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ineffable-suffering · 6 months

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The Jane Austen Ball and why it was never about Nina and Maggie

Otherwise known as (*takes a deep breath*): A completely inflated close-up look at various dialogues and events of Season 2 that prove that the Whickber Street Traders and Shopkeeper's Association Meeting Cotillion Ball was supposed to be Aziraphale's confession to Crowley

Look, the point's been made before but that's never kept me from making it myself again, still. In fact, even I made it before, at the end of one of my other metas. But I feel like it's absolutely worthy enough to get its own soppy, way-too-long post. And I do love it so very much to write ridiculously long essays on something that could easily be condensed into a short paragraph.

So, here we go! Snuggle up, get cozy, settle in and, most importantly:

(Word count: 3.177 | Reading time: ~13 minutes)

As I already said above, I laid out a similar case in my meta about why Aziraphale is somewhat of an unreliable narrator. I'll try and recycle it here briefly, so I can further make my point.

When Aziraphale arrives back in London from his Edinburgh journey, he seems oddly happy and giddy for the fact that he just had a rather odd and threatening encounter with Shax. I explain in my other meta that this is because he just spent the last hours of his drive reminiscing on the thrilling and romantic magic show adventure of 1941 and also the fact that he just found out that Crowley has been replaced by Shax and no longer works for Hell.

Ergo: We have a hopelessly lovesick Principality at our hands, who's practically swooning over his serpent who saved him, his books and his magic show all those years ago.

Ergo:

✨This✨

Realistically, Aziraphale should probably be a tad worried about the eery encounter with Shax, in which she definitely had the upper hand on him. But well, if you spend many-a hours driving across the serene countryside (Edinburgh is about an 8-hour drive from London), pondering on one of the craziest, sticky-sweet romantic adventures of your not-life life, well ... things tend to turn a little rosy around the edges. Head in the clouds and all that. Light shades of grey!

Alright, onwards: Once the angel, filled to the very brim with fond memories and butterflies, gets out of the Bentley, he's kindly met with a face full of verdant plants and a very in-character-grumpy Crowley.

Fhwack! Way to burst the rosy bubble.

Seriously, the absolute lightning speed with which Crowley storms out to vacate the bookshop the very second Aziraphale arrives makes me giggle every time.

Let's make a first small (who am I kidding) diversion into analysing the following conversation in unnecessary detail ...

... simply because I enjoy quoting dialogue as an accurate reference in my metas. I'll also highlight certain passages I want to comment on in individual colours so I can back up my thoughts with them below. Alright, their little chinwag goes as follows:

Crowley: "They you are! I was worried something might have happened to you." Aziraphale: "No, nothing happened to me. Very uneventful journey indeed. No strange things at all." Crowley: "Good. That's what we wanna hear." Aziraphale: "Um .. everything okay with- ah.." *nods to the bookshop* Crowley: "Oh, yeah, fine. He's singing to himself. I think he must have been asleep. I heard snoring coming from his bedroom–" Crowley, to the Bentley: "Did you miss me? I bet you did." Aziraphale: "... I'm sure it did." Crowley: "So, any more clues from the mystery of the missing archangel?" Aziraphale: "Not exactly. Or, if there are, I haven't yet cracked the case. But I'm certainly hot on the trail of something." Crowley: "I'm sure you are. Oh, by the way, the whole sudden rain and awning thing was a complete washout." Aziraphale: "Sorry?" Crowley: "You know, project making Nina fall in love with Maggie. I failed, it's your go." Aziraphale: "I see. Well then, Whickber Street Traders and Shopkeeper's Association Monthly Meeting, here we come!" Crowley: "You're really hosting the meeting?" Aziraphale: "Absolutely! And I can guarantee you, it will be a night to remember."

At first glance, this has little to do with the plot of this meta but actually, it folds into my point very nicely! However, it's not time for that yet, so we'll just state the facts as they are for now and then bring them back 'round later when we need them. That being said: For the love of Someone, will these two ever manage to simply tell each other the truth of what happened instead of thinking they can protect each other by lying about it all the time? Hrmpf. As a big fan of open communication myself, I'm close to developing a stomach ulcer with the amount of false truths being spewed here. (Then again – and yes, that is another, way larger meta I'm currently cooking up – it plays so very perfectly into the whole Jane-Austen-Pride-and-Prejudice tragic miscommunication theme that this entire Season has, so I understand the point of it.)

Very uneventful journey indeed, Aziraphale, except for the fact that you were ambushed by a demon who told you she was Crowley's successor, knows about the rumors of the two of you being an item as well as what went down in 1941 (that almost had both of you exposed) and also seems to have figured out where you and your demon boyfriend are hiding Gabriel, all in the span of about a minute. No strange things at all, nooo!

And Crowley's "Oh yeah, fine" is a total lie too. Again, we see him make an absolute run for it before Aziraphale can even enter the bookshop. After all, he just once again witnessed Jim have a Gabriel-flashback, speaking of the Second Coming, while Crowley was alone with him. As fumingly angry he is with the amnesiac archangel – he's also absolutely terrified of what might happen (to him and Aziraphale) should Jim regain his memories. So, no wonder he's quick to vacate the premises after witnessing Jim's rather eery memory flashback (and was, just like Aziraphale, threatened by Shax mere moments later, lol).

But no, nothing out of the ordinary happened to either of them. Tip-top. Absolutely tickety-fucking-boo.

Alright, let's get back on track with the actual topic of this meta. Certainly hot on the trail of something, hm? At first glance, it might seem like Aziraphale is talking about the fact that Gabriel was in company of someone whenever he went to the Resurrectionist Pub. (The clue!) However, I don't actually think he is talking about that. Why? Because, and this slipped my mind too at first, he never actually follows any of this information up, does he? Yes, sure, he went to Edinburgh, found the capital-c Clue and then returned to London. But what does he do with it? Nothing. He doesn't keep investigating this hot trail because that's not the important thing he realized during his journey. No, the more important clue Aziraphale found during his trip, is that Crowley no longer works for Hell and that he is also very much irrevocably in love with him and must confess this at the earliest given chance. (The latter part isn't necessarily a new discovery for Aziraphale, but it surely is fuelled by the fact that he just realized Crowley's out of a Hellish job and simply hasn't told him yet.)

This exchange just the perfect indicator for the fact that Aziraphale, at no point during his drive back, was thinking about the Maggie and Nina mission. He has no idea what Crowley is talking about once he mentions it and seems surprised, even, that he would. Even though they just talked about it on the phone when Aziraphale was still at the graveyard. Which is another important piece of evidence because it means that the last status update Aziraphale got of Mission Lovebirds, was that Crowley had sensed an opportunity to make them fall in love – and had then hung up on him. Why is this important? Because it means that until that very point of their conversation, Aziraphale did not know that Crowley's attempt had failed! There would have been just as much of a chance of Crowley's weather miracle actually working out and Maggie and Nina already having skipped into the sunset happily ever after.

So, riddle me this:

Why would Aziraphale spend the entire ride back from Edinburgh plotting "a night to remember" (because clearly, he already had the entire Ball planned out down to a T in his head since he goes into action right away after arriving) if he didn't even know yet that Crowley's attempt had failed?

To be very clear here: We're not talking about Aziraphale driving on the M1 to London, having a silly little idea for putting on some good music, miracle-ing Nina and Maggie to dance to it and watch them confess their love–

No.

He planned an entire actual Cotillion Ball with very particular location design that involves re-arranging the entire bookshop, specifically designed individual outfits for (almost) every single attendee, topped off with a live band, hors-d'œuvre, drinks and an actual choreographed group dance.

During one car ride.

Where's the party planner Aziraphale AU? I'm waiting!

Now, sure, we know that it's still quite important for Aziraphale to convince Heaven of the faux-reason they gave for their accidental ✨25-Lazarii miracle✨. But if we're all honest, this all seems to be a tad much just to make two random humans fall in love, even for that.

Glittery ball gowns and suits? Red and gold wall curtains? A modified language filter? Bloody vol-au-vents?

Talk about over the top ...

Once we start S2E5, Crowley is still surprised at the mere fact that Aziraphale is actually planning to organize the Monthly Meeting – and he doesn't even know yet that it's gonna be the most extravagant ball-boogaloo that the Whickber Street Community has ever seen! Aziraphale wanting to organize the meeting alone, is enough to render Crowley incredulous, because Aziraphale never mingles with the other shopkeepers. He usually actively avoids them and any sort of social encounters as much as he can because he doesn't care about the bloody Christmas lights, alright?

These things seem mundane and uninteresting to him, obviously, since all he really cares about is hoarding his book collection in peace like the little hedonist he is and drawing as little attention as possible to his none-business business.

Oh, right, speaking of books:

Let's take another unnecessarily detailed look at the whole Whickber Street invitation scene:

Aziraphale realizes very quickly that he's not the only one who's quite unenthusiastic about the blessed Chritsmas lights. And despite his very persuasive methods of temptation ...

... he has to take some more drastic measurements. And those are?

That's right: Giving away his books.

I'll repeat it again, slowly: Aziraphale is willingly (!) giving away or lending his books to pretty much complete strangers to, allegedly, make two other humans strangers fall in love.

Seriously, who is that angel and what has he done with our prim, fussy, hedonistic Aziraphale that protects his books with the vice grip of an eagle carrying his precious prey?

Believe in the importance of Mission Lovebirds as much as you will, but we're talking about Mr. A.Z. Fell here who, over the past millennia, has pretty much spent every day actively working out methods to stop people from purchasing as much as a single paperback from his holy shelves.

And yet: the 1965 September Dr. Who Annual? Given away. The first edition of Expert at the Card Table that was S. W. Erdnase's personal copy? Lent away to grubby human hands to fondle around with.

Let's do another coloured dialogue diversion (don't worry, it's not as extensive as the last one):

Crowley: "You just did what I think you did?" Aziraphale: "I'm not prepared to talk about it." Crowley: "You gave away a book." Aziraphale: "I had to! Maggie and Nina are depending on me. They just don't know it yet."

Crowley backs up my point: This is a huge deal. Aziraphale does not sell his books – let alone give them away for free. We're all shocked! Flabbergasted!

And the explanation Crowley and us get just ... doesn't satisfy. Something and someone sure is depending on this Ball and doesn't know it yet. But it's most definitely not Maggie and Nina, folks.

You know for whom Aziraphale would give away his books in the blink of an eye, though?

Mhm, that's right.

This pretty old serpent.

I want to take a minute to show you the reaction again that Aziraphale has upon entering the very same magic shop him and Crowley went to in 1941 to acquire the Bullet Catch:

You ... you need a minute there, angel? You're sure looking a little ... affected.

And I mean, well, no wonder. He reminisced about that very memory four hours last night. To him, this shop is where the most turbulent, ecstatic, adrenaline-fuelled and romantic night of his life began. And it shows.

I've made my point in my other meta series about how Aziraphale is an incredibly nostalgic character. He romanticizes so many things in his memories – especially the parts that feature Crowley. So, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest that he's once again willing to loosen the tight grip he has on his book collection to get the successor of Will Goldstone's Magic Shop, the shop that started it all for him, to come to his fancy Ball.

As we watch Aziraphale and his little lap dog demon pat around Soho, I'd like to take another second to point out that he goes to seven or more establishments before he even invites Nina.

... and he only does so because she starts talking to them on the street. Almost like he'd forgotten about it. Why not ask her at the very beginning? To establish whether or not he'd have to book-blackmail her too?

"Perfectly ordinary invitation with no hidden agenda of any kind", except that he's using you and Maggie as a pretence to resolve his own clusterfuck of a relationship-miscommunication Jane-Austen-style so that he can then hopefully confess his undying love to his demon not-boyfriend boyfriend.

Marvellous!

You'll forgive me another short diversion but my God, the whole exchange at the Marguerite's restaurant with Crowley literally cat-call-whistling Aziraphale over to him (and Aziraphale checking if he meant someone else first, I–)? I am weak. So, so weak and

However, this is also when we get a snippet of Crowley finally revealing the truth in place of his "Oh, he's fine"-lie earlier and telling Aziraphale that he's actually pretty scared Jim might turn back into Gabriel and smite him altogether. And Aziraphale's response is, in a cosmic sense, (remember the pink paragraph now) so hilarious:

"Have you thought of just talking to him?"

Yeah, have you? Have any of the two of you? Just thought about talking? To each other? About anything?

'pparently not. But hey, it's all good because remember what the ultimate remedy for star-crossed lovers simply misunderstanding each other is?

Bish, bash, bosh, problem solved!

Back at the ballroom bookshop, Aziraphale sends Crowley to invite Maggie in order to, in my opinion, not spoil the Ball-y surprise for him. (Inviting Maggie only now?! Wouldn't she be one of the only two guests who really should attend? Why the short notice? If she's really that important for the Ball you're planning, hm?)

On top of this, we see Nina almost not attending the Ball meeting after her partner broke up with her and Crowley being the one who coincidentally runs into her and ushers her into the bookshop before Shax and her "legion" of demons start creeping up on them. Again, if this hadn't happened by pure coincidence, Nina would have left to go home and this whole Ball would have taken place without her, rendering the apparent sole purpose of making her fall in love with Maggie useless.

Why doesn't Aziraphale care more for both of them to attend and be there? Why is he instead busy fussing over everything looking perfect and wonderful and doesn't even seem to notice that both Nina and Maggie are really late to the meeting?

Well. Well.

The answer's in the title, babes.

Alas, Crowley safely gets Maggie and Nina to join them, Mr. Brown is the only one who doesn't get a miracled outfit (fussy, petty angel, you just don't like him, do you?), Jimbriel stuns with glamour and flirt (and whatever sexually suggestive thing he does with his cheeks) and the Whickber Street Ball is a-go!

Sorry, I just had to chuck this in again because Crowley's face here absolutely kills me every time. He looks so confused, I am hollering.

And the heart eyes Aziraphale is making at Nina and Maggie now that they're actually here?

Oh, bless it, angel.

He's all like "Oh look, it's working! Jane was right! It's all going to be resolved, all the misunderstanding and quarrels! Crowley, where's Crowley–"

Ah yes, there he is.

Ladies and gentlemen, this is an angel who is not listening to a single word being said right now. No, in his head, Aziraphale is already down on one knee, pouring his heart out to Crowley after they just danced the night away.

Oh, yes, right. The dancing.

Parallel much?

But well, as marvellous and beautifully romantic as her stories tend to be, it turns out that Jane Austen isn't always right after all. Because before we know it, the perfect night shatters into many-a tiny pieces (literally).

And once again, fhwack:

... the rosy bubble bursts.

Let's take one more deep breath so I can make my final point:

In S2E2, Aziraphale explains to us very exactly what Jane's Balls (hrhr) used to be about: Solving miscommunication and confessing love to one another.

During his car journey back from Edinburgh, Aziraphale:

doesn't know Crowley's Mission Lovebirds had failed

remembers 1941 and just how badly he's in love with Crowley

and also realizes that they seem to have been wildly miscommunicating for quite some time now. (Crowley didn't even tell him he basically got let go!)

So, what does maddeningly strong love plus a want to resolve all the miscommunication equal? That's right: A night to remember! A Ball to change it all! A dance, a vol-au-vent, a confession. And, ideally, a happy ever after. Because:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man angel in possession of a good fortune Jane Austen collection, must be in want of a wife demon husband.”

The Ball was never for Nina and Maggie. As a byproduct, maybe, yes. But the whole rest of the glimmer and glamour, the careful, romantic planning and set up of it all, the book-bating the other shopkeepers– that was for Crowley and Crowley only.

And oh, if only it were as easy as in the books.

*whispers* I'm sorry, I had to.

***

Your honour, the tinfoil-hat crackpot defence rests. Feel free to share thoughts (and prayers) if you want to!

Au revoir! 💗

#good omens season 2 #good omens #gos2 #go2 #good omens 2 #good omens meta #good omens s2 #crowley #aziraphale #ineffable husbands #my own meta #the bloody vol-au-vents made me do it #aziraphale has balls #truly #jaune austen ball #it is a truth universally acknowledged that this show is going to drive me out of my mind #azi just wanted his silly little love confession #but then he had to surrender the angle #bummer

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keen-li · 1 month

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What you need | prologue

Synopsis: everybody needs, but how do you define need? Do you even know what you need.

Genre: best friends au, angst, fluff, smut, slow burn.

Jungkook x reader.

4.7k

prologue | next

‘’you can’t be serious’’ your brows knits as your voice shakes with disbelief.

‘’I’m serious as fuck yn’’ he spits out like venom from a snake’s glands ‘’Is it so hard to stop being friends with him?’’ he says it like it’s that easy to end a friendship, especially with no valid reason.

‘’yes. We’ve been friends for forever’’ You can feel your throat tremble with all this defending you have to do.

‘’yn 3 years isn’t forever’’

‘’but it's longer than we’ve been together’’ you spit back with your own venom. You wouldn’t put Jungkook over Yunho cause he’s your boyfriend, but that’s not going to make you forget Jungkook. The person who’s been there for you the most (not that you’re counting) ‘’I’m not going to stop being friends with him over nothing or just because you’re threatened by him’’

You know that’s what this is about. You don’t know when it started but Yunho has always seemed to be threatened by Jungkook. You’ve reassured him so much you got tired of it, so you just let him talk to himself when he complained.

‘‘so, this is nothing to you?’’ he stops walking around to stare at you with a glare you’ve never seen. This argument is not like the others you’ve had over Jungkook, it’s worse. The fire spat out and acid thrown (in form of words) causes the whole house to overheat around you, leaving you scorched and burnt.

‘’you really do love Jungkook more than me?’’ he seems fed up with it, and you are too. For how long can you continue to baby his insecurity?

‘’I’ve told you a million times that Jungkook and I are just friends and there’s nothing you need to worry about’’ you try and be the sensible one (as always). Since this argument was about you; you were going to be the one to try and end it if you were going to be able to put out the fire in Yunho.

‘’if I wanted to be with him, I would’ve done it by now, but no, I’m with you and I want to be with you’’ you say with everything, apart from the irritation and anger, in your heart. Maybe it wasn't the best way to say it but you said it, and it did nothing but make him angrier.

He’s silent as if analyses the validity of your words. He knows you’re probably correct, you would never choose Jungkook over him but something just bothers him. He wonders if this has anything to do with you and Jungkook or just an inner unacknowledged vengeance.

‘’what I said still stands, either you stop being friends with him or we’re done’’

Your skin paled as his skin stayed healthy and glowing like this was a piece of cake for him. As if he was unbothered and doing this to make you uncomfortable. You thought you made it to the crossroads but you're far from it. You're actually in the middle of the highway waiting to be hit.

‘’come on yunho, why are being like this’’ you’re getting tired of trying.

‘’you’re doing this to yourself yn’’ How are you doing this to yourself when he’s the one pointing a gun to your head to choose between a rock and a hard place.

‘’it's not fair, because you know I love you and i really care about you’’

‘’if you love me and care about me, you’re going to stop being friends with him’’

His stubbornness is so unbelievable.

‘’you’re not being fair’’ you bite your lower lip. you hope the pain from it can distract you from the pounding of your heart. Your fists clench and unclench as you try to think of what to do, things don’t seem to be easing down and you don’t like it at all.

‘’no yn I’m not, but I have to protect myself’’ his face and tone are as uncaring as ever. He’s being difficult and uncaring as you fight for this relationship. Are you the only one who cares?

‘’protect yourself from what?’’ your voice raises an octave; you start to get frustrated with the confusion from his indifferent behavior.

‘’from getting hurt’’

You’ve had it.

‘’I TOLD YOU, JUNGKOOK AND I ARE NEVER GOING TO BE TOGETHER!’’ you yell like you’ve never yelled before that he’s even taken aback. "I swear’’ your voice goes back to its light and softness, almost begging. But still no change on his part.

You feel like everything in the room is laughing at you.

All the little laughs and happy moments all the promises made, all the kisses gave; in your face laughing at you, mocking you for giving love another chance just for it to spit in your face another time.

If this doesn’t work out, you’re never going to do this again.

‘’That doesn’t guarantee me anything’’ he watches you and you scoff.

‘’so, tell me, me or Jungkook?’’

‘’you’re not being fair’’ you roll your eyes.

‘’that’s just how it is’’ is it really? Or is it how you want it to be? you want to say but hold back you don’t want to add gasoline to this ticking time bomb of a relationship.

‘’Please make the right choice, think about us’’

You chuckle bitterly internally, is this when he cares about what you had?

What you had.

You think of that. Yunho was your hope in love after your last relationship, he was-is your everything. So, if he cares about what you have then why is he doing this?

You think about it. Yunho is your boyfriend, and Jungkook is your best friend. You’ve known Jungkook longer but you love Yunho more (well in the boyfriend way) and you love Jungkook in the best friend way.

Which is more valuable and worth keeping.

‘’I can’t, I’m sorry’’ you breathe out ‘’jungkook is my friend’’

‘I guess you’ve made your choice’’

‘’Next time we go out remind me to carry sunscreen’’ jungkook says through the speaker ‘’im looking like a roast turkey’’

You snort.

Knowing Jungkook he’s probably in his bathroom staring at himself. You giggle when you hear him whisper a hot one though.

He isn’t wrong.

‘’speaking of going out, please never bring your boyfriend again.’’ He chuckles out but you stay silent.

At the mention of yunho you freeze, everything does. You know jungkook means no harm. All your friends tease you about Yunho.

Now you begin to wonder if it was a warning hidden behind humor because they knew how much you loved him and passed little jokes about him.

Maybe you should’ve known, how could you have thought of it when you were so “so in love’’ with him though.

‘’yn, you with me?’’ jungkook asks noticing how quiet you’ve gone. He starts to worry that he’s offended you, but you know he’s just joking right? Well, he’s not. He doesn’t like Yunho one single bit and never wants to see him ever again, cause if he does, he’s going to punch him. For many different reasons.

“Are you okay?” he coos out, body tensing in worry at your silence.

Silence.

Sniffle, sniffle.

Jungkook pauses when he hears you sniffle, you’re crying. His heart muscle contracts at the sound.

Why are you crying?

Is it something he’s done? Cause he wouldn’t forgive himself if he was ever the reason a tear left your eye. He wouldn’t forgive anyone who was the reason for your tears.

It was so hard keeping this to yourself and not telling anyone, especially jungkook.

‘’yn what’s wrong, is something going on?’’ you don’t answer and he gets more uneasy. It makes it worse for him that you’re in two different places.

‘’does it have to do with Yunho?’’ he knows he’s probably right, but he just wants you to say it; so, he can have a reason for whatever he’s going to do after.

Silence.

‘’Did he do something to you?’’ his voice gets more impatient.

‘’yn please talk to me’’ at this point he’s begging you to say something. He can’t see you, so the least you can do is say something; tell him he’s overreacting and you’re okay (even though he wouldn’t believe it until he saw you in person. And even then he still wouldn’t believe)

‘’if he did something to you, you need to tell me’’ jungkook paces around his bedroom slowly.

‘’he didn’t do anything’’ You finally speak but it's not what he wants to hear. But it does confirm what he’s thinking.

Jungkook knows it's hard for you to speak when you're crying, normally he’d let you cry it out until you’re calm and can tell him. But right now, he wants you to speak.

‘’it doesn’t sound that way’’ You can hear the anger rising in his tone, if you never knew him, you’d think he was mad at you.

But he’s just on the road to anger, that’s why you didn’t want to tell him. You’d planned on telling him later but your emotions were not on the same page with you.

‘’Did he touch you?’’ now he’s just giving you options to pick yes or no. It's a bit of an overstep in jungkook's part but he's worried and you're not giving him an answer. He wouldn't put it past yunho though.

‘’I swear to god yn if he did...’’ jungkook fumes out letting his thoughts go ahead of him cause you won’t seem to tell him.

You don't know where your voice has gone but its not there, you do want to speak but you can't seem to find the voice or energy.

Even though he’s angry, whatever it is it’s not your fault and he shouldn’t take it out on you. Anger won’t make you speak any quicker.

Jungkook isn't so protective, most of the time, but when yunho is mentioned he has this inkling to keep you closer to him. He doesn't know why but he just does, he tries to keep to himself but his heart aches too much.

‘’talk to me bunny’’ he coos hoping to get more insight.

That pet name does it for you.

‘’he broke up with me kook’’ you wobble out your words.

Jungkook’s hands tap against his table angrily. his jaw unintentionally clenches. He wants to be happy that you're not tied to that bastard anymore, but this is not about him. It's about you. And unlike jungkook, you actually like yunho and are, surprisingly, in love with him.

‘’yn, when did this happen?’’ you can’t tell what emotion he’s speaking with.

‘’two days ago,” you speak out slowly and so low that jungkook wouldn’t have heard you if he didn’t know you.

‘’And you’re only just telling?” you feel like he’s blaming you but you’re just in your feels and you know he isn’t.

‘’I’m still processing it” you defend.

‘’okay’’

‘’I’m coming over right now’’ you can hear him shuffle around, probably putting on some clothes.

“kook, that’s no- you don’t have-‘’

‘’Don’t tell me I don’t have to; I’m on my fucking way’’

‘’you didn’t have to drive here’’ you say when you open the door and see a hooded up jungkook.

‘’shut up and let me in’’ he jokes out and lets himself in.

‘’you know I’m mad that this when you’re telling’’ jungkook hums out into your hair as his hand comfortingly rubs your arm.

‘’I told you I’m still processing it’’ You coo into his chest, and the vibration from your voice soothes his previously aching beating muscle.

‘’I know, that’s why I’m letting it slide for now’’ Jungkook’s eyes move to look at you, your eyes closed as you lightly breath against his chest.

He's happy you've calmed down now. After walking in he asked you to tell him what happened, you did (not all but you did). You ignored any question of 'why did he break up with you'. You don't want to answer that or even tell him.

His eyes roam your living room which is still the same from the last time he came, maybe with the addition of a new painting. But the overall ambiance and warmth are still present and he knows Yunho’s presence hasn’t contaminated it.

‘’next time you tell me immediately’’ he says without thinking.

‘’Next time?’’ you move away and jungkook cringes and the disappearance of your warmth.

‘’that’s not what I mea-‘’

‘’yeah I know’’ you place your legs on his lap and he gladly accepts them. ‘’but there won't be a next time’’

You say still in thought.

‘’I think I’m done dating’’

It hurts jungkook hearing you say that. He’s seen how many times a douchebag has hurt you, and it weakens him to slowly watch you give up on love.

‘’I’m tired of getting my heart broken, cause that’s all that happens when I date’’ you start ‘’honestly I knew love didn’t exist but I still wanted to try. So, I guess I shouldn’t be mad if love shows me its ass, cause I’ve known all along. true love doesn’t exist, maybe love in all doesn’t exist.’’

One thing jungkook fully believed in his life was true love, he thinks he probably got it from watching his parents be so in love with each other. His mother always told him, that people always look around for what they think is true love when the actual thing is right in front of their face. You just have to pay attention.

‘’I guess this gives me enough time to focus on my career’’ you sing-song.

You try and seem okay and prove something to jungkook.

‘’bunny’’ he calls out softly as his hand brushes passed yours making little electrons lightly dance over your skin.

‘’you'll find someone who truly loves you’’ You understand where his words are coming from but they don’t help you feel not less than.

‘’maybe not in this lifetime, but thanks for trying kook’’ you let out a painful laugh. Jungkook’s eyes sink deep into yours as if trying to find what you’re not telling, what you’re so afraid of showing him.

He wants to know and wants to see everything; you don’t need to hide anything from him.

He hopes you know that.

You move away from his gaze and try to hide what’s left of your hurt. You don’t need him more worried.

‘’so have you taken up my offer for the dating app’’ You change the topic with a smile and a heavy heart.

‘’I’m still thinking about it’’ You watch he’s teeth play with the silver loop at the corner of his lip. You’re still not yet used to his pierced lip even though he’s had it for over a year. Jungkook taps your calf when he catches you looking a little too long at his lip.

‘’if you take any longer, I’m going to have to find a blind date for you myself’’ your eyes flush amusement.

Jungkook’s brows rise in playfulness before they drop and he smiles.

‘’I’m sure anyone you pick would be a good fit’’

‘’glad you know’’

‘’I think I’m going to clock in for the night’’ You yawn and stand. Jungkook watches your figure hover over him. ‘’feel free to stay longer and eat whatever’’

You know he would cause he’s done it before.

‘’I’m just going to head out, got work tomorrow’’ he stands with a groan. “as long as you’ll be fine” he stares at you waiting for an answer. You give him one with your eyes. He’s helped to a lot this night and you don’t want him going late to work.

‘’love you kook’’ you say abruptly and jungkook doesn’t have time to process it when that tingling feeling in his stomach starts. It feels like the time when he had to perform in front of the whole school, in the 10th grade.

He didn't like that feeling, but this one feels more enjoyable.

‘’thanks for coming tonight’’ your bright eyes beam at him.

‘’Anything for you bunny’’ he smiles before he’s out the door.

Jungkook didn’t have work the next day, okay maybe he did but one day of not attending wouldn’t hurt him, right?

He did write to his boss after all.

I apologize for the late notice, but...... cause my mother is unwell.

It's just one lie. He hopes his mother doesn’t mind.

As Jungkook pulls over he’s suddenly grateful for all the times you’ve asked him to drop you off at Yunho’s house and how he persisted in walking you up to his apartment.

With his mind made up Jungkook raises his hand to knock on the door. He hopes he still lives here cause it would be embarrassing if he didn’t. If he had moved you would’ve told Jungkook, after all, you tell him everything.

‘’nuguseyo?’’ [who are you?]

Jungkook’s blood boils when the feminine voice speaks. He swears Yunho still lives here. Who’s she?

If what jungkook’s thinking is correct then Yunho is in for more than an ass whooping.

‘’Yunho. does he live here?’’ he speaks to her bluntly. She’s not why he came so he doesn’t care for her.

‘’eung’’ she says before she speaks again ‘’Yeobo’’

Jungkook is too familiar with that term of endearment, so he is correct.

This bastard was cheating on her. And even if he wasn’t and jungkook is reaching, how can he be with someone only a few days after breaking up with her?

‘’someone’s here for you’’ she says as his figure comes into focus.

‘’wh-‘’ his voice cuts off. ‘’jungkook? Look what the cat dragged in. Did yn send you here’’

It pisses Jungkook off how he says your name with no damn respect.

It would have honestly been better for him if you had sent him, he would’ve been at mercy.

But the fact that he’s here on his own accord means Jungkook can do whatever he wants. No mercy.

He just prays you don’t find out. You hate violence and he knows it. You would kill him if you knew he was about to do what he’s about to do. But the red pumping to his fists makes him think unclear, right now all he cares about is avenging you. But maybe he’s doing this to also quench the hatred he has for Yunho within himself.

‘’I’m sure she told you what happened, you won I guess’’ he says it like it was a game ‘’But did you win really.’’ He chuckles.

Jungkook can hear the mocking in his voice.

He didn’t need much motivation until his body reacted and soon crimson painted on his fist.

‘’that asshole’’ willoe spits out through her swallow. ‘’he really wanted you to pick?’’ you nod.

‘’I’m glad you made the right choice’’ She places her mug down. You don’t even want to bother and tell her that you almost (for a split second) wanted to pick him over Jungkook. And for the past 2 days, you’ve been wondering if you should’ve. But it’s the loneliness speaking.

Remembering how Jungkook came over yesterday to see you makes you glad that you made that decision. You feel shitty for even thinking of picking Yunho.

‘’Making someone pick is ruthless, selfish and immature’’

Willoe has been wallowing out curses ever since you told her about Yunho, you kinda regret it.

You wonder how Jimin can handle her tongue.

Unlike Jungkook, willoe took you not telling her better. You pin it on the fact that she’s also kept things from you too, for quite a long time too.

One of the things was that she and Jimin had started dating. now that you think about it you probably complained her and Jimin’s ears off (like she’s doing right now to you). Who goes 3 months without telling their bestie that she’s dating her love at first sight who’s also your friend? What impresses you more is how Jimin was able to keep it from you.

If you had even the smallest inkling that she and Jimin were dating you would’ve probably pulled it out of him. But there were no signs.

Or maybe you were too wrapped around Yunho’s nagging that you didn’t pay attention.

‘’Can you stop cursing that man’s lineage’’ Your coffee’s probably going cold with how you’re just holding it. The warmth on the ceramic provides some comfort in a way.

‘’oh I haven’t even begun cursing his lineage’’ she scoffs ‘’It's just that I have a date with Jimin tonight, otherwise, I would’ve gone to pull out the candles’’ You know she’s just playing. Even though Willoe on her days off looks like she’s the type, she’s far from pulling out candles to curse someone. But you wouldn’t put it past her.

You just laugh.

‘’Have you told jungkook?’’ she lowers her voice down to a serious tone.

Your head lifts to look at her confused. ‘’told him what?’’

She rolls her eyes at you as if you don’t know.

‘’that he made you pick between him or jungkook.’’

It clicks. You don’t know if it’s cause of what’s going on but your mind has been foggy of late.

‘’hell no’’ you spit out quite roughly.

‘’why not’’

‘’because it would piss him off, I don’t even know what he would do’’ You finally take a sip of your coffee and cringe at how lukewarm it's gotten. Willoe watches you noticing that you haven’t taken a sip of your coffee.

‘’you think he would beat up Yunho?’’ you ask her for an opinion.

‘’oh, I know he would, without a doubt. I’m surprised you haven’t gotten a call from a hospitalized yunho’’ willoe stares at the waiter to bring her another order. She comes here often so she hopes they remember.

‘’like be for real yn have you looked at him’’ if only she knew how many times you’ve looked at him. ’’He could take Yunho in one go and win’’

you know he can, you have hundreds of his gym pics in your gallery. Not because you stalk him but because jungkook feels the need to send you some every time he’s in the gym (which is like every day).

Why haven’t you deleted them? Because it’s cute that he can share this cute ritual with you of all people. And even though you don’t go to the gym with him at all. The pictures make it like you are accompanying him on his gym journey.

Though your storage isn’t so pleased.

‘’but I just don’t like violence, especially if it's jungkook. I don’t want him to get hurt’’

‘’girl be serious jungkook would never let someone whoop his ass, he’d rather die’’

She’s so right.

‘’and its kinda hot having someone wanting to fight another person for you’’ Willoe blushes at the thought ‘’Jimin once punched a guy who was flirting with me, and I’ve never fucked him harder’’ She looks lost in the thoughts ‘’It was one of the reasons I kept in touch with him. I love possessive men’’ you chuckle as you watch the blood go to her cheeks.

You know Willoe is into those kinds of things.

And that’s one of the things that makes you two different. You don’t like men who do that kind of thing, even though you get where it's coming from. It's unattractive to you.

And that’s one reason you’ll never attend Jungkook’s boxing training sessions. It would kill you to see someone hit Him, even If it’s not serious.

‘’anyway, how’s Jimin? Haven’t talked to him this week’’

‘’yeah, same. He’s been busy lately so he promised me a date to make up for it.’’

You watch her blush at the mention of Jimin, she always does.

You love how they work together. It makes you feel so happy to see her happy and be with someone like Jimin who treats her right.

But it just makes you think of your lacks, when or where were you going to find someone who would love you like Jimin loves Willoe.

‘’god, when will I meet someone like Jimin’’

‘’you will, you just need to open your eyes’’

‘’my eyes have been open and all I can see is bullshit’’

Willow laughs almost choking on her second coffee, you’ve barely touched your first. She’s a coffee addict anyway, so you can’t compete.

‘’Don't worry yn someone will come around’’

You roll your eyes ‘’well I’m done waiting for that one person’’ you feel yourself tense at the thought of being alone forever.

‘’I’ll send you some lavender and chamomile to calm you down’’

Maybe it's time to get into the herbs she’s been recommending.

You’ve now been tuning out Jimin’s lecture for a minute. You don’t even know how his consolidation turned into him giving a speech on how to find someone who cares about you, and how you should take a break from dating and ‘’find yourself’’. Whatever the fuck that means.

Most of the time you think you and Jimin are similar, and share the same ideas and beliefs. But maybe it's just the means of saying them that differ.

You’ve missed Jimin and the last thing you want to talk about is Yunho. You’d rather catch up and laugh around.

It's best to get it over with right now anyway. So you let your ears bleed as he speaks.

‘’and that’s why I didn’t like him in the first place....’’ he rumbles on. The red button seems so far away. Your fingers twitch to press it.

Jimin isn’t the most talkative person, you give that title to Willoe. But once he starts to talk he doesn’t seem to stop.

You need a fucking savior right now.

‘’yn are you hearing me’’ he asks from your lack of response.

‘’yeah jimin, well and clear.’’ Lies. You’ve been tuning him out, he could’ve changed the topic and you wouldn’t know.

‘’Good’’

You groan.

In a second after your plea, your savior finally shows.

‘’jimin can I call you later jungkook is calling’’

‘’jungkook? Tell him you’re busy. I’m talking to you’’

‘’I would but I think it's important and you know how whiny he gets’’

‘’alright then I’ll call you later, tell him to stop ignoring my calls too’’ you hum in acknowledgement and nod.

‘’okay bye’’ you click so fast he doesn’t get to respond.

‘’my fucking saviour’’ you say immediately after Jungkook’s call is accepted. He’s a little confused by your abruptness but takes it anyway.

You watch the confusion on his face with a smile.

‘’thank you?’’

‘’is that a question’’

‘’yeah, I just don’t know where it's coming from’’ you watch him fix his hoodie.

‘’you’re my fucking savior, what don’t you get?’’ for a second, he thinks you're talking about Yunho, but if it was about him the last thing, you’d be doing is thanking him. ‘’you just saved me from a jimin lecture’’

He makes a face of realization, he sees you don’t seem to know about Yunho.

Like on cue, Jimin’s text pops up.

Minnie Boy: I know you didn’t want to hear what I was saying, but please consider taking a break for yourself.

Minnie boy: And I promise to not bring it up again.

You giggle at his text, he knows you so well, that maybe you will consider taking his advice.

You: I hope you know I appreciate your advice and I will consider it. Thanks, Minnie.

‘’what was he saying?’’ jungkook’s velvety voice pulls you back to him.

‘’It was about Yunho’’

He lets out a hum, understanding that he gave you one hell of a lecture.

There’s a little comfortable silence as you and jungkook just watch each other.

‘’About that. How are you doing?’’

‘’I guess I’m okay, you guys have made a easier for me”

Jungkook’s happy to hear that.

‘’I appreciate it’’

‘’we’re you’re friends we’ll always be here for you’’

he sounds so sentimental it makes your heart throb.

‘’how about you? how are you doing?’’ you change your position.

Laying on your back with your phone above you. you watch jungkook turn his eyes away.

‘’I’m doing okay, just working and stuff’’

You nod.

‘’and how about the date thing have you thought about it’’

Jungkook will probably never hear the end of it. He runs a hand through his dark hair which seems to be growing longer and longer.

‘’about that, I don’t want to’’

Your glare would probably teleport you to him and smack him if it could.

‘’what do you mean you don’t want to?’’ you sit up and jungkook sighs disappointedly with the position change.

‘’I mean, you’re not doing well, and the last thing I want to be thinking of looking for a girlfriend’’

You roll your eyes.

‘’This is why I don’t like letting you know things, you get so worried and forget about yourself’’

You’re not wrong and he knows it, but he doesn’t find a problem with it.

‘’I’ll be okay, don’t worry about me’’ he watches you talk.

It’s so hard for him not to worry about you when you don’t seem to be telling him the truth about if you’re truly okay. You’re saying it but he doesn’t believe it.

You continue to express how you’re okay and he needs to find someone for himself instead of spending his days worrying about you.

He can’t help but think about whether he should tell you Yunho was cheating or not, he doesn’t want to hurt you. Cause that news would kill you.

But keeping it to himself feels like it will do more harm.

But it won’t hurt you if you never find out, all you have to do is never talk to Yunho again and he trusts you can do that.

‘’okay yn if you want to so badly find me a blind date’’ he says after you suggest it for a millionth time.

You’re shocked by his acceptance but also excited.

‘’and I will. Get your suit jacket ready 'cause jungkook you’re going on a date ’ you mimic the voice of dating show presenters.

‘’I'll be waiting’’ he chuckles out watching you smile.

A/n: I don't know why the prologue is so long.😭

Feedback is appreciated.

#fanfic #jungkook #jungkook x reader #jeon jungguk #jungkook x y/n #bts #jeon jungkook #jungkook au #jungkook fanfic #jungkook angst #bts jungkook #jungkook smut #jungkook fluff #jungkook imagine #jungkook fic #jungkook fiction #jeon jeongguk #jeon jeongkook #jeongguk

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lust444men · 2 months

Text

forever 'n' ever.

we don't have enough soft rafe in this fandom. (cuz he hardly exists, but I be changing that I fear.) the song i imagined during this is Present by Lloyd Vaan, and I recommend you listen (don't have to ofc) for the experience! js fluff fr, insecure reader?, weed mentions, yall r high ig. my own work got me emotional ngl guys

⋆𐙚₊˚⊹

you were led with Rafe, his room dark, the only light emitting was from his tv, which was playing a slow, mellow song. unusual from rafes usual taste - but he preferred these songs when he was high. your hazy eyes stayed trained on the ceiling, lost in your own thoughts as your chest rose and fell with soft breaths, the weed making your body heavy.

he offered you the blunt, noticing your lack of presence, even though you were right there, with him. where he felt you belonged the most. he put out the blunt, putting it in the ashtray before turning on his side, caressing your face gently. "what're you thinking 'bout, baby?" his voice so soft, stripped of its usual harshness. only you saw him like this. heard him like this. he has that trust with you, knowing you won't judge him.

you hum softly before you shook your head, not looking at him as you pushed all your attention to the ceiling. "nothin'." you whispered, taking in a deep breath, and letting it out slowly through your nose as your mind ran a million thoughts. Does he even like me? Am I more than a body to him? Is it just sex?

"Liar," he mumbled, gently sliding his finger down your nose, much like you would to a baby, before going over your cheeks, just under your eyes. He had always found your eyes the most beautiful thing about you, his favourite part of your face being your lips; a close second to eyes.

He continued, "You have too much of an expressive face for nothing to be going on in that head of yours." oh how well he knew you. every inch of you, and your mind. you loved and hated it, wishing for one second he wouldn't notice everything, but thankful for every minute he spent analysing you.

you still didn't look at him, staring up at the ceiling solemnly, with a hint of sadness. how worried you were that this was just fun to rafe. and it wasn't as serious to him as it is to you. that he didn't love you as hard as you loved him.

"It's...not important." you whispered, biting the inside of your cheek. something you didn't do often — he knew that. "cmon. s'important to you, means it's important to me." he spoke softly, his finger trailing along your jawline with the gentlest of touches. he loved your face, your freckles, the slight scarring from childhood falls, god. he wished he could always stare at you.

"Are..you serious about me?" you whispered, not able to bring yourself to look at him, you knew it'd hurt — no, devastate you if you saw any sign of hesitation. "What am I to you?" you added in a soft voice, licking your bottom lip before biting it, the slow song only a distant sound as your heartbeat drummed its own song in your ears.

"Everything." fell from him before he could even properly register the question. he stared at you, wondering how you could ask that. he wasn't mad — not at all. we all have our doubts. but did you not see the way he looked at you? felt the way he touched you?

he gently grabbed your chin, pulling your face to him, seeing how your eyes are glassy, and judging by how the tip of your nose is pinking, it's not from the weed. "you — you are everything to me, baby. I'm more serious 'bout you than I've ever been with anything." he spoke in a low voice, as if anyone was going to hear him.

"do you mean that? what if you could find better?" you asked, attempting to look away, hoping your body wouldn't betray you and let him see you cry. "why would I leave something so perfect, so — so amazing, just for the impossibility of better?" he asked, clearly rhetorical. you sniffled, and he brought his thumb to your cheek, wiping away a tear.

"cmere." He whispered, grabbing your hand and bringing it to his chest, where his heart was beating quickly. "y'feel that?" "mhm." "it's because of you. everytime I'm around you, or — or even see a picture of you, my heart races like a fuckin' boyscout seeing a bear." he smiled once he heard your tear filled giggle, your hand drifting up to around his neck, pulling him closer to so you can rest your head on his chest. his arms immediately wrapped around your waist, pulling you tight against him.

"I love you, rafe." you whispered, smoothing a hand over the nape of his neck.

"I love you more, baby."

285 notes · View notes

obriengf · 11 months

Note

hiya! can yous do Mitch & 6 please ?

thanks 🩷

send me a prompt for some oblivious love blurbs ✩ Notes: weirdly obsessed with his shoulders right now

MISCOMMUNICATION

Mitch Rapp was difficult to understand; signals were crossed and mixed to the point where a blur was left behind, emotions swinging left and right as they failed to settle, and looks that were longing one second before harnessing avoidance the next. You didn't know whether he was coming or going and it pulled so much harder at your heart than you ever anticipated it would. You didn't think that falling for such a man would leave you awake at night, constant thoughts running through your mind about the things he said or did - trying to analyse their meanings, trying to find even a slither of hope that there was something worthwhile there. He made butterflies flutter, but he could also make them sink. Coldness stemming from his neutral gaze had the capacity to suddenly warm and light up the space you surrounded yourself in. He would soothe any stresses you had with his undivided attention, or leave you so utterly alone to lick at your wounds in silence. Mitch Rapp was an enigma, which both hurt and healed you. And for some reason, you loved him for it. For all of it.

You were trained to be robotic; every move was calculated to an exact second, every thought confident and assured before being acted upon. Mistakes weren't just frowned upon, they were inexcusable, and a single minuscule hair out of place was enough to brand one as atrociously disreputable in the eyes of the Central Intelligence Agency. But it wasn't until you were behind closed doors and the thrill of your mission was over, that you managed to exhale out the craziness and finally be human again. The past few days had been difficult - Portugal had worn you down, and the fresh scar draped from the edge of your ribs to the crease of your hip had only just started to heal. The skin was still raw as it sported a flushed shade of pink, but the suture that had taken years to properly perfect was holding together nicely. You had difficulty moving about, and usually, it wouldn't bother you as the mission was over, but right now you'd do anything in this moment to escape your hotel room. With squinted eyes, you cringed from the raising pitch of your partner's voice - the tone booming as it chastised you. The 'blame-game' was one that you never won, and even though you tried, you couldn't even cheat your way into the winning circle. You were underneath a spotlight and you hated it, despite only the two of you occupying the temporary living space. Mitch had started, and he hadn't planned on stopping until his point got across. "Are you out of your fucking mind!?" He yelled, the small space you sat within only amplifying the delivery even more. This Mitch was the one that you often saw clouded by cold tones and closed-off personalities. It's the one that made you walk on eggshells and question everything you had said or done priorly that day. It's the one that told you what you should have done, and not praised what you had done right. This Mitch was the one that you had first met when he had been a recruit, and all of that trauma that led him to you was still buried so deep inside his tortured heart and mind. You could never tell if he was being protective of himself, or of you. He is different to the Mitch that you saw a few days ago, however. This one was scared, frozen in place as he watched a knife aim for your stomach but instead drag down your side. His eyes had grown wide with worry as you collapsed in a small puddle of your blood, and his touch was delicate and gentle as it cupped at your cheeks and told you that everything will be okay. This Mitch scooped you into his arms and took you somewhere safe, with his own hands trembling in fear. He embodied warmth and care, and for a second you swore you saw his baby-brown eyes glaze with nervous tears. You were hastily brought back to your hotel room as you heard Mitch groan loudly, his rant continuing as he overlooked how you momentarily spaced out. Your focus flicked up to him as his hands tugged roughly at his growing locks, brows furrowed and voice raspy from the exertion, "You need to be more careful! What the hell was going through your damn head!? Everything was going according to plan and you had to go rogue? Are you fucking serious?! You could've died! " "Then why didn't you just leave me there if I'm such a damn liability then, Mitch?" You were tired. He had let you rest since the mission had been completed, successfully, but in true Mitch Rapp fashion, he still had to tell you what you had done wrong. He grunted at your comment, nostrils flaring as he seemed to briefly consider whether to continue lashing out. You watched as his left hand balled into a fist, veins protruding up the back of his hand and over his wrist, as he channelled his emotions into the tension of his curled hand. The man eventually released the hold after his knuckles grew white, only to point a stern finger in your direction, "I never leave people behind. I especially would never leave you behind, don't you ever say that."

Your head shook as your tongue clicked, perplexed over his conflicting temperaments, "I don't understand what you want from me!" Your own voice rose, surprising Mitch as much as it did you as you both jumped ever so slightly. The room fell quiet for the first time since he barged through your door. The shrill of your voices had died and was instead replaced with heavy breaths and a staring contest between two sets of sad and confused eyes.

Mitch tilted his head in bewilderment, an ask for you to elaborate before you continued with an exasperated sigh, "It's always Good -Cop Bad-Cop with you. One minute, you can be the sweetest man I've ever met who would do anything to make me laugh, or smile. And then, other times y-you're just a whole different person, like all of your walls are suddenly back up and you have a fucking grudge against the world like a goddamn moody teenager!"

"What the hell are you talking about?" He was taken aback, voice leaving breathless as he took a tentative step closer to you. Not that he could pretend - Mitch knew that the hot-cold treatment was cruel, but he couldn't help it. Emotion to Mitch Rapp usually held a capacity for pure anger and revenge, but being with you allowed him to open up to many more possibilities. It terrified him, and he had been in such a slump for so long that he didn't know what to do. But he did need you, he needed his light.

"Just tell me what's going on, Mitch! Because it's so fucking hard to read you sometimes and it makes me want to tear my hair out and scream -"

"I LOVE YOU!" His voice echoed once more, the sentiment ringing through the enclosed space. Whisky-coloured hues glazed as his heart became exposed, laying out raw for you to see. Your expression harnessed shock and the lack of response made his laugh hollow and brittle. Mitch shook his head, focusing now on the scruffed toes of his shoes, "I'm in love with you. I thought you knew - "

"No, I didn't." You managed to say with whispered words, observing how the usually confident man in front of you now sank and closed in on himself. He was shutting down, drained from your fight and from the roller-coaster of the past few days. He already thought he was going to lose you when he felt the fresh warmth of your blood run through his fingers only a mere few days ago, but now, he might've just lost you as a staple in his life for good.

Silence had returned, yet it rang the loudest of anything else within that room that night. You had always expected that you'd fall for Mitch Rapp - how could you not? He had his moments of hilarity, amusing you when things got a bit dim or when mischievousness wove itself into his boredom. He held passion proudly like a medal when his interests were at play, showing just how he can truly immerse himself into hobbies or things that he liked. He was tough, both mentally and physically, and it was admirable to see how he would always stand up after being knocked down. He was also sweet when he wanted to be - even when he was raising his voice, purely exposing his protectiveness. Plus, he definitely wasn't bad to look at either.

What you didn't expect, however, was for him to have fallen for you, too.

"I hadn't even thought of loving anybody after Katrina died." His voice broke the barrier, eyes still peering down. Mitch drew a breath, his exhale shaky as he tried to gather himself, "I mean, I always seem to lose the people I love, and she was the last straw." The man cleared his throat as his hand ran back through his already teased hair, his stress evident, and he suddenly peered up at you, "Until a pain in my ass was elected my partner, and became so incredibly annoying that I began to find it endearing. Before I knew it, I was dreaming of life after all of this agent bullshit, married with kids, the whole white-picket-fence ordeal. And we were so damn happy."

A sweet smile shone his way through quivering lips and matching teary eyes. You held out your hand, desperate to have his hold ground you as Mitch's fingers slid between yours and he squeezed with complete adoration.

He licked his lips, "I'm sorry for yelling. I was just scared that I'd lose you, like I did the others. Because if anything happened to you, sweetheart, I swear - "

"You'd burn down the world?" You interjected a small chuckle from Mitch solidifying your correct choice of words.

"You have no idea just what I'd do for you." His other hand reached out to push back the small strands crowding your forehead, calloused fingertips never feeling so soft against your skin before. "I thought it'd be easier to shut you out, if I'm being honest... If I didn't love you, then it wouldn't hurt. But let's be fucking real, that's just impossible."

Pieces fell into place with perfect precision the moment your arms secured around his neck, your nose pushed into his shoulder, and his grip securing tightly around your waist. This moment was one filled with clarity and understanding, a mutual passion that cleared the air and prompted harmonising beats of hearts against two flushed chests.

"I bet it'd be even more impossible, since I love you, too." Your voice muffled against the worn cotton of his shirt, but Mitch heard you. His shoulders sunk in comfort, arms tightening even more, and the light of his life growing brighter with each and every passing second.

#dylan o'brien x reader #mitch rapp x reader #mitch rapp #mitch rapp fic #mitch rapp imagine #dylan o'brien fic #dylan o'brien imagine #american assassin #oblivilove blurbs

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imagine-knowing-a-name · 2 months

Text

you are expendable

Summary: adjusting to a life away from the red room is tough, and letting go of the mentality they drilled into you is even tougher. As much as Yelena tries to protect you, you'll always believe that you are expendable, and she is not.

Word Count: 3783 Pairing: Yelena Belova & Reader Warnings: self-sacrificial R, near-death injuries, poor self worth/mental health issues Requests (combined): "Yelena x best!friend reader who struggles with self worth, gets hurt protecting Yelena?" "Hi! Can you do a story where Yelena has taken reader in as a sibling figure, and reader is constantly trying to “payback” yelena like through small things and more bigger things like being reckless on mission so yelena doesn’t get hurt; and Yelena gets really worried one time and finds out why R is doing it, and assures reader that they don’t need to do that and more fluff at end if ok?"

A/N: italics are flashbacks, Russian is google translated. Honestly this was a fun one to write so I hope you enjoy!

»»————-　★　————-««

2016

Yelena holds the door open, allowing you to shuffle in behind her, before she motions towards the sofa. You immediately move to follow the unspoken command, perching yourself at the very edge and pressing your body into the armrest as if you could become part of it. The blonde, meanwhile, takes a central seat on the opposite chair. She rests her elbows on her knees and leans forward, with her chin resting on intertwined fingers. Her brows are minutely knitted and her gaze pounces on any movement you make – you realise she’s analysing you.

Well, two can play at that game.

In an instant, you come away from the armrest and relax your back, spreading yourself into a wider stance… everything you can do to level your authority, even in the older Widow’s own apartment.

“Y/N, don’t do that,” she scoffs before changing her position again; she’s leaning back now with her arms crossed over her chest, though her attention to you remains as analytical as ever.

“I’m just sitting.”

“Widow’s don’t just sit.”

“Then what do you want me to not do?”

“Don’t be a Widow.”

“I am a Widow.”

“I know. Don’t be.”

You huff, now unintentionally copying her pose once again when you cross your arms and sulkily lean back into the cushions. “You are very confusing, Yelena, how should I not be what I was raised to be? What you trained me to be.”

Yelena winces a little at the reminder. Ten years older than you, the woman now sitting across from you had been your assigned trainer for eleven years in the Red Room, from your arrival at age six and right up until last month, when she’d broken free of the chemical control and escaped into the real world. Everything you knew about espionage and violence, everything you hated to be, came from her teachings, and you’d been just about ready to pass it on to your own mentees when she came and freed you from the Red Room’s control.

What they forced her to do to you would always be a sore spot for Yelena, but, regardless, she schools her expression back to neutral, then smiles. You eye her suspiciously.

“Why are you smiling?”

“You ask how not to be a Widow? You are already doing it; do you think Dreykov would approve of that stance?”

Yelena laughs as you quickly scramble back to the perfect pose she’d once drilled into you. “Dreykov is not going to punish you, he is dead. At least, I think he is dead,” she frowns, “though he has escaped being blown up once before, so you can never really know. Either way, he must be very badly injured and probably also dead, so you can relax.”

When you don’t shift, Yelena stands up and takes a seat beside you. “You’re free, Y/N. They can’t control us anymore. Our lives are our own and, from now on, they always will be.”

She finally closes the gap between you two when she sees tears forming in your eyes, pulling you close but leaving a loose arm on your shoulder – giving you the opportunity to escape her grasp should you want. You don’t. Instead, you press yourself further into her side and let the tears flow.

“Stay here with me?”

With the careful way she suggests it, you can tell it’s something she’s been dwelling on for a while, rather than an impulsive response to your show of emotions. “We’re both new to the world, we can work it out together, if you’d like that? I’ll keep you safe, I promise. You can just be 17.”

You don’t respond instantly, already growing quite comfortable with being tucked in Yelena’s arms, but when you do nod, Yelena notices; she smiles and pulls you a little closer.

»»————-　★　————-««

2005

“Yelena?”

“Да” (Yes)

“Это ваше. Поддерживайте его в живых.” (This one is yours. Keep it alive.)

You’re shoved harshly in the direction of the young blonde. The guard who pushed you laughs as you stumble, but Yelena catches you and keeps you on your feet. You try to pull yourself closer to her side, latching on to the first show of kindness you’ve had in weeks, but the teen prises you off of her and positions you behind her back – she doesn’t look at you, only staring down the guards until they leave, before she grabs your arm and leads you into a small adjoining room. She slams the door and you startle, your vision clouding with tears as you realise things aren’t going to go back to normal, that this woman won’t be your saviour.

“Вы говорите по-русски?” (Do you speak Russian?) she asks; it’s not harsh, but it’s not as soft as your mother’s tone either. The tears begin to flow.

“English?” she tries again, this time you nod.

“I spoke only English at your age,” the girl says, “you must learn Russian though; I will help, but the trainers will perfect it.”

You don’t reply and eventually the older girl sighs; she takes a step forward, but still lingers awkwardly across the room from you, not wanting to get too close. “I am Yelena. What is your name?”

“Y/N.”

“I’m going to be your mentor, Y/N; do you want to learn new things?”

You’re not sure what to make of Yelena, but, at 6, there’s a lot of things you want to know, so you nod shyly, then ask your first question, “what is going to happen to me?”

Yelena notices the shake in your voice, and she’s been an assassin long enough to infer what you must have seen, what instances brought you to her. She comes a step closer again and purposefully softens her voice, “you’re going to stay here; you and I, we are going to be a team from now, okay? We’ll do some training and that will keep you safe. I’m going to try to keep you safe.”

“Do you pinky promise?”

The older girl hesitates, staring down at your extended finger as if it were a gun pointed in her direction – but at least she’d know how to handle that. The longer your hand hovers, extended, the more Yelena worries, knowing this isn’t a promise she can make in full confidence, but she can’t disappoint you either.

She wraps her own pinky around yours and shakes on it, “I promise,” she says at last, “I’m going to keep you safe. I just need you to listen to everything I say.”

»»————-　★　————-««

The adjustment period is hard – certainly harder than either you or Yelena expected. Contrary to your original expectations, Yelena doesn’t give up the assassin lifestyle, and she doesn’t force you to either; it’s all the two of you have known, and you’re too ingrained in it to manage a completely clean break.

For one, neither of you have birth certificates or any form of ID at all, and you find out very quickly how necessary those are. Yelena puts her contacts to good use and obtains birth certificates and American passports for the both of you; the legalities are dubious, but she’s now officially your older sister, which gives her guardianship status over you – because apparently a 17 year old needs that in the real world, as if you don’t have several lifetimes of maturity and experience under your belt already.

You’re grateful for all the steps Yelena has taken to look after you: from signing you up to a boxing club for the familiarity of training, to telling Valentina that the two of you could only be employed as a pair, ensuring she’d be there to protect you even on missions. You want to repay her for everything she’s done for you, but you’re still learning the limits of the real world – your resources were practically limitless in the Red Room if it completed the mission, but that is certainly not the case anymore. So, instead, you’re forced to turn to the internet for adequate methods of thanking your lifelong friend.

You start small: flowers, household chores, cooking… anything you can find, but most end up in chaos. Flowers gave you hay fever, it turns out; your meals have to be scraped out of the pans and taste worse that the Red Room canteen; and, much to your annoyance, Yelena refuses to let you do all the chores, immediately stopping you and taking over for ‘her turn’ if you'd done it the night before, which only gave you more to thank her for.

Eventually, you conclude that if you want to thank Yelena properly then you should stick to what you know: murder, maiming, and incredible violence… though she tries to discourage that now, so you shift to simply risking yourself, doing everything you can on missions to keep Yelena safe.

It works the first few times, you get a few bruises and scrapes, but that's nothing unexpected in your line of work and, more importantly, Yelena comes out unscathed. She seems ignorant to the actions you're taking, which is how you aim to keep it; you know she wouldn't approve of you putting yourself at risk just to keep her safe, but that's how the Red Room taught you to perform and, after everything she's done for you, it's what you're willing to do to thank her.

»»————-　★　————-««

2013

“You ready, Y/N?” Yelena smiles. The two of you are in matching bodysuits, sitting in the back of a jet destined for Manchester, England. You nod and double check the various weaponry attached to you.

Yelena reaches behind her, pulling out a map which you’ve memorised by now, and lays it on the table between you. “There’s two floors to this facility,” she recaps, “they’re developing weapons and we’ve been assigned to retrieve blueprints for all of them. Where do we find them?”

You point quickly to the corridor of offices. “Locked filing cabinet in office 2, if intelligence is to be trusted.”

“And which route will we take?”

“From the bus stop, into the woods within the perimeter. The back entrance will have only one guard between 0130 and 0200, giving us a window to enter. This corridor here,” you point, “has a guard, so we must pass while their back is turned. Stairs are unguarded. Two rights and we’ll be at the offices. There’s a ladder to the roof and an escape route from there, which is how we’ll get out.”

“Good. You have learnt it well. The Red Room demands perfection, but you are going to make them proud.”

Hours later, you aren’t so sure. You sit by her hospital bed, knee bouncing with worry as the medics operate on her; the steady beeping of her vitals acts as your only comfort, but you know first-hand that it could switch at any second.

Behind you, a door opens and closes, causing a noticeable shift in the atmosphere of the room. The medics stand taller, the guards lower their gaze, and you immediately stop your movements, knowing exactly who has walked in. You stand to attention and turn to face the tall, boney woman in front of you, though you bow your head in respect just as the guards did.

“A word, Y/N, outside,” Madame B instructs. She doesn’t wait for a response – she knows you wouldn’t dare give her one – she simply turns on her heel and has you follow her back out of the door like a puppy on a leash.

“Explain exactly what happened. And I don’t want excuses.”

“We were fighting the guards for some time, there were far more than Yelena and I had expected–”

“I said no excuses.”

“Sorry Madame. We left one of them for too long and he was able to take a shot while my back was turned – it would have hit my head, but Yelena noticed and stepped in between, receiving the bullet just to the left of her heart, puncturing her lung. I brought her to medics quickly-”

“I don’t need to hear the rest,” the woman cuts in. “Yelena is one of our best Widows, whereas you… you are expendable, Y/N, and I expect you to know it. Until you train yourself to be better than Yelena, then it is your responsibility to put your body on the line to keep her safe, no matter the cost to you. Is that understood?”

“Yes, Madame.”

“You will go to the training room immediately. If you think your life is worth more than Yelena’s, then we will put that to the test – incapacitate the five Widows in there without taking a hit, and you will be excused from punishment this time.”

The task is impossible, you know that, you may defeat the others, but not without one of them landing a blow, and once they do that, you will be beaten to within an inch of your life for failing the task. Regardless, you nod towards Madame B and march to the training room with your head held high; you deserve the punishment, you know that too. You are expendable, Yelena is not.

All five girls jump at you. This is what you deserve.

»»————-　★　————-««

2017

You were always aware that something would eventually go wrong, each mission where you threw yourself recklessly into danger was only testing your luck. You accepted the risk, but when it actually happens, well… you hadn't prepared for the consequences.

After four months of obtaining only minor injuries, you and Yelena are on another mission in Upstate New York, dressed to the nines at some CEO’s mansion. You don't care to remember his name since, if all goes to plan, he'll be dead at the end of the night anyway.

The party is already buzzing when the two of you walk in and, after a quick scout of the area together, the two of you separate and mingle with the guests, establishing your presence in the main hall until there's an opportunity to corner the host away from spectators.

It's going well, you think, until angry yells sound out from the other side of the room, loud enough to drown out the music. Guests look up curiously, just as you do, until you see Yelena thrown onto the stage. A handful of bodyguards emerge from the crowd to surround her, all readying their weapons in her direction.

You don't think, you just barrel through the gawking crowds to tackle your mentor out of the firing line. Yelena is back on her feet in an instant and you try to do the same, but a sharp pain keeps you down. The crowds are screaming now, and hopefully fleeing as you're overwhelmed by a chorus of gunshots.

You counted 7 guards before. They are no problem for Yelena to take down alone, but you don't allow for that. Ignoring the excruciating pain as you move and pretending you don't notice that your shirt is soaked in blood, you roll yourself onto your back, reaching for your holster and taking out the last three guards in rapid succession. Their attention was focused on Yelena, making it easy for you to do.

In a now empty hall, Yelena finally releases the breath she's been holding and looks around to congratulate you, until she sees you right where she left you, lying flat on the stage.

“Y/N!”

Her face interrupts your view of the ceiling and you yelp when you feel her hand clamp over your ribs. “I know, I know,” she whispers, face filled with worry as her dialtone begins.

“Natasha?” she says when the person answers at last, “I need you, please, we need medics at my location. I don’t know, the best the Avengers have got. You have good ones, right?”

The world seems to fade at the edges and you relax into your tired state. But then Yelena is snapping her fingers in front of you and her tear-stained face comes back into focus.

“Stay awake for me please, Y/N.”

“Natasha, hurry,” she sobs once again.

You can't help it; everything fades to black.

»»————-　★　————-««

The view when you next wake up is a complete shift to the dark but extravagant mansion you'd fallen asleep in. Everything is blinding white and purely functional; you're not unfamiliar with the set-up, but the location is new, you think. After visiting so many, the hospitals begin to blend together.

“Y/N,” someone beside you gasps, and you mentally scold yourself for not checking you were alone before you opened your eyes. Madame B will punish you for that.

No, Madame B is gone. It is only Yelena now, and she doesn't punish you anymore.

You shrink away all the same when Yelena comes into view, knowing you are the cause of her red-rimmed eyes and the dark bags underneath.

“You almost died, Y/N!” she shouts, and tears prick at your own eyes. You didn't want to disappoint her, just protect her. “I've noticed it for months but I didn't bring it up because I thought you knew better than to risk yourself like this! Missions are not the place to be reckless, what were you-”

She stalls suddenly. Your eyelids, which were previously squeezed shut, open slowly, cautiously and carefully checking for Yelena's reaction. Her face softens when you catch her eye and suddenly she's rushing forward and trapping you in a hug.

“I'm sorry, I shouldn't yell, I'm sorry. I just want to protect you, always, and seeing you like this… it's…”

She sighs, and you interrupt.

“No, I'm sorry, Yelena. This wasn't meant to stress you out or have you worrying about me. I wanted to keep you safe, you know, like you always used to do for me. And after you freed me from the serum and then everything you did to look after me afterwards, I had to find a way to thank you. And I tried all the things Google said like cooking and gifts and everything! but they didn't work, so I thought that maybe keeping you safe would be enough to express my gratitude and make us equal, even if I got hurt in the process.”

“Oh, Y/N,” the older Widow sighs again, a teary smile overtaking her face. “I know it's hard, but we're not in the Red Room anymore; not every interaction is transactional, and not every mission has to have an expendable agent. In fact, none of our missions will have an expendable agent – it's you and me as equals, alright? Both of us are surviving them and I won't have any other outcomes.”

You nod and she continues.

“You're my best friend, Y/N, and my little sister in every way but blood; I'd have done – and I still would – anything to protect you in the Red Room, but that's not how it has to work anymore. And as for looking after you goes, it's my pleasure to do it; it's not something you need to pay me back for because just getting to spend time with you and have you around is all I could ask for. Just get through this, Y/N, get out of this ward and come home, and that will be the only thing you ever need to do for me.”

»»————-　★　————-««

You're still weak, so Yelena has her arms around you and your body is pressed into her side, but you're walking, forward and forward until you cross the threshold.

You're home.

A few weeks longer and you're back on your feet without assistance, standing next to Yelena in the kitchen as she teaches you to cook – starting easy with some basic pancakes after you said you had a craving for them in the hospital.

“Keep an eye on the pan,” Yelena instructs as her phone starts to ring in the other room, “flip it in 30 seconds if I'm still gone.”

She walks out. You set down your knife and the strawberries you had skillfully been cutting to stare directly at the pan, mentally counting down exactly from 30.

“I don't want a mission, Valentina,” you hear Yelena say from the living room. You don't let it distract you.

“Y/N is grounded from missions until they're back at full health, and I'm not going without them. I told you before, we work as a pair. That's non negotiable.”

You're flipping the pancake when Yelena walks back in, using the spatula instead of risking a pan flip. The older woman scoffs and gently nudges you out of the way so that she can take the pan back.

“Spatulas are for wimps,” she claims confidently, “let me show you some real skill.”

Both of you take a step back: you towards the door, and her towards the centre of the room, before she flicks the pan with her wrist. The pancake goes flying high into the sky, hits the ceiling, then falls unceremoniously back down to splat on the floor.

You both stare at it in silence.

“This is why I used a spatula,” you say at last.

“Maybe we should get a dog.”

“Where did that come from?”

“Well then it could eat the floor pancake.”

“Or we could just pick it up.”

“Yes, go on then,” she grins, moving forward to put the pan back on the heat and pouring more batter into it.

“Oh I would but, you know, I'm injured,” you say with false disappointment, “from when I saved your life, remember? So I probably shouldn't bend to pick it up.”

“You are a nuisance, child,” Yelena grumbles under her breath when she goes to pick the pancake up. You just grin… until the floor pancake is thrown directly at your face. You yelp and quickly dodge it; it smacks against the fridge this time so you catch it and finally put it with the food waste.

Eventually, a stack of successfully flipped pancakes fill the plate, enough for you and Yelena to enjoy your fill. Throughout the meal, you forget all about your squabble in the kitchen, and you believe Yelena had too, so when she smiles and turns to you, saying “you wanted to pay me back for the hospitality, right?” you nod earnestly.

“Then I think you can do the dishes for us both!” she continues, handing her empty plate to you before relaxing further into the couch. With a flick of her wrist, but a beaming smile on her face, she shoos you away.

“Because a gunshot and bleeding out for you isn’t enough,” you huff with a roll of your eyes, playfully kicking Yelena’s leg as you stand. “Some people are never satisfied.”

»»————-　★　————-««

General Taglist: @canvascoloredin @fxckmiup @wizardofstories

#yelena belova #yelena belova imagine #platonic yelena belova #yelena belova & reader #yelena belova & you #yelena belova & y/n #yelena belova fluff #yelena belova hurt/comfort #ikan writes #marvel #mcu

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rileyslibrary · 1 year

Text

Living With Ghosts: 6. Hurt

He seemed more accustomed to surviving than living—as if the military had adopted and raised him to be the man he is today.

Relationship: Simon “Ghost” Riley x F!Reader

Word Count: 1,155

Notes:

Warnings: Mentions of blood and physical injury (gunshot wound)

Pure angst

That’s a sable. :)

Entire work on AO3

Table of Contents

———————————————————————

“Mating season is upon us; do not feed the sable—I repeat: Do NOT feed the sable. Over.”

That was Laswell’s last message to all the safe houses across Italy a couple of weeks ago.

“Sable” was Makarov’s code name—an odd choice for a criminal of his calibre since sables are cute and furry. Although you were unaware of his manscaping habits to argue the “furry” aspect, you knew that Makarov was anything but “cute.”

Mating season is upon us. Makarov was on the loose and closer than ever. Operators were sleeping with one eye open if they ever got the chance to do so. The job should be over soon.

Do not feed the sable. That meant one thing: under no circumstances should you blow your cover. Instead, you must keep a low profile and follow a consistent routine until further notice.

That’s what you’ve been doing for the past two weeks. You kept imitating a farmer harvesting lemons while monitoring unusual traffic in secrecy. Meanwhile, Ghost was helping you in the morning and leaving at nightfall to “take care of things.”

Everything seems to be going well so far—A little too well, perhaps.

Call it a “gut feeling,” an “intuition,” or a “sense of impending doom.” Whatever it was, it felt eerie and lurking in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike.

As weird as it sounds, Makarov wasn’t your primary concern, as he’ll soon get what he deserves. “The life of a war criminal is as profitable as it is short,” you recall Ghost muttering while cleaning his gun.

It was him who you were most worried about—his physical and mental well-being appeared to be in distress lately.

Every morning, you would catch a glimpse of him out of the corner of your eye while he was helping you. New rips would appear on his clothes overnight, some mended, others beyond repair. “I walked through some shrubs” was his most common excuse. Shrubs don’t cause such damage; knives, on the other hand, are perfectly capable of doing so.

His left shoulder hardly moved while helping you out, so he relied solely on his right one. He also walked with a limp, which worsened every time he carried heavy crates up to the house.

He was doing everything he could to take care of himself, but there’s only so much a man can take. Soon, his wounds would be too deep to heal.

You assumed he had a difficult upbringing. You’d never dare ask about his personal life, family, or friends if he had any—but it seemed that he raised himself.

He was overly precise with how he placed each piece of garment on the clothesline. He often left you wondering how he turned chores such as washing dishes into a tactical mission. Even wearing his boots and tucking his trousers inside them seemed too…strategic.

No parent would teach their son to be so meticulous with these mundane tasks. No child would have the discipline to follow such rigid and strict rules. He seemed more accustomed to surviving than living—as if the military had adopted and raised him to be the man he is today.

Then again, you could see the light in him. It was dim and barely noticeable, but it’d fall through the cracks sometimes. Whenever he’d make you laugh, for example, a speck of light would appear, softening his tough exterior. He seemed more human with each suppressed chuckle he let out as you danced around in victory for nailing a new recipe.

Shit, the recipe—where were you? Ah, yes! The salt.

It’s impressive how cooking can stimulate such extraordinary levels of introspection.

Look at you: preparing dinner and analysing an operator’s emotional trauma while a war criminal is on the loose.

The back door swings open—he’s back; the knives and bullets rattling on his tactical vest give him away. Yet they sound different; they reveal a sense of urgency.

You turn to greet him, but he dashes for the stairs.

You catch a glimpse of something on the floor.

Droplets of thick, black liquid shine against the floor, leaving a trail that leads to the stairs.

You take a closer look—it’s not black. It’s crimson.

He is bleeding.

You sprint to the staircase, climbing two or even three steps simultaneously. Your hands are gripping the rails, pulling yourself up as if that would make you go faster.

He’s running for his room, clutching his left shoulder.

You grab a strap from the back of his vest, but he yanks your hand off and pushes you away, causing you to fall to the ground.

You get up just as he enters his room, but he shuts the door and locks you out.

“How bad is it?” You ask with your hands on the door, trying to reach him through the thick wooden panel.

No answer.

“Let me see—I can help.” You command.

Still no answer.

“FUCK! Answer me, God damn it, yell at me, show me you’re alive!”

Nothing.

There are faint sounds of objects falling to the floor, boxes opening with force, and furniture being pushed around. You sit on the ground with your back against the door.

You bring your legs close to your chest and hug them, your forehead resting on your knees.

This can’t be happening. It’s a fever dream that’ll soon be over. Simon cannot be in danger; How can he? He is invincible. He just walked through some shrubs, that’s all.

You try to concentrate on sounds, noises, grunts—anything to indicate that he’s working on it.

Focus, try to focus.

He’s fiddling with something—he’s unscrewing a bottle, its contents spilling on the floor. It must be alcohol—he is treating a gunshot wound.

“Are you shot?”

“Shut up for a bloody second, will you?”

He can talk—that’s a good thing. Right?

“What happ-”

“Ya fuck-I said to be quiet.”

You can hear quick, short gasps of air—his breathing becomes more audible with each inhale. He’s about to pry the bullet out.

You close your ears and shut your eyes, trying to block the screams. It’s pointless.

He sounds like an animal being hanged upside down to be slaughtered, screaming in agony.

You can’t help him, but you have to bear it. Bear his screams, his swearing, his pain.

Feeling helpless and useless yourself, you resort to praying. “An atheist until the plane starts falling,” they say. God must be having a laugh looking down at you right now.

The cries stop. You sit up straight, listening closely for any signs of life.

There’s a clink—it’s the bullet hitting the floor.

His breathing gradually returns to normal, his movements getting more controlled and graceful than earlier. He must be patching up his wound now.

“I’m still here.” You mutter.

“Thanks,” he replies.

He’s not okay yet, but he will be. He better be.

“Y/N?”

“Yes?”

“You need to pack your things; our cover is blown.”

———————————————————————

Next ->

#simon ghost riley x reader #simon ghost riley #call of duty #modern warfare 2 #cod mwii #cod mw2 #simon riley #cod ghost

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valentinetypewriter · 6 months

Text

Me And My Husband - Chapter 4

Summary: the time for Y/n to 'hang out' with Sirius and Remus arrives, everything goes smoothly until the next day the two boys are faced with unwanted guests

Warnings: swearing, smoking, use of the Victorian language of flowers, Sirius and Remus are dicks at the end.

Main masterlist / series masterlist

Chapter 5

Taglist

@ashlynnmalfoy @ashisabitgay @rainychaosmiracle

Also I'd love to know what you guys think of this series so far, since im sort of new to writing, so feel free to comment or even send it to my inbox

Word count: 4,030

It's been a long time so I made this one double the length of the other chapters, and I had a lot of fun writing this chapter

It was Tuesday afternoon and classes had finally finished up. Saying Y/n was nervous would be an understatement, though she didn't really know why she felt this way. She only asked Sirius out in the hope that she could at least try to become friends with him, so that the rest of her life spent with him wouldn't be so awkward. She deemed that it was simply the fact that she's never been on a date, and that dates weren't usually supposed to bring a plus one. Y/n stood waiting by the main exit of the school that would lead them down to hogsmeade, she was pacing by the time the two boys arrived. Sirius was dressed in his usual leather jacket with an old band shirt underneath, Remus on the other hand was wearing a soft looking sweater, it was kind of ugly in a sort of cute way.

"I was beginning to think you had bailed on me" the young girl said after she had stopped analysing the two boys. "Sorry we took so long, Sirius wanted to make sure his hair was perfect" y/n laughed quietly at the joke Remus made at his best friend's expense. "And here I thought he was all natural" Sirius' stormy eyes grew wide, shooting between the two laughing teens "I can't believe you're both ganging up on me". Remus bit his lip to stop himself from laughing at the boy's expression "sorry padfoot, it's just too easy" the shorter boy scoffed "well let's just get to hogsmeade already".

The three teens made their way to Hogsmeade in a somewhat awkward silence, occasionally broken by Sirius and Remus chatting, or if Y/n actually answered anything the two Gryffindors asked her. They were halfway to their destination when Y/n had started asking Sirius more personal questions. Simple things, like his favourite colour and his hobbies, before she decided to ask more important things. "So Sirius, what do you think you'll do after graduation" the grey eyed boy stared harshly at her "what do you think" disdain clear in his voice. The young slytherin shook her head slightly "no I meant, what do you actually want to do" she stared back up at him, her usually dull eyes held a slight sadness to them. Sirius seemed almost shocked, his eyebrows raising slightly, he wasn't expecting her to ever care for that sort of thing. "Oh… well, I'd like to travel around for a bit, and there's quite a few muggle things I have on my bucket list…" he paused for a moment, looking over to his right at Remus, he wasn't sure how to continue. But the tanned boy just gave Sirius a smile and a quick thumbs up.

Sirius looked back over at Y/n, her gaze unwavering as she waited for him to carry on "it's just um… once I'm out of school and move away from my family, I'd have more freedom to actually do those things'' the young girl tilted her head slightly "what sort of things?". "Well there's these things called a drive in theatre, you sit in your car and they project a film onto a large screen" the girls face twisted in confusion. Remus couldn't help but laugh slightly, he remembered seeing the exact same face on James and Sirius when he had first told them about it. "Oh! And there's this performance happening at the end of the year, by The Sex Pistols" the girls eyes widened slightly "The who!?" Sirius smiled slightly "no that's a different band". Y/n's face continued to contort in worried confusion "don't worry I'll show them to you some other time", to be completely honest Y/n wasn't sure if she wanted to know what the boy was talking about.

The trio had finally arrived at Hogsmeade, strolling through the village until they stopped outside a small Cafe. Y/n looked through the window at the many pastries they had on display, Remus and Sirius though were looking through their menu at the types of coffee and tea they offered. "We should go in, they look really good, and I didn't eat breakfast beforehand" Y/n was the first to speak up. The two boys nodded and they walked in, they stood in front of the shop counter waiting to be served. An older looking woman came over to them "what can I get you three?" She asked with a warm smile on her face. "Can I get the strawberry turnover and a white rose tea please" she ordered while pulling out her coin purse, Remus had caught a glimpse of it when she turned to them, it was pale blue with nifflers on them.

"What would you two like?" They both stared for a moment not expecting her to want to order together. Remus started off first "oh uh just a caramel latte and a Chelsea Bun" the young girl then turned to Sirius expectantly. "Don't worry I can pay for my own" he went to pull out his own money, not noticing how the girl's face dropped slightly "don't be ridiculous, I invited you to come with me, I'll pay" the stern tone in her voice and look in her eyes gave no room for argument, Sirius just let out a soft "alright" before slipping his money back into his pocket "I guess I'll just have the Crème Brûlée and a black coffee". Remus's face scrunched up in disgust at the mention of black coffee. "Is that all dears?" The polite woman asked "yes that's all thank you" Y/n handed over the money as the women and a younger looking employee started making their order.

The three had taken a table in the far corner away from the few people who were in the Cafe. "You know I'm glad you agreed to come today" the two boys looked at her, unsure who she was talking about as she was looking down at her hands and Remus noticed a slight tint to her cheeks. "It's just I've never done this before" her cheeks getting slightly red from embarrassment, Sirius looked at her confused "never done wh-" he was cut off as the taller boy kicked him in the leg. His stormy eyes narrowed slightly as he stared over at his friend. Before the girl could notice their weird behaviour their order was called out, Y/n stood up and walked over to the counter. "What the hell was that for?" Sirius whispered harshly "this is a fucking date, Y/n asked you on a date, thats what she's never done before" Remus whispered back "why do you think she didn't want you bringing James, or why she wanted to pay for the food…" he paused for a second looking over at the girl as she was grabbing sugar packets. "Or even why she's been asking you so many personal questions, it's a date and she trying to get to know you" Sirius eyes shot open wide at the realisation "oh Merlin I thought she was just being nosy" Remus slapped his hand onto his head with a sigh "fuck you're an idiot pads".

Before the boy could retort, Y/n made her way back over holding the tray, an excessive amount of sugar packets shoved onto the end of it. "Wow this looks a lot better than I was expecting" she said as she took her stuff off the tray, pushing it slightly towards the boys, Sirius's face burned up as he looked at her. They each took off their own order, Remus moved the tray onto the end of the table after taking a couple of the sugar packets. "So do you come here often Y/n?" Remus asked while pouring sugar into his latte "quite a lot actually, though it's only for their tea and to steal sugar packets" she stated as she nonchalantly shoved the majority of the pile of packets into her coat pocket. The two boys watched in confusion, neither knowing what to say. "uh… what?" Was all Sirius could manage to get out, the young slytherin looked up at him, freezing her action "oh, I realise how weird this seems" Y/n quickly shoved the rest into her coat "its for my pet, she's obsessed with them, no idea why though". The two boys visibly relaxed at the explanation she gave for her bizarre behaviour.

They ate their food with small interruptions such as occasional small talk here and there, or when one of them would offer a taste of their food to each other. After a while of mindless chatter and food sharing Sirius had left their table to go to the bathroom, leaving Y/n and Remus to talk to each other. "Um Y/n if you don't mind me asking… uh why did you invite me and Sirius out, I thought you didn't like us very much". The girl looked down at her cup, bring it up for a sip before responding "don't get me wrong I'm not particularly fond of either of you, but I'd like to get to know him better, I don't enjoy being betrothed to someone I know nothing about" she stopped, taking another sip of her tea "and perhaps if I do become closer to him, he won't be such a prat" Remus laughed slightly at the girl's words "trust me he's much friendlier and more competent when you get to know him". Y/n raised her eyes to look at him, her dull and cold eyes meeting his warmer gaze, she noted how doe-eyed he looked "yes well that's the difficult part, he doesn't really like me all that much, not that I hold it against him" the boys warm hand came to rest on her arm "I'm sure he'll come around".

Sirius was quick to come back before Remus could get an answer to why Y/n had also invited him on her date, Sirius took his seat and they finished their food. Remus stood after unfortunately spilling a bit of his tea on himself, his hands seemingly more shaky than usual "I'll be back in a second, i need to clean this up". Unlike when Remus and Y/n were left alone, the air felt thicker when it was just her and Sirius, neither really knowing what to say or do. And of course Sirius, having a hatred for awkward silence, said the first thing that came to him "You seem to get along with remus quite well" Y/n stared at him "whatever you're thinking, don't" Y/n looked over at the boy they were talking about "I don't like him any more than the rest of your group of misfits" Sirius shrugged "all I'm saying L/n is you seem nicer to him then you do me" Y/n rolled her eyes "well it's a lot easier to be nice to him then it is to you" Sirius stared at her for a moment "I suppose so, perhaps you'd prefer to be affianced to him" she thought for a moment "my parents wouldn't allow that, he's not pure, though if he was I believe he'd be a better candidate than you" the grey eyed boy smiled at her "well that's something we can both agree on". Y/n was done with the awkward tension between the two, she stood up to leave "i'll be outside, you can wait for Lupin".

Y/n stepped out of the small cafe, making her way around to the side of the building, hoping to hide away from prying eyes. She lent against the cold bricks, fishing out an almost empty carton of cigarettes and a blue lighter she had stolen from Evan yesterday. She lit the cigarette in her mouth and took a deep drag as she closed her eyes, letting everything wash away. After a few long minutes Y/n heard the Cafe door chime, she pushed the cigarette into the brick wall a few times to put it out, letting it drop to the floor she moved to the front of the shop seeing Remus and Sirius leaving. She walked over to the two "so where else would you two like to go" the boys looked at each other, it was like they could read each other's thoughts "well we've been needing to go to zonko's since we got back" remus was the one to offer, both Gryffindors knowing she'd be more likely to agree if it was him asking. Y/n rolled her eyes "of course you do, let's go then" she led the way, letting the two teens walk behind her. Zonko's wasn't very far from the Cafe so they arrived quickly. "Well I am certainly not going in there so…" the Slytherin fished out her coin purse again, handing them both a lot more than they would need for what they were after. "I'll be out here, be quick about it".

The two boys were quick to rush inside the shop, searching around for what they needed. Sirius stopped at a small section of enchanted gifts, he picked up a small wooden box decorated with stars. The sign for the small display labelled it an astronomers box, his mind dipped back to the memory of his brother and Y/n stargazing while she was at his house. He hesitated for a moment to take the box, but was quick to move on holding in his hand while looking for what he had first come in for. Remus and Sirius were quick to get everything they needed, paying for their stuff together and shoving it into a bag, Sirius still holding onto the box. They left the store looking around for Y/n, finally spotting her leaving a herbology shop with a cardboard box. "You know she's quite pretty when she is glaring with those cold eyes of hers" Remus said as she walked over, a small smile on her face. "Are you two ready to head back?" she asked, adjusting the box in her hands. Sirius lifted up the bag for her to see "yep we've got everything we need" remus quickly dug into his pocket pulling out the rest of the money Y/n had given them, even with an entire bag full of stuff they hadn't even used half of what she gave them "here's what's left by the way, and thanks for lending it to us" the girl just stared at his open hand, not reaching over to grab it. "Keep it" she stated abruptly, turning around and walking off before either boy could protest, the boys were quick to catch up "are you sure" the girl simply nodded and let out a noise of agreement. "We should get back before it gets any later" the girl kept walking at a brisk pace.

The three made their way back to the castle quicker then they left it, they entered the main entrance, Y/n stopping by a bench, setting down the box. "Oh by the way, I brought you both something" she stared at them expectantly, before they walked over to her. Y/n opened up the box pulling out two glass vases, both green in colour with different patterns decorating them with their own unique flowers sitting inside. The girl handed them both a vase each, to Sirius she gave him one filled with yellow carnations and to remus a slightly smaller vase with a colourful mixture of pansies. "Oh thank you Y/n" Remus said, a smile growing on his face, Sirius held the box up to her "I got something for you as well, it's an astronomers box" the girl held it close to her "well thank you Sirius, that was very kind of you" she seemed to ignore the fact he brought it with the money she had given to him. Y/n was the first to leave, heading off to her common room to relax before dinner.

The next day went by quickly, Y/n making her way to the library to meet with Sirius and Remus like she promised. Unknown to the two boys she had made a slight change to their plan, that change being the two boys who were walking next to her. "I still can't believe you're stuck with those two dicks" Barty said, adjusting the two book bags he was carrying in favour of Evan carrying his school cloak and vest for him. "I don't like it either, but the quicker I get it done the less time I have to spend with them, besides having you two with me makes it more bearable" Evan let out an almost strangled sounding noise as he threw his arm over the shorter girl "awww she loves us" the three laughed with each other before entering the library. The group made their way to the usual spot Y/n sits at, the same spot she told Sirius and Remus to meet her at. "Sorry i'm late, i'm usually a punctual person, unfortunately these two aren't" Sirius let out a quiet groan while Remus just glared as they saw the two boys standing behind Y/n. "Why are they here?" Remus questioned, annoyance clear in his tone "well firstly our group partner is sick" Barty was the first to speak, Evan carried on his sentence "and secondly Y/n's our best friend, who invited us along". The two Gryffindors stared at the mentioned girl, she simply rolled her eyes as she sat down "it's a study session, I'm sure you'll get over it".

The three arriving teens all took seats next to each other, Y/n pulled her notes and books out while Barty and Evan pulled out a single book to read through. The two groups worked quietly, until it was broken by the whining of Evan "this book sucks, are we sure we grabbed the right one Barty?" the boy shrugged, "it's the one that little weasel said would be good for our project" Evan rolled his eyes, he was glad their useless group mate was sick. Evan threw the book shut, looking over at his friend "Y/n my sweet amazing friend~" he dragged out, his tone overly sweet and begging "yes my annoying dumb friend" she said back, in the same sweet tone Evan had used "since you have so much knowledge with little Cosmos you would know the perfect book for us" the girl perked up at the mention of her pet "I suppose I would, I'll go grab it for you, not out of the goodness of my heart but because I need to grab a different book as well, and I don't trust you enough to grab the right book". Both boys smiled brightly as Y/n left to grab the books. Leaving her two friends to talk

"So are you going to go through with that plan of yours tonight Bee?" Evan asked as he lent in closer to Barty. The two Gryffindors now focusing on their conversation while pretending to work "I think I might, I've finally got it all planned out, I'm going to take her to the greenhouse, with the excuse of herbology homework and then I'll give her those chrisa-whatevers" Evan laughed "the chrysanthemums, Merlin how are you a Ravenclaw" Barty shoved the boy slightly, laughing himself "piss off". He hesitated before dropping his head slightly "do you think she'll actually say yes to the date" Evan looked at him in disbelief "stop doubting yourself, I'm 100% sure Y/n will say yes". Remus couldn't help but scoff at his words, grabbing the attention of the Ravenclaw and Slytherin. "Sorry do you have a problem Lupin" Evan asked, quick to get defensive of his friends "no no, it's just funny you think she'd actually say yes" his usually warm eyes seemed cold.

"Well what would you know about our best friend you sleazy little wimp" Evan was always quick to anger when it came to his friends "more than you apparently, I mean you did know she was on a date yesterday, I saw her at Hogsmeade, she seemed awfully close with him" Barty face dropped, an overwhelming sadness engulfing him "she would've told us, I mean she tells us everything" Evan rolled his eyes at the two Gryffindors "they're just lying Barty, ignore them". Remus lent towards them "I'm not, I saw him buy her a gift, a small wooden box, one of those astronomy boxes" this time Evans face dropped, he remembered Y/n proudly showing off the box to Regulus at dinner, saying how she got it at Hogsmeade earlier that day. Remus had a smug look on his face as Evan slumped back into his chair while Sirius let out a noise of shocked amusement.

"well Black you should learn to keep the dirty half-blood of yours on a leash" Evans words were quick to wipe the smug look off the scarred boys face. Both Gryffindors were unaware of the young girl now looming behind them. "I could say the same about your little pet bird" Sirius's harsh gaze met Evans, both boys defending their friends. "You know I'm surprised someone like her is even friends with you, I mean you really are the most pathetic Ravenclaw I've ever met" Remus's insult made the boy sink further into his seat "more so the most pathetic pure-blood I've ever met, do you honestly think you're worthy of even being friends with her." Sirius cut in with his own insult. Barty was quick to flee the library, taking his cloak and vest but not bothering to grab his bag from the floor.

Evan stood out of his own seat he felt burning hot rage slowly take over him, ready to poor out insults at the Gryffindors. Unfortunately his anger wasn't as quick to build as the girl's who was standing behind them "who the hell do you two think you are!" The boys turned around staring up at the now seething girl, her dull eyes seemed to darken in anger "and to think I thought you pathetic Gryffindors could put aside house pride for one evening, but I suppose that's my fault for expecting too much from either of you". The girl grabbed her bag before turning to the two boys "if I ever hear either of you say anything like that to any of my friends again, I swear to make the rest of your time in school miserable". Both Y/n and Evan grabbed their stuff and left the library, Y/n held onto Bartys bag. "I should return this to him, do you think he went to his common room" y/n said her voice still angry "Actually he said he needed to go to the greenhouse tonight, said it was something urgent to do with herbology, you might find him there" she stopped to look at him "thanks Rosie, I'll go find him".

Y/n arrived at the greenhouse, looking around the large room hoping to find barty, but he wasn't there. Nothing even looked like it had been touched or moved since their class, well there was one thing out of place. A sky blue pot had been left shattered on the floor it held blooming chrysanthemum, Y/n thought that the blue pot was a nice contrast to the deep red flowers. She noticed how the pot was smashed in the open space of the floor, it didn't fall from a shelf or table, she thought it had been an act of vandalism or perhaps sour rejection. "Such a sad fate for something symbolic of love" she spoke to herself softly, picking up the flowers and repotting them into an unused pot, it wasn't as pretty but perhaps she could paint it. She set the now potted flowers onto a table before sweeping up the mess of soil and terracotta shards. She decided to take the plant with her, still wanting to paint the pot to the nice blue that was shattered. And to make sure it held up after being thrown around.

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harrysfinelinevol1 · 2 years

Text

palm trees and kiwis pt.2

harry styles x singer!reader

summary: harry meets you at coachella after watching your set backstage. you both acknowledge the element of lust between you but after acting on it you wonder if it's a bit more than that

warnings: smut

word count: 9.2k

part 1

"Where the hell have you been," your brother asked, raising an eyebrow at you as you entered the kitchen.

"Nowhere," you teased as you reached into the fridge to get some yoghurt.

"Liar, that's not your jumper. Also, I refuse to believe you've been at an afterparty since 11 last night until 11 this morning," he retorted and you shrugged.

"These Coachella parties are crazy," you lied and he chuckled.

"Oh give it up Goose, I'm not dumb. I saw Harry outside the house and I'm not sure that friends kiss each other goodbye," he said and you flushed red.

"Fuck off," you mumbled as you spooned yoghurt into your mouth.

"I won't pester you, mostly because I don't really want to know what you and Harry got up to, but you look happy with him Goose," he told you but you shook your head at him.

"Don't do that. I'm not going to see him again for a while. I'm not getting into that right now, not before the tour," you trailed off.

"You don't seem that pleased about that," he analysed and you glared at him, annoyed he could read you so well.

"Can we leave it?" you pleaded and he nodded, understanding you didn't want to be pushed on it.

"As long as he treated you right," he said and you nodded, knowing no other man had treated you better than Harry had.

"Anyway now your interrogation is over, it's my turn," you grinned turning to him and he groaned. "Come on Zep, spill," you demanded brandishing your spoon at him.

"I guess me and Holly are sorta going out," he revealed, blushing madly, and you squealed happily.

"Oh my god! I'm so happy for you both!" you jumped up to wrap him in a big hug. He laughed and wrapped his arms around you.

"Thanks, Goose. Um, I was going to meet her for lunch today, but I can totally stay if you need any help packing," he told you but you shook your head.

"No, no, go. I'll be absolutely fine, please go have lunch with her," you demanded, even though you were a bit sad you couldn't have your final lunch in California with your brother.

"Thank you. Anyway how... oh my god," he muttered and you pulled back from the hug, seeing his wide eyes.

"What, what's happened?" you looked around confused.

"I'm gonna kill him," he growled out still staring at you.

"Kill who Zep? You're not making any sense," you asked becoming worried now.

"What has he done to your fucking neck," he seethed and your eyes widened, realising he must have seen the state of your neck when he was hugging you.

"Ok nice talking to you, bye Zep," you said as you dashed out of the kitchen, face bright red from embarrassment.

"Fucking savages," he shouted back as you closed to door to your room and you giggled as you pressed your back on the door. You were glad you and your brother were open enough to talk to each other about these things but also there was a level that neither of you was willing to cross. You didn't want him to know the intimate details of your sex life and you didn't want to know the intimate details of his. You sighed as you looked around your room, your brother had bought all your stuff from the trailer and dumped it on your bed and you realised you had a lot to pack.

four months later

You were lonely. You felt really fucking lonely. You were four months into your European tour and while the shows had been incredible and you were so thankful for everything you were experiencing you couldn't help the fact that you still felt lonely.

Your brother had made Holly his girlfriend and while you were so happy for the both of them, it did mean he now spent the majority of his time with her instead of hanging out with you. You didn't want that to change, you were so happy your brother had found his person, but it did mean after shows when you went back to your room you were on your own, your only company being the characters in your favourite tv shows. You had a couple of friends in your band, and sometimes your friends from home would come out to see you but most of the time you were on your own. You had been warned before you started this that touring life was lonely but you always thought that as you had your brother you would at least have someone.

During the time you spent alone you thought a lot about Harry. You texted him sometimes and kept up with him but you'd only seen him once again since Coachella when your tour paths happened to cross. You both ended up in London at the same time however you had only been able to see him for one night and you'd had to leave him early because your brother had ended up getting really drunk and Holly had called you to help him get home. You gave him a right bollocking for that, pissed off that you'd had to leave Harry because he'd got so drunk.

However, you were going into your last week of tour. One more week and you could go back to New York and take a long break. You hadn't taken a proper break since you had started your music career and you were ready for one. You sighed as you sat on the balcony of the hotel you were staying at in Spain, overlooking the city lights. You sipped the glass of wine you had and continued to scribble down lyrics in your notebook. You got lost in your writing before you heard a commotion below you. Peaking over the side of the balcony, you could see a fair few people had gathered at the entrance of the hotel, all holding cameras. Paparazzi. You furrowed your brow, you knew it couldn't be for you, as you had been left alone hours ago and there was no reason for them to come back. Frowning you watched as more people continued to arrive, all moving around with cameras and microphones. Clearly someone important was about to show up. You shouldn't be surprised really, the hotel you were staying at was well known and often had celebrity guests.

Invested in this now, you continued to watch the crowd, sipping on your wine as you did. Suddenly a big black car turned down the road of the hotel and the paparazzi began to prepare themselves as the car approached. Lots of people were shouting and running about and you felt bad for whoever was in the car. The car pulled up and you waited with bated breath as a path was cleared for whoever was in the car. Suddenly the shouts became louder and your heart stopped when you realised clearly who was in the car.

"HARRY, OVER HERE,"

"HARRY, HOW'S THE TOUR?"

With wide eyes, you watched Harry fucking Styles quickly get out of the car, shielding his face from the flashing lights. Your heart was in your mouth, you couldn't quite believe he was here, in the same hotel. You saw him manage to get through the waves of paparazzi and into the hotel lobby and you sat on your balcony, breathing hard, not really too sure what to do. You didn't know whether to message him as you hadn't really talked to him in a bit or just leave it. You began biting your nails and you pondered your options but eventually just decided to leave it. Your loneliness of the last couple of months had knocked your self-confidence a bit and you began to think the reason you were on your own so much is that people didn't want to spend time with you. So why would someone like Harry be the one to change that.

Sighing you looked down at your notebook and closed it, the interruption of Harry having ruined your flow. You knew there was a pool in the hotel somewhere so you decided to go for a swim to take your mind off everything. Changing into a dark blue bikini and putting on a robe, you made your way down to the pool, which was thankfully empty due to the late hour. Shedding your robe, you slipped into the cool water and began swimming up and down, ridding the tension you held in your muscles. You didn't hear the door to the pool open behind you as you ducked your head under the water but you were alarmed by the clattering of objects hitting the floor as you came up for air and you whirled around quickly.

"Y/N?" Harry asked in disbelief and you stared back equally as shocked.

"Hi Harry," you breathed back, not quite believing he was here. To be fair, you were in a public area of the hotel that you both were staying at so you should have been less surprised but it still was a shock to be face to face with him again.

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked as he picked up the stuff he had dropped and placing it on a lounge chair.

"Just did my penultimate show last night. Got a couple nights here before my last night in Paris," you explained and tried not to stare as he pulled his top over his head, leaving him in a pair of short black swimming trunks.

"Ah. Same here, the show's tomorrow night. You should come," he offered and your eyes lit up.

"I'll think about it," you said coyly and he smirked, lowering himself into the pool and coming over to you

"I'll see you there then," he teased and you giggled. He leaned on the pool wall behind you and reached over to tuck a wet strand of hair behind your ear.

"I missed you," he professed and you chuckled.

"Harry we've only hung out like twice," you shook your head but he shrugged.

"Still missed you. Liked it when we hung out," he continued and you smile fell slightly realising he was being serious.

"So did I," you admitted and he looked over at you frowning.

"Where's my confident Y/N gone love?" he asked looking over at you.

"Huh? Oh, don't worry, she's just tired at the moment. Tour is long," you explained and he nodded, not entirely convinced.

"You don't seem tired in your shows, you've smashed each and everyone" he complimented.

"You've watched my shows?" It was Harry's turn to look sheepish now.

"Couple," he mumbled and you grinned.

"You watched my shows," you smiled this time and he covered his face.

"Shut up," he laughed and lunged for you. You squeaked and tried to dive under the water to escape his clutch but you felt an arm wrap around your waist and pull you into a hard chest. Suddenly you found yourself face to face with Harry, your lips only inches from his, both of you breathing heavily.

"Y/N."

"H."

"I'm going to kiss you now," he told you and you nodded, desperate to feel his lips against yours again. He crashed his lips into yours hungrily and it felt like you had been fed for the first time after years of starvation. His lips were as soft as you remember them being and you moaned into the kiss as he pulled you in closer. You wrapped your legs around his waist and he groaned as your core brushed against his clothed dick. You could feel him getting harder in his swim shorts, so you moved your hips again to grind on him and he swore loudly.

"Y/N I will fuck you right here if you keep that up," he growled and you smirked cheekily before doing it again.

"Fuck," he swore and he dipped his hand into your bikini bottoms, running his fingers through your folds. You cursed loudly as he pushed a finger into you, slowly pumping it in and out to tease you. You tilted your head back and he began to ravish your neck like he had before, leaving love bites as he went. You dug your nails into his back as he pushed in another finger, clinging on for dear life as he used his thumb to rub your clit.

"H, fuck, please H," you gasped as he continued to pump his fingers into you, pressing his forehead against yours.

"Want d'you want darlin," he smirked as you rolled your hips against his fingers.

"Want you, want you so bad," you gasped as his thumb rubbed your clit faster.

"Y'already have me, love," he responded even though he knew that's not what you meant.

"Want this," you choked out as you reached down into his pants to grab his throbbing cock and he gasped as you did. You whined in frustration as he suddenly removed his fingers from inside you.

"Shush love, you'll get what you want. But maybe not in a place where there are security cameras," He made a fair point.

You had never got out of a pool faster, Harry hot on your heels, quickly gathering your stuff as you rushed down the hallway to your room. Quickly unlocking it you dragged Harry into the room, making him crash into your chest. You both dropped the stuff you were holding and Harry hoisted you up around his waist, walking you so you were up against the door, kissing you roughly as he did. Your hands were tangled in his hair, pulling it harshly to generate moans from his lips. He scrambled around with the ties of your bikini, managing to get the bottoms and top off quickly while you pushed down his black shorts. Soon you were both naked, needy and craving each other. You groaned as he pressed his tip against your soaked folds and stopped to make sure he had your consent.

"Good?" he asked and you nodded.

"Please H, need you inside me," you begged and in one quick move he thrust into you, your head falling back against the door in response.

"Missed your cunt," he groaned as he adjusted to your walls tightening around him. "You're irresistible Y/N," he said as he began to slowly thrust into you, taking his time as he stretched you out. As much as you liked going fast, there was something so pleasurable about him moving slowly in and out of you. You felt so stretched and you could appreciate every inch of him. You could feel the ache in your stomach growing and your toes were curling tightly. However, you knew you needed to be on the bed to cum.

"Harry bed please," you managed to get out and he quickly carried you over to the bed, still inside you. He pulled out as he placed you on the bed but as he crawled back over you he bought your left leg with him, hooking it over his shoulder and pushing back into you.

You cursed loudly at this new angle, feeling him hit that sweet spot inside you. It ached slightly but in the best way and you gripped the sheets as Harry began to thrust into you again, harder this time.

"Fuck, you feel so good baby," he moaned as he brushed the hair away from your face, admiring you slightly. He kept eye contact with you as he continued to push into you and you both realised this had become quite intimate. It satisfied this ache in your chest however and you couldn't quite work out why.

"You're so pretty," you said as you admired Harry above you and he groaned when you said that. He leant down again to press a sweet kiss against your lips as his other hand snaked between the two of you to press on your clit, remembering you had liked that last time. You hissed as he did it, the knot in your stomach tightening and you could feel yourself reaching the edge. You let out a strangled cry as your back arched off the bed in pleasure, as your orgasm tore through you, setting every nerve in your body on fire.

"Jesus Y/N," he cried as your walls clenched tightly around him as you came, sending him closer to the edge himself.

"Wanna see you cum H," you whispered in his ear as he leaned down to kiss your neck again and he moaned into your shoulder as his thrusts became lazier. His moans had become desperate and needy at this point so you tugged on your hair again, knowing it would set him off and it did as he quickly pulled out of you and came onto your stomach, gasping as he did. You held him as he did, still running your hands through his hair to coax him through it and eventually he rolled off you and fell beside you on the bed.

"Sorry love, let me get you a towel," he murmured as he saw the mess he made on you, standing up shakily and grabbing a nearby towel. He gently cleaned you up and helped you stand up so you could go to the toilet.

"Thank you H," you smiled softly at him as you padded into the bathroom. While you were in there, he went about cleaning up your room due to the mess the two of you had made. As he did, he scooped up a black notebook with some clothes. The book fell out of his hands and landed open on a page. Placing the clothes aside, he picked up the notebook and was about to place it down when he saw what you had written on that page. It was a song.

another lonely night

Alone in the dark, hole in my heart, turn on the radio And the words fall out, but they got no place to go Tear in my eye, I drive through the night, And I don't give a fuck if the sun comes up

It's just another

Another day, another lonely night I would do anything to have you by my side Another day, another lonely night Don't wanna throw away another lonely life

You hadn't written much but it almost bought tears to Harry's eyes. He had no idea how someone like you, someone who exuded so much confidence and charmed everyone you met could be feeling so alone and lost. He quickly placed the book down, wishing he had never looked at it, feeling guilty for reading something personal to you. He busied himself fixing up your room and crawled back into the bed, patiently waiting for you to come back out. You emerged soon, still bare and beautiful, and crawled in next to him, snuggling into his side. He wrapped his tattooed arm around your shoulders to pull you into his chest and you rested your chin on one of his swallows, tracing the outline of another tattoo with your finger.

"You ok love," he asked tentatively and you nodded.

"I did miss you," you admitted. "I like hanging out with you too," you continued and he smiled, his heart swelling, knowing that you weren't used to expressing your feelings like this.

"I think we should hang out more," he offered and you agreed but turned to him a bit confused.

"But what are we H? We've properly seen each other three times, two of those times we've fucked but we never really communicate outside of that. We've barely texted in the last four months," you agonised and his brow furrowed.

"I don't really know. I think we've made a right mess of things," he murmured and you chuckled.

"I think you're right,"

"Wanna start over?" he offered and you looked at him deadpan as you gestured to your naked bodies and he laughed.

"Ok yeah, fair point, we'll start over later," he considered and you snuggled further into his chest.

"Tell me about you," he murmured and you looked up at him grinning.

"What you wanna know?"

"Hm. Tell me a secret," and you rolled your eyes.

"That was the most cliche thing I've ever heard! Uh, y/n, tell me a secret love," you imitated his voice and he laughed loudly.

"I do not sound like that,"

"Yes you do," you confirmed and he shook his head.

"Still waiting on that secret," he pointed out and you huffed.

"Fine. Uh when I was a freshman in high school, I used to ditch class all the time. Like I was never at school. Eventually, I ended up moving town and I guess they must have lost my record or something because at my new school I straight up lied my way out of retaking freshman year. Never did it," you told him, slightly embarrassed but he chuckled.

"That must have taken some serious finesse. Why did you ditch school though? I thought you loved school," he asked.

"I grew to love it. Now all I want to do is learn new things. But uh, when I was a freshman, I think I was just angry. A lot of things happened that year that made me hate the world I was in. Took it out on a lot of things and that included my education. I regret it massively now," you divulged and he sat there, listening and processing your every word. Your stomach was twisting as you opened up to him, remembering a part of your life you didn't like to look back on.

Harry remained silent for a bit and you turned to look at him.

"Sorry, that was really deep," you breathed out, worried you had ruined the flow of conversation.

"No, no, don't apologise. I was just thinking."

"What about?" you asked as you began tracing another tattoo.

"About how much I wish I knew more about you. About how much I want to spend more time with you," he professed and you sat up, eyes boring into his. "And you're right. Up until now, our relationship has been just fucking weird but I really want to get to know you. I want to see you more and I wish I didn't have a month left on tour so I could spend time with you,"

"It's strange," you responded after some time of you both contemplating in silence.

"What is?"

"Well, I feel like I've known you forever. But also, I don't know anything about you at all," you mused.

"I feel like that too. I... Y/N... can I ask you something? It's a bit insane," he chuckled.

"Sure," you responded quickly wanting to know what he was going to say.

"Come on tour with me."

You sat up in shock.

"What?!"

He simply just smiled at you.

"Come on tour with me. After yours is done of course."

"Harry you're insane," you chuckled incredulously. "I cant... I don't... it doesn't make sense."

"What about it doesn't make sense? I understand if you're too busy or need a rest after your tour and that's completely understandable but I'd love it if you would join me for the last 3 weeks. I'll pay for everything and we can hang out," he explained as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

"You want to pay for me to join your tour and have me tag along with you for three weeks so you can just hang out with me? Do you know how insane you sound," and he nodded in response.

"Utterly mad, I know love. I just don't want to go another 4 months without seeing you," he said as you nervously twisted the rings on your fingers. You stayed silent for a bit as you contemplated his offer. It was mad but also you knew you wanted to spend more time with him. You also knew that you were supposed to be taking the next 2 months off, so it wasn't like you had anything else going on anyway. But it was insane. Joining Harry on tour, even though you barely knew him was insane. So why did you want to say yes so badly?

"What's going on in that head?" Harry questioned after you had sat pondering for some time.

"Um... could I give you an answer later?" you hesitantly asked.

"Of course. I would be surprised if you had an answer now. And don't worry if you feel like you can't. I will make time for you when I finish the tour," he promised.

"Thank you,"

"I have an idea though," he started and you rolled your eyes.

"Oh god," and he chuckled at your response.

"It's not as batshit as my last one, don't worry. I was wondering if you wanted to come with me tomorrow. For like the rehearsals and like soundcheck and stuff. Just to get a taste of what it would really be like, then you can decide whether you like it or not. What d'you say?"

"I think I can agree to that idea. Zep will probably be with Holly tomorrow anyway so I'll be free," you rattled off.

"Who's Zep?" Harry asked, thinking it was a peculiar name.

"Oh right, yeah Zep is the nickname for my brother. He calls me Goose," you explain and he chuckled.

"Goose and Zep. What a double act," Harry joked but realised you hadn't really laughed.

"Yeah something like that," you mumbled and he could tell that bringing up your brother had hit a nerve. He wasn't too sure why though.

"You ok?" he worried as you shuffled in his arms a bit. However you had a slapped on a fake grin at this point, not wanting Harry to know that you just missed your brother for your own selfish reasons.

"Yeah fine. I think I'm just quite tired," you said and it wasn't completely a lie. You were exhausted.

"Ok love, let's get some sleep," he whispered and you nodded tiredly.

You both went about getting ready for bed. Your heart warmed when you saw Harry had cleaned your room for you and had neatly folded up his and your clothes.

"I have some of my brother's boxers you could wear to bed if that would make you more comfortable," you offered and he nodded. You pulled an old pair out, one that you wouldn't mind Harry keeping.

"Why do you have your brother's underwear," he asked, amused, as you clambered into bed.

"Men's underwear is extremely comfortable. Ask any girl. I usually wear them to bed," you explained as you reached over to turn off the light on your side.

"I much prefer what you're currently wearing," Harry smirked as he ran his eyes over your figure. It was hot in Spain so you had settled for wearing some panties to bed and nothing else. You giggled and batted his hands away as they went to cup your breasts.

"Stop it! Let me sleep," you chastised him.

"Come here you," he said as he gestured for you to come closer to him. You shuffled up to him and you were about to settle your head on his shoulder when he gently turned you onto your side so he could spoon you. He slipped an arm around your waist and slipped the other one under your head.

"You'll get a dead arm," you warned and you could practically hear him rolling his eyes.

"Stop ruining the cute moment Y/N. I'll be fine even though you have a big head," he teased and you shot up.

"I do not!" you argued back as he tried to guide you back down.

"Shhhhh, just relax," he whispered, gently caressing your head as you huffed but you still settled back into him.

"Goodnight H," you mumbled as you felt your eyes closing, the warmth and comfort provided by Harry making you feel extra drowsy.

"Goodnight love," he said as he pressed a kiss to your head. He was about to drift off when your voice broke the silence.

"Promise you'll still be here in the morning?" you mumbled sleepily and he frowned.

"Of course, I'll be here. I'm not going anywhere," he responded, slightly confused as to why you had said that. He wouldn't dream of leaving you during the night.

So why did you think he would?

The next day you both woke up early and decided to sneak out of the hotel for an early morning stroll around the city. You hadn't had an opportunity yet to explore, you were supposed to go with your brother but predictably he forgot and went off with Holly. You felt too anxious to wander around a new city on your own so you stayed behind.

Harry was an excellent tour guide, however, and as it was early there were no tourists and the city was quiet. He pointed out all the sights and explained the history behind them, you clinging to his every word. You loved to learn new things and it helped that Harry was the one explaining it all. Eventually, you both got a bit tired from all the walking and settled down in a nearby cafe, both of you getting absolutely blasted by the sunlight but you couldn't keep the grin off your face.

"Thank you for that, I really wanted to see the city properly," you said as the waiter placed your coffee in front of you.

"It was my pleasure. Did you not have time yesterday to look around?" he asked, knowing your show had been two nights ago now.

"Uh, some plans fell through I guess. But today has thoroughly made up for that so I'm happy," you grinned and he smiled back, even though he was wondering why you were a bit more reserved when you said that. Something was going on and he was determined to get to the bottom of it.

"Excited for today?" and you nodded in response, sipping your coffee slowly.

"I am. Excited to see you at work. I will probably be very unhelpful to have around, I will ask about a hundred questions," you warned and he chuckled.

"That's fine. Ask away, I'm happy to provide some answers. As long as it's not about my sex life, I get too many questions about that," and you gave him a look in response.

"Harry. I think I know about your sex life," you teased and he laughed.

"Yeah, you might be right. Anyway hurry up with your coffee, we're gonna be late if you keep sipping it," he chastised cheekily.

"We literally just sat down."

"Yeah and I'm almost finished, time is of the essence."

"It's 9am."

"So?"

It was this humourous bickering back and forth which made being with Harry so enjoyable. You just clicked with him, and you could talk about anything and everything. You could have serious conversations or funny ones and nothing felt awkward between you both.

Eventually, after a lot of whinging from Harry and you annoying him by drinking coffee as slowly as possible, you set off back to the hotel. Harry went back into his own room, and you went about packing a bag full of things for the day. Harry said there would be hours where you wouldn't have much to do, so you bought your book and your laptop to entertain yourself as well as a set of cards, to try and force Harry into playing card games with you. As you pulled on one of Harry's hoodies, which he gave you when he first met you, you heard a knock at the door. Thinking it was Harry you swung it open but you were pleasantly surprised to see your brother.

"Hey Zep," you welcomed as he stepped into the room.

"Hey, Goose. Fuck why does it smell of sex in here," he scrunched up his nose and fake gagged.

"Piss off, it does not," you blushed a deep red.

"It so does and you've gone red. Who's the guy? Also, where are you going?" he rattled off, and you rolled your eyes at your brother's incessant questions.

"Uh, d'you remember Harry," you mumbled and Zep smirked.

"Hm, let me see, do I remember Harry, oh wait, you mean global superstar Harry Styles? Yeah I think I can place him," he teased and you threw a sock at him.

"He's here," you explained and Zep nodded.

"I know. I just ran into him. It doesn't even smell of sex in here I just wanted you to admit it," he snickered and your mouth fell open when you realised you'd been tricked.

"Dickhead," you muttered under your breath as you grabbed your notebook and stuffed it into your bag.

"Where are you going by the way," he asked.

"Nowhere," you tried and he scoffed.

"You're going out with Harry aren't you," he accused and you frowned at his tone.

"Yes, I am. What's got you looking all sour," you pressed, wondering why his mood had shifted.

"I thought we were gonna hang out today. See the sights," he said and you sighed.

"No Zep, we were supposed to do that yesterday. But we didn't and I think we both know why," you uttered and he crossed his arms.

"What's that supposed to mean," he glowered.

"I just find it a bit rich that you're getting annoyed at me for going out with Harry when you ditched me yesterday for Holly," you exhaled even though you felt a bit childish saying it.

"Y/N, what the fuck?! She's my girlfriend. Harry's your... well I don't even know what to label Harry but he certainly isn't your boyfriend," he argued back. "I'm your brother!"

"And I'm your sister!" you snapped. "But I have barely seen you this entire tour. I understand you are with Holly now and I am so happy for you and I understand that things change when people get into relationships, but I have barely fucking seen you. Every day you blow me off for her and I would be fine with it if it was once in a while but pretty much every plan we have made you have then gone and ditched me. I have missed out on seeing almost every place we have gone to because you leave me behind every time. I don't think I've even had a meal with you this entire tour. I've just been fucking alone and it sucked. So now, I'm going to go spend time with someone who actually wants to spend time with me and has taken time out of their day to accommodate me and not leave me waiting in a hotel room, just to send me a text to say they aren't coming. Have a nice day," you raged as you opened your hotel room door and slammed it behind you. You let out a deep breath and even though anger was pumping through your veins you also felt a massive release. You had been needing to say that for a while.

"Uh, Y/N?" you heard a voice beside you and your eyes snapped open, heart falling when you saw Harry standing next to the door.

"How much of that did you hear?" you winced, knowing he'd probably heard the whole thing.

"Uh, most of you yelling," he mumbled and you pressed your face into your hands.

"Fuck," you whispered but you felt Harry's arm loop around your shoulder.

"Come on love, let's get you to the car. We can talk there. Don't worry about it," he said gently as he lead you down the hallway. You followed him, surprising him when you reached up to grab hold of the hand resting on your shoulder and pressed a light kiss to it. Despite the circumstances, he smiled at your sweet action and held you closer to him, feeling a sudden urge to protect you from the sadness you were feeling. He just wanted to see your beautiful smile again, the one that could light up any room.

You both left via the back entrance of the hotel and clambered into a big black car with darkened windows. When you got in, Harry pulled your legs back onto his lap, like he'd done on the drive back to your house after Coachella. You relaxed into him, feeling some of the tension melt away and you felt like you actually wanted to talk to Harry about it.

"I'm sorry you heard that. But I needed to say it. I think I've been building up to that for a while," you muttered and Harry placed a hand under your chin and raised your head to look at him.

"Don't need to apologise love. Just wanna make sure you're ok," he said looking worried and your heart melted a bit.

"I don't know if I'm ok. I don't think I've been feeling ok for a while. I guess you probably heard it all but Zep's been leaving me alone a lot on this tour. Because of his girlfriend. And I know I should be happy for them and I am but I can't help being upset because he keeps ditching me for her and leaving me on my own. I feel so selfish now, I shouldn't have snapped at him," you worried and Harry shook his head.

"You're not selfish for wanting to spend time with your brother love. And by the sounds of it, I think he's pushed the limit on how many times he's left you on your own for his girlfriend. It's understandable if he did it once or twice, but it sounds like it's happening all the time. That's not ok, he should still prioritise you, you're his sister," Harry reassured you and you were so thankful you had him right now.

"It's just... well he's all I've got. We lost our parents at a young age and it's always just been me and him. And then suddenly it was just me. I've been left by a lot of people in my life Harry, and I'm scared it's happening with my brother too," a couple of tears threatened to slide down your face, but you kept them in. You hadn't cried in years.

"I promise you Y/N, your brother will not leave you. He's a massive idiot, yes, but you mean so much to him. I could tell from the first time I talked to him. He holds so much admiration and love for you."

It was all starting to click into place now. Why you had written that sad song in your notebook about being alone, why you had flinched when Harry had referred to you and your brother as a 'double act' and why, just as you were about to fall asleep and when you felt the most vulnerable, you had to check that Harry wouldn't leave you during the night, something he feared had happened to you before. Harry made a vow to himself at that moment to never ever make you fear he was going to leave and to never walk out on you.

"I'm sorry. We were having a really nice morning and were going to have a really nice day and I've bought the mood down significantly," you apologised.

"Stop saying sorry love. You have absolutely nothing to be sorry for. We will still have a lovely day, I'll make sure of it. First I demand a kiss and then we shall go pretend to rehearse but actually, we will annoy Mitch relentlessly," he professed and you giggled. Harry always knew how to cheer you up.

"You demand a kiss, do you," you smirked and he nodded.

"Yes, it's sorta like monopoly. You know, get 200 to pass go," he joked and you shook your head.

"You're ridiculous, you know that," you rolled your eyes but leant in anyway.

"I know," he whispered as you pressed your lips to his and you shared a slow, gentle kiss. He tangled his hands in your hair to pull you closer and in response, you slipped your tongue into his mouth and moved your hands down his chest towards the waist of his trousers. He groaned and pulled back.

"Y/N, if you keep that up, I won't last the whole day," he lowered his voice so the driver couldn't hear him.

"Who said anything about lasting the whole day," you teased winking at him and settling back into your original spot. Harry cursed under his breath, chest rapidly rising up and down as he realised there was absolutely no way he could get through the whole day without even a taste of you.

Despite everything, you were having a pretty good day. When you arrived, Harry introduced you to the band and the crew and you got stuck into rehearsals. Harry patiently answered any questions you had about playing in arenas and the technicalities of it all, as well as questions you had about his music and his creative process. Secretly he was loving that you were so interested and therefore he was very happy to answer all the questions you had. After rehearsals, he'd dragged you to the dressing room and devoured you on the couch. The way your hips were swaying along to his songs when he played them had left him rock hard in his pants. He knew that you were aware of what you were doing and that made him even more frustrated.

That was followed by lunch, where you had a really nice chat with Sarah, Ny Oh and Elin and soon the four of you had formed a little bubble in the corner, giggling and chatting away. Harry was making a big scene over it, huffing loudly and whining away in the corner that you weren't giving him all the attention. You and the girls found it very amusing and kept whispering away, to annoy him even more.

"What have I done," Harry groaned when Mitch came over to him, not even managing to distract Sarah out of the group.

"I have no idea. They're as thick as thieves, I can't get a word in," Mitch sympathised, not missing the way Harry's eyes were glued on Y/N.

"Hm," he agreed absentmindedly, smiling as Y/N laughed loudly at something Sarah had said.

"You like her," Mitch observed from beside Harry.

"Yeah, no shit Mitch. She's literally all I've thought about for the last 4 months," Harry deadpanned. It was true, he did like you. A lot. He hadn't ever felt this way about anyone before. He had had crushes before but nothing quite like this. He had never had anyone make his heart race the way you did and he had never felt so comfortable and happy around anyone else before. He knew he liked you, and he thought you might like him back but he needed to hear it from you.

"Why haven't you done anything about it then. It's obvious she likes you, she has literal hearts in her eyes every time she looks at you," Mitch questioned and Harry shrugged.

"I don't know, we have a really strange relationship. We didn't do anything in the right order," he explained, fiddling with a loose string on his top. "I wanna ask her at the right time."

"So you're ok inviting her on a three-week leg of your tour but you need the courage to ask her if she likes you back. What is this, primary school?" Mitch scoffed and Harry rolled his eyes even though he knew Mitch was right. He knew you hadn't really spent that much time together but he didn't need time to know how he felt about you. He knew he liked you and he just needed to buck up the courage and ask you out.

"Oh look, they've made a rival boys club," Elin teased.

"Can we form an alliance?" Harry tried.

"Hm, tempting offer Mr Styles," you said, repeating the words you had said to him the night you kissed him for the first time. He knew what you were doing and glowered at you.

"Guys please stop eye fucking each other," Ny Oh piped up and you blushed a deep red as Harry turned away, nestling his head into Mitch's shoulder who quickly pushed him off.

"Piss off Harry. Go hide in her shoulder," he groaned as Harry dramatically sighed and pushed himself off the couch and made his way over to you.

"Come see the stage with me," he offered and you nodded, taking his hand to let him pull you up and you set off towards the main stage together. When you got there, you were taken aback by how big the venue was. You had never played anywhere this big before.

"Jesus, this is huge," you said as you wandered to the edge of the stage, sitting down so your feet were dangling over the edge.

"Yeah, I guess it is," he chuckled and you rolled your eyes.

"You're so humble Harry," you joked.

"I try," he walked over to sit next to you. As he did you rested your head on his shoulder, taking in the vast space.

"Y/N?" Harry muttered, sounding quite nervous.

"Yes H," you said back, not really paying much attention.

"We're friends right?" he asked picking nervously at the skin on his fingers and you turned to him, confused.

"Of course! I mean sort of, friends don't really kiss each other the way we do," you teased but he looked deadly serious.

"Y/N... fuck... Uh, I like you. I really, really like you," he stuttered out and your face grew into a massive grin.

"Good. So do I," you responded and he laughed.

"Romantic, Y/N," he said even though he couldn't keep the massive smile off his face. You liked him back. He couldn't believe it.

"You're cute when you blush," you observed as you looked up at his red face and he hid his head in his hands.

"Stopp," he whined and you giggled pulling his hands away from his face.

"Kiss me," you whispered and Harry complied, leaning down and placing a soft kiss on your lips. You leaned into him, hands cupping his cheeks as he pulled your hips closer to his. This kiss felt different to all the other ones you had shared with him. It was more intimate and deep and you could feel Harry expressing his feelings toward you through the kiss. Eventually, he pulled back breathless, gazing into your eyes.

"I am going to kiss you until your sick of it. I am addicted to you," he professed and it was your turn to blush this time.

"Glad you are Styles. Cause you're stuck with me for the next month," you smirked trying to hint at the fact you were going to come on tour with him. His eyes lit up at that point as he realised what you were saying.

"You'll come with me?" he asked incredulously like he had just won the lottery.

"Yeah, I wanna come. I miss you when you're not around and I really like you. I don't wanna throw that away," you confessed and he pulled you into him, pressing a loving kiss to your forehead.

"Y/N, you have no idea what that means to me, thank you," he said, pulling you into a hug. You sat there for a while, savouring the warm feeling you got from being in his arms. There was nothing more comforting.

"Uh Y/N," you heard a voice call and you pulled apart from Harry to see your brother poking his head through the door.

"Zep?" you puzzled as he waved nervously. Harry got up slowly and squeezed your hand.

"I'll let you talk," he offered and walked towards your brother, giving him a warning glare as he passed.

"Hi," you breathed out as he walked over to sit next to you.

"Goose I am so sorry," he started and you breathed out a bit, thinking this conversation was going to be a lot harder.

"After you yelled, I realised what a dick I had been over the last couple of months. Even Holly had a go at me when I told her what you said. You're right, I did flake on you and I was an idiot and I got caught up in this fantasy world with Holly. I can't believe I did that to you, I am so sorry," he apologised, squeezing your hands tightly.

"Thank you for apologising. I'm sorry for shouting. I just felt really alone and like you didn't need me anymore," you explained sadly and he pulled you into a big hug.

"You don't need to apologise. I am so sorry that I made you feel that way. I will always need you Y/N, you're my baby sister and I love you," he told you, hugging you tightly.

"Let's not fight again," you sniffled as you buried your head into his shoulder and he nodded.

"Agreed, it was horrible," he said and pulled back from you, smoothing down your hair as he did.

"So," he said as he raised his eyebrows and you hid your face in your hands.

"No don't interrogate me again," you pleaded and he chuckled.

"It's my job. What's going on?" he asked and you giggled slightly.

"Well he just told me he likes me, like really really likes me," you told your brother, feeling like a schoolgirl again.

"What did you say?"

"I told him I liked him back. I really do like him Zep, he's unlike anyone I've ever met. He's so funny and kind and he makes me feel like a million dollars when I'm with him," you gushed and Zep smiled.

"I can see he makes you really happy Goose and I'm so glad you've found someone like that. But what happens now, I mean we're going back to New York and he's got a month left of his tour," your brother queried and you looked a bit sheepish as you pondered how to tell him you were going on tour with Harry.

"What is it Goose?" your brother raised his eyebrows as you nervously played with your necklace.

"Uh, Harry's asked me to go on tour with him and I said yes," you rushed out and avoided his eye contact. He shifted in front of you and you feared the worst.

"Goose that's so cool!" he exclaimed and you looked up surprised to see him excited.

"You're not mad?" you queried and he shook his head.

"Of course not! I can see how taken you are with him and how taken he is with you. It would be stupid to spend more time apart after you've both figured out how you feel about each other. Plus now you get to go to so many cool places and I know how much you love to travel. I think you're gonna have the time of your life and I couldn't be happier for you," he said and you pulled him back into a hug.

"Thank you," you whispered and he squeezed you tight.

"Love you sis," he muttered.

"Love you too," you replied.

"Now, where is Harry? I'm going to have to go give him the 'dad' speech. You know, treat her well and all that," he teased and you shook your head.

"No Zep, please don't," you begged as he got up and started running to the door. You would be so embarrassed if he talked to Harry.

"Gotta catch me first," he chuckled and bolted out the door. You sprinted after him, cheeks burning red as you chased him through the corridors.

Later that day, you sat backstage, swinging your legs along to Harry singing Matilda on stage. This particular song held a deep meaning to you even though Harry didn't know it. You and Zep had lost your dad at a young age and then when you went into high school and Zep had just turned 18, your mum walked out of your life. He became completely responsible for you and he was the only person in your life who really showed you any affection or love for a while. You had no idea where your mum went or why she left but you but it had hurt tremendously at the time, even if she had shown you little to no love when she was around.

Therefore, as you listened to Harry sing Matilda for the first time, you did feel a couple tears slip down your cheeks. You really weren't one for crying and you barely had for years but the song really hit home for you. Zep had seen you were upset and came and settled down behind you, pulling you into his arms. He knew exactly why you were upset and you saw his eyes shining too as you both listened to the song. At one point during the song, Harry looked over and saw the two siblings holding each other. His heart broke for the both of you, it was clear that you had both been through a lot but he was so glad you had made up and had each other. He sent you both a kiss and you grinned widely in response, Zep giving you a squeeze when he saw how soft Harry was with you.

"He's a good man, Goose. He'll be there for you, don't forget that," Zep reminded and you nodded. You had a hard time trusting people and letting them in, always holding a small fear that they would leave. However, you just had a feeling you didn't have to worry about that with Harry. He was an exceptional man.

By the end of the show, however, the tears were forgotten as you danced about to Kiwi, trying to ignore the arousal that had settled in your stomach watching Harry perform this song. If this was what your reaction was to this song, then the next month was going to be very difficult. You cheered loudly as he bowed to the crowd and then your eyes widened as he came running towards you. He scooped you up when he reached you, twirling you around as you giggled loudly and pressed a happy kiss to his lips.

"You were incredible," you raved and he smiled widely.

"Thank you, love. You ok?" he asked as he carefully placed you down, stroking your cheek gently.

"Yes, I'm fine. Your songs are really beautiful H, you made me cry," you said and he sighed.

"You wanna talk about it," he asked gently and you shook your head.

"Not yet," you mumbled and he nodded, happy to wait for you to feel comfortable enough to open up. He would do anything to make you feel good around him.

"I'm so glad you're here," he mumbled pressing his lips to yours again and you sighed, genuinely wondering if you were in heaven. The feeling of him against you was like nothing you had ever experienced and you never wanted it to end.

"I never want to leave," you professed and he kissed you even deeper, holding your face against his.

"Never do, Y/N."

PART 2!!! thank you for all the lovely comments on the previous part, i appreciated them so much. sorry, this fic was longer than expected i am really crap at being able to write short fics ahaha.

sloane xx

#harry styles blurb #harry styles x reader #harry styles fluff #harry styles #harry styles x y/n #harry styles imagine #harry styles fanfic #harry styles x you #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles smut #harrys house #x reader #harry styles and reader #harry styles reader insert

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pauking5 · 7 months

Text

Addicting Taste Chapter 3

Synopsis: Enishi Yukishiro was on a mission to execute his piece de la resistance. A plan to avenge his beloved sister. Until you showed up. Will you be a part of his downfall or will you try to save him?

Pairing: Enishi Yukishiro x reader oc

Genre: strangers to lovers, sunshine and sunshine protector, comedic relief, slow burn, a lot of fluff

Words: 8k+

A/N: Chapter 3 is finally here! It is more of a filler to give you more of a back story on our lovely oc. Things will start picking up speed soon :) Enjoy lovelies.

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“You’re the boss of the Shanghai mafia.” “You’ve been saying that for the past five minutes.”

This was too much for your brain to process.

He’s a mafia boss? He was the person in command of the gang with some of the best mercenaries in the whole continent? And you just so happened to get involved with his kind?

You hated his kind. They took everything from you and left you with nothing. You were on a mission to wipe them out no matter what. But your confidence was currently faltering and you couldn't stop the trembling that overtook your hands.

You sat down on the couch in front of the desk he was leaning on, feeling too overwhelmed. The embroidered plush seat offered you some comfort, providing relief to your aching back and tense muscles.

You couldn’t comprehend this situation at all. Nothing about it made sense. You stared into the nothingness in front of you, trying to find some sort of clarity. All kinds of thoughts swarmed around your mind, ranging from worse to well, much worse.

Enishi observed you from his spot against the mahogany desk. He looked worried, which was a first. Your sudden quietness was like a bad omen. The moment you stopped smiling was the moment light disappeared from the room. The paleness of your face and the way your hands trembled told him something was very wrong.

He felt that squeeze in his chest again, wanting to hear you beaming and chatting eagerly again. He didn't know what made him react like this whenever he was around you but it drove him insane. He wanted to say something, anything to bring back your smile, but he couldn’t exactly find the right words. So he settled on a distraction. The reason he brought you over to his mansion.

“You can stay here for the night. I owe you that much,” he said. He wanted you to react, to say something, anything.

You turned your head in his direction, eyes lost in a spiraling abyss. Stay here? I can’t stay here.

But where am I supposed to go? I’m not exactly able to find another place to stay, especially around here. And it’s pretty late already.

What’s gonna happen if I spend one night here? He will eat me. Or send me to the woods as wolf bait. I could make friends with the wolves though. They might not eat me.

He watched as you thought his proposal through. You tilted your head on all sides, analysing all possible scenarios whilst anxiously bouncing your leg. Then finally, your small voice broke through the room, barely audible to anyone else but the both of you.

“I… I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Nonsense. You took me in and you didn’t have to after everything. Please stay… for tonight?” he pushed, unsure of how else to plead with you. He couldn’t believe that he was begging for a stranger to stay the night.

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he asks, surprised that you accepted his offer.

You nodded shyly to show him your certainty and he felt relieved. He didn’t know why he needed you to accept so bad. All he knew was that he wanted you here for as long as he could have you.

Your bright aura somehow mingled with his dark one and they couldn’t be separated anymore. It was like you were magnets, unknowingly attracting each other.

“Come with me,” he said as he took your hand and pulled you off the couch. His grip on your hand was even softer than the first time he grabbed it when you escaped the precinct. It gave you goosebumps again.

He led you out of his office, taking a left down a long corridor. The tall walls were decked with even more paintings. They were all so captivating, landscapes and silhouettes mingling into one as you flew by. But one in particular caught your attention. Pale orange and green bled to make a sunset, cresting over the steep hills of a valley. There was something about the way the green from the bottom morphed into a dark blue the more your eyes went up the slopes and the sky got darker. It strangely reminded you of Enishi’s eyes, the same dark blue hue gracing the outline of his irises. The hills sat strong and reliable, guarding a tiny village down in the valley. They were letting just enough sunlight in to shine down on its crops. It was beautiful. You wished you could look at it for longer but the hand holding yours was itching to get somewhere.

The wooden floors creaked under your steps the more pressure you put on them. The mansion may have looked like a new building from the outside, but the interior seemed lived in for decades prior to your visit. Tapered walls curled in some corners as if they were afraid that standing straight would be too painful. White silk curtains flowed by the windows in a ghostly dance, twisting and twirling against each other and resisting the close pull of the wind. They would push and pull until one of them kicked the other out in the cold even if they didn’t mean to.

You were yanked back to reality by Enishi’s feet coming to a halt in front of a pair of oak double doors. Pushing them open with a creak, he walked you in, his hand still holding yours.

A gasp got stuck in your throat as you took in the sight before you. A beige princess-like aesthetic dominated the whole room, from the queen-sized bed to the vanity in the corner. The wooden floors decorated with floral carpets contrasted perfectly with the style. A few more paintings hung off the walls to add some colour to the space. It was almost identical to your old bedroom back home.

He watched as you marveled at the room’s interior. Your cheeks gained back their blush came and you looked like your normal self again. Looking down at your interlocked hands he noticed that your hand stopped trembling too. It was only then he saw how well your small hand fit in his. It looked protected from any possible danger that could ever threaten you. He kind of liked the feeling.

“It’s beautiful,” you said as you snapped him back to the present.

“I hope it’s gonna be to your liking. In case you want to… stay longer than just for tonight.”

You turned back to him. It was a tempting offer. You didn’t have a place waiting for you or anything urgent to tend to. But you needed some time to mull it over, starting with everything that happened in the last 24 hours.

“I’ll think about it,” you said, trying to not get his hopes up too much.

You weren’t sure why he wanted you to stay. You were strangers after all. You weren’t useful to him in any way and you weren’t really planning to be.

“I’ll leave you to it. There should be towels in the bathroom. If there’s anything else you need please let me know.”

He was awfully hospitable to you and you found yourself a little unable to refuse him. Those eyes of his started charming you to accept anything he could ask of you. They looked so doe and warm whenever he looked at you. It made you wonder if he's ever looked at anyone else like that.

“Thank you,” you said shyly.

Nodding to you he headed towards the door. You didn’t even realise he was still holding your hand this whole time until he let go. You were kind of getting used to his cold fingers lacing with your warm ones. With his hand on the door handle, he threw one more look your way to see if you’re okay and he left for his office.

You walked further into the room and sat down on the bed. Feeling the golden patterns sawn on the duvet on top you sighed. You felt nothing but drained. All you wanted to do was to lay down and sleep. But after taking a whiff of your blouse you thought a shower would do you better first. You couldn't roll around in these expensive sheets smelling like a pig.

If the room impressed you, the bathroom left you even more in awe. The gold and white aesthetic seemed to whirl around in here too. Your family was somewhat well off from the tailoring business and your house was nice, but this was next level rich. The tiles on the floor were sparkling clean and a floral design spread across the walls from corner to corner. The sink surface was marble and the cabinets had golden handles with all kinds of drawings resembling birds. A deep bathtub in the corner had brass designs on the feet supporting it and they were like an artwork in itself. The whole bathroom screamed comfort and relaxation. You were pretty sure that if heaven existed this was it.

“Maybe I don’t have to leave this place so soon... IS THAT BUBBLE SHAMPOO?!”

—————————————————————————

After a long shower you were dressed in clean clothes and ready for bed. Diving under the big duvet and setting your head on the soft pillows, you sighed and closed your eyes waiting for sleep to take you. A few minutes turned to a few hours and you couldn’t fall sleep. You tossed and turned around until the whole bed was thrashed.

Flopping on your back you huffed an exasperated sigh and sat up. Thinking of what could do the trick and lull you to sleep somehow you remembered tea was always a go to solution. Tea it is.

Kicking back the duvet you let your feet pad onto the wooden floors and out of your room. You didn’t know the place so getting to the kitchen was an adventure. You circled the mansion multiple times before you found it… three doors down from your own. Well, you had to admit your sense of direction wasn’t the greatest.

Pushing the doors open, your feet met the cold tiled floor. The kitchen was more of a green and beige cottage style making it look so cozy. A big kitchen island entered your vision, furnished in the same marble the bathroom sink in your room had.

Your room. Huh. You could get used to that actually.

The island stretched in the middle of the cooking area, with a few stools around the side. Sliding your palm along its smooth top you couldn’t help but wonder how rich this man actually was. Like sure, arms trades were hugely profitable in these times, but that couldn’t be a big source of income.

Turning to the shelving you noticed there were a lot of them. You scourged every single cabinet until you found a mug and what looked like a tiny satchel of herbs. Holding it to your nose you smelled it to discover it was hibiscus tea.

Is this a joke? Of all the teas I could find, it’s my favourite. The one I used to drink a lot as a kid. A soft smile took over your lips as you scanned the tiny satchel.

You couldn’t help but relish in the small moment as you were brewing your tea. You haven’t had a warm cup in a long time and it got you excited. Letting the herb mix sit for a few minutes, you took the teapot and slowly poured it into the cup. You got lost in the rosy colour of the liquid and filled the cup to the top on accident.

“Oh, crap,” you said as you leaned down to slurp the drink so it wouldn’t overflow.

Just as you leaned back up a deep voice spoke to you from the door of the kitchen.

“What are you doing here?”

The sudden disturbance made you jump, knocking the cup to the floor in the process. The tiny porcelain smashed to the floor and broke into dozens of small pieces. Your eyes widened and you quickly scrambled to the floor to pick them up muttering curses.

“Shit. I’m… I was just… the tea…”

You didn’t even realise he was crouching next to you until his hand latched onto yours, stopping you from reaching for a sharp piece.

“You’re gonna get hurt.”

As you looked up your eyes met his. They looked troubled, sailing in stormy waters and his words sounded like a warning of something far worse than a ceramic cut on your finger. He wasn’t telling you off for breaking the cup. He was telling you off for being clumsy. Was he worried?

The way his eyes peered into you made your insides flutter. You felt your cheeks getting warm and your throat got dry the more you continued with this staring contest. So before you could crumple your pride and throw it to the bin you pulled your hand away from his and sat up straight. He seemed to snap out of a similar trance as he coughed and shook his head.

You leaned back on the counter and watched as he picked up the rest of the broken china. When he finished inspecting the tiles for any stray bits he got back up and dropped the contents in his hand in the bin.

Then he turned to you and he had that look again. The same one he had in that alley as he took your breath away. He took you in, from your wet hair to the bathrobe that sat secure over your nightgown. He took slow steps towards you, making you push farther into the island counter. Coming close enough that your noses almost touched, he put his hands on the counter top on each of your sides. He caged you between his body and the marble island and you felt your heartbeat rising to an all time high. Leaning even closer to your face he stopped at a distance you could feel his breath fan your lips.

“You didn’t answer my question.”

“W-what question?” you stuttered. Why am I stuttering?! I need to get a grip.

“What are you doing here?” he asked again, this time with a teasing smirk playing on his lips. He loved how initiating the smallest proximity between you was enough to make you cave. If he could have you like this every day he would.

“I couldn’t sleep,” you admitted dropping your head to the ground to avoid his prying eyes. When you lowered your head he was hit with your fresh rosy scent. It drove him wild.

Trying to muster up some courage you pushed a question his way too.

“What mafia member drinks hibiscus tea?”

“I do.”

“You do?” you replied a little surprised. Last time you checked hibiscus was too girly for men.

“Yeah. It’s the only tea I like.”

You’ve got to be shitting me. The boss of the powerful Shanghai mafia likes hibiscus tea. You tried to keep your giggles to yourself but failed.

“Hey! Why are you laughing?”

“Nothing. I just… this is too good. The leader of one of the most feared mafias in the world drinks hibiscus tea! Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?“

You continued laughing until your stomach hurt. He shook his head at your antics and stepped away from you, freeing you from his hold.

“I’ll make you another one.”

“You don’t have to.”

“Just shut up and sit down.”

You obeyed and took a seat on the other side of the island. Watching as he made quick work of the teapot with his back turned to you, you couldn’t help but wonder how muscly he was underneath that blouse. You smacked your cheeks lightly to make these thoughts disappear from your head just as Enishi turned around with a freshly brewed cup of tea. He walked around the island and placed it down in front of you, taking a seat by your side.

“Why are you up this late?”

“I told you, I couldn’t sleep. Figured a tea wouldn’t hurt,” you said as you scratched the back of your neck. “Why are you up this late?”

“I don’t really sleep that much.”

You could tell from his sunken eyes and the bags pooling around his orbits that he lacked sleep. What was he working on so hard in the middle of the night?

“Do you want to talk about it? Or we could talk about something else. Like the fact that you’re really good with those guns.” He was deflecting but you let him off this time.

“I’m not. It’s just something that helped me survive in the long-run. My father used to teach me how to shoot in our garden, whenever mom went down to the market. The pistols I use were his,” you said with a small smile recalling all the times your mother caught the two of you and scolded your dad.

Enishi noticed how relaxed you got whenever you talked about your family. It seemed you were brought up in a really loving one. He’s always wondered how that felt like.

“What happened to them?”

“That’s a story for another time. But after that… I had to leave and try to survive on my own. I joined a few fighting rings in Edo and I learned a thing or two about combat and shooting.”

“Wait. Fighting rings all the way in Edo?”

“Yeah. It was the only place I could make some money and have a roof above my head. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world but it was decent. I did that for a few years until my reputation got the best of me.”

“What do you mean by reputation?”

“I was known for leaving my opponents in a pool of their own blood whenever they underestimated me,” you said as you sipped on your tea.

“Wait,” his brain seemed to shortcircuit as it recalled a few memories. It all suddenly clicked in his head. “ You’re Barairo?!”

“At your service,” you smiled.

Flashback

Rounding the corner, Enishi continued following a man he caught sight of on the street. He heard him talking about a fighting ring down in the suburbs and the exclusive fight happening tonight.

He’s been constantly hearing about this fighter called Barairo. There was no way they could be that good that the whole city would talk about them. So he went to see it for himself.

Sneaking behind the man he got inside an underground tunnel and continued following him. The closer he got to the end of the tunnel the louder the yelling got.

Coming out of the tunnel he saw a bunch of people gathered around the mouth of a pit. They were chanting as two fighters took center stage. He stepped closer to the barrier to take a look.

“In the corner we have the big and bulky fury. All the way from Osaka, please welcome the shadow of night, Yanokage.”

He raised his axe in the air and hit his fist on his chest in a show of power but people didn’t really cheer for him. It seemed like they were waiting eagerly for the other opponent to make their presence known.

“In this corner we have our pride. Representing Edo, please welcome our crimson rose, Barairo.” Cheers erupted from all sides. Seems like they all came for… her? Barairo is a girl? She doesn’t even look much older than me.

As she stepped closer to the middle of the pit, he got a better look at her. Her clothes were torn on all sides and her hair was long, cascading down her shoulders. Her hands were holding two pistols in a death grip. Her eyes were screaming crimson red, just like her nickname, and they had a murderous glint. As if all it took was a wrong breath in her direction and she would skewer you with her guns without even pulling the trigger.

“Let the fight begin!”

“A girl is the famous Barairo? Ha ha ha! A girl. This is ridiculous,” Yanokage said as he was twirling his axe around.

His laugh was enough to make her look his way. A sickening grin took over her features. Oh, this guy was fucked.

She let him bask in the moment. But he was just a little fish that didn’t know it was caged with the biggest shark. Testing the territory of his predator was going to cost him dearly.

Seeing his hesitation in attacking she took the reins and with one swift kick to his ankles he was sprawled on the ground. She straddled his middle, dragging her pistols down his neck as she watched him struggle. How she managed to pin him to the floor when he was twice her size was beyond me.

Yanokage got annoyed by her antics so he threw her off to the side with a grunt and got back to his feet.

“I’m going to enjoy killing you, little girl.”

He launched himself at her but she was quick to dodge his attacks. When he got tired of swinging his axe she started digging punches everywhere she saw a spot left unprotected. The force of her moves pushed him back making him stumble on his feet. With one swing of her leg she got high enough to hit his face. A few teeth flew out of his mouth onto the floor.

He was pissed and he wanted to end her. But before he could take a step in her direction she pulled the trigger. Not just once or twice, but multiple times. He didn’t even get a chance to block the fire, his body getting churned by all the bullets she fired his way. What was scarier was that she was smiling. She was enjoying this in a sick way and the crowd loved it.

The cheers intensified as the bulky man crumbled to the floor of the pit. The girl took her guns and headed towards her corner to exit stage. Before she went inside she turned to the gray dot in her peripheral vision. A gray mop of hair was staring down at her from the end of the railing. She stared back at him and he noticed a change in her eyes. They were sad and filled with regret, a total contrast to the sadistic look she had a few moments ago. One blink and she was gone from his sight.

After that, he went to a few of her next fights and studied her combat style. She moved on impulse and trusted her gut but she was lacking the force to execute them. Her small stature allowed her to lead her enemies into a trap, waiting ready to kill them in cold blood. That was the last he’s seen of you before he left Edo. Until now.

————

You looked different now. The energy around you was changed. Your smile didn’t hold that much murderous intent. It brimmed with calm and peace. It was like Barairo didn’t even exist.

“Why did you stop?”

“I was good. But it was only an outlet for frustration. I couldn’t control her anymore. She consumed me to the point everything I did felt empty,” you said with a heavy sigh.

“Barairo is in the past. She was angry and upset at the world. The best thing I could do for her is let her go. For both my peace and hers.”

“After that, some rich people hired me to get rid of their trash. Bureau officials, clan members stepping wrong, their spouses’ secret lovers. It wasn’t much better but it’s the only job I could do,” you said as you rolled the remaining tea in the cup.

He listened intently as you told him about your past, a part of it at least. He knew you had your limits. You weren’t Barairo anymore. You were Miyu now. And he was the only one to meet both of you.

“You know, the men that work for me are all skilled in steel weapons, like knives or swords. But I don’t have anyone who can shoot a gun on my team.”

He knew what he asked of you was way over the border. What he asked of you was commitment. A long term job. Something you’ve done before that left you asking yourself if anything you were doing was worth it.

“Enishi…”

“I could pay you. Anything. You’d have a roof over your head and… warm tea every night.”

“But I’m not trained in combat properly and I don’t know how to use other weapons. And you saw how my stamina is the worst part about me.”

“I could train you. We could make it become the best thing about you.”

We. He really wanted you here. The truth was that he didn’t want you to wake up tomorrow and go out the door knowing he might never see you again when he finally found you again after all these years.

“You don’t have to give me an answer right now. Just sleep on it and tell me what you decide in the morning,” he said as a small smile graced his lips.

Were you dreaming? Enishi was actually smiling? A real genuine smile that wasn’t his usual cocky grin? Maybe you needed to get to bed first before doing any rational thinking.

“Okay. I’ll think about it,” you say as you got up to put your cup in the sink, heading towards the door. Before you walked off you turned back to Enishi to find him looking right back at you.

“Thank you. For the tea… and everything,” you said, smiling.

With that you quickly spun on your feet and made your way back to your room. Enishi was left in a daze staring at the spot you were at mere seconds ago. He felt his heart squeeze again and punched the feeling away with his fist. Was he getting sick or something?

You got in bed and felt sleep take you as soon as you slipped under the covers. You kind of made up your mind regarding what Enishi asked you. Smiling to yourself you drifted off to sleep.

————————————————————————

You woke up pretty early. The room was still pretty dark with the October mornings keeping the world in slumber for a few more hours. You sat up with a stretch and went over to your bag to pick an outfit for today. Most of your clothes needed serious washing. Going for a clean shirt with silk strings laced up at the front and a pair of practical pants you changed and made your way to the kitchen.

You thought of reviving your cooking skills by making some food for everyone, to repay the hospitality. Counting about ten men you saw around the mansion, including Enishi, you went looking through the cupboards again. Unfortunately, you came to the conclusion that there weren’t enough supplies to make anything.

Just as you were recalculating your plan you caught sight of a figure leaning on the doors that went from the kitchen to the outside terrace. Checking to see who it was, you found the monnocle guy from last night.

“Good morning madame,” he saluted you, rather enthusiastically at the ass crack of dawn.

“Good morning…”

“Wu Heixing, madame!”

“Good morning, Wu. You don’t have to call me madame.”

“It’s to show my respect to you as you’re a guest of Master Enishi.” The members of this mafia surprised you one by one.

“Do you happen to know if there’s a market nearby? I want to cook something for you all.”

“There is one in the village down in the valley. You have to go through the meadow though.”

“Thank you.”

“With pleasure, madame.”

You found a shopping basket laying around and got your coin pouch, leaving for the meadow to try and find the village. Just as you reached it, the sun started rising up in the sky. The light made it easier to notice the busying merchants and all their carts already set all around the small square.

Your stomach was growling at the sight before you. Vegetables, fruits, cured meat, pastries. Your mouth watered at all the delicacies. As you were browsing the vendors you spotted the farmer that gave you a ride yesterday. He was in charge of a cart full of fruits. He recognised you right away and sent you a polite smile.

“Good morning.”

“Good morning, miss.”

“Thank you again for the ride yesterday.”

“It was no problem. I’m always glad to help Master Enishi considering all that he does for us.”

He was helping out the villagers? Huh. It seemed like he had more layers to him than you thought. You wanted to find out more.

“What does he help out with?”

“He helps us with the crops every once in a while. He’s also our main customer and always comes here on Sundays to get food for his family.”

Ah, so the villagers don’t know the mafia lives close by and that Enishi is the boss. Or they do, but they’re too charmed by him to question it.

“Is there anything I could get for you, miss?”

“Yes! Give me all the fresh produce you’ve got.”

You went around shopping for everything you needed to prepare a hearty lunch and to have some food around. With your basket full to the brim you checked your coin satchel. You had only one left. Everything you had left from your jobs was spent on all the food you balanced on your arms.

“I spent them well. This was for a good cause,” you thought to yourself, shedding a small tear as you walked back to the mansion.

—————————————————————————

The kitchen smelled absolutely divine. The scent of different flavors danced around in the air, reaching all the way to Enishi’s office. He was fast asleep on the chair after working on plans all night.

Something tingled his nose and made him wake up. A few quick whiffs of the scent made his stomach grumble. The pronounced aroma of a pork roast and the distinctive spices of a vegetable soup put him in a trance.

He was on autopilot as he made a beeline towards the kitchen, debating whom could it be that cooked food this divine. Wu couldn’t stir a soup to save his life. The rest of his goons were not kitchen staff material either. That left only… you.

Pushing open the double doors to the kitchen, the smell was so intense it hit him like a train. He closed his eyes in silent appreciation and just took in the tang of spices sitting in the air.

Opening them he took sight of the whole kitchen. The oven was set on the roast while busy hands worked on stirring the soup on the stove. The island was filled with all different kinds of specialties already prepared. Fruit platters, fried rice, boiled eggs, trays of steamed dumplings, even salads. There was enough to feed a whole army. You definitely thought of everyone around the villa.

Creeping closer he saw you sway around humming a tune foreign to his ears. An orange apron hugged your body and looked adorable on you. You had a small smile on your face as you stirred the contents in the pot and he couldn’t help but smile at you.

An evil idea crossed his mind as he sneaked up behind you and put his hands on your waist. You jumped at the sudden contact and were ready to smack whoever sneaked up on you with the wooden spoon. That was until a familiar chuckle came from behind and you relaxed in the hold.

“I almost had a heart attack,” you say turning around and smacking him on the chest. “Don’t ever sneak up on me like that again.”

“Okay, okay. I won’t. I promise.”

“You better,” you say still smiling.

You stayed like that for a few more moments until the smell of the pork roast getting a little too roasted alerted you it needed to be pulled out of the oven. Breaking away from him, you spun around to the oven and got it out, placing it on the stove to check it. Cutting a small piece you blew air on it and held it to Enishi’s mouth. He hesitated at first, but the rumble of his stomach made him take a bite.

The more he chewed on it the more his insides melted at the amazing taste. He hasn’t had this kind of tasty cooking since his sister. He does cook for his gang members but it could never come close to the magic you made.

“It tastes amazing, Miyu.”

“Thank you,” you say with a smile.

He was melting inside again but he couldn’t tell if it was because of the food or your smile.

“Can I help with anything?”

“Yes! You can call everyone to the table outside and take some of the food out there.”

With a nod he picked up a few trays and headed outside. He was surprised to see the table wiped clean with cutlery and dishes already arranged for everyone.

As soon as the soup was done cooking, you served the food to everyone and went back inside to put everything back to its place. By the time you were done, everyone was done, leaving only you and Enishi at the table.

“Come sit and eat with me.”

“You didn’t eat with everyone?”

“I was waiting for you.”

Despite his stomach protesting at the lack of contents inside he decided to wait for you as you surely didn’t eat anything either.

“Well I’m here now so let’s dig in.”

You piled two plates up high with everything you cooked and dove straight in. The way you were gobbling up food in a very wild manner made Enishi stop mid-way from slurping his bowl of soup to look at you. Despite your lack of table manners, he thought you looked absolutely adorable. Sensing him staring you looked at him and stopped chewing.

“What?” you said with a mouth full of food.

“You have something on your face.”

“I do? Where?”

“Here,” he said as he raised a hand to your lips to get the hanging piece of salad away.

“Thank you.”

The only sounds in the air were of you enjoying the lunch together. The silence made your mind wander back to his question last night.

Did he still want you to stay? What if he changed his mind? What if you made up your mind for nothing? Deciding to get it over with you swallowed the food and took a breath.

“I need to talk to you about something. It’s about what you asked me last night.”

“Go on.”

Taking a chug of water from your glass you braced your throat to tell him your answer.

“I decided… to stay. I’ll join you.”

“Wait. Really?”

“Yes. I don’t really have anything else to do and I could use something to work on for the time being,” you say taking another sip of water.

“Great. Then we can start training tomorrow.” You spit out the water you were drinking.

“TOMORROW?! So soon?”

“I don’t have time to waste especially with the failed plan that got me in the precinct a few nights ago. We need to get going.”

You nodded sinking back into your chair as you ate a little slower. You had no idea what awaited tomorrow you, but it should be quite an enjoyable experience to receive training from someone like Enishi.

————————————————————————

There was nothing enjoyable about this shit. Instructor Enishi was a total asshole. You could barely hold your own and he threw you straight into combat with his goons. Something about ‘building character through practice’. You defended all their attacks but you couldn’t get absolutely none in.

“If you’re going to keep defending you will tire out faster than your opponent.” He was watching you from the side as five of his men ambushed you.

“It’s kind of impossible to attack when I don’t know how,” you strained as you defended a few more punches thrown your way. You lost your footing for a second and a punch was dug into your side so harshly that it threw you to the other side of the garden. You groaned as you hit the ground face-down, tasting some grass in your mouth. A pair of feet came into view as you lifted your head up off the ground to see a familiar mop of hair towering over you.

“Giving up already?” he teased as he crouched down next to you.

You weren’t going to give him the satisfaction. No, you were going to prove a point. That you belonged here.

So grabbing a fistful of grass you sat up and dusted your clothes of the dirt. Huffing out a breath you ran into the circle of men and went at it again. And again. And again. You only got a few kicks and punches in each time before you were thrown back to the ground.

“Enough. You’re dismissed.”

You leaned against a nearby tree and took a breather. Your face was covered in dirt and dust pricked at your eyes. You were nothing short of frustrated with yourself. Staring at your hands you tried to visualise the attacks she used to do. You couldn’t bring that fight instinct back no matter how hard you tried and it drove you up the fucking wall.

Shooting wasn’t a problem, but combat was essential. You had to rewire those instincts back into you somehow, but you were lost on where to even begin.

Enishi walked over and sat down in front of you. He saw the look in your eyes as you scanned your hands. He could tell you were afraid. You couldn’t let Barairo back in without losing yourself in the process and he had to find a way to help you.

“I saw you fighting back then.” Your eyes snapped up at him as he spoke. “I was amazed at how a small teenage girl could manhandle all those beasts. I snuck in a few of your fights and studied the way you moved a lot.”

“If you can’t remember the way I’ll teach it to you. We can start at the beginning and work our way up again.”

There was that word again. We. He was so adamant on training you the best he could. But he couldn’t do it if you weren’t willing to. It’s not that you didn’t want to. You just couldn’t.

“What if I’m a total waste of time?”

“If you were,” he got up and dusted his pants, “I wouldn’t have asked you to join me.”

That was enough to drive you back to your hopeful self. Maybe you could do this. Maybe you could become good without bringing that monster back. You just needed to try.

—————————————————————————

The next few days were spent running over the basics. Increasing your stamina was the first goal on the list. It looked easy in your head. That was until Enishi turned full commando on you.

You were hiking the hills and the trails around the village at least twice a day. He increased the pace every time you went there. You took short breaks every half an hour only to do sit ups or climb a tree to strengthen your muscles. He always chose the most difficult trees and it felt like it was on purpose at times.

You were currently sat in one of the trees about three meters from the ground, hugging its trunk like a koala as you sat on a branch. You were exhausted out of your mind.

“Come on, Miyu.”

“Can I stay here for five minutes?”

“We’re only halfway through the hike. If you’re not coming down I’m leaving you here.”

“WAIT!”

Despite all the difficulties of training there was one part of it you really enjoyed. The sight of Enishi in a tank top as he walked in front of you. It was the highlight of your day.

You came out of the woods to a clearing, a river running through the dunes and down to the village. Enishi went closer to get some water, gathering it in his hands. After sipping on it he gathered a bit more and swept it back over his face and hair. Droplets of water were shamelessly running down his arms, making his veins sparkle. Some of it was going down his chest soaking his tank top and letting you see a little more of the hidden goodies.

You were sure you were drooling as your trance blurred all of your surroundings. Taking a step forward you failed to see the rocks on the ground, slipping and falling into a grass patch to the side. Enishi’s head snapped to you.

“You good?”

“I’m good,” you say, giving him a thumbs up from your spot on the ground.

You continued on your trail until you reached the last tree line to the top of the hill. Your lungs were heaving and your breath was anything but normal. If I just let myself fall would I reach the bottom faster? Looking behind you to see the distance to the bottom you shook your head to get rid of the thought.

The tree line ended and you came to a big opening. You made it to the top of the hill. So the training was proving a little useful.

You pushed your aching limbs to where Enishi was standing. Reaching him you stood up and stretched your body. You saw him looking off into the distance and you followed his eyes to see what he was looking at that had him so captivated.

The minute you laid eyes on the view you fell in love. The hill you hiked was overlooking the village down in the valley and the other hills that were protecting it away from the world. Wait… This was the same as the painting back at the mansion.

You made a habit out of stopping by it before you went to sleep every day. Each time you stood in front of it you noticed other little details hidden inside. The way the trees covered each other, creating a bird shelter for the night. Or the way the hills looked as if they were silently whispering to each other. They couldn’t move to embrace each other but the slopes they laid on together seemed to be enough for them.

Someone was watching you every time you stopped by, unbeknownst to you. Leaning on a wall further behind you, he analysed your face to try and make out your reaction. He was taken aback when all he found was admiration and curiosity, wonder dancing in your eyes as you took in each detail. He got a little confused every time you leaned in closer and quirked your eyebrow at it, only to let out a breath of relief when you sat back and had a grin on your face.

“The painting back at the mansion… the orange and green landscape. Did you paint that?”

He only chuckled in response and went to sit down on the grass, as you followed suit. You both mimicked each other’s position, spreading your limbs on the grass, arms supporting your upper bodies.

“I thought you’d figure it out faster.”

You pushed his shoulder at that remark, ripping another chuckle from him.

“The painting is beautiful. So detailed and intricate in technique. But it does not compare to the real thing. This view is pure art.”

He looked at you as you elaborated on everything you loved about the painting. You seemed to know a lot about the arts. It was nice to have something new in common with you, besides your love for hibiscus tea.

“I’m glad you like it. If you wait just a second… there it is.”

The sky bled orange meeting the green mounds of earth, exactly like the painting. Your breath got caught in your throat as the sunset became more prominent. It was the most beautiful thing you’ve ever seen.

Enishi wasn’t focusing on the sunset over the hills. He was watching another sunset happening right beside him. Your cheeks were flushed pink from the effort you put into hiking. The light breeze was brushing your hair with every wave in the air and your clothes were sticking to you uncomfortably. But you looked absolutely serene. He wished he could paint this view instead of any landscape in the world.

—————————————————————————

You got back to the mansion just before it got dark. Grabbing an apple you ate it and quickly dashed to the bathroom to get out of your sweaty clothes and enjoy a bath. You made the mistake of sitting on your bed before actually getting to the bathroom, laying down on top of the duvet.

“I’ll just close my eyes for five minutes.”

Those five minutes turned into a few hours. Enishi was looking for you to ask if you’ve eaten anything. As he came to your room he noticed the door was open halfway. Knocing on it he called your name but got no response. Pushing it open he took in the sight of you sprawled on your bed still in your training clothes. His heart warmed up so much he thought it would burst. You must’ve been so tired.

Coming closer to your bed he sat down on the edge. Your head was sitting uncomfortably on the duvet so he gently put a hand under your head and lifted it to place a pillow under it. Laying your head back down he let his hand card through your hair to let it loose. You sighed in your sleep at the action, a smile tugging on your lips.

He smoothed a hand from your temple down to your cheek and you took him by surprise turning on your side, curling into him. Your hand grabbed at his shirt and he was locked into place with no way to escape.

His heart started beating rapidly as he looked at you. You had his shirt into a death grip as if you were holding an anchor that could bring you back from dreamland to the real world. He found himself smiling again. It started coming out more naturally the more he was with you.

He folded his big hand over your small one and stroked it lightly to get you to loosen your hold. Your fist unclenched and you let him free. He slowly got up from the bed careful not to wake you. Finding a spare blanket he draped it over you so you wouldn’t get cold. He smoothed your hair once more to get some stray hairs away from your face and went out the door, softly closing it behind him. He couldn’t stop smiling.

—————————————————————————

Thank you for reading! As always, comments, notes and reblogs are welcome :)

#Addicting Taste #enishi yukishiro #rurouni kenshin #enishi yukishiro fanfiction #enishi yukishiro x reader #enishi yukishiro x you

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nostromo13 · 5 months

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Marry the Sea

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Pairing: Nalu

Rating: Gen

Summary: Usually Natsu felt like he knew everything when it came to Lucy. He knows she loves him but now it's come time to propose and he's not so sure if marriage is something she wants.

This was written for @fleuve-des-etoiles for the @allaboutnalu 2023 Gift Exchange. Sorry it took so long to get out. Life has me busy but I loved writing this.

I owe a big thank you to Tokkias for being my beta for this fic. She put so much work into this, so smooches for her

AO3 Link

Lucy didn’t like surprises. Her friends knew her birthdays weren’t to be made a fuss of and any special achievements such as her book award required no more than a personal, close-circle dinner at a budget-friendly restaurant. No splashing out on her account.

If she took the care to analyse this feeling properly she could probably identify the source as some unspecifiable upset from the hundreds of surprises that came from having wealth. There were the low-effort, entirely symbolic trinkets that counted as birthday presents from her father – usually bought by the house staff – which didn’t make for a great foundation of trust in gift giving. And there were the bountiful gifts from potential courters, all with a transparent intention behind them wrapped up in crepe paper and finished with professionally tied bows. She had had enough of gifts by the time she left the Heartfilia mansion.

As such, a dilemma arose upon the start of her relationship with Natsu. Her love language was quality time, either by themselves or with Happy. It didn’t matter where, as long as she could enjoy her time with her new boyfriend. Natsu's, however, was gift giving.

Lucy had explained to him after the third little trinket that he had given her for no particular reason other than he liked it and thought it would look pretty on her that she simply wasn’t interested in that sort of thing. It set off something in her that made her want to cry that she wasn’t his dress-up doll and she hated feeling like someone else was trying to make her pretty or put her on display.

She knew it wasn’t like that, though. Natsu, for all his dragon tendencies, wanted to make her smile with his giving. She wasn’t his hoard – although wherever that was hidden away it did have a lot of similar jewellery to the sort she wore. She wished she could make more room for his love language and as such she let him go all out for birthdays and Christmas. She tried to meet his gusto when she could.

After four years of resigning gifts as a solely birthday affair, Natsu now had to figure out how to propose to her without touching the nerve that led straight to the ‘gift’ trigger portion of Lucy’s brain. He had even pulled in the big guns to help him plan the right approach.

“I don’t see how it’s the same thing as a gift. I think she’ll be fine with it, Natsu.” Levy was offering her insight, albeit unhelpfully so far.

They had gathered along with Gray, excluding the rest of their team because Erza had the tact of a pinwheel and would blow the operation in her next conversation with Lucy and the guilt of keeping a secret would eat away at Wendy from the inside out. The Exceeds had never really gotten the hang of human dating rituals. Case and point Happy understanding his finally winning Carla over as the result of his continued fish offerings.

“If it feels like the natural time for you both, I don’t see why you shouldn’t.” Levy continued as Natsu shook his head.

“What if it’s the right time for me but it isn’t for her? I don’t want to push her.”

“You don’t want it to be a repeat of Joe. That’s what you’re worried about.” Gray interjected. As much as they grated on each other, Gray was good at being his back up when Natsu truly needed it. It was a once in a blue moon occurrence but Natsu couldn’t help but be glad for his long-term nemesis right now.

Joe had been Lucy’s boyfriend prior to Natsu at 22 and things had gotten pretty serious. They had done all but move in together when Joe popped the question and it had sent Lucy running in the other direction. She had loved him and she had loved his family, but for whatever reason that Natsu hadn’t deciphered in the three years since then that he and Lucy had been dating, she hadn’t been ready to get married.

“It won’t be another Joe.” Levy spoke rather sternly. The script mage was convinced that just because he was Natsu and he was Lucy’s partner, that they were eternally bonded and Lucy wouldn’t dream of turning down his proposal. All he had to do, in her eyes, was gather the balls to ask.

“I’m not saying you shouldn’t be nervous.” Levy shifted her tone when she realised she was erring on the side of unsympathetic. “Of course you’re going to be nervous. She’s the love of your life.”

Gray made a nauseous face at that, earning a playful elbow from Natsu. “Maybe a ring isn’t the right move.” He added, trying to be at least somewhat helpful.

“Lucy’s never responded well to jewellery.” Natsu agreed, getting an immediate objection from Levy.

“She liked that last necklace you got her. She wears it all the time.”

“And she helped me find the ring I proposed to Juvia with.” Gray added.

Natsu gave it a hard thought. “Did she give any indication of whether she would want one? From me?”

“We didn’t talk about it. She was dating him at the time and it didn’t really seem relevant. She was always going to end up with you anyway.”

That seemed to calm him a little. His nerves were racing even through the planning stage but if everyone else saw what he had from way before the war with the Alvarez empire that maybe, just maybe, Lucy loved him as much as he did her.

Or very possibly it wasn’t about love and marriage just wasn’t something she wanted, in which case they would work around it.

Having given all the advice she could reasonably give, Levy called over her husband, currently arrested himself in the demand of two four year olds gripping onto his arms and dangling off the floor.

“Did Salamander decide whether he was gonna do it or not?” He asked, directing his question to his wife as if the other two weren’t sitting across from her.

“Yeah, I think I will.” Natsu replied. “It’s all I want right now and I want to at least have the conversation with her.”

“That’s the right spirit, Natsu.” Levy agreed.

Gajeel guffawed in his gravelly voice, the sharpest of his teeth showing in his amusement. “Make sure ya get a return receipt on that ring.”

Yeah, that didn’t help.

------------

When the day finally came, Natsu had everything planned down to the minute. He had put more effort into this than anything else in his life – including the trials in which he had succeeded at gaining S-Class mage status.

He was intent on at least talking to Lucy about it even if she didn’t end up saying yes right there. The worst-case scenario was her doing the same thing she did to her ex and bolting after the smallest explanation she could muster. Only this time Natsu wasn’t an outsider to the guild and it would affect their whole social lives and work.

They had just finished a mission together when they were off on their date. Casual clothing – nothing that could tip her off or make it so big a deal that she would feel pressured. They’d gathered a few foods from her kitchen, put them in a basket so they would be easier to carry and set off for the park for an afternoon lunch.

“I love Jason but I sometimes wish he wasn’t so pushy with getting me to ask my friends if they will do shoots for him.” Natsu listened as Lucy described her recent run in with their favourite reporter. He and Lucy really were good friends from her time as a journalist with Sorcerer Weekly but since then Jason, feeling the pressure from his bosses to churn out more content of Fiore’s top guild, had been trying to use his connection with Lucy to influence Mira and the other Fairy Tail girls to model for him. While they were happy to, on occasion, the weekly permanent contracts that Jason was pushing for weren’t conducive to the busy life of a Fairy Tail Mage.

“What did he say when you asked him to stop?”

“He just got all sad.” Lucy shrugged. “I know it’s none of my responsibility and he’s not trying to make it so it is but I feel kind of bad.”

“Eh, it’s his job, and it sounds more like his bosses are screwing up.”

Her boyfriend, ever the blunt one. Lucy chuckled to herself. “It’s not like that in that world of work. He can’t just drop a client like us because he doesn’t like the way they speak. You can’t just change your bosses.”

“Sounds dumb.” He shook his head. It took a second for him to realise how dismissive he might have sounded. “I’m glad you came back with me instead of staying at that job.” He added softly.

“Me too.” She smiled at him.

They had known generally what area they would sit in when they entered the park. Picnics weren’t out of place for them and Lucy particularly loved sitting near the duck pond so they aimed for about there. They managed to find a nice shady spot that got enough of the Spring breeze but also the summer warmth that May was beginning to invite in.

Lucy waited for Natsu to finish spreading out the blanket before placing their items down and unpacking their basket. Some fruits, some sweeter snacks for later and Marmalade sandwiches, a quirk Lucy had brought with her from her hometown that, when she had introduced it to Natsu, it had become a firm favourite. Now, whenever they passed through Acalypha on the way back from a mission, she always made sure to pick up a fresh jar.

Natsu reached for the Tupperware of cakes, stopping himself just as his fingers met the rim of the plastic. He wanted to be on his best behaviour today and going for dessert first didn’t fall under that. Unless doing just that would tip her off. And surely he should act like his usual self today.

As if answering his question, his fingers were moved out the way by more dainty ones. He watched as Lucy removed the lid for him, taking a slice of Battenberg from the options and raising it to her lips, taking a big bite.

He watched almost in awe. Lucy never broke social etiquette, especially not around food. He was pretty sure such a thing went against her coding.

“Go on Natsu.” She smiled widely at her sputtering boyfriend. She brushed a few crumbs from the corner of her mouth where her unusual haste had spread some.

He didn’t need to be told twice. He took the plate she offered, filling his plate so full that the weight of the mini cakes and the structure of the plate made it look like a paper plate taco in his grip.

Eventually they got through the deserts and onto the sandwiches, Lucy admittedly feeling a little sickly after so much sugar. That was never a hazard for her partner. They had struck up in that time a conversation debating which of their guildmates would win a Ninja obstacle course – whatever one of those was.

The debate had reached the point where Natsu had stood up, waving his arms about, animatedly presenting his argument as to why Laxus could not win at the inflatable obstacle course section.

“He would blow up the course because of the static electricity or something. He couldn’t touch the thing without it exploding beneath him because his electricity would fuck everything up, right?”

“I thought magic was banned from this.” Lucy asked, taking another bite of a sandwich. “I think he would just run around, anyway.”

“No, that would be banned.”

“But the Exceeds flying isn’t?”

“Yeah, well, the floor is Lava or something, I don’t know.” He grinned, not deflated at all by her pragmatism. This was how their conversations usually went on dates like this. She would propose some stupid idea – the Guild Obstacle Course coming from her mind and not his– and Natsu would take it and run with it while she offered a more practical perspective on things.

He sat himself down beside her, arms outstretched on the grass as she leaned into his shoulder. “I think Erza would win.”

“Yeah, she would.” He agreed, more occupied with the feel of her hair against his cheek than expanding on their argument.

“Although.” Lucy began to add, popping her head up suddenly from their rest, “Sabertooth could give us a good run for our money.”

“But they’re not in the guild.”

“So, we’d open it up to other guilds. We could make a rival Grand Magic Games.”

“With no magic?”

“Oh, yeah.” She seemed to sink back into thinking. Before she could think up a new line of enquiry, Natsu thought it best to try and steer her onto a more affectionate type of conversation. Hopefully that would calm the thrumming in his chest that had taken route there the night before.

“Cana’s been talking about proposing to Abigail.” Smooth, dragon slayer. He chastised himself for showing his talent for bluntness.

Lucy smiled, though showing no suggestion that she had caught onto his internal anxiety. “I like Abi. I think she’s been really good for Cana and Cana’s been good for her.”

“The guild’s income has been suffering from it.”

“More alcohol for Macao’s lot, I guess.”

They shared a laugh. Opening his eyes, Natsu looked at her as she giggled. Her eyes were on the duck pond where a small cluster of the ducks of Magnolia South Gate Park were gathered, picking their lunch out of a soggy white bread loaf that some teenagers had chucked into the pond whole. Sometimes she smiled as if she was so entirely content with life. Ducks made her content, Wednesday evenings with him made her content, as did birthday parties and nights out with their friends. He hoped it didn’t mean there wasn’t room for more in their relationship. That maybe she was too content with her life as it was now for things to change.

The weight of the box in his pocket felt heavier as he watched, requiring a quick shake of the head to reset the feeling. He could only talk to her.

“Lucy.” Natsu spoke, thanking his voice for not giving out on him when it counted. She gave him her attention, smiling because there was no way she could see the anxiety bubbling inside his gut. At least that settled him a little. “If I proposed, what would you say? I already have the ring. I just need to know if that is something you would want.”

Lucy’s smile dropped into surprise. Her stare was stuck on his, and for a moment the cogs seemed to slow. But not into a stressed jutting, more into a peaceful, steady clicking.

Her smile bloomed.

“I would say yes.”

If she expected the conversation to end there, she didn’t stop him as he moved onto one knee. His hand tugged the box from the pocket of his trousers, presenting its black velvet exterior before effortlessly prizing it open. Her eyes widened as if she hadn’t realised that he had meant now, but she easily found herself settling into the pull of it.

“Lucy. You’re my best friend.” Natsu felt his cheeks ache with his broad grin. “I think you might be the best thing that ever happened to me and Happy. Even if you’re not always happy with us and we insult you sometimes. You let me take you on adventures and you make me feel comfortable because that is just what you do. You make everyone feel okay with being themselves around you. I think you’re so strong and kind and I love watching you practice your magic because you just care about your spirits, without anyone asking you to. I think it’s incredible. I love you and I want to marry you. Will you marry me?”

“Yes.” Lucy half-whispered. “Yes, I will.”

She met him on his knees, her hands clutching onto his shoulders as she kissed him over and over. “Can I put the ring on you?” He asked between pecks.

She nodded, leaning into his shoulder as he tugged the ring from its hold in the velvet. The kiss had made her breathless but the feel and sight of him slipping the ring on her left hand had the sort of butterflies she had only felt with him making her skin tingle. “Natsu, it’s beautiful.”

The ring itself was simple but vintage – not that he could spell the word – and had a round garnet set in the middle. He had chosen it by himself but at Levy’s instruction he had taken one of Lucy’s rings with him for the sizing. It was still loose by a small bit but they could get it resized no problem. Right now he was just happy it was a hit. “Gods, I would’ve been okay if you had just wanted to date instead of getting married but I’m so glad I won’t have to return the ring. The shop man was super weird.”

“Was it that shop just off the marketplace? Levy says that guy is super intense about green engagement rings and thinks everyone should have one.”

He chuckled, unaware that such a guy had existed. “No, I got it in Hargeon.”

“Oh,” She felt her blush blossom more.

“Shit, I love you.” He let out an exasperated sigh. “I was so worried you’d say no.”

“Why would I?” She had to take a second to think. “I sort of knew you were going to propose. I would have said something sooner if I didn’t want you to.”

“You knew?”

“I– yeah. I’ve been nervously rambling all afternoon. Could you not tell?” She laughed. An hour ago she was barely making it through a conversation without blurting whatever she could think about, work, and modelling and whatever. Natsu had never been one to ignore her when she felt like she was being boring but she wouldn’t have blamed him for a disinterested sound.

“Why were you nervous?” His brow had softened and he’d taken to stroking her fingers between his own wanting to listen.

“I didn’t want to accidentally ruin whatever you had planned. I don’t know, really. You can always sort of tell when a guy’s about to propose but you never know when it’ll happen.”

“Did you know with Joe?”

Lucy swallowed, nodding. “He sort of got happy whenever he was around me. And since I didn’t really want that with him I just ignored it until I couldn’t any longer.”

“But you do want this with me?”

“Yes.” She nodded harder. “I didn’t know it at the time but I broke things off with him because of you. I think you’ve always been in my heart even if it took me a while to realise it.” She didn’t let him speak. “I love you and I want this with you, more than anything.”

Natsu kissed her again, hands pressed to her cheeks to pull her in and she smiled into it. His fingers tangled into her hair and he sighed, finally content. He had everything he wanted right here and he could spend his lifetime making her happy.

#nalu #fairy tail #nalu gift exchange 2023 #nalu gift exchange #nalu fanfic #nalufanfiction #lucy heartfilia #natsu dragneel #nalu proposal

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asherisgone · 10 months

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GOOD OMENS 2 SPOILERS DEAR SATAN SCROLL AWAY DON'T PRESS SEE MORE.

I've had major whiplash from the last 15 minutes of episode 6, so I'm here to analyse because it's eating me alive.

So I know a lot of people have theories that Aziraphale's been manipulated or miracled or the coffee is suspicious: whatever. I'm not here to fully push any theories, I'm just here to provide evidence and things for people to make their own conclusions.

First part of this is analysing Aziraphale himself:

Before we can even begin to dissect his statements, let's talk about who he is.

This angel hasn't changed his outfit in a century, forget the damn hair that has been the same since the universe even began.

He loves humanity and being humans because he is, even if he can't accept that, never has. All the way back in the aftermath of Jobe's story, their conversation, aziraphale doesn't find his peace during it, he desperately holds onto 'heaven = good' even though we've proven that isn't true. Even in Edinburgh, he's adament what they're doing is wrong (heaven's ideals) until Crowley shows him the truth of humanity; EVEN THEN he still can't accept the grey area of it all ("the side of truth... of good"), where Crowley is comfortable with his humanity, aziraphale clutches onto the "light grey" because he still craves heaven's approval.

*quick aside, I am aware Crowley does say "dark grey" but I read his tone as mocking and playful, plus he says it himself in the argument that he doesn't need hell or heaven.

But to sum that part up, that explains why Aziraphale takes the job, why he wants Crowley to be an angel again: he never got the closure he needed from heaven, he can't accept that it's just as corrupt as hell (if not more so since at least hell are doing it on purpose). He is sick of being worried and scared for Crowley, he wants to change everything so they can be together safely...

So onto the argument then..

Aziraphale says he may have misjudged the Metatron, why? because the Metatron praises him deeply to gain his trust "you're a leader, you're honest, you don't just tell people what they want to hear."

and honestly it's mostly exaggeration.

He's a lousy leader, Crowley walked all over him during the battle of the bookshop, he even says himself that they just have to do whatever Crowley says; he steps up to his potential at the last minute with the halo. He's not only a people pleaser (cause he thinks that's what angels are), but he also knows how to say things people want to hear to get his way, especially Crowley.

THE WHOLE JOBE MINI EPISODE IS ABOUT AZIRAPHALE UNDERMINING AND LYING TO HEAVEN FOR HEAVEN'S SAKE.

So we cannot trust the Metatron - he just needs someone who he can influence and control to rule heaven, that's why Gabriel was thrown out the minute he began to make his own decisions. It's why he uses Crowley as a bargaining tool to get Azi on his side after he says "I don't want to go back to heaven"

This entices Aziraphale because as someone who doesn't like change, he'd be able to be with Crowley "like the old times" without disrupting their dynamic of unspoken partnership.

Crowley immediately feels something is off "You're better than that", after all, what happened to "we're on our side" or "we carved it out for ourselves". Crowley is entirely comfortable in being human or on his own side... until aziraphale comes along to show him he doesn't need to be alone

Crowley repeats "tell me you said no": at first in disbelief, thinking he knows aziraphale wouldn't be that rash, his face immediately falls, in complete and utter disbelief at the possibility he's losing his angel.

So he repeats the question, this time it's a plea, he's practically begging for Aziraphale to correct him even though he knows it's not possible. His eyes widen, his fear is true and he's panicking as he knows what Aziraphale just signed up for. He shows so much betrayal in this one look too it's insane how well-done this scene is...

His last minute declaration of love is wholly an attempt to convince Azi to stay, the panic in his voice is unmistakeable "I think I'd better say it now." he's rushed, he's desperate.

*another aside, Michaels delivery of "come with me" in the softest voice and puppy eyes known to man is the absolute death of me. But it speaks to his innocence and sheer ignorance of what's going on.

Crowley knows his angel, "you can't leave the bookshop" which, as far as I'm concerned, is a euphemism for himself and their relationship. (of course literally as well, I mean aziraphale would die with their shop) and with the response being "nothing lasts forever. That's an insane line, ineffable husbands? nah sorry. But it's simply untrue, he doesn't like change, he hasn't ever sold a book, he doesn't change his hair and his style simply doesn't waver. This isn't something Aziraphale would say and mean. (which is also something people are using as evidence of Azi not being himself). Although, it also shows that he's willing to give up the bookshop and earth and everything he worked for if it means he and Crowley may have a safe future in heaven.

Everyone's noticed that Crowley shows his eyes more in season 2, but only when he and aziraphale are alone, he has them off the entire conversation until after aziraphale says that nothing lasts. He puts them back on. His facial expressions and body language are all so insecure all of a sudden; they can't even look at the angel they've been pining for since the beginning of time.

Aziraphale is unwavering, which is so confusing, he has smile still plastered on his face - an incredibly forced and frankly naive smile, but he absolutely cannot grasp the concept that crowley likes and actively accepts being human, but Azi is desperate to be an angel, once thinking he lost his way and now clawing back because otherwise he isn't good. "We could be together... Angels! doing good...".

I'm entirely convinced that considering only Crowley knows about Gabriel being thrown out for thwarting heaven's plans, he knows that aziraphale and him couldn't make a difference if they tried, the reason the Metatron even suggests the two of them can work together is to control them: afterall they're the ones who prevented armaggadont the first time, and also almost declared a war between heaven and hell. If you were the Metatron you'd seek to stop them too.

This seems to be why Crowley immediately fucks off the minute he senses Aziraphale can't understand what's going on "I think I understand a whole lot better than you do". Crowley laid his heart out to the one person he thought understood him, but Aziraphale gets ahead of himself and insisting Crowley joins him in heaven signifies something utterly world shattering as they were grey together, and he thought aziraphale understood that (again I call you back to the story of Jobe). "I could always rely on you"

Aziraphale stops him for obvious reasons, but that's why when Crowley says "no nightingales" it's more than just a metaphor. Obviously they reach an impasse in the conversation, it's Crowley's way of saying they're done, but what it signifies a new shift: this isn't his angel anymore. especially when you follow this with "you idiot-" because all I can think of is "how can someone as clever as you be so stupid" back from season 1. Crowley at this point has given up. he's done.

(*aside, this is an observation if you take it as a way to say that Azi is under a miracle or manipulated that's for you to decide.)

Aziraphale tries desperately to hide his emotions, the fake smiles and the depth of regret and sadness in his eyes, he looks at Crowley like he doesn't recognise him anymore even though it's not him who's changed.

and then...

EVERY - their kiss for those who did not have the misfortune of it being spoiled for them.

Is it only me who feels physically nauseous watching this? And I don't mean because I didn't want this to happen, of course not, but it's the amount of emotion charged behind it that makes it so devastating. The anger, pure desperation and DAMN IT IM SO SORRY I CAN'T BE CALM BUT AZIRAPHALE'S FACE AND REACTION GENUINELY MAKES ME UNCOMFORTABLY SAD.

two sides of this I'll analyse now.

Crowley - this is his absolute last chance and card he can play, he's done with words, "Well then... there's nothing else to say". He is heartbroken at this point, filled with desperation and pure longing for the one thing he's always been certain of: he needs this to work out. He literally runs to save their relationship, and fucking yanks aziraphale (love the parallel to season 1) but look at his determination in the furrowed brows... This isn't a loving and sentimental kiss, this is life or death as far as he's concerned.

Aziraphale - dear lord, where do I begin... He's caught off guard but something looks so wrong, it's not the look of a welcome surprise, it almost angry. He's upset that it's happening now, not that it's happening at all. He wants Crowley from 5 minutes ago, before their world crumbled in on them, but now he's hurt and he won't let himself have this Crowley that won't be with him as an angel, supporting him as supreme archangel... My only evidence for Aziraphale wanting to kiss Crowley just not in that moment is purely his hands. Granted, Crowley was holding that fucker tight, like goddamn- but he didn't stop it by any means, not for a whole 12 seconds. He wavers, holding him gently for only a moment with the most amount of trepidation, before reeling back as if he'd be burnt if he lingered, holding his hands away.

Afterwards?

that's the most betrayed look I've seen in my life... It's a "what the hell did you just do, you've only made this harder for me and yourself" Aziraphale has made his mind up and knows exactly what his plan is, he wants to make peace with leaving crowley, giving up on taking him with him, but this has proven how dedicated Crowley is to this, only making separating that much more painful.

That's why he doesn't say anything. Settling for "I forgive you." The very same words he echoed in season 1. A demon, the unforgivable fallen angels. Aziraphale is giving him another chance almost, saying "you were never fallen in my eyes" but also allowing him to leave, forgiving him for throwing away the opportunity Aziraphale is giving to him (I'm not saying that as in I think that's a good option I mean it from Aziraphale's perspective.)

Crowley immediately picks up on that, his voice defeated upon realising that aziraphale wasn't receptive to his efforts "don't bother". His lasts words to the angel that he no longer recognises and who doesn't recognise him. His angel basically admitted that he doesn't love him as a demon, only as an angel...

And that's the most poignant part I think. Nina is right, they don't communicate, and although a lot was said, it wasn't enough...

Aziraphale's touch of the lips shows so much. It's almost as though he feels violated or robbed of what was meant to be pure and special, but soured by their own inability to talk. Not only that, it's clearly a lingering feeling, he doesn't fully understand what just happened, still trying to catch up with his own feelings, it's the last thing from Crowley that he's got now, their relationship in total tatters.

right if you made it this far, I'm sorry for rambling on but I do sincerely hope you all found this interesting and can add to my observations!! I love this fandom and don't forget to keep watching, we need that season 3.

#good omens #good omens 2 #good omens season 2 #go2 spoilers #good omens spoilers #aziracrow #ineffable husbands #good omens episode 6 #aziraphale #crowley #beezlebub #archangel gabriel #neil gaiman #muriel #uriel #david tennant #michael sheen

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zodiactalks · 2 months

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How You Really Get Over a Breakup Based on Your Zodiac Sign

Surviving a breakup is challenging, in fact it takes a whole lot of willpower and strength to get through a breakup unscathed. Life goes on after you break up with someone, however, some seem to get over the pain and heartache of a relationship breakdown much quicker than others. Is there some kind of special formula to getting through the terrible pain of a relationship breakdown? What is the secret of breakup survival? Is there a secret? Or do certain personality traits determine how quickly you will get over a breakup?

Every breakup is unique therefore, the way one person handles the situation will most certainly be different from the way another person would handle it. One person might spend hours and days thinking about their ex and obsessing over what he/she is doing. Another person might totally erase that person from their memory and focus on developing themselves as a person. What really matters is the end result, you must heal. You cannot spend the rest of your life worrying about your ex or hoping that you will get back together.

Breakups are traumatising, they can turn your world upside down and make you doubt everything you ever thought was possible in life. Most people will certainly go through some kind of grieving phase where they feel totally shaken up, lost, alone and scared. However, time is a healer and as time passes, things will start to get better. Change is difficult and when relationships end, they can shake you to your core.

When a serious relationship breaks down, it can make you feel like you have nothing left. Especially if you thought that person was going to be your lifelong partner, you will now need to reevaluate your whole future.

You cannot always predict how you are going to respond to a breakup, you thought that you would be respond with poise and grace but you ended up staying in bed for days crying and watching Netflix.

The way you handle a breakup could be determined by your Zodiac sign. Today we are going to analyse how you might deal with a breakup according to your Zodiac sign.

Aries (March 21 - April 19)

Aries possess an uncanny ability to cover up their pain. As an Aries, you focus on other things to block out the reality of the breakup. You also don’t want to spend your time wallowing in self-pity therefore, you get busy and plan lots of interesting and time consuming things to do throughout the grieving process.

The Aries breakup strategy is to just keep moving, the more you busy yourself, the easier it will be to get over the heartache.

Taurus (April 20 - May 20)

As a Taurus, you decide whether or not your relationship is over. When the final call has been made, there will be no turning back. To get over your breakup, you need to be comforted and pampered by your nearest and dearest. Luxury warm bubble baths, fine wine, expensive food and your favourite TV shows will help you to get over the pain.

Gemini (May 21 - June 20)

As a Gemini, your breakup plan is to get over it as soon as humanly possible. You will go out more and focus on meeting new people and switching up your whole vibe. This will be the perfect time to work on yourself, spice up your style, get a haircut and lose the weight that you have been meaning to lose for a while.

Cancer (June 21 - July 22)

You fall in love with intensity and passion, dealing with a breakup means lots of alone time. You spend your time writing poetry and emails that you probably won’t send. You might also binge-watch reality TV and indulge in your favorite ice cream. As a cancer you will get through your breakup by receiving lots of compassionate words and comfort from those you care about.

Leo (July 23 - August 22)

Leo’s are very proud therefore, as a Leo you deal with breakups by telling and retelling your breakup story to anyone who will listen. If your ex cheated on you then you will surely want some kind of revenge.

Virgo (August 23 - September 22)

As a Virgo, your perfectionist nature you would have prepared yourself in advance for the breakup. You would have already analysed the relationship to find out where things went wrong. Then you would decide whether to work to get your ex back or to move on completely. As a practical person, you think logically so instead of spending time drowning in self-pity, you would rather do something else.

Libra (September 23 - October 22)

Libra’s find it difficult to let go therefore, instead of completely cutting ties they will remain good friends with their ex and use their charm and natural charisma to draw them in.

Scorpio (October 23 - November 21)

Scorpios find it difficult to get over breakups because they are such emotional beings. Their emotions will be fully heightened when their relationship ends, they feel rejected and unworthy. As a scorpio you might feel the need to get some kind of revenge. You are the kind of person that will wait until your ex has forgotten that you even exist then you will carry out your plan of revenge.

Sagittarius (November 22 - December 21)

Sagittarius can be very blunt and straightforward, if a breakup is needed, you will do it without a care in the world. If they break up with you first, you will move on quickly by moving or travelling abroad to meet someone new and totally move on from your ex in the shortest possible time.

Capricorn (December 22 - January 19)

As a Capricorn, the healing process after a breakup will involve putting all your time and energy into your work. You will also use lighthearted humor to make things easier; there will be a sense of relief that you got out before you started to feel trapped in the wrong relationship with the wrong person.

Aquarius (January 20 - February 18)

Aquarius like to shut their emotions off so when you experience a break up, you will do the same thing. You believe that everything will be ok and you will be perfectly ok without your ex. Aquarius cannot stand clinginess and neediness. They don’t like to rely on people for any reason therefore, going through a breakup will certainly not slow them down.

Pisces (February 19 - March 20)

Pisces generally find it easy to forgive, if you are going through a breakup, you would have certainly tried hard to make the relationship work. You will feel like your whole world has been turned upside down and it will definitely take a while for you to get over it. Your recovery should include putting all your energy into creative outlets.

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crookedkryptonitebeliever · 3 months

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God I love everything about Yves so much he’s so powerful it’s ridiculous.

It’s like being besties with the last boss right off the bat and now you get to play life on easy mode with this cheat code of a man.

I can’t wait for the “The Court™️” arc where Yves wipes the floor with Evangeline and everyone related to her.

Also Yves always seems like such a cool character who has everything under control so those rare moments where he shows extreme emotions like when he cries or gets cuteness aggression hits so much harder. It makes you wonder how he would’ve been if he hadn’t gone through all he did and had to adapt :( Whenever he cries I wanna hug him.

Also unrelated but god I wanna play with his hair so bad. I wanna have cuddling sessions with him and start braiding little chunks of his hair while being wrapped in a blanket with him and a movie playing in front of us. I hope he likes movie nights and Ghibli movies because with me he’ll have a lot of them

An ask that mentioned about touching his hair

similar ask about watching your favorite movies

Yves would love to have those sessions very much. You would think that he knew nothing about Ghibli movies, but he researched so much about it, that you may think he was on the production team itself. Yves just likes to hear you rave about your favorite things, that is why he would be quiet and smile, expressing his interest in listening to your info dumping.

He would sit still as you weave his hair into braids, watching the wonderfully made animation in front of him. Yves has already analyzed it numerous times to know what the main themes of it were, the hidden easter eggs, and different fan interpretations of it. Yves understands why you love it so much, be it due to its beautifully expressed story or because you simply relate to the characters.

Give and take, you play and braid his hair, Yves expected to do the same to you. Of course, he is going to maximize your tingles by massaging your scalp and controlling his strength. He prefers when you're the one in his lap, where his form encases you like a crescent. That way, he could witness all those precious reactions to key parts of the movie, especially the ones he deems new or unseen before.

It's cold, so you snuggle deeper into him, pulling the blanket around you tighter. Yves would press a kiss on your head, ideally, movie nights would happen after you and he are fed, freshly showered, blowdried, and mildly sleepy. He wouldn't have any makeup on, so you don't have to worry about smudging red lipstick on your face.

Because he has a flatscreen television in front of the bed, you can fall asleep anytime you want. Soft, plush pillows will surround you, strategically placed so that you have less of an urge to leave his arms, let alone the bed.

Perhaps you would absentmindedly toy with the brush of his braids while your eyes are trained on the screen, but Yves doesn't mind, because he would similarly soothingly rub your arms or thighs, or twirl a lock of your hair out of habit. He would have numerous pillows propping his back up at the best angle, becoming your personal couch for the night.

Maybe you might yearn for more media regarding a specific Studio Ghibli movie. Perhaps you didn't like the ending, it was too bleak and sad for you. So you cope by consuming fanmade content that aligns with your ideal.

Yves knows this, he monitors all of your internet activities after all. He would pretend that he wholeheartedly agrees with your take and even sketch fanart of your favorite characters. His work would be so well made, so intricate that you would think it was an official lost chunk of the actual movie. He's been an expert in mimicry since he was a mere boy, hence, copying its art style and creating a narrative that doesn't seem too far off from the movies is simply child play to him.

You could fangirl/fanboy over the characters with him. He would gladly join you and add fuel to the fire by feeding you his own headcanons, analyses, and drawings. You might think that he's even more enthusiastic than you are with the way he is obsessively collecting observations about the works of Studio Ghibli. You knew that he would make it big in the fanbase if he published his thoughts and creations surrounding the media, but they're for your eyes and ears only.

It is baffling to you because his art is god-like. Yet, he is content with an audience of one: the love of his life.

Yves will allow you to have movie nights daily. He gets to hold you and you get to relax. It's a win-win. During days when movie nights aren't appropriate (i.g., you fall sick, and have to rest), he would just alter your environment to make you sleepier than usual. No need to tell you no, you're already dozing off with your head on his chest.

It would pain him to undo his braids. It was your hard work. But he has to take care of his hair, so he would gently pull the bands off and proceed with his regular haircare regimen. The same goes for you, he would let your hair breathe as you sleep, and he wouldn't want you to suffer from hair damage or loss either.

But that only means you get to braid his hair again tomorrow night.

#yandere #yandere male #oc yves #tw yandere #yandere concept #yandere x you #yandere oc #yandere x reader #male yandere oc x reader #yandere oc x reader #yves would hella appreciate the hug tho

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ateezreactionsandscenarios · 1 year

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Publicity Stunt

Pairing: Park Seonghwa x Reader

Genre: Fluff

CW: None

Word Count: 3305

Summary: Your comeback wasn’t doing as well as it needed to so your manager comes up with the idea of a dating scandal as a publicity stunt...the only problem being you’re single.

Part of StayTeez Trope’pril

Prompt List Series Masterlist MasterList Buy me a Coffee

You were in the dance practice room again, drilling your routine into your brain over and over again despite already being in the middle of your promotion period. You couldn’t help but feel you were always doing something wrong, your comeback wasn’t doing so great, people weren’t interested and you didn’t know where you were going wrong.

“Y/n, why don’t you take a break for a bit?” Your best friend Seonghwa suggests, a worried look covering his face as he watches you push yourself to pure exhaustion.

“Nope, no time, I need to make everything better.” You argued back, not taking your eyes off your reflection in the mirror.

“Y/n it’s okay, everyone has a comeback that doesn’t work out, it’s part and parcel of the job, come on.” You continue to ignore him, your face focused and over analysing every step. Seonghwa had seen enough. Getting to his feet he turns off the music, bringing your dancing to a jarring halt.

“Hwa what the fuck!?”

“You need to call it a day today, you’ll make yourself sick.” You knew you could carry on for a few more hours but you also knew not to argue with Seonghwa, you’ll only come out of it worse. You begrudgingly give in and accept the water bottle he hands over to you.

“You’re pushing yourself too hard y/n, just get through your promotions and learn from this comeback.” You sat on the small couch next to him, your body now feeling heavy as the exhaustion starts to set in.

“It’s just disheartening. I worked so hard on this and no one seems to give a shit.” You sigh, your head flopping onto his shoulder.

“We all get times like this but we all grow and learn from it, you’ll be okay I promise.”

You’re enjoying the comfort that Seonghwa brings to you. His advice and encouraging words were helping your mental state a little and you knew how lucky you were to have someone like him by your side. Just as you could feel yourself start to doze you were startled by the door to the dance room opening. Your eyes flick up to see your manager standing in the doorway, wide eyed and for some reason uneasy.

“Sorry, I didn’t know your boyfriend was here, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” You can’t help but crack a giggle at your manager.

“No it’s fine, he’s just a friend and you’re not interrupting, what’s up?”

“Oh...right. I was just checking in on you and wanted to see if you were almost ready for me to drive you home.”

“Yeah I’m done for today, just give me a few minutes to get my stuff together and I’ll come find you.” You smile. Your manager nods in agreement and leaves you and Seonghwa alone. Shutting the door he pulls out his phone and quickly typing out an email to your CEO with an idea to get you the publicity you needed.

The next morning your manage pulls you into the CEO's office with no word of an explanation. Your anxiety hit the roof, you thought this was it for you, you did that bad they were going to cut you out of the company completely. You were planning out your apology and ways you could do better during short trip it took to get to the office, but once you were there it wasn't what you were expecting.

"Y/n as you know things aren't going to plan but we've come up with an idea that would hopefully get you the publicity and attention you need...that's if you agree to it anyway." Your boss says, leaning forward on his desk, hands clasped together awaiting a response.

"What's the idea?"

"A scandal." Now, you weren't a fan of the word 'scandal' normally when someone was caught up in one of those 9 times out of 10 it ended badly and quite frankly you didn't want your name getting dragged through the mud. The nervousness on your face was evident so he continued to explain.

"We were talking about getting you wrapped up in a dating scandal, all you'll need to do is go on a few public dates and make sure you're caught, the rest will do itself." You weren't opposed to the idea but there was one fatal flaw in their plan...you're single.

"But I don't have a boyfriend to get in a dating scandal to begin with...how will this work?"

"Fake dating. Your manager mentioned how you're very close to Park Seonghwa from Ateez, he even told me how he mistook you both for a couple last night." You nod along, quietly agreeing while you wait for him to continue.

"If your manager thought that, and he sees you everyday, then it'll be easy enough to sway the media and the public into thinking its real. I'm not asking you to do anything drastic, no big love gestures or anything like that but just go on a few 'dates', simply hang out together and you'll be fine."

"I...I'll have to discuss this with him first, I'm okay with it but I need to know he is too before I agree to anything." Your boss nods in understanding.

"That's ok, go make a phone call now, but do explain that this will bring Ateez attention too, I assume they could do with a little publicity seeing as they're on a break right now."

After leaving the office you make a quick phone call to Seonghwa, you were ready to explain everything but then found out he's just had the same conversation at KQ.

"Your manager called mine last night, they came up with the idea together." He chuckled. You both couldn't believe how sneaky they'd been but you had to give it to them, it was pretty impressive.

"I'm okay with it if you are, I need all the attention I can get right now." You sigh.

"Then let's do it, how hard can it be? We just hang out, get a few photos taken and there you go." His optimism made you smile and you were so grateful to have a friend like him who was willing to help you in this way.

"Okay, I'll go tell them...thanks Hwa I owe you."

The next day was the day of your first ‘date’ with Seonghwa and you didn’t know why you were nervous, he’s your best friend so you just had to act like you always do but maybe it was knowing you were both going to be all over dispatch that was setting your anxiety off.

You were in the car with your manager, he’d just parked at the destination of your ‘date’.

“Okay, here’s where I leave you, I’ll drop you a text once I’ve sent an anonymous message to dispatch letting them know where you are that way you’ll get a heads up at least. You got this okay, just be like you usually are.” He smiled warmly at you hoping to settle your nerves a little.

“Do you really think this is a good idea? What if it backfires and people end up hating me?”

“I doubt that would happen, yes there will be a few fans that are upset but that’s going to happen. People love the both of you so why wouldn’t the be happy to see their favourite idols together?” You take a deep breath and nod before you head out of the car.

“I’ll be in work so give me a call if you need a ride home or not.” You nod again in thanks and shut the door walking off to your meeting spot.

To your surprise Seonghwa was already there, playing on his phone while he waits.

“Were you waiting long?” You ask, catching his attention.

“No I’ve only been here 5 minutes.” He smiles. “Shall we?” He offers you his arm to take which you do so but rather stiffly.

“What’s up?”

“Nothing, I’m just nervous for some reason.”

“You don’t need to be, it’s me, come on let’s grab a milkshake...my treat.” He nudges you with a smile making you smile back, your anxieties melting away slightly.

On your way to get your milkshakes you get the text from your manager telling you the message was sent out and you were surprised by how fast dispatch were to get the story they wanted as not even 10 minutes later Seonghwa was nudging you again.

"I guess they're here, there's one over there." He warns you gesturing lightly with his head to be more discreet. You make it look like your glancing around at the scenery so you could spot the photographer.

"I guess we'll give them what they want." He smiles, intertwining his hand with yours. You look at your hands held tightly together and then up at him to see a warm comforting smile on his face.

You both made sure to be very touchy with each other, holding hands, him throwing his arm around your shoulders or waist when you were stood still, long eye contact and anything else you could think of. Before too long though it seemed you’d both forgotten about being followed by dispatch, you found yourselves not looking around for photographers or worrying about if you were acting “couply” enough, you were just being yourselves and enjoying each others company.

The next morning you were woken by your phone constantly going off, notifications from Twitter and Instagram piling in by the hundreds. You look through your notifications to see what the hell was going on only to find the photos of your ‘date’ plastered all over social media.

“BREAKING: Ateez Seonghwa reportedly dating Y/n.”

“Idol star Y/n seen with Ateez Park Seonghwa on a date.”

“New power couple? Ateez Seonghwa and Y/n spotted together on a date.”

Those were just a few of the headlines you’d seen. You told yourself from the beginning of this plan that you’d never look at the comments out of fear of getting hate, but the curiosity got too much.

“This was such a surprise! They’re so cute together.”

“I don’t know how I feel about this, maybe if it was another girl then okay 😕”

“This has to be fake.”

“My two babies TOGETHER! Excuse me while I go ugly cry.”

“It’s refreshing to see him so genuinely happy, I hope y/n treats him right.”

Just like your manager had said, there were some negatives but you were happy to see a good amount of positives. You two were blowing up, every page you went on it was people talking about you both, Instagram was flooded with the dispatch photos and you even had your friends sending you the same photos asking if it was true and why you didn’t tell them. You ignored the messages for now, you didn’t know how much you were allowed to reveal to close friends and whether or not you should be saying to fellow idols that it’s all a publicity stunt. Your thoughts were cut short when your phone rang.

“Have you seen your socials?” Seonghwa’s beaming voice asked.

“I have, we’re everywhere, dispatch are fast workers I’ll give them that.”

“They are. I had a lot of fun last night, I know it was a fake date but it was fun.” You could feel yourself starting to blush, you felt like you were talking to some guy you’d met on a blind date not your best friend.

“I did too Hwa and thank you for the milkshake.”

“Well there’s more where that came from if you’re happy to go on another fake date with me.” Your heart was hammering in your chest, this feeling was otherworldly to you. It’s not like he was asking you out on a real date but at the same time you couldn’t help but feel flustered.

“I’d like that, when were you thinking?”

“How does Saturday sound?”

“I’ll be there.”

Over the rest of your promotion period you and Seonghwa made it a habit to go on two ‘dates’ a week, but now the only problem was the line between friendly dates and real dates was starting to blur for you. It didn’t help that feelings had started to creep in. Despite the whole relationship being fake you couldn’t help but feel it was real when you were with him and the dispatch photos only added to your delusions.

It was safe to say the plan had worked, you were getting more attention on social media and views on your music, the cheers at the music shows seemed to be louder and you’d even had your first win. The same went for Ateez, with Seonghwa’s name being all over social media they were gaining more attention without needing to do anything.

“Well this has been a great success.” Your manager says taking a seat next to you in the practice room. “Once these last few days are over with you can go back to normal, no more dating scandal, just normal y/n again.”

You could feel your stomach drop. He was right once all this was over you and Seonghwa would go back to how you used to be, but you weren’t ready for that, not yet anyway.

“Yeah, no more being followed with cameras.” You laugh trying to mask how upset you actually were.

You heard a faint knock on the door before Seonghwa’s head popped around the door.

“I'll leave you guys to it.” Your manager smiles before leaving, giving Seonghwa a welcoming pat on the shoulder. Seonghwa’s mood is overly bright in comparison to yours but seeing him smiling at you made you realise the feelings that were truly starting to blossom.

“Is everything okay?” He asks coming over to you.

“Yeah, he was just telling me that now promotions are coming to an end we don’t need to worry about the fake dating thing anymore.” You sigh but keep a smile on your face as best you can. You notice how Seonghwa’s smile drops slightly at the news, maybe he was just as disappointed as you.

“Does it need to stop this very minute?”

“I’m not sure, I think we have until my promotions end.”

“Then how do you feel about going on one more date? Close off the whole press thing.” He asks with a raised eyebrow. You felt your heart stop for a second and a brief flash of hope that you weren’t the only one feeling the way you do. You’d expected him to be glad it was coming to an end, but the disappointment on his face and the proposal of one last date got your hopes up.

“I’d love that.”

“Tomorrow it is then, be ready, it’s go big or go home.”

The next evening Seonghwa picked you up, a small basket in hand and a small flower.

“What’s all this?”

“Thought we could go for a late picnic.” He smiled handing you the small flower. It’s moments like this you forget all the dates were fake and the affection you’re showing to one another is also fake...or it should be.

Walking to the park Seonghwa was a lot more touchy with you, his hand entwined with yours as he walked shoulder to shoulder with you. You took a glance around to find no cameras around yet so you found it out of character for him to be like this when they weren’t around, but you weren’t complaining.

He’d lead you to a park that was filled with flower beds and the lamps dotted around gave off a very romantic atmosphere. He’d really meant it when he said go big or go home because this had been the most romantic date you’d been on thus far. He let go of your hand and walked off a little further, pulling a blanket out from the basket and setting it down on the floor for you to sit on and pulling out the small dishes of food he’d made, laying them out nicely in front of you.

“You really went all out tonight.” You giggle waiting for him to sit with you.

“I said we’d make this a big one.” He hands you a drink and you both talk like you normally do, that was until he caught you shivering.

“Take my jacket.”

“No I can’t you’ll be cold, I’m fine honestly.” The slight chatter of your teeth gave you away and Seonghwa rolled his eyes with a smile as he took of his jacket and draped it over your shoulders, rubbing your arms lightly to help warm you up faster.

You were too distracted by the affection from Seonghwa to hear the very faint click of a camera, but Seonghwa’s ears pricked at the noise. He was a little disheartened that the photographers turned up as quick as they did, he had a plan in mind but he ideally wanted to go through with it before they turned up.

“I have something for you.” He beamed reaching for the basket and your eyes widened with curiosity. He quickly rummaged in the basket for the small gift he kept tucked away at the bottom, pulling out a small pink Lego heart.

“I made this for you this morning, I know it’s not much but I hope you like it.” He says placing it in the palm of your hand. You wanted to cry, it was so simple but coming from him it felt like so much more.

“I love it.” You beam trying to blink back the happy tears that were threatening to fall.

You spent the rest of the picnic talking about how much fun you’ve both had and how nice it’s been to be able to hang out properly even if it was just to get more attention from the public. It was getting late and you knew you both needed to call it a night. Without saying anything you both proceeded to pack everything up and get yourselves ready to go home, but that’s when Seonghwa held your hand stopping you from walking off.

“Since this is the last date do you think we should go out with a bang for them.” He asks nodding in the general direction of a photographer. You raise an eyebrow waiting for him to explain his idea, but no explanation came.

“Yes?”

“Okay, but what’s your plan?” He didn’t answer again. Seonghwa placed the basket down on the floor and pulled you in closer to him, his hand settling on your waist as the other came up to hold your face and pull you into him. He was firm but gentle with how he kissed you and it took your breath away. Your hands gripped the sides of his shirt like you were trying to ground yourself from what was happening. It was everything you wanted and better than you’d ever imagined, but it ended to quickly for your liking.

“I think that should be enough for them.” He smiles glancing over your shoulder. “But it wasn’t for me.” He pulls you in for another kiss and you can feel yourself melting into him. You both smile into the kiss and for that moment it was like you were the only two people to exist. Pulling away again his face drops but he still holds you close.

“Do we really need to end this, does it really need to be only for publicity, can’t we keep this up...maybe make it a real thing?” Your eyes widen again, you can’t tell if you’d really heard it or if it was your post kiss bliss making you hear things.

“What?”

“Can we be together for real and not just for publicity?” You could feel tears brim your eyes again as you nod at him, your smile beaming and his matching yours.

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