#Tiger woods mug shot

[dalerwalker2]

Tiger woods mug shot' rise, collapse, and climb again during the last three years

Tiger woods mug shot' rise, collapse, and climb again during the last three years #CampingWorld500 42K Paul Pelosi 29K Rodolfo 171K #AEWDoN 19K Prince of Egypt #Indy500 88K #CocaCola600 Shotzzy #BulliedByArmys 12K Colombia

Tiger woods mug shot’ rise, collapse, and climb again during the last three years This week, Tiger Woods was once again at the centre of the sports universe, as a record number of people tuned in to see him stripe fairways with his megastar ‘buddies’ Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, and Phil Mickelson. Although the Match was simply a charity tournament held at Woods’ home course in Jupiter, Florida,…

[bangtan-yeonghon]

Oath | Final Chapter | Jungkook

Genre: Angst | Mafia!AU

Members: Jungkook | You/Reader | Yoongi | Taehyung | Namjoon | Hoseok | Jin | Jimin |

Summary: What if one day everything you ever wanted is taken away and your whole world comes crushing down? If you were to forget today, who would you be tomorrow?

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Word count: 15.3k

Eyes glued to an empty mug, muffled sound of outside voices dissipating through vacant rooms, cold stillness engulfing the surroundings. You had been standing there for hours, staring at the note Jungkook had left you, pondering whether to go back to Yoongi, like he had asked, or just run away God knows where. The latter sounded so promising, a brand-new start in place so far not even history could reach you. But was there such a thing in the mafia? Sure, some must have made it, but how many have died trying? If Yoongi would not have caught you leaving the country, then you would have become leverage under torture or, much simpler, a corpse at the hands of Black Tiger. You were cornered at this point, nowhere to run, even though anthems of rebellion ringed in your head. All the time being pushed from one side to the other, under orders, under lies, had left you craving freedom. And even though it was clear that Jungkook only wanted to protect you, it made you so angry that even he gave you orders now. You sighed. It was a riot in your head and it was tough to make a decision, or maybe the decision had already been made the moment you stepped foot outside. You just had to get through this alive with hope that whatever Jungkook had in mind was not just another failed attempt to escape.

That night, with you in his arms, Jungkook finally got the chance to properly rest. He had been on the edge ever since he had lost you, and it had left a mark on him. But now, for a brief moment, he had you in his protection and nobody on his tail, so he could relax. The next morning, during the early stages, when the city was at its most silent and still point, he wrote you a note and went out the door. He wanted so badly to just lay with you a few more moments, to caress your cheeks and brush away all of your worries with his lips, but he knew there was no time for that. Things were moving at an alarming pace. He scanned the area just to make sure Black Tiger had not sent another leech, and drove off. Not even half an hour later, his phone started ringing; it was his father.

"What do you want?"

"I do have to say, I am impressed. Your source is valid. My boys told me Yoongi was there when the trade went down."

"So now you trust me, as a leader."

"Not really. You have any idea where Namjoon is?”

A wave of fear ran down his spine, but he kept his composure. Black Tiger should under no circumstances find out what went down at Paradise Hotel, otherwise him and Y/N would be the first to take the bullet. He made sure to kill all the men that were with Namjoon that night, leaving no trail behind. Yoongi also made sure to get rid of the cars and any other trace that would lead curious minds to them.

“I have no idea.”

“You’re the last person that saw him, don’t you find it weird?”

“Listen, I almost shot him when I caught him following me. I would still do it, gladly, if I saw his face.”

“I still don’t trust you, kid. You better not let me down. I need you to do a favor for me. Jin had been bugging me, asking about Namjoon. Find out where the bastard is."

“Why don’t you just let Jin handle it, then? I have more important stuff to do."

“Jin is too sloppy, he’ll get himself killed before he finds anyone, and I still need a good doctor. I also promised his dad the boy will be under my protection. And you, boy, shouldn’t act so cocky, you might be the leader now, but my orders are still yours to follow. Never forget that!”

“You want me to bring Namjoon back to you?”

"I don't have any use for him anymore. At this point, I'm not even sure he is still alive, but I need to know his whereabouts."

"What for? Just to stop Jin?"

"You ask too many questions, kid. Just get me the location and maybe I will give you my full trust."

Just as the dial tone started ringing in his ear, Jungkook threw the phone on the shotgun seat and took an U turn. The new task put pressure on him and he was all tense, but in a calm manner, as if he had expected this to come.

Back at Yoongi's place, Hoseok was giving updates on Taehyung's status. He was now stable, but not yet out of coma. When was he to wake up was a question nobody but Tae had an answer to. The two were casually exchanging information, with such composure that it would have made even the most anxious person feel like everything is under control. The only thing that disrupted the tranquility of the scene was the ringing of a phone, Yoongi's. There were very few words exchanged, at least on his side, but that call brought the meeting to an abrupt end. As he led Hoseok out of his office, Yoongi thanked him for his support and help and asked him one more time to make sure Taehyung was going to make it out alive. They shook hands, and Hoseok gave him a reassuring look before he headed out.

You stared out the window of the car, wondering if you have made the right decision. It was still not too late to tell the driver to turn around and take you back, or take you straight to the airport. Your heart was pumping hard against your chest as you got closer to the destination. So many thoughts, so much fear and hate. Yet, deep down you knew there was no other choice. And you missed Jungkook, you missed him so much it was hard to breathe, but again, you knew he had no other choice either. It was just another series of bad timing and fate pulling you apart, yet another trial for your love. Amidst all that a car passing by caught your attention. More precisely, the driver.

"Hoseok..." a faint whisper escaped your lips as your eyes traced the car. "Turn around."

"What?" the driver asked, clearly confused.

"Follow that car, please, before you lose him."

"Ok..."

"Please don't lose him, please!"

"Miss, I don't think this is legal. I don't want to get into trouble...."

"You won't. I'll pay you double, just please, follow him."

Just the mere thought that he was headed to wherever they were keeping Taehyung was making your heart race at full speed. When the adrenaline level started to go down, it made way for doubt to creep in, which brushed away some of that initial excitement. What if that gut feeling was actually flawed and Jimin had been right all along...what if Tae was actually gone? What if Hoseok was just roaming around the city aimlessly, which had hardly been the case, but what if? So many questions to which you held no answer, only one car leading you to them.

Hoseok stopped in front of a modest two-storey motel, nothing that would give off the idea that on a bed behind those wooden doors, there lied an almost dead gang member in hiding, and that he was the one in charge with keeping him alive. Your eyes traced his movements. He got a bag out of the trunk, scanned the area with a quick glance, and made his way to one of the apartments. You paid the driver, double, as promised, and got out of the car just as he closed the door behind him. Your mind was spiraling with excitement, anxiety, doubt, curiosity, fear, and anger, a dangerous mixture. You were in a trance, feet moving across the pavement out of reflex, nobody left in charge. Your ears were almost ringing when you reached the door, hands shaking as you got ready to knock.

You gasped just as your knuckles were about to touch the wood. In an eternity, that had actually been closer to one second, you were at gunpoint. Your brain could not even process when the door flung open or where that gun came from. You stood there frozen in time and space.

“Y/N?!” Hoseok asked, visibly shocked and confused. He noticed your dazed state and quickly pulled you inside, making sure to check if nobody else was on his tail. He sighed and decocked the gun.

Your eyes filled with tears, turning everything into a blurry mess. You felt one ball of liquid fire hit your cheek and slide down as the picture became clear. On a bed just a few steps away, as if by a miracle, laid a man, a man that had haunted your dreams and wreaked havoc on your soul. He was not awake, nor did he look good, but he was very much alive, just like that deep voice inside your heart had said over and over again. He was there, Taehyung was there. You felt a pair of hands land on your shoulders and the image of Taehyung faded to black.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Hoseok inquired, this time harsher.

“I could ask the same thing,” you responded, voice so soft it was almost a whisper. “Why didn’t you tell me?” You started shaking again. Inside a storm was building up, catching more speed and power as it went from your stomach to your heart and brain.

“You didn’t have to know, not now, at least.”

You scoffed. “I didn’t have to know? I didn’t have to know?!? Me, out of all the people didn’t have to know?!? Fuck you!!!” you pushed him, full force. “Fuck you, and fuck Yoongi, and especially fuck Jimin! All I heard from you were lies, lies, lies, and for what? It was fun seeing me all confused and trusting you like a fool? It was fun to have me as your pet?” you pushed him again. “You were so bored you just decided to fuck up my life as a means of entertainment??”

“Calm down! This is precisely why you didn’t have to know. You are putting yourself and us in danger with your quick temper and reckless behavior.”

“Oh, is that so? Is that what I am doing? Then tell me, Hoseok, how would I have put you in danger, had I known Tae was still alive? Would I be here screaming my lungs out now? No! Would I have followed you all the way here? No! Would I have even tried to run away? Definitely no! I put my life on the line so many times for you, I have been tortured and stayed loyal to the family, and this bullshit is what I deserve?”

“It was what was best for you, for both of you. With Jungkook back in the picture, Taehyung would have only suffered and made stupid mistakes, just like you.”

“So thoughtful you are…” you stared at him in disbelief. “And lying to me, making me loathe myself, making me hate every moment I am breathing, thinking that it was his life that saved mine, and that I will never ever get a chance to make it up to him again, is that what is ‘best for me’? And Tae? Did you think he would like seeing me this way? Did you think keeping me away would make him wake up faster or what? I just needed to know he was alive, that’s it.”

“Are you really that sure that you would’ve been so calm and composed?”

“Yes!” Your eyes burned with anger.

“And you would’ve stayed by his side? Even if Jungkook wouldn’t have agreed with it?”

You had another answer on the way, but the words got stuck in your throat. Truth was that you would have never done anything to hurt any of them, you loved Jungkook, but also cared deeply about Taehyung. You would have stayed by his side only to make sure he was getting better, but in the end, you would have still left him for Jungkook. It hurt when you thought about it, but that was the truth.

“That’s what I thought,” Hoseok continued. “Now be a good girl and go back to Yoongi. He’s been looking for you.”

“No.” You had your eyes glued to the ground now and spoke in a very calm manner. “I am not leaving his side. I want to stay here for a while.”

“Y/N…”

“I won’t do anything, I won’t run, I promise. Just let me stay with him, please. I am useless to Yoongi right now, but I can be of use here. You can go help him, and I’ll take care of Tae. It’s a win-win.”

“He won’t be pleased to know you are here.”

“I can talk to him. This is all on me, you have nothing to do with it.”

“It’s not me I am concerned about.”

“Cut the crap, I don’t buy it. Been through a lot of your bullshit to make me second guess your intentions,” you said coldly as you walked past him towards Taehyung. You kneeled next to the bed and looked at him. He had an oxygen mask on and an IV bag next to him. In all this chaos, he looked so peaceful.

“I am honest.”

“Hard to believe. Tell me what he needs, what I need to do.”

With a smug grin tattooed on his face, Black Tiger sat back in his leather armchair, cigar in one hand and glass of bourbon in the other. Everything seemed to be aligning the way he wanted. He felt invincible. A movie played in his mind: him hovering over Yoongi with the same expression he was so boldly wearing, stepping down on him as if to illustrate the new hierarchy. He was so caught up in his daydream that he did not even hear the knock on his door, only footsteps getting closer behind him. He turned around only to see Jungkook with drops of blood all over his clothes, bruises and cuts on his face, and eyebrows furrowed as he threw a piece of paper on his desk.

“There’s your location,” Jungkook said and made his way back to the door.

The old man reached for the paper and smirked. “All of this in just one day…what an accomplishment.”

“Are you implying something?”

“Do I have to?”

“Your tone makes it seem so.”

“It just surprises me how loyal you have been to us, considering everything that has been in the past, oh, and let’s not forget that your girl is with them. What makes you suddenly so desperate, so motivated to follow my commands?”

“We made a deal. I stay loyal, you leave Y/N alone. You named me the new leader, I need to rise up to the expectation, is that not so?”

“I know that, but you see…there is this, how should I put it, this gut feeling that there’s an ulterior motive for this obedience of yours.”

“Trust me or not, just stick to the deal. Leave Y/N out of this.”

Little did Jungkook know that Black Tiger was only playing with his head. The man was so absorbed in his own glory that he couldn’t care less about the boy’s motives. He got what he wanted.

Jungkook was about to exit the room when Black Tiger spoke again.

“Your job’s not done, kid. Come here, I have something to give you.”

Upon hearing those words, Jungkook clenched his jaw. What else did he need from him now? He knew his father, once he had someone in his grasp, he would not let them go until he used them to the max. He unwillingly moved towards his father with an inquiring look. All he wanted was to take a shower and get some sleep, but apparently that was out of question.

“You gave me an address, I give you one too,” Black Tiger said as he stretched his arm towards Jungkook, holding a piece of paper between his index and middle finger. He took in a big pile of smoke from his cigar as he watched his son stare at it in a confused and slightly pissed off matter. “Yoongi’s next deal.”

“What do you want me to do with it?”

“I’ll send some boys; I want you to go with them.”

“Are you sure this deal stands?”

“One hundred percent. Got that man you brought in and some other guys to dig it up, I am certain Yoongi will be there. You’ve been one of them, you should know best his MO. If things look bad, I trust you will take my boys out before it all goes to shit, or else Y/N will be so very disappointed, I will personally make sure of it.”

Jungkook smashed his palms against the wooden desk, giving his father a death glare as he spoke. “You will not get to touch her ever again, you hear me? I will personally make sure of it. Got that?” He pushed back and walked out of his office.

“Go make your father proud, Jungkook. And don’t come back empty handed; bring me proof you killed that cocky piece of shit.”

Jungkook paused for a short moment, then shut the door behind him and walked down the hallway towards the main exit. Midway his eyes landed on Jin who was heading towards Black Tiger’s office. He saw curiosity and concern in his gaze.

“What the hell happened to you?” Jin asked, coming to a standstill as Jungkook passed him by.

“Nothing.”

Jin stood there for a second, watching him walk away, wondering what it was that made Jungkook so angry. He felt it in his voice, the rage within, yet he seemed so composed and focused. Something was going on for sure. He got carried away for a minute, trying to figure out what could Jungkook possibly be thinking. When he couldn’t find an answer, he proceeded on knocking on the door.

“Yes?” He heard Black Tiger say from the other side.

“Good evening, sir!”

“Ah, Jin! Come in!”

“You asked to see me?”

“Ah, yes. I wanted to talk to you about something. Come, sit, don’t just stand there, it’s making me uncomfortable.”

It was strange to see Black Tiger in such an euphoric state. Usually, his brows would be furrowed and his voice harsh, but now he seemed surprisingly relaxed. Jin took a seat on one of the armchairs placed in front of the desk as the leader of the organization fiddled with some bottles of liquor.

“Do you want some?”

“No, thank you, I’m good.”

“Your loss.” He poured some more bourbon in his glass and sat in front of Jin.  “So, I saw you running around, trying to find Namjoon, asking my men, asking others, making waves, till they all reached me. And you know how I don’t really like noise around me, don’t you?”

“I’m sorry, sir, but ever since he vanished, nobody seemed to be truly looking for him. I just wanted to make myself useful.”

“You are useful. With your doctor suit and your doctor skills. Stick to that. It’s your sole role within this group. I got enough men to run errands for me, I don’t need more, especially when all they do is fuck things up for me. Got that, son?”

“I just find it weird that he would disappear like that. It doesn’t make sense. And I am sorry to say this, sir, but you don’t seem very willing to find him.”

“What I do or don’t do is none of your goddamn business.” He took the piece of paper Jungkook handed him earlier and threw it in front of Jin. “There’s the address you’re looking for.”

Jin stared at the words written on the note, lost. So he had been looking for him all this time? Or was it Jungkook who gave him the address? Is that why he was so bloody? He tried to piece together the facts, but something was still not adding up. Why would Jungkook, out of all the people, be the one to go to such length to find Namjoon? He had a lot of doubt, but nevertheless, he got what he wanted. He shoved the paper in the back pocket of his jeans and got up.

“I am sorry, I didn’t know,” Jin said as he bowed in front of Black Tiger.

“It doesn’t matter. Don’t you ever talk back to me again. I have enough problems on my head as it is, taking care of you, children, is the last thing I should be doing. I’ll send some of my men to your place tomorrow, wait for them, don’t do anything stupid.”

“I will, thank you!”

“If you find him alive and well, tell him that if he wants to keep breathing, he should be smart and stay away from me. I don’t tolerate cowards. Now go, I want to rest.”

With a bit of hope and somewhat of a clearer mind, Jin went home. He did not know what to expect, but he did not waste time worrying about it. After all, what use is in worrying over something you can not control? It is just a waste of time.

As soon as he left Black Tiger’s mansion, Jungkook headed back to your apartment. He hesitated about entering, thinking you would still be there, fearing it, actually. He trusted you, but he was aware of your recklessness at times. With a promise to drag you to Yoongi’s place himself, he went in. It was empty, no trace of you, except for a barely lingering scent that was witness to your presence there the previous night. He saw the note he left you still on the table, and assumed you followed his instructions. How surprised would he have been to discover your true whereabouts? He would have probably flipped to know you were alone in a very remote place, nobody in close range to save you, were something to happen. Moreover, he would have been pissed to see you by Taehyung’s side. He knew you loved him, but this connection you had with Taehyung still bothered him. He jumped in the shower and let the water wash away everything that had happened throughout the day. After that he took a seat on the sofa and made a single phone call before falling asleep. He could have used the bed, but without you in his arms, it felt too cold, too empty, and it made him crave you even more.

“Yes?” a man’s voice echoed on the other end.

“It’s all set. Tell the men to be ready.”

“It’s done.”

“We might have a problem, but I’ll try to work my way through.”

“I trust you.”

Just a few days have passed since he got shot to save you, a few days of internal turmoil thinking he had died, but feeling that he was still alive. And now he was lying there, in a room that had been specifically redesigned by Hoseok to match that of a hospital. He had even a special bed brought it, just to make sure Taehyung got the best treatment possible. His vital signs were good, he was slowly improving. After Hoseok left that night, you spent the whole time caressing Taehyung’s face, dragging your fingers across his eyebrows, playing with his hair, all the while tears rolled down your cheeks.

“I am so sorry…. this all happened because of me. I am so sorry, Tae! Please, please, wake up. Promise me you will get better and you will wake up. I am right here, I am alive because of you. I should be dead. This is all my fault!” You said in a voice so soft it came out almost a whisper.

Later that night, Hoseok returned. It was somewhat safe for you during the day, but he preferred to spend the nights there. Plus, he needed to be there in case Taehyung’s health was deteriorating.

“I told Yoongi about your decision,” Hoseok broke the silence as you were both munching on the food he had brought along. “He wasn’t very pleased, but he said he understood why you wanted to stay here. He said to call in case you need anything, and that you can come back to the mansion any time you want.”

“Was he angry?”

“Angry, no, concerned, yes. He grew to like you quite a lot, you know. For him you are his little sister. He might not show it, but he didn’t quite get over losing her, and when you came in the picture is like he found her again. Yes, we did lie to you, some of us with good intentions. Yoongi wanted to tell you the truth on a few occasions, only that he saw you and Taehyung so happy that he just let the lies live on. The family was coming together beautifully with you around. Sure, there have been moments with Jimin that disrupted that peace, but it was always nice having you around. Even me, I enjoyed teaching you everything I did. I am sorry I had to lie to you, and thank you for obediently listening and following orders all those times, thank you for being here, helping me with Tae.”

“No need to thank me, I am doing this for him and for myself. Your apology is accepted, but the trust between us has been broken, and that will take time to heal.”

“I understand.”

“You know,” you continued, after a while, with a faded smile, “I always liked this cold, rational side of yours. You and Yoongi make such a good team when it comes to brains. You both keep your composure, no matter the situation, I like that. I wish I were as cool as you.”

“You’re a volcano,” he laughed.

“Yeah,” you too followed.

“It’s not easy to control your emotions, but after you’ve been through what we’ve been and had to lead and coordinate people, to make sure it all goes well and nobody ends up dead, you kind of become like us. It has more to do with continuous training, than it does with a default way of being.”

You looked up at him and smiled.

“What’s that for? Are we friends again?”

“I’m just thankful you are here, let’s just say. And that for once, you opened up.”

“I didn’t quite have the chance before. That guy,” he signaled into Taehyung’s direction, “wanted you all for himself.”

Your eyes traced back to the bed.

“Yeah, I guess he did. I hope he will wake up soon.”

“It might take a while. A couple of months to say the least. But if he carries on like this, he will be out of the danger zone for good in about a week or two. He’s a strong guy.”

“He is….”

That night, although you missed Jungkook’s warmth, you finally could sleep peacefully. No more nightmares, no more emotional storms, no more crying. It was as if every cell in your body suddenly loosened up and was allowed to recharge. Hence why the moment your head landed on the pillow you fell into a deep and well-deserved sleep.

The next day, just as promised, two men were waiting for Jin just outside his residence. He was a bit skeptic as he approached them, but got in the car and headed towards the given location, anyhow. The navigation led them through the outskirts of the city towards what looked like an abandoned factory. It was on the verge of shabby, but nevertheless suitable for a hideout.

“Something about this doesn’t seem right,” said Jin. There was a numb feeling in his gut that things were not what they seemed. He knew Namjoon well enough to figure that: one, he would not just vanish without a word, and two, he would most certainly not hide in a place like this. He had his hotel penthouse, plenty of security, plenty of comfort. That unless he was hiding from one within the group, which made no sense again. He was scared of Jungkook? No chance. Black Tiger then? Well that had a bit of reasoning behind it, but why? Namjoon had been following hid orders ever since Jungkook became the new leader, even though he felt betrayed. He had been loyal to the group before anything else. Come what may, he was going in.

They looked around the building for signs of anything odd, they checked the windows, but they were covered in dark paint, too dark to see inside, finally they opened the front door and entered with guns ready to fire, was Jin’s feeling to come true. They took a few steps inside. Apart from the light coming from the open door and the cracks in the roof, there was only darkness.

“Namjoon-ah! It’s Jin. Black Tiger gave me the address.” No answer. “Yah, Kim Namjoon, get out, I want to talk.” He took a few more steps ahead. That gut feeling of his became stronger. Right when he was about to turn around and leave, thinking there was a misunderstanding and he got the wrong address, a form moved in the shadows straight ahead. Before long, a dozen of men came into the picture, some with guns, some with large wooden sticks. He was right, it was a trap. They were surrounded and outnumbered. They had no chance of survival, so engaging in a fight was out of the question. Jin slowly put his arms up, followed by the other two.

“Hahaha. That was too easy,” a voice echoed. There was another one out there, but his face was still covered in darkness. As he came forward, light started to glide over his body, from his toes to his head, revealing his identity. Park Jimin. “And here I was getting all excited, waiting for you. I was expecting at least a bullet, some resistance. What a bummer.”

“Where’s Namjoon?” Jin spit.

“Woah, woah, slow down, partner.” Jimin walked all the way over to where Jin was standing. “You are in no position to ask questions here, as you can see,” he pointed at the guys surrounding them, “and you will first need to take a seat over there. You see, I am a well-mannered man, I don’t keep my guests standing, I make sure they have everything they need to be comfortable.” He signaled the guys to grab them and tie them to the chairs. They were already prepared, placed in a small circle, back to back.

“You’re Yoongi’s men, right?” Jin asked again, as he was being tied down.

“You are curious about so many things. Why? Knowing the answers will help you how, exactly?” Jin could not answer. “That’s what I thought. Settle in and don’t use up your energy, you’ll be staying here for a while. And unless you want a sock shoved in your mouth, or better off, a gun, you’d better keep quiet. I’m gonna go take a nap.” Jimin waved his hand as he vanished into the black.

“Fuck!” Jin groaned. There was no getting out of it. And he had it, he knew something was off. If only he had listened to that first impulse. It was too late, nevertheless, and instead of regrets about the past, it was better if he filled his brain with a plan to get out of this situation alive.

Later that night, Black Tiger was starting to get suspicious. He kept wondering how come he heard nothing from Jin all day long, considering he should have arrived at the location by now. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. No answer. He dialed again. This time, someone picked up.

“Yeah?”

A voice he wasn’t familiar with.

“Who is this?”

“Why do you care?”

“You’re not Jin, so I should assume he is with you.”

“You got that one right, he is.”

“Namjoon as well?”

“Questions, questions… is this how everyone in that group works? Listen here, you need to work on your security and stuff, we’ve got two of your men already. This one especially was easy to catch, but not because he is incompetent, but because you are! You sent him right into the lion’s den.”

“Yoongi…” Black Tiger hissed.

“That’s right, only that the one talking right now is Park Jimin. He sends you his regards, though. He told me to let you know that we’ll bring you down, one man at a time; or maybe is it just something I wanted to say?” He laughed, then continued on a serious note. “Oh, and don’t try to come to the rescue, we’ve already changed locations. Just sparing you the humiliation of adding more failure to the list.”

The call got disconnected before he could say anything else. The grip around the phone got tighter. His tension spiked as blood started boiling in his veins. How was that even possible? How was Yoongi once again a step ahead of him?! He proceeded into calling another number. This time, he got a bit luckier, the receiver answered in no time.

“Yes?”

“Where are you?”

“I had some errands to run. Why?”

“What errands?! Uh, nevermind, get here now!!”

Around half an hour later Jungkook entered his office. His father was hovering over his desk, head in his hands. There were bits of broken glass and plastic on the floor, which he traced back to a now shattered phone lying on the floor, covered in fine dust coming from the grazed wall that had brought about its glorious yet tragic ending. It seemed someone was in a bad mood once again, and someone else was about to have to face all that bottled-up anger.

“Tell me how it is possible for both Namjoon and Jin to be in Yoongi’s hands right now,” Black Tiger spoke in a calm manner.

“Tell you what?” Junkook kept a poker face.

The old leader raised his head and sat back in his armchair. “Don’t play stupid with me, kid.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Yoongi got Namjoon and Jin?”

“Was I not clear enough? Do you want me to explain it to you like I would to a five-year-old?” With each word he was getting more and more worked up.

“Who told you this?”

“It doesn’t fucking matter! Tell me how they managed to get four of my men!!”

“I don’t know,” Jungkook stressed every word.

A loud bang reverberated throughout the room, making Jungkook’s heart pump harder. His father’s fury had clustered into a wave of energy that made everything on and around the desk vibrate, after he smashed his fist against it. When he was in this state, it was impossible to figure out what his next move was going to be, so Jungkook did not know what to expect. But he was determined to proceed with the same composure.

“You gave me the fucking address!”

“Then they must’ve lied to me!”

The old man reached for the gun hidden in one of the drawers, cocked it, and pointed it at his son. There was no trace of parental love, no sign of remorse, just emptiness. It has always been like that. To him, Jungkook was no more than an instrument, a weapon, and an insurance that his legacy would go on. But if he were to betray him, that would instantly turn to dust and he would become the first one to get the bullet.

“Look me straight in the face and tell me you had no hand in this.”

“I have no hand in it. I just did what you told me, got you the address. That’s all.”

His hand was shaking with rage as he aimed at his child’s forehead. Jungkook never broke eye contact. His calmness and confidence proved to be enough an answer for his father, who slowly put the gun back. He fell into the armchair, once again with his head between his hands, as if a killer headache had been giving him a hard time to think.

“Tell me who told you this. For all I know, it could be a trap,” Jungkook continued.

“One of his fucking men. He had Jin’s phone.”

“Should I go there?”

“No, stay. I need you for the other thing.”

“What about Jin? His father will start asking questions.”

“I’ll see about it. You just focus on what I told you to do.”

“The men are ready, the plan is in the making, we just need to wait now.”

“Finally some good news for the day.”

Black Tiger walked up to Jungkook. He placed his hands on both of his arms, giving him a faded but proud smile. For the first time ever, Junkook saw a trace of emotion in that man’s heart. He would have been touched, hadn’t he already known that it was not coming from a place of love for him, but more from that of pride for seeing himself in his descendant. He would not have gotten the same response was it something else he had brought up, something that would not profit him directly. That is the kind of man he was, always chasing the gain, not the people. Give him something to feed his ego and he will love you forever, waste his time with other things and you will get a taste of his poison. Taken a little aback by his father’s sudden change of heart and attitude, but not surprised, Jungkook felt washed over by a sense of relief. Nevertheless, there was no time to linger in the feeling as the tide could shift at any point, biting him harder than ever anticipated. Instead he flashed a smile mirroring Black Tiger’s and cut the meeting short.

“I should get going.”

“The one that gave you the address, where can I find him?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” said Junkook. He bowed as the other man returned to his place.

“If you can’t get anything out, get rid of him. And more importantly, make sure you get Yoongi. I want him dead!”

Black Tiger’s loud voice echoed behind Jungkook. On his way out, Junkook looked more determined than ever. Like he had said, everything was set, it was only a matter of time. Hell was about to break loose.

Things seemed to be going smoothly for the next week or so. Black Tiger had been informed that the man with the false address had been taken care of, he had also received a picture showing Jin all well and very much alive, all the while he had been busy trying to find where they were holding his men captive. It was to no avail. Little did he know that they have not even moved from the initial location, they only went underground. But Black Tiger was so focused on the bigger picture, that details like this escaped him. To him getting rid of Yoongi was the ultimate goal. He had frequent talks with his son about how things were to go down during the so-long-awaited day, and needless to say Junkook did not fail in creating a solid plan that made his father’s heart pump with excitement. Precisely three days were left. The men were perfectly instructed and armed. No element fell out of place. This confidence blended with pure arrogance were the sweet blend that had fed Black Tiger the past days. He would go to sleep happy that he was one day closer to seeing his enemy’s downfall.

And such came D-day. Yoongi had a weapon transport coming in on the early hours of the day, when the sun has not yet risen. According to the man Jungkook had served Black Tiger on a silver plate, Yoongi was the type to personally attend large trades. This one was just that. Jungkook had rounded up his men and went through the whole scheme once again. It was a still morning. No wind, no noise, nothing but tranquility. To some it seemed eerily quiet. Everyone was already on their positions, hidden in buildings, behind large containers, in vans, waiting for their pray.

Around the given time, a distant roar made all of them jump into their focused mode, patiently listening as it drew closer and closer. One black sedan and two other SUVs pulled in. A few minutes later a van appeared from the opposite side. They watched as men started to get out of the cars, about a dozen of them, easy prey. Jungkook overlooked his people; they were ready to go in and cause chaos, only waiting for his signal. He stood in the back seat of one of the vehicles, scanning the area.

“The motherfuckers are already doing business, but I don’t see their leader. What should we do, boss?” the driver asked Jungkook.

“Leave it to me. Just wait for my signal,” he said as he stepped out.

“What?!”

The one behind the wheel was bewildered. That was not in the plan, but then again, neither was Yoongi not showing up. Trusting his leader, he sat there and watched. Jungkook walked in a slow and confident pace. He made sure all his team members noticed he had everything under control and would not mess everything by going on a shooting spree. Each of them had an ‘WTF’ plastered on their face, but followed Jungkook’s lead and stood put. They were, however, ready to jump into action at the simple rise of his finger. When he reached Yoongi’s men, none of them got their guns out, which struck some as odd. Back in the car Jungkook got out from one of the guys was getting anxious. He pulled out his phone and called Black Tiger.

“Job done?”

“Not yet, sir. Something feels off.”

“What the fuc-“

“Yoongi’s not here.”

“What?”

“It’s only some fuckers. Jungkook went over to them.”

“He what? What the fuck are you all doing?!” Black Tiger screamed.

“I guess he is stalling…until Yoongi shows up.”

“Stalling…fucking stalling!! Fucking Min Yoongi!!!” An array of anger screams and cusses filled the void. He the took a deep breath and continued. “Ok, alright…stall…just get that piece of shit! I am tired of hearing his name.”

Just as he was about to end the call, hell broke loose. Out of nowhere, bullets started flying through the air. In the confusion that paralyzed everyone, a bunch of individuals showed up out of nowhere, tipping the scale in their favor. The ones still standing started fighting back, but they were soon to fall victims to them. Hearing the commotion, Black Tiger got agitated over the phone.

“What the fuck is going on over there?!”

“They’re attacking. We’re outnumbered. We’ve been fooled! It’s an ambush!” screamed the man. Little did he know those were about to be his last words. He had already been grazed by a bullet, his pulse was high, his ears were ringing and his mouth ran dry as he looked at the carnage ahead. The one next to him was already dead, head resting on the dashboard while blood poured on the floor in a thick waterfall. The sight was horrid, the smell of death was in the air, and there was no way out. He turned on the engine, but just as he was about to drive off, he noticed someone standing outside the car, to his left. All he managed to do was turn his head only to be greeted by the barrel of a gun.

“They’re attacking. We’re outnumbered. We’ve been fooled! It’s an ambush!”

“What?! What the fuck are you talking about?!! What ambush?!?! Answer me you worthless piece of shit!!!”

The veins on Black Tiger’s neck and forehead were now swollen with rage. All he could hear over the phone were gunshots and screams of war. He could not wrap his mind around it. An ambush? When he was so confident the plan was going to work. He went through it with Jungkook three times before, there was no room for mistakes left, yet an ambush, for that they were not prepared. There was no need for it, after all. Who would have expected them to show up there? Nobody! Unless, someone ratted them out to Yoongi. The grip around his phone was so tight that it could mash it, but he couldn’t feel it, he couldn’t feel anything, for that matter. He couldn’t even hear the commotion outside his office, not before it got loud enough to overshadow the voices in his head, some obsessed to find the culprit, some cussing, some thinking about what to do next. He shifted his attention to the door.

There were multiple distant blasts followed by shouts, similar to the ones he heard through the phone, only that the call had already been disconnected. These ones were coming from behind that wooden door. Fueled by the fire inside him, Black Tiger pulled out his gun and barged into the hallway.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

His men were running up and down the stairs, hiding behind walls, columns, turned-over tables, anything that could provide some shelter. The air was polluted with debris. In the corner of his eye, he saw a male taking big steps towards the stairs. He had his arm stretched forward, shooting everyone that stood in his way. In that sea of bullets, he seemed like Moses. Only that he was no superhuman, and his arrogance brought about his demise. With no remorse or hesitation, Black Tiger pointed the gun at him and pulled the trigger. One of his men, witness to the scene, fled his refuge. He went straight to his boss, wrapped his fingers around his arms and swiftly pushed him back inside his office. He locked the door and proceeded to barricade it with one of the bookshelves. Funny enough to think a mafia leader would have an entire wall covered by bookshelves, but his were housing various models of weapons, fine liquor, fine ceramic, stone or wooden sculptures, miniature cars, and boxes of very expensive cigars, all on display to show off his wealth. Little did he know that that was all he had to his name, wealth. Except for a very small circle, nobody ever talked good things about him. They envied him, sure, but they also disrespected him as a person. The only respect he got was through extortion.

“What the fuck is going on?? How did they get in?! Is this what I pay you for?” Black Tiger screamed his lungs out. It was yet still not enough to eclipse the chaos that echoed through his mansion.

“There were too many, boss.”

“How did they even get here? We have gates!”

“They must’ve had a man on the inside, otherwise they wouldn’t have breached. The gates at the entrance to this residential area are strong enough to withstand the force of a van crashing against it at top speed. We have cameras and people monitoring day and night, nobody saw anything strange. They came out of nowhere.”

“We have a mole. A fucking mole!! Did you recognize whose men they are?”

“They seem to be Yoongi’s, boss.”

Again, that name. Like a thorn in his side, only that it was now closer to puncturing his heart than he had ever imagined. Vanity had blinded him, it brought him to his knees. He had venom instead of blood flowing through his veins now. “Min fucking Yoongi…” he thought.

“Fucking piece of shit!!” he groaned.

While Black Tiger was busy with his own thoughts, his bodyguard was looking outside the windows, checking if it was safe for them to make an escape through the garden. It seemed to be clear. Slowly, the rows of bullets died out.

“We need to get you out, boss.”

They were both staring at the entrance, as if waiting for something to happen. And it did. Another sequence of ammunition pierced through the door, making wooden shards travel though the air in all directions. A symphony of grave blasts and sharp crystalline tunes coming from empty cartridges hitting the floor made their ears ring. They both ducked down behind the desk. In an instant, it all went silent. Without hesitation, the bodyguard turned to opening one of the windows, while Black Tiger listened to the voice coming from the other side of the door.

“Cut it off, this lame game of hide and seek. There is no way out, this time, old man.”

“Min Yoongi,” he growled with teeth clenched.

“It’s clear, you can go,” his man instructed.

He helped him get up and jump out the window to the back garden. Sneaking behind bushes and trees, they managed to reach the front gate, but just as they were about to escape, a man appeared in front of them, blocking the way.

“Jungkook!” Black Tiger exclaimed in a soft and shocked voice.

Out of all the people, Jungkook was the last person he expected to stumble across. Much to his surprise, he was alive and well. What he wasn’t aware of was that while his gang members were being shot by Yoongi’s, Jungkook was already on his way back to the mansion.

“So glad you’re here! You need to get us out of here.”

Looking at the man, Jungkook almost chuckled. To think that this wimp standing now in front on him with wide eyes and a face drenched in fear was the same person that once stood tall above everyone, so full of himself and self-assured about his illusory immortality. It would have been a lie to say he did not enjoy seeing his father in this state. All those years of suffering under his tyranny, all the humiliation, they all lead up to this moment. He almost pitied the old man. In an undertaking that nobody would have been able to foresee, Junkook pulled out his gun and pointed it at Black Tiger’s forehead. In an instant, the other gang member did the same to Jungkook.

“What the fuck are you doing, kid?” Black Tiger growled.

“You’re not leaving this house. I don’t care if he’ll shoot me, you’ll be touching the ground before me, anyway.”

“You’ve gone crazy! Did it get to your head that you’re a leader now that you forgot who the real boss is around here? Get this shit out of my face and remember your place!”

“All these years, doing everything you ordered me to, quitting anything that ever made sense to me just to meet your needs and be a good son, all the times I took a beating for not meeting your standards, all the times I looked at people on the street wondering how it would be like if my father was like them, they all made me quite aware of my position now. You have to face it, your days are gone, old man.”

“W-what? My days are gone?” he started laughing then stopped abruptly, glaring at his son. It was as if the very thin last trace of human emotion had been wiped away. “Get rid of him,” he continued coldly.

The man to his left was hit by a shockwave. He was about to shoot the son of a very influential figure in the mafia world. That would cause him a lot of trouble, but also would going against the word of the said figure, since it was his order, after all. Making all the connections in his head in less than a second, de decided to go with it. Too bad that the moment he took to think it over proved to be the mistake of his lifetime. Jungkook had shot him before he got the chance to pull the trigger. He was not there to play games. Seeing the dead body at his feet and the gun aimed at him again, Black Tiger now realized that as well.

“You’ve changed, Jungkookie. Did you forget whose side you’re on?”

“You made me this way. And now it’s time I pay you back.”

Behind Black Tiger, a group of men came in view. Stepping out of the house, one by one, they were getting closer. Jungkook shifted his attention to them for a second, just enough to meet Yoongi’s eyes, then landed it back on his father. He was blissfully unaware that his mortal enemy was walking right towards him. Jungkook maintained his position. All the rage and anxiety that have haunted him over the years were now replaced by pure disgust. It was just as he had always known: in the hands of his parent, he was solely a tool. How crude and selfish of a being can one be to demand the death of his own child in order to escape?

“I told you there is no point in playing hide and seek,” Yoongi spoke from behind, making Black Tiger’s head snap in his direction. Several men were sitting on each side of Yoongi, pointing their guns at the deposed leader. “You’ve wasted your energy and my time. But I do have to say, it’s been fun seeing you at least try to make a run for it. How does it feel to crawl through the back door like a worm? That’s what you’ve been all your life, really.”

The tone in Yoongi’s voice was cold, and had no trace of vanity. He was finally face to face with the man that took everything he had held dear away from him. It took him years, but the taste of victory never felt so sweet. Black Tiger’s face darkened. He spit in Yoongi’s direction. Looking down at the place where it landed, Yoongi smirked.

“Oh, don’t make a fool of yourself, I can see you shaking under those clothes. Bet your legs are wobbly,” Yoongi mocked him. “Better yet,” an idea sparked in his head, “kneel.” This time, there was a hint of pride involved. He wanted to humiliate the one that seemed impossible to bring down to the ground.

“You dumb fuck think I’ll do that?” Black Tiger laughed.

“If you’re not going to do it, I’ll make you, worry not. I’m just kind enough to give you a choice. One way or another, you will go down on your knees in front of me and apologize for killing my family, you worthless piece of shit.”

“Fuck off, Black Tiger kneels in front of nobody. And I have nothing to apologize for.”

That is all Yoongi had to hear. He pulled out his gun and shot the man in the left knee, thus bringing him to the ground, like he said he would. Cries of pain filled the air as he rolled on the pavement.

“Care to reconsider?” Yoongi calmly asked.

“You piece of shit!!! You fucking piece of shit!!!”

“I’m out,” Jungkook said to Yoongi, visibly unmoved by the scene. It was more of a hindrance, actually.

All the while, his father has been imploring salvation in between groans and pants, not through words, but through desperate stares. The one Jungkook gave in response, however, so indifferent and detached, it took the veil of Black Tiger’s eyes, revealing the mole within the group. He was chasing ghosts while Jungkook had been there with a knife shoved in his back all along. It all made sense now: why Jin got caught, why Namjoon was nowhere to be found, how Yoongi even knew where to find them, how to barge into his house, why he wasn’t present when the deal went down, and how Jungkook has survived the whole ordeal without even one scratch.

“Working with the enemy, stabbing your own family in the back, Jungkookie?”

“Depends on what exactly your definition of family is.” After finishing the sentence, Jungkook turned around and started walking away.

“Jeon Jungkook!!! You are no son of mine!!!”

“I’ve never been,” said Jungkook loudly, but without looking back. He had other, more important issues to attend to, his true family, you.

“Seems like even your own blood abandoned you. Where is the great Black Tiger now?” Yoongi stepped in, crouching in front of his bloody opponent. That drew his attention from Jungkook back to him.

“You will never bring me down.”

“You already are.”

“My boys will get you. You will die at my hands!!”

“I doubt that. Look around,” he pointed at the surroundings and circled the enclosure with his eyes. “Your men are already dead. Expecting anyone else? They won’t come. You’re all alone. And you know what the best part is? It wasn’t even my idea. Sure, I thought about all the different ways I could get to you throughout the years, but I always hit a wall. Yet, your arrogance and blindness brought you straight into my arms. Don’t blame Jungkook, blame yourself. The piece of shit in this story is none other than you. Your greed and egocentric ways brought you here, and it’s time to pay for your sins. On your knees!”

“I will die before I kneel in front of a worthless piece of shit like you.”

“Enough of this drama act,” Yoongi said as he stood up, bored of the man’s lame attempt at keeping his dignity, something he was unworthy of. He eyed two of the men next to him. “Get him up, put him on his knees.”

Following his order, the two each grabbed one of Black Tiger’s arms and struggled to bring him up as he writhed like a fish on land.

“Take your hands off me!! Nobody touches Black Tiger! You will all pay for this.”

“When will you get it, old man? It’s over! You are just embarrassing yourself,” Yoongi intervened.

Not long after, with a bit of effort, the man was pushed down on his knees. His clothes were stained in bloody mud, his hair was a total mess, he looked nothing like the man from a couple of hours earlier, the one thinking that that day was about to call for a celebration. It was indeed, only not the one he had in mind.

“Do you remember their faces? My mom, my dad, my little sister?”

“It’s your dad’s fault! He was selfish.”

“No, no, no, you were selfish. He always gave you a hand when in need and treated you like family, but you ended up swallowing his whole existence.”

The way Yoongi carried himself through the conversation was the definition of dignity. He was standing tall, never once losing his composure nor the control over the situation, his tone was severe, but not smeared in anger. Having a leader they could trust and respect, that had been a key component to the success of his group.

“They say if you really want to make one suffer, to get your revenge, then you should take away the thing they hold closer to their heart. Judging by what you did to my family, I’d have to kill Jungkook. Honestly, it crossed my mind. But he is not your most treasured possession, your ego is. Your ego, your wealth, and your group. So, I decided to go after each at a time, but Jungkook came up with a plan that guaranteed killing three birds with one stone. We struck a deal a while ago, him and I, you see. It sounded too good to be true at the time, I give you that, but in the end, we both got what we wanted. Your ego is already on the sole of my shoes, and after I get rid of you, the name Black Tiger will lose all the value you so treasured.”

“You think you are so different, but we are much alike,” Black Tiger laughed.

“Maybe, but I am the one with the gun.”

One loud bang and the circle of revenge was at long last complete. The sound bounced off the petals of flowers and leaves of trees and echoed in the distance. The rays of the morning sun glided over the spilled blood, giving it a special glimmer. A heavy weight had been lifted off Yoongi’s chest. He looked up to the sky as if he was saying to his family they can now rest in peace. That morning brought about the ending of one’s life and the beginning of others’.

In the car, an image kept haunting Jungkook, that of his father rolling on the ground in his own blood. No matter how cold and unworthy-of-any-sort-of-emotion of a person he had been, he still pitied him. But, at the same time, he was relieved, not that he was finally free from his grasp, but because his father ultimately payed for his sins. The war that everyone expected and feared was over. Things went smoothly for everyone, unexpectedly so. Many nights he stood up considering if it was going to work, worried that something would go wrong and he will lose everything he cherished. Yet, now he was on the way to the very thing he loved the most, you.

Hidden under the blanket with the curtains still closed, you were profoundly asleep. The past days have proved to be quite challenging. There was a whole in your chest, painfully enlarging as time went by. You missed him to the very core, but trusted in his words, that he would come back. You lost and regained hope on a daily basis, it consumed you. You kept yourself from falling apart by thinking that he is probably in a worse position, and that you should stay strong for him. What would he have thought if he knew he is fighting for something you have given up already? You did not want to disappoint nor hurt him even more than he had been.

A soft knock on the door made you snap out of dreamland. You immediately searched for Hoseok around the room with your eyes, while your heart was racing and your mind was shooting all sorts of thoughts everywhere. You found Hoseok next to the door, with his back glued to the wall and the gun all set to shoot. He was tense. It seemed he did not expect visitors either. He tried to glance through the peephole, but the person on the other side had a quicker response.

“It’s me, you can open the door.”

You were nowhere near the entrance and the sound was very faint, but that voice seemed too familiar. You stood up, conflicted between believing the part of your brain that told you it was him, and listening to the other one that tried to save you the letdown of finding out it actually wasn’t him. Your heart kept on racing, but it changed from fear to suspense. Seeing Hoseok relax gave you hope. Could it really be him? The door opened, the bright morning light gushing inside blinding you. When it was closed again and your eyes adjusted to the dimness of the room, the identity of the guest was revealed.

“Jungkook,” you managed to say in a very soft voice.

You jumped out of bed with shaky legs and tears in your eyes, and ran straight into his arms. The action pushed him back a step or two and took him by surprise. He was expecting you would miss him, only that not more than he had missed you.

“You came back!”

You released him from the tight grip. It felt so good to touch him again, and the feeling was mutual. You were both staring at each other as if savoring every little detail. Jungkook smiled. His eyes were now filled with warmth.

“I promised you I will, did you doubt it?”

“A little,” you chuckled.

“How did it go?” Hoseok intervened, bursting the love bubble.

“It’s done,” Jungkook replied, looking at Hoseok; then he shifted his attention to you, he tucked a strand of your hair behind the ear, and continued, “It’s over.”

“What is?” you asked, confused.

“Black Tiger is dead.”

“What? How? Did you…”

“No, not me. Yoongi.”

“I am lost…”

“A while ago me and him made a deal. He’ll let me come for you, and I’ll help bring my father down.”

“You had a hand in this…”

“I did it for us, I regret nothing.”

“Yes, but still, he was your father.”

“Trust me, he never was,” Jungkook smiled and pulled you in his warm embrace.

“What now? Won’t they come after you?”

“The ones that would’ve done so are already dead, the others will probably celebrate his death.”

“Yeah, but he was killed by Yoongi, right? So, they will come after us.”

“They won’t, we already made sure of that.”

“How?”

“We plan on merging the groups.”

“What?!” both you and Hoseok shouted. “He didn’t tell me about this,” Hoseok continued.

“He knew you’d be against.”

“I’m not precisely against it, only that I don’t see how this would work.”

“With Black Tiger and Namjoon out of the equation, I am the sole leader, only that I don’t want it. Instead, I’ll try to convince my men to join Yoongi. They have nothing to lose. Those who agree are in, the others are out.”

“You’ll kill them too?” you asked.

“No, baby.” He cupped your face. “They’ll just be thrown out of the group and left with no protection. Like I said, they are left with no leader so they will either have to join Yoongi or go look for other gangs. But with Yoongi being the alpha now, I am confident most will choose to stay.”

“It makes sense,” Hoseok agreed. “But what if they still retaliate?”

“We have enough men on our side to keep us safe, don’t we?” Jungkook smirked.

“So, when will this merge happen?”

“It is already in the works, but it will take some time. I am also meeting with some of them later today. The rest, I will have a chat with after the old man’s funeral. The vast majority will gather to pay their respect. After that, I’m out.”

“Yoongi did mention you’ll come back, but I had no clue this is what he meant.”

“You have been more of a family to me than he had ever been. I might never be able to take back what I’ve done back then, but I hope I managed to regain your trust, at least. You also saved Y/N and kept her safe, for that I will always be grateful.”

“What you did today, it took a lot of courage. You have my respect for that.”

Jungkook and Hoseok gave each other approving smiles and shook hands.

“So where does this leave us now?” you asked Jungkook.

He placed his hands on your waist and pulled you in.

“We are free. Where do you want to enjoy this freedom?”

“Wherever is fine, as long as I’m with you.”

You could not believe it. Deep inside, you still waited to wake up and realize it had all been just a dream. Your mind had been so corrupted during the time you spent in the mafia, that it was impossible to accept a positive change without thinking that a tragedy was waiting for you at the end of the tunnel. But your fingers touched Jungkook, you could feel him, he was there. The details of how he managed to do it all were still hazy, but you payed no mind. As long as you two could stay together, the rest was irrelevant.

“Guess we’ll have to look for a new place.”

“What about our flat?”

“It carries too much pain. We need a new start. Also, we’ve got a wedding to plan,” he grinned as you stared at him, speechless. All you could do was press your lips against his in a soft-but-overflowing-with-emotion kiss.

Hoseok glanced over at Taehyung, pity hidden behind his cold expression. He was lying there, probably listening to every word, without the possibility to snatch the girl and run away to the edge of the world. Was it not for his state, he would have probably punched Jungkook by now and wreaked havoc on everyone standing in his way. It was odd to see him so peaceful in a situation like this. Seeing you with Jungkook sure felt weird for him, having only seen you with Taehyung so far, but he could not help but agree that you were meant for each other.

“If you plan on getting horny, you better get a separate room.”

Hoseok’s statement made you both laugh. He also flashed a smirk on the way to get his phone. There were still things he needed to take care of. With the plan having gone so smoothly thus far, it was his turn to make a move on the chess board. He left more or less in a hurry, leaving the two of you to catch up and watch over Taehyung. He drove all the way to Yoongi’s house and went straight to the basement to pay someone a special visit. He opened the door to the dark secret room, to which he was greeted with an intense stench. In the center stood a chair with an almost lifeless form attached to it. The ropes that bound him seemed to be the only things keeping him in that position, otherwise, he would have surely been on the floor already, with how his head was hanging loosely.

“Get up. You and I are going on a trip.”

The man reacted to the voice resonating through the room, a clue he was still alive. Other than that, he did look very much dead. His skin was pale, his breathing barely noticeable, he was covered in bruises and blood, his clothes were ripped, he had no strength left. He slowly pushed his eyelids open and traced the shadow that stretched to his toes all the way to the one standing in the doorway. He grinned with a trace of disgust. What was even more disgusting was the blood that still covered his mouth and teeth, which made Hoseok grimace.

“Fucker,” Namjoon muttered. “Just kill me, I’m not telling you shit.”

“I’m not here to question you.” Hoseok walked towards him. “You are useless now.” He started untying the ropes as Namjoon groaned. He had been tied for so long, that when the pressure was off, his skin burned.

“May I ask why?” he laughed in a mocking way, with whatever strength he had left.

“You’ll find out. Now up!”

Hoseok shoved his arms under Namjoon’s armpits and pulled him up into a standing position. Only that his muscles were so weak that it made standing difficult and walking almost impossible. Every slight movement hurt, but after all the beatings, he grew used to it. He kept wondering what Hoseok had in mind, as he dragged his feet across the floor. With lots of help, he made it to the car. Seated in the back, with his hands tied, he kept shifting his glance from Hoseok to the view outside the window. The sun was blinding, but the world never seemed more beautiful. Being trapped in a basement, drowning in his own stench to the point he became immune to it, covered in darkness, with no accurate perception of time, it changed the way he looked at things.

“I don’t assume you offered me a ride to ease my mind, so where exactly are you taking me?”

“Don’t waste your breath.”

“You made a deal with Black Tiger, is that it? He made an offer you couldn’t refuse, and now you’re taking me back,” Namjoon said with a proud grin.

“What I couldn’t refuse was having to take you there myself. You reek.”

“You can drop me off, then. I can make my way back.”

“Who said anything about you going back?” he glared at him through the mirror.

“So you’ll kill me then?”

“Just shut the fuck up.”

“Why didn’t you kill me earlier? There was nobody bothering you. Why drag me all the way to fuck knows where?”

“Maybe I’ll just do it here and now.”

“And get your precious car dirty? Naah, I don’t think you would.”

“Try me.”

They fixed each other with death stares though the mirror once again. Hoseok was not feeling Namjoon’s failed attempt at a conversation, his furrowed brows and frigid tone were enough a hint.

“Fine, whatever. You’re so boring.”

Silence fell over them again as Namjoon went back to admiring the surroundings. During the whole time, he had been assessing the situation, evaluating his chances of survival was he to make an attempt to strangle Hoseok and flee. There was a huge gangster sitting right next to him, behind Hoseok, so he had no clear way of getting his arms around his neck. He had no gun, nor was he about to fight the man next to him to steal his, he was too weak. Within 2 seconds of trying, he’d already be knocked out cold by the beast. He couldn’t open the door and jump either, because the car was going too fast. He had no way out of the car, but maybe he stood a chance once they got to the location. He decided to preserve his energy for that, so he leaned back in the seat and closed his eyes.

It did not take long until the car came to a standstill. Hoseok stepped out and went to get Namjoon. The latter scrutinized the area. Somewhere on the outskirts of the city, not very circulated, no forest nearby in which he could hide, only a shabby structure that once probably served a purpose. With fingers digging the back of Namjoon’s neck, Hoseok forced him to walk into the building. The windows were painted black, so light was scarce, but in the very spots it did come through, he saw a bunch of men surrounding three others tied to chairs. Deja-vu struck Namjoon. His anxiety and curiosity reached new levels. What exactly had Hoseok planned? To add him to the trio? What was this, group torture? He was dead-set on not giving information, disappointing Black Tiger was the last thing he wanted.

“Oh, the guest of honor is here!” a cheerful voice echoed from the other side of the hall.

Namjoon squinted, trying to get a clear view of the one talking. The corners of his lips curled into a cocky smile when he realized who it was. It seemed like the party was just about to begin.

“I am deeply touched to see you’ve been waiting for me, Jimin.”

Jimin chuckled. He sat up from the couch he had been lying on and walked towards one of the three in the center. “See, I told you he will come. I am a man of my word!”

Namjoon stared in confusion. He could not see the other clearly. Who exactly could it have been? He had no relatives, no close connections they could have kidnapped in order to get him to open his mouth. Hoseok pushed him forward. With no support, he wobbled and ended up falling flat on the floor. The others watched as the once almighty gang member exerted himself to get back on his feet. A couple failed attempts and rounds of laughter later, Jimin took him by the clothes and dragged him all the remaining way.

“Still got some strength in you, little sucker,” Namjoon mocked him.

“Oh yeah, I did get a good workout and it added to my strength. Had quite a good punching bag, you see,” Jimin answered with a grin while he threw spears in Namjoon’s eyes with his own. They both laughed, thinking about the time Jimin spent hitting the other over and over, till his arms got bloody.

Curious about the three central pieces of this oh-so-familiar scene, Namjoon looked up. His expression turned sour at the sight. Right in front of him, tied tightly around the torso, and legs, with a cloth stuffed in his mouth, was his sole friend, Seokjin. He figured out the ones next to him were Black Tiger’s men as well. An urge to kill everyone in the room rushed from his heart to his limbs, but it was still not enough to increase the chance of survival. Jin seemed depleted as well. Jimin took out the cloth from his mouth and proceeded to untie him, in everyone’s awe. Anxiety haunted them. Why would they bring Namjoon there and release them? Were they planning on making them run and hunt them down or what?

“What are you doing?” Jin asked.

“What I promised. I have no reason to keep you a prisoner,” Jimin said calmly.

“What game are you playing now, scum?” Namjoon followed up.

“No need for games anymore.”

“Why the sudden change of heart?”

Once Jimin finished untying Jin, he went next to Namjoon. He looked him straight in the eye and proudly said: “I have an ace up my sleeve,” after which he carried on his way to Hoseok.

“You are free to go. We’ll leave, but don’t try anything stupid, you’re outnumbered,” Hoseok instructed the confused prisoners.

“I don’t trust them,” Namjoon said softly to Jin. They exchanged skeptical looks, after which Jin spoke.

“What’s the catch? You said you have an ace up your sleeve, what is it?”

“It is my greatest pleasure to announce you that Black Tiger is dead,” Jimin answered.

Horror washed over their faces. Namjoon frowned in disbelief. There was no way he was telling the truth. Black Tiger was no easy target, he would not have gone down so easily. What he did not know, was that it had been an inside job. Actually, him falling into Yoongi’s hands made things even easier. If he would not have followed Jungkook and started the feud on the rooftop, maybe Black Tiger would have still been alive, or at least it would have put Jungkook and Yoongi through some serious problems.

“Bullshit!” he growled.

“Don’t believe me? See for yourself.”

Jimin took the phone Hoseok handed him and slid it across the floor all the way to Namjoon’s feet. The screen showed a picture of the deceased resting peacefully in a pool of his own blood. Upon seeing it, two things happened within Namjoon: his anger peaked and his world came tumbling down. He grabbed the phone and threw it back to where it came from. It was the only thing he could do, and he missed the target. Simultaneously, Jimin and Hoseok moved away from the trajectory of the flying object. Unimpressed by the gesture, Hoseok turned around and walked towards the exit, while Jimin started laughing and clapping.

“Nice shot! I see you still got some strength left yourself. Too bad we can’t play together anymore. Anyway, it’s been fun. See you around, losers!”

Namjoon and Jin watched as they all left the building. They still could not believe it, nor could they understand why they chose to let them go and did not kill them on spot as well. What gain could they possibly get from it? Jin examined his friend.

“You look really bad. You need to get those wounds treated. We need to get out of here right now.”

He tried to pick him up, but Namjoon was lost in thought and would not budge. Thoughts were racing through his mind, yet it was silent.

“I’m not going.”

“What? Cut the crap, you need help.”

With the help of one of the guys, Jin managed to get him on his feet. He yanked his arms free and staggered all the way to the sofa where Jimin had laid. The gun he carried was still there, he first noticed it when Jimin dragged him all the way to Jin. He checked it out, saw it was still loaded and cocked it.

“What are you doing?”

“There is no point in me living.”

When he saw Namjoon going towards the sofa, he thought he needed rest, then when he caught a glimpse of the gun, he thought the crazy bastard was about to go on a rampage, to which he was prepared to talk him out of. But this, this he was not ready for.

“What kind of shit are you saying? You’re delirious, you need help.”

“You don’t get it, do you? Black Tiger is dead.”

“So?”

“So they will not let me live.”

“They just did.”

“No. I would die anyway. Do you think I would just go out there and live my life?”

“Why not? What’s so difficult in that?”

“Maybe it’s easy for you, but not for a man like me. I was raised by him to take his place. Now Jungkook has it, and he has enough reason to want to kill me. And me to kill him. But what do I have? Nothing. I would rather end this now, than die by one of their hands.”

Jin walked slowly towards him. He was terrified. After having to live through being taken prisoner, seeing his friend die was the last thing he needed. He understood his point of view, but disapproved of his method of dealing with the problem.

“You can run away. I can help you.”

Namjoon scoffed. “Running away is not something I would do. I appreciate the help, old friend, but there’s nothing you can do. Go live your life freely, find a woman, have kids, leave the mafia before it kills you too. It’s all just bullshit, anyway. Farewell, my friend,” he said warmly and flashed a smile in Jin’s direction.

Before he could take another step, Namjoon put the gun to his temple and pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun firing the deadly bullet resembled that of a mirror shattering. This time, the mirror represented Jin. One man ending his life, broke another’s.

“No!!!”

His scream filled the room, reaching even the furthest and darkest corners. It was too late. Tears filled his eyes as he held the lifeless body of his childhood buddy, confidant and partner in crime. Seeing the two people he thought were the epitome of power being pushed into their graves, one after the other, made him realize just how futile everything truly was. Life was a game of chance in which your coin could, at any point, land on the losing side.

The following week had been tough for everybody. It came with a lot of challenges and pressure. During the funeral of Black Tiger, as the plan stated, Jungkook instructed his men that from that day forward Yoongi’s gang and his were one. He invited everyone against the idea to leave immediately, to which only a dozen had the courage to turn their backs against him, and introduced the others to the new leader, Min Yoongi. There were no cheers of joy, but no signs of rejection either, at least not on the surface. For the undercover rebels, Yoongi already had backup. During the whole ordeal, you had been left alone with Taehyung. Your anxiety levels only came down when you received a call from Jungkook letting you know it all went well.

It still felt like a dream, but, as days gone by, you were getting convinced it was actually reality unfolding. Taehyung showed signs of fast recovery, and soon enough he was brought to the rehabilitated safehouse that had been your home for the very first months since you woke up after the car crash. Hoseok and Jimin were always on the lookout for rats and possible attacks, as well as new ways to spread their business. Yoongi was finally content, no longer haunted by ghosts and ruled by the thirst for revenge. You had forgiven his mistakes, but was never able to rebuild the lost friendship you had with Jimin. Too much had been said and done between the two of you, and both sides agreed that it was better to keep it this way.

You and Jungkook had moved into a larger apartment and spent a good few days making up for the time you were kept apart. The past few months had never seen you smile so much, or be so carefree. It was all over, truly over. Paranoia was still a big part of your lives, but it was no longer a constant thorn in your chests. You were happy. Sleeping and waking up in his arms, arguing about what food to eat or what movie to watch, teasing and making fun of each other, you were happy. You decided it was best for you to move abroad, leave it all behind and start afresh. Jungkook started looking into colleges, you as well. You still wanted to pursue psychology, with even more fervor now that you had gathered all sorts of insights into the dark side of society and the effects it had on humans. Like that, time unrolled, dragging you along with it. And so came the big day.

“You are so beautiful,” Jungkook whispered in your ear.

He was hugging you from behind as you stood in front of a tall mirror. You smiled.

“Are you ready?”

“Oh, God, I don’t think I can go through with this. I feel like throwing up.”

He turned you over to face him. “Don’t be nervous. The Y/N I know is a badass female that jumped out of the window without hesitating, that endured torture and pain like a pro, I am sure she will do fine.”

The corners of your mouth kept going up with every word he said. He was a master of blowing away your worries. You pressed your lips against his in a sweet and hasty kiss. He went in for more, but was interrupted by a knock on the door. You both glanced towards the source of the sound, waiting for the rude intruder to come inside. Your eyes grew larger at the sight of the one peeking through the slightly open door. Slightly annoyed, Jungkook cupped your face and broke the silence.

“I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Oh, ok.”

One more kiss and he was out. Passing the one that cut their sweet moment short, Jungkook threw him a cold glare. The other simply smirked.

“Taehyung-ah…”

“Long time no see, princess,” he said with a devilish grin, his signature.

You heard he had woken up from his coma a couple of days back, but things have been so hectic, you postponed meeting him. Not only that, but you were not ready to face him. In the time he had been out, you had to create a new identity, find a new place to live, run errands here and there, and most importantly build yourself back up. Deep inside, you dreaded meeting him again. Not because you hated or feared him, but because you were afraid that the leftover feelings you had for him would blossom again.

You were both in awe. He let his eyes roll down your body from the curls of your hair, to the white lace that embraced your shoulders, over the elegant gown that gave you a royal touch, down to the train that stretched across the floor like a mystical waterfall. You were breathtaking. The fire inside him lit up the moment your eyes met. He wanted to just get rid of Jungkook and have you all for himself. He knew he could do it, but he knew even better that was not the way to win your heart. That had already been given to Jungkook, a long time ago. He was determined, however, to watch over you as you walk into your new life.

“You look stunning,” he continued, walking towards you. “I always pictured you this way. Too bad.”

He was also a blessing for the eyes, dressed in a perfectly fitted suit, with his long locks carefully groomed, but sadness weighted on his shoulders. You wrapped your arms around him, not able to mutter another word. Tears blurred your vision. Feeling you against him once again, Taehyung regained energy. You got lost in the feeling for a few minutes. It was strange. You were happy, relieved to see him on his feet again, yet anxious and sad that he would try to take you away and you will have to break his heart. Little did you know, that he came there with an already broken heart. The moment Yoongi handed him the invitation, it was clear that he had lost, and that there was nothing he could do.

“If you still care to reconsider, I’d gladly take you as my wife,” he cracked a joke.

You started laughing and released him from your grip. “I can’t believe you are here. I honestly didn’t think you’d come."

“And miss this,” he pointed at you. “No chance. I also wouldn’t miss a dance with you, princess.”

“Already saved.”

“Perfect.”

Your eyes were glued to each other. It was beautiful to see, there was no trace of lust, only genuine care for the other.

“Thank you for everything, Tae. I wouldn’t be here today, if it weren’t for you. I owe you my life.”

“You can still run away with me, if you are so grateful.”

“Stop it, I’m serious.”

“So am I.” He made a long pause, then continued. “Geez, you should see the look on your face. I am kidding! No need to thank me, I did what I thought was the right thing to do. I have no problem giving my life for a person close to my heart. Just make sure it wasn’t for nothing.”

“I will do my best!”

You both smiled. He admired you once more, you exchanged a few more jokes, and then he went outside to wait for your great entrance. Walking on a red carpet made of rose petals towards the altar where Jungkook waited, you felt like throwing up again. It was a beautiful setting, out in the open, with only the people closest to the both of you, surrounded by nature and kissed by the sun. Yoongi offered to lead you to the altar, he said you reminded him so much of his sister, that he wanted to be there for you on this big event. He proudly offered your hand to Jungkook, and stepped aside as the ceremony started. It was an emotional moment. Nervous as you were, you followed in Jungkook’s steps, and prayed it all ended faster. The party that followed was wild. To see gangsters dance and sing their hearts out on the dancefloor was something to laugh about for days on end. Like promised, you shared a dance with Taehyung, after which he bid farewell and got lost in the city in a desperate attempt to drown his feelings in alcohol and get over you. The break of dawn caught you and Jungkook lost in each other’s touch with burning passion. After the heat faded away, you put your hands up in the air and admired the wedding rings that now bound you flesh and soul.

“I honestly didn’t think we’d make it,” you said with a trace of sadness in your voice.

Jungkook pulled you tighter into his arms. Countless of nights he had thought the same, un until that very moment. Yet he did manage to keep the biggest promise ever made to you, the oath that he would never leave your side and he would keep you safe at any cost. Fate had submitted your love to many trials, but failed to break it. On the contrary, it made the connection stronger. With scared minds and souls, no matter what future had in store, you were determined to push forward.

“I love you, Y/N.”

“I love you too!”

The end.

A/N: This chapter took a long time coming, went through a lot of plot changes and adjustments, hope you will like the final result. And yes...the awaited and dreaded moment....the final chapter. Hope you enjoyed it! Thank you so much for reading and being so patient! Thank you for the love and support. It meant a lot.

[ocalui]

[usfwspacific]

Small Game Hunters: Catching Butterflies in the Pacific Northwest

By: Zach Radmer, USFWS Fish and Wildlife Biologist, Washington Fish and Wildlife Office

Photo: West Coast lady butterfly (Vanessa annabella) at Crater Lake National Park, Oregon; Photo credit: Zach Radmer

 “Swoosh!” My net lay still, a colorful quarry perhaps captured after a brief sprint along the trail.  Admittedly I’m more excited than you would think. It’s not every day that you catch something new.  I don’t think people know that most butterflies get away. The large and sun-warmed individuals are highly motivated and will easily outpace you even into a headwind. I have carried a net for miles and caught nothing but mosquitos. But this time it’s a lustrous copper (Lycaena cupreus) that sports bright orange wings covered in dark black spots. Best of all, I have never caught one before.

Photo: Zach Radmer, biologist and butterfly enthusiast. Photo credit: Jerrmaine Treadwell

This is the part of the story where you think I would wax poetic about chasing butterflies as a kid, but the truth is my professional and personal interest in butterflies didn’t start until my colleagues at the Washington Fish and Wildlife Office introduced me. Butterfly catching is for everyone. Butterfly catching turns every hike or picnic into a scavenger hunt. In an alpine meadow or even a brushy field on the eastern slope of the Cascades you never know what you might find. Visit the same place four months later and you might find an entirely different crew of butterflies. Some fly in spring and some fly in late summer. Some could be ‘on the wing’ all year round because they spend the winter as adults resting in the crevices of trees and houses! Wherever you decide to go looking, bring a lunch. Butterflies are small game and decidedly not delicious.

Photo: Common wood-nymph (Cercyonis pegala) butterfly. Photo credit: Zach Radmer, USFWS.

Butterfly catching is a cheap sport, and you can take it as seriously as you want (or not). A net and a field guide can be purchased for less than 50 bucks. I prefer Butterflies of the Pacific Northwest by Robert Michael Pyle and Caitlin LaBar. Butterfly nets come in different shapes and sizes and none cost a pretty penny. I use a collapsible net that is easier to backpack with. Unless you have the reflexes of Jackie Chan, a long handle is a good idea too.

There are two endangered butterflies in Washington State, and we like to talk about them a lot (See our web pages on Taylor’s checkerspot butterfly and island marble butterfly). 

Photo: Zach in action. Photo credit: Jerrmaine Treadwell

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Washington Fish and Wildlife Office has been involved in butterfly conservation for a few decades.  But most people don’t know that 202 butterfly species can be found in Washington and Oregon. Little ones, big ones, spanning just about every color you can think of. Butterflies in Washington and Oregon are sorted in six families, and many of them don’t take any special skills to identify. For example, this is a ‘mud puddle club’ of pale tiger swallowtails and western tiger swallowtails:

The pale wings, large size, and striped wings are unmistakable for anything else. You don’t even have to chase it with net! The western tiger swallowtail (the yellow butterflies in the picture) has a few look-alikes, but only in some portions of the range. If you are butterfly catching in Olympia when you see this one, you know it is very unlikely to be a two-tailed tiger swallowtail or an Oregon swallowtail. Trust me, this isn’t as hard as you think. The Lorquin’s Admiral is another great example of an easy-to-identify butterfly.

Photo: A mud puddle club of swallowtails (both pale and Western). Photo credit: Zach Radmer, USFWS

Wherever you’re going, make sure you know which butterflies you should probably let be. A good guidebook will let you know what’s rare and what’s common. This mug shot might look like the federally endangered Taylor’s checkerspot, but it is actually a closely related subspecies (E. e. colonia) that is common in the Cascades:

Butterfly photography is great but some people want to take their small game home. Personally, I don’t collect the butterflies I catch. Butterfly collecting can contribute greatly to our understanding of these species, and collectors have no chance of impacting the abundance of common species. Collecting, pinning, and preserving butterflies is its own set of skills that I won’t address here. Figuring that out will give you something to do when the weather is poor for butterfly chasing.If you are nervous to get started on your own, I personally recommend you check out the Washington Butterfly Association that leads occasional field trips. Experts can help you discover where to look and tricks for telling some groups of butterflies apart. This wild-looking pink-edged sulphur you might assume is unique, but in reality is difficult to pick out of a lineup of other sulphurs.

Lorquin’s Admiral (Limenitis lorquini) buttefly. Photo credit: Zach Radmer, USFWS

 There are only a few more things to know before you start. First, catching butterflies is not allowed in National Parks. Not even catch and release. If you must, sign up for the National Park Service’s Cascade Butterfly Project citizen science program to monitor butterflies in the Parks. Second, butterflies should not be moved from where you caught them, and definitely not released outside of their natural range. Butterflies carry diseases and may inappropriately hybridize or compete with closely related species.

Photo: Edith's checkerspot butterfly ( Euphydryas editha colonia), not to be confused for the endangered Taylor's checkerspot (Euphydryas editha taylori). Photo credit: Zach Radmer, USFWS

I will join many other writers on this topic before by saying that the first step in conserving butterflies is to notice them. Where they are, where they aren’t, and what they’re doing. Scientists and enthusiasts can contribute to butterfly conservation by recording what they see and pointing it out to those around them. So grab a net and notebook, and happy hunting.

Pink edged sulphur (Colias interior) butterfly. Photo credit: Zach Radmer, USFWS

[tisfan]

Title: A Thousand Words Written by: @tisfan 3023 Square: S5 Tony Stark/T’challa Rating: teen and up Triggers/warnings: none Tags: were creatures, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Wakanda,  Created for: @tonystarkbingo Word count: 1897 Summary: Tony knows he’s not supposed to cross the border, but the call of a prize winning photograph is strong. When he finds his subject, things are more than they appear...

Fic for the Photographer / werecreature mood board

 “And how am I supposed to know where the Wakanda border is,” Tony Stark, award winning photographer, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, and self-proclaimed major annoyance, demanded. 

The guide only gave him one of those insufferable looks. “You will know,” he said. “And you must not venture over the border. Those who go to Wakanda often get sick. The disease will take its toll on your mind and body. If you even come back at all.”

Tony had used his considerable money and influence getting this far. One of his colleagues -- and his most loathed rival, if you wanted to pick nits -- had spotted a rare black panther. Keeping in mind that panthers were not, in fact, a real species at all, and Justin Hammer had all the keen insights of a brick, Tony was doubtful.

But the pictures of the great cat fleeing into the jungle had garnered national attention.

And Tony could take better pictures than ones of a blurry black cat. It might not even have been black, just bad lighting.

Whatever.

The point was, a melanistic tiger was a worthy photo subject, especially given how endangered tigers were, and that Tony could shine a spotlight -- metaphorically speaking -- on the species through some really good photos.

The problem was the creature seemed to live around the northern end of Lake Turkana. Which bordered on Wakanda. And Wakandans were very unwelcoming to visitors. Given that most of the rest of the continent had been invaded by northern Europeans and stripped of their rights and resources, and Wakanda had been spared that fate, Tony didn’t really blame them.

But that did mean that they wouldn’t give him permission to enter their country on a wild cougar chase.

He didn’t even get a meeting with the Wakandan ambassador himself; his message went through intermediaries, and all he got back was a no. No explanation or apologies. Just. no.  

Tony didn’t take no for an answer; he never had. It was both his best quality and his most annoying one.

He was going to get those pictures, with or without the Wakandans’ permission.

Of course, it would be easier if he could find the panther on the southern side of its territory. The Kenyan government had been all but falling over itself to accommodate him. Well, he’d have to hope.

Or sneak across.

“Why isn’t there any coffee from Wakanda,” Tony wondered, changing the subject. The guide wasn’t going to be going with him. Wildlife photo shoots were almost as dangerous as wartime shoots, and no one who could avoid it wanted to be that close to animals that might look at you like you were a snack. (Wartime photography was more dangerous, Tony knew for a fact, after spending three months as a prisoner of Ten Rings. If nothing else, a large cat wasn’t cruel. Just hungry. It wasn’t worth the cat’s time to keep Tony alive. If he was going to be kitty kibble, it would be over quickly, and he wouldn’t wake up from nightmares for more than four years now.) Tony’s mouth kept going without conscious input from his brain, because that’s what it did. “Kenya AA is some of the best coffee in the world. Burundi is an excellent bean. Why-- is there single source Wakanda bean?”

The guide gave Tony a condescending look. “The Wakandans do not grow coffee,” he said.

“Waste,” Tony muttered. “Well, I’ll stay out of their territory. No coffee, now that’s a hardship.” He would know Wakanda borders by all the sleeping guards. Got it.

*

He recalled the conversation, looking down at the grass. He didn’t know much about grass, really, except that it was green (usually) and growing on the ground (primarily) and that sometimes people made a fuss about how long it was in the yard.

You will know the Wakanda border when you see it.

Yeah, okay, so why didn’t anyone bother to mention the grass was fucking purple? You’d think that would be a relatively easy thing to say. Purple grass means do not trespass here. 

And it wasn’t just purple, Tony noted, kneeling. It was glowing. Very faintly, in the growing darkness, but it did make the small area very, very noticable.

Probably more so at night than during the day. Purple grass, it could be a thing, right?

Unfortunately for the purple grass, the damn panther had been seen-- well, just on the other side of that hill. Tony’d spotted it out in the plains, running along after some long-legged deer. Antelopes. Whatever. Probably not a gnu, except that Tony wouldn’t know what a gnu looked like if it bit him. 

He’d gotten a few action shots, but even with the telephoto lense, he really hadn’t gotten any good, personal shots.

He was just going to have to ignore the guide and cross over the border. Right? Wouldn’t hurt anything. In, take some pictures, out. No one had to know.

Stepping into Wakanda territory shouldn’t have felt like taking a step on the moon, but somehow, it sort of did.

Everything seemed softer, more natural, better. Fresher. Tony was obviously being influenced by the mythos and mystery that surrounded the place. Stupid, primitive monkey brain. He ignored the sense of awe and foreboding and crept toward the jungle.

He’d seen the great cat enter the trees, dragging its kill-- surely it would be too occupied with its meal to notice him. Animals didn’t hunt for sport, and eating an already killed and tasty gazelle was a better use of calories than catching one scrawny human photographer whose muscle tissue was flavored by cheeseburgers and kale smoothies.

He tugged on the night vision goggles, which brightened the landscape up considerably, and it wasn’t long before he saw the cat, laying on the branch of a tree, overseeing a small clearing. Tony was just to the edge of the woods and found himself a blind spot to sit, upwind of the great cat, before he noticed--

There were already people in that clearing, sitting outside of a low tent. One was kneeling near the gazelle, the other was poking at a small box that looked very much like a microwave, but couldn’t be, because no one dragged a microwave out into the jungle, did they?

Tony turned his camera carefully; with people nearby he had to be even more careful about making noise. A cat might be evaded. People were predation hunters. If they thought he’d desecrated their country or something, they would track him down.

One woman, one girl. The cat was watching them, and they obviously knew it was there. They were speaking a language that Tony didn’t know, and had never heard. But they were addressing some of their remarks to the cat.

Maybe that was it, Tony decided. Some cultures raised hunting dogs, or falcons, and those animals, over time, had grown into different colors and sizes that arose in nature. Look at the black lab, to the pekinese, to the dachshund. No one would think they all originally came from wolves. The black panther could be nothing more than a specially trained domesticated cat.

Which would be fascinating, but he’d have to consider very, very carefully if he wanted to publish those pictures, since it would be immediately obvious that he’d trespassed to get them. Didn’t matter. He’d decide later. Pictures now. He would be no sort of photographer at all if he let the opportunity pass him by. 

Tony took dozens of pictures; of the two women, one with black hair, the other with white, but both beautiful. Of the cat, lounging in the tree. Of the dead gazelle, neck neatly snapped but unmarred by the cat’s teeth otherwise.

Finally, whatever meal the one woman was cooking was done, and she said something to the other -- the smells were amazing. Tony’s stomach reminded him that he hadn’t eaten in a while, but he didn’t dare even try to get one of his granola bars out.

He focused on the meal. One, two… three. Three plates. The woman hesitated, sighed, and then made a fourth plate.

Tony blinked, then realized to his horror, that the cat was-- 

Coming right at him.

Tony took several pictures by reflex alone, which is the only reason why, later, he could convince himself that he hadn’t gone insane.

“You may as well come to dinner,” the cat-- the CAT? Said, walking toward him, body moving, and then shifting up onto two legs, and finally, a man stood there in front of him, noble and strong and pure and-- smiling?

“Tony Stark. I should have known you would not be so easily disuaded.”

Tony blinked and looked up at the man. There was something cat-like about him in his grace and figure. Very long, dexterous fingers reached down. “Come on up out of there. We’ve known you were there, the whole time. Do not think you can sneak up on the tribe of the Panther God. One of these days, it will get you into trouble.”

Tony reached for the man’s hand, not entirely sure if he was dreaming, or hallucinating in the last moments of his life. 

“You know me?”

“I am T’challa,” the man said. “You requested an audience with me, to plead your case. Of course I know who petitions me.”

“Your majesty,” Tony said. And then, because his brain was still running full cycle, he blurted out-- “You’re like, a werecat?”

T’challa scoffed, and the girl behind him made an even ruder noise. “No. We are not cursed monsters, like in your horror movies,” T’challa said. “It is a gift from the gods.”

“I don’t believe in God,” Tony said automatically.

“That’s all right, Mr. Stark,” the girl said, bringing a mug of something fragrant to drink. “God doesn’t believe in you either.”

“What happens now?”

“Now? Now you drink, and you have dinner, and after dinner, we will return you across the border,” T’challa said. He pressed the cup into Tony’s hand, and there was something in his eyes that didn’t allow for refusal. “You will, unfortunately, contract one of the jungle fevers. You will wake up in a few days, and you will have forgotten all about this night. You have seen nothing. You will remember nothing.”

“What--”

“It’s that, or we could kill you,” the girl said.

“Shuri--”

“I’m just saying, there are options.”

“But I--” Tony protested. 

“We are not stealing your memories,” T’challa said, and led him over to the fire. “We are only taking back that which you first stole from us. It is fair, and right, and you will never miss it.”

It was fair.

But-- the things he’d seen, that he’d photographed. They couldn’t be lost. And maybe they wouldn’t be. His camera uploaded automatically every ninety minutes. If he could just delay, the pictures would be on a Stark satellite and then downloaded to his home network. 

“All right,” he said. “Dinner, and you can tell me about your gods.”

When Shuri rolled her eyes, Tony added, “Does it matter? I won’t remember it anyway. What possible harm can it do for me to know, just for tonight?”

T’challa laughed, warm and rich and appealing. “You are a stubborn man,” he said. “I like that. Sit, share a meal, and listen to our tales.”

Ninety minutes…

Surely, the stories would take ninety minutes.

[s-horne]

can i request what are you drawing for stevetony + morgan as steve’s stepdaughter? thank you ❤️

(this is my first ever fic with a daughter; I hope you enjoy)

Steve stifled a yawn behind his hand as he stumbled, half-asleep, down the stairs to the kitchen. He scratched his stomach absentmindedly as he continued on his quest for coffee.

It had been a late night for both Steve and Tony, with Tony at work till late and Morgan waking up a few times with nightmares. But that was Steve’s life, and there was nothing he’d trade it for.

When Steve walked into the kitchen, he saw his step-daughter awake and sitting at the kitchen table, crayons spread out across the wood as she drew picture after picture.

“Morning, gorgeous,” Steve said, voice deep and husky with disuse as he flicked on the coffee machine.

“Morning!”

Steve smiled at the sight of Morgan nearly bent over double, her nose practically on the paper.

“What are you drawing?”

“You,” Morgan replied happily, her legs swinging under the table as she concentrated on a small section of the paper, tongue poking out from between her lips. “Daddy and Papa.”

Steve choked on the mouthful of coffee he had just taken and stared at his step-daughter. “Me?”

Morgan drawing a picture of Steve wasn’t unusual by a long shot. After all, he had been in her life for four years, marrying her biological father in the previous summer. What was a shock was Morgan casually announcing Steve as her Papa. Whilst it was something that Tony and Steve had discussed at length, it wasn’t something that they’d spoken to Morgan about in great detail. She was a little young and Steve had great reservations about forcing her to accept him.

Though Tony did his best to assure him that Morgan adored them both equally, Steve wanted his step-daughter to be able to make up her own mind about Steve. And it seemed like she finally had.

“Yes,” Morgan said patiently, swapping her blue crayon for a red one. “Me and you and Daddy at the zoo. Want to see?”

Steve swallowed against the lump in his throat and put his mug down on the counter quickly. “Of course I want to see.”

He rounded the table to crouch down beside Morgan and, once he was settled, his daughter turned to him with a grin. “These are the tigers that we saw and that’s the penguins. Those were my favourite so I made them real big.”

“You know what?” Steve lifted his hand and stroked Morgan’s hair, his heart four times its usual size. “I think those were my favourite too.”

[imagineslashers]

The slashers reactions to finding their s/o trying on an item or items of their clothing.

Very cute, good request! Sorry it took me a while! x I added Beetlejuice for this one, just ‘cause. If you lovely people don’t want him in or want more of him, let me know! Hope you enjoy! xx

Michael Myers - mask

Michael woke up with a start. He reached out an arm across the bed he shared with his s/o only to find that space cold. Michael shot up immediately, grabbing the knife beneath his pillow and reaching for his mask - which was also gone. With a growl, he lunged from the bed like a tiger, surprisingly graceful for a man so tall and bulky. Michael rushed down the stairs, half dressed, knife clutched in one hand. However, he froze when he saw his s/o modelling in front of the bathroom mirror with his mask on. It was too big for them, on a slant, with their h/c hair poking out from beneath. Michael narrowed his eyes, dropped the knife, and sauntered towards them. It was actually rather cute, especially the way his s/o jolted when they saw him and floundered guiltily for an excuse. Michael shook his head and grabbed his s/o by the hand, leading them back to bed.

Freddy Krueger - glove

He’d taken it off for one second and it was missing. Freddy began to panic. He had been lounging with his s/o for the evening and taken off his glove begrudgingly so that he could have his s/o settled comfortably atop him. As soon as he returned from grabbing popcorn for their movie, he noticed both his s/o and his glove absent. It took him a moment to put two and two together when he found his s/o standing in the bedroom, his glove far too big on their hand, mocking him. “Goodnight, bitch!” They thrust their gloved hand. Freddy blinked, huffing. He didn’t sound like that. When his s/o saw him, they turned bright red and Freddy grinned. “Having fun?”

Billy Loomis - shirt

Billy was so tired, even though he’d spent most of his weekend asleep alongside his s/o - when they weren’t watching movies or each other. He sat up in his bed, shirtless with his hair tousled and gaze slightly blurred. When a familiar figure walked into the room, Billy raised his eyebrows. His most preferred white undershirt hung loosely from his s/o, brushing against their thighs in a way that was most enticing. His s/o placed two hot mugs on the bedside table, but Billy wasn’t interested in the drinks. “Come here.” He murmured huskily, a smirk curling his lip.

Bubba Sawyer - apron

The door was open and music streamed out onto the porch as Bubba walked up the stairs. He had been acquiring groceries for his s/o, who was very kindly making a big dinner, but he was rather worried when he couldn’t see his s/o. Bubba certainly didn’t enter quietly, his boots thudded with his sheer mass, but there was no stir from within. Bubba cradled the food he had brought and walked slowly into the kitchen, very much prepared to make a grab for his chainsaw. He made a soft noise of concern for his s/o, continuing into the kitchen. Once he was inside, he was faced with something much more surprising. His s/o was dancing around the kitchen, wearing one of his button-up shirts and his apron. Bubba flushed with heat and nearly tripped coming in, his s/o twirling and grinning sheepishly at him. “Hope you don’t mind, I wanted to borrow them.” Bubba certainly didn’t mind, but he wasn’t sure he could get through dinner without cracking.

Jason Voorhees - boots

His cabin sat quietly in the woods, and that was how Jason liked it. However, when he liked the most, more than his cabin and his lake and his peace, was his s/o. That was why he hurried to get back to them. Jason had only stepped outside for a moment to get firewood, dressed barefoot in only an undershirt and pants with his mask lopsided. He nudged the door open to the cabin and walked in, but stopped immediately, staring. His s/o was giggling to themselves, making dramatic and heavy footsteps around the cabin in his boots. Jason tilted his head questioningly, amused and endeared. He let the wood drop loudly to the ground, the clatter startling his s/o who had barely a chance to react before Jason had them lifted off the ground in an embrace.

Stu Macher - pants

“Hey babe, I got some more beer- what are you wearing?” Stu stopped in the doorway to the bedroom to see his s/o lounging on his bed in a pair of his sweatpants. It was a simple choice of attire, but the way his s/o could wear a simple pair of pants seemed wholly unfair to the rest of the world. Of course, it only reminded him how pleased he was that his s/o was entirely his. “I was cold!” Came the meek reply, followed by a playful grin. Stu mirrored the expression and left the beer on a cabinet, falling onto the bed beside his s/o. 

Beetlejuice - suit jacket

He’d been gone for a while this time, but you weren’t concerned. Beets always had somewhere else to be, someone else to be terrorising, but he always came back to you. This time, a little impatient, you had decided to make the evening entertaining for yourself. Beetlejuice had left his most precious (and slightly tattered) striped suit jacket on your bed, probably because he had left you asleep and felt bad that you were still clinging to the article of clothing - hence leaving it with you until he returned in full. However, when he did return, he was speechless to see his s/o walking around the living room wearing the jacket and no pants. That was fair, seeing as it was his s/o’s house and their rules, but man was it something to come back to. “Well shit, hello baby.” He grinned wolfishly, stalking towards his s/o who spun around in surprise. They barely got the chance to say anything before being thrown over his shoulder. Definitely a good decision on the s/o’s part.

[tsgaustintexas]

2019 Holiday Gift Guide

The 2019 Holiday Gift Guide is here! We’ve SCOUTED high and low for unique gift ideas to create ten lists of our favorite LOCAL finds! All of the items featured below are either designed, made or sold by independent businesses in Austin. The holiday season is the most important time of year to support small businesses, so spread the local love by sharing this gift guide with friends and family! And don’t forget to check out our 2018 +  2017 +  2016 + 2015 guides for even more great ideas - shopping local never goes out of style…  We hope this list will help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your list. 

As always, don’t forget to tell them that THE SCOUT GUIDE SENT YOU! 

xo - Leigh Ann 

For Her

Freya Panama Hat from Hearth & Soul | $220 

7 For All Mankind Fringe Wrap from Domain NORTHSIDE | $425

Gold Dust Vinyl from Liz James Designs | $55+, make sure to check out all the options! 

Easy Rider Jacket from Understated Leather | $495

The Carryall from Tecovas |  $475 now $245 

Michelle Mules from Fortress of Inca | $250 (multiple colors available) 

Molly Haertle Art’s “Sandy,” 12x16” oil on panel | $290

Custom Beaded Clutch - use your monogram or add a fun phrase - from Estilo | $180+

Slim Aarons Coffee Table Book from SPARROW INTERIORS | $60, take 30% off starting Friday! 

Fur Bomber Jacket from ESTILO | $265

For Him

The Austin Cowboy Boot from Tecovas | $695 

Quilted Leather Jacket from Estilo Mens | $798 

Zilker Belt’s Antone’s Belt | $109

Fly Reel Case from Sparrow Interiors + Gifts | $185 

Cuff Link Studs Set from CASSANDRA COLLECTIONS | $400+

True Grit ½ Zip Pullover from Hearth & Soul | $135 

Yeti Hopper Backflip from Olivia Shoppe | $339.99 

Palo Santo Beard + Face Oil from Loot Finer Goods | $40

Growler Tote from Hearth & Soul | $44

Stratoliner Fedora from Domain NORTHSIDE’s Stag Provisions | $190

For Little Ones

Star Chalk Set from Hearth & Soul  | $32

Barbarossa Pirate Ship from Olivia Shoppe | $85 

Farmers Market Play Shop from Alexa James Baby | $120

Kid’s Three String Guitar from Picket Fences | $80 

Woodie Toy Cars from Olivia Shoppe | $35+

Model Roadster from Alexa James Baby | $190 

Mini Lightbox from Picket Fences | $24 

Melamine Plates from Grace Charles Design Studio | $22

Easy Rider Leather Jacket for boys + girls from Understated Leather | $180 

Alphabet Kingdom by Starla Michelle | $15.39

For the Home

Brass Vase from PAGE HOME DESIGN | $25+ each VASES

Gunmetal Bar Cart from HEARTH & SOUL | $815

“Sometimes It’s a Whisper” from Meredith Pardue’s Flower Bomb Series | 60" x 48", Price available upon request, please make sure to view all of works 

Wood Chargers from Sparrow Interiors + Gifts | $54

Crystal Glassware from Sparrow Interiors + Gifts | $128 for a set of four

Maple + Rope Wall Hanging from Loot Finer Goods | $35

Alpaca Throw from A Custom House | $445, check out their other colors! 

B Shawn Cox “Vaquerios” from Walden Art Agency | $1100 (24” x 24”) 

Tiger Print Pillows from LIZ JAMES | $75 each 

Brass Catchall from Austin Design House | $74  

Geranium + Rose Candle from Slow North | $34 

Something Sparkly 

Black Bonnie Floral Earrings from Cassandra Collections | $210+ 

Tie One On Earrings from Elizabeth Volk Designs | $48

Yellow Gold Straight Diamond Bar Necklace Korman Fine Jewelry | $575

Hazel Bracelet from Liz James Designs | $209

Millicent Adjustable Bracelet in Rose Gold from Kendra Scott | $425  

Dainty Necklace with Writing Stone from Elisha Marie Jewelry | $140 

Cane Earrings in Silver from Rahya Jewelry Design | $123.20

Rose Cut Diamond Hexagon Eternity Band in Yellow Gold from Dowry | $1,600

Nova Lyra Bangle in 14K Gold from Domain NORTHSIDE’S Limbo | $99

Riri Collar from Estilo Boutique | $125 

For Four-Legged Friends

Paws By The Lake at Lake Austin Spa | Worth It

Enamel Food + Water Bowls from Hearth & Soul | $16

Dog + Cat Noiseless Holiday Crackers from Paper Place | $10

Pet Collar Charm handmade by Liz James Designs | $20 

Holiday Bandanas from Paper Place | $15 

Squeaky Beverage Toys from Hearth & Soul | $15.95+

ACL Dog Collar from Zilker Belts | $59+ 

Rattan Dog Bed with Cushion from A Custom House | $195 Medium, $245 Large

Custom Bandana from Understated Leather | $25

For your Hostess 

"Putting the Pieces Back Together II” by Erin Donahue Tice Fine Art | $125 (4x6”)

Garden Jar with Cilantro from Slow North | $20 

The Southerner’s Handbook from Liz James Designs | $20

Recipe Tin from Paper Place | $115 

Madeleine Gift Box from Fluff Meringues & More | $11.75

Fraser Fir Wreath from Gracious Garlands | $29+ 

Bud Vases from A CUSTOM HOUSE | $32 each

Potted Olive Tree from Page Home Design | $36

Truffle Salt from HEARTH & SOUL | $28

August Morgan Cocktail Napkins from Olivia Shoppe | $40 for a set of four 

Stocking Stuffers

Sugarfina x Tito’s Vodka Martini Olive Almonds from Domain NORTHSIDE | $8.95

Mimosa Society Sew-On Patch from Paper Place | $9 

Magic Rainbow Fire Sticks from Paper Place | $21.90 for a set of 3

Starry-Eyed Travel Mask from Understated Leather | $40

Coloring Austin Coffee Table Book by Avery Price | $32

Nourishing Body Cream from Fine Healing Goods | $55 

Jonathan Van Ness Prayer Candle by Illumin Idol | $15

Bridesmaids Partaaaay Mug from Olivia Shoppe | $18.95

Christian LaCroix Playing Cards from Paper Place | $35 

Double S’More Kit from Fluff Meringues & More | $9.50

Baggu Reusable Bag from Olivia Shoppe | $12

Unicorn Headband from Picket Fences | $8 

For Pampering

Pilates class at The Peach House | $40/class, new members receive 3 classes for $99

A luxe mani + pedi from LACQUER | Manicures start at $63

Drybar Membership at Domain NORTHSIDE | $80 

Leonor Greyl Body + Face Oil from Haute House Lash & Beauty Bar | $59

Rose Quartz Facial Roller from Slow North | $34 

Personal training with PE Fitness | $90/hour for 1, $75/hour per student for 2, $60/hour per student for 3

Lemon Wellness Drops from FINE HEALING GOODS | $75 

Gift card for skin rejuvenation from REJUVENATE | Inquire for pricing

Skin+ Starter Kit from Austin Skin Plus | $290  

Relaxation at Lake Austin Spa | Holiday packages start at  $260

For the Person Who Has Everything

THE HEADSHOT HAPPY HOUR with four friends, shot by Paige Newton | $125 per person

Private cooking classes with La Pera | $300 / 3 hour session, class selection includes Pasta, Empanadas, Sous Vide Cooking, Basic Knife Skills, or a Custom Curriculum

Peloton - choose between the bike or the treadmill at DOMAIN NORTHSIDE | pricing varies

One-on-One Workshop with HOUSE OF MARGOT BLAIR | $595+

A game-changing backyard makeover with LAWNPOP for the hostess in your life | Inquire for pricing

A dinner party hosted by THE AUSTIN ARTISAN at your home | Inquire for pricing :

The Wayback Holiday Package | $500, includes a 2-night stay at The Wayback + cheese board + bottle of select Texas wine

Donate on your loved one’s behalf with In Lieu

[kickass-humor]

Tiger Woods smirks at his own mug shot t-shirt

Visit damn-funny.tumblr.com for more Funny Tumblr Pictures on you dashboard.

[lesbianstarkx]

Retail Therapy — Ironstrange Drabble

In which Tony Stark buys useless shit and stephen strange is one fed up husband. idk how to do the lil cut line thing so 😭 i’m sorry

—

“Tony, you have a serious retail therapy problem.”

Ah. The voice of judgement. The stance. Stephen Strange, with his hands on his hips, and his eyebrow raised and none other than Tony Stark. He was all too used to this after years of marriage, and yet it still scared him nonetheless. It was like being a child and getting in trouble all over again.

“What? No I don’t.” Tony scoffed and took a sip of coffee out of the mugs he’d had custom made; they looked black, but once you poured something hot in them, it changed to a picture of Stephen ass naked that he had sent Tony ages ago before they were married. Stephen’s eyebrow raised further as he nodded towards the mug, as if that was possible.

“Okay, whatever, maybe I do buy stuff a lot, but when you have money, why not? It’s not like it’s becoming a problem or anything.” He sat the mug down and looked at it a minute before he pushed it away.

Damn. He really hit the jackpot marrying a man like Stephen, especially with an ass like that.

“Tony,” Stephen sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, going through every reason in his head why he shouldn’t suffocate this man in his sleep, before he looked back up and smiled sarcastically, “I make money too. I’m a doctor! But I don’t spend it on useless shit like you do.”

Tony gasped and made a face in false disgust, “Nothing I buy is ever useless!”

“The wax figure of Dolly Parton?”

“Like I said, nothing.”

Stephen groaned, pretending to choke Tony out with his hands before he grabbed his husband by the collar of his shirt and pulled him to the bedroom.

“Angry sex?”

“I swear to the gods if you don’t shut your mouth right now, I’m going to kill you.”

“So not right now, then?”

Stephen shoved Tony forward to their closet, running a hand through his hair and sighing before he motioned towards the door.

“Open it.”

And Tony did. And there were…clothes and shoes. As there should be. It was stocked full, as you would expect with two married men sharing a closet.

“Is this our closet? Or your closet?”

“What in the gay hell are you talking about?”

“I’ve taken all of my stuff out, Tony. It’s all in drawers. All of that,” He motioned towards the closet again, which was so full you couldn’t move clothes to the side to get a better look at something, “Is yours.”

Oh. Well. Ok.

“Why on earth could you possibly need shirts that have celebrity mug shots on them?”

“Listen, Justin Bieber, Bill Cosby, Tiger Woods, S-“

“Tony.”

Tony’s shoulders dropped and he let out a long sigh, glancing between his husband and the closet before he rolled his eyes and shut the door. “Okay, fine,” he huffed, “Maybe I do have a teeny tiny problem.”

“Perfect. I’m glad you agree with me.” Stephen walked forward and wrapped his arm around Tony, pressing a kiss to his forehead. “Now, you can clean the whole house and pack up everything you don’t need!”

[sterek]

lols legit i just love me my fluff and mutual pining and just all types of that wonderfulness, even with light angst tbh and i love me my HS Aus or college Aus or Human Aus or anything inbetween lmfao XD Ur brilliant and hope this isn't too much of a bother =D

Sorry it took so long, I got distracted! Here are some recs :) [Sorry if I don’t have a lot of light or human fics, most of my bookmarks are heavy werewolf angst oops. I went through half my bookmarks and this is already too long lol enjy!]

I’ve Been Everywhere With You by Leslie_Knope [61k, E]

“Dude, you should totally come with me.”

“What? Like on the road trip?“

“No, come with me. To Austin. Get out of Beacon Hills.”

Derek paused. “What?” he asked again.

He’s Not Mine by Sunnee [68k, E]

Derek comes home to find an abandoned werebaby on his front porch and Stiles volunteers to help him out. Surprisingly, that is just the beginning of his problems.

302, I Love You by paintedrecs [4k, T]

It was a beautiful summer morning—mid-70s with a light breeze, ideal weather for soaking up the sun without fear of overheating. If anyone asked, that was why Stiles was sitting on his balcony with a book he hadn’t touched in the last half hour and a mug of coffee he’d been absently sipping from, his gaze fixed on the parking lot several stories below.

Coincidentally, one of his neighbors—Hot Dude From 302, not that it was relevant—had chosen the same morning to wash his stupidly flashy Camaro.

Shyft by paintedrecs [6k, T]

Derek finally gave the driver more than a passing glance.

He was roughly Derek’s age and surprisingly handsome, despite the ugly plaid shirt he’d rolled up past his elbows. He had broad shoulders, honey-dark hair, a line of moles trailing enticingly along his cheek, and thick eyelashes framing dark eyes that glittered with humor. And he was laughing at Derek.

***

At the end of a long work day, all Derek wanted was to get home as quickly as possible. When his scheduled ride showed up—distractingly good-looking, driving a beat-up Jeep, and full of interesting conversation—Derek felt like his evening might turn out a whole lot better than he’d expected. Until his trust issues flared back to life, telling him "Stiles” wasn’t everything that he’d seemed.

Lovebitten by LunaCanisLupus_22 [10k, M]

The one where Derek gets bitten by a lovebug and Stiles is the first person he lays eyes on. Hilarity ensues.

Bricks by paintedrecs [8k, T]

“Mornin’, love,“ Derek says, and Stiles freezes in his arms. They haven’t exchanged official I love you’s yet, and Derek seems determined to derail Stiles’s plans to say it first. With fireworks. Or bubble baths. Something epic.

The point is, Derek barely even seems to realize he’s doing it, and it’s driving Stiles crazy.

Or: My first time writing a 5 + 1 fic.

remember my love by bleep0bleep [23k, T]

Stiles wakes up and suddenly the war is over, he’s no longer a penniless mage, and living in an exquisite manor married to the man he’s been in love with for far too long.

“It’ll be fine,” Stiles says gallantly. “I am certain I will just fall in love with my husband all over again, and I will find plenty of joy doing that.” He winks at Derek for good measure.Derek blinks.

ritten in the Stars by Quixoticity [26k, M]

Derek Hale is a lucky guy. He’s got a great family, good friends, and a fulfilling job as a tattoo artist.

He’s also one of the twenty-five per cent of the population born with a soul mark.

He likes his life, but he’s waiting for his soul-match. The odds of meeting them aren’t great but hey, Derek’s a lucky guy. He has faith.

He can’t believe how good his luck really is when one day his soul-match wanders right into his studio, all long limbs and copper eyes. There’s just one problem: Stiles is there to get his soul mark covered up. Permanently.

No Homo by RemainNameless [84k, E]

Stiles’ sophomore year starts something like this:3 FourLokos+ 1 peer-pressuring cat- 1 best bro to end all best bros= 1 Craigslist ad headline that reads "str8 dude - m4m - strictly platonic”.Derek is the fool who replies.

Cross our bridges when we come to them by RemainNameless [103k, M]

The five times Derek called the Sheriff “Dad” on accident and the first time he did it on purpose.

Our Hearts Are Tigers by skoosiepants [7k, T]

This is what Stiles figures out after a week of harboring Isaac: he’s kind of a dick, for a ten-year-old.

Turn a Little Faster by skoosiepants [3k, T]

He shifts back and forth on his feet and tries to psych himself up. He can do this. He’s a badass werewolf, he can totally tell Stiles that they accidentally got werewolf married because—because Stiles was thinking about him, and happened to give him a token of his, uh, affection under the silvery light of the last full moon. Platonic affection, Derek thinks sourly, so he doesn’t get why his wolf feels all warm and fuzzy and bonded all of a sudden.

Honestly, it’s like—why aren’t people accidentally getting werewolf married all the time, if it happens this easily?

Filter Out the Starlight by skoosiepants [12k, T]

“Why are you not more curious about me?” Stiles says when Derek’s got the door half open, sun spilling over the dark wood, dust motes spinning about his legs. Stiles is wearing fabric that hasn’t been invented yet, he’s clutching a smart phone to his chest, and he appeared out of nowhere, like an angel.

Softly, Derek says, “We all have our secrets,” and closes the door.

Or-

A heartbroken Stiles accidentally travels back in time to find his one true love. A harlequin-ish Christmas romance.

Under Yellow Moons by skoosiepants [17k, T]

They stare at each other, half-grinning, and Derek knows it’s definitely the absolute wrong time for this, but he wants. He wants to grin at Stiles over dinner every day for the rest of his life, baffled over yams and Moon Pie Day, and, god, crap, goddamn, when the fuck did he have time to fall in love?

Or

The life and times of Deputy Stiles and Supernatural Foster Dad Derek Hale

Lord knows it would be the first time by uraneia [12k, E]

Stiles is home from Berkeley for the summer, but only because he promised the pack. He’d rather not see Derek, because whatever the thing was that they were doing, they’re not doing it anymore, and it sucks.

Unfortunately, he doesn’t have a choice. The betas tried a magical remedy for Derek’s melancholy, and now Stiles has a three-year-old who looks like Derek. Stiles doesn’t know how to deal with that, and he definitely doesn’t know how to tell the betas he and Derek were secret fuck buddies for a year and a half.

You Smell Like Mine by bleep0bleep [13k, E]

People talk about the alpha instinct, an alpha’s head being swayed by a nice-smelling omega, or the desire to drop everything and show off. Derek’s never felt any of that. He’s just not that kind of alpha.

Then he meets Stiles.

The Prince and His Painter by Dexterous_Sinistrous [8k, G]

Stiles was always a sick child. He was never supposed to live beyond his infancy—shocking many when he reaches adulthood. With his inevitable death looming over his country, Stiles chooses to accept a successor through marriage. His advisors commission a painter to capture the prince’s likeness in order to advertise him to potential candidates. Only, Derek Hale isn’t like most painters—or humans, for that matter.

Certain Kind of Fool by saraubs [36k, M]

Derek, who has been dragged against his will to the same resort his family visits every summer, is determined to spend the next two and a half months sequestered in his room. His only friend, his sister Laura, is preoccupied with her newly-bonded mate, and doesn’t seem to care about anything but making him happy.

When Derek meets Stiles Stilinski, a sharp-tongued waiter, he thinks that this summer might not be a complete waste of time. There are only two problems: First, Stiles is human. Second, he doesn’t believe in mates.

Painful Maneuvers by saraubs [11k, T]

Still, whether or not the nurses want to hear it, Derek has some serious issues with the way Stiles skates around the ward, upending instruments and scattering papers and chewing on pens. His scrubs never fit right and are always riding up to show patches of smooth, pale skin and his hair is frankly pornographic. It’s just so…unprofessional.

Stiles is a hyperactive Obstetrician. Derek is a grumpy Midwife. It’s true love (and babies!).

little spoon by bibliosexual [6k, T]

To save money while attending college in NYC, Stiles and Derek decide to rent one tiny apartment together. With one bed.

you know you’re on my mind by bibliosexual [16k, T]

If there’s one thing Derek’s learned in life, it’s that crushing on someone who lives on an entire other fucking continent is probably a bad idea.

Put Down in Words by paintedrecs [203k, M]

“Oh,” Stiles said, his voice coming out low and breathy, “fuck me.”

“I don’t think that’s on the syllabus, but we can check to see if there’s a spot open in any of his classes,” Scott said, grinning.

“This isn’t an actual professor, though,” Stiles insisted, unable to resist brushing his thumb over the sharp line of the man’s bearded jaw. He was laughing at something off-camera, the shot taken in three-quarters view, his coat collar casually rumpled and opened to reveal a sliver of a simple grey t-shirt. The whole thing was deliberately calculated to lend him a more accessible feel, and god help him, Stiles was falling for it.

*

When Stiles signed up for Dr. Hale’s intro to history class, he had two goals: knock out the credits his advisor was bugging him to complete before he graduated, and spend a few hours a week daydreaming about his sexy professor’s salt and pepper beard.

Derek, a few months away from turning forty and not sure when his life had started feeling so damn lonely, had never encountered someone like Stiles before. Bright-eyed, sharp-tongued, determined to throw Derek’s carefully cultivated world into disarray…and absolutely the last person Derek should be falling in love with.

Somewhere Else, Someone Else by megxmas [19k, T]

They’re sitting in the car, and Stiles’ dad is poring over the scans, gesturing violently at the air. ‘I just don’t understand!’ he says. ‘There’s never been anything out of the ordinary on any of your tests, and yet you always have seizures! How come nothing ever comes up?’

Stiles shrugs, has heard his dad complain about this a dozen times before. Stiles is pretty sure that he and Derek are some kind of magical soulmates and this is the way the world has decided to connect them, but somehow, he doesn’t think that’ll fly as an explanation.

Cupboard Love by mklutz [32k, G]

He’s carefully balancing the sandwiches and the two biggest tupperware containers he could find that both had functioning lids when the front door opens and he almost drops everything right there in front of the stupid fountain.

If that’s Derek Hale, he’s definitely not a mountain man.

The Epic Love Story of Wolf and Twister by KeriArentikai [11k, E]

Stiles has a tiny adorable hyper puppy. Derek has an awesome huge Malamute mix. They both go to the dog park a lot.

So, obviously, Sterek ensues.

One life stand by Vendelin [84k, E]

Stiles is used to selling himself to make ends meet. But it’s getting harder to keep those ends meeting, and there’s only so much of Stiles to go around. Until a too-fancy car shows up in his neighborhood, and he meets Derek Hale.

All Derek wants is Stiles’s time, someone to stay on his arm for events and smile for the cameras. It’s the easiest job Stiles has ever had, the best-paying one he’s ever had, and he’s more than happy to sign up.

Derek is everything and nothing Stiles expects him to be, with his tailored suits, sharp mind and his quiet way of caring. But it’s just a job and Stiles never meant to fall in love.

only fools rush in by decideophobia [13k, T]

Is it an imaginary date?

No. I met him in a coffee shop.

When?

This morning. It was love on first sight.

Millstone by eleanor_lavish [31k, E]

Derek waits until the door is shut behind him before he turns around. He holds out his hand, plants his ‘if you’re not weird about it, I won’t be’ smile on his face and says, “Nice to meet you, Stiles. I’m Michael. What kind of a good time are you looking for tonight?”

In Other Words, Baby, Kiss Me by primroseshows [61k, E]

Stiles has simple goals in life. To successfully complete his secret radar project without getting fired, to get a cottage on the Moon, and to untangle his mess of feelings for Moon Station 3 deputy, Derek Hale. Heck, he’ll even settle for two of the three.

i have always been the storm by stilinskisparkles [25k, E]

“You’re all headed out to Oklahoma in a week.”

Derek snaps his head up, stares at him in horror, “No, boss.”

“Yes,” Finstock insists in a steely voice. “The NSSL have been on at us for a year about some decent exposure, and I think you’re just the team to do it.”

“I haven’t done weather since college,” Derek protests.

Boyd snorts again, presumably because he’s thinking back to the time when Derek and the weather last collided and he…. well, did the guy into the weather for a brief, wonderful, terribly foolish time. But, Boyd needs to shut up before Derek punches him on the nose.

Abominable by Revenant [20k, T]

Where Derek buys a secluded cabin halfway up a mountain, meets a yeti and falls in love with Stiles, but not necessarily in that order.

The Cintron Hall Situation by dragon_temeraire [3k, T]

Stiles is freezing and miserable in his dorm, so he decides to knock on his hot neighbor Derek’s door for help.

nothing ever promised tomorrow today by preromantics [11k, T]

Grocery shopping, waking up, lasagna, and parallel universes. / When Stiles jumps the last two stairs and turns into the kitchen he’s got his mouth halfway open around “Morning, Mom,” before his dad folds down his paper at the kitchen table to look at him.

In a Straight Line Down by standinginanicedress [40k, T]

“So you want to go to Prom with me just so you can get a plastic crown and a fifty dollar gift card to Outback Steakhouse.”

Stiles sets his jaw. He wants to go to prom with Derek because he wants to go to prom with Derek. But, of course, he’s stubborn and prideful and can’t admit to Derek how it’s barely been twelve hours since they officially broke up and he’s already barely handling it as it is, so he just raises his chin in the air and says, “yes.”

Our Puddle is Deceptively Deep by calrissian18 [10k, E]

They start out in a literal tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.

In This World or the Next by Lissadiane [20k, T]

Derek wakes up to the smell of frying bacon and brewing coffee on an ordinary morning in his ordinary life, but he can’t help but shake the feeling that he’s forgotten something important. It probably has to do with the three wishes he’d been granted by the fae after saving the life of their fairy prince, and possibly also the sheriff’s missing son.

In which Derek Hale learns that sometimes being given what we want more than anything else has disastrous consequences.

The Socioeconomic Repercussions of Mutually Assured Destruction by alocalband [15k, E]

"The trouble with having the kind of brain that likes to write essays on male circumcision for an Economics class, is that it also likes to turn PowerPoint presentations for Biology into odes on the perfection of notorious bad boy Derek Hale’s backside.”

Five Times Derek and Stiles Kissed For Practice (And One Time They Didn’t) by mikkimouse [5k, T]

In which Derek and Stiles grow up together and practice kissing, roughly in that order.

Little Promises by crossroadswrite [2k, G]

Derek doesn’t really know what happened. He just knows there was a lady and she was pretty but she was also really mean and she was trying to hurt his friends.

“Holy fuck,” Erica mutters and is harshly shushed by Isaac.

“Don’t swear in front of the kid.”

“It’s not a kid,” Erica counters. “It’s just-“

“Derek?”

King of the Road by Stoney [30k, E]

Derek sees the guy–all long lines, furtive glances, hungry–leaning against the diner out in the middle of nowhere. Yeah, Derek’s hungry, too.

tide pulls from the moon by paintedrecs [45k, M]

hen Derek left Beacon Hills, finally ripping the tether free and remembering how to breathe, how to live again, it was Stiles who came after him. Stiles, who showed up at his door with blazing eyes, looking like he wanted to punch him in the face, but wrapping his arms around him instead, making him grunt in surprise at the raw strength of his embrace.

“You asshole,” Stiles said, slapping him heartily on the back as he extricated himself, his voice rough under his bright smile. “You couldn’t have made yourself harder to find, could you?”

The Summer of Snow Cones and Not-Dates by clarkoholic, skywardsmiles [38k, M]

Summer is really boring. Like, mind-numbingly boring. Except for the part where Stiles can’t figure out if Derek’s his boyfriend, or why every werewolf in town keeps approaching him in the bathroom.

Teenage Dream by matildajones [58k, M]

“I’m married. I’m married to Derek Hale,” Stiles says. Everything seems to hit him at once. He pushes aside the fact there’s a celebrity sitting right next to him, and then thinks of why the fuck he can’t remember him, why he doesn’t know who he’s married to, and how much time he must have lost.–After an accident, Stiles wakes up to what can only be a dream. He has money, he has fame, he has award winning actor Derek Hale as his husband. It quickly seems more and more like a nightmare because Stiles doesn’t remember getting any of it - and it’s hard to accept the reality that Derek can still love him.

You look like my next mistake by Vendelin [15k, T]

“So, are you dating someone new? Someone who doesn’t mind that you’re frigid?” Kate cocks her head to the side, smiling as though she just asked him about where he bought his shoes.

His entire body sighs in defeat as his shoulders grow square. Just as he opens his mouth, someone comes up to stand beside him, snaking an arm around his shoulders. When he glances to his side, expecting to see Isaac, his brain seems to malfunction. Because it isn’t Isaac. It’s Stiles Stilinski, the lacrosse talent of the year, a senior who Derek has seen multiple times from far away, but never ever talked to.

In which Derek is a nerd jock, and Stiles is a frat guy, and Derek falls for him even though he knows he shouldn’t.

A Problematic Loyalty by alocalband [4k, T]

The problem isn’t that Stiles is stubborn. The problem is that people keep hitting on him.

Not Quite Lost (Not Quite Found) by alocalband [25k, E]

A year after the nogitsune is defeated, Derek is living a quiet life in the mountains above a small town in Colorado.

Then Stiles shows up.

‘Till You Make It by standinginanicedress [46k, M]

“I’m saying – let’s fake it.”

Derek blinks at him. Hard. Stiles never knew that someone could physically make a blink look hard, but there Derek goes, slamming his lids together like he’s fucking exercising them. “Fake it.”

“Pretend, dumbass,” he backhands Derek lightly on his upper arm. “Pretend like we’re doing as well as our parents want us to and then they’ll be off our backs, right?”

“We don’t have to pretend anything, Stiles,” Derek says evenly, in a tone that suggests he’d much rather be yelling. “We’re literally soulmates.”

“That’s the beauty of it! It’s going to be so fucking easy. I can’t believe we never thought of this before,” he runs his hands through his hair and shakes his head in amazement, grinning from ear to ear. “Holy shit. I can’t believe I just solved all our problems for us, man.”

Kindred Spirits by Stoney [104k, E]

Stiles is the adopted son of the Sheriff, brought to Beacon Hills to hopefully stay for good. A family, a best friend, school, Jackson as Josie Pye (because who else could he be?) and the mystery of a dark haired, green-eyed boy which leads Stiles to discovering a secret within himself.

we’re catching bullets in our teeth (it’s hard to do but they’re so sweet) by prettyasadiagram [12k, M]

Stiles says he’s a Web Developer. Derek says he an Internal Auditor.

They’re both liars, but you can’t exactly tell your significant other that you kill people for a living, now can you?

Insane Chemistry (with Derek Hale) by theroguesgambit [13k, M]

Derek is the popular, varsity jock, prom king of the school, and Stiles is not going to be the cliche that ends up falling for him. (It’s not a cliche if no one else knows about it, right?)

Strut on a Line, its Discord and Rhyme by xiaq [61k, T]

“Carry me,” Stiles says.

“No.”

“But I’m injured.”

“You have a rash,” Derek says. “On your arm. Your feet work just fine.”

“Please?”

“No. You weigh almost as much as I do. And you ate a pound of chicken at lunch.”

"Well, yeah, but I pooped like an hour ago, so.”

“You’re disgusting.”

“Don’t play, you love me.”

I do, Derek thinks, relatively horrified. I really do.

But Then What… by Stoney [24k, E]

Senior year is almost over, and all Stiles needs to do is keep his head down to survive. A teacher calls in a favor, leaving him stuck tutoring Derek Hale, one of the most popular jocks in school and a member of a group of douchecanoes who have bullied Stiles for years. He’s someone Stiles totally hates. Totally. Like, doesn’t like him even a little bit. DEFINITELY isn’t attracted to him.

Except that is a total lie. Fuck his life, seriously.

The Great Pretender by talktowater [45k, E]

Stiles is the new kid at Beacon Hills High, class of 1958 and he’s trying to make an impression. Derek can’t figure out why this kid is so set on making such a bad one.

Here’s to the Static by matildajones [80k, T]

Stiles spends most of his college break in a coffee house where he stares after Derek Hale. For some reason, Stiles is unaware of the fact he’s quite the musician, and Derek amuses himself at Stiles’ obliviousness.

Cross a Canyon (with a broken limb) by theroguesgambit [18k, T

“You never graduated,” Stiles says, just to say it. To test it out in the open air. That’s… huh.

–

Stiles spends his senior year battling troll-gremlins, taking on an unexpected tutoring job, and definitely not falling for a certain sourwolf (even though everyone else seems to think he is).

The Rest Is Unwritten by mikkimouse [6k, T]

Once upon a time, the werewolf king and queen invited five fairies to the christening of their only son. The fairies bestowed the boy with gifts—beauty, grace, wit, and the most adorable teeth in all the land.

But before the fifth fairy could give her gift, a wicked fairy from the other Court arrived and cast a terrible curse on the baby prince. He would have a life full of tragedies, she declared, and die young, of a broken heart.

The king and queen were beside themselves with grief. It was very old, powerful magic, so there was little they could do to break it. However, the fifth fairy had yet to give her gift. The curse could not be broken, she told them, but it could be altered.

She bestowed upon the prince the gift of perseverance, so that he would never lose his will to live, even in the face of countless tragedies. And when he found the one who would stand by his side and face those tragedies with him without fail, that is when the curse would be broken. Because the fairy knew there was nothing in all the world more powerful than true love. Not even a wicked fairy’s curse.

Laying Groundwork by LunaCanisLupus_22 [10k, E]

His expression isn’t much to go by but the entire clubs howling gets louder at his appearance and Stiles literally pops a boner watching the guy’s big hands wrestle with the microphone stand.

Or the one where Scott and Stiles go clubbing and there’s this broody Bouncer out to get Stiles-

Or get into his pants. Thank God it’s the latter.

By a Law Divine by mirrorkill [23k, M]

Okay, so, kissing Stiles. That’s a weird thing that Derek’s doing now. He has no idea where it’s even coming from, especially considering bickering and fighting is their usual state of existence.And then he does find out where it’s coming from: A curse that’s making everyone in town kiss someone they have mutual feelings for. …yeah, Derek’s not even sure why he’s surprised by that.

Friends of Early Theory by Nanoochka [23k, E]

In which Derek is a gruff, struggling executive for his family’s sprawling, wealthy company in New York, and Stiles is his quirky, offbeat intern who brings him cold coffee each morning and wears stupid T-shirts to work and generally succeeds at being a thousand times more charming than Derek could ever hope to be. To the outside observer, their relationship is combative but fond, although in private Stiles and Derek have a great deal more secrets, anger, and painful history between them than Derek is prepared to acknowledge or reveal. In retrospect, that might be half of the problem.

The Way to My Heart (French Insults) by KuriKuri [10k, T]

Letting out a long sigh, Derek turns away and braces himself for the next hellish filming segment. After all, apparently he’s going to have to smile while greeting twenty-five contestants. Shit, what if they try to hug him? Or, god forbid, kiss –

He doesn’t get any further with that thought, because a limo pulls into the driveway. He braces himself for the worst. The worst, who… actually doesn’t look that horrifying.

“I’ve been dying to meet you!” she exclaims as she catches sight of him.

Then, she flings herself at him and ensnares him in a bone-crushing hug.

Scratch that – she’s completely horrifying. And Derek’s pretty sure he can hear errand boy what’s-his-face laughing in the distance.

(Or: In which Derek gets roped into being the 'eligible bachelor’ on a dating show and instead falls for one of the show’s interns.)

How I Met My Werebunny by Moku [19k, T]

“This is going to end in tears,” Scott told Derek while he watched the man easily lifting Stiles’ desk up with one hand and driving nails into the ceiling with the thumb of the other. “Probably mine.”

Or:

When a Stiles and a Failwolf love each other very much, they’ll engage in a prank war. Basically, it’s a mating ritual for dorks in love.

Wild Tonic by officerstilinskihale [11k, M]

Stiles nodded and smiled again, his teeth flashing brightly and he signed something again, before looking frustrated with himself.

“You’re welcome,” Derek told him, feeling a wave of relief when Stiles’ face brightened. That would’ve been awkward if Stiles hadn’t been trying to say thank you.

“I had a really good time, so yeah. I’m glad you came with me,” he said, feeling his face grow hot. Derek wasn’t usually like this. He wasn’t confident. Sure, he had the looks and he could flirt shamelessly when he got hit on, but he always got shy around the people he genuinely liked, not that there was too many of those.

But Stiles didn’t let him dwell on that. He gripped Derek’s arm, grinned cheekily and pointed at himself before lifting two fingers. It took a while for Derek to get it but when he did, he couldn’t stop a smile from spreading across his face.

Me too.

Practice Makes Perfect by blacktofade [21k, E]

In his sophomore year, Stiles gets dragged to lacrosse tryouts by Scott and ends up practising alongside the senior captain, Derek Hale. Stiles just wants to live long enough to become a junior.

Feline Persuasion by rensahannou (asmalltigercat) [15k, T]

Derek doesn’t need to worry about the cat living under the porch at his family’s old house, it’s just—Derek’s just used to worrying about things.

Hot Single Dad Derek Hale by WhoNatural [13k, E]

Wherein Derek is a Hot Single Dad, possibly with a little case of martyrdom, and Stiles is the newest client at his publishing house who really just wants to make him happy. Preferably while they’re both naked.

He doesn’t get to talk to Stiles a whole lot - and it’s fine, it’s professional and polite, but there is a little something that lights up in him when he thinks about him, sees him. Derek’s life has been mostly about preschool and Big Hero 6 and extra-curricular activities for so long now that it’s a shock to the system when he finds himself pre-occupied with something so… adult.And there are many, many adult things on his mind where Stiles is concerned.

I Call You Names Because I Love You by Rawren (Zimothy) [13k, M]

Years of touring with Stiles would never have prepared Derek for the day his beloved techie fell in love with someone else.

Maybe Someday (I’ll Be Home For Next Year) by ofherlionheart [16k, T]

AKA, the Grandma Stilinski fic. Derek Hale meets a Mabel Stilinski while living in New York. He learns that she has a grandson. There are miscommunications, scarves, stealth-matchmaking plans, and cookies. Many, many cookies.

my wings a hurricane by kellifer_fic [20k, T]

Stiles had been like any other kid growing up in the era of dragons. He’d watched the cartoons, the news stories, had the lunch box. When his screening at Beacon Hills High had come up negative, he’d been disappointed but unsurprised. His positive results were returned three years too late for it to be in any way convenient or cool.Or, the one where they ride dragons.

Thrill (like white-hot wire) by raisesomehale [4k, M]

Stiles made the decision that Derek was his new best friend (and that he’ll one day marry him) the day he shared his dinosaur chicken nuggets with him.

The Newlywed Game by Captain_Loki [19k, M]

Stiles is (still) single when the pack’s getaway to the Caribbean comes by (oh misplaced optimism); lucky for him Derek is committed to being uncommitted and even after all these years is still powerless against Stiles’ unique forms of persuasion.

Cue a romantic getaway for two: sun, sand, and sarcasm abound…and the two roped into competing in the Resort’s version of the Newlywed game. Only it’s completely obvious it’s going to end in disaster. Probably homicide.

Most probably homicide.

Plot twist: It doesn’t.

[Sleep]Walking After You by relenafanel [59k, M]

Derek is a sleepwalker who keeps wandering into his downstairs neighbour’s bedroom.

Stiles is pretty sure the hot guy from the park is going to kill him in his sleep. He knows he shouldn’t have been so obvious about objectifying the guy’s really fine ass.

Too bad it turns out Derek is easier to get along with when he’s sleeping.

[seoulfulcity]

July 13, 2018: Taekwondo, Nanta, and More Chicken Bus

안녕하세요,

I had two cultural events planned on Friday, taekwondo and the Nanta cooking show, and I was running on only three hours of sleep - I knew I was going to be cranky all day. Friday was a jam-packed day which is the reason why I have a separate blog just for it.

KU ISC holds cultural events scheduled on Fridays with limited spots. We are required to register for the events the week prior to the event on Thursdays. There is a maximum capacity of 200 for taekwondo, so it took a while to fill up the event. The other event at 9:30 AM was the calligraphy class - we were given the option of either taekwondo or calligraphy.

We were not so lucky on the second event, or so we thought. Florence, Joyce, Sophie, Thai, Davy, and I were out last Thursday eating budae jjigae (부대찌개) at Biya at 9 PM, the time for registration. We missed the mark and registered at 9:01 PM and the Korean cooking class filled up very quickly. We settled for the Nanta show for that day at 1 PM.

Friday, July 13, 2018: I woke up 8:30 AM for the 9:30 AM meet up for taekwondo class that day. I got ready and walked up the hill past CJ International to the Tiger Dome by 9:20 AM.

We had to check in and had us memorize our belt number for the commemorative black belt we get at the end of the course. I was assigned to belt number 131 with my full name written in Korean: 크리스토퍼.

We lined up to get our dobok (도복), the taekwondo uniform, and dressed up in the locker room. We were asked to line up and sit down to watch the students with black belt show some tricks by breaking woods in different ways.

We warmed up with a partner by stretching out, doing high fives with each other while jumping and spinning, and running across the gymnasium back and forth; then it was our turn to learn some taekwondo skills. Sabeom-nim (사범임), the Korean word for a taekwondo teacher, taught us three important kicks in the martial arts: front kick (ap chagi/앞 차기), side kick (yeop chagi/옆 차기) and back kick (dwit chagi/뒷 차기). We practiced for an hour before having to line up to do the kicks with the students with black belts.

After the session with the students, we were separated by gender and were assigned partners to practice the kicks with. I was assigned to a Singaporean on the first round before rotating and ended up with someone from Hong Kong to practice alternating kicks with. I ended up with a Korean buddy in the last rotation named John (Yejoon-hyung/예준형) who tried to carry a conversation with me. Yejoon-hyung (예준형) is known in Korea University as a Bowling Master and invited me to go bowling with him one of these days. He also works at an escape room in Hongdae and suggested for me and my friends to go when he's working so we get a "special", whatever that meant.

Yejoon-hyung (예준형) was my partner to break wooden boards with. We had to show sabeomnim (사범님) how we break the board in half and alternate with our partners.

Fun fact: it's actually easier and than I thought - I expected some pain at some point.

We finished at 12:30 noon, just in time for us to meet at ROTC, in front of the Tiger Dome, and take the bus to watch the Nanta cooking show.

While collecting my commemorative black belt, I got a splinter on my right foot, which started bleeding profusely. It took a while to remove the splint since I had nothing to work with but I got it out nonetheless.

I left Tiger Dome, walked down the hill past CJ International, and hiked up the hill to Frontier House to leave my belt and folder in my dorm before going back to Tiger Dome and board the bus.

Most of the buses were packed, so I boarded the empty fourth bus and contacted my friends who were going to go in the same bus with me. Matt, Davy, Florence, Minki-hyung (민기형), Joyce, Wendelyn, Balzhan, Deedee, Bonnie, and I ended up taking over the back of the bus.

We reached Hongdae for the Nanta cooking show within thirty minutes. Frankly, I did not know anything about Nanta besides it being a show about cooking, so I was not really very excited about it besides the fact that I was together with my friends.

We sat on the back of the auditorium where the stage welcomes us students from KU ISC before starting the show.

The premise of the show was about three great cooks getting assigned to prepare a meal for a wedding that was happening in an hour. The manager had a nephew who was visiting him and asked if he could help, although he was very messy and clumsy. With the tight schedule and an inexperienced surprise cook, the show was one hell of a comedy show.

During the middle of the show, the performers went around the audience to look for a bride and groom. The female performer heard us yell at her to choose Minki-hyung (민기형) to be the groom, which she obliged even against his wishes. The performers dressed him and his bride up in traditional Korean wedding outfits and had them eat soup.

Minki-hyung (민기형) looked so uncomfortable, awkward, and confused on stage which added to the comedy since the crowd bursts out in laughter whenever he would react in a confused manner.

After the show, we met up Lina and Jonathan to congratulate Minki-hyung (민기형) for his wedding and walked around Hongdae to eat lunch.

We settled for Meat-ing Meat Buffet and Salad and stuffed ourselves with meat, side dishes (banchan/반찬) and took soju shots. There was about 13 of us, so we were separated into three tables: I was seated with Minki-hyung (민기형), Lina, Jonathan, and Matt.

Towards the end of the meal, the five of us were at seven soju bottles and we were getting rowdy from the drinking games. The workers had to come to us multiple times to tell us to be quiet and slow down on the drinking since there were families around.

Sophie joined our table from the dorms just as we were leaving. We walked around Hongdae and watched people busking to BLACKPINK's “DDU-DU DDU-DU (뚜두뚜두)”, EXO's “Growl (으르렁)” and BTS's “Fire (불타오르네)”. Most of the people in the group wanted to go to Yeouido Park (여의도공원) to meet up with Valentino and Cara and take pictures with the I SEOUL YOU sign after; but I was running on a few hours of sleep so I wanted to go back to my dorm and take a power nap.

I arrived at my dorm around 5 PM and did not wake up until 11:45 PM to 200 notifications on Kakao Talk group chat asking everybody to go drinking at Chicken Bus.

I leapt out of bed, showered, and sped walked to the location to about 14-15 people drinking and eating chicken.

I joined in to play Titanic with Cara, Erin, Wendelyn, and Florence and purposely sank the soju shot just to chug the entire mug of beer to start the night. I walked and sat on the opposite end of the table with Leonard, Thai, Minki-hyung (민기형), Sophie, Lina, Joyce, and Jonathan to play Never Have I Ever, Piccolo, and Heads Up for the rest of the night. It wasn't until later in the night when we realized Valentino and Bonnie never woke up from their naps and missed the night out with everybody

It was Minki-hyung (민기형) last night with us for a week since he was flying to Hong Kong in the morning for vacation, so he left the gathering early and we said our goodbyes.

Not long after, we walked back to Frontier House, with all the Chinese and Singaporeans singing and yelling Chinese songs. Thai joined in and played Cambodian songs with me and Leonard later since we were feeling left out While on the Frontier stairs, Leonard decided to scale up the stairs, as if he was rock climbing. When he reached the final board, he fell and landed right on Thai. The board fell and narrowingly missed my head. Thai started complaining about his back and we helped him walk up the stairs. Leonard and Davy walked Thai up to Global House while the rest of us stayed in front of Frontier House to talk and get rowdy - loud enough that we woke Bonnie up, who was sleeping on the upper floor.

We decided to go down the slope to the CU convenience store and get rowdy over there, away from the dorms and the sleeping students. Erin, Matt, Florence, Wendelyn, Jonathan, Lina, and Bonnie sat in front of the CU convenience store to talk about Asian squats, Miss A, NCT, and whatever drunk conversations were happening. Matt was actually reunited with his high school friend, who happened to be studying in Korea University during he summer also, and she told us stories about how Matt would struggle in Chinese class and he would look over at her for answers whenever their teacher would ask him questions.

We went back to our dorms late 3 AM for me to find a blue shower mat in my shower. I thought my roommate went out of his way and unnecessarily bought a shower mat, but we later found out everybody had one.

It was an eventful day, I must say. I will really miss everybody once I get back to Los Angeles.

I am currently writing this on the Saturday of our fourth week and we have two weeks left in the program. The four-week students had their graduation on Thursday and it makes me much more scared whenever I think about how close I am to never being with the same friend circle ever again. I suppose this will make me appreciate every single time I spend with them from now on. Until then!

고마워요, Chris 「크리스」

[news-21]

Tiger Woods Speaks Out After Arrest On Suspicion Of DUI

Tiger Woods Speaks Out After Arrest On Suspicion Of DUI

Tiger Woods has been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence two days ago, but soon after this unfortunate event, the famous golfer released an official statement about the whole incident. The news about his DUI hit his fans hard and managed to become a sensation online on various social media due to his mug shot. Unexpected Reaction To Prescribed Medications Woods, however, insisted…

[facethroughthemirror]

IN THE END, WE COME RIGHT BACK

CHAPTER THREE

They’d seen Maine get back up after taking massive amounts of damage. And every time, he would get up and keep swinging, rush his opponents like an angry bull, shrug off the pain like it was nothing. This was Maine. Hulking, indestructible Maine. Maine with god-tier endurance and an adamantine skull. Maine with the strength of, according to Agent Pennsylvania, about twenty-three bears, give or take a bear or two. Maine, who was both the unstoppable force and the immovable object.

But Maine didn’t get up.

Cross-posted on ao3

Recovery One was decidedly the worst of the Recovery bays to be placed in. It was the most heavily-monitored, as the most critical injuries and those just out of very major surgery were set up in there. The whole bay felt like the waiting room for a morgue. There were actually drains in the floor for the explicit purpose of quickly cleaning blood and other fluids away.

Despite the arguments with the Director, Wash was, as ordered, sitting right beside the massive, unconscious form of his bunkmate and partner. He was, for the first time in a couple days now, out of armor completely, freckled shoulders and tattooed arms exposed by a faded gray UNSC tank top. He hadn't showered yet, but he had dumped half a bottle of water over his head to freshen his hair up a little bit. If he got too grungy-looking, he was sure the staff would probably kick him out until he cleaned up.

Maine had looked a lot less like garbage than before once they finally settled him into a cot in Recovery. Thanks to the QuikClot gauze the medical team had been provided through their partnership with the UNSC, Maine's bleeding seemed to have stopped entirely by now, though his next few bandage changes would have to be combat gauze just to ensure that the bleeding was actually stopped. He still wouldn't be happy to see the needle in his hand when he woke up, but Wash could deal with that later, when Maine woke up.

If Maine woke up.

The bleeding was stopped, there was very little chance that bleeding could kill him now, and his injuries were being covered and kept clean. But, some of the staff was reluctant to say Maine was out of the woods yet. There was always a lurking chance that one misstep could turn into an infection and kill the big guy anyway. But, if he woke up, he'd be fine. Mute, but alive. And able to keep fighting.

Maine let out a tortured, pitiful little noise, drawing Wash's eyes down toward him and prompting the blond to place a comforting hand on the wounded soldier's forehead. "It's okay, buddy. You're okay."

"How's he doing?"

Wash looked over his shoulder at the speaker. "... oh, hey."

North said nothing, he simply offered a gently-steaming mug of cocoa to the younger agent. He gave a smile and sipped from the mug he still held when Wash took the offered one and thanked him. From behind North, CT stepped into view, holding her own mug.

"How's his bleeding?"

"Stopped for now, Scarlett's gonna show me how to change his bandages next time they need doing, so that once he's out, because once he's out of Recovery, he'll still be on bedrest, I can take care of his bandages for him and he won't have to be stressing himself out walking all the way down here."

"That's good. Has he woken up at all?"

"No. They've got him doped up pretty good, he's really knocked out." Maine moved again, and Wash put his free hand back on his forehead as he shushed him. "... I guess it's better than him being awake and in pain."

"Yeah. ... you know, you're allowed to leave and go get some sleep, Wash."

"Yeah I'm not going anywhere. I..." Wash bit his tongue, looking down and away. He refocused on Maine and took a drink from the mug. He had enough trouble sleeping when Maine simply wasn't in the room, it'd be downright impossible to sleep while he was worried about him like this. "... I'm not leaving him."

"... I thought you'd say that."

"... besides, if Maine wakes up and sees that needle in his hand, he'll tear everything apart within arms' reach and probably put CT through that window. He..." Wash trailed off, shaking his head a little when he found himself nearly explaining how needles really made his partner and bunkmate feel. "... really can't deal with them."

"That's like South and clowns," North shrugged. He sat down on the edge of the cot beside Maine's, CT settling beside him and pulling her legs up to cross them as she got comfortable. The older blond sipped from his mug again. "... how are you doing?"

"Me? Fine. Never better."

"... we really can keep an eye on him for you. ... if you're tired."

"I'm not tired."

"... has anyone else been by?"

"York and Carolina stopped in for a minute. Pennsylvania and Massachusetts heard about what happened and dropped in, said Jersey would've come up but Jersey's on a mission with Cali."

"I haven't seen Penny and Mass for ages," North beamed. "How're they doing?"

"They're doing alright.

"They even let Wyoming come in for a minute and see how Maine was doing, too. He's looking good, by the way."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah. You really did a great job taking care of him in the field," Wash complimented, focusing on CT as he spoke. "He said they told him he'd make a full recovery, and he'd do it pretty quick. He's sure he'll be back in action in a few days."

"Good."

"Yeah."

They sat in silence for a minute, Wash sitting back down and reaching to fix the blanket draped over Maine's unconscious form. He could hear North and CT shifting and moving behind him, drinking from their mugs.

Finally, it was North that broke the silence this time. "I didn't know you had that tattoo."

"Huh?" Wash turned his right arm a little to examine the tattoo that North was talking about. It was a rendering of an orange, black and white calico with yellow-green eyes, drawn and shaded as if it was tearing its way out of Wash's upper arm with its claws. It was one of a few cat tattoos he'd gotten in the course of his life. "Oh, yeah. Got that one on leave while I was still UNSC."

"You've got a few of those, huh?"

"Yeah. Got some pawprints one my hip, some tiger stripes on my ankle, a black and white cat with a smudgy nose on my leg. Think I'm due for a new one, so I'm getting something next shore leave. We're supposed to hit a colony world with a few big cities in two or three weeks. If Maine's recovered enough to come with me, he might actually get one."

"... I thought he didn't like needles?"

"Tattoo gun doesn't look like a medical needle, and it doesn't feel like one either. He knows what he wants to get. If we're being honest, though, what he wanted to get, if he wanted me to, I could just do it with a safety pin and some ink, it wouldn't be hard."

"Maybe not do that, if he gets an infection it's probably gonna get you in a lot of trouble."

"Yeah, you're right."

After yet another moment of no one saying anything, North finally sighed. "... y'know, Carolina's real torn up about this."

"Really? I couldn't tell." Wash sighed, finishing his drink and setting the mug down behind him on the edge of the cot that North and CT had settled on. "It's like... she understands that she's supposed to feel sorry, but she doesn't understand that... well, that I don't really wanna hear her apologize. Y'know? She can be sorry all she wants but it feels like she's expecting me to tell her it's okay."

North and CT looked at each other, saying nothing.

"... Like she's acting like I blame her for this, or like I'm mad at her, and I'm not mad at her because Maine got hurt, but I'm getting mad that she won't stop apologizing. She's just... she's not like this and I know I should really be concerned because she's acting this way. But I just keep getting mad because I want her to stop saying she's sorry. Am I the crazy one here?"

"... you did snap at her a little, Wash," North pointed out.

"Okay, yeah, I got a little mad, and I stood up to the Director when he started yelling at her, why wouldn't I just shut up and let her take it if I was mad at her about this?"

"I mean, it'd make sense to step in."

"Not when it means back-talking a CO. Yeah, I was mad about how she was talking, but it's not like she's the one who shot Maine. And yeah, I was angry because she's supposedly such a perfect solider and a perfect leader, and this still happened on her watch, but y'know what? Until she came in and started apologizing again, I was over it. And I'm pretty much still over it. This shit happens in the field. It happens, and when it happens, we just have to deal with it. Getting worked up about it doesn't change anything, it just creates tension that'll come back to bite us the next time we're assigned in a squad together, and I'm not gonna let my feelings be the reason someone else gets hurt."