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blueskrugs · 1 year

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full fic

april

Madison sees the Avs’ WAG jackets on Instagram the night they start the first round. The WIld had played the night before, an ugly loss Madison hadn’t been able to tear her attention away from. She could have had one of those jackets, sitting next to Syd and all the other girls. Instead, she’s back in her apartment in Denver, alone.

She wishes she could have stayed in Minnesota with Tyson for the first two games of the series. She gets a text from Tyson after the game that’s just a thumbs down emoji. Madison “dislikes” it out of solidarity. Tyson doesn’t call her that night. Madison has to remind herself that it’s okay, that they don’t have to talk all the time.

She watches anxiously two nights later as the Wild drag out a win, clutching a glass of wine for emotional support the whole time.

Before she can think too hard about it, Madison’s opening her laptop. She’s in the middle of searching flights to St. Louis when her phone rings. It’s Tyson, and Madison doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“I miss you,” she says, before Tyson can get a greeting out. She has perhaps had a little too much wine.

He chuckles. “It’s been less than a week, baby.” But then he adds, “I miss you, too.”

Madison shoves her laptop away and flops backwards on her bed. Last minute plane tickets are so expensive. So are playoff hockey tickets, apparently. She wonders if it would be easier to just drive to St. Louis. “Wish I could be there,” she says next, even though she had just turned down Tyson when he’d asked her to stay.

“Yeah, me too,” Tyson says after a beat. He doesn’t offer to fly Madison out again, though Madison can tell he wants to.

She doesn’t tell him that she’s only a few clicks away from buying herself tickets and meeting him in Missouri. Though she should probably do it while she’s not sober, before she can talk herself out of it in the morning.

“Oh, good game, by the way,” Madison remembers to say.

Tyson huffs. “Are you already in bed?” Tyson asks. Madison can hear him banging around his hotel room, tinny and muffled where her phone has slid off her pillow.

“Sorta,” Madison tells him. She pulls her laptop closer again. She could fly out after work and make it to the arena without missing too much of the game, probably. She winces again at the outrageous prices for the game. There aren’t even any good seats left.

Tyson speaks again. “Go to sleep, we can talk in the morning. I just wanted to say good night to you.”

“In a minute,” she whines. She’s trying to remember her credit card number without having to get up and dig it out of her purse.

Tyson must hear her keyboard clacking. “What are you still doing on your computer?”

“Online shopping,” Madison lies. Well, half-lies. She is spending plenty of money right now. She triple-checks that her flight is booked correctly and that she purchased the ticket for the game before she finally slams her laptop shut and tosses it aside. “There, I’m done,” she tells Tyson.

“Buy anything good?” Tyson asks through a yawn.

“Hope so, we’ll see.”

On Friday, Madison rushes off the plane, rushes through baggage claim, and rushes through renting a car. She’s cutting it close on time, with less than half an hour until puck drop. She drives as carefully and quickly as she can on the unfamiliar roads to the arena, one eye on the clock the whole time. The streets and parking around Enterprise Center are a fucking nightmare, but when she finally parks and makes it to the front doors, there’s still lines of people milling about, waiting to get in, too.

Madison checks her watch. Puck dropped five minutes ago. She pushes around a group of people who are somehow already drunk and towards the front of a line. All hockey arenas are the same, in a way, but Madison is immediately overwhelmed and disoriented. The first period is half over by the time she manages to get to the upper level and settle in her seat, but at least she finally made it.

Madison takes a photo of the ice and texts it to Tyson with her usual black heart emoji. He’ll see it eventually.

Madison has to keep herself from cheering too loudly for every Wild goal, surrounded by Blues fans as she is, and she’s probably one of the only people in the arena who’s happy when the Wild manage a neat win.

She follows the throngs of people outside and back to her rental car. She has a text from Tyson waiting for her, just a string of exclamation marks. Another text comes through while she’s waiting for traffic to thin out, a request for Madison to call Tyson in all capital letters.

Tyson’s breathless when he answers Madison’s call. “What the hell are you doing in St. Louis?”

“Surprise?” Madison says weakly.

Tyson laughs. “Hell of a surprise, babe.” He must pull his phone away from his ear, because Madison can still hear him speaking, but distantly. “Hang on, I’m trying to get you the address of the hotel, you can meet me there, yeah?”

“Yeah,” Madison says. Tyson’s gone again, not really listening.

“Hey, I’ve gotta go, I’ll text you where to go, and I’ll see you soon, okay?” He hangs up without letting Madison reply, but he texts again seconds later with the name and address of the team hotel.

Madison is anxiously idling in the hotel driveway when the team bus pulls in behind her. Tyson bounds off the bus almost before it comes to a full stop, and he races over to Madison’s car door and taps on the window.

Madison rolls down the window. “And what if it hadn’t been me in the car?” she teases.

Tyson is reaching through the now-open window to try and unlock the door, his tongue sticking out the way it does when he’s focusing on the ice. “I would have apologized. A lot.” He successfully presses the unlock button and yanks the car door open. “Come here, come here,” he says.

Madison laughs and climbs out of the car. Both of her feet aren’t even out of the car before Tyson’s sweeping her up in a hug so tight she swears she can feel her ribs shift. He sets her down and immediately cups her face.

“You’re here, I can’t believe you’re here.” Tyson narrows his eyes, and he squishes Madison’s cheeks where he’s still holding her face. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me you were coming.”

Madison pries Tyson’s hands away enough to talk. “I wanted to surprise you.” Tyson’s teammates are still filtering off the bus, and they should probably move inside, too. “Can you let go of me so I can get my bag out of the trunk?” she asks.

Tyson considers this. He slides one hand down Madison’s arm until he can tangle their fingers together. He also leans into the car and deftly turns it off, holding the keys up with a grin. He nudges the door shut. “We can get your bag out of the trunk.” He proceeds to drag Madison around to the back of the car and drags her suitcase out of the back with his free hand. He stares between the suitcase in his hand and the open trunk before Madison takes pity on him and slams the trunk shut.

Madison hangs back while Tyson hands the car keys off to a valet, and then he’s dragging her towards the elevators, happily rolling Madison’s suitcase in front of him. At least the rest of the Wild players have all disappeared, sparing Madison from their stares and jeers. She tucks herself closer to Tyson in the elevator, suddenly self-conscious. Tyson kisses her temple.

Madison is suddenly exhausted as soon as they enter Tyson’s room. Tyson flips the light on as Madison kicks off her shoes. Tyson left the curtains open earlier, and Madison can see the Arch, light up above the river, through the window. She’s too tired to give it more than a half-hearted glance on her way to face-planting into the pillows.

Tyson’s laughing when she rolls over and brushes her hair out of her face. “I’m so fucking happy you’re here,” he says, jumping onto the bed next to Madison, and, really, that’s all that matters.

The Wild lose the next game at Enterprise, and Madison holds Tyson tightly for a long time in the hall outside the locker room before he has to get on a plane. They lose again at home, then yet again back in St. Louis.

Just like that, hockey season is over.

Tyson calls Madison after the last game. He sounds like he’s been crying, but he tries to be cheerful for Madison. She just wishes she could hug him, but she’s back in Denver. She knows the Avs swept the Predators already, and they’ll be facing St. Louis next. It’s not difficult to imagine how Tyson feels about that.

“Come home with me,” Tyson blurts. He’s on the phone with Madison, getting ready to leave his Minnesota hotel room behind. He survived locker cleanout and exit interviews, and now he’s ready to sleep for about a week.

Madison, in the middle of complaining at work, freezes. “I—what?” She takes another moment to process. “Aren’t you coming back to Denver first?” Madison knows his apartment sits half-abandoned, filled with things too difficult or unnecessary to move after the trade.

“Well, yeah, but like, after. You should come home with me,” Tyson repeats. He’s been dying to introduce her to his mom for months. He hopes his mom likes Madison as much as he does. He is a little worried about his sanity if Madison and Kacey get along as well as he thinks they will, though.

“I’ve never been to Canada before,” Madison says thoughtfully. She’s barely travelled abroad at all, except for one trip to the UK after she graduated high school. Her passport has been collecting dust since then.

“So you’ll come?” Tyson asks.

“Is there even anything to do in Edmonton?” Madison teases.

“There’s so much to do, like—” Tyson pauses. It’s been a while since he’s had to play tourist back home. Madison is giggling on the other end of the line. “Shut up, we’ll figure something out.”

Tyson feels like he can breathe properly for the first time in months when he steps out of the airport in Denver. He wonders if any place will ever feel like home the way Denver does.

Tyson had managed to wheedle JT into picking him up, and he even brought coffee. Tyson ignores the way it almost feels like an apology. JT has nothing to be apologizing for, but Tyson just sips his coffee.

The apartment smells stale when they walk in. Tyson’s mom had done a good job of cleaning for him, at least, and there aren’t any dirty dishes still stacked in the sink. He and JT are quiet as they walk through the apartment, opening windows. Tyson feels like he’s walking through someone else’s life. He stares for too long at his bed, freshly made and untouched for weeks.

He shakes it off and goes to find the moving boxes.

“So, this is it, huh?” JT says.

He could be talking about all the boxes they’ve spent the last few hours filling boxes and separating them into piles to be shipped off to Minnesota—Tyson finally signed a lease for an apartment there—or to be sent back home for his family to deal with. An alarming amount of Tyson’s clothes is Avalanche-branded gear, and more of it got packed away to keep than Tyson is willing to admit.

He could also be talking about the end of everything they’ve known together in Denver. Tyson’s spent years accepting the fact that hockey is a business before everything else, has gotten used to the revolving door of teammates each season. It’s been a long time since Rookie House days with Kerf. Tyson is going to walk out that apartment door, and he’s never going to be able to go back. A chapter—or book, really—in the story of his life ended for good.

Tyson sighs. “This is it.”

The apartment is stripped bare when Madison steps through the door, left unlocked by JT and Tyson.

She drops her laptop bag and kicks off her shoes, saying, “You should be more careful, anybody could just walk in here.”

Tyson drops the box he’s holding and whirls around. Madison winces as its contents rattle. There’s no time to say anything else before Tyson is bounding across the room and wrapping her in a huge hug.

“What, no hug for me?” JT asks from somewhere behind them. Tyson turns to glare at him, but Madison shoots him a smile.

“Hey, JT,” she says. She lets JT drape an arm around her in a half-hug.

“Betrayal,” Tyson says. He is ignored.

They leave most of the boxes for the moving company to deal with. Madison bundles Tyson into her car with his bags of clothes, complaining the whole time about wanting dinner. She lets Tyson hold her hand across the console as she drives him to her apartment.

It’s not the first time Tyson’s been to Madison’s apartment, but it still feels strange to be there instead of his own. They’ve spent so much time there the past few months, watching movies on the couch, doing things other than sleeping in the bed. He misses it already, all the memories they made as they fumbled their way into a relationship.

He says as much to Madison, expecting her to tease him for something so objectively dumb—to miss an apartment he lived in half of the time for like six months—but the look she gives him is almost sad.

“That’s a bit dramatic,” she says. Tyson pulls her in by the hips, letting her lean her weight on him. “But I guess we’ll just have to keep making more memories, yeah?”

Later that night, tangled up in Madison’s sheets, Tyson stares at the dark ceiling. He can feel Madison, looking rumpled and in his shirt, watching him. She nudges his calf with her toes. He doesn’t look at her, focused on keeping his eyes from welling up. Then Madison’s hand is on his cheek, turning his head towards her.

“How you doin’, bud?”

Tyson lets Madison pull him close and hold him tightly. He slides a hand under her shirt and to the bare skin of her hip, just feeling the comforting warmth of her skin.

“What if it’s never like this again?” Tyson whispers back. This—Denver and the Avalanche, friends who become family; Madison in bed next to him, loving him and wearing his clothes. Minnesota had been okay, but Tyson worked his ass off and never felt settled. Maybe it was the endless hotel life, maybe it was the team, maybe it was him. He feels like a child, begging his mom to tell him everything was going to be okay.

Madison doesn’t know how to comfort Tyson. It probably never will be like this again. Madison can’t see the future, and she can’t promise Tyson anything, either. “I don’t know, baby,” Madison admits. “I don’t know.”

Tyson doesn’t cry, but they both lay awake for a long time.

june

#cait writes things

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charlettebffxiv · 2 years

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Prompt #1:Cross

And thus, there she was. Charlette had stood at the edge of this village so many times, waiting for the chocobocart to Gridania to arrive and haul her to the City-State. Sat on this same bench, rickety as it was, and wandering away with her thoughts. The only thing piqued were her ears, for the telltale trundle and “Kweh!”. This sun, it had felt good, normal once again. Probably on account of the fact she had sat here, alone, traveling in her own capacity and without someone to watch her. Without being treated like a risk, a criminal who could take flight. It felt good to not have that steel weighing on her wrists. She could do this alone now, not that she was.

Loash sat next to her, hands held in his lap head fallen over the back of the bench as his chest rose and fell in silent sleep. It always amazed Charlette how the man could sleep almost anywhere, no matter how bent he had to be. He was one of the few hyur that could match her height, a highlander and big even by those standards. “Sleep is comfortable.” was his answer to her asking how he manages it. As if it isn’t uncomfortable to squish himself into those contorted shapes before taking a catnap between a cupboard and a barrel of pickled yams. Simple, short and enough for what was asked. A rather sufficient way to sum-up the man as a companion. She could be alone now, after a twelvemoon of surveillance, scrutiny and thinly-veiled imprisonment. But she was glad he was here. Gods, the conversations alone were like being back in the barracks, training as Apprentices again.

Charlette’s hands ran over the satchel sat in her lap, the fresh leather of it recently stitched and only just starting to wrinkle where the contents caused it to bulge. She opened a small pocket at the front, fishing out the airship ticket inside. The corners were bent, and the ink was slightly smudged from being held by many hands. The Order had planned all of this long before her hearing, judging by the date of purchase on the creased stub of paper. ‘One-way to Limsa Lominsa’, how a little sentence could send such a nervous thrill rumbling from her gut and up her spine? The Arcanists Guild of the great City-State of Limsa Lominsa, the very first stop on this long, long assignment of hers. And she had chosen this too. It could have been the Thaumaturges of Ul’dah, even the Conjurers of Gridania or the Astrologian’s of Ishgard. It could have been anything the Order decided it should be. Instead, they begrudgingly allowed her to pick the trail she would walk for them. So naturally, she picked the one with the biggest library. With both hands she tried to smooth those bent corners and the fold that creased it through the middle. Charlette planned to keep this little stub, even if the bends irritated her. “Kweh!” the excited call of a chocobo rolled down the winding path fitted between the trees of the Shroud. The trundle is here, and the bo had brought Loash back with a snort, a jolt and an annoyed huff. He looked down the path, then to Charlette “What? Was getting to the good part.” he tapped a finger at his temple then stood and walked over to the pathway to wave the cart down. “Don’t lose the ticket, ‘s expensive and queues make me nauseous.” Charlette slipped it back to safety, swung her light satchel over her shoulder and stepping up next to him, nose raised “Of the two of us, you are the one more likely to misplace important travel documentation.” Loash flicked a pointed finger at her, just as the cart stopped in front of them and its passengers stepped out and started to unload it. “That’s true. Still, don’t lose it. Cost us a sun, and you’d be late for class.” This was also true and the thought of being tardy on the very first sun made her skin crawl. She stepped-up to the now empty cart, but Loash laid a hand on her shoulder to keep her there for a moment. “Y’ sure?” he asked, looking at her. Always the same impassive, unbothered expression. But she felt the concern in the squeeze of his fingers. She nodded “More than anything.” and without hesitation, he let her go “After you then.” both of them finding a seat, moments later the cart took off. The subtle jerk as it pulled them forward bringing that thrill up her body again. She watched her home grow smaller and smaller as they trundled along. “Sad or glad?” Loash asked as he watched her. “A bit of both. It is all so different this time.” Loash nodded, slow and ponderous “Better?”. Such a loaded question to ask in just a single word. “I do not know. But we are going to find out.” this seemed to placate him, or he had simply run out of his short supply of words, as with another dip of his head, he was fast asleep despite the gentle jostle of the cart. Charlette was not quite brave enough to commit to it yet, but a little voice in her hoped aloud ‘This time, I get to make it better.’

#ffxivwrite2022 #ffxi #ff14 #ffxiv rp #ffxiv roleplay

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apple-babbles · 14 days

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Plane Ride to Heathrow

So... I guess I should actually start writing my whole UK journey before I grow older and my memories start messing with me.

(God I hope not, I'm already forgetful as I am.)

(But I'm also hoping that I won't weep as I'm writing this because of how nostalgic it's gonna be. Good, good times.)

Well, so, I've had some trips on the airplane. Some of the longer ones by the time I'm writing this would probably be 1) about 6 hours to Incheon, South Korea, 2) then around 9-10 hours to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and 3) lastly 16 hours to London, UK.

Since I'm here on the subject of my UK trip, we'll talk about the last one.

For some context, I was fortunate enough to receive a scholarship to University College London in... you guessed it, London. And it would be my first time visiting a European country, let alone taking such a long journey. The 16-hour plane ride wasn't like straight without transit, though. I actually enjoy taking public transportation (bro, ain't no way I'm flying there on a private jet—I'm no Beyonce) including trains and buses, so sitting on the plane for hours would be no problem for me.

I began actual the trip from CGK, Jakarta, with the first destination to DXB, Dubai. I, along with my three other friends who also were about to start our studies at the same uni, departed with Emirates. We got the ticket for about... 9-10mio? Crazy expensive. However, I'm not kidding if I said I looked like someone who lived under a rock once I boarded the plane. It was probably the best one I've been in?

Look, as I said, it's my first time being in such a huge airplane like this. I'm so impressed by the tiny stars on the ceiling (love the purple shade as well) and how they lit up when the lights were out. So darn cute hello??? And the entertainment provided was also very complete; you'd get to explore recently-released movies, listen to some music, watch series, and even play some games—hence I think why they have this console-looking gadget as seen in the third picture. I did a little bit of everything; I watched several movies until I was sleepy, then switched to music to help me relax before catching some Zs. Oh, I forgot to mention one little detail; the flight was around midnight. I think we boarded when it was almost 1 A.M. in the morning.

Also, my cabin luggage was broken right before I was about to board. RIP. Luckily, my friends were helpful and one of them brought sellotape with them, so we stitched it to the broken part. It was one of the wheels, and the luggage made an annoyingly loud sound as I dragged it with me. Lordy.

Anyways, it took about 8 hours from Jakarta to Dubai. I think I slept through it, mostly, if not for my excitement exploring the screen in front of me. We were also given some bread and beverage—as seen in the third picture—which were quite enjoyable. I had no idea why I ordered juice because apparently the juice in all airlines is the same. As in they're quite superficial and rather too sweet for my liking. But either way, it was an enjoyable 8-hours flight.

We landed in DXB the next morning, around 10-ish. After dealing with the immigration and everything, we spent some time in DXB since we had about an 8-hour gap to the next flight. I mean, it was a long journey, but on the bright side I could explore DXB to the point I even memorized the isles and hallways and corridors, considering how awful I am at navigation.

The three of us decided to have lunch together and tried this Asian restaurant. We ordered those meals above—which unfortunately I can't remember what they're called. I mean, the one on the right surely tasted like fried rice (I think it tastes similar to biryani?) and the one on the right has a rather sweeter flavor. Either way, again, it was pretty delish, since I'd rather explore the food options than buy just some random chicken from fast food restaurants.

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haidadailylife · 2 years

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Haida news!

Recently Haida has helped several foreign teachers abroad enter China successfully. Haida has asked those foreign teachers to share their experience during the travel in order to assist more foreign teachers to enter China safely. Here we will share the experience of one foreign teacher first. Her name is Sharon.

My experience travelling from England to Hangzhou

My whole journey began with trying to get my visa as without it booking a flight will be a little pointless, no? This visa process is straight forward if you do it with enough time and you have all your documents prepared otherwise you will have some delays.

Now that you have all the documents and visa, you can book your flights.

Flights straight to Hangzhou can be overwhelmingly expensive especially if you do not have much money saved up or are not getting any other financial help. I had saved money from my previous job but with all the expenses I incurred during this process I ended up booking two separate flights. The first flight being from England to Hong Kong and then Haida booked a flight for me from Hong Kong to Hangzhou. This made the journey a whole lot cheaper for me as it was close to the date of travel when I booked my tickets but if you have time try to book direct flights meaning less transits.

TIP: One word of advice I would give to everyone booking flights from the UK and even from other countries is to be careful with where you look for your flights. Try to stick actual airlines as the cheaper sites might not even have the flights available but still have then on the site.

I, as many other people do, arrived early to the airport to check-in my luggage and because security can be difficult to get through. However, there was not too many issues here and I was ready to board the plane for the first leg of the journey. The overall flight was good with transit in South Korea which gave me time to move around after 12 hours of sitting. Then I had my flight to Hong Kong. As Hong Kong still has quarantine rules in place, I had to book a hotel to quarantine in. This is straight forward because they have a website with all the hotels and two of them are the airport hotels around 5 to 7 minutes from the airport.

The airport staff provide transport to all the quarantine hotels unless you book a private taxi to take you.

TIP: Please pack all important things such as medicines, chargers, sanitary products and such in your hand luggage or your personal bag as you never know when you will need them.

After the quarantine in Hong Kong, I then went to the airport as the train was so close to the hotel I had booked. Mainland China still requires negative Covid-19 tests to fly, these are provided for free at the airport, but it needs to be booked in advance.

Beware the test takes 3 to 4 hours to get the results back, so I suggest arriving early at the airport.

After the results come back, I was able to check-in for my flight. It was only a short 3-hour flight but after landing everything was so fast-paced from getting another Covid test done, collecting luggage, going through immigration, and then being rushed onto a bus for quarantine again.

My overall experience travelling from the UK to Hangzhou was quite interesting, although a little fast paced and filled with forms to fill out most people were willing to help and were able to provide me with help.

Hope the experience of Sharon can be helpful if you are anxious about travelling to China recently. Haida will share more experience of foreign teachers. Feel free to contact Haida if you are interested in the teaching positions in China.

#haida #foreign teachers in china #travel to china #quarantine in china #Hangzhou in China

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leonrooney1 · 2 years

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Santorini Island Travel Guide

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#agen bola piala dunia 2022 malam ini

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a3r3n · 2 years

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LONELY HEART || K.DY

Pairing: Doyoung × girl!reader (+ Joy and Taeil)

Genre: angst, a little fluff, arranged marriage!AU, strangers to lovers, kinda slowburn if you squish it

Word Count: 10.2k+ (I know it's a lot and I'm sorry, but hopefully it'll be worth it)

⚠️Warnings: a heated kiss and a morally questionable plot (nothing illegal dw)

A/N: Doyoung is my main source of inspiration when it comes to angst, and I don’t know why. Anyway, it took me a while to write this but I finally did it!!! Hope you enjoy it, though it’s a bit long, and forgive me if there are any mistakes: I always proofread what I write, but I'm sure something slipped away!! Also, if you liked this fic, please consider reblogging it, as Tumblr doesn’t really work on likes, so it would be appreciated if you reblogged it <33

🌼Nct 127 Arranged Marriages!AUs Masterlist

🌼Act I - Act II - Act III

Summary [extract]:

You raise your head and look at him, whose eyes are fixed on the street below you. «Why aren’t you with your friends? It’s your party,» you ask him.

«They all get crazy when they’re drunk, and I’m not really in the mood to support their madness tonight,» he says, grinning. «Taeil is the only one who keeps his cool even when drunk.»

«Why aren’t you in the mood?» [...] Doyoung hesitates before answering your question, letting out a deep sigh. He then looks at you and slowly moves his hand closer to yours until your fingers interlock, making you shiver.

«I’ll get married tomorrow,» he simply says, never breaking eye contact.

«I know.»

«With your sister,» he continues.

«... I know.»

December 24th

Maybe, booking a flight to Seoul on Christmas Eve wasn’t a good idea. The price of the tickets was exorbitant, and you didn’t even manage to fly in first-class since all the seats were unavailable, probably booked by more clever travelers who didn’t wait until the last minute to do so. You can recall telling your mother not to wait for your father to return from his business trip and to leave without him, but there was no way to convince her. Even if your father told her he would join you some days later, she insisted on traveling altogether, which is how you ended up in an airport in a foreign country on December 24th.

The place is packed with people leaving Seoul to spend the holidays somewhere else, or people arriving from their home country just like you and your parents. A man dressed as Santa is entertaining some children who look upset to travel on Christmas Eve while their parents try to cram all the last-minute gifts into the luggage. A group of people walk towards you in a rush, dragging their bags and yelling something in a foreign language - not that you need to understand what they’re saying to know that you should get out of their way. Among all those people, you finally recognize a familiar figure who’s waving her arms to be noticed.

«Joy!» you exclaim, leaving your luggage to your parents to go hug your sister. «I missed you so much,» you say as she squeezes you into her arms.

«I missed you too,» she replies, kissing you on both cheeks. «Oh dear Lord, have you grown taller during these months?» she then asks you, making you roll your eyes: she frequently takes advantage of her height to make fun of you, and you’ll never get used to it.

«I tried, but that ‘dear Lord’ said one giraffe is enough for our family!»

She giggles and walks over to hug your parents, and that’s when you notice the man who had been standing behind her the entire time. He’s tall and slim, with gleaming skin and eyes as dark as the night sky outside. He’s wearing designer clothes, probably even more expensive than the ones your sister owns.

With a simple gesture, he orders two other men to grab all of your luggage bags, and approaches Joy once she’s finished greeting everyone. «Mom, dad, my beloved sister,» she starts off, taking the man next to her by the arm. «He’s Kim Doyoung, my fiance.»

The perks of being born in a wealthy family are many: from getting all the toys you want, to owning four different cars without even having a diver’s license, from attending the most exclusive schools to spending vacations on some renowned island. Even if you believe in higher moral values, you can’t deny you’re lucky to be the daughter of one of your country's wealthiest CEOs.

On the contrary, the disadvantages of having such a rich and powerful man as a parent are almost nonexistent.

Almost.

One of these disadvantages is that your father, like many other businessmen, would do anything for his company. Even if that means involving his own daughters in his projects. And when he found out that his two most powerful partners from abroad had sons your age, he wasted no time in arranging your marriages with them. You didn’t know these men; in fact, you had never even met them before. The only thing you knew was that, on a serene spring day, your father had informed you and your sister about your engagement with these two strangers from South Korea.

Both you and Joy anticipated that moment from the day you were born, thus handled the situation tactfully. Your sister, as the obedient daughter she’d always been and the future heir to your father’s company, did anything she could to meet her future husband’s expectations, preparing to be both the perfect wife and business partner. Not that she needed to, since she knew everything about the business, having spent her whole life by your father’s side.

You, on the other hand, didn’t really care about the company and all the benefits it would take from your union with your fiance. The idea of an arranged marriage had been drilled into your head since you were a toddler, which is why you immediately accepted your fate without even questioning it, but you had other plans for your future. You just hoped your future husband would agree with you.

As a precise and perfectionist woman, your sister had insisted on moving to South Korea way before her wedding to learn the language, understand the culture, and, well, get to know her fiance. From the long late-night calls you two made while she was away, you eventually understood she was falling in love with that charming, mysterious man. But according to her, he didn’t seem to be as fond of her. «I’m sure he likes you,» you once told her, stifling a yawn. «I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t, Joy. You’re… wonderful!»

«I’m sure he likes me, too,» she responded. «I just don’t believe he will ever love me. I don’t see that sparkle in his eyes when he looks at me .»

«Then I’ll set his eyes on fire! Instead of sparkles, he’ll see flames!»

Since you were the youngest daughter, your parents didn’t put as much pressure on your wedding, giving you more time before getting married. That’s why you decided to stay in your country and only spoke with your fiance once on a video call, but nothing more. You wanted to take as much time as possible.

That is, until now.

In fact, arriving in South Korea for your sister’s wedding also means that you will never return home, as you will marry a couple of months after her.

«Nice to meet you,» you greet your future brother-in-law with a handshake and introduce yourself. He does look charming and mysterious. Perhaps a little too much for your taste, but he’s still attractive.

The two men who’d previously taken your bags lead you outside the airport to a private parking lot and open the doors of the most expensive limousine you’ve ever seen. As always, you end up in the window seat, next to your parents and in front of your sister and her fiance.

«How was the flight?» Joy asks, offering you a glass of water from a small refrigerator.

«I’d say it was quite agreeable.»

«Mom, you only say that because you’ve been sleeping the entire time!» you immediately reply, recalling the several hours you spent going back and forth from the toilet because of some heavy turbulence.

«Lucky her! I was so exhausted from my previous flight that I couldn’t even fall asleep!» your dad adds.

«But the flight was quite agreeable,» you scoff, making everyone chuckle.

Well, not everyone.

«Doyoung, dear, I hope our arrival today didn’t ruin your Christmas Eve!» your mom says, changing the topic to catch his attention.

«You didn’t, ma’am. My family doesn’t even celebrate it because we work all day,» he answers flatly.

«You don’t celebrate Christmas Eve… because you work?» you ask him, raising an eyebrow.

«Exactly. We can’t just stop and close everything. It’s not possible.»

«I’m sure it is! You’re the CEO of your company: you can take a couple of days off for yourself – and everyone else!»

«Darling, I’m sure he knows what’s best for his business!» your father says, giving you a warning look.

«No problem, sir,» Doyoung interrupts him. «She probably still has a lot to learn about how our world works.»

«As if,» you scoff, ignoring a soft kick on the leg from your sister. «What if your employees wanted to spend this holiday with their family?»

«Well, they've got tomorrow to do that. Christmas Eve isn't even a holiday, and they have to work,» he replies, never losing his cool, or showing any signs of bother.

«On the contrary: Christmas Eve is a holiday, and some people like to celebrate it! Have you ever considered the idea of asking...»

«Honey, enough,» Joy interrupts you, looking deadly serious. You sigh and decide to focus on the scenery outside the window, trying not to let that conversation influence your first impression of that man.

It’s hard, though.

December 25th

The weather outside is freezing, but the atmosphere in the dining room is quite warm and not only because the heating plant is always on. Both families – yours and your sister’s fiance’s – are seated around the profusely furnished table, waiting for the dessert. The entire lunch was delicious, from the appetizers to the side dishes, and the red wine you all drank helped everyone relax, and you’re now happily chatting away as if you'd known each other for years.

Joy entertained everybody with her lively personality and gentle sense of humor, showing she would be the perfect wife for Doyoung. Unlike him, his parents were very welcoming and seemed to enjoy your family’s company, and this unusual Christmas lunch turned out to be enjoyable. You didn’t talk much, choosing to keep to yourself and listen to whatever conversation piqued your interest. Unfortunately, all the men have been talking about is work, while the women are saying something boring about housekeeping, and that’s why you now find yourself staring at your empty silver glass, absent-mindedly turning it between your fingers.

Suddenly, a long line of maids enters the dining room, carrying large trays full of fruits and any type of pastries that make your mouth water just looking at them. Once everyone’s plate is full, though, the conversation the men were having takes an intriguing turn, and you can’t help but listen this time.

«As I was saying, we were almost abandoning our project when my son discovered this ideal location for our new building!» Doyoung’s father says proudly as he places a hand on his son’s shoulder.

«I can tell your son is completely engaged in this business!» your dad replies. «Where is this location?»

«It’s a large territory just outside of Seoul. It used to be an animal rescue center, but they couldn't keep it going because they didn't have enough money. So they decided to sell it, and we’ve been lucky enough to be the first ones to make an offer. They were desperate for money and would accept any amount,» Doyoung explains. «Actually, they haven’t left yet, but we’re gonna make them vacate soon.»

You hope you didn’t hear that right.

But you did.

And you’ve never been so enraged as you are right now.

«I truly hope this is a joke,» you say bitterly, trying to keep your voice firm and low. The women next to you stop talking, trying to figure out what offended you, while your father glares at you, silently ordering you to remain silent.

«It isn't,» Doyoung answers, his eyes challenging you. «The construction of the building will begin in about a month.»

«You can’t be this selfish and heartless!» you exclaim, forgetting about your intentions to keep calm. «You’re leaving those poor animals to their fate, which I’m sure will not be kind to them! They’ll be abandoned, or worse, end up...»

«Honey, I think that’s enough,» your sister interrupts you, glaring at you in the same way your father did before. «You've got nothing to do with it, and they don’t care about your opinion.»

«I do care,» Doyoung says in a subtle mocking tone, drawing everyone's attention on him. «I’d like to know what she thinks since she seems to be so expert...»

«Oh, but she isn’t, trust me,» Joy replies, smiling at him. «Honey, let it go.»

«So you’re saying you’re okay with this? They’re gonna kill some innocent creatures, and for what?» You look at her in disbelief. When did your sister become so submissive and compliant? She used to be the type of girl who would fight for her opinions, but it seems like she can’t even think with her own head right now.

«It’s their business, and you have no say in it!» your father exclaims abruptly, and you can tell his calm demeanor won’t last much longer if you don’t obey.

«What would you do?» Doyoung asks you, making both your dad and your sister stop talking. His tone of voice and his stare are still mocking, but you can't let him make a fool of you in front of everybody. You have strong opinions and won’t let anyone tell you they’re not valid.

«First and foremost, I would have offered more money,» you begin, ignoring the death stares from your parents and sister. «And then, I wouldn’t have bought that place! Instead, I would have donated the money to help them! There are lives involved in this: it’s not like you’ve bought some desolate land!»

«They’re just animals,» Doyoung replies, making your blood boil. His sarcastic voice, his cold stare, his snobbish attitude… everything about him irritates you greatly.

«Just animals?! They’re living beings, just like us! You can’t...»

«Seriously, stop it now,» your sister interrupts you again. «You’ve expressed your opinion. Be content with it and shut up.»

You refuse to believe what you’ve just heard and look at your sister, hoping to find signs of amusement on her face. But she wasn’t joking, and you suddenly felt a wave of disappointment hitting you. She would always have your back. What happened to her?

Everyone’s eyes are now on you, and the atmosphere in the room becomes tense and heavy until Doyoung breaks the silence. «Don’t worry, Joy,» he says, the mocking tone in his voice never leaving. «She’s still young: it’s okay to have the head in the clouds at her age.»

The conversation goes back to normal, but you still feel an intense heat inside your body, and you don’t know if it’s from embarrassment or anger. You just want to disappear right now.

For a brief moment, you catch Doyoung staring at you with a sly smile on his face. And you wish he would vanish as well.

December 26th

You wrap yourself in the warm coat and look around at the extended but ruined area in front of you. Everything is still covered in snow, with only a few blades of grass poking through, and the cold is so intense that you can feel it penetrating the coat and reaching your bones. A small, colorful house is located in the middle of that vast valley, surrounded by other facilities from which you can clearly hear calls of various animals.

From afar, everything appears to be in the norm. A few people are going back and forth from one building to the other, chatting away while performing their tasks, unaware of the watchful gaze that's been scrutinizing them for the past twenty minutes. Looking closely, though, you couldn't deny that the entire place was in a dreadful state.

When you left the Kims' villa that morning, your sister warned you that the trip would be pointless. «I've already been there, honey,» she said before you stepped into the cab. «It's a waste of time. No one can save that place.» But, being the stubborn girl that you are, you decided to visit that animal rescue center anyway, and after an hour-long drive, you arrived at your destination.

From afar, the landscape looked breathtaking. Looking closer, though, you had to admit your sister was right: that place couldn't be saved. They had a lot of animals to take care of, from stray puppies and kittens to farm animals such as cows and horses, as well as some odd fish and turtles. But, based on what you could see, they didn't seem to have enough space or resources to care for them.

You then exchanged a few words with some of the workers to better understand the situation, and they all seemed broken by the thought of the center's cruel fate. «We will lose our job, which we adore,» one of them said, trying to hide the sadness in his eyes, «and the animals will be either sent to a slaughterhouse, or to some miserable shelters, or abandoned on the streets.»

After another tour of the area that allowed you to interact with some of the animals, you decided you'd had enough, said your goodbyes, and left. However, as soon as you reached the cab, you gave the driver the money he'd asked for and sent him away.

You're not sure why, but you couldn't leave that place yet, and you now find yourself sitting on a frozen bench, wrapped in your coat, watching the center and its workers from afar. It was evident that everyone there genuinely enjoyed what they were doing, and even the animals seemed to have grown fond of the people who had been taking care of them that whole time. How could Mr. Kim and his son be so cynical and destroy everything, depriving those poor creatures of their only hope for a better life? You feel a shred of anger building up at that thought and unconsciously grip the hem of your coat with such strength that your knuckles became as white as the snow surrounding you.

«What on earth are you doing here?» You hear a masculine voice from behind you. When you turn around, you see an apparently irritated Doyoung staring at you while leaning against his car, arms crossed on his chest.

«None of your business,» you reply, turning away from him.

«I hate to disappoint you, but this is my business,» he says, approaching you and then looking towards the same direction your eyes have been following. «Did you go there?» You nod. «Did you see the state of the buildings? The conditions in which those animals are forced to live?» You nod again, not uttering a word. «Do you understand why this place should shut down now?»

You glare at him furiously and shake your head vehemently. «You must be a hideous person if you think that's the best solution,» you state acidly, tightening the grip on the hem of your coat. «You’re going to solve the problem the easy way: getting rid of it when you should be fighting it instead.»

«No one cares about this place anyway. A luxurious apartment complex for people who need somewhere to live would be far more useful, don't you think?» he asks, sitting next to you.

You scoff at his statement, rolling your eyes. «And I bet the people you're talking about are living on the streets right now, aren't they?» you say sarcastically, raising an eyebrow when you hear him snicker.

«Not everything we do must have a socially helpful purpose.»

«But if you have the opportunity to be socially helpful, why not use it?» you reply, bothered by his indifference. «You'd be doing something morally valuable that could help a lot of people and still be loaded – if money is your top priority. Is it so illogical to you?»

A tense silence follows, and you both spend it watching the ruined yet beautiful landscape below you. When you turn to look at him again, he does the same, and you end up locking eyes for a split second before he quickly looks away. «It's not illogical,» he utters, suddenly standing up. «But we would make more money from my project.»

«So it's all about money,» you scoff, crossing both your arms and legs, this time visibly bothered. «Don't you think you've got enough? What's the point of getting richer and richer if you can't use your money to help those who are in need?»

«Does helping others make you that happy?» he asks you back. «Aren't you satisfied with what you have now?»

«I hate using set phrases,» you reply, standing up too. «But material goods don't satisfy my soul. I just can't see the point of being so wealthy if I'm the only one who can enjoy and benefit from that!»

It's now his turn to scoff. «You're just so young. You still need to understand how our society works.»

«I already know how it works, and I don't like it.»

Ignoring your words, he pulls a pair of keys from his pocket and opens the car doors. «I need to speak to one of the managers now. Will you wait for me in the car? It's not gonna take long.»

You nod, putting your pride aside in exchange for a ride home that won't cost you more money.

«Remember,» he suddenly says, calling your name. «This world is for the selfish.»

«This world is for everyone,» you reply, walking to the car.

December 27th

«I think you look stunning,» Joy states as she examines your reflection in the mirror.

«I think I look like a clown,» you mutter.

In your opinion, the dress your sister bought for you was too fancy and inappropriate for the occasion, but she thought otherwise. Despite her busy schedule due to the impending wedding, she made time to take you to an exclusive store that morning and force you to try a dozen articles until you found the one she thought was perfect. It was a navy-blue velvet mermaid dress, with a single thin sleeve covering your left shoulder and a strip of the same color sewn around the waist. The front vent was deep enough to show off your favorite silver shoes that matched the choker Joy made you wear. It’s a big night for your family, and you have to look your best, even if you’re dying on the inside. After all, you don't want to disappoint your future husband, do you?

Even if you’re still unsure about your sister’s choice, you don’t have enough time to get changed, as the guests have already arrived. From your room, you and Joy can hear indistinct voices chattering, and then the door bursts open, revealing an impatient Doyoung dressed in a silky suit that does justice to his tall and slender figure. «Are you ready? I’ve been waiting for you for two hours!»

«I’m sorry, but my sister kept saying she didn’t want her fiance to see her like this, and it took me a while to convince her!» Joy says, combing your hair one last time and adding a pair of sparkly pins on both sides of your head. «But I think she’s simply beautiful. Don’t you agree?» she asks the man standing on the doorstep. You turn to look at him and find yourself holding your breath when you notice he's already been staring at you for quite some time.

«Mh,» he hums, nodding, «but she would look more beautiful if she promised not to make a fuss tonight,» he adds, earning a death stare from you and a chuckle from your sister.

«You know he’s right,» Joy says as she grabs her purse and walks out the door with her fiance. «Or do you wanna make a bad first impression on your future husband and his family?»

You sigh deeply and nod, annoyed. «I promise I won’t say anything that might scandalize their innocent souls,» you say ironically, rolling your eyes. They both grin at your words, and then you all leave the bedroom.

As you walk through the long corridors to join the others, your sister takes Doyoung by the arm and leans her head on his shoulder. That simple action makes you feel something uncomfortable in your stomach, and you wonder if it’s because you ate too many cookies a couple of hours prior, or if you’re simply envious of their relationship. Looking at them, you can clearly tell she’s head over heels for him, and he respects her just as much – not bad for an arranged marriage. Overall, they look happy, and you wish the same for yourself and your future husband. Even if you’re not in love, you hope to be at least happy.

Before your sister opens the door of the royal dining room where Mr. Kim set up the dinner, Doyoung directs his gaze towards you and grins when he catches you staring. You immediately look away, mentally scolding yourself for reasons you don’t even know. That uneasy feeling in your stomach, though, doesn’t go away. If anything, it intensifies.

༄

«Last but not least, we were considering March 21st as the wedding date,» Mr. Moon states in a tone that dismisses any objections. «It’s spring, the weather is nice, and we don’t have any important meetings scheduled for that day.»

«Moreover, you’ll have plenty of time to organize everything, and it won’t be too late for Doyoung and Joy’s honeymoon either!» his wife adds in a much sweeter tone.

You spent the entire evening talking about your sister’s wedding, but you knew the time to talk about yours would come too. Your fiance’s parents asked your opinion on a bunch of things, such as the location of the ceremony and the colors to use, and then proceeded to inform you that they had already chosen almost everything and you only needed to approve it. Not to mention that they all agreed to let the four of you go on a honeymoon together. Your sister seemed excited about it, as did your fiance, while you and Doyoung didn’t look thrilled at the idea, exchanging an unamused look when his father let you know their plan.

«I think March 21st is perfect!» your mother exclaims, clapping. «Don't you agree, honey?» she then asks you with a smile, and you wonder if she truly believes that or if she’s just acting.

«Yeah... I mean, it's cool,» you say with a shrug.

Joy, who's sitting to your left, pinches your thigh beneath the table. «Could you at least try to show a little more excitement?» she scolds you quietly when your parents start talking about something else.

«Those two control freaks have already shown enough for all of us,» you scoff, your gaze fixed on your empty plate, and she can't help but agree. Mr. and Mrs. Moon showed a quite manipulative and controlling attitude throughout the whole dinner, and you'd be lying if you said they didn't scare you a little. Their son, Taeil, on the contrary, seemed to be calm and polite, maybe a little too condescending, and submitted to his parents. He would nod and agree on everything they said, never expressing dissatisfaction or disapproval. Although he didn’t talk much, you could tell he was a nice guy, and attractive too, so you couldn't complain.

«I've heard you've been to the animal rescue center,» a voice interrupts your thoughts, and you realize it's Doyoung's father speaking to you.

«That ruined place we'll demolish soon?» Mr. Moon adds, laughing abruptly. «Did you go there? How did you find it?» he then asks you.

Your sister and her fiance shoot you a glare, silently reminding you of the promise you made earlier, and you sigh. «As you said, it's ruined, and the living conditions of those animals aren't much better. But with enough money, there might be a chance...»

«...to move the animals somewhere else,» Doyoung interrupts you. «There's nothing we can do about the center, but at least we can give those animals a better life.»

You frown, surprised and suspicious, hoping he's telling the truth. When you last talked to him about it, he didn’t seem willing to find a way to save the creatures living in the center. «Really?» you ask him.

«Really?» his father asks at the same time.

«Yes, your daughter helped me come up with this idea, and I find it… interesting,» Doyoung admits, looking at your parents, who are as surprised as you, but for a different reason.

«Our daughter Joy?» they ask, unable to believe that a serious and competent businessman like Doyoung would consider something you suggested.

«No, her,» he replies, pointing at you, and making your parents open their mouths wide. Even your sister is taken aback, mainly because she never saw her fiance accept suggestions for his projects from others. Above all, if those suggestions came out as harsh criticism. And knowing you well, she’s sure you hadn’t been very polite in expressing your views.

«Beautiful and brilliant,» Mr. Moon proudly states as if you were his daughter. «I can’t wait to discuss further details with you someday.»

༄

«I didn’t come up with that idea,» you say, startling the man who’s just come out of the bathroom. It’s almost midnight, every corner of the house is dark and silent, and you secretly sneaked out of your bedroom, hoping Doyoung was awake.

After what he said during the dinner, you couldn’t focus on anything other than finding out if he was telling the truth or just playing with you. You kept wondering what made him change his mind all of a sudden and why he partially lied to everyone in that dining room. Was he just trying to get you to stop talking? Or was he serious about it? Questions like these popped into your head throughout the rest of the evening and kept you distracted, even when Taeil approached you to talk a little, while the others left you alone. You’ve been trying in vain to remember what he said, but your mind was somewhere else. Somewhere far away.

«Are you following me?» Doyoung asks with a smirk.

«No, but I’d like to speak with you.»

«About what?»

«You know it,» you respond, following him to his bedroom.

He sighs, defeated, and stops right in front of his closed door. «You kinda did… come up with that idea, I mean,» he says quietly, scratching the back of his head. «Or rather, you inspired it.»

«And what made you change your mind?»

«You,» he says with a serious look on his face.

«Me?» you ask in a high-pitched tone due to the surprise his answer caused. «Didn’t you say I was just a young girl with her head in the clouds who still had to learn how our society works?»

«I did, and I still believe what I said,» he admits with a grin, and you let out an annoyed ‘tsk’. «But I guess I realized your speech about helping others made sense and decided to try to save those animals.»

You unconsciously smile at his words, glad that someone has finally recognized and credited your ideas. «How are you gonna do that? I think a donation would be...»

«Hey, slow down,» he interrupts you, putting his hand on your bare shoulder. A shiver runs down your spine as his fingers brush against your skin, and you’re glad you’re in the dark, or he would have certainly noticed your flushed cheeks. «The center will shut down anyway: I’ll only save the animals. I’ve already found some organizations willing to spend significant sums of money on them, and I know some people who wouldn't mind owning a couple of thoroughbreds,» he explains, his hand leaving your shoulder as soon as he finishes speaking.

«And who’s gonna keep all that money?»

«Us, of course. We will use it to cover the costs of some of...»

«Why don’t you give it to the owner of the center? They might use it to find a better place where they can continue to work! Hopefully, it’ll be smaller and with fewer animals, but it could be a new beginning!» you interrupt him, and your voice and the words you say sound so pure in his ears that he has to fight the impulse to hold you tightly and not let go. As soon as that thought crosses his mind, he quickly pushes it away and opens the door behind him.

«Will you ever be satisfied? I told you I’d save the animals!» he says as he walks into his room.

«Apparently, there’s something else you can do,» you chuckle and take a small step back. «But saving the animals will be enough for now.»

You hear him sigh and whisper a ‘goodnight.'

«Goodnight,» you reply. «And thank you.»

Then silence falls on the house again.

December 28th

Lazily lying on the couch, you leaf through the pages of a fashion magazine while your sister and your mother discuss the last details of the ceremony with the wedding planner. It's something involving the wedding registry that has to be redone, but you aren’t interested enough to understand the whole situation.

Doyoung, who is sitting on an armchair in the other corner of the living room, tries to listen to the wedding planner’s words but gets frequently distracted. Looking away from the pages you’re pretending to read, you see him sigh for the umpteenth time, trying to keep his composure and then holding back a yawn. You giggle, but it comes out louder than you meant to. While your sister and your mother ignore you, Doyoung shoots you a glare, to which you reply with a grimace and then go back to your fake reading.

«Who would give a married couple something like… this?!» Joy exclaims with a broken voice, pointing at one of the pictures your mother was looking at. The wedding planner looks mortified and immediately deletes the image from the list.

«Darling, no need to overreact,» your mother calmly says. «If you don’t like something, just say it, and we’ll cross it out.»

Your sister takes a deep sigh, nodding, and you mentally promise yourself you wouldn’t get so stressed while planning your wedding.

Another hour goes by, and you become even more bored than you already were. The three women are still sitting around the table, crossing out or circling the words written on the list, while Doyoung is standing next to an old-fashioned globe now, making it rotate from time to time.

«Is it so difficult?» you ask, putting the magazine away after witnessing another mental breakdown from your sister.

«Of course it is, honey,» your mother answers before Joy can attack you with every insult she knows. «It’s important to choose the right gifts: things you might need in the future, for the house, for your honeymoon...»

«Why don’t you just ask for money?»

«That's not how it works,» Doyoung says, grinning.

«Why not? I would...» you suddenly gasp and stand up when a brilliant idea crosses your mind. «Why don’t you set up a fundraiser? Instead of asking for actual gifts, you could ask people to donate a sum of money, and then give it all to a charity!» you exclaim, proud of your idea, but your sister doesn’t look as excited. At all.

«I’m sorry, honey, but it’s my wedding, and the presents are for me to keep,» Joy says, then immediately corrects herself. «I mean, for us.»

«Then I’ll do it at my wedding,» you state. «If Mr. and Mrs. Control Freaks allow it,» you add, earning a death stare from your mother. You don’t even have the time to sit back down on the couch, though, that another idea pops up in your mind, and you stand up again. «How about I do it and donate the money to that animal rescue center? Do you think it’s possible?» you ask Doyoung, who gets a bit startled from your sudden exclamation.

«It is,» he answers. «I mean, you should speak with the director and see if...»

«Can I, please?» you cut him off. «If it’s possible, I’d like to talk to him immediately!»

«First of all, slow down!» your sister scolds you. «Your wedding is in three months! You'll have plenty of time to think about your stupid donation! Let me finish this in peace now!»

Joy goes back to her list, and you move closer to Doyoung. He sparked something inside you, and now he has to deal with it. «Do you think the director’s free this evening?» you whisper-ask him, not to distract your sister.

«What would I know?»

«Aren’t you in touch with him? Can you find out when he’s available and let me talk to him?» you insist, raising your voice again.

«Doyoung, please, do whatever she wants as long as she keeps that big mouth shut!» your sister cries out on the verge of tears, and you realize you may have exaggerated this time. You sigh and go back to your spot on the couch, choosing not to utter a word until the end of that meeting, when you see Doyoung approach you.

«I'll be at the center tomorrow. You can come if you want,» he whispers to your ear. You nod enthusiastically, and a hundred thousand sparks of happiness burst in your eyes.

December 29th

«What are we gonna do now?» you ask Doyoung, trying to relax.

When you woke up that morning, the sun was shining high in the sky, and the weather was unusually pleasant for a December day. You didn’t complain, though, because you’d be outside all day and needed the weather to be pleasant. When you left, right after lunch, it was still sunny, even if some suspicious clouds started appearing in the sky. But you didn’t give it much importance. Ten minutes later, it started snowing a little. Half an hour later, it started snowing a lot. And now you’re stuck in traffic, unable to continue your drive to the center or return home. You’ve never witnessed a snowstorm before, and you must admit it’s scary. Terrifying.

«The cars are moving too slowly: it’ll take us a lifetime to get to the center,» Doyoung states calmly, without showing any signs of panic or fear.

«Are we gonna come back home then?»

He shakes his head. «We’d have to take a different route, but it’s too dangerous right now.»

«Then what?! I don’t wanna be stuck here forever, or worse, die in a snowstorm!» you exclaim, exasperated.

«You’ll survive,» he simply replies, ignoring your complaints and threats to go out and come back home on foot. Not that you’d have the guts to do it.

Time goes by, the sky darkens, and the sun becomes almost invisible, but the snow keeps falling, and you’ve only moved by a dozen meters. Doyoung had previously turned on the radio in an attempt to distract you, but eventually, even music became too much to bear, and he had to turn it off. Your sister kept calling you to check on you, and every time she did, you could hear your mother crying in the background.

«Now I know where I get my anxiety from,» you joke when Joy calls you for the ninth time in an hour.

Suddenly, the car in front of you starts moving again, and Doyoung interrupts your conversation to tell you that he's thought of a way to avoid both the traffic and the snowstorm. «One of my friend’s hotels should be nearby: if we get to that sign, I can turn right, and we should be there in about fifteen minutes.»

You hear your sister scream with joy on the other end of the phone, but your mother forbids her to hang up until you’re safe and sound at the hotel. You reach the sign Doyoung pointed at in ten minutes, but apparently, you aren't the only ones who considered taking refuge in that hotel, as there was another long line of cars heading in that direction. That's why it took you another hour to get to your destination, and Joy kept you company the entire time.

༄

«You’re lucky: there's only one double bedroom left!» the receptionist states after a quick glance at the computer screen.

«Are you sure there aren’t any single rooms available? I’m Jung Jaehyun’s friend,» Doyoung asks, referring to the friend he mentioned before.

«I’m sorry, sir, but a lot of people came here before you because of the snowstorm. This is the only available room we have.»

«It’s okay,» you say, a slight flush of embarrassment running up your cheeks. «It's better than nothing!»

Doyoung nods and the receptionist hands him the key to your room. As soon as you lock the door behind you, you receive another phone call from your sister and spend twenty minutes explaining the situation to her, accidentally omitting the detail of the room you and her fiance have to share. You don't think it’s inappropriate; you just don’t want her to be more worried.

Doyoung has just finished showering when you hang up, and you rush to the bathroom right away. As you get out of the shower, only wrapped in a towel, you find him lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. «I ordered room service,» he says, pointing at a tray on the small table beside the double bed.

«Oh, thank you! I was starving!» you exclaim cheerfully, then turn to look at him. «Don’t you eat?»

He only shakes his head in response, and you shrug, too focused on your empty stomach to care about anything else. After you finish, you set some of the food aside, in case Doyoung gets hungry later, throw away the dirty plastic dishes and sit on the bed next to him.

«You’re getting married in less than two days,» you say, trying to strike up a conversation.

«Right,» he sighs, still staring at the ceiling.

«Joy seems happy,» you continue. «But I’m warning you: if you hurt her, you’re a dead man.»

He chuckles and turns to face you, but his heart skips a beat when his eyes meet yours. «You know, your fundraising idea for the wedding isn’t that bad,» he tells you, changing the topic. «You must be really dedicated to others to do such things.»

«Can I tell you something?» you ask him, and he nods. «I don’t care about my dad’s company. He probably hopes that letting his daughters marry his partners’ sons will give him more control over the business, but I’m afraid that’d be impossible with me. It’s not that I don’t wanna work; I’d rather focus on volunteering and charity work because it’s something that fulfills me. My parents and my sister think I’m a weirdo, though.»

«You are kinda weird,» he says, and you shoot him a glare. «But in a good way. People like us usually only think about money and their businesses, and I’m no exception. But it’s good to know people like you still exist.»

«Like me?»

«Yes. Altruistic, kindhearted, a little naive...»

«I’m not naive!» you exclaim, crossing your arms on your chest and pretending to be hurt.

«Yes, you are! But believe me, it’s not a bad thing.»

«Do you believe my fiance will let me follow my projects? I mean, I’d still do it, but do you think he’ll go along with it?» you ask him after some minutes of silence.

«Probably. Taeil’s the type of person who never contradicts others. I’ve always thought that would only cause him harm, but I guess it could work in your favor.»

«I noticed. He seems to be a nice guy, though. Not the type I would fall in love with, but I don’t dislike him either.»

«Are you okay with marrying someone you don’t love?» Doyoung suddenly asks you, going back to staring at the ceiling.

«The thing is,» you begin, now lying next to him, «I’ve always avoided catching feelings because I knew I'd marry a complete stranger one day.»

«Are you saying you’ve never been in a relationship?»

«Exactly. I never… cared.»

«Does this mean Taeil will be your first… everything?» he asks you, surprised.

«You’re right,» you admit, a little embarrassed. «My first kiss, my first time, and my first wedding too!» you laugh ironically. «I’ll share my first experiences with a stranger, but I’m okay with it as long as we get along, and I’m free to pursue my goals, which involve charity work and volunteering.»

«Love is the most powerful feeling of all and one should experience it in their life, but maybe you’ll live better like that... not even knowing what love feels like.»

You sigh at his words and join him in staring at the ceiling. He was right; you probably don’t even know what love feels like, and you’ve never been even curious to find out until that moment. But then your mind suddenly recalls a quote you read somewhere, something like ‘love comes at a time you never thought it would have.' And you realize you never expected it to happen on a snowy December day, in a hotel room with a man you didn’t even like at first.

«Do you love Joy?» you ask Doyoung, but you don’t need him to speak to find out. After all, your sister had also noticed it.

«She’s a beautiful woman, always high-spirited and lively. She’ll be a good wife, and I’ll be a good husband to her,» he says, maintaining his composure as always.

«But do you love her?» you insist, rolling over to face him. As he feels your gaze on his body, he also turns to look at you, reducing the gap between your faces. Maybe it’s because of his handsome looks or the spicy chicken wings you had for dinner, but your cheeks are on fire… your whole body is.

«I like her very much, and I respect her. Isn’t that sufficient?»

«Indeed,» you agree, nodding. «As long as you don’t hurt her.»

Some time goes by without the two of you speaking, but you don’t look away from each other for even one second. And there it is again, that uncomfortable sensation in your stomach, this time accompanied by an accelerated heartbeat and shaky breathing. His face is serious, almost indifferent, but his eyes betray the attraction he’s feeling for you right now: that strong desire to hold you in his arms and protect you from the world, knowing he’s the only one who can touch you like that...

«Are you tired?» he asks, interrupting the inappropriate stream of thoughts he was having.

«Only a little. Are you?»

He nods. «I’m sorry you didn’t get to talk to the director today.»

«It’s okay,» you say, surprised by his unexpected thoughtfulness. «We'll go another day. Maybe after your wedding.» Your statement reminds him that he’ll be a married man in a few days, with your sister as his wife.

Your sister, not you.

He needs to keep reminding himself of this, or he might give in to some sudden impulse. After all, he’s only known you for a few days and didn’t even like you at first. Now he’s stuck in a hotel room with you – a beautiful girl – while the snow is storming outside. It’s natural to feel some attraction, isn’t it? That doesn’t mean he’s caught feelings or anything.

Then you look at him with your doe eyes, and his limbs weaken.

«Do you want to sleep?» he asks again, and you nod. «There's a light switch there,» he adds, pointing at the wall behind you. When you stand up, you realize the towel is still wrapped around your body. Whatever, you think. At least it’s more comfortable than my clothes.

The room becomes dark, and you stumble a few times before reaching the bed. But as soon as you sit down on the mattress, a hand grabs your arm and pulls you close. Your back touches his chest, your legs intertwine, and his arms wrap you in a tight hug. He’s so close that you can feel his breath on your neck, sending shivers up and down your spine. You know it's wrong, but it feels so right you don’t even try to fight back. It makes your head spin and your heart race, and your entire body feels incredibly warm. You don’t know what love feels like, but you guess it might be something close to that. Something too good to be true.

It’s alright, you think before falling asleep, to silence the guilt. Until tomorrow morning, it’ll be fine.

December 30th

You woke up with Doyoung's arms around you and his body against yours. A bit sleepy, you slowly rolled over, carefully watching every move you made, and ended up with your face too close to his, your noses almost touching. He was still sleeping, so you took advantage of that moment to look at him, noting every little detail of his and keeping it safe in your memory. When he began squirming and stretching his arms and legs, you quickly backed away, closing your eyes again, not wanting to be caught staring at him.

But as soon as Doyoung realized you weren't between his arms anymore, he pulled you close again until your face touched his chest, and wrapped you in a tight hug. You knew you'd said you would only allow it until the morning – and the morning had come – but a few more minutes like that wouldn't harm anyone, right?

«I know you're awake,» he said softly, caressing your hair. You wrapped your arm around his waist, hiding your face in his chest to avoid showing your burning cheeks. Your breaths were both shaky and unsteady, frequently interrupted by deep sighs. «It's no longer snowing,» he said, breaking the comfortable silence.

«We should go then.»

«Yeah.»

Yet, neither of you made a move.

But it wasn't long before your sister called, causing you to fully awaken and move away from him. She asked you when you'd come back, and you said you were about to leave the hotel. She then asked if everything was fine, noting that you sounded a little strange, and you answered that you were just tired. As the call ended, you and Doyoung locked eyes for a few more moments before silently agreeing to get changed and leave.

The drive back home was quiet, as neither of you dared utter a word. The streets were accessible, but the landscape surrounding them was covered in snow. So you decided to focus on that fairy-tale-like scenery to get distracted from any other thought.

You arrived home an hour later, and noticed both families were anxiously waiting for you on the porch. Doyoung pulled over next to some other cars, and you waited a few more minutes before definitely leaving. «We should erase this night from our memories,» you suggested, staring down at your feet, unable to look at him in the eyes.

«I agree,» he replied. But when your eyes met for the last time, they screamed at each other that you would never forget it.

You then spent all day assisting your mother with the preparations for Joy's bachelorette party, while she and Doyoung defined the final details of the ceremony. Mr. Kim had reserved an entire club for that night, with one room for your sister and her friends and another for his son and his friends. That way, the couple wouldn't be too far away even on the last night before their wedding.

You did anything you could to keep yourself occupied, mainly because the sense of guilt was killing you, causing your stomach to twist and turn in pain. You couldn't even look at your sister and see how excited she was: it shattered your heart to know she was completely unaware of the intimate moment you and her fiance had shared at the hotel. Even if what hurt you the most wasn't what happened that night, but rather your feelings about it. And you felt even more guilty when you realized they wouldn't go away as morning came.

You and Doyoung, on the other hand, didn't exchange a word the entire day, only letting your eyes meet briefly whenever you crossed paths. You'd lost count of the times you had to pull yourself together after seeing him, resisting the urge to just talk to him or let your hands accidentally touch. The conflict in your mind was torturing you and wouldn't leave you alone, no matter how hard you tried to ignore it.

I’ll try to forget everything tonight, you thought while getting ready for the evening, looking in the mirror and shaming every part of yourself for what you’d done.

And now you're sitting alone around an empty table, watching your sister have fun with her friends. While they’re going wild on the dance floor, too drunk to understand what they’re doing, you’re absorbed in your thoughts, finding it hard to let loose. One of Joy’s friends tries to convince you to join them, but as soon as she approaches you, she's distracted by another girl who tells her she needs to throw up. «I don’t think your fiance will be happy about this,» the first girl says.

«Yuta doesn’t need to know. Now please, Wendy, let’s go to the restroom!» you hear the other mumble as they walk away.

You considered getting drunk too but only finished a couple of drinks before a knot formed in your stomach, and now you’re just a little bit tipsy. The music gets louder and the air thicker, mixing the expensive brand perfumes all the girls are wearing with the sweat caused by their incessant dancing. You suddenly feel dizzy and decide to leave the room for a while to get some fresh air. It’s still eleven, but you can’t wait to go back home and fall asleep.

The high heels you’re wearing and the dizziness caused by the alcohol make you stumble a few times, so you decide to take them off and let your feet free on the cold floor. You find a service entrance that leads to a long balcony and take a deep breath when you finally feel the cold breeze on your skin, as the loud music fades into the background. You lean against the railing, gazing at the gleaming buildings in front of you for a few seconds, before placing your head between your hands and closing your eyes.

«Why aren’t you with the other girls?» you hear a voice ask from behind you, making you experience a little déjà-vu. This time, though, you don’t even need to turn around to know whose voice it is.

«I needed some fresh air: the air inside made me feel dizzy,» you answer, without opening your eyes.

«Are you drunk?» he chuckles, leaning against the railing next to you.

«Just a little tipsy. You?»

«Me too. I never get totally drunk.»

You raise your head and look at him, whose eyes are fixed on the street below you. «Why aren’t you with your friends? It’s your party,» you ask him.

«They all get crazy when they’re drunk, and I’m not really in the mood to support their madness tonight,» he says, grinning. «Taeil is the only one who keeps his cool even when drunk.»

«Why aren’t you in the mood?» You try not to talk about your fiance, feeling a piercing pain only at the thought of him. Doyoung hesitates before answering your question, letting out a deep sigh. He then looks at you and slowly moves his hand closer to yours until your fingers interlock, making you shiver. «I’ll get married tomorrow,» he simply says, never breaking eye contact.

«I know.»

«With your sister,» he continues.

«... I know.»

«I’m not sure if I wanna marry her,» he admits, and you have to look away to hide the tears forming in your eyes.

«You have to,» you say in a whisper.

«I know.»

Despite the music from inside the club and the never-ending noises of Seoul, the space around you is quiet. «It was just one night, and we did nothing… compromising,» you utter, trying to let go of his hand, but he holds it even tighter.

«But I felt something compromising,» he confesses. «Something, a man shouldn’t feel for his future wife’s sister.»

«It meant nothing,» you insist, looking at him with glossy eyes. «We must forget it even happened. I can’t… I can’t do that to Joy. Neither can you.»

He brushes his free hand against your cheek and then runs it through your hair, and you realize you’ve already lost the battle with your rational self and don’t do anything to stop him. He lets go of your hand to reach your waist and pulls you closer, letting you hide your face in the crook of his neck. Your fingers cling to his shirt, creasing it slightly. «What did you do to me,» you hear him whisper.

«Promise me that we won't let something like this happen ever again,» you tell him, but your trembling voice contradicts your firm words. «You’ll marry Joy, I’ll marry Taeil, and we’ll forget everything.»

«I promise,» he says with a deep sigh but doesn’t seem ready to let you go just yet, keeping you close to him.

«Joy will make an excellent wife. She’s the most amazing woman I know: you won’t be unhappy with her.»

I’ll be unhappy without you, he thinks.

But it’s something he can’t say out loud.

«Taeil will be a good husband as well,» he tells you instead. «He’s respectful and loving, and I’m sure you… you won't be disappointed in him.»

Then, he pulls away and smiles melancholically. You smile back and approach the door he'd left open. «See you tomorrow,» you say as you wave him off. «We’ll be fine.»

You then walk away, without even bothering to wear your heels, shaken by a rush of chills. The music gets louder as you walk, and the voices become more distinct, but the sudden sound of quick steps drowns out all those noises, making you turn around to see what’s going on. As you do so, though, you get pushed against the wall, Doyoung’s figure hovering over you.

«I won’t be fine,» he mumbles, then grabs your chin and leans over. You look at each other with tender yet lustful eyes for a split second, then he kisses you. You feel shy at first, not knowing what to do or how to move, but his lips encourage you to let yourself go, led by your emotions. You then put your arms around his neck, standing on tiptoes, while his hands grab your hips and pull them closer to his. He gives you a few seconds to catch your breath before trapping you between his arms and kissing you again, only stopping to bite your lips, causing you to let out weak and muffled moans that drive him crazy.

«I won’t be fine,» he repeats, wheezing. Then he cups your cheeks with his hands and gives you one last peck before you hear a door open, forcing you to let go. It’s Taeil, looking for the future groom to take him back inside, as requested by their drunk friends. When your fiance notices your presence, he gets a bit startled but is quick to hide his surprise.

«I’m coming,» Doyoung tells him, turning to you to exchange one last gaze before parting ways.

December 31st

A large crowd has gathered outside the small church when you arrive. Doyoung is already inside with his best men while his parents are in the courtyard, talking with a group of people. You recognize Joy’s friends from the night before, and even if they’re obviously hungover, they still manage to look stunning. You and your parents are the last ones to get there, and immediately inform the guests that the bride is about to arrive, prompting everyone to enter the church and take a seat. You walk to the Kim family pew on the first row, and as soon as you sit, your gaze meets Doyoung’s, who’s standing right in front of the altar.

You hadn’t seen him that morning, too busy getting ready and then helping your sister get dressed, and now your heart’s sinking in front of his glacial yet stunning looks. You smile at him, trying to hide your deep sadness, but he looks away.

Then, the wedding march starts playing, and everyone stands up and turns around to admire your sister’s entrance. She shines like a ray of sunlight, absolutely gorgeous in her regal wedding gown, as white as the snow that covered the valley surrounding that place, and with a long monarch train. You see her radiant smile behind the see-through veil, and you feel a grip on your stomach as she approaches the altar, holding the hand Doyoung offered her.

After that, everything becomes a blur. The priest’s voice sounds like a distant echo in your head, and all the people around you transform into vague figures without names or faces. Your lips are smiling, but your eyes are filled with tears that aren't from happiness. The ceremony lasts about an hour, which you spend fighting the urge to run away and never come back.

She’s your sister, you tell yourself, and he’s her husband.

You love Joy. You truly do. And you would never do anything that could hurt her. That’s why you're desperately trying to push away the bitter grief that’s slowly creeping inside you. You know that what you're feeling is immoral and unfair to her, and your mind has been fighting tooth and nail to stop your heart from craving something you will never have.

Someone you can’t have.

Still, regretful tears leave your eyes the moment the couple makes their vows, and you must bite your lower lip to hide its trembling while your fingers firmly grip the hem of your shawl. And your heart writhes once and for all when you finally hear Doyoung say: «I do.»

277 notes · View notes

ptergwen · 3 years

Text

from one kid to another

w/c: 6.0k

warnings: mentions of drinking, lots of swearing, implied smut, and angst at times

summary: it was a mistake, a beautiful one that you didn’t make on your own

a/n: this genuinely is my favorite thing i’ve ever written :,) i say that a lot but this time i mean it, it’s really special i think and i so so so hope y’all do too <3 enjoy my loves

there’s only one thing in life that testing positive for is actually positive.

depending on the situation, obviously. yours isn’t ideal, or planned or a blessing or whatever people say. it’s a gigantic mistake that you didn’t realize you made until a minute ago.

you’d noticed something was wrong when your time of the month came and all you experienced was the symptoms. cramps, cravings, everything except your actual period. as everyone is pretty much taught to do, you ran to the closest drug store for a pregnancy test. what the hell else could it be? you messed around a few weeks ago, so there’s a possibility.

your heart felt like it was going to explode out of your chest the whole time you waited for the results. you’d thought of calling tom over for support, but there are a couple of reasons why you couldn’t do that. you realized you made the right decision when your timer for the test went off.

two red lines. you’re pregnant. you’re pregnant, and your best fucking friend is the father.

where do you go from here?

the test falls from your hand and hits the floor with a mocking clank. you slide down until your back is against the bathtub. well, you’re fucked. what an ironic word choice.

the fact that you aren’t ready in the slightest to be a parent when you’re still growing up yourself is one thing. it’s another that this could ruin the most important relationship you’ve ever had.

no, tom won’t be mad. he’s never once fought with or even raised his voice at you. in your times of need, he’s been the one to uplift you and kiss your puffy cheeks dry. no matter how he takes this, you know it won’t be out on you. he is half responsible.

but, with how you left things the last time you spoke, you’re not sure you’ll be able to get past it.

tom is alarmingly good at hiding how he truly feels. you always tease him that it’s because he’s a gemini. he’ll come back with shut up, i’m an actor and stick his nose in the air to give you the full image. in all seriousness, it does take a toll on how well he can communicate.

you’ve seen it in small ways, like when he brings you along for press days and uses unenthusiastic smiles to cover up his yawns. how he’ll be polite in a conversation with people he’d rather not speak to, then mumble about it once you’re home. he tries to put forward the “appealing” parts of himself even though he’s more than them.

tom’s biggest communication issue is that he’s been in love with you since year nine and hasn’t said a word about it. you’ve yet to figure that one out.

you two became friends while tom was starring in billy elliot. his schedule was so scattered between shows and school, so he struggled to balance both. he often had to stay late for extra help on the lessons. you’d also been there a few times. you worked better in the classroom, and he was grateful he didn’t have to be alone with the teacher.

most kids made fun of tom for his interest in theater, to his face and behind his back. not you. you thought it was just incredible that someone in your own classes worked at the west end. you’d told him on your way home one night.

he’d heard you before he saw you. “you’re tom, right?” you asked from behind him, the two of you making your way through the hall. the question sounded friendly, and it wasn’t every day kids were nice to him. tom stopped walking so you could catch up. “yes, and you are?” you gave him a small smile, books clutched to your chest. he instantly returned it.

“y/n. i heard you’re in billy elliot?” you laughed at your understatement, then corrected yourself. “that you are billy elliot, i mean. that’s so cool.” “oh, i am. thank you,” he chuckled back, a full grin taking over his face. you were both walking again, you by tom’s side. “i was hoping to come see you soon.” your voice got quieter as you told him, like you were nervous.

tom never had much luck with girls, not at this point in his life. this was an opportunity to change that. at the very least, to make a new friend. he offered something you said yes to without a beat of hesitation. “what if i got you the tickets?”

from then on, you began talking during class and not only when it ended. tom really knew how to keep the conversation going, telling story after story that left you laughing so much your teacher would shush you. you’d eventually moved to hangouts at either of your houses. harrison came into the mix at some point, the three of you forming your own group.

the difference between tom and harrison was that while harrison linked with other girls, tom was only interested in you. he’d gotten a crush on you pretty fast, if he was being honest. it might have been your shared sense of humor or the way you said his name.

thomas, when he was being cheeky. tommy, which took the place of a pet name. even regular tom. that might have been his favorite. he loved how it rolled off your tongue. he loved, and still loves, you.

you’d gone to all of tom’s performances you possibly could, the ones for school theater included. you also gave him the push to take his talents to hollywood. tom was afraid he wasn’t cut out for the big screen, that he needed more practice and experience first. you told him that if this was what he wanted to do, he had to start somewhere. why wait?

tom then landed his first movie role in the impossible at the age of fifteen. he’d received tons of praise and almost gotten nominated for an academy award, all because you convinced him to audition. you played a huge part in keeping him grounded when he was between films, and caught him up on whatever schoolwork he’d missed.

you practically zoomed to tom’s house when he was announced as the next spider-man. you’d been constantly refreshing every social media platform marvel was on since tom became a finalist for the part. that process was probably the most difficult experience he’s ever gone through. you’d know, having heard all about it from tom.

the two of you celebrated along with the rest of tom’s family that night. you kept giving him little proud of you squeezes on his shoulder or knee. tom is eternally indebted to you for being the most supportive of everything he does.

he of course sends the support right back. although he went down the movie star path, acting wasn’t for you. you’d gone off to university and studied hard as hell and aced all your shit. tom quizzed you on material whenever you needed. he wanted to help you somehow, and this was all you’d let him do.

he’d offered to pay off your loans and any other expenses necessary because he had the money to do that now. you refused every single time, not trying to become dependent on him. he admired your drive, yet hated it at the same time. everything you’d done for him, it was his turn to be the caretaker. it should’ve been.

whenever tom wrapped filming for the holidays and came back home, you were always preparing for final exams. he kept you company, content with simply being in your presence. you typed away on your keyboard and read over notes until your eyes burned. tom occasionally brought you snacks, tea, asked how you were and what he could do.

sometimes, he would have to cut your study time short. he’d say it wasn’t healthy or you were overdoing it and to come relax with him for a bit. other times, tom let you be. he didn’t want to get in the way of your already stressful assignments. those were the nights you’d fall asleep in front of your laptop. drool on your chin, hunched over at your desk.

tom made sure to tuck you in, press a light kiss to whatever part of your face wasn’t covered in spit, then let himself out. he knew where your spare key was, so he used that. you’d wake up to a “Fell asleep studying again. Rest today x” text the next morning.

when it came time for you to graduate, tom was on the first flight there. it was during another round of reshoots for chaos walking. he respectfully told doug that he’d have to work around his schedule or replace him, which couldn’t be done so late into filming. tom didn’t care that it made him seem like a prick. he was getting to you no matter what he had to do.

he’d earned plenty of stares and whispers from people as he took his seat in the crowd. he was a proper celebrity now, so he expected it. his solution was to ignore everything and chat with your family about how proud they were of you, tom the most. he saw you go from a kid attempting algebra equations to an adult at her uni graduation. you’ve really grown up together.

it was why he teared up hearing them call your name, seeing you beam as you walked across the stage. your mom grabbed his hand and nodded at him, like she could tell exactly what was going through his head.

you ran right up to tom after the ceremony was over, leaping into his arms. he let out a couple of chuckles as he spun you around. “i didn’t think you’d make it,” you’d admitted, happy yet sad tears in your eyes. tom put you down so he could pull you in for a real hug. “i’ll always be wherever you are, y/n,” he said into your ear, rocking you while you gripped at his suit collar.

flash forward to a year later, your career is finally taking off, tom’s is flourishing like it has been for years, and you’re pregnant with his child. you’re trying to recall the series of events that led you to this moment.

you were both drunk, blackout drunk because the only reason you remember sleeping together is that you woke up naked in the same bed. harrison’s bed.

he threw a housewarming party for himself, having recently moved out of tom’s and the other boys’ place. the three of them, sam, and you were all in attendance, along with a lot of others you hadn’t met.

neither you nor tom could figure out where he knew all those people from. he’d clinged to you two for the most part, more so you now with tom usually away. they could have been from work. harrison is breaking into the business himself, small roles here and there. tom actually met him in your school’s theater program, then he introduced him to you, ten years ago already.

sam entertained himself by making concoctions with the snacks harrison set out. harry got together a playlist for the party. harrison and tuwaine struck up a conversation with some of harrison’s actor friends. that left you and tom alone, out of stuff to do, and with one way to fix it.

“drink?” tom had asked you, a smirk playing on his lips. “love one,” you hummed back and set off for the kitchen. the two of you raided harrison’s liquor cabinet, grabbing his biggest bottle of wine. he’d dumbly pointed it out during the house tour he gave you before the other guests arrived.

you were about to search for glasses, but tom’s fingers threaded through yours. he gently tugged you away and nodded behind him. “let’s bring this upstairs. seems much more fun there,” he’d murmured over the music, a grin breaking across your face.

tom is big on clubbing and socializing, however, you aren’t. he comes up with ways to get you out of these events, just in case.

“we can break in harrison’s bed for him,” you said as a completely harmless joke, no intentions of that becoming your reality later on. spoiler alert: it did. “and how are we gonna do that?” tom quirked a suggestive eyebrow and breathed out a laugh as you dragged him towards the stairs. despite yourself, you’d giggled at his words.

not one drink in either of you yet, and you were stumbling and cracking up as you ran upstairs. you’d pulled tom by your still attached hands into what you remembered as harrison’s room. tom shut the door, locked it, saying under his breath that would be a “convenient investment” for him to make as well.

he took out a bottle opener that he must have put in his pocket at some point and got to work on your wine, you getting comfortable on the new mattress. the two of you passed it to the other after every sip, tom licking the taste of your lip gloss off his own lips every so often.

the equivalent of three drinks in, you were making out. both of you were just tipsy at this point, tom holding you by your hips as you lied down, your legs around his waist. god, he could’ve done this sober. he’d dreamed about kissing you, really kissing you since he was fourteen. you’d always felt like you two had something more. ah, there it was.

halfway through the bottle got you past the next two bases, and you were ready for the fourth and ultimate one by the time you shook the last few drops onto the tip of your tongue. tom groaned at the sight of that, drawing your half naked body in closer to his.

you two had forgotten to use protection in each of your drunken states. without a doubt, you both would’ve agreed to a condom had your minds not been everywhere but where they should have.

you’d woken up first the morning after, panic immediately coursing through your veins thicker than blood. a fully nude and sleeping tom had you in his embrace, arms secured around your middle, facing you. you gasped when you made the connection, loudly enough to wake tom up. his long eyelashes tickled your face, a confused pout on his lips. uh... um...

“did we fucking...” you trailed off, no words to describe whatever unfolded. “fuck?” tom finished for you. a very blunt explanation, but true nevertheless. “looks like it,” he rasped, pout changing into a smile. your face fell at the vague memories of how you spent your night.

you definitely wanted to do it. just, he’s your best friend, who’s seen you at your least sexy moments over the years. when you were sick, had breakdowns from stress, you name literally anything, tom was there. it took one bottle of cheap wine for him to forget that?

the real answer was no. tom is entirely in love with you, for a decade at that. you were beginning to discover you feel the same, only you had no idea he already loves you. you’d assumed this was meant to be merely a hookup. from the frown your face held, he’d thought you were regretting it. oh, were you both so wrong.

“um... we don’t have to talk about it,” tom told you halfheartedly, under the impression that’s what you preferred. you physically felt yourself get weaker in tom’s strong arms. he’s not interested. “yeah, that’s probably for the best. i...” you were lying. his heart shrunk, shriveled up inside his chest. she doesn’t love me like that.

“you have to go. aren’t you behind on some emails?” tom hoped you didn’t hear his voice strain from the tears pushing at his eyes. “right. almost forgot, thanks.” you’d plastered on a smile, slipping out of his grasp. a tear rolled down his cheek, so he wiped it away before you noticed. you’d already gotten out of the bed and begun picking your clothes up off the floor.

“i’ll drive you home, then.” he rolled on to his other side, you thought so he could give you privacy to change. it was that, and also because he was crying. he couldn’t hold it in. tom is naturally an emotional person. imagine finding out the love you’ve had almost half your life is unreciprocated. it’s soul crushing.

you two found harrison snoring and on top of tuwaine as you left the house. no silly remarks or shared glances for the first time in ten years. tom couldn’t muster anything up, and you felt numb.

the drive was painful. you’d said your goodbyes after tom pulled up to the curb, which held an odd weight to them. once you were out of the car, a sob wracked through him, banging on the steering wheel and not giving a shit about the loud horn going off. you collapsed face first onto your bed. hours passed by while you stared at nothing and contemplated everything.

since it happened, you haven’t spoken much. small talk over text every few days or so, both of you pretending things are normal for the other’s sake. about a month later, today, is when you found out you’re pregnant.

there’s no use wallowing in any of this. you need to figure out your next move, one that should probably involve tom. first, you want to talk to someone else. you want other opinions and a voice in your head that isn’t your own. harrison gets a text from you saying to come over now, the now in all caps. he does.

you let him in after the second knock, his eyebrows furrowing in concern. however torn you are, you must look it. shirt balled in your fists, lip quivering. he keeps his eyes on yours as he steps inside, pushing the door shut behind him. this is all becoming too real. “y/n, are you okay?”

you’re about to cry in three, two...

“haz, i fucked up,” you choke out, tears unable to stay at bay. he takes you into his arms for a hug. half your face is hidden in his shoulder, hands clutching at his back. he lets you cry it out, holding you until your heavy breathing steadies. “what’s happened?” harrison asks quietly, both of you leaving the hug.

“if- if i tell you, you can’t freak out. you can’t tell anyone else, either,” you instruct, searching his eyes for certainty that he won’t under any circumstances. “i won’t, y/n/n,” he assures you and puts an encouraging hand on your arm. your heart pounding abnormally fast, you spit it out. your first time saying it aloud. “i’m pregnant.”

harrison flinches and doesn’t even try to conceal it. he takes his hand off of you, worry swimming across his features. he blinks at you, unsure of what to say. you’d react the same way, maybe worse, so you don’t blame him. a discussion you, him, and tom had a couple years back replays in his mind.

the three of you were talking about your futures, seeing as you were close to living them. when tom asked you two where you stood on having your own families, you didn’t hesitate to answer. “nope, the factory is closed for a long ass time.” until you were in your thirties, you aimed to focus on yourself. harrison distinctly remembered because of how you phrased it.

“you’re... you... wow,” is all he replies with. you head over to the couch, more tears welling up in your eyes. do the pregnancy hormones act up this early? harrison follows you over and sits down next to you with an awkward clearing of his throat. “do you want to be pregnant?” he has to ask because he’s not sure if he should congratulate you or what.

“i don’t know,” you answer honestly, voice airy. your eyes are fixed on the wall in front of you. you haven’t given yourself time to think about it. there are so many reasons you don’t, and a single one you do. “do you, um, know who the dad is?” harrison glances over at you. “yeah.” your voice cracks. you’re both afraid for him to ask what he does next.

he shifts so he’s sitting up. “can i know?” a sniffle passing through you, you finally look at him. “it’s tom,” you say it before you lose the nerve to. harrison’s face doesn’t change this time. he isn’t surprised you and tom went there. he’d seen your friendship growing into more the older you all got. what he can’t believe is where it took you.

his best friend pregnant, and his other best friend responsible for it.

“when did you...” “at your party,” you explain, bringing your legs up so they’re criss cross on the couch. “i thought you were gone a little too long.” he says that to try cheering you up. you appreciate the effort, but it doesn’t work. you’re not in a joking mood. he’ll stick to the main issue. “so, have you told him?”

“clearly not,” you scoff, not at him but at what you two have gotten yourselves into. “y/n... i think you should tell him,” harrison sighs out, then adds, “whether you keep it or not.” “why? that would ruin everything, it already has.” you’re getting angry now, which plunges you into angry crying, voice unsteady as you go on.

“the last time i saw tom was that night, and i guess it meant more to me than it did to him because we haven’t talked about it at all. he didn’t want to.” you swipe the back of your hand across your eyes, gaze stern compared to harrison’s soft one.

he drapes an arm around your shoulders, you curling into him with another sniffle. he doesn’t say anything for a minute, then he tries again. “i know you, y/n, and i know tom. you’ll kill yourselves not talking about this.” he’s right, no shit he is. avoiding telling tom how you feel, and your pregnancy on top of that, it’s eating you up inside. it’s swallowing you whole.

“what if he doesn’t want to be a dad? or- or i’m a shit mum?” you croak out, your doubts getting the best of you. “i can barely take care of myself. what am i supposed to do with a baby?” you’re leaning forward with your hands pressing into your temples. harrison’s hand moves to your upper back. “i- i don’t think i should have them. i... we can’t,” you conclude.

“tom loves kids,” he gives you a gentle reminder. “why would his own be the exception?” another good point, yet you still have rebuttles. “right, he’s a godfather and he’s really good with them and all that, but i’m not the right person, and it’s a terrible time,” you tell him all at once, in a rush to get your words out before harrison’s sway you.

“he’s never around, i’m doing my own stuff. we’re not meant for this.” you lift your head out of your hands and sit back on the couch. harrison returns his hands to his lap. he’s frowning at you, which you see from the corner of your eye. “i’m not going to force you to have the baby. just saying you have options.”

yeah, really shitty ones.

“either way, talk to tom.” harrison says this more like a demand so you’ll take his advice into actual consideration. “at least about the hookup.” your teeth sink into your lower lip, eyes watering for the nth time already.

you have no choice because he’s right again. you’ll never move on from what happened unless you and tom address it.

the next morning, you do what harrison told you to and invite tom over. he replied saying he was on his way maybe a minute later. he’s nervous to see you because yeah, but more so looking forward since it’s been so long. you’re so nauseous you barely have room for nerves. it’s morning sickness with a hint anxiety.

it feels almost normal when he first gets here, no how’ve you been and what are you up to these days? being as close as you and tom are, you’re not capable of such a dry conversation. personally, you still feel uneasy while he recounts a golfing incident him and harry got into the other day. you know something he doesn’t.

“when i tell you we flew, we flew,” tom makes a pushing forward motion with both hands. “right into the tree. i think harry, like, dented part of his face.” he lets out a breathy laugh, you forcing out one of your own. you’d be more interested without the fact that you’re expecting a child, his child, at the back of your mind.

tom exhales, shifting to face you on your couch. it’s funny how different things were when you and harrison sat in these same spots yesterday. so much has and is about to change.

“they had to send another golf cart to come get us. it was wild.” “it sounds wild,” you hollowly agree. he can tell you’re not too invested in hearing about harry’s terrible driving skills, so he changes the subject. “anyway, harrison told me he came over last night?” your stomach drops, heat coming over your whole body.

“did... did he say why?” you murmur with a look of urgency in your eyes. tom shrugs a shoulder, and casually. there’s no way he knows. “no, was he supposed to?” his tone stays playful, which you can thankfully tell. that puts you more at ease. “no. no, never mind. i would’ve asked you to come, but...” you’re searching through your catalog of excuses.

thank god tom says something else because you can’t find a good one. “it’s alright. i actually, um, had a work call.” a small smile spreads across his face, a proud one. intrigued, you raise both eyebrows. “what’d you talk about?” tom twiddles with his fingers in his lap. “i’ve been offered an audition for this really amazing film. everything works out, it’ll be huge for me.”

you’re smiling back this time, putting a hand over one of his. “woah, that’s incredible. i’m so happy for you, tom.” you lock your fingers with his from the back of his hand. he looks down at them, humbly shaking his head. “when is it?” “a few weeks from today. it films in brazil...”

oh. you can’t tell him now. it’s not worth him missing out on a milestone in his career for a baby you’re not sure you should have. that would be so unfair of you to ask. what are you going to do, not support his dreams for the first time in a literal decade? and, you’d call yourself his best friend through it all?

you guess this also means the way you feel about tom is one sided. he’s okay with leaving you after the most intimate moment you two have ever shared. you’ll dance around it the rest of your lives. better yet, act like the night never even happened. that’s not so easy to do when you’ve got a permanent reminder of it.

the thought makes you sick to your stomach. so sick, you could...

while tom is talking more about what the audition entails, you suddenly bolt up from the couch. you run for the bathroom, a hand cupped over your mouth. his face twists up in confusion from your disappearance. tom calls, “y/n/n?” out to you, but you can’t respond because your head is in the toilet. he rushes in when he hears you retching.

he gets onto the floor with you. you’re bent over, puking your guts out, back in another place where your life changed forever less than twenty four hours ago. tom pulls your hair out of your face and into a makeshift ponytail with one hand, his other on your back. that’s all you have in you. you stay over the toilet just to be sure.

saliva drips from your mouth, making you cough roughly, the sound echoing. tom moves so he’s next to you, keeping his hand in your hair and not caring one bit about the smell because he loves you and he’s utterly concerned about what he witnessed.

“love, are you sick?” he coos, searching for your eyes. they water from the intensity of everything. “morning sickness,” you answer without thinking first. shit. shit, shit, shit. it came out of you like more vomit, word vomit. there’s no going back now.

tom lets go of your hair with his eyes still on yours. his hand on your back then leaves you, fingers trailing down your body as they go. “morning sickness,” he repeats, putting it together. “you’re pregnant?” guilt taking over your features, you sit across from tom. you’re once again leaning against the bathtub, him against the counter.

“this isn’t how i wanted you to find out,” you admit and bring your knees up to your chest. “i took a test yesterday. it was positive.” your arms wrap around your legs, you now tearing up because tom figured it out. a shaky breath passes his lips. “i haven’t gone to my doctor or anything yet, but i-“

“are you keeping the baby?” tom cuts in. not to judge you for your choice, to find out what the fuck is going on before he travels across the world. you tighten your arms around yourself, grabbing your wrist. “i haven’t decided.” he gives you an understanding nod and reaches out for you. you dodge him. he might not want to do that after what you say next.

“tom, i... there’s more,” you whimper out. “yeah. i’m... i’m listening,” tom croaks, unable to hold in his infinite amount of emotions for a multitude of reasons. he’s losing you a second time. more tears spill from your eyes as you break the news, the news that will destroy what he’s been working towards his entire life.

“the baby is yours.” his face relaxes, looking almost relieved when you confess it. “when we slept together, uh,” you’re sure it’s obvious enough that you don’t have to go over the details. he’s tearing up himself. you reluctantly continue. “if you still want to audition, i get it. we don’t have to do this.”

“fuck the audition. fuck the whole movie. all of my movies, really,” tom surprises you by blurting out. he moves in until your legs are touching. “i’m staying. even if you don’t have the baby, i have to be here.” you watch in disbelief as he wipes away what are actually happy tears. “really? i was scared you’d resent me for it, or hate me even,” you mumble to him.

“y/n, what? why would i ever do that?” tom places a hand on your cheek, touch gentle and filled with love. you part your legs so he can be closer to you. he takes the space between them, thumb brushing over your skin. “i didn’t think you’d want to deal with all of this. i thought that night was only a hookup for you.” your voice wobbles under his gaze.

“no, are you kidding? i thought that’s what you thought.” he’s smiling now, eyes twinkling along with it. what he’s been meaning to tell you since you were only kids finally comes out. “i’ve loved you as long as i’ve known you, y/n. i always imagined myself doing this with you.” his words draw a quiet laugh from you, a happy one. “i know we were drunk, but i meant it all.”

the sincerity in his voice, the warmth in his eyes, they make you cry all over again. you’re getting used to it.

“i love you, tom,” you lean into him with a sniffle and a grin, his forehead now resting on yours, using his thumb to catch one of your tears. “i really do.” “i love you forever. i always have,” tom speaks lowly, breath fanning across your face. your hands grab at his shoulders. “so, you’ll stay? you’ll do this with me?” he reminds you of what he said before, this time a promise.

“forever.”

you ended up having the baby, and tom held your hand through the entire labor. nikki was holding his other hand, your mom holding your other hand. harrison had originally been in the room as well. when you started to push, he got freaked out and had to leave. your support system remained strong either way.

despite his repulsion of your daughter’s birth, you and tom decided to make harrison her godfather. he eventually became the godfather of your other two children also, which you had a few years later.

tom took a paternity leave from the industry so he could be with you and jamie. he’d also used his time off to propose to you, something else he fantasized about since year eleven in school. it wasn’t anything too grand because the whole world was already buzzing about you two, and a big gesture felt too impersonal with everything you’d been through together.

he did it in the form of passing a note, something you often did in class to avoid being scolded by your teacher for talking. the note came with a pencil to check off either the yes or no box, “will you marry me?” written above them. anyone else would have found it so unromantic, but you giggled as you checked off yes before your lips crashed into his smiling ones.

you were married shortly after the proposal, jamie as your flower girl and all your friends and family in attendance.

to do what he loved and stay with the people he loved, tom created his own version of hollywood in london. he took it upon himself to assemble a team and make a production company. harry behind the camera, harrison and tuwaine in the films, and tom either starring alongside them or directing. they give so many young actors tons of opportunities.

you eventually went back to work, too. it was like you’d never left, coworkers offering endless hugs and going over what you missed, not that you struggled getting into it. tom was there to celebrate every promotion, every compliment from your boss, every part of your life. jamie was also there, then liam and lucy.

all three of them are running around the house right now, putting on shoes and collecting their supplies for school. you take a sip of the orange juice liam didn’t finish with a lighthearted eye roll. tom chuckles as he passes you in the kitchen, getting the kids’ lunchboxes for them to minimize the chaos.

“you have that pitch meeting today, right?” he slips his hands through the lunchbox handles and walks over to you. “mhm,” you hum, mouth full with juice. his lips press to your temple, giving your waist a one handed squeeze. “you’ll smash it. always do.” “thanks, tommy.” putting down the cup, you reach up to button whatever parts of his shirt he didn’t have time to.

“aren’t you doing a casting? for the new script they sent?” you wonder aloud and smooth down the cotton material. “me and harry. should be interesting,” he remarks, you giving him a quick kiss back on his chin. they tend to have their artistic differences. “good luck with that. you do drop off, i’ll do pick up?” you pat one of the lunchboxes around his arms.

“deal.” tom goes in for a kiss on your lips, then a chorus of dad, we have to go led by jamie rings through the house. with a knowing smile, you push at his chest. “see you later. love you.” “love you, holland,” he bites back a grin of his own. his last name, now yours, suits you perfectly.

#tom holland #tom holland fluff #tom holland smut #tom holland x you #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland fic #tom holland fanfiction #tom holland imagine #tom holland au #peter parker #peter parker fluff #peter parker smut #peter parker imagine #peter parker x reader #marvel

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dadzawa-adopt-dabi · 3 years

Text

Rainy scents

Dabi flops face first into his nest, shivering as he burrows into the blankets. Wet from the rain and turning smacking a hand around to find the control for the heating pad underneath it. He no longer had to shiver by himself until one of the League members took pity on him enough to come into his room. His scent problem now circumvented with one nice expensive stolen nest warmer.

It smells like him and Hawks, the combined scents making something fresh spicy and leathery. It's been one of his favorite things since he started snatching blankets from Hawks’ place. As well as the stray shirt or two.

He's still looking for the cord when his door opens again and he pauses with only his hand poking out of his nest. Hawks scent teases at his nose and he hopes Hawks is too close to the door to smell his nest yet. He's stiff all over and lightly growling as he forces himself into his shallow nest as deep as he can, instead of waving Keigo in to cuddle with him and warm him up.

"It’s just me Dabi, having a bad day?" Hawks asks, sneezing, before throwing his aviator jacket on top of Dabi. they had both gotten caught out in the rain, and had just gotten inside the leagues base. Dabi had half expected Keigo to go home, not come find his omega to cuddle.

Dabi's growl deepens in distress as he tries to wrangle in instincts. He likes Keigo, but Keigo is in his room near his nest and Dabi has enough of a issue getting sex partners to look past his body. Hawks is... he's Dabi's lucky lottery ticket. The winning numbers. A good person, kind, respectful of Dabi's boundaries and he cares for those around him. And rich, he can't believe he forgot rich and good looking.

"Am- am I not allowed to see the nest?" Keigo sounds heart broken and Dabi shivers. Caught between telling Hawks that he, he's allowed in if Dabi doesn't disgust him. And making him get out now so he doesn't have to see the look on Hawks face turn to disgust when he realizes what Dabi smells like.

"It's alright, Dabi, come out and tell me what's going on." Hawks questions the now whining Omega. Not unusual for Dabi to go from vocalizing anger and warnings to pleading.

Dabi's throat almost audibly clicks shut. Hawks is going to hate his scent, his scent glands have been damaged for years. he doesn't even take off his blockers during sex with the Alpha. The nest has to smell like them, he tried getting around scenting it when he first made it but it hadn't been the same. The scent patch he took off when he got in, sopping wet and useless, his stupid overly active gland was going to reek the place up.

"Dabi? Is this-" Hawks hesitates picking up the edge of his sleeve and obviously unsure how to ask what he needs to. "Is this a me thing?" he winces and hurries on so Dabi doesn't get the wrong idea. "Like, my fault or one of the things from your past and you're just not okay with me in here? Because I can go hang out with Twice."

Dabi shuffled in his nest as he weighed his options. it was probably going to have to be talked about at some point. He was going to quickly run out of time as well with how this was going anyways. Keigo didn't deserve to feel like he was doing something wrong either when he hadn't done anything.

"No I- Its just..." he huffed and poked his head out of his nest for a moment. "C'mere. you know how, the scars. They took out most of my glands alright? I got one and a half left."

"You don't have to tell me. Just if I can do something I want to." Hawks came up to the edge of the nest and crouched down beside it, relaxing as the smell of his and Dabi's mixed scents hit his nose. He wasn't sure what was wrong here, Dabi still had a scent enough to scent the nest.

"It's, uh, they overproduce it and I stink, Keigo. Like, I don't know. Shigaraki has said it's like blood but hot?" he grimaced. Clutching Hawks coat in his hands, he loved Hawks sharp cold earthy scent. He felt his gland on his neck throb and the half one on his inner thigh felt slick, they were already producing excess oil and with it. His overpowering scent."Toga likes it but she's the only person I've met since it happened who does."

"Can I come in the nest?" Hawks frowned, Dabi's scent was strong yeah but it wasn't bad? He smelled a little like blood and charcoal.

"I mean, if you want, sure. But it's going to get really strong, Hawks, you're not going to like, offend me if you don't want to be in here." Dabi went to move over and make room but Hawks crawled directly on top of him as he flushed.

"I like how you smell. I like your scent, Dabi." He tucked his head against Dabi's neck and breathed it in. Letting himself lick at his gland a little as Dabi gasped and arched into him. He grinned and waited to see if he would be scolded for the action. The skin was red and puffy, irritated from the adhesive patch.

"You, you really don't have to do that," Dabi strained out and held tightly to Hawks' sides as he moaned. "Fuck, holy shit. Never knew why that was a big deal till now."

"Feel good? Can I do it again, Dabi?" he questioned as he started a deep loud content rumble from his chest.

"Oh gawd, you’re gonna kill me one of these days, Kei." Dabi wheezed out as Keigo grinded down and discovered to his delight that Dabi was just as turned on as he was.

"Kinda want to keep you alive." Keigo smirked and snuck his hands up Dabi's shirt, playing with pierced nipples as he licked at Dabi's scent gland again. Dabi keened high enough that his voice cracked on it and he tucked what felt like a very warm face against him. He tugged on Dabi's pants questioningly and got a string of curses in response as Dabi struggled to undo his belt.

"C’mon Dabi. Let me just take care of you for once, please?" he nosed Dabi's jaw and felt the hard swallow Dabi gave, no doubt overwhelmed. "Anything you aren't okay with?" he questioned softly, getting a small head shake in response. Keigo gave a chase kiss on Dabi's cheek as he waited for Dabi to clarify what he'd been saying no to.

"I’m- yeah, go ahead birdie. I'm good," he rasped out and Keigo gave him another sweeter kiss as he undid Dabi's pants, pulling them down to leave him in his boxers that already had a wet spot growing.

“Aw babe, this treat for me?" Keigo gave a shit eating grin and looked up at Dabi's wrecked face as he traced Dabi's erection. "I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to save it for later, got a gland I've been neglecting." Dabi let his head fall back into the pillows as he tried to keep his breathing slowed, nerves and arousal racing through him. His hands flexed and instantaneously Hawks was lacing their fingers together in one of them, the other being brought to his hair as he wiggled down further and peeled off the scent patch on Dabi's thigh. Revealing the half scared gland seeping oil, the scent hitting Hawks in his face.

Keigo felt Dabi's hand clench in his hair and he smiled up at him, squeezing his hand as he gave a lick to the gland before sucking on the skin around it. Dabi's spine arched and he moaned as he gripped Hawks tightly.

"Taste as good as you smell, babe. Promise I like it, actually a little put out that you hid it away from me this long." Keigo nipped at the sensitive skin and Dabi let out a cut off shout as his leg jumped, relaxing and whining a moment later when Keigo gave it another lick before sucking a hickey directly over it. Dabi reacted by trying to pull Hawks away and some hoarse whispered warnings.

"Gawd, Hawks. Please. I've never- You’re gunna make me cum just from fucking mouth fucking my crusty fuckin-" Dabi was cut off as Keigo nipped on the gland itself and then sucked hard on it, Keigo's hand felt Dabi's dick jump and the wet spot on Dabi's boxers grew that much damper.

"Not crusty. It's kinda smooth actually, and your gland itself is too irritated and puffed up for me to call it anything but soft and begging for some attention." He nuzzled the crease where Dabi's thigh met his hips and Dabi whimpered through his teeth at the tease. "I like them, Dabi, your scent glands just need some extra patience and care,"

"Kei, please. can't just, I want to cum." Dabi's eyes were watering when he lifted his head up and looked down at Hawks. His hand was locked tight in Hawks’ and he released Hawks’ hair to drag him up for a messy kiss.

Keigo shushed him as he pulled Dabi's boxers down, quickly stroking the omega to orgasm as he licked and nibbled all over his neck. Dabi squirmed cumming with a gasp almost instantly, latching on to Hawks as he relaxed and calmed back down.

"I'm wet if you wanna,-" Dabi awkwardly tried to offer Keigo his entrance to use. He was cut off by Keigo softly chuckling and moving one of Dabi's hands to the large obvious spot on the front of his flight pants.

"Jeasus fucking christ" Dabi whimpered out and curled into Hawks arms.

"What? I've told you I like taking care of you, Dabi, and I just told you I liked your scent." Keigo laughed at him and held him tightly after he took the ruined clothes off and chucked them out of the nest. "Did you like that too? Something you liked enough to repeat?" he hummed as he rubbed Dabi's back along his spine.

"Feels good, wasn't expecting it to be that good." Dabi admitted with his head tucked squarely in his Alpha's chest. "Heard the scent gland was nice but, yeah. Definitely up for that the next time you are," he muttered and closed his eyes as a content purr lulled both of them to sleep.

#bnha #mha #Dabi #Hawks #Dabihawks #hotwings #Lemon #citrus scale #omegaverse #scents #nests #alpha keigo #takami keigo #omega Dabi #thedarkonewrites

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pagingdoctorbedlam · 3 years

Text

And now, that cyberpunk AU I’ve been talking about the past few days...here’s the result from one of my potions for @quirkyseastone ‘s “Brew a Love Potion” event!

Characters: Kaku x Reader; cameos by Chopper, Franky, Kalifa (unnamed) and Rob Lucci (also unnamed).

Genre: Cyberpunk, Enemies to Lovers

TW/CW: Violence, guns and swords, cyborgs, partial memory loss

Word Count: ~4.2k words

...

You'd say it was fate, but really, it was no surprise that the Greatest Thief in Water 7 (that being you, of course) would attract the attention of assassins sooner or later.

The first time you met, you were running along rooftops in the world's first and only floating city, and you nearly ran into his sword. Not one of those laser-sabers or poseur chainsaw-blades, but an actual steel sword that tore your sleeve, would've torn your throat if you hadn't pivoted at the last minute.

"You'd best watch where you're going pal," the assassin said, his smile barely creeping past the high collar of his black uniform. His face was almost entirely hidden, save for large eyes and a long, square nose that jutted from his face like the barrel of a gun. "These rooftops get dangerous at night."

"I could say the same to you," was your response. And you shot him. Not the most romantic introduction ever, you admit, but he walked out of it fine. The bullet seemed to bounce off his torso. Bulletproof vest, you thought at first. You didn't get to consider beyond that because he swung a second blade and did a pretty good job of keeping you on your toes.

From this rooftop, you could see the whole city. Water 7, a marvel of engineering, floated over an ocean that seemed to glitter with starlight instead of all the neon signs. You could look across every district, including all the Docks that produced everything from marvelous flights of fancy to dangerous war machines. Down on the streets, market stalls offered every delight imaginable. Paradise for a thief. But sometimes, you needed a challenge, and a target to stick your ire to. You figured which one might've sent an assassin after you.

"Let me guess," you said between breaths and shots. "You're a government goon, aren't ya'? Mad I stole those weapon blueprints from your headquarters last week?"

The assassin had the gall to laugh. "You sure hit the nail on the head! We put a lot of work into acquiring those, and then you go on and walk right out with them. Got the whole place buzzing worse than a hornet's nest." Then he moved faster than any natural human you've ever met, and next thing you knew, the tip of his sword pressed up into your chin. "If you tell me who you sold those blueprints to, I can make a case for sparing your life. For being so darn cooperative and all."

You couldn't help but look into his wide, dark eyes. There was an earnestness in them you'd never seen in anyone else who'd tried to kill you. You also noticed the inner workings, that those weren't human eyes but cybernetic lenses. Ah. That made more sense.

"I didn't sell them. I was hired to snag and burn, and you know what? If I'd known what they were for before I got hired, I would've done the job for free. Did you know what those blueprints were for, or are you the kind of lackey they keep in the dark?"

The cyborg didn't answer right away. His blade lowered ever so slightly.

"I did. That's why we had to secure the blueprints, to make sure no one else makes use of them."

"That's what the previous owners tried to do. Now those blueprints have changed hands twice this month. You really think that if I hadn't destroyed them, some power-hungry idiot wouldn't have eventually grabbed hold of them and actually built the damn thing?" A war machine that could sink all of Water 7 toppling into the sea with a single shot. Nations would bow before it. Not something you'd want in anyone's hands, much less the government.

"Shame to hear you had such good reasons," The assassin said, an honest goodbye. "But orders are orders."

"Indeed they are." And it was time for you to make your escape. You angled your gun up and fired. The assassin was human enough to flinch when a bullet fired at his head, even though you only hit his baseball cap. You ran and flung yourself off the rooftop, using a grappling hook to swing over to the next skyscraper before you could see his reaction.

A small part of you wondered what the assassin's name was. The rest of you, more practical, decided to put that train of thought to rest at the station. No matter how charming an assassin might be, there was no point in wondering about someone who'd tried to kill you.

Next time you two ran into each other, you shot at him again from the opposite end of a mansion hallway.

"You must really hate my hat, huh?" He put his hands up and tried that bright smile on you once more. "Easy there, pal. I'm not here for you."

"Though I'm sure if you offed me as collateral, you'd get a pretty bonus on your paycheck, huh?"

"Depends. What're you after here?"

You debated telling him. Didn't want your goals used against you, but you really didn't have time to chase off an assassin while finishing your job. "Wapol killed my client's adopted father years ago, and hung onto some of the man's personal items as a trophy. I'm stealing them back."

"What a coincidence! I'm here for Mr. Wapol's head. Or at the very least, to threaten him to fall back in line. Someone's been selling supplies to foreign armies, and we'd rather he stop." The assassin slowly walked toward you, hands still up, until the two of you were only a few feet apart. He lowered one hand, offering it to shake. "Tell you what. I'd rather not fight you tonight and risk another hat. So say I deal with Wapol, you get in and grab what you need, and we both pretend we never saw each other. Deal?"

You glared at the offered hand. For all you knew, he could have all manner of weapons built into it. "I don't even know your name. Though I'm sure you know mine, what with being hired to kill me earlier."

"I do." Your name rolled off his tongue in a way that made your traitorous little heart flip in your chest. "And my name's Kaku. That better?"

You wondered if his skin was plastic, or flesh and blood. "You could have a gun built into your palm, or something."

Those camera-lens eyes widen. "You could tell...?"

"I deal with a lot of cyborgs. Some of them don't even try to kill me."

"Aha. Well, you may not believe me, but I try to stay honest, so I mean it when I say I have only one firearm built into me."

You smirked and shook his hand. "If that's a pickup line, you really need practice."

You learned two things that night before parting ways. One, that his hands were warm and calloused, and you felt a steady heartbeat under his skin that no robot could replicate. Two, he was human enough to blush and sputter at your innuendo, giving you enough time to run off into the depths of the mansion.

Wapol's death hit the news the next day. You'd half-expected the crime would be pinned on a break-in, and eventually on you. But no, the death was clean. Made to resemble a suicide. Nothing reported as missing, even the handful of extras you'd taken while Wapol had been distracted. You found yourself pleasantly surprised. Really, the night would've been perfect, if you could get that bastard's blushing face out of your head.

Over the next few months, you two kept ending up at the same places with different goals. The first times were coincidences. The rest were casually coordinated, notes left tucked into the windowsill of your cruddy apartment or texts from what you assumed were burner phones. Coordinates or articles about unique treasures. You once responded back "sounds like a date" and he responded with a flustered emoticon like a teenager from the early 2000's.

Either way, you two made a pretty good team, and no one had to know if he cleared out the security in your way or if you showed him a sneaky shortcut through a building. You finally saw his built-in firearm too; turns out, there was a reason his nose was so long.

And whenever these "accidental" meetings involved staking out the locale first, you'd make small talk. He'd ask about your plans for whatever treasure laid in wait. You decided not to ask him about his murder plans, instead opting for hobbies and whatever an assassin might do outside of work. Found out he liked vehicles of all sorts, especially ships, and that's part of how he'd ended up assigned to Water 7. You once admitted that you were born in Water 7, lived in the slums your whole life.

"I've never even seen a live animal, other than the birds that sometimes fly overhead. Sad, isn't it?"

Kaku perked up at that. "You know there's a zoo here, right? Most of the animals are electronic, but a few are the real deal. You can even feed some!"

"Yeah, but zoos are so expensive. Gotta' pay big bucks for authenticity, you know."

The conversation had drifted off after that. But the next time you got a text, the coordinates and timestamps also included a photo of two tickets.

The practical part of your brain warned you that this could be a trap. Surely, a trained assassin could find plenty of ways to murder someone in the emptier corners of the zoo, and then toss the body into a carnivore's mouth to be disposed of. Yet as was more common of late, you ignored your practical side and snuck off to the zoo like you were off for another big score.

You're sure the two of you stuck out. Sure, he was in more casual clothing (that still concealed most of his body), but the reflexes of a trained killer didn't reflect well in real life. Neither did a thief's. You both jumped at the wrong sounds and gave security a wide berth. There were nerves to you two that didn't settle on the shoulders of the easygoing crowd.

"We should hold hands," you whispered. He gave you a questioning look. "To blend in, right? No one thinks twice if a happy couple acts odd. Love makes people do weird things."

"So...pretend we're weird and in love, hmm?" He interlaced his warm, human fingers with yours. "Should I call you darling, then?"

"If you're that old fashioned, sure." The two of you laughed as if you hadn't tried to kill each other only a few months before.

It was strange, seeing animals and being unsure which ones were full of blood and muscles instead of gears and electricity. For someone partially artificial himself, Kaku had a good eye for such things, and pointed each one out. There was a spark in the eyes of living, breathing animals and, an unpredictability to their actions that made them stand out no matter how lifelike their companions seemed.

"What about you?" you asked on a park bench. He'd treated the two of you to popsicles on that warm day, and you watched the giraffes as you talked. "Like, I know you've got a couple cybernetic enhancements, but this..." You shook his hand, still in your own. "This is real."

Kaku glanced around to make sure no one else was watching the two of you instead of the animals. He tore his fingers from yours and for the briefest moment tugged down the collar of his jacket. The letters CP-9 were emblazoned on the side of his neck with laser precision.

"Typical tragic orphan story. Family got into a terrible accident when I was a kid, parents passed, and I was broken up literally and figuratively. Government swooped in and rebuilt me, raised me with a bunch of other orphans to be secret agents. And here we are."

"So...your job is repayment because they saved you?"

"Pretty much. Rebuilding my face alone cost a pretty penny, to say nothing about the rest of me or the years of training. I'm saddled for life." He winked and added, "But I still squirrel away a little bit for myself. Like for this. Being around animals calms my nerves when things get too much. Especially the giraffes. Beauties, aren't they?"

You turned your attention back to the exhibit. They were strange and gangly things, that sort of weird that humans couldn't make up on their own. But they were kinda' cute, galloping around like that. (And if their dark eyes and long lashes reminded you of a certain someone sitting next to you, no one had to know.)

You pointed at one. "That one on the left's been licking the fence for like, fifteen minutes now. Robot?"

"Real. Stranger than fiction, I guess."

He ended up telling you about the giraffes, as if animal facts could bury the bits of backstory the two of you had revealed to each other. He accidentally got popsicle juice on his nose, and flushed the brightest red when you brushed it off. Sometime after that, you took his hand in yours again. You didn't want to part ways when you returned to the gate.

You didn't see him for another month after that.

Funny, how quickly another person could become a staple of your life, and how you came to miss those infrequent texts and adrenaline-fueled meetups. Every job you went on left you peering into shadows as if he'd emerge in his assassin blacks with a smile sharp as his swords. But Kaku was never there.

Despite yourself, you started seeking him out. Texted back every number he'd messaged you from, hoping one burner phone might still be active. Snuck into the zoo and lurked around the giraffe exhibit, hoping he'd show. You even broke into a couple government facilities without any goals beyond finding him. And you knew it was stupid, knew it was dangerous, you barely knew this man and every vulnerability he'd shown you could be part of an elaborate ruse to trap you...but you wanted to believe in him. That whatever had sprouted between you two was as real as your heartbeats syncing when you held hands.

You realized you'd hit paydirt when a new assassin came after you. Even if she hadn't tried to kick your head clean off your neck, you would've recognized her as one of Kaku's coworkers with her black uniform and the tattoo creeping out from under her jacket.

"Things must've gone sour if I've been reassigned," you said. Tried to keep it light as you had with Kaku, even as your mind spun with implications.

"This is entirely your fault, you know." Oh goody, this assassin had a spiked whip, and she got one end wrapped around your foot. "If you hadn't compromised my coworker, if you'd rolled over and died like you should've, we wouldn't be here."

Ah. You'd half-expected that. "Your bosses found out about the date." Your ruse had worked too well. But what else could it have been construed as? You'd even thought of it as a date yourself once he'd disappeared and you'd realized that more than any treasure, you wanted to go back there with him, wanted to go everywhere with him.

"They knew well before that. Did you really think they'd give him camera eyes without reviewing the footage?" The whip tightened around your ankle. "They let it slide for a time because you were useful, and they thought he could still capture you. And he did, but not in the way anyone wanted."

"Where is he?" You tried, and failed, to not sound desperate.

"It's already too late. They decided he was too human, and now he's being rebuilt. There isn't..." and here, she faltered. Out of fear for her coworker or of such a fate befalling herself, you're not sure. "There isn't anything left of the Kaku you knew. So please, don't go after him. And die while you're at it."

The fight with her was more brutal by far than any of the brawls you'd had with Kaku. She actually scored a few hits on you, and once you finally gave her the slip and made it to one of your hideaways, your ribs and legs ached something fierce. You patched yourself up, and you began to plan.

You'd never stolen a human before. You hoped there was still one left to steal.

Breaking into a secret government laboratory was easier than expected. You built a crew, called in every favor you could, reviewed blueprints until you swore the building's layout had been tattooed on the back of your eyelids. The night of the heist, another crew of saboteurs known for their bombastic fights distracted the security guards, making it seem like they were the true culprits out for revenge.

You alone went underground. In stolen laboratory gear, you entered the cybernetics facility. Your breath fled from your lungs, and it wasn't from the shock of sharp antiseptic clinging to the air.

In a glass pillar full of fluids and wires, Kaku floated. Even from a distance, he looked more plastic and metal, like someone had crafted a lifesize doll replica of him. The monitors showcased diagnostics on a metal skeleton and the integration of circuitry in organs. You touched the cold glass, but he didn't respond.

You got to work. Following instructions you'd reviewed every waking hour, you hacked into the system and initiated the extraction procedure. You already had a gurney for transport, and a prepped lie that you'd be transporting the body of a failed cybernetics integration to be disposed of. The fluids behind the glass slowly drained, wires disconnecting. You held your breath.

Then you crumpled as a bullet hit your side.

You hissed, feeling your side for blood even though you had armor under your disguise. And looked up to see a black uniform, an assassin pointing at you, bullet shaped like a sharp fingernail loading into place.

You gasped, "Don't do this. I'm trying to save him."

"Far as we're concerned, you're stealing classified government property. He's one of our most expensive assets. Second to me, of course." The assassin wore a predator's smile, and the heels of his shoes clicked ominously on the floor as he strode toward you. "It'd be so easy to end this here. It wouldn't be the first time I've made a mess of the lab."

"Yet here you are, chatterbox. I get the feeling you don't want to kill me."

"How bold. As it happens, I like to play with my prey. But so did Kaku, and he got so wrapped up in the chase that he forgot what to do when he caught you."

"Stop talking about him in past tense like he's dead."

The assassin shrugged. "Isn't he? Not in body, but in spirit. They tore out most of his brain and replaced it with machinery. The process wipes most of one's personality and emotion. There isn't a person in there anymore."

"Then I'll find him again and bring him back. That's what a good thief does." The glass opened up, and Kaku nearly fell out. You stepped forward to grab him. First contact jolted your body; you didn't feel a heartbeat anymore. And when you angled him onto the gurney, his body felt cold and smooth. You glared up at your unwelcome guest, who'd watched the event in silence. "Now, are you going to finish the job, or get out of the way?"

"Unlike a certain someone, I'm not in the business of keeping fools alive."

The assassin's fingers sharpened into claws as he closed the distance between you. He swiped at you with those claws, and you barely dodged the first one while pulling the gurney back with you. Whatever happened, you couldn't let Kaku get hurt in this state. But to your surprise, when the next claw swung, you heard a gunshot that you didn't fire. And whoever fired it knew where this cyborg assassin was still flesh; he fell to his knees, surprised at his own blood.

Smoke rose from the gun built into Kaku's nose as he sat up. Camera eyes opened and refocused with faint clicking noises. For a long, quiet moment, he scanned the room. But then they settled on you.

"Darling."

Your heart flipped in your chest again. "You remember me?"

"Of course. They did their best to wipe everything else, but I couldn't let them take you." He paused, unused to his new body, and the resulting smile looked more like a grimace. But he still said, "I love you."

"I love you too. And I'm going to get you out of here." You grabbed Kaku around the shoulders with one arm and grabbed your gun with another, now that you knew where to shoot your foe. You said to the other assassin, "Well? You were wrong about him."

"Was I?" The assassin lurched back to his feet, one hand over the bullet wound just above his clavicle. "Kaku, how much did you give up in order to keep the memory of one thief you failed to kill?" No answer. "Do you even remember who I am?"

"I made my choice," was all Kaku said. "Now let us go."

The assassin turned away before you could see if there was any hurt had broken across his cold face. "Killing you like this won't be any fun. Once you can be a challenge to me again, I'll come back for you. But for now? See if you can run." His heels clicked against the floor as he walked away. "I'll clear your path out of the facility. You're on your own after that."

Time stretched long as the other assassin left the room. You held tight to Kaku. When you held his hand, it was so smooth that he didn't even have fingerprints anymore. But he still intertwined his fingers in yours and squeezed.

"I'm still me," he whispered. "Even if I don't have a real heart or anything else left."

You forced yourself to shrug and smile. "Just means you're a little closer to some of the giraffes at the zoo." That earned you a quizzical look. "Uhmm...you know, because some of them were robots too?" Still blank. "...Did you even forget about giraffes so you could remember me?"

"Suppose I must have."

You resolved to take him back to the zoo once he'd recovered, bring him back a little of that wonder he'd showed you. But first, time for your masterful escape.

The following weeks were long and painful.

Soon as you broke out and got to one of your safehouses, you called in two last favors. One from Franky, cyborg engineer who'd hired you to retrieve and destroy the blueprints for that war machine that started this whole debacle. The other from Doctor Chopper, who'd been so grateful to have his mentor's things returned. The two of them came in and worked on your assassin-turned-lover tirelessly, fixing up what little flesh remained and making sure all the cybernetics were in-check. There was plenty of work to do, as you'd stolen Kaku before his procedures had been complete, and rewiring muscles and nerves turned out to be a long, painful process.

And while you'd rescued Kaku before they could completely erase his humanity, there were still gaping holes in his knowledge, and his smile didn't reach his eyes nearly as often. There was much you had to fill him in on. You spent many nights just talking to distract him from his painful recovery. You held his hand and tried to pretend he still had a heartbeat.

But now? Now you're back at your dingy old apartment, limbs entangled on the couch, staring out the window at the skyscrapers above.

"I think that one will be my next target," you say, pointing up at a gilded skyscraper that seems to pierce the clouds. "Heard the owner there hoards gold. Actual gold! Can you believe it? We'd be rich."

"Sounds like a challenge, though." Kaku's free hand twirls a dull blade between fingers, trying to familiarize himself with his new body. He's admitted a couple times to phantom limb syndrome, like his flesh and blood is just beyond reach. "Sure you'll be able to handle it, darling?"

"It'll be no problem for the Greatest Thief in Water 7. Stealing a bunch of gold will be a cakewalk, seeing as I already grabbed the greatest treasure this city had." You get a quizzical stare in response. "That'd be you, partner."

"Partner," Kaku echoes. This smile lights up his whole face. "I like the sound of that. So, what's the first step in your plan?"

You hum in thought and look deep into his eyes.

"I do believe our first step should be a visit to the zoo. We've got a lot to catch up on, after all."

#seas brew a love potion challenge #opfanfic #kaku x reader #one piece kaku #cyberpunk au #enemies to lovers #bedlam writes #cp9

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kyodzuken · 4 years

Text

domestic headcanons - death the kid

aka; you move in with kid and he’s kinda ooc but also cute so let me have my fun.

- moving in with kid was literally one of the most stressful and yet rewarding parts of your life. lots of boxes falling down the stairs as you and death the kid run hastily to try and salvage your belongings, only to slip on the hardwood floors and fall on your ass.

- he wanted (needed) absolutely everything in your house to be symmetrical, and that was expected, so you left most - if not all - of the decorating to him.

- a lot of compromises,, which eventually turned to kid slowly changing everything into how he liked it

- and you didnt complain, because seeing the soft blush on his face, and a small content smile as he stared at your first house together, that was enough.

- the first week you'd moved in, kid got sick, and you'd spent the entire week locked away in your house, taking care of your boyfriend.

- and the little shit wasn't making it any easier.

- you'd make him soup and he'd refuse to eat it unless you fed it to him

- 'babe! no! i'll get sick!!' you'd whine

- '(y/n), do i look like i care? now c'mere!' he'd state, the temper tantrum breaking through his usually cool and calm tone, as he made grabby hands from the bed, his nose red and his face pouty.

- and even if death the kid was sick, didn't mean he was quiet during your movie marathons - that week settling for twilight as you were sprawled out on the couch, trying your best to avoid the warm embrace of your (sick) boyfriend.

- 'oh my god, did he SERIOUSLY name their kid RENESMEE??'

- 'kid i- bAHAHAHHA'

- his antics were one of the many reasons you fell in love with him, and you genuinely did your best to take care of the reaper boy.

- sometimes when you'd be making some soup or dinner for him, he'd sneak up behind you, before locking his hands around your waist and laying his head on your shoulder, mumbling sweet nothings as he thanked you for taking care of him.

- in the mornings you'd get up to get ready and he'd grab onto your waist and pull you back into bed with him, as you struggled to escape his grasp.

- 'kid, you may be sick but i still have school...'

- '(y/n), in case you forgot, my dad is literally lord death. you can miss a week. and a day. eight days. perfect.'

- you wouldn't even argue with him about it either, because he was just that convincing.

- once y'all had settled in, he made it a mission to cuddle and watch movies every single night.

- 'kid i have homework-'

- '...that doesn't change anything.'

- cuddling with kid is great because he insists that both of you have equal amount of blanket and pillows; for the symmetry, of course.

- he's the type to let you lay on his chest, and he'd play with your hair while you watched so-bad-it's-good romcoms; sprawled out on the couch as he fed himself (and occasionally you) some skittles or popcorn, your eyes too fixated on the tv to notice his fleeting glances at your form.

- sometimes you'd watch a horror movie, just to have the boy jump into your arms during the scary bits.

- 'you can't blame me, (y/n)! pennywise jumped out of NOWHERE! how do you expect me to notice-’

- you two have found yourselves falling asleep on your living room couch one too many times ngl, and you aren't complaining bc falling asleep with kid is when you sleep the best!!

- sometimes you'd forget to fold the toilet paper in a triangle

- you never hear the end of that one

- but you genuinely try your best, and kid sees that, and his heart swells seeing you adjust a painting to be perfecting in line, or see you buy two towels instead of one, so they'd be perfectly symmetrical.

- ngl you've tried dying kid's hair a few times

- '(y/n) i'm literally a shinigami dont you think i've tried already-'

- 'babe, it's a bONDING EXPERIENCE.'

- 'i think we can bond in other ways dont you think-'

- 'no.'

- your parents knew you'd moved houses, and it took you a lil while to tell them it was because you and kid moved in together.

- but he'd met your parents before, and they loved him.

- you were on a call with your parents - facetime to be exact, walking around as you showed them your new house, a collection of 'oohs' and 'ahhs' erupting from your mobile phone.

- that was until kid accidentally (totally not accidentally) entered the room.

- '(y/n)!! what are you cooking for dinner tonight?? also please help me unpack these boxes it's been weeks! oh-OH!'

- and your parents were literally shook

- '(y/n)... is this the roommate you were talking about...'

- you were very scared at first because you thought they'd be mad,

- but no, they literally booked a flight to death city right then and there. like literally on facetime your dad just booked a ticket

- 'mom- dad- no i-'

- yeah,,, needless to say, they're like your number one stans.

- dates are always perfectly planned

- so dinner dates and nights out are not very common.

- kid has to plan everything perfectly; he just loves you so much and would hate for you to experience anything less than perfection, and yet somehow SOMETHING goes wrong.

- like a dog will run past and splash water on your dress

- or he'll get salmonella in the middle of the date from last night's chicken (that HE COOKED LORDD)

- and you'll have to reassure him it's fine and you had a great time, as the boy nearly breaks down in the expensive restaurant he had to pull strings to get into.

- and you wouldn't have it any other way.

- the gang has come uninvited one too many times

- once you two were making out, his hands running through your hair as you shared fleeting kisses in your bedroom, until you heard the (very) familiar

- 'hELLOOO! IT'S ME, BLACK STAR! LITERALLY THE GREATEST AND BIGGEST STAR EVER I-'

- and you emerged from your shared bedroom like-

- 'PLEASE... what do you want'

- and he didn't answer your question, obv

- and your hair was all messy and some not well hidden hickies were on your neck like

- chile erm... what the hell we gon' do now...

- 'yeah sorry guys i was doing something-'

- 'is *he* something?????' soul asked, snickering whilst pointing to a certain monochromed hair boy behind you.

- who was frantically trying to fix his hair.

- you've also kicked them out one too many times.

- grocery shopping dates are always fun and unpredictable, for kid would have a whole list of what to buy and what quantity, and you'd just be running around like a little kid - eyes glistening at the wide array of candy that stocked the shelves

- '(y/n)- no, you can't ride in the cart i- goddammit.'

- mornings are a whole other story though.

- soft kisses shared as you're entangled in his embrace, the sun seeping through your blinds as you play with soft strands of black and white hair, staring at the sleeping boy infront of you.

- moments like those, where you feel as though nothing in the world matters, they're when you truly realise how whipped you are for kid, especially when he opens his eyes to mumble a soft

- 'good morning, (y/n).'

- before placing a fluttering kiss on your forehead, as he pulled you in closer.

- once you'd come home, exhausted and on the verge of tears.

- you'd gone out on a mission and your partner had gotten incredibly injured - you genuinely weren't sure if they were going to make it, despite the constant reassurance from stein.

- and kid noticed that, his eyes following your hunched over form as you walked into the bedroom exhausted, tears threatening to spill out any second.

- so he dragged you out of the house for a drive

- which was meant to be for maybe an hour,, so you could get your mind off of things

- but you ended up wandering into the city and just driving

- eventually it was six am

- and you just got home, and immediately fell asleep on the couch

- all in all, moving in with death the kid was one of the best decisions of your life.

- mwah i hope u enjoyed xoxo

#death the kid #death the kid x reader #death the kid headcanons #soul eater imagines

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freddie-weaselbee · 3 years

Text

E3: The One with the Wedding//F.W.

Series Summary: FRIENDS but with Harry Potter characters after Hogwarts graduation, trying to figure out their lives and relationships. Non Voldy AU.

Pairing(s): Fred Weasley x Fem!Reader, Ron x Lavender, Romione

Warnings: Language, mentions of food, drinking (legal), mentions of sex, nudity

Summary: As Hermione hustles to interrupt Ron and Lavender’s wedding in New York City, Fred and Y/N have a heart to heart which quickly turns into something much more.

Word Count: 4.8k

A/N: This may or may not be 9 days late (my b) but it’s the 5th and final fic in Abby’s Week of Weasley !! The FRIENDS series will continue!

Message me to join the FRIENDS taglist or my general taglist

-Episode 1- -Episode 2-

~Abby’s Week of Weasley Masterlist~ ~Masterlist~

May 2004

Previously on FRIENDS

“Hey Luna?” Hermione called from her bedroom. She and her friend had spent the day discussing her feelings for Ron and trying their best to help her get over him. Apparently recounting the horrors of their relationship was not helping in the slightest.

“Yeah,” Luna called back from the kitchen.

“Do you remember where the pygmy puff food is?” Her muffled voice sounded rushed and anxious, even more so than Hermione usually was.

“Yeah, it’s under the front counter of Fred and George’s shop. Why?”

Luna turned her head to see Hermione come flying into the room dragging a packed suitcase behind her. “Because I’m going to New York.”

The pregnant girl nearly had a heart attack at Hermione’s declaration. “What? What do you mean you’re going to New York?”

Hermione grabbed a few more essentials from around the apartment, rushing in order to catch the next flight. “Yeah, I have to tell Ronald that I love him. Now Luna, you take care, you don’t have those babies until I get back.”

“I--but what about all of the finding his flaws and burning his picture rituals we’ve been doing?” Luna asked, straining to stand up and chase after her friend.

Hermione easily moved past the slow-moving girl, zipping up her bag and heading to the door. “Yeah, that didn’t work. I know he loves Lavender but I have to tell him how I feel! He deserves to have all of the information and then he can make an informed decision.”

Phoebe shook her head and continued to hobble around the room. “No, Hermione, it’s too late, you missed your chance! I’m sorry, I know this must be really hard, it’s over.”

The other girl paused for a moment and took a deep breath. “Y’know what? No. It’s not over until someone says ‘I do.’” And with that she took off out of the apartment and to the streets of Diagon Alley, on her way to another country to declare her love for Ron Weasley.

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

“Would you look at this place,” George sighed in awe, staring around at the beautifully decorated dinner hall. There were chandeliers hanging everywhere and everyone was dressed in clothes that looked like they cost more than everything the Weasleys owned combined. Fred and George twisted uncomfortably in their mediocre suits. Sure, they were successful businessmen with some money to spare, but they could never compete with this.

“Holy shit,” you said, coming up behind the twins. They turned around, startled to see you suddenly appear. Fred took a second to look you up and down, mouth hanging slightly open in surprise.

“Holy shit is right, Y/N,” he said. “You look bloody amazing!” You glanced down at your outfit, a slim fitting long dress that hugged your form perfectly. You smiled and did a little twirl for the boys who whooped and whistled at you.

“While I appreciate the compliment,” you said, “I was talking about the hall. How rich is Lavender’s family anyway?”

Fred shrugged. “Apparently loaded. I mean, it’s not like our family could ever compete with this. How Ron was able to pull someone this high up is a mystery to me.”

He and George picked at their clothes self consciously, trying to straighten their ties and smooth out their suits.

“Oh come now,” you said, “you two are perfectly successful. Who cares if the Browns could afford to buy all of London if they wanted to? Let’s just enjoy the night and eat all of the expensive food they bought!”

“Y/N, you’re my dream girl,” Fred said, putting his arm around your waist. “If you ever want to marry a Weasley, I’d be happy to oblige.”

“I appreciate the offer, Weasley, but I do think George and I would be a couple to be reckoned with.”

“Ha! Suck it Fred, I get Y/N and you’re stuck alone,” George said, kissing your cheek and stealing you away from his brother.

Fred was about to reply when a loud voice echoed through the room and everyone turned to see a short red haired woman come hurtling through the door.

“Mum!” cried Ron from across the room. He grabbed Lavender’s hand and they made their way over where you and the twins were standing, now accompanied by the latest arrivals, Molly and Arthur Weasley.

“Sweetheart!” Molly squealed, pulling him into a tight hug. “Oh sorry we’re late, Muggle transportation is such a hassle, especially in this country. Your father spent 20 minutes trying to figure out how to call a taxi and he wouldn’t stop asking the driver everything you could ask!”

“I still never got an answer to my rubber duck question,” Arthur grumbled before a warm smile appeared on his face. “Hello, Lavender, it’s lovely to see you again.”

“You as well!” she said before hugging Arthur and then Molly. “Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, here come my parents.”

Sure enough, two very wealthy looking people were walking over to join their daughter and future son in law.

“Hello, hello,” said Lavender’s father, shaking the hands of the Weasleys. “How do you do? Very nice to meet all of you.” He glanced over at his wife. “Darling, it’s the Weasleys.”

“Sorry, what?,” she said, finally looking up at the family, a hint of distaste in her gaze. “Oh, lovely to meet you.” Her snobby look never faltered, making the rest of the Weasley clan even more uncomfortable.

Arthur cleared his throat. “It’s great to meet you both. I’m sorry we couldn’t help pay for much of the wedding, but we hope that we can at least cover the cost of dinner tonight.”

“Yes of course,” said Molly. “We know how expensive weddings can be, besides this may be the last time I watch one of my sons get married.”

Fred and George rolled their eyes at their mother, who wouldn’t stop pestering them to settle down since Bill, Percy, and now Ron were all either married or close to it.

“We’ve heard the complaints, mum,” said Fred.

“But hey, at least we’re saving you money!” George said.

“And not giving me grandchildren,” she mumbled, but loud enough for everyone to hear.

You decided to jump in and defend your friends. “At least you’ve still got other kids who are starting their own families, Molly. And besides, do you really want to have these two bring little Fred’s and George’s into the world?”

Molly smiled and put her hand on your shoulder. “I suppose you’re right dear. They were, and still are, quite a handful.”

“Hey!” they both shouted, clearly offended.

You giggled and wandered off with Molly, telling her the latest stories of the many troubles the twins had gotten into.

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

Hermione, never one for athletics, was suddenly an Olympic sprinter, flying down the halls of the London airport. She reached the ticket counter, cutting off some very angry travelers, and threw her bags onto the scale.

After a few long seconds of leaning over and catching her breath, she finally muttered a “hi” to the ticket agent.

“Hello,” she replied cheerfully.

“Oh, umm, hello!” Hermione replied, mirroring the chipperness of the agent. “When is your next flight to New York City?”

“There’s one leaving in 30 minutes,” she replied.

“Oh, thank Godric,” she muttered, earning herself a few odd looks from passersby at her unique choice of language.

The woman behind the counter typed a few things into her computer. “The last minute fare on this ticket is twenty seven hundred dollars.”

Hermione reached around in her purse, fumbling with gold and silver coins. “How about galleons?” she asked.

“I’m sorry?”

“Nevermind,” Hermione sighed, sprinting off again to apparate to Diagon Alley and exchange her galleons for Muggle money. There was no way she was going to miss this flight.

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

“I’d like to make a toast!” Fred announced, standing up from his table with a wine glass in hand. “Ron and Lavender. Of course, my big toast will be tomorrow at the wedding, so this is kind of my little toast or Melba toast, if you will.”

He was only met with silence and you and George very visibly facepalmed.

“Okay…” he continued hesitantly. “I’ve known Ron for a long time. His whole life, actually. See I got the first two years of my life without my baby brother, but nope he’s always had me, and I know he’s so incredibly grateful for that.”

When once again there was no reaction, Fred decided it was time to up the performance.

“I remember when Ron was going out with his first girlfriend. And I thought things were going to work out for him. Until the day he over inflated her!” Fred winked at his little brother, whose face was redder than his hair. For the third time in the last minute Fred did not get anywhere close to the reaction he had expected. “Oh dear Godric…”

“How about I take over for you, Freddie.” George said, taking the microphone from his slightly older brother. “Everyone knows I am the more charming twin, isn’t that right?” He was met with some soft giggles and a whoop from one of the bridesmaids sitting a few tables away. Fred begrudgingly plopped down into his seat, leaning his head on your shoulder as he pouted for the rest of the dinner.

As everyone finished their speeches, you giving one about your friendship with Ron that even brought Molly to tears, you found yourself sprawled out on a fancy couch still consoling Fred.

“I was laughing,” you said while patting him on the knee.

“Out loud?” he asked, crossing his arms and shoving your hand away.

You looked down at your wine glass guiltily. “Well I didn’t want everyone to think I was stupid.” Fred groaned and buried his face in his hands, ruffling his hair in frustration that you knew went deeper than a few poor jokes. “Hey, how are you doing?”

He looked up at you questioningly, cocking his head to the side. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t try to hide it from me, Freddie, I can tell when something’s bothering you, and I know it’s not just that your jokes sucked arse.”

“No, the audience sucked arse, I’m fucking hilarious.” You kicked him lightly, urging him to tell you. With a long sigh Fred sat up and turned to face you, his big brown eyes void of their usual cheerful gleam. “Mum’s driving me crazy! I mean, I get it, she wants me to get married and settle down and have kids, but she has 6 other children, two of them with kids of their own already! I don’t know, this whole wedding thing has just put a lot more pressure on me, that’s all.”

You tenderly rubbed his shoulder, feeling him relax slightly at your touch. “Don’t listen to her, ok? Marriage isn’t for everyone. Same with kids. You’re independent and carefree, and you shouldn’t feel like you have to settle down if you don’t want to.”

He mumbled something under his breath, too quiet for you to hear. “What?”

“I said…” he began slowly, “I said that it’s not that. It’s the complete opposite actually.”

Fred glanced across the room at his youngest brother holding hands with his fiancée and whispering something into her ear. “It’s just...he’s my younger brother. He’s Ron, for Merlin’s sake! How did Ron get a girl before me?”

“Aww, is Freddie jealous of his little brother?” you teased, knocking your shoulder into his. When he didn’t answer you tried to sober up, not used to seeing this side of Fred.

“I’m 26, Y/N,” he cried out. “And I know that’s not old or anything, but I just figured I’d have my life together by now. Maybe a long term girlfriend, or even--” he paused for a moment, continuing to watch Ron and Lavender. “--or maybe it would’ve been me walking down the aisle with someone I love.”

“Come here, love,” you cooed as you pulled Fred into your chest. “You know there’s no rush. Sure Ron’s getting married, but I think he found himself the only person in the world who’d ever date him and he had to tie her down quick.”

Fred shuddered into your chest with a small laugh, bringing his hands up to aimlessly play with your hair. “Yeah,” he said, “and we all know that the girls are lined up just waiting for me. I guess I’ve got time.”

“Exactly. And plenty of it.” Fred continued to play with your hair as you did the same with his, occasionally scratching at his scalp and listening to the quiet whimpers he would let out.

He shifted so he was looking up at you, mere inches away from your face. “Y’know, you’ve been acting strange lately too. What’s bugging you?”

“It’s nothing Freddie, I--”

“Uh uh.” He shook his head. “I poured my heart and soul out to you, the least you could do is do the same to me.”

Sighing, you checked around you to make sure no one would be able to overhear. “Promise you won’t tell Ron? I don’t want it to make anything weird in our relationship.”

Fred snapped his head between you and his younger brother, eyes growing wide as he jumped to the nearest possible answer. “You’re bloody in love with him, aren’t you?!”

“What?” you asked, laughing at the ridiculous accusation. “No! Oh, no no no, not at all! I’ve known him since we were 11, and trust me, watching young Ronnie throw up slugs will turn anyone off of him.”

Fred smiled down at you and breathed a sigh of relief, glad that you weren’t getting your heart broken by being at the wedding. “So what is it then? Promise I won’t tell, swear on George’s life.”

You rolled your eyes but snuggled up next to him, feeling much more comfortable with your best friend as close as possible. “Fine. You’re not the only one having to deal with parent problems. Like I said I’ve been friends with Ron since my family first found out I was a witch. My parents, being Muggles, immediately fell in love with your family, and Ron as well whenever he would come to visit over the summer. My mum has this whacked out idea that it should be me that’s marrying him tonight. She’s so disappointed, told me I’m passing up the best thing that’s ever happened to me. But he’s just Ron! I could never see him like that. He’s like a brother to me.”

Fred sat silently throughout your whole rant, rubbing small circles over your knuckles with his thumb. When it seemed you had finally finished, Fred had no idea what to say. He had never been the comforting sort and had always managed to make it worse. As he did this time as well.

“Do you see me like that too?”

You looked at him with scrunched eyebrows, trying to understand how he decided on that as a response.

“As a brother, I mean.” He stuttered through his words. “Am I just another brother to you?”

“‘Course you are, Freddie. I love you like family.” He gazed at you lovingly, wondering what he had done to have a friend like you in his life.

“How about this then?” he asked. “How about, since your mom wants you to marry a Weasley, if by the time we’re both 40 and still single, why don’t we marry each other?”

He looked so sweet offering this to you, so kind and thoughtful. You knew that the deal would benefit him as well, but to you it felt like he was doing this only for you. And you knew he would do anything for you.

“I appreciate the offer, but I actually only promised George the same thing,” you said, making Fred’s jaw drop and a scowl appear on his face.

“George! My own bloody twin? How could you, Y/N? I revoke my proposal.”

“I’m practically in tears,” you said stoically. Deciding it was time to go out and mingle instead of throwing yourselves a pity party, you grabbed Fred’s hand and made your way over to find George, only to be stopped by a very obviously drunk man.

He put a hand on your shoulder which made both you and Fred tense up. “I just want to say,” he said through slurred speech, “that Ron is a wonderful young man.”

Fred eased his grip on your hand a little bit, sensing that this man wasn’t going to do anything to you. You gave him a thankful look before turning your attention back to the hammered American. “Well thanks, we like him.”

The man stepped closer to examine your face, his booze breath going straight up your nose. It took all you had not to throw up because of it.

“My God!” he exclaimed, “you two must’ve been teenagers when you had him!”

You and Fred both stared straight ahead, insecurities and doubts increasing tenfold at the misunderstanding. You gritted your teeth and held back from slapping the man, who luckily made his way to another table to insult someone else.

Fred turned you to face him and gripped your shoulders tight, leaning down so he was eye to eye with you. “The guy was hammered, okay? There’s no way that you look like Ron’s mum. Nor I his dad for that matter!”

“Then why would he say it?” you grumbled, pushing Fred away from you and going to get rid of your sadness by gorging on some food.

“Because he’s crazy!”

“Oh, my mother’s right. I’m never going to get married.”

“Ahh, you know what?” Fred touched the small of your back softly, turning you around to face him, his breath growing heavy in exasperation. “This is...who wouldn’t want you?”

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

The next morning, the biggest day of Ron’s life, he was racing down the hallways practically bouncing off the walls. He was getting married. After a failed relationship with Padma years before, Ron had finally been able to heal and pour his love onto someone else. Lavender Brown.

Sure, the relationship had moved fast. Really fast, actually. They had only been together for a few months before Ron popped the question, to which a very ecstatic Lavender happily agreed. He knew it was unorthodox. He knew it was impulsive. But he didn’t care. Because someone loved him.

He shot through the door of Fred and George’s hotel room, making Fred jolt awake with a start.

“I’m getting married today!” he screamed. “Whoo-hoo!”

Fred scrambled around in the bed sheets for a few seconds before scowling at his brother. “Morning, Ron.”

“I’m getting married. To-day!” he said, ignoring the annoyed looks Fred was shooting him.

Relaxing a little Fred smiled. “Yeah you are!”

Ron jumped around and sprinted out of the room, screaming as he ran down the hall to announce his feelings to all of the other hotel guests.

The bed in which Fred was sleeping shifted once again, but it wasn’t Fred’s doing. You shot up from under his covers, holding the blankets to cover your naked chest and panting heavily in worry. “Do you think he knew I was here?”

Fred slowly shook his head, refusing to make eye contact with you. He shifted in the bed, his leg accidentally brushing yours. You yelped and he quickly moved away, apologizing profusely.

After a long awkward silence, Fred finally spoke. “Well, I’ve--I’ve never done that with you before.”

“Nope,” you replied, popping the ‘p’ and sinking down further into the bed, trying to disappear.

“So, ahh, how are you?” he said slowly. “You okay?”

You nodded, clutching the sheets so hard that your knuckles were turning white. “Yep, yep. You?”

“Yes, yes, uh huh. You?” The two of you finally made eye contact, faces equal shades of vermillion. “We did you. I did you. I--umm, sorry not the time.”

It got quiet once again. You let out a long breath, wondering how you were supposed to move on from sleeping with your best friend. You wanted to blame the alcohol from last night, but neither of you were drunk. You’d only had one glass of wine, just enough to make you a little more confident than normal. Apparently that was enough to do the trick.

“Well… I’d better get going,” you told him, starting to sit up before remembering you and Fred were both naked under the sheets.

“Oh, yea yea, absolutely,” he stammered, gesturing for you to leave.

“Could you not look, please?”

“I don’t want to look.” Fred covered his eyes, not even pretending to peak through them. It was uncomfortable enough as it is, he really didn’t want to be joking around at the moment.

You slowly slid off the bed, taking a moment to let what had happened last night fully sink in. Had you ruined your friendship with Fred? Was it going to be this weird from now on? You hustled to grab your clothes from yesterday, ready to complete the infamous walk of shame. Thankfully, your room was just down the hall so any chances of you being caught were slim. All you had to do was put on a happy face for the wedding, pretend to enjoy yourself, and forget any of this ever happened. Yeah, that would work. Right?

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

Lavender’s eyes went wide as she took in the scene around her. The wedding hall was absolutely gorgeous, decorated in elegant fairy lights and flowers hanging from baskets on the ceiling. It was like she was a princess in her own personal fairy tale.

She spun around in her wedding dress, not even caring about the weird looks some of her parents’ friends were giving her. She never cared for them, or the family status, anyway. She just wanted to live her life as her own person, taking each step with someone she loved holding her hand.

“Hey.” Lavender was interrupted by the voice of her lover, standing bashfully a few feet away with his hands in his pockets.

“Ron!” she chastised playfully. “You’re not supposed to see me in my wedding dress, it’s bad luck!”

“I think we’ve had all the bad luck we’re going to have.” Lavender grinned and jumped into Ron’s arms, giggling as he swung her around. He finally put her down kissing the top of her head as he did so. “I’ll see you in a few hours, when you’re finally mine forever.”

“It can’t come soon enough.” The brunette was then distracted by Parvati calling her name, so she bid Ron goodbye and skipped over to her maid of honor.

She didn’t notice the unexpected guest standing at the end of the aisle, listening to their entire conversation. Or maybe if she did, she chose to ignore it. After all, her and Ron’s bad luck was over. She was finally getting the one thing she wanted most in life. To be loved.

Ron stared longingly at the girl he loved so deeply talk to her best friend, before the same unexpected guest that Lavender hadn’t noticed caught his eye. “Oh Merlin, Hermione!”

He ran up to her and kissed her on the cheek, ecstatic that his friend had decided to come to New York for his wedding. “You’re here. I can’t believe it! What happened? Why are you here?”

Hermione took a quick glance over at where Lavender was standing. She had seen everything. Heard it all. She knew how much they both cared for each other, and who was she to stand in the way of their love? She had missed her chance with Ron, but Lavender hadn’t.

“Well I just came…” She touched his chest right near his heart, tears threatening to spill. “I just needed to tell you…”

She couldn’t do it. It wasn’t fair to either of them. Hermione took a deep breath and put on a fake smile. “Congratulations.”

Ron grabbed her tightly and hugged her with all of his strength, tears of joy pooling in his eyes. Tears continued to grow in Hermione's, but for completely different reasons. Today was the day everything changed. Today her chance was gone. Forever.

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

If the chapel was beautiful before, it was even more extravagant with all of the lights lit up and the band playing soft, romantic music. Any normal day you would’ve enjoyed the site, wishing that someday you could have a wedding just like this. But unfortunately the only thing on your mind was the events of the previous night.

“Ready?” George whispered to you, getting ready to walk one of the other bridesmaids down the aisle. He could tell something was wrong, but he didn’t want to push you. You nodded your head, sending your friend a thumbs up before it was his turn to make his walk.

“Ready?” asked a nearly identical voice to the one before. Fred stood behind you, his hair styled for once and his clothes neatly pressed and cleaned. He did clean up well, you had to admit. But, not that you would ever say this to anyone, you quite liked it better when he wasn’t wearing anything at all.

“I’m ready.” He linked his arm in yours, guiding you slowly down the dimly lit aisle.

Fred couldn’t help but steal a few glances at you. Your eyes were focused straight ahead, refusing to look at anything except the alter at the end of the walk. If you just made it to the end of the walk, everything would be ok. Everything would be over. But maybe Fred didn’t want everything to be over, just not yet. He sucked in a breath and decided to take a chance.

“What he did last night,” he whispered, slowing down as to elongate the conversation as much as possible.

“Stupid,” you muttered.

“Totally crazy stupid!” Fred got a few rude glances at his loud volume, so he checked himself before continuing. “I...I’m coming over tonight though, right?”

Your breath hitched in your chest. You were so close to the end of the aisle. You could ignore him and ignore whatever was going on between the two of you. It could all go back to normal, just a few more steps.

But your heart took over, and you said something that you knew future you might regret, but you didn’t care. It was worth the risk.

“Oh yeah, definitely.”

Fred squeezed your arm as you made your last steps to the front of the chapel, separating and taking your places in the rows of wedding participants.

You scanned the crowd, seeing Hermione fidgeting nervously in her seat. You felt awful for what she must be going through, but proud that she decided to accept it. Hermione was tough, that was for sure. She could handle anything.

“Friends. Family. We are gathered to celebrate here today the joyous union of Ron and Lavender. May the happiness we share with them today be with them always. Now Lavender, repeat after me. I, Lavender.”

“I, Lavender,” she said with a grin so big it looked like it would jump right off her face.

“Take thee Ron,” the minister continued.

“Take thee Ron.”

“As my lawfully wedded husband, in sickness and in health, till death parts us.”

She giggled and squeezed Ron’s hands tighter, mere seconds away from being united with the one she loved oh so much.

“Now Ron,” said the minister, turning to the groom. “Repeat after me. I Ron…”

George winked at him and Fred gestured for him to speak. No matter how much they teased their little brother, they were so proud of him for finding someone to spend the rest of his life with. “I Ron…”

“Take thee, Lavender…”

“Take thee, Hermione…”

Gasps filled the room. You covered your mouth and looked out to the crowd at Hermione, who looked as if she had seen a ghost. Fred and George started whispering frantically to each other and Molly seemed as if she was about to either faint or slap Ron into another country.

But nothing compared to Lavender’s reaction. She stood there, frozen, hands going numb in the grip of the person she thought loved her. The one who only thought of her. The one who chose her.

“Lavender!” Ron corrected, nervously chuckling in order to hide the growing humiliation. “Lavender.”

The minister looked between the bride and groom, having no idea where to go from there. “Uhh...shall I go on?”

Hermione couldn’t take her eyes off of Ron. He had just said her name. Her name. Not Lavender’s. Hers.

What was supposed to happen next?

Tag List: @fandomhideout @amourtentiaa

#abby’s week of weasley #fredweasley #fred #friends #fred weasley x reader #george weasley #hermione granger #ron weasley #fredweasleyfluff #harrypotter #fred weasley x y/n #fred x y/n #weasleys wizard wheezes #fredweasleyseries #fredweasleyimagine

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