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#Aside from myself being in the top 5 (I would not thought I counted towards that) the reblogged blogs the list is not surprising at all
white-cat-of-doom · 1 year
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I posted 2,327 times in 2022
827 posts created (36%)
1,500 posts reblogged (64%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
@the-cat-at-the-theatre-door
@munku-collar
@white-cat-of-doom
@sillybub
@cassandra-has-moonlit-eyes
I tagged 2,321 of my posts in 2022
#cats the musical - 2,288 posts
#cats musical - 2,287 posts
#cats us tour 6 - 356 posts
#jellylorum - 262 posts
#victoria - 260 posts
#demeter - 253 posts
#bombalurina - 247 posts
#cats rccl cast 12 - 244 posts
#cats uk tour 2022 - 232 posts
#cats international tour 2022 - 230 posts
Longest Tag: 139 characters
#part of me wants to change my avatar to one of these pieces but i cannot bring myself to take away the 2019 rumple i have had for two years
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
Today is the day! The Il Sistina production of CATS opens tonight (07 December 2022) in Rome!
Below are some more specific character photos, outside of larger group photos.
Jacopo Pelliccia as Gatto Giò (Bustopher Jones, a separate character in this production).
Photos taken by Gianluca Sarago.
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Gaia Soprano as Cassandra.
See the full post
133 notes - Posted December 7, 2022
#4
Everyone generally knows what the Rumpus Cat looks like in traditional productions, right? A bit silly, with funky hair and red eyes.
Meanwhile in Japan, the modern Rumpus Cat looks like this:
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The hero we never knew we needed.
(Fukuoka 2021, January 2022; Kenshin Mori as Rumpus Cat, Miki Okudaira as Jellylorum, Eiko Kataoka as Rumpleteazer, Yuki Takahashi as Old Deuteronomy, Taijun Kanemoto as Munkustrap, and Yurie Sato as Bombalurina. Almost fully hidden is Haruaki Tamai as Mungojerrie.)
141 notes - Posted February 21, 2022
#3
Rehearsals have started for the production of CATS at Teatro Sistina in Italy, starting 07 December 2022, an officially licensed non-replica from RUG.
The designs are interesting in that they have reference sheets for both the makeup and costume.
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See the full post
149 notes - Posted November 9, 2022
#2
The promotional pictures for the UK/International Tour 2022 have been posted!
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See the full post
181 notes - Posted May 31, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
I never uploaded these pictures last year, so I figured now would be a fun time to celebrate Pride Month again. Who better than with my favourite cast of Cats in Vienna?
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192 notes - Posted June 1, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →
#It has been a good year for me and CATS#I luckily got to see the last cast three times and the current cast (only) once#An interesting breakdown here#I would have thought I created more posts but 36% is much higher than the 3% last year!#Plus I reblogged from myself a fair amount which lessens those numbers compared to making a new post altogether#Jellylorum being the top character tag is actually a bit surprising to me#But good for me for pulling that off#Poor Jenny was in enough posts#I had completely forgotten about that top post but that is fun to see#Aside from myself being in the top 5 (I would not thought I counted towards that) the reblogged blogs the list is not surprising at all#And that longest tag! It did not take long after for me to overhaul (as much as you can overhaul on mobile) my appearance to change my icon#To one of the beautiful art pieces of my OC Freya that Jemi created and I would not have it any other way now#Thank you again Jemi for creating those#You are too kind and immensely talented and that is why you were obviously going to be my most reblogged blog#Apologies to anyone who gets tagged and would rather not for a post like this#I guess the main point to all of this is to say thank you to everyone who interacts with this blog and to anyone who makes content#Enjoy your passions and interests and maybe someone else will love it alongside you but at the very least you are making it for yourself#Let me see if I can overtake my reblogged posts with my created posts next year#I think I am well on my way#I hope I offered everyone some fun posts and up to date information on the musical as the (official) unofficial source for everything CATS#(that last one is more a joke but at this point how much of one is the question?)#Rambling over#Thanks for everything everyone#Who knows maybe I will actually have something important to say next year
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chocochipbiscuit · 5 months
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20 Questions for Fic Writers
I was tagged by @anneapocalypse, thank you Anne! <3
And I would like to tag @replicafatale. @formlessvoidbeast, @bittylildragon, and @meikuree if you are so inclined!
Blank questions for your convenience! My answers are below the cut.
1. how many works do you have on ao3?
2. what’s your total ao3 word count?
3. what fandoms do you write for?
4. what are your top five fics by kudos?
5. do you respond to comments?
6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
8. do you get hate on fics?
9. do you write smut? if so, what kind?
10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?
11. have you ever had a fic stolen?
12. have you ever had a fic translated?
13. have you ever co-written a fic before?
14. what’s your all-time favorite ship?
15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?
16. what are your writing strengths?
17. what are your writing weaknesses?
18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?
19. first fandom you wrote for?
20. favorite fic you’ve ever written?
1. how many works do you have on ao3? 178, over almost 10 years! Though I suspect if I actually went back to tally them, the vast majority would be skewed towards my early years, back when I’d crank out a fic or two every week for the kink meme then post with minimal editing. Ah, youth.
2. what’s your total ao3 word count? 910,453! Again, I strongly suspect they’re skewed towards the beginning.
3. what fandoms do you write for? I started out pretty intensely monofandom for Fallout, but I write a lot of Dragon Age these days. Which is ironic because I don’t consider myself ‘that’ big a Dragon Age fan, but the fandom exchanges are fun and I’m familiar enough with the setting and characters that I don’t mind picking up pinch hits or writing impulsive ‘what if’ fics.
In general, I almost exclusively write for video game fandoms. (with a few books thrown in…)
4. what are your top five fics by kudos?
The Vashoth and The Qunari (Dragon Age, The Iron Bull/F!Qunari Inquisitor, rated E)
Belief (Fallout 4, Cait/F!Sole Survivor, rated G)
A Dream of Red (Dragon Age, Leliana/Morrigan, rated E)
And They Say Size Doesn’t Matter (Fallout 3, Fawkes/F!Lone Wanderer, rated E)
Data Collection (Fallout 4, Cait/F!Sole Survivor, rated E)
Basically: they’re all older fics, mostly smut, and mostly written while the fandoms were still new (or new-ish) and popular. The Vashoth and the Qunari was written before Inquisition even came out, and was written mostly from frenetic fandom speculation. I wouldn’t call it my best fic, just one that happened to strike while the hype machine was still active.
And They Say Size Doesn’t Matter has the questionable distinction of being the longest mutie smut fic on AO3, mostly because each chapter was written for various kink meme fills and then put somewhat in order. It makes me cringe a bit to reread it (I could do it so much better now! I could write with so much more nuance! I would have made less questionable decisions about characterization and description, or at least different questionable decisions!) but I still look back fondly on it.
5. do you respond to comments? Absolutely, though I’m rather late to respond sometimes! The only ones I don’t respond to (and usually just delete) are comments that make demands without any other attempt at interaction. (Ex: “next time write X/Y with New Kink” or “tag your trans characters” when there’s a perfectly nice author’s note at the beginning if you feel shocked or scandalized by the existence of trans characters in a fic that doesn’t focus on being trans and where the trans characters are minor or background!)
…anyways, mild aside: I consider tagging to be both warning (“please don’t read if X, Y, or Z bothers you, or at least prepare yourself”) and advertisement (“please do read if Tropes A, B, or C are appealing to you!”) rather than simple description. If I went out of my way to describe everything that might be relevant in a fic, including every single minor character who gets a single line of mention, then my tags bloat beyond what I consider useable. I try to include notes at the beginning to clarify or mention content that I don’t think needs to be warned/advertised for. Which is part of why I find it weird and borderline hostile to have specific identity tags demanded without explanation.
(And that said, I tag myself biracial bisexual….nah.)
6. what’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? I don’t write a lot of angst, but I do have a story that ends ‘unhappily for now’!
Schroedinger’s Pussy (The Locked Tomb, Gideon/Harrow, rated E) is a fic about yes, pussy spanking, but also denial of feelings and ends with an unresolved sex thing that Harrow refuses to talk about, and Gideon in an empty room. In my head they’ll work through it (eventually) but obviously, not in this fic!
The weirdest dark fic I’ve written was an older kink meme fill, and it’s something that I promised from the beginning would only end in pain.
Pain (Fallout: New Vegas, Vulpes Inculta/Rose of Sharon Cassidy/Boone Craig, rated E) is morally dubious not-actually-a-love-triangle fic with under negotiated BDSM and an ambiguous ending that most likely ended with Vulpes’ off-screen death at Cass and Boone’s hands. It’s a fic I still think about sometimes, not because I think it was the best, but because I feel like it shows when I was more willing to be weird and experimental around fraught topics and messy dynamics. I don’t write that sort of thing now simply because I don’t enjoy it, but I’m still glad I had the experience of experimenting. 
7. what’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? I love happy endings, but don’t often enjoy fluff! By which I mean: I want a happy ending to feel earned. I prefer desserts that have a little salt or bitterness to cut through the sweet and add balance. I want a fic to feel the same way.
That said: I think most of my fics have happy endings, if not always fluffy one.
That also said, I think never gonna say I’m sorry (Borderlands 3, Amara/Tyreen Calypso, rated E) fits the bill because it’s both a fix-it fic and villainous decay arc and I love that for Tyreen, the emotional journey and character growth she goes on from wanting to destroy the world to being willing to destroy herself in order to save it, and ultimately being pulled back to be told no, sometimes you gotta live even when it feels so much harder.
Fun fact: this fic has two endings, one in which Tyreen murders her brother (because just because she’s trying to be a good guy doesn’t mean she’s actually a good guy yet!) and one in which she tries the harder and messier path of not murdering him. I originally wrote the murder chapter because I didn’t think Tyreen would be at the point of being willing to forgive her own brother for attempting to kill her, but @bittylildragon made a note that essentially Troy was being punished for twink crimes, so I decided what the hey, I’ll try an alternate ending. And now I think that’s actually my favorite!
8. do you get hate on fics? Not on AO3. Some on Tumblr before I closed my inbox to anons. A couple on the old kink meme, back when it was self-destructing from the weirdly polarizing “Gay Wasteland” vs “the icky hets” arguments.
Funnily enough, I don't think I ever received a homophobic comment from a straight person! (Straight hate?). But I sure got comments accusing me of being ‘secretly het’ or a ‘proghet’ or ‘trying to trick lesbians into reading Big Dude/Smol Lady’ fic! Because fandom forbid being a bi woman who prefers to read and write fic that centers women! Even if that means that sometimes this means reading, writing, or recommending F/M fic instead of M/M!
Anyways. My AO3 bookmarks and works list are free for anyone to peruse, in case you want a statistical breakdown of my preferences for F/F >>> F/M > M/M so you can yell at me about not prioritizing M/M. /sarcasm
(And as always: I do read, write, and enjoy fics that feature nonbinary characters. I always feel weird including that as an aside, because there’s so little nonbinary rep in general that it feels weird trying to analyze anything from that, and ‘nonbinary’ is a big enough umbrella that even as someone who sometimes prefers they/them, I don’t necessary resonate with or feel represented by all nonbinary characters in fiction. Which is fine! When there’s so few examples, it feels even more fraught because no single character or person can Be All The Rep, and it feels like a weird sort of pressure to presume that they are, can be, or should be. Sometimes a character should just be allowed to exist, be interesting, and be nonbinary, without going ‘oh they’re such a good role model!’)
9. do you write smut? if so, what kind? I cut my teeth on a kink meme, of course I write smut! As for what kind…whatever catches my interest, really? Which means mostly F/F, if there are dudes involved at all they’re usually Real Big Dudes. There’s usually loving attention to oral sex. Often size kink. I also like including bondage and anal sex.
I’ve been writing a lot less smut in recent years. (I’ve also been writing a lot less in general, or at least posting a lot less, for various reasons. Mostly because now that I’m no longer working graveyard shifts and am out of a time-consuming bad relationship, I have more time for non-fandom hobbies!) Partly it’s because…well, repetition. When I first started writing for kink memes, my purpose was just to write; pick a prompt, bang something out, post. It was the exhilaration of writing, of starting something new.
Now: if I’m going to write, I want to do it in a way that feels new or fresh to me, whether that means in terms of prose, emotional depth, or characterization. There’s also, admittedly, some self-consciousness: I’m no longer ‘just’ writing for prompts on a kink meme, I have the (gasp) terrible responsibility of admitting that I wrote a thing just because I like it, or think it’s interesting! It’s the tension between realizing that nah, I haven’t written anything that truly makes me blush in ages, and then the mortification of going “but who else is gonna be interested in this weird goofy playful fic where Piper sits on a birthday cake???”
10. do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written? I’m not usually a fan of crossovers; I prefer looking at a character in their ‘home’ story and setting and how their environment shaped them. Some crossovers can be interesting if they add a new depth or layer to the existing canon (which I think is one of the reasons that Pacific Rim AUs were so popular for a while; drift-compatibility is an interesting way to explore characterization and relationships!) but I don’t often write them myself.
That said, ‘often’ doesn’t mean ‘never.’ I’ve written some AUs (unfinished Cassandra/Leliana werewolf fic, the moody cannibal mermaid AU with Aveline/Isabela) but full on crossovers are a different entity.
The closest to a crossover that I currently have is the still untitled Fallout Necromancy AU, in which I merge some of The Locked Tomb’s approach to necromancy with Fallout 4 for some incredibly unhealthy cav/necro codependencies for necromancer Hancock and cavalier Danse. It’s more true to Fallout’s canon than TLT, and still unfinished. Alas.
11. have you ever had a fic stolen? I’ve had some of my fics scraped and posted to shady publishing sites (“only $5 for all the stories you want!”) and submitted takedown requests. No in-fandom stealing that I’m aware of.
12. have you ever had a fic translated? Yes! Here is a Russian translation of what we don’t talk about (Mass Effect, Zaeed Massani/Karin Chakwas), which I was absolutely tickled pink to receive!
13. have you ever co-written a fic before? Technically, yes. The fic has been subsequently deleted and I have abolished all ties to that person, so that might be a warning. /tongue in cheek
More seriously: I don’t think I can. I’m idiosyncratic and particular about my process, and I just don’t think I’m very good at co-writing with someone. I can take an idea and feedback and process that into my fic, sometimes very heavily, and I can work off someone else’s outline or prompt, but to the level of co-writing, assuming we’re taking equal claim and responsibility for the work? It feels profanely intimate in a way that makes me deeply uncomfortable, which unfortunately probably says more about me than anyone else!
That said: I have been fortunate enough to have truly excellent friends who have also played cheerleader and beta for me, sometimes offering me substantial notes that meant I had to fundamentally rewrite portions of a story. Does this make them co-writers? I don’t think so, but it’s definitely a more intense collaboration than I usually request, and it’s something I reserve for only a few people.
14. what’s your all-time favorite ship? How dare you ask this of a multi-shipper!!!!
I don’t know that I have a real answer for this. In my head, I try to split it by fandoms (but wait! Would I consider Dragon Age Origins, Awakening, DA2, and Inquisition to all have different fandoms?), but some fandoms are only occasional urges and others are more consuming passions, so….
I’ll leave it at this: if I’ve written it, I probably ship it on some level. And not all ships are “oh I think they’re gonna live happily ever after,” some ships are “hm, that could be interesting” or “oh, they could be so bad for each other in such compelling ways,” and others are “they’re good for each other at this point in time, but maybe not beyond that,” etc etc.
15. what’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? If I want to finish it, I assume I eventually will. ‘Eventually’ may take a while. Life is short, love is long, and I do love stories.
16. what are your writing strengths? *hour-long fart noise* Strengths? Idk. I always feel strange talking about my strengths to begin with, and this year has been particularly rough for that because I’ve been taking more deliberate time doing writing exercises and reading different books about writing. It makes me more critical of my own work.
But if I must: sensory immersion. Character interiority. Basically, I try my best to love a character—or at least find something I can love about them, something that evokes care and pity if not admiration—and let that shape how I write them, even if they don’t love themselves. If that makes my authorial bias a bit kinder, then so be it. I feel like the world needs a little more kindness.
17. what are your writing weaknesses? *hour-long fart noise* What about my love of obscure words? If I had a nickel for every time I tried to sneak ‘palimpsest’ into my prose and been called out by a beta, I’d have two nickels! Which isn’t that often, but weird that it happened twice! (Other amazing words I often fight over including or not: phosphenes, mordant, triptych, chiaroscuro, bellicose, gelid. I get a daily word of the day from Merriam-Webster and I don’t know if it’s actually improved my vocabulary or only made me more insufferable!)
I fully admit that sometimes I get overly compelled to write something ‘pretty’ and linguistically clever than fully in the character’s voice. I jump around with sentence fragments and don’t link my scenes; sometimes it works (choppy, disjointed prose for characters who themselves are extremely angry or disconnected from their environment in some way) and more often it doesn’t.
I have mild synesthesia and an idiosyncratic interpretation of certain stimuli, and often need to revise to ensure it makes sense to anyone else. Or if I can tweak it just enough to sound refreshing and vivid. (Example: low musical notes feel ‘blue’ to me, and often bitter. Higher notes can be sharp-sweet or acidic, but usually don’t have a color association. Yellow is rancid. This only becomes a problem when I’m sleep-deprived or highly-caffeinated, as when I once had to stop my playlist because the rapid taste/sound/smell combos were making me nauseous.)
I often want to write characters as softer, kinder, or gentler than they are in canon. Does that sand out their complexity? Yes. Is it because I want them to have a kinder, softer, or gentler future than what their story gave them? Also yes.
18. thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic? OH BOY DO I HAVE THOUGHTS.
Okay, so! First of all, I need to foreground this: as a Chinese-American living in the US, I find it extremely off putting when I read a story and the mere choice of capitalization and italics make it clear who the author thinks their intended audience is, and who is ‘other.’ If an author bothers capitalizing or italicizing “Pad Thai,” “Sushi,” or “Shu Mai,” (as in: “I ordered some Shu Mai.”) but not, say “Pizza,” “Burrito,” or “Croissant,” there are some pretty big assumptions going on already that make me feel alienated from the text. (As always, there’s some room to play with: if the author is intentionally writing their POV character as having those particular biases, that’s one thing. When it’s a completely unexamined bias, that’s another.)
Translated text doesn’t need to be italicized or marked as other, unless again, there’s a specific reason that the POV character might see it as ‘other.’ Most people won’t interpret their home language or heart languages as ‘other.’ A dialogue tag like ‘said in Cantonese’ or ‘said in Spanish’ is sufficient, I’ll trust in the reader to pick it up!
I am a first-generation Chinese-American who can’t read the Chinese syllabary. (And what little I speak is Cantonese, not Mandarin. The loss or use of heritage languages across the diaspora is an entire topic by itself, so please understand that this is one person’s view and experience.) Some Chinese writers prefer to write with hanzi; I prefer to write Romanized versions but what goes in a fic will depend on the POV character’s relationship to the language and how intelligible (or not) it’s meant to be to the reader. I generally include context or a note if it’s meant to be clear; if it’s something that the POV character won’t understand, I often prefer to leave it as “speaks in another language” or “said something in another language.”
In general, I find most fictional languages to be intellectual masturbation (there, I said it! :P) and am less interested in those than in how real-world languages are depicted in fiction, especially when read by people who may or may not be familiar with those actual languages and the people who speak them.
19. first fandom you wrote for? While the first fandom I ever posted for was Fallout…very technically I suppose the first fandom I ever wrote for was Pokemon. Because back when I was 9 or 10, I was very invested in Misty and Jesse because they were the only two girls who got a lot of screen time in the anime, and I just really wanted them to be friends!
In hindsight…I don’t think I was consciously thinking of it as shipping terms or romantic interest, but I thought it sucked that the only two girls who really showed up couldn’t at least be friends. So I wrote a lil’ story in which they got trapped in a cave…and obviously they had to camp together…and save each other as they looked for a way out…
Scandalous!!!!
20. favorite fic you’ve ever written? I try to love every fic at least a little before I share it with the world! But this one’s my newest baby:
(love is) the suture and the wound (Dragon Age, Leliana/Morrigan, rated E)
Thank you for reading this far! Now please drink some water and get up and stretch. :P
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kookiecrumb · 3 years
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jjk|| Your Head
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"tags": @kazthebrekkerofinej
word count: uhhhh
summary: Jungkook is the heir to the throne of your Kingdom! In this tale of duty versus heart, will love prevail victorious?
tags: Royalty!Jungkook x Peasant!Reader, oneshot, smut, fluff, slight angst, some crack, pining, forbidden lovers, Jungkookie has a sweet tooth, strangers to friends to lovers
warnings: explicit language, impact play, birthday sex (technically), fingering, oral (m receiving*), love marking, alcohol consumption, s&m themes, horny grinding, praise kink/body worship
a/n:
hey guys!
Firstly, I want to say how proud I am of myself for growing so much during this fic. I learned a lot about what I'm comfortable with, what I'd like to work on, and where my confidences lie.
I won't lie and say it's been easy, because writing this meant dealing with a lot of my fears? I'm excited for all the works that are to come.
The only thing I can do is be as receptive to growth as possible, so I'm looking forward to learning...
*I actually learned that Vaseline wasn't invented until like the 1870s? The fic is written in the 1810s, so I actually had a choice between having them do it with vegetable oil or spit. Spit won.
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5 years ago
You bend over to pick up an apple that had rolled over under your father's produce cart, praying that it isn't bruised so that you have to pay for it out of your dinner, when a crumpled piece of paper hits you in the ass.
Confused, you crawl out from under the stand and unwrap the paper.
The paper itself is of the finest quality you've ever seen. It's a sturdy cardstock, bleached white with gold etchings on the borders. The print on the top of it reads "His Highness Jeon's Royal Study," and scribbled in some kid's amateur cursive below, "Nice butt."
You directed your gaze upwards, towards the towering castle walls. Sure enough, a boy no older than 15 had his noggin popping out from the top of the rampart, with two wide eyes staring down, curious as to your reaction. This was Prince Jungkook, heir to the throne of your kingdom.
"Shouldn't you be equestrian horse riding or playing polo or something?" You shout. He furrows his eyebrows, apparently offended at your assumption, and then disappears behind the edifice.
Moments later, another paper hits your shoulder as you're practicing your caligraphy behind your cart. It lands between the apples, so you reach your hand over and fish out out.
You glance up at the anticipant, and sure enough he's there with his doe eyes and his coconut head, ogling.
"No, dumbie. That's at MID-day." Well how were YOU supposed to know the royal schedule of the crown prince, it wasn't just common knowlegde you learned from being a humble farmer's daught--
Ah!
"Will you STOP?!" You put your foot down. "Unless you're here to buy my apples, then you're not getting ANY, little Prince." Oh, shit. You gave him ideas. Now it was really over for you.
In less than half an hour, half a company of men arrived at the marketplace, asking about your little old apple stand, and sure enough, Jungkook had bought out the entire cart so that you were forced to help with the transaction.
The young prince had eyes frankly too big for his head, with the most prominent cupid's bow you've ever seen. His nose slightly outgrew his face and his ears were hidden away behind his short, black hair. "Now you can talk to me." He gave you a rose he'd stolen from the royal garden. "I am Jungkook, heir to the throne of--"
"I know who you are." You interrupt him, documenting His Highness' total in your calligraphy book.
With a hand perched on his chest from surprise, he scoffed. "And I happen to think you're really pretty, so I was going to ask you to be my very first consor--"
"You're 15, you have playmates not consorts."
"And how old are you?!" He's had it, raising his voice and taking a bite out of one of your apples with force.
"16, old enough to have suitors." You tease. Jungkook hangs his head a little. He just needed someone to talk to, it would seem. Reluctantly, you scribbled down your address down on a piece of note paper and handed it to him.
"Look, if you buy more of my apples, I'll have an excuse to tell my Dad so I can hang out with you." You spoke in a low voice as to not raise suspicion.
Your dad is standing negotiating with the guards about prices, his usual embarassing haggling gruffly overpowering the guards elegant twiddle-tones.
"Wonderful! See you soon, my sweet!" He resumes his confident demeanor, tucking the paper into his overcoat with a small smile. He salutes you boyishly and marches away with a year's supply of apples.
For the next week, the royal kitchen had baked 3 apple pies, made 5 fruit salads, 4 batches of apple muffins, and threw the rest of them in Sangria; that's the same Sangria as King Jeon finds himself drinking in his wife's drawing room on Sunday.
"Call Chef, fetch him up here." He waves to his assistant, keeping his eyes on the outside. He was deep in thought, his hands stoicly behind his back.
The Kingdom had been prosperous for over many years now, and war had not come close to threatening its borders in a lifetime. Negotiations were always successful, and quality of living was high. The work of a King, in a situation such as this, was to perfect the image of the royal family as strong rulers, and to paint his daughters as desirable to foreign heirs.
"Your Grace," the assistant called his attention, "Head Chef Sung." The dainty man bows and scurries off somewhere else.
Chef Sung is a portly man, who carries himself heaving with every step, his great belly inflating with each hefty inhale. He approaches the King, and kneels down to kiss his hand with his fat lips.
The King recoils in disgust, but quickly collects himself and his words. "Where are these apples from, is it France or Spain?" He demands.
"Neither, Your Highness." Mr.Sung lifts up his eyes. "They are from our Holy Kingdom; by order of Prince Jungkook, an entire cart was purchased of these apples and we have not been able to get rid of them." Tears threatened Chef Sungs eyes at the very mention of the fruit.
'Well, there's one thing the kid's done right.' King Jeon now faces the Chef, setting down his drink on a mahogany table, leaning against it casually. "Well! Good. I'd like to meet the owner of that cart, invite him to my Sunday brunch."
"Oh, yes, of course sir! You'll never see them in our kitchen aga--What?" Chef Sung takes out his handkerchief, waving it around in the air and drying his tears at once. "So you like them! Why...Yes! Yes, of course!"
Your father thought it would be valuable to have you around the kitchen, learning from the skilled men and women employed by the Jeon family. He only visited once a week to drop off fresh produce, (he'd been officially hired to handle restocking of goods) but you, after showing promising signs of being a gifted baker during one of your father's restocks, were granted scholarship by Ms.Kang to be her aid.
You were now, officially, a resident of the Jeon Estate, residing in the servant's quarters, immediately adjacent to the kitchen. This was convenient. It was far too convenient for a certain little Prince to get the idea of wanting a midnight snack and wandering downstairs.
One day, he does just that. He finds his way into the first bedroom to the right of the stairs facing the kitchen, and that happens to be your bedroom.
He pokes you awake. "Ow! Ow, whyyy~" You whine and toss yourself over to the other side of the bed. His irritating poking persists. You grab his fingers and your eyes shatter open.
You sit up, alarmed. "You could have me arrested, what the fuck are you doing?!"
"I wanted a midnight snack! Besides, I wanna talk to you." He pouts, still holding a small teddy companion.
"Fine. I'll bake you ONE sheet of cookies." You slip on your night shoes and shuffle to the kitchen, and Jungkook tags along.
By the time Jungkook's 18th birthday comes around, he's in the kitchen helping you whisk buttercream to top his cake while having a tease at the Austrian Princess' mole.
"You have one right under your lip, look!" You take a little buttercream from the bowl and stain the dark spot with it.
He licks it up and hastens to add, "it needs more sugar, lady!" as he turns to grab a puffy bag of confection sugar.
"You're impossible to please." Snatching the sugar away from him, you smirk. "You can gobble down as many sweets as you want when the ball commences. Remember, this is the year you're supposed to be keeping your eye out for a girl of a good fam--"
"Yada yada, must have hips for childbearing, yada yada yada..." He mocks the speech his mother had told him that morning when he got dressed.
"Exactly." You set your bowl aside to fix Jungkook's tie. "Yes, and that's your duty, as our heir."
You step back and examine Jungkook one more time. He'd grown so tall in the last year, his legs like spider's and he was just beginning to grow into his features. Handsome boy.
You, too, had grown into an elegant young woman. You had a poised complexion, ready-mannered and graceful. Your hands seemed out of place in your otherwise feminine frame, carrying an extra bit of girth from baking. You were 19 years old.
Marriage was becoming an uncomfortably frequent topic during your visits home, as your mother had married young, herself, she expected the same of you.
Truth be told, there were plenty of offers for your hand. You were a skilled and very esteemed individual, who had broken into thr artisinal class. But your father knew better than put a dowry on your happiness. So long as you worked, he saw no reason to marry you off just yet.
"Now, go. Your sisters must be worried sick! Go out there." You shoo him, pushing him out the door of the kitchen despite his flailing arms.
Throughout the party, you'd been carrying a platter of your own baked goods, serving them to the aristocrats attending the Princes' coming-of-age ball. Accents from all over Europe and some from Kingdoms as far East as Cyprus jubilantly engaged in artful conversation which filled the air with good spirits.
Jungkook, himself, was busy being introduced to as many women as possible, a medley of presenting duchesses, ladies, and even Princesses of your Kingdom. They were each more qualified than you'll ever be, ten-fold.
One was a Greek Princess, her hair cascaded in darling curls down her shoulders and her eyes were deep-set, her voice a flirtatious trill.
Another, a Prussian Princess', posture radiated excellency, and whose complexion sparkled like powdered snow. Jungkook greeted her warmly, pleased with her appearance.
Distracted, you tripped up your skirt and dropped the remainder of your pastries. With that, you stepped off to use the restroom.
The sound of Strauss' Rosen aus dem Süden faintly loomed in the air as you wiped tears from your waterline in the mirror. That was just the way it was, wasn't it? Princes come of age, and they find wives who they commit their lives to.
"Married men don't have friends who are girls." You say out loud, just to realize it. Jungkook was now expected to find a mate within the season, and he was, in fact, quite the eligible bachelor.
Little did you know that Jungkook had been keeping an eye out for you throughout the party, not only because you were carrying his favorite Danish pastires, but because he knew your company was his greatest comfort.
He's in the midst of greeting the Duchess of Kent when he excuses himself to go look for you. He finds your mess first, frowning as he realizes something has gone terribly wrong.
He catches you in the hallway, face puffy and shaky. He grabs your wrist to keep you from darting back to the kitchen.
"Please don't do this, it's my birthday, y/n." It's as if an unspoken rule had been broken between you, and he feels it. Something is making you uncomfortable. "Was it the girls? You told me about this, it's my duty to at least greet them and--"
"Yeah, you sure did greet the Prussian woman nicely." You speak through tears. "She's the girl you were born to be with, huh? Your birthright?"Jungkook is silent. "Every girl at that ball wants to be your wife, want to have your children. They haven't known you for a day and yet they're ready to be your bride."
You search Jungkook's eyes for any sign of coherence, hoping that he would defend against you, that he would speak up and tell you otherwise. No such argument comes.
You yank your arm from his grip and march to the kitchen to remake the pastries you spilled.
You had the job of clearing off all the tables upon the departure of the last guests. It is midnight, and the windows of the castle stream moonlight down on the carpet beneath your feet. The glow of candles soothe you as you hum the waltzes which echo in your mind. It's a brilliant evening.
The centerpieces of the tables were gardenias, lush rose-like flowers with yellow pistils.
Summer, 1809
"Jungkook, wait! You're going to make me trip!" You shout from the top of the hill.
"You've gotta come see before the sun sets! It's the only way we'll get there on time, now run!" Jungkook's speeding down the terrain towards the Sycamore tree which grew deep and wide beneath the banks of a great rushing river.
You groan and throw caution to the wind, rolling down the steep mount in your Sunday dress. Jungkook turns to watch you, a grin spreading across his handsome face. "Look at you!"
You land on your feet at the bottom and scurry off to join Jungkook under the grandfather tree, out of breath entirely. "Now, look what you made me do. You're such a boy, you know that?! Making me come out here just to see some bloody--"
Jungkook has plucked a gardenia and placed it behind your ear. "Would you shut up? We got here on time. Behold."
In all its glory, the sun bathes you in its vivacious rays, creating a feeling of heavenly bliss as it dips below the horizon. The sky blushes pink, its clouds mere whisps above you. Wind rustles the leaves of the grand tree, rousing the birds to chirp their afternoon song.
"Mom used to come here all the time with my Dad, because of these." Jungkook clasped the blooming flower in his tender hands.
After a while, he says "the bugs will come out soon, so we ought to go back," as if he's trying not to scare something away. He helps you up, and with one last look across the valley, you walk next to each other back to the East Quarters.
You take all the silverware and plates by the tub to the dish-washing station and toss all of the linen napkins into the washing machine. All you had left was to blow out the lights in leading upstairs.
"Prince! It is very late, and there are no guests left for you to entertain. What troubles you?" Jungkook's sitting on the stairs with his head in his hands, still wearing his best suit.
"I disappointed you, y/n...I didn't like any of them." He admits, lifting his head up to sulk at you. "I should have told you then, but I didn't want to make you upset!"
Did Jungkook mistake your jealousy for disappointment?
"I'm not upset because you didn't hit it off with the girls..." You sigh. A confession is due, and he's ready to hear the truth from you about how you feel about him.
"Well, the truth is, I didn't like any of the girls because I like you, y/n. But you know that, don't you?" You pause, asking him to elaborate.
"Remember when I bought all the apples because I wanted to be with you? Like...I told you that you were my consort and I kind of meant it?" He felt pathetic now, realizing that you weren't just ignoring his advances. "So you didn't friendzone me for 2 years, you actually didn't know that I liked you."
It was almost laughable, a situation you would read in one of your illegal novels which you kept tucked away in your pillow at night. "No, Kookie, I didn't." You admit to your insolence.
You can't bear to lead him on any longer. You needed to put duty over your own self interest for the sake of the kingdom, even if it shattered his hope. It was better this way.
"But, you do know that we can't ever be a thing, right? It's just silly." Your heart tightens with the words which fall out of your mouth. "It is. Nevermind what your parents would think, what would it do for your image? You're on the world's stage, Jungkook, and you're a selfish person if you think you can just throw all of your duties away to date a scum of the Earth like-- like me!" With your heart in your throat, dry your eyes with your sleeve. "And...I want to, I really really want to, more than anything else to love you, Jungkook. I love you! I...can't." Through the blur of your tears, the shapeless blob that Jungkook has become stands up.
Taking his thumb and swiping it under your eyes, he sighs. Words escaping him, he takes your trembling body against his chest and nestles his head in the crook of your neck. Your cold hands travel underneath his overcoat to hold his waist. The Princes' lips plant a gentle kiss on your neck, chaste yet deep and satisfying.
"I will not accept any bride if not you, my love." He draws back, meeting your fervid gaze. "To the world, I remain a bachelor for a few years."
"And after those years, Jungkook?" You ride your hands up to caress the man's jaw. "You will still love me after those years, and then what?"
"I don't know," he says, voice as soft as powder. "I don't know many things, y/n, that's why I need you to teach me." His palms are rubbing at your waist, beckoning you closer.
His breath quickening as you lean your body against his hold, and you figure it must be the wine he drank to calm his nerves. That was it, wasn't it? He was drunk.
"You're not drunk, are you?" Your face sours, really hoping it's not the case as you feel your body temperature rise.
"Y/N, I've only had a glass. You saw I was a wreck back there." His lips kept chasing yours in a dance you can't quite describe. "I have wanted to hold you like this since I saw you selling apples on the street. Give me the honor..." His forehead against yours and his strong hands supporting your back, he's already fucking you with his eyes.
"The pleasure of being your lover." He squeezes your waist tight with his forearms, planting brisk kisses behind your ear and breathing in your scent. He smiles against you. Your skin pebbles at his affectionate touch, purring softly as your eyes roll back in delight.
"Kookie..." You breathe, leaning on his broad chest. "Kook, the maids are wondering where I am, I have to go..." You slur, tugging at his collar.
He grunts in protest, taking your ear between his teeth and nibbling it.
"If you let me go, I'll steal some cake for you tomorrow at breakfast." If there's anything Jungkook likes more than Cream Ice, it was cake. He unravels you from his arms and nods, his eyes softening.
"Request my service tomorrow, from Ms.Kang. She's been sweet on me lately." You peck his cheek before stepping back. Your rouge has embarrassingly stained His Grace's cheek.
Jungkook bows and presses a kiss on your hand, eyes rising to meet yours. "Til' morrow, babe."
Jiyoo shakes you awake the next morning, handing you a cake and a note that reads: "Prince Jungkook has a commission he must discuss with you. Meet him at his chamber immediately."
Lacing on a simple corset over your nightgown, you try not to look too red in the face as you climb up the stairs to His Majesty's room. You'd be up there alone, as requested. The girls would absolutely start rumors based on that alone-- rumors which you realize are probably totally true. This was stuff of scandal, after all...
'There shouldn't be anything scandalous about love.' You decide as you rap on His Highness' door.
"Please enter...but only if you have my cake!" Jungkook says in his morning voice. He's so cute.
The simplicity of Jungkook's abode takes you by surprise. His bedroom is very well lit, a capital display of the flowered valley through his bay windows washed the room in gold, painting his porcelain white carpets and his cotton sheets a warm creme color. His drawers and vanity were etched in gold, with breathtaking detailing.
The Monarch himself was splayed across the bed, laying on his side casually. He held a glass in his hand, holding a white wine. He puts down his glass and sits up as your presence.
"We both know that you didn't come here as my servant." You lock the door behind you. "And I have no such commission to give you, darling." The innocence which undertones his usual speech is missing as he coaxes you towards him.
"This much I know, Your Majesty," You say, taking a bit of frosting on your index finger and smudging it on the Princes lips. His black eyes, as cunning as a viper, watch you dangerously as you push two fingers past his plush lips. He wraps his hands around your wrist and draws your hand away, his gaze fixating on you.
"Set the cake down." At his command, you carefully place the confection down on a nearby chest, feeling Jungkook's eyes on you, drawing you back towards his grip.
"Let me pull your laces apart," with your waist held by his Herculean hand, he hums "and then let me pull you apart. I want to memorize your pleasures and gratify your desires, I need it, y/n..." Your back flush against his chest and your thighs split, his hands knead into you as he litters your collar with his mark.
You gasp softly against the crook of his neck, giving into his hold of you. His hot tongue spreads under your jaw, closing into a hard kiss as his hands travel back up to undo your corset and free your tits.
One by one, his fingers pop open the buttons left on your gown until the collar hangs off-shoulder to expose your collarbone. At the sight of new skin, Jungkook's tongue darts to stain it.
His hands stagger above your breasts. "Is it okay if I touch you here?"
"Oh, Kookie, touch me everywhere~" Your hands form fists around Jungkook's shirt, beckoning him impossibly closer.
Grasping one ever so carefully, his thumb grazes your bud as he playfully bites under your ear. "ah-- ahh,"
Jungkook groans in response, he can't believe how cute you sound. Curious, he wants to hear more, so he traces your thighs and experimentally pushes up the outside your cunt.
You squirm, tensing up immediately in response. You bring your hands down to find the latch on his trousers and dip your hands below to rub him through his undergarments. He heatedly bucks up to meet your touch, a panting mess.
You face him now as he watches you ride his fingers while you grip his girth through his clothes. He takes you by the ass and places you on his prominent bulge, hips rolling into you as he hungrily kisses you, his firm hands grinding your core on his cock.
His face is a sinful red, panting under you desperately.
"I've been wanting to do this," His voice warbles through your touch, running your thumb along his underside. It's his turn to gasp. He sits up and collapses his lips into yours, softer than rose petals and his taste faintly like wine.
You place your hand on his chest, and his heart is pounding, a thin layer of sweat already forming on his honeylike complexion.
Hastily, you pull your dress over your head and lean back to allow him to familiarize himself with your stark form, a dainty chain hanging between your bosom. Jungkook bites his lips as he wriggles out of his clothing, desposing of it beside the bed.
He's giddy behind those sultry eyes, you know him well enough that he's overexcited to get inside of you. It goes straight to his cock, your playfulness as you feel up his bare shoulders and discover his abdominals, your fingers tracing his ridges with a sense of innocent wonder.
He takes your hands and looks at you in this way-- Butterflies fill your stomach instantly. Jungkook's thumbing at your pout with his intrepid fingers.
His eyes flutter when grip his base and submerge your upper body below his hips. You lick a long, thick stripe up his underside, causing his breath to hitch and his head to fall back on to the bed.
Those goddamn cupid's bow lips of his would whisper the dirtiest things under his breath, lewd thoughts that sounded completely alien coming from His Majesty's mouth, he said for you.
"Oh, such a pretty mouth~ It's so good, y/n, you swallow me so good--" he moaned like a mantra, trying to keep his hips from snapping up into you. Your hot, wet tongue wrapped around his throbbing cock was only a fantasy to him for years.
He fills your throat with his girth, his taste tantalizingly smooth. It leaves your mouth with a 'pop.' You struggle to keep your legs apart as you crawl up to kiss him.
He takes those fingers of his and slides his index and middle into you and languidly thrusts them, smirking against your lips. "Shit, you liked that, hmm..."
"Kookie...please," you whine as he squeezes your ass hard before smacking it. You yelp, the sting of his fingers radiating from your skin.
"I like it when you beg, y/n, it's so cute..." He pulls your ass up to his thighs. He's flush hard against your abdomen, already sticky with his precum and your spit. You marvel at the self control he has.
You don't finish your thought before he has his head inside of you, impaling you on his cock and stretching your entrance, hissing at how incredible it felt to have you around him.
His shaft reached pleasure points within you had yet to discover. You clench, feeling his tip brush against your cervix. "Wh... hngh," he groans, "how did you do that, do it again--" You wrap your legs around his thighs and clench around him, biting your lip. You watch as he shivers from pleasure, feeling his skin horripilate under your touch.
His thumb is softly circling above your clit as he pulls out of you carefully. He swirls back in, nestling himself inside your heat, hissing. "Ahh~ Jungkook~!" At the sound of his first name moaned out of your mouth, he groans and rolls his hips up to create messy friction. That familiar knot in your stomach tingles as he plays with the bundle of nerves buried within you.
He glances up at your ruined lips, clashing with them again as he lifts your knees up with his hands and thrusts nice and rough, making you yell with every jolt of his cock. The smell and sound of sex fills the room as he experiments with positions, laying you on all fours.
"Get your ass up for me." You obey, ever servile. You're reminded-- you're his servant. He owns your work, he owns your services, and now he wants you in the most lucrative way, he wants your soaked cunt around his imperial cock. He gets what he wants.
Jungkook's palms smack against your ass one more time, just to watch the way it jiggles for him. He smirks a little before he shoves himself into your pretty little cunt. You bury your face into the pillows in pelasure as he chases your orgasm with vigor, fingering your clitoris while you move your hips back to meet his hard thrusts.
You whine like a harlot, his cock allowing you every satisfaction as he works a head-spinning orgasm out of that cunt. "I'm gonna cum, Kookie~!" you warn as you spasm against his length, moans ripping from your throat as you coat him with your thick juices.
His hips stutter up and he just barely pulls himself completely from you as he paints your back white, a guttural groan escaping his mouth.
After a while of loud panting and scattered giggling, Jungkook reaches over for a wet cloth and cleans the both of you gingerly. You trail your hands up to caress his jaw and kiss his lips softly.
"You need to tell everyone that I had a long and extensive request for the Harvest party, that I wanted a lot of fall fruits and vegetables featured in the baked goods, make it as specific as possible and make sure that you mention that I want to meet with you again, over dinner." His labored breathing punctuate his words, as youd kisses consume him. "And..."
"And?" You cock an eyebrow, simpering.
"Doyouthinkmaybeyoucouldbringmesomemilktogowithmycake?" He mumbles, eyes glued on the bed.
"What?" (If you give a Kookie a Cookie...)
Disgruntled, he sighs and repeats: "Milk! Milk for my cake. I know it's moist cause you made it but I'm really thirsty, especially after..." His cheeks flush a cute pink. You wait for him to continue just to fluster him a little more. "Y/N, just please!" You can't ever refuse his pouty face.
Next week, Jungkook's got you pinned against the hallway wall, making out with you hungrily as his hands ride up your dress. Just across the hall, his Dad is negotiating war with Portugal over land in the West.
The next month, you have his cock buried in your throat underneath the table at an important conference about how to create jobs.
All this while the pressure for Jungkook to find a bride continues to rise as he reaches seniority, and as his father's grey hairs pronounce themselves.
Warm touches are always hidden away to the public eye, but often shared between two kindred spirits underneath the man in the moon's watchful eye. Jungkook, as he reaches his maturity, grows strong. His jaw sharpens, and his eyes darken. His hair grows long, and he gains weight. Now at the proud age of 20, Jungkook had become a man before everyone's eyes, including the eyes of foreign monarchs and their eligible bachelorettes.
One day, you're serving the Royal family at a private dinner, when the topic of marriage comes up for the first time since his birthday.
"Your mother has made friends with the mother of the Austrian Princess, and she's invited you to the cordial ball to introduce yourself to the Princess. An allyship with Austria would prove advantageous for our relations with France, so you are to make your best impression." The King wipes his mouth. Setting his fork down, he continues: "It is in the family's best interest for you to marry her, if the French Princess, Anastasie, does not present this season or the next." The Queen holds the King's hand firmly, reassuring him from his shoulder. She wears a slight frown on her face, her eyes worrisome, somber. The King hides his anxiety, as he's been accustomed to from decades of responsibility. Would this be the face of Jungkook soon?
For now, Jungkook's face is scrunching at the thought of marrying Anastasie. She's not the most delightful young woman, her imprudence ruined her enjoyment of any event. She couldn't keep an intuitive conversation about regional politics and domestic policy for the life of her. Her people were on the brink of overthrowing the aristocracy, he was sure of it.
"Yes, father," is what you hear from him before you disappear down the stairs to fetch desserts.
Jiyoo interrupts your quest for sweets with a letter, signed by His Grace. She has a naturally innocent demeanor, her cheeks rosy and her frame as delicate as a feather. "Y/N, you have another special request from His Majesty...can I ask you why you get so many of these?" She looks genuinely curious, not a single menacing thought behind those eyes.
"It's because the Prince really really loves his cake." I mean, technically it was true. Jungkook never passed up an opportunity to squeeze, smack, or dig his fingernails into your ass during your sessions.
"Oh." Jiyoo pouts. "So it's not because you're like, in love or anything?" Her eyes are glued to the floor. You were expecting this question eventually, as the other girls in the kitchen were already suspecting it. It was only a matter of time before word slipped into the girl's ears.
"As much as I enjoy the Prince's interest in my baking, it isn't my place to confess any sort of feeling for him." Your answer is straightforward enough, so Jiyoo nods and hands you the letter. Another request.
Outside the Palace, Winter came like the wind. Lakes froze over, and couples tied up their skates and danced on the ice. The trees were bare and brown, not a single leaf persisting through the chilling breath of Jack Frost.
Jungkook had left for the Winter Palace, to volunteer and raise spirits up in the North. As heir to the throne, he was to be Commander in Chief of the Royal Armed Forces, and therefore needed to undergo intensive training in order to boost morale.
You're back home, and in your wake is your father, who has now grown tangibly tired. He's been on a strict diet of warm vegetable soup for about three months, now. His eyes are sunken, but he still wears a subtle smile even during his most trying days.
Match girls make their rounds at night, you watch as the lamplighters illuminate the streets with their tall ladders and their taller peacoats. Shop windows glow warm shades of yellow and creme; inscriptions on the glass create shadows on the white snow.
"Wow. It's almost as cold as the King's heart out here." You step outside one day with a cup of tea, sneaking in a cheeky smirk. Yeah, good one.
"I heard that!" You turn towards the little voice. A child, maybe about 9 or 10 years old is pointing at you. You squint at it.
"Well, it's true..." You mumble. You have a bit of change in your pocket, so you walk towards a stand to buy a hot bun and a paper.
"Chilly today, hon...Best you take this on the house." The tenant hands you a steaming cake wrapped in a simple cloth and your paper. You stick the paper in your dress pocket and take back your change. You nod a 'thank you.'
You spill the contents of your pockets on the dining table and snatch the paper, snapping it open. Your eyes eagerly skim the headline: "Prince Jungkook Fires Up Royal Army." Below is an article detailing the happenings of His Majesty. All of it sounded very intense, the running, strategizing, first aid training...Was there anything Prince Jeon couldn't nail on the first try?
You set the paper down and pick up your now lukewarm tea. In the back of your mind you're coping with the fact that the Spring Solstice is next week, and that marks the beginning of Jungkook's last season as a Prince.
The King is ill with tuberculosis, and recovery is unlikely. If Jungkook is to marry, it is next season and that was final.
Sitting at the window of his Winter Castle study, Jungkook plays with a ring nestled between his fingers. He looks out onto the lake, as if he's trying to reach you with his gaze. His heart is tight knowing that it would be the season he chooses his bride. Actually, he'd already made up his mind long ago. If his duty was to marry, there was no way to evade such a responsibility. He had to fulfill it, despite his anxieties.
He straightens up and walks out of the hollow room with a firm step.
You awaken with the sound of horse's hooves thudding against the Earth. It is yet to be dawn, and in the distance, thunder roars mightily.
A figure wearing a long, black hood hoists itself off of the animal, tying it to a nearby post. It walks towards an obscure entrance, unknown to many staff.
Intrigued, you wrap a blanket around yourself and peek out at the stranger. His fingers are shorter than his palms, and that's when he tosses of his hood, his eyes set on you. "Y/N..."
You're bewildered by his guise, questions filling your head.
"I was horny, so I left camp" He sits down at the counter, catapulting a cookie into his mouth.
You roll your eyes. "And the guards let you?! Jungkook!" You whisper-yelled at him, readjusting your makeshift blanket-dress.
"Obviously not!" He puffed out his chest with pride. "I bribed them," he smirks.
"You're insufferable," you scoff, your eyes wandering down to observe his physique. His shirt is anything but conservative, highlighting the muscle he'd earned through laborious, sweat-inducing drills. You can feel his eyes on your face as you observe him.
"You can't hide it either," he crosses his arms. "You're standing in the kitchen with a blanket around your naked body." He flicks his tongue. He steps forward, putting a finger under your jaw so you're looking him in the eye.
Your eyes fill with lust as he speaks over your lips. "Look at yourself..." A crash is heard in the other room.
Jungkook's head darts up and in a flash, he disappears into the night.
'Fuck.' You gather your dress from the floor and shuffle back to your chamber.
The first event of the season commences with the most exaltant of spirits as friends of old greet each other with youthful smiles. Juicy exposés, enticing tales, and thoughtful greetings are exchanged in the most formal manner, and the conversation is lively; the most controversial topic of conversation, however, is the rumor that Jungkook is to marry this season.
So far, he's been to four different private residences within his own Kingdom and has been invited, by the secretary of King Louis XVII to meet their daughter. It would be an understatement to say that stakes were high for the pending King.
You were kneading your dough a little too hard thinking about it. "Not so rough, y/n!" Ms.Kang snatches the mixture from your hands. "What is up with you lately, you're so tense! It's really disrupting the kitchen's dynamic."
You shrug it off. "It's going to be hard sedating Anastasie's sweet tooth, I suppose."
"Well, you seem to be doing just fine dealing with Jungkook's addiction to cakes...She's perfect for him, really." Ms.Kang throws more flour on your kneading table and steps off. You give up on the dough, covering it with a cloth and letting it rise.
Jungkook is tapping his feet, munching on finger sandwiches as he waits on you to make an appearance.
"Dearest Prince, look, I am wearing Mediterranean violet!" A duchess shouts as she passes by him, to which he raises his eyebrows at. Another, with dark green eyes approaches and begins speaking rapidly in French at him. Frightened and undereducated, his canned response was: "Excusez-moi, Pouvez-vous répéter plus lentement s'il vous plaît," to which the duchess furrows her eyebrows before something else catches her attention, elsewhere.
Truth is, Jungkook is incredibly shaken at the thought of announcing his engagement tonight. Well, that and the fact that you had yet to pop out of the kitchen. Man, those finger sandwiches were good.
As the night progresses, Jungkook realizes that if he doesn't get up on that platform and say what he needed to say, he'd have to say it in London. Setting his fears aside, he plants himself on top of the orchestral stage and taps a champagne glass with a cheese fork. The music comes to a stop.
With conviction, he begins: "The time has come that I announce my engagement. To all of my beloved friends, who have introduced me to the most beautiful, talented, diverse, and benevolent ladies I've come to get to know over the years, I thank you from the depths of my soul." He swallows and continues, his confident voice masking his trembling. "The life of a Prince is defined by the virtues presented to him at birth. Those virtues are: duty, responsibility, grace, kindness, mercy and integrity." Here comes the part, oh shit.
"I am abdicating my throne to my Cousin, the Duke of Namseong."
Silence sweeps the room. You poke your head out to see what was going on.
"...to marry the love of my life, y/n." He points at you. Your face is cherry red, and you find yourself dropping those same Danish fucking pastries all over the carpet.
"Shit," you fall on your knees, plucking them from the ground one by one. You don't know whether to run as fast as you can or to present yourself, but your body seems to be currently doing the latter. You go along with it.
Jungkook takes your hand tenderly on the stage. "I am unable to perform my duties as King, and therefore am ineligible for the throne." His touch gives you the will to continue beside him. You feel the pure fear rushing through your love's veins, and he knows that this is the hardest thing he'll ever have to do, yet he stands by his announcement.
So, if Jungkook doesn't get to be King of this World, he at least will forever be the King of Your Heart.
But all this, of course...is all in Your, dear reader, Head.
~
a/n:
hope you enjoyed.
571 notes · View notes
priortoallthoughts · 3 years
Text
Don’t Mess With the Commander’s Caf
(or do, because it’s gotten you this far)
Rating: T
Word Count: 3.6k
Pairing: Commander Fox x afab!reader
Warnings: Mild swearing; gets a bit spicy at the end but nothing explicit.
Summary: What is supposed to be a night out at 79s turns into a night in the drunk tank, and the morning starts a startling new relationship with a certain Coruscant Guard Commander. All over a cup of caf.
// [Part 2] [Part 3] [Part 4] [Part 5]
Masterlist
A night out in Coruscant is never complete for you without going to the clone bar, 79s. You may pre-game somewhere else, but you always end up there, recognizable as one of their regulars. You love the atmosphere, honestly. It’s so jovial, just vode – and weren’t you surprised when you found out that clones spoke a different language with each other – coming to forget the war for a night. Living life as much as they could. You’ve picked up a few words of theirs purely because you hear them so often. Many a curse word too, which are your favorites.
And they were about to be put to good use.
You’re already buzzed and walking with a group of grey-clad troopers that had pulled you into their group when they saw you walking alone. You chat easily with them even though you never met them before. That’s the funny thing about being sociable when you’re sober – you’re even more chatty when you drink. And giggly apparently, considering you couldn’t stop laughing at the mission gone wonky they were telling you about.
When 79s came into view your smile widens. There really is nothing like the neon lights and bass you can already hear resonating from inside. Were there probably millions of places just like in on Coruscant already? Sure. But there isn’t anywhere aside from 79s you could find this kind of ambiance.
There is one downside that pisses you off like no other though.
There’s yelling coming from over by the speeder-way and when you look over, another civilian is getting in the face of a Coruscant guard member. The frown the graces your face feels wrong after laughing so much, but you can’t help it. You pause in your tracks. Usually when you see this kinda shit it deescalates fairly quickly, but this civilian is getting louder and more violent the more the (admittedly nervous acting) guard tried to calm him down.
“Hey.” A hand lands on your shoulder and you look up to see one of your group. “We can’t do anything. The punishment would be too harsh and that civvie chakaar won’t even get a slap on the wrist.”
Your frown turns into a snarl. “You can’t do anything.”
Fishing your flask out of your jacket pocket you take a swig before shoving it into the chest of the closest trooper. The steady click of your heels is the only thing you can hear over the growing volume of yelling.
“Hey! Shabuir in the stupid shirt!” Your own yell interrupts.
You have exactly one second to reconsider things before you think about all the vitriol this jackass is spewing at the guard for nothing. The sound of your fist hitting his face is the most satisfying thing you’ve heard tonight, along with the yelp he lets out when he hits the ground.
“What the kriff is your problem, bitch?!”
“You talking shit about this trooper is my problem!”
He turns towards the guard again and the trooper flinches. “I want her arrested for battery!”
You lean down to grab his collar and shake him out. “Oh, so now you want him to do his job? The one you were just belittling him for? Can’t have it both ways, chakaar!”
“Let go of me!”
You drop him so suddenly that his head cracks against the ground. He scrambles to his feet and points a finger at you. “You’ll regret this! They’re nothing but meat-droids!”
“Say that again, you little pissant. I dare you.” You go to take a step forward but he’s already running away. A hand on your shoulder again makes you look over to the one you defended.
“I’m sorry, ma’am.” And he does sound sorry. “I will have to take you in tonight. I… can’t ignore you attacking someone right in front of me.”
You smile at him. “No problem, trooper. Do your job; I don’t want you getting in trouble.” You offer your wrists to him and next thing you know they’re in a pair of binders behind your back and you’re being placed in the back of a speeder.
“A night in the drunk tank should sort you out.”
The smile you give him is blinding, because not only do you know that’s not the proper booking for what you just did, at least you look cute while you’re being taken away.
---
When you wake up in your cell (lucky you’re the only one there) you’re beyond tired and in desperate need of some caf. You can’t function without it in the morning.
There’s a guard member who lets you out not long after you get up. You follow him like a zombie. Presumably he’s leading you out of all the twisting hallways, but you stop short when your nose picks up the distinct smell of caf.
But not just any caf. You know the smell of Death Wish anywhere.
Your favorite.
You follow your nose to a mess hall – sparsely populated but still enough that everyone stops what they’re doing to look at you as you make your way to the caf machines in the back. You’re basically falling asleep as you walk so you don’t notice. Maybe you should care, considering you’re still wearing your clubbing outfit from last night, but no, you don’t actually care.
When you get there you see two different machines. One is labeled with some cheap, generic caf name and the other is simply “Fox’s Starfighter Fuel.”
You grab a flimsi cup and fill it with the second one. No cream. No sugar.
No life, only caf.
You finally notice how deathly quite it is as you take your first sip and turn around. There’s one trooper standing in front of you, helmet tucked under his arm, and the most severe look you’ve ever seen before gracing his features. You look him over with half-lidded eyes, noticing he’s dressed differently than the others, and casually take another sip of caf.
“You must be Fox.”
“Civilians aren’t allowed in this part of the building, who let you in here?”
Still waiting for the caf to kick in, you shrug. “Spent the night in the tank. No one stopped me when I walked in.”
Fox turns to glare at everyone sitting at the tables. They all look down at their food like they weren’t obviously watching and someone starts whistling.
“You need to leave,” he says when he turns back around.
“Can I finish my caf first?” You ask, taking more sips hoping to stall.
He glowers even more. “That’s not even your caf!”
“Shame.” You chug the rest of the still mostly full cup and coughs wrack your chest when you finish. “I think I just burned my esophagus,” you rasp.
“Get out.”
“That’s completely fair.”
You toss your cup in the trash on the way out. Turning the way you were going before you got distracted, you make your way to the exit; no need to bring the wrath of Fox down on you for sticking around. You feel like, once again, you get off light and dont’t want to press your luck. The smile that graces your face as you step outside is probably a strange thing for anyone else to see considering you’re walking out of jail, but you had a good night, and the morning is shaping up to follow suit.
---
The next day you walk into the caf shop you normally stop at on the way to work. The barista behind the counter waves as you walk up. “Your usual, hun?”
“You know me,” you smile brightly, “but, uh, can you make it two?”
Her eyes widen. “I can’t imagine the morning you’re expecting to have!”
You laugh and wave her off. “Nothing bad. I owe someone a cup.”
“You mean someone else drinks this sludge?”
“Imagine my surprise. And it’s not that bad!”
She places two large flimsi cups in front of you. Your hands rub together nervously before you get your thoughts together. “Can I borrow your marker?”
She hands it to you with a raised eyebrow and you quickly scribble a few words on one of the cups. It isn’t a lot, and it completely gives away who you are without having to sign your name, so you hope it’s okay.
“Thanks, gotta run!” You scurry out of the door before the barista can ask anything about what you’re doing.
You aren’t even sure yourself if you were being completely honest. The Coruscant Guard building is a little out of your way from your route to work, but you leave early in the mornings anyway, so you can still make it in time even with the detour. You feel a bit nervous walking in this time. Where did all your confidence from yesterday go?
You flag down the first trooper you see that doesn’t look busy.
“Can you give this to Fox, please?” You hold out the cup for him to take.
He doesn’t.
He only stands there, and you imagine he’s making a face behind his helmet because he doesn’t say anything either.
After a few seconds of silence you lower the cup awkwardly. “Uhh, oh, sorry, am I allowed to bring caf?”
“Why are you bringing the Commander caf?” He finally asks.
You squeeze the cups so much the tops almost pops off. “Fox is a commander?”
“Commander Fox is head of the Coruscant Guard, ma’am.”
The top of your own cup does pop off this time, but nothing spills.
“The entire guard?” You squeak.
“Yes, ma’am.”
Heat is quick to crawl up your face. “Oh stars, I can’t believe I took his caf.” Your internal panic is quickly becoming external as you try not to drop either cup. You hid your face behind one in embarrassment.
“Wait.” The guard member tilts his head. “You’re the one they were talking about yesterday? The girl from the mess hall?”
There’s a few second where nothing but incomprehensible noises come out of your mouth, but you finally get out, “how many people know about that?!”
“It’s made its way around.”
“I’m gonna - kriff - go throw myself off the senate building I swear-“
You’re cut off by the sound of a chuckle and you snap your head up to see the guard member’s shoulders shaking. “So you’re not trying to poison the Commander, huh?”
“No!” You yelp, but quiet down after you see others turn to look at you. “I was just trying to repay the caf I drank! We like the same kind!”
“That’s disgusting.”
“Can you please just give this to him before I die of embarrassment? You’re killing me here!”
He laughs again and finally takes the cup from your shaking hands. “Who should I say it’s from?”
You slap a hand over your face to hide your grimace. “At this point I’d rather not tell you. I want to keep some of my dignity intact,” you mutter.
“Nobody’s dignity is intact here, ma’am.”
“Oh… joy.”
“You best be on your way then.”
He is giving you an out and you’re taking it in full.
“Have a good day,” you say as you turn, the only proof you’ve been there being one guard member and a note on a flimsi cup.
“Sorry for taking your caf yesterday.”
---
One week later you find yourself standing outside of the caf shop, once again with two cups in hand through no fault of your own. It makes you think that maybe another trip to the Coruscant Guard building wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Why waste a perfectly good drink after all?
You pause immediately when you step through the door, because the man you’re looking for is standing across the room talking to someone with a datapad in hand. The decision on whether to interrupt is made for you when the person he’s talking to looks over and spots you.
He waves and Fox finally looks over as well, tilting his head as he does so. You take a deep breath before walking over to them.
“Caf girl!”
You raised your eyebrow at the other trooper. “I really am known around here for that, aren’t I?” You say as you stop in front of them. You have a sneaking suspicion that he is the same one you talked to last week.
“Well you never gave me your name,” he shrugs.
Yeah, it’s him.
Your head snaps to Fox, however, when he addresses you.
“You know my name?”
“Your information was processed and put into the system when you spent the night in the tank.”
“Osik,” you mutter.
“Did you need something?” He asks.
You perk up some, and hold out the second drink in your hand. “Right, there was a mixup at the caf shop, and I got an extra drink. I thought you might like it.”
He takes it carefully, but your bare fingers still brush against his gloved ones. They tingle when you pull away, and while the heat on your palm from holding the hot cup fades, the heat in your fingertips does not. You have the sudden urge to find out what holding his hand feels like, but you push that thought down along with the blush you can feel rising. Now isn’t the time. You have to get to work. Maybe if you come by earlier next time….. would there be a next time?
“Thank you. I… appreciate the thought.” You think you hear him trip over his words, but there’s no way.
You smile brightly at him. “You’re welcome!” You check the time on your chrono. “Looks like I gotta bounce. Enjoy your caf, Commander!”
Your retreat is quick, but hells if you don’t add a little extra sway to your hips as you walk out the doors.
And scribbled on the cup now in Fox’s hand is:
“I know day old caf when I taste it. Fresh is better.”
---
You start to bring Fox caf every week.
“This has become part of my routine, so I hope you don’t mind.”
Every week turns into every few days.
“Your filing system is horrifying but at least your chair is comfy.”
Every few days turns into every day.
“Tell Thorn that if he sees me at 79s tonight, he can’t arrest me just so I’ll hang out with him.”
And leaving early just to see Fox is the best part of your day no matter what. You hope you’re not the only one who feels like this. That maybe as you walk to the Guard building in the morning, you’re not the only one smiling and counting down the minutes until you get to Fox’s office. He never turns you away, and he’s always there to take the extra caf from your hands if he can be. Sometimes you have to leave it on his desk if he’s not in, but you understand that his job isn’t easy by any stretch of the word.
He is in this morning, however, seeing as the door opens promptly at your knock. He sits behind his desk, a few data pads already stacked next to him and a frown marring his face. That won’t do.
“Credit for your thoughts?” You say as you set his caf down next to his helmet and lean against his desk.
Fox looks up and gives you a tired smile, unaware of how it makes your stomach flutter. “Shaping up to be a long day.”
“Giving yourself more grey hairs already?” You say, giving a pointed look to his already greying sides.
“Like I need any more,” he huffs.
“I dunno,” you reach up and run your fingers lightly through his short curls, “I think they make you look distinguished.”
He lets out a breath you didn’t know he had been holding. “At least one of us thinks so.”
“It’s okay, I can like it enough for the both of us.”
“Should I count myself lucky then?” He smirks, finally taking a sip of his caf and sighing contently into the cup.
You give him a cheeky grin. “You should.”
He looks at you then, not saying anything, and you can’t help the flush you feel crawling up your face. You swear, you had never blushed so much around anyone before you met him. You distract yourself by drinking your own caf, the liquid welcome to your suddenly dry mouth.
“I do.”
“What?” Your head snaps back up to him and he’s still looking at you, but not in a way you’ve seen before.
“I do count myself lucky.”
You look away shyly, a small smile forming at the corners of your mouth. Sure, you two have been lightly flirting with each other, or at at least you’re definitely flirting with him, but this is the most straight-forward thing he’s ever said to you.
“It’s a good thing I got myself arrested that night then, isn’t it?”
It’s uncharted territory, where this conversation is heading. The thought of what it could be sits low in your belly and causes you to let out a shakey breath.
“It’s quite the holovid to watch,” he says offhandedly.
You’re lucky you aren’t drinking your caf, otherwise you would have spit it everywhere. You turn your head so hard you think you give yourself whiplash, mouth agape, looking at him in wide-eyed mortification.
“There’s a holo of that?!” The pitch of your voice would be embarrassing if you weren’t in the middle of spontaneously combusting on the inside.
He nods empathetically, which is shit because you know for damn sure he’s not empathetic about it; he’s having too much fun with this. You know he is, with that stupid, heart-stopping smirk playing on his face.
“Our HUDs record each incident for our files to make sure everything matches up with the reports.”
“Nooooooooooooo,” you whine quietly into your hands that now cover your face. You hear him get up and move to stand in front of you, but you don’t react. Mainly because you have no idea what he’s doing, but also he’s so kriffing close you can barely handle it.
His pries your hands from your face and presses them to his desk, effectively caging you in. He’s even closer now, and you’re hyper aware of how hard your heart is pounding even though you stop breathing. It’s the last thing from threatening, but you’re still frozen.
He leans in so his mouth is right next to your ear. “You look good in that little red dress of yours,” he whispers, his voice octaves lower than before. “Especially when you’re beating the kark out of a civvie – standing up for my vod.” It sends a pleasurable shiver down your spine and straight to your ovaries.
You suck in a breath when he pulls away. This is much more than you could have expected. “You’re not giving me much incentive to not be arrested again,” you tilt your head, “now that I know you’d be watching.”
“Always watching you, cyare.”
You hum, pulling one hand away from his to run up his armor and trace lightly over his jaw. “Gonna have to try harder to get a pair of binders on me next time, then.”
“Would you run?”
“Only if you’re the one chasing me.”
You move your hand from his jaw to the back of his neck and scratch lightly, feeling more than seeing him shiver under your fingertips.
“I’d find you.”
“Oh, I’d be counting on it, Commander.”
It’s a mutual surge that leads you two to lean in, culminating in the most charged kiss you’ve ever received. You throw your other hand around his neck, holding him as close as you can, while his hands latch onto your hips, pulling you up and into his embrace. He leads you back until he’s sitting in his chair and the next thing you know you’re falling into his lap to straddle him. You break for air, and to process that yes, this is happening, before you’re kissing again. A little slower; a little deeper.
You moan quietly into his mouth, and his hands move to your ass so he can pull you even closer.
There’s a chime from your chrono and you pull away, panting.
Fox’s eyes are dark and hungry when he looks at you. “You have to go soon.”
You nod, not breaking eye contact, and not moving either.
He grins, and it looks absolutely predatory. He slides the top of your blouse down slowly, just enough for his mouth to latch on to you right above your collarbone. You let out another breathy moan, and his teeth graze your skin in response as he sucks harder. His tongue soothes the area over when he lets go, and he looks at the quickly darkening spot with what you can only assume is possessive pride.
“For you to remember,” he says huskily.
Knowing he’s just staked his claim on you stokes the fire inside you even more. You give him your own feral grin, and pull down the collar of his blacks as he stiffens. “Who am I to allow you to forget, then?”
You suck hard at the column of his throat, higher than he did on you, knowing it would still be covered. You taste the sweat that had been building up, and his skin which you can’t even describe except that it tastes like him.
He groans lowly into your ear and you shiver when you pull away. You drag your nail lightly over the dark bruise in satisfaction before pulling his collar back up.
You slide off his armored thighs slowly. He follows you to stand, and gives you one last, long, kiss.
“Until next time, cyare.”
When you leave his office, you wish you had written something more on his cup than a crudely drawn fox with a smiley face next to it. Tomorrow though, you wonder what you can get away with saying.
“Next time I’m wearing that little red dress, feel free to search me. Who knows what I could be hiding.”
341 notes · View notes
egcdeath · 3 years
Text
an apple a day
Tumblr media
pairing: soft!ransom drysdale x reader
summary: it seems like an apple a day couldn’t keep the doctor or ransom away.
warnings: sickfic, a lot of fluff, brief mention of throwing up
word count: 2k
author’s note: join my taglist if you’d like! all feedback is appreciated <3
Ransom
U busy?
4:37 PM
Ransom
😏🍆😈
4:38 PM
Ransom
Wow ignoring me?????
5:24 PM
Ransom
Bitch
5:34 PM
Ransom
🙄
5:36 PM
A frantic pounding on your front door pulled you from a bizarre dream within your feverish slumber. You peeled the slightly damp cloth that rest upon your face from your sweaty skin, and lazily tossed it to the floor before audibly groaning. 
“Coming,” you whimpered out, hoping that it was loud enough for whomever was at the door.
“Fuckin’ better be,” a voice grumbled as a response.
You rolled over slightly, whole body sore from the sickness that was currently ailing you, and willed yourself to get off of your sofa. Swinging your legs over the left side of the piece of furniture you managed to get up, and sluggishly made your way to the door, ignoring the ache of your neck from resting it on an arm rest.
It seemed like with every step you took, your sinus headache throbbed harder between your eyes, and your fever cooked you a bit more from the inside out.
After what felt like a lifetime, you got to your door and opened it, only to be greeted by your… well, you didn’t really know what he was to you.
“Christ, Y/N. You look like shit,” Ransom commented, raising his brows. “Did you get hit by a car or something?”
You gave him a blank look, and said nothing. 
“Is this a bad time?”
“What do you think, dickhead?” 
“You’ve had better days,” he shrugged nonchalantly.
“Okay, goodbye,” you rolled your eyes and slammed the door on him, finding yourself slightly out of breath as you lethargically shuffled away.
You collapsed back onto the sofa, and reached for a blue tissue box that sat on your coffee table. Did that even happen? Did you imagine Ransom coming to your door? Or was that part of your fever dream?
Settling back, and pulling a wool blanket over yourself, you began to doze off once again, not really having the energy to do anything else.
Ransom
I’m s-word
6:12 PM
Ransom
I’m not gonna say it
6:13 PM
Ransom
But you know what I mean
6:15 PM
Ransom
I’m coming back over baby
6:17 PM
You hadn’t even noticed the vibrating of your phone, as it was currently lodged under a mountain of pillows and cushions. It also helped that you were asleep once again.
This time when you woke up, Ransom was in your apartment, rambling about some encounter he had while he was out dealing with the public for you.
How was he even in your apartment? You felt like you missed a few steps.
“Sit up,” he commanded, setting down a plastic take-out bag, along with the spare keys you kept under your welcome mat on top of your coffee table, before dragging a seat from your kitchen into your living room. 
The seat finally came to a stop in front of you, and you listlessly sat up. You watched as Ransom wordlessly opened the bag, revealing a massive container of a clear broth soup, and an equally large baguette.
“Am I dreaming?” You asked aloud.
“Why would you be dreaming? ‘Cause I did something nice? Or because I’m that hot?”
“Because I have a high fever that’s making me delusional,” you told him, and his brows furrowed once again. 
“Let me see,” he mumbled, pressing the back of his hand against your forehead, and humming in thought, “Yeah, you’re pretty hot,” he agreed.
“Thank you, Captain Obvious,” you mumbled, a random churn in your stomach suddenly taking a huge blow out of you. 
“Hey, I did a good thing for you. Don’t get bitchy with me now,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes slightly at you. 
You sighed as a response, and Ransom gave you a little smirk before going to open the lid of the soup container. 
“Open up wide, Beloved,” Ransom said in a playful tone. If you had the energy, you’d shoot something sassy back at him, but you were finding yourself in less of a state to do so with every passing moment. You simply followed along with his orders, opening your lips so Ransom could deliver a little spoonful of soup into your mouth. 
“Mm,” you audibly reacted to the liquid, “did you make this yourself?”
“Hm, you must be sicker than I thought,” he chuckled and dabbed the edge of your lip where a droplet of soup was left behind. “I picked it up on my way back over.”
“It’s really good,” you hummed, “feed me more.” 
Ransom scoffed fondly, “you’re lucky I like you.” He began, dishing out another spoonful to you.
You paused to chew on a softened carrot, “you should’ve known that sick me’s demands of you were gonna be a lot more.”
Ransom rolled his eyes, and went back to feeding you. You were both quiet for a moment, maintaining a heavy eye contact while he fed you, until out of the blue, your stomach turned. 
Your mouth filled with saliva as you realized what exactly was going on, and you rushed off of the couch with an obscene swiftness, just barely making it to your bathroom before you were emptying your stomach into it.
Ransom quickly showed up behind you, making his presence known by lifting your hair out of your face, and rubbing supportive circles onto your back. He cringed as he listened to you heave into the bowl, and when you finally leaned back, he used a thumb to wipe away the few tears that had begun to slip down your face. 
“You okay?” he questioned, squatting down to your level.
“Just peachy,” you choked out hoarsely.
“Maybe you’ll feel better after a shower?” he suggested, flushing your sickness down the toilet while you attempted to catch your breath.
“Okay, yeah,” you began hesitantly.
“I’ll stay in here if you want me to make sure nothing bad happens?”
“You just wanna be a perv,” you weakly giggled.
“I’m just trying to be a supportive… I’m trying to be supportive,” Ransom found his way back up, and turned on the shower’s nozzle.
“Mhm, I’m sure,” you began kicking off your sweatpants when you heard the water begin to putter down, and gestured for Ransom to help you lift off your sweatshirt once he was facing you once again. 
“I can’t believe you’re using up the last of that energy to have an attitude with me,” Ransom pulled you out of your shirt, then helped you up and began to direct you toward the shower. 
You were more or less silent from there on out, focusing on maintaining your balance in the slippery room. Your brain seemed to become increasingly cloudy with every extra puff of steam. You leaned against the slightly warm tiles of your wall as you attempted to get through the genuinely hellish shower for a few minutes before deciding it wasn’t really worth it, and stumbling back out. 
“Was I right? Did it help?” Ransom asked after your period of silence, handing you some fresh clothing that he’d grabbed from your closet sometime between the time you got in and out of the shower. 
You shook your head, “shower kinda made everything worse,” you muttered, pulling a new shirt over your head. “My head is killing me. I think I just need to be in a dark room, or go back to sleep, or something.”
You sluggishly pulled on the rest of your clothes, then sniffled as you walked out to your bedroom. As you made your way to your bed, you pushed aside a mountain of tissues from earlier in the… day? Week? With all the sleeping you’d been doing, you genuinely
couldn’t tell what time or day it was. You slipped into one side of the bed, and grabbed a pillow that you promptly hugged. 
Ransom slipped into bed beside you, a bottle of cold medicine in hand– when did he leave long enough to get you cold medicine?– and watched the tissues on your side of the bed fall onto the floor in a slightly disturbed manner. Yeah, he was definitely getting sick after this.
“Open,” he ordered, and you happily obliged, opening your mouth a bit so he could pour some medicine down your throat. You dramatically gagged, then wiped the corners of your lips.
“Gross, Ran,” you muttered, burying your face into a different pillow. 
“Well, it’ll probably make you feel better. I brought you water for a chaser if you’d like. You probably need to stay hydrated, or some shit like that.” 
When did he get water?? Probably when he was getting the medicine. But that would’ve taken him like, five minutes. And getting in bed didn’t take you that long. Right?
You were pulled out of your confused internal monologue by a pink plastic straw being brought to your lips, and you instinctively drank from it. You weren’t completely sure if it was all mental, or the medicine was kicking in extremely fast, but you were starting to feel a little loopy. Maybe time was being weird again because of your sickness. 
“I feel like I’m dying. You and your stupid showers made me die,” you whined, pushing away the straw.
“I was only trying to help,” he insisted as he set the drink down on your bedside table.
“I’m your second murder victim,” you continued.
Ransom paused and looked down at you with raised brows, “what?”
“Y’know, I saw what you did to that delivery girl who was bringing me soup. You better clean that body up before I get better, ‘cause ‘mgonna be pissed if I have to do that myself.”
“Okay, I don’t know if you’ve been seeing things the whole time, or if the medicine is rewriting your memories. Either way, I think it’s time for you to go to bed,” he chuckled.
“You’re right. Night,” you hummed before turning on your side and closing your eyes. It was pretty much lights out from there.
——
When you awoke, it was to the piercing bright light of a laptop screen that broke through the darkness of night. You had to blink a few times for your vision to focus, but… was Ransom in bed next to you? Looking at a WikiHow article? If you weren’t completely mistaken, you could make out a faint How to Help A Sick Person Feel Better: 8 Steps (with pictures).
You sleepily reached out and grabbed his wrist, letting him know that you were finally awake. He quickly clicked out of the tab, pulling up his Twitter feed instead. 
“Hi,” you greeted. “Why’re you being secretive?”
“I’m not,” he huffed.
“You are.”
“You’re still delusional from the medicine.”
“Probably. But you’re being secretive. And you’re bad at it.”
“Whatever,” you could practically hear the eye roll in his tone. 
“It’s late, Ran. Why’re you still up?” 
“I just wanted to, y’know…” he trailed off.
“To…?” you pressed.
“I wanted to make sure nothing would happen to you while you slept,” he rushed out. “Happy?”
You swooned aloud at this, “you are such a sucker. Put that laptop down and cuddle me.”
Ransom said nothing, but set the device into your night stand, and wrapped an arm around you, “‘re you feeling any better?” he mumbled as he relaxed into you. 
“Kinda. We’ll see in the morning,” you slipped your hand down on top of his, and Ransom promptly moved it.
“You’re already pushing it tonight.”
“You’re always such a dick,” you scoffed with a laugh. “Goodnight, asshat.”
“Goodnight, you sick bitch,” he quipped back.
——
When you awoke in the morning, you couldn’t help but to notice how much better you were feeling. No headache, no nausea, a little fatigue, but hey, you just woke up, and that was to be expected. 
As you sat up and glanced to your right, you found a pink-nosed Ransom with a box of empty Kleenex sat in his lap. 
“Oh great, you’re awake,” he began in a nasally tone. “Since you wanted to get me sick, it’s your turn to take care of me,” he tossed the empty box at you, the cardboard falling softly onto your lap. 
Something told you that this was going to be a long day. 
323 notes · View notes
jisungful · 3 years
Text
abandoned.
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summary :: breaking into an old abandoned elementary school isn’t always the best idea.
pairing :: chenle x gn!reader x jisung (platonic)
genre :: horror/thriller
warnings :: all characters are kind of dumb (first person to die in a horror movie type beat), breaking and entering, implied serial killer!au, murder, blood, descriptions of gore, psychotic actions, character death, all that stuff :D
word count :: 2.4k
a/n :: as I was writing this, I practically scared myself D: also the ending is kinda rushed but oh well
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The end of the school year was supposed to be fun, full of surprises, and that one surprise was Chenle clinging onto you like a koala with a tree. Up to this point, you hadn’t thought of how much of an interesting boy he could be--but him giving you physical affection? You could never believe it.
Chenle let go of you before saying, “Come to the library with me and Jisung,” His hair was messy, as well as his uniform shirt. You assumed he just went around hugging other people besides you. He grinned at you, “We’re planning to do something fun as a celebration for the last day of school! Let’s go!” He grabbed your wrist tightly, but not enough to cause circulation loss, at least. You began contemplating whether or not it was a good idea to follow suit of the boy, knowing him. Nonetheless, you were curious.
You both arrived at the library, seeing Jisung already sitting at one of the tables reading a comic. Sitting down in front of the boy, he closed the book once he felt your presences. He greeted with a small smile, you and Chenle doing the same. “Alright listen,” Chenle started, clearing his throat before broadcasting the plan aloud, “We’re going to go to my elementary school—but with a twist.” He grinned before continuing, “It’s been so long since I’ve been there, so it’s abandoned now and I’m pretty sure no one monitors it anymore. Although... it is still intact so we need to break in.”
“Woah, wait, we are not going to break into an elementary school.” you cautioned.
Chenle rolled his eyes and rested his palm on his jawline. “It’s not like it’s haunted or anything. As I said, no one monitors it anymore--you guys just aren’t fun.”
Jisung clasped his hands together before letting out a sigh, “I thought you were joking at first and just wanted to go and play on the playground or something. But seriously?” He shuddered slightly, subconsciously flipping the pages of the comic he was reading earlier. You nodded at him before returning your gaze back on Chenle. All that was written on his face was smugness.
“We have to try it once. Think about it! It’ll be fun, you know? It’s like in movies, we just have to be cautious of our surroundings.” Chenle assured.
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You can’t believe you’re doing this. You really can’t. It was 3 fucking am and you decided it was a great idea to go along with Chenle (out of everyone else in the world) and his plan to break into his old elementary school just for fun.
You packed your backpack with a few essential items: a flashlight, a few bottles of water, a baseball bat, and a crowbar. You kept it unzipped at the top so they could all fit, keeping your phone in your spacious hoodie pocket. You put on a mask and a beanie to keep yourself covered in case of security cameras. You put on your backpack, adjusting to the heaviness. If you were being honest, you had this rush of nervousness flowing through your body, the fear of not knowing what will happen to the three of you once you break in and enter the abandoned building. Nonetheless, you head to your front door to walk to Chenle’s house as the three of you decided to go to beforehand. Step by step, your body grew warmer as anxiety rose. It hadn’t hit you that you’d never done this before--you were always the type to stay in and not go out doing reckless activities; but here you are, doing that exact thing.
Immediately as you stepped on Chenle’s rug that was placed in front of the door, it opened, him now in front of you. He moved aside for you to enter the place. “You got everything?” He questioned and you nodded. “Jisung’s not here yet, so I guess we have to just wait.”
You both sat on his leather couch, staring down at the empty mug with thoughts roaming your brain. It wasn’t breaking in that was scaring you--but the thought of getting caught and living with the guilt that you had done something illegal was. Attempting to engage in conversation, you spoke, “How did you even come up with this idea?”
Chenle chuckled lightly, fiddling with the watch on his wrist. “It just came to my head out of nowhere, I guess.”
Hearing the sound of knocking on the door, you stood up abruptly, Chenle following after. You both headed to the front and opened it for Jisung. “You have everything, right? We should go now.” Jisung nodded and let out a breath he was previously unknowingly holding.
You three went inside of Chenle’s car, with Chenle driving and Jisung and you seated at the back. You took off your backpack and placed it on the floor of the car, the weight removed gave you sudden relief on your shoulders. Jisung plugged his phone into the aux cord and played soft, lo-fi music to soothe the nerves that were getting to you unknowingly.
You sighed, laying your head on the headrest of the car seat, looking out the window. It was a rather peaceful night despite what you were going to do in a couple of minutes—stars beginning to deem visible across the vast, dark sky, with only a few cars passing by in which you could count with your fingers. That was when you felt eyes boring into the back of your head, and you turned to see Jisung staring at you. You furrowed your brows and muttered a ‘what’. “I’m nervous, Y/N,” he breathed out, fear clearly laced in his voice.
You bit your lip. “It was Chenle’s idea, we can blame him for all of this.” you joked.
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The elementary school definitely does not look as you expected--before coming, you imagined it to be completely abandoned, having growing moss on the walls, windows that were broken or punched, or even having “caution” tape around it. You guess it only happens in movies. But this school looked almost normal, for some reason, with only overgrown trees around it as the leaves fell on it. You let out a soft sigh, relieved that it looks fairly approachable and safe to go into.
“This is crazy, it’s been so long since I’ve been here. Let’s go!” Chenle beamed. You looked at Jisung for a moment, giving him a reassuring smile and a nod before putting on your heavy backpack and exiting the car as he did as well.
The three of you stood outside of the back door of the building, looking around for any suspicious cameras though found none. You pulled your mask up further before checking on Chenle and how he’s putting up with his attempts at opening the door. “I can’t find any key,” he grunted. You offered him the crowbar that was hanging off your backpack, and to your luck, it worked on opening the door. Jisung let out a surprised sound as he stood behind you.
The back door led to the gym in which you stood. It was empty, except for the lone basketball that sat in the middle of the vast room. The lights didn’t work, so you came to the conclusion that it would be best to use your flashlights, instead. You followed Chenle as he was the only person that knew the way around this place. He went toward the door which led to the hallway of the school, which connected to the many classrooms. The atmosphere felt terribly dismal, and it didn’t leave you with a good feeling. You couldn’t help but focus on the smell that hadn’t been freshened up for years.
“This is my 4th-grade classroom,” He slid open the door and across the room were sprawled out desks and chairs--it was like a forest, avoiding all of these objects just to get to the other side was like a journey in itself. In the back of the room were stapled class pictures of old students and teachers on a corkboard. Chenle desperately searched for the photo with him in it, searching across what seemed like around 10+ photographs. “Ah, here’s me!” He said, gesturing for you and Jisung to come to him. He pointed to his 10-year-old self, shining a flashlight on it to show it clearer. “It’s crazy how it’s still here.”
“You were cute,” Jisung commented.
“Are you saying I’m not cute now?” Chenle scoffed jokingly. He removed the photo from the corkboard and shoved it neatly into the small pocket of his backpack, thinking of showing it to his parents later today once he figures out a good enough excuse to where he found it.
You yawn, eyes getting tired minute by minute, second by second as you continue your journey throughout the huge school. You entered room 3B, which seemed like a music room—chairs stacked in 5’s, music sheets laying on the scattered desks, posters of musicians and guitar and piano chords on the walls begging to fall down to the ground as the tape holding it up collects dust. A piano lies near the corner of the room and Chenle sits on the bench that stood in front of it. He plays a mellow tune as you and Jisung look at all of the instruments that were isolated in a metal storage cabinet. You take out a recorder and try to remember the notes of the infamous ‘Hot Cross Buns’—however your memorization skill isn't the best and you end up with random noises. Jisung laughs at your attempt and you laugh back, putting the instrument back to where it was placed. You head towards Chenle, who was heavily concentrated on playing the song that was on the sheet on the music desk. You listen to the pretty sounds until he stops for a moment.
“It sounds beautiful,” you say.
Chenle chuckles before standing up and ruffling his hair, “I know, I’ve been playing practically since birth, you know?”
You both stood there, the moonlight reflecting on your skin through the thin glass. You turn your head, “Where’s Jisung?” You had thought the boy would follow you when you were walking toward Chenle—but he didn’t. There was no third shadow moving alongside yours and the boy beside you; the atmosphere grew cold. You beckoned Chenle to come with you before walking towards the classroom door to once again enter the hallway.
“Jisung! Are you an idiot? Where are you?” Chenle shouted out loud but there was no voice that followed. A curse word was muttered, you begin scrambling out of the music room to find the 5’11 boy that suddenly vanished into thin air. You knew how afraid he was during the car ride here and you never thought you would leave him alone like this. You stuck by Chenle’s side as you searched through most of the classrooms in the building.
No sign.
You were startled as you unlocked the door to the janitor’s closet, shining your flashlight down the stairwell that was somehow built in the tiny room. “Chenle, come here,” you beckoned. He rushed to you quickly; his eyes widened once he saw what was hidden inside the room.
“I’ve never seen this before,” he chuckled, “Maybe Jisung went in here, but for what?” You shrugged at the boy’s assumption, furrowing your brows before stepping in. Jisung was always curious about the world—you might think it’s his first life and he’s fascinated by every small detail that the universe could give him. Though, you would never expect that he would be curious about this particular stairwell.
A horrid smell hit you both once you reached halfway down the staircase. You muttered a curse word, “Fuck. It smells rotten in here,” Chenle agreed, nodding at you. You continued your way down to see Jisung’s body lay flat on the floor like a ragdoll. You took in a sharp breath as you quickened your steps down to see six other bodies lay in front of him. You rapidly shout out the boy’s name as you frantically attempt to shake him awake, wishing in the back of your mind that he hadn’t ended up like the bodies that were obviously sitting beside you.
Jisung groaned, sitting right side up as he held his head. “What happened to you?!” You question, helping him stand up. He looked around the room once more before taking two steps back when he watched the dead bodies lay on the floor.
He shook his head rapidly as his hands held onto your wrist. “I-I just saw that and I don’t know what happened but…” he shut his eyes. “I should’ve stayed with you guys. I’m so so so sorry.” You hear footsteps nearing you, both of your heads turn to the sound.
“Jisung!” You yell out. You froze once you see crimson flow out of his neck. Your eyes follow the holder of the knife’s arm to his face slowly. You stared with wide eyes and raised eyebrows. “Chenle, what the fuck are you doing?!” you breathed out.
Chenle tilted his head back with a slight close-lipped smile, enigmatic. Your eyes filled with tears as you watched Jisung’s blood drip, his arms holding onto what he thought was his best friend. “It’s so fun doing this!” he giggled, eyes crinkling through his smile. He pulled out the knife before quickly stabbing it back inside Jisung’s neck. “Is little Jisung whimpering? I’m just playing with you!” His psychotic laughter soon filled your ears and your breath quickened once you watched as Chenle stabbed him in the stomach laying on top of Jisung, a dark red pours onto the floor steadily. You wanted to look away but your body could do nothing but be full of shock.
Chenle’s head jerked toward your direction. You gulped as he stood up to walk toward you with an innocent smile. Once he cornered your back to the wall, he dragged the knife covered in blood along your jawline. You winced as the sharp blade cut through your delicate skin, you clutched onto nothing making your knuckles turn white. “P-please…” you whisper.
His smile dropped once the knife entered the side of your torso. “Now, you two can be with me forever.”
127 notes · View notes
lovely-ateez · 3 years
Text
Vampire Shift~
ꕥPosted: 5/23/21
ꕥGenre: Fluff, Smut, Angst, College!au, Horror!au
ꕥPairing: Fem!Reader x Vampire!Jongho (feat Wooyoung and Minho from skz)
ꕥWord Count: ~5.9k (whoops)
ꕥWarnings: Horror themes, Language, Thigh riding, Unprotected sex, Mentions of blood and blood sucking (please lmk if I missed anything)
ꕥTag List: @cappujinho @bobateastay
ꕥA/N: I hope you all don’t a more spooky concept! Halloween is my favorite holiday and even though its May, it’s always spooky season to me lolol. Also! Feel free to listen to Vampire Shift by All Time Low while reading this (it’s only on YouTube I cry) since this is inspired by the song :)
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It was a terrible idea, really, to work the night shift at a gas station alone. Even more so when you’re a young woman whose only defense is the pepper spray on her key chain and 911 on speed dial. Alas, college bills don’t pay themselves and every spare opportunity to get cash was one I had to take.
The digital clock sitting on the counter next to me briefly flashed, indicating another hour had gone by. It was currently four a.m. and it was safe to say I was losing my mind. I’d worked for five hours now, and not a customer had come in. That was the only advantage, really. So long as no one was around my boss let me finish any assignments I had, which came in handy on more than one occasion.
I was only six paragraphs into a five page report and had been staring at my laptop screen for over an hour, feeling beyond brain dead. I was assigned the topic of financial statements and country trade deficits, and wanted to cry every minute I thought about it. I was half convinced to pay someone to write the report for me.
The ringing of a bell indicated a customer opening the door and I closed my laptop to peer around the counter, ready to greet whoever entered. The first man to catch my attention was wearing sunglasses which fazed me, but I tried not to stare. The man that followed had black hair with blond underneath, a combination that I strangely liked. Both men were donned in all back, their faces stoic. They were attractive, I had to admit, but neither were my type.
And then, the last man entered. He looked over to me as he walked through the door, giving me a nod and a slight smile. His slicked back black hair matched his black ripped jeans and highlighted his red leather jacket. He was so handsome he looked like he jumped out of a magazine and I had to suppress a ‘wow’. A string of butterflies fluttered in my stomach and I did my best to ignore them, not even knowing his name.
The three of them wandered through the aisles until I could no longer see them, and I scolded myself for being so thrown off that I forgot say any form of a greeting. I sighed and turned my attention back to my laptop, opening it and blankly staring at the screen. My ears perked when I heard the men’s hushed voices.
“Y’oughta get that girl’s number. I saw the way you looked at her.”
“Yeah, Jongho. She’s pretty cute. If you don’t get her number you know I will.”
“Shut up.” One of the men, Jongho apparently, responded with a laugh, “Let’s just get some snacks, okay? It’s gonna be a long night. Also I’m buying tonight so get whatever.”
A smile crept on my face and I looked down, fiddling with my thumbs.
They think I’m cute. Maybe Jongho’s the one in red?
I heard the bell ring once more and a girl entered who I vaguely remembered from high school. She was popular but for good reason, probably being one of the nicest people I’d ever met. Our circle of friends overlapped slightly so I’d spent a fair amount of time with her. She was smart as a whip and gorgeous all the same, which seemed to stay with her. She looked bright, long red hair falling around her face, freckles still prominent as ever.
We met eyes and she smiled, “Hey y/n!”
I smiled and waved, “Hey Annabelle. How’ve you been? I haven’t seen you in awhile.”
“Good! I got into my dream college and it’s been great, although I’ve had to take some pretty hard classes.” She giggled, walking towards me. It’s honestly not too far from here. You go to Westgate University, right?”
I nodded and I put my laptop aside. She spoke again, genuinely excited for me, “That’s awesome! Congrats!”
“Thanks,” I smiled, “I’m taking it you got into Orholt?”
“I did! I was really-”
One of the men that entered earlier—the one still wearing sunglasses—shouted the redhead’s name and caught her attention, “Hey Anna do you want a Redbull or a Five Hour Energy?”
“Redbull! I’m not a monster.” She laughed.
The man nodded and walked toward us with several drinks and snacks in his hands.
“Oh! I want to introduce you to my boyfriend!” Annabelle turned to the man still wearing sunglasses and reached for his arm, “This is Minho. I met him at Orholt.”
Minho gave me a slight nod as I introduced myself and he placed the food and drinks on the counter. I began to scan the items, the mindless routine that I was used to by now. The loud sound of laughter made me look up, seeing the two other men approach us and place their snacks down as well. I watched them long enough to notice the way two-tone—my new affectionate name for the man with blond and black hair, I decided—shamelessly checked me out, a cocky smile on his face when I caught him. I just let out a small laugh before resuming my task, watching his confused reaction in my peripheral vision.
“Oh my god I totally forgot to introduce you to my friends.” Annabelle giggled and pointed to two-tone, “This is Wooyoung.”
“Hiya, Wooyoung.” I said with a confident smile, enjoying the way he still had a slightly confused look on his face.
“And this,” Annabelle nodded towards the man in red, “This is Jongho. Both him and Wooyoung go to Orholt, too.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Jongho. I’m y/n.”
“Very nice to meet you.” The man smiled before he sent me a wink.
I had never been a particularly shy person, but as he did so my eyes darted down as I felt my face flush. I didn’t notice the gears turning in Annabelle’s head as she put the pieces together.
I placed the final items in the bag, raising my head as Annabelle addressed me,  “You know I’m having a bonfire tomorrow night at my place and you should totally come!”
I stopped to think, first trying to remember if I worked the next day, then wondering if I was willing to go the bonfire when I realized I didn’t have to.
She sensed my hesitancy and her face fell, “Aw do you work tomorrow night? It’s a Saturday!”
“Oh no, I don’t. I...” I stopped to think for a minute. Although I likely didn’t know anyone else who would be there, I was familiar with Annabelle’s house, which brought me a bit of comfort, “Are all of you going?”
Annabelle gave a knowing smile, “Yes. All of us will be here.”
I nodded, accepting the credit card Jongho gave me, quickly after handing them the bags, and returning his card, “I’ll go.”
“Yay! We’ve gotta head out but I’ll send you the details. You’ve still got the same number, right?”
“Yeah I do.”
“Alrighty! I’ll see you tomorrow then!”
Annabelle left with a wave, her boyfriend on her arm and Wooyoung behind her. To my surprise, Jongho didn’t leave with them, the cocky look on his face all but telling me why he stayed.
I looked at him with wide eyes, playing innocent. “Can I help you?”
He placed an arm on the counter, his dark eyes seeming to put me under a spell. The confidence he was radiating was almost palpable and I felt myself being pulled to him. It was intimidating, to be honest.
“You’re really cute and I want your number.”
I let out a surprised laugh, “You really don’t beat around the bush, do you?”
“No, not really,” He propped his other arm on the counter, leaning towards me and raising an eyebrow, “So what do you say, doll?”
A smile crept on my face as I mirrored his actions and leaned towards him, “You gonna memorize my number? Or do you have a phone I can put my number into?”
Jongho’s smile got brighter as he reached to grab his phone, handing it to me. “You’re a firecracker, aren’t you?”
I shrugged, “I’d like to think so.”
When I handed his phone back, our fingers brushed and I could’ve sworn I felt sparks shoot through me at the simple interaction.
“Well I need to head out before the rest of them get too annoyed,” He nodded towards the exit where Annabelle, Minho, and Wooyoung left, “But it was enchanting to meet you, y/n.” He bowed, drawing a laugh from me.
“Ah yes. You as well, absolutely delightful.”
He gave me a smile, “I’ll text you later.”
"Sounds good. I’ll hold you to your word.”
“I’d expect nothing less.” And with that, he was out the door, leaving my heart a fluttering mess.
-
Me [8:37pm] So is there a dress code for tonight?
Annabelle [8:42pm] Nope! Wear whatever you’re comfortable with. I’m wearing this if it helps at all!
Annabelle [8:43pm] 1 Image Attached*
Me [8:45pm] So leather jackets and crop tops?
Annabelle [8:48pm] Haha sure! We can match!
Me [8:51pm] Lol bet. See you at eleven :)
Annabelle [8:51pm] See you then!
I started the process of slipping on a white cropped top followed by my light washed ripped jeans. I knew I was getting ready far earlier than I could have, but something about new events made me anxious and I had to make sure I looked nice. I giggled at the black leather jacket I was throwing over my shoulders, not having worn it since high school. In the middle of debating whether or not I should add another layer of mascara to my lashes, my phone dinged.
New Number [8:59pm] Y/n this better be you. This is Jongho and I’m texting you for a really important reason and I need you to reply quick
Me [9:00pm] Yeah it’s me. What’s going on are you okay??
New Number [9:02pm] I’m gonna go grab some food before I head to Anna’s. You wanna come with?
Me [9:02pm] Oh my god don’t do that to me, you buffoon. You scared me so bad rip
[New Number name changed to A Cute Buffoon]
Me [9:03pm] But sure I’m down lol. Here’s my address btw
Me [9:03pm] 1 Location Shared*
It occurred to me perhaps a bit too late that I was sharing my address with someone that I’d met only once and in a gas station.
I mean, he’s friends with Annabelle so he’s gotta be good right? God I hope so. I thought to myself.
A Cute Buffoon [9:04] Then it’s a date :) I live pretty close so I’ll be over in 10. That work for you?
Me [9:06pm] Fine with me!
A Cute Buffoon [9:06pm] Sounds good. I’ll see you soon ;)
I set down my phone and thanked myself for already doing my makeup. I checked myself out in the mirror, satisfied with my appearance and proud of how well my makeup turned out. I grabbed my bottle of perfume and spritzed the liquid in the air, letting it gradually fall on me so it wouldn’t be too overpowering.
You look beautiful, babe.
The waiting game was harder than I thought, not knowing what to do except awkwardly sit around and play an assortment of phone games. When exactly ten minutes had passed I heard my doorbell ring and I lifted myself from my couch, grinning at his punctuality.
I opened the door to see Jongho holding a bouquet of flowers, a smug look on his face. “Lovely to meet you here, stranger.”
I wanted to make a joke back but I couldn’t seem to think of anything, too surprised by the flowers in his hands. It wasn’t anything extravagant, the small bouquet of violets, but I felt my heart swell.
It’s perfect. He’s perfect.
My voice was small when I spoke, “No one’s ever given me flowers before.”
His eyebrows furrowed as a confused look painted his face, “Really?”
I nodded, taking the flowers from his outreached hands and smelling their sweet fragrance, “They’re beautiful.”
My eyes flickered to his, the tender look on his face making me feel as if I was melting on the spot, “You’re beautiful.”
I squealed, my face undoubtedly turning pink while my mind short circuited. I’d never become so shy around someone before and the only thing I could think of to say in response was another ‘thank you’ followed by ‘I’ll go get a vase for these.’
I opened my door further, rummaging through my cabinets for a vase when I noticed Jongho was still standing by the door, “You can come in, you know? That’s why I opened the door.”
He laughed nervously, “Sorry about that. Force of habit, I guess.”
I raised my eyebrows in a teasing manner, “What? Are you a vampire? Can you only come in if someone invites you?”
I thought I saw a flicker of shock on his face for a moment, but it was gone before I could register it and I shrugged it off, my eyes finding the perfect vase for the flowers.
“It’s just how I was raised.”
“I get that.” I placed the flowers in the vase, giving them a bit of water before walking up to Jongho and gently patting his cheek, “Your good manners are appreciated.”
He laughed in surprise, full gummy smile on display as he playfully swatted my hand away from his face, “Alright, alright. Let’s head out already.”
I made a sound of agreement before noticing a slight pink on his ears. I was temped to tease him, but ultimately decided to save it for later. If I could fluster him once I knew I could do it again.
-
The diner we went to was one I’d never heard of before, let alone been to, and I was beyond frustrated that I didn’t even know about it’s existence. It was an adorable fifties style diner and even the attire the waiters were wearing fit the theme.
“This is the cutest place to ever exist, I’m convinced.” I said as we sat down on the same side of a bright red booth.
“I really hoped you would like it. This is my favorite restaurant ever and they have fantastic milkshakes. If you’d like to share one for desert, I’m all for it.” A wink.
I bit my lip and hid my face in the menu that was placed in front of us, thankful for any method of escape.
“You’re so cute.”
“Ahh no don’t say things like that.” I giggled from behind the menu.
His hand grabbed the top of the menu, pulling it down so he could see me, “Why’s that?”
“Because you make me nervous. Like a good nervous!” I tried to explain, which only resulted in becoming even more embarrassed, “I-I mean I’m excited to be around you but I’m also nervous. I hope that doesn’t sound weird.” I cringed at myself. Never in my life did I think I’d be blushing and stuttering over some man, but my god did he prove me wrong.
“Not at all,” he reached over to take my hand in his, “because I feel it, too.”
Before I could properly react our waitress came over, taking our order and effectively saving me from becoming a human tomato.
We handed our menus back to her after ordering and she looked at us with a soft smile, “You two make a cute couple.”
While I was a bit too stunned to say anything, Jongho didn’t seem to have the same problem and went along with it, “Thank you, ma’am. That’s kind of you to say.”
When she left, Jongho leaned closer to me, “I hope I didn’t make you uncomfortable by saying that we we’re a couple. I thought that-”
“No, I didn’t mind it!” I bit my tongue after likely saying that way too fast with far too much enthusiasm, but I meant it, “I didn’t mind it,” I said again, softer this time.
The tips of his ears once again turned a faint shade of pink, “Good to know.”
The food was as wonderful as it possibly could’ve been, their fries alone being one of the best things I’d ever consumed. Just as Jongho suggested, we shared a milkshake, which led to shy eye contact and laughter and my crush becoming stronger by the minute.
Just as Jongho paid and we were about to leave, a certain song began to play and he looked at me with an air of mischief, holding out his hand to me, “Dance with me.”
I took his hand, trying to hide my smile but failing. He led me away from the table and next to the jukebox. The area surrounding it was more open, probably with the intention for people to dance near it. He grabbed my waist, holding the hand of mine that wasn’t placed on his chest and looking at me in a way that could make any woman fall in love on the spot. We swayed to the music and I couldn’t help but feel full. Like I’d found all that I’d ever need.
Put your head on my shoulder~
“Do you know this song?” He asked with a smile.
I scoffed, “Of course I do! It’s one of my favorites.”
“It’s one of mine, too.”
Hold me in your arms, baby~
I mouthed along to the words as I felt the need to prove it to him. As if to one up me, Jongho began to sing along, his gorgeous voice amazing me.
Squeeze me oh so tight, show me~
That you love me, too~
I blushed as he looked at me while singing along, becoming a bit flustered himself when the lyrics clicked with him.
Put your lips next to mine dear~
Won’t you kiss me once, baby~
As if we were in sync our eyes darted to the other’s lips at the same time. I could feel Jongho’s breathing becoming heavier before he said in a hushed tone, “Can I kiss you?”
“Please.” Was all I could respond before I pressed my lips to his, fireworks igniting inside me when he kissed me back. His lips were so soft and warm and as crazy as it sounded, he felt like home. I felt him smile against my lips as the music continued to play.
Maybe you and I will fall in love~
-
The fire was loud, crackling and lighting up the faces of all those crowded those around it. It was essentially the only source of light in the dark of the night, except for the distant lights still on in Annabelle’s house. My hands were interlocked with Jongho’s as we sat around it’s warmth, both of us finding it hard to separate from one another.
Conversation was flowing all around us, and I was relieved to find that everyone I had talked to was kind and welcoming. I was more nervous than I realized, but having Jongho next to my side alone calmed me. Someone around the fire mentioned an old story involving Annabelle and I began to wonder where she was, having not seen her since Jongho and I first arrived. I mentioned I was going to look for her and he nodded, at first wanting to join me but then getting pulled into conversation with one of his former classmates. I told him I’d head off on my own and he nodded again.
I looked around what seemed to be the entire property and still there was no sight of her. At that moment I heard yelling coming from her house, startling me. I felt my blood run cold when I recognized one of the voices as Annabelle’s. The yelling didn’t sound like it was out of fear, but instead more aggressive, out of pure anger. Without thinking I ran inside, hoping to calm the situation but instead found what seemed to be out of a work of fiction.
An unfamiliar man was on the ground, obviously trying to get away from a hidden figure before him that seemed to be cloaked in darkness. He let out a sound that I’d never heard a human make, one that I couldn’t even compare to something I’d heard before, and a shiver ran down my back. As the figure took a step forward I recognized it as Annabelle, or what seemed to be some version of her. Her normally grey eyes were now bright red, sharp fangs on display as she snarled at the man. A group of people were surrounding them, alarmed looks on their faces but hardly trying to intervene.
“What the hell?” I whispered, my eyes wide as I tried to back away without anyone noticing. But of course, I just had to step on an empty soda can, all eyes pointing my way. As I looked at the people around me, their expressions seemed to mirror mine and I swallowed, suddenly feeling immensely claustrophobic.
I met eyes with Annabelle and she seemed to change in a flash, her eyes returning to their former color and fangs disappearing. She looked more panicked than I had ever seen her which only scared me more. She was always able to keep her stressors under control, but as she stared back at me, I saw a version of her I never had before.
I was barely able to form a sentence, adrenaline coursing through me at a rampant rate, “Um...” 
Annabelle slowly walked towards me, “Oh—hey! Sorry I disappeared for a while but how’s the party going? Are you having fun?” Panic was still evident in her voice but I knew she was trying to keep a hold of the situation.
“I...I don’t-”
A stern voice came from left, and I nervously turned to meet Jongho, an unreadable expression crossing his face, “Y/n.”
“Yeah?” My voice squeaked as I began to regret agreeing to come along in the first place, still hyper aware of all the eyes on me.
“Come with me.”
His eyes softened at my panicked state and he held out a hand, “Please?”
I was hesitant, but being anywhere away from the crowd and whatever Annabelle turned into seemed to be a good idea. I took his hand and watched as he exchanged a look with Annabelle that seemed to calm her. Turning on his heels he led me back to the bonfire, sitting in a chair and motioning for me to do the same. Seeing no one around us gave me a feeling of both anxiety and comfort, and I wasn’t quite sure which feeling was winning at the moment.
“Well I’m sure you have plenty of questions.” He started, “I won’t lie to you and try to convince you what you saw wasn’t real, because it was, but I need you to know that no one is going to harm you. That guy is Anna’s roommate and they get into an argument at least once a week. Sometimes it can be nasty, but they never get physical and neither would ever hurt anyone unprovoked. No one here would.”
I was silent for a few minutes, trying to process what I saw on top of the time bomb of information he dropped on me. “Is she...is everyone....are you a vampire?” I whispered the last words, almost too stunned and afraid to say out loud.
He smiled slightly, his kind eyes making me feel safe. “Yes. We’re what you’d call vampires.”
I took a breath, almost afraid to hear the answer to my question, “Am I in any danger by being here?”
“No, everyone here is good. They don’t pose any threat. There are plenty of dangerous vampires but we stay away from them. Besides,” He placed an arm around my waist, playfulness in his eyes, “If there were, I’d protect you from them.”
“Oh? And how don’t I know you’re not dangerous?”
He leaned closer to me, clearly enjoying this, “You don’t, I suppose. Doesn’t that make it fun?”
“That’s very much debatable,” I smiled for a moment before a frown took over, “Everyone just seemed really...I don’t know, startled I guess?”
Jongho let out a loud sigh, looking down at the ground for a few seconds before looking back up at me, “Humans aren’t normally invited to these parties. It’s assumed that everyone here is a vampire. The perfume that you’re wearing, whatever the hell it is, is masking your scent. If I didn’t meet you before today I wouldn’t have known you were human. I guess Anna didn’t tell everyone, either.” He placed a hand on my knee and looked at me with kind eyes, “How are you feeling?”
“Surprisingly calm considering that I just learned vampires exist.”
Jongho laughed, “Yeah I’d say you’re taking it pretty well. Like I said earlier though, I’m sure you’ve got plenty of questions, so fire away.”
“Yeah I have a few.” I hesitated, hoping he wouldn’t be offended by my question, “Exactly how old are you?”
“Oh are you gonna age shame me?”
“No but it’s probably an important thing to know...since we kissed and all.”
He laughed again and leaned back in his chair, placing his arms behind his head,  “How old do you think I am?”
I used his question as an excuse for my eyes to wander over his body. He was beyond attractive, very clearly fit and he knew it, which equal parts pissed me off and turned me on. As hard as I tried, I kept finding myself being pulled to his thighs. Even through his jeans I could tell he had strong thighs and I had to press my fingernails into my palm to keep from drooling. “From your appearance? Early twenties. From what age fiction usually tells us vampires are? I’d guess you’re a hundred and three.”
Jongho nodded with a smile, “I’m not quite that old but that’s a fair guess. You had it right the first time. I’m a pure born and we actually age, but we don’t age as quickly as humans. I’m twenty.”
“Pure born?”
“It means both of my parents are vampires.”
I nodded as another question came to mind, a smile on my lips. “Do you sparkle in the daylight?”
“Oh my god,” He covered his face with his hands, a mixture of a groan and a laugh escaping his mouth, “No, we do not sparkle in daylight, “His hands came to rest on his knees, “But it sucks that we really shouldn’t be in direct sunlight for over two hours a day. That’s normally the rule to go by. It’ll burn us if we’re in it for much longer than that.”
“So do werewolves and witches and everything like that exist, too?”
“Yeah pretty much. We don’t all get along, but we have to coexist. It’s something we’ve struggled with for a while, unfortunately. Basically everything you’d believe to be supernatural exists.”
I was silent for a while, not really knowing what else to say.
“Y/n? Are you doing okay? If you’re not comfortable being here I can drive you home right now or if you’d rather be alone I can call an Uber or—”
My heart skipped a beat at his kindness. “No, I’m okay. I guess I’m just surprised I’m learning about this just now.”
“We do a good job of hiding it. Also it was probably a given, but keep this as a secret if you can. Having a lot of people know about our existence can be risky.”
I gave him a silent nod, unintentionally leaning closer to him. The sound of approaching footsteps made me jump into Jongho’s arms. I didn’t know why I found comfort in him, knowing that he could be dangerous as well, but he’d been nothing but sweet to me. I had no reason to fear him.
Annabelle approached us but stopped, taking a few steps back when she saw how I was buried in Jongho’s arms.
“Hey y/n.” She rubbed her arm, looking down as if she’d done something wrong.
“I guess Jongho probably told you everything at this point. I’m really sorry if I scared you and I understand if you don’t want to be friends anymore.” Even in the dark I could see tears beginning to stream down her cheeks and I felt a pain in my chest.
I got up from Jongho’s hold and wrapped my arms around her, feeling her stiffen, “I trust you, Annabelle.”
Those four words seemed to relax her and she returned my hug, still sniffling, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. We aren’t supposed to tell anyone and I thought you might hate me—”
I pulled back, “Why the hell would I hate you? You’re still you.”
She laughed through tears, gripping me tighter, thanking me over and over for not pushing her away.
We’re gonna be okay. It’s all gonna be okay.
-
Not too long after, Jongho drove me home. The ride was more silent than when we were headed to Annabelle’s house, but the air wasn’t heavy or uncomfortable. Feeling tired, I laid my head on Jongho’s shoulder, faintly hearing ‘sleep well, baby’ before drifting asleep.
When I woke, I was in my bed. I reached for my phone on the bedside table and found a little note placed next to it that read:
I hope you don’t mind that I carried you inside. I tried to wake you for like five minutes but you were out cold. Anyways, I had a really good time with you yesterday and I hope you had fun too :) Text me when you wake so I know you’re okay. -J
I looked at my clock and saw that it was still early, but I texted Jongho anyway.
Me [3:00am] Not sure if you’re still up, but I really enjoyed yesterday, too. I’m exhausted so I’m gonna go back to sleep but I just wanted to say I’m okay and everything is good :))
A Cute Buffoon [3:00am] Sleep well, darling. We can talk in the morning
-
It had been roughly a month since Jongho and I started dating, and while I felt like I knew him pretty well, we had only known each other a little over a month, on top of the fact that he was a vampire which was essentially an entire separate culture. I’d asked him most questions I had early throughout our relationship, but one in particular kept replaying in my mind.
We were currently sitting on the couch in my apartment, cuddling each other. The TV was on but neither of us were really watching it. I was far more interested in the warm body in front of me, and based off of how Jongho was looking at me, the feeling was mutual.
I bit my lip, anxiously mulling over the question I’d wanted to ask him for weeks. I didn’t know how he would take it, let alone how I would bring it up, but I needed to ask at some point. Knowing he could probably sense my nerves, I gave in. “Jongho, can a human turn into a vampire?”
He hummed, turning to face me. “Why do you ask?”
“I just...I didn’t know if it could happen or not.”
Jongho chuckled, “Yeah it’s possible. It’s a long ass process to go through though, and there’s a lot that can go wrong, so it rarely happens.”
I shifted in my seat, trying not to appear overly interested. “Why is that? What can go wrong?
He smiled and raised a brow, his cocky persona resurfacing, “You sound so eager to know, dear. Do you want to become a vampire?” His eyes briefly flickered towards my lips before he tilted his head, dragging his soft lips across my neck. I let out a gasp when I felt the tips of his teeth lightly scraping the skin, “Or maybe you’re just looking for an excuse for me to put my mouth on you?”
Like with anything that exuded him, I felt myself becoming quickly overwhelmed, my mind now hazy and distant. I shut my eyes in an attempt to gain some semblance of control over myself.
“Your thoughts are swirling, doll.” Jongho began leaving gentle kisses along the side of my jaw, “Don’t think too much. Just let me take care of you. Okay?”
“Okay.” I said through a short breath, knowing we’d just have to have the conversation another time.
We’d had sex before, so it wasn’t like this was new territory for us, but every time felt like the first, leaving me just as out of breath each time.
He lifted me and placed me on his thigh, dragging me across his flexed muscles. I felt my eyes roll back at the simple motion, my need growing at an embarrassing rate. I grabbed his shoulders as I began to drag myself against him, whines and whimpers spilling from my lips.
“God you’re hot,” Jongho said through hot breaths, beginning to kiss my neck, no doubt leaving marks.
“Thanks I try.” I managed to say, pleased when Jongho laughed.
“You don’t even have to, and it’s completely unfair.” His hands moved under my shirt and danced along my skin, “It’s like you’re an angel come to life.”
I let out a loud moan, feeling tears well in my eyes from his praise, “You always make me feel so beautiful when I’m with you.”
Jongho responded with a smile, carrying me to my bedroom and laying me down on the bed while hurriedly discarding both of our clothes.
“You’re always so eager, babe.”
He nuzzled my neck as he climbed on top of me, his hands finding my own and holding them, “As if you’re not.”
“I never said I wasn’t.”
He then moved in between my thighs, teasing me with his fingers as he ran them along my wet slit, occasionally rubbing my clit, drawing small whines from me.
“Jongho please just fuck me already.”
“Sweetheart, do you even think you’re wet enough for me?” He cooed.
Feeling frustrated, I pushed my fingers inside myself with ease, pulling them out and spreading them so he could see my essence dripping down my fingers, “I don’t know you tell me.” I said with far more sass than I intended.
Jongho’s eyes widened at the sight and wasted no time positioning his cock at my entrance, pushing in and letting out the most beautiful groans.
Neither of us ever bothered to use protection because, to put it simply, vampires couldn’t get humans pregnant. It was only possible when both partners were vampires, and we took full advantage of that.
“Fuck—baby you feel amazing. You’re so warm and tight ohmygod.” Jongho moaned as he began to move, thrusting in and out of me at a steady pace.
I clenched around him, loving when he was vocal. His sounds helped get me off just as much as his actions, at times it seemed.
“You feel...really good...too.” I said through heavy breaths. And as much as I wanted to last longer in bed, with Jongho, I never could.
“I don’t know if it’s because you’re a vampire and you’ve got like magic powers or something or maybe you’re just a sex god—but holy shit...I’m close.”
He threw back his head and had the audacity to laugh, something I really couldn’t stay mad at with how good he was making me feel. “Babe it’s been like six minutes.”
“Don’t be an asshole.” I joked, my laugh turning into a moan. It only spurred Jongho on, making him angle one of my legs up higher, hitting deeper inside of me.
“I know you’re close, baby. I can feel it. Cum for me, baby girl. Let go for me.”
He reached down to tease my sensitive nub, drawing quick circles until I was seeing stars, chanting his name like a prayer.
After Jongho came down from his high, he disappeared into the bathroom as he always did, coming back with a warm towel. As he pressed the towel to my thighs I tried to ask again.
“So...about the human to vampire thing?”
“Well,” Jongho sighed, “I didn’t think I’d be able to distract you forever.” He smiled, “It’s mostly done because couples want to stay together. The thing is though, the vampire obviously gets a taste of the human’s blood and it can be hard to stop once you’ve marked them, especially since smell is such a big allure for us.”
He took a long breath, “Then the human will almost always pass out, and needs to be taken care of for the next couple days because they’ll be so weak. Another problem is that the scent of their blood will be amplified during those days and it’ll be harder for the vampire to not, you know...” He looked away, not able to say the words. I knew what he meant, we both did. In some cases, vampires would kill their human partners for of their blood. Sometimes it was beyond their control. Just a primal need that would betray them. “Then their scent is more easily detected by other vampires and the whole thing is just kinda a mess. I think I’ve only heard of five attempts and only one of them was successful.”
I nodded, not really knowing what to say.
“And then on top of it all, it can be harder for the human to adjust and it can put a lot of pressure on the relationship. Human and vampire relationships are dangerous.”
His face was serious as he ran a hand through my hair. I looked up at him and leaned into his touch.
He cleared his throat and averted his eyes, a shy behavior I hadn’t seen from him before, “I guess it’s important for you to decide then.” His eyes met mine again, “Is this still something you want to continue?”
“Our relationship?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course, are you crazy? You mean the world to me.” I swallowed, realizing he hadn’t voiced his own thoughts, “What about you? Do you want this?”
“I think you have a pretty good idea of what I want.” He smiled and pressed a quick kiss to my forehead, his eyes sparkling.
“Hey Jongho?”
He hummed, looking at me.
“I want to spend forever with you.”
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kayxleeee · 3 years
Text
Steve Rogers: The Man Out Of Time (Steve Rogers x Reader!)
Warning: NONE! FLUFFFFFFF Just Sad Steve and a moment of a nosey Romanoff .
A/N: Love this one to death! Still contemplating on if I should make  a second part.
Summary: After the teams attempt to try and stop Ultron and failing horribly, you all find yourselves at the Barton’s Family farm. Steve is shooken up about his vision, and is  reflecting on the life that he will never have. This was a side of Cap you never  really seen before, he had never been this venerable with anyone. He was the one who held the team together and called everyone out on their bullshit. You find yourself consoling him, possibly blossoming a friendship into something more. 
Word Count: 1k+
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“Hey you.” You say standing in the doorway of the Barton’s spare bedroom. 
“Hi.” Steve says lowly not looking up at you. He was sitting at the edge of the bed, visibly upset looking down at his already folded hands. 
“What happened out there ?” You say referring to the squabble he and Tony had while breaking down wood for Laura. Steve got pretty pissed very quickly, which was kinda unusual for him, since he has always been the level headed one.
“It was nothing, I’m fine.” He sighs not breaking his focused gaze from his hands.
“Oh yeah, I can totally tell you are Steve. Just a typical ray of sunshine.” You say sarcastically hoping to lighten his mood. 
The situation with Ultron was spiraling out of control, and that witch bitch only made matters  one-hundred percent worse. From the visions, to the ambush, to the media buzz, you weren’t sure if the avengers would even recover. It was obvious that this new mission to stop Ultron was too much for even the strongest of the bunch, which was understandable, but still alarming.
“Come on.” You sigh leaning against the doorframe crossing your arms trying to examine his face. “You can talk to me, you don’t always have to be the most levelheaded one in the room. And plus I won’t leave you alone unless you tell me what’s up.”
“Now that I can believe.” He huffs out a small chuckle looking up at you, then takes a deep breath. “It’s all just a bit overwhelming.” He admits.
“Yeah I know this all may seem like a lot, but Tony meant well by building Ultron. He—“
“That’s—that’s something we can fix.” He says shaking his head. “I wasn’t, I mean I’m not that worried about Ultron because I have faith we will win that fight.” He says this then looks back down at his hands in his lap. “We just gotta figure out how.”
You sigh as you look at him confused hoping that he’d continue and share his thoughts. You were relived that he was ready to fight Ultron, together, and glad he had faith that the team would win; But if it wasn't Tony creating Ultron that bothered him it was something so much bigger. 
It was the vision. 
This made you gravely concerned about what he saw, what could be making him react this way, so solemn and hot headed. You walk all the way into the small farm house bedroom and sit next to him on the full sized bed, putting a hand over his own.
“Steve, talk to me.” You encourage him in a soft voice, giving his hand a squeeze. 
This was all very knew territory, so you were shocked when he looked up at you through glossy eyes, before opening his mouth to speak again.
“I just can’t get it out of my head. I can’t stop thinking about it.”
“About what Steve? The vision? Because that’s what they want, the twins, Ultron, they want us all to be off our game Steve. None of what you saw was real.” You say reassuring him by caressing your thumb over his hands.
“That’s the problem, it wasn’t real...but it- I’m the man out of time.”
“The man out of time?” You question repeating after him. You frown at the dumb catch phrase everyone seemed to use to describe Steve as. “What did you see?”
“I was with… with, her.” He sighs getting up from his position on the bed and walking over to the window. “It’s this, this whole secret life Bartons been living.” He pushed the cream colored curtains aside slightly gazing out the window. “I just wish that things could be different, that maybe I could… be happy like them.”
It dawned on you finally why he was upset. Steve never got the opportunity to live his life, in his time. He was so busy trying to prove himself or be the person everyone else wanted him to be. When he finally got a chance to show what he was made of— well he obviously got he short end of the stick. And now, well he’s so busy saving the world he’s barley even gotten a chance to live it now. He has told you about Peggy once or twice  and how he fell in one with her, but you never thought he’d be so upset now.
“Steve…” You say not necessarily knowing what to say. You get up from the bed and walk over to him putting a hand on his shoulder. You turn your gaze outside the window to see Laura and Clint cuddle up on their yard, watching their children play. 
He lets out a sigh. “That witch, the girl, the vision she gave me. It just felt so real,” He takes a deep breathe and turns to you. “I’ll never have that and the vision, it just made me think of just how much I missed… how much I’m missing.” 
You sigh and decide to pull him into a hug immediately. You couldn't even try to pretend to know what he was going through. He doesn’t hug back right away, but in time he does. He rest his chin on the top of your head  and holds you tight taking a deep breath inhaling shakily as you rub circles around his back. The two of you stay like this for a moment, while you gathered the correct words that you wanted to say, without making him feel worse. You hoped he didn’t mind your silence  and  hoped that maybe he needed this quiet and this closeness, just to feel someone was there with him.
After a few more moments you finally speak still holding on to him.
 “Steve, you’re not a man out of time, I really hate that saying. It literally makes no sense to me because - not the point. What I am trying to say is you have multiple people here in this time who care about you and want to see the best for you,  myself included.” You finally say as you pull away from him slightly so that you were able to get a good look at his face.” I think I’m the one rooting for you the most.”
It was true, you heavily looked up to Steve, and not just because he was taller or because he was the leader... But because he was truly a good man and always had good intentions.  You would follow him into the trenches if he told you to, that's how much you trusted him and this is why it hurt you to see him so distraught. 
 You continue to speak. “I love you Steve, I really do, but your problem is you put the needs of others before your own.” You look at him as he looks at you, his blue eyes peering into your own as the wheels in his head begin to turn. You continue, “Honestly tell me, have you ever asked yourself what you wanted and just let yourself have it?” 
He’s now looking  at you in shock or confusion, either way his eyes were peering hard into yours as he thinks for a moment. 
He frowns and shake his head no, then says, “I guess not… I’ve been so wrapped up in saving the world, I never really got a chance.” He says this with his hands still comfortably wrapped around you.
“Well I think you oughta think about that one mister.” You say giving him a smile and a quick peck on the cheek, about to pull him back in for another hug—
“Oh there you two are.” Natasha says as she peeps her head into the  door way. You both turn to her still very close to one another. Her face goes from flat, too surprised, then back to normal. The two of you let go of each and move apart. You were calm, while Steve looked embarrassed.
“Don't stop on my account love birds.” She says with a smirk.
“ Everything alright Natasha?” Steve says clearing his throat trying to ignore her comment.
The smirk never leaves her face and she shakes her head “Fury is here, meeting in 5.” She says popping her head out just as fast as she popped in.
“Love birds? Jeez you’d think men and women can’t be just friends.” You scoff shaking your head looking at Steve who was turning red.
“Well… that’s Natasha for you.” He says kinda sounding awkward.
You continue, “She’s one to talk, have you seen the eyes her and Banner have been givin each other ? It’s gross.” You laugh.
“Yeah, we better get out there then…” He drifts seeming as if he wants to drop the conversation entirely.
“We should.” You say now feeling uneasy at Steve’s awkwardness, but decide to backtrack quickly before heading out of the room by saying, “ Hey listen, I still want you to think about what you want Steve. Really think about it and then just go for it!” You say emphasizing the word you.
“Thanks for this (Y/n), I think I have somewhat of a idea of what that is now.” He stares at you for a moment more, then looks away. Which surprisingly gave you butterflies because he had never looked at you that way before, it was different.
“Well- that, that  was easy enough.” You fumble on your words before taking a deep breath and gaining your composure. “ Will you share with the class anytime soon?” You say trying to ignore the feeling as your face heats up.
“Maybe later.” He says with a sincere smile. “Sometimes it’s just nice to know I have people here for me.” He shoves his hands in his pocket and nods his head towards the doo. “Let’s go.”
“Of course Steve.” You nod feeling relived, that he was feeling better. You walk towards the door with him close behind. “Maybe we can set you up with a secret farm too.” You chuckle a bit.
“Oh shut up.” He says throwing his head back with a chuckle realizing you were what he needed.
“Do you like goats and stuff?” You laugh.
“(Y/n)!” He chuckles again as you both walk down the hallway into the living room where the meeting was being held.
-
Thoughts, Comments,  or Opinions :)
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bts-teaspoonff · 3 years
Text
Fangirl pt. 1
Genre: Romance, Slow Burn, Idol A/U
Pairing: BTS OT7 x reader
Rating: PG
Summary: Y/N, being a huge fangirl, finally got her chance to work alongside her favorite idol group as a backup dancer. She gets to know each member personally and realizes that her feelings may be more than fangirl-idol attraction.
Word Count: 3K
PARTS: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | .... masterlist
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“It’s finally here!” I shouted as I bolted from my room towards the front door to greet the delivery man carrying my package. Even without looking at the mirror, I could feel my smile going up to my ears and my heartbeat furiously echoing through my chest. The delivery man handed me a medium sized box and stared at me as I reach out for the box with a huge smile plastered on my face. I signed the delivery form, closed the door and ran back inside my unit.
I ran to the living room and placed the box on the floor. I turned to my left and hurriedly rummaged for my cutter inside the drawer beside the sofa. I also took my phone on top of the said drawer and placed it on my lap. I swiftly sat down on the floor in front of my package with the cutter ready in my hand when I remembered something. I unlocked my phone and proceeded to video call my brother who’s at work. My brother’s name and his photo appeared on the screen as I wait for him to answer the call.
“Hey Y/N…” His face popped up on my screen. I silently giggled at the angle of his front camera when he answered the call. Not really flattering despite him being good looking. He must have placed the phone on a table directly below his face. “You know I’m at work right? Why did you call? Emergency?” I could hear keyboard sounds in the background. He must be busy typing on the computer as he didn’t bat an eye on his phone while talking to me.
“Yeah I know. I just wanted to share some good news” My camera is facing towards me with just my eyes peeking through screen. I was worried that maybe he’s with some people at work that might see me when he answers the video call and I’m not decent looking right now. “My package has arrived!” I low-key squealed as I pressed the ‘rotate camera’ button on the screen and directed the camera at the package. I could see my brother looking now at the phone. He placed his phone in front of him and leaned it on a stable surface for him to see me properly. He continued to type slowly on his keyboard as he steal glances on his phone screen.
“Don’t tell me…. You bought another merch?” He giggled as he looked at his phone screen and continued to type on his keyboard. He looked back at his computer screen after a second, with a smile on his face. I opened the package with my cutter on one hand and my phone on the other. Tearing through the tape, I can’t contain my excitement as i shrieked when my cutter got through the end of the tape. I released the cutter from my hand and pushed it aside.
“BTS Merch! Oh my god, I have been waiting for these for weeks. I got the latest album, more Tiny Tan figurines, and some concert goods from last tour.” I proceeded to open the box and showed my brother the contents. I felt accomplishment as I look at all the merchandise that has just arrived at home. My ARMY heart couldn’t contain the joy that I have right now. I shot my eyes back on the phone screen and saw my brother smiling as he looked at me through the phone screen.
“Hey, I’m happy you are happy but you know I work in Big Hit right? I work for them?” He stopped typing, took the phone back in his hands and brought the phone close to his face. “I could just easily buy these things for you with my employee discount.” And now his whole face is occupying my phone screen. 
“Jiyong, I know but where’s the fun in that? I want to buy these items using my own money. Well, an employee discount is nice but I don’t want to abuse your privilege as I buy too much of their merchandise.” I snorted at the fact that I really do buy too much of their merchandise. Besides, when I use his employee discount, the items are delivered directly to him as he works inside the Big Hit Building. With the amount of merchandise that I buy, I don’t want to embarrass him and label him as a big fanboy especially with him working so close to the boys.
“If you weren’t my twin sister, I would totally laugh at you. Not that I think you’re crazy but you’re…. loyal” He puts emphasis on the last word. He respects my deep profound respect for the 7 boys but he thinks that maybe I have gone too far with the purchases. He placed his phone back in front of him, leaning on a surface. “Oh before I forget, did you read my email?” I was taken aback with topic change but I’m used to it as he does this all the time. I pressed the ‘rotate camera’ button once again for him to see my face. 
“No, I haven’t opened my email yet. I went home so late last night. My last client in the gym arrived late so we finished late as well. A bummer.” I scoffed as I remembered the fatigue that enveloped my body yesterday. I work as a gym trainer/physical therapist full time and a dance teacher/choreographer as my sideline. I work at my friend’s gym located in the heart of Seoul as a gym trainer. I currently handle 7 clients, some who I have worked with for a few years already. I also teach dance classes at a small dance studio just a few blocks from where I live. Mainly, I handle BTS dance classes because duh, I am a full-blooded ARMY. I really tried to make my passion as a source of income and it warms my heart to see people having fun when I teach them those dances.
“Check it. Anyways, I gotta go. I still have a lot to do. As you know, the company is busy since BTS will be releasing another album sometime this year.” My brother currently works as a Recording Engineer in Big Hit. He used to brag to me that he’ll spend hours with BTS and TXT. I was jealous of course but I am so proud he’s working for them. Whenever I listen to songs from Big Hit artists, I try to think that he has contributed to a lot of songs despite not knowing what exact songs he has worked on. Another reason why I listen and support them.
We both said our farewells and dropped the call. As I took out all the contents of the package unto the floor, I used my phone on the other hand. I opened my mail and saw few unread emails. Some of them were from my subscriptions on Netflix and Spotify, which I barely read. On top of the list was my brother’s mail. I saw the subject “READ THIS FANGIRL!” and I laughed. Here I thought he sent me something urgent or important that needs my utmost attention. Must be another event or merchandise that they’ve yet to announce to the public.
I opened the mail and my eyes were glued to the first line of the message body.
“Big Hit is hiring backup dancers. See the forwarded email below, sis. I think they’re meaning to assign whoever they’ll hire as part of BTS dance team.” Did I just receive this email? It came from my brother so it must be true. He won’t prank me like that. If I apply, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be hired right? That’s too bad if I won’t be hired but there’s nothing to lose if I try to apply.
I left my package scattered throughout my floor and ran towards my laptop lying on my bed. I sat down on the floor beside my bed and opened my laptop. I felt like a kid but here I am, rushing to find my resume to apply for a new job that might eventually change my life.
….
It’s been a week since I applied as a backup dancer for Big Hit. I sent in my resume and a few videos of me dancing to some of their artists’ songs. I’m lucky to have known a lot of BTS’ songs and choreographies by heart and I might have tried to study some of their label mates’ songs as well. I haven’t received a reply back from them and I’m worried that I may not receive any response ever.
Apparently, BTS is known for having only male backup dancers as far as I know so it’s news to me that they’re hiring female backup dancers now. It got me thinking that this might also attract fellow fangirls like me to apply but knowing Big Hit, they wouldn’t want anything scandalous to happen just because they hired female backup dancers. I’m not saying that female dancers lack professionalism but how the boys are the top rank boy group in the country, female fans would be green with jealousy if they see female dancers dancing with them. Some Armies are really protective when it comes to the boys so it’s really shocking to hear that the company is finally considering this.
The day that I got the mail from my brother, I spent half of my day planning what dances to shoot and submit. I chose BTS’ Idol and Singularity, TXT’s Crown and a freestyle dance to Beyonce’s Yonce. I wanted to showcase my range in dancing by carefully choosing a variety of songs. I admit that the reason I may have applied to this job is partly because I’m a fangirl but nonetheless, my passion for dancing is bigger. I have been dancing since I was a kid but I was not this confident at the start. It’s hard to convince me to perform in front of a bigger audience, let alone a stadium full of fans. I slowly got over my fear little by little when I started teaching dance classes at the dance studio. The fear is still there and you may wonder why I am applying for this job when I’m scared shit in performing for a large audience. BTS taught me to love myself and I am really trying my best to go out of my comfort zone. I figured that this may be my best chance in doing so. Also, I get the benefit of working alongside them which is a big plus.
I couldn’t really focus on my job for the whole week. I find myself regularly checking my mail in the hopes of getting a response from Big Hit. 5 days and there’s still no mail. Maybe my email just went to their spam folder or maybe I typed in the wrong mail. On the 7th day while I was pulling out my clothes in the dryer, I heard a ping from my phone from across the hall. I left my phone on my bed and the laundry room is right beside my room. I noticed that the ping was my assigned tone for mails. I hurriedly took out all my warm dry clothes and unto the basket, closed the door of the dryer and turned the lights off in the laundry room.
“New Mail. Subject: Dance Team Application” I saw the notification banner and my heart just jumped out of my chest. I felt my forehead sweating profusely, fingers shaking and my throat closing up as I try to open my phone and check my mail. I silently and swiftly read the contents of the mail. After two seconds, I shrieked at the top of my lungs and threw my phone across my bed. I ran out of my room and in circles around the living room. Good thing I live alone so that I could just celebrate and make loud noises like this. I jumped up and down on the sofa while etching the image of the mail into my head. I buried my head on my pillows and shouted once more, emptying all the air out of my lungs.
I ran back into my room and read the mail again.
“Good day, Miss Y/N.
We have received your application and we are glad to say that we are impressed with your resume and skillset. We would like you to come in our office tomorrow so we can meet and talk personally with our dance team. We are glad to have you join our current dance team. Details of our meeting are expressed below.
Time: 10 am
Address: 42 Teheran-ro 108-gil, Daechi-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, South Korea
Attire: Comfortable Casual
Please look for Mina at the front desk to escort you. Thank you.”
I still can’t believe what I’m seeing. Did I just got accepted? As a backup dancer? For Big Hit? Maybe for BTS? I’m such a lucky fangirl. I can’t wait for tomorrow.
….
It’s a good thing that my schedule is free today. I don’t have any clients in the gym scheduled for today and the dance studio is closed for today. I was so nervous and excited at the same time. I woke up at 6 am as I feel my jitters bothering my sleep. I tried to go back to sleep but I trashed the bed and rolled side to side for about 30 mins so I decided to go for a run. I turned on my Spotify and played my ‘Intense Run Playlist’ which mostly consists of high bpm BTS songs. There’s a jogging path near where I live and the scenery is filled with trees. Very calming, which I really need right now.
I arrived in front of the Big Hit Building around 8:30 am. I made sure to arrive early as I don’t want to be late for the meeting. I’m so anxious right now if I’m allowed to go up as early as 9 am or should I just arrived on time. I lingered outside and paced back and forth at a nearby shade. I wondered if I could visit my brother and stay with him for the mean time.
“Is she a stalker?” I heard whispers coming from my right as I slumped back at the pole where I’m taking shade just across the building. “That’s scary.” Three schoolgirls were standing a few meters away from me. They were staring and smirking at me. I wondered why they would think of me as such then I realized that I wore my hoodie up to cover half of my face.
“I’m not…”
“Good luck stalker-nim. You won’t get a glimpse of the boys.” They giggled and ogled me with judgmental looks with their arms across the chests. “Can you get away from the boys? We don’t want stalker armies like you.”
“As I said, I’m not a stalker and I’m older than you. Why are you talking to me in an informal tone?” I pull my hoodie off my head and slowly tread towards them. They laughed and ran away at the sight of me making my way to them. Sheesh, do I really look like a stalker?
I looked at my watch and it’s still 9:10 am. I guess I could try and visit my brother. The fresh morning air blew gently in my face, as if to welcome me, and be my merry playmate, and the sun looked at me with a warm and tender smile. What a nice start to my day, I thought. I put up my hoodie again and I was comfortable once more with the warmth my mere hoodie gave me.
“I have a meeting in your building today. Do you want to meet up? I’m not due until 10 am. – your adorable look alike” I texted my brother and inserted my phone back in my pocket. I breathed in the fresh breeze and not a second later, my phone pinged. I pulled out my phone to see my brother’s name on the screen.
“Lucky, I’m on a coffee break. I’ll be down in a sec.” he replied. A grin was present on my face as I stood up from where I was leaning. I skipped from across the street towards the building. I looked above at the sky and towards the top of the Big Hit Building and when I returned my gaze back in front of me, I was met by a dark haired man in his mid-twenties. I bumped into him and was knocked down at the side of the street. I exclaimed in pain as I rub my backside.
“Hey look where you’re go…” I looked up and immediately recognized the face. The man was wearing a grey Fear of God shirt paired with black baggy pants. His face was half covered by a black mask and his hair was kept away from his face with a black headband almost occupying his whole forehead.
“You should be the one watching you’re going. Crossing the street while prancing around like that.” He scoffed and continued to make his way towards the building. He didn’t even help me up. I sneered back.
“I’m sorry. I assure you that he’s not usually like this. He’s in a bad mood.” Two hands were suddenly around my elbows, propping me up from the ground. I turned my head and saw a woman around mid-twenties as well. She was carrying an opened big black bag propped on her right shoulder with filled with piles of unruly papers stuck inside. When I finally was able to stand up properly, she took off her hands from me and bowed in apology. She swiftly followed the man and shouted, “Yoongi, wait. I can explain.”
So I was right. It was Suga. All the images of a funny and loving Min Yoongi ran through my mind. Just like a scary movie, it was replaced by a disgusted look he shot at me a while ago. Did he…. Maybe he thought I was a stalker or something? I guess if I really looked like one then I don’t blame him for shooting those looks at me. However, a decent person would help anyone up in that situation.
I beat the dust off my hoodie and slowly treaded towards the building’s entrance. Not a really good way to start my first interaction with anyone from BTS, I thought.
Next part: 2
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keilemlucent · 4 years
Text
lavender latte: ix
(M (for now!)
hawks | takami keigo x reader
ao3
chapter 1   ||   chapter 2  ||   chapter 3   ||  chapter 4   ||   chapter 5   ||  chapter 6   ||  chapter 7  ||  chapter 8  ||  chapter 9  ||  chapter 10  || 
masterlist
word count: ~5.1k 
beta’ed: @hawnks & @keiqos 
the dichotomy of fear and safety 
warnings: vivid descriptions of panic/anxiety attacks, bodily injury, blood, ptsd descriptions, dissociation/depersonalization, overstimulation, trauma (please let me know if this should be warned any more thoroughly!)
alright fellas. second half of the mega chapter. PLEASE i read the warnings. please. there’s big moments in this chapter, but there’s lots of descriptions of what is warned. 
that being said, read and enjoy 💗
||||||||||||||||||
You didn’t know what to do. 
Horror had risen in your throat, intangible poison seeping into the tendons that pulled from your shoulder blades to your fingertips. You were frozen on the couch, Keigo’s babbling mixing with the static of the call. 
It was fuzzy background noise to your fear, the same way the press conference had been. 
Your nails bit into the meat of your palms, pricks of pain like flint and steel burrowing into your hardened jaw. You had your gaze trained on the ground, but the shuddering of your body was unmistakably unavoidable. 
Why are you shaking so much?
You felt like you were trembling hard enough to fall apart. 
(Were you cracking open from the inside?)
A knock sounded from your balcony door, an insistent thing that felt dulled and yet too loud. The sound tasted like a bitter herbal medicine you didn’t want to swallow.
All the same, you painfully moved to unbolt the door, the nagging push of the rubber tops of your crutches being a constant reminder of your own state and how you got there. It made your head swim even more. 
The moment you unlocked the sliding door, Keigo was into your apartment and onto you. 
 Keigo had been able to tell you weren’t doing well the moment he landed on your balcony, blinds and curtains open to give the perfect vantage point to see you falling apart.
His heart stuttered as he entered the door, taking you in as quickly as he could. 
You were in house clothes, the same ones he’d seen you in a few days ago. Mussed up hair and sunken-looking eyes that were uncomfortably vacant in the glow of the bright LEDS of the TV. You balanced on a single crutch and the back of the couch. Clutched in your free arm, tight to your chest, was the doughy-eyed plushie he’d given you at the hospital.
You looked purely wrung out.
Keigo bit his lip for a moment, not entirely sure on how to proceed. 
He’d been trained for it, once, how to coax someone into and out of states of distress. The thought of his own skills and their purposes were uncomfortable against the way he actually felt. The cognitive dissonance was loud, thundering, in his skull as he watched you sniffle. 
He acted on feeling. 
Keigo’s chest ached as he placed his hands on your shoulder, rubbing his thumbs into your knots of tension, “Can I hold you? Please?”
You dropped the plushie, shoving off the couch and wrapping your arms around his shoulders. If Keigo hadn’t been paying attention, you would’ve fallen, considering the way your lone crutch clattered to the ground.
 Your eyes burned as you shoved your face into the fluff around Keigo’s collar, bathing in his familiar, spiced scent and praying that it would calm you. You clutched at the back of his jacket and squeezed with everything you had.
You wanted to speak, say something, maybe explain the fact that you were quickly coming to sob against Keigo and for whatever reason.
But you couldn’t.
Any words and proper speech dissolving when you saw his perfectly healed face and were held up by his perfect healed arms. He was smiling, even if it was stitched with a bit too much concern to be comfortable.
His health should’ve made you feel better, but it didn’t.
The molten realization that seeing a pristine version of Keigo didn’t do anything to assuage how horrible you felt was worse than panic-inducing.
“Oh, dove, it’s okay, everything’s okay,” Keigo assured you, a gloved hand smoothing down the back of your spine. 
You tried to rationalize as you quaked. 
He’s fine.
You knew that already.
Everything’s fine. 
But, it didn’t seem to matter too much in the moment. 
You clung to him, bearing a bit of weight (foolishly) on your injured leg. If anything, the pain was grounding as you barely kept yourself together. 
Keigo hushed you, tearing off his gloves and tossing them aside to touch you with his bare hands, “Dove, everything’s fine, no need to cry.”
He smoothed a hand over the back of your head, cupping your neck and stroking a thumb over your spine. The action should’ve been comforting, Keigo being there should’ve been comforting, but it just wasn’t.
It made you feel so much worse. 
Your quirk spat, his touch burning far back in your throat.
“I-I know,” You leaned into him. “It’s just scary.”
“What is?” Keigo asked, his voice soft like barbed burrs against the shell of your ear. “Talk to me, (Y/N).”
“What do you think?!” You broke down, voice coming out far louder than you intended. “You got hurt!”
It was all you could manage to say. 
 Keigo paused, not saying anything for a minute.
...
He’d never seen you like this.
Keigo had seen you hollowed by your quirk and injured, yet you hardly cried then. He’d seen you immersed in no-good feelings, clutching a bottle of cheap wine, yet all you had been was maybe a bit vacant-sounding.
Yet, now?
You had him in a vice grip, shaking with the force you were squeezing him with.
He had to try his best to help, right? Show you that he was completely well.
Nothing to fear. 
“Dove, I know it’s scary, but it’s okay, I’m okay,” Keigo tried to comfort you with a squeeze and a kiss to your temple. “Everything’s okay.”
It didn’t seem to get through to you at all.
You continued to shake and sob as Keigo helped you to the nearby couch, your crutches in tow with a few of his feathers. 
 You desperately wanted to explain yourself better. Articulate in a way that made some sort of cohesive, easy to understand sense.
But, the reality was that it wasn’t that easy.
You couldn’t get a single thought straight. Everything was going to fast, yet trickling around your psyche like a thick glue. Your confusion was made worse by your panic. 
...
Keigo sat you down, a frown creasing his pretty features. 
You hated that you were the root of it. 
You stayed tense, shoulders hunched and hands folded in your lap as tears dripped down your cheeks.
And truthfully— honestly?
You felt fucking stupid. 
Maybe it was that the rancid, steadily-strengthening storm in your skull had been choking you for over twelve hours. 
Maybe.  
“Dove, I’m fine, see?” Keigo’s voice grated on your ears. 
Shouldn’t it have been reassuring? Shouldn’t it have made you feel better and not worse?
The reminder made your fists tighter. An odd anger boiling at the front of your skull that had your sobs slowing.
You shook your head, grabbing your crutches, and pushing yourself up.
Keigo caught your wrist, squeezing and pulling lightly, “Dove, please, I’ll get you whatever you need. Just sit for a second with me, okay?”
“I will.” You couldn’t make yourself look at him, jaw clenched. “I just need to grab some water.”
“I can— “
“Please. Just let me do it myself.”
You crutched away in as put-together of a manner as you could.
(It wasn’t much.)
Getting to the kitchen, your eyes were blurred with new tears of pure frustration. Your heart hammered in your chest to the point of nausea. Your quirk fired on and off and you desperately tried to calm yourself, especially in front of Keigo.
He’s fine.
He’s fucking fine, you’re fine.
You felt ridiculous.
You swallowed, grabbing a glass from your cupboard and sliding it towards the sink.
You balanced in front of the tap, resting your weight on the front of the counter. You put your booted foot down, not even wincing at the sharp pain. You were beyond caring. 
You turned on the faucet, forcing yourself to take more even breaths as you grabbed the glass.
 Keigo, meanwhile, had simply unmuted the TV, not even thinking much about it. You usually liked something ambient in the background if it was quiet enough. White noise. But, Keigo didn’t really check the volume, or what was playing. He wasn’t thinking about those details, far more focused on trying to listen to you in the kitchen.
(A mistake.)
The program you’d had on roared from the living room. 
 You didn’t really hear it until you felt it.
Rumbling of the bass of the speakers.
Cars revving.
Someone screaming, high and grainy— 
 The sudden sounds ripped through the air.
Ripped right through you.
You jumped, heart stuttering in your chest as your quirk burst to life.
The shock of it all had you nearly losing your balance.
You would’ve, if you hadn’t slammed your hand in the basin of your metal sink for stability— 
The glass in your hand, in your fist, shattered upon impact.
...
You didn’t scream, didn’t make a sound as you slowly looked down. 
Just slowly let your eyes, narrowed and focused, center on the sudden mess of bloody glass in your sink— 
And the scarlet shards that were stuck in your hand.
 Keigo waited, feathers keenly reading your breathing from the other room.
It scratched at his damn brain when the sound of broken glass against metal echoed through your apartment.
Your breath quickened shortly after. 
At first, Keigo was a bit annoyed. 
Just a tiny, tiny bit. 
You obviously weren’t doing well, and your stubbornness about getting fucking water just seemed senseless. Especially since you were already injured.
If you’d just let him take care of you— 
Keigo sighed, rising from the couch and making his way to the kitchen, “Hey, dove? Don’t bother trying to sweep, my feathers can— “
His voice died in his throat as he rounded the corner into your kitchen, fear growing in his chest.
 You were bent over the sink, oddly supported on one crutch with way too much fucking weight on your injured leg. 
But, that wasn’t the worst, not close.
You held your hand just over the basin of the sink.
Jagged shards of glass stuck from your palm, little rivulets and streams of blood dripping into the sink below. 
Your eyes were uncomfortably vacant, brows creased and mouth just the slightest bit opened, lips cracked.
“Oh, fuck, dove, shit,” Keigo should’ve known better to panic, but the immediate swell of that protective nature (that he needed to think harder about) had him shooting across your kitchen, a few of his larger feathers flying to support your injured leg. You would’ve fallen if Keigo hadn’t wrapped an arm around you for balance. 
Keigo couldn’t tell if it was the burning concern he had over seeing you hurt (again), or the tiny pricklings of ire he had that this was entirely avoidable if you had just listened— 
He grabbed your wrist, turning it by his firm grip to take in how bad the injury was.
(Secretly, he’d done a bit more reading about injury assessment, since what happened with your leg.)
“Well, I don’t think you’ll need stitches,” Keigo sighed, letting his annoyance bleed into his tone. As concerned as he was, this was just a mess and he was somewhat aware of the fact he was also running a bit late— “Where’s your first aid kit?”
You were silent, head tilted down, eyes wide and on the running blood.
“Dove, first aid kit?”
“...There’s glass in my hand.”
Keigo’s swore he felt his lungs turn to ice, every selfish thought promptly draining. 
If he thought hearing you sob was bad, however the fuck you were talking then was a thousand times worse.
Hollow didn’t even begin to describe it.
“There’s glass in my hand.”
Shouting echoed from the TV.
“There’s glass in my hand.” 
...
There was glass in your hand. 
Shards, just like on the teashop’s floor. 
Your quirk spun, trilling to life, far harder and harsher than it had in the past twelve hours of panic. It descended indiscriminately on your perceptions and senses like a swarm of carrion-eating corvids, the shrill, staticy shouting of the TV, their caws and crowings. 
You found that blood smelt similarly, a coppery, heady scent that made the backs of your eyelids singe.
It made your head spin. 
Then again, anything and everything was hard to sense. Hard to think. Keigo might’ve been talking, you couldn’t tell or care. There was just— 
“glass in my hand.”
The pain of your present, weeping wounds should’ve felt sobering, like the echoings of your surgery when you put pressure on your healing leg. 
But it wasn’t.
The sting trailed up your arm, eating at your nerves and bone marrow like biting ants and hungry mosquitos.
You wished you could’ve reacted but all you could think of was that was—
“glass in my hand.”
...
...
The teashop. 
Everything was okay there. 
Keigo would come in for his drink, you’d make it, you’d flirt, and everything was okay. He’d give you his pretty laugh, you’d watch the blush grow on his cheeks. 
...
The tea shop wasn’t an open-wired husk, covered in SHATTERED GLASS glass and ruined. There was no shadowy villain that sprayed GLASS glass into your leg. There was no injury, there was no agony in Keigo’s voice when he first saw you on the cement. 
He never left you in the back room, quaking and cut.
Your quirk never spun so hard in the place that was once a safe haven for you.
...
Keigo had never been bloodied in battle. Well, maybe, but you never saw it. You didn’t keep yourself awake with nightmares, caring when you shouldn’t have. You didn’t ever accidentally brand the image of him with a crooked arm and bloody cheeks into the front of your mind. 
All that there was— 
“glass in hand.”
Simple as that. 
...
Your chest was burning, like phosphorus and liquified iron were being poured down your throat to settle and flattening you to the floor. 
Everything was okay.
You spun
 “(Y/N).”
 Keigo.
 ...
 God, he was fucking dumb. 
“There’s glass in my hand.”
It all clicked, and Keigo felt a roll of anxiety wash through him. 
Tears rolled down your cheeks, your mouth open as you took harsher and harsher breaths.
Fuck.
Keigo would kick himself for not recognizing the scope of it, you, faster.
He sent a feather to silence the TV, another to grab a nearby dish towel, gently wrapping it around your wrist from the bottom. With the most tender touch he could, he covered your hand and forearm.
“There’s glass in my hand.”
You choked on your own breath, free arm wrapping around your stomach.
Keigo knew touching you could make this all worse, so he tested the waters with a gentle palm on your shoulder.
You didn’t flinch or tense, but you didn’t lean into it.
Good enough.
Keigo shucked off his heavy coat, quick as he could, sending his feathers to scatter away and across the tile below. He rested in on your shoulders, watching your reactions with the utmost intensity and a set jaw.
“T-there’s glass in my hand.”
With all the tears clouding your eyes, it was no wonder you couldn’t even see the wound covered. Not that you were properly in your skull, Keigo could tell that now. 
He doubted there was much lucid about you.
Keigo should’ve known better. Really. You were his angel— his fucking dove. That protective instinct was so dispersed in his hero work, that them coming alive seeing you injured and panicking was jarring to the point of nausea. 
Why had he ignored how you sounded so off on the phone? The weird behavior?
You were just a few weeks out from being in a significant villain attack— Did Keigo really think hugs and kisses were going to mend the wounds he couldn’t see? The ones he couldn’t perceive?
He just had to do better, now.
 Something bore down on your shoulders. Weight.
Would you fall?
You remembered how your knees hit the hard floor of the teashop how SHATTERED GLASS glass had dug into your kneecaps. Maybe, they didn’t feel like the same fiery insects burrowing in the nerve-endings of your hands— no, those had felt like thin, metal toothpicks, shooting through the bone like it was a threadbare sheet and not solid.
Something soft pressed against your cheeks.
It sent blessed, blessed heat through your body. The smell— like honey and sweet cream filled your mouth like a gulp of holy water. It warmed the back of your tongue, familiar and sweet.
Keigo.
You remembered him that terrible day too. How good, and solid he was. How his heartbeat was the tempered drum you needed to even attempt to grasp the frayed threads of objective reality through the chaos, shouts, and SHATTERED GLASS— 
“There’s glass in my hand.”
“I know.”
His voice. 
Similar sensations, the same warmth, like a heavy, quilted blanket wrapped around you. Maybe a hearth, rolling in the late night as a late autumn night rolled by— 
You were being pulled down, physically. 
It scared you.
“No!”
It came out as shriek like SHATTERED GLASS angry nails against your ears, spitting bile up from the soles of your feet.
The heat washed over you again, “It’s just me, angel. I’ve got you.”
You trusted it, implicitly. 
You sank, expecting the same pins to shred your knees again like they had back then. 
Expect, it didn’t. 
Rather, slowly, you end up on the ground, on your bottom.
 Keigo guided you to the floor with the help of some feathers and words of encouragement, not even attempting to get you back to the couch.
He sat you between his own outstretched legs, coaxing you to lean back into his chest. Keigo kept a careful watch on your hand, bracing you at the forearm as to not aggravate the wounds more than necessary. 
It took a moment, but you fell against him. Your breathing was still harsh and ragged, but at least you weren’t trying to keep standing.
Tentatively, Keigo wrapped his arms around your waist. You didn’t react negatively, so he took it another step further, resting his forehead against the back of your neck.
“(Y/N), breath with me,” he asked, keeping his voice soft. “Just listen to my voice okay?”
He counted his breaths, keeping them slow and methodical. Considering how his own heart was exploding like a miswired bomb, he needed it as well. 
Even if it took a while for it to catch in your skull, Keigo kept at it. 
...
Keigo was good. 
The images of him bloody and smiling were still bright.
But, he was good.
He was attached to the heat and sweetness around you. It was distracting. 
Nice.
“Just like that, nice and steady, you’re doing so well, dove.”
He was good.
Slowly, the pains and barbs around your body dulled, at least by a few fractions.
The lump of panic lodged in your throat eroded and left your belly oddly-weighted and uncomfortable. Though, it was marginally better than whatever you were feeling before.
Slowly becoming aware of your body (and the one so close),  you shifted to rest your cheek against Keigo’s temple as your quirk quieted a few decibels. 
You sagged back into him, tears at a steady drip, but nothing like they were.
“Keigo?” You asked hoarsely. 
He shifted, your teeth shattering as the movements of his muscles felt like so much so close to your own.
He flickered his kind, golden gaze to you, “Yes?”
“There’s glass in my hand.”
The words nearly fired you up again, a sob burying itself like a shortsword in your breast, your head tilting to look-
Keigo squeezed around your waist, a wide feather coming up to shield your face from what you both knew you’d see, “There is, dove. Do you have a first aid kit? Let me patch it up for you.”
Did you really want to see your bloodied hand? The mental image of it still felt so fresh. 
It all felt like too much— 
“Dove? Stay with me, (Y/N),” Keigo carefully laid his hand around your jaw. “First-aid kit?”
“Oh,” You blinked, focusing back on him again. “Under the bathroom sink.”
...
 Keigo was careful not to let you slip away again.
He kept talking, keeping his voice low and soft as he set you onto the couch to clean your hand. The feather shield turned to cover your eyes as needed.
Your hand might’ve looked worse simply due to the white dishrag bleeding red.
He was quick to patch it, bandaging it and wrapping as needed. He’d made sure to tuck your favored plushie, the one he’d gifted you, into your free arm as he did.
He sat between your spread legs, on his knees, as morning light shifted in from the open balcony window. It might’ve seemed intimate to an onlooker— maybe it was.
That was a later thought. 
Finally, hand wrapped confidently and securely in medical tape, Keigo sat back, the feather shielding your eyes floating back to his reassembled wings.
You still didn’t look well, maybe worse than used-up and hollowed as before.
Slowly, your injured hand twitched, grabbing Keigo’s wrist and pulling him to the couch.
You tugged him into your lap, burying your face in the front of the shirt of his hero costume.
Keigo settled on top of your thighs, wrapping his wings around the two of you as he buried his nose in your hair.
“We’re okay.”
It was so soft, Keigo hardly heard it.
“We are, dove.” He kept his voice equally quiet, reverent in the gold of the morning. He pulled back to settle and meet your gaze. “You’re safe. I’m safe. We’re safe.”
You squeezed around his hips, pulling him closer in the crimson canopy, “You sure?”
“Positive.” 
There was a moment of stillness, then shrillness. 
The ringtone of Keigo’s phone screamed from the pocket of his jacket that you still had around your shoulders. 
You jolted, pushing yourself deeper into Keigo and wincing, the sound undoubtedly shredding your oversensitive mind and body.
He quickly grabbed it from the pocket, ending the call.
“Do you have to leave?” You asked, weak against him sternum.
Keigo shot off a text, silencing the phone sans emergency alerts and tossed it near his shoes at the door. 
“No, I’m not. I’m taking the day off,” Keigo spoke words he truly thought he never would. 
“Are you sure?” He knew you knew he was busy.
“Yeah,” Keigo replied quietly, tugging you as close as he could. “I would never leave you like this, (Y/N). Never.”
“You’ve got important shit to do,” you fought, weakly, still melting against him. 
“I do,” Keigo emphasized, cupping your face in his hands. “You know what that is?”
You didn’t answer, eyes flickering away, something fragile bore in your eyes. 
“Keeping you safe.” Keigo stroked over your cheeks, letting his softest, most careful smile grow. “I’m new to it, but one thing I’m sure of is that I’m supposed to be here when you need me. And I want to be.” 
“You do keep me safe—” 
“Then, I haven’t done a great job of helping you feel that way,” He kissed your forehead, quickly hushing you. 
You were trembling beneath him, unsure of what to say. 
Quiet as he could, Keigo spoke once more, the words sounding almost like breath, “I’m sorry I pushed you away. Let me be here, now.”
Truthfully, endlessly, you wanted nothing more. You’d get a therapist, or something, to help with the more pressing, far back concern of obvious trauma.
But now, in the early morning of your golden-lit apartment?
You just wanted Keigo to stay.
You just wanted to fall into him, both you being okay, the only red stains being that of Keigo’s crimson feathers that you adored so much.
He felt solid, as he always had.
You leaned into him. 
“Can we nap?” You interrupted your own hush, voice nearly breaking with tired tears. “I didn’t sleep well.”
“I don’t imagine you did,” Keigo winced internally, remembering you must’ve felt horrible since the night prior. “Come on, dove.”
Keigo helped you to your room, gently assisting you in moving aside your plushies. You sipped some stale water from your bedside, a few of his feathers refilling it for you as you were undoubtedly dehydrated. 
You sat back on the duvet, Keigo quickly gathering you into his arms, head against his chest. His feathers dispersed around the room, only the small roots remained to be pressed into the sheets. 
 It was the calm after the storm, mangled pieces surfaced and bobbing on the water of both your minds. But, they could be sorted and dealt with properly later. For now, you settled, blessedly, in the comfort of each other. The shattering thunder was an echo, quieted by the others presence and slow breaths.
 The steady thrum of his heart in your ear was the final bit of calm you needed. The blackout curtains of your room kept it dark, light with the tiniest fairy lights across the seam of your walls and ceiling barely giving enough light to cast shadows. Your quirk was properly dormant, though you still felt frazzled.
You were exhausted, but not done yet. 
“Keigo?” You asked softly. 
He immediately squeezed your intertwined hands, the one laid over his navel, “Yes?”
“I’m sorry I got like that, about seeing you hurt,” It was such a soft admission, unnecessary, but you didn’t let Keigo’s inhale stop you. “I know, I don’t need to apologize, but I’m still going to.”
You sat up a bit, body aching as you faced Keigo.
His lips were parted, half-ready to speak, to comfort you, but you needed to be there for both of you— if only for a moment.
“I also know it’s part of the reality of your job. It’s just hard, seeing someone you love hurt, whether it's necessary or otherwise.”
You both noticed your word choice.
Your lip wobbled as you stroked his cheek, rubbing your thumb over the curves of his face. He looked younger like this, more like his age, eyes widening and soft and truly vulnerable, as terrifying as the prospect was. 
 “You don’t need to be sorry. I understand,” Keigo assured you, voice shaking as he tugged you down and closer. “It is hard. I didn’t realize how hard until now.” 
His breath caught in his chest, followed by sniffling as he buried his face in your hair. 
You entangled your legs with him, the weight of your boot a solemn reminder.
“It was more than that too.”
You both knew what you were referring to. 
Keigo squeezed you, so hard it almost hurt. You swore you could feel a few stray tears of his wet your scalp, “And that’s okay.”
Your eyes stung, “It was all so scary— “
You muffled yourself against Keigo’s neck as you clung to each other. 
“I know, but it’s okay now. You’re safe, safest you could ever be,” Keigo assured you, the wobble in his voice almost disguised. He rubbed at the tension in your lower back, “It’s okay to be scared, however that is and whenever that is, but do you feel me next to you?”
“Y-yeah.” A soft admission.
“Then you’re safe.”
You believed him, implicitly. 
 You simply held each other for a while. 
 “Are you just better at coping with all of this?” You asked, the joke feeling light after so much heaviness. 
“I’d say repressing, but ‘coping’ works too.”
You snorted, gently. 
Keigo stroked up your back, touch like a washing, warm undertow that you were happy to be caught up in.
“I’m sorry for not understanding sooner,” Keigo squeezed, mind drifting unconsciously back to his own past, of that he’d rather forget and most of the time did. “I know it’s hard to communicate, and I can’t imagine what it's like with your quirk. I’m supposed to be smart about this shit, but it looks like I have some work to do, huh?”
“You couldn’t have known. Just adjusting, you know? Communicating and learning,” You replied, squeezing him. “You care so much, Keigo. I can tell.”
Keigo went silent and tense.
“How?”
It was a question posed to both you and himself.
 You thought for a moment, through the thousands of moments you’d collected over the months, so many concentrated in the last few weeks.
“It’s how you feel, you know?”
He remained silent, though he knew what you meant. 
You felt your tongue rest in your mouth, activating your spent quirk for just a moment and savoring Keigo’s sweetness.
“You taste like honey. Like, warmth on a cold day. Every time you touch me, I feel like I could be anchored in the worst storm, and you wouldn’t shiver, let alone falter.”
Keigo remained silent, squeezing you and burying his face in your hair.
“Whenever you look at me,” you spoke so softly, the words might’ve broken in the air itself, “your eyes soften from solid gold to warm honey. Every time. From that first time, you walked in the shop.”
He remained silent, though his trembling spoke volumes and tomes. 
“I can tell you care, Keigo. In so many ways. I can’t ever forget.”
 Keigo had never felt so deeply, he was sure of it.
He’d never felt the blessed heat you’d given him, so many times, with your words, and sweetness, and kind smiles before. 
He’d never been cherished like a person before.
He was sure that he’d never cared so endlessly and with all of himself before for another being.
The premise terrified him for a moment.
But, all it took was a quick glance down at the tangling of your bodies in the low glow of the room for any fear to melt away. 
You were right there with him, the same way he was there for you. 
 Keigo finally spoke, pulling your face up to his.
Your eyes met, every part of the two of you turning to mush in the hold of the other. 
You both felt okay.
And, really, truly, looking into the molten core of him, you felt safe. 
So did he. 
Keigo stroked his thumbs over your cheeks, brows creasing like he was holding back fat tears, “I love you so much, you know? I don’t think I couldn’t.”
Something, like a steady, new flame— 
Something, like all the heat you and Keigo shared (and would come to share) lit through you both— 
Like the gentle sun being born once again between the two of you, framed in red feathers and softness. 
You replied truthfully, with all of you, burying yourself in him as he tucked into you. 
“I love you too, Keigo.” 
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muzawrites · 3 years
Text
Carrying On (Jay Park Mafia AU)
Summary: Its been said that in times of tragedy new relationships emerge and become stronger, when tragedy strikes we seek connection it is in our nature.  How does the loss of their father affect the relationship between Jay and his adopted sister, Amara. Does it strengthen it? Or does it reveal things which were once hidden?
AN:  This is the first story I’ve ever posted, constructive criticism is always welcome
Fifty-one.... fifty-two…. fifty-three…. fifty-four…. fifty-five… damn this is really not working. Why do they always make it seem like counting sheep helps you fall asleep? I checked the clock again- 12:05am. Sighing, I rolled over to the cooler side of my bed and let my mind wonder to the last 2 weeks, the worst 2 weeks of my life as far as I can remember. My adopted father and leader of the most powerful mafia clan in South Korea had passed away, leaving his only son Jae-beom (aka Jay) in charge of his empire.
I don’t remember too much from my childhood before I was adopted but from the snippets I do remember and what I’ve been told, it wasn’t good. I was found by Jay’s father going through garbage outside one of the restaurants the family owns at the age of 10, having been abandoned by my mother for being a mixed-race baby, I guess she couldn’t deal with having a half black half Korean child any longer. According Jay’s father I reminded him of the daughter he had lost a couple years prior when she and her mother (his wife/Jay’s mother) had falling ill and both passed away. In the back of my head I always felt like some sort of ‘replacement child’ for the daughter he had lost, even though he never made me feel like it, even Jay made me feel like his little sister even though it took a bit of time for him to get use to me as he was 16years old when I was “brought into the family” but over time we became very close, even naming me his co-right hand along with his best friend Simon. And of course he always took his role as the protective big brother a little too seriously with some of my boyfriends throughout high school and varsity. They would break up with me after a few weeks with either a broken nose or blackened eye.
I sighed and rolled over one more time before giving up and getting out of bed to make a cup of tea or something stronger to help me fall asleep. I threw a long silk robe over my sleep chemise to conserve some decency just in case one of the guards was roaming around. As I walked down the hall, I noticed Jay’s bedroom door slightly open with the light inside shining through. After softly knocked I pushed the door to find him sitting on the couch facing the fireplace with the coffee table filled with presumably work papers, “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?” he asked without turning around, his full attention on the fire before him. “Shouldn’t you?” I rebutted as I grabbed the empty whiskey glass in his hand, walked over to the mini bar in his room to get him a refill and me a glass of his strongest whiskey on the rocks. He was still wearing the black slacks and black dress shirt he wore earlier in the day with the tie thrown somewhere in the room and his top two buttons undone.
“Seems we both can’t fall asleep huh” he said, as I handed him his glass. He mumbled a soft thanks as I sat down next to him. “Seems like” I replied leaning into his shoulder and staring into the flames with him. For some time, nothing could be heard but the fire crackling and the occasional clinking of ice against glass as we took sips of our drinks. “So, what happens now?” I asked, finally breaking the silence. He sighed, running his hand over his face. “In a few days, we meet with the heads of the families underneath us to continue business as usual” he answered, gulped down the rest of his drink and placed the glass on the side table as to not jolt me from his shoulder. “Can’t believe he’s gone” I whispered.
“Neither can I” he responded, closing his eyes and leaning his head against the back of the couch. Jay had been prepped to be the leader of the family organisation since he turned 13 and now at the age of 32, he was more than ready to take over and I had no doubt he would do great things in this position but the fact of our father’s passing was still heavy in our hearts. I gulped down the rest of my drink as well and placed my glass on coffee table. I stretched out my back and neck, unconsciously pushing my chest out against the silk of my robe. Long gone were the days of the scrawny little girl who first joined the family; I had grown into a woman with curves in all the right places, soft caramel skin which glowed under the light of the fire. From the corner of my eye, I notice Jay intensely watching me, not being able to decipher the look like I usually would be able to I pushed it aside.
“Can I have a hug?” I asked, giving him my best puppy dog eyes and pout. He chuckled while getting up and opening his arms up for me. I quickly jumped into his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck before he could change his mind. He wrapped his arms around my waist a bit lower than they usually would be. For some reason this hug felt different from every other hug we’ve shared, but still felt warm, safe and like home. “I’ll never let anything or anyone hurt you” he suddenly confessed into my hair as he placed a soft kiss on the crown of my head, I looked up to find his dark brown eyes staring into mine. “And I will never leave your side” I replied, my statement making him smile. I don’t know what took over me but I suddenly found myself leaning up to kiss him. He didn’t respond at first but after a few seconds I felt his lips move against mine. This kiss was so much better than any I had ever experienced before. His lips were soft but firm, he tasted of the whiskey we had been drinking and a hint of something else, something uniquely him, he took full control of the kiss holding onto my waist a little tighter. Suddenly I felt like a bucket of cold water fell on me when I felt his tongue brushing against my lips and I came to my senses. I shouldn’t have kissed Jay… he was practically my older brother. I quickly ended the kiss, pushing myself away from him and loosening his grip on my waist in the process. “I’m sorry” I mumbled, avoiding his eyes, trying to get past him and back to my room and to hide under my covers from the embarrassment. “Amara wait” he said, calling me by my birth name instead of the name I was given when I came into the family. He was the only one who called me Amara as he knew I preferred that name a little bit more than my given name. He quickly grabbed my arm and pulled me back into his embrace before I could even take 5 steps away from him. I couldn’t bare to look into his face because of the embarrassment. “That kiss wasn’t a mistake” he said softly. I looked up at him, surprised. “I’ve always felt more for you than any normal brother would or even should, I guess that’s why I have always been so protective over you. At first I thought it was because you had such a tough time growing up and I wanted to protect you from that and this hectic mafia life you had been brought into, but as we grew older I knew it was much more than that. That’s why I could never stand seeing you with those idiots you used to date, especially that piece of shit Bobby” he said. Bobby was the guy I had dated in my senior year of high school but he had broken up with me right after prom after I had given him my virginity, stating that the only reason he was with me was to sleep with the “Park Princess”. I remember crying for a week but after that he mysteriously went missing and his family left town not long after. I had always assumed he had left with his family.
“You’re mine. You’ve always been mine and I’m never letting you go” he declared, looking deep into my eyes before pulling me back into a slightly rough passionate kiss. Deep down I knew I felt the same way about him. I even had a full blown crush on Jay between the ages of 16-18 but after that I quickly pushed it aside thinking it was not only one sided but wrong as he was supposed to be my brother. I briefly thought back to my past boyfriends and realised they all had either personality or physical similarities to Jay but in my mind and heart they would never amount to him. I felt him walk backwards towards the couch without breaking our passionate embrace. He broke our kiss to sit down and signalled for me to straddle him. Before I did I untied the knot I had done on my robe, letting the soft silk fall off my skin, revealing the deep red chemise I was wearing underneath. “Fuck” I heard him whisper as I straddled his lap and continued kissing him, his hands returned to my waist, pulling me closer into him which cause my barely covered pussy to brush up against the quickly growing bulge in his pants, this action causing us both to groan into each other’s mouths.
His lips left mine and started trailing down my neck, finding that sweet spot that made me grind into him just a little harder. My fingers made quick work unbuttoning his shirt and slowly ran down his strong chest lightly brushing over his nipples, this action causing him to groan and dig his fingers- which had moved from my waist to my ass- deeper into my soft but firm flesh. His lips quickly returned to mine as his hands started trailing up, dragging my chemise with them. We briefly separated so he could pull the material over my head before returning to the kiss. “Hold on tight” he muttered, as he got up without breaking our kiss, my legs wrapped securely around his waist. He softly placed me onto his bed as he broke apart from my lips to remove the rest of his shirt. “Fuck you’re perfect” he groaned, his voice laced with lust. “Those fuckers didn’t deserve you” he muttered as he returned to kissing my neck, this time also grabbing onto my boobs and playing with my nipple with his one hand whilst the other trailed down the side of my body and returned to my legs around his waist, I felt nothing but him at that moment, the soft heated touch of his hands running down my body, the smell of his rich expensive cologne, his soft lips on my nipple driving me crazy. At that moment all my thoughts were consumed by him. “Have you ever wondered what happened to that piece of shit Bobby” he said looking into my eyes with a dark look I had only seen a handful of times. “I killed him” he said, now kissing and sucking my left nipples whilst his right hand continued to play with the other.  “What!” pulling his hair causing him to look up at me, “Not only did he have the audacity to touch what’s mine, but he hurt you as well…he had to pay for that” he declared kissing me once again. As dark and twisted as it seems, his confession turned me on even more.
His kisses left my lips once again as he kissed my body further and further down. His fingers made quick work of the cute thong I had been wearing, tearing it off my body “Hey! That was one of my favourites” I complained before moaning as his fingers brushed up against my clit, “I’ll buy you a million more, get you whatever you want and I’ll do whatever you want” he said, looking deep into my eyes. “Well right now, I want you to stop teasing and eat me out” I said grabbing onto his hair, pushing him down towards where I needed him most, “Your wish is my command, my Queen” he said seductively before attaching his lips to my clit. Him calling me his Queen and the feeling of his thick fingers entering me as he sucked my clit made me cum instantly. “Jay!” I screamed his name as I experienced a high like never before. As I came down from it, he pulled his fingers out of me and licked them clean whilst looking me dead in the eye. “You taste so good babygirl I could be down there forever” he said. I quickly sat up and pushed him back and kissed him, tasting myself on his lips sent my body into overdrive as I quickly unbuckled his pants. He chuckled at the rushed movements and pushed me back as he got up to remove his pants.
 As he did this, I got a full proper look at his body; firm, muscular, covered in tattoos and all mine. I truly was the luckiest girl in the world at that moment. As he pulled down his briefs, I got my first proper look at him, he was long, thick and veiny. His tip was an angry red colour dripping beads of pre-cum. He’s gorgeous, I thought. I reached out to feel him, barely able to wrap my hand around him. He felt hot and heavy in my hand. I slowly started to stroke him, and he let out the sexiest groan I had ever heard causing me to look up at him. His eyes were dark with lust and passion. “Baby, you better stop if you don’t want this to end too early” he groaned, taking my hand away from him and leaning into another kiss. He laid me down and once again started kissing my neck. At the back of my mind I wondered if it would hurt; Jay was definitely much more blessed than any other man I had been with.
“Don’t worry baby I’ll go slow” he said positioning himself between my legs as if reading my mind.
“At first” I replied with a sexy smirk on my face as I grabbed him and pumped him a few times before lining him up with my entrance.  “I love you” he said as he slowly entered me. He felt so big that it kind of hurt but I didn’t want him to stop. The pleasure outweighed the pain. “Fuck baby, I love you too” I moaned as he finally bottomed out. “Shit baby you feel so good” he groaned as he started moving at a slow and steady pace. I grabbed his face and pulled him down into another kiss, missing the feel of his lips on me. In this moment I felt complete I knew that we were meant to be, I knew that he was fully mine and as I his. “Fuck baby harder” I moaned as he moved one of my legs to rest on his shoulder. He granted my wish as he started moving faster and harder, hitting a spot in me that made my brain go all fuzzy. I became a moaning mess underneath him as he did what he pleased with my body. “Shit baby, I’m so close” I groaned against his lips. At that moment he pulled out of me and before I could protest he flipped me over onto my stomach and pulled my hips up into a perfectly arched position, he quickly re-entered me, now feeling even deeper than he was before. The sounds that were coming out my mouth didn’t sound like me but at that moment in time I didn’t care because all my body and mind were focused on Jay and the pleasure he was giving me. My mind briefly drifted, the thought of him impregnating me at the moment and how beautiful our baby would be warming me up even more. This thought quickly got pushed aside as I felt him grab my hair and pull me up till my back met his chest. “Fuck baby you feel so good and so fucken tight” he groaned into my ear as I turned my head to kiss him. “I want to feel you cum on me” he groaned as his fingers attached themselves to my clit sending me into the most mind-blowing orgasm I’ve ever experienced in my life. My walls tightened so much around him that he came not a second later. He continued pumping into me, drawing out our highs as much as possible. “Fuck” he sighed in content. “I’m never going to get enough of you” he said pulling me into another kiss.
“You say that like it’s a bad thing” I said clenching my inner walls around his still hard member. He groaned, flipping us over till I was on top of him with his dick deep inside me.
“No, not a bad thing at all” he smirked as I slowly started moving, “You’re mine forever” he said, sitting up and kissing me once again. We continued to make love until the sun slowly started peaking through the curtains. “I love you” he whispered into my hair as I lay in his arms, “And I love you” I replied as I turned my head to give him one last kiss before we fell asleep.
At the back of our minds, we both knew we would probably face a lot of heat and probably negative attention if our relationship was to be exposed with most saying it’s wrong. However, I knew that no matter what Jay would never leave me nor I him.
The End
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nepenthendline · 4 years
Note
Heyyy, could you do a headcannon post for tsukki, kenma, suga, Kageyama, and kurro, and how they would go about proposing to their s/o. I love your writing btw!!! 💜
proposal hcs make me so sOFT, and thank you so much 🥺🥺🥺 It means a lot! I’m going to bury myself in these hcs to get rid of the stress my uni are giving me rn also kageyama’s is so long omg i got a little carried away
slight timeskip spoilers (kenma, sugawara, kageyama, kuroo)
Requests are open!
Proposal Headcanons - Tsukishima, Kenma, Sugawara, Kageyama and Kuroo
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Tsukishima:
Tsukishima wasn’t one for extravagant publics displays of love and affection, so his proposal wouldn’t be either
he wanted it to be natural, not some crazy, over-the-top event that had everyone in the neighbourhood witnessing
it would be around 5-10 years (depending on how old you were when you started dating) of being together when Tsukishima decided he wanted to marry you, it’s not that he never thought about it, he just wanted to be sure this was the right decision for both of you
he had mentioned marriage to you one night a few months before proposing to test the waters and see your opinion so that he could gauge whether you would say yes or not
he took Yamaguchi with him to pick out a ring, he was great friends with you too so he knew your style and preferences well to help out Tsukishima
the proposal itself what somewhat planned, he knew the day he was going to do it but, other than that, he left it open to change
the two of you had gone for an evening walk across a pathway that overlooked the town, something you two do often to wind down
you two hadn’t spoke much, a comfortable, warm silence surrounding you besides pointing out the odd squirrel or brief check-ups on each others day
both of you had stopped at a railing on your walk, leaning against it to watch the sun set over the tall buildings
his hand was in yours, brushing his thumb over the back of it as he looked out to the view
“I love you (Y/N),” his voice was quiet but it seemed certain
he wasn’t the kind of man that told you he loved you multiple times a day, it was reserved for special moments and the times where he couldn’t get how lucky he was to have you out of his mind
“I love you too Kei,” you didn’t need to be loud, or shout your confession to the world to know that you both meant it deeply
“Marry me,” it sounded more like a instruction than a question and his gaze hadn’t left the sky
“W-what?” had you heard him wrong? was this a joke?
he turned his eyes to you, locking them with yours - this was the most serious and sincere you had ever seen him
“Marry me,” he repeated
you stood with your mouth slightly open, eyes wide as he pulled out a box from his pocket, opening it to display a simple, yet stunning ring
“I always thought that if you went for what you truly wanted, it would just end in pain and disappointment, that all the effort and sentiment would be for nothing, but with you it’s so easy. I might never be, but I want to become the best man for you, that you deserve, so marry me.”
Kenma:
gets married for tax purposes
marriage was not something Kenma had ever though about in his life growing up
he never thought he would get married or find someone he had a connection with and, honestly, he was fine with that
he didn’t really see the appeal of it in the first place
it wasn’t until many years down the line of being with you and his friends around him getting into relationships when he started to consider the possibility
the first time it came into his head was at Kuroo’s wedding
he spent most of the time wishing he could go home and get out of this uncomfortable suit, but there were times when he say Kuroo’s beaming smile that he was glad he came
some of the ex-nekoma team members had poked at him with questions of when he was going to get ‘hitched’, which he responded to with a sigh
he certainly wasn’t going to propose because others told him he needed to
the next time it crossed his mind was when he started a new game that his fans had recommended he play
it was a romance game which wasn’t his usual go-to genre, but it had incredible reviews and created a storm in the gaming world so he thought he might as well check it out
through the game he got to witness an endearing story of a couple that went at odds to be together
the story delved into their married life and all the little things they enjoyed together through the years
he didn’t really want to admit it, but it did make him feel a little emotional
he saw himself and you in the characters, as if he was watching his own life play out on his screen
every now and then you and Kenma played some games together so you could spend time with him and he could show you want had been interesting him lately, so he decided to show you this game
you thought it was adorable, so heartwarming yet a little sad at points, but you had always been a little more outwardly emotional then Kenma
“imagine if we got married haha, how cute would that be!” you gushed out in the moment without thinking as you played
“eh...I guess” it wasn’t really the answer you were hoping for, but at least he didn’t sound utterly disgusted by the thought
you continued to play with him for a while, tucked into his side and making comments every now and then
a particular endearing part was plating on the screen and your eyes shone as they fixated on the characters
he could tell by the glassy look that you were getting a little affected by the story, but you looked so cute
the way your lip pouted ever so slightly, and how you gripped at his hoodie, as if to steady yourself
he had a sudden rush of adoration for you, he really did love you and the last couple years of you living together had been wonderful, how he got to wake up beside you, do daily chores with you, how you supported him in his many careers
“Maybe we should get married,” he blurted out, you whipped your head towards him so fast you almost got whiplash
“Are you...proposing?” you questioned, with somewhat of a laugh in your voice
“huh...looks like I am.”
Sugawara:
Sugawara was sensible, mature, a little bit of a tease and sometimes chaotic if Daichi wasn’t watching but also traditional
he had often thought about what it would be like to grow up, get married and have a family
it wouldn’t take long before he knew he wanted to marry you, even throughout the 3 years you had already been together he had daydreamed about marrying you more times than he could count
from all the memories you had together, all the times you helped enough other in rough patches and the learning the two of you wanted to continue in the future had him certain that he wanted you beside him forever
so he set out his plan
he took his old teammates, Daichi and Asahi with him on a hunt to find the perfect ring
Daichi was there to keep him in check and calm his nerves, although Asahi was probably the most nervous and Asahi had a great eye for stylish, beautiful pieces due to his designing career
now it was time to plan
he didn’t want it to be crazy, but he wanted it to be something, a whole event in itself
so he scheduled a meal for the two of you and some of your friends
it was at quite a fancy restaurant in the evening and your group had its own secluded table at the back, surrounded with dividers from the rest of the restaurant
all of you spent the meal catching up and laughing, but Sugawara seemed a little quieter than usual
you had asked him if he was ok, but he just replied with an ‘of course!’ and a smile, so you let it be
Asahi was shaking but you put that off to general anxiety
you guys had ordered desserts and everyone had gotten theirs first
as the waiter brought yours over, the table went silent
the waiter came from your left, Sugawara on your right, so you had looked over as he came
as he set the plate down, you noticed the words spelled out in chocolate sauce 
“Will you marry me?” 
you gasped and turned towards Sugawara, who was now on one knee next to you, holding out an open ring box
“I have known for so long that I wanted to marry you. You’re beautiful, smart, courageous and so loving, and I want to have you by my side forever. I promise I will continue to grow as your partner and take care of you every step of the way, so, will you marry me?”
Kageyama:
the only thing in this boy’s brain is you and volleyball, its all his one braincell can cope with
that being said, he has never once thought about marriage
his whole life he has spend all his energy and focus on becoming a better player, the best setter he possibly can and standing on the court longer
but you were the first person to get him, to understand him and accept him as is while helping him improve and grow
you helped him to open up and communicate with people better
you helped him whenever he was frustrated with volleyball and a certain play he was working tirelessly on
you never once turned your back on him when he struggled or lost his temper
you were his partner, but it was different from a volleyball partner
he cared for you, every part of you, and always wanted to know if you were ok or spend time with you
you made him genuinely smile everyday and he knew that he wanted to be your partner for life
it came about when he was hanging out with Hinata on one of their rare days off to catch up
he had been talking about you constantly, expressing how much he loved you and adored you
“Why don’t you just marry them?” Hinata questioned with his held tilted, as if it was obvious
“w-what? Hinata boke!” he shouted as his face grew red and pushed Hinata aside
the two talked about it and Kageyama decided, very bashfully, that yeah, he should just marry you
but how does he ask you that?
he knew nothing about marriage or proposals, so he spend the next few weeks asking his friends, teammates, even his coach on how to propose to you
“Take them to an expensive restaurant!”
“Wouldn’t it be cute to propose in Disneyland??”
“Well, I proposed to my partner by sending them on a scavenger hunt”
he was bombarded with ideas, but none of them seemed right
none of them seemed like him
he was getting frustrated with the pressure of coming up with a good way to ask you to be his forever, it had to be perfect, it had to be special and it had to fit with your relationship
you noticed he was getting agitated a lot more recently, he was quieter and snapped more often, he stayed back later at the gym to train and he rarely ate dinner with you anymore
whenever you asked what the problem was, he replied with an ‘it’s nothing’ and stormed off
his teammates had noticed too and were less than pleased with his attitude as it affected their gameplay
one of his teammates had begged you to come to the gym and talk some sense into him when he started continuously overworking himself
it was 7pm when you set off from your house to the gym where he was still training
as you entered, you noticed that he was the only one here, hitting serve after serve that never seemed to land right
“Tobio,” you called out
“Baby,” you tried again but you couldn’t catch his attention from his deep focus on the ball
you walked over to him and lightly grabbed his arm, stopping him from serving the ball again
“Tobio, what’s wrong? Everyone is worried about you. Are you having trouble with a play? Because we can sort that out with your coach-”
he cut you off by mumbling something under his breath, much too quiet for you to hear
“What was that?” 
“I want to ask you to marry me and I don’t know how,” he said louder this time, his eyes staring at the ball in his hand as he gripped it tightly
“O-oh, right...” you were stunned, speechless, this wasn’t something you thought you would hear from him
“Everyone’s been telling me how to do it, but none of them seem right,” his voice was low and his gaze still hadn’t let the ball
you put a finger under his chin and lifted his face towards you
“It doesn’t need to be what everyone else tells you, we can do things our own way,” you tried to comfort him with a smile and he simply stared back at you
“So go on then,” you were beaming at him by now, yet his face got even tighter with confusion
“Go on, ask me to marry you.”
his jaw hung wide open, his eyes seemed to be staring into your skull like he had seen a ghost, this is certainly not what he expected
he tried to speak a couple times, stumbling on his words as they got caught in his throat
“It’s ok, take your time,” you brushed your thumb over the back of his hand as you held it, encouraging him to continue
“w-will you....will...willyoumarryme?”
BONUS: you two picked out a ring together afterwards, this boy has no sense of style, don’t trust him by himself
Kuroo:
Kuroo had jokingly asked you to marry time multiple times throughout your relationship
the first couple times ended with you being a blushing mess while he teased you
but by now you just tell him to shut up go off sis
marrying you had always been part of the plan for him, just a natural progression of your relationship
while Kuroo can be quite the tease, he was extremely serious of his relationship with you and your future
he started off his plan by asking your dad if he would like to spend the day together, you know, father-son-in-law bonding time
what your dad wasn’t prepared for was Kuroo to turn up in a shirt, suit trousers and confess how he wanted to marry you
he had a whole speech prepared about how he would be the best husband for you, how he would be sure to take good care of you and, possibly, be the best father in the future if you planned to have children
you dad had to eventually shut him up as Kuroo kept going, saying how he would be delighted to have you marry the man
step one: check
now he needed to find the right ring
he had a look around at multiple stores but he couldn’t find anything that was unique enough to be called yours and that captured you or your relationship
since Kuroo had quite the high-paying job plus a little backing from a certain famous youtuber so the cost wasn’t an issue and he wanted to spoil you
so he got one custom made
he sat with a designer for hours creating the most stunning, distinctive ring that he knew you would love
step two: check
over the next couple days he planned a meet-up evening with your family and his where he would pop the question
you both had spent the day cooking and preparing for the evening before they all come to your house
you had all finished dinner and moved over to the living room to chat
Amidst all the chatter, Kuroo stood up and cleared his throat, grabbing everyone’s attention
“I have something I’d like to say,” he said with confidence, then turning to you with a grin
“The last few years with you have been perfect. We’ve had some ups and downs, but we have made so many amazing memories together. You really are my other half and I think everyday about how truly lucky I am to call you mine. You know me better than anyone else. I know I’ve asked you this a couple times in the past when we’re laughing together, but this time I’m serious,”
he got down on one knee, holding one of your hands while presenting the custom ring in the other
“will you do me the honour of marrying me?”
and the crowd goes wild
Tagging @togasknifes so she can read Kageyama ty ly
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avaritia-apotheosis · 3 years
Text
Phantom Children Ch.4
In Which: exposition for exposition's sake exists, and Vlad looks way more suspcious than he ought
| AO3 | Prologue | 3 | [4] | 5
VLADIMIR MASTERS. Human male in his mid-forties, and most notably the founder and CEO of VladCo, a billion-dollar industry that mostly specializes in manufacturing weapons and technology. Graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin despite having to drop out due to a lab accident in his second year, landing him in the hospital. Despite being based primarily in Wisconsin, he made an unexpected move to Amity Park Illinois shortly after reuniting with his college friends Drs. Madeline and Jack Fenton.
Not even a year later, Masters ran for mayor of Amity Park and won the election by a landslide. Suspicious, considering Masters being an unknown and the former mayor Montez being quite popular. It’s during Masters’ tenure in office that reports of ghost attacks to the Justice League steadily died down.
“Why?” Damian asked.
Barbara shrugged, pulling up a few files on the screen. “I originally had a theory that related to VladCo’s buyout of Axion Labs—a technological research and manufacturing company that’s mostly local to Amity—being a factor. Within the last couple of years, they had been experimenting with highly volatile chemicals with hallucinogenic properties. Amity had always been known for being extremely superstitious with its ghosts, and if Axion Labs had somehow accidentally released that chemical into the city, well…” She leaned back into her chair, hand twisting in the air. “You could bet how that ended up. The hysteria around ghosts only grew worse in the last two years, with suspected sightings from once every few weeks to multiple in a single day. Early attempts to capture sightings were unsuccessful, and soon enough Amity Park was just written off.”
Much like the mass hysteria surrounding the urban legend of the kuchisake-onna in Japan in the late 1970s, Bruce thought. He pulled up some news footage from Amity Park dated a few years back of citizens being interviewed about their ghostly encounters. Beside these videos were a few photos taken by a shaky camera, showing bright blurs of light streaking across the sky or vaguely humanoid shapes rising from the ground.
“So VladCo., bought out Axion Labs, improved its security, and slowly helped detoxify the town?” Damian shifted his weight onto his other leg and crossed his arms.
“That’s what I thought, but—”
“But the ghosts ended up being real.” Bruce pulled up a video of a field reporter-slash-weatherman taking cover as a figure dropped from the sky, breaking through the walls of a building. The figure—features distorted by an eerie glow—shot out of the rubble just in time before a green blast hit it.
Oracle enlarged other news footage with a few taps on her keyboard. Beings zooming through the air. Massive plants erupting from the ground. Technology coming to life. Each video more worrying than the last, and most showing some footage of a figure bathed in a white glow. “I’d be hard pressed to call any of these faked.”
It begged the question as to how Amity Park survived this long unscathed. Since, if he remembered correctly, even the Dark Leaguers tended to avoid Amity Park like the plague. “They have their own heroes, then?”
“Think along the lines of vigilantes with unofficial support.” A few more files popped up on screen. One showcased a female in a full-length black and red body suit on top of a hover board. The other was a male; young, perhaps a teenager, with white hair and a black and white suit. Hazmat? “The Red Huntress and the Phantom of Amity Park.”
“Partners?”
“More like enemies working on the same turf. Sources place Phantom as appearing first, though it seems Red Huntress has more government support in the end despite there being no official statement. They seem to be the most effective ghost hunters in town, though far from the only ones. The Fentons of Fenton Works are also acting as ghost hunters, though their track record of success leans more towards their anti-ghost tech than any hunting. The town’s even attracted visitors from the Ghost Investigation Ward; a side branch of Cadmus though a now defunct organization.”
“This doesn’t make sense,” Damian said. “If anything, this should be more than enough reason for a League intervention. Why the Justice League didn’t come sooner is the real question here.”
Bruce’s lips thinned. “That’s because we were warned off it.”
“What?”
While there was no rule against heroes entering another hero’s city, there were certain unspoken rules that demanded that JL members avoid claimed cities or stay just outside of city lines until given permission to enter. Some were especially strict about it such as Batman’s ‘no metas or outsiders’ rule. Others were more lenient, simply requesting a warning before entering.
Amity Park, despite having no listed heroes in the database, was marked with heavy ‘Do Not Interact’ warnings for humans and metas alike.
“Justice League Dark said that under no circumstances should the League interfere in Amity. The situation was never explicitly laid out for us except to say that everything was being handled.”
“Oh yeah,” Oracle chimed. “Constantine even had it bolded, underlined, italicized, and in all caps. The occult community was very clear about everyone staying away—and apparently this decision had support from Amity Park too.” She pulled up another document. “That’s probably what led to the decline in their ghost reports, actually. Amity’s claims were considered bogus and brushed aside. No one outside their town—not even their sister town of Elmerton—believed them, so they simply stopped asking for help.”
Strangely, it reminded Bruce of Gotham. Both cities existed in its own isolated sphere, unwilling to let any outsiders interfere in its business.
“It’s safe to assume, then, that whatever Ra’s al Ghul wants with Amity, it has to do with these ghosts. Do we have anyway to contact the town’s vigilantes?”
Oracle shook her head. “Ghost attacks within the past few months have slowly died down along with sightings of Phantom and Red Huntress. Your best bet is asking Masters directly.”
Damian glowered. “Masters blatantly sent out an invitation for Batman to my father. How do we know that Masters hasn’t somehow found our secret identities?”
“Unlikely,” Bruce said. “Vlad Masters, despite his wealth, has done well to keep a low profile. He’s met Bruce Wayne a total of three times within the last decade and Batman not at all.” That, and with the kind of spyware Batman has, he’d be able to tell when, where, and who was trying to dig deep into Batman’s past. Masters hadn’t even registered as a ping.
“Besides, there’s always a few rumors of Wayne Enterprise’s involvement with Batman. All this tech has to come from somewhere, no?”
“How long is Masters staying in Gotham?”
“Umm…” Oracle leaned forward in her chain and flipped through a half-dozen windows. “Going by his reservations at the Gotham Royal Hotel, he’s leaving tomorrow.”
Bruce pivoted on his heel, heading deeper into the Cave. “We better make this count, then.”
------
According to Oracle’s intel, Vlad Masters was staying at one of the executive suites in the Gotham Royal Hotel. A titanic structure with forty-eight floors, two towers, and the gothic aesthetic that never seemed to leave Gotham’s architecture.
Scaling the building as well as entering the suite proved no challenge for Batman and Robin. But upon entrance, it was abundantly clear that the room was vacant.
“Are you sure you guys are in the right room?” Bruce could hear the clicking of Oracle’s keys through their comms. “Masters had reserved the suite on the west tower.”
“Yes we’re in the correct room, Gordon,” Robin hissed.
“Codenames only, Robin.”
Robin clicked his tongue, sweeping the common room for any hidden bugs or cameras as Batman scouted out the rest of the room. The bed was made to hotel standard and the bathroom towels all completely replaced. There were no clothes in the hotel closet or dresser.
The only thing left that indicated occupancy of the room was an unmarked manila envelope unsubtly tucked within a pillowcase.
Robin tensed at the sight of it. “A detonator of some sort?”
Batman rotated the package, holding it up to his scanner. “Doesn’t seem to be. Regardless, it might be better to take it back to the Batcave and locate Masters ag—” The envelope started ringing. A standard ringtone found in most phones. Quickly, but carefully, Batman opened the manila envelope and dumped its contents onto the bed. A ringing burner phone and a flash drive came tumbling out.
Batman threw the flash drive at Robin before answering the phone, holding it up against his ear but saying nothing.
Silence. Then, Masters’ voice filtered in through the phone with a strange echo-like quality. “Good evening, Batman! I’m so glad my invitation managed to get passed along.”
Batman growled into the speaker, “What do you want, Masters?” He signaled Robin to do another sweep of the room for any signs of Masters they might have missed.
“I sincerely apologize for not being there to meet you myself; incredibly rude of me, I know. But it cannot be helped, the shadows are growing ever bolder.”
“So, you are aware then, of the League of Assassins’ presence in Amity Park?”
“A league of assassins? What a terrifying notion that is.” Batman frowned. It was unlikely that they had misread his words at the gala, so why was he acting unaware now? Could he be watched? “Why such a group would appear in my little town, I wouldn’t even dare to guess.”
Robin came back into the room and signaled back ‘negative.’
“Why did you call for us, Mayor Masters?”
“Do you know what is so very tragic, Batman?”
“This is strange,” Oracle said. “I can’t pick up his signal. He’s not appearing on any of my cameras, either.”
“When someone so young dies much to soon.” A pause. “Could you even imagine such a thing? A parent burying their own child.”
Batman could. He had no need to even imagine it because he lived it.
“Some very close friends of mine have been weighed down by the shadows of death and I require help in providing them the closure they need.”
“Are the Fentons the targets, then?”
Masters paused. Then let out a breathy laugh over the phone. “Oh, if only it were that simple.”
“So a different target.”
“Everything you need to know is in the flash drive I’ve enclosed in that envelope Whether you take up the case is entirely up to you—though I do hope you take it. Regardless, if he is not returned soon then I assure you that a disaster unlike any you have seen before will arrive.”
Batman narrowed his eyes. “Is that a threat, Masters?”
“No,” He laughed. “That was no threat. That was promise.”
The phone line disconnected just as Oracle exclaimed that she finally found Masters boarding his flight back to Amity Pak.
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smallersocksx · 3 years
Text
My Problems with the Pokémon Journeys Anime
Pokémon Journeys as an anime has divided the Pokémon community in so many ways but in particular last week’s episode has sparked a lot of debate and personally, I had mixed feelings about the end result. So, I thought I would write down my opinions on the Pokémon anime in its current state and comparing it to some of the previous anime.
I feel the need to say this: these are my opinions I am just as entitled to my opinions as you are to yours, so you don’t have to read this if you don’t want to. Secondly, this will probably be a long post but I’m going to split it into sections so it’s hopefully not too overwhelming.
But these feelings have been building up and up and I think I’ll feel better writing them all down and getting them off my chest to some extent.
Introduction:
So, I’ve essentially been a fan of Pokémon for as long as I can remember particularly watching the anime when I was very young. The anime didn’t really begin to stick with me though until around AG and DP in particular. The first Pokémon game, I played was DP which is why I have a particular fondness for that series and that cast of characters and Pokémon.
I didn’t watch the series as intently around the time of BW because I found Iris’ character rather annoying and I understand she developed and grew as the series went on but that initial characterization of her kind of ruined the series for me. But I did dip in and out of the series mostly for Ash’s Snivy.
My friend recommended that I watch the XY series and I fell in love with the cast and the storytelling that the series provided as it reminded me of DP. Sun and Moon was a good series as well providing fans with some of the most heart-breaking and tear-jerking episodes to date. (And Rowlet).
When they announced that Journeys was Ash travelling around the world instead of staying and travelling in a specific region, I’ll admit I was sceptical. To be honest, I kind of preferred the old formula particularly as I’m a creature of habit myself but I decided to give this new series a chance as the premise did sound interesting and there was the potential for Ash to reunite with some of his old travelling companions.
With the benefit of hindsight, I realise this was one of the problems: the series kind of relies heavily on the nostalgia provided by older fans.
The Premise:
The whole premise of Journeys was Ash and his new friend, Goh travelling the world and there lies one of the series biggest problems. For a series that is meant to be about travelling around the world, a bulk of the series has been set in Kanto in particular Vermillion City where Sakuragi/Cerise Lab is situated. Now that shouldn’t be a problem as Ash and Go need a place to stay and go home to. The problem is we are nearly 60 episodes into the series, they hardly seem to leave Vermillion City or Kanto for that matter.
I went through all the episode synopses released so far to see how many episodes Ash and Go travelled to an alternative region. In this case a visit to a different region only counts if Ash and Goh (and Chloe) visit the region therefore episode 32 wouldn’t count:
Johto – 2 episodes
Hoenn – 4 episodes
Sinnoh – 2 episodes
Unova – 2 episodes
Kalos – 2 episodes
Alola – 1 episode
Galar – 11 episodes
Arguably, as this is meant to a Gen 8 anime, its not particularly shocking that they have visited Galar the most especially as Ash hopes to battle Leon someday. Nevertheless, the initial premise and selling point of the Journeys series is travelling the world and yet only 2/5 of the series so far has been set outside of Vermillion City. They promised the world (no pun intended) and are kind of falling flat…
 Goh and his goal:
Now Goh is certainly a character that has divided the community some love him and some definitely hate him. Personally, I’m in the middle, I like Goh’s personality I thought his rational and logical personality made him a great counterbalance for Ash. The problem I have with him is: his goal, his rapid character development, and his status as a protagonist.
1)   His Goal:
Goh’s goal is to catch every Pokémon in existence and considering there over 800 Pokémon that is a lofty goal to begin with. Initially, I thought it was an interesting goal as we never had a character wanting to catch every Pokémon as there are some trainers in the anime universe who only specialise in a specific type, some who catch only cute Pokémon, some who only catch evolutionary lines etc. Therefore, I thought this was an interesting goal and wondered how they would execute its portrayal and there lies the problem…
Goh was named after the game Pokémon Go and is essentially being used as a walking advertisement for Pokémon Go and the Let’s Go series as his gimmick is throwing a Poke Ball at a random Pokémon which can get pretty old very fast. I honestly didn’t understand the need to create a character to promote these games as it has been 4 years since the release of Pokémon Go. Arguably, they could be trying to re-ignite the hype around Pokémon Go as after the initial excitement a lot of people stopped playing or uninstalled it as it was taking up a lot of space on their phone.
One of the things, I particularly love about the anime series is not only the human cast gaining character development but their Pokémon as well. Around the AG series, the writers really begun improving on giving each Pokémon their own unique personality traits as well as traits of their species. It gave the Pokémon more depth and made them memorable for example there’s Dawn’s prideful Piplup, Brock’s weird and wonderful Sudowoodoo who would salute every time he came out of his Poke Ball, Clemont’s gluttonous Chespin and Serena’s shy Eevee to later a confident Sylveon. The list could go on and on but I think you get the point. Therefore, this gives me my second issue with Goh’s goal.
Goh’s goal is to catch every single Pokémon currently in existence, with so many Pokémon, there is difficulty feeling any attachment to them. Cinderace and Sobble (and now Grookey) are the Pokémon Goh is most seen with, needless to say, Cinderace underwent a lot of development and was interested in battling which to be honest I found a little strange as Goh’s goal doesn’t particularly align with Cinderace’s interests. Nevertheless, it is clear that Cinderace is Goh’s ace and utilises him when he does need to battle. Sobble didn’t receive any development until 26 episodes after his capture. However, aside from Cinderace and Sobble we don’t feel any particular attachment to his other Pokémon, one strength is that anime does give each of his Pokémon some spotlight like Goh using his Goldeen to teach Jinny’s Feebas how to swim elegantly but aside from that.
My final issue with Goh’s goal is development, from a story-telling point of view his goal isn’t that engaging like with some of the other goals we’ve had in the series. Take Dawn for example her goal is to be Top Coordinator in order to do that she needs to win 5 Ribbons, participate in the Grand Festival and win the Ribbon Cup. On paper it sound simple but it’s not, we have Dawn’s arc where she lost twice in the Performance Stage fell into depression, lost confidence in her abilities and was uncertain as to whether or not she was a good coordinator. It wasn’t until she befriended May and competed against her that Dawn found a renewed sense of confidence in her abilities, even after that Dawn still lost a few contests before being able to compete in the Grand Festival where even then there were a few rough moments like her battle with Ursula.
My point is even though Dawn (and May’s) goal looks simple on paper they had a lot of struggle to get there. Whereas, with Goh’s goal and the current execution of it, I don’t get that same sense of story-telling especially when he’s already caught a Legendary Pokémon, there just isn’t that same level of struggle. The most I could see Goh struggling at this moment is not catching a Pokémon the first time round.
2) His rapid development
One of the biggest issues I have with Journeys is pacing and development, and this issue isn’t just exclusive to Goh. In the beginning, Goh is a rookie trainer after catching Scorbunny and as we saw in the Flute Cup his lack of battling experience caused him to be eliminated very quickly and yet 29 episodes later, he’s defeating a Flygon with a Fire-type and using a technique Ash had once used himself in his battle against Grant. I understand Ash and Goh are close friends and understandably their traits are going to rub off on one another for example Goh’s logic and caution has rubbed off on Ash to the extent Ash had his Dragonite use Dragon Dance in his battle with Korrina. Before this, we’d never seen Ash use these types of moves in his Pokémon battles. I have no issues with Goh developing as a character, everyone loves good character development, my issue is with how rapid it is.
I’ll use Dawn’s arc as an example again, I loved it because it was well-paced, in the first season of DP Dawn was overconfident in her abilities which led to some losses particularly towards the end of the first series and Dawn didn’t fully recover from this until nearly midway through the second series of DP. Arguably, Ash’s influence has caused Goh to develop an interest in battles but I feel like we haven’t seen him go through enough battles to justify the level he is at.
3) His status as a Protagonist
To be honest, I didn’t realise Goh has a protagonist status until someone pointed it out to me, I just saw him as another one of Ash’s travelling companions. This is one of the biggest issues Goh haters have with him and that’s feeling as though Goh is taking the spotlight away from Ash and there are a lot of episodes focusing on Goh. Arguably, Ash has taken on the role of mentor like Brock had done once for him. However, my issue with Goh’s protagonist status is that I don't feel like Goh's goal justifies him having it, even in episodes focusing on Ash and his participation in the World Coronation Series, Goh still manages to catch a Pokémon which as I mentioned before it got old pretty fast. I can understand some people would see this as a good thing they are both closer towards their goals but if an episode advertises its going to focus on one character, I want it to focus on that character.
In some of the previous series when May, Dawn and Serena were participating in Contests or Showcases, Ash would generally put his training the back burner and support his friends. Likewise, his travelling companions would support him during his gym battles. In some cases, Ash would even get ideas for his own battles from watching them compete like the Counter Shield from Ash watching Dawn and Ambipom.
Sometimes, I feel like Goh is there for the sake of being there like in Episode 56, I honestly felt like him and Scyther/Scizor didn’t need to be there. The episode did focus on Ash and Farfetch’d relationship improving but I felt like the only reason Goh was there was to have his Scyther evolve their presence at the training camp didn’t really contribute anything to the story.
Ash and his Pokémon:
Whenever Ash starts a new journey, he always starts with a clean slate leaving his most recent Pokemon with Professor Oak or Kukui. One of the things that excites fans the most is guessing which new Pokemon from the new generation Ash would catch. Arguably, since Sun and Moon, certain traditions have been turned on their head. Some of these traditions included:
Ash catching the regional bird e.g., Starly, Pidove, Fletchling etc.
Catching at least one of the region’s starters
Although, in Sun and Moon, Ash never caught the regional bird and it was one of the first series with Ash not having a water-type either. However, in this current series, Ash only has 2 Generation 8 Pokémon being Farfetch’d (which will evolve into Sirfetch’d) and Dracovish. This is kind of understandable as Ash isn’t based or travelling around Galar but to be honest it’s still disappointing.
As many of you know, in the most recent episode Goh caught Grookey completing the Galar starter trio (which I’ll cover later), however, a majority of the fandom wanted Ash to have Grookey as they felt personality-wise Ash would be compatible with the Chimp Pokémon and it would continue the long-held tradition of Ash catching one of the new region’s starter Pokémon which is why this latest capture has sparked a lot of controversy with some people calling Goh a thief.
Personally, I would have liked Ash to catch Grookey but in one of the earlier episodes like when they first visited Galar. The reason for this being the storyline development and I know many will argue Ash is a Champion he doesn’t need a starter at this point but Leon in the Sword and Shield games took on and trained the starter that was left over after the Protagonist and Hop had chosen theirs. However, as I mentioned earlier one of the things, I love about the anime is each Pokémon having their own personality and character but also their own traumas and trials to overcome alongside their trainer this can be particularly reflected in the case of Ash and Infernape.
I am not trying to suggest they re-create the Ash and Infernape storyline with Ash and a Grookey but one of the ways a Pokémon develops as a character is through evolution or in some cases like Pikachu and Bulbasaur choosing not to evolve and finding strength in staying the way that they are. Pokémon when they evolve can go through personality-changes whether that be good or bad but having a Pokemon at its first evolutionary stage allows us to go through that development and journey with them.
Which is one of the issues, I have with the series, Ash caught two fully evolved Pokémon being Dragonite and Gengar. Before anyone gives me any grief, I love Dragonite and Gengar’s personalities but as they are fully evolved, we don’t get that same sense of development as we’ve had with some of Ash’s other Pokémon. The only development I could see for these two is potentially learning a new move or overcoming a stronger Pokémon alongside Ash. But having two fully evolved Pokémon makes it difficult to go on a journey of development alongside them. There is also the fact, Dragonite and Gengar are meant to be incredibly strong Pokémon and yet Ash hardly uses them.
Another one of the biggest issues in Journeys as previously mentioned is Ash not fully utilising his team. Whenever, a battle occurs Ash either uses Pikachu or Lucario, the others are kind of pushed to the side and that annoys me so much particularly with Farfetch’d and Gengar. I’ll start with Gengar, Gengar was abandoned by its previous trainer and told to wait in an abandoned building that would later become Cerise Laboratory and in the earlier half of the series (before Riolu) Ash utilised Gengar a lot like in his battle with Visquez and Team Rocket but after Riolu came along Ash used Gengar less and less. In Episode 57, Gengar was taking its anger out on Renji, Chloe and Chrysa and Chloe pointed out that it may have been angry Ash left it behind. This is what I found frustrating; Ash is kind of repeating the behaviour of Gengar’s previous trainer.
Next is Farfetch’d, personality-wise Farfetch’d reminds me of Ash’s Buizel and Hawlucha, with how prideful and aloof it is. I feel like the writers thought they couldn’t flesh out Lucario any further so they decided to focus on Farfetch’d and after two Farfetch’d-focused episodes I can’t help but feel that Farfetch’d is going to evolve in the next episode and that’s what annoys me, that is lazy writing, they haven’t given time to develop Ash and Farfetch’d relationship although it has definitely improved since Episode 56, I feel like it’s too soon. Farfetch’d has so much potential to grow as a character before evolving as I previously mentioned evolution in the Pokémon universe can contribute towards development and I feel like for Farfetch’d they’ll use it in a positive light as Sirfetch’d are noted for their fighting spirit and noble personality. But, as I mentioned before, I would have liked to have seen more development before an evolution.
Then there is Dracovish, this was a completely unexpected capture, however, many fans were surprised by how strong Dracovish was in the games. However, Dracovish was captured in Episode 50 and nearly 10 episodes later, we haven’t seen it… On the other hand, many of Dracovish’s Pokédex entries state that it can’t breathe unless its underwater, therefore, applying that logic to the anime world, may make battling with it difficult...
Team Rocket:
One of the biggest complaints’ viewers have is the series use of Team Rocket. Particularly, using their use of the Gacha machine and using them to create easy conflict. I love Team Rocket; they are basically lovable idiots to me. They’re meant to be “bad guys” but we’ve seen on many occasions they’re kindness and compassion such as rescuing a bunch of wild Ekans and Koffing from a Pokémon hunter and releasing their Arbok and Weezing to protect them whilst they distract the hunter, Meowth sympathising and trying to cheer up Litten following Stoutland’s death are just two examples of their kindness.
Nevertheless, the Journeys series has been utilising them poorly using them as convenient plot device and in my opinion Team Rocket deserve so much better than this. Initially, a lot of viewers may have found the Gacha device interesting but much like Goh throwing a Poké ball at a random Pokémon it got old fast. Similar to one of my issues with Goh, we don’t feel any attachment to the Gacha Pokémon they use unlike other series where they had their own Pokémon which I’ll get on to in a minute.
I feel like the writers missed a huge opportunity, as one of the initial selling points of the series, particularly to the older fans was nostalgia. Team Rocket keep some of their old Pokémon in Team Rocket Headquarters and as the series seems to like staying in Vermillion City, Team Rocket could have collected their old Pokémon and use them similar to when they brought some of their Hoennian Pokémon to Sinnoh. I loved some of Team Rocket’s Pokémon like James’ Mime Jr. and Inkay and Jessie’s Gourgeist and her Yanmega was noted to be strong.
Moreover, in series such as AG, DP and XY they expanded on Team Rocket’s role outside of trying to steal. Jessie showed a promising career in Pokémon Coordinating (particularly in DP) and Pokémon Performing, I loved how she became a rival for Dawn and Serena and particularly in XY, Jessie showed maturity in her loss in the Semi-Finals much to Meowth and Gourgeist’s surprise compared to when she begrudgingly congratulated Dawn on her victory. I just loved the fact in these series they expanded on Team Rocket, showed their friendship and support for one another whether it was cheering each other on from the side-lines or willingly helping Jessie in her pursuits of fame and glory. I realize in Journeys, it’s a bit difficult to expand on Team Rocket’s role in this way but they way they are currently using Team Rocket is to be honest kind of insulting to them as characters who we’ve watched grow over the years.
Chloe, Yamper and Eevee
I’ll get this out the way, I honestly love Chloe, and I’ve loved her development so far, I think they’ve gotten the pacing right for her when they’ve given her focus. I think many people like Chloe because she is similar to Serena, in the sense, she doesn’t have a goal and is discovering what she wants to do in life which is something a lot of people find relatable. I think what would be interesting for Chloe’s character if she does decide to be a Pokémon Professor after initially feeling as though the idea was being forced on her by her peers. Anyways, one of the biggest issues with Journeys is pacing, it takes ages before they actually decide to give a character development and ever since Chloe got Eevee, I feel as though Yamper has been pushed to the side (which is kind of ironic as Chloe calls Ash out on this) and I know Yamper is Professor Cerise’s Pokémon but Yamper acknowledges Chloe more than his own trainer. I feel like a great way to use Yamper was for Professor Cerise to actually give Yamper to Chloe when she was old enough to have a Pokémon, as a lot of Chloe’s earlier development was a result of her bond with Yamper.
Next is Eevee, I love Eevee it is one of my favourite Pokemon, but I also feel similar to Goh, she’s a walking advertisement for the Let’s Go Eevee game as she is unable to evolve. However, the fact that Eevee is unable to evolve makes her a good match for Chloe who is uncertain of her own dreams. Nevertheless, what I don’t understand is why they are trying to promote one of their older games in a new generation (especially when Lana’s Eevee (which don’t get me started) should have filled that role). Also, with Chloe catching Eevee, arguably, she should be joining Ash and Goh frequently, this could allow for Chloe and Eevee to develop and find their own path but aside from joining them twice in Galar, they’ve hardly left Kanto. Which is frustrating because I love Chloe and Eevee and I don’t want it to be another 20 episodes before we get any development from either of them.
Structure
I’ve realized that above I’ve kind of been focusing on the characters and some of the issues surrounding them. Arguably, one of Journeys biggest issues is structure or lack of it for that matter and pacing. Everything is all over the place but I’ll cover each section.
Pacing:
One of my biggest gripes with the series is pacing, lately we have been having back-to-back filler episodes and I don’t mind having filler every now and then to give us a break as you don’t want a show to be too content-heavy. And I don’t mind when the filler is at least entertaining but that Gulpin episode from two weeks ago was absolutely pointless, I’m sorry. So much stuff has taken place off-screen and Ash went up by 500 ranks to Rank 415 they could have taken out some of the filler episodes and used it to show Ash training at least or put it towards actual development for characters like Chloe and Eevee or Farfetch’d.
Another issue, I have with the pacing and I think a lot of you will hopefully agree is the pace of Goh catching a legendary Pokemon (which I’m in the middle about). Normally, around the end of the series, all of the respective characters have found or are closer to their goal like Dawn and Serena coming Runner-Up in their respective competitions or having confidence to keep pursuing their goal. This is normally, in the last series of that generation’s anime adaptation but Goh’s already achieved such a huge milestone towards his goal in the second series. I can’t help but feel as though this has been completely rushed.
Continuity:
Continuity in Journeys is strange, I can see it as a strength and a weakness. I’ll start off with the positives, continuity-wise I like the fact that Journeys at least references to past episodes and characters for example episode 57 Chloe’s younger brother says he’s going to a sleepover at his friend, Jinny’s house, the girl with the Feebas from episode 31. Or episode 47, Goh uses his prize from winning the Pokémon Eating Contest to have a dessert tour around Unova’s Castelia City. These small examples of continuity are something I can appreciate. But I can’t help but feel some of the past characters returning are merely fan-service for the older fans, so far, some of the character returns haven’t really contributed to the series’ narrative aside from the Alola episode contributing to Goh’s development.
A good example of utilising a past character is the Wallace Cup arc, with May and Dawn helping each other out of a losing streak and allowing Dawn to renew her confidence. I think no matter the outcome, both Coordinators gained something from the tournament even if Dawn lost to May, I think she would have had a regained her confidence but winning the Aqua Ribbon allowed her to re-affirm her self-belief and skills.
Episodic vs Linear:
Now I’ve watched a few videos on this to have a better understanding, the reason why Journeys feels so unstructured is that for some reason the writers chose to go down an episodic route instead of linear. The best example I know of episodic storytelling is Phineas and Ferb where characters and elements are introduced and can come back. But utilising episodic storytelling in a series like Pokémon feels like an unnatural choice we’re meant to be following these characters and their journeys towards achieving their goals whereas in a linear narrative this would be a lot clearer.
The Setting:
A lot of people have an issue with the fact that a series, that promises travelling the world, it really fell flat. As I have previously mentioned, so far only 2/5 of the episodes have taken place in other regions, most of the time Ash and Goh end up staying in Vermillion City. With the way things are currently being executed, I honestly would have preferred a Sword and Shield anime, with Ash at least travelling around Galar, it would allow for the Galar story to be more fleshed out instead of shoe-horned into a four-episode arc and with the announcement of the Sinnoh re-makes, I feel as though they are going to promote that in some way in the anime later on. (Perhaps with a Dawn cameo).
As I’ve been writing this, I’ve kind of realised one gripe I have with the anime that has become rather blatant as of late. That is the commercialism in the anime, I understand the anime is utilised to promote the game and re-makes of games but with this latest series the commercialism is blatant and honestly annoying. An early example of using the anime to promote a game was the Johto arc in DP to promote HeartGold and SoulSilver. Whereas, currently we have Goh, the human advertisement for Pokémon Go and Chloe’s Eevee promoting Let’s Go Eevee (which I honestly don’t see the need to advertise older games).
The controversary with Grookey…
Needless to say, the latest episode of Pokemon Journeys has sparked a lot of debate and anger particularly from Goh haters who have declared him a thief and are dropping the anime. There are some people who don’t mind Goh catching Grookey, they may have disliked the storyline they used for Goh to catch Grookey. I’ve made my feelings clear, that I would have preferred for Grookey to have been introduced much earlier and for Ash to have caught it.
However, I do have an issue with the way Goh caught Grookey as I can kind of understand why people are calling Goh a thief, I wouldn’t go that far maybe immoral at the most. The initial concept of Grookey belonging to Team Rocket was interesting but the whole story falls flat when they don’t give us any backstory like how did Team Rocket catch Grookey? why was Grookey so desparate to stay with Goh? was Grookey being mistreated by Team Rocket?
Honestly, if Grookey was being mistreated by Team Rocket, I’d understand why it’d want to leave them but this is Jessie, James and Meowth, the trio that released Mimikyu and Mareanie since they didn’t want them to be left in Team Rock Headquarters because they’d thought Mimikyu and Mareanie would be unhappy. So, I honestly can’t see the mistreatment storyline.
Also, the fact that Grookey smashed its own Poké Ball to gain its freedom kind of undermines other storylines that have seen Pokémon being abused by their trainers as they could have arguably smashed their Poké Balls to gain their freedom. Although, you could argue there is an element of fear in these cases.
I feel like if they built up the story more, I may have been more accepting but I kind of find it hypocritical in the sense Goh wants this Pokémon that belongs to someone else and it smashes its own Poké Ball to be with him. Whereas, its bad when Team Rocket try to steal someone else’s Pokémon but its okay for Goh because he’s the protagonist. Considering this is a kids anime that kind of sends the wrong message. I honestly would have found it more interesting if Grookey decided to stay with Team Rocket that would have been an interesting twist with Team Rocket having a starter Pokémon on their side. Plus, we know, James loves his Grass-types.
Conclusion:
Basically, I needed to get this off my chest and honestly, I feel much better for it. No Pokémon anime series is perfect by any means but lately I feel as though the writing has taken a huge dip and it has taken the enjoyment out of the series. I’m still trying to give the series a chance and hopefully I can warm to Grookey under Goh’s ownership, I think if the episodic formula has taken away the storytelling element that I love about the Pokémon series.
I have honestly never seen a Pokémon anime divide the community so much but I’m hoping that things begin to improve particularly if Ash’s Farfetch’d evolves in the next episode.
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rosemary-writes · 3 years
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What are you afraid to see?: Part 5
(Dwayne x GN! Reader)
An: I held this off for a week because we had bad tornados at college and I couldn’t work on anything. I’ll keep trying to upload on Saturdays. Also this chapter is a bit shorter than usual.
Word count: 1.5k
Warnings: flowers, swearing (I think), and some talk of ill nature.
The two of you had walked on to the boardwalk and into the big crowd. It seemed like there were more people out tonight. To avoid bumping into someone, you moved a bit closer to Dwayne. He didn’t seem to mind it and you almost caught a smirk on his face.
“So, what brought you to Santa Carla?” Dwayne asked, guiding the both of you through the crowd.
“Well, the college here is great and I wanted to try something new by traveling here.” You replied, as you two continued to walk.
That wasn’t the entire truth but, he didn’t need to know that. While the college was absolutely amazing, there was something else that brought you Santa Carla. It wasn’t something that you could pinpoint. The feeling was like waking up and immediately forgetting your dream, but you could still feel the emotions from it. You had told your friends about it and they all had brought up the idea that maybe your soulmate led you here. However, the feeling was unique and different for everyone, just like their eventual kiss. So, you didn't dwell on the feeling too much.
“I always heard good things about the schools around here. I’ve met some people who went to the college and they always had good things to say.” Dwayne said, as he pulled you up to a booth.
Immediately, the concessionaire came over to try and persuade you two to play a few games. You began to pull out your wallet but Dwayne beat you to it. He paid the concessionaire and they passed back three tennis balls.
You unlinked your arm from Dwayne as he handed you two of the tennis balls. They looked worn and some of their green fuzz had been stripped off. For a second, you wondered if they had ever been cleaned. You brushed off the thought and looked back to Dwayne as he threw one of the balls into the empty bottles on the shelves. The ball missed the top bottle by a few inches but, there was a dent in the wall from where the ball hit. You passed Dwayne another ball as the concessionaire said a teasing comment about his aim. His face was still as he ignored the remark and threw the ball. This time he hit the bottles in the center of the stack. You smiled at his little victory and the concessionaire applauded his win. “Would you like to try to hit another stack and gain another prize?” they asked, looking at you.
“Yeah, I’ll do it.” You said, looking at Dwayne. He had a smirk on his face as he watched you get into position to throw the ball. For a few seconds, you steadied your body and focused on where you wanted the ball to hit. You swung your arm back and flung the ball forward. The pyramid of bottles fell and you felt a sense of pride in your chest. The concessionaire applauded you and pulled out two keychains from under the counter.
They handed you one and gave Dwayne the other. You looked down at the small keychain in your palm and took in the detail. It was a carnation that had pink and white petals. You peered over at the one Dwayne got and noticed it was a wisteria flower.
“What do you think it means?” You asked, wondering aloud. Dwyane hummed and arched an eyebrow in response. He turned to walk away from the booth and you followed his movement. The two of you began to walk towards a less populated area of the boardwalk. There were still people around but they were all huddled into groups.
“Pull out your keys.” Dwayne said calmly. You quirked your eyebrow at his sudden sentence. He looked up at you with a plain face. It looked like he was trying to stifle a smile
“What?” You asked, with a smile on your face. He looked back at you as he pulled out the keys to his bike. You pulled your keys out from your pocket and held them in your hand.
“Would you be up for a trade?” He asked, fiddling with the wisteria chain.
“Yes, I would be, but only if you tell me why.” You said, looking at his dark eyes.
“I want something to remember you by, in case you don’t want to go on another date.” He said, carefully picking up the carnation and replacing it with the wisteria
“Why would I not want to go on another date with you?” You asked, with concern lacing your voice.
He shrugged, “I just have the feeling you’re apprehensive about this date.”
“Yeah, there’s no such thing as being too careful these days.” you said, putting the wisteria on your keychain. Dwayne nodded at your response.
“Well, you have my word that I won’t do anything without your permission.” He said, calmly looking at you.
“Thank you, Dwayne. That’s very sweet of you.” You replied with a smile. “I’d also love to have another date with you.” You continued, holding out your hand for him to take. He glanced at your hand before taking it with a grin. His hand was cold. Unusually cold for someone who lives in California. In a way, it was comforting on your warm skin.
In the distance you heard a snort followed by someone laughing. Your eyes wandered to the sound and noticed Richard with Ruth. They were laughing with each other about something. For a second, you wondered if they were just here by themselves but, that thought was pushed aside when you made eye contact with Richard. He gave you thumbs up and so did Ruth. So, they had been shadowing your date. Part of you was shocked and another part was slightly amused at their actions. A tiny part of you was angry. Yeah, you didn’t tell them to not shadow your date but, they should’ve been grown enough to realize you didn’t want them around.
Dwayne noticed your disgruntled face and followed your gaze to your two friends. He chuckled at them before turning his attention back to you.
“Something tells me that you didn’t ask them to follow you.” He said, as you turned to face him.
“Well, it’s not like I could stop them. I hoped they wouldn’t have because I’m grown and can take care of myself.” You said, turning to walk away. The wind picked up and Dwayne followed you. The two of you walked away from the area but you kept glancing back to see if they were following you. Sure enough, they were.
“I know how you feel. Sometimes my brothers will do the same thing. It can be annoying sometimes. ” Dwayne stated, running his free hand through his hair.
“Yeah, but I don’t want them following us the rest of the night.” You huffed, glancing back again. Dwayne chewed his lip in thought.
“We could leave? I can easily get them off our trail, but only if you’re fine with it. ” Dwayne proposed. You looked at his face. His features were highlighted by all of the different lights. He looked handsome.
You pondered his question for a second. It would be nice to leave but, where would you go? You observed his face for a second. His grin was kind and his eyes held no ill intent or malice. A feeling deep within your chest told you it was okay to trust him.
“Yes, please.” You answered, glancing behind you again.
“Okay, don’t look back and don’t drag your feet.” He said, tightening his grip on your hand. Before you could answer, he began to run. You ran behind him as adrenaline rushed through your body. It felt like a shockwave echoed through you. Dwanye expertly ran through the crowd and carefully avoided running into people. It was astounding how fast he was. He was like a trackstar at the state championship. Fast and he didn’t seem out of breath. You were willing to bet he had a smile on his face.
As you two neared the area he parked his bike, you saw him reach for his keys with his free hand. They glittered in the light as if they were a beacon of hope. Dwayne, weaved in between a few more people before reaching his bike. He quickly mounted and you followed quickly. Immediately you wrapped your arms around him and settled against his back. Dwayne quickly started up his bike and drove off into the street. He didn’t bother to drive slow into the night. You smiled as he turned to go on the beach. A smile was on your face as Dwayne erupted with laughter. You leaned back, still keeping your arms around him, to look at the direction Dwayne was heading. You couldn’t tell where he was going ,but you could tell that you would be alone together.
The ride was exhilarating and the wind in your face felt ethereal. He expertly drove through the sand and around groups of people on the beach. Wherever he was taking you, you would be happy to be by his side.
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subbing-for-clones · 3 years
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She Who Walks the Line Between Part 5
Maul x GreyJedi!Reader 18+
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Word Count: 2989
WARNINGS: smut in this chapter, p in v, oral sex (F receiving), unprotected sex, predator kink, smut
PREVIOUS         MASTERLIST
      The morning after the passionate kiss, Maul was the first to wake on the couch. Y/N was still asleep on his chest, rising and falling with his breathing. Her legs still wrapped around his waist and his arms enveloped her form. He replayed the previous night in his mind a hundred times before she woke up. How one moment he was reliving his childhood trauma with his master and the next, he was being praised by the woman he loves. Yes, love is the proper word for it he thought. He loves this woman, he would fight for her, he would die for her and he would live for her. To say he owed her his life would be an understatement. He owed this woman his very soul. All she had to do was ask and he would find a way to give it to her. She never would ask that of him though and that’s one of the many reasons why he loved her. She only ever asked for his health, for his wellbeing and his company; his embrace.
    An inadvertent growl rumbled in his chest when she stirred, all of a sudden he could hear her blood pumping through her heart. He could smell her pheromones rising when she took in her surroundings. She leaned forward to kiss him "good morning," she hummed sweetly before laying her head back down on his chest sighing comfortingly.
    His pupils starting to dilate, "it is a very good morning." He bit his lip and gripped the couch with one hand, resisting primal urges he didn't expect to have. He fought against the want to pull her back up to his lips, to drive his hips up into her while she was straddling him. Urges to suck bruises into her soft flesh and bite at her to mark her as his. It had been so long since his last heat cycle he had forgotten it would happen again now that he was restored. She had said many species here would be mating soon, perhaps he was now in sync with the planet he thought.
"Are you alright?" She asked with concern. "I know last night was... a lot." Maul began shifting under her.
"No last night was wonderful, I just.... I'm experiencing an affliction my species goes through that I haven't in some time." He watched a little too closely as she moistened her lips from the chilly night with a lick. He could hear the sound it made, not being able to take his eyes off of her full, wet lips; his stomach grew warm with need.
    Obviously unaware of what exactly it was he was dealing with Y/N stood up. "As long as you're alright, let me know if there's anything I can do to help." The word anything echoed in his mind, not knowing if he had imagined it but he could swear she drew out that word specifically. He fidgeted wishing she was on top of him again, no, he didn't want to hurt her. Using all of his strength to push his biological cravings from his mind he made his way towards the door calling behind him, "I think I’m gonna skip breakfast today and go straight to training."
"If you say so dear," his loving savior called out after him.
      Much of the snow had melted in the morning sun leaving only a few inches. Burn it out he thought. That's what his master used to make him do during these times. Telling him it was a weakness of the mind he had to train harder and faster so that's what he did. Running as fast as he could he sprinted towards the cliffs and back. He was sure that he was breaking personal records but not thinking to time it.
~~~~~
    You watched him from the porch take off faster than you've ever seen towards the cliffs. Shrugging you made your way back inside; trusting him when he told you he was fine. Still, curiosity got the better of you and you swept your bookshelf until you found the anatomy tome you sought. He had said it was an affliction his species went through. Perhaps you could figure out what it was. Flipping through until you found the chapter on Zabraks. You continued to search until you found the little information about the nightbrother subspecies. Scanning through information about bone structures, their horns, organs, life spans until you found something peculiar.
The males go through their mating cycle averaging twice a year. The purpose of which is to guarantee survival of the species as their female counterparts are much more rare in population. Symptoms of the cycle approaching its apex include elevated body temperature, heightened hearing, sight and smell; aiding in their search for a female. However, if not relieved, the male will experience a specific pain to further encourage repopulation.
    You closed the book blushing fervently. Sympathy for your sweet Zabrack took over your mind while you ate your breakfast. Honestly the idea of him being unable to control himself around you both saddened and excited you. You've thought about him that way for a while now and you wanted him but were hesitant. You feared taking that step and him leaving would cause you greater pain. Who were you kidding though? You were already madly in love with him. You'd hunt down the Jedi called Kenobi and bring Maul his head if he only asked it of you. Still, you wanted him to want it. Not to just be a relief of pain. You needed him to want you like you wanted him.
    You entered his room, enjoying his scent that now surrounded you. You watched him through his bedroom window his now shirtless back to you as he intently worked through advanced forms with his Saber. Hmm heightened senses huh? You thought to yourself. You closed your eyes, a throbbing in your own belly imagining his hands harshly exploring your body, his teeth on your neck and his cock prodding at your entrance. Opening your eyes, you saw him. Standing still, chest heaving, hands clenched and shaking; staring at you like a hunter stalks his prey. You left the window to go change, a plan forming in your mind.
 ~~~~~
      Her scent interrupted him. Maul saw her watching him through his own bedroom window. He could smell her arousal. With the little self-control he had left he planted his feet, breathing heavily, standing his ground until she disappeared from his view once again. Did she know, he wondered? How he ached for her. Even before his heat had come, he ached to feel her around him.
    He dropped to his knees, if brute force wouldn't stifle his urges perhaps meditation would. Some time had passed and finally his heart rate slowed. Breathing deeply his body cooled off but he could sense her. Trying to push her from his mind despite her footsteps drawing nearer. She stood now just inches behind him. "Maul?" She asked coyly. He creased his forehead trying to ignore her. "I know what you're going through... I have a question for you." Still, he said nothing. Aside from grinding his teeth he didn't move either.
"I said, I have a question for you and I will get your attention one way or another."
    She took one more step towards him, completely closing the already small gap between them. Pulling her dress aside she draped her bare leg over his shoulder, rubbing her inner thigh against his cheek. "Darling... please." She sighed seductively.
    That was all it took to break him. Eyes completely blown he grabbed her and sunk his teeth into her sensitive skin. Not hard enough to draw blood but with enough force to knock her off her one planted foot. He caught her with the force and laid her down gently, turning towards her and continuing to lick and caress his savior. He pulled aside her dress while she moaned to reveal red and black lace covering her sex. Snapping back to himself for just a moment he strained out a warning.
"If you want to have a conversation run. I.. I can't control myself around you right now. Stay out of my grasp, I don't want to take you like this... but gods above I will… RUN!" He snarled and force pushed you into the jungle.
 ~~~~~
      You did as he commanded. Not out of fear but out of respect of his wishes. With all your might your feat pounded into the jungle floor; you could sense him chasing behind you. Where his mouth had met your skin was still wet, still sending pleasurable waves through you. He was gaining, an excitement rang through you as you leapt up into the trees knowing you couldn't out run him.
    You sat statuesque as you observed him below from the canopy. He turned, smelling the air before he sat and closed his eyes. Chest rising and falling rapidly trying to gain his control again.
"I'm sorry." He called "what is your question? You said you knew what I was going through. Please know I'd rather die than cause you harm."
“I know. I believe you darling.” You hesitated before asking, "will you leave me?"
    Maul looked genuinely surprised at your query. Not wanting to assume anything he inquired further "what do you mean exactly?" Eyes closing again.
"I mean we are nearing the time where our mutual goal will be reached. Even in the state you're in now your inner balance is almost restored. Your Sith eyes have calmed, your force signature is steady. I need to know if you're going to leave when it is because... because I love you. With all my heart I love you Maul. But I can’t leave this place."
    His shaking stopped and he leapt up into the tree where you sat. Approaching you cautiously where you were huddled. A newfound resolve giving him strength to stave his desires.
"You do?"
"Of course I do. How could I not? You’re kind and gentle yet strong and powerful. Your voice is like a suave prayer in my ears and your arms around me feel so grounding and safe."
    He pressed his hand to your cheek and with his thumb wiped away the tear that had fallen from your eye. "I never wanted to leave you. As a matter of fact, I… I feared for weeks now that you would be the one to ask me to. I never imagined that you could possibly return my sentiment. My heart belongs to you. Only ever you. Never anyone before you and never anyone after you." He soothed.
“But I wanted solitude. You didn’t.”
“My love, how could I possibly ever feel lonely when I’m with you? The only person to have ever actually seen me before?”
Scooping you up in his arms he brought you down from your perch. You wrapped your arms around him and brushed your lips against the vein in his neck, licking and kissing at it softly. He made his way back to your shared home fighting to keep consciousness despite your affections.
"You don't mind that we're the only ones here? That it would just be us most of the time?”
"I prefer it actually. You say my scale is almost aligned well, that could only be achieved and maintained by your side. I don't want to spend any time away, I don't want to leave." You kissed his neck again still watery eyed. His eyes however started to dilate again, that now familiar warmth encompassing his insides.
"Please..." you began to beg, your own need starting to bloom. "My heart is yours, my soul is yours.. please… take my body and claim me."
"Are you sure?" he strained.
"I've never been more certain about anything in my life."
    That was all the confirmation he needed. Quickening his pace, he just made it to the porch before he set you down, lips crashing together in a vehement fervor. Tongues thrashing, hands tearing desperately at one another's clothing while you danced away into your bedroom. He pushed you up against the door frame, undressing you until you stood bare to him, leaving the red and black lacy panties. He took a moment to take in your form, hands pressed to the wall on either side of your head. He growled before gripping the backs of your thighs and pulling you up to him. You could feel his throbbing erection against your heated core, making a sinful whimper escape your lips only to be swallowed by him.
   His chest was warm against your pebbled nipples. You bit back a moan as he laid you down on the bed delicately. He took in your view again, wanting to remember you like this forever. He tore the remaining lace away, while you clawed desperately at the sheets beneath you. Maul started with your neck, sucking hickies into the soft flesh until he was satisfied they would show for days to come before lowering himself further. He rolled one of your nipples in his mouth, pulling at it gently with his teeth while pinching the other. You were a whimpering, trembling mess under him. Never had you been so turned on in your life. Your legs were already starting to shake as he moved further down your body, lapping at your supple flesh all the way. He groaned in need at the sight of your slick, dragging his shaky fingers between your folds and dipping two digits into your heat, eliciting loud cries from your plump lips.
    Maul took your hardened nub in his salivating mouth, twirling his muscle around it in circles while pumping his fingers inside of you. He growled at your cries, reveling at the sweet taste that coated his tongue. It didn't take long before your walls were fluttering around him.
“Oh Maker… Maul… please p-please… don’t stop… I I I’m gonna.. you’re gonna make me c-“ Sucking your clit hard and curling his fingers deep inside you he pulled your orgasm straight from your core. You cried out his name as your vision turned spotty in your bliss. Euphoria wracking your every nerve you projected your pleasure through the force and onto him until he was roaring and his eyes rolled to the back of his head.
    Growling he pulled out his fingers, dragging a string of your cum with them before licking them clean. He crawled onto you and hitched your legs high on his hips as he prepared to enter you. His massive cock dripping with precum. His body vibrating from the orgasm you shared with him ethereally.
"P please Maul, my love… Take me… Fuck me… I need it.." He groaned at your begging for him, your eyes still glassy and your cheeks rosy from your climax. He pushed into you slowly, allowing you to adjust to his size. Both of your breaths hitched, eyes never breaking contact as he sank into you to his hilt turning you both into groaning messes. His chest vibrated loudly with a raspy purr as he tried to hold back, to wait until you were ready, his claws tearing the fabric beneath you. You dragged your nails longingly up his back and over his head, "Maker, please move Maul… I n-need..!"
“Tell me what you need… gods… say the words..”
“Fuck me… Make me cum again.”
    He took your command to his hearts and took off at a brutal pace, losing himself completely biting your shoulder, eyes wide with a hungry desire. His cock continually rammed into that electric spot deep inside you. You were crying out for him desperately trying to catch your breath as he forced the air from your lungs with every thrust. Your skin was on fire with pleasure. It didn't take long before pressure in your belly built again, threatening another climax.
“Fuck! So… So tight… So w-warm.. Maker….” Any words he wanted to say after that came out in ragged gasps and growls. He sat up, throwing your legs over his shoulders, gripping your hips so tightly you knew they’d leave marks. He pulled you down onto him as he thrusted up into you.
“T-taking me.. so well… f-feels so fucking good.”
That was it. The sound of his praises sent you over the edge you couldn’t cling any longer to.
"I..I'm gonna cum!" You called out. "Look at me while I make you cum know that I am the one to put you here."
    You tightened around his cock and screamed your release, snarling in pleasure he fucked you through it while you projected your climax again onto him. It was overwhelming for him, he rolled over so you rode him. Lifting you like you weighed nothing he slammed you down onto him repeatedly threatening yet again another orgasm, not even finished with the aftershocks of the last. Maker he was everything, pleasure incarnate. He ground his teeth breathing heavily until you both cried out in final climax, both of you sharing your pleasure through the force. Lengthening and intensifying your orgasms. He pumped you full of his hot seed, legs twitching with the aftermath.
    You lay in one another's arms for you didn't know how long his cock still inside you while he purred deeply. Taking your sweet time to come down from your highs. Your force signatures hummed and swirled together.
Maul was the first to break the comfortable silence once your heartbeats had slowed.
"I will always remain by your side as long as you allow me to. I love you more than I ever imagined I could love anything or anyone." Your lips met softly but passionately as you mewled back, "I love you too."
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