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#was staring at his young pics for a bit too long & I started acting up
xivdl · 5 months
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oh andy, andy
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my muse:
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appeypie · 7 months
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Did you ever post that Komalink essay that was in your head
I saw you're one post and how you said Zora royalty crush on Link and I might be converted to that ship now 🤭
sorry this took me so much time to answer anon but I WILL GLADLY SHARE IT!!!!
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my long awaited KOMALINK TRUTHER ESSAY!!
To start, I adore the parallels between these two... they're both coming of age in their respective cultures! and having a rough time of it, it seems..
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They're both very close with their grandmas, though sadly Komali's has passed away... they both have sisters, too!! (or, for Komali, a sister figure. Medli acts very maternal and caring towards him throughout the game, even commenting on watching him grow up saying something to the effect of, "he's grown into a fine young rito, is this how a mother feels?")
Between the coming of age stories, the alive and deceased grandmas, the little and big sisters... they both mirror each other perfectly!!
Of course Komali is going through some major anxiety issues, understandably. link is able to help him through it, which is very sweet to see :)
Before and after finishing dragon roost cavern. I just love the insight this NPC gives us! after Link inspires the confidence in him, he gets so happy!!
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At first it's easy to see it as him just simply looking up to link, and I'm sure it started that way, but it starts leaning into crush territory...!
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.. EVERY conversation?!?!
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Komali's name comes from "hikikomori" in Japanese, which refers to severe social reclusiveness. he seems to be a very sheltered boy who wouldn't have very many friends off island... so who could he be talking about hmm ??? who's the one guy we know he likes off island...? who he wont shut up about....????
There's also this dialogue from a random Rito NPC (sadly I don't have the game caps, but here's it from a text dump):
(If it's too hard to read, it says:
"We used to have such nice breezes blowing through here... Now the air is crazy. I'm positive the strange winds are a result of the wind god's anger. See, there's an important shrine below here that got broken...and now we're paying the price. What cursed luck...
We Rito cannot live without the wind. Before we take to the skies, we always go down and visit the wind god's shrine. That's the way it's always been.")
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The Rito and the wind are intertwined... very fitting that the prince would fall for someone who could control it 🥺
And Yes !! LOZ has a pattern of having the Zora princesses fall in love with link...
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Since the Zora evolved into the Rito in WW, they decided to mix it up and make it the prince!
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We're at the point of this post where I'm out of Ship 'Evidence' and I'm now just throwing images from my files at you. I love this one at the end of the game where Komali is the first one to greet them coming back from what was left of Hyrule (also very exciting for baby me, who was a huge Komali fan)
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Link just stares at him...
I also adore how this is the only ship I know where you get TWO!! Height differences. Hard to get a pic of them standing next to each other pre-Valoo scale, but you get the idea
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Of course we don't fully know how Link feels about him, but I like to think he was a bit annoyed with him at first (as Komali was with him)... Like why couldn't this guy just suck it up and do what had to be done? It's what Link had to do for his family. But he realized Komali had gone through a huge loss, and his Dad was a little absent. He has this huge sense of duty placed over him, and not much support. Then once he got his confidence back, he was able to really shine! Link could see that!
I feel like I might be missing something, but that's the gist of why I love them so much! Foils that grow to deeply appreciate each other :) cute little themes like royalty falling for Link & the Rito's ties to the wind. they make me so happy. they don't get the attention they deserve tbh
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todoroki-waifu · 3 years
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Atsumu x F! Reader
Scenario: When you try to subtly confess to Atsumu.
Word Count: 1,970
Genre: Fluff and humor.
Warnings: Cursing, female reader, and some OOC-ness (maybe?). My first time writing for Atsumu and the rest of the Inarizaki team. 
————
“I get that she’s the most beautiful here, but we are here to check out the art, too.” Atsumu jumps slightly at a voice and hand on his shoulder. 
“‘Samu!" 
"Could you be any more obvious?" 
"I-I wasn’t doing anything!” Atsumu huffs, a blush attacking his face as he shakes off his brother’s hand. 
“Why don’t you ask her out already before someone else does?" 
"I’m working on it!" 
"Hey, who’s that with __(y/n)?” Suna chimes into their conversation, nodding to where you had been standing and admiring a portrait. The two see a man conversing with you, both of you very engaged in whatever topic that was being discussed. He brought out a small electronic device, looking a bit nervous as he showed you the screen. 
“He’s probably going to ask for her number.” Osamu replies indifferently, but did a quick glance at his sibling.
“What?!” Atsumu immediately leaves the group.
“Wait, but doesn’t that guy-” Aran questions, but Kita cuts him off while the others hold in their chuckles.
“Let him figure it out." 
——-
"So if you put your-” While you were listening to the young man who approached you, a familiar face made himself known.
“Hey, buddy, is there a problem over here?” Atsumu suddenly inserts himself in between you and the stranger. He stands tall, looming over the shorter male.
“N-no, there is no problem.”
“Atsumu-kun, he was just-” You placed a hand on his arm and tried to explain the situation.
“Don’t worry, __(y/n)-chan. I got this.” Atsumu gently pushes you behind him to hide you.
“Was there something you needed from her?” He continues. 
“No, si-sir. I-I was only trying to-”
“Well, if you ain’t got any business with her, I suggest you beat it.” The blonde twin glares at the male hiding behind his black device. He smirks victoriously, watching the scared stranger run away. He turns around to find you with your arms crossed and an incredulous look. 
“Why were you so mean to him?”
“Mean? What do you mean? Wasn’t he trying to hit on you?”
“What? No! He works here! He’s a staff member." 
"But didn’t he have his phone out to get your number?”
“Get my..-you mean his Ipad? He wasn’t trying to get my number, he was asking for my email so he could send a survey for us to fill out on how satisfied we were with the staff and the place." 
Atsumu had no answer, processing what he did to the innocent and diligent worker and to you. You must think he’s a crazy idiot for sure. 
"As funny and adorable that was, you’re coming with me to apologize.” You grabbed his hand, dragging Atsumu to find the man who he wrongly yelled at. 
“Yes..” He pouts, but obeys. You’re zipping through the crowd until you finally spot your target.
“He’s with someone else, but we’re waiting until he’s finished and I’m not letting go until you do." 
"I-I wasn’t gonna run away.” His cheeks heat up at your clasped hands, avoiding your gaze. 
“Just in case.” You continued to look forward, __(e/c) eyes too shy to meet his brown ones. 
“Thank you though,” You break the short pause, “I know it was a misunderstanding, but it’s nice to know that someone has my back.”
Atsumu directs his head to you, but is unable to see your face since it’s turned away with your finger busying itself with a strand of your hair. 
“Of course. Always.” Your heart skips at his soft reply. You feel a gentle squeeze on your hand and respond similarly, fighting back the smile that was eager to present itself.
“Oh look! He’s done. Let’s go.” You gently pull him towards the staff worker once he has finished speaking to the other customers. You’re about to release his hand, but Atsumu keeps a tight grip. Probably he’s nervous about admitting to his mistake, you assume. 
So you hold his hand just as tight, figuring he needs the support. You knew how much of a big baby he was.
But really, Atsumu was using this as an excuse to hold you just a bit longer. His fingers felt right in between yours. 
——-
You managed to take some great pictures wherever it was allowed, but the artwork that forbade photos, you captured in your memory. After touring around the entire museum, you and the boys were starting to feel hungry, so everyone agreed to eat at the nearest restaurant.
You saw a few people scattered outside and you volunteered to ask the host how long the wait would be. Osamu steps behind his brother and lightly taps the back of his knees with his.
“Remember, that guy works here." 
"Shut up, 'samu! I know that.” Atsumu huffs, red cheeks puffing out slightly as his friends laugh loudly. They stop as soon as you near them, telling the boys that there was a table open that could accommodate your party.
You sat in between the Miya twins which made you both nervous and happy. Your crush on Atsumu was getting worse every day yet you didn’t hate the feeling. You distracted yourself by looking through the menu, all of you deciding to share a couple appetizers before choosing your individual meals. 
“What are you getting, __(y/n)-chan?” Atsumu asks, brown eyes looking at you as he lowers his menu.
“Hmmmm, I’m not sure yet. I’m caught between number 8 and 9.” You point to the items on the main course list. 
“Oh! I was going to get the number 8. How about I get 8 and you get the 9 and we can just share? That way, we can get a taste of both. I’m curious about number 9 also.”
“Really? You wouldn’t mind?" 
"Yea, of course I wouldn’t mind!” He grins, folding the menu before placing it on the table. You copy him and wait for the server to collect your orders. 
You then bring out your phone, taking pictures of the boys and the restaurant’s interesting decor. Despite your school’s motto, you liked to keep the memories. 
“Ne, Atsumu-kun, mind if I borrow your phone? Your camera is better than mine.” Your cell phone was a few years old, but Atsumu just replaced his and you were waiting to upgrade yours. Part of you was glad that you hadn't yet because you were going to use this opportunity to see how he feels about you. 
“Sure. Here ya go.” He hands you his phone. 
“Thanks!” You start taking pictures of yourself, really impressed with the photo quality. 
“Take a selfie with me.” You change the camera view as you hold out your hand in front of you and Atsumu.
“You’re so far! Get close to me like you actually like me.” You say jokingly as you hear a few, muffled snickers around the table. Atsumu stutters a response, but you interrupt him when you start counting from three. 
“Ready? Smile!” You take a few shots before looking at each one closely.
“Yeck, I’m deleting that one. I look gross in there.” You weren’t satisfied with how you smiled and your eyes looked like they were in mid blink. 
“What? Don’t say that. You’re gorgeous!” Atsumu looks up at you after he watches you remove one of the many pictures. You blush at his statement, dodging his stare.
“Oh, ummm. ..t-thank you." 
"You don’t gotta thank me. It’s the truth.” Atsumu murmurs, but it’s coherent enough where you could understand him.
“Get ready with your orders. The waiter is coming.” Kita sees the server walking towards your table. You went first and while everyone else was focused on the waiter, you quickly dragged your finger around on the phone screen. You immediately closed what you were doing and handed Atsumu back his phone. 
Your heart was beating fast, but you kept a calm smile on your face as you casually made conversation with the volleyball team. None of the guys knew about your crush, afraid that they would make fun of you. Not that you believed they would, but you weren’t comfortable telling anyone yet. 
Except for today. 
You finally were going to tell one person about your crush and that person was Atsumu. You planned everything out for a while, thinking of every possible situation that could happen and how you would approach it. You were surprised at how smoothly your idea was going, but that made you even more uneasy. 
But you already made your move and hoped that he would notice the little message in his phone. 
———
Dinner was both fun yet stressful. Every time Atsumu would check his phone, your heart would jump at the thought of him seeing what you put. But he made no reaction so you assumed he had yet to see it. 
And you were fine with that. You’d prefer if he read it at home instead of in a public place. 
Everyone went their separate ways after the restaurant except you and the Miya twins. Your house wasn’t too far from theirs so they walked most of the way with you. Once you were close enough, you waved goodbye to the brothers.
“Bye! See you soon! And don’t forget to send me those pictures later, okay, Atsumu-kun?" 
"Yeah, I will! Bye, __(y/n)-chan!” Atsumu waved back before turning away with Osamu.
——–
Unfortunately, he never sent those pictures. He must have forgotten, but with how many days has passed, you believed he probably felt awkward with the little note you put. 
If he saw it. He never acted any differently when you saw him at school.
Maybe he never did see it? But you were too afraid to ask so you were just going to live quietly with your heartache. 
——-
“Oh, shoot! I forgot to send those pics to __(y/n)-chan!” Atsumu says loudly while he and Osamu walk home from practice.
“You haven’t sent them yet? It’s been a week.” Osamu shakes his head. 
“I forgot! I was too busy thinking of a way to tell her I like her. I gotta make sure it’s perfect.” The setter takes out his phone and taps on the photo album icon. As he selects and scrolls through the photos, his eyes become rounded at one particular image. 
It was a selfie of you and him, sitting close, cheek to cheek as you both smile happily. What made him pause was the heart drawn over the two of you with the words ’yes or no?’ written at the bottom.
“Ahh! ’s-samu! Look, look!” He shows his phone to his brother. “I think __(y/n)-chan likes me back! She put this on our picture!”
As soon as Osamu sees what’s on the screen, his eyes also widen slightly then suddenly smacks his brother at the back of his head. “Dumbass! That photo has been sitting there for that long already?”
“I told you already, I forgot! And she never said anything! Other than to send the pictures after we ate- Oh my God, 'samu, I really am a dumbass!” Realization hit Atsumu harder than his brother’s slap.
“I knew that a long time ago. Now, why are you still here talking to me? Shouldn’t you be talking to __(y/n) instead?" 
"You’re right! I gotta text her!” Atsumu’s hands were working fast in trying to find your text message conversation. Before Osamu could even make a snide comment, Atsumu becomes aware of a better alternative to communicate with you. 
———
On your way home, you received multiple texts from Atsumu, all saying the same thing.
Yes!
Yes!!
Yes!
Yes!!!!
’The hell? Yes to what?’ Right when you were about to reply, you saw an incoming call from the setter who made your heart skip a beat daily. 
“Hello?” You answer. 
“Yes! __(y/n), yes! I want to be your boyfriend!”
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everlarkficexchange · 3 years
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The Archer and The Wrestler.
Written by: @thegirlfromoverthepond
Prompt 90: The Olympic committee is selling sponsorships and heavily advertising the upcoming games. The most photogenic of each sport is asked to pose for pics and attend functions, film commercial together, do some interviews. What sports represented by Katniss, Peeta, others? Required to look cozy? Animosity behind those smiles? Competitiveness? Banter? Any secrets? Do they have a “breakfast club” ending? by @567inpanem
______ 
Summary: Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark meet in the office of Trinket Advertising, where they have to shoot pictures for sponsors.
____
Thank you @567inpanem for the prompt ! I had fun writing it :) PLus I could place it in my country which is always a plus. I hope you won’t be disappointed … 
My deepest thanks to @sunsetsrmydreams for pre reading and betaing.
To @xerxia31 and @javistg thank you for hosting such a nice event … and So sorry for the delay !
__________________
  I should be practicing, she thought, instead of pacing the long, white, corridor of Trinket Advertising.
  Katniss still had a ton to do for the Games. Be sure to be fit, to be healthy, to be accurate. To shoot straight.
  She really didn’t want to spend her afternoon waiting for some photographer to ask her to act natural in front of a camera. But she was just glad she didn’t have to shoot with someone from the team, as she was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to focus with the constant bickering between Johana and Gale or how Haymitch, their trainer, would “Sweetheart” this or that. 
  Still no clue as to why she had been picked to be the representative of her sport for the sponsors and advertising. She wasn’t really sure she knew what it entailed, how much time she would spend parading around the media instead of practicing. She knew archery wasn’t such a popular sport in the States, preventing her from spending huge amounts of time in talk shows, or interviews. 
Plus, seeing the recognition made Prim, her sister, so proud and happy, Katniss hadn’t been able to turn down the offer when it came. 
  “Kathy Everdeen? You’re up next.” The assistant’s piercing voice echoed in the long corridor. Katniss closed her eyes, taking a deep breath to not correct the woman.
  “Welcome to the Strange Name That Can’t Be Taken Seriously Club.” Another voice, male this time, made her open her eyes. 
In front of her was a man of around her age, wearing the male version of the US Olympics shirt she had on..
  Only his was stretched across his broad frame, where she was glad hers was loose around her lean body. 
  He extended his hand.
  “Peeta Mellark. Wrestling. Founding member of the club.” She stared at his hand, before moving a step forward to shake it. “You’re the archer ? Katniss right?”
  She stopped mid-movement. How could he know her name ?
  “I saw your name on the list, so I figured you’d be next ?” He said, almost shyly, as if he had offended her, or invaded her privacy.
  She saw the movement of his hand, that she had left unshaken, going to his hair, his fingers raking through his mane of curls.
  He had done nothing wrong, she realized, just tried to clear the air. She took a breath, before extending her own hand in front of her.
  “Yeah, I’m Katniss. Archery. How much is the subscription to the club?”
  He laughed, before shaking her hand.
  “How about tea after you’re done ?”
  “Too bad I only drink coffee … but I guess if you can wait a bit, that’s doable.” Katniss almost smiled when Peeta started to laugh.
  “Oh my goodness, I have a genius idea !” A voice froze their handshaking. “We are going to do pair shootings! Mix the sports together, along with the portraits. It’s going to be legendary !”   
  A woman with very pink hair matching her very pink outfit stood in the entrance leading towards the studio. As soon as she stopped talking, a flock of what Katniss could only think were assistants came in view, all clapping their hands or praising the Pink Lady.
  “Effie, this is another grand idea! We should start right now with these two!” The woman that had misspelled Katniss’ name said, “as they are both here.”
  “What are you waiting for, Octavia, take her to make-up right now! I need to call Plutarch, I am having a ton of ideas ! Hush hush, now come on, quickly!” 
  Katniss saw the assistants moving as one, starting to circle her and Peeta, moving them forward inside the studio, where a couple were checking their cameras and the large umbrellas reflecting the lights.
  “Cinna, Portia, I had an epiphany!” The Pink Lady walked towards the couple as quickly as her pencil dress and very high heels allowed her, while Katniss was ushered to the make-up table. She noticed that Peeta was following right behind her, with the other half of the assistants. She met his gaze, saw him shrug before he was taken to another table, shielded from her view by the different makeup and hair artists around them.
  “We’ll start with you, Kathy!” Octavia said a few minutes later. Katniss took another deep breath, calming her temper. In just a few minutes, she’ll be gone. Archery wasn’t high on the list of sponsors, nobody cared about them, but for the bow and arrows brands. 
  Katniss didn’t have time to muse as the sound of Octavia’s heels on the tiling started again. She rose from the chair, following the young woman towards a dressing cabin.
  “You’ll find your uniform inside. You’re a S, right?”
  “How do you know?” Katniss asked, surprised that the woman guessed correctly.
  “I have an eye for that. Plus, it’s written on your card.”
  She repressed another eyeroll, trying to keep in mind that Octavia was only doing her job, before she entered the dressing cabin. 
White pants, blue polo lined with red, and a white undershirt to protect her arms. The standard equipment.
  Yet, it was something to see it, to realize she would represent her country in the most important tournament there could be, that she had achieved one of her goals. To be an Olympian.
  She took the polo, turning it slowly, almost afraid to read what was on the back.
  Everdeen.
  Her father’s name, embroidered in the cotton of the shirt.
Pride rushed through her veins as her fingers traced the letters.
  “I did it, Papa. I’m going to the Olympics.”
  ______________________
  It was now official. She hated photoshoots. First, because it was taking an awful lot of time, then because you had to smile. All.the.time. That Katniss hasn’t screamed yet or ran off the door was entirely due to her willpower gained from years of training.
  The photographer, Cinna, wasn’t a talker. He was taking his time to snap picture after picture, never acknowledging Octavia or Effie’s advice for her to smile this way, or that way. Because there was apparently a way to smile properly.
  She could feel her anger rise with each passing minute, the incessant chatter of the women, the silence of the photographer, the heat from the spotlights, the wind from the huge fans, the itching from the label of the polo on her neck… 
  “I think it’s time to pair them up.” The photographer’s voice calmly said, silencing the two women.
From being Effie and Octavia, Peeta made his way towards the scene where Katniss was standing. 
  Before anyone could say a thing, Cinna turned to Effie and his assistant.
“Ladies, can you please check if we have athletes that can be paired tomorrow too? I’m sorry to ask in such short notice, but I think Effie’s idea is something we have to work on.. of course it will mean you change all the schedules..”
  “Oh, my, Cinna, but yes, of course! If you think so ? But will you be able to manage with these two?” Effie Trinket asked. Katniss could feel the sharpness of her gaze as the older woman looked at her.
  “If there is the slightest problem, I’ll make sure Portia comes to get you.” 
  “Yes, please. Because if we can manage to pair Brutus and Enobaria, we might be on something, right?”
  “Right.” Cinna nodded, before moving towards his material, his back to Katniss as he rummaged through his material.
  She looked at her partner in the photoshoot, who seemed as lost as she was. He kept running his hand in his mane of blond hair, before shoving them in his pockets. Seconds after, he was doing the same movements again. She realized she was doing the same, undoing the end of her braid before redoing it, over and over again.
She really couldn’t wait to be out of the studio.
  “Will you two stand back to back, please?” Cinna’s voice startled her, even though it was barely over a whisper. “Portia, can you please close the door?” 
  That’s when she realized how silent the place was without Effie and Octavia. Without their neverending chatter, their disapproving tongue clicks, or their exaggerated sighs.
It almost felt … good.
  Almost.
  She started to move then, turning her back to Peeta, before crossing her eyes, hoping he would take the hint to do the same. The sooner they were done, the better. She had her bow waiting for her, after all.
  She felt the fabric of Peeta’s polo on her arm, yet, never his weight on her back.
  She looked at Cinna, who nodded approvingly, before starting to take pictures. 
  “Should we smile?” She heard Peeta’s deep voice right behind her, asking the question she didn’t dare ask.
  “Do what you want, don’t mind me.” the photographer answered behind his material.
  “What we want?” Katniss echoed, unsure she had heard correctly. The previous hour had been filled with recommendations on what to do, on poses to take, on how to smile … 
  Cinna lowered his camera.
  “I’m not Effie. Beauty is everywhere, it doesn’t have to be faked by poses or false smiles. Just do what you two want.” He shrugged before checking something on his camera. “I’ll need a few minutes to fix this, try to relax.”
  Katniss turned to her partner in shooting, to realize he had already moved and was facing her.
  “You told me you were a coffee girl, right?”
  “Yup. Black, no sugar.”
  “I don’t take sugar in my tea, either. See we have something in common.” Peeta put his hands high. “Oh, no high five ? We’re not close enough yet.”
  “Definitely not, singlet boy.”
  “Ouch, that hurts. Know, Miss Everdeen, that a lot of women find that uniform .. appealing.” He raised his eyebrows, wiggling them explicitly. 
  “I bet they do. The main question is, do you have to shave your torso, so your opponent won’t have the opportunity to pull at your chest hair ?”
  Katniss didn’t know what came to her to ask such a question.  It was like Peeta made it easy for her to talk, when she usually wasn’t famous for speaking or making her voice heard without shouting.
  It was like he had a calm, soothing temper, like a lazy river, ready to cover the fire that was in her.
Maybe they made a good pair.
  “Yeah, the worst is the wax under the armpit.” He deadpanned, not even letting a smile on his face.
  She could totally imagine him taken down to “Beauty Base Zero” as the woman at the beauty parlor had told her the only time she went there. It included all sorts of treatments, each worse than the others. She even told her sister to not gift her with that kind of torture anymore.
  “Ouch.. I hope your girlfriend covers you in aloe after that …” 
Katniss knew she wasn’t the most girly woman around, yet she sometimes put on mascara or had her legs waxed from time to time, mostly for competitions when she had decided to wear the short-skirts or the long bermudas. 
  “Well, meet Hanna, my girlfriend.” Peeta said casually, showing his right hand, wiggling his eyebrows - again.      
  It took Katniss a few seconds to catch up on the double-entendre.
  “Oh, my, you’re disgusting!” Her words couldn’t completely hide her smile. There was something to this man that somehow made her want to talk, to speak, to even trust him. 
  “I bunked with Finnick Odair at the Youth Olympic Games. That was disgusting! He shaves himself ! the room was full of his hair!”
  “Well, you could have collected them before putting them on Ebay. You’d be rich by now.”
  “I should have, yes. Dam, why didn’t I know you back then to give me good advice!”
  “I wasn’t at the YOG.”
  “I know, I would have noticed you.”
She looked at him, with questions in her mind. His eyes were blue, so clear nothing was shadowing them, she was left without words.
  Click.
  —-
  Katniss couldn’t believe she was at the Olympics. In Paris, France. That her childhood dream of bringing a golden medal home was nothing but a few arrows away. A lot of stress, too. She raised her bow, lining the target with her eye, throwing  a quick glance to the small flags lining the area to check the wind, took a deep breath, before letting go of the arrow.
  She knew right away that it would miss the center of the target. A breath of hair on the right, still not enough to get full marks. She had underestimated the wind on this large, open area that the Esplanade des Invalides was.
  “Not too bad.”  She jumped at the voice behind her. Maybe some kind of volunteer that had been allowed inside the arenas for training. She needed to focus on the target, on the little golden area that would make her mark a ten in the competition.
  She took another arrow from the quiver on her left hip, slid it in the bow, looked at the wind, took a deep breath, lifted her weapon, aimed at the target. With the next exhalation of air, she let go of the arrow, knowing right away it would hit the center. 
  She had never been able to explain how she knew, each and every time how her arrow would behave. It was a feeling, a sensation, deep inside of her. 
  Thunk !  
  She looked at the target, saw that indeed the arrow was in the yellow area. She almost let a smile show on her mouth, when the same voice distrubed her again.
  “You might win if you shoot like that.”
  Katniss closed her eyes, letting a sigh escape before turning to face whoever decided to disturb her training. 
  “Peeta!” She felt a smile forming on her face. “What are you doing here?”
  He shrugged. “I was practising, then decided to go for a walk. It’s Paris after all!”
  “Here?” Katniss was pretty sure she hadn’t seen any other sport on the green grass in front of the Invalides.
  “Oh, not here here, over there!” Peeta turned, his right hand moving over his shoulder, showing the Eiffel Tower. “Wrestling is on the Champ de Mars, at the feet of the tower”
  “Really? You’ll have to tell me when you’re in the tournament. So I can come and see you.”
  Peeta’s hand went to his head, his fingers raking through his mane of golden curls.
“You’re sure ? If the press sees you there….”
  “I’ll tell them I came to support a friend.”
  “But you know how the paparazzi are …”
  “We’re in France, not the US, nobody cares about archery or wrestling - no offense intended.”
  “None taken.” 
  Peeta looked around, before coming closer to the barriers surrounding the archery arena, then leaning slightly on them, giving Katniss the opportunity to see the muscles in his forearms. She wondered briefly if he already had his waxing treatment.
  “Something on your mind, Everdeen?”   
  Who was he again? A mind-reader ?  She quickly turned her eyes  from his arms, not lingering on the broad expense of his chest, or how bright his eyes were.
  “Yup. I have to finish training if I don’t want to look too ridiculous when the competition starts.”
“What do you say we try one of these cafés when you’re done?” he casually asked. Katniss could see something in his eyes - was it hope ?
  Damn, was he playing unfair by throwing coffee into the mix. As if she was known to refuse a cup. 
  “I still have a few minutes of practice, maybe a raincheck?”
  He shrugged, before looking around. “I’m in no rush. I can wait. Patience is a virtue, young grasshopper.”
  She nodded, before taking another arrow out of her quirrel. 
   “Yes, Sensei.”
  The arrow hit the center of the target.
  ———————–
  Katniss knew she shouldn’t be there. Not that she didn’t want to, but after  pictures of her and Peeta laughing in a small café had hit the stands, her phone hadn’t stopped beeping, demanding a confirmation if there was something going on between the two of them. That, perhaps, all the rumors that had been born after the photoshoot with Cinna, were not rumors at all.
  Effie Trinket was, of course, delighted. Jo wouldn’t stop asking about LoverBoy, Gale was threatening to beat the shit out of Peeta (Katniss was almost ready to let him try to do that), and Haymitch kept on asking her if her little romance would damage her results in the field.
  Everything was peachy.
  Yet, she couldn’t find it in her to regret the time she had spent with Peeta. She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much, that she had been able to confide to someone as she had done with him, how he had been open to her too. Like two old friends rekindling a friendship after spending years apart. 
  Friends they could have been, they had realized when discussing their native places. They had grown up about a hundred miles apart, in the same district of West Virginia. They could have crossed paths about a dozen times, sharing memories of the Meadow Park, where they both had spent time, Katniss had even worked there when they were younger. 
  Sometime during their afternoon chat, a photographer had spotted them, recognized them, and snapped pictures.
  That was a trending subject on Twitter minutes later, before someone even created a ship name for them. The hashtag #Everlark trended for more than a day.
  Katniss had pushed her phone away, blocked all the numbers she didn’t know, called Peeta to apologize, before focusing solely on her training.
  Her perfect plan had crumbled in hours, when Peeta had caught her in the Victor’s Village Cafeteria, explaining how he was sorry for everything, as the idea of coffees had been his. 
They had ended up sharing a meal with Gale and Jo, as well as some of Peeta’s teammates, who kept joking about the Everlark hashtag. In a matter of two hours Katniss was laughing with them, the pain of Effie’s scheme forgotten.
  That was why she was currently in the corridors of the Arena where Judo and Wrestling competitions were being held. Her own tournament was starting in two days and Katniss would rather watch sports she didn’t understand, then stay in her room, anxiously waiting for her turn to compete.
  Maybe it was time for her to play team mate too. She had put on her US Team attire, gotten her accreditations cards, before jumping into one of the buses that led her to the Champ de Mars. 
  She hadn’t seen Peeta since breakfast the morning before, when she had forgotten to ask him if he was still okay for her to come.
  The building was elegantly sitting on the green grass. In the back, she could see the Eiffel Tower, all dressed up in her beauty and dignity.
  In a few minutes she had found the hall with the wrestlers, and a seat in the ranks reserved for athletes. She recognized Thom and Thresh, two of Peeta’s teammates, who waved at her. She talked to them for a few minutes, learning their categories were competing in the coming days.
  “Peeta should be in two matches.” Thresh informed her as she sat on the plastic seat. “He should make it to the quarters easily. After…”
  “After?” She asked, unsure what THresh meant.
  “After, in the quarters he should face Katø, the Russian. A beast. “
  “A beast?” 
  “Yeah, 164 pounds of malice and nastiness.”
  “Charming… Maybe someone will eat this Katø first ?” 
  Thresh shook his head.
  “Na, not with this draw. His first worthy opponent will be Peeta.”
  She looked at Thresh, thinking back to the afternoon she had spent with Peeta, remembering what he had told her.
She couldn’t remember the last time she had laughed so much, her cheeks still hurt. They had walked away from the Olympic Archery range, following the banks of the Seine, looking at the amazing monuments, walking by the Musee d’Orsay that Peeta had told her he wanted to visit. 
They had crossed the river on a wooden bridge only for pedestrians, walked along the Louvre, until they had found a small café near the Palais Royal where they were still sitting.
  “You all have bread names? Why? “
  Peeta shrugged,  before leaning down a little on the metallic table, as if he was about to confide his deepest secret.
  “We own a bakery, back in Panem. Maybe one day, I’ll tell you my real name …”
  She laughed, leaning over the table too. She felt bold enough to run her hand on his definitely toned forearm, letting her finger wander up to his shoulder.
  She saw the color of his eyes change from crystal blue to a darker shade, heard him take a breath in.
  But Katniss was on a mission.
  She leaned closer to him, her hand coming closer to his neck, her nimble fingers playing with the collar of his shirt.
  She could feel him tense under her touch, and lifted her eyes, to find his locked on her, as if he wanted to get lost in her. It took Katniss a few seconds to return to her task. With a movement of her wrist, she grabbed his accreditation cards, pulling them over his head before leaning back into her seat.
  “That’s disappointing, actually. Your name is Mark ? Mark Mellark ?”   
  “Because your name is really Katniss?”
  She put down his accreditations, took hers from around her neck, holding them out to him. He took them with a smirk before looking at the name written on them.
  “Your name is really Katniss?”
  “Yep. My mom’s Lily, my dad is Alon, and my sister is Primrose. You’re a bread family, we are a plant family.” She snatched the cards from his hands. “ You’re lucky you didn’t bet a thing, Mark Mellark.”
  “Don’t call me Mark.” He grumbled, leaning back onto his chair.
  “Well, then if you don’t want the world to call you Mark, you know what’s left to do, Mellark!”.
  She casually put down his cards on the table, taking her time to lean back too.
  “Oh? And that would be, Sensei ?”
  “Easy, Grasshopper. Make sure you don’t get a medal.”
  “That, Robin Hood, is not an option.”  
  The steadiness, the certainty of his voice made her shiver. Or maybe it was the wind, coming from large trees nearby. Surely the trees, she thought.
  “I mean,” he started “ we all came here for a reason, and it’s not to give someone else our place on the podium. Plus with all the visibility we have this year, we have to give it our best, right?”
  She nodded. That was what they had to do, what they had trained for, what they were in France for.
  “Katniss?” Thom’s voice took her out of her memories. 
  “Sorry, I was lost in thoughts.”
  “Look down, on the mat. The guy in blue? It’s Katø.”
  “That’s a man? He looks like a mountain of muscles …” 
  “Well, he is a mountain of muscles … “ The referee interrupted Thom’s sentence with the start of the first period. “That won’t take long, he isn’t known for dancing around.”
  Katniss watched as the blond man, so different from Peeta rushed into his opponent, pinning him on the mat in a few seconds.
  “Told you. That lasted 25 seconds, he won’t be tired for the next round.” Thom said. “Peeta’s next.”
  Katniss nodded searching the ground until she spotted him, wearing a red singlet. 
  “Why is he wearing red ? Blue is a better color for him.” She asked, her eyes trained on the now familiar figure walking towards the mat. Damn, these singlets left little to the imagination. To say they were fit-forming was the understatement of the year. She could see all the lines of Peeta’s muscles moving as he approached the fighting zone.
  “Because he’ll be the first one called. It’s the rules.” She turned towards Thresh, who had the biggest smile on his face she’d ever seen him don.
  “Why are you smiling?” She was wondering what had been so funny in her words.
  “‘Blue is a better color for him’ - you sound like -” 
  “Be careful, Thresh. She shoots arrows…” Thom interrupted. “Now if you want to see Peeta wrestle, maybe you can look at the mat ?”
  With a last threatening glance towards Thresh that was met with another huge smile and air kisses, Katniss turned towards the arena, noticing how different Peeta’s posture was from Katø’s. 
  “He’s going to tire the Georgian who isn’t as flexible as he is. And as soon as there will be an opening, he’ll go for it.” Thom explained, as she watched the complicated dance of joint locks, takedowns, and other things she had no idea what they were.
  “This must be exhausting…” she whispered, as she saw Peeta finally going for the pin, immobilizing his opponent on the mat.
  “Well, it’s not crochet that’s for sure!” Thresh chimed into her thoughts as the crowd applauded the winner of the match.
  This was going to be a long day.
  __________________
  She needed to focus, now. Forget she was in the final of the Olympic Archery Tournament. Forget her dream was an arrow away. Forget she needed a nine to win the gold.
  She had to remember the wind, how it came lightly from the right to the left, how she needed to bend the trajectory just a little. She had to calm her beating heart.
  To forget Peeta was in the stands, watching. Katniss had cheered him on as he won his own gold medal two days ago, but now it was her moment.
  She needed to forget. 
  The way he had chased her when she tried to make a quiet exit.
To forget how they had kissed.
Their own celebration.
  She had to clear her mind of all this. 
Forget. Focus.
  A deep breath. 
Visualizing the arrow hitting the center of the target. 
  The chronometer was ticking. Tick. Tock.
  It was her last arrow. Her concurrents had already shot their own.
  She needed a nine.
  Only twelve seconds remain.
  She rose her bow.
Eleven seconds.
  Remembered her father’s proud look when she had won her first trophy.
  She let the arrow fly.
  She knew it would be a ten.
  She had won the gold.
  She fell to her knees, feeling the tears pooling in her eyes.
  “I did it, Papa, I won … I hope you’re proud..”
  The applause around her made her lift her head, then stand up, before she ran towards the stands, her bow still in hand, her eyes fixed on a figure that was coming down the stairs, towards her.
  She felt his arms around her as he hugged her over the bleachers, felt his hands going to her face as he looked into her eyes.
  “You remember to shoot straight, Grasshopper…” he whispered, for the two of them only.
  “Yes, Sensei”, she replied before kissing him.
  Click.
  FIN
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torilovestowrite · 3 years
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Dabi x Reader; Try Again pt. 8
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Synopsis: Years ago, (Y/n) was left by her villain boyfriend, Dabi after discovering an unexpected news. Ever since then, she never had a lover— focusing on her only son, Yuta. Later on, she meets Todoroki Touya— a new co-worker who seem to be persistent towards winning her heart and attention.
Ship: Dabi x Fem! Reader
❗❗❗Content Warning: Mentions of Abortion, Unplanned Pregnancy, Manga spoilers, Dabi is a Todoroki theory
🖤 » Chapter Navigation « 🖤
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"Yuta L/n, you're not going out!" Y/n strictly reprimanded as she tried to keep her son still from his position, lying on bed with a cold towel on his forehead.
It was during a Wednesday when Yuta, y/n's son, had a fever that reached over 41 degrees. Y/n felt threatened about this because her son has never reached this temperature. It's too high— and he also stated something about his body feeling heavy. What could be happening?
"B-but... we're about to watch a movie in school today! I don't want to miss it!" Yuta began bawling his eyes out while Y/n sighed at his dramatic tone. Does it really have to be like this? Yuta has to be emotional and sensitive every time he gets sick? This only reminds her of him— the way he would caress her soft hands every time she would tend his wounds every after a tiring day— the man he used to love, Dabi, would appear to be more gentle and affectionate every time he gets worn out... or ill.
"We're going to watch a movie while you take a rest here at home, okay?" Y/n gently tapped her son's side in an attempt to make him close his eyes and sleep. "For now, take a rest. Or else, it would take longer before you could go outside."
Immediately, Yuta turned his back from his mother in an attempt to be more comfortable; and to have a good sleep. Y/n smiled at his actions. Good thing, her son has always been considerate on her hardwork and the way she disciplines him.
It wasn't too long until she heard a notification from her phone— a message coming from Touya.
touya ❣ : good morning y/n. how's ur pretty face doing?
It's been four months since y/n realized her feelings for Touya. Both of them started dating two months ago and so far, he has been understanding towards her obligations as a mother. Most of their dates included Yuta and there are times when Touya would volunteer to watch over him while she's away during her day shifts. Y/n could never ask for anything— Touya was doing his job greatly; as a boyfriend and as a paternal figure to Yuta.
you : yeah, i'm all good babe. thanks for asking. but yuta's sick rn... i dont really have anyone to take care of him and i need to go for my day shift.
touya ❣ : you want me to go for it? i mean, i only work during nights anyways
Y/n's smile lit up as she read his message. Finally! She thought. She could go to work!
you: sure thing babe 💗✨
Few more minutes, when Yuta has finally travelled to dreamland, Y/n left the house, wearing her thick f/c coat with her hair styled to become more neat-looking. Another day for work, she thought.
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It's been two hours since Touya arrived in Y/n's home. Using the spare key under her house's doormat, he decided to enter her house that was silent when he went inside. Until he heard a child's high-pitched scream coming from Yuta's bedroom. His instinct caused him to immediately run towards this direction; but what he saw caused a heavy sensation in his chest. Those familiar blue flames that was once his signature— as Dabi; the heartless villain who claimed 30 innocent lives.
"U-Uncle T-Touya!" Yuta cried in panic while his right hand was burning with blue and heated fire. "W-What should I do?! M-my—"
"Breathe." Touya immediately replied as he kneeled next to him, rubbing his back with his huge and rough hands. "You have to control your breathing and your emotions. You have to control it because the more you panic, the more it will get stronger."
Yuta closed his eyes and focused in calming himself down— taking deep breaths and thinking about things that he liked in life— ice cream, Y/n, Uncle Touya, pro-heroes... all the things that makes him happy. Slowly, the fire became smaller and smaller— until nothing appeared on his hands.
"I-It's gone! The blue flames!" Yuta exclaimed as a grin crept on his face. "Did you see that awesome thing on my hand, Uncle Touya?! That must be my quirk, right?"
"Yes, it's an awesome quirk that you have." Touya smiled sadly as he stared at the young and naive child— as if he was seeing his past self; the pure child who was corrupted by his father's evil desires and deeds. It was all fun and games knowing he has an awesome quirk like that... until his father, Enji Todoroki, decided to ruin everything for him.
But he swore to be someone better than him; to be a man suitable to be called a father.
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That afternoon, Y/n arrived at her home with such beautiful sight; Touya and Yuta scooped in each others' arms while the movie was left streaming. She smiled at the sight. It was so cute. For a few seconds, she almost believed that Touya was Yuta's father. The young mother couldn't help it but to take a picture of the two while having their peaceful slumber.
"I saw you," Touya spoke, "Delete it."
Y/n giggled as Touya stood up from his position as he tried to grab the phone away from her hands. It was such a cute sight. She was sticking her tongue out while she was trying to chase him. Y/n couldn't help but to feel as if they were all.. what? 17? Whatever, it felt cute, though.
"Yeah, whatever. Have that pic all you want. You can even make it your wallpaper." Y/n got her cheeks pinched by him as he gave her a light kiss on the nose. "I'm going now, sweet cheeks, I'm attending night shift for tonight."
"Sure, sure." Y/n smiled, planting a kiss on his cheek, as she watched his lean and toned figure leave their house. All that's left is her and Yuta. Slowly, his eyes opened to see his mother watching him sleep.
"Mommy?" Yuta spoke in a drowsy tone.
Y/n responded, hugging her son beside her while his eyes still looked sleepy. Seems that the sleep wasn't enough for him, huh? The young lady laughed at this, ruffling his hair, and deciding to ask him. "How was your day with Uncle Touya? Is it better than it was when you're at school?"
The young lad aggressively nodded and decided to tell Y/n the greatest thing that he discovered today.
"My quirk just manifested, ma! I have blue flames!" Yuta exclaimed as he tried to show it off with the tip of his fingers. Y/n's eyes widened at this— it created a tingling feeling in her heart. It was like a slap on her face. Yuta is really Dabi's son, isn't he?
"T-That's awesome." Y/n replied, trying to stop tears from flowing.
While her son was still busy talking about his day, her hands were able to feel something on the couch. It was... hard. She pulled out to see a black leather wallet. Did Touya forget his stuff here? Y/n sighed at his forgetfulness. Well, he's a person, she thought, so he has flaws too.
"Did Uncle Touya forget that, ma?" Yuta asked in a polite tone. "Bring it back to him tomorrow, okay?"
Y/n smiled at what he said. She really raised her son well. "Sure!"
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It was night time. Yuta went back to sleep and Y/n was busy contemplating inside her room— walking back and forth; thinking about whether she should check his stuff or what.
It's not what others would think. It's just that it's been two months since they got together but Touya only says few things about himself. All she knew is that his parents are living overseas and he's left alone here. He has siblings who lived with their parents in abroad. Nothing more, nothing less.
Aside from that, it wouldn't hurt to peek just a little bit, right?
Y/n sighed as she finally came to a conclusion to check his wallet to see if there's something that would tell more about himself. It's not like she was nosy. She just wants to get to know him at a better level. He's quite of a silent and mysterious guy himself, which got the young lady curious about him.
Of course, there was nothing new; just few IDs, bunch of credit cards (which Y/n thought was odd because if he had this much money, why would he work in an old bar as a bartender), and a thin wad of cash. Nothing else— until something that was so unordinary in her eyes— fell.
Her eyes widened as she saw that memoribilia. No words could come out from her mouth. Her vision felt so dark; as if it was slowly fading; and her heart hurt so much. Only tears could come out from her eyes. No scream, no words, no phrases— simply, nothing.
"Y-you..." Her fists clenched tightly as her form started shaking— she didn't know what to feel. Is it anger, sadness, remorse— what should she feel first? She began to wail as she stared and touched at this object from the past. Whatever that happened was too painful for her to bear.
"You fooled me... Dabi."
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That night, Touya was looking for his wallet. It was nowhere to be found; not even in his car. Maybe he left it at your place? Well, whatever the circumstances are, he was hoping that none of you would be able to find it. Maybe, he'd drive towards your place again and—
His thoughts were interrupted as his phone rang. The caller ID showed Y/n— and a selfie that she sent him as the profile picture. Immediately, he answered it.
"Hello, bab—"
"Don't you babe me. We have to talk." Y/n's voice sounded cold and harsh. She was angry... and he knew it. Touya knew that tone several years ago; and if he hears that, he knows that hell will break because of her wrath.
"What is it?"
"Stop acting dumb." Y/n scoffed.
"How the hell are you alive, Dabi?"
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Taglist [OPEN]: @babayaga67 @marydragneell @xxtrash-kingxx @paranoiac-666 @velvet-kissesss @orenjineki @mermaid-starlet @ikita454 @yo-girl-lunar @pansexual-booknerd @daimiyu
a/n: i kinda did stop updating this but like bnha chapter 290 got me like 😭😭😭😭 dabi can i give u a hug plspslslslsl 😗😗
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nashibirne · 3 years
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Painkiller - 6
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(It feels a little strange posting this right now, with the real Henry just going public with his new girlfriend, that looks exactly like my fictional (!!!) character Kelly. And I swear it's a coincidence that I chose the Daily Mail to reveal the pictures in my story...So if you feel uncomfortable with all this, don't proceed!)
It's time for the next chapter of "Painkiller". I left you with a bit of a cliffhanger, so here we go...
Pairing: Henry Cavill x OFC (Ella)
Summary: Henry has to explain a lot to many different people, Kelly is taking advantage and Ella is a kinky girl
Warnings: RPF! Angst, mentioning of daddy kink, a little sex talk, nothing serious, but still 18+
Unbeta'ed, as usual...all mistakes are mine, English is not my mother tongue, so consider yourself warned...
Credits: Pics for the moodboard are from pinterest, I don't know Henry Cavill, not a bit, this is all fictional, fantasy and wishful thinking!
Parts 1-5 can be found here: nashi's masterlist
taglist: (please tell me if you want to be added or removed)
@hell1129-blog @lunedelorient @inlovewithhisblueeyes @willkatfanfromasia @summersong69 @omgkatinka @legendarywizarddetective @mis-lil-red @agniavateira @taebfada @xxxkatxo
~~~~~
6
Like every day Ella entered the store a good hour before opening time. It still felt strange to start the day without Katie who had decided to stay at home with little Lenny half a year before returning to the world of work. They had hired a help, Mr. Meller, who was the epitome of a middle aged bookworm and it worked perfectly. Ella got along with him very well, he reminded her of her father a lot, and the customers loved him. He wouldn't arrive until a few minutes before nine so Ella had almost an hour to have a coffee and prepare the shop and the cafe for the day. As usual she unpacked the stacks of shrink-wrapped newspapers and started to place them on the counter and the coffee tables in the cafe area. When she took a closer look at the headlines of the Daily Mail her heart skipped a beat before it started to clench. The pain that began to spread in her chest was dreadful and she felt sick all of the sudden. She sat down on one of the barstools at the cafe counter with wobbly legs before she looked at the pictures again. 
Henry. He had a girlfriend. A girlfriend he showed up with in public. A girlfriend Ella didn't know about. A girlfriend that was apparently beautiful, young, sexy, curvy...not flat as a pancake. Ella swallowed hard and forced herself to read the little article underneath the pictures. 
Henry Cavill was spotted with his new girlfriend yesterday by one of our readers, who sent us the pictures of the happy couple he was able to take in Kensington. "They seemed to be very in love." Our source reports. "Kissing and hugging all the time. Cavill couldn't keep his hands off of her and she kept gazing adoringly at him." It seems A-Lister Cavill has found a new love after a few years of being single. The actor, best known for his role as Superman, who is very discreet about his private life, has a long list of ex-girlfriends but -as he said in an interview lately- is still waiting for the one to fulfill his biggest dream: to start a family. Maybe the wait is over now and Superman has found his Supergirl. But who is the mysterious bombshell? Nobody seems to know…
A loud knock on the door interrupted Ella. She flinched when she saw Henry standing outside. Shit. She got up and walked over to the entrance with knees that felt like jelly, her heart racing at double speed. She took a deep breath before unlocking the door.
Get your act together.
"Henry, good morning. What are you doing here?" She was surprised that she managed to sound so normal.
"Hey. Good morning. Can I come in?" His voice was tense and he seemed to be nervous, tugging on his sleeve repeatedly with a sheepish smile.
"Sure." Ella stepped aside to let him enter the room. He glanced around and his eyes found the newspaper, the pics of him and Kelly staring right at his face.
"I'm sorry, Ella." He turned to her with a frown.
"Sorry? For what?"
He pointed at the Daily Mail. "For not telling you about Kelly."
"Kelly, huh? Well, there's no need to be sorry. This is none of my business, Henry." Ella took the newspaper and looked at the pictures with a nonchalant smile she had to force upon her numb face. "She's very pretty…"
"You're my friend. I should have told you. I didn't want you to read it in the papers…"
Ella just shrugged. She didn't know what to say without sounding jealous or disappointed or both. She felt incredibly empty inside.
"It's not even something serious...I mean  we're right at the beginning of our...whatever. I didn't tell anyone about it…"
"A secret affair? How exciting." Ella winked at him when in fact she wanted to scream.
"Not really secret but it wasn't supposed to go public."
"Well, you should have taken her to Gianni's. I heard they are very discreet there." Now her voice was dripping with sarcasm.
"Ella…"
"Henry, listen...as I said. This is none of my business, okay? But I'm happy if you're happy." Ella clenched her teeth to prevent her eyes from watering. She was sure he could see her jaw work.
"You don't look happy." Henry's voice was almost a whisper now, a whisper that crept into her ear, through her veins and right into her hurting heart. She turned around abruptly and went straight to the coffee machine to clean it. She wasn't able to answer when she had to look at him. 
Fumbling with the water container she finally was able to pull herself together.
"I guess I'm just a little disappointed that you haven't told me about her." She said as calmly as possible. "I thought you'd trust me."
"I do trust you, Ella." Henry leaned on the counter looking at her with a frown. "It's just...I didn't really know where this was going and I didn't want to bother you…"
"Bother me?" Ella turned around with something close to a smile. "You can bother me whenever you want with whatever is on your mind, Henry. You know that. That's what friends are for." She almost choked on her own words. Fake it till you make it.
Henry just nodded. "I know. I'm sorry."
"It's fine. You can tell me now. How did you meet her?"
"Well, that's kinda funny. She dialled the wrong number when she tried to contact a friend and so she had me on the phone and we had a pretty funny conversation and then we talked again the next day and texted and then we met and...yeah...well." Henry grinned and he felt like a fool.
"Oh...meet cute." Ella said and her heart clenched again. She couldn't help but think about the night she'd met Henry for the first time and the memory helped her to fake another smile.
Henry shrugged and let out a snort. "Yeah, guess so. A crazy coincidence at least."
"And now you're dating her."
What was he supposed to say? He wasn't dating Kelly. He wasn't in love with Kelly. He just had sex with her. But he didn't want to go down the rabbit hole and get confronted with more and more questions he didn't have an answer to. He simply couldn't talk about this with Ella without revealing his feelings for her. So he decided to choose the allegedly easy way out.
"Yes. I...we...want to take it slow though. We're just getting to know each other better."
"That sounds good, Henry. I hope you find what you're looking for. Can't wait to meet her." The lie tasted like acid, burning on her tongue. When Ella heard the door she was relieved and expected it to be Mr. Meller, but to her surprise it was Jax who stood in the doorway, holding the Daily Mail in his hand.
"Good morning."
"Morning, Jax." Ella and Henry said in unison, staring at him.
"I hope I'm not interrupting something." He joined Henry at the counter and threw the newspaper on it with a thud. "Congratulations on your new girlfriend." Jackson smiled at him.
Ella was sure Henry wasn't realizing it but she knew Jackson good enough to know he was pissed. The way his eyebrow twitched gave it away.
"She's not…" Henry sighed and shook his head. "Forget it...thanks I guess."
Ella couldn't stand this anymore. She just wanted this conversation to be over and get rid of Henry. She couldn't look at his ridiculously handsome face right now, didn't dare to look into his eyes and she absolutely wasn't able to be in the same room with him any longer without bursting into tears.
"We were just talking about how much I want to meet Kelly.
"Oh really? Kelly..." Jax raised his eyebrows in an odd mixture of surprise and annoyance.
"What about dinner at my place on saturday, Henry? You, Kelly and I? Jax, can join us…."
"Yes, sure." Henry was much too surprised to make up a spontaneous excuse.
"Great. Jax?"
"Count me in."
"Fantastic. Ok, that's settled then." 
She clapped her hands and turned to Henry.
"I'm sorry but I really got a lot of work to do…"
"Yeah, sure. I'm gonna leave you to it." He gave her a nod. "Talk to you later?"
"Sure." Ella gulped, avoiding eye contact.
When Henry had left she let out a deep breath and turned to Jackson who hugged her tightly. "I'm so sorry, Elsie." Ella sobbed into his chest unable to say anything. Jax kissed her head tenderly before he took a step back. "Listen, sweetie. I know you're hurting right now and you just want to hide in your bed with tons of crisps and chocolate but you have a job to do. So keep a stiff upper lip and be strong for the next 9 hours, okay? And tonight you come to my place and we'll have as much junk food and sweets and cherry coke as you want and you can break down and cry and moan and mope. And I'm going to listen and dry your tears. And tell you that I was right, of course."
He winked and Ella let out a grunt that was half sob and half laughter. "Okay." She wiped her eyes to dry the tears and straightened her back. She even managed to smile.
"That's my girl." Jax gave her a thumbs up and when Mr. Meller entered the store Ella was sure she was going to make it through the day.
****
When Henry looked at his mobile on the way back to his car he snorted with frustration. There were countless missed calls and at least a dozen messages. From his manager, his assistant, journalists and his family of course.
Wtf, brother. Is that your way to win Ella's heart?
Charlie had texted and his friend Corey seemed to be confused too.
What's going on? U have a gf? Call me!
He was going to take care of them later. Now he had to call Kelly to give her some instructions.
He got in the car and dialled her number. She answered almost immediately.
"Morning, Babe." She sounded way too enthusiastic. "Have you seen it? We're all over the internet!"
"Yes, I have Kell. And that's nothing to exult over. This is a worst case scenario."
"Why. I don't care if everybody knows about us."
"But I do and there's not really an "us". You know that."
"Yes, I do. Oh come on, don't be so grumpy. It's just two pictures. Just tell the press we're only good friends and they're gonna lose interest."
Henry took a deep breath. "Don't be naive, that's not how it works. This wasn't supposed for the public eye but now it's on the internet and in the papers. The damage is done."
"Is it about Ella? You don't want her to know?"
"I didn't want her to learn about it from the Daily Mail….listen, Kelly, don't talk to anyone about this, okay?  Not to your friends and most of all not to the press or some internet freaks or whatever. Can you do this for me?"
"Of course. You know I'm discreet."
"Sure. I do. I just need you to stick to it."
"I promise. My lips are sealed."
"Thanks, Kelly."
"You know what, baby? Maybe this is a sign."
"A sign for what?" Henry had a notion what she was up to.
"Well, maybe we can be more than fuck buddies. Maybe it's time we start dating."
"Kelly…" Henry sighed.
"Yes, yes, yes...Ella. I know. And I'm cool with it. But maybe I can help you to get over her. Just gimme a chance, Henry. Let's date, everyone thinks we are dating anyway."
She had a point, he knew this.
"Yeah. Maybe you're right. But let's talk about this later, okay?"
"Okay."
"Oh and I almost forgot...Ella wants to meet you. She invited us over for dinner at her place on Saturday."
"You already talked to her?"
"Sure. I've just visited her at work. To explain…"
"I see. Well, I'm looking forward to meeting her."
"Yeah...so is she. I gotta go, Kelly. Talk to you later."
"Okay. Bye, babe."
After ending the call Henry closed his eyes and let his head sink back on the head rest with a deep sigh. It was just about 9 o'clock and he was already exhausted and done with the day. It fit in the picture that an angry looking traffic warden knocked on his window to point out to him that his car was parked in a no stopping area. He opened the window with an apologetic grin and took the ticket she handed him over with a sour smile.
*****
Henry spent the rest of the day at home on the phone and online, answering all kinds of questions about him and Kelly to his friends and family, his management and assistants.  Of course he wouldn't comment on all of this with an official statement. He never had before and he wouldn't start now. Even if not denying it meant that the whole world considered Kelly to be his girlfriend. Maybe he deserved it for being so careless, for going out with Kelly more often after the dinner at the chippy went so well the other day. For taking her with him when he walked Kal. For going to the bloody supermarket with her. He still didn't know how this was even possible. They had stopped by at this supermarket to buy some food for dinner after a short stroll with Kal. Henry had worn a cap and sunglasses. No one had recognized him, he was 100% sure of that. He knew the way people looked at him when they were aware of who he was. He had taken off the sunglasses inside the shop and hadn't taken them back on when they'd left and when Kelly had taken off his cap to run her hands through his hair and kiss him. It was a short kiss. Only a few seconds because Henry didn't want her to kiss him in public. But it had been long enough for some random passer-by to take a picture and sell it to the press. A few damn seconds that ruined everything. It could have been so easy. A casual fling with Kelly, his friendship with Ella…at least if he'd had the guts to tell Ella about it...but now everything felt so fucking complicated. Now he was somehow dating Kelly and jeopardizing his friendship with Ella.
He was just about to call her when a Zoom call from Corey came in. When his face appeared on Henry's laptop screen, he seemed to be worried.
"Hey." Henry waved at him like an idiot.
"Henry, what the fuck is going on? You and your girlfriend are breaking the internet."
Henry took a deep breath.
"First of all she's not my girlfriend."
"Yeah...I thought so...I mean because of Ella."
Henry knitted his brows and shrugged sighing.
"Yeah…"
"So she's not your girlfriend, but…?" 
"But she's a woman I have casual sex with…"
Henry told Corey the whole story from A to Z. How he'd met Kelly, how he'd kept it a secret from Ella and all the other shit that had happened lately.
"And you're absolutely sure that Ella doesn't want more than friendship?" Corey asked sceptically after Henry had updated him.
"Unfortunately I am, man. There have been so many intimate situations...and she never made a move."
"Intimate?"
"Yeah...we have been physically and emotionally very close so often. We even had this...I don't know...sex talk...but nothing's ever happened."
"You talked about having sex?" Corey seemed to be surprised.
"Well not about the two of us having sex together. But she once told me about a special kink. Man, Corey...that was a hard conversation...literally…"
His friend chuckled. "A kinky girl, huh. What kind of kink? Spill it."
Henry sighed with a strange look on his face.
"Okay. Let me tell you the story of horny Henry and how he wanted to be Christian Gray for his sweet elf Ella"
Henry and Ella we're sitting on her couch after dinner. Henry had made a vegetarian chili and they were both completely stuffed. They were just debating about one of the big questions in life -cereals or milk first- when Ella's mobile beeped repeatedly, signaling new WhatsApp messages. She took a look at them and a wide grin spread on her pretty face. 
"What?" Henry asked curiously.
"Jax just sent me a link."
"And what's so funny?"
"It's a video called "Henry Cavill reads thirst tweets"."
"Oh that...let's see." He grabbed her phone with a quick motion.
"Hey." Ella protested laughing. 
Henry looked at the screen
Look what Hunter sent 
😇😎
😏
https://youtu.be/fHS2cqjijIk Henry Cavill reads thirst tweets
"Who's Hunter?" Henry asked and Ella took her phone off his hand.
"Jax's brother."
"He knows about...well...that we're friends?" Henry looked at her with a frown.
"Obviously. Don't worry, he's not even...he's trustworthy." Ella gave him a wink. "So let's take a look at Mr. Cavill reading his fan's dirty fantasies."
"It's really not that spectacular…" Henry rolled his eyes, feeling a little awkward.
Ella shushed him, laughing, before she opened the link and the video started to play.
"Do you get called "daddy" a lot?" A voice asked while an extremely good looking Henry, dressed in a gray suit, his white shirt a little unbuttoned, showing off his chest hair, fished a piece of paper from a plastic container. A snort, a smirk. "On the internet. Sure."
Ella gave him a glance and a lewt smile. They watched the rest of the short clip and Ella laughed a lot, admiring Henry's funny, quick-witted answers.
"This is hilarious." she shook her head, still grinning. "Daddy."
"Oh, come on. Spare me…" Henry gave her an awkward smile. "I really don't get this daddy stuff. I mean...daddy in a sexual context...that's gross, isn't it?"
He locked eyes with Ella searching for approval. "Not really. I used to think the same way, but I learned that it's not about, I don't know… incestuous fantasies or something. I'm not an expert, but you don't imagine being with your father or your daughter. It's a roleplay and it's more about a difference in power between the sex partners. The daddy dom is in charge, dominating the baby girl and she's agreed to obey. The daddy dom is not an abuser. He takes care, is a protector and teacher, and when the little one acts like a brat he's going to discipline her...yeah...something like this." Ella cleared her throat and bit her lip, a little embarrassed now. Of course her cheeks were dark red.
Henry tilted his head with a mischievous  grin.
"For not being an expert you know a lot about it." 
Ella shrugged, pretending nonchalance.
"Is that your kind of kink?"
"I...well...yes, sometimes. You know, I had some kind of affair after Craig and I broke up and my lover...he showed me a new side of love. Of sex."
"New?"
"Yeah, the rough side, beyond Vanilla. Stuff I hadn't done with Craig. He showed me that it's great to be in control but that it can be even better and very relaxing to let go of control from time to time. To stop thinking and just do what you're told. To let someone take care of you, reward you, praise you and sometimes...well...punish you."
Henry had no idea why, but hearing her talk about this turned him on a lot. His dick twitched at the thought of Ella acting submissive with a dominating partner. 
"Are we talking about S/M?" He realized that his voice sounded hoarse and he looked her in the eyes longer and deeper than usual.
"No. Not really. It was more a little 50-shades-of-gray-ish. Nothing extreme, all very playful, but different to what I knew. I learned a lot about me and my sexuality with him. He opened my eyes in more ways than one." Ella held his gaze and Henry felt like his skin was on fire all of the sudden. He felt jealous of the guy...of her Christian Gray...of the things he assumed they'd done together. 
"And what happened? Why did the affair come to an end?"
"He had to leave London. Moved to Berlin for his job."
"I'm sorry." Henry moved a little closer to Ella shifting his position, turning his upper body to her. She did the same before answering.
"It's no big deal. As I said, it was just an affair."
"Shortly after the break up."
"Yes."
"So you were ready for a fling back then but not ready to date me?" 
This caught her off guard, Henry could tell by the way she flinched slightly.
"I did date you…."
"Yeah. Once. And all I got was a rejection and a peck on the cheek." He smirked, played it cool, but his heart was racing like crazy. They had never talked about this before.
"You mean I owe you a goodnight kiss?"
"Yeah...isn't that what good girls do? Kissing daddy goodnight." Henry felt his heart pounding in his throat. 
Ella raised her eyebrows. "If daddy tells them to. Of course." 
Their eyes were still locked, breaths going fast, hearts racing and they started to lean in slowly.
And at this point Henry's anecdote ended.
"Hey, wait...what happened next?" Corey wanted to know with a curious look on his face.
"Then you cock-blocked me." Henry laughed.
"What? How's that?"
"I'm just kidding. My mobile rang and the moment was over. You were the caller."
"Shit. Sorry, man."
"Nevermind. I doubt that something would have happened. We had quite a few moments like this and she never kissed me." He shrugged. "It's pointless thinking about it anyway. We're friends. I'm with Kelly now. Full stop."
"You could tell Ella you love her. Maybe she just doesn't dare to make a move after she friendzoned you."
"No, I can't. She doesn't want me. Not the way I want her."  And Henry's tone left no doubt that he was done with the topic.
~~~~~
tbc
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pwarkluv · 3 years
Text
❝ you’re the one i want ❞ - yji 
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yang jeongin x reader | fluff | 1.8k words
WARNINGS | lowercase is intended, high school au, established relationship au (if that’s a thing lol), non-idol au, just your good old going on a date kinda fanfic where you two realize just how in love y’all are, whipped!jeongin, really fluffy, did i mention fluff?
SUMMARY | when your date ends with a giant promise.
AUTHOR’S NOTE | another fluff fanfic because that’s my forte and i haven’t written any skz things yet :P hehe the pic is my pfp. anyways jeongin is one of my ults and my bias in skz so this is gonna be fun to write! also i’m doing this right, right? it’s yji? yang jeong in? idk why but for some reason it doesn’t look right to me. also the ending’s trash i’m sorry-
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“baby please stay still.” your boyfriend softly scolded as he carefully fixed the bunny hat on your head, one hand keeping the hair out of your face and the other placed carefully on the back of your neck to keep you still. 
it was the last couple of days before the start of your guys’s senior year, before things get complicated academically. the august heat burns but you didn’t think twice about it, more excited about the fact that you and jeongin were at seoul land.
your tiny frame bounced up and down, slightly frustrating your boyfriend. he didn’t mind though because you were absolutely adorable in the bunny hat he bought for you. jeongin smiled softly at your excited face reminding him of a kid opening christmas presents. 
his hands then went up to fix the froggy headband you chose for him, making sure he didn’t look completely stupid. when you first pointed out the headband, jeongin had a protest at the tip of his tongue. but dang, the way you looked at him had him nodding his head in approval before he said a word.
“are you done yet innie?” you whined, holding onto his arm as he chuckled. jeongin’s free hand goes up to squeeze the paw of your hat, one of the ears going up. his heart never failed to race whenever you two made eye contact. he wholeheartedly believes you are the most beautiful thing he has ever seen in jeongin’s eighteen years of life.
jeongin smiles at your blushing face before grabbing your hand.
“let’s go loser.” and he drags you to the viking ship on your left.
❝ i like shiny things, but i’d marry you with paper rings ❞
you couldn’t help but smile at your boyfriend’s focused gaze. you guys were taking a little break from rides and instead going around the games and food stands. his tongue poked out as jeongin focused on the target in front of him, fire behind his eyes.
you two were sharing a funnel cake when he noticed your eyes staring at the cute cow stuffed animal. jeongin immediately recognizes it from a kdrama you two watched on your first movie night as a couple. and that’s how you found yourselves standing in front of a water gun stand watching your boyfriend try and win you that stuffed animal. 
the man at the running stand laughed quietly at your dumb and in love expression before the ding rang, indicating jeongin won. your boy jumped a little in victory before turning to you with the biggest smile ever.
and that’s when you felt it. that warm and fuzzy in your tummy, the racing in your heart, the automatic smile you gave him back. you and jeongin have been together since the summer before your second year of high school. you watched as he grew from the shy and timid boy to the (slightly more) confident man he is now. you couldn’t believe how you’re already gonna start your senior year with the love of your life.
love.
in that moment when jeongin stuffed the plushie into your hands and gave you a hug, you knew you were completely in love with him. you wanted to marry him someday.
you didn’t care if you two were in your pajamas or dinosaur suits, you just wanted to be his.
❝ uh huh, that’s right, darling you’re the one i want ❞
jeongin’s palms felt sweaty and clamp as you dragged him towards the carousel. your carefree and euphoric expression made his heart double in size as he blinked at you. suddenly the ring in his pocket felt heavy, weighing him down with every step he took.
the start of summer while jeongin was at the mall with his hyungs, a pretty ring caught his eye. it wasn’t anything too big or expensive (which he was thankful for as a broke high school student), but absolutely stunning. the ring had a thin silver band with one medium sized diamond in the middle, tinier ones surrounding the big one. 
and before he knew it, jeongin was at the shop paying for a promise ring he was hoping to give to you before school started. there was a matching one he bought on a whim, leaving him more broker than before.
jeongin knew he was in love with you in the middle of your third year in high school when you two had a burping contest to see who could burp the loudest. you won (only because he let you) and from then he only had heart eyes for you. 
he’s never felt that comfortable and safe with anyone. being so carefree and home. he was at home with you. so buying you that promise ring was his way of saying he wants to be with you forever. 
❝ i hate accidents except when we went from friends to this ❞
you two met at the start of your freshman year when jeongin spilled milk all over your shirt. he was a shy boy so whenever the lunch bell rang, he ran out of the cafeteria like his life depended on it. but one day he wasn’t aware of where he was going and ran right into your timid frame. 
suddenly you were met with a cold feeling running down your chest.
the poor boy freaked and apologized faster than you could register what had happened. you were a bubbly kid, though not very social so you didn’t mind what had happened. but for some reason you let yourself be dragged by the stuttered stranger, offering you his hoodie he had in his locker. 
his hoodie felt foreign and warm on your body. although he was a stick at fourteen, jeongin was tall. the cloth looked big on your short frame, hands disappeared from the long sleeves. the boy was beyond red looking at you in his clothes. his eyes widened, malfunctioning on why he felt this way. 
“i’m really sorry.” he muttered in embarrassment before turning around to leave. 
“wait!” you called out, tugging on his wrist. if jeongin didn’t resemble a tomato then, he definitely did now. your hand felt warm around his wrist and the sudden source of heat was all his mind could think about. 
“thank you.” you shyly said taking back your hand. you don’t know what has possessed you but suddenly you’re asking what his name was. 
“what’s your name? i’m y/n!” you said with a small smile. jeongin’s heart felt like it was about to explode. 
❝ uh huh, that’s right darling, you’re the one i want ❞
“come one baby it’s almost dawn let’s go~” you whined a bit, pulling his tall frame towards the line. it was almost sunset and you wanted to go on the ferris wheel as the last thing you two would do for the day before studies filled up your date nights. 
well actually, jeongin was the one who suggested going on the ferris wheel to you before you stuck with it in excitement. it was all a part of his master plan to give you that promise ring. he was pretty confident you’d take it, after being together for so long, though of course there’s that small inkling of doubt that you’d reject it and him.
but now that it was almost time, jeongin couldn’t move his legs. he was really about to give you a promise ring.
jeongin laughed to mask his nerves but you knew better.
“awe is my baby afraid of heights?” you joked, no longer pulling his arm but putting your hand in his. “don’t worry, y/nnie is here to protect.” you broke out into a fighting pose which immediately made him laugh at your silliness. 
❝ in paper rings, in picture frames, in dirty dreams ❞
here you guys were at the top on the ride, the sunset warm on your face. jeongin’s leg was bouncing in nervousness causing the box you were in to shake. you were about to reach out to the boy before he spoke up.
“y/n?” he asked in a small yet serious voice. you couldn’t help but worry.
“yes my love?” you responded back, turning your body to face him on the seats you guys were on. “what’s wrong? you’ve been acting weird ever since you got on the ferris wheel.”
your mind was racing with possibilities, the worst one sounding the most obvious with the way jeongin seemed so serious. he wasn’t breaking up with you, right?
jeongin took a deep breath before looking into your eyes, the color more beautiful than the sunset behind you. 
“i love you so much.” he continued before reaching into his pocket, fumbling a bit with the box the ring came in. 
“and i know we’re young and have so much ahead of us. ah you know how much i’m bad with words but, there’s so much we’re unsure of like what’s 25 - 8 or what college we’re going to. but if there’s one thing i’m sure of, it’s that you’re my everything.” the boy said, trying not to stumble over his words. his heart was at an unmeasurable rate, one hand on the ring and the other on your own hand. suddenly he took out the ring, a red velvety box which made you gasp in shock.
at this point you were tearing up. so he wasn’t breaking up with you?
“this isn’t anything too big so don’t freak out.” jeongin joked making you chuckle a bit. “but i know that i want to spend the rest of my life with you.” his grip on your hand tightened before letting go, opening the box. 
“it’s nothing too big but hopefully this could show you how much you mean to me, y/n. here’s a promise ring because i really want to spend the rest of my life with you.”
the ring was beautiful in your eyes. tears fell on onto your cheeks as you looked to your boyfriend. all you could see was genuine love and care. 
you caught him in a hug, causing the box to shake again, sobbing into his chest.
“i love you, i love you, i love you.” you chanted into his chest making him laugh. 
“don’t cry my love. i still need to put it on you.” jeongin chuckled. you wiped off the salty water before holding out your hand. jeongin slowly took your hand as if it was made of glass before slipping on the ring. it fit perfectly. 
❝ oh, you’re the one i want ❞
you put his ring on as well before the box moved indicating that you guys were going back down. before the sight of the pretty sunset escaped your view, you quickly grabbed jeongin’s face to meet yours in a kiss. a kiss to promise that you’d guys would be forever. because yang jeongin is everything you’ve ever wanted.
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deejadabbles · 3 years
Text
A Thousand Songs (Atem/Yami x Reader)
Chapter Five: Hello, My Old Heart
One /// Two /// Three /// Four /// Five /// (Six coming soon) ///
Summary: You knew that you and your band could make it big. Not only that, but stay together while doing it; the five of you were family, after all. The only problem was that despite all your musical talents...none of you were particularly good at lyrics. After years of struggling to put out your first full album, the solution finally made himself know in chance meeting on an empty stage.
Rock Band AU, Atem x Reader, gender neutral reader.
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You could visibly see the poor young man swallowing hard as he settled in the seat across from you and the rest of your bandmates. Try as you might to make the setting casual (cushy chairs instead of a desk, offers of soda and chips, greeting him with an ‘what’s up, my dude?’, etc.) Atem still seemed rather nervous. Not that you blamed him, you distinctly remember Honda making a joke about “oh yeah, ask the dude to come to our secluded studio by himself to meet five strangers, that’s not creepy or anything” when Yugi told you guys how he had invited the man to meet with the rest of you.
“So, Yugi said that you write songs as a hobby?” Anzu began, giving him the warmest smile she could, an effort to ease Atem’s mood.
He nodded, then started unclasping the latch on his leather messenger bag, “That’s right, I’ll admit, I don’t have too many that are finished, but that’s mostly due to boredom and moving on to a new idea, not lack of inspiration.” He then pulled out some papers divided by paperclips. “Here are the songs I think best represent my usual work, the work that’s easiest for me to write as well as what I would prefer to put out there.”
Honda grabbed the small stack and passed out songs to each of you. A bit of an awkward silence fell as you all started reading the various lyrics, but not even that could tarnish how impressed you were with the ones you were reading. Poetic, but not too over the top or pretentious, nice. You glanced up at the others, nodding your head with an impressed smile before switching papers with Yugi to look over another example (you also didn’t miss the way Yugi beamed at you). Now this song struck you, after only reading the first verse you could already hear the beginnings of a beat and chords you could put with the lyrics.
“Yugi also said you have a killer voice,” you said, shifting your eyes from the page to peer up at him.
He gave a cute little cough, “Uh, yes, I suppose I’m not a bad singer.”
You had to actively keep your mind from gushing over how sweet he was. The dude looked like a typical adonis hottie, but his shy outer demeanor just added an extra layer to him. He was wearing something more stylish than the few tabloid pics you’d seen: a long-sleeved black shirt with a silky maroon and gold vest, accessorized with a few rings, bangles, necklaces, and a pair of gold dangling earrings.
You shook the wandering thoughts on his attractiveness away; this was for business, not pleasure. “I was just wondering if you’d mind singing one of the songs for us, that way we can get a feel for the melody you had in mind.”
Again, Atem seemed to swallow something in this throat as a hand reached up to briefly play with one of the flat triangles dripping from his ears. “I suppose I could do that, but, do you mind if I play my violin with it? I’ll find it easier to sing with some music.”
“Of course,” you waved an eager hand, egging him on before handing him back the music sheet in your hand.
His eyes scanned the pages, reminding himself of what song it was before nodding his head and reaching down to the instrument case beside the armchair. Jonouchi had made a comment about Atem carrying his violin everywhere, trying to set a joking mood, but it just caused a flushed Atem to mumble about how he had just picked it up from getting its weekly tuning.
Once Atem was standing, violin in hand, he took a deep breath to collect himself. Then, after two slow heartbeats, he began to play.
The first note was a sorrowful one, long, like a quiet, mournful hum, his slender fingers pulsing to create a wave effect on the sound. Then he was singing. His tone came out like a deep, almost breathy moan, letting the lyrics flow like a story at first- before his tone rose and belted out the chorus.
Atem was captivating, pulling you in with every line, every inflection, making you want to hold your breath lest the sound of it distract from the song. He kept his eyes closed, lost in the music his hands and mouth crafted, and the longer the song went on the more he seemed to relax, to lean into his own notes.
You blinked suddenly, realizing that your mouth had been hanging open just in time to close it before Atem ended his performance on another soaring note and breathy lyric. He stayed like that for a moment, catching his breath, basking in the lingering sound of his song.
Finally, his eyes blinked open and shifted to gauge everyone’s reaction. You weren’t the only one left in awe.
“Holy shit,” Honda breathed.
Yugi’s beaming smile was at maximum sunshine as he leaned into you and whispered, “That’s the song I heard him sing at the theatre, isn’t it beautiful?!”
You nodded and opened your mouth to say something but Anzu beat you to it.
“Can you do that again?” she asked, eager, as she jumped up and walked to her keyboard.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” you asked, also bouncing to your feet and joining her.
Anzu smiled back at you, “Keeping that longer intro and adding keys to it?”
“Yes!” you turned to Jonouchi- who was still staring at Atem like he didn’t quite believe the man was standing there. “Jou, add some drums? Something steady and subtle at first, drawing everyone in before the lyrics start and-”
“-and picking up when the chorus kicks in?” he finished, snapping to attention in an instant, “You got it!”
With that Jonouchi vaulted off the back of the couch, plopping onto the stool at his drum set. Atem was still standing there, now looking a bit bewildered and amused as he watched everyone get to work, perhaps some pride shining in his eyes that his music had inspired it.
“Atem?” you asked, tone gentle and drawing his attention back to you, “Can you play that again?” you repeated Anzu’s question, seeing as how she was fully engrossed in her keys now.
Again, the man seemed hesitant, “Shouldn’t you be taking over, you’re the lead singer after all.”
“Dude, we have to keep that violin track,” you insisted, finding your voice breathy as you pointed at Atem, “It’s perfect for the song, it’s deep and beautiful and-” speechless, you gave an exaggerated chef’s kiss to emphasize just how much you meant what you were touting.
The expression earned you a smile from the violinist, a hint of bashfulness mixing with the fresh and rising pride. “Alright, if you think it will improve the song.” With that, Atem lifted his violin, took another deep breath, and started the song again.
***
It was strange how no hands had officially shaken, no one even told Atem he was hired, but that session was immediately followed up by the band asking when his next free day was and asking him to come back for another practice session. Atem had never intended on actually playing with the band, but, when they acted so enthralled with his playing, he could hardly say no.
The next time they got together (almost a week after their first meeting) Atem found himself just as nervous as when he first met them. Parking outside their studio, he found his chest heating up with some anxiety. Atem never was good around people, after all.
Hello, my old heart
How have you been?
Are you still there inside my chest?
He rubbed his hands against the steering wheel, letting out a long breath and holding it a moment, before making himself grab his violin case and climb out of the car. His feet crunching on the gravel driveway grounded him a bit and he had managed to calm down slightly before knocking on the studio door.
I've been so worried, you've been so still
Barely beating at all
He heard the sound of laughter coming closer on the other side of the door and a moment later it opened, revealing you in the doorway and more laughter echoing yours in the next room.
“Atem, there you are! Come on in,” you stepped aside and waved an inviting arm.
Atem felt the heat in his chest climb up his neck, “Sorry, am I late?”
“Huh?” You then waved your hand again as you shut the door behind him, “Oh no don’t worry, we just got here early, that’s all.”
He heard someone else call his name before he even got to the room where everyone was sitting, and by the time he did enter, the whole band was waving and greeting him. He cleared his throat before nodding back to everyone and saying a weak ‘hello’ before you spoke again.
“Come on, sit down and chill for a bit before we get started,” you waved at a beat-up arm chair even as you perched on its armrest.
Atem realized with a quick look around that there was nowhere better for you to sit and you were likely offering him your own seat. “Oh, that’s alright, I don’t want to steal your seat-”
Before his offer to sit on the floor was out, you shook your head, “Dude, we can’t have our muse sitting in a creaky fold-up chair, at least sit on the other arm so I don’t topple it!” You laughed again as Honda made some comment about how a topple would probably bust the thing in half.
His cheeks were hot now, but he took the offer with grace (or at least, as much grace as he could muster) and perched himself on the other armrest, setting his violin on the actual seat. Atem also remembered how last time, he had been offered the armchair while Anzu took the creaky fold-up chair. Everyone here really seemed to care about making him comfortable.
Hello, my old heart
It's been so long
Since I've given you away
When was the last time he met anyone who had greeted him with such...openness? Such compassion. And a whole group of someones at that...
He cleared his throat again, trying to draw himself out of his wandering thoughts. “So, are we just going to work out more of the music today?”
And every day, I add another stone
To the walls I built around you
To keep you safe
Everyone seemed to respect his want to get down to business, perhaps thinking that he had other engagements, and only chit-chatted for a handful of minutes, before getting down to their rehearsal. It went well, just as the previous session had, and Atem found himself in awe of how well the creative process of making notes together flowed. Just like that first day, everyone seemed to work off of each other so well, bounding ideas left and right, almost always being on the same page. Even when they weren’t, there were just a few goodhearted jabs and sighs before working everything out.
Again Atem found himself shaking his thoughts away. He really should stop, it wasn’t wise to get attached to this process, these sessions, these people. After all, he was just their ghostwriter, nothing more.
Oh, don't leave me here alone
Don't tell me that we've grown
For having loved a little while
He found himself smiling again despite himself, when you started throwing popcorn kernels at Jonouchi; retribution for a comment about how you needed to change the chords up in the third chorus.
“I’m not changing it,” you said with your tongue sticking out, all while Jou looked affronted at your kernel bombing. “It’s a steady beat, that’s the whole point! Right, Atem?”
At the sound of his name, Atem’s eyes went wide, “Uh- What?”
“Eh, don’t drag him to your side!” Jonouchi pouted, tossing some popcorn from his lap back in your direction.
“I’m not dragging, I’m asking his opinion, there’s a difference,” you said matter of factly, then turned back to Atem, who was sweating a bit now, “What do you think, Atem? Are the same chords during the third chorus too boring? Or does it fit the subtle, powerful nature of the song?”
“You’re leading his answer!” Jonouchi countered, again looking appalled, then squawking as you tossed more popcorn at him.
Atem was a bit distracted by the way Honda kept laughing as Jou picked kernels out of his shirt, but eventually he managed to swallow thickly and answer your question. “I actually like the way you have it now, if I’m being honest.”
You beamed at him, stuck your tongue out at Jonouchi in victory, then held the popcorn bowl out to Atem. “Thank you, my muse! Here, have some brain food.”
His face was heating up again at nickname- or, dare he say, endearment? However, even as he blushed, and took a handful of popcorn, he couldn’t keep that smile from making yet another appearance.
Oh, I don't wanna be alone
I wanna find a home
And I wanna share it with you
When everyone called the day's session to an end, Atem tried not to feel...disappointed. Stop that , he told himself again, this was not something to get attached to. As everyone packed their notes away, Honda started asking about dinner.
“Heeey if I give you a ride to work, think you can get me a discount on nachos again?” he asked, turning to you with an eyebrow wiggle.
You scoffed, “Dude, the boss was barely okay with that one time I did it, I can’t convince her again. But I can just buy your nachos if you really want.”
“Where do you work?” Atem found himself asking, far too late to stop himself from getting involved.
“Oh- ever heard of The Mark? It’s a bar downtown.”
Atem shook his head, feeling a bit embarrassed. Admittedly, the only bar he had been in since college was the high-end one in his apartment building.
You didn’t seem to take notice of his embarrassment though and just shrugged, “It’s only popular to a certain crowd. Anyway,” you continued, turning back to Honda, “give me a ride and I’ll buy you nachos.”
“Okay, all this talk of nachos has me hungry,” Jonouchi groaned, “Let’s go with em, Yug.”
Anzu perked up at that, nodding to you as she said, “You know, I’ve really been craving your specialty daiquiris. Jou, got room in your truck for me?”
“Sure,” the drummer shrugged as everyone started milling towards the door.
Yugi was smiling brightly as he held the door open for everyone, “Guess it’s a band outing now! Atem, you want to join? You can follow us to the bar, it isn’t far.”
As his feet were once again crunching on the gravel drive, Atem had to stop. He looked back to the group, ready to see at least one of them giving an uneasy expression at the invitation, if not an outright protest.
Instead, he saw Anzu nodding her head eagerly while Honda locked up the studio. Neither you nor Jonouchi looked wary of the suggestion and instead just looked to him for an answer.
You must have thought he needed further prompting, because you said, “Hey, our ‘girls night’ plate of nachos is more than big enough for all of you.”
Atem had to swallow another something in his throat. All of you were already inviting him out for drinks?
Hello, my old heart
How have you been?
“I- sorry, I have to get up early in the morning. Thank you, though.” Atem could only cast his eyes to the ground during the half-lie.
How is it being locked away?
He saw something flicker in Yugi’s eyes, but he was quick to hide it with a smile. “Okay, maybe next time.”
Your smile matched Yugi’s as everyone headed to Jou’s truck and Honda’s bike, “Have a good night, Atem.”
Don't you worry, in there you're safe
“See you next week,” Anzu waved.
All he could manage was a nod as he turned towards his own car.
And it's true, you'll never beat
But you'll never break
It only took one more session to get the rest of the music figured out, and then it was time to record. Atem was interested in the process, how the five of you set up the sound equipment, what programs you used, he even asked you how you had installed padding to improve the sound quality.
The video part of the recording would be left for later, right now it was just the song to worry about- though you did make a point to tell Atem that you wanted to discuss setting ideas for the video soon. Atem felt his heart swell a bit at that. Not that he wanted to admit it, but he was glad that you wanted to involve him in every step of the song. This song in particular, this first one that had so enthralled Yugi first, was likely one of the more personal ones Atem had written.
Your voice rose with the chorus, fingers dancing gracefully against the bridge of the guitar, and Atem found himself admiring how well suited your voice was to his lyrics. A perfect fit. Though you likely had no way of knowing the background behind this song or why Atem had written it, you belted the lyrics with passion and depth, cared for every bar as if you were singing from the depths of your heart.
Maybe you were. Music spoke to more than just those who wrote it, perhaps not in the same ways, but that hardly mattered.
He heard the way the ending lyric stole your breath, and his violin hummed its final note with you in a harmony Atem had admired a dozen times during these rehearsals. When the last note ended, everyone waited a moment, seeming to hold their breaths, before daring to move. When everyone did, Jonouchi was already bounding over to the computer hooked up to the recording mics. With a few clicks and a quick look over something on the screen, the blonde gave a clap of his hands.
“We got it! That should be all we need for a high quality recording.”
Everyone cheered or hooted at that, and Yugi made a comment about finally having something new to give their fans. Atem was smiling with the rest of them, but he was failing to ignore the way his chest ached just a bit. The song was done, and, unless they asked him to join them on stage, Atem supposed this was the last time he would play with the band.
Writing songs for them was all nice in of itself, but, despite all his personal warnings not to, he would be lying if he said he hadn’t grown a bit attached to these evenings and nights with the band.
Oh, I don't wanna be alone
I wanna find a home
And I wanna share it with you
A sudden call of his name had Atem jolting back to the present, and he saw you standing beside him, a hint of concern creasing your brow. “Everything okay?”
“Uh-” he cleared his throat, “-yes, I’m alright,” he lied, just as he had lied to deny himself the after-work drinks weeks ago. “I was just thinking, we got so caught up in recording this song, that none of you got the chance to discuss if any others were to your liking.”
“What, any of your other songs?” Honda asked, and when Atem nodded, he literally waved the comment off, “Dude, I’m pretty sure we liked all the examples you gave us, right guys?”
“Definitely!” Yugi didn’t miss the chance to boost Atem’s ego (or rather, soothe any worries). “We actually looked over your other songs the other day, and all of us agree we want to record all of them. I told you you were a perfect fit for us!”
The words, as well as the wink Yugi gave, did make Atem smile, but it didn’t do much to alleviate the root of his woe. “I’m glad they fit with the band so well. If you want to know the melodies or themes I had in mind for any of the other songs as well, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
That seemed to give everyone pause.
Nothing lasts forever
Atem watched as they began giving each other looks, very pointed looks, in turns, and he couldn’t ignore the sinking sensation in his chest. They seemed to silently agree on something a moment later, because Anzu spoke up as her eyes turned back to Atem.
“Actually, we were talking about that a lot too…”
Some things aren't meant to be
Atem swallowed hard, heart starting to pound in his ears. Perhaps he wasn’t good enough, perhaps they thought him too pretentious, or maybe he had overstepped the boundaries of his role here, maybe he and his violin didn’t-
“How would you feel about joining the band for the whole album?”
But you'll never find the answers
Until you set your old heart free
Again, your voice put a break on Atem’s reeling thoughts, and he had to blink to collect himself again. “I- you mean, you want me to play for the other songs as well?”
More looks were exchanged, quick ones this time, before Yugi chimed in next. “We talked it over a lot the past week and we all agree that you gel with us pretty well! And not only that, but your violin really adds a lot to our music, we’d really love for you to record more songs with us, not just write them.”
Until you set your old heart free
Now Atem’s heart was pounding in his ears for a whole other reason. He almost wanted to smack himself when he felt the widest, most giddy grin he ever remembered smiling spread across his face.
“I would like that very much,” he said, cheeks going a bit warm when everyone was returning his smile.
Hello, my old heart
“So what are we waitin’ for?” Jonouchi jumped in, all enthusiasm and eagerness, “What song are we doing next?”
That sparked conversation, and everyone started chiming in with their votes almost immediately, Yugi and Anzu even digging out Atem’s sheet music for references. Atem could only take the scene in with a smile that was widening the more he watched them bicker good-heartedly.
And he was glad he had gotten attached to this process, these sessions, to these people.
I wanna share it with you
38 notes · View notes
wickxdangels · 4 years
Text
Travis Stoll Imagine; Dream Girl
Hello!! We are back this Monday with a Percy Jackson Imagine! I started reading the series last week and i’m currently on the third book which is so exciting! I love the Stoll brothers so making this imagine was so fun! i hope you guys like it! :) As always, I apologize if there are any spelling or grammar mistakes, please let me know! And also, thank you everyone for the support and the cute comments i’ve been getting on my other stories! I love you all xx (also, sorry i couldn’t find a better pic to place)
Pairing; Travis Stoll x Reader
Warnings; None
Request; Would write a Travis Stoll x reader who is daughter of Ares who’s Clarisse’s second in command/best friend even though they’re opposite personalities and Connor is so sick of Travis’ pining for her that he decides to get them together?
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It was a bright, hot and sunny day in Camp Half-Blood; the satyrs were running in the woods playing hide and seek with the dryads, who turned into trees whenever they tried to steal a kiss from them. Young demigods runnings through the camp wearing those bright-eye-cramping orange shirts, some of the kids from the Hermes Cabin were picking up the locks from the Camp Gift Shop. It was pretty much a normal summer day like any other.
Y/n was sitting down on top of a wooden-table, cleaning and filing her sword, it was something she found relaxing and it helped to calm down her ADHD for a bit. Mid-cleaning, she felt a pair of eyes staring into her. This has probably been the fifth time she has felt it in this week alone. She quickly looked up, not finding anyone on reach staring at her, it was infuriating not knowing who those stares belonged to but she brushed it off, it was stupid to get mad at something childish like that.
“Attention, attention, campers.” The voice of Mr. D, the camp director, said as he walked close by to the campers. Lots of them stop what they were doing to look at the news he was about to say. “Today we will be playing Capture The Flag, in about two hours or so, you all know what to do, gear up and blah blah..” That earned the cheers of lots of campers, and Mr. D with a quick a wave of his hand he dismissed them as he kept walking towards the Big House, to play some pinocle perhaps, as he complained how teenagers were always so loud.
Y/n then kept filing her sword as a blonde haired and all girl walked towards her, Clarisse La Rue, her half-sister. “Did you hear that? We’ll finally get to have another reason to beat up some kids and get back our flag from the Blue team!” The girl exclaimed with a sinister smile on her lips.
Y/n simply chuckled at her words and nodded. “Indeed, sis. It’s been too long since the last time we played, that flag needs to be back on Ares’s Team.” she said as she blew on her sword, grinning at her sister as she nodded.
“C’mon, let’s go get something to eat before the game, my stomach is killing me.” Clarisse said as Y/n tagged alone.
Y/n and Clarisse were both daughters of Ares, god of war. They belonged to Cabin 5, where lots of her other half-brothers lived year-round just like both of them. Ares kids shared lots of physical attributes, like their muscular bodies and tall height, meaning all of them looked big and scary, a good pro when it came to war or simple games like the one they were about to play. But when it came to personality, both girls couldn’t be more different.
Clarisse was the designated Camp Half-Blood bully, she was the one that messed with the new campers, just like she did with Percy Jackson. She would find the tiniest of reasons to start a riot and just set the world on fire if she could, just like their father.
Y/n on the other hand, was a bit more calm. Or well, as calm as a daughter of Ares could get. She enjoyed battles, she enjoyed kicking butt from here and there but sometimes she would just get tired of the same old. She wouldn’t pick fights as much as Clarisse did, well, not now anyways. But whenever her sister needed a fighting partner she would be there without a doubt, not giving a damn who started the fight, simply being there to put up a good show.
Some feet away, behind a tree was Travis Stoll, whose favorite hobby has radically changed from picking-up locks or throwing the best pranks in camp with his brother, to spying on Y/n behind trees…or behind anything really. He saw as the girl of his dreams walked away with his most-hated-camper, who was no one else but her sister, Clarisse.
“I really can’t believe you’re still secretly pinning over her, Travis! It’s been what? Four, five years? Don’t you think it’s time to act like a big boy and tell her for once and for all?” His younger brother’s voice made him jump from his hiding spot as he turned around to face him.
“Connor! Do you have to be that loud all the time?” He cried out, grabbing his brothers shoulder as they walked out of the forests and towards their cabin. “And you know I cannot do that, she’s literally my archenemy’s sister! And best friend! Also, not to forget about her dozen of brothers with anger-issues!” Travis complained, sighing as he kicked a little rock that was in his way. “I don’t know why life has to be so hard!”
“Travis, shut up. Jeez, you’re always complaining, it’s been five years! Five of which I had to hear you whining about Clarisse and how she would maim you if you were ever to confess your feelings for Y/n…can’t we get over that? I mean, the day will come when she’ll maim you regardless of your confession or not..” His brother shrugged, placing a comforting arm around him. “Also, I have a bet going on with Pollux.. and for me to earn the money means that you’ll have to confess your feelings for her today…” Connor confessed with a grin on his lips, highlighting his elvish features who looked so much like his brother’s.
Travis stopped mid-way as he stared at his brother, a deadly stare to be exact.
“YOU DID WHAT?” He sort-of yelled at him, making his younger brother grimace a bit. “How much did you bet, though?” He slowly asked, bit interested after all, money was money.
“Around twenty drachmas and some hundred bucks..” Connor shrugged as he scratched the back of his neck. “Is that an ‘okay brother, I’ll make you win the bet’?” He curiously asked with a sheepish smile.
“Ugh, you’re so gonna share that with me. And you’re gonna do my laundry for a month! After all, I don’t know.. I might end up missing a limb..”
“You always love to exaggerate, Travis. Chill, things might turn good.” He shrugged at his older brother as he raised both of his eyebrows in a funny manner.
Two hours later, after getting something to eat and putting on their armors, the Ares cabin walked towards the centre of the camp, there the rest of their allies, Cabins Four, Nine, Ten and Twelve were already in position and armed with their respective weapons of choice.
The blue team stood on their left side, she could’ve sworn she felt the usual stare again and she just knew it came from the blue team. At least she was a bit closer to knowing who her stalker is.
“Attention Campers, let’s get this over with.” Mr. D’s voice resounded through the crowd, besides him stood Chiron, who acted as the referee and was there in case anyone needed medical help. “For tonight’s game of Capture The flag, the blue team is lead by Annabeth and Percy, who have allied with Cabins Seven and Eleven.” He rolled his eyes as he then proceeded. “And Team Red is led by Clarisse and Y/n, who are joined by the remaining cabins.” He was too lazy to mention all of the cabins but it was no surprise coming from him. “You all know the rules by now, the creek is the boundary line, and the entire forest is fair game. Magic items are permitted, killing and maiming—much to my regret—are not.” He sighed as he tiredly placed his hands on his waist.
“I’ll be close by in case anyone is in need of my assistance.” Chiron commented as he looked at the campers in front of him.
“I believe Travis will be needing your assistance later on, Chiron!” Connor joked, making some of their teammates chuckle as Travis could only blush at the statement, he looked towards Y/n, hoping she wasn’t staring at him now, but much to his luck, she was chuckling along with Clarisse who had a deadly stare at him, making him shriver.
“Yeah, yeah. Well kids, off you go now! Shoo!” Mr. D said as he waved his hands, both of the teams were now running towards the forest and the hills.
The Ares cabin took the lead of the rest of the cabins as they ran towards their different positions, some of them were on border patrol duty as other were hiding behind bushes or trees, waiting for the other campers to come by so they could jump on them.
“Y/n, guard our flag! I’ll try to steal theirs!” Clarisse grinned as she ran off towards the lake, Y/n could only chuckle as she grabbed tightly on her sword and ran towards their red flag, ready to fight anyone who came in sight.
As she ran towards the forest, she could see her brothers fighting with the other campers, or well, the enemies. Her battle reflexes came in handy when someone was about to jump on her but she swiftly avoided her, bringing her sword up as she fought a blonde-haired girl from the Athena cabin, quickly disarming her before sending her flying backwards towards a tree with a hard kick on the chest. She’ll definitely be needing some ambrosia after this, she thought.
She chuckled as she kept running, she had missed the feeling of the air hitting in her face as she ran, the way her instincts would work whenever someone was attacking her, the balanced weight of her favorite sword in her hand.
One of the guys from the Apollo cabin came after her, making her chuckle when she easily avoided one of their arrows as it landed on a tree. “That wasn’t very smart, was it?” She asked with a smirk as she then ran towards him and before he could take another arrow, she kicked the bow out of his hands. “Bad choice.” She said before bringing the sword up, the kid was quick to avoid a hit before he tripped backwards on a branch, she was about to keep fighting as one of her brothers came to her.
“I’ve got this punk! Go protect the flag!” Her brother said before she nodded and smirked at the kid.
“Well, you’re just in luck!” She winked at him before running through the forest once again, making sure to avoid any distractions on the way.
Her feet were fast as she ran, ducking whenever she saw an arrow being shot at her and jumping whenever she would meet with a camper passed out on the floor, not many minutes later and the flag was already in her sight, she came closer to it, checking her surroundings for any enemy in sight.
Not many seconds had passed when she heard some steps coming on her way, she quickly jumped on top of a tree branch hiding, she saw as a guy came close to the flag but did not grab it, instead he looked around as if searching for someone.
She then took the advantage and jumped on top of him, making him land with his back on the floor as she had him trapped between her legs. “Huh, a son of Hermes. I thought it would be one of Athena’s kid the one who would come for the flag.” She said as she brought her sword up to his face, he looked just like every other Hermes’s kid, elvish features, curly hair, tall and kind of cute.
“No! Wait! I’m not here for the flag..” He confessed, having her so close to his body made him shriver, luckily his face was already red from the game if not he would be blushing madly.
“You are aware that we are playing Capture The Flag, don’t you?” She chuckled as she stared at him, her eyes looking directly into his blue ones as he felt the shiest he has ever felt in his life.
“Y-yes, yes! What I meant it’s that, I’ve been meaning to confess you something..” He said as she stood up, holding a hand out for him as he slowly grabbed it, she pulled and helped him stand up.
“Okay, now you’re kind of creeping me out, Travis.. What is it?”
“How.. how do you know who I am?” He asked, kind of surprised she didn’t mistake him for his brother, which happened quite a lot.
“We were friends, remember? When I first got here, you were one of that befriended me. I stayed in your cabin for some weeks before Ares claimed me. We used to play pranks on the Aphrodite kids so much that you thought I was one of Hermes kid’s as well.” She said chuckling as he nodded, he remember those times. That was the time when he started to develop his current huge crush on her.
“I.. I didn’t know you remembered that.” He gave her a bright smile as he scratched the back of his neck in a shy manner, something she thought she had never seen before on any kid of Hermes.
“Of course, I do! Now, what were you going to tell me?”
“Oh! That! Well, you see—” sadly he was too slow and too immersed on their chat that he did not see Clarisse flying at him, knocking him off his feet as they rolled down on the floor.
“It was you!” Clarisse yelled as she threw some punches at him, he luckily evaded some but not all of them, so he groaned when she had delivered a square punch to his right eye.
Now that’s gonna leave a nasty bruise, he thought.
“Clarisse! What are you doing? He was gonna say something to me!” Y/n said as she ran towards them, trying to pull her sister off of him.
“It’s him, y/n! He’s the one who’s been lurking behind trees and staring at you!” Clarisse said with disgust as she stood up from top of him, delivering nasty glances at Travis.
“Oh.. so you’re my little stalker, huh?” Y/n said with a smirk on her lips as she looked at Travis, helping him stand as he slowly nodded, grabbing onto his side as he looked embarrassed.
“Okay, I’ll have to say that that wasn’t the smartest thing to do.. but yeah. It was me.” He confessed to her, giving her a little smile as she stared at him. “And besides that, what I wanted to say it’s that… I like you, like, a lot.” he said. “A crazy amount probably, and I know you may not like me back! Knowing that I’m your sister’s most hated person in this camp besides my brother.. and Percy..” he explained
“This is disgusting! Completely disgusting!” Clarisse gagged at the scene in front of her, she has always disliked the Stoll brothers even more after the little prank they pulled on her few years ago.
“I.. I’m quite shocked, actually.” she confessed, her cheeks tinting a light red but when she was about to actually reply to him, she saw how another figure behind Clarisse and Travis took the chance of the flag being unprotected and quickly snatched it.
In the background, all could hear a horn being played in signal that the game has finished.
The result? Blue team were the winners, once again.
It turns out that, Travis’s younger brother Connor, knowing that he was going to confess his feelings towards Y/n, seized the opportunity of us being entertained by his brother’s confession to grab the flag, it was all part of his plan.
Which helped to ignite even more, the hatred Clarisse had towards the Stoll brothers.
The whole game ended up quite quickly after that, with the campers of the blue team cheering for their new victory and the red team growling at them and cursing them out.
Y/n never had the chance to talk to Travis in that moment, seeing how Chiron with other campers, took the injured ones towards the infirmary to help with the wounds.
That’s when Y/n knew it was now or never. She escaped from the celebrations of the night, walking towards the infirmary to check on the wounded Stoll brother. She walked through it, looking at some of the demigods sleeping on the beds and other being taken care by Argus and some dryads. Once he saw the familiar curly hair, she walked towards it, grabbing a pack of ice a girl was carrying towards him. “I can take it from here.” she explained to the girl as she just nodded and left.
She then walked to his bed, sitting down at the edge of it and softly pressing the ice pack on his already-bruised eye. “Who knew.. that purple eye really suits you.” she softly spoke, waking up the prankster from his nap.
“Y/n? What are you doing here?” he asked as he quickly sat up, groaning from the pain as he realized it wasn’t a good idea after all with his bruised ribs.
“Clarisse really did a number on you, didn’t she?” the girl said as she softly helped him to lay down once again, slowly. “I’m sorry about that, she can be easily carried away by her emotions.”
“I really can’t believe you two are sisters, you two are nothing alike.” he said, wincing as he laid down. “You’re gentle and understanding, meanwhile Clarisse would throw a punch at literally anyone who crosses her path.”
“Well, that’s because I have never really fought with you, you know? When we are in battle, that’s when we are scary alike.” she chuckled, holding the ice pack on his eye as they talked. “So.. I never really replied to what you said to me back there.”
“You don’t really have to. I know it must’ve been silly, I just couldn’t really hold it in anymore, you know? You’re so beautiful and so strong! And you love pulling pranks on people, which is so hot! And whenever you’re fighting you’ve got this beautiful frown that—”
“Could you shut up for a second?” she said quickly before a smirk appeared on her lips. “I know I’m hot and all of that, but I just really wanted to say that… I think you’re really cute.” her smirk turned into a smile at him as she looked at him, he could’ve sworn his insides were on fire, which could’ve been due to the punches he’d got but he knew it was because of her smile. “And I would like to see where this could go..”
“Wait! You’re serious, right? This is not a prank, right? Cause that wouldn’t be so hot..” He explained making her giggle. “It’s not a prank, you dummy!” she interrupted him. “I like you, like, a lot.” she smiled, saying the exact words he had said to her back in the forest.
“Oh! Wow! I— I really, don’t know what to say! Jeez, I think I’m blushing again!” Travis confessed with his cheeks flaming red as he looked at her.
“Shh, don’t talk.. Less words and more…actions.” she smirked before laying the ice pack on the bed and slowly leaning her face against his, until their lips were touched; she was careful to grab his cheek, not wanting to hurt his purple eye as he returned the soft kiss she laid on his lips.
It was all he ever dreamed, kissing her felt like drinking ambrosia, her lips tasted so sweet. His stomach felt like the excitement he would get before pulling any prank, multiplied by a hundred. He just knew that this was it. This was all he ever wished for. This was the girl of his dreams.
That was it, until a wave or realization fell over him as she softly pulled away from him. “Oh, gods! now Clarisse is so going to murder me!”
That only made her laugh even more. “Leave her to me, she’s really not that scary, I promise.” she assured him. “Now, what did I say about talking?” she asked.
“Oh! Yes, yes. Less words, more actions, got it!” he smiled mischievously as he then pressed his lips against hers once again.
“Oh, I forgot to ask. What’s the bet Connor has goin on with Pollux about?” she asked, looking at his eyes for a bit before raising his brow.
“Oh, now you shut up. I’ll explain later, I’m badly injured and I demand more kisses.” he said with the cutest little pout she has ever seen, she rolled her eyes. “It’s just some bruised ribs.. and a bruised eye.” she joked before wrapping her arms around him and kissing him again.
223 notes · View notes
atinydise · 4 years
Text
Ateez reacting to an unplanned pregnancy (2/2)
❦ Genre: Fluff.
❦ Pairing: OT8.
❦ Word count: 2k9.
❦ Requested: Yes, thank you! 🦋
❦ Masterlist.
Part 1
SAN
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Your boyfriend, San grunted when the alarm rang on the nightstand. He almost threw his phone on the floor as he tried to turn off the loud ringtone resounding in the room. When he lay down on the mattress, he felt a cold spot instead of your warm presence. He blinked when he saw that you were not next to him. “Y/N?” he called you, waiting for an answer but he heard nothing. He stood up, rubbing his sleepy eyes and checked in the living-room, still no sign of you. He scratched his head, thinking about where you went at a Saturday morning. Heading to the kitchen, he saw a post-it on the fridge, it was your handwriting. (“Good morning San-ie! I didn’t want to wake you up (You were so cute ^v^). I’m with a friend, I’ll be back in few hours! xoxo”). He felt better after knowing that you were just hanging out with a friend. San glanced at his phone, to look at the hour. “Already 10am? I need to get ready…” he sighed. He walked lazily on the bathroom. As usual he turned on music to get motivation. Unexpectedly, the shuffle played “Baby” by Justin Bieber. As he was humming the lyrics while he was brushing his teeth, when he noticed something unusual on the trash can.
His head tilted in curiosity. It was not his type to look or spy what you threw but the shape of this thing really got his attention. He put his hand in the trash can to grab it. His face decomposed when he saw that it was a pregnancy test. San felt dizzy when he saw 2 lines on it. He made sure to look the instructions on the side. “1 line means not pregnant… 2 lines means pregnant.” He gulped. Since when you were hiding this? Were you really with a friend right now? He spat the toothbrush on the sink and sent a pic of the pregnancy test on ATEEZ’s group chat, maybe his friends could help him to figure it out. [“Look what I found in Y/N’s trash can! What I need to do?!”] Immediately, he saw his friends texting him back, freaking out with him. [“What the hell San??”] Replied Wooyoung. [“Wrap it up before tap it! You wouldn’t be in this situation!”] said Seonghwa. [“Congratulations! I won’t be the baby anymore!”] texted back Jongho. San sighed, none of them was helpful. He froze when he heard your key unlocking the entrance door. “San! I’m home!” you prevent him. You weren’t expecting to see your boyfriend, staring dead at you, holding the pregnancy test you made this morning. “Oh.” Was the only word you could say in this situation. “Since when you know?” he asked. “One week,” you confessed, looking at your feet. He took a deep breath, “why you hadn’t told me earlier?” “Because I made 5 tests and only 3 were positives. I thought that maybe there was a mistake…” you walked up to him, grabbing the pregnancy test. “You were with your friend, this morning? Or it’s a lie?” he asked, raising a brow. “I was at the doctor…” you admitted, looking at San nervously. Your boyfriend was usually happy and always excited but now he was so cold and distant. “Look San, I would tell you of course. But I wanted to be sure at 100%.” He stared at you, “so? Are you pregnant?” You nodded, waiting any reaction but he walked on the living-room and sat on the couch. “San…” you called him softly. “Y/N… it’s a big thing. We can’t get a baby now.” He buried his head on his hands. “San we are grown adults. We can do it! And you were always telling me that you wanted a baby!” “But we are not even living together Y/N!” “We-“ you began, trying to convince him that everything would be okay. “I need fresh air…” he said, grabbing his long coat and his phone. “Where are you going?” you asked him, holding his arm. “I don’t know, I just need to be alone a bit… I won’t be long, promise” He kissed your forehead, trying to reassure you as he could, but it failed.
MINGI
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You were watching a movie in your bed with your fiancé, Mingi. While your man was laughing so hard during the whole movie, you couldn’t enjoy it. Your stomach was playing with you since few days. At first, you thought that you ate something bad. But even with a dozen of medicine or cup of tea, the nausea was still stuck on your throat. “He’s so stupid!” laughed Mingi next to you. You giggled awkwardly, trying to reduce the nausea. In vain. You rushed to the bathroom, once again. Mingi paused the movie, walking in the bathroom too. He tried to hide it, but he was worried for you. It’s been the second time you rushed at the restroom, throwing up what you ate earlier. “Y/N… you should see a doctor. It seems pretty serious.” He said, tying your hair. You shook your head, “I’m just sick. It will be fine.” “That’s what you said the last few days but look at you.” He said, rolling his eyes. “I will be fine, don’t worry.” You reassured him, brushing your teeth, once again. Not convinced, he grabbed his phone and typed, “nausea, disease symptoms” in Internet search bar. His eyes narrowed when he found horrible diseases. He bit his lip, trying to see if something was relating to your situation. “Oh! I found an app that can give you your disease just by answering questions!” he yelled happily. You rolled your eyes, “Mingi…” “Shush… it will be better than nothing!” He led with you back on the bed. “So, first question… what are your main symptoms?” he looked at you. You sighed, already tired with this application. “Nausea, tiredness, dizziness…” you enumerated. “Okay… are you hungry? More than usual?” he read. You nodded, “yes”. “Okay. Next question… when was the last time you had an intercourse?” You blushed, “come on Mingi! What are those questions?!” “Yes, you did.” He pressed the button on his phone, ignoring you. “Are you late?” he asked once again. “What they mean by late? At an appointment?” You scoffed, “they are talking about my period, idiot.” “Interesting… so are you?” “Which date are we?” you asked too lazy to look at your phone. “February 5th.” You blinked. You were supposed to get your period 1 week ago. It was strange but you didn’t mind since it’s not constant yet. “Yes, I’m late.” You glanced at Mingi’s phone to see what the app was saying. “Okay I think, it’s over. We need to wait.” He kissed your forehead. You focused back on the movie but when finally, everything started to be interesting, his phone buzzed on the bed. “Results are here!” You pinched his forearm, “it’s just an app! Not a real doctor!” “That’s better than nothing since you are a scared baby!” He teased you. After few seconds, you asked him, “So, what is saying your incredible app?” you giggled. “Pregnancy.” He said straight. You stared at him in shock. He showed you the screen and read,” Nauseas and a constant hungriness is the first symptoms of pregnancy, adding an irregular period date, could be caused by a pregnancy.” “That’s bullshit Mingi!” You said lying back on the bed. Internally, you were freaking out. It’s true than last time Mingi got an accident and you accidentally forgot the morning after pill. But it was not the first time it happens. “I think that you are pregnant,” said your fiancé, looking at your seriously. “I can’t be pregnant.” You cut him straight in this idea. “You are throwing up! You are sleeping more than usual too!” “Stop, I’m not pregnant Mingi.” You cut him off. But the young boy didn’t want to give up, he asked you why you rejected the idea so easily. “Because we can’t get a baby now! You have your career and I can’t leave my job!” “It will be for a few months… we are living together Y/N! We are almost married! We can get a baby!” He smiled. “But your group Mingi and your fans?” “The members are going to be happy for us!” He laughed, rubbing your face softly. “And Atinys knows that we are grown men now we are not debuting anymore.” You smiled at him, it’s true that your situation was good and stable. You got a nice apartment with an empty room. You would be married in few months too! “Let’s do a test before.” You said. He nodded, letting you do your thing in the bathroom. He was secretly texting the members saying that he would be a father. 15 minutes later, you came back in the bedroom, tears sliding on your cheeks quietly. “What’s happening? It’s negative?” he sat down, worried. You shook your head and smiled, “no… it’s positive.” His smile went wide, he ran and hugged you tight. “We are going to be so happy.”
WOOYOUNG
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You were lazily lying on the couch of Ateez dance practice room. It’s been at least 3 hours that you were watching the group practicing a new choreography for their B-side track. Sometimes, you would go and dance with them but these days you felt too tired to try. And the way your stomach was playing with you was not helping too. Seonghwa as a good and careful friend gave you medicine but nothing worked. That’s 2 days ago that everything came suspicious about your condition. You noticed that he was glancing at you more than usual and it was a bit awkward. Few times, he would whisper something at Hongjoong’s ear, and the leader would nod. When a new nausea came in your throat, you rushed in the restroom, slamming loudly the door, making them worry for you a bit more. “Is Y/N okay?” asked San at his closest friend. “She told me that she was sick, nothing to worry about.” He simply replied. “It’s been few days that Y/N is running in the restroom.” Said Seonghwa. “It might be an infection. Should we go back practicing?” offered Wooyoung as he couldn’t care less about you throwing your soul in the toilet bowl. “How can you be so blind Wooyoung?” said Hongjoong, rolling his eyes. He blinked, “what? She will be fine! She’s a warrior!” Seonghwa sighed, “your girlfriend might be pregnant, and you are here acting like a selfish idiot.” All the members were staring at the eldest boy. “P-Pregnant?” stuttered Wooyoung. “Can’t you see the symptoms? It’s pretty obvious!” asked Hongjoong. Wooyoung stole your seat on the couch, to shock about imaging you pregnant. “How can she be pregnant? They are always using a condom! Right?” asked San patting his closest friend’s back. Wooyoung didn’t reply. “Right?” repeated San. “We forgot it one time!” he admitted throwing his head on his hands. “I thought it would be okay!” Hongjoong facepalmed, “are you stupid? You weren’t listening at school?” Both of eldest members were like parents for Wooyoung right now but he needed help not rebukes. Yeosang noticed it. “Chill. Let him breathe. Let’s wait Y/N.” They all nodded, sitting at each corner of the room. Yunho’s head tilted when he heard the sound of your heels clicketing on the hallway floor. “She’s coming…” Wooyoung stood up when you opened the door, “Y/N!” Still disgusted by the taste in your mouth, you didn’t notice that all of them were staring at you. “What?” “Are you pregnant?” He asked straight, out of context. “Woo… why are you asking me that?” “Seonghwa and I noticed that you were throwing up a lot these days… and all of your pregnancy symptoms that you have…” said Hongjoong. You started to tear up, too scared to tell the truth. They were about to promote their new album. None of them could focus well knowing that one of the members would become a father. “Y/N?” Called softly your boyfriend, seeing that you were froze. You were mentally fighting, ‘what should I do?’ Even if they knew already. “You can tell us everything Y/N,” said Mingi, next to you. Wiping a tear on your cheek, you replied, “I’m… pregnant.” Jongho sat down on the couch, trying to calm down. San, Mingi and Yeoang were staring at you while the 2 hyungs rubbed their neck, stressed. “Do you want to keep it?” asked Wooyoung, holding your hands. You nodded; you couldn’t live thinking about how your baby would be if you hadn’t aborted. “Then we are going to have a baby.” He smiled. At first, he was really stressed, ignoring if he could be a good dad. But just by the thought of you with a round and beautiful belly changed his mind. You busted in tears, grateful to have a supportive boyfriend in your life. “Oh, fuck it! We are going to be uncles!” shouted San, rushing to hug both of you. All the members followed him. You almost fainted because it was too many of them. “Hey take care! There’s my baby here!” warned Wooyoung, rubbing your belly.
JONGHO
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Dating an idol was less easy than you thought but date a maknae, especially Jongho was another level. Your boyfriend was always trying to do his best at everything so his hyungs would be proud of him no matter what. Sometimes, he would stay till late at the dance practice just for learn the chorus really well. Only you and the manager knew about his extra schedule. You were always surprised to know that none of his teammate noticed it. You couldn’t count how many times he called you to reduce his stress or when he came at your apartment, totally exhausted. When you scold him about his health, he was always promising that he would rest and don’t make too much effort anymore. But you knew that he was always lying, just for you. That’s why everything seemed pretty bad when you saw the result on your pregnancy test. If you tell him that you are pregnant, you couldn’t even imagine his reaction. It’s been 2 weeks now that you tried to tell him. Sadly, a new promotion was starting, and it wasn’t the right time. Again. One of your closest friends advised you to get some information about abortion. At first, you completely rejected the idea, there was no way for you to remove the baby growing inside of you. But day after day, you started to think a lot more at this option. You went at hospitals just to get a recommendation or advice. There were so many interesting things but scary in the same time. And what if Jongho know about it?
Today was a pretty and warm day, you decided to go at the Mcountdown* broadcast to support your boyfriend and his members. As usual many Atinys were there, screaming their love for all of them. You got in backstage. When you knocked, you saw your boyfriend fixing his outfit. “Hi guys.” You greeted them shyly. “Oh baby. What are you doing here?” smiled Jongho, hugging you tightly. “I came to cheer you up! As a good cheerleader!” you teased him. You put your bag, next to the couch, focusing on your man. “Y/N! can you take a good pic of me? Wooyoung is so bad as a photographer!” said Yeosang, holding his phone. “Sure! Let’s go over there.” You pointed at the white wall. Jongho smiled; he always liked how you got along so well with his teammates. He sat on the couch, staring at you doing your best to photography his hyung. Suddenly, the colorful flyer almost dropping off you bag got his attention. He carefully took it out, making sure that all of your stuff stays on your bag. The logo and the big tittle made him confused. “An abortion is not a bad thing…” he whispered. Many questions came to his mind. “Is she pregnant? She’s going to abort?” When you giggled at Yeosang’s pose, he looked at your body, trying to see if something changed but your large coat was hiding your figure. Tired to guess all the possibilities for him to know why you have this kind of prospectus, he asked loudly. “Y/N are you pregnant?” *Click* was the only sound in the room now. Yeosang was staring at you in shock. Wooyoung and Seonghwa stopped talking about who was the sexiest. Yunho, Mingi and Hongjoong stared at your boyfriend, curious to know what was going on. “Y/N, what is that?” asked Jongho, showing the flyer on his hand. “J-Jongho! It’s not what you think.” You lied, giving Yeosang his phone back. “Then what is that?” he raised his voice. You gulped; he was scaring you a bit. “Okay I’m pregnant….” He scoffed, “and you were going to abort without letting me know or asking my opinion about it?” “No… I wanted to wait the end of the promotion. You would be so stressed; we both know it.” You held his hand. “You should have told me earlier Y/N… it’s a big deal.” He passed his hand on his hair, frustrated. “Wow… our maknae is going to be a dad?” Smiled Mingi like a proud brother. Jongho smiled, “that’s earlier than we expected but yes… I’m going to be a father.” He hugged you tightly. “Then you are not mad?” you asked, surprised of his reaction. “Of course not! It’s such a blessing!” he confessed, rubbing your cheek soflty. Jongho was the younger one of the group, but he grew up so well. He was so mature. “Yeosang are you crying?” asked San cockily. The boy wiped his tear, “no… it’s just something in my eye.” “Sure…” replied Wooyoung, rolling his eyes.
*Mcountdown: Korean music programs broadcasted in Mnet.
Part 1
432 notes · View notes
Text
Liam & Edie
Liam: I dunno how to thank you for the surprise 🎁 as it’s still giving
Liam: what’s her fave scary movie? I never did get as far as jumpscares and chill
Edie: I wish I coulda taken 🧨 to her for you, see if she melted cool too
Edie: All I know is she hasn’t learnt a single thing from any of ‘em, which is unsurprising
Edie: Curtains open? ✔️ Door unlocked? ✔️ Home alone? ✔️
Edie: She should know only virgins survive 💀
Liam: asking for it from her hairsprayed roots to her painted toenails
Liam: but I left her standing for the 6 sequels
Edie: ☢️ fumes makes it even more of a shame
Edie: and that for her, alive, but at what cost
Liam: the twins play with dolls? you could melt her lookalike for me
Edie: I knew you’d like it
Liam: I like that she thinks it was me, that I’ve ever cared
Edie: Yes, you’ve really been biding your time in the shadows 🧛‍♂️
Liam: what shadows, you’re lighting everything up 🔥🎇🎆
Edie: That’s you
Edie: literally and you know, gay shit 😳
Edie: How’d I miss you, when did you drop the box off?
Liam: when I sent you hunting, in case the gay shit was turning too hardcore
Edie: Was it?
Liam: not for me
Edie: not for me
Edie: I’ve not stopped thinking about you since we met
Edie: as you can see
Liam: numbers don’t lie, you’ll see I’ve been listening to your tracks since you sent them
Edie: If I sing loud enough will you come find me
Liam: if I don’t show up rapid enough would you lose your voice
Liam: before that happens I wanna hear the thoughts you’ve been having
Edie: If that happened, I think I could still show you
Liam: what you could do is where my thinking stops
Edie: What are you doing today
Edie: Thinking is overrated
Liam: my dad unlocked his memories of me and wants to make more
Edie: Great timing
Edie: Is he at least taking you bowling?
Edie: The single dad’s first and last idea of what to do with their kids to seem ‘fun’
Liam: was about this time last year, scrolling back
Liam: he’s taking me ⛺️
Edie: Thank God for campfires
Edie: don’t forget your 🔦 for the scary stories
Liam: and the faked found footage
Liam: don’t forget about me
Edie: It IS a great location, give him that, but I’d need an invite for top marks
Edie: I couldn’t
Edie: How are you feeling about it though, really
Liam: scary stories do start with 🚗 and you’d fit in the boot easy
Liam: how long can you hold your breath?
Edie: [send a video as you did with the staring contest]
Edie: I’ll find the nearest body of water and work on it
Liam: long enough to fool him, but I’m not gonna tell you not to play dead in your 🛁 like a killjoy
Edie: What else can I do in your absence?
Edie: we’ll be having about as good a time as each other, that’s something
Liam: to Alexis or to me
Edie: Both if I do it right
Liam: how extra she is will make up for everything I’m not
Edie: you are everything
Edie: sorry
Liam: only from behind a lens or a screen, sorry
Liam: take away the sfx and yeah, we’ll be having as good a time as each other
Edie: Are you afraid?
Liam: I’m not anything, that’s what I’m trying to get across to you
Liam: you’ve got killer eyes with so much behind them, I don’t
Edie: There’s something
Edie: here, between us, even if it’s not of us
Edie: it’s real, we should follow it ‘til it isn’t
Liam: 🦎🧠
Liam: reflex behaviours ain’t enough for someone as braindead as Lex
Liam: you’re smart
Edie: they’re enough for me
Liam: if I had anything to give you, I would
Edie: I don’t want anything
Edie: I’m not like her
Edie: Whilst you’re around, I want to be around too, that’s it
Edie: you don’t have to do or be anything, I swear
Liam: I want to want things
Liam: but I don’t have the cheat codes for 🐒🧠
Edie: However small that bit of you is, it clearly exists, to even want it at all
Edie: I have nothing to lose with trying with you
Liam: yours is massive
Edie: I’m younger, there’s time for my hope to die
Liam: I’m not letting that happen
Edie: Protect me
Edie: and let me try for you
Liam: I have nothing to lose, already lost it
Edie: has it always been like this or could you access 🐒🧠 before
Liam: my ma didn’t raise a 👶 psycho, I used to react normally to stuff
Edie: You could again then
Edie: not saying it’d be easy or any patronizing shit like that though
Liam: but are you saying you’ll help me or any gay shit like that
Edie: Yeah
Edie: don’t worry, my god complex won’t make it culty
Liam: offer it me and I’ll drink it
Edie: Going ‘round acting like my cunt is magical seems like a Lexie kind of move
Edie: Everyone else is boring, you’re not, and I’m not, if nothing else
Edie: I’ll be better company than her or KM or any other twat
Liam: it was, doing the most to make herself killable is her only move
Liam: but I couldn’t do it and you were already better company anonymously
Edie: She’s a grief thief
Edie: and I’m definitely doing more than call her next time
Liam: she don’t matter, it was never about her
Edie: no, ‘course not
Edie: it’s about you for me though
Edie: I’ll fuck up anyone you want
Liam: start with my dad and I can skip this guilt trip
Edie: Okay, let’s think
Edie: it wouldn’t take a lot, if he only manages once a year as an average
Edie: has he got a new missus?
Liam: she wasn’t his but he liked my sister more, thinking about it
Liam: not that I know about, maybe it’s how short he is
Edie: a kid that isn’t here is easier to love because there’s less to do, nothing to do now
Edie: you reckon he’d call it off for a potential hook-up then?
Edie: might be desperate
Liam: there’s no calling it off, he’s too scared of my ma still and she’s had these days circled and !!ed
Edie: She’ll fuck me up if I ruin your bonding sesh?
Edie: I could catfish her instead but how exciting can a middle-aged man ever feasibly be 🤔😒
Liam: big tesco is gone, how many other places do you wanna have to avoid
Liam: I know something else you can do for me
Edie: I’ll take my chances 👊
Edie: Go on
Liam: if you set up to record and I stream it as often as the fucked wifi will allow we can kid ourselves I’m at your window 👀
Edie: We’re definitely doing that
Edie: You have the best ideas, seriously
Edie: not knowing when you’re watching and what you’re gonna see… 🥴
Edie: mine isn’t as good but [one of the nights he’ll clearly be away like if not tonight, tomorrow or whatever] you should be able to see this comet really clear at [a time] we can watch together
Edie: I’ll take the stream outside
Liam: your idea overtakes mine by miles, I’ll lose my dad in the woods or something before then
Liam: and if he stays MIA I’ll try and call you, when you’re not busy talking to Lexie
Edie: There’ll be a pub or something nearby, failing that, find a high point and push, you can be back by the time he regains consciousness
Edie: I’ll leave her alone now, if you want
Edie: I just don’t like her for you
Liam: she’s not for me, you can have her to do what you want with until I get back
Edie: 😈
Edie: She’s not invited to that either but I’ve got some ideas
Liam: me too
Edie: Surprise or secret?
Liam: neither, I wanna spend time with you, in person
Edie: When are you back?
Liam: 4 days
Edie: 4 days, I can do that
Edie: just about
Edie: patience isn’t my strong suit but I’ve been waiting a lot longer to meet you, it feels like somehow
Liam: when he drops me off, I’m yours
Edie: You won’t regret it
Edie: Summers not over yet, there’s so much we can do
Liam: I won’t regret focusing on you instead of school either
Edie: School is a different kind of torture
Edie: at least now I can see you every day
Liam: torture walking away after I have seen you
Edie: I won’t make you
Edie: we can stick together
Liam: we will
Edie: I miss you
Edie: even though I’ve not actually met you in person yet, and you’re not gone either
Edie: still
Liam: [send her your own version of the staring contest footage like I’m going nowhere bitch]
Edie: There’s something behind them, I swear I can see it
Edie: Do you believe me?
Liam: I said I’d keep your hope alive
Edie: It’s okay if you don’t, I know my 👀 don’t deceive me
Liam: your eyes are something else, they’ll wear my zoom and pause out on this 📷
Edie: I wish I had the words to explain how you made me feel, and I could explain it so good that you could feel it back
Edie: because it feels really good
Liam: we’ve got time, for you to find words or show me without
Edie: if 🎇🎆 wasn’t so overdone
Edie: or maybe when you’re on a 🎢 the second you drop and it feels like the world has fallen out from under you and there’s nothing you can do
Liam: when you’re finally coming up after waiting twice as long as usual for the 💊 to kick in and thinking you got scammed
Edie: exactly like that, but you’ve just taken a 2nd and you know it’s going to get even more intense
Liam: I’ll hunt for 🍄 while I’m here, you trust me not to accidentally kill you, yeah?
Edie: I do
Edie: have you done lots of 🍄s?
Liam: made tea out of some but fuck all happened, they were probably from big tesco, I was younger and didn’t know anything
Edie: 😆
Edie: Me either, but more because my dad only deals in synthetic crap, not because I’m young and don’t know anything
Edie: not a total drug noob, only hold my hand if you want to
Liam: I only got them up bc my sister wanted to put a twist on the tea parties she forced me into as a 👶 I was a drug noob
Edie: How annoying they didn’t work, that would’ve been fun
Edie: maybe more for your sister than you but still
Liam: she was 💔 but it ended up being fun after I cheered her up with my 👒👙 recreation
Edie: How could that not cheer anyone 😅
Edie: when you’re back I’m gonna need to see that myself, honestly
Liam: I’m not gonna fit in the one from then, but I’ll be able to get another 👙 close match to the 👶 pic or show you the vid of us if not
Edie: I’d like to see it, I bet you were real cute kids
Liam: she was
Edie: do you have lots of videos of you guys as kids?
Liam: not really, either they didn’t want it to be like they were hoarding the happy shit for when she wasn’t here anymore, or they thought they wouldn’t have to bc there’d be loads more of it, I don’t know
Edie: Either makes sense, you’re not planning for that to happen and then I can see why you wouldn’t want to when it becomes apparent
Edie: I wish I’d known her more than just another face and name at school, she sounds cool
Liam: you can get to know her, from me picking up my first 📹 there wasn’t much that didn’t get videoed, it was how she wanted it
Edie: I respect it
Edie: and you do have a good eye, you made me look 🤩 from the most basic footage
Liam: you don’t need editing, but I was trying to show off to you
Edie: I thought you were impressive before that point, but it still worked
Edie: especially when most act like face-tuning a selfie is a great feat of skill
Liam: [a selfie facetuned to a pisstakey degree so it looks wild]
Edie: [very much imagining that pillow face filter/handsome squidward]
Edie: 😱 catfished again, gdi
Liam: this has to work, me and you meeting, I can’t rewind to before we talked as if we never have
Edie: There is no going back
Edie: It will work, we’ll make it
Liam: it gets thrown out casually and fucking constantly, but I haven’t found anyone like you before
Edie: It has to mean something that it was you, and me
Edie: it’s so improbable, and we could’ve gone our whole life living in the same place and not ever getting to know each other
Liam: it means I’m not letting go of this, it’s me and you now
Edie: I want that too, I need to
Edie: nothing else makes sense, it’s not complete, it’s not right, I don’t want it
Liam: even if I’m 🤖 I’ll be trying to override my shite programming, harder than I’ve done, to do this right
Edie: 🍄💊 aren’t the only things that can rewire us
Edie: I’m not going anywhere, I won’t leave you, even if it takes forever, even if it never happens
Edie: trying with you is better than feeling like a failure with anyone else
Liam: anyone who’s made you feel like a failure is getting worse than the Lexie treatment
Edie: we’ll make sure the school doesn’t find the hit-list 😏
Edie: it’s like, everyone is so comfortable, and they do the same boring shit every day and never get tired of it, but none of it fucking matters
Liam: 🏫🔥
Liam: I’m down to make everyone uncomfortable
Edie: They need it
Edie: not that they’ll appreciate it but that’s not the point
Edie: I wanna make you feel everything
Liam: you’re so alive, that’s the point for me
Edie: I can be that
Edie: and I can share
Liam: I wanna be a reason you are
Edie: I’m so mad at your dad, full offense
Liam: get in line, but cut in front of me so I can 👀 at you
Edie: You can do more than look when I’m really in front of you
Liam: I keep thinking about what happens if I can’t
Edie: There’s still things we can do
Edie: that only require you to want to
Edie: and you can tell me if you don’t
Liam: I don’t wanna tell you things that’ll make you feel bad
Edie: I don’t wanna make you feel bad either
Edie: or force you to do something
Liam: you won’t, I’m not 😡 at my dad for forcing me to do this instead of being there with you
Liam: block works for negative emotions too
Edie: Okay, but still, it’d make me feel bad if you felt like you were performing for me
Edie: we don’t want that
Edie: when we do meet, you control it, okay?
Edie: Do what feels right
Liam: no crap ARG acting, I can agree to not do that
Edie: Good
Edie: so, you leveled up with drugs, what about girls or did that first nightmare put you off fully
Edie: I mean like, do you hook up with people or is it all ❌
Liam: she put me off, or how desperately I could tell she wanted me to want her did, she’d touch me and nothing would happen and she’d look at me like 🥺
Edie: It’s pressure
Edie: but I don’t think any boy has met her expectations, judging by how fast she gets through them so
Liam: pressure I piled on myself in the first place, thinking about my sister and how nobody ever wanted to touch her, like it was catching or when the lad she was into wouldn’t ask her out and I asked him why and he admitted it was bc he was shitting himself she’d drop dead, so I thought I should, bc she wanted to live those cliches and fucking couldn’t, I don’t know
Edie: People are shit
Edie: they don’t do or say the right things and they can’t handle the stuff you and your sister had no choice but to
Edie: and it’s fucking unfair there’s so much stuff she wanted to do and didn’t get to
Edie: of course the weight of that is going to make that near impossible
Edie: it sounds horrible but you aren’t dying though, and neither am I
Edie: so make the list, see it through, but the pressure is off with time
Liam: r/emo teens would have a post like, we are both dying, just at a slower rate than her
Edie: 🙄 they can do one, I’m never dying
Liam: yeah, please don’t
Edie: I promise
Edie: my ma’s wife died and I can barely remember her but enough that it fucks with my head
Edie: like she was always there, and some memories I have, she would’ve been, and it’s like, fragments, if I try really hard
Edie: but it could all be made up, I don’t know
Liam: I remember her so vividly I think I know what she’d do or say if she was in memories she’s not, but do I
Liam: or am I just lying to myself bc she should be there and it’d be less shit if she was
Edie: You were close, you did know her that well, that’s obvious
Liam: maybe she’d wanna tell me I fucked it and not to do all the shit I’ve done with her name attached to it
Edie: maybe
Edie: but right or wrong you’re the one that’s here and still has to do shit
Liam: if she becomes a fragment to me I don’t wanna be here
Edie: I don’t know if it’ll happen, I don’t think so though
Edie: I was a toddler, you weren’t
Edie: you have more to keep hold of
Liam: if I live for 50 more years then I won’t, I’ll have new memories pushing out the old and outdated tech
Edie: You aren’t relying on just your 🧠
Edie: You have 📷🎞📹📼
Edie: and you can make that last forever
Liam: do you have that of your step-ma
Edie: Yeah, she was more camera-shy than my ma, but there’s still lots of it
Edie: and she’s everywhere, you know, throughout the house and stuff
Edie: memories are important but so are those more physical, tangible reminders
Liam: my ma’s kept her room but she don’t exist downstairs, as if the 🚪 is to a hidden level and you have to earn your way there 💎💰❤️
Edie: It’s good you have somewhere
Edie: and your memorial
Liam: you should meet me there, my house, on day 5
Edie: okay
Edie: 😍😸🤩
Liam: pick a time bc I’ve stolen the place
Edie: I just hope it’s a time you’re there and not just your ma because who knows how much of me will be left to come back to at that point
Liam: I’ll be there to protect you, get used to that
Edie: I’ll try my hardest but wow
Edie: Right now that still gets me so
Edie: I’ve never had this before but I love how it feels
Edie: As for a time how’s [a time so early to prove how badly and ASAP we wanna see him] or [a more socially acceptable suggestion] if not?
Liam: [soz to his mother but we are obvs picking the early af time and so soz to his dad too if it means he has to bring you back early] is cool with me
Edie: Serious?
Edie: I’ll see you then
Edie: should I wear something so your ma doesn’t hate me forreal though
Edie: 👒👗🥿
Liam: she’ll be happy I invited someone over, wear what makes you feel how you want to
Edie: 🎩🦺👙🧤🩰
Edie: Cool though, I’ll bake her something, tell me if she has any deadly allergies or hates now, like
Liam: 🚫👓🕶🥽🤿 I’d hate it
Edie: I know what you wanna see, don’t worry
Liam: everything
Edie: everything
Liam: ㊙️
Edie: 🎋
Liam: I wish you were here ​🌠​
Liam: I could be filming you instead of what’s going past the car window
Edie: definitely B-roll compared to me
Edie: but think of all the laughable monsters you can stick in the frame 🏞👹🏞
Liam: I’ll think of you laughing
Edie: I won’t use my wish on hoping you think about me then
Liam: unless there’s another specific thing you want me to imagine you doing
Edie: If I tell you now, you’ll know
Edie: you’ll have to tell me what you thought about when you get back instead
Edie: see if it came true
Liam: or I’ll show you when I get back, make it come true
Edie: that’d be a lot of wishes coming true
Liam: we’ve got a couple of weeks before summer ends
Edie: There is a lot we can do in a couple weeks
Liam: even more if we don’t waste time going back and forth between my house and yours
Edie: Another thing I can do before you get back
Edie: find somewhere to stay
Liam: you won’t even have time to feel tortured without me
Edie: and where’s the fun in that, right
Edie: you still need to hurry 😜
Liam: it’d be popular on the thread, beautiful girl in ⛓ but I’ve probably got competition enough from other lads with your tracks blowing up
Edie: you have literally no competition
Liam: I still need to hurry though 😏
Edie: only ‘cos I only want you and I’ll be lonely and bored
Edie: some of these dms could fuel an incel-gone-rogue storyline though, they wildin 😅
Liam: I’m about to subvert the cliche and make my dad turn the car round
Edie: + XP
Edie: power move on 💯
Liam: [sends her a virus or something] don’t click it, but do what you’ve gotta until it looks irresistible to the 👹
Edie: the sexy singles in MY area have prepared me for this moment
Edie: not to hit you with the 🥺 but you’re so sweet sorry
Liam: if Lexie’s denied me 🥺 off you forever, I’ll hit her with a 🔨
Edie: Tempting, very tempting
Edie: [showing him the bratz doll she’s found in some charity shop moment]
Edie: 🍀
Edie: If this works as a voodoo doll she’ll be 🥺 for the 🔨 by the end of today tbh
Liam: I’ll be 🥺 if you keep working this hard
Edie: gotta make you proud
Edie: also if I can find a way to get it into her house when I’m done fucking with it it’s game over 🤣
Liam: [tell her about some way that you sneaked in so her parents didn’t know about it when you were going out so she can use that]
Edie: [pretend we are not thinking about that lmao] 👍👍
Edie: you wouldn’t even need a ladder
Liam: don’t be upset
Edie: I’m not
Edie: you’ll sneak in my window soon
Liam: we’ll have a place of our own, just me and you
Edie: what do you want
Edie: town, country, cursed, uncursed
Liam: pick the 🏡 making you feel like you’re home and you don’t ever wanna go
Edie: 🥰
Edie: no spoilers whilst you’re away
Liam: 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Edie: don’t break my willpower I barely have
Edie: I wanna give you all the surprises and it might be a fixer-upper
Liam: I’ll stop testing you, I know you’re gonna pass
Edie: You don’t have to, I can take it, like
Liam: you’re gonna say no spoilers on how you’re gonna prove it and break the 🖤 I don’t have
Edie: Never
Edie: I don’t quite know what you want yet but I’ll do anything you ask, you can test that
Liam: you’ll do anything for me
Edie: I will
Edie: I’m probably not supposed to say that, right
Edie: but it’s true and you should know
Liam: abusing what you’ve said would fall into letting your hope die, which you know I’m not gonna do
Liam: you can trust I’ll keep you safe
Edie: I trust you
Liam: that’s what I want
Edie: 🌠🧚‍♀️
Edie: Does your da still live in Dubo?
Liam: Greystones
Edie: Fancy
Edie: Not going to find anything like that for us
Liam: a holiday cottage that’s empty’s easy pickings
Edie: let’s go
Edie: this place is trash
Liam: when school starts everyone’ll have gone out of them all
Liam: and most don’t change their alarm codes from the default
Edie: we’ll have the whole town to ourselves between 9-5
Edie: can we can we 😍😍
Liam: Yeah, if they’re not gonna treat them like somewhere they wanna be more than a week out of the year, why shouldn’t we
Edie: so wasteful
Edie: why would you even want that kind of money
Edie: I want what you said, somewhere that feels like home and you never wanna leave
Edie: no matter how nice the location or whatever else of anywhere else, home is still the best
Liam: it’ll be homey, how you said, things around that remind you of me and the memories we’ve made in it
Edie: It can all be real, can’t it
Liam: or pretend if you want 🏠🧸🎠🍭
Edie: I’m never opposed to pretending
Edie: it’s weird
Edie: I feel like I know what I want already but that’s a new thing
Edie: like a ⚡️ hit and everything makes sense now
Edie: maybe it’s superpowers
Liam: what else do you want
Liam: a garden to bury Lexie in and
Edie: obviously 😏
Edie: NOT a basement to bury the kids in though
Liam: they’ll be with us, getting their wellies on so they can splash in the massive puddles
Edie: and go rock pooling
Edie: and then take the dog on a massive walk so we can come home and fall asleep on the sofa in front of an old movie
Liam: you’ll be watching the movie I’ll be looking at you
Edie: but then I’ll look up at you
Liam: and we’ll both be thinking about how we’re gonna edit the footage from today bc we don’t wanna cut nothing out
Liam: except maybe the dog getting bullied by a 🦀
Edie: 🤭 save his shame at the dog park
Liam: kids’ll have no fear
Edie: all they’ll know is love and good times and fun
Liam: we should bury something other than 💀🦴 they can dig up when they’re not 👶
Edie: an actually cool time-capsule
Edie: just with all the things we want to show them, that they won’t remember, or happened before them
Edie: if we get the right storage, we could even bury the 📼s
Liam: yeah, we can do it right
Edie: why not us
Liam: we’re different, we already know it
Edie: you make different feel alright
Edie: well, better than actually but you know
Liam: if I can’t do this with you, I’ll never be able to do it, more pressure than 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺 sorry, but if we’re keeping it real
Liam: this is the closest I’ve come to a rebooted 🧠 since it was fucked up
Edie: If we can’t we’ll just 💀💀
Liam: you promised you wouldn’t and I already should’ve
Edie: Then I can’t fail
Liam: you test too well
Edie: and we’ve got time
Edie: if you don’t feel it straight away
Edie: have to give me a fair chance yeah
Liam: I’m not just saying I’ll meet you bc I know you want to, that’s more of a chance than I’ve given anyone in years
Liam: and you can have all my time after if you ain’t decided you don’t want it, I’m not lying about handing it over to you either
Edie: The only way that would happen is if you were a massive disappointment
Edie: and I know you won’t be, so all I have to do is make sure I’m not
Edie: It’s going to work, I can feel it
Liam: [shows her that he’s been playing her songs over and over during this entire car journey because of course he has and also let’s pretend he’s rigged up some way of counting how often he’s watched those not blinking or breathing vids so he can show her that too bc he wants to feel something honey and he wants her to know]
Edie: 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Edie: I need to write you more
Liam: who sorts your shows for you, you should build on this hype
Liam: and give me a chance to see you perform live
Edie: I don’t have management, but I’ve done a lot of gigs with the same people at the same places so we kinda hook each other up, keep in the know
Edie: There is a show [a few days after his bday moment] in [a town a few over]
Edie: I weren’t sure if I could get there but we can, if you wanna see me
Liam: [deets of people he knows who might or might not be genuinely helpful for booking stuff and letting you play places cos might as well make use of all those connections boy]
Liam: cool, I’ll get us there, even if none of the @s I dropped on you go anywhere else longer term, but they should, you’re mindblowing
Liam: by next year they’ll have built a festival round you here and my dad will have to give camping a fucking rest
Edie: You’re actually incredible
Edie: No one ever takes my shit seriously
Edie: I mean family, friends, it’s just this fun thing I do to them
Edie: but you get it, there’s no alternative, I have to get this shit out, to say and show it
Edie: Only if he buys a 🎫 but he’s not getting VIP with you
Liam: I understand
Liam: nobody respects mine, which I get when there’s probably 45k off the thread running round with a camera and I ain’t got your talent with it
Edie: You do have talent though
Edie: but I respect it regardless
Edie: we have to make cool shit together
Edie: not just 👶👶👶👶👶👶👶
Liam: I’ll put together something to play behind you at the show, how long are you gonna be up there
Edie: it’s 15 if you’re lucky 10 if you’re not, so you need 5 songs prepped to go but you might only play 2 or 3
Liam: what songs, are you surprising me
Edie: [send him a list of 4 so clearly one is a surprise]
Edie: so you can compliment them with what you make
Liam: 🤩
Liam: wtf did I listen to before you hit me with your link
Liam: you’re fucking sick at this
Edie: idk but I can soundtrack your whole life now
Edie: all I can write rn is 🥰🥺 cos that’s how you’ve made me
Liam: I’m down but if we go with it you should probably have less 👶👶👶👶👶👶👶 to soundtrack the lives of
Edie: okay just one
Edie: the perfect 👶 with the perfect life
Liam: perfect bc she’s got your 👀 and 🧠 and 💓
Edie: so we might need to have two
Edie: I want them to be perfect like you
Liam: 👶👶 wouldn’t ruin you physically or musically, she can have a brother
Edie: 💕👦👧🐶🧒👱‍♀️💕
Edie: that feels good
Liam: I used to really want a 🐶 when I was younger and my ma got me one of those 🤖 ones, it's probably still barking in a box somewhere
Edie: Awh, we’ve gotta find him and free him!
Edie: I had so many weird robot toys but they’ve all been used for parts by now for sure 🤖💔
Liam: he's not been melted, gotta be some proof I felt things before
Edie: You did, you clearly did
Edie: when you talk about your sister, it shows
Liam: I'd offer to talk my dad about you and see what shows but he's too easy to trick
Liam: most people are if it stops at a convo
Edie: Not caring is more convenient
Edie: not even like people are trying to be bastards, but if they don’t know what to say or do then it’s easier to take you at that one convo and pretend
Liam: I don't remember him ever not being his own bonus level of crap, but it's like you said, nobody else is loads better
Edie: Did he stick around, when your sister got sick?
Liam: for a while, when hospital wards covered in shit like 🌞🌈🦋 wasn’t a fuck you and 👨‍⚕️👩‍⚕️ had answers he didn’t mind hearing
Edie: ‘til it got really real and really hard
Edie: gotcha
Liam: he’d show up with a 🎈 before the end so that makes it alright
Edie: 🤡 energy
Liam: ordered pennywise but charlie chalk showed
Edie: [sad clown noise voice note like womp womp]
Liam: [a video or pic of his dad like putting the tent up or something with that voice memo playing over and his eyes crossed out like miss you because bringing that detail back from when we first did these two]
Edie: [it’s a good detail, so we must, just adding some more detail like a red nose or whatever so you can have a lil back and forth here]
Liam: [add clown shoes or something boy because we love a cute back and forth, very JJ of you]
Edie: [not seeing those parallels for no reason later lmao, fully clownify this oblivious man soz not soz]
Liam: [honestly deserved I’d rather have an Ian than such a wet wipe of a person]
Edie: [tbh, wet hen]
Edie: you were not lying though, your da is so short
Liam: not lied about nothing
Edie: I’d never guess you were related
Edie: too bad for mine we look like him
Liam: I’ll ask for the 🎁 of a tube full of spit but he ain’t as happy to do what I ask as you are
Edie: Spoilsport
Liam: won’t be harder to be a better dad than him, however fucked I am
Edie: that’s the thing
Edie: it doesn’t even take that much
Edie: I could do it better now
Liam: I’d stay, even when it’s ugly or I don’t know what to do, I could make you that promise now before we’ve met
Edie: Me too
Edie: It’s like, the least you can do and loads don’t even do that
Liam: maybe I shouldn’t bother getting my 🖤 back, keep caring about nothing instead of only caring about myself
Edie: you’re not going to be like that
Edie: you weren’t before
Liam: how are you this sure
Edie: I don’t know how I just am
Liam: it’s gonna be the longest 4 days
Edie: [a timer you’ve made as you can]
Edie: 🥺
Edie: make him keep you busy, and I’ll keep busy with all the plans and surprises
Liam: I’ll keep busy thinking about finally seeing you
Edie: and watching the stream when you can
Edie: I’ll make sure it’s entertaining
Liam: let me know when you’re set up
Edie: I will, not home yet
Edie: hope my fam only embarrasses themselves in entertaining ways too if you see them
Liam: not calling you an 🚑 but I’m calling it you’ll steal every scene better than they do
Edie: 😇
Edie: I better
Liam: at most anyone else is gonna register to me as a shite ARG sound effect 👻🚪
Edie: That’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said about my fam
Edie: they might disagree but that can be explained away as the wind or house settling noises
Liam: you’ve got my full attention, inexplicable at first but it’s making more and more sense
Edie: 🌌
Edie: Random or fate, I want it
Liam: there's nothing to convince you of
Edie: Nope
Edie: You’re perfect
Liam: I’m buffering bc I ain’t used to it but I don’t want you to ⏸⏹
Edie: I can 0.25 speed though
Liam: don’t
Edie: I 👂 you
Liam: seriously, I’m still here when I can’t work out what to say
Edie: I’d feel if you’d gone 👻
Liam: not a feeling you've gotta get used to, I'll stick with protecting you
Edie: Promise?
Liam: I've already committed to drinking whatever you wanna pass me and a drop of your blood ain't gonna make wine taste any worse but I dunno how you're gonna deliver it
Edie: You going to your dads 🏡 at all?
Liam: if I insist we’ve got to, to check the post
Edie: then do
Edie: no need to tell me his address though 🔎
Edie: it’ll be waiting
Liam: a drop, yeah ❌🧛‍♂️
Edie: it won’t be dripping out onto the carpet
Liam: the jumpscare my dad would get isn’t worth draining you
Edie: fake 🩸 for the scares only 🤞
Liam: there’s a bigger cliche that’d make this official whenever you want, but it’d only scare off the lads in your dms
Edie: do it
Liam: [idk how teens are making shit facebook official when facebook is dead but do something so people know you’re claiming her sir]
Edie: [probably a feed photo or something on insta I imagine, which would actually make you die because now it isn’t just private so clearly it’s not just a prank, han]
Liam: [yeah and probably also commenting on whatever she’s been posting lately in a way that’s obvious you’re a thing ™️ not just a fan of the bops]
Edie: [when I’ve already had to stop you saying ily, as if that’d be the wildest thing lmao but now truly 😖 we’re deffo crying wherever we are rn]
Edie: [do the same energy back because that’s your safest bet atm]
Liam: [loving imagining everyone’s IRL and online reactions tbh]
Edie: [it’s all the drama mick]
Liam: you’ll really have to skip big tesco now like
Edie: I’ll survive
Edie: you can forage for us 🌼🌿🍄
Liam: and if any families show up I’ll check their tents for 👶🐶
Edie: I bet there will be loads of cute 🐶🐶
Liam: when pick your fave out of the photo line up I’ll grab it
Edie: make sure it’s not a biter
Edie: you aren’t allowed to bleed out either
Liam: I dunno what being careful looks like, but to come home to you unhurt I’ll try copying what my dad’s doing
Edie: 🐒 see 🐒 do
Edie: evidence please
Liam: [all I can imagine is a David style wildlife documentary so do that please, soz not soz to his dad who is never gonna see this]
Edie: [that is literally exactly what I imagined too so yes]
Liam: [if the first time she hears his voice is when he’s doing a David impression though I will kms cos I think it is]
Edie: [lmaooooooooooooo oh you guys]
Liam: [keeping it #goals before JJ even exist as a couple byeeee]
Edie: [also the way we know your phone is blowing up right now, send the funnier ones through like]
Edie: 👀
Liam: [send the one from Lexie and the one from your mum for the very different but extra energies LOL]
Edie: Is she sOoOOoOOo happy for you
Edie: not your ma, obvs
Edie: missing those hands, barely
Liam: 😱 for you, I think she’s mixed you and the twins up and you’re 9 to her
Edie: 😒 She wishes I was
Liam: my ma is 🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳🥳 that’s honestly worse
Edie: I could be anyone, like
Liam: in russia
Edie: maybe she’s done some light stalking
Edie: not hard enough to find anything off-putting but enough to know I’m ‘real’ or whatever
Liam: done the ma version and asked her mates if any of their kids or kids mates know you
Edie: 🤞 no fuckers dobbed me in
Edie: prefer to make my own impressions, bad or otherwise
Liam: she don’t have many left who know what to say to her, you’ll be able to put either a good or bad word in for yourself
Edie: Did she go to any groups, during or after?
Liam: yeah, any of them gonna know you
Edie: nah
Edie: my ma did too but their timelines wouldn’t have overlapped
Edie: not saying they gotta go shop for hats right now
Liam: 🚫💍 with the 👶🐶 is it, you're gonna chuck me then
Edie: never 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺
Liam: she's been living in dubo since uni, she ain't gonna force us to march us down the aisle, but my ma's still northern irish enough to be pleased if we did
Edie: have you ever thought about it?
Liam: I had to when my sister brought it up, like loads of things I probably wouldn't have otherwise
Edie: You have time to think about everything important, that makes sense
Edie: what did she think about it? All the 👰💍🤵
Liam: it's on us, she couldn't think of anyone she'd accept a 💍 from
Edie: It is a pretty important part of it, when you really think about it
Edie: people who fantasize about it only think about the dress and the diamond and everyone staring at them
Edie: not the actual person they’re legally binding themselves to
Liam: she wasn't short of stares and you can wear what you want when you're dying 👑💎 everyday if you feel like it
Edie: Why not
Edie: though if you’re already sick of the stares
Liam: 👀 that weren't from a specific lad
Edie: What’s he doing now
Edie: he’d be out of school, right
Liam: [more deets than you should know or admit to knowing about this random boy years later because that's your brand]
Edie: She could do better
Liam: people are gonna be saying that about you
Edie: that you could, probably
Edie: I don’t care what they say
Liam: the lies they tell don't matter unless you think there's any truth to them
Edie: I believe you
Edie: and you say you want this
Liam: I can't do no better than you, Edie
Edie: There is no one else
Edie: even if I wasted my whole life looking from now, no one is topping you
Liam: even if you wanted to, I'm not gonna let you waste your life
Edie: I don’t
Edie: I want real and happy and you
Liam: this is real and I’ll keep you happy
Edie: I can’t wait to meet you
Edie: I don’t know how I haven’t seen you in person or heard you speak or all the things that come with it
Edie: I feel like I’ve known you forever
Liam: I should know more about you
Liam: what secrets are you keeping from the people who've known you forever, start there
Edie: Aside from the 💍👶🐶
Edie: Well, you know my dad is a dealer, yeah
Liam: I know he’s a dealer bc he’s supplied me at some raves and your dad bc people talk
Edie: Yeah, so the other’s dad is too, and they were raised together, which is like super fucked up of my ma, whatever
Edie: but if I’m getting stuff, I go to their dad and I hang out with him
Edie: he wants to be more involved, but they hate going to see him, it’s really sad
Liam: I’ve bought off him before too
Liam: don’t you wanna hang out with your dad
Edie: He’s not interested
Edie: And idk, I think my ma loved Caleb, but I don’t think she ever loved Drew
Liam: he don’t sound like he can love or be loved, anyone who could have you around and ain’t saying yeah to it is fucked
Edie: Maybe
Edie: his mum did leave him
Edie: I’d love to find her but there’s nothing to go on
Edie: Caleb is cool though, but they’d all be mad at me if they knew
Edie: Your turn
Liam: send me what there is and I’ll help you look, fresh 👀
Liam: my ma would be upset if she knew anything I’m up to
Edie: I feel that 😏
Edie: your secrets are safe with me
Edie: All I’ve got is a name, and when she was last seen, [give that info]
Edie: Maybe Caleb’s ma would know more, as she informally adopted them, but she also likes to pretend I don’t exist so
Edie: she’d not tell me
Liam: we don’t have to ask her, I’ll go round when she’s not in, see what there is to find
Edie: you’re so hot
Liam: what do you do when you’re hanging out with Caleb
Edie: smoke, usually
Edie: and ask him about when they were all kids, the cool shit they got up to
Liam: did he love your ma back
Edie: Yeah, they had the twins later so it definitely meant something
Edie: they’d probably be together but Billie’s ma had just died, it wasn’t good timing
Liam: have you ever tried to get them together again
Edie: not since I was a kid
Liam: now you’re not and you’ve got me, perfect timing for another go
Edie: you’d really help me?
Liam: yeah, you want happy and I said I’d keep you feeling it
Edie: [picture of your happy face ‘cos genuinely v overwhelmed]
Liam: [obvs put that as your phone background and show her and everyone else that it is]
Edie: [I definitely have a pic I can send you I wonder if there’s like a phone background generator ‘cos that’d be fun to do]
Liam: [oooh I hope so]
Edie: [If not we can change mine and screenshot fr though]
Liam: [unrelated but zeoob does fake tiktoks now btw so JJ and flatwhite energy will be even funnier]
Edie: [omfg, no way, gonna die]
Liam: [I haven’t found a background one yet though people be thinking I’m trying to design one for my phone, nay nay]
Edie: [yeah I don’t know how to search it either, we can just do it on mine though]
Edie: can I have a new one for mine?
Liam: [do send her one of the many pics of you I have where we’re on the grass]
Edie: I’ve never seen someone as cute as you
Liam: [send her her own pic back like HELLO look at you and this image]
Edie: you’re next level
Liam: your level but you completed it faster and unlocked more shit
Edie: [ARG where they make fake games as is a thing]
Edie: I wanna do this
Liam: so let’s do it
Edie: I’m home
Edie: just setting the stuff up and then I’ll storyboard as I stream
Edie: tune in when you can 💕
Liam: 🔁 bc you’ve said you’ll feel when I’m not
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spartanguard · 4 years
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all the memories that we make will never change (CSJJ 2020)
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Summary: Oh don't you wonder when the light begins to fade? / And the clock just makes the colors turn to grey / Forever younger growing older just the same / All the memories that we make will never change (Henry and Lucy find some polaroids of a long-lost night, of a couple in the throes of young love. / Emma and Killian meet in a nightclub, and their lives will never be the same.)
rated M | 5.3k words | AO3
A/N: Here’s my contribution to @csjanuaryjoy​ 2020! Thanks to the organizer for putting on this event again; it’s my third time participating and it’s always fun! This was inspired by the song “Golden Days” by Panic! At The Disco; it’s told in present-day and flashbacks (and it will all make sense at the end). (it was also slightly inspired by my parents, even if they didn’t meet until a few years later.) enjoy!
2020
“Hey, Dad? What are these?”
Henry looked up from the bin of records he was sorting through in the musty basement, over at where his daughter was doing the same. Or had been; Lucy’s attention was less on the old albums in front of her and instead focused on what she’d apparently found within them.
“Seriously? You don’t know what a Polaroid looks like?” he teased as he set down Aladdin Sane and stepped over. “I thought I raised you better than that.”
She huffed. “No duh, I know what they are. You only played ‘Hey Ya’ a million times when I was little.” Okay, maybe he was the one failing if that was her only frame of reference on instant photos. “But look!”
She shoved the stack of pictures into his hands, and once he got a look at the one on top, it was like being jolted into the past.
Frozen in time was a couple clearly in the throes of young love; it was obvious from the way they only had eyes for each other, though the background suggested they were at a club (a disco, maybe?). The date on the corner said August 1979, but the woman’s Farrah Fawcett curls and strapless jumpsuit, paired with the man’s wide-open, chest-baring top and perfectly coiffed hair, did a good job of telling him the era on their own.
He glanced over the next few pictures behind it: all similar, and a good number with part of an arm in the shot; a vintage selfie. He suspected a number of couples nowadays had similar sets of photos on their phones. (He knew he and Ella did.) 
But as curious as he was to continue skimming, he couldn’t help but feel like he was intruding—there was something intimate about these images that modern digital photography couldn’t match.
------------------------
1979
Killian nursed his rum probably a bit more clinically than he needed to. While it had been his favored vice not too long ago, he was trying to put those days behind him. But his friends insisted he still needed to get out and “have fun,” whatever that meant anymore. At least they were—he could see Jasmine and Al twirling their way across the illuminated dance floor from his seat at the bar. 
The deejay played decent music, he’d give it that. But drinking and dancing were in his past, he was sure. 
Until he spotted an angel on the other side of the club, and wondered if maybe he’d been too hasty in writing off this outing. 
Her likeness to a celestial being had minimal to do with the style of her hair, even if it was clearly modeled after one made popular on a certain ridiculous television program. No, it was the way she moved freely and joyfully in her red, fitted jumpsuit; the joy as she threw her head back in laughter at something one of her companions said; and her easy smile as she danced, full of a youthful exuberance that Killian was pretty sure he’d never had; he’d done a lot of living in his 25 years. 
He didn’t typically even go for blondes, but before he knew it, he’d downed the rest of his drink, hopped off the bar stool, and started to pick his way across the dance floor. He checked himself over as he maneuvered around moving bodies, briefly debating if he needed to do up another button on his paisley shirt or rather undo another, and then realized: he had no idea what to say. 
He froze feet away from her. Just what was he doing?
Then someone bumped into him, making him stumble forward—almost into her arms. Which might have been better than the sharp way his chest collided with her shoulder, sending her reeling into the brunette next to her.
“Hey, man—watch out!” the other woman shouted as she set her friend to rights.
“Apologies; I meant no...harm…” he tried to explain, trailing off when he saw Jasmine from the corner of his eye, giving him a sheepish grin as they danced away. He should have seen that coming, really.
“It’s fine,” the blonde sighed, annoyed, and Killian felt his chance slipping away faster than the overall sobriety level in the club.
But then she turned to him, and there was concern in her big green eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I think so, yeah,” he said, then quickly added, “but I’d be better if you danced with me.”
She quirked an eyebrow and gave him a wry look. “Oh yeah? Can’t say I’ve heard that one before.”
“That’s because you haven’t met me yet.” He had no idea where this swagger was coming from, but he didn’t want to think too hard about it, lest it disappear. “Name’s Killian.”
“Hi, Killian,” she said, offering a hand. “I’m Emma.”
He took her dainty hand in his and brought it to his lips, placing a gentle kiss on the back while holding her gaze—which, if he was being honest, seemed as much confused as it did flattered.
“What do you say, love? Care to take a turn about the floor?”
She bit her glossed lip and looked back to her friend, who was giving her a wolfish grin in return and promptly shooed her away. “Okay,” she shrugged with a smile when she turned back to him.
He grinned back, partly in relief but mostly that he hadn’t been shot down. It was a boost to his confidence he didn’t realize he’d needed—and it just might have broken his freshly healed heart if she’d said no. 
He led her a step or two away from her friend, so they could have a bit of space, and placed his blunted wrist on her hip. She glanced down at it and he froze; he was finally starting to get comfortable with his lack of appendage there, but most people still acted squeamish about it.
To his surprise, though, she didn’t seem to take much note of it and found his eyes again. If anything, she moved closer, and they wordlessly started to sway to the pounding rhythm—or, at least, their hips began to shift in time with the music and each other, and really, that was all that was needed.
Their feet eventually got the message, picked up the beat, and began to carry them around the floor. Killian found himself falling into some ancient habits he wasn’t aware were still in his muscle’s memory, and his heart skipped a bit as he watched an amused smile take over Emma’s face. 
“You sure are a swell dancer,” she told him. “How’d you learn to dance like this?”
“It’s simple, really; there’s only one rule,” he replied, then leaned in closer. “Pick a partner who knows what he’s doing.”
She grinned and looked down, but if she was trying to avoid letting him know her thoughts on the matter, she failed—even in the orange light, he could see the blush on her cheeks.
For a moment, he worried he might have come on too strong and she’d push away, but quite the opposite happened: she moved even impossibly closer, sliding her hand down to his waist to pull herself to him. The pinpricks of light from the disco ball danced over them like stars, illuminating the glitter on her collarbones and cheeks; goodness, were they in a dance hall or a fairy tale?
The bodies and music around them began to fade away as his focus narrowed on Emma: on the soft pout of her lips, the easy smile that played at them, the feel of her body against his…
And then the rest of the club came back into startling clarity as the music abruptly changed, loud horns signifying the beginning of an overplayed and overhyped Village People tune.
“Oh god, I hate this song,” Emma cursed, equally jarred by the change, it seemed. But she hadn’t made a move away from him.
“Agreed,” he replied; but if she didn’t want to dance, he needed another way to stay close to her. “Can, uh...can I buy you a drink?”
“Sure!”
He wasn’t expecting her enthusiasm, and the wide-eyed look she gave him after suggested she wasn’t expecting it either. He chuckled, but squeezed her hand and led her back to the bar.
They found an open spot near the end and the bartender was quick; Emma ordered red wine, and Killian said “Make it two.” The bartender glanced between them, then grabbed a couple glasses and set a bottle down in front of them, with the direction to have fun.
“Well, he was awfully presumptuous,” Killian said, again not wanting to come on too strong. 
Emma just shrugged, though, and popped the cork. “He didn’t say what kind of fun.” Her tone was laced with innuendo, though, as she poured their glasses. “For example, we can have fun with this,” she continued, offering her glass up for a toast; he took his and clinked it with hers before taking a sip (not the best he’d had, but not the worst). “Orrrr, with this!” she exclaimed, reaching around him for something on the bar.
She produced a Polaroid camera, looking proud as punch with her prize. “Is that yours?” he asked.
“Nope,” she answered, popping the ‘p’. “It was just sitting here.”
It was a good thing he was staring at her in dazed admiration, because the next thing he saw was the bright light of the flash temporarily blinding him. “Bloody hell,” he cursed, blinking. “Warn a man next time!”
“Oh, but candid shots are always best,” she teased, pulling out the picture and shaking it. “I can’t wait to see it.”
“Oh really?” He wasted no time in setting down his drink and taking the camera from her, relying on speed for shock, and quickly snapped a pic, too. “That should be a good one, then.”
“Asshole,” she tried to complain, but her smirk gave her away. “That’s gonna be terrible.”
“Impossible,” he countered, “when the subject is so lovely.”
She was leaning on the bar, rolling her eyes, so he stepped closer and mirrored her pose. “You’re full of it,” she laughed.
“I’m actually quite shy and reserved.”
“No you’re not.”
“No, I’m not,” he conceded, and snapped another picture with his outstretched arm.
“Oh my god, you—!” Whatever she was about to say was lost in the struggle of her wrestling the camera back from him; he let her take it, especially when her chest brushed against his in the friendly scuffle. She yanked out the photo and put it on the bar with the others, shaking her head. “You’re wasting film, you know.”
“I highly doubt that.” She hadn’t made any effort to leave his personal space yet again.
“Besides, there are so many better things to take pictures of.”
“Also not true.”
“I’m just saying—why would you bother with pictures like that, when you could take ones like this?” she said, looking up at him through her lashes.
“Like what?”
She answered by grabbing the lapel of his vest and hauling his lips to hers. She pressed herself against his entire upper body as her mouth claimed his, and he was quick to surrender to her passionate kiss. He heard the flash bulb go off as she likely took another snap, but he was too lost in her to care much. He wrapped his left arm around her to hold her close while the other found her waist and anchored himself to her. 
They eventually broke apart for a breather, but he continued to pepper kisses down her chin and neck, and he could feel her fingers toying with his chest hair. Another flash bulb. 
“You don’t work for Playgirl or something, do you?” he breathed.
“No,” she giggled. “Just liking what I see; and I don’t want to forget it.”
“Nor do I.”
They resumed kissing for a moment, Emma going so far as to wrap a leg around him and bring her core to where he was obviously wanting her—which only seemed to egg her on, and he had no reservations in palming her pert rear end through her jumpsuit.
“Do you live nearby?” she asked on their next breath.
“Aye,” he nodded; he could hardly remember where, he was so intoxicated by her, but at least knew that much.
“Do you want to go back?”
“Only if you do.”
“I definitely do.”
“Alright then.”
She gave him another kiss on the cheek, then asked him to sit tight as she let her friends know. He quickly downed the rest of his glass, threw some cash down to pay the tab (probably not the right amount but he hardly cared), then gathered up the pictures they’d taken from where they landed scattered across the bar.
He didn’t know what lay ahead, but something told me he’d want something to help him remember this night.
------------------------
2020
“What are they wearing?” Lucy giggled. “That shirt is so ugly!”
Henry chuckled. “That was just the style back then; he actually would have been considered pretty debonair and suave at the time.”
She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right.”
They continued to flip through the photos. “Say what you will, but she seems pretty into it,” he lectured; not like he had much room to talk—he had no idea how he’d managed to catch Ella’s eye with the kind of stuff they wore in the late 90s. (There was definitely a bonfire fueled by a pair of JNCO jeans and ratty plaid shirts in his past.)
The background of the photos changed as the pair moved out of the club and onto the street—one he immediately recognized. It changed again to a dock, with ships bobbing behind the pair.
“Is that…?” Lucy asked when the couple apparently boarded one of them.
“Yeah, looks like it is,” Henry had to agree; he knew exactly where they were. 
And the next couple of pictures told him exactly what they were doing. (He made a point to keep those away from Lucy’s view.)
------------------------
1979
Emma still couldn’t believe she’d proposed this. She had a kid; what was she doing out on the town, following a guy she’d just met back to his place? 
(Ruby, that’s what—she could never say no to her best friend, especially when said friend’s granny was providing free babysitting and said friend had also told her to “do him before I do”.) She pulled up the top of her strapless (borrowed) jumpsuit, amazed that it had stayed on this long, and took in a deep breath of the refreshing air outside the club.
“That’s much better,” Killian said, and then Emma registered the pop of the flashbulb behind her closed eyes.
“You’re gonna make me regret picking that thing up,” she teased. “And I wasn’t gonna steal it!”
“Too late,” he shrugged. Even in the yellow light of the street lamps, she could see the mischief sparkling in his blue eyes and hiding in the dimples that cut into his scruffy beard. He didn’t seem like he was too much older than her, but he’d clearly been through a lot. Which was good, since she had, too.
“Are you just gonna be the paparazzi or are we going to go somewhere more fun?” she asked, pressing herself into his space—partly because she liked the kind of shocked look he got on his face when she did, and partly because she just wanted to be close to him and his impressive display of chest hair.
“I’d be more than happy to escort the lady to a more comfortable location,” he said, making her swoon; god, she never did that. She almost lost focus in stealing the camera back, but managed to before he could fight it. 
“Lead the way,” she whispered.
He just swallowed and nodded, then took her hand and led her down the sidewalk.
The air cooled as they went and she could smell the salt of the harbor as they got closer to the docks; not a long walk, but not too short that they couldn’t get to know each other a bit. His last name was Jones; he was 25; he’d enlisted in the Army right out of high school and served a few years in Vietnam, until he lost his hand. “I didn’t want to fight, but I didn’t really have any other options. My brother died over there, so I guess I thought I’d avenge him, or something,” he admitted. “Not my best idea.”
She knew all about that. After all, she was 21 years old and already a mother to a 3-year-old; she clearly had no room to judge. He took it in stride, though, and was quick to ask about her kid; it was actually refreshing not to have someone do the math in their head and start scowling. “It’s been hard, but he’s probably the best thing that ever happened to me,” she told him, establishing some boundaries.
“Well, you strike me as a tough lass, Swan,” he replied; she was beginning to love the sound of her last name on his tongue. “It sounds like you two are doing just fine.”
She hid her blush by taking a picture of his encouraging smile, which quickly turned into a sputter.
He stole back the camera—and her breath—with a kiss after that.
She returned the favor, pressing him against a fence at the marina—but not too forcefully; she didn’t feel like swimming tonight.
“Hopefully you’re alright with sailing, though,” he murmured, guiding her down one of the docks.
“You live on a boat?”
“Please—it’s a ship.”
Whatever it was, it was gorgeous—all hardwood and classic-looking. The sails were tucked away but she had to imagine it looked impressive out at sea, and the idea of Killian at the helm, sun tanning his skin as the wind whipped them along...damn, what an image.
(Okay, maybe Ruby had been right earlier when she said Emma needed to get laid.)
He casually stepped onto the ship, unphased by the way the deck shifted under him, and extended a hand to her to help her down. Her platform sandals were absolutely not the right shoes for this, so she nearly stumbled as she stepped aboard—right into his (strong, sturdy) arms. 
“It’s about bloody time,” he purred.
“Like I haven’t been over you all night,” she countered (and made sure not to bring up the body glitter that had found its way into his chest hair).
“No, but it’s nice to finally be alone.”
“It is.” Without another word, they picked up where they’d left off in the club: hands wandering, lips tasting, bodies not able to get close enough—but she didn’t have enough balance on the rolling deck to try to hitch her leg around him again. 
“You got a bed on this thing?” she panted.
“I thought you’d never ask.”
A minute later, they were below deck, in a cozy cabin. Two minutes later, he’d undone the zipper on her jumpsuit, letting it fall around her ankles. Three, and she’d opened his way-too-many buttons to reveal his frankly stunning array of chest hair and was quickly discovering how far south it went. (Answer: all the way.)
The bed wasn’t exactly large, or solid, but anything would do once he got her worked up, his fingers dancing over her breasts, overheated skin, and aching sex. 
He hovered over her after he got the condom on, clearly nervous even though they were both stark naked and had been dry humping for who-knew-how-long.
She drew her bare heel up over his firm thigh and pert ass, then pressed against it, bringing his hard length almost to where she wanted—no, needed it. “Please,” she panted, not sure what else to say. 
“As you wish.”
That took her by surprise—she wanted to ask if he’d read her favorite book, The Princess Bride—but then he was pressing into her and anything she could say came out as a gasp. Holy shit, did he feel good.
“I’ll take that as a compliment,” he said in a strained voice; fuck, she’d said that out loud.
“You should,” she answered. “And if you want another—move.” She punctuated the command by pressing her other heel into him.
As eager as she was, she wasn’t ready for the feel of him dragging along her inner walls, then pressing back forward; it really had been too long since she’d done anything like this with another person. But she got the impression Killian was in a similar boat (pun not intended).
That didn’t stop him from being “fucking amazing,” she sighed.
“You...too…” he grunted as he pressed. She did all she could to keep up and match him thrust for thrust, but all too soon, she was gripping his broad shoulders for dear life.
It was like riding a roller coaster: she was climbing, climbing, climbing, and then she was free falling with a shout as her orgasm peaked and carried her away with it. He wasn’t far behind, coming with a shout of her name and eventually collapsing beside her. It made the whole bed shake but honestly, it was no worse than what they’d just put it through.
Once they both caught their breath, he pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder and then got up to clean things, but was back faster than she expected he’d be, flopping down next to her.
“Bloody hell, love; that…”
For someone as seemingly verbose as he was, having him speechless was definitely a boost to her ego. “Incredible? Fantastic? Far out? Groovy?”
“I’d never dream of putting something like that so colloquially,” he answered, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her close. “But perhaps we need to give it another go so I can properly describe it.”
“Mm, I think I’d be down with that,” she said, smiling. Normally, she’d be headed for the door already—but there was just something about Killian that made her want to stay, and it wasn’t just the mindblowing sex.
“Good.” He pounced on her lips again, and round two was just as fabulous as the first. (So was the third.)
And a few hours later, she woke in his arms to the obnoxious sound of an alarm clock blaring. But he just gripped her tighter from behind and buried his head in her neck, tickling her with his beard. 
“You gonna get that?” she asked, both annoyed and still sleepy.
“Ugh, I don’t want to.”
“Why not?”
“Because then I need to get ready for work and you’ll have to go.”
She turned in his arms and placed her hands on his hair-covered pecs. “What if I came back sometime?”
He gave her a sleepy smile. “I’d like that very much.”
“Me too.”
He finally shut off the clock and stretched; she had to avert her eyes, or staring at the way his trim muscles moved under his skin would make him even later. And the sooner she got home to her kid, the better.
Somehow, she managed to get dressed again, pointedly ignoring the heat of his fingers on her back as he zipped her outfit. (It was less easy for him to hide his arousal when she buttoned up his work shirt.)
The morning was chilly when they got back up on the deck and the sun was just starting to rise over the horizon; she shivered immediately. “Oh, bloody hell,” he cursed, then ran back below deck, returning with a blanket. “Here, love; I’d be a shameful host if I let you catch a cold. Do you need me to call you a cab?” he asked as he wrapped it around her shawl-like.
“No; I’m only a few blocks away,” she answered, pulling the blanket tight. It was soft and smelled like him. Hopefully, he didn’t want it back.
“Can I walk you home, then?”
“Won’t you be late?”
His reply was a shrug.
“Alright then.”
She started to head to the edge of the ship to disembark, but then he said, “Wait.” She turned to see what the holdup was and only saw the light of the flashbulb again. 
“Seriously?” she laughed.
“Yes, completely,” he answered through his own chuckle. 
“You’re such a nerd,” she tossed back, but god, was he adorable. If she wasn’t careful, she was probably going to fall in love with him. 
But honestly, would that really be so bad?
------------------------
2020
The last photo was of the blonde woman in early morning light, wrapped in a blanket with a lazy smile on her face. It was obvious what they’d been up to, but that was a different kind of happy expression—more than just physical bliss.
“God, she was so beautiful,” Lucy breathed.
She always had been. “And she still is,” Henry added; Lucy hummed in agreement.
Reaching the end of the stack, they set the photos aside and kept browsing the records, pulling some out here and there as they caught their eyes. A bit later, armed with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, Damn the Torpedoes, and A Night at the Opera, they headed upstairs with their prizes—Henry making sure to grab the stack of Polaroids.
“You’re done already?” Henry’s mom called out from the kitchen, where she and his dad (well, stepdad, but he’d raised him) were busying themselves.
“Yeah! We found some great stuff, Grandma!” Lucy shouted, running down the hall and promptly gushing over her new treasures. 
His mom had been reading at the table, but she put down her magazine when Lucy barged in. Henry hung back for a moment, though.
The smile on her face was the same one in the photos, even if Emma’s hair was more gray than blonde now and she needed glasses. It was a little jarring, to be honest; growing up, he didn’t notice it as much, but looking at her as she was when he was a kid and comparing it to now made him realize just how much she’d changed in the last 40 years. But the grin she sent his way as Lucy babbled hadn’t at all.
“What have you got there, darling?” his dad interjected, stepping away from the stove to inspect the collection of albums. Killian, too, was all silver now, but for a man in his sixties, was in damn fine shape; Henry only hoped he’d look that good when he hit that age. The crows feet around Killian’s eyes had deepened with time (and laughter, and smiles), but they were still the same bright blue behind his bifocals and he still wore the same scruffy smirk.
Emma threw a concerned look Henry’s way, which told him he’d spent far too long staring. “Everything okay, kid?” she asked when he joined them.
“Yeah, yeah; it’s great. But uh, we found something else, too.”
“Oh yeah?”
He pulled the photos out of his jeans pocket and set them down on the table in front of his mom; Killian peered over her shoulder to inspect. They both hitched their breath at the same moment.
“Oh my god, I forgot about these!” Emma exclaimed as she picked them up.
“Same,” Killian said, almost breathlessly. “But I haven’t forgotten that night,” he quickly added, pressing a kiss to Emma’s temple.
“I’d be worried if you had,” she said. “This was our first date,” she explained to Henry and Lucy, “and someone here thought it’d be a good idea to steal a camera from the club we met at.”
“Pardon me, but you started it, love.”
Emma snorted and smacked his prosthetic hook where it rested on her shoulder, but a nostalgic kind of look came over both of them as they looked them over.
“Good find, Lucy,” Killian said, pulling his granddaughter close and kissing her cheek.
Emma set the photos aside and Killian went back to cooking dinner (which was delicious, as always). The flashback the photos had given him made Henry want to stay later and reminisce—on their wedding, on weekend trips on the Jolly Roger, on that one time he and his sisters tried (and failed) to throw a kegger in the backyard—but it was a school night and Lucy had homework.
He kept coming back to one thing, though, especially as they said their goodbyes and headed home: the way his dad looked at his mom in 1979 was the same way he did in 2020. Henry had always been happy that, despite their rough starts, his parents had managed to find each other; he couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of the kind of true love they had. And they made sure that their children knew and saw that same kind of love every day; if only everyone could be that lucky.
(Thankfully, Henry was; when he greeted Ella at home that night, he knew he still looked at her the way he first had in 1998, and she still smiled at him the same way she did that night from across that party. Henry had known then what true love looked like, and what it looked like now, and what it would look like in 20 years. And he couldn't wait.)
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After Henry and Lucy left and dinner was cleaned up, Emma got out the pictures they’d found again; hazy memories were coming back into sharp clarity in her mind (though some had never really dulled). 
“You’ve got that look in your eyes, Swan. What are you thinking?” Killian said, taking a seat next to her on the sofa.
“Swan? Pretty sure I’ve been Jones for almost 40 years,” she teased, scooting into his side. 
“Aye, but you’ll forever be my gorgeous Swan,” he answered, like he always did, his eyes also on the old photos. It was kind of amazing they were still in decent shape.
“Well then, I’m thinking that we looked damn hot,” Emma finally said. 
“Indeed we did. Though you still do,” he added, kissing her cheek.
“So do you, silver fox. You still got that shirt?” 
“That ugly thing? Heavens no.” He sounded genuinely offended—although he never quite learned how to fully button his shirt, and she cast a glance at the silvery chest hair exposed by his v-necked shirt today. “But I might be able to come up with something similar...if you still have that jumpsuit,” he said, leering seductively. 
Emma just laughed. “It’s cute that you think I’d still fit into that after two more kids and a few decades. And that was Ruby’s anyways.” Some parts of her had never quite recovered from having Hope and then Alice in fairly quick succession, but it didn’t matter to Killian so she’d never minded much.
“Well, then I guess you’ll have to wear nothing,” he purred. “I seem to remember that being part of that night, too.” 
“Only if you wear the same.”
“As you wish.”
(He had indeed read The Princess Bride, it turned out, and they had excitedly taken Henry to the movie when it was first released; their VHS copy was later worn down by the girls, once they were old enough.)
Some days, it was hard to believe they’d been together for over 40 years—time flies while having fun, and all that. There’d been great ones and hard ones and plenty of just average ones in there. They weren’t the same people they were when they met; hell, they weren’t even the same as when Alice moved out ten years ago.
But some things had never changed, and never would; for one, how easily and amazingly they were able to satisfy each other physically, and how well they fit together, especially when they were cuddled close, sated.
The most important, though, was their love.
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