#also if you saw me accidentally post this earlier today for like a minute no you didnt bc i was at work đđ
Continuing guessing what s8 characters are gonna look like, here we have the firefighter
I absolutely think if I tried to draw Alex from memory he would like this.
Let's just pretend this taken was right before he did a firefighter calendar shoot (for charity) because in my head I'm like oh he's Mr. February or something and that'll be his nickname in the villa and he's gonna be coy about it but embrace it like one Jake "Sweetcheeks" Wilson.
If we were going based off of personal preference, I wouldn't have drawn him like this. But fusebox tends to cycle through the same character designs, so like, he's gonna be the white golden retriever dad joke loving Gary/Alex of the group, so he has to look like this. I'm sorry. I just don't think fusebox is gonna give variety. I also just have a hard time imagining the name Oakley with a non white person lol
But Gary/Alex clone basically summarizes my choices; it's not nearly as complicated as last time for međ
Clearly firefighter, he's gotta have the large chest and arms. I was looking at at pictures of Chris Hemsworth and Chris Evans, particularly for the eyes, hair, and torso, because that felt like that conventionally attractive, muscular dirty blonde guy was the vibe.
I gave him tattoos so he didn't look exactly like Alex. I think the arm tattoo is probably gonna be more detailed like Gary's tattoos but I was too lazy to find a reference tattoo to draw so I did those arm bands, which could also be a tattoo he has. I also think the chest tattoo might be bigger/more detailed but I didn't know what to draw so the fact that I drew a bird at all to represent it is great for me. I do think maybe it'll be one of those heavily shaded tattoos.
I at first gave him thinner eyebrows and then was like nah if this is Gary/Alex he's gotta have thick dark eyebrows lol
I also was gonna give him dirty blond hair but it ended up looking more like brunette with blond tips like Bruno and I didn't hate it enough to change it haha.
as for style, I imagine ya know a lot of plain t-shirts and jeans. Not the most interesting. But I think having a very cozy style or with some colorful button ups/florals like Raf would be fun and a nice change.
all that being said I do have an alternative idea which is that in addition to all the family stuff like Gary, he's just as nerdy as Ibrahim but more confident, still stylish and such. Okay so that being said the inspo is Winston Duke but I personally have a problem fancasting Winston Duke in everything so that's just on me. Anyway this is the pipe dream for this character
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Rain
Demetri Volturi x human mate reader
Summary: Reader gets overwhelmed with stress and he's there to support her
Warnings: mentions of an anxiety attack, but mostly fluff
A/N: Omg someone stop međ, another one-shot post?? I had to write this because as I was taking my breaks I would work on this, its not proofread but the idea of Demetri calling the reader Spanish nicknames is a must have but throw rainy weather into the topic and muah *chefs kiss*. Enjoy and there will be a second A/N in the end.
A little translation for my non-Spanish speakers:
Mi cariño: dear or darling
Mi vida: My life
Princessa: princess
Mi amado hermoso: My beautiful lover
(I cant believe it took me a while to write a Demetri one-shot)
I burst through our shared room in a panic state and I saw my lovely mate on his special chair. Before I could even react he was already wrapping his arms around me and cuddling me into his chest. I felt the build up tears I was holding back cascade down my cheeks. Demetri was rubbing my back in comfort and I heard him mumble
âMi cariño, let it all out, I know you need thisâ
I sure did need this, all of today I was working on a project for a class and I ended up deleting about half of it and couldn't recover it at all. I always threw my computer out the window but instead I stared at the blank page that was staring back at me with what I could assume was mockery. I did manage to remember a good amount of what I had done and it's back to how it is, but I spent a while in a state of shock and denial.
Suddenly I felt myself shaking physically, my heart increase in palpitation and worst of all I could feel my breath becoming shorter. Demetri picked up right away that I was dealing with an anxiety attack and he guided me toward the balcony to the fresh air and the light rain.Â
âMi vida, look its raining, you love the rain, hey look at how pretty it looksâ
I turn my head to be able to face the scenery instead of his very well built chest to see how soft and calming it is currently. I told Demetri before that I love the rain, it's my personal safe haven other than his arms. I felt my trembling and shaking diminished slightly, my heart rate started to slow down to a more reasonable way but my breathing was still a problem.
I felt him tilt my head up so I was looking at him and my breath for a minute hitch, he looked breathtaking right now. There were small droplets of rain running down his face which caused his hair to stick to his forehead and his eyes were full of adoration. He looked beautiful at that moment, well he always looks beautiful, I heard him one time arguing with Felix and he ended the conversation with âDont hate me because im beautifulâ.Â
I smiled at the memory and soon enough he had a look of curiosity with a matching smile
âWhat's got you smiling like that princessa?â
âI was just think about your statement to end an argument with Felix, the don't hate because i'm beautifulâ
His laughter filled the gloomy atmosphere that the rain created, his laugh sounding like music to my ears. One of his hands started to caress my cheek gently, his coldness immediately sending a small shiver down my spine but also somehow started to steady my breathing.
âLook at you princessa, your doing so good in breathing, such a good girlâ
I blush at the praise which he never fails to miss, he knows what praises from him does to me, many thoughts come to mind but I push them away for now since I am still recovering from the earlier events.
âDo you want to talk about it/â
âMy computer decided to throw me a whole 360 todayâ
âA whole 360? Im sorry cariño, but you need to explain that to meâ
I giggled at his dumbfounded look, it's always fun to be able to still catch a vampire as old as him off guard with my modern language
âRight forgot your like a million years old, I was working on a project today for one of my classes on my computer and I accidentally deleted like half of it but like I barely started it so it was no big deal because I remember what I had so far but it was just so frustrating you knowâ
He continued to caress my cheek as he nods along to my explanationÂ
âAnd it just so stressful in thinking I have so much to do still before this week ends and I feel like I have done what I needed to do but its not enough still and andââ
He placed his finger on my lips to silence me and I tiled my head to the side from curiosity, this is new. His signature smirk spread onto his face at my reaction
âSorry love, but you started to spiral into chaos and as much as adore to hear you ramble, I started to feel stress myself from your stressâ
I looked down in embarrassment but he tilted my head up once againÂ
âHey don't be embarrassed cara, it's good for you to talk about what stresses you out, better out and in you know?â
âYour right metriâ
âNow care to have a dance with me in the rain then?â
Whining at his request, even if that has secretly been a dream of mine to do âDemi you know i'm not even a good dancer, heck I don't even know how toâ
âBut that's the fun part princessa, I can teach you and we will be dancing in your favorite type of weatherâ
âFair pointâ
As the rain intensified slightly, he guided my moves with such elegance that I almost felt like I myself am an expert to begin with. The rain at that moment was not a bother, my main focus was my casanova of a vampire that I call mi amado hermoso.
A/N: You know I don't know why I haven't added any Spanish nicknames to my writings, but I will in future (I feel like Demetri would just know all of the most romantic languages). I know I mentioned this in my Alec one-shot but I am working on a Caius one, its a work in progress indeed maybe in the end of this week I might have part one done, who knows?
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An Unlikely Bond - Pt. 1 of 3
Well gosh darn I guess the hyperfixation has hit and hit hard again. Was organizing some files and saw the one on Geist and Zhang developing their psionic bond and my fingers ran away with it.
A lot has changed with the initial idea as I'm re-writing the earlier chapters of Wandering Souls and shifting the timeline. But takes place when Zhang is still forced to stay on base until his psionics are fixed.
Also some fun backstory diving for Zhang and me putting my own spin on the name origin for Geist. I am not using anything from that mobile game for Geist.
Parts: 1(You are here)||2||3 - Links will be updated as the chapters are posted. Currently in the queue.
May be posted on Ao3 and FF.net later.
Content warnings for the usual language. Accidental mental invasion. Part three is where they're violence via memories which includes murder(and faked suicide(it's more murder.)
Approx. 3.5k.
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The Barracks. Like every other section of the main XCOM HQ, it bustled with activity. Even more so because of the recent expansions, commissioned by Commander Reeves, to house more recruits to the cause and an overdue expansion for the Gym and Rec Room section of the Barracks that the soldiers (and other staff) needed to blow off some steam. The expansions were welcomed by all.
Even with several squads sent out to deal with the ever-evolving alien menace terrorizing the Earth, each floor in the Barracks had a fair amount of activity going on. On the lowest floor, the bar was full as always, with some âreasonablyâ drinking away and chatting with friends. Others were playing a game of pool. And some were fighting over who could watch what on the largest TV. Typical soldier behavior.
The floor above, the Gym, had a fair amount of activity. New equipment, designed specifically for the enhanced abilities of their Gene-modded soldiers, had arrived and was being tested by some soldiers. Zhang was one of them.
12:03. The Hazard Course was occupied with Gene-modded soldiers fresh out of the labs, already putting their new abilities to the test, so the Gym was the next best place to stretch his legs. His still mild pariah status because of the psionic incident some time ago, which mostly eclipsed him being a former Triad, meant most still gave him a wide berth. Which he didnât mind, as it meant he wouldnât have people working out next to him.
13:18. Currently, he was breaking in one of the new reinforced treadmills that could handle that âMuscle Fiber Densityâ leg mod.Â
It had been about an hourâs jog and everything was working perfectly. The steady tread of boot heels hitting the belt and running deck. The muscles in his legs contracted and relaxed at a steady rhythm. There was a nice bounce back from the suspension, which kept his stride nice and smooth. It was so much better than the old treadmills that would stutter if he came down too hard, which would break his stride. He was happy he could be less conscious about that and exert nearly as much force as he wanted to his heartâs content. But he didnât want to push too far. He didnât want to be the first one to break the new equipment.Â
âThis is the best shape that Iâve ever been in my life.â Zhang chuckled under his breath as he adjusted his headphones. Sometimes he felt like that was an overstatement, but it was true. He had considered himself âfairlyâ healthy, minus his smoking habit, before his recruitment to XCOM. Now, he had lost weight and put on a lot of muscle. And then those Gene Mods and other tweaks the science division was experimenting with. Sometimes he had trouble recognizing himself when he looked in the mirror.
A glance down to check the time. 13:32. About 30 more minutes and he would call it. He had some psionic training he needed to get to later and couldnât tire himself out.
Psionic training. He rolled his eyes. What did Geist and the others have in store for him today? Knowing Geist and Sam, something headache-inducing, especially if it was learning how to teleport again and some other odd psionic concept. Teleporting. He felt his psionics, those synaptic connections, bristle with annoyance. That task and another were impossible for him. Just thinking about teleporting made him want to skip out on training again, but knew he couldnât.
âWonder how much more I have to endure before Iâm back on full active duty and donât need one of these collars when on the field.â
 He still had a fair deal of work to stabilize his psionics, so he didnât have to wear a modified dampening collar on the field. A faint growl slipped from his lips as his hand went up to his neck and tugged on the collar that was there. He hated the thing, but it was required for all psions to wear one at the base. At least the newer models caused fewer headaches.
âHow much longer?â
The chains of command were suffocating, but he was doing his best to be patient and play nice.Â
For now, all he could do was wait and jog. A new tune began to play through his ears. Something with a faster, more electric beat. His footfalls quickly matched the rhythm. Negative thoughts melted away.Â
The latest tune entranced Zhang. He hadnât noticed faint voices slowly intruding into his mind. Or perhaps he subconsciously noticed as a grumble or two slipped out as he adjusted that collar on his neck a few times. As quickly as the whispers came, they disappeared.
As he was entering the final cooldown phase of his joke, he felt an all too familiar jolt run up his spine as his eyes flashed purple. Then a more familiar touch before it became blurred by other sensations. The voices were back and much clearer than before.Â
âAh, Vixen! Youâve made it.â Geistâs voice was strong in his mind. Though the name Vixen was distant to him.Â
âCheery as always, huh Geist?â A female voice spoke next. Geist just chuckled in response. âHow has training been for this branch?â
âAh, training. Where to begin?â
Oh, hell no. Zhang cursed in his mind. Either the collar had a fault or Geist was purposefully using his bypass trick to tap into his mind. He figured the latter was happening due to the mention of training. He had been avoiding some sessions. Not in the mood for a guilt trip. His fingers quickly checked every part of the dampening collar. It was cool to the touch. No signs of overheating. One good sign. Must have been the bypassing. Figures.
Steadying his pacing and breathing, he concentrated on the psionic wavelengths to block it all out. Within seconds, the voices faded from his mind. He smiled. No guilt trips now. He would do some psionic training later, but would not be bothered right now. Just as he felt like he could relax his powers, the voices came back in full force.
âWe have more soldiers cooking down below. Iâm sure the Commander filled you in on that before your arrival.â Geist spoke of several potential psions in the making. It was always a delight to add more to their ranks.
âI read up on a few of them during my flight over.â Vixen said. âThe science division has been making strides.â
âBut back to training.â Geist almost seemed to hiss the word. âTruthfully, Iâm a little disappointed with how things have been developing for researching how the â â â and function. That aspect is still escaping me. But I believe your fresh mind should be able to help.âÂ
Zhang concentrated again to block out their voices, but his attempts failed once more. The discussion continued, though parts of it cut in and out. But the words âdisappointedâ and âtrainingâ frequently came through clearly.Â
Several disgruntled mumbles slipped from Zhangâs lips as he slammed his hands against the handrails to the treadmill. His grip tightened until his knuckles went white.
âFor fuckâs sakeâŠâ He was glad no one was next to him to witness his sudden change in demeanor. Straightening himself back up, he brought his jog to an end. âFine. You win this time, Geist.â
ââââ
With more than a pep in his step, Zhang made his way deeper into the base towards the Psionic Training Grounds. However, he was mostly mindful of his steps, as he felt like kicking a few holes into the concrete because of his disturbed mood. Cracks would be barely noticed. Anything worse and he would get written up.
In about 7 minutes, he reached the main room. It was sparsely populated, a few psions were meditating or sparing here and there. Off to the side, he spotted Geist and who he figured was this Vixen he was speaking to. Both looked to be in a rather pleasant mood. Geist hadnât noticed him yet.
Zhang took a moment to still himself. He didnât need to go off on Geist. Feeling somewhat calmer, he headed over to them.
As he got closer, Geist noticed him. His eyes always seemed to brighten when the old man came around.Â
âAh, hello Zhang!â Geist gave a friendly wave. âEarly for once. No teleportation training for today.âÂ
Zhang stifled a snort even more so when he felt the voices in his head diminish. Once he was next to them, he gave Vixen a nod before looking at Geist. âYou rang?â Though he tried his best to hide it, irritation riddled his words.
He was about to reply until he caught the annoyance in Zhangâs voice and then noticed the faint rage in his eyes. âIs something the matter?âÂ
Is something the matterâŠ? âAre you fuââ Zhang bit his tongue before shaking his head. âIs something the matter?â Shifting his pitch up an octave, he sarcastically repeated the words before shifting back to his normal voice. âAre you serious?â
Geistâs expression shifted to a more puzzled, if not, concerned look. Though he was still slowly becoming more aquatinted with Zhang, this attitude was out of character for him. âIâm sorry, but youâve lost me, Zhang?â
Zhangâs brow twitched. âDonât play coy with me!â He finally snapped. His eyes flashed before he jabbed a thumb at his own head. âYou did your damn bypass trick to get into my head!â
The sudden outburst disrupted the tranquility of the room. All eyes were on Zhang.
Geist raised his hands and took a step back. This felt greatly out of character for Zhang to just snap like this. He wanted to probe his mind, do a quick check to make sure none of their hard work to fix his psionics was unraveling, but the man was accusing him of already probing his mind. âZhang, Iâm not sure what youâre talking about, but I have not made a connection with you.â
âReally? Really?â Zhang sneered. âYouâve been sure to repeat the words âtrainingâ and âdisappointâ frequently in my mind since I missed the last few sessions.â
âWhat?â Geist looked more confused. That made little sense. He was more mildly annoyed with Zhang occasionally skipping the training sessions, but knew the man needed his space. But the words more or so matched what he had been discussing with Vixen. He glanced at her. She looked more annoyed at the matter. âI havenât contacted you. I knew you would be coming around here within the hourïżœïżœ hopefully.â He muttered the last word under his breath. âIn all seriousness, I havenât done my psionic bypass to contact you.â Cautiously, he took a step forward as his eyes began to glow purple. He began to reach out. âYou have me concerned. I could check to see ifââ
The denial only seemed to infuriate Zhang, and then feeling the manâs touch in his mind only made him angrier. âYou think for a sinââ
âStop.â Vixen stepped in between the two, with one hand imbued with psionic energy placed against Zhangâs chest. âLetâs get this settled. Since youâre about to bite his head off, let me check for any connections. If thereâs a connection from him to you, then Geisty has been lying. If there isnât, your collar needs to be checked. Fair?â
Zhang glanced at her hand on his chest before looking at Geist and back at her. He let out a huff as he took a step back. âFair.âÂ
Vixen looked at Geist. âCut your connection and get your collar.âÂ
He nodded, quickly severing his powers. With a faint ping, he teleported his collar into his hands but didnât put it on just yet.
Vixen then gestured for Zhang to it down, which he begrudgingly complied, before moving behind him. She raised both hands to either side of his head before letting her psioncis envelop his head. âOkay, letâs see what I can find.â
The room was a near dead silent as Vixen went to work. Most wanted to see how it would all play out as Geist did have his trickster tendencies, but a few wanted to pretend nothing was going on just in case there was a blowup.
Zhang did his best to keep his calm as Vixen searched his mind. It was always strange having an unfamiliar psion go through oneâs mind, but he took notice of Vixenâs soft touch. Though she had to work around some of those locks he and Geist had created and the still unstable part of his psionics, she was doing so with care as she looked for those threads of a connection.
âHmâŠâ Vixenâs eyes narrowed. She found something. Or at least felt it. âGeist, collar on.â
With no hesitation, he put it on, and it snapped into place.
Minutes passed.
âCollar off.â She said. He took it off.
Some more time passed.
âHm. Thereâs something, but it doesnât fully feel like Geist.â She stopped her psionics and moved her hands away.
âDoesnât fully feel like Geist.â Zhang questioned, doing his best not to scoff. He shook his head a few times to shake off the faint buzz coursing between his ears.
âIt feels like a mixture of threads here. Feels like itâs coming from the growing,â she gestured with one hand, âbackground psionic radiation permeating the base.â She explained. âNot feeling a direct one from Geist per se. Just a mix. Perhaps your⊠odd psionics⊠amplified something.âÂ
âThat partially clears things up.â Geist mumbled as he tapped his chin. One thing cleared, but Zhang still didnât look happy, which had him concerned. âAnything feel out of place, Vixen?â
She shrugged. âHis psionics feel odd, but I bet you know them better than me to determine if something is truly wrong.â
âTrue.â He looked at Zhang only to sigh, seeing the man was glaring at him. He took a step towards him. âZhang, I can check to see ifââÂ
âDonât.â Zhang cut him off. He got up.
âZhang. This could be your psionics acââ
âNo.â Another terse answer left his lips. He turned to Vixen and gave her a half-hearted âthank youâ before he made his leave.
Vixen raised a brow at him as she watched him leave, before turning her attention back to Geist. âIs he always like this?â
âNo. He can be difficult at times, but this is⊠different. It concerns me.â He spoke truthfully. He wanted to follow, chase after him, but knew that would only lead to a fight.Â
With a faint ping, he teleported a tablet into his hands. âIâll make note of this. Give the Psionic Division a heads up just in case.â
âAnd Commander Reeves?â Vixen asked.
âEventually⊠her.â
ââEventuallyâ?â She questioned.
âEventually. What she doesnât know wonât hurt. But I will tell her if something happens.â He said. He just wanted to keep Zhang off the Commanderâs radar. Things had gotten better between the two, but he didnât want to risk it with this.
ââââ
Zhang proceeded to skip the 14:30 Psionic training session he was going to attend. Despite Vixenâs findings, he didnât believe her nor Geist. It felt all too convent that their conversation stopped intruding on his mind when he entered the room. He knew what he heard and felt.
He needed to cool down and what better way was there to cool down than by allowing himself to get dragged into some silly card game with Akemi, Kim, and Jarvis as the three happened to come back from some fieldwork. He refused to elaborate on what had him irritated, only stating âGeist being Geistâ, and they mostly respected that. The trio helped him push the dayâs events to the back of his mind with the card game and updating him on the latest alien threats. More of the same olâ variants and some new ones were being fielded. The aliens, well, Elders, were probing for weaknesses and how they would react.
The hours flew by until it was either time to get some food, shower, or get dragged off by one of the science teams. Zhang was ready to hit the shower until Akemi pulled his teeth to join her in the Psionic Training Grounds. Though her psionics were still developing, she had been assigned to join in on psionic training sessions. Dr. Vahlenâs and Dr. Marinâs teams wanted to experiment with various ways to unlock a soldierâs psionic potential without having to rely on the weeks-long process of psionic energy saturation inside of the sarcophagi.
He was loath to go there as he wanted to avoid Geist and the man practically lived in there or in the Psionic Labs. Yet, with some playful banter, begging, and mild guilt tripping â as he was the reason she was psion nowâ, she convinced him to tag along. He had noticed she was less nervous when he was around when she trained with one of the elite psions.
âYouâre going to hold that over my head for forever, huh?â Zhang questioned.
âI may.â She smirked and playfully nudged him with her elbow. âAt least you didnât fry my brain.â
He let out a sigh, shaking his head. âDonât.â
Much to Zhangâs relief, Geist wasnât there when they arrived. As Akemi went to her instructor, Zhang found himself talking to a fellow psion, John Tanner. Someone who was a witness to what happened earlier in the day. Tanner probed a little to find out exactly what the issue was, but Zhang kept most of the details terse. But he trusted Tanner enough to probe his mind, and the man felt nothing was amiss. Just a mixture of threads faintly connected to the psionic background radiation in the base. That still didnât sit well with Zhang. It was something to stew on for later.
With little convincing, Tanner roped him into some psionic meditation and defense strengthening so he would have some psionic training marked down for the day and off the Commanderâs radar.Â
Moving to a side room and finding a place to sit, he gladly took his dampening collar off. It took some time for him to enter a âcalmâ state of mind as the irrational side of him felt Geist would show up at any moment, but once he did, he felt a great deal of the dayâs irritation melt away. A quick check of his own mind with his powers unrestricted; he barely felt any active traces of Geist. The usual connections were a near-dead silence. Anything else resonated with the psionic background to the base.
 Hm. That was still strange, but maybe his psionics were acting up again and the overly friendly psion didnât connect to him.
For the next hour, Tanner carefully pushed and pulled at Zhangâs psionic defenses. It was a delicate and dangerous game of finding the cracks that needed to be reinforced and avoiding the traps that could lead to a nasty psionic backlash.Â
âAaah⊠Okay. Okay, think weâre good⊠weâre good for the eveâing.â Tanner said as he recalled his psionics. Body wavering from side to side, he raised a hand to his face and rubbed it.
âMhm.â Zhang let out a sharp exhale as he came out of his meditation. As his pionics receded into himself, he picked up his dampening collar. He finally noticed Tannerâs wobbliness and the faint purple sparks buzzing around his head. âAre you alright?â
âIâm⊠good. Just a little mind spin trap of yours I triggered as were were finishingâŠâ He said before hunching over and vigorously rubbing the back of his neck. âThatâs⊠nasty. Youâve improved.â
âAh.â Zhang chuckled. âIâve been adjusting them as those Elders make their calls to me from time to time. Something to push them out.â
A few moments later, the psionic disruption around Tanner disappeared. He straightened himself back up and let out a sigh of relief. âI can see that annoying them. They deserve worse. Need to take notes and get the others more prepped.â There was always work to be done. âThose are some green checks for you. A few more sessions and,â he paused, knowing mentioning Geist would be a sore subject, âyou know who is doing his own tests and you should be back on the field before you know it.â
Zhangâs mood didnât immediately sour. He simply nodded along. Talking to a Geist about the incident earlier and apologizing would have to happen, but he still wanted some distance. âThe sooner the better.â He was ready to get back into the field.
With his training session wrapped up, he returned to the main room to see how Akemi was doing. Her session was just about coming to an end. Once she was done there, the two left and went their separate ways for the night.
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I posted 1,747 times in 2022
384 posts created (22%)
1,363 posts reblogged (78%)
Blogs I reblogged the most:
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I tagged 529 of my posts in 2022
#colorado avalanche - 81 posts
#mark barberio - 67 posts
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Longest Tag: 123 characters
#serving âmom returning from a work trip and just hoping the kids didnât overrun her husband and tear the house apartâ vibes
My Top Posts in 2022:
#5
When Life Gives You Lemons-- Part 2
Warnings: Mature content, abuse, rape, eating disorders, OCD etc. Some of these things go into a bit of detail. These warnings are relevant to the whole fic not just particular chapters.
Word Count Chapter: 3663
Word Count Total: 7,949
Author's Note: Barbs and Lemon are back by popular demand! Thank you SO much to @hockeylvr59, @newlibrary, @itisawitchesworld, and Nora, who I can't seem to tag. The rewrite of this fic wouldn't have happened without all of you. Thank you for indulging my impulsivity. All of you can see Mark in action during the upcoming Olympics! Reminder that this fic starts during the summer of 2019. I will be tagging the Avs and Lausanne HC. Also *~*~*~*~* means a POV change. Flipping between Mark and Clementine. Today we are beginning with Clementine.
Chapter 2
I rolled my eyes so hard Iâm pretty sure I saw my own brain, but despite that, I ended up sliding down the wall and sitting next to him. Thanks to the tilt of the floor, I slid next to him until we were touching, shoulder to hip.
âIs it difficult being this dumb all the time or does it come naturally?â A warning blinked behind my eyes, Brain to Mouth Filter Failure.
His beard was short, but thick; despite it, I saw his lips curve into a smile. âAround you itâs effortless.â He paused before continuing, âYou know you seem pretty unperturbed about being stuck in a leaning elevator with a certified moron.â
I offered an anemic shrug before continuing nonchalantly, âOhh âunperturbed.â Did you hurt yourself?â One of his thick eyebrows arched and he flashed a 1000 watt smile but didnât dish the insult back which made the game less fun so I answered, âMy world feels like itâs on fire all the time. Iâve had complete mental breakdowns because I accidentally used a blue pen in a journal that I only used a black pen in. Comparatively, this feels like no big deal.â It felt weird to share that personal detail with someone I found so annoying.
He nodded at Daze, âIs that what sheâs for?â
A personal detail was one thing, spilling my entire life story was another thing completely and he must have picked up on my hesitation because he held out his hand and said, âHow about we start over. Hi, Iâm Mark Barberio.â
Ok. He WAS an idiot, but at least he seemed aware of his hoof and mouth disease. I gave his hand a firm grip and shake. âClementine. Clementine Jones, and this is Daisy, but I just call her Daze.â
âShe seems like a good service dog and not at all for a blind person,â he grinned like this was now our inside joke.
I rested my hand on her head thinking about the freedom she gave back to me and took a deep breath, âSheâs the best.â
The conversation lulled and Iâd be the first to admit that I let it die. We sat in silence for a few minutes before I had a thought. âWait, you said you texted Gabe?â
His answer was a lazy nod of the head with a âmmhmmâ that sounded like it reverberated in his throat.
âWhat is the likelihood of him making me suffer by association, simply due to the fact that Iâm stuck in an elevator with you? Because I just met him today and he seems like a nice dude and I think weâre copacetic, but I could easily see him leaving you in a steel box for a few hours.â I flashed back to the mischievous glint in Gabeâs eyes earlier.
Mark just shrugged, âI donât know, Lime, guess it depends on if he likes you.â
âGreat.â I slumped harder against the wall. âAny chance you want to share that Wi-Fi password so I can contact some people so they donât worry?â
A few taps on his phone and a notification popped up asking if I wanted to save the password to the Wi-Fi. As soon as I hit accept, my phone started buzzing so hard it almost fell out of my hand.
Nora: Hey, Iâm running late. There was a thing with the room Iâm painting. It looks NOTHING like the swatch and after sanding and refinishing the floors and having the paint not look good I had a little mental breakdown. FINE NOW.
Nora: Ok, I am 10 minutes late, but where are you?
Nora: Ok. Iâm worried now. Did you get stuck at work? WHERE ARE YOU?
Nora: CLEMENTINE, THIS ISNâT FUNNY. IâM GONNA CALL 911. IâM GONNA GET CADAVER DOGS. WHERE ARE YOU?
The last one came in as I hit reply and tried to tap out a response faster than Nora could dial 911.
Iâm fine! Stuck in an elevator with no service! Iâm sorry. I just got on the Wi-Fi.
Nora: Oh, shit! Are you alone? Do I still need to call 911? Where are you?
Iâm fine. You know I handle actual emergencies better than like⊠not being able to find my lucky socks.
Nora: This is true and youâve conveniently ignored the âare you aloneâ question.
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102 notes - Posted February 1, 2022
#4
A Not So Southern Christmas-- Part 6
This is obviously a rewrite of my old fic. I have been feeling romantic and Christmasy, so I figured it was time to bring back my favorite holiday couple. Title banner by the wonderful @whatishockey. Thank you thank you thank you to the people who periodically peek at this fic to make sure I don't make too many typos and mistakes. @hockeylvr59 @rymurrsneckbeard and @princessphilly
Synopsis: When Adelaide Thibodeaux finds her husband to be diddling the wedding planner in the Church before their nuptials, she walks out and is determined to take her dream honeymoon by herself. Until she gets a seat upgrade to first class and ends up next to Hurricanes Defenceman, Joel Edmundson. Holiday shenanigans ensue.
Author's Notes: This was written in early 2019 before Eddy went to Montreal as a free agent. I will be tagging both teams. It's been a while since I've posted a dual POV so reminder that *~*~*~*~*~* delineates a change in POV. Today we are beginning with Eddy.
Tag List: @leafs-foreverr, @pagirl6866, @colecockfield If you would like to be part of the tag list, please let me know.
Part 6
*~*~*~*~*~*
Just over an hour later we were crawling along I-90 in an SUV the size of a tank. After the second close call of almost being sideswiped by another vehicle sliding on ice after a single mile on the interstate, I was thankful for it. It was a rideshare, so I didnât care if it only got two miles per gallon, as long as it was able to get us to the airport in one piece.
Adelaide finally turned on her phone and I just arched a brow at her as it vibrated in her hand for what seemed like a solid minute while she looked annoyed, âYou ok there?â
She gave me a withering glare, and she looked so cute that I couldnât help but smile, which made her glare harder and the entire thing was just a circle of me being amused and her getting more furious. It was fantastic.
Poking around on the screen, a call connected and started to ring as she brought the phone to her ear. I could hear her motherâs voice on the other end of the line. âHi Momma, is everyone there? Put me on speaker.â
I was thankful it was a regular voice call and not a facetime, because I knew her father would pinpoint the âI just fucked your daughter nasty" vibes wafting off of me from four states away.
âNo, Adele, I'm not putting Eddy on speaker.â She sighed and dropped her phone to her lap, hitting the speaker button with her thumb. âFINE. Is everyone here?â
âAdelaide why are you in a car, it sounds like youâre in a car.â
She transferred the phone to her opposite hand as I stretched my arm across the seat and intertwined our fingers. âEddy and I are going to the airport Mama, our flight leaves at one.â
Her fatherâs rich baritone chimed in, âI guess thereâs a first time for everything, one of my daughters not being stubborn? I better buy a lottery ticket.â
She sighed and rolled her eyes, âDaddy.â
âEddy, son she IS going with you, correct?â
I cleared my throat, âYessir, she agreed.â
âGood. Finally. Adele youâre next.â
Adelaide mouthed âIâm sorryâ at me.
The conversation devolved from there. âWhat does that mean Daddy?â Adele sounded irritated.
âIt means you need to stop being so stubborn and accept help and maybe find a good man.â
An argument started between the two of them, with Dottie interjecting at random times. There was something about college and Adele getting her Masters while working. Adelaide looked bored, like she had heard this argument before. She started massaging the palm of my hand with her thumb and staring out the window as her family argued.
Finally, Adeleâs voice cut through the nonsense, âAddie and Eddyâs hotel room only had one bed!â
I caught the driverâs eyes in the rearview mirror and I donât think he felt at all sorry for my impending death.
Adelaideâs attention was suddenly diverted back to her phone, âADELE! Daddy, there was one bed, but I slept on the couch.â
Her sister wasnât to be swayed from her current path of turning the attention to Adelaide, âDaddy, I looked at photos of the suite, the couch was too small for anyone to sleep on.â
He sounded displeased, I was suddenly very aware the man owned a hardware store and all murdering/disposing bodies things were readily available and no one would blink twice at him having any of them. âEddy made you sleep on the couch?â
Adele sounded breathless, âTHEY WERE CUDDLING THIS MORNING.â
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110 notes - Posted January 2, 2022
#3
When Life Gives You Lemons-- Masterlist
Synopsis: Disabled OC and service dog get stuck in an elevator with Mark Barberio. Shenanigans ensue.
Word Count Total: 93K (this includes unposted parts)
Author's Note: Shout out to @newlibrary who has tirelessly created the graphics for this story. She's the true hero here.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
Part 6
Part 7
Part 8
Part 9
Part 10
Part 11
Part 12
Part 13
Playlist
129 notes - Posted February 2, 2022
#2
When Life Gives You Lemons -- Part 1
Warnings: Mature content, abuse, rape, eating disorders etc. Some of these things go into a bit of detail. These warnings are relevant to the whole fic not just particular chapters.
Word Count: 4286
Word Count Total: 4286
Author's Note: Barbs and Lemon are back by popular demand! Thank you SO much to @hockeylvr59, @newlibrary, @itisawitchesworld, and Nora, who I can't seem to tag. The rewrite of this fic wouldn't have happened without all of you. Thank you for indulging my impulsivity. All of you can see Mark in action during the upcoming Olympics! Reminder that this fic starts during the summer of 2019. I will be tagging the Avs and Lausanne HC.
Chapter 1
âOk, can you look at the camera please?â
The flash was blinding and while I appreciated the professional set-up, I couldnât help but wonder if a nerd named Kevin with a cell phone and a white wall would be more efficient. This seemed excessive and far more painful. I found myself blinking to see if my retinas had detached.
The photographer fiddled with the settings for a moment, âCan we do one of your service dog too? Iâd love to make her a little badge for her vest.â
I actually thought that was kind of cute, I doubt Kevin would have been as creative. âSure,â I agreed, âCome on Daze.â I asked for a sit/stay on the little platform and waved a treat behind the photographer.
âGreat, these are so cute,â The photographer declared. âWhat were your names again?â
I sighed, this was about to be awkward, âClementine and Daisy.â
She blinked at me, her brain processing the names and trying to figure out who was the flower and who was the fruit. I took pity on her and clarified before she short circuited and smoke began to pour out of her ears, âIâm Clementine and the dog is Daisy.â
She sucked her lips into her mouth and nodded enthusiastically, perhaps to compensate for her previous reaction, âUm ok, give me just a second to get these printed.â
Within a few moments, she had handed us our badges and I had to admit the outcome was a little better than using some random nerd named Kevin with a cellphone. I attached the clip of the badge to the pocket of my jeans and Daisyâs to her service dog vest. I didnât normally make her wear it, but it was my first day at the job I desperately needed and they had given me a chance despite my need for assistance so I wanted her to look the part.
Sports had always been one of my passions but I didnât have an athletic bone in my body, so I embraced the rules, the stats, the analysis. Numbers had order and always made sense to me, but I just wasnât quick enough to be a statistician. However, the very best thing about sports is all the numbers could make sense, but the underdog could still win. There was no way to measure luck, to measure a human beingâs ability to dig within their soul to beat the odds. It was this, the human element, that attracted me to sports.
It was only after a nasty divorce, a complete mental breakdown, and facing the stark reality of starting my life over completely with nothing to show for a quarter century on the earth that I decided to go back to school, graduating with a Bachelorâs in Sports Communication.
Before that,I spent a year in and out of hospital psych wards, sedated while they tried to glue my brain back together. When that hell was over, I was forced to move back in with my parents, becoming their dependent again. I also got Daisy, a service dog to help me juggle depression, anxiety, PTSD, and all the medications I had to take in order to return to society as a semi functional person. With Dazeâs help, I was able to go back to school and reinvent myself and now here I was, on the farside of 30 and almost human again. Truthfully, I had no idea what ânormalâ was but I had decided I was going to be it. I was going to be normal.
I was starting my life over from scratch, as a new college graduate old enough to be the parent of some of my classmates and a psych ward veteran who was probably the subject of several academic papers. I am the product of a really shitty emotionally and physically abusive marriage which left me with a slew of partly recovered emotional wounds, but all of that was still better than what I had been, as my therapist was constantly reminding me.
It had taken many strings pulled by my professors and, unfortunately, my father, the head basketball coach for Denver University, for me to get this job. Even then, I wasnât entirely sure I hadnât been given it because I checked the affirmative action box for being a disabled woman (double the diversity). And by job, I mean, this was a temporary paid internship gig and if the Avalanche executives liked my content the position would be created and then I could apply. Imposter syndrome was something I struggled with daily and my therapist had invested a great deal of time trying to teach me that it wasnât nepotism, strings my father pulled in Denver, a hiring percentage, or a variety of other things that got me the job. The Avalanche Organization could have said no. They saw my academic projects and were curious enough to create this internship. It was up to me to keep it.
The makeshift photo studio was in the depths of Pepsi Arena, while Human Resources was several floors up in a part of the building that had windows. Having completed my surprisingly good staff photo with Not Kevin, Daze and I stood directly in front of the elevator ready to make our way up and navigate the next part of the new hire process. I was absentmindedly pressing the UP button as if that would make the car arrive faster when the ding sounded its arrival. I was completely unprepared for anyone to actually be inside the elevator, much less a herd of Avalanche players in full game regalia-- down to the blade covers on their skates.
I barely had time to register the half a ton of boisterous testosterone bearing down on us before Daze darted behind me to avoid being trampled. In surprise, I stepped back and felt one of her little furry paws under my heel. She gave a yelp and my knees buckled to avoid putting my full weight on her little toes.
Before I hit the ground, arms were around me and I found my face pressed firmly against the Avalanche logo covering a hard chest protector. To my credit, I managed to turn my head to avoid a bright red lipstick stain on the fabric of the jersey.
Daze whined as I was righted by the ridiculously strong arms I was wrapped in, and the chest I was pressed against stepped back, putting me squarely in front of my savior and his four compatriots. I blinked for a second as I got my bearings and tried to make my mouth move in a way that wouldnât haunt me at 3 am a decade from now, but my savior spoke first, his voice quickly snapping me back into reality.
âWhoa, your hair is like⊠blue.â He sounded like the least intelligent frat boy I had ever come across and my nose wrinkled in distaste as I felt my eye twitch.
It was such an inane response that I forgot I was in front of a bunch of professional athletes, most of whom I watched on a regular basis and all of who could now get me fired on a whim. Now I will be the first to admit I put my foot in my mouth a lot; mostly, because thereâs no filter going from my speech center to my mouth and Iâm not ashamed to say, working in sports, I often felt like the smartest person in the room. âItâs actually more of a navy, but thanks for the commentary Captain Obvious.â
The four players who were mostly blocked by the pair of broad shoulders and helmet, took an audible step back, and so did the set of pads in front of me which was bad for my IQ. The first thing I noticed were his eyes which were the color of the hazelnut coffee I liked to drink in the morning. My face went slack and I promptly forgot everything Iâd ever known, including my own name as I stared into their rich depths.
An accented voice that didnât seem to be attached to a body floated across my vision, âIs she okay?â
âI think so?â The man standing in front of me waved a hand in front of my face.
Daze whined and I swallowed, the world coming back into focus. My voice sounded far away when I spoke, âIâm fine, weâre both fine.â
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144 notes - Posted January 29, 2022
My #1 post of 2022
We stan a man who reads
@hockeylvr59
232 notes - Posted January 5, 2022
Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review â
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I ended up napping, woke up a little later, then planned to sleep around 10 yesterday. I was feeling a bit more bold, but guess what. NOPE, I should have gone to sleep at 9. Cause my.. Well we'll just say my little pumkin spice latte with frothed milk and whipped cream decided to wake up at that time, it was like 5 or 6 am for them and they got all sad when I said that I wanted to go to bed. So obviously, I stayed up talking to them. I cave for them way too much it's honestly crazy, cause why did I WILLINGLY stay up until 4 am just messaging them. đ Guess what though, I paid the price. I woke up at 6 pm today, and am physically unable to go back to bed at this precious hour. (It's officially 9), and the mf went to bed a couple of hours ago.
Bruh I'm absolutely GONE. I refuse to talk to my friends, like if I'm gonna waste my sleeping hours I'm gonna do it with the loml BUT THE LOML IS SLEEPING? đđ
Also I think I accidentally hurt their feelings earlier, and I'm pretty sure that's why I'm unable to sleep. I keep thinking about it and I feel HORRIBLLLEEEEE.
ANYWAYS THOUGH ENOUGH ABOUT ME
I say that but here I am, Apparently the only man I draw is Choso. Like the last time I drew a dude was a few years ago.. And it was Katsuki.. It looked awful and I came across it today.
ALSO UM. I SAW UR TAXIDERMY BUTT PLUG POST...? IDK HOW LONG AGO THAT WAS, BUT UM WHAT? I started PASSING AWAYYYY when I saw it, and it's unforgivable đ Like you're going to hell, and the person that asked to see them... You're going even deeper in hell. WHY WERE THEY SKUNKS??
[Insert clearing my throat to get your attention] I'm trying to remember what you replied to me with, so I can reply back but I'm having a hard time doing so đ Might have to come back in a minute to see
OHOHOH, I honestly don't have enough energy to make all the parts to post. I mean, I could do oneshots, probably, but then I'm afraid people will ask for more of it, and then I'm not able to because I don't think far ahead LOL. But I'm heavily considering it, I already have one written of Sukuna out of boredom, so I think I'm gonna post it. Honestly so much credit to you for getting it done beforehand and THEN posting the parts đ
Xoxo đœ
ur sleeping schedule or lack thereof truly amazes me. like jesus christ.
help i also canr sleep when i think i hurt someoneâs feelings twinsies đ€
i just like drawing (objectifying) men :3
LMFAOOOO LISTENNNNNNNNNN itâs so fucking funny dude when i saw that shit i was LOSING MY MINDDDD LIKE WHY A FUCKING SKUNK HEAD??? WHY SOMETHING TAXIDERMY OF ALL THINGS LFMAOOA LIKE HUHHHHH lord have mercy
i dont rmbr what i even replied with if that makes u feel better LMFOAOA
OH YEAH DO ONESHOTS one shots r so fun to write⊠omg whatâs the sukuna one about heh.
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PLEASE expand more on that Zhongli brat tamer thing you posted đ„ș
Brat Tamer! Zhongli x Brat!Reader (GN)
Listen to me
What to expect: Spanking, Size kink?(a bit), Choking, Teasing in public, Getting called âwhoreâ once I swear, Zhongli as ur god, fingering? lmk if I missed anything!
A/N: AAA BRAT TAMER ZHONGLI NEEDS MORE APPRECIATION </33
(also im so sorry if this is shit even tho i spent so much time writing it?? hurr i apologize and i tried to make it as gn as possible! <33)
Zhongli loves an obedient sub that listens to him and obey his rules. You, were the perfect little baby for him. You were his obedient, perfect little baby. Sure, youâve been accidentally bad a couple times here and there. But imagine if someday, you were curious enough to see whatâs it like to test his limit. So, when you were acting out of the ordinary, of course heâd be suspicious.
It all started when you both woke up. Heâd always wake up first, usually drinking tea at the dinner table and youâd always greet him. But today, you felt a little braver than usual and decided to just ignore him and went ahead to the kitchen to grab your breakfast. He raised his brow, but thought nothing much of it. You put your plate on the table and played with your phone while eating your food.
Zhongli cleared his throat, causing you to look at him with a confused look on your face. âGood morningâ he said with a smile, a fake one if I may add. You ignored him and continued to play your phone and eat your food. You could see his smile fade away in the corner of your eye. âI expect a response, no?â you looked at him, and his expression seems blank. âUh, morning?â you answered blankly before continuing to ignore him. He sighs in defeat, standing up to prepare a hot shower to cool him off.
Zhongli said heâll be meeting up with a few people for a while, and of course you being you, decided to tag along. You were confused on what to wearâuntil you remembered your little plan to push his buttons. You smirked at yourself before thinking. You had an idea. You put on the most revealing clothes youâve ever worn out in public just to mess with him. Once you were done getting ready, he doesnât say a single word. His gaze was enough to make a person tremble, thus why you were averting his eyes the whole time. He simply grabs your hands and wrapped it around his and said nothing more than a simple âLetâs go.â
You finally arrived at the Teahouse after quite some time. The moment you two opened the door, all eyes were on you. You looked absolutely stunning. Your looks may even be enough to tempt a god. Zhongli clearly tried to ignore the situation and dragged you to the back and seated you both at the corner of the Teahouse.
The meeting overall was boring. Although it was pretty boring, you had to admit that hearing people talking about Morax and acting as if they know more than Morax himself was kind of funny. You yawned in boredom and continued to look around before your eyes landed to your boyfriendâs figure that was sitting right beside you. His eyes that are completely focused, the way he talks, and the way his tall figure is sitting straight, asserting dominance through small, simple things. You couldnât help but feel excited just by looking at him. Your excitement caused you to land your hand on your boyfriendâs thighs as he was listening to some people talking and discussing about the geo archon. He looked at you, confused and you gave him a small, sweet innocent smile, in which he returned.
But what he didnât expect was for your hand to go higher and higher, until he realized that your hand was basically almost touching his dick. Before you could do anything further, he slapped your hand away and came closer to your ear to whisper, âBehave.â That action alone caused you to shiver and it tempted you even more. Biting your lower lip, you decided to wait for the right moment. After everyone was done talking and discussing, they asked for Zhongliâs opinion. And just right before he gets the chance to talk, you took the chance and managed to place your hand between his pants without raising any suspicions. He flinched slightly, earning worried looks from other people and workers. âMy apologies, I thought I saw something.â He said as he kept his composure. And surprisingly enough, they believed him. Thank god you were seated in the corner so that no one could see what was actually happening between the two of you. You palmed him through his pants slowly as he explained about his opinion. You could hear the slight shake on his voice and clearing his throat way more than he normally does, even though he looked completely focused and well composed. âMr. Zhongli? Are you feeling alright?â someone said in which he responded with a slight nod, and a pinch to your thighs as a warning. You gasped quietly in surprise and stopped your ministrations before looking at him. His stare was menacing, daring you to make another move. In which you responded by looking the other way and pouting as you rest your hands that was palming him a few seconds ago on the table.
The trip back home was silent. You didnât dare utter a word, not after all that. You looked fine and chill on the outside, But inside? You were trembling. Was it really a good idea to make your god angry? Is it even worth it? Your thoughts were racing as you asked yourself. But there was no turning back.
You walked inside the house slowly, trying to keep calm and collected. You knew you were in deep trouble the moment he shuts the door with a slam. You saw a glimpse of his beautiful, black hair with a gradient, glowing, neon orange color near the ends of his hair, which usually occurred where heâs focused like in battles, or if heâs really pissed. You didnât really want to test him any further, so you just decided to follow his next commands and obey him.
âWhat has gotten into you?â He asked, voice demanding for an answer. You turned to him, looking to the ground instead while fiddling your hands. He clicked his tongue and forcefully held your chin so you were met with his amber colored eyes. âTalkâ He demanded. You were unable to form coherent words and ended up stuttering on your words. He shakes his head in disapproval and practically dragged you into the bedroom.
He lets you go once youâve both reached your shared bedroom. You watched as he sat himself on the edge of the bed, looking down and letting out a sigh. The moment his eyes met yours, you immediately looked down, not prepared for his eyes to pierce through you so sudden.
âStrip.â He said lowly. Calmly. But you knew him. Itâs always the calm before the storm. You stood there, silently, not moving in the slightest. You could feel the tension in the room. He was disappointed. Of course he was! He had all the reasons to be. He walked towards you slowly, observing the outfit you wore. One of his gloved hand stroking it smoothly as his other hand gripped your jaw gently and made you look into his eyes. âTsk, I have given you such a simple task. But I know you humans simply cannot do anything yourselves.â He practically spat as he tore your clothes off with both hands. Your eyes widened, mouth slightly opened and you froze due to shock as he chuckled at your reaction.
His two hands grabbed you by the shoulders and threw you onto the bed roughly, a contrast to his gentle grip on your jaw earlier. You continued to freeze in your place and he took the chance to pin both your hands with one of his, as his big and strong body kept your smaller one caged. You tried to get out of his grip. But it was no use. No matter how much you try, he will always overpower you.
âTell me, love. Were you being a brat on purpose?â He asked you with a teasing tone on his voice. You closed your eyes and gave up, exhaling the breath you didn't notice you've been holding while nodding your head slowly in shame and embarrassment. He chuckled lowly as he lets both of your hand go and flipped you over. You yelped in surprise as he positioned himself so that your stomach was on his lap and he places his hand to rub gently on your ass.
You cried out, âZhongli please Iâm sorry-â âNow, now. Itâll hurt a bit. But you mortals really need to be taught a lesson to know their place.â He says as one of his hand stroked your hair and the other continued to move gentle motions on your ass. âZhongli pleas-â Smack. A loud noise echoed across the room as you jolted forward and you felt your eyes beginning to water. âCan you just listen to me, brat?â his voice sounded clearly annoyed. The room was quiet for a while, until he broke the silence. âStay silent and take it like the good pet I know you are.â
The sound of your cries and sniffles could be heard in the rather silent room. You were sobbing, hands starting to go numb as you gripped them onto the bedsheets, your ass sore and red from all the painful and harsh smacks Zhongli has delivered. You were trembling. It felt like hours since he started and it never seemed to end. He eventually stopped and started caressing the spots he had abused minutes before. âIâm sorry my love, but If I donât do this then⊠youâll never learn from your mistakes.â He explained. You were still sobbing, but a part of you was relieved that it was over.
He got you off his lap and laid you down carefully onto the bed as you finally closed your eyes, trying to calm yourself down. That is until you feel a hand tracing your back and onto your underwear. You felt him come closer as he whispered in your ear âSeems like someone got excited. Well, it isnât really a punishment if you enjoyed it. Donât you agree?â you can feel his hot breath fanning your ear.
He flipped you over, your back now facing the bed. You hissed slightly at the sting because your ass still hurts from his ministrations. He gently spread both of your legs apart as he sat himself in between your now-parted thighs and pulled your underwear down, in which he threw across the room. You tried to cover yourself up but again, it was no use. You were now exposed for him and his eyes to devour. âBut Iâll have to admit, seeing you in that revealing outfit where everyone can see really makes meâŠâ he paused as he searched for the right word before continuing. âJealous.â You prayed to the archons to make it out alive before answering him. âOh? M-maybe youâre just mad they can probably fuck me better than you.â Youâve done it. You took back what you said about obeying him, but at the wrong time. âGetting brave now, are we? How ironic for someone who cried over a punishment moments ago.â he bitterly chuckles. âWell then, weâll just have to see how hard Iâll break you tonight.â
He took off his gloves and immediately gathered some of your wetness on his fingers, combining it with the drool he managed to get at the corners of your mouth. He wastes no time as he inserts one finger into your needy hole. You gasped and held onto the bedsheets once more, your eyes rolling into the back of your head. God, his fingers were long. You can feel him filling you up as he kept pistoning one finger in and out of you. But then you started to whine for more. For him to fill you up more. âHumans are indeed greedy, but youâre my greedy little human, arenât you whore?â you scrambled over your words before he used his free hand to wrap it around your throat and tightening his hold around it. âAnswer.â He stopped moving completely and you whined as you finally managed to answer. âY-yes!â
âYes what?â âYes, my lord.â
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How to confess to your gamer bestfriend
tw: none, fluff (mutual pinning)
wc: 1572
note: kenma x bsf!gn!reader, lowercase intended, sorry for not posting in two (2) weeks i had a lot of homework, n e ways enjoy :)
you and kenma had been best friends for years now. you met him in middle school when he was sat next to kuroo as he played on his nintendo, you went up to him and asked him what he was playing and the rest is history. now being best friends is a bit tricky when you're in love with that person, so you're in quite the predicament here, however you're in luck because he is in love with you too, you just don't know it, yet.
3 am
you and kenma are playing minecraft together while on a discord call. you're working on building a castle for you two to live in, while he's gathering resources. this has been going for a good 4 hours now, neither of you feel the need to fill the silence, you're just enjoying each other's company. kenma can surprisingly get quite talkative when a new game comes out he's been wanting to play, or he can't seem to beat a specific boss, but he's also a really good listener. you know you can tell him if something is wrong and he'll listen, though this problem directly involves him so talking to him isn't an option. you're in love with kenma and have been for quite some time now, i mean he's always been by your side, supporting you, just being a good best friend. somewhere along the way you fell for him and you just don't know how to tell him.
7:30 am
kenma lives close to you and kuroo, so you three walk to school together. though this morning everything goes just a bit slower since you two were up late gaming. while you and kuroo are walking to kenma's house, you decide to ask him for advice.
"kuroo?"
"yeah, what's up?"
"i'm in love with kenma"
kuroo laughs and teasingly says that he already knew and that kenma is in love with you too.
"how would you know that, does he talk about me?"
"y/n, you and games are literally the only things he talks about and he hasn't our right said that he has feelings for you but just trust me on this one."
"how can you be sure though if he hasn't actually said it?"
"you'd have to be blind not to see the way you two look at each other, even lev has picked up on it and he's the most clueless person i've ever met, i'm sure y/n just confess."
"but how, what if he rejects me and i ruin our friendship, that is the last thing i want kuroo."
at this point you've reached kenma's house so you decide to finish this conversation some other time.
12 pm
it's now lunchtime and like usual you're eating with kuroo and kenma, well it's more kuroo trying to force kenma to put his psp away and eat.
"kenma please you have to eat, you already didn't get enough sleep so at least eat, you need energy." you said to him worried for his health
he ultimately gives in and puts his psp away and grabs his bento to eat. kuroo is used to fill silence at this point since the both of you seem to be introverts and not really talkers but usually you would join in a conversation with him, but your thoughts are preoccupied with how you'd confess to kenma. so while kuroo is going on about some volleyball related thing, kenma watches you as he noticed that you had been distracted even in class, you got called on but weren't paying attention so kenma whispered the answer to you from beside you. this got him a bit worried because out of the two of you, you'd always been a great student, after debating for a bit he decides he's just going to ask what's wrong.
"y/n?"
"y/n?" he pokes your cheek after saying your name twice, since you weren't responding.
"oh what, yeah sorry i was just thinking." you answered a bit flustered at suddenly being called out
"yeah, i noticed, you were distracted in class too, something wrong?"
"uhm no no, i'm fine maybe a bit tired since we stayed up late?"
"if you were tired you could've just gone to sleep, i'm not going to force to play with me."
after hearing that you reassured kenma that you loved to play with him and that you weren't tired then, but just now. after that little conversation the bell rang signaling that you had to go back to class.
4 pm
you're walking home alone today because the team has practice, normally you'd stay to watch but you've still got to think about how you're going to confess to your best friend. so you would be distracted and getting a ball accidentally spiked at you doesn't seem that appealing.
after you've arrived home, you say hello to your parents and go straight to your room. still not finding a way to confess, you decide to just do your homework and come back to it later. though that doesn't go too well because all your thoughts go back to kenma and if what kuroo said was really true and if he really did have feelings for you. now that doing homework was thrown out the window you start up your computer and think about just playing some minecraft, maybe working on your castle a bit.
you decide to do that, and while you are building a thought pops into your head, what if you confess through minecraft, you both love games and it's the way you met. how you were going to do that was the next question, which seemed even trickier than the ones before.
7 pm
kenma was on his way home from practice, being a little disappointed that you weren't there. he enjoyed your company a lot and dare he say even fell for you. he's not sure exactly when maybe it was love at first sight, you asking him what he was playing, being the first to actually take an interest in him beside kuroo made him feel weird, a good weird though.
he really liked the mutual silence you two shared, it wasn't awkward just basking in the other's presence, he also loved how he could talk to you about anything knowing that he wouldn't be judged. this got him thinking about lunch again and you said you were just tired, but he thought there was something more, he hoped that you would share your thoughts with him, he wanted to help but if you didn't need his help then he'd be lying if he said that didn't hurt him.
all of that aside he was still looking forward to playing together again, making a mental note to stop earlier since he didn't want you to be tired. he liked the server you two had and thought it was cute how much effort you were putting into that castle of yours, it even made him think that there was a slight chance that you liked him back. with that thought he arrived home, went to his room and messaged you on discord to ask if you wanted to call.
a couple of minutes later you called kenma and he immediately accepted the call.
you had everything planned out and hoped he would like it. "so i've got a surprise for you, can you come to the castle second floor please?"
he was quite confused but intrigued nonetheless so he went up the stairs, and there he saw your character in front of a door.
"just go in the room and tell me what you think alright?" you sounded a bit nervous to him, he just attributed that to hoping he would like the room.
when kenma walked his character through the door, he saw two beds in the room with a sign that said "wanna put our beds together?"
you had also moved through the door and were looking at his character anxiously awaiting his answer.
to your surprise kenma said "if this is your way of confessing then yes, if it's not im sorry for making it awkward"
you chuckled at his response and replied "yes kenma this is my way of confessing, im glad you accepted though that would've embarrassing if you didn't"
"y/n why in the world would i not accept, i've been in love with you for years." kenma said a bit frustrated that you would think there was even the slightest possibility that he would reject you.
"wait what, you're telling me we could've been dating for years now and you didn't say anything"
"well you didn't either, until now i gues but i'm happy you did because i would've been to anxious to do anything, kuroo's been pestering me to confess already but now i don't need to anymore."
"yeah i guess so, wanna play now?"
"duh is that even a question."
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Nobody
A/N: I was going to wait to post this next week but I just hit a follower milestone and wanted to celebrate. Thank you all for reading my stuff đ
Summary:Â After a break in at home, Barry takes matters into his own hands.
Pairing: Barry Berkman x teen!daughter reader
You, Barry and Sally have just returned home from dinner. You recently made the Honor Roll and your father took you out to celebrate. Heâs so proud of your achievement! In addition to dinner, Barry also gave you a necklace that youâve wanted since you first saw it in a vintage shop with Sally.Â
âSo, do I get to pick the movie tonight?â you ask.
âYeah,â Barry nods, then quickly adds, âBut not Fear Street again.â
âOh no fair!â you laugh.
As you three approach the front door, youâre the first to notice itâs slightly ajar. Your heart skips a beat.
âDad, uh, did we accidentally leave the door open?â you ask nervously.
Barryâs eyes widen. He steps in front of you and Sally, then cautiously opens the door. He slowly walks inside. The place is trashed with furniture tossed all over.
Barry looks around. The person who did this was long gone by now. You and Sally follow Barry into the apartment. Your jaw drops as you take everything in.
âWoah...âÂ
âWhat the hell happened here?â Sally asks, stunned.
Barryâs speechless. He has no idea what to tell you and Sally, but he already knows who did this. It was the Chechens. They wanted Barry to do a hit tonight. Your father refused because he already made plans to take you out to dinner.
You suddenly notice the kitchen sinkâs water is running.
âOh shit! They left the water on,â you alert Barry and Sally, âThatâs just like the Wet Bandits in Home Alone!â
You're about to run into the kitchen when Barry puts his arm out, blocking your way.Â
âDad?âÂ
Barry nods towards the kitchen floor. You look down and see broken wine bottles and glass all over the floor.Â
âI got it,â Barry tells you.
He steps over the glass and turns off the water.
From the corner of your eye, you see that the door to your bedroom is open. Thereâs a huge mess inside. You had just cleaned your room earlier today. You know you didnât leave it like that.Â
You rush to your room to find that the clothes in your drawers and closet have been thrown all over the floor. On top of your clothes are your Honor Roll certificates, all ripped up. A chill goes down your spine. It feels kind of violating having strangers go through your belongings.
You check out your bureau. Then you realize something is missing...
âNo, no, no,â you mutter to yourself.Â
The necklace Barry gave you is gone. It really meant something to you. You found it at a vintage store when you were out shopping with Sally. You loved the necklace but didnât buy it because you couldnât afford it. Sally told Barry about what happened so he went out and bought it for you. He gave it to you after you told him that you got on the Honor Roll.
You mentally kick yourself for not wearing the necklace when you went out tonight. The only reason you didnât was because it clashed with your outfit.
Barry walks into your room as you frantically search the top of your messy bureau.
âY/N, whatâs wrong?â your father asks to get your attention.
âItâs not here! I canât find it,â you answer.
âYou canât find what?â
âMy necklace. Whoever did this, they couldnât have taken thatâŠ. would they?â you cross your arms against your chest, trying to hold back tears.
Barry clenches his jaw. His body goes rigid. You study his body language and realize that this wasnât some random break in.Â
âYou know who did this, donât you?â you sigh.
Barry doesnât say anything. That confirms it for you.
âWho was it?â you keep pushing.
âNobody,â Barry quietly replies, and then, âDonât tell Sally about the necklace.â
You reluctantly nod. Your father clearly wants to shield you and Sally from this.Â
âIâm going to take care of this. Iâll be back soon,â Barry says in a low, serious tone.
Before you have time to respond, your father walks out. You try to follow him but stop yourself when he goes into his bedroom and closes the door.Â
Barry pushes his mattress and grabs one of the guns he stores underneath the bed. He makes sure itâs loaded before hiding it in the back of his jeans.Â
Barry is so mad, his ears are ringing. The Chechens crossed a line. Going after Barry was one thing, but they went after his family. What if you or Sally had been home when they broke in? And to make matters worse, they stole something that belonged to you. You were so excited when Barry gave you that necklace and now youâre close to tears because itâs gone. That just doesnât sit right with your father.
Barry takes a deep breath to calm himself before stepping out of his bedroom.
âWhat were you doing in there?â Sally asks.
âI called the police. They want me to go down to the station to make a statement,â Barry announces.
âWhat? They arenât coming here?â Sally gives Barry a confused look.
âYeah, uh, the police arenât coming because nothing got stolen,â he lies convincingly.
âOkay, well hurry back. We can start cleaning up while youâre gone,â Sally nods.
âI texted Steve. Heâs on his way to help,â you tell Sally.
âIâll get home as soon as I can.â
Barry leaves and locks the door behind him. Once the door is closed, Barryâs face immediately drops. He quickly switches back to hitman mode. He heads out, determined to confront the Chechens.
Your father returns home a few hours later. As Barry walks down the hallway towards the apartment, he sees you and your boyfriend Steve step outside carrying two trash bags each. You had just finished cleaning up. The place looks a lot better than how Barry left it.
âDad!âÂ
You notice how drained he looks. Youâre worried about him. You want to ask him where he went and what happened, but you decide to wait until youâre alone.
âSteve and I are gonna take the trash out to the dumpster. Weâll be back in a minute,â you tell your father.
âHey, could you hold on for a minute?â Barry asks you.
âYeah,â you nod.
âI can take the trash down,â Steve offers.
âAre you sure?â
âYeah, I got this. Iâm stronger than I look,â your boyfriend jokes.
âThank you,â you smile, handing him your trash bags.
Steve walks away. You and Barry are quiet for a moment, waiting until Steve is out of sight.Â
âAre you okay?â you ask with concern.
âYeah. I, uh, have something for you.â
Barry reaches into the pocket of his jeans and pulls out your necklace. Your jaw drops. He actually got it back!
âDo I even wanna know how you got this?â
Barry shakes his head and looks down at his feet. His mind briefly flashes to the moment he confronted the Chechen who broke into his home. Barry put a gun to his head and demanded the necklace back. He was so angry that he was seeing red. The man was lucky Barry didnât kill him. But your father isnât going to tell you about any of that...Â
You take a deep breath, knowing it would be best if you didnât push any more. Then you give Barry a big hug.Â
âThanks dad!âÂ
âOf course, kid,â Barry embraces you back.
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I promised that I would share the convo me and @time-flies-byâ had earlier today regarding the Maleficent AU post, so here it is!
-
time-flies-by
Dude that Maleficent AU-
angstymdzsthoughts
I knoooow
angstymdzsthoughts
It got a bit dark on me
time-flies-by
It did, but goddamn was it good!
angstymdzsthoughts
Right? I'm super happy with it
time-flies-by
As you should!
It actually gave me chills
angstymdzsthoughts
WWX goes to sleep in his husbands arms, happy and in love. Wakes up to that husband mutilating him
Thank you!!!
time-flies-by
The best part, is that LWJ doesnât even see anything wrong with it. Heâs just like, âit has to happenâ
angstymdzsthoughts
Yep! Just another part of getting married to him
time-flies-by
WWX definitely leaves understanding Madam Lan a lot better.
angstymdzsthoughts
Oof
LWJ grows up around spouses who seem perfectly happy with life after losing their wings
And his mother, who still had her wings, was miserable
So he thinks hes actually helping to make WWX happier
time-flies-by
Double oof
WWX really doesnât understand what he was getting himself into.
angstymdzsthoughts
Oh my god other spouses try to warn him (in a quiet subtle way so their husbands donât get upset)
angstymdzsthoughts
All the Lans are taught that this is a special, intimate experience between spouses
angstymdzsthoughts
I feel like Su She is jealous that LWJ got to experience that and is vindictively happy when WWX ran away
time-flies-by
Oh my god, the Lans all brainwashed into thinking that the tight smiles, and the tears are signs of love, when in reality their spouse is trying so hard to not hate them.
Soakxldowkenenw fuxking Su She
angstymdzsthoughts
The spouses are all trapped.
Oh wait
angstymdzsthoughts
The "soulmate" thing only happens once or twice in a generation and Madam Lan had been the most recent before WWX so the spouse around who tries to warn him away is an old woman who has been married and trapped in the CR for life 55 years
That makes it so much worse
time-flies-by
Oh my god, imagine wwx accidentally runs into the the wing room, and is absolutely horrified to find all the wings there, so he goes to lwj and is all like âLan Zhan? Whatâs this?â And LWJ just goes âdonât worry Wei ying, Iâll make sure that never happens to you.â And what he means is âIâll make sure your grounding isnât as painful as theirs.â
And wwx trusts LWJ 100%, but then their own grounding happens.
angstymdzsthoughts
OOF
Oh my god just rip my heart out
angstymdzsthoughts
All I can picture is WWX crying and calling LWJ a liar before he's silenced
Most disturbing part is how gentle and loving LWJ is being while hes Removing His Husbands Limbs
Soft little praises and telling WWX that they will be happy together now
angstymdzsthoughts
Ohhh WWX is totally gonna blame himself if he saw the wings and didn't immediately run
Gets to Yunmeng like 'how could I be so stupid to believe him'
time-flies-by
Ooh especially if the spouses before him tried warning him too.
angstymdzsthoughts
Yes
Exactly
time-flies-by
WWX: The signs were all there. . . There was a red flag everywhere!
angstymdzsthoughts
The way WWX sees it is like that 'face eating leopard party' meme
Everyone else is just plain horrified
time-flies-by
Oof đ
angstymdzsthoughts
LWJ is crying in the CR asking what he did wrong
Yunmeng Jiang is ready to start a war in order to get WWX his wings back
time-flies-by
Omg yesssss
The Lans are all clueless and offended because they see NOTHING wrong with their traditions.
angstymdzsthoughts
Someone tries to put it in perspective for them. "How would you react if your spouse cut off your hands?"
But the Lans dont get it and just dig their hole deeper. "Thats ridiculous! You Need hands! Wings are in no way a necessity."
time-flies-by
Aish đ
time-flies-by
Yeah no, the Jiangs are definitely cutting all ties with the Lan after that.
angstymdzsthoughts
The Lans argue that wings do nothing but make someone fickle and reckless and arrogant. They Need to be earth bound so they can learn stability and humbleness
...
Oh my god...
Horrible thought
time-flies-by
Do tell
angstymdzsthoughts
Some children of grounded spouses end up with wings too
But they get them cut off when they are younger
Should it be LXC or LWJ who use to have wings?
angstymdzsthoughts
Spend their entire adolescence being ashamed of the wings and eagerly waiting for the day they can be removed
time-flies-by
Oooh maybe LXC?
angstymdzsthoughts
The most recent wings added are a pair of small white ones maybe half the size of WWXs and the sight of them make him run out because he may be sick
time-flies-by
Oh god, what if thereâs like, a whole room just full of childrenâs wings.
Angstymdzsthoughts
Of course the Lans would keep them
Ohhh WWX hears people talking about the grounding ceremony that will follow the honeymoon and has no idea what their all talking about
He asks and the Lans explain that it's a sacred ceremony between spouses that truly binds the new spouse to the Lan family
WWX is like- oh wow that sounds really great! Like a big 'welcome to the family'!
time-flies-by
Oh no that make it worse! WWX is super excited for the ceremony. Heâs like hyping himself up nonstop.
angstymdzsthoughts
Oh with the Lan members with wings- they normally have a form of the grounding ceremony when they get their courtesy name and become a Real Lan. Lose your wings and get a name
Oh my gooood WWX and LWJ go to bed that night talking about how the bonding ceremony will be tomorrow morning and LWJ assures him that he knows WWX will be perfect
time-flies-by
Oh god no, Iâm just imagining a bunch of children scared but super willing to lose their wings, because theyâd been taught that having them made them everything the clan was against
angstymdzsthoughts
WWX, cuddling close: What if I mess up and make a fool of myself? No ones really told me what to do yet.
LWJ, petting WWXs wings lovingly: Don't worry, I'll take care of everything
Exactly
time-flies-by
Oooh I just got chills again
angstymdzsthoughts
Something about LWJ touching and admiring WWXs wings in this context... đš
time-flies-by
LWJ: once I get rid of these, heâll be all mine.
angstymdzsthoughts
Touching wings isn't a normal thing outside of family (given that touching in general isn't normal in Chinese culture) but WWX was always super ok with friends petting his wings. He totally offered to let LWJ touch his wings when they were teenagers after catching him admiring them
angstymdzsthoughts
LWJ hadn't felt a wing since his mother died shortly after her Binding and WWXs are a really beautiful glossy black color that turns a dark, rich purple if the light hits them just right. Of course he wants to touch
time-flies-by
đ„đ„
angstymdzsthoughts
LWJ, cautiously running one finger along the feathers: They are so big...
WWX: Of course they are! My wings have to be big and strong to carry me while I fly!
LWJ immediately snatching his hand back, suddenly cold at the remainder that WWX can and will fly away far, far away from him
time-flies-by
LWJ is really undermining the love WWX has for him by being that concerned that heâll leave him.
angstymdzsthoughts
He got brainwashed by his clan and he saw his mothers constant attempts to escape. Everyone around him said that the only reason she was trying to leave was because of her wings. If his own mother would leave him because of wings, what would stop WWX?
angstymdzsthoughts
Madam Lan got way too close to actually escaping and QHJ was pressured into finally doing the ceremony. Madam Lan didn't last long after that
time-flies-by sent a post Source (****)
angstymdzsthoughts
Hahaha
angstymdzsthoughts
You know what would be worse?
Baby A-Yuan with wings
time-flies-by
Oh noooooo
angstymdzsthoughts
Like au where LWJ didn't do the binding and unbrainwashed himself
Then A-Yuan is born with wings and he grows up being told he wonât be a Real Lan if he keeps them
So his parents have no plans of removing them but as his naming ceremony gets closer Yuan says he Wants to get rid of them
WWX is immediately packing a bag and getting him and his son the hell out of there. LWJ is right behind him with another bag
time-flies-by
Oof yes I like that
time-flies-by
But like what if, the day before they leave or something, A-yuan runs to the elders and tells them about what his parents plan to do, and heâs so desperate to get rid of his wings that he asks them to just do the ceremony there and then
angstymdzsthoughts
AAAAAAAAAA
time-flies-by
When LWJ and WWX wake, theyâre so stressed cause they canât find A-yuan, but a few minutes later he comes in all proud and wingless
angstymdzsthoughts
I mean since its Maleficent au wings are apparently magic and can be put right back on but Still
Horrible
WWX cries
LWJ is gonna fight to get his sons wings back and then get his family the hell out of there
Oh my god..... LWJ walking through a room full of tiny, near identical wings looking for the little pair that he would recognize anywhere
angstymdzsthoughts
Let's a few tears out when he finds them. Remembers helping WWX clean and groom them and watching while WWX taught their son to balance and fly using those wings
Hates himself for not seeing what his clan was doing to LSZ and not getting them away from all of it sooner
time-flies-by
Codnekaoenen perfect
time-flies-by
Heartbreaking, but perfect
angstymdzsthoughts
Also, if things had gone according to plan and they left before LSZ did the Binding
Yuan, struggling and crying: But I wonât be a Real Lan!
WWX, throwing Yuan over his shoulder to carry him mid tantrum: Then you're gonna be a Wei. Lan Zhan, would you please carry this bag?
LWJ, taking the bag: Mn. Wei Yuan sounds nice.
angstymdzsthoughts
Then they go to Yunmeng so LSZ can grow up in a healthier environment
time-flies-by
Oh I like your version better.
angstymdzsthoughts
You brought the pain, I brought a bandaid
time-flies-by
Haha yes yes, thank you
angstymdzsthoughts
Oof tho. LWJ finds the wings and brings them home where WWX is guarding Yuan while he sleeps. They Return the wings while Yuan sleeps and return to making plans to go to Yunmeng once Yuan wakes
When he wakes up and has his wings back he bursts into tears.
angstymdzsthoughts
Could be because he really missed his wings and is glad to have them back or because this means he's gonna have to go through the grounding AGAIN and it really hurt the first time and he doesn't want to go through it again. Maybe both
time-flies-by
If both, then WWX and LWJ will do their best to reassure him that he wonât have to go through the grounding ever again.
angstymdzsthoughts
Aww little Yuan crying so hard he can hardly breath and bringing his wings around himself so he can pet and groom them because he needs to make sure this is real and their back
angstymdzsthoughts
Oof. Imagine LXC seeing this and wishing he could have kept his wings. Goes to visit his wings and knows that they are too small to fit his body now that hes an adult so he's lost his chance
time-flies-by
*sigh* we really should give LXC a break.
angstymdzsthoughts
Never
Ok how about he gets his wings back and even tho there too small because they never got the chance to grow with him and he'll never be able to fly hes so unbelievably happy
WWX and Yuan teach him how to groom his wings correctly because the only person who ever did that was his mother and he cant quite remember how to do it
time-flies-by
*sniff* family bonding time
angstymdzsthoughts
He starts an arrangement with Yunmeng Jiang so he can send any winged Lans to them for half the year so they can learn that having wings Isnt the worse thing in the world
time-flies-by
Oooh yes yes
Thatâs good.
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Our Songs | pt. 6 | Wendy x F!Reader SM!AU
Word Count: 2.7k
A/N: I hope the word count marginally makes up for the fact this series has been on a three month hiatus lol, don't worry though it'll finish soon!
Date: 6/10/21
Series Masterlist
Ever since you and Wendy exchanged numbers you find your hand unconsciously reaching out to your phone throughout the day. You hope to find a notification from her when you turn it on. Thankfully she always seemed to respond back, but even when she didn't you'd put your phone down to repeat the loop. You tried your best to make sure it didn't interfere with your work, but still, your day was marked by Wendy. Although she wasn't there physically your conversations always carried through day and night.
You've known her to be a warm person, always friendly and comforting. You hope you're not reading into things too much, but sometimes you read her messages and your heart skips a beat. The way she would talk about you would make you flustered. It would force you to put your phone down for a second, unable to comprehend the positivity. Then the thought that maybe she was flirting would creep into your head.
The idea that you're just imagining things always comes back to fight it though.
Shaking your head you decide not to contemplate the idea further. After all she was going to come over soon and you needed to focus on finishing your songs. Thinking about any possible romantic feelings was the last thing you wanted to do. Especially with her in front of you.
Luckily the thoughts dissipate as you zone into the work in front of you, scrutinizing every detail you possibly could. You let yourself sink into the feeling of the songs, letting it help guide your decisions in mixing. As quickly as you get focused though, you're broken out of your zone when you hear knocking on the door. Before answering you run to the mirror and take a quick look while trying to make sure you look presentable. When you rush up to the door to open it you act like nothing happened.
"H-hello! Welcome again to my humble abode!" You say it with a smile, trying to suppress the sudden fluttering feeling in your stomach.
"Hey!" She says while looking up and down at you. "Looks like we're accidentally matching today, huh?" Wendy walks past the door and you close it behind her. You take a moment to look at her outfit and then at yours. The both of you had a very blue color palette.
"Well, way to steal the spotlight. You look way cuter than me." You don't sound as confident as you'd like, your voice bordering on the softer and quieter side. You realize you haven't felt this nervous in a while.
"As if that could ever be possible!" Wendy turns her head back at you as she walks towards your room. She rolls her eyes and sticks her tongue at you, only to quickly smile at your remark. "Now stop being silly and let's work."
You follow her into your bedroom and sit down in front of your computer. She sits on a familiar stool and the two of you immediately start working. You share what you have so far, all you do is record some more vocals, including harmonies and adlibs. You polish things with Wendy by your side to help make some stylistic choices. It took a few hours that only felt like mere minutes.
The sun is still out, unlike the first time the two of you had worked together. This leads you to ask Wendy something before she would leave.
"While we're here we should just record the collab video, yeah?" Wendy's eyes light up in recollection of your previous conversation.
"That sounds good, how about we do the Q&A type video today? I can just message Yeri for some questions."
"Sure, I'll ask Seulgi to make up some interesting things for us to answer too."
The two of you didn't have to wait long as both of your friends replied fast, excited to help out and excited to have some questions answered. You situate yourself next to Wendy in a comfortable position and get the camera ready. After getting the camera in position you take the time to fix the lighting in your room, making sure to have a soft and natural feeling with the lights.
Finally, the red light begins to blink on your camera and you wave. Wendy follows along and flashes the camera a friendly look. You give a quick introduction for the video.
"Hey everybody! I'm here with Wendy today to do a little Q&A type video for you guys! We've both gotten some questions from our friends and it's just to share a little about us, how we feel about our collaboration, behind the scenes type of stuff, you know?" Wendy tilts her head and looks at you as you talk, nodding to your words.
"I really can't wait to answer these questions with you." She says with a smile. She looks back at the camera as she pulls her phone out and looks at her messages with Yeri. "Neither of us have prepared any script or anything. We've barely even looked at the questions they've sent us!" You nudge Wendy with your elbow and laugh at a thought.
"What if they sent us something inappropriate?"
"Oh god, Yeri totally would." You both giggle before Wendy prompts you to start reading questions first.
"Alright we'll stop wasting our audience's precious time now. My dear Seulgi's first question is⊠"what were your first impressions?" Wendy doesn't hesitate to answer the question as soon as it was asked.
"Oh! Whenever Y/N entered the café we were meeting in I was kind of surprised! She doesn't post a lot of pics of herself so to see someone as talented as her in real life was an honor. She's really cute, right?" She reaches out to pinch the cheek of your so-called cute face. You strain a smile of embarrassment at her antics.
"Yeah yeah, I don't record myself a lot." When she stops her assault on your face you follow-up with your opinion. "For Wendy⊠I was also really surprised⊠I think I'm really lucky. You guys should know that a camera really doesn't do her justice! When I first met her she certainly gave off a very approachable demeanor too."
"Why do you think that?"
"I don't know? I was really nervous meeting you, yet when I saw you and when we got to talk the atmosphere turned into something really comfortable fast. Let's just move on to the next question." You take a look at your phone again to see Seulgi's question. "What's your favorite thing about the other? Well, Wendy has always been so sweet, it's been wonderful working with her. I appreciate the care and dedication to her work that she has shown me. Her musicality really helped pull everything together, and when I was stuck she was always there to give me a fresh perspective."
"Aww, that's so sweet of you." Wendy says with a blush on her face, her hand covering her face as she laughs a bit. "It's strange to be talking to you like this, I feel like. I think you're a really straightforward person but we haven't really talked about our opinions to this extent! Especially to a camera. Ah⊠well I think I could really say everything the same for Y/N." Wendy nods a bit in thought before continuing on. "To add to it though, I think Y/N has just always been so considerate to me. Like, beyond being a great musician she has been a good person to me. I think if you've seen some of our interactions on Twitter you'll know that she ended up cooking a wonderful meal for me on our first meeting. I think that if she wasn't as nice as she is, we wouldn't have had this much fun together⊠wait, this has been fun for you too, right?"
"Oh my god, yes it has. How could you doubt that?" You punch her arm with a fake upset face. You turn back to the camera. "Guys, we've hung out and have talked soooo much outside of our collab. I literally don't understand how she can have a single doubt in her mind about us having fun."
"It doesn't hurt to clarify! Anyways, next question now! And stop punching so hard!"
"Oh hush, it wasn't that hard. Oh hmm, to go along with that Seulgi wonders what our least favorite thing about each other is."
"That's an easy one!" Wendy says all too excitedly. You make a shocked expression, worry flooding your system as Wendy points at you with a smile. "I hate how you're absolutely brimming with talent! Your work is impeccable! Musical genius!"
You groan as your body crumples. "You nearly gave me a heart attackâŠ" Your voice is muffled between your knees.
"It's true though!" Wendy says in a sing-song voice, her face smug in satisfaction to see your scared reaction. "Otherwise there's nothing I can really say."
You gather the strength to get back up and face the camera, then Wendy. Your face is still filled with disappointment but you take your time to stare at Wendy. As you stare at her she seems to come undone as she nervously looks away.
"What are you doing?" A red color subtly creeps up her neck.
"I'm just thinking. I'm thinking that⊠You also have nothing wrong with you." Wendy can't help but to roll her eyes at your comment. "Except for being awfully cheesy. It makes me wanna go bury myself in a ditch so I won't have to hear your stupid cheesiness again."
"Whatever, whatever. It's my turn to read the questions. Now⊠this is a good one, "what has the work process been like?"
"Well that's obvious, I do all the work and Wendy leeches off of me like a parasite."
"Hey! Just because it's true doesn't mean you have to say it to the world!" Her response throws you into a fit of laughter, turning you into a mess.
"Oh my, no no! It's really not like that. I would say we have an equal workload, or a workload that makes sense between our respective positions." Wendy shakes her head in disagreement.
"I don't feel so. I feel like Y/N always does so much work, and she does it so quickly too. It makes me feel kind of bad when I sit beside her and see her work her magic. When she's focused and working so hard it's quite amazing."
"Ah geez." You shyly scratch the back of your neck. "Wendy's always like this, complimenting me. Like I said earlier though, she really helps bring me new perspective when I'm stuck and her musicality is like nothing else. She always takes the time to sit next to me and monitor things too. It's not like she's a third party to the process. Not only that," You take the time to send Wendy a smile in an attempt to reassure her that you're not burdened with work. You want her to know that you appreciate her part of the creative process, "but nothing really feels like hard work when I'm with you."
Wendy has a hard time processing your words, so instead of addressing it she decides to just further elaborate her answer to the question.
"Well, I'll just lay down the process for everyone. Obviously, Y/N produces and I sing. Although after enough convincing from me you'll hear her singing on the tracks as well, so say thank you! It all started when Y/N took the time to reach out to me, which I was really excited about by the way, and then we both agreed to meet up at a local place. We just talked about concepts and our availability. We both ended up writing songs and worked together on what we wanted to keep or change. Everything productive happens here," Wendy opens her arms to gesture to the area around her, "at Y/N's place. Even though I have audio equipment at my place too we just record things here."
"Yeah, everything she said is true. I have a little set-up here in my room. I don't think I've ever really shown you guys it? I mean, I've shown my guitar collection before but not all my other equipment yet. I'll film that another time though. Next question?"
"Oh this is kind of interesting to think about, "what do you think the reception of your mini-album will be?" The both of you take a moment to think about it. Recalling many of the things you've read on social media you decided to speak first.
"Well, I think it'll be extremely beneficial to the both of us in multiple ways. I mean first off, I guess by our genre of music we have a lot of overlap between fans. There's been an overwhelming amount of support from fans who are excited to see the both of us collaborate and interact. I have no doubt that it'll do well since it's so highly anticipated by our fans. It'll be even better if you guys manage to stream and share it!" Throughout your explanation you begin to give Wendy shy glances. "I think that even if we drop our music and it doesn't meet much success, I would've gained a lot. I think working together with Wendy has helped me grow as a musician and anything that I learn here I will utilize in the future."
At your last comment Wendy seemed to get excited and she quickly added on.
"Exactly! If anything the most important part about all of this is the fact that I have gained skills as a musician and gained a friend. That greatly outweighs any potential of success." Wendy has a bright smile on her face, happy to be able to call you a friend.
"That doesn't mean we don't want you guys to go ahead and share our music by the way." You joke light-heartedly. "It would mean a lot if you did."
"Now final question for this video! We've been talking too much." Wendy looks at her phone, unlike before she takes a couple seconds before reading the question aloud. "Uh, I think this should be fun to answer. "What do you want to do in the future together?" I think that obvious answer is to make more music!"
You chuckle at her answer before responding as well. "Going to each other's places to have a jam session doesn't sound bad, but hanging out in general is good. We'll definitely continue being friends, and if the reception for our collab is really good we might do another one? That is, of course, if Wendy is okay with that."
"I would be more than happy to do that. I was also thinking of forcing you to binge watch more shows and movies with me."
"Only if you stop hogging the popcorn. Anyways, I think this should be the end of our video. I highly encourage all of you to check-out Wendy's channel in a couple days. The day right before release we're going to be dropping one more video together! Bye-bye!" You wave a goodbye to the camera with a smile. Wendy joins you in your outro.
"See you guys soon!"
You go to turn your camera off as Wendy goes to gather her things. After turning off your lights you go to sit back down on your seat, importing the recently filmed footage to your computer. Wendy takes this moment to sit down next to you again.
"Again, thank you for your hard work!" She says it with a smile as she brings her hand on your arm. "I'm always amazed with the quality of your work and how quickly you can do it."
"No problem, I'll send the songs to you later for your feedback. We'll be able to post everything soon." You smile back at her and give her hand a comforting squeeze. A part of you wishes you could keep your hand there forever.
"Alright, well see you at my place soon!"
When you finally hear the click of your door closing you let out a sigh. You don't want to think about it. You don't want to face it.
You don't want to face the possibility that you've fallen.
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Daydreaming about Silver isnât good for your Health. Chapter 1:Â Do you really need a reason to celebrate?
My first fanfiction I wrote. Post Canon GinTsu story. Does ignore some original story parts. All characters involved are adults. Later chapters are full of smut.Â
Genre: Smut, Fluff, Light Angst, PWP
Rating: Explicit
Word Count: 3,010
"Oi old hag, give me more sake" Gintoki shouted, slamming his fist on the counter.
The ochoko in front of him rattled under the force.Â
"Why should I? It's not like you're willing to pay for it. Stop drinking and get out!" Otose yelled back at him.
"What are you saying? I have my money right here!" He babbled back at her and waved his hands, but instead of pointing at his wallet, Gintoki pointed at his crotch region.Â
Otose clicked her tongue in disgust.
"I even won something at the Pachinko today, that's why I need to celebrate - that's why everyone needs to celebrate with me. Excluding you cause you need to serve me more sake on this special occasion!" He continued.
"Forget it already! You're only here because you think you can invite everyone on the house. I'll kick you out of my apartment tomorrow!" Otose was getting impatient with him.
"Otose-san, please calm down." Shinpachi pleaded, but he couldn't hear Otoses answer.
The bar was packed to the brim and the noises made his ears tingle.
"PATSUAN stop talking to that hag. She will rob you. No more talking, more drinking!" Gintoki leaned over to Shinpachi, the scent of the alcohol brushing over his nostrils and he basically screamed in his ear.
What money though?
Shinpachi sighed and got up from his chair next to Gintoki.
Let them fight, itâs never a serious matter anyways.
He left him alone fighting with Otose-san.
On the surface, nothing really changed in the last few years.
But in reality, a lot has changed.
Someone would notice it in the small details:
Katsura celebrating alongside the Shinsengumi.
Kaguras growth spurt.
The slightly different flair of the bar, after it was destroyed a few years ago and the weird forming of couples.
Even the gorilla had given up his stalking habbit.
Shinpachi still had no luck though. But he always appeased himself, that Gintoki did neither in his early thirties. So in conclusion, it wasnât that bad to concentrate on more important things in life before finding the love of your life.
There was the Dojo.
And of course Otsu-chan.Â
Shinpachi nodded with a smile, lost in his thoughts.Â
Gintoki really invited everyone. Hasegawa was sitting next to him and enjoyed the "free" drinks while listening to Gintokis and Otoses fighting. It didn't even bother him that Gintoki started bragging about his Pachinko winning streak.
He was just happy to be here.
It wasn't that much but still more than he ever owned since he got homeless and after all these years, Gintoki started to feel bad for him. Everyone kind of got their lifes sorted, but he was still living on the streets. Usually Gintoki would not care to ask him to get a drink with him, but they are pachinko buddies, so he felt the obligation to invite him.Â
Otae and Kyuubei sat at one of the tables and enjoyed their drinks together with Zura and Elisabeth. Toujou sat between them and nodded heavily at everything they said. It was a weird sight, but today was different. It's a celebration after all. What a stupid reason for a celebration. I could have come up with something better. Gintoki thought after the pointless debate with his landlady. He hoped no one would get behind the actual reason. His eyes wandered lazily through the room.Â
Hijikata, Sougo and Kondo arrived at the bar a few minutes ago and were already in a heated discussion if they should kick out Hijikata for putting disgusting amounts of mayo in his beer. Gintoki didnât remember inviting them, it was probably Kagura's doing. Even Gengai had found his way here for a small drink. But instead of enjoying himself, he eagerly worked on an update for Tama who was standing right next to him.Â
She was also here.
He had noticed her arrival before she even stepped through the sliding door. He always feels her presence lingering through the back of his head.
After all those years of knowing her, he had never felt nervous or anxious around her. In fact, her presence comforted him in a strange way.
She was such a good friend.
But the last few weeks have been different. It all started with an accidental meeting they had on the streets of Kabuki-chĆ.
a few weeks prior
It was a sunny day, not too warm, not too cold. Cicadas chirped, the streets were busy, lively conversations echoed through the streets. All in all, the perfect summer day.
After a job well done, Gintoki and Kagura were casually strolling through the alleys of Kabuki-cho, when they came across a Pop Up Shop that sold kinky stuff. Gintoki didnât bat an eye on it, but Kagura stopped in front of the store windows, since she never saw this special kind of shop out in the open. They were advertising a lot of different things and displayed strap-ons in the store windows. A vast sign in the window read:
Can a man really size up to these?
Try them out now!
Kagura read the sign and glanced over to Gintoki.
"Gin-chan, why are they displaying them in public? Are they trying to make men insecure? Are they making you insecure?" she asked innocently.
Gintoki stopped in his tracks, a vein popped on his forehead. "HUH?" Why are you asking?â He snarled at her, impatient to get home. Why is she asking those kind of things? Stop annoying me. Â
âWhy are you so snappy, are ya scared that they are bigger than you, huh?â Kagura started to laugh and his face began to burn.Â
âTch, of course notâ He mumbled back at her. âWhy would I of all men be scared?â Nervously, he clenched his fists.Â
âMaybe because youâre a liar.â She retorted.Â
âLying about what?â
She pointed at the sign. Gintoki had already read what was on it and he sighed.Â
"Well, it's definitely not right to brag in front of you,but you leave me no choice." His eyes brushed over the selection and finally, he pointed at a model that was roughly 25 centimeters. "I definitely can."
"Nah you're lying. The screwdriver you once had was bigger than your actual thing!" she snickered.
"I'm not lying, shut up!" He was getting very uncomfortable while talking about those things with Kagura. But she was an adult now and it should be normal to talk about this as adults, right? Right?
"Liar!" She screamed.
"Oi, let's go, we need to be at home soon." Gintoki ignored her bickering.
He wanted to get home quickly since Bleach had a rerun and he didnât want to miss it.Â
He turned around fast while he started to walk, so he didnât notice the woman standing behind him. He slammed straight into Tsukuyo. She was just standing there, now close to him. A little too close. Gintoki guessed she just wanted to say hello and overheard their conversation. Oh..
"Tsukuyo.. why.. what are you doing here?" He asked in confusion to meet her here and she stumbled backwards.Â
Tsukuyo didn't answer. She was visibly getting nervous and her ears started to glow a bright pink. Kagura turned around with a smile.Â
"Tsukki! We were just talking about this weird shop there. I guess they just want to make men insecure!" She explained, happy to meet Tsukuyo again.
"..uh. yeah I guess so." She said with a lowered voice. "We have a lot of those shops in Yoshiwara though."
"But why are you making a face like that then?" Kagura asked.
"Uhm.. what?" The color from her ears slowly spread to her face.Â
"Is it because of what Gin-chan said?"Â
"Ka.. Kagura!" Gintoki was shocked how blatant she could be sometimes.
âDonât worry, heâs lying!âÂ
âKagura, stop!â Gintoki felt his face burning again.
Kagura ignored him and her eyes flicked between his and Tsukuyos face, visibly enjoying their ashamed reactions. A grin plastered her face.Â
"Excuse me, I.. I need ta go." Tsukuyo turned around and hurried away from them in a different direction.
"Tsukuyo, wait!" He weakly held out his hand, but she was already gone.
Since then, he always felt nervous thinking about her. And he did think a lot about her in the last days.
He doesn't even understand why. Itâs not like it was an unusual situation for him, things like that happened a lot in this district and she for sure was used to it as well. But something was... odd.
The truth was, he was just making up an excuse to invite everyone and have her invited as well. They hadn't met since that incident and he felt the strong urge to see her again. While planning this whole thing earlier, he casually asked Kagura if Tsukuyo would also come to the party. Kagura just grinned at him.
"Of course I already invited Tsukki. She's coming just for you!"
Her reaction kind of scared him. He still didnât figure out why. But right now it didn't really matter, he could not concentrate on that anyways. His mind was a little blurry from the alcohol and drinking was the only solution he knew against his growing nervousness. Without turning around, he felt her walking past him.Â
His ears prickled.Â
"maa Gin-san, what's wrong? Did you drink too much?" Hasegawa noticed his weird behaviour.
"Urgh, shut up. Itâs nothing" Gintoki snarled back.
Tsukuyo elegantly sat down at the end of the bar, as far away as possible. Gintoki noticed Kagura immediately spurting to the bar stool next to her and they started talking. Gintoki lowered his eyes and focused his empty ochoko in front of him.Â
"Where is my drink? Didn't I tell you to give me more?" Gintoki shouted more aggressively than he intended to.
"Pay your rent and I'll give you more, that was the answer."Â
While picking up their pointless fight again, Gintoki overheard Kagura snickering. Tsukuyo was quiet, but Kagura didn't stop her laughter. He just hoped Kagura wasn't making her uncomfortable.
Ultimately, it was his job to do that.
Shinpachi heard it as well and got worried about what Kagura was on about again. For a few weeks now, she tried to act mysterious. She was planning something, but Shinpachi couldn't figure it out yet. Still standing next to his seat, he decided to interfere and walked over to them.Â
"Kagura, what are you doing?" He asked as soon as he reached the two women.Â
"Oh Shinpachiiii I'm not doing anything!" She replied, still snickering.
"Sure.â Shinpachi adjusted his glasses thoughtfully. âBut it doesn't look like Tsukuyo-san is enjoying your ânothingâ!" Kagura stopped laughing, but continued to smile.Â
"She was teasing me about liking that ass face Sougo over there, so I told her she should just admit that she wants to fuck Gin-chan - "
"Kagura!" Shinpachi yelled, his eyes widened in shock. Â
"- and she didn't even deny it yet." Kagura finished her sentence.
"Kagura, you can't say that, that's rude!"
"But Shinpachi, it's the truth! I know it!" Kagura slammed her fist on the bar, emphasizing her words.
"Stop making assumptions about other people's lives, Kagura!" Again, Shinpachi adjusted his glasses, but this time it was rather shaky.Â
Tsukuyos mind was blank. What did she say? Why would she bring that up? How could she know what was haunting her dreams for the last months? Or did she just try to make a joke.. yeah, yeah that's probably it. Â
Tsukuyo came here with the expectation to have a nice and chill evening with Kagura and Otae. At least that's what Kagura told her on the phone earlier. She arrived at the bar and saw a lot more familiar faces than she anticipated.
And then she saw him.
His broad back facing her, he was fighting his usual arguments with Otose. She involuntarily tensed up, averted her eyes and hurried to get the opposite side of the establishment.
She didn't want to meet him.
Not after all those embarrassing dreams.
"I just know it, it is obvious! I'm sure everyone knows it!" Kagura's voice broke through her thoughts.Â
"I don't understand what you're talking about Kagura, please just leave Tsukuyo alone!" Shinpachi replied desperately. Apparently, they had exchanged a few more words while Tsukuyo was caught in her thoughts.Â
"Shinpachi, you can't be serious. You're such a virgin." Kagura snickered.
"Kagura!" Shinpachi's face turned red. Kagura continued to tease the poor boy and Tsukuyo was glad she wasn't the center of attention anymore.Â
"He doesn't even know I'm here. Why should he care.." Tsukuyo mumbled to herself, nervously tapping her fingers against her thighs. Â
"Tsukki, tell him!" Kagura exclaimed all of a sudden. Tsukuyo froze.Â
"Tell him what?" Tsukuyo asked casually.Â
She hadnât listened to Shinpachis and Kagura's conversation anymore.
"Yea, tell him what?"
Asked the voice that makes her skin prickle in excitement. She turned her head around, knowing what, or rather who was behind her and looked directly into mischievous shining crimson eyes. Her heart stumbled.
"Uh.. I .. nothing. I don't even know what they're talkinâ about. Really, ya should mentor ya kids better." She tried to act cool, while choking on her kiseru with closed eyes, coughing in his face.Â
"What do you want to tell me? " He continued, unbothered by the smoke.
His words were enough to make her knees weak and Tsukuyo was glad that she wasn't standing. She would be lying on the floor by now, struck by his intense stare. It sent a cold shiver down her spine, and as he slightly tilted his head in a silent question, she could feel her face heating up.Â
"Who said we.. we are talking about ya?" She stammered.Â
"We were!" Kagura yelled from behind her.Â
Please Kagura, shut up, only this one time! She pleaded silently.
"You were? " Gintoki was teasing her, a light smile played around his lips.
Tsukuyo was sure he was drunk, but right now, he didn't even seem tipsy anymore. His eyes were clear as day. It almost seemed like he was prepared for this and he captured her quick glances at his face with his eyes. Was she imagining things or did she catch a glimpse of pure, primal lust in his eyes. She blinked and it was gone. Dead, bored fish eyes stared back at her, almost uninterested.Â
He didn't hear what Kagura said, did he? No, that's impossible. Â
Tsukuyo could not focus, not with him in front of him, not with him looking at her, waiting for an answer. She tried to look somewhere else and began to stare at his arms. His right arm, biceps flexed, was supporting his weight on the bar counter. Is he doing that on purpose? She didn't realize until recently how muscular he really was, or rather, she didnât really care about it prior to their.. encounter.
Why would he need to flex his arms while he was just standing. Veins stretched over his muscles, hypnotizing her more and more the longer she stared. She could almost grasp his blood pumping through them, if he would just let her touch him. Tsukuyo imagined her nails scratching along them, his hands sliding up her spine, pulling her hair and bowing her back and -
"And?"
He was still staring at her, waiting for an answer.
shit.
Gladly, Otose interfered before Tsukuyo had the time to make up an answer.Â
"You know, Gintoki, I could forget about the rent if you just gave me some damn grandkids." She said thoughtfully, while puffing out the smoke from her cigarettes.
For a second, Tsukuyo really believed that Otose would distract Gintoki from the question. But actually, she made it even worse.
"HUH, what are you saying woman?" Gintoki snorted at Otose.
"I said you should give me grandkids!" Otose replied a little louder.Â
"How does this affect me baba?!â Gintokis attention was now directed at the bar owner.
However, his body was still facing Tsukuyo and now, while he was getting worked up again, he flexed his supporting arm even more and unwittingly leant closer to her. The closer he got, the more she felt like her head would explode. Tsukuyos ears were as hot as the midsummer weather outside and her heartbeat quickened, racing the blood through her own veins.Â
"Tch, don't play stupid, you idiot."Â
"Don't call me stupid, there's no one in this bar who could give you your damn grandkids!"
Tsukuyo flinched. Gintoki noticed that and he turned his head back to her. What's wrong with her, is she in pain? He was confused. His arm started to hurt and he shifted it around. He had placed it in an uncomfortable position in an attempt to cover up his nervousness. Of course, it didnât work.Â
Kagura noticed Tsukuyos reaction as well.
"Gin-chan you idiot, shut up!"Â
"What the hell did I do wrong? " Gintoki now yelled at Kagura.
"Ah whatever, I donât have the nerves for this." Otose left them fighting and walked over to her paying customers.
"Everything, you're doing everything wrong!" Kagura exclaimed.
âI would be very happy if you could just explain me what the fuck I did do wrong!â
âYouâre making her feel bad!â
âWho?âÂ
âMen are stupid, men are really stupid!â Kagura threw her hands up.Â
"Oh you think so? Go tell your loverboy Okita-kun, maybe he cares about your bullshit." Gintoki mocked her.Â
"ew he's not my lover, I could never love a punchable face like that." Kagura's face was genuinely disgusted. Gintoki and Kagura turned their heads as they heard Sougo's sadistic laughter from the table. He was smirking with his eyes closed. Glancing over to Kagura.
"Oh I will make you love me." He whispered loud enough for them to hear it.
âYou! Shut up or Iâll make you!â Kagura was visibly getting angry, cracked her knuckles and stomped over to their table in an attempt to beat him up.
"No Kagura, stop!" Shinpachi yelled franticaly and followed her.
And with that, facing each other, Gintoki and Tsukuyo were alone.
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Ruin Me
Quick little reader insert imagine based off this post. Based off a non-ask...
*Update: Now a full length story! Check out Masterlist for my chapters?*
Pairing:Â CEO! Henry Cavill x Female! Reader
Rating: M
Warnings: Power imbalance, dom! Henry, sub! reader, fingering, dirty talk...
Song choice: Funny How Time Flies- Meshell Ndegeocello
PART 2 HERE
 â Y/N can you bring me a cup of coffee...please.â
His voice wasnât raised but his tone told you all you needed to know.Â
He was not happy. Not happy at all.Â
He had called you from the phone in his office, not even bothering to call through the door or better yet come to the door himself which he usually did when he needed something from you and was in a good mood. You donât dwell on it much and you get to your feet, and hustle over to break room to make a fresh pot of coffee.Â
It doesnât take long; you wait the ten minutes to brew, taking note that your coworkers are packing up for the night. You look at the clock and realize you better do the same.
Although you have nowhere special to be the last thing you wanted to do on a Friday night was spend more time at the office. You didnât complain much, the job wasnât had for you. You hadnât been with the company long but you were sure you liked it thus far.
You were Executive Assistant to the CEO of Cavill Industries. a company he started with his brothers years ago and had grown to be a world wide force. Henry Cavill may not have been the eldest brother but he certainly was the most determined and invested of the 5 and more so than any man you had met. This was why they made him the CEO.Â
You also thought that had something to do with the fact that he honestly was the best looking brother out of all of them.
The face of the company.
He had to stand out in a crowd, oh and Henry Cavill certainly did.
You could admit to no one but yourself that you had found him extremely attractive during your third and final interview where you finally got to meet him. If he wasnât your boss, he would be exactly the type of guy you went for in terms of looks. Tall, dark curly hair, a jawline that could cut glass, dazzling smile and sharp blue eyes that seemed to pinpoint everythingÂ
Including any mistakes you made.
He had made adjusting to this new job hard for you.
Pointing out every mistake, forcing you to redo whole reports that people who got paid a lot more than you should have been doing
But nooooo
He âtrusted â a.k.a could hover over you while you fixed it.â causing more late nights and overtime than you cared to think about.
Forget a social life, everything had to be about him.
You had to be everything.Â
In your job interview nobody had mentioned you would be basically in charge of his life.Â
Dry Cleaning, arranging his groceries to be delivered, you were even his dog walker on the days he brought his cute Akita Kal-El to the office.Â
Yea that was totally fun in the heels he forced you into everyday.
You had tried wearing respectable flats after your first week with sore feet and he vetoed that almost immediately.Â
Saying it wasnât âseemlyâ and that you were the assistant to the CEO and you should dress like it. Needless to say half of the time you wanted to slap him. The other time you were ridiculously turned on. I mean despite being an ass sometimes he played right into your masochistic streak. The way he spoke to you, wasnât nasty but it had a very direct way that left no room for arguing or confusion. Just like with the heels. You normally would have argued your point, maybe even seen if he would come to some sort of compromise but you didnât with him. You just kept the flats in your car and a pair under your desk for when you were sitting at your desk and for the days he was out of office.Â
That sort of sneaky was not like you at all. You just preferred to pull off the band-aid so to speak, but Mr. Cavill was not for any of that.
All you said to him when the response he wanted was obvious was a yes sir or no sir.Â
You made his coffee just as he liked two cubes of sugar, and a splash of cream. He always would like three extra cubes of sugar on the side, adding the extras depending on how his day had been going. The more sugar added the better his day. You walk as smooth as you can to his office, the large dark door. You donât bother to knock, sliding open the door to his office, begging your heels not to catch on the floor. You sit his coffee on the desk, to his right, and far enough from his hand that he doesnât accidentally knock it over.Â
You smooth out your black mid length dress, and try not to fidget with your red belt that gives a retro theme to the look, and you even had a red purse and red blazer to wear with it (which you had ditched mid-morning). You slip back out the door when he doesnât look at you. You pick up the tablet you use to keep track of everything on a mobile basis. You pull up his calendar and head back into the large office.Â
The office itself had never intimidated you despite the large solid oak desk in the middle of the room. It felt open because of the floor to ceiling windows that had automatic curtains that came down on command. You actually loved his office despite the fact that you didn't spend a lot of time in it. You re-enter his office, and stand in front of the desk looking down at the calendar.
  âOkay before the day ends I would like to go over your schedule for the weekend.â
He finally looked up at you, his blue eyes giving direct contact, that you couldnât hold and went back to the glowing tablet, where the sun was starting to set outside.Â
 âYou have a dinner meeting tonight which starts at 6:30pm; a 30 minute commute time which means you need to be out of here in the next 45 minutes, if you would like to arrive with your 15 minute grace period as normal.â
He doesnât say anything at first, then takes off the reading glasses off his face and tosses them on the desk.
 âContinue.â
 â Not too many things on the agenda for this weekend except for family brunch on Sunday. Your mother requests you arrive on time this time.â
You regulate a smirk to the side of your mouth.
 âIâve arranged for a bouquet of flowers to be delivered to your house by 9am for you to take over there to her.â
 âI donât suppose I have any missed messages from today?â
You look at him confused.
 âUmmm....no. Were you expecting a call?â
He sighs and rubs the temples of his head, clearly upset something.
 âNo...yes...donât worry about it. Youâve already arranged for a car for me?â
Yep, he was upset and he was not about to share it with you. You didnât press him, only prayed it didnât result in a hell of a clean-up for you later. You had been the bad guy with no less than 4 woman, all of them glaring and spiting nasty vitriol at you when you wouldnât give them access to Henry. You had seen them all come and go.
 âYes.â
He looks you over, getting to his feet, walking over to the door you knew to be an en-suite bathroom and keeping his extra changes of clothes.
 â Do you have any plans for tonight?â
He asks you suddenly and puts you on the spot. You donât even have a lie to cover up how pitiful your life was, but you had to try. He didnât need to know you donât have anything planned tonight but a glass of wine and catching up on your TV shows you missed for all the overtime youâve been working.Â
 âYes.â
 âLike what?â
He asks almost immediately as if knowing you were lying. You had to try and get out of some crazy overtime he was known for. You didnât want another late night in the office.
 âUmmm...â
As noted earlier you didnât think well on the spot. He raises an eyebrow at you.
 âYou know I donât appreciate liars Y/N. Anyhow if you are done lying to me, the meeting for tonight requires a...feminine touch.â
 âFeminine touch?â
You echo. He goes into the closet and you can hear him changing. You try not to think about him behind the wall.
 âYes. The people I am meeting with require a bit of finesse. The negotiations always go better when we bring our women to the meetings.â
âSoo... would you like me to call someone for you. I can have a dress sent over in their size to smooth the deal over.â
He laughs at you.
 âNo. Grab your things and call the car service to get here in 10 minutes.â
 â What stop the press? Are you putting me out of the office before you for once?â
You quip at him. He comes from around the corner his attire changed into a black button down shirt, left with the top few unbuttoned. He adjusts the sleeves and looks up with you.
 âNo you are going with me Y/N and we must hurry, you are going to require another dress.â
 âBut...â
 âNo buts. I need you and you are wasting time.â
He picks up a black suit jacket, his cologne hitting you with an umpf he walks by you to get to the car...
*********
The dinner had gone great from what you could tell. You saw a whole other side of Henry. One that was only observed under the rarest of occasions.Â
At least for you.
Overall you werenât asked for much, Henry had bought you another black dress only this one was a bit more leggy than you were used to around such important people. Its spaghetti strapped and sweetheart neckline, offering way more cleavage than you would ever consider wearing around him, but Henry had literally come in with you, pulling it from the rack along with a few other choices and this was the tamest all the options he left you. You damn near had a panic attack in the dressing room. The women in the boutique had fixed your hair and makeup in the little amount of time you had, once again at Henryâs behest. You hadnât be so pulled together since... well you couldnât remember....
Henry had even been nice to you all evening, but you knew it was all an act, even if your body did respond to the compliments and lingering looks, the smile he would shoot you, he had even let his hands skim across your lower back.Â
You did your best not to read into anything. Had even gone along with the little game he was playing, being over sweet, playing with the curls on the nape of his neck, your hands lingering on his arms. Enough to suggest without being outwardly desperate and trashy. You were ever the smiling damsel to his associates, laughing at the jokes, ignoring the sexist comments about your dress or the âarm candyâ they referred to you as, despite it pissing you off.
You stayed to yourself most for the ride back to the office, and he stays quiet as well. Only then once the car parks do you realize in your haste earlier you left your keys upstairs. He insists he needs to come up as well to grab some files from his desk. You offer to bring them back down but he insists. You scurry to your desk, not finding them in the drawer where you usually kept your purse.Â
You donât see them. You panic and look for them intensely.
Oh you hoped you didnât leave them at the boutique where you changed dresses.Â
 âY/N. Could you come in here please? I would like to discuss something with you before you leave.â
He calls to you, the voice losing the soft tone he had with you all night, this only serves to make your blood run cold. Have you done something wrong? Said the wrong thing to the wrong person and cost him millions of dollars? You needed your job, and hoped pretty badly that this wasnât the end of it.
You honestly couldnât tell if you missed it or not. You disregard the thoughts you are having and push them back in your mind, offering to sort them out later. Preferably with alcohol nearby. You look into his office and see that he is standing behind his desk. Once you come in, thinking he needed something from you.
 âClose the door.â
You close the door behind you, the lights on a dim shade, enough for you to see but not enough to over power your eyes.Â
 âDid you need anything from me, because itâs late and I should be heading home...â
He surprises you by cutting you off in a tone that was even softer than any other time he had used with you before.Â
  âI just wanted to say thank you for accompanying me tonight y/n.â
 âYou are Welcome. Iâm just going to go...â
You smile and turn to leave but his voice stops you with a sharp tone that makes you freeze.
  âDid I say you could leave?â
You feel your face get hot and you turn back around to face him. The lighting only showcasing the angles of his face, making you ever more nervous.Â
  âNo but Sir it's 12am...â
  âI know what time it is. You are so stubborn all the time. Canât even take a simple compliment.â
 âI thought you were done.â
You shrug, and immediately regret being so nonchalant with him., his gaze intense.
  âI wasnât. Now before you interrupted me, I was saying thank you not only because you came with me but for playing your role so effortlessly. I didnât expect you to be so ...reciprocating to me.â
 âI figured that would be best. How would it appear if you showed up with a staff member we rather than a significant other like the other at the table.â
 âWell your quick and astute observation saved me tonight.â
 âAll in a day's work. Now if I can just get out of these heels tonight and maybe into a pedicure tomorrow I will have made this all worth while.â
He surprises you by coming from behind the desk where he had been standing, coming to stand in front of you.
And you cursed yourself because it was back again.
The arousal you fought with every lingering look and touch he gave you tonight. How honeyed his words were with you, combined with the animalistic power you knew was just boiling under the surface.Â
 âI have had many secretaries before and none of them take your position as seriously as you do. You put a lot of effort into your job and does not go unnoticed.â
Having him so close was unnerving. Especially when you had his direct attention. You canât hold eye contact and look down at the floor. Henry touches your chin, his fingers tilt your chin up and you lock eyes. It wasnât the first time you noticed the space of brown in his left eye, but the first time you were close enough to appreciate it.Â
You feel your pulse quickening.
 âI donât think I told you how beautiful you look tonight.â
He blinks slowly and you donât breathe at all as his lips move toward your own. He is seconds away from kissing you, tension heavy in the room.
 âWait....Henry...I just...I Canât go there.â
You say it out loud and itâs like someone let the air out of your balloon. He lets your face go and looks at you confused, for the first time you see just Henry. Not your boss, not the CEO who always had to be âonâ and in charge, you just saw Henry. His face was open and unguarded.
 âItâs not that I donât want you. Itâs just you are my boss...â
Henry moves suddenly, and yet simultaneously time slows as he crashes his lips onto yours. The odd duality of soft, yet firm, calming yet passionate overtakes your mind and short circuits you. His hands are holding the side of your face on one side and behind your neck. His kiss steals what little breath you had away. You almost forget why this would have been such a bad idea but he pulls away.
 âDarling, Didnât anyone tell you? The boss makes the rules...â
He resumes kissing you and you offer little in the way of resistance as he picks you up, in fact you lock your legs around his waist and he deposits you on top of his desk. Everything you had been feeling for him was bubbling up in that moment. You were caught in being wanted to be treated like silk and wanting to toss him down and take exactly what you wanted in no uncertain terms of hatefucking him for all the jackass behavior he had exhibited since you started 6 months ago.Â
You slide his jacket off his broad shoulders, tossing it to the room, igniting the soft thud it makes when the expensive thing lands in a heap on the floor. He pulls your hips toward the edge of the desk and his large hands are hot as they slide up your skirt over trembling thighs and his lips move to your neck. He finds the sensitive spots there quicker than anyone ever had while also moving his fingers to play with your clit through the lining of the black lace panties you were wearing.Â
Your breath hitches in your throat and Henry grins against your lips, letting you take a second before he kisses you again. His fingers dance around before latching to the hemline and yanking them with enough force that they are torn from your body. Your hips sting from the pull, but you are more than turned on. You fumble with the buttons on his shirt, and donât look at the skin revealed, but he doesnât let you take it off him and instead pushes one of his fingers inside of you, you lewdly moan, and grasp his biceps quickly, having been taken off guard. It wasnât that you werenât wet, because you were plenty wet, your now ruined panties had been testament to that, but you had expected more of a playful teasing, but as one of your last coherent thoughts, you knew this man never wasted time.Â
He was a do-er...Â
And right now he was doing you. The amount of focus and precision he took in his work, pouring over contracts, logs, inventory and the like, he was putting in on you. As his finger moves in and out he is staring at you with such intensity you think you might explode.
 âYou are dripping baby girl. Melting right into the palm of my hand to be exact.â
He removes the finger that had been inside of you, raising it to his lips, tasting you from it, and you shudder. He kisses you again, you closing your eyes, then you hear in his deep tone like melted chocolate, luxurious to your ears,
 âOpen your eyes and suck them.â
He held two of his fingers and you opened your mouth. He wanted to hold your gaze.
 âGet them nice and wet for me.â
You suck on them, imaging the girth that had been teasing you for months in his sacks, was what was actually in your mouth. You had wanted so badly to taste him and feel him you reach down, palming his obvious erection and you hear him growl. It was your turn to smirk, and as soon as he felt that smirk, he pulled his two fingers from your mouth and thrusts them into you.Â
You whimper and the one hand you left on his bicep clenched in, digging into his skin. His fingers glide in and out almost painfully slow. You need faster.You try to move your hips to make him move but he chuckles.
 âThat wonât work y/n. We do this at my pace. Be still or I will stop.â
He didnât go any faster, his movements deliberately slow. You could tell he was getting a kick out this, and you whine again.Â
   âBeg kitten.â
He whispers in your ear, his thumb teasing your clit again.Â
  âPlease.â
He moves a little faster.
 âCome on love. You can do better than that.â Teasing.
 âPlease Henry...â
He slaps your thigh with a sharp tap and it sends the zing of arousal.
âThat's not what you call me. Try again.â
While your brain is shorting out, you fumble on what he wants from you.
 âI..i donât know sir...â
He rewards you by speeding up more. Your torso drops backwards, your head follows as you rest back on your elbows, and legs move wider, making your dress bunch up around your hips.Â
 âThere you go. Thereâs what I was looking for. Now beg me to make you come.â
You worry your bottom lip, ignoring how your chest heaves, pulling against the black fabric of the dress.Â
 âFuck! Please sir please let me cum.â
 âThatâs more like it. Begging me like the dirty little slut you are.â
He speeds up, his fingers curling inside, tapping that spongy space that made your eyes cross and your vision blur. You didnât think you would like being called a âlittle slutâ but it was more of a turn on than you had ever thought it would be.Â
 âSir let me cum please let me cum.â
His dexterous fingers speed up, his thumb rubbing your clit and you were glad no one else was in the office as your moans echo throughout the room.
  âYou want to be my good girl hmmm?â
You nod furiously, the edge of your orgasm coming up rapidly, as your walls begin their tell-tell sign of fluttering.
  âGood girls wait until they have permission. You hold it.â
It was damn near impossible, but you try to focus on anything but how good his fingers feel. He pulls your body back up from the desk with his hand gripping behind your neck. His lips crash on your again, he lingers around your lips you breathe heavily against his lips.
 âIâll be your good girl!â
You yell.
 âGood. Cum then come for me.â
Itâs like the world goes silent and all you can focus on is his fingers as your orgasm pulls you under. Itâs an out of body experience where you could hear your moans and groans of Henryâs name, where you were literally shaking, but you could bring yourself down. Destroyed, Henry is whispering praises in your ear. Calling you his and how good you were for him. It doesnât take long to come back down, but when you do you feel wrung out, and as Henry pulls away, you notice the sheen of fine layered sweat on his forehead. You feel self conscious as he stares down at you, and without the haze of lust in your eyes it settles in you that your boss just gave you one of the best orgasms of your life and hadnât even taken off his pants.Â
Pants that were currently begging you to be taken off. He begins to chuckle and you realize youâve been staring at his cock outline, and he was laughing at you. He unbuttons his pants, and finally takes off his shirt the rest of the way, finally revealing the god sculpted body that he clearly worked for.
The look on his face says he is going to ruin you and you are going to like it.
Only then, as he begins to work on the zipper to your dress, do you look to your left on the desk and see your keys sitting there...
***************
A/n: Hope that was what you were looking for @thiccgeraltâ Hope this met your expectations and thank you!Â
I am thinking of coming back to this, but honestly I am waiting until @laketaj24â finishes her CEO! fic The Rules, because its so freaking wonderful and I donât want to ruin anything by stealing any thunder with a CEO fic OR Ficlet I would plan on doing. BTW if you havenât read The Rules then please do yourself a favor a go over to her page and check out all of her work. You will not regret a second of it....
However I am tossing this out to see if there would be any interest in a continuation of this fic. Let me know and as always thank you for reading, re-blogging, and liking!
Henry Cavill Taglist: (OPEN! Let me know if this is something you want on!
@msblkfire84  @magdelen69âÂ
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Henlo all! This is my extremely-close-to-the-deadline-submission for @some-pieceââs AU event. I got these 5 characters to chose from: Rebecca - Hachi - Hawkins - Zoro - Paulie. And after contemplating for a long while I decided to put Zoro in an animal shelter AU which automatically became modern AU setting as well as slight!college AU but the main focus will be on the shelter.
2nd person. Genderneutral reader. slight mentions of animal abuse, nothing too bad. 99% fluff!
âCan I help you?âÂ
A young man about your age had walked into the shelter where you worked. He had opened the door quite harshly, making the bell at the top ring, and making you put down the cat you had been brushing for a bit and put it back in its cage. You walked up to the little desk area at the front, where he was standing with his arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face that only seemed to relax a bit when he heard you speak up.Â
âYeah I sent an e-mail, I needed to be here for the volunteer program?âÂ
You thought for a second, suddenly remembering that you had posted an ad at local universities and colleges to come volunteer at the shelter. Most of those students didnât have the time to come volunteer, but you had gotten a handful of mails. Most of the students never showed up and the only one that had made an appointment for today had made the appointment for two hours earlier so you had just assumed it was going to be another no-show.Â
âOh⊠youâreâŠâ
â-Late I know, I got lost.â You furrowed your brow wondering how someone could get lost for two hours coming from a campus that was only a fifteen minute walk away, but didnât pry any further, just happy to have some possible assistance.
âOkay! Well, Iâll go get the stuff in order then, you can wait out here for a bit.â
After you got the papers he handed you some form from the school as well and explained that he had to fill in a couple of hours a week with other things than his sports curriculum to get his degree to be complete, and he had jokingly added âhow hard can it possibly be to look after a bunch of crittersâ. The statement in itself did not seem to be meant to discredit your work or the animals, but you already saw that he was vastly underestimating just how much effort went into your work. So as soon as all the papers were signed and in order, you could prove him wrong.Â
âYouâre in luck, all the cleaning is already done. Itâs feeding time now, and I was doing a round of brushing today, so maybe you could help with that and if we still have time left we can take some dogs out for a walk.âÂ
The grin on his face was confident, and you were taking a little pleasure in knowing it would be wiped off his face in an instant. Your main focus was to make sure he wouldnât accidentally harm the animals, and to make sure they were properly taken care of. But if it meant this overconfident jock got his ass handed to him, youâd take it.Â
The day had proceeded as you had expected. Zoro, as he had introduced himself once you got over the formalities, had not been really good with the animals. He was strong, and a hard worker you had to give him that. But the animals⊠seemed to not really like him, even if he did do his best? Cats hissed, dogs barked, the one abandoned parrot you were temporarily housing had pecked him so hard his finger started bleeding. Luckily for you, he didnât physically lash out at the animals, but you had heard a whole new array of curse words and insults that you previously didnât even know existed.Â
You had spent most of the day explaining all the things to him and helping him out whenever he was really struggling but most of the time you had actually been occupied with trying not to laugh too hard at his failing ministrations.Â
âYou have to be kind, try not to come across as so intimidating. Youâre a big bad man that they are scared off, and theyâre all just trying to defend themselves,â you said as you petted a big fluffball of a cat while Zoro put fresh water and new food in its cage. The cat was now happily purring and nudging your hand with his head while a few minutes ago it had been aggressively hissing at your volunteer.Â
Zoro just angrily grumbled in response, finishing up his task so you could put the cat back. You eyed the clock, noticing it was already time for him to leave for the day.
âIâll release you from your suffering then. See you next week?â
âWait but you still have all these cages to do?â
âIâm used to doing this all by myself, no worriesâ
He frowned, and he seemed to be deep in thought for a second.
âIâll stay until it is done.â
You raised one brow: âare you sure? These hours wonât count towards your total and it is getting quite late.â
He only shrugged in response: âMy roommate is gone and I donât have much better to do. I am volunteering time anyway, what is one extra hour going to do?âÂ
You smiled widely. âLetâs get to it then!âÂ
Even though the animals didnât seem to like him very much, you couldnât help but admire this green-haired man and his incredible work ethic. He showed up late often, because even after a few weeks he still managed to get lost regularly. You had just started to say that he needed to be there an hour earlier than he actually had to be there, so with his geographical skills heâd be there on time or even a little early.Â
Most of the animals still were not that much of a fan of him, but youâd worked out a nice system that ensured fast and efficient work, and as little scratches and bites as possible. You got work done faster, had more time for social media and such, and thus animals got adopted out faster. It was a win-win, and you noticed yourself always looking forward to the days heâd come to help.Â
Zoro wasnât really talkative, but would listen to your endless ramblings as you talked about the shelter, all the animals, but eventually also things about your life, your family, your home⊠he was an excellent listener, and his very blunt character made that he usually came up with very honest opinions and helpful solutions, even when he didnât necessarily intend them like that. And sometimes, when you stumbled over your words cause you were too focused, or said something that didnât make sense he would laugh. It was a deep and loud laugh, making his whole upper body shake, and lately whenever he laughed, it made your heart flutter a little. Another reason to look forward to his help, which had already exceeded the number of hours he had to do for his extra credit.Â
But the semester was coming to an end and you very well knew that even though he seemed to be enjoying his time way more than he initially did, that he would not do extra time. He had his sportâs practices to focus on and his group of friends that frequently went on weekend trips and such, and he had been missing out on a lot of that because of the volunteering he did. You felt a little sad, but had made peace with it. Still, a little voice in the back of your head was nagging more and more often to ask him to meet outside of the shelter. But you didnât want to seem weird or creepy. Besides. He was obviously a popular college student, finishing up his degree, with a big group of friends that obviously adored him, and model-grade gorgeous. You were just a high school dropout that managed to get a job in a local shelter of which the owner died only a little after you got settled. You were struggling to make ends meet, had little social life besides the animals. You kept telling yourself that the only reason you were feeling so strange whenever Zoro came out to help, was because he was the only one who had made you feel like your life and stories mattered even a little. But you could get used to being all alone in here again with the occasional customer or 1-day volunteer. It was what you were used to. You had already taken far too much advantage of this gorgeous manâs free time.
And then the last day of the semester came. You were finishing up the chores of the day with a heavy heart. You would have to say goodbye, and you would have to keep it professional, since you never worked up the courage to really deepen the connection the two of you had besides working together. Zoro seemed a little uneasy as well, but neither of you was going to bring up the tense atmosphere. Tense was still better than awkward so you rolled with it.Â
âWell thenâ, you started as you put your broom away, âyouâve been an amazing help this semester.â You walked over to the front desk and handed him all the papers heâd need to get his credit in order.Â
âYou more than deserved these, too bad I canât give you a grade.â He chuckled in response.
âI wish I could say I would miss it a lot, but I think my arms are better off scratch-freeâ
You laughed a little as well, but felt yourself dying on the inside. Of course he wouldnât miss this place. Or you.Â
He put the papers away in his bag, and you were staring at the desk, desperately making up sentences in your mind, of which you could utter maybe one, just one, to say what you were feeling and what you really wanted. But anything you came up with seemed so lame, so stupid, so hopeless, so desperate, and even though you felt like all of these things, that was not how you wanted to portray yourself in front of him for all people.Â
He softly touched your arm, his hand warm, and you jumped at the sudden contact. He stepped back in surprise at your reaction.
âSorryâ, he mumbled, âI just wanted to say that I didnât mind my time here. You really helped me out wellâ. He rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, clearly not too used to being soft in someoneâs presence, and he smiled an adorable smile as he said those words, a mix of embarrassment and sincerity on his face. You felt like melting, and had to suppress the urge to just wrap your arms around him in a tight hug. With those broad shoulders and strong arms, you were quite sure that the hug heâd give back would be heavenly. But you didnât, because again, that would be so strange with no indications beforehand that that was what you wanted.Â
You nodded, a soft smile on your face as well. âYouâre welcome. If you ever have some spare time and get bored, you know the way⊠or well, you donât but youâll find it.â He frowned a little at your remark, but the glint in his eyes betrayed that he found it quite amusing too. He picked up his bag, and opened the door.
âBye then?â
âGoodbye Zoroâ
A box of kittens. You had nearly tripped over them when you left the shelter to go home for the day. The box was in front of the door and weak, tiny mewls already betrayed its content as you did your utmost best to regain your balance. You kneeled down next to it, carefully opened up the top. Four little kittens, way too young to be away from the mother yet. Already emotional from the happenings of the day you felt tears well up in your eyes. You picked up the box and placed it inside, immediately grabbing whatever supplies you could find to keep the kittens warm, furiously wiping at your eyes in order to clear the tears before they could stream down your cheeks. Things like this could make you so furious. And oh, if only Zoro was still here to calm you down and help out a little.Â
You had to take a few deep breaths and gather your thoughts. You had to get out, running for some kitten milk. These babies needed their nutrients and youâd probably spend the night in the shelter making sure they were fed whenever they needed it, keeping an eye on them. So youâd have to go get an overnight bag. But that would mean you would be away from them for a considerable time. You decided that the food was the most important part and literally sprinted to the most nearby pet store, mentally reminding yourself to book an appointment at the vet asap when you were back.Â
Sunken deep in thoughts, you werenât seeing where you were walking, running straight into someone, stumbling and falling on your back in the process. Great. That was what you needed. Some public humiliation while you were already at the verge of a little breakdown.
You started to mumble a string of incoherent apologies when you looked up at a surprisingly familiar figure.
ây/n?â
âZoro? What are you doing here?â
âThe apartment I live in is right here. What are you doing here?â He pointed upward at an apartment building and offered you his hand to get up. You grabbed it, and for a split second you wondered how he could possibly take up to two hours to get to the shelter from his apartment that was even closer to the shelter than his college campus was. But then you were back on your feet and you remembered the kittens. Your mind immediately regained some focus again.
âKittensâ
âWhat?â
âSomeone dropped a box of newborn kittens at the door. They will die without supervision, milk and warmth. So I'm getting some food for them and Iâll be staying the night with them to keep an eye on themâ You managed to get all things out in one breath, almost turning to start walking again. No matter how much more time you actually wanted to spend in his presence, you knew it was a race against the clock to help the little babies, and those were your top priority right now.Â
Zoroâs eyes grew wide. No matter how much he didnât always connect with some of your furry friends that he had to take care of, he too was filled with rage when he had heard tales of people mishandling them and the reason why some were so scared and defensive when he was too loud or too brisk. You apologized again, explaining that you really had to go, that time was of the essence, and started walking. You were surprised to notice Zoro walking with you.Â
âIâll come with you.âÂ
âWhat?âÂ
âIâll come with you. You need food too. And probably some blankets or something for the night right? You need some rest if you are going to take care of everything we usually do and then the new kittens on top of that. Iâll helpâÂ
It was not a question, not even an offer. More a matter-of-a-fact-statement and even though every polite fiber in your being was telling you to follow etiquette and politely tell him that that was absolutely not necessary, you couldnât push away the overwhelming relief and admiration you felt for this man in that moment and you accepted his help immediately.
You were back at the shelter in a matter of minutes, basic supplies for the kittens in hand, and the vet already on the phone as you followed their instructions on how to take care of them overnight, so you could bring them in for checkup and more detailed advice first thing in the morning. Knowing that Zoro would come and help you out, had done wonders for your mood, your resolve and your nerves. You felt more steady, like you could actually pull this off without neglecting either the kittens or any of the other animals that also needed your attention.Â
Zoro had promised to go get some things to make the night at the shelter a little more comfortable and something for you to eat, because he figured you probably were starving at that point. And while you had not eaten yet, the adrenaline made you not feel the hunger. Now that things were calming down and the adrenaline was wearing off, you could feel your stomach grumble and you were mentally thanking your green-haired hero for his considerate streak. He had literally no obligation to help you out in any way. He was no longer officially volunteering. He had nothing to gain. He was probably on his ways to get a couple of beers and blissfully pass out after an evening of fun with his roommates. But he had seen you in distress and decided to help, and it had warmed your heart and given you renewed energy.Â
The kittens were left to sleep a little after you had given all the first help that you could under the phone-guidance of the local vet clinic, and now you were nervously waiting on the couch for Zoro to return. You were nervous cause of the kittens, but you also caught yourself being a little nervous about the fact that heâd be keeping you company for the night. Not that you were seeing this as a date of any kind, but just the mere idea gave you the shivers in a nervous kind of way.Â
He arrived only a little after you sat down, bag with a big blanket and some drinks in one hand, and another one holding a steaming bag of takeaway food.
âIâm sorry it took me so long, I got -â
âlostâ you chuckled, âno worries, I got the first things taken care offâÂ
You patted the spot next to you on the couch. âSit down, thank you for getting food. And thank you for helping out⊠I⊠I think I might have had a little breakdown if it wasnât for your presenceâ
He shrugged off the praise. âI am already used to helping out here, and besides, I kind of liked spending time with you, so a little extra wonât hurtâ.Â
He said those words so easily, you wanted to smack him for how casual he was about it, and how bluntly and honestly he expressed his feelings, while you shared the same feelings but didnât dare utter a single word. You grabbed the food instead and the blanket, sitting down so you could both sit down comfortably, keep an eye on the kittens and eat without too many problems. He got the hint, and made himself more comfortable on the couch as well.
The evening flew by. You had food, checked up on the kittens regularly per the vetâs instructions, and since there were no other chores to do, you could actually have some proper talks with Zoro. He was still not really as talkative, but he answered your questions, told you some more details about his life that he had not mentioned before. You could almost physically feel yourself growing more and more attracted to him, and nearly felt guilty about it.Â
Despite all the adrenaline wearing you off and making you tired, you stayed up a remarkably long time, Zoroâs company and the kittens keeping you awake for longer than you had expected to stay up. But now it was nearing 4am and you were feeling your eyelids grow heavy. You were telling Zoro something about why you dropped out of high school, but you kept losing track of your own sentences. You had to think long and hard before repeating the few words you had already said. The playful smirk that was present on his face as you were struggling to find cohesion in your story didnât help either. He thought it incredibly endearing, and when your eyes finally shut without opening again, and a soft snore could be heard, he very carefully moved you a bit so you would lay more comfortably. He crossed his arms and legs and leaned back in order to get some shuteye as well.Â
You woke up to your alarm, that you had set up to go off every few hours, just so you could check up on the kittens and go through all the steps again. Your eyes and whole body felt heavy and it was harder to get up than expected. Not only because you were incredibly tired still, but also because a muscled arm was snugly resting around your midsection. You were sure you had fallen asleep on one end of the couch, but for some reason, you were leaning on Zoro, and he had wrapped an arm around you to secure you and make sure you didnât slip off the couch.Â
Your heart skipped a beat and you got up rather briskly. Of course, the sudden movement made Zoro wake up as well, and he seemed just as embarrassed as you were about the slightly compromising positions you had been napping in. You quickly cleared your throat, muttering âkittensâ before standing up, checking up on the babies and going through the motions. Without having to say anything, Zoro got up and started the morning chores already. It was way too early for those, but before you could protest he said that heâd get them started as long as you were working on the kittens, so you both could have a little more rest before your planned vet visit. You gave him a grateful smile.Â
When the work was done, you called Zoro back, and you both sat down on the couch again. He seemed incredibly relaxed, almost as if he had forgotten that you were practically cuddling a little while ago, the mere thought of the sensation of his strong arm holding you making your heart race again. You shifted positions seven times in the span of three minutes and you could feel him staring at you, one brow raised in confusion at your almost yoga-like contortions you were trying in order to get comfortable.Â
âAre you okay y/n?âÂ
âYeah...I...I just⊠I donât know how I could ever thank you properlyâ
âWell⊠I already got my credit. But your head resting on my chest was kind of nice. Maybe a goodnight kiss before we go to sleep again for a little while?â He sounded casual, but he was avoiding eye-contact, regretting the words as they left his mouth. Your eyes grew so big they were about to pop up out of your sockets.
âI mean, if you donât mind if not⊠IâŠâ Now it was his turn to get flustered, the little bit of smooth talk he had had earlier completely gone as the inner panic set in of maybe misunderstanding your previous actions, glances, words, and ministrations.Â
You gathered up all your courage, and gave him a soft peck on the lips, seeing his eyes widen in surprise and the tips of his ears turn red before you rested your head on his broad chest. âYou know for that payment, Iâm willing to hire you as a full time worker here.â you hummed contently. He let out a few confused grunts, surprised by your bout of confidence, not seeing that you were trying to hide the insane embarrassment on your face. Face red, he managed to utter just one response before you drifted off into sleep again.
âIâm gonna need a little more payment than just that. But well, Iâll consider itâÂ
fin.Â
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To Make a Power Couple (knj) | 04
Chapter 4: Cigarette Confetti
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Summary- Y/N and Namjoon get closer as their relationship develops. Also, Y/N suddenly gets too many instagram followers
word count- 8.6k
pairing- idol!namjoon x ceo!reader
rating- R
genre- series, slow burn, fluff, smut, strangers2lovers
warnings- unwanted sexual advances, discussion of mindset post unwanted advances, alcohol consumption, oral sex (m. receiving), hickeys
a.n- okay so this chapter is finally done! Thank you for your patience!! It took me a long time to write the scene with Mr Li because I had to pull from my own experience and that was uncomfy - but I hope you like it. Also, thereâs a time skip so keep an eye out for that. Also also, can I just say I love writing this character of Namjoon lol this character is my ideal boyfriend material LMFAO.
Hey Alexa, can you fall in love with your own fictional character? Asking for a friend. Thanks.
Feedback much appreciated! đ
taglist - @beach-bitch-bitch-beachâ, @sassyuniversitytacopeanutâ, @rjsmochiiâ, @jinjccns, @joyful-jimin
-
Good morning, Y/N. Today you have four appointments on your calendar. Your first three appointments are as follows. At 7:30am, you have âMorning stand up with Harry (Cancelled)â, at 12:00pm, you have âJiyoung Gala Update Lunchâ, at 2:00pm, you have âQuarterly Sales Meetingâ. The weather in Seoul today is 24 degrees and cloudy. Playing BTS on Spotify.
Namjoon wakes up with a start, Jiminâs airy vocals flowing through the room. Heâs confused as to why someone in the dorm was playing their old album. About to scream at whoever (probably Taehyung) was playing the music, he opens his eyes to find your face next to his. It takes him a few seconds to realize where he is, and his face breaks into a goofy grin as he recalls the events of the night before. His arm was numb where you lay on it, your arms around his waist, legs tangled together and he traced his fingers on your side in an effort to wake you up.
He could see you stir as you groggily opened your eyes, looking up at him with a smile that made his heart race. He reached to stroke your face, as you hummed an apology and politely asked your alarm to be quiet. Seems that you were nice even to your robots.
âSorry about that. Work day, you know?â you shrugged as you snuggled closer. Namjoon couldnât help chuckle as you yawned into his bare chest that erupted in goosebumps at the sensation. He gently pulled your chin towards him to kiss you good morning. Your face was puffy with sleep, your cheeks squished where they lay on the pillows, and watching you was so adorable that he wanted to wake up next to you everyday.Â
âYou play my music in the morning?â He was elated. Just like the night you met when you accidentally sang him his song, he felt his heart soar. The fact that you woke up everyday to the words he wrote made him not only happy but oddly motivated. It was like he wanted to just run out of bed and write another album so you could have more music to wake up to.Â
He watched your face turn red at his comment and he couldnât help but capture your lips in another lazy kiss, his hand soothingly circling your back under your t-shirt, well, his t-shirt. He wanted you to know that there was nothing to be embarrassed by. If only you knew how his heart raced at the discovery.
âThat⊠thatâs for research⊠you know to get to know you?â you were stumbling over your words and he couldnât help but pull you closer. You were so cute when you were bashful.
âMhmm... sure...â He hummed, amused. Hey, just because he didnât want you to feel awkward doesnât mean that he couldnât still tease you.Â
âOkay fine. I like your music okay? Youâve converted me to your cult.â You huffed, pouting your lips, and Namjoon burst out laughing.
âWhatâs your favourite song?â
âIs this a test?â You looked incredulous, as you looked up at him from the crook of his shoulder. Your hands were resting on his chest, and everywhere your fingers traced their aimless patterns left behind warmth under his skin.
âHmm.. yes. You better get it right.â It wasnât really a test, but Namjoon would be lying if he said he wasnât incredibly curious as to which song caught your eye.
âCan I google it?â
âWait⊠youâre gonna google⊠what your favourite song is?â He had not expected this answer. He felt himself deflate a little, his smiling falling. He supposed you were a new fan, maybe you didnât remember the title and wanted to look up the lyrics, but you could just ask him, heâd know better than google, surely.
âYes. Iâm gonna google which song you didnât write and say that one cause your ego is getting too big for this bed.â You booped his nose as you burst out laughing, and he couldnât stop himself from joining along, his earlier worries disappearing. You always surprised him, and it makes him crave what youâll say next.
âYouâre so evil!â he teased as he tickled your sides, making you laugh and roll around your bed. After a few minutes of your protests, he stopped, now positioned over you. Your eyes were beautiful as they look up at his, tears of mirth lining the corners and breathless from your laughter, and he couldnât help but kiss you again, molding his lips to your soft ones. He loved that your arms automatically went around his waist as you pulled him closer and deepen the kiss, tracing your tongue with his. He kissed you like that for a few minutes, just relishing being in your presence. Your hands were resting on his chest now, thumbs grazing his nipples, making him shudder. Itâs like everytime he kissed you, you put him under a spell and he wanted nothing more than to consume you. How was it that you smell like vanilla and flowers even in the morning? Did you just naturally smell like a fresh garden?
âGood morningâ He whispered between his kisses, gazing at you softly.
âGood morningâ you responded before closing the distance again and kissing him with passion. He could get used to this.
His hand moved under your shirt to cup your chest, rolling your nipple playfully as he continued to kiss you. Your moan went straight from your lips to his dick as he couldnât help but roll his hips against yours, craving the friction. Your hands went from his chest to palming him over his boxers and the touch made him groan. He was so incredibly turned on and you had barely even touched him. You were going to be the death of him.Â
He let you carry on your ministrations as he kissed your neck, enjoying your mewls as he reached what he has realized is your sensitive spot, right where your neck meets your shoulder. He could see the marks he left last night and couldnât help the pride swelling in his chest. He shouldnât be so turned on by the bruises he left, but he canât help his kinks. It proved to him that he didnât imagine last night.
He was slightly taken aback as you slipped your hand in his underwear and started stroking him. He moaned against your neck as pleasure shot through him.Â
âWant to make you feel good.â you murmured next to his ear, your kisses on his neck making him flush. âLay backâŠâ He wanted to let you but he wanted to make you feel good first, hear you screaming his name as he made you come undone. He one upped you by placing his own hand in your panties, groaning at how wet you were for him.
âYou first.â He said, more sternly than he intended but he didnât notice as you rut your hips against his hand. Your hand didnât stopped stroking him and if he was honest it was making him lose his concentration. He removed his hand from your underwear, ignoring your whines, as he stilled your hand, pinning it over your head.
âNo⊠I wanna taste you⊠Please?â You looked at him with your eyes wide and he was powerless to your pleading. He held his ground though, not letting you take control. Not until you mewled another please and pushed against his chest. He laid back against the pillows as you straddled him, kissing him deeply before making your way down his body. You kissed his chest leaving a light mark near his heart that made him sigh. He was sure that mark was deeper than it looks as his heart beat faster the closer you get to his dick. You kissed his belly before kissing down his clothed length making him groan deeply.
âBaby, stop teasing before I make you stop.â He was testing the waters, grinning when he saw you sit up immediately, biting your lip before pulling his boxers down to his thighs, following his orders. He hissed as you kissed his throbbing head, before immediately taking him in your mouth. It felt unbelievably good, your soft tongue lapping at his length as your cheeks hollow. He couldnât take his eyes off you and almost lost it when you looked straight in his eyes, taking him as deep as you can. You moaned around him and the sensation made heat travel through his body. His hand found purchase in your hair as you bobbed on him, making him grunt loudly, losing his senses as he guided your head at a pace of his liking.
âStop Y/N⊠stop⊠Iâm gonna cumâŠâ He moaned as he pulled your hair, a little too aggressively, making you whine around him. You released him with a loud pop.
âCum in my mouth, babyâ you were smirking at him as if you knew the effect you were having on him. Of course you knew, it was obvious by how loud he was breathing. His cock twitched in your hand at your comment, and he decided to let you have your fun, mentally noting to make you beg for him next time.Â
âOh fuck⊠Youâre so good to me babyâ he panted as you once again started sucking him off. You were more enthusiastic this time, the sounds of your mouth ricocheting off the walls as you sucked him while your hand played with his balls, cupping them, making him see stars. He couldnât take it anymore and with a loud grunt, he announced his end and felt his balls draining into your mouth. He watched from under his arm that rested on top of his face as you swallowed him, licking the remains off him as if he was the best popsicle youâve tasted. It made him lose his mind, the sight making him moan softly.
You made your way back to him and as you laid on the pillows with a satisfied grin, he kissed you slowly, making sure you could feel his gratitude for what may have been the best blowjob heâs experienced.
âSorry if I pulled your hair too hard.â He apologized as he stroked your head gently, one hand cupping your face.
âDonât worry about it. I like it rough.â Although he had literally just cum, he felt the blood rush downwards again at your words.
âFuck⊠Youâre gonna kill me, you know?â He said as he kissed you again, fiercely, his hands ripping your panties off, relishing your gasp. He was determined to make you cum.
And he did, twice, once in bed and once in the shower.Â
As you were getting dressed in front of the mirror in your closet, he heard you gasp.
âOh my god Joon! What the fuck?â Worriedly, he entered the closet, his jeans half undone and looked at you dressed in your pants and bra staring at yourself.
âWhatâs wrong, baby?â He asked, as he moved closer to you.
âYou animal! Thereâs like no concealer in the world to cover these!â You frowned, your mouth turning into a cute pout as you poke the hickeys that litter your neck and chest. He couldnât help but smile at his handiwork as he hugged your waist from behind placing his head on your shoulder and kissing the mark on your neck.
âIâm sorry babyâ His face however has no trace of apology as he grinned against your skin, feeling the blush that started at your neck.
âFuck⊠I hate turtlenecksâ you turned around in his arms, your hands going around his neck as you pouted at him exaggeratedly, and he wanted to go for another round. The power you had over him was overwhelming.Â
âI bet you look really good in a turtleneck.â He captured your lips in a soft kiss, smiling against your lips. He knew both of you had to get back to the real world soon but he just wanted to hole up in your room all day, all week, all year, just ravishing you.
You were interrupted by your phone ringing as you answered it on a speaker that rings through somewhere in your closet. He really has to ask you how many speakers you have in this place sometime.
âHi, this is Y/N.â You spoke, your voice cold and formal and he was kind of taken aback by the change of your tone as you pushed his lips off your shoulder gently, still encircled in each otherâs arms.
âY/N! Are you okay? Itâs 7:25⊠Youâre never late!â He heard a familiar voice through the speaker although he couldnât quite place it.
âSorry Siwon! Iâm feeling a bit unwell. Iâm going to work from home this morning. Iâll come by around lunch for the meeting with Jiyoung though!â He brightened up at that comment, his grip around your waist tightening at the prospect of more time with you.Â
âSick? Sure, sure⊠Tell Namjoon I said hi!â He watched your jaw drop as you awkwardly started coughing involuntarily. He kneould he shouldnât but he canât help tease you as a âHey, manâ escaped his lips, making you swat at him, signalling him to shut up.
âOh shit. Am I on speaker?â Siwon audibly gasped into the phone and Namjoon burst out laughing, enjoying your reaction as you quickly bid goodbye.
âOkay, no coffee for you!â You huffed as you put on a t-shirt and make your way to the kitchen.
âAww⊠babe!â Namjoon whined as he followed you, tugging his own shirt on to find you pouring steaming coffee into your mug. âWait how did you make that so quick?â
He watched you smirk as you sipped on your coffee, making a show of how delicious it was, before you relented and pour him one.
âMagic.â You said smugly and he made a mental note to get you to teach him your tricks for his own house.
After breakfast, you spent the morning snuggling on the couch and reading the news, the easy domesticity of the moment not lost on Namjoon. Usually he wouldnât even stay the night, but it seems like you made him break all the rules without even trying. He wondered why that was, why he was so drawn to you in such a short time. No one he had been with in the past made him feel this way, at least not only a week into knowing them.
âWhat are you thinking about?â you broke him out of his reverie. He hadnât realized heâd been staring across the room. He didnât know how much time had passed.
âThisâŠâ He gestured between the two of you, watching your eyes follow his hand from where your head rested against his chest.
âWhat? Youâve never read the news before?â You pointed at the iPad that the two you were meant to be reading from.
âYou know what I meanâŠâ He trailed off rubbing his neck, unsure why he even began the conversation. He shouldâve just lied and said something funny.
âSorry⊠I tend to use humour when Iâm uncomfortable...â You got up from where you were leaning against him to sit upright on the couch, gaze averted.Â
âYouâre uncomfortable?â His eyes widened as he tried to figure out why. Sure this all seemed to move way too fast, but you seemed to have found a rhythm with him this morning. He was slightly panicked that he had misread that. The thought that being around him made you uncomfortable made his heart drop to his knees.
âNo⊠and that makes me uncomfortableâ He watched you as you fiddled with the rips in your jeans. Your answer made him relax, pushing aside some of his worries. Knowing that he wasnât the only one feeling lost with this new found comfort was oddly calming.
âI know what you mean. This seems⊠too easy, right?â He reached over to stop your fidgeting hands.
âYeah⊠but Iâm no expert. My last relationship was like three years agoâ You shrugged.Â
âWhat happened? I mean⊠if you want to tell meâÂ
âYeah⊠it just didnât work out. I was too busy for him sometimes and he couldnât understand. He blamed me for not prioritizing our relationship. I was just starting out though⊠it was⊠hardâ Your smiled at him sheepishly, a little melancholy behind your eyes, that made him want to hug it away.
âI get that. I had a lot of relationships that ended up the same way.â He thought about all his past partners, all the fights that led to nowhere because he couldnât find time in his schedule to even resolve them. All the times he would receive an angry text and not be able to respond till hours later which only exacerbated the problems. All his exes that told him he was too self-centered, too narcissistic for focusing on his career, and for a long time he believed them, the guilt kept him up nights on end.
âKoren dating is also harder than Canadian dating,â you joked. He could sense you were trying to lighten the mood again, and he intertwined your fingers where they rested on your knee, before playing along.
âWow⊠did you just stereotype my entire country?âÂ
âOops?â You chuckled lightly, your eyes brightening as you shrugged. âWhat about your last relationship?â
âIt was about a year ago. We worked together, but we didnât work together. There wasnât really a reason. It just kind of⊠fizzled out. Although I think I was to blame.â He didnât know how youâd react to this and he rubbed his neck nervously.
âWhy do you say that?â You leaned closer, and he could surprisingly feel his nerves melting away at your proximity.
âI just would forget to keep her updated on my life. I know it sounds terrible.â
âNah. It just sounds human. You werenât in love.â His eyes widened at your response. He knew now that what he felt then wasnât love but in the moment he had thought she was the one. Well, until she wasnât.
âI thought I wasâ He admitted with a shrug.
âI donât think youâd forget her if you were.â You were looking at him now, smiling slightly, your eyes shining as your thumb rubbed soothing circles on his. Somehow again, you had managed to sound poetic without meaning to - he didnât know how you managed to do that so easily.
âI guess youâre right. Fuck⊠this is weird.â
âWhy?â
âBecause Iâm not usually this honest.âÂ
âWow. Must be the veritaserum I slipped in your drink.â You laughed as you reached to gently put your hand on his shoulder. He enjoyed the touch, it somehow made him feel safe. Safe to share his secrets.
âIs that a Harry Potter reference, you dork?â He could feel the mood lightening again and he realized that your ability to seamlessly switch from uncomfortable topics to humour was at least a part of the reason he felt so comfortable in your presence.
âIâm glad you trust me enough to be honest.â Your hand moved from his shoulder to rest against his cheek, and he couldnât help but lean into it.
âHonestly, I think itâs because of you.â He watched your face turn to confusion, so he continued. âYou being so upfront makes me wanna do the same. Why are you so honest with me?â
âBecause thereâs no reason for us to continue this if we canât be honest.â You smiled softly as you shrugged lightly, still stroking his cheek, and he felt his heart fill with warmth. âIâve spent too much of my life pretending to be someone else for people to like me. So Iâm testing my theory. If Iâm honest with you and you like me, maybe this thing is worth it.â
âI do like you.â He really did. He hadnât felt this strong a connection in a while. Someone who understood him without pretending to, or trying to appease him. Someone he could talk about the good and bad without judgement.
âYou havenât seen all the warts yet.â You averted your gaze, and he couldnât help but cup your face and make you look at him.
âIâve seen you naked, you donât have any warts.â He tried your approach at humour as he kissed you on the nose.
âYou are so cheesy!â You swat at him gently before kissing him lightly on the lips. He felt his heart skip a beat at the small gesture. âBut seriously, thank you for being so open with me.â You looked at him adoringly, and he mirrored you.
He kissed you at that. Both of you enjoying the chaste kiss without deepening it. The conversation helped you both feel less uncomfortable with the comfortable.
His phone rang, interrupting the sweet moment, his manager asking where to send the car so he wouldnât be late for the meeting that morning. Before leaving, you made plans to meet up again that weekend, and Namjoon felt that three days was too long without seeing you. He didnât know why, but he hadnât even left your apartment yet and he already missed you.
----------------------------------------
When you reached the restaurant for lunch with Jiyoung that afternoon, you still had a smile on your face. It seemed to have been permanently etched on your face since Namjoon left. You thought about your date and how it seemed to have been a thousand dates rolled into one. It felt like youâve known him forever, and barring from Jiyoung, you hadnât felt that way about a person before. Someone you connected with instantly, someone whose presence made you immediately calmer. He seemed to have crashed all the walls around you in a very short time and although that thought should scare you, it instead made you excited.
Spotting Jiyoung at a table you made your way across the restaurant to her, greeting her and the server, an old woman in her 60s, most likely the owner, that seemed to have appeared out of thin air. After ordering your entrees, your best friend and PR manager jumped right into business.
âSo youâre famous. Congrats!â She did a little dance as she announced the news.
âWhat?â You were confused. Last you checked you had 2000 followers on your social media, which was run by Jiyoung and Siwon, on account of you being a âboomerâ - their words, not yours.
âAfter the gala, a couple of magazines, courtesy of me, decided to do a piece on you. So congrats on your 200k followers!â She seemed giddy, excitedly jumping up and down as she clapped along. That was quite a follower growth and it led to her going into a twenty minute strategy talk on how to leverage your personal brand for the company. You were glad that she was excited, but if you were being honest you hated the limelight. The idea that someoneâs âfameâ could be decided by the number of likes of a photo posing at a restaurant made your skin crawl.
âOkay so weâre going to schedule a photoshoot sometime in the next two weeks and take a few photos for the next few months of uploads. Of course, make sure to take photos every time you go somewhere fun too, like I donât know, one of your concerts youâre obsessed with or art galleries.â Jiyoung continued regardless of your groans.
âDo I have to?â You truly did not have time for this, your schedule is already overflowing. The whole idea of curating a feed made you feel stressed.
âYes. Itâs the game, Y/N. You have to play itâ She replied sagely, as she slurped her noodles.
âYou know all the photos will be of me holed up at the office. Iâm not that interesting...â You played with your food as you pouted. Your comment wasnât born out of low self-esteem, itâs just what you believed. Regardless of the media perceptions of the glamorous life of a CEO, you knew that at the end of the day most you did was sleep, attend meetings, and drink copious amounts of coffee. Occasionally you dabbled in your hobbies, but with the company and non-profit growing at the speed they were, there was barely any time for that. You doubted youâd be able to enjoy any of the fun till after quite a few more years when the title will become less heavy and youâd have more help.
âDonât be stupid! You, my friend, are a young, fun, single woman! The world deserves to be envious of it!â Jiyoung dismissed you easily, shaking her hand at your protests. âSpeaking of fun, letâs go clubbing Saturday, itâs been too long since you got laid.â
As soon as she finished her sentence you felt heat rise up your face, unconsciously bringing your hand up to your turtleneck covered neck. To make matters worse, your throat also decided now to work at that moment, making you choke on your rice.
âOh my god! You minx! You got laid didnât you?â Jiyoung loudly exclaimed, much to your dismay and of the other patrons who seemed peeved at hearing your bedroom adventures while they ate lunch.
âPlease stopâŠâ You looked around awkwardly apologizing to the old man next to you who looked at you with disgust. Great!
âWho was it? Where did you meet? Tinder? Did you go to a club without me? Was it a client?â The questions were endless.
âIf I tell you, you canât tell anyone, not a soul.â You were going to regret this, you knew it, but youâd be lying if it didnât excite you to share the news with Jiyoung. She was your favourite female friend and even though on the outside, your friendship may seem mismatched to some, she truly understood you better than most people. She had been there when your last relationship ended, coaxing you back to your feet after weeks of self-destruction. You trusted her.
âDid you sleep with a married man?â She whispered, thankfully finally aware that you two were in the middle of a popular restaurant during peak lunch hours.
âUmm⊠no. Do you remember Namjoon from the party?â Namjoon from the party? Good job, real subtle Y/N.
âNamjoon?â You watched as realization dawned on her face, her face going from being scrunched in confusion, to wide eyed surprise, to what it is now; a smug smile. âI was wondering why your Spotify showed you suddenly listening to BTSâŠâ
âOkay you canât make fun of that too!â you whined, your morning faux pas still too fresh in your mind, as you buried your face in your hands.Â
âHe made fun of you?â Jiyoung was cackling, before she started digging for details. âMan after my own soul! So was he good? When are you seeing him again? Are you dating him? Oh my god this is so exciting!â She is fully squealing and slapping your arm, making you wince.
âHe was⊠amazingâ you tell her your face flaring at the memories of last night. âAnd weâre going on another date.â
âOoo date number two!â
âWell⊠technically four if you count the party?â
âOkay. What the fuck? Youâve been holding out on me! Spill!â
And so you do, sharing your interactions with Namjoon over the past week. It felt nice to reminisce about them, even though it was not that long ago. You were so into him, it was worrying. You were beyond excited to see him again, but your last conversation still weighed in your head. He was right. It just felt too easy, how you had met, and seemingly couldnât get enough of each other. You were suspicious.
âStop overthinking this, Y/N. Itâs good that things are easy! You deserve easy!â Jiyoung cut through your rant. You had almost forgotten that you were speaking out loud.
âItâs not just me, he feels the same way.â You pouted, trying to defend your stance.
âThen you both belong together with your stupid ass overthinking.â
--------------------------------------------------
Y/N: Thanks for dinner tonight. I had a really good time.
Namjoon: Me too!
Namjoon: Speaking of, when can I see you again?
Y/N: Wow. Weâve barely digested our food, Joon
Namjoon: Youâre mean! I just like hanging out with you
Y/N: Iâm kidding! Tuesday?
Namjoon: Suddenly I love Tuesdays
Y/N: Shut up you dork!
Namjoon: Says the girl obsessed with Batman
--------------------------------------------------
Y/N: What the hell! How do you do photoshoots all the time. This is CRINGE.
Namjoon: Is that today? Yes! SEND ME THE PICTURES!!!!
Y/N: Fuck no. These are so awkward!
Namjoon: Come on! Send! I bet you look hot ;)
Y/N: Nope. Never. Never. NEVER.
Namjoon: Iâll just text Jiyoung for them
Y/N: You donât even have her number
Y/N: Do you?
Y/N: KIM NAMJOON ANSWER ME
--------------------------------------------------
Namjoon: Did I leave my phone at your place last night?
Y/N: I don't think so
Namjoon: I canât believe I lost my phone again!!!
Y/N: Wait how are you texting me right now?
Namjoon: ⊠nvm
Y/N: Omg. You're an idiot.
--------------------------------------------------
Y/N: Okay that hike was harder than you said itâd be!
Y/N: Iâm dying :(
Namjoon: Aw baby. Iâm sorry!
Y/N: You owe me. Youâre paying for my masseuse
Namjoon: Why pay for one when Iâm better than any youâll ever get?
--------------------------------------------------
Y/N: I miss you :(
Namjoon: I miss you too
Y/N: Come over?
Namjoon: I have to wake up at 6 for a shoot :(
Y/N: I wake up at 6 every day
Namjoon: On my way
--------------------------------------------------
Namjoon: Howâs work going?
Y/N: Terrible :) I hate my life :)
Namjoon: Youâre scary when you send emojis like that
Y/N: Wow. Thank you. Youâre so nice to me.
Namjoon: Sorry!
Namjoon: Whatâs stressing you?
Y/N: Just deadlines⊠SO MANY DEADLINES
Namjoon: Aw baby. Have you eaten? I can come by with food
Y/N: Arenât you busy? You have your comeback in a few months
Namjoon: Nah. I got the rest of the day off
Y/N: Thatâs⊠suspicious... Why?
Namjoon: Iâm at the hospital
Y/N: WTF. Iâm calling. Pick up.
--------------------------------------------------
You checked yourself out in the reflective elevator doors, as you helped Harry adjust his tie, while Siwon rattled on about the restaurant you were headed to. Harry and you had been dodging your âcelebratoryâ drinks with Mr Li for over a month and a half since the meeting where he signed the contract. He finally trapped you both during a networking event last week and had you set the date. To say you were both very much not looking forward to this evening would be an understatement. It took every ounce of willpower in you to stay as you made your way to your private table at the high end Japanese restaurant.
Mr Li, as per usual, was late to the dinner he had forced upon you. Sitting next to Harry, you both tried to devise a plan to escape as soon as possible. As soon as dinner ended, Harry was going to pretend that Jen was ill and since he was your ride back, you both had no choice but to âbegrudginglyâ end the night. The idea was foolproof, or so the both of you thought.
Here is a list of reasons why it was not foolproof.Â
One, upon arrival, Mr Li ordered shots for the table and after Harry used the excuse that he was driving you both home (you wanted to set it up so it wouldnât be a surprise as you left), Mr Li got excited that you would be his new drinking buddy. He poured shot after shot, even after you mentioned that you were going to get a drink - hoping to rely on your ice tea in a whiskey glass trick - he refused to let you not drink anything other than shots of sake. Usually, you wouldnât let someone dictate your drinking but you didnât want to seem rude, and so you played along till you felt much too tipsy.
Two, Mr Li requested your server to stagger the dinner courses since it was a ânight of partyingâ and as the third course of sashimi was served, he took the liberty of sitting next to you because apparently your fish looked fresher. He then proceeded to steal from your plate while making uncomfortable eye contact with you and putting his gross hands on your thigh. When you removed his hand from your thigh he had the audacity to suggest that you were playing hard to get. The urge to vomit had never been stronger.
Three, and this is where everything falls apart. When at the end of dinner, the lovely Jen calls to bail you and Harry out, Mr Li insists that Harry drives back alone and that he drives you home. Somehow, you both had not thought of this very basic flaw in your plan. With you running out of excuses, it was soon evident that you had no choice but to stay. You knew Harry, and you knew that he would call no less than ten minutes later with an emergency on your own or get Siwon out of bed to run to you. He would rescue you, you had faith. In the meantime you had to endure a drunk Mr Li trying to hit on you.
Time seemed to move slow as he drunkenly asked you if you had a boyfriend. Knowing his misogynistic self, you shouldâve lied and said yes, the only thing he would probably understand would be that another man had a claim on you, but your tipsy self thought honesty was the best policy. As soon as you said no, it seemed that he took it as an invite, pulling you into an awkward hug, grabbing at your ass, trying to lift you to his seat. His movements were so swift that it left you momentarily paralyzed. You felt ice in your veins as the intense feeling of your personal space being so blatantly violated took over you. It felt as if a million ants were crawling under your skin, your stomach turning. You tried to get out of his grip but it was too strong, as he continued to massage your behind. You felt trapped, your mouth running dry, as anger took over. You were done being polite.
With a strong shove, you stood up from your seat and grabbed your jacket as you looked at him straight in the eye, hoping your glare was enough to get the message across. It was not.
âCome on Y/N. I signed such a big contract for you the least you could do is suck me off.â He stared at you sleazily, the liver spot above his eyebrow moving up and down as he wagged them.
âIâm sorry Mr Li, but this is very inappropriate. Iâm going to leave.â You were nicer than your instincts were telling you to be. If he wasnât your client, you would have already kicked him in the balls or better yet broken his nose, although knowing this creep, heâd probably have a kink for it.
âYouâre a fucking bitch you know that?â He spat, his words filled with venom.
âExcuse me?â Each moment that you stayed in this room, made you angrier, the rage pumping itself through you, ringing in your ears.
âYou think youâre successful because youâre smart? Donât kid yourself, Y/N. Everyone knows that your clients only sign because they think youâll fuck them.â He scoffed.
You knew if you stayed there longer, you would surely ruin this contract for your company, if not get sued for punching his ugly little face in so you grabbed your phone and bag and made your way out of the restaurant, tossing a curt goodbye his way.
Your vision was dark as you made your way through the streets. You were so enraged you were shaking. You knew what would fix this. Cigarettes. Without a second thought you made your way into the nearest convenience store, grabbing a bottle of soju and a pack, before walking to your favourite place - the rooftop of your office building.
--------------------------------------------------
You sat at the roof, contemplating the earlier events, the cigarette pack in hand. You hated how you felt in this moment. Powerless. There was no other word for it. You hated feeling small and insignificant. You had built your life up in a way that ensured you wouldnât have to deal with these feelings but here you were at almost midnight, searching the faint stars in the sky for serenity.Â
Anger coursed through your veins as you tried to steel yourself, fists clenching hard enough for red semicircles to be engraved on your palms. Sometimes you hated being a woman. What gave anyone the right to dismiss your hard work and accomplishments because they valued your tits more. You were coursing with negativity, your mouth tasting of poison, as you chugged the soju. You still felt his slimy hands on your ass and his words echoed through your mind. If only your deal was not at stake you wouldâve kicked him so hard in the balls, heâd never be able to reproduce. The world is much too beautiful to have his offsprings tainting it.Â
You usually donât let these things affect you as much. Itâd be a lie to say these moments were few and far in between. In fact, they took place more often than youâd like to remember. The amount of men who had dismissed you or called you being a CEO a great âmarketing move in todayâs PC worldâ was astronomical. You would usually brush them off and pretend they never happened, never letting it affect you, but something about the way he sneered made you so vulnerable that for a minute you let your guard down and believed him.Â
âYou think youâre successful because youâre smart? Donât kid yourself, Y/N. Everyone knows that your clients only sign because they think youâll fuck them.â You snapped a cigarette in half, watching the contents sprinkle out of the white casing as you rolled it in your fingers and coaxed a bigger mess. You tossed it across the floor, watching the wind pick up the light scraps and scatter them around like confetti. What a great celebration, you thought as you rolled your eyes.
âY/NâŠ?â you heard Namjoon call from behind you.Â
You regretted messaging him after your dinner. You didnât even know why you had told him. He was not your boyfriend, technically he wasnât even your friend. You had only gone on a few dates, and although you felt closer to him than you had anybody you had dated in a long while, you were not ready for him to see you this way. It had barely been over a month and a half. You didnât feel confident enough to face him. The Y/N he knew was the successful, flirty, witty version you had worked hard to portray. You donât know how he would react to this self-hating mess of you. Maybe heâd run away. You deserved that much. Hell, maybe he didnât even buy the version you showed him, only here for the tits. You were bitter.
âIâm sorry you came all this way. Iâm fine, you can go home.â You couldnât face him - not in this state. You stared at your hands, deepening the crescents on your palm as if willing the skin to break. You saw his shoes in front of you, unlaced blue Nikes, attached to blue striped pajama pants with cartoon koalas. Had you forced him to get out of bed? You felt a bubble of guilt rise within your chest. You were such a shitty person to bring him into this. He deserved better than to be on a cold rooftop on a Friday night in the middle of his comeback preparations.
You were ready to ask him leave again as you heard him settle next to you. You looked up at his face, his eyes softened with concern behind his wide rimmed glasses as he sat crossed leg, his hands in his lap. You opened the pack to grab another cigarette, snapping it in half again and tossing it half heartedly across the floor. You felt defeated, the emotional exhaustion of the night weighing on your shoulders.
âDo you want to talk about it?â he asked softly, his voice almost a whisper.
âI donât know,â you said, matching his volume. There was no one here and itâs not like anyone could hear you off of this fifty storey building, but somehow you only had the strength to whisper.Â
âTake your timeâ he answered. He looked like he meant it. He sat there looking at you, giving you space. His phone buzzed a few times and he ignored it. Instead, he just patiently looked at you, his face neutral for what felt like hours.
Somehow his patience gave you courage to open up, and you told him the events of the night. He never interrupted, or even moved. The only way youâd know he was not suddenly a statue was by the way his jaw slowly tensed as you got to the reason you were so upset, all your doubts and insecurities filling the air in a tumble of fast spoken words.
âI donât even know why this is making me so angry. It is not like this is the first time this has happened to me.â You chuckled dryly as you looked up at him. He looked angry and you felt nervous. Perhaps you shared too much. You wouldnât blame him for getting angry at how stupid your reason was for getting him out of bed.
âWhatâs his name?â he asked, his eyes narrowed. You were surprised at his question. This was the first time he spoke since you started talking about twenty minutes ago.
âWhy?â
âIâm going to kill him.â He said flatly, eye ablaze and jaw set.
âJoonâŠâ you trailed, unsure what to say. He wasnât unjustified in his threat. On your way to the roof, you yourself had devised about a thousand ways to get away with murder.
âNo. Heâs an asshole and Iâm going to kill him for making you feel this way.â He looked less angry now, and more upset, sighing as he looked at you. You chuckled humorlessly. His comment made you feel better, made you feel less alone and stupid for wanting to take your anger out at the perpetuator. At least youâd have someone to carry the body with if you decided to act on your homicidal fantasies.
âCan I give you a hug?â He asked tentatively, his hand reached towards you as he turned looking at you closely. as if worried you might snap at him.
âJoon, you donât have to ask,â you murmured as you scooted closer to him, wrapping your arms around his waist. He reacted immediately, pulling you into him tightly, his chin over your head. Your face was pressed against his chest and you inhaled his woodsy scent, feeling instantly more calm.
âI didnât want to make you feel uncomfortable. A man touched you without your permission and I didnât know how you felt about being close to another today.â He whispered against your hair, kissing the top of your head. Your heart instantly warmed, tears pricking your eyes. No one had ever been this considerate to you before, so respectful. The fact that he thought you might feel uncomfortable around him just because of that asshole made your heart break. You pushed out of the hug and cupped his face.
âDonât you dare compare yourself to that asshole.â You were angry that not only did that sorry excuse for a man made you feel small, he made Namjoon feel like you wouldnât want him.
âAnd donât you dare feel like youâre not worthy because of that asshole.â He kissed your forehead gently before bringing you into another bone-crushing hug, momentarily knocking the air out of your lungs. His words made you feel warm, and brought a lump to your throat. It felt oddly cathartic to have the man you had come to admire tell you you were enough. You felt the tears you had been holding in all night escape slowly. You held him tighter as his t-shirt became your makeshift tissue, silently crying for what felt like hours while he stroked your hair gently.
When you could talk again without your voice breaking, you broke the embrace. His shirt was stained with your tears and mascara, and suddenly you felt very awkward for your blatant display of emotions.Â
âIâm sorry I called you here so late,â you apologized sheepishly, realizing how late it was and how silly you felt for making him jump out of bed.
âPlease donât apologize. Iâm glad you called me.â He wiped your face of the tears that had failed to be absorbed by the t-shirt, smiling slightly as he leaned in to give you another peck on your forehead.Â
âYouâre in your pajamas,â you pointed out, laughing slightly, wanting to remove some of the awkwardness you felt at having bawled in front of him for so long.
âI didnât want to keep you waiting for too long.â He shrugged, giving you a smile that melted your heart. You had realized this before but it dawned on you again that to you Namjoon was comfort. He was like a warm blanket to cozy under in a cool room, keeping the monsters at bay.
You reached out and kissed him, slowly pulling him in by his shirt, avoiding his glasses as you tilted your head. The kiss was gentle - it was sweet and warm. Unlike the passionate ones you had shared before, ones that would light you on fire, this was comfortable, like a bonfire rather than a forest fire. His lips were chapped against yours and his tongue tasted like toothpaste as he smiled against your lips.
âYou didnât smoke!â He exclaimed when you separated, pulling you into another hug, his arms around your head. The pride in his voice made you laugh.
âI told you, I donât smoke anymore,â you commented as you grinned against his chest.
âThen whatâs the pack for?â He seemed puzzled.
âOh⊠I was going to but I didnât want to break my two year streak.â You shrugged. He beamed at you as he pulled you in for another kiss, taking his time to taste you. It felt like he was savouring you, his fingers tangled in your hair on the nape of your neck and his other hand placed gently on your waist.
When you came up for air he giggled, his forehead against yours. âIâm proud of you for not breaking your streak,â he said, making your cheeks flare at his sincerity. âLetâs get you home.â
âDo you want to walk instead of grabbing a cab?â
âAlways.â He held your hand as you both stand up and make your way downstairs.Â
You noticed him shivering slightly as you exited the building and it finally dawned on you that he was dressed in just a t-shirt. It was not the middle of winter but it was certainly too chilly for not wearing a sweater. You couldnât help but feel a pang of guilt in your chest as you were currently dressed in not one but two sweaters. Stopping him, you took off your oversized sweater and handed it to him.
âWhat are you doing?â He looked at you, confused as you pushed the sweater in his hands.
âYou seem cold.â
âThatâs supposed to be my move.â He laughed.
âHey Iâm wearing like two sweaters! Plus, I feel bad about dragging you out here and forcing you to walk.â You looked at your shoes, suddenly feeling shy.
âDonât feel bad, baby.â He lifted your chin up to place a quick peck on your lips after looking around to make sure no one's walking by on the deserted street. âAlso, I donât think this will fit me.â He chuckled, pushing his frames further up his nose.
âItâs oversized! Just try it, youâre shivering!â
âIâm an oversized human!â He exclaimed but started to put his arms through the sleeves. The sweater looked hilariously small on his frame, even with only one sleeve on. As he zipped it up, it resembled a rashguard more than a sweater, his t-shirt flaring out from the bottom, the material straining against his arms and back. The stress of the night washed away as you doubled over in laughter, your face streaking with new joyous tears at the sight.Â
âSee I told you it was too small!â He grinned sheepishly.
âThis is amazing, you look great Joonieâ you managed to wheeze out in between your laughter.
At that he took your hand and walked the ten blocks to your apartment. The night was filled with a comfortable silence broken only by little musings as you both took in the quiet surroundings of the financial district after hours. As you neared your street, Namjoon broke the silence once again.
âWhy did you message me tonight?â His voice was contemplative, as his thumb grazed yours.
âIâm sorry. I know I shouldnât haveâ You earlier guilt was surfacing again, as you thought about why you told him what happened when usually the first person youâd tell in this situation would be Jiyoung or Harry.
âI told you - Iâm glad you did. I was just curious why.â
âI⊠I donât know. Youâre the first person I wanted to see.â You sighed, getting uncomfortable with the line of questioning. You didnât want him to ask why he was the first person you thought of because you werenât ready to be even more vulnerable tonight, not ready to admit the space he had made in your heart over the last month. He was quiet for a few moments, his eyebrows scrunched in concentration as if he were solving a complex math problem, before he spoke.
âDo you remember when I sprained my wrist and had to go to the hospital a few weeks ago?â You didnât expect this subject change, but gladly welcomed it.
âYeahâŠâ
âWell⊠youâre the first person I wanted to see then too. I mean before I knew it was just a sprain and I was panicking.â He squeezed your hand in his as you both exited the elevator on to your hallway, and looked at you, his gaze soft. âWhat do you think that means?â
âThat weâre even?â You smiled, hoping to break this unknown tension that had come between you all of a sudden as you stopped at your door. You fumbled with your keycode, having to enter the password twice before making your way inside, Namjoon following behind you, as you both slipped out of your shoes and into slippers. Before you could leave the entryway, he gently held on your elbow to stop you, fixing you with another one of his soft gazes and a smile that made your heart flutter.
âI was thinking it means that youâre my girlfriend.â You could hear your heart rev up as you looked at him for any signs of teasing. There were none. Usually you would respond back with something along the lines of him never asking, but with the night you had just had all you could think about was how happy you were to finally call him yours. Without further hesitation you wrapped your arms around his neck pulling him into a kiss, which after a little surprise, he returned. It was reminiscent of the first time you had kissed, but this time instead of awkward butterflies, your heart was filled with a comfortable glow. His lips were familiar against yours and his scent wrapped your senses in a warm cocoon.Â
âMmm⊠Boyfriend.â you said against his lips, grinning, as he kissed you again, his hands under your thighs as he lifted you and carried you to bed, surprisingly avoiding bumping into the doorframe this time.Â
That night as you slept under the projected milky way on your ceiling with his breath tickling your ear as he snored lightly, you felt yourself give Namjoon a part of your heart you had hidden away for a very long time.
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Renegades (Din Djarin x gn!Reader) | pt. I
yâknow what, it probably makes more sense to crosspost the entire chapters rather than just post links. :v So here we go!Â
summary:Â You're used to your job as an infochant sponsored by the Bounty Hunters' Guild bringing you the occasional violent incident. But when a certain Mandalorian you've helped out before comes to you for help and accidentally brings his very dangerous problems along with him, it's all you can do to let yourself get dragged into it.
word count: 4.3kÂ
authorâs notes:Â If other people are allowed to write reader-inserts where the reader character has specific qualities about them then Iâm allowed to as well. :v This is going to be a big multi-part reader-insert fic following the show, starting almost immediately after Mando escapes with the Child from the Guild. With how much Iâm churning out per part, itâs going to be a long fic. Slow burn, mutual pining, the works - however, no smut. No allusions to it either. Iâm ace and this is my own personal indulgent work where Mando is also asexual to some degree, as is Reader.Â
Reader is very mildly Force-sensitive, but doesnât know it. The sensitivity manifests in them being able to sense the presence of people, impending danger, and being a little luckier than usual when it comes to anticipating oncoming attacks. They can also vaguely pick up on others that are Force-sensitive, but it comes off as a weird sense of familiarity. Grogu can tell what's going on, but there's no way for that to be communicated.
Part 1 (you are here) // ao3 link
---
It wasnât every day that youâd get a Guild member coming through your doors. Granted, youâd get all sorts of customers as an informant, but Guild members tended to be the proud sort that would rather start their hunts from scratch and not bother trying to get help from anyone. Even if that help was in the form of extensive galactic maps and planetary inhabitants that held more detail than most databases - courtesy some archives from a long-established library somewhere on Coruscant - and would come in handy once they determined what direction they were going.
It was even less often that a Guild member would try to sneak in and take you by surprise, trying to keep the knowledge that theyâd even been there hidden from anyone that may be watching. Or to try and intimidate information out of you for the fee of letting you live, if they were new to the bounty-hunting field and were preoccupied with maintaining the reputation of a mercenary. Those types annoyed you to no end.
Today seemed to be one of those days.
Without fail, you always got a strange niggling in the back of your mind when someone was around that shouldnât be. You never could explain why it was that you could do that, but it came in handy and in turn took the visitors by surprise that you knew they were there. You liked to think thatâs part of why you were able to maintain your reputation within the Guild as a preferred informant.
The strange sensation was there. But it was⊠different somehow. You stood from your desk and brought a hand to hover near your temple, focusing on it. No, this was stronger. Not just in the way that you felt when there was more than one person, either. It was stronger, and despite being so foreign, it had an almost familiar sense to it. You furrowed your brow, eyes darting aimlessly as you tried to process it.
You stepped out from behind your desk, the work youâd been doing double-checking and updating your own archives forgotten as you cautiously reached for a hold-out blaster you kept within handâs reach. You could never be too careful with potential clientele.
There really werenât many places in your âoffice buildingâ to go from where you were. A hallway with a small set of stairs that led to your living space, and the front door. There was a back door to the living area and a few windows that would every so often have to have their grating replaced on, and if someone was feeling especially sneaky there was an air vent that dropped into the center of the hallway.
You turned your eyes towards the ceiling, where just above was the modest kitchen area. Whoever was setting off your stranger senses, was there, even though they werenât making noise. You sighed quietly to yourself and padded your way towards the stairs and the doorframe that led to the area, blaster ready in your hand.
Rounding the corner slowly, face blank, you glanced up and watched for any shadows or other movement on the walls ahead of you. Still no sound - though you swear there was an almost sub-audial humming that wasnât there before, the kind youâd expect from idle machinery. You hadnât left anything on, you knew that much.
You rolled your eyes at the thought of some meathead bringing some convoluted contraption to interrogate you with. Wouldnât be the first time.
Might as well get this over with.
âHey, I know someoneâs up there. Your sneaking isnât going to work on me. State your business.â
You stepped up the stairs, blaster slightly raised, not trying to be silent anymore.
You barely made it to the top step when a pair of hands grabbed you, one slamming over your mouth and the other wrenching your arm just enough to make you drop your weapon, and you were bodily lifted and pinned against the wall just to the side of where youâd been entering the room. You pushed back instinctively, trying to wrench your arm free and thinking about how effective it would be to try and bite the glove-clad hand over your mouthâ
âY/N.â
The modulated hiss of your name burst through the fight-or-flight haze that had taken over, and with a jolt you registered the Beskar helmet in front of you. All your movements stopped as you stared, dumbfounded. There was no forgetting that âfaceâ, no matter how long it had been since you last saw it.
To be truthful, even though youâd only met him a few times before, this Mandalorian was by far the most bearable of the Guild that came to you for information. To-the-point with what he needed, no awkward attempts at small-talk, and despite how blunt he was, surprisingly polite. It made those few encounters memorable and had you wishing for more in the future over other clients. Of course fate would have it be like this.
In all honesty, the physical closeness of the whole thing was throwing you for a loop and your mind was choosing now of all times to remind you of how touch-deprived you were, and bringing back to the surface those old vaguely fond feelings for this man that occasionally crossed your path. But you were still lucid enough not to let that be at the forefront of your mind.
You quirked your eyebrow at him as he carefully released your arm, motioning for you to stay quiet. You were just barely able to nod your head enough to indicate you understood. He slowly removed his hand from your face, moving as if he went too fast youâd spook like a trapped animal and lash out.
Something was very off if Mando of all people was sneaking around your place and trying to keep you quiet. He was the last person to care about what the rest of the Guild thought about what they saw him doing, he just cared about getting jobs done and doing so as efficiently as possible. Youâd heard enough about his reputation to know that much.
This predicament all but confirmed the talk youâd heard around town that Mando had gone and broken some big rules, something about going back on a bounty after turning it in, and now had a price of his own on his head.
You swept your hands out to the sides in your most âwhat the hellâ motion you could muster. You didnât miss the very slight sag in Mandoâs posture, like he had quietly sighed.
And thatâs when you noticed it.
You stared at the egg-shaped pod floating in the middle of the room. The source of the humming youâd heard earlier, no doubt. What was he carting around that was so valuable he had to take it with him instead of leaving it on his ship?
The quiet noise that came from it made you start. It almost sounded like⊠something alive was inside.
You gave Mando a sidelong stare. The Beskar warrior tilted his head in your direction, just enough to indicate he was looking back at you.
âMando⊠what did you do.â
You watched with baited breath as he approached the pod, standing close by its side as he keyed in something on his wrist panel to open it. You knew he was honorable, but some morbid part of your mind expected something viscerally upsetting to greet you.
What was actually inside, took you more by surprise than anything you could have imagined.
Sitting up amongst a pile of blankets and peering at you with curious dark eyes and perked oversized ears, was a baby unlike any youâd ever seen. You were pretty well-versed on the galaxyâs species, but this one escaped you entirely. And somehow, you still felt some kind of familiarity towards it. This was what was causing that other strange sensation earlier.
You blinked owlishly at it. It blinked back.
â...heâs just a kid.â
It was a low murmur, one you barely caught, but it struck you with the force of a thunderclap. The last two minutes alone had completely upturned any previous conceptions you may have had about the bounty hunter and what kind of person he was.
You did not understand why he was trusting you with this. At all. Yet here you were, and there he was.
You didnât realize youâd been slowly moving towards the pod until you were armâs length from the child and it chirped at you, reaching up with a curious hand in your direction, his eyes bright and watching you expectantly. Your hand drifted upwards and you cautiously let the little one grasp your finger, transfixed.
A familiar voice brought you back to reality.
âI need options for lying low, somewhere off the grid. Youâre currently my best option for getting them.â
You turned your head to look at the Mandalorian. It was a simple enough request, but the circumstances being what they were, he was clearly pressed for time and needed to be as discreet as possible with his actions.
Glancing back at the child and carefully removing your hand from its grasp, you didnât miss the way he seemed somewhat disappointed to no longer be the center of your attention. Sparing a glance at Mando, you motioned for him to follow you back to the office room, stopping momentarily to retrieve your blaster from the ground. Heâd been there enough to know that there were no windows to be spied upon through in the lower area. With a quick tap to his wrist panel, he trudged carefully after you, the childâs pod drifting along close behind.
âHow extensive are you hoping for?â
âAs much as you can manage, as quickly as you can manage.â
You casually toggled on the earpiece you were never without - com link, translation device, and a handy little neural connection that let you activate and sift through your databanks hands-free. It was expensive, but very worth the investment. As soon as you entered the room, numerous holoscreens came to life around you and began pulling up planets based on various criteria - remoteness, levels of inhabitants, general hostility levels, neutrality with the New Republic, to name a few. Your eyes flitted between screens, highlighting the more promising results and using a slight swiping motion of your hand to dismiss the less promising ones.
âIâve got a handful you can look at, if theyâre good I can download more of the information about the actual planetary ongoings for you onto a data stick.â
You glance towards the bounty hunter when you see him nod his head, but notice heâs not paying as much attention to the actual selections as you anticipated. He seemed... on edge. More so than he did when you found yourself trying to fight him after he snuck into your home. The child, meanwhile, paid no attention at all to the armored man and was mesmerized by the kaleidoscope of screens and their data streams, ears swiveling and gaze darting about, the colorful reflections dancing across the black of his eyes.
You werenât one to fawn over kids, but you had to admit, this one could be pretty cute.
On your way to pull a blank data stick from the storage space in your desk, you froze. All the hairs on your body stood on end and something at the base of the skull felt like it was writhing, yelling at you to get out, get far away, now.
âWhatâs wrong.â
You rounded on the Mandalorian faster than youâd done anything in your life, data stick falling from your grip and clattering to the ground so you could instead pull out your blaster for the second time that day. This actually seemed to startle him as he backed up a step. The screens around you shut down, plunging the room into darkness now that the only light source were the small lights on some of the machinery and the dim lamp on the desk. The child whimpered, shrinking down into the safety of his pod.
âWe need to leave. Right now. No time. Someoneâs coming and itâs not gonna be good.â
That was all he needed to hear. With a quick look at the child, he closed the pod and unholstered his own blaster, stance wary but leaving nothing to the imagination about how often he mustâve found himself in similar situations before this and come out the victor. If you werenât so on edge and consumed with the need to get out, you might have been able to admire the sight before you of the broad-shouldered, Beskar-clad warrior.
Another time.
Noises of someone trying to force entry echoed from the upstairs area before you even made it a step past the doorway to the office. The front door was closer, and while it seemed counterintuitive to go there versus the back door, something told you youâd have more luck that way.
You snatched your outerwear and pouched belts from their hanging hook in the hall, knowing youâd have to be lying low yourself for at least a few days before you could consider coming back home. You were an infochant, you knew of all the possible places in the immediate area that would be good for that.
There was hardly any time to react when the front door was forced open, and an unruly-looking individual aimed a blaster down the hall and began firing. How you managed to twist to the side and avoid getting hit, youâll never know. Youâll also never know how you managed to shoot off your stun blaster at the same time Mando fired his, so the man was not just stunned into unconsciousness but hit squarely in the stomach by the blaster fire. He fell to the ground with no sound other than the thunk of his weight against the floor. You blinked in slight shock at it, turning briefly to look at the equally-taken-by-surprise bounty hunter.
Hey, youâll take it.
He nodded briskly and brushed past you to go out the door first, and he was barely through the frame before he was effortlessly dodging and striking out at two more assailants. You almost felt sorry for them as he knocked them to the ground, the Beskar armor rendering their attempts to strike back useless, and used some well-placed blaster shots to ensure they wouldnât get back up.
Again, there was no time for you to properly be in awe. The intruders in the upper area were making their way towards where you were, and you had to keep moving. As soon as he signaled it was safe you dashed outside, slinging your belt over your shoulder and making sure the pod with the child inside was unmarked. You didnât doubt Mandoâs ability, but you felt like now that you were in this mess, if anything did happen, it would be on you.
And you just saw what he was capable of doing to anyone on his bad side.
None of you stopped until you were several buildings away, but within view of your place. You watched from your hiding place as at least three people moved from the two different entrances, some kicking at the corpses of their accomplices and motioning to the ones going back inside, their words too distant to be made out. You could see some items haphazardly being tossed through the door, mostly your equipment. Your personal databanks were heavily encrypted and couldnât be accessed without your genetic signature, so theyâd find they were useless sooner or later. At least you had backups in storage, so it wasnât a total loss.
They had possibly realized this, as they left the equipment, and after what looked like a brief regrouping, the vandals parted to scour the streets for any sign of where you had went,
âI think I may have to follow you on your way out of the city. I can hole up somewhere  until things calm down-â
The explosion brought your thoughts to a grinding halt.
Fire, horrifically beautiful, burst through what was once your front door and upper windows as if they were made of foam and not the reinforced durasteel that all buildings in the area were required to have. Everything was simultaneously in slow motion but happening far too fast for you to truly register anything. It didnât even feel like you were in your body anymore, it felt like you were looking through a pair of scopes from another planet. You could only stare dumbly at the smoke laced with embers as it billowed into the sky above.
âHey, we need to move.â
A brief clap on your shoulder shocked you free of the spell. You glanced at the gloved hand, and up at its owner. There was no time to try and decipher any further meaning in Mandoâs stance, if there was any sympathy expressed towards you in the hand that rested shortly on your shoulder. He motioned quickly with his head to follow him, and briskly moved to retreat from the area. With a small sigh, you hurried after him.
The three of you only stopped once youâd gone past the outskirts of the city, taking cover in an outcropping of rocks.
You didnât need to tap into any chatter frequencies to know your name was now amongst those that youâd help bounty hunters track down.
Well⊠used to. That avenue was as burnt up as your home was now.
You scrubbed a hand over your face, eyes closed, now that you had a second to stop.
âIf you need a ride, I can help.â
Your eyes fluttered open and you looked over your fingers at the man that just turned your life upside down. You could tell he was trying to be nonchalant about it, stance casual and visor pointed steadily in your direction, but you could feel a sense of guilt through the way he couldnât stop shifting on his feet every so often and the way he couldnât figure out where to settle his fingers on his belt. Mustâve been unusual for him to find himself in this kind of predicament.
â...sure. I donât really have any other options right now.â
It was quiet on the Razor Crest. The Mandalorian sat at the helm, charting a route through hyperspace. The Child had been let out of his pod and was freely wandering the cramped cockpit, but you couldnât be bothered to even idly watch what he may have been doing. All you could do was stare blankly at the space ahead of you.
It was gone. All of it.
Your archives you had meticulously compiled over the years. Your collection of plants from various systems that made living on the dusty rock you called home more bearable. Personal things you had held onto since your childhood, things that had been passed on to you from generations past. All that was left was what youâd managed to grab on your way out the door, thinking youâd have a chance to come back and resume life there in maybe a day or two.
And you were a fugitive now, too, for aiding Mando and fleeing rather than let yourself be captured and punished. You werenât even able to get any of the information Mando had come to you for. You reached up and ran your fingers over your earpiece, the only thing left of your once-extensive setup. At least it was still useful.
Your brooding was interrupted by a small tug on your pant leg. Looking down, you met a pair of big, dark eyes peering up over your knees.
âUh...hi?â
The Child cooed, tiny clawed hands gripping into the fabric, tilting his head like he expected something from you.
Kids were weird.
You hesitantly reached out, awkwardly patting his head and thinking to yourself how the combination of the grooves in his head and his thin, downy hair felt strange. His eyes crinkled at the corners in a smile. You glanced up at where Mando was sitting, to see that he had turned to watch you and the kid. You couldnât see his eyes but his gaze still burned into you nonetheless.
You quickly turned back to the Child, letting him grab your hand and begin inspecting it thoroughly like it was an interesting toy.
This seemed like as good an opportunity as any to ask a question that had been bothering you.
âSo, uh, Mando⊠why didnât you try to hide the kid back at my place? You had no way to know I wouldnât tell someone once you left.â
There really wasnât any reason for him to trust you like that that you could come up with. The odd consult for planetary guides wasnât nearly enough interaction for either of you to really say that you knew the other, beyond impressions. You sold information, you had no loyalty to one client over another, and knowing Mando had the kid with him at that very moment could have ended with you possibly⊠doing something rash, if you really wanted to. You wouldnât. But he had no way of knowing that. Right?
There was a quiet modulated sigh from the bounty hunter. You changed looking in his direction again, and let out a small breath youâd been holding when you saw he wasnât watching you anymore. Rather, he was watching the kid playing with your hand.
â...youâre trustworthy.â
And before you could try and get him to elaborate on what he meant, he turned back to the controls.
That wasnât something you were expecting to hear.
You looked back at the Child, who had moved past your hand and was now pulling at the shiny silver latch tucked into your wrist piece that had your keycard attached to it. All that was left of your old residence. You pulled it out and let him take it, watching him pick at the etched grooves and writing with his claws.
You felt something akin to pain and grim amusement that something that used to be so important in your life, was now relegated to a baby toy. He could keep it, you didnât need it anymore where you were headed.
...wait, where were you going?
âMando, what system are we headed towards?â
âDonât know yet. Iâm getting as far as we can go first.â
Oh, good. You closed your eyes to suppress an eyeroll.
âWell, when we have some idea, let me know so I can figure out just what degree of screwed I am for starting over at everything.â
Silence from the pilot. It wasnât his fault that he was followed, not his fault that the assailants had decided to ransack and then destroy your abode and livelihood. But you could still tell he carried the guilt as if it were. You hadnât meant to sound like you blamed him, but your irritated tone of voice at the situation at hand could certainly be interpreted that way.
âSorry, Mando, I just⊠donât know what Iâm going to do now.â
You sighed softly, absent-mindedly messing with your hands. The Child watched you, his ears drooping at your defeated tone.
âI could use an extra set of eyes around, with watching out for the kid.â
He was facing you again, this time turned in the pilotâs chair with an arm partly draped over the armrest. He was trying to look nonchalant again. The way he peered over his shoulder made you want to hide away, and you prayed he didnât notice the flustered flush trying to creep its way onto your face.
The Child made a noise of agreement to Mandoâs suggestion, looking enthusiastically from the armored man back to you, eyes bright and ears angled high in anticipation of you answering. Why this kid seemed to be so interested in you, you had no idea. Youâd only just met him, why was he so excited? The only thing you could think of was that strange, familiar vibe he gave you, maybe it was a two-way thing?
Mando suggesting you stay around to help with the kid at all took you by surprise as well. You slowly turned your head to stare at him head-on. He didnât exactly state he wanted a babysitter, but with your understanding of his profession you would probably be saddled with a lot of doing just that. You knew if anyone decided to try and come after you for information, if you were traveling with the Mandalorian youâd be safer than anywhere you might settle down. But at the same time, a nomadic lifestyle such as his relying on hunting down troublesome quarry was equally dangerous. But it wouldnât just be you by your lonesome, and, hell, it could make for some interesting experiences.
âAre you being serious?â
All he had to do was incline his head. You looked back down at the kid, who seemed to be holding his breath waiting for an answer.
â...I donât know the first thing about kids. But Iâll help out where I can, with him or anywhere else.â
The Child squealed, clutching the keycard he was still holding close. That earned a small chuckle from you.
You looked back up at the Mandalorian watching you both, not needing to see his face under his helmet to know he was also being affected by the small green childâs charm. He finally turned away, back to his controls, looking through the shipâs navigation to plot the next leg of whatever journey you were on.
This was going to be one hell of a ride.
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Heirs
I almost didnât post this because I really just wrote it on a whim after my Dad Tim & Uncle Rhys shorts made me wonder what itâd be like for Tim if Jack had another kid. So, hereâs a snapshot take on that idea!Â
Tim wondered when the bizarre life he was living had become normal to him.
There was the whole being a doppelganger working for the worldâs biggest psychopath part of it, of course. But if youâd told him years ago he was going to be, essentially, a nanny for the psychopath he was a doppelganger of, he wouldâve laughed in your face.
Now, he just scooped the beer heâd been drinking off the coffee table and tossed it up on the counter where kids couldnât reach. He kicked his dirty laundry under his bed and took a quick look around to make sure nothing of imminent danger was left lying about.Â
Heâd been horrified when Jack accidentally got Nisha pregnant. Even more horrified when Nisha decided to keep the kid. The last thing the galaxy needed was a mini Jack/Nisha running around.
The horror had grown to an overwhelming amount when Jack decided to use Tim to look after the kid when he was too busy to do it himself.Â
Tim had absolutely dreaded it, waiting for the kid to get old enough to use him as a punching bag or torment him the way Jack did. No way the offspring of Handsome Jack and Nisha Kadam would ever have a kind bone in their body.Â
There was a knock on the door and Tim called out a lazy, âCome in.â
The door opened and in bound a small boy who was a disturbing mix of Jack and Nisha. His tutor followed behind him.
âHis homework,â the tutor said, handing a folder to Tim. âI had permission to take him on a bit of a field trip today, so he never napped. Iâd either let him sleep an hour now, or else start that homework early and let him go to bed earlier than usual.â
âJackâs got him for bedtime,â Tim said, taking the folder. âIf heâs cranky by then, itâs not my problem.â
The tutor shrugged and left Timâs apartment. Tim tossed the folder down.
âLiam!â he called as the boy took off for the kitchen. âCome start your homework.â
It was a minute before Liam reappeared with a juice box and a small bag of chips. He shook his head at Tim, thick black hair tumbling across his forehead.
âNu-uh, Uncle Timmy! I gotta see Angel! I gotta!â He shot Tim his wide-eyed look, which seemed to work on every adult except Tim. âPlease. I gotta.â
Tim pointed. âHomework. Or itâs my ass your dad will beat.â
He abandoned the wide-eyed look and instead settled for an imitation of Jackâs stern look. âI gotta see Angel.â
âNah, kid,â Tim said. âYou gotta do your homework.â
âIâll bring it,â he tried. âPlease, Uncle Timmy!â
Tim sighed heavily. But Liam didnât get to see his sister often, and he knew Angel was probably his only sane family member.
âFine. But you donât get to throw a fit later when youâre tired and you have to finish your work,â Tim said, snatching the folder up, knowing full well that Liam wouldnât touch it while they were visiting Angel but needing to try anyways. âLetâs go.â
A bright smile broke out on Liamâs face, so happy and pure. Tim hated that he still held out hope that the kid would be better than his parents someday.Â
But Liam launched forward, throwing his little arms as far around Timâs waist as he could. âYouâre the best, Uncle Timmy!âÂ
âYea, yea,â Tim said, taking his hand and leading him out of the apartment.
They went to the nearest fast travel station. Tim set it for the Bunker, being one of the only people authorized to fast travel there now that he was so often in charge of Liam.
It had been horrifying to learn Jack was going to have a child. Even more so to learn that his baby with Nisha wouldnât be his first.Â
But Tim had adjusted slowly to Angel. As they flashed inside her chamber, he was heartbroken but used to the sight of her and the Eridium injectors hooked into her body.
This poor girl. Tim tightened his hold on Liamâs hand, wondering if he could secure a better fate for Jackâs second child.
âTimothy,â she said in surprise. âLiam.â
âAngel!â Liam released Timâs hand to run forward. âAngel, I went on a field trip today!â
âDid you?â she said, so easily able to hide the jealousy she no doubt felt. She was trapped here, doomed to die without Eridium, while her little brother got to experience the world.Â
Liam nodded eagerly. âUh-huh. We went to see skags! But they were, um, they were...d...d...d-something.â
âDomesticated?â Tim offered.
âYea!â Liam was nodding eagerly again. âI got to see all kindsâa skags and stuff. And- And there was this one guy and one of the skags bit him.â He laughed at the thought, Tim and Angel sharing a look. The signs that Jack and Nisha were getting to him were glaringly obvious at times. âHe started cryinâ, like a baby.â
âWell, it probably hurt,â Angel said. âYou shouldnât laugh at people when they get hurt. Itâs mean.â
He ignored that, still laughing. âI petted one! They felt all weird and gross.â
âYou pet one,â Tim said. ââPettedâ isnât a word, kid. This is why you need to do your homework.â
Liam ignored that, too. âAnd there were baby skags! Mr. Wilson let me name one!â
âWhatâd you call it?â Angel said.
He was basically vibrating with excitement. âAngel! I named her Angel!âÂ
Tim and Angel shared another look. He could tell she still held out hope for him, too.
âThat was really nice of you, Liam,â she said softly. Tim couldnât quite read the expression on her face; it mightâve been pain, or sadness, or love. Maybe it was all of them. He looked away rather than suffer trying to interpret it.
âThey made her a collar with her name on it!â Liam said. âIâm gonna ask daddy to give her a bodyguard so sheâs always safe.â
Tim closed his eyes, clenching his fists. He hated his own hope. He hated it so much, because he knew this boyâs kindness would never survive.
Angel had to take a moment before speaking again. âI hope she gets to grow up strong and see the whole world.â
âIâm gonna take a picture next time we see her. Mr. Wilson said I can see her again!â he said. âIâll show you the picture.â He hesitated, looking anxious. âAnd maybe daddy will let you come see her. Iâm gonna tell him sheâs named after you. So maybe heâll let you come with me next time.â
âI would love that,â Angel said, because it was honest and it was kinder than the reality of telling him why she couldnât. âI really would, Liam.âÂ
He pressed his hand to the chamber enclosing her. She pressed hers to it as well, so little separating them, so much separating them. His hand was so tiny, swallowed up by the image of hers against it. His bright blue eyes met hers, their most striking shared feature theyâd inherited from the man who kept them apart.Â
âTell me more about your trip,â she said, only the faintest tremor to her words. âI want to hear everything.â
His smile was huge. He went on and on about his trip and everything he saw, sometimes getting so excited that heâd repeat himself. But Angel never pointed it out, and neither did Tim. They let him carry on, swooping in with questions when he seemed ready to stop talking.
Finally, though, his lack of a nap caught up with him. Tim was sitting on the ground, and Liam went over, crawling into Timâs lap as his yawns grew more frequent. It wasnât long before he fell asleep.
âPlease, Timothy,â Angel said quietly, her eyes fixed on her brother. âI have no chance. But he does. Look out for him.â
âIâm trying,â Tim said, looking down at the small child in his lap.Â
âWhen dad told me Nisha had a boy, I was so happy. It meant he would never share my fate,â Angel said, looking away from them both. âBut he can use Liam in other ways.â
âAngel,â Tim said. âDid you pick his name?â
Angel nodded. âYes. Dad let me pick his name.â She gave a weak smile. âHe hated what I chose. But I just...It means âprotectorâ. I want...I want him to be a force of good in the world, Timothy.â
She couldâve been, too. But Jack had locked her away and used her for his own selfish gain.
âIâll do everything I can to keep him from being the fucking nightmare his parents are,â Tim promised.
That earned a surprised laugh from Angel. âThank you. I wish I could take care of him myself. Iâm glad Jack chose to trust you with him. Youâre a good man.â
âThatâs debatable these days, but Iâm at least a better man than Jack,â Tim said. He bit his lip. âI can, uh, bring him here more often. If you want.â
That look in her eyes he couldnât read again. âYes. Thank you, Timothy. I would like that a lot.âÂ
They fell silent after that. Angel watched her brother sleep. Tim thought about how unfair the world was.
Heâd seen Jack interact with both his children. Tim believed Jack did love both of them. But Tim also believed that when Jack loved something, he felt compelled to break its will so he could control it. After all, a thing could never leave him if he shackled it to him.
Tim and Angel did not wake Liam, even when Timâs legs fell asleep from the position the little boy was in, and even when Jack called to see where they were. Waking him meant bringing him back to Helios, back to everyone who had a plan for him, who wanted to chip away at his kindness to make way for cunning and cruelty.Â
Angel wanted to tell Tim everything, but she refused to put him at risk. She knew it would all be over soon; she would betray her father and help the Crimson Raiders defeat him. Jack would die, and so would she. She only hoped Tim fled with Liam and raised him.
Handsome Jack had stolen freedom and any hope of a normal life from Angel. She would not let him do the same to her brother.
So they sat in silence. It was the calm before the storm, and they knew it. But there was nothing to do now, so Tim stayed beside Angelâs prison and let Liam sleep, the only comfort he could offer the children Jack had damned.Â
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