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whentheynameyoujoy · 4 years

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Yup, Sure Was a Finale

I had an epiphany. The reason why I never re-watched the final two parts of Sozin’s Comet even though I’ve popped in episodes at random many times over the years isn’t that I can’t bear the sadness of seeing one of the best, most engaging narratives out there come to an end.

It’s simply that the finale isn’t all that good.

Some honorable mentions of what was enjoyable.

(+) This

Just this.

(+) The Church of Zutara has another convert

“Are you sure they don’t get together?” Hubster, 2020

(+) The tragedy of Azula

And the fact that it’s acknowledged as such. I hope Zuko will do his best to get her help and have a relationship with her…

(+) Sokka being a big bro

And the whole airship sequence in general. It’s wonderfully paced and plotted, with moments of humor, real stakes, Toph being both badass and a scared crying kid, Sokka strategizing and protecting, Suki saving the day, and non-benders being instrumental in thwarting the bad guy firebender’s plans. Would be shame if Bryke never portrayed them this capable ever again…

And now for the main course.

(-) Blink and its over

The wrap-up feels too quick (hashtag Needs More ROtK-style False Endings). A part of this is due to how fast the story goes from the thick of the action to hastily tying up a bunch of loose ends, but the larger issue is how Book 3’s uneven pacing comes home to roost. After spending half a season on filler episodes that at best subtly flesh out established characters while dancing around a huge lionturtle-shaped hole, and at worst contradict the theme of “no one is born bad” with “you’re a hot mess because your great-grandfathers didn’t get along too well”, the frantic “go go go” rush of the second half screeches to a halt with “they won and everyone was happy because now the right people have power and it will be all good from now on yup nothing more to deal with baiiiii”.

Yes, I know, it’s a kids’ show. But goddamn, this particular kids’ show has proven so many times it can do better than the expected tropiness. Showing the characters in their roles as builders of a new world was the least that could have been done.

Oh well!

(-) Ursa

We’ll never know. There will never be a story that delves into this. Yup. Shall forever remain but an intriguing mystery. Is good, though. Mystery is better than a story where Ursa shares her son’s penchant for forgetfulness. Imagine how embarrassing that would be. Speaking of which…

(-) What does Mai see in this jerkbender?

Look, I like to harp a lot on the mess of inconsistent writing that’s Mai but let’s unpack this scene from her perspective, shall we?

Zuko forgot about her! It totally slipped his mind that the one person who prioritized the safety of his dumb ass was rotting in the worst prison in the Fire Nation—because of him! And she was rotting there long enough after the final Agni Kai for the news of Zuko’s upcoming coronation to spread and her uncle to feel sufficiently secure to release her. But then the coronation scene is attended by every single member of Gaang & Friends that was imprisoned?

So what this tells me is that either a) the invasion force had the ability to break themselves out the whole time and for some reason decided not to exercise it until after the war was over, b) Zuko forgot about them as well and no one thought to remind him there were prisons full of POWs until Mai arrived, or, and that’s even better, c) Zuko took care to free every single resistance fighter while making sure Mai would be the one to stay behind bars.

Never thought I’d say this but Mai? Honey? You deserve so much better.

(-) “What does Katara want?”

Asked no one in the writers’ room ever, apparently.

This is not so much anti Cataang as anti romance stories that pay attention to the needs, opinions, and wants of only one partner in general. Over the previous 60 episodes, Katara actively expressed romantic interest in Aang exactly, wait for it,

Once.

And it got retconned out of relevance by the following two interactions where the possibility of a romantic relationship came up, making the Headband dance pretty easy to reclassify as just one of those examples where Aang “teaches” Katara to have fun (as if one of the main obstacles to her having fun wasn’t him constantly fooling around and offloading his duties). And because the writers not only didn’t succeed in portraying Katara’s internal state of mind, but also failed to root her reluctance to pursue a relationship in outside circumstances that could change, her sudden state of unconfused once Aang steps into the spotlight has a single canonical explanation that as much as approaches coherency.

The fact is, though, that trying to interpret canon Cataang from a Watsonian perspective is an exercise in foolishness. Because there is no Watsonian justification for the ship and never has been. Bryke simply conceived of Katara as nothing but a tropey prize for Aang, never saw her as anything beyond that, and were perfectly happy to go on and immortalize her as a passive broodmare for the rest of her life.

And I fully intend to die mad about it.

(-) Iroh dips

OK, it’s been long apparent that the show doesn’t intend to do anything about Iroh’s complicity in AzulOzai’s regime in any meaningful way, and that his sole motivation for doing anything whatsoever is Zuko whom he views as a replacement son which is supposed to be good for some reason. But the finale has him abandon even that, and instead turns him full-on YOLO, idgaf anymore. It really throws Iroh’s supposed love for Zuko into doubt when his last act in the entire show is to take a half-educated 16-year old with no political savvy or an heir to secure a dynastic continuity and plomp him on the throne of a war-mongering imperialist regime where the entirety of the militarist and ruling class is guaranteed to fight him tooth and nail for power.

(I sure hope Mai’s ready to start popping out babies by tea-time otherwise the whole country is fukd in about a week)

Christ, how hard would it be to have Iroh keep the throne warm for a few years while Zuko is getting ready to succeed him? Not only would it make the whole FN reformation bit quite likelier to occur, it would require Iroh’s hedonistic ass to actually sacrifice something for once. And not having Zuko ascend to power, instead spending some time bettering and educating himself first, would be a wonderful message that no matter what you endured and overcame, you never stop growing. A kids’ show, remember?

(-) The conquering of Ba Sing Se

Gee, I feel so blessed to have my attention diverted from battlefields which actually matter to an old dude vanity project I would have been perfectly happy to assume resolved itself off-screen.

The White Lotus in general just bugs me. I was fine with the individual characters and their overall passivity when they were portrayed as lone dissenters living under circumstances where it wasn’t really possible for any single person to mount a meaningful resistance. But as members of a far-reaching shadowy organization that’s left the real fight to a bunch of kids for 59 episodes straight and didn’t turn up until a perfect opportunity presented itself to take control of the largest city in the world and bask in the spotlight?

Yeah, no.

Similarly to the lionturtle-ex-machina, the White Lotus represents a huge missed opportunity for a season-long storytelling. Here’s just a brief list of what they could have been doing throughout Book 3:

orchestrating a Fire Nation uprising;

gathering those directly persecuted by AzulOzai’s regime to help Zuko keep his hold on power once he’s crowned;

establishing themselves as a viable alternative to Ozai;

sabotaging Fire Nation’s war efforts from the inside;

countering Fire Nation propaganda (Asha Greyjoy’s pinecones, anyone?);

running a supply network to alleviate the suffering of Earth Kingdom citizens.

Instead, they sit on their asses until the time comes to claim personal glory.

You know what, good on Bryke for making me conclude that in comparison, the Freedom Fighters were perfectly unproblematic, actually.

(-) Fire Lord Dead-by-Dawn

Yes, a kids’ show, I know! But ffs, this is the same kids’ show that came up with Long Feng and portrayed courtly intrigue, kingly puppets, secret police, spy networks, and information wars. Was it really too much of me to expect something other than “enlightened despot solves everything”? Especially if said enlightened despot has persisting anger issues, no personal support system, no base of followers, and no political experience whatsoever?

If Zuko’s actually serious about regaining the Fire Nation’s honor (i.e. by dismantling the country’s military machine, decolonizing the Earth Kingdom, paying reparations to everyone and their lemur, and funding any and all cultural restoration projects Aang and the SWT come up with), then there is no way, no way in the universe that he doesn’t face a civil war, deposing, and execution within a month.

One reason why his future as a Fire Lord seems rather bleak is that little’s been shown about the actual subjects of AzulOzai’s regime. While we get a vague reassurance that “no Toph, they’re not born bad” (le shockings), they largely remain a voiceless uniform mass of brainwashed clapping seals. What is their view on the Fire Nation’s crimes? Do they associate their condition with their country’s war-mongering? How will they react when Zuko starts dismantling the country piece by piece to rebuild it, bringing it to economic ruin? What will they do when noble Ozai loyalists come out of the woodwork and begin rounding them up under the banner of “Make the Fire Nation Great Again?”

I have no idea, and Zuko doesn’t either because he’s unironically more qualified to rule the Earth Kingdom than his own people.

You know what would have been better? Fire Lord Iroh, White Lotus pulling the strings to maintain the regime, and Crown Prince/People’s Champion Zuko travelling the Fire Nation with Aang and an army of tutors to promote the new boss, only to realize that absolute monarchy is kinda crap for the people he’s one day supposed to rule and gaining their support by ceding some power to them.

I’d laser holes into my TV due to how much I’d enjoy watching that.

(-) All hail Avatar Rock

Literally and metaphorically. Aang doesn’t sacrifice anything, gets everything, and the clever solution of going about getting said everything is handed to him on a silver platter, requiring no active participation on his part whatsoever.

He doesn’t work to unblock his chakras, spiritually or physically.

He only speaks to his past lives to get a pat on the back and a bow-tied solution he could mindlessly follow.

Energy-bending doesn’t require any sacrifice from him, leaves no lasting marks, and only serves for the narrative to praise him as the rare individual that’s unbendable and thus so very very special.

The most infuriating thing is, however, that Aang is clearly shown as being able to beat Ozai without either the Avatar state, or energy-bending.

And he chooses not to. From this moment on, Aang no longer fights to save the world. He fights to preserve his beliefs, going directly against the instructions of his past lives and effectively reneging on his duties as the Avatar.

Again.

It’s not like you can’t portray Aang’s faithfulness to his spiritual beliefs as the key to beating Ozai and saving the world. But that’s not what the show did. There is no link between Aang sparing Ozai and securing a better future, quite to the contrary—Ozai’s survival ends up being a massive problem for the continuation of Zuko’s rule, and consequently a threat to the world at large. His survival benefits Aang and no one else.

Aang’s spiritual purity and his status as a savior of the world are allowed to coexist only due to a deliberate stroke of a writer’s pen.

And I hate it.

Welp, nothing to do about it now except to bury myself up to my tits in fix-it fics I guess.

#atla #atla rewatch #meta #zutara #anti bryke #anti-kataang #anti-aang #anti-maiko

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moonlit-jeno · 4 years

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secrets | n.jm

genre/ warnings: vampire au, explicit sexual content, angst, way too much blood/ blood drinking, b i t i n g, character death (kind of), references to drugs, religion

word count: 9.5k

summary:

“I’m not scared.”

“No?” The sharp points of his fangs graze your skin and you swallow down your whimper, head falling back against the wall. You’re not scared of what Jaemin could do to you.

You’re scared of what you want him to do to you.

notes: big thanks to @jaemallow for pushing the jaemin agenda and helping to keep me sane

“Come on, we’re going to be late.” Mark grumbles at you, throwing an agitated glance over his shoulder. You roll your eyes and slow down even more just to spite him. “Dude, my dad’s going to kill me.” “He’ll be fine. Murder’s against the word of God, y’know.” You speed up despite your words, laughing at the way Mark glares at you.

There’s a crack in the sidewalk that he trips over and you laugh good naturedly. The street leading up to the church is in less than optimal shape, littered with cracks in the sidewalk and missing chunks of cement. Mark’s dad had tried to raise money to fix the street, but it hasn’t happened yet.

Mark starts walking slower all of a sudden and you grumble, glaring at him when he grabs your wrist to yank you backwards. You’re about to ask what his problem is when you see the three figures at the end of the road, moving closer towards you two.

“You’re kidding me.” They hear it, they must, with their superhuman senses. It only makes them smile brighter. You glance at Mark. “Wanna turn around?”

“Too late.” Mark breathes, staring straight ahead of him with wide eyes. You look away from him to find the three vampires standing directly in front of you, blocking your way.

A groan leaves you and you cross your arms, raising your eyebrows expectantly. “Can we help you?”

The ringleader of the bunch, Jaemin, smiles. “Well, since you’re offering, I suppose I am feeling a little hungry.”

The church is only one block down but if they don’t want to let you pass, you’re not going to get there. Mark shifts nervously next to you, shaking his head when you open your mouth to make a remark. That doesn’t stop you from saying it. “You realize that just because you’re from the 1200’s doesn’t mean that you have to talk like you’re from the 1200’s.”

“I resent that.” Jaemin frowns, clutching his hands to his chest likes he’s been stabbed. “I was born in 1706. It’s almost like you don’t care about me at all.”

“Is it? Must be because I don’t.” The other two vampires are silent, though one of them- Jeno- watches with amusement. The other one is unfamiliar and looks like he’s trying to figure out to pair you with white or red wine. You shudder and turn your attention to Jeno. “Nice cross. I thought shit like that burned your skin? You know, because you’re a demon and all that.”

Jeno’s eyes smile with him and it’s hard to remember that he’s a monster. He brushes his thumb against the small mark under his eye, shrugging. “Nah, only the blessed ones. Or, y’know, the silver ones. But this one? I just wanted to piss off the church daddy who told me that I deserved to rot in worse places than the sewer.“

You snort before you can stop yourself. “Church daddy?”

He waves a dismissive hand. “Church daddy, father, same thing.” A pause. “Hey, Mark, isn’t that your dad?”

Mark avoids eye contact and nods. “Yeah, but I like, I don’t like, speak for him, y’know?” He laughs nervously.

“You don’t have to.” That’s the one you don’t recognize, glaring at Mark. “We can tell it’s what you’re thinking. You don’t even have the decency to look at us?”

“And who are you? Their vampire bitch or something?” You snap to Mark’s defense, not wanting the vampires to prey on Mark’s nerves.

The boy lunges like he’s going to attack you but Jeno grabs him by the neck. Jaemin laughs. “Careful princess, that hits a little too close to home for our little Renjun over here.” To clarify, he leans a little closer and lowers his voice. Not like it matters, the other two can hear him just fine. “Jeno got carried away while feeding the other day and turned him.”

Your eyes widen in surprise and this time you don’t have a witty comeback. Vampires are monsters, yes, but they have laws. And it is very, very illegal to turn a human. “That’s-”

“Against the law?” Jeno finishes. “Yeah. It was an accident though, plus he’s from out of town! So I can’t technically get in trouble.”

“Technically.” You mock, rolling your eyes. “Whatever, we’ve got places to be so if we could speed this conversation up?”

Jaemin pouts. “So soon? You’re already late for church, why even bother going?”

You stand your ground. “Good bye, Jaemin. Make sure you do a better job of training your new puppy.” Renjun snarls at you.

“What, like how you trained your puppy?” Jaemin nods over at Mark and the boys face turns red. “Bye, y/n, Mark. I’d ask you to say hello to God for me but he doesn’t exist!”

He walks off with that as a goodbye, Renjun and Jeno on his heels. Jeno at least has the decency to smile at you and tell you to have a good rest of your day.

They’re right about one thing: going to church when you‘re already late sucks. A few people glance back at you and Mark when you sneak in, sitting in the last row. You spot your parents sitting in the front row along with Mark’s brother. Luckily none of them notice you slipping in, so they won’t know just how late you were.

Mark seems on edge and you pat his knee, frowning at how violently he flinches. You raise an eyebrow, silently asking if he’s okay. He just gives you a tight smile. Mark’s always been a nervous kid, so you figure it has to do with the little vampire interaction you just had. Or fear that his dad will yell at him for being late. They’re both pretty scary.

It’s not until after the service that you talk to your parents- your mother taking the time to hug Mark and pinch his cheeks before she even looks at you- and your father asks where you were.

“It was my fault, sir.” Mark speaks up, knowing that your parents adore him and won’t be upset. “I couldn’t find my church clothes, I forgot that they were in the wash and had to sort through all of my laundry. Y/n was an angel and stayed with me to help.”

“Huh,” Your father says, looking Mark up and down. “Well, your shoes could use a good polishing, but you look sharp, kid. Good man.” He pats Mark’s shoulder and walks off to talk to a friend. Your mother raises an eyebrow and shrugs, loading you up with tasks to take care of when you get home.

Do the dishes, fold the laundry, remember to take the store bought pie out of the container and pop it onto a plate so that it looks homemade. “Oh, and one last thing.” She stops you, turning away from her conversation about her book club meeting with some lady that she can’t stand. “I don’t want you walking through the city. Those vampires are getting braver and braver, attacking in broad daylight.”

“Okay, I’ll take the long way.” You promise her. She nods, and satisfied that you won’t die, turns back to her friends. You say goodbye to Mark and a handful of other people- most of whom you don’t like- and head home.

You have absolutely no intention of taking the long way home. It adds an extra half an hour to your walk and you swear you always get attacked by bugs. Besides, vampires might be dangerous, but it’s not like you have a high chance of encountering one. The three you’d talked to earlier were harmless, two of them attending your same university.

Jeno did medical research, occasionally stepping in to teach if the professors needed help. He’s technically a doctor, but he finds ways to multitask. The benefits of being immortal, you suppose, is that you learn a lot, especially if you’ve been alive since the 1100’s. He was nice enough by himself, though he would never answer your questions about history. Not that he wouldn’t try, but the poor guy would just get so confused that he would end up rambling about a completely unrelated topic.

Jaemin was a little different. He took classes, though his goal was to learn about interesting topics and keep up with the culture, not to fit in like Edward Cullen and prey on teenage girls. For someone so old, he’s surprisingly good at the technology classes, learning how to use a camera faster than your much younger parents. Jaemin also holds tutoring sessions for struggling students, pretty much offering help for every subject. Sometimes he assists Jeno with his research, though he never says what they’re researching. It’s always the same vague answer: medicine.

You know them pretty well, and yet you wouldn’t say that you’re friends. Vampires and humans coexist, but it’s not always that peaceful. There’s a definite divide between the two, a definite feeling of “we’re better than them” coming from both sides. And you can see why that divide is there, you can understand why.

After all, it’s not like you’re too fond of vampires yourself.

Cursed to hell, is a phrase used too often by your parents, by the church. God’s reject’s is another. And when you look at them, it’s hard to disagree with those statements.

They don’t burn in the sun but they can’t touch silver, can’t say God’s name, can’t enter a building without explicit permission. They catch on fire when they enter holy places (they’re fine to enter the one across town, but that’s another story).

Similar insults are used to describe humans. “How can you call us God’s rejects when you die so easily?” One vampire had countered when you were in middle school, pointing out that vampires couldn’t get diseases or die of natural causes like a human. He’d called you weak. You’d thrown a cross at him. Both of you had been suspended.

Still, you don’t hate vampires. And you especially can’t hate vampires now, not when you’re failing your chemistry class and your only option for help is Na Jaemin.

Mark has a different opinion. “Y/n, you can’t go to his house! He’ll kill you!”

You laugh. “Mark, come on. It’s either he kills me, or my parents kill me when they find out I wasted my tuition on a class I failed. It’ll be fine.” He still looks unhappy. You wiggle your fingers at him. “Look! I have silver rings on. I’m wearing my cross. I’ll be fine.”

“I’m not going to be the one telling your parents you were killed by a vampire, y/n.” He sounds dead serious and you raise your eyebrows.

“Mark, I’m helping with a research project. I’m not deciding to work for the food bank.” You point out. “This is the only way I can make up my grade, Mark. It’s generous of my professor to even let me do this.” He sighs, knowing there’s no arguing with you, and pulls his necklace off. Walking closer, he drapes the silver cross over your head. “Fine. Just, please be careful.” You smile and pat his cheek, tucking the charm under the collar of your shirt. “I always am.”

Jaemin lives in a pretty nice house on the top of the hill, which sucks because your calves are burning by the time you get up there. It has a pretty view, though, and it’s a decent distance away from his closest neighbor. You always joke that he could kill someone up here. Going up alone, that joke doesn’t seem as funny.

He’s got an old fashioned knocker on the wooden door that you only use because you’re not too fond of digging splinters out of your hands. It makes a pretty solid sound, and it barely takes five seconds before Jaemin answers the door. He looks good, wearing a dark blue button up with his hair pushed off of his forehead. Almost like he put some effort in. He obviously catches you giving him a once over and he grins.

“Eager to see me?” You tease, stepping past him into his house. He laughs, rolling his eyes.

“Oh, of course. The world revolves around you, I just had to get a glimpse.” Jaemin drawls.

“Alright, what’s the research project?” You ask, wanting to get straight to the point. “I’m only here because I need to pass my class, Jaemin.

He takes his time flipping through a book on his coffee table before glancing up at you, rolling his sleeves up to his forearms. “The effects of vampire blood in humans.”

Your eyebrows skyrocket. “If you say that you’re making me drink your blood, we’re going to have a problem.”

“Fucking hell, y/n. I know you humans have a problem with vampires, but I’m a researcher. I do research, and I do it just as responsibly and professionally as human researchers.” Jaemin snaps, and it’s probably the first time you’ve ever heard him not use a flirting or teasing tone. “And besides, we already know what that would do. It would only turn you.” You swallow thickly at the thought of being turned. “Then what do you need me here for?” “We just need a few of your cells and a tiny blood sample.” Jaemin says, moving to where you stand next to the counter. “We’re researching if vampire blood has an effect on strengthening human cells, or preventing undesirable circumstances that affect humans. You know, aging, disease, the like.” He hands you some paperwork and you glance over it briefly. There’s nothing about him draining you dry of blood, so you sign it. “Great. We won’t be taking the samples today considering we’re at my house, but I’ll walk you through the basics of what we’re doing. You know, assuming that you’re smart enough to understand it.” “I’m not fucking dumb, Jaemin.” You snap, glaring at him.

“No, of course not.” He sympathises, smiling down at you. “Just a little slow. Come on y/n, you’re failing one of the easiest courses at the university. You’re not exactly smart.”

You shove the papers over to Jaemin, purposely letting your silver rings graze his exposed skin. Jaemin flinches back from your touch, a sharp hiss leaving him as he grabs at his wrist. He glares at you. “You fucking serious?”

It’s mean, but what he said wasn’t exactly nice. You meet his gaze head on, eyebrow arched. “What’s the matter, leech? Can’t take the heat?” He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes to ground himself. It’s probably not smart to goad him, but that’s exactly what you do. “Aww, don’t ignore me, leech. It’s rude. Didn’t your parents ever teach you any manners?”

All the air in your body leaves you with a whoosh as Jaemin pins you up against the wall, wrists held over your head by one of his hands. A dull pain radiates through your body and you’re sure you’ll have bruises on your back from the impact, not that Jaemin seems to care. The boy stares down at you with dark eyes, standing way too close for comfort.

“My parents died 300 years ago.” Jaemin snarls. “But yours are still alive. Didn’t they teach you to respect your elders?”

“You’re not older than me.” The words are intended to be fierce, defiant. They come out shaky, timid. “You’re a dead man, Jaemin.”

That makes him laugh, though you don’t think he’s found your words funny. “Yeah? Do I seem dead to you?” He tightens his grip on your wrist and uses his free hand to tilt your chin up, make you look him in the eyes. “I can feel your heartbeat, little girl. You’re scared.”

“I’m not scared.” You are. He knows that.

“No?” He raises his eyebrows, cocking his head to the side before dipping down, letting his mouth hover over your neck. “Not even now?”

You shake your head, swallowing down a whimper. He’s right about your heartbeat, it’s fluttering so frantically that you can hear it in your ears, feel it under your skin. You’re scared, but not for the reasons he thinks you are.

Jaemin smiles at you, fangs on full display, and moves even closer to your neck. The sharp points of his fangs graze your skin and you swallow down your whimper, head falling back against the wall. You’re not scared of what Jaemin could do to you.

You’re scared of what you want him to do to you.

He scrapes his fangs along your neck, an action that’s painful in the most pleasurable way, but doesn’t break the skin. His tongue darts out instead, soothing over the pain before his lips press to your skin in an open mouthed kiss. Your fingers flex above your head and you ache to touch him, to fist your hand in his soft hair and pull him closer.

A moan leaves you and he pulls away, pressing his thumb to the area. Jaemin can feel your pulse from there and he smirks at how frantically your heart beats.

“You’re not scared?” Jaemin asks, the question condescending. He doesn’t believe you. “You do realize that I could sink my fangs into your pretty little neck and drain you dry, right?”

The mention of him biting you drags a keen out of your throat, and you find yourself whimpering out a “please” before you can help yourself. It has Jaemin pausing, eyes roaming over you as he reassesses the situation.

“Oh, you really aren’t scared.” Jaemin smirks. “Who knew that you were so fucking filthy?” He doesn’t wait for a response, dipping his head down and trailing the tip of his tongue up your throat. It feels nice, so, so nice, but it’s interrupted by a burning pain, a sob ripping from you at the intensity of it.

You thrash against his hold, but then the pain starts to get replaced with a pleasure unlike anything you’ve ever felt, and you slowly melt into his touch, arching against him to expose more of your throat.

Jaemin pulls away eventually, licking over your wound a few times before pulling back to give you a bloody grin. “Feels good, yeah?” You nod, and the bliss must be apparent on your face because Jaemin chuckles darkly before leaning back in. “You want more, don’t you?”

“Yeah, want it.” The words are breathless and slur together, your body thrumming with heat, begging for more. Jaemin does the opposite of what you want and steps away.

“Be a good girl and take those fucking rings off, then.” Jaemin commands, and you swear you’ve never moved faster than you’re moving now, carelessly dropping your jewelry to the floor. Mark’s necklace lands near his foot and he scowls at it, crushing the piece of metal beneath the heel of his shoe.

You immediately grab for him when you’re done, but Jaemin doesn’t let you pull him forward. He just scoops you up into his arms, carrying you to the sofa. You end up straddling his lap, his back pressing into the couch, and he wastes no time before sinking his fangs back into your neck.

“God,” You breathe out, winding your arms around his neck, pulling his head closer to you. “F-fuck, Jaem, that feels so good.”

He just hums against your throat, continuing to suck and lick at the wound. There’s a little bit of blood on his lips when he pulls away and you wipe at it with your thumb before letting the digit slip past his lips. He sucks on it slowly, gazing up at you with dark eyes, and lets his fangs graze the skin. Arousal jolts through you and you whimper, pulling your hand away and dragging him back to your neck.

“Baby wants more?” Jaemin teases, not waiting for an answer before sinking his fangs into you, this spot even more sensitive than the last. You whine loudly, tugging at his hair and feeling your eyes roll back in your head at the euphoria spreading through your body. Your head feels fuzzy and there’s so much heat coursing through you that you can barely function.

“Mhmm, yeah.” You pant out. “Want more. Oh my God Jaemin, I’m so fucking wet.”

Jaemin groans at your words, one of his hands sliding up your thigh before moving inwards, cupping your pussy over your clothes. He pulls his hand away when you try to grind down, grabbing onto your hip to stop your movements.

“No.” He growls, the simple word vibrating through your entire body and making you shake. “You come from this, nothing else.”

Tears slip down your cheeks as you hold onto him for dear life, your core clenching desperately around nothing. You hug him tighter, letting your head fall back on your shoulders to expose more of your throat, your lips parted to let Jaemin drag sound after sound of pleasure out of you. It feels good, way too good considering the action, and you lose yourself to the feeling.

The collar of your shirt is tugged down and then Jaemin’s lips are attaching to the top of your breast, fangs sinking into the delicate flesh. You keen and shove your chest further into his face, not knowing what else to do besides hold onto him for dear life. Your body feels heavy but your head feels light and it’s such a startling contrast to the euphoria coursing through your veins that it makes you dizzy. It’s hard to see straight, let alone think straight, and your pussy throbs with every little bit of blood that Jaemin takes from your body. Your hips rock against nothing but air, desperately searching for some sort of friction, something to fill your needy cunt, but you can’t find anything and it has you sobbing out in frustration.

More bite marks are left, more electricity shoots through your body, more wetness drips out of your pussy. You swear you’ve never felt this good in your life, and that’s only confirmed when Jaemin seals his lips over the first mark he left, licking and sucking at the wound until it opens all over again and you feel yourself falling, white flashing behind your eyes as the most intense orgasm of your life crashes over you. You grab at Jaemin as tightly as you can, screaming his name and babbling incoherently as he drags out your pleasure, lets you get high off all of his kisses and bites.

It lasts forever, and it takes even longer for you to come down to yourself, Jaemin stroking your hair and your back. You open your eyes to find him already looking at you, his face clean and dry of any blood. It takes you a while to notice that there’s an ice pack on your neck and a plate of food on the table in front of you, and you vaguely wonder how long you were out for if Jaemin had time to do all of this for you.

“Don’t move too fast, baby.” Jaemin cautions, noticing you struggling to sit up. “I took way more blood than I meant to, you’re gonna feel a little weak.” “A little?” Your muscles feel like jelly when you try to push yourself off of him and you collapse back onto Jaemin’s chest with a soft groan. Jaemin huffs a laugh and helps you sit up, turning you around on his lap so that your back is to his chest. He drops a soft kiss to your ear and your eyelids flutter.

“Here, take these.” Pills are dropped into your hand, a bottle of some energy drink you don’t recognize. “It’ll replace all the nutrients and stuff you lost.” Jaemin watches you down the drink in one go, tossing it across the room when you hand the empty bottle back to him. “How are you feeling?”

Your vision is much clearer than it was, though you still feel lethargic and would like to do nothing except lay down in a soft bed for the rest of your life. “My head hurts.” Jaemin hums. “Okay. I would rattle off some instructions for you to follow but I know it’ll just make your headache worse. I’ll write them down for you instead, how’s that.” “You’re so self aware.” Reality hits you when you feel the bruises on your throat, on your chest, and realize that yes, all of that did just happen. “Um. I didn’t know it could feel that-” You trail off, hand waving vaguely in the air. “Good?” Jaemin offers, laughing when you nod. “Mhmm, did they not tell you about that? I’m sure they make it sound like being bitten by a vampire is the worst thing imaginable at that fancy church you go to.” You look away, embarrassed, and Jaemin laughs. “You know that humans make drugs out of our saliva, right? That’s why there are hunters.” Your eyes shoot open in alarm. “Really? That’s awful.”

Jaemin hums, nodding. “Yeah, well, when it’s profitable...” He laughs bitterly. “Anyways, it’s an expensive drug. And you just got that shit for free.”

“I feel so honored.” You laugh, snuggling into him. He pushes you back.

“Y/n, I need you to understand something.” Jaemin says, tone suddenly serious. His eyes burn straight into your soul. “That was a mistake. I’m not- we can’t do that again.”

It shouldn’t hurt you. What you just did is considered shameful by many, you should be relieved that he’s telling you it can’t happen again. You shouldn’t want to spend more time with a vampire. “Oh. Yeah, yeah of course.” You nod, looking away from his intense gaze to blink back your tears. “Yeah, we just got carried away.” Jaemin looks like he wants to say something else, lips parting for a second before shaking his head, offering a tight smile instead. “We got everything done that we needed to get done. You should rest now.”

He doesn’t mean now as in right this second, which he made especially clear after telling you that it was a mistake, but you can’t help it. You’re asleep in seconds.

When you wake up for the second time, Jaemin is nowhere to be found. You’re in your own bed, tucked in nice and neatly, and you smile as you realize it meant that the vampire had carried you home. There’s the list of instructions that he’d promised you on your nightstand, signed with nearly illegible hand-writing. Your smile grows before promptly dropping off. Vampires can’t get into a house without being invited. You’ve never invited him in, which means that he must’ve either asked permission from Mark or your parents. Neither is good.

The gravity of the situation hits you when Mark walks into your room, jaw set, arms crossed. He blanches when he sees your neck, the sight clearly making him uncomfortable. “Holy- y/n, I told you that you couldn’t trust Jaemin. You’re lucky I was here when you brought you home because I can guarantee your parents would react way worse than me.”

“Jaemin was fine. He didn’t do anything I didn’t want him to.” You see the exact moment that those words process in Mark’s mind, his face going from worried to angry.

“You let him drink from you? What were you thinking? Y/n, you look like you got mauled.” Mark sounds disgusted and you try not to shrink into yourself.

The bruises ache when you press over one of them and an overwhelming sense of embarrassment washes over you at how it makes you shiver. “Relax, it’s not like I let him turn me. We just got caught up in the heat of the moment. Mark, it felt so good.” Your eyelids flutter shut at the memory, snapping back open when Mark scoffs.

“So what? You want to be their blood bag now?” Mark’s voice rises in pitch as he yells and the sound grates on your nerves. “Wanna be a vampire whore for the rest of your life? Live in a dusty ass attic and let whoever walks by have a go at you?” “Mark, what- do you hear yourself? What the fuck is your problem?” Mark’s been your best friend since you were five. Never, never, have you heard him talk like this. It hurts.

“Do I hear myself? Y/n, I should be the one asking you that. Here you are, creaming yourself while talking about letting some fucking, some bloodsucker tear your throat open! It’s disgusting.” Mark scoffs, shaking his head. “You’re just as bad as Do-” He cuts himself off suddenly, but you know what he was about to say. “Just as bad as who? Donghyuck?” You shake your head, feeling hot tears prick at the back of your eyes. “It must run in the family to become filthy disappointments, then.”

Mark’s eyes soften and he grabs your wrist, rubbing circles into your skin with his thumb. “It’s not too late for you. Let’s go to the church, you can pray for forgiveness.”

You feel numb when you nod, letting Mark wrap a scarf around your neck and lead you down the road. He sits next to you in the pews, rubbing your shoulder while you rest your forehead on your hands, pretending to pray. But you can’t focus, can’t stop thinking about your brother.

Donghyuck was Mark’s best friend before you were. The three of you would hang out a lot, though you only joined the two because as Donghyuck’s younger sister, he felt obligated to include you. The two boys were inseparable, and then one day, they weren’t.

Your parents say that he was tainted by the devil. Mark’s father says that he betrayed God. You think Donghyuck simply fell in love. And love is a beautiful thing, but not when it’s between a vampire and a human. Your brother was forced to choose between his family and his love.

In the end, he chose love.

That night, you toss and turn in bed, unable to stop thinking about your brother. If he’s alive, if he’s a vampire. If he’s dead. What you would do in his situation. Not that it matters, because you wouldn’t fall in love with a vampire, but you can’t help but wonder. Is it really that bad? They were once human, too.

The thought doesn’t leave your mind even when you go to the lab, meeting an uncharacteristically quiet Jaemin, and a very excited looking Jeno. “Y/n! Thank you so much for doing this!” “Yeah, well, gotta pass my classes somehow.” You laugh. Jaemin doesn’t meet your eyes when you look at him, keeping his gaze just a little too low and frowning.

“Seriously though, this is great. I’ve been trying to get permission for this experiment for ages, the fact that the administration finally caved is insane.” Jeno says, turning to ruffle through some papers on the desk. You shoot a curious glance at Jaemin, finally realizing that he’s staring at your neck. Or well, your covered neck. He’s trying to see the marks. With a glance towards Jeno, you carefully slide the fabric of your turtle neck down, laughing silently at how Jaemin inhales sharply, lips parting slightly. You yank it back up when Jeno turns around. “Jaemin informed you of the experiment, correct?” You shoot Jaemin a look. “Yeah! You just need to take a couple of blood samples, right?” Jeno shakes his head, tilting his head at Jaemin. “Not exactly. We’re going to need you to take microdoses of vampire blood.”

It takes a moment to register. “You want me to drink vampire blood?” You screech, eyes bulging. “That’s going to turn me!” Jeno shakes his head, laughing. “With the amount we’re giving you? No. It’ll only turn you if a vampire drinks your blood, and you die. You’ll be fine.” Next to you, Jaemin stiffens. You bite your lip. “Um. Like at the same time, or?” “It doesn’t have to be at the exact same time. If you’ve been bitten before, you can’t drink any blood or you’ll be turned. But again, that’s only if you die.” Jeno tilts his head. “Have you been bitten before?” “Jeno.” Jaemin draws his attention away before you can respond. “It’s just a microdose, right? Like, barely enough to have an effect?” He considers this. “Well, I mean, not enough to have negative effects.”

You and Jaemin share a long look. Jaemin had drunk your blood not even a week earlier. It's dangerous. But it’s a small amount. Jeno said there wouldn’t be any negative effects. And you can’t fail this class. You send Jaemin a pleading look. Jaemin swallows thickly and looks back to Jeno.

“She’ll be fine?” Jaemin’s voice is shaky.

Jeno nods. “Caring for a human? That’s odd, coming from you. But yeah, she’ll be fine.”

You exhale heavily. “I’ll do it.”

There are more papers to be signed, more blood to be drawn. Though this time Jeno takes it in a much more professional manner, drawing it out and putting it into a test tube. Next to you, Jaemin squeezes his eyes shut and you watch his jaw clench. You want to tease him but you can’t, not in front of Jeno.

Despite Jeno’s reassurances, the worry doesn’t leave you. He doesn’t know what you and Jaemin did, doesn’t know that you’ve been bitten by a vampire. And maybe it doesn’t matter- it’s not like you’re going to die or anything, which is what needs to happen for you to turn- but you need some sort of comfort.

That’s how you end up bailing on your Friday night dinner with Mark’s family, saying that you need to finish a project that’s due that night. Your parents roll their eyes and scold you for not taking your studies seriously, but let you skip the dinner. Mark shakes his head at you, disapproving of you working with a vampire, but keeps his mouth shut.

If Jaemin’s surprised when you show up at his door, he doesn’t show it. He just smirks at you, leaning against the door frame. “Hey blood bag.” You scoff and shove past him into the house, dropping down onto the sofa you sat on last time. “When did you start calling me that, leech?”

“When you let me drink from you.” Jaemin says plainly, sitting next to you. “Is there a reason you’re here? I mean, I know I’m irresistible, but-” “But we didn’t tell Jeno you drank from me.” You interrupt. “We need to tell him. He’s been waiting forever for this, he’ll be devastated if we ruin it.”

Jaemin nods, considering it. “Y/n, you know you’ll get kicked off the project if we tell him, right?” You nod, biting your lip. “Look, Jeno’s been my best friend for hundreds of years. I hate keeping this from him more than you do.” “Then why are you?” It doesn’t make sense. You’re certainly not friends, or at least you weren’t before last week.

He doesn’t answer. His eyes are dark and it looks like there’s a war raging behind them, but he doesn’t elaborate on what’s bothering him. The sharp points of his teeth dig into his bottom lip as he bites it nervously, blood beading at the cut when he finally looks back at you.

You don’t think when you bring your thumb up to swipe at his lower lip, skin coming away red. Jaemin watches in fascination as you bring the digit up to your own mouth, sliding it past your lips, sucking the blood away. He swallows thickly.

“Does it feel as good for you as it does for me?” You ask, glancing from his lips to his face. He shakes his head gently.

“It feels good for you because of our saliva.” Jaemin explains. “But it doesn’t feel bad when you do it, it’s just-” He makes a vague gesture with his hand as if trying to pull the words out of thin air. “It’s very intimate.”

He licks his lips, then, digs his teeth back into his bottom lip. It’s a subconscious movement but you still lean in to press a kiss over where the blood pricks up, nipping just hard enough to have a growl rumbling in Jaemin’s chest before soothing the wound with your tongue. You pull away and smile, licking the blood off of your lips.

You don’t even have time to make a witty remark over how affected Jaemin looks because he’s pulling you onto his lap, crashing your lips together with enough force that you’re sure they’ll bruise. It draws a moan from you and Jaemin eagerly drinks it in, fisting his hand in your hair and deepening the kiss.

A gasp leaves you when he pulls away, trails his lips down your throat. You tense in anticipation, a whine getting trapped in your throat when his fangs just barely scrape the skin. He leaves a wet kiss there, pulling away to look up at you. “Want me to bite you, baby?”

“God, yeah.” You moan out, tilting your head to expose more of your neck.

“Ah, I’d rather you didn’t say that name in my house.” Jaemin laughs. He moves back to your throat, digging his fangs into the spot he’d marked. There’s less pain this time, pleasure coursing through you almost instantly. You whine and tighten your grip on his hair.

Electricity runs through your veins as Jaemin takes what he wants, marking up your body. You breathe out something along the lines of “want more” and Jaemin takes it to heart, scooping you up and carrying you to his room in record time. He tosses you onto the mattress, crawling over you not even a second later to press his lips to yours.

He fits himself easily between your legs, rocking his hips down in a rare show of desperation. You can feel exactly how affected he is, his hardness pressing deliciously against your core. Another plea of “more” is whispered against his lips and he doesn’t need any more encouragement, pulling away to move further down your body. He kisses and nips his way down your torso, pushing your shirt up to reveal more skin to him, dropping kiss after kiss to the sensitive skin just above the waistband of your pants. Your core throbs at the feeling of having him so close to you and you squirm, trying to spread your legs more, trying to articulate that you need something, anything.

“J-Jaemin, take them off.” You whine, pushing at the waistband. “I need you.”

The coldness of his hands brushing against your skin when he drags your pants down has you shivering, squirming. He tosses your clothing to the floor and wastes no time attaching his lips to the inside of your thigh, holding you down when you squirm.

“Is this okay?” Jaemin asks, concern mixing with his arousal. He brushes his index finger over your pussy, making your back arch in an effort to get him closer to where you need him.

“More than.” Despite your assurances, Jaemin doesn’t touch you. He moves his hand up to your abdomen, flattening his palm to keep you pinned down. You whine in annoyance, but the teeth dragging over your inner thigh has you shutting up. A gasp leaves you before he even sinks his fangs in, your pussy absolutely throbbing with need. He presses another gentle kiss to the skin and, raising his gaze to make eye contact with you, bites you.

It’s more intense than when he bit your neck or your chest. It sets your body on fire in the best of ways, leaves you writhing under his touch. Your eyes roll in your head and your hands flail in an effort to grab something, anything to ground yourself. It’s amazing, and just when you think you’ve reached heaven, he touches you.

You’re soaking wet and Jaemin’s fingers slide into you effortlessly, fill you up so well. It’s too much effort to keep your eyes open and so you let them drift shut, let yourself fall into the bliss. There’s pressure against your lips and you open your eyes to find Jaemin hovering over you, sliding two fingers past your lips. You didn’t even realize he’d stopped biting you.

“Suck.” He commands, and who are you to disobey? You wrap your lips around the digits and hum at the taste of yourself, at the weight of them in your mouth. “Taste good, baby?” “Mhmm, yeah.” Your words are slurred around the digits and you suck even harder around them, letting your tongue trace patterns around them. Jaemin swears softly and grinds down against your thigh.

He presses one more kiss to your lips before sliding down your body. “My turn to taste.”

Maybe there should be some sort of alarm going through your system when Jaemin lowers his mouth to your core. Some sort of reminder that he has some very sharp fangs, that he has just bit you in multiple places, and that his fangs are right in the place that fangs should never be. But it feels heavenly when he licks a stripe between your folds, when he fucks his tongue into your hole. His hands keep you pinned to the mattress, super strength coming in handy to control your squirming.

The pleasure consumes you and it’s so much, too much, and your eyes want to squeeze shut but Jaemin looks up at you and his gaze is magnetic, making it impossible to look away from him. Your body’s on fire, burning brighter with every flick of his tongue, every moan he lets out into your core. He pulls away to drop his head to the apex of your thigh, digging his fangs into the delicate skin there, and you can’t fight the scream that rips from your throat. You’re babbling, chanting incoherent words as you try to explain how good it feels, how you never want him to stop. His hair is soft in your grip and it’s the only thing keeping you anchored, the only thing preventing you from drowning in pleasure.

“You taste so good, baby.” Jaemin moans, pulling away momentarily to make a show of licking his lips. “Everything about you is so delicious.” He returns to your core, lapping at your hole before flicking his tongue over your clit, laughing at how your body jolts. There’s nothing but hunger in his eyes as he sucks your clit between his lips, fucking two fingers into your needy cunt. He does it again, hitting all of your sensitive spots, making you scream with bliss as you finally tip over the edge.

Wave after wave of euphoria crash into you and your lungs burn as your gasp for air. You’re drowning in the best way possible, surrounded by nothing but pleasure and Jaemin, Jaemin, Jaemin.

He works you through it with gentle flicks of his tongue, hands smoothing over your thighs to bring you back down. You manage to find enough strength to shove at his head when it gets to be too much, tiredly sinking into the mattress when he pulls away. Jaemin wipes at his mouth and bends down to kiss you lazily, nipping at your lip just to hear you whine. He smooths your hair down and brushes a few strands out of your face, smiling down at how fucked out you are. And you’d be content to lay wrapped in his arms, with Jaemin cooing softly at how pretty you are and petting your head, but you can feel how hard he is.

“Jaemin,” You murmur, shifting in his hold. “Jaem, wanna make you feel good.” “It’s alright, you don’t h- oh, shit baby- you don’t have to.” He has to fight to get the words out, a groan interrupting his sentence when you grab at his cock. You pout at him and manage to tug his pants down just enough for you to pull him out.

“But I want to.” You smile, leaning up for a kiss. Jaemin doesn’t bother replying, just presses his lips back to yours and melts into your touch. The way you jerk him off is lazy, your energy drained from how intense your orgasm was. Though with the way Jaemin groans against your lips and tightens his grip on your hip, you don’t think that he minds.

He moans your name when he comes, a beautiful sound that has your stomach twisting with heat. White spills over your knuckles and onto his stomach and you bring your hand up to your mouth, licking at it curiously. Jaemin watches you with heavy lids before collapsing onto the mattress.

“Fuck,” He sighs, eyelids drifting shut. “Why’re you so good to me?” “Why are you so good to me?” You mumble back in response, curling up into him. “Thanks for not biting my pussy.” Something about that sets Jaemin off and his body shakes with the laughter running through him. A giggle leaves you. “What?” Jaemin shakes his head, still laughing. “Nothing. Come on, gotta get you some food.”

And that’s how it goes. You and Jaemin continue to hook up, although he does end up saying ‘fuck it’ and attempting to actually teach you chemistry. Despite Mark’s fears, he doesn’t end up killing you. He’s a lot of fun to be around, plus he keeps his pantry stocked with various snacks. Sometimes he even cooks for you, if he’s feeling nice.

“What’s a vampire doing with all this food?” You ask one day, watching him make fried rice. He doesn’t respond, just staring down at the pan and offering you a shrug, though you swear you see him blush.

Your professor raises your grade to a C. It’s not stellar but it also isn’t failing, which you will happily take. There’s only a little bit of guilt when she beams at you while telling you how happy Jeno is with your dedication to the project.

Jeno continues to take blood samples, and you continue to not tell him that you’ve been bitten. It eats you up inside, but Jaemin’s always there to reassure you. Whether he’s trying to comfort you or himself more is up for debate.

Everything stays the same except for Mark.

He gets more distant, grows a little more resentful. There’s no smiles or teasing jokes, except for the polite ones he flashes in front of your parents. He starts to make up lies, too, which is something you promised to never do. Excuses to get him out of plans, saying there’s nothing wrong. And your best friend, the most timid, nicest boy you’ve ever met, begins to pick petty fights with you.

You’re over it, and it bothers you even if you try not to let it show. Jaemin rubs your back and tells you it’ll be okay, but you know it won’t. Because Jaemin’s the reason that Mark’s distant. And you have no plans to stop seeing him.

Talking to Jaemin, you’re sure Mark would have liked him if the circumstances were different. If Mark didn’t hate vampires so much, or if Jaemin were just a regular human college student like you. But those aren’t the circumstances, and so you have to deal with Mark’s whiny ass showing up at your door to drag you to church.

“Mark, it’s Thursday night.” You groan, shaking your textbook at him. “I have work to do!”

“Yeah, you also have praying to do.” Mark snaps, grabbing the book out of your hands. “Not like you even understand this.”

Which, ouch, that kind of hurts. Especially when Mark knows that you’re frustrated that you can’t get the subject down even though you try. You glare at him and reach for the book. “Mark, give it back. And I actually do understand this, Jaemin’s been helping-” “Helping what? Taint you? Turn you into one of their blood whores?” Mark grabs the book back and throws it across the room. “Y/n, come on. I’m not letting this happen to you too.” He pulls you after him despite your grumbling, though he at least has the decency to let you put shoes on. Just because you go freely doesn’t mean you’re happy about it, complaining as Mark drags you through the city. “Jesus Christ Mark, has it ever occurred to you that Donghyuck had free will? That he willingly chose to be with her because he loved her?” You’re fed up with Mark, fed up with everyone. “God Mark, they’re not that bad!” Mark stares at you for a moment. “What, they’re brainwashing you too? How is it that both you and your brother are so dumb? I know you weren’t raised like this.”

“Well at least I wasn’t raised to be such an ignorant asshole.” You snap. “I have the ability to make my own decisions, something you apparently lack.” “Oh, so what’s that supposed to mean?” Mark stops walking suddenly, crossing his arms as he waits for an answer. You open your mouth to yell at him when a flash of movement catches your eyes. Squinting, you make out a group of guys, and they’re close enough that you can hear them laughing when one of them wipes… is that blood on his mouth? “Mark, we have to go.” You whisper. The vampires don’t see you and you’re hoping that you can get the two of you out of there safely. “Come on-” “No, tell me what you mean!” Mark yells, stubbornly standing in place. You groan and try to drag him away but he doesn’t budge. “Come on y/n, tell me what you fucking mean.” You shoot a worried glance over your shoulder, surprised when you don’t see the vampires. There’s a second of relief, lasting only until you turn around to find them standing right behind Mark. You squeak in surprise. Mark freezes too, one of the men having grabbed him by the shoulders. His face presses way too close to Mark’s neck and you jump when you feel hands on your own shoulders.

“Aww, lover’s spat?” The guy holding Mark laughs. “That’s okay, we’ve all been there, right guys?” The rest of his friends cackle in the creepiest way that you can imagine. “Come on, we can resolve this.” You and Mark look back and forth between each other worriedly. There’s no way out of this, you realize. No way to even try.

“Don’t you wanna know how we can resolve this?” This time the guy holding you speaks and it’s so close to your ear that you flinch, nearly jumping out of your skin. He laughs and his fangs graze your skin, but it doesn’t send pleasure through you like when Jaemin does it. It sends chills down your spine, makes you want to cry. “Answer me.” “N-no.” You stutter out, eyes squeezed shut in fear. “Please, just let us go.” The guy sighs and lets go of you. “Alright.” You and Mark share a look before bolting, adrenaline pumping through your veins. Freedom only lasts for a second before you’re being grabbed again, yanked backwards.

“Stupid girl. I don’t appreciate being told no.” You whimper and you can hear Mark screaming your name, screaming for help, screaming for anything.

It’s the last thing you hear.

“Jaemin, you’re an idiot. Literally the dumbest person I know.” There’s a familiar voice swimming through your head and you try to move towards it, finding your entire body feels drained.

“Yes, I’ve been told.” Is that Jaemin’s voice? It sounds a lot clearer, drags you out of the darkness. “But look, it ended up being good, right? She’s alive.” You finally manage to pry your eyes open and immediately regret it, slamming them shut and curling into yourself. A groan leaves you and the two stop talking. “Y/N? Baby, it’s me.” There’s a hand on your cheek, brushing against the skin gently, and you press into his touch. “How are you feeling?” “Bad.” You croak out through a dry throat, cringing at how dry it feels. Jaemin laughs softly and something presses to your lips. “Here, drink this.”

You didn’t realize how hungry you were until you get the first taste, and then suddenly you find the strength in your body to take gulp after gulp of the drink. It brings a little bit of warmth to your body, makes you feel less achy. You even manage to pry your eyelids open.

Jeno and Jaemin greet you, both men looking relieved. Jaemin beams at you, dipping down for a kiss. “Hey baby.” “What happened?” You frown, trying to remember how you got to Jaemin’s couch. “Did I- I was walking to the church and we were attacked.” Oh shit, you weren’t alone. You search frantically around the room. “Did Mark- is he okay?” The thought of your best friend- no matter how strained your relationship was at the end- dying is too much for you to handle.

Jaemin smiles. “He’s the one that brought you to me.”

“He’s okay?” Jeno nods in confirmation.

“They only wanted to kill for fun, guess you were enough.” Jeno says. “Speaking of killing, Jaemin has a lot of explaining to do. And since I don’t trust him to do a good job, I’m going to stay here!” You look between the two. “Kill? Am I- I’m dead?” Jaemin makes a face. “Fucking- I’m a vampire?” Your words come out shrill and the two boys cringe.

“Yeah, sorry.” Jaemin scratches the back of his neck. “My bad. But, um, I’ll take care of you! Don’t worry.” Then, to Jeno: “Come on man, can’t we have a second of peace? I literally never thought I was going to see her again.” Jeno sighs, glaring at his friend before walking away. “Dramatic.”

You’re in Jaemin’s arms in the next second, held close to his chest. “Fuck y/n, I’m so sorry.” His voice is shaky and he keeps his face pressed into your neck. “This is all my fault, I don’t know how I’m going to make it up to you.” “We’ll figure it out later.” You tug at his hair to get him to look you in the eyes. “I almost died, Jaemin. Give me a headache later. Right now…” You trail off, letting your lips stretch wide. “Kiss me.” It draws a snort from Jaemin. “You were dead like an hour ago and now you want to fuck?” “No!” You whine and smack his chest. “I just want a kiss, get your mind out of the gutter.” Jaemin teases you some more, making you laugh and smack him to stop before you finally say fuck it and pull him closer, smashing your lips together. He smiles into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your body. You have a lot to worry about, but you’ve also got all the time in the world to worry about it. It makes you sick to think about, and for now, you want to just relax. Not that Jaemin seems to mind, happily letting you curl into his chest, stroking your head. You’re not alone, you have Jaemin, and you know he’ll help you through this.

+ You’re not expecting a welcome home party. You’re also not expecting to find all of your belongings scattered across the front yard, having very clearly been chucked from your bedroom window.

“Lovely.” You scoff, staring at the mess. The front door has the biggest cross you’ve ever seen nailed to it, complete with the silver door knob that you promptly burn yourself on. You stare at the door, wondering if you should knock. It swings open before you make your mind up.

Mark stares back at you with wide eyes and parted lips. “Y/n? You’re alive?”

“Hey, Mark.” You smile, tight lipped. “Jaemin told me you saved me.”

Mark looks like he’s about to say something but then his mouth closes and he shakes his head. “Y/n, you- you’re a vampire now. I can’t.” Mark doesn’t look you in the eye when he says it and you scoff, rolling your eyes. “I’m sorry.” “I’m sorry.” You mock, shaking your head. “No you’re not. If you were sorry, you would fucking look me in the eyes.” He doesn’t. “You know it’s your fault I’m like this, right?” That gets him to look up at you. There’s fire in his eyes this time. “No, it’s your fault for whoring around with vampires.” You shake your head. “Who made me go to church that night?” He looks away and doesn’t answer the question. “Good bye, Mark.”

#nct smut #nct dream smut #nct fic #nct dream fic #jaemin smut #jaemin fic #jaemin fanfiction #jaemin vampire #na jaemin smut #kpop smut #supernatural nct #dream smut #kpop scenario #nct scenario #nct dream scenario #jaemin scenario

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mlqcconfessions · 4 years

Note

So i think tumblr sent my ask before I could even tell you what’s on my mind. Lol. Oh well. Let me start over, heyyyy!! So big fan of your blog here. ☺️💙 Never fail to brighten my day. May I ask, how do you think it would be like if MC isn’t a producer but have a different job? (Like say, a medic or whatnot) How will she be able to interact with the guys (and possibly fall in love with them?)

Thanks for the request! Sorry this took so long to answer.

To make things interesting, I gave MC the boys’ occupations (minus Shaw, because he doesn’t have a clear job(?) yet). There may be slight spoilers regarding certain backstories. Also, MC will already be in a relationship with the guys.

Enjoy!

MLQC Headcanon - More Jobs than Barbie

Victor (MC as *police officer*)

Victor wasn’t always supportive of you joining the police force

He was concerned that you would be overworked by the other seniors in the station (but who would dare to, honestly)

But when he saw how passionate you were, he quickly changed his mind

He technically owns a part of the station? (as a part of a partnership with LFG)

Despite his extremely busy schedule as THE CEO of THE LFG, he always finds time to pack you lunch

He won’t hear any excuses as to why you had to settle for 3 choux buns today

“Victor, we were trailing a suspect!”

“If you faint on the job, it’s a bother to your co-workers” (he says while feeding you his homemade fried rice)

He was irritated one day when he noticed you came home without your lunch box

“Oh, Tony (bringing back the LEGEND) forgot his, so I shared mine with him”

“........did you now....”

You know that face too well

“Don’t worry! I made him promise to return it tomorrow” (Dummy, that’s not the issue here)

The next day, Victor didn’t leave a lunch box on the table like usual

Maybe it’s because Tony still has my lunch box?

You went to your shift without giving it much thought

Lunchtime came around, but you still didn’t have anything to eat

“MC? Here’s your lunch box” (you turned around to see Tony standing there with your box)

“Ah, thanks!”

“Uh...if you don’t have any plans, do you wanna go eat somewhere?”

“Yeah sure, I didn’t bring food anyways!”

“Who says you don’t have food?”

A chilling voice suddenly appears behind you

“Vi-Victor?” (Tony’s jaw drops in fear)

He’s holding a lunch box you’ve never seen before, stacked with 3 layers of cooking by Souvenir’s finest

He tosses your old lunch box back to Tony

“She won’t be needing this anymore”

Kiro (MC as *neurologist*)

Your work as a scientist was demanding, without a doubt

But it’s not as tiring as answering Kiro’s endless array of questions

“MC! What does this one do?” (Kiro, stop pressing those)

“Will this turn my hair purple?” (Kiro, that’s anesthesia)

“Look at this! My knee is going all bouncy!” (Kiro, put that reflex hammer down)

It’s like setting a kindergartener loose in a zoo

It’s not like you hated him being there when you worked

If anything, it was really adorable (especially when he looked at you so intently with those bright, shining sapphire eyes)

He has his own corner in your lab (he spent 5 days decorating it)

He bought a mini-fridge to hold the sweets, and a pantry for the chips

He doesn’t visit ALL the time, though (and it actually feels lonely without him)

When he has work, he would call beforehand (he says you can eat the cake on the top shelf of the fridge)

Kiro likes taking naps on the couch by your desk

It was originally meant for YOU to use (something about letting your brain rest along with your body)

But he’s the one sleeping in it (Savin has to drag him out when he has a schedule)

Because he’s not authorized to handle the materials in your lab, he just stands close to you while you work

But he INSISTS on wearing a lab coat like yours

“We’re matching, MC! Do I look like a scientist?”

One day he brought stole glasses from his stylist because he wanted to look smarter (gosh he’s precious)

He spends so much time at the center that all the other scientists keep expecting him

Some of them were fans of Kiro, and figured out the way to his heart was by feeding him food

Which was a lie, since the only person he opened his heart to was you

He just doesn’t turn down food

Lucien (MC as *CEO*)

He was always proud to call you his fiancée, especially when you’re running such a huge company as its CEO

Lucien’s job as a neurologist and researcher meant he wasn’t able to be with you for long (and same with you)

You became so lonely that you decided to invest in Lucien’s lab

“MC, are you sure you don’t want to discuss this with Anna and the others?”

“Yeah! I’m just happy I get to see you more often now!”

Lucien laughs softly (What am I going to do with this sunshine)

But that doesn’t mean you’re terrible at your job

If anything, your ability to run one of the biggest companies in Loveland is immeasurable

Before your father passed, he made sure to teach you everything there is to know about entrepreneurship

Thanks to him, and with the help of your trusted employees, you’ve never ran into major problems

You’re happy with your job, and satisfied that you can continue what your father did when he was alive

Plus, you get more time with Lucien

He sometimes visits your office to give reports on how the various projects the lab is working on (it gives you a boost every time)

“Wait, hold that pose!” *click

When he’s reporting, he always changes out of his usual lab coat and into a suit (because he is meeting his “Boss”, after all)

And you take OOTD pictures to save in your hard drive

He never says anything about it

In fact, he enjoys it as much as you do

He loves it even more when your face turns red after Minor walks in on your photoshoot session

“HA HA! Boss, have you been doing this every time Mr. Xu comes?”

You say nothing, and just bury your face on your desk

Lucien doesn’t say anything either, but the smile on his face marginally grows more sinister

Minor senses something is wrong and nearly drops the files he was holding

“We-well, have fun Boss!” (he dashes out the door in an instant)

You look up and see Lucien tidying your messy hair

“What’s wrong with Minor?” (didn’t he bring the files I need to sign?)

“(he tucks your hair behind your ears and smiles) Hmm.... who knows?”

Gavin (MC as *idol*)

He had heard from his sources (Minor) that you graduated Loveland University with a major in the performing arts

He knew you would pursue this field from the beginning

After all, he would listen in on your rehearsals for the plays in high school (he never told you, of course)

He was afraid that you might be uncomfortable if he was there, with all the rumors going around about him

That’s why he never attended any of your plays (he paid no mind to Minor’s constant begging)

Instead he liked sitting on the theater roof, happily drowning himself in your voice (the same voice that saved him that day, when he discovered his Evol)

The day you reunited with him was when you were filming a show outside

He had to do a double-take when he saw you surrounded by cameras and fans (Isn’t that guy getting a little TOO close??)

You actually spotted him too, but pretended not to (you were still caught over the scary rumors about the upperclassman)

But that was nearly a year ago

Now the two of you are in a relationship (something neither of you thought was possible)

He knew you weren’t allowed to date publicly because of scandals, but he still wanted to show off his beautiful “Ginkgo” (which is what your name is saved as on his phone)

The only other person who knows is Minor

He doesn’t go around blabbing about it, but he does tease Gavin any chance he gets

“Hey, Gavin. Guess what I have for you (he hands a limited issue of your exclusive magazine)? There was only 1 copy left, and I got it for you. Now you can go brag to your cop friends”

Gavin promptly yanks the magazine away from Minor, who has an unbelievable grin on his face

“Shut it”

He doesn’t give back the magazine, though

This was such an interesting prompt to write! Thanks to @aliaisreal for the amazing request!

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miyaniacs · 4 years

Text

Sinfully Sweetheart pt.9

A/N: uhm yeah my attempt to continue this series with our fav twins... well.. its trashy I'm so sorry lol - tell me if you want a pt2 to this one so I can make it up for you lol (also it’s not really edited since I couldn't get myself to reread this)

other parts can be found in my masterlist

Warnings : slight NSFW, also reader is ‚slightly‘ drunk (but not drunk drunk they can still think straight)

Atsumu & Osamu

Well you and the twins know each other since you’re born practically

Your parents are Highschool friends

And that’s why you’re here now

At some get together of your parents Highschool group

It’s cool and all since you’re friends with some of their daughters, who are almost like sisters for you

And you haven’t seen them that often the past months - you’re all in your 20’s now, meaning different cities, different universities, different jobs, some are already engaged - the whole : Who are you in your 20’s span of : not knowing what you’re getting for dinner to Let me pick up my kids real quick, my husband is still at work

Due to exam season you haven’t had a real chance to dress up or go out, since all your nights are spent in front of your laptop, with a glass of wine at 3am, helping you with your existential crisis and your fits are what you already wore at 3am

SO NOW

It’s your time to…. Feel human again. Taking a shower, putting on a hair and face mask, painting your nails, putting on some lipstick and eyeliner, finally being able to wear all the hot fits you brought at 4am right after your existential crisis - yeah the usual

Currently your moms best friends are gushing over how much you’re grown up etc and telling embarrassing stories of your childhood

The fun part tho - you’ve grown up soooo much - so you’re now getting handed the good stuff and not some apple juice

You’re on your… 3rd Margarita now

Your 2 „Sisters“ at their 4rd - they both brought their boyfriends with them who are also forced to drive tonight

“Why are you still sitting here with us the whole time?“ One of the mums ask, making you all look at her confused

“I mean, shouldn’t you dance?“ She corrected herself laughing

“Yeah, isn’t that the song you three always danced to?“ Your mum laughs.

Talking about embarrassing stories: Yes you danced to “Pony“ by Ginuwine

Atsumu starts laughing, “Yeah please show us, haven’t you just told us how much you missed riding.“

Great. Just great. you ignored the twins the whole time until now.

Why? Well your best friends attends the same college as Atsumu and after all her bragging abilities how lucky you can be to be friends with such good looking twins… you started to look at them differently? They’ve always been the „chaotic twins“ who you know since you can remember. Yet after she gushed about them for hours and proved her points with pictures on instagram You had a rather strange dream that night. And you can’t look at them anymore now The sinning was WAY TOO BAD

Back to the now

Taking a big sip you roll your eyes at his comment and sass “Well, judging from what I’ve heard you’re quite a pro at... instructing how to ride properly.“

Osamu chocked on his drink

Their mother takes a big sip of her red wine

But Atsumu gets up and now towers over you

Fuck

Don’t think of that dream now, Don’t - don’t - don’t

“That’s right.“ He grins, “And as far as I can remember your skills need some serious practice.“ He smirks and now you’re almost choking on your own breath

"Let me help you, yes?“ He extends his hand, but you just look at it while you feel your face getting redder with every second

"Tsumu, stop it.“ Osamu says and you look at him as if he’s your knight in shining armor-

Until he opens his mouth again

"She’s still our small innocent y/n.“ He laughs and looks at you with slightly closed eyes.

"Oh yeah, yer right, I forgot.“ Atsumu laughs, but quickly stops when you get up and take his hand dragging him away from the table to the open space

Was it the Margaritas giving you the confidence? Probably yes.

That has to be the reason why you’re currently placing one of your hands around Atsumu’s neck and press your back on his chest

His hands are placed on your waist, trying to keep it all “our parents are watching“ friendly

Starting to body roll on him you feel his grip tightening, making sure you’re staying as close as possible

When you arch your back though- you hear him coughing “Our parents are still watching.“

As if the playlist heard his wishes, the song changed to “Bootylicious“.

You laugh and turn around “Ohhh come on ( your friends names), that’s our song.“ You say remembering that you three had a whole choreography planned for this song

“Wow and what about me?“ Atsumu teases

“You haven’t given me any instructions so you’re useless.“ You smile brightly and push him away

Laughing it off he walks back to the table and sits down next to Osamu

The whole situation long forgotten you pull of your choreography, which includes way more hip shakes and “I dropped my phone“ or “where’s my phone“ moves than you remembered

Your parents are all outside at this point enjoying the warm summer night

What you’re not noticing though is the fact that Atsumu’s and Osamu’s eyes are fixed on your every move

Slowly they start to realise that you’re not… so innocent anymore

So it doesn’t hurt to play with you a bit right?

That said they join you on the dace floor, together with the others boyfriends

Right now some Sean Paul song’s on

Osamu is right in fort of you meaning he’s you’re new dance partner now - If he wants it or not

But believe me he wants it

Your hands on his chest, running slightly down his torso as you go down to the beat, still looking up at him through your lashes

Getting back up you’re wrapping your arms around Osamu’s neck

Immediately his hands find their way to your lower back, pulling you against him

"Well.. what happened to our innocent babygirl?“ He whispers in your ear

You can feel his breath on your neck His chest pressing against you with every breath he takes His strong grip holing you in place This whole scenario reminds you way too much of your dream

"Ohh, suddenly shy again?“ He teases while guiding your body to move to the beat

"Uhm.. no I - uhm..“ You stutter

"Yes?“ He asks, but before you can answer, you’re pulled away from Osamu and pressed against a slightly more toned chest.

"Samu, you never knew how to share.“ Atsumu grumbles and rests his hands on your hip

"Relax Y/N. We’re just dancing.“ He chuckles

Was it the alcohol? Or the lack of sleep? Or all the pictures your best friend showed you? You have no idea But things escalated quickly and you’re now dancing… unholy with both of the twins

You’re arms around Atsumu’s neck, his thigh between your legs, while Osamu’s hands are on your hips moving them against his

Thank god your parents left the room and your friends are too occupied with their boyfriends to notice

"How about we leave?“ Atsumu suddenly whispers dangerously low in your ear, "I still have to teach you how to ride, don’t I?“ He smirks down at you

"Don’t listen to him.“ Osamu says, “I’m a way better teacher.“ He says and his lips press against he sensitive skin behind your ear.

"Uhm.. I - no - we shouldn’t do this…“ you try to convince them, well more yourself if you’re honest

"If you truly don’t want this.“ Atsumu says and moves a few inches away from you, Osamu doing the same

"I - wait no!“ You exclaim, without even thinking about it

"What’s the magic word?“ Osamu says while walking around you stopping next to his brother

"P- Please..?“ You stutter, not truly sure if you’re actually dreaming all of this again

"Goodgirl.“ Atsumu smirks and pats your head.

"I’ll go and tell our parents that we’re driving you home.“ Osamu says and is about to leave when you hold onto his arm

"Wait!! Non of us can drive though!“ You remember

"… Atsumu and I both got a drivers license?“ He asks confused

"Yeah yeah I do too, but we can’t drive! We all drank too much.“ You mumble

To your surprise both of them laugh

"What?“ You look between the two of them

"Baby,…, non of us drank any alcohol.“ Atsumu says and Osamu continues his way outside, telling your parents that you’re too tired from the past week and they’ll make sure to get you home safely

"You… you didn’t?“ You ask shocked.

"No baby, after seeing you dace, we’re sure that you’ll be needing all of our attention later on.“ He smiles and leans down, "And you’ll get all of our attention.“ He whispers the last part and emphasises the all

You gulp and look at him with big eyes

What exactly have you gotten yourself into?

let me just tag you @kenmasgameboy so you know what trash I was talking about alsooo @saucysamu @shoyosun since Osamu is included

#haikyuu reactions #haikyuu headcanons #atsumu headcanons #atsumu x reader #atsumu hcs #osamu headcanons #osamu x reader #haikyuu x reader

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everybodyscupoftea · 4 years

Text

this is the life

ole miss rafe x reader

you and your boyfriend deal with your ~futures~

literally no one asked for this lol, i’m sorry

(warnings: cursing)

Your animal and dairy sciences seminar had a report due that you’d stayed up very late making last minute edits to because you were stressed it was really bad. The next morning was brutal. Not only was in an 8 a.m. lecture, but your coffee machine was out and you overslept, barely giving yourself enough time to get to class before the professor checked attendance.

You slid into your seat, out of breath, just as started scanning the seating chart for attendance. The boy who sits next to you turned to ask, “Library was backed up this morning?”

“What?” you asked, halfway paying attention, still scrambling to get your notebook out.

“Since you’re running late, I’m assuming it’s because the library was busy when you went to print your report.”

Your stomach dropped and you swore, “Fuck. I forgot to print it. Fucking fuck. I submitted it online but I forgot we needed to hand him a physical copy too. Oh god I can’t afford to fail this class.” You were getting worked up and the boy was starting to look more and more like he regretted talking to you in the first place.

“I mean he’s pretty chill, so I’m sure if you explain he’ll let you bring it by his office later.”

The boy had a point, but you were already too far gone. For the rest of the class, you were unfocused, and if someone asked you what he lectured on, you’d have no clue, so preoccupied with rehearsing how you were going to beg him for an extension. You only had one other class, and you’d definitely be able to print it out and run it to him between them, but that was depending on if he let you.

Just as class was ending, your phone vibrated in your hoodie pocket, and you checked it, immediately calmed at seeing a text from your boyfriend. Rafe sent Can’t wait to see you this weekend and whatever had a grip on your chest loosened enough for you to take a full breath for the first time since waking up.

After speaking to your professor and his reassurance that you didn’t really need to worry much about the written report, that it was just to ensure everyone had it turned in prior to class, you left, much happier, but the exhaustion hitting you straight in the gut.

Thankfully, all you had left that day was a communication elective and then to drive to Rafe’s apartment in Oxford. He’d convinced you to make the trip because he wanted to show you around the place he’d called home for four years after leaving behind his “hometown trauma.” His words.

Your class flew by, people were giving speeches and you’d given yours Wednesday, so you sat there mindlessly, half asleep, until she dismissed the class for the weekend. Stopping back by your apartment to pick up your overnight bag, you decided to last minute check your PO Box, it had been a while. To your shock, you actually had mail, and when you saw the return address, the sick feeling returned to your stomach.

There was about a two-hour drive to Rafe’s apartment from Starkville, and you had the option of opening the letter containing either the best news or the worst news of your life before the drive or at Rafe’s apartment. Part of you wanted to know then, but a stronger part of you wanted to be with Rafe so he could comfort you if necessary.

Instead of making a decision, you felt your tired brain could not, you called Rafe. He answered before the second ring and you couldn’t help yourself.

“I see that receptionist job taught you some useful skills.”

“What?” he asked, sounding confused.

“Answering my calls fast, that’s good because my time is money.”

Rafe sighed, “Can I help you?”

“Someone’s mad. But, yes, should I open the letter from the vet school now or wait until I get to Oxford.”

You heard some shuffling around before he answered, “You think you can wait? I actually have something to tell you too.”

“Yeah, um, sure,” you were a little worried, “Is everything okay?”

“I think so. We just need to talk.”

“Right, talk, are you sure everything’s good?”

“Yeah, stop worrying. Just drive on over.”

You had been excited to go visit, but after that phone call you wanted to go back to bed. With a deep sigh, you rubbed your eyes with the heels of your hands and slumped backward. Blinking away the spots, you buckled up, pit in your stomach, and drove to your favorite coffee shop in Starkville. If shit was going to go down in Oxford you were going to have your comfort drink.

StrangeBrew’s drive-thru was packed and you tapped your fingers anxiously on the steering wheel as you waited to order your blueberry cobbler cold brew with soy milk. Right as the barista handed you the to-go cup, your phone vibrated and Rafe had sent drive safe!! <3. The fuck did that mean in the context of your earlier phone conversation?!

The drive to Oxford was boring as hell. You’d made it before, a band you liked had played there one night, and you and some friends had made the reluctant trip to see them. Turning on your podcast, you focused on nothing but the drive, pushing aside relationship doubts and the growing anxiety about the letter sitting in your passenger seat.

You called Rafe when you got close, and he was waiting outside his building when you finally found a visitor’s spot. He jogged over to grab your overnight bag and bent down to give you a quick kiss, before greeting you with, “Hey, baby, how was the drive?”

“Boring as fuck, nothing new.”

“Went smoothly?”

“About as smooth as possible. I’ve had to pee for the last like 40 minutes though, so it’d be great if I could do that now.”

He laughed and turned to walk to his building, motioning for you to follow him. You did, scampering a little to keep up with his long strides, and he unlocked a door on the first floor, holding it open for you, “Bathroom’s down the hall to the left.”

Rafe was sitting on the couch when you made it back out to the living room, and you finally took a good look at him. His laptop was on the coffee table and he was wearing a pair of Ole Miss sweats, a worn-out t-shirt, and a pair of glasses you were unaware he needed.

“Take a picture,” he interrupted your train of thought and you rolled your eyes.

“Shut up, Cameron. Now, tell me what you want to talk about so I can open my letter.”

“No, open your letter first and then we’ll talk.”

You weren’t sure why he was so insistent or why your heart rate tripled, but you were pretty sure it wasn’t the coffee. With shaking hands, you held up the letter from the MSU Vet School. All of your undergrad work came down to that letter, whether you’d have to take a gap year and try to find work to apply again or whether you could move forward in your career path.

Rafe watched on eagerly as you carefully tore it open and started reading. Eyes jumping across the page, unable to focus, you barely made out, Congratulations and We welcome you and We look forward to seeing you next fall.

With a gasp, you launched yourself at an unprepared Rafe and latched on, arms wrapped around his neck. He ran his hand up and down your back soothingly and asked, gently, “Good news?”

“I’m going to Vet School,” you whispered, voice cracking in the middle of your sentence.

“Fucking right you are, my little Rockstar.”

Your face heated up and you buried it in the crook of his neck, feeling a weight lift off your shoulders. Only to come crashing back down a few seconds later as you remembered Rafe wanted to talk. Pulling back slowly, you asked, “So, what was it you wanted to talk about?”

His face lit up and he leaned forward, hanging on to you so he didn’t accidentally dump you onto the floor, and grabbed his laptop. Clicking to his email, he showed you the message he had pulled up from Mississippi State University Department of History Admissions.

“So, you know I’ve been interested in teaching,” he started, “and I’m debating whether I’d like to teach college or not.”

“Yeah, last we talked, you were leaning toward college professor, right?”

“Right. Well, I applied to a few schools that had a PhD program I was interested in, and I heard back from my top choice.”

Your mind was racing, still not connecting the dots, until he motioned at his laptop. Looking back down, you skimmed the email, telling him that he’d been accepted into MSU’s PhD in European History program and gasped, turning back to him in excitement, “No way?!”

“Way,” he told you, wide grin on his face.

Jaw dropped, your mind raced to put together a coherent thought, “How long have you been planning this?”

“The program is good, this isn’t a new thought, but MSU obviously jumped up my preference list to the top after we got together.”

“Fuckin whipped,” you teased and he tilted your chin down to kiss you.

Pulling away he brushed some of your hair back, “Only for you.”

As he leaned in again, you were the one to pull back, “Wait, we have to celebrate!”

Rafe groaned, “No, let me kiss you.”

“No! I want food, I spent the entire ride thinking I was going to get dumped when I got here.”

He furrowed his eyebrows, “What?”

“We need to talk,” you quoted, “that’s one scary fucking sentence, Cameron.”

He smiled sheepishly, “Sorry, sweetheart, I just wanted to keep it a surprise.”

“Well you did.”

Rafe leaned in to kiss you again and pulled back to add, “You really think I’d make you drive all the way here, just to break up with you. I’m wounded you think that lowly of me.”

“You are an asshole.”

Rolling his eyes, he pinched your cheek gently, “Be nice to me, I’m sacrificing my dignity and lowering myself to Mississippi State’s standards.”

Blinking a few times in surprise at his sudden switch, you told him back, “Fuck off, I’m sure you were last choice as soon as they saw where you got your undergrad degree.”

Without saying anything else, he kissed you again, gripping behind your knees and shifting so your back was on the couch. As he lowered himself down on top of you, you decided that food could wait. You had your future to celebrate.

#rafe cameron #rafe cameron x reader #rafe cameron x you #rafe cameron fluff #rafe outer banks #rafe cameron fic #rafe obx #outer banks fic #outer banks #obx #college rafe #ole miss rafe

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lexpressobean · 3 years

Text

Parent/Teacher Night

In which Shikamaru steps in as Mirai's guardian to help her complete her unofficial assignment of the night and subsequently suffers from nostalgia induced shock from unforeseen circumstances.

**Modern AU, Mild Swearing, late 20-something adults who simply care about the same 10-year-old kid lol

Edit: Now available on AO3 too!

•••

Shikamaru had gladly accepted Kurenai's request for him to attend Parent-Teacher night with Mirai in her absence. It had been his day off after all, and he hadn't planned anything anyway. Plus, it'd only take, what, half an hour at most back and forth? Maybe he could even treat Mirai to dinner, just 'cause it had been a while. Normally, Kurenai would have skipped it all together due to her schedule, just this one time, but apparently Mirai's teacher was offering extra credit to the students as an incentive for them to have their parents come. And Mirai was very adamant that she shouldn't waste such an opportunity. Not for this teacher.

Shikamaru wondered what seemed to make this teacher so special to Mirai anyway. When he asked, Mirai seemed confused.

"You don't know, Shikamaru?"

"... Well, it's not like I've met the teacher either Mirai. But this teacher must be really good at their job if you like them that much already."

Mirai gave him a gleeful grin, "Watch, you'll see!"

And see he did.

Shikamaru wasn't expecting to run into such a classicaly "tall, dark, and handsome" form in the classroom. He certainly wasn't expecting that man to BE the teacher.

"Shino-sensei!" Mirai called, running over to greet him.

And at that, something froze Shikamaru in place. Something almost urgent... Wait... Shino? Shino... Why did that name sound familiar...?

The teacher turned just in time to take her glomp's impact with a deep, "OOF!" into his abdomen, and Shikamaru got distracted by the sound of his voice. Wow, deep... but then Shikamaru noticed his glasses misaligned in the process, and Shikamaru then realized they were... sunglasses? Indoors? Ha, this guy... Shikamaru wasn't necessarily gonna dock him points for that. But the only other person Shikamaru remembers doing that unironically was-

...

... Oh wait...

Oh... Wait.

OH. OH, HOLY SHIT!?

WAIT, THAT'S SHINO!? AS IN "SHINO ABURAME" SHINO!?!?!?

...

W H A T ! ?

"Ah... Mirai, hello. I thought you and your mother weren't coming. I told you it's okay, sometimes people can't come."

"Shikamaru came with me! I didn't want to miss the extra credit!"

"Shikamaru?"

"He's technically my godfather, so it counts, right?"

Shino stayed quiet for a moment and looked over towards the doorway where Shikamaru was still standing. As he recognized Shikamaru, Shino straightened up, gave a brief wave and... a smile?

Shikamaru was dumbfounded. Just a minute ago, he would've simply held up an open hand in response as he subtley and respectfully checked him out. Seriously, how could he not? But, now the movement of Shino's wave snapped him out of his thoughts and Shikamaru probably waved more than really needed to acknowledge the teacher. And he cursed at himself inwardly as soon as Shino looked back to Mirai. Was he blushing? It was feeling kinda hot in the classroom all of a sudden...!

"Alright Mirai, thank-you for coming, but for now please wait your turn, okay?"

"Alright!" Mirai walked back to Shikamaru, smiling widely proud of herself.

From far away, he could hear Shino's voice, "Sorry for the interruption. You see-"

"Surprise, Shikamaru!"

Mirai knew. This whole time. And the more he thought about it, Shikamaru at one point knew too. He just... simply forgot... Wow, what a thing to forget. Damn it, why didn't Shikamaru ask more questions earlier? Why didn't she just tell Shikamaru? Hell, why didn't KURENAI tell Shikamaru!?

"Yeah, I guess you're right..."

As Mirai led Shikamaru around the classroom, he started to try and recall more about Shino. It was all coming to him, slowly but surely. And if what he recalled was correct, this neat and organized classroom definitely would scream Shino. It was decorated with the typical posters meant to be both fun and helpful, and colorful and eye catching. Shikamaru even recognized many of the books in the shelves, though most he never actually read any of them. But there were traces of decorations here and there that were definitely conscious choices. Namely pictures of worms in apples, ladybugs, ants and bees symbolizing teamwork, things like that. Shino was a fan of bugs afterall.

Then Shikamaru found some board games and noted shogi was among them. He was tempted for a split second to pull it out and challenge Mirai to a game, but thought better of it. But what Mirai was most eager to show Shikamaru was her seat. Or rather, what was nearly right next to her seat.

In a terrarium, no doubt from Shino's collection if Kiba told him the truth, held a black and white worm. Except the worm had these orange like eye markings all along either side if it, and black dots in each eye shape... Shikamaru thought it looked kinda goth for a bug.

"We all decided to name it Daidai! Shino-sensei says this one will turn into a moth. Before Daidai, we had a catepillar we all named Marugao, because it's head was so big! But when he became a butterfly, he was so pretty, he almost shimmered!"

As Mirai gushed about how she got to sit next to Daidai, Shikamaru stole a glance at Shino once more. He was still making rounds, and it looked like no one else had come into the classroom either. Hm, looks like they were gonna be last.

Sunglasses had always hid Shino's eyes, ever since they were kids. Shikamaru couldn't quite recall if they were actually prescription or not, but up to this point, they had always been a constant. Otherwise... his former classmate really was virtually unrecognizable. And now that he thought about it, Shikamaru recalled that Shino had graduated from university with a teaching degree some years back, but this information had only been secondhand from Kiba on social media. Shikamaru wasn't even sure if Shino had social media...

Meanwhile, Shikamaru had barely been back in town for still less than a year. It wasn't his fault if he didn't know Shino's business. Medical school was gruelling, and anesthesia was no joke.

But still... Shikamaru had been expecting something similar from Shino. Maybe not a medical doctor, but a doctorate? Hadn't he been in the Environmental Club in high school? He seemed like he would've been very interested in the natural sciences, and definitely had the means... It was just kind if odd. He was an academic star that was always competing with both Ino and Sakura for top of the class as far as he could remember. And those ladies had gone to school to become a Pediatric Psychiatrist and Pediatric Surgeon respectively too. They were all a smart bunch, no doubt about that.

Yet, Shino had always been... different too. He had looked like a troublemaker with the beanies he wore, and his messy, nearly kinky curls always managed to find a way to stick out in the back. And he always had baggy looking clothing on in layers during any kind of weather. Plus he had a bad case of RBF Syndrome too, which would alarm a few others because he was always so good at blending into the background, yet when noticed, he looked like the kind of guy that would mess you up for just breathing funny. He had always been taller than most too, that probably didn't help.

But he wasn't a bad kid at all. Not like Naruto and Kiba anyway. Acording to Kiba, Shino's loner tendencies were due to simple shyness. And he would know, as Kiba and Shino seemed to grow close after they opted to join the Environmental Club separately in high school, which happened to be run by Kurenai-sensei. And that's all Shikamaru really knew, because when Kiba would come out and about Shino hardly ever came. Kiba could be pushy, which is how Shikamaru suspected the pair became friends in the first place, but apparently not enough to enjoy a party or things like that together outside of school... Maybe once or twice? Not even at Naruto's insistence could make him a regular, as Naruto was... an "unofficial" member of the Environment Club. Meaning he'd just crash the club's outings when they did plant specific activities. Naruto had a green thumb after all.

Actually, it always seemed like Kiba and Naruto were those extroverts that had the habit of adopting introvert friends so to speak. Funnily enough, their respective adoptees had already known each other too. But Sasuke was even LESS friendlier than Shino, and even Shino seemed annoyed with him, one of those rare times he let his thoughts show in his expression...

But today, in the yellowish glow of the classroom lights... something was definitely different. From his smoothed out hair tied up into modern bun on his hatless head and his open, light duty trenchcoat that really... accentuated his very... broad, adult figure... It was most definitely different... but the most dynamic change of all had to be that Shikamaru had never seen Shino so soft in the face before. Behind those shades, he looked... relaxed, and when he spoke, it sounded so... nice? Definitely not a bad thing at all...

And suddenly there was a hand in front of Shikamaru's face.

"-kamru...Shikamaru?"

"HUH!? What?"

... Oh... Hell, he spaced out.

"... Shikamaru, are you okay? Busy day at work at the hospital maybe?"

HUH!? How did Shino know that? "Uh! Yeah, kinda..." he shook his head, "Well no, that's not it, today was actually my day off. I worked yesterday. Still a little out of it looks like," he added with a casual chuckle. At least he hoped he sounded casual.

Shino frowned, eyebrows knit into concern. Ah man, how embarrassing! Had Shikamaru been caught starting with a dopey look on his face?

"... I'm sorry, maybe extra credit was a bad idea this time around. Mirai is so dutiful, I didn't mean for anyone to be dragged here."

"What? No way, I wasn't dragged here. Mirai is my Goddaughter, Shino, so I'm perfectly ready to be informed about her progress. I agreed to come, it's no big deal."

The now teacher looked at Shikamaru with a slight head tilt to the right... And then another small smile. Wow, he really had to stop doing that!

"Well, all in all, Mirai is actually doing very well. She already excels in her studies and is easily one of our most engaged and top students at this time. She's still young, but she shows a lot of scholarly promise."

"Ah, I see. Do... do you see any areas in need of improvement?"

"Well, there's always room for improvement of course. But in Mirai's case..."

Shino looked over at Mirai who was at the snack table. She had walked over to get a couple of cookies and was seemingly cornered by a classmate into a chat.

"... I think, she could benefit from some encouragement to be more social."

"More social?"

Shikamaru followed Shino's gaze and saw Mirai talking to her classmate, her expression showing patience more than anything... It looked like the other little girl was chatting up a storm.

"Don't misunderstand, she's definitely a team player and is very respectful. However, her maturity level is above many of her classmates. As a result, she tends to prefer to study on her own..."

Well, that rang a bell. Shikamaru could've sworn that Shino was the same way back then. But Mirai didn't resemble Shino at all.

"Is she quiet?" Shikamaru asked.

"Oh, no, thankfully she's still quite engaged. If anything, sometimes she may overthink things. I've noted she's a bit of a perfectionist, and so is actually a little slower on average during tests, but she's an avid question asker too. If she just had some more confidence in her self and would... relax a little more, I think it'd be good for her. She's still a kid after all, she should feel allowed to act like one."

That was a strange thing to say... Did Mirai... not feel okay?

"... She's Kurenai-sensei's daughter, so I try not to favor her. It's kind of hard when she used to ride on my shoulders during reunions and things like that though."

Shino gives a small, warm smile in Mirai's direction. And Shikamaru is kind of touched. Despite the shades, his fondness for Mirai is so obvious. It makes Shikamaru glad to know she has Shino to come to during school time. At least that was something....

Then, Shino turned back to Shikamaru, who was TOTALLY not staring just now.

"But it's necessary. She's... too comfortable with me... If earlier didn't make that obvious."

Shikamaru did have it in his mind to scold Mirai about that, but that was a talk for later. More private.

"I had meant to bring this up with Kurenai, but Mirai also... has had a habit of staying in the classroom during lunch and recess. I've had to move to the teacher's lounge during just to get her outside..."

"What? Really?"

Shino nodded, eyebrows knitted and a smile that showed a regretful sympathy.

"... I wonder what that could be about..."

"I suppose some kids find it hard to socialize, but she needs a more... balanced perception of boundries. In no time, she'll have her own mother for a teacher too. Otherwise, she's generally doing pretty well."

Shit. Shino was thinking way ahead, Kurenai was a high school teacher. But... he was right, this couldn't be allowed to go on.

"Shikamaru?"

"Hm? Yes?"

"Did you have any more questions?"

"Uh... No, I... don't think so. But, even though I'm sure you don't have to be asked, please, continue to take care of her."

Shino perked up a little at that before smiling at Shikamaru again! It made it hard to stare him in the face, "Of course."

... Damn... Was Shino's smile... always this cute?

"Shikamaru! I brought you a cookie."

"Oh, thank-you."

"Did you want one too Buggy... I mean... Shino... sensei?"

"... Buggy?" Shikamaru repeated.

"... Ah, Sensei I'm sorry, I did it again...!"

Shino pat Mirai's head, and gave a small chuckle even. Shikamaru was all ears, "It's okay Mirai, I'm know you're trying. No offense taken."

"I really am, I promise!" she assured, "So did you want one?"

"No thank-you Mirai, it's for the guests. You go ahead."

"Okay, sensei."

Shikamaru couldn't help it. He just had to say something.

"Hey Shino."

"Yes?"

"You must be pretty suited to teaching."

"Oh? What makes you sat that?"

"I mean... It's been a while. Actually it's been a long time, but... well, I don't think I've ever seen you quite like this before..."

"Pardon?"

"I dunno, you just seem... Very much in your element here. I'm glad the whole instructor thing really worked out. You've been here for a few years already, haven't you?

"Oh... Thank-you, Shikamaru... And yes, I have. I appreciate that."

This time Shino GRINNED. And Shikamaru suddenly was very aware of his... jawline... uh...

"Y-Yeah, of course! Well, I'm sure there's other parents you need to talk to..."

"Right, that is true." A couple more stragglers had come in.

"But here, hold on a sec," Shikamaru pulled out his phone, "I don't think we've ever traded information before. Wanna trade now? I'll send you a text back."

"Oh," Shino was a bit surprised, "Um. Okay, sure."

After getting his number, Shikamaru sent a text and could hear one of Shino's pockets vibrate.

"There, all set! Thanks for talking with me, Shino."

"Thank-you for coming. And if you're not terribly busy, I trust you will be the one to come when Kurenai-sensei is unavailable?"

"Yes. Yes, that'll be the plan," Shikamaru decided right then and there.

"Alright, thank-you Shikamaru."

"No, thank-you. C'mon Mirai, let's go. Goodbye, Shino.

"Bye Shino-sensei!"

"Goodbye."

"Shikamaru! Can we go eat something? I'm starving!"

"What do you want?"

"Yakisoba!!"

"Haha, alright, sure."

Mirai gave Shikamaru a sudden and huge hug.

"Whoa, what's up?"

"I'm just so happy you came, Shikamaru! So thank-you!" she beamed.

It tugged on Shikamaru's heartstrings a bit. She really had missed him, huh? "You don't have to thank me, Mirai, but your welcome anyway. C'mon, let's go."

"It was nice that you and Shino-sensei got to see each other again too, don't you think?"

"Uh, yeah, it was quite the surprise. But a welcomed one."

Hmmm... It looks like Kurenai was gonna have to be unavailable for the next few parent-teacher nights....

••

I kept tweaking it and tweaking it until I decided to simply stop. So sorry for any grammar or syntax errors, but I just needed to get this out of my system haha

#shikashino #anime: naruto #fanfic #ahhh I almost don't want to tag them seperately...#k here it goes #shino aburame #aburame shino #shikamaru nara #nara shikamaru #modern au version of a bigger and more canon based story I'd like to write...#but this happened and I guess I might as well post it #quite self indulgent #as you can see #shikamaru is prone to what we call #~•☆gay panic☆•~#dusk's fanfic

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mertronus · 3 years

Text

Perfect Courage

This has been in my head ever since I first saw the music video for "Perfect" by Ed Sheeran. So, feeling in an extra fluffy mood tonight, I put the video on a loop, stuck my headphones on, and started to write. And this little beauty came out of it.

Summary: Ron and the crew go on a weekend ski trip...will he finally get the chance and find the courage to tell the girl he loves how he feels? (rated G)

Read it on AO3

****

'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love Not knowing what it was I will not give you up this time

Friday

I stepped off the train and pulled my coat tighter around me. Blimey it was cold. But I guess when you’re in the mountains of Switzerland, it’s to be expected.

I made my way through the station until I stepped out into the village and adjusted my rucksack on my shoulder. Looking up I could just make out the slopes that I guessed I would be hurtling down on a pair of wooden sticks the next day. Who’s idea was this anyway?

Right...Hermione’s.

A smile stretched across my face. Not a surprise that I would do something like this simply because Hermione suggested it. Because Hermione organized it. Because it was Hermione’s parents’ property where we would be staying.

Anything with Hermione’s name on it I would immediately sign up for. I would do anything for her.

I started walking down the street towards the cafe we were meant to all meet, thinking about my best friend. I’ve known her almost all my life, been in love with her since - good God at least since we were thirteen. At least, that’s when I cottoned on to the fact that I couldn’t get enough of being around my nagging, know-it-all, nightmare of a best friend.

And yet, I never made a move, I was too scared, too nervous, feeling too unfanciable or too undeserving...I was convinced she would never go for the likes of me. And, more than all of that, I didn’t want to lose her as a best friend. I was resigned to being her friend for the rest of her life if that meant I got to be in it.

Until she started dating that bloody wanker Cormac McLaggen.

He treated her alright - I would have treated her better - and she seemed happy enough, but I was miserable. I couldn’t do it. For a whole year I watched them and dreaded the moment she would ask me to walk her down the aisle to the tosser.

When she finally ditched him before the fall semester started, I made up my mind. There was no life for me if Hermione wasn’t in it - like really in it. And mine. Otherwise it’s absolute torture. But with us attending different universities, and her in super studious mode during the semester, I never got my chance...until now.

So, yeah, while I hate the very thought of skiing, my attendance on this friends weekend adventure with our lot from school definitely has an ulterior motive. This weekend I would make my move. This weekend I would tell her how I feel. This weekend I would finally, finally, tell Hermione Granger how unbelievably in love with her I am.

I found a love for me Oh darling, just dive right in and follow my lead Well, I found a girl, beautiful and sweet Oh, I never knew you were the someone waiting for me

When I reached the cafe, the first thing I noticed through the window was an adorable head of curly brown hair. She looked amazing sitting there all comfortable in her oversized jumper and hat. The waitress was just handing her a steaming cup - likely tea. More specifically Earl Gray tea with half a sugar and just a bit of milk.

Yes, I know how she takes her tea. Don’t judge. I did say we’ve been best friends since we were kids right? Sod off then.

I took a deep breath and opened the door to step in. Courage of a Lion ...our school motto. Am I a lion or not?

“Ron!” she cried, a huge grin on her face. “You’re early!”

“Well, yeah I - OOF!” I caught her mid lunge and wrapped my arms around her waist. My nose involuntarily dipped into her curls and I breathed her in. Her familiar scent warmed me immediately and I knew my ears were likely bright red. She pulled back and looked at me expectantly. Oh, yeah...what was I saying to her? Right...early...I’m early.

“Caught the earlier train so I wouldn’t be late,” I finally explained.

“Well, I’m glad,” she grinned and reached up to ruffle my hair. I fought the urge to close my eyes at the feeling of her fingers running through my locks. “Been so long since we’ve had time together - the two of us.” When I looked into her eyes, I could have sworn I caught a glimpse of something...longing? Love? Blimey I hope so.

She led me over to the table and plopped me down as she began talking a mile a minute. Most of us were starting our final semester at uni in a couple of weeks, but Hermione of course beat us all to the finish line, having graduated a semester early...with honors thank you very much. Did I mention how bloody brilliant she is?

I gazed at her as she filled me in on all I’ve missed recently in her life - the last exams she took, the jobs she’s going for, visiting her parents over the holidays…

“But oh, listen to me drone on and on, what about you Ron? How was your season? Your semester?”

I snapped myself out of my daze and tried to collect my thoughts as best as I could. I told her a bit about how things were going with football, how I scraped by as usual with my usual mediocre grades and recapped my own holidays. Suddenly it hit me that this was likely the only time this weekend we would be alone. If I wanted to talk to her, now was the time.

Now or never. Courage of a Lion.

“I’ve uh...I’ve been thinking a lot too, Mione,” I said softly.

“Don’t think too hard, Ron,” she teased as she took a sip of her tea.

“Yeah har-dee-har-har,” I shook my head but grinned at her. For a moment I forgot what I was saying altogether as the sun made some of her curls look golden dancing around her head. It always caught me off guard how beautiful she is. How much I love her.

Right...focus Weasley. Just say it... ‘Hermione Granger, I love you’...

“Hermione, I..I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about -”

“Harry!”

“No, not of...what?” She jumped up and ran off to throw her arms around our other best friend...the one who always seemed to have the most impeccable timing.

“Hi Hermione,” he said with a grin. He released her and patted my shoulder. “How’re you Ron?”

I stood and smiled, pulling him into a hug. I was really happy to see him, even if I wished he waited another ten minutes or so. “Good, happy to see you mate.”

Behind Harry, Hermione was happily greeting my sister Ginny - who was dating my git of a best mate - and our friend Neville. It wasn’t long before Dean and Seamus came bustling into the little cafe to join us.

“We’re all here!” Hermione exclaimed. “Shall we head up to the cabin?”

It wasn’t long before all of our bodies and bags were piled into a van that Hermione rented for the weekend to get us around. Not a fan of driving the slick roads of the mountains, she asked me to drive. I was a bit disappointed when Neville happily called bagsy and jumped in the passenger seat beside me. I was really hoping to have Hermione beside me for the almost thirty minute drive up the mountain. Instead, I watched as Hermione wound up squeezed in between Dean and Seamus way in the back since Harry and Ginny took the middle two seater.

Gits. All of them were gits.

We drove up the mountain and I tried to keep my focus solely on the road, but it was hard when I kept wanting to glance back in the rearview mirror to catch a particular pair of brown eyes. I caught her eyes a couple of times and she smiled at me...it was as if the smile was only for me.

I really had to focus on the road.

“Ooh I love this song!” Ginny suddenly lunged forward to turn up the radio as Ed Sheeran’s “Sing” was starting up.

“ I don't wanna know If you're getting ahead of the programme…”

I glanced back and laughed at the sight of my friends singing at the top of their lungs.

“I want you to be mine, lady And to hold your body close Take another step into the no-man's land For the longest time, lady…”

I watched Hermione laughing with Dean as they sang and felt a pang of jealousy...until she looked up and caught my eye again and winked. I blushed and looked at the road but when I glanced back up, she was still singing and watching me. A chill ran through my body although the van’s heat was blasting.

We decided to stay in that night and get an early start the next morning. Hermione’s parents had the caretakers stock the fridge and pantry, so the seven of us had a good time pulling out random ingredients and making a hodge-podge of food - paired with the excessive amounts of liquor Seamus procured for us of course.

Everyone started to drop off one by one, and I tried to hang on so I could maybe get a few moments alone with Hermione again, but the last thing I remembered seeing was the girl of my dreams curled up on the armchair before I dozed off myself.

Saturday

Ski lifts are bloody scary!!! It’s bad enough you have all this gear on with your coats and snow pants and boot, then you’re also clipped to these long wooden sodding sticks that are weighing you down, all while sitting precariously on a bench that’s flying through the air.

Who’s idea is this of fun!?!?

“Having fun Ron?” Her arm wrapped around mine and she pulled herself in close as we rode the lift up to the top of the slopes.

I smiled but I’m pretty sure a wince was seen too. “Bit nervous honestly.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t let you fall…” I pulled her in close and nuzzled my nose in her hair. “Not too much anyway.”

Okay, I’ll admit it: skiing is kind of fun. Or rather, skiing with Hermione is fun.

We spent the entire day on the slopes, stopping for an early lunch and mid-afternoon to warm up. Hermione spent most of the day teaching me the ropes and I spent most of the day falling on my arse. Even Neville showed me up - him, Dean and Seamus speeding passed us repeatedly on snowboards.

We finally called it a night and headed into the inn for dinner and drinks. We were a few shots in when someone got the great idea to start up karaoke. I hid myself in the back as much as my tall frame with flaming red hair would allow, but quite enjoyed watching Hermione and Ginny’s rendition of “Lady Marmalade.”

As I sat there watching her laughing and carrying on with my little sister, my mind wandered to many more nights like this...double dates with Harry and Ginny, playdates with all of our kids, family events where Hermione feels really comfortable letting her hair down because she knows she’s with people who love her and have her back.

Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets To carry love, to carry children of our own

“Hey,” a voice called out to me. I looked up to see Hermione leaning over me. I was so lost in my thoughts, I didn’t even realize that her and Ginny were finished and Dean had taken the stage with Neville and Harry. “Come with me?”

I’ll go anywhere with you. “Yeah...uh sure. Where we going?” I stood and pulled on my coat. It honestly didn’t matter where we were going...as long as it was just the two of us.”

“You’ll see!” She threw her own coat around her and spun around with a laugh as she head out the door. I laughed too because I loved it when she let loose and had a few drinks. She spent so much of her time fussing over books and school and all of the boring adult things that bogged down our lives. Seeing her like this - now spinning in the falling snow trying to catch flakes with her tongue - this is the Hermione I love most. I love all sides of Hermione Granger, but this side...this side is the most beautiful side.

I threw my head back to catch snow on my tongue too, making faces and noises to get her really laughing. I dropped my head to look for her when I felt a distinct splat on my back.

“Oh it’s a snowball fight you want is it?” I called as she ran off towards the road that led up to our cabin. I stooped over and gathered a massive snowball as I commenced chase, her squealing as she ran ahead of me. I aimed and caught her right in her bum.

“Ronald!” She yelled with a laugh. “I’ll get you for that!” She ran toward me with a handful of snow and jumped on my back to stuff it down my back - a favorite torture method of ours when we were kids.

Her laughter echoed in my ears with her so close. I grabbed onto her legs and spun her around on my back to keep her there. “Roooooon!” she yelled. “I’m getting dizzy!” We both toppled into a mound of snow in a fit of giggles. I slid over so I wouldn’t crush her and we lay in the snow in a fit of tipsy hysterics. I looked over to see she had slid away from me in the snow, and was reaching the tips of her fingers to mine smiling. Suddenly she started to giggle again and waving her arms in the snow while moving her legs. I followed suit and after a bit we helped each other up to admire our snow angels.

She hugged my arm and leaned in close. “I want to show you something.”

I took off after her towards our cabin. It was obvious the others weren’t back yet and I thought this could be my chance. Get her in the cabin and get a few minutes alone before the others decided to walk back.

But she ran passed the cabin into the woods behind it.

“Hermione! Where are you going?!”

“Come on!”

We ended up running right into a smaller cabin hidden just a few yards away from the main cabin where we all were staying.

“What’s this?” I asked when we stopped.

“Come on,” she said again, pulling me inside. It was a cozy little one room cabin, a tiny kitchenette in one corner, and a couch and a few chairs around a rug with a stone fireplace. There were stairs leading up to a loft where I could just see a low bed with blankets and pillows just waiting to be crawled into.

“It was an old shed that the caretakers renovated into a separate guest house when there were a lot of people staying in the cabin,” Hermione explained. “When we used to come with the rest of my family, my grandparents stayed out here, to get away from the noise of their kids and grandkids in the cabin.”

“It’s cozy,” I said quietly, looking around. “And quiet.” I caught her eye and smiled. “Hiding out here tonight?”

She blushed but shrugged nonchalantly. “We can...if you want.”

“If you want.”

As if she couldn’t surprise me anymore, she pulled out a small bag with a change of clothes - for both of us.

“Hey! I’ve been looking for this Oxford United shirt! You’ve had it all this time?”

“Remember after Ginny’s birthday party a couple years ago? I was supposed to go home but it was pouring rain and your mum pretty much forbade me to leave.”

I nodded and smiled. “And you came to steal pajamas from me. My Oxford United shirt and,” I pulled a pair of navy blue flannel pajama bottoms out of the bag, “and these.”

She shrugged. “I wore them home and I guess I kept forgetting to give them back. Figured we’d need something to change into - which I’m glad I thought of it since we were literally rolling in the snow!”

We each took opposite corners of the room and turned to give the other privacy to change. As I was changing, I caught sight of something behind the couch. I pulled out a pretty pristine acoustic guitar when I felt Hermione come up behind me.

“My Grandad’s,” she breathed. “He must have left it here.” I sat on the arm of the couch and set it across me, plucking a few strings.

“Bit out of tune but…” I started twisting and tuning the guitar to my liking.

Hermione smiled as she sat in front of me. “I forget you used to play.”

“Still do, sometimes,” I said softly. “I just fiddle around mostly, nothing crazy. I’m no Ed Sheeran or nothin,” I chuckled.

“No,” she sighed. “You’re definitely cuter.” Our eyes locked and I tried to form the words but it was as if I was frozen - trapped in her gaze as I fell mercilessly farther and farther in love with her. “Tea,” she breathed out.

“Huh? What?”

“Tea,” she stood. “I’ll make us both a cup. Two sugars and a bit of cream?”

I smiled and nodded. “Perfect.”

As she kept herself busy in the tiny corner kitchenette, I suddenly had a moment of inspiration and started playing a song I knew, thrilled that I remembered it.

Courage like a Lion, Weasley.

“That sounds familiar,” she said as she set my cup on the small table besides me and sat back in her spot.

“Yeah,” I whispered. She sipped her tea and watched me, her eyes bright and round and locked onto mine. I cleared my throat and started to sing softly.

“We are still kids, but we're so in love Fighting against all odds I know we'll be alright this time Darling, just hold my hand Be my girl, I'll be your man I see my future in your eyes”

Tears started to form in her eyes as she stilled and watched me intently. I knew my voice was likely rubbish, but I didn’t care. When she looked at me that way, I felt as if I could do anything.

“Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song I have faith in what I see Now I know I have met an angel in person And she looks perfect I don't deserve this You look perfect tonight”

When I stopped playing, she set her cup down and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Ron,” she started.

I pushed the guitar aside and slid down off the arm of the couch to sit beside her. My hands cupped her face and her fingers wrapped around my wrists. “Ron,” she said again, this time as if she was pleading with me. I answered her by pulling her face to mine and brushing my lips against hers softly.

I pulled back the tiniest bit and looked at her. “This okay?”

“More than,” she breathed out. At that I captured her lips with mine and vowed to never let her go.

I was lost. Completely and utterly gone. Her lips were as soft as I imagined they’d be and more. They were gentle and yet persistent, shy and yet demanding. I marveled at how she could always be so many things at once.

When we pulled apart, I noticed she was crying again. “You alright Hermione?”

She let out a slow breath and smiled. “Never better.”

“Good, because I believe I made you an offer.”

“And...what offer was th-that?”

“Be my girl, I’ll be your man,” I rubbed my nose against hers. “Cause I most definitely see my future in your eyes.” She giggled and nodded. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own And in your eyes, you're holding mine Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favourite song When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight

#romione #romione fluff

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lithalwrites · 4 years

Text

A University Story

It was the start of a new academic year, and there were new faces on campus. Fresh-faced students eager to fill the lecture halls and learn, make friends, and have a good time. And having a good time included exchanging all gossip that trickled down to them via the gossip ladder. There was always someone who had very good connections with upperclassmen, and that person always seemed to know all about everyone. It was advantageous, then, to be friends with that person. Or with someone who was friends with that person. After all, what is life without the excitement of knowing things about the personal lives of others.

One of the freshest and most exciting bits of gossip floating around was that there had been newly hired professors at the school, some of whom were quite young. And of course, with the promise of relative youth, there came a hope for something else.

“I hope the prof is hot,” said one student to another, and several others agreed.

“I’ve heard the new chemistry prof is really hot and also young,” another student piped up. “I hope I’m in his section. It’ll be a reason to go to class.”

“Which one? Dr. Kuroo? I’ve heard the same about him. I can’t wait for lecture. Only reason I’m looking forward to chem, honestly.”

“I heard he’s married, though.”

“I heard he was single.”

“I hope so.”

“No, I’m pretty sure he’s married.”

“Yeah, and how do you know?”

“I saw him walking from the parking lot with his wife. She’s a prof in the department of pharmacology, and she was also hired at the same time as him.”

“Damn. I hope you’re wrong about it though.”

“Don’t we all.”

And so the gossip and the rumours flourished as the days passed and the first day of classes approached. The university had never seen this level of enthusiasm for a first year chemistry course. When the day came for the first lecture, every single seat in the lecture hall was filled, with the women vastly outnumbering the men, when Kuroo walked in.

He looked at the class, and beamed. “Welcome to Chemistry 101, everyone. I’m Tetsurou Kuroo, and I’ll be your instructor this term. I’ll answer to pretty much anything you want to call me, as long as it is not unprofessional.”

He was pleased with the attendance for his class, even though he hadn’t expected this large of a divide between men and women despite having been warned by the course coordinator. It would be an interesting story to share later.

Since it was the first lecture, he went through the course outline in detail, and started on a review of what his students should have already covered in high school.

“Does anyone have any questions before we end for the day?” he asked the class five minutes before the class was scheduled to end.

There was a beat of silence, and then a hand shot up. It was a cheeky looking student with a cheeky smile on her face. “Hi Dr. Kuroo. Are you single?”

“Ah,” Kuroo said. He was a little surprised that a student would ask that question so boldly in a full lecture hall. He could see several people lean forward in their seats in anticipation of the answer. “When I asked if anyone had any questions, I meant questions related to the course content. But just this once, I will entertain this question. I am not, in fact, single. And I will not be answering any more personal questions in class or during office hours. I would like to be your friend, but we have to remember that this is a professional setting.”

Having suitably responded to the nosy question, he told the class to have a nice day, and then headed to the computer science building. Since the fastest way to get to the computer science building was through the medical sciences building, that was what he chose, and found himself running into Shimizu.

“Oh, hello,” she said with a small wave. “Lunch?”

“Yup,” he answered. “Just had my first lecture. It went as well as it could have, really. Now it’s time to eat.”

“Are you done for the day, then?”

“I have to sit in my office and answer a few emails. I doubt any students will show up since it’s only the first day of class, but I have to be there anyway, just in case. No meetings today, so it’s going to be pretty boring. How about you?”

“I have my lecture in an hour, and then I get to take off for the day. We should get lunch together at some point,” she suggested.

“Sounds great,” Kuroo agreed. “Let me know when’s good for you.”

Shimizu nodded, and they headed their separate ways. The rest of his walk to the computer science building was uninterrupted, and soon he found himself in front of Kenma’s office. He knocked.

“Come in,” Kenma’s quiet voice answered. “Oh, it’s you.”

“I’d think you’d be more pleased to see me, everything considered. I’m hurt, Kenma,” Kuroo said, entering the office. He placed a lunchbox on the desk. “Here’s your lunch.”

“Oh, I didn’t realize I forgot it,” Kenma said. “Thank you. How was class?”

“It was pretty good, all things considered. One of the students asked me if I was single at the end of class.”

Kenma raised his eyebrows. “What did you say?”

“That I’m not, and that I wouldn’t entertain any more personal questions. So hopefully that doesn’t happen again. Are you ready for your lecture?”

“Yeah. It should be fine. It’s just an intro lecture, and I’ve got my material ready.”

“That’s good.”

“Did you hear about that girl in chem 101 who asked the prof if he was single?”

“For real? What did the prof say?”

“He answered the question, but also told us not to ask more personal questions.”

“Probably a good idea. What was his answer though?”

“He’s not single.”

“To be expected, I guess. But sad. So do we know if he’s actually with one of the other profs?”

“Bets are on Dr. Shimizu from pharmacology still. I saw them talking in the hallway.”

“They could just have been…talking, you know? Like colleagues do.”

“Yes, but they’re in completely different departments.”

“True.”

“But there’s more investigation to be done.”

“Shimizu invited us for dinner with her. Are you good with tomorrow evening after work?” Kuroo asked Kenma a week later. The lunch plans had turned to dinner plans, since Shimizu was dealing with problems with how her course was being run.

“Ah,” Kenma said. “I have a meeting with my teaching assistants tomorrow evening. You two can go ahead without me.”

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’ll join some other time.”

“Okay, I’ll let her know then.”

“It’s for sure Dr. Shimizu.”

“Hmm?”

“That Dr. Kuroo is married to. Someone saw them having dinner at a restaurant downtown.”

“Oh. Interesting.”

“Knock knock,” Kuroo said, knocking on Kenma’s office door.

“Come in, Kuro,” Kenma answered, sounding fondly exasperated.

“Here’s your coffee,” Kuroo said, plopping down the coffee on Kenma’s desk.

“Thanks. I needed that. There’s so many kids coming to my office hours. I don’t even know why. It’s only been two weeks.”

“It’s because they love you,” Kuroo said. He opened his mouth again, but Kenma interrupted him.

“Don’t say it.”

“Awww,” Kuroo said, but complied. “I should get back to my office. I have a meeting with a student soon.”

“Dr. Kuroo spends a suspicious amount of time with that compsci prof.”

“Which one?”

“The new one.”

“What’s suspicious about it?”

“I’ve seen them have lunch together, get coffee, and sometimes they even leave together. I park in the same lot as Dr. Kuroo, and I’ve seen them get in the same car multiple times.”

“Aren’t you being a little too nosy?”

“Yes, but what if he’s cheating on Dr. Shimizu with the compsci prof?”

“That’s quite the accusation. And we don’t even know for sure that he and Dr. Shimizu are married.”

“Yes, but I’m pretty sure they are.”

“I sat in on a compsci lecture with my friend, and the prof dropped something. Guess what it was?”

“I don’t know. Tell me.”

“It was a wedding ring! On a chain. It must’ve not been clasped properly. But it was most definitely a wedding ring.”

“So he’s married. What’s your point?”

“That means, if he and Dr. Kuroo are having an affair, they’re both cheating on their spouses.”

“You picked a really nice restaurant,” Kenma said, looking around at the place Kuroo had chosen for the night.

“Thanks. The food is supposed to be really good, so I hope it lives up to the hype.”

“I’m sure it will.”

“Don’t worry, I also baked apple pie for later.”

Kenma smiled. “Excellent.”

They ordered their food, and chatted about various things as they waited. When the server showed up with the food and placed it in front of them, she didn’t leave right away. In fact, she looked like she had something to say to them. Kuroo looked up at her.

“Is something wrong?”

“I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but I feel like I can’t not say something.”

“Okay?” Kuroo said, exchanging a confused glance with Kenma. “What is this about?”

“I’m in your chemistry class, and this is very inappropriate, sir!” the server said, gesturing vaguely.

“I’m sorry? I don’t think I understand. What’s inappropriate?” Kuroo asked, even more confused.

“Cheating on your spouse!” the server said, looking distressed.

Kuroo was taken aback. “Excuse me?”

“You’re both married!”

“Yes,” said Kuroo slowly. “We are.”

“But you’re on a date with each other,” the server said.

“Yes,” Kuroo said.

The server flailed again, as if they should see what the problem was. “But you’re both married!”

“Yes,” Kenma spoke up. “To each other.”

The server blinked. “What?”

“I think there’s been a misunderstanding,” Kuroo said. “We’re here to celebrate our wedding anniversary.”

The server turned red with embarrassment. “I’m so sorry. I’ll leave you to your dinner. Happy anniversary.” With that, she walked away as quickly as possible without actually running away. Kuroo had a feeling that they would have a different server for the rest of their meal.

“That was something,” Kenma said.

“It certainly was. It’ll be quite the story to tell people,” Kuroo laughed. “Happy anniversary, Kenma.”

#kurokenweek2020 #kuroken week #Kuroo Tetsurou #Kozume Kenma #haikyuu!!#university au

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she-is-tim · 5 years

Text

To be, or no to be (in love) | Elu Home Tutor AU

Eliott has more than enough problem with university, but when his best friend’s sister asks him if he can tutor her friend for good money, he can’t say no. He has shit to pay and he’s good at literature anyways. What he doesn’t expect is to meet with the most beautiful human being who has eyes as blue as the deepest parts of the ocean. He tries not to fall in love, he really does...

Thank you for the beautiful cover @starcassstic 💖

The headache kicked in just as Eliott opened his eyes, making him feel like a whole school band is playing an anthem inside his skull. His eyes were pulsating and all he wished for was a shower. He felt dirty, smelling like beer and smoke. He could hear his friend snorring loudly from the other side of the room and if he wouldn’t be so damn hungover, then he would have kicked him in the shins to make him shut the fuck up. Instead he reached for his phone that was laying on the ground next to his bed, feeling grateful for his long arms making that movement possible without actually getting up.

It was only 7:13 which made him even more grumpier. How can he be awake so fucking early when he was up until almost three in the morning. He let out an unpleasant groan to which a louder snort came from his roommate. He considered to find a book and throw at him, just so they can suffer together, but it would take too much of an effort. Plus Adrian was the worst in the morning after parties.

He checked his messages, there was one from Sofiane, probably asking if he got back to the dorm safe, some from Idriss, probably some drunk messages like always and one from an unknown number. He squinted his eyes, not understanding why he would recieve a text from someone he doesn’t know, when he could fairly remember giving his number to the girl that was hitting on him all night. Yeah, getting wasted wasn’t such a good idea afterall. He deleted the message without reading it, knowing that it’s a dick move, but he never was good at getting rid of chicks. They somehow thought that he is just playing hard to get, while actually he was just not interested at all.

He got startled out of his thoughts when someone knocked on the door. He was a bit confused, checking the time again. Who would come visit so early on a monday morning, especially after that hell of a party last night? Since Adrian seemed to be in dreamland still, probably drooling like a baby, Eliott collected all of his strength to get up from the bed. He started to walk towards the door when he realized that he probably shouldn’t open it only wearing his underwear, so on his way he grabbed a hoodie from his desk chair, pulling it over his head, hoping that whoever stands in front of their room won’t be complaining about his outfit. Not like anyone would have the right to judge him, since it was still fucking seven and monday.

When he finally opened the door, his first thought was ‘I am in deep shit’. He tried to think if there was any reason that would bring Imane Bakhellal to his dorm room on a monday right before school, but he couldn’t remember any. She didn’t seemed mad, so that was good. And like always she looked gorgeous, wearing a colorful scarf carefully wrapped around her head, a long, beige sweater and tight black leggings with dark grey sneakers.

“You look like shit.” she stated without even saying good morning. Eliott let out a sigh and opened the door wider.

“Thanks for letting me know. Wanna come in?” he asked, having his manners even if he would likely just scream until his headache stops. Imane walked past him, her eyes scanning the room, which made the tall boy feel a bit embarrassed. Dirty clothes, empty pizza boxes, books and crumpled notes scattered around the floor, making the scene look like pure chaos. Neither he or Adrian were known for being good at keeping things in order, so they just let things escalate until their room became a dumpster.

“This place is disgusting.” Imane said finally after long minutes of looking around, fixing her eyes on Eliott now, who was standing in the middle of the room, a few feet apart from her, still only wearing a hoodie and his boxer. “I came here to ask you a favor.” she explained now, not hitting around the bush.

“A favor?” Eliott raised his eyebrow. It never meant anything good if Imane wanted something, especially because no matter what she would get what she wants even if the tall boy tries to resist.

“It’s going to be beneficial for the both of us.” she said, smug smile playing on her lips. “I need you to tutor one of my friends.”

“What?” Eliott asked, eyes basically popping out of his skull in shock. He had to repeat the girl’s words inside his head multiple times to make sure he heard it right. “No!” he gasped after realizing that she is not joking. “No, Imane, my career as a tutor started and ended with teaching english to Manon.” he said seriously a bit louder than he wanted, making his sleeping friend groan at them, but he couldn’t care less at the moment.

“Come on, Eliott. You are the only one I can ask. It’s literature, not english and his parents would pay you good money.” she explained, making the boy actually consider the offer, but then he quickly shook his head.

“No, I am not playing that again. Remember that last time when I tutored one of your friends I got punched in the face by Charles fucking Munier?! Just because I dared to hug his girlfriend when we said goodbye.” his headache got worse just by thinking back to that moment. He swore then that he will never ever tutor anyone and stay away from Manon Demissy and her psycho boyfriend.

“That was just one time.” she sighed and rolled her eyes. Actually rolled her eyes like she had any fucking rights to be annoyed when she was the one forcing Eliott out of the comfort of his own bed after a rough party night. “I swear he doesn’t have a boyfriend, he’s just a stupid idiot who needs help to stumble through his exams.” she explained and the tall boy wouldn’t admit it that he actually got intrigued when he heard the words he and boyfriend in the same sentence.

“Who is this friend of yours? Do I know him?” he asked now, trying to sound as nonchalant as he just could, because he didn’t wanted Imane to know that he was already 90% sure he’s going to accept the ‘job’.

“No, we just became friends a few months ago.” she replied with a soft smile on her face. Eliott knew it that even if they weren’t friends for long, she still cared a lot about that person, because otherwise she wouldn’t be smiling like this. “He is a nice guy, just really stupid sometimes. We got paired up for biology and I gotta say that I never had a better partner, but when it comes to literature, even a monkey is smarter than him.” she explained letting out a giggle which just lit up her whole face, making her look even more pretty. Eliott was stunned by how much love she talked about that boy, like she used to talk about Manon or Alexia. It was kind of endearing to see that she was getting new friends.

“Okay, so you say he just need to learn some basics of literature?” he asked, raising his eyebrows now.

“Yeah, just put some sense in his head and he’ll be fine. His parents are kinda rich, so they’ll pay good for a couple of hours even.” she said and by the sparkles in her eyes, Eliott could tell that she knew she had won. He let out a defeated sigh and sat down to his bed, grabbing a painkiller from his nightstand and downing it with some water.

“Fine, I’ll do it.”

“Great.” she said, clapping her hands together. “I’ll talk to him and send you the details later. You are not going to regret this.” she said smirking and with a small wave, she left the room. Eliott decided to go back to sleep for a while, since he had no classes to attend to before noon.

~°~

As Eliott entered the coffee shop next to the campus, he got hit by the noise of dozens of students filling the little space, talking, yelling and mumbling to each other. All of them had books, notes or laptops with them, mugs filled with strong black coffee resting in front of them on the tables. The beauty of the exam period. Mostly everyone looked like walking zombies, except one, the guy Eliott was looking for in the crowd. It wasn’t too hard to spot his arabic friend, who was flashing his bright, toothy smile at him, waving like crazy. He was sitting at their usual table, two drinks placed in front of him. The tall boy tried to cut through the students as smoothly as possible, flopping down in the chair across his friend. Before even greeting him, he grabbed the mug that was belonging to him, taking a large gulp of his coffee. It was perfect, just a tiny bit of sugar without milk, pleasantly burning the back of his throat.

“How are we on this fine monday morning, Mr. Demaury?” Sofiane asked and if Eliott wouldn’t be so fond of this dude, he would flip him off for being so annoying.

“I’ll manage.” he groaned, rubbing his palm over his face a couple times, trying to get rid of the sleepiness. Thankfully the painkillers took care of his headache, so at least he had one less thing to worry about today. “Imane visited me this morning.” he explained and if he would be in a better mood, he would laugh at how his friend perked up by the mention of his crush.

“Really?” he asked excitedly.

“Yep.” he nodded and took another sip from his coffee, already feeling the pleasing effect of pure caffeine rushing through his veins. “She asked me to tutor one of her friends.” he sighed and looked at the ceiling. “I swear if I wouldn’t need that damn money...”

“Oh, which one?” Sofiane asked curiously and Eliott almost forgot that since he works part time in the dance studio where Imane and her friend, Alexia goes, he basically knows every single friend of the girl.

“I don’t know his name, but she said he’s her biology partner.” he explained remembering only tiny chunks of the early talk with the girl.

“Oh, that’s Lucas.” he said happily. “He’s a bit grumpy, but very nice guy. Idriss likes him a lot too.” he explained to which he shot his friend a confused look.

“Okay, now everyone knows this kid, but not me?” he asked raising his eyebrows.

“It’s not our fault that you and Adrian never come to the parties Imane’s friends are hosting, saying that you are done with high school parties for a lifetime.” he reminded him kindly, sipping into his chocolate macchiato.

“Fine, okay. So you say this one isn’t problematic? Because after the Manon-Charles incident I had enough of jealous boyfriends.” he explained which made his friend let out a soft laugh.

“No, I mean his friends are kind of dumbasses, but they are funny.”

“Cool.”

~°~

It was late in the afternoon when Eliott got a message from Imane that included a name (Lucas Lallemant), an address, a date (Wednesday, 16:30) and his payment. His eyes got wide as he saw the numbers, texting back to the girl if she typed it wrong, but when she confirmed that it was in fact the actual total, he needed to sit down for a moment. This was the first time he was tutoring anyone for money, since for Manon he did it because he was owing to Imane for saving his ass from a really annoying and clingy girl at a party. This kid’s parents must be really rich if they are willng to pay 30€ per hour for a simple university student to knock some sense into their son. He promised himself that he will invite Imane for a coffee next week to thank her this opportunity.

~°~

Eliott looked at the huge house that was towering over the street, checking the address in Imane’s message multiple times, but he was in the right place. He let out a deep breath, walking up on the stairs to the gigantic door, pressing the doorbell once, waiting patiently for a maid or a butler to open it. To his big surprise it wasn’t any of those, but a tall, slim kid. He had short, black curly hair, thick lips, his skin having the tone of melted chocolate. He was wearing a wite sweater with a blue and red stripe on his chest and dark jeans.

“Hey, I’m Eliott.” he introduced himself, but the boy didn’t gave him the chance to continue it.

“Oh, nice! Come in! Come in!” he said, opening the door wide enough for the tall boy to walk into the building. It looked exactly like he imagined it. A long hallway ending in stairs leading to the first floor, to the right a space in the wall was leading to probably a huge living room and on the left he could see bits of a well equipped kitchen.

“Your house looks amazing.” he said to the boy that closed the door, walking around to face him, laughing a little.

“Oh, this isn’t my house. I’m Yann.” he said, holding out his hand which Eliott grabbed, shaking it for a few seconds before letting it go. “I’m Lucas’ best friend.” he explained, placing his large hand on Eliott’s back leading him into the living room, which was large, just like the boy thought before. There was two other teenagers here, sitting on a big, black couch, playing some video game on the giant tv that was built into the wall. They didn’t even look up when the two boys entered the room, too busy to scream at each other, pressing buttons on their controllers like crazy.

One of them had blonde hair that was curling up on the ends, wearing glasses that were slowly sliding down on his nose as he was nodding his head to the sides while playing. The other looked like a large bee in his black and yellow striped shirt, having curly, brown hair and a frog-like face. Eliott really hoped that he isn’t the one he has to study, because he was the one yelling obscene stuff at the screen.

“Guys!” Yann screamed from beside him, startling him out of his thoughts. The two paused the game, turning their heads towards them with confusion.

“Hey, dude!” the blonde one managed to collect his remaining braincells to greet the newcomer with a soft smile, while the other one looked like he had lost all of those a long, long time ago.

“This is Eliott.” Yann introduced him with a bright smile, which earned him a good spot in the older boy’s heart. He seemed like a genuinely nice person.

“Oh, nice to meet you.” the blonde spoke again, putting down his controller to get up and shake Eliott’s hand.

“Are you Lucas?” he asked, feeling intrigued to get to know his student.

“Oh, no.” the blonde boy chuckled. “I’m Arthur.” he introduced himself and the brunette could feel his stomach sinking to the thought that the annoying kid will be the one he has to deal with.

“So that means...” he started, but a sweet voice interrupted him, coming from behind his back. He spinned around on his heels, almost falling over in the process when he saw the boy. Eliott had seen a lot of things in his life and hooked up with really beutiful people, but none of them could compare to this guy. He was short, wearing grey sweatpants and a grey hoodie with Romance written on it, just casual clothes and still, he managed to look like someone from the pages of a magazine. His eyes were the most gorgeous thing he had ever seen, blue like the deepest parts of the ocean. Eliott wanted to jump into those pools, swimming through them like there’s no tomorrow.

“I am Lucas.” the boy said, probably repeating himself after not getting an answer from the older boy. Eliott mentally slapped himself on the face for becoming a puddle of emotions just from seeing a beautiful, gorgeous, wonderful, handsome... here comes another mental slap.

“Hey, I’m Eliott.” he said now, reaching out his hands and he felt tiny sparkles running through his nerves as the short boy grabbed it, looking into his eyes with a soft smile resting on that beautiful face.

“I think this is our cue to leave boys!” Yann shouted and walked to the couch to collect their bee friend, who was whining that he wanted to finish the game. The two grabbed his arms, making sure that he’s coming with them and they said a quick goodbye before storming out through the front door. Lucas let out a deep sigh, scratching the back of his head. Eliott just noticed how fluffy and messy his hair looked like, being too preoccupied with those blue eyes before.

“Sorry for that, they can be a bit too much.” he apologized with a shy smile.

“Don’t worry, I live in a university dorm, I’ve seen more extreme people.” he said softly. “So, where should we start?” he asked, looking around in the living room. The boy in front of him was confused just for a second, before he realized that Eliott was here to tutor him.

“Oh yeah. Literature.” he groaned, face turning into an unpleasant grimace, which made the tall one laugh.

“It’s not that bad.” he said, still giggling a little.

“No, it’s not bad, it’s horrible.” the boy mumbled ran his fingers through his hair, making even a bigger mess out of it than it was before. “Make yourself at home, I’ll get my books and notes.” he said, walking towards the stairs and Eliott let himself just a tiny glance at his butt before walking to the couch and sitting down. He was prepared, made some question cards and highlighted notes for every possible books they could talk about.

~°~

Hours later they were sitting on the couch, leaning over an open book, analyzing every paragraph together, writing down notes. They were almost done with a chapter when Lucas decided to throw his temper tantrum. He got up from the couch, grabbing his hair and growling like a... well, like an angry hedgehog actually. Eliott had to laugh at him, because it was hilarious.

“Stop laughing, this isn’t funny!” he was basically screaming at him, pulling on his hair. “My head is going to explode and I don’t understand shit.” he continued to complain, starting to walk around in the living room, grumbling under his nose.

“That’s not true, you were making progress.” he said softly, but still enjoying the sight of the completely freaked out boy pacing around.

“You are just being kind.” he mumbled, stopping by the sofa and sitting down on the armrest. “I am fucking stupid.”

“Hey, if you were really that stupid I wouldn’t be here to teach you.” Eliott said honestly, he wasn’t that patient to just stick around if someone was actually helpless.

“Shut up.” that was all he mumbled, but the tall boy could see the ghost of a smile appearing on his handsome face. He noted that as a victory and continued to read the book out loud, adding his own thoughts about the symbolism and multiple meanings of the words written down. Lucas was listening closely, playing with a yellow highlighter between his fingers.

~°~

from Sofiane There will be a party on friday, you wanna come?

to Sofiane I haven’t heard of a uni party

from Sofiane It’s not a uni party, Imane’s friend Emma is throwing one at her place

to Sofiane I’ll pass it

from Sofiane Lucas will be there

to Sofiane Nevermind, I’m coming

from Sofiane I’ll let the girls know then ;)

to Sofiane I hate you

They were sitting in the living room yet again, this was the fourth time Eliott came here to teach literature and with each day he was more and more gone for the blue eyed boy. He loved to watch him focus on the notes while reading them, frowning at the papers in frustration, licking his lips every 30 seconds unconsciously, driving the older boy insane with it. He was fond of that unruly hair that kept looking like a tornado went through it multiple times, since the boy didn’t seemed to be able to keep his hands away from it, messing it up at least five times in an hour. Not like Eliott was counting it, he totally didn’t. He just guessed.

“You know... the girls told me you’re coming to the party on friday.” Lucas mumbled after long minutes of silence. Eliott raised his head, glancing at the boy sitting next to him, but he was keeping his eyes on the note he was holding in his hand.

“Yeah, why?” he asked curiously.

“Nothing, I am just surprised.” he answered, shrugging a little. “I just never saw you on any of the parties before, while Sofiane and Idriss were always coming.” he explained, letting himself to look at his tutor. If Eliott wouldn’t know him better, he would have thought that he’s nervous.

“Yeah, well I have my reasons to go this time.” he explained, flashing a mysterious smile at the younger one, who just furrowed his brows at him and turned his head back to the paper between his fingers.

“I see.” he mumbled under his nose.

~°~

The party looked neat, already going hard, which was logical, since Eliott arrived way too late. He would have come sooner, but he had to finish an essay that was due next morning. He hated that some professors had no respect for saturdays, they were university students, they needed to relax on friday nights, not writing a 12 page long essay about the impacts of the renaissance period on painting.

He walked inside, smell of sweat, alcohol and smoke hitting him right in the face alongside with the thumping rythm of the loud music. Most of the people were already drunk, dancing like crazy in the living room that functioned as dancefloor, or making out at any part of the house. These horny teenagers had no self-control for sure. He pushed himself through a group of giggly girls that were yelling obscene stuff after him, complimenting on his “fine ass”. Eliott just rolled his eyes and made his way towards the kitchen, hoping to get himself some beer and get a bit tipsy to get into party mood.

Thankfully the kitchen seemed to be some kind of safe place, because there were only a handful of people there, sipping on their drinks and talking. He felt relieved that he could finally take a breath, but then that was immediately punched out of his lungs as he spotted a kissing couple next to the sink. Not like it was such a shocking thing to see, especially not on a party, but what was making this the worst thing he’s ever seen was that one of the pair was not else, but Lucas. He was kissing a brown haired girl, she seemed pretty, slim body, pretty clotes, small and soft hands that were gripping into the blue button up shirt the short boy was wearing. Eliott felt like throwing up, he needed to get out of there, as quick as possible. He wasn’t that lucky, because just when he decided to leave, Yann spotted him, yelling his name.

“Eliott, hey!” he greeted him with a bright grin and the tall boy tried to force a smile on his face. from the corner of his eyes he could see the pair breaking apart, both of their lips swollen from the kissing. He felt like someone stabbed him in the heart and twisted the knife when Lucas deep blue eyes looked at him, filled with a mix of emotions. Shock, guilt, confusion, maybe? He couldn’t tell, all he knew was that he had to leave.

“Come here, buddy!” it was Arthur this time who was speaking, holding a joint between his fingers, holding it out, offering it to the older boy. Eliott shook his head and coughed, forcing himself to not let his emotions showing.

“I am actually going now...” he explained, trying to cut his sentences short, so his voice can have no chance to break.

“What? No! You are the coolest person around.” Basile whined, they only met two times, but he was always hanging on every word of Eliott. He would usually find it kind of endearing, but not right now.

“Eliott, can we.... talk?” a quiet voice came from behind him and he didn’t wanted to turn around, seeing Lucas and the girl wrapped around him, but he had to keep up the facade. He was a bit surprised when he saw the defeated look on the young one’s face, The girl, whatever was her name was hanging on him, trying to kiss his neck, but he gently pushed her away.

“What the fuck, Lucas?” she almost screamed at him, acting like the boy just cancelled their wedding.

Eliott knew that if he starts talking to him now, he would just spill out what’s in his heart, tell Lucas how much he likes him and that he wants to date him so badly, but he couldn’t. Lucas was most likely straight, therefore he had no chances, so instead of answering, he spinned around on his heals and stormed out of the house, basically running to the bus stop. His heart was pounding in his chest, his breathing was fast paced, almost like he was having a panic attack, but he didn’t stop until he reached the shelter, leaning his back to the plastic wall. He grabbed his shirt at his chest, trying to calm himself down somehow. He hated how much this one teenage boy was affecting him.

~°~

The next time they had a meeting, both of them were quiet, only talking if it was about literature. The tension was almost suffocating Eliott, but he couldn’t bring himself to ask anything from the boy. He couldn’t just tell him that he had feelings for him, that every time he went to bed he was the last thing on his mind and then when he woke up he was also the first thing that came into his mind. So he just suffered in silence, pushing his feelings deep down into a dark pit.

Their studying hours went like that for a whole month, until one day Lucas suddenly offered to make dinner for the both of them, since his parents won’t be coming home till next day. Eliott was struggling deep inside, but he couldn’t say no those those giant puppy eyes. So they ended up in the kitchen, trying to make some sort of pasta, but it looked like neither Lucas or Eliott was a master of cooking. They ended up making sandwiches, throwing cheese slices at each other and laughing happily. At some point the short boy decided that they can’t sit around in silence so he started to play some music on their bluetooth speaker that was placed in the living room.

“The Clash? Really?” Eliott looked at him, raising an eyebrow to which he got an angry look from the younger one.

“You don’t like it?” he asked, puffing up his cheeks which made him look like a cute little squirrel.

“I have a much better taste in music.” he said proudly, pressing out his chest to which Lucas just rolled his eyes.

“Oh yeah? I don’t think so.” he said, crossing his arms. Eliott took that as a challenge, pulling his phone out of his pocket, pairing it with the speaker and he started to play his favorite piece from Skrillex. He closed his eyes, moving his body to the rythm and when the beat drop came in he started jumping up and down, swinging his arms around. When the song was over, he stopped, wheezing a little from the dancing and looked at the boy next to him. There was shock on his face first, but then he cracked into waves of laughter, sometimes ever snorring like a pig. Eliott couldn’t help it, but laughed with him. They were both a giggly mess when the night came and the older boy accepted to sleep on the couch. It was friday anyways, so he had no classes to attend to the next day, neither had Lucas. They decided to continue studying tomorrow, since the younger one’s exams were dangerously close now, he had to be well prepared for them.

~°~

The room was hot and Eliott needed all his self-consciousness to not stare at the boy sitting across him, flapping his t-shirt up and down, trying to cool himself down, while also revealing a large piece of his stomach. They were in the living room, the tall one taking his place on the couch, while Lucas was on the ground, he preferred to sit there. Between them a small coffee table covered with books and notes, highlighters and pens. Eliott had to take a sip of the unpleasantly warm lemonade that was placed on the table for him, just so he won’t be drooling at the sight in front of him.

“I can’t take this anymore.” she short boy was whining, stretching out his legs under the table, his naked toes brushing over Eliott’s feet, sending a weirdly giddy feeling through his body. He pulled up his legs now, crossing them in a lotus pose way to avoid any kind of physical contact with the boy.

“What are you talking about?” he asked raising his eyebrows and he almost let out a relieved sigh when Lucas stopped flapping his shirt, making him feel a tiny bit more comfortable.

“The heat, of course.” he said like it was completely obvious, and he wasn’t wrong. Eliott was just too preoccupied with his naughty thoughts.

“Not like we can do much about it.” he shrugged and laid his head back to rest it on the cushion.

“We could go out and eat ice cream.” he suggested and damn if Eliott wouldn’t have practiced saying no to this kid so many times, he would have agree to it right away. But he couldn’t do that.

“No, your exams are on our neck, we have to study.” he said seriously, looking into those ocean blue eyes which were now filled with sadness. He knew that it was just fake to make him feel guilty and reconsider his answer, but it still affected him in ways it shouldn’t have. This boy might be a bit stupid, but he knew how to use his own charm to get what he wants.

“Fuck exams.” he groaned. “And fuck literature especially. I am melting in my own skin.” he kept whining and laid back on the ground, stretching out his body and Eliott wanted to curse under his breath as the soft stomach was reavealed yet once again. He looked at the ceiling, trying to distract himself by counting the small cracks on the paint, but his betraying eyes were keep wandering back to the young boy.

“You know that I’m being paid to kick your ass through that exam, right?” he asked, tilting his head to the side a bit. Lucas slowly pushed himself up, balancing his weight on his arms behind him, glancing at the older boy with a playful grin on his face. Eliott could think of multiple ways to wipe that off, making him blush and moan instead.

“Oh come on, I got good points on my last two tests, I think I can get through the exam now.” he whined, pouting those beautiful cherry lips, his eyes going wide, almost like he was trying to imitate Puss in boots. Eliott sighed, rubbing his palms over his face knowing that he got defeated. It was too hot and he was too tired to keep resisting his own feelings.

“Okay, fine.” he agreed and the squeaky noise Lucas let out made his heart skip a beat. The boy jumped up from the floor within seconds and before Eliott could react, he got a warm body pressed against his, thin arms wrapped around him. He needed to take a sharp breath, which ended up being a bad idea considering that all he could smell was Lucas. His soft hair was tickling his neck and his face. This only laster for like 10 or 15 seconds, but it felt ike hours, days even for Eliott, he wanted it to never be over, to stay there in the boy’s arms, inhaling his soft, soothing smell and feeling his hair on his face. When he pulled back, he flashed that toothy, sunshine smile he loved so much. It made him look like a happy child, but also made him look even more beautiful than usually, which should have been impossible, but since he got to know this kid, his view on life changed drastically.

“Let’s go get ice cream then.” he chimed excitedly, grabbing Eliott’s hand and pulling him up from the couch. He groaned just a little to make it seem like he’s annoyed with the boy, but he was actually completely endeared. He would give everything to see him smile like this always.

“Are we just going to leave your stuff there on the table?” he asked when they were almost at the front door, Lucas already putting on his shoes.

“Yeah, we can put then away when we get back.” he said smirking and now waited for the older boy to get ready. Eliott let himself flash a soft smile at him before slipping into his shoes, making sure he has his phone and his wallet in his pockets. When they were outside, Lucas closed the door, pocketing his keys and they started to walk down the streets.

They were quiet through most of the way, Lucas humming some kind of melody Eliott couldn’t identify. The city around them was busy, people rushing through the streets, cars passing by them, making a soft breeze in the hot air. It was almost 30°C and still May. Everyone was wearing as less clothing as they just could, some girls almost flashing out their asses and boobs even. Normally the tall boy would have enjoyed those views, checking them out shamelessly, sending them a wink even, but right now all his attention was on the boy walking next to him. Examining every little detail on him, the moles scattered around on the soft skin, the sharp line of his jaw, his long eyelashes that were casting shadows on his cheeks which were slightly pink from the heat. He both loved and hated to see how many times the boy could lick his lips just out of habbit. Suddenly he felt like a deer caught in headlights when Lucas turned his head towards him, smiling softly.

“Are you okay?” he asked, voice as soft as a light summer breeze, sending shivers down Eliott’s spine. Even with all the people around them, all the noises filling the streets, he kind of felt like they were all alone on the world. Just him and this beautiful human being.

“Yeah, more than okay.” he let out without even thinking, but he regret nothing as the boy’s smile got even wider and his hand grabbed Eliott’s, squeezing it softly.

“Good then.” he said happily and kept walking, swinging their joined hands between them like kids used to. Eliott couldn’t suppress his giggle, enjoying the warmth of the other one’s palm on his.

They were walking like this until they reached a small coffee shop. The younger boy pulled Eliott inside, excitedly and he felt like forgot to breathe for a moment when he saw the interior of the place. The walls and the decoration was all in pastell colors, the tables dull purple, lavenders hanging in the corners, filling the air with their soothing smell. The sunlight coming through the giants windows lit up the place perfectly, no need for using the lamps. At the register there was standing a kind looking girl, wearing a pastell green apron.

Before he could say anything, Lucas pulled him towards the ice cream display next to the register, looking at all the different flavors. Eliott smiled fondly and shot an apologetic smile to the girl who now walked to them, ready to scoop out the ice cream into cones for them. As the tall boy looked around, there weren’t many people inside, most of them were students, sipping on coffee while typing away on their laptops. He could understand it, since it was a busy season for students, so most of them had no time on weekdays to come out and stay at a coffee shop.

“Welcome, what can I get you?” the girl, Hanna judging by the nametag on her apron smiled at them softly. Lucas blue eyes shot up from the sweets towards her, flashing a happy grin.

“Hello, I would like a chocolate, a mint and a coffee flavored one.” he said excitedly, his hands still not letting go of Eliott. The girl nodded, scooping the chosen flavors into a big enough cone, putting some sprinkles on it even, which made the short boy let out a happy squeak. He took his ice cream from Hanna, starting to eat it immediately. The girl now looked at Eliott.

“What can I get you?” she asked softly, leaning forward just a little.

“I just want an iced coffee, thank you very much.” he explained, not being big fan of ice cream anyways. Lucas glanced at him, pouting his lips between two licks of his dessert.

“You should be eating ice cream too.”

“I am fine with coffee.” he said softly and not even trying to resist the urge, he raised his hand, swiping his thumb over the boys lips softly. “You had some cream there.” he smirked, enjoying the deep red blush that was creeping up on those soft cheeks. Lucas stayed quiet now, letting go of the tall one’s hand and walking to a table not too far from the giant windows.

Eliott stepped to the register where the girl handed him his coffee and as he took the glass he could feel her hands brushing over the back of his palms. He got shivers, but it wasn’t a good feeling. He pulled away, looking for his wallet to pay for their stuff.

“Your brother is adorable.” she said as she was pressing the buttons of the cash register. Eliott raised his eyebrows, glancing at Lucas over his shoulder who was pretty much occupied with his ice cream.

“He is not my brother.” he stated, hoping that the girl will take the hint and stop trying to flirt.

“Well, your total is 6,50€.” she said now, voice cracking just a little, realizing the awkwardness of the situation. Eliott handed her a 10 Euro bill and waved her off when she was looking for change in the register. He smiled softly before walking to the younger boy with the coffee in his hand. When he sat down, Lucas’ ice cream was almost gone, his face and even his nose stained with the sweet liquid. It was both disgusting and endearing.

“Should I get you a napkin?” he asked mockingly, sipping on his coffee after he sat down. Lucas shot him one of his disapproving looks, but it wasn’t much effective since half of his face was still buried in ice cream.

“Fuck you.” he mumbled, biting off a big chunk of the cone, chewing on it. Eliott laughed at his childish behavior.

“You know, the girl at the register thought you are my brother.” he said smirking after some minutes of silence and he had to suppress his laugh when the short boy chocked on his ice cream, coughing like crazy.

“What?” he asked between two coughs, wiping off tears from his cheeks that spilled out as he was suffering.

“You heard me.” he shrugged like he didn’t care, but he was actually watching every small reaction.

“That’s scandalous!” he said, with his messy hair and sparkly eyes he looked like an anime character. “I’m only two years younger!”

“Are you aware of that you’re the same age as Imane and I’m the same age as Imane’s older brother, right?” he asked smirking.

“Yeah, but that’s different...” he mumbled, puffing up his cheeks after finishing off his ice cream.

“Why is that?” he couldn’t get rid of the amused smile on his face, Lucas was just too adorable.

“Because they don’t like like each other.” he mumbled and looked away, out of the window. Eliott suddenly felt like the air was punched out of his lungs, staring at the boy in front of him shocked. Through all these long weeks he thought he was hiding his feelings perfectly, keeping himself away from the boy as much as he just could, because he was sure Lucas was liking someone else. But here they were, in a nice little coffee, the boy not even looking at him after he just admitted that he likes Eliott. He like likes him.

“Can you say...”

“Oh no!” Lucas interrupted him, hopping up from his seat and walking to the window, basically pressing his face against the glass. Eliott was confused and shook for a moment, then he noticed what catched the attention of the short boy. It was raining like crazy outside, people running on the streets, trying to find shelter or wave off a taxi, cars splashing into puddles, wetting the innocent people on the sidewalks even more. He finished his coffee and walked to the boy, gently placing his hands on his shoulder, feeling his body shivering slightly from his touch. He leant forward, his mouth dangerously close to Lucas’ pink little ears.

“Let’s go.” he whispered softly to which the boy snapped his head to the side and if Eliott didn’t have the reflexes, he would knock into his forehead for sure. He enjoyed the shocked look on his face though, and the feeling of finally be able to express these feelings instead of burying them.

“Right now?” he asked confused, switching his glance from the tall boy back to the window.

“Yeah, right now.” he smirked and pulled back, holding out his hand for the boy to take. “Or are you afraid a little rain?” he asked playfully, to which Lucas rolled his eyes, placing his hand into Eliott’s.

The older boy smirked happily, pulling him towards the door, rushing out into the pouring rain with him. They were running like crazy, screaming and laughing at the same time. Thankfully everyone around them was too busy trying to get away from the rain, so they could be happy idiots just running to basically nowhere. When they got tired finally, they found shelter at a bus stop. Both of them were wheezing heavily, leaning on their knees for support, soft laughter leaving their throats still.

“You are crazy.” Lucas wheezed, trying to normalize his breathing. “I’m soaking wet.” he complained looking at himself. He looked beautiful with his wet hair sticking to his forehead, water dripping down from his face and his blue eyes sparkling from joy.

“Maybe, but you are smiling.” he said smirking to which the short boy said nothing, still too busy with trying to catch his breath, “You look beautiful today.” it slipped out without even thinking of it and to be honest, he didn’t regret it at all. The shocked face Lucas made and the slowly appearing redness on his cheeks was worth it completely. He took a step towards him, to which the other reacted with stepping back, tilting his head up slightly to look into the tall boy’s eyes. They wew doing this game until Lucas backed into the wall of the shelter they were standing in, Eliott caging him by placing his hands on the wall by his sides.

“Eliott...” the name left his mouth like a soft whisper, almost getting lost in the noise that the pouring rain caused.

“You can’t run away now.” he mumbled softly, leaning forward until their noses touched. “Can I?” it came out as a whisper, but he hoped that the boy could still hear him.

“Yes, please.”

Eliott needed nothing more, he took the last move, crashing their lips together, hands grabbing into wet clothes. He could feel the boy shivering in his arms, his fingers gripping onto Eliott’s shirt, pulling him as close as possible. Their bodies were basically becoming one as they kept tasting one another. The tall boy ran his tongue over Lucas’ bottom lip, asking for entrance and he didn’t had to wait long, the soft lips were parting, letting him deepend the kiss more. He pressed the short boy to the wall even more, placing his knee between his legs both to help him standing and to rub his thigh on his crotch. The little moans that escaped the other’s throat between two kisses were making him go wild, wanting even more. He was waiting for this moment since he first saw him in that living room wearing a blue sweatpants that had tiny chilli peppers on it. As he broke their kiss for a moment to let themselves catch a breath, he opened his eyes to examine the face of the boy. And fuck if that wasn’t the most beautiful thing he had seen. Lucas was glancing at him from under his long eyelashes, his eyes darkened from desire and that blissed out expression he had plastered to his face made his heart flutter in his chest. He couldn’t and honestly didn’t even tried to stop the wide smile spreading on his face when the boy opened his eyes more, looking at him and softly shaking his head, saying that he doesn’t want him to stop. So Eliott continued, pressing their lips together, They kept exchanging sloppy, toothy kisses, giggling into each others mouth for long minutes.

This was probably the most chaotic kiss he ever had with anyone, but it still made him extremely happy. He enjoyed every moment he could spend with exploring the younger one’s mouth, inviting his tongue into a wild dance, their noses rubbing on each other’s cheeks. And when they finally pulled back again, letting out a breathy laugh, Eliott pulled the boy into his arms, who now happily wrapped his arms around the tall one’s body.

~°~

They were in Lucas’ bedroom, laying on the bed, legs entagled, kissing each other with slow passion. Lucas was grabbing into the tall boy, pulling him closer and closer while also trying to mimic his movements. Eliott wanted to show him how much he was enjoying this situation, placing his hand on his cheek, caressing it while they kept kissing, then sliding it under the neck of Lucas’ shirt, touching the warm skin. It was soft, just as he imagined through those hellish weeks when he thought that he will never be able to do anything like this with the boy.

As the older one pulled back from the kiss, rubbing their noses together, Lucas opened his eyes slowly. He looked so beautiful in the dim light of the street lights coming through the windows. It was late and his parents could come home at anytime, but neither of them could care less about it. This moment was so soft, gentle and pure, it would be a waste to break it.

“Am I your first?” Eliott decided to whisper into the space between their lips. Lucas’ gaze traveled up from his mouth now, locking their eyes.

“First what?” he muttered, gently running his fingers up and down on the tall boy’s sides.

“Your first boy.” he explained with a soft smile, caressing his cheeks gently. The other didn’t answer, just pursed his lips together, looking at him with an unsure expression. Eliott’s smile grew wider. “I take that as a yes.”

“What about you?” he asked, surprising the older one with his bravery. He decided to follow the short boy’s example of not answering, just looked into his eyes with a playful smile and wiggles his eyebrows. Lucas looked beautiful as he bursted out in a soft, breathy laugh. “Okay, I see.”

“I think I have to tell your parents that I can’t be your tutor anymore.” he whispered, slightly moving his head up and down to brush his nose on Lucas’. The boy looked at him confused, grabbing onto his shirt tighter.

“Why are you saying that?” he asked, his voice filled with sadness and confusion, which made Eliott’s heart beat faster. His lips curled up into a happy smile, planting a little peck on the boy’s swollen lips.

“I can’t ask money to teach literature to my boyfriend.” he explained. After that everything happened so fast, he suddenly found himself pinned to the bed, a searching mouth pressing against his while nimble fingers crawled under his shirt. He let out a soft moan as he felt the warm touch on his bare skin. His arms moving on their own wrapped around Lucas’ neck, letting him take over the control. And he wasn’t playing around, still kissing Eliott wildly, forcing his mouth to open so he could slide his tongue inside, exploring it even more, lit it was the first time they are doing this. Soon enough the tall boy’s shirt landed on the floor alongside with Lucas’ and they kept kissing, touching and exploring each other almost naked.

Their happy bubble got bursted when they heard the front door opening and Lucas’ parents calling for their son. The young boy pushed himself up from Eliott, letting out an unpleasant groan that made the older one chuckle.

“We should dress up.” he said softly to which Lucas just rolled his eyes.

“They have the worst timing.” he groaned, slowly, really slowly getting up from the bed, looking for some clean clothes to put on. Eliott did the same, trying to fix his hair a little so it wouldn’t be too obvious that they were making out for hours now. Seemed like Lucas thought about the same as he ran his fingers through his disheveled locks, trying to push it back down a little. The tall boy stepped behind him, placing his hands on his waist and pressing a kiss on the back of his neck.

“You are so beautiful.” he whispered into his skin, feeling the small body shivering under his hands.

“And you are such a sap.” he sighed, but didn’t pull away from the tall boy.

“Let’s go down before your parents getting suspicious.” he chuckled and let go of the boy, keep standing behind him. Lucas glanced back at him over his shoulder, having a smug smirk on his face as he grabbed Eliott’s hand.

“You are right, I gotta introduce them to my boyfriend.” he said proudly and both of them laughed as they walked down the stairs.

SURPRISE *finger guns* I hope you guys liked this little Elu oneshot from me, I had to get it out before continuing P.S. I miss you, but I promise, I’ll be writing the next chapter soon. It was just nice to write something else for a short time. Make sure to leave feedbacks on it, I would love to read your comments about this little story. Bisous

#Skam France #Elu #Elu Home Tutor AU #To be or not to be (in love)#Eliott Demaury #Lucas Lallemant #Le Gang #Sofiane Alaoui #Imane Bakhellal #Idriss Bakhellal

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gotmeringinghellsbells · 5 years

Note

Hey there! Is there anyway you could write a Shiro x Adam Curtis story where Curtis has given his place to Adam on the atlas so he can be with Shiro and it’s the last night the three of them have to spend together before shiro and Adam leave for space? Thank you so much!!

Turning Things Around

Fandom: Voltron Legendary Defender

Characters: Adam, Curtis, Takakshi Shirogane

A/N: I got way to into this. Be warned, this is rather long.

Description: The Atlas is returning to space again for coalition propaganda five years after peace was brought to the universe. However, the Garrison only sees it fit to send needed workers on the mission, which means as few as possible. Such a decree causes slight issues within the Shriogane household.

The last few months had been stressful to say the least. The Atlas and Voltrn were heading back to space for a few shows and chekups in the name of peace and the coalition. As such, it was decided that no more than the required number of Garrison employees to operate the ship could attend. There was no point in sending more than a few workers, voltron, and Shiro.

However, with such a rule established, Adam would be left behind while not just one, but both his husbands left for space. Space used to be a thing of beauty, of wonder, of dreams….. But since Kerberos, since Voltron, since…. Everything that happened with his childhood sweetheart, Adam couldn’t let him go, not alone.

It caused a few fights already and so much tension. Both men were suffering and Curtis could see that. If he and Pidge trained Adam for the few programs he didn’t quite know for the Atlas…. He could probably work alongside Shiro in the bridge; In Curtis’s spot. It got the fights to stop when the arrangement was made, but it added whispers and secrets to the Shirogane household.

As much as the youngest trusted his loves and the militant strength that both machines had… he was anxious. He was going to be left alone for hopefully only two months, but he’d have very limited contact with the two. It was bothering him, a lot. Normally, the happy, talkative, sweet heart that Curtis was would lighten both his husbands’ day after a long day of work, but lately… Curtis would just come home, give a few kisses, take his dog, and walk up to the shared bedroom.

Conversations were cut in half, smiles were rarer and rarer to see, purple was gathering under the eyes, ad who knew how long it had been since Adam or Shiro had seen Curtis take Spice outside. Sure, they had piddle pads, but that’s not the point.

Curtis was suffering so Adam and Shiro wouldn’t. There was something wrong and tey both knew it. Sure, it had been about five years since the war ended, but all three had been impacted by it… which Adam and Shiro often forgot. Though Curtis wasn’t up-close and personal with death as his loves had, he was still impacted through his own turama. It wasn’t right… and Adam was having second thoughts. “He should go.”

Shiro looked up from the book before him, slightly shocked. The smell of fall lingered in the kitchen as Adam lit one of Curtis’s candles, allowing the scent of cider to intertwin with the cool, November night air. “What?” The crickets chirped loudly as the sink shut off, the tallest drying his hands. “It should be Curtis up there, not me.” Just because he was married to Shiro didn’t mean he automatically had the right to go. If he went, he’d need someone to cover for him for those months of absence.

Backing out would just leave him home for those months or having to wait a while before getting back to work do to rescheduling as they already had a replacement lined up to teach his lessons. The hero tilted his head a bit. He still didn’t understand what the fuss was about! “Adam, it’s only two months. You could boh stay home, I won’t b away that long.”

Placing the book down, Shiro moved to comfort his husband, only to be nearly shrugged off. “Takashi, whenever any of you go to space… it’s longer than the expected time….. And it’s never from planning. Something or someone always manages to throw you off course.” Shiro gave up on therapy after his first month of peace, it seemed pointless. He had Adam, and to him that’s all he needed when his PTSD surfaced.

He loved his husbands equally, he really did! But… Adam was his home. He had been since they were fourteen, his body just seemed to respond better to the older or something like that. He wasn’t sure but… regardless…. Adam took the therapy. He didn’t want to talk about it to anyone but Colleen though, but he’d taken up painting…. A lot of painting.

Scare after scare from Shiro’s chronic illness, thinking his main family was dead (Shiro and Keith), going to war with them, Keith going back to space for a while, Shiro’s PTSD and the horror tales he told Adam….. It was a lot. They could probably use from marital counseling at this point too, as there were a lot of barriers present between each one.

Curtis was willing to share his feelings, to actually speak when he was upset. He felt so safe with these two, not like his biological family environment. Each had gone through their own abuse overtime and Curtis was the only one to actually talk about it when the time was… needed or to really try to resolve things.

Adam and Shiro would just go to war and whoever caved first caved first. But Curtis had taken it upon himself to make sure both were happy, though he himself had become miserable. He already felt out of place in his new family, but refused to leave because… it felt silly too. Sure, he hadn't seen, done, or felt anything the other two had… well not the exact same. He came from an abusive home, he had his own turama!

But he just didn’t feel he could really fit into their family. He’d shared this the only time he’d gotten drunk, to which Keith and him both just kind of bantered about it until they passed out, but that was a few years ago. Adam could never get him to talk about it and Shiro, Shiro just wanted to hug him. It was an instinct thing since the war ended. It started with Adam and just kind of worked its way up.

It was a pleasant change, probably why Adam wasn’t pushing his husband away still. “Adam, nothing is going to happen.” It was pointless to reassure that, both knew it. When Shiro started to feel shoulder’s shake, he panicked slightly. Turning Adam, he pulled him into a tighter hug. “Why do you think we’re both upset Takashi? We’re afraid to lose you, to be alone without answers. I can’t do that again…. I can’t.”

He was trying to hold back his sobs, but it was pointless. “Adam, please, nothing is going to happen.” He wanted to make a joke or make him smile… just… something. “Hey,” he cooed softly. He tipped the soft chin up slightly to look into the other’s eyes. Cupping the scarred cheek, Shiro wiped away the tears fro the functioning eye lovingly.

“You really think anyone is going to stop us from getting off course, especially now that Allura’s a new mom and is leaving her kingdom under Coran? I wouldn’t be surprised if she obliterated any challenging ship in sight.” Right, other’s had a it a bit worse, huh. Adam ignored the joke and leaned into the comforting touch, pushing the robotic hand back against his other cheek.

“No, huh? Alright, well, your just pushing me to take drastic measures here, aren’t you?” Why couldn’t his husband be a grown up and not a man child sometimes? Adam sighed softly. “Maybe save that for after checking on Curtis.” It wasn’t so much a suggestion as a demand. The smaller smirked a bit before pulling Adam close. His robotic hand moved to scratch behind the hypersensitive ear, earning a squeak and weakening knees. “Or it’s also motivation to get going?”

“Nhhahahaha! A-All right!” The other shoved at him before moving away quickly. An idea suddenly hit him. It was clear even now that Shiro didn’t like to talk about things… like at all. Common interests, people’s days, normal stuff was fine but negative possibilities, the past, absolutely not. He hated it and would change and dodge the topic, never asking anyone else about their past.

Though, maybe he was like that before Kerberos given that Keith opened up to him without him asking. He seemed a bit shocked and off put when telling Adam that night. Regardless, it didn’t matter at the moment. Each man had their own dynamic in the family, had their own quirks. But they also had their own ranks and strings they could pull.

“You think you could call Coran and Iverson and see if they could change the top of the food chain’s mind?” Shiro looked to the clock, they had maybe thirteen hours until the “mission”. He sighed with a shrug. “I’ll see what I can do. I take it your going to have a more,” he was cut off by a nod. Dragging a hand down his scruff ending face, he nodded. “Yeah but… I can’t promise anything. They’re still mad you and Curtis swapped.”

Adam shrugged. “And? Your a paladin of Voltron, Takashi. Last time you pulled that card it got all three of us legally bound.” Ah yes, the reality of things. The former paladin sighed before walking off. “Uh huh, I’ll see what I can do.” The taller rolled his eyes before heading up the stairs. Curtis really hadn't left the room lately. He wasn’t sure where else he’d be so might as well check there first.

Sure enough, in bed were two lumps. The haze from the humidifier cast over them, mixing with the lights from the television. Was he asleep…. While watching “The Unnatural”? Adam frowned before walking over and lightly touching his husband’s forehead. No fever, that was good. As he pulled his hand away, brown eyes opened. “Hm?”

Oh, maybe he’d been simply resting his eyes? “Sorry, were you sleeping?” A head popped out from under the covers. A happy dog made a noise before both paws came out, hitting his daddy in the face. Curtis snorted with a small smile. “No, I’m awake.” A whine came from Spice as he demanded attention from his other dad.

Adam turned on the light before turning off the television so he could keep Curtis’s attention. “It’s our last night,” the professor started. It probably wasn’t the best way to but… might as well get to the point. Curtis nodded. “I know.” The bags under his eyes had gotten worse and more colorful. “You should go.” It was probably too late to switch things up now but you know what, these three had been through a lot! To only be able to choose one partner to go with was unfair to almost a moral degree!

“What?” Curtis rubbed his eyes a bit, watching as Spice freed himself to attack Adam as he climbed into Shiro’s spot on the bed. “I know how it feels and I’d never want to push that on someone else Curtis. I’m sorry.” The professor pulled the bigger dog into his chest, making him lay down as he received scratches and lovings.

“Adam, what’s done is done. I want you to go. You’ve been through this before and… it’s not fair. Your family is all going and it’s only right. I saw how you were when Keith decided to go back to space, I know how your anxiety is. Please, it’s not a big deal. I’m sorry I haven’t been… myself lately.”

The younger jumped a bit when a hand lightly touched his arm. Adam quickly pulled away before the other gave a sign that he could place the hand back. Doing so, he let out a sigh. “It’s hard to find the right words, I know…. But…. we love you. We don’t want you to be miserable.” The other sighed before rubbing Adam’s hand. “And Shiro’s PTSD? I can’t do anything about that.

“We both know I’m not that useful when it comes to that…. Stuff.” He sighed. “Your closer, and I know that. I understand I can’t be that close with either of you in comparison and… I shouldn’t compare… but unconsciously he knows your his home, your his protection. Your much closer with the paladins than I am and are better at rationalizing with Shiro when it comes to making certain choices, same with Allura. Your a co-captian and you can keep Keith in check. I can't do any of that Adam.

“I sit there and I do as I’m told. I don’t really voice my opinion as it’s not my place.” Adam looked shocked. He didn’t realize… even five years into them… that Curtis still felt so… alienated? Foreign? No, like, he didn’t belong. Moving Spice to the side, the older moved in closer. “Curtis?” The other sighed before laying his head back.

“Adam, I know my place in it all. I shouldn't word it like this but to visualize I rank under you. That’s not a bad thing, and that’s something I’m okay with. I’m part of this family, but I’m newer. You’ve had more of an impact than you realize. Keith would rather be with you than his mom, he listens to you and Shiro!

“He calls you when he’s upset or comes to see you when he’s having a hard time. Lance does the same, Hunk and Allura too. Your like… almost a,” Adam cut him off. “Just because I’m married to the ‘space daddy’,” he warned. It lightened the mood slightly as it earned a smile from both of them and a giggle form Curtis. “Space and Earth dads, it works.”

Was that so? Hands found the younger’s sides, earning a scream of surprise from the other. “Whahahit, thahaht tickles!” No, no, no, no! Curtis covers his face as he tried to roll onto either side… at the same time. As he rocked back and forth, Adam let out a small laugh of his own before stopping to climb on the other’s waist. “No, no, no! Adhahahadam!” Awww! Adam was laughing softly at the sight. Curtis looked so mature and grown up, yet he was more of a man child than their Takashi.

“But you laughing Curtis, isn’t that what you want? Don’t you want to be tickled by me, huh? Saying such negative things about yourself comes with punishment and you know it.” Adam raised a hand, no… a claw. It honestly was like watching Keith or Shiro at this point with how “trained” Curtis was to this action. He spazzed more, practically crying from joy. “No, no, no!” God, the professor loved him so much!

He leaned down and pried one of the protective hands away so that he could kiss the soft blush on the sun kissed skin. Curtis was just so beautiful! “I’m not ticklish,” he squealed out in anticipation, almost feeling fingers move closer to his ribs. His arms were dancing back and forth, trying to sheild his face and ribs at the same time. “Your not, huh? Could have fooled me.” He was met with a few odd noises, whines, and shrieks before the door opened to reveal a rather shocked Shiro. His face dropped as he rolled his eyes. Should have known.

“Hehehelp,” the youngest cried out softly as fingers came closer to his ribs again. Honestly, the majority of the time for tickling Curtis was just hovering over him. Shiro moved towards the end of the bed, poking at the socked feet that had burrowed their way out from the covers. “S-Shahahairo!” Both husbands smiled at the sight before Shiro started his point of entrance. “So, talked to Iverson,” he started before moving to sit on both ankles.

“Oh? Any luck,” Adam asked just wanting to get to the point. He lightly traced over the clothed chest, earning squeals and snorts. “Ahahahre yahahaou thahahwo sheheherious?!” Of course they’d just have a casual conversation while… oi. “Nhahhahahaht the thahahoes! S-Shahahiro plehehehase!” Both were hardly touching the hypersensitive bean.

“Well, yeah. I guess they had to reconfigure a few things and we were supposed to get word of it. Basically… it’s kind of like a free for all now. They had Curtis and you both under the list, and Spice and Coffee too. I guess Coran just decided everything without telling us.” Well, that was good news. “Wait, how?” Adam stopped, giving Curtis a bit of a break while Shiro kept poking at him.

“I don’t know. I guess Allura is bringing the twins and Lotor? Or Romelle or… someone? He sounded stressed and was kind of just skipping around with sentences. I guess the new head has kind of… got him going crazy.” None of the three had met the new head of commands yet. “Huh,” was all Adam could say before letting up on the poor man. He turned his attack on Shiro, pulling him off Curtis and kind of just laying on him.

“They just put the list out tonight so…. Yeah he’s stressed,” Shiro grunted as he quickly rolled him and Adam over to change spots. Damn his stupid strength! Adam struggled against him, wanting to wipe that stupid, sleepy smirk off his face. “Like someone else I know.” The struggle was mostly up as Shiro lifted Adam’s arms over head.

“I think we eased Curtis a bit, now… I think it’s your turn.” A new voice was quick to chime in. “Honestly, your all work and now play,” Curtis cooed tiredly as he crawled over to him. “Don’t you dare,” Adam laughed. He was so tired at this point. It was closing in on midnight now, all three were feeling the effects of the night. But…. rather than just tickling one husband again, Shiro had an idea. He lifted one of Curtis’s arms, quickly tickling under it as the other hand went after Adam’s ear.

“Sthahahaop it! Shiro,” Curtis squealed as he rolled over. He kept trying to roll away from the robotic hand, but it was no use. “It tickles, it tickles!” Shiro snorted as he watched him continuously roll away. “Curtis, what are you doing?” He stopped in fear of the other falling off the bed. The hand started to stroke the short, dark locks, earling soft mewls and whines.

Adam, meanwhile, was squealing and shrieking softly as he tried to enjoy the relaxing feeling. He was blushing deeply, more so when Shiro decided to start smothering him in kisses. “Nnnnmm hahahahahaha! K-Kashi!” Arms wrapped around Shiro’s neck as the offending fingers moved down to the professor’s back, supporting him as the smothering continued.

“There’s that smile,” Shiro cooed softly, earning a whine from the taller. “S-Shut up you dork.” Alright. Shiro shrugged before blowing a raspberry into his neck. The professor’s eyes widened before he let out a soft squeal. “Sthahahaop thahaht!” More fingers found their way against the most serious of the three. Curtis sleepily snuggled closer to them, fingers scratching at Adam’s ribs softly.

His smile was soft and loving, cracking a bit as the robotic hand lightly scratched under his chin. “Heheheh…. Shirooo.” Curtis stopped as he hid into the two. He was so sleepy and it was… so precious. Shiro smiled lovingly before letting up on them both. However, Adam wasn’t about to let the shortest get away with such a crime with out some kind of consequence.

He eased him in slowly, starting with a soft kiss which slowly turned a bit more heated. Making his way on top of the touch loving veteran, he straddled his waist lovingly. Looking over, the professor rolled his eyes softly, fighting back a smile. Curtis was down for the count and god did he look adorable. But if he was in a dead sleep, nothing was waking him…. Which meant Adam could be as ruthless as he wanted. Lovingly of course, of course! He wasn’t a bully, or was he?

Gray eyes widened before Shiro turned his head and covered his mouth quickly. He glared up at the older who smirked menacingly down at him. “What’s wrong ‘Kashi, can’t handle some of your own medicine?” Adam leaned down like a cat as he moved the robotic hand away from the shorter’s mouth.

“Your evil,” the younger laughed softly. Shiro wouldn’t deny that there was something fun about the child-like suspense; But feeling Adam’s loving touch almost made it easier to enjoy. A loud shriek echoed off the bedroom walls as hands dug into the thicker thighs. Tickling turned to wrestling, which ended back in kissing.

Finally laying down to rest for the night, a realization hit the hero. Sandwiched by two men he loved so dearly. Being used as a pillow, using the other as a body pillow….. He could never go to space without them. They made him feel so safe, so loved, so secure and warm. He let out a soft sigh, smiling as he closed his eyes. Space would be alright.

#hell answers #vld #2019 #shuram #curtis #adam #shiro #tickling #tickle #ticklish #tickle fight

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staytheb · 5 years

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Like Oh 2.0 - Dates. Lessons. Gym.

Previous Chapter: Chinese Class Word Count: 3,845 Summary: Jaebeom has a group date with his Konkuk University buddies. Melanie also has a group date with her Seoul National University friends. Serena’s an English teach aide where she’ll be teaching Jinyoung, Youngjae and Yugyeom. Jeannine checks out the gym where Jackson and BamBam are working out, too.

Like Oh 2.0 masterlist

this is the second chapter and more like a filler chapter to explain some things for the future chapters and the likes. so happy reading and kthxbai, Admin Lia~

Mark arrived back at the dorm with GOT7's manager, Seunghoon, in tow and expected to be greeted by his fellow members, but was instead greeted by the chaos of bodies rushing from one room to the next. While standing in the vestibule, Mark watched in amusement as Seunghoon walked passed him and towards the bathroom. Yugyeom noticed the older male first as he slipped on his shoes. "We're running late for our English class." "Ah, that's right. I forgot some of you were actually going to take a class for that." He noticed the younger male sidling up to him with a sly look. "Jaebeom hyung is actually getting ready to go out on a group date with his friends from Kondae." Yugyeom wriggled his eyebrows playfully. "They're going to meet some girls from Seouldae." He let out a giggle as Mark nudged him with a smirk. "Jealous that you can't go?"

The youngest shook his head with a small smile as he slipped on his backpack. "Jackson hyung and BamBam aren't here as they went to the gym." "Maybe I'll stop by the company later then." Mark said as he moved out of the vestibule and towards the living room as Yugyeom followed him. "Why?" "Because that's where Jackson and BamBam went." "No. They're downstairs." Mark shot him a puzzled look. "There's a facility downstairs now?" "Yeah." Yugyeom gave the older male a weird look. "You didn't know?" "No. Since when?" "Yeah, well it opened up a week or two ago. Not sure for the actual date, but I'm surprised you didn't know about it." "Yeah, me, too." Mark flopped onto the couch as Youngjae happened to walk by and greet him next. "Hey, Mark hyung. Where's Manager Seunghoon?"

"Hey Youngjae and he's in the bathroom." Youngjae let out a relieved breath. "Okay, good. Hyung still has to drop us off." Youngjae moved to knock on the door. "We're ready to leave when you're done." "I'm not ready yet!" Jinyoung called out from his room within Yugyeom and BamBam's room. "Wait for me." "Sorry, hyung! We're leaving now and we're going to speak better English than you!" Yugyeom teasingly mocked while sitting next to Mark who just smiled at the youngest member's antics. "Shut up, you brat!" Jinyoung yelled emerging into the living room, but didn't see their manager. "Where's Seunghoon hyung?" "Here." Their manager let out with a flat tone as he rubbed his face tiredly. "Don't you kids ever stop yelling?" "No." The four replied with mischievous faces.

"Whatever, let's go." Manager Seunghoon ordered as he walked past the quartet, but turned to look at Mark remembering something. "Oh, Mark, tell the other three not to be out too late, they know their curfew. Also, I'll be at the company if you need me once I drop off these three." "Yes, sir." Mark gave him the O.K. sign with a nod. Jinyoung was the last to leave, but turned around to say something to Mark before actually leaving. "Hyung, please tell Jaebeom hyung not to wear the bucket hat and his large glasses out to his group date. He'll be recognized instantly." "Alright, will do." Mark nodded in confirmation as he then spoke in English. "Have fun." "I will." Jinyoung replied in English with a wide smile before waving the older male a goodbye.

Once Mark shut the door and was on his way to relay the message to Jaebeom, he saw the male walked out of his shared bedroom with Youngjae and laughed upon seeing the male wearing a bucket hat and glasses. "What?" Jaebeom asked upon seeing the older male laughing. "Jinyoung said not tp wear the bucket hat and glasses to your group date." Jaebeom ditched the glasses and put on a face mask instead. "Better?" Mark shrugged. "It's your call." He returned to sitting on the couch with Jaebeom in tow. "You're not afraid you'll get find out by the fans?" Mark asked as he side-glanced the leader. "It hasn't been three years, y'know." Jaebeom shrugged indifferently. "It's just a get-together. Nothing serious. Besides, the guys at Kondae invited me out and I've been turning them down for the past two years and thought why not."

"Hmm, that I can agree to." Mark smiled, but then frown a bit as he looked at Jaebeom. "Just don't do anything reckless as you are the responsible leader that GOT7 and IGOT7s know." "Don't worry, hyung." Jaebeom patted the other male's thigh. "I just need a bit of 'normal' every now and then." Mark nodded as he remembered what their manager had told him. "Oh, Seunghoon hyung told me to remind you to not be out too late. You have a curfew still." "Noted. Thanks." Jaebeom smiled at the male. "So what are you going to do since Coco's with the coordi noona and everyone's out?" "I have homework, but that isn't due until Thursday." "How was it?" "The teacher outed me at the beginning of class." Mark let out a sigh as he shrugged indifferently. "But better sooner than later, I guess."

Jaebeom was now standing up to slip on his shoes. "Ah, so I'm assuming the other students probably wanted to be around you and couldn't stop talking about having an idol in the class, huh?" Jaebeom casually commented which triggered Mark's memory of one classmate who didn't act like so. "Well, there was one person. A female. Her Chinese name was Pǔ Zhōng Lǐ, but I dunno if that's her actual name." "Oh, it's a girl." Jaebeom cooed in a teasing manner as Mark rolled his eyes. "Like I was saying, she seemed chill and acted like I wasn't a celebrity at all. Kind of nice, but weird." "Maybe she did know who you were, but didn't want to appear too eager so that she can get close to you?" "Probably, JB. I do have to say it was nice talking to someone that wasn't another idol, family, or a friend and treated me like I was just a regular person."

"Don't we all want that though? Well, I gotta get going. I was supposed to meet the boys by the Han River." Jaebeom pulled a hoodie over him before looking at Mark with a concern look. "You sure you'll be all right by yourself, hyung?" "I'll be fine." Mark told him as he stood up and followed Jaebeom to the door. "Just don't bring home a stalker. Manager Seunghoon won't like that." Mark teased the younger male as Jaebeom slightly punched the older male in the shoulder. "Like I would let that happen. I am the leader and I won't tarnish that mindlessly. Anyways, I'll see you later. Bye hyung." "Bye, and have fun." The duo bid one another goodbye as Mark shut the door and turned around to look at the empty room with a contented sigh. "Forget homework. I'ma catch up on some sleep."

~~~~~~~

Melanie, Jasmine, and Jeannie neared the gates of Seoul National University to leave when an underclassman, Dayoon, called out to them. "Chaewon unnie! Minjae unnie! Jaehwa unnie!" The trio turned to face their younger friend. "What's up, Dayoon?" Jasmine asked the younger woman when she finally reached them. "Are you still going on that group date of yours with the guys from Kondae?" "Yeah." Melanie replied. "We're heading to meet the rest at Taegukgi." "Do you wanna come?" Jeannie asked as Dayoon frowned. "I wish. I have to meet up with my cousin as she said she had something really important to tell me." "Maybe another time." Jeannie patted the girl on the shoulder. "You won't miss much. The last two have been pretty meh lately." "Och, true." Melanie agreed as the quartet began walking again. "Seolbi keeps setting us up with them arrogant science and engineer majors."

"Highly true, but at least the guys you have 'afters' with want to hang out and not just look for naughty time." Jasmine remarked before making a disgusted look. "That's all I get." "Didn't Seolbi say that this should be the best group date yet?" Jeannie asked trying to remember. "She mentioned that these Konkuk guys are better than the last two." "Well, they better be, or I'm leaving." Melanie grinned as the other older women rolled their eyes playfully. "Speaking of leaving," Dayoon spoke up while looking at the time on her phone, "I really need to get going or my cousin's going to be so upset with me for being late." "Oh, go on ahead then." Jasmine responded as she shooed the younger woman away. "Take care."

Dayoon bid them goodbye before heading in the opposite direction giving the trio their moment to talk in English. "If she knew she had to talk with her cousin, then why did she keep on talking with us?" Jeannie commented as Jasmine cast her younger twin a look. "Because she doesn't have anyone else to hang out with and so she hangs out with us." "Have you guys met her cousin yet?" Melanie as the twin sisters shook their heads. "Me either." Melanie remarked. "Dayoon always mentions that she attends Seouldae, too, but doesn't say who she is or bring her around. I wonder if she's lying." "Doesn't matter to me." Jasmine stated. "As long as she doesn't cause any trouble, then we good." "You're the one that likes to cause trouble, Jasmine." Jeannie eyed her sister. "Remember last semester with you getting drunk and cutting your chin because you tripped over the train tracks?"

"I wasn't drunk I was tipsy and I don't remember how I got to the tracks, Jeannie." Jasmine clarified as Jeannie rolled her eyes. "Exactly." "Anyways, girls," Melanie interrupted their sibling squabble while reading the message that their friend sent in the group chat. "Seolbi changed the meet-up spot and time. She wants us all to meet at a karaoke joint in Sinsa instead at seven." "That's in like three hours. Why?" Jasmine asked as she looked at her own mobile device to check the group chat. "She didn't say." Jeannie said as she skimmed the messages before putting her phone away. "Hey, let's just get ready at Serena's place until it's time. She lives like less than fiften minutes away from Sinsa." "True. Let's go back to the dorms and grab our stuff before heading over there. She'll be home late." Melanie explained as the trio made their way towards their dorm instead.

~~~~~~~

Serena arrived early to her next class as she had misread the initial time. She was greeted by a room that looked more like a kindergarten class instead of a college class for Beginner's English I. Serena smiled at the scene before her as she felt it would be a fun environment to learn and interact. Too busy admiring the place, Serena didn't hear the younger woman calling out to her using her English name. "Hey, Serena." Serena snapped out of her thoughts and faced her friend who she was a teacher's aide for. "Ah, hey, Ana. Sorry about that. I was just checking out the setup you did. Not bad." "Haha, thanks, girl." Ana chuckled as she handed Serena a piece of paper. "Thanks for being my aid this semester. I'm used to teaching younger kids, so this is my first course teaching adults. Your help is greatly appreciated."

"You're welcome." Serena smiled while taking the piece of paper. "Besides, Ana, I still owe it all to my aunt Julisa for everything." "Oh that's right. The same aunt that got you, Melanie, Jeannie, and Jasmine to go to school for free with her amazing connections or something like that." "Haha, yeah something like, just our own expenses for fun and what not. Anyways," Serena looked at the piece of paper seeing a short list of names, "Are these your students?" "Yes it is." Ana smiled before grinning even wider. "Let me see if you find anything interesting." Serena shot the woman a weird look before reading the names, but played indifference while looking at her friend. "Well Ana, seeing Kim Yugyeom, Park Jinyoung, and Choi Youngjae on your students' roster doesn't mean it's the members of GOT7."

Ana's eyes twinkled as her smile grew wider. "Well, that's something as a teacher you wouldn't know as they inform us about such things before class begins." Serena scoffed at the idea. "No way we're this lucky to get to teach idols, Ana." "We are, Serena. Like, I see a lot of them when going out to those fansigns, fanmeets, and other events with the other English teachers, but this is the first time to actually meet under these circumstances." Serena knew her friend wanted to squeal in excitement, but was trying to keep her cool. "OKOK." Serena relented as she handed the paper back to Ana. "Let's remain cool and not freaked them out. I don't wanna get kicked out and lose face for my aunt." "Yeah, yeah, I know. I can't lose my job either. But thanks again for accepting to be my aide." "You're welcome. Now, what do I do as an aide?"

~~~~~~~

When Jeannie, Jasmine, and Melanie arrived at Serena's apartment complex an hour or so later, they relaxed in the living room of the large apartment. "So why is Serena getting out late again?" Jasmine asked while moisturizing her face as she sat on the floor. "She has a late class today. I messaged her." Jeannie commented while looking for something to watch on the screen TV before clicking on the Netflix icon. "She's an English teacher's aide." "Yeah, she's with our friend, Ana." Melanie confirmed after returning from the kitchen with a large bowl of popcorn. "Dude, Serena stocked up on more snacks and drinks." "Did she buy any of those banana milk?" Jasmine asked after she was done moisturizing her face and moved on to applying her makeup. "I think so. I only grabbed the popcorn." Melanie settled next to Jeannie on the couch and placed the bowl onto the coffee table.

"She hasn't organize any of it. They're all stacked and piled near the pantry." Melanie checked her phone when she saw the light flashed indicating she received a message. "Hey, Seolbi said to meet at six-thirty instead." "Well, have fun because I'm not going." Jasmine said while putting on lip-gloss and looking at a compact mirror. "I'm meeting up with Ahri at this new club in Itaewon. She says it's Ladies' Night tonight, and we'll be getting in for free along with half off drinks." "On a Tuesday?" Melanie made a face as Jeannie sang a line from ILOVEMAKONNEN featuring Drake's Tuesday. "Going up on a Tuesday~" She grinned before cliking on Lie To Me. "That's all I know." She faced Melanie. "Yeah, tell the girls I'm not going either." "What? Why not?"

"Not in the mood, plus I have a lot of homework already for the first day. It sucks." Jeannie explained as Melanie made a face while replying back to the group chat. "That means I have to go alone." Melanie checked her phone to see what the others said still making a sour face. "Boo, you guys." "Hey, Melanie, don't forget that you'll be with Dasol and Haeryong, too." Jasmine assured her friend. "They usually make everything fun, especially Haeryong does when you get her to drink enough." "Ugh, don't remind me, Jasmine." Jeannie groaned at the last memory. "She kisses everything and anyone in sight." She shivered at the thought. "I still can't drink lemon soju to this day." "Oh haha, that's right. Ah, that was funny."

Melanie laughed as she popped a few kernels into her mouth. "Anyways, they said it's fine. Another time. Seolbi said two others girls she's friends with wanted to join and so she invited them in your guys' place." She looked at the twins. "So you guys are good and I need to get ready though." "You know you don't have to go, Melanie." Jeannie reminded her friend as Melanie shrugged indifferently. "I know, but I want a boyfriend remember although it's not the biggest priority, but I gotta do something with my love life. And going to these group dates is going to help with that because for some reason I still can't find a man." "Psh, you'll find one, Melanie." Jasmine scoffed. "Just go with the flow." "I know, Jasmine, I know."

Melanie stood up and stretched her limbs. "Well, I need to stop being picky about the guys I wanna date from what Serena has told me." "Yeah, right. Serena doesn't even know what she likes." Jeannie laughed chewing on some popcorn. "She runs away whenever we bring up her K-Pop biases." "She's funny though." Jasmine laughed once she was done with her makeup. "Anyways, I'll be home late or I'll crash over at Ahri's." "Okay." The others replied as Jasmine headed towards the bathroom. "Dasol and Haeryong should be by soon so we can go together." Melanie said as she walked to her room she had at her sister's place leaving Jeannie in the living room as she faced the television screen while letting out a sigh. "Don't wanna do homework." Her eyes casually shifted onto the coffee table where Jeannie saw a bright flyer about the new apartment complex's amenities. "Hmm, a gym?"

~~~~~~~

"Serena." Ana called out to Serena who looked up at her friend after arranging all the desk in to two groups of six as there would be twelve students for the class. "Yeah?" "I need to run down to the library and make more copies. I'll be back." "Okay, but what do I do if the students arrive before you're back?" "Just greet them and tell them I'll be back to start the lesson. Just get them to sign the sign-in sheet and you can explain the syllabus to them." "Alright. Hurry back fast, Ana. I'm not a teacher." "Yes you are, Serena. Be back soon." "Alright, Ana, whatever you say. Later." Serena watched her friend leave as she went back to doing what she was doing. "I'm so glad this is my only teaching job. I'm not accepting anymore after this."

The female finished with the tables before organizing the posters and stands out of boredom when she heard her phone go off signaling that she received a message. "Ah, yeah, I need to silent that again." She made her way to her things, pulled her phone to check the message seeing that it was from Jeannie, Serena then replied back, put it on silent and away just as she heard the door open. Serena looked up and saw two young men walk in. "Hello and welcome." She greeted in English as the male duo smiled back slowly. "Hello." Serena switched to Korean. "You can take a seat at any of the two tables. I'm the teacher's aide and the actual teacher will be back shortly." The duo nodded their head as they sat together at the table. Serena let out a silent breath as she smiled to herself. "Okay that wasn't so bad. Alright, two down and ten more to go."

~~~~~~~

Jeannie went down to the gym several minutes after Jasmine and Melanie had left. She didn't want to work on her homework and thought to pass time with this activity. Despite the gym being a new facility, it wasn't as occupied as she thought it would be. "Okay, less people to run into." Jeannie smiled and slowly headed to the treadmill first. She slipped on her earbuds while adjusting the machine to her own preference. Once that was settled, Jeannie began to move steadily and she briefly glanced up and made eye-contact with a male across from her. It was GOT7's Jackson, but it didn't register in her head on who he was. She quickly averted her gaze away from the male and to the small TV that was hanging above instead.

Half an hour had passed as Jeannie was about to end her session on the treadmill to move onto another machine when she felt an unexpected tap on her shoulder. Curiously turning to her right to see who it was that wanted her attention, she noticed it was the male she had caught eyes with from earlier. Upon closer inspection Jeannie recognized the male and misstep on the treadmill which led her to slip and face-plant onto the machine. It quickly sent her back and off of the machine a few seconds later. Jackson' eyes went wide and he hurriedly got off of his treadmill to tend to Jeannie who was already standing back up while rubbing the sore spots from the fall with a sore face.

"Hey, are you okay?" He asked as Jeannie's earbuds had yanked out upon her fall which was how she was able to hear him, but it took her a few seconds to actually pay him any attention. "Um, yeah, yeah. I'm, I'm fine." She answered absentmindedly still rubbing her left elbow. "Just fine." Jeannie then looked at the male and shot him a small smile. "Thanks." She moved around him as her earbuds dangled on her shoulders while leaving the facility and back to Serena's place to make sure she wasn't in serious pain. Jackson was left speechless at her behavior, but he followed after her to make sure she was okay with BamBam who was with him also tagged along who was still laughing at the incident that just occurred a while ago.

The male idol ran ahead of the woman who he had technically caused her accident and stopped before her. Jeannie cast him a confused look. "Sorry, but um, are you sure you don't need to go see a doctor or something like that?" Jackson asked in concern while Jeannie brushed him off casually. "No, it's okay. Really. I just need to go up to my place and I'll be fine. Thanks though." She cast him a reassuring smile as she walked around him and towards the elevators. Jackson just watched her walked off with BamBam coming up and placing an arm on his shoulder. "Maybe she's not a fan?" He reasoned with a shrug as Jackson eyed him. "No, she's a fan. She was wearing our 'Come & Get It' t-shirt."

"I didn't see that." BamBam looked at his fellow member in confusion as Jackson smirked knowingly. "Because it was in the front, BamBam. Anyways, let's go." Jackson ordered as he headed towards the elevators with BamBam in tow. Jeannie entered the elevators and was about to instantly close it when two more bodies entered quickly. Jeannie just cast them a smile while asking them which floor. "Fifth." Both idols stated as Jeannie pressed the button for the same floor as hers. "You also lived on the fifth floor?" She asked them as they nodded their head. "You, too?" BamBam asked as Jeannie nodded her head slowly while Jackson sidled up to her to whisper, "Are you a stalker", and Jeannie just shot him a weird look. "Um, no."

#staytheb #got7 scenarios

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captaincanarygotmelike · 6 years

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Fic: Doors Open ch. 1

A while ago my lovely friend Gabby asked me to expand on the Unconventional universe and nearly two years later, here we are. This is part one of eleven (maybe, we’ll see). Anyone unfamiliar with the series might want to check out the original fic here, bc this might not make a ton of sense (or don’t, you do you).

Read on AO3

Read on Fanfiction.net

Nothing particularly exciting happening during the first year Elsie was on the Waverider.

She got acclimated to the timeship (both Sara and Leonard thought she made the switch to the future remarkably well) and to her new family. She was truly loved on the Waverider, even managing to grow on Rip — he had initially been unsure about Sara and Leonard’s decision to adopt the little girl from the 1930s, however, as he watched Elsie’s relationships with her parents grow (and when he saw that her removal from the thirties didn’t destroy the timeship) he couldn’t ignore the benefit she was bringing to the team. They all enjoyed having Elsie on the Waverider. She added an element of fun to the dynamic amongst the team.

She played dress-up with Kendra and Ray, Jax was teaching her how to play football just like he promised, even Mick had a soft spot for her. Early on in their time on the Waverider, Mick had proven to have quite a knack for cooking, and since Elsie’s arrival, the two had taken to making meals for the team together. She would sit on the metal counter and watch him chop vegetables, and he would always let her stir ingredients together with a big wooden spoon — he even let Elsie stir things on the stove, even though Sara always told her no.

During a brief shore-leave a few months after Elsie moved onto the Waverider, the team returned to the present time and Sara and Leonard introduced their daughter to their families. They legally adopted her on that visit as well, and she officially became Elsie Lance.

“Lance?” Lisa had repeated when they told her.

“The Snart name dies with me,” Leonard had replied, answering her confusion.

“Unless I keep my name when I get married,” Lisa then pointed out.

“That’s not funny,” Leonard had replied seriously.

Elsie’s fourth birthday came and went. They celebrated it on the Waverider with a big game of hide-and-seek that even Rip joined in on, and a trip to Pompeii to watch Mount Vesuvius erupt.

Not too long after, Kendra said goodbye to the team and they welcomed two new members: Nate and Amaya. Rip was relieved to see that Elsie had not become a distraction for the team, but a motivator. Sara had become less reckless on the field, but had lost none of her will or tenacity. Leonard had grown increasingly protective of his team, even the new members. They all seemed to work better together.

Even though Elsie attended all the team meetings and sometimes journeyed into the times they traveled to, she had never joined the team on a mission. That is, she hadn’t joined the team on a mission yet.

“Time to get dressed,” Sara said to Elsie as she walked into her bedroom, “Did you pick out clothes for today?”

“Uh-huh,” Elsie nodded, holding out a bundle of clothing.

“Pink jeans and a pink dress,” Sara commented with raised eyebrows, “Wow. Really?”

“Yup.”

“Okay,” Sara let out a sigh as she shrugged, crouching down to help her get dressed.

“Miss Lance,” Gideon said as Sara helped Elsie pull off her princess nightdress, “Rip would like you to know that he has called a team meeting.”

“Okay,” Sara nodded, “Thanks Gideon.”

“Of course,” Gideon replied. Then she was silent.

“I wanna play with Kendra,” Elsie said.

“We’ve been over this,” Sara said, pulling the cotton dress over Elsie’s head and beginning to help her arms through the sleeves, “Kendra went back to the real world. Then Amaya and Nate came, remember?”

Elsie shook her head

“Yes you do,” she replied, “You played restaurant with them yesterday.”

“Oh,” she replied, gripping her mother’s shoulders as she stepped into the pants Sara was holding out in front of her.

“Ready?” Sara asked, once the pink jeans were pulled up and buttoned.

“You gotta do my hair,” Elsie said.

“I’m gonna do it on the Bridge during the meeting,” she told her, picking up a brush and several hair ties from the surface of Elsie’s dresser, “Let’s go.”

Elsie bounded out the door and down the corridors of the Waverider, Sara following at a much more comfortable pace.

The rest of the team was already at the meeting when Sara arrived; even Elsie beat her to the bridge, waiting for her in a metal chair.

“Miss Lance,” Rip said, “Thank you for finally joining us. Let’s begin.”

Sara crossed the room and sat in her chair next to Leonard. Elsie stood in front of her, leaning against her legs as Sara started to run the brush through her blonde hair.

“Here’s the plan,” Rip said, “Our latest adversary is taking refuge in the year 2025.”

“Hey, that’s close to our time!” Ray said.

“Yes, Mr. Palmer, it is indeed,” Ray nodded, “In 2025, he doesn’t pose any threat to society, but he is in something like a planning mode. He knows what he’s doing, now he’s just getting ready.”

“So what are we trying to do, exactly?” Jax asked.

“Figure out his plan so we can head him off at the proper moment."

“Awesome!” Nate said, “We’re gonna snuff him out before he burns!”

“Did someone say burn?” Mick asked, seeming to tune into the meeting just then, “I’m in.”

“I appreciate the enthusiasm, Mr. Rory,” Rip said, “but we’re going to be doing this mission a little differently. Think early days, Raymond and Kendra buying a house in the fifties. Some of you will be scattered throughout the city. The rest will be posing as the occasional tourist when necessary, and parsing through the information we collect on the Waverider.”

“What happened to diving in and hoping for the best?” Amaya asked.

“Our success rate with that tactic dropped to a level so low it warranted a change in plan. We’re trying something a bit more strategic this time.”

Amaya nodded.

“So,” he continued, “Our new mission will be taking us to València, a coastal city in the south of Spain.

“We’re going to Spain?” Ray exclaimed, “Cool!”

“Yes, Mr. Palmer,” he said, “Our target is Sebastián Reyes. In 2025, he is thirty two years old, and within the following decade, he will become one of the world’s most dangerous people, joining the ranks with Ivan the Terrible, Robespierre, and Osama bin Laden.”

“What exactly is he doing?” Nate asked.

“What any man of his kind does: tries to eradicate what’s unlike him. For him, it is people under a certain tax bracket. It’s his opinion that a lack of money is the result of a lack of intelligence and poor decision-making. There are, of course, other factors involved, but his goal is to eliminate those who earn under a certain amount, take the money they leave behind into the government of Spain and therefore solve the debt crisis and leave more money for the remaining citizens, including, of course, himself.”

“Why are we only hearing about him now?” Sara asked as she wrapped a hair band around one of Elsie’s braids, “If he’s really this bad, why haven’t you ever mentioned him before?”

“Because, until recently, he didn’t exist — that is to say, he wasn’t the person he is now. Something we did in the last month or so changed his story and inspired some terrible actions from Mr. Reyes. We are going to València to fix it.”

“Who are you placing there more permanently?” Nate asked.

“I’m sending Jax and Martin straight onto the campus of the University of València. Martin will be taking up the position of professor of physics and Jax will be a graduate student in the biotechnology department.

“Do they have a good football team?” Jax asked.

“If by football, you mean the game with a black-and-white ball you can’t touch with your hands, then yes, I believe they do,” Rip answered, “To continue, I’m placing Mr. Palmer in the same apartment complex as our target in the hopes that you can get close to him and we can find out more about his day-to-day life.”

“Cool!” Ray said, “I’ve always wanted to be friends with a sociopath!”

He didn’t seem to notice the bemused faces the rest of his team shot him.

“The last group I’m sending in on a slightly more permanent basis will include Sara, Leonard, and of course, Elsie. You three will be placed in a suburban neighborhood a little outside the city. You’ll be posing as a family who moved to the area for work. I have a spot for Elsie in a preschool and jobs lined up for both of you — and I request that you both actually attend them please.”

“Hey!” Sara protested as Leonard said, “That’s fair.”

“The rest of us — Mick, Nate, Amaya, and myself — will be staying on the Waverider to parse through and organize all the information you collect.”

“When do we leave?” Jax asked.

“Tomorrow,” Rip replied, “I suggest those who will leave us start packing.”

“Where are we going?” Elsie asked her mother later that evening.

“We’re going on a vacation,” Sara answered.

“What’s a vacation?”

“What?” she asked absently, “Oh, right.”

Sara often forgot that Elsie had come from the 1930s. She made the jump to the futuristic setting of the Waverider very well, but part of that was because she was going from one extreme to another; her new home held no resemblance to her old one. It existed in a kind of bubble, separate from any particular moment in time, so Elsie still had some gaps.

“A vacation is when you go somewhere else besides where you live, just for fun. Some people go to relax and some go for sightseeing,” she explained.

“Where are we going?” Elsie asked.

“Spain,” Sara replied, “for a mission. Daddy and I will be working, so I guess it’s less of a vacation than actually moving there…for a little while. Daddy and I are gonna go to work and you’re gonna go to school.”

“School?” Elsie repeated.

“Yeah, like how Sofia goes to princess school in that show you watch. You’re gonna go to school and have a teacher and learn new stuff everyday with kids your age.”

“Cool!”

Sara was feeling cautiously optimistic about the mission, although she would be lying if she said she didn’t feel a twinge of worry about the sudden change in tactic. Rip wasn’t wrong in his comment about their previous few missions not going particularly well, but they always accomplished what they needed to. They had a routine: screwing things up before they made things better. Maybe it wasn’t particularly efficient, but it managed to be effective. Changes in their routine might not go over well, and this was the source of Sara’s anxiety.

Her main concern was Elsie, who had only ever left the Waverider for more than a few days at a time. This was her home, the only one she had known since war-torn Norway. Perhaps choosing this mission, one that would completely uproot her daily life, as her first mission wasn’t the best idea. However, Elsie didn’t seem too fazed by the prospect of moving to Spain for an indefinite amount of time, so Sara chose not to worry — or, rather, pretended not to worry.

Rip had told Sara and Leonard that, to spare them the inconvenience of furnishing an entire house, Gideon had generated everything they would need, down to the silverware and toys. All they had to worry about was clothes and any personal items that would be missed during their time away from the Waverider. Both Sara and Leonard had packed everything they needed into two boxes and while the latter began dinner (the chore wheel had landed on him that day, much to Leonard’s disgruntlement, as he thought he’d get to evade the job entirely for at least several months), Sara began going through Elsie’s clothes, tossing the ones more apt for warm weather into a cardboard box with Elsie’s name printed on it.

She hit a roadblock when she told Elsie to pick just a couple toys to bring with them to Spain.

“But who’s gonna play with them while I’m gone?” Elsie whined.

“Maybe Nate will,” Sara said, trying to hide her frustration, “You can’t take them all. Rip said there’s toys for you at the new house so, like I’ve said seven times, pick three and put them in your backpack. I’ll be back in five minutes.”

She turned away and headed for the door so she wouldn’t have to see Elsie’s pout (she made a mental note to make sure Leonard stayed away from her room for a while — if Sara thought she might cave, he certainly would).

Eventually Elsie picked her three toys — a stuffed elephant, a Rapunzel dress-up dress, and a set of markers that Sara traded out for a deck of rainbow playing cards when she wasn’t looking because she knew Elsie would miss them more (and they would be impossible to find in València because Gideon made them herself). The team ate dinner together in the mess hall (the last team dinner for a while, Ray realized sadly) and then Sara and Leonard let Elsie have dessert — blue popcorn, another one of Elsie’s farfetched requests neither Sara nor Leonard knew how Gideon accomplished — in their bed while they watched a movie.

“What happened to not letting her sleep in our bed anymore?” Leonard asked quietly, gesturing to Elsie who had fallen asleep about an hour into Bridge to Terabithia, curled up in Sara’s arms.

Sara locked down at her daughter.

“Yeah, wishful thinking, I guess,” she replied. She looked to him, furrowing her eyebrows when she saw an expression on his face that usually signified he was having some kind of internal debate, “What?”

He let out a sigh, “I just was wondering if this is a good idea. We never involved her in a mission before, never mind a new type of mission. We don’t know how this is going to pan out.”

“I know,” Sara nodded seriously, “I’ve thought about that too.”

When they decided Elsie should stay with them on the Waverider, they hadn’t been ignorant to the knowledge that having a toddler onboard the timeship during a mission to safeguard all of time would not be easy. Leonard and Sara had quickly agreed they wouldn’t bring Elsie on missions, not even simple reconnaissance trips — they had seen those go sideways — but that still left the concern of what to do with her when they had to be out on the field. More often than not, at least one person from the team wouldn’t need to go on the mission — usually Rip, as of late — and that person would watch her. Occasionally, however, a mission would require the efforts of the entire team. In that case, Gideon had assured Sara and Leonard she could make sure Elsie stayed safe.

Although those types of missions were few and far between, and nothing bad had ever happened during any of them (in fact, the Waverider hadn’t been attacked in a while — not since long before Elsie came onboard), Sara and Leonard still hated the idea of leaving their daughter alone on the Waverider.

“And I know we said we wouldn’t take Else on missions,” Sara continued, “but this is gonna be different. It won’t be like our normal missions where we, you know, kick ass and then get the hell out. It’s gonna be longer, more strategic.”

Leonard nodded his agreement.

“And,” Sara continued, “I actually trust Rip with this stuff. He’s a dad too. He wouldn’t do anything to put her in danger.”

“I know you’re right, but you know me, I get stuck in the hypotheticals. If something happens to her…” he trailed off.

“I know,” she nodded, “We’re just gonna have to be careful. If something bad does happens, we bring her back to the Waverider — and hey, bonus points: we get to hold it against Rip for the rest of his life.”

Sara saw Leonard smirk slightly.

“I should get Else to her bed,” she said, carefully shifting Elsie in her arms and getting to her feet, “Long day tomorrow; we’re moving to Spain.”

#legends of tomorrow #captain canary #sara lance #leonard snart #cc ff #mine

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evangelene · 6 years

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Strain 2.

Summary: When you have a disease that could kill you if you love someone who doesn’t love you back, you cut yourself off from the world. And then there’s the boy who throws every survival instinct out the window: and Taehyung has set his sights on you.

Hanahaki: a disease in which someone coughs up flowers when experiencing one-sided love.

Part One / Part Three / Part Four / Part Five

"Chrysanthemums!" He shouted, fully believing he was right for all of three seconds before doubt crept in and you saw his change of mind in his facial expression. "No--succulents! Ah! No. It's uhh.....uhmmm...ro...Roses! It's Roses!" Taehyung slammed his hands down on top of the library table in overzealous excitement at having gotten the right answer. As a result, the librarian gave him a very loud shush, and a warning glare from her desk. He bowed his head with a winced apology that didn't seem to make her any happier.

Shame at having to be the person seemingly "with" the loud troublemaker crept up your skin and reddened your cheeks. "Yes." You hissed, shaking your head as you glared at him. "Roses are the rarest strain of Hanahaki. And? What else about it?" Your glare dared him to bring his voice louder than a whisper.

"It--" You stared at him, waiting for Taehyung to fully load his answer in his mind. Honestly, watching him study was entertaining enough--you were always able to see the moment the answer came to him, as well as when he knew he was fucked. "It's one of the most painful, it's part of the killing strands but it doesn't kill instantly. There's....50 of the 58 cases...no--59--"

"It's 58."

"50 of the 58 reported cases have ended in death." Pulling the answer from the depths of his brain seemed to exhaust him, because he was leaning forward to rest his cheek against the table.

You nodded, scanning down to the next question on the mid-term study guide you'd made for yourself. Well, it had been for yourself and yourself alone before Taehyung begged you to help him study and you agreed--if only because teaching someone else was a great way for you to retain the information.

"Name three strands that have a death rate under 1%."

"Lilies." Duh. You raised an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to continue. "Violets, and....um....daff--no, daisies."

Another curt nod from you as you flipped to the next page. "Correct. Hmmm, let's see....What was the first reported case of--"

You were cut off by the sound of Taehyung's ringtone. Both of you flinched as he hurriedly shot upright and fumbled with his phone, trying to shut it off before the librarian figured out it was him (once again) disrupting the peaceful atmosphere. With a sigh, he stared at his screen.

"Is she looking at me?" He whispered.

You kept your eyes glued to the study guide, well aware of the several pairs of eyes drilling holes through both you and Taehyung. "Of course she is." You murmured. "You moron."

His thumb padded the screen, until, inadvertently, he cured under his breath. "Sorry, I have to end this early."

Worry lit up from the inside out and you felt yourself gripping the table in an attempt to catch a glimpse at his phone. "Is Sae okay?"

Taehyung's instantaneous nod calmed you as he shook away your concern--this was Taehyung you were talking about; if it concerned his sister he would be equally as freaked as you were. "Oh yeah, she's fine. It's just my girlfriend--I forgot we have a date at 5 tonight."

For a moment, everything was normal before the word "girlfriend" clicked in your mind. Then you were openly gawking at the boy in front of you, confusion written across every surface of your expression.

He looked up at you as if he didn't just say that he, a boy with confirmed Hanahaki in his genes, had a girlfriend. "What?"

You pinched the bridge of your nose, staring up at him through your lashes. "Are you fucking serious? You have a disease that causes you physical pain when you experience a one-sided love and yet you're just blindly walking into a relationship?" You paused, sitting upright. "Wait a minute, on top of that, you're spending time alone with the bitchy girl in your class--who wants nothing to do with you, thought I'd remind you of that--and you didn't tell her? Dude!" You smacked his forearm. "How the hell do you still have a girlfriend?"

He shrugged, waving you off as he continued to give half of his attention to you and the other half to his text conversation with his mystery girlfriend. "She knows I have friends that are female. She's fine--you're being too dramatic."

You felt the intense urge to smack Taehyung with your heavy, senior-level horticulture textbook. At the same time, it was weird not to have Taehyung's full attention--usually you were the one ignoring him. Not that you cared. But curiosity overwhelmed the forces in your brain that tried to stomp it away.

Who was this girl?

He must have hit send, because he was setting his phone down and lifting his gaze back up to you. "Besides, she knows I love her and only her. I'm willing to risk a little pain if it means I'm not spending my life alone."

The part of you that was animated by Taehyung dropped down into your stomach as you stared at the boy. How nice it must have been, to be able to fall in love without fear of dying.

Without fear of your Hanahaki killing you.

For a moment, you let yourself wonder what strain he had--maybe daffodils, peonies, something sweet, soft and bright. Probably yellow, he seemed like a boy whose aura just radiated yellow.

"What about you, Y/N? Have you ever dated someone?" He pursed his lips at you, cocking his head to the side before nodding to himself. "Well, I suppose you don't get close enough to people to fall in love."

"No. I have not." You said quickly, half angry and determined to shut down any further conversation--well, you would have, were Taehyung to be perceptive enough. Honestly, you figured him to be incredibly smart, but sometimes the boy was just outright idiotic.

"Ah, I'll have to set you up. I have some really great friends you know I--"

You closed your book, rushing to gather your things up into your bag. You were sloppy and quick--not nearly as organized as you'd like to be, but you'd have to fix that when you got back to your apartment. For now, you were in too much of a hurry. "Well, I have to go."

"Thank you for all your help." He grinned up at you as if this was normal, as if you always ran away from him at the speed of light. Well, thinking back on it, you probably did. He was irritating. "Same place, same time tomorrow?"

You rolled your tongue across your teeth as his phone lit up with a new text message. "We'll have to see."

But you knew you'd cave, if only because Sae would beg you to help him again.

~.~

Kim Saeyoon was still a senior in highschool, but she visited your campus often because, like her brother, she wanted to attend the university. You didn't really know what she wanted to do with her life, probably because she wasn't sure either.

"Teaching or something along those lines." She'd told you once. As fitting as it was, you felt that Sae was destined to be more of a principal type--a counselor or someone that taught students in a more unconventional way. After all, everything about the Kim siblings seemed to be unconventional.

Despite her age, Saeyoon felt older to you--far more mature than her male counterpart. There was an inexplicable aura she had that radiated love and warmth, and, as a result, you supposed that it made you want to protect her. It also helped that she was the only one that knew about your...situation.

"Your mother...what was she like?" She asked, dumping the pushpins out of her shoes as you stared down at her with a frown. You forgot how absolutely childish and dramatic high school females could be--you thought that shit was something saved for dramas and manga. But, you also supposed that you weren't really involved with people during your highschool days--well, not involved enough to know if the thought was true. The first time you caught her de-pinning her shoes after school, she'd given you such wide caught-in-the-act doe eyes and told you not to tell your brother. You promised if only because you really didn't want to talk to said brother.

Though, because you were silently brooding and angry, you came earlier and earlier to pick her up from school in the hopes you'd catch the culprit. But, alas, it just became far less frequent, seeing as you were known for being subtle.

"She...she was a lot like you actually." You murmured with a chuckle, bending down to help rip a stubborn pin from the sole of her shoe. "She was kind and strong, in a way that made everyone listen to her. She had a weakness for cute things though; especially the kind of cute that awoke her maternal instincts. I think that's why she liked my father so much. She always told me 'Y/N, the man was a child when I first met him. He was so immature that it was cute.'" You chuckled, remembering your mother's stubborn expression as she told you not to fall for the same tricks she did. Back then, they were still close--they were still in love--he was just irresponsible. You still remember the time he decided he wanted a pet and brought home a stray cat without telling your mother. She had been so livid that your father slept on the couch for a week, before your mother fell in love with the cat and named it Doghouse. "She would have really liked you."

"I think I would have liked to meet her too." Saeyoon slipped on one shoe, testing the waters before putting on the other.

"Why the sudden curiosity?"

"I mean, ever since you told me about...what happened...I just--I don't know. I think its fun to see how parents and their kids match; what traits are pulled from what parent and so on. You sound a lot like your mother."

"How so?"

"You, too, have a weakness for cute things." She chuckled, linking her arm through yours. "But, then again, so do I. That's why we're friends right?"

"I'm not cute."

"Bullshit." You'd heard Saeyoon swear many times, but it always looked and sounded wrong coming from her. She was such an angelic personality that it was strange and foreign to have such demonic phrases passing her lips.

You squeezed her arm, grinning at her.

"See--cute." She made a face at you that made you want to squeeze her cheeks. "It's so nice to see you smile. I always feel like I'm getting a treat; not many people get to know this side of you."

"There's no one besides you and Anne."

Sae's face shifted to the sky, as if that could transport her love for the older woman directly to her. "Aw, speak of another cute woman."

"I know, right?"

"So adorable." Before she could continue, you heard the intake of breath that had you stopping immediately to twist with her towards the grass--you hands holding her hair off the back of her neck as her body shook with the onslaught of coughs. Your free hand rubbed circles into her back as impossibly white petals spilled from her mouth--getting caught by the wind only to drift down the street.

"Do you want me to go get you some water? Just nod or shake your head--don't try to speak to me." You whispered, tilting yourself just enough to see her face.

"N-No."

"I told you not to speak."

She coughed on a laugh, one stubborn, huge petal falling as she spit to the ground. "But it's over." She grinned up at you, her cheeks red with the effort of producing flowers. "Besides, my strain isn't always painful--just strange."

You wanted to smack her, but you felt like she was too fragile for something you normally reserved for her brother. "I love you, but you are frustrating."

She rolled her eyes and pinched your side. "Tell me about it." Sae giggled at the sound of your high-pitched squeal as you jumped back and away from her. "Thank you, Y/N."

"For what?" You stared at her like she just told you the sky was hot pink.

"For being my friend."

The stupefied expression on your face didn't disappear, only intensified. "Of course? Are you okay? Are you sure you didn't cough out some of your brain with those flowers?"

She chuckled. "It's a lot for you to be my friend, you know? For both of us."

"So, did you ever think about confessing to him?" It was easier to change the subject than for you to wallow in your feelings--to get all sentimental and mushy when you've been shoving those parts of yourself inside a closet for the past five years.

For most people, such a touchy subject would cause them to stop in their tracks--squeeze their heart and force more petals from their throat. But that was why you got along with Sae so well, she just kept walking and pursed her lips at the horizon line where the sidewalk met the sky. "Not particularly. I mean, I've thought about it--but, for some reason, confessing is a lot more terrifying when you know the answer."

"I think it might heal you, actually."

"Me too." She murmured, her hand slipping down to wind her fingers through yours. "I'm just working up the courage--I'm not brave like you are."

"You're braver." You shook your head. "Far braver than I could ever be. I think that you can do it, hell, I can see you doing it with that damn smile on your face."

Her cheeks reddened as she ducked her face behind a falling chunk of her hair. "Ah, you think too much of me."

"No. Taehyung talks about you as if you are the absolute world. I didn't get it at first, but, after meeting you, it makes complete sense why he thinks so highly of you. You are amazing, Sae."

She stared at you through the spaces of her hair, her brow furrowed in affection. "I hope that one day you can fall in love and have a happy ending. If anyone on this planet deserves that, it's you."

You made a face at all the gushy talk, grimacing into the distance. "Never mind. I take back what I said. You're awful."

She only laughed.

~.~

You stuffed your book into your bag, running your hand along your face as if that could make the exhaustion from the day go away. Closing your notebook and slipping your pen into its proper place in your backpack, you pushed your chair back to stand up only to have someone pull out the seat next to you and sit themselves down, placing their foot behind your chair to prevent you from leaving.

You stared at the unfamiliar presence, annoyance in your raised eyebrow.

"You're Y/N, right?" She was pretty, not Sae pretty--but seeing as how you were incredibly biased, you were sure no other female would compare to your best friend. Dark hair, long lashes, nice nails that had no hints of trauma from being chewed on the daily. She was even skinny as hell to boot, with legs for days and a face that read angel but screamed devil. But again, you were biased--pretty faces generally came with demons chained up beside them.

"Can I help you?"

She pressed her lips into a line, her eyes raking you up and down as she made her own opinions about you--similar to the ones you made about her. The only thing was, you weren't looking through bitch colored glasses that decided how worthy you were of breathing the air next to her.

"We have a reputation to maintain, you know. He's here because he needs to become popular and work on his voice--he's going to be an idol you know."

"Yeah, I think you've got the wrong person."

"Y/N? L/N, Y/N? Taehyung talks about you all the time." She pursed her lips. "I don't get it."

"Yeah, no. I don't either. If anything I would like to figure out how to make it stop. So if you'll excuse me." You tried to back over her foot but the bitch was surprisingly strong for someone who looked like sitting on her would snap her in half. "Okay, now you're just pissing me off."

"I'm just trying to have a conversation with you; that's all." She grinned, but it didn't reach her eyes. "I want to find out what kind of person my boyfriend has been hanging out with. Like I said, he has a reputation to hold himself to."

"Ah." You nodded your head the pieces clicking into place but refusing to settle. The same Taehyung that cried at seeing a picture of a puppy was dating this...this...well, this. "You're the girlfriend--the one that's supposed to be super sweet and amazing and 'omigosh here look at her Y/N, look at her face isn't she beautiful? And she's so good to me'" You mimicked Taehyung holding out his phone to you; except for your bored expression was a pisspoor reenactment of his excitement. "But, you must have changed since the two of you met in high school if you're bothering to talk to me about reputations, huh?" You chuckled. "Does he know this side of you?"

"I haven't changed; we all just have different sides to ourselves, don't we?"

"Mm. No. I think you're just what I would call two-faced."

"And you're a bitch."

"Yes I am." You sighed. "Look, Hyoori?"

"Hyeri."

"Hyeri, I'm not denying what I am--so one point for me. Two, I don't give a flying fuck about Taehyung. If you want him not to talk to me, how about you go tell him that so maybe I can get some peace and quiet, huh?" With one forceful shove, you finally managed to push your chair back just enough to stand up, unsurprised to find the girl following suit.

"Maybe I will."

"Great. Please do." You threw your hands up in the air. "Are we done here?"

"I just want to clarify that this isn't because I think that someone like him is capable of falling in love with someone like you--I'm not worried about you as competition, honey, I'm worried about you ruining his reputation."

"You mentioned that. Again, I don't care. Man, both of you lovebirds just can't hear a damn word I say, can you?"

"Is there really a need to be so rude?"

You let out a bark of a laugh, shaking your head. "Isn't that the pot calling the kettle black?"

"What?"

"Nevermind. You're really an idiot."

"And you're a freak." She paused, cocking her head at you. "But you know what; I bet you're like Sae."

You slung your backpack on your shoulders, your eyes narrowing on the woman before you.

"I bet you have Hanahaki." There was a dangerous glint in her eyes that had something slightly less than fear bubbling in your chest. "My mom's a psychologist. She says people who've contracted the disease behave similarly to you. Maybe you don't have it, but I think you know you're going to get it."

"I don't--"

"What's the big deal about some flowers? Not like you're going to die from it, huh? Only 2% of the population or something like that actually dies from--"

"Shut up."

It was 40%.

There were thorns strewn across the bathroom tile, bits of flesh that shouldn't ever see the light of day stuck to the edges. The pink petals of the flower were now dyed a browning red; you didn't think you'd ever burn the image of your mother's lifeless eyes--

"I don't have it." You snapped, "But I don't think you have the right to make so little of something you obviously don't understand. So, if we're done here, I'm leaving. See ya around Hyoorin."

"It's Hyeri!" She shouted, angering the librarian at her volume.

"Same thing." You snorted as you picked up speed, walking fast enough that it didn't feel like running away but it didn't feel like a calm and even pace either. It was a fight or flight response that was broken, some mixture of in-between that you couldn't comprehend. You couldn't go back to your apartment yet; you felt the pinprick of tears in your eyes, the blooming sense of panic in your chest and you knew you wouldn't make it there in time anyways.

No matter what you did, the haunting images kept overlaying with your reality and you swore you felt something sharp in the back of your throat.

Where did you have to go? What were you going to do?

Your hands shook, even with your white-knuckled grip on the straps of your backpack. With the effort it took just to breathe and walk at the same time, you were forced to stop underneath a streetlight in order to get oxygen to your brain. It was a fruitless effort to stop the tears that were already falling and the sight and feel of what you'd forced down for so long had you choking on air.

Before you could get away, hide yourself from the sight of anyone else foolish enough to walk outside at night, you felt arms around you and the warmth of a muscled chest on your shoulder blades. You let out a god-awful screech, flailing your arms as you wheeled on your attacker with every intent of using everything on you to commit murder.

But, luckily for you and your police record, Taehyung had his hands around your wrists before your fists could make contact with him.

You stared up at him, frozen in place at the sight of his own heavy breathing. Did he run to catch up to you? How long was he following? Or did he just see you across the street and run to meet you? Why didn't you notice him? Why did you want to notice him? You were sure that he was the last person you wanted to see--hell, he was the last person that you wanted to see you crying; and you hated crying in front of anyone and everyone.

Even Sae.

He seemed equally as stupefied by the sight of you like this, his mouth fish gaping as he tried to figure out what to say. Eloquently, the words Taehyung chose were: "I just....Hi."

"Let go of me." You whispered, hating the way it hurt to get the words out. Despite your effort, you couldn't figure out how to rip your arms from his--hell, you couldn't even figure out how to move them.

There was still blood in the sky.

"I don't want to."

His words knocked what little air was from your lungs. "Then don't look. Please." You hated the way your voice cracked, the way your lips pressed into a quivering line and your hands shook in his grasp.

Instantly, your face was forcibly slammed into his chest, his arms around you so tight that it felt like there was a building--if felt like you were in a place where no one could see, not even him. For the moment, you fooled yourself into believing that you were in a place safe enough to break.

"I won't." He murmured into your hair, holding you even as you shuddered in his grip, even as the tears started to flow unbidden and you let out a cracked sob into his shirt.

For the first time in a long time, you stuffed your pride--your fear, your hurt, and your anguish--somewhere accessible, letting it roll out of you into the screams and painful sobs that you let out into his chest. Taehyung seemed to swallow them all, radiating warmth back to you that could only come from him.

It was obvious he had no idea what was going on, what crazed happenings occurred to make you this way. He was dumb--dumb in all the right ways. And so, like it was natural for the two of you to be embracing in public, he rested his chin on the top of your head and waited until your sobbing calmed enough for you to understand his words.

"Do you want me to call Sae?"

You let out a small noise that didn't particularly answer his question.

He chuckled, the sound and the sensation of the vibrations on your skin soothing some of the shake to your hands. "That isn't helpful."

"You're not helpful." You whispered like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

"I know!" He laughed to the street light. "I don't even know what's going on--that's why I thought I'd ask you if you wanted me to call my sister. She's better with stuff like this...and...Well, you like her better than me so...god I'm just not good at comforting people."

"No." You shook your head, unintentionally nuzzling deeper into him. "You're a natural. You're doing great."

"Really?" His arms gave you an instinctive squeeze that had you doing something as stupid as lifting your snotty face from his shirt to grin up at him with one last stuffy hiccup.

"Yes really. See?" You pointed to your face, laughing with how utterly stupid you must look to him. "I'm smiling."

Your eyes were puffy, swollen with the exertion of crying, so you couldn't see his expression--you were sure you didn't want to anyways. But the awe in his voice struck something in you that suddenly made it seem like the safety he had built with his grasp was dangerous.

"This is the first time I'm seeing it."

"Just this once." You chuckled, rubbing at your eyes with the back of your hand. "I'm making an exception because I'm not in the right state of mind. Tomorrow I'll kick your ass for scaring me."

"I like your smile. It's pretty."

Thump.

You stared at his shoulder, your eyes widening as you gripped at your chest. Curling your lip, you shook your head and smacked him hard enough to separate yourself from his arms. "I changed my mind; you deserve to be hit now." You hissed, elbowing him when his grip lingered on you and you felt the sudden burning urge to both run and laugh at the same time--if only because he was flashing you that happy square grin, glad to see you back to normal.

~.~

You were studying in the light of your apartment, legs criss-crossed on top of your bed with a pencil in between your lips as your fingers moved across the keyboard to find the perfect phrase for the rough draft for your thesis. Suddenly, your phone buzzed loud and unexpected, scaring the shit out of you as you nearly flung your notebook across your room. After the momentary heart-attack, you turned to stare at the name on the screen.

Your hand snaked out to quickly snap it open, your thumb turning the speaker on so you could continue to work with both hands while talking.

"Sae? What's up?"

You could hear her coughing on the other, awakening your instinct to worry to the point that you stopped what you were doing and nearly throttled your own phone.

"I--" Another cough on a curse; you could hear her shifting. "I just wanted to talk to you."

"Are you alright?" You were already eyeing the door, mentally calculating how long it would take you to throw on pants and get to her place.

"I'm fine." The words relaxed you enough to stop creating an escape plan, not enough to stop you from checking the time to see how late it would be when you got there. "Taehyung and Hyeri are just fighting again and I'm tired of it. Talking to you calms me down."

"Do they fight a lot?" You shifted to stretch out your legs, letting loose a yawn to the ceiling.

"They have since college. It's really nothing new, but ever since Taehyung's horizons have broadened and he's started talking to...to..."

"It's okay; I know the nickname, Sae--I won't take offense."

"Ever since he's started talking to 'the campus bitch' Hyeri hasn't been keen on him doing what he likes anymore. She would rather him spend more time with her and her crowd."

"Mm. He will again. Once the thrill of annoying me gets old."

"I'm not so sure about that. You're too awesome to only be a phase."

You chuckled, bending over to grab your notebook off the floor--though it was difficult seeing as your balance was awful and you almost face-planted into the ground. "Gee, thanks Sae."

"How are you though? Taehyung...he told me that last week he saw you crying?"

You swore under your breath, angrily kicking your sheet off your sweaty legs. "That's because he's a nosy fuck."

"So you were crying."

You only let out a grunt, clicking on the dictionary.com browser.

"And you didn't think to tell me because...?"

"I don't like drama. It creates unnecessary emotion and tension. Taehyung's girlfriend visited me in the library and I just--I was reminded of my mother."

You could practically hear Saeyoon sit upright, her worry creating a crease in her forehead. "What did she say to you?" It was angry; much like you would be if Sae were in your position. But, seeing as the unfortunate one was you, you could care less.

"It's fine Sae."

"What. Did. She. Say?"

You sighed, shoulders sagging as you scribbled down the obscure word which was just right for the sentence of your thesis. "She said that I'm a freak and I probably have Hanahaki because apparently my behavior is typical of Hanahaki patients."

"And?"

"I told her to shut up."

You could hear Sae's hand tighten on the phone. "You had flashbacks, didn't you? That's why--"

"Sae, its fine. She's just got her nose too far up her own ass to know the ways of the world--it's my fault for not knowing we apparently still abide by the classist systems of highschool."

Sae growled as you tapped back to the research article on your screen.

"I wish it was you dating my brother instead of her. She's become such a bitch."

"I never can get over you swearing."

She chuckled. "I'm going to kick her ass."

"You couldn't kick a fly so sit your butt down."

Her laughter made you feel the need to put the phone just a little further away just so you didn't burst an eardrum. You pulled up another new tab, searching the reference that the article you were reading had used; it looked like it'd be more helpful than the damn article itself.

"Honestly." Sae started once her laughter had calmed. "You're amazing, Y/N."

"Am I though?" You made a face at your computer as if Sae could actually see you.

"You are! You know exactly what you want to do and who you are--you've got this whole map laid out for your life and, meanwhile, I'm just sitting here in love limbo, doomed because I can't even figure out what I want to eat for dinner nevertheless what I'm going to do forever."

"No one does one thing forever." You chuckled. "You'll find what you want eventually--you're still in highschool; Jimin will just be another passing phase."

"Mm. I don't know. I'm indecisive and quiet--I get scared easily and I just....you know, just the thought of growing up is more terrifying than Hanahaki."

"You have never been quiet, don't give me that."

More laughter that boomed throughout your apartment. How a tiny little thing could produce such a noise was far beyond your capabilities of understanding.

"That's because it's you. You're the exact right person to be my friend. You're what I need to speak up and what my brother needs to calm down."

You cringed at the mention of Taehyung, remembering your face in his chest and your fingers in his shirt. You wanted to remember the Taehyung that you hit with your textbooks, the Taehyung that you flung soup at and screamed to leave you alone--not the one who made the world a safe place.

You didn't need safety; you needed a damn line in the sand drawn between you and the opposite sex.

"I think...." Sae said finally; you hadn't even realized there had been a lengthy pause--you were too focused on trying to focus on your paper instead of memories of tears, blood and the smell of Taehyung's cologne. "I think I'm going to tell him."

"Jimin?"

"Yes." It was practically a whisper, as if she was afraid that, if she spoke too loud, the man in question would hear her confession all the way across town. "But only if you promise to be on-call to cure my broken heart."

"Do you want a gallon or a quart of ice cream?"

"A gallon."

"What flavor?"

"Neapolitan."

"Ah." You nodded to your computer, for some reason still believing that the phone had magical powers to allow her to see you through the speaker function alone. "Yes, I should have known. You have a hard time deciding things--nevertheless what flavor. Might as well just pick the one that has all three."

Her laughter was grounding enough for you to refocus on your screen. "Exactly."

~.~

You felt your phone buzzing in your pocket as you walked. But, just as you reached back to pick it up, the weight of a body slamming into yours stopped you from being able to do so. There was only one person cheeky enough to do so and know full well that he was about to get slapped.

"Y/N!" Taehyung all but screamed in your ear as his arms wrapped around you and he spun you in a tight circle that felt entirely unbalanced. The second you were set down, you tried to move away but wound up crashing back into him on unsteady legs. The guy had wrecking ball strength and not a clue about how to use it.

"Damnit, Taehyung." You snapped, glaring at him as you pulled your phone out of your pocket, squinting to get your swirling vision to focus on the missed call; it was Sae. "What the hell is your problem?" You glared at him, pressing the redial button as you brought your cell up to your ear.

He only seemed to bounce with excitement, grinning at you from ear to ear. "I have good news! Really good news!"

"You passed your test?" You raised an eyebrow at him, somehow managing to keep the frown on your face even though the sight of a happy Taehyung was infectious.

"No--well yes, but no! It's even better than that!"

"Y/N! My Hanahaki is gone!" Sae screamed through the cell before Taehyung even got a chance to get the words past his lips. You nearly threw your phone from the pain of high-pitched, over-excited Saeyoon--nearly, because soon your excitement was on a level that was almost higher than her brother's; almost. Taehyung was crazy.

"What?!" You nearly snapped your neck to meet Taehyung's stare, your eyes widening on him as if he could hear what was being said through an object smashed to your face.

"Is that Sae?" He asked, stepping even closer in an attempt to hear the person on the other end of the line--despite the fact that you were repeatedly smacking him to keep him as far away from you as possible.

"Yes." You hissed to him. "No, not you. Sae--Sae shhh. You're brother's here, yes I'm happy but I'm now deaf in one ear." You tried to calm to hyperactivity around you, but the excitement and happiness in your chest kept building and building to the point that you would have willingly accepted Taehyung swinging you in circles, as long as it would release some of the energy around you.

"He was going to tell you before I even got the chance?" Saeyoon screeched. "I'm going to kill him!"

"Why are both of you shouting?" You screamed back into the phone despite your words, laughing when Taehyung's arms wrapped around you only because it was painfully obvious that he didn't know what else to do. Taehyung was great at a lot of things, but patience wasn't one of them--he needed to be right there, he wanted to hear what was being said by all parties and he didn't want to ask for it. As a result, he had his face pressed to the side of the phone that wasn't flush with your cheek.

"Yah!" you shouted. "Taehyung, get off me!"

"I want to be a part of this too!"

"Sae!"

It was all screaming, all happiness and bubbles and the things that made pastel colors possible. You couldn't care less about the fact that a boy was being overly touchy with you, you were so ecstatic that you fully believed that there wasn't anything that could pull you down from your high.

"I'm so happy." You murmured into the phone at Saeyoon's lengthy explanation of how she confessed, how she felt little when he rejected her kindly, how she was afraid that she was going to instantly puke lilies only to find that there wasn't even that scratch at the back of her throat; hell, she and Jimin were still friends. The confession was days ago, but she wanted to make sure that it was gone before she finally told you; she knew you'd worry otherwise. "Sae, I'm really so happy for you."

"Don't cry--if you cry I'm going to cry." She murmured.

"I'm not crying--TaeHYUNG." You screamed, shoving him off of you when his head went to rest on your shoulder. "My god, get the fuck off of me!"

"But I want to hug the person that cured her."

"It wasn't me." You snarled.

"It was totally you." The fact that this was coming from Sae had your mouth instantly snapping shut and your eyes glaring bullets through Taehyung. "I became brave because you made me feel like I could. I was able to move on because I knew I have you in my life, Y/N. You cured me--you cured my Hanahaki."

"Well--"

"Okay, don't get all technical on me and let me have this sweet moment with you." She chuckled over the phone, causing you to make a face that you knew full well she couldn't see but Taehyung could. As a result you could feel him getting closer and cuddlier.

"Come collect your brother please." You hissed, trying desperately to elbow him away. "He's getting on my nerves."

"He's happy." She laughed, the sound once again making you wonder how such a small bean could produce a sound only elephant's feet could make.

"Sae! Tell her about the celebration!" Taehyung was back, this time one arm slung around you instead of two--as if that made it any better.

"Ah! Yes! This Saturday we're going out to eat at a local bar."

"Bar? Girl, how old are you--"

"Shh. It allows 18 and under, get a grip. I'm not drinking, just celebrating with those that can." You could practically hear her giggle and you knew she could tell that you were inwardly face-palming.

"Alright, Saturday it is then." You grinned into the phone.

"Saturday! Ah--" You could hear someone grumbling on the other end, somewhere behind Sae. "--I have to go, my teacher's wondering what's taking me so long in the bathroom. See you soon!"

You locked your phone, looking up only to meet Taehyung's stare. The fight or flight instinct within you went haywire--something locking up in your joints as you froze. When did he get so close? Did he not have a different cologne? It was oddly fruity. Then, as his face spread into a big, doofy grin, you clicked back together and shoved him as hard as you could away from you.

"What the hell is that face for?"

"I'm just happy. That's all."

You frowned at him, your fingers clenching tighter around your phone. "Ew."

"You're amazing; you know that, Y/N?"

"Double ew." You shook your head, pausing before slipping your phone into your back pocket. Oh yeah. Saturday.

Your birthday.

You'd almost forgotten--perhaps it was because, for the past 5 years, your birthday had been nothing but another day. For the past 5 years, celebrating without your mother didn't feel right--and besides, it wasn't like you had any friends to do so. For the past 5 years, your birthday meant nothing.

But now you had Sae and, as much as you hated to admit it, Taehyung.

You lifted your contemplative stare from the ground to Taehyung. He must have seen something pass through your glance, because he was cocking his head to the side, his eyes sparkling. "What?"

"Nothing." You shook your head, starting forward again before Taehyung's grip on your wrist had you back into his aura once more.

"That wasn't a 'nothing' look, that was a 'you have something to say' look."

"Not to you." You chuckled at his pout, snapping your wrist free from his hand.

"Come on, Y/N! One day you're going to let me in."

"Never." But you couldn't put in the same amount of venom that you used to and that worried you.

His arms were around you once more, pulling you back into his chest as if touch could cure all problems. "No, no. I think you just don't want to admit that you secretly like having me around."

You tried to crane your neck to bite his arm, but the boy was smarter than he looked and had angled his body just far enough to avoid your head. Maybe smart wasn't really the term; it was probably just him becoming immune to your violent tendencies. "I hate your guts, why are you pretending that I like having you around!" But you were laughing. It shouldn't have surprised you how well Taehyung knew you, how easily he had you figured out. If it wasn't for your biggest and hard-to-swallow secret, you figured he might know you better than you ever knew yourself. Tilting your head back, you made contact with his chest, making the mistake of meeting his gaze.

Thump.

"What did you want to tell me?"

Kim Taehyung was magic, you decided. He had the ability to cast a spell over you that no other human had ever been able to. There was something about being around him that didn't feel like your reality--when he was with you, it didn't feel like you were going to die if you fell in love. It felt like your mother would be at home, waiting for you and there would be friends ready to meet up next weekend just because you could.

"Saturday is my birthday." You whispered, momentarily lost in his smile.

There was something hopeful about Taehyung, something about the fact that he only ever seemed to see in shades of pink and warm orange. Everything was bright, and maybe it was because he was looking at you like there wasn't anyone else in the world, or maybe it was because he had arms like safety and chest built like a house of dreams that had never been part of your reality.

Once again, you were reminded of how dangerous Kim Taehyung was.

His eyes widened on you and, this time, he was the one to let you go. The instant that you were free from his grasp, your pitiful reality snapped back around you. You could feel yourself getting closer and closer to a point you never wanted to come; you weren't ready to die.

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Your lips parted to reply to him, though you weren't sure how and, for once, were thankful for the fact that Kim Taehyung had a girlfriend--no matter how annoying she actually was.

"Tae? Did you forget about our date, again?"

Hyeri.

You watched Taehyung's face change--it was fascinating really, how you could see his expression pass from the usual begging look he gave you, to adoration for Hyeri, to the face of a man bracing for anger, to the face of a man bracing for an argument. "I did not." He sounded like a man you didn't know, and it suddenly made sense why Sae got so stressed out when the two of them fought. Even though you were staring openly at the side of his face, he did not look down towards you. You could see his teeth clench in his jaw. "It isn't for two hours now, right? I will be there--I always am."

She pressed her lips into a line, her eyes straying towards you--it didn't surprise you that she didn't like what she found. "I thought you wanted to hang out with us beforehand?"

"I do. I will. I just wanted to tell Y/N the good news, she's Saeyoon's best friend--she deserves to know."

You watched Hyeri's eyes soften on Taehyung as her hands came up to cup the sides of his face. Slowly, deliberately making sure you were watching, she pressed her lips to his. Taehyung seemed to relax into the kiss, that unmistakable aura of love returning when he realized that this moment wasn't leading towards more anger. His hands found themselves around her waist, pulling her closer.

Hyeri's eyes never left yours.

You raised an eyebrow at her, chuckling under your breath as you started to turn away.

"Y/N--wait!" Taehyung pulled away long enough to call out to you

There was no need for you to turn around and face him, instead, you only stopped moving forward and waited for him to say what he needed to.

"You'll be there Saturday?"

"Of course." You threw the words over your shoulder. "See you then, have fun on your date." With a lump in the back of your throat that you drowned with water, you didn't let anything more get in your way of the library--you had books to comfort the constricting in your chest.

And they did a damn good job.

~.~

Bars really weren't your scene, considering you never drank much--nevertheless drank around people you didn't know. Apparently, as it turned out, Saeyoon was a popular girl.

The fact didn't surprise you; you already knew she had her own fan club.

What you didn't know was how many men would shamelessly be lined up and waiting to talk to her at the celebration. Someone must have leaked the news at her school, and you felt the need to out the rat and wrap your hands around their throat. There were too many guys, and if the fact that they were all here to steal Sae from you wasn't enough, some of them even tried speaking to you.

It was fine for her, normal for her to have "friendships" with the opposite sex; why be afraid when your strand couldn't kill you? But every conversation struck up with you had you nearly hissing at them like a stray cat hit with a spray bottle. Even though you knew Sae would be fine, the sight of a guy's hand platonically squeezing her shoulder in congratulations had your stomach twisting in worried knots. For the first time since your twenty-first birthday, you bought yourself a drink.

It was gone before you knew it and if Sae's group of suitors wasn't enough to make you order another, Taehyung and Hyeri all but having sex on the dance floor provided further motivation to ruin your liver. You had never thought that a couple could be disgusting, but the sight of Hyeri shamelessly shoving her tongue down her boyfriend's throat had you gagging.

Like the bitter troll you were, you made yourself at home with a glass of "the strongest cocktail you have, sir" and glared at any man that dared make eye contact with you. One of the boys must have looked at you nervously before approaching her, because suddenly she was wheeling her barstool around to face you--unknowingly rejecting said anxious male just to remember what she was supposed to tell you hours ago.

"Ah!" She had to shout over the heavy thrum of the music. "I forgot to give you this!" She fished her hand through her purse, quickly producing a small, neatly-wrapped package that she then placed in your hands. "I should hit you for not telling me! But I'm happy you at least told one of us before it was too late! Happy Birthday, Y/N!"

You stared at the gift in your palms, frowning at her. "You didn't have to--"

"Of course I did!" She smacked you, confirming that she was, indeed, a weakling. "We're best friends after all; this...this is what friends do. They spend time together, they have fun, and they make sure that the other isn't alone on their birthday. If I would have known, I would have thrown you a party."

"I hate parties."

"I know." She giggled, somehow managing to look beautiful even under the awful, colored strobe lights. "But I want to celebrate somehow."

Setting your drink on top of the bar, you unwrapped the present before gingerly pulling it from the jewelry box and cradling it in the palm of your hand. Your gift was incredibly beautiful and reminded you of Saeyoon to a T. But seriously? Out of all the things Sae could give you, she chose a tiny, crystalline lily on a silver chain.

"This is morbid as fuck."

"What?"

You shook your head, grinning up at her as you held it out to her. "Thank you Sae, seriously. Thank you." When she took it from your grasp, you spun your stool around to let her place the pendant at the hollow of your throat.

"It's so you can remember that you're not alone." It was a sweet sentiment, grunted out of frustration from the tiny, infuriating clasp that the jeweler had put on the chain. "You always have us--my brother to a lesser extent because he's an idiot. But me, I'm always here for you."

"Same."

She chuckled, swiveling you back around so she could pat your knee. Before she could say anything more, her eyes connected with the door to the bar and her face split into a grin. "I'll be right back, I just saw someone else I have to go greet!"

And so, the celebrating continued on, with a lily around your neck and an ever increasing drink tally of "make me forget tonight, sir."

Apparently, as you found out later--when you were sober--you were what they called a "lost drunk." It was explained to you that, as a "lost drunk" you had no idea what was happening until it already was. For example, that night, Sae had somehow found you outside crouched behind a bush. When she asked what the hell you were doing, you only stared blankly at her, then, as if suddenly realizing what you were doing, you jolted to your feet in confusion.

"The hell?"

"My words exactly."

It wasn't the only time she had to hunt your ass down, but it was probably the funniest. Hell, after that first incident, you probably should have seen the signs that you were done for the night. But, you seemed sober enough to Sae that it seemed fine to be left alone and so it was reason enough for you to stay. Later on, she would blame herself, because your drunken behavior was only noticeable if one was around to pay attention. Saeyoon had been occupied by the "really cute guy" who was dragged in with his friend (of which had a massive crush on Sae).

Your eyes scanned the dance floor in search of Taehyung, and, perhaps, that was how you wound up making the worst decisions of the night.

Somehow, drunk you wanted to find Taehyung--you wanted to dance and celebrate and whine that his sister left you for something as stupid as a guy. But there were only four problems with that line of thinking:

One: you were not a dancer. Two: Taehyung was with Hyeri. Three: You hated Kim Taehyung.

Four: Taehyung was with Hyeri.

In the end, those problems never reared their heads, probably because you never managed to find him to begin with. It was the act of walking out onto the dance floor that ruined you, because, at some point, a random, handsome, and toned as fuck man intercepted you. There was a brief conversation that you didn't recall having, but it must have been all flirt on his part and all "what did you say? I can't hear you" on your end. The next thing you knew, his hands were on your hips and you found your body moving to the beat of the music alongside his. Again, you sucked at dancing, but random man said that you were cute and drunk you decided that it was fine.

Because there is no such thing as a drunk with common sense.

You leaned back to stupidly ask him who he was--you had been dancing with him for a good half hour--only to, suddenly, find his lips on yours.

To say that you'd never been kissed would have been a lie. You had your first kiss at 15. There were no feelings for the boy, you simply did it because you were dared to by a friend you once had. This kiss, for obvious reasons, was different.

This was all hot breath and tongue--all alcohol and skin; it felt absolutely dirty.

You hated every second of it, enough for it to wake you from your lost state long enough to step away from him, shaking your head.

"What the fuck?" You hissed, trying to get the room stable underneath your feet but, apparently, drunk you also had about as much coordination as a newborn deer on ice.

The man only raised one eyebrow, his hand wrapping around your wrist to keep you there--a trap, a chain to tether you to him; he was stronger than you. "What's the problem?"

"You--you kissed me? That's the fucking problem."

"So were you just being a tease then? Because I believe that would be the fucking problem."

You stared at him, open mouthed and confused because words weren't making sense and all you wanted to do was throw up. Where was Sae? Where was Taehyung? Why did your feet not know how to move away? Why was he so damn strong?

Somehow, the man was leading you towards the edge of the dance floor--to a darkened corner with tables that looked like they hadn't been used for food in ages. You swore, moments ago, you saw a couple going at it; but it was dark enough and you were drunk enough that shadows could have been playing with your head.

You couldn't see him clearly, only flashes of his skin and teeth. It was easier for you to hear his voice, seeing as it fanned across your neck before his lips connected with your skin. Again. And again. And again. "I'll make you feel real good, baby." He promised, dropping a weight through your lungs.

"N--" You furrowed your brow at a point in the distance, trying to sober up real fast as your shaking hands tried to shove him off of you.

"What?" He tilted his head back, the glint of white teeth in the darkness scaring you--reminding you of childhood monsters. Maybe your mother was crawling like a movie ghost across the ceiling, or maybe you were losing your shit. Either was entirely possible to you in that moment.

"I don't want any strings--no connections." You whispered stupidly.

"I'm not looking to make any, so this is perfect."

He was far stronger than you were, he seemed the type to go to the gym--lift 250 pounds just because he could. You were bibliophilic; you lifted ten books just because you wanted to read them--not really because you were physically able to. He outmatched you, his hand moving to wrap around your neck. Even when you tried to rip it free, grinding your teeth in your jaw as you tried everything humanly possible to get air into your lungs, his hand remained.

His arms weren't safety, they weren't a house--they weren't a place where it was okay.

They were a cage.

"You're a freak."

"I bet you have it."

"Hanahaki."

Her eyes didn't have any color anymore; you'd never seen your once bright and sparkling mother look so dull.

So dead.

"Stop!" You screamed, ramming your knee into his groin in an attempt to stumble away--or at least get to the edge of the light, where people could see. Maybe someone would save you, you didn't want to need saving--but you did.

It was at that moment, your desperate and slow flee that he flipped you around to face him.

You heard the strike before you felt it. It was a clap, loud like thunder and equally as blinding as a lightning strike; your cheek burned and you could see--more than feel--the blood dribbling down your chin from your new split lip.

"You like it rough, hm? You like people to chase you?" He murmured, his eyes predatory in a way that the suddenly sober you knew your drunk self wouldn't have noticed. At least, in your pitiful attempt at escape, you had managed to get to where the light was.

His laugh sent tingles down your spine as you were suddenly, brutally slammed against the brick. And it was his face that would form new nightmares--even in the daylight.

More haunts; as if you didn't have enough ghosts to follow you through your life.

"Fuck off." You spat in his face, all blood and saliva. It prompted an immediate fist to your gut--a hit far stronger than you could take. If it weren't for his grip on you, you would have clattered to the ground.

In the distance, somehow, through the beat of the music, you could hear someone calling your name. They were searching for you. They were looking for you. It was enough for you to dig your nails into his skin--it was enough for your feet to kick wildly and find purchase in any fleshy bits at their mercy. You had to cause a scene, make noise, do anything and everything.

You had to live.

"Y/N!" It was getting closer, now standing out against the thump of the bass against your spine, vibrating within you from the wall. His lips were on your neck once more, teeth sinking into the fragile flesh to mark you. Stupidly you clawed at his face, gritting your teeth as he pulled you back only to slam you into the brick once more.

This time, you saw stars; constellations in the shadows the colored lights provided the ceiling.

You wanted the person who found you like that to be Sae, you wanted it to be Sae's "friends," you wanted it to be Hyeri--hell, anyone but him. But, like always, there was Taehyung, standing there in shock as if he couldn't believe he just witnessed your head making contact with the wall.

And then, Taehyung was there in front of you, ramming full force into this guy--this guy built like iron bars--knocking him away from you with the power of sheer adrenaline. He stood over you, blocking you from the guy's sight as you crashed to the ground, his back producing an image that could only be described as "safe."

Taehyung was safe.

Your throat tightened, your hands flying to your neck. For a moment, you hoped that it was because of that guy's grip--that maybe he fucked something up with the vertebrae in your neck, that he crushed your windpipe or maybe bruised your muscles. But you were scrambling to your feet before you could see the end of whatever conflict Taehyung was about to make--you had to go to the bathroom before you threw up on the floor.

You had to puke out your guts, you had to empty whatever rose from the depths of your chest like a sleeping monster. It started low, somewhere in your stomach, rising dark and heavy through your lungs until you fell to your knees with a crack that had yet to register as pain. Bent over the toilet in a dingy bar floor, you were reminded of your mother--of blood pouring from her mouth and the sound of her pain.

As you coughed, as you tried to hack and vomit what was in your stomach, the ghost of that man's lips haunted your neck. You were forced to keep your eyes screwed shut, even as something emptied out of you, even as it dropped into the water and your hands shook on the toilet seat in an attempt to keep you from falling in.

You didn't want to look; you couldn't make yourself look.

"Y/N, one day you're going to fall in love and I'm going to be so proud of you. You're going to be so happy--but I have to approve. Okay? I don't want you to get your heart broken. Just...just promise me you'll pick someone more mature than your father." She laughed, her hand smoothing out your hair. "I don't want to see you hurt."

You opened your eyes to petals whiter than fallen snow.

For a moment, the white made you hope lilies, made you hope daisies, made you hope that perhaps you would pull through this--the white made you believe that you weren't going to die.

But then you were coughing again, and this time, with your eyes open wide to the pain, you saw the first droplets of blood mingle with the toilet water, turning it a shade of pink. Another hack, and a broken thorn from the stem of a rose solidified your fate in stone.

Tears were falling; whether from pain, fear, hurt, loss, or love, you didn't know. But they were there and they hurt.

You ducked your head, your body shuddering as you pulled yourself away from the toilet, digging the palms of your hands into your eyes as if that could stop the onslaught of waterworks.

On your twenty-second birthday, sitting on a nasty bathroom floor, you realized you'd fallen in love with Kim Taehyung.

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yourkeeperoftherunners · 6 years

Text

Chance [5]

Plot: AU You were born in tragic circumstances, exhibiting a hyper-awareness to your surroundings and situations growing up. For a while you blamed the fabled figure in the hooded cloak with the scythe for robbing you of your picture perfect life, until you encountered him years later. Turns out he’s not the only one and there’s a logical explanation for why you turned out different from your peers.

Rating: PG-13 (Language, death during childbirth, grim reaper mythology, beach antics, jealousy)

Characters: Reaper!RM x Female Reader feat. mention of the other members

Notes: A dream I had last night, plus a comic featuring a grim reaper giving a mother in childbirth a few more minutes to live and a comic about death taking the breath away from a girl served as the inspiration for this story. I know assigning Reaper mythology to the band isn’t a new concept but after seeing the last two inspirations, it got me thinking about the cases where those figures aren’t trying to harm the individual but they express some emotional difficulties carrying out their jobs because it is difficult.

[4] | [6]

“Please tell me you’re free tomorrow,” Taehyung begged.

“Believe it or not, yes,” you replied. “Tiffany asked to change shifts with me so I did hers today and she’s there tomorrow. What’s up?”

“We haven’t done a beach day and the weather’s perfect,” Taehyung replied. “Kookie’s coming and we might have Jimin joining us too. Bring snacks – we’ll probably do a bonfire once the sun goes down.”

“Sold. See you tomorrow!”

“Kookie’s the best!” Taehyung blurted out when the youngest showed up with a cooler filled with ice creams from the shop.

You peered into it and looked at the younger boy in surprise. He shrugged and explained that he saved all of his free ice cream perks from work and asked your boss if he could use them at once. Normally she wouldn’t let you stack too many perks together in one redemption, but you had a feeling that she caved to Jungkook giving her his doe-eyed look. It always worked like a charm on everyone, well except you.

“Jimin said he’s on his way,” Taehyung said after turning his phone off. “Got stuck in traffic, but he just exited the freeway.”

“So it will be just the four of us?” Jungkook asked.

"Um yes...as far as I know...” Taehyung trailed off. He looked down when he got another text from Jimin and unlocked his phone. “Scratch that, he invited Hoseok.”

“Do I know him?” Jungkook asked as he frowned, trying to recall the face.

You paused from putting sunscreen on the back of your neck and looked over at Jungkook. “I think he was on the boys dance team? Other than that, don’t know.”

“He graduated two years ahead of us,” Taehyung added. “His dad used to teach College Level English Lit but retired before I could take his class. Shame, heard he was really good and the material wasn’t half bad.”

“I didn’t know they were related,” you spoke up as you closed your sunscreen bottle.

Taehyung held out his hands and you tossed over the bottle, which earned you his trademark boxy smile in return.

“Well, he didn’t talk about it a lot, but his dad would always flag him down in the halls to talk to him or occasionally they carpooled together,” Taehyung said. “Poor guy – I think I’d die if either of my parents worked at the same school.”

“Hey I see them!” Hoseok yelled pointing over at your group. He took off running, leaving poor Jimin behind him. He patted Tae on the shoulder and waved at Jungkook before dropping his beach chair beside you.

“Hey Y/N, how have you been?”

You flashed him a small smile and shrugged, “Okay I guess. Looking forward to the fall. You?”

“First 2 years at performing arts college is tough, but I love it!” Hoseok replied. He began unfolding his chair and spreading his stuff out, all within close proximity to your things.

“Um...Jimin do you want help?” you called out as you looked past Hoseok.

When he noticed Jimin struggling with a large cooler and grocery bags, he ran over to help him. You heard him firing off several apologies to the shorter boy, all of which were dismissed by the blonde. “I tried to carry too much at once – it’s my fault!”

You felt a tap on your shoulder and saw it was Taehyung. “Sorry Y/N, forgot to mention that hyung had a bit of a crush on you. Guess that didn’t fade after graduation.”

“And you know this because?”

Taehyung sighed as he cast a look over at Hoseok, who was trying to rush the unpacking process so he could get back to his set-up. “I...may have overheard him in the locker room a few years ago when I had to make-up a running assignment for Gym,” he said. “The other guys on the dance team were egging him on to tell them who he had a crush on, and I heard your name. Some of them gave him grief because you were younger, and others teased him saying he’s got an oppa kink.”

You nodded, holding in a wince at that comment. There was nothing wrong with Hoseok – from what you remembered, he really loved dancing and happened to be very talented. The boys team had gone on to championships thanks to his unique choreography, but personally, you didn’t know him very well, due to different schedules.

“But I thought I heard something about the captains of the dance teams –”

“Jane pushed for the relationship – you didn’t know her well, but she’s always been a go-getter and I guess hyung didn’t want to hurt her feelings so he said yes,” Taehyung finished. “I’m guessing they broke up though.”

“Noona, noona either I’m seeing things, or it’s that guy who was with Jin the first time he came to the shop,” Jungkook announced as he nudged you repeatedly.

You followed his gaze to the right and saw Namjoon walking toward you with another male in tow. You craned your neck to see if it was Jin, but instead, the one trailing Namjoon was shorter and fairer in complexion. His messy hair was dyed a mint green color and he was clad in regular clothing, more ideal for the mall or a concert than the beach. From your vantage point, you heard Namjoon sighing and the other male grumbling that it was too hot to be outside now.

“You need fresh air,” Namjoon insisted.

“I preferred the A/C over this,” the other boy grumbled. “Plus I don’t wanna get sunburned!”

“That’s why I brought the umbrella for you hyung!” Namjoon huffed. “Also I said we’re going to the beach – you don’t wear jeans to the beach!”

“Who are those guys?” Taehyung asked as he watched them approach your group.

“Um, I know the guy with the silver hair,” you murmured as you gestured to Namjoon.

“That guy came in one day with Jin, the guy I said kept buying tons of ice cream and always puts his change in the tip jar,” Jungkook added, pointing to Namjoon.

Namjoon flashed you a smile once he came closer and he lifted a hand to say hi. “Funny seeing you here!” he said. “I was thinking, ‘It’s nice out, today’s a good day for the beach’ and Yoongi needed to get out after being cooped up indoors for weeks.” He pushed his dark sunglasses up on his nose and nudged the fair-skinned boy forward. “Yoongi-hyung, this is Y/N.”

The mint haired boy allowed a small smile to cross his lips and he extended his hand to shake yours. You shook his in both of yours, murmuring that it was nice to meet him.

“I tried to make Jin-ah come instead, but he was busy with Sunny,” Yoongi replied. “He says hi and wishes he could be here.”

Namjoon put down the umbrella and began introducing himself to the others. When he got to Hoseok, the latter pumped his hand enthusiastically which seemed to catch the reaper off guard. He kept a smile in place as he returned the handshake, tilting his head when Hoseok revealed he attended the same high school as you.

“Yeah she’s my dongsaeng,” he announced. “How do you know her?”

“Ah we’re old friends,” Namjoon replied. Despite sporting dark sunglasses, you could sense he was probably sizing up Hoseok. For some reason, your stomach began to knot watching them and part of you was wishing you were working the shop today and not here.

"It’s nice to meet you,” Namjoon continued. “Hang on, I need to put up the umbrella for him or he’ll be grumpy with me for the rest of the day.”

“I can help!” Jimin offered as he stepped forward.

Yoongi stifled a yawn and remained rooted near Namjoon’s stuff. Jimin walked up and offered to watch his things while Yoongi changed, which made the reaper blink.

“Oh I’m not planning to swim,” Yoongi said. “Joonie said sitting next to the A/C all summer wasn’t good for me, so he said I had to come with him. But it’s nice of you to offer, um...?”

“Jimin, uh Park Jimin,” Jimin replied as he reached out to shake the other’s hands.

Yoongi accepted the younger male’s hands, a sweet gummy smile on his face. “Ah thank you Jimin. You’re quite nice to worry about me.”

“Saw it coming,” Jungkook whispered with a smirk.

You nodded as you crossed your arms over your chest, watching as Jimin and Namjoon worked to get the umbrella up, the former sneaking glances over at Yoongi. The mint-haired boy moved things out of the way so the guys could set-up without knocking things over.

Namjoon locked the umbrella in place on it’s current setting and he nudged Yoongi, who thanked him before plopping down underneath it. He spread out a towel to lie on and he fished out a pair of sunglasses, setting them on the bridge of his nose.

“Hey Namjoon, is it okay if I put this under the umbrella? It’s got ice cream and dry ice in it,” Jungkook asked, picking up his cooler.

“Is that the ice cream Jin-ah brought home?” Yoongi asked as he pointed to the cooler.

“Um yeah! Y/N and I make it in the store all the time,” Jungkook replied. He opened the cooler and Yoongi peered inside, nodding before he pulled a bar out and began eating it quietly.

Namjoon accepted the cooler and thanked Jungkook with a smile, before placing it under the umbrella.

“So Y/N how have you been? I heard you got a full ride!” Hoseok asked as you made your way to the water.

“Not from the university, but I’ve got enough grants and scholarships to cover the costs of tuition,” you corrected him. “Need to make money for textbooks and other costs, but yeah the main cost is covered.”

Hoseok nodded before studying your outfit for the beach. “Did you not bring a bathing suit?”

“This is my bathing suit,” you sighed. You were wearing a long-sleeved rashguard and boardshorts, as both were on sale and offered more coverage and sun protection than a tiny bikini.

“Protecting yourself from skin cancer – very smart,” Namjoon noted as he joined you. He was sporting a short-sleeved rashguard and black swim trunks, his sunglasses still perched on his nose.

“Ah that’s true,” Hoseok conceded. He rested his hands on his hips and addressed Namjoon, asking how you two met.

“My dad knew her late mother,” Namjoon said before you could come up with a convincing lie. “We lost contact after her mom passed, but we ran into each other a few weeks ago and reconnected.”

Thanks, you thought. Technically Namjoon’s account was true and it saved you the hassle of lying to Hoseok. But why was he here and how did he know you were going to be here?

Hoseok tilted his head and frowned as he dropped his hands to his side. He stepped closer to you, his arms extended as if he was going to hug you. “I didn’t know you lost your mom – I’m so sorry!”

“It was when I was born, I barely remember it,” you dismissed, taking a step back. Before either of them could say anything else, you ran toward the water and threw yourself into the oncoming wave that was headed for shore.

“How could I have forgotten it?!”

Yoongi sat up when he heard the voice and he tipped his sunglasses down to see Jimin rummaging through his bag for sunscreen. He pushed them back up and leaned back on his arms.

“Hey Jiminie, just come sit under here,” Yoongi ordered. “That way you don’t get burned. Plus there’s ice cream.”

Jimin paused and looked up, a faint blush coloring his cheeks. “Hyung, did you just...?”

“Aish Jiminie, see you’re already turning red – come on now!” the reaper grumbled as he motioned for the blonde to hurry up.

Jimin wasted no time before walking around the maze of belongings, taking a seat under the umbrella. Yoongi pushed the cooler over to him and Jimin peered in, hand hovering over the top. He hummed before taking a strawberry popsicle and closing the lid on the cooler.

“Hey guys,” you greeted the pair as you came up.

“How’s the water?” Jimin asked. “I’m so mad – I swear I packed sunscreen today but it’s not in my bag. I really wanted to go in.”

You pointed to your bag and encouraged Jimin to use yours. He thanked you before standing up, thanking Yoongi for the company, and wandering over to your bag for the sunscreen.

Yoongi watched as Jimin balanced the popsicle between his plump lips while reaching into your bag for the bottle. “He’s cute,” Yoongi murmured in a soft voice.

You nodded as you dried off and wrapped the towel around your waist. Jimin was about to open the bottle when he heard his phone go off in his bag. He huffed as he put the bottle down and went to find his phone to take the call.

“Joonie wanted to talk to you after you asked Jin-ah questions,” Yoongi spoke up. “But I don’t think he expected he’d be competing for your attention. You have to forgive him, I think this is the first time he’s been jealous.”

“Of what? I’m not dating Hoseok,” you murmured as you sat down under the umbrella.

“But he doesn’t know that. See, you’re the first girl he’s handled. Joonie seems to get the elderly and the really scholarly ones. Actually, wait, he did have that one older couple once, but that’s really it,” Yoongi recalled.

“What kind of people do you get?”

Yoongi looked straight ahead, leaning back on his arms. He was quiet for a few moments before answering, “It depends. Lately I’ve been getting some annoying people who waste their lives, expecting everything to be given to them just like that.” He shook his head and sighed, removing his sunglasses. He kept his gaze lowered, turning the glasses in his hands thoughtfully.

“I may live forever but it’s frustrating to see lazy people do nothing but whine and hold their hands out until they die,” he continued. “I know you think it’d make my job easier to take them out and be done with it, but there’s always the aftermath and that is what makes me hesitate.”

“You mean, the people who will miss them after they’re gone?” you offered.

Yoongi turned his head to reply but closed his mouth when he spotted Hoseok emerging from the ocean, making a beeline for the umbrella. As he replaced his sunglasses, you heard Taehyung address Hoseok about his studies at performing arts college.

“Looks like your friend spared you,” Yoongi nodded as he used his middle finger to push his sunglasses up. “But to answer your question, yes. Please don’t ask about any of my humans – it’s not something I like to relive.”

You nodded and decided to take this time to excuse yourself, walking to your bag to check your phone for missed messages. You unlocked it and began scrolling through the trail sent by your dad.

Dad

[IMG] Sent 15:19 PM

Dad

There he is Sport, your new brother! Sent 15:21 PM

Dad

Everyone’s doing well. Hope you’re having a great day at the beach! Sent 15:22 PM

“Who you texting?” Hoseok asked as he peered over your shoulder.

You turned your phone off and sighed, “I kind of don’t like when people look over my shoulder – can you not do that?”

He ducked his head and held up his hands in defeat. You scanned the beach looking for Namjoon. Part of you wondered if you scared him off after the earlier events, but you hoped he was still around so he could answer all of your burning questions regarding his father and whatnot. You squinted and saw he was standing in the shallow waters, arms crossed as he looked out over the horizon.

“Ah Y/N? Earth to Y/N?” Hoseok called out as he waved his hands around.

You jerked your head over your shoulder and met Hoseok’s eyes. “Sorry I think the sun’s getting to me – got distracted.”

He smiled and waved it away as nothing before repeating his question. “So are you or were you dating that Namjoon guy?”

“Isn’t that her business?” Yoongi spoke up from his spot, lowering his sunglasses.

“It’s just a question,” Hoseok confessed.

You groaned, straightening up and replacing your phone in your bag. “Honestly guys, enough,” you said. “I came to hang out at the beach with my friends, not talk about dating or boyfriends or any of that. Can people just let me be?” Before anyone could respond, you stepped around everyone’s belongings and walked over to where Namjoon was standing, refusing to look back.

“May I join you?”

#BTS AU #BTS RM #BTS RM imagine #BTS RM AU #BTS reaper AU #reaper AU #BTS Suga #BTS Suga AU #BTS J-Hope #BTS J-Hope AU #BTS V #BTS V AU #BTS Jungkook #BTS Jungkook AU #BTS Jimin #BTS Jimin AU #tw: grim reaper #yourkeeperoftherunners Original #number 2503

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