#possibly will be finishing up another set with Johnny storm

[starryevermore]

showmance: and...action! (1) ✧ a chris evans anthology

showmance ✧ a chris evans anthology | ao3

pairing: chris evans x actress!reader

summary: even before your relationship with chris is known to the public, it’s under constant scrutiny. 

word count: 1,695

warnings?: this is mostly an introduction to the universe this exists in so it’s just a lot of explaining whoops, it’s not that great, not proofread

note: this is more of an anthology than a series, meaning there is not really an overarching plot. all of the one shots exist in the same universe, but can be read in any particular order. there is no update schedule to this; new parts come whenever they come.

You’d known Chris for almost as long as you’d been in the industry. You started out with on a much smaller scale than you are now. Commercials and local plays evolved into being an extra in TV shows evolved into a few period pieces and rom-coms evolved into finally landing your big break as Sue Storm in The Fantastic Four. There, you met Chris Evans, who played your brother, Johnny Storm. The two of you got on well enough. He was kind and charming, but the two of you fell out of touch as you moved onto different projects. 

Then, you landed yet another superhero role. You’d been cast in Captain America: The First Avenger, as a character who worked with Dr. Erskine to create the super soldier serum and later worked with Howard Stark to research the Cube. Your character’s fate had been left unknown near the end of the movie, with Howard Stark only mentioning that no one had heard from you since Steve crashed the plane into the ice. But, as was going to be revealed in The Winter Soldier, which you were currently filming, your character had been kidnapped, injected with a version of the serum, tortured, and brainwashed in a manner similar to Bucky. 

It was filming the first movie, though, that your friendship with Chris really took off. You both were anxious about being in another superhero film, this one being a much larger commitment compared to The Fantastic Four. You talked a lot about these nerves, finding ways to hype the other up wherever possible. When it eventually came time for the press tour, you two were practically joined at the hip and, when you were paired together in press junkets, you spent more time goofing off than actually answering questions. 

Your friendship continued after that. Granted, you couldn’t see each other much anymore. You both had your own busy schedules, but you always made time for each other. Long phone calls, frequent texting, checking in on each other. It was sweet. By the time filming for Captain America: The Winter Soldier rolled around, you were closer with Chris than perhaps you’d been with anyone in your life before. 

Which, you supposed, was why you weren’t surprised when, after drinks with the cast and crew one weekend, Chris walked you back to your hotel room before leaning in, his soft lips meeting yours. He didn’t go back to his own room that night. A romance began to bloom, Chris soon asking if you would be his girlfriend. You were more than happy to agree, and you both set your ground rules. You were private people, and you wanted to keep this away from the press for as long as possible. Once things got out there, it was impossible to real it back in. And, as your relationship developed, you eventually allowed your coworkers to know. 

Except, they weren’t all as excited as you thought they might have been.

“So...you and Chris,” Sebastian said one morning, looking over as Claire put the finishing touches on your hair. 

You looked at him from the corner of your eye. “What about me and Chris?”

“Are you two actually together, or...”

You rolled your eyes. “Are you seriously trying to ask if Chris and I are just doing a PR relationship?”

“Well, you guys have the same agency representing you—”

You held a hand up, cutting him off. “Trust me, this isn’t for PR. Do you really think we would’ve gone to the lengths we have if we were just trying to promo the movie?”

Sebastian shrugged. “Guess not. But, people have done stranger things for PR.”

“This is a fucking Marvel movie, Seb. We don’t really need cheap PR tricks to get people to the theatre. People will watch just about anything Marvel slaps its name on.” You watched Claire in the mirror as she began spraying hairspray over your hair. “Shit, I mean, Marvel could probably make bank in a few years over the What If comics if they wanted to. They got all the source material in the world to bleed this genre dry.”

“Alright, alright, you made your point,” Sebastian said, putting his hands up in the air in defeat. “But, you’re gonna get a lot worse questions than mine. You know that, right?”

“Baby, I’m a woman in the entertainment industry. I know worse a helluva lot better than you.”

“I didn’t mean—”

“It’s whatever. Listen, I get how it looks to you guys. I know it’s a new relationship, and we’re coworkers, and it just looks a certain way, but Chris and I genuinely care for each other. This isn’t fake. Not to us.”

Claire finished your hair, and you hopped out of your chair, bidding them both goodbye as you went to wardrobe. You had hoped that Sebastian’s conversation with you had been a fluke, but it seemed that luck was not in your favor. Nearly everyone you spoke to as you were getting ready had something or other to say about you and Chris. And it was getting on your goddamn nerves. 

By the time you finally got back to your hotel room, sinking into the mattress as you tried to decide what you were going to order from room service, you were almost convinced that it would’ve been better if no one knew. 

But those kind of thoughts melted away when you heard a knock at the door. 

You got up, opening the door, revealing a sleepy Chris Evans with a bag of takeout from your favorite restaurant. “Hey baby,” you said, leaning up to kiss him.

“Hey, I got your favorite,” he said, pulling away and raising up the bag to show you. “Heard you had a rough day.”

“Yeah, the stunts were fucking brutal today,” you said, letting him in. 

He set the bag down on the desk by the TV, opening it up and setting out the containers of food. You came up next to him, helping him out by opening the little plastic wrap that had the plastic cutlery in them. “You know that’s not what I meant,” he said, handing you your food while you handed him a plastic fork and knife. 

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” you dismissed, returning to your stop on the bed, sitting with your legs crossed so that you could balance the container on your lap.

“You know, for an actress, you’re a shit liar.”

“Oh, like you’re one to talk! I swear, you’ve got practically every tell there could possibly be.” You paused, looking over at him as he sat next to you. “I’m just sick of the judgment. Every time someone says something, I just think, if our friends are saying this, what would the world think? And it just makes me wanna ensure no one else ever finds out. Like it would just be easier if we had to put on the performance of a lifetime, act like we didn’t care for each other the way we do, if it meant that people would keep their mouths shut for a little while longer.”

Chris nodded slowly, poking at his food. “No, no, I understand. Scarlett asked me if this is a PR relationship this morning, and I just wanted to jump in a time machine to stop us from ever telling them.”

“Seb asked me the same thing,” you said. “Literally it takes everything in me to not just yell and scream and tell them that, even if it was, why does it matter so much, you know?”

“Yeah, I get it,” he said, shuffling closer to you so that he could press a kiss to your forehead. “But, just think of it this way, filming’s nearly done, then we just have to deal with everyone through the press tour and premieres and all that bullshit, then we don’t have to listen to them anymore.”

“But then it’ll be even harder to keep this private,” you pouted. “People don’t question it now because we’re filming. We’re bound to be around each other. But, once this ends, people will have more to say if they see us out at dinner or on a walk or something.” You leaned your head against his shoulder. “I don’t wanna think about that, though. I just wanna enjoy you while I still got you all to myself.”

“I was gonna say the same thing,” he smiled. “So, what cringe reality show do you wanna watch until we can’t take it anymore?”

You laughed quietly, shaking your head. “God, no more reality TV. Let’s see if there’s, like, a rerun of Friends or Parks and Rec or something.”

“What? You mean you don’t want to see whatever bullshit the Kardashians are doing?” Chris fake gasped. “Sorry, but I don’t think I can be with you if you don’t wanna watch Kim cry about losing an earring in the ocean.”

“You’re such a fucking meatball! Gimme the remote, I’ll find us something—”

“Nah, you got work for it. ”He held the remote out to the side and over his head, grinning as you struggled to reach it. You narrowed your eyes at him, before grabbing his container of food, as wells as yours, and setting them on the nightstand. Then, before he could question it, you climbed into his lap, surprising him just enough that you were able to wrench the remote from his grasp. “Well, shit,” he said, his hands resting on your hips, holding you in place, “I don’t think I wanna watch TV anymore.”

“Oh, fuck you.”

“Trust me, I’m trying.”

“We can fuck after we eat, kay? I’m starving.”

“Oh, I can feed you—”

“Don’t you dare finish that sentence!” you laughed. “We’ll find something to watch, eat, and then you can seduce me however the hell you want.”

“That a promise?”

“Damn right it is.”

And, as you sat together, eating and watching Friends, you decided that you didn’t care whatever bullshit your castmates thought about the two of you. When you by yourself, just enjoying each other’s company, there was no other place you’d rather be. 

#showmance: a chris evans anthology #chris evans x actress!reader #chris evans x reader #chris evans x you #chris evans x female reader #chris evans x fem!reader #chris evans x y/n #chris evans fanfic #chris evans fan fic #chris evans fanfiction #chris evans fan fiction #starrywrites #starryevermore

[luckysevenwrites]

I want a Tattoo

Y/n has a thing for tattoos and when they show up to watch the Punch photoshoot they are having a hard time with how good everyone looks. Causing Doyoung’s jealous side to appear.

Part of the long term couples series 

When Doyoung invited you to come watch their photoshoot you weren’t sure what to expect. You knew that they were all going to look gorgeous, they were good looking when they weren’t all done up, but there was no way that you could have possibly prepared yourself for what you were walking into. Following one of their managers you looked around the set taking everything in. You didn’t realize just how much went into a photo shoot. There were props everywhere. Staff running around to get everything prepared.

             “You can wait here they are just finishing up their makeup and they’ll be right out,” the manager tells you pointing to an area of couches and chairs that are set up. You take a seat on the couch and give the manager a nod of understanding. You continue to look around when you hear your name being called out.

             Looking towards the voice that called your name your mouth drops open. Doyoung is making his way towards you dressed in all black. He has on a leather jacket and underneath it is an assortment of chains and straps.  Doyoung smiles as he approaches you and leans in to peck you on the cheek. When he pulls away a smirk appears on his face as you continue to stare at him with your mouth hanging open.

             “Are you trying to catch flies?” He questions, closing your mouth you glare up at him.

             “I don’t like you anymore. How could you invite me here knowing that you were going to look like that!” Waving your arm up and down at him. He should have warned you as your boyfriend it was his job to warn you of any possibly harm that you come your way.

             Rolling his eyes Doyoung takes a seat next to you and pulls you into his side. You try to squirm away. Shoving at his side and lightly kicking him. Doyoung doesn’t let you go and just pulls you in closer to him.

“Seriously Doyoung you should have warned me that you were going to look like this,” you complain giving up on escaping him and letting him pull you in close to his side. You already thought he was hot but seeing him dressed in all black with that leather jacket and chains and belts you weren’t sure if you were going to make it out of this photoshoot alive.

“I think you’re a little dramatic here. This isn’t the first time that you’ve seen me done up for a photoshoot.”

“This is different. I’ve only ever seen you in photo’s not in person. It’s completely different,” you argue. How could he not know the effect that he would have on you.

“Can’t you just say that I look good!” Doyoung protest giving your waist a squeeze. Rolling your eyes at him you soften towards him. If it was anyone else demanding a compliment you wouldn’t give it. But since it was Doyoung you knew that he wasn’t asking for it to be vain. He was asking because he needed the assurance from you that he looked good.

He had been nervous when he invited you to the photoshoot and you were sure that he was still nervous. Doyoung liked to act like things didn’t bother him and that he didn’t care what others thought but you knew differently. You knew that he cared and that he genuinely cared about what you thought of him.

“You look amazing. In fact, you look so good I’m worried I’m going to have to fight off hordes of people wanting to get at you,” leaning into you Doyoung is about to kiss you when another body comes slamming into yours.

“Y/n!” Yuta sings as the two of you fall back onto the couch, Yuta wrapping his arms around you. You hear Doyoung huffing in protest but ignore him for the time being. Instead, you focus your attention on Yuta who is smiling down at you.

“Yuta! You look hot!” The exclamation falls out of your mouth as you take in his bleach blonde hair, tattoos, and black outfit. Doyoung’s ‘hey’ can be heard and the two of you roll your eyes before you sit up.

“Doyoung of course you are the hottest.” You tell him leaning over Yuta to kiss the tip of his nose. Causing Yuta to gag at the display of affection.

“Shut up I’ve seen you being sweet with your girlfriend thousands of times.” You scold Yuta while giving him a small shove. Jaehyun and Johnny arrive next, and your eyes widen at the sight of them causing Doyoung to slump back into the couch, arms crossed over his chest, and a glare firmly in place.

“Hi Y/n glad you could join us.” Johnny smiles at you as you take in him and Jaehyun. Jaehyun has a small smile that graces his face that only widens when he sees the murderous expression that sits on Doyoung’s face.

“I’m just going to say this now whoever came up with this concept is a saint and deserves a raise,” you look around at all the men unable to handle all the black, leather, chains, and tattoos. You always had a thing for men with tattoo’s and seeing all of them done up like this was really making it hard for you to focus. Thankfully Doyoung didn’t have any tattoos on him, or you don’t think you would be breathing.

Johnny and Yuta laugh causing Doyoung to scowl more. Yuta bumps into Doyoung and you smile over at him, “I still like you the best.”

“Y/n don’t lie to Doyoung we saw you checking out our tattoos,” Jaehyun teases and you feel a blush spread across your face.

“Y/n!” Doyoung shouts as you throw up your hands in exasperation.

“What I’m sorry okay! You know that I have a thing for tattoos. The artist who did their tattoos did an amazing job and they look good. You can’t be mad at me for appreciating art. If you had tattoos on you as well, I would be drooling over you more than I already am. So, thank god you don’t have any on you.” You babble as everyone around you but Doyoung smirks.

“So, you’re drooling over them more than me because they have tattoos.” The men around you snicker, and you shoot them all a glare.

“No! I just like them, but I like your look the most okay.” You get up from your spot on the couch to move onto Doyoung’s lap wrapping your arms around him. Doyoung’s arms settle around your waist. “You will always be the hottest person in the room to me.”

“Y/n you’re here!” Taeyong smiles as he walks towards your group, and you try to keep your face neutral you really do but seeing Taeyong with an arm tattoo and that leather vest it’s hard not to react to how good he looks.

“That’s it,” Doyoung stands making you fall off his lap and almost onto the floor if it wasn’t for Yuta catching you, “I want a tattoo.”

You all watch as Doyoung storms off back towards the make up artist. The group of men laugh and shake their heads as you fidget beside Yuta. You didn’t want Doyoung to think that you found his members more attractive than him. Because you didn’t you just really liked the tattoos that were drawn onto them, and you couldn’t help but stare. Like you had told Doyoung if he had any on him you wouldn’t be able to look away from him.

“Don’t worry Y/n he’s fine. You know how Doyoung is he can be touchy and sometimes he let’s his emotions get the better of him,” Yuta assures you. You nod and watch as Doyoung makes his way back towards your group. Everyone disappears as Doyoung nears you and you don’t know if you should thank them or be mad at them for abandoning you.

“Are you getting a tattoo put on you?”

“No,” Doyoung snaps as he looks down at you. Taking a deep breath, you stand so you are level with Doyoung and reach out for his hand. He doesn’t pull away from you and you take that as a good sign.

“Doyoung, I know we haven’t been together long and that we are still figuring each other out but you need to know that just because I like your members look for this photoshoot doesn’t mean that I like them more than you.”

Doyoung hangs his head, and you notice a slight blush that spreads across his cheeks, “I know I just got jealous and not because I think you like them more than me but because you liked their tattoos, and I don’t have any and I guess I just didn’t like them getting any of your attention.”

Stepping into Doyoung’s face you tilt his chin up towards your face so he’s looking into your eyes. You give him a reassuring smile before you give him a gentle kiss on the lips.

“We’ll work on it and if we’re going to be honest with each other I’m glad that you don’t have any tattoos on you. I don’t think I would be able to keep my hands off of you.” Doyoung smiles at that and the two of you relax into one another.

“Now I really want to get a tattoo,” You laugh dropping your head against Doyoung’s chest. He laughs with you, pulling you closer into him.

#nct 127 imagines #nct 127 reactions #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 fluff #nct 127 oneshots #nct 127 drabbles #nct 127 fanfic #doyoung x reader #doyoung x you #doyoung x y/n #doyoung imagines #doyoung reaction #doyoung scenarios #doyoung fluff #doyoung oneshot #doyoung fanfic

[et-lesailes]

always hungry

pairing: dad!johnny storm x reader

word count: 2399

summary: despite having a baby boy together, you and johnny don’t have the most conventional relationship.

themes: family life, fluff, romance, smut, lactation kink

taglist: @evanstush, @tanyam93, @bval-1, @wonderwinchester, @patzammit, @rohaintahquil, @deidrashouseofpain, @sammyslonglostshoe, @jadedhillon, @bohemian-barbie, @whysparker, @sebastian-i-stan, @sebabestianstan101, @lille-kattunge, @teller258316, @peach-acid, @allsortsofinterests, @xoxabs88xox, @heyiamthatbitch, @cptn-sgrogers, @heyyouwiththeassbutt, @bangtan-serendipity, @troublermalik, @beardburnsupersoldiers, @hannie-stark, @bookish-shristi, @kind-sober-fullydressed, @whores4thor, @gingerninjaprincess16, @straightforwardly,  @denisemarieangelina,  @frencchfries, @xlanawriter, @littlemoistcarrot, @pottxrwolff, @arianatheangelworld, @ifuseekamyevans, @southerngracela​, @nsfwsebbie​, @rororo06​, @savemesteeb, @raveviolet, @inactivewhore

notes: sorry for the delay guys! hope you all enjoy :) graphic creds go to @thewritingdoll​ !

“So you guys are still… just friends.” Your best friend Madison looks at you with an arched brow, and you laugh as you take a sip of your drink. “Yup.” You affirm, and you see her exchange glances with your other friend, Leah. “Just friends… who have a baby together.” Madison states, the corner of her lips barely tugging upwards with amusement. You laugh again, making a face. “Can you stop? It just… it works for us, okay? Isn’t this better than him having left altogether and making me be a single mom? Besides, it’s more of an… open relationship kind of deal. I mean, he’s pretty sweet and lovey-dovey with me, you know? And we still sleep together. With protection.” You quickly add seeing the looks on your friends’ faces, though you can understand why they’re so skeptical and wary.

You and Johnny have never had a conventional relationship. You went from best friends to friends with benefits to admitting you had feelings for each other but also acknowledging neither of you were ready for a committed relationship. You had always been a bit too independent for your own good, and Johnny, well… he was Johnny. He was girl crazy, and he was too scared to be exclusive with only one- and you were absolutely fine with that.

And then he accidentally knocked you up. Finding out you were pregnant changed your entire life overnight. You had always wanted to be a mom, but you had never imagined it would happen like this. There was a lot of anxiety, tears, and heart-to-hearts with your best friends before you finally brought yourself to tell Johnny what had happened. At first, he was simply shocked. He told you he needed time to process, and you didn’t hear from him for about two weeks. It had been an awful time considering you were still stressing out about what to do with the pregnancy- when you assumed Johnny would simply never talk to you again, he suddenly came to your front door, telling you he was ready. He valued your friendship above anything else, and he was willing to take a part in the baby’s life if you were.

Now here you are, over a year later, proud mom to your baby boy Blaise Franklin Storm. Going through the pregnancy with Johnny by your side had its ups and downs, but it was actually quite shocking how supportive he was considering what an arrogant and sometimes juvenile playboy he could be. Now, the two of you practically act like a couple as it is, but it’s still not exclusive. Johnny’s free to do what he wants and you are as well, as long as both of you keep Blaise as priority- which isn’t difficult, considering the two of you are practically in love with him.

“An open relationship? Has he even slept with anyone recently?” Leah questions in amusement, crossing her arms. “Everytime you Snapchat or call us, Johnny’s there in the background. He’s practically attached to your hip, I’m surprised he’s not here right now.” You laugh softly, raising a brow. “Because he’s at home taking care of our son. You know, just a slightly important responsibility.” Madison scoffs, shaking her head to herself. “Are you really this blind, Y/N? This is Johnny we’re talking about. He wouldn’t have even known how to take care of a pet rock before Blaise came along, nor would he have even wanted to have one with a girl. Now he’s like, Dad of the Year. He obviously has feelings for you.” Leah immediately nods in agreement. “There’s no way he’d do something like this for just any friend of his. I see the way he looks at Blaise, and you, for that matter. He’s just lying to himself about his feelings.”

You want to brush off their ridiculous theories, but now that you think of it, he really hasn’t slept with another girl recently. Sure, he goes out partying and clubbing every now and then, but for the most part, he always comes back home to you after. Still, you shake your head as you finish your drink. “It’s fine, guys, really. I like the way our relationship is now. There’s no pressure, we’re good to each other, and we have the cutest baby in the world. Besides, both of us do better with the whole “no-strings-attached” thing, you know?” you said with a shrug, “So I want to keep it that way.”

“Um, I’m pretty sure your son is a pretty damn big string,” Madison replies, and you laugh, nudging her elbow. “You know what I meant! I mean the non-exclusive thing. Look, having a boyfriend isn’t my priority right now, and having a girlfriend isn’t his. We’re just… living. Raising a baby, having sex, you know… just… friend things.” You keep your face as straight as possible while your friends give you a look, before the three of you start cracking up. “Okay, okay, I know it’s weird.” You admit, “But I swear, it works. Just let it happen, alright?”

“Whatever you say, Y/N. As long as we get to be bridesmaids at the wedding,” Leah says with a playful smirk, and you roll your eyes. “Yeah, yeah.” You glance at the time on your phone, clucking your tongue. “Anyways, I should probably get going. Last time I came back home from dinner and drinks with you guys, I walked in on Johnny playing peekaboo with Blaise using my underwear.” Your friends laugh as you stand up and gather your things. “Bring Blaise out next time! I want to squish his chubby little cheeks!” Leah calls as you leave, and you giggle as you nod, calling back, “Will do! See ya later!”

_

You come home to find your toddler adorned in a complete outfit of bubble wrap and a slightly oversized helmet, sitting in the yard giggling obliviously as Johnny is constructing an entire obstacle course consisting of cardboard boxes, toddler slides, and pipes. “Johnny!” you immediately exclaim, rushing over and scooping up Blaise. “What the hell are you doing?!” Johnny blinks and frowns, standing up and coming over. “Aw c’mon babe, me and B-Man are just having a little fun. He’s gonna love it, and look, I even put him in a protective outfit and everything. He’s fiiiine!” 

Blaise looks up at you with a giggle as if in agreement and you sigh, though you can’t help but smile- he just looks so damn adorable with the helmet almost covering his eyes, his ridiculous bubble wrap outfit taking up an unnecessarily large space in your arms. “Johnny. He’s six months old. Can you please stick to normal games like peekaboo or something?” Despite your scolding words and look of exasperation, there’s still a fondness in your eyes as you glance at your partner. You know he’d never actually let Blaise come in harm’s way; you trust him entirely. Johnny grins as he wraps his arms around you from behind, kissing at your cheek all over. “Our kiddo deserves to have way more fun than that. He’s a daredevil just like his handsome daddy, I already know it.” He playfully thumps Blaise’s helmet lightly. “Isn’t that right my little mini-me?” You watch as Blaise squeals in hysterical laughter, flouncing around in your arms. You already know Johnny’s right- Blaise is proving to be a carbon cop of him more and more each day, and you’re only slightly terrified of that. 

“Okay. Anyways, I’m going to take my son inside and change him into normal clothes.” You reply, and Johnny scoffs playfully as he swats your ass on your way in. “Have it your way. You’re only going to make him grow up into a scaredy-cat.” You laugh in amusement as he follows you inside, arching an eyebrow. “I’m not sure if the two correlate, but okay.” 

After changing Blaise into a comfy sleep onesie, it’s feeding time before he most likely drifts off to sleep. Johnny stands at the doorway, watching you as you settle yourself in the rocking chair of the nursery, cradling Blaise and pulling down your shirt and bra allowing your little baby to latch onto your nipple and start feeding. His father can’t help but come closer, gazing down at his little boy with fond eyes as he reaches down to stroke his wisps of light brown hair. “Look at that babe. Gonna be as handsome as his damn father, that’s for sure.” He marvels, and you chuckle softly, your eyes filled with love as you stare at his chubby face. “Hopefully he doesn’t break as many hearts as his father does,” you murmur, and Johnny smirks as he leans down and kisses your cheek. “Never gonna break yours though, sweetheart, and that’s all that matters right?”

 It isn’t long before little Blaise is fast asleep, milk dribbling down his chin. You chuckle as you wipe it off carefully with a burp cloth, about to stand up, but Johnny extends his arms. “Let me, babe.” He gently takes the sleeping child from you and goes over to the crib, setting him down lightly. You smile to yourself remembering how long it had taken for him to get the hang of that-- Johnny Storm was generally anything but gentle. “Thanks,” you whisper as you get up and adjust your shirt, sighing softly in content as you peer over the crib. “Goodnight, sweet boy. Mommy loves you so much.”

“Daddy loves you even more. That’s why he’s going to make you the coolest baby on the block.” Johnny whispers right after, and you giggle softly as you smack his arm. “Okay, okay, c’mon. Let’s go to bed, I’m exhausted.” He scoffs as he walks alongside you, shaking his head. “Oh, no. You can’t be exhausted, because you’re forgetting something.” You blink, stepping into the bedroom and glancing up at him. “What? Did I leave something out in the kitchen?” You’re about to leave to go check but he rolls his eyes and grabs your arm. “No, no-- get back in here, woman.” He pulls you to him only to scoop you up, walking over to the bed and playfully throwing you onto it. “You forgot to feed your other man.”  His smirk is wide as he looks down at you, crawling over you as he nibbles on his lip. “And he’s really hungry right now, baby girl…”

You scoff in amusement though can’t deny you’re already feeling turned on, reaching up to run your fingers through his buzzed hair. “He’s always hungry.” You mutter in response, yet allow him to push your top and bra up. “The little guy better have saved some for me.” You exhale shakily as he leans in, tongue running over your already leaking nipple. His lips slowly wrap around it, sucking with a devilish gaze in his eyes as he peers up at you. “Mm… you are… so tasty baby girl,” he mumbles, greedy tongue swirling around your sensitive bud as he keeps lapping up your milk. You can’t help but moan, tilting your head back and letting out a sigh of content. When your breasts are practically full and sore, Johnny always helps you feel better and lighter- even if he has a tendency to get rough at times. 

Still, he helps you feel more confident about yourself- in the beginning, you had always been a little embarrassed about leaking and slightly shy of breastfeeding. The first time he had suggested tasting your milk, you thought the idea ridiculous and humiliating, but when you felt so heavy you could barely move one night, he convinced you. Ever since then, you couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling. You swear Johnny has a way of making anything feel good.

His large hand moves up, forefinger and thumb lightly pinching your other nipple and moving his mouth to catch the milk that sprays forth. “Mm… mmm…” he’s practically groaning to himself as he continues drinking, his other hand moving to rub your waist sensually enjoying the sounds of your whines and moans. “Johnny… o-oh…” 

When he’s finally had his fill, he pulls back and runs his tongue over his lips, giving you a mischievous grin as he smacks them loudly. “Have I mentioned that you’re the sexiest baby mama in the entire damn universe?” he murmurs, kissing and pecking at your breasts lovingly before fixing your bra and top again. You look down at him with a breathless smile, moving to playfully pull him down to lie beside you and cuddling close. “Can I talk to you about something?” you suddenly ask softly, remembering your conversation with Madison and Leah earlier in the evening. He looks down at you curiously, nodding as he gently plays with your hair. “Yeah, of course babe. What’s up?”

“Have you, uh, been seeing other girls lately?” you ask curiously, absentmindedly running your fingers over his chest. “It’s fine if you are, of course, I was just wondering…” He scoffs, relaxing one arm behind his head and using the other to hold you close. “Uh, yeah, obviously. Don’t you know who I am? Of course I’m seeing other girls, they’re all over me. Duh.” He scoffs a little too loudly and you blink before looking up at him with a lifted brow. He looks back down at you before finally clearing his throat sheepishly. “Okay, ah… maybe not so much these days. I mean, I dance with ‘em at clubs and stuff, you know, but…” he pauses and shrugs, eyes locking onto yours. “Guess I don’t really need to see girls anymore.” 

“Isn’t that… what you wanted?” you ask slightly confused, and he sighs as he pulls you into a hug, resting his head on top of yours. “That’s what I thought. And ya know, I still really do like going out and partying and doing my own thing- but I don’t want to be going off with some girl for the rest of the night, or having to keep in contact with her everyday. I just want to go home to you, and our son. That’s what I want at the end of the night more than anything else.”

You slowly smile, feeling almost euphoric. You tilt your head up and gently hold his face, kissing him softly. “Well that’s what you can have, babe. We’re all yours.”

#johnny storm x reader #johnny storm smut #johnny storm imagine #johnny storm fanfic #johnny storm fluff

[seokjinsdisciple]

You’re On, Doll

requested!

You and Jaehyun are CEO’s of rival companies, hating each other for as long as you can remember. Will you be able to find common ground after an important file goes missing, or will the two of you never quite see eye to eye?

enemies to lovers! jaehyun x reader

warnings: degradation, oral fem recieving, they have sex in an office so, one thigh slap (i really held myself back ok), finger sucking, i think thats it?

word count: 2.6k 

There was truly only one person on this planet that you hated with your whole being. It’s not like you made it a habit to argue with your other business competitors, but something about the way Jung Jaehyun carried himself left a bitter taste in your mouth.

So, you tried to ignore all possible encounters with him, something that was much harder when all of your friends were the same. That was one of the downsides of running a successful programming company, your world was small. 

The situation you were currently in didn’t surprise you at all, your mind drifting from the girl beside you who hadn’t stopped trying to sell herself to your company, towards where Jaehyun sat. A smirk formed on his lips at your obvious disgust. This is one of the games he played, bring someone who either loved or hated your company and let them run wild during what was supposed to be a relaxing party. 

“I don’t currently have any open positions,” you said to the girl, never breaking your gaze from Jaehyun’s. He wanted you to crack first and be the one to approach him, but you weren’t that weak, “please excuse me while I grab a drink.”

You made your way over to the drink table, smiling and chatting with a few people who lingered near it. You knew exactly who was approaching as their smiles dropped and weary glances came your way. You finished your drink, grabbing another before rolling your eyes and turning around.

“What do you want?” You asked, taking in the appearance of the man stood before you. It was no secret that Jaehyun was attractive, he always had been, but tonight it seemed to be worse. His suit was embroidered in gold, as if he were some sort of Mafia boss. The smirk that painted his face was only amplified by the way his hair was pushed back. His hands were stuffed casually in his pockets and if you hadn’t been so focused on what he looked like, you might’ve heard him respond, and then repeat himself, and then laugh. 

“Am I that distracting?” He smiled as his hand wrapped around your wrist, tightly enough to spark a feeling of lust in your belly but not enough to hurt. Jaehyun knew you had a thing for his hands wrapped around your various body parts. He let out another laugh at your gaze, pulling you through the ballroom and into the hall. 

“You aren’t distracting, you just look like you’re trying too hard,” you snapped, following behind him into a smaller living room. 

“Is that why you were fucking me with your eyes?”

“I was not,” you hissed, a moan slipping from your lips as he attached his lips to your neck, hands drifting across your waist and across your open back, “Jae, I told you that we aren’t doing this anymore.”

He let out a little sigh, his forehead resting against your collarbone. 

“You’re right, I know,” he muttered, hands still on your hips as he took a step away, “I’m sorry.”

You grabbed his hand lightly, leading him to sit on the couch next to you, “What's with the girl?”

“What girl?” Jaehyun asked, confusion crossing his face for only a minute before realization dawned on him, “Ah, she’s one of my interns, and I caught her looking up open positions in your company.”

“So you thought you would torture me as a punishment?” You asked, finishing your martini before resting your head against the back of the couch. 

“What can I say, I hate disloyal employees,” he shrugged, finishing off his own whiskey before copying your position and turning his head to look at you, “Plus it was a win-win situation, I get to annoy the hell out of you and my mother doesn’t badger me to bring a date.”

“I don’t understand why people find you so charming,” you rolled your eyes, glancing at him, “and I really don’t understand how so many women end up in your bed.”

At this Jaehyun laughed, “Don’t forget you’ve been in my bed,” he smirked.

“Shut up,” you slapped his arm lightly, “That was a lapse of judgment.”

“It was several lapses of judgment,” he smirked, “Unless you aren’t counting the times we weren’t in bed.”

“I’m only counting the times that you made me cum. So yes, it was a lapse of judgment,” you said, emphasizing the endings of the words. You were working him up now, and you knew it. You felt him before you even had a chance to process your assumed victory. His hand was on your thigh, his grip light, and barely-there as he spread your legs open. You held your breath, eyes fluttering closed as his finger ghosted over your core. His touch was gone in a second, a laugh in its stead as your eyes shot open. 

“We both know that that’s a lie, doll,” Jaehyun smirked at the way you slightly squirmed in your seat, “See ya around, YN.”

Jaehyun smirked as your jaw dropped, waving with a smile as he left you in that room, turned on and frustrated. As much as you hated to admit it, you and Jaehyun had been fucking around for years now, and you just recently cut it off. If you were being honest, you missed him, but you would never admit that to anyone, let alone him. You just groaned at your luck, standing up and hurrying out of the room and back into the ballroom to retrieve your things. 

You should have been suspicious then, the way he had led you out and distracted you. You didn’t notice though, at least not until a few days later that your file was missing and the only person who would want it had distracted you while his evil little minion had stolen the file from your purse. You were angry. Very angry. That file had a list of investors in it, and you’d be damned if Jung Jaehyun stole them from you. 

So here you were, strutting through the lobby of his office. You pushed past security officers, most of them knowing who you were and glancing quizzically at their partners. ITs not like this was the first time you had been to his company if anything you had been there several times for peace meetings and just overall business. So you knew where you were going. 

You made it to his office first, grunting in annoyance when it was empty. You strode around the corner, anger completely blinding you as you stormed into the middle of his conference room. Everyone stopped in their tracks, looking from Jaehyun to you. You nodded briefly at the CFO, your close friend Johnny, before speaking. 

“Get your ass in your office, right now,” you growled, storming out of the board room and back into his office, praying that he would follow you. You breathed out a sigh of relief as you heard the lock click. 

“What the hell is this all about?” Jaehyun asked, and you turned to look at him. Damn him. His hands were on his hips, his tie crooked and face flushed with anger. 

“I want my file back.”

“I don’t have your file,” he said easily, the only indicator of his lie the small movement of his index finger against his hip.

“Jaehyun, I don’t have time for this. You’re lying. I know you’re lying. We both know you’re lying so give me my goddamn investor file before I lose my shit.”

He glanced out of the windows of his office, and you followed his gaze. A small crowd had gathered. They pretended to not look as our eyes fell onto them. Jaehyun let out an almost inaudible curse as he made his way to the window and hastily closed the blinds. 

“You fucking ruin everything, you know that?” he asked, his voice much less angry than it had been before. 

“I ruin everything?” you asked incredulously, “I ruin everything? Jaehyun you’re the one who stole my file! Since when have you ever done business this way, I mean Jesus! You’re acting like a-”

“Just shut up, and listen to me,” He raised his voice slamming his hand against the window, making you jump a little where you stood. 

He turned to look at you then, his eyes glassy and cheeks redder than before, “I’m in love with you.”

You stood there for a moment, looking for his tell, looking for any sign that he was lying. You didn’t see anything, and suddenly your heart was beating at two times the speed, breath caught in your throat and nerves twisting your belly into knots. 

“I’ve been talking to your dad, about merging the companies and being co-CEOs. I knew you’d never give your company up and I don't want you to. But Jesus, I can’t go on any more dates that my mother sets up for me because I don't want to marry any of them. I want to marry you. And I know that’s insane, and I know you hate me. But its the truth. It’s the truth,” he finished, his breathing ragged and refusing to meet your eyes. 

“Jaehyun,” you paused, taking a deep breath, “I think I love you too.”

“You- you do?” he asked, eyes snapping to where you stood, your anger completely melted and your eyes just as teary as his, “Say it again. God, please say it again.”

“I love you,” you muttered, your grin growing, “I love you. I love you. I love you.”

He rushed towards you then, lips finding yours messily, the two of you grinning too much to actually care. The force of the kiss pushed you back against his desk, the two of you exploring each other's bodies with your hands as if this was the first time. You melted into him, his fingers finding the zipper of your dress and tugging at it. When it was unzipped he pulled it off, never once breaking the kiss. 

You tugged at his tie, bringing him as close to you as possible. You whined as he broke the kiss, arms leaving your body as he hastily cleared off a spot for you on his desk.

“Patience, princess,” he muttered as he kissed the side of your head, guiding you onto his desk, “Spread your legs for me, doll, let me take care of you.”

You wasted no time, complying easily to his command as he knelt before you. He was slow at first, kissing up the side of your leg as he gently eased your heels off of your feet. He paused his mouth as he reached the crux of your thigh and your core. 

“Baby, you’re sure?” he asked, pressing a light kiss to your thigh, eyes locked onto yours as you nodded. You hissed when a lap landed on your inner thigh, “Tsk, you know the rules doll. Or has it been that long that I need to train you again, you filthy whore? Been too busy fucking other people that you forget my rules?”

“No sir,” you muttered out, the hint of a smile teasing Jaehyun’s lips, “haven’t had anyone but you. Want you to touch me now, please,” you babbled, willing to do and say anything to get him to finally touch you. 

“My dirty girl hasn’t had anyone but me?” Jaehyun asked, an eyebrow raised and a shit-eating grin unable to be hidden on his face. You let out a needy whine, scooting your hips closer to his face,  “Is my princess needy? Does she want a reward for being such a little slut for my cock and my cock only?”

“Please, sir,” you nodded desperately, not wanting to beg but getting to the point where you didn’t care anymore. 

Jaehyun placed a soothing kiss to your core over your panties, hooking his finger underneath the hem as he spoke, “It’s ok, doll. Be nice and quiet for me, hm?”

You nodded again desperately, Jaehyun forgiving your lack of words just this once as he shimmied your underwear down. You tried your best to hold in your moans as he devoured you. The closer you came to your climax the harder it was to keep quiet. Having mercy on you, Jaehyun slid his hand up your body and pushed two fingers into your mouth. Letting you suck and drool on them as he continued to pleasure you. You were so so close, bucking and grinding your hips into his mouth as you came. You tried to be quiet, you really did. But if you were being honest, you couldn’t help the moan that left your body. Jaehyun’s tongue retreating but your body still shaking as you raked in deep breaths. He pulled you calmingly into his chest, whispering praises and pressing kisses to your hair as you calmed down. 

He tucked a piece of your hair behind your ear as he cupped your face, “Can you take more?” he asked, eyes searching yours for any sort of hesitation. 

“Please Jae, I can take more, I promise,” you whispered, hands finding his tie and loosening it as he kissed your forehead. He undid his belt buckle quickly, shuffling his pants and boxers off quickly. He slid himself inside you, bottoming out with a small groan. He rested his forehead against yours as he waited for you to let him move. A small moan leaving your mouth as you bucked your hips. 

He lost it then, all of his usual calm and cool composure was out the window as he thrusts into you. His pace was steady, but it was much faster than usual, something that had you biting your lip in order to ensure your moans were quieted. As he hit the sensitive spot deep within you, you let out a guttural moan, slapping a hand over your mouth as Jaehyun laughed. 

“I thought I told you to be quiet?” he smiled, his previous dominance out the window as he pulled you into him. His thrusts are still powerful, but his actions are more loving and intimate than they were before. He kissed you gently as he thrusted, his pace faltering as you clenched around him. 

“Jae-,” You whined, almost running away from him as his fingers found your sensitive and swollen clit, “I’m close.”

“Me too, love,” he whispered, rubbing more vigorously as you spasmed around him one more time. His lips met yours as your moans grew less discreet again, his mouth absorbing as much of them as he could. He was cumming swiftly after you, his fingers digging into your hips as he twitched inside you. 

“I love you,” you spoke, wrapping your arms around him tightly and resting your chin on his broad shoulder. 

“God, I love you too,” he whispered, pressing a gentle kiss as he eased himself out of you, “What do you say we skip the rest of our work today and spend the day in my bed, together?”

“That sounds like a dream,” you added, your limbs cooperating with his hands that were guiding you back into your clothes, “If you can make me squirt I’ll sign the merge papers.”

At this Jaehyun laughed, “Oh, you’re on, doll.”

You followed him out of his office, too happy to care about his employees' embarrassed faces and awkward stances. Jaehyun was finally yours, and you were finally his.

#jaehyun x reader #jaehyun smut #jaehyun angst #jaehyun fluff #jaehyun #nct 127 smut #nct 127 fluff #nct 127 angst #nct 127

[stevetonygames]

Spotlight Post: Canon Soulmate Bonds

Yooo, this is a blog takeover, Mizzy here, ready to champion one of my favourite fictional causes: canonical soulbonds in the Marvel universe.

We all love a good soulbond fic. Words on your body, names on your wrist, red string of fate...so many glorious versions, and all of them *completely awesome*. The problem sometimes with starting a soulbond fic, though, can be all the worldbuilding required to make it work. But what if I was to tell you that no worldbuilding was necessary? That you could technically write a soulbond fic without having to set it in an Alternate Universe? What if you could set your soulbond fic *directly in main canon?*

Marvel 616 delivers you a canonical soulbond mechanic… not once… but at least *twice*. There could be more. There’s a lot of comics to go through and I’m only smol. But here’s the two I know about and I’m here to introduce you to today. :)

The was a ripple of mild confusion around fandom when Kevin Feige announced that the Eternals were getting a title movie in the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Created by Jack Kirby in the 1970s, in a wild combination of mythological fascination and spite at DC comics for not letting him finish his New Gods saga, the Eternals were an offshoot of humanity, created by the Celestials for humanity’s protection; this reason for their existence would lead them into their ongoing conflict against the deadly Deviants. There have been a few Eternals runs (notably one run by Neil Gaiman, which did not serve to bring the Eternals the commercial success Marvel was searching for with the title, that nevertheless remains the most fun and accessible Eternals volume), but they’ve not yet really reached wide-reaching traction among even the most die-hard comic fans. The MCU might change that, and here’s hoping, because I love these nearly-immortal idiots, and I’m hoping not to be alone in that for much longer. :D

But even my Eternals-happy soul has to admit, Eternals canon for the most part is dense and can be convoluted, and the spellings—both of their character names and one of the main fun parts of their existence, the Mahd W’yry—are enough to give one a headache. The idea of the Eternals is that they’re long-lived and have interacted with human history over the years in various impactful ways. You might think at first glance that you’ve never heard of the Eternals Sersi, Ikaris, Makkari, but I think you wouldn’t find Circe, Icarus, or Mercury unfamiliar names.

The Mahd W’yry is a symptom of the Eternals being so long-living. In order to stop them going insane, the Eternals have to bond into something known as the Uni-Mind, which basically squishes all their consciousnesses together into one, where they can share memories and blend temporarily into one mind. Regularly bonding into the Uni-Mind allows them to stave off the Mahd W’yry. (Yep, that’s just a headache-inducing spelling of ‘mad worry’, we know.)

Anyway, did you need to know all this? Eh, maybe, a little bit of canned backstory is always handy for you to briefly glance over and promptly forget. Because along with some dense mythological adventures, some glorious angsting across beautiful landscapes, and that ability to turn into a big massive floating brain, the Eternals also gave us a beautiful gift:

The Gann Josin.

In Avengers #361, Ikaris comes down to Earth and decides that Sersi needs to be bonded to Dane Whitman, an Avenger who canonically didn’t have any powers, he was just a *really good guy*, destined for tragedy. Honestly. That’s his bio. Really good guy. Destined for tragedy. The character creation in the 90s was peak talent. Dane, sadly, was in love with another woman, but did this matter to Ikaris? No. Apparently the Eternals don’t know about the dangers of letting himbos like Ikaris have life-changing powers, like the ability to create the Uni-Mind. 

Because the power to control the Uni-Mind also gives an Eternal the power to form a Gann Josin bond. And that’s what Ikaris does in Avengers #361—he forces a Gann Josin bond on Eternal Sersi and tragic human Avenger Dane Whitman.

Gann Josin (sometimes Gan-Josin because what is spelling continuity in Marvel comics) is both the name of the bond, and the title given to an Eternal and their chosen life-mate. It has a bunch of cool side effects. Both Gann Josins get glowing full-red eyes. It’s a really intimate tiny form of the Uni-Mind (without the part where you become a big floating brain), and creates a small scale mental union. The Gann Josin bond makes the Eternal and their partner lifelong soulmates. As the bond progresses, it creates a telepathic/empathic bond that strengthens in time. According to the Eternal Sprite, humans are rarely chosen by Eternals for the Gann Josin.

Now, Dane Whitman does manage to break the Gann Josin several issues later. But… it’s not easy. It’s rare. When Dane manages it, it is called an “astounding act.” It’s pretty dang hard, in other words. There’s every chance your chosen Gann Josins won’t have the mental fortitude of Dane Whitman to break it. (Although, we’re talking about Steve and Tony, and are there any bigger stubborn idiots in the universe? Probably not.)

But Mizzy, I hear you saying. I don’t want to write about Ikaris, even if he is a party king and that sounds pretty nifty. I don’t know anything about the Eternals and I don’t want to go down that gnarly rabbit hole.

That’s totes fine, my friend. I am here to save you. Because in very recent canon, during Jason Aaron’s turn at the helm, the Eternals are all dead. Very dead. That whole Mahd W’yry thing got ‘em, it got ‘em good. But before Ikaris died, he granted his Uni-Mind power to someone we all know and love.

Yep. Tony Stark. Tony Stark currently has the power of the Uni-Mind.

Which means that Tony Stark can now Gann Josin people.

In Avengers #361, Ikaris performs the Gann Josin by basically just pointing his hands at Sersi and Dane and some light goes WHEEEEEEE!! in their direction, and bam, this rare and special bond is done. And Tony Stark can do that now. To anyone! Unfortunately Ikaris is dead and didn’t leave Tony with an instruction manual. But the point is, he *can*. You can make up all sorts of fun things with this canonical fact (or write your own version because lbr Canon Is Dead; Long Live Canon.)

There are so many possibilities. Does Tony deliberately learn how to use it so he can bond himself to Steve? Does Tony *need* to be able to hear Steve’s thoughts (to thwart some bad guys) and thus end up soulbonded forever to Steve in result? Is Tony’s power activating at random because he can’t control it, and he ends up soulbonding everyone around him? Does he just subconsciously bond himself to Steve without consciously meaning to? Do Tony or Steve want to try it for science?

Gosh, I love comics.

But WAIT. There’s MORE.

It’s not just 1990s comics going ham on the soulbond idea. No, we got some *this year*. Canonical soulbonding? TWICE? In one universe? Two different kinds??

And this time, it’s not in a D-list Marvel title. We’re up the ranks to the big leagues this time, folx, with a brief trek to the world of the Fantastic Four.

In Fantastic Four (Vol. 6) #15, we’re introduced to a Spyre citizen called Sky, a winged team member of the Unparalleled (more cosmic-powered superheroes), who work under The Overseer. (The Overseer, in a burst of beautiful retcon in the way Marvel comics keeps doing to us, is apparently the entity who is responsible for giving the F4 their powers. Huh. The more you know.)

On the planet Spyre, all children are brought before something called The Great Eye. This measures them against the radiation signature of everyone on the planet, divining who their perfect match is. 

Sky looked into The Great Eye, only to find out her match was Johnny Storm, who was 44 light-years away at the time. Long-distance relationships can be tough. Anyway, plot happens, the F4 get stuck on Spyre, get told they can’t leave, and Sky tells Johnny Storm that she is his soulmate. Oh, and she attached a soul binding onto him while he slept. Neat, huh, all the bodily autonomy people get in this universe before being force soulbond to people? So neat, much consent, wow.

Johnny feels a connection to Sky, which is supposed to let us know this lack of choice is a good thing I guess. The Overseer wants Sky to renounce Johnny and crush the F4 which obv doesn’t happen, so of course she leaves The Unparalleled and skips off to Earth to be with Johnny. 

Who knows how this relationship is gonna last. I mean, you can look at the rest of Johnny’s relationship history and have a good guess. Who knows. Anyway, Reed and Sue are each other's soulmate, and also share a “Soul Binding”, so there’s some canonical proof right there that maybe this system has some validity going for it.

The soulbond for this form takes the form of a golden bracelet worn on the upper arm, that Sky explains her people call a “Soul Binding”; it represents them as being soul-mates. This bracelet can only be removed by your soulmate. This soulbond doesn’t seem to come with any extra powers, it’s just to show that The Great Eye has measured their radiation signature and declared them a match that is supposed to mean they’re perfectly compatible in every way: spiritually, mentally, and physically.

I don’t know about you, but I have a pretty good feeling that Steve and Tony might just have matching radiation signatures… Or what if Steve and Tony have perfect matching signatures….with other people? (Someone else on Spyre believes Sky is *their* perfect match, after all!) What if Steve has feelings for Iron Man, but he’s a perfect match with Tony Stark? I feel faint already just thinking about it.

So here you go. Two canonical types of soulbonds for your fannish consideration. Feel free to ask me questions! You can find me on tumblr (@mizzy2k) or on discord (addy#0908).

#stevetonygames #mod post #spotlight post #soulmates

[thebibliomancer]

Essential Avengers: Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars #10-12

February, 1985

DEATH TO THE BEYONDER!

Wow, Doom has been beaten to hell in this story, huh?

Couldn’t have happened to a nicer etc etc.

Anyway, lets get to it.

Last times in Secret Wars: Some amazingly powerful being from Beyond the universe called the Beyonder kidnaps a bunch of heroes, villains, shades thereof, and chunks of random planets to put on a big toy commercial where action figures can bonk off each other.

The X-Men ditched the other heroes to team up with Magneto to do their own thing, as they’re wont to do. But still largely helped the other heroes fight the villains. And didn’t even do villain shit even though Magneto advocated for it.

There have been a bunch of fights back and forth between the groups but most recently, Captain America’s group of heroes stormed Doombase and took down the villain group then had to rush to back up the X-Men in dealing with Galactus who wants to eat the planet, as he is wont to do.

Doom busted out of the cell the heroes stuck him in to pull off his master plan with the help of solid sound man Klaw while Reed Richards had a crisis of weird conscience as he became convinced that maybe Galactus should eat the planet. But he eventually helped the other heroes drive Galactus off-planet where the hat horned purple planet eater started to eat his own spaceship, with Doom planning to steal that tasty snack.

And that brings us to now.

Where things are getting super freaky.

Reed Richards’ skeleton viscerally upsets me.

But as Galactus’ ship turns from Mobius ship to energy cloud, the cloud gets ripped away from Galactus and streams towards Doombase.

Captain America sends Captain Marvel to Doombase to check if Doom is behind this Total Doom Move and she zips over to determine, yup, Doom is pulling a total Doom right now.

He’s got himself strapped to a thing under a bunch of Klaw lenses injecting PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER right into his itty bitty body.

Captain Marvel is going to zip back over to let Captain America and Mr. Fantastic know whats going on but Professor X chimes in her brain that he’ll save them some time by setting up a psychic conference call between her and Reed.

Meanwhile, Doctor Doom finishes consuming the aggregate energy of a spaceship the size of a solar system and trips out a little on omnipotence.

Doom: “By the dark gods! My least whim alters the world around me! Such is the power coursing within me that stone and steel are wisps of nothing which bend and transform in slavish obedience to my merest stray thought!”

Just say no to phenomenal cosmic power.

Also, some omniscience, which lets him see his own brains and into the souls of the people in Doombase.

Annnd. He spots Captain Marvel. Womp womp.

When the psychic connection between her and Xavier is suddenly cut off, the heroes pile into the X-Men’s wrecked ship to fly to Doombase and save Captain Marvel.

Hm. They’ve really been back and forth. They were all just at Doombase and then they came here and now they’re going back to Doombase.

Since the ship is wrecked, Magneto just propels it with MASTERY OF MAGNET and Cap(tain America) praises him for living up to his hype.

Which sets Magneto off on a rant.

Magneto: “I gather, Captain America, that you would have preferred that I fail! Or... was that remark, perhaps, intended to be a ‘well done’ for which I should humble thank you.”

Captain America: “At ease, mister!”

Magneto: “Allies should be ‘at ease’ with one another! What troubles you? Is it my awesome power? Are you jealous? Afraid? Or is it merely because I am a mutant that you are not ‘at ease’?”

Captain America: “Now that you mention it, the fact that you tried to kill all of us here several times as part of various evil schemes for world conquest is pretty hard to forget entirely!”

This sort of feels like Magneto is antsy because he hasn’t been villaining as much as he likes. Or like him going ‘today I shall cause problems on purpose.’

But, whoops, Cap says that he doesn’t have a problem with the X-Men which sets off Wolverine on a rant about how Captain America doesn’t do enough for mutants.

Geez, its like the time he unmasked a governmental conspiracy by Richard Nixon to use a mutant powered UFO to take over America doesn’t even count.

Wolverine accuses Cap of not laying off Magneto even though he’s been helpful. I’ll note that all Cap did was tell Magneto good job which Magneto decided was a slight.

Meanwhile, over at Doombase where Doom likes to Doom, Doom is pondering what to do now.

He is now powerful enough to wipe out everyone on Battleworld with a wave of his hand and easily win this Secret Wars. But he’s already so powerful, what could he possible ask the Beyonder for?

Doom: “Are those dust-mote heroes truly my enemies? Or... is there now but one foe in all existence worthy of Doom? The Beyonder himself!”

Mostly because he exists and is more powerful than Doom and that simply cannot do.

Like, Doom notes that he already has all the power he could ever want but there’s someone over outside the universe who has more power so Doom wants it. Even though the power he do have is messing him up.

Truly Doom in a nutshell.

Hm. Is it odd that everyone just decides that the Beyonder is male based on nothing? He does decide to be male when he manifests on Earth in Secret Wars 2 but there’s no basis for the assumption here.

But we have toys to sell so Doom upgrades his armor.

This was another request from Mattel, for Doom (and Iron Man, hence the upgrade he gets from Mr. Fantastic) to be given high-tech costumes.

I personally think they just didn’t want to make capes. Notably, there was never a Thor toy.

In-universe, the new armor is a secret weapon to use against the Beyonder, based on Galactus’ machine and the data Doom got scanning the Beyonder in issue 1.

The heroes but into Doombase to find no one to fight. All the villains are still locked up and Doom is nowhere to be seen. They find Captain Marvel, frozen in light form like a hologram.

Then a massive KRAKABOOOM! shakes the fortress as DOOM goes to confront the Beyonder.

The Beyonder: “Stop! You cannot approach me!”

Doom: “Then approach me, coward -- on your knees, if you have knees! Come! Cringe before your master! Grovel before Doom!”

The conflict starts to shake Doombase apart and a big ol rock falls on Reed’s lower torso and knocks the wind out of him.

The monitors in Doombase also shows that the destruction is worldwide, causing devastation to Zsaji’s village, and doing her an injury.

I assume Denver is also affected. I really want that miniseries focusing on Denverians during Secret Wars.

Colossus tries to tell Johnny that Zsaji has been hurt but Johnny’s attentions are elsewhere.

Human Torch: “I -- I’ve got no time for a chippie now! Reed’s hurt! I’ll send her a card later!”

Geez, Johnny.

Anyway, the fight between DOOM and the Beyonder is so so devastating that its threatening to snuff out the sun.

Which, if nothing else, is impressively bonkers.

But wherever Doom falters, the Beyonder doubles his assault.

Turns out that absorbing the energy of a spaceship the size of a solar system doesn’t make you a match for a guy that can casually wipe out a galaxy.

Doom: “Th-thus -- ? Thus falls Doom? No! No! What is pain to one such as I? I -- I will shut it out. Other men fall prey to the very spectre of death... when her cold embrace seems imminent... they simply swoon into her arms! But I... I am Doom! I -- I deny you, death! Victor von Doom must not die!”

He says this after his leg falls off. For the sake of context.

The world-shaking pauses and an image of Doom appears before the assembled heroes. Trying to come off as confident but blatantly holding his hat.

Doom: “Greetings! I am Doctor Doom! ... Though I am far more than the being you once knew! Indeed, I have transcended mortality -- and yet, I am your champion -- fighting for your sakes! I am about to crush the Beyonder!”

“The Beyonder, in his cosmic arrogance abducted us all and brought us here to do battle for his amusement! ‘Slay your enemies...!’ He said -- but in truth, he is the real enemy!”

“While he can reach us, our universe is not safe from his manipulations! He must be utterly defeated and sealed away beyond the portal before -- or destroyed! In the name of all who exist in our universe, I, Doom, have dared to attack the Beyonder!”

“The battle has gone well. Even now, the Beyonder cringes in terror, marshalling his failing strength against my final assault! Hence, this lull in the strife -- which has allowed me to appear to you and offer you the chance to share in my glorious conquest. Lend me your power! Hasten his certain defeat! Come! Who will join me against our common foe? You have but to touch my hand! Who shall be first?”

“To him, after our victory, I shall grant power beyond measure -- with which to further his noble purposes, of course! You know I speak the truth! You feel it, do you not?”

I mean, Doom has a point. The Beyonder IS the real enemy. If the heroes refuse to kill anyone, the Beyonder is never going to let them go home. Unless this is a secret test of character but nothing I’ve seen would lead me in that direction.

It’s just. Its Doom. Who would trust him with EVEN MORE PHENOMENAL COSMIC POWER?

Magneto immediately steps forward to offer his power to Doom’s service (womp womp) but he meets Xavier’s gaze and hesitates.

Long enough for several Avengers to tackle him away from Doom.

Proving his claim that the fight is definitely in the bag, Doom can’t maintain his GoFundMe hologram and fades away.

Hawkeye, one of the Avengers that tackled Magneto, starts yelling at the X-Men about the company they keep and what it will take for them to realize Magneto is a dick.

But Captain America interrupts Clint. He says that everyone was tempted by what Doom was offering and goes so far as to speculate that Doom was applying some sort of mind control to them and that Magneto just got the biggest dose.

This is all pretty unsubstantiated but he also does point out that Magneto hesitated to grab Doom’s hand and dammit that counts for something.

Meanwhile, Doom is having a bad time.

Trying to crowdfund a Beyonder defeat having not met its goal by the deadline, Doom is at the mercy of the Beyonder.

But the Beyonder is a curious cuss.

I mean, obviously. Why put on a Secret War unless you’re bored and curious.

The Beyonder starts prying into Doom’s brain and forces Doom to remember his ENTIRE BACKSTORY so he can watch.

You probably know it. Roma youth. His mom killed for witchcraft and her soul trapped by Mephisto. Doom studies magic and science to try to contact her. Makes a hellevator device that blows up in his face.

The Beyonder pries into Doom’s desires for: power over the destinies of other men, for freedom for his mom’s spirit, and for his putting on the piping hot mask face to be restored.

All these desires fascinate the Beyonder and he takes his dissection of the Beyonder to an unfortunately literal level and starts flaying Doom to peep his organs.

Meanwhile, the biggest shock yet hits Battleworld and Doombase starts shaking apart.

Captain America goes to free the villains trapped in their cells and finds Wolverine there who agrees that they shouldn’t leave the villains to die in cages, no matter what they’ve done. Magneto is also helping evacuate the captured villains from the medical wing.

Wolverine: “Don’t take this wrong... But you’re a better man than I gave you credit for! I’m an attacker an’ you’re a defender -- but we’re both soldiers! I’m beginnin’ to think you got room in your high-falutin’ ideals for all people... don’tcha -- ? Even if they’re mutants!”

Captain America: “Some of my best friends are people!”

Hah!

Anyway, RIP Doombase. You had a name and that’s more than I can say of the initial hero base or Magneto’s U-fort.

The shaking stops and a glowing orb of light floats down from space in front of the collected heroes.

Oh my god! The rest of the characters are 4-inch figures but Doom is rocking 24 inches and full articulation!

The heroes prepare to fight the Giant-Sized Doctor Doom but Doom bwoop bwoop bwoops back down to their scale and explains that absorbing the Beyonder caused him to be big because of reasons but he’s got a better handle on it now.

Its not shown on panel but remember Doom had his secret anti-Beyonder weapon hidden inside his armor and the Beyonder got real close when he was dissecting Doom. Which Doom regained consciousness during. So that’s how he did it.

Doom: “First, know you these things... The Beyonder no longer exists... and Doom has been reborn! Thus, have two evils come to an end! There is no enemy left to fight! THE WAR IS OVER!”

Caption: “Nonetheless, we strongly suggest that you read the next issue of Marvel Super Heroes Secret Wars on sale in thirty days!!”

Hah.

March, 1985

... AND DUST TO DUST!

I’ll give Marvel Super Heroes TM Secret Wars TM #11 this. It promises and teases THE FACE OF DOOM right on the cover and dammit, it delivers.

Gaze upon his generic attractiveness. He looks like Peter Parker having a wild eyebrow day.

I suppose the real surprise is that he fixed up his scarred face, which puts him two checkmarks into his three greatest desires.

He’s the supreme being in the universe and he’s got a face to match.

In a very reassuring manner, Doom tells the assembled heroes that he could destroy them all with a thought and then doesn’t bother destroying them.

Over in the distance, the freed villains see Doom talking with the heroes and Absorbing Man decides that Doom is selling out to the heroes. The other villains get their dander up at this and debate going over and kicking Doom’s ass.

Volcana: “I don’t know what to think, Owie! Doom is the one who made me into Volcana which is wonderful -- but, gee, he does seem to be double-crossing us!”

Molecule Man: “And I had such faith in him! I believe in him! I -- I’m furious!”

Volcana: “Now, Owie, remember your analyst said it wasn’t good to get overwrought!”

Molecule Man: “I don’t care what she said! I’m going to kill that lying, two-faced, rotten fink! Do you hear me, Doom? The Molecule Man is going to kill you!”

Then Molecule Man flips up several billion tons of the planet’s crust so he can have a conversation with Doom.

Doom just shows Molecule Man the foundations of eternity, the secrets of the universe, how all things work so that Molecule Man can realize that he is the second mightiest in the universe, after Doom.

Doom: “Think! Every molecule, every iota of matter in the cosmos answers to our whim! And all the forces which govern substance bend to your will -- for matter and energy are one and the same! The only limits on your power are those which you have imposed upon yourself, subconsciously because of self-doubt... self-hate... fear! Open your mind to the majesty of your power, Owen Reece! Accept your destiny... and fear no more!”

Molecule Man: “I -- I can control organic molecules! I can do... anything!”

Well.

This bodes something.

Doom then takes off and an amazed Molecule Man declares that he’s now the leader of the villain group. And considering he can peel the planet’s crust in a fit of pique, nobody really wants to say nay.

Molecule Man apparently didn’t want to hurt anyone so when he peeled up the crust, it somehow didn’t hurt any of the heroes. Just relocated them very insistently. Although if they stayed put they’d suffocate from the thin atmosphere.

They return to Doombase, which is somehow still standing. But aside from recapping the series, they really don’t know what to do until Doom makes himself known again.

The villains retreat to the suburb of Denver, Colorado and to the apartment belonging to Marsha Rosenberg (Volcana).

They decide that they don’t actually care about the Secret Wars anymore and just want to go home. And Molecule Man, being a good leader, decides to make this happen for everyone.

Man. I hope none of Denver’s population went wandering outside suburb limits before Molecule Man domed the suburb and chucked it into space.

The heroes spot it happening on their instruments (and because a chunk of planet being ejected into space causes a rumble) but there’s nothing they can really do about it. So Cap suggests everyone sleep on it.

Colossus can’t sleep because he keeps thinking about how deeply he is in love with Zsaji. So he ditches to zip to her village on an air jetski.

Missing a blob of light enter the Doombase and possess the Hulk.

Possessed Hulk lumbers around the base like a sleepwalker, being found by Spider-Woman who can’t sleep for worrying about her hometown of Denver.

She tries to stop Hulk with her psychic webs but he busts through and shoves her to the ground. The weird light blob goes from Hulk to Spider-Woman.

Hulk goes back to sleep and possessed Spider-Woman creeps into Doom’s lab and the discarded head of Klaw.

But there’s a flash of light and soon a confused Spider-Woman is telling the other heroes that Doom showed up, reassembled Klaw, unfroze Captain Marvel, oh and engraved an invitation to the heroes to meet him tomorrow at his sweet new tower.

Klaw: “I told you once -- ! I am my wildest dream! Dream! Eem, eem, eem...”

Doom: “I shall miss dreaming...”

He tells Klaw that he does not need sleep anymore and doesn’t dare sleep anymore because of the power contained in him.

Meanwhile, Colossus arrives at Zsaji’s hut while she’s sleeping and invites himself inside. Its creepy or romantic, shrug. She wakes up, he gives her flowers, and confesses he loves her.

Not really understanding the words but getting the gist, Zsaji seems into it.

I guess she gave up on Johnny. Or her people are polygamous.

Later, Wolverine and Nightcrawler gossip about Colossus’ love life. Neither very sympathetic about Colossus cheating on Kitty Pryde.

You’d think they’d also be unsympathetic about the age gap but eh.

Wolverine is also convinced that Colossus isn’t even REALLY in love with Zsaji, that its just a side-effect of her healing power. PLUS, she’s an alien so who knows what love means to her.

Hm. This really does look like a job for Cipher.

The non-Colossus heroes all go to meet Doom at THE TOWER OF DOOM, where Doom is quick to reiterate that they have nothing to worry about with Doom now possessing phenomenal cosmic power.

Doom: “Much has changed, Captain America! Much indeed! For, when I usurped the Beyonder’s power, slaying him -- in a way, Doom died as well! Now, I am all-powerful! I have nothing to prove to lesser creatures -- and none are my equal! I am complete... serene in my omnipotence! The dark, seething desires which once drove and shaped Doom are no more! Nothing in this universe -- nothing of which you can conceive, no matter how cosmic in scope -- could possible merit my attention! For as Eternity is to you... I am to Eternity! I have transcended all concerns of this plane of existence -- and, yet... we have unfinished business! Loose ends, if you will, left over from my mortal life! I cannot undo all of the evil works of my life without unraveling a great deal of the fabric of reality, causing enormous upheavals in the time/space continuum -- ! I can, though, easily set right some of the crimes of these few days past...”

Its good to see that Doom didn’t let becoming the unchallenged supreme being of the universe change him, at least in regards to words words words.

Anyway, he reintegrates Kang and sends the very confused future man home to the future.

He tells the heroes that Galactus has already been found and aided by his herald, Nova.

Which just leaves the wrong that Doom has done the heroes. He offers them a boon to atone for the suffering they’ve endured at his hands.

The heroes debate what to ask for. Spider-Man suggests that Doom can send them home only for Reed, perhaps peevishly, to remark that he can get them home. Nightcrawler suggests that Doom could find Lockheed, who was part of the intro cast but went missing near the beginning. But Captain America tells Doom that they want nothing from him.

Doom: “Very well! Our dealings are ended! Forever! Leave, now as you entered! Soon I shall ascend to higher planes! Until then -- and mark this -- I will not suffer any disturbance! Go... and do not seek to enter my presence again, for I will utterly destroy any who dare!”

Wow.

His magnanimity sure is short-lived.

The heroes do leave but outside Cap(tain America. Captain Marvel hasn’t had a line since she was unfrozen, I think) does a headcount and Spider-Woman is missing.

Despite the risk of Doom making good on his word to kill anyone that disturbs him, Cap won’t leave a comrade behind and reenters THE TOWER OF DOOM.

Cap stumbles onto Doom chilling with his shirt, mask, and boots off and luckily Doom is either in a good mood or hasn’t counted Captain America as leaving yet.

Captain America tells Doom that Spider-Woman is missing so Doom sends Klaw to go find her.

Klaw goes looking for Spider-Woman but runs into one of her webs. The missing, possessed hero grabs Klaw and transfers the blob of light to him.

Back at Doom having dressed up, maybe feeling awkward about being casual in front of anyone who isn’t Klaw, Doom reveals to Captain America that his mom’s spirit is being held captive by Mephisto and that Doom plans to free her.

Doom: “Is that little enough to ask? Little enough self-solicitude -- ? To free my mother’s soul from endless torment at the hands of an extra-dimensional demon! After that... it is as I said -- no affair of men -- or demons -- could possibly gain my notice!”

Cap comments that Doom is looking pretty human but Doom says its for everyone else’s protection that he keeps the power contained, lest he accidentally wipe out solar systems and galaxies.

Doom: “While I linger on this plane, I am like a giant on a world of ants! Every slight movement I make can seal the destinies of millions! I... do not wish to destroy anyone!”

Klaw returns and tells Cap where to find Spider-Woman so Cap goes off to retrieve her.

The heroes all take off back to Doombase and Cap asks Professor X to summon Colossus because there’s a decision to be made that everyone has to be present for.

Which leads to this delightful scene of Professor X interrupting Colossus as he’s making out with Zsaji.

Despite Colossus telling Xavier to buzz off, Xavier insists that Colossus return and alas duty before booty. Or something.

When Colossus arrives, the heroes all assemble in a conference room that Cap managed to find in Doombase.

Wasp doesn’t see the problem with Doom wanting to rescue his mother and Cap agrees that its a very humane and human thing to want and that in other circumstances Cap would have volunteered to help him.

But its the human that bothers Cap.

It gets back to Jim Shooter’s themes from his non-consecutive Avengers runs. Graviton, Nefaria, Korvac, Molecule Man, and Moondragon.

Godlike power in the hands of the all too human.

Captain America: “Doom claims he’s transcended all human desire! What if he hasn’t? We’ve seen the power of the Beyonder -- Doom’s power -- in action before! It is such power that even now, nothing in the universe can take place without his consent! That kind of authority rightfully belongs to... no man! No matter how enlightened or benevolent he’s become, freedom to do what Doom allows is not freedom!”

Cap is edging very close to ‘attack and dethrone god’ and I don’t know if he means to.

But as Cap points out, the first thing Doom did with his new power was to repair his face. Awfully human-like vanity.

Mr. Reed Fantastic concedes what Cap is getting at and agrees they need to force Doom to give up his power. And where Reed goes, so goes the rest of the Fantastic Three.

Which doesn’t tell you whether its a good idea or not considering they were both behind ‘let Galactus eat us all’ when Reed suggested it.

But the Avengers, the spiders, the Hulk, and the X-Men all agree as well.

Colossus is the last person to speak up and he suggests that if they attack Doom unprompted, maybe they’re the dicks. Doom may never harm them, may do what he’s said he’ll do and ascend to a higher plane of existence and contemplate gluons or whatever.

Captain America: “You may be right, son! I’m not dead certain about any of this! That’s why it must be a unanimous vote... or we do nothing! Don’t think you must agree! The choice is yours... Keep in mind, by the way, that if we do decide to confront Doom, it’s possible that we might be annihilated on the spot by a bolt from the blue!”

Wow, Cap isn’t just telling Colossus he can vote how he likes and not feel he must go with the majority. He’s also giving good reasons NOT to vote with the majority.

That Cap. He loves democracy so much.

Colossus struggles because he’s just found love and happiness and he never got to finish making out. And he’s being asked to possibly throw that all away unnecessarily!

Cap still won’t press Colossus one way or another so Colossus has to speak from the heart.

Colossus: “Forgive me, Zsaji... I say yes... We fight!”

He chose........... poorly?

Wonder what the last issue will be about now that half the cast is dead. Ignoring that we see several of these people alive in an issue set after this but published before.

Ignoring that. I wonder what the last issue will be about.

Good thing we don’t have to wait.

April, 1985

“...NOTHING TO FEAR...”

Okay, see, this is just making me wonder harder.

Hm. I also wonder if this is the first big moment where Captain America’s America Shield gets broken for dramatic effect. I know it happens again in Infinity Gauntlet but that’s some years away.

Anyway, yeah. The twenty-one hero characters and Magneto (twenty-one feels like A LOT, geez) have been totally killed forever and they will certainly stay dead.

To Zsaji’s alarm, since in a bit of establishing relative positions, she can see Doombase from the mountain near her village that Galactus set up his planet-eating equipment on.

Over at THE TOWER OF DOOM, Doom contains the power again.

Klaw: “Seal up the power -- god’s might in a can! Thus, Doom is just another man! But why?”

Doom: “Lest in a careless moment, a casual flick of my little figner might blacken a star system, or wipe out an intergalactic civilization. Lest, like Vishnu. ‘I am become death, the destroyer of worlds.’ This universe is too fragile!”

Klaw: “Such power! Such weight upon your shoulders! Poor Doom!”

Klaw questions whether the heroes are REALLY dead but Doom insists on it.

Meanwhile, Denver floating through space towards Earth.

I wanted to question... like... how much oxygen or food a Denver chunk could contain but Molecule Man laughs at logistics. He can just turn space dust into whatever he needs.

Man, Molecule Man would be great to have on a generation ship.

The villains are still chilling out in Volcana’s apartment, instead of taking over the largest building or whatever. Nice thing about Molecule Man being boss is that he doesn’t really approve of all of that.

Enchantress locks herself in the bathroom because dammit, sometimes you just need alone time to consult with a water elemental for some juicy exposition.

Because its issue 12 and we don’t know anything about the Beyonder really and Doom has already eaten him up so its now or never.

Honestly, time should have been budgeted for it earlier but what can you do.

The water elemental knows some things by gossiping with other spirits asks as price for her exposition that Enchantress “grant me power to walk through fields of flowers as mortals do” but Enchantress just threatens her into it.

She’s not a great boss.

Water Elemental: “In his realm, the Beyonder was everything and everything was him... and he was content! But by chance, an event in our universe opened a pinhole into his beyond-realm -- and through the pinhole he glimpsed the Earth! For the first time in his existence he became curious! So, he began to observe! For years, he watched the Earth! One thing confounded him above all else -- this incompleteness beings of our universe seemed to have -- this thing called... desire!”

So the Beyonder chose subjects of power, presence and palpable desire. The three P’s. And then he either raptured or lured into his game. The Beyonder sorted them according to the nature of their desires, which is why Magneto ended up with the heroes. Because his desire for mutantkind is like the altruistic desires of the heroes. Vs the personal desires of the villain group.

The Water Elemental recaps the war, including an image of Enchantress getting punched by She-Hulk, probably to piss her off. Yadda yadda, Doom played the larger game while everyone was doing punches and managed to usurp the Beyonder.

Water Elemental: “May I go down the drain now, please?”

Except no. Enchantress is still a bad boss and demands that the elemental use her rapport with the water on Battleworld to tell Enchantress whats going on now.

The elemental says she doesn’t have the power to do that so Enchantress dunks the elemental and boils some power into her.

Enchantress sees images of the heroes being effortlessly slaughtered, Klaw waiting on Doom as he relaxes, and Doom planning to invade Mephisto’s realm.

The last question Enchantress asks the rather haggard looking elemental is whether the Beyonder is truly dead.

Water Elemental: “N-no... he is close by Doom. But too weak to act... He is hiding where Doom would never suspect, awaiting an opportunity... a moment of vulnerability.”

Humorously, during this scene, the Absorbing Man starts banging on the bathroom door and asking Enchantress if she fell in.

In the living room, the Lizard is getting antsy about being cooped up.

Lizard: “RRAWRR! Out! Lizard wantss out of thiss humanss’ nesst! Musst be in sswamp! Lizard hates humanss!”

The Wrecking Crew just want to kill Lizard to spare the hassle but Volcana sticks up for him because its in her nature to take care of things. And in the same way he demonstrated with Wasp, Lizard folds into surly obedience as soon as someone is firm but nice with him.

Lizard isn’t the only one that’s antsy, as Dock Ock starts complaining and smashing the walls about how unlikely it is that they’ll ever reach home.

Doctorpus Octopus: “Don’t you fools realize the odds against us ever reaching Earth? An ant dropped in the middle of the Sahara would stand a better chance of getting to Hawaii!”

Molecule Man wanders in and tries to calm down the doctorpus while Enchantress lures Volcana away from the crowd.

Enchantress has decided that its time for Volcana to repay her debt for portaling her over to Molecule Man’s side after he was Wolverine’d. And the blank check cost she’s decided on is for Volcana to help Enchantress return to Asgard immediately to warn her people about the danger that Beyonder Doom poses.

And Volcana can help by ‘donating’ her life-force to power the teleport. And by donate, of course, she means, mystically contractually obligated.

Elsewhere, Molecule Man shows Doc Ock that he’s restored the stars in the galaxy that the Beyonder wiped out and that he’s been learning to do spacewarps too. And that’s how they’ll get home.

Doc Ock has some doubts so Molecule Man wraps him up in a nice, weighted blanket of asphalt and plans to turn him over to the authorities when they get back because he’s beginning to suspect that this supervillain may in fact may not be emotionally healthy.

Molecule Man realizes that Volcana isn’t around and Lizard who saw Enchantress pied piper her away leads MM to interrupt the Enchantress before she can finish draining Volcana or making fat jokes.

She makes a lot of fat jokes. Ffs Amora.

Enchantress teleport flees back to Battleworld but Lizard jumps after her and gets caught up in it.

He scratches her face so she throws him off a cliff.

And since mystically speaking, the Lizard counts as a “lower creature” Enchantress can just rip away his life-force and use it to fix her face and power an uncertain teleport to Asgard.

RIP the Lizard. Although I’m pretty sure you bounce back from this.

Meanwhile, in THE TOWER OF DOOM, Doom is napping while Klaw creeps on him creepily but Doom wakes up and yells at Klaw for letting him sleep.

Why, who knows what his subconscious would do with the Beyonder’s power in his dreams!

Klaw suggests hey maybe Doom would accidentally revive the heroes. Or maybe he already did? Hm?? In fact, Klaw has a theory and he’s going to use his sound hologram powers to put on a little demonstration for Doom.

He posits that Zsaji saw the destruction Doom wrought on Doombase (which we do know that she did do). She finds the... uh chunks that remain of the heroes and uses her healing powers to put them in stasis where cellular life still lingers. But she finds Colossus less damaged than the rest because he instinctively shifted to his armored form at the last instant. Surely his armored skin is better armor than, say, the Thing’s rock skin or Iron Man’s armor.

The story Klaw is telling works better this way so surely it is so.

Zsaji manages to bring Colossus wholly back to life, at the cost of her own.

A grief-stricken Colossus shoves Reed Richards into a healing tank (his elastic body also less damaged than the rest because sure, Reed Richards is more durable than the Hulk, we can just say anything).

So Reed is restored and he uses the technology of Doombase to invent a mass healing device and restores the rest of the heroes.

Klaw: “And they’re on their way here right now! The end... maybe!”

Doom: “Absurd! That couldn’t happen! The odds are impossible!”

Klaw: “Perhaps... but maybe you sort of... helped things along... Maybe you secretly subconsciously wanted them to survive... to rise from the ashes and live again!”

Doom: “You speak madness, Klaw!”

Klaw doubts though because Doom didn’t completely atomize the heroes and suggests turning on his god-mode and verifying that the heroes are really dead.

But now Doom is worried that having heard Klaw spell out a possible way for the heroes to be alive, his slightest doubt might make it so.

(I mean, I’m pretty sure that the light blob that’s possessing Klaw is the Beyonder who is gaslighting Doom for Reasons.)

Doom: “This is madness! I must drive these thoughts, these doubts, from my mind! They are dead! Dead! Dead! And yet... How many times in the past have I thought that Reed Richards was dead? And, if there were one man who might overcome the odds... is it not Captain America? No... no! THEY ARE DEAD!”

Klaw: “Then, again...”

Doom lets the Beyonder power well up but he can’t control it and it starts blasting Battleworld to shit and nearly destroyed all of reality. Doom can’t get his mind ordered and calm.

Klaw offers to destroy the heroes for Doom so Doom grants him “an infinitesimal micro-fraction” of his power, “enough to blacken ten thousand suns.”

GEEZ. I know that the Beyonder was established as being the strongest being in the universe, having come from a universe where all was the Beyonder. But that’s still very alarming.

The heroes rush in because after being murdered in an instant once already, subtlety is out the window.

Klaw intercepts them with a summoned army of monsters and also Ultron. Yes, Ultron is back, back again. Tell a friend. Tell them OH MY GOD RUN.

Then there’s a big two-page spread of everyone attacking everyone because that’s the kind of story this is.

Rad.

The Thing reverts back to meat man Ben Grimm but manages to will power the rocks back on and decides now he can control the changes and starts crying because this is everything he’s ever wanted.

Hulk goes punchies on Ultron but the robot does a plot injury to Hulk’s leg and for an encore makes Iron Man, Wolverine, and Spider-Woman look stupid before just falling apart.

Thanks to Wasp shrinking down, flying in one of the Hulk punch dents and just yanking wires. Yay, Wasp did a thing!

Also, she beat Ultron. She deserves to. Shame that not more can be made of it as a beat, what with everything going on.

Captain America manages to slip past all the monsters and jump kick his way past Klaw, although Klaw threw that little encounter.

Cap reaches where Doom is once again chilling, although this time with his clothes on.

Doom brags that there’s nothing that the heroes can do to harm him in any way, after all, what is a man to one who is omnipotent?

Captain America: “I wouldn’t be too sure about that! After all... you conquered the Beyonder! And why would you have gone through the trouble of killing us in the first place, unless... you were afraid!”

Doom doesn’t like having holes poked in his arguments so he kamehamehas Cap into ashes.

But Cap respawns out of sheer ‘I can do this all day’ness and charges at Doom to be blasted and respawned again.

Okay, so its Klaw who keeps respawning Cap, while letting Doom think its his own stolen power running out of control that keeps doing it.

And having Cap keep popping back into existence and trying to hit him in the face with a metal disc makes Doom lose his every last shit.

The power starts to overtake him and threaten the universe so Cap offers his hand, to serve as an anchor to reality for Doom.

Oh, hey. Just like Cap offered Doom his hand in the first issue but Doom turned it down because he hates pity.

But now, with omnipotence raging out of control, Doom reaches to accept Cap’s hand.

Thems some nice bookends.

Except the feeble remnant of the Beyonder that’s been body hopping bursts out of Klaw and reclaims his power from Doom.

Unpossessed Klaw: “Doom! Doom! Forgive me, Doom! The Beyonder, he took over my body -- ! He used my guile, my wits, my cunning to engineer this! I set you up for this! Doom -- ! I’m so sorry!”

The Beyonder reverts Doom’s armor (and face) back to how it was and then ejects him from the plot. Klaw jumping in to be with his master.

Actually, the Beyonder nopes out of the plot as well. Just kinda abandons this grand experiment into the concept of desire.

And to be fair, half the competitors fucked off. The other half refused to actually kill. And one of the competitors jumped off the board game to steal the Beyonder’s wallet.

At that point, escaping before you have to answer any questions is the right move.

With the fight over, there’s just a whole bunch of wrap-up.

Colossus has a funeral for Zsaji and buries her on the hill overlooking Doombase because fuck those villagers, she probably didn’t have any friends or loved ones who should have a say in this.

While RICHARDSS goes to work on a way home, Spider-Man swings around Doombase for a snack of alien eggplant. Then finds everyone else in the costume making machine room where Professor X has.

Uh.

Made some fashion choices.

Won’t anybody stop him?

Anyway, he intends to keep undermining Storm when they get back to Earth. What a guy.

Spider-Man also learns that none of their costumes respond to thought like his new black costume does and wonders what’s different about his.

Hulk’s leg was busted up by being Ultron’d and his gamma levels have risen so much that they’d short out the healing pods. So Reed makes Hulk a techno crutch and leg brace to help him get around until his natural healing factor takes care of things.

He’s not very pleased at the situation though and snaps at Hawkeye, leading Hawkeye to a thought that hits a lot different post Civil War II.

Hawkeye: “Whoa! Has he ever changed in the last few days! I think he’s losing it -- becoming totally savage and out of control again! Man, I hope I’m wrong! Maybe I’d better make myself a few more arrows -- some real heavy-duty ones -- just in case!”

Curt Connors wanders in and tells a story about waking up in a crater a few miles from the fortress. He says that he’s sure this time the lizard-persona is totally gone forever for reals.

Nightcrawler says its good that Connors found them before they departed so he wouldn’t get left behind, then mentions that Lockheed the dragon would return.

And boom! Lockheed the dragon returns with a lady dragon!

He’s been getting laid this whole time, the little scamp! I assume! Either way, he has contributed absolutely nothing to anything that happened.

Reed decides that Lockheed and Connors showing up isn’t just a coincidence, that the Beyonder left some trace energy behind when he quit the plot. And that the energy is causing a wish fulfillment phenomenon (which sorta makes sense if you think of it like the promise Beyonder promised to fulfill the winners’ desires?)

Mr. Fantastic: “I believe that this... ‘wish fulfillment’ phenomenon we’ve been experiencing is an after-effect of the battle against Doom! The planet itself seems to have been charged with residual energy whichs seems to respond to strong desire, or force of will!”

Cap(tain America) immediately takes off to where he’s keeping all the fragments of his broken shield that he’s been able to find and wishes REALLY hard for it to be fixed.

“It was the product of a freak metallurgical accident -- a metallic disk of unknown composition, and unique properties -- utterly impervious to any force or instrument which humans comprehend. But now it lies before him like a wounded friend... How many times has it saved his life? And now... it’s usefl life is at an end, for no fire could melt it, no furnace could reforge it. It is forever broken... unless by force of will... or sheer desire... He can accomplish the impossible!”

Hey, how about that!

I mean, you could have wished Bucky back to life but on the other hand, it’s a real sweet shield. I get it.

Although, in terms of the pre-post Secret Wars issue teasing what could happen in it (Hulk with a leg brace, She-Hulk with the FF, Spider-Man’s new costume), I really think that Steve should have returned from Battleworld with the broken shield.

Almost everything that’s gonna be brought back from Secret Wars is going to have to be abandoned or turn out to be evil.

It’s going to turn out (years later, mind) that Steve fixed his shield bad with his FORCE OF WILL and that for some reason, imperfections in the shield threaten to destroy ALL VIBRANIUM.

And that’s a decent story, probably.

Just saying, you could have Cap return with a broken shield and get that ‘how did that happen’ hype. Its a really intriguing idea. Although, I’d bet that breaking Cap’s shield was only thought up after the pre-post Secret Wars issues had already been done so it had to be introduced and rectified in Secret Wars itself.

Some other things that didn’t last long from Secret Wars: we already know the black goo costume didn’t even last through Secret Wars. The modifications Reed made to the Iron Man armor stop working when Rhodey returns to Earth, then they evolve into the evil Carnivor and fights Quasar in Quasar. Hulk ditches his leg brace two issues after his return to Earth. Connors turns himself back into the Lizard to save his family a couple years after Secret Wars. And so on.

So the time comes to return everyone back to Earth with the device Reed made. It teleports them in small groups up to the ring-shaped construct that got them to Battleworld where it will teleport them to Earth.

Reed beams up the unaffiliated group first of Spider-Man, Spider-Woman, Curt Connors, Hulk, and Magneto who decided he’s too cool to hang with the X-Men on the ride home.

Next, the X-Men. Although they have to talk Colossus into coming home instead of being sad on a hill forever by convincing him that he’d be wasting the life Zsaji gave him if he didn’t come home.

Colossus letting Xavier talk him into sticking with the X-Men over greater and greater personal losses eventually becomes a sore point.

Lockheed’s girlfriend flies into the teleport as Reed initializes it, causing a dramatic energy fluctuation that Reed hopes won’t cause any problems on Earth.

It does.

Puff the tiny dragon becomes Puff the enormous dragon, and menaced Japan in her quest to mate with Lockeed. The X-Men had to fight her and Lockheed eventually rejected the now much bigger dragon causing her to explode.

Although she came back to life at some point and she and Lockheed did get back together.

X-Men is a weird book.

The Avengers are up next but She-Hulk tells them that she’s joining the Fantastic Four. Now this happened because Byrne made grabby hands at her and Stern didn’t say no but its not really satisfactorily built-up in this story.

Ben and She-Hulk don’t share many moments to establish that they have a good friendship that he could ask her to take his place on the team. In fact, the last time I know of them teaming up, she was a huge sex pest to him. So it makes it even more baffling.

But it happened in the pre-post issue so its gotta happen.

And Ben asks Jen (maybe the similar names is why he asks her? They can get away with only changing a single letter on his locker) because he’s going to stay behind on Battleworld because he can control his powers here.

He’s not planning on being here forever and Reed can leave the gizmo so Ben can return whenever he wants.

What makes this stupid is that like almost everything involving Ben, Reed knows a lot more about what’s going on and just doesn’t say anything. He starts to but doesn’t insist when Ben tells him not to try to change his mind.

The thing about the Thing is that Ben should always have been able to Rock On or Rock Off as he pleased but there’s a psychological block preventing it.

Ben would lose this control before leaving Battleworld and he quits the FF when he learns that Reed knew that it was a psychological issue.

Mr. Fantastic: “If only I could tell him what I suspect about his transformations -- but it’s the kind of thing that might shatter a man... even a strong man like Ben! No, better to say nothing... and hope he slowly discovers the truth for himself... Or hides from it forever!”“

Geez.

You’re so bad at people.

Anyway. Yeah. Needed some more build-up. Maybe centered around the transformation. Jen could sympathize. She used to have trouble controlling her hulk outs before she just decided to be She-Hulk all the time.

Anyway, this big ridiculous thing (the last issue was 43 PAGES LONG) ends with Ben being thoughtful on a rock.

And that brings us back to Avengers #243.

I guess he’s not alone because Zsaji’s village is still here, maybe? Is nobody going to send them home??

Follow @essential-avengers​ because FINALLY I can get back to just focusing on the Avengers. Phew. Please like and reblog. This took so much effort.

#Avengers #Secret Wars #Beyonder #VICTOR VON DOOM #Captain America #Captain Marvel #Monica Rambeau #Hawkeye #Thor #the Wasp #Hulk #X Men #Colossus #Klaw #the Thing #Fantastic Four #just so many people sob #Spider Man #Spider Woman #Essential Avengers #essential marvel liveblogging

[neoniverse]

heal me. | chapter III

disclaimer: this series is a work of fiction. any businesses, events or incidents are products of my wide imagination. all of the character’s personality does not reflect and has nothing to do in real life.

warnings: smut, angst, usage of strong language, mentions of death, alcohol & drugs, cheating issues and lots of flashbacks (read each chapter carefully)

pairings: jung jaehyun x reader

a/n: i want to thank y’all for sending me messages regarding this series, i’m so overwhelmed with the support i’m receiving. :( heal me is ending in four more chapters so the next update might take long to write again for i will write the last chapters longer than the usual. again, thank you sooooo much :’( 

song association: storm - ruelle

« CHAPTER II / CHAPTER IV »

“You’re taking my heart, by storm

I’m lost in your love.”

The cold breeze of the whole fancy floor embraced a minimal exposed skin of my shoulder, allowing me to fix my white fur shawl to its place. I make my way down the carpeted hallway, knees quivering, and my heart in my throat thumping an unusual differing beat.

I am going to have a dinner with Taeyong Lee, and I don’t even like eating dinner—not to a place like this. But he kept on insisting earlier so I had to accept his offer.

“Bonsoir. Réservation pour Lee,” Taeyong pleasingly said to the lady in the desk, her hair was styled in a neat bun.

“Par ici, Monsieur.”

Another woman escorted us to a private room. Everything inside the restaurant shimmers, screams elegance, and luxuriance. I feel like a mere outsider, knowing that the man walking casually beside me is known to be really well off.

When we arrived at the dining room, the plates were already set. As if it forethought that there will be two people dining in. Taeyong pulled the chair so I could sit. He sat in front of me afterwards.

“So, are you Jaehyun’s girlfriend or ex-girlfriend?”

Taeyong randomly asked before putting the spoon inside his mouth. Just as I was about to swallow, he drifted his dark brown eyes to mine—making me choke on the food.

He forthwith poured water on the tall drinking glass; I immediately drank from it, hand over the chest.

He smirked. “Sorry. Based on your reaction, I really think you’re damn indeed my brother’s girlfriend.”

I shook my head miserably and smiled. Taeyong is softer and light to talk to than his brother. Though he immensely intimidates my soul; those dark stares, brow raise and playful grin is really something.

“What made you jump to that?” I asked him while my eyes were on the utensils I’m holding.

He went silent for a moment, giving me his infamous stare. I gave him back a look and felt my face heated so bad.

“Oh—holy shit,” He cursed softly. “You’re the one from Johnny’s house party two years ago!”

I tried to hide my smile but then, failed. Taeyong put his utensils down to hold his chin, as if enthralling.

“May I also ask now?”

He leaned back. “Yeah, sure. As what you are allowed to do so, gorgeous.”

I remained silent for a couple of seconds, thinking of the question that has been bothering me since the day I met him.

“If Jaehyun is your brother, how come you’re not a Jung?”

His brow shot up and fixes me with his dark stare. Oh, God. Did I, in any way, offend him? His mouth quirks up, and he stares quietly. If I tell you I was terrified, I do mean it.

“I—I didn’t mean to uhm, nevermind. You don’t need to ans-”

“Well, he’s my half-brother,” His lips curls in a wry smile then continues. “Father introduced him to me when we were eight. And I know what you’re thinking. I don’t hate him, Y/N. Jaehyun being my half-bro, and hating him for that is just so shallow and childish. But of course, I did hate him when we were little ones but he ended up becoming my best friend.”

I felt bad.

“I’m sorry for asking such an insensitive question,” I muttered.

Taeyong slightly shook his head sideways and proceeded to eat. He even joked about something that made me laugh. After the fancy dinner, he drove me back to the hotel I was staying at, and apparently, he was also staying there.

“When will you go back to Korea?” He asked before sitting on the solo sofa inside my hotel room. I insisted him to stay for a while.

“The day after next,” I sighed. “I have plenty of works to do.” I answered and dropped my white fur shawl on the edge of the bed.

“There is something about you that keeps me intrigued, Y/N.” He squinted his eyes that made me chuckle.

I shot my brow up. “Yeah? What is it?”

“Are you really a human or some type of goddess that walked to this planet?” He says, like a curious kid.

“That’s a secret for me.”

“Ah, whatever. I’ll go ahead now. Might be ruining your supposed beauty rest already.” He shrugged and stood up.

“Taeyong.”

“Hm?”

“Thank you, so much, for tonight. I really had so much fun.”

“Pleasure’s all mine, gorgeous. Have a good night.”

He smiled widely and winked before walking out of the room. The day after next, I went back home. Johnny fetched me from the airport and welcomed me with piles of paperwork.

“And here are the papers from Mrs. Han’s office. God, she annoyed me for the whole two days you were gone!” He continously rants. “She even told me, ‘Why did you left my poor Y/N alone”, when I’m not even fucking invited!”

 I let out a laugh. “Well, Mr. Johnny, it’s because Mrs. Han treats me like Sodam. You know how much she misses her,” I smirked. “Besides, be thankful that she didn’t make you fly to Paris just for updates about me.”

“Hm, yeah. Really thankful,” He rolled his eyes.

“By the way, I heard you went out with Taeyong.”

I froze on my swivel chair. Did someone saw us and mistakenly thought we were out on a date?

“Nope,” He answered, as if he read my mind. “Someone just told me.”

“Ah, yes,” I glanced at him. “I accidentally bumped into him when I was about to leave the event. He just compensated.”

I went silent, thinking of who could possibly saw us that night.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep it as a secret.” He winked playfully.

I glared at him. He raised his hands—as if he committed. He probably thinks there’s something going on between me and Taeyong. I let out an exasperated sigh and before finishing the paperwork. Much for a productive day.

After Taeyong’s appearance on the site three weeks ago, I never saw Jaehyun again. Perhaps he’s also taking his distance from me. Which is something I should be least cared about. Until the following days turned into weeks then turned into months. April ended like a blink of an eye.

“Hey, you seem to be so occupied,” Rosé removed her hard hat and sat beside me. “What’s bothering you?”

I looked at her. I don’t even know what’s keeping me off. Maybe because time flies so fast.

“I really don’t know, Rosie. Something’s just bothering me lately.” I softly smiled. “It’s already October.”

She patted the top of my head and did a short storytelling of her embarrassing moments when she was still in college. She was full on energy and talkative. I listened to her jokes but I still felt like floating and tired.

“Let’s go out for drinks tonight,” She squealed. ”My treat, I swear!”

She pulled me to the near mall after work. Whenever I’m about to pay, she just hands me the paper bag and shows her black card. I wasn’t even dumbfounded about it. She came from a wealthy family, after all.

After the short shopping, we decided to go home and just meet at the club. I called Johnny to join us but he said he has to be somewhere else. While Seolhee, all I know is she’s in Chicago for a short leave.

The blasting music from the club was already heard from the parking. I took a quick glance to the rear-view mirror before going out of my BMW. I decided to wear a black lace bralette, short fitted leather skirt, and a pair of black opyum sandals from YSL.

“Holy shit, Y/N!” Rosé stood up when she saw me walking towards the reserved table. She gave me a kiss on the cheek. “You look bomb, babe, just so you know.”

I laughed. “And we both know you’re the head-turner here.”

She poured vodka in the shot glasses and gave me one. I tucked a stray lock of hair behind my ear.

“Cheers!”

I was about to tale the shot when someone snatched the glass from my hand. My eyes widen up when I saw Taeyong straightly drank it. He placed the glass back to the marble table, making a noise.

“Hey, gorgeous,” Taeyong greeted. He’s wearing oversized stripped long sleeves, two buttons are unbuttoned, and his hair was dyed with color green. Which I find hideous.

I smiled and tapped the space beside me. 

Rosé cleared her throat and stood up. “I’m leaving you two alone, I’ll look for my boyfriend.”

I nodded then turned to Taeyong. “What brought you here? It’s been months since I last saw you,” I asked before taking a new shot of vodka. “Your new hair color is so fucking hideous, by the way.”

His brows furrowed then he pulled his hair down to look at his hair. “You’re such a bully, y’know.” He put his elbow to the table and rested his chin to his hand.

“And I’m not a loner,” He joked. “Come with me, I’ll bring you to our table.”

We went to the VIP floor of the club, and as we walk, he was greeted by different people, most of them are socialites or models. Taeyong swiftly placed his hand on my waist that I didn’t even notice at first.

“Meet my dumb folks,” He softly tightened his hold that made me look at him but he just winked.

Winking is his signature move.

The table was filled with five boys, one of them was familiar to me and one girl. I glanced at his friends until I saw Jaehyun in the middle, staring at me. Down to Taeyong’s hand on my waist. His jaw clenched and he looked away. The girl beside him placed her hand to his thigh.

“Y/N, this is Yuta, Lucas,” Taeyong said, looking at the two guys who were laughing on the left. They stopped when they heard their name.

I gulped nervously when I felt Jaehyun’s bored eyes at me again. My hands was trembling and it was probably obvious but they didn’t seem to notice it when I took their hands.

“Oh, right. Taeyong-hyung’s babe,” Lucas said as he took my hand and shook it. He pressed his hand.

“Doubt that,” I answered. Taeyong chuckled and guided me to sit beside the familiar guy. “He has plenty of ‘babe’ for me to add in and join the crowd.” I continued, and gazed to Jaehyun.

God, he makes me so fucking nervous.

“The two on your right are Doyoung and Mark,” He continued. “Mark is Johnny’s cousin.” He motioned to the two guys beside me.

I gave them a smile. “Yeah, I know Mark. Johnny introduced him to me before.”

“Don’t drink too much if you don’t want to make things you will surely regret tomorrow morning,” Taeyong whispered, making me chuckle. He just smirked.

Jaehyun suddenly stood up and left the table. His jaw clenched when he looked at me then he went downstairs. I excused myself for bathroom break but I just followed him.

I realized we were already outside, at the parking lot. He approached a grey Aston Martin. Even if the area was a bit dark, I can still see his ears turn red.

“Hey, Jaehyun,” I grabbed his arm.

“Fuck!” He hissed, pulling his arm back. “What is it, this fucking time, huh?”

I bit my lower lip. “Let’s just talk, please.”

He scoffed sarcastically before releasing his hand to the car handle. I gazed down.

“Why are you being like this? Are you drunk?” I said softly.

“Are you for real, asking me why am I acting out like this? You left me and you came back again,” He pushed his hair back in frustration. “Bullshit!”

I looked at him with disbelief. “I left because I had reasons, and I never wanted to be back. It was you who keeps on wanting me near you!”

“Then run away.” He looked at me with a mocking smirk. “Run fucking away. I’m so tired and done of this shit, anyway.”

My throat felt dry. I couldn’t talk. I wanted to slap him across the cheek but somehow, I just can’t. He let out a frustrated groan before kicking his car door that made me flinch. Tears are starting to form at the corner of my eyes.

“Run away from me, Y/N. Run until you’re far and unreachable for me to follow.” His jaw clenched, for God knows how many times already and shook his head.

“Why do you want me to be far from you then?” A fresh hot tear fell from my left eye.

“Because I’m so tired of the chase. I’m so tired of running for you,” His voice broke. “I tried to forget you, I tried to remove you out of my system. God knows what my fucking limit is, baby, and there’s nothing more painful to that.”

He entered his car and stayed inside. While I was left dumbfounded, someone pulled me. My traitor tears started falling—no one was even able to stop it.

Taeyong, being the great savior that he is, ended up driving me back to my condominium. He remained silent whilst I muffled my sobs inside his car. When we got inside my unit, he told me to get a nice warm shower before sleeping. He even got himself the cotton pads and makeup remover on my vanity just to remove the remaining makeup on my face.

“I will leave once you’ve fallen asleep,” He said while putting the damped cotton to my face.

I just stared at him with desolation. My heart weighed down with sadness, causing my eyes to burn with tears. He cupped my face and wiped the shed tears away.

“I don’t know why you’re doing this,” I remained my eyes to his. “But thank you, Taeyong. I’m really thankful.”

He just gave me a soft pat on top of my head as a response that made my heart thump hard. I slowly closed my eyes, begging for the darkness to fill and enclose me in.

February 9, five years ago.

Johnny’s 20th birthday bash was definitely boring—or atleast for you because you feel like you don’t belong there. Johnny is a really famous guy ever since you met him when you were freshmen. Most of his friends are either models or socialites. As you feel the boredom reaching out, you left the ballroom to go to the hotel’s rooftop to wind up and inhale fresh air. At first, you thought you were alone.

A tall guy was standing near the edge, hands inside the pockets of his black jeans, eyes gazing the view of city lights. You crossed your arms over your chest before walking towards the man. But he just remained his eyes to the busy Seoul.

Minute has passed and no one even dared to speak. You were about to leave when the unknown man finally had the guts to talk.

“Would you mind me telling a story?” He said, his back was still facing you.

You don’t know what pulled your shit together into joining and listening to him. But you decided to stay because you didn’t want to go back downstairs and act as if you’re sociable.

“My father, he got fucking mad at me just for a petty reason,” He smiled. “I left the home I thought I would claim as my own. I feel useless just because for a fucking small mistake. I hate him so much. He cheated twice, now he’s doing it again. A fucking manipulative cheater—something I will never do or even try to be.”

“You also got daddy issues. Nice.” You scoffed. He locked gazes with you. “I’m Y/N.”

He laughed and a set of deep dimples appeared. “Mhm, your name suits you well. The name’s Jaehyun Jung.”

An hour has passed without the both of you knowing. You both shared shitty stories that happened to your lives while admiring the city lights and night sky. Things like this bored you to hell before, so it was very unlikely of you.

“And you know what’s shittier than that? My father—my own father abandoned us. I have like, zero knowledge to that man.”

“Holy fuck, we’re so fucking broken,” Jaehyun scoffed sarcastically.

“I don’t feel broken, though,” You looked at him. “Did my fucked up life story atleast, helped you forget what happened to you?”

“Pretty much, yeah. Now I’m thinking if you’re some angel sent from above to heal me for a moment.”

“Allow me to heal you further, then.” You gave him a small smile.

The night was so young, and you never thought a mere stranger would also help you forget your own problems. You already knew it from the very start.

You were the reason why he wanted to be loved by people and you—to heal him as he also heal the wound of your poisonous past.

#nct #nct 127 #nct jaehyun #jung jaehyun #nct smut #nct angst #nct scenario #nct fanfic #nct x reader #nct imagines #jung jaehyun au #jaehyun fanfic #jaehyun angst #jaehyun smut #jaehyun x reader #jeong jaehyun

[that-shamrock-vibe]

Depp v Heard: Warner Bros. Damage Control

As the Coronavirus Pandemic ultimately ends the 2020 movie season, it seems other forces are set to threaten the 2021 and even 2022 release schedule, but rather than a global life-threatening pandemic, this comes from the ongoing, highly-publisized domestic legal battle between Johnny Depp and Amber Heard.

This post will be predicting the state of play for the future careers of the two actors as well as the typhoon of trouble Warner Bros. find themselves in as they try to weather the storm they find themselves caught in as two of their biggest movie franchises find themselves in flux.

No More Grindelwald:

So yes, the latest headline in this ever-growing Depp v Heard battle is that Johnny Depp has been fired from the Fantastic Beasts movies in the wake of the actor’s libel case loss days ago.

Now clearly this is the direct action of Warner Bros. as all the headlines tend to include the words “fired” or “axed” rather than Depp himself stepping down, which is a very definitive difference as both Depp and Heard wanted to delay these court cases so they could get back to their respective roles which they have admitted they both enjoy.

Now to be honest, Johnny Depp in the role of Gellart Grindelwald has been tainted since the reveal of his casting in the first Fantastic Beasts movie. This was of course tainted by the fact that this legal battle was already going on but Depp was effectively vilified as the culprit in all this.

However, despite the very public controversy around the casting to the degree of a mass boycott petition for The Crimes of Grindelwald, for some fans like myself we enjoyed him in the role. It may not have been him back on the form of his glory days but considering his other work of late, his role in the Wizarding World franchise and his small yet crucial role in Murder on the Orient Express remind fans of when he was at the top of his game with the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Now that’s not to say Grindelwald is gone in the movies going forward. I mean yes these prequels are supposed to be about the history between Dumbledore and Grindelwald, but that doesn’t mean Grindelwald has to always be portrayed by Johnny Depp. He can change his face magically as he did in the first movie with Polyjuice Potion to look like Colin Farrell, a role by the way many fans believed he should have continued with, so why couldn’t he change his face again?

In fact it has been confirmed that Grindelwald will be recast as well as also being confirmed that Fantastic Beasts 3 has now been delayed due to this news from December 2021 to Summer 2022. I don’t understand how this franchise is still standing with all of this controversy...even without COVID the franchise is a hea

What Goes Around Comes Around:

Now I am not for one second siding with either Johnny Depp or Amber Heard in this battle, in fact I believe they are both at fault and the best way to resolve this with minimal damage prior to this libel case was for the two of them to both accept blame, get a divorce and move on from each other. However, Depp chose to sue a newspaper for liability and now we are where we are.

Why I am targeting this post at Warner Bros. specifically is because, in my opinion, as they publicly fired Depp from Fantastic Beasts, then there should also be some repercussions for Heard with Aquaman 2 unless the studio wants to be seen as siding with Heard in this ongoing case.

That being said, like Depp as Grindelwald I really enjoy Heard as Mera. That’s not me saying I like Heard, agree with Heard or anything like that. That is me doing what I always do which is not really paying attention to the artist’s personal life and simply focusing on the job they are hired to do.

The good thing about the Heard side of this argument is that Warner Bros. DC are already taking steps to potentially phase Mera out in the DCEU by introducing a new female character to Aquaman 2, that many fans believe will be Dolphin, as a potential new love interest for Jason Mamoa’s Aquaman. So unlike Depp’s Grindelwald who is a major pivotal part of the Fantastic Beasts movies, Mera, though essential to the Aquaman story for any DC fan, isn’t pivotal to the movies unfortunately.

DCEU Future:

Another linking factor that forms the unholy trinity creating the shitstorm for Warner Bros. is what to do with Ezra Miller in both Fantastic Beasts and at DC.

While maybe not as damaging to the franchises as the Depp v Heard case, or the J.K. Rowling controversy for the Wizarding World franchise, Miller has proven to be a problem child for Warner Bros. firstly as The Flash and then as Credence Barebone.

Now yes the final straw for many DC fans may have been the photographic/video evidence showing the actor throttling a civilian on a night out, but Miller has always been a wild card for any franchise given his somewhat unique artistic styling and wanting to put as much of himself into a role as possible.

Let’s face it, when we first saw him in Justice League as The Flash. We didn’t see Barry Allen, we saw Ezra Miller as The Flash. Now maybe the upcoming Snyder Cut will prove why Miller was originally cast in the role but I am putting my foot down onto my dislike of the portrayal by saying that Joss Whedon wanted Ezra Miller to fall onto Gal Gadot’s cleavage, Gal Gadot refused and they had to bring in a body double but Ezra Miller was still okay with it.

Am I saying that if DC fires Amber Heard they need to also fire Ezra Miller? No because not only has Ezra Miller been in the promotion of both the Snyder Cut and the upcoming Flashpoint movie, I feel it sets too negative a precedent of negative press or controversy equals being cut no matter how pivotal to the movie or show you are.

The Bright Side:

I do want to try and finish this on a lighter note because all there seems to be is doom and gloom at the moment. Not only has this happened to Depp and may potentially happen to Heard, but also it has been rumoured that Wonder Woman 1984 is set to once again be pushed back from its dual Christmas Day cinematic/PVOD release date to June 2021.

However, while I feel if Heard was to be cut from Aquaman 2, the movie would also be pushed back which would benefit both it and Black Panther 2 which are both currently slated for the same year and Black Panther 2 strongly hinted at introducing Namor who is effectively Marvel’s Aquaman, we do still have The Batman in our sights and that movie is at least being teed up wonderfully.

It does pose some disappointment in the fact that Colin Farrell probably won’t return to the role of Grindelwald due to his role as The Penguin in The Batman, but there’s a reason Batman remains DC’s strongest property due to the fact in the entirety of DC’s multimedia history it is always Batman-related properties that thrive in movies, television and games.

I mean, in regards to Colin Farrell returning to the role, never say never to Warner Bros. wanting to I guess appease fans by bringing back one of the few good aspects of this Fantastic Beasts movies considering when the characters went from Percival Graves to Gellert Grindelwald fans were screaming for a reversal. Especially as both The Batman and Fantastic Beasts 3 are being filmed in Liverpool.

Overall, as has been said before, I feel the Depp/Heard case is very sensitive and tricky to navigate but how it’s affecting the two actors’ respective movies is the part where I feel we fans can step in. Not obviously change things but at least have our say.

So what do you guys think? What do you think should happen with the Fantastic Beasts movies going forward, not just with this recent development axing Johnny Depp but also with the controversy around Ezra Miller and J.K. Rowling...how much more heat can this franchise withstand?

Similarly should Amber Heard be dropped from Aquaman 2? Would Warner Bros. turning a blind eye show favouritism on her part?

Post your comments and check out more entertainment reports as well as other posts.

#johnny depp #amber heard #warner bros. #fantastic beasts #wizarding world #mera #gellert grindelwald #colin farrell #percival graves #aquaman #dc #j.k. rowling #ezra miller #the flash #barry allen #aquaman 2 #the crimes of grindelwald #fantastic beasts 2 #fantastic beasts 3 #flash #credence barebone #aurelius dumbledore

[timeandspacenovelist]

Wargames Worries

Set before and after Wargames 2020.

The sweet but peaceful tones of “A Whole New World” filled the air with a relaxing atmosphere as Candice LeRae hummed along. She just taken out a nice turkey (it was a week after Thanksgiving, allow her) and she set it alongside the other lovely dishes on offer. Today was planning day for WarGames and in addition to going into war with these ladies, she also got on decently well with them. She and Dakota had patched things up after their falling out last year and Raquel seemed alright. Toni and she had met a few times over the past two years or so and she liked her, so that’s good as well. So in order to make this day as good as it could be, alongside the turkey there was a lobster, some Texas ribs and some snacks imported from New Zealand. Now all that was needed was for the guests to arrive. She checked the clock, 3:00pm. Johnny had his game to watch, so he would be occupied. She didn’t want him blabbing about anything unintentionally. She had to outright click delete on a tweet that he was about to send that was gonna reveal Indi as Ghostface before the time called for it. She loved him so much, but honestly, he frustrated her sometimes. She took a few cleansing breaths as she thought about the day ahead.

“Ok, first time planning as WarGames captain. Everything’s gonna be fine. I’m in control. Rhea did it last year, what’s the worse that can happen?” she said to herself. Maybe it was gonna be a good day. Then the doorbell rang.

She opened the door to three smiling faces who no doubt got a whiff of the food as they almost bulldozed past her. She was glad that part was a success, at least.

“So how are you guys doing?” she asked, trying to start off the get together on a friendly note.

“Well, Raquel and I just finished working out and Toni.. What did you say you were doing again?” Dakota stated and then asked.

“Mmmm? Oh, I was getting some new gear,” Toni said, her mouth full with lobster, “I’m really sorry Candice but I hadn’t eaten today and it looked so nice.”

“That’s fine Toni. It was for you anyway.” Candice said, a smile appearing on her face because of the Australian’s love for the food. She hadn’t quite gotten a chance to ask Toni exactly why she liked lobster so much, but one day she’ll tell her.

“Where’s Johnny?” Raquel asked, the Latina taking Toni’s initiative and digging into the turkey.

“In the bedroom, watching the game.”

“Don’t you two usually watch together?”

“Yes, but today, we’ve got something important to do.” The captain of Team Candice and the namesake, (Dakota suggested Task Force X but was rejected), then went over to the couch and picked up her iPad. She flicked through a few unneeded pictures (she didn’t know why she had a picture of Pawdme’s paw) before settling on the picture of the plans she spent last night drawing up.

“I figured since we’re up against some tough competition, we’d best prepare as well as we can. No four on 1 attacks this time.” That was slightly disappointing to her as they had enjoyed the use of the numbers game a lot over the past few weeks, but this time, they had to go toe to toe.

“Umm, Candice?” Dakota said, her hand raised in the air like a diligent student.

“Dakota, you don’t actually have to put your hand up.” Candice said with a soft smile.

“Ah, sorry. Force of habit,” the Kiwi said, blushing slightly in her embarrassment, “who’s gonna be the first one going into the cages?” It was a valid question. They had unexpectedly lost the advantage match so they would have to enter first. The person who went in first usually would be the one to set the pace and hang on, Candice herself knowing that personally.

“Well, I was gonna suggest that....” The sentence wasn’t completed as the trio were startled by the shout of Dakota who’s shocked face melted into a warm wide grin as she realized the mysterious person who touched her was Pawdme. The captain of Team Kick sunk to her feet and began to play with the Garganos’ dog, rubbing her belly and giving her high fives.

“Dakota, are you gonna listen to what I’m saying, or are you gonna play with Pawdme?” Candice sighed and asked, already knowing the answer. Every time she came over, this always happens.

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” she responded, clearly distracted by the rather cute pup.

Candice just shook her head and turned her attention to Toni and Raquel. Toni was, albeit still, paying a lot of attention to her lobster, but she was at least listening. “So, Raquel, I think you should enter the ring second. That way you can help clean up any messes we might have dealing with two of Team Shotzi’s members.”

“I got you Cap,” Raquel said, before she was interrupted by the throat clearing of one Dakota Kai. “sorry, other cap.” Dakota nodded her head and continued playing with Pawdme. Raquel was about to speak again when a loud cheer interrupted her. Johnny came out (well, ran out) of the bedroom like an excited kid who was bringing a report card for their parents to see.

“Sorry, Candice, but I just gotta tell you. I got it. My bet actually paid off!” the exuberant founder of the Gargano Way stated, as proud as he possibly could be.

“What bet is that?” Toni asked, her face showing one of intrigue and interest.

“He bet $500 that Higgins would score two touchdowns this game. It obviously paid off.” Candice stated, giggling at her husband’s excitement over it.

“Yep! Oh baby, Hollywood’s coming in clutch once again!” Johnny said.

“Hollywood, eh?” Toni said, intrigued by the nickname. Her boyfriend watched it, but she never paid attention when he talked football. She had no idea what a touchdown was, but it was obviously good as he got two, and Johnny was happy. She honestly knew little about sports other than wrestling, but was willing to try it if it was interesting to her.

Candice turned to see Raquel looking sheepishly at her, almost like there was something she wanted to say, but felt like it would be wrong to. “If you’re gonna say it, go ahead and say it, Raquel.”

“It’s the Cowboys, they’re playing the Browns. I mistimed the schedule. I thought we had more time before the game began.” the large Latina said, her point coming across very clearly.

“Fine.... go ahead and watch the game. But you better listen when Toni and I talk about the plan with you.” Candice said, like an exasperated mom.

“Thank you so much!” Raquel said as she hurried inside with Johnny, not before flicking Dakota for her interruption earlier, who responded with a playful jab in kind.

“Score’s 21-14 right now. Best watch your head there, the doorway’s a bit..... Ah see I told you to watch your head.” Johnny told her, his warning coming too late.

“Well, Dakota’s playing with Pawdme so her attention is gone, essentially. Raquel’s watching the game with Johnny, so it’s up to the two of us. You ready Toni? Toni?” Candice explained before trying to get Toni’s attention. She then heard a small sound before listening closer and hearing the loud but soft music of Queen, in particular, ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’. Toni had her headphones in her ear and was scrolling down her phone on Twitter. Candice could only shake her head and smirk. She was 25 once too, and she did the same thing, albeit with a less high-tech phone.

She sighed, and she shut down the iPad. It was low on power, anyway. She did try. She did honest to God try. Maybe being a captain was a lot more difficult than Rhea made it out to be. Then again, she never had any team meetings. She was better than her there. Maybe one day when she’s less mad at her for the multi-woman beat down thing, she and Rhea would have a talk about WarGames last year that they had been meaning to have. She checked the clock, 3:30. It had only been a half hour. She shook her head and took out the cupcake she had brought for herself to eat as she let the vocalizing of Freddie Mercury send her thoughts to another place. Come Sunday, they’d just wing it.

Everything hurts. Everything aches. Turns out WarGames isn’t the most pleasant experience in the world. You’d think Candice would realize that after getting her ass kicked by four women for almost half an hour last year. But in her mind, Shotzi needed to be punished. Unfortunately, that punishment meant a broken arm and feeling very, very sore. But a win is a win, and she’s won two WarGames matches now, so that was nice. She looked to her left and gave a warm smile to Toni Storm, who responded in kind before wincing a bit as she tried to move fully on her side to turn to her friend.

“Hey..... thanks for letting us crash at your place for tonight and heal up.” the Aussie said in recognition of the Garganos’ hospitality. Candice (well, mostly Johnny) had decided that the rest of Team Candice could stay at their house tonight, so they wouldn’t have to drive home in pain. It was the least she could do as they put their bodies on the line tonight to win.

“It’s no problem, really. We all needed a place to rest and recuperate after the match and we have more than enough room here.” Candice replied.

“I’m sure Dakota is very thankful for your help, as well. She’ll just let you know when she wakes up. She got hammered, literally.” Toni said, as Candice turned to her right to see a soundly sleeping Dakota Kai, who had taken the lion’s share of the punishment. She had been the most difficult to get into bed because of her soreness and hadn’t taken long to fall asleep.

“You guys can thank me by healing up and getting better” Candice then took the bell she had on her chest and rang it as loud but as gentle as she could in order to alert the person who gave it to her. She had been in the opposite role many a time, but now she was glad it was her turn to be pampered. The door flew open to reveal an attentive Johnny Gargano awaiting his next order.

“You rang?”

“Could you bring me a cup of water, please? My throat’s a little parched.” Candice asked nicely.

“No problem. Nurse Gargano is at your service.“ Johnny said with a salute as he went off to get the drink. Yeah, Candice could definitely get used to this.

Toni tossed and turned in bed as she suffered from the nightmare again. It was the third time in four weeks she had gotten it, and it wasn’t stopping anytime soon. She honestly hadn’t wanted to do it at all, but she rolled to her side in order to fight off the seemingly invisible enemy and she hit Dakota as she flew off the bed and fell down on the surprisingly soft carpet. Dakota would need to make a mental note to tell them about it. The sudden thud and that wail of pain woke Candice up from her slumber and shook Toni from her nightmare. The bell was rung, and it was Raquel, not Johnny, who had answered. In addition to winning the match for the team, Raquel had taken the least amount of damage and so was fit for duties as a caretaker temporarily.

“What happened? What’s going on?” Raquel asked as she burst in.

Candice looked over to the fallen Kiwi and then the shaking Aussie, and put two and two together. When she switched places with Toni, she didn’t expect this to happen. “Toni had a nightmare, swung wildly and knocked off Dakota.”

Dakota hadn’t realized when it happened. All she knew was that she was on the floor, in the air, and then back on the bed. As her realization started sinking in, she noticed the towering figure above her and smiled. “Thanks.”

“No problem. You’re my Hermana. I wanna do stuff like this for you.” Raquel said, straightening and fluffing Dakota’s pillow.

Dakota wasn’t a multilingual person, far from it. But she knew a little bit of Spanish and knew that Hermana meant sister. She smiled at the term of endearment by the Latina. “Sister, eh? Does that mean I get to borrow your clothes? I might need to fix some of them though, just to fit little old me.” Dakota said, smiling at her friend.

“Oh, shut up.” Raquel said laughing as she ruffled Dakota’s mane and left the room, seeing that the other problem was being well handled by Candice.

Candice had her arm around Toni and was rubbing her shoulder as the Aussie finally calmed down. “Hey, hey, hey. It’s ok. You’re alright now. What was the dream about?”

“...... The I quit match.” Toni said after a few seconds of building up courage to say it. Candice understood immediately. It was Toni’s last match in NXT UK and she’d almost gotten seriously hurt towards the end. She assumed the nightmare stemmed from the WarGames recently and all the stuff around it must have reawakened it in her.

Candice took Toni’s hand in hers and held it tight. “Hey, you don’t have to worry about that now. I’m here, with you, in this nice bed. I’ve got your hand, You’re safe. Now I think we can lie back down and go to sleep, but as long as you know that I’ve got you. Ok?”

“Ok.” Toni said, nodding. Toni eased back onto the bed and kept a strong hold of Candice’s hand. Candice stayed up until she felt the strong grip loosen and loosen until she looked over and saw her sleeping. Candice, upon seeing that, was now content. She took a little longer, but she also eventually fell back to sleep as well, dreaming of her Prince Charming..

“Rise and shine, people! Up and at them. Time for breakfast.” Johnny shouted as the clock struck 8:00 am. Seeing as they were normally early risers, Johnny decided to let them sleep in a bit but now, he was ready. The three women sleepily walked out of the bedroom, still sore but less so than last night.

“Morning honey.” Candice said as she walked over and kissed her husband to greet him. She did smirk at the gagging sounds done by Dakota and Toni mocking her for her show of affection.

“Get a room you two.” Toni said, feeling much better after her nightmare last night.

“It’s our house, thank you very much. So what do you have prepared for us today, Chef Gargano?” Candice said laughing.

“Well, with some.... ok a lot of help from Raquel, we got up early, and we made toast and eggs and sandwiches and we got orange juice and water. All you need for a lovely breakfast to give you a good start to the day.” Johnny said, looking quite proud of his accomplishment, well, his and Raquel’s accomplishment.

“I didn’t know you could cook.” Dakota admitted to her large friend.

“You never asked. Ten months together and you never once asked if I could cook?” Raquel questioned with an air of lightheartedness surrounding it.

“Never got the chance?” Dakota said in response.

“Eat your damn breakfast. I worked hard on it so you best enjoy it.” Raquel said smiling as she sat down to eat, which gave the cue to everyone else to dig in.

“Yes, sir.” Dakota said saluting the Texan. The five of them sat down and ate their well-prepared breakfast, talking about the matches and how it went. Johnny and Candice spoke about bringing in Austin and Indi full time to train them. Toni talked about challenging Io, much to the annoyance of Raquel, but they agreed they’d settle in the ring when the time came. Dakota, to what she thought was away from Candice’s view, snuck food under the table for Pawdme, until Candice caught her but allowed her to give one piece to the dog before she had to stop. Eventually the breakfast was finished and Toni, Raquel and Dakota said their goodbyes and went home. Later that day, the Garganos were having a chat about the experience.

“I really think we should do this more often,” Johnny said as he kissed Candice’s arm injured, “of course, hopefully when you’re not hurt.”

“Well, the next time that WarGames comes around....,” Candice said as she kissed his cheek before slapping him on the head, “you go in the cage instead.” she said, laughing as Johnny rubbed his head in pain.

#candice lerae #toni storm #raquel gonzalez #dakota kai #johnny gargano #wargames #nxt #fanfic #fanficiton #wwe fanfiction #angst #comfort #fluff #friendship

[not-close-to-straight]

More Than Words (Two)

Welcome Back! First official Spideypool meeting here and tbh I love it. Generic TW because Peter (understandably) has a panic attack but its over and done with pretty quickly. Also, I know this chapter brings up some questions but we’ve got a whole lot of story to get too, I promise you’ll get your answers! 

MORE THAN WORDS MASTERLIST HERE

**********************

Peter woke slowly, painfully, head pounding and tongue sticking to the roof of his mouth, jaw sore from sleeping with his teeth clenched, entire body aching from his-- 

--from his fall? From his workout? Did he end up asleep on the couch and Mary Jane helped him to the bed?

No. 

No, there had been the drive upstate and the hotel, the hike around the lake and the startling, terrifying appearance of Nathan Summers who was actually Cable. A metal arm, a bionic eye and Peter had been thrown into the trees. A stolen device and a clicking sound, a flash of light and the unsettling sensation of falling forever and then--

--and then what?

Peter vaguely recalled the jarring thud of dropping onto cold ground, he had a faint memory of strong arms and a low voice in his ear, and just before he had slipped unconscious Peter remembered thinking the Alpha holding him smelled incredible. 

No, that wasn’t right. That couldn’t be right, Peter didn’t like too potent Alpha scent. That wasn’t right. 

...was it?

The Alpha had scented thick like black licorice lingering in Peter’s throat, deep like the red cedars that grew in the park and wild like rainy, summer storms. It really was incredible, safe and familiar, both drugging and exhilarating all at once and right now, the Omega was surrounded by it on all sides, wrapped in heavy blankets and tucked into a big bed. 

There were a million questions Peter should have asked just then, questions about the Alpha that had found him in the woods, questions about Cable and where he was and whatever that device had been, but it was hard to think when Peter could barely open his eyes. 

He didn’t want to wake up yet. He didn’t want to think about Cable, didn’t want to worry about his research. He wanted to lay still and rest sore muscles, burrow deeper into the quilts and pass out again. Peter was tired, exhausted, halfway to tears because he hurt so badly, on the verge of panicking if he thought too long about what happened and oh god he just wanted to sleep--

“Easy, Omega.” came soft words, a deep voice and a soothing rumble. “That noise is breaking my heart, stop whining. There’s no need for all that, I’m not going to hurt you.” 

Peter startled when he realized he wasn’t alone, and made a concentrated effort to muffle another whimper, biting at his lip and clenching his fingers in the blankets, counting up to a hundred to give himself a moment to settle down. He’d never panicked a day in his life and he wasn’t about to start now, he just needed to breathe. 

“That’s better.” The stranger grunted. “Gonna sit up so I can see you, or should I keep talking to a mound of bed covers?” 

Peter took a deep breath and peeked over the edge of the blankets, then gathered the rest of his courage and sat up entirely, offering a sheepish expression and a hesitant wave to the Alpha sitting by the bed. “Sorry. Um-- hi.” 

“Hi.” The Alpha’s mouth curved into a half smile. “How are you feeling? You’ve been asleep a long time.” 

“I’m… tired.” Peter’s eyes darted around the cabin once, twice before coming back to rest on the Alpha. “Where am I?” 

“Up the mountain from Haven.” the Alpha replied. “I found you passed out unera tree and brought you here so nothing else would get you.” 

“Nothing else?” Peter had a sudden image of bears and mountain lions and oh god were there wolves up here? Was that a thing? “You um-- you said Haven? The campsite? I didn’t see any cabins on the maps I studied, how far up the mountain are you?” 

“I mean Haven the town.” the Alpha corrected, and Peter lowered his brow in confusion. “And we’re most of a day’s hike up the hill and my cabin was closer than Banner’s place, so I brought you here. It’ll be a few days before I can get you down the mountain and resettled with Doc, so until then--”

“Stop. Wait, what do you mean--” Peter held up a hand, shook his head and then immediately regretted the decision as the entire world tilted alarmingly. “Oh shit-- oh my god, ow.” 

“Settle, settle.” The Alpha leaned forward in the chair and clicked his tongue comfortingly. “Move slow little Omega, you got a real big bump on your head. Take it easy.” 

“How do you know I’m an Omega?” Peter pressed at his temples as a full blown headache started thrumming behind his eyes. “I’m wearing suppressants and blockers and even if I wasn’t, it’s sort of rude to call someone by their designation, nobody does that anymore. And who’s Doc? None of this seems right, I need to look at a map or my phone and see where I--” 

Peter stopped mid sentence, the words falling away when he actually got a good look at the Alpha. “Um, I need to see where I--” 

The Alpha waited with raised eyebrows for Peter to finish. “See where you are?” 

“Um...” 

Wow. 

Peter let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as he stared at the Alpha. He wondered at the litany of faded scars up and down the Alpha’s over muscled arms, and spared nothing more than a brief glance at the lack of hair before his attention moved onto the cut of the Alpha’s jaw, then down to wide shoulders and a sort of shocking breadth of chest. Hazel eyes sparked briefly red at Peter’s less than subtle perusal, and when the Alpha sat back in the chair and settled huge hands on spread knees, Peter’s gaze dropped immediately and maybe even helplessly to the man’s thighs. 

Wow.  

“All done looking?” The Alpha was definitely smirking, and Peter spoke without thinking, sassy and snarky as he retorted, “Only until you stand up and turn around so I can see your butt!” 

--and the room went instantly, mortifyingly silent. 

“Uh.” The Alpha blinked a few times, obviously thrown by the unexpected response. “What was that again?” 

Peter didn’t answer, only inched the blankets up over his face and quietly wished he could die. Here he was in a strange place with a strange Alpha, no idea how he’d come to be laying in a bed or what the hell had happened with that damn device, and not only was he blatantly checking the Alpha out but he couldn’t even keep his mouth shut long enough to not come across like a damn fool. 

Wonderful. 

“I guess that bump on the head didn’t do too much damage, huh?” The Alpha sounded like he was trying not to laugh and Peter cringed in embarrassment. “Oh no no, don’t be embarrassed, it’s alright. Come out from the covers and talk to me again. Since you don’t want to be called Omega, you got a name?” 

“Um. Peter?” Peter cursed his awkwardness and cleared his throat to try again. “Peter Parker.” 

“Peter Parker.” the Alpha’s voice went strangely rough as he answered, “My name’s Wade.” 

“Wade.” Peter tested the name on his tongue, feeling like he had already known that, and wondering why it made him want to smile. “Okay then.” 

“Okay then.” Wade repeated. “Peter Parker, sit up and talk to me, come on. Why do you smell like Cable?”

“Cable.” Peter popped right up from the quilts, embarrassment forgotten as his mind came back on line. “Do you know him? Did you see where he went? I think I set off a flash bang grenade in the woods and I don’t know if him being half machine means he was more affected or less affected but flash bangs aren’t fun. Oh! Did you get my back pack too? I was holding it when I passed out. Do you think Cable is still around, cos I really really need to finish talking to him.” 

“Your pack is drying by the fire.” Wade inclined his head towards the fireplace, amused by Peter’s abrupt turn around. The pretty brunette had gone from confused to suddenly sassy before diving right into a million questions and Wade sort of loved it. 

Little spitfire is what the Omega was. Fucking adorable.  

“I’ve got no way of knowing where or when Cable is at any time.” he continued after the Omega had breathed a sigh of relief over the pack. “But I do know he goes outta his way to be invisible to humans, so tell me how you ran into him and why he sent you here. What’s your business with him? What could you have possibly done to earn the misfortune of that time sliding bastard’s attention?” 

“Um, no real business with Cable.” Peter was already thinking about what he was going to write in his notes, cursing himself for not thinking to have a digital recorder on hand right then. He had to get everything down before it started to fade and the headache wasn’t helping matters. “I had some questions for him and he supposedly had answers but--” 

The rest of Wade’s answer finally registered and Peter frowned. “Hold on, what do you mean you don’t know where or when Cable is? And what do you mean he sent me here, where is here?” 

“You don’t know.” Something worried flickered through Wade’s expression and Peter’s heart sank. “So it was an accident, he didn’t do this to you on purpose?” 

“He didn’t do what to me on purpose?” Peter pleated at the quilt, bunching the material up in his palms. “What did he do to me?” 

“Damn it.” Wade ran a hand over his bare scalp and tried to figure out the easiest way to break the news to the Omega. “What year are you from, Pete?” 

“What year am I from?” 

“Yeah, what year are you from.” the Alpha motioned around the one room cabin and shrugged. “Cos I feel like 1872 is a long way from home for you.” 

“1872.” Peter just blinked at Wade. “You expect me to believe this is 1872. I ran into a mutant cyborg in the woods and he sent me back in time almost a hundred and fifty years. That’s-- that’s where you’re going with this? This is a joke, right? Harry and Johnny put you up to this because they don’t want me looking into the mutants anymore. Gwen’s filming from somewhere, Mary Jane is probably fussing because she doesn’t like practical jokes but she can never actually resist them.” 

“Um--” Wade frowned when the Omega started rambling. “Pete?” 

“Come on out guys.” Peter called to the room, forcing a laugh that sounded more panicked than anything. “What’d you do, slip a sedative in my water and then hire some super hot Alpha to pretend to be from the past? Johnny, this is ridiculous even for you!” 

“Pete.” 

“Gwen!” Peter’s voice pitched high and desperate. “This isn’t funny anymore! Come out here right now, jokes over! Who was Cable, was he one of Harry’s friends from the gym? Come on guys, this isn’t funny! I’m not laughing! I’m not laughing, come out here right now!”  

“I mean the-- the antique stove is a nice touch.” Peter audibly gulped, eyes darting around the room frantically. “And I don’t see a single outlet, that’s pretty intense. This is uh-- this has got to be one of those reconstructed Civil War era cabins, right? They do that whole battle re-enactment thing and you can rent the cabins for picnics or whatever, that’s all this is.” 

“Hey hey hey.” Wade held up both hands when the Omega’s scent flooded with fear. “Come on honey, you need to calm down for me.” 

“Calm down?” Peter pushed the covers away and stood to his feet, swaying unsteadily. “Right. I should definitely calm down. I’m only in a strange cabin with an Alpha I don’t know, which is dangerous enough honestly, but my friends aren’t jumping out to yell ‘got ya!” which is freaking me out a little bit. And I mean, you said you found me in the woods and I-- I complimented your butt? Or tried to, which makes no sense at all and I am very used to my life making lots of sense and--” 

“Whoa.” Wade leapt forward to catch Peter when he nearly fell. “Pete. Slow down and just listen--” 

“Time sliding bastard.” Peter was close to hyperventilating now. “You called Cable a time sliding bastard which means that you--you--you know who he is and what he does and if all this is actually true and not some elaborate prank. That means Cable really is a mutant who sent me back in time and you would know that because you know who Cable is which would make you a mutant which means--” 

Peter’s eyes snapped shut and he covered his mouth with both hands. “I’m going to be sick.” 

“Oh yikes.” Wade let go of Peter as the Omega lurched for the door. 

“I’m going to be sick right now, oh my god, oh my god--” Peter stumbled clear of the cabin and tripped over an uneven patch of ground, barely managing to right himself against a tree. “Oh my god-- there’s no way-- time travel isn’t-- nope nope nope--” he stumbled again and dropped to his knees, clutching at the grass as his stomach heaved. “Oh fuck--” 

“Settle, settle.” Wade came up behind Peter just in time to hold him steady as the Omega lost his stomach onto the forest floor. “Easy does it, little Omega. It’s alright.” 

“It’s most certainly not the fuck alright!” Peter shouted, or tried to shout, but it was mostly lost behind another gut churning retch. “What do you mean it’s 1872! That’s impossible! It’s impossible. I’m a reporter, a researcher, I would know if this sort of thing was real and it’s definitely not so--” he leaned over and was sick all over again. “Oh my god, help me--” 

“Here, c’mere.” Wade placed a gentle hand on the small of Peter’s back and offered the Omega sip from the canteen he’d snatched from the house. “Take a drink, just a sip. It’s probably travel sickness, Cable’s always wiped for a few hours when he goes too far either way down the timeline.” 

“Too far down the timeline.” Peter gagged, coughed, his entire body rebelling against what the Alpha was saying. “You’re being serious. I’m supposed to believe that.” 

“You can believe whatever you want, but I’m tellin’ you anytime Cable spends too much time traveling or too long in one place he doesn’t belong, he comes back and he’s sick like this.” Wade’s heart clenched when Peter made a disbelieving, stressed noise. “It’ll pass, little one. Give it a minute. Take a drink.”  

Peter wanted to knock the canteen away, wanted to scream and panic, wanted to sit up and pull himself together and demand to know the truth because he was ninety nine percent certain that this was just some elaborate prank. 

But the one percent of him that wasn’t certain is was a prank wanted nothing more than to fall back into the weight of the Alpha’s palm and let the licorice and cedar scent haze the brittle edges of this terrifying truth, and somehow, for some reason, the one percent one out. 

When Wade offered the canteen again, Peter obediently took a tiny sip, and then another when the Alpha rumbled in encouragement. Then he sat back away from the mess and leaned into Wade’s hand, sighing shakily when the Alpha immediately moved closer so his arm was around Peter’s waist too. 

Another sip, Peter swishing and spitting to clean his mouth out, then he dropped his head down between upraised knees and forced himself to take one slow breath after another. In and out. In and out. In and hold for a few seconds, then out nice and slow. In and out, in and out, in and out. 

And only once he got his breath back and felt like he could speak without breaking down, Peter asked, “How do you know I’m an Omega?” 

“I feel like that’s not the most important question you could ask.” Wade commented, checking the Omega’s scent and relaxing when the torrent of fear lessened to nothing more than mild worry. “But if it matters, I could smell you halfway across the forest. Nothing scenting as sweet as you belongs up here on the mountain, you know? Knew you were an Omega immediately.” 

“Sure.” Peter nodded numbly. Cable had said something about his blockers only working on tamer Alphas, so sure, it made sense that an Alpha like Wade could filter right through them too or hey, maybe time travel just erased all traces of medication from his system, because that was apparently a normal thing--

“Settle, settle.” Wade said in alarm when Peter’s scent tinged sour again. “C’mon, thought we got past all that, take another drink and calm down.” 

“Sorry.” Peter’s voice muffled where he was still hiding his face. “I’m usually more put together than this. Usually don’t wake up in strange places and make sort of sexually aggressive come ons to unknown Alphas before having full blown panic attacks and throwing up. Definitely not my usual Saturday morning, not at all.”

Wade laughed quietly and rubbed slow circles at Peter’s side, thoroughly smitten with exactly how surprising this Omega was. “That’s alright, not every day I find an Omega in the woods that accuses me of only pretending I’m real.” 

“M’sorry about that.” Peter muttered. “Like I said, usually more put together than this.” 

“It’s fine.” Wade kept up the easy touch until the Omega’s breathing steadied again. “I uh-- I’ve never met anyone from a different time, but Cable comes and goes so much I guess he was bound to pick up a passenger at some point. When are you from?” 

“Two-thousand nineteen.” Peter passed the canteen back to Wade. “We’re about a hundred and fifty years apart and you-- you aren’t even acting surprised. You aren’t freaking out?” 

“I’ve been around a while, seen a few things.” Wade said off handedly. “A hundred and fifty years isn’t all that long in the span of things.” The Omega sent him a dubious look and Wade grinned. “This is Haven, Pete. We’ve got people with abilities that make time travel look like--” 

“You’ve got fangs.” Peter interrupted, but there wasn’t an ounce of fear in his voice or his scent. No, he colored warm with awe and curiosity and beneath that, a spark of heat that made the Alpha’s mouth go dry. “That’s-- I’ve never--” he hesitated. “I’ve never seen an Alpha with fangs before.” 

“Huh.” Wade ran the tip of his tongue over the dangerously curved points and Peter’s eyes dropped to watch. “They don’t have fangs in your time?” 

“...no.” Peter was staring again, and the Alpha had to squash the urge to growl at him. “No they’re-- they’re--wow. Wow. I didn’t realize--” Peter’s breath caught when a ripple of arousal filled the air between them. “Mary Jane would just love you and I gotta say, I’m starting to understand the appeal.”

Wade did growl then, low and coaxing and the little Omega actually swayed towards him, lips parted and eyes wide and--

“Nope. Nope. You need a minute to calm down.” Wade was about two seconds from doing something absolutely stupid if the Omega kept looking at him like that, so he stood up abruptly, so abruptly that Peter about toppled over when the support at his waist was gone. “There’s an outhouse at the bottom of this hill if you need it, a bucket of cold water so you can wash up. I’m going to reheat some food cos you’re probably starving and it’s about supper time anyway.” 

“Um.” Peter scrambled to his feet, feeling like an idiot for the way he’d reacted to Wade’s fangs. Get it together, Parker. “Yes. Thank you. I would love-- wait, did you say an outhouse? I have to use an outhouse?” 

“Either that, or you can pick a tree.” Wade swept his arm around the clearing and hid a smile when the Omega’s lovely mouth fell open in shock. “Your choice, Pete. It’s a big forest.” 

“Never thought I’d think an outhouse sounded worse than a tree.” Peter muttered in disbelief. “Okay. Thank you. I’ll just-- I’ll just be a minute.” 

“Take your time.” it took every bit of Wade’s self control to not reach out and yank the Omega close again. He could drown in that honeysuckle and lavender scent, and with Peter still wavering on the edge of afraid, it was all the Alpha could do to keep at least a little distance between them. 

This feeling, this instant attraction was both familiar and scary, something Wade hadn’t felt since Vanessa and something he never thought he’d feel again. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair, but there was nothing he could do.

Peter didn’t belong here, not in this time and not in Wade’s arms so the Alpha grit his teeth and very gently, very reluctantly, took another step away. 

“Take your time.” he said again, and backed up even more. “I’ll be in the cabin making some food. You had a pretty good fall and you’re probably starving, and I don’t really know how long you were out in the cold. Warm food and back into bed for the night, alright? You gonna be okay out here?” 

“I’m okay.” Peter looked decidedly less and less okay the further Wade got from him, but he tipped his head up and set his jaw with a firm nod. “I’m okay. I just need a minute.” 

Peter waited until the cabin door closed behind the Alpha before turning and picking his way down the steep hillside to the surprisingly not terrible outhouse below. He threw up one more time in the little shack, trying and failing to quiet that last bit of panic still simmering under his skin. 

Time sliding cyborgs and a mutant village called Haven. An Alpha with fangs and a scent that Peter thought he knew with every cell in his body. 1872. Fucking outhouses.

It was too much to take in, too much to believe, a scene right out of all those outdated sci-fi movies Johnny loved to watch. Mind boggling and frightening, and nothing any of his friends would ever believe. Peter could scarcely believe it himself but he was right here and there was no denying how real everything was. 

The water hanging outside the outhouse was bracingly cold when Peter splashed his face and he gasped from the shock. The trees were almost monstrously tall, the air fragrant with wild flowers and healthy green and Peter had never felt so small in his life. Birds in the branches and mosquitoes buzzing around his face and Peter reached back to feel the bump at his head, pressing until it hurt just to prove that he was definitely awake. 

He wasn’t dreaming. This was real and all the answers to Peter’s stacks and stacks of questions were right here. Everything he wanted to know about the mutants, about Haven, the rumours. He could track down the mutant that looked like him or at least talk to people who could point him in the right direction. Peter could finally know everything and maybe just maybe this unbelievable moment in time would settle that part of him that was forever searching. 

”I’m okay.” Peter said out loud, and then louder because the first time had been shaky, “I’m okay. This is-- this is insane, but I’m okay. I’m not hurt and I’m not lost in the woods and the Alpha--” a flush of heat on Peter’s cheeks and a shiver he wasn’t willing to look too far in to. “--and I’m safe with Wade. I’m okay.” 

I’m okay, I’m okay, I’m okay.  

Wade looked up from the antique stove-- nope, in this day and age it was modern, wasn’t it?-- and offered Peter a hesitant smile when the Omega made a re-appearance. “You feel better?” 

“I guess.” Peter sat at the hand made, well worn table and rubbed his fingers idly along a particularly deep gouge. “Sorry about all that. And sorry I kept shouting things about how my friends were playing a joke on me. I um-- I didn’t mean to imply you were lying or anything.” 

“Sure you did.” Wade said easily, and the Omega looked up in confusion. “It’s easier to think I’m lying than to think you really time traveled, right? Understandable.” 

“You’re really really calm about this.” Peter propped his chin up in his hand. “I’d be more worried if an Omega dropped out of no where into my yard.” 

“Eh, it’s like I said before.” Wade shrugged. “I’ve met people with abilities that make time travel look tame. This might not be your usual Saturday morning, but it’s not even my weirdest by a long shot.” 

Peter laughed softly and tugged his fingers through his hair. “I don’t know if that makes me feel better or not.” 

“Food will make you feel better.” Wade plunked a plate down in front of Peter and handed him a fork too. “Eat as much as you want, then I’m gonna put you back in bed.” 

“Thank you.” Peter nibbled at the crust of a thick slice of bed, poking at the beans with his fork. “Am I keeping you from your dinner? I’m not… not like cutting into your rations or anything?” 

“Do I look like I’m starving, Pete?” Wade deadpanned, folding his arms and squaring his shoulders and adorably the Omega blushed bright red before shoveling a bite into his mouth. “You pecking at a plate of beans and bacon isn’t going to starve me out for the winter, I think I’ll be fine.” 

“You can have my bacon.” Peter pushed the slab of pork back towards the Alpha. “I’m a vegetarian, I don’t eat meat.” 

“...you don’t eat meat.” The Alpha repeated, as if he’d never heard anything so ridiculous in his life. “Are you serious?” 

“For the most part.” Peter slopped a piece of bread through the beans. “I eat fish every once in a while and chicken if I’m extra hungry, but nothing else.” 

“Huh.” Wade scratched at his chin. “Welp. Good luck with that here.” he snagged the bacon off Peter’s plate and crunched through it loudly. “Mountain men can’t survive on carrots alone.” 

“I eat other things than--!” Peter started to protest, but he stopped when he saw the twinkle in Wade’s eyes. “Oh. You’re teasing me.” 

“No, I was definitely serious about the not surviving on carrots part.” Wade stole the other piece of bacon. “No wonder you’re scrawny. Living on carrots, ridiculous.” Peter laughed again and Wade loved it. “And um, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry about this Pete.”

The words were ash in Wade’s mouth, but he said them anyway. “I’m sure there’s a million places Cable could have dropped you, and up here on my mountain so far away from what you’re used to--” he shrugged. “I’m sorry. This is awful.”

“...it’s not...awful.” Peter said slowly, and a split second of hope flared in the Alpha’s chest. “In a weird way, this is exactly where I would want to be if I could have chosen where to end up.” 

“Oh yeah?” Wade backed up until he ran into the stove, the sudden urge to grab Peter up tight almost overwhelming. “Why do you say that?” 

“You asked me how I ran into Cable.” With a little food in his system, Peter felt more stable, the words easier. “I’m a reporter, you know? I write articles for a newspaper and I was chasing some information about mutants or um-- meta humans? Do you prefer being called meta humans?” 

“I prefer being called Wade.” The Alpha snorted and Peter scrunched his nose at the snark. 

“Alright then, Wade. Anyway. I came across some information about Haven but it was all conflicting accounts and pages torn from books and maps that didn’t really lead to any where.” Peter drank most of a glass of water and wiped his mouth. “Mutants are some big secret in my time so I had to do all my own research and that’s how I met Cable. He said his name was Nathan Summers and he had information about Haven so we met up and he--”

“--warned you to stop asking questions about the village.” Wade guessed. “Cable is real protective over the community.” 

“Right.” Peter scraped the last few bites from the plate. “He told me to stop looking, we argued and I grabbed that time device thing, and then I woke up here. Exactly where I need to be.” 

“To find your answers.” the Alpha finished. “You’ll be able to learn what you want about Haven and everyone who lives here. Why does it matter so much, Pete?” 

“There’s no such thing as mutants in my lifetime.” Peter said slowly. “They-- you-- you are all gone. There isn’t anything but rumours and pieces of stories that no one can confirm. There’s hardly any male Omegas either, and now they think male Omegas are the last of what would be considered mutants and I just--” 

He swallowed and tried not to sound quite so crazy. “--I have to know. Have you ever had to know something so badly you think it might eat you up inside?” 

“You think you’re a mutant? Why do you think--” 

“And I know you.” Peter rushed on before he lost his nerve, biting at his bottom lip and looking away from the Alpha shyly. “I mean, I don’t know you, but I know you. I feel like I knew your name already and I recognize your scent. I know you.” 

The Omega blew out a deep breath and continued, softer, “And that either means something amazing or it means I’ve finally gone nuts and lost the plot. But either way, I should be panicking, right? Beyond what I did, I mean. I should be out of my mind with worry and I’m not.” 

“Yeah, you worked through it all pretty quick. Woke up and panicked, rallied and now you’re fine.” Wade’s heart was pounding, his fists clenched at his side. “You think that’s because you know me and know my-- my scent?” 

“It’s almost a relief.” Peter was almost whispering now, staring down at the empty plate. “It’s almost a relief to be here. I’m still scared but I gotta trust my instincts and I know I’m supposed to be here.” 

And then with a uncertain glance towards the Alpha, “I know that sounds crazy. I know it does. But is it-- I mean, is that okay?  

It probably wasn’t Wade’s best idea to pull Peter into a hug just then, not when Peter so vulnerable and Wade was barely clinging to his self control. But it was instinct and it was a sort of knowing that resonated beautifully in Wade’s soul so he tugged Peter up from the bench anyway, gathered the Omega in close and held his breath, hoping for something he couldn’t quite put words to. 

Oh. 

Oh oh oh.

Peter crumpled into Wade’s arms, tucked his nose over the Alpha’s pulse and gasped through an open mouth breath, clutching at Wade’s side and trembling.

Wade smelled good, he smelled so good and everything else was absolutely insane but this Alpha was steady, stable and calming and Peter mewled quietly when Wade’s arms locked around him and the Alpha rumbled into his ear.

Omega. 

Mine. 

“It’s not as crazy as you think.” Wade finally managed after several minutes, careful not to crush the Omega to his chest, careful not to get to possessive and frighten Peter off. “I recognize your scent too. I know you too.” 

“I-- I can’t handle thinking about what that might mean.” Peter admitted and Wade nodded into his hair. “Not right now, anyway.”

“I know.” Wade ran his hands up and down Peter’s back, ignoring the urge to growl in pleasure as the Omega snuggled in. “We don’t have to think about anything like that right now. I’m sure you want to find answers and I know a few people you can talk to, but I can’t take you to town for a while yet. I’ve got to get an elk or at least a few deer before the winter sets in, and they’re getting hard to find up here. We’ll go as soon as we can though, alright?” 

“What--” The thought of leaving Wade, even just to get to Haven made uncertainty pool in Peter’s stomach. “You’ll go with me, right?” 

“Of course.” Wade’s hold tightened briefly. “Cable and I aren’t exactly pals, but he’s got a few friends in Haven who might know what he’s doing and whether you’re here on purpose or if it was ran accident. We could probably get a message to him through Doc Banner but I’m not real sure. We’ll figure it out.” 

“And Pete um--” Wade cleared his throat. “You’re safe with me, alright? You don’t have to be afraid of me. I know I’m a strange Alpha, and I know the scent thing is overwhelming but you don’t-- I’m not going to hurt you. Ever. You don’t have to worry.”

“I… I know.” Peter drew in a deep breath, filtering through Wade’s licorice and cedar scent to find the steadiness beneath. “I know I’m safe with you.” 

************

Peter was asleep almost the minute his head hit the bed, curled up with a pillow clutched to his chest. He looked tiny on the big mattress, thoroughly out of place in his patterned jeans and branded sweatshirt, and even while sleeping the Omega looked stressed, and it hurt Wade’s heart.

But what hurt the Alpha even more was the way Peter looked exactly perfect tucked into Wade’s space.

There was no denying the way the Omega had melted into Wade’s hug, the way their scents mingled sweet and familiar and it was almost unfair how easily their bodies had fit for those few moments.

It had been a lifetime since Vanessa, ages since the word mate had clamored through Wade’s mind and echoed through the Alpha's chest, almost an eternity since Wade had felt his soul shift and heart beat sync with another person and as he watched Peter sleep, dread curled black through his center.  

Peter said he couldn’t think about why he knew Wade’s scent right now, but the reality was they shouldn't. Neither of them should put any thought into recognizing each other’s scent and settling so still when they were touching. Wade couldn’t focus on the light in Peter's eyes and the syrupy sweet interest every time the Omega looked at him. They shouldn’t wonder how Peter wasn’t scared because right here with Wade was exactly where he was supposed to be, or how they could already laugh and tease each other so easily. 

No. No, they shouldn’t do any of that.

Peter belonged to another place and another time and Cable would be back for the Omega any day, any minute, and then Wade would have to say goodbye so it was better not to risk exploring this— this—

—Peter sighed in his sleep, burrowed deeper into the blankets and turned his nose into the pillow Wade slept on every night, purring quietly for a moment before slipping back to slumber.

Omega. 

Mine. 

No. Wade turned his back on the gorgeous Omega and went outside to see about evening chores. 

He’d already said goodbye to one mate, and didn’t know if he’d survive saying goodbye to another.

Better not risk it. 

Better not risk it at all. 

*****************

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#ncts fics #spideypool #peter parker #wade wilson #abo dynamics #time travel #alpha wade wilson #omega peter parker #soulmates

[masjestickingdom]

Parallel Lives

Pairing: NCT x reader

Genre: Lighthearted, slight fluff, one shot 

Summary: You’re a studious university who’s on summer break, spending your spare moments with your best friend. After a random statement is thrown into the conversation, you and your friend wonder what it’s like to be in NCT’s position. Little do you know that your idols are simultaneously pondering about your position as a normal college student.

Note: Here’s a simple, sweet scenario that I wrote! Even though it’s simple, I really wanted to post this because it’s a nice, exciting thought to have a crossover conversation... Imagine if you were thinking about the same thing at the same time of your favorite idol! Anyway, I also thought it was important to post this to point towards the life experiences everyone has. While this story doesn’t cover every one of those experiences, I think it covers the bigger topics (youth, hate, missing out on experiences, dreams, etc) that I personally think about a lot, so I hope you enjoy! 

______________________________________________________________ 

   As a university student, you have worked your butt off to get good grades and make connections with your professors, upperclassmen, and peers. When you were a high school student, you didn’t care about any of that. In fact, you were the shy one and you got away with it because, hey, it was high school. Fast forward a few years ahead and here you are in the present day, socializing with every human being you could possibly get in touch with. What for, though?

   “For what are we grinding this hard?” you wonder out loud, grabbing your nth piece of chicken.

   Your friend sighs in agreement, spreads out her long legs over the table you both paid for, and rests them adjacent to the boxes of chicken and coke you ordered over half an hour ago.

   Exams are finally over, and you decide to spend the night on the balcony with your roommate, who’s also your best friend, before your two-month internship, which you earned in part to your networking skills. It’s a nice, breezy summer night. It’s one of those nights you want to enjoy in peace and quiet, staring off into the limitless expanse of the dark, but shimmery sky.

   You reach out for another piece of chicken when your friend chuckles at something on her phone.

   “What?” you ask with your mouth nearly full.

   “Nothing, it’s just this really funny meme about NCT,” your friend says with glee. “Very relatable, by the way.”

   NCT, one of the hottest international sensations taking the world by storm alongside living legends, BTS and BlackPink, according to news outlets, is a name you haven’t heard in a while. Personally, you used to be an avid fan since the SMRookies days. You kept up with the appearances they made as trainees in EXO’s EXO 90:2014 series, the cameos in music videos (including the ones in EXO 90:2014), the variety show Mickey Mouse Club, and the videos SM Entertainment would randomly post. As time went on, sadly, the determination to be informed of the latest news withered as your priorities changed upon entering your sophomore year of high school. Sure, you heard news here and there and occasionally checked out their social media accounts, but when you entered college, that was a territory you failed to explore. Other than awards and comebacks, you hadn’t heard much of NCT once you had indulged yourself in your studies, and everyone else around you were doing the same thing.

   It has been quite some time since you were curious about the idols. Your friend’s sudden comment on them resurfaced old fangirl feelings, luring you into an interesting discussion of NCT, idols, and life in general.

   “Another exam to go until graduation, another test to assess loyalty, another test closer to our deathbeds,” you mumble grumpily.

   At the abrupt foul tone that consumed your voice, your friend raised her eyebrows questioningly.

   “And an internship to be a prospect of a permanent employee for some company to work for others--exciting, right?” you said sarcastically before you took a long sip of ice-cold, refreshing coke, which did nothing to restore your mood.

   Understanding what you were getting at, your best friend calmly nodded.

   “They’re living their best lives,” she says, referring to NCT.

   You let a bitter smile form on your lips as memories about mistreatment and mismanagement whiz past your mind. “Or behind the curtains..."

   “They could be just like us,” your friend finishes off. “Tired, overworked, maybe even frustrated.”

   A soft smile overtakes your bitter one. “But probably in a different way.”

   “What would it be like to be an idol?” your friend sighs dreamingly.

   “What would it be like to be a college student?” a silver haired boy ponders aloud.

   His purple haired younger friend, Haechan, who’s grilling meat, replies ambiguously, “Stressful, Yuta. Pretty stressful.”

   “Probably fun too,” green haired Jaehyun chimes in. “Engaging with lots of people the first few weeks of school, trying out different clubs, and finding a way to fit in--that all sounds fun to me.”

   The optimistic boy joins Haechan in the adventure of grilling meat, switching with Taeyong’s position as a meat griller. While the rest of the boys prepare the dining table, placing the setting with kitchen utensils and side dishes being prepared by Taeyong, Doyoung, and Johnny, Yuta admires the busy streets of the city, listening for the distant sounds of cars honking and pedestrians screaming, with the cool night air breezing past his newly dyed hair. It certainly is one of the best ways he and the members could possibly enjoy the rare moments of freedom.

   At the sound of a whistle, Yuta is pulled from his cloud of thoughts, and he looks over his shoulder, nodding to his not-so-secret favorite member of the group at the simple gesture of a hand that urged him to go inside and help bring out the dishes.

   “We’ll never experience the glamor of getting dolled up almost everyday,” you state solemnly.

   “Or have fans,” your friend pitches in.

   “Or see famous celebrities literally every day.”

   “Or experience the trainee days, everyone trying to bring everyone down, or haters trying to drag you out once you gain fame.”

   You throw a strange glance at your friend for that last statement.

   “What?” she says, shrugging nonchalantly. “We need drama in our lives, or else life’s boring.”

   Shaking your head, you chuckle at her unique take on an abstract concept.

   A moment of silence engulfs the two of you as both of you fall deep in your thoughts.

   There was never a quiet moment under the roof of NCT, and tonight is no exception.

   “Hey, isn’t the beef really good?” Yuta’s favorite member, Mark, speaks, delighted at the flavors bursting in his mouth.

   “Haechan, don’t you dare pull a prank on us with coke and vinegar ever again,” Taeyong scolds the youngest member, recovering from his gagging session, while Johnny and Taeil are still chugging down glasses of water to get rid of the aftertaste. “Is it really necessary to do any of this?”

   “Sorry, mom, my hand itched,” the prankster smiles innocently.

   “Didn’t Haechan grow a lot?” you bring up, breaking the quietness.

   Your friend gulps down her coke before pointing out, “Isn’t he the same age as us?”

   Your crane your neck, your head now tilting sideways. “He is?”

   “Crazy, isn’t it?” your friend responds. “The majority of the Dreamies are the same age as us.”

   “Yuta, didn’t you say something about college?” Mark asks, chowing down pieces of watermelon.

   The older boy nods. “Wouldn’t it be fun to experience it? None of us went to college.”

   Taeyong uncomfortably shifts on the bench at the mention of college. 

    Like Yuta mentioned, none of the members of NCT went to college and probably won’t go because it’s not a likely option, considering their packed schedules. He knows that the mere mention of it can bring down the mood because for them, college represents the definition of normalcy, the life of a normal person, and with them not going to college or graduating high school, he doesn’t want them to have a chance to regret or have second thoughts.

   “Imagine if they visited our college for one day,” your friend mused.

   Extending your short arm to pour yourself another cup of coke, you wheeze between your breaths, “Hey, I bet that the professors would ask for autographs.”

   “Yeah, I think we wouldn’t stand a chance in the classes,” Johnny laughs, adding ice to his coke. “They would be too advanced for us to understand anything.”

   Yes, Taeyong let the conversation flow. He even joined in on the conversation a few times. He didn’t want to ruin the mood by switching the topic in a way that could be nothing short of a very obvious attempt, and if he didn’t say something, his group members, his family, would notice.

  “It would be nice to make new friends, right?” Yuta expresses. “New people to dance with, sing with, do sports with..."

   “I think Yuta’s tired of our awful soccer skills,” Jaehyun replies humorously.

   “I feel like they would say that they would want to make new friends, but it all depends on your personality,” you say, tucking your hands behind your head. “I only have you.”

   Your friend laughs, replicating your movements. “Loser, I’m on the same boat as you.”

   “Wouldn’t it be nice to go to game rooms or comic book stores?” Mark carries on as he stretches his arms out to the sky.

   “Wouldn’t it be nice to be your own karaoke room or be able to dance the trends?” you fancy.

   “Or be the trend,” your friend adds.

   “I just want to sleep,” Johnny murmurs, lazily dragging his feet across the floor to the cushioned bench placed against the white walls. Turning his large body so that his body faces the wall, he hugs an available pillow with his legs and remarks, “Idol or student, you don’t get to sleep that much.”

   “It would be nice to work hard for something that you know you want to do,” you dream. “We have no clue what to do in the future. Most of us blindly study and get internships.”

   Just then, a bright stream of light passes your eyes, and your eyes widen.

   “Did you see that? That was a shooting star!” Jungwoo exclaims, his eyes mirroring the sparkling trail.

   Everyone looks up at the sky even though the moment has well passed.

   “We’re living under the same sky as them, so how are our worlds so different?” you say without much energy, staring at the now dark sky. “I bet they were pitted against each other at some point in their trainee lives, but here they are in this world. Years of friendship, what would that be like?”

   Slightly offended, your friend sits up from her resting position. “Hey, we’ve been friends since middle school.”

   “Do you remember the time when you were young and saw your favorite artists on tv?” Doyoung reminisces.

   “They’re the reasons why I became one,” Haechan concurs.

   Taeyong thoughtfully fixates his eyes on where the shooting star once was, his arms acting accordingly.

   “They were so young when they were casted,” you whisper. “It’s kind of sad when you think about it.”

   Another wave of silence overwhelms you. Your friend spares another look at you and watches you stretch your hands to the sky, hands shaped as if you are taking a snapshot of your view.

   She responds with a quiet voice of her own, “Some of them didn’t even plan on being an idol.”

   Taeyong’s hands retract to his sides. “I remember when I first met you guys. I’m really glad that we have each other.”

   The sappy moment comes to an abrupt end when Johnny’s snores take over.

   You turn your head over to your friend who is fast asleep.

   Eyes averting to the inky sky once again, you contemplate quietly, “I wonder what they’re doing now.”

   Meanwhile, the boys are trying to stuff a sock in Johnny’s mouth to muffle his snores. Taeyong, not participating, stays in the background and enjoys the last bit of their night of freedom.

#nct #nct scenarios #nct oneshot #nctu #nct127 #nct dream #nct mark #nct jaehyun #nct johnny #nct taeyong #nct doyoung #nct yuta #nct taeil #nct haechan #nct jungwoo #nct imagines #kpop scenarios #nct writing #nct x reader #reader x nct

[nomadpunkv]

Some note on canon divergence on this blog, I’m gonna go into some in depth stuff regarding the ending of the game as well so PLEASE! If you have not finished the game yet DO NOT READ; spoilers are head ( this post will also be tagged with the spoiler tag) !

CANON DIVERGENCE MASTERLIST ON THIS BLOG

1. Vance does not have the relic by default. In his primary main verse tagged as “ᵐᵃʸᵇᵉ ʸᵒᵘ ᶜᵃⁿ ˢʰᵒʷ ᵐᵉ ʰᵒʷ ᵗᵒ ˡᵒᵛᵉ; ⁱ'ᵐ ᵍᵒⁱⁿᵍ ᵗʰʳᵒᵘᵍʰ ʷⁱᵗʰᵈʳᵃʷᵃˡˢ* ( main I )” he comes to Night City to find his twin sister, Vera, written on @streetpunkv​ is the one who meets Jackie first, goes on the heist job and ends up with the relic & Johnny Silverhand in her head. The reason Vance can SEE and HEAR and FEEL the effects of the Relic as well as Johnny Silverhand is because he and Vera are NEURALLY LINKED via a cyberware tattoo that the two of them got when Vance first reunited with her so they’d ALWAYS be together. So while by default Vance doesn’t have the relic in his head, he can FEEL it & see & hear Johnny.

2. I DO have a verse where Vance has the relic tagged “ˡᵒᵒᵏ ʷʰᵃᵗ ʸᵒᵘ'ᵛᵉ ᵈᵒⁿᵉ;ⁱ 'ᵐ ᵃ ᵐᵒᵗʰᵉʳᶠᵘᶜᵏⁱⁿ' ˢᵗᵃʳᵇᵒʸ* ( main II )” where he ends up with the Relic and it essentially swaps Vera & his place in the story and sees him being the one suffering the effects of Johnny and the relic with Vera being the one watching & feeling without actually suffering.

3. Vance is TECHNICALLY a “nomad” lifepath V, but he and his twin sister grew up in a gang out in the badlands until Vera was roughly 13 and she decided to leave to go to Night City. Vance stayed with the clan until he was 26 and decided to leave to find Vera again after he got tired of Nomad Life and being apart from his sister. This follows the baseline Nomad opening for the game, with Vance rolling into the town outside the Border of Night City in his Galena Rattler, getting comms up and running and then running his job for Jackie. However the tweak to this is during the time they’re together, Vance actually tells Jackie he’s looking for his sister, Vera. He hasn’t seen her in 13 years but he knew she set out for Night City. Jackie, having known Vera ( now going by V at this point ), discreetly calls her during their drive into the City, and this leads to Vance & Vera reuniting for the first time in 13 years. From there the 1.5 year time skip is Vance-centric in that he sticks with Jackie & V and their friends to set up roots in Night City

4. Vera is CANON across all Vance’s timelines as he’s the ENTIRE reason he’s in Night City to begin with, so she’ll come up in threads often even if it’s with OTHER Vs, but it should be assumed that she’s in existence if VANCE is in existence.

5. Vance does NOT go by “V”. He never has, and he never will. If referred to as such he’ll correct the other person.

6. Vance cares deeply about Jackie and the entire Welles family, however he chose to take VECTOR as his last name as he didn’t really have a father figure growing up and while he admires Mama Welles, Vance was closer with Viktor than anyone else and began viewing him as a father figure to the point where he eventually ( albeit quietly ), starting telling people his name is ‘Vance Vector’ and he affectionately ( and jokingly ) refers to Viktor as “the ‘ol man”.

From here on out now we’re getting into spoiler territory with the ENDINGS:

7. In Verses where Vance HAS the Relic: He does storm Arasaka with the Aldecaldos after helping Panam and their clan with as much as he does. He isn’t named an OFFICIAL Aldecaldo, but he’s an honorary member and he actually pulls a bunch of strings to help get them out of Night City once they’re ready to leave. He regularly messages Panam to see how things are going with the Aldecaldos and makes sure they know if they ever roll around town again that they’ve got a friend in the City.  Per Rogue’s Request: Vance KILLS Adam Smasher, and as a reward for doing so, takes over the Afterlife for Rogue becoming a fixer in her place so she can retire and live out a somewhat normal life now that Adam is gone, but he remains in very close contact with his sister.

8. In Verses where Vance DOES NOT have the Relic: Vance helps siege Arasaka alongside his sister and again per Rogue’s request decides to kill Adam Smasher with Vera’s help. When all is said and done and Vera returns back from splitting with Johnny’s persona and what Vance does from there is DETERMINANT upon what Vera does. 

IF VERA LEAVES NIGHT CITY: Vance doesn’t give it a second thought and absolutely goes with her regardless of what anyone tries to say, he is dedicated to staying with her and while he’ll miss people and even offer to have them tag along for the ride, he ultimately doesn’t try to force anyone to come with them on their next adventure.

IF VERA STAYS IN NIGHT CITY: As aforementioned in Vance’s relic verse, he takes over the Afterlife from Rogue ( or Vera takes over from Rogue ), after she retires and they stay TOGETHER in Night City continuing to live out their lives as they try to undermine corpos and make as many eddies as possible to become Night City Legends.

9. Vance as the Owner of Afterlife: Also another real important thing to note is Vance as the owner of Afterlife actually works WITH other Fixers from time to time. Not always of course, but from time to time he does. He also doesn’t entirely give up being a merc. Everyone in the Afterlife makes it a point to be secretive about who is in charge at the Afterlife after that and Vance is very careful to craft a narrative that makes leadership of the Afterlife elusive and mysterious to A) prevent a target from being put on his back B) make it so he doesn’t have to be completely taken out of the action with being as young as he is.

#ᵃˡˡ ʳᵉᵈ ˡᵃᵐᵇ ʲᵘˢᵗ ᵗᵒ ᵗᵉᵃˢᵉ ʸᵒᵘ; ᵃʰ; ⁿᵒⁿᵉ ᵒᶠ ᵗʰᵉˢᵉ ᵗᵒʸˢ ᵒⁿ ˡᵉᵃˢᵉ ᵗᵒᵒ; ᵃʰ* ( study ) #cyberpunk spoilers

[angelaiswriting]

Good Luck | Tommy Shelby x Romani!fem!reader

[Photo by Andreea Ch from Pexels]

✏️ Pairing: kind of platonic Tommy Shelby x Romani!fem!reader

✏️ Summary: Sabini thinks he’s smart, but she’s smarter. All Tommy needs to do when the Italian kidnaps her is wish him good luck. (Requested by @kind-wolf)

✏️ A/N: I’m trying to work on a writing schedule that could fit me and my uni life, so hopefully I’ll be back with content soon!

✏️ Beta-read by @sweetvengeancee

✏️ Warnings: none I can think of

✏️ Word-count: 3,620

It’s almost comical, the horrified look on Polly’s face as Tommy absentmindedly listens to what Darby Sabini in person is telling him on the phone. She’s standing there, as still as a statue in the frame of the door of his office, right hand covering her mouth and left hand clutching onto her right wrist for dear life.

So un-Polly-like, Tommy thinks as he tries his hardest not to chuckle.

She has a slightly-more-than vague idea in her mind and the thought is fleshing out before her eyes as she torments herself about Y/N’s possible conditions. She’s heard enough – she’s probably heard more than Sabini would like to know, but this is still Polly and she has her ways.

“The situation doesn’t look as golden anymore, Mr Shelby.” Sabini’s voice is unctuous and even through the phone, Tommy can see that smirk tugging the left corner of his lips upward.

He’s proud of that – Sabini. He’s proud his men managed to get their hands on one of the most important friends the Shelbys have – or so they think. He can now use her however he pleases, can send threats to the Peaky Blinders and exploit her to do it.

“Oh, about this, you’re right.” Tommy is smirking, too, but for a completely different reason than the one currently boiling and fluttering inside Sabini’s twisted mind.

Y/N is a wild horse – free and uncontrolled and untamed. Reckless, more reckless than the other gipsies back at her camp would like her to be. She stands her ground, bares her teeth, hisses with the same fearless energy of a stray cat cornered against the wall of a house.

“I’ll tell you what I’m going to do.” He’s slow, unhurried, and Polly is horrified by it. She’s seen Y/N grow up, she’s seen her blossom from stray kid into tempestuous woman, and the last thing she wants is for that girl to end up in danger’s claws – or to be the dangerous claws that could fuck them all up. “I’m going to hang up the phone,” and he exhales smoke from his mouth as the cigarette dances between his fingers, “and give you one day, two at most.” His voice is rough, beaten by cigarettes and alcohol as he stretches his legs under his desk. “More than enough to realise the extents of your mistake. When she’s done, we will meet and discuss whatever topic you’re trying to use her to threaten me for. I’m sure my brothers will enjoy hearing it straight out of your rotten mouth.”

Sabini doesn’t have time to answer: true to his word, Tommy cuts the call to its end.

Polly is silent – for now. He sees the storm raging behind her eyes, sees the frown on her face, even the set line of her lips when she lets her arms fall to her sides. She’s desperate to yell at him what kind of a dick he is, but she’s refraining herself from doing it. It’s already as bad as it is that someone like her is in Sabini’s basement possibly getting beaten up for intel she doesn’t have; she doesn’t want to add more petrol to the fire.

“Yes, Pol?” Tommy is relaxed against the seatback of his chair and as peacefully as ever, he’s finishing his cigarette. In his mind, he’s thinking about the evening slowly approaching and the meeting he’ll hold at The Garrison to inform his brothers about the new turn of events.

She’s stern, as stern as she had been that day many years ago when he had been seven and had come home from the market with stolen apples in his pockets. She’s the stern mother he’s never had, but it doesn’t bother him – he doesn’t fear her, not for this. “You could have done something.”

And Johnny, too, he scolds himself. He has to inform someone from the Lee camp about the reason why Y/N is missing and Dogs is the only one he doesn’t have some sort of trouble going on with.

“I did something.”

Sure, he will probably have to face Zilpha again, tell her that the Shelbys and the Lees are facing yet another obstacle, but that there’s no need to reopen the wound John’s wedding to Esme has closed. Zilpha will spit in his face, of that much he’s sure, but she won’t curse him – she knows Y/N just as well as he does, probably even better. Both of them know she is more than capable of keeping herself safe.

“Leave her in that bastard’s hands? Is this your grand plan?” Polly is dismayed. Her shoulders hang lower, almost heavied down by Tommy’s stupidity, and her eyes are open wide as incredulity slowly paints a thick layer on the canvas of her face. “Are you insane?”

It’s a luck Ada isn’t present – this is what both of them are thinking. Tommy considers not telling her about tonight’s meeting at the pub, Polly contemplates not meeting up with her and Karl the following day. Both of them wish she’d just leave for a day or two – or seven, enough for them all to fix the situation before she’s back so that they can never speak about it again.

“She’s more than capable of getting out of this situation on her own,” he replies, voice flat and steady as he reaches out for the bottle of whiskey standing forgotten on his desk. “She’ll be back before we even know she’s escaped.”

He doesn’t say her name and while Polly wants to fight him on this, wants to force him to pronounce it, she keeps her tongue between gritted teeth.

“You will lead us all to our demise, Thomas Shelby.” It’s a stab to his stomach, that full name of his coming out of his aunt’s angry mouth, but it doesn’t sting as much as it used to before the war. He’s been desensitised to it and now it’s just an inconvenience he can almost completely ignore. “You wouldn’t be doing this if you had listened to me ten years ago.”

She’s referring to the past prospect of a union between him and Y/N. Again. Tommy hates it when Pol goes back there, hates the fact that he didn’t want her back then but does want her now – now that he can’t have her.

“That’s dead and gone, Pol.” His voice remains as flat as before, but there’s now a hint of annoyance lingering on the tip of his tongue that makes Polly square her shoulders as she stares at her gone-mad nephew. “And even if she were my wife now, this would still be my reaction.”

No, it wouldn’t. Polly doesn’t say it out loud, but both of them feel those three words pricking the skin of their faces. Tommy would be angrier, for starters – angrier and thirstier for blood.

“She can’t be tamed,” he says, putting out the cigarette in the glass ashtray with a little more harsh strength than he intended to. “You know this. I know this. Everybody in this fucking town knows it. Zilpha and the clan will understand and when she’s back, this will all be forgotten.”

*

Polly doesn’t forgive him. She also never forgets, so Tommy will probably still feel the consequences of his reaction ten years from now – just like the turned-down marriage proposal that soured the shared soil under his family and the Lees’ feet.

Zilpha won’t forgive him, either, he’s sure of this.

The late-September sun shines palely behind the thin clouds blocking out the blue of the sky. It’s an unforgiving sky – as unforgiving as the women in-between which he’s standing and as unforgiving as the cutting breeze sending shiver after shiver down his spine.

He’s glad Johnny Dogs is there, too, or as glad as he could be when his best friend is selling Y/N off to his god-son. That’s his one and only possibility of making Zilpha come back to her senses if things were to go downhill. Again.

He would have loved to have Esme to wait in the car, just so that in case of need and emergency, she’d be by his side as the new addition to the Shelby family she is, to help him calm the waters back down to a state of placid tranquillity. She’s not there, though – she won’t be standing in the eye of the storm when gipsy blood and curses will be spilt. She knows all too well not to go against her own people.

“If I understand this correctly,” the Lee matriarch starts, voice measured and eyes squinting through the fog of anger clouding her sight, “you chose to do nothing.” There’s a sense of condemnation to her words as they bite the air between them like rabid dogs tied to a much-too-short chain.

She’s holding back – and even Polly is holding her breath, next to him.

“You chose to leave a member of my family in your enemy’s hands to prove what? Your untouchability?”

“Tommy knows what he’s doing.” It’s weird to have his aunt on his side after the twelve hours she’s spent avoiding him like the plague. But it’s also comforting to know that, after all, she still has his back.

Even though Tommy needs no one to speak for him.

“I wouldn’t have gone for it if I weren’t completely sure Y/N would manage to muddle through it.” He’s staring straight into the snake’s eyes and he’s hoping it won’t bite him back in the ass.

Zilpha is calm – or so she poses. There’s turmoil boiling in her veins like acid and he can see traces of it in the steely gaze of her eyes. There’s no denying it’s scaring him – not enough to truly be afraid, but definitely more than he’d like to admit.

He’s walking on a fine thread, not on thin ice. This is way more dangerous than crossing the freshly-frozen river at the shy beginnings of winter. He can sense the void under his feet, can feel the knotting in his stomach churning him alive – and everything is giving him vertigo.

Fuck Sabini and fuck his men. Fuck Solomons, too. Fuck London and fuck rum, fuck cocaine, fuck expanding his business. Tommy wants to go back to horses and races, to fixing them, to strolling through the doors of a pub he doesn’t legally own yet.

Fuck Y/N, too – and not in the way he’d like to help her with.

Fuck Pol, who doesn’t want to fully stand by his side, and fuck Ada, who’s given him the headache of a lifetime just this morning, when she learnt of the news.

Fuck Arthur for being by his side and fuck Johnny for the man he proposed to Y/N with.

Fuck everything and anything, and fuck himself for putting himself through this.

Avoidable. That’s the one word he doesn’t like, not at this moment, and that’s the word he so stupidly decided to avoid. But if there’s one thing he wants to avoid the most right now, that’s the possibility of fucking his expansion up in a whim.

“If anything happens to her, Esme won’t be able to save you all.”

She’s closer now, Zilpha, standing toe-to-toe with him like the fearless chief she is. Unafraid and unable to be scared. Unbending. Dominating, with those dark eyes and straight posture of hers. She doesn’t care about who he is nor about who the Peaky Blinders are – she doesn’t give a single fuck. She only wants her daughter-like girl back in one piece and she’s going to fight like a lioness to make that happen.

“There will be no need for Esme to save anybody.” Or so Tommy hopes. He’s more than capable to save himself but he doesn’t want to have to protect his clan from two fronts – the Lees on the left and Sabini on the right, both slowly closing in on him to take him down.

“There better not be.”

*

On the early afternoon of the fourth day, Tommy gets word that Y/N has left London thirteen hours before. He doesn’t divulge it – he knows better than to trust rumours just as he knows better than to make known something of this reach. Ada would cause a scene and as a reaction, Polly would probably do the same; Zilpha would be sucking the blood from his neck and he’d have to deal with more trouble than he likes to take on.

So, he resolves on waiting – and the wait is excruciating. It seems to burn the outer layer of his skin as he sits around his office first and The Garrison later. He drinks, he smokes, he chats with John as though nothing was.

The need for opium slowly crawls its way up his neck, makes him tick like the clock of a bomb ready to go off and he feels as delicate as a bar of dynamite. Handle-with-caution Tommy Shelby sits in the private room at the pub and stares off into the void without seeing Arthur sitting in front of him trying – and failing – to teach Finn how to write his name.

He’s on the brink of the abyss he himself has dug and there’s no stepping away from it, not until she is back – safe and sound and all in one piece, without a single hair missing.

Presumption – that’s his sin. Back on the phone with Sabini, he had been sure she’d be out of his grasp in a matter of hours. It’s been four days. The fear that something – something he gives no name to – might have happened to her has already started to crawl its way to the very base of his mind, munching away pieces of grey matter and neurons and blood vessels. He can almost feel those seeds, fat and heavy inside his skull, pulsing in his temples as though they wanted to bloom into worms of their own.

Maybe he’s thought too high of her – or too low. Maybe he’s miscalculated what she’s capable of. He wished Sabini good-luck with her but he didn’t wish her good-luck with Sabini. Maybe that is the mistake, he reasons. He thought she could do it effortlessly and he got his maths wrong.

But she’s out of London, he has to remind himself. And if she’s out of London, then it means she’s alive.

He finds himself hoping for the rumours he did his best to silence to be true.

She’s on her way to Birmingham and she’ll surely be here come morning. Maybe she’s had a little more trouble than he had estimated her to have, maybe that’s it.

She doesn’t walk through the door of the pub like he thought she would, though. It irks him – it probably annoys him more because he knows he’ll have to face Polly sooner rather than later. His aunt is probably already waiting for him in his living room, nursing some spiked tea as she makes herself at home on his couch.

This is what he thinks about as he walks back home. Each step is heavy, almost as though his shoes were filled with lead. He doesn’t fight it, though: he wants to postpone his return for as long as he can. It’s stupid and childish, but he has better and more pressing things to do than to put up with his aunt’s rebuke. He’s no child anymore. He knows what he does – or so he likes to think.

The entrance of his apartment is nestled in the darkness of the night. He can vaguely make out the greyish light of the moon through the tiny window at the other end of the corridor, but it’s not enough to shed light into the pokey space.

The lack of artificial light is a good sign, though. It means Polly is not there. She’s back home, doing whatever it is that she always does at this hour of the night, but with one more worry than usual today.

It’s a good thing. It’s a great thing. He’ll come up with something to tell her on the dawn of Y/N’s fifth day missing – he’ll have eight more hours to conjure up some lie in waiting of Y/N’s return.

He can put that off a little longer, though. He’s still thirsty, of a thirst that’s not for water nor opium nor pussy. It’s a call for some more whiskey, the bottle he keeps hidden away from his brother Arthur under the sink in the corner of the cramped kitchen-mixed-with-living-room. He’ll grab the alcohol, skip the tumbler and go sit on the old and worn-out couch for five minutes, ten at most. Then, he’ll go to sleep.

It sounds like a plan to him and it’s what keeps him going as he takes off his coat and shoes and abandons them next to the door as he locks it closed.

There’s no need to switch on the lights: he knows his way around his own place. He knows where he’ll find a stray chair, remembers where he’s left the case with the firewood he brought up from the cellar. He also knows how to reach the bottle of whiskey without problems and as he kneels down in front of the cabinet, the dim red light of his burning cigarette is just an added bonus to the wonder his memory is.

But just as he stands back up on his feet, his head slightly dizzier than usual thanks to the drinks he’s had at The Garrison with his brothers and Jeremiah, the light turns on and the bottle almost slips from his grasp. He’s quick to turn around, revolver in his right hand and whiskey in his left, but he’s not quick enough – he’s not as quick as he usually is.

“It was about time you made your appearance, Mr Shelby.” The cackling voice feels as though it’s scratching his eardrums, a nail screeching against a window.

“For fuck’s sake,” is all he manages to mutter as his wrist trembles for a second too long before he can put the gun down on the table. “I could have shot you.” And I’m not sure I would have minded.

“You were free to try. I’m like a cat, I have nine lives, so you would have had to be careful. I would have bitten your ass.”

“What took you so long?”

She doesn’t even move from her spot next to the light switch. A closer look at her and he notices her clean clothes, her clean shoes, even her clean hair. He wonders whether she’s stopped somewhere to get cleaned up, or if the rumours were lies and she left the capital for longer than people said.

“I had never been in London before,” she shrugs, hand still on the switch almost as though she was contemplating turning the lights off again. “I thought I could as well seize the opportunity to see some of it.”

“We were worried,” he groans, “and you were sightseeing?”

“And shopping,” she adds with a smile. “I bought this dress there, if so one could say. And who was worried? You? Zilpha? Pol?” She chuckles at the thought, laughs at the sheer absurdity of her own words. “I sent word to Zilpha three days ago, when I left your Italian friend’s care, and I’m sure she told Polly since we share a past.”

Tommy doesn’t like the look she gives him – accusatory, almost venomous. It’s almost as though he’s fifteen again, when a marriage with her had been brought up for the first time. She hadn’t been as pretty as Greta, that girl he was trying to court at the time, and he had called her a ‘filthy witch’ as he threw the possibility of a union between them straight into the flames of the campfire. At the time, she had been in love with him, Y/N – or maybe it hadn’t been love, maybe it had just been a crush, but he knows he broke her heart that night.

What a turn-around, he thinks, to find himself in the opposite situation he had been in that night. To now stand here, in his house, craving for someone he can’t have, pining for someone who has feelings for someone else. She’s Tommy, chasing her own Greta while he stands there, unable to push her away from the man she now has feelings for.

It has taken them long enough.

“Why didn’t I know?”

“It would have been too easy, eh, Tom?” She winks at him and the grudge for the past disappears into thin air. “You left me there, told your friend ‘Good luck with her’ in your own way… I wanted you to worry about me, at least a little bit.”

He can’t hate her for that, can’t bring himself to, not even when he’s spent the last twenty-four hours with worry churning his stomach, digesting it, even. “Well done, then, you’ve succeeded.”

“So, are you going to offer me a drink for playing you just right or not?”

If the situation were different, he would tell her this was the time he took her against the wall, fucked her arrogance out of her in the only way he knows of, but they aren’t fifteen anymore. Instead, he swallows his pride – that one thing that is trying to push him to teach her a lesson – and points a chair with his forefinger. “Be my guest.”

I apologize to @kind-wolf for the mega-long wait haha wow, I’m terrible.

How was this fic, though? Did you like it? Let me know!

TAGS (to be added to or to be removed from any list, shoot me an ask)

Everything: @idhrenniel @saibh29 @fuckthatfeeling @aya-fay @pebblesz892  @mblaqgi​ @becs-bunker

Peaky Blinders: @whimsylavender​ @thethyri​ @friendleyneighbourhoodvillain  @flowers-in-your-hayr @oddsnendsfanfics @medievalfangirl @inforapound @niamhmaria @why-am-i-sad-and-sleepy

People that might be interested: @kellydixon01

#tommy shelby #tommy shelby imagine #tommy shelby fanfic #tommy shelby fanfiction #peaky blinders #peaky blinders imagine #pealy blinders fanfic #peaky blinders fanfiction #tommy shelby x reader #angelaiswriting

[lazynewruc]

Charity & Vanessa Fic

I had this idea in my head after hearing upcoming storylines and also imagining hypothetical ones! This is VERY angsty. Set in a timeline where Vanessa is sick and then set in the future. It’s just a one shot not gonna continue so its all here.

Couple:Vanity (Charity and Vanessa) Show: Emmerdale Words:2667

Remember angsty and romantic. I hope you enjoy!

Our Boy

As Vanessa was wheeled backwards down the hallway drenched in artificial white light, her eyes remained locked with Charity’s. The terror and fear in her wife’s expression was evident, the worry lines and lip trying so desperately not to quiver preventing her supportive mask slipping in a deluge of emotion. Even after everything they had been through, Vanessa never really doubted Charity’s love and devotion. Really, really, stupidly and completely.

The thud as the gurney pushed into the swinging hospital doors broke the couple from their trance, though much of it went unspoken they had been reassuring each other through unbreaking eye contact throughout the journey to the OR. This was where they had to separate. Potentially forever. Vanessa tried not to let any negative thoughts enter her mind, but it was impossible. Her hand slowly slipped from Charity’s grip, their fingers sliding over each other till the last possible moment.

“I’ll be right here waiting when you get out, okay babe?” Charity smiled trying to hide the tears balancing so carefully on her eyelids, threatening to fall at any moment. Vanessa didn’t have time to respond before the doors swung back; Charity’s figure faded away into the bustling hospital background, she was alone now

Before they had even administered any anaesthetic Vanessa began to feel heavy, darkness seemed to envelop the room apart from the blinding overhead light focused in on her. As the surgeon began speaking, she started to drift back to thoughts of Charity, of Johnny, of their whole crazy family. Vanessa had never imagined she wouldn’t see her son grow up, wouldn’t get to raise him and protect him till he was old enough not to need her – well not to think he needed her anyway. Now there was a chance he’d have to face the world without her, it was as if she was abandoning him.

All she could do was remember what he still had, her crazy and at times overbearing mother would no doubt be around more. Johnny’s adoring Aunty Tracy would be there to sneak him a drink at a family party or spoil him rotten on his birthday. Then there was Charity. She may not be his Mum, she may not even be blood, but she loved him as much as she loved Vanessa. Many people might think she was crazy to want Charity Dingle to care for her son if she passed, but was there anyone who would protect him and teach him how tough life can be better than she could? Vanessa didn’t think so.

Not long before the surgery date had been settled and they had been married, Charity and Vanessa had both agreed to legally adopt each other’s kids (of course Vanessa could only adopt Noah, but the sentiment was there with all of them). They had become a real family now.

“Ten, nine, eight, seve…” As she drifted away and closed her eyes on the world an enormous sense of relief washed over Vanessa, Johnny would be fine, Charity would make sure of that.

 ***

“MOSES! You made a right mess when you got in last night, did you do some kind of elaborate gymnastics routine to get upstairs?” Charity screeched, though not with any real malice at her son as he slumped over the counter head in hands. The alcohol fumes emanated towards her and her eyes grew wide then grimaced as she took it in.

“Pwoar, I’ve got spill mats at the pub that don’t stink as bad as you. Oi, I’m speaking to you!” She gave him a light clip on the back of his mop of blonde hair which was met with a grunt.

“Leave it out Mum, me heads poundin.” Moses’ mind drifted back to all the times he’d laughed when Noah received the trademark ‘back-of-the-head slap’ and felt a slight pang of guilt.

“Fine, just help me pack the last of your brother’s stuff into the car will yer?” Charity gestured to a pile of boxes neatly arranged by the door, and though nursing a hangover her son obliged.

 As Charity and Moses loaded the boot of the car with boxes, a duvet and a large suitcase a car pulled up behind them. Almost immediately two tiny children emerged from each back door and clung to Charity’s legs, both of them sporting bleach blonde curls and pale faces with rosy cheeks.

“Granny Charity, Granny Charity!” They exclaimed.

“Ugh, no matter how many grankids I have, that will never feel normal,” she uttered as she bent slightly to try and hug them both.

“How about Great Granny Charity?” A deep voice quipped as a tall, slightly tired looking man closed the car door behind him.

“Oi you, Sarah isn’t due for 2 months yet, so we’ll have less of that.” A smile rose on one side as she kissed her son’s cheek and gave him a slap on the arm in jest for the ‘Great Gran’ comment.

“Great, now Noah’s here can a go lie down?” Moses asked in a sigh already turning to return to the house.

“Fine. But take your niece and nephew with you!” Charity’s eyes grew wide and she mouthed the word Useless at Noah. “Oh, and tell your brother to hurry up I wanna try and beat the traffic!” Noah helped her finish loading the car and the two caught up outside.

***

When Charity and Noah opened the door to Jacob’s Fold they found a barely conscious Moses lying on the sofa, clutching a pillow over his head in desperation as a four and five year climbed all over him, screaming and giggling in unison.

A smiled grew wide on Noah’s face. “That’s funny, I’m getting déjà vu witnessing this. I guess its karma ay, Mo?” He poked his little brother teasingly but got no response.

“Where is he?” Charity queried a slightly worried tone in her voice. Moses shed no light on the situation, and she stormed over to the bottom of the stairs. “Oi Brainiac! A world of knowledge awaits you, and the roads are gonna be chocka so get a shift on, yeah!” Her message was met with a slightly distracted “Coming!” in response.

“Right, I’ll get these lot outside ready to send him off. Debs should be here soon and we’re gonna facetime Ryan.” Noah said with some authority, he’d always been great with his brothers and he’d become an excellent father. He scooped up the kids and tugged at Moses’ sleeve dragging him to the door sensing his Mum might want a moment without the rest of the clan watching. Charity gave him a knowing and thankful smile.

Just as the door clicked shut legs began hurtling down the stairs, he was slightly shorter than Moses and Noah, something they teased him for, he got his height from his Mum. “Sorry, sorry, just wanted to make sure I had everything.” Johnny pleaded, locking eyes with Charity and delivering a perfect heartwarming, butter-wouldn’t-melt smile, another thing he got from his Mum Charity thought.

“It’s fine, I suppose you only start Uni once. Or at least I hope you do!” She joked and put her hand gently on his shoulder. “Right, you ready? The whole mad house is outside ready to see you off as if we were sending you to the trenches.”

Johnny nodded slowly looking slightly nervous as he gripped his backpack with one hand and slowly rested the other on top of Charity’s. “Thanks Mum.” He smiled slightly and looked down. The first time he had called Charity ‘Mum’ had come as a shock to both of them, it felt both right and wrong at the same time, the older he got the more it felt right. He never stopped thinking of Vanessa as his Mum, he considered the fact he’d never actually called her Mum, she was ‘Mummy’ when she was alive.

Swinging his bag onto his shoulder Johnny was about to head out. “Wait, Johnny boy.” A nickname she’d never tired of using to his chagrin. “I just wanna say how proud of you I am… And how proud your Mum would have been, and is somewhere. You were her whole world and you’ve never let her down. And look at you now, off to become a super vet! It’s a pretty big lab coat to fill but I know you’re gonna smash it kid.” At that moment Charity’s voice cracked and she felt the warmth of tears as they began to roll down her cheeks.

Johnny was a typical young lad in the sense he fought not to cry in public, but whenever someone mentioned his Mum, he couldn’t hold it back. He had his own memories of her of course, they were the memories of a small child though, he would often sit with Charity or Tracy and hear stories about her. That’s when he allowed himself to crumble, and this was no exception hearing that she would have been proud of him meant the world. When he had heard stories about her as a vet from Rhona and Paddy, he knew it was all he wanted to do with his life, the thing she loved.

They held each other for a moment, both feeling the occasional movement as the other sobbed. Charity inhaled deeply, mustering all the strength she could find she pulled back. Looking at the young man she had raised her heart ached, every time she’d looked into his eyes, she saw the woman she loved, but it was a reminder she would do anything for Johnny – he was her son.

“She’d be proud of you too y’know? Surprised you managed to keep me alive all these years, but proud. Proud of the family you made even without her.” Johnny smiled, picked up his bag again and walked outside. Charity didn’t follow but she heard the roar from the family as he appeared outside.

 ***

Hearing the commotion outside Charity knew she needed to go and join everyone as they said their goodbyes. She had to take one second, looking around Jacob’s Fold in a rare quiet moment. Many people encouraged her to move, it would help with the grieving process and to attain closure they said. For Charity it was the only place her and Vanessa had ever managed to build a home, they had been a dysfunctional family there, however brief, she couldn’t let go of that.

Raising the boys had been tough, especially at the start but she had so much support, eventually things settled and she found strength in her pain, knowing Vanessa would want her to carry on and to do what was best for the family. Every moment she felt she might break apart, she remembered her wife, remembered the promises she had made to protect Johnny and the boys and to be happy without her. It was hard but she’d done it, found a way to be happy found a way to make sure her family was happy.

Before she walked out to join the bon voyage party, she turned to the picture of her and Vanessa that hung proudly near the door. Everyday before leaving Charity would look at it and say bye to her wife, sometimes in her head, sometimes out loud, but always “Bye babe,” without fail. When she felt low occasionally, she’d sit and speak to her for hours. Even with no response it somehow helped support her, Vanessa was always so good at that.

“Well babe, I did it. Managed to turn him into a pretty spectacular young man. Though I think he might have your genes to thank for the spectacular bit,” tears began falling but she continued “I never thought I’d be able to get out bed without you let alone this. But I always felt like you were there y’know, rolling your eyes calling me a moody cow, but telling me to carry on cause you love me and believe in me. Listen, I know you’ll have to watch over Johnny-bobs now in Manchester, keep him out of trouble, believe in him when he needs you. But please don’t stop dropping in on me from time to time, cause I still need you, you know that. Always will, my Tiny Blonde Rocket Woman!” Charity wiped her tears away and blew a kiss to the picture on the wall, then headed out to join the rest.

***

The light was blinding as it crept in through weary eyes, she couldn’t make out anything at first, each blink revealed more of her surroundings.

“Hey, hey babe.”

That voice was delightfully familiar, she felt the gentle pressure of two lips on her forehead as a kiss was lovingly planted there. Charity. There was no mistaking her wife’s touch, even post-surgery Charity’s presence made her feel warm and safe.

“She’s awake guys.” Charity announced which ushered in a team of rather sleepy looking loved ones.

Tracy came to her bedside holding Johnny and Vanessa grasped his tiny hand so tight, as though she never wanted to let go. At the other side Noah approached with Moses in his arms, who presented her with a big card he had apparently decorated himself, a large red heart stuck on the front had ‘Get wel sun’ brandished on it, Vanessa thought it was perfect and blew him a kiss. Noah and her shared a smile and a look which seemed to tell her how relieved he was she was okay.

As well wishers came and went, offering gifts and careful hugs Charity looked on, allowing everyone to make a fuss of her wife but not wanting to leave her side like a protective lioness guarding what she cherished most. The bags under her eyes betrayed her earlier declaration of having slept that night. When everyone had left and Tracy took the kids home Vanessa turned her attention to her wife, still sat attentively in the corner.

“Right well you need to get some sleep, okay. I’ll be back in the morning.” Charity said almost dismissively as though she were scared to be alone with Vanessa who was noticeably exhausted but wasn’t ready to say goodnight just yet.

“Wait a sec. I’ve barely had a moment with you today. Just come and sit with me for a while.” Charity looked at her softly and of course obliged, pulling the chair as close to the bed as possible she grasped Vanessa’s hand and kissed the back of it barely touching it to her lips.

“Charity, I just… I want you to know. I love you, so much. And I know if anything had happened to me-” Charity tried to interrupt but Vanessa held out a hand in protest. “I had this dream while I was under, I swear it felt so real, even now it’s almost like a memory. I saw you, in the future, still gorgeous as ever. You had raised the boys and they were perfect and, and I just, I know if anything happens you’ll look after my boy. Our boy. So, thank you for being so amazing.” Vanessa lifted Charity’s hand to her lips and kissed it furiously, as if trying to prove how much she meant what she had said.

“Ness… Course I would, you and our little family mean everything to me. I know I act like a muppet and screw up, but I swear I’d never let anything bad happen to him. But lucky for him and the rest of our kids you’re gonna be okay. So you’ve gotta put up with me till I’m old and grey. Though still gorg apparently!” Both women laughed and settled into a smile falling in love more with each second. “I love you Ness, always will. My Tiny Blonde Rocket Woman.”

Despite assuring Vanessa she’d go home and sleep, when Vanessa drifted off Charity didn’t want to leave her side, she fell asleep next to her wife that night as she would every night for years to come.

#charity and vanessa #charity x vanessa #charity dingle #vanessa woodfield #vanity #emmerdale #vanity fic

[timelvss]

even if it was fake | jjh

  parings: jung jaehyun | ft. johnny & mark 

genre: rich!au, fake dating!au / romance, fluff, angst

warnings: language, a lil smut but not really honestly

word count: 15.8k (IM SO SORRY)

description: trying to save your best friend from his enemy you end up caught up in a whirlwind storm that only seems to get bigger and bigger. also, people apparently like telling the truth after years of hiding. oh, and tiny mark needs to be saved from the world. 

author’s note: first and foremost thank you for waiting. this fic has been in the writing process for so long like nearly a year and honestly i’m just super glad i could finally finish it and share it with everyone here. also i got the whole idea for this from of this fic by @stormae (if you have time you guys should def check it out) and another thank you my soulmate for pretty much proof reading it before i posted it but i’m sure there is still a few mistakes in there so i’m sorry in ahead. BUT anyways please enjoy and please send me your thoughts on it! 

    The hot sun flared across the tent that was doing little to nothing at trying to keep you cool and the champagne in your hand was no longer cold. The men on the horses ran back and forth across the field trying to chase a ball the size of a tennis ball. You never liked polo but it was a sport that was in the family and you kind of had to like it, your choice didn’t matter when it came to family. Your mom was out with Mrs. Kim trying to get Yugyeom interested in you, on the other hand you were sitting down with Mark who was exempt due to his fake wrist sprain.

Your heels were digging down into the grass and you could almost hear the cries of Saint Laurent as the soil muddied the tan heels. The game was only on the second break and the boys were only getting off their horses. A few of the families that joined yours were going on to the field, divot stomping the holes made by the horses making you remember your younger years. Smiling at the memories you glanced back at Mark who was on his third glass of rum and coke and was wobbling over towards Johnny. “Jonathan!” you heard Mark scream and you could only sigh at him.

“I told you I’m not actually called Jonathan, you idiot,” Johnny said as he made his way towards the both of you. His forehead was sweaty as he took off his helmet, shoving it under his arm. You handed him a bottle of water to which he returned with a smile. “He’s already had three rum and cokes so he’s not very aware as of now,” you told the taller man beside you as Mark wobbled through the field  towards the opposing team.

“Of course he has,” sighing he slipped his hand through his hair, “Doyoung is lacking today and Sehun keeps on falling behind, if they dont step up were going to lose the first game of the season,”

Your eyes went to the rest of Johnny’s team, Doyoung who was polishing his mallette. Sehun on the other had was trying to flirt with Chungha who just rolled her eyes and then Yugyeom who was now being introduced to your mother who was holding a glass of white wine. Shaking your head your eyes landed on Mark who was hugging the leader of the opposing team, Jung Jaehyun. He was one of the best players you had heard about, apparently he was known for his sweet character yet fierceful switch when it came to him being on the field.

On Jaehyun’s team there was Taeyong who pretty much was his number two. He was in charge of picking out the tactical leader in the opposing team, meaning he was trying to figure out Doyoung’s next move. Bambam and Jongin who finished Jaehyun’s team but you couldn’t figure out their positions just yet, you weren’t exactly paying much attention to the game to begin with, “And Mark is befriending the opposing team, so that’s also a plus,” you said softly bumping your elbow against Johnny’s side.

“As if he’s not going to die because of the Jonathan incident, he definitely wants to die for befriending them now,”

“Calm down, go get on your horse I’ll get him.” Patting his shoulder he started to walk back towards the team’s tent.

  Next you were taking off your heels, barring them from getting any more dirty than they needed to. You felt stares from different people as you made your way through the field as people were coming back to their seats. The fabric of the brightly colored Versace dress made you stand out as you made your way towards the other tent. With your shoes in one hands you reached over for Mark who was busy talking about how he had just gotten a new Porsche for his birthday,  “C’mon kid, we gotta get back to our seats,”

“Oh Jaehyun! This is the girl I was talking to you about, my sister, the next heir to the biggest fashion house next to Versace and Gucci of course. Gilded House of Fashion, will be hers in the next few years!” Mark said in excitement making you cringe when people reminded of your actual duties as the daughter of Y/M/N, not that you were ashamed but that brought a lot of unwanted attention to your name.

Sighing you pinched the bridge of your nose and looked back at Mark, who was just grinning at you, “Why did I bring you here?” you shook your head and looked at Jaehyun who had a smirk over his lips. “Oh yes, you’re Jaehyun. I’m Y/N,”

“I’m aware, nice to finally meet you,” Jaehyun announced as he stretched his hand out to you. Having no other choice, you took his hand and shook it, his hands were soft with small calluses scattered across his palms. You could only assume it was from holding on to the reigns of the horse for a long time or maybe because of the mallette, after all those things were not light. Just as you were about to take your hand back away from his grip, he moved your hand up to his lips pressing a kiss to the Alexander Mcqueen skull ring that adorned your middle finger. “I hope we can see each other more often.”

Once he let go of your hand you released a breath that you didn't even realize you were holding in. Beside you Mark was wiggling his eyebrows as Jaehyun said his goodbyes to the rest and grabbed his helmet, ready to go into the next chukka. Mark was about to open his mouth but you turned and grabbed him by the ear, tugging him all the way back to your tent.

  The rest of the game was pretty boring to you due to the fact that Mark was asleep on the couch next to you and that Johnny’s team was still tied with Jaehyun’s, eight to eight. A yawn escaped your lips as you felt the seat next to you dipped, it was none other than your mom. Great.

“I saw you talking to that boy on the other team, he’s the heir to the Jung & Associates, the one with all the lawyers,” you turned to look at her and yawned at her words again. “What I’m saying is, he’s a good candidate but I can still set up the date with Yugyeom,”

Slipping your heels back into your feet and glanced back at your mom who’s empty glass was sitting on the table in front of you.  “Mom, are you serious?”

“Sweetie, modeling isn't forever. You're gonna have to take over the fashion house once your modeling career is over. Yugyeom’s family is into electronics so it's nice, but if it’s Jaehyun we have a save card anytime a company tries to get to us. Sue all the people who copy our designs, we’d have all the freedom we could possibly have,” she said putting her hand on your shoulder, you knew since your father passed five years ago she was always on the lookout for you to have a good comfortable life. Only in her book that meant getting a rich man to marry you only for you to become the perfect trophy wife.

“I exchanged a total of maybe fifteen words with him, mom. Also Yugyeom was in my class but I don't even talk to him, please.”

“You're not twenty forever, keep that in mind.”

Gathering your phone and a few pieces of candy, you slipped them back into your tan Gucci clutch that somehow matched with your heels and tapped Mark’s shoulder. He only groaned and flipped over to face the couch so you couldn’t bother him, sighing you rubbed your temple and reached over for a water bottle from the bar. He was going to wake up one way or another. Twisting open the cap on the bottle you took a small sip before someone took the bottle from your hand just as you were about to pour it over Mark’s sleeping form, frowning you looked behind you only to find Jaehyun. He no longer was in his blue and white uniform but in a pair of white dress pants, a soft blue button down that was neatly tucked inside his pants, and a matching navy blazer. If you were being completely honest he looked good, a little worn out from the game but good.

“Let the kid take a longer nap, why don't you and I talk for a bit?” he said as he reached for the cap between your fingers. Handing it to him, he closed the bottle and set it down on the table before looking back at you, “Unless you have somewhere to be, I wouldn’t want to hold you back,”

From the corner of your eye you saw Johnny give you a warning look making you feel just a bit guilty. It wasn't that Johnny did not like Jaehyun, but he didn't like Jaehyun. Jaehyun had a casanova title and you could tell why, he was the one who stole Rose from him and he was still a tiny bit salty about it. Of course, that happened over a year ago, but the memory of it always brought discomfort to Johnny’s face. Nevertheless the rivalry between Johnny was not only in the love field but also in terms of their own social status, Seo Law Firm was the second to Jung & Associates and everyone knew that. Johnny was put as second best whenever he was pinned up against Jaehyun, and honestly you just wanted to run at this point.

“Uh, I mean,” you stumbled over your words not really knowing what to say, you knew if Johnny saw you talk to this man he would be pissed off. On the other hand Johnny was just your best friend and there was no way you were going to be able to carry Mark all the way to your car. Looking back at Mark, you dropped your clutch in his arms which he tugged close to his chest and looked back at Jaehyun. “Sure but quick, I can’t leave him like this for too long,”

“Great,” a smile broke over his lips and you felt your hands get clammy at the sight of his dimples. Dammit cute guys were always the jerks, you thought to yourself as the both of you walked towards the bar. “Would you like something to drink?”

You could only shake your head as you reached over to take the small sunflower out of the vase that was set between the both of you. “No thank you, I had two glasses of champagne and I’d rather not since I’m going to be driving,”

“Whoa, who said all rich girls were dependant on drivers,” he chuckled and the moment it reached your ears you could feel like it was the most beautiful sound you heard. “Most of the girls I know get pissed drunk and have drivers take them home,”

“Yeah well, I tend to live on my own I only come to these events when I’m called,” you said as you started plucking the petals of the yellow flower in your hand.

Jaehyun on the other hand ordered a whiskey on the rocks and was turned to you, giving you his full attention, “Ah, so the model who ditched her mother for her own self made life,”

“How do you know that?”

“Darling, you are at a polo match with some of the biggest families in our city. I knew you, I also know you're best friends with Seo over there who's pretty much killing me with his eyes. I know Mark is somehow cheating out of the game by faking an injury he doesn't have and also I know your mother is set on marrying you off to Kim Yugyeom. Now tell me, am I wrong?”

Narrowing your eyes you swallowed the lump in your throat that was beginning to build up since the moment Jaehyun mentioned Johnny. The flower was long forgotten as your arms came to cross over your chest, “What do you want?”

“I need a favor from you. You have a clean slate when it comes to the media, I’ve gotten into my fair share of scandalous rumors in the past and my own inauguration of taking over my father’s company is coming up in less than a year. I need you to date me, it would send the mature and changed image of me to the media,” you could only laugh at his attempts of trying to get you to fake date him. There was a small smirk that played over his lips as he turned back to look over at Johnny who was sitting down next to Mark who was sitting up now. “Unless you want me to make his life a living hell I suggest you take the deal, I know what to get to push his buttons starting with Rose, his own family, his company, his reputation, and his friends,” he turned back to look at you with a smile over his lips which only read off as fake, you could only sigh and look over to Johnny who gave you a worried look.

“You have until the end of next week to let me know, if I don’t hear anything from you I’m taking it as a no.” His hand made its way to your chin and he leaned in to press a kiss to your cheek before leaving you, standing alone at the bar with the happiness of your best friend weighing heavily on your shoulders.

  “Okay wait, so Jaehyun pretty much looped you into fake dating him because he needs a good reputation when he becomes the next CEO to Jung & Associates and then by telling you that if you don’t do it he’s going to pretty much slowly kill Johnny’s social and real life?” Mark quickly rushed out as he laid next to you on your bed. He was staring up at the ceiling because apparently if he moved too fast he felt like he was going to puke and you didn't feel like cleaning up his mess. He turned his head towards you and sighed, “What did you tell him?”

You were sitting up against the headboard glancing over at your phone that kept lighting up from different notifications, you knew in there was a text message of Johnny asking you if everything was okay. Honestly, you were kind of dying, there was no choice in what you had to do. You had to take Jaehyun’s proposal in order for Johnny to be happy even if it meant being used as a toy, “I don't have much of a choice Mark, I’m going to have to say yes,”

“Well, you don't have to,” his voice was a bit softer making you look at him. Reaching over you moved your hand through his hair, a small smile spreading over your lips. Mark was more than your brother, he was your best friend and your biggest inspiration at times. You knew he always tried to put up the cold front with people but he was just an eighteen year old boy who was in charge as man of the house when your father passed. Being only two years older than him you always looked out for him even when he annoyed you half of the time when he got too drunk.

“Listen kid, it’ll be okay we’ll break it off once he gets settled into the position. I’ll be okay I promise and if something happens you and Hyuck can go beat his ass,” you said laughing softly when you pushed him slightly, getting off the bed and slipping your sneakers back on.

His hands went straight to his stomach making you laugh, you could almost see his face turn green and you could only move the trash can closer to him. “Please, don’t move me again I might throw up on your bedding,”

“You have a death wish, don’t you?”

  Leaving Mark with asprin and the trash can made you feel a little bad but you had to get this thing with Jaehyun over with. It was almost the end of the week and you were avoiding Johnny at all costs which only made you feel even more guilty. Walking inside the offices of Jung & Associates you only felt out of place in your Off-White Jordans and your over priced white t-shirt. Trying to fix the wrinkles in your shirt and wishing the holes on your destroyed jeans would magically somehow fix and close, you walked up to the desk. At the desk there was a pretty blond with straightened hair but wearing a skirt suit thing that would have looked better in a trash bin, but you guessed that was her uniform. “Hello, is Jaehyun in today?”

“Good afternoon, do you have an appointment? Mr. Jung is a very busy person,” the blond said and you felt like rolling your eyes as you glanced over the counter. Your eyes met the floor listings and you only shrugged. The blond followed your eyesight and her eyes widened, but you could only smile and wave to her as you made your way to the elevator.

“I don’t, but he’ll be glad to see me. Call him and tell him I’m on my way up, darling!” A smirk played on your lips as you saw the blond try to run in her heels towards you but the elevator’s doors closed before she could get close. You pressed the button for Jaehyun’s floor and leaned back against the bronze wall. This is it, I’m giving myself up to the devil, you thought as you looked at the numbers on the small screen go higher and higher.

The doors opened with a soft ding leading you down a hallway of glass doors. You made your way down the hallway of doors and at the end you were met with a large wooden door at the end with Jung Jaehyun engraved in bronze letters across the front. You took a large breath before opening the door, only in front of you was no other than Jaehyun with his head tilted back as another blond in a tight (well, more loose now) bun was down on her knees in front of him.

Your eyes widened at the sight in front of you making you quickly shut the door and press your hands against your mouth to conceal the gasp falling from your lips. To be fair you were surprised but also not really. The casanova had to get laid but it couldn’t be in public eye and he had plenty to picks at his own work space. Shuffling came from behind the door and then it opened, the blond girl walked past you fixing her skirt as she walked back into her office.

A hand was placed on your shoulder and you could only cringe at the thoughts of where it had been making you move away from it. “Listen dude, I only came to talk to you before you ruin my best friend’s life. Although, I can come back later or meet you somewhere else I’d rather not go into your office until it’s been sanitized,”

Jaehyun only chuckled at your words making you turn to look at him and sighing. His shirt was sloppily tucked into his pants and his hair was a sweaty mess making you pinch the bridge of your nose. “Did you finally make a choice?”

“Make a choice? I don’t really have one here,”

“Sweetheart, of course you have one. Only one happens to be better choice and the other choice happens to bring misery to Seo,” he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned into the door frame as if it was as simple as picking out your outfit, “So you say yes?”

You could only roll your eyes at his words and slowly nodded your head. A bitter taste filled your mouth as you braved yourself for the words that were ready to spill from your lips, “Yeah,”

“Great, I’ll text you the important information you’ll need to know,” he said pulling his phone out of the pocket of his coat, handing it to you. Biting down on your lip you pressed in your phone number and quickly handed it back to him, “Oh, and also we’re going to be publicly seen at the wedding of Irene and Jin, just by the way,”

Jaehyun fixed his shirt and looked at his reflection on one of the glass doors along the hallway, fixing his hair down. He slipped his phone back into the pocket of his suit jacket before giving you a smile. Your mind was running at his words and you could only remember that the famous Kim-Bae wedding was only a couple of months away, “What?!”

“Be prepared, now I have to rush to a meeting,” Jaehyun said as he pressed a kiss to your cheek again and walked past you towards the elevator. Pressing the button for the elevator and getting inside as the doors opened for him. A kilowatt smile spread over his lips making your skin tingle as the doors closed. You tried to reach for the doors closed groaning internally and covering your face with your hands.

“Jaehyun!”

    Word spread quicker than fire as the days went on, specially after Jaehyun went to your own apartment with a box of flowers that cost a good hundred dollars. The flowers in general were a light pink and had some gold dusting around the tips that you knew Jaehyun himself couldn’t have picked. It was probably another of his blond assistants who gave him head while he worked. The gesture made sure everyone knew you were a thing but still not exposing much of the secrets. Of course, this meant that Johnny had been calling you non-stop, but due to your situation you still hadn’t picked up any of his calls  

Sighing you glanced back at your phone only to find three missed calls from Mark who was probably going to scream at you because you hadn’t been answering Johnny. There were also at least nine missed calls from Johnny while on the other hand there was only one text from Jaehyun.

  [12.35 pm] Jung Jaehyun: We’re going out shopping tonight. You need a dress for Jin’s wedding and we need to be seen in front of the paps. Be ready by 6.

  You glanced over at your clock and sighed as you read the clock. It was only 2:30 which meant you still had time to dread over Jaehyun and this whole deal.

  There was only thirty minutes until Jaehyun would arrive and you had changed into some black jeans that you had made rips into which probably decreased their value to only a hundred bucks. Matching it with a loose fitting long sleeve shirt that read Yeezy on the sleeve but it looked like you could’ve gotten it from walmart and a pair of boots that came up to your ankle. There was a thin layer of makeup on your face and a tiny bit of perfume on your wrists. You knew this date was fake but if there was going to be pictures of you, you need to look good. As the doorbell rang you checked your phone making you furrow your eyebrows, it was only 5:42. Jaehyun was early? Your hand reached for your bag that was on the hook near the door before going towards the door and pulling it open.

“I never thought of you as the kind that arrives early,” you said as you grabbed your keys out of your bag and glanced back at the person in front of you. Everything you had just said and whatever kind of feeling all sinked down to the bottom of your stomach. Standing in front of you there was no other than Johnny Seo. “Johnny.”

“Who are you meeting?” his voice caught you off guard as you quickly looked around. You knew Jaehyun was going to be here in less than ten and yet here you were talking to Johnny and about to witness them try to murder each other.

“Uh, no one,” you quickly blurted out as a nervous smile spread over your lips. In your bag your phone made a soft ding announcing that it had received a message which you knew was probably from Jaehyun. “Just going shopping,”

Johnny had a look on his face that he didn't believe you but he didn't say anything, which made you feel more guilty than what you were already feeling. “Well, can you just postpone for another night, we have things to talk about and I'd rather do it now,”

“Johnny, I can’t n-”

“Seo, what are you doing here?” you heard Jaehyun’s voice before you actually saw him. At that point your eyes were trying to avoid either males and trying to focus on the paintings on the walls. There was a few questionable stains on the walls, you made yourself a mental note to find some painters to get it fixed as soon as possible, “She’s got somewhere to be, with me to be exact,”

There was a moment of silence where you could almost hear Johnny’s breathing from next to you quicken as Jaehyun talked. You felt a set of eyes on your shoulders but knowing who it was from it only made you want to shrink smaller than an ant so that Johnny would gladly step on you. Although what you didn't expect was for him to pat your back, your eyes quickly went up to him only to find a disappointed look in his eyes, “Please text me after you get back home, we need to talk.”

Shopping went too slow to your liking, paparazzi followed you from store to store which made you a little uncomfortable but it wasn’t really up to you. You knew that now that you were back in the comfort of your home there was pictures of you and Jaehyun floating around the internet. Which only lead to your phone to receive multiple notifications from Mark, your mom, Johnny and probably some other people that called themselves your friends. Changing into some comfortable clothes and walked into the kitchen as you heard the door ring once again. In the back of your head you knew it could only be one person, Johnny.

Sighing to yourself you walked go the door and opened it, leaving it open for Johnny to walk inside as you walked back towards your small living room. As you walked you found yourself being engulfed by a pair of arms around you pulling you into his chest. His chin resting on your shoulder as you bit down on your lip and let yourself fall back against him. There was sense of comfort but the guilt rushing to every part of your body which made your eyes water but all you could do is look at the ceiling instead of the man behind you. “I’m sorry,” you whispered as you brought your hands up to your face to quickly wipe away any existence of the tears on your eyes.

“Why are you with him?” he asked instead of trying to change the subject. You knew he wanted to know the reason behind why you were doing it. You also knew if he knew he’d ask you break it off, that he could handle it on his own that it was his own problem with Jaehyun and none of your business to meddle with.

Scrunching your face you thought of excuses to make for it, but none came to your mind at the moment making you sigh. “I just..” you mumbled as his hands turned you around to face him, his face was full of worry and if you looked closely there was disappointment in his eyes and you knew that was from you. “My mom was picking guys from your last polo match, she was thinking of Yugyeom but since Jaehyun actually talked to me set up a date for the both of us. You know, we have to mingle with our own kind sort of thing,” Johnny could only nod, he knew about how much your mother looked at your future suitors and made sure they were within her standards before letting you date any of them.

  That’s what happened with your first boyfriend, Jeon Jungkook. He was your first boyfriend when you attended high school, he was the son of the CEO of a record label but he was new money. New money was never reliable, companies like that were always being brought down or being bought by the highest bidder and your mother saw no future in that. Which is why your own mother thought of sending you and Mark abroad to Europe for a modeling camp that went from country to country. She said it would be a good look on your portfolio which is why you only said yes. Meanwhile your mother gave the label a large amount of money if Jungkook never got near you again and to your luck you only got a text that night that read ‘i’m sorry were over.’ The following weeks were met with you staying in bed and asking Mark to call Jungkook only to find out he had blocked you on every platform possible.

While in Barcelona you met back with Johnny, he used to be in school with you back in the day and he quickly became one of your closest friends. You knew the Seo family, and you also knew that after graduation Johnny packed this things and left. With all the money he had he traveled until he was missing home, you had managed to caught him on his last whim and ready to head back home. After the stunt he pulled he was picked as the black sheep of his family, no one with that kind of duty in his shoulders would just leave his family behind. This is why you were willing to take the bullet for him when it came to Jaehyun, he needed the perfect image in front of his family. He needed to prove that he could handle the family business without the help of his siblings.

  You were brought back to reality when you heard him chuckle from behind you, “I always thought your mom would end up marrying you off to Yugyeom or me or maybe even Hoseok from Hope Inc., but never thought she’d want you to marry him,” he said as he pulled back and ran his fingers through his hair. He sat down on the edge of the couch and looked up at you with his face in his hands, he looked tired and there was dark shadows under his eyes. There was a small pang at your chest but you didn’t know where it came from. He’s my best friend of course, that’s why, you thought to yourself because you couldn’t think of it being something else.

“Yeah well, you know how she is,” you tried to give him a small smile before sitting down next to him. Bringing your hands up to your face you let out a shaky breath not wanting to think about what he had just said to you. He had actually thought about maybe —someday— marrying you. Blinking a couple of times you glanced back at his slumped form, he was breathing at a slow pace which made you even more confused. How in the world was he this calm when he had just said this to you like it was the most common thing in the world?

“Whoa, wait right there, you just said you thought about marrying me. Would you like to explain because I'm trying really hard not to lose my shit,” your voice was at a higher pitch by the end of the sentence. Johnny quickly stood up from his spot on the couch next to you, his face looked panicked before he wiped his hands on his pants.

Johnny let out a nervous laugh as he glanced back at you, shoving his hands inside his pockets. “Oh would you look at the time, I really need to get going I still have paperwork at the office to sign and I have to plan stuff. I should really get going,”

“No, no, no, you’re not leaving until you explain.”

  He was already walking towards the door as you quickly stood up front your spot on the couch. Your legs were moving as fast as they could trying to catch up to him. Dammit Johnny, why were you blessed with long legs? You thought to yourself as you reached over to grab his arm. He was like a deer caught in headlights, unable to move, trapped in his own body and you were the thing keeping him there, rooted. “Explain,”

“I dont think it’s the right time or motive for it,” he quickly said as you reached for his hand making him close his eyes. His mouth only let out a soft sigh before his arms quickly pulled you into his embrace. For a moment it felt like home, like coming home to your warm bed or cuddling into your favorite blanket while you've been out in the cold. Johnny had been your best friend of years, he even shielded you away from the troublesome kids in school. He was the one who would join you and Mark at fashion week. “All you gotta know now it that if you’re ever ready to run, I’m here we can leave and run away from all of this. I’d leave this world with you,”

“Johnny please, you can’t leave me after saying that,” your hands wrapped around him as you buried your face in his chest taking in his scent. His hands were resting on your back like they knew every curve on your body better than you. After all he had seen you in lingerie, that one time he came with you to the Victoria’s Secret catalog photoshoot. His hands moved back up and cupped your face pulling you back so he could finally look at you. The height difference between the both of you always made you feel tiny next to him, but now you felt it in another way. The way you see couples in dramas, those cheesy kind of things.

“You’re dating Jaehyun sweetheart, you left me before I could explain,” he said making you snap away from your thoughts and quickly shifting your eyes towards him. “Even if I explained now you won’t leave him, we both know you wouldn’t like to upset mother dearest. Although the offer still stands, say the word, I’ll leave everything and run with you,”

“You can’t ask me that, you know I’m taking over the House in a few years an-”

Johnny’s hands dropped from your body as he took a step back from you and placed his hands on his hips. A sad smile appeared across his lips as he took a look at you, “Y/N, if you loved me you wouldn’t hesitate,”

“Uh, excuse me, you're the one who said nothing about loving me and you expect me to run into your arms like nothing? I’m sorry but I have people looking after me and most of all, I don't want to be a disappointment to Mark,” you quickly said and he shook his head at your words, his eyebrows raising and only making your temper rise by that point.

“You know he wouldn't see it that way, tell me you love me,”

The deer was no longer Johnny, it was you. The headlights were on you and you felt yourself freeze in front of him. You had only said the L word to a total of three people in your life, Mark, your mom, and Jungkook but honestly you were fifteen you didn’t know better. After the Jungkook situation you hadn’t said it someone in a way that it way, of course, with your family it was different but in that way you had only said it to one person. “I can’t, not because I don’t want to. I just can’t, you should go.”

Johnny had a look on his face you couldn’t quite read, it was a look you hadn’t seen on his face and it only made you feel confused. His head shook once more before he made his way to the door, his eyes met yours for one last time as he opened the door. Neither of you could say anything but the tension was thick, you knew all you had to do was say those three little words and everything would be fixed. The only issue was, would you mean it?

Your eyes kept wandering across the room at a small little water feature the expensive room had, you knew Jaehyun paid over three thousand dollars for this whole room to yourselves but you couldn’t bring yourself to care. The memory of Johnny’s eyes still haunted you when ever yours would fall shut and it kind of freaked you out. It was just another of Jaehyun’s fake dates, the second one in a week and not even a week from where you had turned Johnny down. Honestly you didn’t turn him down but you left him without an answer and seemed worse than an actual no. the feeling of uncertainty was a lot worse than rejection, it was a feeling of being stuck and not being able to move on. Sighing you turned to look over at Jaehyun whose lips were moving yet you had no idea what he was talking about.

It made you feel a little bad that you weren’t paying attention to the man in front of you but you had your mind somewhere. Your eyes found Jaehyun’s making him stop talking and finally sigh, he slumped back against the plush seat behind him. His arms moved to cross over his chest as his eyes studied you. “Spill it out, you barely touched your food and by the looks of it you heard nothing of what I just said,”

“No, it’s fine. It’s nothing really,” you said as you grabbed your glass of water almost chugging half of it down before looking at the over decorated room.

“Well, if you had paid attention you would’ve reacted at the fact that I mentioned that my parents want to meet you,” Jaehyun said as you pushed the steamed vegetables from one side to the other of your plate, rolling your eyes as he spoke. “I know you’re going to say no and I’m not exactly happy about bringing you home yet, but it’s not for me. It’s for Jaemin,”

Your head snapped back up as you looked at Jaehyun, it wasn’t for him to spill on personal things. Even on your dates he never spoke about his family, his life, or his business which was understable you were still a stranger but since you were still here he must have thought he was safe. On the other hand, you knew very little about the Jung family. From what you had heard from Mark, Jaemin was only a year younger than him and was somehow one of the nicest guys in the world. In the world you lived there was only one school that was trusted by the surrounding families, so of course Mark knew this kid.

Jaemin was the school’s prodigy, he graduated a year early and was due to inherit the Jung law firm but due to Jaemin sudden sickness the title was handed to Jaehyun who now used you as his toy. No one knew what Jaemin had and how it all happened, they just knew that from one day to the next he was gone. Slowly nodding your head you could only sigh at his question. Leaning over and standing up, you dropped the white napkin on top of your plate of expensive steak and pasta. Your hands tugged down your black Balmain dress down from your hip where it scrunched up. “Since I’m doing it I’m calling this off early, I’m leaving.”

    The next time you saw Jaehyun he was dressed in a button shirt that looked crisp and clean unlike the ones he wore to the office. Those were always wrinkly due to the activities he participated in. He was polished and his hair was slicked back, he actually looked like a CEO, you thought to yourself as he stretched his hand out for yours. Neither of you ever held hands he always just kept his arm around your waist but never done that. Shaking your hand you tried to fix the chiffon dress before reaching for his hand, the Saint Laurent dress you were wearing was only a bit more expensive than the small Cartier ring around your finger. Although the house you had just stepped in was probably worth more than all the money you could imagine or that you had. The italian marble floor was shining throughout the foyer that seemed never to have an ending row of marble sculptures. A smile made its way to your lips as you looked at each one as you walked past them, you knew the details on them were not cheap and none of these could be less than twenty thousand each.

“Brother! Ah, you finally brought your princess home! Y/N, welcome! I’m so glad to finally meet you, Jaehyun has talked dad’s ear off about you and how proud he is of you,” the voice came from a boy who was walking towards the both of you, his smile was soft and he gave off the happy vibes which reminded you of what Mark said about Jaemin. “Oh! Where are my manners, I’m Jaemin,” Jaemin said as he reached the both of you, he wrapped Jaehyun in a hug and then went over to you to give you one too catching you off guard.

“Yes, I’ve heard about you. I think you and my younger brother used to go to school together,” you smiled as he pulled back from you, in the corner of your eye you saw Jaehyun reach over and move his arm around you making you feel a bit more comfortable. You reminded yourself it was fake but it somehow made you feel safe.

“Uh, right, Mark is it?”

“That’s him,” you nodded your head and turned slightly to glance over at Jaehyun whose eyes were already on you. There was an exchange of smiles between the both of you as you turned your attention back to Jaemin in front of you.

“How is he doing? He was modeling along with Jeno and Lucas back when we were in school from what I recall,” Jaemin said as a smile grew over his lips, you could see why the Jung family was known for their looks. Both Jaehyun and Jaemin were gorgeous and anyone you knew would have killed for a date with either men.

“Still modeling, keeping himself busy,”

“That sounds great, please do send him my regards,”

“I will.”

  During dinner Jaehyun’s mother asked you about your work, your mother, your family, and pretty much everything in the book. She didn’t seem too excited when you told her you were a model and if you had looked close enough you would have seen the roll of her eyes at the mention of the word ‘model’. On the other hand Jaehyun’s father seemed to love you, he kept repeating how much Jaehyun had changed for the better and how proud he was of him. Jaehyun on the other hand looked nervous the whole time they were interrogating you and as well when they praised him. You looked back at him and leaned closer to him, softly patting his knee as you kept on answering questions that were being shot your way. He relaxed under your touch and leaned in to whisper a faint thank you making you nod your head.

By the end of dessert Jaehyun was talking to his dad about the recent case in the office while his mom had stood up and left the table excusing herself. You couldn’t help but to look over at Jaemin who had a grin on his lips. “Jae, I’m going to steal your beautiful princess and show her the rest of the sculptures in the garden while you talk with dad,”

“You don't have to Jaemin,” Jaehyun quickly said as he stood up from his seat right after Jaemin had already gotten up and was making his way to you. There was something in Jaehyun’s voice that you couldn’t quite read which made you look at Jaemin’s whose grin had turned into a small smile.

“I know, it’s fine.”

  The both of you walked down the bushes of roses with scattered sculptures every ten feet or so. The Jung family was old money and not compared to yours which seemed to have come out at a strike of luck with your mother, the only reason your family was respected was due to the designer house making such big revenue. The Jungs were a family of lawyers, ‘The best in the country’ as some newspapers had said. Shrugging you pushed the thoughts away as Jaemin lead the way down the path.  “These are gorgeous Jaemin,”

“Yeah, I think they were all imported from Europe back when I was younger, although I think it was a stupid idea though. Jeno and I broke one two years ago while playing cricket,” there was a snicker that came out of his lips as he looked towards the statue with half of its head missing. It was no longer the rock who seemed soft but you could see the jagged edges of where the ball made its impact on the white marble. “Anyways the reason I brought you out here is because I have to thank you,”

“Thank me?”

“Listen, I know the whole ‘Jaehyun and Y/N’ thing is a lie and if I’m being completely honest it was kind of my idea. Not with you specifically but he’s doing it to save me, kinda,” Jaemin sighed as he sat down on one of the benches on the path. There was sculptured bodies of marble on either side but he patted the spot next to you. The sound of your fake relationship being known made a part of you panic internally. Were you not selling it? Should you have kissed Jaehyun before leaving him with his father? You could only mentally groan to yourself as you sat down next to Jaemin. “It’s really complicated so if you need me to stop please, feel free to. Also, I know what you’re thinking and for your information you have my father sold. My mother on the other hand will take more convincing but I’m sure that won’t be necessary,”

“Okay so, I’m gay,” he paused for a second before continuing, his eyes were on you and you swore he could pretty much see every inch of your brain ticking and running at full speed, “You also know the world we live in isn’t exactly the most understanding, I know it’s 2019 and stuff but like.. When I told our parents they flipped you know? I was supposed to be the wonderkid, the chosen one, the prodigy for the law firm. I mean, that’s why I studied so hard, graduated early, and got the internship with my dad while studying in college. All of it just to become the next man of the Jung family, the chosen one after the first attempt failed. I'm not trying to blame Jaehyun for our parents picking me but he fucked up and our mom couldn't bare to see another failure to happen so I got pushed into the picture. I'm not going to go into detail on what Jaehyun did, it’s not my place to say but that’s why he was sent overseas to study, so I became the main focus for them. I went to school, I fell in love, and at first I thought it was stupid I couldn't like a boy. Then everything just happened and suddenly I was like wow I’m gay.” Jaemin’s eyes were no longer bright, they gave off sad vibe that made you feel cold making you wish you brought your coat with you. In the short time you had met Jaemin you knew it was an odd sight to see him in another mood that wasn’t happy or something related to that feeling.

“Anyways, Jeno asked me to be in the cover of this gay magazine next month with him and I feel like it’s a perfect way to come out. That's why Jaehyun is doing this with you, he’s bringing himself the spotlight for my freedom. What I'm really trying to say is thank you, thank you for being with him and doing this.”

  You were speechless at Jaemin’s confession although part of you wanted to know what had Jaehyun done in the past to have cost him the title of leader of the Jung family. Shaking your head you looked back at Jaemin who had tears in his eyes, he reminded you so much of Mark. Truthfully you knew where Jaehyun was coming from now, not that the way he had asked was good the man pretty much blackmailed you with baggage that wasn’t even yours, but you knew where he was coming from. “Your parents don’t know anything about this, do they?”

Jaemin shook his head as he sighed and looked up at the sky, “They have already given my spot to Jaehyun for me saying I’m gay, can you imagine what they’ll do the moment I publically come out?” he turned his head to you and you could only furrow your eyebrows, shaking your head you reached over and took one of his hands between yours.

“I know we don’t know each other very well, but like, if you ever need a place to crash or a friend to vent out on my door will always be open.”

After Jaemin’s confession to you there was a part of you that wanted to be nicer to Jaehyun but it only brought back the fact that he blackmailed you into doing this. There was another thing bugging you in the back of your mind, why did Jaehyun pick you out of every single other girl at the polo match? Sighing you pushed your wet hair back as you made your way to living room where Mark was on his phone, America’s Next Top Model was playing on the tv but there was no way he was paying attention to it.

“Alright, will you spill it out? I can hear your brain trying to think for the past half hour,” Mark said as he lowered the phone from his face and turned to you as you sat down next to him. He gave you a calm look and shook his head slightly at the sight of you. The sweatpants hung around your hips were Johnny’s old gym ones from when you were still in high school with him and the oversized t-shirt that cost more than your own Gucci slippers.

  “I just.. I found out some stuff about this whole deal I have with Jaehyun and I kind of get it. Why he’s doing it,” shrugging you turned your attention to the tv in front of you where Tyra was handing out photos of the remaining models that were continuing into the next level, “I would do anything for you or you know, someone I care for,”

Mark sat up more and turned to face you, there was a scrunch in his brows that only reminded you of a baby lion which made you smile. “Okay, so let’s say what he’s doing it’s somewhat acceptable and good, why did he pick you out of everyone? Or why is Johnny being dragged into this?”

“That’s the part that I need to know, Mark. I know a part of the story not everything, plus you know how hard it’s going to be to take this out of Jaehyun. He looks like he can barely stand me sometimes.”

“I think we can all relate to Jaehyun in that last part.” Mark could only roll his eyes at your last comment and let out a laugh, tilting his head away from you as you playfully punched his shoulder.

    Once again you found yourself sipping on a glass of bubbly champagne in the middle of a white tent, watching Jaehyun on a horse run back and forth on the field. On the other side of the field, another game was hosted with both Johnny and Mark playing. You no longer sat in Johnny’s tent because apparently to what Mark said you were banned. It was the quarterfinals of the small superficial polo games and August coming up around the corner meaning you had to start getting ready for New York Fashion Week and try to find a dress for Irene’s wedding. The one you and Jaehyun picked was no longer one that both of you liked. Your eyes could only wander towards the other field in which you could faintly see Johnny’s team was winning by two chukkas. If you were there you would’ve probably thrown a party already.

Sighing you turned to look over at Jaehyun’s mom was talking to Mrs. Kim, Jennie’s mom, on a way of how they could get you out of the way and let their children marry each other instead. You knew there was no way Jaehyun would accept, but it was nice his mom was looking out for him and it kind of reminded you of your mom. On the other hand, Jaehyun’s dad was talking to Jaemin about how well Jaehyun had been doing at the law firm recently, which only made you proud. Your mind could only think back to the past couple of days in which in order to play the part of girlfriend of the year you had been taking Jaehyun some packed lunches while he discussed the Jeong case to you. Meanwhile Jaemin’s boyfriend, Jeno, sat next to you with his phone in his hands shamelessly scrolling through instagram. Both boys were adorable together but you knew the real reason he was here, he was going to become a part of this society with or without approval of Jaemin’s parents so he was being briefly introduced.

Pushing the button at the side of your phone, you looked at the time before getting up and walked out towards the tent for the players. Your eyes made their way towards Jaehyun who you gave a small wave as he waited for the referee to call out the start of half time. You stood no longer than five minutes until you found a pair of arms around you making you groan internally as a smile spread over your lips. “Get away, you’re sweaty and gross,”

Jaehyun’s soft chuckle vibrated against your shoulder as you turned to hand him the water bottle that was in your hands. “Oh, don’t pretend you don’t like it,” there was a playfulness in his tone which could only make you roll your eyes while a smile spread over your lips. You felt his hand leave your hip and moved to push back the wet hair away from his face. “Also, have my parents been bugging you?”

“No, but I do think your mother is planning on marrying you off to Jennie,” your head tilted towards where Jennie was sitting, she looked more busy trying to devour Jongin with her eyes than trying to spare Jaehyun a glance.

Jaehyun’s eyes followed the tilt of your head and he could only let out a small laugh as he pressed a kiss to your temple. It was something he had picked up on doing since mouth to mouth kissing was still a thing neither of you would attempt. “Should I propose to you within the next week then? Maybe then she’ll stop trying to find me new wives,”

“Stop that, go plan with your team. Taeyong looks like he’s ready to kill me for hoarding you too much already,” There was a soft blush coating your cheeks, you had always told yourself that everything was fake but there was something about his tone when he said certain things that made your heart flutter. Shaking your head, you pulled back from Jaehyun and gave his hands squeeze before walking towards the edge of the tent, “I gotta go check on Mark anyways, but please win.”

“You got it princess!” he called after you as your feet moved across the field making your way towards Mark who was sprawled out on one of the white couches.

  “Hey punk, how does it feel to finally play after your injury,” you said as you sat down next to Mark who had a damp towel over his forehead and handed him his water bottle from the small table in front of the both of you.

“It sucks, it’s so fu- I mean, freaking hot on that horse. Please remind me how I said yes to this stupid sport?”

You smiled thinking back at when you were still in highschool, Johnny had taken off a gap year and you were on your last year while Mark was struggling to pass geometry. Johnny would come to the school at least once a week to drop you lunch and to spend your free period with you talking about how his new hobby was taking over his life. One day Mark was skipping his physics exam in the library while Johnny and you dropped by. Long story short, Johnny ended up recruiting Mark for his polo team and scolding him for skipping his exams which only made you try to hold in a laugh. The memories were soon interrupted by a cough that sounded like Johnny’s which only made you turn towards him.

“So you show up here but can’t pick up a phone call or take five seconds to answer a text?” he scoffed which made him sound bitter and you could only sigh. Yeah, you were avoiding Johnny because you couldn’t tell him what he had asked you to. It wasn’t that you didn’t love him, but he was a bit too late. “But please, save your excuses. How about instead you go back to your asshole and follow him like a lost puppy again? You know like how you did just before you came back here where you know you’re not welcomed,”

There was a few gasps from the people behind you and tears stung on your eyes but you quickly blinked them back so they wouldn’t spill over your makeup covered face. “Could you not do this here?” you said through gritted teeth as you looked up at the taller man who was now in front of you.

“John,” you heard Mark say from behind you, he sounded threatening which is a tone he barely used with anyone let alone Johnny.

Johnny glanced back at Mark and shook his head as if to say stay out of it to which Mark could only hold his head up in your defence. You knew Mark and there was no way in hell he was going to back down, “Then leave, you’re not welcomed here yet you came,”

“Y/N,” placing his hand on your shoulder Mark sighed as his hand moved over to rub his eyes, he was trying to avoid this much needed argument between Johnny and you but he couldn’t control all of it at once.

“For fucks sake Johnny, I’m doing all of this because of you! All of it!”

“Why can’t you say it back then, it’s not that hard,”

“Uh, guys,” Mark was now tugging on your shirt which you could only push his hands away. You had already started it and you had to end it one way or the other no matter what your brother thought.

“Because it’s too fucking late John, if you had said those three stupid words three years ago it would’ve all been different then we wouldn’t be here! Then again who was I? The stupid best friend who saw you get fucked over by a girl who didn’t love you and I was there to collect every single piece of you that dropped. I was just the best friend, nothing else,” you sighed as your eyes stared back at the taller man in front of you. He looked taken back by your words but you weren’t going to hold anything back this time. “You were too caught up on a girl who just played with you while she kissed another man in front of your face,”

“Guys!” The both of you turned towards Mark who was discreetly pointing to Jaehyun who had just entered the tent, hearing every single word you had just said.

You saw Jaehyun chuckle from where he was standing, his arms crossed over his chest making him look bigger than he was and you mentally begged the earth to swallow you whole. Jaehyun made his way towards you and leaned into your ear to whisper, “We will discuss this later, is that understood?” You could only nod at his words before he pressed his lips to yours, this was the first kiss that the both of you shared. His lips were a bit chapped against your own but they were plush and a bit sweet from the snacks he ate to recover his energy before they called him into the next round.

Before you could do anything with your hands he moved away from you and took your hand tugging you with him, his hand squeezing yours a bit too hard for your liking but you knew why he had done it. As the both of you reached the edge of the tent, Jaehyun turned back to look over at Johnny who hadn’t moved a single inch since you were tugged away from him and Mark. “Good luck Jonathan with winning your game, I’ll see you at the finals. Well that is, if you’re lucky enough.”

  Trying to get Jaehyun to direct a word to you during the remaining time at the polo field was like trying to get water out of a rock. When you had finally worn out his patience on you he grabbed your hand and dragged you to the farthest corner of the tent, “We’re not talking about it now so go sit your pretty ass back in that chair, put on your cutest fake smile, and kiss me when ever I come back to you. Don’t worry our deal will be over sooner than you think, then you can run back into your stupid boy’s arms like nothing happened and you can tell him how much you love him.”

Jaehyun’s lips pressed to yours but this time they felt different, they were rougher against yours and his hands gripped your hips. His lips were salty from the sweat that dripped down as he moved under the blazing sun. There was something in the back of your head that screamed and yelled at you to move away from him but there was also a tug on your heart that made you want to stay with him.

The rest of the remaining game kept you walking back and forth between the couch and the edge of the tent. Jaehyun was playing too rough and you knew the referee was just holding back until he did severe fault so he could kick him off the field. On the other hand, from the other corner of the field you could see Mark screaming something over to Johnny who was dashing from one side of the court to the other. Sighing you could only sit back down on the couch next to Jeno, you knew if you kept on walking there would’ve been a hole on the path by the end of the night.

  As the game finished the referee shook Jaehyun’s hand, they had won once again and so had Johnny’s team. Both men were brought to the middle of the field to shake hands, although neither of them stretched their hands out. You knew why but there was cheers of people around you, they knew nothing about the rivalry that was going to come up in the next game. Jaehyun was only an inch shorter than Johnny but he stood his ground, his eyes never wavering to make it seem like he was scared of the older male. On the other hand, you knew Johnny wasn’t going to back down unless Jaehyun did so first which only made you sigh. Their gazes gave off the I’m going to kill you kind of vibe but there was only a handful of people who caught that, one of them being Taeyong who was walking towards you with a gentler but same look in his eyes.  “What did you do?”

“Excuse me?” you quickly said back with a questioning look in your eyes. Taeyong was the kind of guy who gave off the I’m hard on the outside but soft on the inside kind of look but at this moment you were terrified. Of course, you did your best to hide it because spilling the truth in front of him wouldn’t gain you any sympathy.

“Spill, I know you caused something. Ever since half time Jaehyun has been playing too rough, we all knew and it’s been a miracle the referee didn’t take him out. So, spill it,” he said it again and you could feel a small wave of nerves rush over you, although that seemed to subdue when you felt a familiar hand around your shoulders.

“Leave her out of it, Taeyong.”

  The car ride back to Jaehyun’s appartement was quiet, not only did the both of you not want the driver to hear what you guys were about to say but you had a feeling Jaehyun was putting sentences together in his head much like you were. His hand was still in yours, his fingers were rough from holding the mallet for so long but you didn’t seem to care. It had become a familiar touch, specially when he rubbed circles on your hand with his thumb which was something he did when he was nervous. Jaehyun wasn’t a person to get nervous easily, he was also not the person who would get scared either. On the other hand he was sweet to you when the both of you were out on your pretend dates, he held doors open for you and even shared his drinks with you. In the back of your mind you knew it it wasn’t real but a small part of you always thought they weren’t. Especially when he had bared so many of his secrets to you, a total stranger.

He had told you the reason he wasn’t his parents first choice to be the next CEO, on why he was sent to America to study while Jaemin quickly took his spot and became the favorite child. At the end of highschool he was pushed into studying law which is how he found himself twisted into a life that he didn’t ask for. You didn’t want to ask explanations, after all you weren’t more than the fake girlfriend. According to what Jaehyun said he found himself in the wrong crowd, doing the things at the wrong time and the wrong place. Social media made nothing better of the situation and once the press got hold of it they went wild. Once his parents found out there was nothing he could do but either go on his own will or be exiled from his own family. At that moment you knew he was the way he was, he didn’t have a hard life but he had terrible experiences that you barely knew about.

Getting out of the car, Jaehyun made his way towards you and took your hand once again. His grip was no longer as harsh as it was back at the polo field but it still felt distant and you could only feel your nerves get more shaky as you both walked into his apartment. “Jaemin’s photoshoot cover comes out next month, don’t worry only about two months or so of being with me so you can run back to Johnny,” Jaehyun said as he dropped his keys on the small coffee table in the middle of his living room.

“Jae,” you pleaded as you followed him into the kitchen, he was reaching for a clean glass as he turned to look at you and sighed.

“You want to know why I picked you out of all the girls I could’ve had anyone, but you want to know why you?” there was a small sarcastic sigh that made his way out of his lips as he turned towards you. His shirt was no longer tucked inside his white pants as he made his way up to you. “I was a regular guy in highschool who was on the A list trying to make good grades in order to inherit one of the biggest companies in our society. Meanwhile you were in love with a senior who had no idea you existed as more than just a friend. You only knew I existed until I took Rose from Johnny, I was the bad guy of the story. The player as I know lots of girls in our grade would say but did you see that? Of course not, you went along with the rumors,”

There was a slight pause as he turned to look at the sink and then back at you, he was about to spill everything to you and all you could do is bite down on your lip nervously. “You were too far up Johnny’s ass to notice anyone else and here I was, willing to take one for the team and let you be happy. That’s why I dated Rose, just so you could be happy with Johnny which never happened so I was with her for nothing. Just another stupid sixteen year old boy giving up his happiness so his crush could get the guy she wanted,”

Inside your head there were a million thoughts going through your mind, one of which was with Jaehyun in particular only back when the both of you were still in high school he went by Yoonoh. That’s why things never clicked inside your head, you looked back at the man in front of you and then to the nearest spot where you could sit. Sitting down you could only cover your face with your hands despite feeling his eyes trace every single move you made.

“I took Rose from Johnny so he could see the gift he had in front of him yet he only noticed you when you were taken from him. Everyone in our year thought the both of you were dating until they asked him and he denied it. I know taking Rose from him sent him into a wild ride of partying and going against whatever his parents said, which I can relate to but,” with a shrug he pulled off his shirt and started walking back towards his bedroom, “I picked you because even if it was fake for you, everything I did for you was real to me.”

    Arriving at JFK, you wrapped the faux fur coat around your body tighter sighing at the cold New York weather. Although you hated the weather you loved the thrill of Fashion Week, there was always a buzz in the air and you could only try to hold back your excitement. On the other hand you were very glad that you were out of town, no Jaehyun to worry about, no Johnny to look after, and most importantly no drama. The only drama you had to live with at the moment was trying to survive the show without twisting your ankle as you walked down the runway.

Mark walked with you into the dark SUV that was picking the both of you to take you to your apartment for the week. “Have you talked to either of them?” Mark asked as the both of you dropped your carry on the floor beside your feet while turning to see each other.

There was a nervous laughter that ended far too quickly for it to be genuine, “Does it look like I have?” pulling out your phone you glanced through instagram, liking a few pictures of your model friends mentioning they were on their way to New York for fashion week.

“Wait, so you mean to tell me, you ran away from Jaehyun’s apartment after he pretty much confessed he had feelings for you still?”

“You put it in such bad words, it makes me seem like a terrible person,” you mumbled as you looked back at your brother who had his arms crossed over his chest. There was a serious look on his face and you couldn’t help but to think of a concentrated baby lion ready to pounce, “But, I guess yeah.”

“I can’t believe you, but you know Johnny is coming with Rose to see the Yeezy show on Thursday right?”

At the mention of Rose’s name you could only blink in surprise, turning to look over at Mark but he was already invested in his phone. “With Rose?”

“Yeah, from what he told me before we left she hit him up last weekend, asked him if he was going so they’re coming down together I guess. I thought Doyoung was coming with him but I guess not.” Mark said as he adjusted the neck pillow around his neck and let his eyes fall shut, the neither of you wanting to bring up the subject again.

“Right.”

  The clothes you had sent in weeks prior to your arrival were neatly set into racks across the room in which you were staying. You were in the middle of picking outfits as your phone started going off, it was the ringtone you had set for Jaehyun. There was a small sense of guilt but also a tingling at the pit of your stomach that you knew were not butterflies, most likely that burrito you ate from Chipotle. Sighing you looked at the screen, quickly reading the text message from your boyfriend.

  [6.29 pm] jae: hey, i know you probably don’t want to talk to me but have fun in ny. i hope you arrived well and i’m sure you’re going to do great in your shows, i truly do wish you the best.

  There was a smile that crept over your lips as you read the message a couple of times before laying back on the floor. After the third fake date in which the both of you went to watch Venom, you remembered you had asked him why he was so formal on text to which he replied he didn’t know how to talk to you which is why he was that formal. Since then your conversations with him were more carefree and you had changed his contact name to just jae. Biting down on your lip you read the message again before typing back a quick text and hitting the small blue button to send.

  [6.34 pm] you: it’s fine, but thank you.

[6.35 pm] jae: no problem, i know you’re gonna kill that runway.

  The three grey dots appeared on your screen and quickly disappeared, he was writing more than what he had sent which made you frown but that quickly changed when you received the following message.

  [6.39 pm] jae: also, i wanted to ask you before i show up if it would be okay if i go? it would be good publicity you know for jaemin and stuff…

[6.40 pm] you: sounds good to me.

[6.42 pm] jae: cool, could you open the door?

  Furrowing your eyebrows you looked down at your phone and then through the open door in your room. You walked down the hallway and into the small living room that opened into the kitchen to find Mark. His headphones were in his ears and dancing along to his music while he made a sandwich. He didn’t even notice you until you stood in front of the small island that was in the middle of the kitchen. “What? I’m still a kid in development,”

“I didn’t say anything Markus, but hey, has the door rung or anything right?

“Uh no?” Mark gave you a look of confusion as you walked towards the door and leaned up on your tiptoes to look over the small hole on the door. You could only see someone’s back to which you pulled out your phone again to see the message from Jaehyun. Pulling the door open the person turned and there he was, Jung Jaehyun. There was a lump in your throat that you had barely noticed until you finally swallowed it down which made him give you a tiny smile from the corner of his lips.

  “Hey,”

“Hi,” you could only say that in return, a part of you was surprised but the other part of you wanted to run and hide from whatever feeling you were feeling now. Your eyes took in the man in front of you, the circles under his eyes were a bit darker than usual and his hair was dyed a purpley grey color which somehow fitted him nicely. He also looked a bit thinner than the last time you saw him which was about three weeks ago, but of course in order to keep your relationship believable you kept posting pictures of the two of you as constantly as possible on instagram. “I didn’t expect you to be here so soon,”

There was a small chuckle that came from his lips, although his eyes didn’t meet yours but instead they were focused on the floor. “I wanted to send flowers ahead but you’re not into the whole romantic vibe so instead I shot my shot through text,” he said as he looked back to you, with a shy smile over his lips.

“I have to say it worked then,” you quickly answered back which only made his smile grow bigger. There was not many times Jaehyun smiled, especially not for the press so you could only count this as a win even if it was only the two of you.

“Did it?”

“I think so.”

    Backstage was hectic, there were at least 6 makeup artists running from model to model fixing their last minute errors. You loved the rush it brought to you but at the same time there was a feeling of nervousness running throughout your body. Mark was changing into another outfit due to the hair stylist dropping hair gel on his white shirt. Virgil was walking up and down the line of models making sure everyone was okay before entering the runway. A small deep breath made its way through your lips and soon enough you began walking into the room that was your runway.

While walking you remembered to keep your head up and eyes forward, to keep your ‘resting bitch face’ on, and most importantly not to stumble as you moved. Your eyes were glued to the spot in front of you but from the corner of your eyes could still catch the phones and cameras flashing from besides you as you walked. You took notice of Jaehyun who was sitting down at the front row towards the middle of the runway with his phone in one hand recording everything while his eyes were locked on only you. The denim dress you wore fit on you like a glove but it was quickly swapped with a pair of white pants and a denim trench coat that went down to your knees. Your own feet moved on their own accord that you had forgotten was there in the first place. This side was confident, uncaring towards the world around you and you loved it, you were a rebel here.

  The rest of the day was a blur, you remember pictures being taken of you with the rest of the models, Mark laughing so loud everyone turned to look at him, Virgil popping open a bottle of expensive champagne and handing everyone glasses, oh and also Jaehyun helping you into the car on the way back to your temporary apartment. At that point you were tipsy but not fully drunk, you knew where your were but there was a slight fuzz around your surroundings. Helping you out of the car once it had stopped, Jaehyun’s hand stayed on your hip until the both of you had reached the front door.

“So, I think this is where I leave you,” Jaehyun said as you opened the front door. There was a look in his eyes you couldn’t recall seeing before but you just shrugged it off before stepping in.

“Why don’t you just stay, Mark isn’t gonna be back until the middle of the night most likely. Specially since Lucas was walking alongside us, he’s a party boy and drags Mark to wild places..” you shuddered at the thought of another of Lucas’ party’s they were just a little too much for your liking.

Jaehyun chuckled and shrugged as he walked up to you, holding the door for you to enter. A smile made its way to your lips as you walked inside leaning beside the couch to take off your heels. Unclasping the buckle you threw the shoe somewhere on the floor, although before you could make your way to take off the other one Jaehyun was already helping you with the other shoe.  

“You know, these shoes are worth a lot more than what you think and yet here you are throwing them like they are a only twenty bucks,” a smile peaked through his lips as he set the shoe down next to you and stood back up. “C’mon, I’ll tuck you in before I go,”

Stretching out his hand Jaehyun took your hand in his, his thumb slowly stroking your hand as you both walked towards your bedroom. There was a billion questions that you wanted to ask but none of them could come out, it was as if your tongue was a tangled into a bunch of knots and you had no idea how to get rid of them. Jaehyun laid in your bed as you took your time changing out of the designer clothes. You knew you had to return them but you weren’t too worried about it as you slipped into your comfy shorts and an oversized pastel Gucci t-shirt. There was shuffling coming from your room but you decided to ignore it as you washed the makeup off your face. After layers of skin care were applied to your skin you walked back to find Jaehyun looking out the long window.

“You know, I wish we could stay like this. No fighting, no problems, just us enjoying our lives without caring for the rest of the people,” sighing Jaehyun turned to you. You hand your hands behind your back as you looked at him with worried eyes. There was bags under his eyes and you could only walk towards him and let your hands your his face. Your thumbs caressed his cheeks, softly moved under his eyes and then slowly traced over his lips. “I want us,”

Jaehyun’s hands went to grab yours and you could only let out a small gasp, over both the motion and his words, “Do you mean that?” Your voice came out as a whisper as you turned to him. If you lifted yourself up on your tippy toes, your lips would align and that single thought made your cheeks burn.

A pair of lips were pressed against your own in a matter of seconds and your could only stand still. Jaehyun was kissing you, of course, he had kissed you plenty of times but nothing like this. There were always meaningless, nothing more than the agreement you had taken in order to save Johnny. Although now Johnny was the least person in your mind, all you could think about was Jaehyun. Your lips began to move against him and it felt as if they were made for one another. His lips were chapped and tasted of that peach lip balm he insisted on getting shipped all the way from Japan.

  “I don’t get it Jung, there’s plenty of lip balms in the grocery store why do you want this one?” You asked as you sat in front of him while he typed away in his office. Jaehyun was in his work clothes and was trying to eat his turkey sandwich you had made him while trying to type on his desktop.

“It smells nice like vanilla and peaches, leave me alone, I like that kind but they only sell it in Japan,” he said as he swallowed his food and reached for the empty balm container from your hand. “I got it last time I was there on business with my father, we got there just in time to see the cherry blooms it was a really such beautiful sight,”

Jaehyun looked at the balm and then at you, there was a faint red color in his ears. You had manage to figure out that came from when he felt shy or embarrassed around you. A soft smile creeped over your lips and you leaned into further in, your elbows resting on the desk with your face in your hands, “I’ve never been to Japan.”

“I guess I gotta take you there next, huh?”

  The memory floated in your mind as you pulled away from the kiss, your hands gripping on to the front of his shirt. His hands weighted softly on your hips as your eyes nervously met his, the height difference was seriously making you feel a lot smaller than you knew you were. Jaehyun’s hands moved from your hips to hold you closely with his hands to your back, it was a soft gesture but it felt intimate for some reason. Mentally you weighed the pros and cons of your current situation, but soon enough you threw everything out of the window and leaned up to press your lips back against Jaehyun’s. You felt him smile as your lips moved against his, there was a tingle of excitement fluttering through your bloodstream and all you could think was of the man in front of you.

Jaehyun moved his hands slowly back down until they reached the middle of your thighs, softly squeezing them telling you to jump. The flutter in your stomach was something you never felt before and all you could do was follow instructions, moving your legs around his waist as he carried you towards the bed. There was kisses pressed to your lips, your jaw and neck but all you could feel was the beat of your heart that rang through your ears. You knew there was no way Jaehyun hadn’t heard it yet. His hands held you firmly while yours cupped his face as you turned him to look at you. Now that he was fully himself in front of you it took you a moment to breath in all of his features. His cheeks that had slimmed down a bit since you saw him but were still round and you knew behind they hid his precious dimples. That gorgeous smile that seemed to blind you everytime he would grin at your sarcasm, his laugh whenever you spilled too much of Mark’s stupid ideas to him. His eyes had small lines of where they would crease when he would smile too hard and you thought it was beautiful.

“You have no idea how much I dreamed of this,” you felt Jaehyun whisper against your skin, making your lips break out into a goofy grin. As Jaehyun set you down and your hands reached over to grab him by his shirt, pulling back from you only to take it off. The sight of the shirtless man in front of you could only make a blush cover your cheeks.

There was a soft smile that lingered over Jaehyun’s lips when he leaned down to press a gentle kiss over your lips. “How much then?” you asked as your hands moved down his chest until they reached his hips.

“So much I thought I’d burst when I first kissed you on our second fake date,” he let out a small chuckle as he glanced back at you, his ears were a soft red color that looked almost pink. Bringing your hand up and pushing his hair off his face you could only grin at his confession, who would have thought Jung Jaehyun was such a softie?

It was the middle of the day when your phone buzzed letting you know you had gotten a new message. Bringing your hands up to your eyes and rubbing out the eyes you tried to focus on your surroundings. The light shining through your windows said that it was no longer morning, more like midday and you could only sigh. Sitting up you reached over for your phone and looked at the message on your screen.

  [1.27 pm] Jung Jaehyun: I’m picking you up on ten, be ready.

  Groaning you made your way out of bed and into the shower, letting the water wake you up. While you washed your hair you heard a couple of voices coming from outside the bathroom, “Dude, I’m telling you, she just woke up,”

“Well, she’s not asleep. Y/N, if you’re hiding just so you can skip on the date I’ll tell that giant you call friend!” you heard Jaehyun’s muffled voice and you could only sigh as you made your way out of the shower. Wrapping the white fluffy towel around your wet body, you slowly walked back into your bedroom to find Mark trying to pull Jaehyun out of your bedroom.

“There’s no need to Jaehyun,” you said walking past both boys and towards your closet, pulling out a new outfit, “Now, if you don’t mind I need to get dressed. At those words, Mark tugged Jaehyun away letting you to get dressed alone.

Jaehyun held your hand as the both of you walked down the park, his hand was soft and his thumb would brush against your knuckles every other step. The weather nice in contrast of the other days, the sun was shining down on your skin and you could only be grateful you applied sunscreen before leaving your apartment. There was families with their children playing on the playground, ladies jogging past you with their dogs on leashes, even some elderly people sitting on benches enjoying the day.

“I contacted some photographers so they can get some pictures of us being cute on this date,” Jaehyun said as he pulled you towards the edge of the lake. There was a few ducks swimming on the edge with little ducklings trying to follow after them. “If we stay here they’d get good pictures,”

You could only nod along to his comment as he moved a hand around you, his hand lingering on your lower back. It was such a gentle touch you could only relax back into hist ouch as you leaned closer in the man beside you. Pulling out a small bag of birdseed from his pocket, Jaehyun handed you the bag as you threw it carefully towards the ducks who just moved in closer to the both you. A smile spread over your lips and you turned towards Jaehyun who was already looking at you with a fond look in his eyes that only made you blush. Before you could turn away to hide the color in your cheeks, Jaehyun’s hand found its way to your cheek holding you in place as his lips met yours.

For a brief second you closed your eyes and enjoyed the kiss, the way Jaehyun’s lips tasted of the coffee he had sipped at your apartment, the way his lips were still chapped from biting them too much. As you pulled back you made a mental note to tease him about his chapped lips which only made you smile and turn back to the ducks.

  Looking back at the man above you, there was only one thought that kept running through your mind. Jaehyun. On the other hand you should be thinking about how his hands were under your shirt, his fingertips rough and slightly cold against your skin which only made goosebumps run along your thighs. “May I?” Jaehyun whispered as he pushed the shirt up to reveal your grey cotton panties. At the moment you mentally smacked yourself, you were looking like a model less than 5 hours ago yet here you are in the most boring panties in front of the guy who you were about to have sex with. “Stop over thinking it, I can hear the gears moving inside your head. We can stop and cuddle if you’d like,”

“No, that’s not it,” you groaned and pulled your shirt off to reveal your naked torso for him, blushing slightly and bringing your hands to cover your chest slightly. “I just picked the most boring panties for this occasion,”

A soft laugh could be heard from Jaehyun’s lips as he leaned down to press a kiss to your shoulder, “Well, I think they’re perfect regardless.” There was a reassuring smile on his lips as he leaned up to look as you before taking your hands into his, the soft breeze of the moment made your nipples harden which only made Jaehyun swallow. His eyes were no longer the soft brown they always were, they were now a richer dark brown that almost looked black that kind of intimidated you.

  Before you could do anything Jaehyun’s lips were on the skin between your breasts, pressing gentle kisses down the middle of your torso towards the edge of your panties. They left a trail of wet kisses as they made their way back up towards your breasts. His lips pressed against one of your nipples while his hand was brought up to the other, gently pinching your nipple at the same time his lips latched onto the other. The swirl of his tongue only made you want to clench your thighs together although he was in the way of you being able to do that. There was a feeling of heat throughout your body as if your skin was on fire as Jaehyun’s lips danced along your skin. By the end of the night you were a mess of moans and whimpers, there was small bruises scattering your skin. Some were across your chest while others were at such intimate spots you couldn’t even see unless you were bared to the world, not that it would happen in general but it was nice to point out. With your head resting on Jaehyun’s chest while his fingers moved through your hair, taking out any knots that might have formed from the previous activities, you slowly drifted to sleep. Your mind only thinking over the man who was with you and not caring about the rest of the world.

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[unholyhelbiglinked]

Summer of 89′ | 003

Read from the start | Read on AO3

There was an undertone of bleach in the air. Something that didn’t hit Chloe the second she walked through the sliding doors. Instead, it was gradual. Creeping up the back of her throat and clouding her lungs until she couldn’t recognize it at all. It used to bother her, the scent of bleach.

Everything was too clean in the hospital for her liking. She had grown up in a home that wasn’t afraid to get dirty. Mud was tracked against the kitchen floor when a good heaping of rain was dumped on their ranch property. The tub was rimmed with a line of black after every bath as a child- because dirt was natural. Messes were natural, or at least they were when it was anywhere but here.

Chloe closed her umbrella, letting the stray drops of water slide down her hand and past the cuff of her jacket until the cold streak touched her elbow. She dug her boots into the black mat right past the doors, leaving behind the very dirt she was self-conscious enough not to leave tracked against the Hospital lobby.

It was relatively desolate considering the full moon hung in the sky like a golden ornament on a Douglas fir. It wasn’t peak flu season, and Chloe thanked the higher powers for that. But that didn’t’ stop everyone from faking coughing fits and begging her to test for a fever one more time because their temperature was sure to have spiked over the last two minutes.

She punched the code into the worn-down pad next to the second set of doors and was met with another long white corridor lined with shy wooden doors. The sound of machines whirring, and IV’s dripping carried on like white noise. She walked with confidence.

“Doctor-“The voice echoed against the walls as one of her latest interns trotted up next to her. Her magenta scrubs stuck out like a beacon in a white sea. She quickly flipped the metal chart back to reveal a paper. “I’m so glad you’re here. I was wondering if you could take a look at the medications given to 207. Doesn’t seem right to me.”

She was annoyed. She would have been annoyed at anyone at this moment, reminding her of a job she kept for one summer at a sandwich shop. Customers came so frequently that that same disgruntled edge of dissatisfaction pulled at her. Still, she nodded and glanced at the chart.

Sixty-four-year-old Damion Coves. A repeat offender of the Emergency room, once or twice a month if Chloe could remember. A strong reason she had given the patient to her Intern in the first place. Sometimes it was a broken arm, but most of the time it was in relation to a back problem he refused to fix. He had worked as a fisherman for countless years, hauling product and gutting sea life.

“Hydrocodone and acetaminophen?” Chloe mumbled, as she furrowed her brow and looked up at the doe-eyed girl.

“Yes, Ma’am. He’s been complaining about the pain escalating. Demerol hasn’t done the job in quite some time and by the looks of it, he’s refusing the surgery.”

Chloe hummed, “He doesn’t like his odds against the possibility of being paralyzed from the waist down. Switch these to Propoxyphene. Damion Coves is an alcoholic, the second you pump him full of those and send him on his way he’ll stumble off the docks.” She shoved the metal chart back into her hands “Get to know your patient. You can smell the bourbon on his breath from a mile away.”  

She continued her journey until she made it to her office. It was three corridors deep, surrounded by cool cement and filled with old copy boxes that had case files. Ways she would teach her interns with gallbladder removals and that one stomach-churning patient who was almost sawed in half at the old mill.

Chloe breathed in the musty scent and flicked on the light. Her desk was the only clear thing about the office- despite her working here for four years, having the place all to herself. There was one picture of her girls hidden away in the bottom compartment of her filing cabinet. Her computer was covered in yellow sticky notes, and a nametag rested in the center of the surface.

“Ilene” She scoffed before pulling on the white coat slung over the chair and clipping the metal to the collar.

Her rounds started in a few minutes, she left the stuffy office and walked back into the sterilized hallway. She made it the nurse’s desk without another interruption and grabbed the stack of metal charts left by the attending on first shift.

“How are you tonight, Chloe?” her breath caught, she was halfway through the notes on Mrs. Robinson’s chart. She silently cursed herself for not hearing the heels against the linoleum. “Ilene.”

She drew in a deep breath, “Oh, absolutely fantastic, love these overnights.”

“fewer people.”

Chief Mary Saxe leaned against the counter next to Chloe, a smug look on her face. She had pulled her hair from the usual bun and let the curls move over her shoulders in waves. She was graying but in the most flawless way possible. Her jacket was pressed and her shirt was tucked in with professionalism despite the ungodly hour.

She had a point. It was quiet at night, visiting hours had faded away to nothing and the only people Chloe had to deal with were those listed in the charts, and whoever found themselves in the ER with appendicitis or a fever too high to register.

The two of them started walking towards the front of the corridor again, a round of silence plaguing them both before Chloe spoke. “You don’t have to babysit me, I’m fine.”

“I’m going to pretend I believe you.” She stalled before grasping Chloe’s elbow and bringing her to a halt. “I’ve known you for a hell of a long time, practically watched you grow up. You always get weird around today.”

Chloe swallowed roughly “You don’t have to worry about me. I’m here to do my job. Save lives and kick ass. Your motto, remember?”

“No, yes, I remember just. I’m speaking to you as a friend, not a colleague here. If you need to leave, I understand.”

“And I’m telling you as your friend, I’m okay. In fact, I would rather be around other people then shut in my room binge-watching the bachelor with a pint of mint chocolate chip ice cream. So, can we please get on with rounds and just drop this?”

Doctor Saxe stared at her for a few moments, trying to figure out if Chloe was being genuine or not. She eventually decided that it didn’t matter if she was. Both of them continued on their way and made it to the first patient behind curtain number one.

It always felt like a game show to her. She never knew what would be behind the thin veil of plastic. Of course, she could always look at the chart before she went in. But that would take the fun and surprise out of it all.

The same intern that had approached her earlier about Damion seemed to have done all the heavy lifting. The little boy that sat on the bed directed his strained attention. His hair was adhered to his head with rainwater and mud. His arm was being placed carefully into a splint, and his mother was pacing a hole into the linoleum.

She stopped mid-stride and turned her hawked expression to the two doctors. “oh thank god, this girl looks too young to be a doctor.”

“Ma’am, I assure you, Stephanie has gone through all four years of medical school.” Chloe said slowly “And she’s doing a fantastic job. Mind telling me how this happened?”

She quickly forgot her anger towards the doctor, switching the string of her own son instead. “I told him not to go outside. Said that there was a storm coming and it was best to stay out of that old treehouse of his. But he never listens. The wood got too slick and he fell, broke his arm.”

She nodded and Doctor Saxe watched the situation unfold. She stayed silent, keeping a lingering eye on Chloe more than anything. Her arms were crossed and Chloe minded herself, directing her next questions towards where the kid sat and kicking his feet.

“Anything else hurt, little man?”

“Nothing does.” The mother answered in a clipped tone instead. Cutting off her son completely.

Doctor Saxe capped her hands together once and boasted a smile. “Okay! Stephanie, ma’am, why don’t’ we go out into the hallway to discuss how to take care of that cast. I know it’ll be hard to keep it dry in this weather- but we’re going to show you how.”

Chloe mouthed a thinly veiled ‘thank you’ as the woman and her intern cleared the room completely so she could do the rest of the exam. She slid on violet gloves and pulled a stool over to the young boy. He seemed comfortable, if not sleepy from today’s events. There was a thin line of blood on his chin and another on his forehead.

“Did you hit your head at all, when you fell?”

He gestured no “I don’t think so, I heard my arm break. Johnny broke his arm at the ice rink two years ago and it sounded the exact same. I didn’t think it would hurt that bad.”

“Oh?” Chloe gave him a smile, gently getting a better look at the lacerations “Yeah, it’s not the greatest feeling in the world but you know what? You’re very brave for getting through it. And look at that amazing cast you have! Is blue your favorite color?”

“Yes! And look, someone already signed it!”

Chloe lifted her eyebrows. Stephanie had just been finishing it up when they walked into the room. His mother must have worked fast, maybe even kept a sharpie in her purse wedged between some hard candies and wet wipes.

“see.”

Dread owned Chloe Beale in that moment. Directed all of her thawed blood to rush past her ears and her vision to fog up. She stared at the words scribbled in silver sharpie against the polymer-coated cast. The lettering was neat and precise, too well thought out to be ignored. Too concrete to be imagined.

Summer of 89, remember?

#Beca Mitchell #Chloe beale #Emily Junk #Aubrey Posen #Bechloe #Junksen #Fanfiction #request