you'd think that if my school actually wanted me to learn shit they'd at least Try to teach me
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hello! may I request 3, 8, 20 with Floyd and Rook? thank you if you took up my request! have a lovely day or whatever time you have rn â¤ď¸â¤ď¸â¤ď¸ congrats on 200 followers đđ
3, 8 and 20 Floyd Leech and Rook Hunt!
âĽwarnings: very messy. some parts are longer than others.
congrats, lucky anon! i got extremely inspired writing this, so have some incredibly messy headcanons. theyre all over the place and at some point its just me info-dumping about said characters, my dearest apologies.
also trying to be more aEstHetIc for my own viewing pleasure and i think it looks good?
3. How does he behave around his crush?
Floyd is quick to fixate on something that catches his attention, and you aren't the exception.
At first you might believe he just loves messing with you, and he thinks the same actually! He's not aware of his crush on you for quite a long time actually.
Whenever he's bored he might just go to look for you to tease you and see what kind of funny reactions you'll give him! â And at the slightest hint of you hating him his mood will drop for reasons he doesn't understand.
There are some things that give him away.
He might be in the worst mood ever, but just seeing you around makes him feel instantly better. Jade and Azul constantly ask for your help to 'fix him' when he's feeling down â They're the first ones to notice his obvious crush for this same reason.
Even if he IS in a bad mood â he always finds the energy and motivation to help you if you need him.
The way he's overly protective of you. Nobody is allowed to mess with you except him!
And sometimes your real name will slip out of his mouth. No he doesn't find it weird to call you by your name. Why are you so surprised?
He's also like a puppy following you around sometimes, it starts as just wanting to tease you a bit â but then as the weeks go on you start to see him more and more often, to the point where the majority of time you aren't in class Floyd is probably either with you or looking for you.
He slowly becomes such an important part of your life that it becomes weird when he's not with you for a few hours.
And yeah⌠Still, he accepts his feelings as just something normal and doesn't think much of it â he doesn't question his relationship with you at all.
At this point, there are two things that might happen to make him confess. Jade and Azul have to make an intervention (Azul takes it completely seriously while Jade just wants to see how things will go) because Floyd keeps sneaking out from work to see you. The point is to convince him to confess in hopes of fixing the problem.
Or⌠He might kiss you out of impulse too.
He was alone with you, you were probably talking about your day and⌠his mind was elsewhere â it was clear he wasn't paying attention to what you were saying, he was too distracted with your lips. His brain just told him "I want to kiss shrimpy" and he did not question it.
ââ¡ ¡ ââââââ ¡ŕŽŕšâĄŕšŕŽÂˇ ââââââ ¡ ¡ââ
Rook is⌠complicated.
Like Floyd, tends to fixate on whatever catches his eye â but he's more subtle about it.
Rook will notice instantly the way his heart beats a bit faster when hearing your voice, or the way his stomach starts to feel butterflies when you smile at him.
Yes, he does often⌠obsess over specific people, but this time is different â he doesn't consider you a prey (at least not JUST a prey) and while he does still 'hunt' for you his intentions are different..
Whenever you interact with him, you might think Rook just started to think of you just like he thinks of someone like Leona or Malleus â if you don't know him you won't be able to tell the difference. And that's fine! Only a few can tell.
Rook loves to read you poems in french that convey all his feelings for you, he knows you can't understand him⌠but that's the point! He loves doing things that border the line of friendship and love, like kissing you in the cheek a bitt close to the lips, or saying some things that sound a bit too cheesy to be just platonic love. And since it's Rook, it's hard to tell!
He's always giving you mixed signals and finds it amusing when you're trying to figure out what he means.
Everyone who knows him closely (Vil) thinks his crush for you is incredibly obvious. Unfortunately for Vil, he can understand french â which means he can understand the poems Rook writes for you. This is bad for him because they always make him cringe due to how cheesy they are and always ALWAYS lets out a sigh afterwards because you are completely clueless and it's so frustrating he just wants you two to get together already.
Rook secretly wishes you try to translate his poems. He wants to see how you'd react to finding out what he meant! it would be funny if you did understand french and just acted like you didn't to see how long he'll keep giving you poems
His confession is probably extremely cheesy, with him gifting you flowers and translating all his poems, asking you out when he's finished.
8. Is he possessive, jealous..?
Floyd here!
ââ¡ ¡ ââââââ ¡ŕŽŕšâĄŕšŕŽÂˇ ââââââ ¡ ¡ââ
Rook isn't a jealous person, but he can be quite possessive.
I mentioned before that some of the boys were possessive with your attention â Rook is like that as well!
But unless it is too bad and you're almost blatantly ignoring him â he'll just⌠try to get your attention by either flirting with you or scaring the person you were talking to away. We all know how unsettling Rook can be.
And when he wants your attention he NEEDS IT and is willing to do anything to get it.
He's also very protective.
Whenever you're talking to someone he always ends up putting his hand on your waist or holding your hand. It's an instinct, he won't notice if you don't point it out.
Overall slightly possessive and isn't aware of it.
20. How do you make him fall for you?
Floyd would fall for someone who is both interesting and patient with him.
It always starts as him trying his best to mess with you, and if you give him interesting reactions then he's probably not going to stop!
But in all seriousness, whether you always have a comeback for his words or you basically can't handle his teasing at all for any reason â if you genuinely do get mad at him then it will stay as just that: teasing.
Show him that you care, the first time he might feel butterflies is when you try to uplift his mood â a feeling that at first he might not recognize, but whatever it is, he starts craving it desperately.
It's the fact that you care, the way you treat him and how you take him seriously. The way you don't just say "it's just a mood swing" and leave him alone, it's just⌠the way you actually have enough patience with him to try to help him.
Floyd has been told so many times that his brother is better than him in some way or another, and even if he does not hold this against Jade â it still hits hard nevertheless. While he might not say it out loud, he loves the feeling of someone liking him more than his brother for once.
Patience again, because he's slowly realizing his feelings â he doesn't know what is the nice feeling in his chest when he makes you smile, but he likes it a lot. Floyd needs time to understand what's going on and yeah, it takes a long time until he actually realizes.
ââ¡ ¡ ââââââ ¡ŕŽŕšâĄŕšŕŽÂˇ ââââââ ¡ ¡ââ
I actually wrote something similar for Rook before but I love him soâŚ
This is insanely hard actually â he's the hunter of love and all but⌠it's incredibly weird for him to actually fall for someone.
He doesn't have any specific type, which makes things harder. You just have to stand out⌠but what's the criteria?
Alright, you might be the most interesting person on earth but still, he might just see you as another prey and nothing more. But there are a few things, and yes, simple as they might sound â they become harder due to the kind of person Rook is.
It always starts with him getting slightly interested in you. As I said, you have to stand out (even if it's just a bit) it's the easiest way! You don't have to do much, the whole 'be yourself' thing is literal.
But he might be even more interested if you don't seem to dislike him in your first encounter. He might want to see how far he can go to see the way you react!
It's a slow process, but as time goes he genuinely starts to appreciate you.
But this is how you can become friends with him! There's some other things you have to do.
As I said, he's very complex, and he prides himself on that fact. But that doesn't mean he's completely unpredictable.
Like I mentioned in my old post, something that gets his heart pumping is whenever you're able to guess something about him. Whether it's something small as just being able to tell whenever he's saying something just to mess with you or telling whenever something makes him upset or mad â he loves it. He tends to hide even the smallest stuff so he loves whenever you're able to see right through him.
Well⌠if it was someone else, Rook wouldn't be as pleased.
As I said, he prides himself in being someone people struggle to understand â after all, being vulnerable means you could get hunted, but you're already past that stage. He trusts you, so even if it's a weird feeling for him⌠he starts to enjoy the idea of being known.
The moment he starts to genuinely fall for you is when he feels able to be vulnerable, to let you know tiny bits about him â slowly letting you into his heart.
Reblogs are appreciated!
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Continuous adventures of the MC/Yuu variants #2
[Synopsis]: More shenanigans with the various types of MC/Yuu
[Valorant x TWST: Agent Deadeye, Agent Yami, and Agent S.Wift]
MC/Yuu Kiritani: WhatâŚ
MC/Yuu Fabron: TheâŚ
[Points their guns at each other.]
MC/Yuu Kiritani: Why are you me? Who sent you?
MC/Yuu Fabron: Nobody. Why are you copying Riftwalkerâs style? You seemâŚTacky, as the word Iâm implying.
MC/Yuu Kiritani: Excuse you! Why are you wearing clothes like that French bastard?
MC/Yuu Fabron: Donât demean my brother like that.
MC/Yuu Kiritani: BROTHER?!
Miyeon: *Watching the two Valorant MC/Yuu variants fighting*ďżź
Deuce: Should we stop them?
Miyeon: Not yet. This is fun watching two different variants from the âsameâ universe.
<>
[During towards the end of the Glorious Masquerade Event]
Agent!MC/Yuu: Now this is my kind of fight. *Summons their Tour de Force 2.0 out*
Deuce: Woah, wait! Donât shoot-
Agent!MC/Yuu: *Shoots at Rollo*
Rollo: *Knocks over unconscious*
Deuce: MC/Yuu!
Agent!MC/Yuu: What? Itâs not bullets this time. I came up with tranquilizing pellets. In forms of ammunition.
<>
[Ramshackle]
MC/Yuu Han: You.
MC/Yuu Fabron: Merde.
MC/Yuu Han: I remember you from last time. You barely shot my ass. Luckily, you missed.
MC/Yuu Fabron: I never miss. You just run away like a little scared child.
MC/Yuu Han: *Scoffs* How old do you think I am?
MC/Yuu Fabron: Same age as me?
MC/Yuu Han: Really? You look like youâre in your mid-30s.
MC/Yuu Fabron: I beg your pardon. When we return to our respective worlds, I would be one to take you out.
MC/Yuu Han: *Scoffs* When you return to your world, tell your Jett itâs her fault for the Venice incident. Thanks to her, my sister is accused for something she never committed.
[Self-Aware AU x TWST: Gamer MC/Yuu/[Y/N]]
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: *Almost losing a round on Apex*
[lsr69no]: Haha! If youâre female, moan on the mic!
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: Why? You canât hear your mama moan anymore? Thatâs gross!
[lsr69no]: Shut up!
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: Thought so! *Instantďżź kill the other player* Sicko mode.
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: Fuckinâ creep.
[The First Year gang were watching the whole game on the phone stand.]
Ace: *Wheezing from laughter*
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: Ace? You good?
Deuce: He was laughing when you were roasting the other player.
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: Oh, I thought he was dying. Wait, can you guys die?
Jack: I donât think so. Unless you delete our coding.
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: True, but Iâm not that kind of genius.
Ortho: I can ask Nii-san.
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: âŚ
The rest of the gang: âŚ
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: âŚWere you watching the whole time?
Ortho: I was!
MC/Yuu/[Y/N]: Please donât tell your brother from what I said and what the idiot commented during the game.
Ortho: Understand! I wonât break the promise.
[SCP-TWST-2020: Dr. MC/Yuu (SCP!MC/Yuu)]
[Dr. MC/Yuuâs Laboratory/Office]
SCP!MC/Yuu: *Experimenting with SCP-387*
Azul: Good morning, Dr. MC/Yuu.
SCP!MC/Yuu: Oh! You came just in time. I need you to participate in an experiment involving SCP-387.
Azul: Dr. MC/Yuu, Iâm afraid I cannot be involved with your work as last time I was here, your Knotty Stalkers almost killed me.
SCP!MC/Yuu: Right, sorry. It confirms no matter what dimension youâre from, you still get affected by the Knotty Stalker.
Azul: *Shivers from the trauma* I cannot forget their beady eyes.
SCP!MC/Yuu: I promise this Safe Class object wonât kill you. Itâs just Lego pieces that become sentient after pulling them out of the box and building some parts together with bare contact.
Azul: (c" ತ,_ತ) âŚ
SCP!MC/Yuu: âŚFine. Iâll sign a deal with you. A visit to SCP-267 but Iâm monitoring since itâs dangerous by surprising items.
~
SCP!MC/Yuu: UhhâŚAzul? Why did you construct the entire ocean in my lab?
Azul: *Just finished building a statue of the Sea Witch* âŚI enjoyed the experiment.
SCP!MC/Yuu: *Snaps an image of the whole ocean diorama ďżźfor logging records* This is a success for todayâs experiment. Letâs clean before something happens.
â¨[Reblogging helps creators and creates more content.]đŤ
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that thing from before! but with words under read more if your intrested
that puyo swap thing i did (sig w/ami personality, strange w/lidelle, etc.)
Raffina with lidelle persona and klug with sig.
tho the personas are changed key components are not! like Amitie still aims to be a wonderful sorceress and is kinda slow, but she has raffinas confidence too!
raffina is still about beauty and shinny things but with lidelles low self esteem
Ms accord is just switched with popoi, who is now a mild mannered cat that acts as the soft to the now sharp teacher.( you cant separate them they work together)
now. to my meat and bones.
klug with sig persona, who is spacey and what not, but is still the smartest kid in the class. and who also now has a kinda blood feud going on with ms accord and the teachers. because while he is very much capable of doing the work, he would also much rather be sleeping instead. and even when they try to corner him by asking him really tough questions when they wake him up in class because he wasnt paying attention, he always some how still knows the answer.
hes smart but would rather not work if he can help it.(he will still go out of his way to avoid detentions and anything that will stain his permanent record tho)
this also leads to the most legendary thing hes done in class. he was sleeping/not paying attention like usual and ms accord was gonna give him a write up for that. He didnt want that. this lead to a long winded 2 sided debate between him and ms accord in which he 1 got himself outta the write up by negotiating a detention and make up work instead and 2 had the debate last until the end of class (30mins minimum) thus also getting outta whatever other work was planned for that day.
he smoothed talked his way outta it. the whole class was stunned while this was happening because he was honestly bringing up good points for why he should and should not get this punishment.
"teacher pardon my french but im fighting for my fucking life here. i am trying to stay awake i really am, it has nothing to do with you or your class its just me and my poor sleeping habits."
and smartass had the audacity to, when the bell rang and he already secured his victory to just stooped talking and put his one notebook in his bag with his pillow and just sat there. nobody moved, nobody talked and ms accord was also stunned (she lost track of the time as well, she really got into that discussion) he then waited in his set and when ms accord asked, he said he was waiting for her to dismiss the class.
"...You must be feeling reeeal proud of yourself. you slimy-"
"Its okay teacher i will pretend that you didnt say that, for your honor as a teacher."
this also unfortunately for klug had the side effect of getting him put in ap/honors classes which he'd been avoiding like the plague. (he's allergic to work you see.)
"we wouldnt want to hold you down, since your brain isnt getting enough challenge in the general courses. but dont worry, i understand that change is a big issue for you and you will fortunately still have me as your homeroom teacher. to make the transition easier."
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A College Tutor [Memoir]
When I was eighteen I went to FE college, to do a Highers course which would help me get into university. One of the tutors I had there was called David Bouttiere.
He was the psychology teacher. On my first ever lesson with this man, he went around the class whereby weâd introduce ourselves. When it for to my turn I did something a little different from the other students â I said that I was keen and interested in psychology, because thatâs what I was hoping to do at university. Then there was a little bit of group discussion about the Nature/Nurture topic, wherein I tried to contribute to the dialogue, and was practising how to speak in front of the class. Thought Iâd done pretty well.
On the second lesson, ever, David Bouttiere did the same type of thing, by going around the class. When it got to my part, there was a little confusion about what the question was, because there were roadworks outside the college, and I misheard what heâd said. And, I blushed. Just because I was a little embarrassed. And Bouttiere went,
âAre you okay, Harry?â
âYes,â I said. Still with this blush in my face.
âAre you sure? Because you can go outside if youâre too hot.â
He pointed at the classroom door. A couple of the girl students turned around and stared at me with this look of confusion.
âYeah,â I responded, âIâm fine. But, thanks for asking.â
âThatâs okay, Harry. Just, show interest!â
And then the class topic moved elsewhere.
If it had just been that one incident, I wouldnât be writing this essay. I.e., if that had been the only time this man was unpleasant to me, then I wouldnât remember him so vividly. But it wasnât. It went on across the entire year I was in that psychology classroom.
Now, David Bouttiere was huge, about six foot five, in his latter thirties, and French. In the initial weeks of his classes I tried to contribute to the class (a roomful of about twenty kids, mostly my age), really hard. Iâd brushed off that blush incident and was trying to speak out, speak up, in front of the students; a thing which I found difficult then and still do now: public oratory.
Then this man just came in and totally overrode me. Bouttiere â he would monologue at the head of the room, and whilst he was talking he would go âHarry!â randomly, at intervals, as he explained a certain study. âHarry,â this or, explaining a particular statistic, go âHarry!â that. And the other students would nervously glance at me and just not say anything.
Itâs quite hard to explain how often he singled me out, unless youâd been there during the sessions. He would come in at the start of the lesson, and grin at me pointedly â then do that name-calling thing for the rest of the hour; and one time he winked at me and said, âHarryâs going to introduce the subject today.â
I can honestly say that I wasnât scared of him. There were a few times when I crossed him one on one in the college corridors, and he would seem a bit shifty, and wince his eye contact, and pass. Interesting that when it was man to man, he acted differently âŚ
It wasnât that I found him scary; I simply didnât understand why he picked on me so relentlessly in that public environment. Was he trying to be funny? Maybe: but nobody was laughing. Was he saying my name because he thought I wasnât paying attention? But then I would just answer the question, proving that I was. Moreover, I never handed in an essay late, and routinely got top grades in the coursework.
So what did I do about it all? Well, nothing, I suppose. I had to just sit there in in my seat, wondering when he would next target me verbally. It was as if he noticed that I was a very shy man, and found it funny that he could rub that fact in. âPick on the shyest guy in the class to try and keep him that wayâ. Which was all the more ironic because, as I mentioned before, I had been verbally committed at the start, even though it was naturally tricky for me.
In simpler terms: he just shut me up. And I still do not fully comprehend why.
What made it worse was that, after all of that, I internalised his bullying â and would later regret that he made me feel like a coward. I ânever stood up to himâ. And that let him win, as it were. He got away with it. I often wish that I had written a letter of complaint to the college about his behaviour. Because I was young, and not assertive enough to retaliate, I assumed I wasnât powerful enough to get him back in a non-violent way.
The definition of a bully is âA person who habitually seeks to harm those who they deem as vulnerable.â
Sounds like exactly what happened in that period. Therefore I was the bullied person. But I was only 18.
I can honestly say that, if there had been a moderator present in the classroom, or somebody Bouttiereâs own age â he would not have acted like that. Because heâd have gotten in shit for it. [Moreover, he was up his own arsecrack as well. I remember this one time where he asked the pupils if anybody could speak French; and when nobody said yes, he spoke French to himself for two minutes, eloquently ⌠just to show off that he was bilingual.]
Whatâs the conclusion from all of this then? That he hurt me a great deal, and Iâve been angry about it for a long time. It did not hinder my academic career, his behaviour. That college course got me into University of Aberdeen, where I got a 2:1 MA in Psychology. (Ha.)
You hear about accusations of bullying fairly regularly in the news. Be it with politicians. Or the brasher examples of the police and whatnot. Now that I am older, I realise that all bullies act aggressively to mask their own insecurity.
Iâve spoken to a jumble of people about David, and they said, âHe felt threatened by you.â Which is probably accurate. He thought of himself as being super intelligent and a great talker ⌠and when this younger man comes in with this bold attitude and who is obviously clever, Bouttiere steps in from the get go to snuff him out, because itâs threatening to his ego.
I wonder what David would think if he read this essay.
My main points to take away are thus; that we should be far more empathetic with young people; that we should not emulate bullying: and try and not internalise abuse weâve experienced during youth.
And also that David Bouttiere was a total cunt to me. I hope heâs changed his ways, these days. And that, if he keeps being a bully, he gets his comeuppance as one.
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WHY NOBODY TOLD ME SLIME WAS IN A RPG???
I will probably check it if I find time
I dunno but seeing people from other countries seeing things that the brazilians made make me so happy for some reason
Also, apparently there will be a d&d on my school for a thing I'm in, I'm so indecisive to choose races and classes lol
Probably will pick an elf(said that to a friend and he remembers there's subraces aaaa)
I can't find much time to watch streams a lot of times but honestly, I wish I watched bbh, Tubbo and Maximus (Etoiles too but I don't understand a word of french and normally do other things and just hear the stream but the idea of trying learn french has been on my mind)
English is your first lenguage?
I've wondering how do Portuguese sounds to you? Or the brazilian accent
Like, I'm brazilian that learned English alone, English has a lot of consonants and some pronunciation are hard to me, like saying the word "three", or it sounds like 'tree" or "free", and for some reason, saying "your" sounds so strange when I try, like "beg your pardon"
And some accents are kinda hard to understand, like, the American one is fine, but some English accents are hard to me sometimes and I may take some time to understand sometimes
Sorry for flooding your at askbox with random things:,)
- đ˝ď¸
ITS OKAY YIU CAN FLOOD MY ASK BOX ALL THE TIME!! i love talkign haha
also YES YES YES SLIEMCICLE IS IN A DND PODCATS!!! MY ADVERTISING HAS WORKED!! itâs on youtube and spotify and anywhere you can listen to podcasts. itâs called Just Roll With It and itâs with him and his friends!! their main campaign atm is called Riptide and itâs about PIRATES!!!! they also will have a vampire campaign out i BELIEVE this month called the Suckening but they have a different horror session up on their youtube called Blood in the Bayou! (i think only the first ep? the rest you can listen on their patron of you join :3c donât take my word for it though iâm not entirely sure)
yep english is my first language but i also speak (some) Chinese :)) which doesnât help because no one speaks that on the QSMP but you know lol. i watch tubbo a lot and i also want to watch Etoiles more because he seems so cool,,, but i too know 0 French amonfihfoja
I donât know how to explain how Portuguese sounds to be ah,,, it sounds really nice? kamjhfkns idk i like their accent itâs nice!! i enjoy listening to all the favela six talk TT iâll watch their streams on the background (usually forever or cellbit) and just enjoy the sound because i donât understand it,,,,
i get what you mean that english has words that sounds really similar and some accents are harder to understand. english may be my first language but i also sometimes struggle with saying words and mixing them up amknfjns
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Luckily I think I have a knack for languages but only for different aspects of each one? lol. Like, I grew up watching/listening to a lot of Japanese stuff (anime, dramas, music) so I have decent listening/hearing comprehension for it--enough that I was able to communicate with Japanese exchange students in college (I'd answer them in English, which they also had a working understanding of, or in my simple baby Japanese lol). But I cannot for the life of me understand kanji so I'm always going to be Japanese illiterate 𼲠(My brother is also learning Japanese so my catchphrase for whenever he shows me anything is "I can't read this!" lol)
I picked up Hangul real quick and I get the grammar structure now, but my Korean vocab is so all over the place that I can read/write but not know what anything means lmao. I'm hoping I'll absorb it naturally by watching and listening to more Korean media but the school year is so busy. I'm hoping I'm not too mentally dead by the end of June so I can activate all my brain cells this summer vacation to hopefully get fluent đ¤
At least my pronunciation for both languages is decent so I can sing in them now đ Let's both aim for "being able to watch shows in the background" proficiency đ¤ because tbh that's what I'll be using any language for the most...
-đťâď¸
I love learning languages, which is probably why I picked up linguistics quickly despite never taking a class before grad school. My brother (who is 18 years older than me and literally a genius) accidently picked up Japanese. Like he literally was buying manga to look at the art mostly because he's an artist and went "oh, I can actually read this" and got his hands on more Japanese media. So when I came around he literally raised me on jdramas and read me manga to bed and play me jpop consistently. He's genuinely upset that I'm not fluent like him by now, but I'm also stupid. But at the same time, I also grew up speaking English, French, and Haitian creole (literally the only one of my sibs to pick up the last two, perks of being the youngest). So I think a 4th language would have been too much for my little brain. But I literally retained none of the Spanish I learned in school despite learning it for 13 years and picked up French in 2 (had to do 2 years for college). And I keep picking up French books and reading French posts and being like "oh, I can actually read this" (like brother like sister I guess).
I think I know more Japanese than I actually do because I can watch subbed shows relatively quickly and I've caught myself looking away from the screen while drawing or something and forgetting to look up again and still being able to follow. But ask me to read something and I'm lost. I'm literally learning to read bc one of my fav video game series published a side story book and it's only in Japanese and my brother says I'm too old for him to read for me đ (asshole) and nobody has translated the book yet despite there being an English following of the game. But pronunciation wise I'm okayish with japanese since my brother made sure to drill me on how to read when how things are written out in romaji. Compared to watching anything in Korean, I still have to pause for subs sometimes, but that might just be because of how some of them are timed. I'm an auditory learner/person so I think I'm better learning that way. I bought some workbooks for both Japanese (elementary so it should be kanji and hiragana, maybe katakana I think) and Hangul and they both come with audio components so I should be set. Literally, the way I would study for English vocab test back in middle school and high school would be me listening to my friends study together and I would pass every time. So I think if I consume enough Korean and Japanese media I should be able to pick those up too.
I am so sorry for rambling but you hit one of my favorite topics/ special interest and I couldn't help myself đ
But yes, let's both aim for "being able to watch shows in the background" proficiency!
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Abandonment Issues
I have this need to compile all known things likely to contribute to my abandonment issues because I don't know if I'll ever get help with them. The things that contribute mostly involve things that have happened to me, and I will be adding examples of situations that cause them to kick in.
Because I know this will be a rather long post, I'll have a page-breaker.
First is a list of a timeline of significant events that contributed to the development of my abandonment issues:
The earliest would be when my dad took my brother and me grocery shopping at Kroger, and when we got to the check-out, he realized he forgot the money. He then proceeded to, after gaining permission, left not only the cart full of groceries at the front desk, but also left me and my brother with the groceries, with my brother still barely out of toddlerhood (if not still a toddler) so he could drive a HALF AN HOUR HOME to get the money, then come back. (I revealed this to mom a month or 2 ago and apparently she didn't know about this and was pissed while my dad grinned innocently.)
Each time there was a group of friends at the house of whom I thought was a friend, all activities were chosen knowing I knew little of how to participate, or it was something I wasn't interested in. (She didn't wanna be my friend anymore, even explicitly telling me this, but I just wasn't getting it for some reason.)
After my older cousins became a certain age, they wanted littler to do with me, and my younger cousins I couldn't relate to.
My parents hardly spent much time with me unless it was something they wanted to do instead of nurturing any of my interests beyond birthday and xmas gifts.
I wasn't included much in activities at family gatherings (and as I got older, nobody wanted to talk to me beyond a greeting and would suddenly ignore me).
Despite being the only French Horn player in middle school, I frequently did not get my sheet music and would have to ask. A lot. And sometimes, I still didn't get the sheet music and had to improvise.
7th grade, we went to Louisville, KY (a RIDICULOUSLY LONG CAR RIDE from Ohio due to so many traffic jams thanks to several accidents on the highway), and I was largely ignored.
When I switched to mellophone in high school for marching band, my band director seemed to have forgotten to assign me spots for drills a few times... despite being the only one playing that instrument.
A science class my sophomore or junior year, the teacher said we could work with only one other person on an in-class assignment. The class was an uneven number. My 2 friends in that class worked together. I was by myself. I had points taken off because I didn't work with anyone. Because I couldn't.
Any bullies I've had, I got no help, with being told by teachers and authorities that there's nothing they could do except punish me in some way for being in the fight at all (while the bullies never got in trouble), or my parents telling me there's nothing they can do and to just stop making myself a target.
Anytime I needed help in class, the teacher wouldn't actually help, just repeat what they've said, and when I say that I still don't understand it, I'm told, "Then I don't know how to help you," and proceeded to ignore my pleas for help in class.
Extended family only ask about me through my parents, and never try to contact me, so I'm just a blip within smalltalk for them.
Nobody taught me how to care for myself, so when I got into college, I was a train wreck, but figured some stuff out quickly despite entering back Autistic burnout and having meltdowns and breakdowns.
Our whole dorm (6 roommates in total including myself) in the first room I stayed in all went grocery shopping, with a couple of roommates having friends come along. I had a collapsible shopping cart to haul groceries with, so when we were on our way back in the middle of the night when it was snowing and freezing, everybody walked almost half a block ahead of me, talking and laughing. I was left alone, struggling to pull the heavy cart over the uneven sidewalks by myself. No one checked to see how I was doing or if I needed help. They didn't seem to notice until they realized they got to the dorm building way before I did. When I got there, they asked me what took me so long. I said it's a heavy cart and nobody was helping. One of them tugged the cart a bit, acknowledged that it was heavy, and then they all continued to ignore me again.
2nd dorm room, I went with 2 roommates out of town to get supplies to make my first (and so far, only) partial fursuit. Everything was fine and when it came time to take the bus home, I was reading the wrong schedule (I didn't realize the bus schedule was updated) so no buses ran into downtown, only as far as a particular neighborhood. I offered to have my dad come give us a ride, but they refused, with my closest roommate being royally pissed. My dad would've been there just in time, but they weren't convinced. The drive my dad would've taken would've been an hour and 45 minutes. When we walked, it took us 4 hours to get back to the dorm. They walked 2 or 3 blocks ahead of me, and I had my cellphone out to avoid feeling alone. My parents couldn't stay on for very long for reasons I can't remember. I got onto the phone with my then-boyfriend (now-husband) and he could only be on the phone until he had to go to bed because it was very late and his stepdad wanted him off the phone. By the time we got back to the dorms, my roommate was fine and said she was over it already.
I had to go to the emergency room at my first job at some point and a co-worker took me there, but he had to get back to work. When I was in a room finally, I wasn't seen for 8 hours because they didn't put any indicator on the door that someone was in there, so they didn't even know I was in there until they were looking for another bed for another patient.
When my brother died, mom paid attention to other people's kids, and I stopped existing to her for the longest time. She still barely listens to me when I try to socialize with her despite living with her (unless I say something she doesn't like hearing). My dad hardly paid any attention to me, too, and when I try to socialize, I'm suddenly "talking too much."
Ever since we moved in with my parents due to bedbugs and financial reasons, I've hardly had any friends keep in much contact with me after the first few years.
There are likely others. Now here are situations where my abandonment issues kick in:
My husband wanting to hang out with some friends or one of his siblings; I'll fear he's doing this to get away from me.
My parents ignoring me when I try to socialize.
Unable to keep any convo going with friends online, making me fear they either don't want to talk to me and find me annoying, or they don't want to make time because they think I'm annoying.
Extended family not being in contact with me.
I can't watch Jurassic World 2 because that brachiosaurus being left behind to suffer in the lava hit me personally and I relate with that CGI dino far too much to ever watch that movie again.
The counselor I was trying to see for said abandonment issues ignore any and all concerns I originally went there for and debunked everything I experienced by claiming it's me being anorexic because of my BMI (when in actuality, I have health issues and even stated that I'm seeing doctors for it). She also completely ignored the fact that I'm eating food, but my metabolism is too high. She also offered to have my husband come in on a session, and I agreed, and when it was obvious he took my side, he stopped existing to her.
The dietitian I was seeing ignored the fact that I kept saying endometriosis can royally fuck with the digestive system, she even told me she doesn't understand how it can affect that, and proceeded to beg me to eat as if I don't eat or I'm refusing to eat much. So because of her and the counselor, I feel like I'm not allowed help all because of the stupid BMI.
I see people come out in the LGBTQ community and witness them (many of whom I know) get not just enthusiastic support, but they talk about it. I come out as a demiwoman or greysexual, and it's "oh, that's nice ^^" and that's it... It's like nobody wants to talk to me.
These abandonment issues make me feel like I don't exist, that I'm either a ghost somehow communicating somewhat with the living, or that I'm watching television and I'm so immersed that I'm trying to communicate with the characters expecting them to talk back.
But when I finally do exist, it's mostly when someone has a problem with me. I'm suddenly "too much" or "difficult to live with" (as an old roommate put it). The only support I've ever had is my husband, who does his best, and I love him for it, but it's not easy. I need professional help, but because my BMI, a number that's based on assumptions and bullshit, is far more important than my actual fucking struggles, I don't feel I'm allowed any help whatsoever.
I'm gonna do some searching for another counselor or therapist that will take my insurance and see about hopefully booking an appointment during the warmer weather.
It's stuff like this as to why I can't see myself do much actively for whatever community I become a part of. I can only do passive things like help move information along or maybe grow food. And I'm so out of practice when it comes to socializing that I fear making friends IRL might be impossible at this point. I don't even think the friends I still sort of keep in touch with online would be able to handle being around me IRL. Right now, I'm just trying to help keep my sanity functioning.
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Hey hey hey! I just want to say I love your fics and was wondering if you could do a MJ x Fem reader who is Peters shy and stuttery twin sister who is sorta always put after Peter and is always in his shadow? And like MJ notices how the readers always getting compared to him and how the readers self esteem is sort of dying and stands up for her? Pleeeasseeee???
pairing: mj x parker!fem!reader
a/n: first writing since august. not really proud of it but i mean we're just getting into writing again. made the reader to be adopted so everyone can read it. happy holidays everyone!
summary: flash is a teasing shit who likes to pick on you.
w/c: 1.2k
warnings: none :)
m.list
being the sister of an ace is tiring. youâd always get compared to your brother, peter. heâs perfect in everything. heâs smart, attractive, and good at sports. which makes no sense because youâve never seen him workout, but for some reason heâs gained a lot of muscles in a short span of time.
when you have a question regarding school you always go to him. he teases you about it saying heâs the âbetter siblingâ but knows when he passes the line between teasing and hurting you. youâre thankful for that. if only most people at school would think the same way. most of your friends are shared, like ned and mj. sometimes youâll catch betty sitting at your lunch table too, but thatâs only when sheâs got to ask you about something about the schoolâs news report. and even they notice when your feelings get hurt after someone teases you about your brother.
aunt may is not really an aunt, but more like your mother. of course you call her your aunt, just like peter. but when peterâs parents adopted you, you barely spent two years with them until aunt may took you and peter in. and it did happen once or twice that you called her mom instead of aunt, but she never made fun of you for it or saw it as something bad. sheâs an understanding woman and always supports you in your decisions, knows how to cheer you up and when to leave you alone when you need space. sheâs the safe space for you at home and makes sure you know you can talk to her about anything.
flash? yeah, we donât really like talking about him. heâs not the smartest, or the nicest either. flash is the type of guy to rip you to shreds with his words and then ask you who made you cry after seeing your eyes fill with tears. heâs not the brightest up there and likes to use a lot of situations to his advantage. which is exactly why you donât like when heâs at your table. even if itâs to annoy peter or tease mj for her lack of social life, the conversation always ends up being about you not reaching peterâs level.
and even when you achieve something nobody else did, peter is still the name you hear when someone is trying to tell you how good you did. the amount of times you heard people say âdid peter help you with that?â is a lot. itâs sad to say that you got used to it, but that doesnât mean it doesnât hurt as much anymore.
ây/n, did you do french? i forgot to do it,â mj whispers as you take out your stuff for your next class; english. french would come after english. you nod and take out your folder. her eyes light up and she reaches for it, your fingertips touching hers for a split second and sending shivers to you.
âhere, you can give it back to me later.â she nods and thanks you quietly, turning back to the teacher in front of the class greeting everybody.
after english, you walk to your locker and put your english book inside. you only need your folder today. someone taps your shoulder, making you jump slightly. you turn around and get greeted by mj.
âyou wanna walk together to french? i need to give you back your folder anyway,â she says.
âyou already copied the homework?â you frown. she was fast.
âyep. copied it during english. mrs. kimâs class is so boring honestly,â she rolls her eyes. you giggle and close your locker, turning around and starting to walk to your next class together. it was a blessing getting to be in many classes with your best friend. you never feel alone or left out, since you two have each other most of the times.
âuhm, did you hear about that one ca-â
ây/n! how are you?â your eyes widen at the familiar voice, your head snapping right when an arm wraps around your shoulder and pulls you closer to flash. not him again. he eyes mj next to you and nods towards her.
âdid you see? she got a 70 on the math test! isnât that awesome? peter did some good help this time,â he snickers.
âit was all my doing. just because peterâs my bro-â
âleave her alone, flash. arenât you getting bored of the same old jokes you do?â the girl on your other side wraps her arm around your waist and pulls you closer to her side, stepping away from flash as you follow with a step to the side. he frowns and raises his brows.
âwhat? does your girlfriend need help defending herself now?â he smirks. you feel your cheeks hear up, pulling your lips into a thin line.
âweâre no-â
âof course she wonât have a chance defending herself if youâre always teasing her! youâre worse than a child,â she scoffs. her pace picks up and you try to keep up with her when you leave flash behind you in the hallway.
âthat wasnât necessary, you know? heâs always like this,â you mumble, head tilted to the floor, âthank you, though;â
mj smiles at you, shaking her head. âthat was nothing. you deserve someone to stand up for you.â
âiâve seen the way you look when peter gets brought up when you do something. you know, i think youâre pretty cool.â you smile at her trying to cheer you up. itâs cute.
âand youâre not only pretty cool, you know? youâre smart too. of course youâre also really pretty. i like the way your eyebrows raise when you get really happy. but i donât like how you get that frown on your forehead everytime flash makes fun of you or you think youâre not good enough,â she explains.
thereâs this familiar feeling in the pits of your stomach. butterflies, again. the same feeling you felt earlier when your fingers touched hers. itâs like you canât breathe and makes you forget every word you learned growing up as the only thing you can let out is a breathy laugh to tell her that youâre thankful for what she just said.
just like peter, youâre not good at expressing your feelings. thatâs one thing you two got in common. trying to show your love for someone? never happened. youâre still young, so thinking about having a partner was never a big thing in your life. of course, there are moments when you wish you had someone to hold in a romantic way, or to be held. when youâre feeling down after getting a grade you didnât expect, for example. but it was never so bad to the point you thought about a certain person.
âthatâs. uhm, thank you?â it sounds more like a question, which is why the brown haired girl next to you starts feeling insecure and you notice.
âif it was too much-â
âno! it wasnât, donât worry.â you shake your head quickly. she smiles softly at you, sighing.
you donât know what to do next as you two walk side by side, your hands touching the other ones subtly. her hand is itching to be held by yours, and youâre also trying to hold hers. you do what you think is the best.
ânow, what were you saying earlier?â her eyes widen at your words. she tilts her head away from you, hiding her smirk. you step in front of her, holding her face in both your palms.
âthe new cafe? yes, iâd love to go with you!â
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I think People misunderstood ChloĂŠ's arc and the season 3 finale (and especially ChloĂŠ's role in it.). And here is why I think that.
This is a really long post and I know it's hard to keep reading something as long as this but please, I ask you, either do not read it at all if you don't want to read something like this or read it completely. If you do decide to read this but stop in the middle because you want to comment on something I ask you to not do that. Please read all of it thoroughly. If you want to comment on something, take notes but don't post it before having read all, because if you do not read all you probably won't understand it correctly. Additionally, some things might have been answered later on in the post.
I think the true lesson the writers wanted to give with ChloĂŠ's arc and especially the Season 3 finale is that it's good to be forgiving and give second or maybe even 3rd chances but you shouldn't try and help someone who doesn't want to change. There was a time where she maybe wanted to change... I put the maybe there on purpose. This is because if I look at ChloĂŠ's behavior it isn't entirely clear if she ever wanted to change because she wants to help others or if she just wanted to "change" so she can have the Bee Miraculous.
ChloĂŠ's arc in actuality was a treason arc. It wasn't a redemption arc. On the surface it may have looked like one but if you look deeper I think you'll see the signs.
I know I am gonna get hate for saying the next bit but if you look closely (and I mean very closely) at ChloĂŠ's actions then you'll see what I mean. In season 1 Chloe was a stereotypical bully. In season 2 she actually got a backstory, explaining her actions. It basically made her look more like a real person. But even so her actions didn't really change. She stayed a bully. On surface level her actions did change a little, but on a lower level they didn't.
What do I mean with that? Take Despair Bear as an example she threw a party and invitated all her classmates. In itself that's a nice action but do you remember the reason why she threw the party? Adrien threatened to break up their friendship if she wasn't nicer to people. So her Butler Jean gave her the idea with the party and that she should be nice.Â
Yeah, I know this happened before the Queen's Battle trilogy (I know it's actually just a 2 part episode (Style Queen and Queen Wasp) but I count Malediktator as a 3rd part because it pretty much is a direct follow up to Queen Wasp.) but this is supposed to serve as an example for ChloĂŠ's behavior in season 2.
Now look at Zombizou. ChloĂŠ gave Miss Bustier a present the day after her birthday. Do you remember why this happened? Marinette called ChloĂŠ out for not having brought one and pretty much embarrassed her infront of the class (I know the way she called her out was mean but that's not the point here). In the end ChloĂŠ most likely would never have brought a gift if this didn't happen.
I think this Episode also came before the Queens Battle trilogy but I'm not sure. Anyway even if it was before, it still shows how ChloĂŠ behaves most of the time when she does good things.
Now let's look at the Queen's Battle trilogy. In the Style Queen episode we see for the first time how Audrey treats ChloĂŠ and while it does explain why ChloĂŠ does what she does it doesn't mean her actions are excusable. It makes her actions understandable to the viewers and it makes her, as already mentioned, look more like an actual human being. In that episode we do not really see any more about ChloĂŠ and her past or actions besides her finding the Box with the Bee Miraculous.
After that Queen Wasp follows. In this episode the first scene where Chloe plays a rather major role is the scene with Gabriel Agreste, Audrey Bourgeois, AndrĂŠ Bourgeois, Tom Dupain, Sabine Cheng, Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng and of course ChloĂŠ Bourgeois. In this scene we see Audrey taking Marinette's feather hat after it rolls infront of her. She inspects it and remarks that it isn't Gabriel's. She then asks if Marinette is responsible for the hat, which Marinette replies to with her having created the hat. You know the rest Gabriel admits she won a fashion contest, Audrey remarks the hat is "exceptional", and then she asks Marinette if she wants to go to New York. That is where ChloĂŠ comes in, claiming to never having been in New York. She also asked why she was taking Marinette. Audrey replies with Marinette being "exceptional". ChloĂŠ then says that she's "exceptional" too. Audrey then says the following "The only exeptionial thing about you, my dear... is your mother.". I think you know the rest AndrĂŠ tries to step in but is interrupted by ChloĂŠ who transforms into Queen Bee infront of everyone to proof that she is exceptional.
This wasn't simply to prove her mother wrong tho. She did it to prove to everyone that she's exceptional and her behaviors later on that episode prove that exact point. Queen Bee then disappears.
The others go home and Queen Bee looks around the city to see if there's anything she can do but doesn't find anyone who needs saving. She then thinks of that plan with the train and calls Nadja Chamak to gain publicity for her heroic deeds. As already mentioned this pretty much proves my point. If she really jzst wanted to prove Audrey wrong then why call in one of Paris's star reporters?
After the call she heads towards the metro. She runs on the side of the metro and enters the driver's room. She then Calls out her venom and numbs the driver. The metro speeds up and Queen Bee turns on the metro TV saying she'll save them (this pretty much was to gain even more publicity). Queen Bee isn't able to stop the metro and Ladybug and Cat Noir come in to help stop the metro. Ladybug calls ChloĂŠ out for numbing the train driver and Nadja Chamak comes with Audrey Bourgeois on a live call. Audrey then says the following "What? Regarding my daughter's ineptitude? I think it speaks for itself, doesn't it?". Ladybug asks ChloĂŠ to give the Miraculous back but ChloĂŠ keeps it and runs away with it. Queen Bee then gets akumatized before she transforms back causing her to turn in Queen Wasp. I don't think it's important to mention what happened while she was Queen Wasp because in this case she wasn't willingly akumatized just like Antibug which also means she wasn't herself unlike Chameleon and Miracle Queen who both were willingly akumatized and both kinda knew what happened while they were akumatized.).
When she gets deakumatized Marinette later comes in and tries to help fix ChloĂŠ's and Audrey's relationship (atleast as much as it can be fixed) by pretty much insulting both of them and saying "You're also wrong about your daughter not being exceptional. In fact, ChloĂŠ is exceptionally mean. She's the worst person I've ever met. She may be more heinous, pompous and selfish than you. Compared to both of you, even a rock seems more capable of love.". ChloĂŠ and Audrey then pretty much shout at the same time "How dare youâ". They then see they do have a lot in common. The episode then pretty much ends after 2 more short scenes (both scenes do not have anything to do with ChloĂŠ so I don't think they are important.).
Now let's look at Malediktator. The episode starts with ChloĂŠ's documentary about Queen Bee where ChloĂŠ-Bee and ChloĂŠ-Bug (I'm gonna call her that because that's ChloĂŠ with a Queen Bee costume and ChloĂŠ with a Ladybug costume) talk about how great of a superhero Queen Bee is. Then it zooms out to reveal that the documentary is watched by ChloĂŠ's classmates.
Ivan then points out that isn't Ladybug. ChloĂŠ says it is Ladybug and Miss Bustier asks why ChloĂŠ did the assignment about herself.
ChloĂŠ then says they were supposed to choose an important person in French history. ChloĂŠ-Bug talks more about Queen Bee. Alya then points out that's ChloĂŠ with a Ladybug costume. This discussion goes on for a bit until ChloĂŠ leaves.
ChloĂŠ and Audrey then storm in to AndrĂŠ's office while a pair is getting married. They force them out and Audrey tells AndrĂŠ to close the school while ChloĂŠ tells him to ban Marinette and her family.
Audrey then says the following "That monster hurt your little girlâs feelings.". ChloĂŠ adds "She got the whole class to gang up on me. They all have to pay.". You probably know the rest. AndrĂŠ says he can't do that and ChloĂŠ and Audrey leave him alone in his office and say they'll leave for New York. ChloĂŠ is then in the Bourgeois suite packing (or more like telling her Butler to pack for her.) AndrĂŠ comes in to argue with ChloĂŠ and Audrey to stay in Versailles or near Paris.
Hawk Moth akumatizes AndrĂŠ after Audrey and ChloĂŠ leave with the helicopter.
ChloĂŠ flies over the school with her helicopter, throwing flyers showing ChloĂŠ in front of the statue of liberty and saying she'll leave for New York. The students celebrate after ChloĂŠ leaves.
Malediktator stops the helicopter and says he has the power to close the school and banish the students who were mean to her. He then commands Audrey to be devoted to him and stay in Paris. ChloĂŠ runs away/hides. Some time passes and Ladybug goes to ChloĂŠ asking her why Malediktator is mad.
ChloĂŠ doesn't want to say at first and blames Marinette, then saying AndrĂŠ got mad all by himself but then she admits to being the cause of her fathers akumatization.
Then this happens:
Ladybug: Because of what happened in school? I'm sure Marinette probably didn't exactly mean what she said.
ChloĂŠ: Oh, it's not just herâ actually, I don't even care about herâ it's because I have no reason to be here: nobody likes me; I have no friends. I'm⌠useless.
Ladybug: (remembering what Adrien told Marinette earlier at school about ChloĂŠ) A friend once told me: nobody is useless, ChloĂŠ.
ChloĂŠ: It's easy for you to say that. You're Ladybug, a superhero. You serve a purpose.
Ladybug: Yes, I can fix up all the messes. You said it yourself in your documentary.
ChloĂŠ: (gasps) You saw it?!
Ladybug: (nods) Mm-hmm.
ChloĂŠ: Oh! I'm so embarrassed. That film's ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous. I realize that now.
Ladybug: Don't worry ChloĂŠ. You can fix your own messes, if that's what you want. You, too, can serve a purpose, but you have to want to.
ChloĂŠ: (sniffles) I do want to.
Ladybug: ChloĂŠ Bourgeois, (holds out the Miraculous box) here is the Bee Miraculous, which grants you the power to immobilize your opponent. You will use it for the greater good.
(ChloĂŠ hesitates; Ladybug nods approvingly; ChloĂŠ takes the box and opens it; a yellow ball of light flies around her and Pollen appears.)
Pollen: At your service, my Queen.
Ladybug: Once the job is complete, you will return the Miraculous to me. Can I trust you, ChloĂŠ?
ChloĂŠ: (puts the haircomb in her hair) I won't disappoint you this time, Ladybug.
Then ChloĂŠ transforms into Queen Bee.
Queen Bee and Ladybug (with the help of Cat!Cat Noir) defeat Malediktator.
Then this happens:
Ladybug: Yep, you missed Queen Bee and Ladybug saving Paris, for real this time.
Queen Bee: I understand, Ladybug. Buzz off. (transforms back into ChloĂŠ)
ChloĂŠ: (gives back her Miraculous) Being a superhero isn't only about fixing messes. (Ladybug holds up her hand in a fist; ChloĂŠ gasps and smiles)
ChloĂŠ and Ladybug: (fist-bump) Pound it!
After that ChloĂŠ and her family leave.
Then this happens:
ChloĂŠ: It's okay, Jean-Yves; I'll take care of it.
Butler Jean: Mademoiselle, are you sure?
ChloĂŠ: Yes, I need to do it myself.
Marinette: ChloĂŠ?
ChloĂŠ: (gasps) Dupain-Cheng?
After that Marinette brings ChloĂŠ to the school showing her they threw a party for her. That's pretty much how the episode ends.
I guess this is the episode (Malediktator) that convinced everyone ChloĂŠ was changing (and maybe at this point in time she truly did want to change. But I'll explain later on in the text why it did not work out.). After all it literally showed scenes where ChloĂŠ was nice without her benefitting from it. And honestly the earlier episodes did not show that ChloĂŠ was going to change. The earlier episodes gave depth to her character and kinda explained her actions but they didn't really make her look like she wanted to change. The end of the Malediktator episode tho? It did look like she wanted to change or atleast it made it seem like that. But as I implied ChloĂŠ's arc is way more complicated than you think. It can't be just written of as bad or inconsistent writing. Read more and you'll see exactly why this isn't just inconsistent/bad writing.
I don't think we saw much of ChloĂŠ in the season 2 finale besides her appearance as Queen Bee again. But honestly I do not remember much about the season 2 finale anyway.
Now let's look at season 3. (I just remembered I forgot about Animaestro. I forgot where in the season that happened but I just put it in the beginning because I feel like it would ruin the flow of the text.) In Animaestro ChloĂŠ literally teams up with Marinette to ruin Kagami's day (This was just to show that ChloĂŠ still did stuff like in season 1). Anyway, not only is it pretty clear that ChloĂŠ would love to be Queen Bee again but she also probably would do anything to be Queen Bee again. So she constantly asks for her Miraculous (seen in Startrain and other episodes) or she pretty much shows everyone how proud she is of being Queen Bee, seeking attention for that (Maledikator). In Miraculer ChloĂŠ waits to get her Miraculous but doesn't get it. Then Lila tells ChloĂŠ about a fake dance which summons Ladybug. ChloĂŠ gets really angry when the dance failed and then lashes out at Sabrina telling her she doesn't want to play with her. ChloĂŠ then breaks down after not getting the Miraculous for some time, resulting into the scene where ChloĂŠ resists getting akumatized. Instead, Sabrina is the one getting akumatized. Some time later a cataclysmed Cat Noir tries to give ChloĂŠ the Miraculous but because of his cataclysmed rips he ends up loosing the Miraculous to Mayura.
You probably know the rest. Rena Rouge makes a ChloĂŠ illusion in Ladybug's place, Ladybug gets her powers back, ChloĂŠ makes Miraculer even angrier, Ladybug (with the help of Cat Noir, Rena Rouge, Carapace) gets the Bee Miraculous back and gives it to ChloĂŠ. ChloĂŠ follows Mayura but looses her. After the fight Ladybug talks to ChloĂŠ.
This happens:
Queen Bee: Ladybug. Mayura got away from me. I'm sorry, utterly sorry.
Ladybug: That's okay, Queen Bee. We'll get her next time. (reaches hand out for the Bee Miraculous)
Queen Bee: If you'd given it to me earlier, we'd probably would've defeated Hawk Moth.
Ladybug: I'm sorry, ChloĂŠ. I should've told you this a long time ago. I might never be able to let you be Queen Bee again.
Queen Bee: What? But I did everything you asked me to.
Ladybug: I know. But this is for your own safety. It's too dangerous for you and your loved ones because Hawk Moth knows that you're Queen Bee.
Queen Bee: Buzz off. (turns back into ChloĂŠ and gives Miraculous to Ladybug)
ChloĂŠ: I understand. But I'm sure that you'll need me again, Ladybug. I know that I'll be Queen Bee again someday. I will always be Queen Bee.
Ladybug: (notices her Miraculous beeping) Thank you, ChloĂŠ. Let's go. (takes off with Rena Rouge and Carapace)
Despite saying that ChloĂŠ said she understood she can't have the Miraculous anymore she did not understand.
I know one of the arguments people have was that if Ladybug stayed longer to explain more thoroughly ChloĂŠ would have understood. But what do you want Ladybug to do? Risk her identity? She was on her last 5 minutes. Probably less considering how a couple minutes probably flew by from the moment she called out her lucky charm to the moment she called out Miraculous Ladybug. So probably 2 or 3 minutes were already gone from her timer. Additionally, she still needs atleast a minute to not risk her identity getting revealed while she takes Rena Rouge's and Carapace's Miraculous. There was no more time to spare. Despite that I don't really think ChloĂŠ would have understood even if Ladybug had more than 2 minutes to spare. Not with how self-centered she is.
Well there had been some smaller incidents with ChloĂŠ treating people badly (Animaestro fo example) but that aside those were small moments. I think the next big ChloĂŠ moment would pretty much be Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen. Heart Hunter proved that ChloĂŠ did not learn from what Ladybug said. She still waited on her rooftop with her Bee signal for Ladybug to come and give her the Miraculous. In the end of the episode we see her so angry at Ladybug for not giving her the Miraculous that she willingly worked with Hawk Moth and actively forcing her will onto Pollen.
This is what happens:
Hawk Moth: (puts up his hand and interrupts) You're right, but I did it for one reason only. So that you would finally realize that Ladybug will never give you the Bee Miraculous again. I, however, always keep my promises. (shows her the Bee Miraculous in his hand)
ChloĂŠ: This isn't real! How do you have it?
Hawk Moth: Try it and see for yourself. You're Ladybug's greatest fan. You've helped her, you've trusted her, and what has she done for you in return?
ChloĂŠ: (gets angry) Nothing! She couldn't care less about me! I'm done with her. She's irrelevant, utterly irrelevant! (reaches out to grap the Miraculous, stops) I want you to deakumatize has my parents first!
Hawk Moth: Whatever you say, my queen. (ChloĂŠ takes the comb and puts it in her hair, releasing Pollen)
Pollen: (urgently) Your majesty, wait!-
ChloĂŠ: Silence! You will speak only when spoken to. Your loss, Ladybug. Pollen, buzz on! (transforms into Queen Bee)
She then gets willingly akumatized.
In Miracle Queen we then see her actively work for Hawk Moth, even revealing all the Miraculous Holders. After she gets deakumatized she seems to still have her memory, considering how she wasn't disoriented like every other Akuma Victim. She even jumps after another Akuma.
ChloĂŠ also does and says the following "I'm not on your side anymore! How many times have I asked to fight alongside you? And how many times have you refused to give me back my Miraculous? How many, huh? Hawk Moth isn't my enemy, he's yours! And the Miracle Box is mine! (Queen Bee slams down the Miracle Box, and opening it, starts putting on all of the Miraculouses)".
This pretty much proves my point further. ChloĂŠ never let go of the Bee Miraculous, thinking it was her own and she had every right to obtain it whenever she wants. The fact that she's only concerned about getting the Miraculous even proves further that she doesn't really care about helping others. All she cares about is her self and as established before this had always been the case. Even in the Queen's Battle trilogy.
Think about it. ChloĂŠ is so deadset on keeping the Bee Miraculous that she would do anything. And if I say anything I mean anything. She literally worked with Hawk Moth to get the Miraculous. So if getting the Miraculous and all the attention that comes with it means that she has to help others she'd gladly do it. If helping others means she gets attention she'd gladly do it. We've seen it in Despair Bear and other episodes. Ladybug used to be ChloĂŠ's idol so to get her attention she pushed the mind controlled Cat Noir away. To get Adrien's attention she threw the party and was nice to the others. But the moment people didn't look she acted mean. This isn't even the only season 2 or 3 episode this happened. It is totally in character for ChloĂŠ to have reacted the way she did in the season 3 finale. Just because she turned bad again doesn't mean she's a 2 dimensional character. She still has the same backstory and all as she had before. The only difference here is that she openly worked with Hawk Moth. So why is she suddenly a horribly written character? Just because she worked with Hawk Moth?
Well let me tell you something: Just look at her relationship with her father. He never denied her anything. He always did everything she wanted. She would throw a tantrum if she doesn't get what she wants. So don't you think it's totally in character for ChloĂŠ to react the way she did when Ladybug refused to give her the Miraculous? It's the equivalent to the tantrum of a spoiled rich girl (or boy) would throw if they don't get what they want. The only difference here being that a magical terrorist pretty much took advantage of that tantrum.
As you can see the way she acted was not out of character. It was completely in character for ChloĂŠ. In fact, it was so in character that if we've taken the time to truly look at her then we all would have seen it. I gotta admit, I myself got completely deceived the first time I watched Malediktator and Miraculer. I myself thought, maybe she could change (and I still think so). The first time I watched Heart Hunter and Miracle Queen I also thought it was bad writing and I also hated that finale. I thought they did her dirty. I literally blamed the writers like all the others and stated on YouTube how bad of a Episode that was. But now? Now that I actually took the time to rewatch the Episodes (not just the finale but generally any episode) over and over again just to see all the small details people talked about that I never noticed, I noticed those details about ChloĂŠ that I didn't before.
People always claim the finale is horrible because they made ChloĂŠ out of character... but... In fact, the Season 3 finale is actually good. It may have some plot holes because the writing of the show honestly sometimes isn't the best. There's some episodes that are badly written and have loads of plot holes. But the season 3 finale? It might just be one of the better written episodes. And that only because of the fact that they sticked to how a girl like ChloĂŠ would actually react to getting told off like that. And I know for a fact that girls as spoiled as ChloĂŠ would react like that because I met a fair share of people like that. They all threw a huge tantrum when they got told off.
Don't get me wrong, I am not saying ChloĂŠ doesn't have the potential to change. Infact, she definitely has the potential to change. But not like this. ChloĂŠ needs to hit rock bottom before she can actually change. And no, getting told you can't have the Bee Miraculous anymore is not rock bottom. The first thing that needs to happen is for her father to stand up to her. And as seen in (â ď¸Season 4 Spoiler warningâ ď¸) Queen Banana AndrĂŠ finally did stand up to ChloĂŠ. If he keeps that up that might be good start (â ď¸End of Spoilerâ ď¸). After ChloĂŠ doesn't get everything she wants from her father anymore there's two things that can happen: Either she becomes a complete lost cause and doesn't learn anything from it or rather she doesn't want to learn or she learns that not everything will always go her way and that she can't have everything (specifically the Bee Miraculous, as you can't buy it.). This also might cause her to become less selfish and start thinking more about the others. Even if that doesn't happen maybe ZoĂŠ (because she's ChloĂŠ's half sister) or Adrien (because he is/was ChloĂŠ's childhood best friend and would love to help her) could come in to help ChloĂŠ become less selfish. But again for that to happen ChloĂŠ first needs to learn that not everything goes how she wants it and she can't have everything. And again this won't happen if everything is handed to her like it has been all these years.
Please understand that I am not hating on ChloĂŠ. ChloĂŠ may even be one of my favorite characters for the exact reasons I mentioned here. Because even tho she's a stereotypical bully she has depth to her character. And if she'll ever truly change she'd might just become one of the more relatable characters in the show.
And I know I am none of the writers so I do not know what they thought while writing the finale and the rest of ChloĂŠ's arc but to me this seems like the most logical explanation. I do not think the writers hate ChloĂŠ. That just makes no sense. They have developed her past and backstory and stuff like that way too much for them to hate her. If they truly hated her I don't even think they would have developed her character like that. If they truly hated her they would have left her like Lila with little to no information about her past or basically anything that explains her actions.
So please, I ask you please do not harass the writers for their decisions. Just please for once try to understand their thought process. Maybe you just didn't truly understand what they meant because as I explained ChloĂŠ's arc was deceiving. On the surface it looked like a redemption arc but truly it wasn't.
I am not claiming to have fully understood what the writers where trying to say but I do think I got close to what they were trying to say. I am also very sorry if I might have not been able to explain some of the points well. While I did rewatch every episode while writing this I did not want to put in every single episode (which might have gotten my points across even better) as the post has already gotten way too long. Not many people like to read much so probably only a few will even have read this completely. But to those who did take the time to read it all, thank you for having taken the time. I'd really like to hear your opinion on my take on this topic. Because while I do think this might be somewhat close to what the writers where trying to do it most likely isn't exactly what they wanted. I'd really like to hear your opinion on my take on this topic. Because as I said while I do think this might be somewhat close to what the writers where trying to do it most likely isn't exactly what they wanted. Maybe some of you have something to debunk or maybe even strengthen my points. Both is fine as long as everyone's nice towards each other. I do not want to see some kind of war. So please be kind towards each other.
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Bio Dad Bruce Wayne Month 2020
Day 5: Overprotection
Disclaimer: Dick was adopted when he was 12 in this fic. Just for mathâs sake.
â*â*â*â*â*
âWhat.â
Damian stared at his father, face carefully blank. Bruce grimaced, shifting.
âI said, you have a half sister. Biological.â
Four sets of eyes bored into him, from all of his sons. They were gathered not in the Batcave for once, but just one of the sitting rooms in the Manor.
â... and what, Father, does that have to do with the French class visiting Gotham?â Damian asked again, posture steadily growing stiffer and more and more stone like. He was trying hard to suppress emotions, but not even he was quite sure what those emotions were yet. Anger? Fear? Resentment? Probably. He might have detected some excitement there too, deep, deep down. Bruce took a deep breath, trying to prepare himself for this.
âWell. Iâve kept up with her life, but last time I checked she had no idea that she was adopted. When her birth mother died, it was right around the time I adopted Dick. She was still an infant, and I knew I was not equipped to handle taking care of a babyââ
âFather,â Damian interrupted again. âYou sent her off. Have her up for adoption,â he said slowly, as if realizing that that would have been his fate had his father known about his existence earlier, as well. It was almost ironic, considering how Bruce seemed to have a problem with adopting other children nowadays. Bruce nodded.
âShe was adopted by a couple in France. Paris, to be exact. Iâve kept up to date, asking them to just send me a letter or email once or twice a year about the general stuff sheâs been up to. Nothing too invasive. A few pictures. And last time I asked them, they said that she had no idea about being adopted or that I was her father,â Bruce sighed again, running a hand over his face. âBut I think she does.â
âWhy?â Jason asked, confused as everyone else to the change in subject. Except Tim and Damian, who seemed to be quickly connecting the dots.
âOh boy,â Tim breathed. Bruce just nodded.
âHer name is Marinette Dupain-Cheng. She is the one who organized the trip for her class to come here, to Gotham. She is the one who entered and won our international internship competition, and turned that into an excuse to get her entire class to come here for two weeks. To get to know the place she will be living for her internship next year, after she graduates Lycee, Franceâs version of highschool essentially.â
Tim winced. He had been in charge of the internship competition, and Bruce had given him free reign. He had chosen the winner without even thinking to run it by his adoptive father.
âBruceââ Tim tried, but the man just held up a hand.
âI donât blame you. I havenât been paying too much attention to her life, and I didnât expect her to do something like this. But we know now that, if she does know and this isnât a giant coincidence,â
âUnlikely,â Dick agreed, wincing. âPossible, but unlikely.â
Bruce huffed in agreement. âThen, we know she is very resourceful, determined, and has skills that impressed Tim enough to choose her out of tens of thousands of contest participants worldwide.â
âThe minimum requirement for a Wayne,â Damian finally managed to bite out, still coping with this proverbial slap in the face but doing his best to handle it. He was seventeen damn it, and had come a long way from who he used to be. He could handle this. He could. He would.
Bruce rolled his eyes, and then leaned forward with his hands braced on the table. âOkay. So now we need to make plans.â
âPlans?â Jason asked, frowning. âFor how youâre gonna tell her without getting your faces plastered over every tabloid in the city right?â
âNo,â the older man shook his head. âPlans to keep her alive, unharmed, and unaffiliated with us until she leaves. I will not be making any public appearances unless absolutely necessary, so trips to the Tower are out of the questionââ
âAre youâŚâ Jasonâs eyes were wide. âTrying to keep her out of our Shitshow? Because yeah, kudos to you even if it took you way too long to learn, but if she went through all this trouble to come here then it's probably too late.â
Dick nodded. âIf sheâs anything like you and Damian, thereâs no way sheâll back off easy. Avoiding her will only make it worse on you, and probably the rest of us too.â
Damian stared straight into his father's eyes, glare sharp and searching. âWhat is this about, Father? You have not worried this much about any of usââ
âBecause none of you were as naive!â He barked, quickly catching himself and taking a breath. âYou all had a way you could benefit from this life. A way I could help you. But Marinette has both of the parents she has known her whole life, they treat her wonderfully. They care. Sheâs never had to worry about constantly moving, or fighting, or going hungry. The only deaths she has ever experienced have been from afar and due to natural causes. She designs as a hobby and has no problem with socializing or handling emotions in a healthy wayâ introducing her to our life holds no benefit for her. The only thing it can give her is unnecessary danger and risk and secrets.â
âYeah, well. I guess Batman doesnât know everything, does he?â A new voice startled them all from the doorway, making everyone's head whip over to see who had managed the near-impossible and snuck up on all of them.
Standing there, leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed, was a short part-Asian woman in her late teens. Her midnight black hair was cascading down her back in one thick braid, tied off at the end with an indigo ribbon. Her eyes were a piercing cobalt blue, matching those of Bruce perfectly. Her jaw was clenched, and the infamous Bat-glare coming from her was directed right at the person who made the expression infamous in the first place.
âMarinette,â Bruce breathed, shoulders squaring. âYour plane isnât supposed to arrive until tomorrow.â
âIt wonât,â she agreed. âI took a portal here. You see, my extensive research into Batmanâs known habits and tactics, which I started after I figured out about your alter ego last year, informed me that you tend to go to the extremes to protect people you deem incapable of protecting themselves, and are also prone to idiotic self-sacrificing behavior in the form of purposely making yourself look like an ass.â
Jason chuckled. âSheâs got you down to a T, B,â he quipped with a grin despite the caution still in his eyes. âBut letâs back up a bit, little Spitfire. Whatâs this about a portal?â
Marinette pushed off the doorframe, walking closer to the scattered group. Tim and Jason were spread across one sofa, Damian on the other with Dick, and Bruce was occupying an armchair. Marinette just walked until she stood where she could easily be seen by everyone, but also had nobody at her back.
âThe portal is part of a bigger story. Like, the fact that father dearest wanted to protect me so badly that he placed the JLE in Paris, but didnât realize that relations with that branch were so bad that the JLE never informed him or the JLA about getting kicked out of France and reassigning themselves to Italy. Bruce never kept a close enough eye on the city, because he wanted to keep emotional distance, and therefore was completely blind to when a supervillain showed up and terrorized Paris for almost five years,â she continued, her glare never leaving Bruceâs face.
âI found out about being adopted when I was eight. I found out who my biological father was when I was thirteen. Last year, I finally put in the work to connect Bruce Wayne to Batman. And yeah, I never told Maman and Papan, because they have never completely understood me. They wouldnât have understood that I was fine with having no contact with you, back then. That my snooping had nothing to do with being unhappy with them as my parents. They would have immediately assumed they were inadequate when I am merely curious by nature. But then I ended up being chosen to be one of the child heroes that fought said domestic terrorist that showed up five years ago. And I sure as hell couldn't tell them that a magical artifact showed up on my desk one day and that the god inhabiting it told me to fight the monsters the villain made and just, just go with it. I couldnât tell them when I went from being one of two Parisian heroes to being the leader of a team. I couldnât tell them when my elderly mentor, unable to fight by our side but who had at least provided emotional support and knowledge, passed away and gave me his title and responsibilities. Iâm sick and tired of being protected, Monsieur Wayne,â Marinette didnât seem to notice the tears that had begun to fall.
âIâm sick of it. I know you were trying to keep me safe, but I fought a war I wasnât prepared for. I died, thousands of times. But my own powers and the powers I have my partners brought me back to life. Over and over. I donât need protection, damn it. I donât need you to distance yourself, because you're the only fucking person I can call a parent who might understand,â she held out a hand, her scowl turning into a gentle smile. âI have so much I need to talk about. Before I drown under all these secrets. Please. Iâll go back through another portal before my parents notice Iâm gone, but Iâll be back in town tomorrow when my plane lands. Just. Please, donât push me away. Thatâs all I ask. I want to get to know you, all of you. I⌠I need family who understands.â
âThousands.â Bruce repeated, all of them still recovering from Marinetteâs very sudden, info-dumping speech. âYou died⌠thousands of times?â
Marinette laughed, but it was a sad sound. No mirth there. âI gave my friend a magical artifact that reverses time, and the artifact that gives me my own powers can reverse any damage from a fight I use it in. Even death. Sending untrained teenagers to fight a villain three times their age makes some kind of failsafe like that kind of necessary.â
âFuck,â Jason cursed under his breath. âWell. Youâre welcome to join the living Zombie club,â he offered. The girl snorted, giving him a watery grin in thanks.
âIâm sure you know about my stance on powers and metas,â Bruce decided to say, wincing immediately after. That wasnât what he meant to say. At all. He earned another brief glare for it.
âIâm not a meta, and I only have powers when I use the artifact to transform, thereby borrowing powers from the miniature god that the artifact houses. Think of it like doctor fate, but my gods are actually not parasites and my powers are much more⌠specialized. I had to learn combat on my own, and I was able to train in my sleep with the past users of this artifact. That includes people like Fa Mulan, Joan of Arc, and someone you actually knowâ Hippolyta. Iâve mastered more fighting styles by now than I care to remember, and Iâve done gymnastics since I was three. I donât know if my parents told you that in their letters. I even won the gold in the nationwide France gymnastics competition two years ago. I assure you, I donât rely on my powers nearly as much as you might think.â
Bruce swallowed. âI can⌠greet you when your class arrives.â
Marinette grinned. âWell, thatâs a start.â
â*â*â*â*â*
Idk what happened, I donât know if I like this at all but oh well. Iâm posting it anyway. Maybe one of you will like it. I⌠couldnât really find any other way to do this so oh well. Also, I think Mulan was a past Dragon..? But I put her as a Ladybug because I Can.
@momothefemur @ladybug-182 @starlightshield @trippingovermyfeet @greatcatblaze @sam-i-am-0222 @bluesimani @ruelukas22 @acoolspacegirl @iamablinkmarvelarmy @meme991001
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Xander Hawthorne Headcanons
please donât hate me but i havenât yet read the Hawthorne legacy so if any of these are outdated oh well and I'll try my best
a/n this part 1 out of 2 and itâs pretty long
- Xander has ADHD (like duh)
- he also doesn't you know do emotions especially if they are his own
- heâs more into machinery than human emotions
- and I know he is like the excitable extrovert everyone loves and he is, but if someone like starts crying in front of him he definitely gives them a hug but thatâs it
- he likes to be able to understand what's happening and why its happening and fix it
- he especially does not like the feelings heâs starting to grow for a certain  someone in almost half his classes
- who is this certain someone well his name is Remmi Armani the son of famous inventor and part time pro at Robot fighting Charles Armani one of Xanders idols
- but what is freaking Xander out the most is that he had a crush on a BOY
- đ
- heâs never had a crush on anyone let alone a BOY
- he doesn't know what to think something must be wrong in his brain because he can't be gay, other people can but not him
- heâs thought that heâs straight for his whole life and then BAM liking guys
- we all know heâs a âlive in the momentâ kinda guy
- but changes that involve acknowledging his emotions no thanks Â
- like heâs all for living life, but if someone told him to stop and thing about emotions and how heâs feeling, like Xanders just like no thanks IâII pass
- after months of denying he finally goes and talks to Rebeca Laughlin
- sheâs the only one heâs ever spoken the words âI think Iâm gayâ too
- after a few more months he goes to Thea just to ask more about Remmi
- âwell his momâs French and his dadâs the famous Charles Armani although I think you know that, heâs currently planning to study literature after he graduates, lets see what else, oh heâs also bisexual an-.â
- the moment he hears that his crush likes boys he might as well faint
- Thea notices and guesses immediately
- Xander tries to convince her otherwise he doesn't want Thea to know because she might out him
- you know I would never out another member of the queer community i have morals
- Xander cringed at the word âqueerâ and Thea noticed
- itâs okay she reassured him
- and thatâs how the next morning Xander walks out of one of the many robotics classrooms and  bumps into Remmi Armani
- turns out Thea set him up
- and he went willingly
- the two started hanging out much more, their relationship grows and they trust each other more and more
- even sometimes playing footsies under desks in the classes they had together
- they help each other study, Remmi was much better than Xander in things like poetry, history and literature, which made sense since he was going on to study the subject.
- in turn Xander was much better at calculus, physics and surprise robotics and coding
- When they had their first kiss Xander made sure it was somewhere nobody would find them
- because he was so scared btw it was also his first time kissing anyone
- then that place (idk what place) sorta becomes their safe haven to do coupley stuff e.g. hold hands, make out, laugh together and just be all over each other
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question 12, 5: modern university au !!!
Oh man, oh man. I actually had some ideas for a uni AU ages ago that never really became anything, and Iâve cannibalised it for parts for other fics since then (This is the outline I stole the âWilde likes french vanilla coffeeâ, âSasha has EDS and also possibly POTSâ, and âBarnes, Carter, Cel, and Wilde all live togetherâ ideas from for Hope & Smith), but I do have the main ideas left over! It was a modern university AU + magic, so thatâs what Iâve put down here. Another one that got frighteningly long, more under the cut <3
Hamid originally studies Pure Maths (this is⌠a real thing. As opposed to applied mathematics, I believe) because he wants to have a Fancy, High-Thinker Degree that his parents will approve of because itâs very intelligent but wonât necessarily understand.
His first year he takes what is basically the Magic 101 class, because heâs obviously got a natural proclivity for it so why not? Itâs that format of âthis is a generic overview of magic in general, let's take a week or two to go over some specifics for different things you might like to study so that youâll be prepared.â They spend a bit on magical history, bardic magic, would you like to study wizardry, or maybe the specifics of genetically inherited magics...
Hm. Yes, Hamid would actually like to study the specifics of genetically inherited magics, because everything theyâve gone over vis a vis wizardry is sounding fairly different to his lived experience and Oh Dear
He starts taking more magical history classes on the sly. His parents donât need to know.
They eventually do find out, and there is what might be described as An Almighty Row. Hamid goes ballistic, his father goes cold, and Hamid declares then and there that heâs changing his major, screw all of this, heâs got one life and heâs going to live it how he wants, damn it.
His family will continue to pay for his school, of course. They donât want the disgrace of him having to drop out. But his father makes it very clear that if he does decide to study magic instead, heâs not coming home.
Hamid studies magic. Hamidâs not coming home.
Wilde and Hamid met in that introductory class, and continued to be friends even as they never actually managed to take another class together.
Wilde studies bardic performance as a subset of the magic department, is trying really hard to fit in the requirements to get a degree in journalism as well, and also writes for almost every publication on campus, and works with the student theatre groups; theyâve performed some of his plays, and he has also been known to step in as a stage manager or a head of costumes or an assistant director (or even, on one memorable occasion, an actor) when necessary (when does this guy sleep).
Wilde is able to pull strings and charm people in specific ways enough to get Hamid a job as a stitcher in the costume shop with the theatre department, putting costumes together. He also manages to find Hamid a place to stay over winter break while the campus buildings are closed, after it becomes evident that Hamidâs parents wonât be paying for non-university housing anymore.
Hamid ends up staying with Azu, who has her own flat and has been dithering for ages between wanting to become a family practitioner and wanting to become some sort of social worker. Hamid is inconsolable, and Wilde is not good at consoling anyway, but it turns out that Azu is. Hamid helps her reorganise her entire schedule to allow for both eventualities, she listens in rapt attention as he takes her through his designs for the next show the theatre department is putting on, they bond over the fact that theyâre both so far from home and far from their families, and by the time everyone else comes back to school and classes start again theyâre practically attached at the hip. Hamid spends almost as much time at Azuâs as he does at his own dorm.
Wildeâs like, alright, that worked ridiculously well! Nice job me
Sasha starts out as an engineering student due to a scholarship that Bi-Ming Gusset helped her get, and she is instantly the darling of every engineering professor that has her in their classes; nobody knows anything about her other than that sheâs wickedly good at what she does.
Cel, who studies engineering and theoretical physics and takes biology classes wherever they can fit them in, is their TA at one point. Cel is able to find out more about Sasha as a person than anyone else has ever managed- paradoxically, as anyone who watches them interact will note that Sasha never seems to talk and Cel never seems to stop, but, just like the designs they create together, it doesnât look like it should work, but it does and itâs very hard to explain why.
At some point, to satisfy some general requirement, Sasha takes an education class. Sasha⌠really enjoys the education class? Sasha might want to study education? Sasha freaks out a bit. Sasha is having a really rough time of it recently, a lot of chronic pain and worrying physical problems with no clear cause, and really doesnât need to stress about her future plans on top of everything else.Â
Grizzop is a pre-med and, unlike Azu, 10000% sure of it. He wants to be an EMT, and is part of the emergency response team at the university. When Sasha knocks on Zolfâs door at three in the morning, because he just so happened to be the one who was closest, and tells him that she just fainted for the first time and doesnât know what to do and feels like she might again, and Zolf panics and calls the first response team, Grizzop is the first one to show up. Which is good, for Sasha, because sheâs pretty thoroughly freaked out and desperately in need of friends at her sides.
Zolf is also a pre-med, not really because of any active desire to go into the medical field but just kind of because he needed something to believe in that was an easy ticket away from his family, and if anyone asks it has absolutely nothing to do with his brotherâs death, shut up.
Zolf becomes Sashaâs designated Please Come With Me For Moral Support person as she begins a diagnostic process that lasts months and comes up with absolutely nothing. As a result, heâs there to watch as doctor after doctor basically throw up their hands and declare her either a medical oddity or a liar. She and Grizzop are both certain sheâs got some sort of chronic illness, some autoimmune disease or something, but no one seems willing to diagnose her.
Zolf loses faith in the institution of medicine as a whole, starts to spiral a bit- and then spirals a lot. He ends up having to take a year off to sort out his life and his brain and his own mental health problems.
He moves out of campus housing and applies for as many jobs as he can- heâs not going home and heâs not asking for money, good grief, heâd rather stick his hands in an air fryer- and ends up with a couple odd jobs he bounces between every week, including constructing sets and running lights for the theatre department. This is how he meets Hamid, who he clashes with instantly, and Wilde, who is stage managing, who he also clashes with instantly but who really does his best to mitigate between them.Â
Do shenanigans ensue? Yes. Yes, absolutely. Sasha takes great amusement in winding Zolf and Hamid up and pointing them at each other, and Wilde gets caught between finding it equally as hilarious and also Sasha please, itâs literally my job to make sure the people working on this show donât murder each other, help me out here
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Pixie Spy
Chapter 5
Chapter 1Â Â Chapter 4
Marinette laid on Ninoâs living room floor studying the stolen Grimoire files on her tablet. Â She had been staring at the same page for the last two hours, making little progress. Â Just because she could translate the ancient text, it didnât mean it was easy or quick. Â In fact, it was headache inducing and with Adrien focusing on keeping them caught up on homework while she and Chloe were otherwise occupied, she was translating alone. Â She knew there were amazing secrets held in the texts, the drawings promised amazing new powers for each of the miraculous, she just needed to decode them. Â
She scrunched her eyes closed and rubbed them to clear her vision that had started crossing. Â Now, she decided, was a perfect time to take a break. Â She looked around the room for a distraction. Adrien was near her on the floor, leaning against the couch and working on the physics assignment they had received that day, having already finished the calculus assignment. Â Alya, having already passed her research onto Chloe, was on the couch working on the French Lit homework. Nino was sprawled out on the couch with his feet propped up on Alyaâs lap, not working on anything, staring off into space with a furrowed brow instead. Â
Everyone was working quietly except for Chloe who was making her discontent with her surroundings abundantly clear through her frequent huffs and exaggerated movements. Â She was sitting in a chair making notes in a notebook referencing her laptop occasionally. Â She huffed and wiggled uncomfortably in the chair, âTell me again why we have to do this here?â Chloe demanded, not bothering to mask her disgust with the middle class surroundings.
âWe canât meet in the hotel because we canât take the chance the Waynes would see Marinette walking in the lobby or the hallway. We canât meet at Adrienâs place because Asshole Dad.  We canât meet at Marinetteâs in case theyâve made her already.  That leaves my place or here and my place has the twins who are currently both grounded and bored so⌠that leaves here.â Alya explained calmly, not bothering to look up from her homework.
âYeah, yeah, but couldnât we have met at like a nice cafĂŠ or pub?â Chloe whined, rubbing her arms as though contact with the chair fabric were scratching her.
âAnd take the texts outside?â Adrien asked with a raised brow motioning toward Marinette.
âPlus until we know how much they know, it is probably best Iâm not seen out more than absolutely necessary, hence theâŚâ she indicated the oversized hoodie she had stolen from Kim some time ago she had been wearing all day, mostly with her hood up, completely enveloping her head.
âI thought that was so you could hide from LaurenceâŚâ Alya said with a sly grin.
âOr Noelle,â Adrien threw in.
âOr IgnaceâŚâ Chloe added, keeping her focus on her laptop.
âOkay stop. Â Really, Chloe? Â Wouldnât you much rather talk about the throngs of people throwing themselves at you?â Marinette attempted to divert her to one of her favorite topics, herself.
âOh sweetie, we donât have that kind of time.â Chloe said throwing her ponytail over her shoulder. Â âWeâre just talking about the ten or twenty we know about willing to let you tie them up and beat them like a piĂąata then thank you for the privilege.â
âThat sounds like a regular Saturday night for you, Chlo,â Alya grinned.
âIâŚI donât know how to react to that.â Marinette scrunched her face in confusion.  âMy first inclination is to say sheâs exaggerating, but itâs Chloe and if anything she would underplay it.  Plus I am extremely not happy with that little insight into Chloeâs bedroom, so⌠Iâm going to ignore this entire conversation.â Marinette said turning back to her tablet.
Adrien looked up from his notes for a few moments staring in thought at nothing, âValid,â he nodded, turning back to his work as well.
Nino had stayed silent throughout the conversation staring instead unfocused at a spot on the floor for the past few minutes. Adrien glanced back at him with curiosity. Â âHey,â he smacked his hand into Ninoâs leg, âyou okay there? Â You completely missed us teasing Marinette about her fans. Thatâs one of your favorite topics.â
âAhhh, Laurence⌠yeah, that dude makes me nervous. Michel is cute though.  I could see that.â Marinette gave an affronted squawk. Nino continued without acknowledging her, âNo, I was just thinking⌠we know Batmanâs secret identity.â
âYeah,â Adrien said uncertainly.
âAnd he doesnât know ours.â Nino continued.
âRight,â Adrien encouraged still not sure where the conversation was going.
âAnd we have you and Chloe, both pretty famous and could easily end up at a party or event with at least one of themâŚâ Nino mused thinking out loud.
âTrue.â
âSo⌠how much can we mess with him about it without getting killed?â Nino asked raising his brow with a playful glint in his eyes.
âDude!â Adrien exclaimed excitedly, his eyes lighting up at the thought.
âYou want us to prank the Dark Knight?â Alya looked at him like he was crazy.
âReally?â Marinette deadpanned.
âYeah, youâre right. Â It is potentially fraught with danger. Â We might need to bring Alix and Max in on this.â Nino nodded still thinking about how he could manage it.
Alya dropped her head into her hands, âIdiot.â She muttered shaking her head in her hands, not entirely sure if he was joking or not. Â Honestly, either option was possible.
âWell, that makes you two perfect for each other,â Chloe deadpanned still focused on writing something down in her notebook missing the withering look Alya shot her.
âOkay Kim,â Marinette rolled her eyes at Nino.  She looked uncertain for a moment then pushed herself back until she was sitting on her heels and spoke hesitantly, âOr⌠we could discuss if we are still certain we donât want the Batfamily here.  Are we sure we donât want their help?â
âYes, yes we are,â Alya replied, her voice bordering on disbelief that Marinette would even ask. Â âWe know what the Justice League is like. Â We know what theyâve done and we have a damn good idea what they could do given half the chance. Â We gave in on Constantine and look what happened. Â We cannot trust them.â
âThink about the last few weeks, Marinette. Â Think how much worse they would have been if those people had powers to begin with and understood the extent of their powers, how to push them, how to exploit them. Â What to ask for from Hawkmoth to do the most damage?â Nino added.
âThe bats donât have superpowers.â Marinette defended.
âBut they work with people who do.  They have strategized attack plans around people who have powers. They understand them and whatâs most effectiveâŚâ Chloe added barely looking up from her notepad.
âAnd they are incredibly well trained in combat and strategic planning⌠It would be hard enough without them having super powers. With them, we would be fucked.â Adrien added cutting in on Chloeâs statement.
âWe are barely keeping up as it is.  If one of the bats of Justice League were to get akumatizedâŚâ Nino let the statement trail off, allowing everyone to use their imagination to fill in the rest.
âExactly!  We are barely keeping up.  Do we need to consider getting help?  From someone with more experience and different skills?  From someone with experience using superpowers against an opponent?â Marinette ran a hand over her face, âIâm just⌠Iâm getting scared. And I donât know if that is because Iâm seeing a pattern or if Iâm just frustrated with where we are and desperate for any change.  And the more distance I have from it, the more I wonder if Constantine was right.  Is it time to bring someone in, but weâre just too scared to try something different?â
âAs I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted by a banal, obvious statement,â she glared at Adrien, âthey have a good understanding of powers, their strengths and weaknesses, and how to strategize around them, which would make them powerful akumas, or incredibly advantageous assets against an akuma.â Â Everyone stared at her in surprise. Â âStunned looks terrible on you.â She said making clear she was directing it to all of them. Â âThe silent awe of me is appropriate though.â She said sitting back in her chair only to immediately grunt and start squirming against the fabric again.
âIt isnât just the powers, I donât trust them, especially Batman. Â If we give them half the chance, Iâm afraid they will try to take the miraculous because they think they could wield them and protect them better.â Adrien admitted. Â
The group took a second to let both sides of the argument sink in, unsure how to move forward. Â Both outcomes could lead to horrific outcomes that nobody wanted to allow. They were all afraid and they knew they were, but like Marinette, they didnât know if the fear was holding them back from making a mistake or from having a breakthrough.
After a few moments of quiet, Nino broke the quiet in a soothing voice, âWe have no way to know which way things will tilt. Â Letâs see what we get from the files and reassess then. No reason to introduce more chaos until we know what we have to work with already. Â Have you found anything yet?â
âA bit. Â Ugh,â she said accepting the change of topic and looking at her notebook with disgust, âthis would be so much easier if the kwamis could just tell us all the possible uses of the miraculous were and the ways they could be combined.â
âYeah, but then Hawkmoth would have known too⌠and Mayura and Argus.â Tikki pointed out.
âThatâs a horrifying thought. Â I donât think we could have taken Hawkmoth and Mayura when we started if they had known all their options.â Adrien shuttered thinking about it.
âThatâs why they created the rule that kwami could only tell the very basic powers and responsibilities. Â Anything more than that can only come from the Order, so if anyone stole a miraculous, they wouldnât be able to effectively wield it, making it easier for trained wielders to get it back.â Â Trixx said.
âA bit more effective back when there was an Order and masters who actually trained wielders, but you know, times change,â Plagg shrugged with a thinly disguised disgust.
âOkay but let me just say not having known this,â Marinette turned the tablet around for them to see the image of the dragon miraculous she had been studying, âwas an option is extremely upsetting.â
âDibs!â Nino called out, jumping up from the couch before anyone else could call it.
âFuck you, I saw it first. Â Iâve got dibs. Â Iâve got plans for it.â Â Marinette blew him off.
âNo way, youâre going to see all of them first.â Nino pouted.
Marinette grinned at him, âGuardianâ she singsonged. Â
Trixx floated up closer to the tablet. Â âOh that one. Â Yeah, everyone likes that one. Â Itâs actually just a variation of the power you know already so it is a lot easier to pick up than it looks.â
Plagg floated next to her to check it out too.  âIf you like that one, just wait until you find out aboutâŚâ his sentence was cut off by an overflow of green bubbles falling out of his mouth, causing him to glare at nothing and everything at the same time.
âOkay enough of that. Â My turn.â Chloe announced turning her laptop to display pictures of each of the Waynes and their alter egos.
Adrien leaned forward to get a closer look at the images and suddenly his eyes got huge and he gasped, âOh my God⌠in the name of all that is holy and good in this world, please tell me the one in the godawful, Red Skull wannabe mask is the one you were making heart eyes at all night.  Please, please, pleaseâŚâ Adrien begged Marinette.
Marinette refused to meet his eyes and pursed her lips, focusing intently on the laptop. Â âNo comment.â
âIt is him! Can I please, please be there when you âdiscussâ that mask with him before we kick him out?â Adrien said shaking with delight at the thought of it.
Marinette glared at him, âWe are going to be focusing on getting them out of Paris without drawing further curiosity or ire, not their wardrobe.â She pointed out turning to Chloe with an expectant look trying to prompt her to continue but couldnât stop herself from whipping back toward Adrien, âAnd, I donât even know if he was even interested in me at all. Â Itâs far more likely they are concerned about the situation than he is about getting a date.â
Chloe rolled her eyes, âYouâre not that stupid, Dupain-Cheng. The honeypotting wouldnât have worked if he wasnât interested.â
âI did NOT honeypot himâŚ. And I still donât know what that means!â Marinette yelled exasperated.
âYeah, yeah.  But I get to be there right?â Adrien implored ignoring her annoyance and still not giving her a definition.  At this point, it was a matter of pride⌠or comedy.  Either way, he was dedicated to never telling her what it meant.
âOooooo and me too,â Alya jumped in.
âYou should just leave your com on so we can all hear.â Chloe commented with feigned disinterest.
âWe should put it on speaker. Â The kwamis will want to hear it too.â Nino agreed with a grin.
âI hate all of you,â Marinette grumbled crossing her arms in front of her as she pouted.
Adrien chuckled at her before putting her out of her misery, âOkay, Chlo. Â What did you figure out?â
âSo, I focused on Bruce Wayne, Richard Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, and Damian Wayne. Â I couldnât get an identity on Spoiler and there is no public information on Cassandra Cain, who is probably Batgirl, so I could only look at her vigilante work. Â But if Constantine is right, they are both still in Shanghai. Â It is unlikely they would have brought them in just to talk with us. Â So for tonight, they donât matter.â Â Chloe explained before continuing with her analysis.
âThe rest of the Wayne family are a treasure trove of insecurities, pressure points, and triggers. Â Iâm just going to go over the biggest ones since we hopefully will only have to deal with them for a few minutes at the most. Â These unstable assholes are definitely Hawkmothâs wet dream. Extremely well trained and no control over their emotions. Â All have extreme versions of insecurity complexes, but react differently.
âBruce Thomas Wayne is a control freak. Â His public persona isnât much help. Â As far as I can tell, most of it is a mask. Â He pretends to be a drunk, irresponsible, billionaire playboy but we know heâs Batman so all that is bullshit. Â What isnât is that he is a good negotiator and actor, all of which means he can be a good manipulator and we know from his experience as Batman that he is extremely strategic. Â Be suspect of anything he tells you. Â His intentions appear to stem from a genuine concern with making lives better, but how much he is willing to listen to other peopleâs opinion of what constitutes better is questionable, especially after what we know of the Justice Leagueâs actions. He has a history of enforcing his vision onto other people, whether they want it or not, of taking control. Â He needs to be in control, or feel like he is so he can prepare for what is coming and make sure it doesnât turn against him.
âThe oldest, Richard John Grayson, has a martyr complex.  Heâs so devoted to the saving people thing he became a cop in his civilian life as well, by all accounts an uncorrupt one, and thatâs saying something in Gotham and BlĂźdhaven.  Takes on too much at one time trying to fix everything and feels responsible for every bad thing that happens, even if he wasnât there⌠especially if he wasnât there, to stop it.  If he only would have done whatever, then the bad thing wouldnât have happened.  If only he was better, blah, blah, blah. Sound familiar?â she looks pointedly at Marinette.  âThatâs his weakest spot.  He takes the blame.
âThe next, Jason Peter Todd has abandonment issues. Â Heâs constantly waiting for people to walk away from him like his parents did. Â There is something more there, I know there is, like whatever happened when he disappeared for a few years, but we donât have access to that information. Ridiculously protective of kids on the street, I think because he essentially grew up on them himself. But, hereâs the catch, he became a crime lord in order to protect them. Â He is willing to go dark to protect people, so they never have to feel like he did and never have to do what he had to do. Â Heâs straightforward and aggressive. Â He feels like everyone is going to walk away from him because he isnât enough for them to stay. Â Heâs dangerous.
âThe next, Timothy Jackson Drake has inadequacy issues. Wealthy, absentee parents who likely never treated him like anything more than a business asset.â She looked sympathetically at Adrien. Â âHe is a certified genius. Â Started running Wayne Enterprises a few years ago. Â He likes a challenge and is an incredible negotiator. Â He likes working things out on his own. Â Heâs smart and curious. Â He knows exactly what to ask in order to get the information he needs without you even knowing thatâs what he did. Â Be careful answering any questions or reacting to any statements from him. Â He is constantly trying to prove himself so people will love him. Â He takes any failure extremely personally because it means he doesnât deserve love and a reminder that he isnât who he thought he was and therefore not worthy.
âThe youngest, Damian Wayne, known as the Ice Prince in Gotham, has a superiority complex. Â Nobody gets close to him and nobody wants to. Â He showed up in Gotham at age 10 with a fully-fledged attitude. Â Everyone and everything is beneath him. Â He also drives himself to extremes in order to confirm his superiority. Â He insults and belittles others because he believes he should be superior to everyone around him, but he is afraid he isnât and if he isnât better, then he is significantly worse.â
The rest of the room looked at her sympathetically. Â They all knew she wasnât just talking about Damian. That was her up until a few years ago. She needed to believe she was better than everyone else and needed everyone around her to believe it too. Â If she was better then she deserved her parentsâ love. Â If she had everyone elseâs love, it made it easier to fool herself into believing her parents loved her as well, or blunt the feeling when she would realize just how much they didnât. Â But years of therapy, a higher purpose, and real friends that truly wanted the best for her but refused to take any shit from her, made her realize she didnât need to be that person to deserve love.
âAlso keep in mind there are likely significant trust issues going on here.â Chloe continued ignoring the looks from the rest of the room.  âThere are a lot of reports of violence between Red Hood and Red Robin, Red Hood and Robin, Red Hood and⌠everyone actually, as well as Robin and Red Robin.  Based on fact that violence is higher immediately after a changing of the guard, Iâd say the passing of the mantle from one Robin to another has never been consensual and likely contributed to their complexes.  They are held together by the thinnest of threads.  We can snap that if we need to⌠but I donât think we want to go that far.  If we snap that⌠I donât know how much damage that will do or if they will come back from it.â She cautioned hesitantly.
âAgreed.  I donât want to go there.  There is plenty to use without going into the family issues, without causing irreparable damage.â Marinette concurred.  They didnât want the Bat family in Paris but they didnât want to destroy them either. She wasnât willing to let herself or her team become monsters in order to stop them.  At the end of the day, they were ultimately all on the same team, they all wanted the same outcome, they just had different ways they wanted to get there⌠and different ideas about who got to decide that⌠and who should lead itâŚ
âGod these people need a hug not whatever that âfamilyâ of theirs is providing each other.â Nino said aghast at the report.
âMarinetteâs already on top of that, at least for one of themâŚâ Alya smirked.
âFuck you, bitch.â Marinette narrowed her eyes at her.
âIâm on top of that one,â Nino grinned, raising his hand.
âOh God. Â Seriously we need to investigate that brain bleach thing,â Marinette groaned squeezing her eyes shut trying to keep that image from appearing.
âOkay,â Adrien announced over everyone, âwe all agree after this whole Hawkmoth thing is over, I get to kick Constantineâs ass and we all portal over to the Batcave and hug the insecure, unfairly cute, prickly, little echidnas until they feel better, right?â Adrien asked solemnly.
âUgh, fine but Iâm not hugging the gremlin. Â Someone else gets that one,â Chloe called out throwing out her arms.
The room stilled as everyone else looked at each other, âNot it!â they all called at almost the exact same moment.
âDamn it,â Nino cried as he realized he had been a few seconds slower than everyone else.
âThatâs what you get for being a turtle. Â When the confrontation happens, I got the pampered rich kid.â Â Chloe announced. Â This was her area. Â She knew just where to push kids like that, like her. Â She knew exactly what to say to get them, her, to hit them at their most vulnerable. Â To push just enough to make an impact without breaking them.
âNo, Chloe. Â We donât want to tip our hand and we need you guys to stand sentry. Â I want you, Alya, and Nino to hang back acting as scouts. This is likely to go bad and I need you guys in a triangular formation a block out watching for akumas. Â Adrien and I will talk to them.â
âAlone?â Nino asked tentatively. Â His job was to protect. Â He didnât like the idea of not being close enough to act if they should need it.
âThey arenât going to attack us, at least not physically. Â And we will take an extra miraculous each.â Marinette smiled gently to placate him.
âAre you sure two is enough, mâlady?â Adrien asked curiously.
âYou sure you arenât just trying to keep it a bit more intimate for you and your boy?â Alya waggled her eyebrows.
Marinette glared at her, âTwo should be enough.â She said ignoring the previous statement, âCombined with your two, we should be able to cover what we need to. Itâs just the Batfamily. Â We should be able to handle them with just one each even if they wanted to attack us.â She grinned at Adrien. Â âMagic, gotta love it.â Â
âOkay but when he calls you incompetent, which he will, you need to push back. Â Point out the ways heâs failed. Â He isnât better than us, no matter what he thinks and the sooner you make him realize that, the sooner the real conversation can start.â Chloe warned.
âHe is all of, what, 13? Â We are not going to try to emotionally damage a child.â Nino stated flatly.
âAs long as he thinks he is better than us, he wonât take us seriously.â Chloe warned. Â Nino just glared back at her, not willing to give in on this. Â âFine, if you donât want to point out his failings, then point out the most impressive things weâve done that they havenât. Â That should suffice. Â Not as effective, but it should get you there.â
âOkay, if weâre going to start discussing strategy, weâre going to need some sustenance. Â Letâs get dinner ready so we can start discussing the plan for tonight,â Alya said throwing Ninoâs legs off her lap. Â Marinette and Nino followed her to the kitchen leaving Chloe and Adrien behind.
âYou know, I noticed something with your analysis, Chloe,â Adrien started quietly keeping his eyes on their friends.
âI would hope you noticed more than just one thing,â Chloe chided him.
âCute,â he said rolling his eyes, âJason was the only one you said was dangerous, why is that? Â
âI thought it was obvious? Â The others have a limit. Â I donât know that he does. Â And Marinette likes him, a lot. Â He has a power to hurt her that the others donât. Â And they are very different. Â They are both willing to go as far as necessary to help others, but to her that means killing herself, to him that means killing everyone else and himself,â She looked at him uncertainly, âand Iâm not sure how she will react to that.â
âYou think he would do that if we let him stay here?â
âI donât know enough about him to predict what he will do.  He dialed it back to work with the bats again but⌠There really isnât that much on him. I can tell you what Red Hood has done and that is bad, but not Jason Todd.  Since he disappeared, presumed dead, hell maybe he was, who knows what happens in Gotham, there is nothing on Jason Todd.  If you want me to try to predict, you can hop on down to Africa and see if you can borrow the kwami of prediction.  Until then, itâs all guesswork.  I need to see him.  See how he acts before I could even try.â
He stared at her for a few seconds a look of utter confusion on his face, âYou think the kwami of prediction is in Africa?â
âDo you ever hear any miraculous related shit doing down in Africa?â she fixed him with a knowing stare.
âNo,â he said cautiously
âExactly, because they know whatâs coming and they do their fucking jobs.â She winked at him and walked away.
<><><><><>Â
Bruce, Jason, Tim, and Damian sat in the living area of Bruceâs hotel room in various states of suited up for the night. Â They had barely had time to throw their bags in their rooms before meeting up to prepare for the night. Â Damian was completely dressed and ready to go on a momentâs notice, as always more than ready to focus on business. Â Bruce and Tim were in everything but their masks, choosing comfort until they had to leave. Â Jason was sitting in a large chair in just his pants and shirt, attempting to look relaxed and nonchalant about them being so close to the girl he met at the gala. They were all staring at a massive screen linking them to Dick, Alfred, and Selina in the Batcave. Â
âSo, howâs Paris, boys?â Selina asked from her position lounging in one of the chairs. Â âMeet any interesting people yet? Â Jason?â Â She added with a smirk.
âYou know Bruce, all work and no play. Â We havenât gotten a chance to get out and meet anyone. Â Doing this instead.â Jason shrugged with a practiced indifference, forcing himself to recline further back into the chair in an effort to seem casual. Â
âHavenât even gotten to see the Eiffel Tower yet?â She asked in mock sympathy.
âOh, no, we saw it⌠from the plane.â Jason played along.
âYou really should make sure to visit the Eiffel Tower while there, Master Bruce.â Â Alfred threw in trying to downplay his amused smile.
âItâs not as impressive as you think it will be,â Tim muttered to nobody in particular.
âWeâre here for a reason, Jason.  If we donât want to lose today, we need to get started immediatelyâŚâ  Bruce admonished him but upon looking up and seeing Alfredâs unimpressed look added, âWe can get lunch near the Eiffel Tower tomorrow.  Better?â He looked to Alfred who switched to small smile instead.  Taking that as approval, Bruce nodded to Tim indicating they were ready for him to start his presentation.
Tim nodded to Bruce and moved to the front of the group and pulled up an image from the Ladyblog displaying five superheroes and their names on half of the screen. Â âIâve found a few local resources on the heroes we couldnât see back home and have downloaded their contents and sent them back to you guys,â he said nodding toward the half of the screen displaying the cave, âso you can look through the information as well. Â Iâm not sure what is preventing the data from being accessible from America, but I suspect magic.â He glared at the screen like it personally offended him, âI hate magic.
âIâve only had about 30 minutes to prepare so this is going to be brief.  I mainly focused on⌠well actually I mainly focused on figuring out the best resources for information, downloading copies of the site content, and sending a copy back to the batcomputer.  But after that, I mainly focused on figuring out who the heroes are so we know who we might run into and who to look for tonight. Â
âThe available information indicates a villain named Hawkmoth appeared in Paris roughly five years agoâŚâ
âHuh. Where have I heard that before?â Jason muttered from his seat.
â⌠and the heroes Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared at the same time.â Tim continued a bit louder this time.  âThere appear to be five regular heroes and a few heroes that appear from time to time. Here are images of the heroes we know about,â he nodded to the image on the screen.  He switched briefly to another image displaying the lesser known heroes before returning to the image of the main five heroes.  âNot every battle is caught on camera and of the battles that are caught, most of the actual fighting is not caught, making it easy to miss heroes and villains in the fight.  The resources make it clear there likely are more heroes that we donât know about, which I would say is a definite since your girlfriend didnât appear on any of the sites.â He nodded toward Jason who just huffed and crossed his arms in response, not willing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.
âThe primary heroes are Ladybug and Chat Noir, with Ladybug as the leader. Â Those are the two we need to convince if we want any information. Â We know a few identities of past heroes, including a girl who lives in this hotel, Chloe Bourgeois. Â She was a bee themed heroine named Queen Bee. Â Since then another bee themed heroine has appeared and is one of the 5 regulars.â
Jason narrowed his eyes at the screen, âIt looks like the same person. Â Could it be her in a different costume?â
âI donât think so,â Tim answered shaking his head, âWhen I was looking at her page on the sites I think I saw that she has been seen at the same time as the new bee hero. Â I can analyze it more when I get more time, but the local experts donât appear to think they are. Â We donât know the identity of the new bee.â
âYou think they look similar?â Dick asked incredulously. Â âYouâre crazy. Â Their costume, hair color, eye color, height, everything is different.â Â Jason looked between Dick and the image of the two bee wielders a few times. Â One of them was crazy, he just wasnât sure which one of them it was.
âFigure out where she lives then you should arrange to run into her tomorrow.â Bruce said nodding toward Tim.
Tim gave a single nod to Bruce accepting the assignment.  âThere seems to have been a massive overhaul of heroes about a year into the fight.  All of the heroes except Ladybug and Chat Noir were replaced with new heroes.  No explanation was given⌠or maybe there is one I just havenât found it yet.â
Damian scoffed, âThereâs one villain and five or more heroes and they havenât been able to take him down? Â Pathetic. These are the people entrusted with objects capable to destroying the world?â
âI havenât been able to get much information yet so we donât know exactly what is going on but it looks like there is more than just Hawkmoth. Â He might be a leader or mastermind behind the villains. Â Iâve seen at least a few other villain names mentioned when looking up the heroes.â
âDo we think they all have a miraculous as well?â Dick asked.
âNot sure. Â I havenât gotten that far yet, but it stands to reason.â Tim nodded absentmindedly.
Jason moved closer to the screen staring intently at the pictures of Ladybug from different years. Â There was something familiar about her but there was something else sitting on the edge of his consciousness, he just needed to figure out what his subconscious was trying to tell him. Â His eyebrows furrowed and he narrowed his eyes trying to block out anything but the images. Â His eyes widened as the realization suddenly hit him, âMother fucker!â Â He whipped around to Tim, âDo we have any indication of how old these heroes are? Â They look like babies in those older pictures.â
Tim shrugged, âHavenât gotten that far yet so, not sure. Â But I glanced at a section on Ladybug and Chat Noir throughout history so at least for them, somewhere between 5 and 5000. Â I should have a better idea tomorrow after Iâve had a chance to read a bit more.â Â He squinted at the pictures, âYou think they look young?â
âYou donât?â Jason asked incredulously.
Damian examined the images a bit harder as well. Â âThey do seem around my age in the first images.â
âReally? Â Iâm with Tim, I canât tell either. Â I canât get a good feel for age when I look at the pictures.â Dickâs voice came over the speaker. Â âThatâs strange. Â Their faces are at least partially exposed. Â I should be able to get an idea at least.â He paused for a few seconds. âDo you think the magic is helping conceal their identities as well?â
Tim stared at the images as well, moving slowly closer to them, âMaybe,â he nodded subconsciously, âI canât get a feel either. Â The longer I stare at them the harder it is to tell anything.â
âMagic.â Bruce shook his head in disgust. Â âAnything else to tell us tonight, Tim?â
Tim shook his head âNot today. Â Iâll have more tomorrow.â
Bruce nodded a thanks and switched places with Tim. Â Damian scowled at Tim and moved to put some distance between him and Tim. Â Tim fought off rolling his eyes in annoyance, but only just managed it. Â Bruce turned to the rest of the team, âOkay, as soon as we are done here, weâll start scouting the city to see if we can make contact. We are not looking to be too subtle with this. Â We want them to know we are here. Â If you catch sight of them, let the rest of us know we will send someone to talk to them about a meeting later tonight or tomorrow. Â I want to make this very clear. Â Our goal today is to meet the local heroes and set up a meeting in the next few days in order to gather more information. Â The primary mission is recon. Â We have no idea what exactly is going on here or how dangerous it is. Â We are not engaging tonight. Â We want them to trust us, think weâre on their side, and get as much information out of them as we can, on the situation and the miraculous.â
âIf we want them to trust us, we should leave the rabid squirrel here. Â Or better yet, send his petty ass home. Â Heâs only going to cause trouble.â Jason griped, motioning toward Damian. Â Tim did roll his eyes this time. Â It was a stupid fight to pick. Â Damian wasnât going anywhere. Â Damian wanted to come and Bruce gave in. Â They were just on containment duty now, trying to minimize the damage Damian would do.
âYouâve made your feelings more than abundantly clear on the matter, Little Wing, frequently. Â Damian is there now. Â Deal with it.â Dick reprimanded him, tired of this conversation. Jason hadnât gotten his way in their discussion in the Batcave. Â He hadnât gotten his way discussing it the next day. Â He hadnât gotten his way in the car on the way to the airport or boarding the plane or on the plane or deplaning or while checking into the hotel, he wasnât going to get Damian kicked off the mission now.
âSomeone needs to be there to make sure you donât tell them all our secrets trying to impress some vapid, philistine harpy.â Damian snapped turning his back to Jason. Â
It was a small miscalculation, but in this family that is all that is needed. By moving away from Tim, he had placed himself close to Jason and by turning, he had left himself open to Jasonâs much longer arm reach. Â Jason grabbed Damianâs cape and yanked back sharply. Â âWatch your mouth, you puerile, creepy, little shit.â Â Damian let out a startled grunt before landing with a loud thump on the ground. Â He growled at Jason and tensed to pounce on him.
âJason!â Bruce admonished moving between the two boys. Â âLetâs focus on the mission.â
Jason rolled his eyes. Â Of fucking course that would be Bruceâs reaction. âRight. Donât want to prevent the oncoming disaster if itâs coming from inside the house.â He leaned back in the chair with a huff. Â âYou want to focus on the mission, Old Man? Â Fine. Â Coming at them with an almost full team that includes this asshole,â he motioned toward Damian, âdoesnât exactly scream âtrust usâ, does it? Â Do we really want everyone to show up to this thing? Â Maybe one or two of you should stay in the room.â
âConsidering your girlfriend threatened to leave us bloody and broken, more is probably a safer bet. Â We probably should have insisted on Dick coming as well, maybe have the girls meet us here too. Â And do you really want to leave Damian unsupervised?â Tim asked with a raised brow fully facing him. Â The only way to attempt to contain Damian at this point was to keep him close and Jason knew it.
âYou could stay with him. Â We werenât planning on actually having a discussion tonight anyway. Â That way you could get more research done and someone could watch the child.â Jason reasoned. Tim nodded in thought. Â Not a bad idea at all. Â He would like more time to research before they actually interacted with any of the heroes. Â But it came from Jason so there must be something wrong with it. Â He just needed to figure out what it was.
Damian growled at the description. Â âI am not a child.â
Jason scoffed back at him, âYou act like one.â
Damian jumped at him flipping midair and unsheathing his katana, landing with it a few centimeters from Jasonâs jugular, âCould a child do that?â
âOne just did.â Jason glowered at him, hitting the sword away.
âJason has a point.â Dick spoke up, breaking the tension. Â Damian whipped his head to Dickâs image on the screen his face giving away a flash of hurt before almost immediately schooling his expression into a blank look.
âDid that hurt to say?â Jason asked with a smirk, âIt looked like it hurt. Thatâs okay sometimes the most satisfying things do.â
âYeah, thatâs healthy,â Tim muttered to himself.
Dick rolled his eyes and continued on, ignoring Jason, âSending so many, especially hostile ones, looks like a power play. Â It looks like youâre trying to intimidate them.â
âWe are,â Damian snapped at him.
âYou arenât.â Dick corrected him. âYouâre trying to get them on your side. You are trying to get them to trust you. Â Not scare them.â
âWe wonât all show up to meet them. Â Iâll take the lead along with Tim. Â Jason and Damian will hold back and watch.â Bruce clarified. Â âFor tonight I want everyone out and about so we can cover more ground and hopefully either run into one of the heroes or make our presence known enough to get their attention for tomorrow.â
âIf thisâ Damian indicated all of them in the room, âis all it takes to scare them, they need our help more than we thought.â
âHe didnât say it would scare them, he said it looks like we are trying to scare them.â Jason responded with a sharp edge to his voice.
âYouâre welcome to stay back in the room.â Tim offered annoyed with the conversation.
âI have information I want tooâ Jason growled at him.
âWe are not here to get information on that woman.â Tim rebuked him.
âYou arenâtâ Jason muttered turning away.
âJasonâ Bruce said sternly, âWe are here to collect data on the miraculous and the heroes and see how much danger we and the world are in and if something needs to be done.â
âNot get you a date with a girl you donât know and donât even know if she is interested.â Tim taunted him.
âThis is not about getting a date,â Jason defended himself.
Tim, Dick, and Damian all scoffed in unison while Bruce and Alfred gave Jason a skeptical look. Â Selina sat in the background with an amused smile. Â Really, the only result she was interested in from this mission was Jason finding his girl.
Jason glared at him before turning to Bruce, âI know what weâre here forâŚâ He wouldnât turn a date down if it should come up and if he managed to find her, he was definitely going to ask her.  But, his priority was to help her, which meant both finding her and getting information on the miraculous.  If he wanted to achieve both of his goals, he first needed to focus on that the family wanted⌠for now, so they would be distracted and he could focus on his other mission alone.  âWhat exactly were you thinking might need to be done?â
âWhatever we have to.â Bruce responded calmly but with steel in his eyes.
Jason furrowed his brows at Bruce. Â That explanation was significantly more hostile than the original mission statement. Â Not that he was surprised, but Bruce stating it so plainly meant he considered it a higher probability. Â âThatâs a far cry from the âweâre just gathering informationâ mission you extolled earlier.â Jason gritted out.
âItâs all related.â Bruce stated.
âWhy do you think weâre here, Todd? Â We need to figure out if we need to acquire the miraculous and how to do so.â Damian snapped at him.
âYouâre planning on taking the miraculous?â Tim rounded on Bruce, his confusion evident, having come to the same conclusion as Jason. Â âYou said over and over again you didnât think we needed to worry about the girl that broke into the cave and now youâre planning on stealing their miraculous?â
âWe are not going to steal their miraculous!â Jason exclaimed. Â What the hell was going on? Â He had thought they were making progress. Â Bruce agreed to investigate and offer help fight Parisâ villain and now they were planning on taking out the heroes themselves.
âWe are going to assess the situation.â Bruce clarified trying to pacify them and bring emotions down to a quiet rumbling rather than a full out roar. Completely content was never an option and Bruce knew it.
âWe wouldnât steal Green Lanternâs ring, we shouldnât even be thinking about touching theirs.â Â Jason yelled.
âWe would if he were evil.â Dick reasoned, not at all surprised by the turn of events and long past getting upset when Bruce made plans like these. Bruce liked to be prepared. Â The Paris heroes might not ever do anything evil. They might become allies, but that wouldnât stop Bruce from figuring out their weaknesses and how to take them down should the need arise.
âIf they were evil, Constantine wouldnât be helping them.â Jason argued back, his face starting to turn red, âNot wanting to have you interfere doesnât make them evil B.â Jason argued back.
âWe are not planning on taking anything, but we need to be prepared if things go bad. Â We donât know enough to even begin to guess what could go wrong to cause us to step in. At this stage, we are just trying to get an idea what is going on so we can get a better idea of what to ask later so we can make a plan.â Bruce started moving toward the balcony doors as he pulled on his cowl, âNow finish suiting up. Â Letâs go.â
âOh this is going to go just fucking swimmingly,â Jason muttered under his breath as he pulled on his jacket and grabbed his helmet. Â Tim hummed in agreement and started bracing for the worst, which was standard practice at this point.
  Chapter 5
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 Note: *Sigh* I honestly thought they would meet again, kinda, in this chapter, but then they didnât, the unruly bastards.  So very sorry.  Next chapter I promise!  I swear it is the next scene.
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Out of the Lionâs Den
Pairing: Spencer Reid x Reader
Warnings: Mentions of rape (not against the reader), attempted rape and assault (against the reader) angst, cursing, insults, the usual super dramatic shit you see in the taken down of an unsub
A/N: Wowie wow wow wow, so this is kinda long. And I know I said I was gonna post it like two days ago, HOWEVER! In my defense, I started writing it and then about halfway through I accidentally closed tumblr so it deleted everything I had. So I went to bed defeated. But itâs here now, thatâs the important thing, right? Remember to like, comment, reblog, send me asks, and just be your usual amazing selves and give me the attention that my parents never gave me as the oldest of eight. As always, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME AND I APPRECIATE YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!
___
[ Part One | Part Two | Part Three | Part Four ]
December 1998
It felt good to be back home in Georgia. The wind whipped at the trees outside of the diner you and you best friend were currently catching up at. The waitress, Flora, knows you by name and sets your usual in front of you with a ruffle of your hair and a couple of southern endearments.
âTell me everything.â Madalyn says, reaching across the table for the ketchup that was placed on your side of the booth. You swat at her hand when she makes a grab for one of your fries. Her laugh is loud and feels like home, making you smile into your drink in a way you havenât smiled all semester.
âIâd like to preface this conversation by saying that I feel like this would be a much cooler experience if I were the same age as everyone else.â You point out, brushing your growing bangs away from your eyes with an annoyed swat. Her eyes soften with sympathy, swirling a fry into the ketchup tucked into a safe space on her plate. She doesnât say anything though, knowing that you have more to say.
âThe classes are awesome. The campus is beautiful. I learn something new all the time, which was never happening when I was going to school here,â you pause long enough to glance around the room. Itâs packed with all kinds of people, from old men clustered at the counter sipping on coffees to construction workers munching on hamburgers during their break, even big families squished into booths and tables for a nice Sunday family lunch.
âBut?â You shrug in response, knowing that Madalyn will be able to read you like an open book if you meet her eyes. Across the table, the amateur profiler squints her dark eyes at you with suspicion.
âEveryone just kinda avoids me. The guys are cute, but theyâre all nineteen and twenty. Most of the things to do on campus, you have to be eighteen for, so I mostly just spend my time at the library or at Aunt Mayâs doing homework.â At this, Madalyn stops eating, raising her eyebrows with a cheeky grin.
âI bet your grades are super rad,â You resist the urge to throw a French fry in her face after what she says next. âAnd besides, Iâm the only friend you need in your life.â
âActually, I have made a kind of friend?â Flora is over before you can finish the drink in your cup, filling the glass with a dark, blue pitcher. When you thank her, she reaches out to pat your cheek, mumbling something about missing you while you were gone.
âShould I be jealous? Is she pretty? She may be a big sister type, but Iâm your soulmate.â You laugh into your sandwich having to cover your mouth when you take a bite and the laughter doesnât go away.
Madalyn has been your best friend for four years, although time seems to have no meaning in your relationship because nobody would doubt it if you told them youâd known her since birth. While most kids in your age group had grown up thinking you were odd, Madalyn had decided that you were just interesting. That interest had turned into a friendship that would span years and miles more than many friendships do.
While the things you both enjoyed, like Leonardo DiCaprio and Ben Affleck, certainly brought you together, it was your differences that made you click like the pieces of a puzzle. Only true friends can debate on opposite sides of an argument and then end the night eating popcorn while watching Space Jam in the living room.
âHis name is Harvey.â When Madalynâs eyebrows go up this time, it is from surprise. Youâve never been one to socialize with anyone of the opposite gender, much less become âkinda friendsâ with them. Plus, as a young lady of very womanly curves, sheâs quite aware of the way some guys cross the line on a regular basis.
â(Y/N)-â You wave your hand in the air, once again pushing at the bangs that keep falling in your face. You should have never cut them in the first place, and you never would have if you realized what a hassle they would be when you started growing them out.
âI donât like him like that. Heâs just a really nice guy, helps me with homework and walks me to a class or two. Weâve never even met up outside of school.â Her eyes are still narrowed, a stray dark wave falling from the hair comb that pins the top half of her hair away from her face.
Eventually, she changes the subject. Trusting that you are smart enough to know when things have gotten out of hand and how to take care of it.
âSo why are you growing your bangs out? I thought you liked them. Didnât you say they make you look more grown up?â You unstick your thighs from the leather booth seat, pinning her with a look that she knows all too well.
âNow thatâs a crazy story.â She also makes herself comfortable in her seat, preparing herself for a story. Itâs probably a good thing youâre a phenomenal story teller, or else she would have gotten tired of all the stories you tell really quickly.
âSo last month a girl comes forward and reports that she was cornered by a man she didnât know on her way from the library back to her dorm. He held her at gun point and rapes her. It got kinda big, because she was rallying a group of men and women to escort girls around campus. And, I mean, I understand the unease she must feel, and I was sympathetic, but I was kind of confused why there was so much uproar over one rape.â
Having finished your own fries, you reach across the table and steal one from your outraged best friend. Before she can grab it back, youâve shoved it into your mouth.
âUntil a second girl comes forward and says that she reported the same thing happening to her a month ago. The campus, meanwhile, is doing nothing about it. No increased security, no curfew, not even acknowledged them.â
âFor two girls?â
âFor five,â The pause you take is natural, scooting the bottom of your cup across the tabletop so you could sip from the straw without picking the cup up, but it reads as dramatic effect. âAnd thatâs not even the craziest part.â
One dark eyebrow raised into her hairline, waiting for you to continue the story and also answer the question.
âEvery victim was a freshman, so theyâre a little on the younger side, they all had the same hair color and style, all had the same body type, all were the same height, all had the same eye color.â This time you do pause for dramatic effect, using the silence to build the tension.
âAnd all of them look exactly like me. Bangs and all.â
Madalyn leans forward a little, suddenly very worried about you going back next month. As she hurriedly tries to make sure you are taking the necessary precautions during a scary time like this, Flora floats around the diner, stopping to fill up the cup of a single man just behind your booth. All he has is black coffee, a textbook of some kind is splayed open across the table but he doesnât seem to be too interested in it. Instead, he leans back in his seat, his ears listening to your every word.
âSo in summary, Iâm growing out my bangs because thatâs obviously apart of this dudeâs type.â Madalyn doesnât protest anymore when you reach for another fry on her plate.
âStop looking at me like that. Iâm going to be fine. Iâll even color my hair if youâre so worried.â And the conversation continues, your best friend overly worried about you and your life as a fifteen year old college student, and you masking your fear for appearances sake. Harvey, however, finishes his coffee and asks for the bill.
He thought you were smarter than that. He thought you were smart enough to connect the dots and at least notice that heâd done all of it for you. That you were his everything. Apparently that was wrong. One day youâll figure it out, of that he is certain.
For now though, you donât even notices when he passes your table to get to the door.
Present Day
Spencer steps away from the car door, the cool wind hitting his cheeks and tousling his hair. It helps the dizziness in his head, and the nausea in his stomach, but it doesnât help the sharp pain in his heart. His brain is swimming in all of the information, putting the pieces of the crime scene together like it was a puzzle.
âHe left her in the driverâs seat after stabbing her from the backseat, walking around the front before knocking her out and carrying her to his own vehicle.â JJ looks back at the car, peering around crime scene analysts as they hurry about collecting evidence.
âShe tried to leave, but her tires spun in the mud.â Rossi notes, nodding to the mud splatter along the sides of your car and the tiny graves each tire has dug into the ground for itself.
âThereâs blood in the back.â Spencer finally speaks, looking away from the backseat window and back to his two partners. All eyes flick to the back seat where there is indeed two drops of blood on the floor and a smear of it on the headrest of the passenger seat.
âIf heâs in any system then weâll catch him.â Rossi said, nodding for the techs to collect what they could from the back. Spencer turns back to the car, well aware that there wasnât anything else here for them the find that would lend them any information as to your whereabouts.
âIn a system or not, I will hunt him to the ends of the earth before I let him get away with this.â
Back at the BAU, Prentiss makes calls to your mother and your best friend, Madalyn. Both answer on the first ring, and both are all the more willing to answer any questions that may assist the team in finding the man who had taken you.
âIs there anyone you remember (Y/N) mentioning that maybe stood out to you or her as creepy and stalkerish?â Your mother doesnât recall anyone, having been focused on so many different cases during your childhood and having been so distant from you since you decided to not become a detective.
Madalyn, however, is quick to answer with a name Prentiss recalls crossing off the list of persons of interest.
âHarvey Morgenstein. They were friends in college, and although it weirded me out because he was a lot older than her at the time, he seemed harmless and I trusted (Y/N). But then he became her agentâs personal assistant all coincidentally and it just seemed too fishy to me.â Prentiss writes the name down, sliding it across the table with a pointed look at Garcia.
As quick as lightning, Harveyâs life history is pulled up between computer screens for both women to delve into.
Harvey is a short man with a wide build that, in earlier pictures, shows him to be more soft than muscly. His hair is dirty blonde but his eyes are two dark circles of coal that seem to pierce through the screen and into the souls of both Penelope and Emily.
âHeâs totally not creepy looking.â Garcia remarks sarcastically, eyes sweeping across the information given to her the way Reidâs eyes might fly up and down the pages of a book or a case file.
âTell me about it.â Emily replies, leaning into the seat designated for those on the team who so wished to give Penelope a visit while remaining off their feet.
âHarvey is a pretty normal guy for the most part. Single child of a Harvey and Lucille Morgenstein. Graduated from Georgetown in 2000 with a major in computer technology, minor in criminology.â
âThe same graduating class as (Y/N).â Prentiss notes, her eyes just behind Garciaâs as articles and documents fly around the computer. Where some people talked with their hands, Garcia talked with her screens. The constant tap-tap-tapping of rings and fingers against the keyboard was like the audible churnining of cogs in her brain.
âYeah, he spent some time as an IT guy at Georgetown before he got a job as a personal assistant. The only spot on his squeaky clean record that I can find is that he was a person of interest in a few rape cases involving some girls on campus back in the late 90âs, but he had alibis for every single one so they let him walk.â The pictures of every victim pop up across the screen in the form of a newspaper article talking about the serial rappings.
Gasps come from both their mouths as the dots connect.
âCall Reid and the others, and then call the agent. I think I may know what is going on.â
A couple of hours later and the pieces are all starting to come together.
Harvey had been the serial rapist from the 90s, attacking women who looked like you out of anger over not having you for himself, and pure obsession. After graduation, he tried to move on by distancing himself from you, but when his mother was diagnosed with cancer he fell back into his old stalkerish ways.
He followed your every move through your agent, who was the only person you spoke to the most outside of your mom and Madalyn.
After a little digging into unsolved rape cases in the area, it was obvious from the victimology and an oddly specific M.O. where he bit each of his victims on the neck, that he had also fallen back into his perverted rapist ways.
Harvey might have been content to stay like that, an obvious self esteem issue keeping him from ever approaching you directly for a date, until a month ago. Not even two days after the death of his sick mother, you and Spencer went on your first date outside of the bookstore. A double trigger.
In a sick and twisted display of love, Harvey started killing people the way youâd written deaths in your books. But with every death you continued to ignore him and see Spencer.
âEventually it all became too much for him to handle and he snapped, kidnapping (Y/N) and calling to taunt Reid over his victory.â Hotch passed a hand over his face. The sirens blared loudly as they raced for Harveyâs house just outside of Quantico.
âThis guy has been stalking her for a ridiculous amount of time.â Morgan commented with a shudder, sympathy and guilt from the earlier interrogation eating at him as the black SUV careens around a corner.
When they bust through his door, clearing each room and finding a creepy amount of pictures and papers about you, they realize that he has taken you somewhere else. And who do you call when youâre at a dead end and you need information?
âYouâve reached Penelope Garcia in the FBIâs Office of Supreme Genius.â
___
Breaking a chair that is nailed to the floor is a lot harder than it sounds, and it already sounds kinda hard.
There was a lot of kicking and hitting and some bruises were definitely starting to form, but the amount of blood coming from your leg was scary. The chances that the knife had nicked your femoral artery were relatively slim, especially given how long youâve been bleeding, but you couldnât help but waver on the side of caution.
After several failed attempts of throwing your body into the wood and kicking and hitting and pulling and crying and then repeating the cycle, you managed to pop a leg off. While the base of the leg stayed nailed to the floor, you spent the rest of your time trying to tear the chair from the rest of the legs, when you did you threw the top half against the concrete wall.
Taking two spindles from the back, you quickly scurry back to the mattress and wait for him to return. Itâs only a matter of time before he decides to come back down here to taunt you or try something.
In your short time in what Harvey has so lovingly deemed âyour room,â you have come to a couple conclusions in an attempt to distract yourself from the excruciating pain in your thigh.
One being that this is not Harveyâs home. Of that youâre one hundred percent certain. Upstairs, you can hear the sound of two sets of feet thudding around. You can only assume this is his childhood home. You remember that his mother had died about a month ago, causing him to resign from his position as your agentâs personal assistant. She had mentioned to you that he planned to help his father as much as he could before he too passed away.
The second being that you were probably going to loose your leg. Any move this way or that sends a thousand knives through every nerve in your body. Your throat is scratchy and sore from how long youâve been yelling, both in trying to get someoneâs attention and in pain.
The light coming from the small window next to the ceiling hasnât even begun to wane with the falling sun when the door opens again. The chain around your uninjured leg clatters when you pull your knee up to your chest. You donât even attempt to move the other leg.
Harvey appears in the opening, a tray of food balances in his hands as he shuts the door behind him.
âFind some weapons?â He asks casually, setting the tray beside the lamp as he sinks to his knees on the mattress. Your knuckles are white around each spindle, the inside of your mouth is sensitive to the touch from how much nervous chewing youâve been doing.
âGet away from me, or Iâll kill you.â You seethe, fighting through the swimming in your head that hasnât gone away since you woke up here. He gives you a look like youâre a misbehaving child, but itâs soon replaced with anger when you slap him across the face with one of your weapons.
You were hoping the attack would break skin, but all it does is turns the skin over his cheekbone dark red.
Faster than you can blink, he pins both your wrists with one of his hands above your head on the mattress, using the other hand to deftly pluck each spindle from your grip.
âIâve done so much for you. Iâve given you a room, and a career, and so much more, and yet you attack me.â The wooden spindles hit the wall next to the door, his body lowers to yours in a way you know means more trouble.
âYouâre a creep and a perv and I donât want you to touch me! Youâve done nothing for me. Only for yourself.â In a way that would make any young boy proud to know you, you collect all the spit and bile in your mouth before shooting it into his face. Part of it hits him in the eye, causing him to roar in outrage.
He lets you go, giving you a brief moment of relief, but he only wipes away the loogey before rocking his hand back hard enough to crack against the side of your face. In your moment of disorientation, he flips you to your stomach and undoes the cuff from around your leg. The chain rings against the ground when he tosses it to the side.
His knee went to your back, his hands went to your waist, and the moment you manage to come back to yourself, your fingers clawed at whatever flesh you could find near you. You screamed and flailed as much as you could, the shooting pain of your leg barely noticeable when your body was in panic mode.
All you can think as that this is the kind of thing you read about. People donât actually get kidnapped and rapped by people they knew in college. But you know that isnât true either. You are the daughter of a detective, things like this were apart of your everyday life growing up. Just never as personal as you or a friend being the victim. For some reason that makes you fight harder, a sickly feelings creeping into your throat when you felt his fingers brush under the hem of your underwear.
Then a sound pulled you from your hysteria, the door fell to the ground and a swarm of FBI Agents descended upon the concrete basement you still refused to call âyour room.â Spencer was the last of them to enter, but the unadulterated fury in his eyes was enough to tell you that was not a decision on his part.
To you, and maybe even everyone else in the room who managed to look at him for longer than a millisecond, he looked like an avenging angel. Every chocolate caramel curl perfectly framed his face, which looked like it was carved out of stone. His jaw was so tense you could slice your finger if your ran it along the edge. The revolver in his hands was unwavering, only growing in steadiness when he caught compromising position you were in.
The sob that came out of your throat was one of relief. Harvey lifted you from the mattress, reaching into his pocket to pull out that damned pocket knife. He held you so close to his chest that it made your skin crawl.
âHarvey Morgensten, drop the weapon.â Morganâs voice boomed around the room. Harvey held you with one arm tensed around the front of your shoulders and the other holding a knife to your neck.
âSheâs mine! You werenât supposed to be able to find us!â He screamed, you winced away from the shrilling pitch that scraped against the inside of your ear. It caused him to push the knife into the skin over your exposed collarbone, blood beading around the the metal tip. Your heart was hammering beneath your ribs, your hands flexing at your sides, your mind racing for a way to get out of this situation.
Spencerâs lip went up in a snarl, you half expected him to let a growl tear through his chest as if he was a lion standing against an enemy. The hairs on the back of your neck stood to attention when he took a hesitant step forward, his eyes softening for just a fraction of a second when he looks down at you.
In that fraction of a second all of his defenses fall and you can see all the grief and panic in the bags under his eyes and the raw skin of his bottom lip.
âShe was never yours, Harvey.â Spencer says, wincing when Harvey responds by yanking you even closer than before. His breath is hot on your neck, his lips so close that they brush against the skin on the back of your shoulder when he speaks.
âShe was never yours, Dr. Reid. She is mine, she always will be.â You cry out in surprise, your fingers coming up to scratch at the arm around your shoulders when a pair of teeth sink into the crook of your neck as if you were the victim of a vampire or something equally supernatural and territorial.
The action has the desired effect on every agent watching, especially Reid, who stumbles forward before Hotch grabs him by the back of his arm. They donât have a shot, not without hurting you. That much you can tell just from the look they share. It doesnât take a genius to look around and see that the end of every gun in the room is pierced right through you.
It makes you angry. You grind the back of your teeth together when a dark chuckles echoes from behind you. In your mindâs eye, you see it all happening the way you see a scene from a book playing before you like a movie.
Reaching up with one hand, you grab the onto the arm holding the knife. With the pad of your thumb, you shove every bit of strength you have into the soft skin at the inside of his wrist. At the same time, you pull your head forward before sending it reeling back onto his already broken nose. This time, you can feel the crunch of bones as your skull makes contact with his face.
Simultaneously, he drops the knife to the floor with a cry and drops his arms to reach for his gushing nose. Adrenaline pumping through your veins, you manage the couple of steps forward into Spencerâs arms. In a quick and graceful display of surprising strength, he carries you back into his embrace and spins around to shield you from the monster staggering back toward you.
Prentiss is quick to catch him in his blind pursuit for you, twisting both of his arms back without an ounce of sympathy for his pain. The jingle of handcuffs precede the finality of each click around his wrists.
âEverything I did, I did for you! I made your book come to life, I ruined the reputation of those girls, I did it all for you.â Harvey struggles against the restraints, twisting his body any way that he can to get a glimpse of you curled into Spencerâs chest.
You brain is caught between reality and a distant world, everything around you feels like make believe. Only the feeling of Spencerâs sweater curled into your fingers and his hand on the back of your head feels real. Harveyâs voice is like a recording being played three blocks away, still loud enough to hear but not close enough to focus on. Heâs hissing threats and insults at Spencerâs back, that psycho-something in him finally snapping under the circumstances.
Somebody is yelling for a medic and there, just underneath it all, is the sound of someone wailing in such a way that words could never accurately describe the intense pain and grief being carried on every screaming sob. As the events from the last twelve hours come rushing back to you, reality takes the reins of your mind.
Itâs you thatâs crying like that. That desperate, broken sound is coming from your heaving chest. When your leg finally gives out from under you, the pain too much for your body to bare, he was already there holding you.
The screams fade into small shattered sobs just in time for medics to descend the stairs. Their hands are voices are everywhere, medical jargon flying over your head as they pry your hands from Spencerâs sweater. You pull back from every touch, the thoughts in your brain flying too fast for you to keep up.
It takes them a while to get you to the ambulance, but when they do you start to panic.
âSpencer?!â You cry out, unable to move your head too much due to the neck brace and head strap holding you down. It takes only a second for him to come into view, his eyes glassy and his smile watery. His hand slips into yours before they raise you up to the ambulance, your hand is icy to the touch.
The paramedics had mentioned a possible concussion, excessive blood loss, and signs of acute compartment syndrome. The fact that you had remained conscious and walking this long was a testament to your strong will and fighting spirit.
âDonât leave me.â You whispered, the black around the edges of your vision creeping in despite how hard you fought it. Spencer almost winced from how hard you tightened the grip on his fingers. His mouth moved, but you never heard the response, your mind fading quickly with every second.
âDonât leave.â
The sound of a heart monitor steadily beeping was what woke you up. Groaning from all the aches and pains that surged up with consciousness, your eyes fluttered open before squinting into the bright hospital lights.
Your mother was the first thing that popped into your field of vision. The last time she had looked at you with such worry, youâd been in the ER after flipping your car into a ditch. In your defense, it was dark and, as a young driver, you over corrected when you hit a patch of standing water.
âMama?â You pushed up on the bed, the pillow behind your head falling to the space between your lower back and the mattress. Your mom was quick to pick it up and fluff it back behind your head. She must really be concerned. Had they found cancer while you were out or something?
âOh my goodness, (Y/N), you had me so worried.â Gingerly, you pressed the heel of your hand to the bandage that stuck to your hair and the corner of your head. Brushing the butterfly stitches that went across the cut on your cheek, you barely had time to react before she pulled you into a breath-stealing hug.
The wound on your neck smarted with the movement and you hissed in pain. Your mom pulled back, squishing your cheeks between her hands as tears began to collect on her lower lash line. Your mother was not the type to cry, about really anything, as far as you knew of. So to see her tearing up like this only added to the confusion and shock you were already feeling.
âNever join law enforcement. I thought I wanted you to, but I canât deal with this kidnapping and near-death nonsense. Iâm getting too old for it.â She teased tenderly, releasing your face from the death grip of love to wipe away the tears before they fell down her cheeks.
âWhen did you get here?â You asked, taking note of all the wires and tubes that connected to your body via IVs and sticky pads. A glance down at your leg eased the fear that you might have sustained a leg wound that would take your leg from you. You didnât move it for fear of the pain you could already feel throbbing to the beat of your heart.
The bed dipped under your motherâs weight as she sat beside you, gathering one of your hands into both of hers. Scars littered the knuckles that had wiped away your tears and taught you to throw punches.
âI only got here about an hour ago, but youâve had round the clock protection from the FBI so no need to get panicky. I can see that look creeping into your eyes.â Her own eyes squint a little, those highly observant detective skills kicking in. Sheâs always been able to read you like an open book, making you wonder if she would have been good at profiling.
Of course she would have, your mother was good at everything she set her mind to.
âFBI?â Youâre full of so many questions, but they all fall away when you mom shifts out of your line of sight to reveal the sleeping agent tucked away into the corner of the room.
Spencer is curled onto a hospital chair that is placed into a corner beside the window looking out over the parking lot. His back is leaned against the wall, one shoulder leaned against the back of the chair. One long leg is curled into the seat and the other is stretched out next to the chair. From across the room, you can see the shadows his eyelashes cast across his cheekbones in slumber. Oddly enough, your first thought is of Sleeping Beauty.
The sight is enough to make your heart feel like itâs squeezing around a ball of broken glass. Before your mother can read too much into the mixture of emotions that, surely, skew your features, you look away.
âHeâs been here since they brought you in. I met his team, theyâre a fine group of agents. You didnât tell me you were friends with anyone in the FBI.â Before she can say anything else, you clear your throat. Putting one hand, a little dramatically, to your chest you give your mother a look you havenât used since you were a kid trying to stay home from school.
âMama, Iâm a little hungry. Can you get me something to eat?â It works like a charm. Youâve never seen your mother jump so quickly before, she races out the door like a woman on a mission. It warms your aching heart.
âMaybe you should have tried acting.â Spencerâs voice is groggy with sleep as he sits up and stretches into awareness.
âHow long have you been awake?â He meets your gaze, his expression soft and earth-shaking. When you imagined seeing Spencer wake up first thing in the morning, it was never in a hospital room while feelings of betrayal and confusion stabbed into your chest.
âJust long enough to hear your mom talk about my team. Sheâs a nice lady.â He doesnât move from the chair, sensing the tension in the room the way only a profiler can. Heâs afraid that if he gets up, youâll make him leave. He doesnât need to know that heâs right.
âHow long have I been out?â Youâre asking every question except the one youâve been dying to ask.
âA day. You had a pretty bad concussion and acute compartment syndrome in your leg. They werenât sure you were going to be able to retain control of the muscle given how long you were kept hostage with it untreated, but I know youâre too stubborn to let that happen.â The silence that follows is stifling, your eyes interlocked in a battle of wills.
Was this the same man that had accused you of being a serial killer?
Youâre the first to look away, fidgeting with a fray string from the blanket thrown over your legs.
âI think we need some time apart.â
âIâm so incredibly sorry.â You both speak at the same time, but your words drain the blood from Spencerâs face when they finally register. He had hoped that, by some miracle, you would forgive him of the unforgivable sin he had committed against you in the name of justice. He understood why you didnât.
âI just,â The threads of the blanket you recognize from your childhood bedroom bump underneath your fingers when you smooth your hand over it, âI want to forgive you. But all I keep thinking is that none of this would have happened to me if you had used all those brains in your head instead of all the insecurities in you heart.â
Itâs like a slap across the face, and yet Spencer canât help but feel like he deserves it. Even still, none of it hurts as much as the crack in your voice and the tears that you try so desperately to blink away before he can see them.
It isnât often that Spencer Reid is rendered speechless, but the guilt and heartache have stolen all the words of every language and all the breath from the air right out of his mouth.
âItâs still so fresh in my mind, I think if we distance ourselves then weâll be able to come back to something rather than trying to scramble to bridge together the chasm that has formed between us.â
He wants to argue, everything in him screams that he needs to fight for you, but the look in your eyes stops him. If you need space, then space is what he will give you. Spencer would do anything to make this right. He wishes he had the intelligence and technology to build a time machine and go back to two mornings ago.
âI understand,â he says solemnly, trying to talk around the hurt in his chest that is growing like a tumor. âBut I promised I wouldnât leave you. Iâll give you space, but Iâm only giving you the space of the wall between this room and the hallway.â
And then heâs gone, staying true to his word and sinking to the floor outside your room. When you mother comes back, holding a collection of jellos and cookies and granola bars from the hospital cafeteria, her steps falter at the sight of the young doctor outside your door.
Inside youâre curled into yourself, taking very deliberate breaths into the cotton stuffed pillow you have buried into your chest. You half expect your heart monitor to be screaming for the nurses, but despite a small quickening in the constant beeps, it gives away none of your heartbreak.
â(Y/N)?â You look up, meeting your mothers eyes with tear stained cheeks. Your head is going to be throbbing later, but for now youâre only focused on the sharp pains shooting through your ribs and clouding every other pain in your body.
Between one gasp of air and the next, your mother drops all the foods to the chair vacated by Spencer before rushing to pull you into her arms.
âCan you die from a broken heart?â You whimper, feeling like a small child as you bury your head into her chest. She smells like home, running her hand over the back of your head with gentle shushing sounds.
Outside, Spencer wipes at his own tears, a silent statue of sadness protecting you from everything but himself.
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Ramen Rivals
synopsis: Rivals in the kitchen, rivals even with ramen - Â two rivaling restaurateurs fight over the only cup of instant noodles left in the convenience store
pairings: kim seokjin x reader (oneshot)
rating: Â R | genre: classic e2l trope; gourmet chef! seokjin and reader ; smut; humor; fluff ; crack |Â warnings:Â swearing, explicit sex, kitchen sex, implied bathroom sex, multiple orgasms
word count: 12k RIP MY BRAIN
a/n: Ahhhh, his is actually a re-written version of one i posted way way back 2018 LOOOL idk what to feel anymore after this akfaowiejfoawe the last parts are actually heavily unedited ACKÂ
navi.Â
Kim Seokjin.Â
Thatâs it. Thatâs the name. Thatâs the tweet.Â
You never knew three syllables could affect you this much, could bring you this great distress. The mere mention of it makes you reel, roll your eyes, ball up your fists, makes the tiny hairs on your nape stand on end.Â
Long story short, Kim Seokjin makes your blood boil.Â
It doesnât help either that he was Adonis himself â complete with cat eyes, plump lips, and a dashing smile, or that he has rock-hard abs hiding underneath that white double-breasted jacket, or that he busts out corny ass dad jokes as much as he winks at people (which is a LOT of times, by the way), or that heâs an undeniably an exceptional chef (such as yourself, duh) and has now erected a gourmet restaurant next door to rival yours, OR the completely obvious fact that you two have history.Â
The short period of time in the past that you shared with him wasnât exactly one you would be embarrassed of, or something you want to forget. Instead, itâs the exact opposite. Youâre ashamed of the fact that you hadnât gotten over it until now, three years later. He was your OGF â Mr. One Great Fuck. Kim Seokjin still holds the belt for the title of making you cum six consecutive times in a single night. How he managed to do that and how nobody else has measured up to that, youâll never know.Â
Youâd initially met him at Les Coulisses Du Chef in Paris, where you had enrolled yourself in a patisserie class to expand your knowledge on French pastry and hopefully get a certificate for it. Youâd been meaning to take the class since forever, yet youâd been waitlisted year after year until last year when one of the applicants had backed out, theyâd called you in, merely half a month before the program started.Â
Three weeks into the semester, Seokjin had introduced himself to you, or rather, had told you a dad joke as an introductory preview of his personality. Youâre glad he did though, else you would have been surprised if you discovered the kid was part Greek god, part chef, part dad jokes, and .01% brain cell.Â
âWhat do you call a fake noodle?â asks .01% brain-cell-man seated beside you, rolling up his sleeves to reveal the prominent veins on his forearms. Youâre momentarily distracted by the action, completely missing out the question heâd just asked you. âSorry, what?âÂ
âWhat do you call a fake noodle?â Gosh, you shouldnât have asked him again. If only he knew the number of times youâd hear- âImpasta!â He snorts, holding a fettuccine noodle in one hand and the other clutching onto his tummy as he doubles in his laughter.Â
Youâre just standing beside him, slack-jawed, unsure if this was just a sick dare. Who was this guy? Was he even in the same class as you? Was he high? Perhaps he mistook flour for coke? His laughter dies down when he sees your face, sans-reaction.Â
âWait, you understand English right? Um⌠comprendre English? Oui?âÂ
âYes, I can understand English.âÂ
âThen why didnât you laugh?â You raise a brow. This stranger just comes up to you, tells you a lame joke, and now he expects you to laugh?Â
âThis is gonna sound real mean, but it was really an old joke...and a lame one at that,â you retort, your face crumpled into one of faux pity.Â
âHey! No need to make it personal!â he counters, placing a hand over his heart, face contorting into a grimace. âYou, Rafa!â He half-shouts, pointing an accusatory finger to someone behind you. âYou said it would be a great ice-breaker!â Your eyes follow the Rafa heâs pointing at, the latter quickly shakes his head, telling you he doesnât know the man in French.Â
âIs this man bothering you?â Rafa nods sadly.Â
âWhat?! How dare you turn the tables on me?? Iâm your only friend!â You turn to glare at pasta guy, who continues to wail behind you. Rafa snorts from across at the sight of pasta guy making a fool of himself behind you and eventually takes pity on him.Â
âIâm sorry, Jinâs just been meaning to talk to your since the start of semester, so heâs asked me for advice on how to approach you...I told him to tell you a good âole joke in the kitchen since weâre all chefs here...I didnât actually think heâd take it...seriously.â
âWow! Betraying and exposing me all at once!! Why wonât you just fry me alive in olive oil, huh? That would be less painful.â Jin-pasta complains, arms gesticulating wildly in the air. You watch them unabashedly bicker in front of you concurrently amused at the whole spectacle.Â
The three of you become close friends soon thereafter, Jin claiming your trio as the âKitchen Musketeersâ. Yes, he managed to convince the entire class to call your tiny group of friends that name. And yes, that wasnât the worst idea Seokjin had in mind when he was considering a name for your trio. You didn't even want to start to reminisce about the rest of Seokjinâs bizarre suggestions: Charlieâs Cooks (to his defense, you did have a substitute mentor named Charlie), Gourmetbusters, Pecanpuff Girls, The Three Sausagees (more like two sausages and one bun). Youâve always cringed at the last one.
Despite your trioâs antics, Rafa considers himself the third wheel more than anything. Rafael was not oblivious to the crush on Seokjin that youâve been harboring for months.Â
It was the day of your graduation from the short course youâd taken - the three of you decided to have a celebratory wine party at Seokjinâs rented apartment. That same night was when you found yourself drunk on pinot noir and Seokjinâs lips. The rest was history.Â
Finding the bed and the rest of his apartment empty the next morning, you took your leave and fared your walk of shame along the streets of Paris with teary eyes and a bruised heart.Â
Your Mr. OGF also turned out to be Mr. One God-Tier Fucker. Or perhaps the title also belonged to you, Ms. One Gigantic Fool, who thought that maybe she could have been more than a one-night-stand between two colleagues whose relationship could never be more than a professional one.Â
Colleagues. The apparent âlabelâ lets out a boisterous laugh at your face. Gosh, youâre a pathetic fucking fool.Â
Thankfully, your flight back to Korea was scheduled that day as well,, so you wouldnât have to see Seokjinâs pretty face any longer or rather - what you wouldnât admit even to yourself - you wouldnât be able to confront the face of the truth you wanted to hide deep beneath the recesses of your heart.Â
At least, thatâs what you thought.Â
One and a half years after you got your certificate in Paris, you had finally saved enough money to start your business - a gourmet restaurant situated in the heart of Gangnam. You already had patrons from the restaurant where you previously worked, and the opening of CanapĂŠ had garnered more customers than you initially expected.Â
Business had been thriving for a year, that is, until someone decided to erect a new gourmet restaurant just beside yours. Having a rivalling establishment wasnât new news to you, neither did it truly bother you as to no longer having the monopoly in gourmet restaurants located in this part of Gangnam.Â
A week after the opening of your neighborâs Ambrosia - you decided to bring over a friendly bottle of wine you had shipped straight from France with the hopes that you can become acquainted with your fellow restaurateur.Â
As you move along the crosswalk and reach Ambrosiaâs podium outside intended for the maitre dâ, you shift your weight between your legs, an unconscious habit that only Seokjin took notice of. Ridding your thoughts of the man who shall no longer be named, you let your mind wander off to your own workerâs description of the alleged owner.Â
Out of all your staffâs depiction of Ambrosiaâs owner, itâs your sommelierâs and managerâs descriptions that have struck you the most.Â
Yoongi, your timid sommelier, tells you that the owner was a stout man in his mid-forties with Caucasian features, while your manager, Jinhee said he was a man around your age with a face and built that could easily pass for a K-Pop idol.Â
You were leaning towards Yoongiâs description because Jinhee would have most likely mistaken a real idol for the owner since there were plenty of celebrities who hung out in Gangnam and would meet up in restaurants like yours. Either way, celebrity look-a-like or not, you were determined to meet your neighbor.Â
âThereâs someone outside, Hobi,â a busser informs the maitre d as he wipes the last table for the day. Three pairs of eyes look at you through the glass.Â
You continuously peer from the outside as you canât see much from due to the darkness inside, where only a few dim lights are on. âGo on then, Hobi,â the owner states, nudging the maitre d towards the door.Â
Hoseok takes a glimpse of you through the glass panel and faces the owner. âHyung, she seems pretty. Why donât you do it? You ought to have a proper girlfriend right now. Itâs about time you move on from your love interest in Paris! Plus youâre the owner of the restaurant!â
âHobi, I still have to do kitchen check, remember? And for the record, I have moved on from her. Chop chop.â Hobi gives him an incredulous look, highly doubting his boss had already forgotten about her. âRight away, Mr. Seokdon Ramsay.â
Youâre drawn from your thoughts when you hear the melodic sound of the bell as the door opens and a man with a bright smile comes out. âHello! My nameâs Hobi, can I help you with anything?â
âUm..hi! Iâm from CanapĂŠ just across the street⌠are you, perhaps, the owner of Ambrosia?âÂ
âOh! Iâm not the ownerâŚI wish I was though if I had someone pretty like you looking for meâŚâ You laugh awkwardly in response, unsure of what you should reply to such a line. The two of you remain standing there, staring at each other. âUm...is the owner there then? It would be nice if I can speak to him or her or themâŚâ you let out a small cough, looking away.
âRight! Of course, sorry about that! Iâll tell him to come out.â Hobi scurries back inside and soon you hear incoherent yelling and laughter from inside the restaurant.
âHyungnim! Hyung!!â Hobi calls out once more, eyes searching wildly for Seokjin. âWhat now?â Seokjin emerges from the kitchen with the busser in tow. âHyung! Sheâs fucking hot! And I feel like Iâve known her from somewhereâŚplus she says sheâs from our neighboring restaurant! I told you, you were the one who shouldâve gone out there. By the way, I think sheâs calling wine oâclock too â and the bottle sheâs holding looks like expensive French Cabernet Sauvignon!â
Seokjin narrows his eyes at his maitre d, âYou seem to have been spending a lot of time with that sommelier from across the street.â The owner of Ambrosia shakes his head at his friend, who pushes him towards the door. âHurry! You wouldnât want to keep a pretty girl waiting!â
Youâve been waiting patiently outside, shifting your weight from one foot to the other as you watch people come and go. The streets of Gangnam was always lively, and it still surprises you at this point that you had decided to put up a restaurant in the midst of the hustle and bustle of a city like such because youâve always wanted to erect one by the countryside with the whole organic theme going on. Nonetheless, you were happy with your decision of establishing one in Gangnam.
The bell dings again, and as you turn on your heel to check the much-anticipated owner of CanapĂŠ, you nearly drop the pricey bottle of red wine in your hands. Itâs Mr. man-who-shall-no-longer-be-named. Youâre stood there shell-shocked, mouth agape at the man in front of you.
He hasnât changed one bit, well, except for the more handsome features. Heâs changed his hairstyle too, now opting for an exposed forehead instead of those bangs heâd impulsively cut by his own in the middle of the night. His shoulders remain the same, miraculously; just an inch wider and he couldâve been a great replacement for a meter stick at Encore, the clothing store that offered bespoke clothing just down the road.
â_________?â
Seokjin starts to speak, yet you canât seem to bring yourself to do the same. Thereâs too much you wanted to say, ask , and rant about that your mouth remains hanging open awkwardly â almost as if youâre squawking. You bow in embarrassment, apologizing for your behavior and run back to your restaurant.
The Gourmet Chefs Association of East Asia was holding its annual even today at The Andaz Seoul and you just had this gut feeling Seokjin was going to be there. With yesterdayâs discovery that your neighboring, rivaling, restaurant was owned by none other than Kim Seokjin himself, you already had an inkling he was invited to GCAEAâs event tonight.
Your suspicions had been confirmed as one of the eventâs producers sent you an email earlier this morning, that which contains the list of nominees for the title of GCAEAâs Chef of the Year â the same title that was bestowed upon you just last year. Seokjin was the first nominee for this yearâs awarding ceremony.
Kudos to him. Despite knowing that your hatred for him was fueled by more personal reasons, you knew deep down inside the recesses of your brain that he was a really, really talented chef. Probably just as good as you â of course, you can easily admit that youâre still lacking in plenty but you donât think your pride will allow you to accept defeat from Seokjin just like that after all heâd done.
You only had the chance to look at Seokjin for a good seven seconds yesterday, but it had taken you at least seven hours, a tub of ice cream, and a Captain America movie marathon to reassure yourself that having seen him so close yesterday wasnât just an actual nightmare.
As much as you hated to admit it, he remained just as handsome as he was three years ago. What you couldnât get over with though, was how he actually smiled at you yesterday. That little fucker had to audacity to show his perfect little pearly whites at you! All over again, youâre reminded of how he left you in his room the morning after, or how much of a fucking fool you were for having believed that the two of you couldâve been something more than friends.
Rearranging your dress for the nth time today, you take another look at the mirror, twisting and turning to see if there might be some thread hanging off the hems of the dress. Youâre starting to question your decided outfit for the night. You had a dress done just for this event â or more specifically, what sort of dress Jinhee had ordered to be sewn just for this event.
It hugged your curves perfectly â the dress a perfect merger between modest and seductive. It had a nude-illusion base with silver sequins sewn onto the thin fabric and a low-cut neckline that gives everyone a lovely view of your cleavage.
This one could easily pass as an evening gown for a Miss Universe candidate. You felt confident, beautiful, and sexy but at the same time you felt like you wanted to just huddle yourself up in your duvet in the corner of your room and eat ice cream. You werenât uncomfortable with showing skin from time to time, but having been clad in a double-breasted jacket on a daily means it felt strange having your neckline displayed in public.
Your phone dings, indicating a text message. Yoongi had offered to be your chauffeur for this evening, of course, after being coerced and bribed by Jinhee into doing it.
[yoongles đˇ ] 6:43pm
hurry up, or iâll leave you behind
[you] 6:43pm
yoongs
Itâs MY car WEâRE using
you donât even have my keys yet
[yoongles đˇ ] 6:45pm
u get the idea, woman
dont keep me waiting
âWell maybe if you wonât stop texting, Iâll be quicker,â you grumble to your phone, placing it inside your purse so Yoongi wonât bother you any longer. Doing one last twirl in the mirror, you grab your necessities youâve gathered on your bedside table and sweep them into your purse.
âYou clean up nicely, boss.â
Squinting your eyes at Yoongi with his words, you send him a grateful smile nonetheless. âIâm gonna take that as a compliment.â This was the closes thing to an actual compliment that you were ever going to receive from Yoongi in your entire lifetime, so you were sure to keep his words close to your heart.
Taking your car keys from your purse, you toss them to Yoongi who catches them deftly with one hand. âOoh, you looked cool when you did that.â
âWhat are you talking about?â
âYou gave me a compliment, so Iâm going to give you one in return. As a token of gratitude.â
âRemind me never to say anything to you ever again.â
âHey! You talk back like that to the woman whoâs giving you money for your daily needs?! And you wonât even open the door for me?â you ask your past neighbor-turned-sommelier-turned-close-friend. âItâs called a salary, Ms. _______. And I receive that as compensation because I give you my services in exchange for it. Plus, Iâm already seated here,â Yoongi shrugs, adjusting the rear view mirror.
Rolling your eyes, you begrudgingly open the door to your backseat, exerting much effort in swinging one leg after the other with your incredibly tight evening gown. And, of course making sure the short train wonât get caught between the car doors.
Yoongi checks if youâre all good through the rear-view mirror and once he sees you buckle up, he lets the engine roar to life. You take out your phone from your purse to see if youâve received any other emails, only for the phone to get flung from your hands â including you.
The car surges forward all of a sudden and Yoongi steps on the breaks just in time. You hear Yoongi curse under his breath, looking over his shoulder to check if youâre okay. âShit! I forgot you drove a Maserati!â
âI think the more appropriate thing to do is to ask me if Iâm still okayâŚAlso, it doesnât matter what kind of car I drive, because I think you forgot how to actually drive at all.â You complain, adjusting the seatbelt across your chest, the sudden jolt leaving a diagonal red mark just by your collarbone.
âWell, you arenât dead, so technically speaking, youâre okay.â Unbelievable. You let out a loud scoff, unable to think of anything wittier to say. âJust please get me there in one piece, Yoongs.â
You manage to get to the hotel in one piece. Thank heavens.
The small talk you made with Yoongi on your way to the hotel had temporarily taken your mind off the jitters but now that heâs left you standing by the entrance of the hotel, the nerves had definitely returned, tenfold. Youâre also unfortunately dropped off at a spot where a standee of yours holding the Gourmet Chef of the Year award is staring back at you. God, you hated that photo. They did not give your eyebrows justice, at all.
You exhale all your nervousness away as you take the steps to the lobby. â_______!â Someone calls out, the voice too familiar to miss out on.  âSunbae!â You turn around to see one of the most revered chefs in Korea, and definitely one of your favorite mentors, Choi Jiyoung. The woman nearing her fifties extends her arms out in greeting and you give her a tight hug. You had worked under her supervision in the past, and she had taught you almost everything you knew about Korean cuisine. Â
âAh, itâs been too long darling! Look at you! Youâve grown into such a beautiful woman!â Misun praises as her grip on you tightens and pulls you by the elbow, âSurely, thereâs a lucky man that has swept my sweet _______ by now!â Your senior adds, punctuating her sentence with a wink at the end.
âIâve been pretty busy these days⌠and dating hasnât really crossed my mind recently.â
âThatâs because the last man Iâve wanted to date was three years ago and heâd just considered me a one-night stand and now after Iâve struggled to burn his existence from my memory and to be very frank with you, I really havenât gotten over him and now he just so happens to be the owner of the restaurant beside mine. Also, heâs stealing my customers.â Comes your real answer inside your head, but youâll never tell anyone that.
Jiyoung pouts at your answer, but taps your forearm, âWeâll talk more about that inside. Come on darling, the event is starting.â
Seokjin sees you finally enter the lobby, eyes scanning the few people scattered around the area as you look for a familiar face you could approach. All eyes are on you, yet you donât notice, like always. You donât realize how beautiful you are, blushing furiously under the simplest compliments. Youâve got this certain charm that certainly draws people towards you, all the more when they get to know you better, just like what you did to him.
Seokjin remembers the first time heâd actually seen you â on the television. Heâd been scrolling aimlessly through the channels, trying to look for something to watch as he waits for the water to boil for his ramen. Heâd accidentally stopped by Channel K99âs âChoi Jiyoung Kitchen Specialsâ reruns during midnight when he checked his phone after it dinged, alerting him of a notification on his email: just another alert to renew his âKOREAâ magazine subscription, where heâd secretly get new recipes, try them out, add a little twist, and serve them to his customers at his parentâs restaurant.
As he was about to press the off button on the remote, you enter the frame as the camera pans out when Choi Jiyoung introduces you as her new assistant and protĂŠgĂŠ. For some reason, this show just got all the more interesting for Seokjin, whoâs clearly drawn to you and not the scrumptious seafood platter that Chef Choi was preparing.
Heâd followed you on all his social media accounts after that night, even going as far as turning on his notifications for each post you made. He was unsure what had drawn him to you in the first place â whether it be the fact that you were probably the first female chef heâd seen in Korea that was just about his age (that or he really just didnât pay any attention to women in the same field during the early years of his career), or that you were unbelievably skilled at such a young age with apparently, a lot of culinary awards and certificates under your belt.
Funny enough, Seokjin wasnât really one to delve into the world of pastry but judging from your most recent Instagram posts during those days, you had taken interest in patisserie, which only caused Seokjin to attempt baking his own first croissant. He finally understood your enthusiastic devotion for it ever since. Then came Les Coulisses Du Chef, where Rafa, an exchange-student-turned-friend of his from his culinary school days had secured him a slot for a semester at the prestigious school of gastronomy in Paris to get a certificate on French pastry.
He wasnât expecting you though, out of all people, to join the official list of the class as well, last minute.
It took him three weeks before he finally spoke to you, much to Rafaâs exasperation. Seokjin would keep nagging the French man, telling him how much he wanted to talk to you, yet he canât seem to grow some balls to do so. In annoyance, heâd told Seokjin that the best way to break the ice was to tell a joke â this time, much to Seokjinâs chagrin. Heâd never thought secondhand embarrassment was a thing until Seokjin actually heeded his advice and told you about the âimpastaâ. Surprisingly enough, it worked, so voila!
If only you knew how nervous Seokjin was during that time, clammy hands and all. In fact â if only you knew how jittery Seokjin was whenever he was near you. Heâs pretty sure heâd ruined his credibility and career after busting out that lame ass joke Rafa had told him, but it turned out to be the only way he actually got closer to you so he was partly grateful for Rafaâs advice â reputation be damned.Â
Just like tonight, the moment his eyes fall on you, he feels like heâs being drawn back to his room, eyes trained on you as you diligently followed each of Chefâs Choiâs directions, or that time heâd first spoke to you back in your French patisserie class. He diverts his gaze elsewhere from the fear that you might catch him staring.
âHey, man. Isnât that ________? The girl youâve been crushing on since forever?â Minjae asks, elbowing Seokjin at the waist. The latter grimaces slightly in pain, before reluctantly letting his gaze settle on you once more.
Jungkook returns from the bathroom, joining the duo by the reception. âWow, whoâs that?â the younger man asks, nodding towards your direction. With Jungkook being a fairly new member of the association, curiosity is getting the best of him with all the faces heâs seeing.
Similar to a little kid at a toy shop, heâs constantly asking his hyungs if the people he was seeing were the actual people heâd seen on the internet or on the television. Minjae, who indulges every question of the maknae of their small circle of friends with great enthusiasm, answers Jungkook. âThatâs _______, Kook.â
âNo way! Thatâs her?! As in the _________?â The only female chef in Korea who received her first Michelin star in her twenties?! As in ________ Choi Jiyoungâs protĂŠgĂŠ?!â
âYes, Kook, thatâs her alright. And also the same ________ who will hear you soon enough and will find you weird if you donât keep your voice down.â
âSheâs also the same recipient of the award your Seokjin hyung is nominated for this year,â Jiwon adds, wriggling his eyebrows at Seokjin.
âThatâs so cool!â Jungkook exclaims as their whole group watches you approach the infamous Choi Jiyoung. âHyung, do you think sheâs single?â Jungkook asks to nobody in particular, considering they were all his hyungs. Minjae and Jiwon glance at Seokjin who returns their glances with a light glare.
âWhy donât you go find out after the party then?â Seokjin suggests, ignoring that certain pang of jealousy that blossoms in his chest at his own proposal.
âTell me youâre kidding, hyung.â
âHuh?â
âCome on! Thatâs your girl! Youâre going to let go of her just like that?â
âI donât know what youâre talking about, Kook.â
âHyung. I may be the maknae, but I am neither blind nor dumb. Anyone with two eyes and a functioning brain will know you have the hots for her.â Minjae and Jiwon snicker at the younger oneâs comment. Seokjin, albeit being second to the youngest, gives them a glare the makes them cower behind Jungkook.
âAm I really that obvious?â
âWell no. But every time we go out, the only notifications that pop up in your screen are her posts on Instagram. Donât you think thatâs a tad bitâŚpathetic, hyung?â
Ooh and aahs  come from the two other men, who are reveling at the harsh bluntness of Jungkookâs words. Itâs the maknae who receives Seokjinâs side-eye next. âNeed I remind you whoâs the older one here?â
âThe point exactly! Weâre not getting any younger, hyung. Better ask her out nowâŚbefore I beat you to it.â Seokjinâs mouth falls open in astonishment, while Jungkook just smiles at him in return. âCome on hyung, theyâre calling us inside.â
âWell, well, would you look at that stunner over there?â She comments, nodding her head towards someone over your shoulder. There he was, the infamous Kim Seokjin, clad in an all-black ensemble, a single silver chain necklace hanging on his neck. His hair is swept to the side, revealing a bit of his forehead.
âOh boy.â Jung Chungae fans herself as your greatest rival turns sideways, showing off his side-profile while animatedly telling a story to a fellow colleague seated with them. âOh how I wish we could just go back to our golden years for just one night!â The rest of the table laughs at Chungaeâs comment.
âI personally think you and that man would make a great couple.â Jiyoung says, leaning towards you.
âThe other man sat on his right doesnât seem to think that way though,â Chungae says, picking on her dessert, whispering âcute guy from same tableâ discreetly. As if on cue, the rest of the ladies, you included, turn your heads towards Seokjinâs table. True to sunbae Chungaeâs implications, there was another man beside Seokjin who was staring back at you. You believe Jungkook was his name⌠nevertheless, you get shy under his stare, averting your eyes back to the presently attractive flower arrangement at the center of your table.
The servers pile inside in pairs, approaching each table to take your dessert plates. You see the host rise from his chair and take the stairs to the stage. He taps the microphone, checking if the audio was working, âTo announce this yearâs Gourmet Chefs Association of East Asia â Chef of the Year award, may I call on Ms. _________.â
Minjae nudges Seokjin as you stand up from your seat. âHyung, quit it before other people see you.â
âCome on now, get your ass up and walk her to the stage!â
âShe can perfectly walk on her own though?â
âCome on, itâs plus points both for her and the crowd! Give these oldies a show, idiot.â
âN-â
âHyung, if you wonât do it, I will.â Jungkook says from across the table, eyeing you as you excuse yourself from the other ladies in your table.
Seokjin stares at Jungkook and purses his lips. He discards of the napkin on his lap at once, lightly throwing the piece of cloth on the table. As he stands up, few murmurs of curiosity follow him as he approaches you.
âMs. ________, may I?â Youâre surprised when somebody suddenly appears on your side, offering his arm out for you to hold onto. You hear sunbae Jiyoung quietly cheer you on, nodding her head once to accept Seokjinâs display of manners. The rest of the audience likewise cheers the young man on with a few men whooping and a number of ladies cooing at the sight. Â Frankly, it wasnât even that long of a walk until the stage but a part of you was grateful, knowing for yourself that you truly werenât used to wearing long dresses like these.Â
As you both reach the stage, with your hand hooked around Seokjinâs elbow, he places another hand atop yours for extra support. The action seems to have the opposite effect. Suddenly all too aware of the proximity between you two, a shiver runs through your spine, secretly hoping the gulp that you make at the sensation goes unnoticed. At the end of the stairs, you give him a curt bow and say your thanks, unable to look him in the eye.
The emcee hands you the microphone and an envelope, containing the name of the awardee. You tap the mic once, then twice. âThis is on, right?â The audience laughs in response. âWoops, sorry,â you apologize meekly before starting your half-impromptu, half-practiced speech.
âIâd like to take this opportunity to thank, first and foremost, the board of judges who have bestowed upon me this same award this time last year, and now I have had the greatest honor to announce the awardee later on. I would also like to send my gratitude to all those who have been my mentors here in Korea and overseas â for I have taken your pieces of advice to my heart and they have guided me wonderfully throughout these years, especially sunbae Choi Jiyoung, who has molded me into the woman and chef that I am today. Also, hereâs a special mention to Chef Lee for having prepared this wonderful course for us this lovely evening â I absolutely admire how he manages to make Korean staples like Kimchi Jjigae and Pajeon soâŚflavorful like itâs been made with his entire heart and soul poured into each detail. Wow. Could we have a round of applause for Chef Lee tonight?â
The audience complies quickly with your request while Chef Lee gives you a bow of gratitude by the doors of the event hall.
âLastly, I would also like to acknowledge the presence of a beloved mentor of mine, back when I took patisserie classes back in Paris â Mr. Frank Boucher, who had, by the way, also prepared his signature Apple Tarte Tatin for our dessert tonight. So without further ado, the Gourmet Chefs Association of East Asia â Chef of the Year award goes to, drumroll please!â Your tongue feels like it got stuck in your throat, but you pull yourself back to reality quick enough so no one else notices.
âKim Seokjin! Congratulations!â
Seokjin had just barely gotten back to his seat when he hears his name being called. He stands up, beautiful facial features twisted into one of confusion. âYou won Chef of the Year bro! Congrats!â Minjae pats Seokjinâs butt briefly before pushing him back towards the stage.
As you hand him the trophy, you give each other a small smile, likewise posing for the cameras. The photographer gestures for you to scoot closer to each other with his hands. Itâs getting harder to fake your smile. You wanted nothing more but to go home. Or maybe you could pass by CanapĂŠ and take a bottle of wine home for yourselfÂ
Thankfully, the awarding the Chef of the Year signals the nearing conclusion of the event, and as soon as you get back to your seat, you send a text to Yoongi, telling him that the event will be over in a couple more minutes.
The event ends quicker than expected, and you find yourself bidding goodbye to everyone else as soon as the emcee officially ends the ceremony. You badly wanted to go home and rest, with only a few hours left for sleep before another work day starts.
You see Yoongi pull up by the entrance after a few more minutes. âHow was the party?â You tell him what happened during the event, completely leaving out Seokjinâs appearance and antics. âLetâs just drop you off by your apartment first then Iâll go drive back to the restaurant to grab something.â
âI can go with?â
âItâs fine Yoongs. Besides, we have work in a few hours. You already sleep during work, what more if I keep you awake for an extra couple of minutes tonight?â
Yoongi just shakes his head at you, saying nothing else in reply. He finds you uncharacteristically quiet after a big event like this and wants to ask you about it, but you seem too lost in your thoughts that he doesnât want to bother you any further. You arrive at his place shortly and as you get down from the car to switch places, you give him a hug and thank him for being your chauffeur. âOh, and _______? Your French Cabernet Sauvignon is at the third row from the top. And drink at home, please. See you tomorrow.â
Passing through the main entrance of your restaurant, you turn on a few lights by the wine rack to aid your search for the alcoholic beverage. You make a beeline for the wooden structure attached to the wall. Third row from the top⌠reaching out, you grab on a bottle, reading out its name, âChateau Pichon Longueville 2015 Pauillacâ. This will most likely do the trick.
All of a sudden, a knock comes from your door, startling you out of your wits. Quickly, you scurry to the kitchen, looking for something that can protect you in case this person means harm. Your extensive collection of knives is what comes into your mind first, but you wouldnât want them to be considered murder weapons, in case the worst scenario comes into play.
So you settle for the rolling pin, clutching the cylindrical utensil tightly in your hands. âWhoâs there?â you call out, hoping the fear wont seep through your words. âUm, itâs Frank. Frank Boucher. Is that you inside, _______?â
Letting your hands fall to the side, you cautiously near the door, still clutching the rolling pin in your hands. You canât be too sure nowadays. You sneak a glace through the glass panels to confirm his identity. Breathing a sigh of relief when you see it really was your mentor back in Paris, you set aside the rolling pin and unlock the door.
â_________!â
âAh, and to what do I owe this pleasure, Chef Boucher?â
âI wanted to talk to you back at the event, but Iâm guessing you left earlyâŚâ
âUm, yesâŚstill a lot of work to do tomorrow.â Â
âCan I get you anything, perhaps? I- I grabbed a bottle of wine just now⌠would you like some? Or water maybe?â
âWine is always a great choice, _______. Also Iâm here to tell you something important, but Iâll let you grab two glasses first, for our usage.â
âOf course! Please feel free to sit anywhere you like.â
âQuaint restaurant you have here, ______. This is the same CanapĂŠ you told me in your email right?â Â
âYep! Would you mind a few crackers and goatâs cheese to go with the wine?â
âThat sounds perfect, though you really donât have to bother yourself with all of thatâŚâ You shrug off his comment, reassuring him that it was the least you could do after having taught you so much when you were back in Paris.
You finally get everything ready, one hand holding a plate full of crackers and cheese, while the other holds two wine glasses. As soon as you get seated, Frank takes upon him the honor of opening the bottle, pouring a sufficient amount of the beverage onto your glasses. âI meant to give this to you personally earlier, but I could no longer find you after the party ended.â He hands you a white envelope with your name and CanapĂŠâs address printed at the back.Â
âYouâve been invited to the Asian Gourmet Conference in the Philippines next week.â You choke on the wine youâre drinking, embarrassingly turning into a coughing mess in front of your mentor. He looks at you expectantly as you open the envelope.
âWait. This is real?! No way!â Frank laughs at your reaction, excitement evident in your voice as you skim over the words indicated on the paper. âOh my goodness! This is such a great event! And the opportunities! Please bring the wine home, Chef Boucher! Itâs on the house.â The French man laughs harder at your offer, but he doesnât decline.
âIâm glad youâre this excited, because youâre going with Seokjin.â
Immensely thanking the heavens that you were looking down the whole time while reading the document, else your mentor wouldâve seen the instantaneous scowl that graced your face at the mere mention of the-man-who-shall-not-be-named.
You force a smile onto your features before looking back up at Frank. âKim Seokjin? As in Kim Seokjin who just won GCAEAâs Chef of the Year Award earlier?â
With slumped shoulders, you lean farther backward in your seat. The Asian Gourmet Conference was one of the most anticipated conferences in the whole of Asia. It was an event highly awaited by many in the culinary field, especially one of its main events where they invite gourmet chefs from all parts of the world to compete for the best dish ever and a $200,000 prize.
The contest was another thing though, because two representatives will be vying for each country, so the winning pair will get to come home with $100,000 each. You really wouldnât have put any thought into who your partner would have been if you were.
Your head fills with dread at the thought of having Seokjin as your partner. It was bad enough that he owns the gourmet restaurant next to yours, and that heâd attended GCAEA which caused more unwanted interactions with him.
âYes him. From what Iâve heard, people say heâs a rising star, and that his newly established restaurant was getting a lot of good reviews.â
âItâs the restaurant next to mine, chef.â
âHa! Seems like youâve finally met your match, darling. Pretty sure that can apply romance-wise as wellâŚâ
âWhy does everybody keep shipping us?â You wonder, subconsciously vocalizing your thoughts.
âYou two look like you have his-âŚI think⌠you two would just look great together!â
âShip? You know what ship means?â You look at him incredulously.
âItâs when you like the idea of two people together right? My daughter says it all time because of these Korean boys with bright hair â actually, when she knew I was going here to attend GCAEA as a guest she kept on nagging me to buy her albums and these sticksâŚâ
âSticks?â
âYeah, the lightning ones?â
âLightning?â You stifle a laugh. âYou mean lightsticks, right?â
âWhatever theyâre called, _______.â Frank Boucher gives you his infamous glare.
Nearly snorting at the sight of your mentor looking physically and mentally exhausted with trying to keep up with his fangirling daughter, you offer him another bottle because he seems like he needs it more than you do.
Your conversation falls into talking about your current lives and the stresses of running a restaurant, with Frank eventually leading the conversation about the person youâd least likely enjoy talking about. He tells you about your neighboring rival, how heâs done just as well with his own place like what you did with yours. Heâs proud that both of his students had established their names in Koreaâs gourmet society even at such a young age.
The clocks finally hits ten thirty and Frank takes this as his cue to get going.âGreat! Your plane ticket and hotel booking has probably already been sent by my secretary to your email. The convention is only for three days, but the two extra days are on me. Take it as a gift for CanapĂŠâs opening. Go enjoy yourself, _______â
Forcing another bright smile onto your face, you bid your goodbye to your mentor, locking the front door of your restaurant as he leaves. Five days with Seokjin. May the gods have mercy on you.
The four-hour flight to the Philippines had been excruciatingly awkward. To say the least.
You hadnât talked to each other for the most part. In fact, the only time you had interacted with each other was when youâd waken him up because you had already landed at the airport. The both of you had barely spoken to each other even on your way to the hotel. Occasionally heâd ask you questions that only warranted monosyllabic responses from you.
Youâre glad that weariness passed as the only excuse for the lack of interaction. The moment youâd met up at the airport, fatigue had already been evident in both your faces, so your pair had ended up with alternating sleeping schedules during the length of your flight and up to the taxi ride to your hotel.
Only a few words were shared between you when youâve finally arrived in front of your rooms â something along the lines of âgood nightâ and âsee you tomorrowâ. As you let sleep take over you that night, you pray that everything will go smoothly for the entirety of your stay.
âLovely afternoon to all of you present here today at this yearâs Asian Gourmet Conference!â Excited applause falls amongst the crowd, cheering on different countries, even though they screamed the most for Team Philippines. The host greets the audience and the participants one more time, before proceeding to the guidelines of the event.
âFor the first challenge of our main event, weâd like the chefs to cook two staple dishes from their respective home countries â but with a twist! Our chefs will have to use Filipino ingredients only! This is where we put their creativity and talent to the test. To our chefs, please be reminded that we will be giving you an hour to prepare your fusion dishes. While you guys are cooking, Iâll be going around to interview almost fifty chefs who have come from all parts of the world just to join us today.â
You start brainstorming with Seokjin the moment the host leaves the stage. âYouâve been to the Philippines a few times right? Youâve tried some of their food?â your partner asks, turning to you. Youâre surprised he even rememberedâŚif you had recalled properly, you had only mentioned it once back in Paris that you did visit the Philippines on occasion.
âUm, yesâŚIâve been here a couple of times,â you reply, racking your brain for any Korean dishes that might hold any similarity with Korean staples. âI only remember Sinigang, and AdobeâŚâ
âIâm pretty sure they call it Adobo here Seokjin,â you make no attempt to suppress the giggle the escapes your lips as he mistakes computer software for food.
âBut the challenge is only to make our home countryâs staples with Philippine ingredients⌠so this shouldnât be that big of a fusion problem since rice is also considered a vital part of their meals hereâŚâ
âYou think good âole Bibimbap will do? Pretty much all the ingredients are available hereâŚWhat else could we have?â Seokjin asks, taking a notepad and a pen from his jacket. âWe can have tteokbokki for the appetizer and bingsu for dessert.â
You get to cooking right after you and Seokjin agree on the ingredients you were going to use. Maybe working with Seokjin wasnât so bad after all. Not even fifteen minutes into the competition, you see a few girls cheer Seokjin on, ceaselessly calling your partner âSeokjin oppa!â They screams only seem to spur Seokjin on, whoâs now showing off his knife skills. You roll your eyes as you shake your head, crushing the garlic a little too hard against the board.
âJealous much?â your partner asks. You can feel Seokjin smirking beside you.
âYou wish, Kim Seokjin.â
âWhatever floats your boat, ________,â he sighs, âIf only my partner could also send me words of encouragement rather than staying silent the whole time,â he mumbles to himself, thinking it wasnât loud enough for you to hear.
âYou and I both know this mouth is better at something else.â You turn to him, giving Seokjin a playful wink before setting the ingredients to the bibimbap on one side. He nearly drops the knife heâs holding at your comment, obviously scandalized by your innuendo.
Even with the time racing against you, everything was still going as planned, you just needed to hurry with the final parts of the dishes and youâd be able to beat the buzzer which was bound to ring in less than twenty minutes. That is until the salt container placed on top of this tall arrangement of pots topples over the shaved ice youâve prepared for the bingsu. You see the ice melt before your eyes, and you quickly move to the container, removing some of the ice that was turning into water.
âShit! Sorry ________!â He drops the pans he held in his arms onto the sink, scampering to your side afterwards. âCan I help ââ
âNo! IâŚItâs fine, Seokjin, justâŚjust go back to whatever you were doing earlier. And please be careful next time.â Seokjin nods curtly, before going back to clean the pans. â______, why does it smell like somethingâs burning?â
âFuck!â Cursing under your breath, you hurry towards the pot where the rice was cooking. As you remove the cover, the smell of burnt rice and a failed dish wafts through your nose, causing you to take a deep breath as you attempt to calm yourself down.
Reluctantly, you scoop out the rice that wasnât burnt and place it onto the stone pot and start plating your bibimbap. Seokjin likewise helps you finish plating the tteokbokki and bingsu in silence.
Needless to say, your burnt rice didnât make it through the first round. It didnât mean that you were disqualified from the competition though, but in order to win the cash prize, you will have to make it through all three challenges of the event. That same evening as you take the cab back to the hotel, the despondence in the air is thicker than ever.
âSee you tomorrow, ______.â Seokjin says, giving you a small smile as he stops in front of his door.
âRight. See you tomorrow, Seokjin. Sleep well.â
Itâs ironic how it was you who actually needed that phrase and not Seokjin. Youâve watched the clock tick away, turned on the television for something to watch on the local news channels which were thankfully spoken in English, you had also resorted to Netflix on your phone, but all to no avail.
Admittedly, you had finished an Iced Americano in fifteen minutes earlier this morning but you figure itâs the entire âburnt riceâ accident thatâs keeping you awake at this hour. Heaving a deep sigh, you lift the covers off your body, put on a hoodie and headed outside.
You pause by Seokjinâs door momentarily, with the strong urge to knock on his door and apologize for your lack of professionalism earlier this afternoon. Seokjin didnât really mean to pour the salt over the ice at the event, and the way you reacted was unnecessarily rude.
Seokjin was probably asleep though, and you didnât want to further embarrass yourself by waking him in the middle of the night. Retracting your hand that was merely inches away from his door, you turn on your heel and decide to apologize to him first thing in the morning tomorrow. Maybe even get him an extra something to show the depth of your regret and guilt.
After having asked the receptionist for directions towards the nearest convenience store, youâre suddenly regretting having worn shorts on your way out â the exposed skin of your legs prickling as the chilly evening air bites at it. Spotting 7-Eleven just across the street, you walk quickly towards the convenience store, desperate to feel warmth in this cold night.
The mellifluous sound of the bell echoes throughout the small store as you enter, that particular smell of convenience stores wafting through your senses. You decide to explore the shop a little, trying to look for something to eat.
Quite ironically, youâve cooked nearly a thousand dishes in your lifetime, and having to cook another shouldnât be that much of a burden but when your mind is swirling with thoughts just like tonight, you canât seem to bring yourself to cook even the simplest dish â like itâs too great of a task to burden yourself with.
So during times like this, you turn to instant noodles, the ultimate lifesaver since your culinary school days. Hopefully no one from GCAEA or the AGC finds you like this, a dignified gourmet chef whoâs starting to establish her name in the culinary field, crawling convenience stores in the middle of the night and slurping instant noodles away like itâs her last day on Earth.
You finally get to the noodles section, where you see a man in a hoodie, likewise skimming through the same aisle as you. The receptionist had told you to be wary of sketchy-looking people especially during the wee hours of the morning so you hurry with your own search as you look for a certain brand of cup noodles. Shin Ramyeon.
It should be here somewhere⌠As far as youâre concerned as a consumer, itâs being exported to over a hundred countries now so it must be here. Going over the entire aisle one last time, you finally see the red cup, reaching over the lone cup of Shin Ramyeon left on the shelf. The problem was, you werenât the only one who was reaching for it.
Why do those fingers look insanely familiar?
Your eyes widen gradually as you slowly trail them up to see the owner of those hands. Of course, who else could it have been? You call out each otherâs name at the same time.
âSeokjin.â â________.â
âYou can have it.â You spoke in unison again.
âItâs fine really, you can have it. Iâll just look for another brand,â you tell him, handing over the cup with perfectly controlled reluctance.
âWould you mind if we shared, perhaps?â You stare at him, completely taken aback by his offer. âOr notâŚI mean- forget I even said that⌠Here take it.â He hands the cup to you and starts to leave.
âJin! I- I donât mind sharing.â Biting on his lip, he attempts to hide the smile that slowly etches into his face as he hears the nickname only you have for him. He turns to face you again. âOkay.â Seokjin gives you a smile, grabs the cup noodles from your grasp and orders you to look for seats while he pays for your shared midnight snack. Â
Slowly, you trudge towards the limited number of seats they offer at the convenience store and find a spot by the windows. Seokjin arrives at your table a couple of minutes afterwards.
It was now or never. You owed Seokjin an apology after having rudely declined his offer of help during the event, even when the whole fiasco was just an accident. You figure if you donât apologize for your unjust behavior, guilt is most likely going to eat at you for a very, very long time. Seokjinâs dejected yet still beautiful face will haunt you in your dreams.
As Seokjin busies himself with adding the ingredients onto the paper cup, you take this opportunity to speak up. âJin,â you start, the nickname sending Seokjinâs heart into another frenzy. âAbout the bibimbap earlier, Iâm sorry.â
âYou donât have to apologize, ________. It was my fault anyway. I should be the one apologizing right now, butâŚhold that thought for a momentâŚâ He looks away, letting out a sneeze. ââŚ.itâs the powder seasoning, sorry⌠As I was saying, Iâd also like to apologize about what happened earlier, I mean if I didnât try to carry so much, the salt wouldnât have toppled over.â
âHey! I should be the one apologizing right now! Stop stealing my thunder!â You pout, begrudgingly taking the small carton of milk Seokjin bought to go with the ramen. You canât say you arenât pleasantly surprised at how he remembers this habit of yours too. For some reason, he remembers how you always have milk ready whenever you eat something spicy.
âAnyways⌠I also wanted to apologize for my rude behavior towards you back at the event. It was an accident, yet I reacted badly and declined your assistance. It was only after the event that I realized that weâre supposed to be helping each other, and not treating each other poorly.â
âDonât worry yourself too much about it, ______. Besides, we still have two days to redeem ourselves right?â Seokjin sends a warm smile your way, one you cannot help but return.
âWhat else are you waiting for? The ramen is getting cold and lonely.â
âYou sure you arenât talking about yourself?â
âYou know, Iâm thinking maybe you should get your own instant noodles,â Seokjin comments, fingers curling around the paper cup.
âOkay, okay, geez.â Throwing your hands up in defense, you thank him for paying for the noodles and the milk before pulling your chopsticks apart and digging in. As you take your first bite, Seokjin suddenly speaks up.
âIs it just me, or I am really very anxious right nowâŚwhat if someone might see us?â
âLast time I checked, thereâs nothing wrong with eating inside a convenience store.â Â
âNo, no. But weâre like⌠ownersâŚof restaurantsâŚthat serve gourmet foodâŚyet here we are, at half past twelve in the morning, sharing cup noodles like itâs the last meal in the world due to a zombie apocalypse.â
âI get how you feel, but I donât think weâd agree on the zombie apocalypse partâŚâ
The conversation flows naturally between the both of you, like two friends casually catching up with each otherâs lives. Seokjin was in the middle of talking when you hear the pitter-patter of rain outside. Tiny droplets of water slide down the glass panels, slowly turning into heavier ones.
You look at each other. âShould we?â
âWe can wait this out if youâd likeâŚâ Seokjin proposes, though he isnât so sure he wants to go with his offer either. The sudden downpour doesnât seem like it was going to stop anytime soon. âForget what I said, we should leave before this gets worse. Wait here.â Seokjin stands up,  goes through each aisle of the convenience store, and returns to where youâre seated. âDamn, they just ran out of umbrellas.â
âWe could just run back the hotelâŚitâs just one crosswalk away.â
âYou sure about that? What if you get sick?â
âLetâs just hope we wonât then.â Seokjin gives you a nod in approval. âBefore we go out though,â he pulls his hoodie off his torso, giving you a slight show of his abdominals as he raises his hands. You abruptly look away, before nasty thoughts overcome you.
Placing his hoodie over both your heads, Seokjin peers down at you. âReady when you are.â The quick sprint back to the hotel has you both screaming and laughing at the same time. You werenât surprised that Seokjinâs hoodie barely served its purpose. You were both drenched from the neck down, attracting unwanted attention from people with your appearance.
With less than a few more steps before you reach your hotel rooms, you feel trepidation bubbling in the pit of your stomach. Whatâs going to happen now? Were you supposed to forget what happened between the two of you three years ago just like that? Was your midnight ramen run officially a clean slate?
Seokjin has his back facing you, the thin, white material of his shirt clinging sinfully to his skin. Every second spent with Seokjin was the best form of punishment in both ways âAre you going to sleep?â You donât think that was going to happen anytime soon, now that youâre once again blessed with his visuals and perfectly sculpted body.
Seokjin turns to face you, waiting for your response. You shake your head no, eyes unabashedly staring at the outline of his six-pack. The man lets out a cough, drawing you out of your reverie. âWanna keep warm for a bit and talk over hot chocolate?â
Why do you get the feeling itâs not just hot chocolate thatâs going to keep you warm tonight?
âSure.â Your voice comes out small, swallowing loudly as he unlocks the door to his room.Â
The tension in the air is so thick that youâre actually having difficulty trying to breathe normally. Seokjin sets his wet hoodie on the floor before meeting your eyes, pupils already dilated. He momentarily holds his stare, eyes raking all over your equally drenched body. He points a finger sideways, âHot chocolate.â Subconsciously chewing on your bottom lip, you nod, unable to form any coherent words in your head.
As he heads towards the kitchenette, you rub your face with your hands, before placing a hand over your chest. âCalm down, girl. Itâs not like youâve never seen abs before.â This is like Paris all over again, and you weigh the possible outcome of this situation. If youâre reading the signs right, Seokjin is clearly just affected as you are. Are you really willing to wear your heart out on your sleeve like this one more time? You rack your brain for answers, yet all it does is betray you with images of the rippling muscles underneath Seokjinâs shirt.
Ah, fuck it.
âJin?â you call out as you reach the wall separating the kitchenette. Just as you peek through the divider, Seokjin rakes a hand through his temple, his hair now pushed back and forehead visible. You practically hear your resolve shattering into pieces.
Taking initiative, you close the distance between the both of you, connecting your lips with his in a feverish kiss. He tastes spicy â just like the ramen youâve shared just minutes ago, but god, your favorite ramen and Seokjinâs lips; if that ainât the hottest combination in the world â both literally, and figuratively.
You kiss Seokjin fervently like youâre going to crumble if his lips arenât connected with yours. One hand of his raises to get rid of the scrunchie holding your hair up in a ponytail, and he lets his fingers card through your wet hair gently. The intensity of his kiss practically devours you, his hands grabbing hastily at your clothes. Heâs itching to take them off your body, yet you feel the hesitation in his actions, waiting for that sign from you before he can do so as he pleases.
Pulling away to take a breather, you tug your hoodie up and off you, with Seokjin helping you with the task. "You donât know how much Iâve longed for this, fuck." He seizes your mouth with his once more like a man starved.
Seokjin groans as he finally gets a view of the amount of lace youâre wearing underneath your hoodie. âIâd love to have you in your lingerie another time, but for now, letâs get you naked for me, hmm?â Youâre barely allowed a second to fully comprehend his statement about lingerie and another time before Seokjin discards of the red lacy bra you have on and attaching his lips to one of your nipples.
Gasping at the sensation, you arch your back so that youâre practically pressing your chest against his face, greedily asking for more. Hooking a finger inside the waistband of your gym shorts, Seokjin easily tugs your shorts down along with your underwear.
He grabs you by the waist and lifts you up to the counter for his convenience. You shiver slightly when your ass comes in contact with the coldness of the marble. As if on instinct, your legs spread wider, seemingly inviting him to come closer to you.
âYouâre so fucking hot, you know that?â
âMhmmm,â your words are muffled as you ardently kiss him. Seokjin brings his lips back to your breasts, biting and pulling at one while the other gets kneaded under his palm. Equally just as impatient as you are, Seokjin lets a hand trail in between your bodies, tentatively brushing against your core to gauge your reaction.
Your body quakes in anticipation, and Seokjin teases you even further by slowly rubbing the pad of his finger on your clit. âJin, please,â you beseech. âGotta prepare you first, baby girl.â Letting your head fall back at the sensation (and the pet name!), Seokjin decides to give you what you want, seeing as though you were wet enough that taking his cock right now wonât be a problem. He finally slides a finger inside, your body trembling at the intrusion. God, itâs been too long.
Okay, honestly speaking, you really didnât take interest in another man when Seokjin entered your life three years ago, and now that youâre back here in this compromising situation with his finger sliding in and out of you languidly, you feel like you could just cum at the thought of it alone.
Seokjin adds another finger, continuing the pace. You moan wantonly as Seokjin curls his fingers, your velvety walls clenching around his digits. He can tell youâre getting close, but he knew it wasnât enough.
Without having to slide his fingers out of you, Seokjin grabs at one of the chairs and pulls it towards himself so he can sit.
He hooks his arms under your thighs and pulls you closer, merely centimeters away from your cunt. Your cheeks are set ablaze at his brazen action, opening your mouth to say something, falling speechless yet again as Seokjinâs lips come in contact with your nether lips. The man licks a bold stripe along the length of your folds, your hands instantly finding purchase on his hair as youâve got nothing else to hold on to. He repeats the action all over again, this time adding his fingers to slide in and out of you and toy with your clit. A few more licks and a particular curl of his digits, Seokjin makes you cum for the first time again in three years, so hard that youâre bodyâs trembling even after he sets your legs downÂ
Youâre breathing heavily, resting your forehead on Seokjinâs temple. âMind taking a shower with me? Itâs important to bathe after running the rainâ Seokjin looks up at you, eyes pleading.
âI would, if Iâm still able to walk.â
âWho said you were going to walk?â Seokjin maneuvers you on top of the counter, placing his hands under your knees and on your back, carrying you bridal style towards the bath. As soon as he settles you down onto the tub, he turns the faucet on and leaves you there for a moment, telling you that he was just going to grab something from his luggage.
You rest your head against the edge of the tub as you wait for Seokjin. You slowly feel exhaustion taking over you, but when you hear Seokjinâs muted footsteps against the carpeted floor, your eyes pry open only to see Seokjin in his boxers, holding a bath bomb in his palm. You gulp. This was going to be one hell of a night.
Just like before, Seokjin has you cumming thrice in the bath, once when he took you from underneath, making sure that the water fell perfectly on your clit for added stimulation as he slid his length in and out of you. Heâd made you cum when you rode him as well, water sloshing everywhere at your naughty shenanigans in the bath. Even after two orgasms, Seokjin just wonât quit, having bent you over as you faced the wall, pounding you from behind.
Seokjin, with his libido seemingly running 24/7 tells you he wasnât done with you just yet, saying heâs still got three years worth more of fucking to give you. He wanted to give you the most unforgettable sex of your life, and boy, was he adamant about it.
Seemingly not having had enough of you yet after helping you scrub almost the whole expanse of your skin, he finds himself getting hard again at the sight of you in just his shirt and nothing else. Â You meant to sleep by that time, but as soon as Seokjin spooned you, youâd felt his clothed erection already grinding against your ass. You no longer kept count of how many times he made you cum.
The sunlight peeks through a tiny slit through the curtains, the heat perfectly hitting your face, causing you to wake up. Your body is sore all over, and as you roll to the other side while stretching out your limbs, you spot next to you empty.
Of course. Youâre a fucking dumbass.
Hastily grabbing your clothes strewn across the floor, you head out of his room, tears already brimming in your eyes. Your vision is getting blurry by the second, and you angrily swipe at your cheeks as you feel a singular tear roll down. As you curse Seokjin under your breath, you bump into none other than the devil himself. âOh! Youâre awake?â
You donât answer, stepping aside so you could go back to your room and rethink your life decisions.
âWhere are you going, _______?â
âOut of your room, and hopefully out of your life as well.â
âWait - ______! What are you talking about?â Seokjin extends his hand to grab your arm.
âDonât fucking touch me, Seokjin.â The venom laced with your words makes him reel, retracting the arm he had held out to reach you. âI really never meant anything to you, hm? Fuck, I have probably reached desperation to return back into your arms that easily.â
âDesperation? Thatâs all it was last night? And the one three years ago?â
âI should be the one asking you that question!â
âWhat?â
âWhat do you mean âwhatâ? Are you really that fucking dense, Seokjin? You were the one who left me alone in the room that morning, and now youâve done it again. Congratulations on having a new notch on your belt. And Iâm a fucking fool for even thinking you felt otherwise!â
âYou think I left you that morning?â
âIâm not done yetâwhat did you say?â
âYou were the one who left that morning!â
âI did not! When I woke up, you werenât there, nor were you anywhere inside your entire apartment! Do you know how embarrassing that was!â You pause, lips trembling, âF-For someone who actually meant something to you only seeing you as just some one-night stand?! Someone who you could use to get your dick wet?!â
âYou like m-â
âYouâre missing the entire point here, Kim Seokjin!â
âWhatâs happening here?â A raspy voice asks, the familiar mop of curly hair coming into view. Rafa?
âOh my god! You like me, fuck! I could just kiss you right now!â Seokjin doesnât even hesistate, already leaning towards your face and connecting your lips. You almost melt into his arms at the sensation, but you pull away just as instantly, tears freely rolling down. âAm I really just a joke to you, Jin? Have you ever even taken into consideration my feelings, even once?â
â______, darling. This is all a misunderstanding. Well, I did leave that morning, but I just went out to Rafa next door to shower. Iâyou looked so peaceful as you slept that I really didnât want to bother waking you up to tell you that I canât shower with cold water and itâs like dĂŠjĂ vu all of a sudden andâŚwait!â Seokjin drags poor Rafael whoâs still looks like heâs half-asleep. âRafa can verify the truth!â
Rafael sighs, once again caught in the middle of something he no longer wants to be a part of. âItâs true, ______. This guyâs pretty much in love with you. Itâs just an unfortunate fact that this same guy has plenty of annoying habits that gets him in trouble most times. Just like not being able handle water that is below 26 degrees Celsius.â
Youâre looking back and forth Seokjin and Rafa, trying to study their features if theyâre being questionable or not. Finding no trace of mirth in their eyes, you turn to Seokjin. âYou really didnât leave me that morning and⌠today?â
âNo. I could never. Iâm a fucking dumbass for not thinking about what you couldâve felt that time and todayâŚor telling you that I was just heading out to Rafaâs to shower because for some reason my heater isnât always functioningâŚâÂ
âGlad to know youâve finally acknowledged that youâre a bloody idiot.â Rafa speaks up, narrowing his eyes at Seokjin, taking a sip from his mug. Since when was that in his hands? Rafa sees you stare at his mug, and answers your silent question, âWas planning to drink this while it was hot earlier but I donât see anything wrong with drinking cold coffee while watching a live action soap opera.â
âFunny how a night of fucking like wild rabbits can do so much to people,â Rafa adds, scoffing as he retreats back to his room. You lean your head towards Seokjinâs chest, embarrassed out of your wits. Seokjin puts an arm around your shoulder pulling you closer to him. âDonât mind Rafa. Heâs just jealous.â
âI can perfectly hear you, Kim Seokjin!â
Š hhyungz 2020. All rights reserved.
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