#the way he wipes his brow afterwards like that’s just his 9-5

[daddyiluvhim]

live footage of my back getting broken

#the way he wipes his brow afterwards like that’s just his 9-5 #PHEW

[blouisparadise]

We frequently get asked what our members favorite fics are, so for today’s rec list, we asked each member of BLP to choose FIVE favorite fics for this list - no repeats allowed. Please keep in mind that this is not a complete list of our favorites - there are so many amazing BL fics out there that we all have a lot more than this! Still, we hope you enjoy. Happy reading!

1) Take Off Your Business Suit | Explicit | 3082 words

“Yes, let me get another chair.” Louis said, leaning up off of the desk. He stood up but before he could leave the office to get another chair, Harry was grabbing his hand.

The words that came out of Harry’s mouth made Louis’ knees weak and heart beat quicken. “Just sit on my lap.” Harry said. Whatever he said afterwards didn’t make it into Louis’ ears as he was moving quickly over to Harry and placing himself on Harry’s lap.

Louis would take anything Harry wanted to give him; hand touching, lap sitting, all of it. Louis hadn't realized he was holding his breath until it came out in a quiet sigh. “Okay so th-this one will be slightly different right?” He asked as he pointed at the sheet of paper in front of him.

2) Quietly Our Hearts Beat | Explicit | 7539 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Louis and Harry in the universe of ‘A Quiet Place’.

3) A Love Reaction | Explicit | 9968 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Louis’s staring up at him, head tilted slightly back, and his blue eyes are glassy, locked with Harry’s in an unblinking and gentle gaze. He looks ready to do whatever Harry says, to please him whatever way.

4) To Love Without Reason | Explicit | 8854 words

“Come on in, soldier,” Louis pats Harry’s chest and walks away, leaving Harry to follow behind.

Harry stands in the living room, looking around at Louis’ dwelling. Family pictures placed high on a shelf, certificates of Louis’ practice, and other trinkets that make Harry entirely too nostalgic.

“I have to warn you,” Louis says as he puts the kettle on, the water droplets from his hair trickling down the golden skin of his back. “The door jams if you lock it so you'll have to leave it ajar.”

Harry acknowledges with a soft hum, too entranced by Louis’ glistening skin to form a coherent reply.

5) No Good Unless It’s Real | Explicit | 17021 words

Louis is a very busy farmer who’s just trying to make it to his next nap and Harry’s the new hot vet that’s determined to infiltrate every area of his life.

6) A Springtime’s Wilt, An Autumn’s Bloom | Explicit | 20593 words

Harry is Louis' personal chauffeur, and although he hides his feelings for his boss behind a wall of rigid professionalism, Louis still manages to squeeze through the cracks.

7) Ready To Fall | Explicit | 21220 words

“Ninety and rising,” Nick says triumphantly, as though making Harry’s heartbeat pick up by thrusting an obscenely attractive person in front of his face is any kind of success. “Louis Tomlinson has just walked into our control room and suddenly our dear Harry Styles has lost all ability to speak. Could this be some kind of strange coincidence?”

“I hate you,” Harry hisses, forcing his eyes back into Nick’s direction, uncaring that the mic must have picked it up. “I thought we agreed that you were going to play fair.”

“I’m sure I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Nick denies, except he’s holding up a picture of Louis’ face now, sharp cheekbones prominent, soft lashes nearly sweeping against his cheeks as he looks down, and his fucking mouth –

“A hundred and two!” Nick crows, all but clapping his hands together in glee. “The highest it’s ever been!”

“To be fair, I did bend over the desk on purpose,” Louis’ voice comes crackling in the headphones. Harry practically breaks his neck whipping his head around at the sound of it, gaping at him through the glass panel. “You can’t really blame him for getting a little excited about that, can you?”

8) Written In The Stars (That’s You And Me) | Explicit | 22632 words

Louis pushes himself up on one elbow and stretches enough to just barely trace his fingertips over Harry’s jawline. Harry’s eyes drop to track his movements as he does it again. “D’you feel that?” he whispers.

To him, it feels like all of the universe’s magic lives just beneath his skin when he touches Harry with intent. It feels like something special. Louis watches Harry’s lips part and wants to touch that too. He almost does, but then Harry shakes his head. “Feel what?”

9) Middle Ground | Explicit | 23561 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

Harry moves to a new town for work where he meets the enigma that is Louis Tomlinson.

10) England Has My Bones | Explicit | 24087 words

The next time Harry thinks about calling, it’s 4.14 in the morning on a Parisian hotel balcony.

11) Like A Siren In The Night | Explicit | 24868 words

“There is an infestation in my home,” Louis hisses, righting himself quickly and pushing his way past Harry, heading directly for the kitchen. He’s rather haphazardly dressed himself, a coat thrown on over a loose flannel shirt and black pants, slippers on his feet.

Harry resists the urge to sigh, closing the door and trailing behind him slowly. “What kind of infestation?”

For all he knows, Louis is going to claim that there’s a ghost infestation. Harry has no idea what the end game is here – all he knows is that Louis has found at least three complaints a week to bring up since he’s been living on Harry’s property, and he’s been living here for six months.

It’s way too many fucking complaints, is what Harry is saying. Especially when most of them are ridiculous to start with.

12) Hold Onto This Heaven (Of Yours) | Explicit | 25213 words

An ode to being too young, too sad, and too in love.

13) The Devil’s In The Details | Explicit | 25372 words

He squeals when Harry smacks his bum as he bends over to pick up his bag, swinging it over his shoulder. Harry smiles smugly at him, bottom lip caught between his teeth. “When are you going to start calling me professor?” He asks.

“When you actually are one,” Louis says with his hand on the doorknob. He cocks his head to the side in curiosity. “Isn’t that how words work? You did study English, right?”

Louis’ quick to slip out the door before Harry can smack him again, his laugh echoing through the hallways as he makes his way to his next class with flushed cheeks and a bright smile.

14) A Trail Of Honey Through It All | Explicit | 27086 words

The boy in front of him, well really, the man in front of him, was like something out of a confusing wet dream. Built, tall, tan and muscular, his skin glistened with sweat after a long day of working outdoors with his hands. He was wearing a cut up old American football shirt, the bottom hem was torn and the sleeves were cut off to the point where the t-shirt was really just a loose tank top. The shorts he had on had clearly been full length jeans at one point, and were now just crudely cut off above the knee. His white socks were pulled up too high on his calves, and the brown work boots he had on were old as fuck, the leather peeling along the edges of the soles. Curly brown hair stuck out from the edges of his backwards snapback, and there was a smudge of grease wiped along his brow bone. The smattering of hair along his jaw proved that he hadn’t shaved in a week or two, the hair growing in thicker across his upper lip and around his chin. His sinfully bowed mouth was pink and plump, and Louis was suddenly hyper-focused on the way that he chewed at the toothpick stuck between his lips. He looked like he needed a shower. Louis wanted to lick him.

15) You Fit In My Poems (Like A Perfect Rhyme) | Explicit | 27598 words

The one where Harry works in an old bookshop and Louis is the pretty stranger that ends up stranded there in the middle of a storm.

16) Where The Lights Are Beautiful | Mature | 31170 words | Sequel

The accidental bonding A/B/O fic.

17) Once Upon A Dream | Explicit | 33319 words | Sequel

Louis is psychic and gets caught in the middle of a murder investigation led by FBI Special Agent Harry Styles.

18) Stuck On You | Explicit | 33983 words

Louis’ life revolves around his stickers. Harry’s life revolves around his job. The universe has decided their worlds should revolve around each other.

19) Coeur De Pirate | Explicit | 34207 words

He tilts his chin up as the Captain strides across the deck, his footfalls falling loudly against the planks. The crew watches them from afar.

Stepping into his space, the Captain wraps an arm around Louis’ waist and pulls him in. He lowers his head to breathe his words against Louis’ cheeks. “I won,” he whispers, “I’ve come to claim my prize.”

20) What This World Is About | Explicit | 34472 words

An eighties American high school AU; there are first times, football games, and feelings.

Alternatively titled: the beginning.

21) Close To Nowhere | Explicit | 34589 words

Louis and Harry are psychics who kind of hate each other. They go to Tennessee to investigate a haunting.

22) Before We Knew | Explicit | 39830 words

Louis has been skeptical of soulmates for years so it seems like fate when he finally bumps into the owner of the obnoxiously large signature printed onto his skin since age sixteen: Harry Styles, a human rights attorney who is firmly against soulmates.

23) The Space Between | Explicit | 39917 words

Harry Styles is the alpha rockstar who can’t sleep and doesn’t know why.

Louis Tomlinson is the omega PhD student who helps him figure it out.

24) The Sweetest Incantation | Explicit | 40580 words

Harry is a witch who's still working on developing his powers and Louis is a werecat who falls into his life and turns it upside down.

25) Worth Dying For | Explicit | 44906 words

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Louis says, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over his chest. In the center of the table, a set of three glossy photos stares up at him, mocking him.

“A security detail is non-negotiable, Louis, you know this,” his mum reminds him, tapping the middle photo with two fingers.

Louis doesn’t look back down at the pictures, gesturing towards them wildly, over-dramatically. “This is not a security detail!” he protests. “This is a lanky college student. In what world do you hire someone like this kid to protect me?”

26) Tastes Like Summer, Smiles Like May | Explicit | 47519 words

A cold prince, an alpha with nothing left to lose and a kingdom with a secret.

27) Love’s Truest Language | Explicit | 48195 words

The first part was meant as a joke. He didn't really expect Harry to buy anything. It was just Louis’ way of softening the ‘get the fuck out’ blow.

“Where's your order forms, then?”

“I don't want your flowers.” Louis chided before directing all of his attention to the arrangement in front of him.

Harry laughed under his breath as he stood to his full height, “Who said anything about them being for you, love?”

28) Through The Wheatfields And The Coastlines | Explicit | 52855 words

The one where Louis needs inspiration, and a certain cowboy and his lamb are the perfect distraction.

29) Latibule | Mature | 54322 words

A Spirited Away AU of sorts where Louis just wants to heal and be left alone, only for all his plans to be destroyed by the hands of an infuriating British God.

30) Warming Up To You | Explicit | 56227 words

Prompt 111: Louis and Harry are strangers that somehow got stranded during a blizzard. They find themselves in an abandoned cabin and have to cuddle for warmth. Cuddling leads to much more.

31) Feeling Borrowed, Always Blue | Explicit | 68214 words

Louis has been dreaming of his wedding since he was young - he just never expected it to happen like this.

32) Curly Bun Man | Not Rated | 68597 words

I just paid for these Doritos but they're stuck in the vending machine and I know you've been waiting but I am not going to let you buy something until you help me. AU.

33) Waiting On You | Explicit | 76584 words | Sequel

“Vampires,” Louis says with disgust, glaring over at the vampire who is noisily slurping from the woman’s neck nearby.

Zayn gives the neat fang marks on Louis’ neck a meaningful look.

“Can’t live with them, can’t live without them,” Louis finishes, ignoring Zayn when he rolls his eyes.

Louis takes a long sip of his milkshake, presses his fingers against the marks on his neck, and definitely doesn’t think about the vampire who left them there.

34) Through Struggles, To The Stars | Explicit | 80582 words

Louis is a Starfleet captain trying to find his place in the universe. Harry is a prince just trying to do what's right.

35) I Want You So Much (But I Hate Your Guts) | Mature | 83648 words

AU in which Louis gets accepted to play for the Manchester University Alpha-Beta Football Team. The only problem: Louis is actually an Omega. He is determined to make it big in the football world, though, and he can't do that bound to an Omega team. With the help of a faked doctor's certificate and some pretty strong suppressants he is ready to fight for his dream.

That Harry Styles (Alpha, second year and youngest football captain of the A-B team in ages) doesn't seem to like him complicates matters, though.

36) Where You Lay | Explicit | 86038 words

When Louis's upcoming heat threatens his success at his new dream job, he asks the best (and only) person he can think of to help him through it: his best mates' best mate, Harry Styles.  Harry reluctantly accepts, and together the two navigate a strange friends with benefits relationship that quickly turns complicated.

37) And Down The Long And Silent Street | Mature | 86090 words

Wherein Louis and Harry are on the opposite ends of the social ladder, but their paths still cross on the filthy streets Louis calls his home. The odds are staked against them from the beginning, and even more when Louis' past finally catches up with him.

38) Swim In The Smoke | Explicit | 101778 words

“What about this, Captain?” Liam asks, nudging the boy kneeling between their feet with the toe of his boot. The boy hisses and swipes at him, slurring out something unintelligible around the makeshift gag Niall had to stuff in his mouth. He misses by a mile and tries again, just as ineffectively.

Harry looks down at him, at the way the sun streams over his face and shoulders, at the way the gag stretches his mouth, lips pink and chapped. He’s lithe and pretty, smudged all over with dirt. They had found him tied up below deck, mostly unconscious, next to a barrel full of gold. He’s clearly a prisoner, but there’s something familiar about him, something that niggles at Harry’s brain. Something he can’t quite put his finger on.

“Put him in my cabin,” Harry decides, turning back to deal with the rest of the loot. The boys screams out jumbled curse words at Harry’s back, muffled by the gag, and Harry can’t understand any of it.

39) The Galaxy’s Edge | Explicit | 113921 words

Things never quite go as they are planned during a simple rescue job.

40) Tainted Saints And Velvet Vices | Explicit | 126057 words | Sequel (WIP)

A self-fulfilling Hogwarts AU in which Louis is new to seventh year and Harry is the resident devil-may-care Slytherin set to make his entire experience a living misery. Due to less than favourable circumstances they're forced to forge an unwilling, tentative relationship for their own survival. Repressed emotions, decidedly unromantic ballroom dancing, Triwizard Tournament tasks, creative jinxes and twilight flying above the Forbidden Forest ensue.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.

#fic recs #blp fic recs #bottom louis #top harry #larry

[meltwonu]

| 🍒 CH-CH-CHERRY BOMB! 🍒 |     [CHAPTER 16]

pairing; dom!seungcheol x camgirl!reader

this chapter’s notes; camshow, dom!seungcheol, oral(fem receiving), a little overstimulation, some hair pulling, dirty talk, possessive!seungcheol makes an appearance, sex toys, seungcheol riskin’ it all in this one 😏😳 yall!!! only 4 more chapters after this 🥺 it’s so crazy, I don’t even remember when I started this series but omg, my longest one yet! 💕 thank you so much for the support on cherry bomb, as always!! I love yall 💕💕 also my god has it been a week 😭 gonna do an inbox roundup tomorrow!💕 But for now, enjoy ch16 and have a good, safe weekend!! 💕🍒 

chapters; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 12 - 13 - 14 - 15 - 16 - x - x - x - x

“Let me get this straight… She asked you if you considered her your girlfriend and you said what?”

Seungcheol grimaces for the third time, brows furrowed when Jeongguk blinks at him incredulously. “I’m sorry, I just---I need to hear it from your lips again, hyung.”

“Ugh, I said ‘sure’, okay!? I got nervous! That was a big fuckin’ question!” Seungcheol tugs at his own hair, groaning as he slams his head down onto the concession stand. “Don’t even get me started on the look she gave me after. I had to sleep next to her, you don’t know how horrible that was after my fuck up.”

Jeongguk pats Seungcheol’s hair; shaking his head as he gently tries to comfort his hyung.

“What did she say afterwards?”

“She just said ‘oh, okay’ and then she changed topics.” Seungcheol lifts his head from the countertop, hair mussed as he stares back at Jeongguk who shoots him a pitiful look.

“And that was it? The two of you went to bed?” Seungcheol nods, “We ate a little and she started talking about work so I thought everything was okay? But the more I think about it the more I’m thinking ‘oh, okay’ isn’t really okay? Listen, I haven’t been in a relationship in a while and the last thing I ever expected out of meeting her was for her to be my girlfriend!”

Jeongguk laughs in return, “I can tell. You’re fuckin’ rusty as hell, hyung.”

“He said what?”

You groan as you pick up another plate. “He said ‘sure’ and then it got awkward. We ate dinner and then went to bed and this morning when he dropped me off, I felt like---weird? I was all shy all of a sudden, maybe even awkward.” Jun helps you clear off the table, taking a couple plates of his own before turning to face you.

“Like, ‘butterflies in my stomach’ kinda shy? Or, like, ‘that wasn’t really the answer I was looking for’ kinda awkward shy?”

Grimacing, you start to wipe down the table as Jun watches. “I’m not even sure. I mean… He didn’t say no, right? But I guess I was just expecting a little more than just ‘sure’. Nothing like, grandiose but… a little more than ‘sure’? It’s like he was replying to me asking if he wanted a piece of chocolate.”

Jun laughs, fingertips on his chin as he thinks of an appropriate response. “He might just be… awkward. I mean, what was the preface of this question? What conversation were you two having?”

Your lips press into a firm line, cheeks hot as Jun stares you down. “Okay… maybe you’re right. I didn’t really… work up to that question. I kinda just… asked it. I mean, you guys were asking about it in the comments too so I just thought--”

“Ah! There’s the problem though. I don’t think hyung was even in the chat at that point. So, just because all of us were talking about it doesn’t mean he knew, y’know? He might’ve just been caught off guard.”

“Ugh... fuck, you’re probably right.”

You and Seungcheol don’t talk about it.

Even though you can feel the tenseness between the two of you during dinner and even when he drops you off and picks you up from work Friday afternoon. It’s all clipped conversations and shy, awkward smiles like the two of you had met for the first time, all over again.

It eventually comes to a head when you’re only an hour away from needing to start your cam show, Friday night, and you realize that you weren’t sure if Seungcheol was going to be part of it or not. “Hey, ‘Cheol?” You ask, voice small as you stare at the back of his head. The male turns from his place on the sofa, eyes wide as saucers at your shy voice.

“Y-yeah?”

“Are you, um, going to cam with me tonight or…? I mean, I can do it alone, I just--I wasn’t sure if you wanted to, tonight.” Seungcheol bites the inside of his cheek; he really wanted to talk about it and he didn’t understand why this, out of all the things, was so difficult for him to talk about.

“I--I don’t know. I just, I’m sorry, can I just... apologize first?” He groans as he gets up from the sofa and rounds it until he steps in front of where you sit atop the bed sheets. “It’s been so awkward and I know it’s because of me, so you don’t need to say anything. I just--I should’ve said more than ‘sure’, I was just nervous!” His cheeks burn red; wide eyes avoiding your own as you stare up at him. “I really want you to be my girlfriend, if I didn’t already make that clear. I was just thinking about how I never really expected you to like me that much, much less start a relationship with me, so the first thing that came out of my mouth was just… that. It was dumb, I should’ve said something else, but I think my brain was just mush by then.”

Your own cheeks feel hot at his confession; trying to hide the beaming smile that threatens to paint your features. “No--no, I should apologize a little too. I asked you that out of nowhere and made you panic. I should’ve worked it up better than that too.”

“I guess we’re both a little dumb, huh?” He laughs under his breath as he scratches the back of his head in embarrassment. “We can talk about everything else under the sun but that was just… harder to talk about in the moment.”

“Yeah, but we’re okay now, right? We’re an official c-couple?” You bite your lip, looking up at Seungcheol who seems to be staring off into the distance. A grin finds itself painted on his lips as he meets your shy eyes.

“That’s right, babygirl.”

Seungcheol decides to let you do your cam show alone tonight; watching from the sofa as you get settled on the bed before nodding at him and starting your stream.

“Hey, everyone! Happy Friday!”

The comments and donations flood in as soon as you start and you already hit your donation minimum before you even open your mouth to speak again. It catches you off guard momentarily as your eyes go wide and your lips part in a shocked expression.

“Whoa, that was so fast! We already hit the donation minimum!”

sleepy_wonu has donated $75

sleepy_wonu: your channel has grown so much in the past few weeks im not surprised lol

universe_WZ: yea seriously, i remember when it took us like 30 mins before we hit minimum

artist8hao has donated $75

artist8hao: now theres ppl we’ve never even seen before in the comments lol

angelhan has donated $50

tangerine_kwan has donated $50

“Oh I know! Remember that one cam show where it took me, like, almost an hour to reach minimum? If it weren’t for ‘dom.cheol’ then, I don’t think that one would’ve taken off at all!” You giggle at the memory, eyes momentarily flitting to Seungcheol who smiles back at you.

kitty_junjun: speaking of? No loverboy tonight?

therealchan99: oh yeah i didnt even notice he was gone 😌

chwenon: lmfao

“Ah, he said he wanted to take a break tonight so it’s just me! Hope that’s okay with you guys?” You pout at the camera, fingertips roaming your lingerie clad body as you read off a few more comments. “I’m so used to his hands all over my skin though… He gets me to cum so easily, y’know?”

You pick up a dildo sitting next to you on the bed; bringing the silicone toy to your lips as you moan. “This is the biggest toy I have and it’s not anywhere near the size of his cock...” Wrapping your lips around the tip, you start sucking on the toy, imagining it was Seungcheol’s cock instead when it fills your mouth.

Your eyes flutter shut when you start grinding against the bedsheets underneath you and Seungcheol feels his throat going dry at the way you take more and more of the toy into your mouth until you’re gagging on it. Tears spring to your eyes when you feel your throat constricting around the silicone and you repeat this action a few more times before you’re pulling the toy from your mouth and sputtering to catch your breath.

gentleman_josh95: god youre so fucking pretty choking on cock

alphagyu97 has donated $50

alphagyu97: fuck i know

Setting the toy down, you immediately work to get your lingerie off; tossing it to the side before spreading your legs for the camera. “Mmh, I’m already so wet thinking about this toy filling me up…” You tease yourself with the toy, dragging the tip through your folds and collecting the wetness on it as you mewl.

xcaliburDK: but is it gonna be enough for you?

hoshi_tiger_xx: probably not, we all know the toys arent as good as the real thing lolol

You let out a whimper as you circle your clit with the tip of the toy. “I know… But I really want something inside my pussy…”

Seungcheol feels his cock throbbing in his sweats at the way your words only sound sweeter to his ears now that the two of you had cleared the air. He bites his lip, palming himself through the material as he watches you from his place on the sofa.

alphagyu97: is ur tight lil cunt ready to take it?

therealchan99: why dont u use your pretty fingers to get yourself ready hmm?

You nod shakily, setting the toy down again before bringing your middle and index fingers to your lips to wet them properly before snaking them down your body. “Ah, my fingers aren’t as big either…” Mumbling, you pinch and tease your clit, moaning out loudly before dragging them down and sinking them into your soaked entrance.

“Fuh--fuck, mmh!” Regretfully, your fingers aren’t as thick or long as Seungcheol’s but you curl and scissor the digits inside of you to prep yourself for the toy.

The sound of your moans and cries mix in with the pinging on your laptop from donations and comments and for once, Seungcheol realizes how weird it is to be on the other side and not with you. Admittedly, he’d gotten quite used to being on cam with you that it seemed awkward to just be doing nothing on the other side of the room.

“Oh, ngh, I--I want the toy n-now…” Mewling, you pull your soaking fingers from inside of your pussy; bringing them to your lips to clean them off of your wetness before grabbing the toy again. You run the silicone through your folds as you get it covered in your slick before positioning it at your entrance and slowly sinking it in.

It was definitely smaller than Seungcheol and didn’t have the same girth, but you still whine and whimper when it fills you up to the base of the toy. “Ngh, feels g-good…”

universe_WZ: i just kno that toy is noy as satisfying as the real thing huh princess?

xcaliburDK: right? Her pretty lil pussy is probably so used to being stretched by a big cock 

You thrust the toy into your pussy, soft cries spilling from your lips as you try to imagine it’s Seungcheol instead. In all honesty, you would’ve wanted him to film with you but you respected his decision to stay on the sidelines for tonight.

“Ah, it--it’s not the s-same… I--I need h-help…” You whine; shaky fingertips still working the dildo in and out of your soaking pussy. 

“P-please, ah… the toy’s not, mmh, enough to make m-me feel good...”

In the time between you picking up the toy and you actually sliding into your wet cunt, Seungcheol internally argues with himself on what to do.

And it’s not until you start begging to the air for more that he mentally says ‘screw it’ and gets up from the sofa.

Your eyes are clamped shut as you try to chase the pleasure and soon you feel the bed dip; confused eyes peering back at Seungcheol who’s entire body, including his head, is in the camera’s shot. “W-wait, you---”

“Me, what? You asked for me, right?” He turns his head, eyes staring directly into the camera as he smirks.

“Hi. I’m her boyfriend. But I think the rest of you know that already, right?”

The comments go wild with Seungcheol’s sudden face reveal, even though you and him are already lost in each other as he grips the base of the dildo and starts pumping it inside of you, angling it as best as he can to graze against your g-spot.

xcaliburDK: i think i need to quit my job tomorrow

chwenon: ??? didnt u just start

angelhan: damn i knew this dude was gonna be hot as hell

kitty_junjun: whoa nice to see ur face

kitty_junjun: i take it u lovebirds made up

xcaliburDK: yea i did but i think ive embarrassed myself enough for one lifetime

xcaliburDK has donated $150

xcaliburDK: for my shame

Your entire body is aflame with Seungcheo’s confidence and you feel the pleasure building up even quicker now that he was here with you. “Ah, f-fuck…” Whining, you bite your lip to prevent yourself from calling out his name; something you were used to by now.

“What’s wrong, baby? Call my name. Let them know who makes you feel this fuckin’ good. Let them know who’s cock you always crave and who’s cock fills you up better than this toy ever fuckin’ could.”

“Fuck, S--Seungcheol!”

Your orgasm hits you out of left field; thighs clamping shut around his arm as he continues to fuck you with the dildo as you ride out your pleasure. He turns to face the camera yet again, winking at it cockily before he turns back to you. “That’s right, baby. Now I’m gonna eat your ‘lil cunt out and make you cum on my tongue while you let the entire world know who gets you this fuckin’ wet.”

He doesn’t give you a second to come down from your high before he’s nudging your thighs apart and sliding the dildo from inside of you. A shaky breath falls from your lips as he readjusts you on the bed; this time giving the camera a side view as you turn your head to face the camera.

The comments and donations continue to flood in, except now it seems like they’re going twice as fast.

xcaliburDK: kjdkjghsdkhg fuck

sleepy_wonu: well can i say at least hes not an old weirdo lol

sleepy_wonu: ❤️

chwenon: im like, pretty sure ive seen this dude come to the convenience store i work at

chwenon: bruh i met a celebrity and i didnt even know it

xcaliburDK: dont even get me started

Seungcheol pries your shaky legs apart before he eases himself down between them. “I want you to be as loud as fuckin’ possible. Understood?” He smiles at you warmly, but his words have a certain edge to them that has you nodding profusely.

“O--okay…”

He wastes no time; skilled tongue flicking at your swollen clit as you jolt and immediately tangle your hands into his hair. “Oh, god, Seungcheol I’m--I’m, ah, sensitive…” He smirks against your skin, noting the way you already start to grind against his tongue despite your words.

Resting your thighs against his shoulders, it allows him to eat you out easier as he flattens his tongue and drags it from your soaking entrance to your clit; alternating the pressure as you whine and whimper above him.

When he notices you trying to keep your noises in, he pulls away slightly, flicking your clit with the tip of his tongue before speaking.

“I thought I told you I wanted to hear you, baby? Don’t get shy on me now.” He smirks, watching as the goosebumps rise on your skin. “In fact, why don’t you tell your lovely viewers how good I make you feel, hmm? Or tell them about the time you made me finger you in the restroom at work ‘cause your ‘lil cunt couldn’t wait.”

xcaliburDK: THE RESTROOM? At woRK?

artist8hao: ah one of the originals huh

gentleman_josh95 has donated $75

gentleman_josh95: for backstory

tangerine_kwan has donated $75

tangerine_kwan: seconded!

You bite your lip when you catch the comments, shy eyes flitting from the screen to Seungcheol who resumes eating you out. Your thighs tremble and threaten to snap shut around his head; body already on the edge of another orgasm. 

“I--S--Seungcheol was at, ah, w-work… and I--I couldn’t wait so--so I made him finger m-me in his work’s restroom…” You whimper, hangs tugging on Seungcheo’s hair harshly when his tongue dips into your entrance. “Fuck, I--I couldn’t stop thinking about, ngh, his--his fingers afterwards e-either… They fit my p-pussy so well…”

A garbled moan floats through the air when Seungcheol’s lips envelope your clit, sucking it into his mouth as your cry out his name.

Your back bows off of the bed, fingertips locked tight into his hair. “Fuck, Seungcheol, please… please…” You grind against him, toes curling against his back when your sensitive body gives into the pleasure and your orgasm washes over you a second time.

Cries of his name are all you can manage when your body goes rigid; head fuzzy when he starts to dip his tongue into your pussy again. He smiles against you, calmly continuing to eat you out as your orgasm continues to wash over you.

kitty_junjun: is it just me or is it nicer to hear her actually calling someones name

artist8hao: honestly i was just thinking that too

artist8hao: its more organic idk  

alphagyu97: ~organic~ ok nerd lol

chwenon has donated $50

therealchan99 has donated $50

When the  overstimulation starts to bite, your soft cries of Seungcheol’s name turn into hurried, jumbled noises and only parts of his name as you squirm and tug on his hair.

“Ah, ‘Cheol it’s, ngh, too--too m-much…!” He drags his tongue against your clit a few more times, relishing in the way you still grind against him. “I c-can’t cum again…” You cry, teeth chattering when he gently laps at your folds and collects your wetness on his tongue.

Seungcheol repeats this a few more times; letting you tug and pull at his hair as he licks you clean.

“Ngh, Seungcheol…”

He finally pulls away, using a hand to pry your fingers from his hair as he smiles at your tired body. “Cute.” Mumbling, he eases your shaky legs from his shoulders before he sits up; lips covered in your wetness as he grins at the camera.

Seungcheol picks out a few comments as he chuckles under his breath; already wondering what work was going to be like on Monday when he had to meet Seokmin. 

universe_WZ: u look like a dude that could fuck someone up 

kitty_junjun: he probably would too

chwenon: come thru the convenience store bro, I'll hook u up 

xcaliburDK: should I quit? be honest

Your tired groans bring his attention back to you; eyes trained on the way your tired eyes threaten to snap shut. 

“Okay, I think I need to go take care of my girlfriend now. It was nice meeting you all, finally.” Seungcheol grins, taking care of your stream before thanking your viewers and ending the stream. 

He turns to you, a genuine and caring smile on his face when your hazy eyes look up at him. 

“Ready for a shower?”

“Ugh, carry me, boyfriend~”

#cherrybomb!cheol #scoups smut #Seungcheol smut #seventeen smut #svt smut #scoups scenarios #scoups imagines #seungcheol imagines #seungcheol scenarios #svt fic #seventeen fic #svt scenarios #svt imagines #seventeen imagines #seventeen scenarios #scoups #seungcheol

[fortisfiliae]

Promised Part 14 - Tom Riddle x reader

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Masterpost | Masterlist

Summary: In this story, Tom didn’t grow up as an orphan, but with his grandfather and uncle. Reader’s sister got very sick and the Gaunts offer their help. But not without asking for something in return.

Disclaimer: Please be aware that I don’t condone any of this in real life. (GIF is not mine)

Warnings: Arranged marriage

Word count: 3.7k

Part 14 - Gaunt Manor

The weeks after Nagini had shed and you had added her skin into the antidote got more and more exhausting. The potion needed tending up to twelve times a day now and unfortunately, you didn’t own a time turner. Both Tom and you had not gotten a full night’s sleep in a while and it started to show. Every day that went by seemed to last for an eternity while the circles under your eyes carved deeper and deeper by the minute. 

The curriculum had gotten more challenging, as the teachers were preparing their students for the N.E.W.T.s. Homework was harder and more time consuming than in any other year before and you had to study for hours afterwards as well. These things alone were enough to wear out most students from year seven. Because of that, thankfully no one got suspicious of how drained you looked. Except for Camille. She had started to ask a lot of uncomfortable questions whenever you had left to take care of the potion. She knew you too well. Sneaking out every two hours to go to the Come and Go Room on top of your studies and school work had drained you to the point where you must have looked like a walking corpse.

One day, when Professor Leveret had dismissed you after an exceptionally long Astronomy lesson in the late evening, you had reached your breaking point and were on the brink of tears, pondering about failing every single subject at the end of the term. There was little to no energy left inside of you. So little, you couldn’t even bring yourself to cry, but merely stared into space with reddened eyes and parted lips. Tom brought you to his room that night and went to the Come and Go Room alone. And when you were in bed, you were too tired to fall asleep. How ironic. You never knew that was even possible. But once you weren’t distracted anymore, your mind started to wander. It was impossible to keep up with everything at once. You would either fail your N.E.W.T.s or spoil the potion. The latter would be worse of course and for no price would you let your sister down, so you mentally prepared yourself to either leave Hogwarts without graduating or repeat your entire seventh year. Oh, there were the tears. Finally. They ran and flowed along with hollow sobs and wouldn’t stop now that they were coming. 

What if the Gaunts were so appalled by your failure that they would call the wedding off before you could cure Elsie? They could easily paint you as a disgrace for not completing school and make your sister pay for it. No matter how it would turn out, they would take it out on her. The plan had worked so well until now and yet you were still desperately trapped inside Marvolo’s web. 

Half an hour must have passed when Tom came back. The cushion beneath you was damp from the tears that had rolled down your cheeks and you held your breath to prevent another whimper from escaping your mouth. You hastily wiped your face and turned your back on him, trying to breathe slowly and act as if you were asleep. But he noticed, of course. And even his well-chosen words of comfort couldn’t ease your mind. You couldn’t let yourself fall into his touch and allow yourself to drift off to sleep because you knew that in two hours, the circle would start once again.

The next day, when you sat on Tom’s sofa together to study for Transfiguration, and you had just started reading the same paragraph for the third time since you just couldn’t concentrate, it just rolled off your tongue.

“I can’t do this anymore.”

Tom looked up from his book. “What, the twentieth chapter? I just-”

“No, not this,” you sighed and threw your book on the coffee table. “I mean everything. This whole situation. It’s too much.”

“Well,” he said and laid his book aside too. “It certainly is a challenging time. The N.E.W.T.s, the schoolwork and the antidote.”

Challenging was an understatement.

“I just need a full night’s sleep, or two,” you mumbled. “And you do too. We need help, it’s inevitable.”

“Help?” he asked, brows raised. “What do you have in mind? Ask Hilt to look after the potion?”

His expression changed once he had seen how you shifted. “No. Don’t tell me that’s what you were thinking.”

“I thought about asking Camille for help. She wouldn’t tell anyone and she’s always been great at Potions,” you explained. “And then I thought, Ben would ask her where she’s going all the time. He wouldn’t leave her alone anyway. So I considered telling them both.”

Tom looked like he had been petrified for a second, not moving a muscle. “But you’d have to tell him about the pact.”

“I know.”

“That’s what he was after since the beginning.”

“Yes. But I think we can trust him.”

“You think?” he asked. “Why, because he’s stopped Freda’s quill? That’s enough to gain your trust?”

“It’s not like we have a lot of options, Tom,” you replied, slowly but surely getting annoyed by his constant suspicions. “Camille wouldn’t be with him if he was a snitch.”

“We will just plan better. It won’t be easy, but we-”

“No. This is too much work for two people. Just look at us. We’re both barely keeping up. It won’t be long until we’re completely worn out. We need help.”

Tom’s brows were furrowed, still not convinced even if he understood. You stretched out your hand towards him and waited for him to hold it.

“If we don’t ask for help we’re going to mess up. I’ll either fail my N.E.W.T.s or the antidote won’t be finished. No matter what happens, Elsie will pay for it. Please.”

Camille and Ben looked at Tom and you like you had both lost your minds when you took them to the seventh floor. They had asked so many questions on the way there, but you were far too tired to answer them all. Besides, they would just be able to see for themselves in a bit.

When you had arrived, you said to them once more: “I’m going to show you something now. And it is unbelievably important that you understand this needs to stay between us. No one else must know.”

Camille and Ben nodded, both with serious and still confused looks on their faces.

“And might I add,” Tom said as he looked directly at Ben. “That my memory charm is very powerful. If you can’t keep your mouth shut I’ll obliviate you and I might even make you forget that you have magic running through your veins.”

Ben nodded again. “Alright mate, I got it.”

The door to the Come and Go Room appeared and the two wore the same expression that you must have had when you had first seen it. 

“Come in,” you said as you opened the door.

The room was a bit tight with the four of you in there. You stirred the liquid inside the cauldron like you did each time while Ben and Camille looked around curiously. 

“A potions room?” Camille asked once the door had been closed. “Now, can you please tell us what’s going on?”

You looked at Tom, who stared back at you, lips pressed together and still unsure if what you were about to do was a good idea. But still, he nodded. He had every right to be suspicious, you had to admit now that you had brought them there. But Camille was to be trusted and frankly, you were far too tired to think of any consequences.

So you began to tell them everything from where it all had started, a day before the school year, at your house. Camille knew half of the story already, but once you told them about the Gaunts and that they were the ones who had cursed Elsie, she stood there wide-eyed, just like Ben.

“And this is why I wanted to ask you both for your help with the potion,” you said once you had told them every detail. “If you don’t mind of course. If you’re willing to help, everyone would just have to come here three times a day. That would make our lives a lot easier.”

They didn’t even need to look at each other and nodded right away.

“Of course,” Camille said. “It all makes sense now. Oh, you must be exhausted. Twelve times a day?”

“I can come more often if you want,” Ben chimed in. “I don’t have as much to do as you, my N.E.W.T.s are still a year away and I wouldn’t have bothered studying much this year anyway.”

“What a surprise,” Tom muttered, even though there was a hint of a smirk on his face.

“One more question,” Ben said. “What about the last ingredient? Banshee tears you said, right? Where are you going to get those?”

“Well. That’ll be the final obstacle.”

“My uncle owns a flask,” Tom explained. “He and my Grandfather will be out next week and we’ll go and try to get them. Our house-elves will be on high alert however, so it’s going to be risky.”

“So,” Ben said. “When are we going?” 

“We?” Camille and you asked simultaneously.

“You can’t sneak your way in anyway with the elves around, right?” he said. “Four people are a better distraction than two. I’m in.”

“You weren’t even invited in,” Tom said.

“I don’t care,” Ben shrugged. “I’m still in if you need me.”

Tom sighed as he walked in circles around the cauldron, his hand covering his mouth while he considered Ben’s offer. “As much as I hate to admit it,” he then said. “I think you might be right. A distraction could be of benefit.”

“See?” Ben chuckled. “The muggleborn isn’t that dumb after all.”

“Oh brush off the arrogance, Hilt. We don’t have the flask yet.”

“Boys, please. Let’s discuss that another time and let me show you how to tend to the potion.”

You spent the following week planning for Saturday, when the Gaunts would leave their manor to attend the honouring of the Order of Merlin. You had also gotten some most needed hours of sleep. Not only that but just knowing that Camille and Ben were taking some weight off your shoulders made it much easier to concentrate on school and homework as well. 

On Saturday evening, when you met at the fireplace connected to the Floo-Network, you went over your plan again.

“And don’t forget,” Tom said. “There are two house-elves. They’re loud, but not very bright. Much like Gryffindors.”

Camille stifled a laugh and looked over to Ben.

“Mate,” Ben replied. “Can you stop bullying me? I’m helping you out here.”

“Sorry,” Tom answered and bit the inside of his cheek. “I was just joking.”

“Oh yes. Riddle’s first joke in eighteen years and of course I take the fall.”

“Guys,” you scolded. “Get it together. Do you remember everything?”

“Yes,” Camille replied. “We are Theresa Carrow and Connor Prewett, your new and very pureblooded friends. We’ll be distracting the house-elves while Tom and you look for the flask. Once you got it, Tom will obliviate them and we'll come right back here.”

“Alright then,” you said as you watched Tom disappearing inside the fireplace. “See you there.”

The green flames consumed you whole once you let the Floo Powder fall and transported you swiftly to Gaunt manor, where you found yourself in a dark hallway, the reception hall, perhaps. 

Tom was there already and offered his hand for you to step out of the fireplace. Camille came next, followed right by Ben. Before you could say anything, you heard two raspy, high-pitched voices coming your way.

“Who is it?” one voice asked. “Master? Is it you?”

“Show yourselves,” the other voice croaked and the elf snapped her fingers, making all the candles around the room light up. It still was dim, but you could see them a bit better now. Both of them were wrinkly and old, their faces scrunched up in suspicion. They didn’t look like the elves at your home at all but were hunching and worn out, completely different to Tummy. The male elf, Scrook, missed a large piece of his left ear and the female one, Hokey, walked with a severe limp.

“Master Riddle,” Scrook said once he had detected him and bowed tediously. “What do we owe the honour? Master Gaunt didn’t tell us you would visit today.”

“He didn’t?” Tom asked. “He must have forgotten. I told him that I’d come by today. Isn’t he here?”

“No Master,” Hokey answered. “They just left thirty minutes ago. Should we inform them for you?”

“Not necessary. I just wanted to treat my friends to dinner, you see. May I introduce you to Miss Carrow, Mister Prewett, and my fiancée.”

“Oh, networking, yes,” Scrook said and bowed once again. “Welcome to Gaunt manor.”

“Shall we prepare some food for you, Master?” Hokey asked.

“Certainly. Bring my guests to the sitting room, will you? I’ll join in a bit.”

“Of course, Master. Of course.”

The two elves escorted Camille and Ben to the back, bickering and wrangling like an old couple.

“Quick now,” Tom whispered to you and walked the opposite way, towards the basement. The whole mansion was cold and dark, mahogany bleakly spread across the floors and even on some walls. The marble staircase in the entrance hall might have looked impressive, but only added to the frigid aesthetic of the house.

“Allow me to ask, Mister Prewett,” Scrook said while Ben and Camille took a seat. “What magical family do you belong to? I’ve never heard your last name before.”

“I, uh. I’m related to the Black family,” Ben said.

“The noble and most ancient house of Black,” Hokey crowed. “What an honour.”

The corridor to Morfin’s chamber was long, you had walked there for at least a minute, and it got even colder with every step you took. When you finally reached the door at the far end, Tom halted and you took a deep breath. Tom turned the doorknob, but the entry remained closed. 

“Locked,” he said. “Alohomora.”

The door stayed shut. Tom frowned. That would have been too easy.

“A different spell?” you asked. “Or is there a key somewhere?”

He shook his head. “No. It’s a charm.”

Merlin’s beard. What could it be? You thought about what Morfin could have done to lock the door. Something that only he or Marvolo would be able to use.

“What about Parseltongue?” you asked. “Does Morfin know it too?”

“Yes,” Tom answered and proceeded to speak unfamiliar words in the language. The doorknob clicked and sprung open by itself. “There we go.”

Meanwhile, in the sitting room, one of the elves got more and more interested in Ben and Camille’s backstory. “Can Scrook offer you a drink Miss? Sir?” he asked, while Hokey was busy in the kitchen. “Please, if you don’t mind, Mister Prewett. Would you tell me how exactly you’re related to Arcturus Black? Master Morfin is on good terms with him and I wonder why I’ve never heard of you before.”

When you entered Morfin’s chamber you were surprised by its size. It was almost as large as the entire Potions classroom in Hogwarts. Dead bats and shrunken heads were hanging down from the low ceiling here and there, along with strange feathers and strings that must have been some creature’s strands of hair. Despite its size, the room was crammed with bottles, finished potions and ingredients of all sorts. It wasn’t messy, not at all, but very chaotic for anyone unfamiliar. 

“Morfin arranges everything by type,” Tom said. “Liquids from living creatures must be in this corner then.”

You both started opening the drawers and looked for anything that could possibly be Banshee tears.

Ben and Camille still got cross-examined by Scrook. “Interesting, interesting. Mister Black is your great-uncle, you say. Have you met him lately?“

In the chamber, you had searched for over ten minutes already, and gone through hundreds of little flasks. The number of different liquids in this room must have been in the thousands. Slughorn’s stock was absurdly small compared to this. 

“Can’t we just use a summoning charm?” you sighed, going through your fifteenth drawer of vials filled with animal blood.

“No,” Tom said while closing a drawer. “The elves would notice it immediately.”

You shoved yet another drawer shut. “Bloody hell. What if it’s hidden?”

“That’s possible,” he mumbled, still scanning over all the flasks inside the cupboard.

“Wait,” you said. “What if we’re looking in the wrong place?”

“All liquids are here, as I said.”

“Yes, but I just remembered. Slughorn said this years ago. Banshee tears when stored, turn into tiny, pearly white crystals.”

Tom lifted his head to look at you.

“Where are the solids stored?” 

He pointed at the opposite corner of the room. “Over there.”

At the same time, Hokey brought appetizers into the sitting room. “Enjoy,” she grumbled, her tone not fitting her kind words at all.

“Thank you,” Ben said after he and Camille had taken some canapés from the tray.

Both elves froze in shock, deeply offended. “Sir, you have not just thanked Hokey, have you?” Scrook asked.

“Of course not,” Camille stated, holding her head high. “What are you thinking? He thanked me for handing him a canapé.”

“I see,” Scrook said, eyes narrowed. “I’ll go and look for Master Riddle now. He’s taking awfully long, whatever he’s doing.”

“No!” Camille and Ben shouted which lead the elf to turn back around.

“No,” Camille repeated, her voice a lot calmer. “I’d like to know more about this house. Can you tell us how long you have worked for the Gaunts?”

In the chamber, you went through the flasks and glass containers on the other side of the room, where the solid ingredients were stored, while Tom still roamed the liquids. And finally, between fairy wings and unicorn liver, lay a tiny flask of Banshee tears.

“Got it,” you called. “There it is.” 

Tom walked right over and checked out the flask too. “Good girl, very smart thinking.”

You lightly pushed him with your elbow for what he had just called you and smiled. “Let’s go.”

Scrook had gotten disturbingly close to Ben. “I’ll gladly tell you all about this house, Miss,” he said, not taking his eyes off the boy. “When Mister Prewett reveals his real name.”

“My real name?” Ben asked. “What do you mean?”

“You’re not a pureblood, are you?” the elf hissed. “I can smell it.”

“Excuse you, elf!” Camille bellowed. She was a much better actress than Ben. “You surely didn’t mean to insult Mister Prewett in that way. I must have misheard you. Now apologise.”

Before they knew it, Scrook had gripped Ben’s hand and pulled it towards his own face, sniffing at the inside of Ben’s underarm. “I knew it!” the elf yelled. “Mudblood! Hokey quick, alarm the Masters!”

Hokey came running in from the kitchen at the same time as Tom and you arrived in the sitting room. All three of you stood there in the archway and looked at Camille, Ben and Scrook in disbelief.

“Traitors!” Scrook screamed and accidentally knocked the tray of canapés off the table. “What have you done, Master Riddle? Bringing a mudblood into these halls.”

Ben had finally wrenched his arm away from the elf, holding on to it tightly while standing up straight, his chest heaving.

“The Masters must know,” Scrook whined and turned around. “We have to tell them immediately, Hokey.”

“Enough,” Camille said as she rose from her seat. “Stupefy!”

In an instant, Scrook fell to the floor without another word, completely unconscious. Hokey let out a yelp at the sight, turned around and ran toward the kitchen. 

“Quick, before she apparates,” you shouted.

“Stupefy,” Tom called with his wand pointed at Hokey. “We don’t have much time. The charm wears off on elves much quicker than on humans.”

Ben and Tom dragged the two elves to the entrance hall and dropped them next to the fireplace, while Camille cleaned up the mess on the floor, where the canapés had landed.

When you had gathered by the fireplace again, Scrook already opened his eyes, blinking slowly.

“Leave,” Tom urged and pointed his wand at the elves. “Obliviate.”

Camille went first and disappeared into the flames, followed by Ben and you.

Back in Hogwarts, when Tom stepped out of the fireplace, you finally felt like you were able to breathe again.

“We did it,” you said and fell into his arms. “I can’t believe we really did it.”

Tom held you for a moment, his arms wrapped tightly around your waist, then moved his head and looked at Ben when he let go. “What happened?”

Ben still hadn’t calmed down. He rubbed his hands on his trousers repeatedly and shook his head. “I don’t know. They were shocked when I thanked them for serving us food. Then the elf said he could smell that I’m not a pureblood.”

“You thanked them?” Tom asked. “Elves don’t accept that.”

“How am I supposed to know that? I’ve never seen a house-elf before.”

“Forget about that now,” Camille interrupted. “Did you get them? The Banshee tears.”

“Yes,” you said and pulled them out of your pocket. “We got them.”

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Masterpost | Masterlist

Please consider leaving a comment and tell me what you think so far :) They motivate me so much to keep writing! Let me know if you want to be tagged, or untagged. Thank you for reading!

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[cakejots]

this is us trying, Chapter 4 - The Surprise

In this AU, they don’t know each other outside of the suit. And in this AU, Ladybug and Chat Noir love each other. But in this AU, Chat doesn’t want their identities revealed.

Written for @ladynoirjuly 2021

notes: this is a coherent story based on all the prompts; each chapter contains at least 3 prompts

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 4 | Ch 5 | Ch 6 | Ch 7 | Ch 8 | Ch 9 | Ch 10

Read on AO3

11. Voicemails/Calls

Ladybug called for her transformation right as the time on her phone hit 00:00. She took her bug phone and saw that Chat had left a voicemail for her.

Chat probably didn’t have a place in mind then, since it was such a last-minute decision, which was why he didn’t tell her anything about where to meet up, but only to transform between 12 and 3. Ladybug being eager as she was, transformed at the earliest time possible.

“Hi Buguinette! I’m so sorry for disrupting your beauty sleep by requesting a meetup at this ungodly hour, but I promise it’ll be worth your time. Let’s meet up at Parc Montsouris. Specifically at La Petite Ceinture at 3! I’ve a surprise for you!”

Ladybug couldn’t contain her excitement any longer and she didn’t want to wait till 3 to meet him. She couldn’t. She was ready to go. She's been itching to see him ever since he asked for a meetup despite his busy schedule and she was going to make sure they spend every second of it together.

It was 00:02 when Ladybug called Chat. It was a few seconds later that she realised he might not even be transformed to take her call. But relief washed over her as she heard the line went through.

“Buguinette?”

“Chaton, can I meet up with you now instead?”

Some ruffling can be heard in the background. “Uhh…”

“Oh, I can’t?” She deflated.

“No! That’s not it! See, I’m actually still setting up the surprise… It’s, uh, more or less done but you can’t be too sure, right?”

Silence.

“Okay fine, I want to spend time with you too.” Ladybug silently cheered. “But could you do me a favour and not spoil the surprise for yourself? And also allow me to leave at 2:30 to make sure everything is in place before we meet up again at 3?”

“Well, with the amount of effort you’re putting into this, I’ll be disrespecting you if I go against your wishes.” She teased.

“Thank you.”

“Also Chaton?”

“Hmm?”

“Spending every second with you is worth it. Any time of the day, even at this ungodly hour, is something I look forward to and cherish. So don’t worry about it, alright?”

Despite not being able to see him, Ladybug knew that he was smiling.

“Of course, my lady.”

12. Blush

Chat couldn’t help but notice how his lady had her hands behind her back as she walked towards him. He tried to take a peek as she got closer.

“Ooo, did my lady bring me a present?” He winked.

“Yes, yes she did. In fact, it was made by yours truly.” She presented a rectangular gift wrapped neatly.

Chat’s widened eyes stared at the gift before travelling to her face.

“Don’t look so startled, you deserved it,” she giggled and pushed the gift into his hands.

He was now staring at the present in his hands with an open mouth, which Ladybug promptly brought her fingers under his chin to close it.

“If you don’t close your mouth, flies will make it their home,” she chuckled.

She stopped when she was suddenly tugged into his embrace. “Thank you, my lady. So so much.”

“You’re welcome, Chaton.” She patted his back a few times. “I wouldn’t oppose it if you want to open it now.”

He pulled back and his face lit up as she smiled back. Letting her go, he carefully began to tear the gift. He really wanted to just rip open the present like a child who had just been teased about their birthday present, but couldn’t as he still had sharp claws. He couldn’t risk tearing whatever his lady had made for him. That’s just wrong.

When he finally managed to remove the wrapping, an exquisite blue scarf sat in his hands.

“It’s getting cooler, and since I learnt about your favourite colour a while back, this seems to be the most suitable item I can make for you.” She grinned.

She was once again pulled into a bear hug. “It’s perfect, my lady. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.” He tightened his hold on her.

“I’m glad you like it!” She returned the hug, and soon after, bounced slightly to lighten the mood. “Put it on! I wanna see!”

He did as his lady wished, and wrapped the scarf around his neck.

“Aww, you look adorable!”

He blushed.

She took his hands and strolled towards the lake. “Let’s go over there and enjoy the view.”

They sat by the lake and Chat snaked his arms around her waist to bring her closer to him. She laid her head on his shoulder and sighed. “Wow, you can see the moon reflected on the water.”

“There are swans too, Buguinette. On your right.”

She turned and there were indeed a pair of swans floating peacefully on the surface of the water, minding their own business.

They sat in silence before Ladybug’s breathing evened out. Chat realised she had dozed off and took out his baton to set an alarm for 2:30, before cautiously lying down, careful to not wake her up. He made sure they were snuggling before he closed his eyes.

.

Ladybug felt someone shaking her shoulders before she opened her eyes.

She saw Chat’s chest before lifting her eyes to his grinning face.

“Wakey wakey, Buguinette. It’s 2:30 and I’ve got to set up your surprise!”

“Oh, right,” she rubbed her eyes before she removed her hands from his waist and sat up. “I’m sorry I fell asleep on you. And I said I wanted to spend time with you, hah.”

“Well, I don’t mind it. We slept together,” he wiggled his brows. “Besides, this is the best I’ve slept in a while.”

She blushed. “Alright, you alley cat, get going. I’ll wait for you here,” she pushed his shoulders.

He rolled over and laughed, before taking her hands and placing a kiss at the back of her hand. “I’ll be back.”

She saw his figure grow smaller and smaller before he jumped away. She directed her gaze back to the lake and then to the swans.

They looked so untroubled by her blatantly staring and invading their private moment together. She knew that she’s attributing human behaviour to the swans; they could be fighting for all she knew, but she couldn’t stop her mind from pondering further.

Maybe it was her being alone. Maybe it was her being awake at this time without doing anything and allowing her thoughts to roam. Or maybe it was her subconscious mind. But she couldn’t help but yearn for the days where she and Chat would be able to have dates out in the open, masks off, minding their own business in their mini-world, just like the swans.

She wasn’t angry at him. She’d never fault him for what he had done. How could she? She saw how the final battle wrecked him, how he was changed afterwards. And how he still made the constant effort to repair the damages his decisions had done to their relationship, trying his best to slowly but surely return to his former self before the final battle.

He made the effort. He could’ve just disappeared from her life, shut her out completely after the final battle, but he didn’t. He promised her dates and he delivered. Without the overbearing burden to defeat Shadowmoth, the time they spent together were ones she genuinely enjoyed. Even if it didn’t work out well sometimes.

He promised he’d tell her when the time is right, when he’s ready. But that takes time. So much time. And she doesn’t like that she can’t fix the issue when she doesn’t even know what it is, to begin with. She doesn’t want her kitty to suffer alone, but he’s not letting her in. And all she could do was to wait patiently for him.

But she’s happy. She’s happy that they’ve made progress, even if it felt like going back to square one. Back to where they once were before the final battle. After all, it was the journey that counts. They are still young with many years ahead of them. She can make this work.

“My lady?”

“Chaton!” She was happy to see him so soon. Pondering sure does make time fly.

He kneeled down and cupped her cheeks. “What’s wrong?”

“Huh?”

His thumbs wiped her cheeks and that was all she needed to know what’s wrong.

Her tears were flowing. “Oh dear.”

Chat removed his hands from her face and sat down next to her. He pulled her onto his lap and continued wiping her tears.

“Are you okay, my lady?”

“Yeah, you know me!” She smiled to give him extra assurance. “My mind tends to wander a lot. I’m just being weird, don’t mind me.”

He wasn’t convinced. “You’re not weird, tell me what’s wrong?”

She closed her eyes and exhaled. She knew she needed to be honest, else he wouldn't budge.

Ladybug took his face in her hands and focused her attention on him. “I need you to understand this. Very clearly. That you are not in the wrong. The feelings that led you to your decisions are valid. I’m just overthinking.”

He nodded, and she took a deep breath in.

“Do you see the swans?” He turned to see the swans floating heedlessly on the surface of the lake. “They look lovely, don’t they? I just can’t help but think that that could be us.”

Chat’s heart wrenched when he heard that. His lady can deny all she wants but he knew that he had already and was the one to directly inflicted emotional hurt on her. The severity of his actions didn’t register to him till that moment. He wanted to cry.

“I’m so—”

“Don't you dare.”

He raised his hands to surrender.

“We’re still together, aren't we?” She smiled.

“Yes. Yes, we are.” He pulled her in to kiss her forehead. “Are you sure you’re okay? Do you think you’re ready for your surprise?” He stood up and held his hand to her.

She took his hand and was up to her feet within seconds. “Lead the way, mon Chaton.”

13. Affection

The walk led by Chat was a short one, but he held her hand in his all the way through. She squeezed lightly to let him know that she was grateful for his gesture.

When they arrived at the edge of La Petite Ceinture, there was a drop-down before they reached the railway, where her surprise was. The railway that was filled with luscious green in the daytime now looked blumine in the moonlight. It wasn’t total darkness as the radiance from the full moon provided enough visibility, but an orange glow from a few metres away caught her attention.

She saw a mat neatly spread out over the green, with four round candles romantically lit up at the corners to hold the fabric down. At the centre, there were two pillows and a few roses surrounding them. The grass patches around the mat were also scattered with roses.

Ladybug still had her hand in Chat’s, but she was so overwhelmed by the splendour of the place that she wasn’t aware she had let go of his hand and moved forward. Chat took this chance to pick up a rose from the mat and sniffed it.

“This place is enchanting, Chaton!”

She turned to him to see a rose presented to her. “For you, my lady.”

“Aww, thanks mon Chaton!” She took the rose and held it close to her heart, eyes sparkling. “The surprise is lovely, the setup and place chosen, it’s miraculous!”

“Like yourself.”

She scratched his chin. “Flatterer.”

He smiled cheekily. “But my lady, I haven’t given you your surprise yet.”

“Huh?”

He held both her hands in his and leaned his forehead against hers. “Close your eyes.”

She looked unsure for a moment before she closed them.

Chat inhaled deeply and squeezed her hands. “De-transformation.”

Ladybug went still.

“Y-You can open your eyes now.”

Ladybug still wasn’t moving.

His thumbs rubbed the back of her hands. “My lady?”

“This really is one hell of a surprise.”

He barked out a laugh. “Buguinette, wasn’t this what you wanted?”

“It is! It is! Trust me, it is!” She squeezed his hands and leaned forward. “But you dropped it on me out of nowhere! I wasn’t prepared at all!”

“It’s called a surprise for a reason.” He winked, but she couldn’t see because she still had her eyes closed.

She bit her lower lip. “Are you sure? I love the surprise, but are you really sure you’re okay with this?”

“I think it’s about time.”

The air was quiet and peaceful around them.

“Okay,” she tightened her hold on his hands. “Then close your eyes too. We do this together, like always.”

Chat shut his eyes. “Okay, they are closed.”

“De-transformation.”

It was his turn to stiffened as he witnessed the pink flash through his closed eyes.

“Okay, we open our eyes on the count of three.”

Chat immediately started counting. “One.”

“T-Two.”

“Three,” they echoed together.

Silence.

“My lady, have you opened your eyes yet?”

She passed the rose to her other hand. “No. Have you?”

“No,” he let out a sheepish laugh. “Gosh, now I understand why it’s so hard for you to open your eyes.”

“See!” She exclaimed.

“Okay, okay. For real this time?” He asked. “We open them when I say ‘open’?”

“Okay.”

They both took deep breaths and squeezed their hands in preparation.

“Here goes,” Chat prepped. “Open.”

And both their eyes fluttered open.

For Chat, the face of the lady in front of him was someone he didn’t know. Much like her superhero ego, she has hair as dark as the night but those pupils encased within her pretty bluebell eyes were enlarged. The cute freckles that he’d always seen covered were now on full display, sprinkled across her cheeks like stars in the night sky. Her nose, as cute as a button and her cheeks were dusted with a rosy pink colour that made her look so vibrant. Her lips, though not tinted with lip gloss, still looked so damn kissable. This is the face of his lady. And he found himself falling even harder for her now that the biggest veil of secrecy had been lifted.

For Ladybug, the face of the gentleman in front of her was someone she recognised. It’s hard to miss when his face is plastered all across Paris. And much like his superhero ego, he has hair as bright as the sun and those gorgeous green eyes. The only difference was that his hair is shorter and tamer than usual, and his cat slit eyes are now human, possibly dilated as well, with the amount of affection he was looking at her with. His nose, as sharp as it is under that mask and his cheeks looked so cute covered in that pink hue. His warm smile was calling out to her for a kiss and she found it increasingly hard to resist. This is the face of her chat. And now that the biggest wall of secrecy was removed, she found herself understanding the reasons for his decisions that day.

“Chaton. A-A-Adrien?” He nodded, still smiling and thumbs rubbing the back of her hands. Her heart was about to burst from all that he’s doing to her. “T-Thank you for the mind-blowing surprise, it’d be one that I’ll fully treasure for years to come. And now that I know who you are under that mask, I think I get why you did what you did. But I’m sure it’s not the full picture, so I’ll wait for you to tell me everything one day.”

Adrien was absolutely smitten with her. “Thank you, my lady.”

“Marinette. My name’s Marinette Dupain-Cheng.”

“Marinette.” He voiced with a face full of awe.

She smiled fondly at him. He looked every bit as handsome as he is on billboards. He wasn’t a model for nothing. “You’re okay with me just being... me?”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Marinette.” He tugged a loose strand of hair, which he just noticed were untied, behind her ears and cupped her cheeks, slowly caressing them. “The courage you managed to bring forth on our first day as superheroes despite being scared of messing up was what captivated me in the first place. As I got to know you more, your heart of gold had me enamoured. And now, I get to see you in all that you are. You’re everything and more than I could ever ask for.”

She grabbed his wrists. His declarations of love filled her heart to the brim, eyes almost leaking tears of joy. “I couldn’t have done it without you encouraging me that day, you know? I couldn’t have done all of these without you. You’ve been my rock since day one, and you’re so brave and kind and caring to everyone. And being a supermodel doesn’t change any of that.” She chuckled. “Not to mention, you’re a huge dork too, Adrien. I’m so glad to be one of the lucky few to know this about you.”

Her eyes wandered down to his lips, lingering for a moment before they were back at his eyes. She closed her eyes and took a step forward. “And I didn’t think it was possible for me to fall in love with you even more, Chaton.”

“You’re the only one, my lady,” adoration clear in his voice. He could hear the pounding in his chest increased as she declared her love for him, and it beat even faster as he leaned in and he closed his eyes. “And I didn’t think it was possible for me either.”

She could feel his light breathe on her lips as he uttered those words, but nothing else happened afterwards. He has always been a gentleman, respecting her boundaries and checking that she was absolutely sure before making a move.

Even now, when he's given access to the vulnerability she hasn't shown anyone, he's still waiting. Marinette's heart fluttered at this gesture. She knew how much he wanted to kiss her, and denying him would do them both no good.

So she moved. Her hands released their hold on his wrists and rounded themselves around his neck, pulling him in. Telling him that it's okay, that she wanted this as well.

And with that, the space between them soon disappeared, their lips finally touching, pressed firmly together.

#ladynoirjuly2021 #ladynoirjuly #ladynoir #mesfics #miraculous ladybug #fanfic #mlb fanfic #ladybug #chat noir #alternate universe #light angst #fluff #hurt/comfort #this is us trying

[liannyeong]

Crimson (Chapter 8)

Summary: Jaebeom and Yujin spends more time together.

Word count: 2976

Pairing: Jaebeom X OC

Warning(s): a little angst, but mostly fluff ^^

Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16

A/N: I’m back! :) A slightly shorter chapter this time... I hope to make it up in the next one... ;) Show your support for my works by buying me a coffee! Follow me on Twitter for random updates.

Yujin wakes in the comfort of her own room, but her eyes feel heavy and swollen. She recalls crying her heart out, into Jaebeom’s chest. Or was that just a dream? A dream in which she nearly stabbed Jaebeom in the heart? Nevertheless, the morning is peaceful, with the sunlight streaming through the windows and a soft breeze blowing into the room. Outside, she can hear the melodious chirping of the birds.

Yujin stretches her body, taking a deep breath in before sitting up. That’s when her eyes land on Jaebeom. She hadn’t felt the dip at the foot of the bed. The male fae is perched there, face buried in his hands. With his back turned on her, Yujin notices how broad his shoulders are. She reckons he could envelope her entirely.

“I don’t get you,” he speaks in a hushed tone, as if he’s afraid of breaking the peace in the quiet morning. But Yujin can feel tension in the air, suddenly weighing down on them. Jaebeom runs his fingers through his hair, the locks messy after all the tugging. He stays in position even as he continues. "I thought that maybe, you will come to like me. Whatever I did, it’s all done with you in mind: Would Yujin be okay with it? Will she dislike it? If I do this, will it scare Yujin away? I just-- I kept telling myself that even if you don’t like me, at least, you wouldn’t hate me. You wouldn’t want to run away from me. But now I-- I don't know anymore.”

There’s exasperation in his voice and it strikes a chord in Yujin’s heart. She hadn’t realized how thoughtful Jaebeom was towards her. She had been so caught up in playing the victim, thinking that he was out to get her. On the contrary, all he has ever done is take care of her well-being.

Jaebeom turns his face slightly, just enough for Yujin to see his side profile. He looks pained, eyebrow furrowed. “Do you hate me that much? That you wish to kill me? Just what am I doing wrong? What am I lacking in? What isn’t enough for you?"

Yujin surges forward, grabbing his face with both of her hands. Jaebeom's red eyes are moist, a deep pool of sorrow in them.

"You haven't been anything but kind to me," she assures with a gentle smile, though her own voice is shaking. "I was too blind to realize it. I'm sorry for hurting you. I was selfish, I--"

Jaebeom tears her hands away, placing it back on her lap. "You felt trapped, I understand. Everything happened against your will. But I still-- I tried. I tried to make sure that you'd like me. That you'd see me. So tell me, Yujin," he pauses to hold back the tears, but raw emotions evident on his face and in his voice, "Tell me what I need to do."

The female drops her head to his shoulder, silent tears streaming down her face. "It's not entirely your fault. I'm to blame too! I promise I’ll be better. I’ll try--” Yujin shakes her head. “No, I want to be your wife. Properly.”

She looks up, her vision blurred with all the saline liquid in her eyes. Jaebeom is looking back at her, no words being said.

“I will try,” she continues, “And if anything displeases me, I’ll be sure to tell you. No more hiding things away. I’ll be transparent with you.”

Jaebeom seems touched by this, smiling through the tears. Yujin reaches to wipe it away and the fae holds the hand against his cheek. He nuzzles into her touch, nodding slightly before murmuring into her skin, “I believe you.”

In that moment, the wind blows quietly and Yujin feels something has shifted between them.

---

They fall into an unspoken routine afterwards. They do things together -- anything at all. When preparing their meals, Jaebeom would cast a fire on the stove, manipulating the heat on Yujin’s request. Washing the dishes is mainly Jaebeom’s responsibility because he can dry it quickly by transferring the heat from his bare hands to the utensils. They even read their books quietly, side by side. To them, it is of utmost importance that they stay in each other’s company for most of the day.

Tonight, after their stomachs are sated with food, they lounge at the back porch, facing the farm. They are comfortably seated at the sofa, watching the moon in its full glory. A soft breeze blows over them and Yujin wraps her arms around her body. Lanterns are lit at the corners, but it’s too far to feel the heat.

"Cold?" Jaebeom asks.

"Just a little. Perhaps a small fire would be nice," she responds.

But the male doesn't light a fire. Instead, he throws an arm around her, pulling her in, such that her back is leaning against his body. In this position, Yujin can feel the rise and fall of his chest as he breathes. She finds herself relaxing in his hold, revelling in the warmth that radiates from Jaebeom's body.

"It's much warmer this way," he murmurs into her ear. Ironically, Yujin shivers. His fingers worm its way between hers, hands interlocked. Yujin feels the male nuzzle his face into her hair, taking a whiff as if he's smelling fragrant flowers. Her heart pounds erratically in her chest, and she's sure that he could hear it loud and clear. What can she think about when Jaebeom is infiltrating her every sense?

Abashed, Yujin tries to distract herself. She plays with his fingers, pretending that it’s more interesting. She notices how his hands feel nice against hers, how it fits perfectly in hers. She also notices that he’s still wearing that iron ring on his little finger. Yujin grazes her thumb over the ring head.

"Does it bother you?" Jaebeom asks, noticing her attention on the ring.

Yujin can't bring herself to answer that. Honestly, she feels a pang of disappointment in her heart. After all, they're married now. How would one feel if her partner is wearing a gift from a past lover?

When she doesn't reply, Jaebeom slides the ring off, holding it up between his fingers. The ring glints in the dark, reflecting the moonlight off its surface.

"It's a memento. A reminder that love can change me," he says, gazing at the ring before slotting it back to his finger. "I didn't have the best character. I was always angry, I hated the world." He lets out a chuckle. "I even used to hate Jinyoung! I was ousted because I’m a halfling. The entire faefolk despised me. No one accepted me. I was hidden away like a dirty little secret, while Jinyoung is free to roam the streets. He had everything I didn’t. I wanted to wreck him, to take everything away from him."

Jaebeom then smiles to himself, fondness in his eyes. His gaze has softened, as if recalling a precious memory. "But how can I when he looked at me with those wide eyes. As if I was a hero. He used to follow me around even though everyone ignored me. He didn’t shut me out like the other faes. He saw me for who I am, rather than what I am. For that, I’m always thankful for his existence in my life."

The fae lets out a deep breath. His brows are knitted now, and Yujin wants nothing but to smooth those creases on his face. Despite that, she keeps her hands to herself, waiting patiently.

"When the Water court found out about my existence, they wanted my family exiled. They wanted to execute my father for loving a Fire fae, and me for being born into this world, for tainting the purity and the reputation of the Water court." The fae scoffs. "They had me all tied up, humiliated in front of the Water faefolk. I would have died, if not for my father’s sacrifice."

A tear drops his face, and he wipes it off haphazardly. Yujin can feel a mixture of fury and sorrow in him.

"I was so furious at the injustice, at their baseless discrimination. In my anger, I gained control of the executer's mind. Chaos ensued, and I was sure I would have been killed. But my father managed to break free from the cuffs and sent me to the mansion. My mother was already hiding away in the mansion when I came. The next thing I knew, my father took the blame for everything and..."

His shoulders are slumped now, and it’s as if he admits defeat. He lets out a shaky sigh. "And I'm still alive."

Jaebeom holds a hand up, igniting a small ball of fire in his palm. "I don't deserve to live when I am this weak. I can't even control big flames. This is the only thing I can do. I'll never be as good as the pure faes. I'll never be enough--"

"That's not true," Yujin interjects, grabbing his wrist. The fire instantly vanishes. "You are good enough. You may not be a pure fae, but you have garnered a string of loyal faes -- just look at your servants and Jinyoung! Forget about the rest of the faefolk. You changed the lives of the faes you took in. You gave them a home that they were not able to have. Powers aside, you are not incapable at all! You're brilliant, witty, caring, dashing even--"

The male raises a brow, cracking a smile on his tear-stained face. "Dashing?"

Yujin flushes at the slip of tongue. "That's not the main point!" she squeaks, earning a laugh from the other. "The main point is that, you're more than you think you are."

Jaebeom offers a smile, eyes glistening in the dimness of the light. He seems touched by her words. "Thank you, Yujin," he whispers.

A momentary pause follows, before Jaebeom speaks again, brushing the pad of his thumb against the ring head. "After all that chaos in the Water court, a girl appeared in my life. She was like first sliver of light at dawn, the calm after the storm.”

Sorrow appears on his face. "This ring was made without a proper measurement. It could only fit my little finger. Despite it being made from paper, it bore the weight of a promise. The promise of forever. But I hurt her, and I willingly let her go."

"Do you miss her?" Yujin hesitantly asks, even though she might feel hurt from the answer. "Do you still... love her?"

Jaebeom turns his face, meeting her eyes. The look on his face changes, an expression Yujin can't decipher. He reaches for her face, his knuckles lightly brushing against her cheek. His gaze has softened.  

"Sometimes," he murmurs. "But you're here now. That's enough for me."

Yujin blinks at the male. A question that has been itching to be asked is at the tip of her tongue. She turns away, and this snaps the moment.

"Was it Princess Yena?" she asks, voice nearly quiet.

"What?"

"Yena. Was it her?" she repeats, adamant in avoiding the male’s face. "I mean-- Did you not have anything special with her? You two look good together... Jinyoung did mention that you're very fond of the Choi siblings and that Yena likes you a lot, so..."

"And because of that, I would return her feelings?"

"Well, it's not impossible, is it?"

To Yujin's surprise, Jaebeom laughs out loud, throwing his head back. She wonders if she had cracked a joke. His laughter subsides a moment later. Jaebeom shifts in his seat, angling his body towards her. He takes Yujin's hands in his own.

"Please don't get the wrong idea, Yujin," he begins. "I only see Yena as a sister. Nothing more. I dote on her as much as I dote on Youngjae. Unfortunately, Yena misinterpreted my affection for love. That's why she's rather... possessive about me. You must know that I don't like her in that way at all."

Yujin nods slowly, showing that she believes his answer.

"Believe me, my love." Something about that term of endearment makes her heart flutter. "You are all I think about now."

Yujin lets out a playful scoff, trying to play off the fuzzy feeling that he induced in her. “What have I ever done but hurt you?”

"Love is the taste of sweetness after a long bitter," Jaebeom says with a shrug.

Yujin laughs. "What, are you a poet now?"

"I am not, but you, my love, are poetry."

Yujin is so flustered by this, she slaps the male on the chest. Needless to say, she can't help the curling of her lips. In the next moment, Jaebeom captures her lips with no resistance.

---

Their relationship has evolved to become more affectionate, but they still don’t share the same bed. Even though they spent their time in each other’s company, they would still part ways and sleep in separate rooms. Yujin finds herself being comfortable with Jaebeom, having put her guard down around him. She has learnt to be relaxed and lets herself loose around the male. If she was told that she would come to enjoy Jaebeom’s presence weeks ago, she would have believed that a spell was cast upon her. She would have attempted to escape the mansion more than once, or even attempt to kill Jaebeom again. The thought of that brings shivers to her spine. It saddens her if Jaebeom ceased to exist in her life. The love and attention that she receives from him has made her life much sweeter.

It’s the last night before they head back to the mansion. They spent the day lazing around, cuddling on the couch in front of the fireplace. Yujin wonders if the warmth that she feels all over her body is from the flames or from Jaebeom’s embrace. Either way, she has never felt so content before. She has never felt genuinely happy like this.

“I can’t believe that we’re heading back to the mansion tomorrow,” Jaebeom breaks the comfortable silence between them, earning a laugh from Yujin.

“We can always come back here. You know that.”

“Yeah but…” The male sighs. “I don’t even want to leave. It’s so peaceful here.”

“I’m glad that you feel safe here,” Yujin says. “You’re always welcomed here.”

Jaebeom turns his head, meeting her eyes. The light from the flames dance on his pale white skin. With his crimson eyes, Yujin briefly forgets that Jaebeom is a halfling. She wonders how different a pure blooded Jaebeom would be. For one, he’ll definitely be stronger.

“You really mean it?”

The female nods. “I trust you, Jaebeom,” she says, her voice soft, like it’s a secret between them. “I was a difficult person at first but now, I don’t hate you. In fact, I--” she pauses, a little embarrassed at what she’s about to say next, “I enjoy your company. I like to be around you.”

This seems to have an effect on the fae for he stares at her with wide eyes. He’s probably in disbelief. After all, she had attempted to kill him almost a week ago. But here they are, carrying out a civil conversation. No, fostering a proper relationship between a husband and a wife. Well, at least a part of it.

A smile spreads over Jaebeom’s lips, exposing his pearly white teeth. It’s the kind of smile that reaches his eyes, the one in which they turn into crescents. “Yujin, I--” He fumbles for words, too happy to form coherent sentences.

Yujin shifts, facing the male fully. This time, she’s the first one to initiate a touch. She brings his hand to her face, placing it against her cheek. She holds it there, nuzzling into his warm palm. Her thumb rubs against the skin on his inner wrist.

“You have no idea how happy you’ve made me,” Jaebeom whispers. “This past week, it was crazy, but I-- I’m just so--”

Yujin pecks his lips, catching him offguard. “I know,” she assures with a smile. “I know.”

Jaebeom returns the smile, turning their hands such that their fingers are interlaced. A moment passes and Yujin has the wildest thought in her head. On impulse, she calls out his name softly.

“Hmm?”

“Could you stay with me tonight?”

The face that Jaebeom makes is almost comical. His eyes have gone wide, his jaw agape.

“N-no! N-not that kind,” Yujin flounders, realizing how the earlier question sounded like. “I meant like-- Just sleeping next to each other! N-nothing more than t-that!”

The Fire fae coughs, his cheeks colored a deep shade of red. He scratches the back of his neck. “R-right… I-- uh--”

“It’s alright if you don’t want to…” Yujin mumbles under her breath.

“It’s not that! I definitely want to but--” He covers a portion of his face with a hand. “I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be able to control myself…”

Yujin bites her lower lip, blushing at the implication of his words. Her cheeks are burning, and she shakes her head, as if it helps in clearing the thoughts in her mind.

"I trust you, Jaebeom,” she says later, convinced. “I know you wouldn’t do anything I dislike."

The fae looks conflicted, as if he doesn’t trust himself. But in the end, he gives in, nodding his head subtly. Almost instantly, Yujin tugs him on his feet and leads him up her room. In record time, they slipped underneath the sheets. Yujin settles half of her body over Jaebeom’s, coiling a leg around his. She presses her ear against his chest, listening to the soft beating of his heart through the layers of clothing. Jaebeom settles his hand around her waist, supporting her in place. Yujin sighs, contented, before falling into a deep slumber.

#got7 scenarios #got7 #got7 fanfic #got7 writing #got7 imagines #jaebum #got7 jaebum scenarios #got7 jaebum #got7 im jaebum #got7 im jaebum scenarios #got7 im jaebeom #got7 im jaebeom scenarios

[yuzukult]

try again, || jaehyun & reader

title: try again, pairing: jaehyun x reader genre: idol!au, angst-y (i guess) words: 2.1k prompt: you should know that I’m always on your side, please remember my answer is you. note: inspired by the song try again by d.ear & jaehyun... i tried with this one, but it got hard to finish because i forgot where i was going with it.... i guess you can call this a drabble???????? also i have not revised this my 5th time yet. lol i will probably edit this as time goes on

Every long-term relationship goes through the “humps.” There’s three separate occasions: the three year hump, five year hump, then lastly the seven year hump. Many people tackle these hurdles, some fortunate enough to win and survive, but some wistfully slip. 

You and Jaehyun failed the three year hump.

The obstacle was inevitable and surviving these challenges with him as an idol, periodically on tour when part of these issues arise didn’t make it any easier. The three-year mark resulted in a mutually angry break-up, only lasting a few months before he came back to Seoul. Healed from the fall, you thought that you were strong enough to face him. It was a lie-- the moment that you saw his face, you fell in love all over again.

Getting back together was easy. The two of you even made a pact that this wouldn’t ever happen again, and preventing it would require more communication and effort. Jaehyun was your end-game, despite the struggles of dating a celebrity, and the feelings were reciprocated.

So when the fifth year was approaching, it was no surprise that you could even feel it in the air that something was different.

Coming home everyday wasn’t the same anymore. The house echoed with silence; his slippers by the door remained vacant incessantly, and his roar of laughter isn’t here to fill the rooms with warmth. Your phone doesn’t ring with a text from him asking if you had gotten home safely nowadays, and expectations for video calls have dropped to none.

Jaehyun doesn’t “come home” lately, or at least, your home, but when he does, it means arriving during the late hours of the night and leaving at the brink of dawn. The incandescent grin that stuck on his face that comes as a package with the dimples that indent his cheeks were absent from your life now. His scent hasn’t remained in the house for months, evidence to his missing presence.

Sleeping without him proved arduous. Your eyes begging for slumber but your mind wouldn’t rest with the negative thoughts that swarmed your head.

Then there was speculation amongst social media-- every possible platform, and your phone overflowed with text messages from those who were “close” to you were all of him with new arm candy, a new beau.

It’s two in the morning, and you’re fighting with your inner self on whether or not to call in sick to work tomorrow. Snatching the carton of milk in the fridge, you grab a mug settled in the cabinet before pouring yourself a drink. Placing it into the microwave and tapping a couple of the buttons on the screen, the humming of the appliance is the only sound that floods the room.

The doorknob of the front door rattles, and he comes in with newly dyed blue disheveled hair wearing his clothes from practice, dropping his duffle bag by the door and his keys thrown into the bowl on the entryway’s table. There was no greeting nor kiss as he immediately makes his way into the kitchen.

“She’s just a co-star. We’re filming a music video, and afterwards she said she was going to grab us all coffee, and I felt bad if she went alone. I mean, there’s ten of us.” His eyes hasn’t even looked directly at you, yet somehow he knew what was running through your head.

“I didn’t say anything.” You mutter, attention wavering to the beeping of the microwave.

“You didn’t have to.” He’s standing what feels like hundreds of meters away from you. The light in the room is dim, nearly as though it reads the tension in the atmosphere.

“She’s pretty,” You say before gripping onto the warm beverage before hissing at the impact of the hot ceramic against your fingertips.

“What are you insinuating?”

You’re silent for a moment. “Maybe it’s time we should talk about us.”

Jaehyun is the guy who doesn’t say much. He’s a level-headed person, soft spoken, and sensitive yet reserved, but capable of opening his heart. He’s the one you admire from afar with his breathtaking features, a radiant smile that can wipe an entire nation, with his popular group of friends, and friendly demeanor. Even when he’s trying his best not to shine in a sea of people, he’s under the spotlight. It’s impossible for Jung Jaehyun to be just a regular person.

But recently, his heart just doesn’t feel open to you. He didn’t seem to glisten in your gaze anymore.

“What’s wrong with us?” He precipitously makes his way behind you. You don’t recall hearing the creak of the hardwood floor underneath his feet; your heart skipping a beat when your back bumps into his chest abruptly.

“Talk to me.” You gulp. He’s so close-- and what it seems like have been forever since you’ve been even this intimate; the slightest touch from him sparks nostalgia. “What’s wrong with us?”

“You’re never here anymore.”

You can’t look at him, you just can’t. You shouldn’t, because just seeing his face might bring you to the brink of tears.

Your lives were so different. He was an idol with fans throwing themselves at his feet, and constantly inundated by a plethora of talent and beauty. His ambitions weren’t aligned to yours, and it’s a miracle that the relationship lasted this long. You had such an average life, working a 9-5 job, occasionally going out on weekends to meet up with friends, and spending the remaining free time by watching movies or shows. He was out in different countries, exploring continents you’ve never even been before, and meeting thousands of people almost weekly out on tour.

It didn’t help that the relationship was always a secret. There wasn’t initially any regret about it being hidden, but the insecurities eventually began to gnaw out your insides when swarms of beautiful women flirted so shamelessly with him in front of you when you’d previously gone out on discreet dates.

“I’m sorry, I’m trying to be here more. There’s a comeback soon, so the hours at work are endless.” His baritone voice vibrates in his chest against your frame, something all too familiar but hasn’t appeared in a while.

Attempting to be empathetic was easier said than done when you’re angry with someone. Turning your body around, your stare sticking to his upper torso, refraining from looking into his eyes. From your peripheral vision, he’s indisputably exhausted, dark circles residing below his eyes after removing the day’s make-up from photoshoots and filming and visibly slimmer. It isn’t a competition but you were tired too.

“If... this is taking too much of your time,” The words get caught in your throat. “Maybe we should... let this go.”

His breath hitches, taking a moment to absorb the words you’re saying albeit his heart feels like it’s shattering. “It’s not taking much of my time.”

“That’s the problem, you’re not using any of your time with this to begin with.” Practicing in front of your mirror countless times before, you thought you'd recited every possible outcome of the conversation and what you’d argue to every response he had. You were confident until standing in front of Jaehyun. It lessens your assurance on the break-up because everything about him weakens your knees.

Jaehyun pulls you in, wrapping his arms around your waist before dropping his head into the crook of your neck, pressing a warm, gentle kiss against your skin. He couldn’t face you either. “Don’t do this.”

“There’s so many women out there that are better,” You sigh, swallowing the tears. He’s too great of a guy but you’d come to terms that maybe he wasn’t for you. “Someone else who can treat you better. You can’t give me what I want.”

Grabbing your shoulders, he obligates you to look into his eyes as he knits his brows. “Those women aren’t you. Tell me what you want, I’ll do it.”

“Jaehyun, it doesn’t work like that.”

“I don’t get what you mean. We’re talking about this and I’m trying to make it work.”

“That’s the other problem, I don’t want you to make it work anymore. You have to want this, do things willingly and not because I forced you to. It’s different now. I don’t think you love me the same way I do.”

He shakes his head. “You’re wrong,” his eyes are gradually brimming with tears, and you can almost hear the sound of your heart breaking, “I’ve always loved you, I never stopped.”

Jaehyun never cries. He’s all laughs and smiles but never manifestly melancholic. He was great at hiding it but never with you. Overtime, it felt as though the only mood he had was irritation and fatigue, and only his friends and fans were given the opportunity to see the beautiful side of Jaehyun. Seeing him unsteady with your decision made it difficult to leave. Even when the relationship fell apart the first time, he didn’t even seem like he cared. He wanted to portray himself as perfect-- and he was successful at it.

His hand reaches up to push a strand of your hair away from your face and moves it behind your ear. Cupping your cheeks, he leans in, his soft, plump lips capturing yours. He fit into you like the missing piece of a puzzle, and you craved for his touch. Your mind wanted to fight him, push him off and tell him that this was over with because you couldn’t take it anymore. With him pressed up on you against the kitchen counter, he’s the cause of your foggy head and you forget what your mind tells you to do.

Letting go, saliva strings between the two of you, but neither of you are bothered by it. His eyes held despair when they linked with yours, tugging you into his embrace. “These people that step into my life aren’t here for the mutual benefits. They’re all here for my name as a celebrity, they care about who I am only when it has to do with them. They expect me to be perfect all the time, and it’s tiring.” He takes a moment to take a deep breath, nuzzling his nose into your neck, inhaling in your scent.

“When I come home to you, you don’t expect me to be perfect. And I know you still don’t, you just wish I tried. You were never persistent about me being a certain way, and I took it for granted. I just thought you’d always be by my side.”

“You know that I’m always here for you.”

“And I took advantage of that,” He responds, and there’s a sudden wetness on your neck. “That’s my flaw and it’s my fault. I want to be better for you, please let me try again.”

The emotions from the past few months start flooding back, and anger fills your bloodstream, reality hitting you in the face. “What’s going to be different from before? It’ll all still be the same.”

“It won’t.” His voice is stern, and steady, removing you from his grasp. “Come to our showings, come to our concerts, our recordings. Let’s not hide this anymore.”

You choke on your spit. “What?”

Jaehyun’s expression doesn’t change; he’s serious about his idea. “I’m sorry it took me five years, but it’s long overdue. I don’t think I can lose you, you’re my rock. I need you here. Please, think about it.”

“What are you going to be doing on this lovely Friday night?” A co-worker of yours asks, reaching up to your desk an hour before you’d be released from your duties for the weekend. 

“Honestly, not sure yet.”

She raises a brow, crossing her arms against her chest as she leans on the wall of the cubicle. “Hot boyfriend hasn’t had anything planned? If not, you should definitely come by to this new club that opened--”

“Sorry, she has plans.” Startled, the both of you turn your heads to the direction of the voice. Jaehyun’s standing in the walkway between the aisles of desks and cubicles that line up throughout the office, and you’re surprised he even finds yours. “Also, I’m not her boyfriend anymore. Didn’t she tell you, I’m her fiance.” He smiles cheekily, giving your coworker a glimpse of his dimples and raising the bouquet of flowers in his hand. 

His hair is slicked back with gel, the blue dye washed out and a dirty blonde comes out from underneath. He has on a white button-up, a couple buttons undone, sleeves rolled up and shirt tucked in his black slacks. Jaehyun walks over to you, handing you the bouquet before bowing at your coworker. “Sorry, didn’t mean to sound rude. It’s our anniversary today.”

“Anniversary?” She glances at you questioningly.

“Yes. Happy 7th Year Anniversary, love.”

#jaehyun #nct #nct127 #nct fics #nct fictions #nct127 fictions #nct 127 fictions #jaehyun x reader #jaehyun x oc #gyukultfics #ugh i'm embarrassed i wrote this #lol

[downwiththeficness]

A Need So Great Chapter 12

Summary: Eva Moore is assigned to work the last year of her contract with the DEA in Colombia. She just wants to get to the end of her tenure, but she keeps getting drawn further into a string of murders in the city. It isn’t long before she’s forced to face the ghosts of her past.

Word Count: ~4,000

Warnings: Smut

A/N: For the purposes of this story, Carrillo isn’t married--or, if you like, divorced. A/B/O dynamics are prevalent, and they come with their own warning. The overall rating for this story is Explicit, although not every chapter will contain adult themes.

Taglist: @dirtynerdy98 @1zashreena1 @heresathreebee @deliciouslyclassytrash @maybege @kid-from-new-zealand @clydesducktape @revolution-starter @autumnleaves1991-blog @jedi-mando @buckysalefty

Chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8.5, 9, 10, 10.5, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21

Eva woke desperately needing to pee. She was laying on her back, hands on either side of her head. Horacio’s arm was thrown over her waist, his body angled towards her. She looked over at him, his face completely relaxed, breaths slow and even. A beautiful man laying in repose.

Very carefully, she extricated herself from him, padding to the bathroom. Afterwards, as she was washing her hands, Eva flinched at her reflection in the mirror. Bruises had formed over her hips, on her thighs, around her wrists. He’d sucked hickeys over her stomach and breasts. When she turned, her back was similarly marked.  At her neck was a clear bite, just over the scent gland behind her ear.

She ran two fingers over it, the skin sensitive and warm. Eva wasn’t sure he knew what he was doing at the time, knew the consequences of this actions. She stared at it, feeling flushed.

Hands on the counter, Eva debated her options.  She could try to hide it, but experience taught her that Horacio was nothing if not observant.  She could sneak out, but she’d run the risk of implying she was unhappy with the bonding mark on her neck. The truth was quite the opposite. She tamped down the excitedly happy feeling, trying not to get ahead of herself.

Turning off the lights, Eva gingerly opened the door and crawled back into the bed, hauling the comforter with her from where it had been kicked off in the night. Horacio grumbled as she slid in next to him, hands already pulling her into his chest, a sleepy kiss touching her brow. Eva smiled and snuggled down, falling back asleep.

When she woke again, she was alone. The bed was still warm, but he wasn’t there. Groggy, she scooted  to standing and dug through her overnight bag, pulling on a t shirt and shorts. With a yawn, she headed to the bathroom, brushed her teeth, and stopped herself from pulling her hair up.  Probably best that she leave it down for the moment.

Rubbing at her eyes, she stepped out into the hall and towards the living room, searching. He was sitting on the couch, head in his hands. He’d donned a pair of sweatpants, and even from a distance she could see that she’d scratched him across the arms, parallel red lines running from his tricep down around to the bend of his elbow.

A kind of tentative self consciousness settled over her.  She’d been worried about the way her body looked, she hadn’t stopped to consider what she’d done to him.

As if sensing her, his head lifted and he fixed her with a hard gaze.  Eva bit her lip, unsure in her approach.

“How did you sleep?” she tried, remaining in the doorway.

His eyes softened, “Good. Really good.”

Lifting a hand, he reached out to her.  Relieved, Eva shuffled towards him, taking it. He pulled her to sit next to him. Eva went willingly, settling in and pulling her knees beneath her. They sat in silence for a few moments, and Eva could feel the tension in him.

“We need to talk about this,” he said finally.

Eva looked up at him, “About what?”

“This,” he touched the side of her neck, just below where he’d marked her.

She inhaled sharply, her eyes falling to half mast as the sensation lanced through her body. It would be like that until he finished the bond, every caress met with an urgent push of desire.

“What about it?”

Scoffing, he dropped his hand, eyes rolling, “This is serious, Eva.”

She knew this, “I know.”

God, but it was serious. She knew it. And yet, she couldn’t drudge up the ire she should definitely be feeling for what had happened. She didn’t want to.

“Then treat it seriously.”

Eva wasn’t quite prepared for the anger that traveled throughout his tone. Insecurities that she had worked to overcome reared up and it took a moment for her to realize that he was waiting for her to say something.

Looking at her hands, she said, “I don’t know how you want me to react.”

Sighing, he stood, pacing away from her a few steps, hands running through his hair, “I want you to react honestly.”

No, you don’t, Eva thought. He wanted her to be angry, to cry, to feel badly about it. He wanted her to feel like he felt. It hurt, that conclusion. She felt pressure in her chest as she tried not to cry. This was not going well. No. Fuck that. She wasn’t going to be cowed by her own insecurities in this. She could tell the truth.

“I’m fine,” read: ecstatic, “About it.”

He repeated the word ‘fine’, hands on his hips. She couldn’t quite decipher his expression, it was so closed off. Months had passed since she had felt this kind of distance between them—like he had been when they were first circling around each other.”

“Eva, you should be pressing charges. I initiated a bond without your permission.”

She shrugged, “I wasn’t saying no.”

“You weren’t saying yes,” he countered, growing agitated, “We didn’t talk about it first.”

Again, she shrugged, “I’m not angry about it.”

“Well, I am,” he bit out, jaw tight.

She looked away, the slow, fervent hope that she’d tried so hard to keep at bay dissipating like fog in sunlight. Eyes closed, Eva leaned back on old defense strategies, wiping her slate clean and shutting away the situation in front of her.

“No,” he muttered, hustling towards her and kneeling down, hands on her knees, “No, don’t do that. I didn’t mean it.”

Eva’s mouth thinned, “You did.”

“Not that way,” he clarified, his chest pressing against her shins.

The way he was looking at her, that beseeching expression, the way his hands dropped and circled her ankles. Eva didn’t know how to deal with knowing he was angry and seeing him looking at her so intently.

“Then, how did you mean it?”

His lips parted, and she could see how difficult it was for him to find the words, his brows drawing together.

“I took away your choice.”

Eva blinked, “You didn’t.”

With a little laugh and condescension in his tone, he replied, “I was in rut, Eva. You couldn’t have stopped me.”

Her mouth curled, “You don’t know that.”

Licking his lips, he dropped his chin, eyes narrow, “In all the years I’ve been on the job, I’ve never—never—had sex on duty. Not once. And not only did I break that record, I did it in my office with other officers in the building.”

Eva chuckled, running her fingers over his cheek, “Most of them were gone. It was extremely unlikely that we would get caught.”

His eyes closed, he took a breath, then fixed her with a level glare, “That is not the point.”

She turned her hand over in question, “Explain it to me.”

“I lost control,” he answered, his voice cracking. His hands rose to her knees tightening and releasing as he said it, as if to emphasize his words.

Eva gave him a soft, understanding look, “That’s normal for a rut.”

Horacio shook his head, “Not for me.”

She gave him a disbelieving look, “Really?”

He frowned, “You think I haven’t had a rut before? You think I haven’t had one with an omega? I have, and I have never…” he paused, the words hanging between them. Then, he visibly switched gears, “When I saw you standing at my desk, that was it. It was over. I don’t know what I would have done if you told me no.”

She smiled a little, joking, “I’m not that kind of tease.”

Shaking his head, he continued, “I don’t know what I would have done if you said no and meant it.”

And there it was. They’d gone full fucking circle. Their first real conversation outside of the prying ears of others echoing all the way to this exact moment. Except now, she could see that he wasn’t afraid of scaring her.  He was afraid of scaring himself. This was a man with one foot in the darkness, who was constantly on guard against dropping both feet in. She could work with that.

“I didn’t say no, and I’m not saying no, now. If things… go pear shaped, we both still have a choice.”

She watched him process what she was saying.  Although, he’d started the bonding process through the bite that scored the skin over her scent gland, they could still make the decision to stop it. Eva would have to go through one more heat by herself. It would be painful, far more painful than the one she’d just experienced, because her body knew at its very core that there was an alpha she could go to. But, she would do it, if he asked.

Horacio went very still, his expression stormy, mouth thin in displeasure. She bit back the urge to keep talking, unsure. And then he was moving, lifting up off the floor, pushing her into the back of the couch. His hand wrapped around the base of her throat, the meat of his palm resting on her collarbone. He wasn’t squeezing, but his grip brooked no argument. She was not to move.

“If you think I’m going to let you go through a heat without me, especially now, you are mistaken.”

He already had, but he didn’t know that—she may never tell him.

Eva floundered, “I...I mean—I can’t ask you to...”

He growled, hauling her up to stand on the couch. She wobbled, looking down at him, her hands on his shoulders for balance.

“The second,” he enunciated slow, “The second I sense you’re in heat, I will be on you. God help us if it starts in the embassy.  We’ll be lucky if I don’t knot you in the fucking supply closet.”

Eva gasped, scandalized. Although everyone was taught the basics of pair bonding, it still wasn’t talked about so plainly. The image of them lying on the cold tiled floor, helplessly grabbing at each other, him grinding up into her to slot that thick ridge of flesh into her body—she was pretty sure she was blushing all over.

Horacio smiled, full dimpled, his hands sliding up her legs to palm her ass, “If I could have done it last night, I would have.” He pressed his nose to her sternum, “For a moment, I thought I might. You were so hot and wet and smelled so good. Fuck, I’ve never been that hard.”

His arms tightened as he took her weight, carrying her from the living room towards the bedroom. Eva moaned as she felt his erection pressed against her center. He laid her down in the middle of the bed, pulling off her t shirt and shorts, throwing them over the side. There was no way to hide the marks now, the bruises shadowing over her skin in the morning light. Eva watched him look at her body, his expression unreadable.  

“Do you hurt?” he asked, eyes catching hers.

Eva did hurt. She was sore in all the right places, little twinges that reminded her constantly of their night together.

“A little,” she answered, her voice low.

He nodded silently, fingers tracing over a particularly deep hickey on her breast.  Then, he moved down to her belly, where there was bruising the fit the shape of his hand.  He mapped it, fitting his hands over the marks, brows together.  Eva squirmed a little, thinking that she should be used to this kind of scrutiny from him by now.  The frank assessment and cataloging of her injuries felt like a new experience every time. Anxiously, she awaited whatever judgment he might make.

Crawling up to lay beside her, Horacio nosed along her collarbone, whispering, “Let me make it up to you.”

Eva rolled to her side, facing him. She placed her hand on his shoulder, rubbing gently, “You don’t have to apologize.”

He shook his head, a curl falling over his brow, “I want to. Will you let me?”

Unable to deny him such a sweet thing, Eva nodded, leaning over to kiss him lightly. He sighed into it, hand falling naturally to her waist as he gathered her to him. More little kisses followed, a bare taste of what she knew he was capable of.  Eva felt her body go lax, her limbs resting wherever he moved them, her eyes half closed.

Very carefully, he tilted her head back, his mouth tracing a long line from her shoulder to the place where he’d bitten her. She knew it was tender and raw, likely a little swollen—her heartbeat pulsing beneath the skin. Here, he placed the softest kiss of all, barely brushing his lips over it. Eva’s fingers curled into her palm as she trembled.

“I would do it again,” he breathed, a little prayer against her skin, “I would.”

She knew how much that confession cost him, knew it without him having to say a word. Eva’s eyes closed, a strange feeling welling up.  It was something more than affection, more than want or need. It sent a weird kind of pain into her chest that was only soothed by pulling him into a hug, her face pressed against his chest.

“Lay back.”

Eva let him roll her to her back, watching his hand as it smoothed a path down the middle of her chest, settling on the soft roundness of her belly. He kissed her brow, letting his forehead press to her temple as he, too, followed the course his hand was taking.

Slowly, gingerly, he swept over her hips and down her thighs, opening them with just a little pressure. He thumbed the bony outcrop of her hip, sliding one finger down the crease where her thigh met it. Eva bit her lip, trying to keep her breathing even.

The backs of his fingers roved upwards, circling her breast, pinching her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.  Eva felt her breath leave her in a soft gasp, the feeling oozing from her nipple down to her core. Warmth spread across her skin, goosebumps not far behind.

Leaning down, he sucked the nipple he wasn’t playing with into his mouth, teeth scraping. Eva arched up in offering, a soft little cry escaping her lips. She held him there, one hand in his hair, the other digging into his shoulder—not that she needed to. He seemed perfectly happy to stay right where he was, moving from breast to breast, tongue gliding over her skin.

It wasn’t long before she was squeezing her legs together, the ache in her body rising past her want to keep still and open for him. Horacio lifted up, admiring the way her skin glistened from his kisses. Eyes dark, he tapped the leg nearest to him, a wordless command.

Eva let her hips relax and her knees open wide. He smiled at her, pleased, the pads of his fingers roaming up her inner thigh until they rested against her.

“You’ll tell me if it hurts.”

Not a question. His voice had dropped down an octave, the directive clear and concise.  Eva would not be able to deny him, not in this, either. Using ever increasing pressure, he spread her slick up and down. Meticulously, he separated each lip, gathering the wetness and ensuring there was a nice, easy coating. Eva’s limbs flinched each time he circled upwards to round her clit, not quite touching the sensitive bundle of nerves.

Slipping down, he circled her opening, much as he had done the previous evening. A slow, even pace, Horacio took his time with it. Pleasure surged every time he put a little bit more pressure on it, not quite breaching.

Eva whined, tilting her hips as she tried to get him to go just a little bit further. It would do no good, she knew that.  He was going to do what he was going do, at the pace he wanted to do it. It was a stark contrast to the previous night, where his body had taken over completely, an animal loosed on her. Now, he’d regained control and it appeared that he was determined to keep it.

She bit her lip, fighting the urge to grab at his wrist, to hold him steady and drive down onto his fingers.  This was as much for him as it was for her, and though she wasn’t nearly as patient, she could try. That didn’t mean that she was perfectly abiding by his unsaid plan. Eva rolled with every stroke, moaning and writhing as the pleasure built.

Horacio was definitely not unaffected.  His erection dug into her side, though she could tell he was making an effort to keep from grinding it against her. Eva had tried to touch him a few times, but he pushed her hands away, his focus entirely on her.

When finally, finally, he eased a finger into her, Eva keened as if he’d worked his cock into her, the muscles of her body clenching down. He paused, thumb swiping ever so softly against her clit, his eyes on her face. He watched her breathe, her eyes squinting at the pain laced pleasure he was giving her.

“Do you want me to stop?”

He’d asked the same question the night before, only this time he wasn’t smirking.  Looking concerned, he waited for her answer, hand perfectly still inside her.

“No,” Eva replied, swallowing around a dry throat.

After another beat, he huffed out a breath through his nose, his wrist turning as he eased the digit in and out of her, curling it slightly to catch on her g spot every time he pulled out. Eva felt her eyes roll back as he pushed another finger into her, stroking along her walls.

His name coming out in four sharp syllables, Eva grabbed at the pillow beneath her head. She was exhausted and sore and she still wanted to come.  Digging her feet into the mattress, Eva met his measured thrusts, a little ‘unh, unh, unh’ eeking out with every one.

Breaths stuttering, her body flexed, bowing up as she came. He cooed at her, his free hand pushing the hair from her face as he kissed everywhere he could reach. Eva had a hard time catching her breath, her body shivering despite the heat of him laying next to her.

“Alright?” he asked, looking her over.

Blinking, she smiled at him, lifting up to kiss him soundly on the mouth, “I’m good.”

Glancing down, she realized that he was still hard, tenting the material of his sweatpants. When she went to stroke him, he caught her hand, bringing it up to his lips to give it a soft kiss of censure.

“That was for you,” he explained, shifting to his back and pulling her over to lay against his chest.

They laid like that for an hour or so, until her stomach growled. He laughed and swatted her thigh lightly, telling her to get dressed and that he was taking her to lunch. Not far from his house, there was a little cafe, the smell of food wafting out into the street. Eva was surprised when he set her down into a chair next to him rather than across from him, as he usually did. She was even more surprised when he held her hand on the table.

He caught her questioning gaze, “Its impossible to hide, now. Anyone would be able to tell the second they got into a room with us.”

That...was not untrue. He’d started the mating process, and their bodies would continue to adjust and change to that process the longer it went on. Even after the bite healed, she’d carry his scent just as much as he would carry hers.

“I...have to broach the subject of safety, Eva,” he started, “I’d like to put an officer on you, at least when I’m not there.”

Eva rolled her eyes, “Is that necessary?”

He bobbed his head, “It is. I do have a bounty on my head, and they aren’t above using people I care about to…”

His words trailed off, but Eva knew what he was getting at. She could be used as bait, to get him to act, to scare him, to get him to do what they wanted.  Sighing, she nodded, not willing to fight with him about it, knowing that she wouldn’t win, anyways.

They were almost through with their meal when Eva spotted her, a tall, willowy blonde walking in heels too tall a stroll through this kind of neighborhood.  Her fork clattered to her plate, startling the man next to her. He followed her line of sight, squinting.

Eva could not be lucky enough that she wouldn’t be seen, and her heart nearly surged out of her chest as the object of her ire saw her, scowled, and changed course. She stood, circling around the table to meet her.

“Hello, Myra,” she greeted, not quite keeping her voice even.

Myra had aged a little in the fifteen years since she’d last seen her, though her plastic surgeon was doing a remarkable job at keeping her looking young. She tugged off her sunglasses and regarded Eva balefully.

“Evangeline. Funny meeting you here.”

Yes, funny meeting you on a road scarcely visited by tourists, in another county, in another fucking hemisphere.

“Life is funny sometimes,” Eva responded, a rasp in her voice.

Myra glanced behind Eva, and she could see the woman assessing Horacio, her upper lip curling.

“I see you’ve found yourself someone to clean up after you.”

She would not rise to the bait.  She’d done that enough when she was fourteen. Eva was an adult and would act like one.

“I don’t think that’s any of your business. Not anymore.”

Myra glared, jaw ticking, “It is my business. It will always be my business. You killed my boy. And, here you are, eating lunch on a sunny afternoon while he rots.”

Eva took several deep breaths, trying to keep herself calm, “I moved on, Myra.  You should, too.”

Pointing a finger at her, Myra growled, “It should have been you.”

A glint caught Eva’s eye and she glanced down to find that Myra was wearing her fucking wedding ring and engagement band on her first finger, the stones shining. The audacity of wearing the symbol of everything that had hurt her for seven long years broke something inside. She bared her teeth.

“No,” she spit, “You knew what he was. You raised him to be a disgusting, abusive prick. You watched him beat me after that dinner party and you did nothing! There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t fucking rejoice that I killed your psychopath of a son.”

The slap, when it came, was expected.  Eva’s head whipped to the side and she heard the scratch of the chair as Horacio stood.  Quickly, she held a hand up, silently begging him to stand down. She watched Myra watch him, her mouth smirking.

“Like mother, like son,” she said, taking a step away and wiping at her mouth. She wasn’t bleeding, but the skin was smarting.

Myra drew back, gripping her handbag.

Sneering, Eva simply said, “Go back to whatever you were doing. You’re not wanted, here.”

Myra’s scowl deepened for a moment, and then she was smiling the smile she used when she was dealing with a particularly distasteful dinner guest.

“Until next time.”

Eva watched her march down the street until she turned a corner, her blonde hair swinging behind her. She didn’t look back, and Eva didn’t know how she would react if she had. Her teeth hurt from clenching her jaw so hard.

Hands touched her shoulders in question. Eva reached up and covered them, sniffing back the tears.

“I want to go home.”

He was already moving, “I’ll get the check.”

#narcos #horacio carrillo #carrillo #A Need So Great

[brianc521]

Ring | CEO Peter

“Kitten?” Peter called out as he stalked down the hallway towards your reading room.

He’d converted one of his guest bedrooms into a reading library for you. Stalked full of every book and title you’d ever want. It was even accompanied with it’s own desk area for you to research new authors or series. 

“Mhm?” You responded when he appeared in the doorway.

You were trapped in a page turning series; Crossfire by Sylvia Day. 

“Whatcha reading?” He hummed, stepping into the room and taking a seat with you on the couch in the middle of the room. He grabbed your outstretched legs, pulling them over his lap, massaging your calves. 

“M’book.” 

He tilted his head to the side, waiting for you to finish that thought and answer his question. Your bottom lip was trapped between your teeth as you read all about how Gideon and Eva were dealing with yet another issue in their relationship. 

He waited awhile, just watching you read, watching the way your eyes scanned a page, and how you slide your finger up and down the side of the page before turning it to a fresh one. That one finger decorated with a beautiful simple ring, engraved with ‘to infinity and beyond’ on the inside. He’d given it to you a month ago, a thank you for his cufflinks. You’ve yet to take it off.  

His patience was running thin though, and he reached forward, using his index finger to push the book down out of your line of sight.

“Uh!” You whined when your eyes locked with his. 

“Hi, I’m Peter.” He grinned. 

“Hi Peter.” You rolled your eyes.

“Oh Kitten, are you rolling your eyes?” He raised a brow.

“How may I help you Peter?” You ignored his comment, knowing how your eye rolling usually gets him in a certain mood. 

“We have another business party tomorrow night, I wanted to warn you.” 

“Okay.” You shrug.

“I have to fly out to LA tonight though.” He looked away afraid of your response.

“Peter it’s almost fucking 9:30, why do you need to fly out tonight?”

“I have a meeting at 5 am.” He looked back over to you. “It’s easier to fly in tonight and then fly home afterward.”

“Okay, then I guess I’ll go home.” You sat up, looking at him confused when he pushed you back by your shoulder. 

“No you won’t.” He shook his head. “I know you’re safe here, and that you’ll be taken care of if needed. Stay here tonight, you’re already in pajamas and in the middle of your ‘m’book’“ He mocked you. 

“Why didn’t you tell me earlier?” 

“Because it was just scheduled, lose the attitude.” He warned, giving you a pointed look.

“Promise to be back on time to take me? You know how I feel about these dinner parties.” 

“I promise Kitten, Shawn and Raul are traveling with me and this dinner party is a family organization. We’ll be back on time.” 

**

That was a big fucking lie.

His meeting was delayed, and then Shawn’s studio time ran over, resulting in the three of them missing their flights. Which meant that they were still in the air when you needed to leave for dinner, and transferring flights when you arrived. 

Peter was not in contact with you, seemingly only updating his security who then only gave you tidbits of information when you asked 5 times. 

You were upset, and then being ambushed at dinner by his parents and sister didn’t make matters better.

You loved the Mendes family, they only birthed and raised the man you were in love with. The issue is, Peter’s not in love with you. You’re a convenient business transaction that ends in his pleasure. So when moments came where you were surrounded by his family, you felt the need to lie so that they wouldn’t know what your relationship truly was.

It was heartbreaking for you. To be doing this at all, he obviously doesn’t want you in the ways you want him, but at this point you’d take anything he’s willing to offer. When it ended with his and your pleasure you were able to tell yourself that it meant more to him than you thought it actually did.

“So Y/n, it’s been almost two years now for you and Peter. Any thoughts or plans for the future?” Karen asked once the dinner plates were taken away.

You just about snorted your sip of wine out your nose. Of course you wanted a future with Peter, one much deeper than where he planned to fuck you that night.

“Um no, we haven’t talked about anything.” You muttered.

“Do you not want a future with Peter?” Manny piped up, confused by your answer.

“Of course I do, I’m just not sure he does.” You cringed as you said the words, knowing they were the wrong ones to say. 

“Of course he does!” Aaliyah offered. 

“Of course who does?” Peter asked, swiftly sliding into the chair next to yours, while Shawn and Raul sat to your left. 

“You want a future with Y/n don’t you Peter?” Karen asked, before taking a sip of her wine. 

You heard Peter’s slight gasp before his smooth response, “What’s a future without a present? That’s what I’m living in, whatever happens happens.” 

Not the answer you wanted to hear at all. You gave a tight lipped smile as his family nodded and agreed with his words. “Give me a moment.” You said standing and walking away from them. 

Needing a moment to breathe and evaluate everything. Maybe you were completely foolish to think that going along with what Peter wanted would someday end in what you wanted. It was painful, and never going to go your way, so why were you hurting yourself?

“Kitten?” 

You turned at his voice, looking at him with wide eyes and heavy breaths.

“Oh Kitten, I’m sorry if they freaked you out.” He took a few steps towards you. “They didn’t mean anything by it, you know how my mom is. We’re okay, just fine where were at. You’re doing great.” 

You stared at him in awe. He thought you were freaking out because of the thought of marriage or more. When in reality you were freaking out about not ever having that with Peter.

“You amaze me.” You muttered, walking away and heading for the coat check.

“Excuse me.” He whispered as he bumped into people chasing after you. He caught your elbow as you were handing the woman your ticket slip. “Where are you going?”

“I need space.” 

His eyes hardened and his blood boiled. “Listen I’m sorry they spoke about stuff like that. Don’t get scared off, don’t runaway, you know what we are.”

“I do, and it’s not the conversation that’s running me off, it’s what we are that is.” 

He pulled back as if you slapped him. 

“What?” He barely spoke out. 

“I want that Peter.” You took your coat from the lady and looked at him one last time. “I want a future, with you. I want it, and the fact that you don’t has me rethinking my life decisions right now. So I need some fucking space, away from you.” You brought your hand up to wipe at your cheek, catching a tear that was threatening to fall.

It was then that he noticed you weren’t wearing his ring.

#shawn mendes #shawn mendes imagine #shawn mendes fluff #shawn mendes angst #shawn mendes smut #shawn mendes series #shawnmendes #shawnmendes imagine #shawnmendes fluff #shawnmendes angst #shawnmendes smut #shawnmendes series #peter #peter mendes #peter mendes imagine #petermendes #petermendes imagine #ceo peter #ceo smut

[kbstories]

impression//expression

“It’s not like Kirishima had come all this way to U.A. to immediately break the promise he made to himself upon arrival.

It’s just that Bakugou is as feral as they come, and the moment Kirishima recognizes it’s fear he felt crawling up his spine that day, he makes it his personal mission to face it head-on until it’s gone.”

(Or: Being friends with Bakugou Katsuki is anything but a linear experience. Kirishima Eijirou would have it no other way.)

Tags: Kirishima POV, Developing Friendships, Post-Kamino Arc, Hurt/Comfort, Domestic Fluff and Recovery, The Boys Discovering Unbreakable Via Questionable Training Methods

Chapter 1. Chapter 2. Chapter 3. Chapter 4. Chapter 5. Content warning for nightmares and generally traumatic experiences (both only mentioned). Chapter 7. Chapter 8. Chapter 9.

***

Three days into U.A.’s new dorms, Bakugou hasn’t crossed Kirishima’s path a single time.

Don’t fuss, Kirishima had reminded himself that first night, crimson eyes following Bakugou as he slinks off to the elevators. Hands in his pockets, duffle bag slung over one shoulder, his typical slouch executed to perfection – the same as always yet achingly out of place against the buzzing excitement of the dozen and a half heroes-to-be at his back.

Under his breath, Kirishima muttered, “Give him space”, as he heaved boxes of manga, multiple sets of weights and his punching bag into his room before dedicating all his attention to stuffing a suitcase worth of brightly patterned shirts into the standard issue closet U.A. provided them with. He worked for hours and hours, unpacking and reminiscing and decorating until the room was satisfyingly his and the gel in his hair drooped with how sweaty he got.

It’s fine, he thought, pinning the last poster to the wall he shares with Bakugou. It hadn’t quite sunken in yet that they’re neighbors, now. Bakugou is antisocial on the best of days. He’s fine.

The thought of the white headband he’d lost had been fleeting at most, a lamenting little sting as he wiped his brow and saw his roots were starting to show. It came back full force as he stepped out to join the others in the common room and found an identical one hooked on his knob, the tag still attached.

Right. Kirishima gave the door to his right a soft look, firmly shut as it was. The tag was snapped off with ease and the headband was back where it belonged.

It goes on like that for a while. With the administration accommodating their move and the new term weeks away, Kirishima invests his free time into catching up on his gaming hangouts with Kaminari and the re-watch of Fullmetal Alchemist he started with Sero before everything went haywire. He helps Mina sort through the abundance of gossip flooding in with everyone’s mundane habits and routines suddenly much more apparent, and talks to classmates he hasn’t had the time to get to know all that well over shared breakfasts and class-wide movie marathons.

It’s like he gained a whole new family overnight – a notion that’s healing in and of itself, the rift that disastrous training camp tore into them scarring shut with every moment spent together.

(Still, Kirishima misses his moms and Riot something fierce. Their goodbye had featured a total sum of zero dry eyes between them; Kirishima’s face had been a blotchy red mess for hours afterwards.)

And then there’s Bakugou.

The guy is like a ghost, those first days, his absence felt as much as the odd trace of his presence he leaves behind. A mug drying next to the sink in the mornings; the thrum of guitar riffs and double-base beats muffled to indistinctness by the thick concrete between them; carpet-dulled footsteps down the hallway, that stomp familiar even without an intended audience for its passive-aggressiveness.

Little bits and pieces of evidence Kirishima takes note of and memorizes just for the sake of it. For the moments that’s not enough, he texts.

Best Bakubro 💣💥

baku my man (sent 13:05)

got too many dorayaki by accident, u want some? (sent 13:05)

(from the store) (but still pretty yum) (sent 13:05)

nah (received 13:11)

ok no probs ❤️ (sent 13:11)

One time, he couldn’t come up with a valid enough excuse and spent minutes agonizing over the empty text box only to type a short u good bro? that was answered with an equally short fine a while later.

Kirishima is very, very glad Bakugou has dropped the habit of leaving him on read. This way, his frayed nerves only have to withstand the background stress of what if he’s downplaying it that seems moderate in comparison to–

Yup, not thinking about Kamino again. Moving on.

“Is he like… okay?”, Sero asks him eventually, YUI’s Again playing as they wait for the episode to start. He’s lying belly-down on his bed, his laptop positioned in a way Kirishima can see the screen from his chosen spot in the hammock. “Not gonna lie, it’s a bit freaky how quiet it’s been. When he’s around at all, which isn’t much.”

Not moving on, then.

Kirishima doesn't need any clarification who is meant. Sero isn’t the first (or the last, most likely) to approach him about this; for once, even Midoriya has been beaten to the punch by Todoroki. It doesn't matter who it is, though, the answer is always the same:

“I don’t know.”

A little hushed because it’s the truth and a confession at the same time. The mild surprise on Sero’s face makes Kirishima look down in search for words, his hands wringing the pocket of his threadbare hoodie just to have something to do. Half the intro flickers by in silence.

“Baku isn’t exactly a people person, y’know?” Kirishima scoffs at himself. What an understatement. “He likes to do stuff his way and fight his own battles, lone wolf style. So, it’s been a bit, uh, stressful for him. To have everyone – and I mean everyone, heroes, police, the media, you name it – be in his business and then have all of us around all the time, too.”

That’s pretty much what he can say without outright speculating or infringing upon the things Bakugou told him in confidence. No matter how much Kirishima appreciates Sero as his friend, his lips are sealed unless Bakugou decides otherwise.

About two minutes into the episode, Sero hits the space bar. The screen pauses on a frame of ambiguously European-looking buildings.

“Okay, sorry, it’s just. How is Bakugou the one with the biggest cryptid energy in 1-A right now? Even Tokoyami emerges from the shadows sometimes and being a cryptid is like, his whole deal.”

Wrapped in humor as it is, Sero’s concern brings a smile to Kirishima’s lips. It’s good to know he – and Todoroki, and Midoriya – care, even when Bakugou is being elusive and hard to reach on purpose. It’s what makes all the difference, sometimes.

“Dunno, he’s a pretty complex guy once you give him a chance. Plus, I’m pretty sure he spends 90% of his time either training or studying or thinking about training and studying so it’s not like he’s not doing stuff. It just doesn’t really involve any of us.”

A thumb on his chin, Sero muses: “Not a cryptid but a closet nerd, huh? That… makes a lot of sense actually. I always thought he’s some kinda genius but I guess even geniuses have to work hard to get good.”

“Dude, he’s such a nerd”, Kirishima agrees with an enthusiastic grin. “Like, I’m pretty sure he wakes up with the sun and gets right to it. Being around him is so motivating, I wanna shoot for the stars and achieve my dreams simply because he’s doing it, too.”

“Okay, I get it. Blasty’s the best.”

Kirishima nods so hard the hammock moves with it; Sero snickers and shakes his head. His smile dims, then, more pensive than before.

“Listen, man. I know it’s over and done with and like, getting bent out of shape over what ifs is pointless but – I wish I’d been there.” Sero traces the borders of his laptop, a repetitive and thoughtless motion. “To help him, I mean. Watching him fight for his life on TV was really freaking miserable, I was shaking the whole time. To think you guys were there as well and how much worse it could’ve gone… How bad things are, even now… I don’t know. It’s haunting, honestly.”

It’s entirely silent, for a while. Kirishima’s mouth is dry, his eyes starting to burn with how quiet Sero’s voice got towards the end there.

“I’ve, um. I’ve had nightmares about it, actually.” Admitting it feels right, despite the heaviness that doesn’t belong in a room smelling of fresh paint and new beginnings. “I don’t know how much I’m allowed to say here. It’s all a blur anyways, I was freaking out until we got there and once we had him we just ran. But… We were there, hiding behind this wall with Midoriya doing his mumbling thing to figure out what the fuck to do. All for One was there, too.”

Just the memory makes Kirishima want to hurl. Images flash before his eyes, there and gone and seared into his retinas all the same. He looks at Sero, at eyes gone wide with worry.

“That guy’s presence… It felt like dying. I don’t know how else to describe it, it was like standing on a cliff knowing you’re about to lose balance and go splat and it wasn’t going away. Katsuki talked to him directly, fought villains outnumbered six-to-one with him right there.”

Somewhere in their periphery the laptop’s screen flickers to darkness. Kirishima takes a deep breath, mentally counting down on the exhale.

“I’m worried, too. I’m trying not to fuss because it makes Bakugou uncomfy when I do but it’s hard. He’s answering my texts, at least. And he, uh, didn’t mention all the embarrassing shit I sent him while he was gone. So, that’s something, I guess.”

That makes Sero’s brow perk up from a somber frown to vague curiosity. “Embarrassing shit?”

“Really embarrassing shit.” Kirishima���s face flushes so hard his cheeks practically glow with heat. “Full on you-might-be-dead-and-I-don’t-know-how-to-cope-with-that embarrassing. I was a total mess, dude.”

Sero breathes a sympathetic sort of noise. “Oh, that.” He reaches over to pat his head. “Yeah, you kind of were. It’s okay, though, Kiri. I’m pretty sure you’re allowed to be a mess when your best friend– Well, y’know.”

“Mmh”, Kirishima makes, his hands framing his own face in a bid to cool it down a bit. “I swear if he ever brings it up I’ll perish on the spot. Goodbye sweet world, it was nice knowing ya.”

“Pressing F hard for you, man.” Sero nods along solemnly. “Don’t worry, I’ll let Riot know you loved him.”

“Thanks, bro!”

They share a grin, not as bright as it could be. Given the state of the world, it’s a damn miracle it’s there at all. Kirishima sighs a little and juts his chin at the laptop.

“C’mon. Let’s watch the Elrics do cool alchemy stuff and/or cry about how depressing their life is.”

Sero finger-guns at him, “You got it”, as a line of tape goes for the touch pad and the freeze frame comes unstuck. The rest of the night is lost to the comforting nostalgia of a story they both know by heart.

* 

Best Bakubro 💣💥

u ok? (sent 22:00)

yea (received 22:02)

oh!! ur awake (sent 22:02)

? (received 22:03)

hhhh isn’t it way past ur bedtime? (sent 22:03)

💦💦 (sent 22:03)

🖕 (received 22:11)

GASP (sent 22:11)

did you seriously just type out “gasp” (received 22:11)

uh yea??? this is an important moment (sent 22:12)

i’m so proud of u (sent 22:12)

fucking hell (received 22:12)

 go to sleep already (received 22:14)

aaa ok (sent 22:14)

night nitro!! (sent 22:14)

🔪 (received 22:17)

❤️ (sent 22:17) 

*

The alarm jolts Kirishima out of fitful sleep.

A hand searches the bedframe with clumsy pats, eyes squeezed in a bleary squint as the screen flashes to life in the dark. The notification reads Gym w/ B!!! besides a big, glowing 5:00.

Kirishima groans. It’s a critical hit to his still-recovering sleep deprivation, making his arms bend like limp noodles under his weight. He crashes back into bed and lets the void swallow him.

*

Knocking. Hard, incessant, escalating in volume and frequency until–

“Oi! Shark Teeth! Get up already!”

Kirishima is ripping the door open before he’s even aware he’s on his feet and awake enough to do so. A breathless “Bro!” fills the space the knocking occupied a moment before.

“About fucking time.”

In the shy light of a sun peeking over the horizon, the phantom of the 1-A dorm becomes solid and real in the shape of one grumpy-faced Bakugou Katsuki: a towel over his shoulder, a bottle of water hanging from two fingers by its handle, looking whole and rested and average amounts of ticked off and oh, Kirishima missed Bakugou.

Kirishima’s also staring. Which he realizes because Bakugou shuffles in place, gaze drifting to the side, a hand scratching his neck. “It’s Saturday”, he says a little awkwardly, offering nothing else to follow it up with.

Saturday. Gym day, which Kirishima’s phone remembered and Kirishima did, too, the night before when he’d wondered if that’s still a thing now that they moved together and Bakugou went into stealth mode and everything is constantly shifting under their feet.

Not everything. Most things, apparently not this one, this thing that’s been theirs since the start. Kirishima smiles, bright and relieved. He promises:

“Be right there. Two minutes!”

He runs because what if Bakugou changes his mind? What if he decides to go ahead without him, and Kirishima loses that glimpse only he gets, of Bakugou being in his element and relaxed and happy?

Then he’s back and Bakugou is still there, leaning against the wall and scrolling on his phone while he waits. A glance, lingering on the all-caps SWEATING print on his red tank top over neon aqua shorts – Kirishima flexes to show off his outfit properly. “Pretty rad, right?”

Bakugou blinks, slowly. The verbal jab Kirishima expects never comes. Instead, he gets a low, “You done or what?”

“Yeah, man! Let’s go.”

Maybe Bakugou missed him, too.

*

“Push it!”

Kirishima clenches his jaw, the serrated line of his teeth grinding to the point of pain. He pushes, skin pulling tight and muscles screaming as they bunch up and split apart in harsh ripples. His vision fractures into two, three distinct shards.

The blast engulfs him between one heartbeat and the next. Nitroglycerine-fueled flames lick over every inch of exposed skin, his arms and face and chest registering the heat before the pain, dull and frustratingly there.

It’s over in a flash. Bakugou wipes sweat off his chin with his arm, palms still smoldering. “And?”

“Still feelin’ it”, Kirishima rasps out. His quirk drops, leaves his body softer and aching; breathing is a bit of a challenge, inhales and exhales coming quick and hard. Arms crossed over his head, he lets out a groan, his voice dipping into a growl.

“I can go further! I know I can. It’s right there but I can’t. Quite. Grasp it. Urgh!”

“Fuck”, Bakugou mutters with feeling. Exactly, Kirishima thinks, fuming at himself. Fuck.

They’ve been at it for hours. Gym γ is in ruins, which is fine since Cementoss can fix it up in seconds once they’re done but still. By this point, Kirishima expects more progress than aggressive indoor renovation via explosions.

A hero’s Ultimate Move is supposed to be this grand, show-stopping technique to turn the tides and save the day. Finally, finally, they’re in the clear to develop their own. There’s an idea in Kirishima’s head, a concept he’s worked on for almost as long as his aesthetic as a hero. An extension there-of, in a sense.

It’s badass, it’s manly, it’s invincible–

It’s not this. Kirishima is starting to doubt he’ll ever get there.

“What’s wrong with me, man? Like, I see you coming and my quirk kicks up a notch ‘cause it’ll hurt if I don’t harden enough and then it just. Stops? Before it gets where I want it to be? Are explosions to the face not dangerous enough, or something?”

Bakugou is shaking out his hands and loosening his shoulders, a wince making his nose scrunch a little. “You’ve taken more of ‘em today than you could at the Festival”, he notes in that neutral tone he uses when he counters Kirishima’s whining with facts and logic. “Pretty sure any of the other extras would be dust by now, including that steel fucker.”

Kirishima appreciates the Bakugou-version of a pep talk, he really does, and he’s probably right (he usually is). But it’s not what he wants. He wants his Ultimate, and he wants it now.

And, eyeing Bakugou’s grenade bracers, he might know of one way to get there.

“Use those.”

“Hah?”

Kirishima pats one of the clunky devices, hand hardened just in case. Bakugou bares his teeth at him but doesn’t pull away. “These. Hit me with ‘em? Full blast.”

Bakugou’s expression sobers. Dead serious. “Don’t fuck with me. They’re not made for people.”

(And Midoriya is what, a house plant? Kirishima doesn’t voice that thought out loud. He has some sense of self-preservation, thank you very much.)

Besides, Bakugou didn’t say no. The possibility is there, if heavily guarded – and where there’s a chance, Kirishima will always at least try.

“Look, dude. For better or for worse I’m too used to anything else, and adrenaline alone is clearly not cutting it right now. I’m…” Kirishima laughs, a little embarrassed despite himself. “I remember what that explosion did to Ground β. Not gonna lie, it was pretty wild and I’m a bit, uh, scared. But I’m also ready. I can take it, I know I can.”

Bakugou is looking at him, intense in a different way, searching Kirishima’s face for… something. “You’re scared of me?”

What? Kirishima rewinds what he said in his head and oh no. He waves his hands in front of him, like he can physically wipe away the notion. “No. No, Katsuki, I’m scared of what I saw back then. You, I trust. With my life.”

Which is a sappy thing to say, even Kirishima will admit that, but it’s also true. Asking Bakugou to use the bracers on him is literally placing his life in his (very lethal) hands.

There is a line between sparring and actual combat, and while they’ve come close to it, have toed it and tested its give in pursuit of greater heights, they’ve never taken that leap. They’re back at it now, balancing on that edge, and Kirishima can guide Bakugou there but he won’t push him across because Bakugou is hesitating.

“Once I pull the pin, I can’t stop it”, Bakugou says, locking Kirishima’s eyes with own. “I can redirect the blast but it won’t stop.”

Kirishima nods. “I know.”

“They’re all the way full. It’s gonna be brutal.”

“I know”, he repeats, chest warm despite the tingle of nerves in his gut. “I can take it. I swear.”

Bakugou spits on the ground. “Fine. Fuck it. You better fucking push it this time or you’re literally dead.”

“Oof, did you have to put it that way?”

A cold look is all he gets. Kirishima stands a bit taller on instinct. No time to joke, got it. Bakugou rolls his neck and explosion-jumps a good twenty yards away before turning back towards him. His right bracer is checked over in brisk and efficient moves.

“Get ready. I’ll count down from five. On go, you go. Plus fucking ultra.”

Legs apart, knees locked, back in a straight line. The stance comes to Kirishima as easy as breathing, as does the rigid feeling of his quirk taking hold. He braces his arms, hands up with his fingers sharp and claw-like.

A grim smile. “Plus ultra”, Kirishima confirms.

The safety slides off with an audible click. The pin emerges, Bakugou’s index limp on the trigger. “Five.”

Inhale.

“Four.”

Kirishima knocks his hands together, the rock-like smack reassuringly familiar.

“Three.”

Exhale. His limbs go stiff, his skin having long lost feeling as the keratin in it grows solid. Tough. Bulletproof.

“Two.”

Harder. Harder. Like a mountain. Like granite. Like raw fucking diamonds. Harder than that.

“One.”

Inhale, inhale, inhale. Kirishima’s chest locks into place, his heart pumping away as his innermost remains unchanged and everything else goes rigid. Be strong. Be invincible–

“Go!”

 A hiss, a spark, flames – the explosion roars to life and Kirishima roars back, sees it coming in a wave of light and destruction coming for him and only him. It’s not enough, more, more, but his quirk is buckling as it crashes into that wall inside him he can’t break–

“Push it, Kirishima! Push it, damn you!!”

He’s in Kamino, back to the wall and head full of death. Himself, dead, his classmates, dead, Bakugou, dead dead dead–

Never!

A second before impact and it fractures, splits apart. Time passes in slow motion as his vision bursts into a thousand unique and unknowable shades and–

Everything is so sharp, fragmented and crystalline and bright. The explosion hits, a kaleidoscope of red-yellow-orange that makes sense, somehow. Kirishima watches as it rolls over his hands and wrists and arms; it pushes against his chest like a gust of wind, playful, almost, like it could carry his weight if he leans into it, so he does.

One step. His body is heavy, so heavy, rumbling and grinding against itself at every point of contact – at his joints, between his fingers, along the knife’s edge of his teeth. Another step, again, again, moving through it like it’s the ocean lazily lapping at his legs in molten waves headed to shore.

It couldn’t have lasted more than a few seconds. Kirishima doesn’t register it’s over until he catches a shouted “Eijirou!” and Bakugou is there, sliding to a stop right in front of him. There’s shock written all across his face.

“Holy shit.”

Maybe Kirishima died, after all? It’s hard to tell with him being head-to-toe numb – he is pretty sure that feeling in his chest is his heart beating like the wings of a caged hummingbird. His lungs are screaming for breath, actually, and Kirishima tries but breathing is not working right now, which is fine. He opens his mouth all the same.

“Did it work?”

His voice is this low rumble that he himself barely recognizes. It’s okay, Bakugou understands him. Bakugou laughs, in fact, a short, incredulous huff of air.

“Did it work?! Did it fucking–”

A gasp, like Bakugou realized in that exact moment it’s Kirishima in front of him. Then he grins, big and toothy and so excited it’s making Kirishima dizzy.

“Holy shit, it worked! You fucking survived! And you’re a dragon! Or something! You have claws and fucking fangs and– That’s so badass, what the fuck!”

“What?!”

“YEAH!”

Kirishima looks down at his hands – his claws, long as daggers and curved inwards. “Oh fuck. Is it cool? Dude, I can’t see myself! Is it cool?!”

“You’re a fucking dragon of course it’s fucking cool”, Bakugou yells at him in one breath. “Shit, wait. Wait, wait, where the fuck is my–”

He takes off his cloves and fumbles for his pockets, like fumbling is something Bakugou does. The world is still weirdly precise and crystal-like and starting to spin, uh oh, that can’t be good. Bakugou’s got his phone out and Kirishima smiles, a Pavlovian response to being in front of a camera, and his jaw creaks with the movement.

Creaking is not a noise a human body should do. Then again, surviving a blast like that is also something that should be impossible.

Holy shit indeed.

“I made it.” Kirishima continues to stare down at himself, at the jagged plains of his chest where he tore through his shirt. It doesn’t feel real but it is. “I’m alive. I got my Ultimate.”

Bakugou is back and closer than before, his face mere inches from Kirishima’s. “Fucking woah, dude. Not a single scratch. This is insane.” The grin is still there, his voice quieter and dripping with pride. “Did ya feel it at all? How’s your mobility? Is there a time limit to this or–”

It’s getting hard to focus, Bakugou’s words running into each other and flying right by without his brain processing any of it. His spiked vision is blotted out in places, increasingly stained in black ink dots.

“I think I’m… I’m about to pass out.”

“Wha– Drop it. Kiri, drop your quirk!”

I’m trying, he wants to tell him but there’s no air left to say it with. Kirishima goes to his knees an instance later, his stiffened body resisting the way he wants to fold forward. Sounds are muffled, the darkness closing in–

By impending unconsciousness or by command, it doesn’t really matter: Kirishima feels his quirk fade and his entire body soften. He’s falling over until he’s not, strong hands catching him around the shoulders. A moment later, a semi-gentle slap to his cheek reminds him that there’s something he should be doing.

Kirishima breathes.

It feels really good, even if it hurts, too. His chest is flexible enough to expand now but clearly not happy about it while his lungs lurch for every bit of oxygen they can get. Breathing is a lot of work, then, but it’s worth it. Kirishima has an Ultimate Move, and he knows how to turn it off. Kind of.

“Why didn’t you tell me you can’t fucking breathe in it?!”

“Ah”, Kirishima mumbles, in-between pathetic pants of air, “That would be… because… I didn’t know… I couldn’t… Wow, I’m so dizzy.”

Bakugou groans. “Yeah, it’s almost like you just nearly suffocated yourself to death. Sit your ass down, idiot.”

A flick to Kirishima’s cheek has him whining. Every inch of himself is prickling with oversensitivity, the polar opposite to how it felt to exist in that explosion.

Because he did that. That happened.

By now he’s aware he’s leaning on Bakugou, his legs wobbling even as he’s held steady until he can plant his butt on the floor. Bakugou doesn’t push him off after he sits right next to him, either; he nudges him aside to take off his bracers and his collar but otherwise, Kirishima is free to stay where he is.

Kirishima takes the invitation for what it is and lets himself rest against his shoulder, thoroughly exhausted. “It felt so cool”, he tells Bakugou once he can inhale without shaking out of his own skin.

“Like. My vision went nuts just before the blast hit, I think that’s when I activated it. Everything was all bright and, like, broken apart? Kind of like shards of glass or something, it sounds weird now but it made sense in that moment. I was standing in the explosion and it barely moved me.”

Bakugou’s eyebrows go all the way up. “Seriously? That shit usually levels a whole building.”

“Yeah! I walked a bit, too, so that’s what I’ll work on next. Breathing would be good as well, I guess. Just have to get used to, well, everything.”

Looking down at his naked arms and the red outline around his right wrist, Bakugou nods, pensive. “Were you scared?”

Kirishima winces. Still thinking about that, huh? He almost regrets mentioning it at all, even if it’s the truth and part of them. Their starting point, all those months ago.

“At first, yeah. And then it was gone. Like, I feel I can face down anything when I’m like that, y’know? I won’t break no matter what. It’s exactly I wanted.”

Kirishima’s laugh comes out wheezy. There’s a headache pounding away at his temples, his throat raw from yelling and everything else. “Unbreakable. That’s what I called it when I thought of it. And it’s reality now.”

“You’re fucking crazy.” A shake of Bakugou’s head. He digs out his phone again, flicking to the most recent entry in his camera roll. “Here. That’s how it looks like.”

What he sees wipes the smile off Kirishima’s face entirely. He gestures to the phone and Bakugou shrugs, dropping it in his hand. Kirishima holds it close to his face, almost cross-eyed with his need to drink in all the details. The red spikes of his hair. His eyes all intense and turned to stone. The teeth, holy hell. Layers and layers of armored skin shifting over each other like tectonic plates.

No wonder he sounded like rocks tumbling down the mountainside in that form.

Bakugou nudges his side. “Okay, spill. What’s the sad face for this time?”

“I don’t know.” Kirishima swallows. “It’s scary, isn’t it? I know why you got dragon from this and it is cool. It feels cool, too. But is it something people would feel safe around?”

“Uh, yeah?” The device is snatched back. “Civilians are morons and fickle as fuck but if this is standing between them and certain death, fuck yeah they’ll feel safe. Besides, you’re like Riot.”

“The dog or the hero?”

“Fucking both but I mean the dog. You’re like, stupid friendly and all”, a vague gesture to his face, “wholesome and shit, whoever doesn’t immediately get ‘hero’ from that is dumb as hell and deserves to die.”

“Okay, okay, I hear ya.” Kirishima chuckles, rubbing the back of his head under the praise. He hurries to say: “Well, minus the wishing-civilians-dead part.”

“Nope. They can definitely die.”

“Dude.”

Bakugou is grinning, though, knocking his phone against Kirishima’s forehead. “Get your head outta your ass already. That Ultimate is badass as fuck. We’re trying my AP shot on it, next time.”

“You mean the one that goes through concrete?”

“Ye-up, that’s the one. Now get off me, you’re all sweaty and gross.”

Kirishima oofs as he’s pushed to the ground. He stays there, for a minute or two. Staring up at the far ceiling and musing how okay things feel right now. Hoping that they’ll stay that way, for a little while at least.

Then Bakugou is standing over him, offering him a hand. “I’m not carrying you back, asshole. Get up.”

Kirishima groans as he’s pulled up. The tingling has firmly settled into soreness and it’s everywhere. Still, when Bakugou makes to let go, he holds on tighter.

“Bro, wait.”

A questioning glance.

“We gotta do the thing!”

The glance turns almost concerned, a silent have-you-finally-lost-your-marbles sort of look. “The… thing?”

“Yeah!” Kirishima imitates an explosion between their hands. “The sparking off thing!”

All confusion disappears. “Ah”, Bakugou says. Then he turns around and marches right out the gym.

“Baku, no! Don’t leave a bro hanging like that!”

(In the end, Kirishima gets his handshake. Bakugou complains about his ‘shitty ass puppy eyes’ being ‘effective as all fuck’ the whole way to the dorm.)

>>Chapter 7.

#my hero academia #boku no hero academia #mha #bnha #bakugou katsuki #kirishima eijirou #kiribaku #bnha fanfiction #i have so many thoughts on unbreakable yo #this fic is also on AO3!! #reblogs appreciated as always c: #my stuff

[soobiniebaby]

Angels & Devils Part VII : Green Light

Tomorrow x Together Fanfiction

~ p a r t s : main post || prologue || part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5 || part 6 || part 7 || part 8 || part 9 || part 10 || part 11 || part 12 || part 13 || part 14 || part 15 || part 16 || part 17 ~ p a i r i n g : love triangle involving choi soobin and choi yeonjun ~ g e n r e : high school au | some social media au | some fluff & angst | childhood friends | love triangle ~ l a n g u a g e : English ~ w a r n i n g : contains swearing, alcohol, kissing (?) and may contain mature themes (angst, etc.) ~ a / n : This will be my first fanfic (go easy on me pls) and i’m just writing this as I go along, so bear with me juseyo The setting (place/country) of the story is up to the reader’s interpretation ~ s u m m a r y : What should she choose? Han Baby: the new girl with a troubled past MO Academy: her new high school Choi Soobin: student council president, member of the Ecosave club, volunteer at the Humane Treatment of Animals, member of the Honor Society, a vocalist in the Jazzed club, the school’s all around golden boy Choi Yeonjun: leader of the Dance club, star of the Jazzed club, the school’s it boy with a bad rep 5 best friends, 1 new girl, 1 childhood friendship, 1 epic love triangle? What will this school year bring?

“No?” Yeonjun asks.

B nods her head. “No.”

He raises a brow at her. “But you just nodded.”

“Yeah, I was saying ‘yes’ to your ‘no?’.” B explains.

“Wait, so you’re saying yes?”

B lets out a huff. “Yeonjun, seriously—”

The blue-haired boy laughs. “Baby, I’m kidding. Don’t worry, I understand. May I ask why, though?” He was genuinely curious. Was he expecting to get shot down? Not really. But was he expecting her to say yes? Kind of. When Choi Yeonjun asks someone out, he almost always gets a yes on the first try.

“We’re friends, you and I.” B starts, her eyes starting to dart around the shed as she continues. “And my best friend is one of your best friends. I don’t want to mess up our friendship group’s dynamic by going out with you and then being dumped by you and then having everything crash and burn afterwards.”

“What ‘group dynamic?’ What ‘being dumped?’ What ‘having everything crash and burn?’ How are you so sure that all that is gonna happen?” Yeonjun asks. He had to keep himself from chuckling and maintain a straight face, because as ridiculous as it all sounded to him, he knew that she was serious and he wanted to treat it seriously.

“If I go out with you and you and I don’t work out, everything between us will get awkward. I know Ningning’s my best friend, but the boys will definitely pick your side, so I’ll probably have to find a new group of friends to hang out with.” B explains.

“Baby, I promise you, we won’t end up like that. If you agree to go out with me, nothing will change. We’ll all still be friends. You won’t lose us.” Yeonjun says reassuringly.

“And how would you know? Have you ever dated someone from your circle of friends before?” B asks, raising a brow.

“God no. As attractive as my friends are, I don’t think I could ever see myself going out with any of them. I mean, Hyuka’s like a baby brother to me, Taehyun is too perfect it’s kinda intimidating, and Beomgyu just isn’t my type. I mean, I think Soobin and I could work if we gave it a shot, but I don’t think he’d be interested.” Yeonjun says jokingly.

“Yeonjun, come on. You know what I mean.” B says, letting out a small laugh.

“Okay, I haven’t. But look at Gyu and Ryujin for example. Sure, they weren’t in the same friend group, but they were friends and they dated, and then they went back to being friends. Friendships don’t have to crash and burn just because of a few dates.” Yeonjun says defensively.

“Yeah, okay, Gyu and Ryu managed to stay friends. But if things don’t work out between you and I—” B starts, until Yeonjun interrupts her.

“But what if they do...” he says quietly.

“What?” B says, unable to hear him properly.

“But what if they do? What if we do? What if things between us work out?” Yeonjun asks.

B’s quiet for a moment before slowly starting again. “It’s not just our friendship I’m worried about, you know. I just moved here, I’m going through a big adjustment period in my life right now, and I’m just starting to make friends and establish a routine, and I like that you’re a part of it. I like seeing you everyday, I like that we’re classmates for at least 1 period and that I get to hang out with you and eat lunch with you and the rest of the boys.” she says, and as positive as it all sounded, Yeonjun had a feeling he knew what she’d say next. “But I’m not ready to change any of it. I like you, Yeonjun, enough to at least enjoy seeing you everyday. But I’m not ready to do anything that could change how things in my life are right now.”

Yeonjun nods. “It’s alright, Baby. I understand.” he says sincerely, looking right at her eyes. She really did look sorry, but at the same time her eyes kept darting back and forth between his and the ground. He could tell she was being sincere, but it looked like there was something more that she didn’t want to say. She was fairly easy to read, but he couldn’t decipher what else could possibly be on her mind.

“So that’s why I’m saying no. I’m really sorry, Yeonjun. I like our friendship too much right now to let anything get in the way of it.” she says, her eyes meeting his.

“You like our friendship too much right now? What about, say, in 2 weeks? Do you think you’d feel differently about our friendship then?” Yeonjun asks innocently.

“Yeah, if you suddenly become unbearably annoying in the next 2 weeks, that could definitely change.” B says sarcastically. “I don’t know, Yeonjun. It’s not like I can see into the future or anything, but I don’t think anything could change how I feel about us in a span of 2 weeks.”

“Oh, I don’t know, Baby. Everything can change in 2 weeks.” Yeonjun says mysteriously. When B raises a brow at him, he just smiles at her with a glint in his eye. “You’ll see. Now c’mon, let’s get back in there before they come looking for us.” he says, opening the door and leading her out of the shed.

•°•

It had only been 2 hours since she turned Yeonjun down, but looking at him now, B was starting to regret it just a tiny bit.

The boys had been rehearsing in Soobin’s house for an hour now. They hadn’t really been singing or rapping as Taehyun hinted they would be. They were working on the choreography and mostly polishing their positions and transitions, and as impressively sharp and coordinated as they all were, she had to admit that she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Yeonjun.

The blue haired boy could dance.

Simply the way he moved made him stand out. His movements were completely controlled yet so effortlessly executed, as if dance were a language and his body was highly fluent. She could see now why girls would go crazy when they see him perform, and a small part of her was starting to regret turning him down, even though she knew it was silly. Him being an amazing dancer shouldn’t be a factor to take into consideration when deciding whether not she would date him.

But still. She caught herself staring at him more than she’d like to admit. It was only when Kai threw himself onto the carpeted floor and yelled “Water break!” when she snapped out of it and stood up with a jolt.

“I’ll get you guys water, consider me as your unofficial water girl. That’ll be 5 water bottles, right?” B says, volunteering. “Uh, I guess I’ll get them from the fridge…?” she says, trailing off.

Soobin laughs, wiping sweat from his forehead before saying “Alright, I’ll show you where they are. Come on.”

B nods as she follows Soobin out of the room and downstairs towards the kitchen.

“So what do you think of our performance so far?” Soobin asks. “I know I’m not the best dancer, so it’s okay, you can be as brutally honest as you want.”

“Soobin, you guys are amazing. If the choreography looked that good, I can’t wait to see what the singing and rapping will sound like! And shut up, you’re a great dancer.” B says, playfully shoving his arm.

Soobin smiles, a bit embarrassed. “Thanks. You’ll only have to wait 2 more days until you see the whole thing, so I hope you look forward to it.”

“You bet I am! I didn’t know Ningning could dance either. Growing up, he was very interested in singing and playing different instruments, but I never knew he could rap and dance as well.” B says, amazed.

Soobin nods. “The Jazzed club helped a lot of us with honing in skills that we didn’t even know we had. It definitely helped me a lot with feeling more confident about myself. I used to be insanely shy until Yeonjun convinced me to join Jazzed club. Since then, I’ve even had the courage to take on the responsibility of being Student Council President, which is something I never thought I’d see myself doing.” he says bashfully.

“Wow Soobin, were you really that shy? I’m glad you’ve come out of your shell then, you’re doing great as far as I can tell. I guess being in Jazzed club helped you a lot then.” B says, smiling at him.

“You wouldn’t believe how shy I was.” Soobin laughs. “And yeah, it really has. Are you interested in joining? I think you’d like it.”

B thinks about it for a moment. “It looks like a lot of fun, and you guys make it seem so amazing. But I have to admit that I’ve never really been musically inclined? Don’t get me wrong, I tried really hard to learn how to play instruments when I was younger. Ningning tried to teach me how to play the piano, but I just couldn’t ever get it right. The most musical thing I can do is sing, but I don’t think I’m very good at that either, and besides, anyone can sing if they try hard enough.”

“I’m not great at instruments either, but I sang a lot while I was growing up and it was something I enjoyed doing. Never in my whole life did I ever think I’d be dancing on a stage in front of an audience though, but that also changed when I joined the club.” Soobin admitted.

“I really can’t wait to see you perform. I’ll get a front row seat, and I’ll be the one screaming my lungs out.” B says, laughing.

“If that’s the case then I’ll make sure to dance my heart out. I mean, if you’re gonna be giving it all with your lungs, might as well give it my best with all my heart as well.” Soobin says.

“Looking forward to seeing it.” B says, smiling up at him just as they reach the kitchen. “Oh, by the way, we should probably post stuff for our creative writing project too.”

“Oh, sure. Got any good pics from last night? I think I might have one.” Soobin says, whipping his phone out.

“I should probably be the one to post something though, since you posted something first.” B says, also taking out her phone. “We should each have at least one post every week.”

Soobin nods in agreement.

The two continue to look through their camera rolls until B exclaims “Ooh, I’ve got one!”

“Alright, I wanna see it.” Soobin says, attempting to look over B’s shoulder to peak at her phone.

“No way, you’ll see it when you post it! Let me just think of a caption.” B says, shielding her phone from Soobin’s curious eyes as she types out a caption.

Soobin’s phone pings with a notification, and he checks it.

“Oh wow, I knew we took selfies together but who took this photo?” Soobin asks, transfixed. Were they really that close together last night? He had to admit that he wasn’t completely sober so the night was a bit fuzzy, but he didn’t realize that he had ever been in such proximity with B. Other than the moment she whipped cake off his face, of course. At the memory of that, he felt his cheeks start to warm up again.

“I think Yuna or Ryujin did? I’m sure it was one of them. We all airdropped each other all the photos we took from last night. There are a lot stolen photos, and most of them were highly unflattering, but this one seemed alright.” B says.

“Yeah, it seems alright.” Soobin says as he looks at the post again, noting how their faces were side by side, he could’ve rested his chin on her shoulder.

“Alright, now show me where the water bottles are.” B says, pocketing her phone.

“The what?” Soobin asks, his mind still on the post.

“The water bottles? I need to bring at least 5, which I probably couldn’t have carried all on my own, so it’s actually really good that you’re here. Now, where are they?” B asks.

“Ah, right. They’re here in the fridge.” Soobin says, walking over to the fridge and grabbing as much bottles as he could. “We’re gonna need way more than 5 by the way, so let’s just take as much as we can for now.”

“Alright, let’s go.” B says, cradling 4 bottles in her arms as Soobin pushes the refrigerator door close with his foot, his arms full of water bottles.

“Let’s go.” Soobin says, and the 2 of them head back to the designated practice room.

•°•

On Monday morning, B had to walk to school alone.

It was club recruitment day, and Taehyun had told her beforehand that he’d be going to school an hour earlier that usual in order to prepare for the busy day, especially since he was the vice president of the student council.

“Do you still wanna walk together, though? Or would you rather sleep in for an extra hour?” Taehyun had asked her through text the night before.

Of course, she chose sleep. As much as she loved walking with Taehyun to school everyday, she did not want to get up an hour earlier than she had to.

“Nah, it’s fine. I can walk alone. I’m sure it’ll be a busy day for you anyway, so don’t worry about me.” she responded.

Now, here she was, entering the campus alone.

She was surprised by how busy it was. Along the school grounds, several booths were set up, each with at least 3 people, calling people over, handing out flyers, holding up signup sheets. Most booths had small exhibits, music playing out of portable speakers, and some booths were even giving away snacks or candies to attract more people.

She was so amazed and overwhelmed by the scene in front of her that she almost didn’t notice Beomgyu approaching her with a polaroid camera and taking a quick picture of her.

“Ha! Gotcha, B!” Beomgyu says, laughing as he cradles his camera, waiting for the picture he just took to develop. Once it was done, he flapped it around for a bit before laughing and pocketing the picture. “That was a good one.”

“Gyu! Oh god, you surprised me. Didn’t see you coming. And what’s with the picture? Can I see it?” B says, a fist clutched to her chest. “Wow, so this is what club recruitment day is like?” she asks, looking around in amazement.

Beomgyu stands beside her and nods. “Nah, I think I’ll keep the picture to myself for now. And yup, pretty much. It can be pretty intimidating for freshmen and new students, but it’s all really fun.” he says. “In the morning we have the booths wherein people can check out what clubs are around, in the afternoon there’s the visitations so people can visit the rooms to check out what the clubs are like, then from 3PM onwards there’s the showcase in the auditorium wherein each club can put together a skit or performance to show off what they’ve got.” he explains.

B nods. “Wow, it seems so exciting.”

“It’s one of the busiest days of the school year, and it’s one of the hardest events to plan since it’s at the very start of the school year, so we were working on it even during the summer before classes started.” Beomgyu admits. “I’m part of 4 clubs, not including the student council, so it was a lot of work for me too. Especially since I’m the head of the Journalism club and in charge of the school paper.” he pouts.

“Aw, Gyu, it all looks great. You’ve done a great job.” B says, giving the boy a pat on the back. “Is that why you’re going around with a camera, by the way? For the school paper?”

Beomgyu nods. “Nah, these pictures are for my personal documentation though if I get any interesting pictures, I could use them for the paper. I do have a documentation team going around with cameras as well, but I like being behind the lens. Say cheese.” he says before quickly capturing a stolen photo of B once again.

“Gyu!” B screeches, caught off guard. “I better not see my face in any pictures on the school paper this month.”

“Don’t worry, I get to do final approvals for everything before each edition gets published.” Beomgyu says reassuringly. He smiles as the picture finishes printing and tucks it away in his pocket once again. “By the way, you interested?” he asks.

“In the school paper?” B asks. “Maybe. I write but I’m not sure if I’m any good at it, and I’m no pro at cameras either. I actually don’t know what clubs I might join.” B admits.

“Oh, maybe I can help you with that. I can walk with you for a bit, show you around the booths, try to see if anything interests you.” Beomgyu offers, which B gladly accepts.

“Are you interested in anything in particular? Got any hobbies?” Beomgyu asks as they begin walking around.

“Hm, I’m not sure. Got any clubs about reading? Or anything about animals?” B asks hopefully.

“For reading? I think there’s the literature club. That’ll be nice if you’re a fan of books and poetry and stuff. And if you’re an animal lover, you should definitely check out the HTA. That’s the Humane Treatment of Animals club. They’ve set up an animal shelter within the school and do a lot of volunteer work with animal rescue and stuff.” Beomgyu says.

“Okay, now those sound very interesting to me.” B says. “Do you know where their booths are? Can you show me?”

Beomgyu nods. “The council was highly involved in planning for today’s activities, and we had to approve of the booth layouts, so I think I remember where the booths are positioned. This way.” he says, leading them through rows of booths.

B could see then how much of a big deal extracurricular activities were at MOA. All the students seemed to be pumping with energy. She’d lost count of the number of times she had been offered flyers for different clubs by the time they reached the booth for the literature club.

The students managing the booth engaged her in a quick introduction about the club and their activities and had given her a flyer as well. Included in the flyer was the location of the club’s room and the schedule for the day. She gladly accepted it and put her name into the signup sheet.

“Alright, that’s good. Your first signup! Next stop, the HTA. I believe their booth is this way, right next to the—” Beomgyu begins, but he’s cut off by a shrill shriek.

“Baba! Baba!” Kai squeals as Beomgyu and B walk past the Art Club’s booth.

“—Art Club.” Beomgyu finishes, as Kai runs over from inside the booth, right to where they were standing.

Kai gives B a big hug as he joins her side. “Baba! Come check out the Art Club!” Kai says excitedly.

“Ningning, hey!” B says, surprised to see him.

“Wait you two, say cheese real quick.” Beomgyu says, pointing his polaroid camera at them. The 2 happily oblige and instantly pose, with Kai wrapping an arm around B’s waist and B lifting an arm up all the way to the top of Kai’s head in a peace sign, and Beomgyu pockets the picture once it’s done.

“Are you here to check out the Art Club?” Kai says excitedly.

“Ah, the Art Club. Of course.” she says, eyeing the booth. “I almost forgot that you were the president.”

“Of course I’m the president. My club’s the best club on the campus. Here, take a flyer.” Kai says, practically shoving one into her hands. “You too, Gyu.” he says, as he shoves one in the boy’s face. “By the way, what are you doing with Baba? I thought you were supposed to be manning the Journalism Club’s booth.” he asks suspiciously.

“Psh, just ‘cause I’m club president doesn’t mean I should be stuck watching over the booth. It’s all a matter of delegation.” Beomgyu says smugly. “Besides, I’d rather be walking around and capturing all the action than be stuck behind a booth all morning.”

Kai looks torn for a moment, like he wanted to abandon his booth and join Beomgyu and B, but he just shakes his head. “As much as I’d love to join you guys, I can’t abandon my booth. Not at the last minute, at least.” he says, pouting.

B laughs at the boy. “C’mon, Ningning, you’re doing great. Look, your signup sheet’s all full already!” she says, noticing the clipboard on the table.

“Don’t worry, we always have room for more. Here.” Kai says, taking the clipboard and flipping the sheet over to reveal another page full of free space. “Sign up, Baba! It won’t automatically mean you’re signing up to be a member, but it saves you a spot for the room visits this afternoon.” he adds, noting how hesitant B looked.

“Alright, I guess it wouldn’t hurt.” B says, signing her name on the sheet. She had no intentions of joining the art club since she was never talented at any form of art, but she figured it wouldn’t hurt to check it out, especially since her best friend was the president of the club.

“Yay, thanks Baba! See you later!” Kai says excitedly. “Where are you guys headed, anyway? Signed up for any other clubs yet?” he asks.

“We were headed to the HTA booth.” Beomgyu answers.

“Ah yeah, I almost forgot how much of an animal lover you are.” Kai says. “Their booth is right next door.”

“Yeah, I’m actually thinking of getting a pet soon, since I have my own apartment now.” B says. “Alright, we’ll check out the booth now. Later, Ningning!” she says, waving at her best friend as she and Beomgyu walk away.

“Are you really thinking of getting a pet for your apartment?” Beomgyu asks curiously. “What kind of pet would you want?”

“I like a lot of animals, I find them all really adorable.” B admits. “But I think I’d really want to get a cat, or maybe a couple of bunnies.”

“Oh, are those your favorite animals?” Beomgyu asks. “I’ve got a pet parrot, his name is Toto. You should meet him someday, he’s really sweet.” he says fondly.

Just then, they see Soobin standing outside the HTA booth, handing out flyers to people passing by. There was just one detail about him that caused Beomgyu and B to burst out laughing instantly.

He was wearing bunny ears made out of balloons on his head.

Beomgyu quickly snapped a picture with his polaroid camera while B quickly whipped her phone out to take pictures as well.

The sound of their laughter and the flash from Beomgyu’s camera caused Soobin to notice them, and his face instantly went red as he did.

“Gyu! B! What are you doing?” he wails, covering his face and turning away from them.

“Soobin! You look adorable!” B manages to say in between bursts of laughter.

“So this is how the HTA manages to get so many recruits every year.” Beomgyu says, amused. “Now I’m not surprised. Using you as a mascot is genius. No one can resist you, Soobinie.” he says teasingly.

“Oh, shut up.” Soobin says, his face still red. “What are you guys even doing here?”

“I was just helping B find clubs that she might be interested in.” Beomgyu says, casually draping an arm over her shoulders. “She says she’s an animal lover, so I figured she’d wanna check out the HTA, and now here we are. And here you are.”

B nods. “Yeah, Gyu told me that the club do a lot of volunteer work and even set up an animal shelter within the school, and I was instantly hooked. I really love animals.” she says with a twinkle in her eye.

Soobin smiles. “You’ve come to the right place, then. Here, have a flyer.” he says, offering her a flyer, which she gladly accepts.

She reads through the flyer then, her excitement to join the club growing by the minute. “Oh wow, now this is my kinda club.” she says. “Are you the club president, Soobin?”

“Yup. You interested? Wanna sign up?” he asks hopefully.

“Definitely! I’m already looking forward to joining.” B says, as Soobin hands her the clipboard with the signup sheet, which she gamely signs.

“Great! I guess we’ll be expecting you to drop by the club sometime after lunch for the visitations? The club’s location is on the flyer, so try your best not to lose it.” Soobin says.

“Sure thing. See you then.” B says excitedly.

“Hey, you two, say cheese!” Beomgyu says, pointing his polaroid camera at them. Soobin and B stand side by side and smile, but Beomgyu lowers his camera as he looks at them. “Okay, maybe pose a bit and say cheese? Come on, don’t just stand there.” he whines.

Soobin gives Beomgyu a look and B just rolls her eyes. She holds her arms out to Soobin and slowly steps closer towards him until her arms surrounded his body, and she closed them around him. He lets out a surprised laugh and decides to go along with it as he wraps his arms around her too. Slightly embarrassed, she squeezes her eyes shut and smiles. Just then, Beomgyu snaps a picture.

“Okay, that was a pretty good shot.” he says. He holds it up once its done developing, examining it one more time, before pocketing it.

“You know, that’s like the 4th picture you’ve taken of me this morning, yet I haven’t seen a single one of them.” B says as she steps away from Soobin. “Can I have at least one of them?” she asks.

“Nope, I keep all of the polaroids that I take. I’ve got a whole collection of them. I can print you out some copies if you want, though.” Beomgyu offers,

“Yes please, I’d really like that.” B says. “I’d also like to see your collection someday. Seems interesting.”

“Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to show you if you ever stop by my place.” Beomgyu says. “Well, that’s all the club you wanted to check out, right? Anything else you wanna do before lunch? Wanna check out other booths? I think Tyun’s managing the Debate Club’s booth, and Yeonjun’s probably at the Dance Club’s booth. We can stop by the Journalism club’s booth too so I can see how things are going.” Beomgyu offers.

“Sure thing, whatever you wanna do, Gyu. Lead the way.” B says.

“Alright, let’s go! See you later, Soobin.” Beomgyu says to the boy with the bunny ears.

“See you later.” Soobin responds.

“I’ll be sure to drop by the HTA later. See you then!” B says, giving a small wave before Beomgyu drags her along with him and they disappear into the booths once again.

•°•

“Hold still.”

“I’m trying.”

“Try harder, just hold still.”

“I literally haven’t moved since you started.”

“I said hold still, Baba!” Kai exclaims, trying his best to sketch her as accurately as possible.

“I am!” B says, smiling through her teeth. It was already after lunch, and visitations had already started. Her first stop was at the Literature Club, and it seemed interesting enough. They presented more information about the club and what activities they’d be offering for the school year. She was on her way to the HTA when she ran into Kai, who all but kidnapped her and dragged her into the Art Club.

She figured spending a few minutes in the art club wouldn’t hurt, especially since Kai had been so excited to pull her into the room. But then he insisted that she let him do a quick sketch of her, and B realized a little too late that it meant she’d have to stick around a little bit longer than she had planned.

It’s been 15 minutes since Kai had first told her to hold still, and she was starting to lose patience. When her phone alarmed with a notification, she was relieved to have an excuse to move. She sees that it’s a message from Soobin and she replies as quick as she can.

B locked her phone and put it back in her pocket, feeling much more better than she did a minute ago. She told herself that she only had to hold still for 5 more minutes, and she hoped that Kai would let her go once Soobin arrived.

Sure enough, after 5 more minutes of holding still, B heard one of the art club members exclaim “President Choi! What are you doing here? Are you looking for Hueningkai?”

Kai’s head snaps up from his work upon hearing his name. “Younghoon, who are you talking to? Is that Soobin?”

The art club member, Younghoon, answers “Yes, he says he’s looking for someone.”

“Alright, welcome him in.” Kai says, putting his work down. B sighed in relief as Soobin walked into the room. When his eyes met hers, he gave her a quick wink, knowing that he was doing her a favor.

“Hyuka, hey! How’s the president of the art club doing?” Soobin says, walking over to Kai and giving his shoulders a squeeze.

“I’m doing good, we got a lot of signups today and the visits have been going really well.” Kai responds. “And how’s the president of the HTA doing?”

“Stressing out a bit, that’s actually why I’m here. I need  help with tracking down one of the campus cats. We were hoping to introduce all the campus animals during recruitment day but there’s one cat that we haven’t seen around in days. All my members have their hands full with the signups and visitors, so I was hoping I could find an extra pair of helpful hands here?” Soobin says, looking pointedly at B.

“Oh, I don’t know, Soobin. The art club’s pretty busy right now, too. I could ask some of my officers if they could help you?” Kai offers.

“Nonsense, your officers should stay here. I’ll go, I’m not I’m not needed here anyway. And I already had plans to stop by the HTA, so I think it would be nice if I could help out.” B insists.

Kai lets out a sigh. “Alright, I guess I’ll finish your portrait some other time.” he says.

“You sure you won’t mind? You can stay here if you want, I can try checking out the debate club if Taehyun can help.” Soobin asks innocently. Wow, he was good at this.

B smiles. “No need for that, I’m happy to help. I love cats anyway, I’m sure it’ll be fun.”

Kai waves the two of them goodbye, and they leave the art club together.

“Is there really a missing cat around the campus?” B asks, concerned.

Soobin shakes his head. “Nope. I just made it up. The cats and dogs in campus never wander far, so it’s easy to keep track of them all.”

“Wow you’re surprisingly good at lying then.” B says, impressed. “Oh, I can’t wait to meet them all! How many animals are there in the campus.”

Soobin just gives her a smile and says “You’ll see.” as they continue to make their way across the campus until they reach the edge of the school grounds, where a small cabin was located surrounded by a garden.

“This is another part of the campus that I haven’t been to yet.” B says. “Now, I’m really glad that you came, cause I don’t think I would’ve been able to find this place on my own.”

Soobin laughs and says “You’re very welcome, then.” as they step into the threshold of the garden. “B, welcome to the Humane Treatment of Animals, or the HTA in short. The club was established a few years ago when some animal-loving students noticed just how many cats and dogs were freely roaming the campus. They decided to assemble interested members, and with the permission of the school board, they were able to have this small area built within the campus grounds as a donation.”

“That sounds pretty impressive, it’s a good thing that those students took the initiative to do all this.” B says, staring at the establishment in wonder. Soobin leads her to the small cabin and opens the door for her.

As they step into the room, they’re met with the other members and officers of the club welcoming the other students who have signed up. And also, B couldn’t help but let out a little squeal as she saw cats and dogs all around the place, some were peacefully sleeping in random spots, some were rubbing up against the students and asking for attention, and there was one white cat that was right by the door as they walked in, and gave them a little meow.

“Oh my god, who is this cutie?” B says, instantly crouching down to examine the cat, who was rubbing itself against her feet. She offers a hand in front of the cat’s face, and the cat starts to nuzzle its face into her hand, which instantly makes her melt.

“Ah, that little guy’s name is Tobin. He’s the one in the picture I sent you earlier, one of my favorites. He’s very friendly, he loves to get pets and cuddles, but he’ll beg incessantly for food once he gets a whiff of anything that smells delicious to him.” Soobin says, joining B and Tobin on the floor as he crouches down as well.

“So if I join this club, I get to hang out with Tobin and all these animals every Friday?” B asks. “Count me in.”

Soobin grins at her then. “Alright, I’ll get you a copy of the official membership form. Have it filled in before the end of the day. All forms will be collected after the showcase this afternoon, so it gives everyone enough time to finalize which clubs they want to join.”

B shakes her head. “I have zero doubts in my mind that this is the club for me. If you give me the form now, I’ll fill it up and submit it right here, on the spot.”

And so he does.

•°•

B spent the rest of the time for club visitations at the HTA, getting to know the other members and cuddling up with all the animals under the club’s care. When Soobin announced that he had to go to the auditorium to do final preparations for the showcase, B asks him if she could tag along.

“I wanna make sure to get good seats, front row, right in the center.” she says, so Soobin allows it. Once they reached the auditorium, he went backstage with the rest of the organizers and performers, and she secured 3 seats in the front row, texting Yuna and Ryujin to come join her. The auditorium was already fairly full despite there being 30 minutes before the showcase started, and soon enough Yuna and Ryujin walked in and joined her.

The three girls start catching up, talking about everything that had transpired over the weekend, from Hueningkai’s surprise party all the way up to club recruitment day, which Ryujin and Yuna didn’t have much to do with since they had already joined clubs since they freshmen year.

They were so caught up in talking that they didn’t notice how full and busy the auditorium was, and it was only when someone from backstage announced “Please settle down, the showcase will begin in 5 minutes” did they notice how much time had passed since they started talking.

“Wait, there is one thing I’ve been dying to know all weekend.” Yuna asks with a glint in her eye.

“Oh, me too. I think I know what you’re talking about.” Ryujin says, looking at Yuna knowingly.

B looks back and forth to her left and right at the 2 girls. “Well, don’t just look at each other like that, what is it?”

The 2 girls give each other sly smiles before turning to B, who was sitting in the middle of them. “What did you and Yeonjun do during your 7 minutes in heaven?”

B could feel her cheeks heat up, remembering once again what she had been trying to push out of her mind the whole weekend. “Nothing much, we just talked, played 20 questions to pass the time. He was really nice.” she tries to say as casually as possible.

“Come on, you’re blushing like crazy!” Yuna says, laughing at how red B’s face was.

“Spill it!” Ryujin exclaims, poking B’s sides until she finally caved.

“Alright, fine, but promise me you won’t tell a single soul about this. I haven’t told anyone about this, not even Hueningkai, so if this information somehow circulates, I know it’ll be because of you two.” B says reluctantly.

“You know we wouldn’t do that to you.” Ryujin says. “We promise we won’t tell anyone, now spill it.”

B takes a deep breath and lets out a sigh before saying “Yeonjun asked me out.”

Yuna squeals in delight while Ryujin just smirks. “Why am I not surprised.” she says smugly. “So what happened? How was it? Are you two secretly dating now?”

“No no, nothing happened. I turned him down.” B admits, and that’s when Yuna and Ryujin actually looked surprised.

“What? You turned him down? Why?!” Yuna asks, completely baffled.

“He’s my friend, and he’s one of my best friend’s best friends, I don’t wanna mess anything up. Imagine how awkward the group dynamic would be.” B says defensively.

“But it’s Choi Yeonjun!” Yuna exclaims. “Oh gosh, I know I’ve had the biggest crush on Kai in like forever, but if Choi Yeonjun asked me out, I would’ve said yes in a heartbeat.”

“It’s complicated, I just don’t want to complicate things, is all.” B says.

“Yuna, hush, we have to respect B’s decision.” Ryujin says, patting the girl on her knee. “B, how did Yeonjun take it? Are things okay between you two or are they weird?”

“He seemed fine with it, he said he understood, and I don’t sense any awkwardness so far. I told him I liked our friendship too much to risk complicating things, then he said something about our friendship changing in 2 weeks, which I don’t really understand but I laughed it off anyway. I’m hoping that’ll be the end of that and that we’ll be able to move past it without it affecting our friendship.” B explains.

“Wait, what about 2 weeks? What did he say exactly?” Ryujin asks.

“Sounds like he’s got something planned for the next 2 weeks? Is that it?” Yuna asks, intrigued.

“No I don’t think it’s like that. I didn’t really understand, but he said—” B starts, but she gets cut off when the lights in the auditorium suddenly go out and music starts blaring as everyone’s eyes focus on the stage, the showcase starting.

The showcase was interesting and entertaining enough. Each club had an allotted time to present whatever they wanted to. The different sports teams held a short fashion show that showcased each team’s uniforms with each team captain making a short speech to announce tryouts, which earned cheers and cheers from the audience when Yeonjun, Soobin and Hueningkai were spotted strutting on stage wearing their basketball jerseys. The film club presented one of their latest projects. The photography club showed a slideshow of pictures taken earlier that day and the film club put together a video as a sort of highlight reel from the club recruitment day. B had lost count of how many clubs had showed their presentations when the announcer finally said:

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for, an exclusive performance from the Jazzed Club, starring MO Academy’s very own Student Council! Debuting the club’s latest composition entitled ‘Boy In Luv,’ please put your hands together for Jazzed!”

The screams were deafening as the 5 members of the student council appeared on stage, wearing their school uniforms stylized in different ways.

B had seen them rehearse the choreography at Soobin’s house, but nothing prepared her for their performance.

Kai opened the performance, which immediately got the audience screaming. Next, Beomgyu’s deep vocals dominated the auditorium, and Soobin’s rapping was heard for the very first time, and everyone seemed surprised by how good he was at it, judging by the escalating cheers from the audience when he started.

But nothing surprised B more than when it was Yeonjun’s turn to sing as he was front and center on stage, dancing and expertly making eye contact with the audience. It was no surprise that he was an amazing performer, but what got B’s jaw to drop was when his found somehow found hers in the audience as he rapped the words “But, I’m going to flip the situation, from friends to lovers” and winked right at her before Taehyun took his turn.

When that happened, B felt her heart pound as Ryujin and Yuna each grabbed her arms and started screaming incoherently. She tried her best to focus on the rest of the performance, but all she could think of was Yeonjun and what he just did.

As the performance ended and the 5 boys bowed onstage before waving at the audience once more, B could still feel her heart pounding as she cheered along with the audience.

Kai and Soobin found her face in the crowd and started jumping up and down, waving their arms in the air with excitement. She waved back, cheering as loud as she could, and she could feel her heartbeat start to slow back to normal.

Just then, Yeonjun’s eyes met hers once again, and he gave her a small wave and a bright smile before winking at her once again. And just like that, her heart started to pound again.

“Looks like Choi Yeonjun’s got his eye on you.” Ryujin says in B’s ear.

B puts a hand on her chest, feeling how fast it was beating, and wondering what exactly it meant.

#tomorrow x together #txt #choi yeonjun #yeonjun #yeonjun fanfic #yeonjun fic #yeonjun au #choi soobin #soobin #soobin fanfic #soobin fic #soobin au #hueningkai #huening kai #choi beomgyu #beomgyu #kang taehyun #taehyun #fanfic #fanfiction #kpop fanfiction #kpop fanfic #kpop au #highschool au #love triangle #bighit #tomorrowxtogether #txt au #angels and devils #angels & devils

[amarabliss]

Oaths and Hearts - 18 (Ignis Scientia/Reader)

So this is a crossover between FFXV and Dragon Age Inquisition.

You fell through a rift into the fade fighting the demons you swore to protect your world from. When you popped out you were no longer in the lands of Ferelden instead trapped in Insomnia. The gracious king allowed you to say recognizing power when he saw it. One thing led to another and now you were part of the procession of the prince to his wedding years later. Before the final battle, after years of fighting, losses, and love…your friend…your king…Noctis has asked you to change it all…

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11  Part 12  Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16  Part 17

Ignis yawned as he walked onto the site of construction. He took in a deep breath before raising his coffee up for a drink. His peace was broken by Gladio giving his two cents, “Duel wielding is illegal in some countries.”

Ignis turned giving him an exasperated look, “I know for a fact that duel wielding is completely legal in Insomnia, but I suppose you’re referring to my coffee and thermos.”

“Rough night still?” Gladio looked at him with concern.

“Her contractions are getting more frequent.” Ignis brought the cup up again, “She nearly said it was time last night.”

“She did?” Gladio’s eyes widened before he smiled, “Wow…It’s hard to believe you’re going to be a dad soon.”

“Did it happen? Are we uncles!?” Prompto ran up to him.

“Do you really think he’d be here if Y/N had the baby?” Noctis walked over wearing a safety hat on smirking, “Better get used to sleepless nights buddy.”

“So, I have been reminded daily.” Ignis sighed before setting his thermos on a bench, “Enough about me, where are we in the project?”

“Iggy…” Noct stepped close to him, “we do have a handle on this. You can go and get some rest.”

Ignis smiled at him, “I appreciate the concern, but I am getting enough rest. Y/N assures me we still have a couple of weeks…”

He looked at them all staring at him. Gladio was the first to speak, “Did you…read that in a book?”

“I…no…she just…I trust her.” Ignis set his empty cup down, “She is a woman after all…”

“Ignis, babies aren’t like calendars…” Gladio sighed shaking his head, “I can’t even remember the amount of false alarms my mom and dad had with Iris…and she was early…like three weeks early.”

Ignis stared at him a moment before shaking his head a little, “This is different.”

“You’re delusional!” Prompto rolled his eyes before smiling, “Regardless…I have the camera close by so we can get all the pictures we need when our little man arrives.”

“Our?” Ignis watched him and Gladio walking toward the contractor.

“Yeah…” Noctis smiled at him, “You’re the first of us to have a kid. We’re excited and knowing your baby is a little man…expect many gifts and a spoiled rotten kid. At least for a little while…”

Ignis looked at him, “You are Luna have talked then…”

“More then that.” Noct blushed a little, “She has her duties and I have mine, but…we can’t help wanting more then just our kingdoms and responsibilities.”

“Well…in time, you’ll get your wish.” Ignis put a hand on his shoulder, “You’re both young yet…”

“You say that as if you’re so much older then I am.” Noct laughed as they both walked to catch up with the others.

“In terms of maturity, until recently…” Ignis smirked chuckling as Noct glared at him a little.

The work was hard and honest. Rebuilding took manpower they didn’t have and everyone had begun to wear thin. But hope was in the future.

Luna had convinced Altissia to send aid sooner than later. The boys capture of the crystal had made a significant impact in how the world viewed Insomnia's young king. Not to mention the flocks of Insomnian citizens returning home. Everyone wanted to help.

It was the beginning of a new world view. Status barely mattered, just assisting your fellow man was enough.

Ignis looked up at the bright blue sky wiping is brow. Noctis had decided that rebuilding the hospital and other public venues needed to be priority one. The people rallied behind and progress was good despite the lack of supplies and people.

“Ignis!” The alarmed cry from below Drew is attention away from a flock of flying birds. It was Libertus and Tor running up to the work crews.

“Right here…what’s wrong?” He pushed through the crowd to get to them.

“Its time.” The both told him breathless, “She…Y/N…she’s…”

“What?” Ignis felt his hair practically stand on end as he shook his head, “No…no we’re supposed to have more time…we…”

“Iggy…” He looked at Gladio who stepped up next to him with Prompto, “it’s time…”

“But…nothing’s ready. I was supposed…I…we don’t even have a crib…” Ignis frowned putting a hand to his forehead.

“Hey hey!” Prompto waved his hands at him, “You only have one thing to worry about right now and that’s getting to Y/N and helping her. That’s your job right now.”

Ignis looked at him finding a strange comfort from his words before he nodded, “Right…yes, of course.”

“So, let’s get you there as fast as we can.” Noctis stepped up next to him putting his arm around Ignis’ shoulders, “Hold on.”

Ignis had warped before in short spurts when he and Noct performed maneuvers in battle. Galdio and Prompto both said that it made them sick afterwards. Ignis didn’t find he had that problem until now as his nerves fell into overdrive.

“Breathe Specs.” Noct reminded him as they landed already halfway to their destination.

Ignis looked at him seeing sweat drip down his friend’s face, “Noct, I can manage the rest.”

“Nonsense…” Noct shook his head warping to the next spot taking in a deep breath, “I can get you a bit closer.”

“Noct…” Ignis gently pushed him away toward a bench, “Sit…call Gladio and Prompto to come pick you up…”

As he turned away he heard Noct speak, “You’re gonna be great…just…breathe.”

Ignis looked back at him giving him a sturdy nod before turning back and taking off in a run. Every single step felt like fire began coursing through him. He didn’t know how to be a father…his was taken from him when he was young.

Not that his father hadn’t done well…but he remembered Roderick. His father was kind and gentle, but always seeking the truth and never giving up to find it. Brief images of riding his shoulders through their home, a proud smile, dancing in the kitchen…

He burst into the Citadel rushing to the stairs feeling his legs beginning to burn. As he pushed the door open, he heard a loud wail and he felt his stomach drop. He walked forward pushing through people standing in the hall. Nurses, doctors, patients…

“Y/N…” He heard Dr. Reed speaking, “Y/N you have to calm down…”

“What’s going on?” Ignis pushed forward and a nurse intercepted him as Dr. Reed turned around, “Dr. Reed…”

“Mr. Scientia…” Dr. Reed stepped close to him, “There’s been a…complication…”

“Complication…” Ignis eyes jumped to the open door as something crashed inside and you let out another groan, “Y/N!?”

Dr. Reed put his hands on Ignis’ chest with the nurse, “I can’t let you in there.”

“Ignis…” Your voice sounded weak and scared.

“Get out the way.” Ignis began pushing through them but was held back, “Move!”

“It’s too dangerous!” Dr. Reed raised his voice, “If I let you in there, there is a chance you will not walk out.”

“I don’t care, my wife needs me. Now move.” Ignis voice was low as he glared at the doctor feeling their hands move off him. He adjusted his shirt before stepping into the room.

His eyes widened as the scorch marks on the walls and floor. All the medical equipment was strewn about away from you. You were standing gripping onto the bed railing shaking.

“Y/N…” He began to step forward, but you raised you hand toward him.

“Stay back…” You turned shaking your hair from your sweating face, “…you…you have to leave.”

He stood still staring at you, “Y/N…I will not leave you. Not now…not ever…”

“I-I can’t control it…” You cringed putting you hand to your stomach letting out a painful groan. He took your distracted state to his advantage stepping right over to you. Your eyes opened and you started shaking your head, “No…No Ignis…”

“Shh…” He took your hand tightly in his as his other reached up pushing your hair away from your eyes, “We knew this might happen…”

Your face contorted as tears slipped down your face, “It’s so much worse…it’s so…”

“Shh…” He kissed your forehead, “We’re going to do this together…people with magic have been having babies for thousands of years from your land, you said so yourself.”

You let out another loud guttural groan as contractions came upon you, with it came an uncontrolled spell of chained lighting. It erupted through the floor around them. It was as he expected, his proximity to you protected him from the spell.

“Dr. Reed…” Ignis looked over at the door, “Be ready with everything you need for the baby…we’re doing this alone until we need you…assist with advisements only, do not enter unless I tell you.”

Dr. Reed confirmed as Ignis began turning you toward him have you hold onto his shoulders for support. You hands dug into his shoulders painfully, “I shouldn’t have….done this…mages shouldn’t…there’s too much chaos…I could hurt someone…you…our baby…”

“None of that…you are exactly as you should be…now look at me…” He brushed your hair away from your face, “You’re strong…”

“No…” You shut your eyes hanging your head again.

He lifted your chin looking into your eyes, “Yes. The strongest person I know. You fell through worlds, lost everyone and everything you ever knew, adjusted to an insane new lifestyle…with insane new people.”

“Y/N…you don’t remember but you traveled in time itself to save your family…the one we’re starting here and now…” He pressed his forehead against yours and smiled, “For a daughter we will one day have…so believe me when I say, you can do this.”

“Ignis…ooo….” You balled up his shirt in your hands as another contraction overtook you.

“It’s time.” Dr. Reed spoke from the doorway, “You’re going to have to push…I…I suggest laying down…”

“No…” You shook your head, “No…I…”

“It’s alright…we can stand…” He looked around the room before helping you toward a chair, “Brace yourself on this…I’ll need to be below to catch him.”

You nodded as you took in a deep shuddered breath grabbing onto the chair with one hand, “If…”

“I won’t let it come to that.” He took your other hand pressing it to his lips shutting his eyes. You wanted him to put you under if it came to it. You had researched c-sections, and even Dr. Reed had considered it but felt your concerns weren’t merited.

He could see Dr. Reed was reconsidering his position as he looked back as he reached for some gloves, “Doctor?”

“Ignis, you’ll need to reach up and check her cervix…based on her contractions…I’m positive she’s ready, but to be sure… insert two fingers…” He walked Ignis through what he was and wasn’t supposed to feel. Based on what was described back to him Dr. Reed confirmed full dilation, “The next time you feel a contraction you need to bear down…deep breath…and push…Ignis you’re going to see the head first…and gravity will probably work quickly.”

Ignis looked up at you as begin letting out quick short breaths trying you best to remain in control, “Darling…we do it now…just let go and think of Ulric.”

You nodded as you adjusted as the contraction wracked your body. He saw the immense strain you began to put on yourself as you pushed letting out a warrior’s scream. He could indeed see you taking down hordes of demons and dragons for those you loved in that moment. The moment you were becoming a mother, the joining a league of strongest forces the universe could create. His focus shifted quickly from your face to the small life beginning to join them in this world.

The process repeated. He hardly acknowledged the lights shattering above them as the storm you let loose raged everywhere around them. His heartbeat was so loud as he couldn’t hear his voice as he instructed you for one final push.

Then everything happened so fast…he was holding his crying son in his hands. Tears flooded into his eyes as he spoke, “He’s here…he’s here…”

“He…Ig…Ignis…” You looked back at them both.

Ignis saw your small smile before your legs started to give out. With precision reflexes he was up catching you with his one arm, “Y/N…”

“Go, go!” He heard behind him as he set your tired form into the chair. Nurses and Dr. Reed rushed into the room around them.

One nurse made eye contact with him taking his son from him to be examined. His eyes went back to you as they carefully lifted you to the bed. Dr. Reed confirmed everything had gone well as you began to come back eyes cracking back open when Ulric began to cry.

“…mm…my baby…” You reached up weakly and Ignis took your hand.

“He’s right here…just one more moment.” He whispered moving in to kiss your forehead, “You did so well my love.”

“Here we go…” A smiling nurse came back holding Ulric in a clean blanket as he cried, “meet your momma…”

Tears flooded his Ignis’ eyes again as you were handed him. Instantly his son’s cries disappeared as you pressed your cheek against his head, and the most miraculous sight occurred. A spell he’d only ever seen you use once to save everyone in battle rushed over everyone in the room.

Every nerve that had been set afire calmed in his body as tingling warmth replaced it. He felt energy being restored, as did everyone else who had their anxiety shooting through the roof. A knight’s resurgence…a revival.

You looked up at him as the calm feeling fell over everyone in the room, “Ignis…he’s wonderful…”

“He is…” A nurse handed him some towels to clean up before he leaned back to his family touching and kissing them both, “You both are…”

After sometime everyone shuffled around before taking Ulric back to be put in the nursery to give you time to be tended to. Before you were wheeled away you grabbed his arm, “Don’t leave him…”

There was such fear in your eyes, he could not refuse you. He followed the nurse down the hall looking in the bassinet at his perfect creation. Having no traditional facilities yet, they had converted a small office into the nursery.

“Would you like to hold him again, dad?” The nurse smiled at Ignis as she finished reswaddling him.

“I…” He wasn’t really given the option as she placed the boy back in his arms. He choked up looking at him, “I love you…I love you so much.”

Ulric fussed a little as he brought him up kissing his little hands. Staring at him made all time seem to stop that he didn’t notice three onlookers standing in the doorway until he heard the sound of a shutter. He looked up seeing Prompto snapping photos grinning just as big as the other two.

“How long have you been there?” Ignis walked over to them.

Noctis beamed up at him, “Oh…just fifteen minutes or so…”

“You should have said something.” Ignis bobbed his arms up and down as Ulric began to move a little, “But that’s beside the point…everyone…meet Ulric.”

“Wow…” Gladio whispered reaching over touching Ignis’ arm gently, “You did good.”

“I’ll say…hey little dude!” Prompto whispered, “I’m your Uncle Prompto…and I’m gonna be your favorite!”

“Nah…his uncle the king will be.” Noct nudged the blonde a little getting everyone to chuckle.

“We got him something.” Gladio stepped out into the hall before coming back inside holding a bag.

Ignis watched as the boys smirked at him before pulling out a book, “Oh…well it’s a little early…”

“Well in time he’s gonna want to know about everything…this is just a fun way to do it.” Gladio stepped in opening the book to show Ignis, “It’s yours and Y/N’s story minus some parts, plus others…see…”

Ignis looked at a beautifully illustrated child’s book showing how you met them all including Nyx, but everyone was drawn in a cartoonish way. Gladio flipped through it and it showed you both going on a date in Altissia, then fighting side by side to save Noct all the way leading up to being brought home.

“It’s wonderful…thank you…” He looked at them all before turning to Noctis who had nonstop been staring at the small child in his arms since he walked over, “Would you like to hold him?”

“Oh I…” Noct began to shake his head.

“There is no one I would trust more with son.” Ignis told him gently handing him over, “Support his head…”

Noct looked at Ulric and smiled before looking at Ignis, “So how’s it feel? We heard it was a special type of delivery.”

Ignis sat down looking up at them, “I never anticipated delivering him myself…but I can’t imagine doing it any other way…When I held him…it was…it was like everything inside me began to reset and reform…there’s really no words…except that I love him. I love him and I would do anything for him.”

He lifted his glasses off his face wiping the sudden tears away as the boys crowded around him in support. Everything was finally right in the world. Everything was just as it should be…

#oaths and hearts #ffxv ignis #ignis scientia #ignis scientia reader #Ignis scientia/reader #ignis scientia imagine #gladiolus amiticia #Noctis Lucis Caelum #noctis #noct #prompto #final fantasy xv #final fantasy xv imagine #ffxv/dragon age crossover #ffxv #ffxv imagine #dragon age #dragon age inquisition #dragon age crossover #final fantasy xv dragon age crossover #cor leonis #nyx ulric #kingsglaive

[fuwafuwamedb]

Dodging Death Pt 9 (Hakuno, Caster Gilgamesh)

Previously: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 , 6, 7, 8

___

I had to bathe you…

I had to bathe you…

The phrase alone had her mind running haywire. She couldn’t breathe, especially after realizing that she was in his arms and she was having him help her eat. This guy was still just as cuddly as before. He still made small sounds here and there, nuzzling against her neck.

Gods, but she could almost picture the man actually bathing her like a cat.

He was already holding her so close. She could already feel his breath on her neck and shoulders. The nightgown, a gag gift from Rani, was slipping off her shoulders since she had thin lace holding the golden fabric up.

This is too much!

Far too much.

She wasn’t betrothed, she was bewildered.

Telling him anything was impossible at the moment though.

The fact that he was upright and holding her as a man was enough to have her stilled. The fact that the man, whom had just recently been the fluffiest golden feline that she’d ever seen, was telling her that her kiss, which she could faintly remember, was the cause of his being human again was enough to make her head spin.

True love’s kiss.

She looked up at him after another spoonful of the soup, seeing the king pull back enough to meet her gaze.

“You’ve barely eaten.”

Yeah, but Rin couldn’t cook. This soup was lukewarm at best and the ingredients left a bit to be desired. More than that, she wanted to understand what exactly she was in for.

“W-what are you going to do now?”

The soft chuckle did nothing for her.

“What?”

His finger wiped at her cheek, pulling back with some soup residue on it. He pressed that finger to his lips, lapping it off as those red eyes remained focused on hers.

“…I’m too young to marry.”

The man raised a brow.

It was true. She was in her early twenties. That meant she was still in the phase of making bad decisions and roaming around afterwards with her head held high and a handful of sleepless nights to think back on all those poor choices. She was still in that stage of life where she could stay up all night and go out to parties with Cu Chulainn without a second thought.

Responsibility was paying for things and that was already enough of a headache.

Marriage, and to someone like the great king here, was not on the table.

“In my kingdom, you would already be round with your second child,” Gilgamesh told her simply. “I did inform you that I would work slowly though. I will get you comfortable with-“

“I’m too plain.”

The man paused.

“…You’re a king, aren’t you?” Hakuno stared up at him, remembering bits of his speech from before.

“I am. Again, I am King Gilgamesh from Uruk.” He seemed to enjoy introducing himself.

“Shouldn’t you be finding some doe-y eyed, soft-spoken lady who is princess of some far off kingdom? Someone who is so pretty it literally hurts your eyes to look at her?”

That was how fairytales worked.

The king- or rather- the prince because princesses always married princes, would wander out and find the fairest lady of them all. They would safe the woman from danger and the woman would fall blindly and madly in love. She’d shit out some kids and the kids would do the same thing while the princess and the prince would grow old together in some musty castle.

Then again, this was an Uruk king…

Did they have castles in Uruk?

I should have really paid more attention to my books.

She’d gotten distracted by the Ishtar insults. That and the king’s insults to Humbaba.

Speaking of that…

This guy had more wives than all of Fuyuki. What did he need another wife for? Again, her becoming betrothed to him was becoming more and more farfetched.

“Do you think so poorly of yourself then?”

The man tilted her chin up, running his thumb over her lips once more.

She was still transfixed by that gaze.

“I’m not naïve,” she told him, meeting that gaze seriously. “I’m nothing like a goddess or a model. I am passable.”

“Passable.”

“I’m sure you had wives that were also passable. They were nice enough looking, but you wouldn’t seek them out for anything. That’s how I am.”

“That is nonsense.”

“And you have how many wives?” Hakuno shook her head, dispelling his bewitchment of her and standing up. She held the fabric of her nightgown tighter around herself. “I’m not a wife. I’m hardly even human with how much I work. You’ve seen me. Dawn ‘til dusk, always typing at my computer or working or studying. Even when I watch TV, I’m still studying during commercial breaks.”

He reached out, but she took a step further away.

True love or not, that didn’t mean anything.

His hand caught her own.

“Hakuno, sit and speak with me.”

“I can’t.”

She needed to be dressed. She needed to figure out what had happened while she’d been passed out. She’d already slept with this king and that was something that was going to earn her a one way ticket to the doctor’s office for a checkup and a good two minute test.

However, to her surprise, he released her hand and stood up. The bowl that she’d abandoned was pulled into hand before he was walking passed her.

“You’re being stubborn. I will assume that you’re not shamefully hiding from someone that you willingly slept with and shared magic with. You’re better than that. Fate would not chose someone weak at heart to stand at my side.”

“You’d be surprised.”

He threw a look her way.

Those eyes said nothing less than shut up.

“You saved my life.” He kept his voice level, but the tone was clear enough, authoritative enough. “You went out of your way for a creature in this world that you knew nothing about. I could have bitten you and you could have become injured. You could have died yourself. Instead, you put your faith in something and you cared for me. You showed your love to me, holding me to your chest while you slumbered and bringing me into your baths and to your meals to join you.”

She hadn’t known he was human.

“You think that I want some naïve chit that will wilt at the mere sound of my voice, but I have had many of those given to me. I’ve accepted many of those for the sake of treaties and peace. I’ve seen them into the homes of soldiers and nobles as well. They enjoy the comforts of Uruk, pledging their loyalty to Uruk and enjoying the benefits of their decisions.”

They…

That wasn’t something in the history books.

Hakuno found the man moving forward, setting the bowl down nearby. His hands went to her shoulders, wrapping around her to pull her in close to his heat once again.

The very nearness of him was like laying near a fire. And perhaps there was no better description for someone like this man, with ember colored eyes that burned you to the core.

“You, Hakuno,” Gilgamesh told her. “You’re defiant. You are interesting. Plain, of course, but there is something unique to the way you look to another. You show wit when the time calls for it. You show softness at times when I would appreciate it most.”

He slid the straps of her nightgown from her shoulders, holding it up with his hands alone.

“I intend to court you.”

That voice of his didn’t make it a goal or a desire. He said it like the courting was already done, like she would be stripping her body of all its coverings right here and now for his gaze to partake in.

“I intend to make you see what I have come to find in you. When you do ask me to take you again, because I will prove myself to you, you will find that you feel quite like those goddesses and models that you think yourself on uneven level with.”

The nightgown slipped.

His gaze remained on her face.

“Is this your necklace?”

“It is,” he told her.

She reached behind her neck, letting the thing fall to the floor with her nightgown.

“Are you inviting me to touch you or declining my courtship?”

“How expensive was that?”

He shrugged, “Perhaps the price of one of those car collections in the small showings on the television.”

She dove down immediately.

“YOU HAD ME DROP SOMETHING THAT EXPENSIVE?!”

“You chose to drop it, Hakuno!”

She picked it up, checking it and stammering away at an apology. The thing was heavy gold. Thick, heavy gold with jeweled accents here and there; she could almost hear the sounds of appraisers weeping at the sight of her treatment.

And then touching it with her hands.

Gods!

She wrapped it in her nightgown, glaring at him.

“You should have told me!”

He could have not put it on her!

Oh no, but Rin and Cu Chulainn had seen her in it. She must have looked like some bought off rich housewife to them.

She’d be stuck hanging out with Shinji in her classes.

This was it, the end of it all.

The man’s arms wrapped around her, earning another squeak as he touched her sides.

“STOP!”

“What’s wrong?”

“I need to put this in a safe or something!”

“Hmm?”

A certain softness pressed against her neck, a set of short hairs brushing against her skin. With that touch, she could feel chills run through her veins. Another press. Another.

She wasn’t even sure what had happened, but the feel of his lips made her whole body feel lighter. The light fluttering of what felt like wings were in her stomach as a warmth spread in her chest. Over and over, she could feel that rubbing and those fleeting presses of softness. The mewl that left her lips came a moment before she found them both on the floor.

“This… is too expensive,” she breathed, exposing more of her neck as she spoke.

There was a prickling to her eyes. She wanted to just lean in and get more but she wasn’t sure how to do this.

She wasn’t sure if she was even strong enough or wise enough to know how to ask.

“You need more of them,” he murmured. “I want to hear your wrists and your ankles jingle when you walk, Hakuno. That is something more I can give you.”

“I don’t need it.”

“And that makes me want to all the more,” he insisted, his voice becoming more upbeat by the minute. “You will become a great magician by my hand.”

“…I thought you were courting me?”

A soft chuckle came, she could feel him nip at her lightly.

Why did she have to be this affected by him?

“I am, but you can be both. You show great promise by being able to speak Sumerian fluently already. You don’t seem to realize how often you speak it, but your lilt to the tongue suits you.”

She needed ice cream.

The whole bucket. She was going to devour the whole thing and then take the coldest shower known to mankind. She’d freeze away what this warmth was doing to her brain. She wasn’t being foolish enough to turn slightly, looking up at him.

And he wasn’t brushing a hand through her hair, leading her back to lay against the floor.

And she definitely wasn’t pulling him in by the robes he had on, her eyes falling to those lips.

I’m not a romantic.

I don’t even read that kind of cheesy garbage.

“You look like you want me to touch you,” he murmured, brushing his cheek to hers in order to murmur into her ear. “Say that you want me and I will do what your body is asking. Do not tell me that I’m alone in feeling this heat between us.”

He’s too good.

Hakuno found herself holding him there, pressed against her chest. His body was pinning her down. His mouth was doing more of those soft kisses just under her ear. She was sure she was going to have some face burn or something from all of his rubbing.

Her chest would feel good with that…

“Gilgamesh,” she found herself almost moaning.

“You are the most breathtaking woman I have ever seen,” the man dared to tell her.

“Just do it,” she replied.

She held his shoulders as he carried her back to her room. She found herself stretched out across her bed and her hips lifted, that mouth of his with the small start to facial hair rubbing against the space between her legs.

Time failed to mean anything.

She could only perceive time in how many times the man seemed to get her to cry his name with that mouth of his. Words had been sweet, but the way he could devour her was far, far more dangerous to her senses.

He found her mouth when she cried out for him to come to her.

His fingers wreaked havoc then.

She could feel him clean her up later, tenderly moving his mouth along her body as she thought uselessly about holding onto the sheets.

First, she needed to have any energy at all.

He brought a cloth to clean her up with. Wiping her off and murmuring. So much murmuring. His voice was a permanent echo in her head as she lay underneath him.

“You can have this when you please,” he promised.

This was far too good, too perfect for asking to have whenever she wanted. They would never leave this bedroom. They’d never survive more than a week. The two of them would simply stop existing after that.

Even as it were, Hakuno wasn’t sure if she was going to live through this.

Was it all that bad?

She really didn’t need anyone else. She looked after herself well enough and she had her friends in times of need. 

A soft sound met her ears. 

It sounded like a light pounding noise.

Her neighbors must have forgotten their key. 

A louder sound cam now. 

Hakuno opened her eyes, staring up at the ceiling as she felt Gilgamesh stir next to her. He was moving to sit up, frowning as he stared towards her bedroom door. 

In the second few seconds, chaos. 

What sounded like splintering came from outside her room. The sound of glass, most likely from her living room, came next. 

“The door!”

She shifted, aching too much to move much as Gilgamesh leaped out of bed.

“Cover the door! Don’t open-”

The axe that wooshed by Gil’s face was enough to make her blood run cold. She could see him slam the door shut immediately, grabbing the dresser nearby and sliding it into place.

Her phone... 

Looking around, Hakuno all but crawled to where it was.

Hakuno dialed without a second thought. She could hear the operator, rattling out her address as reasonably as she could as she heard the sounds of someone moving through the house. Repeatedly, she shook her head at Gilgamesh.

They needed to stay.

Sirens could be heard. 

Lights flashed outside their room.

Hakuno could hear the sounds of several feet clambering along the outside of the house, moving around before she heard someone bang on the door to her room.

“Police!”

“We’re in here,” Hakuno called. “We’re okay!”

Well-

Gilgamesh opened one of the drawers of the dresser he’d moved, tossing her a shirt and pants. The task of dressing was impossible without him coming over to help her, telling the police they’d be a moment.

Her eyes were on him, but he was moving fast. He didn’t take any time for granted, nor did he bother with trying to allow her to move. 

That, of all things, was clearly pointless. 

There were a series of police outside her bedroom as the dresser was pushed aside and Gilgamesh carried her into the hall. 

She could see sparks coming from the light fixtures, books and items torn and chopped and shattered all over the place. 

In a matter of a few minutes, with them hiding in her room; her entire world had been sliced down to nothing. She had been reduced to an owner of very, very few things. 

Her arms tightened on Gilgamesh.

“We need to leave.”

She couldn’t agree more. 

#drabble #drabbles

[thekitchensnk]

and the spider lilies bloomed in the fall (chapter 15)

Rating: T Warnings: Sexual themes, violence Pairing: Gin/Ran Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5, Chapter 6, Chapter 7, Chapter 8, Chapter 9, Chapter 10, Chapter 11, Chapter 12, Chapter 13, Chapter 14, Chapter 15

“They say that lovers doomed never to see each other again still see the higanbana growing along their path, even to this day.”

A girl collapses on a dusty road one day. A boy takes her home.

The girl lives.

—

(The boy doesn’t.)

As the youngest girls working at the Floating Moon, it was Rangiku, Sayaka and Ayame’s job to wash the dishes after the first meal of the day. They had perfected a routine, with Ayame, ever-meticulous, doing the washing, her arms plunged to the elbow in hot, soapy water, Rangiku drying, and Sayaka dashing around to put away the bowls.

When the second gong sounded, however, they would dart off to the room to get washed, dressed and made-up for the evening’s work, leaving Rangiku to finish washing up. It was one of the few times of the day where she would ever have time to herself, and it felt unnatural. She would stand alone, in the centre of the room, listening to the whir of voices and rushed footsteps around her, and her heart would sink. The brothel was like a heart, with all its segmented valves and chambers, and left to herself, alone, Rangiku felt aimless and lost. She had never done well on her own.

She would quickly finish up whatever washing was left, and trudge up the stairs to the tub where everyone took their baths. She was always the last, and least essential, to get bathed, and so the water was often second or third-hand by the time she got washed, though it was still thick with the jammy, indolic jasmine smell that they used to scent the water, and it could be smelled from several feet away from the tub.

In times to come, when she smelled the scent of jasmine on a noblewoman, she could never help but smile to herself. Jasmine on noblewomen; jasmine on whores. No woman was so different from one another, not deep down.

The tub was small, and she needed to scrunch her knees up almost to her chest to fit in it now, but she could submerge her head entirely, and the water was warm. She dreamed of the day when she could soak there to her heart’s content, knowing that it would never come.

She slipped the ring from her finger. She did not know what metal it was, but she did not want it to rust.

A warm bath had been a revelation after so many years spent bathing in the river. A river-bath had not been so bad in the summer, when the sweat trickled down her back and behind her knees. Their small house had offered little ventilation, and so they had sweltered together in the heat.

His hands had always been cold, but in the night, when the cicadas had sung their night-chorus, they had both roasted. Never one to be shy, he would have no compunctions about stripping off his yukata, letting his bare chest cool in the summer air. She had grown more circumspect, the roaming eyes of men in town teaching her to be shy about her body, and the sight of his bare torso in those months just before he left would have her heart hammering in her chest and her blood pooling in her cheeks, though she had not been able to say why. After that, the cool embrace of the river had been like a balm.

In the present, mind years and miles away, she sank beneath the water, sank until it covered her face. She shut her eyes and felt her heart beat in her chest. With her eyes closed, in the stillness of the warm water, it boomed thickly in her ears.

In winter, they’d had to boil water and leave it outside in the freezing air until it became cool enough to touch. They would wipe themselves down then with whatever rags they had that were still clean. There had been no soap, and certainly no jasmine. The chill of the air on her damp skin had set her hair on end, and she had shivered and breathed heavily with the cruel bite of the cold on her skin. It had seeped into her bones and her teeth had chattered.

They had clung to each other, back then, because there had been no other choice. It had been lie close, or freeze.

(But that was a lie, she knew. It had never been about the cold. Not for her.)

He had always felt the cold worse than she did. Of course he had. He had been so slender, so thin- she could see his jutting collar bones and his sharp shoulders even with his yukata on, and he had always been so pale that he was almost luminous. He had sought her warmth like a snake sought the sun. The cold put him to sleep; it filled him with such a heavy lethargy that he would lie there, half-dozing.

She would always watch him secretly then, bashfully even, and watch his beautiful, drowsing face.

Under the water, her heart constricted in her chest. She wanted to shout, to smash something, to cry. To see him again and kill him; to see him again and kiss him, as she had done once before, in that moment which she held secretly wrapped around her heart.

Why? Why did you leave me?

She screwed up her small hands into fists. She bit at her lip. She screamed through her nose, and a thousand tiny bubbles rose and broke on the surface. But no one could hear her.

She surfaced when she ran out of air, and felt suddenly dizzy with the steam and the heat and the lack of oxygen. She allowed her head to tilt backwards, and her lungs to breathe. The air was thick with the smell of jasmine.

No more thoughts of him tonight, she vowed to herself calmly.

Somewhere down below her, the third gong was ringing. She would have twenty minutes to get ready, and then it would be show time. There would be no chance to think- just the electric beat of music, the liquid joy of sake, the hope of a fist fight and the thrill of a dance. The thought lifted her spirits, and she rose from her bath, still dizzy, but eager to get to work.

She towelled herself down quickly, and threw on the clothes she had been wearing earlier, though she had already done a full afternoon’s work in them, and she set off for her room with determination.

She took the stairs two at a time, pressingly aware that the sun was beginning to set in the sky, and her shift would be starting soon, whether she was ready for it or not. Stampeding down the corridor, she slammed open the paper doors, and they rattled in their frames for several seconds afterwards as she strode into the room.

Ayame, almost unrecognisable with her face painted white and her hair elaborately pinned up, turned her head to her.

"An elephant would make less noise than you," she sniffed. Customary scathing remarks delivered, she turned back to Sayaka, whose hair she had been in the midst of pinning back with a beautiful, fake jade comb, a frown of concentration between her darkened brows.

There was something magical about this- this time, this small and separate space, where clever-handed women worked mysterious wonders on each other's bodies and faces, painting and tucking and working until they were transformed into the stuff of dreams. It was a small zone of hush amidst the tumult of the brothel, a place where, even if only for an hour, quiet reigned as the women readied themselves.

The work of metamorphosis was a team effort. It could not be done alone. For big names like Rin, who were to be dressed in elaborate, layered kimono, the simple effort of putting on her clothes required a band of assistants. Everyone worked as a well-oiled unit, like clockwork, waxing hair, painting faces, burning charcoal for kohl with which to line their hidden eyebrows. The smell of burning lingered in the air, mixing with the heady jasmine which radiated from their bodies.

Ayame cupped Sayaka's jaw gently in her hand, careful beyond measure not to smudge the painstaking work done on her base. Sayaka, rendered immobile, caught Rangiku's eye and grinned helplessly.

"No, no," Ayame chided softly, a thin, crimson-laden brush in her hand. "Don't let up now. You're almost done."

Sayaka gave Rangiku a weak shrug, and her sharp eyes snapped back to Ayame.

"Come here, you," Yuki beckoned, gesturing to a cushion in front of her with a comb. "Stop pestering Ayame-chan."

Rangiku padded gently across the tatami and knelt obediently in front of her. Yuki sighed a long-suffering sigh and raised her arms to the ceiling.

"Come on, Rangiku-chan!" she groaned. "Your hair is still soaked! Ayame-chan, pass me that towel."

Ayame, her eyes still focused on the painstaking task of painting Sayaka's lips, reached down next to her. Her eyes never once leaving Sayaka, she tossed the towel to Yuki, and it soared straight into her open hand.

"Nice one!" Rangiku called appreciatively, only to be disrupted when Yuki vigorously towel dried her hair. Her head shook with the force. She rubbed at her head, and shot Yuki a scowl.

"That's a bit better," Yuki said warmly, running her comb through the tangled at the bottom of Rangiku's hair. "You'd have caught a cold otherwise, working with wet hair."

Rangiku had slept through winter nights so cold that her hair had almost frozen, but she said nothing. She could not help but lean into her touch. No one had ever brushed her hair for her before Yuki, and she relished the sensation; it was so soothing, so comforting to have someone look after her. The sensation put her half to sleep, and she always became pliant and biddable as Yuki brushed through her hair.

It was tangled after a long afternoon of scrubbing, even though she’d remembered to tie it back. It was fortunate for her that Yuki’s hands were so quick and so skilled, obviously well-practiced at the job, and long since used to doing it.

"You're so good at this, Yuki-san," Rangiku mumbled. "You should give up the game and become a hairdresser."

Yuki hummed tunelessly under her breath as she worked, but she let out a soft, warm laugh at Rangiku's words. "It's one of the few ways of getting you to be quiet, you." She paused, eying up a tangle. "I used to do this for Kanae back in the day, and I’ve done it for most girls here since. I'm an old hand at it." She took the comb to the tangle, but held the hair so that it wouldn't tug on Rangiku's scalp as she fought with it. That was part of Yuki's skill- it never hurt when she brushed hair. "She had the most beautiful hair," Yuki said pensively. "So long and sleek and silver. Like starlight. Or the moon." She looked out, unseeing, seemingly spirited away by some memory. "It's a shame what happened to her."

Rangiku laughed sleepily, scarcely able to think of Kanae, the whore whom she had known back when she’d lived with Gin. "That's silly, Yuki-san," she informed her. "Kanae-san has black hair. She's going gray, but her hair's not silver."

Yuki tapped her gently on the nose with the comb. "That shows what you know. Kanae has silver hair and always has done. She dyes it. Started doing it when she was here, because she got tired of all the unpleasant attention she got from it. People were scared of her. They used to shout at her." Yuki paused, and a wistful note entered her voice. "She used to shout right back."

Rangiku fell quiet. She had promised herself not to think of him, but-

"My friend had hair like that," she confessed to Yuki bravely. "I don't think anyone shouted at him though-" She paused, remembering how many times he had infuriated shop keepers, strangers, passers-by, and pretty much everyone else whom he had ever met in town, as if it was a personal challenge he had set himself to piss everyone off as quickly and thoroughly as possible. “Well,” she amended with a small smile, “at least if they did, it wasn’t because of his hair.”

They were both quiet for a moment, Yuki’s hands brushing through her hair rhythmically. Inwardly, Rangiku burned with curiosity, always insatiable for gossip. “What happened to Kanae-san, Yuki-san?” she asked tentatively, biting at her lower lip.

Yuki’s hands slowed.

Rangiku could not see her face, but when she spoke, there was a tight quality to her voice which spoke of years of pain and regret and decisions not taken.

“She was thrown out,” Yuki said simply.

Rangiku tried to turn her neck to see her expression, but it was futile. “Why would Chiyo-san do that?” she asked in confusion.

“Kanae-“ Yuki started, but had to pause. She swallowed, and Rangiku could hear the tremble in her voice.

“Kanae was never easy to live with, you know? She was a spitfire and she spat venom like a snake. Didn’t matter whether you were her best friend or her worst enemy. Even when she first came here, she was all fire and poison. She was only fifteen.” Yuki’s voice was weighty and melancholic. She paused again, and her voice took on an urgent tone. She spoke quickly. “I’m not sure how much of this it is right for me to say. I don’t want to infringe on what little privacy she has left.”

Rangiku was discomfited, and she nodded uncertainly.

“She had already had a child by then. I don’t know whether she gave birth here, or whether it died with her in her first life, and I never asked about it, not once, but that’s why she came here, I think. I never asked. To make enough money to send back to the people who watched after the child she left behind.”

Rangiku felt her breath grow shallow, and she hung on Yuki’s every word. A realisation hung in the air, but she refused to dwell on it even for a moment. It was important, she suddenly felt in her bones, to hear this sorry tale to its conclusion.

“How did you find out about it?” Rangiku asked, sickening dread coiling in her belly.

Yuki’s voice grew distant, and Rangiku was suddenly glad that she couldn’t see the woman’s face.

“She was my best friend. I loved her. I loved her more than I’ve ever loved anything in my life, and I regret to this day that I didn’t run through those doors after her when she left. Of course she told me.” Yuki paused, and Rangiku heard her sigh quietly. “She would have told me anything.”

“Why did she leave?” Rangiku asked gently.

Yuki’s breath hitched. “She got pregnant.”

Rangiku did turn this time. Yuki wasn’t even looking at her anymore; her eyes were dim and distant, as if staring out into the past.

“Yuki-san?” Rangiku asked tremulously.

Yuki looked down at her then, and she smiled a smile as thin and fragile as an egg shell. She cupped her cheek softly, her fingers brushing against Rangiku’s golden hair.

“Rangiku-chan,” she sighed. “The party, the red lanterns, the sake, the music- it’s all beautiful, eh? It’s easy to forget when you’ve got the beat of the music in your bones and you’re making easy money and you’re dressing up in beautiful silks and you get a fine meal every day and everything’s going perfect, perfect, perfect,. But it doesn’t always go perfect. We’re here to work, Rangiku-chan. That’s all. We can stay while we can work, and when we can’t? Out on the streets we go, cold and hungry, nowhere to go. Chiyo is better than almost all of them, but in the end, that’s not saying much, is it? This is a brothel, not a nursery. That’s what happened to Kanae. Pregnant, kicked out, and forced to work on the streets.”

Rangiku’s eyes were wide.

Down below, the final gong rang out, and its vibrations shuddered through the old timber building, sending dust flying from the ceiling. It was time to get to work, but all of a sudden, Rangiku’s heart was not in it.

Yuki pressed her to her chest quickly, and stroked her hair. “I’m sorry,” she said gently. “That was a very serious conversation.” She paused. “I’m grateful to you, you know? Because you came here, I know she’s out there. I know she’s alive.” Yuki smiled suddenly. “I know that she still spits fire and that she still dyes her hair, that Kanae is out there, cursing god’s name and who knows who else’s. Love involves so much unhappiness, Rangiku-chan, but I’m not unhappy right now.”

Suddenly, Rangiku got the sense that Yuki hadn’t been entirely truthful when she had said that her policy on love was to wait and see.

Huh, she thought.

Yuki rose. Across the room, Sayaka and Ayame were arm in arm, looking resplendent in emerald green and hibiscus purple cottons. They waved absent-mindedly as they left, their heads together in conversation. Echoing down the corridor, Rangiku could hear Ayame shriek “Sayaka!” in shock, and Sayaka give one of her patented belly laughs.

For the first time in a long time, Rangiku’s chest constricted with worry, with a sudden fear of the ever-shifting and uncertain future. Nothing here was stable; nothing here was safe.

It was inevitable, she realised. Change would come, whether she liked it or not, and it always would, sweeping over her and turning her world on its head again and again and again. There could be no security anywhere, just this- the constant, unending effort of building her life up, like a sandcastle on the seashore. She clenched her fists fiercely.

“Rangiku-chan?” Yuki asked, her voice tender. “I’ll see you down there, alright?”

Rangiku looked up at her quickly, but there was no sign of the pain that had marred Yuki’s face before. It was smooth, still, gentle- her expression as blank as the makeup she had painted on to it.

"Yeah," she said, her voice thin and distracted. "I'll be down in a moment."

It was not until Yuki had slipped down the corridor that she allowed herself to think, to dwell on the ramifications of what she had learned.

Her chest tightened with anxiety at her newly-gained knowledge, and the shock made her dizzy. She had to take several deep breaths to calm herself.

Kanae, the whore who had lived in the town she and Gin had walked to so many times, had silver hair. Hair like moonlight. Hair as beautiful as his.

Silver hair and an abandoned baby.

It had to be.

It made too much sense not to be.

Some part of her had noticed it even the very first time they had met. She had looked at Kanae's high cheekbones and narrow eyes and thought, there's a word for good looks like those- and there had been. Kitsune-gao; fox-featured, for the strange, beautiful face she shared with her son.

"I'll do you one favour," the whore had said, and even after Gin had left, Kanae had refused to tell her why. Rangiku had been too frightened to ask about it the first time round, and too distraught and distracted the second.

Was it because she had been Gin's friend?

But the woman had warned her about him, warned her that he was dangerous- had warned her about her son.

The world was spinning around her head. If she didn't sit for a moment, she would fall. She stumbled. Her mind was filled with a cacophony of questions.

Why would she abandon him? She had been there the whole time, in plain sight. Why? If she was his mother-

Had he even known?

He had never said anything about it, but then- would he have? His secrecy was pathological. He’d never once told her where it was that he went. He was a natural-born liar. Why would he have told her anything?

Deep down, her heart sinking, Rangiku suspected miserably that he had not known.

He had treated Kanae with the same idle curiosity and mocking cruelty with which he’d treated everyone, and she thought (she had to, to think him a full human being) he would not treat his own family like that. Even if it had been hatred, he would have to have felt something for her if he'd known.

(Wouldn’t he?)

The notion that she might have uncovered something about him, that some elusive and fragmentary part of his past belonged to her now, unbeknownst to him, sat like a lead weight in her stomach.

It was simultaneously thrilling and deeply, deeply shameful. She revelled quietly in the fact that something of his was hers now, and he didn't even know it. It was a kind of power, to know someone else's secrets, and she had never known any kind of power over him. It filled her with a kind of giddy thrill. She wanted to gather his secret up and wrap it around her heart where she kept all the secrets of her own, to keep it safe, to keep it warm, to keep it for him. But she felt incredibly guilty too, that it had come into her possession without his consent, and that he could be going about his life unaware that the knowledge even existed. Her throat tightened with anxiety.

He had always been so private. She could not predict how he would feel.

If she were to find him, and if she were to tell him- if she were to say “I’ve discovered something about you, something which you don’t even know yourself” and if she were to divulge the truth, would he be grateful? Would he look at her with appreciation? With thanks? Would his eyes shine with gratitude; would they soften to look at her? Would he care about her again?

Her heart was full and aching with the fantasy. Please, she whispered childishly to herself. Please.

Or-

Would he just hate her more?

She felt suddenly dispirited, and she exhaled shakily.

What did it matter anyway?

He was gone.

He had abandoned her.

He would never see her again.

She was a fool to think otherwise, and a fool twice over to dwell like this on the past of the boy who had left her behind. Her heart trembled.

She was aware that she was sat on the ground.

She picked herself up, her limbs leaden, and she neatened up her yukata numbly, dusting dirt from its skirt.

Down below, music was beginning to play. She could hear the intricate and winding patterns of the shamisen. The sounds of voices in rapt conversation were beginning to murmur through the brothel.

She picked herself up because if she had learnt anything in her small life, it was that no one else was going to do it for it her. She was on her own.

She gave herself a fierce glare.

“Come on, you,” she said aggressively, and she slapped her own cheeks to bring herself back from the edge.

She was late for work, mysteries and secrets be damned, and so she went, arms swinging by her sides in determination.

An uncharitable person might have said that she was just running from her problems.

But another bright night of music was just about to begin, the stirrings and the promise of its abandon hanging tantalisingly ahead of her. Who cared if it was shallow? Who cared if it was an empty, futile attempt to beat back the dark? Who cared if those who gave themselves to the music most fervently were the runaways and fugitives who had decided that reality was too much, too frightening, too lonely? Down below, there would be joy and dancing and sake and fun- blessed, distracting fun.

Fun enough maybe to chase away the image of a teenaged girl cast out onto the streets, like so much rubbish, alone.

Fun enough to chase away the memory of a boy with hair like moonlight, who haunted Rangiku every time she was alone.

#bleach #gin ichimaru #rangiku matsumoto #ginran #ichimaru gin #spider lilies #angst #get your angst from this here angst merchant #ginran fans dine only on the highest grade pain and suffering #will the revelations that lie herein be controversial? idk fam #and the sight of his bare torso in those months just before he left would have her heart hammering in her chest #and her blood pooling in her cheeks #though she had not been able to say why. #👀 #now why could that possibly be I wonder... #srsly Ran

[joonie-beanie]

Welcome To The Wild Side [13]

<-- [12] | [14] -->

Genre: Superpowers + College AU

Rated: T

Words: 2,216

A/N: I’ve lowkey had this chapter written for like 2 months but was waiting to post it until I made progress on the one after lmao. my b

“Why do you look so surprised? I promised I’d be here, didn’t I?” you laugh as Jimin stares at you in shock, holding the door to his apartment open wide. You can already hear the others inside chatting among themselves, music droning in the background.

“I mean—yeah, but,” Jimin stutters, eventually holding a hand over his mouth and laughing at himself. “I guess this is the first time you’ve made your way over without our intervention.”

“Oh,” you respond, blinking thoughtfully. “I guess you’re right…”

“Is that Y/N I hear??”

Hoseok appears behind Jimin, shoving the younger male out of the way in his excited haste to get to you, and Jimin makes a noise of distress that has you choking on some giggles.

“Welcome to another Friday night shindig! Come on in!” he says, wrapping an arm around your shoulder and parading you into the apartment, as if he’s the owner and not the boy he had just knocked aside.

“Y/N!” the boys greet happily at seeing you enter, and you smile, waving at all of them.

“Hey guys!”

“We’re so glad you’re here!” Taehyung says, running up and taking your hands into his. He stares at you very seriously, squeezing your fingers. “Namjoon wanted to play beer pong but we had uneven teams, and he was trying to give himself the advantage.”

“No I wasn’t!” Namjoon refutes, arm waving angrily, and Yoongi quickly snatches the nearly full can of beer out of his hands. “I was trying to split the light weights and heavy weights but Taehyung just--!”

“HE WAS TRYING TO CHEAT,” Taehyung barks back childishly, and Namjoon grumbles some curses under his breath.

“Now now, calm down children,” Jin intervenes, coming up and placing a hand on your shoulder. When you glance up at him he smiles softly. “No point in arguing. Now that Y/N is here the teams will be fair and even.”

“So what are the teams?” you question as the boys slowly move towards the kitchen table, where a game off beer pong has already been set up. It’s Yoongi who responds.

“Well, how well do you hold your alcohol?”                

You blink. “I mean…pretty well, I think.”

“Okay, then why don’t we split it like this: me, Namjoon, Taehyung, and Jimin vs. you, Jungkook, Hoseok, and Jin?”

The boys, save Yoongi, grumble amongst themselves that that seems fair enough, and you good naturedly respond, “well, I don’t really know how well you guys are at holding your liquor yet, but that sounds good to me!”

You quickly learn the Hoseok is the biggest light weight to walk the earth. Namjoon scores for his team, and your team decides that Hoseok will drink the first cup. The boys seem on a journey to get drunker than the last time, because all the cups are nearly full, and under certain cups are papers that deem whether the drinker will have to take 1 shot or 2 shots in addition to the cup they need to chug.

Of course, Hoseok, on the first drink, ends up needing to take a shot along with his beer. 10 minutes later, he’s red in the face, eyes staring into the distance, and you can already tell that he won’t be taking any more of the drinks for your team.

“Yes!” Jin cheers happily when he manages to get a ball into one of the other teams’ solo cups, and with a sigh Yoongi volunteers to drink it.

The game continues on. You miss your shot, but Taehyung misses his too. Luckily, Jungkook follows up and scores another one for your team!

“Nice!” you and Jin cheer happily while on the other side Jimin volunteers to drink the cup, groaning loudly when he sees the paper hidden underneath the reads ‘shot x2’. Grinning, Jungkook walks over to the counter and pours Jimin and double shot of vodka. Jimin stares at it for a few seconds before taking a deep breath and downing it in one go.

“It burnsss,” he hisses soon after, but Yoongi ignores him, throwing another ping-pong ball. He scores.

“I’ll take it,” you say, and step forward to take the cup. However, as soon as you lift it up, you spot the torn paper underneath. Shot x1.

“Payback!” Jimin cheers, his voice strained as he attempts to sooth his throat with a few sips of water. You roll your eyes.

“I can handle a single shot.”

…However, 1 shot soon becomes 3, when a two turns later—after Jungkook had been forced to drink another cup for your team—Namjoon scores. Of course, the cup you volunteer to drink has a paper with ‘shot x2’ hidden underneath it.

“Wow,” Jungkook says, peeking over your shoulder. “That’s bad luck. Twice in a row for you.”

“The gods are trying to catch her up from the last 2 parties she missed!” Taehyung grins from the other side of the table, and you roll your eyes. You down the beer, feeling the liquid slosh around in your stomach, and then immediately down the double shot that Jimin hands to you.

“Your cheeks are looking a little red,” he teases, watching you wince as the vodka burns your throat.

“I’m fine,” you respond quickly, smacking his arm in embarrassment, but the heat coursing through your body tells you differently. You can feel the alcohol starting to spread throughout your limbs, but you ignore the feeling and return to the table to take your turn.

The ball you throw lands in a cup. A grin spreads across your face, and Hoseok sneaks up to hug you from behind.

“Lucky shot,” Namjoon remarks, stepping up to take the cup. Your smile widens when you see the ‘shot x1’ paper that had been hidden beneath it. Namjoon just laughs and takes his shot.

The game presses on, and slowly the 9 cups that had been set out on either side begin to dwindle. Taehyung takes a drink and a shot. Jin drinks 2 of the cups, but manages to miss any with shot punishments lurking underneath. You score once more, forcing Yoongi to take a shot along with his drink, but the older male downs it with an amused look in his eyes, staring right at you.

“My turn!” Jimin giggles, happily stepping up and grabbing one of the ping-pong balls. He throws it, and it bounces off of Hoseok’s torso, who had gone back to mindless standing on the sidelines—seeming to switch between being very affectionate and completely out of it in his drunken state.

“Oh c’mon!” Jin argues when the ball rebounds off Hoseok and into one of your remaining 3 cups. “That’s bull!”

“Nope! Drink up!” Namjoon yells back, prompting Jin to flip him the bird.

“I got this one,” Jungkook says, stepping forward and taking the cup. The ‘shot x1’ paper doesn’t even phase him when he spots it, and after chugging the beer he wordless downs the shot.

By the time both teams are down to their last cups, Namjoon has taken 2 more shots along with a cup of beer, followed by Jimin and Taehyung—who downed a single cup of beer respectively. On your side, Jin had volunteered to down another beer, but had managed to avoid taking any shots.

“Okay, last one!” Taehyung cheers, clapping his hands together as Yoongi steps up, taking aim. So far, Yoongi hasn’t missed a shot, but maybe—

Plunk

…maybe not.

“Dammit,” you say, glaring at the male from across the table, and Yoongi grins.

“We win~,” Jimin sings, wrapping an arm around Namjoon. “Now one of you losers take the final cup!”

Huffing, you step forward and grab the cup before any of your teammates can think to stop you. What you don’t expect to see, however, is the final ‘shot x2’ card that’s hidden underneath it.

“Well, fuck,” Jin says, his eyes flitting between you and the card, but you either don’t care or don’t show it, because you quickly move to down the beer.

“Ugh, so gross,” you gasp, wiping your hand at your mouth. You continue to cringe over the taste you’re not quite used to until someone dangles a double sized shot glass in front of your nose.

“Not a fan of beer?” Namjoon teases, and you roll your eyes.

“I prefer coolers, or liquor, actually.”

“Then you’ll be fine taking this shot, huh?” he goads, eyes twinkling. You, him, and everyone else in the room are already aware of the fact that you’ve had 3 shots on top of three losing cups of beer. If you do a double shot, that’ll leave you at 5, and—

“Hey, Y/N--,” Jin attempts to speak up, perhaps to suggest that he can take half of the shot for you, but it’s too late. Tilting your head back, you let the hard liquor glide down your throat, and you can’t exactly take it back now.

The eldest sighs to himself, glancing around the room. It’s not like he really has a say on if you should stop drinking or not—after all, there have definitely been nights where he, himself, had consumed to much alcohol—but…he’s just worried.

“Alright, 1 shot for everyone to close out the game!” Jimin cheers. Namjoon and Taehyung are already gathered around the counter, pouring the remaining vodka into 8 glasses.

“Another shot?” Jin interjects, brows furrowing. Yoongi slaps him on the back.

“C’mon hyung, don’t be a pussy.”

Jin glares at him, huffing. “That’s not it, it’s just—”

“A shot to seal our fate!” Namjoon says, holding his glass into the air. The boys laugh, clearly finding the declaration funny, but while they do so you find yourself staring down at the drink in your hands. You know it’s probably not the wisest to take another shot, especially considering you’d had so much to drink in such a short period of time but—

The males clink their glasses against the surface of the table, and you follow suit. What happens, happens.

You tilt your head back and prepare to down the shot, but the small glass is snatched from between your fingers.

“Hey!” you protest, looking around until you spot Jungkook right beside you. He glances at you with one eye open as he downs your shot, and then downs his own immediately afterwards.

“You’ll thank me later,” he says, voice a little strained from the burn of the alcohol. You simple huff, crossing your arms, and from behind you Jin chuckles.

“He’s right, it’s for the best,” the eldest adds in, placing a hand on your hair, but little do either of them know that your fate has already been sealed. The alcohol in your system is already enough to tip you over the edge from tipsy into drunk, and as the alcohol continues to seep into your blood stream—that much becomes apparent enough.

Not only to you, but to the boys as well.

Your head…is throbbing.

With a groan, you squint your eyes open. Every inch of you feels sluggish, and disgusting.

“What the fuck?” you croak, glancing around the room you’re in. Your brain seems to be lagging, which is understandable considering you’re pretty hungover, but it takes you way too long to realize that you’re in Jimin’s room.

“Jimin?” you question, slowly pushing yourself up and looking around. You’re in the room alone—clothes scattered on the floor beside the bed and morning light shining through the window. The clock on Jimin’s nightstand reads 8:07am, and you bring a hand up to massage your temples.

It’s already morning…?

With a little grunt of effort, you swing your legs over the edge of the bed and stiffly waddle towards the door. As you get closer, you can hear voices chatting somewhere on the other side.

Gripping the door handle, you swing the door open and step into the hallways, eyes straining to adjust to the light coming from the living room.

“Y/N?” you hear Yoongi call. You glance up and see him, Jungkook, and Hoseok all gathered in the living room.

“Morning,” you respond tiredly, and despite the fact that you’re busy thinking about how you need water and a shower, you still notice that the guys are acting…a little weird.

Their eyes are all locked on you, faces carefully blank.

“What?” you question, looking down at yourself, and it’s in that moment you realize you’re no longer wearing the clothes you’d arrived to the party in. Your jeans and t-shirt are nowhere to be found. Instead, your body is shrouded in an oversized black hoodie that barely reaches mid-thigh.

“I…,” you say, feeling suddenly awake as you reach down and tug at the hem of the sweatshirt. You can feel a blush beginning to rise on your cheeks, and when you look up again, the guys are still staring at you.

Jungkook is the first to look away, hand raising to rub the back of his neck as the tips of his ears begin to turn red. Eyes searching the floor at your feet as you desperately try and recall what had happened last night following the ping-pong game, you pose them a question.

“What…exactly happened last night?”

The three males share a look.

“Well…”

#wttws #bts college au #bts superpower au #bts fic

[aquaminwrites]

Skin Deep: 08

Pairing: Yoongi x Tattoo Artist!Reader (M/F) Genre: Friends to lovers, slow burn. Eventual smut. Rating: 18+ Warnings: Sexual situations, the 95 line being...the 95 line Word Count: 5.5K

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A/N: Only two chapters left! Say it with me--FINALLY. I hope you enjoy.  PS. Smut next chapter. That is all. Let me know what you think!

You can’t remember the last time you were so nervous.

Showing up unannounced at someone’s place is completely unlike you, but after your talk with Namjoon, you feel emboldened and want nothing more than to see Yoongi again. Two weeks is the longest you’ve been without hearing his voice or seeing his face since the two of you became friends all those months ago. You hadn’t realized how much you’d adapted your schedule to include him until he was suddenly gone.

You manage to slip through the lobby of the building just as another resident is leaving, riding the elevator up to the seventh floor. You find yourself standing in front of his door now, nothing separating the two of you except a slab of wood.

You knock. Once, twice, three times.

You’re met with nothing but silence.

The breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding escapes your slightly parted lips in a sad sigh, and you think to yourself that maybe you should have called or texted him beforehand to at least make sure he was home.

But Hoseok said he’d been holed up in his place for the last few weeks, not even stopping by HopeWorld to watch Jimin and Jungkook dance like he usually did, even before he’d known you.

You wait another minute before you lower your head, and begin to dejectedly turn on your heel. It’s at that moment that the door swings open, and you’re suddenly face to face with a very stunned looking Min Yoongi.

God, it feels like an eternity since you’ve seen him. His inky hair is a little unkempt and dark circles are forming under his eyes, his loose black t-shirt hanging limply off his frame. He looks a little thinner, sallow, and it breaks your heart to know that you are the cause of this.

“Y/N…” he whispers out, voice pitched slightly in confusion. “W-what are you doing here?”

“I…” you begin, unsure of what to say. You offer up a small smile. “Can I come in?”

That seems to snap Yoongi out of his daze. “Yeah,” he replies, stepping aside to usher you in. “Yeah, of course.”

The apartment is just like how you remember, albeit a little messier than the last time you were there. Yoongi used to joke that he never really had company before, and ever since you started frequenting his place, he kept it pretty much spotless. It seems as if he’s reverted to how it was before—not horribly messy, but definitely more cluttered than it had been since your last visit.

“Do you want anything to drink?” Yoongi asks as he moves from the doorway over to the kitchen.

You shake your head, gesturing to the couch. “Can we talk?”

You notice as he wipes the palms of his hands against the denim of his jeans. “Yeah. Yeah, sure.”

You sit down on one end of the couch, and Yoongi sits on the other, as far away from you as possible. You look over at him and frown.

“Do you hate me?”

He seems shocked by your question, whipping his head over to balk at you. “What? No, of course not. Almost the exact opposite, actually,” he states with a forced sounding laugh.

You bite at your lower lip before quietly asking, “Then how come you’re all the way over there?”

He gapes at you momentarily before acquiescing and scooting a little closer. Not close enough to make you uncomfortable, but not far enough to make it seem like he’s avoiding you.

Your lips quirk up just a touch before you’re turning away from his gaze, staring down at your feet. The two of you sit in an awkward, uncomfortable silence before you finally speak up.

“I’m sorry.”

Yoongi can’t help the scoff that escapes his throat. “Don’t do that.”

You immediately look back at him, confusion painting your features, your forehead creasing slightly as your brows furrow. “What?”

“Don’t apologize,” he clarifies, sounding so tired, weary down to his bones. “Don’t apologize to me like you did something wrong. It just makes me feel like more of an asshole.”

Your lower lip begins to tremble without your permission, and you clasp your hands together in your lap as you return to fixing your eyes to the ground. “Sorry,” you rasp out again. “And…sorry for saying sorry.”

You can’t see him, but you can tell that Yoongi’s shoulders are slumped, his back hunched as he sighs loudly beside you. “Look…this…this isn’t how I wanted this conversation to go. When I’d imagined us having this talk in my head, it was so much simpler. And I just—h-hey, are you crying?”

“No,” you hiccup, hastily swiping at your eyes, fully turning your head away from him. You feel the couch cushions shift as Yoongi moves closer, and then you feel his arms winding around you as he tugs you to his chest.

“Baby,” he murmurs, rubbing slow, comforting circles against your back. The term of endearment doesn’t escape your notice, and you allow yourself to relax against him, breathing him in for the first time in weeks. “Please don’t cry.”

“I’m not crying,” you mumble, which is immediately followed by a sniffle. Yoongi croaks out a laugh, his shoulders shaking gently as his grip on you tightens. You find yourself laughing too through the tears, and you swear you feel the gentle press of his lips against the crown of your head.

“We’re really bad at this, huh?” He asks quietly once you’ve calmed down.

“Yeah,” you can’t help but agree, though you make no attempt to move from his grasp. He takes that as a sign and grips you tighter.

“I should be the one apologizing to you,” he admonishes. “The way I spoke to you that day…I had no right. It was fucked up. I shouldn’t have tried anything, shouldn’t have tried to kiss you, especially after the run-in with your ex. Definitely shouldn’t have blown up at you afterwards, as if it was your fault, or something.”

Yoongi sighs, his voice starting to waver.

“When you never called me back or texted me, I just…I assumed you hated me for what I said. I figured that I lost my chance with you, the first person in a really, really fucking long time that I’ve ever cared about. I’m not…I’m not good with emotions, and I’m not the best at expressing myself when it comes to these things. But all I know is that you are the only person in the entire fucking world that I want to be with every single day.”

You shift away from him just enough that you can look into his eyes, his confession startling you. This is the first time you’ve ever heard Yoongi speak this way, and you bite your tongue as he continues.

“I want to learn everything about you, and I want to learn new things with you. I want to teach you piano and sound production, and I want you to teach me about tattooing and its history. I want to be able to hold your hand and wake up beside you, and it kills me every day that I can’t, because I want to. I want to so fucking badly. And when I said those things…the way you looked at me made me feel like we were strangers all over again. And I fucking hate myself for hurting you, Y/N. You deserve better. You deserve more than I can give.”

The silence that settles between the two of you is palpable, and Yoongi can’t help but shy away from your eyes. He sniffs loudly, trying to play it off as if he isn’t on the verge of tears, and you let out the breath you hadn’t realized you’d been holding.

“What if…” You clear your throat, taking hold of one of his hands. You love his hands—they’re the hands of a musician, of a creator, of a poet. “What if I don’t want ‘better’?”

Yoongi looks at you, confused. “W-what?”

“What if I don’t want ‘better’?” You repeat with a little more conviction. “I still owe you an apology, Yoongi. Even if you don’t think that I do. I led you on—maybe because I liked the attention you gave me at first. But I do really like you. And I promise you that I’m not lying about that. I should have told you sooner. And if Namjoon hadn’t showed up at my shop that day, I know that things would have been different. What if we’re both just fucked up, damaged people, and all I want is you and everything that comes with you? What if I want you to teach me piano, and to teach you about tattooing? And what if I just want to kiss you in front of your friends just to get them to shut up?”

At this point, it’s hard to tell what Yoongi resembles more—a human, or a fish out of water.

After a second, he blurts, “Wait, what?”

You can’t help but giggle at that, bringing your finger under his chin to close his mouth before dropping your hand back to grasp onto his. “Everything that you said that day was right. Sometimes I feel the need to save people, and it can be self-serving. And maybe that’s why what you said stung so much, because no one has ever been that transparent with me before. But honestly, looking back now, I needed to hear that. The reason why I never called you back or texted you was because I was too scared to listen to the voicemail you sent me. I thought maybe you’d gotten drunk and called to yell at me again, to tell me that you never wanted to see me and that whatever this was,” you gesture between the two of you, “was over. And I didn’t want us to be over. Not when we hadn’t even begun.”

You sigh, shaking your head.

“I spent a long time being part of a couple, and I lost a lot of who I was in the process. And then through therapy, and by just being alone, I was able to figure out who I was again. I felt empty for a really, really long time. And then when I met you,” you smile, biting your lip slightly, “it was the first time in forever that I actually felt whole.”

Yoongi tilts his body to face yours fully, his eyes shining with desperation. “I need you to know how sorry I am about what I said. It could have been a conversation, but instead I just…fucking exploded. If I could take it all back, I would. Every day, I think about how lucky I am to know someone like you. You make me a better person, and I actually like who I am when I’m with you. When I said I wasn’t expecting to fall for someone like you, I meant that I never expected to know someone as kind, as smart, as talented, and as earth-shatteringly beautiful as you. I mean, look at me. I’m basically a goblin by comparison.”

That earns a genuine laugh out of you, and you swat genially at his chest as you shake your head. “I don’t know. You’re pretty cute for a goblin.”

“I mean it,” he insists. “Well, not so much about the goblin part. But the rest is all true. I never had a reason to like myself before I met you. And then you came into my life and you changed everything. You mean so fucking much to me, you know? The two weeks we spent apart were some of the most miserable I’ve ever experienced, and that was just because you weren’t there with me, in my studio, sitting on my couch, pretending to draw and watching me work on my music instead. I don’t know how you did it, but you became my everything, and I just…I need you.”

“If it’s any consolation,” you admit, “I was miserable without you, too.”

Yoongi shifts to scratch at the back of his ear, a bashful smile on his face. “That kind of makes me feel a little better, yeah.”

You giggle, and then take a second to just look at him again. You take in the softness of his gaze as he watches you, the tiniest upward curve of his lips, the way his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows. His eyes dart down to your mouth, lingering there for a moment, and it takes a second to register how close he is now. You can nearly count every single one of his eyelashes as you feel the warmth of his breath dancing across your skin.

Yoongi blinks, his eyes searching yours. Finally, he asks, “Can I kiss you?”

You breathe out the tiniest sigh of relief, unable to stop the smile that spreads across your face. “Yes. Please.”

Your eyes flutter shut as he brushes your hair away from your face, and you feel your heart thrumming in your chest at the anticipation. But to your surprise, you feel Yoongi’s lips press gently against the curve of your neck, over the lines of your peony tattoo. The sensation makes you shiver, and you can tell that he’s smiling gently against your skin.

Yoongi continues, kissing softly up your neck as you tilt your head to give him more access. His lips find the edge of your jaw, and you feel your heartbeat pulsing in your ears. He trails sweet kisses along your cheek, his hand coming to caress your face. He angles you towards him just slightly before his lips finally find yours, and it’s like the entire world falls away until there’s nothing remaining but you and him.

His lips are soft, but also a little hesitant as they move with yours, almost as if he’s still asking for forgiveness. You bring your hand up to cover his own that’s cupping your jaw, pulling away for just a second. He doesn’t shy away from your gaze, and you smile, running your thumb along his fingers in a comforting gesture that tells him It’s alright, I’m sorry too, I want you, I need you, I forgive you.

And so he kisses you again.

You tilt your head slightly to change the angle, deepening it as he lets out the tiniest moan against your mouth. His tongue traces along the seam of your lips and your hands move to card through his soft, silky hair as you open for him. Everything about him is overwhelming—the taste of his tongue as it slots against yours, the feel of his hands as they slide under your shirt, thumbs massaging gentle circles against your waist.

Months of longing and desire, secret subtle touches and fleeting glances all culminate in this moment, and you allow yourself to sink into the feeling of kissing him, kissing Yoongi, the man who completely changed your life without you noticing.

He shifts and pulls you onto his lap, your knees falling on either side of his waist as you straddle him. Yoongi tugs you impossibly close, so close that you’re grinding against the growing ache that begins to stiffen in the confines of his jeans. You place a hand on his chest and pull away from him, though you don’t want to, and press a soft peck to the corner of his mouth.

“I spoke to Namjoon.”

Yoongi’s hands don’t stray from your hips, but he narrows his eyes, lips flattening into a thin line. “You really want to talk about your ex? Right now?”

You sigh, running the pad of your thumb along his cheekbone. Like a man starved for affection, he leans into your touch, eyes fluttering shut momentarily as he basks in the sensation.

“I just…” You begin, taking in all the details of his beautiful face. “He was a big part of my life, but I want you to know that I don’t have feelings for him anymore. I don’t want that to ever be a thought that crosses your mind. He knows how I feel about you, and he respects that. But when I got together with Namjoon, we rushed into things. And I don’t want to rush with you.” Your eyes dart down to the growing bulge in his pants before shifting back up to look at him. When you do, he’s blushing. “Is that…is that okay?”

Yoongi replies by kissing you again, and you swear, you’ll never get sick of this feeling, of his mouth slanting against yours.

“I waited my whole life for you,” he breathes against your skin, pecking you once, twice, three times. “I can wait a little longer.”

You scrunch up your nose as he peppers kisses all over your face, unable to stop yourself from giggling like a teenager as he nuzzles against you.

“Go on a date with me,” you whisper against his mouth, your nose grazing his.

He raises an eyebrow, though his eyes remain closed. “Aren’t I supposed to be the one asking you out?”

“What can I say, I’m a progressive woman,” you joke, moving off of him. You rise, tugging him up with you. He immediately loops his arms around your waist, your arms curling around his neck as he pulls you close. “So, what do you say?”

Yoongi tilts his head back, pursing his lips as he sucks in a breath through his teeth. “I don’t know…”

“Yoongi!” You whine, a pout beginning to form.

He looks down at you and laughs, only making you frown more. “You’re cute, you know that?”

You start to blush, burying your face into the crook of his neck. “Shut up.”

“Are you being shy?” He teases, pinching your side until you yelp and swat at his arm. “Ow! I’m just kidding, yeesh.” Yoongi leans down and kisses your cheek, and you feel your blush deepen. “Where do you want to go?”

You take his hand, leading him towards the door. “Anywhere, as long as I’m with you.”

—

The two of you wander for a while, hand in hand, finally just being able to enjoy each other’s presence without holding anything back. You find yourselves near the waterfront, where the summer carnival is set up in a large, empty lot. Colourful lights twinkle throughout the stalls and midway rides, the smell of deep-fried food wafting through your nostrils. The laughter of children fills the air, along with different kinds of music from all sorts of directions, creating a melodious cacophony that only a carnival can produce. The ferris wheel lights up the evening sky, and you think to yourself that there’s nowhere else you’d rather be.

Yoongi gestures at the ring toss game. “Want me to win you a stuffed animal? Or are you too progressive to let me try to impress you?”

You roll your eyes, leaning into him. “Half these games are rigged, aren’t they?”

“Y/N!” He whines. “Let me try. Please?”

You can’t help but chuckle before finally conceding. “Okay. But don’t spend more than five dollars or I’ll feel bad!”

“Too late,” he hollers, handing the woman who runs the stall a ten dollar bill. She chortles at the two of you, commenting on What a cute couple you are, before handing Yoongi a dozen rings. Your face is beet red as you slap a hand against your cheek, watching as Yoongi takes aim at the rows of green glass bottles in front of him. He only needs to make one ringer in order to win a prize.

He makes five.

“And you doubted me,” he gloats, unable to hide the smugness from his tone as he hands you an ostentatiously large stuffed bear. “Where are you gonna keep this thing?”

You hug the plush toy to your chest, chin resting atop its soft head. “I don’t know. My studio has some room. Or maybe my apartment.”

Yoongi grasps your free hand and the two of you wander down the midway together. “You know, I still haven’t been over to your place.”

“You will,” you say simply, smiling up at him. “Eventually.”

Yoongi nods, understanding that your privacy is extremely important to you. You continue to walk along the rows of booths together, talking about nothing and everything all at once. It’s almost as if the two weeks of radio silence never happened, and you are so thankful for that because being with Yoongi just feels so right. It would have been a terrible shame if the two of you were to never speak again because of what was essentially a misunderstanding. But as he links his fingers with yours, giving your hand a gentle squeeze, you forget about everything aside from this moment, and the way he looks at you with nothing but affection in his catlike eyes.

You’re heading over to the food vendors when all of a sudden, you hear a familiar voice calling out your name.

“Y/N-noona! Yoongi-hyung!”

The two of you turn to see none other than Jimin and Taehyung—the former is waving frantically at you, while the latter is busy stuffing a giant soft pretzel into his mouth. Jimin drags Taehyung over to where the two of you are standing, opening his mouth to say something before staring at your joined hands and openly balking.

“FINALLY!”

“Jesus, Jimin, keep your voice down, we’re in public,” Yoongi grumbles, clearly embarrassed. You lift yourself up onto your tiptoes and peck him on the cheek. He then turns to you, his eyes wide as saucers. “We’re in public!”

“When did this happen?” Taehyung asks, his mouth full of pretzel, though you can tell by his eyes that he’s trying to smile as he chews.

“It’s new,” you admit, resting your head on Yoongi’s shoulder. You can tell by now that he’s not super comfortable with public displays of affection, if the shy apprehension on his face is anything to go by, but you just can’t help yourself. Now that you’re able to hold him and touch him whenever you want, you never want to let go.

“It’s just a date,” he grumbles out, clearly a little embarrassed. “Don’t make a big deal of it.”

You reach up to flick right between his eyebrows, and he yelps out a protest. Turning back to the other two, you say, “We were just going to grab something to eat. You want to join us?”

“Sure!” Jimin claps. “I haven’t eaten yet. Tae-Tae was supposed to share his pretzel, but…” He glances sideward at his friend, who lets out a tiny burp. “He inhaled the whole thing.”

“I’m a growing boy!”

“You were supposed to share!”

“Hyung will buy you fries or something,” Yoongi mutters, gesturing to the food stall. “Can one of you guys go grab us a table? We’ll be there in a second.”

“I want fries too!”

Jimin scoffs. “Taehyung! Don’t be greedy!”

“I’m a growing boy!”

Yoongi turns to you, his eyes glazed over with indifference. “Should we just let them starve instead?”

You tap your finger against your chin, pretending to be contemplative. “Well, Taehyung did have that pretzel just now, so it’s not like he’ll die right away…”

“The fuck?” Taehyung practically hollers before Jimin shushes him by smacking the back of his head, gesturing to the numerous children in the close vicinity. “The fuck,” he repeats, in a hushed whisper.

“Go get a table,” Yoongi barks, shoving a pointed finger in the direction of the seating area. The two younger men immediately straighten up and scuttle away, but not before Jimin snatches the infant-sized teddy bear from your arms, pretending as if it’s an actual kid. Yoongi sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose as you loop both arms around his middle, pressing a kiss to his chin. A dusting of pink flushes his cheeks as he mumbles out a whine. “Baby.”

“I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of hearing that,” you grin, reaching up to peck at his lips. “C’mon. The line is moving.”

“Says the woman clinging to me like a koala.”

You raise an eyebrow with a smirk, detaching yourself to hold onto his hand instead. “Not a fan of PDA?”

Yoongi opens his mouth to retort, but instead just ends up chuckling sheepishly. “Not sure, to be honest. Never really had a girlfriend to have PDA with.”

You give his hand a light squeeze, your tone purposely flippant. “Oh, so I’m your girlfriend now, huh? I thought this was just a date.”

He glares at you. “Don’t start.”

You can’t help but laugh, your other hand coming to rub against his lean bicep. “I like you, Yoongi.”

He looks down at you, his eyes soft with affection. His free hand rises to tilt your chin slightly skyward, and he kisses you on the mouth, witnesses be damned. “I like you too.”

The two of you finally detach from each other long enough to grab a tray of fries, hot dogs, burgers, and fountain drinks. You meander over to where Jimin and Taehyung are sitting with your stuffed toy, the bear occupying its own seat on the picnic bench. Their eyes light up at the sight of all the food, and Yoongi fixes Taehyung with a glare that has him folding his hands in his lap instead of reaching out to grab at the fries.

“So,” Jimin drawls, mouth half full of deep fried potato as he watches the two of you. You’re sitting beside Yoongi, who is eating with one hand, his other draped protectively around your waist as you lean into him. “Now that you two are finally together, when’s the wedding?”

Yoongi almost chokes on his burger, and you cough loudly as the pop you’re drinking goes down the wrong pipe.

“This is our first date,” Yoongi hisses once he’s sure he isn’t going to die.

You vehemently agree. And then you have to ask, “How long have all of you been waiting for this to happen?”

Jimin ponders, drumming his fingers against his chin in faux-thought. Finally, after a dramatic pause, he replies, “The second Yoongi-hyung brought you into HopeWorld for the first time.”

Your eyes widen, and you turn to Yoongi in disbelief. “You liked me for that long?”

He’s clearly embarrassed now, chin propped up on his free hand, eyes darting everywhere but the three (four, including that giant bear) of you. He mumbles out something you can’t quite hear, and you poke him hard in the ribs until he speaks up. “I may have liked you since the moment we met,” he admits.

“You what?” You cry out in disbelief. “But you were such a dick to me at the bar that time!”

“Because Hoseok was all over you!” He protests. “Do you know how annoying it was to see one of my best friends flirting with you, and you looking like you were into it? I thought for sure I had no chance.” His eyes soften, and his grip on your waist tightens. “I mean, look at you. I still can’t believe you like me back.”

You look down, biting back a smile when you hear the sudden click of a camera and a flash of light. Confused, you glance up at Taehyung, who has produced an older looking film camera out of seemingly nowhere, his big, boxy grin on full display.

“Sorry,” he says, not sounding apologetic at all. “Too cute of a moment to pass up.”

You simply laugh, shaking your head.

I’ve got to ask Tae for a copy of that photo.

—

The night winds down, and you and Yoongi bid farewell to Jimin and Taehyung. Yoongi insists on walking you back to your apartment. As much fun as it was to hang out with the others, being alone with him, strolling hand in hand, is definitely your favourite part of the night.

The two of you talk about nothing and everything on the long walk back to your place. You talk about your separate careers, what to name the giant teddy bear (you offer to name it Hoseok, just to bug him—it works, he glares at you for a solid sixty seconds), and the infamous choreographed dance that Yoongi still has to do for you. He jokes that he’ll just offer you a lap dance instead, but immediately retracts it once he seems the glimmer in your eyes.

You finally reach the front steps of your building, and you turn to Yoongi, setting the bear on the ground for a moment.

“I’m glad we had a chance to talk and sort out our shit. I had a lot of fun tonight.” You smile, as his hands find your waist, tugging you closer.

“Me too,” he agrees quietly as you loop your arms around his neck. He doesn’t waste any more time, dipping down to kiss you.

Your fingers twine through his hair as he presses you flush against him, the tiniest moan escaping you as he nibbles on your lower lip. You’re drunk on the taste of him as his tongue dips into your mouth and he crowds you against the brick wall, hands wandering lower grip at the curve of your ass.

He’s sinful and surprisingly dominant as his lips move with yours, one hand sliding down the back of your thigh to hitch over his waist. You cling to his shoulders and let out a whine as he grinds into you, the thick sound of saliva permeating the air as you lose all sense of time and space, wrapped up in everything that is Min Yoongi.

You wanted to take things slow, but having his body flush with yours, being able to feel his heartbeat against your chest, you’re starting to question your own rule. You want to break it badly, so badly, and you’re about to say fuck it and invite him upstairs to have your way with him when he pulls away from the kiss, moving to run the tip of his tongue along the shell of your ear.

“I want you so bad,” he pants, and you can tell, by the stiffness in his jeans that is pressing deliciously against your core. His teeth nip at the most sensitive part of your neck, and you gasp out his name. But just as suddenly as this all starts, he’s moving away, lowering your leg and sliding his hands back up to a respectable position on your waist. “But I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

You think that you probably look insane, hair mussed and lips kiss-swollen as you pant, eyes searching his. “What…” You begin, but need to start over as the air returns to your lungs. “What was all that, then?”

Yoongi winks at you, pressing an almost comically chaste kiss to the curve of your cheek. “Something to think about for next time,” he offers.

You huff out a laugh, your forehead dropping against his shoulder. “You’re making this really hard for me.”

Yoongi narrow his eyes playfully. “Did you just make a pun?” He asks, eyes darting down to the semi he’s currently rocking, that is still poking you through his pants.

Bursting out laughing, your body shakes as he joins in, and the two of you just stand there outside your apartment building, holding each other without a care in the world. After a moment, you look up at him, your hands coming to rest on either side of his face. You pull him in for another kiss, thinking about all that time wasted not being able to touch him this way since your first meeting nearly six months ago.

You pull away, hands resting on his chest. You can feel his heartbeat against your palm, and he looks at you with eyes full of affection and longing.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” You offer, and he nods with a smile.

“See you tomorrow.” He kisses you one last time before scooping the teddy bear off the ground, dusting it off and handing it back to you. “Goodnight, Y/N.”

“Goodnight, Yoongi,” you reply, almost sounding bashful as you slip through the front door. You can’t help but giggle as you watch Yoongi waddle away while adjusting his crotch through the window. You shake your head and head to the elevator, biting your lip as you hug your teddy bear close to your chest.

You reach your apartment, and once you’re inside, you lean against the door, and let out a huge sigh of happiness. You place the bear gingerly on your couch before pulling your phone out of your pocket, scrolling through your contacts until you find the familiar name. You click it and bring your phone to your ear, flopping down onto your bed with a giant, stupid smile on your face.

Junghyun’s voice fills your ears as you snort out a laugh. Seems like he’s been waiting for this call for a long damn time.

“So, when’s the wedding?”

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