#technically also work at home but that feels. more manageable and also not able to really be calculated. still a lot though.

[camellia-thea]

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[witchslove]

Thin Walls

Pairing: Milf!Wanda Maximoff x Reader

Summary: You stay over at Wanda’s one night after babysitting the boys, only to find out that the walls of her house are very thin.

Warnings: 18+ nsfw content; bottom!wanda, top!reader, masturbation, fingering (w receiving), mentions of oral (w receiving), mommy kink, dirty talk

A/N: This came to me and I had to write it, it’s mainly smut with a little bit of plot. Enjoy my loves!

——————————

It was late when Vision came by to pick up the boys and it was even later when Wanda got home from her work meeting.

Technically your shift babysitting the twins was over as soon as Vision left with them, but you waited up for Wanda, wanting to make sure she got home safely and didn’t need anything else.

And maybe, just maybe, you really wanted to see the redhead before you went home.

You’d had a crush on Wanda since you met her at a family party. She was one of your mom’s friends from college who she’d reconnected with later in life.

Wanda was absolutely stunning and you felt butterflies in your stomach the first time you shook her hand. Everything about the woman was attractive and you couldn’t help but want her. You knew it would never go anywhere, but you couldn’t stop yourself from having feelings for her.

So of course, when your mom suggested you start babysitting her boys, you couldn’t say no.

Wanda thought it was a great idea and her eagerness to have you help her out made your heart flutter.

Now, here you were, curled up on her couch with a movie on while you waited for her to come home, knowing that you could’ve left the second the twins’ father had picked them up.

You heard the lock on the front door over the dull sounds of the movie you put on and when Wanda walked in, she was surprised to see you.

“Oh, hi Y/N! Are the boys still here?” She asked, looking around as she set down her things and took off her coat.

“No ma’am, Vision picked them up about twenty minutes ago,” you responded, feeling nervous as she looked over at you. “I- um, just wanted to make sure you made it home safe. I’ll be leaving now.”

“We’ve been over this, call me Wanda,” she corrected with a smile. “And that’s sweet of you, but it’s pretty late for you to be heading out. Why don’t you just sleep in the guest room for tonight?”

Your heart jumped in your chest at the thought of spending the night. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose,” you managed, rubbing the back of your neck anxiously.

“Of course! You’re not imposing, I’m offering. The guest room is already made up, you just make yourself right at home,” Wanda replied, heading down the hall.

“Okay, thank you Wanda,” you responded, making your way to the guest room to get situated for the night.

While you were putting your things in the guest room and setting up your phone charger, Wanda came in with some of her clothes for you to wear to bed, a shirt that smelled like her and a pair of sweats. She also gave you a spare toothbrush and let you know that you could use the toothpaste in the front bathroom. You thanked her again and she said it was no problem, smiling sweetly at you before saying goodnight.

By the time you finished getting ready for bed, you were beyond tired. It had been a long day taking care of the boys and doing schoolwork and your body was begging you for sleep.

As you laid in bed, ready for sleep to take over, you heard something strange. It was faint at first and you were almost able to ignore it, but then you heard it again.

By the third time, it was unmistakable.

You heard moaning - more specifically, Wanda moaning. You couldn’t believe your ears and you almost convinced yourself that you were making it up somehow.

But the longer it went on, the louder it got.

Wanda was touching herself with you in the house and you could hear it.

You felt a pang of arousal with every moan that came from Wanda’s room down the hall, feeling yourself grow wet at the sounds of her pleasuring herself.

When you heard her let out a breathy “fuck” you couldn’t stop yourself from sliding a hand down the front of your sweats - Wanda’s sweats.

You were already wet enough that it had seeped through your underwear. Just the sounds Wanda was making and the thought of what she was doing were enough to turn you on.

You pictured her in her bed, legs spread, touching herself as she moaned. You wondered if she was staying outside, making tight circles over her clit, or if she had two fingers stretching herself out, her palm nudging her bundle of nerves with every stroke.

You began rubbing yourself over your soaked underwear, getting off to her sounds and your imagination.

You were already close - it didn’t take much when you could hear the object of your desires touching herself in the other room. This was like a dream come true, you only wished you could be the one pleasuring her instead.

Her moans rose in pitch and you could tell she was close. You moved your fingers faster, wanting to cum with her.

She came with a long drawn-out moan, the sound bringing you over the edge with her. You wondered what she looked like when she came undone, back arched against the bed, face contorted in pleasure.

You stifled your own sounds as you came, not wanting her to know you were listening to her.

When the moment was over, the guilt hit you like a truck. You pulled your hand out of your pants and tried to ignore the sticky wetness between your thighs, your underwear clinging to you uncomfortably.

You had just touched yourself to the thought of Wanda with her in the other room. She probably had no idea you could hear her and you felt horrible for taking advantage of the opportunity.

With the heavy weight of the guilt of your actions, you tried to sleep, unsure if you’d be able to after what just happened.

The next morning, you’d barely rested, your mind racing all night with thoughts of Wanda until you eventually succumbed to sleep.

How could you look her in the eyes after what you’d done? After what you’d heard her doing?

You managed to get out of bed and use the bathroom before you trodded to the kitchen, still wearing Wanda’s clothes.

You were making yourself a cup of coffee when the redhead walked in, wearing only a silk nightgown that dipped low in the front and barely reached past her ass. You almost choked on your drink when you saw her, not expecting to see so much skin.

She looked divine, hair slightly messy from her sleep, face free of any makeup, curves on display in her skimpy nightgown. The task at hand of acting normal around her had just become significantly harder.

“Good morning Y/N,” she greeted, entering the kitchen. “How did you sleep?”

You cleared your throat before speaking. “I slept okay, thank you,” you managed to get out, still trying to calm yourself down. “What about you?”

“I slept great, I must’ve needed it after that work meeting,” she replied, making herself a cup of coffee as well.

“That’s good,” you said back, unsure of how to continue the conversation. You watched her as she moved around the kitchen and nearly whimpered out loud when she bent over to get creamer out of the fridge, her nightgown leaving little to the imagination.

You coughed to cover up the noise that almost escaped you and Wanda turned to you, coffee in hand.

“You know, Y/N, it’s not proper to listen in when a woman is having some alone time,” she started, a slight smirk on her face.

Your blood ran cold at her words and you tried to think of something to say back. “What?” you responded, your voice barely coming out.

“I know you heard me last night, detka,” she said, her eyes never leaving yours as you struggled to not look away.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you tried to cover up, heat rising to your cheeks as you spoke.

“Don’t lie to me honey, that won’t get you anywhere,” Wanda cooed.

You didn’t know how to respond, looking down at your lap awkwardly as she spoke again.

“I know you weren’t asleep yet,” she continued. “Did you like what you heard?”

You didn’t answer at first, dumbstruck. It felt like she was coming onto you but you couldn’t believe the older woman would reciprocate your feelings towards her.

You shook your head no, trying to save face.

“I don’t believe you sweetheart,” Wanda said, approaching you. “I think you did like it.” She stood beside you now, leaning in. “I bet you touched yourself to the thought of me when you heard me, am I right?”

You couldn’t help the sound that came out of you, something between a whimper and a groan.

“I’m going to take that as a yes,” she whispered, reaching out to tilt your chin towards her so you were looking at her again. “Such a needy little thing, hm? You couldn’t help yourself could you? Did hearing mommy make you wet?”

Your mouth fell open at the title she gave herself and you throbbed at her words, feeling hot under her gaze. This time, you didn’t lie.

You nodded, still having trouble forming words, and she bit her lip, smirking.

“Yeah?” She asked, stroking your cheek with her thumb. “You poor thing, I bet it was hard knowing what I was doing in the other room and not being able to see for yourself. What did you think about when you touched yourself?”

Her words were turning you on. “You,” you breathed out, arousal clouding your thoughts.

“Be more specific,” she demanded, still looking at you intently. “What did you imagine?”

You mustered up the courage to tell her the truth. “I imagined it was me making you feel good instead,” you mumbled, somehow managing to hold eye contact with her.

“Yeah? You imagined it was your hand on my pussy instead of my own?”

You moaned at that, nodding again. At this point you were panting. You felt humiliated admitting all of this to Wanda, but at the same time it made you incredibly wet.

“You wanna make mommy feel good, detka?” She asked, her own arousal increasing with every honest answer you gave her.

“Yes,” you whimpered. “Please.”

“Oh good girl, those manners will get you everywhere,” she said, smiling. You felt a gush of wetness at the praise, your pupils dilated and your breathing heavy.

She backed away from you until she was leaning against the counter. “Come here.”

You obeyed eagerly, feeling excited for what was to come. You couldn’t believe what was happening, still not entirely sure this wasn’t a vivid dream you were having in the night.

Wanda slipped her panties off and lifted her nightgown, showing you her glistening pussy. Your mouth watered at the sight and you felt your ego inflate at the fact that she was so wet for you.

She grabbed your hand and brought it to her dripping cunt, letting you feel the wetness you caused.

“Fuck,” you muttered, mesmerized by the feel of her soft folds under your fingertips.

“Go on baby, make me feel good,” she encouraged, wanting more from you than just the featherlight touches you were giving.

Your gaze was locked onto where your fingers grazed her pussy, unable to look away. You brought a finger up to her clit and began to rub circles into it, causing her to moan softly against you.

The sound snapped you out of your haze and you looked at her, wanting to see her while you brought her pleasure.

You picked up the pace, touching her with purpose now, wanting to see her cum for you. Her mouth fell open, eyebrows furrowed, gasps and moans falling from her lips as you pressed down harder.

Her clit throbbed under your fingers, her hole clenching around nothing as you stimulated her hardened bud.

“You’re so pretty like this,” you whispered, in awe of the sight before you. “Even prettier than I imagined.”

“Yeah? What else did you imagine?” She asked, wanting you to tell her all of your fantasies about her.

You slid a finger into her opening and she gasped, hips jerking forward. “This,” you said, sliding another finger in alongside the first, feeling her walls clench around you. “Fuck, you’re so tight.”

Wanda moaned, moving against you as she tried to get more, your fingers fucking into her slowly. “Tell me more,” she panted out, practically riding your fingers. “What else do you want to do to me?”

“Fuck mommy, so many things,” you admitted, lost in the moment, her breath catching in her throat at you using her title. “I want to fuck you every way I can think of,” you started, almost losing your train of thought when you realized you could hear the wet sounds of her pussy as your fingers moved inside her.

“I want to taste you, I think about it all the time,” you said, fucking into her harder. “You sound so wet right now and all I can think about is having you in my mouth.”

She moaned at your words, her eyes closing in pleasure as you brought her closer to the edge. “Be a good girl and make me cum, and that can be arranged,” she managed, hips bucking against you. “Fuck, I’m close.”

You watched as one of her hands came down to rub at her own clit, your cunt throbbing at the sight of her touching herself for you. The sight of her masturbating was even better than you could have imagined the night before, when you were desperately trying to picture what she would look like with her hand between her thighs.

“I’m gonna cum,” Wanda cried out, her pussy spasming around your fingers, trapping them inside as she barreled towards her orgasm.

You leaned in to kiss her neck, making your way towards her ear. “Cum for me, mommy,” you said, your breath in her ear making her shiver as she reached her peak.

“Fuck!” Her body shook against you and she moaned loudly as she came undone, her walls tightening around your fingers and her wetness dripping down to your palm.

You continued to fuck her as she rode out the aftershocks and she continued her stimulation on her clit until it was too much. You slowed your pace, bringing her down as she opened her eyes. She looked at you tiredly, her body spent from the intense orgasm as you pulled out of her, your fingers wet.

You were too busy committing the sight to memory in case you never saw it again to notice the way she looked at you, love and adoration in her eyes.

After a few moments, her breathing evened out. “I knew you could hear me,” she began, catching your attention. “I wanted you to hear me.”

She bit her lip teasingly, waiting to see how you would react.

“You… you wanted me to hear?” you repeated her words back to her, your brain trying to process what she was telling you.

“Mhm,” she said, a lazy smile on her face. “I see the way you look at me, I’ve known you wanted me for a while now,” she explained. “I waited to see if you’d make a move on me, but you never did. So I took matters into my own hands… literally.”

She chuckled at her own joke and you joined her, letting out a breath you didn’t know you were holding.

“I guess I wasn’t as discreet as I thought,” you mused, thinking back to all the times you thought Wanda had almost caught you staring.

“No baby, not at all,” she responded. “You look at me like you’re desperate for me.”

You blushed at that, groaning. “I’m sorry, I didn’t realize-” you started, but she cut you off.

“Don’t apologize, detka. It’s cute. It makes me feel wanted, desired,” she spoke, her words becoming breathier. “It makes me so wet.”

You groaned, feeling arousal shoot through you at her words. “Fuck Wanda, you drive me crazy.”

“Keep fucking me like that and I’ll do more than drive you crazy,” she quipped, raising an eyebrow.

“Deal,” you replied, your heart beating a little faster at the thought of doing this again.

“What was it you said earlier?” She pulled you in closer until your bodies were flush, your faces centimeters apart. “Something about wanting to taste me?”

You grinned, understanding what she was getting at, before slowly dropping to your knees. It was going to be a long morning, you thought, and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[ahundredtimesover]

Something About You (03) | JJK

Pairing: Jungkook x (f.) Reader

Genre/Tags: friends au, vacation au, slow burn, romcom-ish vibe; adulting; inspired by AYS; PE teacher!JK and researcher!OC; fluff, comfort, smut (?)

Chapter Warnings: foul/explicit language; alcohol consumption, minor injury (18+)

Word count: 17.9k

Series Masterlist

Status: Complete

Series Summary: You and Jungkook have been friends for a decade. And while he’s the charming and dependable, often reserved boy-next-door, he’s also just been a friend - a constant in your life, a part of a whole, and someone who’s seen all the flawed and probably unattractive sides of you.

A resumption of your friend group’s out-of-town trips has caused you to spend more time with him. And somewhere in between the morning coffee in the forest, running around in the snow, and watching the sunset on a boat, he’s become something more. And you’re not quite sure how to deal with it.

🎶: Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney || Yes or No by Jungkook

A/N: My favorite Koo look! Hope you're enjoying this series so far!

[From: kook] Leaving in a bit. Be there in 20.”

You turn off your laptop camera and quickly give Jungkook a call, wanting him to hear your cutesy, pleading voice for this request.

“Hey, what’s up?” He asks on the other end.

“Hello to my amazing friend. I’ve run out of tea and I really need one,” you cry out. “Do you think you can get or make me a cup? Please?”

“Sure, there’s a cafe near my place,” he chuckles. “Anything specific?”

“Chamomile or jasmine,” you respond. “Thank you! I’ll see you in a bit!”

You end the call and quickly get back to your meeting, your fourth one of the day, and it’s only been seven hours since you clocked in at work. You’re thankful for work-from-home Fridays but somehow they’re even more tiring, at least recently, given the upcoming holidays and people taking their respective leaves. 

Like many at your firm, it’s your last day before you take a few weeks off then return in early January. Everyone’s doing end-of-year meetings and pre-planning for next year. There are financial reports to submit and project updates to consolidate. You were able to get all the paperwork done overnight so you could focus on your meetings during the day and you just can’t wait for it to be over so you can completely switch off.

“I guess that wraps it up,” your manager says after you provide a progress summary of all your ongoing research projects. “You got everything on-track and we’ll be starting next year on a good note. Thank you, ___. You deserve this break.”

“We all do,” you smile. “Enjoy the break, everyone! I’ll see you next year.”

You end the meeting and drop your head on your desk. Today was a marathon and you feel like you’re still running on adrenaline so you take deep breaths to calm yourself down. You’ve got a couple of days of vacation with your friends and then several more with your family when you go to your hometown and that technically starts right now. 

So you turn off your laptop, clear out your desk, and do a final check of your things before dressing up in time for Jungkook’s arrival in five minutes. 

He’s already standing by the trunk of his car when you scurry down the driveway and drag your luggage to meet him. You apologize for making him wait but he waves you off to say that it’s okay. You load your things and quickly get into the passenger seat.

“Here’s your tea,” Jungkook says, handing you a hot cup that you excitedly receive. 

You take a sip and hum in satisfaction at its warmth. The scent and the taste are already making you feel better, and you sink in your seat at the comfort it gives you. Releasing a drawn out hum, you feel your muscles slowly relax.

“Looked like you needed that, huh?” Jungkook says as he starts driving.

You’re both headed to the airport where you'll meet your other friends who are on their way there after work, too. Living close to Jungkook, he offered to pick you up so that there’s only one of your cars you’ll leave at the parking for the duration of your trip to Sapporo.

“Totally. I was up until 4AM getting all of my paper work done,” you sigh.

“And what time did you wake up?”

“7:30.”

“Yah, that’s not a healthy sleeping habit,” he reprimands you.

“Says the guy who used to do exactly that,” you point out.

“Those were college days. I’m an adult now, you know? I get at least seven hours of sleep because any less and I’d be a dysfunctional mess.”

“It’s so weird how we’re at that age where we require a lot of hours of sleep but then in 10 years’ time, our body will just decide it can survive with four.”

“We produce less melatonin as we age,” he informs you. “But you know what’s funny about my 4 - 10 AM sleeping pattern before? People thought I was up studying but I was really just playing video games for most of it.”

“Oh I’m not surprised,” you shake your head. “I already knew you're the one who influenced Jimin’s sleeping habits. He used to follow a strict curfew and then you messed it up.”

“Yeah and now he thanks me because he’s now used to it. He says it’s how he survives his job.”

“Working in advertising requires that, I guess,” you frown. “At least he gets to have a break. At least we all do! I am completely shutting off so please call me out if I talk about work.”

“Sure, that’ll be fun,” he chuckles. “Can I call you out on other things, too?”

You make a face at him and say he’ll do that anyway even if you tell him not to.

You yawn for the third time in the past minute and Jungkook turns to you. 

“Sleep. It’s a long drive so might as well get some of your energy back,” he says. “I’ll wake you up when we’re there.”

“Okay,” you say as you yawn again. “If I snore… just suck it up.”

He playfully rolls his eyes then points to the lever that adjusts the seat so you can lie down more comfortably. He puts some mellow music on and you fall asleep instantly, curled against your arms and soft snores escaping you. 

Jungkook can only laugh to himself as he sneaks glances at you during the ride. It was about a month ago when he told himself that the way to deal with this maybe harmless and fleeting crush he has for you is to spend less time together. That was only slightly possible because there was some lunch or dinner with your friends every weekend, but it wasn’t as if not seeing you meant he wasn’t thinking about you. 

Of course he still was. He thought about you a lot and wondered how you were doing. For the first time, he was thankful for his stressful job and the busy days of making student reports for the end of the semester, which meant he couldn’t always meet you every time you asked if he was done with work or if he was in the area where you were. He was always tempted to just drop things to see you but he knew that would make things more complicated for him. 

But then again, he hasn’t even fully grasped exactly what he feels yet. Is it admiration? A newfound fondness? Did he just need to rid himself of some past baggage that he didn’t even realize he was carrying for things to make sense to him? 

Regardless, he knew that spending more time with you - for an extended period of time, and in close proximity - isn’t going to make things easier. But Taehyung just had to spring this trip on all of you and no one could refuse because he’s actually the other baby of the group that everyone has a soft spot for and he’s leaving for who knows how long again in a few months. 

Jungkook’s not complaining at the least because he’d go anywhere with his friends. He just finds it a bit comical that this is exactly what he said he shouldn’t be doing but here he is now - on another long drive with you asleep next to him, with a two-plus hour flight ahead to a city he always wanted to go to, and a few days of winter coldness that might cause him to seek your warmth in one way or another. Or you might seek his for all he knows and that might actually be worse.

He just shakes his head and focuses on the road after glancing at you again. He’s not really the type to overthink things. He’s fared well in most aspects of his life by going with the flow and dealing with whatever comes his way. 

Though his relationships are another story, he supposes those youthful years were characterised by a level of insecurity and lack of trust in himself that made him hold onto things that didn’t feel right. He thinks he’s a lot more mature now - he’ll have conviction in whatever he feels for you, whatever it is, and he’ll accept rejection if that’s where it’ll lead to. 

He’ll see where things go but for now, what matters is that he, you, and all of your friends get to enjoy this trip as much as possible.

Jungkook finally makes it to the airport and checks in his car for a few days of parking. He wakes you up and you take a while to open your eyes. He pats your head when you do and reminds you that you’ll have more time to sleep on the plane.

You dazedly drag your luggage and you pout at Jungkook who giggles at your sleepy state. 

“I’m so tired,” you pout at him as you both make your way to the check-in area where the rest of your friends are waiting.

“I can tell. Let’s just get through the gates and then you can sleep somewhere there, okay?”

You nod as if you’ll cry any moment, and part of him wants to just pull you close so you can lean on him while you sleep but that might be too unexpected so he just puts his hand on your shoulder to stop you from falling. 

“Princess can’t stay awake?” Jimin’s voice cuts through the airport chatter.

“She barely got any sleep last night and she had meetings all day,” Jungkook informs your friends who have gathered where you are. 

“Aww, poor thing,” Jimin hums as he hugs you, and you respond by hugging him tighter.

“Let’s get to the gates then,” Yoongi orders. “There are lots of places we can eat and rest at.”

You all line up and slowly get through the check-in line before you’re able to head to the gates. Gyu-rim finds a table big enough for 12 at a restaurant and while all of them order their meals, you stay seated, with your head on Jimin’s shoulder and on your way to dreamland once again. 

“Let’s take turns,” Mo-eum tells him, as she finishes her rice bowl first then shifts your head to lean on hers after.

You briefly wake up to have a few spoonfuls of your bulgogi before offering the rest to Jungkook and then taking quick naps again. You’ve seriously never been this tired. But you feel like your body knew it could afford to just shut down because you’re on vacation. It just didn’t plan it well enough because you’re in the middle of the airport, just randomly dozing off. 

You finally board the plane and find that you’re seated next to Jungkook who’s on the window seat, and Taehyung and Mo-eum are on the row in front of you, while an aisle separates you from Jimin. It’s a good enough arrangement, and Jungkook helps you load your carry-on in the overhead compartment before you take your seat and immediately rest your head on his shoulder.

It’s a natural thing for you to do, and you suppose your friends are used to you by now. You make yourself comfortable then look up to smile at Jungkook.

“I’m gonna fall asleep once we take-off,” you tell him.

“I’m sure you will,” he chuckles, as he looks through the emergency instructions. 

“Have we sat next to each other on a flight before?” You ask.

“Uh, I think this one flight to Jeju,” Jungkook responds. “But that was some time ago. I might’ve been asleep then.”

“Hmm, that’s why,” you hum.

“What?”

“I didn’t realize how comfy you are.”

“It’s probably the clothes, ___,” he reasons, more to himself. “I need them to be fluffy and warm because it’s winter.”

You adjust yourself again before resettling your head on his side.

“Maybe.”

Jungkook doesn’t overthink it. You’ve leaned on his shoulder lots of times before. This isn’t out of the ordinary. But with you pointing out that you haven’t really sat next to each other on flights before reminds him again of how you’ve always just been part of the whole. And now he’s got this time and proximity with you and it’s comforting but also exciting.

Even if yes, he’s just playing games on his phone while you flick through the airplane magazine while waiting for take-off. Once you’re up in the air and the seatbelt light has turned off, you push back your seat and start dozing off.

Your head keeps slipping from the position it’s in, even as he tries to straighten it so you don’t hurt your neck in the process. Perhaps out of discomfort, you briefly wake up to unlatch the table then lay the pillow and your head on it. Even then, it constantly bounces from the slight turbulence so you sit back again and shift your body in search of the right position. 

Jungkook sees you cross your arms against your chest and assumes you’re cold, but just as he’s about to cover you with his airline-provided blanket, Mo-eum peeks her head from between the seats. 

“She needs to hug something when she’s asleep,” your best friend says. 

“Oh, uh—”

You curl your body in the seat and snore softly, and Jungkook can sense your body’s need for a proper position. So he lightly taps you awake, grabs a spare hoodie from his bag on the floor, then places it on his lap. He gestures towards it and you take the offer, immediately pulling up the arm rest and laying half of your body on top of his. 

You bend your legs and adjust yourself. You have your pillow on top of his jacket that’s on top of his lap, your blanket over you and then his blanket for you to hug. You release a low moan then your breathing steadies. Figuring out your position must’ve tired you, but with how fast you’ve fallen asleep, he figures you’ve found the right one.

Is he glad it’s on his lap? Not exactly, and only because it’s a kind of closeness he’s not used to with you, and he’s worried he’d look for it. But it doesn’t matter because you’re comfortable and he’d gladly help you get that much deserved rest in whatever way. Even if it’s at the cost of his stupid heart. 

Mo-eum peeks again to check on you and giggles when she sees where you ended up. She turns around and kneels on her seat to take a photo of you slumped on Jungkook’s lap while the said man poses. 

“Cute,” she smiles, before sitting back down and showing it to her seatmate.

It prompts Taehyung to turn around, too, laughing under his breath at how Jungkook is trying to figure out where to place his hands, now that you’ve hijacked his personal space. 

But Jungkook does figure it out, as he holds onto your arm to keep you from falling in case there’s another turbulence. Thankfully there isn’t, and when it’s announced that the plane will now start its descent so everyone must sit upright, he wakes you up and tells you that you’ll be landing soon.

You were in deep sleep and having a good dream that you don’t remember and the next thing you know, someone’s shaking your arm and telling you to wake up. Feeling like you’re on a bed, you shift your body and stretch your arms. But then you hear a groan and you look up to see Jungkook glaring at you.

“Did I hit your face?” You gasp, suddenly sitting up then turning his chin to check any damage. “I’m sorry! Are you okay?”

“You hit my jaw,” he groans. “But yeah, I’m fine.”

“Oops,” you sweetly smile. 

“Hey, you don’t apologize like that to me or Jimin when you hit our faces,” Taehyung remarks, turning his head and cocking his eyebrow. 

“That’s because Kook has a precious nose that must always be protected,” you reply with a straight face. “You don’t.”

“Yah!” Jungkook exclaims, knowing it’s a running joke in your group.

He pinches you in retaliation but you giggle at him and pinch his cheeks in response. 

“I’m kidding. Thanks, Kook. I’ve regained my energy and now I feel ready to take on the day,” you confidently say.

“___, it’s 9:30 PM,” Jungkook deadpans. 

“I’m really hungry, too,” you add, disregarding his statement.

“So now we have to deal with an energetic and hungry you? At this hour?” Jungkook groans. 

“Order food with me when we get to the hotel?” You ask, not minding his complaints. 

“And if it’s closed?”

“The convenience store, then!”

“Now I’m the one who’s tired.”

“No, you’re not! You can’t be!” You pout at him with your puppy eyes.

“Fine, whatever,” he gives in as he always does.

You’re talking about the dream you don’t remember when the sight of the snow-capped streets catches Jungkook’s attention. You see his doe-eyes go wide and he looks so innocent,  but you understand the amusement - it looks stunning outside and you can’t wait to bury yourself in the pillowy ice and breathe in the chilly air.

Both of you just look out while waiting to land and disembark. You manage to get all your luggage quickly then head to three separate rented cars to drive to your lodging for tonight.

The hotel restaurant isn’t taking orders anymore so you announce to the group that you and Jungkook are going to the convenience store across the street. Jimin, Namjoon, and Suhyeon join you, and you’re skipping out the lobby to get your snacks in no time. 

Jungkook tells you to be careful because the roads are slippery but you show-off your sliding skills that make you feel like you’re ice skating. He copies you and shows off, too, speeding his leg movements as he walks down an icier path.

But then he slips and falls to the ground, and you can’t help the way you laugh at his mishap. You can hear your other three friends laughing as they walk towards you, and Jungkook remains lying on the ground, laughing, too.

“You’re so clumsy,” you mock him, as it’s one of the things he says to you whenever you fall or hit something. 

“I was just trying to show you what not to do,” he makes a face before taking the hand you’ve reached out for him to take. “So don’t go skating and shit, okay? You might hurt yourself.”

“I won’t. I’m not a show-off nor a klutz,” you say and stick your tongue out.

He frowns at you then pulls you by your cheek to enter the store.

You, Jimin, and Jungkook stay together while you go around and drop various things in your basket that you think Taehyung and Mo-eum would like, too. You all get some chips, matcha cookies, chocolates, mini-cakes, instant ramen, beer... and about a dozen tuna mayo triangle kimbap because Jungkook is obsessed with them. You meet Namjoon and Suhyeon at the counter where they’ve filled their basket with a bunch of other things as well then head back to the hotel.

As is often the arrangement, the five of you share a suite while your seven other friends share one as well, and you make your way to the living room where all your purchases have been dumped on the table. 

Being that you barely had dinner and Jungkook’s stomach is a bottomless pit, both of you make ramen and get one rice ball each while the rest munch on snacks and dessert. Spread across the couch and the floor, you all hold up your beer cans and make a toast to this trip. 

Later that night, you watch the snow fall from the window as you sip the chamomile tea that Jungkook bought for you at the store. The city is beautiful at this hour and it feels cozy and romantic and exciting yet peaceful all at once. It’s a kind of feeling you’ve always wanted to experience, and now you know how a place can make you feel that way. 

Like all the times your mind has travelled somewhere, you suddenly wonder if it’s possible with a person. And if maybe, somewhere in this town, they’re right by their window, thinking the same thing, too.

You wake up to the sound of your alarm the next morning. For the brief moment right before you open your eyes, you feel that sense of relief over what turned out to be a really good sleep. 

Despite being knocked out the whole flight then eating and drinking late at night, you managed to get enough rest. You’ve truly switched off now. All you can think about are the sights you’ll see and food you’ll eat and all the time you’ll spend just walking through the snowy streets. 

The last time you all went to Japan, it was an action-packed trip. You went to amusement parks and went partying at night. This time, everyone decided on taking things slow. Sapporo’s perfect for that, and you suppose it’s what you all need.

Sitting up from the bed, you see that you’ve kicked your blanket off the edge while Mo-eum is cocooned under the sheets. You like the cold and you wish you had the aircon at a lower temperature, but your best friend freezes easily so you let the room stay warm. 

You tap her on the foot as an attempt to wake her up before heading out to the living area. The boys are in the other room and they seem to still be asleep. Wanting to see how the sun shines on the street outside, you pull open the curtains to let the light in and the way it does makes things look more enchanting.

But then a grunting sound disrupts your moment, prompting you to turn around.

It takes five seconds for you to notice Jungkook, who had camouflaged on the black couch with his black shirt and sweatpants and his arms behind his head. He seems to have slept there, as evidenced by the rearranged pillows and his half-lidded eyes gazing at you. The sun probably woke him up, so you apologize and try to close the curtains but he tells you it’s okay.

“Did you sleep here?” You ask, as you sit on the other end of where he is.

He groggily nods his yes.

“It was too hot in the room. Tae and Jimin had the aircon on fan mode.”

“Oh, that sucks,” you say. “Mo-eum had the temp high, too, and I ended up kicking my blanket on the floor. I like it cold.”

“Me, too,” Jungkook hums. “Good thing the couch is comfy.”

“You and Mo-eum can just switch places then,” you suggest. “The three warmies can stay in one room and you and I can enjoy a cold night.”

If Jungkook wasn’t awake five seconds ago, now he is. It’s not like he’s never shared a room with you before but with his little feelings recently, it might as well be the first time. He knows he can stay up with you just talking or saying nothing at all. You could also pass out and snore like crazy but then again, he wouldn’t mind that either. It’ll just be something new he’d tease you about, as if your snoring video that he shows to your friends isn’t enough.

“Sounds good,” he manages to say. 

Yawning as he stretches, he asks you what the itinerary is for the day.

“Do you not read the group chat?” You laugh at him. “The schedule is pinned on there.”

“Not really.”

“How do you ever know what’s going on, then?”

“I wait for Jimin or Tae to tell me when it’s about something important because they know I don’t check messages,” he shrugs. 

“You’re weird,” you playfully roll your eyes. “But anyway. We’re gonna have lunch, go to a beer museum, go to a mountain, check the–”

“You’re climbing?” He exclaims.

“We go by cable car, duh! Do you expect me to climb? In this weather?”

“You wouldn’t do it either way.”

“Excuse me, I climbed that mountain in Chungbuk,” you remind him.

“You mean I dragged you,” he chuckles. “And come on, ___. That wasn’t a mountain mountain. It was a short hike because we were already on the mountain. I just wanted to know if I had to drag your ass again or something.”

You make faces while he talks, prompting him to hit you with the small pillow.

“Yah!” You whine, hitting him back. 

Jungkook turns into a childish man when he’s challenged or provoked. He tends to be nonchalant about most things but you also know that he likes to play around and tease. He also likes to show off his athleticism and agility because now, as you try to hit him back again, he’s effectively dodging you while landing his pillow shots on your face.

“Kook, I’m gonna get your annoying ass,” you groan, grabbing the bigger pillow and then hitting him a little harder, knowing it’s not gonna affect him anyway. 

This dude is built like a brick. It just doesn’t seem like it because he’s always in loose clothes, but you know enough that not much hurts him. But you’re so into the pillow fight that he ends up lying down on the couch while you sit on top of him, your legs wrapped around his waist, and he’s there chuckling and blocking your hits. 

You take a rest, essentially giving him an opening. But instead of attacking, he turns to you and places his hands behind his head.

“Okay fine, I’ll let you make one last hit then we call it quits,” he says, challenging you.

You consider it, and as you act like you’re going to smack his face, you instead drop the pillow and make a tiny pinch on the sliver of his stomach that’s been exposed from all his movements. He yelps in pain and you manage to get off him in time, or else he would’ve easily wrestled you or turned you over.

He chases after you to the kitchen though, and you’re definitely not fast enough for the Jeon Jungkook. Before you know it, you’re getting pulled by your shirt and being tickled in your torso that you easily give up, facing him in submission then catching your breath.

“You’re such a brat,” he frowns. “That hurt.”

He slightly raises his shirt and discovers the red mark on his stomach that you caused.

You gasp in surprise; you didn’t realize you hurt him that bad. You pout then hug him - a reflex almost because this is how you apologize to your friends when you get a little too intense - and apologize.

“Nah, a hug won’t cut it,” he says, not returning the act.

You look up at him with sorry eyes.

“Coffee?”

“Nope.”

“A 6-pack in the beer museum later?” You sweetly smile, knowing that’s his weakness.

He gives in. “Deal.”

“Wow, that was easy,” you chuckle as you let go of him. 

“You leave a mark, you get me beer. It’s that simple,” he shrugs. 

“I bet it didn’t even really hurt,” you cock an eyebrow.

“___, it’s literally red. Look. It might even have a bit of your nail stuck in there.”

He pulls up his shirt again to show you the crescent on his abdomen and though you feel sorry, you also can’t help but tease.

“Show-off,” you stick your tongue out.

“Hey, I worked hard on that.”

“I’m sure, and they look great,” you flash a smile. 

“Kook, why are you giving ___ a private show this early in the morning?” Jimin says as he enters the kitchen. 

Jungkook tries not to look scandalized at the comment even if he knows it’s just his best friend’s way of teasing.

“She pinched me.”

“The tiny, painful kind?” Jimin asks.

“Yes. And I was just showing her the damage.”

Jimin turns to you with a disapproving look. “You’re a brat.”

“I said I was sorry,” you pout at Jungkook again. 

You look adorable and he can’t really be angry. 

“She’ll make it up to me with beer at least.”

“That’s not too bad,” Jimin laughs. “Just be her punching bag and you’ll end up with lots of free things.”

Jungkook chuckles in agreement and proceeds to boil water for coffee. It’s 10:30 AM and you’re set to meet the rest of your friends in an hour for lunch, so you munch on another triangle kimbap and some snacks then get dressed.

As you’re going down the stairs to the lobby, you slow down to walk with Jungkook and you turn to him.

“You’re not mad, right? I’m sorry again,” you say softly.

There’s an innocence in your eyes as you utter the words and Jungkook has to stop himself from engulfing you in a hug. 

It’s fondness, he convinces himself. It’s this tenderness that always cuts through at the end that gets him. You can be playful and rowdy and unforgiving sometimes but you’re affectionate and gentle and it catches him off guard. He doesn’t know why it’s never affected him like this before because he knows you’ve been like this to him before.

“I’m not,” he says, nudging your shoulder in assurance. “It’s stopped hurting and your nail marks will go away. You’re all good.”

“Good. We don’t want blemishes on those pretty abs,” you wink.  

He laughs in your wake. He hopes the fondness he feels for you stays. He also hopes that’s all there really is.

The ramen place you find for lunch is a tiny restaurant that manages to fit all of you. You and Taehyung moan in satisfaction at the richness of the broth, content with your weak people’s palette that can only handle the lowest level of spiciness, whereas Jimin next to you winces because he definitely didn’t expect his level 7 to be that hot. But still, he says it’s one of the most delicious things he’s ever eaten and you’d have to agree. 

The restaurant is buzzing in chatter and laughter because of all of you, especially when Gyu-rim calls out Jungkook’s bottomless pit of a stomach once again.

He ordered chashu don with his ramen but is on his second serving of the rice bowl after Suhyeon offered the one she couldn’t finish. 

“You know how normal people stop eating after they’re full?” He says. “I end up eating five more portions.”

“Oh, we know,” most of you answer in unison. 

“How good is it anyway?” You ask.

“Dude, it’s so good,” he moans, furrowing his brows; he tends to look angry when the food is delicious.

You open your mouth to signal that you want to try it and Jungkook prepares a spoonful for you. He’s about to hand it over but then you stand and lean over the table, so he feeds you and tips the spoon to make sure you get everything in your mouth.

It’s something he’s done with you lots of times before but this feels different. There’s that fuzzy feeling of doing this intimate act for you, even as a friend. 

Because it’s just that, he reminds himself - an act of affection towards a person dear to him.

You hum with a full mouth with how good it is and urge Mo-eum to try as well, so Jungkook feeds her, too - something completely normal that doesn't elicit any unusual warm feeling. But he can’t keep his eyes off you still chewing your food while asking for another spoonful with the ramen broth this time after he said it was even better together.

You lean over again and Yoongi tells you to just order your own. 

“We’re not in a rush. We can stay here for as long as you all want,” Hoseok - the one who keeps you all on track with schedules during your trips - says.

You smile in response then scurry to the ticket machine to order more. You’re served two bowls not long after, and you announce that you got another one so each person can try it at least once, starting with Jimin who gets two spoonfuls. 

You prepare one yourself and lean over to Jungkook to feed him this time. He’s caught off guard but he opens his mouth in time before you complain that he’s taking too long. Returning to your seat, you get another bite for yourself then another.

“Yah, I gave you two spoonfuls,” Jungkook reminds you.

“Get from the other bowl,” you frown at him. “That’s why I got two!”

He laughs, only wanting to rile you up, but he does finish what your friends couldn’t, and there he goes again with his unnecessary fifth portion.

Once you’ve finished, you head to a local park that’s covered in snow. Jimin immediately runs and dives on one of the mounds he sees and you follow, loving the pillowy ice almost as much as he does. Soon enough, Mo-eum, Jungkook, and Taehyung are next to you, lying down and making snow angels, all the while giggling like little kids.

Your seven older friends all stand around and watch with the softest smiles on their faces.

“This is why we came here, right?” Hoseok hums. “To watch them be like this?”

“It’s like I’m watching our grown up children,” Yoongi says.

“We’re two years apart,” Gyu-rim points out. “They’re not that young.”

“I don’t know. I kinda feel like they are,” Yoongi replies.

“You’re just old,” she counters, quietly laughing when the other man chuckles to himself.

It’s a struggle getting off the ground when it’s so soft and cold. But your jacket is also added weight and you’re scolding yourself for not being agile like your friends who can easily get up and then run further into the park.

“Kook, help me,” you plead with your legs bent to your sides and your one arm raised. “I can’t carry myself.”

Jungkook sighs but pulls you anyway. You pant as you try to walk towards the frozen pond and he teases by saying that you probably need a piggyback ride or something.

“Will you give me one?” You smile sweetly.

“Nope,” he smiles back, and you pout at him in return. 

He easily could, but Jungkook - normally - likes to tease you. He gives in most times, but he’s been trying to recall how he was prior to these possible feelings surfacing and he remembers that there were times when he turned you down or argued with you first before granting your request. 

He’s trying to balance it out for that sense of normalcy he wants to maintain. He can’t have anyone, especially you, suspecting him of treating you differently, even if deep down, he wants to give you that piggyback ride or hold your hand while dragging you all the way to the center of the park. 

But he goes with the latter. Similar to what he did during your hike months ago, he pulls you by the wrist until you reach the pond. 

He watches you look around in awe. He does the same while stealing glances and he hopes no one notices. He’s not really ready to explain himself to anyone about something he’s still trying to make sense of.

The hour flies by. You spend it just walking around and having mini snowball fights where you all ban Jungkook because he was making snow boulders and burying Jimin in them. You buy coffee from a park stall and finish it by the time you’re back in your cars.

You head to a Beer Museum after. The building itself is stunning and you spend time just admiring it. Inside, you explore Sapporo and Hokkaido’s history and take time reading and watching the information presented. Jungkook, of course, heads straight away to the tasting section and begins eyeing which drinks he wants to sample.

He loves beer, which is ironic for a PE teacher who teaches his students about healthy living but like he says, too much of something is what makes it unhealthy. Plus, there are doctors who have worse vices and so he gets a pass. 

And maybe he’s right. Jungkook has a high tolerance for many things and he knows when to stop but you also know he truly enjoys the taste, and not just the social aspect of drinking it. 

You’re still exploring, as you’re more interested in learning more than drinking, but most of your friends have already gone ahead, with only Suhyeon and Hoseok walking alongside you.

“Don’t forget that you promised me a six-pack,” Jungkook reminds you once you get to him.

“Why, what did you do?” Gyu-rim asks you, knowing that’s the only reason you’d agree to buy Jungkook something.

“She pinched me on the stomach this morning and it left a mark,” Jungkook narrates. “It hurt like hell.”

“Is that why you were showing your abs to ___ in the kitchen?” Taehyung asks. “I was half asleep but I saw you. I thought you were being kinky or something.”

“I said the same thing!” Jimin exclaims, causing your friends to laugh.

“Yah! I had to show her proof because she didn’t wanna believe me!” Jungkook defends. 

“Because you don’t even get hurt!” You answer back. 

“Wow, that’s deep,” Jimin hums. “And totally off-mark. Kook is a sensitive one.”

“Yeah, but his body isn’t,” you pout, knowing exactly what your best friend means. 

Jungkook laughs it off then returns to his beer tasting, claiming that he wants three cans of two different exclusive flavors. You agree and taste them at his insistence and decide to buy a variety of alcohol as well. 

It’s close to sunset when you finish, then you all head to Mt. Moiwa for some scenery. It’s a chilly and entertaining ride to the top, with Hoseok and Jimin going from amused to terrified in seconds, and you’re glad you decided to join their cable car instead of Jungkook and Mo-eum who’d probably be dancing around because they’re not really scared of anything.

As you expected, the view is pretty special. Everything is blanketed in snow and the city lights add that urban charm. You stay there until the sun has completely set before going to your final stop of the night - the Christmas Market. It’s something you’ve always wanted to experience, so all of you walk through the streets and look at every stall for something to buy or taste.

Jimin and Yoongi try some mulled wine and Namjoon buys some cute figurines. Seokjin and Hayoung buy something to commemorate their last overseas trip before getting married, and you and Suhyeon munch on a pretzel. 

And then there’s Jungkook - a gourmet sausage on one hand and a donut on the other. 

“Kook, we still have dinner. You know that, right?” Hoseok laughs from next to him, clearly amused at how his younger friend can still have an appetite. 

“Of course he does, that’s why he’s eating all this now so he has space for more later on,” Gyu-rim states. “Go on, Kook. Eat to your heart’s content.”

You stand next to Jungkook as you wait for Suhyeon who said she’ll order hot chocolate for you.

“Is it good?” You ask.

“Yup,” he mumbles. “Try some!”

Like always, you open your mouth and he feeds you the donut, prompting you to complain that sweets always go last. He just laughs at you and waits for you to finish chewing before letting you bite off his sausage.

“That’s good,” you hum, uncaring about the juice that drips on the side of your mouth.

“Yah,” Jungkook groans. He takes his napkin and wipes it off your face. “Are you a child?”

“You literally eat with sauce all over your face,” you call him out.

“And you’ve never wiped them off. Gee, thanks,” he counters.

“You’re an adult.”

“And so are you,” he chuckles while he continues to wipe you clean. 

You stand there, clad in a loose jacket and a beanie that makes you look adorable, and he can’t help but smile once again. You’re such a handful sometimes but he likes this. He likes giving in to your requests and watching you enjoy it and maybe cleaning up your mess, too. He likes seeing you appreciate the things that he does. He likes knowing you’re curious about what he’s up to and then sharing it with him.

He doesn’t recall ever caring this much but he’s down that slope of finding everything you do so captivating that he might as well smile every time you breathe.

Suddenly he feels silly, and he makes a face at you to mask whatever he’s feeling. 

You leave him once Suhyeon calls and Jungkook’s left there to shake his head and internally scold himself to get it together.

You return to the hotel, drop your things in your rooms, then head to the restaurant for dinner. It’s a spread of premium meat, hotpot that tastes like cabbage water, and some of the freshest seafood you’ve ever had. 

You jump in your seat in delight and Jungkook does the same. After all the bickering, you know that both of you love food so much even if he enjoys it because he knows how it’s supposed to taste, whereas for you, most things are just delicious. It’s just funny that you’re only realizing now that both of you react to things pretty much the same way.

You’re back in the suite by 10 PM, and the five of you take turns in the bathroom while the boys play a card game with push-ups as punishment for the loser while you and Mo-eum act as both penalty enforcer and cheerleader. 

The tiredness from the day slowly creeps in so you all retire to your rooms, upholding this morning’s agreement about who’s sleeping where. 

Jungkook lies down on Mo-eum’s bed and half wishes that he’ll fall asleep soon so that he doesn’t have to spend more of this time alone with you. The last time that happened, his heart was doing weird things and now that might just happen again.

He starts to slowly doze off when your voice wakes him up.

“Do you want to put on a face mask?”

“Uhm, okay,” he stupidly gives in easily.

You grab two packs and a mirror from your pouch then try to put the mask on properly. You turn to Jungkook who now kneels next to you, as if asking him to fix it. He shifts it a little before putting one on himself. He turns to you as well and you flatten the edges, making sure you spread the serum from his jaw down to his neck, completely unaware of how you’re affecting him.

For some reason, you decide to sit in the space between the beds so Jungkook follows suit. There’s not much distance between the both of you but this isn’t the first time. He supposes he’ll just keep doing what he’s been trying to do - try to act normal while also figuring out exactly what he feels without making it obvious that something has changed. 

“Today was good,” you hum. “I liked playing in the snow and walking around. And now it’s 12 AM but we’re not passed out. What a change from years ago.”

“Such a change,” he laughs, reminiscing about your post-university trips where you were finally earning money and spending it on shopping and partying. “Hong Kong was the worst.”

You and Jimin were drunk and entered the wrong hotel, and Jungkook was the one who looked for you and dragged your asses out of there before you fought the hotel staff for not letting you into your room.

You remember that night and smile behind your mask. “Oops.”

“So yeah, this trip is good,” he chuckles. “We just get to relax and do whatever we want and actually remember everything and you know, not end up fighting strangers and stuff.”

You laugh in response.

“I liked the park, too. And my free beer. Thanks again, ___.”

You’re reminded of your comment from earlier about him not getting hurt. It’s not that deep but given the conversations you’ve been having with him and the things you know that the others don’t, it may not have been the best thing to say.

“What I said when we were at the museum…” you start. “I know it might have a double meaning but you know what I meant.”

It takes a while for him to figure out what you’re referring to but when he does, he just shakes his head. 

“I know what you meant and it’s totally fine. I didn’t take it the wrong way.”

“But still, I’m sorry,” you mutter. 

“It’s okay. Why are you always apologizing though?”

“Because I… don’t wanna do or say anything that’ll hurt you,” you admit. “I mean duh, I don’t want to do that to any of my friends but with you, it’s different.”

Jungkook’s thankful that of all the times he agreed to put on a mask, it was tonight, because at least you can’t see the way his face falls at your statement.

Different? What does that mean? Surely it can’t mean the same different he feels towards you because you haven’t acted out of the ordinary with him at all. 

But you’re unpredictable sometimes and he doesn’t really know what to expect.

“What do you mean?” He manages to ask.

“Like… it’s simple and unproblematic. We bicker, we tease, we comfort each other… You’re there when I need you; I’m there when you need me, but we don’t need each other all the time. You get what I mean? We’re close but not–”

“Too close?” He finishes.

“Yeah, and it’s a good thing,” you clarify. “It’s not like with Jimin where we get on each other’s nerves all the time but we worry about the other just as much. But that’s always how we’ve been. And with Tae… I miss him so much when he’s away but I can’t tell him that because I don’t want him to worry. And he worries a lot and that affects him.”

“Tae does worry a lot about you. At one point I thought there was…”

“Something more?” You chuckle, and Jungkook nods in response.

It’s something he asked his friend years ago but Taehyung insisted there wasn’t anything.

“I pushed myself so hard in university. And when I worked there after graduation, I lost myself for a bit and Tae was just always there. I guess I became dependent on him as a friend to an extent,” you explain. “So a bit of that still lingers. I want to tell him things but not every little thing so he doesn’t worry. And Jimin’s like family and families fight sometimes. All of that said, you and I have always been… normal, for lack of a better term.”

Jungkook hums, as he tries to find the right words to say. But he gets it. It’s not like he was ever jealous about your closeness with Taehyung or Jimin; it was just a fact he accepted because it had always been like that. A big part of it was definitely because he had Joo-yun early on, and that kept him from developing a closer bond with you unlike his friends. 

And while he regretted the part where he could’ve gotten closer to you much earlier, he supposes maybe it wasn’t that bad. Like you said, what both of you share is simple and unproblematic. There are no expectations, no fights, no secrets.

Well, maybe now there is, and Jungkook is a little guilty for feeling things while you continue believing that everything between both of you is simple. He reminds himself there are no expectations on his end and that as far as he knows, he’s not fully acting on whatever he feels. He’s just… going with the flow.

He recalls that conversation at your apartment about both of you wishing you’d been better friends to each other back then. For him, it was about knowing your struggles and being there for you. Perhaps it was that distance that led to this kind of friendship you have now. He stops himself short of thinking that while this is normal, so is getting used to each other and developing feelings. You’re not a believer of friends turning into lovers so maybe your definition of normal is also different.

He wills his thoughts to stop forming right now, not when you’re in the middle of something pretty serious. He wants to assure you that he’ll keep that unspoken promise you made about being better friends to each other. On one hand, that could mean not crossing any line and keeping things simple, like you said. On the other hand, it might also mean just being honest and making you feel comfortable in being the same.

“I don’t want to do or say anything that’ll hurt you, too,” he finally says. “Tell me if I do, yeah?”

“I will,” you nod, and he can sense a smile behind the mask. “Can I be honest though? It’s hard to continue being serious when you look like that.”

He nudges your knee. “You’re the one who wanted to put this on!”

“I know, but then I got carried away,” you laugh, pulling the sheet mask off your face now and throwing it in the trash. “We’ve been having more deep conversations lately, Kook. It’s like we turned 28 and then poof, we became mature.”

“It doesn’t work that way but sure, ___,” he chuckles, clearing his face now, too. “I think experience does that. We realize what we want for ourselves and others, what we’re willing to tolerate, and what we want to focus our energy on. And we’re barely 30. We’re not even close to our peak.”

“So I’m gonna be even more mature?” You gasp. “Are you gonna be ready for that?”

“Okay, much as I’d like to tease you, you honestly don’t give yourself enough credit. You’re wise and mature and deep and shit, and not just because you’re an intellectual,” he clarifies. “You’re a smart person who also feels things, and I think maturity stems from that.”

“Hmm, I suppose,” you say, yawning as you crawl into bed. “But you’re a lot more mature than I am.”

“I’ll take that,” Jungkook smiles. 

He lies in bed and turns off the night light. There’s a beat of silence before your sleepy voice echoes in the room.

“Kook?”

“Hmm?” 

“Thank you for always making me feel better about myself. It means a lot.”

Your deep breathing follows and he supposes you’ve already fallen asleep. He wishes he’d said something right away but he couldn’t find the words, like always. 

He holds onto the fact that that was your last thought before you knocked out and he was at least awake to hear it. He’s sure you know he heard you and that should be enough.

You wake up much better the next day, given that the room temperature was what you wanted. You were curled under the covers with your feet warm from your socks, and there’s just something refreshing about feeling cold in the morning. 

It’s a much earlier call time today, as you’ll be taking a train to a nearby town. You all get ready, and you’re doing your makeup in the living room while you glance at Jungkook doing his morning skincare routine. 

You remember a time when Hayoung used to scold him for not wearing sunscreen despite spending all day outdoors. Eventually he developed that habit, including putting on toner and moisturizer. He has a headband on and it causes you to giggle. 

Even without trying, Jungkook looks adorable sometimes. His oversized tan hoodie swallows his body. The way his hair falls over his forehead and his large, bright eyes make him look like a boba ball. There’s something so endearing about him as he alternates between two pairs of sunglasses because he can’t figure out which to wear. 

“Second one,” you call out. “It settles cutely on your nose.”

“I can’t tell if that’s an insult or…”

“I’m disappointed you’d even think I would ever insult your nose!” You gasp.

Walking towards him, you adjust the black jacket over his hoodie and fix his bangs.

“You’re so dramatic,” he chuckles, feeling his throat immediately dry up with you being so near him.

It’s another one of those normal things you do often that suddenly means more to him now. You’ve also always looked nice barefaced but when you’re made up and this close to him? He wonders if you’ve always been this pretty. 

“I mean it. This nose has super powers,” you say, pinching them out of reflex.

“And what does it do?”

“It keeps me from getting angry when I’m hungry. Too cute.”

“You’re so annoying,” he groans, as you laugh and yell out for your other friends to finish up.

They eventually do and you decide to separate from the older ones at least for today’s coffee run. You find a nice cafe and order some drinks and fluffy pancakes that’s perfect for this weather, and then you meet the rest in the train station for this morning’s little excursion.

The coastal train ride to Otaru, especially during winter, is apparently a must-do. And you agree, as you lean your head on Taehyung’s shoulder while the ocean comes into view. It’s so scenic, as the waves crash on the shore, just like that famous painting, and there’s that enchanting feeling once more in seeing the snow-covered town.

The 45-minute trip is spent looking at the views while talking to Mo-eum who sits in front of you, and occasionally taking photos of Jungkook and Jimin right behind you. You savor the simplicity of the experience and the fact that over a decade in, you still get to enjoy this with your friends. To remain this close and to have them so constant is a blessing, and something you don’t ever want to take for granted. 

You arrive in the port city and immediately fall in love with it. From the architecture to the historical mansions and quaint streets, it gives such a unique and warm vibe despite the icy winds and snowfall. 

You all decide to get hot drinks while you make your way to the frozen canal. There’s so much to see and just like yesterday, you take your time in taking in your surroundings, with the occasional snowball fight care of Jungkook at the expense of poor Jimin. It’s one of the few entertainment sources of the morning. There’s also making a Yoongi snowman and trying your butts at snow sledding using your puffer coats. The film cameras that Jungkook and Hoseok bring capture it all.

The group separates into two when you find a Music Box Museum that you want to explore while Jungkook and Yoongi choose a brewery to taste their season-exclusive drinks. Jimin and Gyu-rim join them so the rest of you head to the stunning building and look through thousands of music boxes and Christmas decorations. You reconvene after two hours and aren’t surprised when the other group brings back a few bottles of liquor that they said they wanted to try tonight.

You choose one of the dozen seafood restaurants on a popular street for lunch and you really can’t go wrong. This, for certain, is the freshest seafood you’ve ever had, and you spend the majority of your time eating just humming in satisfaction at everything you put in your mouth. And laughing, because while you admit to being dramatic sometimes, your friends overtake you in the eating department.

Because there’s Hoseok clapping after every new dish, there’s Jimin bowing his head down while moaning after every bite, there’s Gyu-rim cursing every five minutes, and then there’s Jungkook jumping in his seat and making the most bizarre hand gestures to express how delicious the food is. 

It was definitely an experience, and you’re glad that Taehyung insisted on doing this. 

You all walk back to the station to look at the other structures and to digest everything you ate. In less than an hour, you’re back in Sapporo and in your hotel room, needing the short break before the long drive to your next destination.

It’s hilarious Japanese reality TV shows and more convenience store snacks for an hour and a half in the living room before you leave late in the afternoon to head to another town. 

You decide to sit in the backseat with Taehyung and Mo-eum this time. If it were with any of the other two guys, there’ll definitely be a lot of smacking and pinching and you can’t afford to be violent during the drive. It’s peaceful enough, as you spend it just talking about random things and before you know it, you arrive at a restaurant for your yakiniku fix for dinner. 

The sun has set and you spend most of the ride with the windows down. The cold doesn’t seem to bother anyone and it’s just quiet - perhaps sentimental, too - until you reach your rented home for the next three days.

The place is stunning and you all thank Taehyung and Seokjin’s parents for covering your lodging because they said it’s been a while since you’ve been complete and you deserve the luxury this place brings. It’s something they often did and you suppose it’s just a rich family thing to do and you’re not one to complain. 

All four bedrooms are on the first floor and like always, the five of you younger ones take the biggest of them, which already has the mattress on the floor anyways that Taehyung calls dibs on. You climb up the stairs to the living and dining rooms and find a huge open space that’s perfect for all of you. It opens to an outdoor area that houses the hot tub and sauna.

You’re glad it’s a detached house. That way, you can laugh and stay up late as much as you want and it won’t bother anyone. You can’t wait to spend your nights here.

It’s just past 8 in the evening and Jimin suggests going for the hot tub and taking turns because not everyone’s gonna fit.

“Well, not everyone’s gonna dip,” Yoongi shrugs, as if you all don’t know he’s one of those people.

But he’s right. Seokjin, Hayoung, and Hoseok join him in being spectators as they sit on the table outside while the rest of you take a spot around the tub and take turns on entering it. 

You feel comfortable in your olive green bathing suit. Despite being out in the open, the heat from the water is enough to balance things out. There’s a spread of alcohol and other snacks that you pick from and like you expected, it’s a lot of laughter and reminiscing and discussing plans of future trips. 

You look at each of your friends, the people who have been with you for over a decade, and you think about all the years in between. You’ve all definitely matured. It’s not just in the wrinkles or the responsible alcohol consumption or the complaints about sore legs after today’s walking spree. 

It’s in the comfort of each other, the fulfilled promises of making time to be together despite the busy schedules and the distance. It’s in indulging what one person wants because doing anything as a group is the priority. It’s in the relief in your eyes knowing that at a time when people tend to lose sight of the important things, you’ve all made it a point not to lose each other. 

That brings you to another thought, something you voice out.

“We are such a good looking group of friends,” you state, almost out of nowhere. 

But really, from the camping trip that had you all looking a bit raggedy to this trip where you’ve been bunched up in thick clothes or with barely anything on, like right now, it’s something that just entered your mind.

“I’m surprised no one else decided to date each other apart from Seokjin and Hayoung,” you continue.

It’s not an uncommon topic amongst you. In fact, it’s one of those things you like teasing each other about, given all the history.

“Yoongi and Gyu-rim will. In 10 years,” Jimin states, and the people in question just shake their heads in response because this isn’t the first time and they’re unfortunately used to this. 

“Mo-eum and I have a pact that if we’re still single at 55, we’ll marry each other,” you announce.

“___, I was drunk when I agreed,” your best friend laughs.

“No taking it back. We pinky promised,” you glare at her.

“Yah! Both of you will surely find someone before then,” Taehyung exclaims.

“Well, it could’ve been you,” Mo-eum tells him.

A round of “oohs” echoes in the room, prompting her to smile sweetly and Taehyung to chuckle and say that’s probably true. 

It’s that kind of history you all like unearthing and resurfacing every once in a while. Come to think of it, it was over five years ago during your trip to Tokyo when your best friend revealed that she actually liked Taehyung during your junior year of college but she never had the guts to say anything, only for him to start liking her right after she got over it. 

The confession shook everyone because no one knew, even you. And knowing how your best friend is, it would’ve been something she was really shy or nervous about if she never told anyone. 

“Hoseok, care to top that?” Jimin teases now as he smirks at Suhyeon, who understandably splashes him with water. 

“No, I don’t,” Hoseok laughs. “Brat.”

“Well, that ship could’ve sailed if someone wasn’t such a coward about it,” Seokjin eyes him. 

Hoseok’s “what-if” with Suhyeon happened in real time, where everyone knew they had feelings for each other except for both of them. Despite all of you urging them to just make a move, one made a small step but the other was too scared to risk things and it didn’t fall through. 

Both of them now have partners outside of your friend group though, and they’re even better friends this time, something that Suhyeon points out.

“When you think about it, it’s really just about timing,” Namjoon reflects. “Whether it’s liking someone at a certain point or believing you’re ready enough to go for it, it’s about the other person being on the same boat - liking you at the same time and being ready when you are.”

“True. I mean, Hayoung and I luckily liked each other at the same time,” Seokjin nods.

“Liar. You had a crush on her the year before she admitted her feelings,” his younger brother calls him out.

“It was harmless!” Seokjin argues. “We went to a farm where the chickens chased her and she started running and yelling like crazy and I thought she looked adorable. It didn’t mean much until she couldn’t hold herself back from saying that she thought I was handsome.”

“It was still a crush,” Taehyung points out. 

“And it materialized a year later! That happens, too. Admiration or affection for someone doesn’t always mean it has to be something more right away,” the older man counters. “Sure, we could’ve dated much earlier if I’d said something but it also could’ve gone nowhere if I went for it right then. Or she could’ve rejected me. I didn’t wanna pressure her or make it feel like she had to return the feeling, which really was just a crush.”

“True,” Hayoung hums. “I probably would’ve thought he was unserious about it or I would’ve kept my distance because I didn’t feel anything then. Like Joon said, it’s about timing. Seokjin held out and thankfully, I got to him in time.”

“She ended up falling more in love with me so… it all worked out well,” Seokjin winks.

Everyone just laughs because you all know the truth - Seokjin is crazy about Hayoung. It’s a given that he’ll be the one bawling his eyes out during their wedding.

Jungkook laughs along as the teasing continues, thankful this time that given his history, people are a bit cautious of asking him about his thoughts when it comes to relationships. 

But his friends’ words linger in his mind, even as the conversation shifts to something new. 

Seokjin and Hayoung’s love story always seemed so simple to him - two friends who always got along well and one day realized they felt something more. Looking at how they are, it’s as if there’s really no one else made for them but each other. 

But of course, it’s never as simple as just confessing their feelings and being lucky that the other person felt the same way. It’s also about knowing what’s worth risking and when to do so. It’s about being ready to deal with the consequences, whether you’re taking a step back, forward, or staying right where you are. 

Like what Seokjin said, it isn’t always about being something more right away. Jungkook thinks that maybe feelings aren't something you just have; it’s something you settle into. 

The hours pass and Jungkook doesn’t notice them flying by. Between the conversations, the premier Japanese liquor and convenience store snacks, and lying on the snow by the edge of the deck then retreating to the hot tub, there’s a lot going on.

But he’s far from tired, and even if the temperature has dropped even lower, he still wants to stay out here and let his body relax.

The others have gone ahead to wash up and get ready for bed but there’s still you, Jimin, and Gyu-rim with him outside, talking about the latter’s non-existent but probable relationship with Yoongi. 

“You’re the most comfortable when you’re together and it’s the same with him,” Jimin points out. “That doesn’t happen overnight and it certainly doesn’t happen with just anyone. I’m just saying that it’s something to think about. Finding someone new isn’t the only option, you know?”

Gyu-rim, who surprisingly hasn’t smacked Jimin yet for all the years he’s been insisting on this, just chuckles in response. 

“I admire your commitment to this ship,” she concedes, knowing it’s better to just go along with the teasing than to react negatively. 

It’s Yoongi anyway and there’s nothing to feel negative about.

“Let’s just say that I have deep love for my friends and I want them to be with people who know how to love them, or would learn how to,” Jimin responds. “I’ll shut up about it after this but I just wanted to give you that nudge. I’ve learned my lesson with the two what-ifs in our group because we just all stood by.”

She argues that sometimes, standing by is the better option but that she’s also at that age where she just wants a companion. Jimin says that he knows that Yoongi does, too. 

Both of them eventually decide to retire for the night and you say you want to stay a little longer since you barely stayed in the tub. It’s just you and Jungkook now and with two people left, you take the chance to stretch your legs and submerge yourself in the hot water that you’ve slowly gotten used to. It even starts snowing and somehow that adds to your relaxation.

“So,” you turn to the man next to you who seems to be in awe of the snowfall as well. “You were quiet during all the relationship talk. You okay?”

“Yeah,” Jungkook replies, his head leaned back but facing towards you. “I guess I’m like you when I’m with more mature people. I just listen.”

“And reflect?”

“A bit of that,” he hums, shifting his gaze towards the trees now.

With you in that bathing suit next to him, it’s just another version of you that he suddenly finds pretty.

“About what?” You ask. 

“Settling into feelings, I guess. How we don’t always need to act on them right away because they could be mild or fleeting or confusing or just… something that develops over time and that needs time for it to be right or enough. Or certain.”

You let his words linger. It’s something you definitely can’t relate with.

“Wow. I wish I knew that before my past relationships that failed because of my feelings that I immediately acted on,” you laugh, almost mockingly, at yourself.

“Acting on them isn’t always wrong, though. You shoot your shot when you can and you don’t always have time,” Jungkook tries to comfort you. “You could lose your chance completely.”

“That’s true but then like I said before, I get excited and impatient. Looking back, I guess I never really settled into my feelings for the people I liked because, well, it wasn’t something I thought about.”

“Me, too. It’s just something that got to me while listening to them earlier. Nothing too deep. I guess time and experience make you see and realize things that were always there but never really thought much about,” Jungkook states. “Suddenly they mean a lot more now.”

It’s the closest to being honest he could be with you about the thoughts he’s been having. Somehow this makes him feel better. He’s not lying to you or anything. He’s just settling into these newfound feelings for you. 

Maybe they are fleeting or mild or confusing. Maybe it just needs time to develop into something that could be right and good enough for you, if it ever gets to that point. 

Being with you right now, he’s trying to figure out what it is. It’s still a mix of everything but he’ll be patient this time. One thing is for sure though - he doesn’t want to scare you. If anything, he just wants to keep you close enough for a little while longer. 

As you both lie in your beds later in the night - you next to Mo-eum and him next to Jimin - there’s space in between that perhaps resembles where you both are right now. You’re both lying on your sides and you stick your tongue out at him as good night right before you turn the light off. 

He smiles to himself. It’s a good view from where he is.  

It’s a little chaotic in the morning as all 12 of you take turns in the three bathrooms to get ready. People are washing their faces and brushing their teeth next to and behind each other. The men are dressing up in the hallways and in the living room while the women are behind closed doors. 

And then there’s Hayoung and Suhyeon making sure there are enough water bottles for everyone and Hoseok who’s reminding you all about the proper outerwear and boots for today’s activity. 

Right as you’re dressed, you feel the energy surge through you. You haven’t gone skiing in years and you’re looking forward to trying it again this time. Everyone else seems to feel the same way, especially Jungkook who keeps mumbling that he’s excited and pretty much skipping all around the house.

You put your heavy coats in the trunk and head out for a fairly long drive. You call shotgun because you like getting a wider view of the snowy streets and everyone agrees because it’s you. Jungkook drives like always, insisting that he genuinely enjoys it.

You arrive at a rest stop shortly after, as you all decided to just get snacks from there for breakfast. You divide and conquer - Jungkook orders the food and you join him because you’re curious, while the rest get the drinks. 

Ordering at the ticket machine, you and Jungkook get excited about which snacks to get, even if you were confused about which buttons to press and when to pay. But you manage and buy a few flavors of the fried rice balls and croquettes then head back to the car. You start eating before Mo-eum and Taehyung return with the rest of the drinks and by the time Jungkook restarts the engine, he’s already devoured two of them.

He keeps both hands on the wheel and his eyes focused on the road while the rest of you munch on the food, humming in satisfaction and singing your praises. 

You see his gaze constantly flit to the rice cake you’re eating. You think he’s probably itching to have one right now but he doesn’t want to risk putting you all in danger so you take out a piece for him to eat. Knowing he’s wary of the drive, you feed him and cup your hand under his mouth in case a piece falls. 

“Hmm, that’s so good,” he moans, angling his head to the side for another bite.

You chuckle as he tries to get as much of it in his mouth so you appease him and say you’ll feed him so he can still eat them while they’re hot. He beams at you so endearingly and with his blue beanie and loose jacket on, he looks like a kid with his bunny smile and innocent doe-eyes. 

It’s a complete shift from last night where he was half naked in the tub, toned abs and tattooed arm on full display. Like boys do, he, Jimin, Taehyung, and even Namjoon were all showing off their biceps and posing ridiculously like bodybuilders, triggering a pose-off and tummy ache-inducing laughter from the rest of you. 

You can’t say it’s something that surprised you. Jungkook’s always been an athlete. You watched some of his swimming competitions when you were in college. You’ve also had dozens of beach trips. Toned bodies like what your friends have are normal to you and you’re often unbothered. They’re used to walking around without a shirt on and they have never felt shy around you; none of you girls ever felt bothered by it, either. 

But you’re still a woman with fully functioning eyes and can appreciate a pretty physique when you see one. Jungkook just happens to possess it and being in close proximity to him reminded you of that. It’s just a funny thing to remember seeing how he is now. There’s just something so charming about him that makes you smile.

You continue feeding yourself and him throughout the drive, with him losing it with the cheese croquette, his favorite one out of everything. You bring up his iced americano to his lips, too. It’s your way of thanking him, you tell yourself, as he’s been taking on the long drives like always. 

You finally make it to the ski resort and Jungkook skips all the way to the lobby. You all rent your accessories and equipment then head to the gondola all the way to the top. Despite the powdery snow, there’s still so much of it that it’s a struggle to even walk.

The view is stunning and the weather is cold and bright yet you already know you’re gonna suffer. But it’s the good kind. You’ll just brace through all the falls and face plants you’ll make but you’ll at least have fun.

It’s a group decision to snowboard first. As expected, there’s the group that can do it, and another that can definitely do better. The Kim brothers grew up doing this so their skills are not a surprise. Hayoung has done it a few times since dating Seokjin so she’s not bad at all. Namjoon is surprisingly good with his balance, Mo-eum is just good at anything sporty, and Jungkook obviously quickly relearned the ropes even though it's been years since the last time he’d done it.    

And then there’s Yoongi who settles with little hops down the mountain and Gyu-rim just laughing along as they semi slide all the way. There’s Suhyeon content with cheering you on despite constantly landing on her butt, Jimin who falls after every turn, and then you who falls right behind him. 

You’re just as tired at laughing at your mishaps than you are with all the face planting and swimming through snow you’ve both been doing. But you always end up turning on your back and marveling at your surroundings and the feel of the snow under you. At one point, you and Jimin almost give up.

You do manage two rounds down the slope while the others end up with a few more. You all rest at the cafe for a bit at Yoongi’s request and watch the few clips some of you managed to get of each other going down the mountain. 

Skiing is a lot more doable. It’s something you’ve done more than once so it’s not hard to relearn it. But with now-sore legs and overworked muscles from all the laughing and tensing up, it’s still definitely a lot more than you can handle. But you push through because it’s seriously a lot of fun. 

The snow is falling hard by the time you finish. Your hands feel frozen and your nose feels numb. Your legs and knees are definitely sore, and you feel the pain once you start going down the stairs. 

Hayoung, who overdid herself a little, climbs on Seokjin’s back. You whine because you’re in pain, too, but you don’t want to trouble any of your friends who might be just as tired.

Taehyung stands next to you and chuckles at your pouty face and your eyes that are focused on your cousin and his brother.

“Do you want a piggyback ride, too?” he asks.

You nod and give him your puppy eyes, waiting for him to offer you one.

“Okay. Kook!” he yells out behind him. “Our princess needs a ride.”

Jungkook looks at him questioningly then you. “What?”

Taehyung eyes the couple not far ahead and Jungkook takes the hint.

“Ah,” he says, looking at your tired form. “Your legs hurt?”

“I can’t feel them anymore,” you wail.

You’re so dramatic that it makes Jungkook chuckle, prompting you to weakly smack his arm. But he gives in this time, seeing how helpless you look.

“Fine. Jump,” he tells you, bending low to help you get on his back then gripping your thighs to keep you steady.

It’s not a long walk back to the car but it isn’t an easy one, so you constantly apologize in between your grumbles of being in pain. 

“I’ll pay for your drink at the whiskey museum tomorrow,” you promise him. 

“Tempting but you don’t have to,” he says. “It’s fine. Being your carriage is totally a normal thing.”

“Hey,” you cry out. “Please? I’ll treat you something.”

“Or you can just say thank you. Really, ___. You don’t have to pay me back for every good thing I do for you.” He slowly puts you down and turns to face you. “Just… stretch and relax. The hot tub will help so get on it later. And maybe don’t snore too loud tonight.”

You laugh at the last part because of course he’ll sneak that in even if it’s unrelated, but you agree.

Sitting at the back this time, you lean your head on Taehyung’s shoulder as you slowly doze off. He opens the window to let the cold air in to wake you up a little but you still fall asleep shortly after.

Jungkook glances at you from the rearview mirror. His heart did a thing again earlier when you had your arms around his neck, and then again when you sweetly smiled at him and said thank you before you entered the car. 

It’s a little different this time though as it feels more like floating. Looking at you peacefully napping, it continues to do just that.

The famous soup curry is famous for a reason. It’s rich despite the thin broth and the meat is soft and tender. It’s exactly what you need after this morning’s adventure and paired with the draft beer, it’s every bit satisfying. 

You gain a bit more energy after lunch, which you quickly expend during the car ride. Taehyung is the designated driver this time. Jungkook couldn’t resist the beer earlier, so you sit between him and Jimin and they alternate between teasing you mercilessly and cooing at you. 

You play the injured card, quickly clarifying that it’s your ego that's bruised after face planting so many times. Mo-eum from the front says everyone was laughing at Jimin and Yoongi more than they were laughing at you. They expected you’d fall but that the other two looked like adorable baby pandas who couldn’t get their shit together in the snow.

It’s mid-afternoon by the time you get home, which is where you’ll be staying for the rest of the day. Everyone picks their spot in the common room and you take your place on the large couch next to Hayoung. The Switch is turned on and a battle begins but you can barely keep up as not long after, you doze off.

Jungkook manages to win one game of Mario Kart before he heads out with Yoongi to buy what they’ll need for tonight’s dinner. It’s an hour later when they return and when they do, you’re still lying down on the same spot, softly snoring and getting some needed rest. He brings out the muscle spray he bought at the pharmacy and Jimin is the first one to take it. It’s passed around and when it’s returned to him, he briefly looks at you to check if you’re already awake.

You aren’t, even with the shrieking going on because of everyone’s epic fails on Fall Guys.  You have your hands together tucked under your cheek and your head laying on a pillow on Hayoung’s lap. There’s this urge to tease you about still being so tired but also to move your hair out of your face and caress your cheek.

He’s a little alarmed when you start opening your eyes, paranoid that he might’ve said something while fondly looking at you or if telepathy is actually real and you’d read what was going through his mind. But you mumble something instead and shift your body for a more comfortable position. He kneels down next to you and asks what you were saying.

“Did you beat Hoseok?” You mutter.

“Yeah, earlier,” he replies. “But I haven’t played since. Yoongi and I bought stuff at the supermarket. I got muscle spray for soreness, too.”

That piques your interest, as you open your eyes wider and ask where it is. 

“Jimin’s hogging it. Let me get it from him.”

He gets back to you with the bottle and you lift your pajama pants to expose your legs. Your puppy eyes tell him that you want him to do it for you. He chuckles but gets to it right away, gripping your foot and spraying the liquid on your limbs. You linger, and Jungkook instinctively sits down and lays your legs on his lap, gently massaging them. 

You moan in satisfaction and urge him to continue, earning you another chuckle. He works on your joints and your calves, knowing they just need to relax and that you’ll feel better soon enough. You’re lying on your back this time, but then Hayoung says she’ll go to the bathroom so you sit up and watch Jungkook work on your legs. 

“You would’ve been a good therapist if you chose that path instead of teaching,” you tell him.

“My dad said the same thing. I used to massage him after a long day of laboring when I was younger,” he laughs. “Glad I haven’t lost my touch.”

“You’re good. I approve.”

Your face contorts in pain when he kneads the tender parts and you try to move his hand towards a different area.

“But that’s where it hurts,” he insists. “I’ll go gentle, I promise.”

You let him, but your hand remains gingerly on top of his just in case. He keeps his word and goes easy on you. 

“Get in the hot tub later, yeah? That’ll help,” he advises.

You nod and instead of lying back down, you lean on his shoulder while he continues massaging you. You think you can fall back asleep with how this feels.

But then Gyu-rim suggests watching a horror movie because the last time you did that in the forest was so memorable that she wants to laugh at the scaredy-cats again. 

So Taehyung puts some Japanese thriller he finds on the shelf and dims the lights, resulting in 90 minutes of shrieks, curses, the occasional “I give up” from Hoseok, and the timely laughter from the horror enthusiasts. It’s quite the experience but it’s the perfect build up to dinner.

Yoongi lays out a spread of sushi and various salads for your appetizer while baking slabs of premium beef in the oven. Jungkook makes a Japanese pork offal and vegetable soup dish that sounds so perfect for tonight. Everyone else is busy drinking and eating while he’s glued next to the pot so you go to him.

He turns to you and eyes the plate of sushi you’re holding.

“Is it good?” He asks.

“So good. So fresh,” you hum. “Here, have some before they finish it all.”

You feed him some, an act that’s somehow become reflexive for you these past days, and he nods in approval. You get a few more pieces and alternate between feeding yourself and him.

The aroma of the broth wafts through your senses and you can’t wait to dip your rice in a bowl of all that goodness.

“Is it done yet?” you peek inside the pot.

“You wouldn’t know even if you tried,” he teases,

“Oh shush,” you nudge him. 

He laughs but he takes out a spoon, fills it with broth, then blows on it before feeding you. 

“Yup, my chef palette says that’s good.”

To his surprise, it is, and you make a claim that you’ve gotten better at this. 

It’s at the same time when Yoongi says that the meat is ready so you all gather at the dining table and have dinner. You finish with matcha tiramisu and cheesecake for dessert.

You start cleaning up with Namjoon and Taehyung while the rest of your friends either move back to the living room or head to the hot tub. You can hear them laughing and playing around outside, no doubt lying on the snow again or doing something silly, but you focus on your task then get dressed before heading out the deck.

You sit with Jimin and Suhyeon while the others take a rest. Just like last night, you alternate again so everyone gets a chance to take a dip. You end up staying a little longer, hoping the hot water will relax your muscles and get you feeling better for your last full day tomorrow. 

One-by-one, your friends leave the tub to wash up, as the temperature continues to drop. You’re left with Jungkook once again and he sits next to you, both of your heads rolled back, and the sounds of the wind and bubbling water filling the space.

“Feel better?” He asks.

“Yup. I wanna stay here longer but I don’t wanna stay up too late and I still wanna drink,” you say, somehow feeling like the day is too short for you to do everything you want, even if you’ve done so much already.

“We can stay for a couple more minutes. Being here for too long isn’t good, anyway.”

“Fine,” you agree. “But today was a good one. Thanks for my massage.”

“What have I not done for you at this point?” He laughs. 

“I’m a spoiled brat, aren’t I?” You call yourself out. 

“A little bit,” he playfully shakes his head. 

“Well, thanks for putting up with me,” you mumble, and he assures you that it’s not as bad as you make it sound.

Namjoon, Yoongi, and Gyu-rim go out to drink at the picnic table on the other end of the deck and they raise their glasses to you in acknowledgement, warning you of Jimin possibly finishing off the sake if you don’t stop him.

You say you’ll wash up soon but remain on your spot, occasionally stretching your legs, until you return your focus to Jungkook and shift to face him. 

With his whole lower body submerged in the water and only his neck and his damp hair on the surface, he doesn’t look as intimidating so you start playing around with his hair and attempt to tie a ponytail at the top, resembling a sprout. He grumbles under his breath but he doesn’t say a word. He just closes his eyes and lets you do what you want.

For Jungkook, an attempt to stop you would be futile. That would entail fighting you off and getting a little too close in such a small space, which again would be deemed normal if it wasn’t for his growing fondness for you. He tries to just watch what you’re doing but given your proximity, he thinks that closing his eyes would be better for his stupid heart.

“Ooh, you’re letting me tie your hair,” you point out. “That’s new.”

“I’d have to pry you away for you to stop and I don’t want you falling out of this tub or something,” he reasons.

“Hmm, you have a point.”

You giggle when you finish, and it’s at the same time that Taehyung appears behind the glass door and waves. He spots Jungkook’s sprout and starts laughing, too. Opening the door, he coos at his friend and pulls up his phone to take a photo.

You immediately scoot closer to Jungkook and pose multiple times before your friend gives a thumbs up sign and walks back inside the house. You can see the rest of them still in the dining room, looking like they’re playing card games and downing the remaining bottles of alcohol you’ve all been buying since you arrived.

Jungkook stands up from the tub and turns to the door to see what he looks like through his reflection. He frowns at you in response.

“Okay, sprout off,” you say once he sits on the ledge. “It doesn’t fit the muscle bunny Jungkook vibe.”

“What?”

“Your hair has to match your body. It looked fine when you were submerged in the water,” you reason, pulling the hair tie off him. “Now with these muscles and these abs and this tattoo sleeve, it’s a mismatch.”

“How is it that you analyze even these things?” He questions.

“It’s my brain. It just does.”

He descends back down once the cold air becomes too much and you’re just there, so close yet so far like many times before. There’s that urge to get even closer and just examine your face, now that he’s looking at you in a new light. 

Settling in the feeling, he reasons to himself. Figuring out if it’s fleeting or something more. 

He repeats the words in his head as he watches you flounder in the tub. You move to the end near the railing and the snow lightly falls on your head. It almost feels romantic, as you sit there with a soft look on your face and a sweet smile as you let the snow touch your skin. 

But with you, unpredictability is a thing. Before he knows it, you’re scooting back close to him. You lift his right arm from under the water and start pointing out the tattoos that you think are new.

“I just had them colored. Some were redone,” he explains.

“Ahh,” you reply, wiping off the droplets on some areas so you can see them better, unknowing of the shivers you’re causing. “So do you just wear a jacket every time you’re at the school?”

“Pretty much,” he hums. “When it’s hot, I wear a shirt and then an arm sleeve to cover it up. Thankfully they weren’t too strict about it, although I was almost not accepted because of it. I just made up some story that I was trying to be cool in college so I got them but I straightened myself out and wanted a fresh start so I became a teacher.”

“Wow what a liar,” you respond. “You were getting new ones even after you got the job.”

“I know. But they don’t know that,” he laughs.

“I think it looks cool on you.”

“You called it a muscle bunny vibe,” he deadpans.

“It’s because you have an adorable bunny face but your body’s ripped. Bunnies are fluffy, chunky babies. They have puffy cheeks. They don’t have abs.”

“They could. If they exercised.”

His comment sounds ridiculous and it makes you laugh, as an image of a bunny doing crunches flashes in your mind. You think he imagines that, too, as he laughs right after. It’s a silly thing but it’s one of many things that you talk to Jungkook about. One evening you’re reflecting about feelings and relationships and the next, you’re picturing bunnies exercising. 

“Yah, you two,” Yoongi’s voice cuts through your muffled laughter. “It’s getting too cold. You might get sick. Wash up soon.”

“We will already, uncle,” you grin at him. 

You stand up and slowly make your way to the steps but Namjoon tells you to stop so Jungkook can help you down and avoid a probable accident. So he does, walking ahead of you then down the stairs before you take his hand and follow him. 

Your room is still empty when you get your clothes. When you return after your bath, Mo-eum and Taehyung are on your bed, watching something on the laptop. Clearly yesterday’s conversation about their history didn’t change anything between them, as they’re as comfortable next to each other as they’ve always been. 

There are still a few people at the dining table when you go there for a few drinks. You get the sake before Jimin finishes the bottle and you drink it and then some. 

One-by-one, they start to retire for the night. You have a glass of beer that you want to keep drinking whereas Jungkook lost to rock-paper-scissors so he’s finishing the cup of mixed alcohol as penalty, so you both stay behind.

You tell him that he can throw it down the drain and you can keep it a secret but he honors the rock-paper-scissors code, he insists, so he’ll finish it off.

Keeping each other company has become a pattern for both of you recently, but you suppose it’s just the timing of everything. He moved into an apartment his cousin owns that’s closer to his school last year; it also happens to be 15 minutes away from you. 

Both of you aren’t in relationships so it’s easier to hang out. Plus, you committed yourself to maintaining a work-life balance after you suffered burnout some months ago, and that’s meant switching off during the weekends and being a lot… calmer, you think. Probably less erratic and maybe more bearable.

All of those circumstances just happened to take place around the time Taehyung came home and commenced his role of being the trip planner. Before then, you and Jungkook were either in a relationship or neck-deep into your job or both. 

You were definitely a different person back then and you suppose he was, too. Now, you get to spend time together and just enjoy each other’s presence, something you always have but something you get to experience differently this time. 

And it’s a good feeling, something that you don’t express out loud. Not that you think he’ll judge you or anything but only because somehow, you think he’s thinking the same thing. 

You do your final cheers then clean up before brushing your teeth and heading to your room, ready to finally rest.

Except when you get there, you find Jimin sprawled on the mattress on the floor this time with the phone on his face, no doubt having fallen asleep while playing his games. Mo-eum and Taehyung are fetus-curled on either side of your bed, softly snoring. 

That leaves one bed for you and Jungkook, and the realization that this has never happened before hits you. Not that it’s uncomfortable; it’s just that you’ve always been closer to the other guys and he’s always been closer to Mo-eum. Still, you don’t mind but he seems like he does.

“I can sleep on the couch,” he mumbles.

“It’s soft but not as soft as this bed. We can just stay here. You need proper sleep and this is big enough for both of us,” you insist. “Is that okay with you? I mean, I’ve slept next to the guys before.”

“Yeah, and you’ve either elbowed or kicked each one of them. More than once,” he reminds you.

“Is that why you don’t want to sleep here?” You ask worriedly.

He hates it but Jungkook half-lies.

“Yup.”

You think about it for a second but still insist. He’s already slept on the couch in the other hotel and you don’t want him to do that again.

“Nah, you’re strong. You can handle me,” you wink.

“Fine,” he grumbles, mockingly laughing at himself for giving in so easily once again.

“Don’t worry, there’ll be a pillow between us,” you assure him.

“Yeah, whatever. By the way, they left the blinds open. You don’t like the light, right?”

“Hmm, I usually don’t and I know you don’t, too, but uh… Can we leave it up? I wanna fall asleep and wake up to that sight,” you say, gesturing towards the snow-covered branches of the trees right outside the window.

“Sure.”

Jungkook climbs in bed next to you with the pillow in the middle, even if he knows you’ll hog that, too, because apparently, you like hugging something when you sleep. 

You’re on your side with your eyes glued to the window and he lays on his side as well, facing you.

“I’ve been so enchanted by this city and how the snow covers everything,” you whisper, no doubt being sentimental at this time. “I just want to ingrain the image of this place in my mind as much as I can. Jimin got me so fascinated with snow. I used to not care much about it.”

“I’ll get you a snowglobe in one of the shops tomorrow then,” he smiles. “That might help.”

“It will,” you groggily smile back. “You’re so sweet, Kook. I’m glad we–”

And just like that, you’ve fallen asleep.

It’s fitting how the night ends, he thinks. There’s a short distance separating both of you but so many years and memories in between. You’ve always been there just as the snow has always been around, yet it takes something, or someone - perhaps a moment - to make him look at things in a different light.

Has it always been like this? Have you always been like that? What was it these past months that made the difference? 

He’s unsure but he doesn’t want to overthink. Just like you, he wants to ingrain this in his mind as much as he can. He’ll deal with whatever comes after when it comes.

The first sliver of light cuts through your eyelids and you curl yourself closer to the pillow to hide your face. It works only a little, and you mentally curse yourself for leaving the blinds up. No one else seems bothered because no one’s put them down yet. It would’ve been Jungkook but you suppose he’s too exhausted.

You turn to your side and find his tattooed arm over his eyes and you kind of feel bad. So you get up and walk towards the window, marvel at the trees for a few seconds, then pull down the blinds. You return to bed and go back to sleep, knowing you’ll see it again later on. And tomorrow, too, for the last time.

You wake up two hours later to Jungkook saying that the guys have made breakfast. You stretch your legs and ask him if he can put on the muscle spray again even if you’re feeling a little better. He does, and you smile when he briefly massages your calves before he pulls you up from the bed.

Everyone else has gone up so you head to the dining table and find a spread of scrambled eggs, bacon and sausages, toast, and pastries. Hayoung and Gyu-rim apparently watched a cooking show this morning and immediately craved a Western breakfast, so Yoongi and Seokjin went to the supermarket to grab ingredients and cooked them. 

It smells amazing, and you hum in delight at how good it is. It feels so foreign yet it tastes like comfort. 

There’s no rush in spending your last full day. You drive to explore a quaint town then hang out at a cafe to play with cats and drink coffee. You go to a whiskey museum and laugh at Jungkook and Jimin doing some role play by the bar. 

You try some samplers and end up getting Jungkook one of the bottles he chose not to get because he’s used up all his alcohol budget for this trip. You give it as a surprise while walking back to the car.

“___, I told you you didn’t need to get me anymore,” he groans.

“Yeah but.. You carried me, you've been massaging me… And you’re gonna drive me home tomorrow,” you say.

“So what, should I expect you to get me something every time I do something for you?”

“Uh… no.”

“Exactly, so there’s no need to.”

“Too bad, it’s already paid for,” you shrug. “Plus, you looked so sad when you had to give it up. You were pouting your lips and pep talking yourself into accepting that you weren’t gonna get it.”

“I’m also an adult who’ll get over it,” he points out.

“Well, just think of it as a birthday or Christmas gift or something.”

“You’ve never gotten me either of those,” he deadpans.

“Exactly! So here,” you chirp, placing the bottle in his hand. “Belated happy birthday and advanced Merry Christmas.”

He laughs at your persistence but accepts that this is how you are. Again, it’s the tenderness of your personality that he’s been experiencing these past few weeks that builds on the fondness, that makes him enjoy being around you.

“Fine. Thank you,” he finally smiles and accepts. 

Not long after, you go to a street lined with local shops. That’s where Jungkook finds you a snowglobe of this town. He gets you another one of a tree with a deer next to it. He’s also never gotten you a gift so he says it’s for all the years that he missed out on. 

Later in the night, after having dinner at a hotpot place and spending the rest of it reminiscing about the trip over tea and milk, you lay on your side next to Mo-eum, as you’ve returned to your original sleeping arrangements. You place both snowglobes on the night table next to you, as if in replacement of the view from your window. 

“Careful, you might hit and break them,” Jungkook warns from not far away.

“I think my body can only recognize body parts when it’s hitting something,” you laugh. “But don’t worry, they’ll be safe.”

“They better. They’re your reminder of this place.”

“Well, years from now when I still feel my sore joints, I’ll be reminded of Sapporo,” you laugh. 

Jungkook laughs, too, and thinks that while you’ll have those as a reminder, he has this other than the bottle of whiskey you got him - this view of you smiling at him as you fall asleep.

Even if you remain as friends, years from now he’ll think of this trip and how you made it enchanting for him with the moments, the silence, and all your unspoken words.

You leave Sapporo the next afternoon.

It’s quite a drive to the airport and you savor the scenery as you pass the snow-covered mountains and frozen lakes for the last time. 

You sit next to Jungkook again on the flight home, with your head leaned on his shoulder while you both look at the photos in the shared photo album. He drops you off at your apartment after you all have dinner at a restaurant and the entire drive had you laughing and teasing each other, same as how you spent the entire trip.

He helps you unload your luggage and walks it up to the entrance to your apartment building.

The snow starts falling at this time and you ruffle Jungkook’s hair and call him out for not wearing his beanie.

“I’ll live,” he laughs.

You just smile in response, thankful that you spent the past week making new memories with this man you feel you don’t have enough of. It’s weird how a trip can do that - make you experience someone you’ve known for a decade as if for the first time. 

But you suppose life is like that. We focus on certain things at certain points of our lives depending on who and where we are at that time. We rediscover people and feelings and friendships and maybe that’s what living means. Those that remain are the ones that matter.

“Enjoy the holidays, okay? And have a safe trip home tomorrow,” he says.

You’re riding with Hayoung to Gwangju in the morning and Jungkook’s driving to Busan with Jimin in the afternoon. 

“And don’t hurt yourself. Your legs are still a bit sore,” he reminds you.

“I’ll be alright,” you say confidently. 

He chuckles and heads back to his car. You wave him goodbye for the last time then head to your apartment.

Five minutes later, you text him.

[To: bunny kook] I stubbed my toe on the couch 🙁

He laughs out loud and decides to call you. You don’t need him to come back, you say, but you wail that you miss him already.

He knows what you mean but it doesn’t stop his heart from doing that thing again. He ends up talking to you on the phone throughout his drive and while you’re both unpacking and then packing again for your respective trips. 

You hang up first and Jungkook already dreads what these next few weeks of being away from you would mean.

Settling into the feeling could mean accepting that proximity is the biggest factor and that being physically apart is what’ll make him get back to how things used to be. He could also be convinced it wasn’t much anyway. 

It could mean settling into the idea that both of you have changed over the years and have truly committed to just being better friends for each other. 

Or it could mean that there really is something more, and he’s gonna have to figure out how to live with that, whether or not you feel the same way.

 Series Masterlist

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[leth-writes]

yandere arcane x reader from the undercity

SUMMARY: yandere arcane x undercity reader

WARNINGS: 18+ as always on my blog, though the work is safe for work. Typical yandere shenanigans.

mild spoilers for season two in Caitlyn’s part, but I think I managed to avoid season two spoilers in every other part.

MASTERLIST: https://www.tumblr.com/leth-writes/757800060720496640/requests-open?source=share 

Requests are open!

SILCO

Silco’s job is made a whole lot easier by you being a citizen of Zaun. He’s able to pretty effectively track you around the undercity without much effort, hell, he might even sick Sevika on you just to follow you around and take notes, who knows.

He’s really obsessive about making sure you’re safe. Before you’ve met, he’s got someone on you constantly, taking notes and giving him a detailed list of everything you do. He also manages to bug your apartment. He likes watching you just putter around, it helps put him at ease.

I think he’d have an easier time rationalizing his affection for a darling from the undercity; his whole goal is to make the undercity sovereign, and if you share those goals, he’ll give you a little more wiggle room. You still won’t be able to leave The Last Drop, like at all, but you’ll definitely get a bit more space than he would normally allow a darling to have.

Since you’re so familiar with the undercity, collaring and tagging you is a necessity for him. He can’t have you running away, so he gets Singed to embed a fucking tracker. You won’t even feel a thing, it happens before you even gain consciousness that first day.

Spends a lot of time breaking you down so you never try to run away; everyone knows how important you are to him, and that puts a target on your back.

VI or JINX

She doesn’t really care all that much. It’s a bit easier to get her to open up, but beyond that, I think she just sees the undercity as like the baseline, she doesn’t even consider that she would end up with someone from the topside.

SEVIKA

Makes her job a hell of a lot easier. You already know her reputation, you’re never gonna disobey her. Don’t even think about it.

Makes sure you stay on the premises of The Last Drop, keeps you cooped up most of the time. SHe’s worried you’ll run away if she takes you out, though she keeps you entertained by buying you trinkets and takeout. You’re just amazed to see stuff from the topside, you’ve never been, and it’s easy to keep you busy.

You’re like a kid, staring at the snow globe she buys you. She genuinely thinks you haven’t moved all day.

VIKTOR

Also makes his job easier. As a person from the Undercity, you understand his backstory in a way someone like Jayce never would. 

It also makes it easier to keep you isolated. You do face discrimination as an undercity person when you’re topside, which keeps you running into his arms. He knows you could beat him up, it wouldn’t be hard, but you would have no way to get back home, and your quality of life has shot way up anyways.

Your relationship is actually probably the healthiest out of everyone on this list, just by virtue of him feeling free to take you around town, though he does use the discrimination to subtly remind you not to leave him. You might not even notice you’ve technically been kidnapped, he’s so subtle.

CAITLYN

Season one Caitlyn doesn’t mind all that much.

Season two Caitlyn treats you like a fucking pet. She acts like you’re… lower than her. She loves you so, so much, but she definitely doesn’t trust you the way she would trust someone from Piltover. You’re never leaving the house, and you’ll never return home. She plans on cleaning the place out, anyways, so it’s not safe for you down there.

She probably keeps you on sedatives. She views you as slightly dangerous, so she isn’t willing to take that chance.

You’re a lot more pliant when you can’t tell up from down, and she’s free to just cuddle with you without a worry in the world.

[priyajoyy]

Devil wears prada part 2

Dark!lottie Matthews x reader x dark!shauna shipman x dark!jackie taylor x dark!natalie scatorcio

this is just a bunch of story building cause if I fit meeting Lottie into this part it would be way too long im sorry

Warnings:

Dark characters, power imbalance, toxic workplace, mental health problems, fat shaming, beauty standards, etc (more in later parts)

“Now you’ll technically be reporting to me, I’m situated on the 24thth floor where you’ll spend most of your time, though it really depends on where you’re needed” Mari told you as she guided you towards the elevator once again.

You’d viewed the offices on the 15th floor, which Mari had told you, you would sometimes need to go to on the odd occasion. You were now on your way up to one of the higher floors.

“If you need anything you can come to me, though the other secretaries are very friendly so I’m sure they’ll be happy to help.” She continued, “you report to anyone above you really, you’re not anyone’s personal assistant so they can all use you when necessary”

The elevator dings and the doors finally open. And Mari wastes no time, walking straight through the offices.

“The likelihoods are you’ll only be dealing with lower-level management, because the others have their own girls for their important stuff so it will never be anything too difficult.” 

Everyone was dressed so nicely; you were certain you were going to have to splurge on a new wardrobe of much nicer workwear when you got home.

“Miss taylor is in the big corner office of this floor and Mr Martinez is in the other corner, they’re the ones you’re most likely to be working with. Well, more likely their personal secretaries, Laura lee and robin” she tells you.

“This is miss Taylors office” she says as you reach one of the roomier ones, with fancy glass walls and a desk in front of it with a blonde sat at it.

“This is Laura lee, Laura lee this is the new hire, miss y/n y/l/n” Mari told the girl, who smiled at you brightly in return, standing to shake your hand.

“Hi!” she says cheerfully, she seemed like the nicest person you’d met here yet.

“Laura lee here deals with all of miss Taylors stuff, her personal Calander, meetings and such, you’ll have access to most of the head execs calendars on the system, though you won’t be able to adjust anything, so if you do need to, bring it up with Laura lee here” Mari tells you, and you nod along, trying to take mental note of all the information she tells you.

She then takes off in another direction, not so much as saying goodbye to Laura lee, who you quickly chuck a wave before trailing after Mari.

The older woman’s heels click against the floor as you both make your way back towards the main area of the floor, leading you towards a trio of desks that greeted you as you exited the elevator.

“And this will be your desk” she told you, gesturing the empty one of the three in front of you, “feel free to organise it however you want but we like to keep work areas clear and uncluttered at all times so please don’t…mess it up”

You weren’t really sure what you’d have to go on it other than some pens, a notepad and your laptop, but you nodded along to her request anyway.

“you’ll start officially on Monday, I’ll send you over some of our policies I need you to look over and sign, I’ll also send you everything else you need to know, attire rules, scheduling, so on” she listed off, to which you yet again nodded along to.

As soon as you got home, you were already scowering online sites for new clothes. Given you hadn’t been paid yet it was a little tricky to get anything too expensive, so you had to settle for some simpler choices. Though you were sure you’d have another search on your next payday.

You friend, insisted on taking you shopping that weekend, dragging you along to a million stores to try on expensive outfits and shoes you could barely walk in.

You weren’t exactly a hater of fashion. You thought you looked pretty presentable from day to day. But you were definitely used to much simpler clothes, more comfortable and plainer. Definitely not the designer blouses and skirts she had you trying on and buying.

By the end of it, you had a collection of new clothes in your wardrobe or on the way, and a dangerously low bank account, verging on entering your overdraft.

By Sunday you’d already planned out your outfits for the week, ironed all of them to perfection and prepped your lunch for Monday and Tuesday. Knowing you didn’t have the money after your little shopping spree to be buying lunch, even if it did make you look a little silly…

By the end of it you were running out of things to so and prep really for the week to take your mind off the nerves you were feeling. So, you spent the time trying to forget and watching tv, failing miserably at both.

Mari had sent you a collection of emails as soon as you had left on Friday. Consisting of your contracts as well as log ins to different systems and lists of responsibilities.

You’re main role was helping guests and staff from other departments from the front desk of the floor you’d be at. Greeting them and helping with their problems. You were glad you weren’t likely to have to interact with the head management often. The idea of dealing with them seeming terrifying.

“morning” you squeaked out nervously to the girl at the front desk yet again, this time a different girl greeting you, seeming more friendly than the one you had encountered last week.

You had worn something nicer for your first proper day, a smart looking grey pencil skirt and light pink blouse with your nicest shoes, trying to make a good impression. Yet you still felt inferior stood in front of the gorgeous ginger sat at the front desk. 

“Um I’m y/n? Mari Ibarra said you’d be expecting me for a keycard…” you told her nervously, to which she nodded and looked at her computer.

“of course,” she said with a reassuring smile, looking back up and standing to turning to grab something from a draw nearby, “this will get you into the building each morning and activate the elevator to take you to all floors except 7 and 15, they don’t require special access”

She hands you a grey lanyard, with a keycard hanging from it, a picture of you and your name and info staring back at you from it.

“you’ll also need it for photocopying, printing and such, you won’t tend to need to access any special rooms, or anything so don’t worry too much, but any you do need to…and have access to, will open with this too” she continues.

You nod along to her, taking it from her grasp and smiling nervously. She must have noticed your nerves because she continued.

“don’t be nervous, it’s all quite easy really, and the girls upstairs are nice enough” she tells you, a pretty tilt to her head as she does, “you should head up now, Mari will be waiting for you on the 24th floor”

Taglist:

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[ceylonmoon]

in light of my goat dark cacao winning here is my offering to the purecacao fans :)

here, began all my dreams

Pure Vanilla/Dark Cacao | G | 2.2k

Tags: Pre-Canon, Pining, Sickfic-ish, Feelings Realisation

Summary: somewhere along the way, dark cacao realises something has gone terribly wrong in his friendship with pure vanilla.

ao3 link:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/63970171

In an increasingly rare moment of freedom between the two of them, Dark Cacao sets out to Pure Vanilla’s cottage on a journey to knock some common sense into him.

Given his abilities, it was the general consensus that Pure Vanilla would be able to avoid the illnesses that plagued the common folk. After all, it is the most natural and most sensible conclusion to arrive at when beholding his extensive experience. And it was true enough to some degree—but most cookies also could not account for Pure Vanilla’s deceptively vehement mulishness when it came to actually applying those skills to himself, or, oven-forbid, willingly accepting help from others.

It never ceases to amaze him how someone so brilliant, an unanimous magical prodigy even amidst prodigies, can manage to be so foolish. Harsh? Perhaps. Incorrect? Certainly not.

So, when a letter comes from White Lily the night that his battalion was set to return anyhow, he doesn’t hesitate to change his course upon ensuring his soldiers were settled. Would you be so kind as to ensure our dear, endearingly idiotic friend has not dropped dead in his own home, he has not responded to any of our messages in a month, has a certain sway to it, as it turns out.

The weather is brisk on the outskirts of the Biscotti Village; a spring cold lingers in the breeze and tinges the air with an earthy, verdant scent. With every step Dark Cacao takes comes the drip of dew, the soft, longing shape of the clouds for a thunderstorm, a siren song from a distant passerine. He drifts past honeysuckle florets and sugared clovers and rounds the corner where the forest and fog break upon the afternoon sun.

The plains of his homeland are indisputably more frigid than this; and yet, Dark Cacao suppresses a shiver nonetheless.

Dark Cacao arrives at the cottage with little fanfare and lifts his knuckles to the door, before considering the situation. In all technicality, there really was no need to do such a thing, as—

A salient, heavy weight within his pocket cries out yet again to be noticed, acknowledged. And Dark Cacao, for the first time since it has been passed into his possession, indulges the urge.

He fishes out a bronze key from his cloak, an ineffable emotion passing over him as he looks down at it. It is as lustrous as the day he received it, two years ago at Pure Vanilla’s housewarming party. He’d never had precedent to use it before, after all.

The peculiarity persists, as Dark Cacao unlocks Pure Vanilla’s door with suitable mundanity. Scattered slips of parchment and hastily dog-eared books dominated nearly every surface of the cottage that wasn’t taken up with a potted plant, but in a distinctly Pure Vanilla sort of fashion, where Dark Cacao can almost recognise the organisation of it all. In a distinctly Pure Vanilla sort of manner, he finds himself thinking with a startling amount of indulgence, that is as familiar as always. Still though, amidst the pale orchids and twisting vines, there is no Pure Vanilla himself.

Dark Cacao wanders about the first floor for a moment, glancing into open rooms and cracked doors before he turns, catches a glimpse out into the backyard, and heaves a great, heavy sigh.

“What are you doing,“ Dark Cacao says, flat, as he strides out to Pure Vanilla’s crouched form, hovering over his sheep.

Pure Vanilla does not so much as jump as he stands and searches for the source of his voice, smiling as he beckons him forward. Obligingly, Dark Cacao steps closer with purposeful weight placed into his steps. “Dark Cacao!” Pure Vanilla greets as soon as he is near enough, despite how his voice is as brittle as wizened maple leaves. “My friend, it’s been too long! It’s good to hear from you again.”

“I wish I could say the same,” Dark Cacao grumbles, nonetheless vaguely reassured that Pure Vanilla had not, indeed, keeled over and dropped dead in his own backyard. He takes in his appearance, now that he was close enough to properly observe him, and is promptly filled with the urge to sigh once more, even greater and heavier than the last. “You should be resting.” He pauses before elaborating, “Inside. It’s far too cold outside for your condition.”

Pure Vanilla laughs at him. Truly. The audacity. “There’s no need to worry so much! Really, I can hardly even feel it.”

Dark Cacao scoffs, staring at him in his creased, clearly thin sleep robes, and deadpans, “Pure Vanilla, you are shaking.”

“I‘m fine, Dark Cacao,” Pure Vanilla protests between chattering teeth, and swaying like a willow tree.

Dark Cacao laments, not for the first time, the stubbornness that all his friends seem to share, for better or for worse.

Dark Cacao shrugs off his cloak and wraps it around Pure Vanilla’s shoulders, fastening the clasp with a muttered, “If you are going to stay out here, at least attempt to keep yourself warm.”

Pure Vanilla shoots him an indignant look, but the effect is lessened by the way he immediately buries his face into the thick fur ruff.

“Fine, fine. …Thank you,” he murmurs, the tips of his ears pink. Dark Cacao stifles an exasperated furrow of his brows. He was cold all along.

“You never answered my question. Why are you out here? You’re ill.”

“It’s merely a mild head-cold,” Pure Vanilla counters, pinching his index and thumb together. “Besides. I need to water my flowers and feed my sheep. It’ll be quick, I swear it.”

Dark Cacao blinks. “Then allow me,” he says simply.

Pure Vanilla looks nothing short of appalled. “Absolutely not!“ he hisses, rasp more pronounced now in his vehemence. “I won’t have one of my dearest friends doing chores in my own home.”

“But you said it yourself. Two years ago.” Dark Cacao tips his head, flushes, suddenly grateful for his dark dough. “…Your home is as much mine as it is yours. So it would only be fair for me to contribute, no?”

“Ah. Well,” Pure Vanilla says eloquently, in an uncharacteristic stumble over his words. He stares at Dark Cacao with an inscrutable expression for a long, long pause, before he shakes his head, and judging from his wince, immediately regrets how it jostles it.

“Pure Vanilla,” Dark Cacao says with a frown.

“Dark Cacao,” he says back, leaning heavily on his staff. “While the sentiment remains the same, I still can’t allow it. Because—because…” Pure Vanilla looks suddenly triumphant, and blurts, “You’ve never watered flowers before, right? So I could not possibly place that sort of burden on you.”

“True enough,” Dark Cacao acquiesces. “But I am more than capable of learning. Tell me, Pure Vanilla,” he continues, voice softened, “is it that you do not trust my abilities?”

“No, no, of course I do!” Pure Vanilla sighs, will visibly weaker. “But my sheep…” he retorts feebly.

“Tolerate me,” Dark Cacao interrupts, quiet, and one of the ewes headbutts against his side in apparent agreement. “Rest, Pure Vanilla. I will return your duties to you the moment you recover.”

An indigo zephyr washes over the garden, saturating the silence with the halcyon promise of rain. The indelible deluge of sun-warmed fruits and transient ether. Then, with the now late afternoon humming, teeming with pollen-stars, Pure Vanilla at last accepts his arm.

“Must you be so stubborn, Cacao?” Pure Vanilla asks, eyes crinkled with laughter.

“Pot, kettle,” Dark Cacao replies, guiding him forward and rolling his eyes despite the lightness filling his chest to the brim, incandescent and gossamer, threatening to spill over into—into—

The thought vanishes into a puff of smoke, a forbidden, unsettling realm of mist, as Pure Vanilla turns to him, weariness apparent now that he was no longer concealing it. Yet his gaze is gentle nonetheless as he draws his fingers away from the crook of Dark Cacao’s elbow and returns the cloak to its place around his shoulders.

A murmur, “Hurry back, alright? I don’t want you to become ill as well on my behalf.”

Dark Cacao hardly hears his own muffled response as he watches Pure Vanilla disappear from view, then reappear but a moment later through the windowpane.

His cloak is still warm, he thinks, belated and feeling, abruptly, a little bereft. Dark Cacao pulls it taut and sets to work, brushing away the dawning sense that something has gone terribly, horribly awry.

˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° . ˚ · • . ° . ˚ ·

The days drift by, honeyed, amorphous reveries. Spring arrives in full, with the blackberry blossoms shedding their thin, papery petals and exposing the delicate fruit underneath. Dark Cacao brings the ripest ones he can find the day that they finally bloom to Pure Vanilla, hands sticky and nearly overflowing with them. They share them, at Pure Vanilla’s insistence, right there in the living room with the doors and windows propped open; though at Dark Cacao’s, he remains bundled in several blankets and a certain cloak.

True to his word, it really was just a minor head-cold—exacerbated by Pure Vanilla’s refusal to actually rest, that is. Thus, it takes a few more days than it really should have for the coughing to subside and the fever to calm to almost normal levels. All throughout it, Dark Cacao stays.

He had expected growing restless within the first day; Dark Cacao has never been idle for this long, watering plants and minding the sheep and cooking light meals, all the while tending to Pure Vanilla, despite the other’s reluctance. But they are already nearing the end of the week, and Dark Cacao is feeling rather restless about the lack of urgency plaguing him. It is all terribly mundane, terribly domestic. He isn’t sure what to think about it.

But Dark Cacao is sure that if it were not for his presence, Pure Vanilla would have already crawled out of bed and into his garden with the lambs and blackberry bushes and subsequently have succumbed to either his illness or the rain. So he stays, for his sake and the sake of their friends who rightfully worry about Pure Vanilla. As they say, healers often make the worst patients.

This particular morning, it is quiet yet again, but it is a quiet that does not stifle or choke. It is the first where Pure Vanilla has felt well enough to accompany Dark Cacao in the fledgling moments before dawn breaks; soon, he will not need Dark Cacao at all.

“I have been doing little but resting this entire week,” Pure Vanilla tells him, though not unkindly. “Allow me to at least rest in your presence?”

There he sits now, head in his arms and listening to the sounds of Dark Cacao puttering about in his kitchen. The remnants of moonlight continue to stubbornly cling to the horizon, so Dark Cacao works by way of that, unwilling to disturb the dimness with a candle. But again, there is that strangeness looming in the back of his mind, a nascent feeling that something within his dough has shifted. It unsettles him—yet he does not mind the emotion itself. Only the matter that he cannot understand it, cannot yet comprehend it.

Somewhere along the way, lost in his thoughts, Dark Cacao must have wandered by a particular cabinet, stepped on a particular tile, as Pure Vanilla stirs from his doze, and mumbles, “The lavender tea is in the cupboard underneath.”

Dark Cacao goes very still. “I thought you did not like the taste of it?”

Pure Vanilla lifts his shoulders in a shrug, and then, he says like the most natural thing in the world, “But you like it.”

The sun isn’t quite up yet, the slowly fading stars keeping it company for just a while longer. Muted sunbeams and starlight scatter across Pure Vanilla’s face, haloing him in a golden peach glow. It makes the slope of his nose soft, his cheekbones softer, and his slight, stained-glass smile even more luminescent. The normal, healthy Pure Vanilla would hardly look out of place, Dark Cacao thinks, off-kilter, residing in the crystalline-sugarwork windows of the cathedral, all honeyed, pale topaz and sapphire catching the light. And yet, here, fever-flushed and rumpled with sleep, Pure Vanilla looks nothing short of a little tired, a little perfect.

It has never been in Dark Cacao’s nature to want. He has never desired riches, or the glory of a great hero, or the fame of becoming king. But when he looks at Pure Vanilla—

The fog begins to dissipate, replaced with the beginnings of a knowing that is far more ruinous. Reveals that he is already standing at the precipice, that there is an understanding still lying beyond his grasp.

Dark Cacao turns away, white-knuckled grip against the countertop. “…Thank you. I will have some after I finish making breakfast,” he murmurs.

“Cacao. My beloved,” Pure Vanilla says fondly, and for a lingering, infinitesimal moment, Dark Cacao almost believes it’ll stop there. My beloved. Beloved. “My beloved companion. What would I do without you?”

“Have crumbled already,” Dark Cacao replies, absent, trembling. He exhales—one final shuddering breath—before releasing it into the misty daybreak. “Come. Sit at the table. I’m nearly done.”

Through the windowpane, the sun creeps up on the horizon, a blackberry dawn in its wake, pricked bruise-purple and rot-grey, fever-flushed—

(He was right, Dark Cacao thinks later, wry, as he brews his lavender and Pure Vanilla’s chamomile tea. Something terrible has happened.)

[sapphicmsmarvel]

feysand: disability comfort

note: i have sciatica nerve pain and will for the rest of my life and i had a bad flare up recently (im at the lower end of that flare up as i write this)  so this is a super duper self indulgent fic. These are my specific symptoms and experiences, pls seek a medical professional’s opinion if you find yourself feeling the same things. 

Self diagnosing is dangerous ! 

We love doctors ! 

When you woke up, you knew it was going to be a bad day and that a potential flare up was on its way to you. 

You had shifted your leg ever so slightly, and felt it. 

The twang. 

And you sighed. The twang of the muscle was a sign that you were in for it for the rest of the day and possibly the next few days. It didn’t necessarily hurt. The twang was a minor discomfort. 

It was the most comfortable part of a flare up. 

So you got out of bed ever so carefully to not aggravate it further. You knew you’d be able to go to work and complete your tasks for the night court today, but the next few days? Might as well bring work home with you so you can do it from a bed. You were the last of the family to leave for the day, Feyre was at the studio, Rhys was running a city and Nyx was away with Auntie Nesta, Uncle Cassian and Uncle Azriel. 

When you went to grab your jacket, a note fell out of the coat pocket. 

Have a good day my love. MWAH Feyre didn’t need to sign it, her kiss mark with her pink lipstick was her trademark. 

When you went to grab your lunch, you saw Rhysand wrote you a note.

This is almost as delicious as me and Fey! See you soon, angel! 

Ps don’t forget about us while you're off running an entire newspaper! 

You couldn’t help but snort, he seems to forget he’s the main breadwinner. 

You were a journalist for Velaris. Extremely well known across the entirety of Prythian. You were the reason most of your staff were able to stay calm because you kept things in order. 

You didn’t start limping until you had gotten to your office, your secretary asked why you were limping and you lied that you twisted your ankle.

If anyone else had told you they were also disabled, you would offer them whatever they needed, and tell them how it wasn’t embarrassing and there were zero things to feel bad about.

But since it was you, you were quite hard on yourself. 

After putting out a small metaphorical fire, you were able to hide a bit in your office where you can limp and cry in peace. It was getting worse, the pain was more intense, it was white-hot pain at this point all across your lower back and butt. You had managed to not cry yet, teared up yes, but you were able to swallow them down. 

You had gotten to lunch, and that’s when you couldn’t stand up straight. 

Fuck. 

Feyre and Rhysand were absolutely on their way to the cafe you three had agreed to meet at today. But there was no way you would make it to that restaurant, back and then the walk home. 

You opened up the bond to say, I won’t be able to make it to lunch. Things are crazy over here, I will see you both at home. Love you!

Feyre’s worried voice came through. Is everything okay? 

Just a gossip column issue with the Spring Court branch! I’ll see you both at home. 

It was a small lie, technically there was an issue with the gossip column for the Spring Court branch. You just took care of that that morning, not the afternoon. 

Rhysand didn’t respond but you chose not to worry. 

You closed the bond and resumed your work, you were agonizing over some final edits when there was a knock at the door. You looked at the clock, you knew you had zero meetings for once today. 

“Come in.” You said. 

Then the door opened to your lovely spouses with food. 

“What the hell?” You asked. 

“We wanted to make sure you ate. But your secretary said that everything was calm.” Feyre tilted her head, those grey eyes narrowing and are somehow able to detect your lies. 

You stood up, “baby-” then your back just twinged and it caused you to gasp and nearly fall over. Your hands slapped against the oak of your desk, causing your pencil cup to rattle. 

“Y/N!” Rhysand was fast as light as he came to stabilize you. Feyre was right there at your front, the look of irritation quickly replaced by concern. 

You were trying to breathe deeply and Rhys’ hands were on your hips. 

“Sciatica pain?” Feyre’s brows furrowed as she asked. 

“Yeah.” You breathed out, Rhys’ large hands massaging your hips gently but not putting so much pressure on the area where it’s really throbbing because pressure doesn’t help all the time. 

“C’mon, sit.” Rhysand guided you down to your chair, and you let out a breath of relief at the loss of tension when you sat. However, there was still an echo of pain. 

“When did this start.” Rhys didn’t ask the question. He demanded it. 

“This morning.” “And you didn’t tell us because…?” 

You sighed, “I just. I hate this part of me. I didn’t want to bring attention to it.” 

“My love, it's a part of you, whether you like it or not.” Feyre said the harsh truth. 

You snorted. “Thanks.”

“Shut up.” She said and nudged your knee with her own paint splattered shoes. “It’s a part of you, and we love all parts of you. Granted, we don’t want to see you in pain, but if you are, we want to help you. We aren’t burdened by this.” 

Rhysand began scratching the top of your head lightly, but it was soothing. “So tell us the truth, Angel.” 

You sighed, and looked back and forth between them. “I hurt. A lot.” 

“You wanna go home?” Feyre asked. 

“More than anything. Am I allowed to do work? Or is that a no go?” You looked at them, “May I have my nurse's opinion?” 

Feyre smiled, “work stays here.” 

You looked at Rhys, who smiled and kissed your forehead, “work stays here.” He agreed. 

You sighed, as they began getting your stuff around to take home. You let Rhys winnow you home while Feyre ordered people around the office to not bother you. Your staff adored her and you, so it was an easy ask. She told them to just leave things on your desk and again, the world will not end if the paper is slightly delayed. But the way you ran the office, you were always a week ahead, with editing boxes available for actual timely events. 

So nothing was too crazy. 

By the time Feyre got home, you were in the bath. And Rhys was making your favorite foods. He already had your painkillers set out on a tray on the made bed. 

He’s such a housewife. 

You hated how much you had to depend on them for the next few days. You could barely move. It hurt to lay, it hurt to sit, to stand, anything. Even using the toilet, it took you a while to just get the momentum to stand up. (Rhys had bars installed to help you up because he knew you wouldn’t ask them).

Sometimes your leg would go completely numb or tingly. So they’d work with you to ‘wake’ your leg up. You knew they were scared when they saw you like that. You’d be scared if you saw them like that. 

When you went stir crazy from being in the house for a few days, they would bring you random drawers to organize. Or untangling Feyre’s jewelry from each other, organizing Rhys’s photo boxes. 

You and Feyre did stretches together as well, Rhys would press a hot cloth to your back and switch with a cold cloth when you requested. 

And when you’d cry from the pain, they would brush your hair back, they’d rub your sore spots if you wanted. They’d bring you water or snacks. 

They would comfort you through anything, and you couldn’t be happier. 

(Even though you felt completely miserable at the moment).

[megpricephotography]

For those who're following Flynn's health problems… update is below the cut. Not a great one, sadly.

We went back to the vets on Fri 31st Jan. Flynn had been on his new medicine - telmisartan - for 2 weeks. He's taking it in an effort to reduce the "leakiness" of his remaining kidney. I'd collected a sample for urinalysis a couple of days prior & we got blood taken on the day. Vet spoke to me Sat morning.

I'll start with the positives. Flynn's weight is still good. Actually, at any other time, I'd say he was actively too chubby but I've been intentionally stuffing his face with as much kidney-safe food as he'll eat & it's good he's heavy & good he's managed to gain a bit. As for blood work - Flynn's blood count is good, he isn't anaemic (a worry), electrolytes are normal.

However.

Urinalysis… unfortunately, Flynn's protein loss in his pee is sky high & still maxing out their machine. I wasn't shocked by this result, as telmisartan can take a bit of time to fully work & have an effect… & Flynn's only on a 1/2 dose for his weight. Still, I was obviously hoping for better news. I wish we could at least tell if we're heading in the right direction or not.

Blood work. Urgh. Sadly Flynn's now in Stage 2 of Chronic Kidney Disease. Technically, Stage 2 CKD is considered relatively "mild" & often manageable for a considerable length of time. The worry though, is that Flynn's kidney function seems to be deteriorating pretty fast. From what I've read, this isn't uncommon in dogs who've had high protein levels in their urine, plus, again: Flynn is down 1 kidney… Also, we're already doing what we can to support his kidney, & currently it doesn't seem to be helping much, if at all. Vet's previously said he fears Flynn's kidney has just sort of... reached the limit of what it can cope with.

For now, we're keeping Flynn on a 1/2 dose of telmisartan. Yes, we could increase it but telmisartan can cause side-effects (we're seeing some), including even kidney damage (tbh, I am worried it may be harming not helping… but then again, Flynn has seemed better able to keep weight on since taking meds so, who knows). Vet & I are concerned a full dose could be too much for Flynn to tolerate. We'll monitor, may increase the dose… may take him off it entirely. We are going to add a phosphate binder to his food, which can help maintain kidney function. Flynn's been on a renal diet for 18+ months. Some dogs with his symptoms are put on immunosuppressants, but my vet hasn't brought it up as an option & tbh, I'd be concerned about potential side-effects, although I may look into it more.

As for Flynn… eh, he's OK, for now… mostly, I think? He's sweet & wanting gentle pats, so I don't think he's hugely sore, or distressed. He's feeling sick at times (picky about food) but not sure if it's telmisartan or kidney disease. He's definitely tired & quiet & wanting to be home, warm. That's fine. We get out once or twice a day for a short walk, & he still seems interested in things. I've pulled old Barney's buggy out & started encouraging Flynn to hop in, for if/when he's at a point of wanting to go out but not walk far at all. Obviously, I am still very much trying to hold onto hope we can get him stabilised & keep him happy for some time to come but gosh it's hard & I am struggling to be overly optimistic. I guess all we can do is take each day as it comes.

Sorry for the long read, partly this is for me... I find it helps writing stuff down. Hug your dogs, guys & please think good thoughts for Flynnie.

[tanadrin]

how I think different Star Trek: Voyager characters would fare in the Farscape universe

I've been watching a little of both Farscape and Voyager recently, two shows that while superficially conceptually similar (90s science fiction about lost travelers trying to get back to Earth), could not be more tonally different, and both of which I happen to enjoy quite a lot. Let's say that, instead of the spacetime anomaly that deposits protagonist John Crichton on the far side of the universe, it snatches up a random crew member from the good starship Voyager, throwing them back in time four hundred years, and dropping them in the kinky, moist, weirdly biological, slightly disreputable, and extremely Australian corner of the Milky Way where Farscape takes place. Who fares the best?

Neelix: no stranger to a hardscrabble existence and using his wits to survive, Neelix manages both to get along well with Moya's crew, and also to be of considerable use in various negotiations. His cooking remains immensely unpopular. Sadly his lack genre-savviness and his poor combat skills get him killed in season 1 episode 5, when the undercover Scorvian spy breaks his neck

Harry Kim: while a competent and well-trained Starfleet officer, Kim's lack of experience leads the crew to greatly underrate him at first. His competence in chaotic situations and his technical knowledge eventually come to impress the crew; sadly, his trusting nature and inability to bluff convincingly get him into trouble, and he's probably dead by season 1 episode 11, killed by the Vorcarian blood trackers.

Captain Janeway: her scientific and tactical knowledge is supremely useful to Moya's crew, but she clashes personally with many of its members. She is too bossy with Aeryn, deals badly with D'Argo's impulsiveness, and can't control Rygel; about the only crew members she does get along with are Zhaan, whose spirituality she respects, and Pilot, who shares her explorer's spirit. She sacrifices herself to destroy the Gammak base in season 1 episode 22, which is a pity, because she might've had the good sense to shoot Crais as soon as he came aboard (or at least keep him locked up).

Tuvok: Tuvok impresses D'Argo and Aeryn with his combat skills, is able to deal with Rygel (even if he privately despises him), and gets along very well with Zhaan, whose Delvian spirituality meshes well with his own Vulcan philosophy. His cautious look-before-you-leap nature is helpful to the crew, though D'Argo and Rygel fail to appreciate it properly. Brokers a deal with the breakaway Sebacean civilization encountered in season 2 episode 11, allowing the rest of Moya's crew to settle there; eventually manages to use their resources to reverse-engineer the anomaly that brought him there and returns home.

Kes: although she fares badly at first, her willingness to understand the other members of Moya's crew on their own terms helps her to get along with them. Cultivates her psychic abilities with Zhaan's help, but lacking Tuvok's more disciplined influence, her abilities are harder to control. She perishes along with everyone else when they cause her to accidentally blow a hole in the side of Moya.

B'Elanna: clashes outrageously with every single member of Moya's crew except Pilot. Nonetheless, her engineering skills prove extremely useful (though she complains bitterly about feeling more like a doctor than an engineer when it comes to working on Moya). Manages not only to retrofit the Zelbinian's defense screen to Moya, but to get it fully working, and to mount a working photon torpedo launcher to Aeryn's prowler. Tragically killed while fighting the Peacekeeper retrieval squad in season 3 episode 10.

Seven of Nine: Lacking Janeway's positive influence, she and Aeryn reinforce each other's worst instincts. Her arrogance wins her no friends, either; eventually, when Scorpius offers her a job with the Peacekeepers, she accepts, and with her Borg technology enhancing the Peacekeepers' ships and weapons, she becomes one of the most fearsome tyrants the Uncharted Territories has ever seen.

Tom Paris: Gets along surprisingly well with everyone. Has enough of the rogue in him to understand Rygel, befriends D'Argo, impresses Aeryn with his piloting skills, and respects Pilot as, well, a fellow pilot. Lacking the positive influence of Starfleet discipline, however, he indulges his rogue side a little too much, and eventually he and Chiana get killed trying to run a scam on a commerce planet, probably sometime in late season 2.

Chakotay: his flexible leadership style and down-to-earth nature are assets, but he doesn't get along with D'Argo (a pure hothead, without B'Elanna's technical skill) or Rygel. He fails to convincingly impersonate a Peacekeeper officer in season 1 episode 18 and is killed in the ensuing firefight.

The Doctor (with mobile emitter): Accidentally deactivated shortly after arrival; Rygel steals his mobile emitter and sells it for food shortly after; emitter is stripped for parts by a junk dealer who doesn't know what he has.

Seska: Betrays Moya to the Peacekeepers before the end of the pilot, manipulates her way into joining them, rises quickly through the ranks until she is killed in the inevitable Peacekeeper-Scarran confrontation some years later.

bonus round 1: other Star Trek characters

Captain Kirk: has a surprisingly Crichton-like career in the Farscape setting, being also a clever man of action, and very good at bluffing. Eventually leaves Moya, finding gainful employment in the space navy of the breakaway Sebacean civilization in the Uncharted Territories

Lieutenant Commander Data: reverse-engineers the anomaly that deposited him on Moya in about six weeks, files an extremely interesting report with Captain Picard.

Benjamin Sisko: develops an epic grudge against Bialar Crais; eventually takes command of Talyn and leads him in a one-man war against the Peacekeeper forces in the Uncharted Territories

Gul Dukat: gets into an intense, terrifyingly fucked-up relationship with Scorpius. Like, it's not even clear that they're fucking--it's just this rat's nest of codependent, narcissistic toxicity that seems to involve committing gratuitous war crimes as a kind of foreplay

bonus round 2: John Crichton

dropped by his wormhole into space next to the Caretaker's array not long after Voyager itself, John Crichton is quickly rescued by the Starfleet ship. though a man out of time, he does well among its crew: his scientific and technical disposition is very well-suited to assisting B'Elanna Torres in engineering, his fun-loving nature meshes well with the crew, and he is delighted that Tom Paris gets his pop culture references. With the help of advanced 24th century physics, he is eventually able to recreate the wormhole that deposited him in the future, and returns home in a matter of months.

[fawnbong]

Can you do nil x momo headcanons?

Oooo yurr

---

"Sleeping pills" - Pine Point

Nil x Momo

Romantic

Headcanons

---

I think this is called sleeping pills but idk also sorry this took like forever

---

If Nil, by some miracle, ever survived the acid trip Momo technically induced by accidentally swapping melatonin with acid, he'd probably be livid, at least for a little bit. She likely realized this soon after she returned home and sent Dimitri out to check on Nil and deliver her apology. Whenever he returns, she'll give him an actual apology, and it's probably the most sincere he's ever seen her.

(I don't actually know if he'd forgive her, but for the sake of this, he has to lmao)

He's reluctant to forgive her at first, or at least accept her apology. Really reluctant. He thinks she's batshit insane for keeping melatonin and acid in the same pocket and never checking twice. He had possibly the worst trip of his life that night. However, he also wants to move on and be done with it, focus on the more important things going on in his life. But with enough time, he comes around. It's clear she spent all night rather frantic and genuinely remorseful over the slip-up, so he can find it in him to forgive her and move on.

Nil will likely never touch acid again after the horrid trip he had that night, but he will smoke or partake in whatever other drugs he feels like with her. They probably spend a lot of time lounging around and talking, possibly sharing dumb or sentimental memories depending on the overall mood. Momo does most of it. Nil just kinda listens, occasionally butts in with his own input, but he's pretty content with settling for either silence or her voice.

Momo is flirty in an annoying way. She does more than enough talking, flirting, and teasing for both of them, which makes up for Nil's general apathy and silence for the most part. He "makes up" for it through things like physical touch and bringing small, really odd gifts he finds around the woods. It's subtle, but he likes to have a hand or arm around her, regardless of where they are, mostly to show off. In private, Momo typically manages to turn simply holding hands into a bear hug or cuddle session on the floor/bed, despite his grumblings and half-hearted complaints.

She also tries to alleviate his insomnia by providing him with proper melatonin, free of charge. She'll even let him stay in her house (I think the headcanon of her having a finished basement is popular) and will usually bombard the sofa or, on occasion, her bed, with all kinds of blankets and pillows with food and drinks an arm's reach away. She'll joke about his insomnia and how dead he looks half the time, but she does truly understand the toll it takes on him and wants to be able to help at least a little. If he really can't sleep, they can just smoke and relax instead, and let the TV drone on in the background.

They get fried and watch Scooby-Doo a lot. That and Snail Man & Slime Frog reruns late into the night.

Momo can make light of his situation and issues without being necessarily hurtful or insensitive. She isn't the best at having deep or sentimental conversations, at least not while sober (which works out well because neither is Nil), but her quips and casual assurance are enough to quiet his racing mind.

Nil tries to be really nonchalant and quiet about their relationship, especially around other people. It's not like he's ashamed or anything; he just isn't one for things like PDA or outward declarations of love, and he refuses to express stuff like that in front of friends. It's sappy, to him at least. Momo, on the other hand, is pretty loud in general and has nothing against smooching and nicknames in front of others (for the most part). She'll gag when others do it, though, especially in crowded areas like lines and hallways. It's fine when she does it, though, of course.

They definitely make an interesting couple. They still bicker and fight a lot, though it's more like that of an old married couple now, rather than straight insults and names. Either way, both are/were mostly lighthearted. It's rare to see them be super affectionate, unless Momo initiates, where it's rarely reciprocated with as much enthusiasm, but they're chill and occasionally kind of affectionate in private.

---

A/N: ok so this took a while bc i just could not lock in for the life of me uhhh yeah i like nil x omom i think its super cool like waow wwow cool!!!! i have a math test tomorrow who can tutor me on polar equations thanks alsoo these are super like generalized and arent anything like special bc idk much about their interactions wow shocker so my bad gang

[obae-me]

A Winter Weekend- FT. The Dateables

Happy holidays everyone! And happy new year! Thank you for waiting for this late little post. I'm feeling much better, and technically I finished this before it hit midnight my time, so it counts! Stay warm and stay healthy this new year! (Also I didn't comb through this as thoroughly as I usually do, so sorry for any mistakes!)

“I thought you said this was a little winter cabin.” You raised an eyebrow, tilting your head up and down as you observed the building.

Diavolo pursed his lips, confused at your question. “It is,” he stated while grinning, puffing out his chest a little as he took a deep breath in of the crisp winter air. He seemed to be thriving being let loose from the castle and RAD. This peace was well deserved. The prince had been holed up in his office doing paperwork for probably three days straight just to be able to have a little bit of a vacation. It had gotten to the point where even Lucifer and Barbatos were almost concerned with the amount of work he was doing. A sight to behold indeed.

The snow was falling softly today, just enough to engulf the world in that perfect veil of white. The ground was pillowy beneath your feet, the visible breath billowing from your lips swirling into the sky, disturbing the flakes around you and making them dance down to the earth. A few others were taking in the view as well as they trudged through the snow to stand beside you.

A very amused hum was heard as Solomon strutted up to your side, adjusting the strap of a large duffel bag across his shoulders. A knowing side glance was cast at you. “And what a grand ‘little cabin’ it is.”

Before you sat a pristine and modern looking wooden chalet, clean stone pathing working it’s way up to the small steps leading up to the door. Lights were dripping from every frame and railing, twinkling in a magical way. It was about three stories high, with an L shaped pool near the side, properly positioned so you could look out over the mountain. Steam rolled up from the surface of the water. Seemed it was fully heated.

Rich people… If this was a homely winter cabin, you were curious to see what the prince might consider a shed.

A gloved hand gingerly brushed some snowflakes from off your head, trailing down your hair before taking your luggage from you. Barbatos walked in front of all the guests, gesturing for you all to follow. “If you’ll come with me, everything has been prepared for you all.”

You, Solomon, Simeon, and Diavolo all headed inside behind the butler. A pleasant warmth washed over you all as you took refuge from the cold. The scent of freshly baked goods and spices filled the air as a tingling sensation ran through the back of your head. Garlands, wreathes, LEDS, candles, anything one might imagine as winter decor coated the spaces, but not enough to make it feel cluttered. The building simply felt…full, in the best of ways. Comfort. Nostalgia. Somehow these demons managed to harness the essence of the holidays.

Diavolo was positively beside himself with joy. Freed from the shackles of responsibility, surrounded by what some down here might consider a more human aesthetic, he beamed brightener than the lights around him. “It’s been centuries since I’ve been up here. It feels wonderful to have a change of pace for a while, wouldn’t you all agree?”

“I can’t imagine a more magical place to spend the winter.” Simeon’s eyes were shining, shutting the door behind you all as he came up to you and took your coat.

“Let me handle the courtesy.” Barbatos took two steps closer, his hand wrapping around the other sleeve of your outerwear.

The angel grinned with a little chuckle. “I don’t mind. Besides, Diavolo already told you, this is your vacation too. Relax a little.” They both stared at each other with pleasant smiles, neither of them backing away, both of them making you feel like quite the unwrapped gift as they nearly tore you out of your coat.

When you had heard of this idea, you had been glad to be invited along. Desperate even. It wasn’t everyday you had the opportunity to go somewhere without the brothers. And while you adored them dearly, you knew it would be nice to have a switch in scenery. To feel like you could have a breath on your own at least. Not have to worry about breaking up any fights…Besides, you would all be back before the official holiday to spend time with everyone, so you didn’t feel like you were leaving them behind. But… perhaps you had been too overzealous in imagining you’d get complete peace… You were ten minutes in now and already were having two otherworldly beings hissing over your coat. To the public eye, it didn’t seem like they were having a confrontation, but you knew these men well enough to know they were sparring and sparking behind the polite words. They were no better than the brothers… And these were considered the calmer of the bunch… and now here they were. Bickering over your attention like spoiled fanboys.

Despite nearly being pulled in half, you thanked both of them and tapped the snow off your shoes, taking off the boots and setting them in the walkway before heading into the living space. An enormous U-shaped couch was settled in front of a cozy modern fireplace, fully controllable with a few buttons, a flat-screen television mounted on the wall just above it. A rounded wooden chandelier was hung from wooden rafters, the lights coming from fake candles lined along the rim. One of the side walls was covered in windows, allowing a beautiful view of the snow-covered mountainside. You could just imagine coming down in the morning, a hot beverage in hand while you curled up in the corner of the couch… Getting sucked into hell was perhaps one of the better things to happen to you.

While you were lost in thought, a set of arms came up from behind you and wrapped around your waist. You chuckled, leaning into the warm body as their chin rested on your head.

Diavolo sighed heavily, nearly slumping on you with his full body, just keeping enough of his own weight on his feet to keep from crushing you entirely. He was exhausted. He needed this time away more than anyone. You could only hope he would be able to fully enjoy himself without the added pressures of his princedom. “I’m so happy you accepted my invitation,” he muttered.

“Accepting the invite was the easy part.” Leaning back into him, you chuckled to yourself. “Keeping seven people from climbing into my suitcase when my back was turned was the harder task.”

He almost snorted a little at that but kept quiet. It had been difficult not bringing them along, you knew that. But you were glad he was keeping things smaller. Although you still didn’t quite consider this quaint… “You’ll have to tell me everything humans do for the winter holiday.” He gave you a little squeeze before walking up to the windows, staring down at the snow-covered trees. “We could do it all! Sledding, snowball fights, snow…stuff.” It was hard to tell if his lack of knowledge on the topic was due to him being a demon or due to him being a sheltered blue-blood. Probably both. He turned back to you, a curious look on his face. “What’s the difference between a snowman and a snow-angel? Do you have any snow-demons?”

“A snowman is when you roll snow up into different balls and stack them. Then you can decorate them. A snow angel is when you lie down and wave your arms and legs to…” The jumping jacks you were trying to do couldn’t quite translate like you were hoping. With a grin, you grabbed his hand and pulled him back towards the front door. Simeon and Barbatos were still having a deep discussion over the intricacies of coat-taking when you barged back in, taking your coat and boots back and dragging the prince out the door, leaving the two confused. From inside, you could hear Solomon gladly making fun of them both as they were all shut out.

Letting go of Diavolo’s hand, you stepped away from him, testing the deepness and comfort levels of the snow before letting gravity do the rest. Your body hit the ground with a gentle cushioned thud. Shouting your name, the demon panicked, sprinting to your side just as you started moving your arms and legs back and forth, side to side, to make a snow-angel. He sighed first, relieved, and you couldn’t help but feel a bit proud of the fact that the Prince of demons would be so genuinely worried over your wellbeing. Diavolo tilted his head at you as you carefully rolled out of the imprint, staggering backwards. His hand came to your waist to steady you, lightly chuckling as he brushed the snow off the back of your head. “So, this is a snow-angel?”

“Yeah. You got the wings and the dress…robe…thing.”

“I see.” His face was filled with an endearing amusement, taking in the sight genuinely with a nod. “I can envision it. And a snowman?”

Under your instruction, you both rolled up a few snowballs, stacking them on top of one another till a decently sized snowman was made, just about your height. “Then you can dress him up, use branches for hands, let your artistic mind guide you.” You observed the base of your snowman rather proudly.

“And, what about a snow-demon?”

Your face frowned a bit. “We don’t really have snow-demons.”

Instead of being sad about it, the prince just nodded. “Not surprising. Humans consider this time of year to be more holy after all.”

After a moment of thought, you had a little idea. Bending down, you scooped some snow into your hands and worked to make a cone shape in your palms. You set it on the snowman’s head and quickly made another one, doing the same thing. Then you took two steps back, grinning up at Diavolo with a gestured hand. “Ta-Da. A snow-demon.” The only thing you had done was add two lopsided ‘horns’ that looked more like cat-ears, but it caused Diavolo to erupt in joyful howling.

“I guess that means humans and demons are not so different then. I like the thought of that!” His words were warm as he spoke, suddenly moving about in quick steps, rolling up another few balls and creating a newborn snowman right next to the snow-demon. With his finger, he drew in a smiling face. “Happy side by side. Just like it should be.” Diavolo came back up to you, pulling you into a hug, keeping you close to his chest, both of you staring at the snow-beings. His hand came to your face, still nice and warm despite him having worked in the snow with no gloves. Caressing your cheek, he kissed your forehead. Then he used the same finger to trace the outlines of your eyes and lips, creating a smile on your own face. “There we go… I hope you will be just as happy at my side, as they are together.” His head nodded towards the snow-couple.

“Dia… Of course I will be… And don’t worry, I won’t melt away.”

You could feel the playful rumble in his chest. “That’s good… You might freeze though if we’re not careful. Perhaps we should head back inside. We can have a late breakfast to start the day. There is so much I cannot wait to do with you…”

“Forgive me for my behavior earlier,” Barbatos whispered, giving you a small squeeze before turning you around, using the back of his hand to touch the cold and reddened spots of your cheeks. “It is no excuse for being so uncouth, but… it is my secret desire to treat you to a perfect snowy sojourn.”

It never failed to amuse you to see just what the demon considered ‘rude’. You could definitely envision him to be the type to take off his glove and use it to smack someone and consider that a full on brawl. Jokes aside, you could tell he was stressed. There was nothing more unnerving than worrying if you were relaxing efficiently enough. He was quite like Lucifer in that regard, sometimes treating self-care and rest like it was another task to accomplish on their busy lists. His eyes seemed to dart around more than usual, his steps less punctual. He was unraveling, not unwinding, and for all the wrong reasons. You’d known it would be a daunting task to try to keep him from fretting over Diavolo the whole time, but you’d forgotten how much he could fuss over you. What was it Mammon liked to say? You can take Barbatos out of the butler, but you can’t take the butler out of Barbatos? A silly saying that seemed to make no sense at all and yet you understood completely.

“Simeon was partially right, you know.” You let that phrase settle in just long enough to annoy him for a second before explaining yourself. “Diavolo told you to relax too. It was an order as far as I’m aware.” The demon opened his mouth to try to combat your statement, but you cut him off before he could say anything. “I don’t need a royal treatment. I just want to have a good time with you. We can be as casual as we want to be and it will still be amazing.” An idea sparked in your head, a very similar train to the one you’d just had earlier. “Here, let’s start right now.” You took his hand and led him over to the couch. His hands instinctively reached out to tweak the cushions. After his perfectionism was sated, you forcibly nestled him into the corner of the couch. It was rather funny how lanky he looked there for a moment, crossing and uncrossing his legs like he’d never been on a couch before. You snagged a woven throw blanket off a nearby ottoman and threw it onto him. It draped over his head, messing up his hair ever so slightly as he worked to properly fold it over his lap.

Score.

Before he had the chance to even think it- although something in the gleam of his eye suggested he was allowing you to do so- you used your own fingers to fix the few stray strands. The tips of your fingernails brushed against his scalp, and for a moment- the briefest of moments- you almost swore you heard some sort of purr. It was elating getting to do something even as simple as this to someone who hardly ever had a thread out of place much less a hair. He must’ve known you’d do something like this and allowed you to mildly dishevel him on purpose. Ah well. A win was a win.

You heard something of a hum before he spoke. “Alright, now what?”

“Now…” You grinned, finding the remote to the television before sitting by his side. You slid yourself under the cover, curling your legs up, handing him the device. “You pick something to watch and we cuddle in front of the fire while doing something mindless for once. Why don’t you put on that one baking show you like? I can’t wait to hear you grumble about improper measuring cups again.” Schooching even closer to him, you weren’t content till he was fully leaning against the cushions, surrounded on all sides by warmth.

“I do not grumble.” Barbatos looked around himself as if he were worried about being caught like this, but not particularly minding it once he started to get adjusted to it. When he figured you would not dispute his claim, he did what you recommended and flicked the television onto The Great Banished Bake Off. Hopefully he wouldn’t get too riled up over the episodes, although he did look rather cute when he was irritated. Maybe you enjoyed pushing his buttons too much…

Rather than watching the show, you spent most of your time watching him, waiting to catch those specific clues that let you know he was enjoying himself. He would nod at the show here and there, tutting to himself and making off-handed comments about how things should be done differently. In other words, grumbling. Whilst he appeared to be distracted, and committed enough to not move for the next few minutes, you leaned into his shoulder. Then that’s when you felt it. Tiny little movements. Small changes, his body shifting to make it more comfortable to rest against. Eventually, his torso had turned enough to have your head directly against his chest.

His arms supported your body, clasped together by your hip. “You’re not wrong. This kind of activity seems to have its merits.”

“Oh? Good enough for your ‘snowy sojurn’?”

More than hearing it, you felt the deep rise and fall of his chest with a refreshing breath. “Planned or not, grand or casual, anything I do with you is perfect. No second of time is a waste.”

A human-like type of warmth enveloped you just long enough to put you at ease. Then the traitor struck. Two ice-cold hands snaked around the back of your neck, causing every nerve in you to jump. You squealed and shrugged the demon-in-mortal-clothing off of you, hearing that familiar and infuriatingly adorable impish giggle echo behind your head.

“Solomon! You—“

“Careful,” he warned, controlling his laughter enough to speak, his imaginary horns fading away as his collected smile stretched back over his face. He pointed back over his shoulder before curling his hand near the side of his mouth to funnel his whisper towards you. “There’s an angel present.”

“Oo, you’re so gonna get it later,” you muttered, forcing a frown to stay on your face despite how light-hearted your chest felt. “Besides, it’s just Simeon.”

“Hm.” His face went a bit flat. “You’re right. It’s Barbatos you’d need to worry about, unless you want another lecture on,” his words suddenly droned rather mockingly, “‘maintaining dignity in the presence of royalty’.”

“I’ll pass.” As you scoffed, Solomon came close for another embrace, his smile genuinely falling when you pushed him back with a palm to his forehead. Looked like quite the kicked puppy. “And I’ll pass on those frozen fingers of yours.” You moved past the living room and traversed the vacation home to learn its layout, admiring the simple intricacies of the winter lodge, listening to him continue to pad behind you.

He could’ve used magic or any other sort of cards he kept up his sleeve to get you to stop or turn around, but in moments like these he never seemed to. Around you he seemed less like a mythical sorcerer and more just like… Solomon. “Oh come now, you’re not going to punish me for being cold, are you?” He tried to dance around you, leaping forward to block the stairs only for you to walk past and purposefully circle the lower floor again.

“I’m not your personal heater.”

“Is that how you treat your beloved mentor? Leave me to freeze?” Either he’d been spending too much time with the brothers, or aside from his profession as a sorcerer, he’d somehow managed to find the time to master acting, because the voice that pricked up behind you finally made you stop. The guilt was intentional, you knew that, like those infomercials depicting sad animals or children to get you to donate something. Regardless of knowing this, you turned, giving him a sterner look despite treating this thing more like a game rather than a grudge. He smiled once he got to see your face, brushing his hands together and letting you get a better look at them. They were a strange sort of pale, the tips turning indigo. At this stage, they were more than just freezing, they were probably numb. And yet, instead of fixing the problem before it got dangerous, this moron was chasing you around and demanding your attention.

You stepped closer to him and lifted up his hands, holding them in your own, gently massaging his palms and fingers with your fingertips. You addressed him with a sigh so chagrined, you would’ve made Lucifer proud. “Your title is Solomon the Wise. You should have the better sense to wear a magical little thing called gloves.”

He chuckled at you, but you could see the softness form in his face as you traced the lines in his hands and tried to get the blood back into those extremities. “You’re right. I should be used to Devildom winters by now. I must’ve simply forgotten them in my excitement.”

“You’re acting like a child at their first amusement park.” Finally, you allowed the irritated facade to fade, chuckling.

All the sudden, he almost seemed a bit embarrassed, that smirk of his toned down to a curl more innocent. “But it is the first time I’m doing something like this. This is a little bit different than other trips where everyone has come along or this is different than us spending time together in the human world. This is… you and me, somewhere where work doesn’t have to be involved.” His hands warmer than they were before, his fingers found themselves slipping between yours, hands entangled. “I don’t have to just be your mentor or the Wise Human Sorcerer, and you don’t have to be just my apprentice or the famous royally-appointed Devilsitter. Maybe this is more like… a couple’s trip.”

His words nearly sounded pleading, and for the first time since the trip had been announced, you got to see just how much he was internally begging for something like this. Of course he’d had his fun prodding the brothers and riling them up, telling them all how much fun you’d have without them. But aside from his jokes and his teasing, he was so… giddy to be here. So much so that he forgot his gloves and now he was here swinging both your arms back and forth, his thumb rubbing over the back of your hand. For all that he had lived through and all that he knew…this was nearly a brand new experience for him.

Your heart swelled. Although, you felt you deserved a tease of your own. “You’re rather cute when you’re confused,” you whispered.

He was only caught off guard for a second, hiding his flustered blush by pulling you into his arms. “You are always there to teach me there’s still so much I have yet to experience… And you’re always there to warm up my hands.”

You were swept up in a soft hug that spun you several times around the room, a tune wistfully echoing from the mouth of the angel who was practically chirping. In the end, his small spat with Barbatos- if it could even be called that- wasn’t strong enough to quell the joy inside him. The spirit on high was in high spirits it would seem.

“Isn’t this wonderful?” Simeon asked, stopping his little dance with you around the living room to take in the view from outside the windows. Upon closer inspection, one of those windows seemed to actually be a glass sliding door leading the way to a wrap-around balcony outside. Letting go of you, the angel strutted forward, throwing the door open, apparently unaffected by the cold. At least Diavolo didn’t seem to have to worry about a heating bill here… Simeon stretched like he’d been cramped for a long time, muttering something Celestial under his breath in awe before leaning against the railing.

While Mr. Cold-Shoulders might be able to combat the weather with little more than a pull-over and scarf, you were not the same. No matter how acclimated to the cold you felt you may or may not have been, nothing seemed to hit quite as strongly as Devildom temperatures. Warmth still flooded out from the heat of the cabin, but to keep the rest of you warm, you latched yourself against Simeon’s back, peeking at the world outside from behind his arms.

The angel looked back over his shoulder at you, his eyes wrinkling in compassion. “I’m glad I eventually decided to come out here,” he mentioned. Right, he’d nearly passed up this opportunity, worried for a while about leaving Luke alone with the brothers. For a good portion of time, you’d convinced yourself that he wouldn’t allow himself to go. In the end, he came to the conclusion that it would be good for the little angel to have a little lesson in independence. And if anything, Luke would be the one trying to keep most of the demons responsible, not the other way around.

“I’m glad you came too. You work so hard behind the scenes and take such little credit…”

His hands found yours around him, giving them a reassuring squeeze, telling you in his own way that he didn’t think of it like that. Although, even if he got fulfillment and accomplishment from caring after the others, you knew this would be good for him too. A respite for himself. Let him catch up on the works and hobbies he had been leaving behind lately. Even now, there was a twinkle of inspiration in his eyes, the twitch of a writer’s hand. “Write a little something,” you suggested.

“W-what?” He actually stammered, almost laughing at his own surprise. “Right now?”

“I mean, only if you want to. You just look like you’re itching almost.” You pressed a gentle kiss to the back of his shoulder, feeling him shudder.

“I guess I am feeling inspired…” After his whisper, he took in a deep breath, speaking slow, letting the thoughts come to him naturally. “Ivory clouds in winter skies. The icicles keep twinkling. I search the palette for your eyes. And so I press on thinking. When Father Frost has gone to sleep and his kingdom melts away, will you still be right by my side? Am I where you will stay? Two doves, close perched, adoration in their breast. Two wings, like two words. My Love. You are my nest.”

Some sort of emotion caught in your throat as you listened to his heart pound in his chest. After a moment of silence, you cleared your throat. “Wow. Have you thought of writing a book?” You teased, trying to joke away the sappiness to keep your feelings from getting the better of you.

“Really, you think so?” He turned his body away from the railing, holding you closer to him. “I don’t know. Something like that seems well out of my purview,” Simeon smirked a bit. He swayed you and him gently back and forth once more. “To tell you the truth, my biggest inspiration isn’t the scenery. It’s you.”

Once more, adoration tugged in your chest. Struggling to find your own words to say, you simply smiled and perhaps stammered more than you intended to. “I bet the view doesn’t hurt though.”

He lightly chuckled at that. “No, not at all. I don’t think it would be as breathtaking though if you weren’t here with me.”

“Simeon, please.”

The rocking stopped, a little bit of fear seeping into his face, afraid he’d crossed a line somewhere. “What is it? Did I say something wrong?”

Quickly, you shook your head, tilting your head back with a small groan. “No, no, it’s not that. I promise. It’s just…I can’t say things as pretty as you can…and your little lines are so nice they make me want to cry.”

He sighed in relief when he realized he’d done no offense. “If you don’t want them, I’ll stop.”

“No! I love them.” You met his eyes and then wrapped your arms around his neck. “I just wish I could express how much I love you as nicely as you can for me.”

“Is that all?… Listen.” The side of his hand cradled your face. “You don’t need to write poetry for me to know you care. I can see it in your eyes. I can feel it. A simple ‘I love you’ means more to me than you will ever know. It doesn’t need to be wrapped in gifts or hidden amongst colorful prose. If its coming from you, it’s the most wonderful thing in the world. Trust me.”

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[kittyykattxoxo]

painted in fate (part 3)

pairing: finn balor x oc summary: niamh gallagher is a newly hired makeup artist for the wwe. born in cork, ireland, she grew up watching the indie wrestling scene in the uk, even after her parents moved the family to america when she was a teen. after working a few years as a makeup artist for tv and film, she felt the wwe would be a better fit for her to unleash her creativity. never did she imagine that it would lead to her bringing to life the demon, finn balor's alter ego, nor did she realize where things would go after meeting the superstar. word count: 963 content warning: age gap (older male x younger female), sexual content later (will be marked as such)

credits: dividers by @bunnyrph on tumblr

The days that followed were a blur of rental cars, airports, hotels, and new arenas. Life on the road with the WWE wasn’t for the weak, but Niamh had found herself adapting rather quickly to the rigorous schedule. After her impressive job with Finn, her coworkers seemed to take her a bit more seriously too and she’d found herself actually able to sit in with a couple other superstars as she helped them get ready for their live performances, though in her mind nothing was going to live up to being able to bring the Demon to life.

Another thing that made her adjustment rather easy had been Finn. Ever since they’d exchanged numbers on Monday, the two managed to find themselves falling into the easy flow of conversation on a daily basis. It was unfortunate that he wasn’t scheduled to appear until the next week’s RAW, so she hadn’t been able to see him in person, but perhaps that had also made it easier for her not to throw herself at him too easily. 

Regardless, they’d found ways to continue speaking. It had started the day after when Finn texted her, pointing out that while she’d brought it up, she hadn’t technically agreed to when their date would be. He teased her about it a few more times, which led to her calling him a needy fucker for bringing it up so much. As the week progressed, their conversations slowly became longer as they delved into a bit of their personal histories, especially talking about back home in Ireland.

On Thursday, he texted her a picture of a ridiculously massive stack of pancakes from a diner in whatever city he was in.

Finn: I reckon I can finish the whole plate

Niamh: I reckon your eyes are bigger than your stomach, Balor. Try not to kill yourself before we have our date, yeah?

Later that night, as she’d climbed into her hotel bed, she received yet another message from him.

Finn: Okay, I reckon you were right. My stomach feels like it’s going to explode.

Niamh: Told ya. Should’ve listened to the smarter one in this arrangement.

He simply replied with a middle finger emoji and she caught herself giggling, the smile on her face bigger than any she’d had in ages. Finn Balor, it seemed, was turning her back into a school girl with a crush, but she’d never let him know that. He couldn’t think he had it easy after all.

By the time Saturday rolled around, Niamh found herself growing excited because she knew that she was going to see him in person again, a fact that she would never state out loud.

She arrived at her hotel in the afternoon, dropping her bags off before immediately heading to the arena. Things were usually chaotic on the day of, so she preferred to get her station set up early so that way she didn’t have to worry about it.

She was unpacking her kit when she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Turning her head, she watched as Finn strolled in, hands in the pockets of his joggers and a look on his face that was much too smug for her liking. 

“Fancy meetin’ you here, love” he spoke, stopping by her set up.

Niamh raised an eyebrow, fighting back the urge to grin at his cheesy greeting. “Aye, cause where else would I be? Disney World?”

Finn smirked. “Well there’s a lot worse places you could be. I figured I’d stop by though so I could make things official.”

She narrowed her eyes playfully. “Make things official how, exactly?”

He leaned a little bit closer, his voice dropping low enough that it made a little shiver run up her spine. “That dinner you owe me, how does tomorrow night sound? After I have my match rehearsal.”

Niamh crossed her arms over her chest, pretending to contemplate his offer just like she had last week - teasing Finn was just too fun, though she’d already made up her mind the moment that he’d ask. “Hmm, let’s see…is this the part where I play hard to get and pretend like I’m busy? Or do I accept and stroke your ego?”

Finn grinned. “I mean, you could keep pretendin’ if you want to, but we both know that you’re just lookin’ for a reason to say yes.”

Niamh scoffed. “Feckin hell, you’re a cocky arsehole aren’t you?”

“Confident, actually,” he corrected without missing a beat. “So? What’ll it be, lass?”

Niamh gave a playful roll of her eyes, but couldn’t hold back the grin on her face. “Fine. But if the food is shite, I reserve the right to make fun of you til the end of time.”

Finn laughed and Niamh couldn’t help but notice the twinkle that appeared in his blue eyes. “Alright, I’ll text you the details then.”

“Good,” she said, already turning back to the work she’d started before he approached. “Now, run along. Some of us actually have important work to do, ya know.”

Finn chuckled as he backed away, raising his hands in a mock surrender. “Fine, fine. Don’t miss me too much though.”

She snorted, but didn’t look up from her task. “I think I’ll manage.”

As he walked away, however, she couldn’t help but let the biggest of smiles come on her face. She hadn’t been excited for a date in a long time, but something about Finn brought that feeling back. She certainly hoped that he wouldn’t disappoint like most of the guys before him, but she maintained a small hope that Finn would be different. After all, their banter seemed to flow easily and he appeared to be a decent guy.

Tomorrow night was certainly going to be interesting.

[f4nd0m-fun]

So in a lot of these monster hunting fantasy webcomics, you have these things called monster cores. Imagine, if you will, an AU where the Justice League has always been in a world like this. Maybe an alternate earth, maybe the aliens are from different planes instead of planets, maybe you've got magic as the primary force and yet there's some who still manage to stick almost entirely to tech/magitech (like Bruce). These cores are essentially batteries, and the more powerful the monster the more energy you can draw. Also, I love the idea that, if you put it together right, you can technically recharge it.

Enter, the Phamily. Either they are from this world and the Fentons are monster hunters trying to find the origin place of the monsters, or this isn't their original world and they're trying to open a portal home.

Danny, Ellie, Dan, and Vlad if he's there, have cores. These can be considered batteries just looking at the way ectoplasm is used (imagine how much more potent the cores would be than the globs). Jazz, the parents, and Danny's friends if they're there too are liminal. This could mean that magic considers them part monster despite no cores, or maybe they're considered akin to warlocks or sorcerers, looked down upon but not actively hunted or something. Although the presence of the half monster kids and what seems to be a half monster dad... (yes this is probably a family breakfast ship, sue me if you dare) well, Vlad is gonna be determined to fight off the rumors with whatever he's got, there's no need for his darling Maddie to get worked up about idiots, aside from him and Jack of course. (I also love Vlad x Connie so this could either be Vlad is just an uncle or we get Connie in and call it Family Party or something - Party cause alcohol?)

Also not entirely sure on how I'm writing Bruce and Dick here, I want them to be able to access magic in some way, but sensing magic might be more of an Oracle/Barbara thing, I'm not sure, but also they can't do anything big or flashy with it, it's more tiny stuff which is why they rely on magitech. Also the idea that even if people can sense magic, usually they ignore changes aside from moving away from it if necessary cause usually it means a bunch of monsters are coming through a breach. Honestly, not sure how to run this but, eh.

The below segment is written with Native!JL and Isekai!DP in mind.

=====||=====||=====||======||=====||=====||=====

Bruce had been tinkering with his latest animaga, a monster core whose energy had been threaded through one if his favorite inventions, intended to allow him and his ward flight with the use of monster wings.

"B!"

He tensed but refuses to startle as his ward all but jumped on top of him. "Yes Dick?"

"The magic feels weird!"

Bruce paused, setting his tools down. He knew as a half elf, Richard was sensitive to magic, but wasn't nearly as strong with it as most full elves.

Of course, Bruce had always been considered... disabled in that regard, a full elf who could only feel the energy close to him, though it wasn't public knowledge that he knew of. "That's good to know, Chum, why don't you meditate on it and I'll investigate tonight?"

His ward seemed to understand the intent to leave him behind and started to protest.

"Chum, I was going out alone before you showed up, if the magic really has changed, it'll be safer for me to go out and use the radar."

Dick whined but didn't protest again.

Bruce hoped he wouldn't sneak out this time.

As night began to fall, a family of 9 was gutting a strange metallic ship. Well, the three elder ones were, while the younger ones worked together to scout out the area.

Bruce had just arrived to the location, but chose not to interfere just yet. Batman was the embodiment of night to many, a fearsome predator to others, and some even thought he was a monster himself. Reconnaissance was his strength, as was stealth.

"I don't know, Jazz, the energy here is weird. Muggy almost." His form gave off a soft glow, not unlike that of the whisps, though much larger in body.

The girl with red hair, Jazz he presumed, did not appear impressed. "Like you're the expert on energy. Maybe you should ask Sam when we get back to Mom and dad."

"And Vlad."

"Don't remind me."

The glowing one shuddered. "I know him and our parents have been buddy buddy again but why did he take you find along?"

"Because you're still in training, Daniel."

Both children shrieked.

"I see your core has accepted me into your Fraid."

Bruce froze a bit. Core? Thier energy was certainly strange but not entirely monstrous, hence his inactivity, but the presence of a core presented issues.

"Whatever, Fruitloop. Go back to camp."

"I don't think I will, you're being watched and I can't have my son or daughter being in harm's way."

"Give it a rest, Frootloop, we're not your kids." Despite their attitude, something about their reaction and stance suggested they were worried about being watched as well.

Bruce wondered how they knew about him, perhaps he should have asked Lucius for help with a dampening field to hide the energy of the animaga?

"Don't bother flying away, you'll be surrounded before you can think." Vlad placed a hand on Danny's shoulder.

Before Bruce could react, there was a flash of light that all but burned onto his retinas, but the light was all wrong, a deep black instead of a glowing hue. By the time he was back to his senses, Vlad was gone, and in his place was another strange Whisp. Batman didn't have to turn around to find there were identical ones behind him. Clearly, this was an opponent not to be underestimated.

[yankpop]

Hope(less)

Summary: Your boyfriend isn't above manipulating you (drabble).

DISCLAIMER: This is a FICTION work only made for entertainment purposes so please don’t take any of this seriously. I do not support or encourage any type of abusive behaviour. 

Check more: Masterlist.

Female reader

WARNINGS: Toxic/Abusive Relationship.

AN: Hope you guys enjoy it 💖 Please, comment and reblog!

Wanted to release this cause it's been so long since I wrote something bts related. Let me know if you liked this!

–

“Don’t” 

You abruptly freeze on the spot, your hand still holding the door knob.

Mentally, you curse at his spot on timing when he was supposed to be in his home studio working with his headphones on, at least that’s what you had thought. 

“I...I was just going for a walk, it's a healthy activity, you know.” you mumble, not daring to look behind as Yoongi gets closer.

After a fast moment, his body pressed against yours while his hands circle your waist, tightly securing you in his hold. Trapping you.

“For a walk? So you’re not going to meet up with that friend of yours, right? The one I've told you to stop seeing?” 

Your eyes widened with shock, you had been so careful to always delete the messages, yet he still managed to find out.

You can’t stop the wave of annoyance that fills you at the thought of Yoongi snooping through your phone, how come he always finds out your passwords even after you constantly change it?

You push his hands off you and turn around.

“I’ve told you to stop doing it! Stop going through my phone!” you hiss.

He crosses his arms, an indecipherable expression decorating his delicate face, eyebrows slightly elevating at your remark.

“Excuse me, your phone? Was it bought with your money?” you open your mouth, yet no sassy response comes through your mind. Technically, he was right, but it was still your phone, right?  

Yoongi smirks at the lack of reply, cockiness sparkling in his dark eyes. “Yeah, I didn't think so.” 

His reaction makes your blood boil. You know it’s better to ignore him but his attitude makes you feel like a teenager all over again, he was literally acting like he was your dad or something.

You were getting so tired of always abiding by what he says. 

“You know what? If the phone was bought with your precious money, then keep it to yourself." you practically spit the words out as your hands dig into your purse, coming in contact with your phone. You pull it out and quickly walk to the counter next to the door, slamming it down before heading for the door.

“Keep your precious phone and meanwhile i’m going to meet my friend and-” 

A small squeal leaves your lips as Yoongi’s hand grabs your forearm, the pressure from his hold forcing you to stumble back against him. His lips reach for your ear, softly whispering against it with his deep low voice

“Then you might as well leave your purse, your car keys, your shoes,” shock fills you as he proudly reminds of all he’s done for you and how little you’ve accomplished. Yoongi’s voice is filled with venom as he continues. “And also your clothes.” 

What? 

You try to turn around to face him, trying to push his strong hold off you. His grip on you barely moves but you're able to turn your body. Once you do, you are met with the stone cold face of your boyfriend, his dead serious eyes proving you he wasn’t joking around.

Suddenly, you feel cold, regretting pushing him this far, Yoongi always had a volatile temper yet he never acted like this.

He wouldn’t actually make you go outside fully naked, right? 

Yoongi lets out a small impatient click with his lips. “Come on, take them off. Then feel free to go see your friends. I'm sure they'll be glad to see you."

You try to ignore his words, but your hands grab your coat and try to pull it off your body.

"No! No, please, I'm sorry!” you helplessly beg, your hands trying to push his stronger hands away from your clothes. Humiliation burns through you, the little dignity was slowly disappearing “I won’t do it again, I promise! Yoongi, please, stop!” 

Your words cause Yoongi to halt his actions, slowly turning his head towards you.

“You promise? You’re gonna do as I say?” you deseperatly nod, trying to seem as sincere as possible. Yoongi deeply searches into your eyes and then a satisfied smile appears on his face.

His hands release your clothes, instead wrapping themselves around your body, pushing it into a tight hug as you lifelessly give in. “That’s my good girl.” 

[desperate-daydream]

can I request Seth Clearwater x male reader

where male reader is Bella younger brother Seth age but he phases and becomes a shifter and nobody knows how or why Seth and male reader imprint on each other and just being cute and wholesome with each other but Jacob is giving male reader a hard time saying thing like Bella should have been to phase and if did she imprint on me and ECT but Seth put stop to that put Jacob in his place after he make male reader cry

🍎 Twilight

❀ Seth Clearwater x male (shifter) reader ⚣︎

A/N: thanks for the request and sorry for the long wait, I had a terrible writers block until today and then I just wrote the whole thing in one go XD, and I know ugh, self promo but I have a twilight story on Ao3 with the main being Bella’s twin and Jake imprinting on him (maybe some of you will like that too even if it’s not that similar to this story) (that’s also why it felt so weird to write Jake so mean XD I basically just finished a chapter from that story before writing this one, but I hope you like it)

tags/warnings: set in eclipse (aka the movie where Jake is kinda toxic), Jake is mean and has some issues, reader is Bella’s younger brother, also I wanted Bella to be a good sister, reader is a shifter and imprints on Seth

here‘s the link to the story on my Ao3:

so that’s what imprinting feels like

“What happened?!”, Bella came jumping out of her car. Jacob had called her as soon as possible when Paul and Embry had found you in the middle of the forest. You had been scared - not just because there had been two giant wolves in front of you but also because you had just shifted into one too. They had managed to calm you down enough until Sam arrived. He had brought spare clothes from one of their “emergency supplies” that you put on after shifting back. Then they guided you to Jacob’s place. They had thought it would be the best idea since you had technically also grown up together with Bella although now you didn’t really have anything to do with each other anymore. And he was able to call Bella who had rushed over as fast as possible when she had processed what Jake told her. While waiting the other four wolves had already told you the essentialities of being a shifter and basically destroyed your whole world-perception. 

As nice and caring as he had always been, Billy stayed by your side. You had gained a better relationship to Jacob’s dad than to Jacob himself. Especially since you still spent a little bit more time with your dad and therefore also Billy - even if it was just watching a game in your living room. 

Bella came straight to you, only sparring Jake a sideways glance as she was too focused on you. 

“Hey”, her voice was quiet and soft, “oh god, you’re shivering.” She placed her arms around you and pulled you closer. You hadn’t even noticed it until she said it. 

“Just a bit much right now.”

“I know. Let’s go home so you can rest a little, mh?” You nodded. 

“Wait, we still have so much to do now”, Jake said persistently, “You have to tell Charlie too. And what if he shifts again and hurts you?”

Bella now turned completely to him. “You can still do all of this tomorrow. He needs to sleep right now.” 

Jake wanted to start again: “But what if-”

“Jake, let it be for now.” 

That’s all she said before getting up with you and walking to her truck together. 

“How did this happen?”, she asked on the drive home.

“I don’t know.” You put up your legs and put your arms around them even though you felt way too warm. 

“I wasn’t feeling good and wanted to take a walk because it usually helps but then.. I don’t know.”

You big sister sighed and looked at you shortly before focusing back on the road. “Let’s worry about it tomorrow. It’s getting late and you seem tired.”

You only nodded while your eyelids already dropped. 

When you arrived you walked straight to your room and the moment your head touched your pillow you were gone. 

— 

“We’ll do it step for step”, you stood next to Sam who would teach you today how to control your shifting so you would hopefully not hurt anybody around you or yourself - not to mention keeping the secret of the pack. 

What he didn’t tell you then was that they’ve had a discussion just yesterday after Bella had picked you up whether or not they should officially include you in the pack since you were a new and special case. In the end they came to the conclusion that you would need and deserve the help and guide the others could give you. He also didn’t tell you that Jacob seemed a bit too disapproving of this new situation and that he guessed it had something to do with the thoughts he had heard from him that were once again centered on none other than your own sister. 

“Okay”, you nodded; also to convince yourself that everything would be okay. 

“Also, you’re not the only young member, don’t worry. Seth Clearwater, he is your age and has also shifted. You will meet him later at the fire.” 

You had already agreed to come when he and Billy had invited you and Bella to come. Bella had added another dimension to this whole situation when she had told you about the Cullens and the vampire that was going after her. She had calmed you a bit when she reassured that she was as good as always protected by either the vampire family of her boyfriend or the wolves. 

For the rest of the day you tried to shift on command and Sam and his fiancée Emily gave you a few tips on how to control your anger. 

Then you went to the fire where you saw your sister again who immediately asked you how it worked. You still stood a bit away from the others as you told her about your training when you heard a voice. It was directed at Jake so didn’t turn around until the person came to a halt at Jacob’s side.

“Hey man, I saved you some burgers but if you don’t hurry Paul will-” 

The boy stopped in the middle of his sentence when you turned around and your eyes met. Your first thought was: “Holy shit, he’s cute”. Your second one was: “So that’s what imprinting feels like”. And your third was once again: “Holy shit.”

Butterflies started fluttering in your stomach and the heat rose to your cheeks as you looked at the boy in front of you with wide eyes who still hadn’t closed his mouth. 

To your luck Sam and Emily were still next to you and immediately understood what was happening. Sam suppressed a chuckle and introduced you to each other.

“(Y/N), this is Seth, the boy I told you about today. Seth, this is our newest pack-member, (Y/N).”  

You saw his mouth form your name before he stuttered out a “hi”. 

You willed your body to move again and said “hi” back just as stuttery. 

“Uh-uhm..”, Seth started and was once again saved by Emily. “Why don’t we go to the others already.” 

You nodded and then followed the other boy your age closely. What you didn’t notice was the pissed expression that had appeared on Jacob’s face. All of you was focused on Seth.

You sat next to each other and soon the gossip made it’s round so soon after Billy was finished with telling the first legend everyone knew what just happened. 

Leah, who Seth had introduced as his older sister, looked at you with narrowed eyes but didn’t do anything else. 

Throughout the evening your hands had brushed together a few times which had sparked the fluttering in your stomach everytime. And you had probably inched even closer together after some time too. 

It was a bit awkward at first but it didn’t change the fact that you felt comfortable sitting next to him while listening and laughing with the others. 

You were sad when saying goodbye but then Seth gave you his number and asked you to meet up tomorrow which you had agreed to almost too enthusiastically to not be embarrassed. It didn’t help that Bella giggled the entire ride home about her baby-brother having a crush. 

“Naw, you grow up so fast.”

“Ughhhhhh, please stop.”

Bella laughed while pulling into their driveway: “Never, that’s my job as your sister.”

“You’re horrible”, you said drily while she just continued giggling. 

But then she changed the mood quickly. “You decided to tell dad tomorrow, right?”

“Yeah.. Billy and Sam are gonna be there too to answer questions. I’m still not the best at wolf-knowledge.”

“Mhm, it’ll be okay, don’t worry too much. If you want I can be there too.”

You nodded and earned yourself a short side-hug from Bella before you went to your rooms. 

—

You were close to emotional exhaustion after the conversation with your dad but it had a good outcome. Afterwards Edward picked up Bella and you went to meet up with Seth. Sam and Billy were so nice to take you with them to the Black’s home from where you would go to Seth. 

Billy went inside while you waved at him and went to go. 

But shortly before you arrived someone came to stand in your way. It was Jacob. And he didn’t seem to want to talk to you in a friendly way. 

You still tried to be nice; he was like Bella’s best friend so you really didn’t want to make him dislike you more than he apparently already did. 

“Why?!” 

You were perplexed when he almost spat it at you. You also didn’t have a chance to respond; he just continued talking.

“Why was it YOU?! Why did YOU shift?! It should’ve been Bella if anyone else were to shift at all! But no! It was YOU! If it had been Bella then she could imprint on me! But it was you! It doesn’t even make sense! Why would nature want YOU to be one of us?! You’re unable to do anything! You’re weak! And now you’re just supposed to protect others?! To protect Bella?! Hah!”

His accusations that in the end didn’t even really make sense but still hurt carried on. You didn’t actually hear anymore what he said. You were about to cry and just wanted to coil into yourself but at the same time you had to suppress the anger rising in you. Your whole body shook from the exhausting try to hold yourself together. A few tears escaped your eyes and Jacob was still not done, probably just repeating himself by now but that didn’t change the fact that he was more than angry. 

“Jacob! Stop!”, before you could register anything else a person appeared between you and the other. You felt relief wash over you immediately when you saw that it was Seth. 

“How dare you scream at him like that! Accusing him of being the source of your stupid self-centered problems! How dare you make him cry! Don’t you ever even come too close to him again!” 

Jake seemed to want to say something more but Seth turned to you, took your hand into his and gently pulled you with him. You only noticed that you were still shaking when Seth stopped after arriving at a clearing and pulled you into his arms. You couldn’t stop the tears from flowing and Seth pulled you closer while you clutched his shirt in your hands. 

After you calmed down you whispered a “thank you” against his neck where you had hid your face. 

“Of course”, he whispered back, “nobody is allowed to talk to or about you like that. Nobody." His arms tightened around you again and you felt his face hide in your neck this time. You smiled when you noticed him taking a deep whiff of your scent and then place a kiss there.

[hinge]

Hinge presents an anthology of love stories almost never told. Read more on https://no-ordinary-love.co

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for calling out my friend's spending habits?

✈💸 to find later

I (NB 20s) have been struggling to find employment for a long time. I've been struggling a lot with money- I'm technically indebted to my bank due to an overdraft I dipped into during my last weeks of university while paying off surprise fees, and in the entire year since have been unsuccessful in paying it off for any meaningful length of time. The stress has been immense and I've been avoiding like the plague any kind of personal purchase or leisure activity that might cost me anything. It's a mindset that's been making me profoundly miserable and that I'll probably struggle to get out of for a long time.

However, in the past few weeks, I've managed to land what I can only describe as my dream job. It doesn't start for another couple months, and the pay won't be fantastic (it's an internship), but without a doubt it will change my life. Desperate to do something nice and give myself a break, members of my family agreed to lend me money via plane tickets to do a nice trip this summer and see my best friends abroad, my last big hurrah before entering the full-time workforce for the rest of my life (and being able to pay them back). And I've been really excited! I've been saving even harder than usual, scraping up cash and politely asking grandparents. It won't be easy to support myself in another country in my financial situation, I understand that, but I'm at a point where I think I can do it for a short time and not be a burden on the people who are hosting me.

However, the only issue comes with my friend (NB 20s). I've known them for years, we're extremely close, and we've been waiting for a chance to see each other again for most of that time not knowing if it would ever happen due to my financial situation, so this is the opportunity of a lifetime. They really want to host me, for at least 2 weeks, and do all these nice things together we've been planning. But in the past month or so they've all but drained hundreds of dollars from their bank account in art commissions and room decorations for themself, all of which they've been excitedly showing off to me and our other friends, all the while running out of money entirely. They can't pick up work from their (seasonal) job anymore, either, so there's no way for them to earn back the money now, and recently they've started having to push their commissions just to cover their student loan payment this month. In ordinary circumstances I wouldn't mind and would try and help them out, but I won't be in any financial position on the trip to cover their bills as well as my own (at least not regularly), and I feel like this would have been so preventable if they'd just... picked less wildly expensive things to buy as a treat, knowing the circumstances.

They've said they're also stressed and need to buy themselves nice things sometimes, which I totally agree with! I'm not that much of a party pooper, they are in a rough situation themself right now and the stuff they bought does make them genuinely happy. But it also sucks to watch them then have to struggle to pay for bills and necessities because of it, and I feel really selfish for thinking of it in the framework of our time together later as well. I've done my absolute best to be able to spend at least a few weeks having a great time with them not worrying and pinching pennies while taking care of myself, but now I'm worried we're just going to spend the trip with both of us stressed out of our minds and stuck at home struggling to pay for gas. I'm an anxious person, and the few times I've tried to bring up my worries in a more gentle way, they've vehemently reassured me everything will be fine, but now I'm leaving in just over a week and everything seems like it's getting worse instead of improving.

I know I should be just glad to spend time in their company, even if it is just at home, but I can't stop feeling like the way they've been spending money in the leadup to this has been really irresponsible and preventable. But even if so, it made them happy in the moment so i should be happy for them too, and surely it's just straight up none of my business? It's also not like they can take it back now- it's already happened, and they can't earn the money back if they wanted to. I feel like if i called them on it at this point it'd just be a dick move and come across pointless and jealous, but I also can't help but think it's unproductive to let this gnaw at me the entire time, like I should really be communicating this kind of upset and talk it out first in case it comes to a head and boils over and ruins our whole time together.

I'm aware I'll be long into the trip by the time this posts but it'd be nice to look back and see other perspectives.