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ouremptysinks-blog · 6 years

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Star In The Dark

Chapter 1

Characters: Steve Rogers X OC (Hailey Beaumont), OC’S Mom, The Avengers, Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, Matt Murdock, A CUTE AF EMT/PARAMEDIC ( I don’t know who else for rn sooo?) Summary: A young woman with too many talents gets recruited to be a part of the Avengers. (yep that's it. I’m not spilling anything else.) Warnings: Lots of swearing, some angst, self-depreciation, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, anxiety attacks, panic attacks, okay maybe a lot of angst, daddy issues(not the sexual kind yall!) (please lemme know if I missed something!)

Words: 2376

A/N: So I’m crying, this is my first fic and I'm so scared yallssss please reblog and comment and PLEASE JUST REEEADDD AND AHHHHHH! DM ME WITH FEEDBACK OR JUST URGHFHJH FEEDBACK PLEASE JELLIES!! Also please don’t bother requesting smut, I won’t write it

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“Honey, could you please go into my office and grab the white file in the second drawer in my desk? I need it in an hour so please could you make your way here now? I’ll give you the money you need for the tech thing you want so bad! But please hurry!” my mother hung up.

The woman was amazing at what she did but she was so forgetful, I was amazed at how she hadn't lost her position even after 25 years. My mom worked for S.H.E.I.L.D., she was high up in the ranks. That was all I knew, well actually that’s all they think I know. You see, I’m a pretty techy gal. I am so sorry, did I seriously just say ‘gal’? Okay yeah so I am very into the tech-verse and yeah I’m very aware that my mom works very closely with Coulson and whatnot but you don’t know that either okay! Now shush I have to go! Before you ask, yes I do know where they are because as her immediate and only family. I was to come to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters if anything were to ever go wrong. If you asked me, S.H.E.I.L.D. was the last place we should be at. With all the rogue agents and undercover Hydras. Shit. YOU DON'T KNOW THAT EITHER OKAY! While I was spilling dirt that only I know, you didn't notice me start the car, did you? I hated going to S.H.E.I.L.D. so much. It was such a headache to get there. The idiots made it so you had to take about 120 backroads to get to the damn place. It was so stupid.

I quickly glanced at the duffel bag behind me. I wonder if I’d be allowed to use the training room? I can’t afford to miss today's workout, one workout missed meant a whole fight lost. Not that I was getting into any fights…Okay fine, I box! Erm... and it might be illegal… No one needs to know that either by the way! Snitches get stitches! Don't you dare forget! If I ever hear that you’ve let anything slip, I’m also great with weapons. That was indeed a threat, take it to heart.

I pulled up into the reserved parking space under my name. Grabbing my duffel and the white file with the big red ‘Confidential’ stamped on it, I swiped my ID into the holder. I was welcomed with a blast of air-conditioned air. They have these set to 16 degrees, and there was an air conditioner every 4 metres. The place was probably colder than Antarctica. Smiling at the receptionist I waved the file at her and she gave me a grimace.

“Lola left the files again?” she asked in a not surprised manner.

“Yep, you know how mom is.”

“Go on up sweetheart. If anyone asks, tell ‘em Susan sent you up. They can come and fight me.”

I threw my head back a little and laughed. Trying to contain my outburst, I grinned at Susan.

“I love you, Sue! I’ll bring you down a coffee, on my way back.”

“Oh honey, you don't have to! Oh, and I didn't tell you this but the training room is free from 4 till 8, so if you wanna punch some stuff, knock yourself out.” Susan whispered.

I pulled her into a small hug and then ran over to the elevators. I punched in the code and pressed on the floor number. The doors were just about to close when a not so subtle Patriotic soldier managed to place one of his feet in between the doors. He had been awake for a few months now. 3 to be exact, not that I’ve been digging or anything. I was a tad bit uncomfortable considering I looked like shit today. I looked terrible on a daily basis considering I was a fat fuck but today I was actually shit. He had taken his stance behind me, which made me x999 times more uncomfortable than I had in the beginning. I could also feel him staring which made my nerves increase even more. I was hoping that the ride down would stay quiet but unfortunately, to my dismay, he spoke.

“Are you new here?” he asked, voice smoother than silk. Yikes.

“I think I should be the one asking you, don’t you think?”

He seemed a little shocked that I didn’t give him a straight up answer. However, he hummed in agreement.

“I guess you should, I was here just yesterday and I didn’t run into you, that’s why I asked.” he smiled, not a bit of bitchiness in his voice.

“I was off yesterday.” I lied.

As the elevator doors opened, Captain Not So Frozen stepped out and head to the direction opposite of where I needed to be. PRAISE THE LORRRDDD! Before he opened the door, he spun around and yelled out, “Hey! I guess I’ll see you around Miss?”

I contemplated giving him a fake last name but decided against it.

“Beaumont”

Giving me a small smile, he said, “I’ll see you around Miss Beaumont”

Besides, it’d be funnier if he ran into my mom, considering she was Miss Beaumont. Ahh, the laughs. I checked my watch, ‘3:47’.

“Perfect”

I knocked on the door to my mom’s office, no one came to the door so I let myself in. I left the file between the keyboard and the screen of her closed laptop and wrote her a quick note on a post-it, letting her know where I’d be.

Lazily stepping into the elevator again I punched in another code and the button for the floor. This time, the melted man didn't stop the closing doors and I was able to get to the gym peacefully.

I pulled out my laptop from my duffel and started cracking. My ‘abilities’ weren't known to S.H.E.I.L.D., mom knew I could fight and she knew I was great with tech. What I did with those things, she didn’t know, and to be frank she didn’t need to either. I was done setting up the codes, all I needed was a clear frame. So when I stepped out and opened the doors to the gym, I was relieved to see it was indeed empty.

‘4:03’ my watch read. I stepped back outside and set everything else up. I didn’t need these buffoons watching me, and enter.

“That gave me such a headache, this stupid place.”

Manoeuvering my way to the changing room I threw my bag into one of the lockers and then went straight for the treadmill. I had four hours so I could do a lot. I would run/jog for half an hour and then, squats, lunges, one legged squats, box jumps, hip raises, deadlifts, straight leg deadlifts, good mornings, step ups, overhead press, bench press, incline dumbbell press, push ups, dips, chin ups, pull ups, bodyweight rows, dumbbell rows, planks, side planks, exercise ball crunches, mountain climbers, jumping knee tucks, hanging leg raises. Then I’d work on my hapkido if I finished everything nicely. Or I could go crash at my loft. I realised if I went back home, I wouldn't do any hapkido so I decided I’d just cut some stuff out and get to the martial art.

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I finished up the leg raises and checked the time once more.

‘6:45’

That gave me a solid 5-minute break and a 10-minute shower.

The shower ended quicker than I had planned, eager to practice hapkido again. I changed into something more comfortable. Pulling out a mat I started my usual routine. But I wanted to do something a bit different today. I grabbed one of the knives. I was doing my thing and all when a stupid man decided to grab my attention. I was taken aback and grabbed the blade too hard. Blood dripping from my torn palm, Stark stares at me shocked.

“Shit, I am so sorry!” he tried to clean up my hand using the handkerchief from his pocket.

I took a step back, glaring fiercely at the idiotic billionaire.

“I can fix it myself, fuck off Stark.”

“Potty mouth, plus I apologized, didn't I?”

“Well if you weren't so fucking idiotic and ignorant, we wouldn't really be in this situation now would we?”

“Let’s get you to the infirmary.” he tugged on my arm slightly.

Pushing his money filthy hands off, I said, “I vividly remember telling you to fuck off. No?”

He merely smirked at me.

“Before I ‘fuck off’, I wanted to ask you something.”

Not being bothered to reply to the egotistical fuck, I stayed silent.

“How’d you hack into S.H.E.I.L.D.’S systems?”

Awh fuck, this is great.

“Hails, wanna tell me how?”

“Don't you dare call me that you fucking asshat! You don't deserve it.”

Grabbing all of my things I stormed out of the anxiety-filled room to be met with another fucker I hate.

“Nicholas.”

“Ah Miss Claire, you’re just the person I wanted to see.”

“Ah, Joe you flatter me, Starkies in the gym if you wanna see the fucker.”

“I assure you, you're the one I was looking for Hailey.”

Hiding my bitchy feels, I follow Joseph into the elevator.

“So what’s up Joe-man?”

“Not here.”

If Fury thought it’d be better to talk about whatever he wanted to talk about specifically in his office, it meant that this thing was big. And very confidential. If I said that it didn’t scare me, I’d be 100% lying. It scared the shit outta me. Fury and I, well we go way back. He’s known me since I was in the womb, and we’ve been super chill. So fuck yeah I was stressed.

I followed the fucker into his office and took a seat. I was not about to risk falling on my fat ass.

“Miss Beaumont-”

“Zhang.” I reminded the ignorant man.

“Miss Zhang, I know you’re aware that I know about your skills.”

“And what? Thought it was a mutual agreement where I don’t fuck your organization over and we keep my ‘skills’ a fucking secret.”

“It was until the Avengers.I’d brief you on the whole thing, but something tells me you already know way too much.”

I kept my eyes glued to him, not looking away for even a second. I was proud of my abilities and plus, he never told me to keep out of anything.

“Listen, you already have a bunch of power puffs and musketeers. What do you need me for? Plus, isn’t there some rule that you can’t work for S.H.I.E.L.D. unless you’re twenty-five plus? HA BITCH! I’m still 22!” Crossing my legs, I smirked at him.

“That rule is bullshit and I know you know it and fine. I’ll just tell your mom about your pastime activities.”

“You wouldn't dare!” I glared at him.

“I would if it meant you’d join the Avengers.”

“Cause pointing you to the Skull-topuses arent enough? Now I have to join a stupid marching band?”

“Hailey.”

That shut me up. But before he could say anything else I yelled, “FINE! Fuck you, I’ll do it. Not like you’ve actually given me a choice.”

“Come to the meeting room in an hour”

“No”

“Agent Zhang”

“I’m not an agent bitch.”

Mentally giving myself a once over I tell him, “Tomorrow. You want me to be a part of this pep squad? Then I want the meeting tomorrow at 7.”

“Sevens a bit-”

“8:45 or else I'm out.”

Rolling his eyes he huffed out a ‘fine’.

Standing up, I grabbed my bag and pushed through the double doors. The elevator ride pissed me off. I threw myself out of the elevator when I ran into a chiselled figure and fell back. I braced for impact considering I couldn't do a double flip to save myself because I wasn't supposed to know how. But the impact never came. Instead, I felt strong arms hold up my weight. Staring into steely blue eyes I realise who’s holding me. I push him off and let myself fall to the ground. Hanging my head in shame, I stutter a sorry.

“Are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine. I just need some air.”

I ignore his gaze, I push past the man and rushed out of the building. I ran to my car and turned on the engine. I couldn't breathe, fuck. I reversed and then pulled out onto the highway. I kept driving until I realised my eyes were getting clouded and I was about to throw up. I stopped on the side as soon as I exit the highway. My chest hurts, I can’t breathe. I threw myself out of the car and collapsed.

I woke up to red and blue accompanied with blaring sirens.

“Miss are you alright?”

This was embarrassing… I passed out on the road and someone had called 911. Fucking shit.

“I’m fine,” I nodded curtly.

“Alright, we’re just going to do a couple tests and if everything’s fine we’ll let you go. Is that okay with you?”

I smiled at him weakly, nodding my head.

“Are you able to stand?” she asked very politely.

As I tried to stand, I almost fell back but the woman had caught your arm before you did. You could feel your throat close up again. She sensed something was wrong and quickly let go, but only after she made sure you were steady.

After all the tests, I walked over to my car and as I put on my seatbelt, the paramedic who tended to me knocked on my window.

“Hey, if you ever want to speak to anyone about anything, here’s my number.”

“Oh no that’s- it’s- I’m fine. It’s okay!” I tried being peppy.

It clearly didn’t work as her brows furrowed deeper. Sighing I took her card and mumbled a thank you. She gave me a bright smile as I drove away from the area. I was definitely not calling her, but for some reason, I just shoved the cared into the glove compartment instead of throwing it out.

#steve rogers #oc #marvel mcu #avengers #steve rogers x oc #nick fury #angsty af #s.h.i.e.l.d.#tony stark #avengers assemble #plus size oc #captain america x oc #steve rogers imagine

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honeykngdom · 6 years

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What's happened? What post has a bunch of notes and why are people sending you nasty messages? 😞

Tbh, I wasn’t gonna reply to this, and I’m still contemplating whether this is a good idea, but I had way too much on my mind and I needed to say this.

I’m putting this under a read more because I don’t need this opinion of mine taking off like that last one, but I hope that my followers take a moment to read this because it’s really important to me and several others within our fandom.

This is another shitpost, this is very long, and this is strictly my opinion.

IT WAS A SHITPOST WITH VERY MINIMAL THOUGHT PUT INTO IT, BUT RAISED A GOOD POINT NONETHLESS.

Pretty much someone’s like vs reblog ratio made me snap one afternoon; I had previously been talking to a few other content creators (writers, photographers, artists, etc) within the Riverdale Fandom specifically about how they’re struggling to get noticed/get their work out there because of the lack of exposure (in Tumblr’s case, this would be reblogs). I hadn’t meant for the post to go past my circle of followers tbh, and this past weekend its almost tripled in note size (started at just over 2400 saturday morning - we’re at over 6000 today, and still growing). Suddenly, I’m the worst person in the world for having this opinion and saying something (which, by the way, is the opinion of the majority).

Regardless of how many people wasted their time harassing my blog/inbox/IM, the majority is still 80/20 in favour of people reblogging posted works because common courtesy trumps everything always.

I’m completely done with this site and these people. “We don’t owe you anything.” You’re absolutely right, you don’t owe me - or anyone else - anything. You’re not obligated to reblog peoples work, you’re more than welcome to continue to like it (or not, whatever works for you), I never said you couldn’t do that. But likewise, as a content creator writing/releasing for YOUR viewing/reading pleasure, regardless of whether or not I enjoy writing for myself (which, I obviously do), I’m not obligated to post my creations or share. ** Bad Omen can sit in Docs for the next 20 years, and I’ll keep writing it, but that doesn’t mean I have to post chapters anymore, and that would suck for everyone. ** No one has to draw you cute things about/involving your OTP, or make gifs for your fandom for your enjoyment/viewing pleasure, no one is entitled to give anyone anything on either side of this argument.

Content creators post because we wanna share what we did. We did a thing, and we are damn proud of that thing, so we decided to share. That in of itself takes a lot of guts for some people. Sharing what I write still gives me anxiety, as I’m sure it does for a lot of people, so please don’t kid yourself into thinking that those in favour of this argument are all here being entitled and demanding. People are literally asking for a reblog and some exposure. I took the time - out of my free time - to make something I thought others would enjoy. Insinuating that if we don’t have enough traffic on our posts/if we feel the need to complain for more activity on our blog, then our content must not be good, is an incredibly arrogant and ignorant statement to make. Period. I’m sorry if my post offended you, I’m sorry if you think people are too ‘bitchy’ or ‘whiny’, as some people have put it. Tumblr would be a pretty lame place without creators sharing their work for the remainder of the fandom to enjoy, and that’s a fact.

Imagine this: waking up tomorrow and no one posted anything original for a whole week. No new gifs, no new stories, no new original content for you to enjoy. Idk about you, but as someone that thoroughly believes in supporting others work, my dash would be pretty boring and bone dry.

In terms of sfw/nsfw posts, aesthetic blogs, rp blogs, underage bloggers, etc:

I understand what it’s like to run a blog (I am currently doing so, so I am up to date and aware of what that means, ya feel?). I have run several over the years, of all variables. Much like I understand that I have an audience to cater to, I understand that all of you do as well. There are some blogs run by people (like myself) with the intent of releasing/reblogging content for viewers to enjoy. There are blogs run by people that reblog for themselves, bc it’s their blog and it’s just for them. Both are completely okay. I have had someone (incredibly close to me) come forward and agree with that I had said, but remind me that they lean towards OCD tendencies and that their blog/colour scheme is presented in a specific way, and that is why they had only liked that OP, and not reblogged it. There are people unwilling to put NSFW content on their blog bc it’s a safe space, etc etc. I’m not disagreeing with anyone’s reasons as to why they don’t reblog everything they like.

I said if you liked something, and you thought others might like it to, then it wouldn’t hurt to reblog - and I never said it had to be everything that you liked. I still stand by that that statement. It benefits everyone. People make connections this way, people make friends this way, people find something to help bring them out of dark places in their head, either by reading/admiring art, or taking the time to create something that distracts them. Getting into a different head space is necessary for some people, and this is really important to consider and understand.

I’m not entitled for speaking out for those who can’t and won’t because people (like the anons in my inbox) would likely drive some people off of this site. One of the first comments in response to the post had been that there were people struggling to get 100 notes on their work, and that I wasn’t in any position to speak out on the topic. Here is my counter: my blog is a high traffic blog, and my follower platform is fairly large so I know I’m talking to a lot of people right now. But I also have pretty thick skin so I don’t mind being the voice every once in a while, and I thought about deleting the OP but why should I? Nothing I said was false. Nothing I said was inaccurate. Nothing I said targeted any one specific person, so I don’t know why some people are taking it so personally. I didn’t say the example used in the OP was mine, I wasn’t ‘bitching’ about 500 notes, I was speaking out on behalf of my author and artist mutuals/friends. I’m not being ‘ungrateful’; I’m constantly blown away by how supportive my platform is, I don’t think there’s anything I could say or do to show you guy how much I appreciate each and every single one of you. I just don’t understand why it’s so difficult for people to just consider this topic as a common courtesy thing. Ex. don’t make people wait on you (ever, this is my biggest pet peeve, I have an entire video rant I did a year ago on this), don’t cancel last minute, don’t be a no show, use your manners (please and thank you still go a long way in today’s day and age), support content creators. (And if you’re gonna come into my inbox upset about my common courtesy examples, then gtfo. Everyone should have manners, like y’all weren’t raised as barbarians, I’m almost positive about that.)

FYI: If you’re struggling to get recognition/notes/support with your work (art, writing, edits, etc) then my post is about you because reblogging helps you. I’m not picking a side, I’m not talking about me, I’m simply a (loud) voice.

You do not get to go into someone’s inbox, or comment on someone’s shitpost, and tell them what kind of a person they are based on an assumption. And you most certainly do not get to do that to me. I know what kind of person I am. I know I have my flaws, and I know that I can be really blunt and straight-forward, and I know that scares a lot of people. But I’m also really kind, and empathetic, and believe in karma. Do to others whatever you would like them to do to you. I get a lot of support and kind words and feedback on my writing, and I like reciprocating and giving that back. I’m a very big believer in supporting content creators, because at the end of the day, what we do? Is hard.

Working media programs for image and video manipulation? Hard. Working with crappy colouring and low quality content to create an edit? Hard. Stringing together words that both create mental visual images and piece together to tell a story? Hard. Drawing accurate depictions of characters? Hard.

I was in an Arts program for high school. I graduated from that program with a double major and a minor (red seal certified), honors in English, and with a business certificate of endorsement. I have friends from every place on the arts spectrum. Believe me when I say that what we do is not easy; it is time consuming, it is exhausting, and I can guarantee there is no one more excited about our work than ourselves, and we are our hardest critiques - but we love sharing what we do with everyone else.

So no, I don’t believe it’s a far-fetched idea that people LIKE receiving recognition for something they created. What a concept.

As for the other content creators on my post talking about how they hate people like me for ‘whining’ - okay, just because you enjoy creating and releasing for the heck of it, doesn’t mean there isn’t someone working off commission and working hard to get themselves out there. As someone who’s interested in pursuing an actual career in this field, I have a very strong opinion about this topic. We all start somewhere. Being in this field of work (the arts specifically), whether you’re looking to make money or otherwise, is exhausting, time consuming and emotionally/mentally draining. It’s not a far-fetched or improbable idea that someone starts their career for their passion here, by creating a foundation and platform for their work, and putting themselves out there. Again, if you wanna post for the sake of posting, congrats, you do you, I don’t have anything at all against you; I’m still gonna support you bc that’s who I am and what I think is right. Personally, as a content creator, I feel pretty good when I attract new readers/followers bc the content I reblog/post interests them.

I don’t need validation. I don’t need encouragement. I don’t need any of the above; I’m very good at what I do, I’m very confident in that, but I understand that not everyone is, and sometimes a little goes a long way, y’know?

And then ofc I have the odd person/reply that’s talking about advertising and comparing the example I used in the OP to statistics and how 485 likes to 34 reblogs is normal in terms of exposure - homie, this is Tumblr. This isn’t Marketing 101. My work is not ADVERTISEMENT, it’s original RELEASED CONTENT. There is a big difference between the two.

Basically, I said sharing is caring and y’all are offended and mad at me. Drink a Kool-Aid Jammer and simmer down, sisters.

#answered: ooc #long post #shitpost #rant #i swear to god if this gives me heat too #im gonna turn off my inbox for the rest of the week #at least the anon option #watch how many people stop bothering me then #smh #this is a waste of time.#Anonymous #save #im seriously gonna hate myself for this #like really gonna hate myself for this #I already know #but here it goes.

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yourkeeperoftherunners · 7 years

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I’ll Be Your Merman Pt. 2

Summary: AU He’s a merman who is being pushed by his parents to find a suitable mate. You were enjoying a day at the pier skateboarding when you met. “I’ll play Ariel if you’ll be my Princess.”

Rating: PG-13 (Minor language)

Characters: Reader x Merman! Baekhyun, Merman! Chanyeol, Merman! Xiumin, Merman! Chen

Notes: Slightly inspired by a friend’s fictional mermaid drabble and an idea I came up with. You asked for a part 2 – hope you guys enjoy!

Shout outs to @listenthemoose and @bubblehobi for reading and reblogging the first part – Thank you!

Part 1 –> link

“Baek...mmph! It’s...oh you’ve got to be kidding me,” you grumbled as you stared at the digital readout on your alarm clock, “4:52 in the morning! Can’t – yawn! – can’t this wait a little?”

“No, it’s almost sunrise and I wanna watch it with you!” Baekhyun said as he pressed his shell phone closer to his ear. “Can you come now?”

You muttered a string of complaints and a few swear words under your breath as you sat up and threw back the covers, searching for shoes and your skateboard. You rubbed a hand across your face and sighed. “Okay I’ll be there in...10 minutes. Oh and I’m not getting in the water for this – it’s too fucking early to get in a freezing cold ocean!”

He pouted, jutting his lip out as he began to swim back and forth. “But how are we gonna enjoy it together? And P.S. the water’s not that cold, Princess!”

“Ha, for you it isn’t!” you snorted as you slipped on a sweatshirt and quietly reached for your smartphone and keys. You put them into your pocket and closed the door to your house behind you, walking a short distance from your neighborhood before dropping your skateboard to the ground and stepping on. Secretly you were glad it was too early for anyone to be up – if they had seen you holding a shell to your ear at this hour, they’d think you were nuts.

It had been a few weeks since the adorable merman had tossed you his number and struck up a conversation about trying to hold onto your youth before you were both forced to be adults. His problem was his parents wanting him to find a mate soon and settle down, while you were trying to wrap things up on your studies and figure out what you wanted to do with your life. You had talked a lot over shell phone but it had been a while since you hung out in person.

“Baekhyun-ah, are you hanging out with her again?” Chanyeol asked as he watched his friend swim back and forth, shell phone in hand.

Baek nodded as you told him that you’d see him soon. He stuffed the shell into his messenger bag and gestured for Chanyeol to swim with him to the surface. Chanyeol tilted his head and glanced up at the surface.

“You sure?” Chanyeol asked.

Baekhyun rolled his eyes and grabbed his friend’s arm, dragging him along as he began to ascend. “It’s not like you had anything better to do! Come on, Y/N’s really great and I know you’re gonna get along great.”

“Baek where are you?” you called out in a hushed voice. You had skateboarded to a dock where a few private yachts and small personal boats were tied up. Just as you were starting to take a seat at the edge, you felt a wet hand tug on your ankle and you jumped at the contact. Baekhyun popped his head up from the water and smirked, raising his other hand in greeting. Chanyeol came up beside him and shyly waved at you.

“Y/N, this is my best friend Chanyeol,” Baekhyun said as he gestured to the other merman. “Chan, this is Y/N.”

“Hi, nice to meet Baek’s best friend,” you said with a smile.

Chanyeol returned the smile and shamelessly eyed your legs, starting from your ankles and ending at your thighs. “Nice to meet the girl Baek’s been calling a lot…nice legs by the way,” he murmured with a wink.

You ducked your head, feeling your ears burn at the compliment and Baekhyun pouted, nudging Chanyeol in the arm.

“Yah! Stop flirting with her!” Baekhyun whined.

Chanyeol snorted as he placed both hands on the dock and hoisted himself up so he could take a seat next to you. “Like you haven’t checked her legs out Baekhyun-ah.”

Baek opened his mouth to say something while you giggled, watching as his face flushed pink. He gestured to the remaining space on the dock between you and Chanyeol before pulling himself out of the water and sitting down. He wrapped his arms around you and your eyes widened at the sudden action.

“She’s my friend – no flirting with her!” Baek declared as he squeezed you. “And no looking at her in that way!”

You laughed as you stroked the top of Baekhyun’s head. “Aww, is my little merman getting jealous?”

Baekhyun started to pout at the comment until he felt your fingers running through his hair and brushing his ears. His eyes fluttered and he let out a little sigh, his cheeks warming. Chanyeol pretended to look disgusted and he nudged Baekhyun’s arm.

“Ugh, get a room hyung!” Chanyeol said with a shake of his head. “I’m an innocent merman who hasn’t been mated!”

“Please, you know what happens when mermen and mermaids mate! They teach this to us in school!” Baekhyun snorted, rolling his eyes.

“Hey guys, I thought we were gonna watch the sun come up,” you interrupted them, not wanting to hear the rest of the mating talk. “Look!”

Baekhyun snapped his head to the horizon and straightened up when he saw light starting to peek out. You stopped stroking Baek’s head and turned toward the horizon as the last traces of the dark sky began to give way to pinks and gold. Chanyeol stared with wide eyes as the sun slowly began to slip up into the sky and he sighed with a smile on his face. You couldn’t help but smile too as light began to spread out and up.

“I forgive you for waking me up so early Baek,” you murmured. “This was definitely worth getting up for. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said as he looked over at you. He scanned your outfit and huffed. “But I was hoping you were gonna come swim with me after!”

“I told you! Too. Fucking. Early. To. Swim,” you stated, crossing your arms over your chest. “So how are things under the sea?”

“Life is the bubbles!” Chanyeol joked. “Just like that movie you humans watch!”

Baekhyun groaned at Chanyeol’s pun and grumbled that he was spending too much time around Suho. “Aish, you’re gonna start sounding like a dad with bad dad jokes like him! He’s not that funny!”

“He tries! I think he’s funny!” Chanyeol shot back.

“Yeah, just you and Xiumin though,” Baekhyun snorted. He shot you an apologetic look and rested his palms on the deck, leaning back. “Ah...my mom and dad won’t stop asking me to find a mate. They’ve named some of the worst matches possible and I don’t know how much more I can take of it.”

“By worst, how bad are we talking?” you asked.

Baekhyun straightened up and pretended to flick imaginary strands of long hair around while making faces. He took on a high-pitched voice and mimicked many of the potential mermaids he dated or met at his parent’s request.

“You’re…a boy Baekhyun – I need a real merman! Aish, you’re too skinny, you need to do more hard work! Your family’s rich right? Ah that’s probably why you’re asking me – Mommy’s rich boy needs a girl and no one would look at him unless he had money!”

Chanyeol doubled over laughing as Baekhyun adopted a snooty look for his last impression and you shook your head at hearing some of the things said to him.

“Were they really that bitchy to you?” you asked.

Baekhyun nodded and you stared at him in disbelief. Sure Baekhyun wasn’t an overly macho bodybuilder of a merman but the guy had nice biceps and he did have abs. You loved his long lashes and the way his lips would jut out when he pouted or smiled cutely at you. Plus he understood your struggles and you sympathized with his.

“Umma wants me to be happy but I don’t wanna rush things,” Baekhyun sighed as he cupped his chin in his hands. “Our friend Xiumin went into an arranged mating and that didn’t end well. She left him before they could have kids – said he was too clingy but I know she had her eye on someone else for a while.”

“Poor guy,” you murmured.

Chanyeol cocked his head and looked over at you. “How about you Y/N? What’s up with you and the human world?”

You scrunched up your nose and pulled your knees up to hug them. “Oh I just finished my second to last year of college. Need to start thinking about my senior thesis, but not sure what I want to do it on. My mom isn’t forcing me to find anyone yet, but I think she’s worried about what I’m going to do with myself after graduation. My sister went off to the Air Force and she’s already been given several higher ranks and better pay. Plus it feels like a lot of my friends are already getting married or having kids.”

“Air Force?” Chanyeol asked. “Are those the things I see in the sky that look like faceless birds but not quite?”

“Um sort of Chan,” you admitted. “I think you saw regular airplanes – those take people to faraway places in a short period of time. The Air Force is part of a protection squad that the government relies on if there are any threats to the country – they are trained to fly small planes and to look for signs of threats or trouble from the skies. It’s hard to get into and it’s very rigorous but people like my sister love challenges like that. She’s away from home a lot because she has to live on a base close to work but she’ll visit sometimes.”

“You miss her?” Baekhyun asked.

You nodded and replied that it had been a few years since you saw her since she was unable to go on leave. “I know my mom is proud of her like I am, but she also worries about me doing something productive with my life after school.” You looked over your shoulder to make sure no one else was coming onto the dock to try to take a boat out early. Luckily, it was still early enough that even the elite was sleeping in.

“How much longer are you guys allowed to be up here before they notice?” you asked.

“Eh we have some time,” Chanyeol replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “As long as we don’t get caught by humans and cause a scene, we can do just about anything we want.” He yawned and stretched his long arms out, wincing when his stomach growled. “Sorry guys, I’m hungry.”

“I could eat too,” Baekhyun admitted. “Wanna catch our breakfast?”

“Hyung, Y/N doesn’t wanna eat raw fish,” Chanyeol groaned as he slapped his forehead. “Or I dunno, maybe you do.”

You shook your head and tried to think of something nearby you could grab. Then it hit you.

“Hey, you guys have pancakes down there?” you asked.

You were greeted with identical confused looks and you giggled as both tilted their heads, trying to figure out what you were asking about. “I’ll take that as a no then? Well I know I shouldn’t encourage unhealthy eating habits but I know a place not far from here that makes amazing pancakes – I’ll just grab some and we can split. Sound good?”

“Is she back yet?” Chanyeol whispered from his position under the dock.

“I think I see her,” Baekhyun said as he peeked up at the sound of a skateboard rolling towards them. Both had returned to the water, Chanyeol hiding under the dock while Baek kept a look out.

You picked up your board and held out the takeout box containing 9 fluffy pancakes cooked to golden brown perfection. “Brought syrup too in case. Oh and I like to put Nutella on mine – sorry, it’s a weird habit I picked up from my sister,” you said as you sat down and opened the box. You doled out three to each of them before tearing a piece off one and dunking it into a to-go packet of Nutella spread.

Chanyeol took one, studying it and taking a small bite. He chewed thoughtfully before ripping a larger piece off to enjoy. “It’s like a cloud!” he whooped with a goofy smile. “So soft and not too sweet! Oh can I have some of that syrup please?” You passed over the plastic cup with the maple syrup and explained what it was to him.

Baekhyun was slowly eating his and he tapped your knee, pointing to the Nutella. “I wanna try some – what is it?”

You held out the container and he scooped a small glob of it onto his piece. “It’s a chocolate hazelnut spread,” you explained.

He took a bite of the Nutella covered piece, small smears of the spread ending up on the corners of his lips. He licked them and polished off the piece with a smile. “I really like that! May I have more please?”

You pulled out another to-go packet and opened it for Baekhyun to use. You held one out to Chanyeol but he politely declined, saying he was enjoying them with the syrup or plain.

“Best morning ever,” Chanyeol murmured as he finished. “Saw the sunrise, ate pancakes, met Baekhyun’s cute friend.” He grinned widely at you and Baekhyun puffed his cheeks out.

“Waeeeeeeeeee! I said no flirting!” Baekhyun complained as he threw a piece of pancake at Chanyeol. The latter caught the piece before it could land in the water, smirking as he popped it into his mouth.

“Hey no fighting! Don’t waste pancakes!” you protested as you held your hands up.

Baekhyun huffed as he finished his pancakes and you bit your lip when you saw he still had a little smear of Nutella at the corner of his lips.

“Baek, you’ve got a little…”

“Get it off then,” Baek teased with a smirk.

You blushed before digging around in your pocket for a napkin, leaning forward to wipe the smear off. Baekhyun pouted slightly and you tilted your head.

“Aish, hyung!” Chanyeol murmured with a shake of his head. He slapped his forehead and then it dawned on you.

“Oh...” you said as you looked at Baekhyun. Your face felt warm and you nervously tucked a strand of hair behind your ear. You leaned forward, hands gripping the edge of the dock when you froze hearing someone whistle a sea tune. Taking that as their signal to leave, Baekhyun and Chanyeol quietly slipped under the surface of the water and you started cleaning up the mess from breakfast.

“Excuse me, do you have a boat here or are you waiting for one of the owners?” a voice asked as you straightened up. You turned and saw it was a fisherman who must have had one of his boats tied to the dock. You ducked your head and apologized, stating that you liked to come down to the docks to sit and eat breakfast.

“I didn’t know this was a private dock – I’ll leave sir,” you said.

The fisherman shrugged and waved it away as nothing. “Easy mistake to make lass,” he said. “You can stay as long as you like. I just need to know in case someone asks.”

You showed him the trash from breakfast and excused yourself with a smile, board in one hand and trash in the other.

“That was close hyung!” Chanyeol hissed as they swam back to their village.

“He was far away – I heard the whistle!” Baekhyun insisted. “By the way, why were you flirting with Y/N?”

Chanyeol shrugged and raised his brows. “Kinda hard not to – she’s really fun to hang out with and it doesn’t hurt that she’s pretty to look at.” He tilted his head and smirked. “Wait, is she…the one?”

“Waeeeee?!” Baekhyun sputtered with a shake of his head. “I mean, I really care about her and I could tell she was uncomfortable! You shouldn’t have continued to flirt with her – you saw how she reacted!”

“Uh huh, sure,” Chanyeol snorted as he crossed his arms over his chest. “You know that she could join us someday if she wanted.”

Baekhyun groaned as he began to head toward Chen and Xiumin’s place. “You and your movies – aish Chan, there’s no sea witch to make her a mermaid!”

Chanyeol rolled his eyes and followed after him. “Baekhyun-ah, that’s not what I meant! If you paid attention to the textbook, you would have seen a passage on binding promises between mermaids and humans.”

Baekhyun froze and lingered back, glancing over his shoulder in disbelief. He scrunched his brows up as he tried to recall where that section was in their texts and bit his lip.

Chanyeol smiled smugly as he drew himself up and recalled the content, “If a human locks eyes with a mermaid or merman and they ask a favor or make a promise in the form of a question, they are bound to fulfill it.”

“If they don’t?”

“Actually…no one knows,” Chanyeol replied as his shoulders sagged. “The humans try to hold up their end of the bargain in the end. I mean, I don’t know if that could make her into a mermaid but maybe if she felt the same and kept her promise…”

Baekhyun paused, rubbing the back of his neck as he recalled your first meeting with him, specifically the moment he asked if you could keep his tail and species a secret. Wait, had he actually made you swear to a binding promise without realizing it?

“How’d the recent date go?” Chen asked Baekhyun over drinks.

“New topic please.”

“You’re being too picky Baekhyun-ah!” Chen whined as he swirled his glass around.

Xiumin leaned over and rested a hand on Chen’s arm, shooting him a look. Chen bit his lip and ducked his head, muttering that he spoke too quickly.

Xiumin glanced over at Baekhyun and leaned his arms on the counter. “Baekhyun-ah, don’t rush into it,” he murmured before picking up his glass. “Learn from your hyung’s mistake.”

“See any cute humans to steal more bikini tops from?” Chen teased.

Baek shook his head and swallowed the rest of his drink. He chewed on his lip and debated whether he dare tell them about you. Chanyeol he could trust because they had been best friends since they were kids. But these two…

“I didn’t,” Baekhyun admitted. He kept his eyes on his glass as he continued, “But I met a cool human girl who rides a skateboard. She gave me some pancakes for breakfast.”

“What is a pancake?” Chen demanded as he put his glass down a little too loudly.

“Does she…?” Xiumin asked.

Baekhyun kept his eyes glued to the glass and Xiumin took his silence as a yes.

“She promised to keep my secret,” Baek added. “She looked me in the eye when she made the promise.”

“Ah binding promises – I’ve only read about them,” Xiumin said with a nod. “She sounds cool. I’m guessing she’s not very girly or into frills then?”

Baek shook his head and smiled fondly as he recalled your outfit from this morning – hair was messily pulled back, oversized sweatshirt with a faded logo on the front, shorts, and sneakers without laces. Nothing was fancy or shiny about your look but he could tell you looked comfortable and he liked that about you.

“She’s…very casual but comfortable with what she does and looks like,” Baekhyun said. “Thoughtful but a little unapologetic at times. Not fond of facing responsibilities head on but she knows they need to happen or be done.”

“So she’s a female version of you?” Chen concluded with a smirk. He yelped when Baekhyun smacked him in the arm and Xiumin shook his head at them.

“Anyone else know about her?” Xiumin asked. “Correction – aside from us and Chanyeol?”

Baekhyun shook his head and Xiumin nodded.

“Probably for the best,” Chen added. “Last thing you want is to have something happen like that human movie with the redheaded mermaid.”

“Aish, why must we talk about that?” Baek sighed, shaking his head.

“You were up early,” your mom commented at dinner that night.

You nodded and reached for the pepper shaker across the table. “Sorry – a friend of mine wanted to watch the sunrise today and I thought I’d join him. It was really beautiful – I’m glad I went.”

Your mom smiled and relaxed her shoulders, your answer giving her relief. It was better than you staying cooped up inside on your phone or computer doing hell knows what like other young adults, but she had to worry like a good mother did.

“Sounds like this is a good friend,” she replied. “Have I met them before?”

You shook your head and replied that you happened to meet by chance. It was kind of true but you told yourself to not tell her about the merman part. Your gut told you it would be a bad idea if you did.

“New friends are always good,” your mom replied, letting it slide. “Oh I forgot to ask – how is Sam doing? Did you guys have fun when you saw him?”

You paused from stabbing a piece of asparagus and bit your lip. You had forgotten all about Sam and you slowly put your fork down.

“Um…I didn’t skateboard with him,” you said. “Turns out he forgot all about our hangout and he was going to have lunch with his fiancé.”

“Wow already? Sam must really like this girl,” your mom mused as she raised her glass to take a sip. “Although it’s very unlike him to forget – I thought I remembered him as being very punctual and good with schedules.”

“People change Mom,” you muttered as you continued eating dinner. “May I please be excused?”

She nodded and you thanked her before clearing your plate, kissing her on the forehead.

“Yah Y/N! Didn’t anyone tell you it’s not wise to swim at night?” Baekhyun scolded you as he swam up to the secluded area of the beach you asked him to meet you at. He leaned on a rock and studied your expression. “Everything all right?”

“I just could use a friend if that’s ok,” you admitted as you put down your skateboard. You slipped off your sneakers and socks before tugging your sweatshirt off to reveal your bathing suit.

Baek’s eyes widened and he parted his lips in surprise, a faint blush crossing his cheeks. “Wae? Are you going to come swim with me?”

You nodded as you tied your hair back and began wading into the water, wincing as you tried to adjust to coldness. “How can – FUCK! – you stand thhhhhhiiiiissss?” you asked, teeth chattering.

Baekhyun tried not to laugh at you and he moved away from the rock, trying to swim as close as he could without stranding himself in the shallow waters. He held a hand out to you and you clenched your teeth as you pushed ahead, ignoring the freezing sensation of the water.

“Awww Y/N, come here,” he said as he pulled you close to him in a hug, trying to warm you up. “Is this helping?”

“Mmhm,” you mumbled as you wrapped your arms around his body. “Geez mermen are really warm!”

“I think you mean…hot,” Baek teased.

“Shut up!”

“Okay, okay I’ll stop,” Baek sighed as he rubbed your arms to try to warm them up. “Is something wrong though?”

“I think I’m just stressed about everything,” you murmured. “Everyone’s growing up too fast and I feel like I’m not. Like I’m a failure at being an adult. I mean, I’m still living at home but it’s only because it’s cheaper than school housing and I haven’t worked a real desk job before but –”

“Y/N I still live at home,” Baekhyun interrupted as he took your shoulders and turned you to face him. “I’m one of the youngest in my friends and I haven’t taken any of the mating stuff seriously. I’m not working because my parents aren’t letting me until I find someone. They don’t even support me singing because they think it’s a waste.”

“But Baekhyun you have a beautiful voice,” you said. “I wish others could hear it too.”

“I’m just glad you heard it,” he murmured with a smile. “You’re not alone – remember that. I’m here for you okay?”

You closed your eyes and smiled as you squeezed him in another hug. “I’m here for you too.”

#Byun Baekhyun #EXO Baekhyun imagine #Baekhyun imagine #EXO Baekhyun #EXO AU #EXO imagine #Mermaid AU #EXO #yourkeeperoftherunners original #number 2006

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