#and she's going to hold Gil in the hot water | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

yuna542 · 1 year

Text

Masterlist

Car Ride

Pairing: Im Jang-Do × Reader|Myeong-Gils daugther

Genre: Smut, Fluff

Word Count: 5.2k

Warnings: Mentions of Alcohol & Sex, Explicit Smut, Oral (m receiving), fingering, Daddy Kink, age difference, pet names, swearing, public sex

Summary: Im Jang-Do. The strategy management director of Smile Capital and right hand of Myeong-Gil has to do his job as a personal bodyguard for the daughter of his boss once again, as she ran away and pick her up at a party. But this night something is different...

Note: Yes he‘s a villain, and yes he’s hot. So don’t blame me… Have fun with this OS and tell me if you liked it <3

"Such a pain in the ass," you muttered, though loud enough for the ex-cop behind the wheel to hear. Through the rearview mirror, you could see him raise an eyebrow, eyes fixed on the road as you sped down Soul at a hundred miles an hour.

"You know very well that your father doesn't like to see you partying wildly and indulging in pleasure..."

His deep voice literally vibrated off the walls of the black SUV. He had chosen his private car for this assignment. It was swanky, shiny, suited him.

You crossed your arms and looked out the window:

"I'm not that drunk."

He smirked and looked at your long crossed legs through the mirror, disappearing endlessly behind the seats under the black minidress.

"Oh yeah? I got you out of there just in time. You were standing on a table getting undressed."

A snort was the only response. You just wanted a night out, to clear your head and get away from all the stress your father put on you every day. He wanted you to take over Smile Capital one day, taught you all the disciplines. In addition to economics, credit business and proper behavior, there was also how to hold a gun, manipulate or intimidate people to your advantage.

You were almost an adult, still a teenager at heart. You longed for freedom, fun and passion. Jang-Do could understand that. However, you were always going overboard. When you entered a room, all eyes were on you, one or the other gasped in awe, others just stared with envy. You were intelligent, beautiful, with attentive eyes and a body that would drive any man out of his mind. He couldn't help but notice your cleavage tonight, as the dress seductively revealed a glint of your breasts. Your waist narrow, your curves soft, plush, thick. It would never occur to him to touch his boss's daughter. After all, you were so young and he had become your nanny by now. He liked to talk himself into working as a bodyguard and yet it was he who picked you up from excessive parties or criminal events. If your father knew half of what he had seen, he would be more than incensed.

Even though you'd had a long night, the car smelled like sweet honey laced with rose water since you got in, in addition to its pungent aftershave.

"It was just getting fun, you have to barge in like my babysitter and ruin everything," you opined, bobbing your foot slightly with the red highheel shimmering on your foot in the car's blue LED light.

"Better call me your bodyguard.... It's less humiliating."

You smirked and returned his gaze over the mirror for the first time that evening. Your lips gleamed from the lip gloss you'd just applied and one eyebrow lifted in amusement.

"Did you wake up because of me?" you asked, noticing his rumpled shirt, only half buttoned, and messy hair that was usually neatly styled. Others would have felt guilty, might have apologized. You just smiled, as if pleased by that fact.

"Couldn't sleep anyway," he grumbled, quickly averting his eyes as he lost track of the road for a second, caught in your eyes. That was the truth. The call from Myeong-Gil had reached him just as he was tossing and turning in bed, desperate for sleep. His boss had informed him that his only daughter, a hothead, barely tamable, much like her father, had gone off on her own. He had found your bed empty. You had once again gotten out of the window to escape the gaze of the guards Myeong-Gil had hired to keep an eye on you. But this was a job that had to be handled with discretion. Therefore, Jang-Do was given the job once again. He already suspected that you had gone to one of the three bars you preferred, and he was asked to pick you up and bring you back.

Annoyed, he slipped into his clothes, took his car keys and went to the bars. He found what he was looking for in the second one.

A bar called Pink Flamingo. He was just through the door when he spotted your long legs on the bar. All around you full of people cheering you on as you danced, drank shots and singing along loudly. The way you drew attention to yourself, enjoying it and playing with the attentiveness of the men below made him pause for a moment and watch you. Your bright laughter cut through the sweat-soaked air like a glistening light. The way you moved your hips to the beat of the music, letting your hands roam over your stomach, your sides, your breasts. He had been entranced until one of the young men who were far too normal, far too inferior to even breathe in your presence:

"Strip!"

Directly others joined in. Both girls and boys. All charmed by you and your charisma. He couldn't help but think of the old tales of sirens and nymphs who made people run smiling to their doom with just the blink of an eye or a smile.

Until now, he thought you were a pretty but headstrong girl who hadn't seen much and knew even less. But now that you were sitting in his back seat, your eyes fixed on the colorful lights of Soul, he could see a certain wisdom in you.

Before you could pull your dress up further, he had closed his hand around your ankle and looked up at you warningly. It had taken you a while to recognize your father's right hand and strategy management director of Smile Capital through the fog caused by the alcohol.

"Get down! Now!" his voice was calm, cutting, and as deep as the ocean.

The sharp jawline, the high cheekbones, the deep black eyes radiated a masculinity that made you bite your lower lip. No one, really no one dared to speak to you like that. Because of your name, your father, or your appearance.

Most trembled at your presence, despite your age. Not Jang-Do. He'd always been untouchable to your charm. At least, that's how it seemed.

Always grim-faced, he did not respond to your attempts at flirtation, nor did he succumb to your looks.

Not even there when you smiled, sat down on the bar, and pulled his hand into your lap.

"Jang-do! Why don't you come and have a drink with me?"

Unimpressed, he stared at you while the people around you eyed you curiously. Your hand was small and soft in his big strong ones.

"We're leaving. Now!" he ordered, pulling you on from the bar. You resisted, trying to fight off his hands as he pushed you through the people.

"Stop it! If you don't let go of me, I'll have you fired!" you hissed, but he only snorted what sounded very much like a laugh.

Even if you had the power, you would never do it. Jang-Do has been a confidant for too long, and there were few of those among your kind.

Outside, in front of the club, you successfully refused to go any further, clinging to a lantern. Sighing, he massaged his temples as you stubbornly glared at him:

"You can't do this! Leave me alone already!"

He shoved his hands into his pockets and watched you cling to the lantern like a drowning woman. It almost looked cute.

"I can't and you know it. Now come on and save us both some time."

You drew your eyebrows together and pushed your lower lip forward. Pouting, you slowly disengaged your arms from the lantern, careful, as if one wrong move could set off a shot. Jang-Do raised his eyebrows in anticipation, recognizing the flash of an idea in your eyes before you could run. Squealing, he caught you and threw you over his shoulder. Cursing, you drummed on his broad shoulders as he carried you to his huge car in front of everyone who turned to look at you. His fingers were tight on your thighs and with a red face you noticed how your dress was riding up. At the car he opened the back door, lowered you and finally you got in. But not before giving him the middle finger in the face.

"Fuck you," you whispered, tugging your dress back into place.

There was actually a smile on his lips as he slammed the door behind you and climbed into the driver's seat.

After you sighed emphatically the third time, he exhaled audibly and looked in the mirror:

"What?"

You looked at his hands, veins trailing over them, like a ripened leaf.

"I'm hungry."

His index finger tapped up and down on the steering wheel until he finally said:

"Burger?"

With a satisfied smile, you nodded quickly and he caught himself smiling too as you looked out the window again, appeased.

At a fast food joint, he pulled up. The stars shone in the cloudy sky. It was a mild night, with balmy breezes swirling the dust on the streets.

You ordered a whole menu. Burgers, fries, coke with lots of ice. The alcohol and the dancing had made you hungry. He himself took a ginger beer and paid for everything.

He drove you to the Han River so the people in the parking lot couldn't keep staring at you. The girl in the Louis Vuitton dress, with the Chanel heels, and her big muscular protector in the Gucci shirt looked strangely out of place in a cheap fast food restaurant.

He parked the car under a bridge and you sat down in the open trunk overlooking the water. It was quiet, cooler than right in the city, and he watched you kick off your heels, put them behind you, and devour your menu with dangling feet.

Right now you didn't look like the daughter of an influential loan shark and brutal gangster. You looked like a pretty girl, just coming of age, happy to have a burger and full of energy. He wondered if you only showed yourself like that around him. You were always perfect in front of the others. You never flinched. Eloquent and above it all. Even in front of your father, you never seemed relaxed or like yourself.

"Jang-do?"

He startled up from his thoughts, noticing that you had finished eating and were just sipping your drink.

"Huh?"

"If you weren't here.... Where would you like to be?" you asked, looking at him with so much curiosity in your eyes that his breath caught.

Your thighs brushed his and he rolled up the sleeves of his shirt as he answered:

"You mean if I didn't have to babysit you?" he asked and you lifted your gaze from his muscular forearms.

"Bodyguard."

He laughed. It was a strange sound, and yet you wanted to hear it again. You leaned against his shoulder teasingly.

"You know what I mean."

He ran his hand through his hair, looking at your silver necklace with a crescent moon on it. You'd gotten it from your mother one day. Just before she died. Since then, he had never seen you without it. It lay on your skin like liquid silver and he resisted the urge to touch the place where it touched your collarbone.

"I've heard Hawaii is beautiful," he said, and you smiled. Immediately, images of raffia skirts and hula dancers popped into your head.

"And you? If you didn't have to take over Smile Capital? What would you do?" he asked, his interest making your cheeks blush a little.

"I'd like to dance."

He frowned in wonder, feeling your body lean against his, warm and soft.

"Dancing, really?" he asked incredulously.

You felt directly silly. You had never told anyone about your hobby. Since childhood, you loved to dance. From ballet to hip-hop and standard dances, you had done it all.

"Yes. Anywhere. On stages, in the theater, or teaching it to others. It doesn't matter."

You expected him to laugh at you. Make fun of you, or even be disgusted. Instead, he looked out at the river, the way the city lights shimmered on the surface like jewelry.

"It suits you."

The smile widened and he thought he had never seen anything more beautiful. Now it made sense to him why you went out partying so often. There you could dance regardless of your surroundings, let off steam without the fear of being stopped by your father. Or of being dragged out by his right hand.

But that was his job and the life you were born into.

That's when his eyes fell on the time on his phone and he stood up. Almost in a panic, you looked up at him.

"I really should take you home now."

"Please don't!" it escaped you and he closed his eyes for a moment, building up all his resistance against your big pleading eyes.

"Why don't you just want to go back?" he asked, rummaging in his back pocket for the car keys.

"I hate it there. Always the same. I'm trapped, never free to do what I want," you said, realizing you were finally being honest for once.

"And yet I have to take you back."

You stood up and just as he had the car keys in his hand, you sped forward and got a hold of them. Quickly you ran around the car, afraid he might grab you again.

But he stopped, looked at you blankly and tilted his head slightly.

"What are you doing?"

You raised the key in the air and jingled it playfully.

"If you want them, you'll have to get past me first."

You grinned wildly and he laughed throatily again. Glancing at the ground, he kicked a rock away and looked back up at you.

"You don't want to do that."

You continued around the car, to the passenger side, wiggling your eyebrows defiantly.

"You don't know what I want!"

Actually, he hadn't gotten up to play catch with a rebellious girl, and yet he felt the need to bend you over his hood to see if you still had such a big mouth with his handprint on your ass. Slowly he walked around the car, keeping you in his eyes like a lynx on the lookout. Your heart leapt with excitement and before you could react, he chased you around the car. Squealing, you tried to escape, but he reached you at the hood at the latest, grabbed your wrist and pressed you against the cold metal.

You hid the key behind your back and withstood his penetrating eye contact. Defiantly you jutted your chin at him, even as his eyes roamed over your face, scrutinizing your lips, and you realized how close he was to you. His chest was pressed against yours, his hip against yours, and he pushed one knee between your legs to get to the key.

Only when his lips hovered right in front of yours did he seem to realize what had just happened. You thought he would back away, turn away and scowl. Instead, you felt his hot breath bounce against your lips and his hand find its way to your hip. He was older. Much older and yet the gleam in his eyes was young, his broad shoulders agile and his desire real. Your body heat made him increasingly lose his mind, and he whispered in a voice so low it made you shiver:

"What are you doing?"

Your eyes wandered up and down until you gently placed your free hand against his chest.

"What are you doing?" you repeated his question, barely more than a breath.

"I want my key!"

"Uh-huh."

You slowly took out the hand with the key, but right now you could only pay attention to his firm chest, his attractive face hovering in front of yours, and his tart masculine smell.

The hood was pressed tighter and tighter against your butt and he made no effort to put distance between you. Gradually, pure fire rose in his eyes and desire slammed its claws into you.

"You can have them," you whispered, unable to speak louder.

Your hand with the key hovered next to his shoulder, but he was no longer interested. Instead, he pulled your chin closer and your lips collided. The key fell onto the hood with a click as he grabbed you by the hips, lifted you onto it, and stepped between your legs. Your hands flew into his hair, pulling at it as your lips collided hard.

It was a fireworks display of passion, lust and desire. Pure heat gripped you and you hurriedly unbuttoned his shirt, touching his abs, sighing into his mouth as he cupped your breasts, kneading them until you felt dizzy. Your legs were wrapped around his hips, pulling him closer

Desperately, he bit your lower lip until you opened your mouth a little. He let his tongue slip in and played with yours. His dominance made you melt like butter in his hands. His lips found their way down your neck, sucking on the crook of your neck as he pushed the straps of your dress off your shoulders.

"Shit... Jang-Do," you gasped, overwhelmed by the sudden excitement that gathered red-hot between your legs.

Your father would kill you both with his own hands. Jang-Do slowly and agonizingly, that was clear to him, and yet the idea that he was taking something that belonged to his boss fired him.

He pushed your dress down until your breasts sprang free and watched you for a moment. The cold air on your heated skin made you shiver. At your hips, the dress had ridden up so far that you sat with your bare ass on the cool hood. A red thong soaked between your legs.

"Such pretty tits... A shame I'm only seeing them now," he purred, and you gasped softly as he twirled your nipples between his fingers. Then he clasped a sensitive bud and sucked on it until you fell backward, clinging to his neck to stay even halfway upright.

He worked the soft flesh of your breasts with his mouth and kneaded the other breast until you felt dizzy and impatiently pressed your middle against his crotch.

"Jang-Do please!" you sighed, clawing into his chest. You could feel how hard he was. Even through the fabric of his pants.

"Please what? Use your words baby girl," he murmured in your ear, pulling lightly on your hair to press his mouth against your throat.

"Please fuck me. Please!"

You would have been embarrassed by the pleading otherwise, but right now, with him touching you in a way that made your body melt before him, you didn't care.

"Who would have thought? The little princess is a little whore...begging to be fucked by me," he murmured, stroking his fingers through your wet folds. Pressing his thumb on your clit, he murmured:

"Don't you think you should start by apologizing for making me work overtime tonight because of you?"

His eyes gleamed like those of a predator on the prowl. His jaw twitched and you would have done anything at that moment. He enjoyed the fact that the tough, untouchable girl looked pleadingly small with her big eyes, almost tearing up under his touch.

Quickly you nodded, gasping as he put more pressure directly on your clit and that's when he slid his index and middle fingers into your mouth. Greedily you sucked on it, circling it with your tongue as you would suck his dick and he grumbled:

"Fuck... You're way too sexy for your age."

Satisfied, you took his fingers all the way down your throat and bobbed your head until his pants were so tight it hurt.

"On your knees, princess!" he commanded, just as he commanded his employees, but with a hint of softness in his voice that immediately made you sink to the ground.

The sight made him tense as you knelt on your knees before him, tits out, lips plush and red, eyes sparkling with arousal.

He opened his pants, pushed them down along with his boxers, and sighed in relief when his hard dick finally sprung free.

You got wide-eyed, trembling at the size and doubting you could take it.

He took it in his hand, stroked himself a few times before saying with a slight grin:

"Suck my dick and maybe I'll consider fucking you senseless."

You put a hand around his base and first licked the bit of precum off his tip before licking the length of his massive dick once. He watched stunned as you wrapped your lips around his tip and began to move your head evenly. Each time you took him deeper until you were quietly gagging. The warmth and wetness of your mouth made him gasp and he buried one hand in your hair. The other landed on the hood with a loud clap as he guided your head to thrust deep into your throat. You couldn't breathe, his length teasing the back of your throat. Tears welled up in your eyes as his speed increased and he thrust ruthlessly into your mouth. The little sinful noises you made, the choking, the whimpering only turned him on more until he fucked your mouth roughly, hand tugging your hair and he gasped deeply breathless.

"So good for me... Taking my cock like a slut. Fuck," he murmured, and you pressed your thighs together to soothe the moist heat a bit.

Your throat ached, as did your knees from the gravel floor, and yet there was this insatiable arousal. His curses became throatier and heavier as he was about to cum. He thrust deep into your throat a few more times until your nose bumped against the soft fuzz on his lower belly and you gagged with narrowed eyes.

Then he came and his hot cum shot into your mouth, leaving you gasping and struggling for breath as you swallowed it all.

He pulled his still rock hard dick out of your mouth with a plop and the corners of his mouth twitched as saliva and his cum made your lips glisten.

With his thumb he brushed away a few remnants and hummed animatedly as you licked them from his finger.

He offered you a hand and helped you back to your feet, where he gently brushed the sweaty hair from your forehead and removed the smeared makeup from under your eyes with his hands. The sudden caring was a strange contrast after he had just abused your face so violently.

But the heat between your legs was by now so unbearable that you whimpered softly.

He noticed how you rubbed your legs together, smiled knowingly and kissed your lips lovingly.

"For sucking my cock that well, you should be rewarded..."

Happily, you pressed against him and nodded.

"Do you want to be rewarded, baby girl?" he asked, running his thumb over your nipple.

"Yes, Daddy."

The words came over your lips without you knowing how he would react. Surprised, he raised his eyebrows and with satisfaction you felt his dick twitching uneasily against your belly. He liked the nickname.

"Don't worry, Daddy will take care of your pretty little pussy," he growled and everything inside you cried out in anticipation.

That's when he spun you around, pressing you fast and hard onto the hood so that your hands banged loudly on it. Until your butt was raised and he pushed your legs apart with one foot so he had a better view of the wet spot between them.

"You think you can take my big cock? Have you ever had one this big?" he asked, hungry and full of desire as he pulled your panties down until he finally had a view of your shiny hole. Rattling your breath, you propped yourself up on the car and shook your head.

"Never. Never been fucked by such a big cock."

He nodded slowly, stroking his fingers through your folds, gathering your wetness until you gasped desperately. Then, without warning, he pushed two fingers into you from behind, began pumping them inside you, curling them so they hit your sweet spot each time. Gasping, you tried to see straight, but his long fingers were too good, too deep, for you to even think clearly.

"Fuck you're tight. I think I might be gonna break you..." he murmured, but sounded like he was looking forward to it.

You couldn't take it any longer, reaching your hips out for him to finally fill you up. You needed his dick as the air to breathe, which is why you breathlessly said:

"Please break me, Daddy! Ruin me! Have it your way."

He laughed softly, pumping his fingers inside you a few more times until you rolled your eyes with a moan. Then he put his tip to your entrance, teasing you by running it through your lips, and murmured:

"If that's what the princess wants, I can hardly refuse her wish."

Your head went blank as he sunk into you. Your body cracked in half and your eyes rolled to the back of your head as he stretched you, painfully widening your walls while groaning loudly.

Your knees went weak, but he held you so tightly at the waist that you couldn't fall.

As he slowly pulled out again, and slammed into you again tears welled up in your eyes, and from your throat only ticked off sounds escaped you.

"You're crushing me.... Fuck..." he gasped, throbbing deep inside you.

"So... so big..." you moaned, and as he began thrusting fast inside you, the curses and words became an incomprehensible high-pitched mixture of sounds. Soon the pain mixed with pleasure and the night air was filled with the slap of his hips against your ass and the wet sound of your aching cunt coupled with your naughty noises and his muffled moans. Your cunt swallowed his length deeper and he never wanted to sink into another pussy again. Yours was made for him. Your body arched under him, your breasts pressed tightly against the hood of his car and his fingers so tight on your hips that imprints would be left by his hands. He thrust into you faster, harder, enjoying how your walls welcomed him and you crumbled beneath him.

Curses escaped him as you moaned his name like a mantra between the pornographic noises.

The coil in your belly ruptured with a loud pop and a wave of white pleasure swept you along. Your orgasm rolled over you like a tsunami wave, leaving you world fading and your body trembling.

Jang-Do cursed between clenched teeth as you nearly crushed him and after a few deep thrusts that made you see stars he came inside you too.

He extended his climax by thrusting sloppy into your sore pussy a few more times and then pulled his dick out of you. Strings of his white hot load pulled out of your cunt as it ran down your thigh and you remained motionless on the hood. Fucked out and cockdrunk. Your thoughts only returned in shreds. Control of your body only much later. You heard him zipping your pants and looking at his handiwork.

"So pretty... Filled up with my cum," he murmured, catching what leaked out of you with his fingers to push it back into your hole.

You moaned and your fingernails clawed into the hood as he finger fucked his cum back into your cunt.

"We don't want to waste anything," he murmured, then helped you put on your panties and dress.

You still couldn't say anything, your head was buzzing too much and your body was completely wrecked. He helped you into the car. This time into the passenger seat and only when he sat next to you, slipping the key into the ignition, did you look at him. Your makeup was ruined, as was your hair, but Jang-Do could never look away. He had never seen anything more beautiful than your swollen lips, your tear stained cheeks, and the feathery expression from the orgasm that reverberated across your face.

"My dad will kill you if he finds out."

Your voice still sounded brittle, your throat felt sore.

He let the engine rev and pulled back onto the road.

"Then I hope he won't find out. But that's your decision."

His gaze was on the road, his handsome mouth contorted contentedly into a smirk. He placed his fate in your hands, just as you had revealed your soul and body to him. In doing so, he proved that he did not take it lightly. It had meaning. And he would pay with his life if it depended on it.

You nodded slowly and leaned back in your seat. The streets were empty so late and your eyelids grew heavy.

The silence was comfortable and you reached for his hand that lay loosely between you. Surprised, he gave you a quick glance as you placed it on your thigh, but then he closed his fingers around your soft flesh.

He accompanied you to your front door and gave you a curt nod before turning to leave, but you held him back by the arm. Questioning, he turned back to you and saw you smiling warmly.

With your hands firmly on his chest, you kissed him. It was more the promise of a kiss. Your soft lips feather light on his, barely a second before you pulled back and opened the door. Before you could disappear inside, your eyes met and your cheeks grew hot again.

"See you tomorrow," he said goodbye, memorizing every detail once more before the door would slam shut.

The line of your shoulders, the shape of your cupids bows, the shape of your legs under the hem of your dress.

Tomorrow you would meet again and today would never have happened. This was important to both of your survival and yet it didn't feel final.

"See you tomorrow," you murmured. Your voice sweet as caramel. He nodded curtly, turned, and before he could walk the long stone path to the mansion's exit, you stopped him once more:

"Jang-Do?"

He turned to you again, as he had so many times before.

"Huh?"

You leaned your temple against the door and said:

"Turn your cell phone on loud tomorrow night. You might have to work overtime again."

The corners of his mouth lifted slowly and he walked backward a few steps, a knowing gleam in his eye. Respectfully, he tilted his head and you thought you could really get used to the sincere smile.

"Understood."

You waited until he was out of sight and the engine of his car died away somewhere in the distance. Then you pulled the door shut, freezing as you felt the cool tiles beneath the soles of your feet.

A giggle escaped you in the darkness of the hallway as you realized you had left your shoes in Jang-Do's trunk.

#bloodhounds #bloodhounds smut #bloodhounds fanfic #fanfic #fanfiction #im jang do #jang do #smut #fluff #bodyguard x reader #x y/n #Im Jang Do x reader #kdrama #bloodhoundskdrama

173 notes · View notes

reina-royale · 1 year

Text

Ron Deserved Better

Ron deserved better, from a narrative standpoint. Ron was capable of being more than just Kim's sidekick, and it would've been great to have that emphasized more.

In "Tick-Tick-Tick" Ron is the one who comes up with the idea of using hot sauce to short out the tick and a straw to remove it.

In "Bueno Nacho" Ron figures out how to work the laser after messing around with it for less than a minute.

In "Attack of The Killer Bebes" Ron is the one who made the connection that Kim's dad was the next target, came up with the plan to protect him and find out who was behind it all, and made an extremely convincing disguise in less than a day.

(I know Kim wasn't aware of any of this because she wasn't around, but Kim walking off the mission because she was mad isn't a good look for a hero. However, that's not the point of this post.)

In "Sink or Swim" Ron displays stealth, cunning, quick-thinking, improvisation, resourcefulness, and bravery. Even Kim acknowledges this, but only this one time.

In "Animal Attraction" Ron figures out that getting Rufus to eat corn dogs would make him heavy enough to press the button to release them. Simple? Yes. Effective? Also, yes. And most importantly, a plan that Kim had failed to come up with on her own.

In "Royal Pain" Ron manages to use a mini golf prop to stop a bad guy, aimed in such a way that Prince Wally, who was being held in the bad guy's grip at the time, wasn't harmed.

In "The Twin Factor" Ron manages to not just evade Kim and Shego, but trick Shego into undoing his bindings and lasts against them long enough for Jim and Tim to finish their silicon-phase disruptor.

In "Job Unfair" Ron used sneezing powder on Drakken, which managed to take both Drakken and Shego out of the fight. Simple, effective, and clever.

In "Naked Genius" Ron's mangler was actually a fairly decent weapon, especially considering he was just throwing random things together. And his idea to use it against all the armor was brilliant.

In "The Fearless Ferret" Ron actually makes a decent hero at the end, despite the fact that his mentor was a delusional man.

In "Exchange" Ron manages to kick a tree, that then splits cleanly and falls over. That is not a normal amount of strength. He also manages to make his clothes disappear during Bo practice, which, though embarrassing, is also a bit of an impressive feat.

In "Hidden Talent" it's stated that Ron proved quantity was better than quality, but Ron was actually good at half of the acts he performed; tap dancing, ventriloquism, and water glasses.

In "Return to Wannaweep" Ron figures out how to use his new beaver-like mutation and his surroundings to defeat Gil, and figures it pretty quickly.

In "Partners" Ron and Monique manage to build a donut-launching system relatively quickly, and it proves extremely useful in distracting a mutant dinosaur.

In "Oh Boyz" Ron manages to help the Oh Boyz escape by having them use their dance moves to throw off the motion-detecting lasers. He also taught himself their dance moves just by watching them.

In "Triple S" Ron actually did a decent job of staying on the tray and holding the umbrella. I'm not surprised people thought it was a new sport; an average person doing that on accident wouldn't have been able to stay on it at all.

In "Bad Boy" Ron builds dangerous and powerful devices, and has the foresight to track the Kimmunicator's frequency. And the only thing he switched with Drakken was morality, not intelligence. Thus, it's reasonable to assume that Ron is extremely intelligent, he's just not trying.

In "Overdue" Ron goes on several missions alone to retrieve a library book.

In "Stop Team Go" even Shego acknowledges that Ron turning evil again is very bad. And he sends a bunch of Wegos flying through the air immediately afterwards.

And, of course, Ron's powers come into full bloom in "Graduation".

TLDR: Ron was capable of being more than a sidekick, a solo hero in his own right, and it would've been nice if the narrative hadn't treated him as Kim's inept and clumsy sidekick, even when he's being amazing.

Bonus: In defense of his clumsiness, and less than stellar grades, Ron mentions in "The Fearless Ferret" that he has "a slight stigmatism" but that his doctor says he shouldn't need corrective lenses. As someone who needed glasses at Ron's age, and someone who had astigmatism, I can say this; Ron's astigmatism may not be bad enough that he is legally classified as visually impaired, but even with slight astigmatism, it can still make things blurrier than they should be and mess up his ability to see detail, read, and screw with his depth perception.

In other words, Ron isn't horribly clumsy or stupid, he just can't see.

#ron stoppable #kim possible #meta #character analysis

22 notes · View notes

lady-of-imladris · 1 year

Text

CHAPTER 2 - MAYBE IT WAS HER

Synopsis: Anarríma fulfils the promise she made. Thranduil gets to know her. Elrond is done with them, tired, and wants to go home. Same dude.

Word count: 3.8k

Pairings Thranduil/OC

Warnings: wounds, alcohol consumption, swearing

Link to the chapter overview

And maybe it was ego swinging Maybe it was her Flashes of the battle come back to me in a blur - The Great War (Taylor Swift)

Anarríma awoke feeling well rested, with minimal pain in her thigh. She had not slept so well in at least twelve years. A soft blanket covered her and she was curled up against something nice and warm. No, not something, she realized, slightly horrified, someone. Thranduil was sleeping next to her. One of his arms was wrapped around her, holding her close and her head was pressed against his chest. Untangling herself from him without waking him up would be impossible. Her mind was racing, trying to come up with the least embarrassing solution.

“It has healed well”, he stated, “I would like to clean it properly and wrap it up again. Thranduil please have your guards fetch some hot water and something to eat for the lady.” Thranduil briefly considered reprimanding Elrond for reducing him to an errand boy, but he reconsidered. Elrond was taking care of the lady, and in addition to that, if the rumors were true and Gil-Galad had indeed been slain, Elrond was the rightful high king of the Noldor now. A sparkling blue gem on Elrond’s finger confirmed his suspicions. Vilya, Gil-Galad’s ring. “I am sorry”, Thranduil said softly, “He was a good king.”

The tent flap being thrown back caused Thranduil to wake up and immediately jump to his feet. Problem solved. “What happened?”, he asked the ellon who had come in, before quickly realizing that it was Elrond. “I came to check on you two, but I can come back later if now is a bad time.” For Manwë’s sake, Elrond was never going to let this go. “The lady was cold”, Thranduil stated plainly, “she has lost a lot of blood.”

Elrond knelt down next to the bedroll, where she was still sitting, covered with Thranduil’s cloak. “Suilad Anarríma, how are you feeling today?”, he asked. “I feel fine. Whatever you gave me yesterday worked.” “That is very good to hear, I was really worried about you when Thranduil’s guards told me you were injured. May I take a look?” She pushed Thranduil’s cloak off and presented her leg to Elrond, who carefully removed the bandages.

Anarríma tried to ignore the tears in Elrond’s eyes. “Do you think I will be able to dance at the celebration tonight?”, she asked hesitantly. She had a feeling that it would be bad luck to break her promise to Thranduil, even if it was not within her power. Elrond applied pressure to multiple points of her thigh, watching her closely for any reaction. “Try standing up, then we will see.” He offered her his arm and pulled her to her feet. She took a couple slow steps before turning around to look at Elrond, grinning from ear to ear as she found it to be almost painless. Elrond smiled softly. “No crazy jumping around, but otherwise I declare you free to dance.”

Thranduil returned with warm water, some bread, cheese, fruits, vegetables and wine. How he had procured all of that remained a mystery to Anarríma. They ate together in silence. The abrupt end of the war, the losses of the last twelve years. All of it was beginning to sink in.

“Do you have something suitable to wear for tonight?”, Thranduil asked suddenly, making Anarríma’s eyes go wide. “I didn’t really think of that, to be honest. I would have to go check.” “That will not be necessary”, Thranduil replied, “I will have one of my guards bring your things here.” Here? Was she supposed to move in with him? Thranduil caught himself quickly. “It would take too much time and energy for you to go look for your things. You should clean up and rest a while before tonight’s festivities, or you will not be able to keep your promise.”

“While we are on the topic of getting cleaned up”, Elrond interjected, “I would like to properly clean and bandage your leg now, mellon nin, and I need you to take off your pants for that.” The elleth nodded and found herself looking over at Thranduil. He seemed flustered all of a sudden. “I shall go and bathe in the river”, he choked out before quickly grabbing some spare clothes and a towel and rushing out of his tent. Elrond had to suppress his laughter. The suggestion of Anarríma taking her pants off making Thranduil feel the urge to submerge himself in the cold waters of the Anduin humored him. Was it possible that Thranduil Oropherion, famously known for having the emotions of a rock, had a crush?

Elrond gave her time to undress and wash, before helping her onto the table. “So how did you meet Thranduil?”, Elrond asked. She winced as he began massaging a salve into her thigh. “During that final battle just yesterday. We were surrounded by orcs, I did not know who he was. But his presence was somehow comforting to me.” She put her hand upon Elrond’s and he stopped and looked at her. “Elrond, I thought that I would die out there. That we would all die out there.” Tears began to run down her face and the Lord of Rivendell rested his forehead against hers. “We survived, mellon nin. We get to go home”, he spoke softly and began to carefully wrap a fresh bandage around her thigh. She slid off the table when he was done and pressed his hand firmly. “I am sure Brí will be overjoyed to see you again.”

Elrond and Anarríma regaled Thranduil with the tale of how she met Celebrían, when they were still elflings. How they had learned to read and write together, how to ride horses. She told Thranduil of the day the Lord Celeborn had taken them into the forest and shown them to use a sword, and of the day the lady of Loríen, Galadriel herself, had taught them the art of making lembas. Anarríma’s parents had both died during the fall of Gondolin, and she had been raised by many of the elves that dwelt in Lothlorien.

Celebrían. Words could not express how much Elrond missed his wife. She had stayed in Rivendell and took care of everything, while her husband and her best friend Anarríma went off to war likely never to return. Soon they would reunite. The thought made him smile.

Anarríma put her pants back on. “I do not think there will be a scar”, Elrond remarked, and he added towards the closed tent flap “You can come back in again Thranduil. The lady is decent.” Outside, Thranduil considered for a moment if he should wait and pretend Elrond was wrong, but ultimately decided against it. He had questions. The tent flap was thrown back and a soaking wet king Thranduil walked in and poured himself a cup of wine. “So”, he began, trying to cover up the awkwardness of his return, “I never asked. How do you two know each other?”

Elrond took over to tell Thranduil how he met Celebrían, and Anarríma added the details Celebrían told her later, of her first date with the Lord of Rivendell. “Ana threatened me when we first met.” Elrond chuckled at the memory of that night, so many ages ago. “Oh?”, Thranduil arched an eyebrow, “What did you do?” Anarríma blushed as Thranduil looked over at her. “I told him if he hurt her I would cut off his manhood.” Thranduil laughed heartily. Elrond frowned. “It would have been funnier if Celeborn and Galadriel hadn’t said the same thing to me.”

They spent another hour just chatting and drinking. Anarríma watched Thranduil with great interest. She had barely had the time to notice how handsome the king was. Of course, she had heard the stories of the mighty king Thranduil Oropherion, and she had felt his strong muscular body when he carried her back to his tent yesterday, her face buried in his neck, trying desperately not to fall unconscious. But now she could finally look at his face. He had beautiful lips, an elegant nose, dark eyebrows, and the most beautiful blue eyes she had ever seen. All the stories about him were wrong. He was not attractive. He was devastatingly beautiful, and a voice inside her seemed to tell her that he would be her doom.

One of Thranduil’s guards announced himself and brought a lavender-colored dress for her. It was not her favorite, but by far the most beautiful dress she had brought along. Elrond excused himself. He needed to get dressed for the feast as well and promised to meet them there. Thranduil pretended to look for something suitable to wear for a considerable time while Anarríma got dressed. She cleared her throat and walked over to him. “You don’t happen to have a hairbrush, hir nin?”, she asked hesitantly.

Thranduil turned around to look at her, and he forgot how to breathe for a moment. The dress his guard had brought for her fit her incredibly well the long flowy sleeves almost reached the ground and the bodice was decorated with countless pearls and embroidery that shimmered gold. But what really caught his attention was what was not covered. The dress had a deep cleavage and revealed much of her beautiful body to him. He found himself wanting to rip the dress off of her and explore her body with his hands and tongue, wondering about how she would taste. The sounds she would make for him as discovered every curve.

“Do you or do you not?”, Anarríma asked again, confused. Was the king staring at her tits? Surely he would never do such a thing. But then again, she had been staring at his ass for the last five minutes, so she would not judge him. Thranduil’s eyes jumped up at the sound of her voice. “Man?” he inquired. “I need to brush my hair, do you have a brush I can borrow?”, she repeated her question. The king nodded and handed her his hairbrush and a mirror.

He watched for a moment as she gently brushed her already flawless hair. “Aran nin”, a guard called from outside, “They are waiting for you.” He quickly returned to the task of getting dressed and exchanged his simple tunic for a more elegant one. Thranduil hesitated for a moment before donning his tiara. Tonight called for extravagance, he decided. Anarríma glanced at his naked back from the corner of her eyes. The king was in incredible shape and she wished that he would turn around and let her see the rest of him.

Thranduil turned around when he was fully dressed. “How do I look?”, he asked the elleth, who returned the brush and mirror to him with a smile. “Very…”, she hesitated a moment, trying to find the words to describe how stunning he looked without revealing how she felt about him. “Kingly”, was the word she decided on. Thranduil was confused. Was that a good thing or did he look too formal? “I like it”, she hastily added, upon noticing that he did not seem satisfied with her answer.

Smiling, he offered her his arm and she took it. He stopped before exiting his tent. “I must warn you before we do this. I am the king and that means people will talk about us.” Us. The full meaning of his words hit her and she hesitated. “Let them talk”, she said confidently and let him lead her out into the night, toward the feast.

They could hear the music from afar, and the first thing Thranduil did upon arriving was grab Anarríma by the waist and spin her around. “I know we agreed on all night”, Thranduil said, “but if it becomes too much for your leg, you must tell me.” Anarríma just laughed and continued to dance. She had always loved to dance, but the last decades have not allowed for such cheer. Thranduil kept her close to his body at all times, pulling her close by her waist, or holding her hands. He had forgotten about the official part until Elrond pulled the two of them off the dance floor and towards one of the large tables in the area.

The music stopped as Thranduil raised his hand, and everyone’s attention was on him at once. As the last elven king in Arda, now that Gil-Galad had been slain, the official part fell to him. “Ellyn, Ellith, Men, and everyone else”, he began his speech. “We won!” Elrond rolled his eyes. He had lectured Thranduil over and over again on how important it was that he upheld the necessary decorum, but the king of the greenwood did not seem to care. In spite of Thranduil’s shitty opening, or maybe because of it, the crowd cheered and laughed, until Thranduil raised his hand again.

Thranduil and Anarríma spent hours dancing, their bodies pressed tightly together, forgetting about almost everything and everyone around them. “Elrond is looking a little lonely over there”, she had pulled Thranduil down to whisper into his ear. Thranduil took her hand in his and led her over to Elrond. “Mellon nin!”, he exclaimed, “Ana and I were about to play a drinking game, do you wish to participate?” Elrond weighed his options for a moment. He had considered taking a horse and riding back home to Celebrían this very night. On the other hand, he was tired and lonely and miserable. Drinking with a Sindar ellon and an elleth raised by his father in law? What could possibly go wrong?

“Our victory was hard won. Many of the eldar have gone to the halls of Mandos, and many mortals have perished. May they rest in peace, knowing that their deaths were not in vain.” Thranduil raised a cup of wine and exclaimed “Aiya nacil gorthrim!” [Hail the victorious dead]

Everyone raised their cups and drank. Elrond made a mental note to write Thranduil a proper speech for his coronation. Maybe even some wedding vows while he was at it. Elrond glanced over at Thranduil and Ana, laughing and drinking and dancing. He wished that they could be happy together, but his foresight had shown him how it would end. In tragedy.

Thranduil grabbed an empty bottle of wine, shoved two full bottles into Elrond’s hands and led them back to his tent. They sat down on Thranduil’s gigantic mattress. One of Thranduil’s servants must have changed the sheets, since they were no longer bloodstained. Anarríma wondered if he was even aware of his privilege. “I will explain the rules”, Thranduil announced. “We take turns spinning this bottle…”, he laid the empty bottle down between them and spun it. It landed on Elrond. “…and now I get to ask you a question or make you do something. You get to decide which you would prefer. You take a sip each round, and if you refuse to answer a question or fail to fulfil a task, you must finish your drink.”

Elrond almost laughed out loud. Thranduil’s explanation of the drinking game had been more coherent than any speech he had ever given. “Truth or dare?”, Thranduil asked, looking expectantly at Elrond. “Truth”, Elrond replied and sipped on his drink. “When you reunite with your wife”, Thranduil began, pointedly drawing out the word reunite, “how long do you think it will be until you have an elfling?” Elrond blushed. Thranduil had never been one to dance around things, not even in the company of a lady. Yet, Elrond had expected his question to be even more inappropriate. “We have not discussed it yet”, he simply stated.

They continued the game for several rounds. Elrond had dared Thranduil to take his shirt off, Thranduil asked Elrond about what he thought of his speeches, which the lord of Rivendell answered by finishing his drink. “My turn, last round”, Elrond exclaimed and spun the bottle. It landed on Anarríma. She chose dare. “Kiss Thranduil. On the lips.” Ana and Thranduil both stared at Elrond in shock. “Oh don’t act so surprised, you have been quite literally dancing around it all night!”, the lord of Rivendell exclaimed and threw his hands up in defeat.

Ana took a sip of wine and hesitantly looked over at Thranduil. “Are you okay with this?”, she asked. The king nodded, silently thanking Elrond. She moved closer to him and steadied herself by putting one hand on his chest. Thranduil gently grabbed the back of her neck and brought her in closer. She could feel his breath on her skin. Anarríma closed the distance between them and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. Thranduil did not let her go, but returned the kiss, deepening it. It tasted of wine and bad decisions and the sweetness of their victory.

They broke apart after what seemed like an eternity, but still much too short, when they heard Elrond clearing his throat. “I said kiss, not make me watch the two of you make an elfling.” Anarríma blushed and moved away from Thranduil. A sharp stabbing pain in her thigh made her wince. Elrond caught it immediately. “A cramp, most likely”, he said, “it is common during the healing process. You should rest.” Ana moved to stand, but her leg would not obey, causing her to fall down again. Thranduil caught her and laid her down gently. “Why on Arda would you try to stand up in your condition?”, Elrond asked, bewildered. The elleth groaned in pain. “I have to get back to my tent.” “Don’t be ridiculous”, Thranduil exclaimed, his hands still on her body, “You are staying here with me tonight.”

“Your majesty, I couldn’t possibly impose on you for another night.” Elrond quietly excused himself and retired. The tension between the two was so evident that he was certain every being in all of Arda could sense it. Except, apparently, the two of them. “I have told you already, please call me by my name. You could never be an imposition, my lady, and it was not an invitation for you to stay with me, it was an order.” Ana looked up at him and for a moment, Thranduil could swear she was afraid of him. “Please, my lady, I mean well. I would not have you be alone this night. Not when you are in pain and there are drunk men and ellyn all over the camp.”

She considered his words for a moment. “And you are not a drunk ellon?”, she asked, half in jest. Thranduil felt wounded by her words. Were they not friends? Did she not trust him? “My lady, I would never-” “I know”, she interrupted him, “but please stop calling me my lady, I am clearly not a lady.” Thranduil nodded. “And there is one more thing”, she added after a moment, “You need to help me out of this dress, I can not sleep like this.” Thranduil swallowed. The cold waters of the Anduin could not help him this time. He stared at her for a moment, but ultimately nodded.

Anarríma felt Thranduil’s hot breath on her neck as he knelt down behind her, his fingers moving to undo the laces of her dress. His hands were shaking as he pulled the ribbon through the final loop, fully exposing the smooth skin of her back to him. At that moment, Thranduil felt as though he was in a dream. He could not stop himself from dragging one of his fingers slowly down her spine. She shivered at his touch and he withdrew his hands, hesitating for a moment before pushing the fabric off her shoulders, making the entire bodice come loose. Anarríma slipped her hands out of the sleeves and was mortified upon realizing that she had nothing she could change into.

“Lift your arms up for me”, Thranduil commanded, his voice still a bit shaky. She obeyed and felt an incredibly soft material drape around her upper body. Thranduil had dressed her in the shirt he had discarded earlier. It smelled like him. Thranduil got up and moved to lie down beside her. She took it as a sign to lay back as well. Holding eye contact with Thranduil, she lifted her hips and took off the dress completely, setting it down on the ground beside her. Thranduil could not tear his eyes away from her. She had to be the most beautiful being Ilúvatar had ever created. Seeing her, so close to him, dressed in nothing but his shirt, he realized that he was doomed. She had to be his.

“I leave for Lasgalen tomorrow”, he found himself saying, “I want you to come with me.” Anarríma rolled over to face him. “Why?”, she asked, her voice merely a quiet whisper, almost inaudible. Thranduil gathered all his courage and took her hand in his. “Because I want your face to be the first thing I see in the morning and the last before I fall asleep. I want to be the one who gets to hold you all night long. I want you to be at my side for the rest of forever, as my queen. I want you to be mine.”

Ana looked away from the king and at their interlocked hands. He was softly stroking the back of her hand with his thumb. She wondered what this would mean for her life. If she returned to his kingdom with him, she could not go back to Loríen or Rivendell. Instead of simply being a lady at either of these courts, she would be a queen. Thranduil’s queen. He sensed her hesitation and gently tilted her chin up until she looked into his eyes once more. “I will court you properly, of course, and you will be taught what would be expected of a queen, so you have nothing to fear. Not a day will pass where I will not tell you how much I love you, because I do. I do love you and now that I have you here, I cannot ever be without you again, Ana.”

Ana removed her hand from his grasp and Thranduil thought that this was it. Instead of pulling away, she reached up to caress his cheek, wiping away a tear that had escaped his eye. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I will go with you. I will be yours.” Thranduil smiled happily and put his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him. “My queen”, he whispered and kissed her softly. Ana smiled and tangled her hand in his hair. “My king”, she whispered and returned his kiss, increasing the intensity.

That night, Thranduil slept better than ever before in recent decades. His lady was resting her head against his naked chest, clinging to him as if her life depended on it. Thranduil’s arms were holding her close, as if he were preventing her from escaping his grasp. His chin was resting on top of her head and their legs were tangled together. Thranduil Oropherion was in love. He had finally found his queen, and he would never let her go.

And so it was doomed.

Please consider reblogging and leaving a comment <3

Well I finally got around to finishing this chapter today :). Did I make 3 adult elves play spin the bottle. Yes. Did I also totally change up the timelines? Yes.

For the Tolkien Nerds: The Fall of Gondolin is roughly during the middle of the first age and Celebrían is born in SA 300. Loríen does not yet exist at that time. It doesn't matter. If Tolkien ignores his own canon, so can I.

I promise they will fuck by chapter 4.

Taglist: @fenharel-enaste, @queenmeriadoc , @starlady66, @vellichormybeloved, @spnbandwagon1019, @somebirdortheother, @nevermcre

You can join my taglist for this fic here <3

#lady-of-imladris fics #fanfiction #lotr fanfiction #lord of the rings fanfiction #the hobbit fanfiction #thranduil fanfiction #thranduil

24 notes · View notes

cartoonfanaticmonsterrobotalien · 8 months

Text

Solar Opposites: Mighty Solars Scene: Lili’s Birth

Korvo crying out as he goes into labor while Firewall pulls the spike Lava Master threw at him.

Terry/Mighton: Korvo?! What’s wrong?!

Korvo/Quasarblast: Terry… I’M GOING INTO LABOR!

Terry/Mighton: What?! Now?! Shit! We gotta get you to the hospital!

Korvo/Quasarblast: AAAAAAH! THERE’S NO TIME! SHE’S COMING NOW!

Jesse/Fung-irl: Terry, what’s happening?!

Nova/Heartstar: Wait. Where’s Yumyulack?!

Mark Melner/Laserblast: We’ll find him later! Right now; the baby is coming!

Jesse/Fung-irl: WHAT?! Terry, you gotta get Korvo to the hospital! Now!

Terry/Mighton: There’s no time! Blizzard, you’re a doctor right?!

Dr. Weatherstone/Blizzard: Yeah, I am!

Terry/Mighton: Get a blanket! Quick! Tsunami, get hot water!

Korvo/Quasarblast: FUUUUCK! I’M NOT GONNA MAKE IT! OH! I’M GONNA FUCKING DIE!

Mighton helps lay Quasarblast as he starts breathing in and out and holds onto his husband’s hand while Tsunami gets water and lets Firewall make it a bit hot.

Terry/Mighton: It’s gonna be okay, babe. Just breathe.

Quasarblast screams in pain. Quasarblast starts breathing in and out but starts crying because he is worried about Vil-Gil-An-T.

Korbo/Quasarblast: I can’t believe Yumyulack isn’t here to see his little sibling…

Quasarblast then breaks down crying because he now realize Vil-Gil-An-T is grave danger now while Dr. Weatherstone comes over with a blanket.

Dr. Weatherstone/Blizzard: I have blanket!

Quasarblast pushes as he cries in agony.

Korvo/Quasarblast: pushes TERRY! OUR SON! WE GOTTA FIND HIM BEFORE- breaks down crying as he continues pushing

Terry/Mighton: Find Yumyulack? What are you talking about?

Quasarblast breaks down crying.

Korvo/Quasarblast: crying My baby… my little sprout… it’s finally time Terry! He’s becoming a super Shlorpian crying

Quasarblast keeps pushing as he cries in agony. Mighton gasps.

Janiz/Ms. Quasar: It’s true… it’s Yumyulack’s time now… notices Quasarblast still pushing don’t worry bro! Keep pushing!

Korvo/Quasarblast: GOD! IT HURTS! IT FUCKING HURTS!!!

Dr. Weatherstone/Blizzard: You can do this Quasarblast! You’re almost there!

Korvo/Quasarblast: Shit! I can’t! I can’t! I…AAAAAAAAAH!

Then, a baby crying is heard.

Terry/Mighton: Holy shit. Is that what I think it is?

Janiz/Ms. Quasar: gasp in tears of joy It is…

Dr. Weatherstone/Blizzard: It’s a girl!

A baby Shlorpian and new Solar Opposites is born. A baby Shlorpian girl. Blizzard wraps the infant in the blanket as she hands it over to the two superhero alien husbands.

Korvo/Quasarblast: Oh my God…I did it…

The baby continues crying as Quasarblast shed tears of joy and starts soothing his newborn sproutling.

Korvo/Quasarblast: Sssh. Sssh. It’s okay. I’m your daddy.

The baby then calms down as she starts cooing and opens her eyes and sees her daddies for the first time.

Terry/Mighton: Hey, kiddo.

Korvo/Quasarblast: Hi Lili… it’s nice to meet you…

Terry/Mighton: Lili? Why that name?

Quasarblast smiles.

Korvo/Quasarblast: Because… she’s looks like a beautiful lily that has sprouted with hope.

Mighton smiles with tears in his eyes.

Terry/Mighton: Lili… what a beautiful name… notices Quasarblast crying because he is still worry about Vil-Gil-An-T Oh honey… why are you crying now…

Korvo/Quasarblast: Because…because…Yumyulack’s in danger. We have to help him…

Mighton puts a comforting hand on Quasarblast’s shoulder while Lili coos and falls asleep.

Terry/Mighton: Don’t worry. We’re gonna find him. I promise.

Quasarblast smiles and looks down at Lili. Quasarblast then weeps as he looks down at Lili, because it reminded him of holding Yumyulack as an infant for the first time. A flashback then plays of Korvo holding baby Yumyulack.

Baby Yumyulack: cooing

Past Korvo: Hey there.

Baby Yumyulack coos as he touches Korvo’s face.

Past Korvo: Oh. Aren’t you the sweetest little sprout, Yumyulack?

The flashback ends as Mighton wipes away his hubby’s tears.

Terry/Mighton: You really want to save him, huh?

Quasarblast weeps as he gently cradles Lili.

Korvo/Quasarblast: More than anything…

Lili coos which made Quasarblast smile in tears. Starburst then gets out a newborn sproutling hangar carrier and Quasarblast puts it on his stripper and gently puts Lili in there who babbles in her sleep. Mighton smiles.

#solar opposites #solar opposites au #tervo #the mighty solars #solar opposites mighty solars #solar opposites: mighty solars #Lili Solar opposites #korvo/quasarblast #terry/mighton #phoebe/starburst #jesse/fung irl #dr. weatherstone/blizzard #nova/heartstar #kevin’s wife/tsunami #jamie/firewall #janiz/ms. quasar #baby Yumyulack #yumyulack/vil gil an t #mark/laserblast

3 notes · View notes

taran-chan · 2 years

Note

So, about that spicy thenamesh prompt. Can you please do number 21? Thank you so much!

Here you go! Merry Christmas!

21. “Don’t hold back”

It’s Sersi who found the hotspring. She and Phastos spend half a day building it into a large pool not too far from the castle they’re staying in. The area is swept clean of Deviants so they can enjoy the spring without having to worry that something might snatch them.

But not every Eternals get to check out the steamy warm pool with a mountain view first thing in the morning. Gil has been helping the people building a secure wall around the town. By the time he reaches the spring, the moon is high up and his body is weary from carrying tons of stone up the mountain. He wanted to ask Thena to join him but Kingo said she’d retired to her chamber. He walks toward the edge of the pool and starts taking off his clothes. His brother and sister did a great job, as usual. The pool is beautiful, luxurious and private. Steam rises up from the water surface and there’s some kind of lighting system underwater that makes everything glow a magical blue.

He senses her before he sees her. It is just a feeling of presence that belongs solely to her. He knows she’s watching him. He lets her, dropping his last piece of cloth to the ground and steps further into the light. He sits down, dipping his feet into the hotspring and groans in relief.

“Mind if I join?” He asks.

Like a siren, she appears from under the water, floating closer to him. If his heart wasn’t hers already, this would be the moment she catches it. He leans forward and she pulls herself up to kiss him hello. He hisses when her dainty hand, warm from the hot water, gently wraps around his cock and coax him out. It doesn’t take much effort, he deepens their kiss, marveling at her soft skin, slippery and glistening under the moonlight.

She moves further in between his legs and before he gets a chance to react, she flats her tongue against his shaft. Her name escapes him like a prayer as she kisses his tip and starts massaging his balls.

“Thena, wait,” he croaks, putting a shaky hand on her shoulder, “You haven’t—”

“Shh. Let me make you feel good,” she touches a finger to his lips, her voice like a low lullaby, soft as silk. She keeps pumping him and watches his eyes close in bliss, “You deserve this.”

He forces himself open his eyes to see her plush lips sucks him in, and it takes all of his self-control not to thrust. He leans back a bit, his right hand removes her wet hair out of her face, his left grip the edge of the pool so hard his knuckles turn white and he feels the building material is crumbling under his palm while she takes him deeper and deeper, until he hits the back of her throat. By now, he’s a mess. His breathing ragged and his face is burning. Then, the Goddess of War, his ethereal, gorgeous Thena, hums around his cock, showing him just how much she enjoys this. It sends a vibration through him that makes his jaw slack and his hand automatically palms the back of her head.

And then, she moves back, reaches out to cup his cheeks between her hands, smirking when she notices his eyes cling to her breasts for a short moment.

“Gil,” she husks, “Don’t hold back.”

“Thena…” He only manages that far, but it’s enough for her.

She takes him in again, her head starts bobbing up and down, slowly increasing her pace. The part that she can’t take, she uses her hand, just as soft and hot and tight. His cock throbs and his moans mix with hers just as he thrust up more and more. He notices one of her hands has disappeared under water. The scent of sex fills the air and he lets out a deep groan when he realizes she’s touching herself.

“Yes, love, that’s it,” he gasps, “I’m going to make you come again, I promise.”

She whines again, louder this time to encourage him, and sucks him harder. His words turn incoherent, from terms of endearment to her name to curses and how good she feels. His thrusts turn jerky and with a howl, he comes hard into her throat, and the fact that his orgasm has triggered hers, with the way she’s jerking and shuddering beneath him, makes him come even more intense. Thena carefully licks him clean, then wipes her mouth. She puts her head on his thigh and lets out a contented sigh.

When his eyes clear, he slips into the water, welcoming her into his arms. She wraps her legs around his torso and he leans against the pool’s wall because his knees haven’t quite got their strength back yet.

She’s petting his hair, purring, “My Gil, my beautiful Gil.”

When he asks her to marry him again, she gives him a smile that can put all the wonders they created to shame, and says yes.

#thenamesh #thenamesh fanfic #thena x gilgamesh #gilgamesh x thena #eternals #thena #gilgamesh #his pleasure is hers and vice versa #period

15 notes · View notes

full-of-jams · 4 years

Text

Tangsuyuk Love

Pairing: Jungkook x Reader

Summary: College student Jungkook passes cute notes with a customer who always orders take-out tangsuyuk at his part-time job. Meanwhile he’s trying not to miserably fail his Math class, while hiding his ever-growing crush on you.

Genre: college au, f2l, fluff, smut, one shot, did I mention FLUFF?

Warnings: mild swearing, sexual content, hold your heart palpitations!

Word Count: 11.5k

A/N: I wanted to write something light and sweet before I continued with Good Riddance. It will be easy, she said. It will be fun, she said. It will be quick, she said. Ha. haha. ha. ha. Ignore my pain. Enjoy!

°°°°°°°

[09/04 18:34 PM] User: LatteIsHorse ---------------- ORDER [DELIVERY] 1 Tangsuyuk (large) 1 Jjamppong 2 Kimchi Mandu ---------------- Note: Without pineapple! Please make the jjamppong extra spicy, my boyfriend just broke up with me T-T

Golden Bang 7 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Seogyo-dong

Server: JK ------------------- TO GO

1 Tangsuyuk (large) -- 20,000 1 Jjamppong -- 5,000 2 Kimchi Mandu -- 6,000 1 Soju -- 0

Total: 31,000 -------------------- Thanks for ordering at Golden Bang! Have a golden day!

Note: Service! Nothing’s better than the fresh taste of soju to lighten a heavy heart :) Cheer up LatteIsHorse-Nim!

Paper Note: JK-nim, thanks for the soju. It sweetened my bitter night. This is Tokki, please give him a loving new home! TT-TT

Jungkook was fucking terrified of you. If it weren’t for the fact that he was close to failing Statistical Analysis, he would’ve considered faking a stomach flu and making a beeline straight out of the library.

“If you have a box containing 3 white, 4 red and 5 black balls what is the probability that you will draw a white ball on your first draw and a black ball on your second draw?” you asked again through gritted teeth.

You looked up at Jungkook and were met by an empty stare. Usually you enjoyed tutoring your fellow classmate. He was a smart and funny guy, maybe a bit awkward at times, but always trying his best. Today every little thing grated on your nerves. It took you every ounce of energy to get out of bed and look like a presentable human being this morning. You really didn’t want to sit here for another hour if the boy was just going to stare at you like a petrified statue. “It’s really not that difficult. You just have to apply conditional probability.”

Jungkook let out a frustrated huff and pulled at his hair, “I really don’t know, this doesn’t make any sense! Why do I even need this stuff for my major? Who cares if I pull out a white ball or a black ball first? It’s not like I’m planning on becoming Houdini!”

Sometimes you pitied him, but who on Earth had an irrational fear of Gauss distributions and probability?! They were beautiful, harmless, abstract concepts of life. Your sympathy was muffled by a thrumming headache. All the late-night crying already had you chugging water and slapping ice cubes on your face at breakfast. Right now you just wanted to go home, change into your pjs, order some tangsuyuk and binge watch Boys Over Flowers. The cringy acting and Go Jun Pyo’s luscious locks were the only things that made your miserable life feel a bit less pathetic at the moment. “Jungkook, we went over this last time. Just apply the damn formula,” you snapped.

“Why are you being so scary today?” he asked wide-eyed and apprehensive.

You took a deep breath, rubbed your temples and tried to calm your inner turmoil. It wasn’t his fault; you were just in a really shitty mood. “I’m sorry. It’s not my day today. Is it okay if we rain check? I promise I’ll make it up to you next week.”

Jungkook wasn’t used to seeing you this distraught. He wracked his brain on how to lift your spirit. “Hey, do you want to hear this math joke my friend Jin told me the other day? What do you call an angle that is adorable?”

The boy scrunched his nose adorably and waited for your response. He was really handsome, you noticed that back when you two first met. Back then you just didn’t have a reason to care. Back then you still had a boyfriend.

“I don’t know, tell me,” you answered.

“Acute angle!” he said with a timid smile.

Despite your foul mood you had to snort at his joke.

Jungkook’s smile grew wider. It wasn’t a full laugh, but at least your frown disappeared. He discovered early on that you had a soft spot for bad math puns.

Although he absolutely detested Statistical Analysis, he has come to enjoy your study sessions over the past couple of weeks. The TA of his class, Namjoon, was a close friend of Jungkook’s and a sunbae of yours. Once he discovered that his favorite dongsaeng was abysmal at reading a z-score table, he immediately referred him to you.

At first Jungkook was very reluctant to accept any help. He was a mechanical engineer for fuck’s sake! He calculated distributed load across uneven surfaces and directional derivatives all the time!

His inner protests died down during your first session when you unwittingly asked him if he was constipated while he tried to calculate the standard deviation. During your second session he noticed you liked to doodle small geometric and fractal comics on his work sheets whenever he was solving a problem.

‘What did the triangle say to the circle?’ ‘You’re pointless!’

By the time your third session rolled around he still hated statistics, but it was too late and he’d developed a hopeless crush on you. Your monologues about dead mathematicians and the beauty of an infinite series were oddly captivating. He didn’t think he’d ever met anyone who was so passionate and animated about anything in all his life.

“Is everything okay?” Jungkook asked carefully. You seemed tired and a bit wary. “I-I mean, you don’t have to tell me if you don’t feel like it. Sorry, it’s none of my business,” he immediately added.

You smiled at his flustered state. Jungkook’s heart stumbled when your smile turned sad and you said, “No not really, but I’m sure I’ll be fine sooner or later.”

[13/04 19:12 PM] User: LatteIsHorse ---------------- ORDER [DELIVERY]

1 Tangsuyuk (large) 1 Jjajangmyeon 1 Jjajangbap ---------------- Note: JK-nim! Omg your tangsuyuk is the best! I could drown in that sauce! How is Tokki doing?

Golden Bang 7 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Seogyo-dong

Server: JK ------------------- TO GO

1 Tangsuyuk (large) -- 20,000 1 Jjajangmyeon -- 4,500 1 Jjajangbap -- 5,500

Total: 30,000 -------------------- Thanks for ordering at Golden Bang! Have a golden day!

Note: LatteIsHorse-nim! Little Tokki is doing well and bravely guarding our store! Don’t drown, but here’s some extra sauce for you to enjoy. I asked for it to be without pineapple. Hwaiting!

“Yah! Why does it smell like rotten take-out in your bedroom?” Jisoo asked.

Scowling has become your new go-to expression. “Too soon. Just let me wallow in my self-pity and sorrow.”

If you didn’t know any better you would’ve thought your friend was playing ‘The Floor Is Lava’ considering how gingerly she walked across your room. Safely on the other side, she ripped open a window to let some much needed fresh air in.

“I think you’re going to be wallowing in mold and fungus instead,” Jisoo commented with disgust. “Wallow all you want, I’m here to support you, girl. But I can’t allow you to turn your place into a biohazard zone. Isn’t your sister bothered by this?”

“My sister doesn’t care; our rooms are off limits to each other. As long as we both keep the common area clean, she won’t complain,” you said.

Jisoo sat down on your bed and patted the empty spot next to her. She immediately retracted her hand. “Eww, is that tangsuyuk sauce on your sheets?” she asked, completely appalled.

You shrugged and thumped onto your bed.

“So what are your plans for tonight?” she asked, trying to suppress a shudder.

“It’s Monday night. What plans could I possibly have?”

“We’re in college! Weekdays, weekends, they’re all the same!” your friend exclaimed. She looked at your sprawled-out figure. “I told you from the very beginning he wasn’t good for you. I know it doesn’t feel like this right now, but you’re lucky he’s out of your life. I really can’t watch you torture yourself over a jerk like him. Let’s go out to Hongdae!”

“I can’t go out. I already have plans.”

“Didn’t you just say you didn’t have any plans?”

“I lied. I have a date.”

Jisoo paused for a second, unsure how to respond. “Really? With whom?”

“Gong Yoo. We promised to kiss each other on first snowfall,” you responded listlessly.

“Yah!” Jisoo yelled and smacked your butt.

“Oww! What was that for?” you cried in surprise, rubbing the tender spot.

“Re-watching Goblin is not a date! You scared me for a second,” Jisoo said.

“How is it not a date? I meet a hot oppa, multiple hot oppas, we have dinner together, I giggle and blush and at the end of the night I get kissed to sleep.” You sat up and gave your friend a weary look. “I really don’t want to go out right now, but also don’t want to be on my own. Can’t we just stay in and watch a drama?” you asked with the saddest face you could muster.

Jisoo wanted to argue, but she couldn’t resist your pout. “Fine. But first you change your bedsheets, I’m not gonna sit in moldy tangsuyuk sauce all night. And I get to choose the drama.”

“Call!”

[16/04 17:58 PM] User: LatteIsHorse ---------------- ORDER [DELIVERY]

1 Tangsuyuk (small) 1 Kimchi Kimbap 1 Beef Kimbap ---------------- Note: JK-nim thanks for the extra sauce! It was delicious. Are you a dipper or a pourer?

Golden Bang 7 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Seogyo-dong

Server: JK ------------------- TO GO

1 Tangsuyuk (small) -- 13,000 1 Kimchi Kimbap -- 2,500 1 Beef Kimbap -- 2,500 1 Soup -- 0

Total: 18,000 -------------------- Thanks for ordering at Golden Bang! Have a golden day!

Note: LatteIsHorse-nim! Personally, I’m a dipper, but I don’t discriminate! I added some broth as service for you. It’s chilly tonight. Don’t catch a cold!

Paper Note: JK-nim, let’s be friends? I’m also a dipper! Did you know that butterflies can’t fly when they’re cold? Here is one that I folded, sending back my warmest thoughts to you on this frosty spring night.

The first thing that caught your eye was Jungkook who was patiently waiting at the library entrance. Despite the steaming goods in his hands, his entire body was shivering. The temperature suddenly dropped last night, but he couldn’t be bothered to dig up his padded jacket when he left the house this morning.

Before you could even greet him, he shoved a hot milk tea towards you and mumbled, “Here, it’s cold today so I thought you could use something warm.”

You were surprised by this sweet gesture. “Thanks,” you reached for it and examined the drink in your hand, ”How did you know I like black milk tea?”

He ducked his head and mumbled something into himself.

“Sorry, what did you say?”

Jungkook lifted his head. His cheeks and nose were a lovely wash of pink from the cold. “You mentioned once that you’re an OG milk tea drinker, so I just guessed” he repeated again, louder. “I saw this bungeoppang cart on the way here. We can share them while studying?” he said, holding up a small paper bag.

Your heart warmed and for the first time in weeks your face split into big smile, “Sure, I love bungeoppang! We’re not allowed to eat inside the library. So how about we eat everything first before they get cold and then go in?”

The both of you took a seat on a bench. By now Jungkook definitely regretted being too lazy to find his jacket this morning, but he was determined not to let it show. He passed the bag full of bungeoppangs to you.

You happily reached for one of the fish-shaped pastries and started munching on it. Your face crinkled, steam came out of your mouth. Jungkook’s heart skipped as he watched you in fascination. Your cheeks were flushed. A sudden instinct to stroke your rosy skin overcame him. Instead he reached for a bungeoppang and took a careful bite. “Are you feeling better today?”

“A little bit,” you said between bites, “I’m really sorry about last time. I feel bad now. I ditched you and now you’re treating me to snacks.” You went on and stabbed your straw through your milk tea. “I should be the one treating you instead.”

“I like to treat you,” Jungkook said, mesmerized by the way your lips moved against the straw. He suddenly realized what he was doing and cleared his throat, “A happy teacher is a good teacher! You’re already spending your time tutoring me.”

A laugh slipped out of you, “Jungkook, you’re paying me for your lessons. But it’s okay, this bungeoppang and tea definitely hits the spot, so I’ll accept it with a grateful heart. What are you drinking?”

Jungkook looked down on his drink and gave it a shake, the black pearls swirled around buoyantly. “Banana milk tea, I prefer sweet drinks.”

You leaned back against the bench and looked up at the clear blue sky. “Sweet things are the best combat against the bitter taste of life,” you sighed. You closed your eyes and soaked in the crisp air. Jungkook felt your melancholy, he could warm your body, but he didn’t know how to warm your heart.

“Sorry that I’m bothering you with my personal stuff. It’s just that I had a really bad breakup recently. I shouldn’t let it affect our lessons,” you said with a wistful smile as you lifted your head again.

The boy next to you remained silent. You turned and saw a contemplative look on his face. “It’s alright, everyone can have a bad day,” he finally said, “You don’t have to pretend to be okay when you’re not. If you’re never angry or sad, you won’t know when you’re happy.”

His words stunned you. Has Jungkook always been this thoughtful? You turned away from his gaze and looked down at the pastry in your hand. “They’re rhombus shaped,” you muttered in an attempt of distraction and showed your bungeoppang to Jungkook. “The fish scales,” you added when he looked confused.

“Ah yeah, the scales. It’s actually erroneous since most of the bungeoppangs depict a ganoid scale structure when in fact carps have cycloid scales to allow for a greater flexibility,” Jungkook explained.

A blank look appeared on your face. Probably the same blank look he had whenever you tried to explain the Bayes’ theorem to him. He let out an awkward laugh, “We studied the mechanics of fish scale structures in Material Science. You can correlate the flexibility of a scaled surface depending on its underlying geometric structure and material. It’s pretty cool stuff.”

“I can’t believe you can geek out about the geometry of fish scales, but don’t know how to define your probability population,” you snorted in disbelief.

“Hey, when will I ever need to calculate the probability of two people with the same birthday in a room? I just have a hard time learning stuff I never have to apply,” he said defensively.

Then you suddenly had an idea. “Tell you what, how about this? If you pass your statistics final, I’ll treat you to the best Chinese take-out in town! You can order whatever you want!”

Jungkook didn’t want to dampen your excitement by telling you that his part-time job already allowed him to eat as much Chinese take-out as he wanted. “Okay, but don’t complain when you go broke. My record was five jjajangmyeon and two tangsuyuk in one sitting.”

You batted away his challenge. “First you have to pass your finals,” you teased.

“I’ll pass,” Jungkook said.

You smiled at his cute determination. “Then it’s a date.”

Jungkook beamed back at you. “It’s a date.”

[05/05 18:21 PM] User: LatteIsHorse ---------------- ORDER [DELIVERY]

1 Tangsuyuk (large) 2 Pork Mandu 1 Tteokkguk 1 Jjajangmyeon 1 Tteokkbokki ---------------- Note: No pineapple plz. JK-nim! Happy Children’s Day! For this special occasion I’ve decided to order all of my childhood favorites. Life is too short to eat bad food. I hope today you treat yourself to something delicious as well!

“Yah! JK! Your girlfriend placed an order again!” Yugyeom yelled across the store.

A mop of black hair peaked out from the back of the shop. “She’s not my girlfriend, she’s just a regular,” Jungkook yelled back.

“A regular you flirt with,” Yugyeom snickered, “I saw all the notes you left her in the system. ‘Don’t catch a cold!’, ‘Hwaiting!’ Don’t tell me that’s not your lame attempt at flirting.”

Suddenly an angry Yoongi stomped out of the kitchen. “Keep it down boys, we have guests here.”

Jungkook went up to the register and printed out the online order. “Hyung, can you make a large tangsuyuk without pineapple?”

“It’s a national holiday, there’s like two people here tonight,” Yugyeom muttered under his breath.

“What did you say, Yugyeom?”

“Nothing, hyung!”

Yoongi snatched the order out of Jungkook’s hand and gave both boys another irritated glance before he headed back into the kitchen.

“Hey JK,” Yugyeom said in a lower voice as he moved next to his friend, “aren’t you ever curious how LatteIsHorse is like? I mean, she must have some sense of humor judging by her username.”

“Sometimes. Don’t you ever wonder how our regulars are like? But it’s not like I’m ever gonna meet them or know it’s them when they come into the store,” Jungkook said with a shrug.

“You could though. Mingyu’s out on delivery, Eunwoo’s off so we have a free bike. The store is dead tonight. You could go deliver the order and have a look,” Yugyeom spurred him on.

Jungkook considered his friend’s suggestion. Every time he opened his locker a little origami bunny and butterfly stared back at him and brightened his day. It was true, he was curious how LatteIsHorse was like. “Okay I’ll go, but don’t pretend you’re doing me a favor. You just don’t want to do delivery tonight.”

A pretty girl in a Yonsei hoodie and shorts opened the door. She somehow looked familiar, but Jungkook couldn’t place from where. Maybe he met her on campus before.

“Delivery from Golden Bang,” Jungkook said, holding up his metal box.

“Ah great! I’m starving!” the girl said.

Jungkook started unloading the box and handed the dishes to the girl. Once he was done, he lingered awkwardly in the doorway. The girl gave him a curious look, clearly wondering why he wasn’t leaving. Jungkook gathered his courage and said, “I’m JK by the way.”

What followed was a beat of silence. Jungkook could feel his ears burn.

“Err, it’s nice to meet you, I guess? Is there anything else you need?” the girl asked after the painful pause. “Ah got it! Just a sec!” She ran into the apartment and came back with her wallet. “Here’s a tip, we’ll put the dishes back outside for pick up,” she said as she scrunched a bill into Jungkook’s hand, “Thanks for your hard work. Happy holiday!” And then she shut the door right into his face.

What just happened? Jungkook was stupefied. After an eternity he finally moved and mechanically pulled out his phone. He checked the delivery order on his app. LatteIsHorse – this was the address. She didn’t recognize him. Why was he so naive to believe that she would remember him? All he wanted in that moment was for the ground to open and swallow him up.

“Dinner’s here,” your sister said as you came out of the shower. “Did you order banana milk?”

“No? Why?” you joined her at the dinner table and started rummaging through the dishes. “Where’s the receipt?”

“I threw it in the trash,” she said. When she saw you opening up the trash can and fishing for it, she added, “Gross! What are you doing? Why do you need it?”

Golden Bang 7 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Seogyo-dong

Server: JK ------------------- TO GO

1 Tangsuyuk (large) -- 20,000 2 Pork Mandu -- 6,000 1 Tteokkguk -- 4,500 1 Jjajangmyeon -- 4,500 1 Tteokkbokki -- 3,000

Total: 38,000 -------------------- Thanks for ordering at Golden Bang! Have a golden day!

Note: LatteIsHorse-nim! Happy Children’s Day to you too! I added my favorite childhood drink, banana milk! I hope it brings back as many happy childhood memories for you as it does for me.

There, sitting on the table, was a small bottle of banana milk. A smile spread across your face. “I need to file it away for tax purposes.”

Your sister looked at you like you were crazy. “Let’s eat already, I’m starving. Wash your hands.”

[14/05 16:55 PM] User: LatteIsHorse ---------------- ORDER [TAKE AWAY]

1 Tangsuyuk (small) 1 Jjajangbap ---------------- Note: JK-nim, hope you’re doing well. I’m in the area today, so I thought I’d stop by and say hello in person! Is it weird that I feel a bit nervous?

The restaurant door wasn’t going to open itself. The past 15 minutes of you standing in front of it has proven that. You had some errands to run in Hongdae after school and decided on a whim to place a pickup order at your favorite take-out place.

Why was it so difficult to enter a restaurant? If you steeled your nerves any more, they’d probably break from how brittle they’ve become. You just had to open that damn door.

Sometimes you wondered if you liked that place more because of its great tangsuyuk or because of JK’s little notes which always managed to put a smile on your face.

One thing was for sure, you weren’t stalling because of the tangsuyuk.

“Welcome to Golden Bang!” a bright male voice rang across the restaurant as you passed through the door.

You walked up to the register and sneaked a peek at the boy’s name tag, ‘Yugyeom’. You felt a slight twinge of disappointment.

“I’m here to pick up my order? LatteIsHorse?” you asked tentatively.

A sign of recognition flashed across Yugyeom’s face. “Of course, your order’s ready! I’ll just bag it up for you,” he said cheerfully. He walked away and quickly came back with a white plastic bag full of food. Then he printed out your receipt and handed both to you.

Golden Bang 7 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Seogyo-dong

Server: YG ------------------- TO GO

1 Tangsuyuk (small) -- 13,000 1 Jjajangbap -- 5,500

Total: 18,500 -------------------- Thanks for ordering at Golden Bang! Have a golden day!

You looked around the restaurant, it was empty since dinnertime was still a while away. You wondered if Yugyeom was managing the store alone right now. At least the cook must be in. “Your tangsuyuk is really delicious. It’s probably my favorite.”

Yugyeom gave you a big smile, “Happy to hear that you enjoy our food so much. The tangsuyuk is our chef’s family recipe. It’s one of our most popular menu items!”

You wringed your hands and finally decided to bite the bullet and straight out ask, “Is JK here? He usually takes my orders when I order delivery, so I just wanted to say hi.”

“JK’s shift doesn’t start until 6, so he should be here in about half an hour. If you want, I can relay a message,” he said with a knowing smile, “Or you can also take a seat and wait for him. I’m sure he’d be thrilled to meet you.”

No way you were going to sit here for half an hour and wait up for a stranger. “Ah no, that’s alright. If you could just say hi from me, that’d be great,” you quickly replied with a flush. JK would probably think you’re a creepy stalker.

“Sure, can do! Enjoy your day!” Yugyeom said merrily as you walked out the store.

A feeling of both relief and sadness passed through you. You slowly walked down the busy streets of Hongdae as you reprimanded yourself for being so stupid. What were you going to say to JK anyway if you met him? Thanks for being nice to me? You’re the reason I don’t burst into tears every single night? You’re the reason why I don’t feel completely alone when I’m sobbing into my food over Song Joong Ki’s acting? Thanks for making me gain 3 kilos in the last month?

Whatever you said, it would’ve only made you sound pathetic.

A crippling wave of desperation suddenly washed over you and rooted you in your tracks. A single tear rolled down your face. Then another. You dropped down into a crouch and started to bawl. You couldn’t fathom how you’ve reached this all-time low in your life. Why did you feel so incredibly sad about being stood up by a stranger? Especially when that stranger didn’t even know you were coming?

“Y/N?” an alarmed voice asked. You looked up when you felt a soft shake against your shoulder.

Through your tear-blurred eyes you recognized Jungkook’s face. He crouched down next to you and asked, “Is everything okay? Are you hurt?”

You shook your head and tried to wipe away your tears. It was a useless attempt as they kept on streaming down your face.

Jungkook hesitantly pushed your hair out of your face and asked, “Do you want to go somewhere else so you can tell me what happened?”

You gave him an imperceptible nod.

His hand gently moved down to your arm, afraid that you were going to push him away. With a steady grip he slowly helped you back onto your feet. Then he slid his hand through yours and led you down the hustle and bustle of Hongdae until you ended up in front of a convenience store located in one of the quieter residential side streets. He sat you down in a plastic chair and told you to wait. After a while he came back with a packet of tissues, a bottle of water and two red bean popsicles.

You gratefully took the tissues and loudly blew your nose. A small part of your brain told you to act more ladylike, especially in front of Jungkook, but the bigger part didn’t really care and just wanted to drag you back down into the pits of loneliness. A strangled sound came out of your mouth as you started to hiccup, making you sound like a drowning cat.

You expected Jungkook to laugh at your weird orchestra of emotions. Even you found it absurd and would’ve laughed if you weren’t already crying and hiccupping at the same time. But all he did was quietly open the water bottle and hand it to you.

As soon as you lifted the bottle to your mouth another hiccup made you almost spill the water on yourself. You held your breath for a few seconds and then took a careful sip. It seemed to work. You took a bigger sip, when another hiccup racked your body and you squeezed water all over your face.

There was a bewildering moment of shock, then you started to laugh deliriously. Forget before, this was your lowest point in life. This was so pathetic that it was hilarious again. Your laughter garbled whenever you hiccupped, only causing you to laugh even harder. You would’ve continued laughing for another long minute if you weren’t choking for air.

A small smile played around Jungkook’s mouth. He took another tissue and started wiping down your face. You hiccupped under his touch. He must think you’re a nutcase.

“I have a question. We have to do some statistical testing in my Quality Management class. What would a hypothesis look like if I wanted to analyze any deviation in a spare parts production line due to temperature conditions?” Jungkook asked.

Did he really forget hypothesis testing already? He finally managed to get it after four sessions! You frowned slightly. “You could set up a null hypothesis stating that a variation in temperature does not significantly impact the parameter of measurement in your production line. Jungkook did you seriously forget this?!” you said indignantly.

Jungkook gave you a playful laugh, “No, I think you drilled it so hard into my brain, I could probably recite all variables of the standard deviation formula if you woke me up in the middle of the night. Your hiccups stopped though.”

They did.

Embarrassment set in as you realized your predicament. Maybe your hormones were going crazy, maybe you were going crazy. You were getting whiplash from the emotional roller coaster you were on. In an attempt to hide your disgrace, you picked up another tissue and wiped away the remaining water, snot and tears.

There was tangible awkwardness in the air.

“I hope you like red bean,” Jungkook said shyly as he unwrapped a popsicle, “Red bean is my favorite. My friends keep on calling me old fashioned, but it just reminds me of the time when my mom used to buy me these after taekwondo class. I think I liked the popsicles more than I liked going to class.” He sighed in reverie and held up the popsicle for you.

You stared at his hand. You remembered how it felt against yours just a few moments ago. Firm, warm and steady. Then you looked up at Jungkook. He hid it well, but you could tell that there was concern behind his encouraging smile.

“This is so embarrassing,” you said as you accepted the popsicle and turned your head away from him, “I don’t know what is wrong with me right now. I’m usually not like this.”

“Did something happen earlier?” Jungkook asked cautiously as he unwrapped his own popsicle and took a bite out of it.

Did something happen earlier? Why did you cry? Where you really crying just because you didn’t meet JK?

“No,” you said and slowly shook your head, “I don’t know. I just suddenly felt overwhelmed.”

Jungkook hesitated before he asked, “Are you sad because of your breakup?”

Were you sad because of your ex-boyfriend?

“I don’t think so. In the beginning when we broke up I was devastated, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” you said more to yourself than to Jungkook. “Everyone told me I was lucky to be rid of him. I really didn’t understand why. But I think it’s becoming clearer now. Maybe it’s not sadness. Maybe it’s fear. I think I just feel lost. I don’t know who I am anymore. Maybe it scares me to know that I was able to lose myself and I don’t know if I can find a way back.”

Before you knew it, you spilled your heart, your deepest and darkest fears to Jungkook. You barely knew this boy, yet it still felt oddly comforting. He remained quiet and listened.

“I wanted to meet someone today, but they weren’t there,” you continued, “I think in that moment I just realized how utterly lost I was on my own.”

Jungkook searched for the appropriate words. How do you respond to someone’s most vulnerable thoughts? “I mean you know what they say. It’s not about how much you’ve lost, it’s about how much you have left.”

He peeked at you to check if it worked.

“Jungkook, did you just quote Iron Man at me?” you asked incredulously before a giggle slipped from your lips.

You noticed how his cheeks dimpled when he gave you an embarrassed laugh, “Sorry, I was trying to say something that would cheer you up. I’m probably not doing a very good job.”

In that second you realized how kind-hearted Jungkook actually was. Your heart squeezed. “Don’t say that. Thanks for listening to my problems. And thanks for the red bean popsicle. I also ate this a lot in my childhood. Mainly because my sister hated them. She always used to steal my ice cream out of the freezer so at some point I asked my parents to only buy me red bean popsicles. She never touched those,” you reminisced.

Jungkook laughed at your story, “Your sister sounds like a piece of work.”

“We used to fight a lot, we used to never get along,” you became thoughtful, “At some point that stopped. I think we just grew up and grew to understand and accept our differences. She doesn’t steal my food anymore. I don’t steal her clothes anymore. We may not always agree, but we respect each other’s decisions.”

“You know, for someone who just said she feels lost, you sound pretty self-reflected right now,” Jungkook mused, “Maybe you need to do the same as you did with your sister. Understand yourself and accept the differences of your past and present.”

You paused at this. He was right. You were so desperately trying to fend off these negative emotions that you never took the time to actually think. You were chasing an image that never existed. Not in the past nor in the present.

“You’re surprisingly good at giving advice. Thanks, Jungkook,” you said.

“Surprisingly? What’s that supposed to mean?” he asked, offended. The glint in his eyes gave his teasing away.

Laughter pealed from you. Jungkook was captivated by the sound. He drank in the way your eyes creased with mirth and followed your fingers as they brushed back your hair.

Jungkook’s phone vibrated. “Oh shit!”

“Is everything alright?”

“Yeah, don’t worry. I was actually on my way to work and my boss is asking me where I am,” he said as he stuffed his phone back in his pocket.

Jungkook startled when you suddenly jumped up. “Then you should get to work! You should’ve said something sooner. I’m so sorry for keeping you here!”

“No, it’s really fine. I’ve done enough overtime. He won’t complain if I’m a few minutes late,” he said, “Are you feeling better?”

You ignored his question and pushed against his shoulders to get him out of the chair. “Go to work, Jungkook. I’ll be fine, your red bean popsicle did wonders,” you responded placatively.

When he still didn’t move, you grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto the main street. Jungkook’s skin scorched under your touch. “Go to work, Jungkook,” you said again with more emphasis.

“Are you sure…?” he asked, unwilling to let you out of his sight before he knew you weren’t just going cry again at the next street corner.

“I won’t burst into tears,” you said as if reading his mind. “You were right, I need to reconcile with myself. So I’ll go home, enjoy my dinner and think about who I am and who I want to be. And you,” you said giving him another gentle shove, “need to go to work.”

Jungkook saw the stubborn look on your face. He wondered if you realized you were using your teaching voice right now. You weren’t going to take no for an answer. “Okay fine, text me when you get home?”

You waved away his concerns. “Sure. Go already,” you said with a big reassuring smile. “See you tomorrow at school!” you added before you turned around and walked away.

“You’re late,” Yugyeom said as soon as Jungkook entered the store.

Jungkook gave Yugyeom a sheepish look and only muttered, “Yeah sorry, something came up on my way here.” Then he rushed past him to the back of the restaurant and changed into his uniform.

Once he came back out he noticed Yugyeom throwing him strange looks.

“What?”

“Your girlfriend says hi,” Yugyeom said with a hint of amusement.

“Who?”

Yugyeom gave Jungkook a meaningful look, “LatteIsHorse. She ordered pick up. I think she was hoping to meet you. She’s cute. She looks like she’s probably a college student around here.”

“I know,” was all Jungkook replied.

Yugyeom’s eyes bulged in curiosity, “You know? You know she’s cute or you know she’s a student? You never told me what actually happened that night!”

Jungkook gave him a tired look and said, “She didn’t recognize me. She wore a Yonsei hoodie, so I guess she goes there. Nothing else happened.”

“Hmm, that’s weird. She was asking for you today, so she definitely knows your name,” Yugyeom said.

“Who knows, maybe she was having a lot on her plate that day,” Jungkook said with a shrug. He wondered where you lived and if you already got home safely. “Why are you obsessing over this so much?”

“Man, do you know how painful it is to watch your sorry attempts at flirting? I’m just trying to help you out, mate,” Yugyeom quipped.

“I wasn’t flirting! I was just trying cheer someone up who was obviously feeling down! It’s called being a decent human being,” Jungkook exclaimed.

Yugyeom gave him the side eye, “Yeah, that’s still not gonna get you laid.”

[19/05 18:47 PM] User: LatteIsHorse ---------------- ORDER [DELIVERY]

1 Tangsuyuk (small) 1 Bibimbap ---------------- Note: JK-nim, I visited you at the store last week, but you weren’t there. TT-TT I hope you don’t think I’m weird, I just really like talking to you. You always manage to put a smile on my face when I’m having a hard day. We’re still friends, right?

Golden Bang 7 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Seogyo-dong

Server: JK ------------------- TO GO

1 Tangsuyuk (small) -- 13,000 1 Bibimbap -- 5,000

Total: 18,000 -------------------- Thanks for ordering at Golden Bang! Have a golden day!

Note: LatteIsHorse-nim! I’m sad that I missed your visit to our store. I’ll try harder the next time! I added some extra bulgogi to make up for it. :) Of course we’re still friends. I don’t wish any hard days upon you, but I’m glad to hear that my words have a healing effect. In case you ever need a friend to talk to, feel free to talk to me. 010-1234-5678.

The study sessions with Jungkook continued per usual. He still struggled and had frustrated outbursts from time to time, especially when you forced him to revise probability distributions. When you finally reached regression analysis, things became easier.

Although your sessions remained the same, something in your dynamic changed. The both of you became looser and more playful around each other. He wouldn’t clamp up anymore and you felt more at ease around him. You became friends. He never once mentioned that disasterous afternoon.

At home, on the evening of the incident, you shot Jungkook a text and slumped down on the couch. Your sister was out that night, so it was just you in the apartment. Normally, the eerie quiet would’ve unsettled you and you would’ve distracted yourself from your deafening thoughts. But that night you just let them scream, yell and tear at you.

It was an excruciating process, but in the end your head was clearer, your heart calmer. You still weren’t quite there yet, but at least you made a first step out of the endless pit of desperation.

There were other things you noticed about yourself. Gradually you realized you didn’t mind being on your own anymore. You rediscovered your love for drawing and created you own mandala art. You also learned to code your own website and now had a clickable version of your cv on the go. Although you made time for yourself, you weren’t a hermit. You went out for drinks with Jisoo and soon asked Namjoon to take you along to your university’s Math Club. There you met a lot of familiar faces that you’ve encountered in class but never talked to. With them you spent animated evenings discussing stimulating math problems and exchanging incredibly bad math puns.

You also started noticing things about Jungkook. He wasn’t as timid and shy as you initially thought. Once he got over his awkwardness, he turned out to be quite a cheeky and goofy guy. He teased you or told you silly jokes whenever you were on a break. Despite his obvious aversion for statistics, he still took your lessons very seriously. Diligently listening to your explanations and trying to solve the problems to the best of his abilities. His study-mode showed you other sides of him. The cute pout he had whenever he tried to hide his confusion. Or the two little ridges which formed between his eyes whenever he was concentrated and deep in thought. More often than not you fought the urge to smooth them out with your touch or even better, with a kiss.

“Is something wrong?” Jungkook asked when he caught you staring.

“No,” you quickly said, “I was just thinking that you don’t seem to have much trouble with regression analysis.”

“I don’t know, the relationship between the variables just makes much more sense,” Jungkook said.

You looked at him and considered, “Hmm, maybe you don’t need my tutoring anymore?”

Brief dismay crossed Jungkook’s face. “My finals are in three weeks. I think I’d still prefer if you helped me revise the earlier chapters,” he said, “Unless you need more time to study for your own finals.”

Being in college meant that you were always in dire need of more time. That constant nagging voice in the back of your head telling you to study was an occupational disease. But you didn’t have to kid yourself, those four hours a week spent on Jungkook weren’t going to make or break your grade. Besides, you enjoyed spending time with him. You wondered if he felt the same.

“It’s alright, I’ll help you revise. Just don’t embarrass me on your finals. I don’t want Namjoon to tell me afterwards that you didn’t manage to calculate the mean of the population or worse, read the scoring table upside down,” you teased him light-heartedly.

Jungkook’s ears turned bright red. “That happened once!” he said, “How long are you going to hold that over my head?”

You laughed at his indignation. “Don’t forget, you’ll get endless tangsuyuk if you pass.”

[26/05 20:09 PM] User: LatteIsHorse ---------------- ORDER [DELIVERY]

1 Tangsuyuk (small) 1 Jjamppong ---------------- Note: JK-nim, I’d like to get the advice of a friend. There’s this kind, sweet boy that I really like. I would like to tell him how I feel, but he’s seen me in my lowest and ugliest moments. Maybe he’ll think I’m just baggage? I guess I’m afraid of his rejection.

Golden Bang 7 Wausan-ro 29-gil, Seogyo-dong

Server: JK ------------------- TO GO

1 Tangsuyuk (small) -- 13,000 1 Jjamppong -- 5,000 1 Soju -- 0

Total: 18,000 -------------------- Thanks for ordering at Golden Bang! Have a golden day!

Note: LatteIsHorse-nim! It’s only human to fear rejection. I can completely understand. I also have someone I really like. She’s really pretty, smart and funny. Spending time with her makes me really happy, but I never managed to tell her. Maybe we should both gather our courage and cheer each other on? I’m not saying that drunken confessions are the way to go but consider this soju a symbolism for (liquid) courage.

Paper Note: This is a flexagon. Whenever you need a word of encouragement give it a flip!

Jungkook examined the hexagonal origami in his hands. On the outside it read ‘Flip Me!’

He gave the flexagon a flip. ‘JK you’re the best!’ And another. ‘The world needs more people like you!’ And another. ‘Don’t forget that LatteIsHorse is always rooting for you!’ And another. ‘Aja, aja, hwaiting!’ And another. ‘Thank you for being my friend!’

Jisoo barged into you room and flopped onto your bed. ‘Ahhh! I’m so glad you finally cleaned in here. Seriously, if I find another rancid noodle stuck to my clothes, I’ll call in a hazmat team.”

“I don’t know why you’re complaining so much. It’s not even your room,” you said.

“Hey, where are you ever going to find a friend like me?”

Your friend sacrificed many a night away from college parties to binge watch handsome oppas sweep equally beautiful unnies off their feet with you. And she wasn’t shy telling you that.

“Let’s go out tonight,” Jisoo suggested. She rolled back onto her feet and started walking around, inspecting your cleaning job.

“Our finals start in two weeks; I really don’t want to spend my weekend nursing a hangover.”

“I’m not saying you have to get wasted. Tonight is the Pre-Game Night. We have to go!” Jisoo demanded.

The Final’s Pre-Game Night was a campus-wide tradition. Every semester on the Friday a week before finals huge parties were thrown to signal the beginning of the end. It was like a dare – were you confident enough to get completely drunk and still hope to pass your finals? Naturally everybody on campus joined in and drank.

“Not getting wasted at a Pre-Game party? That’s like saying you’ve decided you don’t need to breathe. I really don’t think…”

“What’s this?” Jisoo suddenly interrupted. “LatteIsHorse-nim! Personally, I’m a dipper, but I don’t discriminate! I added some broth as service for you. It’s chilly tonight. Don’t catch a cold!” she read aloud, “LatteIsHorse-nim! Happy Children’s Day to you too! I added my favorite childhood drink, banana milk! I hope it brings back as many happy childhood memories for you as it does for me.”

You flung yourself across the room and almost tripped over your own feet trying to rip the receipts out of Jisoo’s hands.

“Oh. My. God. Is your take-out guy flirting with you?!” she asked.

“No! He’s just a friend. We send encouraging notes to each other,” you tried to explain.

Jisoo threw her hands in the air. “Okay that’s it! We’re going to the Pre-Game party, whether you want or not. You can’t tell me that the only flirting interaction you have is with a stranger who delivers you tangsuyuk!”

The place Jisoo picked out was ram packed and buzzing with energy. It was an open dorm party; all the common rooms were transformed into dancefloors. Different types of music played from each corner of the building. Crates of alcohol were stacked against the walls.

The both of you grabbed a beer and made your way through the crowd.

“You’re going to have fun tonight, alright?”

“I don’t think this works that way,” you laughed.

“Then put some effort into it. We look way too cute for it to go to waste,” she said as you roamed around the floors and explored the different areas. You looked down on your dress. It was a pretty warm night; you had opted for a flowy summer dress with a blush pink floral pattern. Jisoo was right, it was cute.

You discovered a familiar face at the edge of the crowd. “Sunbae!” you said.

Namjoon turned around gave you a surprised smile. “Y/N! Out of all the places on campus, we meet each other here tonight. What are the chances?”

He was surrounded by a group of friends, you spotted Jungkook right behind him. The boy gave you an excited wave. A slow smile spread across your face. “I don’t know, but why don’t we ask Jungkook to calculate it for you?”

Namjoon let out a hearty laugh while Jungkook groaned in exasperation.

“Do you see what I have to put up with every week, hyung?”

“Didn’t you just say it’s the best thing that happened to you?” Namjoon taunted, “You have some nerve showing up in front of me tonight. You better ace your SA finals. Do you know how many favors I had to pull to get Y/N to tutor you?”

“What do you expect me to do?” Jungkook sputtered, “Go home and lock myself up on Pre-Game Night?”

If it weren’t for Jisoo you would’ve done just that. Speaking of Jisoo, your friend cleared her throat and gave you a painful nudge in the side.

“Ah yes, uhm, Jisoo you already know Namjoon. This is Jungkook. You know, the guy I’m tutoring.”

Jungkook gave her a small wave.

Jisoo didn’t even try to hide her amazement. “This is Jungkook? But you’re like wayyy cute!” She turned to you and added still loud enough for everyone to hear, “Why didn’t you tell me he was cute?!”

The embarrassment was obvious on Jungkook’s face. You could tell that Namjoon was getting a rush out of his dongsaeng’s reaction and before he could provoke him any further you decided to jump in.

“Who wants to go dance?” you asked loudly. You turned around and headed to the dancefloor without waiting for any of them to respond.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were tutoring a hunk?” Jisoo muttered under her breath.

“He’s not a hunk. Don’t call him that.”

“Yeah but he’s hot. You made him sound like he was a nerd.”

“He is a nerd.”

Your friend gave you a glare, “Why are we arguing about this? I know you’re not that oblivious.”

Of course you weren’t oblivious to Jungkook, but you weren’t going to tell Jisoo that.

“Let’s dance.” You grabbed Jisoo’s hand and twirled her around.

Namjoon and his friends joined you on the dancefloor. The mood of the crowd was electric. Music pulsed through your veins. Drinks flowed, shots were downed, people pulled out their best, lamest, craziest dance moves. Everyone celebrated like the world was going to end.

After a while you became hot and needed a new drink. You looked around for Jisoo and saw her grinding up against one of Namjoon’s friends. She’d be busy for a while. You inconspicuously moved away from the group and decided to go get some fresh air.

“Wait up,” Jungkook said as he appeared next to you, “are you getting something to drink? I’ll join you.”

His dark curls were slightly matted with sweat. His baggy t-shirt clung to his body. You weren’t sure if it was the alcohol or Jisoo’s damn voice whispering into your ear. He was hot.

You circled your arm through his and pulled him through the crowd. His muscles shifted under your touch. You grabbed two drinks from a crate and handed one to Jungkook, your nerves tingled when his hand brushed against yours. The both of you remained in comfortable silence, leisurely walking through the dorm, neither of you in a hurry to get back to your friends. You explored the facility areas, weaving through pounding and quiet parts of the building.

“You look really nice tonight,” he said after a while.

The heels of your shoes echoed against marble floor of the dark hallway. “Thanks, Jisoo raided my closet.”

“She’s really something isn’t she?”

“She’s the best. I’m grateful to have her as my friend.”

Somewhere further down the hallway you made out two figures pressed against the wall, probably trying to find a quiet place of their own.

“You also look nice,” you said to Jungkook.

“I’m wearing the same things I always do,” Jungkook said, his voice turning shy.

You were getting closer to the couple. You could see how the guy was sticking his tongue down the girl’s throat. She seemed to enjoy it from the sounds she was making. Lucky them.

Your next words were definitely fuelled by your tipsy state, “I guess that means you always look nice.” Jungkook missed a step. You had to laugh at his blunder.

The couple in front of you broke apart and looked in your direction. More annoyed about being interrupted rather than embarrassed being caught. You were about to make a funny comment to Jungkook when your heart stopped and you froze.

A string of saliva still clung to the guy’s lips. His eyes widened when he recognized your face in the darkness. “Y/N?”

Your breath hitched and your grip tightened around Jungkook’s arm. He glanced between you and the guy, the situation slowly dawning on him.

“Why did you stop? Who’s that?”, the girl whined.

“No one,” the guy responded as he returned his attention to her and they started making out again.

Jungkook didn’t know if he wanted to puke or punch that guy. A sharp pain in his arm brought him back to his senses. Your nails dug into his skin. He put his hand around yours and loosened your iron grip.

“Let’s go,” he said and quickly pulled you past the couple. You followed him in a daze. He stopped once you were outside of the building, hidden away in a quiet corner.

His hands reached for your face and he lifted your eyes to his. “Breathe.”

You closed your eyes, let out a long breath and let your head fall against the wall behind you. The horrible encounter replayed in your mind. You had to open your eyes again.

There he was right in front of you. Worried Jungkook, kind Jungkook, beautiful Jungkook.

Your hands reached behind his neck and you pulled him a bit closer. You tried to decipher his gaze, it was dark and yearning. Everything was a haze, the alcohol in your blood made you daring.

“Kiss me,” you whispered.

His mouth crashed against yours. Your hands slipped up into his hair and your bodies entwined. You opened your lips and sucked in his hot breath. Your tongues found each other; he groaned at your taste.

He moved one of his hands down your side until he found purchase on your leg and hitched it up against his waist, pressing his body further into you. You let out a moan when his hips ground into yours.

All your senses drowned in Jungkook. You drowned in his scent, you drowned in his touch, you drowned in his heat. You tried to use Jungkook to drown out the grotesque image from before. Suddenly the heat of the moment disappeared, and a cold shower ran down your spine.

You broke away from your breathless kiss and put your hands against Jungkook’s chest to put some distance between you. He gave you a disoriented look.

“I’m sorry. We shouldn’t have kissed.”

Jungkook’s eyes grew wide and alarmed. “Did I do something wrong?”

His lips were swollen, his hair was mussed. You wanted nothing more than to pull him back in, but you couldn’t. Not here. Not like this. He deserved better.

You pushed yourself off the wall and gave him a small shove. He immediately let go of you and stepped back. “I shouldn’t have kissed you like this,” was all you said before you ran back into the building.

The next day you woke up to a splitting headache and a heart full of regret. You really needed to talk to Jungkook and explain to him why you ran away the previous night, but you were too much of a coward to pick up your phone and contact him. You decided it was better to talk to him in person at school.

The following week at school you waited for him in the library. Your heart was in your throat. Your prepared speech played in an endless loop in your head.

‘I’m sorry I ran away. I shouldn’t have kissed you in that state. It wasn’t fair to you. You deserve better than that.’

You looked down on your phone to check the time. A message blinked. You opened and read through it. Your heart sank. He wasn’t coming. He wanted to study the last week before finals on his own. He thanked you for your time.

Slowly you got up and packed your bag. You blew it. You wanted to do him right, but you only caused him pain. Thinking back, you realized he gave and gave and gave and all you did was take. He was right to stay away from you. There was no way he’d be happy with someone like you.

The week passed and finals week commenced. You immersed yourself in your exams and tried to get over your heavy heart. You were pretty sure you aced Geometry II, but the Numerical Analysis exam was nothing but a blur.

Although your heart ached, you didn’t fall back into the same dark pit of the past. You didn’t feel lost, you got on with your life. Nobody noticed the Jungkook-sized hole in your heart except for you. You wanted to talk about your feelings, but you didn’t think Jisoo or your sister would understand. They’d probably just tell you to get out there and find a new guy.

Another week passed. You were walking out of your professor’s office, finalizing the details of your summer internship, when you bumped into Namjoon.

“Y/N! What are you doing here? Aren’t you off for summer break yet?” he asked.

“I was just discussing my internship with Prof. Kim,” you said.

“Ah you’re participating in his research program?” Namjoon said, “I heard it’s really interesting, he’s intense though.”

“I think intense is fine for me, I need something to do with my brain. Otherwise I’ll just go crazy,” you said with a smile.

“Speaking of intense, what did you do to that kid?” Namjoon suddenly asked.

You tensed. Did something happen to Jungkook? “What do you mean?”

“Did you brainwash him or something? He got a 98 on his SA final! When I handed him over to you, he was still asking me why the positive and negative z-scores tables had different values,” Namjoon said in awe.

Relief washed through you and your chest filled with pride. “Watch out sunbae, I might be coming for your TA position,” you said with a wink.

At home you sprawled out on the couch. Your sister’s classes ended earlier than yours so now she was away with her friends travelling the countryside. Your mind wandered as you stared up at the ceiling of your quiet apartment. You really wanted to call Jungkook and congratulate him, but you didn’t think you should. He clearly didn’t want to be in contact with you, you hadn’t heard anything from him since his text canceling your study sessions.

A pang of sadness washed through you. It should have been a happy moment for the both of you, you should be eating tangsuyuk together right now. You really wanted to tell someone about your joy and your grief.

Then you suddenly remembered your friend. Your friend who never judged and always had something wise to say. Maybe he would understand the conflicts of your heart. You got up and dug through the receipts on your desk until you found the one with his phone number on it.

You hoped he wouldn’t think you were crazy, but then again, he was the one who offered himself to talk to you any time. You typed in the number and hit call. Your phone dialed when suddenly the number displayed switched to a name. Jungkook.

You quickly hit the cancel button and stared at your phone. Did you accidentally hit Jungkook’s contact? Was your phone broken? This time you typed in the number more carefully and hit call. Again, the display switched to Jungkook’s name. You hit cancel.

Your heart began to race. You opened up Jungkook’s contact and compared it with the number on the receipt.

Holy shit.

JK was Jungkook. Jungkook was JK.

The stranger who cheered you on and made you smile whenever you felt down was Jungkook. You combed through all your receipts and reread them one by one. What was the probability for this to happen? This was so bizarre, but it made so much sense. Jungkook was the kindest person you knew. Why wouldn’t he be kind to a stranger who needed some uplifting words and comforting tangsuyuk?

[13/06 18:20 PM] User: LatteIsHorse ---------------- ORDER [DELIVERY]

3 Tangsuyuk (large) 6 Jjajangmyeon ---------------- Note: JK-nim, I hope you’re doing well! Can I ask you for a strange favor? Would you mind delivering today’s order to me? I would really like to meet you and thank you in person for always being by my side! <3

The doorbell rang. Your heart pounded painfully in your chest. You slowly walked up to the door and opened it.

“Delivery from Golden…,” Jungkook’s voice faltered.

“Hi JK-nim,” you said quietly. You opened the door wider. “Thanks for coming today.”

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” he asked.

You had to smile at his look of utter confusion. “I live here. Come in, you can put the food on the dining table.” You turned around and walked back into the apartment.

Jungkook hesitated before he followed you inside. He moved up to the table and unloaded his box. He tried to steady himself. “You’re LatteIsHorse-nim?” he asked skeptically, “I’ve been here before. Last time someone else opened the door.”

He has visited you before? “Oh, that was probably my sister. I live here with her. She’s out travelling right now.”

“So you’re on your own right now? Why did you order so much food?” he asked. A giant mountain of neatly stacked dishes graced the table.

You came up and pried the metal box out of his hand. Then you moved in front of him and unclasped his bike helmet. He flinched at your sudden closeness.

“To celebrate. Congratulations on passing your Statistical Analysis exam. Namjoon told me you passed in flying colors,” you said in a gentle voice. “I promised you the best Chinese take-out in town, didn’t I?”

Jungkook still looked shell-shocked and simply stared at you.

“I’m sorry about that night at the Pre-Game party. I’m sorry I ran away. I owe you an explanation.”

Jungkook regained his wits and swallowed. “It’s okay, you don’t have to explain yourself. I get it, we were drunk. It was a mistake.” He looked down and tried to turn back around.

You grabbed onto his hands before he could move away. “Jungkook, look at me.”

He stopped turning, but his eyes remained on the floor.

You took a deep breath and squeezed his hands. “I really like you. I’ve really liked you for a while now.”

His eyes shot up to your face.

“The reason why I ran away that night was because I felt guilty. I probably would’ve ended up kissing you anyway, but in that moment, I kissed you because I wanted to forget. I didn’t want our first kiss to be like that. I wanted it to be the me who liked you and not the me who tried to drown out her shitty ex-boyfriend. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

There was an unreadable look in his eyes. Your heart fluttered in nervousness. “How long have you known I was JK? How long did you know I had a crush on you?” he asked.

You could feel your blood rushing through your ears, the butterflies in your stomach beat like crazy. “Since today. I was sad because I thought I couldn’t share the promised meal with you. I wanted a friend to talk to, so I thought to call you. You who was always kind to me, even when I wasn’t kind to myself. Isn’t fate strange? We cheered each other on to find each other.” You had to laugh at the irony of it all.

Your hand hesitantly moved up to his face and stroked across his cheek, “I’m sorry I hurt you. I’m sorry I made you sad.”

Jungkook melted against your touch. “If I’m never sad, I won’t know when I’m happy.” Then he closed the gap and pressed his lips against yours.

It was a sweet but sad kiss. Filled with happiness and sorrow. Every touch was filled with an ‘I missed you’ or an ‘I’m sorry’.

Jungkook pressed you against the edge of your dining table, he lifted you up and you wrapped your legs around his waist. You both deepened your kiss. Your hands snaked through his hair and pulled him closer into you. Jungkook braced his hands against the table and instinctively ground his hips against your core. You moaned his name at the sensation. The both of you broke apart to catch your breaths, you pulled at his jacket and removed his layers of clothing.

You stilled at the sight of his bare chest. He was truly beautiful. Your fingers traced along his skin and marvelled at its silkiness. Jungkook shuddered under your touch. His hands moved under your shirt and you both lifted it off your head. Then you gripped his hands and slowly led them around your back, urging him to take off your bra. You wriggled out of your jeans and laid yourself completely bare in front of him. Jungkook stopped and stared at you, equally amazed.

“You’re so beautiful,” he whispered.

Your heart swelled and you pulled him back into a kiss. Both his kisses and his hands left a burning trail down your body. His mouth sucked on the soft skin of your neck while his hands moved across your breast, across your stomach, lower and lower. Wetness gathered between your legs.

“Jungkook,” you sighed. The muscles of his back shifted under your touch.

He released your neck with a loud smack and looked at the artwork he created. He still couldn’t get over how overwhelmingly beautiful you were. Your cheeks flushed, eyes bright and his name at the tip of your tongue. He felt himself strain against his confines.

“Please,” you whimpered. You looked down at his hand and tried to silently command him to touch you.

He kept his eyes trained on your face when his fingers moved lower and slid through your folds. Another moan left your lovely lips. He teased you with his touches, gathering your wetness until he finally pushed down where you wanted him most. Your hands dug into his back, your hips bucked, and you threw your head back in pleasure. He steadied your hips with his other hand and slowly pushed a finger inside of you. Another loud moan echoed through the room.

Jungkook was transfixed by you. He added a second finger and started pushing in and out. Your eyes squeezed shut in pleasure and small breathless pants left your mouth. Jungkook increased the speed of his movement and marvelled at the way you reacted under his touch. Then he moved his mouth to your breast and closed his lips around your nipple. You raked your hands through his hair and arched into him. Your core tightened around his fingers. All your nerves were on fire.

You pulled him away from your breast and guided his mouth back to yours. Your tongue traced his lips and you swallowed his moan. You wanted more, you wanted him closer. His fingers curled and his thumb pressed down on you. Jungkook held you tight as you shuddered and fell apart around him.

He rested his forehead against yours, your breath mingled as you both panted into each other. He slowly removed his hand from you and traced his mouth with his slicked fingers, then he moved them to your lips. Your tongue licked the tips of his fingers. His grip tightened around your waist.

“I want to feel you,” you said.

Jungkook shuddered at your words. “Where is your room?”

“The door behind you.”

Jungkook lifted you off the table, you tightened your legs around him and gave him another kiss. He walked you both to your room and gently laid you down on your bed. He took off his pants, then slowly moved onto the bed and hovered above you.

“Tell me what you want,” he said.

Your fingers caressed his face. “I want you to be happy.”

Another shudder ran through him. “I am happy. What else?”

You traced his eyes, his nose, his lips. “I want to be the one making you happy.”

Jungkook couldn’t contain himself anymore. His heart felt like it was about to explode. He covered your body with his and pressed himself into you. Your eyes rolled back as he entered you slowly. You felt so full you wanted to burst out of your skin. You could feel how the Jungkook-sized whole in your heart filled up again.

He rocked into you and took your breath away. Your nails raked across his back and left red lines against his smooth skin. Jungkook ducked his head into the crook of your neck and moaned against your skin. Every pull dragged pleasure out of you, every push brought you closer together.

You wanted more. Jungkook gave you more.

You wanted him closer. Jungkook pushed deeper into you.

With every moan, Jungkook pushed harder, pushed deeper. He wanted to melt into you. He wanted the lines between you and him to disappear. Your desire was his desire. His pleasure was your pleasure.

Jungkook could feel you tightening around him. He moved his mouth over yours and gave you an ardent kiss. The light of your desire turned brighter and brighter until it burst apart into a thousand little flames. You cried against his lips and let the heat consume you. Your body pulsed around his and the overwhelming sensation brought him right over the edge with you.

The both of you laid on your bed and clung to each other. Neither of you willing to let the other go. Your pounding chests beat in tandem. Jungkook stroked his hand across your hair and kissed your head.

“I want you to be happy too,” he said.

“I know,” you said as you smiled against his chest, “You make me happy.”

Jungkook pulled you tighter into him and you remained silent for a while. His hand traced lazy patterns against your skin. Your breathing evened out.

“Are you allergic to pineapple?” he suddenly asked.

You looked up at him in surprise. “No. Why?”

“Because you always order tangsuyuk without pineapple.”

“Oh. That’s because my sister hates pineapple.”

Jungkook frowned, you pulled yourself up and kissed the little ridges between his eyes.

“What?” you asked.

“I think the jjajangmyeon is all soggy by now,” he said.

You had to laugh. “Probably, but the tangsuyuk should still taste great.”

Jungkook kissed you with a smile. “You’re right, tangsuyuk always tastes great.”

°°°°°°°

02/05/20

4K notes · View notes

writermich18 · 2 years

Text

"It's not safe! Nowhere is fuckin' safe!"

Softly, the older brother replies, with grief in his eyes, "What have they done to you, Somnus, to convince you that not even your own home and family is a safe space?"

Breathing heavily, trying desperately not to cry, the young, hurt, lord backs away, bringing his arms up to hold himself. Baring his teeth at the House heir and his fiancée. Like a hurt and cornered animal desperately trying to protect what was left of themself even towards the people who only wish to help.

"Don't touch me!" he snarls. Aera lowers the hand which had unconsciously risen up towards him to help, sad and worried. "Somnus - " she starts but he shakes his head.

Ardyn frowns.. His brother isn't normally like this. Sure, there were periods where he was adverse to touch and didn't engage in it even towards family but he didn't push any form of touch away during those periods either.

And then the Healer remembers the state they had found Somnus in. Bleeding in the lower body. Partially naked and covered in fluids that wasn't all just blood and water. Chained and shackled to the floor. Drugged and staring listlessly at either the ceiling or the wall when they managed to flush out those drugs during his recovery. The flinches. The refusal to speak of what they had done to him.

And his new aversion to touch that went beyond just his standard childhood aversion.

Ardyn had thought in the weeks and months prior during their search and rescue for Somnus that he had already become familiar with the wrath that previously had always seemed to be more Somnus's area than his. Ardyn's old form of anger had previously burned then turned to hot coal and ash. Somnus's had been the burning, biting cold, the snow and ice and frost that you and it knew would eventually take you under with time so it took its time; the knawing knowledge that eventually you will perish before its wrath. That had been Somnus.

But now, Somnus feels too unsafe to even feel angry over what had been done to him and so Ardyn gladly embraces the rage that had once been Somnus's. It's almost freeing in a way, not feeling an anger so hot and raging that would swallow him whole and burn him alive. But the cold can just as deadly.

Aera rests a hand on his elbow tightly, he glances towards her, the hardened cold look that once been Somnus's on his face and in his glance. Staring back at him is hard steel, cold in its knowledge but determined nonetheless to hold together. She shakes her head at him and he understands her silent command.

Now is not the time. Somnus needs him, she'll handle the perpetrators. He allows her to take care on the ice cold wrath and allows his big brother nature to take back control.

He still needs to take a few deep breathes to pack up the rest of the cold and shake off the Scourge hissing in his ears and his head. Aera steps away from him and turns on her heels. She summons her Trident as she walks out of the room and Gilgamesh into line behind her upon seeing the dismissal wave of Ardyn's hand at him towards her. The door closes behind them.

Somnus in that time has wedged himself between a drawer/table and a couch, curling up into a ball as tightly as possible. He shakes.

Ardyn can see the outlined scar of the shackles on his wrist caused the suppresive heat of his prison and his attempts at escaping them. He squashes down the more familiar burning rage and slowly approaches, making sure to have his movements be as loud as possible without freaking Somnus out. His magic out and open, surrounding the room but openly curling around Somnus.

Not hugging but an invitation. Letting Somnus decide where this will go.

Ardyn kneels down in front of him, within reach but not so close the Somnus can't escape.

"I - I just wanted to forget," Somnus says after a moment now that they are alone. "Bu - but then, Gil... Gil touched me on the shoulder and, and all I could feel was their hands, on - on me, and burning heat and the pain - the, the pain. And, and suddenly I - I was back, back there and everything else - the rescue, the recovery, all a dream! And all I could feel was their hands taking and taking, and pain, and the heat, and drugs coursing through my vein and taking me under, drowning. I'm not safe, it's not safe. I can't escape." Somnus is crying now, scratching at himself and pulling his hair and beating at his ears.

Ardyn takes both hands and puts them towards his chest, directly on top of his heart. His magic curls around Somnus's more firmly and Somnus freezes.

Ardyn breathes deeply. In. Hold. Hold. Out.

Somnus eventually begins to copy, looking up at Ardyn hesitantly. Ardyn looks back at him with nothing but love and acceptance and kindness. Somnus is glad it's not empathy though he craves it. He wouldn't wish this taint, this trauma on anyone.

Ardyn's magic echoes to him the same emotions, and Somnus can sense the rage and grief over what had been done to him that Ardyn tries to hide from him because that's not what he needs right now.

Neither are men of words, Somnus especially isn't, though they both can give good speeches, but words have never been what they needed to understand each other. A perk of being born of the same magic cloth so to speak and being able to share through their magic. They hadn't done this in recent years which might have been what lead to their bouts of miscommunication recently before Somnus's kidnapping.

But, with it, Somnus understands what Ardyn doesn't speak aloud, in a way words and language can never bring forth, and he uncurls and throws himself into Ardyn's offered hug and he cries in his brother's arms for everything.

And Ardyn is both his fellow crier in what he lost and his anchor in the tremulous storm roaring inside of him and in his magic.

They will need to talk eventually in words and not just emotions and magic, but Somnus doesn't think he'll be able to right now and Ardyn still feels the prickly cold of the wrath that once was Somnus's to try and form words that will actually help Somnus.

But he does know these words and they may help, "I love you, Somnus, both the You you were before and the You you are now. I love you no matter what, and, remember, never, ever, is this your fault. What they did to you - it's not your fault. No matter your actions before, now, or in the future, you did nothing to deserve this. And, no matter what this turns you into, you are not a monster, and I will love you either way."

Some of those words Somnus can't help but disagree with. He viewed himself as a monster long before the kidnapping, so some part of him can't help but feel like he deserved what was done to him. Ardyn and his magic holds him closer, curling around him as if to protect him. Somnus closes his eyes, tears still falling down his cheeks, and just basks in the feeling of warmth and love.

Not safety, he doesn't feel like he's ever going to feel safe again, and he hates that that was taken from him. But his brother is here and will protect him from any further danger, so he allows sleep to lure him in.

Ardyn hums their childhood lullaby and Somnus senses more than sees one of Ardyn's shields form around them as an added layer of protection. With that, Somnus closes his eyes, sends a brush of love and thankfulness along their bond, and, for the first time since he woke up three days ago, sleep takes him under, with the protective hum of Ardyn's magic, their childhood lullaby, and Ardyn's steady heartbeat against his ear comforting him enough for the buzzing to settle and the hands and heat and pain to fade for the first time since waking up.

#ffxv #final fantasy xv #somnus lucis caelum #ardyn lucis caelum #aera mirus fleuret #rape tw #tw rape #implied/referenced rape #implied rape #referenced rape #chains tw #imprisonment #kidnapping tw

8 notes · View notes

janesramblings · 4 years

Text

A Very Long Nace Analysis

I didn’t notice this until like ten minutes ago, but the flash back in 2x1 is way more important than just establishing how everyone met. Let’s take a moment to talk about Nancy’s love interests, canon or not.

Nick:

This is where the flashback comes into play. Nancy is in a frantic moment, she rushes out of the kitchen, nearly collides with Nick, and then pauses because she notices he’s cute. Back in present day, Nancy says she ran into him again later on. The key words are ran into. She didn’t seek him out. She didn’t get to know him. She ran into him and hooked up with him and things escalated. This continues. She does involve him in all her adventures and she introduces him to her friends. But as things progress and Nancy pushes him away, Nick gets frustrated. And of course he does. He knows nothing about Nancy. He doesn’t know that she needs to step back sometimes. He doesn’t know that she doesn’t know how to process her emotions. He doesn’t know that she will become fixated on one thing until the world around her falls away. And when he learns this as his life falls apart and he wants to lean on her but she steps back, he becomes frustrated. Their breakup was inevitable. Because he didn’t know her.

Owen:

How do Nancy and Own meet? In a kitchen? While Nancy is trying to sort though a frantic moment? And she’s carrying something and she nearly knocks into him but pauses because oh damn he’s hot? Does this sound familiar yet? Again, Owen hardly knew her. But their relationship was a little different from her relationship with Nick. Because Nancy spent their relationship solving problems for Nick, but her relationship with Owen was him helping her escape. She needed to get away from her friends for a moment after the Aglaeca stuff? Owen’s apartment was right there. She needed to get away from her dad that wasn’t her dad? Owen offered for her to stay in New York with her. Owen gave her a chance to step away from her problems, but he didn’t know that she really needed to face them.

Gil:

There isn’t much to say about Gil, other than he doesn’t know Nancy and he seemed nice enough when he pulled her out of the bus. But this leads me to Nancy’s last love interest:

Ace:

Good old Ace. Even before the supernatural murder shit, Ace was Nancy’s rock. In the very first episode Nancy said she told Ace about not going to college during one of his smoke breaks and that he didn’t judge her because he didn’t remember. But come on. This is Ace. He remembered. He remembered and understood and didn’t say anything because that was Nancy’s past and she needed to focus on her future. And even after that, Ace proved he knew Nancy. He drank something that could have killed him because he knew Nancy wasn’t wrong. And this relates to Nick as well. Ace got to know Nancy at a time when her biggest problem was college applications for next year. And he learned, in his quiet way, just how Nancy operated. And in 2x2 Carson told Ace that sometimes Nancy forgot to eat. But I think Ace already knew that. When Owen was found dead, the first thing Ace did after Nancy was interviewed was to give her a glass of water. Because when did Nancy actually drink water in any of the episodes? Never? Ace knew that. And again, this ties into Nick, Ace knows when to give Nancy space. They were in Owen’s apartment and he didn’t push her to talk about how Owen made her feel or how she was holding up with the news about Ryan. All he said was he’d listen if she wanted to talk. And Nancy said “when I find the words I’ll share them with you” and that is so freaking important because Nancy didn’t know what to say. Everyone expects her to know what to say and do. But sometimes she doesn’t. And the fact that Ace is willing to wait is so important. Also Owen was Nancy’s escape from her reality, but she didn’t need that. She needed to address her problems. And Ace sees this. He doesn’t get in her face about it. He doesn’t tell her what to do and when to do it and how to do it. He doesn’t deliver an ultimatum. He makes her think. He pushes her in the direction she would have gone after a long time when it was probably too late. “We don’t have years” was such a simple thing to say, but it made Nancy think. And she took the first, small, step towards speaking to Carson again.

Ace is the perfect person for Nancy not because he’ll give her this heart pounding whirlwind relationship, but because he’ll stand next to her when her world falls apart and maybe he won’t pick up all the pieces and put them back, but he’ll hand them to Nancy. And that, the ability to do things herself after someone helps her a little, is what she needs.

#nancy drew #ace nancy drew #nancy drew cw #nance #nancy x ace #sorry this was long #it really turned into a rant #but i love nace

204 notes · View notes

akampana · 3 years

Note

harem au in a hotspring vacation

◉ - Any other question of your choosing

Harem AU + Hot Spring

There are many benefits to having Gilgamesh in the Harem and one of them is that he doesn’t hold back when it comes to spoiling his queen (and by extension, her many, many "pet dogs"). So, you better bet when they go to an onsen, it's basically the whole resort. He usually picks those with multiple scenic rotemburo just so Arturia can relax with a nice view. She (and that dumb Faker, who is unfortunately a good cook) gets rather tense.

Of course, he does make sure the ryokan allows konyoku as well, to give Arturia the option to join them in the same onsen.

When they do get there though, it's Ozy that's in charge of the itinerary, mostly cause the rest of the harem are more likely to follow him than their shiny golden sponsor, and he's...surprisingly good at delegating tasks equally. As a result, when they get the chance to visit an onsen, the harem gets to travel around the surrounding areas as well and immerse themselves in Japanese culture.

EMIYA's still on food duty, but he gets a break from cooking. Instead, he checks out the area for good places to eat and local delicacies for the other Servants to try. (Some of them already have an idea who he is, but they don't bring it up).

Anyway, onto onsen shenanigans.

Except for Bedivere, who insists he doesn't have a remarkable figure like the others (they're all helping with his self-esteem. Slow progress, but still progress) none of the other guys are self conscious.

Ozy and Gil are proud, as they tend to be. Cú likes to start shit, so some flexing will definitely take place, and Lance, EMIYA, and Diarmuid are indifferent. Unless challenged, that is.

Arturia is aware that the others see her romantically, so she does get a little shy to have herself in full view in a setting that isn't the bedroom. She tried the "unpleasant to look at" speech one (1) time and was promptly shut down about a thousand times over.

None of them perv out in the shared bath, except for dishing out a few flirty comments, but it's fine. Plenty of time for that later.

The first one out of the bath is Cú cause he's not comfy in the heat for too long, and unlike Diarmuid, he somehow had the sense to not do an endurance battle with Arturia in there. That battle ended with the two of them woozy and having to be carried out by Bedi and Lance. EMIYA is there to provide facepalms first aid. Ozy and Gil however, can stay in the water far longer, having been accustomed to heat for the duration of their lives.

Thank you for the ask!

24 notes · View notes

quirkycoterie · 2 years

Text

Prompt 13: Pretty Lies for Pretty Gil

The fortune teller's sign was out proclaiming her open for business and her tent flaps were open, the empty seat across the table from her an invite to those who had more gil than sense, at least in most cases. Aqua wrote in a journal in front of her, notes in her own shorthand of her latest expedition and ideas. Her keen duskwight ears picked up the shuffling of feet in sand and she flipped the page subtly to a non-sensical doodle of spheres and lines as she looked up.

"Greetings, sir! You have the look of a man who is seeking... nay who is in need of clarity. Come, sit." She poured the sweaty highlander a glass of water touched with just enough ice aether for it to be cool and pleasant to drink in the heat. Her customer looked surprised but pleased as he sipped, taking the moment to look over her table at the cards, the runes, and the crystal ball, with her journal still open between the tools of the trade and herself. His green eyes looked up to meet hers, a bit of challenge still apparent. "Aren't you going to tell me why I came in here beyond the vague mention of clarity?"

She laughed softly, "You are correct that clarity was vague, but all come here seeking clarity or hope or to ease their curiosity and which is always apparent on their face. Why I would tell you more without you paying the fee on the sign at least would be much more mystifying, wouldn't it? A charlatan will always try to sell you. I will simply give you a greeting, some cool water on a hot day, and then tell you what I can for a fair price for us both." He watched her for a moment and she watched him back. As he looked back to the table she followed the strands of aether around the man, entwined.... no, entangled like a deep thicket on a late night.

He passed her a bag of coin and she hefted it a little and then gently sniffed at the opening. The coins were real and were worth 3 times what was on the sign. She feigned confusion, "You would like me to read the cards, the runes, and the ball? Or perhaps your hand? You do not put faith in just one method?" The man smirked, "I thought the price might buy me at least an explanation of your notes there. They seem important or else why would your hand keep unconsciously covering them up in between conversational motions." Aqua's pale brow furrowed as she looked down, pretending annoyance at herself. She weighed the pouch again, pensively, and then slowly nodded.

"The night sky has been moving in a pattern not seen since my grandmother's grandmother's time." She begins to point at a piece or two of the drawing as she speaks. "This planet, this one, and this star, along with this bright, rapidly moving object with a tail will all be in alignment for the first time since then. My family has passed down our tale to take advantage of the great fortune this will bring and I am just lucky it is in my time." The man eyed her curiously, skeptically at first, but his greed won out. "How do I take advantage of this fortunate and rare event?"

"It is different for each but I can see what you must do. Only, the benefits you will reap will be worth much, much more than the bag you have given me." She looked at him evenly as he considered this, but the invisible thorns around him pricked just enough he was becoming desperate, or he wouldn't have been here in the first place. Finally, he nodded. "I will pay you plenty now for this reward later but only because I know you set up your tent regularly and I will turn you in for fraud and theft if you lie to me. I have friends in the guard who would be all too happy to get me mine, and take the rest for theirs, and put you somewhere dark." He handed over several more, heavier bags of coins from various holding spots on his body.

In return, she drew him a map to a specific location, with a time the following week and told him as long as he was right there, right then, the alignment of events would give him his due rewards. The man left happy, and left Aqua happy, and she worried not about retribution for she had simply told him the time and place the dangerous thicket he had built for himself would tighten around him completely to deliver his dues. The ones we all pay in the end.

#FFxivWrite2022 #Prompt 13: Confluence #Aquamarine Orchard

2 notes · View notes

softquietsteadylove · 1 year

Note

I would like to do a request for the Doctor AU

How about some protective Thena?

She hears angry shouting from 3 woman in the waiting area, letting their anger out on Gil, even lashing out on him physically. He tries to calm them down but doesn’t fight them back of course.

They are angry because they are waiting so long (minor things nothing dangerous) and they saw how Gil came in with a patient with life threatening wounds just going passing them and they decide it was enough of waiting for them 🙄

And Thena won’t stand there and watch them!👀

Thena sets down her charts with a sigh. It's been a busy night for the emergency room, not necessarily by seriousness but by sheer volume. They can't seem to catch a break. It's been patient after patient, so far.

And she feels like she hasn't seen Gil in hours.

He's been on run after run for minor accidents and taking patients to other hospitals. He's texted her a few times between runs, but mostly they've commiserated about how busy they've been tonight.

She can't wait to get off shift and go home with him.

Not that they necessarily go home together all the time, now. And even when they do, it's not always a date...thing. Sometimes they really do just go home and fall asleep on the couch together. She doesn't know if that makes it better or worse.

"Hey."

Thena's heart leaps in her chest at the familiar greeting, and she tries not to look disappointed when she realises it's Ajak who said it and not a certain someone. She smiles, "hey."

Ajak holds her hand out and nods her head, "you're almost done right? Let me finish those."

Thena nibbles at her lip a little, looking down at her charts (arguably her least favourite part of the job). She peeks up at Ajak, "are you sure?"

Ajak just gives her a smirk and pulls the clipboard towards herself. "I'm sure, honey. You go and find that hot hunk of yours."

Thena rolls her eyes at Ajak, storming away so she won't know how embarrassing she finds it that Ajak knows all about their little secret. It's not like she told her!

She didn't have to.

Thena does leave the nurses' station and heads towards the main waiting room. Gil should be done his last run by now, judging by how long ago he texted. She reaches for the end of her ponytail idly.

"We've been here for hours!"

She frowns; it isn't uncommon to get people who are unhappy with the wait times. And feel happy to take it out on them (those still seeing them despite the global shortage on people in the healthcare profession).

"Why did they get seen before us?!"

"Or do these numbers mean nothing?!"

Thena rolls her eyes. A couple of Karens cawing up a storm like seagulls in a parking lot. Nothing new, and certainly nothing interesting.

"Ladies, please, we're doing what we can."

Thena picks up her pace until she's jogging towards the waiting room. When she arrives, there is indeed a swarm of women cawing about their wait time. But they're taking it out on Gilgamesh.

Gil is trying to look at all of them at once, holding up his hands close to himself as they swing and smack him with their hands and even their purses. He grunts a little, obviously not pleased but not exactly one to fight back, either.

"You call yourself a medic when you leave women with possible fractures waiting like this?!"

"HEY!"

Thena storms over, moving between the women and Gil, who looks like a dog getting water poured on him. She plants her hands on her hips.

"Who the hell are you?" the one who thought swinging around her purse was appropriate behaviour.

"I'm the doctor here, and I want to know what the hell you think you're doing to my paramedic!" Thena snarls at them, not one to back down from intimidation, whether it be from a Karen or a Chad. She glowers at them.

"We saw him take people in there!" another one points with her pointy little finger. "When we've been out here for hours!"

Thena swats the hand away from them. "You are out here because of the degree of your injury and because the emergency room is understaffed. Every emergency room is understaffed!"

"Well, that's not our fault!" the third one huffs in her face. She holds up her wrist, "I have a wrist fracture that needs treatment! And you've taken three people in there ahead of us!"

Thena eyed the woman. If her wrist were fractured, she most absolutely would not be holding it up in that position. At worst, she had pinched a nerve between her ulna and tibia and it was being aggravated from being waved around. "Then put it down."

All three women looked aghast.

"Thena," Gil tried to put his hand on her shoulder, no doubt to talk her down from getting into a screaming match with the patient and her accompaniment.

"This is how you treat your patients?!" the purse swinger rages at her.

Thena doesn't take it lying down, though. If anything, it's taking everything in her not to give the wrist a hard squeeze to give her something to be genuinely hurt over. "For the treatment of my paramedic, you're lucky I haven't called security and ordered you to a different ER."

"He-"

"Has other patients!" Thena steps forward, forcing the other women back with her sheer anger. She clenches her hands into fists, bellowing at them. "People who have been in accidents, people who are in need of a lot more than an x-ray and a compression sleeve!"

"I-"

"Have a repetitive stress injury at most!" Thena barks at her. She puts more distance between them and Gil behind her. "And it's no excuse to treat him the way you have!"

The women are almost all the way back in the seats they vacated just to harass Gil. "We-"

"If I ever see you anywhere near him again, I will have every authority there is to drag you out of here! And you should count yourself lucky I don't do it myself!"

The women are practically clenching their metaphorical pearls. They eye her with disgust, "th-this is unacceptable! We'll call the hospital for the way you're treating us!"

"By all means, ladies!" Thena invites, moving from angry to practically manic. She wants to lie down so bad. "Name's Thena, and you can complain all you want! But no one lays a hand on him while I'm alive and breathing!"

The women turn on their heels, already huffing and muttering up a storm about their treatment. But Thena couldn't care less. They can try to sue her for all she cares. She tugs at her scrub top, "the nerve of people these days."

"Thanks."

Thena inhales and finally looks up at her soft, precious Gil. He gives her a sheepish smile and she frowns again, reaching up to his cheek, "are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he laughs, leaning into her touch as they make their way out of the waiting room and towards the ambulance bay and parking lot. "It's a couple of mean ladies with press-on nails, honey. They're not gonna break me."

"Still," Thena grumbles, tugging at his work hoodie until it's less rumpled and sitting properly on him. She tilts her head, "if you have so much as a bruise I'm gonna find where those women live and-"

Gil kisses her.

She stills for a second, panic flooding her as she thinks about anyone seeing them. But then the cool of the ambulance bay and the wind tunnel it creates rushes over her. She melts into the kiss because she's not very good at thinking about other things when Gil is kissing her. She's tried--it never works.

Gil pulls away slowly, his lips leaving her oh-so reluctantly. He raises his brows at her, "what were you saying?"

She nibbles at her lip a little, turning shy not that he's doused the embers of her temper so lovingly. She looks down at their shoes as they keep walking, "just...making sure you're okay."

"I'm okay," he assures her, taking her hand in his once they're in the employee parking lot and relatively alone. He smiles, "thanks for the save, though."

"Hm," she nods, letting his thumb trace over her skin and chase away the last of her energy. She sighs, "let's just go home."

"Sounds perfect," he chuckles, kissing her temple as they head to her car. "Hungry?"

"Nope," she declares definitely now that sitting down is so in-sight. She digs out her keys and tosses them at him, "just sleep."

"You got it, baby," he chuckles, pulling her in for another kiss before letting her drift to the passenger side of the car. "Drive thru?"

"Fine," she groans as she throws herself into the car and yawns loudly, "you pick where."

#Thenamesh Doctor AU #no one messes with Gil!#not while his work wife is here to goddamn fight them over it #Thena is ready to throw hands #HIPAA oath be damned #if they're not her patients they're not her problem #that's not true #but still no one hurts her Gil #she's there roaring at them like a lioness #and then Gil gets her in the car and she curls up in the passenger seat with the heat on like a kitten #he thinks it's so cute #he gets them fast food #carries Thena inside from the car #basically hand feeds her as they lie on her couch recovering from their busy shift #Thena feels like a goddess being fed grapes by her champion #really she's in in a silk night dress while Gil feeds her jalapeno poppers #still romantic though!

16 notes · View notes

soupercatte · 2 years

Text

FFXIV Writing Prompt #7 : Pawn

Kelas’ra quietly watched the flames of the kitchen’s fireplace as they licked at the bricks of the hearth, the heat normally soothing but he couldn’t rightly feel it. He remained wrapped in a heavy blanket made from the toasty fur of the enormous yaks that wandered the Western Highlands, pulling it tightly around his frame as he heard the clergy members and various knights and adventurers shuffling in the hallway outside, their voices low as they went about their own business. The door handle jingled for a moment as someone attempted to enter the kitchens but the lockbar held tight and soon they gave up, footsteps fading away.

He was numb to everything, really. Despite the warmth his body and soul felt as cold as the icy streets outside as he tried to piece together his current circumstances.

That he had fallen unconscious was given, but the fact he had woken up in a snow drift covered in blood that was not his own was horrifying in its own right. He remembered nothing of how he got outside the city, let alone the poor sod that had been his victim, so close and yet so far to the gates entering Ishgard.

He had sprinted back to the Respite, bursting into the office to the shock of both the Inquisitors, babbling incoherently and sobbing and gagging at the viscera across his body. The first thing they did was spirit him away to the baths in secret, soaking him in the hot soapy waters and scrubbing at him vigorously, pausing only to hold him down as Alethea pressed a hand to the blackened curse mark across his throat, whispering a holy prayer to seal it. He had thrashed and hissed and cursed, eyes welling up in pain as the white magick poured into his body but the curse mark retreated if but only slightly, returning to the usual blackened splotch roughly the size of a standard Gil coin.

The next thing they did, after dressing him in spare clothing from storage, was to force him to sit down in the offices and recount everything he remembered. It was a short list, his memory hazy but the one thing he did know for certain was the gnawing hunger in his stomach had quelled somewhat. Previously it had been nearly unbearable though he had no idea why, he’d voraciously stuffed his face with just about anything he could get his hands on in the kitchens, noting with disdain that he’d even gained a fair amount of weight from the binge eating but still the hunger persisted, still he’d roll back and forth in bed, unable to sleep due to the discomfort.

The Inquisitors had shared a mutual look of concern, Alethea quickly leaving to replenish the stores of holy water they kept on site for him while Adryian had placed him on house arrest, forbidding him from stepping outside of the building while he went to go clean up Kelas’ra’s mess.

These events led to his current situation, the tired Miqo’te resting on the rug before the fire, racking his brain for answers. He’d been so dutiful in his “medicine”, drinking the holy water once per morning and sporadically throughout the day should he begin to feel out of sorts, but it would seem it did not matter.

He heard the door rattle once more, though this time the perpetrator was determined. After several minutes of nonstop shaking he heard a small voice echo through the door,

“Master Sanpou? I’ve brought your supplies on behalf of Miss Alethea.”

Odd. He thought, rising to his feet while keeping the blanket over his shoulders. Thea is usually more secretive about this sort of thing.

Kelas’ra slid the lockbar to the side, cracking open the door to peek out cautiously. A bright eyed elezen nun stood before him, her smile infectious as she held up a small basket of blue glass bottles and medical supplies. “Special delivery, Ser!” The young woman chirped, grin widening further.

“T-thank you.” He muttered, reaching out. “I’ll take those.”

“Come now, I’ll help you!”

Before he could react the nun pushed on the door, causing him to stumble backwards as she entered the kitchen. Kelas’ra stuttered, chasing after her before returning to quickly close the door and lock it and then hurrying back.

“Something smells nice.” She mused in a sing-sing voice, setting the basket on the counter. “Are you starting on dinner already, Master Sanpou?”

“Not quite…” He tried to smile but he was certain it probably came out more as a grimace, trying to figure out a gentle way to coax her out of the room. “I erm…can take things from here, thank you.”

She beamed back at him, seemingly oblivious to his concerns. “Nonsense!” She quipped, “Let me assist you, it’s the least I can do.”

The young man babbled in an embarrassed manner as the nun pulled at the blanket across his shoulders, trying to tear it away. She was strong, towering over him as she tugged harder and harder until she finally managed to rip it from him, tossing it to the side.

“There we go.” The nun mused, pausing before running her hands across his shoulders. “Much better. You look rough, Ser, you must be quite stressed.”

Kelas’ra gulped as her tone turned sultry, thumbs hooking into the collar of his shirt and began to pull.

“W-w-wait-!” He pushed her away, clutching his shirt lest she catch sight of the mark across his neck. “S-Sister, please-! That’s quite enough!”

The elezen woman was not to be deterred, pressing him against the counter as he felt her knee brace him between his legs, hands taking a hold of his and pulling them away. Mind whirring, he was speechless, unsure how to get himself out of this strange mess.

“Come now…” She cooed into his ear, making him shiver, her honey golden eyes focusing intensely on him. “...is that any way to treat your master?”

Kelas’ra froze as her grin turned malicious, her grip tightening around his wrists as she pushed him further back against the counter. This close up he could smell something he hadn’t caught prior; an almost sour odor, like the stench of death. Of stagnant, putrid aether.

“It’s you.” He snarled, hackles beginning to raise. “The Voidsent…”

The nun’s grin turned to a pleased smirk as she patted his cheek, finally stepping backwards and allowing him to breathe. “That’s all? ‘The Voidsent’? That’s all you can think to call me? For shame, for shame.”

Her feet lifted from the floor as she began to hover in place, the habit falling away to reveal a curtain of slick black hair. Crossing her arms, she relaxed in the air, lounging and allowing her robe to rise up to show her legs. “Surely you can come up with something better than such a bland denomination. You could always call me Master, Goddess…” Tongue flicking across her lips, she added coyly, “...or perhaps Mistress if you are so inclined?’

Kelas’ra could feel his heartbeat in his ears, alternating between a cycle of anger, of fear and revulsion. This was the being that had ruined his life, had wrenched him from the life of a normal carpenter to whatever the hell he was now, suffering the effects of Voidal corruption.

“I’d call you a monster if I had my way. “ He seethed. “What are you doing here? What did you do to her? The nun?”

The Voidsent glanced at herself before shrugging, lounging back as if perched on a sofa. “Oh she’s fine, I’ll return her lest you worry. I just possessed the body as you ignore me if I try to contact you through your mind. You’ve gotten quite adept at it as of late, thanks to your little habit.”

They both peered over to the cabinet near the icebox, filled with various spirits and a nutty whiskey from Ilsabard that he had taken to importing and drinking by himself late of a night. She was right though; he couldn’t pay attention to her if he didn’t know where or when or who he was.

“But-! Back to the topic at hand. Can I not inquire upon my precious little pactbond?” The Voidsent smiled sweetly but the fire in her eyes was anything but gentle; it was cold and hungry, like a predator watching its prey. “After all, you took quite a big step last night! I’m quite proud!”

“Shut your face.” Trembling in place, Kelas’ra pressed a hand to the mark on his neck, feeling it pulsing in reaction to her. It was hot and feverish, aching slightly. “So you know…”

“Of course I do! I keep a close eye on you. You are my personal tether to this world after all.”

She sat upright, floating closer until her face was level with his, batting her eyelashes playfully. “Your aether is turning, Little One.” She beamed. “Each day you get closer and closer to becoming a Voidsent and each day I get closer to solidifying my clutch on you…”

Kelas’ra hissed angrily at her, pressing himself further against the counter to try and escape. “I refuse! I’ll drink more medicine, as much as it takes! We’ll find a cure, we-”

“Medicine?” She laughed incredulously, a soul crushing sound like shattering glass. “The Holy Water? Oh you little fool. You can torture yourself all you want but it does absolutely nothing for you, but by all means if it helps you cope then contiunue your little administrations.”

The Voidsent lowered herself to the ground, circling him as she quickly lost interest and began to inspect the kitchens, picking up jars of spices and turning them in her hands as she spoke. “You can deny it all you want, but surely you’ve felt it. That hunger for aether. The burning sensation in your throat that grows stronger the longer you ignore it.”

Kelas’ra said nothing, watching venomously as she nudged the suspended pot over the stove, watching it wiggle in place.

“You’ve finally had a taste of aether when you mauled that man last night. It was a man, by the way, not that you left enough behind to be able to tell. But now that your body knows what it’s missing, your hunger will increase tenfold. If you don’t nurture that seed of desire growing in the pit of your stomach it will ultimately consume you.”

She peeked over her shoulder, winking. “I say this out of love, Pactbond! I just want you to be prepared should you continue to deny yourself the little pleasures in life.”

He scowled, glancing away as he continued to massage the sore place at his neck. He didn’t want to admit it but he knew she was right; even though the hunger had subsided it still hadn’t vanished completely and the very mention of aether sent a spark running through him, causing it to flare up. It scared him nearly as much as it repulsed him.

“How about…a truce?” The nun clasped her hands behind her back as she stepped closer, circling the counter to get back into his face. He leaned away as she brushed her lips against his throat, chuckling as he struggled to avoid her gaze.

“A truce?”

“Mmhmm.” She walked her fingers along his collarbone, pulling the collar down to observe his mark, tracing it lightly with her nail as he shivered and recoiled from the touch. “I will give you some of my aether. It will strengthen your Voidal blood but you will have greater control of it, supping of my power. What do you say?”

“Why would you offer this?” Kelas’ra narrowed his eyes, wincing as she tapped the mark and he felt his body reacting in the process, the corruption flaring with each touch. He felt of his face and the itchy lines in his skin denoting where eyes were beginning to form, pushing to the surface. “Why would you give me more power? I could turn on you. Attack you.”

“Ha! You’re precious.” The Voidsent laughed once more, digging her nails into his flesh. “You could certainly try, but I don’t think you realize just who you’re dealing with my little siphon. I am Angoscia. You would beg for the sweet release of death if you even beheld my true body. I offer you my power because you still serve a greater purpose for me.”

He stiffened as she continued playing with his hair, twirling the silvery locks in her fingers. “I need you to play your part and drink as much aether as your body can handle. I will take what I need from you and together with you as my anchor to this world I can passively become even stronger, even more powerful. Not that I need to, mind you, but I do rather enjoy expanding my territory. And perhaps, with time, my territory could even spill over to this world. Who knows! It all depends on how well you perform for me.”

Kelas’ra’s heart was doing somersaults in his chest, wanting to retort or flee or say some witty remark but he knew better. No matter what he did he would still merely be a pawn to her, a stepping stone in her efforts for power. The offer of relief was indeed enticing, but was it worth losing more of his humanity for?

“Well?” Angoscia purred. “What’s your answer, Little One? Will you partake? Or will you suffer?”

They stood in silence, the crackling of the fireplace almost painfully loud to Kelas’ra ears as he was hypersensitive to his surroundings. As if he had a choice.

He didn’t have to say a word, Angoscia already knowing his answer before the sounds left his throat. She chuckled to herself and pressed her lips forcefully against his, holding his head tight in a vice grip as he squirmed, trying to free himself. Kelas’ra let out a choked cry as he felt something slide into his mouth, hot and soft and pliable as he pushed against her to escape but she refused, merely pulling him closer. Whatever it was, it slid over his tongue and down his throat, remaining stuck until it finally passed and sat heavily in his belly.

Angoscia finally released him and he spun with a cry, stumbling to the sink and gagging, spitting to try and clear his mouth. It was gone, but he could still feel it, a hot and sickly feeling much like he’d eaten something he wasn’t supposed to.

“You’ll get used to it.” She smiled, wiping her mouth clean as she adjusted her outfit, waving at the habit that had been tossed to the floor. It flew into her hands as she adjusted it, covering her hair once more. “You’ll notice the effects soon enough. I look forward to the stream of aether you will continue to provide for me for the foreseeable future.”

Kelas’ra barely reacted as she passed by, patting his back as he heaved for air at the sink. Angoscia gave him one last grin before performing a simple curtsy at the door to the hallways. “Have a good day, Master Sanpou Ser.”

The Elezen nun slipped out of the door, leaving him alone again with his thoughts as he slid down the sink, dropping to the floor with a stunned expression. He sat in disbelief, trying to figure out his next steps.

There was no turning back now, not that there was any other option previously.

She’d made his choice for him and now it was time for him to deal with the consequences.

#ffxiv writing challenge #ffxiv writing prompt #ffxivwrite2022 #ffxivwrite #ffxiv oc

2 notes · View notes

dcbutinamrev · 3 years

Note

lams oneshot where alex finds out about francis after john leaves his phone unlocked and then john opens up about his ex? (no pressure tho!)

Ask and you shall recieve! Thanks for the request/prompt! If you have any lams oneshot requests/prompts you would like me to do, feel free DM or send in asks!

***

It's around six in the evening when Alexander Hamilton notices his beloved John Laurens beginning to act strange. Laurens has been off-edge all day, to be fairly honest. According to Hamilton's observations, Laurens has been twitchy. He seemed rather anxious and distant, quiet. Only nodding his answer when he answers "Yes" or shaking his head when he answers "No" or merely shrugs when Laurens doesn't know the answer. Hamilton knows something is going on inside that South Carolinian's head. He can feel the tension and the uneasiness whenever Laurens is near at present.

Currently, Hamilton and Laurens sit side by side, shoulder brushing against shoulder, knees knocking against the other underneath the table where they sit with their family for their evening dinner. Hamilton's foster father, George, sits at the head of the table or commonly known as the "Father" end while his wife, Martha, sits across from him at the tail end of the table. Hamilton's older foster brother, Gilbert Marquis de Lafayette, sits across from him along with a few of their close friends, Richard Kidder Meade and Tench Tilghman along with Benjamin Tallmadge, who Hamilton had invited beside the Marquis. Hamilton grips his fork as he pokes around his food on his plate, his peculiar violet-blue eyes ticking towards Laurens's profile while he rests his freckled cheek in his palm, keeping a close eye on him. Watching everything Laurens does that might betray him, his voice, his expression. Anything. He knows something is going on with Laurens. But he can't quite place his finger on it.

"So, Mr. Meade," George begins, breaking the tense silence around the table. All heads turn towards him, all boys becoming stiff and coming to attention. Meade swallows hesitantly, biting his lip worriedly as he eyes George nervously. "I do hope you've completed that essay I have assigned you less than a week ago. It's due next week." A pause. George smirks as he takes a sip of his water. "In case you've forgotten."

Meade's eyes widen, his face paling as though he's seen a ghost. He clenches his fork tighter, laughing awkwardly as he scratches the back of his neck with his free hand. Meade presses his lips together. George crosses his arms and rests them on the table, his expression knowingly and he raises an eyebrow. Meade swallows.

"Uh...it's uh...heh-heh...uh...I'm uh...I'm working on it, Mr. Washington, sir," Meade stutters, a warm blush creeping over his cheeks. He bites his lip as he avoids George's intimidating gaze. "Uh...yeah...it's uh...it's coming along great, sir."

"Good," George chirps.

Meade suddenly whips his head towards Hamilton's who blinks with surprise. Meade gives Hamilton a pleading look.

"Hey, uh...Alex? I uh...I need your help with something," Meade says.

Hamilton chuckles, shaking his head as he rolls his eyes. He leans forward against the table. "Well, then. Perhaps, Kidder, you should pay more attention in class than flirting with Elizabeth Randolph."

Meade blushes deeply, his cheeks red as Hamilton's hair. Hamilton smirks teasingly as he raises an eyebrow. Meade tosses both hands up.

"Oh, come on! Give me a break! She's hot, okay?!" Meade protests.

"So, Ben," Laurens begins, turning his attention towards his old friend. He raises an eyebrow as he lifts his fork. Tallmadge turns to him, raising an eyebrow expectantly at Laurens. "You got anything new going on?"

Before Tallmadge could open his mouth to answer, Meade cuts in, jabbing his thumb over his shoulder, "Oh, yeah! Tallboy's got himself a girl!"

Both Hamilton and Laurens spring up from their chairs, their eyes wide as they whip their heads towards Tallmadge, who's cheeks are a deep shade of red as he shoots Meade a dark glare. Laurens drops his fork, shock written all over his face.

"What?!" Laurens shrieks.

"Shut the front door!" Hamilton yelps, slamming his hand on the table. "You didn't tell me this!"

"You didn't need to know about that!" Tallmadge groans, pinching the bridge of his nose as he jabs his finger at Hamilton.

"So, tell us, Ben!" Laurens insists, a sly grin on his face. "Who is she?! Who's the lucky girl?!"

Tallmadge presses his lips together, hesitant at first and then he sighs heavily, resting his chin in his palm as he grumbles, "Mary Floyd..."

Meade shoots up from his own chair. "Lucky! You got the hotter one!"

"Richard Kidder Meade!" Tilghman snaps, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Boys," Martha murmurs, eyeing George across the table.

George grunts. "Teenage boys."

"So, Marquis," Tallmadge says, changing the subject as turns to Lafayette beside him. Lafayette smiles appropriately. "I believe you fly back to France for college soon."

Hamilton shivers and grimaces as he sits back down. Lafayette frowns, glancing at his younger brother before back to Tallmadge. He sighs and nods. "Oui. Unforunately, I do."

Hamilton swallows, staring at his plate.

Tallmadge nods. "Right. Well, when you leave, keep us posted. So we know you're safe and all that."

Lafayette smiles and pats Tallmadge's shoulder. "I will, mon ami. I will indeed. Definitely." He looks at Hamilton as he says that last part.

It's silent around the table once more. Hamilton continues to sneak glances at Laurens beside him, keeping a close eye on him, wondering why he's acting all strange so suddenly. After a few more minutes have passed, Tallmadge stands up when he's finished, dusting his hands together as he glances at Martha.

"Well, I should get going. It's pretty late and we all have school tomorrow, unfortunately," Tallmadge says as Meade and Tilghman. He nods at Martha, a warm smile on his face. "Thank you for dinner, Mrs. Washington."

"Well, of course, dears," Martha says. "You're more than welcome."

Tilghman turns to Hamilton and nods. "Thanks for inviting us tonight, Alexander. We really needed a break from that hellhole that's known as school."

Hamilton laughs as he stands up as well, Laurens following along. "Of course, Tench."

Once dinner has finished and the boys have left, Hamilton and Lafayette help around the kitchen, putting the dinner away in containers and Hamilton washing the dishes while he hands them to Lafayette to dry. Laurens enters the kitchen to steal a quick kiss to Hamilton's lips, informing Hamilton he'll be showering before bed. Hamilton nods and watches Laurens climb up the stairs warily, frowning.

"Gilbert?" Hamilton asks suddenly, causing Lafayette to yelp as he spins around on his heel. He frowns.

"Yes, petit lion?" Lafayette says, worriedly.

Hamilton swallows and shifts a little on his feet as he hands Lafayette a plate. "Have you uh...have you noticed something strange with John?"

Lafayette frowns again, glancing back up at the stairs where Laurens had disappeared off too before back at Hamilton. "A little. Why?"

Hamilton swallows as he shakes his head. "Nothing. But...he's...all day...he's been acting weird around me. I don't know what it is or why. I think he's hiding something from me. I don't know...I'm just worried for him, Gil..."

Lafayette frowns, pinching his lips together. He rests a hand on Hamilton's shoulder. "If he hurts you, in any way, if he cheats on you or whatnot, you come to me. Okay? You come to me and I'll slice his head off with a sword in his sleep."

Hamilton laughs, rolling his eyes. "I know. I know, big bro."

Lafayette smiles before pressing a kiss to Hamilton's forehead, before patting his shoulder and climbing up the steps towards his own room. Hamilton sighs as he frowns, staring off into space, still clutching the dishtowel as he leans against the counter. It's when Lafayette rounds the corner at the top of the stairs does Hamilton hear a soft ping coming from the dining room.

Hamilton tenses suddenly, frowning with suspicion and fear squeezes his chest. He hears another ping coming from behind him. He frowns deeper, curiosity getting the best of him. When Hamilton hears a third ping, he marches towards the dining room where Laurens's phone lays on the table, face up. This time, no pings come. Hamilton hesitates, glancing back up at the stairs before back down at Laurens's phone. Hamilton presses his lips together and swallows nervously as he lets out a shaky breath. His hands trembling a little, fearing the worst, Hamilton reaches for Laurens's phone on the table. His breath hitches when he grabs hold of Laurens's phone, whipping his head sharply over his shoulder at the stairs before back down at the phone in his hand. Curious and suspicious, Hamilton begins to read Laurens's messages.

Kinloch: Please, darling. I'm sorry, okay! I said that a million times! I love you! Still!

Hamilton frowns, his heart beating fast, his brows furrowing together as he tilts his head. Kinloch?

Hamilton reads Laurens's responses, feeling bold and daring.

Laurens: No, Francis. We're over. Why can't you just get that through your thick skull!

Hamilton's heart cracks. Oh. This must be John's ex, Hamilton thinks. He frowns again. Why didn't he tell me about this?

Kinloch: John...John...my dear John...You know I never intended to hurt you!

Laurens: Then you should have come back with me. You should have come back to South Carolina, like I begged you to do. Rather than stay back in London and go off with some...some girl.

Hamilton winces, his heart cracking even more as if a hammer slammed against it causing it to shatter and fall into pieces. Hamilton feels his heart tumbling down to the pit of his stomach. Hamilton continues reading, getting himself lost, his curiosity spiking.

Kinloch: John...I...I...

Laurens: You what? You what, Francis? It's been years, Francis. Years! I...I had envisioned a full future for us...back in England? When we were happy. When we were together. I loved you, Francis Kinloch. I loved you. I loved you. And...and you...

Hamilton pinches his lips together, swallowing hard as he grips Laurens's phone tighter, hoping it would stop his hand from shaking. He continues reading the messages, scrolling down.

Kinloch: Today...Jack...would have been our anniversary...

Hamilton's breath hitches. He stares at the message with wide-eyes, jaw slacked a little. Hamilton blinks his eyes with shock as he glances back up at the stairs. He can still hear the water running from the upstairs bathroom. He turns back towards Laurens's phone in his hand.

Today...today was their anniversary, Hamilton thinks. He flops down in the chair, running a hand through his auburn curls. That's why he's been acting all weirdly. Today was their anniversary... Oh, Jack...why didn't you tell me...

Hamilton doesn't know how long it's been since he's read Kinloch's last message to Laurens when Hamilton hears, "Alexander?"

Hamilton gasps sharply, slamming Laurens's phone down, and shooting upright from his chair. His eyes are wide as he frantically searches for the voice but grows stiff when he sees his Laurens standing before him, fresh out of the shower and in his pajamas already, his arms over his chest as he narrows his eyes at Hamilton. Hamilton swallows when he locks his eyes with Laurens's bright sky-blue ones.

"What are you doing?" Laurens says, tilting his head.

Hamilton freezes, his mind going blank. He fidgets with his watch as he fumbles for the right explanation.

"I uh...I um...n-nothing, my love," Hamilton says, scratching the back of his neck as he stands in front of Laurens's phone. He bites his lip. "Just uh...just um..."

"Just what?" Laurens says, frowning.

Hamilton sighs. "Jack...you know you can talk to me about anything...right?"

Laurens frowns deeper, eyeing Hamilton worriedly. He nods slowly. "Yes..."

Hamilton walks up to him so their chests are almost touching. "Then tell me. Talk to me, John. What's going on?"

"What do you mean?" Laurens asks.

Hamilton sighs again. "I mean...you've been acting weird all day, John. I'm worried about you. Something is upsetting you and I can't help you, John, if you don't tell me what's going on..."

Laurens sighs through his nose as he glances down at Hamilton before his eyes shift over towards his phone on the table behind Hamilton, his phone facing down on the table. Laurens frowns. My phone was face up... he thinks. He glances back at Hamilton when he hears a soft ping coming from Laurens's phone.

"Alexander...did you...did you look through my messages?" Laurens asks, his heart pounding.

Hamilton tenses, his beautiful violet eyes widening as he glances at Laurens's phone before Laurens again. Hamilton opens his mouth to say something, to explain himself, but no words come, his mind blank and empty before he clamps it shut. Guilt squeezing his chest, Hamilton glances back down, avoiding Laurens's fiery glare. Laurens reaches behind Hamilton and snatches his phone from the table, looking at Hamilton with disbelief.

"Alexander?! What the hell?! You looked through my messages?! Behind my back?!" Laurens snaps, causing Hamilton to flinch.

"John—" Hamilton begins but Laurens's temper cuts him off.

"What the hell, Alexander?!" Laurens barks. He huffs out a frustrated breath as he runs his hand through his honey-blonde hair. He shoots Hamilton a dark look which makes Hamilton shrink. "You looked through my phone?! I would never do something like that to you! What the actual hell?! I can't actually believe you!"

"Who was he?" Hamilton interrupts.

Laurens freezes, eyes widening even wider. He swallows as he narrows his penetrating gaze down at Hamilton. "What do you mean?"

"Don't be stupid, John," Hamilton hisses, his voice hushed. He folds his arms over his chest. "You know exactly who I'm talking about."

Laurens temper subsides and he sighs heavily as he glances back down at his phone. He flops down on the couch in the living room. Hamilton sits himself down next to him. Laurens jaw clenches as he growls frustratingly behind closed lips as he grips his phone tighter. Hamilton rests his hand on his arm, which makes Laurens relax instantly.

"Talk to me, love," Hamilton whispers, tucking a loose strand of damp, blonde hair behind Laurens's ear. Hamilton scoots closer to him. "Who's Kinloch?"

Laurens sighs, swallowing. "It's...kind of...it's kind of difficult to explain..."

"He was your first?" Hamilton asks, combing more strands of honey-colored hair behind Laurens's ear.

Laurens licks his dry, chapped lips and nods. "Yes."

Hamilton swallows, keeping his eyes on Laurens's. "And...you loved him?"

Laurens bites his lip, glaring down at his phone in hand. And nods. "I did."

Hamilton rests his head on Laurens's shoulder. "Then...then why didn't you tell me? Why didn't you tell me, Jack?"

Laurens shakes his head. "I...I don't know. I guess...I don't know, Alexander. I guess...I guess I was scared to..."

"Why would you be scared to tell me something so important as this?" Hamilton whispers, glancing up at Laurens who at the same time glances back down at Hamilton. "You know, John, you could come to me for anything. You can talk to me about anything. I love you. So much. And I support you in every way I can and I want to help you and be there for you. And I can't if you don't talk to me."

Laurens sighs.

"He was your boyfriend?" Hamilton wonders.

Laurens runs a hand down his face as he rests his head against the couch, staring up at the ceiling. He nods, wrapping his arm around Hamilton. Hamilton rests his head on Laurens's chest, listening to his heartbeat against his ear.

"Yes..." Laurens answers truthfully. "He was..."

"What happened?" A pause. "I'm here, Jack, my love. I'm here. Talk to me. You don't have to hide this from me. Please..."

Laurens sighs again and swallows, his jaw working tensely. "You're right. You deserve to know..."

Hamilton smiles softly as he squeezes Laurens's hand comfortingly. Laurens glances at Hamilton, hesitantly, but Hamilton nods, encouraging him to go on. Laurens presses his lips together, gathering his courage and his thoughts together before finally telling Hamilton the truth.

"His name was Francis Kinloch..." Laurens murmurs, staring down at his phone in hand. "He uh...we met while I was schooling in Geneva. I was a fool then. Young and foolish, I should say. I didn't know what I was doing most of the time and uh...well...when I met Kinloch...I just...I don't know. He and I became close friends over the time we've worked together and studied together and all that. Then...one day...he just...he kissed me..." Laurens grimaces at the memory, trying to calm himself but his teary eyes betray him. Hamilton just listens. "He kissed me and...well...we became...lovers. Like you and I."

Laurens glances down at Hamilton, waiting for a reaction. Hamilton just stares up at him blankly, waiting for Laurens to continue. Laurens sighs once more.

"As our intimate relationship progressed," Laurens continues. "I wanted to head back down to South Carolina..."

A pause.

"And?" Hamilton prompts.

Laurens swallows hard and blinks his eyes, squeezing Hamilton's hand in his lap. "And then...he...and he wanted to stay in London. But...being the true American I am, I...I couldn't. Our views changed drastically overtime, and...and suddenly, one day, Francis couldn't take it anymore and basically...basically..."

"Basically what, my dear?" Hamilton whispers.

Laurens puffs out a breath. His palms are starting to sweat. He worries his lower lip. "And basically...he broke up with me...decided to split things off and instead...instead...go off with some girl..." Laurens scowls at the thought. "And...and..."

Growling, Laurens tosses his phone across the room. Hamilton flinches when it hits the wall, thankfully unscratched. Laurens breaks out a sob, burying his face into Hamilton's chest.

"Goddammit!" Laurens screams, tears sliding down his cheeks like rivers. He grabs hold of Hamilton's shirt as he finally breaks, his shoulders heaving up and down as he tries to control his ragged sobs. Hamilton shushes him as he wraps his arms around Laurens, rocking him gently as Laurens sobs into his chest, Hamilton resting his head on Laurens's.

"I loved him!" Laurens wails, his voice slightly muffled due to his face being buried into Hamilton's chest. "I loved him! And he breaks up with me all because he wants to stay in London and go off with some girl and now...now...now he just waltzes back into my life all of a sudden and asks for my forgiveness, pleads for it...I...I—"

"Shh, shh," Hamilton coos, stroking Laurens's still damp honey-colored hair. "Shh, my dear. Shh..."

"I'm sorry, Alex," Laurens whimpers, his voice much calmer now. He sniffs as he pulls back slightly, wiping the tears frustratingly with the heel of his palm. "I should have told you sooner...about Kinloch...I just...I don't know...I—"

"Shh, Jack," Hamilton whispers, cradling Laurens's jaw. Laurens closes his eyes as he tries to calm himself, leaning into Hamilton's touch. "Breathe. It's okay. It's okay, my love. I'm here. I'm here."

Laurens sniffs as he begins to slowly calm down. He looks down into Hamilton's beautiful violet eyes, which sparkle against the ceiling light above them. Laurens tucks a loose, red curl behind Hamilton's ear and smiles wobbly. He eyes Hamilton's soft pink lips and grins. Hamilton arches both eyebrows, knowing exactly what Laurens is thinking. Laurens slowly leans in, which makes Hamilton lean up to him inch by inch. They're close now, close enough that their noses touch. Laurens angles his face a little, cradles Hamilton's jaw before pressing his lips to Hamilton's.

Hamilton grunts and hisses sharply through his nose with surprise but kisses Laurens in return. Hamilton giggles into their kiss as Laurens slowly pushes Hamilton down on the couch, Hamilton's fingers sliding through Laurens's hair. Laurens angles his face in the other direction to capture his lips better. The two move in sync, Laurens climbing over Hamilton as best he can, cupping both of Hamilton's jaw. After a short while, Laurens pulls back first, catching his breath and presses his forehead against Hamilton's, the tips of their noses nudging against each other's, their lips grazing lazily over the other. Hamilton captures Laurens's lips once, twice, and then three times before finally pulling apart for a breath of air.

Laurens grins idiotically as he flutters his eyes open, Hamilton locking his eyes with Laurens's. Hamilton giggles as he caresses Laurens's cheek with the pad of his thumb. Laurens sighs softly, almost like a whistle.

"I'm sorry, Alexander," Laurens mumbles, closing his eyes as he leans into Hamilton's touch once more. "I should have told you sooner...I just...I didn't know what you would think of me..."

"Shh," Hamilton says, pressing his lips to Laurens's. "I wouldn't have think less of you, my dear Jack...I would have supported you as I do everyday. I would have been there for you, like I am now." A pause. "Thank you, John, for trusting me with this..."

Laurens chuckles. "Of course."

"Also...I apologize for going through your phone..." Hamilton mumbles, looking sheepishly.

Laurens laughs.

"I was just worried about you and I wanted to make sure you were alright..." Hamilton explains.

"It's alright, my dear boy," Laurens whispers. He leans down to capture Hamilton's lips again.

"I'm here, John..." Hamilton whispers, his forehead against Laurens's. His eyes closed. Laurens hums.

"I'm here..."

48 notes · View notes

rosemochi · 3 years

Note

16. Daybreak.

"How much for a room?"

The innkeeper stares. Zack stares back. He knows he's getting blood all over the floor, but it's not as if he can help it, and if the man declines to help him, then the puddle will just get larger. Finally, the innkeeper sighs, and Zack's shoulders sag in relief. "Hundred gil. Only got single beds, though."

He limps towards the desk. It takes a great deal of effort to grab his wallet, considering Cloud is still slung over his back. "That's fine." After a pause, he says, "Sorry about the mess. I'll clean—"

"Don't worry about it." The innkeeper hands him a key. "Room charge includes a cleanin' fee."

Their accommodations are filthy, but it's still better than the lab. Zack sets Cloud down on the bed, strips him of his wet clothes, and covers him with as many blankets as he can find. He still looks uncomfortable — because anybody would've been uncomfortable on such a thin mattress — so Zack takes his own pillow and shoves it underneath Cloud's head, leaving his own side bare. Finally, he collapses into a nearby armchair and watches Cloud with half-lidded, heavy eyes. "What are we gonna do?"

Cloud doesn't answer, of course. The only noise that greets Zack is the sound of the slums outside the window; the bustling crowds, loud, inhospitable, naturally wary of broad-shouldered men in sleeveless turtlenecks. It was a miracle that he'd even managed to find this inn, considering most people in Sector 7 avoided him like the plague. "We'll figure it out." Zack's voice is light, airy, confident; the opposite of what he feels inside. "It'll be fine."

---

It's not fine.

The next day dawns. Zack counts out his remaining gil. There's only enough for a week's worth of food, and that's if he stretches it. Going to the hospital isn't an option, and it's far too late to take a potion, so he eventually resorts to digging out the bullets in his torso with a pocket knife. They make a strange kind of music as they hit the bathroom sink, clinking against the porcelain, accompanied by the steady drip, drip, drip of Zack's blood. Cloud sleeps through Zack's grunts of pain, which he's grateful for — he doesn't want Cloud to see him like this.

As Zack bandages his wounds, he thinks back to the encounter that gave him all of these injuries to begin with. He's pretty sure Cloud didn't get hit by anything, but it's not as if he's conscious enough to say otherwise.

"Sorry, buddy," Zack says. "Gotta do this."

He lifts the blankets up. Cloud's torso looks fine — other than the keloid scar in the center of his chest, stark against his pale skin, and the frightening way his ribs stick out from his body, made thin by five years of stillness and artificial nutrition. Zack doesn't look for very long, because it feels weird; he's oddly flustered by the time he finishes his pseudo-examination.

Once he's finished, Zack goes to sit on the side of the bed and misses it entirely. He slowly sinks to the threadbare carpet, his shirt catching on the rough comforter as he goes down. His head is pounding, as if somebody's hammering on the insides of his brain with a hammer. "Good," he murmurs, relieved. "Just me, then."

---

Zack wakes, his head still aching, and hastily dresses in the only outfit he has. He wants to run his errands before the slums awaken, but Sector 7 is full of early birds... that are naturally wary of Shinra-issued super-soldiers. Zack arrives at a grocery store, dressed in his infamous uniform (sans pauldrons, though it doesn't help much), beelines for the produce, and promptly gets spat at over a bushel of carrots.

"I'm an ex-SOLD—" Zack sighs. The old Wutain woman walks away, muttering curses under her breath. "Nevermind."

He heads to a nearby clothing store and spends far too much money (five gil) on a new set of clothes. The turtleneck, belt, and pants find their way into a nearby dumpster. Now incognito, Zack quickly buys some necessities — food, water, more bandages, a bar of soap — and races back to the hotel room, eager to check on Cloud.

"I'm home," he announces. Cloud doesn't respond. Zack sits on the side of the bed and rifles through the grocery bags, emerging with a container of fruit. "I bought blueberries." He hastily covers his mouth with his other hand as he coughs, his chest burning from the exertion of running up the stairs. "Your—" Another cough. "Your favourite."

---

Could he be a mercenary? He doesn't see why not, really, other than the fact that somebody might recognize him (when he's supposed to be dead). Could leveraging his ex-SOLDIER status help drum up more business? Is it worth the risk? He'll figure it out in the morning, he decides. Zack lies his throbbing head down on the mattress and falls asleep, dreaming of the painkillers he'll buy with his mercenary money.

The fourth day comes. Zack opens his eyes and hisses in pain; the sunlight feels like it's burning a hole through his skull. He flips onto his stomach, seeking darkness, and hears an unfamiliar groan.

It takes him a moment to recognize the sound.

Zack leaps out of bed and immediately sways on his feet. Something is wrong, terribly wrong, but he can't let whatever it is stop him — Cloud needs him. He grabs a bottle of water, brings it to Cloud, and holds his head up so he can drink it.

As soon as the bottle's empty, Cloud asks, "Where are we?"

"Sector 7," Zack says. "The slums."

Cloud's eyes roam up and down Zack's bare torso, pausing at the blood-stained bandages. "I remember the cliff," he croaks. "I thought I dreamed it."

Zack lays back down on the hard mattress. He laughs, but there's no humor in the sound. "I wish."

The mattress squeaks as Cloud turns to face him. Zack carefully looks at him, emaniciated but animated, taking in all of the features — sunken eyes, sharp cheekbones, dry lips — that display his illness, equivalent to Zack's own sorry state. Still, there's something about the sight of Cloud that Zack finds strangely wonderful, something that makes his heart race — a feeling made stronger by the fact that it's him, awake, present, right beside him.

"We're alive," Cloud whispers in wonder.

"Yeah." Zack smiles. "We're alive."

---

Though Zack might not stay that way for long.

Day five. The morning sun burns his eyes like acid. Whatever's been plaguing Zack has grown infinitely worse, and he suspects it has something to do with one of his bullet wounds — whatever's making his bandages stain yellow rather than red. Or perhaps it's because he sat in soaked clothes for hours upon hours as he hauled Cloud to Midgar, frozen to the bone in the frigid December weather.

Or perhaps it's both.

The reason doesn't matter, really, because that's not the point. Isn't he supposed to be immune to these sorts of things? What on earth was the point of his augmentations if he still gets things like colds and infections?

Zack ventures back outside in search of medicine, for things he hasn't taken since he was a child in Gongaga, fighting against strep throat and bronchitis. He heads to the nearest pharmacy, because he still can't afford a doctor. Unfortunately, he finds out he can't afford basic remedies either.

"You got wounded?" The pharmacist says, eyes wide. "How long ago?"

"Five days."

"Way too late for a potion," he murmurs. He looks Zack up and down, then rifles underneath the counter. "I'm not supposed to sell these without a prescription, but..." He rings up the antibiotics. "Two hundred gil."

Zack grimaces. "I have fifty."

The pharmacist directs Zack to the veterinarian next door: somebody who sells drugs under the table for cheap. Zack pays ten gil for a bottle of canine antibiotics (which is still too much, but he can't take care of Cloud if he's dead himself) and stumbles back outside. His head swims as he wobbles down the street, knocking shoulders with Sector 7's many residents. He hits one woman particularly hard. "Sorry," he slurs.

The black-haired woman whirls around to face him. She gasps. "Wait—"

"Sorry."

The woman says something else, but Zack rushes forward, eager to get back to Cloud. He makes it back to the inn (though he's not quite sure how), tears his way back into the room, and promptly rushes for the toilet. The bile tears through his esophagus as it comes up, leaving his throat raw and scorched in its wake.

Something crashes in the bedroom. Zack looks over the rim and sees Cloud crawling towards him, a blanket tangled around his legs. "Are you okay? What happened?"

"Nothing," Zack insists, though he's sure he's not doing a very convincing job of it. He flushes the bile away. "Got meds."

Cloud hunts around for the bag that Zack dropped on the floor. Exhausted, he leans back on the bathroom cupboard, rips the bag open, and inspects the bottle. "This says 'for Fido'."

"He said something about 'equivalent doses'," Zack groans. "No idea what that means."

Somehow, he musters up the energy to pull himself up to the sink so he can brush his teeth. Cloud crawls up with him, using the counter as leverage. The image in the mirror is a frightening sight; Zack can barely recognize himself. Cloud reaches up and pulls a sweat-soaked strand of hair from Zack's temple. "When was the last time either of us showered?"

Zack grimaces as he thinks back. "Five years ago?"

It's a good thing they decide to shower together, because they end up having to hold each other up. Cloud doesn't have the dexterity to unbutton his own pants, so Zack does it for him; Zack doesn't have the strength to lift his arms above his head, so Cloud hooks his arms underneath Zack's shirt and pulls. They take turns scrubbing each other clean, trying to make up for each other's deficiencies. Zack's bandages get soaked, but he simply doesn't have the energy to care. "Bend down," Cloud says. "I'll get your hair."

The hot water doesn't last long. Strength spent, they end up on the floor, gasping for air and clutching each other for warmth. Zack's feverish forehead lands on Cloud's cold shoulder; the sensation makes him groan in relief, even though the rest of his body is frozen to the bone. "We might have to stay here forever," Cloud gasps. "I don't have the strength to haul you up."

Zack slowly drags his head up. Droplets of cold water drip down Cloud's chin, his jaw, his neck, collecting in the hollow of his throat. Zack's mouth is impossibly dry; if he didn't know any better, he might've tried to drink from it. "I'd be fine with that," he admits.

---

"Why did you give me your pillow?"

Zack drags his eyes open. Dim streaks of light pierce through the blinds, highlighting the dust in the air. The clock on the nightstand reads 5:30 AM. "You needed it more."

"How?" Cloud croaks. "I was unconscious."

Zack doesn't have a good answer for that, so he stays silent. Cloud sighs and tugs at his shoulders. "Roll over," he says, and Zack slowly complies. His head lands in the center of Cloud's chest — a much comfier surface than the hard mattress. "Stupid," Cloud whispers into his hair. "You're so stupid."

They slowly drift back to sleep. Zack dreams of everything — his childhood in Gongaga, his days as a SOLDIER, the bloodshed in Wutai, the pain, the glory, the atrocities, all blending together into a whirlpool of dreams and nightmares. At the center of the maelstrom, always present, is the laboratory and the years he spent with Cloud, so close and yet so far, within arm's reach but miles away. In his dreams, the glass is impenetrable, no matter how hard he tries to smash it; his screams are muffled by the mako that spills into his throat, filling his lungs, robbing him of freedom.

But not anymore.

Cloud is here. He's in front of him, beneath him, warm, breathing and alive. Cloud's arms rise up to hold him, enveloping Zack in a comforting warmth that feels like home; Zack's hands clutch at Cloud's shirt as if it's the only thing tethering him to the Planet. The fabric underneath his eyes quickly grows damp.

"Still feverish," Cloud whispers, his lips moving against Zack's forehead.

"Yeah?" Zack mumbles, as if he can't tell — though he obviously can. His head is swimming; he feels like a child again, sitting in the bow of his dad's fishing boat, feeling the ocean tug him to and fro. "Not enough dog meds."

"I'll go get them."

Zack's arms tighten around Cloud's waist. "Don't," he says. "They're not doing anything anyway."

"You have to keep taking them for them to work," Cloud argues. He eventually wiggles out from underneath him, though Zack does his best to make him stay put. An eternity passes before he returns, medicine and water in hand. "Open your mouth."

Zack's throat, still raw from bile, aches as he swallows the pills down. Cloud puts the medicine aside and collapses on top of him, utterly spent. They lay there for a while, arms twisted around each other, Zack taking comfort in Cloud's steady heartbeat. "Don't know what I'd do if I lost you," Cloud whispers.

Zack gently runs his fingers through Cloud's sweat-soaked hair. "You'd be fine."

"No," Cloud quietly argues. "No, I wouldn't."

Zack slowly sinks back into unconsciousness. For once, he dreams of nothing; his mind is a dark, cool abyss, a refuge from the fever. When he's pulled back into the world of the living, his surroundings are much of the same. Zack awakens to soft fingers running through his hair, stroking his burning forehead, caressing his sunken cheeks. Is he still dreaming? "Don't stop," Zack croaks. "Feels good."

The stroking continues. The fingers trace his brow, the slope of his nose, the bow of his parched mouth, thumb swiping against his bottom lip — where they suddenly stop. Zack opens his mouth to speak, to breathe, to ask for more, when something else presses against his lips: a mouth as chapped as his own.

The kiss is light, because it has to be; even in his dreams, there's no energy for passion. In its absence, the gentlest of movements becomes profound. Zack sighs as he gently presses his lips to Cloud's, swipes his tongue against his bottom lip, seeking his warmth. A shiver tears through him as Cloud's tongue brushes against his own—

—until Cloud abruptly pulls away. He coughs, his chest rattling as he desperately tries to catch his breath. Zack holds him tight and rubs his back until the coughing fit passes. "Shh," he whispers against Cloud's forehead. "Shh."

Cloud eventually stills. Zack can tell he's feverish too; the skin underneath his lips is hot to the touch. "Sorry," Cloud croaks. The misery in his voice makes Zack's chest hurt. "I'm sorry."

Zack shakes his head. What on earth could he ever be sorry for? "Don't be."

They lay there for what feels like an eternity. Zack drifts in and out of consciousness, through the past and present. The fever tries to pull him under, but he briefly comes up for air. "I'll kiss you properly," Zack croaks, "when we're better."

Cloud's arms tighten around him. "We're not getting better."

He's right. Zack's fever persists, no matter what meds he throws at it; he can feel death hovering nearby, waiting to pull him into the ether. "If you can move," Zack slowly says, "I want you to go to the hospital. Don't—" He coughs. "Don't worry about the—"

Cloud inches himself up Zack's body and kisses him again. He coughs, then kisses the corner of Zack's mouth, coughs, then kisses his cheek; the hacking sound is loud and startling, as if it's tearing his lungs into two. "Shut up," he says. "I'm not leaving you."

Zack's eyes close against his will, robbing him of the opportunity to argue. As he slowly sinks into darkness, he feels something wet drip onto his face, like a familiar droplet of rain from a stormy sky. If he were to open his eyes, would he see dark clouds? Would he still be on the cliff, lying in the torrent, waiting for death?

He opens his mouth to the rain, eager to soothe his parched throat, and tastes salt on his tongue.

---

Zack awakens. The light behind his closed eyelids is warm, soothing, like the sunlight that dries the earth after a storm. A soft breeze brushes against his neck, stirring his hair.

"Hey."

Zack cracks his mouth open. "Hey," he croaks.

The weight of Cloud's body pushes him into the ground. Is he alive? Dead? Has he always been dead? Zack doesn't know much about the afterlife, but he knows it's supposed to be a paradise, and an eternity with Cloud is the closest he'll ever get to it.

The sunlight grows warmer, enveloping him from within. The pain in his body ebbs, replaced by something that Zack can only describe as peace. "I love you," Cloud says.

He turns his head towards the sound. "I love you too," he says, smiling. "Always have."

Another sound slowly enters Zack's consciousness; two sets of heavy boots, smacking against wooden floors. "Somebody's coming," Cloud says. "Shinra?"

Zack wraps his arms around Cloud, holding him tight, tighter, until they're as close as two people could possibly be. Their bodies meld into one entity, one soul, impossible to separate, together for eternity. "I'm not going anywhere without you," Cloud says.

The boots come to a stop. "No," Zack agrees, shaking his head. "Never."

Knock.

Every single thing Zack meant to say over the past five years comes out in a rush. "I love you," he croaks, because he can never say it enough. "I love you, I love you—"

Knock. Knock. Knock.

"I love you too," Cloud says, his voice thick with tears.

"What are you tryin' to do, tear the damn door down?!" the innkeeper growls. "Hold on. I've got a key."

It doesn't matter. None of it does. It doesn't matter what will happen, if they're alive or dead or somewhere in between, if they're spirits wandering through the ether, souls flitting through hazy dreams — because they'll always have each other.

"I love you."

The door opens.

#FF7 #FFVII #Zack Fair #Cloud Strife #Zack Fair/Cloud Strife #clack #drabble challenge #my fic #I wrote this while sick and you can kinda tell

24 notes · View notes