep to them, or not fully revived. If he wasn’t fully around, or at least enough for any of his powerful generals to sense him, they simply did not know he was here.

Other than that, it was the only explanation you had.

It still made you nervous and uncomfortable though.

You continued to eye the statue. Was Dracula dead, or was he aware? What had happened to lead to this?

Thinking hard, you tried to remember everything your mother had told you about the last time Dracula had appeared. It was a long time ago, and your mother had only heard about what had happened from another family member.

Didn’t she mention that the Belmont who defeated Dracula last say something about a curse?

You cursed your poor memory, which had been worsening with your own health as of late. Shaking your head with a sigh, your frown deepened.

Still, even if you didn’t know all the details, this could easily have something to do with said curse you were briefly told about all those years ago.

Biting your lip, you placed your hands on your hips, unsure what to do, or where to go from here.

Obviously no one was in danger at the moment, even if you still felt on edge. Dracula was very much contained here in the castle.

But that left you with a bunch of different thoughts rushing through your mind.

You couldn’t really ask for a better spot for the castle to be, if you were being honest. It was hidden, right along private property. Chances of civilians finding it were slim. The less innocent lives you had to worry about, even if it was idiots trespassing, the better.

Then there was how to deal with the problem at hand. What do you do with the statue and the castle? You couldn’t just leave Dracula here could you?

“If I had only brought the Vampire Killer…” You mumbled under your breath, nails digging into your palms.

The whip was ancient, but incredibly powerful. It was strong enough to break down stone. You could finish the job tonight, if you wanted to make the trek…

But would that be wise?

…Did you even have much of a choice?

It’s not like you can actually do anything right now, anyway. Your dagger and other weapons can’t cut through stone. Not like your whip could. You would be here for hours.

You let out a sigh and rubbed your temples, exhaustion creeping up on you. Sure, you hadn’t fought anything, but this whole ordeal was adding onto your already existing stress.

Running a hand through your hair, and looking out a nearby window, another thought ran through your mind.

What if you revived him by destroying the stone? Even if he was cursed, you weren’t aware of the specifics, and you didn’t want to be the one to accidentally doom the world by trying to ‘save’ it.

Feeling your hair stand on end again, you quickly glanced back at the statue. Even if he was on his knees, he was still level height with you.

And it felt like he was looking right at you.

The thought made you very anxious. Was he alive? Or even aware you were standing right in front of him? A Belmont, debating on how to end his life?

Suddenly, the very thought made your stomach sour.

“I… Need to go. I need to leave.” You said, finally making a decision. You needed to get away from here.

You were not equipped to handle this.

A fight to save the world? Sure, you could improvise.

But whatever was happening here? No. No way.

Despite your conscious telling you to stay and deal with the problem, you tentatively took a step backwards. Then another. And another.

Your eyes stayed on the statue until you reached the door, and you quickly turned and left, shutting the large door behind you.

It didn’t take you long to hightail it outta of the castle. The main layout you had passed was burned in your mind, and made it easier to run through.

Though it wasn’t until you were out of the castle, did you feel like a weight had been lifted off your chest. The moment you passed through those large, ominous doors and into the courtyard, it was as if you could breathe again.

You didn’t wait to catch your breath.

Running through the courtyard, you sprinted out past the rusted gate, not stopping until you were long past the lake that sat in front of the castle.

Finally, when you reached the spot where you had first noticed the castle, you came to an abrupt halt. Panting, you turned around, and eyed the ominous structure.

It was late now, the sun had been setting for a while. However, that didn’t hide the castle from your sight. The dark clouds still hovered above, with lightning and thunder striking every so often.

You still couldn’t believe it. Dracula’s castle was here, for who knows how long.

And you were going to have to destroy it somehow.

“Lucky me…” You mumbled.

Taking one last look, you anxiously made your way back to your cabin.

The walk back, which normally would have been peaceful and relaxing, was nothing but a stressful venture for you. Sure, the castle seemed empty, and you could no longer sense it the further you walked. However, that didn’t mean you were safe.

For all you knew, you were being followed by an army of hell, just waiting to ambush you.

That… didn’t really put you at ease, even as you approached your cabin.

Cautiously, you opened the door. With your weapon ready, you made a quick search of your small home.

Thankfully, no one but you seemed to be here. You weren’t sure if that relieved you, or made your anxiety worse.

You decided to take it as a blessing.

Still, you didn’t rest. It was too late to drive back, nor did you want to just leave, knowing the castle was right there, just an hour away by foot.

Biting your lip, you eyed the Vampire Killer, which was still sitting innocently on your bed. You could practically hear it in your mind to pick it up and head back to the castle. ‘Use me! Use me! Finish the job!’

As much as you wanted to, you felt a sick feeling in your stomach. Something wasn’t right, and you knew it. You just needed to figure out what it was, before you made any hasty decisions.

One wrong move, and you could not only revive your family’s immortal enemy, but also potentially doom the world if you fail at killing him. This was something where you had to tread lightly, lest you make a horrible, world ending decision.

No pressure.

You stood next to the bed for a few minutes. It felt as if your mind was racing, but you felt unable to think at all.

With a sigh, you made up your mind. Grabbing your whip and a bag, you headed to the backdoor. You wouldn’t be hunting Dracula tonight, no, but you still had to ensure your safety.

Starting with some protective measures.

Thankfully, throughout the generations, your family came up with many different ways to ward off monsters and vampires from properties. If you wanted any sleep tonight, you would have to put some of these in place, at least for your peace of mind. It wasn’t something that would take too long, but better safe than sorry.

Even if you hadn’t seen a single monster, you weren’t going to risk your life by making assumptions. It was small mistakes that got hunters killed, and you weren’t going to join their numbers.

Setting up a few traps and enchantments took longer than you would have liked, but you weren’t going to take any chances. Your cabin already had some traps in place, but renewing everything wasn’t going to hurt anyone, let alone you.

When you finally sat down on your bed, you rolled onto your back, and blankly stared at your ceiling. The Vampire Killer in your hand tightly.

“What now?” you asked yourself.

The answer seemed simple. Sleep, wake up, and take care of the problem.

It wasn’t that simple though. You already had fought yourself about this for hours. Did you really need to now, right before bed?

You turned your head to the side, seeing your phone charging on your nightstand.

“I could call for assistance…” you said, toying with the idea in your head. But did you really want to invite that mess here? With how reckless your family at home was, you didn’t think it was a good idea.

Then there was the fact they would find this place. Your little sanctuary away from them. They would never give you peace if they found this place. In fact, you were sure your father would tear it down, or claim it was his, since he was the beneficiary after your mother passed.

They would never let you have anything like this. You knew they already had tried multiple times to find where you go when you disappear, you weren’t going to give them that luxury.

Most of all, you weren’t going to give them the last thing left untouched that had been your mother’s.

You could call your other family, such as your uncle, but you shot idea that down. You hadn’t really talked to your aunt or uncle in years since your father took over everything. For all you knew, their numbers had been changed again. As much as they’d probably like to know what was going on, you felt a bitterness in your gut.

As much as you loved your aunt and uncle, they hadn’t so much bothered calling or texting you these past few years. Why would they help you now? Maybe for some glory? ‘To keep humanity safe?’ When they haven’t even helped out family?

You snorted. No thanks.

Besides, it would no doubt take them hours to get here, and they’d probably tell your father about this place against your wishes. Something about wanting all ‘Belmonts’ on deck. Bah.

Turning onto your side, you reached over and turned the lamp on your side table off.

You could think more on this tomorrow.

#castlevania #dracula vlad tepes #dracula #dracula x reader #castlevania x reader #x reader #reader insert #Belmont!reader #eventual relationship #cw death mention #cw anxiety #cw paranoia #cw toxic family #long post #zed.writes #to be continued

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ecriter · 1 year

Text

Make the Bond - Masterlist

A Miles Quaritch x Metkayina!Reader Fic

Unexpectedly, your life is flipped upside down when a waterlogged stranger washes ashore in your village. Hostile, nasty, and unable to speak the language, he makes for a headache of a combo. But something inside tells you not to give up on him, that he's capable of learning and change. But how are you supposed to trust this yellow-eyed stranger when you suspect there's more to him than he's letting on? Not to mention the rumors of a dangerous avatar on the loose...

The tag list is below! If you have any interest in being tagged in the next chapter/future updates, let me know on this post or any of the chapters :)

Updates don’t have a specific schedule but will be every 7-10 days

ao3 link here

Chapters Last Update: 8/09/2023

1. Stranger in Blue

2. Like a Baby

3. Close Call

4. Trust

5. Under Enemy Eyes

6. I See You

7. Make the Bond

Chapter 8 - Coming soon!

_______________________________________________________________________

Tag List

@capitanostella @kacchasu @nin3kyuu @perseny @onehalfshrimp @blossom618 @shuriri4life @lynlotte @ikranwings @disaster-in-waiting @gremlinfuck @deadpoolsvodka @naityelen @zilena9 @drinking-tea-and-be-obsessed @gaudesstuff @thedumboneforsomereason @philophobianprincess @mrmckenzie @waterstrawberry @phoenixgurl030 @azilove @skinmittensgoblin @nyylovestowrite @mckenzieriley69 @innerdogsspacekid @bob-the-ikran

#avatar way of water #avatar imagines #quaritch x reader #quaritch imagines #recom quaritch #avatar quaritch #na'vi quaritch #miles quaritch #enemies to lovers #strangers to lovers #avatar #eventual relationship #eventual smut

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cosmic-crybaby · 8 months

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Blue Skies - Tommy Shelby

Chapter 15: 'Alone Tonight'

Warnings In This Chapter: Hinted affair, excessive alcohol consumption, arguing, Thomas really messing things up for himself etc. etc. etc.

Masterlist:

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The distance between you had only grown with the passing weeks.

The more time had passed, the more Thomas had to work. The more he was gone, the more you realized you had been sleeping alone most nights. You understood how busy he was and how his job and family relied on him to make the right choices, but you were a part of his family too, You wanted to keep reminding him, but you knew it was useless when he couldn't put off business any longer.

It was the the night before Elizabeth's performance, and you had finally caught a moment with him. You didn't want to be a bother as you caught sight of him sorting through endless piles of papers on his desk.

"Thomas..." You meekly called as you stepped through the threshold and into the office. He looked up at you for just a moment. And in the split second, you saw just how overworked he was, slowly being consumed by his work. He acknowledged your presence with a small raise of his brow. His blue eyes lit up behind his glasses. "I didn't want to bother you, but I wanted to remind you that tomorrow is Elizabeth's first performance, and she really wants you to be there," You told him, walking further into the room. By the time he nods at your words, you were already at the front of his desk.

"You could have told Francis to deliver the message to me instead of getting out of bed to tell me yourself...you know you need to rest more now that you're further along," He simply stated.

"I wanted to deliver it to you myself so you know just how important this is,” You stood up straight, making sure it was known to him that you were not to be taken lightly at that moment.

“I’ll surely be there,” He sighed.

“If you can’t make it, tell me now so-” You rambled. Thomas takes a heavy, slightly frustrated sigh.

“(Y/n),”

You shut your mouth as he stated your name. ‘Hm?’ You hummed, raising your brows in acknowledgment.

“I would want nothing more than to be there, I promise I will go,” He calmly stated. You nod once.

“It’s late, please try to come to bed tonight,” You reminded him of the time. By this time he was fully invested with his work again as he just hummed at your request. Without another word you were gone. You read his actions loud and clear before going back to the bedroom, holding on to the railing to help you along the way. You slept alone that night once again.

The next day was a busy one. Your kids were taken to school in the company Bentley as you were off to work. Sitting in the office, doing some last minute paperwork and orders for inventory. Ever since you started seeing Thomas, you and your family were put on the protection list, on behalf of the Peaky Blinders. Thomas even managed to have your bills paid and taken care of. It made you feel uneasy to have your independence taken away, but you wouldn’t emasculate him when you knew he was doing it to not only ensure you were taken care of but to ensure you put all of that money into your own wallet for once. The Peaky boys would often linger around the front and back of the bakery to make sure you weren't in harms way. It's not like you ever were in the first place.

Winter was slowly rolling in and you were preparing hot drinks and baked goods for the customers who just wanted to keep warm during the cold seasons. You even offered to serve hot whiskey cider to the workers who came in at the end of their shifts when the snow really kicked in.

And that was why you were everyone’s favorite baker.

After you had closed up the shop, you were picked up and taken on the trip back to Arrow House. You got yourself and Henry ready for Elizabeth's first big performance at the ballet. Frances was there to help get Henry dressed. You struggled to clasp your earrings on you asked her:

“And where the fuck is Thomas, we’re late!”

Much to your knowledge, he was in his office. The pub was lively that night, but he was sitting like a dead corpse at his desk. Smoking a dull cigarette while staring into the flames of the fireplace. The music and laughter muffled by the thick, wooden doors. The heat filled the room but Thomas was still as cold-hearted as ever. Thomas was a smart man after all, but his weakness had just strutted through the door. Holding an even bigger vice than herself, right in her thin hands. Two crystal glasses and brand new bottle of whiskey.

If his recent days hadn’t been so hectic he would have declined her advances and her offer to share a drink. And maybe he would have remembered the promises he made.

At the theater, the show was just starting. You sat in the second row, your son beside you to your left and an empty seat to your right. You watched in amazement and excitement as you spotted her on stage amongst the other swans. Her small height compared to the taller women giving herself away. She looked so beautiful and grown up it nearly made you cry. She didn’t show any sort of hesitation or insecurity as she hit every step, spin, and leap in tune with the orchestra. But in the back of your mind, you still wondered where Thomas was.

“Why aren’t you out there? Arthurs’ just started singing,” She chuckled as she closed the door behind her, drowning out the loud noise and music.

“Lizzie,” He blinked at her as she sat in the chair across from his desk. The red dress she wore exposed her shoulders and her long arms, the necklace that hung around her neck was shining under the lights.

“To what do I owe the pleasure?” He asked, sitting up and putting the cigarette out in the ashtray. Assuming she was inquiring about her job. She shrugs a bit, setting the whiskey and cups on the desk in front of him.

“I just wanted to speak with you,” She reached for one of his cigarettes, and being the gentleman he was, he lit it for her. She continued to speak, but he began to drown her out.

He eyes the alcohol for a moment before clearing his throat and reaching to check his pocket watch. He could have sworn he had somewhere to be, but he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I didn’t ask you to put anything on my schedule for tonight, did I?” He interrupted. It was unlike him to forget things so easily.

“Um…” She paused to think, but it came up empty and she shook her head. “No, you didn’t tell me anything about tonight. Why, am I keeping you from attending something important?” She asked. His gaze was distant as he slightly shook his head.

“I suppose not, now…what did you want to speak to me about?” He asked. He watches as she stands up to open the bottle and pour him a glass as well as herself. Watching him as he took a small sip, longing for his touch again…missing him deeply. Loathing him for what he did behind her back. But then again, she still wondered…

“Are you happy, Tommy?”

“No…No not always,” He gruffly answered, but his answer was honest nonetheless. But, she already knew that. Everyone already knew that he wasn’t a happy person. After France, after Grace and Charles, after constantly worrying about losing his family. But then, there was you. You helped him little by little to gain that happiness again. To maintain that feeling of being alive.

But that was only temporary when Luca Changretta had his family's names engraved on bullets.

“But there are things in me life that help…still working on those things,” He said. Lizzie nods along.

“What things?”

“Being a good man…a good father,”

She hums.

“Yeah…kind of wished you worked on that when we were together,” She takes a deep inhale of her cigarette. And if Tommy Shelby wasn’t so cold already, her words would have cut him like a knife.

“Why did you do it?” She finally asked after they sat in their silent tension. He set his glass down, looking away from her.

“I wasn’t in love with you,” He told her honestly. She held her stare on him for a moment. Nodding bitterly.

“You’re a fuckin’ liar,” She accused. Tommy chuckled as he leaned back in his office chair with a creak.

“If you really didn’t love me, you would have let me marry John, or fired me after I spoke to your mistress, or wouldn't have given me this fucking job in the first place…so explain that to me, you at least owe me this,” Her eyes were glossy with hot tears. The blinder hesitated before he took one last finishing gulp of the whiskey in his cup.

After the performance, you waited for her in the hall of the theater. She skips to you and Henry, already carrying a bouquet of roses, wearing her boots and a coat over her leotard. Her hair and makeup are still on. She smiled brightly as you opened your arms to engulf her into a hug.

“You did amazing!” You praised her proudly, letting her go as Henry stood beside you.

“I saw you almost tripped,” He teased.

“Shut up,” She nudged him

“Henry that’s-” You started to scold the younger son before you noticed Elizabeth glance around the room.

“Where is Thomas?” She asked, her smile was still on her face but you saw the faintest dismay.

“He really wanted to come, Love but he got stuck at work,” You lied. You had hoped that was the case, but even you weren’t sure. You rubbed her shoulder comfortingly. She stutters.

“That’s okay, can we just go home? I’m starving,” You nodded, your arms over her shoulders as Henry held your other hand, slowly leading them out of the theater and to the car.

At home, you tried your best to hide your disappointment in your fiancé, who still hadn’t shown up. But regardless, the three of you sat at the dining table as the maids served Elizabeth’s favorite dish. Roasted chicken, potatoes, salad, and bread. It was simple compared to the other dishes the kitchen staff make, but it was more than enough for your family. In her opinion, your home-cooked meals were better.

“Did you know dad came tonight?” Elizabeth stated as she picked up her silverware.

“Was he the one who brought the roses?” You asked, desperately wishing you could guzzle some wine to distract you from the growing stress in your chest. The feeling of dread coming and going with every ticking second on the clock.

“Yeah...he sat in the back, he saw me just before you did,”

“That’s nice, darling I’m glad he came,”

‘At least he made an effort, can’t say the same for Thomas,’ You bitterly thought. Your eyes were dark as you stared at your plate. Aggravation causes your appetite to greatly decrease.

“Should we wait for Thomas?” Henry asked. You shook your head.

“Go ahead and eat,” You gave permission as you moved the food around your plate, attempting to at least eat. You, rather aggressively, cut into your chicken as your silverware clanked on the ceramic plates. Your children watched you, giving each other a knowing glance to not ask as they followed and hesitantly began eating. You heard the heavy footsteps of your fiancé walking into the room. “Sorry I’m late,” He apologized as he went around the table, rubbing Elizabeth's shoulder and tussling Henry's hair before he approached you. Henry fixed his hair as he smiled up at him while Elizabeth gave him the silent treatment. He placed a hand on your shoulder before kissing your temple. “Hello, sweetheart,” He whispered. Your lips form into a tight line before you acknowledge him. Your jaw clenched a bit as you refrained from pulling away from his touch. He sat down in his own seat across from you.

“I’ve been trying to reach you for hours,” You stated, a hint of displeasure in your voice as you take a sip of water.

“I was at work,”

“All day?” You quickly shot back.

“Yes, darling I was stuck at work and then I attended a very important family meeting,” His tone slightly changed, exhausted from his long day and the interrogation he had to go through with you. As he got situated, the only noise was your children eating and quietly whispering back and forth.

“Well, Elizabeth did amazing tonight,” You reminded him after clearing your throat, keeping your eyes down on your plate. Thomas formed his lips in a thin line, internally scolding himself. He knew deep down he had forgotten something important. He glances at you but your eyes were elsewhere, the dead and tired look in his eyes showed only a bit of guilt as he looked from you to your daughter.

“Elizabeth,” He called. She only continued to eat, not looking at him when he spoke. “I had a terrible and busy day at work today, but I apologize for not showing up tonight, I was really looking forward to seeing you,”

Elizabeth just glanced at him.

“It’s fine…” She simply said before going back to pushing her food around her plate.

“You know, next time you’re going to be this late, I would at least appreciate a call,” You told him, quietly enough so only he could hear.

“And next time when I have a shit day at work, I would appreciate it if you didn’t badger me the second I walk through the door,” He said in the same volume, but in a more apathetic tone.

Your eyes scanned him, examined him as he just stared at his plate. Your eyes quickly scan your children before turning back to pick up your glass of water.

“Eat some bread for Christ sake,” You hissed your Small Heath accent thicker than he had ever heard. Thomas widened his eyes a bit in disbelief as he started dismissively yet obediently eating the food on his plate.

“Henry, how was your day?” You asked him. He looked up at you and smiled. Thomas' gut sank at the change of pitch in your voice. The sweetness as you spoke to your children was like honey.

“It was good,”

“And your lessons?” You pondered again.

“I’m getting better, Miss Matisse says I might even have a part in the orchestra this year,” You smiled warmly at him.

“I’m glad darling…what about you, Elizabeth?” You turned to her.

“It was fine…just uneventful before the show,” You nod at her words.

“What about you, Thomas?” You asked, sarcasm and accusations seeping from your words.

“It was fine, (Y/n)...How was your day?” He feigned interest.

“Oh, I think you should go first,” You mumbled.

“You can go first,” He scoffed, arguing.

“No,” You set your silverware down with a loud clank and looked at him. Sharply lifting your head to make direct eye contact with him. Your eyes darkened as your tone and demeanor completely changed, it was something he had never seen before. “Tell us, how was your day?” You faked a smile at him as he just stared at you. His eyes are low and dark.

“I said my day was fine…” He said back to you, spitting as much venom as you did. You heavily sigh through your nose. Bringing your water to your lips. As dinner went on, Henry had brought one of his toy cars to the table. Rolling the wheels over his napkins and silverware. The irritating squeaking of the wheels caused everyone at the table to feel vexed, but Elizabeth was the first to snap.

“Will you stop?” Her brows furrowed as she looked at him. He grinned as he stopped momentarily before continuing.

“Stop!” She shouted.

“No,” He argued, sticking his tongue out at her. The two continued to bicker.

“We all want to hear what happened to you today,” You said again. Thomas sat back in his chair, pressing his thumb and index fingers to the bridge of his nose. He pulled his fingers away as he stared at the nearly full plate before him. His mind was practically numb at this point, and the anger began to bubble up with every passing second. The frustration radiated in his head, jaw, and shoulders as he shifted to try to calm himself. The more you questioned him and the louder your children fought made his head ache and his jaw clench. Just then, Elizabeth grabs the toy car and begins to run around the table as Henry chases after her.

“Elizabeth, sit down please,” You sternly, yet tiredly ordered. “Mom, she won’t give it back, make her stop!” Henry complained as she held the toy over his head, just barely out of reach.

“Both of you come sit back down, I won’t ask you again,”

They continued to chase each other and argue as Thomas sat in silence, the pending anger just waiting to be set off. The two children began to yell and whine.

“Mom!”

“Knock it off, let go of me!”

“Stop it, both of you!”

“Stop!” They repeated loudly. Just as you were about to stand, Thomas abruptly stood from his chair, it loudly scraped against the floor as he slammed his hands on the table.

“Shut the fuck up!” With each word he yelled, his hands came down to slam on the table. You covered your ears, startled by the sudden loud noise as Henry and Elizabeth stopped in their tracks, in sudden shock as they stared with wide eyes. The room was suddenly silent. You kept your eyes down at the table and your hands were on your lap. Upset and angry but not sure how to react. Thomas takes a deep breath to calm himself down. Hanging his head low before standing up straight.

“I…I am so sorry, but you really need to listen to your mother, eh?” He asked. Breathing heavily, he takes a cigarette out of his pocket. He didn’t even notice the blood on his hand until he saw the red stain his sleeve, the table, plates, and silverware below. He simply uses one of the napkins to wrap it.

“She asked multiple times to stop, you have to listen to her, she is your mother,” he excuses himself and leaves the room, a trail of smoke follows. You shakily stand up, giving your kids a tight hug, holding them into you tightly as you reassured them that things were going to be okay. You sent them to have a bath as you sat in silence at the table. Holding a hand over your mouth, feeling nauseated and shaken. You stand and slowly walk to Thomas’s side of the table.

“Fuck,”

---

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moonysbxtch0 · 7 months

Text

505

Part 9 : A word is a man’s honour

Summary: Professor Lupin confronts you about the prank but during it he also implies some things...

Pairing: Remus Lupin x werewolf student

Warnings : Teasing, sexual innuendos, sexual tension,blackmail( Remus trying to make reader do him a favour ,by finding the latter a Grindylow.)

Ao3 link : https://archiveofourown.org/works/39275319/chapters/117268138#main

<•>

"Who do you think did it?" Oliver crossed his legs as he faced you. The common room was pretty empty, only a few students were around, either studying, either chatting with their friends. You , Oliver and Percy had sat on the couch close to the fireplace, enjoying the warmth of the crackling fire.

"Must have been one of theirs." Percy frowned." Whoever did it , they're going to get expelled for sure."

"You think so?" Asked Oliver.

"Professor Snape demanded a meeting with the heads of the houses and from what professor McGonagall told me ,he was pissed and according to her he had every right to be. You know what they had written on the walls?" Oliver and you were waiting for Percy to talk. You knew exactly what he was going to say but were trying to act like you had no idea. Percy cleared his throat then spoke.

"And the quidditch game starts with Hufflepuff ,who always likes to play with class.

Then we have Gryffindor ,brave and loyal who always score.

Let's not forget ravenclaw , whose smartness always leads to a win.

And lastly but not least,yes we have Slytherin,bloodsupremacist little gits ,who always like to suck a bit of dick."

You felt your cheeks heating up,sure that seemed childish but a night before you and the twins found that pretty funny. Slytherin had managed to win a game against Hufflepuff and they had been bragging a lot about it eventhough they played dirty so it only seemed fit to write that on their wall.You had one problem that caused your heart to beat faster and make your whole being feel anxious. Professor Lupin knew that you were somehow related to that and if he as much spoke a word to Snape or Dumbledore,you and the twins would pack your bags and never step foot in Hogwarts ever again.

"I think that's pretty funny." Sneaking on his brother, George put Percy on a headlock and using his fist he rumpled his hair.

"George -" Percy was trying to get out of the headlock but couldn't.

"Percy got no sense of humour." Said Fred as he got in front of his brother, leaned forward and started tickling Percy to the point the latter couldn't stop laughing." Yes, that's how a normal person is supposed to react to that ' poem' ". Laughed Fred as he stopped ticking his brother and motioned to George to stop choking Percy.

"Idiots!" Huffed Percy as he stood on his feet angrily. "Let's go Oliver." The two of them left after bidding you goodnight and George sat on the couch, followed by Fred.

"Pretty funny eh?" Winked Fred. You took a deep breath and threw your head back , resting it on the couch."What's wrong?"

"Professor Lupin knows." You closed your eyes as you exhaled loudly.

"Knows what?" Asked George.

"That I was related to the prank. He asked me to go to his office tomorrow."

"Come on ,you must have misunderstood his words. He can't know,we used the invisibility cloak. Probably you did something that upset him or I don't know..." You pinched the tip of your nose and then faced Fred.

" Oh and Y/N...I forgot to mention but tomorrow I will be expecting you in my office. Something related to your late night walks...is what he said to me a few hours ago. He knows."

"Shit!" They both said at the same time .

<•>

Your leg was bouncing like crazy from anxiety as professor Lupin explained the lesson about inferi. You were biting the inside of your cheek so hard that it felt like you would draw blood from it. Your eyes were glued on the professor but your mind was elsewhere... would he snitch on you?After all the talk he said about you being his favourite student he wouldn't be that mean, would he?Wait... everytime he made eye contact with you it didn't feel any different from the normal...maybe he had forgotten. That would be a miracle that you would thank Merlin for every single day.

"That's it for today. " The professor clapped his hands and smiled."Don't forget to hand the essay on inferi in two weeks. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask." Nobody asked any questions and the professor nodded." All right. I truly hope you understood everything. With that you're free to go." He motioned at the door with his palm. Maybe this was your chance...blend with your friends and leave without being noticed. You packed your stuff as fast as you could and hurried to the door ,the second you stepped foot outside the door you heard a voice that made you freeze on the spot.

"Not so quick Y/N." A few students were bumping into you as they passed." Back inside,I will be waiting for you in my office."Soon enough he disappeared from the view and in a matter of seconds you found yourself alone between four walls. Slowly you made your way to his office,the door was open. The professor had sat on his chair,arms folded on his chest,eyes on his watch , eyebrows furrowed.

"Ehm... Sir?" You made your presence known.He titled his head up and locked eyes with you ,a small smile on his face.

"About time Y/N. What took you so long?" He smiled as he licked his lower lip. You didn't speak. It felt as if someone had tied a knot down your throat. Yep. You felt guilty,that was the cause if your inability to talk. "Hmm no words? " He stood up from his chair, rounded his desk and approached you slowly,hands on his pockets." Maybe I can help you find the reason?" As he kept walking closer and closer , on instinct you took a step back. He wrapped a firm hand on your wrist and pulled you close to himself,the back of your hand was flushed against his chest and you could feel the way his heart beat rhythmically. You heard the door close behind you and confusingly stared up at him."I'm not going to bite you Y/N , no need to stay that far." His tone was low and you found it hard to swallow again yet you were sure this time it wasn't because of your feeling of guilt. Something was wrong with your body...you could feel the temperature on it raise a few degrees and your heart was beating fast.

"I wasn't..." Your tone was low and seemed shy. Not like your usual self at all.

He chuckled and flashed you a toothy smile."You weren't staying far or you didn't do something you weren't supposed to?"

FUCK. He definitely knows and he definitely hadn't forgotten." Be more specific about the second part, professor."

"Playing dumb...is that what we're doing?" He manoeuvred your arm , using his hold on your wrist and brought it close to you , smacking you with your own hand on top of your head a couple times , jokingly." Think Y/N , think."

You closed your eyes with every smack and the chuckle he let out made you realise that he found the whole interaction entertaining.This wasn't funny...at all. Your career was on his hands and thinking of a chance that he would snitch on you made you feel nauseous.

"How did you even know it was me?"You locked eyes with him and he smiled. The nerve this man had...

"Let's not forget your accomplices ,the Weasley twins. It's selfish to take all the credit to yourself." It fell like a bomb on you.What in the Merlin's left ball?! How the fuck did he know about the twins as well?!He smacked your head jokingly one more time and let your palm rest there,he still didn't remove his hand from your wrist.

"Fuck..." You muttered.

"Fuck indeed." Your eyebrows raised in suprise. This was the first time you heard professor Lupin cuss." You almost got caught... would have if another professor was on patrol duty."

"Yet we didn't. I got no idea how you figured out that we were involved but you have no proof. Nobody's going to believe you." You furrowed your eyebrows at him and your lips parted. His eyes dropped to your lips and lingered there for a few seconds.

"Are you sure about that?" He locked eyes with you yet again. "I promise you professor Snape is mad to the point he wouldn't mind breaking a few rules and use Veritaserum on you three..." The professor titled his head to his left and had a cocky expression to his face. The worst part is that he's right,Snape would definitely do that and you would get expelled over a small prank.

"Well-" you tried to move your hand from your head because your arm was starting to get numb. His grip was firm so with a smooth flick of your wrist you managed to turn the tables and this time you were the one who had gripped his wrist." Are you going to tell on us?" Your eyes were piercing his whole being yet the professor didn't seem intimidated at all.

"Don't get me wrong,I was a student myself once as well." He turned the tables again and this time he clasped your hand with his and slammed your hand on the door,your body moving with it , completely caging you there.Was this normal? Of course not. You've caused troubles more times than you can count yet no professor tried to be this close to you while scolding you. Mostly because they were afraid of you also because they had boundaries with their students." As a professor however, I'm afraid that I'm supposed to do something." He licked his lips as he stared down on you,the small action making your abdomen clench.

"Do you always scold your students while caging them against a door ,professor?" It wasn't that you didn't like it. You had started fancying professor Lupin since the begining yet the thought of him doing this exact thing to someone else made your blood boil.

"Only the ones I like." His thumb was forming patterns on your wrist. The way his eyes darkened made the animal inside of you go feral. Full moon still needed a few more days so the fact that she was coming to surface so soon wasn't a good thing.

"I wonder who's going to leave faster from this school. Me, because you rat me out to Snape or you, because one day one of these other students you like does something innapropropiate to you and of course given that you're the adult, you're the one that gets fired."

Your tone reeked of jealousy and you didn't like that at all. Why? You've dated Oliver and he was popular around here ,all the girls threw themselves at him yet never once did you feel jealous. Oliver would even flirt with them once in a while to get a reaction out of you but you never got jealous.When it came to the man in front of you on the other hand ,you couldn't even hide this ugly emotion.The professor let out a dark chuckle that electrified your whole body. Oh the effect this man had on you.

"I think we both know that you're the only student I like." Now, this sentence had many meanings yet you didn't want to misinterpret it and make a fool of yourself. Hold up...this could be your escape card. He had told you a few times that you're his favourite student so you could use that in your advantage." But my question is, would you be willing to get me fired?" Heis voice dropped a few octaves lower and he leaned closer to you,his nose brushed against yours for the shortest moment. It felt like a spark of fire was lit in the center of your chest then in a matter of seconds a huge wave of fire engulfed your whole body. He didn't just say what you thought he did?! Sure , if he was down for it...so were you..." Just joking, no need to be that terrified." He leaned back and smiled.

"I-" I wasn't, that's what you were going to say but he stopped you before you could say anything.

"We've moved completely out of topic.Back to me doing something about what you did two nights ago."

He let go of your hand and created some space between the two of you.He ran his hand through his hair and scratched the back of his head. The first thought you had ,was to grab him by his tie and kiss him like it was the last day on this earth. He was so handsome,his messy hair and that expression on his face made it very hard to control yourself,yet you didn't. You didn't have the balls to. Plus he did say that he was joking,you didn't want to make a fool of yourself and add more things to get you expelled.

"Does that something involve you telling Professor McGonagall what we did and at the end of the day me and the twins pack our stuff and leave?"

One thing about professor Lupin is that he was the most confusing person you've ever met. You were good at reading people yet you've never been able to read him. He nodded in refusal as he smiled.

" Nothing of the sort. I think we can come to an agreement. You run a small errand for me and I won't say a word about you being involved in that prank." Something reeked in here and this time it wasn't your jealousy…

"What kind of errand?"

"You see , I'm quite busy this weekend and ..."

"No can do this specific weekend." You stopped him.

"Is that so?" He put his hand on the left side of his chest and gripped his shirt " It pains me to tell poor ol' Minerva that the ones who pissed Severus so much were students from her own house. She's not going to take it well."

"You play dirty." You furrowed your eyes at him and gave him a stare filled with annoyance.

"You've got no idea just how dirty I can play to get what I want Y/N." He stared at you and his eyes did that again, change their colour from blue to a shade of gold. It was futile to try and convince him to change the day of his errand so with an eye roll you asked.

"What do you need me to do?"

"I need you to find me a Grindylow."Was he mental?! A fucking Grindylow?!

"Those things live on the lake. How do you expect me to find you one?"

"I am sure you will manage. " He folded his arms on his chest and smiled.

"I think I would rather get expelled than die..."It was worth the attempt to play this card.

"Well ,in that case pack your bags and let me accompany you to the train station." He caught his lower lip between his teeth as he grinned. Out of everyone on this school... not only did you fancy the one person you could never have but you also fancied the biggest jerk to live.

"Sometimes I really question myself if it was truly a good thing that you came to teach here this year." You rubbed your eyes in annoyance." I'll do it." You locked eyes with him again.

"Pleasure doing business with you." He put his hand for you to shake and you gritted your teeth before clasping your own with his.

"I can say the same as long as you stay true to your word." You gripped his hand as hard as you could yet he showed no indication that he was in pain whatsoever.

"A word is a man's honour." He had a hint of laughter in his voice as he spoke." See you around,Y/N."

Part 10 : https://www.tumblr.com/moonysbxtch0/742142713346113536/505

#eventual smut #harry potter #professor remus lupin #remus lupin #remus x you #slow build #eventual relationship #fluff and humor #older man younger woman #professor x student #remus lupin x reader

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pls-hold-me-im-justa-weeb · 1 year

Text

Training with Zoro P.1 (Eventual Smut) Y/N X Zoro

🍶 Wc: 4k+

So I cross-posted this again from my AO3, and this is the second chapter. The first chapter really just is your background, and how you started training with Zoro. It’s not necessary really, but here’s the link - https://archiveofourown.org/works/44437204/chapters/111770101

TW’s: seasickness, vomiting

Part 2

-----

You were going to die. Happily, mind you, but you were still going to die. Your heart was going to burst, and not just from the training.

“When I said training, I didn’t think this would be part of it” you confessed breathlessly. Zoro huffed a small laugh under you as his back flexed. Holy shit he’s really strong.

“You better not drop those weights on me” he warned. You grunted.

“No promises” you teased. You were knelt on his bare back as he did push-ups beneath your legs. Balancing on his back while timing your overhead shoulder presses with him pressing upwards was not what you had expected when you asked for training. You had just started, and you were already starting to feel the burn of your muscles, on top of the soreness from last training session. Balancing while lifting light weights worked a lot more muscles than you thought it would.

“Don’t my knees and feet hurt your back?” you asked as you steadily lowered the weights down to gently touch your shoulders as the body beneath you lowered easily. He grunted as he began to rise, and you pushed your weights in time with his movements, air hissing between your teeth, like he taught you in the first session. You could feel his muscles working under your bare shins and knees, his warmth bleeding into you.

“You think you’re heavy enough to hurt me?” he scoffed once he straightened his arms. You glanced at his ridiculous weights to the side.

“I meant if my knees and the tops of my feet were going to bruise your back. Because they’re bony”

“Probably not”

You didn’t like his answer.

“Lemme off”

He scoffed, beginning to lower his torso slowly.

“Tired already?”

Yes, but that’s not why.

“Shut up. I don’t want to bruise you”

He promptly shot his body back up, and you nearly toppled off. You tossed the weights quickly to the sides while you flailed and gripped his toned shoulders with your now free hands. God dammit why is so warm and hot and gorgeous… STOP!

“Hey! Be careful! I almost dropped the weights on you!” you snapped. You could tell he was smirking. Bastard.

“I was hoping you would”

“What?! Why?!”

He lowered his torso again, this time all the way to the ground. You rolled off him, your arms still shaky from the weight training. You sat cross legged, glaring at him as he sat up and knelt on the floor. That damn smirk was back.

“To show you that I can take a hit. Not that it would be much from you” he teased. You narrowed your eyes at him. Was he trying to rile you up?

“I’ve trained my body since I was a kid. I know I’m strong. Hell, I’ve taken a hit from a giant demon zombie and lived. I can take whatever your weak little body can dish out” he teased, reaching out to pinch your (admittedly) flabby arms. You smacked his hand away.

“Are you trying to get hit?”

“Mmhm. You know fighting isn’t all about strength” he said. His demeanor changed from teasing to teaching.

“Last training session, I got a baseline for your current physical strength. That’s why I had you do everything until failure. Rough session, but now I know where to start with you. You have little to no strength in your arms, but with the right support from other parts of your body, you’d be able to take care of yourself in a fight. Your legs hold some power, but you don’t know how to utilize it by using different angles, center of gravity, and momentum. Training your shoulders, core, and back will be important too.”

You listened intently, trying to picture the type of fighting you’d do with the muscle groups. Your back, core, and shoulders would be most likely to be used for pulling, twisting, and stabilization if your arms wouldn’t be used really to punch. Your legs and center of gravity would be used to keep your balance.

“So… Like standing steady and pulling or twisting?” you pondered aloud. Zoro nodded with a proud smile.

“Using the opponent’s force against them. Once you’re ready, we can start having you spar with Chopper’s human form”

“He’s heavy though! He’d squash me easily”

“That’s why I said once you’re ready! Besides, he’d hold back so you can get your form correct. He’s a better choice than Luffy, and Franky’s forearms would be too big to start with. Though, I suppose you could use Usopp too. He should learn close combat” he explained, falling into a mutter at the end. You grunted an agreement.

“What about punching? Isn’t that how you’re supposed to fight?” you asked. The swordsman shook his head.

“When you’re a pirate on the Grand Line, there’s no ‘proper’ way to fight. Look at Luffy. He does whatever the hell he wants, and while a lot of that is punching, he uses his powers to make it unique. Franky does too. Nami uses lighting a lot, and Usopp is a sniper. Even that damn love cook doesn’t use his hands” he pointed out. You hummed in acknowledgement.

“Chopper punches” you observed. Zoro nodded.

“That’s why once you’re ready, you’re going to spar with him if he isn’t busy.”

“Why?”

“One of the first things a marine will do is swing at you with a sword, shoot, or go to punch you. Really, it’s easy to use very similar moves to pull the marine off balance by grabbing his gun or fist” he explained. You blanched at the thought of being shot at, brushing over the new scar on your arm. Your mind was beginning to hurt at all the knowledge being thrown at you in such a short time. You made a face as you massaged your temple.

“Don’t you guys run from marines a lot?” you asked. Zoro scoffed.

“Yeah. Our idiot captain gets us in trouble a lot. But most of those aren’t worth fighting, or we’re heavily outnumbered” he shrugged. You groaned and flopped back onto the wood floor.

“I’m not fast at all. Or have the stamina to run like you guys do” you admitted.

“Why don’t you run around with Luffy, Chopper and Usopp when they’re messing around? It’ll be a fun way to start to build stamina before I start with you” he said easily.

Your face burned at the words, and you let your gaze fall to the window. Before he starts building stamina with me? Would it be messing around in a different way? He cleared his throat suddenly, as if realizing what he said.

“Get up. You’re done with weights today, but not with your workout”

Your sigh turned into a groan as you heaved your body to stand upright.

“What fun do we have now, O Great One?” you asked sarcastically, smoothing your hair away from your face.

“Just for that, I’m pushing you harder” he smirked evilly. You swallowed, desperately trying not to imagine that smirk in a very different situation. One with less clothing. You looked away, desperately trying to will your desire away as you gazed out the window again. You heard him gulp some water before speaking again.

“Now get on your knees” he ordered. His voice had deepened slightly, probably due to the water. You didn’t care. As soon as the words left his mouth, your knees dropped. You winced when they thudded painfully on the hard wood as you felt your thighs jiggle slightly. You froze, slowly looking up at him as your face got hotter. Gods why did I have to be born obedient to this man. He looked at you in surprise, tinged with concern.

“Not a word” you breathed. Your face felt way too hot. You hid behind your hands.

“Not a goddamn word. Just tell me what you wanted me to do”

Your plea was met with silence. I’m going to die from embarrassment now. After a few moments, you peeked through your fingers. Zoro was looking at you openly, moving his blank gaze to your knees. He seemed torn. Between what, you had no idea. Probably disgust and his promise to you as a member of his crew. You looked away, suddenly invested in the bench nearby.

“Hey. Tell me what you wanted me to do” you spoke softly, but it seemed to break him out of his thoughts. You still weren’t looking at him.

"I uh. You can’t do it anymore”

Your heart sank. He really was disgusted then.

“Ah. I’ll uh. I’ll leave then”

“Wait! Why?”

You looked at him, trying to hide the hurt by overplaying confusion.

“You just said I couldn’t do it anymore.”

“Yeah, the exercise. You hurt your knees doing that, and it’s painful to do when your knees are bruised. I had to think of a different one to work the same muscles” he explained. His voice was level, like nothing just happened.

Right. The exercise.

“Ah” you replied eloquently. Zoro scratched the back of his head, almost as if he was embarrassed.

“I want you to do squats, each time as if you’re going to sit on the ground. Go as low as you can in a stance slightly wider than your hips, ideally so you’re a few inches above the ground. Stand in front of a wall in case you can’t get back up or fall back. Keep your hands clasped in front of your chest the whole time, unless you’re using the wall to help yourself back up. Do sixty to start – three sets of twenty, or however you want to break it up” he said clinically. You nodded.

“What are you going to do?” you asked meekly. He pointed to his ridiculously oversized weights.

“If you want to, take notes on my form when I lift. I don’t want you hurting yourself by accident” he said.

You nodded. You did take notes on his form as he lifted, watching how he stabilized himself and which muscles he seemed to work as the angles of his lifting changed. You firmly locked away the horny part of you in your mind, too embarrassed to let it run free again.

You let the burn of your muscles override your desire, approaching the situation with a clinical observation. The rest of the training session passed the same way. He paused to instruct you in your workout as he worked with his weights, efficiently describing different body weight exercises that worked your legs, abs, back and shoulders. He lifted his gaze occasionally to make sure your form was correct, and bark out reminders to keep your back straight or to engage your core.

Eventually, you collapsed onto your back, groaning as your abs protested.

“Rest up here until you can climb back down” Zoro said. He seemed amused at your pain, but you were too exhausted to make a retort. Something thudded by your arm, and you let your head loll to the side to look down. A water bottle.

“You need to stay hydrated, or you’ll be even more sore”

You groaned again in response, but hauled yourself up and greedily drank the water. Some ran in small rivulets down your chin, but you didn’t care. It was hot and stuffy with all the windows closed, and you were sweating. You moaned at the chill of the water and dumped the rest over your head. You slicked wet hair back from your face as you gasped. You finally felt like you could breathe again.

“Ohh fuck that feels good” you moaned. A loud thunk sounded across the room, and you glanced towards the sound. Zoro was facing away from you, breathing heavily as he picked up the weight he dropped. He must’ve really been working harder than you thought because even the back of his neck was red. Sweat was dripping down his back, and his shoulders were heaving from his breath.

“Should I open a window for a bit? You look like you’re overheating” you asked, slightly concerned. He grunted an affirmation in response, and you hissed as you forced yourself to stand on shaky legs. You muttered curses under your breath as you made your way to the window. You opened it and collapsed on the bench situated under it.

Looking out, the weather seemed steady for now. It was overcast and breezy, and there seemed to be sunlight streaming through ahead.

“If this keeps up, we might have a beautiful sunset” you observed.

“You’d have to ask the witch”

You flinched at how close the voice was to you. You sent him a glance, noticing he still seemed flushed from his workout. You patted the bench next to you as you moved further away from the open window. He sat and turned his head towards the breeze.

“Don’t be rude to Nami. She’s amazing at what she does, and makes sure we have enough money. You wouldn’t have booze otherwise” you chided. He merely grunted. Comfortable silence enveloped the room for a few minutes as the two of you watched the sea.

“Aren’t you supposed to stretch or something after you work out too?” you asked.

“Typically, yeah. Before and after. But with your muscles so new to this exertion, it might help you to stretch in a hot bath. I forgot to mention that last time. But we’ll always stretch before we begin our training sessions” he explained. His gaze shifted a little out to sea. He sounded distracted.

“Something wrong?” you asked, following his gaze. You didn’t see anything.

“Maybe not… but I’ll check with the witch” he muttered. He grabbed the transponder snail and clicked on the speaker system from the crows nest.

“Oi. Nami. Something seems weird ahead. Everything okay?”

“OIIIII!!! ZOROOOO!! CAN WE EAT IT?!” Luffy cried from below.

“Shut up!”

“It’s a storm! Everyone in their places! Thanks Zoro!” cried Nami. Zoro swore, rushed to grab his swords and don them before gesturing to you.

“Let’s go. This could be either brutal or really quick. Either way, you don’t want to be up here.”

You stood on unsteady legs, the sudden waves making the Crow’s Nest sway more than the lower deck. You stumbled, landing on your already bruised knees. You hissed in pain. An arm wrapped around your middle as the swordsman helped you stand before crouching down in front of you with his back open.

“Get on my back” he ordered. You slung your arms and legs over him, gripping on for dear life with your forearms around his throat as the boat swayed the opposite way. His hands gripped yours and yanked them away from his neck so he could breathe.

“Oi! Don’t strangle me!”

“Stop complaining and get us out of here!” you snapped. You felt the vibration of him muttering under his breath as he sped down the ropes. You squeaked at the speed paired with the swaying, and tucked your face into the back of his neck.

He landed easily on the deck, and knocked you on your butt as he sped off to help with the ropes. The ship tilted suddenly, sending Brook stumbling into you. You caught his light frame and steadied him.

“YO HO HO HO! Thank you! I don’t know what I should be doing or where I should be. Should I play a song?” he said, producing a violin from nowhere. You tucked his statement away for later.

“Whatever you want to do. I’m going to ask Nami and Franky if I should do something” you said in reply, rushing off up the stairs to the helm. As you reached them, you stumbled into Franky with the sudden lilt of the deck. It was your first storm on the grand line, and you didn’t really have your sea legs. Franky caught you, riding the swaying easily. You smiled your thanks.

“Do you want me to do something?” you called over the rising wind. Nami turned to you, shaking her head.

“It should be over in a half hour. Just sit tight until then” she instructed. You nodded, watching Franky and trying to copy his easy stance. Brook’s song started from the deck, giving you peace of mind. You stumbled again.

“How do you do it?” you asked the cyborg. He turned to you.

“Eh? Do what?”

“Stand and walk so easy on the ship when it’s like this” you gestured at the rising waves, and promptly nearly fell on your ass. Franky caught you easily again.

“Ahhh. That. Well, you just gotta ride the waves. You can’t fight it. Loosen your hips and knees. You gotta be part of the boat to ride the waves like a boat, ya know? The ocean can’t be tamed” he explained with his typical overexaggerated movements. You turned to the bow and deck of the ship, watching how they move, and preparing to move easily with the waves.

As the bow rose, the deck followed, and next would be the helm. You prepared for the rise of the floor beneath you, loosening your hips and knees as Franky suggested. You didn’t stumble. You blinked in surprise. You watched as the bow fell over the crest of a wave, dragging the ship with it. You prepared your body for the drop of the boat, and you only stumbled a little as the boat crashed into the water. You were getting it.

This lasted for about fifteen minutes, during which the churning in your stomach rose to overwhelming nausea. You didn’t notice Franky observing you closely as your face paled. You gagged, and stumbled over to the railing, emptying your stomach of the water from before. You continued to retch and gag, dizzy and getting a headache from the constant movement. A large hand rubbed your back and stroked your hair as you dry heaved. During a break, you looked shakily behind you to see the large man.

“I’d take you below deck but it’s worse if you don’t have fresh air” he muttered. Nami looked over at you sympathetically, and you groaned.

“Let me take you to the grass. It’ll help ground you but also it’s where the ship is moving the least” Franky continued. He walked you down the stairs, then disappeared briefly to grab a bucket. You leaned heavily against the railing, shaking and shivering.

Franky picked you up bridal style and carried you to the rear of the deck, so you could lean against the wall while sitting on the grass. You groaned as he sat you down, rain pelting your face as the ship tilted again. You heard Luffy somewhere whooping with joy. You wanted to punch him.

“Lay down sideways so you can smell the grass. It sounds weird but trust me. Smell affects sea sickness” he said. You flopped down onto the wet grass, shivering at the cold touch. You focused on inhaling and exhaling, trying to find the scent of the grass under the heavy salt of the sea and the cold of the rain. You felt the lurching of the ship and the shudders as it landed harshly on the water. You gagged a few times, propping yourself up onto arm to stick your head over the bucket. You distantly heard Franky calling for Chopper.

Soon enough, the reindeer entered your field of vision, holding medicine. You moaned in relief.

“Eh? You’re seasick? Why are you on a ship then? Shihehehe Do you need meat?” Luffy’s voice came from your feet, and you kicked out weakly, nudging his leg. Chopper fed you the medicine, which tasted strongly of ginger. You turned to the doctor, beckoning him closer to be heard over the storm.

“Thanks Doc. But tell Luffy if he says anything dumb to me one more time while I’m like this, I will throw him into the ocean once I can” you weakly threatened. Chopper nodded, fearful of your threat. He relayed the threat to Luffy while pushing him away. You collapsed back onto your side. It was a few minutes before you felt a presence beside you. You squinted up through the rain to reveal Franky had come back to keep you company through the storm.

“You know, it’s better to be distracted while you’re seasick. So I’ve heard. A lot of people visit Water 7, and talk about how they were seasick on rough seas. I’ve never been seasick since I basically grew up around boats. I can tell you stories to keep you distracted through the storm” he said. His voice carried easily above the wind and crashing of the waves. You nodded, feeling your nausea begin to subside due to Chopper’s medicine.

“Sure, but if you say seasick one more time, I’ll make sure I puke on your swimsuit” you threatened. A flash of horror crossed the cyborg’s face.

“This is my favorite one!” he gasped dramatically. You cocked an eyebrow, a weak smile threatening to break your façade. You gagged again, shoving your head over the bucket. You were only dry heaving, which you were thankful for, but you never knew if something else would come up.

“Oi oi! Fine! But you have to listen to the SUUPERR Franky stories!” he declared. You grinned, nodding weakly. He told you stories of his time in Water 7, ruling the backstreets with the Franky Family. He told you how he met each member, and boasted their specialties, complete with examples in the form of mini side stories.

You were so absorbed in his dramatic and expressive storytelling complete with odd dances that you hardly noticed when the waves began to die down; the bucket held in your hands forgotten. You only noticed the storm had fully passed when Brook sat down nearby, listening to Franky tell his stories. You shivered with your exhaustion and the cold of the water drying from your skin. Chopper trotted up, checking on you. You thanked him with a tired smile, which obviously made him really happy despite his words denying his emotions.

That night, while Sanji cooked a hearty meal full of meat for everyone else, you got a light soup and a small portion of plain rice, which you were immensely grateful for. You were hungrier than you realized, having done a full workout on top of emptying your stomach repeatedly. Your body needed the nutrients. You shyly asked Sanji for seconds, which he gladly gave you, landing a kick on Luffy when he tried to sneak your soup. Once you were full, you noticed just how exhausted you really were. You were still chilled, having only dried off and changed clothes. Yet, you couldn’t sleep due to the bone-deep chill that persisted no matter if you were snuggled in blankets or not.

You trudged up to the bath, which was only occupied by Robin. She let you join her readily. You had a sneaking suspicion she knew of your crush on Zoro, and you were too tired to even be embarrassed to be seen naked. Or to be flustered by her perfect body.

The warm water felt heavenly on your skin as you scrubbed the day’s grime off. Sinking into the soaking bath felt euphoric, and you moaned unrestrained as you sunk into the water. Robin giggled from the other side of the bath.

“Rough day?” she asked.

“Ugh. Yeah. I’m exhausted” you replied easily.

“What happened to your knees?” she asked innocently. Your gaze fell down to your knees, peeking just barely above the surface of the bath. They were bruising. Your face flushed as you remembered the incident with Zoro. You sighed. You’d already embarrassed yourself more than enough today, plus Robin wouldn’t be one to judge.

“When I was training with Zoro today… he basically ordered me to get on my knees. Of course, if a man like Zoro, who is shirtless, sweaty and attractive as all hell, tells you to get on your knees, by god you do. So I didn’t even slow down my fall really. I just literally dropped to my knees without thinking about it. God I’m such a sub” you muttered the last part quietly, but it didn’t go unheard if Robin’s quiet laugh was anything to go by.

“How did he react?”

“He was quiet for a bit, but eventually told me I couldn’t do the exercise he had planned anymore because of my knees so he had me do squats and sit-ups and other exercises while he worked with his weights. Of course, at first I thought he was telling me I couldn’t train with him anymore” you admitted. Robin hummed.

“Well you should stretch in the bath then. I’ll stay with you to make sure you don’t fall asleep in here”

You sent her a tired smile, remembering that Zoro had told you to stretch earlier.

“Mmm. Thanks. You know, you’re so peaceful to be around” you said as you began stretching you legs. You hissed at the feeling and glanced up at your companion. She was beaming at you, a genuine smile curving her lips.

“Thank you” she said quietly. You hummed, focusing back on stretching.

“Do you want me to massage your shoulders? They’re hard to stretch”

“Uh… If you’re offering, sure… but I don’t know how it would work when I’m stretching and leaning away from you”

Robin smirked, raising her arms elegantly so her hands were by opposite shoulders, palms facing up. You jolted as hands erupted from your back and began massaging your shoulders. You grunted at the feeling, wincing now and again when she hit a particularly sore spot.

“Oh. Thanks”

You finished stretching your muscles, with Robin adding in some advice here and there to move more effectively. Exhaustion was causing you to sway and stumble as you dressed yourself in pajamas. She guided you to your bed and tucked you under the blanket. You heard a whispered “goodnight” as your eyes closed, unconsciousness welcoming you back to the world of dreams.

#one piece x reader #fluff #g/n reader #zoro x y/n #zoro #spicy #not quite smut #eventual romance #eventual smut #mugiwara no ichimi #mugiwara kaizoku #reader is a simp #reader is part of mugiwara kaizoku #straw hat crew #eventual relationship #zoro x reader #no use of y/n #idk what tags to use

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ladylovesloki · 2 years

Text

Something Real: Chapter Two

Pairings: Loki X Reader

Warnings: Language

Summary: Readers house has another visitor.

Still not sure where this is going but I’m glad people are enjoying it. I hope you all like part two as much as you liked part one 💚🖤

~~The following morning~~

BANG BANG BANG

WHOOSH. BANG!

“Y/N!” You hear Thor’s booming voice in your home.

“Ughh fuck’s sake…” you groan.

You roll out of bed, fatigued from all of the tossing and turning and lazily walk out to the living room.

“Thor..it is too early for this..what is the problem?”

“The problem? Why is my nephew messaging me in the middle of the night that I need to come here immediately? That you are in terrible danger?”

“I wouldn’t say I’m in danger just mildly inconvenienced.”

“What has happened? What danger did Vali speak of?”

Vali huh, that’s not surprising. Little shit.

“Look Thor, it’s a lot to explain.”

“Ah hello brother..”

God dammit.

Loki walks into the room with a stupid smile on his face, dressed in his Asgardian clothes.

Thor looks at him in astonishment at first and then rage.

“What is this?…Brother..you didn’t..”

“No brother I did not fake my death again..your Loki from your timeline certainly did meet his end by Thanos’ hand..I am from a different timeline..in fact the last time I saw you, you and your merry group of morons stopped me from taking Midgard..”

Thor shakes his head in confusion, “so you never went back to Asgard after your defeat?”

“No brother, I escaped with the tesseract before you could remove me from Stark Tower.”

“Norns..the multiverse..it’s real?”

“Very..look, I have been through enough in the last few weeks to last me a lifetime, I just want to find a new home. I used this device to get here..” he holds out the tempad.

Thor shakes his head again in disbelief, “this is unbelievable..” he looks at you, “the children? They saw him then?”

You nod your head sadly, “Vali accused me of lying to him, Narfi has been cautious.”

“Sounds like them..alright brother..what will you do now?”

Loki shakes his head, “I don’t know honestly. I didn’t expect to find a timeline where I had children..”

You didn’t hear the twins step in the room, “you don’t want us?” Narfi’s sad voice asks.

Loki whips around and kneels before Narfi, “oh my boy, I said I did not expect it not that I didn’t want you. This was certainly a surprise but a happy one I promise you, I never thought I would have children..”

“Alright guys, I’m gonna make us some breakfast and we can talk some more.”

You prepare the food while Loki, Thor and the boys sat at the table and Loki told his tale of how he got to our timeline, being careful what he says since there were children at the table.

You finish the food and everyone quietly eats, Vali breaks the silence..

“So..what now?..are you gonna stay here?”

Loki looks to you to answer.

“Um I don’t know bud, we have a few things to talk about still.”

“Like what? Dad’s home..we can be a family now..” Narfi says hopefully.

“Oh…guys..I..” you stutter.

Loki takes the moment to chime in, “boys your mother and I need some time to decide on all of that, but I don’t want you to worry. I’m not going anywhere..”

He looks directly at you when he says that and to be honest you don’t know how to feel about it.

“Uh oh…mom..I think it’s happening again…”

You look at Vali, “burst?”

Vali nods his head almost frantically.

“Ok..up up up! We can make it out the back door to the backyard!”

You roughly pull Vali out of his chair and out the back door, running with him in your arms to the middle of the yard. Thor comes running behind you and took Vali from you, “get back y/n!”

Thor places Vali down and you step back as far as you can, you bump into Loki’s chest and his hands reactively go to your shoulders.

“What’s going on?” He asks concerned.

“His magic, sometimes he gets these bursts of magical energy that he can’t control.”

Narfi steps in front of you, watching his brother with a concerned face.

Loki steps around you both and walks to Thor and Vali.

“Move Thor.” He shoves Thor out of the way and kneels in front of Vali putting his hands on his son’s tiny shoulders.

“Close your eyes. Reach for your power. Don’t let it control you.”

Vali closes his eyes and whimpers, “I can’t”, tears start streaming down his face.

“You can. You are a son of Loki. Now focus.” He can see a green pulse starting to form around Vali, he is slowly losing control of the power inside of him.

“It hurts.”

“I know my son, breath. Focus. I can see the pulse of your magic, feel that pulse inside of you. Can you feel it?”

Vali scrunches his whole face, “yea..”

“Ok you need to seize control of that power, keep your eyes closed and take a deep breath”, Loki takes his hand and places it against Vali’s chest and takes his own deep breath, “breathe out” releasing his own breath helping his son along. “Envision the pulse of your power around you, envision it getting smaller and smaller. Bring it back into your body.”

Vali is putting so much effort into controlling his power he’s starting to sweat. His body must be so overheated because his jotun form is starting to creep across his skin.

Loki sees this and immediately changes his own form, placing his cold blue hand on his son’s neck.

“That’s it my boy..focus..breathe..don’t let it control you..”

You see Vali take deep breaths and the pulse around him slowly starts to get smaller and smaller.

You see his skin start to go back to it’s pale complexion, Loki’s doing the same.

Vali opens his eyes, his breathing a little labored, “wow..I’ve never been able to control it like that before…”

“You have a great power inside of you, If you would allow me I would love to teach you how to control it.”

Vali looks over to you, “please mom! Please! Did you see what I did?!”

“I did baby, we still have to talk about where we go from here ok?”

He looks down dejectedly, “ok…”

Loki gets his attention, “hey..we will figure it out alright..”

Vali nods his head and walks towards his mom and brother.

“I’m tired..” Vali leans his body against you.

“I’m sure you are baby, why don’t you go lay down for a bit.”

He yawns and nods his head, “ok..”

He goes inside and Narfi follows behind him, still a little weary of the new presence in their home.

You walk up to Loki, “thank you for helping him..it’s been such a struggle.”

“If you would allow it, I could teach them both how to control their power. They need a teacher.”

“They have a teacher”, you reply.

“Who?”

“Gorm” Thor responds.

“Gorm?! That is who you have training my sons?”

“There was no one else after Ragnarok Loki, we did the best with what we had left!” Thor defends.

“Well that’s over. I will be taking over their studies.”

“Whoa whoa whoa..you don’t get to show up and just decide who’s going to be responsible for teaching my children. Thor’s right, we did the best we could with what we had.”

Loki takes a moment and calms himself, “my apologies, I have overstepped. I know this has not been easy for you, raising children alone is hard, but raising children with magic? I’m so sorry I wasn’t here..”

You take a breath, “it’s not your fault.. you sacrificed yourself to save your brother and your people..I’m gonna go check on the boys.”

You go inside leaving Thor and Loki in the backyard.

“Tell me about her.” Loki says to Thor, not making eye contact with his brother. His eyes are staring at the door you just walked through.

“She is….a force.. and a wonderful mother. You loved her very much.”

“The children love her, I hope I have not disrupted their lives..all of this in an effort to learn my place in a time I don’t belong.”

“Brother, your place is by her side, with your children..you should discuss this with her.”

“She will never see them as mine! They will always belong to that other variant!”

“So prove to her that you want to be here for her and the children..you fell in love with her once, you will do so again.”

“I do not wish to speak of this anymore, I’m going to check on the children.”

Loki walks away from Thor and goes back inside, he walks to Narfi’s room first and knocks. When he doesn’t hear a response he opens the door slightly but finds it empty.

He closes the door and walks to Vali’s room, the door was cracked open slightly so he peaked inside. He sees you sitting on the bed, your back leaning on the headboard with Vali’s head laying in your lap fast asleep and Narfi was sitting next to you, his head leaning on your shoulder. Loki was about to walk in but then he heard Narfi ask a question that stopped him..

“Is daddy gonna stay?”

.. “I don’t know baby.. do you want him to?”

“I think so, he helped Vali with his magic..”

“Yes he did.”

“Do you want him to stay mommy?”

You take a second..Loki can hear his own heart beating.

“I don’t know, I want what’s best for you two and for him too. He’s not from this time, he doesn’t know me..I just want you both safe and happy.”

“I love you mommy.”

“I love you too baby.”

You kiss Narfi on the forehead and then Loki walks through the door, knocking softly as he walks in.

“Hi.” He shyly smiles.

“Hi.” You smile back.

“I..just wanted to check and see how you all were..I don’t want to intrude..”

“No it’s ok” you look down at Narfi, “come on lets leave him to get some sleep.”

You all walk out of Vali’s room to leave him to rest.

“Why don’t you go read your book so I can talk to your dad..”

“Ok momma”, he grabbed his book from the living room coffee table and went outside to read in his favorite spot in the sun. You can hear him greet Thor who was still outside.

You and Loki sit on opposite sides of the couch facing each other.

You start, “so…what now?”

Loki nods and then looks at you thoughtfully, “I understand if you don’t want me to stay in your home but I would like your permission to be around Narfi and Vali. I plan on staying on this timeline..permanently.”

You give him a long stare, “I don’t know Loki, if you disappear again..it would crush them.”

He quickly shakes his head at you, eyes starting to fill with unshed tears, “no..I wouldn’t leave them, I would do anything within my power to stay with my family. Please…the boys, Thor..you…you’re all I have.”

Again you’re looking at him as if you are trying to detect any falsehood.

“If you fake your death or try and kill a powerful being with the equivalent of a butter knife again I will find you and kill you myself. No matter what timeline you try to run to.”

Loki smiles at you, reaches into his pocket and pulls out the tempad.

He continues to look at you but his smile soon turns serious as he uses his magic to set it on fire. You watched in amazement as the device turned to ash in his hands.

You turn your shocked gaze to him, “why?”

“Because I want to prove to you that I will not leave you or the children again. From the moment I stepped into your time you all became my priority. My glorious purpose. I will live the rest of my days protecting you and my children. I have no use for the tempad any longer, I believe I have finally found a place to stay and to be at peace…If you’d allow me..”

A hopeful feeling starts to bloom in your chest. He makes it so hard to not love him.

“You can stay, we’ll go to Val tomorrow and let her know you’re going to be staying here. We’ll let the boys know at dinner later”

“Why would we have to inform her exactly?”

“Oh your brother didn’t tell you?”

He shakes his head causing you to laugh.

“He abdicated the throne to her, she’s King of New Asgard.”

He looks at you for a moment and then jumps off the couch and storms outside.

“Thor!”

You just hysterically laugh, having Loki here is going to be very interesting to say the least. You doubt you’ll ever have a dull moment again..

Tag List: I hope I got everyone 💚🖤

@thomase1 @bellajg21 @tiredbut-here @laliceee @silverfire475 @thecrazytealady @clockblobber @lokisgoodgirl @asgardianprincess1050 @skymoonandstardust @chantsdemarins @ariacraigggg @ms-ried @abagaillaufeyson @javagirl328 @simplyholl @vividredrose-blog @lilibet261 @lokidbadguy @sirimiripetrichor

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thatgiraffefromtlou · 10 months

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Do You Hate Me Now?

summary: This is just me rushing through the time skip in the came. Some cute scenes with Ellie and the reader. wrd count: around 3.6k warnings: cannon violence is really it. the reader has a panic attack. other: I'm so sorry this took so long to write. it was a lot of trial and error and my tone changed with this. I'm not used to writing like this but I wanted to try it out. I also rushed it a little bit because I'm so excited to write the hospital chapter! I have some serious crazy plans for it. either than that, I hope you enjoy!

pt. 4 The Swan

Joel had guided you and Ellie to the abandoned house they had been using as a temporary shelter and administered first aid to your and Ellie’s injuries. You were disoriented, the events leading up to your current situation hazy at best, and the silence was heavy. Your mind was too clouded to form coherent thoughts, let alone articulate them.

Joel attempted to break through the awkwardness with small talk, asking unimportant details about yourself, and the circumstances that brought you and Ellie together.

However, the words fell on deaf ears, met only with blank stares from you. Ellie, on the other hand, seemed to at least acknowledge his presence, albeit with a fake attentive expression. Joel soon realized that he wasn't going to get any answers from you and gave up, heading upstairs to give you some space to rest.

You didn't know when it happened but one moment you were sitting alone against the cold wall, and the next she was there with you. Her head was rested on your shoulder her knees to her chest. Her presence somehow helped and grounded you. You had felt a sense of calm wash over you, and for the first time in a while, you could breathe.

However, that feeling was short-lived when your thoughts came back to you in one drowning wave. You remembered the things you had been trying to forget, and the memories flooded your mind. You were riddled with anxiety and hoped she couldn't feel your body tense up under her weight.

Ellie had been infected for some time now, and yet she still hadn't turned. You were unsure when she had been infected, and the thought of it made you uneasy. Was the right time to ask her about it, or should you wait for her to bring it up? What if she never did?

As you looked at Ellie, you couldn't help but wonder what was going through her mind. Was she thinking about her infection? Was she thinking about David and what she had to do to survive? Or was she simply trying to block it out like you were?

You thought about how Ellie had to deal with David on her own, while you had been too weak to help. You felt guilty for not being there for her when she needed you the most. You wished you could go back in time and change things, but you knew that was impossible.

Now, Ellie had to carry the burden of what she had done alone, and that made you feel even worse. You wanted to run away from all of this, returning to your solitary existence, where you didn't have to worry about anyone but yourself. But where were you supposed to go? Could you even stay with Ellie and Joel? Were you welcome to join them?

As you felt your breath getting heavier and your thoughts spiraling, a feeling of suffocation seemed to take over. You could feel your throat closing up and tears starting to blur your vision.

Suddenly, you couldn't sit still anymore and your body started to shake. At that moment, Ellie lifted her head from your shoulder and gently grabbed your hand, her warm touch calming you down a little. You slowly turned your head to face her.

“Hey… shhh… breathe…” she instructed. You appreciated her efforts to comfort you, but you still felt an immense sense of guilt weighing down on you. You couldn't help but release a sob of pain and sadness as she tenderly rubbed small circular motions on your back with her free hand.

Sitting there, looking at her, you were left with a lingering sense of self-blame, unable to shake off the negative thoughts. “Just breathe, like this, do it with me.” She started taking slow deep breaths in and out, and you mimicked her breaths. You closed your eyes and focused on the sensation of the air moving in and out of your lungs, and the sound of your breaths.

Eventually, you opened your eyes and looked down at your lap, and started to fiddle with the seam of your jeans. “Ellie..” She just looked at you, waiting for you to continue. “I need to ask you some things.” She was fully aware of what you were about to ask and she didn't want to talk about it, but it seemed unavoidable at this point.

“Ask away.” was all she could manage to get out. “I know this is a shit time to bring these things up, but I don't think there will ever be a good time.” You huffed out, ending with sniffles. You rubbed your nose and looked at Ellie.

Perhaps it was the way you looked at her, your eyes burning with curiosity and concern. Or perhaps it was the silence that hung heavy in the air, begging to be broken. Either way, she knew that she couldn't avoid the topic forever.

Memories flooded her mind, memories that she had long tried to bury, but she took a deep breath and prepared to speak. “Okay…” was all she said. It was a reassuring tone, but you could tell she was still nervous.

You took a deep breath. “First, the elephant in the room.” You dryly laughed, more out of also feeling nervous than it being funny. Ellie took a deep breath and you continued. “When... well- you, uh, your bite.” Your words stumbled over each other as you struggled to figure out how to proceed.

Ellie let out a small sigh, took her hands away from yours, and rolled up her sleeves. “It happened last summer. I got jumped by an infected and nothing happened.” As you gazed at Ellie, your eyes softened, drawn to the bite on her arm.

You reached out and gently took hold of her arm, pulling her sleeve down to conceal the wound. Ellie felt her body tense up at the sudden contact, uncertain of what to do at the moment. Despite the frank and vulgar exchange that had just transpired between the two of you, your touch was surprisingly tender and gentle.

“Okay.” You smiled at her. As she looked at you, a mix of confusion and disbelief crossed her face. Every time someone learned this information about her, they would immediately try and kill her, but you, on the other hand, did something completely unexpected. Instead of turning away, you embraced her immunity. “Okay?” she asked you.

“Okay.” You reassured her. You noticed that Ellie seemed to be somewhat hesitant as if she was weighing her options before responding. You wondered if she was questioning the authenticity of your words or perhaps still in shock from earlier.

After a few moments of silence, you decided to elaborate. “Your immune. So what? It was bound to happen to someone, right?” you asked her nonchalantly. “I mean- people's first instincts are usually to try and shoot me-” she tried to explain but you cut her off.

“Well, I'm not some people.” You giggled. The moment was filled with relief for Ellie, and she let herself surrender to it. “No, you definitely aren't.” she agreed with a chuckle. You raised your hand from Ellie's arm to your chest and let out a gasp.

“What is that supposed to mean!?” you asked, fake offended by her comment. She just shrugged with a smile, teasing you. “You are insufferable. Has anyone told you that? Insufferable.” You laughed.

“Yeah yeah” she grinned. Ellie was thankful for your reaction. You were indifferent to her immunity and treated her like a normal person. You didn't push her on details or pry things out of her.

There was a moment of comfortable silence before Ellie perked back up. “Was that it?” she asked. “No… “ you said to her and then took a deep breath in and out before you continued. “I have quite a lot, actually…. but I guess it all just boils down to.. what I am supposed to do now and…” you hesitated, “are you… okay?”

The air seemed to get thicker, almost like a weight atop your shoulders. You continued to look at Ellie, hoping to find some sort of explanation or confirmation, but she just looked back at you with a smile.

You had found yourself enjoying her company more and more. She had a way of making you feel at ease like you could just be yourself around her. You weren't ready to say goodbye to that yet, and Ellie seemed to feel the same way too. She didn't want to go anywhere without you. Being with you made her feel secure and protected.

She finally spoke, “First off, you can come with us. Joels taking me to a hospital in salt lake city to meet back up with the fireflies. and no… but… I will be.” She continued to smile and redirected her gaze to the floor. “Endure and survive,” she joked.

Initially, you wanted to ask her about the hospital, like why the two of them were going and what would happen afterward, but her joke led you to decide to ask her later and enjoy the moment instead. “What??” you laughed. She looked back up, “It's from a comic book, I don't know, seemed fitting,” she said shrugging.

“Ah I see, you're a nerd,” you teased her. She scoffed and playfully punched you in the shoulder, saying, “Haha, fuck you.” The two of you shared a giggle.

As you both settled down, she had a thoughtful expression on her face and asked you, “Wanna see something real nerdy?” You chuckled, “Oh? You're such a nerd that you even have nerd things?” She rolled her eyes and reached over to her bag.

She eagerly opened the bag and plunged her hand inside, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Drum roll please?" she exclaimed, her voice full of drama. You couldn't help but roll your eyes at her theatrics, but you obliged and began tapping your hands on your thighs, creating a drum roll sound effect.

"Behold, ladies, and gentlemen! Feast your eyes on the most hilarious, magnificent, and rare book in the whole wide world!" she announced dramatically and with a flourish, pulling out a book from the bag. She turned the book in her hands, holding it up for display. "Introducing, No Pun Intended, by Will Livingston," she said with excitement.

You looked at her in surprise, stopping your drum roll and your eyes widened as she revealed the book. "No way!" you exclaimed, your voice full of excitement. "I had volume one! Where did you find this?" you asked eagerly, reaching out to take the book from her.

She teased you playfully, "Who's the nerd now?" You couldn't help but laugh and make grabby motions with your hands, eager to take possession of the book.

As she handed you the book, you began to flip through the pages with great enthusiasm. "Wow," you said in amazement, your eyes scanning the words as quickly as they could.

You were completely absorbed in the book, and Ellie couldn't help but admire the look of pure joy on your face. She was lost in the aura of happiness that surrounded you, feeling as though she could drown in it forever.

She fought the memory of Riley hard. She felt guilty about sharing this with you, but she couldn't help herself. And the look in your eyes helped dull the guilt in her stomach and replace it with warm tingly feelings.

“Oh! Okay okay, this is a good one,” you said before you cleared your throat. “What did the green grape say to the purple grape?” You looked up at the girl as she laughed. She already knew the answer to the joke but entertained your excitement anyways. “What?” she asked, grinning from ear to ear. You looked at her with a fake seriousness, eyes in slits. “Breathe you idiot.” And you lost it.

The two of you started going back and forth with the joke book, laughing your asses off. Some of them you understood and others you didn't, but you both enjoyed them either way. One of the jokes made Ellie think of something that had happened to her and that triggered a stream of sharing life stories.

Soon you two ended up lying down on the mattress on the floor. You laid side by side, simi-tangled up in one another as you sat in comfortable silence. Before you knew it, sleep had taken you away.

The next week seemed to pass by uneventfully, in fact, the three of you barely spoke to each other at all. During the day, you made small talk with Joel and tried to get to know him better. You discovered that he had a keen interest in guitars. You asked him about his family, but he remained tight-lipped and didn't want to talk about it, so you didn't press on.

When Joel fell asleep or went off to hunt, that was when you and Ellie would have a little conversation. You discovered that Ellie was fascinated by space and that she couldn't swim to save her life. In turn, you shared with her a bit about your uncle and how you had ended up alone, but you didn't go into much detail about it.

The wounds were still too fresh, and you were not quite ready to talk about it yet. Every time you tried to tell her, a lump formed in your throat and stopped you from speaking. Despite this, you found that talking to Ellie helped to ease your mind and you appreciated her company more than you let on, even if it was just small conversations at night.

Fortunately, you and Ellie shared a love for stars, and you happened to have a small book on stars that your uncle had given you. You gave her the book the day after she opened up to you about her love of space.

You were hesitant to part with it, as it was a gift from your uncle, but you had read it so many times that you felt it would be better off in Ellie's hands, especially since she seemed to be so keen on the subject.

That night the two of you stargazed with Joel. You suggested the idea of stargazing, and although Joel was hesitant at first, he eventually agreed. "Oh come on, what will it hurt if we lose like... an hour of sleep Joel?" you asked him, trying to convince him to join in. "Okay... but only an hour," he replied reluctantly. "We got a big day tomorrow. Probably gonna be lots of infected so I need you two well rested."

You couldn't help but tease him a little. "Yeah yeah, old man," you joked as you grabbed Ellie's hand. You pulled her down on the ground beside you and motioned for her to turn off her flashlight. "Lay back and look up at the stars," you instructed her.

She let go of your hand and did as you said before placing her hand back in yours. As you lay there, you pointed out different constellations and stars, discussing their names and significance.

Fireflies started to fly around and the two of you bathed in the sweet moment. Joel sat back and watched the two of you point and giggle at the sky. He still didn't fully know your story, or even how to help Ellie heal from what she's gone through in the last few months. But his heart warmed at the sight of the two of you. He was glad that you had each other.

As you gazed at the constellation of the swan, you couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the vastness of the universe. You told Ellie how the Greeks believed that the swan was an important symbol of love and devotion, and how it was often associated with the goddess of love, Aphrodite.

You shared with her the story of how Zeus transformed Cygnus into a swan in order to save him from drowning, and how this act of heroism was immortalized in the stars.

Cygnus was a constellation your uncle showed you when you were younger, and the story of it held no significance to you, but your uncle would tell it to you every time he saw it. Ellie listened intently, fascinated by the story and the beauty of the stars.

Unfortunately, the night was cut short by infected, and instead of going the way Joel had planned you all had to double back and take the longer way. Making your trip go from a few weeks to months. Everywhere the three of you went, there was either a plethora of infected or your path was blocked. It felt like you were going in circles and before you knew it spring was starting.

You were grateful for the chance of a wardrobe change, though. After searching through the abandoned houses you came across, you found a pair of cargo pants. You decided to get creative and cut them into shorts, using a stay shoelace as a belt. In addition, you found a small, stained, dusty green zip-up hoodie in one of the houses, and a black wife beater. Luckily, you also stumbled upon some Converse that fit you perfectly. You and Ellie were both quite joyed at your matching shoes, though neither of you would ever actually admit that.

Unfortunately, you lost your bag a while back and were just left with your knife in its holster on your thigh and your bow and quivers on your back. When you lost your bag, Ellie had offered to hold whatever need be in her bag along with Joel's until you could find a new one, so it wasn't much of a problem.

You three spent quite some time in the abandoned house, taking a much-needed break from the constant moving. While resting, you decided to work on your aim, honing your archery skills. You were grateful that you only broke one arrow, which prompted surprised looks from Joel and Ellie, who were impressed with your accuracy.

After seeing your abilities, Joel finally gave in and allowed you and Ellie to go hunting alone. “Be extra careful out there,” he lectured the two of you as you stood at the doorway, ready to leave. “And seriously, if you encounter anything you can't handle, come straight back here.”

“Joel,” Ellie said, turning the handle on the door with a roll of her eyes. “What was it you people said?” you asked him as you backed out of the door, “Scout's honor?” he just chuckled at your antics and reminded you two to be back before sundown.

You and Ellie nodded in agreement before stepping out into the bright sun. You both exchanged a quick glance before heading off into the woods beyond a clearning. You walked in silence for a while, taking in the beauty of nature around you. The trees swayed in the gentle breeze, the birds chirped, and the leaves rustled beneath your feet.

The hunting trip was also uneventful in the infected category but Ellie did find a polaroid in the houses you two searched on your way. She decided to keep her find secret until you were done scavenging through the bottom floor of the house.

She pulled out the camera and pointed it at you. “Space cadet!” she called out to you and you turned around to face her but were met by a flashing light. You put your hands over your eyes “Owww!! What the fuck was that Ellie!!” you heard a sound and looked back up at her. “I had to I'm sorry.” she giggled as she watched the film come out of the camera.

“A polaroid? No way??” you exclaimed as you stood straight up and headed toward her. She whipped the camera away from your grasp and stuck her tongue out at you. “Hey I wanna see the picture Els!” you complained and struggled to grab the camera from her. “It's gotta develop first, have some patience.” she teased you.

You reached your hand towards her and scoffed and she took the opportunity to quickly snap another photo. “Ellie!!” you laughed and started to reach for the camera again. She took off and shoved the camera under her arm, and the pictures in her pocket. “Catch me if you can old lady!” she shouted at you. “Old lady??? I'm like… a few months older than you tops-” you breathlessly yelled back at her, still chasing her.

The two of you ran round and round the house, until you finally cornered her, grabbed the photo out of the camera, and quickly turned the camera on her, “Your turn!” you giggled and snapped a photo. You stepped away from her and she accepted her defeat and waited for the film to develop. "Let me see," she huffed as she walked over to you. "First, let me see mine," you said as you pulled the film out of the camera for the last time and stuck it under your arm. “Fineee.” she sighed and pulled them out of her pocket.

The two of you shifted your position so that you were standing side by side in front of the pictures. As you both gazed at them, you hated the way you looked caught off guard. However, to your surprise, Ellie appeared to be quite taken with the images, her eyes shining with excitement. You were about to express your displeasure with the photos, but before you could say a word, the sound of clicking behind you startled you both.

yeah, you get a cliffhanger this time, but it's okay cuz ill probably post the next chapter within the next few days!

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zutraeumen · 8 months

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Passionfruit (Julian Slowik x OFC)

Welcome, dear readers! I am not a fan of long introductions so I will keep it short for your sake. This is a self-indulgent fanfic crossover between the John Wick and The Menu fandom where I do not own any other character than my self-imported character Adele Cole. As English is not my mother language, I apologize for any grammar mistakes in advance. Spoiler warning if you aren't familiar with any of those films! Reviews are appreciated but if you don't like it, don't read it.

You can find this work on these platforms: FanFiction, AO3, Wattpad or Quotev.

Passionfruit🍴Masterlist:

Hawthorne Island

The First Course

The Second Course

The Third Course

The Fourth Course

Palate Cleanser

The Sixth Course

The Assassin and the Chef

Final Course

#romance #john wick #the menu #julian slowik x ofc #julian slowik #chef #john wick 4 #john wick chapter 4 #keanu reeves #eventual comfort #eventual romance #eventual happy ending #eventual relationship #eventual smut

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violetsiren90 · 10 months

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All I Haven't Said | Namjoon/Reader

💜 Chapter 2 💜

Table of Contents: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3 (part 1), Chapter 3 (part 2)

Pairing: idol!Namjoon x f!Reader

Genre: Soulmate AU; idol AU; chapter fic; strangers to lovers; a bit of idiots to lovers, tbh; slow burn; eventual romance; eventual smut; angst (life is messy & hearts are complex); OT7 featured

Chapter Warnings: This fic is 18+, as is all my work and my page as a whole; Talk and depictions of cancer, its treatment, and the symptoms of both; implication of some disregard for personal agency by entertainment and medical industries; MC is diagnosed with asthma and experiences symptoms; flashbacks of a distressing situation; soulmate first touch & subsequent skinship; partial disrobing for medical purposes; medical setting and minor treatments; some social awkwardness; talk of food, eating, and alcohol consumption in the context of a soulmate AU

Author's Note: Chapter 2 is here! I tried my best to write Namjoon's response under the circumstances, but honestly I don't know how well it was executed. Let me know what you think in the comments/asks! I'm super open to constructive criticism and feedback. Also, I did my best with the Korean phrases and medical jargon. If anyone has more extensive knowledge on those subjects and wants to fact-check, please let me know!

P.S. If you want to join the tag list, drop me a comment or ask!

P.P.S. If no one has told you yet today, you're loved and worthy of love! 🧜‍♀️💜

"At night I dream that you and I are two plants that grew together, roots entwined, and that you know the earth and the rain like my mouth, since we are made of earth and rain.”

~ Pablo Neruda

Chapter 2: Touching Me, Touching You

When you touched down at Incheon International Airport, you and Matt were greeted by a rather unnecessarily large party of Hybe personnel in black plainclothes wearing masks who snatched up your baggage and ushered you into the first of a small fleet of black SUV's. The member of the legal advisory team who had visited you in the states, Choi Kang Dae, was riding shotgun and speaking into a cell phone that had not left his ear since departing the baggage claim. In the row behind you was another man you assumed to be a translator, given his fluency in English, but who was currently chopping it up with Matt in Korean, and beside him a large, serious, silent man whose eyes kept traveling to you every now and again. You assumed that meant that the rest of the ensemble filling the vehicles behind you were security, which somehow made you feel less rather than more at ease.

The further you advanced in traffic through the busy streets of Seoul, the more anxious you became. A thousand questions began to flood your brain as your heart began to hammer in your chest. If all these people had come to meet you, were you headed to the hospital now? Weren't you supposed stop at your accommodations first? If you didn't, would you even have a chance to shower a day's worth of airport off before meeting your soulmate? Were you about to bond right now? Would people be watching? Would it hurt? Why hadn't you ever thought of these things before? You felt a familiar tightness in your chest and pulled out your inhaler. An asthma attack right now? They always seemed to strike at the most inopportune times.

Matt was suddenly turning to you.

"Hey, you okay?" he asked, looking at the inhaler you were shaking for a second puff.

You slowly exhaled and nodded.

"I'm fine. But where are we going right now, can you ask them?"

The translator asked the Kang Dae something in Korean, and after he responded, the other man turned to you.

"We're going to the hospital. Namjoon-ssi had a seizure last night due to a prolonged high-grade fever, so we are trying to act as quickly as possible to avoid further complications."

Matt turned to the translator.

"This should have been the first thing we heard when we stepped off that plane. I'm not trying to play hardball here, but we're going to have to be communicated with about every step of this process so we can decide how we're going to respond. This was in the contract, communication and a chance to speak with me before she makes any step in this process..."

Matt slipped in and out of English as the attorney apologetically reassured him through the translator of their full intent to follow the contractual specifications. You felt sick, and your heart continued to hammer - though now for different reasons. You had been worried about a shower while he was fighting for his life. This was no time for nerves. You had to fight for his life too.

When the vehicle pulled into the ambulance bay, you and Matt were handed surgical masks and ushered, with security and other Hybe personnel in tow, through the ICU and into a massive steel elevator. You watched the round button number "5" light up red as Kang Dae pushed it with a gloved hand. After the brief assent, the doors opened into a space that looked like it was straight out of a Star Trek episode - floor to ceiling white, blinding fluorescent lights, and hospital workers covered from head to toe in sterile garments ebbing and flowing in urgent silence to and fro to the rhythmic serenading hums and beeps of medical equipment. You blinked in the offending brightness.

Your party was immediately approached by a small woman with a tablet and stylus who addressed Kang Dae. You heard your name mentioned. You heard Matt's. After a brief exchange with the Hybe attorney, Matt relayed that you were going to meet with Namjoon's oncologist. Kang Dae turned to address the security staff, and his words were met with nods and murmurs of acknowledgment except by the tall, serious man from the SUV, who responded to the attorney in a low but firm tone, his eyes flashing over to you as he spoke. You looked over to Matt, your brow creased in question. He watched as Kang Dae concluded the exchange and lead your now small group of four to follow the petite woman down a long, wide hall. As you walked, Matt leaned down to whisper in your ear.

"It appears the indignant gentleman is your personal bodyguard. Seems he's reluctant to stay behind with the rest of security."

You glanced in surprised curiosity over your shoulder and caught a glimpse of the guard seated beside the rest of the team, elbows propped on his knees and hands clasped under his chin, a pensive expression on his rugged features, before he disappeared from view as you rounded a bend.

The hall connected to a labyrinth of others, snaking off left and right, and punctuated with massive, heavy doors. Your guide abruptly swung left to face one of the entrees, flashing a badge card across a sensor which beeped, allowing her to push it inward. It opened into a suite of rooms much homier than the atmosphere behind you, though every bit as sterile.

In the vestibule was a small acrylic table surrounded by matching chairs. As you passed through you noted to the right, a small kitchenette, and to the left a rather large bathroom. At the end of the suite, you shuffled into a large room, separated on the far left end by a curtain. The space in which you stood was fitted with grey leather furniture, a tall bamboo plant in the corner, and a low acrylic coffee-table. An older, distinguished looking man in a white jacket stood from where he had been seated in one of the arm chairs and bowed. Your group bowed in return, and the translator asked that you be seated.

Dr. Na, as the man in the coat was introduced, would run through some last matters with you before you were to meet your soulmate. He relayed through the translator that this hospital was state of the art, Korea's finest, and a frontrunner in successful experimental treatments for cancer and other genetic diseases. The room you were occupying, he said, was a suite meant for long-term inpatient care, and would be nearly identical to the space you would share with Namjoon for the remainder of his inpatient treatment. He explained that Namjoon's condition has been detected far later than was desirable, and that treatments had included invasive surgery and aggressive rounds of chemotherapy, which had slowed, but not stopped the spread of tumors throughout his body. He said that Namjoon had displayed extreme physical and emotional resilience, but that his will to fight the disease overtaking his body had begun to wane with his strength and increasingly burdensome symptoms from both the cancer and its treatment.

At this point, Dr. Na turned to face Matt full on, and earnestly imparted to him while gesticulating at you. Matt's brow furrowed, and he nodded as he listened to the oncologist before turning serious eyes toward you. Kang Dae began to say something, but the doctor held up his hand while also turning his eyes toward you with an expectant gaze.

"Y/n," Matt began, interlacing his fingers as he often did when trying to choose his words carefully, "Dr. Na says that there is not a lot of research around treating cancer, especially at such an advanced stage, with the soulmate bond. There are accounts of it having seemingly miraculous effects on injury and illness, but none that have been objectively measured. It has been scientifically proven to a degree that soulmates bring about peak physical conditions in one another through the bond...over time. The thing the good doctor here really wants you to understand is that there is no guarantee that there is enough time in our situation. He says that bonding with him is going to be a major risk. If the treatment isn't successful and Namjoon should pass, that would mean your ultimate death soon after."

Matt's face had lost most of its stoicism. He looked deeply worried. He looked like he wanted you to get on a plane with him back to the States. He looked like he knew what you were going to do instead. You see, you had already thought about it - the possibility of death. You nodded.

"Tell him I understand, Matt," you said calmly, "Tell him I'd like to meet Namjoon-ssi."

Matt stared at you for a beat, as if debating with himself before turning back to relay your message to Dr. Na. The oncologist nodded, and then turned to you and asked another question in Korean. The translator explained that the doctor wanted to know if you understood the basic implications of the soul-bond. You sighed. You did. You knew that once bonded you would be reliant on each other for nourishment and survival until the end of your natural lives, and that the bond once established was irreversible. You knew the bond was initiated and maintained through skin-to-skin contact. You knew that the bond changed your body chemistry to no longer need food or water, and that food would eventually be rejected by the body like poison. You knew these things because you had done extensive research, not because anyone in the company asking for you to give over your body and soul had tried to make you aware. They had been interested in matters of signatures and compensation. How considerate of someone to ask you now, you thought with some contempt. You wondered what Namjoon knew, what he had been told, what he had been asked.

"I would like to meet my soulmate now," you said suddenly, cutting through the exchange between Dr. Na and Kang Dae.

All eyes turned on you, leaving in half-finished sentences a wake of mild surprise. "I know what I'm getting into on my end of things. You had expressed before that time was of the essence and I would like to be brought to him now."

Matt relayed your response to the group, and the doctor nodded. Soon you were being handed a hospital gown, and a sports bra, underwear, and socks from your suitcase - that you realized with a bit of alarm and indignation, you had not given anyone permission to retrieve - and were instructed to shower and change into these items.

You slipped into the bathroom and sank down on the closed toilet, dropping your head onto the little bundle of clothes in your arms. In your first few moments alone in over twenty-four hours, everything was beginning to hit like a volley of arrows. Agendas, agendas. Hybe wanted your soulmate. The hospital wanted to beat his cancer. You wanted to help him live. But what did he want? Had anyone asked? Would he be honest, if they did? Not for the first time, something squeezed in your chest at the thought of him. But this time, it was stronger. Your head shot up from your lap. You had somewhere to be.

After a quick and thorough wash-up, you padded into the hall where the little group awaited you. You were self-conscious in your limited attire, and you stood awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the next as people murmured in Korean. A nurse, who had joined the small throng, approached you, slipping a hospital bracelet with your name and Hangul characters and little numbers around your wrist and handing you a pair of grey slippers. Matt turned to you.

"This is it, kiddo. You're going to go with Dr. Na and have your vitals taken, have some blood drawn, and then you'll go meet him."

Matt sighed deeply, his eyes searching yours. He took a backward glance and stepped just a bit closer, placing a hand on your shoulder.

"You sure about this?"

You nodded.

"Yes, Matt, I'm sure."

He pulled his mouth in into a tense line, his brows drawing together.

"That face you're making, that defiance in your eyes," his hand fell from your shoulder, "You could be his twin. I know I can't change your mind now. Nothing could."

You gave a knowing smile. He wasn't wrong.

"I'm gonna be okay, Matt. I'll see you tomorrow. Call my mom and tell her things went fine. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

Matt scratched the back of his head, regarding you thoughtfully for a moment before nodding. He bent to press a kiss to your forehead, and turned to make his polite goodbyes.

The nurse ushered you down the hall and into a room that looked a little more like a typical hospital room with a gauze-covered table, a scale, and other vaguely familiar machines and equipment. After she had collected the desired data and taken a vial of your blood, she made a page in Korean, and then motioned for you to follow her. She took you down another series of passages and finally, when you were sure Theseus himself couldn't have found his way back, she stopped in front of a large steel door and scanned her badge.

Room number 594.

The door opened on its heavy hinges, swinging slowly inward. Your heart was hammering in your chest. You realized the moment you crossed the threshold that you didn't have your things. You didn't have your phone, or your bag, or the book that was inside it, or what was between the pages of the book.

You thought about pear-shaped Italian cheese as you crossed through the kitchen area.

You thought about little Diana trying to stop your mother from crying as she lay on the floor of the kitchen, body shaking with sobs, as you moved into large open room at the end of the suite.

And then, there he was. It was all you could do not to gasp.

You would never have recognized him for the man in the photo Diana had shoved into your face last week. Sitting propped up in a large hospital bed, he was covered up to the waist in blankets. His frame, though unmistakably large, was gaunt, and his white tee draped around him like something that used to fit - patches and wires visible across his chest through the cotton fabric. His long arms were thinner than they should have been, ashy, and littered with bruises. His head leaned back against the pillows, he wore a black beanie low on his brow, but not low enough to hide the naked skin where his eyebrows had been. His full lips were chapped and parted as he labored somewhat to breathe. The doctor was speaking to a tall man in a black tee and jeans beside the bed. Namjoon was watching them, until, suddenly, his gaze flicked to you. Your breath caught in your chest. His eyes were unchanged. Something flooded your veins.

"I need to speak with Namjoon-ssi, please," you said abruptly, turning to the doctor and the man beside him.

They looked at you, quizzically. You cleared your throat to speak again, slower and more firmly.

"Could I be alone with him, for a moment? I need to speak with him before we begin."

The doctor turned to say something to the tall man, but a voice from the hospital bed addressed them in a soft, deep timbre. The tall man glanced at you and then at Namjoon and replied. They held a short exchange before both he and the doctor filed reluctantly out of the room, taking the nurse with them.

Namjoon sat further up in the bed, his face contorting in pain as you approached him. You stood a few feet from where he sat, your hands inexplicably itching to reach out for him. You clasped them behind your back.

"Hello," he, rasped.

Even the hoarseness couldn't hide the warmth of his voice. You thought his eyes and his voice must be made of the very same stuff. You were suddenly a different kind of nervous. You didn't even register your own initiative to speak as the question came tumbling out.

"Do you want to live?"

Your soulmate blinked in surprise.

"What?"

You took a breath and repeated yourself, this time with intention.

"Do you want to live?" You asked again. "I know there are plenty of people who want you too, but I want to know what you want."

He regarded you in intent silence for a long moment.

"Yes," he said finally, his cadence thoughtful and deliberate, "Yes, I want to live. I wasn't sure I did, but I do. I do now."

You exhaled a little breath you didn't realize you'd been holding.

"Okay, good," you nodded, looking away from his intent gaze as you fought, again, the surging urge to reach for him.

His lips quirked into a little smirk at your reaction.

"I was going to ask you a question too, but after introductions," those eyes caught yours again, teasingly, and the little smile deepened just a bit, pressing a dimple into his sunken cheek.

The misery he was living in and he was teasing you? You felt something flutter a little in your chest which you willed yourself to ignore.

"I'm sorry," you bit back a smile, glancing away a bit bashfully, "I just needed to know that you had agency over what was happening here, that it was what you wanted. If no one else was going to give you that choice...well, I was."

He regarded you silently again before addressing you.

"It's good to meet you, Y/n-ssi. I'm Kim Namjoon."

You couldn't suppress a smirk at his stubbornness, and at the fact that he already knew your name, like you knew his.

"It's good to meet you, too, Namjoon-ssi," you replied softly.

He suddenly leaned back in the bed, wincing, his chest heaving a bit. You looked over at the heart monitor that beeped beside him to see that his pulse was rising.

"Should I call in the doctor?" You asked in concern.

He shook his head weakly.

"Not yet," he pressed out, with effort. "I...need...to know..."

You stepped closer to hear him.

"Know what?" He closed his eyes , bringing a hand over his chest as the beeping slowed.

"You...could...die...trying to..." he broke into a bought of coughs that was obviously painful. Once he had caught his breath, he rasped, "Are you sure, Y/n-ssi?"

"Yes," you answered without hesitation. "Yes, I'm sure. This is my choice. I'm sure."

He opened his eyes. You held each other in a silent gaze. He looked like he wanted to say something. He didn't. He merely nodded and asked,

"You ready, then?"

You met his questioning gaze with a wry smile and what you hoped were steady eyes as you answered.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

After the staff had returned to the room, the tall man in plainclothes introduced himself as Sejin, Namjoon's manager. He gave you a deep bow, which you returned, thanking you in practiced English for agreeing to bond with the idol - something that made you uncomfortable all the way down to your bones, and which you tried to dismiss without being impolite. The doctor spoke to Namjoon at some length, gesticulating to you several times. Sejin nodded along as the nurse typed notes onto her tablet.

You felt a bit frustrated, being on the outside of what so immediately concerned you. You were on the verge of asking for Matt to be brought in when Namjoon turned to you.

"The doctor says that while he understands first touch is an intimate experience, that he and two nurses will need to be present to monitor my vitals. My heart is on the weaker side these days."

He looked almost contrite as he said it and your chest squeezed. You nodded understandingly. He might be your soulmate, but you knew this wasn't a meet-cute. This was clinical. What was about to happen between you was a treatment. The doctor continued, and a nurse came around the bed to where you stood and waited expectantly as Namjoon turned to you, this time with an unmistakably apologetic look on his drawn features.

"Dr. Na says that if first contact goes smoothly, we'll need to begin treatments aggressively, which means as much skin-to-skin contact as possible. I guess they want us both in just undergarments."

Ah, hence the hospital gown.

You felt heat creep up your neck. Under any other circumstances you would have been upset at the lack of privacy of it all, but these weren't like any circumstances you had ever been prepared to anticipate. You were going to have to figure the boundaries out as you went.

The nurse beside you rolled up a chair for you to sit in beside the bed, facing Namjoon. She untied and tugged the top of your hospital gown down to place a heart monitor on your chest, your soulmate respectfully averting his gaze.

When all the necessary preparations had been made, you found yourself sitting in a swivel chair cranked up to reach the height of the hospital bed, socked feet not touching the ground. You were facing Namjoon, who kept sitting forward, much to the chagrin of the nurses who kept gently but impatiently guiding him back against the pillows. You felt a sick feeling creep into the pit of your stomach as you glanced at the second nurse wheel in a defibrillator. How bad could this possibly be? Would it hurt? You steeled yourself as Namjoon sat forward again, turning up the palm of his large right hand which rested on the covers beside you.

"It's time," he murmured softly, eyes on you as you gave one more glance to the doctor, who nodded, and giving in to an urge you had kept at bay since you entered the room you slipped your hand into his.

A jolt shot through your body like an intense electric pulse. It hurt, like relentless aftershocks of overstimulation to sensitive flesh...and yet if felt good. So good. You had instinctively pulled to yank your hand away from the pure surprise of it, but you had tugged yourself back to no avail. You opened your eyes (you hadn't remembered closing them) to see Namjoon, head thrown back against the pillows, lips parted and eyes screwed shut as he clutched your hand in a vice grip. You glanced at the heart monitor spitting out beeps consistent with well over a hundred beats per minute. Was that yours or his? But you couldn't very well hold a coherent thought in your mind as warmth began to flood your body, followed by a tingling sensation that seemed to fizzle up from the base of your spine and trickle down your limbs.

Raising suddenly heavy eyes, you realized that you were swaying a bit on your feet. When did you stand? And you were much, much closer to Namjoon - your hand was curling around the base of his bicep, your elbow in his palm, as you pressed every possible square centimeter of your bare arm to his. His eyes were open now and he was looking at you as his chest rose and fell. You returned his gaze, unfocused, drunk on the sensations spreading through your being.

You blinked as you heard the doctor speak, but neither of you tore your eyes away, and as if in a trace, as the nurses helped you out of your clothes, and you crawled into the bed and slotted yourself against his side, stretching out your right arm to wrap around his torso. Every aspect of the feeling grew impossibly stronger, the pleasure factor so high that it felt somehow wrong to be experiencing this with a total stranger in a hospital room surrounded by others. You felt Namjoon let out a shuddering breath. His arms had snaked around you.

The last thing you remembered before falling into a delirium was the nurse pulling the covers over your bodies.

When you awoke, or rather, came to, you felt wrong. You rubbed hazy eyes to find yourself on a little cot. Before you could even wonder where you were or how you got there, the events of the previous day came flooding back.

Holy shit, you thought, you were in Korea. You had met your soulmate - and bonded with him.

When had you even fallen asleep? The last thing you remembered was climbing into Namjoon's bed. Your heartbeat quickened. First touch had been...something else. An image of your soulmate gripping your hand with his head thrown back flashed through your mind.

No, don't, you thought, and pushed yourself to sit up.

In your attempt to move, you quickly realized that the wrongness you felt was that you were incredibly weak. It was a strange sort of weakness, however, one that left you feeling exhausted with every tiny move but wasn't accompanied by any sort of discomfort. In fact, you felt like you were floating on a cloud, if only one you couldn't find the strength to roll off.

You were back in your hospital gown. There was a small table to your left with a lamp, a little vase of flowers, and white telephone. To your left was a machine much like the one you had seen beside Namjoon's bed beeping away, a little green line spiking and dropping across the monitor. A long curtain stretched across the space in front of you. You needed to pee.

As you moved to get off the cot, a sting of pain shot through your right arm at the inner joint and you realized that you had missed the IV drip beside the heart monitor. Clamping the IV stand you rose precariously on wobbly legs. You shuffled wearily forward, pulling the curtain back to reveal the other half of the room...and your soulmate.

He was sitting in bed, over the covers, in a heather grey tee and navy blue sweats, bare feet crossed at the ankles. He was still wearing the beanie, and his head was dipped down, immersed in the book he was holding open in his lap. The mid-morning sun spilled through the open window, bathing the suite in a pale yellow that blanketed generic seating furniture and a small bookshelf topped with a bonsai tree and painted clay figurine beside the bed, but left the abstract art piece on the opposite wall in relative shadow.

You were about to retreat back behind the curtain when a wheel of your portable IV stand betrayed you with a squeak. You pulled the curtain hurriedly shut, but too late.

"Hello?" You heard him call softly.

His voice sounded better, you thought. Not nearly as raspy. You must look like shit, you also thought. Oh well, you needed to get past him to look decent anyway. And to pee. And he was going to see you probably every day for the rest of your life, so, bashfulness regarding your morning mug was definitely a waste of emotional energy. You heaved a sigh, and slowly pulled back the curtain, peeking through as you advanced a step.

"I didn't want to disturb you," you fibbed, clutching the IV stand.

"You're not disturbing me," he responded, shutting his book.

He was looking at you with a soft expression, reserved, but still warm. He looked a lot better than yesterday, too; it was unmistakable. His skin had lost a great deal of its previously ashy quality and the bruises on his arms had nearly vanished. His lips were no longer chapped, and, you noted, were full and naturally deep in color. His face looked less wane, though still thin, his shirt still hanging loosely over his chest and broad, sloping shoulders.

"You look a little better," you urged, hoping to justify your prolonged stare.

He smiled. You were quickly reminded like a sock to the gut how pretty his smile was.

"I feel better," he concurred, "Thanks to you."

You looked down at your feet awkwardly. You had never been good at receiving praise or gratitude.

"Oh...I'm glad," you mumbled.

"How do you feel?" he asked.

You raised your gaze back up to meet his, a wry smile tugging at your lips.

"Probably about as good as I look," you rejoined.

He pulled his smile into a tight line, eyes creasing. You thought maybe that was what he looked like when he was trying not to laugh. Suddenly you felt your bladder demand priority of attention.

"Well, I'm gonna...get ready. For the day," you motioned, quickly realizing you had nothing to change into, and slipped back into the little room behind the curtain.

Scanning the space, you noted your suitcase and bag against the wall. You filled your bag with the essentials and a change before popping back out into the other half of the room on your way to the bathroom. You noticed out of the corner of your eye that Namjoon glanced at you before looking down at his book again, and you ignored the tight feeling in your chest one more time.

Your mom had always said that a hot shower could make a person reborn, and by golly you figured she was right. You felt life seeping back into your limbs slowly but surely as the warm water poured over your body. As always, hot water and steam against white tile oiled cogs of your mind.

Clearly, the bond had served Namjoon well. You were anxious to know what a medical assessment would report. Your own exhaustion confused you, however. Wasn't the bond supposed to nourish you, rejuvenate you? When would you stop needing food? How often would you need to practice skinship now that you were bonded? And what would that look like? A thousand questions filled your mind as you massaged your scalp. You made a mental note to write a list of questions for the doctor.

Once you had finished your morning routine, you felt infinitely more prepared to face the day. You changed into a pair of leggings and a sweatshirt. As you shuffled back toward your room, you noticed Namjoon bent over the bonsai, tiny scissors in hand. A nurse was typing on a tablet on the other side of the bed.

"Um, Namjoon," you asked, as you paused.

He startled a bit as he looked up at you, dropping the little scissors and cursing under his breath. The nurse peeked over and when she had seemingly assessed that no damage had been done, she smirked.

"At least no bonsai limbs were lost this time," she murmured.

Namjoon slipped the scissors into a little leather pouch.

"Hilarious," he deadpanned, then turned his attention back to you, "Sorry, did you ask me something?"

"Actually," you blinked in surprise, "I was going to ask you to ask the nurse, but I guess I can ask her myself this time."

The nurse smiled at you.

"Ganhosanim, this is Y/n-ssi," Namjoon said, addressing the woman. She gave you a bow which you returned.

"Annyeonghaseyo," she greeted you, "I'm Nurse Cha and I'll be your attending on most days. Please feel free to speak to me in English," she smiled.

You felt a weight lift off your shoulders. While you had been studying Korean furiously ever since your decision had been made, having medical personnel you could communicate with at this stage without having to rely on Namjoon to translate for you was a welcome relief.

"If you have a minute, I have some questions? Or, I will, once I write them down. Could I just put my stuff away and come right back?" You asked eagerly. She nodded, still typing away on the tablet. You dropped your bag beside your suitcase, which you tossed on the bed and unzipped to extract a pen and a notebook with three little bees embossed into the cover. You donned your slippers and crossed back over to Namjoon's side. He was sitting on the bed again, and nurse Yun was examining one of his arms. You plopped down in an armchair beside the bookshelf.

"Nice bonsai," you remarked, trailing your eyes over the intricate geometric patterns of its shallow stone pot.

"Nice journal," he replied. "Moleskin?"

You nodded, holding it up to show him the front.

"It has bees," you said with solemnity, as if the whimsy of the endearing was something to be taken quite seriously, and Namjoon hummed in grave assent. Nurse Cha glanced between you, a smirk at the corner of her mouth.

"You said you had some questions, Y/n-ssi?" She offered.

"Yes," you began, scribbling a few down in the pages in your lap before beginning. "Firstly wha- Oh! What happened to me yesterday? Did I pass out?" You interrupted yourself to ask.

"Yes," she replied. "While the bonding was successful, and the skinship was highly rejuvenating for Namjoon, it appears that you were giving more than you were getting from a physiological standpoint, and while the effect was still probably similar to you on a cellular level, you were disproportionate in your transfer of energy. We've put you on an IV drip for now to ensure you're getting the replenishment your body needs regardless of food intake."

You jotted down a few lines of notes.

"Okay, makes sense. Now, moving on to the food thing - we're still eating, right?"

Nurse Cha began typing on her tablet as she responded.

"Yes. However, there is great boidiversity as to when and what people start rejecting as far as food goes. The average point of solid food rejection begins around two weeks after bonding. Generally, bonded individuals are still able to consume water and distilled alcohols, though they become unable to experience taste."

"Does alcohol have the same...effect?" Namjoon spoke up from the bed.

"An intensified one, actually," she responded, "Being a bonded mate means rediscovering your tolerance, and caution is of course advised. We've actually taken blood panels to alert us of any food sensitivities you may have. These should be immediately eliminated from your diet, as the rejection symptoms can be more severe in cases of late-stage ingestion with these items. The doctor will be in later to review those results with you."

"Okay. And how often will we need to practice skinship, and are we going to need to initiate it ourselves or are we going to be on a schedule?"

"I was wondering about that too," Namjoon said, adjusting his beanie.

"The doctor will go over that with you as soon as he arrives in a little while as well. I know I'm scheduled to update your charts every six hours, so I'm sure there will be some guidance involved at first."

You quickly glanced up at Namjoon and then down at your lap. A warmth spread through your chest as you tried to keep your eyes on your notes and off of his bare arms. You were having those stupid urges to latch onto him again. Your hand twitched around your pen. You wondered what his thoughts were on your next session.

Just then, Dr. Na entered the room. He greeted both of you warmly and Nurse Cha took over relaying the consultation in English.

The oncologist was very optimistic about the effect of the soulmate bond on Namjoon, saying that his vitals had stabilized, his pain levels were lower than they'd been in weeks and the inflammation in his body had decreased significantly. He stressed that, while these were good signs, they were not a guarantee that the skinship was treating the cancer, and that they would have to take scans after a time to see if the tumors had were in fact shrinking.

He reviewed your blood panel results, letting you know that from that point forward you were to avoid consuming nightshades while communicating to Namjoon that he hadn't tested positive for any food sensitivities. He showed you a chart dictating when and how long you should practice skinship each day, beginning with a session immediately following the consultation. He cautioned you to alert medical staff if during a session you began to feel overly-drain, as they did not want you coming to the point of fainting again. You were removed from your IV drip.

After the doctor had taken his leave, Nurse Cha fixed you with additional monitors, instructed you both to strip down to your maximum level of comfortability for the session, and departed. Once you were down to bra and panties, you climbed up into the huge hospital bed to join Namjoon, who once again kept his gaze trained anywhere but your side of the bed as you slipped under the covers and pressed yourself into his side.

Suddenly it was as if you had slipped into a warm bath under the influence of champagne. You closed your eyes and sank into the incredible sensation of his touch. His skin was like a warm cup of tea on the coldest day of the year. Like the first refreshing moments of a plunge into cool water at the height of summer. It was everything wonderful all at once, and you were so caught up in the sensation that you were barely cognizant of a tiny moan escaping your lips.

Horrified, you bit down on your bottom lip and prayed to all that was sacred that Namjoon hadn't noticed. His immediate soft laughter, however, betrayed him, and you felt your face burning with embarrassment - beads of sweat pricking on your forehead as you covered your face with a different kind of groan.

"Sorry," you murmured, ruefully.

"Nah, I get it," Namjoon chuckled, his chest rumbling under your cheek. "If it feels as good for you as it does for me, then that's the correct response."

You allowed yourself to giggle a bit in turn.

"I'm glad it's already helping," you remarked, and you felt him turn his head as if he was looking down at you.

He was silent for a beat before addressing you again.

"Everything happened so quickly yesterday, I didn't even get a chance to thank you."

"For what?" you countered, even though you knew exactly where he was headed with this.

"For leaving your life behind and coming to Korea to give a stranger a chance at his. I'm going to spend the rest of my time making it up to you."

You felt your chest tighten. You pushed yourself up on one arm and turned to face him. The sheet fell down your upper body as you moved, but you were too intent on looking him in the face to notice.

"Namjoon, you're not a charity case. I didn't do this so that you would owe me something. This is a choice I made. All mine. So relieve yourself of any debt you may feel you owe me. We're bound by circumstance, but you're a free man in every sense of the word. I won't be a burden you bear any more than you wish to be one to me."

If you had been looking through his eyes, you would have seen yourself, pressed up out of the sheets with all the modesty of a sea nymph, your features glowing with the effects of the bond and fixed with a splendid kind of resoluteness and soft defiance. But, you saw it from your own, taking in the quiet shock on Namjoon's features that slowly morphed into something you couldn't place. Not yet. You didn't know him well enough.

After regarding you blinkingly, he looked at you with earnest eyes and gave a nod.

"I accept those terms," he assented, and you believed him.

You thought maybe you'd believe anything he said, and, suddenly aware of the bareness of your torso under the intentness of his gaze, you slipped back down against his side.

"I noticed you dropped the honorifics," he murmured teasingly.

You glanced back up at him.

"Oh...sorry, I'm not used to it. I can -"

"It's alright," he interjected, "I think we should be familiar. It will make things easier, right? Only if you want, though," he quickly added.

"Yeah, no, I agree," you answered, shifting to press your leg more fully against his, and smiling to yourself as you keyed up your next remark.

"And I'm only your noona by a little bit anyway, so no need to call me that..."

This time a loud laugh burst out of him that shook your head enough for you to roll away and shoot him a look as he brushed a hand over his eyes in amusement. You smiled as you took in his dimpled cheeks and crescent eyes, and nearly didn't notice the voice speaking in bemused and startled Korean at the mouth of the hall. It was Namjoon who looked up first.

"Yah!" He called in indignation and warning as you followed his gaze to catch but a glimpse of two young men, badly repressing snickers as they bolted back down the hall to the entry of the suite.

Namjoon sighed sharply and turned to you with and apologetic expression.

"I'm so sorry, those idiots are my friends. They're used to coming and going as they please to visit me - which, obviously now they can't just barge in unannounced."

He slipped out of bed, and you glanced away as he pulled on sweats and a shirt.

"I'll tell them to come back at a better time."

"No, no!" you protested, "Just let me get decent. I want to meet them."

Namjoon paused as he kicked on his slippers.

"You sure?" he asked, eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, yeah. I know we're still on skinship time, but, maybe we can just...hold hands? I mean, as long as you're okay with it..."

Namjoon's mouth slipped into a wry grin as he glanced down to the other end of the suite.

"Yeah, I'm fine with it. I apologize in advance if they can't be."

You gave a confused shrug as Namjoon picked up his phone and crossed into the vestibule area to give you the privacy to change. You pulled your leggings and sweatshirt back on and perched yourself cross-legged on the hospital bed, listening with amused anticipation as Namjoon spoke in exasperated Korean on the other side of the wall. You heard the door and three sets of footsteps accompanied by giggles and shushing, and then your soulmate emerged, all but herding the two young men preceding him into the room.

You immediately recognized the strapping, dark-haired one with the leporine smile as Jungkook, the young man who had accompanied Hybe's representation to visit you on Namjoon's behalf. The other young man you also recognized from internet images as one of the members, though you couldn't recall his name. He was shorter than Jungkook, though not by as much as he should have been due to the significance of his heeled boots. What he lacked in height he made up for in athletic build and voluptuously beautiful facial features. He shook his honey blonde hair out of his eyes, earrings tinkling as he regarded you with a coy smile.

"Ijjogeun Y/n-ieo. Y/n, this is Jungkook and Jimin," Namjoon said, gesturing to each of the members as they made polite bows.

"Annyeonghaseyo," you said, returning their bows deeply, "Mannaseo bangapseumnida - dasi mannaseo bangabseubnida, Jungkook-ssi."

Jungkook flashed a blinding smile, round eyes wide and sparkling.

"It's good to see you again too, noona," he answered in English. Namjoon's brow creased as he glanced between you and the young man you had been originally introduced to as the maknae of BTS.

"You've met?" he asked. You nodded.

"Jungkook was one of the people who came to meet me in the US when your company made the proposition," you explained. "He spoke very, very highly of you. His reference of your character was one of the major contributing factors toward my decision to come."

You smiled softly at Jungkook. Namjoon nodded, brow still drawn, as he pressed his tongue into the side of his cheek, jaw clenched and jutting forward, as he clapped the youngest on the shoulder. You thought Jungkook's eyes were just a bit glassy as the two shared a look that seemed to hold a lifetime of history. Jimin regarded the two with sentimentality before returning his gaze to you, again full of enigmatic mischief. The blonde took a step toward you, then turned on his booted heal, saying something to Namjoon in Korean.

You cocked your head to the side, glancing at your soulmate.

"He said I look a lot better already," Namjoon said, eyeing Jimin warily as the younger man continued speaking, flashing you a devilish grin. Jungkook pulled his pierced lower lip between his teeth as he glanced between Namjoon and Jimin. You looked again to Namjoon expectantly.

Awkwardness radiated from him as he deflected saying Jimin was just making fun, and he shot the younger man a look that unmistakably communicated his lack of amusement. Namjoon made another remark in Korean, and joined you back on the bed, hesitating only a moment before he took your hand in his.

You saw his shoulders sag in relief as he breathed a sigh through his nose at the contact. You had to restrain your own reaction, glancing down shyly as to avoid the two pairs of eyes trained in rapt curiosity on you from the end of the bed. Namjoon continued to speak with them, translating between you when your limited Korean wasn't sufficient, and gradually your awkwardness eased in the comfortable presence that emanated between your soulmate and his members.

As the visitors were about to take their leave, Jimin trained you with a newly serious look, leaning against the edge of the bed, and glancing at Namjoon as he spoke in what you could decipher was gratitude.

"He says they're all so grateful to you and glad to have you with us," Namjoon translated. You noticed his thumb slide over the back of your hand as he said it. So did Jimin, his tongue peeking out of the corner of his mouth as he eyed where your digits were intertwined.

"Ah," you said awkwardly, "No thanks necessary, we're in this together, right?"

You pulled your hand from Namjoon's and in an attempt to raise your arm and give him a nonchalant pat on the back, you backhanded him directly in the face.

Namjoon's hand flew up to his cheek and the two younger members erupted in laughter. You apologized profusely, trying to make sure Namjoon could hear you over Jungkook's wheezing and Jimin's shrieks of what you were pretty sure was "oh shit, there are two of them". When Namjoon had assured you that he was perfectly fine and the other two had composed themselves, you said your goodbyes. As soon as they were out the door, Namjoon was apologizing.

"It's fine," you smirked with a shrug, "That's friends for you. I would have been concerned if they hadn't poked a little fun. I like them. I want to meet the rest of them."

Namjoon slipped back up onto the bed and intertwined his hand with yours as he glanced down, a pensive look on his face.

"There's a lot of people you need to meet," he said quietly, thoughtfully.

You studied him as he continued to look down at your joined hands.

"In fact," he continued, "There was someone I was hoping you could meet tomorrow. Someone we should sit down...and talk with."

You nodded, regarding him intently.

"Her name is Kim Hyung-seo," he continued, "She's my fiancée."

AN: Yeah, sorry to drop that at the end and peace out. 😁✌

Tag list: @butterymin @little-dark-empress @aretha170 @kamilamb @jlee97 @thephotoend @callmenoona25

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