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taestefully-in-luv · 2 years

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Love Again | PJM (Fifteen-FINAL)

Summary: A friend of yours is eager to introduce you to her new man but what happens when Park Jimin, the man who broke your heart 5 years ago walks in through the door?

Pairing: Jimin x Female reader

Genre: exes au, exes to ???, fluff, angst, smut

Word Count: 16.1k

Warnings: swearing, alcohol consumption, mourning, stages of grief, heartache, guilt, crying yeah lots of crying, dealing with death/loss of a loved one, graveyard, mentions of sex, another character death (sorry), mention of funeral, lots of closure!!! Full circle moments! Lots of sweet moments that make me cry lol, tons of DIRTY TALK, oral (fem rec), super sensitive oc, unprotected sex, creampie, honestly they’re both sensitive and desperate as hell lol oh and the use of the word ‘slut’

Notes: It’s the last chapter of this series. Thank you to everyone who has stuck around or is new. I’m sad its over but I hope you’ve enjoyed this crazy ride. Lots of love. Send an ask to chat about the story, makes my day<3

Previously on…in chapter 14 of Love again, Jimin is feeling jealous and he just really wants to talk to you. Jimin has finally had enough and Jungkook thinks it’s the perfect time to let the universe work its magic. Jimin confesses his feelings he has and you two decide to try a low key relationship. Jeremy finally confesses to Naomi and they get together! It’s almost perfect but something is wrong with Jimin and you’re about to find out what.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today is a big day. The kind of big day that is talked about for years and years to come and the kind of day most have fantasized about since years and years ago. So, of course you are staring at yourself in the mirror, feeling nervous as you wonder if your make up is good enough or if this was actually the perfect dress choice. It’s a day of love. It makes sense that you are nervous. This is marriage. And weddings need to go smoothly so obviously you feel on edge! It’s natural. Or is it? It’s not like it’s your wedding.

But well, you are the maid of honor.

It’s the end of September, a little over a year since Naomi and Jeremy got together. Honestly, it only feels like yesterday—June 3rd—when Jeremy confessed his feelings to Naomi. It was the same day Jimin had his opening show and you all celebrated at Hoseok’s house and Jeremy poured his heart to Naomi in Hoseok’s kitchen. You shudder remembering the absolute cringe that unfolded in that kitchen but damn, it was soJeremy and you remember Naomi’s smile and you realize she wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.

You catch your reflection again as you quite literally reflect on the last year of everyone’s lives. How that night brought everyone here now, the good, the bad, the ugly. And also everything so beautiful.

June 3rd of last year

As distracted as Jimin is tonight, his eyes find you so often and he’s hit with adoration but also guilt. Maybe guilt isn’t the right word but it’s the only one that feels good enough right now. He feels guilty because he is guilty. In so many ways that crush him and every time he sees you smiling with your friends it just grows more and more.

But sometimes even for the first few moments when his eyes land on you, before the guilt settles, he feels love. Love because he loves you. And it’s obvious to more than just him.

“Damn, dude.” Jungkook comes next to him, drink in hand as he uses the cup to gesture towards you. “You look like you’re in love.”

Jimin wants to roll his eyes and tell Jungkook to leave him alone but his love for you betrays him because he just softly whispers, “I am.” Instead.

“Does she know?” Jungkook leans into him, smell of alcohol leaves his mouth. “Because—”

“She knows.” Jimin answers simply, a barely there smile tugging at his lips.

“Oh.” Jungkook leans away, before prying further. “Are you two—”

“Yeah.” Jimin answers, knowing exactly where the question was headed. “We are.”

Jungkook’s eyes widen just the slightest before his entire expression shifts. Shit eating grin taking over before he bumps Jimin’s shoulder. “Then I guess I should say ‘you’re welcome’ huh?”

Jimin finally tears his eyes off you before raising a brow at Jungkook.

“Yeah, you should probably invite me to your wedding.” Jungkook raises his cup towards Jimin with a smirk on his face.

“I didn’t even want to invite you here.” Jimin deadpans.

“Well, at least it worked this time.”

“What did?”

“Me and Taehyung had a similar plan years ago.” Jungkook exhales a long breath, finally ready to admit their shenanigans. “We thought if you saw y/n get pursued by others that you wouldn’t want to risk leaving her…ya know,” He starts gesturing around with his hands, “She’s so amazing and hot and everyone will jump at the opportunity at her, blah, blah, blah. And you wouldn’t want anyone else to snatch her up! We thought if you saw this…then you wouldn’t leave for New York and you’d stay instead…but well,” Jungkook just shrugs.

“You knew about New York? Taehyung told you?” Jimin’s brows pull together as he tries to make sense of what he was just told.

“Yeah, he did. Don’t be mad…he just didn’t know what to do.” Jungkook shrugs again. “He couldn’t really tell his best friend not to follow his dreams but he also knew y/n wouldn’t want to follow…”

“Well, he was right, I guess.”

“You kept the secret from y/n that entire fourth year, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t think it would go anywhere…the audition, I mean.” Jimin sighs, “But in the spring they wanted to fly me out and I couldn’t keep it from her anymore.”

“Eh, whatever. Past is in the past.” Jungkook brushes it off, smirk back on his face. “What matters is the plan worked this time! You had nothing to worry about though. I mean, don’t get me wrong, y/n is…super cool and oh my god, so freaking hot like dam—”

“Jungkook.” Jimin says his name in warning.

“My bad. Habit.” Jungkook raises his hands in surrender. “Point is, she is just a friend. Just wanted to rile you up, buddy.”

Jimin narrows his eyes for a second before asking, “So you aren’t a girlfriend stealer?”

“Dude, I can’t even find a decent single girl. So, no.” Jungkook chuckles.

Jimin joins Jungkook in laughing, shaking his head at how ridiculous Jungkook is and the entire plan he had with Taehyung…he can believe it though. Suddenly, Jimin’s laughter dies down and any trace of a smile is wiped from his face when he feels his phone buzzing for what feels like the millionth time tonight. He takes it from his pocket and scans the screen before his sour mood returns tenfold.

“You okay?” Jungkook asks, quickly noticing the shift.

“I’ll take it from here.” Both boys lift their heads to the sound of Taehyung’s voice as he walks up to them. He’s clearly been well aware of Jimin’s mood lately. And he’s ready to confront it. Jungkook nods his head, getting the hint before squeezing Jimin’s shoulder and joining everyone else in the kitchen.

“Hello, my favorite person in the world!” Taehyung grins at Jimin before leaning against the living room wall. His smile turns soft before he calmly requests, “Let’s talk.” And talk is exactly what they do. Jimin explains everything. All of it. And of course, it breaks Taehyung’s heart.

“These feelings won’t just go away…the feelings won’t just leave you, man.” Taehyung’s voice is quiet, soft and troubled. “They don’t hate you.” He tries to reassure his best friend, “But what breaks my heart, Jimin, is that I think that it’s you who does.”

It’s a truth Jimin knows already. But to hear it from someone who has always kept it real with him and has always warned him and has always helped him…he just feels it is solidified. And at this point, all he yearns for is comfort and the person he needs it from most is you. Even though his emotions are starting to spill from him and go all over the place, he wants to try to rely on comfort alone but he also knows he needs to be honest.

Jimin walks into the kitchen, his gaze set on you as he sees you at the counter, pouring yourself a glass of water. He comes from behind you, arms wrapping around your waist as he plants a few kisses to your neck. He doesn’t care about anyone seeing. You turn in his grasp, a curious look on your face as you glance around.

“Jimin?” You question him cutely and he wants to melt. “You’re making it quite obvious, you know?” He knows. And he doesn’t care. You’re laughing a little but you grow serious as you look at him and he knows you’re well aware of how utterly down and pathetic he looks. “Hey,” You brush some hair from his eyes, “Everything okay?”

“Not really.” He answers you honestly. Because honest is what he needs to be.

Once the door to Hoseok’s back yard is shut, you and Jimin walk towards the end of the pavement where grass is met. It’s gotten later, the moon rising higher in the sky with a few stars scattered here and there. You brought Jimin out here so you two could have some privacy to talk and you feel nervous but ready to hear what’s been going on with him.

“You know,” Jimin looks down at the ground, “I’m trying so hard to convince myself I’m not a bad person because you don’t deserve a bad person. Even though I know I am.”

Your heart is already picking up in speed, nerves setting fire to every molecule in your body. Blood being poisoned with his words.

“Jimin…” You go to stand a little closer to him, “What are you—”

“Emma’s parents reached out to me.” He admits while his throat burns. “They called me like a week ago. They told me they were hosting a gathering to celebrate Emma’s life…and they invited me. Not just invited but rather…” He pauses, foot kicking imaginary rocks. “They were pretty insistent that I go.”

“Why now?” You ask slowly.

“They want to go public with the accident.” Jimin tells you. “They paid a lot of money at the time for things to stay very private. But now…” He starts chewing on his lips, eyes on his black dress shoes. “They believe in order for them to really move forward from grieving…they want to face it and accept it. So, they want to celebrate her life and they told me it’s something I should be there for…considering…”

“Oh.” You nod, trying to process everything. You think you can understand her parents perspective…they want to move forward—a healthy thing to do—instead of burying. “When is it?”

“It was tonight.” Jimin’s voice is quiet. “But tonight was opening night. And honestly,” He chuckles bitterly, “Even if it wasn’t…how could I show myself to them?” He finally lifts his eyes, head turning towards you with a pained expression. “I killed their daughter.”

“Woah, hey…” You immediately shake your head, brows pulled together so closely. “Jimin—”

“They’re disappointed I didn’t show.” He tells you, “Her father hasn’t exactly said kind words to me all evening.”

“Oh.” You think about it for a moment. All the times he’s looked at his phone with a frown. “He’s just acting out, Jimin…I don’t know what he’s said but—”

“I’m selfish.” He croaks out. “Selfish for so many things and you know it.”

“What?” You look at him, puzzled. “I don’t think that of you.”

“I am.” He says with a set mind. “I could go on and on—”

“No, you couldn’t.” You try to steer him away but he isn’t having it.

“I couldn’t?” He asks, “Seriously? Okay.” He nods. “What we had…” He motions between your bodies, “Was great. More than great. But I still left you for New York. You suffered, y/n…while I…and I am selfish for missing tonight when it is all my fault. If I never went to New York, I would have never broke your heart. If I never went to New York,” He pauses, throat still burning as his eyes sting. “Emma would still be alive.”

Your heart has dropped to your lower belly, dying there, struggling to beat anymore.

“Me going to New York ruined everyone’s lives, huh?” He asks you, knowing no answer you could give will change his mind. He’s staring at you, teary eyes boring into yours. “I’m here. I’m the one who is here. It shouldn’t be me. Why is it me? Why am I the one who is here?”

The pain in his eyes is enough to know his heartache won’t be easy to soothe. You know his guilt has become all-consuming and for the first time, you actually don’t know how to comfort him.

You’re at a loss for words. Mouth hanging open, your own teary eyes blinking at him repeatedly because you can’t fathom his overwhelming feelings and you cannot know what he is going through.

He stares at you, growing more and more emotional and your lack of response is sending him into a spiral now. You want to reach for him or say something—anything—but you’re feeling broken as you watch him begin to stutter out apologies, voice cracking and eyes beginning to shed his mournful tears. He repeats his words over and over. Between ‘I’m sorry’s’ and ‘I don’t deserve you’s’, you see how he breaks further and further into a mess. And then he says the most heartbreaking thing of all.

“I love you but I’m not the man I want or need to be for you.”

You feel it. You feel his words before he even says them. You are surprised though…you understand where this is going and what exactly he is implying. You understand completely even if you are still trying to make words come out. You understand his desire to step away from you, from the both of you. And you feel your heart breaking. He’s breaking your heart again.

But this ache you are feeling isn’t because of what he is saying that you are completely understanding. Your heart is broken and aching only because his heart is broken and aching. It’s that simple. You aren’t sad because of his implication. You’re sad because he’s sad.

As much as you want to believe hugging him and telling him you love him will be what he needs, you know it’s not enough. You might have the ability to soothe him, but you do not possess the ability to heal him. It has only been over a year since he’s faced this loss…he’s grieving. And the biggest issue is…he isn’t even grieving properly. You’re aware there’s stages to this—five, you’re sure.

There’s Denial. You know that after the accident, Jimin tried so hard to live his life normally…he still went to work, rehearsals every single day despite needing literally anything else. Then, there’s Anger. His outburst at work. The drunkenness, attempts at fighting and harsh words. Third, there is Bargaining. You weren’t there so you don’t know exactly how this one was for him but even a few minutes ago he was blaming himself for Emma’s death and going as far as saying if he never want to New York that she would still be alive.

Next, is Depression. And you think this is the stage he has been stuck in since coming back home from New York. He isolated himself…words from Lucy who saw it herself. He wanted nothing to do with anyone or anything. Never smiled or laughed. He omitted joy. But thankfully he found Lucy who seemed to help him and he was able to see a little light.

But the light was just the sun barely peaking from dark, heavy clouds and perhaps you and your friends kept those clouds from crying rain over him. But you don’t think the clouds have dissipated quite yet. He hasn’t fully seen the sun.

And he deserves the sun.

Last, is Acceptance. Probably the stage that feels impossible. And it is definitely the stage he hasn’t experienced. You stand here, watching as he cries his heart out in front of you. Soft sobs leaving his body, looking frail, weak, fragile. Finally, you know what to say. Since you cannot heal…you’ll soothe.

“Aren’t you the one who said the past is set in stone—you can’t change it—and you wouldn’t want to. Remember, why explore the ‘what ifs’?” You begin, but you see in his eyes he already hates this. But you continue, “Things happen the way they do, Jimin. That’s it. That’s life.”

Jimin continues to cry silently, eyes on you but he’s confused where this is going.

“You did great things in New York, Jimin.” Your tone grows softer. “You created loving, everlasting memories. You wouldn’t change that, right?” He cries harder. “And me?” You point to yourself, “I grew up. I met my best friends who mean the world to me…I grew more independent and spent so much time with others.”

Jimin can’t bring himself to respond to anything yet and you’re glad because you aren’t done.

“And you gave Emma you.” You say to him as tenderly as possible. He parts his lips but no words come out, just a deep sob as he finally lets himself break down. “You don’t know what her fate was even if you weren’t involved in her life. Trust me, as someone who has experienced love with you…she wouldn’t have traded it for the world.”

Jimin lowers himself to the ground, face buried in his hands. “Also,” You continue as you look up at the moon. The pretty moon. The moon who deserves the sun. He deserves the sun. The sun to reflect its light to make him shine. “Don’t say you aren’t the man you need to be for me.” You glance down at him before squatting down to his level. You cup his cheek and add, “Love yourself and be the man you need to be for you. You’re already everything to me, Jimin.”

He lifts his face, cracking a small smile through his snot and tears. “You aren’t letting this end between us, are you?”

“No.” you return his smile. “Not exactly, anyway. We’re a team. No matter what kind of relationship we have.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.” You nod. “I think you should see someone. A professional. And that’s a you thing…so I will respect these boundaries so you can heal…even as a friend…” You use your thumb to wipe some tears from his cheek, “I will never leave your side.”

August of last year

“I’m serious!” Naomi points down at the lunch menu, “The prices went up!”

“You’re right…” Jeremy whines, “We are loyal customers here. How could they do this to us?”

“Ah ha!” Hoseok wiggles in his spot out of excitement, phone in his hands. “Dae finally sent me the actual dance competition video. She finally found it.” He looks up at you, his phone suddenly sliding to the side on the table at your usual lunch place. “Ready to watch it and see how I was so wronged that day?”

“She didn’t just send you sex videos again, right?” You can’t help but chuckle, pretending to slide his phone back. “Not something I want to see.” You pretend to gag while your best friend rolls his eyes.

“You aren’t so lucky.” He scoffs, “But anyway, no. This is the actual video! Let’s watch it!” And now he is scooting his chair closer to you, his finger itching to play it already.

“Fine.” Now you’re the one playfully rolling your eyes as you show him some finger quotes. “Let’s see how you were ‘so wronged’ in how Dae won.”

“Trust me. I deserved to win.” Hoseok’s finger finally pushes against the screen as he plays the video. “Okay, watch here…see how I…wait, damn.” He pushes his head back in slight shock, “Did she really do that move…I don’t even remember.”

“Oh, she is good.”

“Yeah, but not bett—wait, okay see my immaculate foot work? Yeah, I’m a star!” He grins proudly as he watches. “Damn, wait. She just did the perfect moon walk. But no, still…I should have…hold on.” He pauses the video before looking at you. “There’s no way she was this good?”

“Weren’t you aware?”

He plays the video again. “Okay, you cannot tell me I am not moving to the beat. The rhythm is—hold on, did she just…there’s no way she…maybe she is good…”

“Didn’t you think so at the time too?” You start teasing him, “Isn’t that why you hated her and got horny and wanted to…oh what was it? Teach her a lesson?”

“Shut up.” He grumbles as he keeps watching. “Holy shit…maybe she did deserve to win.” You laugh at this but he immediately shakes his head in denial. “No, no. I’m just blinded because I’m in love. I totally deserved to win.”

You’re about to laugh again and continue to tease him when you realize what he said, “What did you just say?”

“That I totally deserved to win.” He keeps his eyes focused on the video.

“No…” You say slowly, “Before that.”

“Oh. That I’m blinded because I’m in….oh.”

“Love?” You punch his shoulder, smile on your face. “You just admitted you’re—”

Hoseok’s wide eyes meet yours, “No, that’s not what…we’ve only been dating for a few…no…holy shit.” He starts nodding his head as he stares at you. “Oh my god, I am.”

You laugh, while Naomi and Jeremy laugh as well at the entire conversation. You look at your best friend, totally endeared before you pinch his cheek and he tries to swat you away. “Happy for you.” You tell him softly, “And she’d probably be happy to hear it too.” And then you release his cheek before swiping a fry from his plate.

“Hey!” Hoseok whines, “I thought you were done stealing my fries! You steal Jimin’s now!”

“Speaking of Jimin,” Naomi looks up from her menu, “Where is he?”

“It’s Thursday, Naomi.” Jeremy reminds her, “He has his appointment today.”

“Oh, that’s right!” She nods along then her eyes find yours and you see her sincerity. “How is that going by the way?”

All eyes on you as your friends wait for a positive response, “It’s going well.” You tell them honestly, “I think it took him a minute to get warmed up but there’s been progress.” You say with a smile, happy that all of your friends finally know about Jimin’s past and reasons for leaving New York. “Mr. Smith has been so great with him…he cares so much about Jimin, obviously. He gives him every Thursday off so he can just relax since it can be emotionally draining.”

“That’s awesome.” Naomi leans into Jeremy’s shoulder as she grins. “Progress, even a little, is everything.”

“Yeah.” Hoseok agrees, “He deserves to be happy.”

“He does.” You say before you click your phone as see the time. “Oh shit! We need to order or we are going to be late going back to work!”

September of last year

You’re at your desk, tension between your shoulders as usual as you try to finish this report before the deadline. You’re almost done—or maybe you’re just about to give up—when you feel that someone is behind you. You spin in your chair to see Jungkook staring at your screen before he’s blowing out air through his mouth and he sighs to himself.

“I’m going to miss this.” He complains so suddenly, breaking his whole character of being so serious at work. “I can’t believe today is my last day being your boss!” He finds your eyes now before he’s smirking. “But don’t worry, you can still totally call me Mr. Jeon.”

You swat his stomach and he flinches, “Hey!” He pouts at you, “You’re fired!”

“Yeah, yeah.” You brush him off with a laugh. “We’re going to miss you here too though. But we will still hang out!”

“Of course we will.” Jungkook grins at you, “I’ll miss telling you what to do though.” He winks before walking over to Jeremy’s desk and you hear him immediately scolding him.

You shake your head with a smile, eyes going back to your computer screen before you remember something that has you pulling out your phone and opening a text thread you haven’t seen in a little while.

y/n 2:32pm

Happy Birthday!!!! 🥳 I hope this book tour has been everything you’ve dreamed of and more. And I hope your birthday has been super amazing! ☺️

Namjoon 2:35pm

Thanks y/n 😊 it has been more than amazing. Just finished up our last stop and then I will get ready since Emiko and I are going to get dinner to celebrate. Thanks for the birthday text, hope you’ve been doing well.

You smile down at your phone before you click it off and get back to work.

October of last year

You can’t but laugh in your spot as you watch Jimin grow a little red from how loudly Taehyung is shouting at everyone who walks by. “It’s my best friends birthday!” He yells over and over, drunkenly slurring his words as he wraps his arm around Jimin’s shoulders. “Wish him a happy birthday you non-birthday wenches.”

“Wenches?” Jimin rubs his temple, “Interesting word choice.”

“It just feels so right.” Taehyung nods, determined look in his eyes. “Doesn’t it?”

“It’s not nice.” Jimin deadpans.

“Wait, you’re right.” Taehyung nods again, “I’m supposed to be finding the love of my life. Let me try again…hello,” He stops a group of girls who are walking by, they stop and stare at Taehyung, expecting him to get on with it. “It is my best friends birthday and you guys are just way too beautiful to not tell him and by him drinks.”

“We’re good.” One of the girls says before she looks at Jimin, “Happy birthday though.”

“Fine, by me a drink then.” Taehyung slurs.

“No thanks.” Another girl says, eyebrow quirked at drunk Taehyung.

“No thanks? Don’t you want to fall in love?!?!?” Taehyung starts complaining now but it’s to no one since the girls have now walked away. “Why is love so hard?!”

“Taehyung.” Jimin smiles at him.

“I’m lonely and no one wants me.”

“You just have to meet the right girl! You’re meeting all the wrong ones.” Jimin tries to make him feel better. “Don’t force it! Before you know it, you’ll be randomly meeting a girl who is just like you!”

“That probably doesn’t exist. I’m the only one of my kind.” Taehyung slumps his shoulders. “Anyway, since it’s your birthday I think we can convince y/n to have a threesome with us—” He stops when he sees Jimin’s unenthused expression. “Okay, I’m going to the bar where Hoseok and Jeremy are, they’re downing shots like men. I too am a man.” He waddles away while Jimin chuckles to himself before his eyes find you. He gives you a small wave.

You go to him, where he stands on the other side of the tall table, arms wrapping around him as you give him another hug. “Happy birthday again.” You say. He smells so nice. So Jimin and you melt, wanting nothing more than to just stay here, inhaling him for all he’s worth and living like this. But you know you have to pull away.

“Thanks.” He keeps you stuck to his body for a moment longer before letting you disconnect yourself.

“Thanks for being born.” You smile, “Thanks for being here. I’m glad you are.”

Something similar to the guilt he’s been harboring for a while now flashes in his eyes. The same guilt you had been exposed to. But after a moment it’s replaced with an honest softness before he’s smiling, “Me too.” And you know he’s telling the truth. “Mr. Smith says to stop by more often. He says show days isn’t enough. You owe him, according to him.”

“I owe him?” You raise a brow in amusement. “How so?”

“He told me he only increased my pay so I could take you out on dates.” He’s playful as he speaks, “Like the old days.”

You laugh a little, cheeks feeling warm before you speak. “Doesn’t he know there’s no dates?”

“He said I can just save up and take you on one in the future but it has to be fancy, I guess.” He shrugs.

“Also,” You still feel your cheeks heating up. “What about the old days?”

“I used to beg him to pay me more so I could take you out.” Jimin’s lips lift into one of his sly smiles. “How else could I afford it?”

Now you’re really laughing, “Jimin, the most expensive date we ever went on was watching two movies in one night.”

“Movies are expensive! I bought us popcorn! And drinks! And candy! You think money grows on trees?” Jimin’s lips are in a puffy pout with big, exaggerated eyes. “I didn’t know you were so ungrateful.” He jokes, eyes softening.

“I’m not!” You defend yourself, “I don’t care what we do or what we did! Just liked being with you…” You mumble, eyes sliding to the side.

“Is that so?” Jimin’s voice drops a little lower, “Then you’re happy right now then? Even like this…” He pauses, waiting for you to get his implication. “You’re happy?”

“Even like this.” You assure him. “Now let’s join the others. I think Jungkook said he brought a birthday surprise for you but is waiting until we get back to my place.”

“It’s fucking brownies, isn’t it?”

“It’s Jungkook…what do you think?”

December of last year

Jimin 7:14pm

Merry Christmas again y/n 🥰 have you and your family had dinner yet? My mom asked about you probably around 8 times now lol she won’t stop bringing you up since the show last month

Jimin 7:15pm

She also wont stop telling me youre going to get a boyfriend at any minute since youre so beautiful

Jimin 7:15pm

I mean shes not wrong but 🙄

y/n 7:42pm

sorry we were still eating! We had a late start bc my mom insisted to do everything herself but then complained when no one helped her lmao

y/n 7:42pm

but yes merry Christmas again hehe

y/n 7:42pm

and tell your mom no boyfriend for me

Jimin 7:45pm

She is really happy were in each others life tho

Jimin 7:45pm

Im also happy about that

y/n 7:58pm

me too jiminie

Jimin 8:14pm

Also…im still sorry about last week

y/n 8:51pm

you were drunk its okay plus its not like I was going to stop you

Jimin 8:51pm

Its not fair though…for you. I don’t want you to think I don’t take where our friendship is at seriously. I shouldn’t have tried to kiss you when im still so….

Jimin 8:52pm

You mean so much to me and I I wouldn’t do that to you

y/n 8:53pm

its really not a big deal dude lol seriously!

Jimin 9:02pm

Me wanting to kiss you feels like a big deal tho 🙃 but I get what you mean but im still sorry

Jimin 9:02pm

I hope I can kiss you again one day in different circumstances

y/n 9:05pm

jimin im sorry but maybe we can just change the subject for now…got any presents yet?

February (current year)

It’s one day before your best friend, yes your absolute bestest friend in the entire world or even universe’s birthday. Jung Hoseok. And you wish you were staying up with him until midnight to celebrate his life because he deserves it. He’s your closest most special friend, he is your family. And you couldn’t be further away from him. And he couldn’t be more understanding.

Because he knows how important this is.

It’s your second time ever visiting New York, it’s cold, freezing even, but watching Jimin gives you an undeniable warmth rushing through your body. You’re both here, visiting this city with a purpose. Different purposes…yours is to merely support—to just be here.

There’s snow falling all around you, snowflakes decorating the ground, the trees and the tombstones. Your back is against a tree, the trunk is thick and the leaves that never managed to fall covered in snow. Your eyes are on the scenery around you and falling to Jimin every now and then, his side profile in view. The bridge of his nose, the plumpness of his lips and his head of hair hiding beneath a black beanie. He’s not too far from you, his figure standing tall as he holds a bouquet of flowers while he stares down at the grave.

This was his idea—or maybe it was his therapists—either way, you know it’s necessary. Necessary for him so he can move on…more forward. Receive closure, perhaps. But of course, you know this isn’t easy for him, no matter how bravely he announced to you that he wanted to do this. He didn’t hesitate to ask you to join him and you didn’t hesitate to agree to come along. And Hoseok didn’t hesitate in urging you as well.

He’s been standing there for a while, eyes so focused on the name on the tombstone. Emma Dubois. You can sense how tense he is, staring down and you can basically physically see the millions of words in his head. You stay leaning against the tree when you notice Jimin finally slowly fall to his knees on the grave, his shaky hands placing the flowers down as he bows his head.

It’s the two year anniversary of her death today. This isn’t easy for him. He’s stiff, still with his head bowed down before you can finally see the image of his shoulders slightly shake. His eyes are slammed shut, his breaths are heavy—you can see each one in the cold air. Of course you want to go to him but you keep your distance, knowing he needs this. Needs this time alone. No, not alone. Time with Emma.

The urge to go to him only grows stronger when your heart begins to pinch…it doesn’t take an expert lip reader to see the apologies and regret spilling from his lips and all the tears that accompany. You’re sure his tears are warm on his cheeks, the way they trail down, leaving behind their warmth to comfort him since you can’t. This. This is what he has been yearning for…giving Emma his words, his heartfelt words. Each tear that falls to the grave gets him closer to the forgiveness he is searching for, closer to the freedom. Heart pinching a little less, you see how this begins to relax his body, like he is releasing everything and maybe he can finally feel something close to ease.

After a while, Jimin stands again, legs looking a little wobbly but he manages to stand stronger than before. Hands wiping at his face, finally letting himself mourn just a little while longer before he takes a deep, deep breath and smiles down at the grave. He gives a small nod before turning in his spot, eyes finding you. You who leans against a tree, snow whirling around your figure and Jimin is starting to remember how pretty snowflakes are again.

You can see in his eyes that he has finally bid his farewell. He walks closer to you, finding a spot on the thick trunk, leaning against the tree as well. His eyes lift to the snowy sky.

“She’s missed.” He tells you softly. “I’m grateful for the time I got to know her.” He lowers his gaze, eyes finding yours before he’s smiling and reaching for your hand. You’re surprised by the contact. The contrast of this cold day with his warm fingers makes you feel like a cozy blanket has suddenly wrapped around you.

“Should we go eat now?” He nods towards the street, “I’m so hungry!”

You blink at him for a moment and then you finally smile. Last stage…acceptance. “Yeah.”

April

“Wait what the hell is happening? Is this what I think it is?” Hoseok keeps hitting your thigh, his knuckles knocking against you annoyingly.

“If you think it’s a fucking proposal then yes. Stop hitting me!” You try to shove him away, “And shush!”

“Naomi….” Jeremy has Naomi’s hands in his, “I really—”

“Did you know this was happening? He didn’t tell me?!” Hoseok whisper shouts in your ear, “Did you know?”

“No.” You whisper back, eyes glued to your two friends who are apparently about to start making out because you think Jeremy just proposed. “He didn’t tell you?”

“No!” Hoseok’s wide eyes stay on them as well. “He doesn’t even have a ring? Maybe he didn’t even know he was doing this.”

“We can literally hear you guys.” Jeremy finds the closest napkin and throws it at you both. “And no, I didn’t know. But I knew it was time.”

“Time?! You’ve been dating for like—” Hoseok is cut off when you swat his arm.

“Wait, are you two really engaged now?” You ask, but when you see how absolutely in love and happy Naomi looks, you kind of know the answer. “I didn’t even get to hear it…” You slump your shoulders at the restaurants table. “Hoseok wouldn’t shut the hell up.”

“You know I narrate everything? Why are you acting surprised?” He’s the one acting annoyed now. “Jimin did you hear anything that happened?”

“How could I have?” Jimin laughs, “I was trying to pay attention but dude, you don’t know how to whisper. But also, it’s not like y/n wasn’t talking the entire time either.”

“I want to get married too.” Taehyung stabs his utensils in his food right when your server comes back to your table.

“Can I get you all anything else?” She smiles at you guys when Taehyung lifts his eyes towards her.

“Want to marry me?” He blurts.

She glances around awkwardly, “I literally don’t know you.”

Taehyung shrugs and nods his head like he understands, “That’s fair.” He mumbles before stabbing his food some more.

“Anyway.” Dae rolls her eyes while she shakes her head. “Congrats, you two.” She raises her water towards Jeremy and Naomi. “You’re really engaged? Like you two are going to get married?”

“Well, since Hoseok is loud as fuck and no one heard my incredibly romantic proposal…” Jeremy huffs out. “Yes. I literally asked ‘will you marry me’ and—”

“And I literally said yes.” Naomi shakes her head in disapproval but she’s still smiling. “You’re telling me you guys didn’t hear it at all?”

“All I could hear was Hoseok’s loud ass voice.” You deadpan.

“Oh yeah, let’s all blame the guy for saying what we were all thinking.” Hoseok waves you off but you lean into him with a straight face.

“We were keeping our thinking in our heads unlike you.”

“Can we just congratulate our best friends or are you going to keep complaining?” Hoseok leans into you as well with a glare.

“Should I start saying what I’m thinking too?” You ask with a smile. “Thoughts of strangling you with my bare—”

“Oh my god, just say you’re happy for them you two.” Dae cuts in with a hearty laugh. “You guys fight like siblings who are in middle school.”

“Speaking of middle school, remember that girl who said you had no swa—”

“Too far!” Hoseok shouts out incredulously. “Jimin, can you please get your friend.”

“Wait, what happened in middle school?” Dae asks, glancing around the table.

“Some girl said Hoseok had no swag.” Jeremy shrugs, “Something like that.”

“Who was it baby?” Dae grows serious. “I will fight this bitch, who was it?”

“You’re the only one I can count on, Dae.” Hoseok closes his eyes slowly with a nod to his head, “You’re the only one who understands how truly—”

“Anyway,” you finally laugh a bit, pinching Hoseok’s arm as he yelps. “We are happy for you both. Why so suddenly though?”

“We are already live together, work together, hang out together and we’re basically already married…why not just make it official? Love is fucking awesome.” Jeremy tells you all. “Highly recommend.”

“Thanks for the recommendation.” Taehyung grunts while he continues to stab his food.

“Well, some other news.” Dae gets everyone’s attention. “I put in another work transfer request and I’m feeling pretty hopeful this time! I probably won’t know anything until later in the summer though.”

“You’ll get it.” Hoseok grabs Dae’s hand. “You’ll be moving in before you know it.”

“Yeah. Dae.” Taehyung stares down at his food, “You’ll be.” Stab. “Living.” Stab. “With your.” Stab. “Soul.” Stab. “Mate.” Three more stabs.

Naomi offers a disturbed expression before looking at Jimin and silently mouthing ‘is he okay?’

Jimin just laughs it off, waving his hands around before massaging Taehyung’s shoulder, “He’s just a little sensitive.”

Taehyung pauses his stabs before looking at all of you, “I’m not sensitive.” He says matter of fact before dramatically looking up at the ceiling with a solemn expression. “I’m lonely.”

“More like dramatic.” You chuckle.

“Don’t worry bro.” Jeremy slides a shot over to Taehyung, “Your time will come.”

June

“It’s pretty miserable but honestly, you guys won’t believe it!” Jungkook leans forward on Hoseok’s sofa, beer bottle in his hand. “My mom actually praised me. Trust me, I know it’s hard to believe!” He offers a large bunny grin.

“What?” You question him excitedly. “What did she say?!”

“Okay, you guys ready for this? She said, and I quote ‘wow, Jungkook, you actually didn’t fuck up this time.’ Can you believe it?!” He continues to grin while you blink at him.

“Oh…” You smile awkwardly, “I guess that’s a start?”

“I bet she was so sexy when she said it.” Taehyung sips his own beer.

“Gross, dude.” Jungkook shudders, “Anyway, my dad even agreed. It’s looking up.”

“Quick, Taehyung. Is his dad hot too?” Dae asks.

Taehyung sighs out, “Unbelievably so.”

“Nice.” Dae nods.

“What is wrong with them?” Hoseok groans out, “Anyway, Jeremy said he and Naomi will be here in like an hour. They were having dinner with her parents.”

“How’s their wedding planning going?” Jimin asks from beside you, “Good?”

“Naomi is a perfectionist and Jeremy kind of just exists.” You say with a laugh, “But it’s not too stressful yet.”

“That’s—oh, hold on. Getting a call.” Jimin says as he tries to slide his phone from his pocket. He looks down at the screen as he frowns. “I don’t know this number.”

“Probably spam.” Taehyung tells him. “I get at least 5 a day.”

“So annoying.” You add.

“Probably.” Jimin slips the phone back in his pocket after sending the call to voicemail. “Anyway, I—” He stops when he feels his phone vibrating again. His eyebrows furrow as he tries to slide his phone out again. “Oh. It’s Mr. Smith this time.” He says with a smile. “Hold on. Hello? What’s up Mr—oh, hi Mrs—sure, Alina.” Jimin continues to smile as he talks to Mr. Smith’s wife. “Is everything—oh.” His smile suddenly drops. Jimin’s eyes quickly go to you, he looks a bit worried and you feel yourself grow a little worried too. You mouth, ‘is everything okay?’ but Jimin continues listening on the other line, concentrating on her words.

“When? Oh. Okay. I see. I’m so sorry…” His voice grows quiet and now everyone in Hoseok’s living room is watching as Jimin takes this phone call. “Yeah, no, I understand. Of course. I’m so sorry Alina…Viktor was…yeah. It’s when? Of course, I’ll be there. Yeah, she will come too.” Jimin glances at you, your eyebrows pulled so closely together as you try to understand what’s happening. “You want to meet? Sure, we can. Of course…of course. I’ll see you on Monday then. Once again, I’m sorry…yeah.” He nods. “Bye.” And then he hangs up the phone. He stares at nothing for a moment before he looks at you.

“That was Mrs. Smith?” You ask, “Is everything okay?”

“Um,” Jimin smiles a little, “Not really. Uh, Viktor—Mr. Smith, he uh, he passed last night.”

“Wait, what?” Hoseok gasps a little. “The director?”

“Yeah.” Jimin nods. “It was peaceful…in his sleep.” Jimin confirms softly. “Alina, his wife wants to meet me on Monday though. Has something for me.”

“Holy shit…” You whisper. “Are you serious?” Your eyes grow a little watery but Jimin is quick to grab your hand.

“It’s okay. She said it was peaceful.”

“I’m sorry dude.” Taehyung frowns, “I know you guys loved that guy.”

“Will you come with me?” Jimin asks you, squeezing your hand. “Alina says to bring you.”

You take a moment to respond, the shock a little well, shocking. You finally knock out of it and nod your head and squeeze Jimin’s hand back. “Yeah, sure.”

You’re in the old theatre building, the one that needs renovations so bad, the one you came to almost daily back in college and the one you come to now to watch Jimin perform. The one that feels like stepping inside a place similar to home. The one Mr. Smith had always made you feel was a home.

You and Jimin walk in the back to Mr. Smith’s old office, one he is no longer occupying but it still smells like him. Old books, leather, maybe something sweet from a candle that’s fire has lingered. Mrs. Smith is sitting at his desk, a pair of glasses hanging lowly on her nose as she reviews some papers. She lifts her eyes when you and Jimin walk into the room, a gentle smile on her bright face.

“You’re here.” She beams at you both, her eyes sparked with adoration. You wonder how she looks so okay when her husband has just passed. Her smile isn’t the only thing gentle, her eyes are also shining with a delicacy. She’s looking tired, age evident on her but she still smiles. “Sit, sit.”

“Hi Mrs—”

“Please, call me Alina.” She tells you, her cheeks dusted so rosy. “Viktor never let anyone call me anything but Alina. Said my name was too beautiful to be called anything else.”

“Wow,” Jimin chuckles softly, “I didn’t know Mr. Smith was so smooth.”

“Oh, 50 years ago he was the smoothest man I ever met. But somehow,” She leans back into the leather chair, “He got even more impressive with time. I must have taught him well.” She winks at you guys and you both laugh. “Anyway, the funeral is on Thursday but I wanted to meet before that…I have something for you Jimin.” Her fingers tap against a packet before sliding it across the desk. “Take a look.”

You and Jimin exchange a glance before he’s taking the packet, opening it and slipping some papers. His eyes scan over it a few times, his expression growing more and more confused the more he reads over it. “What am I looking at?” Jimin questions quietly, “What—”

“To put it simply,” Alina reaches for her glasses before taking them off her face. “This building…its ours.” She gestures around. “He bought it decades ago. You probably didn’t know, huh?”

“He owns this building?” Jimin looks up from the papers. “It’s his? I thought he just worked here…”

“Was his.” She smiles. “He’s leaving it to you.”

“Wait, wait.” Jimin’s eyes go back down to the papers in his hands, “I’m sorry but what?” He scans the papers again, “No…it’s yours. Right? It’s yours, I can’t possibly—”

“I thought you’d deny but,” Alina opens a drawer at the desk, she reaches for a closed envelope. “He did too. So here.” She hands Jimin a letter. “Read it, honey.”

Jimin looks at you, his eyes big and confused. He’s hesitant but reaches for the envelope and opens it as smoothly as possible. A single folded sheet of paper inside.

Dear Jimin,

Did you know that you brought this old building back to life? You might have even been the one to give it life in the first place all those years ago. You are what I once dreamed of becoming when I was young…ah, but I could not command a stage like you. So my new dream was to provide it for someone who could. How’s Alina? Don’t let her sweet smile fool you, she’s actually quite feisty. My beautiful wife has tried to get me to sell this building for years. So please…don’t think even for a second she wants to keep this place. She’s probably feeling relieved to finally get rid of it! With that being said, it’s yours. But I know you are meant to be on stage…so I wouldn’t be upset if you decide to sell it. Do that if you’d like. Use the money to buy yourself a more decent place to live! Your studio apartment truly is tragic. Sell if you need to. Maybe to someone who might actually renovate it, unlike a cheap bastard like myself! (haha!) Please watch after my Alina for me. And please…ask y/n to watch after you for me.

Live a long and wonderful life.

Sincerely,

Viktor Smith

Jimin’s eyes are teary as he folds the paper again, he takes a moment to collect himself, deep breath before finding Alina’s eyes. “Did he know he was going to…”

Alina blinks a few times before understanding his question and then she’s smiling again, “He’s been sick for some time, dear.” She informs the both of you. “My Viktor is resting now. He lived very happily.”

You swallow the lump in your throat, trying to remain calm even though this feels a bit emotional.

“He talked about you two years and years ago…back when you were in college. A natural star and his beautiful girlfriend. How much fun the two of you were…he would come home laughing so hard, telling all these stories. Well,” Alina blinks back a few tears of her own, still smiling. “I guess buying this building forever ago was worth it. Seeing him that happy. Thank you.” She tells you both, “Take care of yourselves.”

August

“Are you fucking kidding me, Jeremy?” Naomi shouts across their living room. Your eyes go between her, Jeremy and the little, tiny thing she is referring to.

“What?” He looks around, clueless.

“Our wedding is in a month! I am literally going insane trying to plan this thing! Why do you think this was the right time for that?!”

“What do you mean?” He continues to play innocent.

“A puppy, Jeremy?! Are you serious?!” Naomi throws her face in her hands, “Why?”

“…Bacon needed a friend.” He finally gives a reason.

“Oh my god, I am going to kill you.” Naomi looks around at the rest of you, wanting some back up. “I finally got Bacon to stop being a little shit and pissing on my rug. Now we have a puppy to potty train?”

“Damn, that does suck.” You shake your head and Hoseok nods his head in agreement.

“Nothing about having a puppy sucks guys.” Jeremy scolds you both. “Why is everyone so heartless?”

“The wedding is in a month. We don’t have time for this…” Naomi gives up, plopping down on her sofa. “It’s so soon.”

“It is so soon.” Hoseok chimes in, “Like, didn’t you guys just get engaged…oh my god, Naomi. Are you pregnant?”

Dae snorts at this but immediately hits Hoseok’s chest when Naomi glares at them. “What?” Hoseok whines, “We’re all thinking it. So…are you?”

“No!”

Everyone laughs before heads are turning towards Naomi and Jeremy’s front door when Jimin and Taehyung walk in.

“We’re here! We brought lots of snack and—” Taehyung stops in his tracks when he notices a little puppy standing in the middle of the living room. “A puppy?!” He runs towards it in excitement.

“Oh, cute.” Jimin smiles but it drops. “Wait, I think it’s peeing.”

Everyone’s head turns towards Naomi who is already glaring at Jeremy. “I’m going to kill you.”

“I don’t think I’m going to make it to being a married man, guys.”

“R.I.P” Hoseok sends Jeremy some finger guns.

You giggle to yourself, “So anyway,” You turn to Hoseok and Dae, “Just two more weeks, right?”

“Yeah!” Dae grins, “Two more weeks and Hoseok and I will be done with the long distance. I’ve already started bringing some things over when I visit on weekends. Hoseok isn’t willing to compromise on some things though. Can you talk some sense into him?”

You quirk a brow at your best friend, “What kinds of things?”

“She’s being unfair, y/n.” Hoseok tells you. “She wants to change my bedding!”

“It’s going to be ours though!”

You glance at Dae, mortified. “Hoseok’s sheets were expensive! He’s cheap as hell, it was one of the only things he was willing to spend money on and you want to change them?”

“Exactly!” Hoseok leaps into your arms, “You get me. She gets me, my best friend gets me.”

“They’re red!” Dae looks at you like you cannot be serious. “They’re so ugly!”

“Sleep in the guest room then.” Hoseok shrugs, still in your arms like you’re going to protect him.

“Fine.” Dae raises her nose in the air, “Have fun using your hand for the rest of your life.”

Hoseok’s eyes widen, he jumps from your arms to hers. “Now that I think about it, red is ugly.”

“Men.” You roll your eyes.

“What about men?” Jimin comes to you all, he stands next to you from where you sit on the sofa.

“Easily manipulated with sex.” You shrug, barely dismissing how pathetic it is. “Sad, right?”

“Manipulation is also sad.” Jimin laughs.

“Touché.”

“Can you help me cut up some fruit?” Jimin asks you, “Taehyung went to the bathroom. He’s lying about his stomach hurting, he just doesn’t want to help.”

“Classic.” You stand from the sofa, already heading towards Naomi and Jeremy’s kitchen with Jimin following behind. “Strawberries too?”

“There weren’t any that looked perfectly juicy, sorry.” Jimin smiles sheepishly. “I wanted to get you some, I promise, but I wasn’t going to bring some that weren’t good enough.”

“Ah.” You click your tongue, “Well, what can you do.”

“So you admit you’d want something only if it were good enough?” Jimin says lightly, he comes from behind you as you reach for a pineapple. “I’ll cut this.”

“No I can—wait,” You think about what he just said for a moment before you snort. “Jimin,” You turn to face him, his body only inches from yours. “Did you just compare yourself to strawberries?”

“I don’t know.” He laughs but there’s something a little sad in his words. “Did I?”

“Anyway,” You look into his eyes, all teasing gone. “You’re the only one who thinks you’re not good enough.” Then you turn back around to face the counter before you’re attempting to cut the fruit.

“That so?” Jimin whispers, “Maybe I’m still working on it then.”

September

You cannot believe it’s already the night before the wedding. You, Naomi, Dae and Naomi’s sister are treating yourselves to a spa day/night. You’re all wearing cute, rejuvenating face masks, eating snacks and giving cheers with full glasses of champagne.

“I can’t believe tomorrow is the day.” Naomi chugs back her entire glass of champagne. “Is anyone else freaking out or just me?”

“It’s normal to freak out.” You chuckle, “It’s a big day.”

“I just keep thinking…like, every time Jer does something that makes me feel annoyed I’m like…oh my god, can I deal with this for the rest of my life?!”

Dae starts giggling at this, “I had a thought like that recently when Hoseok started vacuuming our bedroom while I was still sleeping.”

“He’s a menace.” You snort, “My condolences.”

“Thanks.”

“Guys, I’m serious. I’m freaking out. This is a huge life thing and I’m just…wondering how people do this and they’re so sure. How do I know this is right?” Naomi sits down onto a chair. “I love him. And I know that there probably isn’t anyone else out there for me…not like how he is. Actually, yeah.” She kind of smiles now. “He is for me. Just like I know I’m for him…but I’m afraid one day he will just get tired of me.” She laughs. “I don’t even think my concern about him doing annoying stuff is even about me finding him annoying. I think I’m just afraid he might think that about me.”

“He lives with Bacon.” You tell her with a smirk, “No one is more annoying than that guy and we all love him. Trust me, if he can be best friends with that dog…you’re a walk in the park.”

“Did you just call my dog annoying?”

“That’s beside the point.”

“Naomi,” Naomi’s sister hands her another glass of champagne, “Answer this one question.”

“Which is?”

“If you called off this wedding, would Jeremy still be the one?”

“Huh?” Naomi looks around, “Of course he would be.”

“Then you know you’re ready for marriage.” She tells her, “Chug the drink.”

“I’m confused.” Dae admits, “How is that—”

“If you can envision your life with a person even without marriage then there’s a good chance they’re the perfect person to marry. You can still be happy, still satisfied and content because you just want to be with that person. Marriage just has perks. It’s not the thing that solidifies love.” Her sister says softly, “If you can confidently say with or without the big day that comes tomorrow…that he and you could still be happy and in love—then you’re marrying the right person.”

“Dang, I wish I had an older sister.” Dae looks at Naomi’s sister with heart eyes.

“Oh come on, Dae.” You chuckle, “Taehyung is a master of advice—especially when it comes to life and love.”

Dae nibbles on her lips for a moment, “You’re not wrong. Taehyung is the definition of a cool, understanding and protective brother. Even though he complains a lot.” She laughs. “But he gets disturbed easily.”

“And whose fault is that?” You ask with a straight face. “It’s your life mission to make him scold you.”

“I’m the baby in my family it’s like literally my life’s purpose to be a brat.” She shrugs nonchalantly.

“At least she’s self-aware.” Naomi nods. “Anyway, I’m sure Jer and the guys are having a blast.”

“Speaking of the guys…wait, y/n.” Dae whips her head in your direction. “Any progress with Jimin?”

“You mean with his therapy? He’s doing so well—”

“No, with you, dummy.”

Your cheeks heat up, face feeling hot and you’re grateful you’re wearing a face mask that seems to be cooling you down. “With me?” You point at yourself. “I don’t even know. It hasn’t been a topic of conversation in so long. I’m trying not to think about it. I don’t even know if he’s even thought about it.”

“You’re still into one another, right?” Naomi asks. “I mean, obviously. Friends or whatever the hell, you guys are attached at the hip.”

“We don’t cross any lines.” You admit as you take your own seat. “There’s moments sometimes where its unspoken, I guess. Tension. Innocent flirting. But it never goes further.”

“You sound disappointed.” Dae calls you out but you wave her off.

“No.” You say, “Not really. I’m just wondering how long I can keep it up.”

“You mean…how long until you move on?” Naomi asks, brows pinched together. “Nobody would blame you, you know? Not even him.”

“I don’t know that I could ever move on.” You chuckle quietly, “I don’t want to rush him but I can’t read his mind…I don’t…I’m respecting the boundaries but I think because we have both had this mind set for so long it’s almost awkward or strange to bring it up now again.”

“That’s realistic.” Naomi assures you, “You’ve been trying to be cool, and chill and understanding but I think you also get the free pass of being demanding of some answers.”

“Getting answers means there’s a chance I won’t like what I get.”

“Then at least you’ll know.” Dae cuts in. “Taehyung can be pretty smart sometimes. You guys really are soulmates and maybe you’re blind to it but Jimin is probably on the verge of exploding. His eyes are never not on you, y/n. And the story that is the two of you…well, it’s not going to end with an answer you won’t like. It just means it’s not the end of the story yet.”

“Can I offer some advice?” Naomi’s sister questions you and you nod your head frantically.

“Jimin is the one with thick lips and an ass, right?”

“….Yeah.”

“My advice is that you confess and claim. Hurry or I will.”

“Dude!” Naomi shouts at her sister. “Anyway, the guys are doing their weird little manly men tradition. Camping or whatever.”

“Yeah, my brother said it’s going to be an epic boys night.”

“Jimin mentioned it too,” You chime in, “Classic testosterone building.”

“Ugh, great.” Naomi rolls her eyes. “They’re probably punching each other right now in the face as we speak to see who is the manliest. I swear if Jeremy shows up tomorrow with a black eye…on our fucking wedding day.”

-The guys-

“We know why we’re here,” Taehyung gestures around, a proud grin on his face. “We’re celebrating our fellow brother, Jeremy.”

“Brothers.” Jeremy nods towards the guys. “It’s my last night being an unmarried man and there’s no one else I’d rather spend the day with. As men, we have certain duties…”

“Exactly.” Taehyung throws his hands on his hips. “Do you guys know why we’re here?”

“To do manly shit, right?” Jungkook starts hopping in his spot. “I’m so fucking excited.”

“Exactly. I don’t know anyone else who achieves this level of fucking gloriousness.” Taehyung suddenly bumps Jungkook’s chest with his own. “Men!”

“That’s us.” Hoseok says proudly, “Reporting for duty.”

“Right, right. Reporting for duty.” Jimin laughs.

“Is this fucking funny to you?” Taehyung asks with a scowl, he comes toe to toe with Jimin. “Say it like you mean it.”

“Taehyung.”

“Right, sorry. I’m just really excite—anyway, men!” Taehyung looks up at the sky, “I think we all know exactly what we want to achieve tonight.”

All the guys start nodding along as they look at one another, “We do.” Jeremy says.

“Hell yeah!” Jungkook keeps jumping up and down. “What’s first? Going to cut down some trees and chop up wood for a fire? Fire we make from scratch? What else? Oh! Catch our food! Climb a mountain?!”

“Oh Jungkook.” Hoseok puts a hand on Jungkook’s shoulder. “This is way better than just climbing a damn mountain. It’s more than you could ever imagine.”

“In a way, we will climb mountains,” Taehyung sighs out, “In a way, we are starting fires from scratch.”

“You have no idea, Jungkook…” Jeremy starts filling him in, “But we’re about to exceed anything you thought being manly was. This is crazier, more intense, maybe even illegal and forbidden…maybe even a fucking crime.”

“Holy shit are we going to kill some—”

One hour later

“And that’s how I,” Jeremy is forced to pause when he hiccups. “How I knew Naomi was the one.”

Jungkook stares at him in disbelief, expression angry while his eyes look teary. “Give me that.” He yanks the bottle of liquor from Jeremy’s hands and takes an aggressive sip. “That had no fucking business being that beautiful.”

All the boys heads turn towards Taehyung when they hear him sniffling, “WHEN WILL IT BE MY TURN?!” he yells out, the tiny tent they built barely holding it together.

“Don’t force it, dude.” Jeremy slurs.

“So what?” Taehyung cries out dramatically, “I’m supposed to just pretend that I’m not constantly looking for the love of my life?!”

“Sometimes you find the love of your life when you least expect it.” Jimin says.

“Exactly.” Hoseok adds, “That’s how that works.”

“Mhm.” Jeremy takes the bottle of liquor back and takes a gulp.

Taehyung looks at everyone incredulously, “Oh.” He starts laughing. “That is rich coming from you guys! This is what privilege looks like.” He is now the one stealing away the bottle and gulping some back. When he swallows the nasty liquid, he wipes his mouth before pointing at his friends. “Your love stories are basically written like romance novels with the most basic tropes. You,” He points at Jeremy, “Best friends to lovers. Boring! And you,” He points at Hoseok now, “Enemies to lovers. How creative! And you!” He points at Jimin, “Some sort of weird exes story.”

“Wait, what about me?” Jungkook points at himself innocently.

“The perfect author hasn’t found you yet, buddy. But what’s my story?! Huh?! Don’t tell me I’m just some side character in your stories and I don’t even get my own book?!”

“What the hell is he talking about?” Jeremy whispers towards Hoseok, “I literally don’t understand anything he’s saying.”

“Same.” Hoseok shrugs.

“Guys, we all know Taehyung has a really interactive imagination.” Jimin offers Taehyung a pity smile, “Listen, I just know you’re going to have the most epic love story of all.”

“I think so too. If we stick with your logic, you might even be the main character here.” Hoseok reaches for the bottle.

“Yeah well…wait,” Taehyung pauses as he ponders thoughtfully. “Actually, you guys might be onto something…maybe this has actually been about me the entire time…”

“Anyway,” Jungkook takes the bottle from Hoseok, “If this night has taught me anything it’s that the most important thing is to love ourselves.”

“Fucking exactly. That’s step one!” Jeremy shouts.

“With that being said…” Jungkook glances around the tent, nerves making him feel crazy…”…I’m going to quit my parent’s company!” He suddenly blurts. “Yeah! Fuck that place! I’m going to quit!”

“Wait, for real? You’re serious?” Jimin asks, smile growing on his face. “You’re sure you want to do that dude?”

“You basically just asked me if I’m sure that I want to love myself and be happy.” Jungkook gulps some liquor back. “I want to live my life.”

“Hell yeah, brother.” Jeremy nods in approval. “No matter what happens, we support you.”

“Yeah, we do.” Taehyung grips Jungkook’s shoulder and rocks him around. “This is brotherhood.”

“Fucking boys night.” Hoseok grins to himself.

“But uh,” Taehyung clears his throat. “Speaking of loving ourselves and what not…Jimin.”

Jimin lifts his head with wide eyes, innocent expression on his face as he cutely questions Taehyung’s sudden call out, “Huh?”

“What’s um, what’s going on with you?”

“What do you mean?”

“Oh come on…” Taehyung smiles at his best friend. “You’ve beat yourself up long enough, don’t you think?”

Hoseok reaches for Jimin, palm flat against his back as his starts to rub it. “Yeah, dude.”

Jimin looks at his friends, eyes dancing around the tent and he sees their eyes. They’re filled with concern…hope…and maybe endearment. His eyes land on the bottle in Jungkook’s lap and he points at it, laser focused. “Gimme.”

Jungkook wastes no time in passing Jimin the bottle.

Jimin wraps his lips around the bottle they’ve been sharing, the last drops remaining sliding down his throat. He’s quiet, still feeling the eyes of his friends on him. He’s thinking. The same thoughts that have been swarming for a little while. He knows his own answers. Small smile begins lifting his lips before he raises his head and locks eyes with each of his friends.

“Yeah, dude.” Jimin repeats Hoseok’s words. His expression alone tells his friends everything they need to know.

Hoseok rubs his back for only a moment longer before the softest most genuine smile begins growing on his face, love and pride filling his veins. Hoseok glances around the tent, all the boys forming their own smiles. And Hoseok spills the words they’re all thinking so slowly and intentional. “Boys night.” He says calmly and quietly.

Jimin nods his head, grin growing. “Boys night.”

“…Boys night. Boys night. Boys night.” Jeremy starts chanting and then Taehyung joins him. “Boys night! Boys night!” The voices inside the tent gets louder and louder.

“Boys night!” Jungkook joins with pure excitement.

Just a small tent under the moonlight, surrounded by trees, is quite possibly the manliest men. Well, according to them.

Present Day

Watching one of your best friends walk down the aisle to join hands with one of your other best friends and seeing them smile all giddily with glossy eyes as they vow to one another about a long life of love is surreal. You and Hoseok are probably the most emotional ones here at this entire venue. You don’t even know how you’re going to handle Hoseok’s wedding one day and he’s thinking the same about you.

Naomi and Jeremy seal the deal with a sweet kiss and everyone’s going wild, clapping and hollering for the two lovebirds. You were nervous for no reason earlier when you watched yourself in the mirror, reflecting on the last year—the wedding has been perfect.

Once the ceremony ends, the night continues on to the reception. A big place. Open bar. Dance floor and round tables with beautiful decorations scattered around. Families joined, friends gathered and love so thick in the air.

Taehyung is walking through the lively crowd of people of friends and family as he grips the drink he just got from the bar. He sees you and Jimin chatting in the distance, your bodies close together, laughing and touching so innocently. Dummies, he thinks to himself as he smiles. He wants nothing more than for the two of you to have this kind of day of your own. But he’s also wishing he could imagine this kind of day for himself as well. In his dreams, because he thinks he is officially giving up. He even sees Jungkook in the distance flirting with a cute girl.

“When will it be my turn?!” He mocks himself, groaning out loud, not even realizing his own volume.

“Please.” A feminine voice suddenly can be heard. “That’s what I’m asking.”

Taehyung’s eyes lower to a girl sitting down at the nearest table to him, she lifts her drinks in some sort of depressing cheers. “Want to take a seat at the losers table?” She asks him with a playful smile. Taehyung looks around the venue before shrugging and taking a seat.

“Trust me, no one is more loser than me.” Taehyung mumbles, taking a sip of his drink.

“You sure?” The mystery girl raises a brow in a challenge. “This is my eighth wedding this year.” She counters confidently, “Imagine having that many friends in love?! I set up half of them. I deserve a fairy tale too.” She pouts before taking a sip of her own drink.

“God, I know exactly what you mean!” Taehyung nods his head enthusiastically, “My friends all make fun of be for being the biggest believer in soulmates yet they all have one but me?! Make it make sense?!”

“Unbelievable!” The girl shouts, egging him on with her own woes. “Maybe we’re meant to die alone.”

“I’m starting to think so.” He agrees before taking another sip.

“Love is this magical thing and we will never know.”

“It’s literally the best thing to exist!” Taehyung shouts, “Right?!”

“Hallelujah, amen.” The girl sighs before they clink their glasses together in some depressing cheers. “Why aren’t there more people like us? We deserve it the most!”

“Exactly!” Taehyung starts getting more riled up. “Where is my me?! And where’s your you?!”

“Someone like us?” The girl shakes her head, expressing how impossible that is. “They obviously don’t exist. As if we would meet anyone who share our ideals.”

“Fucking exactly, my dude.” Taehyung takes another sip.

“It wouldn’t happen,” She drags out her words, completely believing them. Excited to know someone she can share this pain with. “We would never meet…” She says the words slowly, blinking at nothing before she turns her head towards Taehyung. Her eyebrows start to furrow and he gazes back at her, his own brows pinching together as realization starts hitting them both.

“…Wait…a…minute…” They both say slowly in unison as their eyes narrow at one another.

They keep staring and staring before Taehyung quickly shakes his head and he laughs, “No…that…that can’t be.”

“Of course not!” The girl rushes to say as well, “That’s ridiculous! We just met.”

But then Taehyung narrows his eyes again, “…But what if…”

“Yeah…I mean…” She looks at him suspiciously as well. But then Taehyung snorts.

“We don’t even know each other’s names this is,” Then he suddenly becomes serious. “Taehyung.” He extends his hand out and she takes it immediately.

“Marisol.”

“…Nice to meet you.”

“…Likewise…” She keeps her hand in his palm and they take a moment to gaze at the other.

“Did you feel that?” Taehyung suddenly asks.

“If you’re talking about the bolt of fucking electricity when our hands touched then hell yeah.”

“…Are we…”

“…Soulmates?” She finishes the question.

They stare at each other again and then they both let go on each other’s hands as they start cracking up, heads shaking at the idea.

“God, that’s so ridiculous.” Marisol waves him off before reaching for her drink again.

“For real.” Taehyung laughs alongside her. “Anyway,” He raises his glass towards her. “Cheers.”

“Cheers, fellow loser.” She brings her glass to her lips as they lock eyes, both smiling as they drink.

You can hear lively dance music in the distance as you finish drying your hands in the venues bathroom. You open the door to exit when you run into someone. Like, literally.

“Sorry, I—” You pause, eyes wide as you eye the girl you just bumped into before you’re grinning. “Lucy?”

“y/n!” Lucy squeals in excitement.

“Wow,” You eye her over, “I almost didn’t recognize you.” You say, she sheepishly tugs at the ends of her hair. Her blonde hair looks a couple shades lighter and her once long locks have been completely chopped off. Her hair curls right below her chin now.

“Wanted something new.” She admits cutely. “But I’m so happy I ran into you! The ceremony was so beautiful, oh my god, I cried a little, I won’t lie!”

“Girl, you’re telling me.” You chuckle.

“So how are you?” Lucy asks, “I’ve really missed you guys.”

“I’m good.” You smile at her. “We miss you too. Are you doing well?”

“More than that.” She admits, “You’ll never believe it…but I’ve been offered to study below a pretty big deal designer in Paris for 6 months. I’ve accepted…I leave in November.”

“What!” You quickly bring her in for a hug. “That’s awesome, Lucy!”

“It is.” She says in your chest. “Things are good.”

You pull away from her, “I’m happy for you. Truly.”

“Thanks.” She grins, goofy smile on her face that you haven’t seen in so long. “Anyway, I really got to pee! Catch you later, girl.”

“See ya!”

You watch as she disappears in the bathrooms and you feel your heart glowing. Despite everything…you’ve always just wished her well. You’re glad it’s come true.

You walk down the hall, your short heels clicking against the tiled floors and you follow the sound of music into the main area. And just when you thought you were done running into people…

“Well, well, well.” Min Yoongi. “If it isn’t a pretty stranger.” He shows you an adorable smile before you’re laughing and giving him a hug. “Namjoon and Emiko are right behind me.” He tells you, you both look behind and you see the two approaching.

“Namjoon!” You feel your lips spread into a wide smile. He looks as handsome as he ever has. His smile grows on his own face and it’s the one you’ve always known—that genuine fucking smile.

“y/n.” He says your name with ease, “You look great.”

“You’re one to talk.” You tease him before you’re being scooped into a firm hug. “And Emiko, you look gorgeous.”

“Wow,” She blushes, fingers brushing back her black, silky hair. “Thank you. You do too!”

“I’m glad you guys were able to make it.” You tell them all. “Have you said hi to everyone else?”

“Yeah, not too long ago.” Namjoon says. “I’m glad those two finally got together.” He laughs as Yoongi nods along with a smile. “Being reunited with everyone has been a gift.”

“We feel the same.” You tell him honestly. “Anyway, I’m sure they’re wondering where I’m at. I’ve felt my phone vibrate at least ten times since I’ve slipped away to the bathroom.”

“I’m guessing we can all assume its Hoseok.” Namjoon chuckles.

“Naturally.” You playfully roll your eyes. “It was great seeing you guys though. Let’s all dance later!”

“Sure.” Emiko grins at you.

And then you’re walking off to find the rest of your friends.

“Going to use the bathroom, be right back.” Yoongi tells Namjoon and Emiko.

“Sounds good.” Namjoon waves him off, then he catches Emiko’s eye. “What?”

“Nothing.” She sings out. “I was wondering how’d you react when seeing her.” She teases him, “Do you think her and that guy are together?”

“Jimin?” Namjoon raises a brow, “Hmm, I don’t know.”

“You aren’t upset about it?”

Namjoon chuckles at this, “Why would I be?” He smiles at her. “I’ll defend her love decisions!”

“That so?” Emiko continues to tease.

“Ah, she went on a date with me the day she saw Jimin again for the first time in five years. You know, I bet a whole book could be made about her and that situation.” He laughs, “Maybe I should write it.”

“Going to venture into a new genre?” Emiko giggles, “Okay, what would their book be called? Something like ‘Still in love’” She jokes but Namjoon thinks about it thoughtfully.

“No…” he ponders, “Maybe something like ‘Love Again’ instead.”

“Oh, cute.” Emiko nods her head. “Okay, if we had to have a romance novel about the two of us what would it be called?”

Namjoon’s eyes expand slightly before he’s titling his head. “Huh?”

“A good title would probably be ‘Oblivious’ hm?” She continues to joke and tease. Namjoon stares at her for a moment. He’s not as oblivious as she’s making him out to be so he smiles before responding.

“Or maybe something cheesy like, ‘First Love’” He tells her with a dimpled grin. But she just drops her smile slightly, blinking at him slightly confused.

“Ah, that phase I had back in like middle school where I ‘hated’ you? I didn’t actually think you had cooties.” He chuckles, “I was just a dumb kid who didn’t know how to handle his feelings. Kids, you know?” Namjoon shrugs and Emiko stares at him while blushing. “But I like to think I’ve matured since then.”

“W-What—”

“Alright, I’m back!” Yoongi walks between them, “Should we get some drinks now?”

“Oh my god, can you believe it?” You lean against Hoseok’s body, swaying into your best friend before he’s wrapping an arm over your shoulder.

“Believe what?” He grins, “That our best friends are all grown up?”

“Exactly. Can you believe we had no idea these two were going to get together?”

“Honestly, I’m still in shock.” Hoseok laughs loudly, “All they did was bicker!”

“According to everyone it was sexual tension.”

“Literally there was nothing sexy about it.” He deadpans and you burst into laughter.

“God, I am so glad we agree.”

You two are leaning against a cold, metal railing that overlooks a calm pond. There’s a few tables set up outside but everyone’s indoors, dancing the night away. You and Hoseok found yourselves outside, enjoying the cool late September breeze, escaping the inside crowd.

“Well, if it isn’t the two most important people in the world.” You hear Naomi’s voice from behind you and Hoseok. “What are you two doing out here?”

“Escaping.” You say, sticking your tongue out.

“Hell yeah. Us too.” Jeremy grins, “Can you believe those people in there? So much energy.”

“Pretty gross, if you ask me.” Naomi giggles, “I wish everyone could have agreed to take a nap before getting this party started.” Naomi and Jeremy stand on either side of you and Hoseok. All of you leaning against the railing, eyes on the water.

“Should we ditch this lame party and have a movie night instead?” You tease.

“God, only if we watch a horror movie so Hoseok can entertain all of us.” Naomi joins in.

“You guys are assholes.” Hoseok complains as he knocks his hip into yours.

“Oh come on, Hobi, we love you.” You knock back into him. “Hurry, tell us you love us back.”

“Not sure you guys deserve my love.”

“Bruh.” Jeremy whines. “I didn’t even say anything!”

“Fine, you have my love, Jer. But the two of you are on thin ice.” Hoseok looks as you and Naomi before you’re all laughing. “But really…I do love all of you. Feels like an appropriate day to be cheesy.”

“Agreed.” You smile, eyes still on the pond. “This is life, huh?”

“What else would it be?” Jeremy snorts.

“You know what I mean.” You turn your head to glare at him but then you soften. “We’re at the part of life where things grow and change. It’s natural to grow apart too.” You say more quiet, “We will probably see less and less of one another. Get busy with so many things. Life, you know?”

“I guess you aren’t wrong.” Naomi mumbles. “As sad as it sounds.”

“Yeah…” Hoseok agrees softly, his arm tightening around you as his other arm goes around Jeremy. “We’re still family though.”

“Always will be.” You say.

It’s quiet between the four of you for a few minutes, everyone staring out into the world, moonlight shining over the pond as you all soak in this moment you’re sure you’ll cherish for the rest of your lives.

“Wait…” You suddenly blurt.

“Huh?” Hoseok glances at you, “What’s up?”

“Yo.” You look at your friends, “We’re literally stuck together dudes. Less and less my ass! We are stuck with each other Monday through Friday, bitches!”

“Oh shit.” Hoseok suddenly grins, “That’s so true.”

It’s quiet for another moment before you’re all dancing in your spots and collectively yelling, ‘Ayy!’

“We’re in this shit until retirement, huh?” Naomi smiles so hard her face hurts.

“No doubt.” Jeremy agrees, “And in this economy? Might be forever.”

“I guess I could do forever with you guys.” You laugh.

It’s quiet again until Naomi detaches herself to look at the three of you more seriously, a delicate fondness in her eyes. “But seriously the four of us…” Naomi pauses because her voice cracks a little and she starts laughing at how ridiculous she feels for getting emotional. But you just smile at her, nodding along because you completely understand.

“Yeah.” You say simply because you get it and so do the guys.

It’s been one magical night. You feel happy and loved and grateful. But you have no idea that the most important part of this day has yet to happen. Your friends have gone back inside, Hoseok being challenged by Dae for a dance off and Naomi and Jeremy explaining they should probably socialize with their guests.

You’re taking this moment to just breathe this late September air and watch how the moon grows brighter.

“Hey.” You jump a little at the sudden sound of Jimin’s voice. “Whoops,” He chuckles softly, eyeing you over. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

“Jeez, Jimin.” You throw a hand over your heart. “Warn me next time.”

“Sorry, sorry.” He smirks at you, “You must have been pretty lost in your head to not have heard me come out here.”

“Not lost.” You smile. “Admiring this beautiful night.”

“Ah,” He comes closer to you, standing by your side before he’s looking out over the water. “It is a beautiful night.”

“Mhm.”

“Wow,” Jimin turns to face you, looking offended. “That was your cue to tell me I’m beautiful! Drunk you would have done it.”

You laugh at this, “Well, I’m not drunk. So I guess you’re out of luck.”

“Damn, and I thought I had pretty good luck.”

“Maybe another time.” You tease him, playfully bumping into his side. “We haven’t really gotten to talk the last few days since we’ve been so busy with wedding stuff.”

“Trust me, I’ve felt your absence.” Jimin admits, voice soft and low.

You stare ahead at the water, gulping because his words somehow always affect you so stupidly. Your heart is already pounding in your chest and it makes you feel silly. “Have you now?” You finally ask, voice calmer than you thought you could manage.

“Of course.” Jimin responds, “Is it not obvious that I’m incapable of living without you?” He asks but it sounds like a harmless joke. “If it’s not obvious what can I do to make it that way?” He turns his head to gaze at you. “What kinds of things should I say or do?” He asks lowly, voice smooth and charmed.

You meet his eyes and try to swallow the anxious lump in your throat. “I don’t know.” You chuckle awkwardly, “Isn’t saying it just like that enough?”

“Hmm.” Jimin licks his lips before continuing, “Is it enough?”

“I-I don’t know.” You say again.

“You do know.” He steps a little closer to you, “You’ve been…”

“I’ve been…?”

“Amazing.” He says in one breath. “But that word doesn’t even feel like enough.”

“Oh?”

“y/n…I’m okay.” He decides to say, his eyes on yours, barely even blinking. “I’m okay.”

“What do you—”

You stop when Jimin turns his head to face the water again, a deep sigh leaving his mouth before he’s swallowing a lump in his own throat. “I want to tell you…” He begins, voice shakier than before. “That I am finally the man I need to be for me…because,” He pauses. “Because I’m the man I want to be for you.”

You stare at him, speechless, eyes on his side profile, trying to process what he’s saying.

“I don’t have that darkness eating at me anymore.” He spills truthfully, “I only see light.”

Of course he does, you think. You blink at him, still rendered speechless.

“So much light.” He swallows.

Of course there’s light. Because he deserves the fucking sun.

Jimin turns to face you again, eyes glassy and a smile so heartwarming you might melt right here, your liquid body dripping into the pond.

“I can’t not be with you anymore.” He admits, breaths heavier as he tries to come up with more to say. “If you’re ready then—”

Finally, after this long year…you are feeling his plush lips against yours as you lean into him with your rushed kiss. He’s surprised for only a moment. His eyes slowly shutting as he kisses you back, hands feeling your waist when he pulls you in closer. But the kiss falls apart quickly, your emotions bubbled over, all you can do is exhale into his mouth before you’re leaning away with teary eyes on his.

“You-you’re okay?” You ask, hands going to his face, cupping his cheeks tenderly. “You’re okay?” You ask again, voice cracking.

Jimin’s bated breaths are hard to miss. He tries to smile for you, his own emotions spilling. “I’m not okay, y/n. I’m good.”

“You are?” You ask, in an almost pleasant disbelief. “Do you still—”

“Love you?” He chuckles, sniffling a little before leaning forward and pressing a kiss to your lips. “With all my heart. We’re fated.”

You laugh, despite wanting to cry. “Cheesy.” You push him back playfully, “You sound like Taehyung.”

“Is that a bad thing?” Jimin rubs his hands on your waist.

“God, not at all. He might be the best one of all of us.”

“Yeah.” Jimin nods. “He is our soulmate, after all.”

“Don’t let him hear that, we will never hear the end of it.” You giggle, hands still cupping his cheeks. “I also love you, by the way.”

“I know that.” Jimin brushes his nose against yours, “You’re going to love me again and again.”

“Forever.” You confirm. “So…”

“Hm?”

“I’m pretty sure we could leave if we wanted.”

“Oh could we?” Jimin leans further into you again, his lips pressing over yours as he smiles. “You going to let me take you home, baby?”

“Going to let you take me anywhere.” You reply, voice laced in silk now.

“Paradise.” He says, “Going to take you to paradise.”

God, you don’t think you’ve ever known another tongue like this. Wet and delicious, sliding up your inner thigh, teeth nipping the fragile skin. Your fingers dig into your sheets, the soft material not enough to handle the violence you’re unleashing on them. You’re not convinced you can make it out alive. Not with a man promising paradise, promising heaven.

Jimin’s got a thumb spreading the tops of your folds, exposing the place that promises your sinful death. He only admires your heat, arousal dripping to your mattress and he takes a mental picture. He wants to remember your pretty pussy like this—before he ruins it.

“We don’t have to take our time, Jimin.” Your hand goes to the top of his head, fingers threading through his hair before you tug it. “I’m so desperate for you.”

“I love those kinds of words, babe.” Jimin kisses the inside of your thigh, dark eyes on you. “You can say whatever words you want…but that won’t change what I do with you. But I encourage it, it just makes me harder.” He tells you, his hips rutting against the mattress. “Say you’re desperate. Talk about how badly you need my cock inside you or you might die. Go ahead,” Another kiss, but this time closer to your core. “Say it so I can get so hard that I come all over your sheets, baby.”

“Jimin…” You whine his name and he only smiles at you, sly and forbidden.

“Look at you.” He mocks you sweetly, “Looks like you’re going to fucking fall apart just from this.”

Your chest is heaving. He isn’t wrong. You probably do look like that since that’s how it feels. You’re so fucking sensitive, you’re so fucking pathetically sensitive.

“I could suck your clit for 30 seconds and I bet you’d fucking shake from a quick, pathetic orgasm, huh?” Jimin teases, his tongue poking further from his lips. He keeps his eyes on you when he finally uses it. Uses his tongue in the place that’s going to kill you.

“Fuck, Jimin.” You breathe roughly, body tense from how insane you’re going. He stares up as you, eyes with flames burning inside. He presses his tongue against your core, a ridiculous but perfect amount of pressure as he drags it up towards your clit. You’re not going to survive and you sure as hell aren’t going to last.

Jimin, using that same amount of pressure, circles his tongue expertly, making you cry out. Making you want to scream. And he does what he teased you with…he wraps his luscious lips around your sensitive nub and he sucks on it. Your legs immediately react, heels of your feet digging into Jimin’s back. He groans into your cunt, sucking while his tongue fucks you into another reality.

He said 30 seconds but you cannot even confidently say it’s going to be that much…you’re feeling like this is the first time. First time you’ve ever been touched. First time you’re being introduced into a new world of overwhelming pleasure. You’re moaning, high, low, whimpers, whines and everything in between.

And then you gasp, heels digging deeper into his back when two thick fingers push inside your entrance.

“Oh, fuck.” You cry out, eyes slamming shut even though you want to watch him. Those two fingers curl and explore…and you cannot keep this impending explosion of pleasure at bay any longer. Fingers tugging at Jimin’s hair, you cry his name over and over until you feel yourself get hit with a rush of heat. Fire trialing across your entire body as this orgasm hits you in waves.

Jimin lets you use his face to ride it out, your moans a melody to this rhythm. When you’re finally relaxing, Jimin backs away, satisfied, sinister grin on his face. When his fingers leave your dripping hole, so does your sanity.

“What did I say?” Jimin crawls up your body, voice taunting. “You’d be shaking from an orgasm that you so pathetically welcomed.”

“Because I’m so desperate for you, Jimin.” You pant, completely worn and out of breath.

“Keep up the desperation, baby.” He strokes his cock, “Because I have yet to fuck you.”

“No condom.” You moan, “Fuck it. No condom.” You tell him again, “I’m good about my birth control…fuck me with nothing between us.”

“You just want my cum filling you up, don’t you? God, you’re so dirty, baby.”

“Yeah.” You nod, your fingers going down to his member, stroking his length yourself. His eyes roll to the back of his head at the contact. “Need your cum inside me, want to feel it dripping out, want to feel the evidence of your pleasure mixing with mine.”

“That’s something a slut would say, baby.” Jimin’s hips jolt forward when you squeeze the head of his cock. “Is that what you are for me, hm?”

“Find out.” Your breaths are erratic, smile on your lips as you guide his cock to your core. Jimin allows you to tease the tip of his dick, the swollen head dipping into your hole, stretching you with every little push.

“More.” Jimin is the one begging, “Let me push inside more.”

“Yeah.” You nod frantically, whines leaving your mouth. “Bury yourself inside me.”

Jimin’s hands go to your hips as he concentrates on sliding further into you, inch by inch slowly disappearing as your pussy sucks him in. “Yeah, fuck.” He pants, body falling further on you, his face hovering above yours. “This is how I’m going to fuck you, yeah?”

“Mm, yeah.” You cry, his cock finally fully inside, his pelvis meeting yours. “Move.”

Jimin says nothing, he just pulls his hips back, his length brushing your insides before he’s thrusting back in. He’s breathing so heavily as he starts repeating these motions. Your fingers are now clawing at his back, he groans right in your ear at the slight pain he feels from your nails. But he doesn’t hate it.

“More.” You beg, “More, more. Fuck, Jimin, more.”

He’s motivated. Hips slapping against yours, fucking you properly now. He’s pushing in and out, forcing his hips to grind into you with such depth and precision. He’s feeling the tightness in his balls and he’s struggling to keep his sounds from sounding so incredibly pitiful. And it is so fucking sexy to your ears.

“Jimin, fuck…” You whimper, “I’m going to come again…from this alone, god, I’m going to come…I’m so cl—”

“Yeah?” Jimin starts fucking you harder. “Thank god. The way you’re squeezing me, baby…” He can’t finish that sentence…your walls close in on him as you feel the high of pleasure possess your body. You’re entire body is tensing, back arching and Jimin can’t control it when his cock reaches the end and he’s in euphoria. He’s coming. Hot cum creating art inside you.

You’re both panting, you’re both moaning, crying, sinning beyond repair. You’re both in the paradise he promised.

“Shit,” Jimin collapses, trying his hardest not to crush you. “My love…” he kisses your neck, “I fucking love you, you know that?” He whispers. “This is day one.”

“Yeah?” You smile, breaths still erratic. “Good. I love you too.”

“What time is it?” You murmur sleepily, pointer finger tracing little patterns on Jimin’s chest.

“Maybe like 3am.” He tells you softly, “You want to sleep?”

“No.” You chuckle. “But also yes.”

“You know,” Jimin sinks deeper into the sheets, body twisting so he can face you, eyes on yours. “Life is crazy.”

“For sure.” You say, lips curving up. “Everything happens for a reason though, right?”

“Yeah.” He smiles. “Fate or whatever.”

“Mm,” You nod. “I guess so.”

“You know how Mr. Smith left me the theatre?” Jimin gazes at you, softness in his features.

“Yeah?”

“I found a good person to sell it to.” He informs you, “He would like this guy.”

“Oh.” You blink at him in slight surprise.

“I’m going to use the money to buy a house.” Jimin scoots closer to you, soft breaths hitting your lips. “How does that sound?”

“You’re asking me..?”

“Mhm.” He pecks your lips. “A home for us. We know we’re good at living together already,” He chuckles, “Been there, done that and what not.”

“Right.” You laugh, pecking his lips as well. “Might as well do it again.”

“Yeah, how do you think that sounds?”

“Sounds like fate.” Your hand goes to his cheek, thumb brushing against his smooth skin, “And you know what they say about it.”

“What?”

“It works pretty funny.”

“You have no idea.” He grins once more before kissing you again and again.

Well, maybe you’ve had an idea all along.

#bts #park jimin #bts smut #jimin smut #bts fluff #bts angst #bts fanfic #jimin fanfic #jimin x reader #jimin fluff #jimin angst #love again chapter 15

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thefinalcinderella · 1 year

Text

Tsurune Book 3 Chapter 4 - Old Friend (Part 2)

the way people talk in this volume is so weird, it'd be like:

Person A: [random spiel about a semi-interesting but irrelevant topic]

Person B: [random spiel about a semi-interesting but irrelevant topic that is barely related to what Person A is saying]

Person A: [continues random spiel] + Oh by the way [talks about thing that's actually related to the plot/characters]

Person B: Yeah.

And it's like the random infodumping never happened

Glossary here

Full list of translations here

Translation Notes

A hitatare is a type of traditional Japanese men's kimono worn by samurai

A nae eboshi is a type of hat worn by commoners and men without official court rank; an ayaigasa is a type of conical hat

The tenchou chikyuu ceremony is a thing where before you start a yabusame, you had to recite prayers and ride your horse around (or something like that)

The subase is when the head of ceremony gives the signal for archers to start galloping

The gaijin ceremony (凱陣の式) is when a drum is hit to signal the end of the shooting.

A gonnegi is a junior priest

Matsuda says this in English

Igarashi says 可以 in Chinese which means "I can" or "sure"

Previous | Next

Green ivy was twined around the red bricks.

This year as well, many varieties of roses were in full bloom in the central courtyard of Kirisaki High School. The fragrant scent of the roses hinted at England and showed the height of tradition and praise. A gentleman learned the customs of his family from an early age.

Shuu’s pale eyelashes trembled.

“I met her a year ago. I heard that she was a woman with a bad temper, but she was a perfect lady in front of me.”

Senichi and Manji froze.

“…She?”

“Her name is Lily.”

“…Lily? She’s a foreigner?”

Shuu let out a chuckle.

What was displayed on his phone was white legs and a white mane—it was obviously a horse.

“I don’t think I can attempt yabusame if I can’t ride a horse. Lily might have a Western name, but she’s a domestic horse. Thoroughbreds have thin limbs, so if they break a bone, it can be fatal.”

Yabusame was a Shinto ritual in which archers shot at a target from a horse riding at full speed. It was an eight-hundred-year tradition, and it wasn’t only a martial arts competition, but also a prayer for the peace of the country and the happiness of its people. Schools like the Takeda-ryuu and Ogasawara-ryuu inherited that spirit and technique. As an aside, drawing a bow while standing on the ground was called busha, and drawing a bow on a horse was called kisha.

A few days later, a housha ceremony was carried out at the shrine.

The members of the Kazemai and Kirisaki kyudo clubs crowded into the space. That was because Shuu and Masa-san were participating as the archers.

Horses draped in crimson appeared against a backdrop of jade-green maples.

The archers were dressed in beautiful yabusame costumes. They were wearing hitatare (1) made of gold brocade. Shuu’s was purple, and Masa-san’s was deep lapis-lazuli. Their feet were covered in deerskin, they wore nae eboshi and ayaigasa (2) woven of soft rushon their heads. They wore a bracer on the left hand and their yugake on the right. A long sword and a short sword hung from their hips, and they were holding their bows while carrying their quivers on their backs.

After the magistrate chanted the written prayers, the signal arrows were offered up to the shrine.

――The meigen ceremomy.

The archers would make their bowstrings ring out and exorcise demons.

When the group appeared at the front, there was a path for rider and horse to ride on. It was a long and straight path. Spectators lined the path to see the moment the targets would be hit. There were three targets. After the tenchou chikyuu ceremony (3), the procession began. Standard bearers and taiko drummers stood at the vanguard, and ougikata waved their fans. Three people—the heifuri, target watcher, and an arrow retriever—stood next to each target. These people served indispensable roles in this Shinto ritual.

It was finally time for subase.(4) At the signal of the head of ceremony’s taiko drum, the archers rode forward. The cool breeze, and the beautiful horses running down the straight path. Their smooth and thick muscles rippled, and the hair that covered their bodies shone in the light.

Shuu seemed like the flower and moon reflected on a clear surface, and Masa-san was like the man in the moon.

The moon reflected in the water was unattainable, and the beautiful immortal who lived on the moon.

Tachisukashi in Japanese-style horseback riding involved raising one’s body from the saddle by a hair’s breadth and maintaining a steady position even while riding the horse. It took many years to be able to master such a skill.

The housha!

The arrows that were powerfully released pierced the targets brilliantly.

Despite the loud cheers, the archers and their horses didn’t stop galloping. They quickly pulled out another arrow from their quiver and released it again.

A perfect hit!

They straddled their saddles, put their feet in the stirrups, and gripped their bows. The sound of the horses’ footsteps kicking up the dirt and the voices of people filled the area, but the archers didn’t smile. They didn’t turn around. This was a prayer for peace.

Bows were divine tools. When handling divine tools, one must never take one’s mind away from the gods. One must not give the demons an opening to take hold of you. By adjusting one’s qi, that is, aligning one’s own frequency with the frequencies emitted by people and objects, thereby purifying the space itself. Every time Shuu blinked, the violet fleeting moments activated.

Masa-san followed. He was someone who served the gods and his eyes were the same azure color as the earth. Many gods were watching—the god of the sky, the god of earth, the god of the bow. They were listening. They were holding their breaths. At this divinely solemn moment, the archer gave it his all. That was what this shot was for. Only when the bow, man, and horse became one could they communicate with heaven.

At the beginning of yabusame practice, participants rode on a human-powered rocking horse. Also, there were no warmup exercises on the day of the ceremony. For warriors, who never knew when a battle would begin, everyday life was synonymous with training. They created a set pattern, turned it into routine, and quickly dealt with any sense of discomfort. They kept in mind that even a second’s delay in judgment could be fatal, and did their best to have no regrets even if they crumbled to dust a second later. Bushido and Shinto rituals were inseparable. One felt the blessings of something invisible against one’s skin.

Archers offered up their prayers in a single arrow.

It was a makeshift bridge that connected heaven and humans.

The targets were hit one after the other, and when they had shot all their arrows, they dismounted. Upon returning to the shrine, a feast was held and sacred sake was offered. When they went outside, they shouted “Ei, ei, ei, oh!” to the accompaniment of taiko drums. That was the gaijin ceremony. (5) Inspecting the targets and cheering in victory was also a symbolic identification of the eradicated evil.

After completing their duties, Shuu and Masa-san looked at each other.

“As expected, Takigawa-san. All your arrows hit the center.”

“I can’t believe this is your first time, Fujiwara-kun.”

“Lily is a woman with nerves of steel. I’m grateful to her for trusting me.”

“Shuu-kuuuun!” Ryouhei ran over to them. “Shuu-kun, I wanna ride a horse too.”

“I don’t mind. We can take turns riding.”

Ryouhei and Minato took turns riding the horse with Shuu sitting behind them. Seiya, Kaito, Nanao, and the others also rode with Masa-san. The line of sight was high on horseback, and the body moved up and down with the horse’s steps, so even in this state it seemed difficult to hit the target with an arrow.

Senichi, Manji, Kabashima, Yushima, and Kuon were also there. Kuon lifted his chin and followed Minato and Shuu as they rode together with only his eyes.

Asahina and Eddie were there as well. The two were facing each other.

“That was so hype! The Young Prince of Kirisaki and Kazemai’s coach look incredible! Eddie, did you get them?”

“But of course. Now, let us move to the next position.”

For the two people who just loved flashy things, there was nothing more exciting than this. They applied in advance to the organizing body for permission to film and to share the proceeds from the stream, and secured the best seats. Matsuda, Kanuma, and Igarashi from Haneina High’s kyudo club, as well as their other school friends, participated as support, and videos were taken from multiple angles. The music would be performed with traditional instruments, and there would be explanatory captions in multiple languages for overseas viewers.

Many of the viewers for the kyudo channel “Yumihiki Douji” were foreigners. Their latest challenge was to get people to remember the “Eight Stages of Shooting.” Just like the soccer terms dribble and shoot, they wanted to raise awareness of kyudo terms such as “uchiokoshi” and “kai.”

That was why they started chanting the Eight Stages in the beginning of their videos. The only way to get people to remember unfamiliar words was to have them listen to them over and over again. The more words you knew, the deeper your understanding would be, and above all, the more fun you would have.

Some people might have skipped watching their videos because they recited the Eight Stages quickly. But there were also byproducts. After their viewers who were archers continued to watch them for about a month, they started reporting one after the other, “I don’t know why, but my hitting rate has increased.” The most likely theory was that the brain responded to the mouth saying things out loud, resulting in image training.

Asahina waved to Minato and the others who had finished riding.

“Hey, Kazemai crew! Can I interview you guys? I’ll start with Narumiya. You know both the Young Prince and the priest, in your opinion, how were they today?”

“They’re the same as always. Really cool.”

“Which one was cooler?”

“There’s no way to compare that, is there?”

“Can I have a look at your palm?”

“My hand? Okay.”

Asahina took a step closer to Minato.

“Just as I thought. You’ve got the Buddha’s eye and Mystic Cross on your palms.”

“Is that rare?”

“It is. They say that people with these lines have strong sixth sense and intuition, and are protected by their ancestors and other unseen things.”

“I don’t have a sixth sense, though.”

“Maybe it hasn’t awakened yet. Well, I’m more curious about this than your palms, though.”

Asahina and Eddie immediately touched Minato’s forehead. Seiya and Kanbayashi let out a simultaneous “Ah.”

“You’re full of openings. We have made contact with ‘Minahead,’ and now our mission for today is complete. Our kyudo skills will also improve. Thanks, Narumiya. We’re looking forward to seeing you at prefecturals.”

“We bid thee farewell!”

The two of them were quick to escape, and were quickly lost in the crowd.

In a corner of the shrine.

Masa-san stretched out as he took off his yabusame costume.

He was the only one there, as he had been given a private room. He rubbed his arms, shoulders, and legs with his hands and thanked them for their hard work for today. Since the body was the companion of the soul, it was the priest’s job to express gratitude to it. Masa-san’s priesthood rank, “Gonnegi” (6), came from the word “negu.” He soothed the hearts of the gods and prayed for their blessings.

He changed into street clothes, finished his canned coffee, and went outside. The sky he looked up at was blue and the wind was cool. The trees were covered in young leaves, and it looked like it was going to be a great day for setting sail.

“Am I qualified to exorcise demons? Answer me, Gramps.”

Gramps referred to Yasaka-hanshi, his kyudo master and grandfather.

As if in response to his words, the out-of-season chirping of cicadas sounded. They were chirping loudly and powerfully, but he couldn’t tell if the answer was yes or no. Did he ask the question in the wrong way, or was it presumptuous to ask if he was qualified or not? He supposed his grandfather was telling him to do his job and not just stand around talking nonsense. He was aware that the gods could see through his defeatist attitude, but if possible, he didn’t want his disciples to find out.

Even if he shot a million arrows or landed a hundred hits, his doubts weren’t dispelled. He was doing his best to contain the surging emotions within, putting them into words and erasing them, struggling to keep them unspoken.

Speaking—proclamations represented one’s covenant with the gods. Prayers and curses were the same from their perspective, and cancelling a covenant was no mean feat.

You must not say those words—.

Not only am I a servant of the gods, I’m also those kids’ coach. All women look beautiful to me, but I only think of my disciples as cute. Am I a doting parent?

The trees rustled in the wind.

The encounter was on a rainy night. The twinkling of peridots.

Dreams and reality intersected.

Sensing the presence of someone, Masa-san held his breath.

A woman walked up to him. It was hard to make out her face because she was wearing fancy glasses under the sunlight filtering through the trees, but he could get a rough idea of who she was by the way she was standing.

“Tsucchi-san.”

“I had no idea that the priest who passed by was the coach of the Kazemai High School kyudo club. There’s something I want to talk to you about.”

“Tsucchi-san, you’re the coach for Haneina. I saw you at the venue for the preliminaries, but I apologize for not saying hello to you.”

“I don’t care about that kind of lip service. You called me ‘Ena-senpai’ during the thing with Tetsi. What do you mean, ‘it’s a fine name’? I don’t trust men who are smooth talkers.”

“‘Ena’ is a name that comes from the ena of the Womb Realm, the placenta of the perfected one. It seems that everyone has a memory of being wrapped in their mother cradle.”

“Can a Shinto priest talk about Shingon Buddhism?”

“Japanese people are a people who celebrate Christmas at the end of the year, listen to the temple bells on New Year’s Eve, and visit the shrine on New Year’s. They live a life that’s true to Shintoism, respecting, integrating, and making the other into their daily routines, and yet so many Japanese say that they aren’t religious, making foreigners confused because they don’t understand.”

“I guess there was a problem with postwar education in that regard. Historians say that those who didn’t learn the myths of their peoples perished without exception.”

“Some works such as the Kojiki and Nihon Shoki are based on true stories of natural disasters and incidents, as well as to teach lessons. Because people don’t study mythology, they make the mistake of thinking that there are no gods or Buddhas, and that humans are the supreme creatures on earth. For the Japanese, God is nature itself. The sun god, mountain god, and the water god who is a dragon, are said to be animistic and primitive, but without the sun and water, almost all living things would disappear, and without mountains, it would be impossible to create buildings, cars, and other man-made objects.”

“The great power is God. I guess the Japanese have been good at anthropomorphizing since ancient times. Everything, even swords and countries are anthropomorphized. Humans are humans, and they become the god of learning or the god of manga.”

“Gods, Buddhas, and humans are all exalted and sacred beings. Tsucchi-san, I recommend you learn the art of self-defense. Until you master it, throw anything you can get your hands on, blind your attacker with scissors, and fight back with low blows. If you step on your attacker’s foot or kick them in the shin with your heel, most people wouldn’t be able to move for a while.”

“Aren’t those all foul techniques?”

“The best self-defense technique is not closing the distance with the opponent or creating a situation where you have to fight, but it’s unavoidable in order to fend off physical attacks, right? Even women who lack physical strength should remember how to protect themselves. Both individuals and nations are exploited because they show weakness. You should learn enough to make people think, ‘Oh, I’m going to be in trouble if I make her my enemy.’”

“I heard that we aren’t the strongest primates or anything. There’s something else I want to ask you. What exactly have you been doing for the last four years since you graduated from high school? I’ve been looking for you.”

“Mmm, last year I took the renshi exam and failed. When I entered the shajo, one person couldn’t keep their feet together and we all failed.”

“Hey, you haven’t answered my question at all. That happened after you graduated from university, right?”

“It was a typical four years at university, so I don’t have much to say about it. Oh, your students are here for you.”

When Tsucchi turned around, she saw Asahina and Eddie, who missed the chance to call out to her. Masa-san disappeared while she was distracted.

Asahina ran his hand through his red hair.

“Despite his appearance, he’s a scary priest. I definitely don’t want him to be my enemy. I bet he would chase me to the ends of hell and beat me up if I did anything wrong.”

Eddie also retied his blond ponytail.

“Well said. He is already immersed in tactics.”

The three started walking.

After the yabusame, the Kazemai and Kirisaki kyudo clubs met up and headed to the large public bathhouse.

Minato and the others were unaware of the words Masa-san and Tsucchi exchanged.

Eddie moved into the Asahina household the day after the yabusame.

There was a water leak in one of the units of the apartment Eddie was renting, and all the unit on the first floor was flooded. Chairs and refrigerators that were floating in the water were lying around, similar to the aftermath of flood damage. When he consulted with Asahina, he said, “Why don’t you come over?” and Eddie moved in immediately.

Eddie received a warm welcome in front of Asahina’s house. Although it wasn’t large in size, it had a simple and sturdy construction with tiles and earthen walls, making it look like an Edo mansion.

There was a man dressed in black at the entrance, calling out loudly to Asahina.

“Is that honored personage your school friend I’ve heard so much about, Waka? You said you wouldn’t let us meet him, but have you changed your mind now? Now, come inside, come inside.”

“Uncle, stop calling me ‘Waka.’”

“Waka is Waka. Ane-san is in the back.”

A woman wearing a chic kimono and had her hair tied back appeared. She was in her forties.

“Oh, son, do we have a guest? I’m about to head to work soon.”

“Mom, it’s fine to gather the neighbors together, but could you please stop dressing in black ceremonial kimonos and black five-crested kimonos? People who don’t know us would think this is a Yakuza gathering.”

“I don’t care about people I don’t know. This is a play party for adults, so they can just leave me alone.”

Asahina’s mother was a former actress. She retired when she got married and currently worked as the proprietress of a small restaurant. Her most famous work was a historical drama, and she played a character named Kikyou, called “Ane-san,” so even the people in their neighborhood called her “Ane-san.” Every month, she held a cosplay competition called the tea party. Her husband was a gentle man who was enchanted by his wife, and he would happily say things like, “Kikyou-san, you look beautiful today as well.” In a sense, they were a couple who were similar to each other and could immerse themselves in a world of lies.

There were many other people living in the Asahina household all the time. That was because Asahina often “found and picked up” people.

These people had various circumstances, such as foreigners traveling on a budget or children wandering around town. He enjoyed sightseeing together with tourists, and with bullied kids, he engaged legal organizations to report the bullies, who were essentially criminals, to the police. If they were beaten, the crime was bodily harm; if money or goods were taken, the crime was extortion; slander posted online was defamation, and shoplifting was theft. One must not be fooled by the paraphrasing of crafty people.

Asahina wasn’t only a boisterous Yotuber, but also the most dependable big brother in town. He was gallant and generous, unable to leave those in trouble alone. He was the model of an Edokko, possessing the determination and ability to do things, as if saying, “If the adults around you won’t protect you, I will.” Eddie, captivated with that side of him, enjoyed being around him.

After Asahina finished speaking with his mother, he spoke to Eddie.

“Well, the guest rooms are full, so let’s go to my room. I’ll ask you to help around the house like a freeloader. Also, don’t tell anyone if you find something.”

By “something,” he was talking about the posters and goods of the idol group “Princess Cheer” that Noririn was part of. Asahina was a group stan and a secret idol fan. He watched their fantastic live performances where they sang hard rock and danced agilely everyday.

“They’re piling up, so let’s clean it up quickly.”

“Will this be finished by the end of today?”

“Don’t run away, partner.”

Asahina’s eyes were sharp.

One had forgotten to mention that while Asahina had the appearance of a good-natured young man, his true nature was a tiger. If he recognized someone as an enemy, he would bite at them mercilessly. Barely anyone knew the face of the raging night.

When he opened the door to his room, it was filled with blinding light.

It was such a beautiful day that it was a waste to stay indoors. Asahina leaned out of his window and looked up at the sun. The way he narrowed his eyes and looked at it reminded Eddie of Icarus, who fell after his wax wings melted, and he whispered to him not to get too close to the sun.

The two turned on their computers. Using video editing software, they processed the footage they captured.

“What should we do here?”

“Nothing. Oh, this is nice. Female archers look so dignified.”

“A request has arrived, it has.”

“Shall we transfer it to Sensei?”

As they started to become well-known, all sorts of people wanted to discuss things with them, but Asahina and the others didn’t respond to them directly. At Haneina, they had contracts with lawyers, patent attorneys, tax accountants, and others, and they tried to involve experts in these discussions. There were many scams, and it was too risky for high school students to suddenly sign a contract. They must also pay taxes as well. In addition, the school intended to teach classes using these actual cases so it would help freelancers, who were expected to increase in the future.

“Hmm, my eyes are blinking too incessantly. I shall take a short recess.”

Eddie groaned, leaning towards Asahina, but Asahina remained glued to the screen.

“I am famished. I shall cry if you do not take care of me.”

“Our yellow-headed chirper is such a pain.”

Asahina opened a bag of pastries and popped one into Eddie’s mouth. Eddie lied down, chewed and swallowed, then opened his mouth again. When he was full, he got up and went back to his computer. On the way, his phone rang many times, but he ignored it. He immersed himself in his work and kept pushing forward. Both of them couldn’t stay still. It wasn’t a runner’s high, but once they reached a certain limit, they felt light and comfortable, like their bodies had gone somewhere else.

Old friend.

They probably met somewhere before they were born.

The person who was always next to them.

The person they could never save.

They probably wouldn’t share this feeling with anyone else. It was a secret between just the two of them. They were similar to comrades in arms, those who survived through numerous battles, those who watched their comrades die, and live with bitter memories that couldn’t be put into words. The sound of a young man crying for their mother and the smell of gunpowder. Whose memories were these and from when? They vowed to themselves that if they were still unable to leave the battlefield after being reborn, they would enjoy themselves.

“It’s peaceful here.”

“Yes, it is peaceful.”

“Oh no, we might not be able to finish by evening. I have to get them to confirm it too.”

Just as Asahina cried that out in front of the large number of materials, the door to his room suddenly opened. The members of Haneina’s kyudo club were all there.

“Let me help,” Matsuda laughed. (7)

“I’ll help if I can compose a poem while I’m doing it,” Kanuma said.

Asahina’s mouth curled into a smile. “You came at a good time. Can you do my homework for me?”

“You can do that yourself. Eddie, give me some work,” the Gardening Prince, Igarashi, said.

“I am indebted to you. Then, please translate these comments into Chinese. Include plenty of jokes as well.”

“Keyi.” (8)

In this way, the “Yabusame!” video posted by the kyudo channel “Yumihiki Douji” gained great popularity.

Put a message that will reach those who will notice—.

Kazemai High School.

From a corner of the school building, the sound of instruments repeating the same phrase could be heard. At first, it was out of tune, but before one knew it, they overlapped and turned into stately music. Sounds were also coming from the kyudojo one after the other.

Minato took his bow and arrow and let out a breath.

His master said, “Breathe through the soles of your feet. Relax your whole body.”

He raised his bow without warping his yumifutokoro. The bow was constantly talking to the archer. Release me, believe in me and surrender yourself to me. I’ll give you everything you want.

“You don’t need any tricks. Just expose everything and embrace the earth.”

He slowly pushed the bow open. The bow and human’s breathing overlapped. The breath he took in from the soles of his feet was exhaled at the top of his head and into the sky. The rising air engulfed the surrounding objects.

Tsurune. Matooto. The sound of gasps from the people watching. When the three sounds came together, Minato lowered his bow.

The first-year Kanbayashi clapped his hands vigorously.

“Senpais, that was so cool!”

“Foot breathing doesn’t make any sense to me,” Keyaki questioned, while Himuro was as expressionless as always.

“When you fold your body in half, the parts that overlap, such as the head and feet, neck and ankles, correspond with each other. Just like how the head has eyes and a mouth, it feels like there are eyes and mouths on the soles of the feet as well. Martial art techniques aren’t expressed with words, but expressed with your body. The only way to learn is by actually doing it,” Masa-san said.

When everyone finished zasha, Tommy-sensei stood in front of everyone.

“Now, did everyone change into their gym clothes. Let’s do yoga today. In kyudo, the vertical and horizontal lines of the body are important. Let’s each check the twists in our bodies.”

The method was simple: walk in a straight line with your eyes closed. When you opened your eyes, your body was twisted away from the line. You also tried lying face down and checked to see if your legs were the same length. Next, check for any contortions. If one of your knees stuck out when you were sitting in seiza, you had a pelvic abnormality. People who had a raised right shoulder were putting pressure on their stomach, and people with a raised left shoulder were putting pressure on their liver. They did corrective gymnastics, yoga cat poses and twisting poses.

Next to Hanazawa, who was striking gorgeous poses, Shiragiku was struggling. Since her body was stiffer than expected, Seo came to help. To conclude, they worked in pairs to massage each other.

Minato and Ryouhei formed a pair.

“Minato, Minato, I’m good at massages, aren’t I? I always do them for my sister.”

“Yeah, you’re good at it.”

“Are your toes going around in circles. I tried to do one for Shuu-kun before, but he refused.”

“I think he was probably surprised by the offer. Maybe he was embarrassed.”

“Really? He didn’t have to be shy.”

As they were chatting, Ryouhei leaned against Minato’s back, causing Minato to groan as he was folded in half.

To Hanazawa, Shiragiku, and Seo, they looked like an innocent Labrador retriever sitting on top of a serious black Shiba inu. Next to them, Kaito and Seiya had expressions of exasperation.

Tommy-sensei announced the next regimen.

“Everyone, bring out your phones. We’re going to record everyone’s shooting.”

They stood in front of the target in order. When they finished recording, they watched themselves on the screen. The things that were always pointed out were visualized, so they were able to accept them. At the end, they repeated the important points with Masa-san.

During the break, Nanao showed everyone the photos he saved on his phone. Kanbayashi was impressed by the figurine of a frog drawing a bow and an illustration of a frog wearing a headband while studying. It was filled with frog pictures.

“Kisaragi-senpai, you’re amazing. It’s a whole parade of frogs, kero. Oh, what’s this one?”

“That’s a picture my parents sent me. They’re obsessed with taking pictures of rainbows. They don’t just take pictures of rainbows in the sky, but all sorts of places like on bicycle reflectors and glass windows.”

“The colors change depending on how the light is reflected,” Keyaki said in admiration.

As Nanao was sliding through his photos, Masa-san asked him to stop at one of them.

“This is…”

“Oh, that photo was taken at a shrine on an isolated island. It looks like a rainbow-colored ring and magenta orb floating, but in reality, the setting sun shining between the torii gates was like a chrysanthemum flower, and each petal was shining in a rainbow color. It was really beautiful, apparently. Doesn’t it look mystical?”

“Oh, yeah, you’re right. Sorry, but could you share this photo with me?”

“Okay. But the locals asked us not to post it on social media. There are also worshippers included in the picture, and apparently they won’t be able to handle the influx of tourists on sightseeing tours.”

“Got it.”

Masa-san covered his mouth with his long fingers.

For some reason, Minato felt a chill as he stared at his profile.

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#tsurune #tsurune translation

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idontknowreallywhy · 10 months

Text

Estera - Ch 9 - Coffee

(Previous… Prologue - Stars are Only Visible in Darkness, Estera - 1 - Colour, 2 - Dinosaur, 3 - Shoes, 4 - Thunderbird, 5 - Lesson, 6 - Safe, 7 - Gull, 8 - Deliver)

(Recrudescence by @sofasurf)

This ended up being the longest chapter yet… but they had a lot of ground to cover. Also, I hope you will forgive the cheesy aroma of self-indulgence at the end but once the idea came I couldn’t quite let it go. And what’s the point of writing a story if you can’t do all of the ridiculous things you want to, right?

A Conversation…

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

“Hello, Scott.”

“Hey, you came!”

She did a tiny jazz hands then folded herself into the seat opposite, unravelling an incredibly long blue scarf from around her neck and face.

“Well at least you dressed right for the weather. I’ll admit I was a little surprised by how cold it is… isn’t it meant to be Spring?”

“Ah, welcome to Sidmouth. The sea breeze adds a certain something.”

“It’s a beautiful spot.”

“Yes, I love it here.”

Scott caught the eye of the waiter. “What can I get you?”

“Triple shot cappuccino please.”

He ordered two.

“I wasn’t expecting you until after the school day? Well, if you came at all, I mean… uh, you didn’t have to of course.” His mouth went dry.

“Of course I came.” She wound the scarf slowly around her hand as she continued

“I was actually supposed to have the day off today but was hoping being at school would be a distraction from it all. It wasn’t really working. I was actually about to leave when you, err, were there, so…” she reached the end of the scarf, placed it on the table in a neat rectangle and rested her hands on top.

“Thank you for your letter, it was… sweet of you.”

“I really am so sorry about the way I…”

She held up a hand. “Don’t, you’ve already apologised beautifully and it’s perfectly understandable. If anything needs forgiving then consider it forgiven.”

The waiter bustled over with the coffees. She fell on hers with surprising enthusiasm. Scott twirled the teaspoon in his fingers, trying to recall the various conversation starters he’d rehearsed to himself over the last 24 hours but they’d all evaporated the moment she’d sat down and any minute the silence was going to get awkward.

She put her mug down and tilted her head to one side, as if sizing him up.

“Zacząć od nowa?” She put a hand to her her mouth and shook her head. “Sorry, it’s been a long day… I mean, what if we started over?”

She held out a hand and Scott lifted his to meet it but hesitated, overwhelmed by a strange sense that his hand might go straight through hers and prove this was all in his head.

“Hello, my name’s Estera Hermaszewska. I’m a primary teacher here in the UK but I grew up in… what used to be Poland. I enjoy martial arts and running, I play the cello rather badly. Oh, and my favourite food is chocolate cake.”

She raised an eyebrow.

“Your turn.”

He took her hand and shook it tentatively.

“Scott Carpenter Tracy. First responder and pilot. Ugh, and I guess the business stuff takes up a lot of my time so there’s that. I’m from” he paused “well, Kansas originally. We had a ranch there. I like to run too. Oh, and apple pie.”

She smiled “that’s a good choice.”

Ok. Ok. He’d established she was really alive, she was living and she had a life. Now to find out how it was possible.

“How did you come to be here? In the UK?”

She sighed, the memory obviously a heavy one.

“Well, there was this war on where I lived. I don’t know if you heard about it but it was fairly inconvenient…” her mouth twisted into a wry grin and as she caught his eye he found himself smirking along too. With a jolt he realised the dark humour reminded him of his old air force buddies.

“And you didn’t fancy sticking around?” he asked lightly.

She looked down at her hands and ran her thumb along the edge of the scarf.

“On the day we… met… I realised I had to disappear so they didn’t target my parents too. I knew people were being smuggled out on small aircraft and luckily that night there was a plane leaving from the playing fields just behind our house.”

Scott went light headed as he realised he knew exactly the one she meant. The same one he’d intended to hijack to secure his own freedom.

“They just let you on board?”

She laughed bitterly and blinked rapidly.

“Uh, no. We had to be hidden. There were some wooden crates. I think they were supposed to look like coffins so nobody would check inside. It was…” she trailed off and he suddenly recalled her comment in the cave.

“Hence the claustrophobia?”

Her hands tightened around the scarf and she blushed a little.

“Hence the claustrophobia. I, err, don’t fly well either. At all, actually. Which is fine, I’ve never needed to since.”

“And your parents?”

He immediately wished he could claw the words back into his mouth. The flicker of agony on her features was brief but unmistakeable.

“The soldiers didn’t make the connection, they stayed safe. But…” she swallowed and clenched her jaw and when she continued there was a quiet fury in her words “just before everything ended they both got sick. One of the things the militia did when they arrived was blockade the supply of medical aid. Nobody got the vaccine boosters they should have had and…” she closed her eyes “the malaria was bad that year.”

As he watched her tangle her fingers through the scarf again, Scott felt almost overwhelmed by nausea. He swore to himself she could never know he had survived the monster that had taken her parents from her.

She hurried on “What about you though? I saw the guy with the knife… he looked… I thought he was going to… I thought he had. I was sure of it.”

She didn’t know?

“It was you. You saved me! Whatever you threw… he left me to the other two and chased you instead?”

“He chased me?” She turned her head and stared out to sea. Maybe he was telling her too much, he shouldn’t have said that, she didn’t need to know. Except now she did. He mentally kicked himself. She seemed to come to a decision to file the implications away for later and met his eye again.

“But you didn’t escape?”

Somehow he held her gaze and answered reasonably calmly.

“No. No, I didn’t escape.”

“I’m so sorry, Scott. We heard stories about the camps and… I’m so sorry.”

“Yeah. It wasn’t great.”

She looked at him incredulously and he took a breath, feeling he owed it to her to be honest.

“It’s difficult to find words to describe how horrific it was. I’m not completely sure how long it was between my arrival and it being liberated but they told me at least a couple of months. I… I came out sick and pretty broken but…” here he added his own mini jazz hands and a tiny forced smile “I survived.”

She nodded. “And look at everything you’ve achieved since!”

He shrugged that off. He didn’t deserve compliments right now. Something still wasn’t sitting right, still didn’t make sense in all of this. It didn’t fit the facts he knew.

“Estera, I’m sorry to ask this and please don’t answer if you don’t want to. But I have to ask it anyway. After… we met… did they uh, was there…”

He gripped the edge of the table and looked down, trying to steady his breathing. She reached a hand across and leaned into his line of sight, looking up at him calmly.

“It’s ok. You can ask it.”

“Did they… hurt… you?” The words burned his throat on the way out.

“After I left you? No, I never saw them again. I used my keycard to take the side gate from the alley into the school grounds to pick up my handbag… It was a crazy detour in retrospect but I panicked that if they found it they could use my ID to trace my family. Then I left via the back door and thankfully there was no sign of anybody.”

“They… were lying.”

Scott pressed his shaking palms into his eye sockets and shuddered.

They’d taunted him with unbearable detail of the humiliation and violence she’d been subjected to, all because of his intervention. But for him, they’d have had some fun then let her go… but he’d made the boss angry. He’d made it worse for her. If he hadn’t tried to play the hero she’d probably have survived.

It was a lie.

She had! They hadn’t done any of it.

All this time…

He laughed, bitterly. Then tried to explain himself.

“I’m sorry, they uh… told me… you… they… uh sorry.” He leaned back and looked at the sky, blinking to clear his vision, before taking a deep breath and blowing it out vigorously. He got control of himself and looked back at her. She was waiting. Looking sympathetic but not… not shocked or scared of what he might say.

“They told me I made it worse. That you were… punished for what I did and…” his voice caught “that you didn’t survive.”

“You didn’t. And I’m still here.”

“You are.”

“And so are you.”

“Seems that way.” he whispered.

✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨

Unprompted, the waiter materialised with fresh drinks and they both took the opportunity to pause and warm their cold fingers on the cups almost too hot to hold. She watched the steam, trying to collect her thoughts.

This conversation was never going to have been anything but difficult. But, it could have been worse. She hadn’t told him everything - he didn’t need to know everything - but what she had said… he’d seemed to understand? She’d not had that experience since the funding for the monthly therapy and support group for refugees was discontinued a year after the war ended. Since then, she’d been on her own. It didn’t seem fair to bring such things up with new friends. The fewer people who had to think about it the better. She raised the cup to her lips and blew away the steam.

Her hand trembled slightly and she slopped half the coffee over the table. Scott immediately contained it with napkins but there weren’t enough and she rooted in her coat pocket for the emergency packet of tissues she carried and produced them in a rush. Something else came out attached to the packet and fell to the table with a slight rattle.

Oh no. Oh no no no nooo.

He reached out and delicately picked it up between a thumb and forefinger.

“So… I can’t help but notice you have a tiny model of my leg in your pocket. Should I be concerned?”

Her face was burning.

“You… you know I work with kids, right? It’s um, not mine. I’m not a crazy stalker person or anything.” She glanced up and was relieved to see he was laughing. “In fact before today I didn’t know there were action figures, it’s usually the trading cards I have to confiscate. That’s quite some PR machine you’ve got there.”

Now it was his turn to look awkward.

“Ah, well… there were so many poor quality ones being sold and they were frankly an environmental disaster and the manufacturing conditions were awful and so TI made some official ones. Proper working conditions, closed loop. All the proceeds to charity so… uh, yeah. It still feels cringey but I think was the right thing to do.” He paused and rubbed the back of his neck vigorously as if trying to warm it up. “The ones of me always lose legs. There have been an embarrassing number of design meetings on the point.”

She nearly choked on her coffee.

“I'm sorry but it's just so surreal that you not only have a toy figure made of you but you actually go to meetings where you discuss your leg strength!”

“My actual leg strength is just fine. I’ve barely ever lost one.”

“That’s good to know” she deadpanned and took a sip of coffee before smirking again

“So… do you have to model for these?”

“Thankfully, no… they do refresh them occasionally and we have to approve any new designs. I have an overarching veto since a novelty collection of them nearly got released for Valentines a few years back… Gordon was the creative menace behind it and cancelling the production run cost him a significant chunk of his trust fund. Although he would tell you it was worth it for the prototypes he got to keep.” He smirked, apparently remembering “Virgil’s was quite amusing in fairness…”

She quirked an eyebrow by way of encouragement to elaborate.

“1960’s artists overalls and palate, jaunty beret, red rose between his teeth. The overalls had an outrageously big floppy bow.”

She thought back to the serious but handsome young man who had gently explained everything to the parents at the rescue site and smiled

“I bet that would have been popular”.

“Probably. Gordon’s was meant to portray the aftermath of his Olympic Butterfly gold, but the proportions were way off and I can promise you nobody needs an action figure of him in Speedo’s.”

She could feel her eyes widen “Oh, well, yikes.”

Her attention was caught by a loud snarling as a dog belonging to one of the other customers faced off with that of a passer-by. She tried to ignore it.

“Dare I ask what was wrong with yours?”

A clatter of crockery and scrape of chairs on concrete as the angry dog slipped its leash and bounded after the other, barking aggressively. The owner gave chase, shouting apologies.

She rolled her eyes and looked back at Scott about to make some comment about puppy training classes but he wasn’t there.

He was sat in the same place but his eyes, wide but with deep lines of tension at the edges, looked straight through her, flitting from side to side as he tracked something she couldn’t see. His jaw moved in a way that suggested he was grinding his teeth and his hand resting on the table had formed a white knuckled ball. He was barely breathing.

She knew this.

Her heart ached for him that he knew it too.

Ever so gently she placed her own hand next to his and very slightly stroked the back of his wrist with the tip of a finger. Sometimes a subtle touch could be grounding, as long as it didn’t shock him.

She carried on talking softly, hoping the sound would help him find his way back but quickly began to run out of nonsense. Clutching at straws, she began to recite the poem she had read to the children during quiet time last Thursday.

“Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;”

After a few moments his jaw relaxed slightly and his lips moved soundlessly. Encouraged, she ploughed on

“Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

Of sun-split clouds, – and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of – wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung

My eager craft through footless halls of air…”

She paused, racking her brain for the next line. In the faintest whisper he finished it:

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark, or ever eagle flew –

And, while with silent, lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

The gulls called to each other over the water, his eyes suddenly locked on to hers and he gasped.

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#thunderbirds are go #thunderbirds #thunderbirds fanfiction #scott tracy #TB Estera #estera #idontknowreallywhy fanfic #Tw: ptsd

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certifiedlovergirlsstuff · 2 years

Text

Will the Wise

pairing: Steve Harrington x Female Byers!Reader

genre: follows show plot lines, but will diverge from canon, obviously

WC: 6.2K

warnings: cursing, billy being billy, the very last part of this is a bit graphic mentions of blood, throwing up, deformed bodies (its not for the faint of heart basically)

summary: well aren’t you getting a bit cozy with Harrington. also will is going through some shit. also where the hell did Jonathan fuck off to?

A/N: ALL PARTS UNDER THE TAG -The Byers Harrington Story-

series masterlist

many thank yous to @alecmores, my proof reader. they are the reason i don’t sound like an idiot. also they said this was their favorite👀

THANK YOU FOR 200 FOLLOWERS!💗

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The ringing felt like it lasted forever, when in actuality, it was only two rings before someone picked up.

“Hello?”

“Hey, sorry to bother-” “You need a ride home?” “Yeah. No one is answering the home phone and Bob doesn’t leave until later. I just wanted to see if the offer was still-” “Oh, actually I have last-minute plans. Sorry,” Steve hissed in apology.

Disappointment seeped in, “oh, okay. I’ll try-”

His abrupt laughter on the other end stopped your sentence short, “I’m kidding, Byers. I’ll be there in ten minutes,” and then he hung up.

…

“Uh, Steve Harrington is asking for you up front,” Randy, a senior who works with you, mentioned when he walked into the break room.

Gathering up your things, you state “Thanks, Randy. See you tomorrow?” he nodded his head at you and you left the small room.

With your coat, school bag, and books in hand, you headed up front to see Bob seated behind the counter, and just as you turned the corner, Steve’s back was the first thing you saw. The fabric of his jacket pulled against his wide shoulders and shifted at the muscle on his biceps. The ends of his hair caressing his neck, a couple of pieces tucked behind his ear as they curled upward, just an inch from tickling the skin.

Letting out a jagged breath, you continued your walk forward and stood beside Bob at the counter, “so, I’ll see you later, Bob?”

You saw Steve turn around at the sound of your voice, but you didn’t want to notice him just yet. You needed a moment to compose yourself.

“We’ll see, Joyce hasn’t been answering the phone.”

“Yep, that’s why I had to call in my chauffeur. Isn’t that right, Harrington?” pushing the joking tone hard onto the words.

Steve turned his charming smile onto both you and Bob, just the simple pull of his lips threw your heart off rhythm, “At your service, Byers.”

‘He has no idea, does he?’ the intense effect he inflicts on you, something he does with just breathing, or even looking in your direction.

“Uh, well, hope to see you tonight, Bob,” you gave a wave as your final goodbye.

Steve walked out the door first but waited until you left to release his hold on it. He then rushed to the passenger side of his car and threw the door open for you, “Miss Byers,” he continued to play up the chauffeur role.

You grinned, “Thank you, Mr. Harrington,” and you slid into the leather seat.

You took those two seconds to just admire him as he jogged in front of the car to his side but snapped back to reality with a shake of your brain. ‘He and Nancy are still together, I think’ ‘They just fought, all couples have fights’ ‘That doesn’t mean they just broke up, or did they?’ ‘Nancy couldn’t say-’

“Got any plans for the upcoming weekend?” Steve making light conversation stopped the train of thoughts.

“Uh, not at the moment. Might just catch up on reading, or clean my room. We’ll see where the day takes me,” it took a minute to walk away from the noisy thoughts.

Looking from outside the front windshield staring down the highway, to sneaking a glance at Steve as he distracted himself with the empty road, his hands fiddling with the steering wheel. His beauty was too distracting for your brain, you whipped your head to the forest speeding past the maroon car, the blurriness and stillness allowing for your mind to wander. You kept your head tilted towards the window, your arm going to rest near the glass with your fist smushing into your cheek.

With your mind slowly leaving reality, you almost missed the next sentence that Steve spoke into the quiet car, “Would you be down to hang out with me?”

You thought your heart stopped beating for five seconds, your eyes widening at the forest. You didn’t say anything back right away, you didn’t even know what you could say. Steve was taking the initiative with this friendship and asking you himself if you wanted to spend time over the weekend, you thought this was a dream for a moment.

“If you’re free, of course. I don’t want to disrupt your reading or fall cleaning,” the grin evident in his voice.

Your brain started to catch up, “and what- what would we do, if we hung out,” the flirtiness seeping into your words, unintentionally you might add.

The boyish grin made another appearance, “whatever we feel like doing. What if I just want to be out of the house and bother you this weekend? How does that sound?”

‘Dangerous territory’ is a reminder for yourself.

“Well, if you do want to come over, you’ll just watch me clean. My room’s a mess, and if I don’t clean it up now, it’s going to get worse and affect my mood,” trying to keep this from sounding anything other than friends hanging out.

A grin appeared at your reply, “let's say I do come over to your house and keep you company while you clean, how would- how would Jonathan feel?” he was hesitant at the end.

“Uh-”, yeah, the two of them are still estranged, “I can see what he’s up to this weekend. If you do want to hang out and be bored for however long you stay.”

“Of course, I want to hang out with my friend, we’ve barely hung out since summer, and that was work,” a breathy laugh followed.

Friend

The word stung as usual, but it was the unabashed truth of your relationship, “yeah, feel like that’s a bit on me,” a sullen reply.

“Why?”

“Uh, work, school, family stuff. Also still getting used to being friends with-” “Steve ‘The Hair’ Harrington?” Steve replied in a bored voice.

You nodded your head. Those were all truths used to cover the only other truth you couldn’t say aloud. That you had feelings for Steve, duh.

The slow drive up to your house brought the conversation to its end. The two of you sat in his car for a few moments, the engine still running to keep the chill at bay. Not knowing if the whole conversation was at its end, you slowly reached for your bag and books. You tried to savor these next few seconds before you left the car.

“Hey,” his voice called out, “is it okay if I call Saturday morning? I do want to hang out with you, plus I don’t have many friends these days and I don’t want to be home,” he revealed the last part quietly.

A beat passed for a moment. You forgot about your bag and books, instead turning slightly in the seat to face Steve, your left knee resting near the gear shift, “do you miss…being King Steve?” a quiet question, “you were the most popular dude in school, girls practically drooled when you walked down the halls, and all the guys wanted to be associated with you. And it seems you mostly hang out with Nancy or sometimes you’ll talk with me, don’t you miss Tommy and Carol? Don’t you miss your normal?”

His head leaned on his shoulder to look at you and then he copied your posture, his body turned with his right knee sitting near the shift.

“Sometimes yeah. I miss the attention at moments, but I was lonely. Sure, I was friends with Tommy and Carol, but they were assholes and self-absorbed. Plus that Billy dude is Tommy’s new friend basically, I’m easily replaceable,” he scoffed.

‘Not to me’, you wanted to voice.

He continued, “but slowly I just was getting tired of being ‘The King.’ I didn’t even really care about the title, I was just happy to be noticed by people. But I’m glad I was there that night.”

A furrowed brow at the statement, “The night we had to fight an inter-dimensional monster? Why? You could still be living your normal life if you stayed away?”

“Yeah, but my normal life was miserable, even if I didn’t voluntarily choose to notice it. And, as it might sound, it helped me notice you and Jonathan in a different light. I based my thoughts on what my parents have told me about your family. But you guys, you’re a close family. Always there for each other, I wish I had even a sliver of that. And I get to be your friend, so I think everything worked pretty well.”

He smiled at you, the boyish grin mixed with a light warmth, it almost made you feel like the sun was shining directly upon you. The corners of your lips followed in his action, a tiny grin appearing along your chapped lips, “Yeah, I’m- I’m glad we became friends too.”

Another quiet bubble between the two of you.

“Well…” you broke the space first, “I should head inside. Uh, you can call around ten Saturday morning, is that okay?”

With a grin, he nodded his answer, “See you tomorrow, Byers.”

“See ya, Harrington.”

And something in the way the two of you used the other's last name made your heart speed up. It felt different this time, like a potential future something.

‘Dangerous territory’

…

By the time you woke up from school the following day, Jonathan had already left the house. If he was in such a rush, why didn’t he bother waking you up? Very rude of him, also, what was he in such a rush for in the first place? After your little moment of annoyance towards Jonathan for leaving you in the dust, you got cleaned up and dressed for the day. Walking to the kitchen to see Joyce on the phone, “Did he get any of my messages from yesterday? Did you give-” she was pacing the small space while the other person, probably Flo on the other side talked, “No, no, I need Hopper. Just tell him to call me the second he gets in. Please. Thank you,” and she hung up.

“Mom,” She turned around to look at you, “you okay?” “Yeah, I’m fine, honey. Hopper’s just not returning my calls,” she faked a smile.

“Okay… well, could you take me to school? Jonathan hurried out for some reason.”

Just before she replied you heard feet padding down the hallway, “Hey. How you feeling, sleepyhead?” Her attention was stolen by Will, “any better?”

“Mmm-mmm,” he murmured as he sat in a chair.

“Same as last night? Still weird?”

“What happened last night?” you were out of the loop.

Joyce was focused on checking Will’s temperature with her hand before replying, “oh, he had an episode yesterday at school,” she got up to look for the thermometer.

Looking at Will he shrunk into himself a bit. You crouched down and placed your hands on his knees for support, “you had an episode? Was it- was it the Upside Down again?” you whispered the last part.

He shook his head no, and your brows furrowed, confusion evident on your face. Before you could ask him another question Joyce came back to check his temperature, “Honey, why don’t you see if a friend could take you?”

“Or I could stay home and watch over Will with you.” “No, you’re going to school,” a firm reply.

Sighing out, you turned to the landline. You tried Robin’s place, but no answer. Eddie’s, no answer, and those were your only two friends. “Why don’t you try Steve,” Will sang his name with a teasing tone. With a roll of your eyes, you turned back to the phone, but with a shakiness to your hand. Breathing out, you dialed the Harrington number just like yesterday and waited for a voice.

After four rings you were about to end the call when it suddenly was picked up, “Harrington residence,” and it wasn’t Steve's voice.

“Uh, hi Mr. Harrington. I was wondering if Steve was there?”

He sighed, “yes, he’s home. May I ask who’s calling at seven-thirty in the morning?”

“(Y/n) Byers, I’m a friend of Steve’s.”

His voice was pulled from the phone, but you could faintly hear him calling for Steve and your name being said.

“Well, this is a pleasant surprise. Need another ride?”

You cringed to yourself, “actually yeah.”

“Taking the chauffeuring seriously I see.”

“Sorry. Jonathan left super early and my mom has to stay home with Will, and Rob-”

“(Y/n), it’s okay. Be there in ten to fifteen minutes, okay?” “Yeah, meet you outside.”

You hung up with a smile then turned back to Joyce and Will. Joyce was looking intently at the thermometer that showed Will’s temperature, “is it a fever?” you asked.

“No. Uh, actually, it’s a cold,” she said perplexed, “do you feel cold?” she asked Will.

“No,” he answered, “just a little out of it. Like I haven’t really woken up yet.”

You and Joyce both shared a look of concern at what Will just told the both of you, “you promised no doctor,” he told Joyce.

“And I meant it. No doctor. You know what? I’m gonna run you a nice bath and it’ll warm you up and hopefully get you feeling better. How’s that sound? Okay,” and she left to start the bath.

“Will,” you took Joyce’s seat, “if you start to feel weird, like extra weird, tell mom and just have her take you to the doctor.”

“But-” “I know, but this is something we might not be able to fix with just a warm bath and medicine. Just please- just-”

“Okay,” his small voice answered. You took that moment to gaze at his face, taking in his features. From his dark circles to the moisture gathering under his hair. You wanted him to get the help he needs for this, but you knew not to push it further now.

With a kiss on his forehead goodbye, you gathered your things and headed outside to wait for Steve.

…

“Should I start expecting more calls from you in the coming days?”

His teasing voice greeted you when you slid into your seat.

He was wearing the usual outfit, his denim Levi's that hugged his thighs, a collared polo that pulled against his chest, and his light blue jacket. His hair was done also, as usual, loose strands near the front almost kissing his forehead, your fingers twitched, but you clenched them shut into a fist.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what caused Jonathan to rush off,” you let out in an exasperated reply.

“Hey, I don’t mind,” he turned to smile at you.

“But you have your own things-”

“I said it’s fine, (Y/n). It allows us to hang out together,” he shushed your concerns, “did you ask Jonathan about his weekend plans? Or ask if it’s cool for me to come over?”

“No, I was fast asleep by the time he got home. He’s been acting weird lately and I haven’t had the time to talk with him about it. I’m a bit worried,” you fidgeted with your nails.

While staring down at your nails, picking at the skin in a mindless action, Steve’s hand settled over yours. His larger, warmer palm settled over your smaller fist stopping your actions from continuing. You bore your eyes into his hand, your breathing at the same pace, but your heart jackhammering inside.

“Jonathan is fine. He’s always-” Steve stopped his sentence short when he realized the direction it was headed.

He took his hand away after that, you missed the warmth he brought, “you’re probably right. Jonathan’s always up to something,” trying to save Steve from his mistake.

Silence followed after. Neither of you knew what new topic of discussion would be best, you had one on your mind, you being an idiot went for the topic that was top two for ‘not the best’, “Parents are back I hear,” you tried a joking tone. It didn’t land.

“Yep,” he popped the ‘p’, “came back a few minutes after I got home from dropping you off.”

“Happy to see them?” You don’t know why you’re continuing this topic.

“Ecstatic,” he lied, sarcasm dripping over the word like honey.

With your bottom lip pulled between your teeth, you made a swift glance at Steve. His jaw was tense, his head leaned towards the window with a hand rubbing his chin. You slumped into the seat, wishing to make yourself small at this moment. You fully know not to bring this topic up when you can, because you know it’s something Steve likes to avoid and when you avoid something it means ‘don’t ask’. You would have asked about Nancy, but that was one you wanted to avoid.

“Need a ride to work after school?” Thankfully, Steve changed it.

You huff a sigh, “if I can’t find Jonathan, then probably. You wouldn’t mind?”

“Not at all, if it keeps me from going straight home, I’m completely fine with it,” he assured.

You allowed for the silence and the radio to fill the car for a few minutes. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable this time, at least not severely. The air felt tense, it suggested that both of you wanted to say something, but the other was too afraid to speak or say the wrong thing. You were afraid your big mouth would slip something out.

When the idea of just asking Steve if he liked Star Wars or whatever popped up, he opened his mouth first, “How’s Will doing?”

You stuttered, “Uh, he’s uh,” you weren’t sure if Will was okay with you talking about his current state. So you just settled on, “he has bad days.” You thought back to this morning and Monday night when he slept in your room.

“Does the doctor know anything?” Steve was trying to understand what you meant.

“Uh, he has…episodes. Of being in the Upside Down.”

Out of your periphery, you could see Steve opening and closing his mouth like a fish, trying to find the right response to that, “uh, well…”

“Steve, can we change topics?” “Oh! Yeah, one hundred percent!” he chuckled nervously. Now the silence tensed completely. You worried that if you even moved an inch it would make it worse. Luckily your saving grace was seeing the school coming into view, quiet sighs of relief leaving the both of you. In a hurry to grab your bag and books, your hands collide with Steve’s as he makes a reach for them beside your legs, your hand pulling back like he was a hot poker.

“What are you doing?” “Grabbing your books, duh.”

As you were going to protest, he grabbed them and left his seat, leaving you flabbergasted for a moment. In those few seconds Steve made his way to your side and threw open the door startling you, “(Y/n), come on.”

Steve didn’t hand the books to you when entering the school and he didn’t depart from you right away, he carried the textbooks and walked with you to your locker. ‘He’s probably looking for Nancy, that’s all’ a swift kick to yourself.

“If you still need that ride to work, just meet me at my car. All right?” He stated.

With a nod of your head, he released the books into your care and left down the hall. You watched for a few seconds as he left and you could see the slightly hunched look on his shoulders. With a look to your left, you noted that Nancy wasn’t anywhere in sight. A loud thudding against the lockers stole your attention, “Hey pretty lady,” a sleazy voice drawled.

Cigarette smell overloaded your senses, it was like being hit with the air of a casino. And the shiver that brought goosebumps along your arms made you feel uneasy like you could be walking right into a bear trap. With a slow turning of your body, you were assaulted by the sight of the new boy, Billy, the one Steve mentioned yesterday. His blonde mullet was in curled ringlets that framed his face, a rat stache forming on his upper lip. His piercing blue eyes dragged themselves over your face and then your body, and not discreetly. He made it feel as if you were under a microscope, he was the observer and you were the subject, it made you want to squirm.

“You’re (Y/n), right? (Y/n) Byers?” He was asking for your name as if he didn’t already ask around the school.

“Yeah, that’s me, unless there’s maliciously another (Y/n) Byers in little old Hawkins,” you tried throwing a joke mixed with the annoyance of his presence.

A Cheshire grin appeared on his lips, his tongue poking at one of the corners, “Not that I know of.” Another pass of his eyes raked your body, “So, how would you like to go on a date with me?”

He leaned in closer, his lips a breath away from touching your ear, “I can show you a much better time than Harrington.”

You jerked away from Billy, a look of disgust on full display. You fully knew what this was now, he was just trying to get at Steve, get his perv hands onto a girl that had some type of relation with Steve. He was trying to prove some type of point. It made you feel like a toy or a trophy, “No thanks. I’m sure your dick would be jealous that your hand has a new relationship. Don’t want to be a homewrecker.”

With a slamming of your locker, you walked away from Billy. The heat of his stare could have left holes in your shoulder blades. The whispers in the halls sounded like they were directly inside your head, everyone watching and gossiping.

You made a beeline for the bathroom, any place away from unwanted attention.

…

“I hate boys, Eddie. Fucking idiots!”

“Babe, I do too, but we’re sadly attracted towards them,” a puff of smoke was released.

With your elbows digging into the cool metal of the table, your hands covered your face and you tugged them down resulting in your face looking horrid. Eddie was seated across from you, his curly hair blowing with the wind. A cigarette was placed between his lips and smoke would plume out with every exhale.

Once lunch rolled around you hurried outside the brick building and rushed into the dense forest. Robin also wasn’t present at school, but you knew she wasn’t connected to whatever reason Jonathan and Nancy skipped. So it was either your loneliness in the library, sitting with Steve causing more eyes to land on you, or hanging out with Eddie. The answer was obvious.

“Billy fucking Hargrove, that douchebag asked me out, just so he could hold it over Steve’s head.”

“Yeah, very gross-”

You interrupted Eddie, “it’s not like I would have said yes anyway. He creeps me out, just looking at girls as conquests, prizes to be won and then thrown onto shelves to never be touched again.”

“Well,” Eddie cleared his throat, “you know who else used to do that type of thing?”

Steve

“I know- I know that Steve used to-” you huffed, “but I personally know that he’s not the same anymore. He’s dating Nancy-”

“Uh, actually, I think they broke up,” Eddie stopped your rambling.

“W-what?”

It felt like you physically stopped in your tracks, or you abruptly slammed into someone’s back. It throws you off balance with reality having this confirmation being thrown your way, sure you’ve been thinking about it ever since you heard their argument, and they haven’t been seen together for two days now. But, Steve never mentioned it, or he’s living in denial right now, or they’re just going through a rocky patch right now and taking a break. Giving the others their needed space before getting back together, many couples do things like that.

“Yeah, I heard they had some fight,” Eddie confirmed the gossip.

“Well… they’re probably just on a break, you know. Lots of couples fight and then spend time apart.” “That’s called a breakup, (Y/n). They fight and it usually leads to the end of that relationship, plus why do you care so much if they stay together? Aren’t you in love with Steve?” You choked on your spit, “In love! I never- I- Who,” nervous giggles spilled, “I never said the L word.”

“But it was implied,” Eddie teased.

“When was it ever implied?”

A smirk grew on his chapped lips and you knew it was a bad sign, “Oh, I like to think it was implied when you wanted to kiss me twice.”

Your mouth was agape with shock, “First off! I was intoxicated both times, and second I don’t know why my brain keeps warping you into Steve.”

“Because you lov-” he was singing, annoyingly you might add.

“No! No!” you tried to cut him off.

“(Y/n) Byers loves Ste-”

A hand over his mouth muffled his screech.

…

With no Jonathan at school, today meant another ride from Steve. With the bell ringing and signaling the end of classes, you waded through the crowded halls for a quick book drop-off at your locker. With all your books switched out and finished homework put away, you closed the metal door, excited for the weekend.

“(Y/n),” whipping around, you were faced with Steve who was leaning against your neighbor's locker.

“I thought I was meeting you in the parking lot?”

“Yeah, but I noticed Jonathan wasn’t here today, so I decided to just meet you here.”

He looked a bit hesitant when saying Jonathan’s name, he knew something, “Ah, okay. Well, I think I’m gonna call out today actually, I was gonna help my mom with Will. So I just need to call work before we leave, okay?” He gave a nod accompanied by a tight-lipped smile. He definitely knew something, and it was bothering him. You wondered if Billy mentioned this morning when he tried to ask you out, or if it had something to do with either Jonathan or Nancy. You wanted to ask, ask if he and Nancy did break up and if they did, were they gonna get back together. But you chose not to, for your own sanity, better to not know certain truths.

So, with a call from the payphone outside of school, a forced cough, and one annoyed James (a twenty-something co-worker), you and Steve headed off to his BMW. Between the short distance from the payphone and his car, the daggers being thrown your way didn’t stop for one second. Everyone who was in the vicinity watched the both of you head off, the whispers and gossip already spreading like wildfires. You kept your stride forward and head down, not wanting to entertain anyone at this moment, just wishing to be home right now and watching over Will. But once your hand touched the door handle you lifted your head and caught the direct glare of Billy Hargrove who was leaning against his car hood. You gulped and threw yourself inside the car. With shaking hands, you fasten your seatbelt and release a shaky breath.

“You okay?” Steve’s concern shone through.

“Uh, yeah. Might just need a nap when I get home,” not wanting to mention Billy’s stare or anyone else for that matter.

After a moment of Steve hesitating he finally pulled out of the lot, leaving the school behind for two days.

“So, you think I can still come over and hang out, sorry, watch you clean your room?” a cheeky grin.

“If you so desperately want to.”

“I do.”

A tingly feeling grew within you with just those two words, ‘dangerous territory’ another reminder.

…

Once Steve dropped you off, you went to check on Will in his room. You were shocked once you entered your home, drawings taped to every surface, forming something that you couldn’t see right now. So, choosing to ignore that you hurried to check on Will in his room and you stopped in your tracks at the sight before you. Together he and Joyce were asleep in his bed, Joyce was cuddling him with her back facing the door. She was holding Will tight against her chest with one arm thrown over his torso and the other resting still in his hair. A small smile tugged your lips at the display. With quiet retreating steps, you walked to your room and worked on a bit of cleaning so it was less messy when Steve came over tomorrow, trying to work around the taped pieces of paper.

After about two hours of light cleaning, you headed to the kitchen to get a snack when the sudden noise of loud pounding on the front door made you jump. With hurried steps, you reached the door and unlocked it, when you threw it open Mike was standing on the porch.

“Hey,” he sighed.

“Hi, Mike. What are-”

He cut you off, “Is Will here?”

“Uh,” a quick look inside the house, “You know what. Now is not a really good time.”

“Is he okay?” He was deeply concerned for Will at this moment.

You sighed, “Yeah,” you walked outside the threshold and closed the door, “You know, he’s…he’s just not feeling real well.”

You walked closer to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, “He’s laying down,” with the hand on his shoulder you used that to turn his body in the direction of his bike, “So, I’ll tell you stopped by, okay?”

Just as you turned and headed back to the door, Mike spoke up, “It’s about the shadow monster, isn’t it?”

You turned your attention back to him, “What shadow monster?”

“In the Upside Down.”

…

“Mom. Mom, wake up.”

Once Mike told you about the shadow monster you invited him inside and rushed to wake your mom and Will. Will had slowly developed a sweat in his sleep, his bangs sticking to his forehead and the front of his gray shirt was damp with sweat. Joyce woke up with a confused look across her face, so you pulled her into the hallway, leaving Mike with Will.

“Mike knows something about the shadow monster,” and just that sentence made her rush to the landline and dial for Hopper. With you following just on her heels, you paced the living room, your nails being chewed between your teeth. With a huff, she recalled the number. As she was doing that you looked at the drawings that you assumed came from Will while you were at school today. With some still sitting on a nearby table, you grabbed a page along with a roll of tape and walked around the house trying to see if there were any empty spaces in need of filling. None in the kitchen, or the living room, the hall was complete, so you went to check Jonathan’s room. With slow-moving eyes over the space, you paid attention to any free spots, and one caught your eye, on the wall opposite his bed. With it taped up, you walked back into the kitchen where Joyce was sitting at the table, hands stressing at her temples.

“Mom?”

Her head jerked up at your quiet voice, “Hoppers not answering?”

A sigh, “No. I’m both annoyed and worried, I even called the station, but no one knows where he is.”

“I’m sure he’s fine, mom. He’s always fine,” you tried to comfort her.

She worried at her lips, the anxiety making itself present in her eyes, “I’m gonna check up on Will and Mike, okay?”

She nodded her head absentmindedly.

With a final look at her, you left the kitchen and headed down the hall. You pressed an ear against Will’s closed bedroom door, trying to make out just a sentence of their conversation. Not being able to hear much on your side, you slowly opened the door just a crack. With just an eye being able to peek inside you saw at the moment you opened the door Mike grabbed onto Will’s hand that rested on his thigh, and told him with such sincerity about something involving their conversation, “We won’t let him.” Mike was looking directly at Will, a deep intensity to his words and the way he held himself, and the way he gripped Will’s hand. Will was breathing harshly, his body gave a slight shake as he looked at something in the corner of his room, his eyes both blank but fearful.

At that moment you made yourself present with a gentle rap of knuckles against the wood door. The boys looked up and Mike removed his hand from Will’s in a hurry. Your heart broke with just that small reflex.

“Everything alright?” your voice was just an octave above a whisper.

They looked at each other, having a silent conversation with just their eyes. They looked hesitant in telling you something, so you decided for them, “Why don’t we head to bed early? Mike, I can get a sleeping bag, if you want to sleep in here?”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s fine.”

You grabbed a rolled-up sleeping bag from a cabinet in the hall and handed it to Mike. He went to the side near Will’s desk and laid out the bundle. You took Mike’s spot next to Will and reached for his hand.

“Will, if you want, I could sleep in here tonight.”

You made the offer to him, but it was one you needed to ask for yourself, and hope he said yes. You had to keep him safe.

He didn’t give a verbal answer, just a slow nod of his head once. So with that, the both of you crawled into his bed, Will facing his desk, facing Mike on the floor. You were now the big spoon, the protector of the two of you, the first line of defense when danger came.

With an arm thrown over his fragile body, you tugged him close to your chest, your chin digging into his hair. You inhaled his scent, wanting to make sure you remembered every little detail about Will.

…

Blood.

It was everywhere.

The walls, the ceiling, handprints spotted everywhere, footprints leading in different directions. It was everywhere in the room. Its scent invaded the air, the metallic smell assaulting your nostrils, burning the scent into your mind. The wet feeling of it coated your hands, streaks of it stained your chest, and spots dotted your face. Your hair was matted against your temple, a mixture of sweat from running until you almost collapsed and blood that seeped from an open wound. Your clothes had cuts and holes in your shirt and pants, the claws that clung to you with a fierceness, a predator clinging to its prey.

Bodies.

Bodies covered the floor.

Mangled and shredded, limbs bent and broken in different ways. Faces crushed in, eyes popped out, mouths hang open in an endless cry for help. Skin ripped from muscle, muscle ripped from the bone.

The bile rising from your stomach burned the lining of your throat.

A hand raised to your mouth to shush your cries of anguish, but then the taste and feeling of blood made it worse. Your body shook like an earthquake, the fear and anxiety pooling over the edge and you had no time to work through any of it.

“(Y/n)?”

A quiet, choked voice echoed through the room.

You twirled in different directions, trying to pinpoint the one person still breathing in this lifeless room. You rushed from person to person, each dead and deformed face staring back at you, it was like the room was taunting you at this point.

“(Y/n), help,” the voice cried out, so broken.

With one last push of will, you saw movement in a far corner, the shuffling of a body, the titling of a head, the limp wave of a hand. You hurried through the bodies, almost slipping on the blood, and fell to your knees beside the still-breathing body.

“Will,” you cried out, tears forming within your eyes.

His body was intact, nothing broken on the outside, the inside could be a different story. His skin was pale, and sweat droplets traveled down his skin mixing with the blood that streaked his cheek.

Your hands rested on the side of his head, your forehead resting against his. Your breaths mixed between the two of you, your tears dropping and landing on his nose or his cheeks.

“You’re alive,” you exhaled the words like a prayer.

Then a tight sensation caught you by surprise. You pulled away from Will and saw his hands holding your wrist in an iron grasp, if he held any tighter he might break your bones.

“Will?” fright seeped into the way you spoke his name.

“It’s all your fault,” he hissed the words.

“What?”

“Every single one of them is dead, because of you.”

You tried tugging your wrist from his hold, but it was no use, “I don’t- I don’t understand.”

“Your friends, your family. Every single person you love is dead, and it’s because of you.”

“No, no. It’s not- that’s not true.”

“Oh, but it is, (Y/n).”

Will, but it wasn’t Will, lifted himself closer to your face. His features twisted and pinched, he looked nothing like the selfless boy who you would protect with your life. He looked like a monster who captured his prey in an unsuspecting trap.

“Just you wait and see, (Y/n). In due time, we’ll meet again.”

------------------------

taglist: @heartyhope / @preciousbabypeter / @dessmxsworld / @piper3113 / @animiacorn / @burn1ngw00d / @drxwstxrkxy / @m-rae23 / @noisyeggsmoneystatesman / @yournan69 / @thats-s0-ravenn / @ameliabs-world / @mayonesavegana / @gracella0709 / @gengen64 / @alecmores / @choclate32 / @stvrdustalexx / @redheadedfangirl / @agustdeeyaa / @yappydoo/ @liberhoe / @hehehehannahthings / @ladybug0095 /

*if your username is marked with a line, tumblr can’t find your account*

#The Byers Harrington Story #steve harrington #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington x female reader #steve harrington x byers!reader #strangers things byers!reader #stranger things imagine #stranger things fic #stranger things season two #stranger things self insert

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asordinaryppl · 5 months

Text

A3! Main Story: Part 4 - Act 13: Budding Spring - Episode 18: Leaving the Nest

!! this chapter makes a spoilery reference to act 12! act 12 is currently being translated by otomehoneyybearr here!

Muku: It’s going to get lonely without the Spring Troupe here.

Misumi: I’ll give you a triangle for good luck~

Sakuya: What a beautiful shell. Thank you very much!

Citron: I won’t never forget about any of you~!

Tsuzuru: You gotta use ever here.

Taichi: And you’re exaggeratin’!

Yuki: We’re having a farewell party even though you’re coming back?

Omi: I guess it’s more like a send-off party?

Homare: Hm! This is a meeting to encourage the Spring Troupe as they embark on a new adventure! I shall start by offering a poem to celebrate your departure!

Izumi: The green curry is ready~

Azami: Why’s the menu a set of sushi and curry?

Citron: The sushi was my request~

Izumi: I want the Spring Troupe to remember the taste of the MANKAI dorm’s curry…!

Sakyo: This thing has become the MANKAI dorm’s specialty.

Manager: I’ve decided on our next goods!

Sakyo: Quit while you’re ahead. It’s too elaborate, and we won’t be able to have it in stock forever.

Izumi: No compromises!

Tasuku: All of you leaving right before the performance period is pretty bold, though.

Azuma: I think that’s exactly why they’re doing it.

Banri: Sometimes you gotta try out new things to get a breakthrough.

Tsumugi: Being a Director’s assistant was that for you. Even though each of their goals is different, but it makes you want to cheer them on, doesn’t it?

Omi: Even if it seems like an unnecessary detour, you might end up finding something you need.

Sakuya: Oh, also. Should we use the app Towa-kun uses to chat?

Itaru: BlooCha?

Sakuya: I know we already have LIME, but this one shows when you’re online, and it seems to keep logs of when you leave and enter the chat room, so it’ll feel like we’re in the same place.

Chikage: Why not?

Itaru: The timing’s perfect. BlooCha’s been blowing up lately.

Citron: I’ll download it right away!

Tsuzuru: Seems like you’re asked to create an avatar after registering.

Masumi: There’s no curry avatar…

Chikage: Obviously not.

Citron: My avatar is done!

Sakuya: Eh, is this a cat? No, a worm? Wha???

Itaru: How on earth did you make that.

Citron: I combined a lot of things!

Tsuzuru: I feel like I'll watch the world end if I see this thing talking the way Citron-san does.

Sakuya: Chikage-san’s name is “UC”?

Chikage: I mean, it’s a safe choice.

Citron: Too safe! I feel like we’ll mistake you for an error message!

Sakuya: Sorry for leaving so early in the morning.

Izumi: It’s alright. I already saw everyone else off, so I have to see you off too.

Izumi: Did you forget anything? Did you take medicine and the like with you?

Sakuya: You’re worrying too much.

Izumi: Fufu, you’re right. You can buy medicine anywhere, and if you forgot anything, you can just come back to get it.

Izumi: (I saw him off like this when we pseudo-disbanded. But this time it’s so sudden, it feels different.)

Izumi: (With the situation being what it was back then, we all made that decision together.)

Izumi: (This time it feels like he’s really leaving…)

Izumi: It’ll be kinda lonely.

Sakuya: This is not a goodbye. We’re just… leaving the nest. For the sake of our future.

Izumi: That’s true.

Izumi: (Sakuya-kun has grown so big and dependable.)

Izumi: (He’s grown so much that he can think for his and the company’s future, and take action accordingly.)

Izumi: Take care. Stay safe.

Sakuya: I’m off!

previous episode | masterpost | next episode

#a3!#translation #a3! translation #sakuya sakuma #izumi tachibana #+ more #i had tsuzuru say 'i think i'll shit myself'. it was a very serious situation for a while

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ladysomething · 5 months

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hi hunnnnn. I have 3 things, maybe 4

1. what in the everloving fuck is chubes. I've been wreckling my mind for days because I for the love of the ch words cannot understand what it means.

2. do you have the list of the pro-anti omega drivers that another anon did? just wondering. I wanna read it out of curiosity.

3. anon (s?) with the top Charles fright. I feel you. and before you, my dear Mads (I didn't even know that was your name, so, hi Mads), try to convert me, I myself already tried. it work out like shit because now I have PTSD. I kinda tried to look it up but my knowlegde of how to use ao3 is nonexistent at worst and laughable at best so I kinda ended up in a Voltron with Charles Dickens as the name fic. just kinda. it was something. and then when I deciphered the tags I started reading Yours. and don't get me wrong. it's great, my love to the author. but in my mind fic Charles is just the biggest twink ever and it must remain as such. regardless of where. but y'all do yourselves

4. I was just wondering if in the future you would be open to make some Max POV's from past moments. what I want to say is that I really wanna know what went throw Max’s mind when he hear Fred speak about the bruises. but I mean it like. when you've finished WYGIG obviously.

+1. I have storted things out about myself with this fic. have you seen that funny ao3 wrapped post? the one that's like spotify wrapped but ao3 and goes something like you get a fav author, and then you stalk them, see they are into some weird shit and now you're into that too? that's me with breeding kink. I'm a different person now than I was before starting this fic. (thanks)

+2 anon that wanted to draw them, please I beg you do it. I wanna see some fanarts 😽

so obviously I did 6 things. wow

ok I'll go one by one!!!!

lmao I forget that people aren't like. seeing everything like I'm seeing everything hahaha. but basically the other day the forum was discussing what Charles would do if he got pregnant accidentally, and then somebody suggested Max get a vasectomy, and somebody else said "You can never trust a man, Charles should get his chubes tied." so chubes = Charles tubes. NOT pubes, in case that was an option you came up with hahah

I don't have it on hand, I'm sorry! but I THINK what I told people was Lewis is outwardly pro omega, we'd already discussed Daniel would be pro omega (I think???), Lando was in the publicly staying out of category (but has now been revealed to have nefarious intentions), and George would be completely anti-omega just for funsies.

look I'll ignore what is obviously a very underdeveloped palette from you to address the REAL issue here: how did you end up at a fic with Charles Dickens?????????? pls message me and I can give you a crash course on how to use ao3, because a beautiful world awaits you my friend.

hm well, I probably won't go over it COMPLETELY, but there are some insights into previous Charles chapters when we finally get back to a Max POV.

+ 1. I'll be honest, that was my reaction the first time I read a fic with breeding kink. I was like "oh. this is really something I've learnt about myself huh."

+ 2. SAME!!!! Many big loves to anybody willing to draw Max fucking Charles into oblivion while telling him he wants to get him pregnant. (jk ... but also ... 👀👀)

#anon ask #where you go i go #wygig: max #wygig: charles #wygig: other drivers

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xxkitty13 · 5 months

Text

Circus Freaks

LA Buggy x Fem Reader

Previous Chapters: Part 1, Part 10

Previously: Kija tells his son about the island's history. Specifically, the reasoning behind the Kisha's exile. He explains that a pendant is able to access a powerful instrument that controls the weather elements. Y/n's blood is needed to activate said instrument and Yasi becomes alarmed at the information. He helps Y/n further investigate her linage at the cemetery, where she is met with a vivid flashback. When she returns to the circus grounds, Buggy is trapped by Mr. Dun and Kija. Now, Buggy and Y/n are under Kija's custody.

Part 11: Turmoil

“If you don’t let me out, I’ll slaughter all of you bastards!” Buggy exclaims, tugging on his chains.

He furiously looks through his jail cell, giving a death glare to the mayor and his goons. They're at an unknown location, presumably at an abandoned basement.

“What goes around, comes around. Am I right?” Mr. Dun laughs. “You shouldn’t have messed with me and now look at you, pathetic.”

“Screw you!” Buggy yells out, his nose barely touching the rusted sea stone bars.

The mayor approaches the cell and leans forward. He gives him a dashing smile and goes to flick his nose. The pirate captain snarls at him, "Don't you dare touch my nose with your filthy hands!"

He cackled loudly, "I'll do what I want." He gives him another flick to the nose before pulling away. The mayor snaps his fingers to signal his men for their departure. As he walks away, he turns around one last time. "Just so you know, Mr. Abask is planning to wed the youngsters by the end of the week, and you won't be breathing to witness it."

Buggy's eyes widen at this piece of information. "Wedding?! That bastard! I won't let him get away with this!"— he screams— "Freaks?! Where are my freaks?!"

"Oh, they're not here. No one will come to rescue you. Have fun on your last days, I sure will." With that, Mr. Dun snickers away, leaving the pirate alone in the dark drenched cell.

He trashes around, trying to break free of the chains, but it was no use. Despite the chains made of regular metal, the collar around his neck is made of sea stone. It's not hundred percent pure sea stone, but it is enough to contain his devil fruit's power.

"Shit."

Buggy calms down and plots to the dirty ground. "How do I get out of this mess?"

.°˖✧.°˖✧

Elsewhere, Y/n sits anxiously with Yasi in an intricate room of the Abask's mansion. Beautiful artworks are displayed across the walls, adding dimension to the plain beige color. Though, the dim lighting makes it hard to see. The candles that light the room flicker viscously, almost dancing, the sound of each wild wick with the silence triggers Y/n. Uneasy, she paces back and forth, fiddling with her fingers.

"Y/n, calm down. Buggy will be fine."

She stops her tracks and faces Yasi. "Are you sure? There is no way they're letting Buggy out of this island. Have you seen his bounty?"

Yasi walks to the nearby desk and picks up the bounty poster. "I don't understand, why didn't he tell you?"

"I don't know. . ."

She sighs and sits back down, hiding her face with her hands. Yasi places the bounty poster back on the desk and takes a seat next to her. He consoles her by patting her back.

"Well, obviously he was going to scare you off with that bounty. Would you agree?"

"I guess. . . I still wished he would have told me. My sister was right, I really don't know anything about him."

"It's not your fault. I don't think we truly know anyone." He looks away for a brief moment and takes a deep breath. "You never know what people hide from you."

Breaking the conversation, the door creaks open, revealing no other than Kija himself. The air tenses at his arrival. "Why hello," he says cheerfully. He takes a couple of steps inside the room and scans the area. "You know, this used to be Yasi's old playroom. Now we just store old paintings and junk." His eyes trail to the youngsters, who did not sure the same enthusiasm.

"Okay, enough chit chat. We have many things to discuss, in particularly about the incident earlier."

Y/n straightens her posture, giving a nasty glare to the older man. "Where's Buggy and his crew?" she asks with a stern tone.

"That is classified information my dear. I assure you that you're better off without those people."

"Are you turning them in the marines?"

Kija remains silent.

"Well, are you?" she pressed.

He chuckles, his raspy laugh adds to the ominous atmosphere. "The marines have been contacted. They will arrive shortly."

Her heart drops at the news. Once they get a hold of the pirates, she will lose all contact with them. She clutches her chest as her hands tremble.

"There is no reason to be sad Y/n. That man lied to you, he manipulated you to believe he was good, but pirates are not good people."

"Buggy's different," she muttered, not wanting to make eye contact.

"If you know him so well, then you must know about the atrocities he committed. Being tied with an evil pirate, what does that make you Y/n? Do I have to turn you in the marines as well?"

She balls her first, but before she could speak, Yasi interjected. "Enough father, Y/n wouldn't stay with a man with that reputation. She didn't know."

Y/n tilts her head in confusion, what is he trying to say?

Yasi nudges her to go along with his words.

"Y-yes, I am young and gullible. I didn't know any better."

Clearing his throat, Yasi continues, "In fact, we were talking about the arranged marriage. Y/n has agreed to proceed."

"Oh,"— Kija's face lightens in surprise— "What changed your mind?"

"I've decided to give your son a chance. I realized my future is at stake with that pirate. Yasi is a better candidate."

"I see. . . well then, I will arrange the wedding at once."

"Huh, so soon?!" The two shout.

"Why not? The sooner the better or are you having second thoughts, Y/n?" His words apparently dark.

"No, no. . . I just wasn't expecting to get married right off the bat."

"No need to worry about it, I have people to take care of everything. Remember, once you join the family, the Ti's are safe."

Y/n gulps at the fact. She only nods in response.

"Okay, I'll leave you two kiddos at it. You two are to remain inside of the mansion, understand?"

"Yes sir," Yasi answered.

"Good, I'll take my leave. Expect my return in a couple of hours, I have matters to attend to."

With that he pivots and walks out the room. At his exit, two security guards stand by. Without facing them, he orders, "Do not let them out of your sights, I don't trust them. Report any suspicious activity to me immediately."

"Yes sir."

Back inside the room, Yasi and Y/n look at each other dumbfounded.

"Um, how soon is soon?"

"I have no fucking idea, but we won't let that happen."

"Okay, so what do we do?"

"We need to head to my father's office. Maybe we can find a clue about Buggy's location."

"Right."

As they open the door to leave, they're greeted by the two security guards.

"Fuck, I should have known," Yasi scowls.

The guards are twice the size of Yasi, who himself towers the average man. One of guard smirks at him. “Mr. Abask commanded us to remain by your side until his return. We would recommend that you comply."

Yasi looks at Y/n with the same expression of "What do we do now?" He sighs, grabbing Y/n's hand, and pushes in between the large men.

"Okay, but do you have to follow us everywhere?"

The guards did not say word as they began to follow behind.

"How are we going to go inside your dad's office," Y/n whispered, trying not to look alarmed.

"Don't worry about it, I have something in mind. Just keep calm."

The two make their way to the dining room, where the servants help them to their seats. Yasi quickly whispers by her ear, "Just sit here and wait." He straightens himself and starts to leave the dining area. "I'm going to the restroom; it won't take long." One goes after him as the other stayed behind. "Geez, do you have to be on my tail?" He cuts through corners, in hopes of losing the man, but he is quick. Looking around the passageway, a golden golfclub hangs in a display and a wicked smile plasters on his face.

In a hurry, the guard nears the end of the passageway, but as he looks out, he makes the mistake of looking left first. Yasi swings the golfclub on the back of his head. The hard strike knocks him out cold and his body plummets on the cold floor.

"Whew, I can't believe I did that." He kicks the man's leg, making sure he was out. "I hope I didn't kill him. . ." The man's chest continues to rattle, and he sighs in relief, resting the golfclub over his shoulder. He does an about face and runs up the stairs to his father's office, there is no time to waste.

To his luck, the door is unlocked. He scurries around his large desk, for any clues where they harbor the Buggy pirates. He opens a drawer and finds a note, it states:

"Prisoners will be transferred from the warehouse to the lagoon near the dark forest. Prisoners will be executed immediately."

"Shit, he was never planning on contacting the marines."

He crumbles the paper in his hands and throws it to the ground as he scurried out the office. It wouldn’t be long before the other guard notices that his restroom break was taking longer than usual.

Y/n sat in utter silence, with the second guard awfully close. She could practically hear him breath down her neck, it disgusted her. Then, a loud wack caught her by surprise. She turns around and sees Yasi holding a golden golf club.

“What the fuck?! Did you just kill him?!” She yells, staring at the limp body on the ground.

“Shhh, we don’t want the workers to hear us and no I didn’t kill him. . . I think,”— he grabs her arm— “come on, we have to go.”

Yasi yanks her out the chair as he makes a run for it, throwing the golf club to the floor. They pass the main entrance and head to the other side of the mansion.

“Hey, we just passed the doors!”

“No, we can’t go that way. Knowing my father, he probably placed a security system. I know a place where it won’t trigger an alarm.”

They finally make it to the end of the hallway, where Yasi goes to push a table display out the way. Behind it, lies a small red button. He pushes it and a small portion of the tiles beneath them reveal an opening.

“This is one of the hidden exits in the house. It’s a good thing that it’s one of the older ones since it won’t provoke an alarm. Okay, I’ll go in first and I’ll help you down.” He climbs down the old rusted ladder and reaches his hand out for Y/n.

“Is this safe?” she asks, holding onto his hand.

“Let’s not think about that.”

As they both climb down the stairs, the hole closes behind them. The small underground passage way is lit by an old electric system, barely providing light. Yasi nudges her to continue their route.

“Okay, this will take us outside the property fence. From there we will have to find Walo.”

“Walo? What does he have to do with anything?”

“I found out that Buggy and the rest of the crew are at a warehouse. Bad news, I have no idea which warehouse they’re located at. Your sister’s husband deals with my dad’s finances. Meaning he knows all about his inventory.”

Her eyes widen. “Which means he can tell us what warehouse he could possibly be in!”

“Exactly and we don’t have much time. My father plans on killing them.”

“What?!”

“For some reason he doesn’t want the marine to be involved, but I think I know why.”

Y/n knew exactly to what he referred. Of course he wouldn’t, it would ruin his plan to obtain the lost trinket. She clutched her chest, feeling where her necklace once belonged.

“Say, how come you changed all of the sudden?” she says, changing the subject.

He furrows his brows. “What do you mean?”

“It’s like you did a 360. Why do want to help Buggy?”

“. . . I don’t know. . .”

“You were always so violent towards me, I’m still surprised.”

In the mist of their pacing footsteps, Yasi sigh’s. He looks at her for a brief moment and back at the darkened passageway.

“I want to redeem myself. Especially towards you, I was such an asshole. I’m sorry I acted that way.”

“I don’t know if I can forgive you, but I do appreciate your help.”

Yasi only gives her a weak smile. “I understand. . . I guess I just wanted to feel love for once.”

“Love?” Intrigued, Y/n tilts her head.

“You see, my father has never given that to me. I was raised alone by the servants, I had no other parent. My mother went missing shortly after I was born.”

“Oh, I thought your mother divorced your father.”

“No, my father made that up. I don’t know what happened to her. . .”

Despite the sadden atmosphere, Yasi began to laugh. “I wish she was here to slap some sense into me. I think all I needed was motherly love. Maybe that’s why I clinged onto you,”— he turns to face her— “you know, you resemble her a lot. I have pictures of her and you both carry the same smile.”

Y/n was gagged. It all made sense now. She didn’t know if she should feel flattered or not; regardless, it warmed her heart.

“You know, I do wish she was here. To finally beat some sense into you.”

The raven hair cackled. “Yeah, anyway, let’s continue. We’re almost there.”

.°˖✧.°˖✧

After making their way out of the estate’s perimeter, they lingered in the shadows. Going through the back roads and bushes, the duo made their way to Lyla’s home, in hopes to find Walo there.

Y/n knocked at the back door, to avoid being seen from the front. To their luck, it is Walo who opens the door.

“Y/n? Yasi? What on earth are you doing back here?”

They push through him and enter his home, urging him to close the door. He looks at them confused, watching them frantically close all window blinds and curtains.

Lyla comes down the stairs, trying to figure out where all the ruckus was coming from.

“Um, what are y’all doing?”

“We have no time to explain everything, but this is urgent,”— Yasi recollects himself— “Walo, please tell me everything you know about my father's warehouses.”

“Uhh, what do you want to know about them?”

“Is there one that’s perhaps unoccupied?”

“Let me think. . . hold on, let me grab my paperwork.”

He quickly runs up the stairs and heads inside his small office. His hands run down the files on his desks, and he grabs a folder. He brings it back to the kitchen table where they all await. As the documents are scattered around the table, Y/n notices one paper in particular.

“Okay, so it looks like the only warehouse without any inventory is warehouse number 5. Last thing there were class D explosives.”

Yasi ears perk up at the word. “Explosives? That’s odd, why would he use them all at once.”

“When was that?” Y/n asked, as he examined the paper she held.

“It doesn’t specify, it appeared to have been a Monday.”

“Monday. . . Lyla your parents left on a Monday as well. This paper lists all the products onboard the cruise ship and one of products include explosives.”

“Let me see that.” Walo grabs the document and analyses the warehouse sheet. “The product codes match. . .”

Yasi suddenly gasps.

They all face him, who appears distraught. “I-I recently overheard my father talk about ship blowing up. I didn’t think anything at the time, this is the not the first time I hear him talk about an explosion.”

"You don’t think—" Y/n palmed her mouth, feeling her heart sink.

Y/n’s and Lyla’s face turn pale.

"Oh my god-" Lyla’s body plummets back and Walo breaks her fall. "My parents. . ." she weeps.

“W-wait, we don’t know if it’s true,” Walo says, trying to comfort his wife.

Y/n grabs Yasi by his arm and turn their backs. "Is your dad really capable of murder?" she whispers. He doesn't say word, his shaking eyes says it all.

"He lied to me. Your dad was never going to pardon their debt,"— she pivots and walks towards the door— "come on, we need all the manpower we can get."

"Right."

"Walo, I know nothing makes sense, but we're getting to the bottom of this. I'll explain everything once we return."

He nods as he helps Lyla up on a chair. Yasi waves goodbye before leaving with Y/n. Their only chance to confront Kija is to obtain the Buggy pirates— wherever they might be.

.°˖✧.°˖✧

Kija impatiently observed his men at the Ti's property.

"Keep looking. It should be hidden around here somewhere."

He barges inside the small home; the workers have already destroyed the inside. Clutter fills the space and broken furniture block his path. Kicking the pieces out the way, he makes it to Y/n's room. Most of the place has been cleared, still, he had to make sure no area goes untouched.

He scans the trashed room and his eyes land on a particular object. Thrown on the floor, beside the opened drawer, laid a rectangular box. He opens it and the inside revealed an empty jewelry case. To his surprise, the foam mold is in the shape of a cross.

"Bingo."

Pleased by the finding, he takes the jewelry box and exits the room. On his way out, he snaps his fingers to get the attention of his men, ordering them to leave. The horse carriage waited for his return, and he swiftly enters inside.

"Quick, take me back to the mansion," he orders the coachman. With his command, the worker takes no time to depart.

Upon his arrival, he calls out for the guards, but they do not answer. Stange. He makes way to his office and finds one of the guards knocked out on the floor. Out of anger, he kicks the unconscious man's torso, not caring if it will leave a bruise. He pulls out his transponder snail to contact the other guard, but the line continued to ring.

"Huh, that boy has some guts," he grits.

In a flash, he calls another contact with the transponder.

"Keep an eye out for my son and the girl. We have trouble."

"Trouble? Don't tell me—"

"Yes! Now make sure no one makes it the warehouse." He hangs the call and runs his hand through his hair. Things were not supposed to get out of hand, he needs the necklace. He huffs, there is only one option, but it could ruin his plan. The transponder snail rings once again, he takes a deep breath and the line picks up.

"At your order, sir."

"I have a mission for you, 15."

.°˖✧.°˖✧

What?! An update?!

I'm sorry if it's a bit boring, but least I made it out the wormhole.

#one piece #buggy one piece #buggy the clown #buggy x reader #buggy x fem reader #buggy x y/n #op buggy #buggy x you #captain buggy #opla buggy

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id-rather-be-home · 5 months

Note

Oh I wanted to say something about this but I didn’t want to come off as I’m pushing my opinion into you bc some authors take it that way but after seeing your last ask I kinda am just sharing my opinion too now lmao.

Ok when you said that the fic will be bottom Will from now on I remember feeling so sad lol bc there are hundreds of bottom/sub Will fics and not bottom/sub mike nearly half of that. This fanfic literally felt like what the bottom/sub Mike enjoyers have been waiting for all along and after so long we finally got what we wanted and got it waaaayyy better than we could have hoped for. wwtwcs and maybe one other fanfic was our reward for patience almost, it is sacred. And i really love your writing (the characters AND the smut especially the way you write dom Will). Anyways then the Will in the fic said that he prefers topping and I remember literally shrieking with happiness lmao. I also enjoy the few chapters you wrote with Will being the bottom but still being the one in charge, like I said you write beautifully whatever it is you write. (Like i really don’t like reading sub/bottom Will, just something that’s not for me but you sure SOLD ME on it lmao it was beautiful 💜)

Anyway again, this is your fanfiction and you get to do whatever you want with it. I mean isn’t that how we got here and it became my favourite fanfic in the first place? Also just because there are so little solid bottom/sub Mike fanfics doesn’t mean you’re responsible to contribute to it even though you are one of the lead authors of it right now. I didn’t write any of this to pressure. not like you’re gonna care what a stranger on the internet is going to say but I’m just saying this as a person, like a little child I am🙄, who’s scared that one of the key elements in their favourite fanfic is going to change drastically (not your problem either obviously) I wasn’t gonna say anything but after your last ask, I wanted you to see the both sides of your own little fandom :)

this doesn't come across as pressuring to me so don't worry about that at all!

to be completely honest, when i got that comment on the fanfic i was worried that people actually weren't going to enjoy the sub!mike direction that it was taking me and so i tried to shift gears to bottom/sub will but it didn't really work out because i just... can't really write him very well??? top/dominant will just comes so much more naturally to me because for whatever reason that's what i feel would make sense for his character i guess

however, i've clearly gone off on my own for the fic by this point and have been doing what i want and what i think feels best for the flow of the story as well as the natural progression of the characters. and i have been genuinely SO SURPRISED by the love and praise that my work has gotten. i have literally converted some people to loving bottom/sub mike and i absolutely love that

that being said - i cannot imagine this fic taking any drastic turns from where it is already progressing! when i mention bottom or sub will appearing in some of the chapters, i'm referring to things that i've kind of already explored in previous chapters because will is NOT going to get much more submissive than what has already been seen

like, the chapter i'm working on now that i mentioned in the last ask - he's more 'submissive' because he gets eaten out and then wants mike to fuck his thighs because mike loves them, but will still controls a lot of the pace. also we get a bit of a glimpse into will's oral fixation but he can still be in control even with mike's dick down his throat lol

i don't think that will's preference for fucking mike in the fic is going to change because that's my preference to write which i guess is really what it comes down to at the end of the day

and when there are chapters of will bottoming (because i do have a couple planned) he's still very much in control while mike is submitting and just doing everything he can to please will and be good for him. like in the riding chapter i mentioned at some point, will literally makes fun of mike and taunts him by saying "you're whining like you're the one getting fucked"

so i do want to reassure those of my readers that come to this fic and love it because it is primarily submissive/bottom mike - that isn't going to change. it's going to still be primarily that with some bottom will sprinkled in where i have already planned it but it won't be anything drastically different

i have 3 bottom will chapters definitively planned and i doubt that the number will get much bigger than that if i'm being totally honest because writing him bottoming is always a struggle

i really do want to please both sides which is why i've been going back and forth on more bottom will appearing, but with each chapter i write, it's just less and less likely to happen so it really should be marketed as a bottom mike/top will fic since that's what it mainly is

and, anon, you do have a point that there are a heck of a lot more bottom will fics for people to choose from, so i am more than happy to provide something for the submissive/bottom mike lovers out there especially because it's something i love as well

i'm sorry that this was ramble-y or if it sounded a little harsh at times??? it isn't at all directed at you anon, or anyone else! i guess this is just me finally realizing that 'when we touch we are caressing stars' is going to be most enjoyed by those who enjoy submissive/bottom mike and that bottom will truly won't make too many appearances

#byler #spicy byler #when we touch we are caressing stars fic #answered 💌

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honeybeezgobzzzzz · 1 year

Text

𓅨 The Cold is Never Violent: Chapter Two

The Cold is Never Violent: You were determined to help Morpheus get his tools back, so you willingly followed him to hell. Hell was not supposed to be this cold. Lucifer has something up their sleeve, making you stay the night in hell before the Oldest Game, and it does not bode well for you.

Warnings: Reader has Hair (For Plot), Explicit Language.

To Note: Morpheus/Dream x AFAB!Reader, Pour Vous @melancholypancakes 😘

Word Count: ~2.3k

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The palace was dark and cavern like, lit with cold fire sconces you grumpily eyed with disappointment. What was the point of fire if it provided no heat? Light, most likely, you could barely see a thing. Luckily Morpheus appeared to know where he was going. His even paced gait eventually slowed down, and rounding a corner you nearly stopped short from the first glance you got of a figure at the end of the large room you had come to.

Two magnificent black wings were stretched out, flapping and stretching themselves. Holy shit that was the devil. As if expecting you and Morpheus, because no doubt they could feel your presence, Lucifer turned in place.

“Hello.” Your eye twitched at the one, eloquently spoken word, and you clenched your teeth to not gawk at the inhumanely beautiful creature in front of you. Why were you surprised? Lucifer was an archangel. Lucifer slowly made their way down from the balcony they had been standing on, running their hand over the flame of the bonfire in the middle of the room. When they stopped in front of Morpheus, they towered over him. What had you gotten yourself into? “Hello, Dream.”

“Greetings to you, Lucifer Morningstar.” Morpheus spoke, his eyes shifting from the towering archangel to the demon lurking at the fringes of the room. “And to you, Mazikeen of the Lillim.”

“Greetings, Dream Lord.” Lucifer tilted their head.

“You look well, Dream. Are you well? And your family, Destiny, Death, Despair, and the others?” Then sharp eyes landed on you and you felt yourself shrink in place. Lucifer had something simmering behind those eyes of theirs, and it wasn’t good. Obviously. “Oh, but who is this? I don’t believe we have met.”

“They are my companion and are of no consequence or interest,” Morpheus responded with a deadly sharpness in his voice. Ouch. You had to admit that stung a little, being considered to be something so menial, unimportant. Then again, it was the truth. You were no-one compared to those around you. “I presume the Ruler of Hell knows this is no social call.”

“Social call, perhaps not, but you have brought a mortal into this realm. You know what this place does to the living.” Another jab at you being a menial, simple human. Was that going to be mentioned every sentence?

“Indeed,” He rumbled. “Which is why I ask that you cease the oppression you lay on her as she is my companion and a guest.” Lucifer and Morpheus entered a stare down for a few seconds and you rubbed your arms, trying to summon any warmth to reduce the chill that was determined to take hold of you. Both you and Matthew were playing swivle head between Endless and Archangel.

“As you wish,” Lucifer cooly replied, you felt a shiver up your spine. Then all those noxious feelings that had simmering within your body disappeared and you let out a sigh. “If you are appeased, it is certainly time to discuss your reasons for visiting. Have you come to join forces then? To ally your realm to ours? To acknowledge the sovereignty of Hell?”

Oh wow, the absolute balls Lucifer had to say that to Morpheus.

Then again, you expected nothing less from the Devil.

Morpheus’s lips curved into a slight sneer. “You know my feelings on that, Lightbringer.” Lucifer appeared to be unbothered.

“Feelings change. Especially when one has been caught and imprisoned by mortals. We expected better of you, sweet Morpheus.” Now that had your hackles rising, and your lip curled in a growl. But Morpheus could fight his own battles and certainly wouldn’t want you interfering.

“I have come because my Helm of State was stolen from me. I believe one of your demons has it. I should like it back. Now.” His last word was stated with a dark gravity that even you had never experienced. Oh yes, he was very angry. You knew that. He was just a little too good at hiding his emotions at times.

“Dream, if only it were that easy. But there are rules, you see. Protocols which must be followed.” Matthew hopped near where you stood, not liking the way Lucifer was speaking. Lucifer turned and headed to the balcony. “Which demon has your helm? Name it and we will bring it here.”

“I confess I do not know the name.” Morpheus admitted. Out of curiosity, which you knew was probably not a good idea, you tentatively meandered over to the balcony. In front of you was a large expanse of… nothing.

“Then we will have to summon all of them.” Lucifer spoke in a carefree tone. With a wave of their hand, your eyes widened when the expanse was suddenly filled with all sorts of monsters— demons. Lucifer glanced at Morpheus. “There, now, Dream, you may inquire. Which demon has your helmet? Shall we interview them one at a time, or…” Lucifer gave Morpheus a smug look.

“That won't be necessary.” Morpheus commented before turning in place and heading away. As he walked away, he grabbed your wrist and pulled you away from the edge of the balcony, you didn’t know what he was planning, but you knew that something was brewing within his mind.

“It surprises us how easily you would give up, Dream.” Lucifer called as you were dragged along. The grip on your wrist tightened, but other than that, Morpheus made no reaction to their words. “We know how you relied upon your tools. But tools are the subtlest of traps.” Morpheus came to a stop. “We become reliant upon them and in their absence we are vulnerable, weak, defenseless.”

“Not entirely.” Morpheus countered before pulling out his sand. A lightbulb went off over your and Matthew’s head. He was going to use that as a way to summon the demon with his helm. Morpheus bend down and started pouring some sand to the ground. “I have recovered my sand. It brought me to Hell and now it brings that which is mine in Hell to me.”

A wind began blowing through the dark room, and the sand blew to the right. Then it starts swirling in a vortex and you had to take a physical step backward, not liking the way it felt whipping across your skin. Like it was irritated, feeding off of Morpheus’s mood. In the storm of sand, a figure materialized and you nearly blanched. Now, you trusted Morpheus’s ability and power, but you hadn’t realized just how easy it would be for him to summon the demon with his helm. When it turned around, you saw that it held a very creepy looking helmet in its hands. For a moment you could have sworn that there was a spine attached, you decided to not look too closely.

“Tell me your name, demon.” Morpheus uttered sternly. The demon’s eyes flickered.

“Do I have to tell him?”

“That,” Lucifer spoke. “is Choronzon. A Duke of Hell.”

“Choronzon…” Morpheus repeated, a particular tone of distaste lingering. “The helm is mine. You must return it to me.”

“No. It's mine now.” Did all beings of hell have balls? Because it sounded like it just said no to Morpheus. “I traded it from a mortal for a paltry thing. It was a fair trade. I've broken no laws. And if the Dream King wants his helm back, he will have to fight me for it.”

“Very well. I challenge you, Choronzon.”

“You know the rules, Dream Lord.” The demon spoke with a laugh.

“If I win, you will return my helmet.” Morpheus stated.

“And if you lose, you'll serve as my slave in Hell for eternity… and I get your precious little mortal as my person plaything.” Your eyes bulged and you stepped forwards.

“Wait a damn minute you spike-headed roach, I am not part of the deal,” You started speaking, your words at a hiss. “I—“

“I accept the terms.” Morpheus said, interrupting you. You blanched at him and Matthew let out a screech, flapping his wings.

“And whom will you choose to represent you in the battle?” Lucifer continued, all three of them ignoring you and your priests.

“Hey!” You argued, your head whipping between them. It was like you weren’t even in the room.

“I shall represent myself.” Morpheus told Lucifer.

“Choronzon, whom will you choose to represent you?”

“Hmm…” The demon spoke, its eyes glossing over you. You flinched before collecting yourself and glaring back with your middle finger raised at him. “I choose you, sire.”

You. Were. Fucked.

Morpheus turned to Lucifer while you had an internal crisis, wondering how in the hell you had ended up as a part of this absurd deal.

“Apologies, Dream, but the laws of Hell demand that I become his champion.” Lucifer unapologetically spoke. “But if you would not fight me…”

“I have accepted the terms.” Morpheus said unwaveringly. “Let the challenge begin.”

You were positive that your fate would be decided shortly. But the smirk that appeared on Lucifer’s face leeched whatever hope you had.

“Oh but my dear sweet Morpheus,” They spoke with a soft but entirely devious, smile. “We have a guest, I would hate to be a bad host. Please, allow us to host you and your companion for the night. It would be least we could do.” You gulped and shivered in fear. Whatever they planned, it wasn’t good and Morpheus was in no position to argue. You and he, after all, were guests. “We shall have the challenge tomorrow morning, yes?”

Your eyes, wide with fear, darted to Morpheus. He didn’t look at you, no, he was glaring at Lucifer, knowing that they were doing this for a reason. Lucifer raised their eyebrow.

“No violence shall befall your companion, Morpheus, we will not touch them. You have my word.” Lucifer promised before looking to the demon who had lingering in the background. “Mazikeen, will you please escort our guest to the pomegranate suite?”

You squeaked as Mazikeen strode towards you and directed you out of the room and most importantly, away from Morpheus. Your eyes frantically looked over your shoulder at Morpheus, who’s eyes were glowing a soft silver. There wasn’t much he could do, not in the realm of Lucifer.

You were sitting in a hot springs that, at the very least, was nice and hot… but you still felt very uncomfortable being naked, in hell, without Morpheus around to tell you what was okay to do. Let alone protect you from the beings that could kill you with a twitch of their eyebrow. Why was Lucifer giving you a five star hotel experience when you were a mortal and the companion to Morpheus. There had to be an ulterior motive.

Sniffing and rubbing your nose, you got up from your sitting position and looked around for a towel to cover yourself. You couldn’t find one. Damn it, why did you not think of this before you got naked!? You looked to where you had discarded your clothes and found them gone.

“Awe shit,” You muttered, angry at yourself for letting your guard down so easily. Stupidly, you had let yourself get into a vulnerable position in a place that was not friendly. “I am so stupid.” Your eyes continued to search for something to cover yourself up, not to mention warm yourself because it was so freaking cold, you failed to notice the demon standing off to the side until you twisted around and jumped back with a small shriek of surprise.

It was Mazikeen again, and with a blank face, she held out a dark piece of cloth for you to take. You glanced at it while trying to hide your body behind your arms, then snatched the fabric and awkwardly wrapped it around your body as fast as you could. You discovered arm holes and hastily shoved your arms into them before wrapping the rest of the dark fabric around your body. Glancing up at Mazikeen, you eyed her while waiting to be told what to do next. You quickly learned that she wasn’t that in to talking.

“Follow me.” Mazikeen stated before turning around and marching out of the rather lavish bath. You scurried after her, your bare feet quickly growing cold. Once again you were led through dark halls, and ended up in the pomegranate colored room. Entering the room, you passed Mazikeen and eyed the fireplace in the room. More heatless fire. Were they doing this on purpose? Most likely, you were going to need to ask about your clothes.

“Do you know what happened to my clothes?” You asked, shivering as water dripping from your hair, trailed down your back. You needed to dry off as soon as possible. Mazikeen’s head tilted ever so slightly.

“You will find clothing in the dresser, Lucifer hopes it is to your liking.” Mazikeen told you. “The challenge is in the morning, someone will come to collect you. Do not leave the room.”

“Oh, but what—“ You trailed off as Mazikeen ignored your words and left you alone in the spacious buck cold room. “I’m going to freeze to death in hell.” Whimpering pathetically, you scurried over to the dresser Mazikeen indicated and opened it. More black fabric, and holding up one of the folded pieces, you saw silver embroidery and no buttons. Eyebrow rising, you took it out and held it up. While it was indeed pretty and made of fabric that felt super nice, it had thin straps and was ever thinner than the robe you currently wore. “I’m sure I’ll get warmer once I change and get into bed.”

You changed quickly, feeling your teeth chattering while you brushed your hair out so it didn’t have any knots. It was painfully clear to you as you slipped into bed and shivered. The room Lucifer had given you was very lavish, the bathroom just the same, you were given clothing that was high quality and treated like you were a highly esteemed guest. Lucifer was giving you a false sense of security, treating you well and giving you what you needed, but the frost in the air was a very apparent threat. You were not welcome.

Date Published: 2/7/23

Last Edit: 2/7/23

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#morpheus #morpheus x reader #lord morpheus #dream of the endless #dream the endless #dream of the endless x reader #dream the endless x reader #dream x reader #the sandman #sandman x reader #the sandman x reader

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slut4corbin · 8 months

Text

Motorcycles And Date Nights (Chapter 5)

Note : *I think that this fanfiction is so cute, and normally I don't find mine cute!*

Summary : The reader and Baron Corbin both have a crush on each other but what happens when Baron asks the reader if she wants to go on a date with him

Warning (s) : Fluff and slight profanity

Your name (Y/N)

Word count : 721

Tag list : @adriennegabriella @dulcesitapr @sassymox @ava-valerie @wwelovergirl @romanthereigns @mysticvampyre @nerdypanda20

*From previous chapter*

I woke up to the sound of Baron whispering sweet words in my ear and gently rubbing my shoulder. I rolled over, facing him. "Good morning, beautiful." He said, smiling. "Morning handsome." I replied, raising up off the bed and getting on top of him. "What are you doing?" Baron asked, quite confused. "Nothing. I just want to lay on top of you." I replied, laying down on him and burrying my face in the crook of his neck. "Y/N," Baron said, causing me to l my head. "Yes?" I replied. "Kiss me, please?" He asked with puppy dog eyes, and with that, I raised up and kissed him quite passionately, causing him to moan slightly.

After a few minutes of mine and Baron's hot make out session. I finally got off of him so we could get ready for the day. "You want to take a shower first?" Baron asked. "No, you can." I replied, looking up from my phone. "Okay, who are you texting?" He asked curiously. "Oh, just Paige and Carmella." I replied, showing him the texts. He nodded his head before walking to the bathroom and shutting the door. As soon as I knew he had turned on the shower, I quickly Facetimed Paige and Carmella. "Did you actually fuck him Y/N?" Carmella asked excitedly. "Yes." I replied, smiling, causing Carmella to basically squeal like a child on Christmas day. "You seem a little too excited." Paige said laughing, causing me to laugh as well. After a bit of talking, I finally heard the bathroom door open.

I quickly looked over in the direction of the door, and there stood Baron with a towel wrapped around his waist and his wet hair flowing over his shoulders. "What is it?" Paige asked obviously curious. "Oh, nothing, it's just Baron." I replied. "Can we talk to him?" Paige asked, hopeful. Instead of answering, I signaled Baron to come over to the bed, and with that, he walked over to the bed and sat down next time so Paige and Carmella could see him. "What's up." Baron said. "When are you going to ask out Y/N?" Carmella asked with hope in her eyes. "I dont know." He replied, smiling, causing me to lay my head on his upper arm. "You two are so fucking cute I swear." Carmella squealed once again. "Thanks." Me and Baron said at the same time, causing us to chuckle.

"I got to go." I said, ending the call. I instantly put my phone down on the bed and looked up at Baron, who was smiling. "Baron, I want to be your girlfriend, your wife, and the mother of your kids. I know it's way too early for marriage and kids." I said before sighing and looking at the blanket on the bed. Baron slowly brought his hand up and put it under my chin making me look at him. "Y/N, I want to have that future with you too, but right now, let's just focus on a relationship between us, got that." He said, still keeping eye contact with me. I nodded my head in response, sightly upset with what he said, but I understood the reasoning. "But anyways Y/N will you be my girlfriend?" Baron asked. "Yes," I replied, standing up and getting in between his legs. "What are you doing?" He asked. I said nothing. I just my hands on his chest and pushed him back on the bed.

I slowly got on top of him, and rubbed my clit along along his erection. "Babe, I have to get ready." He said. "Why?" I asked, pouting clearly, not wanting to get off of him. "I have to go to a meet and greet." He said, chuckling. "Oh, can I go?" I asked, getting off of him. "Sure." He replied, getting up and grabbing his clothes and walking back into the bathroom. While he was in the bathroom, I put my pants, bra, and shoes back on. After a few minutes, Baron walked out the bathroom. "You ready?" He asked. I nodded my head in response, and with that, we walked out of his room and down the stairs towards the door.

#baron corbin #end of days #wwe #bear bear #wolf daddy #wolfie #thomas pestock #baron corbin x reader #baron corbin imagine #he will be the death of me

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maeum-your · 2 years

Text

CHAPTER 45 | what's after like? (written)

word count: 5.2k

warnings: short mentions of domestic abuse, substance abuse, alcoholism, almost death, and abuse of power; panic attacks

a/n: i swear there's also lots of fluff 💀

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never in her life did y/n think that she’d end up in jay’s bed one day, engulfed in his warm, bare arms, breath tickling her neck. but oops, i see i’m getting ahead of myself. let’s rewind and go back to the 30th of october, the day of the fated business party.

y/n and ningning were standing in the red haired girl‘s front yard holding hands. y/n tensed up every time a car came down the street. they were waiting for the car.

punctual as ever he arrived at exactly 6:45, just as he had said he would.

ningning pulled her best friend into a tight embrace. “you got this, okay? take a few deep breaths. and if that bitch tries anything give me a call and i‘ll mess her up real good.“

sick to the stomach y/n just nodded, trying to put on a somewhat confident expression but very obviously failing. ningning pushed her towards the street and winked.

“now go! your draddy is waiting.“

jay opened the door of the passenger seat for her and gestured for her to go in. “m‘lady.“

y/n curtsied. “lord farquaad.“

he blinked at her for a second, expressionless, then just walked away without closing the door.

the drive was unbearably awkward. like i-just-caught-you-and-my-mom-doing-the-hanky-panky-on-the-kitchen-table awkward. obviously that‘s not what had happened. for y/n‘s part, she didn‘t know how to talk to him at all now that he had started avoiding her like the pest.

“so…,“ said jay.

“so…,“ echoed y/n.

“you look good tonight.“

“wow, did mr. park forget all the roasts he prepared for tonight or is he just saving them for later?“

“no, i mean it. you do look really nice. not that you don‘t usually look good. i like your usual style. it‘s cute. i mean,“ he started stammering, “objectively your dress is a good length. not too long for the conservative and not too short for the party people. anyone would like the dress. so i do too. yes, since i‘m part of anyone too. and it‘s a nice shade of blue too. the best shade of blue, in my humble opinion. a nice midnight blue.“

y/n stared at him confused. “are you sick?“

“no, i‘m totally fine. why are you asking?“ he cleared his throat and fixed his already fixed tie for the tenth time.

“because you‘re rambling nonsense. god, that was so awkward. why are we always so awkward?“

another not less awkward laugh left his lips. “i guess it needs some time getting used to this whole friend thing.“

oh. yeah. how could she have forgotten that she moved from the enemy zone to the friend zone? so nice. silence overcame the car yet again.

“you look good too,“ she bursted out. he was nice to her, or at least trying to, so she should return the favor. it wasn‘t a lie either. jay always looked like perfection personified but just something about jay in a suit hit different.

their final destination was not too far away. they passed jay‘s neighborhood and entered an even wealthier and fancier one (how that was possible was beyond y/n‘s comprehension). they entered the estate through a gigantic iron gate and then drove through an arrangement of the most beautiful gardens and then parked around the water fountain.

jay, ever the gentleman again, opened the door for her and held out his hand.

“last call. we could still make a run for it if we wanted to.“

she accepted his outstretched hand and got out of the car. “we can do this.“

the place was streaming with hundreds of guests. the pair tried to blend in with the masses, silently hoping to not be discovered by anyone they knew. y/n had never seen that many rich people all in the same spot. it made her realize that no amount of money could buy you a good sense of fashion. jay could probably even make a plastic bag look hot on him but he knew how to dress himself and was just lucky enough to do so with clothes made out of high-quality materials. still, y/n with her $5 dress on sale looked classier than the majority of people inside this mansion.

even jay looked out of place in this room full of rich people. he was completely tensed up and y/n had to pretend that his iron grip on her hand didn‘t hurt a little. he wandered around aimlessly for a bit but then stopped dead in his tracks.

“they‘re right there.“ he nodded in the vague direction of “right there“, which meant by the bar completely covered in gold. “they“ meaning his parents who were in conversation with a tall, brunette woman and a girl with piercing blue eyes.

“you know what? maybe we should just go.“ his voice was shaking slightly.

as they turned around they almost crashed into the chest of a very tall woman. she raised her pink handbag, matching her all-pink outfit, in which sat a tiny chihuahua with a bow tied around its neck.

“oh, jay jay! we‘ve been looking for you. where are you going? your parents are standing right there talking to the gilmores. we all thought that you‘d be engaged to miss rory by now since your families are so close but you never seemed to show any interest in girls.“ she paused for a moment, lost in distant thought. “we would have all supported you if you were gay but alas, i hear you‘ve finally found yourself a girlfriend. you must be y/n.“ she shook her hand with passionate enthusiasm. “i have heard all about you, of course. which isn‘t a lot, i have to admit. seems like this boy wanted to keep you all to himself, eh? not even telling her own mother about you. she was ecstatic at the news. her little boy finally in love. and now go introduce her to your parents, jay.“ she shooed them away and they had no choice but to walk towards the golden bar.

the woman, whose name y/n still didn‘t know, gave jay‘s mother a kiss on both cheeks.

“ah, darling jiyoung. how are you doing? your son got lost looking for you so i brought them here. do you see how beautiful a girl jongseong has picked out?“

“indeed!“ exclaimed mrs. park.

y/n held out her hand but mrs. park shook her head. “what nonsense, my dear. come here.“

she was pulled into a spine crushing hug. her sweet perfume infiltrated her nose and the hair of the fur collar was tickling her nostrils. how long had it been since she had last been hugged like this by her own mother? it felt nice in spite of the sensory issues and the fact that the hugger was her fake boyfriend‘s mom whom she just met for the first time.

“welcome to the family, honey. i‘m quite enraged that jay has been hiding such a gem from us for this long. he‘s so mysterious when it comes to you but the burning blush on his face whenever your name is mentioned tells me everything i need to know. i can‘t wait to get to know you better. i‘ll see to have a private dinner arranged for just us.“

overwhelmed but thankful with all the kindness she was being shown y/n smiled warmly.

“that sounds lovely. it‘s so nice to finally meet you, mrs. park.“

she looked almost offended. “my dear, no need for these kind of formalities. please just call me jiyoung! oh, and i almost forgot: this is james, my loving husband“

the stern-looking man by her side had not uttered a single syllable since they had arrived but had been attentively watching her with furrowed eyebrows. he eventually held out his hand for her to shake and then his lips formed into a smile.

“i see that my son and the company seem to be in good hands. it’s lovely to meet the girl who has warmed our son’s heart. for a while i feared he‘d be alone forever. seems like he was just waiting for you.“

the task of not getting even more delusional than usual was becoming harder and harder. y/n was on the verge of pulling up twitter to scream on her private account but the urge to make a lasting good impression ultimately won.

then the friendly grilling began. about her aspirations for the future, her hobbies, any allergies, her opinion on hugging trees, and so on. she tried to be as honest and open as possible but she steered away from the topic when the question about her parents came up.

“so, y/n, what is it about my jongseong that you love so much?“

“mom!“ said jay full of indignation. “can you please not?“

“what? i only want to know how you charmed this young lady.“

y/n squeezed his hand to tell him it was alright.

“there are many reasons why i lo–“ she realized what she was saying and dragged out the vowel for a second longer, “–iiike him. first, he is incredibly smart and passionate about the things he loves. his heart burns for the pursuit of knowledge and that‘s why he is so well read too. even if the only books he‘s ever read would be the harry potter saga then that would have been entirely enough to win me over. but he has so much more to offer still. he is also kind and compassionate, even if he might not show it all of the time but it really does shine through and–“ she choked up unwilling, suddenly overcome by emotions she hadn‘t realized had been there, “i‘m so incredibly thankful for his presence in my life. he makes me feel precious and loved and every day i wake up wondering how i could ever repay him.“

her eyes were fixed to the floor, trying very hard to look anywhere but into his or his parents‘ eyes. jay‘s grip on her hand had tightened impossibly more during her little speech so at this point there was barely any blood flowing to her hand anymore. but she‘d never tell him to let go.

jiyoung wiped a little tear from her eyes. “that was beautiful.“

yes, and now can we forget about it, y/n thought?

“jongseong. y/n,“ came a very unwelcome voice from behind them. she had been hoping for a distraction and that‘s exactly what she got.

“lia,“ muttered jay through gritted teeth.

lia was approaching them with a triumphant smile on her face, her high ponytail wagging from side to side as she strut towards them.

“i see you finally met your boyfriend‘s parents, y/n? isn‘t she such a sweetheart, jiyoung?“ she cooed.

she pinched y/n‘s cheeks and casually put her arm around her shoulder as her body stiffened. send help, seemed to scream her eyes as she looked at jay.

“now, now, jisu.“ a hand appeared on lia‘s shoulder and tore her off y/n. “what did i say about personal space?“ it was a man in a well-tailored dark green suit. y/n froze.

“i told you not to call me that,“ grumbled lia.

“what, your name?“ he laughed. “don‘t be silly.“

his eyes flickered towards y/n who had grown pale as a sheet.

“i know jay, of course, but would you mind introducing me to your young friend here?“

“dad,“ y/n whispered.

“hmm, dad is a very interesting name indeed,“ he mused.

lia‘s eyes were widened in shock. “what did you just say?“

“you can‘t even recognize your own daughter? wow, i shouldn‘t be as surprised as i am right now. maybe if you had stayed to see your kids for longer than just kindergarten then you would know who i am.“ y/n‘s fingernails were digging into her palms.

realization dawned on his face. “y/m.“

“it‘s y/n, you scumbag,“ she hissed. “but I wouldn‘t expect you to know.“

“hope your mother’s doing well.“ he could shove is fake sympathy up his ass for all y/n cared.

“thanks to you no one is doing well. i hope you’re happy.“ the last words came out choked as tears welled up in her eyes.

he stepped closer with open arms.

“don’t touch me,“ she yelled. “don’t act like you care. you’re not my father.“

she stormed off. it was too much. seeing her father and him acting like he hadn’t ruined her life. y/n was trying to find the damn exit to this place but with the masses of people swarming about and the tears swimming in her eyes it was hard to see. she could hear jay calling her name as she made her way through the mansion.

she mumbled half-hearted apologies as she bumped into people. the room was spinning and no matter how many times she gasped for air, her lungs couldn’t get enough. she finally saw the golden-adorned door and made a run for it, stumbling her way towards it, but not even fresh air and the newfound space could make the aching in her heart stop.

taking the car was not an option so she opted to run further into the grounds where the woods were. she ran as far as her lungs would allow but they were burning and everything was spinning. she didn‘t get far before collapsing by a tree, dark spots dancing in front of her eyes.

she let out a wallowing sound, clawing at her chest.

“y/n?“ the girl didn‘t look up. breathing got harder with every breath she tried to take. she felt like she had been thrust into the atmosphere of an entire new planet.

jay knelt down in front of her on the dirty, muddy ground.

“look at me.“

she shook her head.

“look at me.“ he repeated firmly. her eyes met his. through the panic she barely registered the mix of fury, worry, and sadness meeting in his eyes. he gently took her hands in his.

“try to breathe with me. you can do it. ready? inhale,“ he took a deep breath, “and exhale.“ he breathed out. y/n tried to copy him but her breathing was too sporadic and she couldn‘t get it under control.

after a couple more attempts he asked her to close her eyes. at this point she was so dizzy that she followed him without question.

he guided her hands to his stomach where he placed them. he repeated the same mantra, only now could she also feel the way his stomach expanded and contracted with every breath.

jay was patient. it took around ten minutes for y/n‘s breathing to start resembling a pattern again. jay was drawing circles on her hands throughout the entire process. his fingers were slightly trembling. she slipped her hand out of his.

“y/n…“

“no. closer, please.“ the desperation in her voice made his heart ache. without question he engulfed her into a secure hug and she clung on for dear life.

they stayed like this, him stroking her back, as their breathing finally started to sync.

“i know you probably don‘t but if you want to talk about what happened then please go ahead. i‘m here to listen.“

y/n bit her bloody lip from chewing on it too much and finally remove herself from his embrace. it was jay they were talking about here. her enemy. her fake boyfriend. the guy who had looked down upon her for years. jay… who had run after her and helped her through a panic attack. jay who had let her cry for hours on his shoulder, ruining his white shirt with her tears and his dress pants in the mud. jay.

“my dad never married my mom,“ she started. “she was hired to clean his house. he is or he used to be, i don‘t really know, a powerful, stinking rich CEO who didn‘t have to pick his own nose because he could always hire someone to do it for him. my mom grew up poor and took on various jobs for money. she was hired at his house to do the cleaning but then when he started touching her, promising a higher pay, who was she to say no? he was also apparently quite handsome and charming in his earlier years so she was infatuated with him anyway. she inevitably became pregnant. she told him the news, secretly hoping he would care enough for her or at least for the baby. instead, he made her sign a contract to keep silent and to never come near him again. in exchange she received an envelope with a little bit of money.

“so my mother was left with me and barely any money to cover the costs piling up. we got evicted as she couldn‘t pay the rent so we were homeless for a while. a mother and her 10 month old child living on the street. it was an especially harsh winter and i got very sick. we had been sleeping under bridges and in tunnels and were unable to escape the cold winds of the season. a dangerous fever seized me and i almost died. my mother went to the only place she knew to call for help, setting aside her pride and the contract she had signed. my father was close to turning her away but not even his stone cold heart could have a baby‘s death on its conscience. he caved in and paid for all the medical expenses and i was able to recover.

“he let her stay, taking care of financial matters while she continued to clean his house in return. my mom got pregnant again and nine months later jung– my brother was born. he didn‘t send her away the second time. he might have not been very present in our lives but i still grew up with memories of him pushing me on the swing or dressing up my infant brother in suit and tie. i thought we were happy. turns out life would have been a lot easier if i had just died that winter.

“before I even started elementary school, he kicked us out. said that he found out he had another daughter and it‘s pretty obvious that he had sorted out his priorities. he kicked us out without notice, just told my mom that he had arranged a job position for her and had bought a small house for us to live in. we were not to contact him or his family ever again. i never expected that i‘d one day i‘d just run into him.“

jay made a thoughtful humming sound. “i think i get it now. your hatred for rich people. why you hate me.“

“i don‘t hate you.“

“but you did. i never knew what i had done. we got along really well the first few days of freshman year and all of a sudden you started treating me differently. your words were filled with venom every time i tried to talk to you. i was sad. i really wanted to be your friend.“

“i never hated you, i think. at least not really. i hated what you stood for and i guess i was in a way scared of you. i now see that i was stupid. you’re so much more than the status you were born into. the little speech i gave to your mother about why i like you so much? none of it was a lie. i meant every last word. you would never do the things my father so easily did.“

he placed his hands on her shoulders. “never. i swear to all that i love. i‘m not like that man and i will never be. okay?“ his voice had a desperate ring to it, like he needed her to really see him.

she nodded.

“what happened next? to you and your mother?“

the girl sighed and looked away. “my mom started blaming us. if only we had been better children, more lovable, more classy, more intelligent, he would never have left her. she started drinking and getting warnings from work. they were very patient with her, after all they were doing my dad a favor but even that patience had its limit. she lost her job and tried to take on smaller shifts as a cashier but she would either fail to show up or would come completely intoxicated. no one wanted to have her for more than a couple of days and eventually she just gave up. when she‘s not getting drunk at a bar now she‘s busy spending the rest of our money on quick drugs. all you can do is hope that your sleeping is convincing enough when she comes home so she doesn‘t get you.“

“get you? does she–“ y/n nodded before he could finish. she couldn‘t bare to hear it said out loud.

“it‘s not too bad. i mean, i‘ve learned to deal with it even though i would of course rather avoid it. better me than my brother. i know what you‘re thinking. that i‘m a terrible person to not have called the police or child services on her. i beat myself up every single day. i want to keep my brother save but what would happen if he‘s taken away? i‘m almost of age so he wouldn‘t be allowed to stay with me. and you know how the system operates. it would ruin his life. and some days i– i actually manage to feel pity for my mother. she made life a living hell but at least she stayed. if it hadn‘t been for him…“

jay wiped away a tear that was sliding down her face, gently caressing her cheek in the process. “i understand. he really screwed you over, huh?“

a dull chuckle left her lips. “you could say that. lia being this messed up makes a lot of sense now. i still can‘t believe that she‘s supposed to be my half sister. maybe we‘re more similar than I thought.“

jay‘s hand now moved to brush a loose strand of hair behind her ears. “you‘re not messed up. you‘re not a burden either. what you are is special and loving and kind and smart and funny. you are an enrichment to all of our lives. your brother‘s. sunoo‘s. chaeryeong‘s. ningning‘s. jimin‘s. heeseung‘s.“

he glanced at her lips.

“mine.“

y/n was reminded of something.

“since we’re already being honest with each other can i ask you a question?“

“anything,“ he whispered.

“why didn’t you kiss me?“

jay was thrust out of his spell. “what?“

“that day after our first fake date. correct me if i’m wrong but we almost kissed but then you just scadoodled away and things have been so incredibly awkward since. is it– is it because there is someone that you like?“

a soft smile played on his lips. “yeah, there is someone i like so very much and for that reason i couldn’t do it. she has been all i can think about recently. no, that’s a lie. i’ve liked her since the very first day we met.“

y/n tried to swallow but her throat had all dried up, doing her best to ignore the way her heart clenched.

“she is a very lucky girl then to have your attention. why don’t you tell her?“

“i just did.“

“no, silly. i mean the girl you–“ she paused, her eyebrows furrowed.

“oh.“ realization hit her like a truck. “hold on. let’s unpack that for a second. i still think this is some sick joke or something but if you were hypothetically telling the truth then i still don’t get why you couldn’t kiss me.“

“not hypothetically but being very honest, i have to admit that i felt so ashamed after what had happened at sunghoon’s party. i’m aware that you reciprocated the kiss but still, i should not have kissed you. i didn’t have my emotions under control and just took your first kiss like that. it should have been romantic and enjoyable. with someone who would ask you first if it was okay and you would actually like that someone. you didn’t want to talk to me at all afterwards. i thought you hated me, at least more than usual, and i couldn’t bare to repeat the same mistake. i wasn’t aware you wanted me to kiss you that night of the date. i was too scared of my own feelings for you to realize.“

“so he’s a gentleman,“ y/n teased. “didn’t want to give the girl he liked a goodbye peck on the lips after almost swallowing her whole in a basement.“

he cringed. “don’t say it like that but… basically, ehm, i guess that’s pretty accurate?“

“so you really do like me?“ she asked, still thinking she must have hit her head earlier.

“very much so.“

“are you sure?“

“a hundred percent.“

“positive?“

“not for much longer if you keep on doubting me,“ he huffed.

“okay, okay. just one more question: when you say “like“ do you mean it in a romantic way or just platonically? like you would love your bro?“

“in a way that makes my heart beat faster whenever i see you smile and suddenly i make it my mission in life to make you happy.“

“soo,“ she began, “if i asked you to kiss me right now because that would make me incredibly happy you would grant my wish?“

“with pleasure. but if this is a real question than i need you to answer one of my own too. do you have feelings for me too?“

“oh honey,“ she laughed, “you should see my private account i made in freshman year for the sole purpose of having a place to scream about how awesome you are and how much of a crush i had on you. the same account has recently been revived for the same purposes. my friends really do hate me now. i hope that answers your question.“

he grinned, obviously satisfied. “it does. but i want you to say it.“

y/n shot him a reproachful look.

“i like you, okay? in a way that has you as my first thought when i wake up and the last when i fall asleep. in that i never want to hurt you again and that i would sell my soul to have great conversation with you while cooking together.“

jay pulled her onto his lap and her arms automatically wrapped around his neck as his hands found their place on her hips. they sat so close, the tips of their noses barely touching.

“may i kiss you?“ he breathed against her lips.

“please.“

his lips were soft and moving gently as he pressed them on hers. it was nothing like the kiss they had shared in the basement, which had been full of confusing emotions and impatience. this one was unhurried and slow. it was their souls finally making peace and uniting.

the kiss didn’t last all too long. both smiled as they exchanged short, sweet kisses, barely containing themselves from giggling like little kids.

he leaned his forehead against hers. “is it too early to ask you if i can be your boyfriend?“

“only if it’s too early for me to say yes.“

jay closed his eyes. “stay over tonight.“

“wow, wow, wow, there, mister. moving a bit fast now, are we?“ she nudged him playfully.

ignoring her remark with a roll of his eyes he cupped her face in his hands. “i don’t want you to go back to that house. not ever again. i want to be sure that wherever you are you‘re save and loved. so please don‘t go,“ he pleaded earnestly.

“okay,“ she whispered. “but only for tonight. i can‘t leave my brother there all by himself.“

“we‘ll get him out of there too,“ jay promised.

that made her remember a very important fact that she had tried to push to the back of her mind.

“ehm, jay?“ he hummed. “you remember my brother?“

“jungwon? yeah. we‘re pretty well acquainted.“

“exactly! you see– wait a damn minute. did you just say jungwon?“

“i figured you were finally fessing up so i thought i would make it easier for you.“

“you– you– i‘m absolutely flabbergasted.“ she scoffed. “you knew?? and never said a word? how on earth did you even find out?“

he scratched the back of his head, a sheepish smile playing on his lips.

“jungwon would always draw this cat sitting on a cloud with the moon in the background and a tiny little fish swimming around. i know for a fact that he designed it himself – he was very proud of it – and i couldn‘t help but notice you had the very same cat drawn on your cast (which, by the way, is a whole other conversation for another day) which made me suspicious. further hints just proved my theory. i‘m so sorry but it would have been impossible to ignore all the times you, him, and your friends almost slipped up. and him as stephanie from lazy town was the final proof i needed. truly uncanny.“

y/n hummed, completely lost in his eyes. “do that again. that was really sexy.“

“i was just talking?“

“exactly. casually proving you‘re smarter and way more observant than everyone else. kinda makes me want to relive the basement scenario.“

she overdramatically bit her lip and wiggled her eyebrows at him but all she got back was a light smack on the arm.

“but wait! so you‘re not mad then?“

y/n had always thought jay would be furious once he found out but she felt like something didn‘t add up now.

he furrowed his eyebrows. “of course not. why would I be? i love jungwon and i lo–iiiiike you too. two in one.“

she made a face. “don‘t even think about dating my brother. but… i don‘t know. i just thought that since you hated me you would kick him off the team the second you found out but as i‘m talking i realize my error because you never actually hated me.“ she sighed. “i can‘t believe i was so wrong about you.“

she snuggled closer to him, burying her face in his shoulders.

“i‘m so sorry. for everything.“

he started lightly rubbing her back with one hand. “it‘s okay. there really is nothing to apologize for. we were both dickheads at times. but look at us now! we learned and grew us people. besides, i wouldn‘t have it any other way if that meant i wouldn‘t get to hold you in my arms now.“

that sounded nice. feeling save and protected was an incredible feeling. it‘s been so very long. y/n suddenly realized just how tired she was. she was completely spent from crying and all the drama and confessions of the evening that she almost fell asleep right here and there.

“come on, sleepyhead. let‘s get you home.“

and take her home he did. to his. to theirs.

they didn‘t let go of each other throughout the entire night. it was the first time in a while that both of them were welcomed by peaceful dreams.

a/n: if you're reading this you're hereby legally obliged to tell me what you think!! did we expect this at all? i had this planned since the beginning so writing it felt kind of scary since that would mean we've almost reached the end. but I had so much fun writing this so I would really appreciate it if you could share your thoughts with me <3

< previous | next >

masterlist

summary: y/n hates rich people and park jongseong is no exception. they have been academic rivals since freshman year (which he doesn't like to acknowledge) and always argue about the dumbest of things. but what happens when y/n's brother jungwon joins the dance team led by jay and their friend groups begin to mingle?

taglist 1:

@sophiko22 @missmadwoman @jungwons-rat @msxflower @minato-ariato @person-standing @blessed-sky @honeyhuii @yaeluvz @jaywonlix @nar-nia @bekah931215 @sirephines @revemixer @jjhmk @heelariously @ddeonuism @fylithia @dxlicateee @acciomylove @kyleeanne @solitxre @strwbryparfait @beibybtch @tomorrowbymoa-together @vantxx95 @sunshineshouchan @winter-berries @lilacboba @chewnotgyu @chaeflms @wondering-out-loud @wonniesimp @dinosdance @3ggieyolk @sunbokie @sadmusiclovs @zhaixiaowen @seollyeong @staerrymariam @sol123recs @bigtoewinwin @enhasengene @centheodd @joti17 @soobin-chois @jungwonswifex @sweetjaemss @indelicate-macalino @chiyuv

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possiblylando · 1 year

Text

Chainsaw Man Chapter 134 Analysis

Woah hey bit later than usual with this one. Had a moment there when I began to grow disillusioned with the current chapters direction. Watched some Baki (2001) and a giant ape taught me the beauty in all things. Anyway, Chainsaw Man. Chainsaw Man will die before the end of Part 2. The Manga has to end eventually. Fujimoto doesn't seem like the kind of author who can leave a story off on "And so the adventure continues". They've already rolled out a replacement Chainsaw Man. If the original died then there's always a Chainfraud Man to replace him.

This chapter felt like it was backpedaling. These last few chapters have all felt that way. Defusing the tension of the previous chapter or even the current chapter immediately. I can understand the reason behind it now, But I still don't like it.

These chapters are here to mirror Denji himself instead of the narrative. We only got to see the peaks of his development without the blank middle. Like I said, I get cutting out the sections where "Nothing interesting happens" but that also defuses alot of tension. I would've much rather we had gotten an Asa Chapter or Two after 132's ending before we got to see what happened with Denji and Nayuta. It feels like it was just written for the weekly audience instead of for the quality of the story as a whole. Reading these chapters back to back it's just. 132. Denji & Nayuta are captured; Oh this is real bad what are they gonna do?? 133. Oh- They let Denji out. Oh wow okay thats a rough ultimatum- Nevermind. 134. Okay he's thought about it more. Because clearly time has passed between each of these chapters. But we don't get any of that time to pondering on what could've happened. It feels rushed is what I'm trying to convey. Idk maybe I'm supposed to feel discontent with what's going on to mirror Denji's feelings. If that's intentional then yeah I guess it's doing it's wrong. This entire chapter is Denji trying to rationalize his decision to himself. He clearly wants both. He knows it, Nayuta knows it, Yoshida knows it.

I can't help but wonder how Denji would be acting if he hadn't lost Aki and Power. He's acting the way he is now because he doesn't want to experience what he did again. He doesn't want to be dragged back down to hell.

I'll get a bit out here for a second. But I think the TV scrolling's message is intentional and important.

Obviously the nouns here aren't exact. Grandpa and Golf aren't the important things here. Keep in mind this is pretty out there and I don't think this is like- Be all end all. So I'm gonna show you basically what I'm seeing here. Also Grammar aside;

I don't know how intentional it is but it mirrors what happened in 133 when you look at it from this angle.

This whole scene is kind of upsetting looking back on it. In Denji's Mind this is his out. He can have two options right now. He isn't turning into Chainsaw Man to do this but he's still Chainsaw Man. Meaning he won't be breaking the rules. Nayuta won't have to get hurt. It'll all be-

*This guy has a passing resemblance to Katana Man, If he was a High Schooler.

You can pin point the exact moment the light leaves his eyes.

The Church are clearly Religious Zealots. It's interesting that they're using Abrahamic Religion as a basis for their uh- Beliefs? Goal? I'm not sure. I wanna go into some of the deeper meaning of this. So obviously it's time to talk about Christianity. *Side Note: Was Jesus a real person in the CSM universe? Adam and Eve were created by God as pure beings. Adam was created first however God soon after used half of him to create Eve. They lived in Eden which was a perfect paradise. However Eve was tempted by the Devil into breaking the only rule set in place by god by eating the fruit of knowledge. Adam not wanting Eve to suffer alone did the same. That's the basic of it. I think it's safe to assume what they really want to do is turn the world back into Eden. A world without Evil. However they seem unaware of the utter impossibility of that. Especially without the actual Chainsaw Man. We as the Audience know that any devil consumed by the Chainsaw is forgotten by humanity, Thus they lose all power. But the thing is this ability's activation conditions are still questionable. Pochita ate War's Guts yet War continued to exist, He only took Nuclear Weapons. Denji ate Makima yet Nayuta exists as the current Control Devil. Maybe because he wasn't in his chainsaw man form? So how can they create a world without Devils? Is it simply an Ideal to strive for instead of an actual goal? As in they just kill all the devils and everything- Okay that's not going to happen. We've seen the pattern. They're going to start dating the Devils again. God damn it. It's sad to see the Church take away all the suffering Denji has been through and put it onto someone else. Imagine if Jesus was replaced by some random guy who claimed to be the true son of god. Jesus still existed and went through all that shit to forgive the sins of humanity, Yet everyone just accepted this new guy was the real deal and the one who saved them.

This last page is also real sad.

Denji doesn't deny that his guy is Chainsaw Man now. He doesn't say "He's not Chainsaw Man!", He says "I'm more Chainsaw Man than him!". He's accepted the fact he can no longer be Chainsaw Man. But he still craves that acceptance. He wants people to like him specifically, and for that to be taken away by a guy he's only met once. It's real rough. I know that this isn't where it'll end for Denji. But there's a part of me that Wishes it was. If he stopped here he would get to live that life he wanted at the start of the series. But that life isn't enough anymore. Stagnation leads to the risk of falling back down to where you were before. And Denji doesn't want to be dragged back down to hell.

#chainsaw man #csm #denji hayakawa #csm 134 #chainsaw man 134

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unluckyhoneybee · 2 years

Text

The Handsome Artist. 17.

The Hoppers. A nice day on the beach with the Hoppers and some plans to make.

MASTERLIST.

Previous part: I know a place.

Note: a random chapter with the usual cuteness. Read the note at the end please!!!

"Did you put the food on the truck" Charlotte insisted.

"Yes, Charlotte, I did."

"And your boyfriend will go there?"

"Yes Charlotte, Danny will go there" I said blushing.

Danny told me that Michael was also free that day. Obviously he was more than invited to come. They would go to the beach from their house and we would see them in there.

"Is his friend handsome too?"

"He is a cute but huge little guy" Molly said.

"Cute but huge little guy?" I lifted my eyebrow.

"Girl, that guy is huge. He could break Danny in a half"

I chuckled.

"True, true." I chuckled. "He works in a gym. And yes. He is cute. A nice guy too"

"Good." She said with a cheeky smile.

I rolled my eyes. Soon we were on our way to the beach, windows down and music loud, Flowers in your hair on the speakers. I looked at them and felt happy.

Danny POV.

"So you want me to go because you don't want to be alone with her and her aunt and best friend"

I nodded and he laughed.

"Mate, you met them like a month ago"

"I don't care. I wasn't her boyfriend yet!"

Michael laughed and left the car. I flipped him off and followed him.

We were slightly yet, so the first thing I do was covering my eyes from the sun and look for her.

"They are there"

Obviously Mike had already seen them.

So we walked down the beach. The closer we got the more nervous I felt.

That was my girlfriend, her best friend and her aunt. The whole family. The Hoppers.

And then...

"Daniel! Daniel and company!" Charlotte got up from her chair and Moly and Abi turned to us.

Abigail smiled and got up from the sun. She is perfect. She was wearing a green bikini and her hair was already wet. Her curls looked messy because of the sea and her skin was shiny. On her chest, my tattoo looked perfect. It suited her so well.

"Give your aunt a kiss, boy"

Charlotte surprised me by pulling me down to her level. I laughed and let her kiss my cheek before kissing hers. Then.... Your aunt.

"Welcome to the family, Daniel. I'm so happy for you" She said cupping my face. "Take care of my little forest elf."

"I will, Charlotte. I promise"

"I know." She then gave me a hug and another kiss. "Now, be good and introduce me to you friend"

I chuckled and turned to Michael.

"Mike mate, she is Charlotte. The coolest woman in the town"

"Oh, you are too nice"

Charlotte went to Mike and I felt a touch on my arm. I looked down and there she was with the biggest smile on her face.

"She already adores you."

I smiled at her.

"I know, I just want to have my new aunt happy"

"She already told you that?"

I nodded.

"Well, all her friends already know about her super handsome new nephew. The tattoo artist with a pink car"

"Do they?"

"Of course they do. You have a granny fan club"

I hugged her waist and kissed her cheek.

"Don't let it get in my head"

She chuckled and cupped my cheeks. A soft touch on my lips with her thumb and then she kissed me. Her body touched mine and I sighed on her mouth. This was so perfect.

"Thank you for coming. Both of them are super excited. But will probably try to warn you and scare you or something... Or flirt with Mike. Try to ignore it. Molly is like a teen and Charlotte... Charlotte is currently touching Mike's abs so..."

I looked at them and laughed.

"Mike, you should give her a card. I think she has a lot of friends, right? For your yoga classes."

"Oh! Yoga! Yes Mike, give me your number and I will get you 10 or 11 new clients."

Abi laughed. I leaned and pressed a kiss on her temple. I couldn't believe she was my girlfriend. I had the most beautiful woman only for me.

"I hope they are not too much" She whispered.

"Don't worry. We can manage it."

She kissed my lips again and I felt in heaven.

"Some space!" Molly shouted.

I opened my eyes and pulled back with a smile.

"Come here, Danny." She hugged me. "Treat my girl right eh"

"I will, I will"

"Stop, Molly"

"I just want her ti be happy. The happiest. I hope it's not much to ask"

"It's not"

Soon Michael and I were walking to the water as they laid in the sun.

"Well, they are... Intense" Michael said.

"They are" I said laughing. "Abi is probably mortified. Just don't take them into account. Charlotte is this messy and energetic woman. And yeah... Quite que opposite"

"No problem, mate. They are funny"

I saw how his eyes moved to Molly, who was currently moving and laying face down. She was pretty, she had his light brown hair, long short. Her eyes were big and she had a sharp face.

"She is pretty" Michael said.

"She is. But..."

My best friend looked at me.

"She likes women?"

"She is with Lewis"

Abi had gotten up and was walking to us. She looked angelic, her skin looked golden because of the sun.

"Well, I have nothing to do with Lewis." Michael said. I felt a bit sad for him.

"Hey guys"

"Abi, I have a question" I said.

She leaned to me and took a sit on my lap. The waves moved around us.

"Which question?"

"Molly and Lewis"

"They are fucking. Like fuck buddies or something."

Michael nodded slowly.

"Why?"

Abi looked at me and I didn't have to tell her, she read it on my eyes and turned to Michael.

"You like her"

"I just said she is pretty, your boyfriend jumped knto conclusions"

Abi smiled.

"That's cute"

I giggled.

"You are cute, Mike"

"Shit up, Danny" Abi said. "Molly is a really open person. She likes to try new stuff, to move around, she never stays on the same place for long. She has had so many hobbies during our life that I lost count. She was almost a professional surfer when hlwe were sixteen. But she grew tired of it and started playing basketball, then skating, scuba diving... She is an adventure herself."

I looked at her kind of confused. Just as Mike.

"What I mean is that she is not one for setting. She is fucking Lewis now but tomorrow she will find something else. Not in a bad way. She is free to do anything she wants and till this day she has done things rights. She won't just dissappear" She said to me. Maybe she thought I was worried for Lewis. "Michael... She is intense. And... I don't know what you want in life. Just think about it before, okay?"

"Before what?" He said.

"You can definitely go and flirt with her. What she has with Lewis is just sex. I promise. But... Be clear of what you want and she won't play with you"

The shared a knowing look.

"What's that?" I asked curious.

"What?"

"That look"

Abi gasped a bit and Michael cleared his throat.

"What?"

"Nothing. Um... Michael and I had a talk. In Colorado"

"A talk?" I frowned and looked at Michael.

Abi moved her fingers over my hair and kissed my cheek.

"You don't have to worry, Danny."

"Well, I am" I said sounding more serious than I wanted to.

"I wanted to be sure she wouldn't hurt you" Michael said looking into my eyes.

I frowned.

"Why did you think she..."

"Daniel, hey" Abi made me look at her. "It's fine. We talked about it. Michael didn't meant it like that."

I looked at Michael.

"It's okay to worry about your friends. It was a very peaceful and civil talk about how we both want the same for you" Abi insisted.

Michael was my best friend. He was like a brother to me.

"Yeah, mate. I want you to be happy" He said.

"Okay..."

"Don't worry, okay?" Abi said on her usual sweet voice.

I looked at her and nodded, then at Michael.

"I think you two are nice together. It's so cute that it's actually disgusting."

I laughed and punched his arm.

"I wanted to punch you, mate"

Abi slapped the back of my head.

"You are the biggest idiot, Dan"

"Yeah well, but I'm not that bad huh? You two don't seemed to bother"

"You parents pay us for spending time with you" Michael said.

Abi laughed out loud.

"Fuck you both"

I splashed water and they gasped.

"My eyes, mate"

"I hate you, Danny!"

"Hey! I wanna play too" Soon Charlotte and Molly were walking to us.

I kidded Abi's shoulder softly and she looked at me.

"I promise everything is fine" She whispered and looked into my eyes.

I nodded and pulled her for a kiss. It was soft and short, bit she was blushing.

"What?"

"My aunt is here!"

"Well?"

"Would you like me to kiss you in front of your parents?"

I bit my lip. That reminded me of something else. Something we needed to talk about and something I was hopping I could ask today.

"I wouldn't mind" I answered and it only made her blush harder.

"I hate you"

I stole another kiss and she giggled. My favorite thing in the world was now make her blush.

"Hey you! Some air between..."

"No, Charlotte. You told me to bring condoms, you don't get to say that!"

I laughed out loud and let Abigail swim to her aunt and best friend. Michael got closer to me.

"I didn't mean to offend you. Or her. I just... I was worried because I saw how much you love her and how you didn't make a move because of her and... I thought that maybe you didn't want the same."

I looked at Michael.

"Next time... Talk to me please, Mike." I said touching his arm. It didn't hurt at all. But if he was worried about me I wanted to know.

"Yeah. I did. You kept saying you would wait. I only wanted to talk to her too."

I nodded.

"She makes me so happy and... She had a tough time with this dude she dated."

Michael looked at her.

"Too bad?"

"Mhm"

"Fuck..."

"Yes"

"Take care of her"

I smiled.

"Really, mate. She is so nice. I'm gonna punch you if you fuck this up"

"I won't, I won't."

"Good, because it's the best you have done."

I looked at Abi, who was posing with Charlotte for a Pic Molly was taking. The three of them looked so happy to be here together.

"I think I want to marry her"

Mike gasped.

"Danny, you have been dating for what? 3 or 4 days"

"I know, I know. Not yet. But I want it"

He chuckled.

"You won't ever change, huh"

"Nop"

"Guys! Come here! We want you on the photos too!" Molly called for us.

Abi POV.

"The food is delicious" Michael said bitting his sandwich.

Charlotte smiled so big.

"Abi helped this morning. But it's my receipt."

"I have been eating those sandwiches since I have teeth" I said.

Daniel chuckled next to me.

"I see why you grew to such a beautiful girl"

"Oh shit, Daniel" I groaned.

He others were laughing and Charlotte was looking with big eyes.

"You know that you don't need to flirt anymore, right?"

"I'm always going to flirt, honey"

"Never lose that, Daniel" Charlotte said.

We both looked at her. Michael and Molly were quietly observing.

"Don't lose the magic. That's how relationships break. People stop trying. They stop fighting."

"Sometimes bad people do horrible things" Daniel said. It only made me lean closer to him.

"Yes. Because they stop caring. They fight for you, they make their biggest efforts to have you. And once they have you? They stop caring. And if you don't care about someone you won't care about hurting them"

I looked down at my hands feeling the tears on my eyes and a lump in my throat.

"You will make me cry, Charlotte" Molly said.

The air felt thick around us, Michael was looking at the sea, Daniel had his eyes lost somewhere, Molly really was on the verge og crying.

"And what do I do? You know I don't have relationships like that" She asked my aunt.

Charlotte smiled.

"Never stop caring about the people you spend your time with. Because it's something precious."

Michael looked at me and I gave him a tiny smile. He nodded a bit.

"Don you have someone, Charlotte?" Daniel asked and my aunt blushed.

"Charlotte?" I asked with a smile on my face. The tension slowly disappeared.

"It's nothing..."

"Nothing?! Look at you!" Molly exclaimed.

I laughed and clapped.

"Charlotte!" I knew her so well, she would speak as soon as I insisted a little bit.

"Her name is Caroline and she is a couple of years older than me"

"OH shit!" I hugged her and kissed her cheek. "I'm so happy, I have been waiting for years!"

I heard the camera clinking and looked at Danny with a big smile. I loved him so much. He threw me a kiss.

"So... Auntie Charlotte has a girlfriend..." He said smiling. I sat next to Charlotte, she was keeping me close and she looked happy when she nodded.

"We met a few weeks ago playing poker at Jordin's house." She said. "We are not officially dating, but we had a few dates"

"So you were pressing me to talk about Danny and you were keeping this to yourself!"

"Oh sweetie, you are weak"

We all laughed.

"Tell us, is she frome here?"

We spent the next hour or so talking about Caroline. Charlotte was so happy and being how she was, she made it so contagious. Then we went to the sea and had a snack later. It was the most perfect day.

Soon Michael got up and went to play volley, Molly following him quickly. I was watching them, Daniel resting with his head on my legs as I played with his soft curls. The sun was close to setting.

It felt surreal. He was here and he was my boyfriend. He had come to buy stuff for today's food with me as my boyfriend. He had come for breakfast as my boyfriend. He had texted godd night as my boyfriend. He was my boyfriend and was sleeping peacefully on me.

I looked at Charlotte and she was sleeping too. It was nice to see her this happy and relaxed, so comfortable around the guys. If she liked them it was because they were nice people. She had the best radar.

I heard a laugh and looked up. Michael and Molly were both laughing as Molly mimicked a move. I felt weird about them. Michael was clearly interested. He hadn't stopped looking at her with a cute smile. But Molly... She wasn't a bad person. But she was messy.

"What are you thinking about?"

I looked down. With sleepy eyes, Daniel was looking at me.

"Those two"

He turned his face and his bread tickling the skin on my thigh.

"Do you think Michael likes her for real?"

"I don't know. He is very objective. He is probably thinking that for the moment it's only physical attraction and that it depends on him if it becomes more or not"

"I don't think you can control that" I said caressing his face. "I couldn't control that"

He smirked and looked at me.

"Yeah, same."

I ran my thumb over his bottom lip and he kissed the pad.

"I need you to keep me updated on Mike, okay?"

He nodded.

"I can talk some sense into Molly."

"And Lewis?"

I bit my lip.

"Do you think he wants something with Molly?"

"Probably not more than what they have now"

"Okay." I looked at Michael, who was trying to teach Molly something. "He will go forward, right?"

"I think so"

"I like him for Molly"

Daniel chuckled.

"They are opposites."

I looked at him and booped his nose.

"So are we"

"You are right in there"

I leaned and kissed his lips.

"Do you wanna go for a walk? There is something a want to talk about"

I felt the blood draining from my face.

"Don't worry, love. It's not bad."

He got up and helped me. Then we started walking away and he threaded his fingers between mine.

"Don't pout. It's not bad, I promise"

I bit down my lip.

"What is it?"

"I haven't told my parents about us"

I got a strange feeling on my chest. What? Why?

He looked at me expecting an answer. But I didn't know what to say or how to feel.

"Okay. I'll speak." He took a deep breath. "You know I will go to Australia on two weeks"

I nodded.

"I know that maybe it's too soon and you are completely free to say no, but..." He stopped for too long and I felt terrified. "I want you to come with me"

I gasped and stopped walking.

"Me?"

"Yes" He smiled a bit and pulled my hand so I was standing closer. "You are my girlfriend, honey"

"But..."

My mind was racing.

Daniel gently cupped my face.

"Abi. You don't have to. Really. You don't have to. I won't get angry."

"Why haven't you told them?" I muttered.

"Because they love you so much and if you come with me I will be like: Surprise! A daughter in law. But if you don't come, which it's completely fine, I will tell them by phone. Right now if you want to"

He wanted to take me there by surprise.

"Honey"

"What?"

"You are overthinking."

"I can't not overthink." I chuckled and looked down at our hands. "Don't you think it is too much for them? Maybe they don't feel comfortable with me in there"

He kissed my forehead.

"Baby. If I thought about doing it, is because I know they will be fine. They always ask for you, the kids can't wait to come back and see Abi because she is awesome. My mum loved you. And dad wants to know more of you"

I bit my lip.

"Will it be too much for you?"

The question left me a bit speechless. For a moment I couldn't react.

"I'm not sure."

"You can think about it."

I let my hand fall on his chest.

"How is it?"

"Home? It's beautiful. It's so much like this. It's winter now and they are a bit colder than here. And we have a farm with plenty of space. I know you want to have your space and your time for yourself and I can promise that there won't be any problem with it. And there are so many things to do."

I bit my lip and looked into his eyes.

"Plus I will get to spend your birthday with you" I whispered and his smile grew.

"Yes"

"I want to go"

Without giving me time to react, he hugged me and lifted me from the sand. I shouted and grabbed into him, laughing hard.

Daniel let me fall to the floor and kissed my lips.

"Get ready for a long ass fly with Mike, Blake and me"

I laughed and kissed him again.

"I think I can manage that"

He kissed my cheeks a thousand times.

"It will be great, I promise. I really want you to go there. And see where I come from."

"Okay, cutie"

"Plus, you can give the kids the toys you got for them"

"Oh yes!"

"They will love to see you there"

"Will they"

"For sure"

Some days later...

"Do you have everything?"

"I don't know, I had a list and I lost it!"

"Phone charger, you underwear bag and lube" Molly said leaving the items on the bed.

I blushed hard.

"Um... Where..."

She chuckled.

"You left the drawer open and the underwear was right there. It was by accident but if you bought it it's because you use it."

I blushed even more.

"Condoms?"

"He has them. He is the one who wears them"

"Honey, you should have con..."

"I have. I have. Molly. I'm not stupid. He is the one carrying them to Australia."

"And if you run out of them?"

"Well, there are shops in Australia." I said laughing.

"Honey! Abi, sweetie. The gift!"

"Oh fuck"

Charlotte came into the room with the package, pretty well hidden inside a bag. It was Danny's birthday gift, one I had done.

I put that on the suitcase too.

"Okay. I think that's all" I said looking down.

Charlotte hugged my side.

"Are you nervous?"

"Yeah. A bit"

"It will be fine. Don't forget to tell them that next time they visit they have to come home to have dinner"

I smiled and kissed her forehead.

"Of course"

We heard the doorbell.

"I'm going"

Molly ran to the door while Charlotte helped me close the suit case.

I took a deep breath.

"It will be fine" I said.

She smiled and took my hands.

"It will. You will see. Call whenever you want, don't mind about hours. Be careful with spiders and snakes. And have so much fun with you boy, okay?"

I nodded and hugged her. The door opened and Daniel, dressed on the most comfy sweats and hoodie appeared.

"Oh, group hug"

And he hugged us. We both laughed.

"Hey! I should be invited too!"

She invited herself though. Molly joined the hug too.

"Oh guys, I'm going to miss you so much" She said.

"We are only leaving for two weeks" I said giggling.

When we all pulled back, Charlotte grabbed Daniel by his clothes.

"Okay you little man. Take care of my niece, okay? It's too far away and I can't go and pick her and then kick your ass."

"I promise, she will be treated like a queen" Daniel said. "And I will remind her to bring a magnet"

"Please! She always..."

"Forgets" Daniel completed her sentence, making me giggle.

"Yes! She always does. Give me a hug, Daniel" Charlotte made him hug her, which he gladly did. Molly pinched me and I shook my head. She was an idiot. "Have so much fun, enjoy your home and the kids and don't forget to tell your mum you love her. Spend some time with your dad. And have so much fun on your birthday. Abi has a present for you on the case, from me."

I looked at her surprised. I didn't know about that.

"Thank you Charlotte, but you didn't have to"

"Of course I did" She pinched Danny's cheek and looked at me. "And you honey, behave at the Ricciardo's, okay?"

I giggled and hugged her.

"I'm not five"

"Have so much fun, honey"

"Thank you, Charlotte."

Charlotte came with us downstairs where Michael and Blake waited with the car. Molly was taking us to the airport on Michael's car which was the bigger one.

My aunt gave me a final hug before saying goodbye to the guys.

"Have fun in Australia!"

Okay, this is really important. What do we think about Michael and Molly? I'm thinking of writing a 1 part spin-off about them.

Also, what do we want Charlotte to give Daniel for his birthday? Think about how Abi doesn't know what it is.

Next part: Australia.

Taglist: @d0ntjudgemy50shades @controsnes @thybulleric @ln15 @lcuppo @priylodhasstuff @shadowbowgirl13 @txtflxx @scotlynaurora @chxrryrose @f1-incorrect-s @yearsof-war @earfquak3 @amsofftrack

#Daniel ricciardo #Dr #Fluff #The handsome artist #Fic

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