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phantasmagoric-acquaintance · 3 years

Text

keying cars, stealing hearts

inspired by meet ugly 06 from this post

in a moment of stupidity, I keyed what I thought was my ex’s car only to be surprised when you come screaming towards me

read it here or on ao3

“You should key his car.” Lup hands her brother a mug of her special hot cocoa. It’s a sugary-sweet monstrosity, topped with a heaping pile of whipped cream and caramel drizzle.

“I’m not going to do that.” Taako reaches up to accept the mug, and the blanket wrapped around his shoulders slips off.

Lup sets her own mug down on the coffee table and dutifully fixes the blanket. “Why not?”

Taako watches through swollen eyes as his sister picks her mug back up and sits next to him on their couch, folding her legs out to the side so that her knees are pointed towards him. “Because that would be crazy, first of all, and I’m not trying to get a reputation as a crazy ex. Second of all, he would totally know it was me, and he would make me pay to fix it, and cha’boy doesn’t have the fucking funds to do that.” He looks down into his mug, watching as the whipped cream begins to melt and cave in. When he speaks again, his voice is the tiniest bit softer. “And, you know, I still care about him, kinda.”

Lup scoffs. “Well, I don’t. I hope he burns in hell.” She rests her head on his shoulder. “If I ever see his car again, I’ll key it myself.”

This gets a snort out of Taako. He tilts his head so that it leans on hers.

“Whatever you say, Lulu.”

Lup wasn’t joking.

Taako could usually tell when she was joking, so she took his lack of protest to her vow as an endorsement. Not that she needs his endorsement, but she would’ve dropped the matter if he’d asked her to.

But only if he’d specifically asked her to, because she really, really wants to vandalize that punk bitch Sazed’s whole shit. No one gets to fuck with her brother and walk away consequence-free, not on her watch. The thought of it makes her fume.

So that’s why, when she sees Sazed’s car parked outside the grocery store about a month after that conversation with Taako, she runs over to it without hesitation.

She’s pretty sure it’s Sazed’s, anyway. It occurs to her for a split second that she’d only ever been in Sazed’s car a couple times, and she could easily be mistaken. You’d think a pretentious rat like him would cover his car in obnoxious-but-easily-identifiable bumper stickers, but he’d been obsessed with keeping the body paint in mint condition (he’d yelled at her once for leaning on it too hard or something like that, the douche). She notices the dashboard Hula dancer he’d had was missing.

But, she reasons, he could’ve easily taken it out; maybe he’d finally realized how tacky it was. And what other tool would keep a bright blue sedan like this? No, it’s gotta be Sazed’s.

She casts a few glances around in all directions, and, once she’s ensured that no one is watching her, ducks down by the driver’s side front tire and flips up the hood on her sweatshirt. She digs her key ring out of her purse and drags a few different keys across the front fender. With perhaps too much delight, she examines the marks she’d left and picks the key best suited to finish the job.

Quickly, she runs through a short list of insults in her head, words that are both true of Sazed and that would be embarrassing for people to see scrawled into the side of his car. She settles on “scumbag” and gleefully gets to work.

She’s about three-quarters of the way done with her little masterpiece when she’s interrupted by an unfamiliar voice from her right. “What the fuck?!?”

Lup whips her head towards the voice and catches half a face full of hood. Frantically, she paws at the hood with her free hand until it falls, leaving her face fully unconcealed.

She looks up and confirms that the heavyset man staring at her over an armful of paper grocery bags is not Sazed. His dark chestnut hair is a bit tousled, and paired with his wide-eyed expression, he looks like he’s having an off day.

He’s handsome, Lup realizes, and very much endangering her scheme. She tries to gather her composure before speaking. “So, like, I could run the whole gamut of excuses, ‘It’s not what it looks like!’ and stuff like that, but I don’t have the time and, frankly, bud, it’s none of your business.”

The stranger shakes his head incredulously. “None of my-? You’re keying my car!”

“Your car? I thought…” Panic starts to settle in Lup’s gut. “Y-you’re lying. You’re goofing ass.”

The man exhales through his teeth. “This is ridiculous.” He shifts his groceries so that he’s supporting them all with one arm and pulls a key ring out of the pocket of his jeans. He presses a button on a thick fob, and the car’s trunk pops open. He throws Lup a pointed look before setting his groceries inside.

She gapes. “There’s no way two whole dudes in this city drive Toyota Corollas this exact color.”

“It’s a popular car!” The man slams the trunk closed. “And this is a Camry!”

“How the hell was I supposed to know that?”

“It says it right there!”

He motions jerkily towards a spot under the left taillight, and Lup crawls over to look. Sure enough, it reads “CAMRY.” Huh. She remembers the moment of doubt she’d had earlier and silently admonishes herself for not being a bit more cautious. “I may have, um, made a mistake.”

“I’ll say!” The stranger walks over and sits next to the car, examining the damage. After a moment, he hisses and runs a hand through his hair, messing it up even more. “Damnit.”

Lup scoots next to him; to her surprise, he lets her. She looks up at her handiwork. The man had caught her before she had finished, and the side of the car now reads “SCUMB”. She lets a bit of silence pass before asking, “Can I at least finish it?”

The man balks at her. “What? No! Why would you-? No!”

Lup shrugs. “Fine. If you want to drive the scumb car, it’s no skin off my back.”

“I’d rather drive the scumb car than have everyone who sees my car think I’m a scumbag.”

“They’d think that anyway. It looks like your car was vandalized by an idiot who doesn’t know how to spell ‘scum.’ Which, for the record, is not what happened. I can spell.”

“Okay, whatever. I’d still rather leave it as ‘scumb.’” Lup swears she sees the man smile just the tiniest bit, and something stirs in her chest. She wants to make him smile again, she realizes.

For a second, she feels silly for thinking that about a stranger whose property she’s just defaced.

And then, she gets a crazy idea.

“You know what?” She roots around in her purse for a pen and an old fast food receipt. She holds the receipt up against the car and begins writing her number. “If you don’t call the police on me, I’ll- “

“Pay to get my car repainted?”

“Ha!” She points the pen at him. “No. I don’t have that kind of money. But I will buy you a drink sometime.” She offers the receipt to the man; he takes it and flushes. It’s adorable, and Lup feels heat rise in her own cheeks. She shifts a bit. “Um, but you have to promise not to call the police.”

The man stares at the receipt for a moment before raising an eyebrow up at Lup. “Are you… asking me out? Because, clearly, you’re not someone whose heart I’d ever want to be in a position to break.

“Oh, that?” Lup shakes her head furiously. “No, no, that was meant for my brother’s ex, not, like, one of mine.”

He lets out a low whistle. “If that’s what you’re willing to do for your brother, I’d hate to see what happens to anyone who scorns you.”

“Let’s hope you never have to find out, handsome.” She winks, then quickly adds, “That was a joke. You don’t have to say yes to the drink if you don’t want. Uh, I’d still appreciate it if you didn’t call the cops, though.”

The man looks down at the receipt again for what feels like the longest time. Lup starts feeling fidgety; she can’t remember the last time something made her this antsy. She twirls a drawstring on her hoodie around her finger.

Finally, the man looks at her again. “Make it two drinks?”

Lup beams at him. “Deal.”

#the adventure zone #taz #taz balance #blupjeans #lup taaco #barry bluejeans #uhhh is that all? i don't like when people overdo the exposure tags sdkfjklsdjfl #anyway first post. genuinely im really nervous #please don't be mean to me even if you hate this

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staywritten · 4 years

Text

Phobia│Bang Chan

Phobia │Bang Chan

Synopsis: Relationships were about give and take. Putting in effort and compromising, but there was only so much you could do when he stopped trying. Based on Phobia by Stray Kids

Genre: IdolAu, One shot, Angst, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Song Fic?

Word Count: 4444

Masterlist

Six weeks.

It had been six weeks since you’d actually seen Chan. Normally you’d be understanding he was a very busy man. Songwriter, singer, producer, rapper, and leader he was in high demand especially these days. He was working a full length album for Stray Kids and even assisting in the production of fellow label mates, but six weeks was just too long to go without actually seeing your boyfriend. It wasn’t as if he was on tour or promoting he was just a few blocks away at the studio that he basically barricaded himself in.

Chan being a workaholic was pretty normal. Him not sleeping and spending hours or days in the studio wasn’t unusual. But once in a while, around album time it got bad.

You made sure that you brought food, and clothes and just dropped them off for him. Occasionally you’d get Felix to deliver something since you knew he’d have a slightly easier chance of getting Chan to actually eat something instead of continuing to work himself to death.

Normally it wouldn’t be this bad, you had a life of your own so you understood keeping a healthy distance from one another and that was part of your relationship that worked so well. You both loved each other, but you valued alone time. You worked full time at an office and it was pretty daunting, and having some time to yourself was nice. It allowed you to go and visit your mom, and to spend some time with friends, even indulge in your hobbies.

Dating Chan for three years had gotten you used to his routines and how he got when it was album time. However six weeks started to make you wonder if you were even still in a relationship. He’d call occasionally here and there for a few minutes, but he hadn’t been home in over a month.

If it wasn’t for his weekly vlives for Stays, you wouldn’t even get to see him. On a particular night you caught one. Him going live at an unsettling 4am. In your defense you were also awake but him not being home in your bed had made sleep hard to come by.

He put on that beautiful smile for Stays. Entertained, gave warm words of comfort, shared his favorite songs and listened to their suggestions. Although he smiled the entire time. He looked so tired. His skin, paler than usual. He was always pale but you never thought he looked sickly. His skin wasn’t as bright, slight bags noticeable under his eyes. His hair, not as shiny and bouncy as it normally was. He looked so physically exhausted. He hid it well, to not worry Stays but you knew.

At the very end of his broadcast he wished Stays goodnight, gazing at the camera and for a whole moment it was like he was all yours again.

I'm stuck with a phobia

Although I want to stay with you

I'm stuck with a phobia

I can't go there, where you are

I can't approach you

It was like he could prioritize you, because you were a Stay and he loved his Stays. “Big hug” he smiled, going in to hug his camera, wrapping his arms around it. And the moment he came in close, the screen filling with his chest your body tensed as if you were actually being embraced. A soft smile grazing your face because that was the warmest you felt in six weeks. That was the most attention he’d given you in six weeks and you shared it with thousands of others.

You had the day off and you were determined to get Chan out of that studio even if it was only for a few hours to have a good lunch. He needed fresh hair, he needed the break. You managed to get a little done up today. Your comfortable jeans traded in a favor of a light sundress that hugged your form in the right places. Your hair down, neatly styled, framing your face. Your make up topped off with a nice glossy red that complimented your skin tone.

The walk to the studio was nice, the weather had been pretty amazing the past few days and it would have been a shame to let it go to waste. Walking into the JYP studio you waved to the receptionist, who had once again given you a small smile. She had gotten used to your visit and she would do her best to try and get Chan to at least come out but it wasn’t her fault your boyfriend was a workaholic.

You smiled brightly seeing a familiar face walk down the hall. “Hey How are you!” you chimed waving to Changbin. You met Chan through Changbin a few years back. You’d been a close family friend and it was a meeting that was merely by chance but you and Chan hit it off and the rest was history. It only brought you and Changbin closer, and he'd been a welcomed constant in your life, acting more so as a surrogate brother.

He brought you into a big hug, squeezing just a bit and patting your head. “Long time no see, you look beautiful.” he looked at you proudly. ”

“It’s been a while” your mood seemed to brighten greatly as soon as you saw him. “How’s Chris?”

His smile faltered for a bit. “Honestly…he's in one of those moods…he finished his new track weeks ago but..he just hasn’t been able to record it properly…you know how he gets…expecting absolute perfection…” he sighed. “It’s wearing all of us out, him and Jisung keep getting into it”

“He hasn’t been home in over a month…” you looked down.

“I figured as much…His studio basically became an apartment…He won’t even go back to the dorm” he crossed his arms over his chest “He’s being way too hard on himself. If a studio is supposed to represent your mind then his is just a mess right now…I don’t think he’ll ever get the song perfectly if he doesn’t take a break.”

“I was hoping to get him to take a break today…ya know have a lunch date. Go for a walk, enjoy the weather” you gave him a hopeful smile. “Wishful thinking?”

He chuckled “I think that’d be amazing for everybody.” he whispered “He’s been driving the staff absolutely crazy.” he gave you his studio key and a small wink. “Good luck, I’m gonna go grab a drink” he walked down the hallway back to the lobby.

You unlocked the door to the studio and was floored to see just how cluttered it was. Chan wasn’t exactly the tidiest person in the world but this was beyond ridiculous. Clothes, blankets and pillows covered the couch, the garbage can was overflowing. You were grateful that he wasn’t one for alcohol, energy drinks or caffeine but there was an alarming amount of juice bottles. The sugar probably being the only thing keeping him wired.

Chan turned around hearing the door open. “Changbin, I need you to run your rap through one more time something’s just not-” he stopped and furrowed his brows seeing your face.

A soft smile formed on his face, he really did miss you. Your beautiful smile, your bright energy always made you his haven, but right now it was a distraction. He needed to finish this song. Seeing you was supposed to be his reward for finishing everything. He wanted you to be proud of him the next time you saw him.

He wanted to be able to present to you his hard work. But right now he had nothing. He had about seven unfinished songs and nothing he was proud of. He didn’t want you to think his hard work was for nothing. He’d been working non stop for six weeks and had nothing to show for it.

“Chris...” you stepped into the room and moved closer to him.

He stood up and pulled you into a hug, kissing the top of your head. “Babe…what are you doing here?” He sighed happily feeling how you fit so perfect against him. How with just the feeling of your small arms around him his anxiety was lifting.

I want to hold you in my arms so bad

Even if I treasure you

You're so precious it isn't enough

You're radiant

The more you shine, the more I tremble as I get closer

“I missed you so much.” You leaned your chin on his chest. “I wanted to go out to lunch…” You missed his warmth, how safe you felt in his strong arms, the way the lul of his heart instantly calmed you. Your eyes softened as he caressed your cheek, running his thumb against your cheek.

“I missed you too, but I’ll take you out when I finish the song.” He kissed your forehead. He intended to pull away but he couldn’t. His lips found your mouth as he pulled you into a sweet, and tender kiss. Your lips moved against his lovingly as he gripped his shirt. It was the most intimate contact either of you had in a long while. He cupped your face, pulling away softly. That would be enough to hold him over. You just had to wait for him.

“I’m sorry Babe but there’s still so much I have to do” he reluctantly let you go and moved to sit back at his desk. “I would love to goof off but the guys are counting on me” he slipped his headphones back on and turned his attention back to his laptop.

You gasped, feeling him pull away so suddenly. “Chris…” Watching him get back to work as if you weren’t even there broke your heart. Six weeks of not seeing each other and you got a hug, and an ‘I miss you’ before he just dismissed you. Did he really miss you? Did he even care? You turned away, biting your lip and keeping your tears at bay. It was just so frustrating.

He had already slipped his headphones on and got back to work. You didn’t want your visit for be for nothing. You were hoping to help him in some way. You wanted to get him to take a break but he made it very clear he had no intention of leaving.

You cleaned up the blankets, folding it neatly on the couch and frowned seeing all of your notes and letters you wrote him for encouragement just crumbled in the trash. They were just tossed aside, like they were nothing.

Like you were nothing.

You’d seen how he so carefully took care of his letters from Stay’s each one saved and delicately handled. Preserved in a box to later act as motivation for him. And yours just crumbled like they were trash.

Then it hit you. Why were you even doing this?

At the thought of me making you smile

This shaking becomes in a little happiness

Don't know why I'm like this

Even if I pretend to not be bothered

My heart is racing like it'll burst

He turned around and saw that you were still standing there staring at the garbage. “Baby I really need to work, why are you still here?”

“What is this…” you mumbled, your fist tightened. You turned around, tears threatening to spill out. “What are we even doing?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I…we haven’t even seen each other in weeks and you don’t even care.”

“Don’t start this, we agreed that work comes first.”

“I agreed not to guilt trip you when you have concerts and tours, and you agree to understand when I have to work over time but this isn’t the same thing Chris…you’re just refusing to come home…what about me? where do I fall in your priorities?”

“Is that what this is about? I don’t need this right now! I need to finish the album!” You flinched hearing him raise his voice. He was known to have a bit of a temper but he almost never raised his voice to you. “The guys, the company, JYP, Stays, everyone is expecting me to put out the next big hit. The comeback is in a few weeks and I’m not ready! I don’t have time for you to sit here and just bitch about it!”

“A bitch? is that what I’m being….” you whispered. “I just wanted to see my boyfriend…” tears streamed down your face as you stepped closer to him. “I always support you…I make you food, and bring you clothes, and always encourage you. I’ve always been your biggest fan, but you’re not taking care of yourself… You’re making yourself go mad sitting in the studio all day, you’re pushing yourself too hard and-”

“The only thing making me go mad right now is you! So why don’t you do me a favor and leave!” He kicked over the chair and yelled. “Do us both a favor and get the fuck out! I don’t need this!”

You bit your lip and shook your head “Y-You don’t mean that…” you stepped closer slowly. “Chris…you’re just mad…Let’s just calm down…and we can-”

“Leave! Why are you still here!?” In his fit of anger his hand swung out hitting the can on his desk causing it to fling at you. It flailed past you, hitting the wall.

You screamed from the sudden movement and shielded your face feeling it splash on you. Even though it didn’t hurt you, it scared you enough. All in one day Chan yelled and threw something, he’d never done something like that before and for the first time you can say that you were genuinely afraid of him.

The second it hit the wall it was like his anger began to dissipate. Seeing the fear in your eyes he stepped closer but you stepped back and let out a yelp, cringing as he lifted his hand toward you. He just meant to caress your face, but you wouldn’t let him get that close. You couldn’t look at him, you were almost frozen in fear, you just couldn’t bring yourself to make eye contact.

He called out your name in a soft desperate whisper, but you shook your head. “I’m…I’m sorry, it was an accident...”

There was a loud bang on the door which only caused you to scream again. “It’s just me” Changbin opened the door and let himself in “I heard yelling what-” he looked down at your small shaking form. Tears streaming down your face, you were literally shaking, something splattered on your sundress. ”What the hell happened? Are you ok?”

You pushed past him, sniffling as you ran out of the building. He stared at Chan in disbelief. “What did you do?”

You hurried home going as fast as your feet would carry you. Honestly you should have taken the scenic route, there was nothing to rush home to. Your apartment, far too large holding nothing for you. You sighed looking down, you had been ignoring the pestering feeling that this wasn’t a home anymore. It lacked warmth, life, him. All the memories that you once cherished were nothing but photos on the wall.

You just couldn’t do this anymore.

You couldn’t be the only one trying.

You packed up your largest suitcase, filling it with as much of your clothes as you could. Anything that couldn’t fit in the suitcase was stuffed in boxes, books, photos, anything that you contributed to this shared apartment. It would have been easier just to pack up Chan’s things since he had a lot less things as you did, but you couldn’t bring yourself to touch his stuff or to stay here a moment longer. The apartment looked much colder without your touch. It was as empty as you felt.

Stay with me

Don't hesitate no more (Don't hesitate)

There's no point in speaking

As long as I'm in front of you

Back at the studio Changbin grabbed Chan by his collar. “Chris what the hell was that?!” his grip tightened.

Chan looked down. He regretted the whole situation. He never meant for it to escalate so much, he just didn’t understand why you couldn’t just leave him alone and let him do this for work. He was also aware that the situation looked a lot worse than it was. “I didn’t hit her…” he felt the need to clear it up.

Changbin scoffed. “Do you think that you’d still be standing if I thought for a second that you laid a hand on her?” He wasn’t usually this aggressive, but he had gotten so close to you, and loved you very much. If you were to get hurt because of someone he introduced you to he’d never forgive himself.

“I just…lost my temper…” He grunted pulling away from Changbin. “Why can’t she just let me work?”

“Because she loves you! She wants you to be healthy and happy and sane!” Changbin crossed his arms over his chest. “Because she doesn’t want you to end up making yourself sick”

“She wasn't understanding at all!”

“Oh no the girl that goes out of her way every day to drop off clothes and food for her boyfriend. The girl that understands that you have to go away for weeks or months on end for work and never complains about it. The girl that understands that you get annoyed when she comes to see you but she still wants you to have a good meal so she sends Felix to deliver it. That girl? Are we talking about the same girl? The girl that came all the way down here just because she wanted a little lunch date. Could you really not give her that? A few hours to show that you still love her.” Changbin scoffed. “She’s way too good for you…”

Chan looked down and clenched his fist. He never realised how good you were being to him, how kind. He just got spoiled by your understanding nature. He took advantage of the situation. “I messed up…I really fucked up…I yelled at her…I scared her….” he looked at Changbin. “She was really scared of me.”

“You’re going to lose her…” He sighed “And since I care about her well being that doesn’t actually sound like a bad idea.” He turned away. “Either fix it, or sit here sitting in you own self pitty..I can’t fight your battle…not this one.”

It still took another two days before he made it back home. Somehow he did manage to finish the title track, up to his standard. Jisung and Changbin were going to work on his guide for some of the B-sides and he was going to take some time off.

He picked up a bouquet of your favorite flowers, and a teddy bear to apologize on the way. Unlocking the door he sighed “Babe…I’m home.” he announced as he slipped off his shoes. As he walked into the apartment he looked around frantically. The walls were bare. All of the photos you had were removed, the little plants that you decorated the apartment with were gone, his bookshelf that you filled with all of your favorites was now empty. He dropped the flowers and bear and ran into the bedroom. The bed was neatly made but all of your clothes were gone, half the closet stripped bare. It was like you were never there. As if you completely lifted out of his life.

I'm stuck with a phobia

Although I want to stay with you

I'm stuck with a phobia

I can't go there, where you are

I can't approach you

A week had passed and he was unable to reach you. You refused to answer his phone calls, your friends, and family refused to tell him where you were. It wasn’t until he caught you leaving your office building that he finally saw you.

You had worked overtime that night just to finish off your workload that you were slacking on. You’d been staying at an airbnb for an extended stay while you looked for an apartment. The rest of your things in storage at your parents place. It wasn’t permanent, but this transitional period felt good. Like you were finally doing something to take back your life. You froze hearing your name being called, knowing the voice all too well. He grabbed your wrist softly, pleading for your attention. He turned you to face him. He looked so sad, you just weren’t prepared to see his face like that. “Chris let me go…”

“Why’d you leave?”

“I’m surprised you noticed”

“I came home and you weren’t there…”

“You told me to leave.” You yanked your hand back from him.

“Leave the studio. Not my life.” He looked down. “I missed you…I didn’t know where you were… if you were safe… I was so worried.”

You sighed. “It only took me leaving for you to get that….All the nights I spent alone…you didn’t even care. When you were locked away in the studio you didn’t know if I was home safe, and you know what Chris? You didn’t care”

“I care!” he groaned, not meaning to yell at you. “I care…I always care…I’m so in love with you… please…just give me a chance to explain everything …please…even if it’s the last chance please…just…give me this..”

Every time I meet you

I shake, shake

Your voice echoes loudly in my head

Saying I can do even better

I boldly shout

I know too well that chances only come once

I'll do anything for you

*So that you can believe in me*

You sighed deeply before leading him back inside your office, borrowing one of the empty meeting rooms giving you two some privacy. This wasn’t the kind of talk you wanted to have publicly and you’ll be damned if you ever returned to that apartment again. Sitting across the table from him you gave him the coldest look you could muster. Arms crossed over your chest as you glanced at your watch. “Talk”

He looked down, trying to find the courage to speak. “I’m sorry…it’s just…you’re so good to me…you’re beautiful…and kind…and you love me more than I deserve…” he sighed. “Changbin’s right…he’s always been right about you being too good for me..but I figured if I worked hard then maybe one day I’ll be good enough for you too.” He buried his face in his hands. “I”m not good with relationships…I’m fucking horrible at them…You’re the only one to ever put up with me this long…I was just so scared of disappointing you..scared that you’d realize that I’m not good enough”

Your eyes softened hearing him pour his heart out to you. This was new, he never opened up this much. He just bottled things up, put on a happy face for the sake of others. This was deep rooted and he never addressed it before.

“I…I figured if I stayed busy…I could never get into a fight with you…we would appreciate the time we had together…no fighting, no anger, just happiness…If I stayed in the studio and work hard then I’ll have something to prove to you that I’m good enough...Make a new album and get wins… it’s not just for you but for Stays, the guys… I have to prove to all of you...”

Placing your hand on the table, you leaned closer. Not touching him, but the gesture was huge. It showed that you were more open to him. “Why…why do you think you have to do this? There’s not a single person that doesn’t think you’re good enough. Stays...The guys...I...we all love you more than you can imagine”

He gazed up sadly. “Because…when you gusy realize I’m not good enough you’ll all leave me too...I fuck up everything good in my life…and you’re the best thing that’s happened…and you stayed…And then you left...” he slowly reached out and tried to take your hand, only if you were accepting. Seeing how you didn’t pull away he held your hand. “I wanted to beg for you back…but then I realised how better off you are without me…that if you truly love someone you let them go…a good man would let you go.”

Your eyes softened hearing that. You could feel his grip slipping on yours. You opened your mouth to say something, but you could find the words. His hand lingered on yours, not quite wanting to let you go, and to be honest. You didn’t want him to. You wanted him to fight for you, that’s all you ever wanted.

You needed him to try.

“I’m not a good man…I’m a selfish man…a man that loves you and can’t be without you..” He took your hand in his again before pressing his lips to it. “I promise…I’ll treat you better next time…no more tears…I’ll work less…I’ll cherish you better…I’ll be the man that deserves you…I” he stopped himself taking a deep breath, holding on to your hand for dear life. “I don’t know if I can be perfect but I’ll try-I’m trying”

“Chris…this can’t happen again…I love you…I really do…but…I love myself too much to let you hurt me that much again…”

“I promise! I won’t ever hurt you again…I know I’m a fuck up…but with you…I can be more than that…you make me better…I need you.”

You leaned closer taking his cheeks into your hands, forcing him to look at you. “Listen to me…you are not a fuck up. You are good enough…I love you.”

“I love you more” he leaned in pulling you into a kiss. “Come home please…” he whispered against your lips.

“Then make it feel like a home again…” you whispered back, pressing your forehead against his.

“I will…for you I’ll do anything..” he smiled softly leaning against your touch just enjoying your feeling. The feeling that made him feel whole again. He had always put his music first, it was about time he started prioritizing the very person he does all of this for. His motivation, his love, his inspiration. It all came from you, and he was going to prove how important you were to him, even if it took him a lifetime.

Because you were worth it.

I'm stuck with a phobia

Although I want to stay with you

I'm stuck with a phobia

End.

You guys ever think about your ult and they’re just so perfect you make yourself sad over imaginary situations? Ok cool, I’m not alone.

Also please forgive any mistakes, or typos it’s 3am and I have to be up for work in three hours, so I’ll edit it later

Also If anyone wants to be part of my permanent tag list let me know, you’ll get alerted any time I post a new story. As of right now I’m only a Skz writer so if that’s your vibe lemme know~

Once again this is another fic I wrote like 5yrs ago and re-wrote it for this

∘Tags List:

@skzsprinkles @tophuphu @hugs4chan @channieboyo

#stray kids #stray kids scenario #stray kids reaction #stray kids x reader #bang chan #bang chan scenarios #bang chan imagines #bang chan angst #stray kids angst #kpop #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines #kpop scenario #kpop angst #chris bang scenarios #chris bang angst

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imaginingsoftly · 4 years

Text

Baseball Trivia - Josh Anderson

Type: Y/N insert shorts, strangers to enemies-ish to lovers, series

Requested: No

Warnings: standard swearing

AN: This will be a shortish four part series. It’s complete, so I’ll put the next one out Wednesday.

She was never going to an athletics conference again. There was too much testosterone and not enough actual conversation about their field, and was now the biggest waste of $300 Y/N had ever spent. In a room of 250-plus communications directors, she was one of maybe 20 women, and all of them had somehow managed to get themselves seats in a clump on one side of the room. Y/N, on the other hand, ended up in the row with all the washed-up college athletes that were convinced they could still play. The guy on her right was rambling on about how hard it was not to check out the female athletes to the guy on her left, who was agreeing emphatically. Fucking assholes.

BU’s communications director was on the stage rambling on about keeping social media current, like he had any fucking clue how to do that. Y/N knew for a fact he didn’t even know how to post to Twitter, let alone how to run an effective page. Honestly, most of the keynote speakers were useless. Having 20-plus years in a field like athletics communications didn’t mean much besides knowing most of the other people who had also been there for 20-plus years. The actual job had evolved tremendously in the last 5 years, let alone since they first came into the field. It wasn’t just about writing press releases and keeping track of records any more. They were the people who wrote articles about the teams for the athletics website, the ones who live-tweeted games and kept the social media pages current and innovative. Y/N could almost guarantee most of the speakers didn’t even know how to send a tweet.

The two assholes on either side of her grew tired of being sleazy, and decided to torture her instead. Y/N took a deep breath when she noticed their attention turn her way. “So, sweetheart, what exactly do you do?” Y/N rolled her eyes. Those fucking assholes were really going to call her sweetheart?

She cut a glare at asshole #1 on her right, and he actually flinched a little. “First of all, don’t call me sweetheart.” Asshole #2, the one on her right, actually snorted, and Y/N raised an eyebrow at him as well. “Secondly, I’m the Senior Manager of Communications and Media Relations at UBC in Vancouver. I coordinate the press for all of our athletic teams, as well as organize all of the social media pages and our website.” The two were silent, and Y/N smiled slightly. “So what do you boys do exactly?” BU’s director finished talking before either one had a chance to answer, and it was almost too bad. She was looking forward to watching them flounder. Really, her job was a big deal. To be the person in charge and also be a female was a big deal, but to also be her age was pretty big too. At 26, she should probably still be working a low-level job, probably just now getting out of the internship stage. Senior management was usually relegated to guys like Mr. BU, who was old enough to be her dad, but hey: she was good at her job.

Cam, one of Y/N’s classmates at BC, was thankfully waving at her from his spot in the back of the room, and Y/N slid away from her seatmates without a goodbye. Hopefully she’d never have to see them again. “So,” Cam called out as Y/N got closer, “was it enlightening?” Cam laughed in response to her eye-roll, and Y/N pulled the taller guy in with a laugh. It was nice to see him again. After BC the pair had gone their separate ways, and now they were on opposite coasts. Cam was fortunate enough to find a job close to home in New York, while Y/N had found herself on the far side of the continent in Vancouver. It was weird, after being together almost constantly for four years, to see each other maybe once a year, but it had worked out for the best.

“Listen, Cam, the guys on either side of me spent the entire time talking about checking out the college girls. They were older than us.” Cam reacted appropriately, making a gagging noise, and Y/N was again thankful to have a person there with her. “Any chance I can get you to go out tonight?” Cam made an apologetic face, and Y/N groaned. “No, you have to come with me so people leave me alone.”

Most of the time, people assumed they were together and guys left her alone. If he wasn’t there, guys would be bothering her off and on all night, and she never attracted the good guys. She was a magnet for married 40-somethings who liked younger women. “Sorry, babe,” Cam said apologetically, “but my flight leaves in like 2 hours. I’m headed to the airport like now.” He reached out his arms for a hug, and Y/N grudgingly obliged. “I am excited to see you in the city in a few months, though!” The two smiled at each other, and Y/N walked with Cam until he reached the bus taking a ton of the conference attendees to the airport. “Have fun, Y/N. Go be wild for the night.” He kissed her on the cheek with a smirk, and Y/N shook her head at him as he climbed onto the bus. She would go out that night, Y/N decided, and she would deal with those men if it meant doing something spontaneous for once.

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

The bar looked welcoming, in a part of the city that looked a little less young and crazy than the part near the conference and her hotel. Distance from universities, Y/N had learned, meant everything when it came to bars. The ones close to Ohio State had been wild, and full of college kids. Definitely not her scene. This bar, on the other hand, was perfect. It was homey, sports memorabilia on the walls and country playing from the speakers. Y/N got a beer from the bartender and settled in on a barstool, staring up at the television screen above her. It was playing a replay of the Blue Jackets game from earlier that day, a Sunday matinee performance that had turned into a minor brawl with the Penguins.

She sat in silence for almost an hour, waving for another beer about 45 minutes in. At one point three men threw themselves onto the barstools next to her, arguing emphatically about some video game, but they thankfully left her alone.

At some point the argument between the boys had become goofing around, and then they began arguing again. “I’m telling you, man, the Yankees were the first ones.” One of the guys mentioned baseball, and Y/N’s ears perked up. Baseball was her favorite sport to work at UBC, even if the guys could be even more cocky than the hockey boys, something she’d previously thought impossible.

Out of the corner of her eye Y/N saw the guy next to her shake his head in disagreement. “No way, man. I think Toronto was the first team to retire a number.” Oh, sports trivia. Y/N smiled. This was her specialty.

“Technically,” Y/N interrupted, “The Habs were the first professional sports team to retire a number.” The trio turned to look at Y/N looking confused, and Y/N caught the eyes of the guy who’d mentioned the Yankees. He was pretty, with blue eyes that somehow managed to be kind and intimidating at the same time. She held his stare as she continued speaking. “If you were talking about just baseball, then it was the Yankees. They’ve also retired more numbers than any other professional sports team.” Y/N trailed off as the three continued to stare at her wordlessly, and she smiled nervously.

It was starting to get awkward when one of the guys finally spoke, and Y/N almost slumped over in relief. “How the hell do you know that?” The guy that spoke, whom she now recognized as Seth Jones, was starting at her disbelievingly. Actually, now that Y/N thought about it she recognized all of the guys. Boone Jenner and Josh Anderson stared at Y/N on either side of Seth, and Y/N sat up a little straighter. Athletes. She knew how to handle them.

She shrugged in response to Seth’s question. “I’m a sports fan. I like random facts like that.” Y/N held out a hand. “Y/N. Nice to meet ya.” Boone grabbed her hand first, and Y/N relaxed at the sight of his smile. There was something welcoming about him. Seth followed suit, gesturing at the other two guys. “I’m Seth. That’s Boone, and this,” he shouldered Josh, “is Josh. We’re also sports fans.” Y/N smiled at the three of them, and Josh reached out his hand to her as well. His hand was warm, and she found herself caught up in his eyes again.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N,” Josh said, and Y/N had to fight to break his gaze. “Are you from the area?” She shook her head and looked away to clear the fog that had taken over her brain. “I’m from out of state,” she said. “I work for a university’s athletics department, and I’m in town for a conference.” She answered what would probably be their next question quickly. “And before you ask, yes I knew who you guys were. Baseball has my heart, but I do love hockey as well.” The boys all looked at each other and grinned.

Boone clapped Y/N on the shoulder, and she smiled up at him. “It’s nice to meet you, Y/N. So outside of knowing more about sports than everyone else, what do you do?”

Y/N laughed. “I work in athletics communications. We’re in charge of social media for the university athletics, coordinating press, stats, all that fun stuff.” The guys were all nodding like they knew what she was talking about, and she laughed a little. “You know the promotional videos and other random crap that gets posted on social media?” They all nodded at that. “I’m part of the crew that designs those. I’m the person who live-tweets games. I’m also the person who decides which reporters get to talk to our athletes and which athletes are going to be available for pressers after games.”

Seth whistled. “That’s a lot of shit Y/N, how the hell do you manage all of it?” She waved her arms. “No,” she laughed, “I don’t do it all alone. We have interns that help, I just need to make sure that everything gets done right. I actually have an intern that developed a concept for an absolutely incredible intro video for our women’s hockey team this fall that I can’t wait to help her put together.” The guys all nodded along like they were following. It was refreshing to talk about her job with people who kind of understood what she was talking about, outside of the people she worked around all day.

The conversation moved on from there, and eventually Boone and Seth left the bar, the latter leaving with some girl while the former headed home alone. Josh remained, hooked on the increasingly drunken words coming out of Y/N’s mouth. At some point they had moved on to embarrassing stories about themselves, and after Josh shared a story about biting it in front of his new team Y/N only felt it was fair to share her first-day horror story. “So I’m sitting there thinking I’m doing a great job, like maybe this internship was gonna work, when I get a text from my boss.” It was her biggest mistake as an intern, and really her biggest mistake in the field period. “It turns out I was live-tweeting the hockey game on the women’s basketball page.” Josh had the appropriate reaction, widening his eyes and gripping the hand Y/N had settled onto the bar top between them.

“No!” He exclaimed, throwing his head back when Y/N nodded in response. “What did you do?” He was genuinely invested, and Y/N’s mildly drunk brain was having trouble computing that. Why in the hell did a professional athlete seem so interested in the behind-the-scenes world of college athletics?

It didn’t matter. She had a story to tell. “I totally panicked. Like I’m on the phone apologizing to my boss, who’s not yelling but sounds waayyy disappointed, and at the same time I’m trying to delete all the tweets. It was hands-down my worst day on the job ever.” Y/N met Josh’s eyes again, and the expression changed. They grew warmer, a little more fiery, and Y/N found herself leaning forward to meet his kiss halfway.

She was never going to be able to kiss someone like this again. The couple of other guys Y/N had kissed in the past were good, but Josh was wow. Granted, players generally had a good amount of experience in that department, but maybe that just meant she needed to kiss more players. It was pure passion, and Y/N groaned when Josh’s hand found its way into the hair at the base of her skull. He tilted her head back to kiss her deeper, and then broke away suddenly. “Please come home with me.” Josh’s words were whispered into her ear, his proximity sending fireworks through Y/N’s brain. There was no question. She was totally going.

Josh smiled when Y/N nodded in response. He slid a fifty onto the bar to cover their drinks and then some before grabbing Y/N’s hand and tugging her out the door of the bar and into the street. They were close to his apartment, a little less than two blocks away, and his hands were all over her as they stumbled up the stairs and into his place. It was modern, with lots of windows and some random abstract art she was sure he hadn’t picked out for himself, but that was the extent of the tour she got. He practically carried her into his room in his haste to get her clothes off, and Y/N settled in to enjoy the night. She had a feeling it was going to be a good one.

Getting out of Josh’s bed was the hardest part of Y/N’s night. Not only was it comfortable as hell, but the man sprawled across the sheets was tempting to cuddle with. If it wasn’t for her early morning flight Y/N might have stayed, maybe gone another round, but the flight was coming up fast and she still had to get back to her hotel across the city and then to the airport. Y/N paused as she exited the bedroom, considering for a moment leaving a note or her number, but then she decided against it. It’s not like they’d ever see each other again, right?

#josh anderson imagine #nhl imagine #nhl imagines #Baseball Trivia ML

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writingmyimagines · 5 years

Text

Liquid Courage

Billy Hargrove x Reader

Warnings: Cursing and suggestive themes

Word Count: 3.7k

Bright pink. Suddenly all you could see was the brightest, most fluorescent pink that you had ever laid eyes on and it was shoved into your face.

You immediately drew back from the intrusion. “What the hell?” you yelled, directed at your attacker.

Your friend Jessica started laughing so hard she nearly threw her milk up as Aaron watched on. Claire had so kindly shoved a pink flyer in your face and began to start waving it around again when you huffed out, “What is that and why do you keep smashing it into my face?”

She backed off ever so slightly, but her eyes shone as brightly as ever. “This, my dear (Y/N) is the opportunity of a lifetime.” Silence rested between you two for a moment, before you waved your hand, urging her to say something meaningful.

“This is an invite to one of Tommy’s parties tonight! I managed to snag it from Maggie who got it from Lexi who got it from Alex because I think they hooked up, who had gotten it from-”

You cut her off, grabbing her free hand and trying to calm her down for a second. She immediately took to breathing heavy, and you glanced at your other two friends for some help with her. “Claire, one thing at a time. Are you sure the invite was meant for you? I mean, we aren’t exactly the most popular people around here.”

You didn’t mean to break her optimistic heart, but it was true. The four of you often spent weekends at the record store, in the park, or just goofing off in each other’s houses. While you may have gotten drunk on a few occasions, Jessie’s dad being rather lenient with his liquor cabinet, you had never been to a party. Aaron had been to one when he had briefly dated Emily, one of Carol’s friends, but the three of you weren’t ever on the party scene.

She started frowning, furrowing her eyebrows at you, before retorting, “Of course it is, or at least, it doesn’t matter. It’s not like we’re the computer geeks or band nerds, we are attractive ladies, and Aaron, and practically all of Hawkins will be there anyways. There is quite literally nothing stopping us.”

Jessie piped in, “Honestly, it might be kind of fun? I haven’t been to a high school party and I think it’s a good idea to try before we go to college and are in way over our heads.” Ah yes, always the voice of reason.

You nodded slowly, figuring this all out. She had a point, it could be fun, really fun actually. Wild things always happened at Tommy’s parties. Hell, at the last big one before winter break, she had heard that Steve “The Hair” Harrington was dumped by Nancy Wheeler for Jonathan Byers of all people and lost his title as The King of Hawkins. Maybe something else wild would happen, and it would be nice to see it up close instead of hearing it through the grapevine for once.

Your gaze turned to Aaron who had a laidback smile on his face, “I’m in, I need to cool off after that math test today. And I’ve heard things can get pretty crazy…” he raised his eyebrows suggestively, turning towards the table of cheerleaders before you slapped him on the arm.

Claire grabbed your hand again, looking at you with big blue puppy dog eyes, “Come on (Y/N), we were supposed to have a sleepover and help watch the house while my parents go to Indianapolis for their anniversary. It’s perfect timing! Come on, please!”

You couldn’t help the smile that crept it’s way onto your face, not really seeing a downside to it. Claire cheered and yelled a bit, before calming down so she wouldn’t bring attention to you guys. She started ranting, “Okay, you guys can all meet at my house at 6 and we can get ready and maybe even get the party started early if you know what I mean? We can help do each other’s hair and…” she went off on a tangent about the night’s plan as you felt a flutter in your chest, your heart beating faster.

Not to be dramatic, but your life had seemed so boring and stereotypical lately. School, a few clubs here and there, spending time with friends. The best thing that had happened was there was a rumor of a mall being built soon, but it was probably just a rumor. Hawkins truly was a town where nothing ever changed, but perhaps today was the day that it would.

The sun had long since set on three girls giggling in a bathroom, golden rays changing to the bright light of the stars as they readied for the night ahead.

You smiled cheekily at Jessica as you tried out a magenta lipstick on her, complementing the lavender hues on her eyes. She laughed as you smudged a bit and you heard a groan from downstairs.

A male voice yelled up, “Would you three hurry up? I thought we were going to try and pre-game together? Not just leave me to sit on the couch and die of boredom.”

This caused more giggling to ensue, though the brunette you were just slathering lipstick onto added, “Maybe we should finish up. The party starts at 9 and we’ve already spent at least an hour getting ready.”

Claire was busy trying to tease her hair even more in the mirror, reaching for heights not yet known. She made a hum in agreeance before waltzing out of the bathroom.

You glanced yourself once over in the somewhat frosted mirror. Your hair was styled perfectly, more hair spray than usual, but still more relaxed than not. Makeup was heavier, but no crazy colors, and your skin tight skirt made your ass look fantastic. You had to hand it to Jessie, you looked hot.

So you quickly jogged to catch up with the two of them as you guys made your way downstairs to greet Aaron, rolling his eyes before actually glancing up at you three. He certainly looked taken aback and you felt your back straighten while a smile grew on your face.

He nodded, before commenting, “Not bad ladies, not bad at all. Now let’s get wasted.” He took out a bottle of whiskey that he had been hiding behind his back.

And an hour later, the four of you had a nice buzz going and the whiskey bottle lay empty on the floor. Aaron swiped his keys off of the desk as you all readied yourselves.

You giggled, before dragging Claire to the car, wanting to hurry up and get there already. You felt loose and free and just happy, though you couldn’t deny the heavy beat of your heart as you got closer.

There was not much talking in the car, blasting Queen instead on the way to Tommy’s. But even the radio got quiet in comparison to the booming coming out of what you could only assume was the party house. You grabbed Claire’s hand, making an excitable scream before hustling out of the car. This looked absolutely gnarly. You bit your lip in anticipation as the others got out at a snail’s pace. But finally, you were walking up, the four of you quiet, and Claire swung open the door.

The latest AC/DC song blared over some speakers as you were all hit with the stench of alcohol and sweat. People were dancing on every open space in the living room and it was hard to see past them. Everyone had a red solo cup or can in their hand and you just stood there for a moment with your mouth wide open.

Quickly though, you were pulled by your hand, dragged to the kitchen where you were rapidly handed a cup. Without giving you a second to think, Claire clinked your glass and yelled, “Cheers!” before chugging at least half of whatever drink you had. You followed suit, but made a face as nearly all you could taste in this was vodka.

You started to put the cup down, when she pushed it closer to you, “Oh come on, we’re hardly buzzed. Tonight we let loose.” And you both made your way to the make-shift dance floor.

Minutes turned into an hour or two and things were seeming to peak. Brady was about to try and crowd surf as a few couples waltzed upstairs, whispering into each other’s ear. You danced on, drinking a beer, you think. You were pretty drunk at this point and had lost Claire in the crowd. You were also fairly sure you had seen Jessica and Aaron walk out back a while ago. But that wasn’t stopping you, especially once you heard the intro to Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics.

Your body started swaying with the first few chords, running your hands through your hair and singing quietly to yourself. Your hips kept up perfectly with the beat and you added a few moves of your own, shaking your hair from side to side, bending down and popping back up, and without realizing, you had half of the room watching you.

It wasn’t until the dance break that you looked around, seeing quite a few boys and girls eyes on you. But you kept up, just feeling for once instead of thinking. You even mouthed the words, glancing from classmate to classmate before ocean eyes held yours.

Your breath caught in your chest as you realized the new King of Hawkins was watching your every move. And you loved it, so you smirked, before whipping your hair back around and continuing to sway with the booming rhythm. Emboldened by the liquor running through your system, you were trying to grab the attention of Billy Hargrove. Never in your wildest dreams had you thought of talking to this boy, let alone trying to entice him. He was rude, uncaring, blunt, and undeniably hot.

It wasn’t until the music began to fade into some Foreigner song that you felt a presence behind you and hot breath on your ear. “Nice dance moves darlin’.”

You turned slowly, hips brushing as you turned around to see the blonde that was on your mind. You smiled cheekily, “Well thank you, I noticed you watching and just couldn’t help myself.”

Woah, what just came out of your mouth? Claire would not believe this.

“Oh so you were trying for my attention then?” You kept his hard gaze, throat going a bit dry at being singled out like this. And those beautiful teal eyes just saw right through you, right into you. You had to remind yourself that he couldn’t read your thoughts, when he continued, “Well you have it, what do you want to do with it?”

He put his hand gently on your hip, squeezing lightly and looking you up and down once more. Your body felt absolutely electric. But the air here was hot, and with him this close, you weren’t sure you could bear much more heat.

You leaned into his touch, pushing his curls back as you whispered, “Maybe you want to take this outside?” Your fingertips tingled as they fell from his hair and you leaned back.

He didn’t say anything, but pulled you closer, putting his arm around your waist and guiding you to the backyard where there were significantly less people. You focused on his hot touch, able to feel the calluses on his hands on the small part of your midriff that was on display. Your mind was going crazy with fantasies. You had always dreamed of some boy stealing you off like this, but now those wild dreams had a face, and god was it good-looking.

Eyes shifted to the two of you as you made your way to Tommy’s porch, and then the side of the house. He pushed you into the wall with just a bit of force, looking to see if anybody dared get near him. He turned back to you, tongue flicking his lips before he said, “We’re outside, now what do you want darlin’?”

Cheap vodka was flowing through your system and you giggled, watching him carefully so that his figure didn’t turn double. You bit the edge of your lip, finally processing what he had said before you purred, “You.”

His lips were on yours quicker than wildfire, and they felt like it too. Surprisingly soft lips contrasted with the scratch of his slight stubble on your cheeks. You weren’t sure if it was your breath or his that smelled overwhelmingly of alcohol, but you didn’t care as one of his hands left the wall and went back to your hip, starting to massage it.

You playfully licked his lips, gauging his response. But you didn’t have to wait, his tongue started battling yours and you couldn’t help but moan into him, grabbing back up to his golden hair. You were in heaven.

As if underwater, you heard a voice call, “Nice one Hargrove!” and then a growl came out of his throat. You glanced up at him, blackened eyelashes batting at him, wanting nothing but his touch. He glared at one of his basketball teammates before taking your hand and walking to the front yard. You stumbled on the way, your vision getting fuzzier as you fought to keep up with him. He led you into his Camaro not a few houses down, and surprisingly he was gentle. No words were exchanged before you got into his backseat and he smirked at you, asking, “Is this what you wanted? Something a little more private?” His voice deepened to a growl again at the last few words.

You nodded quickly, making yourself dizzy although the car was already spinning. You pulled his lips back onto yours, grabbing at his signature jean jacket for balance as much as to pull him in. You made out, and it was hot.

You started trying to pull off his jacket when you missed and tried to grab the seatback, but fell from your precariously balanced position onto the carseat. Giggles erupted from your mouth as you struggled to breathe and he just looked at you for a second. “Are you okay darlin’?”

Even you, in your inebriated state, could see that he had gotten softer, not as passionate. You closed your eyes for a second and felt wildly nauseous, opening them up quickly. You tried to nod, but suddenly the slight throbbing in your head that you thought was the music became a raucous smashing. You reached for his shirt again, not saying anything, as you weren’t entirely sure you could.

He pushed your hand back down and helped you sit back up. You watched him look at you critically. Suddenly, you felt embarrassed, let down, and very very sick. He put his hand on your back gently and you pushed off from him, slamming open the car door as you vomited onto the ground. Oh god, that was awful, but at least you felt a bit better. You also figured he would kick you out the moment you stopped, but his hand went back to your back. He started rubbing in soothing circles as you vomited again, sobering up fairly quickly.

You sat there for a second, half your body out of the car, and your face flushed red. Embarrassment ran through you, white hot, making you want to start bawling and screaming simultaneously. You had made out with Billy Hargrove, only to puke outside of the side of his car and humiliate yourself for the rest of your life. Surely, on Monday, every student and their mother would know about the nobody who got so drunk she couldn’t even make out with him.

“Really, are you okay?”

Slowly, not wanting to upset your body anymore, you glanced at him again. Your glassy orbs met his and you hated how perfect he looked. Blonde hair mussy, shirt open showing his Adonis-like body, and blue-green eyes staring into yours. You could feel your hair stick to your head from sweating and couldn’t imagine what your mouth smelled like. Oh god.

“Hey, wait just a second,” he murmured and you thought once more he would boot you out of the car. He lurched forward and grabbed some napkins from his glove box, handing them to you gently, before also sliding you a mint. He chuckled a bit as your eyes widened and eyebrows furrowed, expecting anything but this from the school’s resident jackass. “A bit too much liquor, eh?”

He sat back, the two of you now sitting quietly in his back seat and you felt your face flush once more, your senses having mostly returned. You cleaned yourself up the best you could, before you turned back to him. He was just watching you, and you stuttered out, “Hey, I am so sorry for this. Just forget it ever happened, I’ll be going.”

You headed for the door before he grabbed for your hand, he called back, “I don’t mind.” Silence, you avoiding his gaze while he searched for yours as you debated just running away from Hawkins and never looking back. He added, “I don’t think I’ve seen you before, not a party-er?”

Gears in your head ground against each other, trying to process that the most popular boy in school was trying to talk with you after you had made out with him, tried to get with him, and then puked out the side of his car. You retorted, “Yeah, I guess for a reason as we both can see.”

The two of you shared a quiet laugh and you added, “You can kick me out anytime you know.”

He laughed again, before shaking his head, “Nah, kinda nice not having to be around those shit-head morons.”

A surprised chuckle escaped your throat as your mouth lay agape, “I’m sorry, I thought those kind of people were who you liked to spend time with?”

“Bunch of artificial assholes, boring.” He looked back to you, and for the first time in a few minutes, your gaze met. And you stared at each other.

“What do you do anyway, when your not failing to hold your liquor?” You grimaced, head still throbbing, and you looked at him. “I have hobbies besides partying, something I’m not sure you can understand. I like to sing, and read books, and just act like an idiot with my friends, but we don’t always need to get drunk for that.”

He sighed, and looked down, all the while nodding. “Yeah I guess, it can be an escape though, you know?”

Woah, who was this and what had he done with Billy Hargrove, King of Hawkins, basketball star, badass with an ass? Was he serious?

He gave a bitter laugh, before responding, “It doesn’t matter anyways, who the fuck here actually gives a shit.”

It wasn’t a question, but a statement and you couldn’t help but stare at him, wanting to see his eyes. He was glaring at his car’s carpet and your hands got clammy as you tried to think of what to say to him. He suddenly seemed upset, but not angry, like, melancholic? “I dunno, some people care, it just takes a while to find the right ones,” you wanted to encourage him.

More silence. After a while he murmured, “Maybe some people just can’t be cared about.”

Your heart broke. If someone had told you at the beginning of today you would be trying to comfort Billy fucking Hargrove after making out with him and getting sick in his car, you would’ve sent them to an institution. But here you were. Your hand reached for his back and he immediately straightened up, pushing you off.

“And some don’t want to be,” he looked forward before looking back at your unsure, frozen form. You could see him set his jaw and saw his eyes slowly lose their glisten. And you both just stared again. He had just cried, no, screamed out for help and you just sat there watching. You whispered, “And maybe those are the people that need it the most.”

You reached for his hand. He tried to move, but you held his as firmly as you could, trying to squeeze some sense into him.

Suddenly he slammed open his car door, moving his way to the front and settling in the driver’s seat. He waited a few moments before looking back at you and calling, “You gonna come up here or do I have to grab your ass?”

You shook your head, and quickly got out, moving to the passenger’s seat per his request. He revved the car, turning on the radio, Aerosmith screaming back at you. He shouted over the radio, “Where should I drop you off?”

You started to shake your head before he cut you off, “None of that bullshit, where are you going?”

You bit your lip again, before telling him Claire’s address. The two of you drove in silence, him staring violently ahead at the road and you stealing glances at him out of the corner of your eye. It was strange to say the least, but in a few minutes, you were outside Claire’s.

Both of you looked at each other as he parked. The Billy you had seen a few minutes earlier was gone and suddenly he was King Billy again. “Well that was very sweet of you. Thank you.”

He shrugged it off, “Don’t mention it, seriously. I’ve got a reputation.”

You laughed, seeing through his walls suddenly and acted without thinking. You leaned in, grabbing his jaw gently kissing him on the cheek. Quietly, you told him, “I care Billy.”

With that, you hurried out of the car, not looking back, and ran to Claire’s door. You opened up the door, getting inside as he sped off, tires squealing and music immediately blaring again. What a night.

#stranger things #stranger things imagine #stranger things imagines #imagines #reader insert #billy hargrove imagine #billy hargrove imagines #imagine #x reader #billy hargrove x reader #fanfiction #fanfic

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soda-kpop · 6 years

Text

Trumpet Player!Mark - NCT Dream Band AU

NCT Dream Band AU: ML - HRJ - LJN - LDH - NJM - ZCL - PJS

Word Count: 5763

Warning: I’m a hopeless romantic at heart so forgive the cliches

Rest of Dreamies + Coordinating Sports AU Coming Soon!

Trumpet boy for life

Like he can even imitate it with his mouth it was meant to be

Would not stop playing the john cena theme when that meme was a thing

Like seriously mark

We are trying to play the fight song right now

It’s not time for john cena

It’s either that or justin bieber love yourself

Anyways

He’d be the first chair trumpet despite not looking like he gives a shit at all???

Like to be honest a lot of people think he’s just in band to goof off with his friends

But he actually is very talented and loves playing his trumpet

The duality of it all shocks everyone

When he’s not playing, he looks chill and just there to have a good time

When he brings that instrument to his mouth though

Wow

It’s like a whole different person

His posture straightens

His focus is only on the music and the ensemble

Nothing can disrupt him

Perfect tone like 100% of the time

He is so talented with music he can hear the pitches and if they are out of tune or not easier than the others

Everyone usually tunes to him tbh

Has a crazy ass range compared to the others

Model trumpet tbh

Except when he never sees the cut off

When he is playing his trumpet, he gets into his own little world away from everyone else and like the band is simultaneously annoyed and amazed like mark come on but also mark keep going lol

He may seem very intimidating to other trumpets

But as the section leader

He is very nonjudgmental

If they are having troubles he will ask “did you practice at home” but whether the answer is yes or no he will help

“Alright let me help you.” wow fuck me up fam

He’ll even try to learn the second and third trumpet parts to help them out

Be also tries to balance sports and band

He is on the basketball team!

As much as he loves playing the pep tunes

He loves playing basketball as well

So when basketball season comes around the band has to say goodbye to their first trumpet

But the band still supports him anyway

When he gets called for the starting lineup

The band just goes nuts

“I KNOW HIM!!!!” - jeno

Cue blushing mark cause wow cause you guys are embarrassing

Donghyuck laughing and calling him a loser when he misses a shot during warm ups

(during the game though he is as loving as every)

His teammates call him trumpet boy

They tease him but love him

That could basically describe Mark’s relationship with anyone tbh

He is always that one in class where it’s the day of the concert and he goes

“Wait there’s a concert today????????”

But no one blames him cause he busy af

Even the director (since the end of his freshman year) is like

“The concert is on March 23rd” *glares at mark*

“The concert’s in a week” *glares at mark*

“Mark when’s the concert?”

“Uhhhhhhh I don’t know, Tuesday?”

Cue haechan face palming

“God mark he literally said it’s in a week two seconds ago”

But poor mark was too busy trying to study for his calculus test that he didn’t hear him

He gets especially busy during pep/marching season cause he’s first chair trumpet and gets all the belty parts for the pep tunes

So football season can be a handful

But absolutely nothing compared to basketball season

His schedule multiples with gym practices for basketball, extra weight sessions, hours practicing his trumpet, and trying to keep up with his school work

If he can get to sleep before midnight any day of the week, he is so thankful as most days he needs to get up early for his 6 o’clock weights sessions

God bless his soul but he somehow gets by and survives each day

To add to his plate even more

Mark decides to do solo and ensemble!!!

After weeks of trying to find the perfect song, all that he could find was a duet

It was called “The Prayer” and Mark thought it was absolutely beautiful

So when it was sectionals time in class

He gathered all of the trumpets into the office and searched for the audio file to show everyone and see if anyone would want to maybe play it with him

Everyone was kind of bored with it tbh

The rest of the section enjoyed “fun” pieces full of energy

(Mark swears if they suggest they play Mouthpiece Mania one more time he is going to shoot himself.)

That and no one really wanted to play during solo & ensemble

They all had their own things they needed to tend to

So when everyone is walking out, Mark starts to feel a little discouraged

That is until he realizes that someone stayed back

You!

You actually thought the song was quite beautiful and would love to play it

Although you are nervous about having to play this yourself

You see Mark’s excitement and can’t help but feel that excitement to

“So you’ll do the duet with me?!?!?!”

And his eyes are so big and his smile is so wide that you cannot say no to this boy

And when you say yes, he begins jumping up and down and immediately asks for your snap so you guys can schedule practices.

“I’m a little busy with basketball coming up, so I can mostly practice on home game days and weekends! I have a week until that starts, so we can practice for a week until then if that’s okay.”

You just smile and say that those days work for you

Not only do you get to sharpen your trumpet skills and play a beautiful piece

You also get to become closer to Mark!

He has always caught your eye with how calm and sweet he was when working with your section even if you or other members hadn’t practice any of the tunes yet

You two just haven’t had much time to talk other than that

Any other classes you may have shared, you were both in different period/hours.

It was a shame but now you didn’t have to worry about that

After you guys exchange your snapcodes, he quickly runs out of the office in a mad search for your director to sign you guys up as a duet

Donghyuck just looks at him like he’s insane

You just laugh and mutter to yourself

“What did I just sign myself up for?”

So after school both you and Mark come to the practice rooms in order to start your first rehearsal

You go through some scales in order to warm your instruments up

And Mark stops you and “show me your embouchure”

You slowly pull your horn away from your mouth and show him

He giggles looking at your face because it actually looks ridiculous without a mouthpiece attached

You begin to return to normal as he continues to giggle

He quickly stiffens back up and protests “no I’m serious let me see it”

So you do and

“See, your embouchure is all wrong. Your lips are turned upward not down like it’s supposed to be” and he pokes the edges of your lips

“Having this smile still allows you to play, but it weakens your tone. You want to have them down kind of like a frown!”

He pulls the edge of your lips down and giggles

“Try that now”

And your tone steadies and your eyes widen

“Haha see! Let’s go again!”

After you finish Mark’s like

“You are gonna take over my section leader spot!”

And you are just kind of like

“Yeah right 1. The director loves you and 2. I’m gonna fuck it up”

He just signs and says “well they’re gonna need some more first trumpets for pep season… you better volunteer ;)”

“Sure.. let’s keep working”

And y’all mostly just sight read the piece for the rest of the practice time

And the rest of the practices before basketball starts are spent in a similar fashion

If Mark hears something wrong, he’ll point it out (whether it was him or you)

If it is him, he’ll apologize to no end

But if it’s you and you try to do the same, he will continually reassure you that it’s fine

As basketball starts, you don’t get to practice

Mark is just swarmed with practices before the first home game

You didn’t want to let him down with not practicing so you spent everyday practicing along to the recordings in the hope of impressing him when the next practice arrives

So it’s the day of the first home game and all of the basketball team is wearing their matching sweatpants and warm up jerseys

And you cannot lie that Mark looks really nice

You can’t ignore the tiny little crush that you may have developed working with Mark

He was just so responsible and hard working and talented

So it was hard not to start falling a little bit

When you saw him in band

He came up to you with a big smile on his face

“Are we still up for today after school?”

You nod your head and confirm “Yes, 3:30!”

And yall sit in your sections and wait for class to start

After school, you have to meet with a teacher to review a concept before meeting with Mark

By the time you got out, it was only 3:15

You decided that waiting the other 15 minutes in the practice room wouldn’t hurt maybe you’d even be able to practice some before you have to show Mark

When you got there however

There was someone asleep in the practice room

It was Mark

You opened the door softly just to confirm and the tuffs of brown hair paired with his white sweatpants were all you needed

He looked too calm and peaceful to disturb

But you were also concerned

Clearly Mark hadn’t been getting enough sleep

And as a starter

This boy is going to need his energy for the game tonight

You pull out your wallet and see some cash

You make a quick run to the store and pick up a few drinks

An energy drink, a sports drink, and a large water

Everything that he could need at the game

Plus a juice for yourself

You make it back with three minutes to spare

Holding the plastic bag, you knock firmly on the door before opening it

Mark begins to stir and once he realized that he fell asleep, he quickly jolted up

“Oh my god what time is it?!”

You laugh at his shocked face and muster out a “3:27”

“Oh thank god…” he falls back into his char and notices the bag, “What’s that?”

You sit on the floor and take each drink out of the back

“I thought I’d treat you for your first home game!”

And his cheeks began to heat up

No one had ever tried to gift him anything besides Donghyuck

And even then

All he gave him was complete junk food like a bag of Skittles or a soda

He was touched to say the least

But he didn’t really express it well

All he did was look at you and the drinks with such shock on his face for about a minute

To avoid any other awkward tension, you quickly suggest to start

He snaps out of it “Oh! Yes, let’s do it!” and you sit down in the chair next to him

After your warm ups, you begin to run through the piece

And something seems off?

And Mark can sense it too

You stop playing and Mark follows

“Mark, can you play again for me? I want to hear something”

And he hesitates cause he knows it is him

Him playing confirmed him

“Your notes…”

“They are football shaped, I know.” He hangs his head embarrassed. “I’m sorry, I’ll work on it.”

“Hey, it’s okay! You usually don’t sound like this; is everything okay?”

And he takes a deep breath before completely spilling out

“I’m just about to collapse. I used to be able to balance everything so well, but this final year is just so much worse. I feel like I don’t have any energy left.”

You drop your trumpet and close the distance between the two of you, putting a hand on his back for comfort

He didn’t say anything too specific but you are still able to offer support “I feel like you may be too hard on yourself. You have so much on your plate, you shouldn’t expect to do everything perfectly. It’s okay to have bad days sometimes - it helps you grow and learn.”

“But everyone expects so much from me. Living up to that pressure is hard, and I don’t want to disappoint anyone.”

His breathing quickens and it sounds as if he is about to cry

“The only person you need to impress is yourself. As long as you are happy with what you’re doing and where you are at, everything is going to be okay. I know you can do it!”

And his shoulders relax and his breath steadies and looks down shyly

You can’t help but swing your other hand around him and give him a hug

“Give yourself a break sometimes, it’ll be worth it.”

He puts his hand over yours and squeezes it

“Thank you.”

After you let go, he starts to try and play again but your hand pulls his bell down

“We don’t have to continue, Mark. It’s okay. You have a big game tonight.”

And he looks at you with concern

“I don’t have to be there until 5:30, it’s only 4… and we haven’t practiced in almost two weeks! I’m obviously behind…”

You laugh to the side and propose a deal “How about we go for another 20 minutes, then you can get a nap in here before call time? Does that sound good?”

And you best believe this boy looks at you like you are an angel sent from heaven.

“Deal.”

When those 20 minutes are up, you just sit inside the band office with your director while Mark is taking his nap

When people start filing in early, you situate yourself close to the practice room Mark is in so you can make sure his slumber is not disturbed

When 5:15 comes around and almost all of the band members are destroying the room, you decide to finally wake him up

When you walk in, you almost decide to not wake him up

He looked so peaceful and content

But he was either gonna be woken up by you or by the percussion section running through their cadences

So you figured this would probably hurt less

You hunch over his body and slightly shake his shoulders

“Mark… it’s time to wake up…”

He flips over and before you could try again, he attempts to rub the sleep out of his eyes

“It’s call time!”

You say trying to get him up

But he just smiles and quietly goes “I’m up, I’m up.”

So you stand up and offer him a hand that he quickly takes but before you can get away, Mark pulls you into a hug.

“Thank you, honestly. For the drinks and everything.”

And you are stressing out, wondering if Mark can feel either your heartbeat increase or your face redden

“N-n-not a problem!” You stutter quickly releasing yourself from his grasp.

He quickly grabs the bag full of his drinks and runs out to store his bag in the locker room

But not without screaming “THANK YOU!!”

And you just come out of the practice room with a blush on yourself and mutter “you’re welcome”

ANd Donghyuck comes up next to you and just nudges ya

“So… Mark huh?”

“Shut up Donghyuck”

When you guys set up, you spot Mark hanging out with his teammates

Y’all make eye contact and just give him a big thumbs up

He instantly smiles

When you are playing during the girl’s varsity game

You guys constantly make eye contact and he makes faces at you

(MOstly it’s just him saying a smile is bad and you need to frown which is counterproductive because all it does is make you laugh)

It’s when warm ups start that you guys really start interacting

It becomes his turn to shoot at the 3 point line

And he misses the first one

“Nice shot!”

You immediately elbow Donghyuck

“OW! What the hell was that for?”

You look at him and with a serious tone just “Just lighten up, okay?”

And he just rolls his eyes and walks away… “Lovebirds…”

You turn your attention back towards the court and make eye contact with him

He had seen the whole interaction and was shocked

You just mouth to him good luck

And he smiles and guess what?

Makes his next shot

Nothing but net :)

And he sees you smiling out of the corner of his eye and you bet your butt that he’s replaying that image in his head throughout the night

When the game starts, Mark seems to be real nervous. Starts the game shooting 1 of 4 and you can tell he is frustrated

His team doesn’t pass as much to him and he gets taken out of the game before the first half is finished

When the half finished, your school is losing by 10 points

When he gets pulled out, he runs his hand through his hand in frustration and looks up towards the band section

Right now he’d rather be up there with everyone than on the court right now

He sees you in the corner with a look of concern on your face and once again you make eye contact except this time, you notion to your head and mouth “Believe in yourself. I believe in you.”

And maybe just maybe

You see his frown turn upside down

When they come out from halftime and start their warm ups again

You see Mark make almost every single shot

You know this is a different person out there

When you see him in the starting lineup again, you get on the edge of your seat

Soon he is almost unstoppable making the next 7 of 9

And you swear but you cannot confirm

That everytime he makes a shot, he looks in your direction to see your reaction

Which is nothing short of a smile and a fist pump

There’s 10 seconds left in the game and the other team has possession

The score is 73-75, your school down by 2

The person who Mark is blocking has the ball, but he kept the ball far from his body

Mark saw an opening and stole the ball with two seconds left

And before he could get in a proper position

He just chucks the ball just before the buzzer sounds

And in goes the ball

3 points for Mark

A winning game for your school

You instantly start screaming for as long as you can

But you have to start playing the Fight Song

It wasn’t the cleanest as the hype flowed through the brass section creating a blatty and harsh sound

But no one cared because Mark just shot a buzzer beater and won the entire game for you guys

You wanted to go up to him after the game, but you had to put all your equipment away and when you looked at him, he had so many people surrounding him

After helping the percussion with their equipment, you finally have time to pack up your trumpet

When you place your mouthpiece in it’s hole, you get tapped on your shoulder

You turn around and see Mark, all hot and sweaty

“You got a lotta attention out there, huh?” You laugh

“I think you should be the one getting the attention; I don’t think I would have been able to do that without you.” Your face reddens “So same time next home game?”

“Of course” you laugh

And he walks off to go find his parents and go home

And you shut your case with a smile and with some pep in your step

And for the next month and a half before every home game

You bring Mark those three drinks during every practice

And he becomes more and more supportive of your playing

Anytime you may doubt yourself, he quickly reminds you to believe in yourself

And you do the same

He starts becoming more confident not only in class and on the trumpet, but also on the court. He doesn’t need to look at you in the stands as often when he plays, but you can still tell he takes some glances

And Donghyuck notices it all and develops a plan

The day before the final home game, Donghyuck approaches Mark in the locker room before practice

“Mark you gotta do something,” he whines

The look of confusion takes over Mark

“What are you talking about? Do something about what?”

“Don’t act dumb, your special trumpet friend!” the blush on Mark’s face just confirming his best friend’s suspicions

“I can’t! Especially before the biggest game of the year so far! What if they reject me and I lose my spark?” He says tying up his shoes

“Wow you might actually be dumb. Have you seen the way they look at you? You have absolutely nothing to worry about. You are Mark Lee. Everyone wants to be with you, whether romantically or mutually, and I can bet your ass that they feel the same way… romantically of course.”

And Mark melts at the thought of you being an item.

“Well what can I do?”

“It’s Senior Night. This could be the last time you could ever wear this uniform again, wouldn’t you want someone special to wear it with you?” Donghyuck smirks, winks, and walks off leaving Mark to stare inside his bag to see his jersey for away games

Boy is he going to have to wash that a lot tonight

For the final home game, you decided to get him a bag full of extra gifts

He had done so much for you in these last two months that you needed to celebrate it somehow

You had gone to the store and picked up the usual drinks along with multiple cups of watermelon, a gift card to his favorite pizza location, and for an extra special gift, you had ordered him a custom mouthpiece with the word “Believe” engraved on it

You really hoped that he would like it and not be put off by it

When you walk into the band room, you can hear him practicing through the walls

Your performance would be in two weeks and you guys knew the piece by heart

And despite hearing him play the same song over and over again

You were always mesmerized every time he played

You wait for him to finish before barging in

“Oh hey! I was just working on secti… oh that’s bigger than usual” he says pointing out the large bag

“Well it’s a special day, and I wanted to celebrate that. If we practice till call time, you may be able to get everything before your game.”

And you swore you had never seen Mark so eager in his life

So you play and play (but not without water breaks and running it by your director for final feedback)

And finally it’s 5 o’clock and the rest of the band is supposed to be there in 15 minutes

“Good rehearsal!” Mark says placing his horn in his case

“You too, I’m excited for Solo & Ensemble!” You start getting giddy just thinking about it

“Me too, it’s going to be a lot of fun, and I’m really happy with how it’s sounding.”

“You’ve helped me so much with playing so in order to say thank you…” you slam the bag into Mark’s lap, “Thank you!”

If you thought that you have seen his biggest smile, that’s a giant lie

He has never smiled that big in his life

He takes out the water, energy drink, and sports drink with care

When he sees what else is in there, he absolutely flips

“I love watermelon!!” He immediately opens the cup and pops a cube into his mouth, melting into the sweet and soft fruit “And I’m totally going to use the gift card this weekend.”

The mouthpiece, however, was in your pocket

“Mark, I have one final gift…” His head turns in confusion, “Here, just close your eyes.”

He is hesitant but ultimately shuts his eyes

You reach into his case and pull the body of his trumpet out and place the mouthpiece on it

You hold it out to him “okay open!”

“My trumpet?”

You couldn’t help but laugh

“Just inspect it okay!”

He takes the brass away from you and starts examining the bells and the valves. It wasn’t until he finally checked the mouthpiece that his confusion left

“‘Believe?’ Why?”

“Because, you can do anything if you just believe in yourself. You taught me that, and now if you need any reassurance, it’ll be right there for you!” When you are explaining, his head drops down as he smiles at the ground

You couldn’t help but become shy after giving it to him, still not sure how he felt about you

“I have a gift for you, too…” He trails off before reaching into his bag behind him. Your head picks up at the mention of a gift.

Before you realize it, Mark is handing you a piece of black cloth

“It’s my away jersey, and I’d love it if you wore it tonight.”

Your cheeks begin to burn as you take the jersey in your hands

“I would love to”

And mark just whispers a gentle “great” before staring at you

Once he notices Donghyuck in the window, however, he quickly starts packing up his things

Seeing him so frantic makes you do the same

You were about to leave when Mark calls your name

“Wha…”

As you turn around, Mark’s lips touch your cheeks before he mutters out a quick thank you and he runs out of the room

You stay in the practice room for another minute or so in order to compose yourself and to change into the jersey

The second that you walk out, Donghyuck starts a melody of harassing whistles causing you to walk out of the band room, but not before screaming “I swear to god, Donghyuck!”

Walking into the gym, heads turn everywhere seeing Mark’s jersey rest upon your shoulders

He couldn’t stop smiling to himself seeing you play the first trumpet parts he loves so much with his name on your back

And just like the first game, he wishes he could be up in the stands

Not because he is struggling

But because you looked like you were having so much fun and he’d love to be up there to experience it with you

Also to get Donghyuck off your ass

And after the buzzer sounds, your school won by a landslide and as you play the fight song, Mark looks and points up at you with the biggest smile on his face

It almost causes you to stop playing, but you had to

People swarm him like always but his attention is somewhere else

You let people get their share of Mark while you put all of your supplies away and change back into your old shirt

You hurry as fast as you can and run back into the gym to see all of players with their families, including Mark saying goodbye to his

When he turns back to pick up his bag, he sees you in the corner of his eye

“Good job out there, Mark.” You walk toward him handing him his jersey

“Thank you! It’s all because of you.” He smiles “Also keep it, you look nice in it.”

You immediately started laughing

Mark’s eyes grew, “What?”

“Mark, you do know you have an away game next week right?”

His eyes widen even more and he slowly grabs the jersey from your hand

“Oh… right.”

And he stashes the jersey in his athletic bag

And your laughs just continue

“Anyways, you did really well out there, Mark.” and this time you find the courage in yourself to do what he did to you earlier and place your lips on his cheek, “Goodnight”

And you walk out with a fire on your cheeks and a pulsing in your heart

Mark was no different

From then on, band with Mark had been….different

He can barely look you in the face, he can’t focus, and his tone starts to suffer

He hasn’t even played your duet since that home game and you still had until their final game to start practicing again

After that game, you only had seven days to rehearse and finalize any changes you needed to make in order to get that superior rating

While in the zone, it was as if nothing had happened between you guys

When you guys are playing, there is absolutely no tension between you. The only way you guys connect is through the music

But again

Something is missing

You ask your director to listen in and really analyze the song - not just say if it sounds good or not

And he says

“The notes are all there, you have all the dynamics and rhythm set, but there is not emotion. You feel like you are just two people playing together, not two people playing as one. It may look the same, but the sound is so different.”

You both just look at each other and frown

“Playing the same music is not enough to connect each other, our emotions are just as valuable. Maybe try hanging out together, let loose, something like that.”

And he leaves you and Mark in the practice room

“So….” Mark starts

“So….”

“What are we?” he quickly asks

Almost to the point you couldn’t hear him, but you most definitely did

“I hope at least friends…” you say with some hesitation, “but I would love to be something more”

“I-I…”

“I understand if you don’t think of me in that light. I can come together to play this song with you, but I don’t know how much more I could stay around you.”

You held your head low unable to look him in the eyes, softly playing with your hands in your lap

Suddenly, your hand is being warmed in the presence of Mark’s

“You don’t have to worry about that. I’d love to be with you.” And when you look up, you can see Mark’s calm, sweet eyes meet yours. He wraps his arms around you, trying his best not to be too awkward in this chair hug (which is absolutely awkward you cannot escape it)

“So….” Mark starts, “Should we start playing again?”

And you just nod

You don’t make it three measures in until Mark stops you

“Hey, what did I tell you about smiling?” He teases.

“Sorry,” you laugh, “I’m just really happy right now.”

And you just smile at each other

Solo & Ensemble couldn’t come faster

You had one practice with Accompanist!Johnny then all of a sudden, you and Mark were on a bus with other contestants from your school headed to the performance venue

You were one of the first groups to perform that day and to say you were nervous was an understatement

And as if Mark could sense it, he takes your hand in his and starts rubbing it

“You are going to do great today, just believe.”

And you can’t help but smile to yourself

You walk into the performance room and hand your score to the clinician

While Johnny gets his sheet music in order, you and Mark set your stands facing each other so not only will Mark be able to comfort you if your nerves get the best of you, but you will also be able to create an intimate atmosphere

As soon as you get the go ahead, you introduce yourselves and begin playing

[LINK TO DUET]

Afterwards, you feel absolutely breathless

Between playing the songs and watching Mark play full of passion, your heart was beating at a mile a minute

Your clinician has a lot to say, but most of it is good things!

His main critique was for stylistic reasons - he’d prefer more accents in some places and a ritardando in others

But his main compliment was

“You guys feel connected. You respond to each other almost perfectly. If he does one thing, you are right there with him as support. For some people, it’s about being the best, but you only try to compliment each other. They try to feed on these emotions while you guys try to feel them. Outstanding job.”

And both of you immediately blush while your director is almost crying because he was so proud of how you took his advice and it was actually paying off

When you walk out of the room, your smiles never stop.

Not even when the scores are posted

You promised each other that no matter how you placed, you would be happy with your performance

There was no need to be worried

Not only did you receive a superior rating, but you were the first place Trumpet Ensemble

When you read it, you wanted to cry

And Mark’s eyes just grow really wide and he looks at you with all the shock in the world present on his face

All he can do is hug you

And it lasts for a solid two to three minutes

Celebratory pictures are taken of course, but you guys are quick to watch your friends’ performances

During which, Mark holds your hand

Earlier it was calming, but now it was doing everything but

While the clinicians went on their breaks, Mark pulls out his wallet

“Celebratory dinner’s on me”

You turn your head and see the gift card you got him that final basketball game

“I thought you were spending it that weekend!”

“Well, I felt pretty confident about this performance. I was going to ask you no matter what happened between us, so pizzas on me!”

And before you can respond, the only thing you hear is

“GUYS, MARK’S BUYING DINNER”

“Shut up, Donghyuck”

I haven’t written an AU in a long time! I missed this so much. I will be doing a Band AU for the rest of the Dream Team along with a corresponding Sports AU! That means that there will be a full Basketball AU for Mark. This took almost all day to write, so I can’t guarantee when they will be out!

I hope you enjoyed this! Thank you guys <3

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timmyrx2000 · 6 years

Text

Dipper Steps Up: Chapter 13

Chapter Index: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)

Chapter 13

Chuck had a quick word as the Panthers ran to the dugout: "Guys! Two runs! Can we do this?"

A chorus of "Yeah!" came back.

Chuck shook his head. "I can't hear that! Tell me we can do this!"

At his side, Mabel raised her hand. "One! Two! Three!"

And as she swept her hand down, everyone yelled out together: "WE CAN DO THIS!"

Chuck grinned. "Jon J, step up to the plate!" But as the pitcher walked deliberately out, testing three bats before choosing one, Chuck said quietly to Dipper, "What's wrong?"

"Huh?" Dipper had been sweeping the grandstand with an anxious gaze. "Uh. Nothing. Just—you know, trying to see where . . . people are sitting."

"Keep your head in the game," Chuck said, slapping him on the shoulder. "Remember that!"

Dipper settled on the bench. I'll be up after Jon J and X-man. What if I screw it all up in front of Wendy?

After the first pitch—a called strike—it took Jon J only thirty seconds to end his turn at bat, though to Dipper that dragged on like three hours.

And Jon J ended it spectacularly, with a blazing shot right down the left foul line, though it stayed in play. It bounced off the chain-link fence, the left fielder, flustered, bobbled it, lost it, and threw to the wrong place—first base, which Jon J had already left behind, and the throw was short and the baseman had to chase it—

Jon J wound up on third base, leaning over with his hands on his knees, his chest heaving for air. He had probably set a personal-best speed record with that run. The dugout went crazy.

As X-man went past, Dipper said, "Make us proud, man!"

X-man smiled and nodded as if that were all he needed. He didn't waste time, either, but smashed a hit into deep right field. The Athletics were either tired or overconfident—or maybe shaken by the Panthers' performance in the sixth. X-man stretched what might have been a single into a double, and Jon J crossed the plate and came into the dugout with everybody jumping on him and pounding his back.

Everyone except Dipper. He stepped out. Only Chuck seemed to notice him. He just said, "Head in the game, Dip. You got this."

"Head in the game," Dipper mumbled.

Sun is so hot today. Not in my eyes, though. This bat feels so heavy! And I feel like Mabel when she was in the golf cart that time—about to puke!

His hands were soggy with sweat. He rubbed dirt on them and pulled on his batting gloves, took two practice swings, and stepped into the box. The Athletics pitcher scowled at him.

This guy likes to brush you back from the plate. If he crowds me, should I jerk back in time or would it be better to be hit and take a base?

Sure enough, the first fastball whistled in—and Dipper had to step back to avoid it. "Ball!" the umpire shouted.

OK, he won't try that one on the next pitch. He doesn't have much of a curve, and he aims for the bottom third of the zone. Eye on the ball. Eye on the—

The pitcher kicked high and bent low and the ball came in right in the center of the zone, but low. Dipper tensed, judged the moment, and swung as hard as he could—

Crack!

He knew it was going into the gap, but he was already running and had no time to watch it. Round first base, and the center fielder was just coming up from the ground with the ball—Faster! He's gonna throw me out!

People were screaming. The ball was in the air, the second baseman reaching up his glove—

Dipper hit the dirt and slid into the bag—

And he heard the second baseman yell, "Shit!"

Dipper got to his feet—not even winded—and started dusting himself off. "Language," he said mildly.

The Athletics player shot him a look that could have killed. Dipper saw that X-man had scored. Tie game!

Hi-Ho, up next, made a valiant try, but managed only a pop-up to shallow left field, and the shortstop caught it. One man down.

Bobby paused on his way to the plate to look Dipper's way and give him a thumbs-up. Mabel did a fist-pump.

Something amazing happened. Dipper, standing just off second, straightened up and looked around.

And at that moment, somehow everything around him reminded him of—Gravity Falls. On a day when there was no Weirdmageddon, no chase through the woods on a golf cart, no competition between Pacifica and Mabel on the mini-golf course, no baleful ghost to conquer, no dance to make him anxious about asking Wendy for just one dance. No, not a day like that, but one of the clear late afternoons he and Mabel loved, a day to lie on their backs on soft, fresh-smelling grass and look at clouds with Wendy. A day to laugh and feel at home and loved and safe. One of those beautiful days that you hoped would go on and on and on because it was too sweet to leave behind.

Everything seemed so peaceful. The game was just a game, fun but not the be-all and end-all. And he had friends—real friends! For the first time in his life he had more than a couple of friends, and they were all right here, in California, on this hot afternoon in May, and they were feeling good.

And he knew how to make them feel even better.

That all passed in a flash, before Bobby even crouched at the plate—the catcher liked to challenge a pitcher by narrowing the strike zone—and well before the first pitch flew.

Bobby swung, the bat smacked the ball, and Dipper saw it was a hard-hit line drive to the pitcher's left, squarely between first and second, and it hit hard and started to bounce, at least a single for sure, but by that time Dipper had launched himself.

He got to third, looked over, and saw Bobby stepping back to first base, grinning. He immediately led off first, dancing, goofing. The pitcher glared at him.

Dipper led off third.

The pitcher wound up—and Bobby tagged up, then led off even more. The pitch, a strike—and Bobby took off for second. Dipper saw that the catcher was throwing to second, and he hunched down and ran faster than he had ever run in his life, even that time in the Fearamid with a monstrous Bill Cipher on his and Mabel's heels—the crowd screamed, he heard the pitcher yell in startled surprise—the catcher was reaching for the ball—Dipper went into a slide again—

And the throw was high and the catcher missed it and the ump bellowed, "Safe!"

And the scoreboard blinked to the final score: ANDERSON 10, VISITORS 11. Dipper's steal had won the game.

Before he could even get to his feet, Dipper was picked up—the cheering team hoisted him in the air and paraded him around. Above everything, Dipper could hear Mabel: "That's my brother! In your face, Athletics! That's Dipper Pines!"

The team wouldn't set him down. They carried him into the dugout. They dumped the water jug over him, making him muddy rather than dusty. Coach Waylund shook his dripping hand. "Good season, Pines," he said. "I'll look for you at tryouts in the fall. We're gonna need a team captain."

"But Chuck—" No. Chuck won't be JV next year. He'll be Varsity.

"Chuck recommended you," Coach said. He turned around, clapping his hands. "Good game, men! Next year we're gonna be number one! Now hit the showers!"

When he came out dressed, with his wet gear in his game bag, he saw Mabel talking to their mom, dad, both Grunkles—and Wendy, who yelped, "There he is!" She hugged him, took off the trapper hat, and gave him a playful noogie. "Good goin', dude! I'm gonna have to turn into a baseball fan!"

"Hey, Dipper," Mabel said, "Chuck and me are gonna ride back with Mom and Dad. Grunkle Stan will drive you home."

"Yeah," Stan said, "Poindexter an' me are gonna check into a motel for the night. Tomorrow afternoon we gotta fly back to Gravity Falls so's Wendy won't miss school on Monday. She's gonna stay with your folks tonight."

"Stanley," Grunkle Ford said, "I'd feel more secure if you'd let Wendy drive. After all, we're in a rental car—"

"Brainiac, please!" Stanley said. "She's too young to drive a rental! You gotta be like twenty-five!"

"Oh—but I let her drive my rental," Stanford said.

"Did she get caught?"

"Well, no, she's a good driver—"

"Then forget about it! Me, I can't afford any points on my license, so I'm drivin'. She'll just hafta sit in the back seat with Dipper."

Oh, that was just such bad news. Dipper couldn't help grinning like an idiot.

On the drive back, Wendy told him that Mabel had called and begged her to get there if she could. "So I talked to Stan, an' when he found out this was like a big game, he talked Stanford into coming—"

"And pickin' up the tab for the airfare! Hah!" Stan said from behind the wheel.

"And, dude, I'm so glad we did! I mean, I've never been a big baseball fan, but that was cool! Is it always this exciting?"

"This was the most exciting game I've ever been in," Dipper said truthfully.

That evening, after dinner, Dipper, Mabel, and Wendy went for another walk. As twilight came on, they rambled another trail in Piedmont Park. Wendy said, "Mabel, you gotta level with him now. You said you would."

"Yeah, I know," Mabel said. "Dipper—it's about this summer."

"You don't want to go back to Gravity Falls," Dipper said flatly. "I figured. Because of Chuck."

"What? No! Well, yeah, kinda. But listen: I just want to stay here until Chuck finishes his therapy. That'll be the last week in June. Then I'll come up to Gravity Falls for the rest of the summer. Grunkle Ford will buy an airline ticket for me. Brobro, I can't live without a trip to Gravity Falls—but Dipper, it's Chuck. I—I have a little crush on him. That's why I asked Wendy if she could come down today."

"Yeah," Wendy said. "So most of June, you'll be in Gravity Falls without Mabel. To make up for it, when you run into some crazy mystery or other and need a partner—here I am, Dip."

"You—you'd go on mystery hunts and stuff? With, uh, with me?" Dipper asked.

She shoved his shoulder playfully. "Yeah, dude! Hey, I'm no Mabel, but in a tight spot, I'm good with an axe. So until, like, the last week of June, no Mystery Twins. How about Mystery Team? I'll go with you on every—investigation? Quest? Whatever, man! It's a promise! Deal?"

"Deal!" They high-fived.

On the last Thursday evening in May, the day that final exams ended, the team presented Dipper with a trophy—a gold-colored pitcher in a wind-up pose atop a mahogany pedestal with a brass plate inscribed "DIPPER PINES / MVP /ANDERSON VS PIEDMONT/PIEDMONT 11, ANDERSON 10/MAY 17, 2014."

That was a high point, as the game had been a high point. As was Chuck's congratulating the new JV team captain for next season. As was Dad's buying copies of the newspaper with a glowing account of the game and Dipper's part in it and distributing them to everyone he knew. As was school ending early on May 30, the last day. As were a lot of things.

Still, on Saturday, May 31, the bus trip up to Gravity Falls was long and lonely with no goofy, cheerful sister next to him. Low point.

But when, late in the day, the bus stopped in downtown Gravity Falls, and a beautiful grinning redhead met him and said, "Hey, dork—need a lift to the Shack?"

And when she hugged him tight and said "Missed you so much, Dipper! Welcome back!"

Well, there's no point quite as high as that.

The End

Note from the Authors: A HUGE HUGE HUGE Thanks to BillEase for working his magic in this idea of mine. I'm no writter I can tell you guys that. What you guys enjoyed was my idea but the brunt of the work was done by BillEase. He is one of the best (if not the best) fanfiction writers I've seen. He wrote almost all of this story while I just helped him with ideas and the baseball games. Go check out Bill's stuff over at Fanfiction.net cause I swear he DOES NOT disappoint. We're not really too sure if this is the end of the story arc for this AU. Bill's got his own arc going on which is damn awesome and deserves alot of love too. If you guys got any ideas to expand this, just leave them in the comments bellow. Hope you guys enjoyed and hopefully this won't be the last fic Thanks so much again for checking this out. Please leave a comment and share with us what ya think. Share it to your friends or just simply fave this and follow Bill and I. Again, Thanks a million and we hope to see ya guys soon! Bill and Tim

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music-my-angel · 7 years

Text

A little help from outside

Prompt - Hi I was just wondering would you do a crossover of Janos and 5sos. Like Luke and the other guys had a fight about how bad they been treating Luke lately and runs off and doesn't know where he's at in the studio and starts having a panic attack and runs into 5sos and they help him out with it then helps him deal with the other boys on how they been acting towards Luke lately please birthday June 30 please.

Prompt - (Jan/5sos) Can you do one please of Luke has ADHD and its messing with him bad and making him mess up in interviews and the other boys aren’t helping since there mad at him without realizing Luke ADHD is the reason. Luke takes off and runs into Luke and Calum and they try and make him feel better and succeed the Janoskians realize after management called them out on their crap and try and fix things with Luke. Luke finds friends in the 5sos like brothers more than his actually band please.

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One of the things that Luke hated the most about himself was his ADHD. Though he had it under control with some good medicines, sometimes with one misbalance, it could screw up with him badly. Lately, Luke had been having serious trouble to keep up with their schedule and remembering his medicines in those time was a serious issue. Since his brothers were busy too, Luke had no other option than to hope he doesn’t screw up with his medicines. But of course his luck was going to ruin it all.

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The Janoskians had been having a lot on their plate lately. With the amounts of interviews, meet and greets and public appearances that they had to do during the past few days, it would have been a miracle if the boys hadn’t cracked under that pressure. It was no surprise that they had all gotten in an irritating mood and looked like they’d snap at anyone who even dares to cause them a slight inconvenience. And in all that commotion, Luke started forgetting the most important thing maybe in his life; his ADHD medicines. This was bound to bring some bad consequences.

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Due to his ADHD, Luke suffered the short concentration span a lot. He just couldn’t focus on one thing for a long period of time. The constant need to move, to fidget around would often get to him. It would often mess up with his emotions too. That’s why Luke’s ADHD medicines were so important for him but in their constant rush, Luke started neglecting his health. It started showing in his behavior too. From messing up in rehearsals to being unable to concentrate on what the interviewer was asking him in interviews, Luke happened to goof up a lot. And it was started to get on the boys’ nerves.

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The boys unfortunately hadn’t caught up on Luke’s problems and hence they blamed him for increasing on their own problems.

“You seriously had to mess up even in recordings, huh?” Daniel shouted at the boy.

“I didn’t mean to…” Luke trailed off.

“Didn’t mean to? You’re ruining everything” James yelled.

Luke looked up for support from his brother but his own twin brother surprised him by saying, “Are you having fun holding us back like this? Now we’ve got to redo everything because of you.”

“I’m so disappointed in you” Beau sighed.

Unable to hear any further, Luke ran out of the recording room.

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In his panic, Luke never paid attention to where he was going and suddenly he could feel his panic level rising as he realized he didn’t know where he was and nor how to get out of here. He slid down the wall, sitting on the floor as he buried his head in his knees. He heard footsteps approaching him and could only curl in further on himself when suddenly he heard a voice.

“Luke, is that you?” Luke could recognize it of being that of 5sos’s Luke.

He looked up to see Luke and Calum and the poor boy had no idea whether to be embarrassed of being caught crying or to actually cry in relief that someone finally found him.

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“What happened to you?” Luke H asked.

“Are you having a panic attack?” Calum realized by the struggles of the boy to breathe properly while still crying.

“I’ll call your brothers. They are here in the studio, right?” Luke H said but Luke B stopped him, “don’t…”

Calum shared a look with Luke H before hurrying to get Ashton and Michael.

“What’s wrong Luke?” Ashton asked as he crouched down in front of the boy.

“You need to calm down first buddy” Michael gently coached the boy.

“Need my meds. ADHD meds” Luke B mumbled before telling them what all happened between him and his bandmates.

“Let’s go. We’ll come with you” Ashton suggested, helping Luke B up.

The boy stayed close Ashton, walking to his bandmates with a bit of fear still gripping him.

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“Where the hell did you go?” Beau shouted at his brother as soon as he saw him.

“Do you know how worried we were when we couldn’t find you” Jai snapped.

“Oh he was right here. Stuck in a room, panicking, crying… And maybe that’s because of you boys” Michael coldly muttered.

“Crying? We might have shouted at him but it was all his fault. He was messing up everything here” Daniel argued.

“That would perhaps be because he didn’t take his ADHD meds” Ashton suggested.

“Oh my god” James gasped.

“Lukey” Jai sighed moving towards his brother but Luke recoiled back, stumbling into Luke H and Calum.

The hurt expression on Jai and Beau’s face could sum up the whole situation at that time.

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“I’m so sorry Lukey. I should have known something was wrong” Jai spoke up.

“We shouldn’t have snapped at you. Sorry” Daniel said.

“It’s just things got hectic lately. But you didn’t deserve the harsh words. Sorry” James said.

Beau tugged on Luke’s hand, pulling the boy in a hug, “I’m sorry buddy. I’m a crappy big brother. I should have been the one to remind you about your meds, to make sure the pressure doesn’t get to us at such a point that we snap at each other but I completely messed up. So sorry kiddo.”

At first Luke didn’t react but then he slowly wrapped his arms around Beau, “It’s okay. Things got really crazy lately.”

A sigh of relief from Beau had the others relaxing too.

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“Thank you for helping Luke out” Jai thanked the 5sos boys.

“It’s okay” Calum assured them.

“Boys, when things get a bit too crazy, it’s better to take a few days off” Ashton suggested.

“I’ll keep that in mind” Beau nodded.

“And Luke, if you ever need someone to get you out of such situations, we’re always a call away” Luke H reminded Luke B.

Luke B smiled, letting the 5sos boys pull him in a hug.

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Sometimes you need a little help from outside when your own people hurt you.

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A/N

Hope you all like it.

P.S – To the prompter who wanted the second prompt done for September as birthday prompt, sorry I merged your prompt with this one. I thought it fit the situation. Think of it as an early birthday fill?

#janoskians #5sos #mixed oneshot #luke centric #beau #jai #daniel #james #luke #calum #ashton #michael

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fruitsbasketcase1 · 7 years

Text

Malec Tales Series 1: Nephilim and the Warlock (Beauty and the Beast AU) Chapter 2- Take Me Instead.

Summery: After sending away a Shadowhunter in need, Magnus Bane and everyone he loves, becomes cursed by a demon. If he can love a Nephilim and have them love him back, the curse will be lifted. In order to save his siblings, Alec Lightwood gives himself to Magnus for their freedom. Will he be the one to lift the curse and save them all?

Main Couples: Malec and Saphael.

Setting: Modern time Idris

Prologue and Chapter 1: https://themalecprincess.tumblr.com/post/159511430248/malec-tales-series-1-the-nephilim-and-the-warlock

Chapter 2: Here.

Chapter 3: coming soon.

Alec Pov- “It’s still so dark outside, why do missions always have to be so early,” Jace whined, rubbing his eyes tiredly. Isabelle nodded in agreement, tiredly braiding her hair half-heartedly. I rolled my eyes before grabbing Isabelles hair and properly braiding it.

“This is your first mission without me so you need to be on guard and act responsible. If something goes wrong, make sure to send me a fire message right away and I will come help you. I don’t care what dad says.”

“Alec relax, will you? Isabelle and I can handle one little mission without you,” Jace complained, rolling his eyes. Isabelle nodded, wrapping her platinum whip around her wrist. “I do wish we didn’t have to go through the woods though. It’s been raining a lot so I’m sure the woods are super muddy.”

“You’ll be taking horses so you won’t have to walk through the mud. Please tell me you’ll be careful while going through the woods and actually look at the map. Don’t try to make your way through without it,” I sighed.

They both nodded, rolling their eyes. “Alec, we know where we are going so just relax. We will be home in a couple days. You need to focus on training and not reading fictional books.” “I will do whatever I want, thank you very much,” I mumbled, crossing my arms.

They both laughed at me before climbing up on their horses. “You take care of yourself Alec. Don’t be goofing around.” This caused me to roll my eyes, “when do I ever goof around? Who do you think you’re talking to?” He laughed shaking his head before leaving with Isabelle, heading for the woods.

I watched them go frowning, feeling like they were taking a part of me with them. How could my father do this to me? I’ve never stayed behind while they went on missions. We’re a three-member team and it’s always been that way.

Once they were out of sight I let out a sigh, turning around to head back inside, instead running into my father who was standing behind me. “You realize why I have to punish you like this right?” I frowned glancing away from him, not answering.

He let out a deep sigh before running his hand over his face. “Alec, just think about how you’re making me feel. Everyone in town keeps asking me what’s wrong with you. You won’t get any marriage offers if everyone thinks you’re crazy.”

I scoffed at that, insulted. “I’m not crazy for reading about history.” “It’s not history Alexander. Vampires, werewolves, and all those other creatures you read about are just fairy tales. It’s not right for Nephilim to indulge in fairy tales.”

I shook my head, “no dad, I think they really were part of history. I read about a war between Nephilim and Downworlders. We are the ones who wronged them yet they are the ones who paid the price after the war. They were all wiped out and it’s all our kinds fault.”

My father’s fierce angry blue eyes turned on me and I swallowed hard, keeping quiet. He grabbed me by the arm hard, forcing me to flinch a little in pain, and I forced myself to look up at him, meeting his eyes head on.

“Do not delude our ancestry with your idiotic stories. There was no war against Nephilim and these fake creatures. Now I want you to forget all about this nonsense and start focusing on other things. You are weeks away from getting a seat on the council. If you keep going on about these ridiculous stories, the Clave will find you unworthy and not give you a position. If you can’t even get on the council, then you will never become Inquisitor.”

Glaring up at him, I pulled my arm out of his grip. “I told you that I don’t want to be a member of the council and I don’t want to be inquisitor. I’m not meant to be a leader father.” “You are a Lightwood and that means you have a place. Your place is in the council and becoming an inquisitor.”

He turned around, walking away from me but stopped when I yelled, “I want more than this provincial life!”

He looked over his shoulder at me, seeming angry at my outburst. “Provincial? Your life is far from that Alexander. You are a Shadowhunter. There’s no way your life could ever be provincial.”

“It is. I’m tired of living among narrow minded people who only see what they want to see. You don’t even want to consider the chance that there could be more out there. I don’t want to stay in Idris for the rest of my life dad. I want to see the world and figure out its secrets. I don’t want to be a leader to Nephilim because I know I’m not cut out for it.”

“You will be inquisitor someday, end of discussion,” he growled before walking away. I watched him go, glaring at his back until he was out of sight. Once I knew he was really gone, I turned away and made my way inside, going to take my stress out with training.

A couple hours later I snuck out of the house making my way to the Idris Archives. The Idris Archives were full of documents that kept record of Nephilim history. If there was anywhere to find proof Downworlders were real, it would be in there. If the journal is correct, and the Shadowhunters were the first to turn on the Downworlders, then maybe they would want to hide something like that from everyone.

I stopped in front of the archives door, surprised that it wasn’t guarded. Usually there was at least one Shadowhunter standing by the door to make sure non-council members didn’t try to get in. Seeing as I’m not a member of the council, I don’t have access to the building.

That would be the only good that comes out of being a member of the council, having all the Claves documents at my fingertips. Honestly though, it’s not worth everything else that comes with it. Giving into what my father wants is the last thing I will ever want.

“I don’t know why the door is unguarded, but this may be the only chance I get to see the documents. It’s worth the risk of getting caught.”

Looking around to make sure the coast is clear, I started making my way to the door. The moment I reached for the knob though, flames appeared in front of my eyes. I backed up quickly, thinking it was a trap to guard the door but I calmed down when I saw paper appear in the flames.

Reaching out, I grabbed the paper looking around me before looking back down at it.

Alec, Isabelle and I are in trouble. We never made it to New York. Instead we found a castle in the middle of the woods and took shelter there. That wasn’t a good idea, the owner put us in a dungeon and we have no way of getting out. You were right about everything so please come help us. You may be the only one who can.

“Castle? Dungeon? What does he mean I was right about everything?” I shook my head turning away from the archives. “That’s not important right now. My Parabatai and sister are in trouble and I’m going to go save them.”

I hurried back to my house, all thoughts of the Archives and Downworlders left behind. Nothing else mattered if Jace and Isabelle were in trouble. I made my way upstairs to my room and gathered all the things I thought would be useful into my satchel. Seraph Blades, a Witchlight, paper in case I needed to write a fire message myself.

Running to the door to leave, I stopped suddenly, feeling the pull of the journal hiding under my pillow. There was really no point in bringing it with me. It’s not like it will help me in any way. Even so, I turned back and grabbed the book, putting it in my bag before heading out the door.

I made my way out of the house, going to the weapons shop that Jace’s parents owned and lived in upstairs. If I could get something of Jace’s, then I could track him easier through our Parabatai bond. The letter said that they were stuck in a castle in the middle of Idris. I have been in those woods hundreds of times and I’ve never seen a castle.

Stephan Herondale was standing at the cashier table smiling when I walked in. “Hey there Alec, it’s been awhile since you’ve come in here.” “I was here last week actually. Could I go up to Jace’s room for a moment? He forgot his favorite jacket and wants me to send it to him somehow. Who knows how long he will be in New York.”

Stephan nodded looking back at the newspaper that was sitting on the table. It always surprised me that Idris had a newspaper. It seemed like such a mundane thing. “Go right ahead. You know where his room is.”

I nodded before making my way up the stairs to the living area. Once there I went to Jace’s room to look for something useful to track with. To my surprise, Jace really did forget to take his favorite leather jacket. He never goes anywhere without that thing.

“Guess it’s my lucky day. There’s nothing more special to Jace than this jacket. It will make it all the easier to track him.” His family ring is a close second, but he never takes that off so I’m sure that’s with him.

“Jace, Isabelle, I’m coming for you,” I whispered softly before leaving Jace’s place and heading to the stables. I saddled up my horse, wondering where in the angels’ name, a castle could be hiding in the woods. You’d think that would be noticeable at least to some people.

Grabbing the wrings of my horse, I led him outside where my father was waiting with his hands crossed over his chest, his face angry like always.

“Where do you think you’re going Alexander?”

I glanced down at my bag wondering if I should show him the letter. It would be a mistake if I did. He would think I’m playing a trick on him and that I’m just sneaking away to be with Jace and Isabelle in New York.

“I’m taking my horse out for a walk is all. It’s been awhile since he’s had a chance to stretch his legs.” He glanced down at the satchel strapped around me before bringing his gaze back to my eyes.

“What’s in the bag?”

I pulled a few arrows out of the bag before holding up the bow that was strapped onto my horse. “I thought I would get in some target practice while I’m at it. Shooting an arrow on horseback isn’t easy, so I could use all the practice I can get.”

He pondered that for a moment before nodding, moving out of my way. “Try not to be out too late. The sun is starting to set and the woods can be dangerous in the dark.” I nodded before setting my bow back on the saddle and climbing onto my horse.

“Don’t worry dad, I won’t be gone long.” I really shouldn’t make a promise like that with no guarantee I’ll be returning. If Jace and Isabelle managed to get themselves locked up, then the one who locked them up must be strong. Then again, maybe Jace and Isabelle were just goofing off in someone else’s territory and got in trouble for it.

Still, the letter sounded like they were in real danger. I shouldn’t waist anymore time and focus on finding them.

I pulled out Jace’s jacket and drew a tracking rune on it before holding it tight, using the Parabatai bond I have with Jace to make it even stronger. I glowed in my hand and as I closed my eyes, a trail zoomed passed my eyelids. A trail that after a little while, led to a castle.

“Don’t worry guys, I’m coming to save you.”

Magnus Pov- “Magnus, don’t you maybe want to reconsider letting those teenagers go,” my closest friend Tessa Gray asked softly. “They are just children. They obviously didn’t know about the accords we signed long ago.”

I sat in my chair in front of the fire place, staring into the green flames that were starting to dye down. Ragnor lit them hours ago when I walked in on those two trespassers. How dare those Nephilim just barge into my castle like they own the place. Do the accords mean nothing anymore?

Then again, Tessa may be right. About the Accords thing at least. From the frightened look on the blond boys’ face when I used magic, he seemed to not know that Downworlders even existed. You can’t follow accords that don’t exist I guess. Just because they didn’t remember them didn’t mean I don’t remember them.

“They had no right being on my property. Living the rest of their lives in my dungeon is a kind fate compared to what else I could have done to them.”

Tessa made her way around my chair before she was in front of me. She sat down on the floor and put her hand on top of mine. Her touch was always so gentle, it made me remember the years long ago when I first met her. It was at the beginning of the war before everything went wrong.

“I know you have a hard time trusting people since the war, especially Nephilim. Not giving someone aid when they needed it is the reason we are all trapped in the castle. Maybe you should look inside your heart and find the sweet caring man you used to be?”

“That ‘sweet caring man’ watched as all the people he loved were slaughtered. The Nephilim were discreetly killing off warlocks and I warned everyone about it but no one wanted to listen. This entire war could have been avoided if people just listened to me!”

I pulled my hand out of hers before standing up and storming out of the room. Talking about the war always put me in a foul mood. The first thought that always comes to mind when talking about it was how Camille was murdered and turned to ash right in front of my eyes.

The two of us weren’t together at the time, and honestly with all the times she’s cheated on me with Woolsey, I should have been happy to see them killed. Still, Camille was my first real love and those feelings don’t just go away.

I knew Shadowhunters hated us, I knew they threw our plates away when they thought we weren’t looking, but I never thought they would turn on us the way they did. Sure, I knew it was a possibility but deep down I was hoping I was wrong. Seems I was far from it.

I made my way to the war wing, trying to calm myself down. I don’t know why I bothered going there every time I needed calming, the war makes me anything but calm.

Everyone else was smart enough to avoid me after I locked the Nephilim away. Tessa, of course, has never really been afraid of me. I could be throwing glass and smashing tables against the wall and she would still come into the room telling me how idiotic I was being.

Simon was definitely on my shit list right now for even letting them pass the door. Raphael must be hiding him from me because I was searching for him a little while ago to scream his ear off and couldn’t find him anywhere.

“Today just sucks,” I sighed, running my hands over my face before looking toward the balcony. There sitting on the table, concealed in glass was the cursed glowing rainbow rock that has been haunting me every day for the past ninety-nine years.

The moment Asmodeus gave me that blasted Witchlight I could feel it’s angelic power push down on me like a huge weight. The color has faded little by little with time but still had plenty of color left. If I had to estimate when it will turn white, it would be half a year.

That doesn’t give me much time to fall in love. Why did it have to be specifically Nephilim? Why couldn’t I just fall in love with anyone? There’s no possible way I will ever fall in love with A Shadowhunter. Especially if my only choices are between the blonde idiot and the feisty girl.

I sighed going to my bed and sitting down, running my hands through my hair. I closed my eyes and when I did, familiar black hair and blue eyes filled my vision. My eyelids snapped open at the memory of one of the only Nephilim I’ve ever trusted.

His name was William Herondale and he was Tessa’s Shadowhunter husband. Tessa may be a Warlock but she’s also half Nephilim and didn’t even know she was part warlock until before the war began. Because his wife was in danger, William did everything in his power to assist Downworlders in the war. Both him and his Parabatai James Carstairs. They were the only Shadowhunters I have ever and will ever trust.

It also didn’t hurt that William had the blue eyes and black hair combo that I’m crazy about. If he was gay, I would have been all over that like cake. Sorry Tessa, I want what I want. It’s sad that I will never have a chance to have my special blend.

There was a knock on my door making me growl low in my throat. “What is it? I don’t want to be disturbed.”

The door opened and Ragnor was standing there in all his green skinned glory. A part of me was disappointed that it wasn’t Simon or Raphael. I was really itching to chew one of their heads off. Ragnor was the one who came and told me about the intruders so I can’t be mad at him.

“What do you want Ragnor? Can’t you see I’m busy brooding,” I mumbled irritably.

“I’m sure you’re doing a great job at it Magnus but I must inform you that there is another intruder in the castle. I believe he’s allied with the ones from earlier and has come to rescue them.”

I groaned rubbing my eyelids tiredly. Of course, one of them sent out a fire message for help. I thought it would be okay to leave them their steles since the bars are rune proof but I didn’t take fire messaging into account. The question is though, why only send for one person? He could have contacted the Clave if he wished.

“Maybe he thought they wouldn’t believe him,” I answered myself before shaking my head. “I’m really getting tired of this Ragnor. Where in the castle is he located?”

He rubbed the back of his neck, his face blank but still a little concerned. If I had to take a guess, it was because he was worried about my reaction. “Simon Lewis was the first to find him. He hasn’t made contact with the boy but he is leaving clues that’s leading him to the tower. I imagine it will take him three more minutes to get there.”

I yelled up to the ceiling feeling rage consume me. “I swear if that stupid vampire wasn’t a daylighter, I would hold him out the window as the sun was rising and watch him burn nice and slow until he was nothing but ash!”

“You and I both know that you wouldn’t have it in you to kill anyone in this house. They may annoy you but they are still your family. If we all followed our instincts to kill people who annoy us, I would have killed you centuries ago,” Ragnor commented, shrugging.

“Gee Thanks,” I sighed before shaking my head. “Simon is a child so I can’t blame him for helping the Nephilim. He got turned soon after the war ended and the Accords were being agreed upon. He never saw the terror of war. Raphael has though and I expect him to know better.”

“Actually, Raphael has been trying to convince him to stop helping the new intruder. Of course, telling Simon Lewis not to do something is close to impossible. Not even his boyfriend can stop him when it comes to his stubbornness.”

“More like foolishness.” I shook my head before heading to the door. “I’ll take the secret staircase to the tower and get there before the intruder. Luckily, I have an extra cell with his name on it.”

I grabbed a torch hanging in the hallway, making the wall open and a hidden staircase appear. I started making my way up it, Ragnor following behind me. “You know I hate to agree with that brat Simon on anything, but maybe you should listen to him just this once. There are three Nephilim here and the likelihood of that happening again are slim. This could be the only chance to break the curse.”

I stopped a step ahead of him, turning back to stare at him in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? I never would expect this from you Ragnor.”

He shrugged. “Well excuse me Magnus but I would like to keep my soul. I want to leave this castle and see how much the world has changed without us. Don’t you want the same?”

“Of course, I do! You don’t think I’m tired of looking at these same walls every day for almost a thousand years? At least you could leave and see the world before the curse. I have been trapped here making sure our kind were really safe from any Nephilim threats.”

Ragnor frowned at that. “If you weren’t so paranoid that the Nephilim would go back on the accords, maybe you would have been able to leave.”

The Accords gave us a small list of places we were allowed to go. I didn’t trust that the Nephilim wouldn’t attack us once we got to those places; or worse, they would attack the castle and whoever was inside the moment I was gone.

“Just consider this new Shadowhunter as an option. Try not to be too picky and actually give it a chance. I know, how about when we get to the tower we stay in the shadows for a little bit? We’ll watch the intruder for a while and decide if they’re worth trying with? How does that sound?”

I thought about it, wanting to object right away but sadly, Ragnor was right. There was barely half a year left before the Witchlight would turn white. If I don’t fall in love with a Shadowhunter by then, I and all my friends lose our souls. Everything I’ve done to protect them will have been for nothing.

“Fine. I will stay in the shadows and watch the Shadowhunter for a little bit. I can’t promise that I’ll like them though,” I mumbled, going up the rest of the stairs. Ragnor smiled slightly, following me. “All I ask is that you try.”

We made our way to the top of the tower and I put out the torch before silently moving into the shadows. Ragnor stayed next to me, looking around the room for the intruder. “Seems we got here before he did,” he whispered.

The tower door opened and we both went silent, watching as a cloaked figure holding a lit torch walked in the room. Their hood was up so I couldn’t see their face. From the form of their shoulders though, it was safe to say they were male.

“Jace, Isabelle, are you in here,” He asked.

I had to admit he had a nice voice. It was a little husky yet smooth. I wouldn’t mind listening to that voice every day. Haven’t even seen his face and I’m already liking him. Him being Nephilim outweighs his sexy voice unfortunately.

“Alec? Alec we’re over here,” the blond yelled. I’m guessing he’s the one named Jace. He didn’t really look like an Isabelle.

The boy ran over to the cell, dropping to his knees and setting the torch on the floor. The torch made a little light reflect off his face but I still could only see his chin and mouth. He had nice lips. Full and kissable. Way better than Jace’s mouth which didn’t seem to know how to shut up.

The girl reached through the bars, taking the boys hand, squeezing it. “Alec, you have to get us out of here. This isn’t just any castle. It’s magic!”

“What do you mean by magic,” the boy asked before shaking his head. “Never mind that. I have to find a way to get you out of here.”

He pulled his bag close to him, rummaging through it until he pulled out his stele. Of course, the stele is the first thing all Nephilim grab for. Seems that hasn’t changed.

He went to put it to the bars but Jace put his hand over his stele, stopping him. “It won’t work Alec. These bars are rune proof. So are the walls. There’s no way to make an unlocking rune.”

Alec pursed his lips in thought before grabbing the edge of his hood, pulling it down and revealing his full face. He had a look of concentration on his face. His piercing blue eyes focused on the bars.

I took in a sharp breath at the sight of him. For a moment, I thought I was looking at William Herondale. That was impossible though. Tessa and I both watched the Clave murder him right in front of our eyes. Besides, this boy was clearly named Alec, not Will.

He may have looked like Will at first glance but once I took the time to actually look at him, I noticed huge differences. Unlike Will, this boy seemed to have innocence to him. His blue eyes were defiantly fierce but they also held gentleness.

“He has the blue eyes and black hair that you used to gush about. Is that still your fetish,” Ragnor asked making me glare at him. “I wouldn’t call it a fetish. It’s more of a preference.”

Thinking, I looked at the boy again wondering if I’ve watched him long enough. “Time to put on a show,” I mumbled before coming out of the shadows. Ragnor stayed in place, watching silently.

Alec grabbed the torch, standing up and looking around the room for something to help him out. When he turned around he came face to face with me, causing him to drop the torch in surprise. The coldness of the floor extinguished the flame making the room dark once again.

“Who’s there,” he asked looking around in the dark. He couldn’t see me but I could see him clearly with my cat eyes. They allowed me to see in the dark. He was trying to look unafraid but his blue eyes told me everything. He was secretly terrified of the unknown.

I must admit, it was kind of cute.

“Answer me,” he yelled, his voice strong and fearless. You would have never guessed that he was scared right now. The making a of true warrior I see. Let’s hope he isn’t like the rest of them.

“You’re trespassing on my grounds Shadowhunter. It seems your kind no longer has respect for others property.”

He frowned at my voice, looking ahead at me since talking to him gave away where I was standing. “I came for my sister and Parabatai. I’m sorry they intruded on your castle but I’m sure there was a good reason.”

“They got lost in the woods and stuck in the rain,” I answered simply.

“Well I think that’s a good enough reason. They were just trying to find shelter from the rain. They didn’t mean any harm so can you please let them go?”

“Sorry but that’s not really an option. What will that say about me if I just let my prisoners go without learning their lesson? Life in this cell seems like a reasonable punishment to me.”

I turned my back to him wondering how I should trap him here. I could just lock him up for also trespassing on my lands but something tells me that wouldn’t make him love me. Honestly, I still don’t even know if I can make myself love him.

“So, all you want is a prisoner to pay for what they did,” he asked, perking my interest. I turned back to him crossing my arms over my chest. “That’s right. They need to be punished and I intend to carry out that punishment for as long as possible.”

Alec bit his lip before looking down at his shoes, thinking hard about something. I watched him wondering what he was planning. Was he going to try to leave and bring reinforcements? That wouldn’t be a smart move on his part. I would stop him before he even got to the tower door.

The storm clouds moved in the sky, uncovering the full moon, making it’s light shine inside the tower. Alec was surrounded by the light but I was still hidden in the shadows so he still couldn’t see me.

He looked up back from his feet, his intense blue eyes back in my direction. The fear that I detected before was no longer there. Now, all I saw was determination. That, combined with the light of the moon sent shivers down my spine. This boy truly was beautiful.

“Take me instead,” he declared making everyone in the room look at him in complete shock. Even I was looking at him like he was crazy. I was expecting to trick him into staying here somehow but I never thought he would volunteer. Who in their right mind would do that?

“Alec no! You can’t stay here forever, you need to become Inquisitor,” Jace yelled, grabbing the bars so tight, his knuckles turned white. The mention of being Inquisitor made the blue-eyed beauty tense up slightly.

“I’m not fit to have the role anyway. You both are better Shadowhunters than me. We can’t afford to lose you so I will sacrifice myself on your behalf.”

“Alec, you don’t understand!” The girl, I’m guessing is Isabelle, yelled. “This man is a monster! Who knows what he will do to you if you’re his prisoner!”

Being called a monster was insulting but it wasn’t anything I wasn’t used to. Nephilim used to call me a monster every chance they got during the war. I wouldn’t expect that to change after a thousand years.

Alec looked at them before looking back at me questioningly. Guess it’s time to show him what he’s offering to spend the rest of his life with.

I stepped into the moonlight, smirking down at the shorter man as he took me in with his eyes. A blush appeared on his cheeks when he looked at my chest and torso. As his eyes drifted up, his eyes meeting my own, his flush vanished and was replaced with a pale, terrified face.

I’m sure seeing a man with cat eyes was a lot to take in when you first see it. The terror in his eyes though stung a bit. He blushed first though, so there was still a tiny shred of hope.

I crossed my arms again, still smirking at him. “Do you still wish to take their place?

I was expecting him to back away in fright and start begging to take back what he said. That’s what any sane person would have done when faces with a powerful being such as myself. To my surprise though, he didn’t back away.

He looked back down at his feet, swallowing hard and clenching his fists. He was scared, you could tell by his tense body language. All he wanted was to turn around and run from me. Licking his dry, cracked lips, he looked back up at me, once again having determined eyes.

This boys’ emotions were like a light switch. They turned on and off in seconds without any warning. It was charming in a weird way.

“Yes. If you promise to let my sister and Parabatai go, then I swear to take their place. I’ll stay here for the rest of my life if that’s what you wish. Just please let them leave.”

“Alec no,” Jace yelled but I ignored him.

“How will they learn their lesson if you’re the one learning it for them,” I asked, not wanting to agree so soon. I wanted to see how dedicated he was to them.

“They will lose me. That’s how they will learn their lesson. My sister will live without her big brother and Jace will no longer have his Parabatai at his side.”

That did seem like a good punishment. They still learn their lesson and I get to keep blue eyes. It’s a win, win for me.

Thinking it over a moment more, I looked over at Ragnor saying “prepare a portal.” Ragnor nodded turning to the wall he was standing by and getting started. I waited for the green magic hole to appear before making my way passed, Alec and to the cell. I used magic to unlock it before picking Isabelle up over my shoulder and grabbing Jace by his arm, dragging him out of the cell.

Alec seemed mesmerized by the portal at first but the moment I took his loved ones out of the cell, he tried to walk up to them to say goodbye. I swished my wrist, making a magical barrier appear in front of him, keeping him separated from them.

He backed up in surprise when the barrier appeared and as I stepped in front of the portal, he slammed his hands against it hard. “What are you doing to them!?” He yelled terrified for them. I looked back at him over my shoulder. “I’m using a portal to send them to New York. That’s where they were originally headed, correct?”

Alec slammed his fists against the magic wall again, sadness taking over his features. “Let me say goodbye! I’m never going to see them again! The least you can do is let me tell them goodbye!”

Jace struggled in my grip, trying to get away from me but is was useless. I was using magic to keep him still. Isabelle kicked and thrashed on my shoulder, punching me in the back as if it was supposed to hurt. It didn’t.

“Sorry, but none of you are going to get any goodbyes.”

Jace gritted his teeth, glaring up at me before looking back at Alec. “We’ll come back for you alright? I swear to the angel that we will save you!”

I rolled my eyes, finding his declaration irritating. “Good luck with that,” I grumbled before throwing them both in the portal. Alec screamed their names as they went through and the moment the portal vanished, he fell to his knees. He looked down at the stone floor, his fists clenched tightly.

“You couldn’t give me a minute to say goodbye to them? They’re the most important people in my life and you didn’t even let me say goodbye.” He glared up at me, tears stinging at the corner of his eyes.

“You really are a monster,” he seethed.

I let his words roll off my back like all the others. He was in a state of shock and heartache so I can’t really blame him for name calling. Still, him saying that doesn’t make him any different from the other Nephilim.

“You can think what you like about me. It doesn’t really matter.” Actually, it did matter. It mattered a lot. This Shadowhunter sitting at my feet was our last hope to stay alive. If I couldn’t fall in love with him… then there’s no one I could fall for.

“We should give him a proper room,” Simons whispering voice lingered into my ear. I turned my head and sure enough, he was standing there with a big smile on his face. I couldn’t decide on wither I wanted to strangle him for helping the intruders earlier, or thank him for leading this sexy blue-eyed hunk to them.

“He’s a prisoner. Why would I give him his own room?”

Simon rolled his eyes as if the answer was obvious. “Do you really think he will learn to like you if he’s always in a cell? Unless he comes down with Stockholm Syndrome, I don’t think he will love you if he’s locked away.”

“Sadly, I must agree with Simon on this one Magnus,” Ragnor agreed, walking up to us. We were all talking in hushed voices so Alec wouldn’t be able to hear us. “Instead of treating this one like a prisoner, may I suggest treating him like a guest. Give him his own room and give him places to explore. Once he’s comfortable here, then he might learn to be comfortable with you.”

I thought about that for a moment before looking back at Alec. He was once again looking at the floor, his blue eyes hidden behind his shaggy black hair.

“… get up. I’ll show you to your room,” I sighed, grabbing a new torch and lighting it.

Alec looked up from the floor in confusion. “What do you mean ‘my room’? I thought I was here to take their place? You said they were going to live in these cells for the rest of their lives so shouldn’t I do the same?”

I watched him for a moment, wondering if he was crazy. Here I am, offering him a nice comfy room and he suggests staying in the cell? He’s taking this ‘being my prisoner’ thing too seriously.

I shrugged, walking toward the tower door Alec used before. “That’s fine with me. I was thinking that you did a noble thing so I would treat you a little better than I treated them. If you insist on staying in the tower then by all means; stay up here.”

I started going down the stairs and both Ragnor and Simon followed me frowning. “Are you really going to make him stay up here,” Simon asked, looking back frowning. I rolled my eyes at him before looking ahead again.

“Just give it a second. He’ll follow us soon enough.”

Not even three seconds after I said that, I could hear Alec’s quick steps coming down the stone steps. I stopped and looked back, waiting for him to catch up. When he did catch up, he had to grab onto the wall to stop himself from running into us. He seemed surprised that we were waiting for him.

“I thought you would see things my way,” I chided, smirking at him. His blue eyes turned intense as he glared at me but he didn’t say a word. We made our way off the stairs and in the hallway leading to the rooms. I can’t believe I’m giving a Shadowhunter his own room in my castle.

An elbow went into my side and I glared at who did it, not even surprised that it was Simon. I swear, he’s pushing his luck with me today. “What?” I snapped in a harsh whisper. He rolled his eyes at me before nudging his head toward the Nephilim who was once again looking at the floor.

“Make conversation with him. Find out his likes, his dislikes. Get to know him and earn his trust.”

Ragnor rolled his eyes at that. “Sure, Magnus just tore him from his family forever and took him as a prisoner, but let’s ask him what his favorite color is and what he likes to do on his spare time. We don’t need to rush this Simon. Give the boy time to get adjusted.”

I looked between them both before looking back at Alec once again. When I saw he was no longer walking with us, I stopped instantly, making Ragnor and Simon run into me. “What the hell Magnus?” Simon complained.

“The Nephilim is gone,” I hissed before quickly turning around and heading back where we came. Was he going to sneak out of here and break his vow? That was so much like Nephilim, making promises and not keeping them.

To my surprise, when I found him, he wasn’t trying to run away anywhere. He was standing by the staircase to the War Wing, looking up at the painting hanging up on the wall once the stairs end. It was a huge, wide painting of a swarm of Nephilim, overpowering only a handful of Downworlders.

Glaring, I made my way over to him and grabbing him by the wrist, yanking him hard and making him flinch in surprise. He looked up at me meeting my eyes as I kept glaring darkly at him. “You are not allowed up there. If I see or hear that you went there, I will kill you. Do you hear me?” I hissed coldly.

Alec stared at me in silent for a moment before glaring back at me and taring his arm out of my grip. I gestured for him to go in front of me this time and he started walking, crossing his arms over his chest while he did so.

Once we finally got to the bedroom wing, we stopped in front of the door and I opened it for him. He walked in, glancing around at the queen-sized bed, floor to ceiling windows, and wardrobe that made up the room.

The faint sound of a stomach growling hit my ears and after a moment, I realized it was coming from Alec. My suspicion was confirmed when he wrapped his arms around his waist frowning.

Simon smiled from ear to ear, delighted by Alec’s hunger for some reason. He looked at me whispering, “He’s hungry. You should invite him to have dinner with you.”

This boy hasn’t said a word to me since we left the tower. If he was giving me the cold shoulder, then dinner would just be long and awkward. Even so, I needed to get the ball rolling if there was any chance I could fall for this guy.

“You must be hungry. Dinner will be done in fifteen minutes. You should join me,” I offered watching him.

He turned to me, looking as if I was crazy before he glared once again. Those blue eyes weren’t as cute when they were always glaring.

“I rather die of starvation then eat with the likes of you,” he seethed.

A pang hit in my chest and I could feel anger boiling up inside me. Here’s another Nephilim who think’s their too good for me. Is the thought of eating dinner with a warlock really that disgusting? It’s not like I’m going to poison him!

“Is that so? Well if it’s starving you want, then it’s starving you’ll get.” I turned to Simon and Ragnor glaring. “You heard him. He wants to starve to death. Make sure everyone knows that he is not to be fed unless he eats with me. If I find out that any of you have given him even a crumb of food, you’ll be punished. Am I understood?”

Simon frowned at me, looking sad and Ragnor just nodded, his expression blank as always. I turned back to Alec smirking. “If you want to do this the hard way then let it be. I hope you know that I never lose. I could make your life a living hell if I wanted to.”

With that I turned and walked out of the room, leaving the Nephilim and his angry blue eyes alone to starve.

#Malec #malec fanfiction #Malec AU #disney au #Alec Lightwood #Magnus Bane #the mortal instruments

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bestfriendforhire · 5 years

Text

Children of BFFH, Entry 10

"Hey, are you lost?" questioned the man who had been watching me for several minutes. He had hidden behind a tree to watch me after walking into this park. "Not many people come through here in the winter." he commented, absently looking around.

Momma Emma was working at the moment, so I came here to goof around while waiting. We were heading to see Grandma when she finished.

"No. Just waiting on my mom." I replied, feeling that not responding would be rude. I had created a trap in the roots beneath me to ambush Momma, and was working out if I left any flaws that she'd notice too soon. The roots seemed reasonably normal if you didn’t pay attention to the layering, or the slightly withered appearance caused by my magic.

The man's heart rate had been slowly increasing for several minutes now, making me wonder if he was okay. Why was he so excited? Nervous? He was sweating a bunch. His poor shirt was already wet under the sleeves.

Stepping a little closer again, he asked "Aren't you cold? My house is nearby if you want to warm up. I have a spare hat there too."

I turned around to look at him, smiling as I said, "I'm fine. Thank you. My mom will be looking for me here when she gets off work."

The man smelled musty, and he had some serious body odor. His breath smelled of garlic. Going by the sauce on his cloat, he probably had pasta at the Italian place around the corner. I couldn't quite catch the sauce's scent.

"Well, at least let me brush your hair." he ordered, reaching for me with one hand while pulling a knife from his pants pocket.

I loved when people wore cotton clothing around me. Everything was so easy to sense. My friends tended to wear synthetics created at the house more than anything. With cotton, I had you before we started, since you were wearing a weapon for me.

"You're a bad man, aren't you!?" I asked, unable to suppress my grin as I caused his clothes to grow, becoming plants again.

Roots shot into the ground from under the back of his coat, pulling him into the secluded area between the trees and the wall. At the same time, I caused a stem to form, widening larger than normal for cotton as it became a breathing tube that'd stifle his scream with the aid of another spell. More stems bound his arms and legs together. His eyes were wide, looking terrified.

"Sorry for the discomfort! At least I didn't slip up. I once forgot to fight the growth of thorns and skewered someone. Weird how everything I grow wants to be spikey, isn't it!?" I questioned, trying to gauge his response by his expression.

Unfortunately, he was too scared for me to guess. The stem down his throat wasn't helping his mouth to move appropriately either.

Sensing someone coming down the path, I said, "Oh, no you don't!" A quick spell and the woman decided to take another route.

"Momma Alma taught me that one. She probably would say I didn't quite do it right, but oh well. The Boss didn't show up, so I'm not in trouble yet. I suppose you couldn’t tell she was coming, could you." I considered aloud. "Now what to do with you… Criminals need turned over to the police, but I need evidence against you, or they won't do anything. Calamity always asks my other momma for help with that part, but she would probably just send Calamity if I asked for her help."

The man's heartbeat was getting irregular, and the sweating was out of control. I listened closely, focusing on the sound.

"Uh oh… You have a heart condition. I think it's just a bit clogged. Hmmm… I bet I can fix it. I can solve most problems if I think about it enough. I know! I'll just grow a tendril through your veins and scrape out the muck. I should be able to increase blood flow too if I'm careful. Uh… better calm you down first." I muttered, casting a spell to help him relax.

My spell worked too well. His heart got back into a steady rhythm as it slowed. I wasn't allowed to do spontaneous surgery without someone in mortal danger, since I didn't have the right degrees yet. Oh well. That experimental surgery could wait.

“Hmm… I don’t trust our phones as recorders, since Momma Mila’s would notice if she hasn’t already. Where are the quadruplets when I need them? They could build a recorder in no time if there’s a store carrying parts nearby, but… I don’t remember one that would.” I explained, wondering if I should ask the man. There was probably some sort of cheap recording device that’d work for his confession.

Deciding to look in his wallet to get an address, I had my plants touch everything, since I didn’t want to leave fingerprints. He really did live nearby. Was I wrong about him? Why would he be going for a knife if I wasn’t? I had a plant take the knife from his pocket, so I could examine it. There was nothing magical about it at all.

Trying not to laugh too loud, I asked “Did you really expect to threaten me with this? I mean, it’s not even particularly sharp for a plain knife. You couldn’t even injure my eyeball with this junk. Is this your first time starting a fight?” After casting a spell to create a boundary for sound around us, I retracted the air tube from his throat and released him from my calming spell.

“Wh-What are you!?” exclaimed the man, practically screaming at me as his eyes gained focus again. He was wiggling against my plants as if trying to escape.

“A kid. Problem?” I asked, crossing my arms and staring him down.

“You’re not a kid! You’re a… a monster!” he exclaimed.

“Careful.” I ordered, frowning at him. “No one calls me ‘monster’.” To remind him of his position, I grew several inches of thorns to point at his face. Criminals needed a firm hand.

My friends and most of the adults call me “Crazy”, which some would take as an insult, but I knew they meant well. They couldn’t help not always understanding my experiments. “Monster” was what Auntie Raine called herself before she realized how incredibly beautiful she is, inside and out. If I ever needed help with anything, I’d just need to say her name, and she’d be there instantly. She could sense me anywhere in the world! If she were a superhero, crime would have to shutdown. Unfortunately, there wasn’t a justice system that could keep up with her yet. The Boss once hinted that there might be eventually, but he wouldn’t explain the plan.

“P-Please… Don’t hurt me. I’ll do anything!” exclaimed the criminal, trying to pull back from the thorns.

“Really!? So what kind of criminal are you!?” I asked, really curious.

He licked his lips, looking away for me. Clearing his throat, he then said, “I’m not a criminal. I just wanted to help you. I don’t know why you’re attacking me.”

I sighed. “You’re really bad at lying, mister.” Gagging him with a breathing tube and spell again, I considered my options. I wasn’t really supposed to leave this area, but his house was close. Momma Emma surely wouldn’t be done too soon, so I probably had time to investigate. Without knowing what precisely I needed to find, this was going to be too touch. Bringing the man along to see if I could bait him into giving something away shouldn’t be too hard, but…

Whipping around, I mentally prepared to attack. Someone was coming fairly quickly this way. My spears reverted back into thorny stems when I recognized Calamity jumping over the fence, heading right at me. Momma Mila must’ve decided to take this out of my hands.

“Hi, Calamity!” I exclaimed, grinning at her. Her real name was Auntie Portentia, but her superhero name needed used when on duty. She looked so cool in her superhero uniform. I created new uniform designs for myself almost weekly, but I kept getting told I was too young to help yet, despite all of the cool ideas I had.

She mussed up my hair as she stepped past me. “Good job catching this guy.”

“Need any help getting evidence!? He lives nearby, and I’m sure Momma Emma wouldn’t mind if I was with you.” I suggested.

“Max is already over there. She’s probably about finished, honestly. We’ve been watching since he approached you.” she replied.

“Really!? Momma Mila told you, didn’t she.” I guessed, wanting confirmation.

She nodded. Auntie Portentia never lied to me about anything, though she didn’t always tell me as much as I’d like. I grew up hearing stories of her exploits, including the one where she caught Auntie Maxine out West. I was the only one who considered Maxine an Auntie, despite how good she was to everyone. She’d create things with the quadruplets when Poppa Jarod was busy, help out Auntie Portentia, and let us kids drag her around when we wanted to go into the city. I knew she was still technically serving time for her crimes, but her happiness at home wasn’t fake. She really did care about us.

“So what type of criminal is he?” I asked, feeling super curious.

“He’ll be charged with attempted kidnapping among other things.” she replied, snatching the knife from the plant still holding it and placing it in an evidence bag for the police. Momma Mila would surely be editing a video of what happened to hide my magic. I still didn’t understand how she kept a camera on me so often. I couldn’t see any near here, not even drones!

“Well, is there anything I can do to help?” I asked.

She turned to face me and said, “Removing the vines would be helpful. The police wouldn’t know what to do with those. They’re not poisonous, are they?”

“No! Just mutated cotton from his clothes.” I told her honestly.

She nodded. “Right. Then I could use a spell to keep him warm for about eight minutes as well as an invisibility spell for him and me lasting just as long.”

“No problem!” I exclaimed, quickly making the spells as requested while removing the plants. I double-checked my estimates and spell design before releasing them, not wanting to cause problems for my aunties. Using my plant magic always gave me loads of energy for spellcasting, but guesstimating how much to pack into a spell was a bit tricky. Four was the best at it out of us kids, but Messy was nearly as good. I came in third, meaning I was often off by a good ten seconds. Aid might be able to beat me if he tried, but he was a minimalist, never wanting to go any farther than necessary for success.

“Thank you, Serenity. Excellent work. Just remember to hide the mutant plants till your mom can fix them, and remove the sound barrier.” she told me, escorting her captive away.

“Oops. Will do!” I assured her, dismissing the sound barrier immediately.

Auntie Portentia was born deaf, so she became an expert at reading lips. Since coming to Best Friend For Hire, Momma Mila also transcribed things for her when the cranial transmitter allowing her to hear couldn’t catch enough.

Letting myself fall backward, I caught myself on an improvised swing made from the mutated cotton plants. I also dismissed the traps I had planned to use on Momma Emma. She’d be less inclined to listen to what happened if I attacked her first, and she needed to know that I was able to help our superheroes today!

#Children of BFFH #Children #of #BFFH #Jovial Times #Jovial #Times #Fantasy #Fiction #Story

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