#It’s only fun when people are like. Pleasantly baffled

[teaboot]

How does it feel to be famous?

I don’t think I can answer that but being big on Tumblr specifically is like if someone took a photo of the Hindenburg crashing and put it in a newspaper and you were in the foreground making a weird face so for the next hundred years every so often someone would reference your dumb expression or use the picture in a meme and you’d happen to see it unexpectedly and be like “oh yeah”

[jungkooklover777]

𝐼’𝑣𝑒 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑚𝑦 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝑜𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ; benjamin (ben) “benny” miller | one-shot |

summary: one mildly disorienting night opens your heart to your best friend.

pairing: introvert!fem!reader x ben miller.

trope: best friends to potential lovers.

genre: fluff + a few drops of angst.

warnings‼️: reader gets roofied + crude language + details alluding to a bar fight + 2 mentions of blood + reader & ben r in their mid-late 20's.

word count: 3,305.

random disclaimerrr: inspired by this post. i’m so attracted to this man. he’s so fine. like hella super duper ultra mega fine. i got carried away but all in good fun. edit: here’s the sequel! happy reading! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ ♡ © 2025 @jungkooklover777

You've heard of high school and college class reunions. Now get ready for military class reunions!

Ben received word through a digital invite (e-vite) and begged you to go with him.

You never said no, just that you were hesitant.

You see, you're the total opposite of your best friend.

He's fearless, outgoing, and the physical embodiment of the sun— in the sense that he lights up every room he enters. People smile and laugh more around him.

You're cautious, reserved, and are a creature of the night; much like the moon. You have a certain charm that exudes organized chaos.

“Pleaseee.” He reminded you of a stubborn child, not that he isn't one. “You know I'd never ask you if it was meaningless.”

That right there is what made you rethink your previous position.

It's true, Ben had never asked you to do anything that he deemed wasn't worth your time.

You've been friends for a long time, almost 12 years! This is the least you can do.

“Fine.” You murmured, picking at a loose thread on your sweater.

His smile is something worth framing. He laughed boisterously and picked you up in his arms, whirling you around.

You giggled nonetheless at his rambunctious behavior.

And now you're here, standing in a flowy sundress with the hem stopping just an inch above your knees.

Your hair is styled just the way you like it, your makeup enhancing your confidence to show your face in a room full of people you'd otherwise be intimidated by.

Otherwise because he'll be there every step of the way, looking at out for you without leaving your side.

Ben stares at you, his blue eyes soft on your form.“Lookin’ pretty.” His gruff voice gently sounds.

He wants you to know what he thinks. He wants you to know because you are.

“Thank you.” You say as you avoid eye contact.

You're diffident when it comes to compliments. You bashfully smile and look down as you accept them but it's something about his compliments that create an extra layer of timidness.

You think it's because of his tenacity towards you. He won't move on until you accept it.

You hear the heavy thunks of his boots come towards you and you're inclined to look up.

Ben leans on the wall next to him, his arms crossed over his chest.

He's wearing all black: plain black tee with black cargo pants and black combat boots.

All that's missing is a black baseball cap and he's solid, you joke to yourself.

“You, um… you look good.” You try.

Handsome.

He chuckles, nodding to himself while his ears burn. “Thanks.”

Something catches the light from his wrist, your gaze flickers towards it and are pleasantly surprised to see him wearing the watch you got him when he came back from a mission a couple of years ago.

“You like it?” You'd asked, excited to see his reaction to getting the watch he'd been eyeing for quite some time.

Ben just stared at you in awe, like you'd gotten him the moon and stars. He hugged you tight, pressing a chaste kiss to your temple and whispering an ‘I love it’ into the side of your head.

His actions left you dazed for a week.

“I thought you would've lost that watch.” You poke at his tendency to lose expensive things in the most baffling ways.

He just shrugs. “You gave it to me.”

Ben admits that like it’s the only reason he hasn’t lost it yet.

Gifts from you hold meaning beyond materialistic value to him. It’s proof that he’s seen and heard.

Of course, you’re touched and he’s rendered you speechless once again.

“Come on, don’t wanna be late.”

The reunion’s at a nice restaurant with a great bar. You frequent this place often with Ben.

“See, it isn’t so bad.” He says as he pulls up to a parking spot.

Ben puts one hand behind the headrest of your seat and turns back to reverse park.

He’s a natural with 1 hand doing the steering, but it also makes him look even more attractive.

You fiddle with your rings in your lap and try not to think about how good he looks, how nice he smells.

Having a crush is so annoying, you complain internally.

What you don’t know is that despite having a camera built in for the very reason of not having to look back, he doesn’t use it around you.

Ben always makes sure to pull this move because he clocks your reaction the entire time.

Is he being kind of a jerk? Yes. Can he be blamed for wanting to show off for someone as beautiful, compassionate, and unique as you? Nope!

You two walk in and are immediately hit with the lively atmosphere. Conversation, country music and the steady stream of laughter all mix in together well.

Ben’s hand finds yours and you feel your heart stuttering in your chest. His palm slides on top of yours effortlessly, interlocking fingers. A squeeze of I’m here.

He leads the way with ease, already spotting his kind of people.

They hug him and you let go of his grasp, but he decides only for a moment.

They pat his back with pride and affection, offering to buy drinks and putting it on their tab without hearing what he has to say about it.

“Guys, this is Y/n.”

3 pairs of eyes rest on you and you feel your hands getting clammy already.

“Hi.” You say with a small wave.

They all smile at your sweet introduction.

“Y/n, this is Santiago.” Ben points towards a man with a light stubble, dark hair with faint strokes of gray, and equally dark eyes.

“Nice to meet you.” Santiago says as he reaches out to shake your hand.

“Nice to meet you, too.” You smile kindly.

An older man with a full beard stands up, extending his hand and welcome. “Tom Davis.” He says as you shake his hand.

“Y/n L/n.” You smile.

“And this is Frankie.”

You follow who's next in line and are met with a nice pair of eyes, ones that contain a steady calmness.

“Hello.”

“Hi.” He says back warmly.

“And that's it. This is my crew.”

You tilt your head slightly in confusion. “What about Willy?”

Santiago accidentally snorts, his drink comes down the wrong pipe and causes him to erupt into a small fit of coughs. Frankie hits his back hard with one loud smack, and soothes it by running his palm over it.

“Willy?” Tom parrots, so clearly amused at the choice of name.

“Yeah. It's my nickname for him.” You explain shyly.

You don't pick up on the fact that Tom and Santiago think it's funny but that's alright.

If looks can kill, Ben would've been a serial killer a long time ago.

“Willy's coming later.” Ben answers while maintaining eye contact with the two.

You nod to yourself, feeling a bit awkward. “I'm gonna go get a drink.”

Ben looks at you. Want me to come with?

You communicate with him through your own eyes. No, I'll be okay. Promise.

He nods once, only letting you out of his eyes when he sees you sit down on a stool.

“Holy shit, you're whipped!” Santiago laughs in disbelief.

Ben rolls his eyes, his defense ready on the tip of his tongue against the very true allegation.

“What, I can't care for my friend now?” He retorts with a quirked eyebrow.

Tom enters the discussion. “No, no. You absolutely can. It's just that she seems to be a special kind of friend,” He brings his beer up to his lips before pausing. “If you know what I mean.” He winks slyly and fuels Santiago’s rumbling laughter.

Frankie shakes his head at the duo's ridulousness.“Alright, alright. She can be just a girl who's a friend.”

“Thank you.” Ben exasperatedly puts his hands out towards the mellower man.

“But even I have to bite. How long you know her for?”

Fuck.

Every bit of gratitude Ben had for Frankie went out the window. He knows once he opens this can of worms, there's no putting them back.

Ben exhales deeply. “Just about half of our lives.”

Santiago almost flips the table. “WHAT?!”

“There's no fucking way.” Tom deadpans.

Frankie rolls his eyes and sighs. “Why'd I even ask.”

“Guys, guys, wait. Hear me out—”

“Are you fucking shitting me right now?” Tom's voice booms over his plea.

“I mean seriously, Benny, this is,” Santiago scoffs incredulously. “A low blow.”

He's honestly impressed with how long he’s kept you a secret from them yet a little disheartened.

Frankie doesn't say anything, wanting to hear Ben's explanation. He knows his friend and understands that maybe there's a good reason.

“Just let him talk.” William's voice echoes through their ears.

“Oh great, Willy's come to the rescue.” Tom jokes.

“You just get here?” Ben asks, surprised to his older brother so early on into the night.

“I've been here. You didn't get my message?”

The younger Miller fishes his phone out of his pocket and finds his message sent to him a little over an hour ago.

“Saw Y/n and talked with her for a little bit.” William looks back at you, smiling when he sees you look at him.

You both wave to each other and he thinks about how endearing you are. You’re the little sister he’s always wanted.

Ben is thinking and he realizes why he didn't see it before. “I was with Y/n, we were getting ready.”

This had never happened before. Missing his older brother's text? Leaving it unanswered?

Maybe you have casted a spell on him.

“Uhh... you good over there?” Santiago asks.

Ben nods swiftly. “Yeah, yeah. I’m good.”

Will prods as he grabs a drink. “So, you were saying?”

Ben sits down, already feeling a headache coming on.

“Y/n isn't like us. She’s shy, quiet, likes her alone time. Our friendship is something that took a lot of time, a lot of effort.”

He turns around to spot you and turns back around when he sees you're doing fine.

Although, you’re anything but.

The guy next to you won’t stop rambling on about how much money he makes and how his job is so demanding.

A narcissist in the making, you amuse yourself.

It’s when you pay your tab and move to go back does he shut the fuck up.

“Wait, I didn’t even get to buy you a drink.” He sleazily smiles.

You keep it pushing. “No, thank you. I’ve had enough for one night.”

The double entendre flies over his head as expected but he’s relentless.

“Oh come on, it’s just one drink. It won’t hurt.”

You take a moment to see how Ben’s doing and when you see him smile, you don’t want to go back and make it awkward.

But you also don’t want to be in the presence of this buffoon.

“Fine. One drink.” You draw the line clearly.

You didn’t see how he made eye contact with the bartender and what it meant.

“Atta girl.”

Your skin crawls at the repulsive taste his comment leaves in your mouth.

A shirley temple is placed on a napkin in front of you and you take a sip from the short, narrow straw.

Tastes okay, you conclude.

As you sip from the drink, his yammering begins.

You don't have it in you to roll your eyes anymore.

Now that you think about it, you don't have a lot of energy. At least not as much from the beginning of your night.

You don't feel like doing anything, you feel sluggish and uncoordinated.

Oh my god, you think. They just fucking roofied me.

You leave your drink and get up, instantly regretting it as your knees feel weak. You anchor yourself on the counter, noticing the stranger's attempt at trying to reach out to you to hold your unbalanced self.

You need to get away from him. Right-the-fuck-now.

“Ben.” You weakly call out.

Your ears feel muffled, like someone dumped your head underwater and led the liquid right into your ear canals.

Your voice comes out raspy and soft, despite your trying efforts.

Cotton mouth. Great.

At least your brain isn't too fuzzy.

You sense the stranger coming closer to you, saying shit you don't care to hear in an attempt to touch you and take you somewhere secluded.

You muster up all your strength to call out to your best friend but it's of no use as it's in your head.

But you feel him. His careful hands are on your waist, easing you back down on the stool.

You look up, eyes suddenly becoming bleary and almost sober up when you see the events unfolding in front of you in real time.

Ben is out for blood.

He punches the sick fuck in the mouth, blood pooling in already, just from one punch.

Santiago, Tom, Frankie, and William are on the scene as well. They have his back when it comes to you.

The sounds of glass breaking, people screaming, and the music abruptly coming to a stop serves as an entirely different atmosphere.

You stand up, wanting to distance yourself from the rowdiness.

You make it outside and away from any trouble.

You hear him this time.

“Y/n?”

You can't trust your judgement. Is this real or an effect of a possibly psychedelic drug serving as a date-rape roofie?

“Y/n, can you hear me?”

Ben's frantic, he wants to touch you but is anxious he'll scare you away.

You force your eyes open, blinking hard and shaking yourself awake.

Your vision clears up just a bit, allowing you to see him.

“Benny?” You breathe in sharply.

“Yeah, it's me. It's me, it's just me.”

He’s redundant in hopes of you letting him take care of you.

Ben inches closer, his hands hesitantly come up and grab your shoulders. When he feels you relax, he brings you flush against him.

He sighs as your face lays on his chest, he can't help kissing your forehead.

“It's okay, you're okay. You're alright.”

He's mostly saying it to himself but it helps ground you.

“Take me home. Please.” You whimper.

Ben's heart squeezes in anger, he curses at himself. How could he let this happen?

“I gotchu, I gotcha. Don't worry.”

You're losing control of your motor skills, your body falling onto him more and more subconsciously.

He notices though. He always does.

“Can you walk?” His panicked eyes rake over your form for the thousandth time, making sure he's not missing something.

You shake your head as the world spins, not feeling like answering him.

“That's alright, don’t worry. I gotchu.”

You feel his hands reposition themselves on your body; one on your back and the other under your knees.

“Wait-wait, don't! I-I'm too heavy.” You blurt out.

Ben stares at you like you just told him you can't be his friend anymore. His turquoise eyes are sad and unwilling to believe this is how you see yourself.

Even in your most vulnerable state, you manage to hurt yourself but your best friend tends the wounds.

“I can bench you plus another twenty pounds anytime, any day of the damn week. You understand?”

He's stern yet gentle, soft but with a no-nonsense attitude.

You don't shy away from his heated gaze. For the first time, you see yourself in his eyes and when you do; you finally understand him when he says you're beautiful.

“Y/n? You with me?” His eyes dart back and forth between yours.

You nod nimbly and murmur, “Yeah… I am.”.

You prepare yourself for him to lift you, both arms around his neck to stable your disorientated self.

He lifts you so effortlessly, so carefully.

Ben looks straight ahead as he walks to his car but you’re too busy staring at him.

You analyze his face, one you’ve seen so many times yet can never get tired of.

You smell the aftershave and even though he shaved earlier, you spot the beginning of a stubble growing along the sides of his chin and cheek.

A faint trail of hair trickles down from his nose and expands above his upper lip, adding to his charm.

The curve of his nose is delicate, like he was crafted carefully from stone. A little scar is stamped on his cheekbone, you don’t know how you haven’t seen it before.

Maybe it’s from a recent mission or something.

“Stop staring, you’re gonna make me drop you.”

He turns to you momentarily with a smirk and you blink, a small grin gracing your lips.

Ben opens the door and sets you down, coming in close to put your seatbelt on you.

“I can do it.” You mumble.

“I know.” He says. “I just want to do it for you.”

He kisses the spot above your left brow and you melt inside.

He has to stop kissing your face or you’ll fall in love with him.

Love, you think. Maybe I do love him.

As he drives you home, you recall this once-nervy evening now turned into a shit-show.

After everything that’s happened, not once did he show annoyance or aggravation towards you. Not once did he blame you for accepting the drink or tell you to do anything differently.

Does that mean he’s thinking it?

He’s not. He’s blaming himself and how he should’ve been more careful.

Ben’s not gonna let you out of his sight anymore.

You stare at him hazily as he drives, one hand on the steering and the other one holding your hand in comfort.

“Almost there, okay? Don’t fall asleep on me now.”

He wants you to despite his words. He wants you to sleep so you can’t see how holding you affects him. He wants you to be blissfully unaware of what your staring does to him, what you do to him.

“I won’t.” You promise.

He lays you down on your bed and your eyelids flutter.

You’re fighting the urge to sleep because you’re debating if you should tell him or not.

There’s always tomorrow but you don’t know if you’ll feel this urgency again. You just don’t want it to be too late.

“Ben?” You softly call out to him.

He walks out of your bathroom with a damp rag, setting it on your forehead to reduce your body temperature.

“I’m here.” He murmurs, equally soft.

You gulp nervously. “I have to tell you something.”

He eyes his watch. “Go ahead, ‘m listening.”

You take a deep breath in and out. “I like you.”

You feel like a little schoolgirl confessing her crush.

He looks at you with the fondest his eyes have ever been for you, even though they’re always like that with you.

“Well, I’d hope so.”

He’s joking. He wants to know if you’re saying that because you’re teetering on the edge of delirium or if you really mean it.

“No, I like you. Like, like-like you.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of likes.” He chuckles and you show him a beautiful grin.

“You’re always so nice to me… and I wanna know if you feel the same.”

This is the scary part.

Ben puts his hand in yours and brings it up to his cheek.

“I’m nice to you because you’re easy to be nice to.”

Your heart soars when he rubs his thumb on the back of your hand.

“And I do like you. As in, like-like you.”

You giggle and he loves the sound. It makes his heart happy.

“Go to sleep now, we can talk tomorrow. Okay?”

You nod and he sits back in your chair, staying the night in there as you sleep.

[snapscube]

So you mentioned the Amazing Spider-man movies, what are your thoughts on them? For me; I was pleasantly surprised by 1 AND 2. Like 2 is bad, real bad, but the jokes were legit, Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone are just...an amazing on screen couple and until the transformation Harry is a really fun villain....just sucks that most of the movie is exposition about peoples relationships to one another or experiments done mostly off screen.

TASM1 is perfectly serviceable as a standalone project and was definitely not the worst jumping off point, but it struggles to really properly understand Spider-Man/Peter as a personality. Peter absolutely doesn't have to be a goody two-shoes loser, all of the best adaptations of Peter imo can have some serious attitude and grit to their persona, but TASM1 kinda over-corrects on the Tobey Maguire "shy nerd" angle by making Spidey a bit too much of a dick. I remember the movie getting a lot of praise for finally making Spider-Man funny and quippy, praise I similarly gave at the time, but it really... doesn't do that nearly as much as ppl gave it credit for??? There's like ONE scene where Spider-Man is kinda jokey with someone he suspects to be Ben's killer, but that scene kinda stinks because he's not quipping as much as he's like actively cruel lmao. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone had great chemistry though and you can tell Marc Webb knew his stuff when it came to directing that kind of romantic tension, seeing as how his previous project was 500 Days of Summer. All-in-all, it's a Fine movie but it's not a fantastic adaptation of the things I personally like about Spider-Man.

TASM2 is so much more intriguing to me to watch and to talk about. It's genuinely baffling how that movie ended up like it did, but in a way that almost anyone could have predicted. That movie STINKS. It's really really bad. But it also has kind of the opposite problem to TASM1 in that... TASM1 is a good movie that doesn't properly showcase the character of Spider-Man, whereas TASM2 is a garbage movie that features some of the best live action Spider-Man scenes/setpieces we had seen and would ever see to this day. It's sincerely tragic how many great INDIVIDUAL MOMENTS are in that movie, and how loosely connected they are by some monumentally stupid studio meddling. That movie has everything going in its favor with Andrew Garfield in the lead, the best live action Spider-Man suit to this day, the most thrilling and well rendered swinging sequences put to film, and the occasional glimpse of a true Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man that is down on the ground connecting with and watching over not just the city itself but the people within it. There's a montage in the middle of the movie that features Spider-Man on his daily patrol and he comes across as just so PRESENT and on the same level as the people he protects, meanwhile in the audio track you hear newscasters and interviews fiercely debating whether or not what he does is actually worthwhile. And that shit HITS. But unfortunately that kind of stuff is still too rare and it far overshadowed by Sony desperately trying to make a Spidey Cinematic Universe without earning it. Ultimately they had all of the pieces to make a truly definitive adaptation of Spidey that I feel like almost anyone could get behind, but they just... couldn't. Even Spider-Man PS4, commonly lauded as one of the most definitive Spidey stories of all time, uses SO MUCH of the same DNA of the Amazing Spider-Man films, but the difference is that it had the space to be only exactly what it needed to be. Nothing more, nothing less. Anyway I could talk more about this for sure but I'm looking at the length of this write-up and wincing already LOL.

[invinciblerodent]

OC Perfumes - BG3 edition

More Stinkposting for more of My Many Guys(gn) 🙃

Dragon Age edition here

Found and pulled all of these through Fragrantica's "search by notes" tab. ❤️ Please don't hesitate to tag me in your version if this seems like fun to you!

Iona Raedir

My most precious weasel-woman, of course she's got that complex, controversial stank to her.

From the start I described her to myself as smelling (at least to a vampire's keen senses) like apricots and woodsmoke, didn't picture cherry in particular, but this honestly feels like it would fit very well. I like to imagine her with a weighty, heavy, rich scent (with not a ton of sillage but one you can catch only as she turns) that's both decadent, and just ever so slightly like an ashtray if the wind blows the wrong way.

I like to think that her draconic magic has a way of harmonizing with the smoky-leathery notes. (And that maybe on her skin, the apricot is strangely prominent.)

(others under the cut ❤️)

Petyr Wildbrook

Is it a touch on the nose? Yes.

Does it surprise anyone in the world whatsoever that my bitchy recluse of a ranger would choose a cologne shuddersomely called "Bad Wolf"? Not at all.

But!!!!! Does he somehow manage to always smell like an old leather jacket that was stored in a cedarwood box (and make that sexy), or a little bit like he just came back from a week-long solo camping trip in the most beautiful woods, and wound up smelling more just pleasantly musky instead of like an old boot, baffling all? Of course.

The long list of infuriating qualities that this awful, terrible bitch of a guy has continues. (It'd be even more perfect with a tobacco note, but I'll take what I can get. He smokes anyway.)

Arvid Trygg

It may be a bit on the nose too, but I like my cleric boy in a simple, clean incense scent. A bit churchy and medicinal, sure, a bit funereal, but melancholy, airy, and comforting as a cool rag on a feverish forehead.

Maybe the musk note is a bit stronger on him in particular. Maybe even more after battle, when armor falls and wounds are tended, but lbr. Who doesn't enjoy the clean sweat of a strong (little) priest that's chased by the scent of healing herbs and wilted lilies just in the back of the throat, as his strong hands heal the hurt and lift the fallen? Those who are too far gone for a cleric to even help them, that's who.

Mara

People have described this scent as "tears of the Virgin Mary" and "religious guilt in a bottle", so... what better way is there for the wayward Chosen of Bhaal to smell? This girl barely knows anything BUT religious guilt, Virgin Mary allegory, eat hot chip, and lie.

I imagine her to smell a bit mineral, a bit mossy, almost unsettling, and a tiny bit like an old basement AND cold rain at the same time.

Thankfully with none of the metallic notes of blood (she gets plenty of that on her hands anyway), and none of the fecal and animalic notes of all those bodies in a dank sewer. I suppose a bit more like the Underdark than the temple.

[catcatb0y]

I think it REALLY depends, honestly. If you're reccomending a Historical Drama Romance... uh yeah it better be queer or I'm gonna side eye you because why.

Like I wouldn't have touched "Reincarnated As A Fantasy Knock-Out," with a thirty foot pole if not told 'It's queer!!' (and even then I was still pretty skeptical, but pleasantly surprised about how delicate the series was in regards to its queerness)

The series actually took the time and effort to go over the ways in which the gender swap affected the main character and their friend who doesn't just fall in love with them in the body of a woman, but was in love with them all along. The queerness adds to the characters and the ways in which they interact with the world add to the story and it's depth. Instead of being a generic, kind of misogynostic isekai about a man getting reincarnated as an irresistible woman; it's a story about a person who switches sexes and slowly comes to terms with their gender identity and sexuality for the first time.

But if you tried to sell, say Hazbin Hotel, to me for it's queerness... I would have been less likely to check it out, because, with the narrative as it is, having queerness being a big part of the plot is... eh... I'm just gonna say that it wouldn't fit well.

Gayness or queerness being a prominent point of their story, being in Hell and seeking Redemption to Heaven, kind of comes across as weird- yeah Angel Dust is an effeminate gay bottom, but he's in hell because he was a part of the mafia and was a drug addict in his lifetime. The series walked a pretty thin line making HuskerDust important to the characters while also being a fun romance, but the series reasonably doesn't focus on them, which gets into the next part and that's the only way Hazbin Hotel makes queerness work is by just having the characters exist and happen to also be queer. (You can fluff around 'forced representation', but given a different source it very well could be). If the focus were on the queerness, it would take away from the general plot, but, since there's no focus, the queerness of the show is honestly irrelevant.

I watched Love, Simon and Love, Victor for their queerness back when they came out, and fucking honestly? Both of them seemed like there was not a single queer person on the set ☠️ Every good moment of Love, Simon was shoved into the trailer and Love, Victor is an absolute clusterfuck when it comes to writing.

Also I'm gonna be so fucking fr, I don't trust some people enough to know what is and isn't queer. Like, yeah Voltron has a canonical gay character... but if you want a gay romance, you're better off checking out Naruto and ignoring the ending. People have hailed Hannibal and Supernatural and Wednesday as being "super queer" (one of those having more of a rep than the others), but in reality a lot of people who actually watched them were left disappointed.

The idea of 'it being queer' wasn't enough for me to check out Wednesday as it took it's temporarily popular spotlight, and I'm glad, since I saw many people talking about how it was played up heavily and didn't fully accurately reflect the charm of the old Addam's Family. I've attempted to sit through Supernatural three or four times and still never met Cas, but seeing Dean is enough to make me side-eye the ship a little. As I've also caught a few random Hannibal episodes but was left pretty baffled and rather unsatisfied.

That being said, like prev mentioned, if the ONLY thing good about it is that, "It's queer!" and there's no mention of the plot, the characters, the details, etc., then yeah no I'm not fucking watching that.

please elaborate in tags :)

[weenwrites]

Requesting for Ratchet, Optimus, wheeljack or possibly knockouts reaction to human who's smart, makes super advanced inventions for fun, like, teleportation, a time machine, and he even made a man made groundbrige at some point. And all destroys it in the end because of it being dangerous If it was used wrongly or if it was used by the wrong person

Senario, HC whatever's easier for you to make.

( I only do headcanons for 3 characters now, so I'll do this for Ratchet, Wheeljack, and Knockout! )

Ratchet

He's of course baffled at how intelligent you are, but then again he's so upset and frustrated at how you straight up destroy your invention afterward. They could be so useful! They could help society for the better! Like the teleporter you made! That could help reduce the costs of transportation but you just destroyed it!

Of course he understands that inventions like these can be used to harm people if they fall into the wrong hands, but he's still frustrated and upset with how you're being so wasteful. Wasteful of your time, wasteful of resources—it just really grinds his gears.

But, if you offered to help him with medical work, he'd accept your help—but at first lecture you. Because while you may be a genius, he does doubt that any knowledge you have around machines will help you with cybertronians. But if you prove him wrong, he'll be pleasantly surprised (and impressed to the slightest degree) but that doesn't mean he'll stop teaching you about cybertronian anatomy.

He doesn't tend to seek out your knowledge or expertise for any extremely advanced gadgets, but rather simple human gadgets he has a hard time operating. So more times than once you've helped him out with the old computers at the base.

Wheeljack

He's impressed with how smart you are, but he doesn't get why you destroy it. I mean sure you've destroyed any and all record of that super advanced machine, but you've technically just proved that it can be made. People will make it in the future, and whether you like it or not, it will eventually be used for worse rather than better.

But with that aside, you could be his little helper if you wanted to. He'd let you help out with his ship, and he'd lift you up into the crevasses he can't reach into, and you can help sort it out from there. Or you could help out with making grenades. It's simple, but extremely dangerous.

Knockout

If you enjoy making weapons, Knockout would definitely start geeking out over all of them. He'd want to learn about the technicalities of each weapon—not because he wants to replicate them—ok maybe he does, but it's also because he wants to learn about how they work. But of course like all the others he's completely baffled with how you just destroy your own inventions.

He'll frequently come to you for help and advise on any gadgets he'd make, but only when he could really use some advise. And if his own devices are faulty or if he's running into a couple technological issues, he'll ask for your help troubleshooting if he happens to find himself stumped.

[curseofaphrodite]

What One Deserves Kaz Brekker x fem!reader

Summary: Jealous Kaz, that’s it. Fluffy, fluff! requested by @acupnoodle​ | masterlist

There were a lot of emotions Kaz hid on a daily basis. Like how he feels happy whenever he sees the birds chirruping in the evenings. Or how he’s elated every time the Crows seemed to have a good time. How he loves each and every one of you but never shows it.

Kaz could try and try, but the one emotion he could never really hide was jealousy.

You’ve been part of the Crows for hardly six months now. You were working as a waitress in one of the small pubs nearby and Inej had come across you on a fine Sunday night. On seeing how effortlessly you dodged arguments and punches, she knew you were a diamond in the rough. The Crows could always use skills like that and besides, you didn't even look like you were getting paid enough.

Kaz was reluctant to hire you, but Inej insisted that you would be a great help to everyone, especially her. After all, she was the one in the shadows, the one who gets information and secrets. Your skills would be great tools to assist her.

Straight after you were recruited, he knew he was done for. Even though he thought you would be intimidated to be surrounded by criminals, you easily fit into the picture as one. He hated that. He also disliked how he stared at you every once in a while, and with each day he got more and more curious. 

Why would you be so warm yet cautious? How could you be everything Kaz stood for, yet be so friendly? 

Not only did you do a great job in heists, you also made the business bloom in Slat. You always hung around the bar, as well as make small talk with the customers. You bought them drinks, got to know their family, and remembered their names for when they visit again.

“Y/N, hon, c’mere, stand by me! You’re good luck!” One of the men yelled from the gambling table. 

Kaz, who was sitting beside you, felt a sudden surge of hate. He thought the man was insulting her, but Y/N only laughed and held up a hand.

“Be right there, Jamie! Lemme get you a glass of wine too!” You replied pleasantly. 

“He looks like trouble,” Kaz said without thinking. You didn’t seem surprised by his comment.

“So do you, yet I work for you,” you rolled your eyes and took two glasses. You grabbed the most expensive wine and poured it, all the while Kaz scowled. 

“Besides,” you added, “much like you, he’s also a sweetheart. He would never hurt me.”

You left him baffled. As much as he felt annoyed, he also couldn't help but feel the blush spreading across his cheeks. He was glad you were already gone after Jamie, because he was sure you would have made fun of him otherwise.

That night, he didn't go up to his room. He watched Jamie’s table with interest — how you’d laugh with the drunk people, and how they'd laugh with you. The scene reminded him of sailors in sea — half-conscious, happy and nothing but care for each other.

Jamie was harmless after all. But there was something still making him itch. That second, he decided you trusted everyone way too easily and that put you in the path of danger.

He did the best and worst decision he could think of — make you Jesper’s responsibility. The two of you were to look out for each other and Kaz took comfort in knowing there was someone watching you. This plan came to bite him in the ass when he realized Jesper flirted way too much with you, and it positively annoyed him how you’d laugh and flirt back. -

Things never got out of control with your temper, but one particularly day, Inej was wounded and Kaz was the reason why.

“If you would have entered through the West entrance like I asked-” you began but he cut you off.

“We don't change plans, Y/N. We’ve been through this already.” Kaz looked at Inej with a frown, the only form of concern he could publicly display. 

She was being held by Jesper, her hands over her stomach, where she was stabbed by one of the guards. Nina was back in the Slat, so they needed another Healer.

“I’ll ask Kiran and see if he knows a healer or medik,” Jesper said, determined. You were suddenly grateful for his connections in the vast city.

“You sure you can trust him?” You asked quickly.

“He isn't the most likeable fellow, but we’re acquaintances,” he said, sighing. “Besides, we’re too far away from Nina.”

“I’ll be fine,” Inej said, her voice cracking. 

You almost burst out crying. Seeing someone you love in pain was really unsettling. Especially since you were supposed to help her. But you couldn't dwell on that, so you took your anger out on Kaz after Jesper led her away.

“You don't change plans? Kaz, you have plans from A to Z and you’re constantly switching from one to another!” 

“Yes, those are backup plans,” he started walking, and you followed begrudgingly. “Plans I make. You suggested a modification.”

“A modification you were stupid to ignore!” You retorted. “Inej is hurt because you were stubborn.”

“She will live,” he said hastily. “We get hurt, it’s part of the job. If you start worrying everytime someone gets a scratch, you won’t be able to have a clear head.”

“But—”

“I make the plans L/N,” he snapped. “You were flirting with Jesper instead of helping Inej, which you were paid to do. So who’s at fault here?”

Your mouth fell open. Clenching your teeth, you walked away, not bothering to explain how you were not flirting but coming up with a backup plan in case things went south. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” He asked, exhausted.

“I’m not sure, but if I keep talking to you, I’ll lose my sanity!” You said over your shoulder.

You walked around in the unfamiliar town, half-mad at Kaz and half-mad at yourself. Cooling off after a fight was valid, but all you wanted to do was go back to the Slat and sleep. How can you do that if Kaz might have already left? 

You were flirting with Jesper instead of helping Inej, which you were paid to do. So who’s at fault here?

Saints, he had a way of getting you frustrated! Your usual talks with Jesper were friendly and maybe yes, a little flirty, but that does not mean he likes you or you like him. It was mostly a distraction from how alone you felt in the Slat. 

A carriage stopped in front of you, and you saw Jesper himself as the one leading the horses.

“Get in, let's go!” He said with a smile and you didn't have to be asked twice.

Glad that you weren't lost in the town, you got in and saw Inej was sleeping inside, her wounds bandaged neatly. You breathed in relief but it went just as fast when you saw Kaz was sitting opposite to her.

“Thought you would have left already,” you murmured, sitting down beside him. 

“I don’t leave anyone behind,” he said curtly, his eyes fixed outside the window as the carriage started moving.

“Okay then,” you shrugged, feeling your eyelids growing heavier. It was a two hour ride back and you were already exhausted.

“I’m sorry,” Kaz whispered softly just as you were contemplating whether to sleep or not.

“What?” The shock was clearly pronounced, both on your face and in your voice.

“You heard me.”

“I did, but what?” You rose your eyebrows, looking sideways at him. “Did Kaz Brekker just apologize?”

He looked hesitant with his words. “I know I’ve been hard on you recently. It’s my fault, I’m sorry. You deserve more that that.”

“Yes, I do.” You smiled.

“No, you don’t understand.” He tore his eyes away from the window and met yours. “I was jealous of how easily you and Jesper were getting along. You deserve more than that.”

You sat up straighter. “Wait, what do you mean?”

“You deserve more than a life as a criminal,” he explained like it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You deserve more than the Slat. You certainly deserve more than a thief pining after you.”

You laughed, and even though it was night and he could hardly see your face, he still felt the breath being knocked out of him.

You’re beautiful, he thought, no longer worried about your response. It didn't matter if you don’t reciprocate his feelings. You were like the moon, and just being near you forever was worth it, even if it means you will never like him the same way he adores you.

“You’re not just a thief, Kaz,” you said, shaking your head. “You’re kind, just and brave — all in your own way. And though you could be a jerk at times, I’m never leaving your side. You better get used to it.”

“You’re going to ignore the part where I said I like you?” 

“Or maybe I just want to hear you say it again,” you tilted your head to one side, your eyes gleaming.

“You’re intolerable,” he muttered, rolling his eyes.

“And you like me anyway,” you smirked. 

Despite your sudden need to keep talking to him, you stifled a yawn and carefully leaned your head on his shoulder. He tensed, but didn't pull you away. 

“I think you deserve more than a life where you aren’t happy,” you said softly yet clearly.

“You make me happy,” he said bluntly.

“Then I’m not going anywhere,” you sighed, feeling sleep take you. “And just for the record, I like you too.”

Jesper whistled. Apparently, the talk was louder than you thought. Even Inej had a smile on her face, as if she was listening to every word under the disguise of sleep.

Kaz felt both his face and heart burn — one with blushing, the other with love. 

“An unwise decision, but I like it,” he whispered, leaning his own head against the side of yours. You had already fallen asleep, but it was okay. There were a lot more days to spend with you, and a lot of nights to talk.

Kaz was tired too, and despite his initial decision to stay up longer, he fell right into sleep — with a smile on his lips and you by his side.

[animeomegas]

Would you ever expand the Kakashi overstimulation k*nk 👀. He has so many trust issues and to be trusted with the level of vulnerability that comes after a session that intense is its own turn on honestly. I also love that he's the kind who would be aware of both subdrop (even though it might embarrass him a bit) and top drop. Cuddling is an absolute must and I love the idea of him getting more and more used to getting closeness when a sensitive partner notices that unmet need and him reciprocating with being attentive.

Your blog is really fun. Thank you for running it!

(Ahh, thank you so much! I have so much fun running this blog! Also, you seem to have my characterisation of Kakashi memorised hehe, I’m impressed. Also, your ideas are 👌🏻👌🏻. Let me throw my thoughts in!)

Trust from Kakashi is something that is almost impossible to gain, but also so unbelievably precious. Kakashi is someone who loves with his entire being, but he’s been hurt so many times that he shuts down to protect himself, so if you manage to squirm behind those barriers, Kakashi is one of the most loyal people you could ever hope to meet.

So, yes, anon, you are absolutely right to say that Kakashi has trust issues haha.

Which makes having him pliant and relaxed in your care that much more special. You can guarantee that you are the only one he will let see him like that, treat him like that, love him like that.

He’s been so overstimulated that he can’t think, and he certainly can’t move. He’s floating somewhere fuzzy and that should be terrifying, but he can feel your hand on his chest. It’s rubbing slow and steady circles on chest, and it feels wonderful. He feels safe. He feels free from everything. He has no responsibilities, no fear, no anything. Just floating with you to keep him tethered.

And then the hand leaves his chest.

Panic immediately starts to creep into the bliss. Why are you gone? Where are you? Are you leaving him?

But as soon as those thoughts form, the hand settles on his forehead instead and instantly the stress drains out of him. He can feel your warmth along one side of him now, you must have moved the hand to reposition yourself. Of course you didn’t leave him, how silly, you would never leave him, he knows that.

“You’re doing so well, Kakashi,” he can hear you whisper. He’s doing well? It doesn’t feel like he’s doing much but if you say so then it must be true. He’s doing something right for once. That feels good. “You can stay there for as long as you want, you come back to me whenever you’re ready.”

Kakashi can choose when to come back? Why would he ever choose that? This is bliss. He’s safe and happy and nothing can get him, not even his own thoughts. Why would he ever want to leave here?

His limbs feel so heavy and his eyes do too. He feels like he’s frozen and distantly he acknowledges that that should make him feel scared, but he knows you’re here with him, so it’s not scary, not scary at all.

“You don’t have to come back tonight if you don’t want to, baby,” there’s your voice again. It’s a good voice. Kakashi wishes you would keep talking to him forever. “You can sleep now and come back to me tomorrow.”

Sleep? He could sleep? That… sounded nice. He’s tired and you’re here to protect him. Hmm, you’re rubbing his chest again now, and it feels nice. If you want him to sleep, then he’ll sleep. You always know how to take care of him, he trusts you.

And with that, he lets go of any remaining consciousness and drifts pleasantly into a blissfully nightmare-free sleep.

…

As far as cuddling, I think you’re also right.

Kakashi is incredibly touch starved, and he doesn’t even realise it.

At first, he really thinks his partner must just love physical contact. They always touch his waist when they move behind him, they hold his hand in the market to avoid getting lost, they rub their thumb on his thigh whenever they sit together.

And Kakashi is happy to let them do whatever. He still can’t believe that someone like them chose him, and he wants them to be as content as possible.

And then one day, when Kakashi has just walked in through the door after an incredibly long mission, his partner just immediately pulls him into a firm embrace, and suddenly everything clicks in Kakashi’s brain.

They haven’t been doing those things because they are overly physically affectionate… They’ve been doing it for him.

He feels like an idiot.

And idiot who can’t help but return the embrace twice as hard.

He realises while sitting in that embrace how much he’s come to rely on these pieces of affection. Just enough to make his heart race but never too far across his boundaries, somehow, they always seem to know the balance (which is baffling because Kakashi feels like not even he understands that balance half the time.)

Nowadays, Kakashi can’t switch from his work to his home headspace without some affection from them. If they aren’t at home when he returns, he just pines and wanders around feeling empty until they get home to fix him.

And suddenly the feelings of love for them are so high that Kakashi feels like his heart might just burn through his chest. He wants to say thank you, but the words won’t come out no matter how much he wants to say them.

“It’s okay, Kakashi, you don’t have to say anything, just enjoy it.”

How did they know? Tears start to build in his waterline. They always know, even when Kakashi himself doesn’t know. He doesn’t feel like he’s done anything to deserve someone like them, but he’s never going to let them go now, not even for a second.

Because life has always been about survival for Kakashi, but this? This felt like living.

[yellowraincoat]

I’ve been a You enjoyer since season 1 (in fact You season 1 has become a comfort rewatch for me [red flag]) and I was so pleasantly surprised with how season 3 came together when I was not at all impressed by the premise.

You S4 tho? Joe at Oxford as a professor had me from the jump. But so far, by episode 5 (I’ll suspend complete judgement until the end) this is a season of HUGE missed opportunities and it’s driving me crazy.

Each season thus far has been a critique of a social structure (New York elite vs starving artist culture) (LA influencer culture) (the suburbs), and choosing this setting for s4 was a great choice. Like, dark academia is a space so ripe for institutional critique and You has, so far, done institutional critique pretty well for what the show is. The setting was right, but the story told in it is wrong.

Firstly, in the narrative they’ve set up, Joe is actually the victim, which is counter to the entire thesis of the show. You are supposed to root for Joe as the anti-hero, but when he is being targeted and framed and is doing little to no murder except in self defense… he just loses what the character is.

He’s also lost a lot of the underlying misogyny wrapped up in a “nice guy” package that made him so vile. And I’m all for character development, but this change doesn’t feel earned. It just feels like the writers lost sight of some of Joe’s core personality traits.

Additionally, we’re set up at an elite university where Joe has a power imbalance over a lot of the people around him and where there should be plenty of rich, murderable, white people around, only for us to leave that setting almost immediately and not return to it.

Joe’s motivation for how he falls in with this hyper-rich crowd makes no sense (seriously has he ever heard of a sending ��sorry, can’t make it, I’m not feeling well” text to get out of social situations he’s not interested in?) And on top of it, having this hyper wealthy elite group that went to Uni together but has long graduated comes so close to hitting the dark academia mark but misses it.

I have more beef but just…. The direction they went in is kind of fun but also baffling to me at this point.

[jungshookz]

EEEK cee imagine grumpy!yn and jimin where jimin falls asleep on the floor in their lil hangout spot bc he stayed up the night before and yn jus secretly admiring jimin’s adorable sleeping face while caressing his hair THEN jimin wakes up when yn leaned in for a kiss on his forehead :3:3:3

➺ pairing; sunshiney!jimin x grumpy!y/n

➺ genre; of course this is fluff!!! fluffier than the clouds that jimin makes y/n look at and tell him what animal she thinks it looks closest to :D (he thinks it looks like a bunny and she thinks it looks like a.,,. idk man that’s literally just a lump) 

➺ wordcount; 1.3k 

➺ p.s. you’ll be able to find this in the teeny tidbits masterlist later on :’) 

(unfortunately i wasn’t able to track down the original maker of this gif but this is where i sourced it from! all credits go to the original creator of course :-))

                                     »»————-　☁️　————-««

“oh my god, do you hear that?” yoongi gasps, placing a hand on your shoulder before holding a finger up in the air, “that’s incredible.”

?

“what are you talking about?” you frown, looking around as well before shrugging his hand off your shoulder, “i don’t hear anything.”

you and namjoon exchange confused glances and he offers you his own shrug before looking over at yoongi for further explanation

“exactly. it’s nothing. it’s… silence.” yoongi whispers, “i haven’t heard it in so long because jimin’s always destroying it with his motormouth-”

oh

okAy

now you see what he’s going on about

“hey, cut it out-” you roll your eyes before shifting your shoulder slightly so that jimin’s head isn’t at a weird angle and that he won’t wake up with a weird kink in his neck, “he was up all night working on a paper and he’s tired.” you murmur, reaching over and pulling your cardigan up so that it covers his chest a little more

“you know, you were way more fun before you started dating jimin.” yoongi scoffs, pursing his lips in disappointment as he leans back against his palms, “when two people are making fun of someone, it’s all fun and games, but when it’s just me doing it alone, i look like an asshole-”

“oh, cry me a river.”

“see?? why can’t you be like that when you’re talking about jimin?? i miss the old y/n.” 

you move to shove yoongi down to the ground but you stop yourself when you realize that you could accidentally wake jimin up prematurely 

poor jimin was up until six this morning working on a dumb twenty-page report for one of his courses - he read his schedule wrong and it turns out that the report was due this tuesday and not next tuesday, and to be honest, he’s really not sure how he even made that mix-up in the first place because he’s usually always on top of things (you were on top of him when he was typing all of this into his phone so that might’ve had something to do with it)

and he normally gets up around seven-ish on a regular basis which means he literally only got an hour of sleep before he had to get up and get ready for the day

you already knew that he had pulled an all-nighter (you even offered to stay up with him and make him coffee if he needed it but you ended up falling asleep around twenty minutes after you’d made your bold offer) so you weren’t too surprised when you looked over halfway through lunch to see that he’d fallen asleep leaning back against the tree with his mouth wide open

yoongi nearly persuaded you into dropping a chunk of dirt into his open mouth but luckily you decided against doing that

and it didn’t look like he was very comfortable which was why you scooted yourself closer to him and gently pushed his head down so that he could rest on your shoulder

but that was an hour and a bit ago and jimin’s still fast asleep

and you’re pretty sure there’s dried drool on your arm but that’s okay

“-you know, it’s like i don’t even know who you are anymore.” yoongi tuts, shaking his head at you, “one minute, you’re happy to roll your eyes and insult jimin to his face, and the next, you’re cozying up to him like his girlfriend and straight-up fawning over him-”

“i- i am his girlfriend, you dolt-”

“i know, but like- well, you know what i mean.” yoongi flicks his wrist to dismiss you before turning his nose up towards the sky, “you get it.”

“i can honestly say i truly don’t, yoongi.”

yes, it’s fairly evident to see that you’ve changed quite a bit since getting together with jimin, but you like to think that you changed for the better!

you don’t wake up with a scowl on your face every morning which is definitely a good sign, right?

and now instead of staying silent during lunch and looking like you want nothing more than to watch the world burn, you actually contribute to conversations with everyone else and genuinely enjoy talking to them as long as jimin’s right there next to you 

of course, you have to admit that you still have a slight issue with PDA (which is why you’ve been moving your shoulder and trying to get jimin to wake up without making it seem like you’re purposely trying to wake him up) but that’s a conversation for another time

the point is, things are good with jimin

things are really, really good with jimin.  

you crane your neck to look back down at your boyfriend again, reaching over to brush some of his hair away from his eyes

his nose twitches slightly and he mutters something under his breath before turning his body towards you and snuggling into your warmth, wrapping his arms around your elbow and squishing his cheek against your shoulder

“cute.” you hum, reminding yourself to suppress your grin of delight so that no one teases you about how squealy you’re being right now 

you find yourself leaning down a little so you can give jimin a kiss on the forehead, your lips lingering against his warm forehead for a second before you pull away and look back to make sure that no one just saw you do that (god forbid anyone see you show even an inkling of affection for your boyfriend!) 

luckily it seems like the late afternoon sun beaming down on you guys is making everyone feel a little lethargic so no one was paying attention to y-

“did you just kiss my forehead?”

you freeze immediately when you hear jimin suddenly speak up and you clear your throat obnoxiously before raising your shoulder so that he gets his head off of it, “what? no. i think you were probably dreaming or something because forehead kissing is-” you chuckle lightly, pulling your legs up slightly and dusting some dirt off your calves, “it’s not something that i… i don’t do things like that, so- no. no, i didn’t kiss any foreheads.”

your eyes widen in surprise when jimin suddenly lies down and flops his head down on your lap, grinning up at you with twinkling eyes as he reaches up to poke the tip of your nose, “you soOoooOo have a crush on me.”

side note: it’s truly baffling to you that jimin never wakes up groggy

he’s always ready to go as soon as his eyes open and it doesn’t make any sense whatsoever

it’s almost like he has an on and an off switch somewhere and if that’s the case you would very much like to find his off switch so you can shut him up before someone else decides to chime in to the conversation 

“we’re- we’re dating, jimin-” you scowl, flicking his hand away from your face before clearing your throat again, “...obviously i have a friggin’ crush on you if we’re in a goddamn relationship-”

“what are you grumbling about over there now, y/n?” namjoon interrupts you from across the circle, glancing up at you and jimin for a split second from behind his screen, “i’m trying to get some work done and i can’t focus with all the secret muttering-”

“y/n has a crush on me.” jimin teases, crossing his arms over his chest before closing his eyes again, “a super FAT crush on me.”

he cracks an eye open just to see your reaction and he’s pleasantly surprised to see that your entire face is basically beet-red from this fun little game he’s playing

what do you have to be so embarrassed about??

you already said yourself that the two of you are dating so it’s an obvious fact that you have feelings for him

he just likes to remind everyone that you, a typically emotionless, cold-hearted robot, have feelings for him!

“oh, we know!” namjoon plays along with a grin, loving that you look like you want nothing more than to curl into a ball and just scream, “you think we didn’t see that forehead kiss?”

“park jimin, you sick... twisted man.” yoongi purses his lips as he shakes his head slowly, “look what you’ve done to her! you’ve ruined her!!” 

🎙️help me help you make your wishes come true (send me a request!)

✨why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here?

💫or perhaps you want something shorter to read?

🌟or something even shorter?

[baseballbitch116]

Dixons Next Door - Chapter 4

Introduction: Anna was a small town girl from Atlanta when she became the guardian of her two younger siblings. She was determined to keep them from the same abuse that she endured from her family, so she moved into a small beaten up house just outside the city in 2009. The new neighbors  next door - the Dixon brothers - were definitely trouble. She wanted to escape her past, not repeat her parents history with these redneck brothers. Matters only escalate when the news is talking about the possibility of some virus getting out and infecting people… Are Merle and Daryl just as bad as her past? How is she going to keep her brother and sister safe from this virus getting out? What did Anna get herself into?

Setting: Pre-apocalypse

Word Count: 6896

Series Warnings: Offensive language, mentions/suggestion of physical abuse, alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sexual themes, violence & death

Chapter Warnings: Alcohol consumption, drug use, offensive language, assault, violence, sensitive themes - potential trigger warning

A/N: I got a little carried away and made this an extra long chapter, but it’s a good one! There are some sensitive topics in it so this is a trigger warning - it’s nothing too bad but some people may not want to read it. 18+ You’ve been warned.

Previous Chapter

Masterlist | Fandoms | Submit A Request

I had been cleaning out the pool for the kids while they ate lunch the next time that I was interrupted by Merle. He came over with a beer and hand and stood nearby me, watching silently. I gave him a look but he made no comment, he just sipped on his beer. I sighed and continued skimming the bugs and leaves out of the pool. “Isn’t it a little early to be drinking?” I ask without looking back at him. He chuckles.

“Why ya cleanin it? Just gonna get dirty again?” He asks, ignoring your question. You roll your eyes and smack the skimmer on the ground to get the debris off of it.

“Why shower - just gonna get dirty again.” I remark sarcastically.

“Exactly.” Merle agrees, and I look up in momentary shock before catching the sarcastic smirk on his face. “Ew,” I mutter, tossing the skimmer to the side and throwing the chlorine in the pool.

“So what bar ya work at?” He asks, glancing into the pool for a moment before looking back at you. You want to lie, but there’s literally only two bars in this small town, so it’s not like it matters much.

“Happy Hour Tavern.” I respond, wiping my hands off on my shorts and crossing my arms. “Surprised I haven’t seen ya there yet.” Referring to the beer in his hand at two in the afternoon.

He smirks. “Ya wanna see me there?” He suggests, and I roll my eyes.

“Didn’t say that.”

“Don’t ya worry, sugar. I’ll stop by.” He assures me, and I know he probably will.

“Great,” I mutter, and he chuckles.

“Where ya kids at?” He asks.

“Inside eating.”

“Wanna make me somethin to eat, sugarlips?” He asks flirtatiously. I roll my eyes again and huff.

“My name is Anna, and no, I don’t really have the money to be feeding the neighborhood.” I respond.

“Ain’t the neighborhood, doll. Just a friend.” He winks.

“Oh, so we’re friends?” I ask, shifting my weight.

“Yeah sure. Ya seem to be cozying up to my brother and all, ‘course we’re friends.” He responds sarcastically. The grin is gone from his face and he seems more serious now.

“What?” I ask, baffled by what he means by ‘cozying up to his brother.’

“Don’t play dumb, sweetheart. I saw ya the other day. Got him doing shit for ya, too. Impressive.” He rolls his eyes and takes a large gulp of his beer. Suddenly, the mood shifts, and I feel uncomfortable. Is he angry at me for asking Daryl for help? He is so hard to read, everything was just fine - what happened?

“I needed help lifting a heavy ass box. He was there. Doesn’t mean I’m ‘cozying up to anyone.’” I respond sternly. I don’t like being accused of using people. Merle chuckles.

“Relax, darlin, I ain’t jealous.” He taunts, lifting a hand to shield his eyes and looking up at the sky. “Issa good huntin day, bet he’s goin out there soon. I’ll see ya around, sugarlips.” Merle says as he begins walking away from me, leaving me confused and startled. What the hell just happened?

I began getting texts from my father that same day. I wasn’t entirely surprised, but I knew he wouldn’t go to the cops.

1:04 - Bring back my fuckin kids

1:15 - U ungrateful bitch after all i done 4 u

2:06 - Ima have every1 lookin 4 u

2:10 - U best not let me find u

3:34 - Ima tell the pigs u kidnapped em

4:08 - Just wait til i find u

My brother even texted me a few times, too.

12:30 - Pa’s lookin 4 u. He’s mad

1:10 - U took them? Ur not they momma, u kidnapped em

2:30 - U best bring em back or u’ll regret it Anna

The texts continued on and off throughout the day but I ignored them. My prejudice, abusive family would not get the best of me. He was probably drunk and went to find us to pick a fight and finally noticed we were gone. I couldn’t help but worry about if he ever did manage to find us. We were only a half hour away, it wouldn’t be too hard. It was only a matter of how much he was determined to do so. He’s not a smart man, I doubt he could track us down very easily. Plus, everyone who knew him, hated him. No one who knew us would help him - they would know the kids were safer with me. I’d rather be poor than abused.

Eventually I left my phone on silent and tried to keep my thoughts occupied. I didn’t tell the kids, of course. The kids had been playing in their room for most of the day, having fun with the large box that my bed frame had come in, using it as some sort of rocket or something. So I let them be inside and sat on the front steps to think in peace. I looked up at the sky and willed myself not to cry. They did not deserve my tears. They didn’t even deserve a moment’s thought. I forced myself not to think about all that they had put me through in my childhood. The nights I spent crying myself to sleep on my mattress on the floor. The bruises and scars I hid at school. The lies I told to keep myself from being taken away - only so I could protect my siblings.

My eyes burned as I fought back the tears and I hid my face in my hands on my lap.

“C’mon, Anna. It’s over now.” I mutter to myself, trying to believe my own words. Anger boiled over inside of me at the thought of what my father might do if he found us and took the kids back. I would not let him. Even if it killed me - he would not ruin their lives like he did mine.

A crash of thunder made me jump, bringing me back to the present. I looked up just in time to see Merle approaching from the woods, resheathing a knife on his hip. I figured he was hunting, and that gave me an idea.

“Hey, Merle!” I call out, quickly wiping my face and jumping up to head over to him. He looks pleasantly surprised and stopped in his tracks, smirking as I approached him. “I have a question.”

“Whatcha want, sugar?” He drawls, wiping his hand on a rag from his pocket. I notice a bit of blood and then the bag over his shoulder, making me wince. I didn’t wanna know.

“I wanna get a gun. But I don’t know the first thing about them, and I kinda hoped you did?” I inform him, glancing behind me to make sure the kids hadn’t come out. He chuckles quietly and looks me up and down.

“Whatcha want with a gun?” He asks. I resist getting defensive, sure that he thinks a woman can’t handle one.

“To protect myself. Family problems, let’s leave it at that.” I inform him with a look. “Do you think you could help me?” I plead. I didn’t wanna go into town and get scammed into buying a crappy, overpriced gun. Merle looks at me for a long moment, looking up at the darkening sky before shrugging.

“Come with me.” He responds, nodding toward his house. I look at it then back to him, giving him a sharp look. “I’m serious, ya want me help or not?” He demands. I look back toward my house for a moment before sighing.

“I can’t be long.” I tell him, and he smirks, heading toward his porch. I hesitantly follow behind him, dreading entering his place. Considering the trash and overgrown grass outside, I had a feeling the inside was much worse. I stepped inside the house cautiously, keeping my eye on Merle as I did so. He seemed to be the only one here, which relieved me. If any of those men from the other night were, I would have left. Merle tosses the bag from his shoulder onto an old wooden table and heads down the hall toward a bedroom, leaving me alone. The floor is dirty, there’s an old, stained armed chair in front of a box TV, and there’s stuff scattered everywhere. The place smells a little weird too, but I resist complaining. Merle returns a moment later with a case in hand. “Here,” Merle opens the case and reveals a gun, holding it out to me. It’s a handgun, I know that much. I look up at him and he gives me an impatient look, so I hesitantly grab the gun. It’s heavier than it looks, and I make sure to keep my finger off the trigger. “Ya ever shot one?” He asks, smirking at me.

“Once or twice.” I mumble, having flashbacks to the one time my father tried teaching me how to shoot bottles in the backyard. It wasn’t a fond memory at all…

“Ya can have it, but it’ll cost ya.” He winks.

“How much?” I ask, and he chuckles.

“Ion want ya money,” He drawls, and I immediately frown, thinking I know what he is implying.

“I’m not doing that either,” I scowl, going to hand the gun back to him. He doesn’t take it, chuckling some more.

“Whatcha want a gun for anyway?” He asks. I didn’t want to get into it, but maybe this would be a way around having to do something for him for it. I let out a sigh and looked at the weapon in my hand for a long moment.

“My father,” I start, not meeting his eye. “He’s uh, well he’s a piece of shit basically. I took the kids from him in the middle of the night and got this place, never told anyone where we were going. If he comes around… Well, I’m gonna need this.” I finally look up and meet his eye, exhaling deeply. He looks at me for a long moment, his face expressionless. It’s quiet and I am surprised he doesn’t make any rude or sarcastic comments. He shrugs, placing the case down on the old table.

“Keep it.” He tells me, and I raise my brows at him.

“Really?” I clarify, confused why he changed his mind.

“Ya need it more than I do. Got plenty round here.” He mutters, waving his arm up in no general direction. “I know all about piece of shit fathers.” He continues, giving me a solemn look. “My pops was. You was right, yer gonna need that. So take it, before I change my mind.” He drawls, heading over to their fridge and grabbing a bottle of beer, kicking it shut behind him. I don’t argue, despite being shocked and confused.

“Thank you, Merle.” I give him a sincere smile for the first time, and turn the gun over in my hands to ensure the safety is on.

“Takes 9MM. It’s loaded.” He informs me, plopping into the beaten up chair by the TV and opening his beer, taking a large gulp. I nod slowly and shift my weight, feeling awkward holding the gun but trying not to let him know.

“Okay,” I respond, turning to head out the door as he turns the TV on. “Thanks again.” I holler before I head out the door into the humid air. The sky has gotten very dark with storm clouds and the wind picked up, so I jog across the lawn back to my house and tuck the gun into the back of my shorts, hiding it under my shirt before I walk inside. I don’t need the kids seeing this.

“Anna! Look what we did!” Colton calls out from the hallway with a big grin on his face. I smile back at him and walk down the hall to their room, letting out a dramatic gasp when I see the box colored on with a bunch of random colors. “It’s our rocket!” He exclaims excitedly, rejoining his sister inside the big box.

“Wow! It looks so good guys!” I exclaim, grinning as they go back to their playing. I watch them for a moment before remembering the gun and walking into my own room, placing the gun on the top shelf in the closet. This will have to do until I have more furniture and somewhere safe to keep it.

The texts kept coming throughout the rest of the night.

6:05 - ware tf r my kids

6:43 - dont make me hunt u down girl

7:16 - uv always been a cunt this is just like u

8:11 - wat r u gonna do when u get nocked up by some prick u dont have money 4 all dem kids

The string of insults and threats lasted most of the night, the only reason I kept looking at them was to make sure that they hadn’t found us somehow, or had any ideas. I would need a head start if they did. I’m not sure if I would be able to shoot my brother, but I know I could shoot my dad. He deserved it. After all he did to me, all he put us through. Even my dead beat mother didn’t deserve him. He was half the reason she’s as bad as she is. Apparently, my mother hadn’t started using drugs until after I was born. My father had escalated when he had his first daughter, and his true colors began to shine through. My mom used in order to live with herself, the guilt, his abuse. She even made sure to get clean each time she learned she was pregnant, but she always relapsed. She was a strong woman - I had to give her that. If nothing else, she was strong. But still a horrible mother. She should have taken us with her when she left.

But now it was my responsibility. I had to do what she couldn’t. I couldn’t help but think about my parents, my horrible family - as I stood in the doorway, watching them sleep. I may not be able to change what happened to me, but I would do anything it took to prevent it from happening to Bailey and Colton. If it comes down to it, I will kill my own father to ensure he never lays another hand on them.

Watching them sleep peacefully, side by side in their own brand new bed with clean sheets and a safe roof over their head - that made it all worth it.

Jessie and Beau came over at nine with beers and I set up a fire in the front yard. I had found this old firepit someone was throwing away on the side of the road the other night and I took it of course. I was excited for some relaxing adult time before my shift tonight. I hated my job, but I made good money there so far.

“What time you work tonight?” Jessie asks as she pops open a bottle of beer and hands it to me with a grin on her face.

“Eleven to three. At least it’ll go by fast.” I respond, taking a gulp. The alcohol burns as it goes down my throat and I let out a sigh, leaning back into the stairs. I hadn’t gotten around to getting chairs for the yard yet - an unnecessary expense I couldn’t afford just yet. Jessie sat beside me, a lemonade in hand instead of beer, given that she was pregnant, and Beau sat on the hood of his truck, rolling a joint. I always enjoyed nights like this - quiet, relaxing, worry free. Jessie had been the best friend I’d ever had, I’m glad we’re still so close.

“That man ever come back?” She asks, referring to a customer from a few nights ago. He had gotten too drunk and handsy, trying to get me to give him my number. He even waited until the bar closed for me and the manager had to call the cops to get him to leave so I could go home. That was the latest reason I hated my job that I’d only had for a few weeks.

“No. Hopefully he never comes back, I don’t wanna have to use what Merle gave me earlier on him.” I mutter, glancing behind me to make sure the kids hadn’t woken up.

“The neighbor?” Beau asks. I nod.

“What did he give you? Are yous like, talking now?” Jessie asks, leaning on her knees and giving me a worried look.

“No, it’s nothing like that. I wanted to look into getting… a gun, for protection. From Dad.” I explain in a quieter tone. “I figured someone like him would know a place, and he actually ended up giving me a handgun.” I continue, watching Jessie’s disapproving look and wide eyes. “I’ll be safe. I really need it. If Dad finds out where we are…” I trail off, taking a large sip of my beer and letting a huff out.

“Why’d he just give you a gun for free?” Beau asks, looking up from where he was rolling the joint on the hood.

“I dunno. At first he said it was gonna cost me, but then when I mentioned it was because of Dad, he let me just have it. Said he knew all about asshole fathers.” I shrugged. “Either way, works for me.”

“Just don’t let him use that against you. Who knows what he might try to pull, he reminds me of Mack.” Jessie rolls her eyes when she mentions my older brother, grimacing. She hates me as much as I do. He had tried to get with her a million times and it made him resentful, yelling and cursing at her. Which then resulted in Beau beating the shit out of him - which was a sight for sore eyes.

“Yeah, he’s a bit better than him though. From what I’ve seen, at least.” I shrug, taking another swig of my beer. “Dad’s been texting me most of the day, he texted me earlier too. The bullshit you’d expect - pretending to care I took the kids, threatening me.” I explain, handing my phone to Jessie to see the string of unanswered texts.

“I hate them,” She grumbles as she scrolls through the texts. “They won’t find you, don’t worry. They’re too stupid to figure it out.” I chuckle at her comment.

“Yeah, you’re right about that.” I giggle. Beau stands up and offers me the blunt, which I accept and take a long hit from. As I am doing so, I hear a man start laughing and sure enough, Merle and Daryl are standing at the bottom of their porch. I exhale the large puff of smoke and hand the blunt back to Beau, leaning on my knees and resisting the urge to cough.

“Damn girl, who knew ya could have a little fun!” Merle exclaims, walking across the lawn toward us. Daryl and I make eye contact for a short moment before he rolls his eyes and leans against the beat up railing, placing his crossbow on the porch stairs, seemingly waiting for his brother. I roll my eyes with a smirk at Merle’s comment. Ever since earlier, I’ve decided to cut him a little slack. If I was interpreting right, we had more in common than I thought - at least, regarding families.

“Yeah, sometimes.” I respond, offering my beer bottle to him, earning a surprised look from Jessie. I was trying to be nice to Merle to repay him for the gun, so he wouldn’t come collecting in another way. It was the least I could do for a free handgun and clip. Merle looks shocked for a short moment but smirks and takes the bottle from my hand, taking a large swig.

“Yous her family?” Merle asks, looking at Jessie. She hesitates for a moment before shaking her head.

“Friends.” She responds, readjusting her feet uncomfortably. I stand up and suddenly I’m aware of just how close Merle was to me. I am almost touching him as he leans against my railing, my bottle in his large hands, a smirk plastered across his face. He looks fairly attractive in the fire light and his seemingly clean-ish clothes. He’s wearing black cargo pants and a white T-shirt under a jacket, and I take notice of the knife holstered on his hip. “Going hunting?” I ask, taking a step away from him toward the fire and tossing another log in.

“Mhm,” He responds, taking another sip of my beer. “Wanna come with, sweetheart? Can show ya the ways.” He suggests flirtatiously.

“I actually know how to,” I smirk, stepping closer to him and grabbing the beer from his hand, taking a large sip while looking into his eyes. The alcohol and hit were starting to get to me - I was a bit of a lightweight nowadays, since I’ve lost weight and had less time to do this kind of stuff. Merle bites his bottom lip and holds the intense eye contact with me, taking the beer back when I hand it to him and I can feel his eyes on me as I retake my seat beside Jessie.

“Yer loss.” He shrugs, pretending to be indifferent.

“C’mon man!” Daryl shouts from their side of the lawn impatiently. I wish that he would come join us too - I wanna get to know him better.

“Ugh I’m comin! Get yer panties outta a bunch!” He shouts over his shoulder. Merle hands the beer back to me after one last gulp and heads off to rejoin Daryl, walking away into the dark woods.

“What was that all about?” Jessie demands when they are out of earsight. I shrug and set the beer down, not wanting to get anymore intoxicated, given that I still have work later.

“I dunno, gotta be nice. I kinda owe him.” I mumble, kicking at dirt. Truth be told, I found those brothers interesting. Mysterious and dangerous, but alluring. Yes, they were trouble, but I always ended up attracting trouble anyway.

“You better be careful.” Jessie warns me, and I nod.

The night went on peacefully and we all enjoyed talking over the fire and relaxing with the kids asleep. I left for work and Jessie stayed at my place while Beau went out with his friends after dropping me off. He was gonna pick me up after work too, since he was gonna be in the same general area.

My shift was going fine until about one, when I recognized a familiar face and my whole night went sour. The creepy man from the other night was back, and he had his eyes on me. He was with another man at a table instead of the bar, but he was very obviously watching me. I informed the manager on duty but it wasn’t the same man from the other night, so he didn’t know the extent of how creepy the man was. He only came up to the bar once, having his buddy order drinks while he watched me. I remained calm and didn’t even glance at him, handing the drinks to his friend and accepting the two dollar tip without a word.

It took about a half an hour to finish cleaning up after everyone was out of the bar and I was dreading heading outside. I had a feeling that the man would be waiting for me again, but the manager didn’t want me wasting hours and had to stay behind to finish up, so I had to go out alone. I hung up my apron at the door and sighed as I locked up behind myself, leaving the manager alone in the building to finish recounting the drawers. I had already stuffed my tip money into my purse and had my keys tucked between my fingers as I looked around cautiously for a sign of anyone. There were still people out, despite being a bit past three in the morning. Beau hadn’t answered my texts in the last half hour and Jessie was asleep, so I had to wait. Great. Across the street, I spotted a nice looking motorcycle across the street, but that was the only vehicle besides far down the road.

I started walking toward the street light by the corner to wait for Beau when I heard a male voice call out. “Hey! Bitch!” I grasped my keys tighter in my hand and turned my head, spotting the man and his buddy down the alleyway. They stood up from leaning on the wall and started heading my way, so I started walking faster, but then they started running.

“Help!” I hollered and started running across the street. The adrenaline kicked in in my body as fear took over and I ran as fast as I could down the opposite side of the street. They were close behind me and I tried to hop over a fence, but they caught up and threw me onto the ground before I could get all the way over. “Help! Please!” I screamed as loud as I could, trying to kick the men away from me. The main guy sat on top of my hip and shoved a hand over my mouth, smirking evilly down at me as his buddy started trying to lift me. I kicked and flailed as hard as I could but I couldn’t get away as they drug me across the ground into a back alley.

“Hey!” I heard a different male voice holler and then there was the sound of glass breaking. The main man let go of his hand over my mouth to look behind him and I took that opportunity to scream as loud as my lungs would let me, before the second guy punched me in the face. I swore I saw stars as my face throbbed, the two still pinning me, my head propped against the second guy’s chest where he held a knife to my throat.

“Get off her. Now.” A deep male voice demands. I can’t see with the main guy on top of me but I am grateful for whoever it is coming to my rescue. The men only chuckle evilly but then something happens and the second guy jumps away from me quickly, making me slam my head down on the concrete. I groan and my vision goes blurry with tears as the stinging in my head intensifies. “Help…” I mutter as I fight to stay conscious, my head throbbing. The cold, rocky concrete is painful against my cheek, but not as bad as the weight of the man or the stinging in my head.

I can finally see around the main guy and spot a man a few yards away, aiming something in our direction. It’s hard to see with my blurred vision and the darkness, but it looks like a weird sideways weapon. “Ay, man. Chill out. We was just having some fun, that’s all.” The second guy insists, holding his hands up a little. I try to wiggle away but the man on top of me grabs onto my throat and holds a knife toward me.

“Think I won’t? Get the hell outta here or I’ll kill her right here, right now.” The man growls. I stare at the sharp tip of the knife in my face, fearing this is where my life will end. What will happen to Bailey and Colton without me?

The next moment is a huge blur. One second, there is a knife in my face, and the next, the man falls off of me, screaming in pain on the ground beside me. I jump up off the ground as fast as I can and stumble away from them, running blindly in the direction of where I had seen the shadowy figure of the other man. I stumble and trip in the combination of darkness and the pain throughout my body, reaching out to the brick wall to catch myself from falling but someone else catches me and I start flailing and trying to get away, until I look up.

It’s Merle. He hoists me up from where I was half fallen on the ground onto my feet and puts a hand around my waist to keep me up against him. His face is serious and it’s the first time he hasn’t cracked any jokes to me. I’ve never been more relieved to see someone in my life. I reach up and hold onto his neck, trying to keep my balance. The man continues screaming and cursing and I look back, spotting Daryl holding up a crossbow. “Oh shit! Fuck!” The second man screams, running away and leaving his friend behind with an arrow in his ass. Daryl walks over to him and takes his knife, pressing a foot on the man’s back and yanking the arrow out from his asscheek. I turn and hide my face in Merle’s shirt, disgusted and terrified. The screaming continues and then I hear a second scream and a trash can get knocked over. When I look back again, the other man is laying on the ground toward the back of the alley, an arrow in his leg.

Daryl stalks over to him and rips the arrow from his leg as well, kicking the man in the face before heading back toward the first man. “Ya ever, ever - come back here again… I’ll kill ya.” Daryl growls at the main guy who had been stalking me. Daryl rejoins us and puts a hand on my back hesitantly, looking down at me. I’d never been this close to either of the brothers and yet, somehow, I felt safer now.

“T-thank you.” I mumble into Merle’s chest, holding onto him tight, too afraid to let go. Tears stained into his shirt but I couldn’t bring myself to care - I was shaking and biting back crying.

“C’mon,” Merle mumbles, grasping onto my tight and trying to turn me around. I held onto him tight and let them lead me away, not paying attention. I saw Daryl grab my purse and keys in the corner of my eye and noticed Merle was leading me to a motorcycle. “You take her back, little brother. I’ll meet ya there after I finish up here.” Merle lets go of me and I feel like I’m going to fall over from the pounding in my head, but Daryl grabs onto me before I can fall completely over.

“Damn,” Daryl mutters, grabbing me tight and I notice that we are face to face. He’s got me by my waist and my hands grasp onto his shirt collar. “Sorry…” I mumble, blinking away fresh tears. He doesn’t respond but he helps me onto the back of the motorcycle. “Hold onto this.” He takes my hand and places it on these handlebar things, and I do. I do my best to stay up straight while he attaches my purse and his crossbow onto the back of the motorcycle and then sits in front of me. I whip my head toward the alley when I hear more screaming, but Daryl starts the engine and revs the bike. “Hold onto me. Tight.” Daryl hollers over his shoulder, and I do so without hesitation. I wrap my arms tightly around his waist and lean my head against his shoulder, terrified to fall off. I’ve never been on a motorcycle before - if I had been in a normal state of mind, I would have objected. But at this point, I wanted to get home as fast as possible.

The motorcycle is fast and the wind blows past us. I keep my eyes closed and focus on holding onto Daryl, feeling lightheaded and scared of falling off. It’s a short ride and he has to help me off of the bike. Holding onto his rough hand made me feel anxious and insecure but I had to in order to keep upright. He led me inside his house, and I did not object, as I did not want the kids to see me or for me to wake them up. He leads me over to a beaten up couch and I hesitantly sit down, looking around cautiously. I didn’t know if anyone else was here, but it seemed we were alone. I held onto my own arms tightly and tried to focus on my breathing. “I should uh, check ya out.” Daryl mumbles, crouching down in front of me. He waits for me to respond in some way, so I nod and uncross my arms. He runs a hand up my bare leg and I force myself not to flinch. I’m not afraid of Daryl, but tonight’s events have me shaken up. “Stand up,” He says, offering me his hand to help me get up. He lifts up my shirt a little and I flinch when he touches my back. “Yer pretty scratched up.” He comments, removing his hand from my back. “Should put somethin on that, so it don’t get infected.” He stands up when I sit back down and walks away, presumably to grab something. I hold onto my head and wince in pain where there is a large bump already forming.

Daryl returns with a few items in hand. He gives me a package of peas and shrugs, not meeting my eye. “Don’t have ice packs.” He mumbles, kneeling in front of me. “Turn around.” He tells me, and I move so that he can get to my back, placing the ice on my head. He starts applying something cold to my back and I sit as still as I can, wincing at the pain from where I was drug across the concrete. “Yer shirt’s all torn.” He notes when he pulls it back down. “Lemme see yer head.” I remove the ice and he gently runs his fingers through my hair, eventually finding the lump and I jump in pain, tearing up. “Sorry,” He mutters. “How do you feel? Ya might have a concussion.” He says, and I groan.

“I can’t afford to have a concussion.” I mumble and lean back into the sofa, holding the ice against my head once more. Daryl places a gentle hand on my cheek, below my eye, where I was punched. I look into his eyes as he gently rubs his rough thumb over what is surely a black eye. “M’sorry this happened to ya.” He mutters, looking away.

“Thank you for saving me.” I respond quietly.

“Wish I’d been there sooner.” He grumbles, standing up and removing his vest, tossing it onto the seat. He is wearing a black button down shirt and black jeans, his hair is matted against his forehead - but he looks very attractive. I look down at my bare knees that are now scratched up and feel my eyes burning again.

“What were you doing there, anyway?” I ask, changing the subject.

“Merle wanted a drink. Said ya worked there, wanted to bother ya I’m sure.” I let out a small chuckle and he continues. “We were leavin to head back, but we heard ya yellin.” I nod and look down again, trying not to think about it. I should be used to this sort of thing by now, given what I went through as a child.

Before either of us can say anything more, the door opens and Merle steps in, wiping his hands off on a rag. I notice the faint red marks on his knuckles and wonder what he had been doing, but try not to think of that either. Whatever he did, I didn’t care. Those men deserved it.

“She good?” Merle asks his brother, looking over at me huddled on their sofa. Daryl nods and explains my injuries briefly to Merle, who huffs. “Lucky we were there, sugar.” He comments. I don’t respond, hugging myself and shivering a little. Daryl notices but Merle heads to the bathroom, probably to clean up. Daryl walks away but returns shortly with a shirt and sweatpants. “Here. Ya can change in my room.” He mutters, handing the clothes to me. I am shocked but I accept and stand up slowly, following him back to his room. He shuts the door behind himself and I stand there for a moment, surprised to be in his room. He’s a lot sweeter than he likes to come off, it seems. It’s a very standard room. Pretty messy, no decorations, basic sheets on the bed, old paint. He clearly doesn’t care much for the room, it seems like he probably only uses it to sleep. It’s not “homey.” I remove my now ruined shirt and skirt and throw the large T-shirt on and tie the sweatpants on tight so they will fit me. The shirt is baggy and I notice it smells like Daryl. I hadn’t known what he smelled like before today but now I recognize it. It kinda smells like the outdoors, like firewood or something. It’s a nice scent, though, and I find it comforting.

I open the door with my old clothes in hand and spot Daryl waiting down the hall, leant up against the wall. Merle comes out of the bathroom at the same time and we make awkward eye contact. “Look like a Darylina.” He comments with a chuckle, walking past me toward the kitchen. Daryl looks at me for a long moment, until I meet his eye, and then he drops his gaze to the floor. I slowly approach him and give him a forced, appreciative smile. “Thank you.” I tell him gratefully. He has been so kind to me tonight. Before today, I hadn’t barely spoken to him before and he was always standoffish and seemed to avoid talking to me. It was a weird change, but welcomed. If only the circumstances it occurred under were different…

“Want me to throw em away?” He asks, referring to my clothes in hand. I shrug and hand them to him. He tosses them into a trash can and Merle walks over to the chair by the TV, popping open and beer and kicking his feet up. He seemed so nonchalant about the whole situation, it was weird. “Oh shit,” I mutter, realizing Beau is probably worried, waiting for me. “Do you have my phone?” I ask Daryl.

“That’s what yer worried bout?” Merle speaks up.

“No, I had been waiting for my ride. He’s probably worried.” I explain, looking to Daryl, hoping he had grabbed it. Silently, he pulls my phone from his pocket and hands it to me. “Thank you.” I unlock it and find a million missed calls from both Beau and Jessie. He must have woken her up when I never showed up. “Shit.” I grumble. I hated worrying them, after all they do for me.

“Yer boyfriend?” Merle asks, gulping down some of his beer.

“No, my friend’s boyfriend.” I respond as I text both of them in a group message that I was okay and that I would explain.

“Why would yer friend’s man be pickin ya up at three in the mornin?” Merle asks with a wink.

“Ew, no. I’m not like that. He’s a good friend, she’s watching the kids for me at my house right now. I gotta go let them know I’m okay…” I trail off, then remember I’m in Daryl’s clothes. “Uh, I can go change and bring these back-” I start, but he shakes his head.

“Keep em.” He insists, and I feel bad, but don’t fight back. “Ya might have a concussion, so ya should have someone check up on ya when ya sleep tonight, and get it checked.” He explains.

“Doctor Daryl.” Merle jokes sarcastically, and his brother shoots him an evil eye.

“Thank you guys for helping me. I don’t know how I can repay you…” I trail off, refusing to think about the course of the night again.

“Don’t worry bout it, darlin.” Merle smirks.

“Couldn’t just leave ya there.” Daryl mutters awkwardly, shuffling his feet.

“Well, still. Thank you.” I repeat before heading toward the door. Daryl follows behind me, handing me my purse and keys, and I wave before walking out and heading back to my house slowly, careful not to trip. I look back and notice he is watching me and I feel my cheeks heat up, fumbling to get my key out and open my door. I notice Beau’s truck is here and when I open the door, the two of them are sitting on the sofa, waiting for me.

Jessie and Beau were furious when I told them what happened and I ended up crying on her shoulder, letting the emotions from the night settle in. Beau threatened to go back out looking for them but I told him what I suspected Merle did and he didn’t. Jessie helped me get cleaned up and settled into bed. She slept next to me in my bed that night and woke me up every two hours, in case I had a concussion. Beau slept on the couch and I had never felt more appreciative for anyone more than I did for them and Daryl in that very moment...

< Previous | Next >

---

Welp! That was a dark chapter! I hope you guys enjoyed it, please feel free to leave some feedback and let me know what you thought! Chapter 5 should be up soon, so keep an eye out!

Let me know if you’d like to be added to the taglist :)

Fandoms I Write For | Send Me A Request! | Support My Blog | Coming Soon

@crossbowking​ @glitteryathleterebeluniversity​ @elizaaishi​ @permanenthunger​ @lasswarrior​ @givethnofucketh​  @lokilover2000-blog​ @tv-show-shit​ @mtngirlforever​ @jodiereedus22​@cole-winchester @loudlydarkcollective​ @tehfabbooty​ @momc95​@fuzzy-panda @sourwolf-sterek32​ @mwesterfeld1985​ @badluckgirl​ @namelesslosers​ @my-current-fandom-is​ @zzeacat​ @twdeadfanfic​ @elamy17​ @fangirlsarah16​ @gryffindorshadowhunter​ @justaclosetedgay @a-little-piece-of-heaven-xox​@hello-valerie @huntress-valkyrie​ @pleasepleasepleaseme​ @fangirl-juchan​@dotslabyrinth @isayweallgetdrunk​ @vibhati123 @ask-kakashihatake@clumsy-writing-rdb @07chenzo03 @iminlokisarmysofi​ @daryldixonandfrogs​ @franzixlovesxsomeone​ @of-storms-and-sadness​ @duchessdeer​ @mazerunnerrose​@gruffle1 @harry-titss​ @coffeebooksandfandom​ @marissacooper​ @neeadinghugs​ @theserpentinequeen​ @firelonewolf​ @habelm @isilmiel @itsmysticalmystery​ @misscamptl​ @escapetothemind-dancefloor @dixonslover​ @walkingdeadfan25​ @qrangr​@mblaqgi @daryldixon83​ @negansviolentdelights​ @multiefandamn​ @fandom-trash99 @bvbwestfall​ @sugoichenzo​ @daryldixonswifey​ @thoughtsmeander2tumblingblindy@esdlaliniadedurin @jasminetherandomweirdo​ @abilostinlight​ @thebeckyjolene​@too-many-fanfiction-fandoms @celticheart72-masterlist​ @whizzer1320​ @nohemi2500​ @nugget3455@axelwolf8109 @twd-imaginesss​ @hells-mistress​ @kaleeandspn @sekkitsu​ @fxckyourlife​ @topsykretts926-blog​ @lighthope08​ @runlikeclockwork​ @elysijin​ @mummy-woves-you​ @princess-of-idgaf​ @icantstopreblogging​​ @rhyatt-deauxtreve​​ @nikki082489​​ @twdeadfanfic​ @superdeadwalker @ringpopdust​ @twdsfix​ @dixonluvv​ @angelophany​ @imaginecrushes​ @the-wonderful-werewolf @chocolatealmondmillk @catlya​@firedancernix @princessxpunk​ @collecting-stories​ @ly–canthrope@maydayfigment​ @emilyabeth@classygladiatorcupcake​ @buckygal95​ @aj3684​ @nervous-bouquet-werewolfs-posts @hudsonbird​ @expectroyalpurple​ @thecraziestcrayon​ @d-e-e-e​ @dylan-o-yumm​ @dead-walking10​ @glitteryathleterebeluniversity @neilox​ @lauravic@d-e-e-e​ @cultliter​ @ravenmoore14​ @rxsenkrxnz-imagines @eviction-notice-no666​ @zeppelinwhore​ @i-ran-out-of-fanfics​ @spidergirla5​ @vgs-sunflower​ @captainskyline​  @nehemiay​ @impossiblewagonweaselcookie​ @felicisimor​ @alexisisdumb​ @iamburdened​ @pastanest

[flooffybits]

Heartbreaker

Idol: Choi Jisu (Itzy)

Being the messenger was always taxing, but somehow being the messenger got Jisu a package that she wasn’t expecting.

A/n: hello! first of all i don’t fully know much about skz so i apologize if this is inaccurate. also please thank our discord mallows for helping me create this little crack/fluff fic

☕buy me a coffee☕

"Hey, did you see the new girl on campus?"

Both people at the table looked up when the male had asked the question as he walked over, looking a little more chipper than usual before the pair shook their heads.

"My classes don't start until one, so I just got here a few minutes ago to study with Lia." The blond male replied while looking back at his notes. "She's in my literature class, really cute and creative." The brunette stated, earning a light roll of the eyes from the only female. "If she is new, I expect you to at least be friendly before you try anything, Jisung." She stated, putting her pen down and then resting her chin on her hand.

The boy huffed while taking a seat, though his mood doesn’t waver as he goes on. “I think you guys might see her in some classes? I’m not sure, but her name is Y/n.” Jisung explains and the pair look at him in defeat, knowing that he would go on until he finished. “She isn’t exactly eye catching, but I got to sit in front of her and thought that it would be nice to introduce myself to her.”

“That’s nice of you to do. How is she?” Jisu hummed, a little more interested to know since she’s sure that she’s heard the name somewhere before. “She’s really nice! A little timid since she said she isn’t too confident in her Korean.”

“Foreigner?” Hyunjin cocked his head and Jisung nodded in confirmation. “She’s been living here for two years. She only has her dad and I didn’t try asking about her mom since I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable.” He added with his brows furrowed slightly and his friends can't help smiling at his thoughtfulness. “I’m sure she’s a nice girl.” Hyunjin grinned while patting his back and the other nodded happily.

“She is! I promise, you’re gonna love her if you meet her.”

And true to Jisung’s words, Hyunjin did meet you for his afternoon classes and was quick to pay attention when he found out who you were. He quickly understood your shyness and offered to be a friendly face in the sea of strangers.

“I was honestly a little surprised by you. Everyone else didn’t seem to want to bother with the new student.” You mention and the male shrugs his shoulders. “You seemed like you needed a friend, and Jisung happened to mention you when we were having lunch earlier.” He notices the way your expression brightens at the mention of his friend’s name and something doesn’t sit too well with him as he shifts in his seat.

“You’re friends with Jisung?” You ask and he nodded his head with a smile. “Yeah. We’re basically brothers. And we also have another friend, her name is Jisu, but most times we call her Lia.” He explained and you hum while nodding your head. “Choi Jisu?”

Hyunjin seemed a little surprised by your question, but he nodded either way before asking. “How do you know her?” You tap your pen against your notebook and rest your head against your other hand. “She’s my dorm mate, though I haven’t actually met her yet since I had a lot of stuff to deal with.” You explain sheepishly and Hyunjin gives you a cute little smile. "You're gonna love her."

..

"You're both being weird." Jisu comments while she writes down the answer for the problem she had been dealing with for the past few minutes.

Yet neither of her friends listen as they continue their little debate. "I'm telling you, the fair is the best way to welcome Y/n here!" But Jisung shook his head while scrolling through his phone. "A fair is too much! We don't want to overwhelm her." He argues and Hyunjin groans. "She'll have more fun at a fair than some museum."

Jisu had just been quietly listening to the pair go on while she did her homework, seeing that telling them to just ask you would only fall upon deaf ears, but she is surprised when her name comes falling from both their lips and she had to look up.

"What?"

"She's your roommate. You have a better idea of what she's like." Hyunjin tells her. "And you're both girls, so you have a better sense of what a girl likes." Jisung adds, his eyes almost pleading for the girl to side with him that she can't help but playfully roll her eyes. "We've talked, but we only really know the basics of each other."

"But you have a good judge of character." Jisu groans before resting her chin against her hand, looking thoughtful. "Well, I think she'd enjoy either. But if you want, I can ask her once we're at the dorm and then I'll text you?" She offers and the pair brighten up at her suggestion before nodding their heads that it makes her laugh a bit.

"You guys are so weird."

But she has no plans of replacing her friends no matter how weird they are.

"Hey, welcome back!" Jisu's surprised when she opens the door, still unaccustomed with having a roommate after getting used to being on her own for a while, but she figures it's a nice change.

"Hey, you're early today." She answers while setting her keys on the counter and you flash her a small grin. "My last class was canceled for today. My professor had an emergency at home, I think." You explain while leaning against the couch, laptop left open on the coffee table in front of you.

Jisu nods before moving to grab a bottle of water and then goes to sit down, leaving her bag hanging behind her chair. "Hey, are you going to be busy this weekend?" She suddenly asked, catching you a bit off guard since, to be honest, you weren't really expecting a question like that from your roommate. But you shake your head to answer her question.

"Well, not really. I was just planning on finishing up some of my homework and then familiarizing myself with the campus." You reply honestly while shrugging your shoulders.

There wasn't really much, plus this was a completely foreign area. You needed to know your way around and also look for the places you could, hopefully, use as a hangout place just so you didn't have to always stay in your dorm room like a hermit.

"You should join us, then." Jisu perked up, her smile only growing as you looked skeptical. "Hyunjin, Jisung and I are trying to decide whether we should go to the fair or a museum." She finally says, mentally patting herself on the back as she smoothly put the question out. "Though, which would you prefer to go to?"

You are pleasantly surprised, both by the offer and the way she's even taking your opinion into account, but something you've noted from your new dorm mate is that she's incredibly kind and thoughtful. It was no wonder she was friends with the other two. But you also didn't want to impose especially since the group didn't even know you.

"I mean, I wouldn't mind going to either, but I wouldn't want to suddenly tag along and ruin your guys' fun." You tell her and Jisu chuckles while shaking her head. "It's fine! They actually asked me to talk to you, since I thought you might not have many people to hang out with yet."

"Are you sure?" You ask her, hesitant, and Jisu giggles as she reaches for your hand to give it a light pat. "I promise, we'll be there for you."

There's something about her assurance that makes you feel warm. Her eyes disappear as her smile grows just a tad bit wider and you can't help but giggle at how cute she looks.

"Well, okay then. But where would you like to go though?" You return the question to her and this time, the tables have turned and Jisu wasn't quite sure what to answer, so she stutters out the first thing that comes to mind and she swears that she's a little bit stunned by the grin you shoot her way.

..

"Well, an aquarium is a little similar to a museum." Jisung commented while he looked up at the signs and Hyunjin pouted slightly, though wiped it away when he remembered that he would be seeing you in a little while. "It isn't the fair but the animals are kinda cute." He states while peering into one of the glass containers, giggling at the little jellyfish that floats by.

Both boys were a little disappointed that neither of their suggestions were picked, but seeing as they would be spending time with you, it was a fine decision. Plus, they did say they would go with whatever you would pick.

"Sorry for the wait! Y/n wanted to see some places on campus and we kinda lost track of time." Jisu apologizes when the two of you finally spot the pair and approach them with timid smiles on your faces.

Hyunjin shakes his head while shoving his hands in his pockets. "It's fine! Though, I hope you found whatever it was you were looking for?" He cocks his head to the side along with the question and you giggle at the adorable look on his face. "Yup! I had a great tour guide."

Jisu blushes in embarrassment while lightly smacking your arm. "Shut up. I only made sure you didn't get lost." She retorts, but you laugh nonetheless as she huffs at you and Jisung is happy that you're at least getting along with their little group.

"Well, how about we pick buddies so we don't get lost here?" He suggests coolly and Hyunjin shoots him a tiny glare when he realizes what his best friend is up to. Jisu can only really shake her head while you were none the wiser as you happily agreed.

"Great! Since you already spent the morning with Lia, how about we be buddies?" Hyunjin quickly asks before the other could even open his mouth and Jisung quickly pouts at you. "Hey, I should be Y/n's buddy. I befriended her first." He complained and Hyunjin turned his eyes to the brunette with furrowed brows. "What are you? Six? We'll still be a group." He retorted and Jisu had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing at their childish antics.

You just found the whole exchange entertaining, especially when Jisung turned to the female beside you. "Back me up here. We're twins, right?" Hyunjin looked baffled by the sudden attack before crossing his arms. "Since when the hell were you twins?"

"Ever since we were born!"

"She's older than you!"

"Unless you guys have come to an agreement." Jisu cut in on the pair's bickering. "Y/n and I are gonna go ahead." She announces and you giggle while waving with your free hand while your other arm is looped with Jisu's. "Don't get lost!" You called as you both walked away with hushed giggles before the boys quickly snapped their mouths shut.

They shot each other a glare before quickly following the two of you.

"This is your fault." Jisung groaned and the latter scoffed. "I was just being friendly." Hyunjin retorted as he pouted at the seals when they swam in his line of sight. "You did say it would be nice getting to know her." Jisung frowned while scuffing his shoe against the floor. "Yeah, but I wanted to hang out with her because I wanted to be closer with her."

The admission caused Hyunjin to stop in his tracks before he slowly turned to his friend, a slightly guilty look overcoming his own features as he let out a sigh. "Looks like we really do have a lot of things in common." He chuckled, unamused, before shaking his head at Jisung's puzzled face.

"I think… I like her." He says slowly, watching as his friend’s eyes widened before pursing his lips. “And it’s clear that you feel something for her, too.” Jisung frowned at that before he looked to the ground, contemplating on what to say before he looked back up to meet Hyunjin’s eyes with determination in his own. “Then we’ll both do what we can and let her choose. But whatever happens, we don’t let it ruin us.”

Hyunjin blinked slightly in surprise, but a smile eventually came to his features before he clasped the outstretched hand in front of him with his own, laughing a bit as he nodded in agreement. “May the best man win.”

When the pair find you and Jisu happily marveling at the seal’s section in the aquarium, your laughter fills the slightly crowded area while you both watch the seal wave at its audience before swimming away, only to be replaced by another playful one.

“You guys look like you’re enjoying yourselves.” Jisung comments with a smile and the two of you look back at the two boys. “Well, we are on a trip. And it’s nice to see you’re both still alive.” Jisu shoots back playfully, drawing another giggle from you. “Had fun?” You ask the duo and they look at each other before nodding. “Yep! But you guys ditched us.” Jisung pouts and Jisu can’t help but cringe while you smile lightly.

“Sorry, but you were too slow.” You tease while reaching to pinch his cheek and the male pouts more while playfully pushing your hand away, though he does make sure not to let go of it when you lower your hand and your other two friends raise a brow at his subtle action.

“You stole Lia away and left us for dead, how could you?” He whined while shaking your hand and you giggled at his reaction before patting his arm. “You guys are more than capable of dealing with a crowd like this, so I didn’t leave you for dead.”

“Anyway.” Jisu watches as her two friends seem to grow a sudden sense of competition but keeps her mouth shut even as Hyunjin slings an arm around your shoulders, gently pulling you away from Jisung’s grasp and successfully detaching your linked hands. “How about we grab something to eat? My feet are kinda tired and I’m hungry.”

It looked like that was something you could all agree on. Despite the fun that you all had walking around, none of you could deny that you were getting a bit hungry from all the excitement.

With his arm still around you, Hyunjin began leading your little group towards the area where food stalls were lined up, many friends and families loitering around as they seemed to be in the same predicament as you.

“So, what are you two up to, this time?” Jisu asks plainly without even bothering to look at the male walking beside her. She didn’t even have to look at him to know that he was sulking. “We’re trying to woo her.” He mumbled quietly and Jisu’s brows raised at his words before she shook her head.

“You guys are ridiculous, I swear.”

..

“Lia, can you give this to Y/n when you get back to your dorm?” Staring at the box in front of her, Jisu soon looked questioningly at her friend. Hyunjin smiled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his neck. “She’s been busy with a project so I wanted to do something nice. She also mentioned that she liked these cookies so I thought it would at least cheer her up.” He explained while the female took the box and placed them on top of her books. “You didn’t think of just dropping by and handing them over, yourself?” She inquired and the male fiddled with the strap of his bag. “I didn’t want to be too much of a distraction.”

When he checks the time, he flashes her a smile. “My class is about to start, but I’ll see you later. Tell Y/n I said hi.” Jisu waved to the boy as he jogged off to a different building and it didn't take long before another person plopped down in front of her .

Honestly, Jisu was getting a little tired of her friends’ childishness because this had been going on for a good month and a half. Frankly? She was done playing their messenger.

But for the sake of their pride, she went along with it. She also wanted to see how long until they give up.

"What do you want me to hand over?" She asks, uninterested, and Jisung grins at her before handing the girl a stuffed animal, plus two drinks, making the girl look confused as she looks over the items.

"One is for you. I know that it gets tiring, but I also wanted to show you how much I appreciate it that you're doing this for Hyunjin and I." Jisung explains and Jisu softens slightly before she gives the boy a nudge. "You guys are stupid, do you know that?"

But even with her words, Jisung could feel the affection as he reached to give her a hug. "Just be careful with the plushie. I had no idea where to find it in the first place, but it's one of Y/n's favorite characters." He added, making Jisu look back down and nod her head. "Yeah, I know." 

"Roommate, right." He remembers before finally pulling back. "But anyway, I hope you enjoy it. Also, tell Y/n not to stress herself too much on her project. Make sure she's eating, too." He reminds and Jisu swears it feels like he's scolding her, too, because they all knew she had a tendency of forgetting to eat whenever she was too absorbed with her studies.

"You're sounding like a father." Jisu teased, laughing as Jisung shot her a playful glare. "Oh, shut up." He smiles before shaking his head and standing up. "Anyway, I have to get going. I promised Chan that I would help him with something, so I'll see you later."

When she's alone, Jisu lets out a small sigh before turning back to the gifts that she was once more tasked to deliver before huffing. Stuffing her things in her bag, she grabbed the box of cookies with one hand, plushie tucked under her arm, while the other grabbed the drinks.

"Unnie, you're a little late today." A short haired woman spoke up once Jisu entered the dorm building and stepped onto her floor.

Said girl smiled and shrugged her shoulders as the younger girl moved to help her carry the things she was holding. "Thank you." She muttered when she was relieved of the bit of extra weight. "Hyunjin and Jisung are busy and I have to study for a test, too." She replies while shaking her head as the other looked down at the things she had taken from her hands.

“Don’t even start, Ryujin.” Said girl merely raised her other hand in defense, looking amused. “I wasn’t even saying anything.” The younger girl defended, though the smirk on her face was already enough for Jisu to know what she wanted to tell her. "They'll get over it."

"You're hoping it's sooner than later." Ryujin quips when they walk over to her dorm room and Jisu frowns. "Okay, I admit it's exhausting, but they're happy at least. And I know that they aren't doing anything to jeopardize their friendship." She uses the same excuse, but Ryujin gives her a knowing look. "Feelings eventually grow or fade, unnie. If it's the former, her picking one is only going to make things worse no matter how much they say they're fine with it."

Jisu swears that she tries not to think of that, but in the very back of her mind, she knows it's true because she came to the same conclusion. If you decided to pick either of the two, the other would obviously be heartbroken and whatever would happen to their small group, she wasn't sure how she would deal with it.

"If they aren't ready to talk about it, maybe give Y/n unnie a little nudge and see who she likes more. Then go from there."

Jisu contemplates over the younger girl’s words for a good hour. She left your gifts on the table like usual while her own drink sat on the table situated beside her bed as she stared up at the ceiling.

"Hey." Your voice breaks through her thoughts, eyes squinting behind your glasses and Jisu forces herself to sit up and face you as you open the door a little wider. "I was calling you, but you weren't answering."

She can see the hesitance on your features, but the more she studies you, she realizes that she's gotten so used to seeing you in just a plain tee, comfortable shorts, and those cute little glasses that you wear only in the comfort of your dorm.

"Sorry, I was a little lost in thought." Her voice is hushed and you can't help but frown before padding over to the bed. Jisu scoots over to give you space to sit before she feels the bed dip slightly.

"You seem to be getting lost very frequently. Is something the matter?" You inquire and Jisu purses her lips because she isn't quite sure what to tell you.

Yes, something was bothering her. But the issue was, she wasn't sure what exactly it was.

She can see the genuine concern in your eyes and your voice pretty much gives it away. And as much as this wasn't anything new to her, it made her feel just a tad bit flattered.

"Do you…" She pauses and the words are at the tip of her tongue. So she licks her lips slightly before letting out a breath. "Do you like anyone?"

The surprise is clear on your face. But honestly, at that moment, Jisu was terrified to know the truth when she saw the way your cheeks flushed a bright red, obviously not expecting such a question.

However she isn't sure why she's dreading to hear one of her friends' names come spilling from your lips.

"Well, I…" You fiddle with your fingers, toying with the little ring wrapped around your right index finger, a gift she had given to solidify your friendship right after the aquarium hangout.

"I'm figuring it out."

.. 

"You seem chipper today." Jisu looks beside her to see Yeji giving her an odd look. The older girl cocked her head to the side, but Jisu just smiled while shrugging her shoulders. "What? Can't I enjoy class for once?" She rebuttals and Yeji seemed even more surprised by her response. 

"What did my brother promise you?" She prods and Jisu nearly rolled her eyes before giving her sit mate a light smack on the arm. "He didn't promise me anything. I'm just in a good mood."

"You having a good mood in Philosophy is a sign of the apocalypse."

"Shut up."

Even when the lecture started and time continued to tick by, Yeji kept glancing at her friend, whose smile refused to leave her face.

"You're starting to freak me out here, Lia." She whispers and said girl let out a huff. "Pay attention." But the latter had other plans she opted to go through with. "Come on, I thought we were friends."

Jisu felt the corners of her lips twitch at the latter's whining before she gave her friend a playful push. "I'll tell you later. For now, just pay attention."

Yeji was just about to continue whining, however the professor turned in their direction at the exact moment and she stiffened in her seat, making Jisu duck her head to hide her silent laughter.

Right as their class ended, Yeji was quick to hop to her feet and begin shaking her friend's arm when she was trying to collect her things. "Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

It honestly felt like Yeji was younger than her most times, but then again, she did have her own moments.

"Alright. Come on, let's go." 

The taller girl looked pretty confused by her words, but she followed Jisu out of the room and wasn't too surprised to see her brother and Jisung standing not too far away from them once they exited.

Hyunjin waved at his sister whilst she gave him a pout. "Lia has a secret and won't tell me yet." She complained, making the girl shake her head at her antics before glancing at her two best friends, who both eyed her curiously.

And she was lowkey scared now when she remembers the conversation she's had with you.

"What are you hiding?" Jisung asked playfully and Jisu tried to think of what to say that could possibly keep her nerves calm until a warm hand enveloped her own.

"Hi! Sorry, Yuna was asking me for tutoring lessons so we had to fix a schedule." You greet everyone with a bright smile and Jisu feels a little bit better when you direct your smile in her direction, one she happily reciprocates.

Hyunjin seemed surprised by your arrival, knowing that you didn't usually come to see any of them at this time. "I thought you used your free period in the library?" He asked and you nod your head in confirmation.

"Usually, yeah. But I did promise a certain someone that I was going to take them out." You answer with a little grin and Yeji's eyes widened in awe and realization whilst the two males seemed to pause at the sudden news.

"Really? You guys are so cute!" Yeji gushed, causing a blush to form on Jisu's cheeks while you gently tugged at her hand. "I know that break time isn't too long, so I hope you guys don't mind." You tell them, taking Jisu's bag and placing it on your own shoulder instead, raising her embarrassment as she squeezed your hand.

While the two of you waved them goodbye, Jisu flashed the two boys an apologetic stare before you began asking her how her day was.

Meanwhile, Jisung and Hyunjin blinked owlishly by the sudden events before slowly facing each other.

"A… date?" Hyunjin furrowed his brows and Yeji turned to face them. "I mean, yeah. I know Ryujin told Chaeryeong about talking to Lia, but to think that she picked her instead." She said humorously with a shake of her head.

"Wait, I thought Lia was straight!" Jisung said, flabbergasted, as he looked at the direction you had disappeared to.

Forgetting about their previous competition, both boys looked to each other before Yeji burst into laughter as she patted her twin's arm.

"You tried. But they are roommates, you don't really know what happens behind closed doors."

They swear, once you both came back from your date and you all had free period, they had a series of questions for the two of you regarding this little revelation, but they were nowhere near as angry as Jisu assumed them to be.

[rickrakontoys]

The Book of Boba Fett Thoughts:

*SPOILERS*

The show doesn't know what it wants to be. It barely develops Fett as a character and fails to give him any clear motivation. Most of the show is just him bumbling through situations and acting incredibly naive.

The most interesting aspect was the depiction of the Tusken tribe, and Fett's acceptance into it. Had the whole show been about Fett going on a spiritual journey living with these desert nomads, it would have had a much clearer purpose and sense of progression befitting of the shows heroic theme music. Instead the tribe gets "fridged", and we meander through an undercooked crime boss plotline with no antagonist besides these faceless Pykes who are barely even characterized other than "we sell drugs or something". They introduce these Hutt twins and Black Krssantan early on as if to set them up as the villains, but proceed to dump the Twins to focus on the uninteresting Pykes. Krssantan, while great looking with frightening presence, becomes a hired goon for Fett.

Fett constantly babbles on about protecting "his people" from the Spice trade on Tatooine, but we barely even see these people... and we never see any of the harm the Spice trade is inflicting upon them. Fett and Fennec merely stroll through the rather clean looking Mos Espa set over and over as background actors pretend to be doing things. Fennec herself is regulated to mostly standing around responding to whatever Fett says that she thinks is wrong.

The cyberpunk gang with their colorful hover-vespas is so goofy and ridiculous looking that I have to admire the audacity of their inclusion. That they seem to make up most of Fett's "muscle" only goes to show how pathetic Fett's team is, and how utterly out of his depth he is at being a crime boss.

We waste 2 entire episodes (of a 7 episode series...) on catching up with Din Djarin and Grogu... and these 2 filler episodes are far more interesting in terms of character and plot, and look visually better than the rest of the show (thank you Bryce Dallas Howard especially!). Luke and Ahsoka's brief inclusion in this show, while fun, is baffling in a narrative sense, reeking of fan service at the expense of the plot of the show. And Grogu's choice to return to Din would have been better suited for Mandalorian season 3.

The show then drops Cad Bane on us at the end of the penultimate episode, then expects us to see him as a dramatic foil to Fett, when their relationship is barely alluded to. Had Bane been introduced early on and been presented as the main face of the Pyke Syndicate's hold on Tatooine, then we would have had an interesting thematic villian that challenges Fett by representing his past life as a cold-blooded killer for hire. Bane does look really cool in live-action though, and I hope we see him again somehow.

I really didn't have much expectations for this show, but wanted to be pleasantly surprised, especially at a somewhat intriguing albiet flawed first 2 episodes. Once it started to drag out its main plot, and then devolve into a cameo parade while sidelining its namesake character for nearly a third of its series, it became clear the show had no idea what it was trying to be other than filler content for Disney+. Everything about it, aside from Din and Grogu, feels so emotionally hollow...

C-

A few random notes:

- Teumera Morrison and Ming-Na Wen are usually great, but here their talents are wasted with shoddy dialogue.

- All of Robert Rodriguez's episodes were so visually flat, and shot in such a boilerplate manner, that they were the blandest piece of Star Wars media I've seen in a while... I wish we got Sin City/Dusk Til Dawn/Desperado Robert and not... Spy Kids/Shark Boy & Lava Girl Robert.

-The whole show in general looks like it was shot on a studio backlot with barely any attempts to hide this... save for Din Djarin's 2 episodes...

- I really liked the Tusken tribe... and though a prolonged period of nothing but their hoarse vocalizations would bring it dangerously close to the unbearable "Star Wars Holiday Special cacophony of wookie noises", I would love to see more of their culture explored.

- Did Fett really think flying his ship directly into the mouth of the Sarlaac was a good idea? How would he expect to see anything that way?

- Danny Trejo showing up as a Rancor keeper was good fun, and I wished we got more of him.

- Speaking of which, did Fett bring his Rancor to Mos Espa during the finale even before the fighting broke out? If he kept it in his palace, how did he get back to Mos Espa with it so quickly during the big battle against those droids? Jabba's palace is apparently quite far from the city...

- I wish Cobb Vanth was more prominent in the finale. Timothy Olyphant brings a much appreciated swagger to Star Wars

- More Amy Sedaris please!

- While Grogu returning to Din was quite obvious, it feels a bit frustrating to know that it basically renders moot most of the quest in season 2. But Din and Grogu sells... I only wish they held off on it longer, so their reunion would feel more impactful

- Also, did Luke seriously send Grogu out to Tatooine, a place he knows is full of scum and villainy, all by himself? R2 clearly wasnt going to chauffeur Grogu around looking for Din. That seems really irresponsible. (Maybe Grogu told them about Peli Motto, but how did he know Din was even on Tatooine?)

- Did anyone else laugh when the theme music during the end credits of the finale started to chant "FETT! Bo-ba FETT! Boba Bo-ba boba boba bo-baaaa!"

[dontmindmyshadowhunting]

Welcome to Faerieland - Fan Fic (last chapters)

Here we go! Last chapters of Welcome to Faerieland.

Link to full story on AO3 here.

*****

Dru and Ash landed a mile or so away from their destination, in order to avoid drawing attention to the location. As soon as their feet touched the ground, the two rocs turned around and disappeared above the treetops.

“I can walk,” Dru said and Ash offered his arm to steady her while she limped toward the general direction of the cottage. She knew it pretty well, it had sort of become a Blackthorns’ country home.

“So how do you know this place?”

“My eldest brother is dating the King of the Unseelie Court, and that’s where they meet sometimes.”

Ash whistled.

“One of your brothers is King Kieran’s lover? I think I heard about him.”

“Yeah, it’s pretty serious, although they won’t ever be able to be official about it. I guess you know what the rules are about faerie royalty’s consorts?”

“I do,” he averted his gaze and brushed a hand through his hair, in what seemed to be a nervous gesture. Dru realized it was the first time Ash had looked uncomfortable about a subject.

“A lot of rules need to be changed,” he said abruptly. “Don’t you agree?” His green eyes bore into her as he said it, as if he was desperate for her approval.

“Well, King Kieran has already been carrying out a lot of changes since he came to power. It’s just that… sometimes, it takes time. You can’t change the world overnight.”

Ash kicked a pebble. “You could, if you didn’t insist on everything being consensual. Maybe King Kieran cares too much about what people think of him... or, you know, in general.” He shrugged but there was a predatory glint in his eyes that she hadn’t seen before, and it almost made her cringe.

“You know, Ash, if what you are looking for in a sovereign is arbitrary decisions and a bitchy attitude, we have the Seelie Queen for that.”

She had expected Ash to laugh, his free, careless laugh - God, she loved it when he did that - but he seemed lost in thought.

She had to admit she had been a bit harsh. She knew the Seelie and Unseelie Courts were in much better terms now that King Arawn was dead. The Queen had appointed the Unseelie Prince Adaon as her most trusted advisor and the two of them and King Kieran met regularly to reinforce the bonds and cooperation between both realms.

Dru started humming a song and Ash paused, his green eyes widening. “Are you singing… Royals ?”

“Yeah, I love that song. Do you know it?”

“I do,” he answered, suppressing a smile.

As they walked, she sang louder - she knew the lyrics by heart - and he watched her with glittering eyes, clearly entertained.

“And we'll never be royals It don't run in our blood That kind of luxe just ain't for us We crave a different kind of buzz Let me be your ruler You can call me queen bee”

“Maybe I will,” he whispered in her ear as he tickled her, and she elbowed him playfully.

He sang along with her then - he had a beautiful tenor voice - both of them throwing their heads back at the same time to howl at the sky “And baby, I'll rule - I’ll rule, I’ll rule, I’ll rule” , like a pair of wolves. They roared with laughter, Dru holding her ribs and leaning against Ash for support. Watching him from the corner of her eye, she marvelled at the fact that she had found a new friend in such a short time.

At the Academy, people either feared her because she was a Blackthorn or wanted to be friends with her simply for that same reason. Or both. She was almost a celebrity, despite herself. Only because of her last name and her eldest brothers’ hand in ending the Cold Peace in the most spectacular way. And of course, there were always the loud-mouthed bigots and moralists who were baffled by the Blackthorns’ ties with the Fair Folk and their so-called “sexual and moral depravity”. The Rosales, of course, suffered the same criticism, and Jaime had always been a comforting shoulder and reliable friend to Dru in those moments where she felt she had had too much to deal with.

She didn’t want to worry Julian, Emma, Mark or even Helen with her troubles making friends at the Academy.

She couldn’t confide in Ty, because he didn’t care at all what people thought, and was content with sticking to his close friends, Livvy and Anush. His teachers, especially Ragnor Fell and Catarina Loss were absolute fans - even if Fell would never admit it - and everyone at the Scholomance was too impressed by his obvious academic superiority - and maybe, the Carpathian lynx tailing him - to dare bother him anyway.

Ash seemed to be far away from all of this, as if he had been living as a hermit in a remote tower, which was probably close to the truth.

He was the only one outside her siblings, with the exception of Jaime of course, to treat her like an ordinary girl.

And maybe, maybe someday Ash could become more than a friend. He was nice, definitely fun, absolutely gorgeous and he had kissed her after all, even though she knew it could be meaningless where faeries were concerned. She had been waiting for Jaime to figure things out for so long, and Ash had appeared out of nowhere and had shown interest without a moment’s hesitation.

She was interrupted in her thoughts as a broad-shouldered silhouette falling from the sky dropped on the ground before them. Dru released Ash’s arm to clap both her hands on her mouth, relief washing over her. Kit, looking as angelic as ever with his bright blue eyes and tousled blond hair, fluttered his white wings tipped with gold as he advanced gleefully to greet Dru.

The reunion was cut short as he was suddenly thrown back by a figure shooting straight into him like a cannonball and from one moment to the next, Kit disappeared into a ball of black and white feathers, rolling on the grass.

It took Dru a moment to realize that Ash had disappeared from her side and that he was actually the one who had attacked Kit. She ran to separate them but soon they were shooting up, caught in a wrestling match a few feet above ground, moving so swiftly they were a blur.

Dru let out a heavy sigh before she put two fingers between her lips and whistled as loud as she could. The two figures froze - they were still grappling each other - and looked down.

“ASH! KIT! Both of you. Get down here! NOW.”

They both looked at each other.

“ASH! What the hell is wrong with you, this is my brother’s boyfriend !” Dru continued, gesturing frantically toward Kit.

Ash released Kit first, grudgingly, and they both landed softly on the floor. There was a long gash across Ash’s cheek but he was grinning like the Cheshire cat, his eyes glittering in excitement. He winked at Dru as he wiped blood from his mouth. Kit was rearranging his hair, looking pissed, and Dru realized that his knuckles were bloody and that there was a small cut on his eyebrow. Both of them seemed otherwise unharmed.

“What the hell is wrong with you, Batman ?” Kit said, glaring at Ash.

“Sorry,” Ash replied, wiping dirt from his shirt. “I took you for a psychopathic jerk who nearly killed me a few years ago. He literally kicked me and my uncle out of the place we used to live in. You look exactly like him.”

“Well, it can’t have been me since last night was the first time I ever saw you,” Kit replied sharply, wiping his bloody knuckles over his shirt.

“Yeah, don’t worry, I figured that out pretty fast. You fight like a pussy compared to him.”

“Want to say that again?” Kit lifted an eyebrow at him.

“Boys, could you please stop comparing the sizes of your dicks, so we can move on?”

Ash and Kit complied, arguing over which Batman movie was best the entire way, until the cottage came into view, a few feet away. The door opened and Jaime came out of it, running toward them.

“Dru,” he cried out. He caught up to her, and threw his arms around her, burying his face in her hair. She lost herself in his familiar and comforting scent and pressed her cheek against his torso. “Mi corazón,” he whispered softly. "We were worried sick. Cómo estás?”

Jaime brushed his hands through Dru’s hair and planted a kiss on her forehead.

She swiftly pulled back, her eyes darting to where Ash was leaning against a tree, talking to Kit, his arms crossed. He was smiling indulgently at her, as if he didn’t mind.

“I am fine, thanks to Ash,” she said, and pulled Jaime over to where Ash and Kit were standing. “Jaime, this is Ash. Ash, this is Jaime,” she introduced, waving her hand awkwardly between the two of them.

“Thank you for taking care of our precious Dru,” Jaime said, extending his hand. “We owe you one.”

“No hay de qué!” Ash replied, shaking his hand.

“Hablas español?” Jaime asked, looking pleasantly surprised.

“Solo a hombres con un excelente gusto en mujeres.” He gave Jaime a wicked grin and looked pointedly at Dru. Jaime’s face fell.

A high-pitched shriek had them whip their heads up in time to see a majestic roc land on the ground, a few feet away. Ty hopped gracefully from the giant bird and walked immediately to Dru. He was pale - even more so than usual - with deep dark circles under his gray eyes, and Dru marvelled at how gorgeous her brother was anyway, whatever state he was in. She sometimes wished she had inherited the same stunningly sharp features. Without a word, Ty knelt in front of Dru and started inspecting her wound.

“Ash, this is my brother Ty,” Dru announced proudly.

Ash started to extend his hand but Dru shook her head at him. He let it fall by his side.

“Ty, this is Ash.”

Tiberius nodded without lifting his gaze.

“Who tended to the wound?”

“I did,” Ash answered.

Ty finally stood - and Dru realized Ash was almost as tall as Ty, which was saying something, since Ty was very tall - and glanced at Ash for the first time, his gray eyes looking down under his long eyelashes and not lifting up from a spot on Ash’s shoulder. “Thanks,” he said curtly.

Hesitantly, Ty put his arms around Dru in one of the rare hugs he had ever granted her. It was awkward and short, but Dru knew it meant Ty had been truly terrified of losing her.

After they released each other, Ty whirled and started walking toward the cottage. He paused after a few steps and glanced over his shoulder. The four of them had just been standing there, staring at him. “Are you coming?”

They all hurried after Ty, Dru having one arm around Ash’s, and the other around Jaime’s.

“So, tell me. Are all your brothers this handsome?” Ash asked her, as he looked Ty up and down appreciatively.

“EXCUSE ME? “ Kit interjected. His whole face had gone bright red in an instant and he started cracking his bloody knuckles. He looked poised for a second round.

“What? Did I say something wrong?” Ash did not seem in the least bit concerned by Kit’s reaction.

“It’s my boyfriend you are talking about.”

“And I just said I found him attractive. Is that in any way offensive?”

Dru laughed. “No,” she said. “I am sure you were simply stating your opinion and not trying to steal Kit’s boyfriend.”

“I am not trying to steal anyone’s lover,” Ash concurred, gazing wistfully at Dru. ”I just admire beauty when I see it”.

“But he would definitely be up for sex if Ty wanted to,” Jaime muttered sarcastically under his breath.

Ash shot him a puzzled look. “Of course, I would. Why not? Kit would be welcome as well, the more the merrier.”

Kit opened his mouth but seemed too much in a shock for a witty comeback. That was a first.

Oddly enough, Dru realized she didn’t feel jealous or baffled by Ash’s statement. He was like an untamed bird breaking out of a cage, unwilling to bend to any rules of propriety. She guessed part of it was due to his fey heritage.

“Mark is the Unseelie King’s lover, the Seelie Queen keeps trying to get into Julian’s pants and now you two,” Jaime said eventually, looking over at Ty and Dru. “What is it with the Blackthorns and the Fair Folk anyway?”

“Probably the exact same thing there is with Blackthorns and any other species,” Ash said evenly.

Everyone turned a questioning look at him.

“They are hot,” he said simply, and shrugged.

Everyone laughed at that.

*****

They were all starving so they decided to have breakfast in the cottage before heading back home.

Kit, wearing an apron that had "Doughnut sandwiches are a proper meal” printed on it (and that probably belonged to Mark Blackthorn), was in the kitchen, scrambling a huge portion of eggs in a large pan with a wooden spoon. He somehow managed to make it look totally hot.

“Eggs?” Ty asked Kit as he came to stand next to him and put a hand on the small of Kit’s back.

“Yeah, I would have cooked pancakes, but we are missing a few ingredients to do that. So it will be eggs. Eggs and fruits. God knows there are plenty of fruits here.”

“You know how to cook pancakes?” Ty asked, his gray eyes widening in surprise.

Kit shot him a shy glance.

“Yeah, I… I asked Julian for his recipe. You know, in case one day I needed to cook for you…r family.”

Kit and Ty both exchanged a look that was so intimate, Jaime had to glance away. He found Ash leaning casually against the fridge, his arms crossed, and gazing at him with a smirk on his face. He looked like he owned the place and hadn’t just popped uninvited into the home of strangers. When Jaime raised a questioning eyebrow at him, Ash unfolded his arms to draw the shape of a heart in the air in front of him. Jaime rolled his eyes. He definitely didn’t like this guy.

They set the table, while Dru was in the bedroom looking for clothes.

Kit and Ty sat next to each other, their fingers intertwined under the table and their backs to the kitchen counter, which left Ash to sit across from Ty and Jaime to sit across from Kit. They had left a spot at the head of the table for Drusilla, who would have Ash on her left and Ty on her right when she came back.

Ty only had fruits on his plate, and he was eyeing Kit gulping his eggs down, as if he was reconsidering having some himself.

“Want to try?” Ash brought his fork to Ty, who flinched as if he had been stabbed.

Kit grabbed Ash’s wrist and pushed the fork away from Ty.

“Ty can use my fork if he wants to try it. He is my boyfriend, after all.”

Ash shrugged. “Yeah, no worries, I think I got that. You can tattoo it on your forehead, it will spare you from having to repeat it to every living soul you encounter on Earth.”

Ash glanced at Jaime, and said in a lower voice, directed only at him. “And it will keep other people from pining for someone they can’t have.”

“Excuse me?” Jaime turned to whisper in Ash’s ear. “What does it have to do with Dru and me?”

“I was not talking about Dru,” Ash whispered back.

They both jerked their heads up, as Dru swooped in from the bedroom then, wearing a beautiful red dress that Jaime remembered having seen on Cristina. It was much tighter on Dru, clinging to her curves and emphasizing her cleavage. Jaime swallowed. He couldn’t figure out what the hell was going on in his head.

Ash immediately stood to draw Dru’s chair and she nodded by way of thanking him. She sat on it as if it was a throne, her chin up.

Jaime glanced over at Ash, who seemed so free about his sexuality, and felt a pang of envy.

“So, what’s your deal, Ash?” Jaime blurted. Ash raised a questioning eyebrow at him. “Are you…” Jaime cleared his throat. “Bixesual?”

A slow grin spread across Ash’s face. “We’ve just met and you’re already trying to fill your fact sheet about me and tick one of your little boxes?”

“I didn’t mean to be rude,” Jaime said, feeling uncomfortable.

“I know you didn’t. Don’t get me wrong, I am not offended by your question,” Ash continued in a gentler voice. “It’s just that… not everyone can fit into little boxes.” He swiftly glanced at Ty when he said it. It was a flicker movement, but lynx-eyed Ty caught it immediately.

“Don’t look at me like that,” Tiberius said. “I am definitely gay.” He slipped half a banana inside his mouth then, totally oblivious of the gesture. Kit and Ash weren’t though. Kit made a noise between a snort and a chuckle and spilled the water he was drinking through his nose and all over his shirt, while Ash almost fell off his chair roaring with laughter. Dru looked at the boys with motherly affection.

Jaime stood and hurried to the kitchen to get a towel to clean the mess. When he turned, Kit was already there, leaning against the kitchen counter, extending his hand and looking at Jaime with a genuine smile that lit up his gorgeous face.

“Thanks, Jaime,” he said, as he grabbed the towel and started padding his shirt with it. The planes of his muscles stood out and could be seen right through the wet fabric.

“No problem,” Jaime mumbled, feeling his heartbeat increasing inside his chest.

He averted his gaze, past Kit, to the table, where Ty and Dru had their heads bent together, caught in a deep conversation.

Ash was peering around Ty, watching Jaime with amusement. When he caught Jaime gazing back, he stuck his tongue inside his cheek, and started moving his fist back and forth in front of his mouth, miming a blowjob.

Jaime resisted the urge to flip him the finger.

****

When breakfast was over, Dru lay sprawled on a sofa, her leg propped on Jaime’s lap, and Ash was examining the sound system, so he could put music on.

Kit and Ty had disappeared. God only knew where.

“So, what was that demon attack in the middle of Faerie about?” Jaime asked.

“Ty has a theory. And you won’t like it,” Dru replied. “He believes the Unseelie prince who held us hostage has made an alliance with a Greater Demon… probably a Prince of Hell.”

Jaime tensed. If Ty believed this, it was very bad news indeed. “So why send an army of demons to attack an ally?”

Dru twirled a lock of her dark brown hair as she replied. “Two options. Either the Prince of Hell discovered that his ally had been exposed and wanted to silence him. Or… or we will soon be caught in the middle of an internal war between the Princes of Hell.”

“You mean… there might be more than one involved?”

“To quote Ty, evidence makes it more likely than not,” Dru replied, imitating her brother’s voice. Jaime felt dread wash over him.

He gently put Dru’s leg on an armrest and excused himself.

Sometimes, he felt so anxious it was all he could do not to curl up in a corner and wait for his chest pain and dizziness to fade. The mission he had carried out a few years back, where he had to stay hidden all the time, never staying in one place, had made him jumpy, poised for any threat. He didn’t want Dru to see that side of him. For her, he could only be the calm and reliable friend she was used to.

He decided to scout the rest of the cottage for an empty room. There was a corridor - leading to a bathroom? more bedrooms maybe? - on the left side of the main suite’s door.

He went through and just as he turned around a corner... stopped short.

Halfway down the corridor, Ty was leaning with his back against the wall and Kit had his hands propped on either side of him, trapping Ty in a cage of his arms… and they were kissing.

Jaime had never seen two men kissing before and he was surprised to see how tender and sweet it looked. Ty was running his long pale fingers in Kit’s blond hair while the other hand rested on the small of Kit’s back, half of it concealed under Kit’s waistband.

Kit was naked from the waist up and Jaime could see all the tanned muscles in his back contract as he deepened the kiss, eliciting soft moans from the Blackthorn boy.

They were beautiful together, two opposites inevitably drawn to each other, their bodies fitting perfectly like yin and yang.

Jaime felt his whole body react, with a familiar flutter around his stomach and heat rushing up his cheeks. He knew he should not be watching, but he couldn’t get himself to tear his gaze away.

Kit broke the kiss to trace the dark Marks swirling up Ty’s neck with the tip of his tongue. Ty’s gray eyes fluttered open and he caught sight of Jaime. His intense gaze didn’t waver. He didn’t even seem surprised or angry. He simply raised an eyebrow at Jaime as if to say Can I help you with something ?

Jaime hastily retreated to the living room.

He found Ash’s lean figure perched on the wide low table at the center of the room, dancing to the blasting sound of Beyoncé’s Single Ladies and singing along. “If you like it, you should have put a ring on it,” actually sounded very good in his velvety voice. He was twisting, hands on his hips, and throwing his legs up like a professional, while making dramatic faces at Dru, who was sprawled on the sofa, howling with laughter. As he brushed his lips with his finger, licking it and started caressing his torso while throwing his head back, shaking his beautiful silvery hair, he managed to make it look erotic and not ridiculous at all. Jaime had to admit… His moves were perfect, fluid, coordinated and he totally… pulled it off. Annoying jerk.

“Having fun without me?” Kit burst into the room - he was, fortunately, wearing a shirt this time - and immediately hopped on the table to join Ash and one could not imagine they had been wrestling less than an hour before.

When Dru caught Jaime watching them, she patted the spot on the sofa next to her and he moved to drop beside her, throwing his arm around her shoulders.

The music had changed to Rihanna’s S&M and Ash and Kit were dancing together as if they had rehearsed for hours, their dance steps coordinated and smooth. They looked like two lifelong best buddies who could guess each other’s moves. They were pulsing with energy, although obviously neither of them had slept the previous night. Ash made a show of licking Kit’s cheek, and Kit pushed him away, grimacing. When Ash arched his back to rub his buttocks against Kit’s crotch and Kit spanked him, Dru wiped tears from her eyes. Jaime imagined what it would be like to go to a nightclub with the both of them. They would most likely steal the show.

As if on cue, the next song was… Stole the show, by Kygo. As they danced close together in perfect synchrony, Jaime noticed for the first time the similarities between Ash and Kit. Though Ash was all pale, white blond hair and alabaster skin, and Kit was all golden hair and tanned muscles, there was something about their facial features, the planes of their cheeks, the lines of their jaws… They did not look like brothers, but they could easily pass for cousins.

Jaime grabbed a Hot Shadowhunters calendar that had been left on the side table and started flipping through the pages. Looking at the January page featuring Jace Herondale, he wondered why everyone said Kit was like a mini Jace when Jaime could clearly see there was a difference, now that Kit had grown into more adult features. At least to Jaime, Kit’s fey heritage was plain.

When the music changed to Charlie Puth’s Marvin Gaye, Jaime turned his head to find Ty leaning against the kitchen counter and watching the two dancers with a bemused expression, his arms crossed over his chest.

He eventually caught Kit’s eye, lifted a questioning eyebrow, and jerked his head toward the bedroom door. Kit stumbled from the table in his hurry to join Ty and followed him out of the living room and through the main bedroom door, which shut behind them.

*****

Kit jumped on the huge threesome bed as soon as they were inside the bedroom. He felt exhilarated, full of adrenaline and restless energy, and he wanted Ty so much that he was certain he would spontaneously combust if they didn’t share their bodies within the next minute.

He shot Ty a smoldering look as he lounged on the thick mattress, twisting his shoulders seductively while singing along to Charlie Puth’s Marvin Gaye, which was blasting through the thin walls.

“We got this king-size to ourselves Don't have to share with no one else Don't keep your secrets to yourself It's Kama Sutra show and tell, yeah”

Ty had folded his arms against his chest and was shaking his head, as if he didn’t know what to make of this misbehaving boy.

“Kit, you interrupted me earlier when I was trying to have a serious conversation. Will you please let me finish this time?”

"I'm in trouble." Kit continued, clapping a hand over his mouth in a dramatic oops gesture. "But I'd love to be in trouble with you."

Ty rolled his eyes. He didn’t seem ready to play along with Kit, so Kit finally stood and grabbed Ty's upper arms, forcing him to back up until he had him pinned against the wall. He started wiggling his hips, rubbing against Ty, his body swaying to the music.

“You've got to give it up to me I'm screaming, "Mercy, mercy, please!" Just like they say it in the song Until the dawn, let's Marvin Gaye and get it on.”

Kit slipped a hand under Ty’s waistband, straight into his boxer shorts, and whispered “Hello there” as he brushed his lips against Ty’s ear.

“Kit…” Ty said sharply, as a warning, though Kit could hear his breathing was uneven.

“Ty,” Kit replied with all the seriousness he could muster. “When I saw you riding that Shinigami demon carrying a crossbow, I was so turned on it was all I could do not to jump your bones there and then.”

Ty laughed softly. “It appears you have a kink involving me wielding dangerous weapons. Maybe I should bring a claymore to bed next time and threaten you with it.”

“Honey, you know that, as far as I am concerned, you carry the deadliest weapon around with you at all times,” Kit started stroking Ty’s length as if to illustrate his point. It hardened under his touch. Good, we’re heading somewhere. "I was talking about your brain of course," Kit added.

“Kit, listen to me.” Ty grabbed Kit’s wrist and pulled it out of his pants. Kit groaned. “Haven’t you noticed anything strange about Ash?”

That caught Kit’s attention. He had not expected Ash to be the subject of their conversation. He had actually hoped to avoid any kind of conversation altogether. For a little while at least.

“Well, I noticed he is an amazing fighter and dancer. I am totally up for challenging him again, either in a training room or on a dancefloor.” There was something about Ash and him fighting and dancing together, a raw yet steady energy, not like the restlessness and all consuming love he felt around Ty, but something grounding him, making him even more focused. As if he had found a kindred warrior spirit.

“He probably has no effect on you, but… I think spells have been worked on him to render him… likeable. People are inevitably drawn to him, want to protect and follow him.”

Kit swallowed, suddenly deadly serious. “Does this… work on you?”

“No. And I have several theories about that. First… Well, I am a bit different. My brain doesn’t work the same way others’ do. Second, the Blackthorns have a bit of Greater Demon blood, even if it is quite diluted. I do believe Dru genuinely likes him.”

“You mean from your ancestor Lucie Herondale?”

Ty nodded. “And the third and most important explanation is… you. You have my full loyalty.” He rested his forehead against Kit’s. “There is no way in hell I am following him, when I could follow you. ”

Kit brushed his lips over Ty’s.

“What about Jaime? He seems to dislike Ash.”

“I am still trying to figure this out. But it may be one of the reasons I am immune to it, myself.”

“What? You think the Rosales have Greater Demon blood as well?”

“Maybe. But that’s not what I was referring to.”

They were both interrupted when they heard voices raising in the living room. Jaime’s voice was the loudest. And he sounded totally pissed.

Ty hurried toward the door, and Kit followed.

****

As soon as Kit and Ty had disappeared behind the bedroom door, Ash jumped over Dru and Jaime’s heads to land behind the sofa and stole the Hot Shadowhunters calendar from Jaime’s hands. “Hey!” Jaime cried out.

Ash circled back and dropped himself next to Dru, which left her crammed between him and Jaime. As he flipped to the first page, the January page, Ash froze. He was gaping at the picture of Jace Herondale, as if he could not quite believe his eyes.

Falling for Jace Herondale, already? What a surprise.

But oddly, Ash didn’t smile or make a sarcastic comment, as Jaime would have expected. He had a sorrowful expression and a faraway look.

“This is Jace Herondale,” Dru said softly. “Surely, even you have heard of him ?”

Ash swallowed. “Yeah,” he said absently. “Yeah, I have. He looks… happy.”

“Well, of course, he is happy. He has it all, hasn’t he?” Jaime said. “War hero. Married to the love of his life. The Consul as faithful parabatai.” Ash flinched, as if each word was a needle to his skin.

“Ash, is everything okay?”

Ash shook his head as if to clear it.

“Yeah, yeah, I was just thinking about… the butterfly effect. How a single human being’s existence… or absence, can change the course of things… can change the whole world.”

Where the hell did that come from? Jaime wondered.

Ash lifted his gaze to stare at the door where Kit and Ty had disappeared. “Take Kit for instance. Who knew it would only take a hot boyfriend to turn a ruthless, bloodthirsty ruler into a harmless kitten.”

“Er- Ash, I am not sure I am following you,” Dru said gently. “What do you mean?”

Ash let out a heavy sigh and slumped back, crossing his long arms behind his head, the Hot Shadowhunters calendar left at the January page on his lap.

“Nothing, I am rambling.” It looked like he was lost in his thoughts again.

Jaime seized the opportunity to whisper in Dru’s ear. “Dru, can we find some place private to… talk?”

Dru gazed at him with a puzzled look on her face. “Sure. What do you want to talk about?”

Jaime didn’t get a chance to answer as the entrance door rattled at that moment and they both whipped their heads in the direction of the noise.

The door opened and Mark Blackthorn, all tousled blond hair, pointy ears and flushed cheeks, erupted inside the cottage, wearing ragged jeans and a white shirt with a message that stated, “All good things come in threes”. He paused, as if he didn’t really expect to see so many people in his living room.

Jaime immediately withdrew his arm from Dru’s shoulders and stood, but soon registered that Mark was not looking at him… He was staring at Ash who had, from one moment to the next, leapt on the table in front of them and was crouched on top of it, ready to pounce, a dangerous glint in his ice green eyes. He had moved to protect Dru from a potential threat, Jaime realized. And there was no trace of the Ash that had been goofing around with Kit a moment before. The feeling that he had been played like a fool until then hit Jaime like a freight train. They had all fallen for Ash’s laid-back, good guy act. In one instant, Ash had revealed his true, predatory nature…

“Mark!” Dru waved from the sofa, unfazed. “You already know Jaime of course and this is Ash,” she introduced. “Ash… this is my brother Mark.”

Ash relaxed from his stance and leapt off the table, flashing a bright smile and wearing his cool guy mask back on. As if he hadn’t been ready to rip Mark’s throat a second before. The abrupt change in Ash's behaviour almost gave Jaime a whiplash.

“Have we… met before?” Mark asked, looking at Ash with his brows furrowed as he closed the door.

“In any event, I wish to be properly introduced,” Ash said, evading the question. “I am Dru’s boyfriend.”

“Excuse me?” Dru interjected at the same time Jaime exclaimed “WHAT?”

Ash shrugged. “I thought our make out session had settled it.”

Jaime felt heat rush up his face. He whirled on Dru. “We’ve known each other for three years and you’ve known this guy for what? Less than twelve hours? And you’ve already kissed him?”

“To be fair, I am the one who kissed her ,” Ash said in a calm voice. “She didn’t tell me to stop, though.” He paused, his long fingers stroking his delicate chin as he pondered. “Then again, how could she have, what with my tongue being down her throat and all?”

“Ash, don’t intervene,” Dru said, her already white complexion growing paler by the second. “This is not between us.”

“Really?” Ash answered in a fake shocked expression. “I could have sworn it was my tongue down your throat.”

“What’s going on here?” Ty asked as he came out of the bedroom, followed by Kit.

“GREAT!” Jaime said. “That’s just my luck! We’re just missing Julian and…”

“And?” Julian asked, his tall broad-shouldered figure appearing in the entrance. He froze in the doorway, hand on the doorknob, his face a mask of shock as his blue-green eyes swept across the room.

“... And all my worst nightmares are reunited in the same room. OK, let’s be done with it.”

Jaime took a deep breath and caught each of the Blackthorn brothers’ gaze, one after the other.

“I. FANCY. DRU. OKAY? I like her. I know she’s sixteen, but we are good together and I want her to be my girlfriend.”

*Cough* “ Too late.” *Cough* That was Ash. Dru turned to glare at him.

“Well, that’s not even relevant anymore, is it? Since apparently… She prefers Legolas, here.” Jaime continued, waving his hand toward Ash.

“Why does everyone keep saying that? I don’t even look like him.”

“Lego-who?” Ty asked, puzzled.

“He’s talking about Ash. Don’t worry honey, I’ll explain,” Kit said, speaking for the first time.

“And what the hell are you doing here?” Julian asked, turning toward Kit, a flicker of panic crossing his features.

“He just came out of the bedroom with Ty,” Mark said.

Kit lifted both his hands in surrender. “I wasn’t having sex with him,” he blurted. “I mean… not this time.” His face went red. “I mean- I am out of here. If anyone’s looking for me, I’m in the bedroom.” He whirled and paused in front of the bedroom door, his hand on the knob. “Not having sex with anyone...” he specified before he disappeared behind it.

Julian heaved a sigh and turned his gaze back to Ash.

Ash gulped. He looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights, his green eyes wide.

“This is not the end of it. But first things first. Can anyone tell me what the hell Ash Morgenstern is doing here?”

They had barely registered the question, when a sharp cry from behind Julian had them all jump. A slender figure peered around him, red hair like flames flowing over a green velvet dress embroidered with gold. Jaime had seen enough drawings and pictures of her to recognize her instantly. The Seelie Queen.

She pushed Julian aside and ran to Ash, throwing her thin pale arms around him and burying her face in his chest, the golden circlet around her head tipping to the side as she did. “Where were you last night? I came to the house, and it was empty . I have been looking for you everywhere since!”

Dru was staring at Ash open-mouthed. He shot her an apologetic look.

“Mom, let me introduce you to Dru. Dru…” Ash cleared his throat. “Meet my mom.”

*****

Tagging @gabtapia ❤️ Hope you'll enjoy it and, of course, don't hesitate to correct my spanish ;)

[amoc94]

"His Pet"

Summary : Min Yoongi. A business magnate, and a mafia leader. He was everything you would never imagine to be a part of your life.Yet fate is not something to be eluded.

He would do anything to make you his.

Pairings : Yoongi × OC (from reader's POV)

Genre : Yandere, Mafia AU.

Warning for this chapter : Nothing.

Full Masterlist and elaborate warning please read here.

List of chapters here.

CHAPTER 22.

Seated on one of the stools at the bar, indignation mixed with confusion surged through you.

You were still trying to piece everything about him together, the people that surrounded him, and the role that you played in his life.

Why he needed to force you to be with him, if he had a willing woman to throw herself on him? You were sure she wouldn't be the only one.

And you were baffled as to why you had to be angry with him. It couldn't be jealousy, you resented him too much that just a mere half an hour ago you were plotting your escape from him without a second thought.

But why it was hurt to see him with the girl?

You waved to one of the bartender. "Do you have soju?"

He shook his head. "Sorry."

Soju had been your favorite drink since you started to work at the noodle restaurant. Your kind ex-boss often gave the employees free bottles of soju to bring home.

Tonight you were out of luck apparently. "Two shots of Melon Ball please."

To hell with the rules and screw this dress. For once after what felt like a lifetime you were having fun and wanted to wear something that you like, but even in that matter you didn't have the right to decide. It was unnerving yet frustrating at the same time.

After polishing off two shots, you moved to the dance floor and blended yourself into the beat. The smell of sweat and perfume whiffed around you, reminded you of your presence in the crowd. You just had to savor the feeling.

Swaying your hip smoothly, you felt the euphoria along with the alcohol engulfed your brain.

Suddenly, you felt a hand on your waist, startled you from your stupor.

"Why...a beautiful woman like you all alone."

A man that you guessed was around his thirties, with blonde hair and average height, putting his other hand to your hips, whispering to your ear. He probably looked quite fine if not for his hair drenched in sweat, and the strong smell of cigarette mixed with liquor wafted from his mouth.

You tried to pull away, but your mind was in a daze, you needed time to gather yourself or else you would collapse.

"Such a shame to leave a doll like you alone, hm? Let me show you how to have fun."

His words sounded slurred and dragged, sign of his drunken state. You tried to pull away but his hand gripped on your hip tightly, you could feel his nail dug into your flesh. His hand moved from your waist and cupped your breast instead, his fingers found the spot of your nipple under your bra and made a painful pinch.

His brash move alerted you and snapped you back to reality.

"I'm not alone, you bastard. Let me go!"

You pushed him harshly with all your strength, but it didn't budge him that much. He pulled you again, but this time his hand was on your hip, tried to lift up your skirt.

You were about to scream when you felt a hand pulled you away from him.

You watched in surprise as Sejin suddenly appeared with one bulky guy in black uniform, and dragged the pervert away from you.

A familiar fresh citrusy fragrance found its way to your nostrils, Yoongi's voice hissed on your ear.

"I thought I warned you not to get drunk."

His breath fanning your nape pleasantly, the warmth was such a relief to your cold skin.

"I'm...I'm not." Your body trembled in his arm, still affected by the previous situation with the drunkard.

Yoongi tugged on your wrist, and ushered you back upstairs. "Come...You are thirty minutes late."

"I wasn't. I went back there early, but I saw you were busy."

He looked at you with a questioning look. You were so tempted to just stomp your foot and left, but such petulant act would probably get you nowhere with him, if not triggered him, so you decided not to drag it.

You shook your head, and let him led you back to the sofa. You stared at his face, afraid of his reaction upon the incident and your disobedient, but his unreadable expression gave nothing away.

You threw a glance to the boys, only Jungkook and Hoseok were still there. Jungkook and his girl were laying down occupied the whole seat, both of them looked unconcious. On the couch next to them, Hoseok was still in his previous position, seemed like he was sleeping.

The rest of the girls were nowhere to be seen, including their respective partners.

You leaned your head on Yoongi's shoulder, and sighed comfortably savoring the warmth from his body to your skin.

"You are drunk sweetheart, and you had disobeyed me." You caught his reproving tone vaguely, but your mind was still on that girl.

Was she kissing him better than you did?

You couldn't remember when was the last time you initiated to kiss him, and why it bothered you so much.

"Yoongi?"

He didn't answer, but you knew he was always listening to you.

"Did she kiss you well?" Stop it, you would regret it later.

He furrowed his brows giving you a confused look.

"That girl, I saw her on your lap."

He was silent, looking at you with curiosity and a tingle of delight, you could tell from his stifled smile.

"Are you jealous?" His eyes flashed with amusement, his teasing smile made him looked young and harmless.

"No, I'm not." But you didn't like it.

You had no idea where was the sudden boldness that came to you from, but if that girl could serve him a hot kiss, then you supposed you could give him a scorching one.

You shifted your body from his arm, and turned around to put your legs around his hip, straddling him.

He blinked in surprise, never since you had lived with him you ever been that daring.

Wrapping your arms around his neck, you looked into his eyes. His dilated orbs indicated how much you affected him, and it flattered you in a way that felt somewhat strange to you.

The dark grey eyes was like bottomless ocean holding so many emotions that you had yet to unravel.

You never really observed him before, not even when you were tumbling in bed with him, especially when lately, every session became too inebriated for you to pay the slightest attention to his features.

Dangerously beautiful that enchanted you like a moth to flame, falling for his charm seemed so wrong yet felt so right.

You leaned forward, before halted for a second, closing your eyes to relish the moment.

When you finally grazed your lips to his lips into smooth and delicate kisses, you felt his hand embraced your waist, pulled you closer to him.

You ran your hand through his hair, and you heard him softly moaned between kisses. The familiar scent of his cologne drove you too high up in your daze to realize what were you doing, you started to trail your lips to his jaw, brushing several kisses throughout his neck to his lobe.

All your inhibitions were vanished, you could care less if people could watch you both.

It was when your hand reached to his belt, his hand finally stopped you.

"You will not want to do something you can't finish it here, sweetheart." He cupped your face, stared intently to your blushed cheeks, your swollen lips and your attempt to control your ragged breath made your chest visibly heaved.

He fondled your cheeks softly, his eyes piercing deep into your soul, and for a short moment, you felt like seeing the switch of many emotions there.

Lust, anger, sadness and...hurt.

His raspy voice spoke in such a way that you could feel his conflicting mind.

"You know, if I didn't know better, I will probably think quite highly of myself, that somehow, you might as well-..." He sighed while caressing your lips.

"You might like me back."

Then the pain and sadness reemerged, flashed clearly in his eyes.

"But in the end, everything turn out to be nothing but an illusion."

He stilled for a lingering moment, before leaned forward and kissed your forehead.

His sudden change of mood puzzled you.

"I want to go home and throw you to bed right away, but I have something to show you first."

He patted your hips as if to help you sobered up, pulled you back to your senses.

Something in his attitude gave you an uneasy feeling, but you tried to brush it off and let him to guide you to the direction of the stairs.

Chapter 23

[riversofmars]

Here's a prompt! The Doctor suddenly goes missing on some strange world and the fam is in a panic, only to find her and River together, perfectly fine.

Thank you for a brilliant prompt! Just some lighthearted fun, hope you like it!! <3

Rating: General

Word Count: 1700

Read on AO3 or below

Into the Jungle

“Doctor?“ Yaz called out. “DOCTOR?! I swear she was here a minute ago…“ She turned to Ryan and Graham who looked just as confused as she was.

“Where could she have gone?“ Graham asked, trying to get his bearings. They found themselves on an alien planet. It was an incredibly hot, rather tropical climate. Ahead of them stretched what looked like a jungle.

“The TARDIS is still there, she can’t have gone anywhere…“ Ryan waved at the TARDIS. They’d arrived only a few minutes ago and were having a look around when the Doctor had vanished. He ducked when an oversized mosquito took a dive at him.

“Maybe it’s the ground. Alien soil. Maybe it eats people.“ Graham suggested jumping out of the way of the mosquito as well. This place didn’t seem friendly.

“In that case, we would have been eaten too…“ Yaz pointed out. “Maybe she wandered off while we had our back turned? Wouldn’t be the first time…“ She carried on, placing her hands on her hips, wondering where she could have gone to.

“But not on a strange, potentially dangerous planet…“ Graham pointed out.

“DOCTOR?!“ Ryan called out again.

“Look over there, what’s that?“ Graham spotted something at the edge of the trees and they carefully made their way forward to investigate.

“That’s a custard cream… she was still snacking on a handful when we arrived…“ Ryan pointed out as she bent down to pick up the left overs.

“She wouldn’t just waste a good biscuit… you know the Doc… something must have taken her… or someone…“ Graham pointed out, looking around uneasily.

“We have to find her.“ Yaz took a deep breath, they were all starting to worry now.

“Are you saying we should just walk into those woods without her?“ Ryan confirmed as he followed her gaze into he jungle up ahead.

“Are you saying we should leave her and head back to the TARDIS and wait?“ Yaz retorted.

“Seems like the safer option…“ Graham pointed out half-heartedly. He didn’t particularly fancy going around exploring an alien jungle without the Doctor but they didn’t seem to have much of a choice.

“She could be in danger. Let’s go.“ Yaz took the lead as they slowly made their way into the jungle.

“Did you hear that?“ Graham grabbed Yaz and Ryan by the arms to stop them moving. There were voices in the distance, very faint and hard to make out over the buzzing of insects and other sounds of nature.

“Almost sounded like someone laughing…“ Ryan pointed out, bewildered.

“Or a weird bird or something…“ Yaz huffed. “What?“ She looked into their questioning faces. “If the Doctor’s been kidnapped, she’ll hardly be laughing about it, will she.“ She indicated for them to keep moving but something else caught her eye. Silver, reflecting the bright light streaming through the canopy of trees.“Is that…“

“Her sonic!“ Ryan realised and Yaz picked it up, starting to feel properly anxious now.

“She’d never part with that without a fight…“ She said and then she spotted something else, a few yards over. “And that’s…“

“Her coat!“ Ryan exclaimed, shocked.

“Guys are we sure this is such a good idea? God knows what’s in these woods…“ Graham looked around anxiously.

“She must be close by…“ Yaz mumbled gesturing for them to be quiet. “Let’s try and be quiet, whatever or whoever has her, will hear, we’ll lose the element of surprise…“

“Was that laughter again?“ Ryan asked and this time it was rather distinct. There was someone up ahead of them and they seemed to be having a great time.

“Probably celebrating their triumph… we must rescue her.“ Graham said sneaking forward.

“Over there…“ Yaz pointed towards what looked like a clearing in the jungle.

“Oh Doctor, Doctor, Doctor, did you really think I would recognise you?“ A voice sounded and they halted, hiding behind trees. So there was definitely someone there with the Doctor and they seemed to know who they were dealing with.

“I uhh…“ The Doctor’s voice sounded nervous but the Fam were relieved to hear it nonetheless. She was alive, though probably in a difficult position.

“Sounds like they’ve been looking for her.“ Ryan whispered to the others.

“Maybe those people from the Division again? I can’t see anything…“ Yaz inched forward, trying to see what was happening in the clearing. The sound of running water - a waterfall perhaps - swallowed some of the sounds but they could make out the Doctor’s voice quite clearly now.

“I didn’t expect to see you again…“ The Doctor said, sounding baffled.

“Oh you know I’ll always find you eventually…“ The other voice, that was quite clearly female, retorted.

“We need to do something…“ Ryan whispered, it sounded as though this person had been chasing the Doctor for some time. They looked around for something they could use as weapons but the best they could come up with were branches for clubs.

“Now, what do we do about this?“ The other woman sounded like she was enjoying this.

“You know, I’m not here on my own…“ The Doctor retorted, sounding more nervous now.

“Damn right she’s not.“ Graham huffed as they inched closer.

“No-one will find us here, Doctor…“ The female voice carried on with great amusement.

The Doctor’s response was muffled and that did it.

“On the count of three…“ Yaz indicated to the others as she grabbed tight hold of the sonic screwdriver. “One, two, three!“ They jumped out from behind their trees and stormed into the clearing, branches and sonic raised in aid of their friend.

“Whoever you are, get your hands off the…“ Graham’s words died on his lips.

“Doctor?“ Yaz didn’t know what to say or where to look while Ryan was very quick to look up at the sky.

“FAM?!“ The Doctor exclaimed in shock as she whirled around. The woman she was with seemed awfully put out at the interruption and why wouldn't she be? They had been kissing a minute ago and she’d just pulled the Doctor’s t-shirt off!

“Fam?“ The woman echoed her words with amusement.

“Told you I wasn’t by myself!“ The Doctor turned back to her, scolding her.

“Fam though?“ She chuckled.

“Doc, would you mind just… putting a shirt back on…“ Graham pipped up and the Doctor looked down herself, realising her state of undress.

“Oh shit, yeah, sorry…“ She quickly picked up her t-shirt that lay in the grass next to her, abandoned.

“Doctor, any chance you can explain this? Some weird aphrodisiac plant or…“ Yaz asked when it was safe to look again. The Doctor had blushed deeply and the other woman seemed quite amused at the whole situation. They were all relieved that Doctor wasn’t in any mortal danger - by the looks of it anyway - but they had questions!

“Is she a siren? Cause like, that would make a whole lot of sense, cause…“ Ryan gestured to the stranger who smirked as she ran her hand through a mane of wild curls.

“Ahh… no, it’s not what you think…“ The Doctor held up her hands defensively.

“I’m pretty sure it is exactly what they’re thinking.“ The other woman jumped in, seemingly enjoying the Doctor’s discomfort.

“But not like, nothing weird is going on, you don’t have to worry.“ The Doctor insisted looking in between all four of them.

“Nothing weird is going on? What would you call this?“ Graham raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“We just… haven’t seen each other in a while…“ The Doctor threw her hands up, not knowing what else to say.

“So this is not some kind of… you know each other?“ Yaz frowned, trying to wrap her head around the situation.

“Intimately.“ The curly-haired woman replied looping her arm around the Doctor’s hip pulling her a little closer.

“Yes. I mean, no. I mean…“ The Doctor didn’t know what to say, trying to get out of the other woman’s arm, looking thoroughly embarrassed.  

“Professor River Song.“ River let go of the Doctor and extended her hand to the Fam who one after the other shook it, though reluctantly. “I’m her wife.“ River explained pleasantly as they’d all introduced themselves.

“Right…“ Ryan blinked, looking back at her in confusion. “Sorry what?“

“Come again?“ Graham wasn’t sure he’d heard her right.

“You’re married?“ Yaz looked to the Doctor and frowned. “And you never told us?!“

“She never does.“ River sighed theatrically. “Do I embarrass you, Sweetie?“ She pulled her wife close again pressing an affectionate kiss to the side of her head.

“It’s just, I never know if and when and…“ The Doctor tried to explain how difficult their out of order meetings and complicated timelines really were for her. She could never be sure whether they’d even seen each other again and what they would each be like when they did. It was easier not to hold out hope. But she couldn’t find the right words to explain so Ryan jumped in:

“Did you think we wouldn’t believe you?“ He teased.

“I’m not sure I do, still…“ Graham admitted with a chuckle.

“What on Earth possessed you.“ Yaz grinned, looking to River now, intrigued to find out more.

“Hey!“ The Doctor protested, picking up on their digs.

“It was either that or killing them.“ River answered with a smirk. “And they had such a baby face then, I just couldn’t bring myself to pull the trigger…“ She bopped her wife’s nose. “And you’ve got a baby face again now, and such an adorable one, too.“

“So you knew her before she looked like this?“ Ryan asked with a grin. They had always been intrigued to find out more about her past.

“I have pictures of all her faces.“ River grinned and reached into her coat pocket producing little wallet of photographs.

“Oh wow!“ Yaz grabbed the photos and unfolded them, Ryan and Graham stepping closer to look as well.

“You just had to, didn’t you.“ The Doctor huffed, giving River’s shoulder a playful slap.

“Good distraction.“ River smirked. “Come here you.“ The Doctor yelped and laughed when her wife pulled her close again and kissed her deeply.