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#and personal things haven’t been so great either. won’t go in detail but let’s say it’s another repeat of what I had to endure previously
dadbots · 1 year
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April, huh….
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lemotmo · 4 months
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You know I’ve tried so hard to stay neutral on the whole Lou/Tommy of it all. But he did another cameo, which he apparently upped the prices the 145 a video?? But he did another one and he dismissed all of Tommy’s past behavior as being corny and teasing which…does not sit right with me. Like racism, misogyny, toxicity, silent compliance of it all….is not just being corny and teasing. And then he ends the video by talking about Tommy came in at the last minute to save the day and save Bobby and Athena so everyone should be good with him now….. like now we’re taking credit for Hens stuff too?
Idk none of that sat well with me at all and if he is sticking around for any of season 8 I think I need the show to just be like no more cameos from you or something.
Hi Nonny, hope the rest of your day was great. Don't allow things like this to get to you too much. If you feel you need a break from social media, make sure to take it. There is already enough stress in real life, don't let it seep into your fandom life as well. Take care of yourself first. You deserve only the best.
Now on to your ask:
I haven’t seen the cameo you are talking about. I have no desire to see that cameo either. I’ve watched one of Lou’s cameos, way back in the beginning when he started doing them. I found it funny, if a little weird that someone would pay for that, but to each their own.
I’ve been hearing about these cameos more and more lately. And yes, they have started to bother me. Mostly because it seems that Lou is charging these people up to 125 dollar (I’ve even read 145 dollars) to talk about the things ‘he’ thinks or believes to be true about Tommy or Buck/Tommy. Basically he’s talking about his own headcanons as an actor. Which again, is fine, because if it helps him to act better, why not?
The problem lies in the fact that some people have started taking Lou’s headcanons for reality. They hear what he says and see it as ‘canon’ because (right now) Buck/Tommy is a canon couple. While it is true that Buck/Tommy is canon, Lou’s headcanons are just that, little fanfictions he made up in his head. It’s a dangerous road to go down, because where does it end? When Buck/Tommy eventually break up, a lot of people will feel misled by him. It won’t be pretty.
So therefore, I’ve decided to never watch any of his cameos. I’m not really interested in his fantasies for the guest character he plays on my favourite show. I’d much rather be focusing on what 911 is actually showing us on our screens. I focus on the nuances and little details that they want us to pick up on.
Sometimes there are small things that seem inconsequential, but turn out to be very important episodes later. Everything matters on television. There are no coincidences. The writers craft the story, every single thing is planned out for the scene, the actors act it out and we watch on in complete fascination. There is no room for a guest actor’s headcanons or fantasies in a prime time show like this.
That being said though, if he truly dismissed Chimney and Hen’s plight under Captain Gerrard as mere ‘teasing’, that is factually wrong. If you go back to watch the scenes in question, there is bigotry, blatant racism and sexism. It makes me wonder if he even remembers the scenes in question. Did he rewatch them before he came back for season 7? We’ll never know.
But it does highlight, once again, that it isn’t smart to give this guy a platform to talk about his personal headcanons. He was always bound to say something dumb that would piss people off at some point. And here we are today, pissed off and annoyed.
I also want to remind everyone that it wasn’t Tommy who is the real ‘hero’ in the story of saving Bathena on the cruise ship. It was Hen Wilson, who had a bad feeling in her gut and decided to follow that feeling. She got the ball rolling, then Chimney jumped to her aide, because he always will. Buck and Eddie decided to join in, without hesitation, because again—they always will. Tommy was merely the helicopter pilot who flew them all in.
By that definition they are all the heroes in this narrative, which is why they all get medals next episode. But it is only Hen who was smart enough to follow her gut. If all the others are ‘heroes’? Hen Wilson is the only ‘big damn hero’.
I do believe Tommy might be sticking around for the beginning of season 8, because I’m not sure there will be enough time to deal with a proper break up in two episodes. Unless Tim surprises me and actually does manage to pull it off.
But yes, someone should just tell him to stop doing those cameos if his character is to carry over to season 8. It’s starting to get a little worrisome at this point. Charging people to talk about your own fantasies for your character, feels a little exploitative.
Whatever happens with him in season 8, ultimately I’m not really worried about Tommy to be honest. Lou’s stint on 911 is coming to an end pretty soon, one way or the other.
Consider this topic closed for me now. I’ve said all I wanted and needed to say. I don’t feel like wasting any more of my time thinking about or writing about this man and his cameos. I’d rather spend my precious fandom time on the things that matter: the amazing people I’ve met, watching the show and crying copious amounts of tears over these characters I’ve come to love so much, theorising and speculating about what might happen in the next episodes and next season, and above all talking about Buddie—my favourite pastime. 😊
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ladyofthegrey · 2 years
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For being my personal blog, I really haven’t been updating it very well.
Earlier this year, I found out I was pregnant. Yes, we were trying. Figure at 30 having a baby was more important that getting married. Anyway, his name was Damien Bruce. He was born at 26 weeks due to me having severe preeclampsia due to some undiagnosed blood pressure issues. I almost died when they had to deliver him. It was a very emergent c-section. I won’t go into too many details. But it was pretty bad and brutal on both myself and my son. He did really well for awhile, for a while. But his lungs were undeveloped. At first. it was normal preemie baby stuff. And it was still estimated he’d get to go home around his original due date. Then things took a really bad turn when he got sick. He just kept back pedaling. His lungs had a lot of damage. Ultimately, the doctor said I had to make a decision. Either we could wait it out and he was likely to pass on his own. Or we could make him comfortable and let him go on our terms. She said if we waited and he made it... he’d have to be a machine... for like... ever. Just to breathe and survive. So we made a really hard decision.
It’s been almost two months. It’ll be two months this Friday. After he passed, my partner and I spent ten days out of state to cope with his loss. It was a wonderful time and really good for healing for us both. The hardest part so far has been me working here from home. I’m all alone. And it gets really taxing being here. The pressure of work is really difficult. I’m managing, though. I’m trying to.
Yesterday was first the day I went without crying. Today I’m doing good, too. Except I’m tearing up a bit while writing this. It hurts because I just miss him so much. And I’m surrounded by people who keep trying to compare their experiences to mine... but it’s not the same. I almost die. My child lived for 57 days. And I watched him pass in my arms. It’s not the same. But I’m keeping myself not... busy... because distracting yourself from this just isn’t a thing. I’m keeping my promise to him. To my baby boy. I promised I’d be better to myself and work for a better life. And that’s what I’m doing.
I stopped smoking cigarettes. The only time I have smoked was when I was doing some writing. But I literally can’t even smoke a whole one. I stopped drinking a lot. I have maybe a couple mixed drinks here and there. I’ve gotten “drunk” maybe twice? Both times were during the weekend. I’ve been communicating with my partner about cleaning and keeping the house a lot cleaner. I’ve started house projects. I’m currently working on redoing the living room. And I’m peeling paint off the bathroom walls.
I’m healthier physically. I would say mentally but I now have pretty bad PTSD that just kind of triggers whenever it wants. That’s usually when I start crying. I have to stop what I’m doing and just let it happen. But I’m medicated for it, now. That’s been really helping. Like a lot. I’m seeing a new doctor for my blood pressure soon. And I’m seeing a therapist who is helping me with my postpartum and my depression and PTSD and even my grief. Should be part of a support group soon. 
But... that’s about it. I guess the most important thing is my son. I’ve gone into detail about the whole thing. But I haven’t really posted it online. I don’t want my story or son to be a “post”. He was so much more than that. I miss him terribly every day. And I couldn’t even begin to tell you how many times I thinks about holding him within just a few hours. He was a special guy. And full of fire and spirit. It’s a shame this world will miss him. He would have been great. But the cosmos has him now. And I’m sure he’s creating all sorts of chaos.
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lucy90712 · 3 years
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Telling friends (pregnancy series)
Series masterlist
George:
George is on call with Dream and Sapnap like he usually is while I sit on the bed behind him doing some work on my laptop. He hasn't told either of them about the baby yet which has surprised me because he tells them everything including some things that I wish he hadn't but they don't seem to care. I have told him that he is allowed to tell them whenever he wants he just hasn't done it yet.
"Love can you come here for a minute" he asked
I got up and sat on his lap like I do all the time when he asks me to come and sit with him. He kissed my cheek and put an arm around my waist leaving a hand on my belly even though I'm not showing yet.
"Can I tell the boys about the little one?" He asked
"Of course you can you don't need to ask me this is your baby too" I said
He smile and unmuted himself so I went to leave him be but he kept hold of me so I stayed with him getting comfortable in my place on his lap.
"I have some exciting news for you guys" he said
"What is it? Don't tell me that you and y/n are engaged" Dream said
"Not quite but she is pregnant" he said
"What" Dream exclaimed
"No way we get to be uncles" Sapnap said
They continued to fight about who would be the best uncle before congratulating us and wanting to know more which George told them maybe with a little too much detail on some parts but again they weren't fazed.
Dream:
Me and Clay are sat in our bedroom while he talked to George planning things and I sat watching Netflix and occasionally chiming in with parts of the conversation. The two of them were talking about filming and streaming and trying to plan out days in the next few weeks where they could get together to do those things.
"What about the 17th at like 3pm to film your video?" George asked
"No that won't work y/n has and ultrasound at 3:15 so it will have to be later" clay replied
Clay turned round as soon as he realised what he said because he hasn't told any of his friends yet but because we talked about it with family and between the two of us it has become second nature. He looked so panicked probably because he wasn't sure if I wanted to tell other people yet even though I really don't mind him saying it.
"Shit I'm sorry babe I didn't mean to say that" he whispered giving me a hug
"It's ok you can tell people if you want to I'm not bothered" I assured him
He went back to his computer to explain himself to George who was beyond confused and concerned that there was something wrong with me. I'm very close with George and Sapnap to the point that when anything is wrong they also get concerned.
"Is y/n ok? Why does she need an ultrasound?" George asked
"She's fine she's ok the ultrasound is because she's pregnant" Clay said
"Oh my god no way congratulations" George said
The two of them talked about it for a bit and I left them to it only jumping in if they were talking about things only I really know.
Sapnap:
Sapnap and I haven't told any friends yet not really for any particular reason it is just a lot to keep worrying about what people are going to say when they find out, the worrying just makes me so exhausted on top of general tiredness. Sapnap has been wanting to tell karl out of all of his friends because he knows that he will be supportive and helpful especially because he knows Chris well who already has a baby. I was up for him talking to karl so he said he would tell him when they are next talking alone which happens to be today.
He wanted me to be there when he told him because he will admit that he doesn't really understand some things so I was there to tell some more of the details. He let me sit on his lap because it was comfier than the other chair in the room and he's been big on keeping me comfortable.
"Bro there's something I need to get off my chest" Sapnap started which seemed really over the top
"What is it? Is everything alright?" Karl questioned
"Everything's fine its just that y/n is pregnant" he said
"Thats great I'm so happy for you two how are things?" Karl said
We talked with him about how things are going and he gave us a little bit of advice which he had learnt from Chris but was mainly just reassuring which is just what the both of us especially me needed.
Quackity:
Alex is making a big deal out of telling everyone at once because he doesn't want to have to repeat himself over and over again telling different people at different times so he has managed to get if not everyone most people on the smp to get together this afternoon and we are going to tell them all at once.
I'm not so keen on this idea of making it such a big thing with everyone there at once especially in the afternoon because I'm normally quite tired by that point and having to talk to everyone at once sounds like a real ordeal. Alex has assured me that he will do most of the talking but he wants me to be there to hear everyone's reaction.
At around 4:30 everyone got into the call thinking that this was something serious or to do with the lore that Alex has been doing so no one has really made any jokes or anything and it feels so odd to be in such a serious environment when you are about to say this really big news. Despite that Alex started talking and saying that he has some big thing to say which got them all intrigued.
"We're expecting" we both said together
A mess of words and screams came through the speakers none of it could be made out as anything in particular but soon they kind of took turns in saying things so that we could understand what they were saying. All of them were very nice some made a few jokes because thats just how they are but it was all in good spirit.
Karl:
Karl is filming for mr beast gaming today which usually means if I'm free I get to go with him or at least visit him after filming. Karl brought me with him with the plans to tell all of them about the pregnancy today which he has been dying to do but just haven't had a good chance to.
They finished filming and were sat down for a bit before filming another video which gave us the perfect chance to tell them. Karl had wanted to tell them before any other friends because he spends so much time with them and Chris was the one that encouraged me to take the test.
"We have some news for you guys" I started
"Y/n's pregnant" karl finished
"Wait I was right when I said that a few months ago" Chris said
"Yeah we actually took the test that evening" I said
"That's so great" Jimmy said
"We can make cool content now" Karl said
I gave him a look at that comment even though I know he's just joking but I wouldn't be against making one or two videos with them just not doing a bunch of weird challenges.
Wilbur:
Naturally when telling friends Wilbur wanted to tell Tommy, Phil and techno first because they are all very close. He wanted to get them all together in person but it just wasn't possible so we decided to do it though discord instead. Wilbur got them all together to call this afternoon and he has his plan all prepared.
When the call started I let him talk to them for a while before I came in the room after Wilbur texted me. I came and sat with him and said hi to all of them handing Wilbur what he wanted under the desk and out of view of his camera.
"Oh I took this cool photo the other day let me show you" Wilbur said
He grabbed hold of the ultrasound picture I got for him and held it up to show his camera and watching his friends faces was so fun. Phil's reaction was my favourite he looked like he was about to cry out of pure happiness the others were just shocked.
"Congratulations you two this is so exciting" Phil said
"Wait so you guys" Tommy started
"Tommy don't finish that sentence" techno said anticipating something bad
"Fine but that's seriously so cool" Tommy said
All of them were very excited for the day they get to meet our little bean and demanded updates all the time which Wilbur is more than happy to give them.
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merakiui · 3 years
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I was reading through your tags and you mentioned at some point the kazuscara roommates finding your onlyfans and I think I completely combusted—thus i present to you my brain rot of late: you attend the same school as them but you’re not actually friends, all you know about kazuha is that he’s the friendly regular at the cafe you work at, who makes polite conversation every now and then but otherwise is nothing of note. In reality he’s been stalking you for weeks ever since your first encounter, and is dead set on the idea that you’re this innocent, weak thing that needs to be protected (maybe he stepped in when you had a bad customer and your meek reply helped fester his delusions?). Scara, on the other hand, is only aware of your presence since you’re his favourite cam model that he recently found. (Since he’s a harbinger he’s probs loaded) Weeks of funnelling money towards you cause him to feel this unwarranted possessiveness, believing that since he’s been providing so much in your “relationship” that it’s time you reward him in turn. However, despite the unbridled interest they have toward you neither are aware of each other’s feelings for you— that is, until you happen to run into the both of them heading to your class. While both are known for maintaining their stoic masks, they’re friends for a reason— and instantly can tell the attraction their roommates have towards their own “lover”. After kazuha finds your onlyfans he’s certain that you’ve been coerced and wants to save you, while scara thinks it’s time that he’s stopped letting other plebeians look at his possession—so, despite their initial reservations, come together to form the ideal plan. When you find yourself waking up groggy in a room you don’t recognize, all they can do is look on with glee whilst planning their next course of action with their new belonging. They’re friends after all, and good friends share though, don’t they?
This is v long srry lol you can ignore this ofc!!
AAAH, ANON!! YES!!! <3 I couldn’t resist writing more on this concept. orz They make for such a terrifying pair when they work together!
(cw: yandere, stalking, nsfw, implied kidnapping/drugging, unhealthy behaviors/relationship, delusional thoughts, savior complex, implied violence)
What if Kazuha and Scara were just acquainted with one another and actually became closer through their mutual obsession with you? Yes, they’re roommates and ought to get along because they’re living together but they haven’t exactly clicked yet. They talk every now and then and know little things about each other. Nothing too special. They don’t really hang out outside of their dorm either, what with their class schedules being vastly different. And Kazuha’s always out of the dorm doing who-knows-what. Most of his time is spent at a café, where he’ll write and read and stare at you while you work. On the other hand, Scara prefers to stay inside if he doesn’t have a good reason to go out. He likes his alone time. Although he has enjoyed going to the library every now and then to study.
So maybe they need to find some common ground. Maybe they need a push in the right direction before they get closer.
Kazuha likes to stare. Talking to you is great, but he worries he’ll say too much and then he’ll be a nuisance, or you might not want to talk to him at all since you’re working. But you always regard him with a warm smile, happy to scribble his name on the plastic cup because you remember him. Because you recognize his familiar face and soft, gentle eyes. He’s the one who saved you from that rude customer, after all, and he’s a polite regular. Why wouldn’t you know him? You might look like you can handle those types of situations, but what Kazuha saw that day was something entirely different. You were nervous—so soft-spoken and scared. He absolutely has to protect you from those kinds of people now, doesn’t he?
And he does exactly that. He’s your second pair of eyes—your valiant knight in shining armor—who sees and hears all. Sometimes he goes to the café with the intention to simply watch over you and make sure no one’s bothering you. He can recall one time when a customer was speaking rudely about you because her drink hadn’t been prepared in a ‘timely manner.’ In reality it’s impossible to make a drink within a few seconds, especially when you’re already preoccupied with making another customer’s drink. She must’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed, or maybe she’s just a hateful person in general. You didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of such fiery insults, though.
Her eyes just can’t see your perfection and therefore she does not deserve to see out of them.
Kazuha’s willing to wrestle with all of this darkness if it means you’ll stay safe, oblivious, and pure. You’re like a defenseless kitten, unable to protect yourself from the scary world. He writes about you a lot in his journal; you’re his muse—someone who constantly shows up in poems and short paragraphs where he tries to describe what your dream date might be or what type of wedding you’d prefer. Things get darker the deeper you delve into his writings, where you’ll find entries in great detail. Kazuha writes a lot and he doesn’t even mean to. He just has to get all of his thoughts on paper before they abandon him and he’s left with emptiness.
Everything you do is pure; you’re almost an equivalent to a holy being. Your smell is pure. Your body is pure. Your actions are pure. Your smile is pure. Even when you’re on the verge of crying from harsh customers or when you’re turning down a confession, you’re still pure. And Kazuha likes that about you because it’s special. There aren’t many people in his life who are completely pure. He’s been through a lot of rough things and has seen firsthand how impure people can be. It’s only fair that he gets a chance to protect purity itself.
He might have some impurities, but that doesn’t deter him from watching over you. As gentle and unassuming as he is, there are times when even he loses his composure. Not many are privy to these dark emotions of his. His smiles are sharp and venomous and his eyes fill with a gloom so dark it can swallow you whole. You’ll never see this side of him; he won’t allow it. Instead you’re treated to his sweet, calm side, where he feigns perfection in hopes of catching your interest.
As for Scara… He doesn’t really care about Kazuha in the beginning. He’s just someone he has to live with. It’s not a big deal and as long as he doesn’t try to make lots of pointless conversation everything will be okay. He prefers the peace and quiet, considering he’s acquainted with people who are far from peaceful and quiet. Scara’s relieved that Kazuha leaves the dorm so often because it gives him an opportunity to watch his favorite cam star’s most recent video. He’s your most loyal follower—someone who’s paid lots of money just to have access to the highest tier of rewards and such. He even got a private video where you addressed him and moaned out his name with lustful thoughts of him. Having lots of money comes in handy.
When he finds out that you go to the same school as him, he’s a little shocked. He didn’t expect you to be so close. You’re practically within touching distance. If only he knew your schedule. If only you were in one of his classes. It’s really annoying that he only knows your online presence and not who you might be in your personal life. The last thing he’s going to do is consult Childe, that popular athlete who knows literally everyone in the school for whatever reason. Surely he knows you. But he’ll die before he ever asks Childe for a favor.
Scara loves you out of every other cam model because you’re different. You’re not just trying to get fast cash. You’re genuine. You listen to your subscribers and their feedback. You do your best to improve and do even better streams than the previous ones. All of your hard work is overlooked by the other fools who watch your streams, but it isn’t overlooked by him. Scara appreciates your attention to detail and the way you’re able to hook him with your breathless voice alone. You’re very skilled at what you do, so it’s only fair you get paid for it.
But buying your services isn’t enough. It’s not a real relationship, but it certainly feels like it when he buys preferential treatment. Private shows, special requests, odd favors—you do it all because he pays for it. But this relationship isn’t going to be one-sided forever. You’ll have to pay him back in full eventually. Scara likes to think he has patience and that waiting is fine. It gives him more time to plan his next move—to figure out what he should do to finally have you all to himself. So that those private shows he watches through a screen can finally be real.
Scara finds the journal sitting innocently on Kazuha’s bed, its maroon cover and maple leaves pulling at his curiosity. He might not know everything about Kazuha, but he’d recognize this journal anywhere. His roommate almost always has it on his person. Scara wouldn’t be surprised if he slept with it. To say he’s curious would be absolutely correct. He can only wonder what Kazuha writes in that thing. Perhaps it’s just notes for a class. That’s what anyone would think, right?
Scara opens it and flips through the first few pages. They’re normal for the most part. Just a bunch of haikus and other useless scribbles. When he skips over some pages, he starts to find things that are far more interesting than poetry and doodles of cats. He finds the majority of the journal is comprised of information. More specifically, there are facts and other knowledge about you—the cam model he’s been obsessed with ever since he stumbled upon your onlyfans. He reads through as much of the journal as he can and instantly learns so much: your address, your roommate, your workplace, your friends’ names, names of any potential exes. The list goes on and on.
Scara doesn’t have anything against Kazuha. His first impression of him wasn’t anything groundbreaking. He thought he was a pushover at first. But now that he knows what this journal holds… Well, it sheds an entirely new light on his roommate.
Just days before Scara took a peek inside his journal, Kazuha discovers your secret online life. He snoops through Scara’s laptop when he steps out, having left it open and unlocked. He’s just trying to find what could have caught Scara’s interest, as he’s almost always glued to his laptop on specific days at specific times, with his headphones on and his gaze unyielding. He doesn’t intend to find the file of one of your private videos—something that was meant only for Scara’s eyes.
He clicks on the video out of interest. He’s not sure what he was expecting to see, but it definitely wasn’t this. Kazuha sits there and stares at the sight before him. You’re dressed in skimpy lingerie and you’re muttering the dirtiest things while coating your fingers in lube. And your hands are stroking a thick toy and you’re addressing Scara and you’re lining it up to your hole and— He shuts the laptop before it can get even more explicit than it already is. He’s so conflicted, fraught with a betrayal so strong it weighs his heart down.
Why would he have this sort of video on his laptop? Did you give it to him? Did he make you do this? Are you in danger? Are you still pure?
Kazuha can’t kill on campus. It’s way too risky and he’d be one of the first suspects if Scara’s body is found. Besides, it’s not like he has the full story. He doesn’t know whether or not Scara’s done something that’s worthy of death. You could just be in a tight spot. He knows how easily you give in when you’re under pressure. Maybe you’re just doing this because you feel like it’s the only thing you can do. Not to worry; Kazuha will save you before Scara can ruin your purity with his twisted fantasies.
They confront each other when the time feels right. Kazuha struggles to keep a smile plastered to his face for the sake of politeness, while Scara holds in his raging temper so that he can bear some semblance of cooperation. Neither of them is happy to hear that the other went through their stuff, but they force themselves to make up because a more pressing issue is at hand: their connection to you.
Kazuha says he’s your secret admirer. Scara says he’s in a relationship with you. There’s no way you’d ever date someone like Scara—Kazuha knows this for a fact. Yet he falters at the confidence in Scara’s tone. That can’t be the truth, right? Despite this, Kazuha still strikes up an offer: If they work together to get what they both want, they’ll be unstoppable. With Scara’s riches and his influence and Kazuha’s charisma and clever thinking, they can easily get their hands on you. Of course this means they’ll have to share, but it’s not a big deal when they’re already in so deep. They both know the other’s secret; now they’re swearing to keep it in the pursuit of having you all to themselves. And luckily Scara agrees to the deal, but that doesn’t give Kazuha a reason to lower his guard.
However despite how well they work together when it comes to planning the kidnapping and actually executing it, they both have their own reasons for wanting you. Scara wishes to make his relationship with you a reality—to toss aside the screen that once held him back and finally do all of the things he could only do in his dreams. Kazuha seeks to protect your fragile heart, lest you crumble under Scara’s intense way of doing things and cling to him for salvation. You can’t do those sorts of things with Scara; he won’t allow it. Your purity is meant for him and no one else.
But sharing is caring and some have to learn that the hard way. It definitely brings Kazuha and Scara closer together, even if neither of them will admit it. If they look past their desires, they can be friends. And soon enough they’ll have to accept this new friendship if they want to avoid any unnecessary complications.
However there are times when they’ll cooperate in order to do things with you. They’re a packaged deal you can’t get rid of.
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btssaysstudy · 3 years
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My Girl || jjk
Genre: Fluff, angst, f2l, fuckboy!Jungkook, college au Warning(s): swearing, alcohol (a lot of drinking), mentions of sex (but no smut), jk being a fkboy, Summary: Starting off the semester feeling stressed, your group had a drinking session which led to your friends interrogating you on who would you consider dating. When asked about Jungkook, you immediately said no because of your personal rule “no fuckboys”. Ever since that night, Jungkook’s behaviour seemed to change slowly but surely and so do your feelings for him Note: unedited so pls ignore any mistakes :”))
You were ready to drink the night away. It had already been a stressful first week back for the new semester. When Jimin had proposed a drinking session, you were all down for it. “All” being you, Jimin. Jin and Jungkook. Jin was the first one you befriended during one of your classes as a freshman, and he knew Jimin, who knew Jungkook. 
Being friends with three good looking guys, it was natural to have had at least an eye candy on one of them. You weren’t shy about that either. You had told Jin one day that you thought he was cute and he was your eye candy. To be fair, you were slightly tipsy. You knew you tend to say things without thinking when you were tipsy. However, you were used to ‘spilling the beans’ with the three of them as you had gotten close to each and one of them. 
Including Jeon Jungkook.
A classic fuckboy. 
It wasn’t hard to wonder why he was so popular. He was basically the whole package. Good looking, talented and charming. He was easy to talk to as well. Whenever you had problems, you would turn to him for advice. Jungkook was a great listener and you really cherished him as a friend.
Friend.
That was all you saw him as. You weren’t sure whether it was because you just weren’t attracted to him or if it was because you knew that he was a fuckboy, which was something you didn’t want to meddle with. You stayed far away from fuckboys, Jungkook being one of your closest friends was already a huge exception. 
“There’s my girl.” He greeted you with the biggest grin, stepping aside to let you into his apartment.
“It’s only because I’m here with the drinks.” You joked, passing the bottles to the muscular one between you two. Jungkook laughed, “I won’t argue that. I miss soju.” The two of you made your way to the living room, and you made yourself comfortable while Jungkook kept the drinks in the fridge.
“I’m guessing the two are late?”
“What’s new,” Jungkook laughed, heading over to sit beside you as he raised his legs on the coffee table. You were sitting perpendicular to him and decided to stretch your legs, laying them over his lap for more space, “Am I your leg rest?”
“Yes, yes you are.”
Jungkook chuckled, scrolling through his phone with a smile as he seemed to be conversing with someone. “Who’s the lucky one this time?” You teased, nudging him with your foot. Jungkook smacked your leg, “Just someone from my class today.”
“You are a speedy one Jeon Jungkook.”
“Yes, yes I am.” He teased, casting a wink at you.
Jin and Jimin had arrived together half an hour later with bags of snacks and even more soju. “We have a reason this time!” Jimin immediately defended himself as they placed the bags on Jungkook’s kitchen floor. “I dragged Jin with me to buy all these since we’re all sleeping over here tonight. So we need lots of food and drinks. It’s going to be a long night.”
“We’ll let you off this time.” Jungkook replied, “yn and I already ordered dinner. It’s arriving soon.”
“Then we can start drinking!” You clasped your hands excitedly, all ready to drink the night away.
“Why are you so stressed already?” Jin asked as he opened another round of bottles for each of you. You all had cleared a few bottles of soju and the effects had already settled in. You groaned, placing your hands on the floor as you rested your weight on the palm of your hands. “It’s because of the freshmen orientation next week. The planning is driving me nuts.” 
“Better warn the freshies about Jungkook.” Jimin teased as he took a large gulp from his bottle. Jungkook threw the bottle cap at him. “I’m not that bad.”
“You definitely know that’s a lie.” Jin rebutted. Jungkook shrugged his shoulders, feigning innocence. 
“I’ll definitely warn them, don’t worry.” 
“While you’re at it,” Jimin wriggled his eyebrows, “Why not scout for a potential date for yourself?” From your peripheral view, you saw Jungkook look up from the floor to watch your reaction. You simply laughed, taking a few sips of soju as well before replying. “I’ll pass. I’m not into freshmen.”
“Then who exactly are you into? You have a couple of good looking friends. Time to start scouting.”
“Yea, you haven’t been on a date in such a long time. Let us be your wingman!” Jin suggested. Jimin vigorously nodded his head, “Wait!” He raised his hand to sign ‘pause’ as he quickly downed his nth bottle of soju, emptying it easily. 
“Okay!” Jimin eagerly cleared his throat as he got up to sit on his knees. You sat up straight yourself, curious as to why Jimin was so curious. “What’s your ideal type?”
You laughed as a reaction to the sudden question, feeling the curious eyes of your friends staring at you. “I don’t have a list for my ideal type. I just go with what I feel.”
Jin frowned, placing a finger to his lip as he thought, “I was your eye candy.”
You groaned, your head tilting to lean against Jungkook’s shoulder as you pretended to hide. “Stop bringing it up and feeding your ego.” You heard Jungkook’s melodious laugh as he reached out to pat your thighs as a way to comfort you. “There, there. Nothing’s going to tone down his ego. He already knows he’s good looking.”
“How about me?”
“What?” You sat back up, emptying your bottle this time. “What do you mean?”
“Is the soju already messing up your comprehension skills.” Jimin sassily remarked, “I mean would I be eye candy worthy?”
“You all are.” You shrugged, “You guys already know that, stop using this opportunity to feed your egos.”
Jimin laughed, ‘Okay, how about, would you, if ever, see yourself going out with me?”
You took time to think, staring at Jimin as you wondered if you would. “Yea I would. I would consider that.”
Jimin smiled triumphantly, “Of course you would. I’m an amazing catch. Okay, how about Hoseok?”
“Oh,” You nodded your head, “Definitely would’ve given it a shot. But he’s like a brother now.”
Jin chipped in as he started listing names from your mutual friends, to which you replied with a yes or no.
“How about Jungkook?” Jimin interrupted.
“Definitely not.” You replied almost instantly. Jungkook choked on his soju as he was drinking when you replied. Jin laughed loudly, clapping his hands as he laughed, “That was a very quick no.”
You shrugged as Jungkook looked at you, clearly offended. You smiled as you reached out to pat his shoulders, “Sorry…” You slurred your words, “I don’t do fuckboys.”
“So!” Jimin jumped in, “If he wasn’t a fuckboy, would you consider him?”
You turned back to face Jungkook, your eyes scanning him up and down as you pondered. If you weren’t that drunk, you would’ve caught on with Jungkook’s stiff posture as his facial features gave off a somewhat nervous vibe. “Yea I would.”
You had a major hangover the following morning. Jungkook had let you use his room to sleep. Despite being close friends, you were still the only girl after all and he insisted that you take his room so you could have more privacy to wash up and rest for the night. 
“Thanks for letting me use your room again Kook.” You greeted him in a raspy voice as you stepped out of his room wearing his shirt. Every time you guys stayed over at his place to drink, it had become almost a tradition for him to insist that you use his room and borrow his shirts. You didn’t argue much with the latter since you were lazy to bring an extra set of clothes to sleep in. 
“It’s nothing. How’s my girl feeling?” He teased, clearly aware of your pounding headache from the many drinks you had. You shot him a glare as you dragged yourself to the dining chair. Jungkook, being the gentleman he was, handed you a glass of water to hydrate.
“Feeling great. Where’s Jin and Jimin?”
“They already left.”
“What? Why’d they leave so early?” 
Jungkook only chuckled, taking his phone from his pocket to show you the time. You had slept the entire morning and lunch. It was already 3pm. “What!? Why didn’t you wake me up? Do you have plans today? I’m sorry—“ You got up from the chair, ready to pack your things to leave.
“Yn, relax.” He extended his arm out to stop you, “It’s a Saturday. I have no plans except to bum around.”
“Yea right, weekends are for your dating adventures. We all know that.” You teased as you headed to his room to get changed.
“W-Well I didn’t have any plans this weekend.” He defended himself, straightening himself up in defence.
“Alright, alright. I believe you.” 
Just as you were about to close the door, Jungkook called out to you, “You slept through lunch. Wanna head out to eat?”
“Sure! Give me time to change.”
Two weeks had passed since your drink night and freshmen orientation was finally over. You had bonded pretty well with the group of freshmen that you were assigned to. You enjoyed it every time they would call out your name and say hi ever since orientation week. Despite the torturous planning phase, it felt rewarding to have made the orientation experience pleasant for the freshmen.
“yn! Hi!” One of your freshmen, Yeonjun waved eagerly to you as he spotted you from afar, jogging up towards you and Jungkook.
“Oh, Yeonjun! Hi! How’s your semester so far?”
Yeonjun smiled, “It’s not bad, still pretty chill for now. By the way, the others want to meet up for drinks this Friday night, you in?”
“Sure! Just text me the details!”
He nodded his head, “No problem! I’ll see you on Friday!” He waved goodbye and headed off with a skip in his steps, clearly in a good mood that day.
Next to you, you heard Jungkook snort a laugh. “What’s so funny?”
“He’s into you.”
“No he’s not. He’s just really friendly.”
“Trust me, guys knows each other well. He’s into you.” 
You shrugged your shoulders, a small smile appearing on your face which Jungkook caught, making him frown in response. “If that’s true, I wouldn’t mind. He’s pretty cute.”
“I thought you weren’t into freshmen.”
“Well, maybe I thought wrong.”
There you were on a Friday night with your orientation group at the nearest bar from college, playing whatever drinking game someone would suggest. For some reason, you were more lightweight that night. It was probably because of the lack of sleep and crazy long Friday schedule. Being the oldest since they were all freshmen, you had been drinking water for a while to sober up.
“Pause! I gotta pee!” One of the girls abruptly got up to head to the toilet. Your gaze followed her to make sure no creepy stranger tried to follow after her. Glancing through the bar, your eyes landed on an all too familiar figure sitting by the bar top. His weight resting on his arm as he was chatting up with someone you didn’t recognise. You felt a sour feeling settle in as you watched Jungkook’s date flirtatious body language.
Of course they’re flirting, they’re on a date.
You scolded yourself for feeling bitter from the scene. You shook your head to get rid of these thoughts, turning back to the table as you reached out for the nearest bottle to pour yourself a shot.
“I thought you’re sticking to water?” Yeonjun questioned, you pointed your index finger upwards, signalling him to keep quiet as you took a shot, immediately filling it up for another one as you emptied the last bottle.
“You guys want more drinks?”
“Sure!” Soobin grinned. “You got it!” You clicked your tongue, standing up to head to the bar top to order more drinks. Yeonjun decided to follow you behind.
“Hey I’ll get—“
“I’ll take it from here.” Yeonjun interrupted, talking to the bartender instead. You stood beside him, waiting for the bartender to hand you more unopened bottles.
“Yn?”
You turned around, plastering a smile on your face. “Jungkook! What a coincidence!” 
Jungkook’s gaze flickered to Yeonjun before back to you, “I didn’t know your group was meeting here for drinks?”
“It’s the nearest bar.” You shrugged your shoulders as your eyes travelled to his date who seemed rather awkward for being left out from the conversation. 
“Hey, don’t be worried,” You spoke, directed at her while you reached out to pat Jungkook’s arm, “we’re just friends! He’s all yours!” You winked at her.
“Sorry, she’s had a bit too much tonight.” Yeonjun interrupted apologetically, already carrying all the bottles. “Yay!” You clasped your hands together, “More drinks!”
Jungkook opened his mouth to stop you from drinking but Yeonjun had beat him to it. “These bottles are for the rest of us. Not you.”
You pouted as you decided to leave Yeonjun behind, feeling offended that you were excluded from drinking.
Jungkook felt relieved for some odd reason when he had heard Yeonjun mention “rest of us”. For a moment, he had forgotten that you were here with a group, not on a date with Yeonjun. That thought had made his mood turn sour slightly before he remembered that he himself was on a date.
A few more hours passed but the bar was still thriving with people drinking their night away. Your group had decided to call it a night and head home.
Your group passed by the counter after paying for the drinks. Yeonjun tapped your shoulder, “yn, I’m taking the cab with Soobin since we both live pretty far from college. How are you going home?”
Pressing your lips into a thin line, you tried to wrack your intoxicated brain for a solution. “Probably just flag a cab myself.”
“Are you sure you can go home alone? Maybe someone else should follow you.” Soobin suggested but you flicked your hand, dismissing his worry. “Don’t worry, I’m good. Y’all just head home safely yourself.”
Little did you know, Jungkook had shifted to a low table near the entrance and had overheard your conversation as your group exited.
You watched everyone get into their rides first before you decided to book your own ride. However, it was 4am and no one wanted to accept your ride request and there were no available cabs passing by. 
You sighed, rubbing your arms from the slight chill of the night. “Always looking out for others first even when you’re wasted.” You heard a voice right behind you, spinning around and almost losing your balance from being intoxicated. 
“Jungkook?” You asked, blinking your eyes forcefully a couple of times to make sure you weren’t hallucinating. 
The man only smiled in amusement, “The one and only.”
“Jungkook? What are you doing here?” You looked around nearby to see no one else standing outside the bar. “Where’s your date?”
“She had to go home early.”
You were too drunk to had picked up that it was rare for Jungkook to be ditched by someone else. “Why didn’t you leave with her too? Was she not up to your standard or something?” Jungkook winced at your sharp tone at the end. You didn’t mean to sound so harsh when you asked. Or maybe you did. 
“N-No. Just wasn’t feeling it tonight.”
There was a small pause as you stared at the road, hoping for a cab to magically appear so that you could crash. However, your mind kept thinking about Jungkook’s presence next to you.
“I’ll take you home. You’re really drunk.” Jungkook spoke, reaching out to hold your arm in case you were to lose balance (or puke) any moment.
“A-Actually… Can I crash your place tonight? I don’t feel like sleeping alone today.” You randomly asked, not sure why you had said that when you were completely fine being alone.
“Anything for my girl.”
Your snorted, punching his arm lightly, “Bet you say that to every girl you’re on a date with.”
“That’s not true.” He denied it almost instantly. You looked back at him, furrowing your eyebrows as you had caught how fast he reacted. He sighed, “Come on, I managed to book a ride. Let’s walk down the road a bit.”
When you reached his place, Jungkook handed you a fresh towel and shirt to get changed into. “Use my room, yea?” He patted your head, making you feel jittery thought you weren’t sure if it was just the alcohol.
Nonetheless, you were exhausted and knocked out the instant you laid in his bed.
The next morning, you were both awoken but the non-stop ringing of the doorbell.  You were adjusting to the brightness as you emerged from his room. “I’ll get it.” He said, getting up from the couch and went to see who was visiting Jungkook at 11am.
You too, made your way to the door to see Jin and Jimin smiling brightly at Jungkook and jumping on their spot. 
“Why are you guys here so early?” Jungkook asked in a raspy morning voice that you noted sounded attractive. “Because i have great news!” Jin moved Jungkook aside to invite himself in. He stopped in his tracks with Jimin bumping into him behind. 
“What are you doing here?”
Jimin’s head popped out from the side to see who was Jin referring to. A gasp escaped his lips as he panned between you and Jungkook. “Don’t tell me Jungkook actually got to yn and you guys fuc—“
“Gross, no, Jimin please, we didn’t.” You waved your hands frantically to deny his allegation. “We bumped into each other last night at the bar. I was with my orientation group. I got too drunk but luckily Kookie was still lounging around even after his date ditched him.”
Jungkook cleared his throat, running his hand through his hair to fix his morning bed hair. “Someone ditched Jungkook?” Jin asked incredulously, clearing not believing what he had just heard. 
“Yea.” Jungkook shrugged his shoulders.
“Right.” Jimin said in a peculiar tone that caught your attention. He had a funny look on his face but you couldn’t quite figure out what he was insinuating at that moment. You shook your head to dismiss the curiosity, “Anyway, what’s the great news?” You turned to look at Jin whose face instantly lit up.
“I entered a giveaway contest last week and I won a staycation! We can book after finals!”
Jungkook’s eyes widened, slapping Jin on the back to congratulate him, “That’s great man! Sounds good, I’m down for it.”
“Still didn’t explain why you guys came barging in here so early in the morning.”
Jimin laughed, walking towards you to drape his arm over your shoulder, “It’s 11am, honey. It’s not early. We wanted to find you after dragging Jungkook along, so that we can all have lunch. But since you’re here already, that’s less work for us. So freshen up and let’s get lunch.” 
“Wait I don’t have new clothes.”
“You can just borrow my shirt,” Jungkook offered, “it’s like a shirt dress on you anyway.”
“We’e just eating nearby too.” Jin reasoned.
You sighed, glancing at the mirror by the door. “But I look terrible.”
“No you look great in anything.” Jungkook replied without thinking. You had to pause for a moment, so did Jin and Jimin. “Right…” Jimin drew out the word, sounding more suspicious this time. “Anyway, he’s right. Just go freshen up so we can eat. I’m starving.”
“I’ll get you a spare toothbrush.” Jungkook headed towards his room.
“Thanks Kook.”
The semester went by pretty slow this time, with lots of assignments and projects. You had most of your classes with Jungkook and it felt even more tiring to have to go through seeing people trying to flirt with him. 
You didn’t know why it was bothering you so much when you already knew this happened on a normal basis. You convinced yourself it was because you never really saw it up close before since your previous semesters were mostly with Jin.
“One more time I hear a ‘see you soon hopefully’, i’m going to puke.”
“Is my girl jealous?” Jungkook playfully nudged you. That nickname had made you feel like a high school teen developing a crush on a senior. He had always called you that since you became friends. But somehow, ever since you asked him about the nickname that Friday night, it felt different.
“You wish.”
“There’s nothing to be jealous about anyway. It’s not like i’m actually planning to ask them out.”
“You’re not?”
“Yea, I haven’t really been out on dates recently.”
Your eyes widened in bewilderment, “wow.”
Jungkook laughed, turning to face you. “Wow? That’s all you have to say about it?”
“It’s just hard to believe! Is fuckboy Jungkook getting bored? Who knew this day would come.”
“I’m not getting bored. I just… Want more time to study to pull up my grades that’s all.” His confident tone drifted towards the end, looking straight ahead as you walked down the corridor to your next lecture. 
You narrowed your eyes and pointed your finger at him suspiciously, “Is that why you’ve been asking me to always study with you? Are you using me to pull your grades up?” You accused him jokingly.
He only winked, leaning closer to your ear, “you know I won’t use my girl like that.”
Damn.
There was that feeling again. 
“You’ve been spending lots of time with Jungkook lately.” Jin remarked as you were both shopping for your own groceries. Jimin and Jungkook had something on that afternoon so that left Jin being dragged by you to buy groceries.
“Well… Yea, we have lots of classes together.”
“Yes, that’s true. But I meant like outside of class too.”
“We have assignments and projects together too. We’re studying for the same thing. Anyway, why are you even bringing this up?”
Jin just shook his head, pushing the trolley down the aisle, “Nothing, I just find it interesting.”
“What’s interesting?’
There was a pause, as if Jin was contemplating if he should answer your question. “Jimin told me the other day that Jungkook hasn’t been doing his fuckboy duties majority of this semester except that bar night.”
A part of you had an inkling as to why Jin was bringing this up. You hated that he was beating around the bushes but you couldn’t bring yourself to ask him to get straight to it either. 
“Maybe his ego got crushed after the girl ditched early.”
You both knew that was a lie.
Jin didn’t reply immediately, tossing his favourite cereal into the trolley, “I guess so.”
It was midterms season and you were cramming for your test alone at the library. Jungkook had another project meeting and so you were studying alone for the day. Somehow, it felt weird to not have Jungkook by your side. Almost as if you’ve gotten so attached to the feeling of having Jungkook be with you.
Someone had pulled you out from your concentration with a tap on your shoulder.
“Do you mine if I take this seat?”
 “No, not all!” You shifted your belongings so that the stranger could have more space. The girl paused, taking a double take at you. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?”
You looked back up to face the girl, trying to recall where you had seen her face. “I’m sorry?” You were confused, as you did not recognise the girl at all.
“We met at the bar at the start of the semester. I was with Jungkook that night.”
“Oh! Right.” 
“He’s a really good friend you know.” She made a random remark while she took out her belongings to settle down.
“What?”
“That night. I’m guessing you got pretty drunk with your friends. He asked if he could leave to send you home since you were super drunk.”
“He did?”
“Yea. But I left earlier. Since it seemed like he wanted to wait for you.” She nodded her head as she recalled that night. “Oh but, please don’t think that I’m pissed at you or him, or anything like that. It was sweet, him looking out for his friend. I can tell he really cares about you.”
“R-Right well, we’re all from a super close group.”
She smiled, “That’s nice. But, my female instinct is telling me it’s more than that.” She sent you a wink, “Though, it’s not my place to say anything.”
You didn’t know how to respond, your gaze shifting to your paper as you tried to decipher what she meant. “I’m sorry. I disrupted your study session as well.”
“Oh no, it’s fine.” You shook your head and she smiled apologetically as she decided to start on her revision.  You tried to focus on your revision as well but her words kept bugging you at the back of your head. 
Jin’s words came back to you as well as you recalled the conversation you had with him.
What was going on?
“If we don’t get an A+ for this project. i’ll quit college.”
“We’ll get that A+. I’m confident.”
You had been staying over at Jungkook’s place every Wednesday night since you had morning class on Thursday with him and his apartment was literally opposite college. You hated traveling in the morning as you had to wake up early. You guys had decided that it was a good idea for you to stay over since you could work on your assignments together.
“Anyway, let’s call it a night. We gotta wake up early tomorrow.” 
Jungkook was about to prepare the couch for his own makeshift bed but you stopped him. “You should sleep in your own bed. I’m the guest here.”
“No, you take it.”
“No… You take it.”
“Yn please, just take it.” Jungkook repeated. You bit your lip as you felt a sudden rush of courage and adrenaline as you suggested, “Or…” you hesitated, “we can share the bed? I mean it is a queen sized bed, so there’s plenty of space.”
Jungkook’s ears turned red as he tried to maintain a nonchalant expression. “I mean if you’re okay w with that—“
“I’m fine with that, we’re friends after all. Though, only if you are.”
“Y-yea I am.”
So for that night, you both shared his queen sized bed, laying still like rocks. You were terribly aware of the situation but tried to appear chill on the outside. You had no idea why you felt so nervous when it was just Jungkook. Your friend. The fuckboy that you swore to yourself you’ll never be attracted to. 
“Night Kook.” You flipped on your side to turn away from him.
“Night yn.” 
In the middle of the night, you woke up to find yourself wrapped up in his embrace. Your heart was racing and your cheeks felt hot from the close proximity. “Jungkook…” You whispered, trying to wake him up so you could break free. His embrace only became more firm, “just for tonight, please?”
You softened from his request, his voice almost a whisper. You gave in, enjoying it just for that night, just like he said.
The semester was over and the four of you had just checked into Jin’s big win. It wasn’t even a hotel.  It was a huge villa with a room for each of you and you were all excited for the next three days and two nights. 
“We definitely need more drinks tonight. I’m going to order them now.” Jimin walked off to find a room to call his own for the next two nights. Your room was directly opposite Jungkook. The four of you were resting in your own rooms as you waited for the room service to deliver your dinner. 
Once dinner came, Jimin had busted out the drinks as well. You knew it was going to be a fun staycation. 
“So…” Jimin eyed Jungkook mischievously, “Jungkook, why haven’t you been on dates this semester? Is your dick not craving anything?”
“It’s just been a busy semester.” Jungkook shrugged his shoulder. You watched his mannerisms. You had known him long enough to know he was trying to hide something but you didn’t want to question him in front of everyone. You had a hunch but you weren’t sure if you wanted to confront him. A part of you was scared of the answer.
Jin glanced at you, “How’s Yeonjun, by the way?”
Your attention was pulled away and you looked at Jin, “Yeonjun? Oh, there’s nothing. I can confirm that I do not have a thing for freshmen.”
Jimin grinned, “Do you have a thing for anyone at the moment?” He extended his arm to hand you an opened bottle of soju, possibly handing you liquid courage before you responded. You took it and took a big gulp. 
“Maybe.” You winked at him.
“Really?” Jin exclaimed, “That’s new. You’ve never said you were into someone the entire college.”
“I just said maybe,” You laughed, “Calm down boys.”
Your eyes took a quick glance at Jungkook, you seemed to be rather quiet for a discussion right up his ally. You knew he would’ve chipped in to give you a good tease. But he didn’t. Instead, he remained quiet, reaching for the bottle of water instead.
“Drink a bit more and we’ll find out who.” Jimin grinned cheekily at you. 
“Not gonna happen.”
Thankfully, you were right. Nothing much happened that night besides drinking games and tons of laughter. You all called it a night and slowly made your way to your own rooms. You took a quick shower and laid in bed as you scrolled through social media, winding down for the night. 
A knock on the door startled you and you got up to see who it was.
“Jungkook?”
“Hey… Uh… Just wanted to check in on you if you were puking.” 
You laughed and opened the door wider, “I’m not puking. Do you want to come in?”
Jungkook hesitated, “I should probably get to bed.”
Feeling dejected, you stumbled over your words, “O-Oh yea, r-right.” You tried not to show that you were upset, which obviously failed as Jungkook spoke, “If you wanted to talk or something, I’m down for that too.”
“N-No, I was just asking. Good night Kook.”
“Goodnight.” He turned away but someone was gnawing at you to ask him what you were curious about. 
“W-Wait Jungkook.”
“Yea?” He turned around to look at you.
“You didn’t stop dating this semester because of what I said at the start, did you?”
Jungkook froze, his eyes immediately darting to your door instead, somehow entrance by the inanimate object. “N-No, of course not.”
You nodded your head, his response answering your suspicions. With alcohol still in your system, you replied, “Mm… That’s a shame.” You watched his facial expression morph into confusion and semi-realisation as you closed the door. 
The next morning, you got up to see Jin making breakfast. Jimin and Jungkook weren’t out so you assumed they were still asleep. “Morning, Jin.” You walked over to help him out with breakfast.
“Morning, yn.” Jin smiled at you but it didn’t quite reach his eyes. You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
He sighed and placed the spatula on the table. “I’m just gonna say it.” He took a deep breath and said, “Please just make a move on Jungkook. You guys clearly have a thing for each other. You two became close this semester and everyone else can see it. Jungkook’s clearly too pussy to make a move. Jimin and I are dying from this sexual tension. Please help yourselves.”
You took a moment to internalise his quick monologue before letting out a short chuckle. “I already gave him a hint last night actually.”
“You did?” He leaned closer, interested to know more about the ‘tea’. You smiled, winking at him, “Yep. I’m just going to see if he’s still pussy to do anything about it.”
He scoffed, “If that boy is still pussy after your hint, he doesn’t deserve to be a fuckboy in the first place.”
“Cut him some slack.” Jimin’s voice sounded behind you, his hair damp from his shower. “We all know it’s the first time he actually likes someone for real this time. He’s been in denial about it for so long. I’m glad something is finally happening.”
“Okay, okay, let’s stop gossiping about Jungkook as if he’s not here.”
The rest of the day went by quickly, the four of you exploring town and doing some retail therapy. It wasn’t long until it was your second and last night at the villa. You had a few bottles left from the previous night and you were all ready to finish them so you could go home with a light baggage.
Jin suggested to watch a movie for that night, you sat beside Jungkook throughout the movie. “Look at Jimin.” He whispered to you. You peeped over his shoulder to see Jimin passed out on the couch. The credits had rolled in and Jin suggested to just let Jimin be.
The three of you got up and headed to your own rooms to call it a night. Just as you were going to enter yours, Jungkook stopped you, “yn, can we talk?”
“Sure.”
Jungkook entered your room and you both sat at the edge of your bed, you turned to face him to wait for him to being speaking.
“Last night, what you said… Did you mean it?”
“Depends.”
“Depends?” He questioned.
“Did you decide to call off your fuckboy phase temporarily just so you could be my type for now and then go back to your own ways later on?”
Jungkook shook his head, “N-No, no. It’s definitely not because of that.”
“Then why’d you suddenly change this semester. It can’t be a coincidence especially after our drinking session at the start of the term.”
He sighed, “I know. I know it looks suspicious. I didn’t change because it seemed like a challenge or something temporarily. I already had a thing for you the previous semester.” He admitted, and your eyes widened in disbelief. 
“You did?”
He nodded his head, looking at his hands as he started fidgeting with his fingers.
“I didn’t do anything because I figured, we’re all friends and you won’t see me that way. But then you said it was because I was a fuckboy and I just wanted to change. I thought maybe things could be different if I changed.”
You didn’t say a word as you didn’t know exactly what to say. Jungkook took this opportunity to continue. “I started to like you even more this semester. Especially since we spent so much time together with lectures and projects. Even if you do reject me, that doesn’t mean that I’ll go back to my old ways. That phase is truly over.”
You just looked at him, a small smile tugging on your lips. Internally, you were practically squealing with your heartbeat racing rapidly. With a nervous chuckle, he asked, “Why aren’t you saying anything?”
“I meant it. What I said last night.” 
Jungkook broke into a smile, “I’d love to kiss you right now.”
“Why don’t you?”
Jungkook reached out his hand to cup your face as you both leaned in, feeling his soft lips on yours was something you never thought would have happened. You felt him apply more pressure as he pulled you in closer. 
“Sleep with me today.” You said breathily as you pulled away.
“Anything for my girl.”
“You know, you owe me extra for not only letting you experience a free staycation but also basically helping you start your relationship.” Jin smugly remarked as you checked out from the villa.
“Don’t worry, Jungkook will treat you to good food.”
“Me?!” 
You grinned, “Yes, you.” He sighed, “Can’t say no to my girl, can I?” He pulled you in closely, planting a kiss on your forehead. Jimin groaned, playfully shoving him. “Barely a night as a couple and you’re already a big softie. Never thought I’d miss the fuckboy phase so much.”
Jungkook let out a laugh, “Sorry, that phase is gone for good.” His gaze shifted to you, to which you returned with a smile. “Just the way I like it.”
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mx-metronome · 2 years
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“Oh, hello there, little one! Come here, I have something important to tell you!”
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“Closer still, now, don’t be shy!”
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“Ah, that’s better! Now, what was I going to say…? On, right!”
“I understand you’re going through an uncertain time in your life. Like you feel like you haven’t accomplished as many things as your contemporaries have. Like time is getting away from you, and you’re afraid that all of your time has been wasted so far because you don’t have a six-figure job or a house or a family.
“Let me assure you that all of that is untrue. Yes, time marches ever forward, and we can do nothing to slow it down. And yes, some folks have achieved so much more than either you and I could ever hope to in that time. But that does not make their life any more fulfilling than yours.
“It’s a natural thing to fear: Society has painted this picture of time being distilled into perfect efficiency, and if you somehow fall behind that, then you don’t fit in with society. But if you hang on to that anxiety too tightly, you’ll hurt yourself! Please be gentle with yourself, you’re worth so much more than your accolades or your income or what arts and crafts you’re capable of.
“You won’t finish everything. You won’t accomplish everything. You’ll enjoy something for a month or a moment, and then that interest will fade. And that’s okay. If that brief moment made you happy, then how could you consider that time wasted??
“If you’re tired of carrying a hobby or occupation that you feel obligated to continue bearing but feel no passion or desire for it, this is for you: you have my permission to set that burden down. No need to be apologetic, I forgive you for it. Life is not about misery, it’s not about proving yourself to others, it’s about time being a canvas and you painting a picture on it for the short time you’re here. It doesn’t have to be a Monet or a Picasso, it can be as simple or colorful as you choose, so long as it’s yours.
“If you feel a bit directionless after hearing all of that, I apologize. It’s a lot to take in so suddenly, and a great deal of freedom to hand to you on a whim. So if you need a little tidbit of wisdom to chew on, take this:”
“People forget deeds. They forget the details of events and the mistakes others make. Most care not for what a person has done or what they’ve achieved.
“…But they’ll always remember how the person made them feel. The meaning of life is a personal journey each of us have to take alone, but regardless, I feel that life is most fulfilling when it’s spent caring for others. That’s a talent we all possess.”
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“I’m sorry I’ve kept you for so long already, so I’ll leave you with this:
“Thank you for caring. This community, this humanity, would be woefully incomplete without your caring heart. Time is cold and indifferent, but the way you’ve spent it reaching out to others and warming their aching souls is proof enough to me that you’re leading a fulfilling and joyous life.”
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“Thank you for listening to old Uncle Ombrus. I’m glad you stopped by to take a breather with me! May the rest of the Bloomtime usher in new growth and new courage for you, little one!”
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valenhell · 3 years
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From the studio that brought you “I can’t find good Byler fics in the ao3 tag”, comes:
"The Definitive Byler fic rec list"
Literally no one asked for this but because I spent the majority of last year (...and 2019, and 2018...) reading byler fics and coping with life, I thought I’d make a list of some of my absolute favorites. 
The other day I was basically starving for some byler fics and the angel @magicalfairy provided me with some of her faves so I thought I’d do the same, because I love reading, and I love all of these fics and I appreciate their writers💗 And fic writers in general, come on!
- This is a mix of long works and one-shots/short stories. - Everything is mostly fluff with a tad of angst and a lot of internalized homophobia conflict.  - Every fic is completed, except for the ones I mention that they are not. - I try my best to lay out the stories in a way that I won’t spoil you the plot but also warning you of some stuff you might don’t like. Either way, all of these fics are correctly tagged by their respective authors/owners, so read at your own risk. For better understanding, in between brackets I denote Rating, Words and quantity of Chapters. - I feel like I should clarify, none of these are narrated in the singular first person. None of that “And I told him...”, no. 
Long fics
a dream always the same (T, 99k, 35 chapters) What happened in those few weeks between the Battle of Starcourt and the Byers leaving Hawkins. Literally a satisfying and very needed fill in of season three, with a good dose of Mike’s thoughts and conflict. Mike’s characterization is specially amazing in this one. The writing style is amazing and I know the author put everything into making it historically accurate, and it was really sweet. You probably read it, it’s by the amazing sevensided here on Tumblr🧡
Spring Break (T, 120k, 14/15 chapters) The slowburn of my dreams. Lots of internalized conflict and conflict with each other. Conflict within the Party (uhh kind of), conflict with Mike and Will. Byers family has moved and the kids are visiting! Chaos. Characterization is on point. Yeah, I know it’s unfinished, but the fourteenth chapter actually serves as a pretty nice ending. 
This is where it starts (M, 148.8k, 24 chapters) Aged up characters. The Party is in college and Will disappears again, but now it’s different. Mike knows he didn’t vanish from thin air, and the discovery he and the Party end up making is pretty insane. Mystery solving/fantasy/third dimension, throw in a bit of D&D and Mike realizing some shit, and you get this marvelous fic. It’s a breath of fresh air. The world building is definitely one of the elements that stands out the most, because it’s very nicely described, it sounds like a dream and it’s completely immersive. Absolute gem of a fic. 
there’s a Starman waiting in the sky (M, 30.6k, 8 chapters) Do I need to say anything? Will is out there living his best life and Mike realizes that wow, umm, maybe his best friend looks a bit too nice with that costume... and wait, is he getting horny? It’s actually really fun and sexy.
The Evening Speaks (T, 23k, 7 chapters) In where Mike is a late-night college radio host and Will is the art student that stays up till late to catch up with Wheeler on the Mic. They flirt through songs y’all, this one is really sweet. 
heads or tails? (E, 24k, 3 chapters) Aged up characters. I know most people don’t enjoy sex in fics and with specific characters but this one is insanely well written. It’s a slowburn that commits to the tension and with every word you are grasping and anticipating their next move. I think you can find the author here on Tumblr as yousaidyes🧡
The Man of Average (M, 56.7k, 5/? chapters) Aged up characters. No but you don’t understand, the writing here is absolute gourmet. The story is exciting as well, it’s super interesting. Weirdly enough, for being very aged up characters, they are well characterized but they don’t feel like teenagers. They are naturally Mike and Will. The author really captured Mike and Will’s essence. I know, it’s unfinished and it’s updated very rarely, but this is the typical fic you can’t believe someone just posted on the internet for free. I will say though, I think it’s definitely not for everyone. Read at your own risk.
Heartstrings (E, 82.8k, 24/? chapters) Aged up characters. By the same author of The Man of Average. A collection of memories, the road to Mike and Will’s happy ever after. And fucking hell!!!!! You’ll cry and get angry, you’ll cheer for them, then you’ll want to crash their faces together because god dammit you love each other!!! But yeah, same thing here. The writing and the way the story is laid out as a nonlinear narrative is brilliant. And I also think this is one of the best Will versions I’ve read. The author might as well be the og creator of this two characters tbh. You can find the author here as mylesimeblr🧡
Sinners behind the walls (T, 1.5k, 1/1) And because I can’t stop recommending this author, a little thing of Mike tormenting himself but also being too deeply committed to Will. 
The Red Envelope series (T/E, 167K, two completed works) Something happens that Will thought was impossible and from there, pure drama and romance. Anything by this author has the potential to become your absolute favorite fic, but this series in particular is amazing. I doubt that any of you haven’t read this, but it doesn’t hurt to put it in this list. I’m pretty sure the author is serendipitous-magic on Tumblr🧡
A New Fight series (T, 91k, two completed works, one WIP) And finally the Star Wars AU that we all needed. But this isn’t your typical “Mike is Han”, “Will is Leia” and “El is Luke”, it’s way more interesting than that, and the author has appropriated the Star Wars world like no other. I’ll admit I’m not a 100% fluent in SW lore but this is amazing to me either way. This author is also on Tumblr, tea-for-one-please🧡
- Yes, most of these are (if not all), in a way, canon compliant/canonverse/canon continuation into fanon. (In a way)
One-shots and short stories
Sundae for Two, Please (G, 4.8k) Steve being the supportive friend and older brother these kids collectively need. (not Jonathan erasure, we love him). Steve is very sweet himself, and this little cute thing through his POV is gorgeous. Yes, it’s byler.
Backstage (T, 10k, 2/2) Jonathan, you forgot to mention to Will how hot your new band’s guitarist is, dude. Now he’s hyperventilating and weirdly flirting with him in the corner. Background Stonathan because why not.
102 Peach Street (G, 3.8k) Established relationship, but not only that, they are married :’’))) PURE fluff. Extreme fluffiness. Diabetes. 
sweatshirts and bottled up feelings (T, 3.2k) Or, Mike thinks that the sweatshirt Will wears looks insanely good on him. And kitchens are for lovers. 
kiss it better (T, 16.3k) Basically one of the best character studies of a few precise moments of Mike and Will’s relationship and feelings. 
will wonders ever cease (T, 11.3k) #i ship will and happiness. Omfg what a beautiful piece of fanfic. Will centric, this kid really deserves all the good in the world.
The Calm After the Storm (T, 1.6k) Tooth rotting fluff, boyfriends in love. Boyfriends being lazy, cuddling, love words, kisses. Boys loving each other’s company... Basically, Mike and Will in their element. What more can you ask for?
neither of us ready to let go (T, 4.8k) That scene from season three, but a bit of a fix it. 
Still in love (G, 1k) Domestic, married life au fluff. Y’all, I’m a sucker for established Byler, even if I can’t find many fics with it. But this is very sweet. It takes place in 2020, but I don’t think there are any mentions of the COVID-19 crisis that I remember.
I Nver Find Out ‘Til I’m Head Over Heels (G, 12.5K) Classic 5+1 fic. If you haven’t read it, where have you been? This is your moment. In where Mike keeps inviting Will to the school dances and Will thinks it’s just a joke until he realizes it’s not. 
Before You’re Gone (T, 5.9k) Will is leaving Hawkins and Mike thinks this is a great moment for a confession. This one I discovered last friday, thank you friend @magicalfairy 💗
You’re weird Wheeler (M, 4.5k) Mike unintentionally starts a tradition of going to each other to talk about their sexual encounters just after they finish. Will keeps getting more explicit with the details he shares, and he makes his best friend interested. This one is really fun y’all.
Out-Of-Town Friends (N/R, 4.6K) It’s not rated. I haven’t re- read it but I’d say it would probably fall in a T rating. So cute!! Will has new friends and sneaks off every friday and the Party doesn’t know where he is going, so Mike decides to follow him and is surprised. 
Snowed Under (G, 1.3k) By the same author of The New Fight series. Mike is spending christmas by himself in college because a snowstorm hits Chicago and Nancy can’t drive to see him, but then he has a surprise visitor. Ahhh just a lil sweet holiday fic. Super cute. 
you love me anyway series (T, 7.1k, three completed works) Literally just the cutest thing ever. Established Byler. Will loves to take pictures and he loves taking pictures of Mike. It’s adorable. 
you wanna be friends forever (i can think of something better) (T, 9k) This one is so amazing. So. Amazing. From Will’s POV, my kid deserves the world and he gets it. 
okay not to be okay (T, 4.9k) Mike is a bit sad but then everything is okay. 
can’t hold out forever (G, 18.4k) Y’all!!!!! 5+1 sweetness. Mike has been falling in love since kindergarten. And it’s long af, you’ll enjoy it. 
even if it takes forever (G, 1.3k) College short AU, they miss each other, they love each other, they promise all to each other. It is sappy y’all.
clear as day (N/R, 18.4K, 4 chapters) It’s not rated, but I’d say it falls in the T category. Strangers to friends to lovers. And also, everyone is pretty gay; we have our dynamic trio Mike, Max and El as disaster lesbians (and gay). Will works at the library and he is also gay. Lucas and Dustin and Will are the best friends we needed. It’s very sweet and the Party is kind of formed here!
I went overboard with the one-shots, so you must have realized how much I love long one-shots and I favor them over long works lmao but they are all amazing!!! If it’s on this list, I probably read it at 2 am, sobbing in my bed. So. Hope you enjoy it☺️🧡
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dreamwritesimagines · 3 years
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Burn The Witch 13 - Trouble [Bucky Barnes x Reader]
A.N: Thank you so much for your wonderful support and feedback my loves ! ❤ Here’s the next chapter, I hope you like it as well and please let me know what you think! ❤ Thank you! ❤❤❤
Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Female Reader
Warnings: Enemies to lovers, fake dating, mentions of blood, sex, violence, death, manipulation, language, guns, knives.
Summary: Fights can be inevitable.
Series Masterlist
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Oh God damn it.
This mission was not supposed to include anything from your real life, and it certainly was not supposed to include your real life ex-boyfriend.
Not only was this going to make things very, very complicated, it also put the entire operation in danger. No part of the background that was specifically created for your cover had any details on your ex relationships and you didn’t think you would have to come up with something now.
Well. For what it was worth, you weren’t the one who came up with it.
“Just joking man. I’m her ex-boyfriend but no worries, I pose no danger.”
Bucky didn’t even dignify that with an answer and you heaved a sigh, trying to control the anger bubbling in your stomach.
“Yeah,” you managed to say, “Yeah, we used to—um, we used to date.”
Bucky frowned, “Didn’t you say you moved here two months ago?”
“I did move here two months ago.”
“We used to date back in Oregon,” Julian explained and Bucky huhed.
“Yet here you are.”
“Yeah you know, the big apple,” Julian motioned around you, “I just got a job here and I figured I could come and see Y/N. Small town people have to look out for each other, you see.”
You gritted your teeth, watching him with narrowed eyes.
“She took you there yet?” Julian asked Bucky “Cannon Beach?”
“No,” you answered on his behalf and Julian clicked his tongue.
“I guess you could take him with you when you visit next month,” he said, “Surely you are visiting next month?”
“I don’t think I am.”
“Come on, no way.” he said, his voice filled with disbelief. “It’s sand castles contest time, you love that contest!”
Right.
Julian had always been the best at playing the civilian and memorizing the back story of any cover. He was great at lying and that was why every mission you had gone on with him was that easy, he could fool anyone.
Including you.
“She came in fourth place two years ago, she made this dragon castle, you should’ve seen it.” He told Bucky, and you rolled your eyes.
Fourth place.
Easy enough to make someone believe, hard enough to find a trace of on the internet.
Julian was an asshole for sure, but he was a great spy and now you were beginning to remember why though every mission with him was a success, you had still avoided it even before your break up.
This was what he did, he took over every single assignment, no matter who was the leader.
Not this time. This was your mission and your mission only.
“Y/N, did you….” Julian let out a chuckle, “Did you tell him about the time your grandma caught us at the—“
“It was good so see you,” you cut him off, glaring at him “But you should probably go now, I’m kind of busy.”
Julian paused only for a moment before holding up his hands, gesturing surrender.
“Okay,” he said, “It was nice to see you too. Again.”
“Yeah, sure.”
“It was nice to meet you Bucky,” he said, “Take care of yourself, Y/N.”
He walked away from you and you closed your eyes for a moment, leaning your head back to the wall.
“Fuck this shit,” you murmured under your breath without even realizing it wasn’t something your cover would say, and opened your eyes to look up at Bucky.
“Was he bothering you or something?” he asked you and you scoffed.
“Please,” you muttered but then pulled yourself together. “He’s not…that type no. Just annoying, that’s all.”
“Are you sure? Because I can—“
“No,” you shook your head fervently, “No, please don’t. It’s fine, it’s just— who he is.”
How dare he?
How dare he try to take over your mission? You had put so much thought into this, coming up with multiple strategies, trying to convince yourself that-
That you were doing the right thing. Even if you felt yourself getting lost in this cover, it didn’t mean that Julian could swoop in and take this over as if you were a rookie agent in need of help.
This whole assignment belonged to you, not to anyone else.
If you were going to betray Bucky’s trust and feel like the most terrible person in the world, the least you could do was not let Julian take the credit.
“I didn’t know you were coming,” you attempted to change the subject and Bucky tilted his head.
“Come on Y/N, don’t do that.”
“Don’t do what?”
“You don’t have to pretend like it’s fine,” he shrugged his shoulders, “I mean you don’t have to pretend, ever.”
Okay, this was too much. You could almost feel your defenses going up, the whole hangover and stress and anger and now Bucky being able to tell you were faking something, it was all getting the best of you and if you weren’t careful, you would say something you would regret later.
“I’m sorry?”
“I just,” he took a deep breath, “Sometimes you���re like…too good to be true, you know? And Sam has this theory that you’re—you’re somehow you’re doing this for me or the people around you but you don’t have to.”
“You think I’m pretending?” you asked, your voice coming out way too defensive for your own cover but you could hardly care.
You were slipping, and you didn’t have the luxury to slip. It seemed to take Bucky by surprise because for the first time since you had met, you were-
Aggressive. That was the word. Less like your cover and more like your real self.
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” he said and you let out a bitter chuckle, nodding.
“Yeah,” you said, “Okay. I’m kind of busy you see, I have so much to do at the shop so I should probably go back inside.”
“Y/N—“ he started but you pushed yourself off the wall.
“No it’s fine,” you managed to say, “This is me not pretending, for the record. I’ll see you later I guess.”
With that, you walked past him and went back to the milkshake shop, fury still poisoning your insides.
                                                 ***
You could hardly wait until you could go back to the base. Even though you thought that by then you would have calmed down, that didn’t seem to be the case.
You were fucking good at your job, and you were going to prove it to anyone and everyone. Without any help.
“Is he here yet?” you asked Chloe who rushed to greet you as soon as you stepped out of the elevator into the base and she cleared her throat.
“Who?”
“Don’t even, I know you heard what happened,” you cut her off and she shifted her weight.
“Yeah. I read his report.”
“Exactly. Where is he?”
“Okay, before I tell you where he is I feel like it’s important that you remember we’re not supposed to kill our own agents,” she said, “The paper work is a nightmare.”
“Where is he?”
“Keith says it’s considered rude to kill your team members.”
“Chloe,” you looked her in the eye “Where is he?”
She heaved a sigh, “In the training room.”
“Great, more weapons to use,” you muttered as you walked away from her to walk downstairs to the training room. Anger was pulsing through your veins and you kicked the door open, making the pair currently trying to hit each other stop.
“Get out,” you nodded at the other agent and Julian let out a small chuckle before he wiped his face with the towel. The agent rushed out of the room and you narrowed your eyes at Julian.
“You look upset,” he commented, “Want to exercise it out of your system?”
“What the fuck was that?”
Julian uncapped his water bottle to take a huge sip. “Come on, I saw an opening-“
“You made that opening,” you cut him off, “And crossed the line.”
“Oh please,” he waved a hand in the air, “It worked out perfectly fine.”
You could barely control your voice now, “You almost blew my fucking cover!”
“I would never,” he said, “Trust me, if anything I did you a favor.”
You dug your fingernails into your palms, “A favor?”
“Yeah. Guys love competition, an ex-boyfriend being in the picture will even speed up the process.”
“This is my mission.” You said through your teeth, “You don’t get to make spontaneous decisions without running them by me first.”
“When was the last time you had a proper fight?”
“I beg your pardon?”
“You always get cranky if you haven’t had a good challenge in a while,” he stated, “A good fight. I take it your boyfriend doesn’t tire you out enough?”
The innuendo wasn’t lost on you and you let out a small chuckle.
“You couldn’t tire me out if you tried.”
He tilted his head, “Is that a promise?”
You shot him a look and lunged but he easily dodged you, scowling.
“Come on Y/N,” he taunted you, “I won’t hold back, you shouldn’t either.”
“Oh don’t worry, I won’t hold back.” you grinned at him and darted to grab at him but he twisted your hand to push you back, making your back hit the wall. You pulled your hair into a ponytail and jumped to wrap your legs around his neck, spinning in the air to shove him to the ground. As soon as you both fell, you straddled him and pulled the dagger out of your boots to raise it and slam it to the ground right next to his head. A sly grin pulled at his lips as if he was having the time of his life.
“Look at you babe,” he said, “You got even better.”
You were very, very aware of the position you had both found yourself in. You used to find this whole thing hot, it was like foreplay to you. Mock fighting, training, all of it -especially with Julian- it used to be your second favorite activity.
Now, all you could think about was just how much more fun it would be with Bucky.
Maybe Julian was right. Maybe you were just a wild card.
A smirk curled your lips and you leaned in slightly to lock your eyes with his, looking down at him.
“My mission,” you growled. “Not yours. The next time you try to control what’s mine, I won’t be so nice.”
You pushed the dagger into your boot again and got off of him before storming out of the training room, still trying to keep your anger in check.
For some reason, you had a feeling it wouldn’t work.
                                               ***
No matter what you did for the rest of the evening, it just wasn’t enough to calm you down. Now to think of it, it wasn’t even completely about Julian and his nonsense, it was because—
You didn’t want Bucky to think you were pretending, even if you were.
Just because it was a cover, didn’t mean your reactions and the happiness you felt with him was fake as well. But he could still tell something was off— Sam could still tell something was off despite your best efforts.
Great.
You poured wine into your glass and changed the channel, trying to decide whether you should go and bug Keith or not. You heaved a sigh and tore your eyes from the screen to lean your head back, nibbling on your lip.
Dealing with feelings was much more difficult than taking down a target.
You groaned to yourself and took a huge sip of your wine, but before you could grab your phone you heard the doorbell ring. Your head shot up and you grabbed your gun to walk to the door, but as soon as you looked through the peephole to avoid yet another mistake like actually opening the door to Julian, you froze.
Bucky.
….Fuck.
“Um- just a second!” you called out before rushing to your room to hide your gun, then quickly looked around the apartment to see if there was anything that could tip him off. Overall, it looked perfectly civilian and you ran a hand over your face to pull yourself together.
Your cover was supposed to be angry at him.
You threw your shoulders back and walked to the door to open it, then leaned sideways to the doorframe, your lips pulled into a slight pout.
“Hi,” you murmured and his gaze lingered on your shorts and flimsy tank top before he looked away for a moment.
Ah.
Compared to 1940s, it was almost the same as you opening the door in your underwear.
“Hey,” he said and held up a small box of bagels. “Listen, I know you’re angry but um…I was hoping we could talk?”
Out of the corner of your eye, you saw Keith’s door opening and he stepped out but as soon as he caught the sight of Bucky on your doorstep, his eyes widened and he froze. He quickly fixed his jacket so that it would cover his gun tucked into the back of the waistband of his jeans and gawked at you.
“What the fuck?” he mouthed and you got momentarily distracted, causing Bucky to follow your gaze over his shoulder to Keith.
And Keith, the badass spy, probably the only spy in the whole division who could give you a hard time in a fight, whom you had seen take down five armed soldier by himself with no weapons-
He waved at Bucky.
“Hi- hi neighbor,” he stammered as he turned to you and you shot him a forced smile.
“Hi.”
“Thanks for the cookies, I was going to bring you your plate the other day,” he said, “Do you need it now?”
Translation: Do you need back up?
“No, no,” you shook your head, “No worries, it’s fine.”
“Alright then. See you later.”
You cleared your throat and took the box from Bucky.
“Come in,” you turned around to walk to the living room, hearing him close the door behind him. It didn’t take him long to step into the living room and his eyes darted around as if trying to take in as much as he could. You figured it was natural, homes always gave clues about who their owners were.
Not to mention, as an ex-assassin he was automatically finding the nearest exits and things to use as weapons.
You would know. You did the same thing whenever you were in a new place.
You peeked into the box and frowned.
“What is this?”
“To be honest with you, I have no idea,” Bucky admitted, “It’s supposed to be a bagel. I just asked the guy to give me the most modern and weirdest combination.”
“Is this—is this glitter?”
“He said it was edible glitter, yeah. With lavender and cheese with honey.”
“Why is there two of them?”
He put his hands into his pockets. “I figured I could try one.”
You blinked a couple of times, “You want to try a lavender cheese honey bagel with edible glitter.”
Even the sound of it seemed to be painful for him but he pressed his lips together and nodded fervently. “Mm hm.”
You tried to stop the smile threatening to warm your face and put the box on the coffee table before looking up at him.
“Bucky, listen—“
“I’m sorry,” he cut you off, “That comment back there, it was so uncalled for.”
You crossed your arms, “Why did you say that though?” you asked, “Is that—is that what you think?”
“No,” he shook his head fervently, “Of course not.”
“Then?”
“I don’t know if I can give an explanation without it sounding incredibly weird to you.”
“Try me.”
“I didn’t mean it in a bad way,” he said “It’s like— the way you are, it’s like someone somehow looked into my whole life back in 40s before everything and saw every single detail of what I wanted and made you.”
Yeah. That was exactly what you and the division had done.
“I’m not used to…” he motioned at you, “This. It’s like you’re too good to be true, like you’re perfect, does that make sense?”
A dull pain flipped your stomach and you stared up at him, trying to ignore your throat tightening before you went to sit down on the couch.
“I’m not,” you rasped out, “I’m not perfect. You’ll see it sooner or later.”
That right there was as honest as you could be with him. You rubbed at your eyes and grabbed the wine glass to take a huge sip as he sat down beside you, his gaze fixated on you.
“I’m sorry too,” you said, “It was an overreaction, it’s just… Julian’s effect on me.”
He stayed silent for a couple of seconds as if he had no idea how to approach the topic.
“Rough break up?”
“You could say that,” you scoffed a laugh, looking down at your glass, “I mean….you think you know a person, right? And they have no problem with proving you otherwise, prove that you didn’t know them at all. They—they betray your trust and everything was a lie all along and—“
And just like that, the realization hit you like a ton of bricks, making you stop talking.
You were doing exactly the same. It was just another version of the betrayal you had seen from Julian, and you were doing the same thing to Bucky.
He thought he knew you, and you would prove him otherwise, and betray his trust and walk away when this mission was over. In fact, by the time it was over, he would hate you even more than you hated Julian.
You cursed under your breath and took another sip of your wine, trying to ease the crushing guilt making you feel almost breathless.
“Sorry,” you managed to say, “I didn’t mean to unleash it on you, I just don’t want him anywhere near me.”
“I could pay him a visit if you want?”
You pulled your brows together, distracted for a moment before you tilted your head to the side.
“What?”
“To warn him to stay away from you.”
“Uh, I appreciate the chivalry,” you said, “But I can take care of myself.”
“Never said you couldn’t,” he pointed out, “It’s just the old-fashioned thing.”
“Oh the old-fashioned thing?” you repeated with a smile and he shrugged his shoulders.
“Yeah,” he said, “You know, taking care of my girl.”
You thought your heart would leap out of your throat as the warmth spread through you before the idea of betraying him hit you once again. The words felt like they were trying to escape from your mouth, the urge to come clean getting heavier and heavier before you leaned in to brush your lips against his, making him wrap his arms tight around you to pull you closer. You settled in his embrace, the back of your eyes burning but you blinked a couple of times to get rid of tears. He nuzzled into your hair, inhaling your scent.
“Can we stay like this for a while?” you asked and he smiled, pressing a kiss on top of your head.
“Sure thing,” he said and nodded at the TV screen, “What is this movie about?”
“I don’t know, it has cars and criminals,” you said, the guilt making you feel almost nauseous, “Bucky?”
“Hm?”
He would never understand what your confession actually meant, but you felt as if you would choke if you didn’t say it.
“I like who I am when I’m with you.”
A chuckle rumbled in his chest before he reached out to caress your cheekbone.
“Makes two of us darling,” he murmured, “I like who I am when I’m with you too.”
A bitter smile curled your lips and you bit inside your cheek to control yourself, sniffling inaudibly before you closed your eyes, enjoying his warmth.
Chapter 14
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binxyu · 3 years
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Jungkook was meant to be just a guilty pleasure. Not your guilty pleasure, but a guilty pleasure. You knew never to fall in love with a man that thought loyalty was showing up on time. He was everything you never needed, but here you were. Your fingers pressed on the trigger that would start the flame of pain.
>>Pairing: Jeon Jungkook (dom) x fem!reader (sub) | fuckboy!jk x witch!reader
>>Word Count: 7.5k
>>Genre: Mini Series / Smut & Angst
>>Warnings/Kinks: Arguments, breast play, creampie, cum play, disloyalty, degrading, exhibitionism, fingering, hair pulling, marking, oral (receiving), praise, unprotected sex, and witchcraft
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Jungkook was too beautiful for his own good.
From his pouty lips and sharp jaw line to his starry eyes. The man was perfection.
Even you had fallen for him, a woman that stopped believing in love.
But, all you could do now was remember the times you had together as the fire slowly burns in front of you.
As your love for Jeon Jungkook disappeared into nothingness.
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Your fingers typed away at the keyboard, writing the second of three essays you had due. It was nearing the end of the semester and, while you were ecstatic at the mere thought of summer vacation, the stress of exams was looming over you.
“Can you look over this paragraph for me?”, you peeked up over your laptop and nodded, moving your own device out of the way to make room for Namjoon’s. Kim Namjoon was a journalist in the making, a man that knew exactly how to put events into words. He was quite different from you, but study sessions together were always eventful. You were the perfect person to correct his grammar mistakes or to help add detail to his work and he was the perfect person to help explain a certain historical detail you may have missed.
Studying religions was what you had decided was your interest considering your unique practice. You enjoyed learning about the beliefs of people centuries ago but the facts could get scrambled in your brain and that’s where Namjoon came in. He almost seemed to have a never ending timeline in his brain.
“I’d add more emphasize on Jungkook. He did beat the record after all”, you quickly realized when you read the paragraph that he was writing for the school paper again. Despite your attempts to persuade the man that he could do much better with his time, he continued to write for it.
“That’s true. Wait, how did you know about that?”, you let out an amicable chuckle. Of course Namjoon would assume you did not know. Just because you despised sports did not mean you were deaf. The whole school had been talking about the student since the track meet. While you couldn’t remember the exact record he beat, it was still a record.
“People talk”, you shrugged and Namjoon nodded. It was peaceful for a moment as you went back to typing, managing to push aside your emerging migraine. Your body was begging for a good nap, but you had to get this done. You were, among less appealing qualities, a hard worker. Perhaps it was due to the pressure put on you as a child or maybe it was because that diploma was just out of reach. Either way, nothing was going to get in the way of your future.
And, like the biggest fuck you from the universe, Jeon Jungkook walks in.
Yet, you hadn’t realized and kept typing until Namjoon cursed loudly, drawing you out of your world.
“Are you okay?”, your voice was soft before your eyes met the issue. Oh, poor clumsy Namjoon.
He had spilt his coffee all over his shirt, staining the freshly new white blouse he had worn. You couldn’t help but laugh as you dug in your bag for a napkin.
“Don’t bother, it’s too much for a napkin. I’ll go to the restroom. Be right back”, you gave him a brief nod and a thumbs up. Still, you got up with your little pack of napkins and tried to clean up the remaining coffee staining into the table. The librarian is sure to kill you both if it does end up staining the wood. Standing back to examine your work, you almost screamed.
Standing by your laptop was a tall figure with the most sinister smirk you’ve ever seen.
Jeon fucking Jungkook spilt your coffee all over your notes and laptop.
Your mouth hung open for a moment before fury overtook the shock. You stomped up to the broadly built man and yes you didn’t believe in violence as a solution but all you wanted to do was slap the smirk right off his gorgeous face.
“Why did you do that?”, you also wanted to yell but the librarian was already eyeing the table and you couldn’t draw attention to the mess.
“Because I like to watch you suffer, sourpuss”, how have you not killed the man in front of you? You had no idea. Because that name infuriated you.
You knew it was the student’s way of messing with you, wanting to strike that minuscule nerve inside of you. No one else believed you could get angry but Jungkook knew you could. Mostly because he had caused that anger.
“And why is that? Because Jimin told you another lie about me?”, Jeon Jungkook was so impossibly similar to Park Jimin that it was uncanny who he had learned his traits from. Truth be told, you had the smallest crush on the man in front of you during freshmen year. He was so affectionate, caring, and friendly back then.
But, instead of ending up with the sweet heartthrob, you had ended up with Jimin for that year and the next.
Starting out, he was simply a popular boy and loved you with his whole heart. But, time went by and his true colors shun through like the sunlight through your irritatingly useless blinds. He was a playboy. An awfully good one at that for you to have never noticed the extra pairs of undergarments that laid on his floor when you slept over at his dorm.
He cheated, but he blamed it all on you and even Jeon Jungkook hates your guts because you were sure Jimin had told him exactly what he had told most of your friends. That you had broken his heart with your “horrifying” witchcraft and that you were dangerous. It explained why so many students asked to see your devil shrine the next day or tried to barge into your dorm to look at what Jimin talked about.
The most ironic thing was that you had never used magick around the man and you barely used it to begin with. You supposed it was for good reason considering that happened the first time you told someone about it.
“Jimin doesn’t lie. He’s never lied to me and I’m sure you’re well aware of what you did”, his finger jabbed harshly above your breast, just slightly lower than your collarbone. Among many things, Jungkook was dense and forgetful. You noticed that quickly when you started spotted reminders written on his fingers or palm. Just like the little note saying “library 7pm” was written on the finger jabbing you.
Unless the track star had another reason to be in the library he never visited, he wrote that down just to catch you in time.
“Tell me, Jeon. What did I do?”, you tilted your head and moved away from him, realizing the coffee was now leaking onto the floor. You desperately wished Namjoon would hurry up and get back to help you.
“You broke his heart. Using magick or something”, you bit your lips in annoyance and turned around to face him.
“Or something? Jungkook, I never did anything to Jimin. I know you won’t believe it because you look up to him like some god, but he cheated on me. He broke my heart”, you jabbed back, hitting the same spot he hit you, “and, if you haven’t noticed, Jimin doesn’t seem heartbroken, does he?”. If he dared to say yes you may have to use that horrifying magick Jimin lied about because your ex was anything but heartbroken. He was with a new woman almost every night and, even with this knowledge, they lined up to be with him. Who could deny the charming Park Jimin?
Finally, Jungkook shook his head, his curly black hair bouncing as he did the movement. If he wasn’t such a nuisance, you might’ve wished you could run your fingers through it. It looked so fluffy.
“Then, leave me alone. It’s been years of your torment and I’m tired of it”, you sighed and slung your bag over your shoulder after shoving your slightly wet laptop into it, walking out of the library after sending a text to Namjoon that you had felt bad because no one really knew about your fights with Jungkook and Namjoon would surely try to beat his ass if he found out about it.
Leaving the coffee on the table was a bold move but a part of you hoped that the asshole would clean it up. It was his mess after all. Not your’s.
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“You’re coming to the track meet, right?”, the voice startled you and you sat up on your bed, making direct eye contact with Kim Taehyung. The only guy with a key to your dorm.
“Tae, I love you but you know I do not do sports”, you grumbled and flopped back onto your bed. Your classes had you beat and the need for a nap was too great to give up. Even if it was for your best friend.
“I know but it would mean so much if you were there”, don’t do it. Don’t do it.
You did it.
You made direct eye contact with those big puppy eyes Taehyung always used to get his way. You had fallen victim once again.
Which was why you had ended up in the cold, shivering as you watched the team run around the track for what felt like an eternity.
Taehyung had done great considering he barely moved before the season but who really stood out was Jungkook. His back muscles were only moments away from ripping through the flimsy shirt he was wearing and sweat was coating his hair. He was aware of how good he looked. He always was. He even was ballsy enough to wink at one of the girls screaming his name in the crowd.
Thankfully, the pleasant bliss that was drinking kept your mind off how irritated you were. You had snuck in a beer to drink (not that everyone else didn’t) and the alcohol loosened you up a bit.
After the meet was over, a sweaty Taehyung was clinging to you like a massive koala. He was high off adrenaline and couldn’t decide whether he wanted to cuddle or jump around.
“Tae, take this before you pass out on top of me”, you handed him a water and he gratefully took it, still leaning against you as he chugged down the drink.
Taehyung and you were polar opposites. He was an athlete, quite dorky, a great singer, and was overly optimistic. You, on the other hand, liked to keep to yourself, was not the best of singers, and always stuck to the reality of things. Even if you could manipulate that reality the tiniest bit.
“Let’s get you home”, you let the man lean his weight on you tiredly as you started to walk towards the exit of the field.
“Sourpuss, I need to talk to you”, that voice was definitely not the one you needed to hear when you were this tired and already agitated. What does a girl have to do to spend time in her bed?
“I’m a little busy if you haven’t realized”, you gestured to Taehyung, who was breathing directly on your neck and nuzzling his nose against the skin. It wasn’t an odd gesture considering your close friendship but his face was so cold it send goosebumps down your spine.
“I’ll help”, Jungkook offered, quickly coming to your rescue by crouching down and getting Tae on his back. The man grumbled but was happy to take the ride considering it was less soreness for his legs to endure the next day.
The Jeon Jungkook helping? What a trip.
“What do you want?”, you winced at how rude it sounded. Sure, Jungkook most definitely deserves said rudeness, but he was helping you.
“I’m sorry”, you legitimately thought you were hearing things and turned your head to look at him, stopping in your tracks.
“Can you say that again? I don’t think I heard you correctly”, the athlete groaned before turning to look at you, frustration evident on his face.
“I’m sorry. You were right about Jimin. He’s been talking shit behind my back for months and I had no idea”, if it wasn’t for your “told you so” attitude, you would’ve felt sorry for him. Jimin was one of his closest friends after all.
“Hate to say I told you so but”, he glared at you to shut up and you quickly did. His glare was so cold that a shiver went up your spine.
“Sorry, it was a joke. Jimin is really manipulative so don’t let him bring you down”, you reassured him, even bringing your hand up to pat his shoulder. By the way he flinched away, you would’ve assumed your hand was made of lava.
Noted. Jungkook hates being touched.
“I assumed so much about you and that was immature of me”, the man smiled softly at you. It felt like arrows pierced your heart. He had such a cute smile for an asshole. Like a bunny.
“It’s fine. Lots of people assume things about me”, you shrugged as you both started walking again, Taehyung looking down at you to make sure you’re okay. He was like your protective older brother and you couldn’t be more thankful to have him around.
“But they shouldn’t. So what if you follow a different religion? It doesn’t mean you’re evil”, that was probably the first time someone agreed with your practices besides Taehyung and Namjoon (mostly because he understood it better than others).
“Thank you for saying that. It means a lot”, you finally smiled back at him, sending his heart right into his chest as his heartbeat picked up. Needless to say, he adored your smile.
“I hate to ask this of you but could you tutor me on Epidemiology? I regret ever taking it and I’ll pay you”, you were wide-eyed with shock to say the least. You didn’t expect Jungkook to go out of his way to learn. Especially, not with you.
“Sure, you can join Namjoon and I in the morning”, you nodded before you saw the way Jungkook’s nose crinkled up in displeasure.
“What? What’s wrong with that?”, he sighed in response to the question as you both reached your dorm building. You’d just let Tae stay with you for the night.
“Namjoon hates my guts. We’re way too different. Besides, aren’t you two dating? I don’t want to be some third wheel”, Jungkook almost sounded disgusted at the idea, probably imagining you making out with Namjoon in front of him.
“I’m not dating him. He’s just the only other intelligent male I can tolerate”, he seemed to relax once you finished speaking but there was still tenseness evident in his shoulders which wasn’t due to the large man on his back.
“I still don’t get along with him despite the fact that he writes about me all the time. He once yelled at me for cheating and wrote an article about it”, that was a slap right to your face. Right, Jungkook was a player and he could throw your feelings aside like one of his cigarettes. Do not get attached.
“Well, don’t cheat”, you said because, let’s be real, it’s the truth. You unlocked the door and helped Taehyung off of his back.
“Bye Koo, thanks again”, your words were quick and you kicked the door closed with your shoe, your hands full thanks to the oversized man child clinging onto you.
Koo. He liked that.
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Weeks had ticked by and, somehow, Jungkook had managed to get your number. Honestly, Namjoon probably slipped it out or Taehyung gave it to him. According to Tae, the man had been oddly friendly to him and they were (borderline) friends now. They played video games together, practiced together, and even barged into your place for snacks together.
Great. Now you had two man-children to take care of and feed. It was definitely taking a chunk out of your paycheck each week to get extra snacks for the two. They ate like starving animals whenever they came over. A small part of you even thought it was just to piss you off even more.
Jungkook finally managed to get you to agree for a tutoring session with him. Just one. If this one went well then maybe you would agree to more.
The only sad thing about the session was that it was scheduled to happen right after your last class on Friday in your previous dorm. The dorm you had just finished cleaning up since the last time the two adult toddlers had destroyed it.
Surprisingly, when you had woken up one morning, Jungkook was still there. You assumed he and Tae were too drunk to get back to their own dorms and had decided to just sleepover at your’s. It was quite annoying if you were to be honest, but the way Koo looked actually interested in your religion was enticing.
He didn’t look scared or disgusted when he looked at your little collection of crystals on your desk or the jar resting on your end table sealed with candle wax. If anything, he actually looked amused or even impressed.
“I’ll pick you up after class. I can’t believe you don’t drive and walk to your dorm every day”, Jungkook shook his head as he walked beside you. Coincidentally, your last classes were next to each other but you were shocked to hear him offer to give you a ride.
“Don’t judge me, Mr. Playboy. I just have a fear of hitting someone. Have you seen the lunatics at this campus? They will run out into traffic for fun”, the man chuckled wholeheartedly at the pout on your lips. Plus, your joke was actually pretty accurate. Even he had almost hit a drunk idiot when trying to get back to his dorm late one night.
“Okay, that’s fair. So, you okay with me driving you?”, you nodded cautiously. While Jungkook was guaranteed to know every path to your dorm by now, you were still guarded. Being in that tight of a space with him was going to be difficult.
No, you don’t get those so-called “butterflies” when you were with him. Honestly, those butterflies were typically a bad sign to you. Feeling sick because you loved someone sounded a bit odd and almost contradictory.
You actually found yourself with more powerful emotions than anything. If Jungkook made you angry, you were angry. If he made you happy, you were happy.
Everything just felt so much stronger when you were around him. Thankfully, he almost always made you happy. He made you laugh because, once he discovered that beautiful sound, he couldn’t get enough.
So, after your class, you met him out in the hall and he walked you to his car. Now you realized how such an undetermined man got into college.
He was filthy rich.
Sitting there in the parking spot was a brand new Mercedes Benz. Its black color almost matched the distinct leather jacket that he decided to wear today. It very much screamed Jeon Jungkook.
However, it did not scream you whatsoever. You were almost afraid to get near it.
“Hop in. My grade isn’t getting any lower”, he opened the door for you and you weren’t sure if it was because you were friends, or whatever the fuck you two were, or if it was because he wanted a discount.
That’s not fucking happening. He’s already stolen plenty of money through snacks from your cabinets.
Meekly, you got into the vehicle, immediately buckling your seatbelt as if it was going to hurl itself into motion at any moment. Jungkook shut the door and went around to get into the drivers’ seat. Apparently he trusted his own driving so much that he never wore a seatbelt (Namjoon would’ve had a stroke if he was told that) and he drove with one hand (scratch that- make it two strokes).
Despite those things, he was an actual good driver. You felt safe and he drove the speed limit. Maybe it was just because you were in the car with him?
Getting out of the luxurious leather seats proved to be a hassle considering you knew your seats in your dorm were no where near as comfortable. You could sleep in that passenger seat without a care in the world compared to your own bed. Still, you forced yourself to get out and you two went up to your dorm. Jungkook is way too familiar with the place now considering he barely talks to you. It’s your place and, yet, he comes here for Tae.
“Alright, what unit do you need help on?”, you asked softly as you took the needed supplies out of your bag. You actually already took Epidemiology. It had nothing to do with your major but it was interesting to you. Who wouldn’t want to learn about the science of the world’s biggest killer: disease?
Jungkook simply looked at you, blinking a few times and pressing his tongue into his cheek in that nervous habit you realized he had.
“Oh- for fucks sake, Koo”, you grumbled as you realized how long of a process this was going to be.
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It had been months since you began tutoring the student and, finally, there was progress.
Standing proudly with his shoulders back was Jeon Jungkook holding a test with a big number ‘92’ on it in red ink. Your heart swelled with pride.
“I passed! This was the exam review test so I’ll pass the exam, right?”, you smiled brightly as you looked at his excited eyes. You never thought Jungkook would ever be excited over passing a class but you can’t judge people by their covers, right?
“Yeah! Just keep up with the studying and you got it”, you nodded quickly, looking away from his puppy eyes when you felt happiness engulf you like a fire.
Ironically, you were actually playing with fire. Your hand tugged on the trigger and a flame flickered from the end of your lighter. You brought it down and lit the candle in front of you. To be honest, you were a bit of a goodie two shoes but you did break one rule.
No fire in the dorms.
“Hey, I really wanted to thank you. I’m actually passing all my classes now and it fills like my life has purpose again”, woah, didn’t expect that.
“No problem, Koo. Your life always has purpose. What do you mean?”, you looked up from what you were doing, noticing he was leaning against the frame of your door.
“All I did was party and drink. Sure, I was a good athlete but that can only take you so far”, you nodded in understanding and stood up, walking towards him.
He followed your every move like prey waiting for the predator to attack them.
But, instead of an attack, he was met with a warm, genuine, and, all around, great hug.
“Do you think of me as everyone else does?”, you looked up at him, meeting his starry eyes.
Oh, you hated them because of how much you loved them. They held the galaxy within them and you could stare into them for hours if given the chance.
You were many things but, tragically for Jungkook, a liar wasn’t one of them.
“Honestly, I did before. I’ve seen you do some of the things the rumors talk about-“, smoking, cheating, fighting, “but now I know that’s not all you are. There’s more to you, Koo”.
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All Jungkook had been able to think about was your words. Sure, he didn’t care about your opinion before but it truly did make him happy to know you thought better of him.
“Jk! Where have you been?”, oh no.
“Jimin? I’ve just been at the gym a lot”, lies. He had been with you a lot.
“Ah, I see. How’s the bet going?”, the shorter man asked, running his fingers through his precisely cut hair. What a born model.
The bet. The bet you had no clue about. The bet Jungkook was too dense to refuse.
“It’s going. She hugged me yesterday”, Jimin scoffed and then chuckled, vastly different sounds that almost made Jungkook double over in fear. Truth be told, he despised Jimin. He despised him because he scared him. The only other man more influential than him was Jimin and that meant Jimin could ruin his reputation in a matter of seconds.
“That’s all? Damn, she really is void of love”, the bet Jimin was referring to was the one he made with the younger at the beginning of the year.
“I bet you can’t make her fall in love with you. She didn’t even love me, Koo! Me! I’m telling you, if you make her fall in love with you then I’ll get you anything you want”.
Time was running out with exams coming up and Jungkook needed to hurry if he was going to win such a bet. But, was it worth it if it meant disappointing you? Jimin may be scary but you made him feel so happy and so proud.
The only time he had seen you disappointed was when Taehyung broke one of your jars, resulting in a mess of coins, herbs, and wax on the floor. That’s the day he decided he never wanted to be on the receiving end of one of those looks.
“Yeah, she’s guarded which is understandable-“, wait- did Jeon Jungkook just grow some balls? “I’d be void of love too if everyone judged me for something I believed in”. He did.
“Where is that coming from? She deserves it, doesn’t she? Come on, JK. Keep that head in the game!”, Jimin patted his head like he was a child with all A’s on his report card, which, for once, was actually true thanks to you.
What game? You? Were you truly just a game to him?
“Alright, I’ve got this”, damn. Maybe you were.
Most nights you found yourself at the library now. It was the only place that was filled with peace and quiet. Especially on a Friday. Not even the librarian was here.
“Guess who”, hands covered your eyes and you would’ve punched the man behind you if you didn’t immediately recognize his husky voice. It was soothing with just the perfect mix of roughness. You couldn’t help but wonder what it sounded like when he just woke up.
“An asshole who thinks it’s okay to sneak up on women in a deserted place”, you grumbled and Jungkook immediately removed his hands.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you”, oh here we go. Argument number two thousand.
“I wasn’t scared. I was just saying that, one, you’re an ass and, two, don’t do that to women”, he nodded in agreement and you thought that was the stopping of an argument. Boy, oh boy, were you wrong.
“I won’t anymore but you’re so weak. I’ve scared you so many times now”, you glared at him. Thanks to months of being by Jungkook’s side, you had become a bit more out of control. The feelings you used to keep caged up were now more out in the open. You cussed more often, even tried drinking (and almost spit it out on him), and your frustration was no longer hidden from the world.
“Jungkook, you are a menace to society and I would like it if you leaved”, it was a pointless threat. You didn’t really mean it. You adored his company but you wouldn’t admit that with a gun to your head.
“Liar, you love me”, shit. Did you? No, don’t ask that. It was just a joke.
Damn you and your overthinking.
“No, I hate you. Shut up”, that was also a useless threat. Jungkook never shut up. He was quite the talker and shutting up was not in his vocabulary.
“No, you hate me. Shut up”, he sat on the table you were previously working on, knowing this would take a while. Your arguments always lasted between thirty minutes to two or three hours. You both hated to back down.
“No, I love you. Shut the fuck up”, wait a second-
“As you wish”, he smirked victoriously and leaned closer, his face so close to your’s that you could smell his musky cologne.
“That was wrong”, you glared at him and he shook his head, “don’t open your mouth aga-“ you were cut off as his lips connected with your’s. He kissed you so intensely that your mind was fogged up, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.
Finally, with your brain still hooked on adrenaline, your hands found their way to his cheeks, cupping his well defined face as you kissed back. You could feel him smile into the kiss before he pulled away, leaving a spark traveling down your body. Now, that’s a good feeling.
“Ah, I love when you shut the fuck up”, you were so close to beating him with your bag.
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Everything was weird after the kiss. Life wasn’t some fairytale where you both lived happily ever after in some old palace somewhere.
No, you were both actually stuck in that “fuck, what are we?” mess.
Love wasn’t something you could control and that was why you never let it get that far, but, with Jungkook, it felt uncontrollable, spreading like wildfire.
So, you avoided him.
Of course, it wasn’t the most humane or easiest form of dealing with your feelings but it worked.
Well, for a little bit until Koo decided to block you off in the library, cornering you into the back section of the religious books. Oh, how ironic.
“What’s wrong?”, his voice made your knees want to give out. It was early and you assumed he woke up early just to catch you. His attire said that enough from his sweatpants to the tank top hugging his upper body. He obviously just threw something on before he left.
“What are you talking about?”, you tilted your head and tried to act innocent, but, once again, a liar you were not.
“Oh please, you’re obviously pissed off or scared of me or something”, bingo. You were horrified of what you were feeling and, in tune with it, Jungkook.
“I don’t know! Why do you even care? You’re obviously going to pass your exam so what am I needed for anymore?”, you winced at your own words, watching as the man’s usual bright expression turned into a sorrowful one.
“It’s much more than that, y/n”, that was probably one of the first times he had said your name. He usually called you nicknames like princess, sourpuss, or whatever else he came up with depending on his mood.
“Then what is it?”, the stare he gave you made you want to hide further into the corner. It was so predatory that your body was trying to fight its own instincts to run away and avoid the problem. You were always a flight over fight type of girl.
“You”, the one word made your eyebrows furrow, racking your brain for a response or understanding of what he meant. Jungkook shook his head as you watched your face twist in confusion.
“You’re so dense. Why would I kiss you if it wasn’t all for you?”, he leaned closer to you, hand resting on the shelf of the bookcase behind you. You silently thanked the universe that no one else was in there yet.
“Discount?”, it was the first thing you thought of and it caused a low chuckle to rumble out of Jungkook’s chest. He looked up into your eyes and it almost knocked the air out of you.
“Hmm, unless it’s a fuck buddy discount then I don’t think I want it”, he raised an eyebrow cockily and your eyes went wide. Little did Jungkook know that he just complicated your relationship even more.
“And what if I’m okay with making such a discount?”, the student practically groaned at the words, free hand finding its way on your hip, squeezing it. You don’t know where your new found confidence came from but you had gotten rather blunt since hanging out with Jungkook.
“Then I’d say you’re not the person I thought you were”, he hummed, leaning in to whisper in your ear. The way his breath tickled your ear sent sparks through your body.
“Is that what you want? For me to take you here against these books?”, yes you did. Looking around, you were met with many versions of Bible and other holy books of all religions. It was absolutely filthy and wrong to do it there which was why it was perfect.
“Yes, I want that”, your nails dug into the wood behind you, trying to ground your emotions down. It had always been an escape tactic to you.
“How naughty”, now you understood why he had chosen today of all days to corner you. He loved the skirt you were wearing and how easily it gave access to everything delicious underneath. Plus, your legs were perfect to him.
His fingers danced along your thighs before he pushed up your skirt, revealing the black lace panties underneath. Oh, you knew what was going to happen today and you definitely knew Jungkook liked his black.
“So pretty. Just for me?”, the question took you off guard, your own questions flooding your brain. Ultimately, after a few moments of silence, you decided he probably had a possession thing. Who didn’t like to feel powerful?
“Just for you, Koo. Fuck, touch me please”, so you decided to feed his little ego, edging him on until he pulled the panties to the side to reveal your glistening pussy.
The dim light of the library truly didn’t do it justice but he couldn’t help himself from finding it to be also perfect. He was in deep shit now.
His long fingers ran down your slit until they reached their destination: your pussy. He rubbed around it before he slowly plunged his middle finger into the wetness, curling against your walls.
Fuck, you always hated that finger but with it inside of you? Maybe you could make an exception.
Your body shook in response to the stimulation since you hadn’t been touched in so long, your hands gripping the wood tighter to keep yourself steady. Jungkook smirked when you clenched around his finger before he added another, stretching you out wonderfully as he scissored you open.
And that was when Jungkook found his favorite sound in the world.
“Jungkook! Oh god”, you moaning his name sounded like music to his ears and he couldn’t get enough. The only thing he hated was how quiet it was since you were still conscious of the library around you. He wanted you to scream it.
“You like that, princess? You want more?”, you obediently nodded, not in the mood to be denied an orgasm (which you were sure Jungkook would do if you didn’t obey). The man chuckled and leaned down, still pumping his fingers steadily as if it took no effort at all. If you had done this yourself then your fingers would have been cramping by now.
Your body jolted when Jungkook’s plump lips wrapped around your clit, sucking harshly on the nerve as if he was starving. To be fair, he had skipped breakfast.
You feared for the books behind you as your body spasmed, orgasming on the man’s fingers. You took deep breaths once you were finished and watched as Jungkook pulled away, pulling his cum covered fingers out of you.
With prolonged eye contact, he slipped the digits into his mouth and sucked the juices off of them. A new wave of arousal went through you when he tapped your lips with them, making you open your mouth. You gagged briefly when they hit the back of your throat but you sucked on it, licking your way up his middle finger.
“Good girl”, now that was going to haunt you forever. You whined when he pulled his fingers away and he smiled teasingly at you.
“I’m going to need to see these”, your eyes went wide when he gripped the collar of your shirt and ripped it clean down the middle, tossing it aside as if it didn’t cost you a fortune.
“Jeon Jungkook! That was expensive”, you huffed but he paid you no mind, just reaching behind you to remove your bra too so it can join the rest of your clothes.
“What if someone sees? I can’t cover these up quickly, Koo”, you crossed your arms over your chest, looking around cautiously. Jungkook just laughed and pulled your arms away, pinning your wrists above your head so he can press his body against your own.
“Take my shirt off and you can put that over you for the day. It’s fine, sourpuss”, oh you would’ve slapped him if you weren’t so turned on. He let go of your wrists and you quickly removed his shirt for him, revealing a muscular chest you could’ve never imagined.
And he never imagined how beautiful you’d look with your hard nipples pressed against the thin fabric of his white t-shirt. He grabbed them immediately and you failed to see the spark in his eyes as he squished them together.
“That was one of my favorite shirts. What a di-“, you yelped when he pulled your leg up over his shoulder, yanked his pants and boxers down, and pulled your panties aside to rub his angry tip against your folds. Your head rested back as he rubbed against your clit, covering his cock in your juices.
“What a dick indeed”, Jungkook chuckled deeply, arousal blurring his world into nothing but you. The only thing that mattered at that moment was feeling you.
His lips attached to your neck and you were so out of reality that you didn’t realize he was littering the skin with his marks, a silent claim on you as he pushed himself inside of you.
“Oh shit, it’s exactly as I imagined. So tight and warm”, and he was just as you imagined. So very big. You didn’t think anyone else could stretch you out as much as Jeon Jungkook and that thought made you groan.
“You’ve been imagining it?”, it was your turn to smirk and, for the first time ever, the man in front of you blushed.
“Oh please princess. I know you’ve been thinking about it too”, and you had been. Not that you’d ever admit that after he just basically friends with benefits zoned you.
“Just move you asshole”, Jungkook gripped your hair, tugging on the soft strands as he finally kept pushing, bottoming out inside of you perfectly.
His big hands moved to grip your hips, a little help to keep you up as he started to snap his own into your’s. He was mildly uncomfortable at first but, as you adjusted to his size, bliss filled your body.
Finally, you were doing something to make yourself happy and pleased. Maybe Jeon Jungkook wasn’t the best man to do it but he was making you feel so so good.
The man snapped you out of your thoughts as he brought your hand down to your clit. You understood and started to rub it, happy knowing that Jungkook was also looking out for your own pleasure too. Not that you’d know he had been thinking about you creaming on his big cock for months now.
“Keep doing that”, he whispered despite the heavy groan that threatened to come out. He was referring to the uncontrollable clenching you were doing around his dick, sucking him into your walls with each muscle movement. You listened and (despite knowing you were going to keep doing it anyways) clenched once again.
“Can I cum inside?”, you whimpered at the idea of Jungkook’s cum filling you up and, knowing you’re on grade A birth control, you nodded. While Jungkook was effortlessly attractive, kids were not part of your plans by far.
“You close too, princess?”, you nodded, a small moan spilling past your lips despite your best efforts to be quiet. With that knowledge, the man orgasmed and you could feel his seed start to coat your insides. The feeling made you tumble over into your own orgasm, coating his softening cock with your release.
“I think that’s the best sex I’ll ever have”, you praised him as you tried to put your cramping leg down off his shoulder. Instead, he held it tighter and pulled himself out of you. He watched as his cum started the spill out of you, dripping down your thighs beautifully.
So, he’s a man who likes to admire his work.
You almost screamed when he pushed it back inside of you with his finger due to the sensitivity.
“See you later, sourpuss”, Jungkook smirked and put your panties back to their original position before he pulled his own boxers and pants back up. He walked off and you were left gobsmacked with his cum dripping out of you onto your panties.
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As the weeks passed by, the world became more vibrant and cheerful but also more chilling and worrisome.
Exams were over and you were free to go wherever you pleased but, somehow, you always found yourself wanting to be with what was supposed to be your secret guilty pleasure. Now, he was your everything. He truly brought color into your world; sadly, color always comes with black and white.
“I won the bet, Jimin. I want what I asked for”, you listened intently from the other aisle of books. The library had become your go to spot to find Jungkook. Surprisingly, the once unmotivated student was more frequently in here because of the sheer relief he got when you stood before him with a proud smile. What a softy.
“Really? She fell for you? Damn, you still got it. I can’t believe you asked for this though”, the disgust in your ex’s voice was evident and you so desperately wanted to see what he was referring to. You truly thought Koo had stopped being friends with Jimin after he apologized but apparently you were wrong about a lot of things. Most of all, you were wrong to love again.
Feeling your tears start to spill down your cheeks for the first time in years, you forced yourself out of the library. You should’ve seen it coming. What would a playboy want with you? A woman looking for a serious relationship? You’re an idiot and you’ll fix it.
Said playboy must’ve spotted you because you could hear his heavy footsteps behind you as you rushed out of the library, hurrying into a run with the safety of your dorm in mind. It was time to end this.
So, here you were. Remembering everything from the past few months as the candles in front of you burned, getting so desperately close to the string connecting them. You had carved an evident ‘JK’ on one and your initials on the other, bonding them to the people who needed to be apart from one another.
Watching his candle, you noticed the wax dripping down the long wick and you knew they were tears. You knew because of the loud banging coming from your dorm door, the man on the other side screaming and sobbing for you to let him explain.
Your candle, however, burned strongly with vengeance. It stood so tall compared to Jungkook’s and, as the fire finally burned through the string tying you both together, you felt free. It was like Jeon Jungkook had never affected you before and his name slowly slipped from your mind.
Eventually, the banging stopped as the candles reached their ends and the fire flickered out under your gaze. You felt so blissfully numb as you walked towards the door, opening it to reveal a confused Jungkook looking up at you.
“What did you do? It’s like-“, you cut him off with your hand, pulling him up rather roughly.
“You never knew me. That’s how I want it, Jeon Jungkook. You never knew me and I never knew you. Now, get your prize and leave me alone”, you slammed the door in his face. You felt pure relief but Jungkook could still feel a pang of want in his body.
You had failed to notice the little wax left of his candle that stood strong as you dumped it in the trash and he failed to notice that he had left his “prize” outside your door as he rushed off.
A gorgeous rose quartz necklace.
What a way to declare your love to a witch who just cut it all off.
453 notes · View notes
robininthelabyrinth · 3 years
Note
🍊🍋Wen Chao and/or wen xu is a good guy and actually wants to end wen ruo jan's reign of terror (cloud recesses, lotus pier, xuanwu cave or all are elaborate ruses)
ao3
Untamed
“A-Chao,” Wen Xu said. “I think our father is insane.”
Wen Chao’s eye twitched visibly, his shoulders rising up to his ears. “You can’t say that! That’s treason!”
“I’ve already made sure there’s no one anywhere around us right now, not even people I trust.”
Down went the shoulders.
“Of course he’s insane,” Wen Chao said. “Some of his orders recently…”
He shook his head.
“Not much of an empire to rule if they’re all ghost puppets, is there?” he concluded. “I think the Yin Metal is poisoning his brain.”
“I agree,” Wen Xu said. “Now what do we do about it? He’s just ordered me to raze the Cloud Recesses.”
“…when you say raze –”
“To the ground.”
“What happened to just dominating the rest of the cultivation world?” Wen Chao complained. “I liked that plan. I was going to have a really great life. A palace. Servants. Good food. Even better wine. Enough clothing to keep Jiaojiao from complaining.”
“I…don’t know if that’s possible,” Wen Xu said. “Haven’t you given her three closets’ worth already?”
“I have no idea, and I’m too attached to my balls to ask.”
“Anyway,” Wen Xu said. “What do we do about it?”
“You’re asking me?” Wen Chao said.
“Well I’m certainly not going up against him by myself! He’ll kill me!”
“You think he would hesitate to kill both of us?”
“Ugh. Is there anyone we can ask for help? Anyone we haven’t pissed off?”
They both paused, thinking.
“…no,” Wen Chao said. “But in our defense, we never thought we’d need any of them, did we?”
“I don’t think anyone is going to buy that as an excuse,” Wen Xu said, scowling. “Fuck. Isn’t there anyone?”
“Well,” Wen Chao said. He did not continue.
“No,” Wen Xu said. “No. He literally wants to cut off our heads.”
“So does everyone else in the cultivation world,” Wen Chao said. “At least we know Sect Leader Nie hates Dad more than he hates us, which isn’t something that can be said about the rest of them.”
“Fuck,” Wen Xu said. “What’s our alternative plan?”
“…become ghost puppets?”
“Fuck.”
-
“You do remember that I want to kill you both?” Nie Mingjue said, scowling at them.
“We were betting on you wanting to kill our father more,” Wen Chao said.
“I’m not sure,” Nie Mingjue said. “You’re very obnoxious.”
Wen Chao scowled.
“He has a point, A-Chao,” Wen Xu said.
“Shut up.”
“Respect your elders!”
“If you two are going to start fighting, I’m leaving,” Nie Mingjue said.
They both squinted at him. “Does that mean you might not leave if we stop?” Wen Xu asked.
Nie Mingjue’s scowl got even worse, but eventually he begrudgingly said “…well, I really hate your father.”
They both exhaled in relief.
“What’s your plan?” Nie Mingjue asked.
“This was about as far as it went,” Wen Xu admitted, and Nie Mingjue gaped at him. “What? If we had planning skills, we’d be ruling the world.”
“Jiaojiao wants jewelry now,” Wen Chao agreed. “Lots of it. Keeping a mistress is expensive.”
“I’ll…take your word for that,” Nie Mingjue said, looking mildly uncomfortable.
“You’re always plotting against our father, right?” Wen Xu asked.
“No,” Nie Mingjue said. “If I could plot, your father would already be dead.”
“Good point,” Wen Chao said, but he wasn’t the sort of person to let little details like that discourage him. “But surely you know someone who can?”
“Just keep in mind that I’m on a deadline here,” Wen Xu said. “I have to leave to go raze the Cloud Recesses by the end of the week.”
“You want me to come up with a plan to defeat your father before the end of the week?!”
“Uh, yeah,” Wen Xu said. “That’s what I said, wasn’t it?”
“It was,” Wen Chao agreed.
“I’m going to go get Meng Yao,” Nie Mingjue decided. “And Huaisang, too, why not, somehow he always gets his way no matter what I do. Maybe he can come up with something for this.”
-
“I think we’re going to need expert assistance,” Nie Huaisang declared. “I’m thinking this is Wei Wuxian levels of plotting.”
“He can plot?” Wen Chao said dubiously. “Are you sure? He took nearly a week to fight a mildly ominous bird.”
“…is that so?” Nie Huaisang said, and sighed. “Okay, fine. Meng Yao, guess it’s up to you and me.”
Meng Yao was blinking his eyes very rapidly.
“What?” Wen Chao said. “You have an awful father too, don’t look so shocked about us wanting to get rid of ours.”
“That’s just how his brain works when he’s thinking,” Nie Huaisang assured him. “He’s kicking it like it’s a sleeping donkey that doesn’t want to get to work; give him a minute and he’ll be coming up with all sorts of ideas.”
“Good ideas?”
“All sorts of ideas.”
“…any good ideas? Mediocre ideas, even?”
“Listen, we have until the end of the week,” Nie Mingjue said irritably. “You’ll take whatever ideas we give you and you’ll like it, you hear me?”
“Is it too late to get Wen Zhuliu in on this?” Wen Xu asked Wen Chao.
“He has that weird thing for Dad,” Wen Chao reminded him.
“Fuck,” Wen Xu said. “I’d wiped that from my memory through the application of a great deal of alcohol, but yes, you’re right. Okay. Hit me with your worst plan.”
-
“That’s worse than I thought it was going to be.”
“Shut up and just do it.”
-
“I will now, in the name of the Wen sect, attack –” Wen Xu grimaced. “– this cave.”
“It’s a very important cave, actually,” one of the Lan disciples muttered.
“Be quiet,” Lan Wangji said.
They were all pretending not to notice the main force of Lan sect disciples, led by Lan Xichen, carting their precious books and treasures out of the Cloud Recesses right behind him.  
“I am attacking this very important cave,” Wen Xu clarified. “Of extreme importance to the Lan sect. So important, in fact, that it is clearly the correct target for an invasion.”
They stood around a while longer.
Someone cleared their throat. “Should we fight?”
“I can have my men beat you up if you really want,” Wen Xu said.
“…no thanks.”
“Then be quiet.”
There was a bit more standing around. Eventually Lan Qiren coughed.
“Would you like a chair or something?” Wen Xu asked, then frowned. “Never mind, I probably can’t justify that.”
“Probably not,” Lan Qiren agreed. He looked pained. Probably by the whole situation, but who knew, maybe he just had a bad back and the standing around was getting to him. “You will be taking Wangji hostage after this?”
“Along with most of the heirs of the Great Sects,” Wen Xu said. “As agreed, we’ll keep them out of the way.”
“Sometimes the most dangerous place is the safest place.”
“…yeah, that. Either way, they’ll be kept out of trouble.”
-
“This is not out of trouble!” Wei Wuxian shouted as they ran away from the Xuanwu.
“This stretch of river has never caused anyone any problems!” Wen Chao shouted back. “Ever! You’re the one who found the fucking cave!”
“Shut up and keep running!” Jiang Cheng howled.
-
“I really like your hair,” Wang Lingjiao told Madame Yu. “Also, that dress.”
Wen Chao sighed.
“Expensive tastes?” Wei Wuxian asked, pouring him some wine.
“You have no idea,” Wen Chao said glumly. “My allowance can’t cover it, so I ended up putting her as a line item in the military budget.”
“You did?” Jiang Cheng said. “Did your father, uh, object?”
“He’d have to notice.”
“I wonder how many other things he wouldn’t notice,” Wei Wuxian muttered to himself.
“You’re a young master of Yunmeng Jiang,” Jiang Cheng said, rolling his eyes. “What could you possibly want to fund that we won’t pay for?”
“I don’t know,” Wei Wuxian said. “Mad science experiments?”
-
“Can you pay him to stop?” Wen Xu asked. “I don’t even like flute music.”
“Shut up,” Wen Chao said. “You’ve been decapitated, remember?”
“Oh yeah, ‘decapitated’. And now I’m being force-fed lots of Qinghe barbeque,” Wen Xu said. “My life is really hard.”
“Why you…!”
Wen Xu sniggered. “How’s it going with Wen Zhuliu?”
“Fine, I think?” Wen Chao said. “He hasn’t actually noticed that the ‘demons’ we’re being hunted by aren’t really demons, but that’s because he’s been mostly drinking away his weird crush on our dad. I think Wen Ning is spiking his drink with something.”
They both turned to look at Wen Ning, who shrugged.
“Couldn’t have happened to a nicer person,” Wen Xu decided. “Are they attacking the Nightless City soon?”
“I think so.”
“What happens then?”
“Dunno.”
“Going to be kind of awkward when we ‘come back from the dead’ to take over.”
“I’m going to blame it on Wei Wuxian and his new weirdo cultivation,” Wen Chao decided. “We’re all sentient corpses he’s resurrected and using to puppet the Wen sect. Wen Ning, you in on this?”
“…sure,” Wen Ning said. “But only if I get first rights on ‘Ghost General’ as a nickname.”
“Oh, that’s a good one.”
-
“Thanks for the patricide,” Wen Xu said.
“Think nothing of it,” Nie Mingjue said. “Also, say nothing of it. Ever. In fact, let’s never talk again.”
“Can’t do that,” Wen Chao said. “Madame Yu told Jiaojiao that she got that fancy headpiece from Qinghe, so she wants to go there on a shopping trip.”
“Our economy could use the boost, da-ge,” Nie Huaisang said, and Nie Mingjue sighed. “It’s going to be a really big boost. Especially if she convinces Madame Jin from Lanling to come with her.”
“I still can’t believe they made friends,” Wei Wuxian marveled. “It must come from having more money than brains.”
“Brains aren’t exactly what I look for in a partner,” Wen Chao said. “Luckily for you, neither does your boyfriend.”
“Hey, I have brains!”
“You’re certainly intelligent,” Meng Yao – now named Jin Guangyao – told him.
“See?”
“That was an insult,” Nie Mingjue said.
“…hey!”
“When are you coming back to Qinghe?” Nie Huaisang asked Jin Guangyao, who blinked. “I mean, unless you want to spend all your time slaving away for a guy who thought Wen Ruohan was neat.”
“He’s right,” Wen Xu said. “Father or not, don’t do it. It’s not worth it. You’ll end up having to rebel and ask your worst enemies for help and it’s awkward.”
“I appreciate the offer,” Jin Guangyao said. “But I really can’t accept.”
“Why not?” Nie Huaisang asked.
Wen Chao pointed at him. “Seconded.”
Jin Guangyao grimaced at them both. Possibly it was meant to be a smile.
“You don’t have to go to the Unclean Realm, A-Yao,” Lan Xichen said.
“Thank you, er-ge.”
“You can come to the Cloud Recesses instead.”
“Er-ge…”
“Did anyone ever tell the Jin sect that we were working with the Wen heirs?” Nie Mingjue wondered out loud, and everyone frowned. “Because if they don’t know, and Jin Guangshan thinks he’s being subtle with the whole trying to hire Xue Yang thing, things are going to get really awkward.”
“…well, shit,” Jiang Cheng said. “I call not being the one to tell him.”
“Seconded!”
“Cloud Recesses, you said?” Jin Guangyao asked Lan Xichen, who looked pleased.
“I’m leaving,” Wen Xu decided. “I want nothing to do with this disaster. You all have fun now, I’m fucking off back to the Nightless City to live the rest of my life as a very rich man with no life goals.”
“I want to do that,” Nie Huaisang said.
“No,” Nie Mingjue said.
“But –”
“No.”
“Hey,” Wei Wuxian said. “Unrelatedly, anyone have any ideas on what should I do with the whole resentful energy seal thing now?”
“I don’t know,” Wen Chao said. “Play a giant game of keep away with it and then fake your own death?”
488 notes · View notes
gb-patch · 3 years
Text
Ask Answers: August 8th
Well, doing big posts all together worked for a while but lately I’ve been putting it off because it takes a long time to get them done. I think I’m gonna try switching back to answering asks whenever I can fit it in and posting them one at a time instead of waiting until I’ve filled out one of these major collections.
But for now, here’s more ask answers! Thank you for the questions and for all the kind words along with them ^^.
Hello!! I'm here to ask if its possible to get  the game and its dlcs on steam and play it on android?
I’m afraid not. Steam doesn’t have Android builds on their own site and Steam is not cool with keys for other sites being given out for Steam purchases, so you don’t get the Itch version from buying on Steam.
Hello! Sorry to bother you but, I had a question, if we buy the Game on itchio do we get steam keys or would we need to purchase it twice? 
You would have to buy it twice if you want it in both places, I’m sorry. To repeat myself a little, Steam doesn’t like the key trading thing. Itch may support giving keys for another site, but the reverse isn’t doable with Steam and Steam doesn’t even really want you to get a Steam key for buying somewhere else either. So we just don’t mess around with that.
hey, sorry if this is frequently asked, but is step 4 free dlc or paid for? some of your sources are contradicting each other. 
It’s free! There’s a paid wedding DLC, but Step 4 itself is entirely unpaid.
Hello! I just had a quick question, for the Baxter and Derek DLC's will we be able to confess our feelings to them or let them confess to MC? or will it only be one way? (they confess to MC)
Both type of options will be available!
Hey there! I wanted to ask whether or not the Derek DLC is still on track to be released in August since on the steam discussion board it says it will be released mid 2021. I totally understand if it isn't, I'm just really looking forward to it! If you answer then ty! And keep up the amazing work :D 
It’s not, aha. Unfortunately, 2021 wasn’t easier than 2020 as we hoped so things are still slower than planned. It’ll come out late 2021 or early 2022.
Hi! Firstly I just want to say that I LOVE Our Life. I have played a bit of similar games but this one instantly wins for the best one! Everything about it is amazing! I just wanted to ask if Derek would ever lose feelings for MC, like if they make the deal and then MC gets with Cove would he move on? and even if you don't, after "losing contact" would his feeling fade or would he still like MC? 
If you don’t really keep in touch with him and clearly move on with your life, Derek will too and he’ll be over it. But if you are still close as best as you can be, he’ll still think the MC is special. Though, he’ll always support your relationship with someone else if that’s what’ll make you happy.
Hello! Sorry if you've answered this before but: 'How's Lee related to us? Though which momma? And does she share our player-chosen last names? Also, do you know if Noelani took Pam's last name or did it happen the other way round? 
She’s related to Pamela and Pamela’s last name is the one they use, so the MC has the same last name as Lee.
Will we be able to choose which (they or he) we tend to call Qiu by more often, or will it randomly change depending on the moment? 
Qiu knows which pronoun they’re comfortable with at a time and you’ll call them what they’re happy with. And it doesn’t change between lines, it takes multiple scenes or even full Steps for it to switch. So for extended periods Qiu will be totally a guy or fully agender.
Will Step 4 of OL2 have moments?
It’ll be an epilogue like it is in OL1, so it won’t have a bunch of different Moments.
Hello! Just a quick question, is Sunset bird from OL1 based on a real location? If so what's it called? I wanna visit it +_+
ps i love your games so much <3
It isn’t based on one specific town you can go to, but there are a lot of little coastal towns in Cali that have a similar vibe!
Heyaaa ( I hope you're all well ), umm… it might seem kinda stupid to ask but did Patreon members can have a key for the dlc's ( all the steps-released dlc ) even if they became a member this month or later ? (me? saying this cuz it's my case? maybe ;-;), and once again thanks for absolutely all the amazing works on all the games ! u-u 
You wouldn’t get the DLCs for backing there. The Patreon is for extra bonus content/early access, rather than being a storefront to purchase the normal DLCs. Rarely we give them out as a side gift, but it hardly happens and if what you want is the DLCs it’s best to ignore the Patreon and  buy keys for those directly from Itch or Steam. I’m sorry for the confusion.
Hey y'all, love what youre doing w/Terry. Trans rep outside of player customization is so rare and important to see more of so thank you so much. I do have a question and its that does he have a canon sexuality? I know Miranda was said to be straight ace but I dont believe anything was stated for Terry probably because he wasnt revealed to be a guy which changes things. Im also curious if well get answers on how long hes liked Miranda since he may have liked her in step 3 before she liked him 
Terry likes women and Randy likes men! And he did like Miranda back in Step 3.
Will the Wedding Dlc release at the same time as Step 4? 
They’ll come out separately with Step 4 releasing first.
I really love Our Life so much! I've spent over 20hours playing it even though I only got it a week ago! I was wondering if I could make a fangame for Our Life with a different love interest but same plot. Next-door neighbors romance, multiple steps, etc? I'll probably make it on Google Slides though- 
Sure! I hope you have fun with it and I’m glad you love the game.
How does Cove feel about poly relationships? 
He’s got nothing against them for the people they work for, but he’s 100% monogamous and would only be comfortable with a partner who was willing to be monogamous with him.
Idk if this has been answered before but will Step 4 include the option to advance your feelings towards Cove? 
Yep, you’ll be able to determine your feelings and what your relationship is.
In step 4 will there be a chosen to say we live with Cove even as just friends? 
Yeah, you can choose to live with Cove and that can be done when you’re friends.
I just played the game with the MC and Cove being best friends and omg it’s still so damn cute like the wholesomeness of it all is too much for my heart I swear ^.^  Now with that all said I was wondering can we still marry Cove? if we only love him as a friend like let’s say we’ve made deal with him similar to the one we can make with Derek because let’s real no one could compete with what the MC and Cove have even if they aren’t in love. 
It’s great to hear you enjoyed the friendship story! You can live with Cove, but you can’t marry him platonically. Cove has familial affection for the MC if they’re best-est friends. He wouldn’t think to marry someone he loves like family and even grew up with as though they truly were siblings.
Are you still going to be making a DLC for XOBD? :] 
Yes! We’re slowing adding voiced lines and fixing errors.
It makes me laugh that Shiloh's last name is Fields because that's what I put as my last name! So in Our Life when he talked about "Ms. Fields" picking him up I was extremely confused, lol. That dude mimics personalities so much that he stole my surname!
Oh, wow, that’s a very funny coincidence, haha.
hi !! i cant seem to be able to get the scene where mc is able to propose to cove despite being at the 'love' stage and telling him i'd want to get married, are there any other details that im missing out on? the options just dont appear at the end... 
Maybe you missed telling Cove you were in love with him even if you mentioned wanting to get married or you might’ve accidentally said earlier in the game that you don’t want to progress your relationship further with Cove. We haven’t removed them, so you can get the scene again. It’s just kind of easy to miss since there’s multiple requirements. You can read a little guide in the FAQ.
wait what di you need to do to be able to propose to cove? I've been trying but haven't had much luck 
You can check out the FAQ linked above!
does cove only develop a crush on the mc if the mc is also at crush/in love with him? 
Technically, yes. We treat the non-romantic relationship options as truly non-romantic since we don’t want to bait and switch people. But there’s nothing wrong with headcanoning that Cove does have feelings developing for the MC even before the MC has.
Is there a way to make/allow Lee and Baxter to date?
No, they just don’t have enough time together.
We also got a group of asks related to Tamarack in OL2, but I’m afraid the way they talked about people with larger bodies made me not want to post their words, even if the person didn’t say they’re trying to be hurtful. I will separate out the core question and answer it though, so people can know that info.
Does Tamarack lose weight in later Steps?
No, she doesn’t. As for the other questions included, to be honest, I don’t have to explain/defend having romance options of different sizes. I’m sorry if you’re dealing with unhappiness that’s connected to body image, if that’s where the negative emotions are coming from, but even so I can’t meet you on that level and pretend it’s a problem that needs an answer. A girl who simply isn’t thin being a main love interest is just not an unreasonable concept. Also, Tamarack isn’t a lesbian. Yes, she can date a female MC, but that doesn’t undo her actual sexuality, so I’m not sure where that one part at the end was coming from.
I wonder... can we "fight" with Qiu over leader status? 👀
Not really, haha. No matter how cool your MC is, they’re never gonna replace Qiu for the other kids around. So you can either partner up with him, follow him too, or not be a part of all that group politics stuff.
So when I play the game, sometimes I mentally call Cove “Covie/Covey” and that made me wonder, how does Cove feel about being nicknamed? Not like Romeo/Space Cadet/etc. but like pet names relating to his actual name
It’d depend on his age, personality, and your relationship with him! When he’s younger he’d probably be embarrassed, when he was grown he’d probably be more casual or happy about it.
will you be able to date baxter in step 3 while at crush with cove (but not dating him ofc) sorry if this has been asked already. i really love baxters step 4 design btw!! 
Yeah, you can be crushing on Cove and date Baxter if you weren’t already dating Cove. You just can’t be truly in love with Cove and then switch to Baxter.
I just got my friend into our life, and they adore shiloh and derek sooo will there be more of them in the second game? 
I’m afraid not. But you can see plenty more of Shiloh in XOXO Droplets/XOXO Blood Droplets, haha.
I see you haven't gotten any xoxo droplets asks recently but I'm still obsessed with these boys!! I was just wondering if Nate would curse under any circumstance? 
Yeah, Nate does use certain swear words (damn, hell, bastard) on very rare occasions.
Hi there! I have a question about the wedding dlc. Will we be able to plan a honeymoon during the planning stages of it or would it be something that Cove and the mc would rather plan later on? Thank you! Absolutly love the game by the way, definitely one of my favorite games! 
The focus will be on the wedding day itself. The topic of the honeymoon might come up a bit, but there won’t be any choosing of the exact location and such.
Hi! I have two questions and it's completely understandable if you only answer one/neither and I'm sorry if you've already answered either before! First, is there a set year in which OL:B&A takes place (ex: Step 1 being set in 2010 & Step 2 being set in 2016, etc.) or is it simply up to interpretation? Second, have you guys thought about doing a coming-of-age game where the MC has a tough home life or upbringing? (like one of their parents is an addict, a parent being transphobic whilst the player has the option to be trans, or having friends that are influencing them to do drugs, etc.) That's all! Thanks for making beautiful games. <3 
There is a set timeline!
Step 1: 2006 Step 2: 2011 Step 3: 2016 Step 4: 2021 
And we don’t currently plan on making a game like that. The Our Life series exists to be a safer environment for people to play around in and if we did do a brand new series that was harsher edged it’d be something more fantastical and/or plot-driven instead of a different type of modern day slice-of-life growing up story. I’m sorry.
i don’t know if you’ve already answered this, but do you have a guess on when phase 4 will come out? as well as ol2? i’m so excited for both of them, the inclusivity in this game is amazing, you guys should be really proud of it! 
Step 4 will be coming out very soon! OL2 is gonna take until 2023 to be anywhere near completion. But we might episodically release the Steps one at a time as they get done instead of waiting for three to be finished before launch like we did with the first game.
Hello, I was curious if there was an official or unofficial discord server for the game? 
We do have a discord! You can join by clicking this link HERE.
how long do you plan to keep ol's patreon running? 
Hopefully for at least a few more years.
Are you considering ever making merch? 
Yeah, but I don’t know when it’ll happen or what exactly we’ll make, aha. It’s something we want do, just nothing is set.
hi! i just found out about your game a couple of days ago on tiktok (so sorry if you’ve already answered this question) and i was wondering if y’all are ever planning to release it on iOS? 
I have no idea. It’s hard for a small group to get Apple approval and I honestly can’t say if it’ll ever happen or not. Maybe someday, though!
Hi, I love the art style of Our life and I would like to know if the artist has a Twitter? Also, could it be possible to fund more CGs for the game from him/her? So many times, I wish there was one like when the cutscene of the sunshower. 
That’s nice of you to offer. He doesn’t have a Twitter, at least not one that’s public enough to be shared with me. And I’m afraid not. The issue is that the CGs take huge amounts of time rather than there not being a budget for it. He’s gotta make CGs for Step 4, the DLCs, and new character sprites, too. There isn’t space in the schedule for even more. Sorry for that.
Hi, how are you?!
Are you planning on accepting new writers or is it always the same people who write your stories??
Thanks!!
Our Life: Beginnings & Always won’t be getting new writers, but we will be hiring a new team of writers for Our Life: Now & Forever eventually!
perhaps this counts as nsfw and I'm sure it has been answered before but what does Cove prefer, chests/boobs or butts? or perhaps both :3c thank you for this wonderful game (and the patreon bonus moment, it was worth all the waiting and more ♥) 
He’s a “chests of all shapes and sizes” kind of guy, haha.
i was wondering- did any of the writers actually grow up by the beach? as someone who's lived in a beach town all their life it really did feel nostalgic to play through our life 1 
I was born and raised in Cali! Though, not right by the beach. We still had to make trips out, but the setting is based on my own childhood memories of small beach towns we went through.
In Derek’s upcoming DLC, will we be able to reference the pact we made as teens? (love olba and xod/xobd so much btw you’re literally amazing) 
Yep, you will be able to talk about that!
Oh, sorry about the Cole being secretly L ask, then!
If you wanted context: Death Note is about this one guy who finds a notebook that kills anyone who you write the name of in there. The guy eventually develops a God Complex and starts mass killing criminals and stuff. L is the one trying to find out who is killing all these people.
Me and my sister first joked about it because I couldn't remember how to translate a word about the way Cove was sitting, so I just did the pose, and it looked a lot like how L himself sits! Then we just snowballed from there, with more and more nonsense connections.
That’s okay! Thanks for explaining. I’m sorry I didn’t know what you meant.
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Hopes and Dreams III
.I am not entirely sure about this chapter, if I’m completely honest, so I’ll probably rewrite it at a later time. If you want to get added to the taglist just let me know! Thanks for your continuos support with this fic, it honestly gives me so much life right now! *** Chapter 3
“There seem to still be a few things you haven’t seen.” Lady Dimitrescu stated after you reached the sitting room.
“It’s not everyday that you see girls turn into a swarm of bugs. I’ve seen a lot, but I never said I have seen everything.”
“Which brings me to the question that I want answered. What are you? My first guess would be that you are a vampire, like me and my daughters, but I have a feeling that that isn’t true. Sit down please, so that I can take a look at your wound.” Her tone brooked no argument, so you did as you were told and rolled up the leg of your pants. You winced when you saw the true extend of the damage. Even with enhanced healing it would take a few hours to properly heal.
“My biological father was a scientist, who researched a lot of occult and supernatural topics. He was also a massive asshole who thought it okay to experiment on his own baby daughter, so there’s that. I don’t know how, but someone he got his hands on the DNA of some creature no one really has a name for, but I have a guess. The only thing he really knew, was that they are like Vampires, but much more powerful.
He injected me with the DNA when I was four, but nothing happened, so I was deemed a failure. He did all kinds of tests on me, to see if the DNA would activate, but it didn’t. At least not until he tried to kill me. I was no stranger to torture after he failed, but that night I knew he came to finish it. I was 10, and I was scared and angry, so much so, that something in me broke. There wasn’t much left of him after I was finished. 
I’ll spare you most of the details of what happened after, since it is not relevant for what you want to know, and I hate the feeling of being exposed when I don’t know if I can trust the person in front of me. I ran away and my benefactor found me and took me in. I don’t know how, but somehow, he knew what I had become, and he took it upon himself to make sure that I got the best training I could get. I can somewhat use my enhanced abilities, but I am not completely awakened. I’ll get to that part shortly. 
After 6 years I was deemed ready to repay the favor and got sent on a hunt for rare artifacts, as I mentioned earlier. I was free to research my condition whenever the opportunity arose, and I did. I traveled the whole world, met all kinds of creatures and people, yet no one could help me with my predicament. That was until 8 months ago, when I found the first real clue. But that clue came with a price and I have been cursed. 
I still don’t have a name for the creature that I have become, but I found an old text that explained a lot to me. My kind won’t fully awaken until they bond themselves to another being, that has roughly the same power that we have. That’s where the curse made things more complicated: If I try to bond with anyone that isn’t my destined mate, I will die. Slowly and painfully. 
And if that isn’t enough, the curse took the ability to sense my mate away from me, at least in the traditional sense. Usually, we will know our mate by smell alone, for their blood will sing to us like nothing else ever could. We would feel a strong pull towards them, and they to us, for our blood will be just as exquisite to them, as theirs is to us. The curse took that ability away from me, and now I am destined to walk the earth, waiting for my mate to find me. 
Another side effect is what I call ‘boiling blood’. When I feel threatened enough it will activate and temporarily awaken me. I can’t control it though, and that is the problem. It only happened once so far, and that was when someone I care a great deal for, got hurt. But I have it under control for the most part. I just don’t like it when people I care about get hurt, I lost myself even before the curse happened. And I do understand if you deem me to dangerous and kick me out of the castle. You wouldn’t be the first one.” You ended lamely and sighed. It always took a lot out of you when you talked about the past. 
“You mentioned that you have a theory about what exactly you are?” Alcina asked and gently patted your dressed wound. You suppressed the gentle shiver that wanted to roll down your body and said, “I think I am a Vampire, but one of the first generation.”
***
“And what makes you think that?” Alcina asked carefully. You pondered that for a moment, her eyes never leaving you. She could see that it took a toll on you to tell her all that, and she could understand that. Admitting what had happened couldn’t be easy, especially when there was the possibility that you would be thrown out or worse. Alcina didn’t plan on doing either of those things though, and she would tell you soon enough. An idea was forming in her head.
“I read a lot about vampires and had my fair share of encounters, none of them as nice as the one with you, so I figured it must be something like that. Whenever a Vampire turns someone, a miniscule part of their DNA gets implanted in the one they’ve turned. That is why your Maker will always be stronger than you. But since I got way more DNA with fathers’ experiments, it could mean that I am the first person who got turned into a Vampire of the first generation. And if not first, then second, which would still be infinitely more powerful than a Vampire of third or fourth generation. Although I can’t be sure, since I destroyed everything that could give me a clue, when I killed my father.” You said silently, looking at the floor. Alcina couldn’t help but feel pity for you. A bad hand was dealt to you, and you just tried to live your life. She also admired how strong and confident you were, even after all that had happened.
“I have an offer for you.” Alcina said and put two fingers under your chin to make you look at her, ignoring your blush.
“Stay here. You have nowhere else to go, right? You fascinate me and I want to know more about your abilities if you are willing to show me. And I could use a hand to help me in the castle’s upkeep. But make no mistake, my dear. As soon as you show me that you become a threat, I will dispose of you. What do you say?” Alcina asked, but she knew your answer already. She could see it in the softening of your eyes and the spark of hope that flickered in your eyes. You gently nodded and gave her the most brilliant smile she had ever seen. Both of you briefly wondered where that feeling of trust came from, you more than Alcina, but for the moment it was enough.
***
A weird sense of coming home fell over you, when you looked into her eyes, that had gentled with your consent. She could probably kill you with a snap of her fingers, but somehow you got the feeling that she wouldn’t. Most people feared you when you told them what you were, not all of them humans either. But she gave you the feeling of safety, no matter what your nature was, and you wondered. Could she be the one that was fated to be with you? Or was that just wishful thinking, because she showed you kindness where everybody else would only show you fear and hatred? You were immensely attracted to her, that’s for sure, but could she be the one? 
“I want to see the full extend of your abilities as fast as possible if you don’t mind. If it is alright with you, I would arrange a little sparring session between you and my daughters.” Lady Dimitrescu said and took a seat on the chaise lounge in front of you. 
“I wouldn’t mind. It has been far too long since someone has offered me a challenge, so I will gladly accept, my Lady. My wound should be fully healed by tomorrow, so we can start first thing if you’d like,” you offered, eager to show her what you were capable of. Maybe she will keep you around for longer if you show her that you would be a valuable asset to her castle.
“I would like that very much, my dear. But now is time for you to eat and rest, as it is rather late. The day has been rather long and eventful, not just for you.”
“Of course, my Lady,” you smile and as if on cue, the door to the sitting room opened and one of the daughters entered the room with two plates. You hadn’t even realized how hungry you were until the smell of the food hit your nostrils. The two of you ate in companionable silence, and soon enough it was time to leave her presence for the night. 
The guest room she showed you was like nothing you have ever slept in before. You were used to all sorts of places to sleep, but never have you seen a bed so big and comfortable looking.
“Good Night, my dear. I hope you sleep well,” Lady Dimitrescu said and left you to your own devices before you could answer her. You dressed down to your tank top and shorts and fell into a peaceful slumber as soon as your head hit the pillow.
***
When you next opened your eyes, you were surrounded by the familiar darkness of your dreamscape, yet something felt different. You could sense a presence at the edge pf your consciousness and soon enough, a gentle voice spoke to you “So you finally found her.”
“Huh?” you asked into the darkness, chills running down your spine. The voice giggled and a shadow crept into the edge of your vision, which soon turned into a girl, that oddly enough, had somewhat of a resemblance to you.
“Who are you?”
“You’ll have to find that our for yourself. But what matters is, that you have finally found her. My Alcina,” the girl said and looked close to tears, although she was still smiling.
“Don’t get me wrong, but I don’t think that Lady Dimitrescu belongs to anyone.” You said, defensive of the Lady. That made the girl laugh again, and you couldn’t get over the fact that she looked so much like yourself.
“You are right. But she was mine, as I was hers, a long time ago. Listen, the castle’s magic is strong, but not strong enough to give me enough time to explain everything. Just trust me, okay? Stay by her side, no matter what. Protect her. But most important: Take care of yourself. She lost us too many times already, but maybe you are the one that will break this hellish circle.” 
“I-I don’t understand!” you said desperately, trying to reach for the girl, but she was already fading.
“We will speak to each other again when the time is right. Until then, remember my words. Please protect her. Do what we couldn’t do and survive.” Were her parting words before you awoke, drenched in cold sweat. What the fuck was that?
But no matter how hard you tried to grasp at your dream and its implications, you felt your consciousness fading and fell back into a deep slumber.
***** Taglist: @imdreamingblo @x-x-trixxster-k-m-w-x-x
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ibijau · 3 years
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Xisang Week 2021 Day 1 : Sunshot / childhood
Wei Wuxian stares at the two boys in front of him, before turning his gaze toward his husband who appears just as puzzled as him.
“I think it was a curse maybe,” says the older boy, who Wei Wuxian recognises, but refuses to name because if he calls him by name, then this whole madness is real and he doesn’t want to deal with that when he hasn't even had breakfast yet. “I mean, it’s got to be. Oh, da-ge is going to be furious that I got in trouble again…”
There go Wei Wuxian’s efforts to not think of that teenager as Nie Huaisang, and any hopes of using this situation to have some fun. Nie Huaisang looks so damn worried about his brother, and though Wei Wuxian isn’t sure where the two of them stand at the moment, he’s cruel enough to say anything about Nie Mingjue. 
“Hey, Nie-xiong, just what do you remember exactly?”
Nie Huaisang, whose attention was mostly on Lan Wangji, turns to look at Wei Wuxian and wrinkles his nose.
“I should be home,” he explains. “I’d gone back there after that awful Wen camp. Then we got the news, about Yunmeng, and da-ge said he’s going to send me to Gusu so I can stay safe. There’s going to be a war for sure this time. But I don’t know why I’m here already!” Nie Huaisang whines. “I haven’t even started packing! And everything is weird! I don’t know you, and I’m not sure I know him!”
‘Him’ in this case refers to the child currently clinging to Nie Huaisang’s neck. He’s probably a little old to be carried in anyone’s arms, least of all Nie Huaisang’s who isn’t exactly a very strong looking person. Looks can be deceiving though. Nie Huaisang doesn’t appear bothered by the weight of that Lan boy, even though he’s been holding the child in his arms since the moment Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji discovered them wandering around the Hanshi.
Wei Wuxian has never met that person at that age of course, but he can risk an educated guess, especially with the way Lan Wangji stares at that child.
“And what about you then?” Wei Wuxian asks the little boy. “What do you remember, Lan gongzi?”
The child stares at Lan Wangji in silence, his dark eyes burning with anger.
“He looks like Father,” Lan Xichen says, pointing an accusing finger at his brother.
Having never meant the previous sect leader, Wei Wuxian can’t say if that’s true or not. What he can say is that the accusation hits Lan Wangji hard, who turns a shade or two paler.
“He’s not your father,” Wei Wuxian quickly says.
Lan Xichen tilts his head, frowning.
“He’s not,” he concedes. “But he looks like him,” he insists, before falling silent again, hiding his face in the crook of Nie Huaisang’s neck.
Considering the sort of person Nie Huaisang was around the time of the Sunshot Campaign, Wei Wuxian is surprised by how well he’s handling this whole thing. He would have expected Nie Huaisang to have started crying already, but instead he seems focused on soothing the little boy in his arms.
Funny, really. As adults, Nie Huaisang and Lan Xichen aren’t really on speaking terms, as far as Wei Wuxian knows. Nie Huaisang had only come to the Cloud Recesses to talk with Lan Qiren about some sect business, making it clear that he had no wish to even acknowledge that Lan Xichen still exists, a feeling that appeared more than mutual.
And now, Nie Huaisang is holding Lan Xichen like he’s something precious, keeping him close and rubbing his back to comfort him. Earlier, when Lan Wangji offered to take the child from him, Nie Huaisang refused to let go of a little boy who'd gone tense with fear in his arms, claiming he really doesn't mind the weight.
“He told me earlier that his mother died last night,” Nie Huaisang explains when Wei Wuxian stares too long.
Lan Wangji, already hit hard by everything that’s happening, startles as he hears that. Wei Wuxian quickly takes his wrist to ground him.
“Then he must be about nine,” Wei Wuxian remarks, looking at the little boy who says nothing and only clings tighter to Nie Huaisang. “Poor Xichen-da-ge, not a very pleasant moment of his life to be sent back to. Not that it must be nice for you either, Nie-xiong.”
“Don’t call me that, you’re too old to call me that!” Nie Huaisang complains. “I’m not an ancestor like you! You’re even older than my da-ge! And anyway, I don’t even know you! I can tell that’s Wangji-xiong when he’s old, but you’re not someone I know, so don’t act like we're friends!”
“Ah, right,” Wei Wuxian says, motioning at his face. “Funny story, that. Or not so funny actually, so let’s keep it for later. Well, Nie-gongzi then, do you have any idea what might have happened?”
“No. I told you, last I remember I was with my da-ge, and there was going to be a war, and I was scared because Jiang-xiong and Wei-xiong are dead, and da-ge too might die, and then I’d be sect leader and that’s awful! Then I went to bed, and I woke up in this house I don’t know, with jars of wine on the ground, and everything smelling weird. Like incense, but also not?”
That, at last, feels like a clue Wei Wuxian can use. It is rather odd for any alcohol to be present inside the Cloud Recesses. They do keep some around for high ranking guests, and of course he has his personal stash hidden inside the Jingshi, but usually that’s it. He’s certainly never heard of Lan Xichen drinking. And even if he were to indulge, why do it with Nie Huaisang of all people, who at this point is probably the closest thing to an enemy that Lan Xichen is ever going to get?
The incense thing is weird too. Some sects like to experiment with different types, but the Lan sect tends to favour sandalwood and doesn’t stray much from that. Nie Huaisang would know that, having studied there several years in a row, which is probably why that particular detail struck him, just as it strikes Wei Wuxian.
This whole situation really is odd, and Wei Wuxian hopes it can be solved quickly, because it won’t go unnoticed for long that the leaders of two great sects are suddenly unavailable at the same time.
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wordsnstuff · 4 years
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Guide to Drafting
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Patreon || Ko-Fi || Masterlist || Work In Progress
Planning v. Discovery
The first thing you must decide when you embark on the journey of drafting a story is how you’re going to get it done. Typically, there are two groups you can fit into, though most writers are somewhere in between. There are writers who plan meticulously before they begin writing to create a very clean first draft, or there are discovery writers (otherwise known as “pantsers”) who find more success in choosing a premise and then using a zero draft to explore the idea before gluing down any details. You are most likely someone who falls between those two methods. Some initial planning to feel familiar with your idea before you do some of the planning through the writing itself. Having some semblance of a method will help you narrow down your own process, which is immensely important if you want to get any substantial project near completion.
Consistency
Drafting is a difficult process because it’s either the revisitation of ideas you’ve already had, or the generations of ideas in quick succession. If you want to have a draft in a reasonable amount of time, you must develop a consistency in your writing. I won’t say that it must be a strict routine because time management can be a luxury, but you must make the consistent effort to write, and keep it in the forefront of your mind. Even if you don’t write every day, it should be something you try to make time for every day.
Know What You’re Trying to Accomplish
To get a draft done, you need to set expectations for yourself and they must be realistic. That doesn’t mean they have to be easy, or an amount of work you’ve been able to accomplish in the past. Considering how much time you dedicate to writing and your skillset, it should be a goal within reality. In addition, you must accept that you cannot create a masterpiece in one draft. For each version of your story that you write, you must have a focused goal, such as maintaining consistent characterization, making the plot concise and engaging, or making the prose more fluid and efficient. If you have a specific and attainable goal that you can accomplish in a reasonable amount of time with a fair amount of precision, each draft will be better than the last.  
Designate Work to Phases
As mentioned in the last section, it maximizes your time and effort to have specific and attainable goals for each draft. This doesn’t mean that you rewrite the draft each time (though that is very common amongst writers), but that you designate tasks to draft versions. I find it very helpful in clearing my mind and soothing my perfectionist anxiety to make a “schedule”, outlining what I’ll accomplish in each version following the zero draft. For example, my draft schedules usually end up something like this:
Zero Draft: Main plot line, basic characterization, key world building
First Draft: Finalize Timeline, research for world building, structure
Second Draft: (Rewrite) Plot Development Fine Tuning
Subplot development
Foreshadowing
Build up to climaxes
Tone & Pace
Third Draft: (Intermittent Rewrites) Character Development Fine Tuning
Backstory
Subtextual Development
Making sure motivations are clear
Relationships between characters
Reinforcing character arcs
Checking dialogue
Fourth Draft: (Give to Beta Readers) World Building & Prose
Descriptions & Flow
Finalize settings
Checking grammar & punctuation
Reader Immersion
Fifth Draft: Incorporate Beta Reader Feedback
Write for Yourself First
In what some call the “zero-draft”, there are no rules. This draft is purely for your eyes. It’s you telling yourself the story for the first time. So, you don’t have to write in chronological order, or know the right word you’re looking for, or take a break every time you run into a problem. The purpose of the zero draft is to get a rough idea of as much of the story as you can and avoid getting snagged on minor details. This part is important. A lot of writers like to outline meticulously before they begin drafting and if that works for you, that’s great, but the majority of writers who attempt that get stuck in the planning phase, or burnt out on their story before a word of it exists. The easiest way to avoid those two situations is to do a zero draft, which can be as long or short as you want if it provides a skeleton for you to add meat to later.
Common Struggles
~ How do you estimate the number of words/chapters?... That depends on the genre, mostly. However, that’s usually something you decide in the second draft and beyond, and it can vary because of factors you haven’t got locked down until the plot and character arcs are firm or final. This is also something you’ll probably do a lot of tinkering with, and receive feedback on, especially from beta-readers, who can advise you on where natural breaks could occur from their perspective.
~ Why, after planning everything out, do I always struggle to write the draft?... 99% of the time, it’s because you’ve either burned yourself out, or accumulated too much pressure. When you put that much effort and time into a story, you can either slip into a headspace where you feel little excitement about it because you’ve already done all of the problem solving and had all of the revelations. It’s usually beneficial at this stage to take a step back (even if you’re not burnt out) and give your story some space, so that once you come back to it, you’re enthusiastic enough to fully realize your vision. If instead you’re struggling to write because you feel a lot of pressure to do justice for a story you’ve put so much love into already, take a step back, remember that the first draft is just for you, and work on letting go of the idea that the zero draft is meant to serve any purpose beside simply existing. 
~ How do I come up with the necessary scenes to move the story forward between major plot points?... Most writing problems can be solved by asking yourself the right questions. When you’re trying to figure out what your reader needs to see next in order to effectively set up the next major event, ask yourself “What would happen between event A and event B that would add context or make event B more impactful?”. Treat it like a real situation and try to map out all of the tiny, notable moments that would take place between the major plot points, and then assess those moments on the basis of how impactful they would be to the coming scenes, and whether they can add context, set the tone, or aide in the rising action.
~ How do I balance sticking to the draft and following my own creative instinct in the moment?... This is a judgement call. Sometimes you’ll realize that maybe you should have just stuck to the outline, but remember that you can always go back, rewrite, test things out, etc. Always save every version of every scene, just in case, and go wild. Don’t be afraid to take detours just to explore. The writing process is anything but linear. 
~ How do I maintain momentum in my writing progress when I constantly have distractions or other responsibilities that take priority?... Work at it. There’s no magic trick or piece of advice I could say that gets rid of your personal responsibilities. Write when you can, don’t make excuses on top of the reasons you have no control over, and remember that you create your own deadlines and expectations. Be kind to yourself, do what you can, and don’t spend potential writing time punishing yourself because there isn’t as much as you’d like. 
~ How should I designate space (words/pages) to specific scenes/description/conversations, etc?... Trust your instinct and remember you can always cut/add later. In the earlier drafts, I’d advise you try to create as much material as possible to work with, and in the later drafts, be ruthless when determining what is necessary and adds value, and what doesn’t.
~ How do I finish a draft if I regularly lose motivation or interest in my projects?... Accept the fact that motivation is fickle, and that no writer in history has ever maintained “inspiration” for any project from the beginning to the end. There are going to be days where you’re like “ugh this is not what I want to do right now”, probably more than there are days where you’re stoked to work on your project, but that’s reality. If your goal is to finish a draft, you must recognize that writing is work, and nobody wants to work all the time. Try to supplement the lack of motivation by setting a positive and enjoyable routine so that, even when you’re not particularly motivated, you still know that your writing time will be peaceful and comfortable. 
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too soon to tell, chapter t w o
You dropped your bag in the foyer of Harry’s house after work on a Thursday. It was quiet--he wasn’t home yet and you’d keyed in knowing that you’d have some time to yourself.
You felt a vibrating in your pocket when you shrugged off your coat, your visible reflection told you it was a FaceTime call, Alyssa’s name danced across the screen until you slid your thumb to answer.
“Hello, hello,” you greeted, walking to find a seat on the couch.
“Where are you?” She furrowed her brows as she took in your surroundings.
“At Harry’s--he’s out, though.”
She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively. “I will never get sick of you lounging in his house when he’s not there.”
You rolled your eyes at your old roommate’s antics--she’d always been the number one supporter of your relationship and when you texted her earlier saying you needed advice, she promised to call on her lunch break.
“I’m not lounging,” you informed with a shake of your head. “I just got out of work, we’re having dinner tonight.”
“Mr. Popstar isn’t too busy?” She teased, aware of the tension both of your schedules had been causing.
“Apparently not.”
She forked a bite of food into her mouth, the sun was shining through the window behind her, the walls of your old apartment were redecorated now with the art of your replacement. “Is that what you wanted to talk about?”
“Sort of,” you leaned back and let out a breath. “I mean, it’s all connected--”
“What is?”
“I’m getting to it,” you made a face at her through the phone. “So--don’t freak out, okay? Cause I don’t even know if anything will come from it and Harry doesn’t know yet.”
She nodded and gestured with her hand for you to get on with it.
Knowing Alyssa, she was already jumping to conclusions in her head. You were pregnant, you were engaged, you quit your job, you had a huge fight with your sister. No, no, no.
“I interviewed for a job in LA...and I haven’t told Harry because all our friends have been so excited about us being in the same spot again but--”
Her eyes went wide at the mention of a US city, she did her best to hold back her smile until it faded when you said: “I don’t know. Something feels off between us.”
“Off between you and Harry? More than just being busy?”
“I’m probably overthinking it but,” you looked around his living room. Pictures of his mum, his sister, his cousins--even his manager--were tucked in frames and placed on shelves. There wasn’t a trace of you in his house except for the toothbrush upstairs and the key on your keyring.
“It feels like we’re not moving forward. And we’ve both been busy, like I’ve told you, but since we don’t live together sometimes we go days without seeing each other and it’s fine, I get that he’s busy, obviously, but--”
“But you want to move in with him.”
“Well, I don’t know--I did, sort of, I think--but then I heard about this job in LA and it sounds amazing but Jessie just moved here and no one will shut up about how great London is.”
Alyssa offered a sympathetic frown and repositioned the bowl in front of her to get another bite. “What’s the job?”
You almost didn’t want to tell her, sure she’d get excited and eager to have you back in the same country. You winced a little, bracing for her reaction. “S’with E! News,” you shrugged. “It’d be on-air.”
“Shut up! Are you serious?!”
“Yes m’serious,” you rolled your eyes. “But I haven’t told any of them because you know how they are.”
She nodded, “Jessie will not want you to take it.”
“God love her, but of course not. And Harry spends time out there, so it might be okay, but it’s not like I could ask him to go with me.”
“Why not? He’s famous, Y/N--he belongs there.”
“It’s too soon,” you whined. “He’s not my fiancé and we don’t live together, so--I don’t want to make it weird.”
“But you love him,” she reasoned.
“Yeah, but s’been weird lately!" You tried to drive home the point. "He’s made no mention of moving in and we’ve been dating for a year and a half, I’ve been in London for over a year now. He’s not even mentioned it, Alyssa, I swear. He’ll say things like ‘one day we can go on vacation,’ and ‘what should we do for Christmas?’ But he’s made no concrete plans to actually have a future with me.”
“Maybe he doesn’t think you’re ready.”
“Maybe he’s not ready,” you volleyed.
“Maybe,” Alyssa shrugged. “But you won’t know if you don’t ask him.”
“But if I ask him and he’s not on the same page I’ll look like an idiot and he’s busy with the album and now I’m thinking about moving to LA and--”
She watched you, waited for you to say more, but you were out of words. You changed gears.
“Maybe we’re just not meant to be long term.”
“Oh come on,” she groaned. “Not this again.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Your whole ‘we should have left it in New York’ shit.”
You lifted your eyebrows to demand further details.
“You were freaked out in the beginning that you’d move back there and it would be weird.”
“And?”
“Was it weird?”
“Not at first, I guess. But I mean, come on---don’t you think we should have taken some kind of step forward by now? Even just mentioning the idea of moving in together?”
“I don’t know,” she said truthfully. “Maybe it’s different with someone like him.”
You rolled your eyes--what if that’s what you were sick of?
People always said that: it’s different because of his job, it’s different because he’s on the road, it’s different because he’s famous.
Of course it was, and that was fine, for a while. But what if Harry’s job always got in the way of feeling normal? What if you couldn’t have a real wedding because of it? What if you could never send your children to summer camp because of it?
Were you willing to sacrifice your own future to live an unconventional life with someone just because you loved him?
“When will you hear back about the job?”
“Dunno--talked to them last week on Monday and they said this week at some point. S'been a while, so hopefully soon.”
You’d been keeping busy, trying to avoid your personal email at all costs and also making sure that Harry had limited visibility of your screen at all times.
“Do you want it?”
You thought on it for a second. Being offered a job at a company like E! would certainly be an ego boost, but the mere thought of having to explain to all of your friends that yes, you’d been back in London for 18 months and now you were packing up and moving even farther away than before wouldn’t be easy. That seemed to be the one certainty in the whole situation: no one would take it well.
“I don’t want to leave everyone here, especially Harry--but I also don’t want to be stupid and think that this relationship is going somewhere if it’s not.”
Alyssa nodded and let out a sigh. “I get that, I mean, of course you have to do what’s best for you. But I’d hate to see you not be with him just because things are hard right now.”
You leaned your head back on the couch and sighed. You didn’t want to break up with Harry. If anything, you wanted to move forward and move in with him and do what you’d always imagined: have a good job, have a few kids, try to be happy.
But what if you’d been naive enough to think you could have all of that with Harry and what if this is how you were finding out that you couldn’t?
Were you still stuck in your teenage fantasy of marrying the boy you'd long been crushing on?
She watched you for a second before she reassured: “you’ll figure it out.”
You smiled, glad you’d called Alyssa if only to have someone talk you off the edge a little bit. You missed waking up one room over and her love for basketball games and New York 99 cent pizza.
“Well it’s not like I have to make a decision right now,” you said. “I haven’t even heard back from them. For all I know they could never reach out again because I bombed my interview.”
She rolled her eyes at your self-deprecation and offered a few final words of encouragement before you hung up and promised to catch up soon.
Ever since you’d left, Alyssa had taken it upon herself to keep you up to date on the ins and outs of New York. New restaurant? She’d send you pictures and a 200 word review. Crazy subway rats making the news again? Articles and video proof would be sent your way in a matter of hours.
She’d gotten a new roommate to fill your bedroom and apparently things weren’t always peachy between them. Peyton was quiet and shy--according to Alyssa. She was up every morning at 6am and in the shower at 6:30. She did yoga in the living room and hated it when Alyssa left empty beer bottles on the coffee table.
Alyssa was starting to lose her shit, swearing up and down that she needed to either pull the trigger and move in with Owen or find a new place altogether. It was my apartment first, she’d say. She should leave, not me.
It had been hard that year to leave the city you’d grown to love but harder to leave Alyssa and Carly and the things that made New York feel like home. It was also, in hindsight, hard to leave the place where you and Harry reconnected and built the foundation of your current relationship.
You heard commotion from the front door only a few minutes later when you rummaged through Harry’s kitchen for a snack.
“Hi,” he called from the other room, a close-lipped smile when you stuck your head around the corner to greet him.
“Hi! How was the photoshoot?”
“Good,” he nodded, watching as you stuck your hand into a box of crackers. “What time are we meeting everyone?”
Right--Thursday also meant dinner somewhere downtown with everyone in tow.
“7pm--but Jessie said we should try to get there early since it’s a new place and no one’s ever been.”
He nodded in acknowledgement of your words but seemed distracted, like his mind was somewhere else and his body was the only thing tying him to the room.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he nodded, looking back up at you. “Just a busy day and a busy week.”
You nodded, unsure if he wanted to say more or if you were supposed to have more of a reply than a simple nod of your head.
You’d both been stammering out awkward sentences and trying to dance around the elephant in the room for a few weeks, but now, under his gaze, you felt more uncertain than before.
“Are you okay?” He turned the question around and watched you closely.
“Yeah,” you shrugged, moving to sit on the couch.
“You seem--off.”
You didn’t know what it was. Could he possibly sense the tension in your shoulders as you waited for an email either way? You got the job! We regret to inform you…
Or was he just aware that you felt awkward since it had been almost two weeks since you had any considerable amount of alone time and even longer since you were able to have a date night that wasn’t interrupted by Jeff or Erica or someone who needed something from him.
He took a few steps closer towards you, a look of concern etched on his features. “What’s wrong?”
The words were on the tip of your tongue when he looked at you, eyebrows lifted as he waited for you to spit it out.
“I guess I feel like we’ve been distant.”
He pushed his head forward, almost like he hadn’t expected that to be the issue. “What do you mean?”
“I don’t know,” you shrugged, caught off guard by his pushiness. Maybe you shouldn’t have brought it up.
“You don’t know?” He pressed.
You broke eye contact with him for a minute, wondering why you had to state the obvious. “Well, you’re busy all the time, Harry.”
He let his shoulders rise and fall in defeat, looking around the room in frustration. “I told you that finishing the album would be busy.”
“Yeah, but you forgot to mention that you’d also be busy when the album is done once promo starts and then tour,” your voice was quiet, not so much angry as you were upset.
You were tired. You wanted nothing more than to spend a night on the couch with him and only him, tell him about LA and about the sudden itch you felt to see more of the world than just London.
But with Jake and Adam always around and Bryn and Jessie, too, paired with interruptions from Jeff and Erica--it felt as if there was no hope for a private or honest conversation.
He came to sit closer to you on the couch now, took your hands in his. “I know my job is a lot, okay? I know it’s annoying that I don’t necessarily get weekends off or have a typical schedule, but once the album is out and the promo is done I’ll have a bit of a break before the tour. We can go on vacation somewhere, just us.”
It sounded nice, maybe a tropical island or a cabin in the woods. But before you could nod in agreement the thought of Los Angeles popped into your head.
His album was due out in December, promo from now through the New Year, some time off in February and March for both of your birthdays and then tour. You had no clue where you’d be by then.
Would you be in LA? Would you be in London? Would you be stuck in this same spot on his couch with decision paralysis and a crushing sense of uncertainty about the future?
He knew you were over-thinking and tilted his head. “What?”
You blew out a slow breath of air, twisted a ring on your finger and then looked up at him again.
You didn’t even have a chance to be more honest, a buzz on your phone on the coffee table in front of you both broke the room in half, the name of the woman you’d spoken to was in bold next to your email icon. You reached for it quickly, Harry’s brows furrowed when you pulled it close to your chest so he wouldn’t see.
“What’s that?”
Hi Y/N, thank you so much for your patience over the last few days. We would love to offer you a position with NBC Universal - E! News as an on-air correspondent in our Los Angeles headquarters.
You looked up at him quickly, cheeks red and heart racing.
“What’s happening, are you okay?”
“I got a job offer,” you said quickly, still holding the phone close to you.
“What?” He smiled, “why didn’t you tell me you were looking? I didn’t even know--”
“It’s in Los Angeles.”
His smile faded instantly, he blinked a few times like he must have misheard you. The leather of his couch felt cool beneath your legs, a clock on the wall ticked and for a second, you wondered if he could hear your pulse as loudly as you could.
He pulled his eyes away from you but then quickly scanned over your face. “Are you taking it?”
“I don’t know,” you said honestly.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Silence, words filled your brain and crawled up the back of your throat, desperate to be said out loud, in real life, instead of just circling in your head.
Because I don’t know what we’re doing or if we’re moving forward. I don’t know where I want to live. I don’t know if I can stay in London forever. I don’t know. I don’t know. I don’t know.
Only the last part made it out between your lips. “I don’t know.”
“Y/N,” he stood up, more angry now as he looked around the room and scratched at the base of his neck. “This kind of feels like a bombshell to drop on someone.”
“I was going to tell you--but we haven’t had a second alone, I just didn’t want to have to tell everyone before I knew what was happening.”
“You didn’t even tell me you interviewed,” he said.
“The last time I saw you alone we got interrupted by Erica three times in one conversation.”
“Probably for a good reason--”
“But you seriously can’t even put your phone down lately when we have dinner, even when everyone else is there!”
“I can’t help it that my work is insanely busy right now!”
“I don’t want to fight with you,” you said this quickly, voice higher than usual and a heat on your skin that he normally didn’t provoke, at least not in a bad way. You stood from the couch and put your hands on your hips. “I don’t know what I’m going to do and I don’t even know if this job is right for me and under no circumstances are you allowed to tell anyone. Especially Jessie.”
He rolled his eyes at that.
“What’s the eye roll for?”
He shrugged his shoulders. “Everyone just got back and now you might leave and--”
“I said I don’t know if I’m going to take it.”
He was quiet at that, clucked his tongue in thought but then disappeared upstairs to shower and change.
The car ride over was awkward, he asked how your day had been and you told him you talked to Alyssa, he bristled when you admitted you told her about it.
It wouldn’t be the end of the conversation, you were sure of that. You’d likely end up at his for the night and he’d apologize for being busy, you’d apologize for not telling him and maybe, you hoped, he’d ask you to stay over.
When you greeted Adam with a hug, you ignored Harry’s sour mood and opened the menu in front of you.
“My first dinner as a Londoner,” Jessie smiled, shimming her shoulders in excitement when Bryn looked over the specials across the table from you.
“This is on you, right? New job, new salary?” Jake teased.
“Maybe if I hadn’t just bought a whole new bedroom set,” she rolled her eyes.
“How’s everything with you?” Adam eyed Harry, his question veiled to avoid too many details in public.
Luckily, Harry’s ability to go out in public in London was similar to that in New York. As long as a private room or a table in the back was requested, he could typically get away unscathed if dinner was less than 2 hours and if he had his back to the dining room.
“Fine,” he shrugged, eyes still down at the drink menu.
“Fine?” Jessie leaned forward, her tone insinuating that she didn’t believe him. “You’ve been working really hard all summer and now all you say is ‘fine?’”
He glanced up at her, lips in a forced smile. “S’all good, Jess--just tired.”
Bryn gave you a look, one that asked what stick is up his ass?, before she changed the topic.
“Let’s not tell our server how fit she is tonight, yeah?”
Jake let out a snort of a laugh and sipped at the water that had already been brought to your table. “Alright, you thought the one last week was just as hot as I did.”
“I did,” Bryn agreed seriously, “but I didn’t offer my number unsolicited. How do you know she’s even straight?”
“She’s got a point,” Jessie chimed in. “Remember when you asked that girl to dance in the club when her girlfriend was right there with her arm around her?”
“I thought they were just mates!” Jake defended.
“You also have the worst radar for gay women ever,” Bryn nodded.
“When was this?” Harry asked, the hint of a smile on his face when he watched Jake adjust his napkin on his lap.
The words came out of your mouth without thought. “You weren’t here--you were in LA.”
He met your eyes when you replied, nodded, and then leaned back in his chair, effectively bowing out of the conversation without saying another word.
You weren’t trying to be short with him. You looked over to Jessie, who undoubtedly sensed the tension, and offered a smile. “How’s the flat?”
“Good,” she nodded. “Glad that all my furniture got put together without any scratches,” she reached over and patted Adam on the shoulder.
“We’re not children, Jessie, we can handle some furniture.”
“You broke my dresser when I asked you guys to move it into another room,” Bryn reminded, a look of confusion on her face at Adam’s retort.
“Only because it was already half broken and a piece of shit,” Jake said. “I love you, Brynnie, but that dresser was already knocking on Heaven’s door.”
Harry let out a laugh at that, another memory that he had missed while on a trip to a studio somewhere north of London. He excused himself to the bathroom after you placed your orders, and once he was out of earshot, Jake leaned down and looked at you.
“What’s going on with him?”
You forced a cheesy grin and blinked a few times. “He’s just grumpy.”
“‘Bout what?” Bryn asked.
“Guys,” you leaned back in your chair, hoping you didn’t have to say too much. “I can’t tell you every single thing that happens in our relationship.”
“Well, when it affects us I think we have the right to know,” Jessie shrugged, playing the typical we don’t like when our parents fight card.
“It’s not affecting you,” you shook your head, eyed her seriously over your glass of Pinot Noir.
Adam shrugged, a smirk on his face let you know he was trying to rile you up. “He’s grumpy at dinner and we’re all here and we’re all aware of it. We don’t like tension between you two.”
“Alright, leave the woman alone,” Jake waved them off. “As long as everything’s alright.”
“It’s totally alright,” you nodded, wondering when you’d gotten so comfortable lying to them. “He’s just busy with the next phase of work.”
With Harry’s album yet to be announced, you couldn’t sit around in a London restaurant and divulge details--even if you were all acutely aware of the work he’d put in and the upcoming announcements and events.
Adam let it go. “How’s work for you, Smalls?”
Another shrug of your shoulders, “s’good--I told you all about my November cover story, right?”
“Yeah,” Jessie sipped a glass of Cabernet. “But you said you didn’t know who it was going to be with.”
“Well, s’cause I had to drop the bomb on him first,” you nodded in the direction of the bathroom. “I’ll be sitting down in a few days with Ms. Gigi Hadid,” you lowered your voice and leaned forward to say her name.
Bryn’s eyes went wide, Jake grimaced.
“How’d he take that?” Adam asked.
“He’s not thrilled,” you admitted. “But I’ll talk with his team about what to avoid specifically, I guess. Her team will probably have a list of off-limits items too.”
Bryn let her elbows rest on the white tablecloth. “Yeah, but, you can’t just ignore the fact that she’s dating Zayn.”
“I also can’t just barge in and stir shit up,” you said.
Harry pulled his chair out next to you and sat back down. “Who are you stirring shit up with?”
Everyone chose to be quiet now--Adam looked down at his phone and Jessie reached for her wine again.
“Just telling them about my cover story,” you admitted, watching his face for a reaction.
He nodded, a tiny smirk in your direction. “I’d appreciate it if you didn’t stir shit up,” he said, reaching to put a hand on your thigh beneath the table.
Those were the moments that made you feel less panicky--the realization that he was still choosing you and even when the tension was high and the mood was low, he’d reach over and remind you that yes, he cared. Even if he was late to dinner or distracted.
Which is why, when you got back in his car that night and headed for his house, you were surprised when his mood shifted again.
“I’ll just drop you at yours?”
“Oh--yeah, sure.”
“Did you want to come to mine?” He looked over at you like he hadn’t expected any resistance to sleeping separately.
You were quiet for a second--not if he didn’t want you there. “No, it’s fine.”
“I can’t read your mind, Y/N.”
“You don’t have to,” you said quickly, a prickly tone to your words when he made an unreadable face.
He drove in silence for a few minutes, closing in on your neighborhood when the street lamps disappeared for the sake of suburbia.
Eventually he cleared his throat and that sent you over the edge.
“What do you want me to say, Harry? Do you want me to apologize for interviewing for this job?”
“No,” he said simply. “I just don’t know why you thought you didn’t need to tell me about a huge decision like that.”
“It wasn’t a decision until today when they offered it to me.”
“Just seems like something you talk to your boyfriend about.”
You looked over at him in the dark of night, the glow from the dashboard didn’t help you see his features as he turned left onto your street.
“Well, sorry that we didn’t have the opportunity to talk about it between your work schedule and Jessie moving in and group dates--”
He slowed down on your street, put his flashers on when he stopped in front of your building. “I don’t want to keep secrets from each other,” his voice was softer now. “I don’t want to not know what’s going on in your life. I did enough of that for two years when we weren't talking.”
You sighed at this, the sentiment broke whatever anger was lurking inside you and when you looked up to see him, you wondered if you should ask him.
Are we ever going to move in together? Are we ever going to get engaged?
You figured the lead up to his sophomore album wasn’t the best time for that conversation. He pressed a kiss to your forehead and you climbed the stairs to your flat alone.
**
A few days later you sat nervously in a conference room and watched as beads of sweat formed on the water glass in front of you. Tyler had brought you in, offered you a breath mint, and promised you’d be fine. When you asked him if the whole room was hot he said it was just you and your nerves--but the droplets of water that raced towards the wooden conference table begged to differ.
You’d gotten email after email this morning: one from Jeff with the rules he and Harry had come up with and eight from Gigi’s team with requests for snacks, topics to discuss, topics to avoid, lunch request, arrival and departure time, and a few extra regarding booking her photoshoot the next day.
A text lit up your screen when you tried to smooth your your hair in the reflection of your screen.
Jake Newcomb (10:42am): In case you’re wondering what to get me for my birthday, a video of Gigi Hadid saying she loves me would be perfect!
You ignored his text and felt a pang of disappointment in your gut, you thought it would have been Harry with words of encouragement.
He was fine with you doing the interview, he seemed to come around to the idea when he met with Jeff and had a chance to mark some things as off limits.
So far, his list was as follows:
Don’t publish anything too negative about anyone in the band (if she says anything negative about anyone in the band)
Harry and Jeff got to listen to the taped interview
Harry and Jeff got to read the article before you sent it off to your editor and could make suggestions to cut things if they felt it necessary.
It seemed silly, but you’d long been used to the lingo of contracts and riders and ground rules for things like these. You knew both Harry and Jeff trusted you, in fact, Jeff was now choosing to see this as a good opportunity for press before the announcement of Harry’s album.
Your biggest concern, truly, was not looking/sounding/acting like an idiot in a room alone with Gigi Hadid. Your second biggest concern was conducting a unique interview and writing a unique article.
You knew that Naomi and Tyler were nearby for support if needed, Tyler had already walked by the conference room three times to see if your subject had arrived and likely to make sure you hadn’t sweat through your blouse. You thought the commotion in the hallway was him until you saw a group of busy-looking people with cellphones and sunglasses.
“Hi,” you stood from your chair, extended a hand in her direction and offered your best professional smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Gigi, thanks for doing this interview.”
She seemed hesitant at first, smiled a little and shook your hand. “Happy to,” she said. She turned over her shoulder and locked eyes with the woman who seemed to be the most in-charge of the group. “I’m good,” she nodded.
They hustled out quickly, you stood frozen in place and watched as she took off her coat before sitting in the chair you’d pulled out for her. Once the door was shut behind her posse, she let out a sigh that bled into a frustrated laugh.
“I could never do an interview with all of them just loitering around--wouldn’t that be so weird?”
You nodded, mirrored her smile and had to remind your body how to move. Left foot, right, breathe, sit in the chair.
You weren’t really one to get star struck, but then again, you didn’t spend too much time with celebrities that weren’t Harry or his close friends. You certainly never sat down with a model like Gigi to have a conversation that could be as awkward as this one.
She checked her phone quickly but then put it face down on the table. “I am happy to do this, I know it might feel weird for us to be hanging out--but boys are stupid anyway.”
You smiled at this, immediately relaxed when she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs.
“Did you also get a whole list of things to not talk to me about?”
She stifled a laugh and rolled her eyes. “Zayn can be a man of few words but,” she looked down at your phone on the table. “Off the record--he had quite a bit to say when I told him you were doing the interview.”
“Off the record,” you laughed, “Harry did too. But how is Zayn?”
“He’s good--thinking about getting back in the studio at some point to start working on a new album, he’s been writing a bunch. Harry’s doing the same I assume?”
“Yes, yeah, he’s been really busy.”
“I know things might not have gone great between all of them at the end, but I don’t want this to be awkward for us.”
“Me neither. You can say as much or as little about the band as you’d like.”
She nodded, you figured it was time to give your pre-interview spiel.
“So, I’ll record us in a few seconds, you can obviously say ‘off the record’ if there’s something you don’t want me to include, but I like my interviews to be like conversations, basically. I’ll send someone on your team the recording when we’re done and a typed transcript. You’ll have 48-hours to look over it and revoke any statements that you don’t want me publishing or to clarify anything. After that I’ll write the story, send a final copy to your team before it gets finalized here, again, 48-hours to look it over and request any changes but at that time we don’t have to approve the requests. This is all in a document somewhere that someone probably signed for you--I’m sure your team is used to it, they know what they’re doing.”
You reached forward and pressed a few buttons on your phone, she watched until you looked up and told her: “It’s on now, so we’re recording and today is September 10th, 2019.”
She smiled like you were old friends. “Where do we start?”
“Is there somewhere you want to start?”
She leaned her head to the side. “We can jump right to it--”
“To what?”
“Oh come on,” she laughed. “Us talking about One Direction will make headlines for weeks.”
“Yeah,” you shrugged. “It’s funny that us just sitting down together will be a big deal, right? As if we’ve got nothing better to talk about than them.”
“Sexism at it’s finest,” she admitted.
“Do you find that a lot in your industry?”
She thought on this for a second, looked out the window but nodded. “It’s unavoidable, in a lot of ways. I think there have been a lot of changes over the last few years to at least move us in the right direction, but we’ve got a long way to go.”
“How would you want to see it change for the better?”
“Well, I’d love to have more privacy about my love life, for one,” she caught herself, looked to you quickly as if she felt bad. “Off the record, we can talk about it here, it’s fine. It’s different to talk about it with a woman, number one. And you’re you, you get it.”
“We don’t have to talk about it,” you offered.
“No, I don’t mind. Unless you plan on asking me stupid things like how amazing is it to be dating someone as handsome as him or do I find that his job overshadows mine, we’re good. We can be back on the record, too,” she looked down at the numbers on your phone, eyeing the ticking of the recording clock.
“But do you know what I mean? No one asks guys questions like that--or they’re different, at least. People just want to know everything about your relationship when you’re a woman and they view you in the context of who you’re sleeping with.”
“Yeah,” you nodded. “I get that.”
She smiled, “it’s hard to date someone famous, isn’t it? Lots of rules around it.”
You were surprised by the genuine look in her eyes, despite her own status and contracts and income, she seemed to be acknowledging that the two of you shared a unique experience and were now brought together under strange circumstances.
“It’s definitely hard for me--but, isn’t it easier seeing as you also have an assistant and a manager and people to, I don’t know, facilitate things? Not to invalidate how hard it still is.”
She laughed at that, “Yeah, in some ways, probably. He’s really private though, which is good for us. We focus on ourselves and do our own thing most of the time.”
“Right--you seem pretty private about it for the most part.”
“Yeah,” she shrugged, reflecting on your words for a second. “I think to me it feels weird that my relationship status can make so much news, you know? Modeling is my job and obviously that’s not your typical nine-to-five but--I like to focus on my work and when male journalists are continuously obsessed with my love life, I find that weird. I mean, you get that, right? I’m sure it’s no different with Harry.”
You bit your lip, embarrassed at how she’d managed to turn it around. She was right--you’d been getting more and more annoyed with how much your relationship with Harry was dictating your life--and for some reason, you admitted this to her.
“People are much more interested in me because I’m dating him--but they’d be just as interested in you even if you weren’t.”
“Would they?” She tilted her head to the side, another rise and fall of her shoulders as she looked around the room. “I get what you’re saying, but sometimes it feels like dating him gave my career a huge boost. I don’t know, maybe I shouldn’t have said that.”
“No, I totally get it. I feel the same way. I was building my career in New York and it was going well and I was writing fun stuff and making a name for myself and then I started hanging out with him and--”
“Everyone started to care more about you?”
“Exactly.”
You thought about the headlines, the articles, the pictures in tabloids that undoubtedly helped your name spread like wildfire through London and New York. You had to ignore it, most of the time, reassure yourself that you were a good journalist and a good employee and the good things in your career were not just a byproduct of the boy who slept in your bed.
She smiled knowingly, her lips in a thin line when she looked down to the tape recorder, almost like she felt guilty for steering the conversation in a different direction.
“Sorry,” you cleared your throat, sitting up straight. “Back to business.”
The conversation bled into more normal things: the upcoming fall fashion week, how she manages self-care when she’s busy jetting from city to city, and, try as you might, the two of you wound your way back to your commonalities a few times: sexism in your industries, life as young women dating famous men.
You thanked her profusely at the end and promised that Tyler would be in touch to confirm the date and time for her corresponding photoshoot later that week. She draped a Versace leather tote over her shoulder and seemed to float out of the office with a posse of beautiful people behind her.
You stood--still awestruck--in the hallway and watched as the elevator doors slid shut.
“She’s prettier in person,” Tyler said from beside you, a notebook in hand as he stared at the air she’d once occupied. “I didn’t know if that type of thing was possible but she’s definitely one of the prettiest humans I’ve ever seen.”
“She was nice,” you turned around to see Naomi behind him, also eager for more details. You headed back for your office in a trance, they scurried behind you as you thought aloud. “I mean, I didn’t think she’d be rude--but I didn’t know what to expect with the whole band history stuff.”
“Did you talk about that?”
“Less about the band and more about--” you blinked a few times and sat down at your desk, “sexism, what it’s like to be a woman dating a famous man and how that affects your career.”
Both of their eyes went wide, a smile tugged at Naomi’s lips when Tyler put a hand over his heart in shock.
“I’m sorry, so you’re telling me that you just had a heart to heart with Gigi Hadid about sexism and your boyfriends and--”
“I guess so,” you shrugged, just as surprised as they were.
**
You gave Harry fewer details that night over FaceTime as you brushed your teeth. He was somewhere in New York, disappointed that he’d miss Jake’s birthday dinner and celebration, but he promised to make it up to him when he got back.
He lifted a cup of tea to take a sip, light shone through the window behind him on your screen and he scrolled through emails on his laptop.
You spit into the sink, an ocean between you.
“Have you thought at all about the offer? You have to tell them by tomorrow, yeah?”
You nodded, wiped at your mouth with a towel and then crossed your arms. “I can stay, I mean--if you want me to.”
He made a face at that, leaned forward and furrowed his brows together. “Of course I want you to stay, Y/N, but I don’t want to be the reason you pass on something important."
You were quiet for a second, uncapped lotion before spreading some across your forehead.
"I'm sorry I didn't react well when you told me. I'm proud of you and it sounds like a phenomenal opportunity...I don't know, it's just the timing of it--"
You cut him off, “well none of this is ideal timing, Harry.”
“Do you mean with my album?”
“I mean with any of it,” you said truthfully. “The album, the job offer--”
“Well the album existed before the job offer,” he trailed off.
Only a matter of seconds and a handful of words had managed to get you elevated and angry and ready to fight. That was happening more easily, these days.
“So what am I supposed to do? Always come second? Make every decision in my life based off of your career and your music?”
“S’not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying?”
“I’m saying that--I dunno--I thought you knew what you were getting into.”
Quiet, your hands gripped the counter in your bathroom. Your bare feet were on the floor and you wondered why you were trying so hard to make everything work if things were only getting harder.
“That came out wrong,” he shook his head, the look on his face let you know he wanted to take it back.
“No, it didn’t." You let out a sharp laugh. "I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“Take the job,” he said quickly, like he saw you reaching for the button to end the FaceTime call.
“What?”
“Take it. If it’ll make you happy, take it.”
“And what about us?”
“We figure it out,” he shrugged. “We try.”
You sighed, unsure what to say.
"It's Los Angeles," he said. "Not Antarctica."
You blew air between your lips, looked up at him for a second. The curl of hair that dipped onto his forehead, the way his mouth pulled up in the corner like it always had.
“I love you, Y/N. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
His words didn’t offer any relief and you spent most of the night staring at the ceiling, tossing and turning and wondering how on earth you were supposed to make a decision.
Leaving him in London felt stupid. A few bumps in the road and you were ready to jump ship?
But staying and hoping for a ring or a shared address felt even stupider, somehow. You couldn’t pass up a dream job and hope that things would go well for your career if you weren’t going to work for it.
A few hours of rest came after 3am, your morning coffee was a tad bitter and the clouds in the sky seemed to match your mood. Maybe you should have spent more time thinking it over, talking it out, even calling your mum or Katie for advice.
But you couldn’t have told everyone about the job offer without a certain answer, and unfortunately, the person you wanted to talk to the most didn’t seem like he could be impartial.
You’d been upset, you’d been feeling disconnected from him, but that didn’t erase all of the good times and the happy memories you’d made, right?
Naomi and Tyler locked themselves in your office for lunch on Friday, they promised that they’d never tell your boss and they swore they supported you either way. Tyler used an expo marker to make a pros and cons list of staying in London and Naomi came up with a points system for each bullet on the list.
You stared at it, looked at the names of all of your friends, your family, your favorite cafes and restaurants in London. At the very bottom of what had become a long list of reasons to stay was his name.
And on the other side, Tyler’s poor drawing of an engagement ring sat beside a big question mark.
You didn’t know what the future held for you and Harry, and maybe that was okay. You didn’t know what would happen when you packed your life into a suitcase and moved to New York, but you’d survived to tell the tale.
They were quiet, eyes darting from the board back to you as they waited for you to say something.
You sighed, Tyler shifted on the couch in your office and Naomi smoothed out her blouse.
“I can’t take it,” you said.
Tyler’s eyes went wide, “really? You’re staying?”
“I can’t leave,” you shrugged. “I can’t leave him behind and leave my friends and start all over in a new city right as I’m really finding my groove here again.”
“Okay, I know we said we’d support you either way but I would have been fucking pissed if you went,” Tyler admitted, moving closer to wrap his arms around you.
You laughed, let him squeeze you before Naomi joined in.
“Me too,” she confessed, a smile on her face when she pulled away. “But I would have at least faked happy for you.”
You bit back the doubt and second-guessing, used their excitement to fuel a regretful email.
Thank you so much for the opportunity, but after careful consideration I cannot accept this position due to the geographical location.
Your thumb hovered over the small blue arrow, a wave of panic flooded through you when you hit send, like somehow, something inside of you knew that everything was about to change.
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AN: apologies in advance for the cliffhanger......except I'm not sorry lmao
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