#but apparently i threw it on my desk right after getting home and immediately forgot and only found it after giving up my search LOL

[krreader]

BTS scenario → eating you out while you’re doing a livestream.

pairing: bts x celebrity!reader fandom: bts  warnings: oral sex ; language genre: smut word count: 1.4k+

a/n: oooh, I love request like this where the tables are turned!!! I hope you enjoy it too bb

kim seokjin

The craziest thing that Seokjin and you have done when it came down to sexual stuff was sleep with each other at his parents place, so that should give everyone an idea that this, what was happening right now, was totally not him.

You had no idea what had gotten into him when he suddenly walked into your room while you were doing a livestream and pulled a stunt like this one.

You had narrowed your eyes at him, but had decided not to pay too much attention to him so that none of your fans would get suspicious.

But your eyes widened so much when you felt the bed dip, when he pushed your legs apart and kissed your clothed clit over your underwear.

“I uh..-“ you laughed, but that quickly turned into you gulping down hard when he pulled down your panties and fully began eating you out, “I’m fine, guys, just..-“

Every time you suppressed a moan, you would let out a laugh and at one point your fans were genuinely concerned. You acted like a crazy person.

“Actually, how about we continue this tomorrow? I just remembered something really important. I’ll announce it on my Twitter, okay? Bye, guys!”

And as soon as the phone was away, you pulled him up by his hair and tried to look at him with anger in your eyes, but you were too horny now to do so.

“I read the comments,” Jin defended himself as he wiped over his mouth with the back of his hand, “I just wanted us both to remember who your boyfriend is.”

Your mouth dropped a little, then you rolled your eyes and fell back into the pillows, “Well then.. why don’t you finish what you started, Seokjin?”

He grinned and returned to eating you out.

min yoongi

Yoongi was in the bedroom with you when you had started your VLIVE, but he was sitting at your desk watching a movie, so that he wouldn’t disturb you.

It was only when he heard you giggle, that he pulled down his headphones and turned around in confusion.

“Aw, you’re so sweet.. but you’ll need to ask my parents for permission if you want to marry me,” that, and the way you blinked into the camera with your seductive look and you biting down on your lower lip made him get up and cross his arms in front of your chest, giving you that: “Are you fucking kidding me?” look.

He hated when you flirted with your fans. He hadn’t done that since you and him had started dating, but you apparently forgot about that unspoken deal that you had rather often. And now you were doing it while he was in the room? Absolutely fucking not.

So what did he do?

He reminded you of who you belonged to.

In the sweetest way ever.

Quite literally.

Yoongi loved the taste of your vagina, he’d rather eat you out every night than you giving him blowjobs, just because you tasted so fucking good.

This time he enjoyed it even more, though, because he could tell how hard you tried to keep it together and act like nothing was going on. But see, Yoongi had become a master in oral sex and there was only so much you could handle.

You had no other choice but to abruptly end the VLIVE at one point, because you couldn’t hold the moans in anymore and you needed both of your hands to bury them in his hair and push and pull on his head as you were cumming against his mouth.

jung hoseok

This was payback and you knew it.

You had done the same fucking thing two weeks ago, had interrupted him during a VLIVE by giving him a blowjob under your desk and now he was doing the exact same thing.

He made sure that the camera wouldn’t pick him up walking in, then crawled over to you and settled between your legs after he pulled down your underwear.

“Uhm.. you guys, I think I need to end this..-“ but Hoseok bit down on your clit, telling you that no, you weren’t allowed to take the easy way out, just like he wasn’t. You had to keep going like he had and endure it, “I mean.. why not do a few more minutes, I love it here with you, after all.”

Hoseok grinned and kissed your inner thigh with approval, before swiping his tongue through folds, making you grab a fistful of his hair.

Oh, he would enjoy this like you had enjoyed it the last time.

kim namjoon

Namjoon had watched your VLIVE right from the start and at first he had been hyping you up so much, pressing the heart button like there was no tomorrow when you showed off your dancing skill.

But this? What the fuck were you doing there, grinding on the floor like you were bouncing up and down on his dick? Was this VLIVE or OnlyFans?

He had been waiting for you to finish in the room next door since you’d drive the two of you home together later and had waited for you to sit down against a wall and just talk to your fans. 

And as soon as you did, he waltzed into the practice room, locked the door and completely ignored your confused looks.

To be fair, you didn’t stop him from undressing your bottom half and you most certainly didn’t stop him from sucking down on your clit.

When you were performing - or practicing - like before, it always helped you to visualize the feeling that you wanted to bring across. For the performance before, you wanted.. sex. And what better person to think about than your boyfriend?

Good thing that you were still out of breath, because the heavy breathing that Namjoon caused you could very well be you still being out of breath from dancing before. 

But it wasn’t. And only the two of you would ever know the truth.

park jimin

This was supposed to be a fun night for you and your fans.

A movie night with them through VLIVE, where you’d all watch a movie together.

But see, maybe you should have done this at your dorm and not at you and Jimin’s apartment, because your boyfriend quickly got tired of you continuously talking throughout the movie.

So what did he do?

He shut you up, the only way he knew how.

“(Y/N), why are you so quiet all of sudden?” you let out a nervous laugh after having read the comment, “I’m just trying to focus, guys.”

But not on the movie, on trying not to moan as Jimin was devouring your clit and you were guiding him to where you needed him most.

“I’m enjoying this a lot, you know?” you said into the camera, but Jimin was the one nodding, you feeling it by the way his short stubble rubbed on your clit, “I hope we can do this more often.”

Yeah, he didn’t hate this either.

kim taehyung

This was supposed to be a trip for only you and him, but Taehyung leaves for 20 minutes to get you something from the store that you desperately craved and this is what you end up doing? A fucking Instagram live for your fans?

No fucking way.

He wouldn’t share you with a million men on this trip. Not this time.

You sat up a little straighter, immediately intimidated when your boyfriend took off his jacket and threw it over the chair, then rolled up his sleeves.

It was like your intuition knew what was about to happen and you.. let it.

It didn’t take more than a minute before you suddenly ended the VLIVE and fully gave in.

“I’ll make you beg for it tonight, baby girl,” he whispered against your clit in his low voice, gently placing a kiss against it to make you moan, “It’s what you deserve after that bullshit.”

You loved him when he was like this..

“Yes, sir.”

Good thing you ended that livestream when you did. Otherwise, you’d be top news tomorrow morning.

jeon jeongguk

Jeongguk had always wanted to do something crazy like this, but you had always been too much of a pussy, too afraid that someone might see or hear.

He’d obviously never force you to do something that you didn’t want, but this was all you.

You were the one that spread your legs when your boyfriend walked in completely naked, straight out of the shower with his wet hair.

This wouldn’t be such an unusual sight, but you were doing a VLIVE and you still did that.

Jeongguk let out a quiet chuckle and pulled on your ankles so that you’d be on the edge of the bed and he could comfortably eat you out.

“This is a lot more comfortable,” you said as you closed your eyes for a second, “Let’s enjoy each other for a bit more..”

Everyone enjoyed themselves that night, but you, the most.

[legaciezzz]

Boy Problems

Hope x Male Reader

Genre: Chapter Fic

Request: Hi, uh so I'm new to the legacies fandom so if this request sucks.. Sorry. Could you do one where the readers a human and mystic falls high. Hopes upset that landon moving on and is lonely, the readers also sad becuase he just got dumped, so they become fuck buddies but fall for each other. When everyone remembers hope, landon tries to win hope back but she's already fallen in love with the reader and picks him over landon. Uh if you Could write smut please.. If you're comfortable that is

A/N: Welcome to the fandom! Don't worry the request is just fine!

Song: Imported by Jesse Reyez ft. 6lack

You sighed before stepping out of your car. It had been two weeks since your ex dumped, just as things seemed to be getting serious, so now you've been spending nights like these alone lately. You got out and started to walk across town square, as you made you way to the grill you noticed a girl on one of the benches, but the closer you got you could hear some crying.

"Hey."

Hope glanced up at you then quickly looked away to wipe her tears. "Hey."

"You okay?" you said.

"Yeah. Just boy problems."

"I feel that-- I mean girl problems, not boy problems." You stammered as you tried to correct yourself, which made her huff a laugh. "I'm Y/N, by the way."

"Hope."

"Hey, you know what helps with boy problems? Stuffing your face with food. I'm actually heading to the grill if you want, must be pretty chilly out here."

She looked up at you and flashed a soft smile. "I'm fine."

You nodded before heading off inside but later came back with a to go bag and a milkshake.

"Mind if I sit here?" you asked.

Hope didn't expect to see you as she looked up over her shoulder again.

"I know what you said, but misery loves company, right?"

"Thanks." she said, sliding over.

You sat down, laying the food out between you two. "I don't know what you like, so I just got you a burger and fries."

"That's alright."

“You want to talk about it? The boy problems?”

“You know, I’ve kind of spilled my guts to a stranger already.”

“Well I bet that stranger didn’t get you any comfort food.” you said,  popping a french fry  in you mouth.

“Actually, he did give me a peanut butter blast.”

“Peanut butter blast, really? I’ve always kind of thought was overrated.”

Hope raised her eyebrows with a light smile. “Oh really? And what’s your shake of choice?”

“Strawberry. And you know what’s even better than that?”  You took the lid off your milkshake and dipped another one of your fries in it. 

“What are you doing?” she laughed.

“What? It’s good, it’s the perfect combination of sweet and salty. Come on, don’t hate on it until you’ve tried it.”

She shook her head. “No way.”

“Fine, but you’re missing out.” you said, eating it.

The two sat on the bench and talked while you ate. You asked her if she was new in town so you gave a run down  of the workings of Mystic Falls and Hope nodded along to all the things she already knew and then you both got into your relationship problems. Then eventually it got late and was time to go home.

“You need a ride home?”

“No, it’s fine. You’ve already done enough, it’s all good.”

“You sure? It’s really not a problem.”

“I’m sure. I, uh,  live close to to here actually.”

“Alright then. “ you said getting up, and patting your pockets for that pencil you forgot to put in your binder. “Well I’m just going to leave my number here on this napkin and if you need a friend or anything, feel free to hit me up.”

. . .

You got home after the big fight with the stallions and was patching yourself up when Hope sent you a text asking if you were free to hang out.

"Hey. Come in."

"Hey. Your parents home?" she asked as she stepped inside, making sure she wasn't interrupting anything.

"No. My mom's working late and my dad's out with some friends, we're good." you assured her before closing the door behind her.

You made your way back to the couch to make another attempt at bandaging your hand and that's when Hope saw it along with the shiner on your temple.

"What happened?" she asked, sparked with concern.

"You did hear? There was this huge brawl between the Timberwolves and the Stallions after the game. Again apparently."

"Are you okay?"

"Oh yeah, don't worry it could've been worse. Like this one guy, Aaron: broken nose."

You continued to wrap your hand until Hope intervened, taking a seat next to you. "Here. Let me help you with that." she said, seeing as you were doing it wrong.

You watched her, she was gentle and you noticed how soft her hands were. You then looked up at her and just stared for a moment.

"What?" Hope asked, catching you after she was done.

"Nothing." you said, but still somehow you couldn't take your eyes off her. She was just so pretty. You just kept staring into those blue eyes of hers, then you noticed your gaze slipping down to her lips.

To your surprise, she leaned in first for the kiss. You kissed once before pulling back, then you both dove back in. She grabbed your neck and pulled you closer while your went up her thigh. Eventually, you found yourself on top of her, your hand gliding up to her breast.

You could feel yourself growing hard as things progressed, and so could she. She broke away from you. "You have any--"

"In my room."

You two got up from the couch and went to your room where you started to strip each other of your clothes, kicking the door shut behind you.

As soon as your underwear fell to the floor she immediately pushed you onto bed, crawling in your lap. You could feel your cock getting even stiffer from her hips rocking back and forth.

You reached over into your desk drawer beside your bed and took out a condom. Hope lifted her hips up so you could slip the rubber on. She lowered herself onto you. Moans fell from both of your lips as she adjusted to your size.

She wrapped her arms around you as she began to ride you, her pace starting slow. she let out a moan which was muffled by your lips. She held on tight as you rocked your body. You felt your lips move along her jaw as your hands grabbed her ass.

"Fuck.." she groaned as you nipped at her ear.

You moved down, biting gently down on her collarbone and leaving a mark. Hope bit her lip as she started to ride harder.  You felt your lips move along her bare chest as you moved downward. You used your bandaged hand to knead her breast . As you did so Hope arched her back, moaning as you teased her. 

"Ah..yeah..." You moved your lips to her nipple, sucking on it and making her gasp.

You stopped her  a second then flipped her over onto the bed, as you did so you lost your balance and fell on top of her. You both laughed as you propped yourself back up.

“Sorry, that usually goes better.” you said.

Hope giggled as she kissed you. She pressed your body up against hers as you slid back into her. You started to thrust your hips and eventually you found your way back to the pace you guys were once at before as you felt her legs wrap around your waist.

"Mmmm.." you moaned.

"Oh fuck.." Hope whined.

You quickened your pace and a few moments later you could feel yourself coming closer to your climax.  You could also tell she was coming as her body convulsed and she dug her nails into your back. You gently ran your fingertips over her clit.

"I'm gonna..." she said in a long-winded whine as you felt her tighten around you.

You guys came and rode out your highs together. You collapsed besides her. “Wow..”

“Yeah...” Once you guys caught your breath, she got up and slipped on your shirt. “I should get cleaned up.” 

“For sure,” you said, sitting up. “It’s the second door on the right.”

She left and you took of your condom and threw it away, using a tissue to clean off the excess on you. You then crashed back on to the bed and when Hope got back, you were already passed out. 

The next morning, the both of you tangled amongst the sheets, you were woken up by a loud knock at your door. "Y/N, get up. You're gonna be late for school." you heard your father say.

You swore under your breath as you glanced over to Hope who looked just as startled as you. "I'm up." you called out.

"I'm off to work. And your mom's asleep so don't wake her up."

"Alright, see ya."

You waited for your father to leave before you and Hope started to scramble for your clothes and slip them on.

As you guys made you way to the door, you paused when you caught a glance of the kitchen. "Shit. Hey, I'll buy you breakfast on our way to school."

"it's fine, you don'––"

"You serious? Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Don't worry about it." you smiled, holding the door for her.

You pulled up to the school after making a pitstop for some coffee and whatnot. You sat awkwardly quiet for a second before Hope opened the door.

"Thanks." Hope said.

"Yeah, no problem.. I had a good time last night."

"Me too... Anyways I should probably get going." She opened the door and step, grabbing her coffee, then Maya ran into her.

"Y/N, I didn't know you knew Hope." Maya greeted.

"Just giving the her a ride, that's all." you replied, flashing a friendly smile.

"And a coffee? I should let you drive me around too." she joked.

"Alright, I better find a place to park. See you guys around."

While you drove off, Maya teased Hope about you as they walked together, but Hope wasn't really one to kiss and tell.

You guys still saw each other around school, but the next time you hooked up was at a house party Maya convinced Hope to going to. You had caught her sitting on a couch as everyone else mingled. You managed to get her to loosen up and dance with you then when one thing led to another, you two ended up hook up in the bathroom.

After that you and Hope found yourselves hooking up even more, mostly when you were feeling lonely. Then because it felt good and you had grown really fond of each other. As your 'relationship' progressed, you started hooking up not just outside of school, like texting each other during class to make out under the bleachers. Soon people started notice how much you two hung out, the hickeys on your neck and how Hope sometimes wore your letterman's jacket.

There was a fine line between whether you and Hope were dating or just something casual. You agreed on labelling yourselves as friends, even though at this point you knew there was a real connection forming, but you were okay with that or at least you thought you were. There would be days where she would run off with no explanation and when she returned she suddenly started act strange around you.

"I don't know, Man, she just seems weird all the time lately. You think it's her ex?" you said to Ethan as you helped set up for the Commonwealth Day festival.

"Have you thought of talking to her, maybe?" He replied.

"Come on, no one wants to be that guy."

"Do you like her?"

"I don't know. Things are just better when she's around and I don't want anything screw it up."

"Then I think you know what you should do. Anyways, we should get to practice."

As you guys left for practice, you looked around for Hope only to find that she disappeared somewhere. This was becoming very like her now.

You kept thinking about Hope throughout the day and what you might say. You tried texting her a couple times here and there, but she didn't answer.

After you when done with you were done with your plans for the day, you went to the festival where saw Hope at one of the tables.

"Hope?" you said, taking a seat by her.

"Y/N. Hey." she said a bit solemnly.

"Where have you been all day? I tried texting you."

"Sorry. Something came up with some old friends."

"Yeah, that seems to be happening a lot lately." You sighed. "Hey, I need to ask you something."

She looked at you and just at you were about to open your mouth, you were interrupted.

"Hope?"

You both turned your heads to see a curly haired boy.

"Landon."

[sachigram]

“With Teeth” Chapter 5

((click here to read on ao3!!))

Izaya is frowning down at his computer, his hands hovering above the keys of his keyboard, not moving. Next to him, Namie is typing away, a bemused little smirk on her face. She's enjoying this, clearly, and she's itching to say something biting.

“You're handling this better than I thought you would,” she says, her tone forcibly bored. Izaya blinks at her, lifting his hand to motion for her to continue. “Your little monster friend has a girlfriend now. He'll have less time for you, right? I assumed you'd be setting fires across the city by now.”

“You know what they say about assuming,” Izaya says breezily. “If anything, she's distracting him enough to leave me be.”

The chatroom is full of people chattering away about Shizuo and Vorona, who are spending a lot of time together, holding hands, exchanging glances, sharing beverages. It's sickening. Izaya feels vaguely nauseous just reading about it, but he thinks that's probably due to his insane schedule at the moment, and his lack of sleep. He keeps meaning to take a healing potion, but he forgets every time.

“Distracting. Right.” Namie types another response, fanning the flames of all the rumors circulating about Ikebukuro's hottest couple. Her smirk drops, and Izaya can't resist the temptation to dip into her mind, just a little, to see why she isn't enjoying this as much as she thought she would.

She's thinking of Seiji, of course, but also of Mika, and of Celty's head, and all the times she's been overlooked in favor of someone else. She thinks Shizuo dating Vorona is distasteful, because she's set on the idea that Shizuo must be fucking Izaya, and that's why he comes by so often. Izaya withholds a snort at that, and he graciously doesn't comment on the fact that Namie could probably have anyone she wanted, if she wasn't so obsessed with her own brother.

“Who cares, anyway?” Namie asks, closing her laptop. “The two of them together probably have conversations as interesting as watching paint dry. It's not worth even talking about anymore.”

“I couldn't agree more,” Izaya says, pushing away from his desk. He tilts his head at her. “Let's order out for dinner. My treat.”

“In that case, I'm craving something expensive.”

“Of course you are.”

***

Izaya is watching the sunset from a small window when he realizes he must have fallen asleep. He isn't at home anymore, and this is beginning to feel like the kind of dream he's been dreading to have lately, one where he knows Shizuo will show up at some point.

“Who are you?” A child's voice asks from behind him. Izaya turns, looking down at Shizuo, who is in a hospital bed, his arms wrapped, a brace around his neck. He's frowning up at Izaya, who sighs loudly before plopping into the vacant chair next to the bed.

“Oh, why does it even matter? You won't call me by my name anyway.” Izaya pulls his knees up to his chest and studies Shizuo closely. “You're here alone?”

“My family just left.” Shizuo looks up at the ceiling, seeming to decide that Izaya isn't a threat to him. “They used to stay with me a lot, but this happens all the time now, so they can't stick around as much.”

“I see.”

“I'll only be here one night anyway.”

“So who was it this time? Was it another fight?” Izaya asks.

“It's not like I wanted to fight.” Shizuo's eyebrow twitches. “I threw a swingset.”

“A swingset?”

“Yeah, but apparently it was bolted into the ground or something. Really fucked me up.”

Izaya can't help it. He laughs hard, curling into himself as he does so.

“Hey, fuck you, it isn't funny!” Shizuo snaps, but he seems to be trying not to laugh himself. “Well, maybe it was a little. The look on their faces was pretty funny.”

“Did you at least manage to hit them?” Izaya asks, still giggling at the mental image.

“No. Turns out all the time I spent lifting it gave them some time to escape.”

Izaya laughs harder. When was the last time he found something this genuinely funny? Lately all he does is work until he passes out, and he deserves it, he knows. Still, as he feels tears stinging the corner of his eyes, he thinks he feels good now, here with this kid version of Ikebukuro's monster. There doesn't seem to be anything else to do but talk to him, and their dreams keep connecting them no matter what Izaya does. He's tired of fighting it.

Shizuo is gazing at him with poorly concealed awe and wonder.

Pretty.

Izaya snorts at Shizuo's thought. What's so pretty about this scene right now? The sunset outside? The various machines hooked to Shizuo, beeping idly in the background? Shizuo keeps looking at him, and Izaya realizes, feels his face grow hot.

“Who are you?” Shizuo asks again.

“Your worst enemy.”

“Really? You don't seem all that bad.” Shizuo shifts a bit, winces. “You're not scared of me, are you?”

“Not now, not ever.”

Shizuo nods, and his lip wobbles. “People tell me all the time they aren't scared of me, but I know they are, deep down. How could they not be? They'd have to be crazy. But...” Shizuo chokes up, laughs a little. “I can tell you mean it. And if that makes you crazy, I think that's okay, because it feels good to not be feared, for once.”

Izaya lowers his legs, leaning closer to the bed. He idly touches the flimsy fabric of the blanket draped over Shizuo, who is watching him curiously. Izaya looks away.

“Sometimes you're so pathetically simple it makes me want to vomit. Sometimes it feels like a chore, hating you. Did you know that?” Izaya asks softly, and there's a long pause after his words, no sounds aside from their breathing. Even the machines have somehow gone quiet.

“So then why do you?” Shizuo asks at last.

“Isn't it funny that it's been so long of us hating each other that I forgot what caused it in the first place? I think you did, too.” Izaya crosses his arms over the bed, puts his head down. “People like us will always be at each other's throats. It's just the way it is.”

“You sound like a grownup,” Shizuo says, glaring now. “They always say that, when they don't know the answer to something. 'It's just the way it is.' If you don't know, then why does it matter in the first place?”

“Believe it or not, I am a grownup. I'm only a kid right now because you're one, too. We're always the same age in these dreams, even if only one of us remembers the future at a time.” Izaya lifts his head enough to grin at Shizuo, who blushes and immediately turns away. He seems to be trying to gather the courage to say something, but there's suddenly a knock at the door, and Izaya turns towards it. “Expecting someone else?”

“Huh?”

“There's knocking.”

“I don't hear anything.”

Izaya stands. “Oh. This may be in real life. I think I'm waking up.”

“Waking up? Does that mean leaving?” Shizuo's eyes look panicked. “When will you be back?”

“I never know. Why do you keep wanting to see me so badly? You're the one pulling me back here, you have to be.” The room starts to grow fuzzy as the dreamscape begins to fall apart around them.

“You're not scared of me. You laughed at me instead of running— Fuck!” Shizuo seems to be trying to get up to grab Izaya, but he can't with his arms bandaged. “Tell me your name so I can find you again!”

“You'll just call me a flea anyway, won't you? So it doesn't matter.”

***

Izaya opens his eyes to discover he passed out at his desk at some point. He sits up and frowns at the container of pasta next to him. He remembers ordering dinner for himself and Namie, and then...

“Ugh. Of course she just left,” Izaya mutters to himself. Namie is an opportunist if nothing else. She isn't the type to stick around and see what happens next, unlike Izaya. Another knock sounds at the door. “Who is it?” Izaya calls, feeling sluggish. He checks his phone to find he's been asleep for about two hours.

“Me!” Shinra's voice replies, muffled from the door. “Let me in, would you? I've been knocking forever!”

Grumbling, Izaya makes his way across the room, opening it for Shinra, who waltzes inside like he owns the place.

“Hi! I'm working late tonight, and I didn't have time to eat dinner before I left, so I figured while I was in Shinjuku I could come see what you had—“ Shinra stops talking and tilts his head to the side, observing Izaya. “You look awful. What have you been up to?”

“Also working,” Izaya says. He reaches up to wipe crusted drool from the corner of his mouth. “So you came to raid my fridge?”

“Ah, yes!” Shinra turns and continues his march to the kitchen. “I just got done with an emergency call, and next I'll be going to visit another patient. I didn't want fast food, so here I am! Did Yagiri-san make anything?”

“Should be leftovers somewhere around here.” Izaya looks back at his own pasta, feels his stomach rumble. He can't remember the last time he really ate or slept fully.

“Why don't we eat something together?” Shinra asks. “You look ready to fall over.”

Izaya ends up tossing the pasta. It was congealed together, and not very good in the first place. Namie picked the place to order from, but he'll definitely complain enough about it later to where they don't order from there again. Shinra actually goes through the trouble of throwing together some fried rice, because Izaya doesn't have the ingredients for much else. He'll have to send Namie for groceries.

“So what are you working on so religiously, anyway?” Shinra asks as they sit down. “I haven't seen you this absorbed in work for a while.”

“It's not just one assignment, but multiple. All of them are due around the same time.” Izaya eats a bite of rice and shrugs. “It's just poor timing.”

“More than that though, right? I heard Shiki-san was pissed at you for multiple reasons. Sounds like he's keeping you overloaded on purpose.” Shinra smirks at him. “You can never leave well-enough alone, Izaya-kun.”

“'Well-enough',” Izaya scoffs. “If he had his way, I'd be locked in a cage, of use only to him and his little cronies.”

“That's what you signed up for. You'll get yourself killed if you keep meddling. I mean, come on, Akane-chan? What did you think would happen by sending her off on her own like that?”

“Who says I was behind any of that? Akane-chan has a smartphone. Kids like her are always going to be involved in things, because they want better than they're given.”

“I don't believe you, and I know Shiki-san doesn't, either. It's clear he's punishing you, but...” Shinra leans closer, lowers his voice like he thinks Shiki is in the next room. “To be honest, I thought you'd have it way worse than this. You ordered Shizuo-kun's attack too, didn't you? I thought Shiki-san would hang you upside-down.”

“Again, Shinra, you're reaching way too far. I never said I was responsible for Shizu-chan either.”

Shinra pouts, and then sits back in his chair, shoveling down more rice. “Fine. Don't tell me. Just take better care of yourself, at any rate. It's not like you can't cure the effects of fatigue with your power. You're choosing to suffer, right? But then again, you've always been like that.”

“Don't you have another appointment soon?” Izaya asks, annoyed by Shinra and his big mouth. He's often wondered if friendship is supposed to be this exhausting, but it isn't like he has anything else to compare it to. Shinra was always the only one crazy enough to stick around.

“I'm only saying. You should accept your punishments and actually learn something from them every now and then. It seems like you just bounce back, more determined to make a nuisance of yourself than before.”

“If I don't make a nuisance of myself, I'll die from boredom,” Izaya lilts. “It's really that simple.”

“More like you're worried about being forgotten.”

Izaya resists the urge to throw something at Shinra, who is wearing a strange expression, something akin to actual concern.

“You've improved on your acting ability,” Izaya says, pushing away from the table. “Don't act friendly towards me now. It doesn't suit you.”

“I am your friend,” Shinra insists. “I'm the only one you've got, so maybe you should listen to me once in a while.”

“It always goes back to Celty anyway. What, are you worried I'm going to use her for something too dangerous?”

“Celty agrees with me that it's unusual for you to allow Shizuo-kun to be in your space as you have. Are you actually feeling guilty?”

“Are you?” Izaya stands and grabs a bottle of red wine from his counter before he pads over to his desk. “I don't have the time for this, Shinra. See yourself out when you're ready to go.”

Shinra sighs loudly, finishes his dinner, and picks up his briefcase. He walks towards the door.

“Take care of yourself, Izaya-kun. If you even know how to.”

Izaya uses his magic to slam the door shut behind Shinra, and then he drinks until he passes out.

***

He wakes hours later, in bed somehow.

Groaning, he sits up, trying to remember the night before. His mouth feels like cotton, and his head feels like it's trying to split itself open. He thinks he may throw up at some point in the very near future.

“Feeling better?” Tsukumoya asks from beside him. The shades are drawn closed, and the room is still dark despite the sun being out. Izaya glares at the vampire in his space.

“Why are you here?” he croaks.

“You don't remember? You invited me. We fucked.” Tsukumoya has his laptop, and is typing ridiculously fast even as he speaks. “It was quite the evening.”

“I'm serious. You just keep popping up. It's annoying.”

“Mm. I had a feeling you were being your usual destructive self. There's water for you on your nightstand.”

Izaya reaches next to him, grabs the glass before chugging it. His stomach immediately churns dangerously in protest.

“Why not take a healing potion? I know you have plenty of them,” Tsukumoya says, still not looking at him.

“Don't need it.”

“Right, you don't. The great Orihara Izaya doesn't need anything or anyone, how could I forget?” Tsukumoya finally glances over at him. “You might need to reconsider. Tonight's the night of the full moon. You'll need to be alert when your puppy visits.”

“Fuck, is it? I forgot all about it.” Izaya groans and flops back into the bed, rolling away from the annoying vampire in his space. “You weren't supposed to come until tomorrow.”

“Stop complaining so much. Do you need more water?”

Grumbling, Izaya tries to piece together the night before. He drank too much, he remembers that. Shinra was being annoying. He definitely fell asleep at his desk, meaning Tsukumoya carried him to bed.

“We didn't really fuck, did we?” Izaya asks.

“No. Did you want to?” Tsukumoya's voice is annoyingly smug. “I wouldn't be opposed.”

Izaya snorts and closes his eyes, wills the room to stop spinning. “Don't flatter yourself. You're not my type.”

“I'm not? Here I thought you had a thing for monsters.”

Izaya considers throwing Tsukumoya across the room, but that would be rising to the stupid teasing, and it would require more effort than he currently wants to exert. He stays where he is, listening to the sound of Tsukumoya's fingers on the keys.

“You're being especially pitiful lately, Izaya,” Tsukumoya says after a while. “So you've lost control of your little game, so what? Maybe you should think of what to do next instead of working to the point of exhaustion. You know I hate it when you're predictable.”

“Why does it matter what I do? I'm trapped.”

Tsukumoya sighs. “Yes, you are. And what are you going to do about it?”

“Right now, I'm going to be miserably hungover. Next, who knows? It'll surprise us both.”

“If only I found you sooner.” Tsukumoya goes back to typing. “The things you could've done. Humans are always finding ways to control what they don't understand or fear. But now, you can only help yourself. If you believe you're going to be trapped forever, they've already won.”

“I know that.” Izaya thinks of the work assignments that aren't ever going to stop, and he thinks of Akane, of Shizuo. He knows he went too far, but he has to go even further still.

Tsukumoya seems like he wants to say more, but he pauses, and the typing stops once more.

“You really might want to take that potion now,” he says. “One of your executives is on his way here.”

***

Izaya does not take the potion, and when he answers his door, it's with a slightly green complexion. Akabayashi takes one look at him, and promptly bursts into laughter.

“Oh, wow. And I thought I drank too much. You look awful, brat.” Akabayashi invites himself inside, stepping around Izaya. “I'm doing a wellness check on behalf of the boss. You understand, right?”

“Seems like I have more people in my life than I thought,” Izaya says, closing the door before moving to his couch. “This is my third wellness check.”

“Hard to believe a roach like you has friends, but then again, this city has an infestation. You missed a deadline today.”

“I got a little carried away last night. I've been in bed all day.”

“But you answered the door fully dressed, like you've been up and about,” Akabayashi presses.

“I sensed you coming,” Izaya lies.

Akabayashi hums in thought, and he grins menacingly. “Ya know, I ran into Heiwajima the other day at Sunshine. He seemed really interested in who bit him and why.”

“You should tell him,” Izaya says. “If anything, it would get him off my back for a while.”

“Oh, don't act innocent. We all know who made the phone call that started everything.”

“Clearly what I want doesn't matter. You've made that abundantly clear.”

Akabayashi walks closer to the couch, and he leans closer to Izaya. “Watch yourself, kid. Just because you haven't been caught in the act yet doesn't mean we don't know you're guilty. That magic of yours will only get you so far with us.”

“If your power spans so far, you shouldn't be worried about what I did or didn't do. If you really knew I was guilty, you'd have killed me by now,” Izaya says.

“Assuming monsters like you actually have enough humanity left to die.”

“Why don't we both find out?”

They glare at each other, and Izaya can sense from Akabayashi that the executive would like nothing more than to tear him limb from limb, but he won't. It would be against Shiki's wishes, and as much as Akabayashi hates it, he has to follow orders, or he'll be next on the chopping block. He takes another step towards the couch, but before he can do or say anything, the door slams open with such force that it bangs against the wall and cracks it.

“Hello, Shizu-chan,” Izaya calls without breaking eye-contact with Akabayashi. “Entertain yourself for a moment, will you?”

“What the fuck is this?” Shizuo asks. He growls when he notices Akabayashi. “Oi! I still have questions for you, asshole!”

“I'm sure you do,” Akabayashi says, standing up straight again. He grins at Shizuo. “I can't answer 'em for you, though. Sorry about that.”

“I could always beat it out of you,” Shizuo says, cracking his knuckles. “I'm even stronger than I used to be, since you bastards made me into a monster.”

“You wouldn't get far. I'd relax, if I were you.” Akabayashi turns back to Izaya. “Get to work, brat. Shiki's only so forgiving.” With that, he turns on his heel, and goes towards the door. Shizuo makes to stop him, but Izaya lifts his hand and summons Shizuo backwards, towards the couch.

“What the fuck!” Shizuo shouts, fighting it. “Let me go!”

“Don't make me exert myself, Shizu-chan. I'm having a rough day,” Izaya says. Shizuo turns and glowers at him, but his features soften.

“What's wrong with you? Are you sick?”

“Yes.” The door opens and closes, and Izaya knows he's alone with Shizuo once more. “You didn't knock this time.”

“Didn't think I needed to. It's not like you weren't expecting me.” Shizuo leans down, scrutinizes Izaya. “You're hungover.”

“Don't read my mind,” Izaya huffs, curling into himself.

“I didn't. You reek of alcohol.”

Grumbling, Izaya summons a blanket and throws it over himself. He doesn't know if he prefers Tsukumoya's company to Shizuo's, but at the moment, he thinks he'd rather deal with the vampire. At least for a little bit.

What a messy flea. Shizuo thinks, and then he walks away from the couch. There's the sound of him sifting through the fridge, but there isn't anything for him to find. Namie had the day off, and Shinra cooked what little was available the night before.

“You might have to order out,” Izaya calls. “You have a couple of hours before sunset.”

Shizuo growls loudly, thinks something about Izaya being useless, and then pulls out his phone. Izaya stays where he is and doesn't move, enjoys the silence for a few moments before it's ultimately shattered by Shizuo, who is suddenly sitting on the couch near Izaya, but still far enough to where they're both comfortable.

“I ordered pizza,” Shizuo says, and he leans back against the couch cushions. “You should foot the bill.”

“If you wanted me to pay, you could've ordered something better,” Izaya replies.

“Nah, everywhere else would've taken too long. Pizza is fast and easy.”

Izaya watches sleepily as Shizuo picks up the remote and turns the TV on, flipping through a few channels before settling on a soap opera. It should feel weird, sitting here with Shizuo, watching a woman sob because she caught her husband having an affair, but it really doesn't feel weird at all. Maybe Izaya is too tired to feel one way or another about it, or maybe their strange mental link has done the majority of the work in making them civil towards one another. Either way, Izaya feels comfortable enough to let his guard down a little, and it's an instant relief, like setting down something immensely heavy.

“So, I don't get it. Why are you just sitting here feeling like shit when you can heal yourself easily enough?” Shizuo is still looking at the screen, but he's back to poking around in Izaya's head, whether he knows he's doing it or not.

“Shut up, Shizu-chan,” Izaya says without any real bite.

“Oh. You just want to feel bad. Seems like a stupid thing for someone who's supposed to be some kind of genius, but whatever.”

The woman on screen is confronting her husband's mistress, and it winds up in a fist fight on a balcony. Izaya snorts when the mistress is pushed off to her death. How predictable. Shizuo is scowling at the TV, but he's thinking about his shared dreams with Izaya, and also about some images he's been seeing through Izaya's side of the link. He's also thinking about Shinra, who apparently ran into Shizuo last night after his last appointment. Shinra seemed worried about Izaya.

He's a good actor. Izaya sends. He always has been.

I don't think he was acting. You look worse than you normally do.

I'm hungover, as you so aptly put it. You being in my head isn't helping me feel better.

“I'm not doing it on purpose!” Shizuo snaps, and the sudden loudness has Izaya flinching. “I don't get why it's happening either, okay? I'm only just now starting to believe it's not actually you doing it.”

Because you've seemed like such a mess ever since it started. Shizuo thinks, and Izaya grinds his teeth in frustration.

“I'm not a mess.”

“What did that guy want?” Shizuo asks, changing the subject abruptly.

“Akabayashi-san stops by from time to time to threaten me. It's a pastime for him.” Izaya is starting to feel nauseous again, so he closes his eyes and wills it to go away.

“Don't you work for him, though?”

“I don't work for anybody. I'm a freelance informant for hire, and I give the organization he's part of information when they pay me for it, same as anyone else.”

Shizuo frowns, thinks something biting about Izaya working for the Yakuza. “He seemed like he wanted to hurt you.”

“Oh, he does. They all do,” Izaya says. “They'd kill me if they could.”

Shizuo doesn't like that he has something in common with the Yakuza. He grimaces before he says, “So what? You're just too strong to die or some shit?”

“No,” Izaya replies. “I'm just too important for them do dispose of. I'm part of the reason they're as powerful as they are, and they know it, even if they hate it, even if they hate me. I'm the strongest tool in their arsenal. Killing me would be crippling themselves.”

Silence follows Izaya's words. Shizuo's mind is a whirlwind now, thinking so many things at once, all laced with rage. He doesn't like anything about what Izaya said, the way it was said so flippantly, the way Izaya doesn't seem to mind. Shizuo doesn't like that Izaya thinks of himself as a tool, as something other than human, even if it might be true. Shizuo doesn't want to think of himself as other than human, either.

Shizuo doesn't seem to do well with the truth.

“That isn't true,” Shizuo growls, no doubt in response to Izaya's thoughts. “You're a person. I'm a person. We're other things too, but whatever we are, we're human first. You said so yourself, right? You can die, you can be killed. You're human enough to die.”

“I'm telling you this once, and once only, beast,” Izaya murmurs, opening his eyes to glare at the TV as he speaks. “It would be the exact same as breaking a screwdriver, or losing your favorite toy. If I died, that would be it. They would just replace me. They want to, and they would if they could, but I'm one of the last of my kind, and I'm definitely the most powerful one left. I don't care about it, because I've always known I was only useful for what I knew and what I could do. If you're going to be hated, you damn well better be useful. That's the way it is.”

“Fuck that!” Shizuo yells, and he stands, his hands clenched into fists. “What the hell are you talking about? You think it's okay to sit here and feel sorry for yourself, like you didn't have a hand in being the hated little rat you are? You think it's just because of your magic? You're the one deciding to do the shitty things you do. People hate you. If they knew you were a witch, whatever, maybe some of them would hate you more, but it's only because they hate you already. Get the fuck over yourself.”

Izaya laughs, delighted at the outburst. Doing so hurts his head, and his vision swims. This is pitiful, isn't it? Feeling useless, being forced to lie back and swallow vomit just so no one else can ask anything more of him. If he's a tool, he's a damaged one, and every time he's human, he dulls himself a little more. If this is a game to be played, and his opponents have the winning hand, Izaya will make sure none of them win. He'll destroy himself if he has to. He'll destroy everything.

“Trust me, Shizu-chan,” he croaks, “I know they would've hated me either way. The difference between us is you're searching so hard for a place to belong, and I've accepted long ago that it doesn't exist. Now would you kindly shut the fuck up? My head hurts.”

Shizuo is seething, his breaths labored as he works to calm himself down. He wants to lift Izaya up and shake him until his head pops off. Then Shizuo wants to tear apart everything in the apartment, maybe go punch Akabayashi for good measure. He hates that he sees the reasoning in Izaya's words. He hates himself, and he hates Izaya more than anything else.

“Get out of my head,” Shizuo grits out.

“I'm trying,” Izaya says, and he leaves it at that.

They lapse back into silence, and when Shizuo flops back onto the couch, his brow is furrowed, his jaw set. It's clear he isn't going to let this go, but he at least doesn't want to be in a terrible mood before his transformation. The bloodlust is worse when he's angry. He has to keep reminding himself that Izaya is a liar, first and foremost. Izaya uses words to protect himself, and Shizuo doesn't have to, and won't, ever do the same.

“Well, isn't this cozy?” Tsukumoya's voice asks as he walks down the stairs. He's wearing a hood, covering himself from the weakening rays of sun that still shine through the windows.

“I thought you left,” Izaya calls as Shizuo whirls to growl at the vampire.

“I was going to, but I figured I'd stick around to make sure you didn't die,” Tsukumoya says. He smirks at the scene of Shizuo and Izaya sitting together almost peacefully, watching trash TV in silence. “I wondered how your nights with the puppy went. I suppose I can see for myself now.”

“Why the fuck are you here?!” Shizuo barks, and then he whirls to face Izaya. “Does he always just pop up like this?”

“Not always,” Izaya says. “He stayed the night.”

“What?”

“Relax, Heiwajima-san. Rest assured, I didn't touch him.” Tsukumoya flounces past the couch while Shizuo's face turns a variety of fun colors. “At least, not much.”

Shizuo stands from the couch, and Izaya sighs loudly.

“Don't you have anything better to do?” he asks Tsukumoya, who is still looking at Shizuo appraisingly.

“Yes, as a matter of fact, I do. I trust you won't drink yourself stupid a second night in a row?” Tsukumoya says, looking at Izaya.

“I don't have the luxury tonight,” Izaya answers.

“Right, you're puppy-sitting.”

“Do you mean me, you fucking—“ Shizuo starts, and he barrels towards Tsukumoya, who easily side-steps him.

“Make sure you eat something at some point,” Tsukumoya calls to Izaya. “That pizza will help you feel better.”

“I don't want it,” Izaya grumbles, covering his head with the blanket. He hates both of the people in his space right now, and he just wants to sleep.

You must be making a conscious effort to not heal yourself if you're still this sick over a hangover. Tsukumoya's voice sounds in Izaya's head. Is this really helping anything?

Yes. Izaya can't escape either of them, can he? They're both annoyingly perceptive and persistent. He can feel fondness radiating from Tsukumoya, but it's quickly being overshadowed by the amount of fury pouring from Shizuo, who is clearly listening to their mental conversation.

“Your pizza is here,” Tsukumoya says, and the knock comes a moment later. “Make sure he eats something, please,” he says to Shizuo, and then he vanishes before anything else can be said.

***

Shizuo scarfs down the entire pizza at breakneck speed, once or twice trying to get Izaya to accept a slice before giving up. He doesn't care if Izaya eats or not, and he doesn't care if Izaya feels sick or not. Shizuo's mood increases as he eats, and by the time he's finished, he's as mellow as he ever is while sharing a space with his mortal enemy.

Izaya, for his part, is starting to feel a little better. His stomach rumbles a bit at the scent of the pizza, but his appetite wanes at the grotesquely barbaric way Shizuo eats. It seems worse than usual, more...animalistic.

In fact...something seems off about Shizuo, even for a full moon. Maybe something happened earlier, or maybe Shizuo just went too long without eating until now, but Izaya can sense the bloodlust permeating from Shizuo like a miasma.

“Shizu-chan,” Izaya says, slowly sitting up to level his gaze at his unwanted guest. “Have you taken your potion?”

“Huh? Of course I have,” Shizuo replies. His hair is glowing from the fading rays of the sun as it descends behind the tall buildings outside.

“Have you taken it exactly as you should, the way I instructed?” Izaya asks through clenched teeth, already knowing the answer.

“Well— I drank it all a couple of days ago. I spent all day with Vorona, and I didn't want—“ Shizuo pauses at the look on Izaya's face. “What? What did I do wrong? You said to take it all before the full moon, and I did!”

“I told you to drink it every day, bit by bit, and to finish it before the full moon. The exact way you've done every month until now, because you're so pathetic in the presence of that woman that you can't follow basic fucking instructions!” Izaya snaps, and Shizuo's eyes widen.

He looks scared. Shizuo thinks, and then a beat later, Oh fuck. He's scared of me.

“Izaya, I—“ Shizuo begins, and then his hands grip his knees as his body begins to shake. The sun's rays fade at last, bathing them in twilight. “I feel...wrong.”

Izaya stands from the couch, the room spinning as he does. He's not at his full power. Even if he weren't hungover, he hasn't been eating or sleeping the way he should, buried in work as he is, and reluctant to care for himself as ever. He starts towards the stairs, in search of the healing potion he should have taken earlier, but he knows it's already far too late, as Shizuo's body is already beginning to crack and twist, and his mind is already gone, replaced by that of a true monster.

“Shizu-chan, you're such a fucking idiot,” Izaya hisses, and his sentence is barely finished before Shizuo is lunging at him, aiming for his throat.

[blrush]

If Nobleman Ryu’s Wedding was a serious drama with hour long episodes, Part 3: The Honeymoon Is Over.

Ki Wan drew back his hand. Why had he reached out to Ho Seon like that? What was he hoping to achieve? It must be the exhaustion getting the better of him – yes that was it, he was just tired. In the warm room, under the candle light, Ho Seon had looked so handsome, like a painting of a prince and Ki Wan had felt the urge to touch the painting, and check if it was real. But Ho Seon was a man of flesh and bone, who reacted, and it scared Ki Wan out of his reverie and back to reality – a reality in which he could not afford to make such careless mistakes, or let down his guard.

He stepped back and mumbled under his breath;

“I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay”, Ho Seon replied, as he brought himself to his feet. They stood apart, an awkward silence between them.

“Ah!” Ho Seon realised, “You spoke!” Ki Wan brought his hand to his mouth, he hadn’t even registered that he’d opened it!

“I’m glad.” Ho Seon smiled, “I thought you never would. I was almost wondering if you could!” He joked, relaxing them both.

Was this the right moment? Should he tell Ho Seon the truth now? The opportunity was presenting itself, he could easily use this conversation as a starting point…

“Come,” Ho Seon spoke before Ki Wan could make up his mind. “Let’s go to bed, you must be tired.”

Ki Wan looked at the bed, then back to Ho Seon.

“Not “to bed”, in that way, I mean to sleep.” Ho Seon assured him.

They were both already down to their under garments, and Ki Wan was tired enough to fall asleep as he was, even though the layers of bandage-like fabric were tight and constricting on his chest and he would rather sleep naked or in a light open robe, he thought that exposing himself was probably not the best way for Ho Seon to find out the truth.

He had never slept in the same bed as another person, and he thought it might prove uncomfortable, but he found the sound of Ho Seon’s deep breathing soothing, and drifted off peacefully, carefully curled up on his own side of the bed.

In the morning, he woke feeling properly well rested for the first time in years. He had never minded his room at home, and was always happy in his own company. But his room had been bigger, and colder, the only sound was the wind outside, whistling through the archways and halls of their empty home. He had no idea the comfort that a warm body beside you could afford. During the night, he awoke briefly, but simply watched the shape of Ho Seon’s shoulders slowly moving up and down and he was quickly lulled back to sleep.

Ho Seon was such a welcome presence, he emanated warmth and comfort. And whilst Ki Wan was still fearful of him discovering the truth, he felt a level of safety and trust already with Ho Seon. He began to truly believe, rather than simply hope, that Ho Seon would be able to accept the truth and Ki Wan’s reasons for his deception. He no longer feared any kind of violent outburst from his new husband, now - he just feared the look of disappointment that would inevitably colour Ho Seon’s normally happy face.

Apparently, even sober, Ho Seon was not easy to rise. He took an age to wake up, twisting and turning under the covers, grumbling and murmuring. Ki Wan found it exceedingly amusing, and lay happily under the warm covers for longer than he should – watching Ho Seon. Ho Seon eventually turned to face him, at first seemingly a little taken aback by another person in his bed, but then registered it was his wife and smiled – toothlessly, his eyes closing.

“Goooggmrrning” He mumbled. Then he opened his eyes, sparkling with mischief, and added in an overly formal tone “My wife.”

“Mmm morning” Ki Wan responded, muffling his voice beneath the covers.

Ho Seon smiled and gave a prompting nod. Ki Wan rolled his eyes.

“Husband” he added quietly. This seemed to please Ho Seon to no end and he smiled ear to ear, giving an enormous yawn and stretch before beginning to get up.

~ ~ ~

The next few weeks of married life passed like a blissful dream. Ho Seon spent most of his days studying, or tending to administrative work, whilst Ki Wan kept his mother-in-law company, doing housework or tending to the garden. Some days, Ho Seon would come out to the courtyard and set up his desk outside on the balcony. Ki Wan suspected he didn’t like to feel excluded from any possible fun they may be having.

Ki Wan found himself settling into a routine of family life, and he and Ho Seon would bid each other goodnight and good morning as spouses, but it felt more like they were children playing house. They both avoided touching one another, and Ki Wan still avoided speaking as much as possible without seeming rude. Though he began to relax, particularly around his mother in-law, who had insisted he call her ‘mother’, which at first Ki Wan found difficult as it made him sad to think of his own loss, but he eventually complied and it only added to the happy-family delusion. She didn’t seem to notice or mind his voice. In fact, she complimented him on it once, and requested that Ki Wan should read to her sometimes – a request that Ki Wan happily complied with, as he missed reading and studying, things which he used to enjoy so much in his old student life before his mother passed away.

One evening Ho Seon passed comment as they were getting ready for bed. Ho Seon was sitting on the bed, cross legged, expectantly, like a child would.

“How come you read to my mother, but you never read to me?” He pouted.

“You can read.” Ki Wan responded.

“Pleeasssse,” Ho Seon whined, “Won’t you read me a bedtime story? Pleeeaase? Wife?”

Ki Wan stifled his laughter, and threw a pillow at Ho Seon in lieu of a proper response.

Their comfortable pantomime as a married couple became second-nature, and Ki Wan almost forgot about the graveness of his circumstances. He knew deep-down this illusion couldn’t last forever, but he couldn’t bring himself to be the one to shatter it.  Their bubble was burst before long, not by either of them, but in the form of an unexpected visitor.

~ ~ ~

Ki Wan often bathed at the house, where they had a big warm tub which the maid would fill for him, and that Ho Seon would use after him. But his fear that the maid may walk back in at any moment, or that Ho Seon himself might barge in unknowingly meant that bath-time became more stressful than relaxing, and he could never really clean his body properly as the tub was too small and he spent most of the time trying to hide his naked body under the water. Walking one day near the river, his mother in-law pointed out a gorge where she said there was a natural spring that people could bathe in.

“I used to take Ho Seon down here when he was little.” She reminisced, “He used to love splashing around – he was so chubby as a baby! Aiiguuu, you will have such cute babies!”

The topic of children did seem to come up an awful lot with his mother-in-law, though Ki Wan normally brushed it off by acting coy and shy about the topic of baby-making. She never pushed him about it or asked intrusive questions about the physical side of their marriage, but she did always manage to slide babies into the conversation.

One morning, Ho Seon announced that he had to go into town on some business, and would take a few hours – whilst his mother-in-law felt poorly and said she would be staying in bed to rest. After helping her into bed, and reading to her until she fell sleep, Ki Wan felt a sudden rush of freedom and relief – he was alone! He immediately rushed back to the bridal house, collected clean undergarments, and headed out for the spring. He left a note beside his mother-in-law’s bedside, lest she wake and panic – or worse, come to find him.

Amongst the rocks and foliage, the spring looked tranquil and inviting. He carefully made his way amongst the trees, down the steep incline. He removed his clothing, and waded in. The water was cold but refreshing, and he dunked his head right under. Relief and calm enveloped him under the surface. He floated around happily, washing himself and swimming, revelling in the peace and quiet.

He knew he should get out soon, as his fingertips were beginning to wrinkle, and his mother-in-law was sure to wake eventually, but he was so relaxed he didn’t want to leave.

Giving his hair a final rinse, he dragged his fingers through a knot at the end and turned to where he had left his clothes on the rocks. He yelped with fright, a man was standing above the rocks looking down at him. He lowered himself further under the water, covering his chest completely.

He could only make out a silhouette, a tall frame, an adorned hat – a government official.

He dared not move, he could barely breathe. He had let his guard down for the first time in over a month, and this is what had come of it! The man began to move, and at first Ki Wan thought he was going to come further down the rocks to the pool, but instead – thankfully – the man turned and made his way back up to toward the road. There was no way of knowing how long he had been standing there. Had he been watching? How much could he see from up there? Had he simply wanted to use the spring, seen a young man bathing, and left? Or had he seen a woman in a state of immodesty? Either way, Ki Wan told himself that the man was a stranger so what should it matter to him?

But what should he do? Grab his clothes and head the opposite direction? But he didn’t know his way around the woods outside the property that well, he really only knew the way back to the Ryu house along the road. No, he would have to stay in the pool longer and hope the man left. But there was no way of knowing how long that would be. He sat in indecision until he could bare the cold no longer. Shivering he clambered out of the spring and put on his dress. Struggling and rushing, his clothes were now damp and he felt uncomfortable. But the afternoon sun had moved beyond trees and he was beginning to freeze in the woods. He would have to head home and hope the man had left the road. He tied back his wet hair and set off.

Upon arriving home, Ki Wan went directly to visit his mother-in-law, who was sitting up in bed, sipping some tea.

“Ahhh, my daughter, come sit beside me.”

“Eomeoni, how are you feeling?”

“Fine, I’m fine. I hate wasting away the day in bed. It makes me feel like an old lady!”

Ki Wan cracked a smile. “Oh? But you don’t look a day over twenty-five!”

“YA!” She half shouted, half laughed. “Rude girl! I was a real beauty in my day you know!”

Just then the maid knocked on the door and entered.

“Ma’am, there is an officer here to see the young master. He has been waiting a little while near the stables. I didn’t want to disturb you, and I wasn’t sure where the young madam was. I told him that Ho Seon was away in town, but he said he could wait. Shall I put him in the guest room, or offer him some tea?”

“Ughhh” she harrumphed, “I’m not in the mood to see some stuffy old court official today. He can just wait for Ho Seon, he should be back soon.”

“With all due respect Ma’am, he does seem very high-ranking. And he is not so stuffy or old… he’s actually quite handsome.” She giggled and looked toward Ki Wan for some sisterly affirmation.

“Very well. Hwa Jin, since you are now the lady of the house, why don’t you go and tend to him. Just serve him some tea and make a bit of small talk until Ho Seon gets back. Oh, and then let me know how handsome he is” she winked.

Ki Wan tried to force a smile as he rose, but his heart was sinking. What if it was the man from the spring? It had to be, what other official would be out on that road coincidentally? He began following the maid toward the stables to collect the gentleman.

Perhaps he had not seen Ki Wan’s face? Who was to say he would make the connection that the person he had seen in the pool was Ki Wan? He had to calm himself down!

As they approached the stables, where the official was tending to his horse, Ki Wan was sure it was the same man. The same broad stature, the same high-ranking hat. He turned when he noticed them, he was – as the maid had claimed – young and very handsome. The maid introduced Ki Wan formally.

“Sir, may I introduce the Lady Ryu Hwa Jin, wife of Ryu Ho Seon. She will see to you whilst you await Master Ryu’s return.”

“Pleasure to meet you. My name is Kim Tae Hyung, Head of the Department of Justice.”

The maid gave a bow, and shuffled away, leaving Ki Wan quaking with fear.

Ki Wan gave a polite bow, then turned for Tae Hyung to follow him through the courtyard. Ki Wan kept his head low and turned away from the man, silently praying for Ho Seon’s speedy return.

Ki wan showed Tae Hyung to the guest room, a simple room with a large reception area and a small alcove for bedding to the side. They rarely used it, but it was the most appropriate space for the man to be received, and for him to meet with Ho Seon if it were for business. Tae Hyung sat down at the table, and Ki Wan waited silently at the door for the maid to bring tea. Ki Wan was on edge, waiting for the man to speak. But he sat quietly, and Ki Wan continued to stare at his own feet.

Finally, the maid arrived with a tray of tea, which she placed on the table before leaving again. Ki Wan took a deep breath to steady himself, then went about serving the tea. He focused on his hands, looking down at the table, he poured two cups and handed one politely to the gentleman. As he did so, their hand touched, and Ki Wan wondered if it had been intentional on Tae Hyung’s part – as if he was trying to incite some sort of a reaction from Ki Wan – the kind of small gesture that might fluster a particularly prudish, gentle, or chaste young lady. Ki Wan made no reaction, and sipped his own tea. Then he sat back on his heels, placed his hands in his lap and waited. All the while, repeating the same mantra in his mind; ‘Ho Seon come back. Ho Seon come back. Ho Seon come back…’

“Unseasonably cold today wouldn’t you agree Lady Ryu?”

Ki Wan nodded.

“A bit cold for a swim, wouldn’t you agree?”

He knew.

Ki Wan was petrified, unmoving. What had he seen? There was something sinister behind his light tone. Ki Wan was sure he knew.

Tae Hyung placed his cup down on the table and leant forward. He brought his hand up to Ki Wan’s face, grabbed his chin and forced Ki Wan to look up at him.

Ki Wan could feel himself losing control of his fear, his neck and ears felt flushed, he was gritting his teeth so hard it was nearly audible, and he could feel tears beginning to well in his eyes. This was it, he was finished. This was not his kind husband finding out the truth, this was a powerful military man who probably had deeply strict Confucius values.

He examined Ki Wan’s face carefully, and looked almost pleased with himself.

“Hmmm… utterly convincing. But how odd. What’s a pretty young boy like you doing parading around as a noble woman?” He sounded amused, like this was all a fun game. Ki Wan was gripping his skirt tightly, and felt bile rising up in his throat.

Just then, Ki Wan heard the sound of approaching footsteps in the courtyard, and Tae Hyung calmly pulled his hand away – like he wasn’t at all bothered by the thought of being caught touching another man’s wife. Ki wan had never met someone so self-assured in their own sense of power.

Ki Wan heard Ho Seon enter the room from behind him.

“Ah! Kim Tae Hyung! I wasn’t expecting you. Sorry I had business in town. How have you been?” He sat himself down beside Ki Wan, and began to pour himself some tea.

“I’m well, thank you. I’ve been travelling the country on some royal errands. I heard you were getting married, I was so sorry I couldn’t attend.”

“Ahh, not to worry!” Ho Seon responded brightly, “It was a small wedding, just family really.”

Ho Seon’s exuberance and cheerful voice, which Ki Wan usually found so comforting, was like the sound of grinding metal in its contrast to Ki Wan’s mood and the tension of the room. Ki Wan was still fraught with anxiety and fear and felt like he was suffocating.

“I never pegged you as the marrying type” Tae Hyung began, “What changed?”

“My mother’s getting older, I guess she wanted a daughter to keep her company, and she was determined to see me settle down and have a family.”

“Oh?” Tae Hyung looked amused over his cup of tea, “Any luck so far?”

“Tae Hyung!” Ho Seon chastised half-heartedly. It was clear to Ki Wan that they were old friends, perhaps from school, Ho Seon’s easy manner and informal speech made that obvious. But Tae Hyung was fishing for information, trying to figure out if Ho Seon knew his wife’s secret – but his subtle jibes at Ki Wan were going completely unnoticed by Ho Seon.

“Tell me, where did you find such a beauty? I’ve never met another woman like her.” He looked directly at Ki Wan, with a smirk that, to Ho Seon, must have seemed like flirting – but to Ki Wan felt more like a threat.

Ho Seon followed Tae Hyung’s gaze, and for the first time since entering the room, finally looked at his wife. His smile quickly faded.

“Hwa Jin! Are you okay?” He sat up to attention. He reached across her skirts, and put his hands over Ki Wan’s. “You’re freezing!” He held Ki Wan’s hands tighter and gave them a squeeze.

“I believe your wife went for a dip in the nearby spring whilst you were out.”

Ho Seon lifted a hand to the back of Ki Wan’s neck, checking the temperature of his skin, he touched Ki Wan’s hair.

“You’re soaking wet!” He sounded genuinely concerned. But Ki Wan had barely noticed the damp seeping through his clothes. He was shivering from nerves not the cold.

“Hwa Jin, why don’t you go and get changed and get warm. I will get the maid to bring you some dinner.” He gave Ki Wan’s hands another squeeze, and prompted her to get up.

Ki Wan wandering aimlessly back to their bridal house as night began to fall around him. Should he have left Ho Seon alone with Tae Hyung, what if he told him the truth? What were Tae Hyung’s intentions? What was Ki Wan’s plan? He needed a plan. But he couldn’t think. He was still reeling from the shock of his encounter with Tae Hyung and as the night fell and the temperature dropped, he did begin to deeply feel the cold of his damp clothes.

He arrived back at their room, where he quickly tended to the fire under the house. Inside he lit a candle and began undressing. He hung up his wet dress and put on new under-dress. He was still freezing. He began to put on all the jackets and outwear he could find, then got under the covers of the bed.

Maybe he should leave? Run away into the night. What if Tae Hyung had him arrested, as a fraud or a pervert? What if he turned Ho Seon against him? But where would he go? Run away into the woods to starve or freeze to death? Before he could think of a plan, his eyes became heavy and he submitted to sleep.

He was awoken by Ho Seon gently shaking his shoulder.

“Hwa Jin. Hwa Jin. Wake up, have something to eat.”

At first Ki Wan thought it was morning, but the room was still dark and Ho Seon was still dressed.

“There’s some dinner here for you, you should eat something.”

Ki Wan begrudgingly sat up, his neck felt stiff and he was sweating under too many layers of clothing.

“Why are you wearing all my clothes?” Ho Seon laughed.

“I was cold.” Ki Wan drowsily answered.

“Mmhm”. Ho Seon nodded. He seemed himself. Not angry or scared. Tae Hyung must not have told him. Somehow, that make Ki Wan more unsettled. If he was keeping Ki Wan’s secret, was he planning on using it against him? A high-up military man, he could easily be the type of person to collect people’s secrets and use them to his advantage. This was Ki Wan’s crossroads, the illusion he had created for himself was finally shattered and he would have to make a decision. He would have to tell Ho Seon the truth.

Ki Wan starting shaking off the layers of jackets he was wearing, leaving a trial of clothes behind him on the floor as he went to join Ho Seon at the table.

“Wait.” Ho Seon stood up. Ki Wan froze. Ho Seon began approaching him.

“Your hair is still wet.” He said. Ki Wan sighed in relief.

“Oh.” He was still so drowsy, his limps felt heavy. He felt back to his wet bun – no wonder he had been so cold. He took out the pin and untied the ribbons. He rummaged around the dresser for a brush.

“Come here” Ho Seon plied, “You really need to eat something, you’re already so skinny – how can you go all day without eating. Mother said you were out half the day.”

Ki Wan sat down in front of the table and let Ho Seon take the brush from him. He slowly started picking at the food, but could barely stomach anything.

Ho Seon sat behind him, and began slowly brushing out his hair. It was a nice feeling. And Ki Wan almost began to fall asleep again.

“Tae Hyung spoke to me.” Ho Seon began softly. Ki Wan snapped back to attention, his heart hammering in his chest.

“Mmm?”

“He has a position for me in his department. He wants me to take it, and move to the capital.”

Ki Wan tried not to react. Ho Seon attentively kept brushing his hair, in long careful strokes down his back.

“Oh?”

“I told him I couldn’t take it. That my mother is too sick, and that you are just getting used to life here. But he said it was “of national importance”. I think things in the court are bad. He says he needs “allies”, whatever that means. I don’t want to go. I hate all the politics of court and I am perfectly happy living here. But he can be…. well, he is a difficult man to refuse – he’s powerful and … he said that it was really more of an order than a request.” He sighed.

“He said you would come with me of course, that we would be given housing at court. I am just sorry that you will have to move again. You just got settled here, and I don’t know what my mother will do without us – but she can’t make that journey she’s far too frail…”

He was rambling now, caught up in the rhythmic task of brushing Ki Wan’s hair, he was letting his own anxieties come tumbling out in a string of thoughts and apologies. Ki Wan had not seen him this anxious since their wedding night. He lifted a hand to stop the brush in Ho Seon’s hand, and turned to face him, their knees touching slightly.

Ki Wan had grown to love this space, their evenings together. In this candlelit cave that was theirs, where it was quiet and just the two of them. He knew he was about to ruin that forever.

Ki Wan took a deep breath.

“Ho Seon. I have something to tell you.”

TBC (Other parts here)

Authors Notes:

Yeah, sorry, trigger warning I guess? I made Tae Hyung a creep for added drama, cause every good Joseon drama has to have an evil antagonist.

And I hope you enjoyed my blatant references; to a certain natural spring in cloud recess and a little hair brushing reference to the gayest scene to ever pass chinese censorship. 

Hope you enjoyed!

[strayinvelvet]

tight-lipped

There’s a long list of stupid things one could do when in love and that includes hiding the stupid emotion even after five years.

↳ pairing: han jisung x reader

↳ genre: mostly fluff with teeny tiny sprinkle of angst

↳ wc: 3.1k

↳ warning: swearing

“Making it to the president’s list really does have its perks, huh? I mean come on, it’s only our first day of but the professor already knows you.”

You could only laugh at your friend’s remarks. Your friend, Hyunjin, continued rambling on how the university favors that damn list so much and how you should share its perks – all while walking and not looking at a single thing in the hallway. 

“You should probably look at where you are walking, Hyunjin,” you said without looking at him. 

Your eyes lit up upon the sight of the vending machine in the corner of the hallway just before the stairs. You took it as a sign for you to take your daily coffee. You stopped in front of it, with Hyunjin following you, and fed it coins then pressed the button for your favorite can of coffee. “Coffee again? We don’t even have that much work yet?” You claimed your coffee, opening it before turning to Hyunjin. “You know I can’t function without it.” You said before smelling the strong scent of coffee, feeling like it was the perfect blend of coffee beans to wake up your sleepy soul. You took a sip and instantly, you were more alert than before. 

“Whatever you say.” Hyunjin rolled his eyes at your actions. Truly, he has never seen anyone act like that once they get their hands on coffee. The two of you continued walking through the hallway with Hyunjin greeting some people on the way. Social butterfly, that is what he is. You snorted at him once he was done waving to the latest. “Are you running for a seat or something?” you asked him as you took the last sip of your coffee. “That’s called being friendly, y/n. Try it sometimes, you know. Without that scary looking face.” You almost threw the empty can to his face but you just rolled your eyes and nudged his arm with your elbow which he quickly dodged. He has memorized your actions throughout the two years he has known you. 

The both of you were out of the building when Hyunjin suddenly remembered his new schedule. “Oh I have another class in a bit,” grunting at the fact that his classes are basically one after another this semester. “I don’t. Bye.” You stuck your tongue out at him then ran off to the opposite side of where his building is. Hyunjin only laughed at your back before turning around and walking to his building. 

You have been walking for a long time when you realized that you don’t know where you are going. You stopped on your tracks and looked around. When you spotted a bench across where you are standing, you decided to approach it and sat down. You dropped your bag beside you and took a good look at your surroundings. 

The day was good. Too good for your liking. The sun is shining perfectly, it was neither too bright nor too dull, yet it was blinding your eye. The leaves were colored auburn with streaks of yellow and faint accents of green. They were dancing to the slow yet smooth rhythms of the wind. It was so smooth that it almost demanded to be felt. You tightened your coat, rejecting the wind’s request of touch. It was when an orange leaf fell on your lap did you release a sad smile.

It was autumn. The season you hated the most. The season which makes your heart melancholic like it was being brought back to the time you wanted so hard to burn in your memories. You touched the leaf, feeling its rough surface. You didn’t want to but as the leaf made crisp sounds as a response to your touch, you suddenly found yourself reminiscing the memory of a man you wish to forget. 

“Han Jisung!”

Your rowdy classmate shouted across the room, trying to gain the boy’s attention. His eyes, however, are busy staring at your figure. That same classmate ran out of patience, approached Jisung and slapped his hand on Jisung’s desk. “Come on, man. We’re going to play some games.” Jisung looked up in annoyance and shoved the man away, “Go by yourselves Felix. I’m busy.” He tried to return his gaze to you but it wasn’t too long when Felix interrupted him again.

“Busy what? Daydreaming about y/n?” Series of teasing cheers can soon be heard all over the room and Jisung couldn’t help but smile shyly. “Am I that obvious?” Jisung asked curiously. “Obvious my ass. Everyone practically knows,” Felix slapped the other boy’s shoulder. The moment his gaze landed back to your seat, you were gone. Jisung hurriedly packed his stuff and went towards the door, trying to catch up with you.

Han Jisung was a transferee in ninth grade but he was able to make friends almost immediately. He was this aloof, outgoing guy who always makes jokes and gets along with everyone. Heck, he was able to befriend the whole classroom two days after his transfer, and the whole batch a month in his stay. So you really didn’t know why, out of all people he managed to be friends with, it is you who he decided to annoy every single day. 

It was lunch time, a week after his transfer, when he approached you the first time. He waved and did not say anything at all. You thought he was weird but you ended up smiling slightly before exiting the room for lunch. It was that same lunch time when he approached your table then asked you and your friends if he can sit beside you. You were questioning his whole personality at that point. 

What is wrong with this guy? You didn’t want to say yes but that would surely make you look rude. But then again, you didn’t care. Before you were able to say no, he was pulled by your other classmate Felix. Your eyes followed their backs but Jisung’s eyes were still looking your way. You decided to just shrug it off, thinking the weird interaction would end there. Boy, you were wrong.

Jisung wasn’t sitting beside you in class but one morning, you found him sitting at the seat to your right. You took your seat and placed your bag under your desk when he spoke, “Hi y/n.” you looked at him and he was smiling so widely. His head was propped on his palms. You furrowed your brows, confused as to why this new guy is trying to make a conversation with you. “Uhm... hi? You ate something weird this morning?” 

You thought Jisung’s smile couldn’t go any wider but it just did. “No. No, I didn’t. Uhm… Did you… Do you… How do you like your eggs cooked?” All you could do was mentally say hah? with your mouth opened as if you said it vocally. 

Meanwhile, Jisung mentally slapped himself for coming up with a stupid question. That was all he could get from his brain which went rambles just because you asked him if he had eaten anything for breakfast. Maybe that is not the exact question but it’s getting there. He was about to clear himself up from the embarrassment when the teacher entered the room. “Talk to you later.” He stood up and went to his original seat, motioning for the guy who was originally seated to your right to go back. All you could think of was please don’t.

The next morning, you found the same scene. Jisung seating at the seat to your right. Then, he will flood you questions of how was your sleep, did you eat breakfast yet, and many more.

The next morning, it was still like that.

And the next.

And the next.

Soon, you found yourself being greeted every morning with a smiley Jisung. Your replies were never long enough for a long conversation but he somehow managed to find topics to ask you more questions. Often times you were subtly hinting that you want to brush him off but he doesn’t seem to notice. The attempts to push him off always dissolve in thin air so finally, you just let him be. Maybe it was his way of making friends. 

You didn’t notice yourself expecting a Han Jisung by your seat until one morning, he wasn’t there. You scanned the room and saw him writing furiously in his seat, frequently looking at Felix’s paper who was also writing before copying what he saw onto his paper. 

“Felix I can’t understand your handwriting.”

“You’re not in the position to complain.”

“Just move your tiny hands.”

Ah, he was doing his homework that the three forgot to do the night before. Jisung was trying his best to finish his damn homework as fast as possible. He still has something important to do. Good thing it was just five items. Five minutes before the first class, he was finally done. He shoved his paper to Felix and Seungmin who still weren’t, slammed his pen on the table then rushed to your seat. You looked up from your phone and saw him grinning, breathing slightly faster than normal. “I’m done with my homework. How was your sleep?” 

That’s it. The moment he was waiting for. He had managed to make you crack a smile while saying, “Stupid.” His smile only growing wider in response.

Annoying you in the mornings apparently wasn’t enough for him. You decided to kill time after class in the library before you go home because you are 100% sure you’ll accept your bed’s tempting invitation. Your book was sprawled in front of you. Your headphones separating you from the rest of the world. Your feet was resting on top of the seat across you. You were focused on your assignment when the seat across you were pulled making you curse out loud. You removed your earphones and said sorry multiple times to the people around you. You looked hardly at Jisung: the boy behind the act. He was grinning, as always. “Sorry.” He said holding up a peace sign. He sat down and asked you “Why are you still here?” to which you only replied, “What do you want?”

He only blinked at you. You blinked back. “You’re not going home?”

“Later,” you replied shortly before going back to your work.

“Later? It’s eight?” You shot your head up at him. He was showing his phone which says it’s almost eight in the evening. You looked outside and realized it has already gotten dark. You immediately fixed your stuff and muttered a soft thank you before bolting through the door. Jisung quickly got up from his seat and caught up to you. “What’s wrong?” the both of you were walking-running out of the school grounds. “My next bus is at eight.” You said while huffing. You felt your hands being covered in warmth and then suddenly, you were running with Jisung leading you. 

Both of you were panting when you reached the bus stop. Unfortunately, it was fifteen minutes past eight. Jisung sat down while huffing, you following him not soon after. Once you have regained your breath, you faced Jisung. “Sorry for making you run for nothing.” Jisung looked at you, smiled, before sitting up straight. “When’s the next one?” 

“8:45”

“Oh. That’s only about 30 minutes,” he said after looking at his phone.

“You’re going to wait?”

“Yes.” He said giddily.

“Do you ride the same bus?”

“No.”

“When’s your bus?”

“9:00” 

You silently said oh, realizing you assumed wrongly. 

Silence fell soon as the both of you were too tired to talk until a question popped up in your head. “What were you doing in school at this hour?” He looked at you. “I was… uhm… I fell asleep.” He grinned widely. “Are you trying to befriend me?” You asked the question you were meaning to ask him for a while now. Jisung only looked at you for a while before answering, “can I?” It was now your turn to stare at him. “Who asks people for friendship permission these days?” You mumbled before looking away. However, Jisung heard it and laughed lightly. 

The whole course of waiting, you realized Jisung is the type of man who never runs out of something to say. His brain must be working fast, you concluded. He would tell a story. You would laugh and then tell your own version. You didn’t notice the time fly so when your bus arrived, you were partly sad now that you will be alone again in silence. You stood up and only waved him a goodbye before running up to your bus. Jisung watched you with a smile on his face, watching as the bus drove out of his sight before he waited for a couple of minutes for his bus.

Days passed and you found yourself spending more time with Jisung or more like Jisung annoying the heck out of you. Apart from the morning talks and library rendezvous, Jisung started walking you to the bus stop. Sometimes he would say he saw on the way or he forgot to return something but most of the time, he just “hi” his way to walking you. He had also started joining you at lunch whenever your other friends were busy due to your schedule difference. Sometimes he would take something from your food then stuck his tongue out before devouring it. Sometimes you just want the soil to devour his whole existence. Most of the time you just want to slap him. When he failed to get your attention, he would throw a piece of paper at you. And you, in return, would throw him a much bigger piece of paper and he would end up laughing and getting his ass beaten by the teacher. It was your turn to stick your tongue at him. 

It wasn’t really annoying if you think about it. It is just that you are easily annoyed and Jisung knew that better. So he continued annoying you in every little things until he was able to finally make you lose your cool.

It was the last day of ninth grade. Some were goofing around while some were decorating the room including Jisung, celebrating the end of the year. You were just in the corner waiting for your diploma, watching at how stupid your classmates look like. Boredom got into you so you decided to visit Luna, your other friend, in the other classroom. You stood up, about to exit the door when a snap of a scissor made you stop. You turned around and saw Jisung holding one with Felix and Seungmin at his back, the three of them frozen. You followed jisung’s gaze and noticed one side of your hair was shorter than the rest. He had accidentally cut a part of your hair to shoulder length.

You didn’t know if you were going to be furious or mad. It froze you as well, of course. Felix expected you to scream. Seungmin expected you to storm out. While Jisung -

“What the fuck?” 

- expected you to say just that. The only thing he could mutter was “So-sorry.” You did storm out, Jisung following you after. You were walking fast when he grabbed your arm and made you face him. “Look, I am really really sorry. We were playing around and I saw you coming and I was about to use you as my shield from them but then…” He touched the hair he accidentally cut but you slapped his hand away. “I can accompany you to the salon.” He tried to offer as an act of apology. “I don’t want to be with you, though,” you turned around and continued walking to your friend’s classroom.

The day ended and you were walking to your bus stop alone this time. Your hair was tied behind your back by Luna who lend you her hairtie. Your head was hung low the whole time until you reached the bus stop and heard a familiar voice. 

“Y/N I am really sorry.” Jisung said the moment he saw your figure.

“Stop it now.” You said without looking at him, sitting at the far end of the bench under the stop. 

“I really have time today and I hope you do as well so I can accompany you to the salon. I’ll even pay-”

“Can I just ask why do you like bothering me so much?” you finally looked at him and cut him off his words. “It’s not just about the hair. You are literally sticking to my side ever since you moved here. You aren’t even like this to Felix or Seungmin. You appear everywhere I go like a mushroom. Seriously? Is it because of my so-called reputation?”

Taken aback, he looked at you with softness in his eyes. You couldn’t read what he was thinking and you were thankful that you couldn’t because the next words he said stunned you.

“I just.. I just like you.”

A leaf which fell exactly a centimeter away from your face snapped you out of your thoughts. How funny. You managed to memorize every single detail even if it was years ago. Years. All those years that passed since you left, you thought you have moved on. You thought wrong. You have tried different ways for your mind to not drift off to that man. But you couldn’t deny the butterflies it gave you whenever his annoying ass would appear in your thoughts. You could only laugh at how pathetic your situation looks like. You thought you were desperate to forget about him but maybe you weren’t desperate enough to burn the effects he had on you. 

Out of nowhere, you felt the same butterfly that made you nervous. You stopped in your tracks when you realized what made them fly again. A laugh. You can hear steps approaching you accompanied by a laugh that was too familiar. A laugh that sounded so melodic and made you smile even if there was nothing to smile at. A laugh that you weren’t sure if you were ready to hear yet. 

Fear and panic enveloped your body. You immediately dropped the leaf you were holding and grabbed your bag ready to leave until a familiar face was directly in front of you. 

The butterflies intensified; your heart skipped a few beats.

 The wind brushed past the both of you, sending you shivers.

But the only thing you felt was warmth.

The warmth that was Han Jisung.

[alyasgf]

Reveals?

Part 5 of Everything’s Gonna Be Okay || Masterlist

Word Count- 2615

AO3

Notes- Crazy how I’ve had this chapter drafted for the longest. I went through a spout of hating all of my writing so I wasn’t really motivated. I pretty much just wrote Alyanette until I felt confident enough to continue this so,, yay here we are a couple months later, sorry for the wait.

Begin

She’d never say it aloud, but she adored her partner. She admired him for his optimism, loyalty, and how stupidly brave he could be during battles.

As she detransformed on her bed her mind also wandered to Adrien. It did that a lot recently, flipping back and forth between both blonde boys. It confused her heart, but still she knew it belonged to Adrien, as it always had, as it always would. With his soft laughs and softer smiles, Marinette couldn’t believe she was lucky enough to have him.

She laid there, staring up dreamily toward the night sky and holding her hands to her heart until a shadow obscured her view.

She heard a small knock and smiled. Did this stray ever go home?

She opened her sky light and stuck her head out.

“To what do I owe the pleasure savior of Paris?”

In the dim moonlight she could see Chat’s eyes crinkle as he smiled.

“I request your company, and perhaps some sustenance?” He said in an overly formal tone as he kneeled before her.

She laughed before inviting him in.

As he climbed down into her room she could see the glow in his eyes. Something about him was different, he seemed happier.

Most of the times that he would come Marinette could see a lonely sad look break through when he thought she wasn’t looking. It’s not that she minded of course, if she could be a form of comfort for Chat like he was for her she’d take it in a heartbeat.

“I have some chocolate pastries here, although they aren’t too fresh.” She offered him as he crossed the room over to her desktop. She didn’t normally make a habit of keeping food in her room, but Tikki had been snacking. Hopefully she wouldn’t mind too much if Chat stole a few.

“Sounds great Marinette.” He called over his shoulder as he sat in her desk chair and sat in front of her computer.

“What do you say we find some two player game on here and- oh.” Chat stopped mid-sentence and Marinette turned around from grabbing a pastry to see what had happened.

Apparently she forgot to close out the folder of Adrien’s ad photos she had saved on her computer.

She turned bright red as she ran over to the computer and quickly closed it out.

“That’s uh... research! Yeah research on some Gabriel designs!” She lied, facing her back towards Chat so he wouldn’t notice the blush now spreading down her neck.

“Right, well if it were research on Gabriel designs, why only have pictures of Adrien? Other models wear Gabriel brand clothes.” She could practically hear the teasing smirk on his face.

She turned to wack him softly on the shoulder. “Keep on this topic and I’ll make you watch me eat the pastries right here!” She threatened.

Chat held his hands up in mock surrender. “Woah so sorry Adrien Agreste fan #1.” He teased again.

In response Marinette took a large bite out of the pastry she had planned to give him. She made sure to make a show of it, with accompanying sound effects and an exaggerated sigh after she finished chewing.

“Marinette you wound me!” Chat whined, crossing his arms in a dramatic childlike fashion.

Marinette stopped to think about how adorable his pout was before she laughed and went to grab the second pastry.

“Test me again and there will be no more sweets when you come over.” She bluffed.

Chat practically snatched the snack from her hands.

“Then I’d have no reason to come back.” He said through a stuffed mouth.

“No, I think you enjoy my company too much.” She gloated before pulling up a chair beside him. “Now what game did you want to play?”

They spent the next two hours playing fireboy and watergirl, where Marinette was shocked to find they made an incredible team.

——————————————

The akuma was hard, there was no denying that. The akuma called itself Obedience. Anyone struck with its ray was forced to do what ever it said, as though playing a game of simon says with dire stakes.

Marinette regretted staying up so late with Chat the night before. How he managed to have the amount of energy he did was astounding.

Chat had already used his cataclysm and Ladybug had used her lucky charm to set up a trap, all they had to do was lead Obedience into it.

Unfortunately, they needed to charge up before that, seeing as the beeping of their miraculous was giving its final warning before it was going to give up.

They landed on a distant building and de-transformed behind opposite sides of a pillar.

“M’lady do you have any extra snacks? Plagg ate up all his cheese before the battle and I didn’t have time to restock.” Chat called from the other side of the stone divider.

Ladybug giggled. “Looks like you need to learn how to control your friend Chaton. Here.” She reached out with a macaroon for Chat to take.

Her curiosity got the best of her and she couldn’t help but admire his hand as he reached over to take the sweet.

Soft and flawless, other than the messy blue nail polish that glowed in the sunlight. At first she didn’t think anything of it.

“Going for a new look kitty?” She asked lightheartedly as Tikki refueled.

“What? Oh you mean my nails. Well, I had someone paint them for me yesterday and I guess I distracted them too much and they made a mess.” He replied absentmindedly.

Wheels began to turn in Marinette’s brain, but unsure as to why, she didn’t try to make them stop.

“Oh, someone painted them? They look cute, did someone finally take in this alley cat?”

“For someone who hates puns, you really do use a lot of cat related metaphors toward me bug. And as a matter of fact I do, and she’s my girlfriend.” He bragged. “Plagg claws out!”

Ladybug transformed as well and was going to make a joke before a few dot connected before her. Messy blue nails. A girlfriend who painted them the day before. That nail polish looked all too familiar. She tried to push it down, but the dots were already connected.

Suddenly she flashed back to Chat Noir seeing her folder of Adrien photos last night and she felt sick to her stomach.

“Hey bug? You ready to kick this akuma Chat style?”

Ladybug snapped out of her trance. Even if everything that she just thought of was true, there was still an enemy to defeat. She could fully panic later.

“I think you mean Ladybug style. Now let’s go.”

They only just managed to get to the Eiffel Tower before they heard her again.

“Where are you Ladybug and Chat Noir? Don’t you know good children come when they’re called?” Obedience sang from a few streets over.

Chat strode over to lure her to the trap.

“Well maybe this kitty needs to be put in time out.” He replied leaning on his baton juvenilely.

“Oh no sweet boy, bad children must be taught better!” She pointed cane at him and an array of vegetables began to shoot out at him.

“Oh no! I’m afraid already perfectly healthy ma’am!” He leapt and dodged as he lead her straight to Ladybug.

As he turned the corner, there she stood, hands defiantly on her hips a couple of feet away. He scampered around a very large pool of a certain substance that was hardly noticeable unless you knew what you were looking for.

He took his side beside his lady as Obedience followed behind him.

“I’ve got you now tomcat!” Obedience turned the corner too fast and slipped straight into the street filled with a ridiculous amount of oil.

She screamed as she slid, and in her fall her cane flew from her fingers. It’s momentum led it straight toward them. Ladybug stopped it with the bottom of her shoe, and stomped on it with a satisfied grin.

Once she let the akuma go and threw the now empty bottle of oil to reverse the effects of the akuma, she turned to Chat.

“Pound it!” She said it with her usual confidence, but Chat could see something else lingering in her eyes.

But he was supposed to be practicing piano at the moment so he didn’t exactly have too much time to question her about it.

“Pound it.” He replied, touching his fist to hers.

————————-

“Tikki spots off.”

Ladybug de-transformed in her room and immediately began pacing.

“Crap crap crap crap! Tikki I accidentally figured out his identity! How could I be so careless as to look at his hands? Why did I care that much.”

Tikki sighed as she sat on Marinette’s desk. Sometimes it was best to let her get it all out.

“Well obviously I cared that much because Chat Noir is my recently established boyfriend! God he’s going to get such an ego boost when he finds out we’re dating.” Marinette threw herself face first into her chaise.

“So you’re going to tell him?” Tikki zipped over to hove beside her holder’s head.

There was a muffled response from the chair.

“What was that Marinette?”

“No, not yet. First I want to see how much he knows, if he knows anything at all.” Marinette rolled over on the chaise, laying as though she were at a therapists appointment.

“Tikki do you think this will effect our relationship? Will it put us in danger?”

Tikki’s little heart warmed.

“Marinette, you guys will be fine. If anything I think this would bring you closer together. If it puts you in any more danger you’ll handle it together, like you always do.” Tikki flew closer to hug Marinette’s cheek and Marinette let out a deep sigh as she brought a hand up to hug Tikki back.

“Thanks Tikki. You’re the best kwamii anyone could ask for.” Marinette said as the stress melted off of her.

“And you’re the best Ladybug I’ve ever known.” She replied warmly.

Of course things would work out. This was Chat she was talking about, Adrien. There wasn’t a problem he couldn’t help her solve, with or without the masks.

————————-

After going over Tikki’s advice for what felt like hours, Marinette came to a conclusion.

She would tell Chat Noir (Adrien?) who she was. It was only fair, considering she knew his identity. She wouldn’t have came to this on her own, so for the millionth time in her life she thanked Tikki.

But first, she needed to have a little fun. She noticed how Adrien would tease her lately for how flustered she got around him, so she figured the least she could do was use this moment to get revenge.

Too excited to sit still, she transformed to confront her boyfriend.

———————

Adrien was laying in bed reading manga when he heard a tapping at his window. He looked over in shock to see his lady waiting outside.

“Ladybug?” He nearly stuttered out.

She was glowing in the moonlight, backlit in all her glory. She had a playful grin in her lips that made Adrien uneasy.

“Hey pretty boy, mind if I pop in?” She asked casually, as if it were totally normal for Adrien Agreste to have a spotted heroine outside of his window.

He calmed his heart, remembering this was his dorky girlfriend and invited her in. He had to remember to act friendly, not like he would with Marinette, nor like he would as Chat Noir. This wouldn’t be easy.

“Your nails look cute.” She offered casually as she sauntered over to sit in his desk chair.

Adrien froze. Ladybug had noticed Chat Noir’s earlier too.

He quickly pushed that thought away. Marinette had been oblivious of his identity up until this point, even after the thousands of clues he’d managed to drop. He wasn’t exactly concerned anymore.

He decided to take advantage of the chance to compliment his girlfriend without her being able to completely reject it.

“Yeah my girlfriend painted them! She’s so cute and sweet and pretty.” He replied dreamily.

He could see Ladybug’s eyes widen and her blush grow. This was going great.

“Did you need something?” He asked innocently.

“I- uh-“ Adrien laughed, his girlfriend really wasn’t too different outside of the suit. Flustered and flushed, she was still Marinette.

Suddenly something in her eyes changed. One second they were wide and almost panicked, the next they were full of suspicion.

“You know don’t you!” She accused more than asked. She stalked over and jabbed a finger lightly into his chest.

Now it was Adrien’s turn to panic.

“Know what?” He asked, hoping to play dumb.

“You do!”

So much for feigning innocence. Instead he opted for begging for forgiveness.

“Marinette, i’m so sorry! It’s just I knew you’d panic if I told you when I found out and it’s not like I tried to figure out your identity! It’s just that you put so much effort into the whole kwamiibuster scheme-“

“You’ve known since kwamiibuster?!” She practically shouted.

“-and you looked so cute.” Adrien added still trying to lighten the blow. “I didn’t tell anyone and I’ve known for a while and nothing bad happened so I figured-“

Ladybug cut off his rambling with a kiss.

Adrien was stunned at first but then ultimately sighed into the kiss as he leaned into her touch. His arms looped around her waist as he pulled her close, hands tracing patterns into her spandex covered back.

He pulled pack slightly, noses still touching. He could feel her breath ghost his lips.

“So we’re okay?” He asked hopefully, eyes looking deep into hers as they caught their breath.

“Of course, minou. I just wish you would’ve told me before you saw that embarrassing folder on my computer.” She blushed.

“Oh? But then I wouldn’t be able to tease you about it. Tell me, which one was your favorite? Do you think the greens really brought out my eyes?”

“You’re the worst!” She exclaimed, attempting to pull from his embrace. Adrien’s arms held her fast in place.

“You love me!” He announced proudly as he pulled her into a tight hug. “Ladybug is dating Chat Noir!”

“Would you be quiet! I don’t want to have to explain to Nathalie why Paris’ superhero is standing in your room.” She giggled into Adrien’s shoulder.

“Ladybug is dating Chat Noir” He whispered, this time softer as he nuzzled her neck.

“Yes she is.” Ladybug sighed, resigning to Adrien’s touch.

“Now,” He released the girl as he turned and clasped his hands together. “de-transform. We’ve had plenty of date night in your room-“

“Those weren’t technically dates” She interjected.

“-And not enough in mine.” He gave her a pointed look as he continued. “Of course, since it’s my room, I have full say in what we watch.” He could hear Marinette’s pout as she de-transformed. “But I’ll take suggestions.”

Marinette crossed over to where Adrien was pacing in anticipation and threw her arms around his shoulders from behind. She placed a quick kiss on the base of his neck.

“New Girl again!” She said excitedly.

“No.”

[pheita]

New Home New Trouble Part 4

This story has some heavy topics such as miscarriage, sudden infant death, oppression of various minorities, poltergeist-like spirits, and domestic violence.

Tagging @ashen-crest @adie-dee @abalonetea @cometworks @viskafrer @vivian-is-writing @kainablue @contes-de-rheio @writingamongther0ses

The persistent clatter of the house followed by the curses of the few employees and the workers who continued to work on the renovations accompanied them throughout the day. At one point, Lyran retreated to the study and fiddled with the mystery box he had once been given. As he used to do as a child, he turned it back and forth in his hand in an attempt to find the solution as it opened. "I'm afraid in your current mental state, the box won't open," Sojan's voice sounded from the door. Lyran looked up to find him there, leaning his shoulder against the doorframe with his eyes toward him. There was a slight smirk on Sojan's face, but it wasn't the kind of smirk that meant anything good. "Say it...," Lyran moaned in anguish. Instead of giving an answer, Sojan came closer and threw an amulet on the desk. Lyran immediately recognized the family crest of Sojan's family. "She's not serious." Blinking a few times, Lyran looked up. "I'm afraid so. We have two to five problems." "Only five?" Sojan's smirk turned amused, and he raised his eyebrows. "You're coming up with more?" Lyran made a sweeping gesture and took a deep breath. "Where do you want me to start? 1. we don't have another room ready yet, and I don't know where to put Arritit right now. That leads me to 2. It's a stupid idea to put her and Niat in the same room, and I don't want to ask Niat if she'll sleep in the guild again until then. Then have 3. my sister and your sister.... We agree as it is that we should keep them very far apart, at least until I know Mithelia better. Or better yet, forever." Briefly, Lyran stopped and put the box down. His gaze was fixed on Sojan as he stood up and walked around the table. "So what?" echoed Sojan. Apparently it amused him in a way Lyran didn't understand.

"Next? Alright, we've got 4. The problem with whatever's going on in the house and we know Ari likes to burn things down and as a family mage will be able to sense whatever's going on here and I don't want us to have to renovate rooms again because she thinks she's a fire spirit. We'll move on to 5. Do you want her here? In the winter? She hates winter." Sojan's laughter was unexpected. He shook his head slightly. "She hates snow, just like you, finjat. And you forgot one thing." "No, I haven't," Lyran rolled his eyes and stepped closer, "Because the sixth point is Niat itself. Neither of us will find peace if Ari finds out that Niat....let's say she's a very special friend." "You're still forgetting something." "Still?" Sojan chuckled a little and leaned forward a bit. "Ari still has a plan to get you laid, even though she'll deny it if anyone asks her. But I know her well enough and after the whole thing with Yunadeldi didn't work out and also with Dessielle it's somewhere in a state of uncertainty... You know her." "That would be point seven, right? Then we have eight: even if there was no invitation, at least I'm expected to attend Thykedis' feast at the castle, at least for the main festivities, and we know what she'll say then." At the same time, Lyran and Sojan's heads fell on their chests. "She will want to accompany you..." replied Sojan. A moment later, the mystery box fell from the desk. Both of them were startled and looked at the box in confusion. "Maybe it's not so wrong if she comes after all," Lyran thought aloud while looking at the box on the floor with narrowed eyes. "You want to risk her running around the house in the worst mood ever, chasing whatever is causing havoc around here?" "Why not? It can't really get any worse than what's already happening." Sojan's look spoke of how Lyran had no idea how bad things could get with Arritit, and that he was clearly and literally playing with fire here. "Nismo?", Hedanro appeared at the door. "What is it?", Lyran directed his attention to the steward. "Your sister just arrived. She has someone else with her." "Thank you, I'll be right there." Lyran was about to send Hedanro away when he remembered he had something to ask him. "But while you're here. I have one question." "Of course, Nismo. How can I be of assistance?” Sojan looked questioningly at Lyran but remained silent. "How did you know about the Jinshi?",asked Lyran without further ado. Hedanro just smiled in amusement. "I figured you'd ask a question like that eventually," Hedanro replied with a laugh in his voice, "It's pretty simple, and frankly, I'm surprised Nismo Sojan hasn't figured it out yet." "You're a demon," Sojan explained with slight disbelief. Lyran's gaze went from Hedanro to Sojan and back. "Is that right?" "Well, half. I'm a half-demon, just like you, Nismo. However, my father was a shifter demon. My mother was employed by your great-grandmother as a maid at the time." "I was wondering why I didn't see a magic blocker on you," Sojan laughed out, "A shifter demon.... Who would have thought." The question must have been on Lyran's face, because Hedanro immediately took a breath to answer. "I admit that my kind rarely stays in this dimension, even more rarely than melody demons, because full-fledged demons do have to be incredibly careful to maintain their current form. For half-demons like me, it is easier because we automatically take the form of the tribe of the non-demonic parent. So, in my case, human. I'd be happy to answer the many questions I'm sure are on your mind now, Nismo, but we have guests, and it's rude to keep them waiting." The twist back to Mithelia's visit came like an unexpected kick from a horse. Silence answered first. Sojan cleared his throat softly, which nevertheless sounded far too loud. "Let's get on with it, then. Especially before Arritit shows up here." "Your sister is coming to visit, Nismo?" asked Hedanro busily. "Indeed. There was a message from her earlier. If she keeps to what we agreed, she will arrive here tomorrow, but no later than the day

after tomorrow." As Hedanro proceeded to the salon, he muttered to himself, causing Lyran and Sojan to exchange confused glances. "Ah! The room next to Nisma Niat was finished last week. I took the liberty of having another room made up in case Nisma Mithelia wanted to stay overnight." "Hedanro, you are a lifesaver." A little relieved that at least two problems had vanished into thin air, Lyran went ahead more elated already. "It's just my job to be prepared for something like this." It almost seemed as if Hedanro was embarrassed at the praise, but before Lyran could respond, the steward disappeared at a turning. "This man is and remains an enigma," Sojan only commented. "I can only confirm that. But let's devote ourselves to riddles that can be solved." "Your sister is an enigma?" The dirty look Lyran gave Sojan, was just ignored by Sojan with a grin. "I actually meant the chaos in the house." "Belongs together in some circumstances."

[capri-ramblings]

[A Hyena's Nip] Part 2

Another month passed by and you weren't looking any better. In fact, you looked terrible. Your complexion had turned unnaturally pale and your eyes had dark,heavy bags under them even when you tried to hide it with some of the concealer Epel got you from Vil. Your weight loss shocked Mr. Vargas and Riddle threatened to send you back home himself if Crowley didn't address your condition.

Thus, explains the current situation you were in; Being dragged along by the Heartslyabul boys as Riddle marched through the school halls to get to Crowley's office. He seemed like he was almost on fire and the way Trey held you up made you realise how much of a big brother he looked like then.

"Hey,you really okay there?" Cater was the one who asked, he had his usual perky but nervous smile on when he turned to you. "We could slow down a bit if you're tired"

You clenched your jaws and tried to pull away from Trey's grip, voice shaky yet harsh when you snapped.

"I'm fine. I told you guys, didn't I? Can we just stop this?"

"You look half dead." Riddle refuted, he wasn't looking back to you but you could tell he was scowling. "If you think you can act all suicidal with me, you're wrong. I'll have your head before you end up killing yourself like this."

"You do realize you just threatened me with homicide to avoid a suicide?"

Riddle didn't answer, instead Trey and Cater both looked to you sympathetically and when Crowley's office door was in sight, Riddle swung it open so hard you thought it'll come off.

You were expecting Crowley to jolt from his seat from behind his desk, but the scene that played out was completely different.

Ruggie was in the office, along with Crowley and a small group of students wearing Pomefiore's armband. It looked like Riddle's intrusion had disrupted a conversation but anyone with eyes could tell from the tense expression on everyone that it was more of an argument than a negotiation.

"Mr. Rosehearts,what's the meaning of this? Barging in without notice, and cutting off my very crucial sentence as well. You better have a good explanation for this."

You were placed between Trey and Cater and so he didn't noticed you at first, but then Riddle went and pulled you by the arm and practically shoved you forward. You almost fell if it weren't for Ace and Deuce immediately coming to support you.

"The result of your neglect." Riddle said haughtily and Crowley had to actually look at you to see how different you were from when he last saw you.

"What on earth happened to you?" You didn't expect Crowley to sound so worried but then again you always kinda believed he wasn't such a bad guy in the first place.

Ruggie's expression changed as well. From irritated and annoyed, to extremely surprised and a bit taken aback if not concerned.

"Why the hell did you looked like you were shoved off a cliff?" Was his first thought, the second one being a question that immediately sent alarms blaring in his head.

"What happened to you?"

Ruggie didn't want to consider it was probably from his harsh rejection, but it fit didn't it? He saw you a couple of times after the confession and he wouldn't really say you looked that great, but you didn't look like...this.

You'd pass him in hallways between class exchanges and a few more times during lunch break, but he noted how you always kept your head down, even when he was sure you didn't noticed him there.

Was it all because of what he did?

"Whats happening here...?" You were surprised to hear yourself utter the words despite the heat of bile threatening to puke itself out the moment you saw Ruggie turn his head to look at you.

But you couldn't let your expression fall, because if you did,he would know. Ruggie couldn't know you were crying because of him. A small part of you felt like he didn't deserve it.

"A crime's been committed! Our precious rolls of silk have been stolen!" One of the Pomefiore students said, cheeks heated by irritation.

"From right under our nose too!" Another added.

"And the culprit is standing right with us!"

"Ruggie?" Riddle was the one who spoke up this time, and brows furrowed and lips pursed. You weren't sure the rising irritation came from the fact he didn't care about their stupid silk or because he didn't quite believed their accusation.

You knew it was the second one for you.

"Why would I steal a bunch of stupid silk? The cafeteria sandwiches costs more than those!"

"How dare you! First you steal from us with your measly hands and now you're insulting the materials Vil himself chose? Why is such a lowly person like you even here at this academy? Go back to your den,hyena."

Ruggie's blood boiled at that and he was about to show these damned privileged herbivores what hyenas like him could do to them when someone else stepped forward.

"Take that back!" Your words left you faster than you could process them, and the amount of anger they carried bellied the weak opposition you gave by standing in front of Ruggie.

Your chest was heaving and the floor beneath your feet seemed to sway but you didn't care. You gritted your teeth and shoved an equally accusing finger towards the three students.

"Where the hell is your proof if you're so damned confident that he took them,huh? Running your mouth like a bunch of kindergarteners...Is this what Vil teaches his underclassmen?"

"H-Hey,___...Take it easy, you're wobbling" Ruggie's presence behind you made you dizzy but it felt good to have him near you and hearing him so worried. Call it creepy or pathetic,but when he placed a hand on your shoulder to help balance out your stance, your heart fluttered.

"No. This is wrong. Crowley,you can't let them throw insults like that to other students! Everyone here has their rights to attend despite where they came from or whether or not they're noble, Ruggie is the same! He isn't some thief who goes taking stuff just because he can!"

Crowley stiffened at your bold statement,but he nodded his head and his glowing eyes narrowed. Yes,he shared the same ideal as you. This is not how prestigious students from a prestigious school acts!

"___ has a sound point. If you feel Mr.Bucchi has stolen your goods,I assume you have the proof for it."

The three students shared glances,panicked and doubtful, but when one of them wanted to speak up, Crowley's office door slammed opened.

"HEADMASTER,I MADE A MISTAKE!"

It was Kalim who entered the scene now, and with a very annoyed Jamil and a few Scarabia students carrying rolls of what looked to be silk trailing behind him.

"What in the world?"

"Kalim! Don't go running off like that! The others won't be able to catch up with you." Jamil almost growled out the words but upon seeing that there were others, he pulled back his expression and let out a heavy sigh before pulling Kalim by the collar.

"You're going to cause trouble for people if you don't calm down,Kalim."

"Ah.. Sorry,sorry..."

Kalim lifted his gaze to look at Crowley when his gaze caught the Pomefiore students and almost immediately his expression beamed.

"Jamil! Look,it's them!" He was pointing at the three boys, oblivious to the fact that the tension in the room reared in a rather awkward direction due to his intrusion.

Riddle was the first to disperse this fact, crossing his arms severely as he sent a glare in Kalim's direction.

"It would serve a great purpose if you explain why on earth you're here,Kalim. I thought you were redesigning your dorm today."

"Oh,we were! I even had specially designed carpets to replace the old ones we have but then when I came to take them... Well...", Kalim hung his head low,hands scratching the nape of his neck.

Jamil shook his head and gestured the other students to step forward.

"It seems like Kalim took something other than the carpets by accident."

The Pomefiore students had their expression warped as they watched the Scarabia students bring forward the rolls of silk they had lost, and hearing the sneering hum of Ruggie beside them as the realization of the truth unfurled before them.

"I guess my excitement got the better of me again. But I wanted to give them back of course! So I went to your office, Headmaster so we could fix this but looks like everything sorted on its own!" Kalim let out a laugh as Jamil sighed once more and Riddle shook his head.

You on the other hand was going to fall flat on your face from the sudden dizziness hazing up your thoughts when Ace and Deuce immediately came to support you.

Tethering on your toes, you sent them a grateful smile but didn't dare look back to Ruggie.

Crowley dismissed the whole thing instantly after matters between Pomefiore and Scarabia were settled, though he left the boys who accused Ruggie with a warning before making them apologize.

Riddle made sure Crowley came to give you proper care with whatever it is you needed at your dorm, even when you told them all you wanted was sleep.

They did walk you back though, Ace and Deuce making light conversation while Trey and Cater discussed your schedule with Riddle. Apparently your seniors felt that you weren't handling your time properly and thus took it on themselves to ensure you had a good guideline to go along with.

You wanted to sigh and tell them to stop fussing over you but it somehow felt nice, being cared for when all you were feeling was the deadpan weight of your own doubts crushing your form. They really did feel like family and for a moment,you actually forgot about Ruggie.

Until, of course, he came knocking on your door a few hours after. The night already began blanketing the dorm when you came down from your room and opened your front door to see Ruggie staring right at you.

You had asked Grim to get it at first but then he began whining and kept bothering the ghosts to do it until you decided that it was better (and quicker) to do it yourself. Though, you were definitely regretting that choice now.

"Hey" Ruggie threw a small wave, lips parted in a smile that revealed his canines. You tried to not look dazed, to act like you completely forgot the day's incident, but it was a lot harder to play dumb when your stomach was lurching about at the mere sight of him.

What was wrong with you? Ruggie had blew you off and made you feel disgusted with your sexuality. You should've hated him by now.

And yet, you waited a second longer to drink up the sight of him before speaking.

"Hi."

It's not the fact that you sounded so soft that made Ruggie clear up his throat, it was the sudden feeling of warmth budding inside his stomach from remembering what you did today that left him feeling off.

"So,um,I just wanted to sa—"

"Did you want to come in?" You unintentionally cut him off,taking him by surprise as Ruggie's brows arched and he stood there underneath your doorframe just staring at you with his curious eyes.

You had to blink twice before scratching the back of your neck and hastily apologizing to which Ruggie replied with a dismissive wave and a casual "Yeah sure" to your invitation.

You didn't know which was worst; Ruggie acting like he didn't emotionally scar you or the hot swell of blush tinting your cheeks.

"I could get you a drink or something if you want?"

You were trying to find a way to escape this situation, clinging to the hope of Ruggie just changing his mind and walking away. But then he shook his head and crossed his arms, his gaze turning still once it focused on you.

"I wanna talk to you about today" He said, then added, "And about the other day,when you confessed."

The lump in your throat seemed to shift into a heavy weight which dropped to the pit of your stomach and grated along your inner walls. The way Ruggie was looking at you then brought back the pain of hearing his words on that fateful day, where you poured out your heart and watched as Ruggie trampled on it before leaving you alone to count the shards of your broken heart.

You wanted to sit down, but your legs felt shackled and all you could really do was just look up at him.

Ruggie felt like punching himself in the face as he stared at your pleading eyes. You were desperately trying to tell him to leave weren't you? He didn't have to hear the words to understand the deep remorse you were holding back in your gaze.

He knew damn well that if he moved to touch you, you'd break down crying, and really,he wouldn't blame you. Not after what he did.

See,Ruggie was convinced that the reason he acted the way he did to you was because he wanted to spare you the heartbreak of a relationship that probably wouldn't have lasted long but if he was being honest now which he was, Ruggie did it because he was scared. You were both boys attending an only boys academy goddamn it, the fact that you had came up to him and confessed cause a panic to stir inside him.

Ruggie wasn't all that experienced with girls, having another guy like you that way was something out of his comfort zone. So, he lashed out. He admits that. He didn't know how to react, didn't felt safe trying to tell you how he felt.

He knew he didn't hate you, but did he like you the way you liked him? Could he like you so intimately? There shouldn't be anything wrong with that, and yet...

Ruggie had to run his fingers through his hair before biting the insides of his cheek and finally breaking the silence.

"First off, thanks for having my back when those prissy stuck ups jabbed their fingers at me for stealing their silk. I didn't really expect anyone to come in to help me like that. Especially not you, at least not after what I did," He was talking so rapidly, eyes seemingly flaring as he watches you fidget. "And secondly, about your confession that day and what I said and how I said them, look I didn't seem to care then but—" Ruggie paused, jaws tensing up before he clenched them hard.

You wanted to run away from this. You weren't ready. Your heart was going to get broken again.

Ruggie's gaze softened suddenly despite his body remaining stiff and awkward in your presence. He looked like he wanted to whisper a secret to you and somehow you felt yourself falling for him again.

It was so pathetic, you didn't even realized you began crying until Ruggie came to grab you by your shoulders.

"Hey,hey,don't cry! Shit,fuck." He lifted his gaze to the staircase, noting the sounds of other people upstairs. No footsteps seemed to abruptly stop or move in a direction that indicated someone was coming down, but Ruggie still moved you further from it in case someone did decide to check on you.

"I'm sorry" You mumbled, furiously wiping your tears with the sleeves of your shirt. "Sorry, sorry, I'll stop, I'll..."

You couldn't. Your tears seemed endless. The weight of suppressing all that emotion finally caught up with you, didn't it?

This was not how Ruggie imagined this meeting to end up like. He was expecting some backlash, a sort of bitterness and anger on your side, but this? This was a disaster.

You looked so vulnerable. Damn it, you probably are! Shoulders slumped and body shivering as your cheeks flushed red and your voice cracked each time you spoke. Ruggie thought only girls cried this hard, but he overlooked the fact that you've always been a soft hearted person, you always seemed to be a bit more sensitive compared to most.

And for fuck's sake, boys cry and get hurt too.

Guilt was slapping him hard on the face, and it stung like the time he was affected by Leona's unique magic. Had he hurt you this bad? He didn't know you liked him this much to allow him to dishevel you in this manner.

Or maybe he did know and he was just being a jerk.

"____,please don't cry. I can't talk to you like this if you keep crying. Hey,here take this"

He took a small handkerchief and wiped away your tears, so gentle and tentatively, it had you staring at him as if you were looking up to some kind of caretaker.

"I know what I said was kinda shitty but I just didn't know how to react. We're both boys so it was pretty off course when you said you liked me...and that made me freak out"

God, why was he mumbling?

"Thing is I never thought anyone would like a nobody like me,okay? I come from a dump, probably would've stayed there if I didn't get enrolled here and girls back home always liked the bigger guys,the ones like Leona or Jack"

"You're better off being with someone else,that's what I wanted to say, what I wanted to tell you that day"

Ruggie was holding up your face with both his hands now, and for once, you actually saw how hurt he was by his own words, how vulnerable he looked.

You were sniffling and breathing hard, unable to actually talk, but when Ruggie's expression turned into a painfully tight one and he suddenly engulfed you in a hug. You swore your heart stopped.

"R-Ruggie..?"

"Shut up."

He was so close to you then, the way his voice sounded was like a growl and you clamped your lips shut.

"I'm a fucking loser,____." Ruggie said, through gritted teeth. "That's something I had to come to terms with a long time ago, and you getting hurt like this is proof of it. Even now, I'm just talking about myself. I didn't even say sorry. Don't you see that? I lashed out on you cause you had the nerves to say you liked another guy, and I'm here still pretending I could be king."

What a heavy thing to say out loud. But, somehow it gave you strength.

Your hands gripped onto Ruggie and furiously you buried your face in his chest,aware of it taking him by surprise as you felt his body went stiff.

"I still like you." You mumbled, voice muffled. Ruggie furrowed his brows.

"What are you—"

You gripped his body harder, making him groan as you pulled him into a tighter hug. Your chest burning with clarity.

"Loser or King, I'll always like you and I'll keep saying it until you like yourself too."

You lifted your head, eyes tear stained but lips pulled into a small smile as you took in Ruggie's stunned expression.

"So you better make up for being a jerk and make me fall for you again."

[fiddlepickdouglas]

Viva Las Vegas, Pt. 17 - With Him

Summary: Sunset Curve Alive AU, Willex, how will it go in the end?, 4.8k

@trevor-wilson-covington is the bestie who makes these lovely edits, we stan supportive friends

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, Part 14, Part 15, Part 16

One finger tapped on the strap of his fanny pack as Alex listened for the right bus stop to be called. If all those months since he’d seen Willie had been long, this past week had been longer. Especially since the news about Caleb had hit hard and every minute in the studio now felt like the band was precariously teetering on the edge of a cliff. He was going to try not to let any of that get in his way today, though. He’d made it to Saturday and Willie was only a few streets away, and he didn’t care what happened for the rest of the day - it was going to be good.

Finally he heard the next stop announced for where he needed to get off and he pulled the cord that told the driver to make a stop. Stepping onto the sidewalk, his heart bounced around in its chamber like the Tazmanian devil from Looney Tunes. He was glad that Willie lived in the basement of the apartment building he occupied because it would’ve been the worst if Alex forgot which room he was in and spent hours frantically knocking doors.

It was hard to tell if he was moving quickly or if his mind was just racing, but in either case, he eventually found himself at the door. For a second, he simply took a deep breath and ran his hand through his hair, trying to get a visual of Willie immediately pouncing on him the moment the door opened out of his head. It wouldn’t exactly be unwelcome, but Alex was realizing how desperate he was to be with him and was amazed at how it affected his imagination.

Lifting a hand, he made sure he knocked loudly. Soon after, the door opened, and Alex was greeted with shining brown eyes, silky, gorgeous brown hair styled into two braids, and a smile he could make home in. Willie.

“Hey, come on in!” Willie was saying, standing to the side and gesturing for him to enter. Crossing the threshold, Alex gazed at the humble space, taking in the details with heightened interest. “This is mi casa!” He began showing Alex around. “We’ve got the main living space, very cozy. The kitchen to your left, but no dining room so it’s all criss-cross applesauce on the floor - makes it extra chill. Bathroom through the back. The sink and shower handles will sometimes shock you, so don’t mind all the electrical tape.”

It was surprisingly accommodating for a dingy basement, and Willie had already made little additions that spoke volumes about him without words. A king size mattress sat in the corner of the ‘main living space’ on the floor with a small bookshelf beside it. The bookshelf only had a handful of cassette tapes and a Walkman lying on top, with a few sketchbooks on the middle shelf. Next to that, the dresser had a small collection of vintage soda bottles and a camera sitting on its surface. Glow-in-the-dark star stickers covered the ceiling above the bed. Even a couple cat toys could be spotted on the floor. Immediately, Alex approached the area where Willie’s desk sat surrounded by sketches hung on the wall.

“So these are your drawings?” he asked, although the answer was obvious. They were so good. Willie followed him over, the squinty smile still in his eyes.

“Yeah. Some are new. Most of them are attempts to recover what Caleb tore up.”

Alex looked at Willie apologetically, even though the loss of Willie’s previous work wasn’t his fault. Without warning, a pressure on his leg and the sound of loud purring announced Sheldon’s presence. The cat looked up at him and blinked slowly, already begging for attention. Heart melting, Alex bent down to pet him.

“Hey, Sheldon,” he said. “I forgot how cute you were!” He smiled as Sheldon rubbed his head against his hand with more affection that he’d likely seen from any other creature on the planet. Well...maybe there was one other that matched it. Alex had heard about how pets could take on the temperament of their owners, and suspected this was a clear example. “He’s gotten so big since I last saw him.”

“Yeah, he’s supposed to be almost two years old, if Escobar guessed his age right.”

Standing again as Sheldon pattered off, Alex returned his attention to the wall of art, looking at the pieces more closely.

“So which one is your dad?” he mused.

Willie untacked one of them and held it out for Alex to examine. “This one.”

Holding the edges carefully, Alex gazed in amazement at the detail Willie had caught. The edges were certainly less defined, but the scene inside the truck was so easy to visualize that Alex could almost feel the leather of the seats and the windchill from the window. He wasn’t sure what began burning in his chest as he peered down at the image, but it was profound and complex.

“I’ve thought about seeing if I could find him, but I think with my memory it’s kind of impossible,” Willie told him.

“He looks so happy here. I don’t get why you would end up as a foster kid.”

“Yeah, I wondered that too. Maybe he didn’t have a choice?”

Alex looked at Willie’s face, and he could tell half of him was lost in a world of what-ifs and other questions. He was always trying to seem so easy-going, and to an extent he truly was, but he couldn’t hide the constant sense of upheaval that rested on his shoulders. At least, Alex was picking up on it more, now that he knew the things he did. He may have been biased, but he couldn’t imagine anyone not fighting their hardest to keep Willie.

Suddenly his gaze was drawn to the unfinished work on the desk, and recognized it as a portrait of himself.

“Wow.” The word fell out of his mouth.

“Oh,” Willie started with a hint of shyness. “Obviously that one isn’t done, so…” He reached to put it away.

“You got that far off of memory, though,” Alex said. “I’m impressed. And you make me look good.” He offered an encouraging smile. “Maybe some time today I could be a model for you?”

Willie cocked his eyebrow, surprise and playfulness making an adorable combination on his face. It made Alex’s smile grow wider.

“Well, we’ve got a whole day ahead,” Willie said. “Your wish is my command.”

“Okay,” Alex said, leaning onto his back foot casually, one side of his lip curling with intrigue. “Well, I wanna see where you go around here. You seem to have a knack for finding the best spots. We can play it by ear.”

“What’s that one song with the one phrase?” Willie asked. “‘Any way the wind blows?’” He sang shyly, clearly playing down what Alex could tell was a nice voice.

“Bohemian Rhapsody,” Alex smiled. Willie’s job at the record store was at least giving him a good taste in music. “Don’t worry, you’ll know everything about the classics once you hang out with me enough.”

An emotion flashed in Willie’s eyes and after a moment Alex realized what those words were actually saying. He held his gaze, hoping he could communicate his intentions clearly, unlike the last time they’d seen each other. Willie swallowed, and his expression remained excited as he loaded his backpack and led them out the door, board in  hand. Alex followed him, deciding not to question which direction they were going.

First, they made a stop to buy a bunch of apples. In classic Willie fashion, he went to a bodega, and this time he communicated with the cashier in rough Spanish. Alex knew he was showing off, and smirked at the notion that Willie enjoyed impressing him.

“So what do we need these for?” Alex wondered as they left the bodega. “Besides a ton of apples for lunch.”

Willie’s secretive smile made Alex raise an eyebrow.

“It’s a surprise.”

A little while later, they stood before the most unlikely place in all of Los Angeles: a horse barn. Staring at the building as if it loomed fifty feet above him, hands in his pockets, Alex gulped and a lump of dread landed in the pit of his stomach.

“Oh no,” he muttered apprehensively.

“Oh yeah,” Willie said, turning to him with a thrilled grin on his face.

Alex wasn’t exactly afraid of horses...he just had no idea what to do around them and therefore was not sure what to expect from them. Also, he would’ve worn different pants if he’d known this was on the agenda.

“I promise, they’ve got some really chill horses,” Willie tried to ease his nerves. “I’ve gone on this trail enough times. Don’t worry, you’ll know everything about riding once you hang out with me enough.” He winked as he threw back Alex’s line with a sly smile.

Unable to argue, Alex shook his head and used the hand in his pocket to gesture forward, signaling to Willie he was up to the challenge. He watched him practically skip inside and he had to jog to keep up after him. They signed in and then were led to two stalls.

Willie immediately gravitated toward a tall golden-colored mustang stallion with a dark mane, apparently both already familiar and happy to see each other. Alex watched him gently greet and essentially coo at it while comfortably stroking its nose and then feeding it an apple. He longed to have that sort of talent with other creatures, and simultaneously realized that he yearned to receive that same tenderness.

Once the horses were tacked up and one of the instructors had given Alex some brief pointers on how to ride, he found himself following Willie on a trail while mounted on a painted mare. The only philosophy he could adopt out here was to be gentle and not get lost.

“Not so bad, your majesty,” Willie called over to him.

An extremely nervous laugh elicited from Alex’s throat involuntarily, only making Willie laugh in return. Alex rode a little closer so they were nearly side by side on the trail.

“I’ve been here once,” he said. “I think I was about twelve? My mom thought that it would make me change my mind about taking ballet classes. We rode for maybe fifteen minutes before I got so nervous we had to turn back around and go home. Never made it through the full trail.”

“Man, that sucks,” Willie commented. “I didn’t know you did ballet.”

“Yeah, that and a few other types of dance. I was forced to quit a little couple years ago. That’s about when we got serious as a band, so I just found something else to bother my parents with.”

He could see the gears click into place as Willie came to a few conclusions about his parents and gave an emphatic nod.

“Well, I’ve always wanted to learn how to dance. That was the one thing Caleb had promised to teach me. He’s the worst, but he definitely knows how to dance.”

Suddenly, Alex remembered watching Caleb’s movements when he’d served him and the boys at the diner. Of course he could dance; everything had been fluid and smooth. All he could say to that thought was “huh,” at first. Then after a few moments: “I’ll have to teach you one of these days then.”

Willie’s eyes crinkled at the corners, happy at the prospect.

“Yeah, okay! Add that to our to-do list.”

Alex chuckled. They had a to-do list now. He bit his lip as he continued following Willie along the trail. It was a gorgeous day and in this area the sky was so clear compared to further inside the city. Greatly contrasting his experience from years ago, Alex felt himself become much more at ease and felt confident enough to take greater control of his horse. Willie pulled out his camera and snapped a few scenic photos every once in a while.

Eventually, they stopped at an outlook and Alex had to take in an awed breath. The view was clear for miles all around them. Green hills spanned the landscape in every direction with patches of city speckled in between. Even the ocean line was visible from there. How did Willie know how to find these?

“Hey, Alex!” Willie called, lifting his camera. “Say cheese!”

Turning to face him, Alex flashed a genuine smile as Willie captured him atop his horse against the scenery. He was usually pretty camera shy, but this time he really didn’t mind. Keeping memories like this actually felt important to him, unlike the many times he’d been forced to pose with his family at functions he’d also been made to attend. Those occasions had always felt so insincere - less about enjoying the memory and more about trying to prove their status as the polished, functional family everyone aspired to.

He saw Willie dismount for a moment and stretch his legs. Gripping the reins and looking around in uncertainty, Alex realized he’d gotten on before ensuring he could properly get off. Thankfully, Willie noticed and came up to him, hands raised.

“Okay, so just...carefully lift your foot out of the stirrup and swing your leg over toward me,” he instructed. Sucking in a breath hesitantly, Alex did as he said. “Alright, then...here.” Willie offered a hand for Alex to grab so he could slide off with ease. Landing on the ground, he leaned into Willie to gain his balance, and felt a congratulatory pat on his back. It took more restraint than Alex anticipated to not simply wrap his arms around him and sit like that for an indefinite amount of time. They had all day ahead of them; he didn’t need the sudden fear of losing him to derail things out of nowhere.

“Sorry if I look like a wimp about all this,” he said, letting go of his hand.

“Nah, don’t sweat it,” Willie assured him, shaking his head. “This is...this is new.”

His eyes seemed to take Alex in from head to toe and Alex could’ve sworn the charge in the air between them would buzz if they got closer, spark if they made contact. It was almost like that moment in front of Willie’s door the week before. For a few seconds they remained locked in that trance before Willie took hold of the horse’s reins and handed them to Alex.

“Technically this trail could take hours, but I’m guessing this isn’t all you’re interested in today,” he said. “What do you say we stretch our legs a bit and then ride back?”

Looking from the reins in his hand back to Willie, Alex nodded.

“Yeah, that sounds good.”

Opening his backpack, Willie handed him an apple and then bit down into one of his own. Taking a bite, it was one of the most refreshing apples Alex ever eaten. They walked the horses a little ways and tried to get good pictures of the different views around them. Alex asked to try his hand with the camera and get a few good shots of Willie. He didn’t consider himself a photographer, but he doubted when the photos got developed that they would turn out badly. The way Willie smiled made him seem like he was made of sunlight from the inside out.

As they rode back to the barn, Alex kept replaying those moments where he’d refrained from making a move over in his head. This had been strike two. If he continued on like this, he was going to hate himself for the rest of eternity, he was pretty sure. Was it some weird kind of side effect of the whole ‘Willie come back to life’ thing? Watching him affectionately say goodbye to his horse once they were ready to leave, Alex looked at his own horse and raised a tentative hand up to her nose.

The mare gazed back, patience gleaming in her eyes. He finally set his hand down on her nose and gently rubbed it up and down, smiling a little to himself. This wasn’t so bad. He could do this - it was just a matter of getting through all the barriers he made for himself in his head. Moving his hands from the horse’s nose, he stroked along her neck, and caught Willie smiling at him from the corner of his eye.

“You wanna try feeding her an apple?” he asked.

Thinking for a few seconds, Alex nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

Pulling one out of his backpack, Willie placed it in Alex’s palm.

“Alright, so hold it out in front of you like this…” He positioned Alex to offer the apple. “And keep your palm flat.”

Alex uncurled his fingers and after sniffing at it a little the mare ate it out of his hand. He could ignore the sensation of her mouth touching him because Willie still had his arm around his shoulder to hold him steady. They looked at each other, and Alex wished he could get a proper shot at Willie’s face at that angle with the camera.

“Looks like you’re gonna get the hang of this,” Willie commended.

Alex looked back up at the horse, a little bit of pride swelling in his chest. “Yeah, I think I will.”

Later, they went to the beach at Alex’s suggestion. He was perched on the surface of a picnic table, posed as if he were looking off into the distance. Willie sketched with great concentration, having taken his hair out of his braids so he could run his hand through it. The late afternoon sun brought out all the best color contrasts in their surroundings - one of the things Alex loved about coming to the beach at this time of day.

“So I have a question,” Alex started, trying not to move too much. His tendency to talk with his hands kept getting him in trouble.

“Shoot,” Willie prompted him, not looking up.

“Did Caleb let you go to school or anything? Or did he provide any sort of education at all?”

Squinting, Willie looked thoughtful for a moment.

“So, after the accident, he told me that I’d had to be taken out of school,” he began, continuing to sketch. “Which makes sense, I guess, if I forgot everything. I remember some basic things, like math wasn’t hard to pick up again. Once I was recovered enough to go places, he just let me go to the public library and find whatever I wanted to read. But he always insisted on not having reminders of who I was before and said it was supposed to be helping me ‘become my own person’. He got rid of things like my school yearbooks and old journals and things. I didn’t think anything of it at first because he’d just called it useless clutter and I believed him. As soon as he decided I was fit enough to work in the diner and help out at the hotel, he told me to forget about school. Anything else I picked up was from watching TV, or listening to the radio, or something. Sometimes I’ll just remember I know something after hearing about it and it’s like it was just always there.”

Listening intently, Alex marveled at the whole thing. The fact that Caleb was not only negligent, but actively discouraging Willie from knowing anything, made him wish he could take down the man’s whole career. However, he figured Willie probably had a lot of his intelligence still untapped. If he’d been able to get away from Caleb and somehow create a life for himself in the span of a few months, Alex wondered what else he was capable of.

“What’s something you remember?” he wondered.

“I guess I used to be really obsessed with space. Just planets and stars and all that. I can spout off facts about Jupiter’s moons and stuff like that. Did you know that the moon Europa has a saltwater ocean under a layer of ice?”

Alex shook his head. “No, I didn’t. That sounds really cool though.” He thought of the stickers on Willie’s ceiling and smirked a little before reassuming his pose.

“I sort of wish I could remember being in school,” Willie was saying. “Everyone else seems to just share all of those memories and understand each other that way.”

Alex saw his brow furrow, and could tell he felt left out. He pondered on his own experience growing up in public school. There was almost no other way he would’ve met Luke, Bobby and Reggie if they hadn’t all attended the same schools. While he could easily critique and complain about it to no end, he knew it was a privilege.

“School is definitely hard,” he told Willie. “But I did get my friends out of it, and I guess that makes up for it. If it’s any consolation, you could just complain about Caleb like he was your horrible English teacher who thought he knew more about the subject of your essay, but you cited all of your sources and they proved him completely wrong.”

Willie laughed. “Why? Did that happen to you?”

Alex bobbed his head from side to side and feigned looking thoughtful . “Maybe.”

“I kind of like reducing him to a loser English teacher. He just sounds petty and sad.”

“That’s high school,” Alex confirmed.

Leaning back from his work for a minute to take it all in, Willie brushed a hand through his hair.

“Here, you wanna take a look at it?” he said. Alex hopped off the table and went to stand over Willie’s shoulder at the drawing and was immediately rendered speechless. The detail was impeccable, but Alex was more impressed by the feeling he got looking at it. Willie had managed to make him appear...handsome, and pensive, and fascinating, like anyone else could look at him and create a million unique ideas of who he was. However, it wasn’t anyone else looking at him, it was Willie, and what he’d captured felt like the truth. Alex couldn’t really explain what that meant, only that it was an honest representation.

“Okay, I know I said the one back at your place made me look good, but this is...this is unreal.”

He could see Willie trying to be modest, but the corners of his lips couldn’t stay down. Funny enough, he appeared even more unable to find words, and simply beamed as he looked back and forth between his sketch and Alex’s face.

A sudden impulse came over Alex, and he kicked off his shoes and pulled his shirt over his head, dropping it on top of Willie’s skateboard and backpack. Willie sat looking flustered for a moment.

“Wanna swim?” Alex nodded toward the waves, bidding Willie to follow. He didn’t wait for him to catch up as he immediately began running into the waves up to his knees. Alex knew his pants would be even more ruined the second he hit the salty water, but he didn’t care. Now the sun was beginning to set and the chill of the waves was refreshing, and he couldn’t express what he felt just then in any other way.

Willie tackled him from behind, climbing onto his back and nearly knocking him over into the shallow tide. Clambering back to his feet, Alex splashed water at him. They began a playful water fight back and forth, until they were both drenched. Eventually, Alex tried to catch hold of both Willie’s hands in an attempt to prevent being splashed anymore. He had the advantage of longer arms, but before he could get a tight hold of the second arm Willie’s leg swept under his and they both fell just as a large wave washed over them.

As the water pulled back, they sat in the sand in a tangle, laughing. All Alex could think of was how pretty Willie was in this light, hair swept back off his face with tendrils resting over his shoulders, sun gleaming in his eyes and constantly shining from the inside out. The laughter died between them and he caught a look in Willie’s eye that made him wonder if he appeared to him to be just as perfect in that moment.

This time his mind and body worked in sync as he lifted a hand and gently pulled Willie into a short, tender kiss. All the self-flagellation from earlier was washed away in one pure moment, and exhilaration moved into its place. It felt soft and sweet, just the way he expected it should. Just as quickly as he’d let go, Willie went in for another one, a little longer and a little deeper. One hand remained caressing his cheek while the other wrapped around his upper back. Alex couldn’t help smiling into another kiss; he was too happy to care about anything else. Hardly a week ago, this had been impossible.

As they let go, their hands came together and they looked into each other's eyes, both releasing a relieved chuckle. Willie looked at the rest of the beach behind them and Alex’s eyes followed, but at this hour there were too few people around and no one paying attention to them. Turning back to Alex, Willie sighed and shook his head with a smile.

“Wow,” was all he said, biting his lip.

“Yeah, I’d definitely do that again,” Alex smirked, until the joy in his chest converted it into a full grin.

A wave washed over them again and they both stood, shaking out their hair and trying to wipe off whatever sand they could. Heading back up the beach, Willie grabbed Alex’s hand so they could make their way up together. The sun was nearly set but Alex was sure it had just gone into his chest, bursting with excitement. Once they reached the picnic table, they gathered their things and Willie offered to carry Alex’s shirt inside his backpack on the way home. Thank goodness there were a few patches of grass so Alex could try to get a little more sand off his feet before putting his shoes back on.

“So how long have you been sitting on that?” Willie teased as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and they left the beach.

“Shut up,” Alex laughed, knowing he was being called out.

“No, really!” Willie bumped his side jokingly. “I want to know!”

Tilting his head back to try to remember, it didn’t take Alex long to give him the answer.

“Since day one,” he told him.

Surprise swept over Willie’s face as he looked at Alex.

“Seriously?” he asked.

Alex nodded.

“Me too.”

It was Alex’s turn to look surprised. Without saying another word, he took Willie’s hand in his and then kissed it before continuing back toward his place. The whole way they talked about all the different things they needed to do together in the future. Riding on more horse trails, dancing lessons, skating lessons, art modeling sessions, going to band practices and gigs, visiting the record store while Willie wasn’t working, etc. They both agreed that the entire day technically counted as a date, and all further plans would as well. Alex was reminded once again that he didn’t have a notebook to write things down in, and vowed to have one for the next time he saw Willie. Once they reached Willie’s door, they had already put their shirts back on and it was completely dark outside.

“Are you free any time next week?” Willie asked, still holding onto Alex’s hand.

“I wish I could say yes, but probably not. And as much as I’d love to give you my number, it’s really not the best idea.”

“Well, I could give you mine,” Willie said.

Alex shot him a confused look. Holding up a finger, Willie dug into his backpack until he found his sketchbook and tore off the corner of a page, quickly scribbling one down and handing it to Alex.

“It’s actually the one for work,” he said. “But if it’s what we can do for now, I’ll do it. Kyle won’t care.”

Looking at it for a minute and then stashing it in his now-dry pocket, Alex took hold of Willie’s chin and went to kiss him again. It was really hard to stop, but they soon broke apart.

“I gotta go,” Alex murmured.

Willie only nodded, squeezing his hand before letting go and slipping his own into his pocket.

“I’ll call you.”

“Okay.”

“Goodnight.”

“Goodnight.”

Once again heading up the short set of stairs to the sidewalk, Alex rubbed his lips together, relishing in the taste of what he and Willie had just done. He couldn’t imagine anything sweeter.

[pl-panda]

Damienette arranged marriage: part 5

Yet again two chapters in one day... I must stop spoiling you.

Credits: Miraculous Ladybug team for the elements I take from MLB show. DC for their characters, @ozmav for the AU, @maribat-archive for giving me access to so many different stories to have take inspirations from, @thyladyanput for idea for Chat Damian and me for the plot.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Damienette arranged marriage: part 5

NEXT

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“Yes. Our little grown up girl.” Marinette smiled and was about to run, but she heard her mother continue speaking. “But you are still grounded for two weeks.”

“Mom!” She shouted, but smiled and went back to her room.

Next two weeks were disastrous. Lila used Marinette’s absence to spread some nasty rumors and lies about her. Two days. That was more than enough for the whole class to turn against her. The previous incident and Lila’s supposed ‘disability’ was never revealed to the public, so they had no reason to mistrust her. But Marinette was still suddenly ostracized. But the most painful of this was Alya. She suddenly started to despise Marinette. It was like some kind of coping mechanism. Apparently, learning she would never become Rena Rogue again was hard on her too, and then learning that Marinette run away from home (a blatant lie, but Alya did believe) was enough for the aspiring reporter to change. Abandoned by Ladybug, abandoned by best friend, she clinged to what she had left. Alya now followed Lila, who she believed would never just leave her like that. Her and Nino became even more inseparable.

Marinette wanted to give the same explanation, but Lila was faster. ‘ Oh! So even madame Bourgeois doesn’t want you now so you came back with your tail between your legs?’ This sole comment killed any credibility to anything Marinette would say. The rumors that started to spread were awful. Some just outright refused to talk with her, others went as far as to mock the girl or use some inappropriate names toward her. From a popular girl Marinette became a loner. Even her internet boutique was not safe. Dozens of negative reviews spawned out of nowhere. There were more reviews than she ever done commissions. In the end, she had to take the page down to keep at least some of her reputation.

She still had Luka and Kagami, who stayed firmly by her side. But they could not really do anything to help her at school. And then there was Adrien. He was constantly trying to stop Marinette from going against Lila and convince her to just make peace with the girl. She wanted to strangle him. He was nothing like the charming boy who offered her an umbrella on the first day. Something has changed in this forty-eight hours. There was this… weight on his shoulders that was not here before. 

Another matter was Chat Noir. When she first met him during a patrol, he threw a hissy-fit that she disappeared for several days. After she (truthfully) explained that she got married, the cat frowned and ran away. Since then, he was not seen. Ladybug had to manage on her own, with occasional help from Viperion and Ryuko. She had to manage. Red Robin would not help in the field, but he kept a steady eye on the city, working day and night trying to figure out who was Hawkmoth. Marinette was actually worried about Tim after she witnessed him drink coffee straight from an ancient jug. He said something about ‘needing inspiration from his ancestors’ which was quite hilarious since the vase was a cheap knock-off bough in one-euro store the previous day.

After a month of this kind of incredible hardship, Marinette had enough. She wanted this school-year to finally be over, but she still had seven more months to go. It pained her that school instead of offering her some help decided to instead follow up on Lila, making it seem like they forgot about her ‘disease’. Madame Bustier constantly demanded of Marinette to be the bigger person and ignore the taunts and headmaster few times threatened to expel her after Lila or the others reported her for bullying.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Right now she was sitting in the back of the class when Madame Bustier walked with a boy in tow. Marinette instantly recognized him. Damian. He was wearing a dark-gray turtleneck jumper, dark-blue jeans and had his hair gelled back into spikes, revealing his forehead. Strange thing was that he carried a sword with him in addition to school bag.

“Students. Meet Damian Grayson. He is a member of exchange student from United States. Our school was chosen to participate in special program with Gotham Academy. Damian will be learning with us for this semester, and in exchange we will be able to all spend whole next semester in Gotham Academy to see how education differs between countries.”

Immediately, several hands shot up. Teacher chose Alix first, much to Lila’s anger. “It seems strange that just one student comes to us and in exchange we are all going there. Why are you alone?”

Caline was about to speak, but Damian was faster. He answered in perfect French. “Because only I volunteered to leave for half a year. Others were scared when headmaster announced that participants would at the end of semester have to take qualification exams.” His voice was cold and he made it clear he didn’t want more discussion.

“Don’t worry kids, on our side there is no such requirement, but you will have to still take the final exams to graduate into Lycee. Next question? Adrien.” She pointed to the blond boy.

“Why do you carry a sword with you?” He asked, pointing at the long weapon attached to his backpack. It was sheathed, but it was clear it was some eastern sword.

“Because I practice swordfighting.” Was the sole answer.

Marinette could hear some whispers. ‘ Whoa. He is almost as mean as Marinette’. She noticed he also picked this up and growled.

“What can you tell us about yourself?” Nino asked, not waiting for teacher to choose him.

“I am your age. I will be staying with my brother who works in Paris. I like art. I hate physical contact. If you try to touch me, I will throw you out of the window.” He said in completely emotionless voice, almost like this was casual speech he heard every day. 

“Wow. You are almost as mean as this bully Marinette.” Alya commented. Damian gritted his teeth. He knew that Marinette was anything but a bully. He checked the files Tim pulled and it only strengthened his opinion on the girl. She was dealing with being bullied by a spoiled brat since she was six, yet she chose not to retaliate and instead try to make friends with the gil. She was class representative, took care of all the trips, volunteered at every possible action. She won several amateur fashion contests and most likely had at least a dozen famous people at speed dial. And yet, no one knew that. She worked under pseudonym to avoid attracting attention. And she was Paris greatest superhero. That was no bully material. 

“Alya! Don’t say such things.” Lila scolded her friend. “Just because he is a bit harsh does not mean you should compare him to Marinette.”

There were still several hands in the air and teacher was about to choose next person, but Damian ignored them and walked to the back of the classroom and sat next to Marinette. There were several menacing stares in their direction and Damian held back the urge to scowl. So just because he took the only free place that just happened to be next to this girl, he was now their enemy? His hand kept twitching toward the blade, but he felt Marinette’s hand grab his under the table. She looked him in the eyes like she was trying to tell him that they are not worth it. And to his surprise, it worked. They silently turned back to the teacher who kept explaining the details of the exchange program.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After the lessons were over, Damian started to pack his bag. His tracer rolled under the desk and he leaned to get it. There were steps rapidly approaching the desk.

“Listen here, Marinette. If you think just because this guy is new you will get him to be your friend, don’t even think about it. Either you stay away of him or I will make both your lives insufferable. I am the queen of this school and you will not oppose me.” The double-faced harlot tried to intimidate his wife. Damian, still under the table grabbed the sword, but from his place he could see Marinette’s face. She was giving him a side-glare telling him that it’s not worth it.

“I don’t control him Lila. Even if I wanted, I think he will do as he please.” Marinette was holding back a smile.

“Face it. I won the war. You have no friends, no name, no business, not even a boyfriend. I took everything from you. And if you continue, I will take your parents’ bakery next. You…” At this moment, Lila saw a silver blur and suddenly she had a blade pressed to her neck. Damian got out from under the table, drew his sword and pinned the girl to the wall in a matter of seconds. 

“I think that’s enough. You will leave Marinette’s parents alone and you will not speak to her like this again. Otherwise, you will learn just how proficient I am with the sword. Did I make myself clear?” While Damian was ready to spill some Italian blood, one look at Marinette told him that she would’ve not forgiven him. 

Lila eagerly nodded. When he let go of her and sheathed his sword, she scowled at the couple. “Ugh! The two of you are worth one another. It is not over. I will get back at you for this!” And with that, she run away as fast as humanly possible wearing stilettos. 

Damian turned to see frowning Marinette. “I had it under control Damian. And what are you even doing here?”

“Sorry I protected you.” He snarled, but then he calmed and his face took more friendly look. At least by his standards, but to most it was still the ‘get the heck away from me if you value your health’ face. Luckily, Marinette wasn’t like the most. “I… I wanted to meet you. As a person I mean.” He said. The french girl looked at him, but said nothing. He decided that it would be best to get this done with. The classroom was a place as good as any. “Look. I know we met in… unusual circumstances. For better or worse, we are now married. But… I wish to try and actually build this relationship.” He spat it out of himself and looked at Marinette.

For a moment, she was confused at what he said, but then it clicked. “Wait. Are you… asking me out?” She said in disbelief

“um… Yes?” Damian said timidly. Why does it have to be so hard?!

“Then okay.” Marinette smiled. This took him by surprise. He half-expected her to reject him, to hate him for this, or to just run screaming like his brothers kept telling him all girls would. 

“Really? Just like that?” It was now his turn to ask in disbelief.

“Yeah. I don’t really see why not.” She said smiling. “But I am paying. I don’t want anyone to think I am using you.” She stated firmly. This newfound confidence was a pleasant surprise for Damian. He noticed that while a bit shy and withdrawn, there was a heart of gold and nerves of steel underneath this. Happily, he took her hand and led her to the streets of Paris. Neither of them noticed a teenager in catsuit following them on the rooftops.

“I already lost my Lady. Nobody will take away my princess!”

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Taglist (sorry if I missed you)@pheonixashtree @sassakitty @unabashedbookworm @vixen-uchiha @maggiecc12 @actualdisasterwoman @tired-butterfly @shizukiryuu @floralfi @imanerddealwith @northernbluetongue @krispydefendorpolice @toodaloo-kangaroo @dast218 @bluesoulblueheart @theatreandcomicfreak @disneyfoxuniverse @mindfulmagics @alwaysnumberonetruth @nyaabinch @jardimazul @lenamau @rosep16 @dramatic-squirrel @sonif50 @daminett4life @lulutheawkwardess @weird-pale-blonde-person @mooshoon @jeminiikrystal @mochegato @moonlightstar64 @dragonflyswing @silverwhiteraven @shamefullove @magic-miraculous @valeks-princess @heaven428 @mlbchaosqueen @winter-gardenflower @spicybelladonna @emo-elaine13 @vetilora @karukofox21 @my-name-is-michell  @sturchling @lokiifriggasonn 

[thelargefrye]

E3 SHOWCASE EVENT HOSTED BY JOY.

hello and welcome to largefrye’s conference here at e3. i’m park sooyoung and i’ll be your host for this event.

today, you will be shown a great lineup of games that our team has been working on recently. we have many new one-shots and collections for everyone to enjoy.

sequel to “senses” available on daybreak collection. here’s the trailer to dangerous.

── the following you are about to see is a game still in the early stages of development. everything is subject to change.

── all he brings is sorrow in his wake.

hongjoong stumbles threw the apartment door in a slight daze. all the lights but the living room lamp were off and he wonders if you had already went to bed. how weird, he thinks, you usually wait for him to come home, but he shoves that thought away in favor of getting a drink from the kitchen.

he smells another scent lingering apart from yours and his wolf immediately catches on to it. he didn’t want another wolf around you, leaving their scent in what was his home, but hongjoong could care less. he knew that you wouldn’t leave him, not after the heartache you suffered after your first meeting. 

hongjoong makes his way to your shared bedroom, attempting to be quiet in case you were asleep. but when he opens the bedroom door, he is met with nothing but an empty bed. 

“y/n?” he is answered with silence and he feels something in the pit of his stomach turn as he starts to look all over the apartment for you. he does find that some of your things are missing. then that lingering scent came crashing on his senses and he felt a sudden rage course through him. 

you left with wooyoung. he took you from him. you’re his mate, not wooyoung’s. his jaw is clenched, hard, and he feels ten times more sober than when he walked into the apartment. wooyoung had no right of taking you from him. 

turning, hongjoong immediately makes his way towards the front door before slamming it behind him as he makes his way towards wooyoung’s place.

coming november 2020.

introduced originally as “project psycho” back in march. a new installment in the polyteez franchise, desire.

── the following you are about to see is a game still in the early stages of development. everything is subject to change.

── after meeting the eight men in the club, you soon become entangled in their world. whether you like it or not. 

“what happened?” you gasped in shock as you saw yeosang enter the house basically carrying san on his back. the latter of the two all beaten and bloodied.

yeosang carried san over and dropped him onto the nearest couch. san let out a groan as he opened his eyes to see you leaning over him. 

“i must be in heaven because there’s no way hell would allow me to see my beautiful y/n,” san groans as he reaches to tuck a piece of hair behind your ear.

“you’re not dead, you overdramatic asshole. at least not yet,” yeosang spits out with a glare and tries his best to fix his now slightly dirty suit.

“what happened, sanggie?” you ask turning to the slightly older male with a concerned look, however yeosang doesn’t appear to be all that worried about what happened to him and san.

“the meeting was a trap,” yeosang says before he leaves and comes back with a first aid kit. 

you help san sit up as you take off his blazer and unbuttoned his shirt and move it to the side to look at his wounds.

“a trap? like a set up?” you ask and both males nod. san lets out a hiss when your hand gently touches one of his wounds. 

“ah, baby, be carefully. i’m fragile.” yeosang lets out a snort from behind you. you feel the couch dip just slightly from behind as yeosang sits down and starts to watch as you treat san’s wounds.

“i’m sorry that happened, loves. is there anything i can do to help?”

“not unless you know where bangtan’s base is,” yeosang says.

“bangtan?” you mumble, the name sounds familiar but you can’t quite remember from where. “why does that sound familiar?”

“maybe you heard us talking about them in the past,” san suggest, but you know that’s not it. you shake your head before putting a hand to your head in a thinking pose as you try to remember.

“oh i know!” you quickly get up and run up to your room digging through your draw before pulling out the small business card and running back downstairs where you had left the two males. “here,” you say handing the business card to yeosang who takes it and starts to look at it as you go back to treating san. 

“w-what? how did you get this?”

“you remember when i went out with my friends a few weeks ago to that fancy restaurant?” both males nod, “well this guy came up to me and started talking to me, and before i left he gave me this. apparently he owned the restaurant.”

“oh, my sweet angel!” san says bringing you down to crash his lips on his making you laugh and smile into the kiss. 

“does this mean i get to help you guys?” you ask, hopefully.

“maybe,” yeosang says as he looks down at the card his hand. they might actually have a chance to win against bangtan for once.

coming november 2020.

our next game is our first installment into a new series called “love montage.” the first game “blue ocean” is set around three main characters, hongjoong, y/n, and seonghwa. you take the role as each of those characters and decide whether they end up together or apart.

── the following you are about to see is a game still in the early stages of development. everything is subject to change.

── seonghwa is happy with his life. he just moved into his own apartment, he’s going strong in his two year relationship with his girlfriend, and he’s passing all his classes. nothing could be better for him. well, that is until he catches a glimpse of what actual happiness and love is in the form of his two neighbors.

or a story about seonghwa questioning if he is truly happy with his life, and you and hongjoong are there to help answer those questions.

seonghwa rest his head in your lap, looking up at you lazily as you run a hand through his newly dyed hair. hongjoong is spread out beside you both with a smile on his as he looks at you both fondly. his brightly and newly dyed blue hair a stark contrast to the cream bedsheets. 

“thanks for helping me dye my hair,” seonghwa says making you smile down at him. hongjoong reaches over for his hand and brings it up to his lips to kiss the older male’s knuckles before he holds his hand against his chest.

“no need to thank us, love. y/n has helped me dye my hair so many times that it must be nice to do someone else’s for a change,” hongjoong teases making you laugh at your boyfriend.

“your black hair will be missed, but this new color is so nice and pretty! it really fits you, hwa!” you say with a smile. 

“why don’t you play with my hair like that?” hongjoong pouts as he playfully smacks your leg.

“oh hush, you big baby. i play with your hair all the time,” you reply as you return the playfully smack, but to his chest as that was closet thing you could reach.

seonghwa can’t help but smile and laugh at you and hongjoong and goes to sit up. you watch him with curious eyes as he leans in to kiss you. you hum into the kiss and before you can depend it, seonghwa pulls away. you pout before watching as seonghwa leans over hongjoong and kisses the male as well. 

"i love you both so much,” he says after he pulled away from hongjoong, who sat up beside you.

“we love you, too, hwa,” hongjoong says as he runs a hand through the older’s hair. the both of them smiling at each other before turning to you, who was happily watching the both of them.

“i can tell.”

coming november 2020.

“project satire” is still in the early stages of development. anything seen is subject to change and does not fully represent the final project.

── the following you are about to see is a game still in the early stages of development. everything is subject to change.

"alright, guys, we have to come up with an idea for this trailer,” smalls says standing at the end of the makeshift conference table.

“what trailer?” mingi ask, completely caught off guard by what smalls had just said.

“our trailer. for our new game we’re working on,” she explains further.

“which one? you have like thirty?” san says causing smalls to just stare at him.

“san, go stand in the corner.”

“but i don’t want to stand in the corner.”

“go stand in the corner!” san only grumbled as he stood up from his chair and walked over to one of the few corners in the room. clapping her hands together, smalls gathers everyone’s attention once more. “alright, so let’s get back on track. ideas, anyone got anything?”

“what game is this for?” yeosang asked.

“project satire.”

“why is it called project satire?” yunho asked confused as to why it was still being called the project name.

“because i don’t have an actual name for it yet, so its project satire until further notice,” smalls explains.

“wait... so project satire isn’t the final name?”

“no, mingi, project satire is not the final name. can we please forget the name and focus on the trailer!?”

“wait a minute,” you say causing everyone to look over at you. “does this mean i have to wear a sundress?”

“correction, sundresses,” smalls says putting emphasis on the ‘es’ of the word. 

“hey smalls,” seonghwa begins looking directly into the camera before turning to look at the young woman, “why is there a camera in here?”

“what?” she says, before looking over at the camera that had been filming them the entire time, “oh right. i forgot that this meeting was suppose to be the trailer.”

── the following you are about to see is a game still in the early stages of development. everything is subject to change.

── your sister and two best friends fake a bunch of love letters and send them to all the guys you had past crushes on in an attempt to help you finally gain a love life and to let you experience what little time of high school you have left.

“y/n...” jiah’s voice trails off as she and gahyeon watched you sit at your desk from your bed. chaeyoung was standing in the doorway as they all waited for you to say – or do – anything. 

“y/n look, we didn’t mean for this all to happen. we just... you had been looking so depressed lately and we thought that maybe if you got out and talked to more people... that maybe it would cheer you up.”

“i know,” is all you said still refusing to look at any of them. you know they were just trying to help you get out there more, but with everything that happened with san... you just wanted to be left alone. 

you just wanted to be left alone for the rest of eternity. you feel so embarrassed knowing that san is probably with some of the other guys, laughing at how stupid you must have looked and how much of a loser you are for actually thinking he might have liked you. 

“i’m a fucking clown,” you say out loud, tears welling up as you took a deep breath.

“you’re a clown! san is an asshole for playing you along like that!” gahyeon said, standing up from your bed. fist clenched as she waved in the air, probably to an imaginary san. 

“sis...” chaeyoung finally speaks up after staying silent since coming home and finding you like this. “i’m sorry for causing all of this. i just tho–

“it’s okay, chae. i know you guys didn’t mean any harm,” you cut her off, finally turning to look at your two friends and sister. your eyes were slightly glassy, but you quickly blinked and wiped them away.

suddenly you all hear the doorbell ring and chaeyoung is quick to dash out of your room and run down the hall where she quietly watches her father go and open the door.

“hi, can i help you?”

“hi, um, i was wondering if y/n lived her?” your sister’s eyes widened when she catches a glimpse of the guy at the door and quickly dashes back to your room to tell you who’s at the door.

“guys, guys! you’ll never believe who’s at the door!!”

“who?” jiah and gahyeon ask in unison, now the both of them are standing up and looking at your sister curiously.

“hongjoong,” the name left your own lips before your sister who get it out and she looks at you in curiosity before realizing you are now standing up from your chair. chaeyoung turns around to see the older male standing behind her. she then notices the light pink envelope in his hand.

“hey, art buddy.” 

coming november 2020.

── the following you are about to see is a game still in the early stages of development. everything is subject to change.

── after running away from your old pack with your mate, seonghwa. the two of you find a new home with a new pack... and your seven remaining fated mates.

“what are you doing, yunho?” you ask with a laugh as the tall male rubs his nose against your neck. you were currently walking down the hallway to the bathroom, having just gotten up when the beta had appeared behind you and trapped you in his arms.

“you smell so good. i can’t help it,” he says before kissing your neck making you let out another laugh at how it tickled slightly.

“well you need to let me go, so i can go pee,” you said trying to nudge him away from you, but his grip only tightened.

“i don’t mind watching,” he says and you make disgusted face.

“no, ew, don’t be gross. the bathroom is for my privacy and alone time.”

“we have alone time in there together.”

“yunho i’m being serious,” you say and finally he lets go with an exaggerated sigh. “don’t sigh at me you big baby. i think wooyoung is in the kitchen so go cuddle him.”

“don’t think this is over between me and you,” he says before turning away and running down the hall and to where you presume wooyoung is in the kitchen.

walking the rest of the way to the bathroom you open the door and you’re surprised to see jongho already inside.

“oh, i’m sorry jongho i didn’t know you where in here,” you say, feeling a little flustered at walking in on him.

“it’s fine. i’m done anyway,” he says and you step aside in order to let him out. when you walk into the bathroom, you’re about to close the door when jongho stops you and steps back into the bathroom.

“what’s wrong?” jongho doesn’t answer but instead pulls you to him as he shoves his face into your neck. “j-jongho! what are you doing?”

“you smell really good.”

“oh, not you too. what is wrong with you guys?” you let out a sigh before pushing jongho away. the youngest pouts before pulling you to him one last time to kiss before running away leaving you confused.

you roll your eyes before closing the door and you manage to get halfway through your morning routine before a knock sounds on the door. you open it, toothbrush hanging out of your, to be greeted by the sight of seonghwa.

“morning, love,” he says stepping inside the bathroom and closing the door behind him. you turn on the water in the sink as a way to drown out the awkward sound of him peeing.

“why couldn’t you use the other bathroom? you know the bathroom is my alone time,” you whine, hitting his arm as you step aside to let him use the sink.

seonghwa only laughs at you before leaning down and kissing your cheek. his face lingers close to yours before he moves down to bury his face in your neck like yunho and jongho had did previously.

“why do you smell so good?” he asks, pressing his body up against yours as a way to feel closer to you.

“i don’t know, but yunho and jongho did the exact same thing,” you say and you watch seonghwa lift his head up thanks to the mirror in front of you. 

“they did?” you nod and you can tell he’s thinking due to the expression on his face. “hm, is your heat starting soon?”

“i don’t think so.”

“well i guess we should just be carefully for the next few days,” he says and you nod your head before finishing brushing your teeth and kissing seonghwa on his the cheek before leaving the bathroom and heading down stairs.

coming november 2020.

“the love that kills you inside” is a new game in an upcoming three part series, star hero.

── the following you are about to see is a game still in the early stages of development. everything is subject to change.

── you and yeosang were nothing more than a business relationship. he was your group’s manager, and you were one of his idols he had to manage, but now after a scandal the two of you are brought closer together.

“are you dating yeosang-oppa?” luna’s voice is full of concern as her and the other two girls look at you. you had just gotten back from spending time with the older man when you saw the three of them sitting on the couch, waiting for you.

“um... maybe,” you answer, your stomach starts to sink at the thought of what could happen to you both if they told the ceo. 

“y/n... do you realize what could happen if this kind of news got out?” luna asked and you slowly nodded, head dropping to look at your feet.

“i... i’m sorry, guys. my feelings... i couldn’t stop them. he really helped me after everything that happened with soojin,” you explained, you felt your palms start to sweat and your heart was racing even faster than when you confessed to yeosang. “me and him, we know the risk and we’re being careful.”

“guys, i haven’t seen y/n this happy in a long time. maybe her and yeosang-oppa should date,” dia spoke up and you looked up at her in surprise. you are meet with her kind gaze and you feel yourself tear up.

“do you love him?” taehee asks and you nod your head without a second thought. “i thought so. i’ve been noticing the lingering gazes you give each other.

“how long have you guys been going out?” luna asks with a tilt of her head.

“four months,” you say with a shy smile thinking about all the times you’ve spent with yeosang.

“well i guess you have four months of catching us up on what your relationship has been like,” she replies with her big sister smile that she always gives you. you nod your head as you rush over to join them on the couch as you begin to tell them everything about your relationship.

coming november 2020.

“project gxxd boy” is still in the early stages of development. anything seen is subject to change and does not fully represent the final project

── the following you are about to see is a game still in the early stages of development. everything is subject to change.

"do you miss them?” yeosang’s voice is quiet as the two of you lay next to each other on his bed. the random movie flashing on the tv being forgotten and now only acting as a source of light for you both. 

“i don’t know. at the time when i was with them, i was so in love with both of them, but i was so lonely. yewon got both mingi and mine’s attention and she would always get upset if either of us acknowledged the other. i thought it was normal because i had never been in a poly relationship before and i figured that since she was the reason for our relationship, then she got the most attention.”

“but that isn’t how a relationship works. you and mingi ended up connecting only when she wasn’t there, right?”

“yeah... i thought maybe he was actually interested in me and loved me like i loved him, but that wasn’t it. he just wanted someone to occupy him while yewon was gone. i think walking in on them after being stood up by him made me finally realize how unhealthy the relationship was for me, no matter how much i loved them.”

yeosang turns on his side in order to look at you. you turned your head to look at him, curious as to why he changed positions.

“i’m glad you left them. they don’t deserve you, wooyoung would always tell me how he hated the relationship you were and how unfair it was for you,” he says making you smile gratefully at him.

“thanks yeosang.”

and that has been largefrye at e3, i would like to thank everyone for watching and please look forward to all these amazing games coming in the future!

[ayamari-no-goshi]

Verboten 14 | (T)

ff.net | AO3

Fandom: Danny Phantom (DP)

Summary: AU. When Danny was five years old, he went missing for 2 weeks. In the years that follow, his family tried to make sense of what happened, only for the truth to be discovered years later.

Warnings: rated T for violence, mentions of death, language. Be prepared for some very weird things

Chapter warning: being attacked at home

Parings: Danny/Sam

Notes: originally uploaded to Ff.net. Cross-posted to AO3 and tumblr. This fic is very heavily inspired by folklore surrounding mysterious wilderness disappearances

Chapter 14

“Well, at least we know your parents could hire him to clean their ceilings if he stays stuck up there.”

“You’re not helping, Tucker,” Danny snapped at him from his spot on the ceiling.

More amused than surprised anymore, he just let Sam continue to try to help Danny change back to his human form while he worked on his own project. When Sam messaged him earlier that there was an issue, he hadn’t expected to walk into Sam’s room and find Danny, in all his ghostly glory, sitting cross-legged on the ceiling above Sam’s bed and having a panic attack. After taking in the absurdity of the situation, he tried for several minutes to help Sam somehow get him down. When all rescue attempts failed, mostly because Danny couldn’t seem to hold on to anything they threw at him, Sam moved to a different tactic. She hoped getting him to relax would somehow help.

Since that wasn’t his forte, Tucker decided his way of helping would be to finish reviewing the information he got from Plasmius while making comments about his friend’s predicament. Although he knew the digs annoyed Danny and Sam, he needed to do it for his own sanity.

Up until this point, Tucker really hadn’t registered the paranormal as being truly real. Sure, they did get abducted by a crazed ghost and then attacked by an even crazier ghost, but the more time passed without a ghostly incident, he had almost rationalized it as some stress induced hallucination. Almost being the key word. He knew his best friend had been fundamentally changed by the event, but other than the freak out at school and his now permanently chilly skin, Danny hadn’t done anything ghostly until now. Speaking of which…

“How exactly did you end up like this?” he questioned moments before Danny finally fell from the ceiling and landed face first on Sam’s bed. “You okay, dude?”

“More okay then I was when I was stuck on the ceiling,” he sighed as moved himself to the edge of the bed. His unnatural green eyes scanned the room as if searching for something. “I’m like this because of Plasmius.”

“Wait, wait? That’s a pretty big thing to neglect to mention.”

“I’m sorry I got distracted by discovering I was walking around in my ghost form or whatever you want to call it.”

“Don’t antagonize him, Tucker. That seems to make things worse,” Sam scolded as she pointed at Danny, who started to float again. “See? But that is pretty important.”

Danny huffed as he experimentally shifted, making it look like he was just lying on his stomach… in mid-air. Seemingly alright with the position, probably because he was only about a foot above the bed, he continued. “Look, I was planning on immediately telling you guys as soon as Tucker arrived, but I panicked when I realized I couldn’t change back. But since that doesn’t seem to want to change any time soon, I guess I just explain what happened.”

Once Danny was done, Tucker let out a whistle. “That’s some story. Glad he let you go, but it’s really creepy that he can just pluck you into that other world when he wants.”

“Why was he here in the first place?” Sam asked as she worked up enough courage to sit near where Danny was still floating. “That’s what’s bugging me about it. Was he just really here for information?”

“That’s what I don’t get either. Whoa! I’d like it if my body would make up… its mind?” As Danny fell onto the bed once again, a blinding light suddenly washed over him. Once it faded, he was back in his human form. “Well, at least that fixes that problem for now.”

Deciding not to comment on his friend’s obvious relief, Tucker somewhat changed the direction of the conversation. “At least Plasmius confirmed he’s interested in Vlad Master’s companies for something nefarious. Most of what I’ve gotten so far on that data are files on different employees.”

Danny’s eyes lit up at the statement. “Oh, I forgot to tell you. Vlad’s in town.”

“That’s convenient,” Sam dryly stated after she shared a look with Tucker. “Why’s he here?”

“Apparently, when my parents asked him for help getting some information, he decided he needed to be directly involved. He was visiting when I got up.” He glanced down and wrung his hands before adding, “But he seemed really off today.”

“Off how?”

“He gave me literal chills. I mean, if I think about it, that’s happened when ghosts were around, but not people. He also seemed off… like he was a different person.”

Unnerved, Tucker placed his PDA on Sam’s desk. “I hate to bring this up, but didn’t you say that thing that attacked you was able to change how it looked?”

Danny’s eyes widened briefly before he shook his head. “I… I don’t think that’s it. It was close, but there was still something off about how it looked. It also didn’t feel the same… the chill was different. Vlad felt… Vlad felt like Plasmius but not as strong? I don’t know how to explain it.”

“You mentioned that chill before when you freaked out because of Maura… do you think you can sense other ghosts now?” Tucker felt himself grin despite the situation. “I mean, cuz if you can, that’s really useful. I’d like to be able to stay on the complete other side of the city from where that creepy thing is.”

“Maybe? I certainly didn’t notice anything like it when we were trapped or escaping from Plasmius… but he did say something about how that’s possible.” A thoughtful expression briefly crossed his face, until he gave a wry grin. “Fat load of good it does if it only goes off when something is like ten feet away.”

“Darn. Well, still let me know if you notice anything else weird. I’d like a head start over anything that might harm these good looks.”

xxx

After their initial discussion of what happened, the rest of the time was spent seeing if Danny could get any sort of control over his ghost form. It took a while, but he did manage to find the preverbal trigger for the change. Via a couple hours under Sam’s Spartan-equse training, he was finally able to change to and from on command. While he hoped he’d have a chance to work on more of his abilities, it was definitely a success.’

Around dinner, he and Tucker left Sam’s and headed to their own respective houses. While his parents were relieved to see him before sundown, he couldn’t return the feeling. Vlad was still in the house. According to his parents, the businessman would be staying with them in the guest room for a while.

“A while? How long’s a ‘while’?” he questioned as he looked for something to drink in the fridge.

“Well, that’s up to Vlad,” his mother replied as she added a few shakes of something to what smelled like stew. Vlad and his father were still in the lab. “While he’s not entirely certain how long he will be able to remain away from his businesses, he’s hoping to be able to stay for a couple weeks.”

Unhappy with that answer, Danny grabbed his drink and disappeared into his bedroom. If he was honest, he wanted to practice more with his abilities. It would be a shame not to with how much progress he made earlier, but he wasn’t exactly certain what tools his dad and Vlad might be using. Some of them where supposedly able to detect differences in energy levels. Without knowing the specifics of his abilities, he really didn’t want to clue them in.

Actually, was he ever going to tell his parents? That was a good question. Right now, when he didn’t have much control or understanding over anything, it didn’t seem like a good idea. Perhaps down the road? Maybe. Actually, maybe they might have so information regarding what happened to him.

A little later, his parents called him down for dinner. For him, it was a relatively normal affair, save for the chills Vlad kept giving him. Seriously, what was up with that? Vlad had been a fixture in his life for years, and there was never an issue before. Maybe Plasmius somehow influenced him or something? He guessed it was possible. There were legends about ghosts doing stuff like that, but he had no idea how to even begin figuring that out.

After dinner, he once again retreated to his room. Frustrated, he decided a few hours of Doomed would be a good distraction from everything.

…

Right around three am, something woke Danny. Rubbing his eyes, he realized he fell asleep gaming. Stretching, he turned off the game before checking one of his drawers for clean pjs. Deciding it wasn’t worth it, he headed to his bed only to stop when his breath misted in front of him.

Now wide awake, he stopped and listened. There were the normal sounds of the furnace and his dad’s snores. Wait, the furnace? Then why could he see his breath a moment ago? Spooked, he opened his door as quietly as possible and stuck his head out into the hallway.

Nothing seemed out of place. No one was in the hall. There was no light from his parents’ room or the spare bedroom Vlad was using. Deciding something still didn’t seem right, he crept down the hall and peaked down the stairs.

Eyes, dark eyes with a faint red glow, peaked out at him from the darkness of the living room. Knowing whatever it was saw him, he panicked and ran towards his parents’ room. “Mom! Dad! There’s something in the house!” he yelled as he frantically beat on the locked door. Of course it was one of those nights.

“Oh my god, what is that thing?” Vlad’s voice and the growl that followed forced his attention to the staircase. The sickly gray color of its skin made it somehow stand out in the shadows. The creature, the same one Danny encountered in the alleyway, stood in all its horrible glory at the top of the stairs. Its face was twisted in a grotesque snarl, and it swayed slightly. With an uneasy jolt, Danny realized the thing seemed to be debating who to go after first.

At the sound of the lock on his parents’ door turning, the thing lunged forward. Danny barely had time to register his mother pulling him into the room while his father roared, “Eat this!”

The familiar whine of one of his parents’ blasters powering up was followed by a blinding green blast and then another. As his parents decided to chase the thing, he curled up behind the door. The sounds of the blasts and something else, something unnatural, crashing into furniture could be heard from the downstairs.

How did that thing get in the house? Better yet, how did it find him? It was his fault. He needed to help, but what could he do? He had no ability to fight against it. Heck, he still didn’t know what it was other than dangerous and evil.

When the sounds in the downstairs stopped, he held his breath and waited. A sigh of relief escaped him when his mother called for him and Vlad. Not caring he was a teenager and by default hated hugs from family members, raced to his mother’s side and embraced her. Understanding he was frightened, she rubbed his back and reassured him she was fine.

“Sorry to interrupt,” the light snapped on to reveal blast marks, destroyed furniture, and Vlad appraising the scene from the bottom step, “but what exactly was that thing? Should I contact the police?”

Embarrassed someone saw him, Danny quickly let go and retreated a few steps. His mother smiled at him before replying, “It’s already been taken care of.” She pointed to what Danny recognized as the button of one of the alarm systems; it was flashing. “Jack’s checking the perimeter to make sure that thing is gone. In the meantime, I’m going to make us hot chocolate.”

“But what if that thing comes back? Surely Jack wouldn’t just leave you alone.”

She flashed him a grin as she held up a miniature blaster. “Thank you for being concerned, but I’m actually the better shot between the two of us.”

After glancing at Vlad, who seemed both dumbfounded and proud, Danny hurried into the kitchen after his mother. He really didn’t want to leave her side if that thing came back.

“Danny,” his mother stated after they were seated at the kitchen table with hot chocolate in hand, “be honest with me, was that the same thing you saw in the alleyway?”

He took a sip of his drink before answering her. “I… I think so. I mean, I’m not exactly sure if it was the same thing or not, but it looked similar.”

“You’re telling me that’s the thing you’re researching?” Vlad sounded surprised, but Danny noticed how tightly he gripped his mug. Why did he seem angry? “That thing was an abomination.”

His mother nodded. “While there are some stories regarding things like that in folklore, most of the recent ones seem to be more fiction than fact, so Jack and I tended to disregard them.” She sent him an apologetic smile, “However, with Danny’s report, we decided to look into it and didn’t like what we found. That’s why we reached out because we needed to get the resources to verify the data.”

“What do you mean you didn’t like what you found?” His whole body felt icy again, but this time, it seemed to be from fear and not some paranormal creature.

“I want to verify something with the officers,” she glanced at the clock on the wall before muttering, “when they finally get here first. However, if Jack didn’t manage to get it, I’m not sure if it’ll come back or not. We definitely wounded it,” she pointed to a spot in the living room where something wet, dark, and faintly glowing could be seen, “but I don’t know if that was enough to ward it off or if it’s vengeful enough to return.”

“But why was it here?”

“If I may?” Vlad glanced at his mother, who nodded. “If it was in fact the same creature Daniel saw, it may have come for him, or, it simply could have been drawn to the house. Forgive me, but you do have a lot of ectoplasm and other potential energy sources on hand.”

“Hmm… we have been meaning to update our storage devices. That can easily be done, but if Danny is a target, that would be much harder to fix.” His mother reached out and gently put her hand on his. “Sweetie, don’t take this the wrong way, but your father and I are worried you might have been changed because of your disappearances.”

That was putting it lightly, he ruefully thought. However, instead of agreeing, he asked her to explain what she meant.

“Well, you know we theorized you temporarily slipped into a different dimension when you were younger? It’s possible that somehow altered you. Pass reports of those ‘spirited away’ often report the person was somehow changed. Since before you seemed fine, save for the times we caught you staring as if you saw something we couldn’t, we figured you may have developed a sensitivity to the paranormal.”

He nodded. That made sense. Although, he was embarrassed his parents picked up on how he sometimes saw those shadows. Apparently he didn’t do nearly as good of a job as he thought at keeping that a secret.

His mother bit her lip before continuing. “But, this past time… something changed. I know you told the police you were abducted by a person, but the complete disappearance and then reappearance… and that none of you who disappeared could be tracked… and the injuries… and how that poor boy was found… it never made sense it was a human. And when you came back, the changes in your vitals, we knew there was something more to it. You don’t have to tell me anything if you’re not ready,” she added when she noticed his panicked expression, “but whatever changed might have made you something like beacon to creatures of other worlds.”

His mouth felt dry. His parents actually suspected there was something off about him, and they just accepted it? Should he tell them how much he really changed? No, Vlad was in the house. He didn’t need to know anything about it. However, he could start probing for some of the answers he wanted. “If… if I have changed, how…?”

“We’re not exactly sure what will happen in the long run,” she replied as she picked up on his train of questioning. “Old accounts vary, and it’s difficult distinguishing fact and legend. Anyways, Danny I just want to verify the thing that attacked us tonight and whoever abducted you on the camping trip are not the same thing.”

He violently shook his head. “No, they’re completely different…”He debated with himself for a moment. Should he tell her about Plasmius appearing? Or the thing Clockwork discovered? Or the horde that attacked Sam, Tucker, and their classmates on the way back? “At least, whoever took me, Sam, and Tucker was completely different. I don’t know what grabbed the others.” That was true enough.

Vlad remained unusually quiet during the exchange, but unlike other times where he seemed disinterested or involved, this time it seemed like he was mulling over something. Also, Danny hadn’t missed the way his eyes narrowed when he added on the information about the camping abduction.

A knock at the door spooked everyone. They turned to see his dad opening the door followed by a couple police officers. “I found the police!” he said with a grin. “They thought it was another false alarm.”

“False alarm? False alarm?” His mother stood and marched over to the officers who were taking stock of the damage with wide eyes. “My family gets attacked, and you have the nerve to think it was a false alarm? If my husband and I didn’t have the means to defend ourselves, we would have been killed!”

Danny just sighed and continued sipping his drink as he watched his mother scold the officers. His dad joined him. Both of them knew it was better to let her get it out of her system than to try to get involved. Besides, he’d probably never get to see police officers get chewed out like that ever again. Now if only he had some popcorn.

====

Note: if it hadn’t been implied earlier, Maddie and Jack are going to be involved/decent parents in this fic. It makes sense with how this story is laid out – their son has gone mysteriously missing 3 times. They try to keep an eye on him.

[iammultifandomaf]

Once a Leader, Always a Leader

Fan Fiction: Sweet Home Netflix

Chapter 6 - TRUST ME

Hyun-Su was now with Jung Ui-Myeong who was using Pyeon Sang-Wook's body about over two weeks.

What Ui-Myeong was telling Hyun-Su kind of made sense. They are evolved monster that can be superior to plain humans and that's why humans want them dead. However, Hyun-Su couldn't get on board with all the killing. At least the killing humans part.

"Look, we can spend a night here," Ui-Myeong said, looking around the dark lobby, "and then continue. I heard that in North Korea it's roaming with monsters. We should head there and look for people like us."

Hyun-Su didn't answer and leaned against the reception's desk. Did he really want to go with this man?

"How do you know about North Korea?" he finally asked.

"Oh, that's simple. I overheard it when the army was doing tests on me. No human dares to go there now, they just left it deserted."

"Hm."

"What's with you? You are the future! Stop making that sad face."

"I am not sad."

"What are you then?"

Hyun-Su watched the hole in front of him where probably used to be an entrance door before. It made him sick that Ui-Myeong used Pyeon Sang-Wook's body as a puppet. People shouldn't be treated like that.

"You said that Pyeon Sang-Wook was dead when you took over his body?" Hyun-Su changed the topic.

"We went over this... He was barely conscious... he would've died anyways."

"Hm," Hyun-Su glanced at Ui-Myeong and then looked back at the hole in the wall. However, this time, he had to blink a few times to be sure he wasn't dreaming.

"Lee Eun-Hyuk?" he whispered at the sight of the young man and behind him, Eun-Yu, Ji-Su, Hye-In and even the children.

"Hyun-Su!" Eun-Yu cried out at the sight of him and wanted to go to him but her brother's arm stopped her.

"Wait," he said quietly and approached Ui-Myeong, looking him in the eyes.

"What do you want?" Ui-Myeong said annoyed and watched the young man in front of him.

"You should get out of him, he doesn't want you in there," Eun-Hyuk said and with a quick movement, laid his fingers on Ui-Myeong's temples.

"The fuck you think you are doing?" Ui-Myeong bursted out and thursted a thorn out of his body, piercing Eun-Hyuk through.

"No!" Hyun-Su, Eun-Yu and Ji-Su screamed out unianimously while Hye-In hugged the children so they wouldn't see what's happening.

"Get. Out," Eun-Hyuk commanded through his teeth, feeling a small stream of blood flowing from the mouth down his chin. Ui-Myeong's eyes rolled back and he shrieked in pain but quickly breathed in and gave Eun-Hyuk a smug look.

"Then I'll just take you," Ui-Meyong's voice was distorted and made Yeong-Su burst in tears. Then, the thorn stuck in Eun-Hyuk's core turned into a bloody-looking goo that made its way inside of Eun-Hyuk.

Sang-Wook collapsed on the floor with a thud. Eun-Hyuk immediately threw out a boutiful amount of blood and fell to his knees, feeling the strange presence in his body, trying to take over somehow.

"Fucking fight that bastard!" Eun-Yu run to her brother, standing by his side in uncertainity. "Why would you go off with such a crazy asshole?!" she glanced at Hyun-Su who watched the scene with an open mouth.

"I... I-" he tried to create some words but the amount of blood that came from Eun-Hyuk was the only thing he could've focused on.

"He's killing him don't you see that?!" Eun-Yu screamed at Hyun-Su in tears.

"What's happening?" suddenly Sang-Wook's confused voice popped into all the chaos. His eyes fell on Eun-Hyuk who was grunting in pain, punching the floor as he resisted Ui-Meyong.

Calm down. You have the upper hand. He caged himself in your body. You can crush him, Eun-Hyuk thought and took a deep breath in which was followed by the monstrous scream that make the whole lobby shake and the mirrors shatter. Hyun-Su fell down next to Sang-Wook who seemed to have pure terror in eyes that have turned its color to pitch black. Hyun-Su laid his head on his knees and covered his ears with his palms, trembling.

Even the humans were somehow frozen on the spot, enduring the eartearing holler barely.

Finally, it was over. Eun-Hyuk clumsily stood up, his body changing into the 2,5 m (8,2 ft) creature.

"Fuck," Eun-Hyuk swore, feeling an instant relief from that previous pain and tension. His eyes flew over the room, noticing how his scream impacted the others.

"Uhm, good call with the clothes," he tried to chuckle but that only reminded him of the drying blood in his mouth. The sweatpants were now a bit tighter as well as the T-Shirt, but nothing besides the hole from the thorn ripped.

"Hah, yeah," Ji-Su reacted with a weak voice and slowly sat down on the cold floor. Eun-Hyuk looked at Eun-Yu who had wrapped her arms around her and stared into the floor.

"Damn," Eun-Hyuk sighed and turned around to face Hyun-Su and Sang-Wook who were still stuck in the same positions as before. Eun-Hyuk approached them and sat down on his haunches.

"Hey," he said softly and put his hand, raising their heads to look at him, "look at me."

They obeyed but it didn't seem that they did so voluntarily.

"Listen," he said as he cuppped their cheeks, "you're safe now, okay? I am not going to hurt you."

Hyun-Su's eyes turned back to his human irises and a stream of tears started flowing down his face. He was now able to take in who was sitting in front of him.

"Eun-Hyuk?" he whimpered.

"Yeah," Eun-Hyuk said calmly and glanced back at Sang-Wook who seemed to have gotten out of the shock as well and laid his hand on Eun-Hyuk's.

"Are you alright?" Eun-Hyuk asked and put his hands down.

"What the fuck was that?" Sang-Wook said shortly.

"You're a monster, too?" Hyun-Su asked quietly, noticing the lack of hole in Eun-Hyuk's chest. He only nodded and let himself turn back to his human form.

Yeong-Su and Su-Yeong suddenly hurried to Hyun-Su and fell into his arms.

"We missed you!" Su-Yeong exclaimed.

"Oh, I missed you, too," Hyun-Su said sadly.

"What happened to the asshole?" Eun-Yu wondered and looked at the hole in the T-shirt where underneath was only a human chest covered in blood but with no wound.

"I did the same like with the others," Eun-Hyuk answered.

"What does that mean?" Sang-Wook asked wearily as he rose to his feet.

"He eats monsters," Hye-In explained from behind.

"You do what?" Hyun-Su asked, his eyes wide.

"He's superior to monsters. He can destroy them by eating them! And apparently, he's superior to evolved ones, too," Ji-Su said.

"Will you eat me?" Hyun-Su asked quietly, looking down at his hands. He knew that after his monstrous side finally got out, he temporarily forgot what had happened, but it slowly came back to him in small shards. And what he remembered wasn't anything good. He was closed in a secluded room and he always obeyed Eun-Hyuk's orders until that one day when Hyun-Su said that he won't be bossed around anymore. Could that backfire now?

Eun-Hyuk closed in to Hyun-Su which made him flinch away. The children were holding Hyun-Su tightly as if defending him against Eun-Hyuk. But Eun-Hyuk only placed his hand on Hyun-Su's hair.

"Don't be ridiculous. Why would I do that?" Eun-Hyuk said.

"I... I defied you. And went with Ui-Meyong."

"So what. You had no obligations to me."

Hyun-Su looked up, noticing that Eun-Hyuk's face that always carried an expressionless mask was now filled with compassion.

Eun-Hyuk didn't know, though, that after the scream affected the other monsters would let him enter their minds if he touched them. And so accidently, he saw flashes of Hyun-Su's broken memories - the bullying, the hopelessness after his family died, the suicidal thoughts.

Eun-Hyuk's eyes slowly became glassy so he put his hand down and looked away.

"Let's be a team, hm?" Eun-Hyuk suggested, blinking away his tears and looking back at that broken boy in front of him. Hyun-Su raised his head, his lips parted a bit as he was thinking of an answer.

"A team?" Sang-Wook answered instead.

"Yeah," Eun-Hyuk said, looking at Sang-Wook, "we have s few humans around that need protecting. I am not sure if they haven't turned just because they didn't properly get into contact with this... infection. Or if they are simply immune to it. Be it as it may... You two also need to figure out how it works. We can't get random uncontrolled transformations."

"So, you know how to control yours?" Ji-Su asked.

"Hopefully... At least for now it seems clearer to me," he said and raised his hand to let everyone see it change into the clawed form and then return to normal, "but I can't make any promises. I guess if a moment comes that I'd be uncertain of my sanity or anything... I have to tell you right away so we can plan accordingly... and if necessary... get rid of me."

"What?" Eun-Yu rose her voice.

"How would we get rid of you? You just received an enormous injury and now you look as if nothing happened," Hye-In noted.

"That's true... that could be a problem," Eun-Hyuk admitted.

"Can we please not talk about killing you and focus on survival?" Eun-Yu said annoyed and furrowed her brows at her brother.

"Sorry," Eun-Hyuk apologized and walked to Eun-Yu, putting his arm around her shoulders who surprisingly didn't shake him off and just stood there, stubborningly looking away.

"Another thing... we should probably get a different vehicle. Maybe like a caravan if we're planning on traveling a lot."

"Where do you want to find a caravan?" Hye-In wondered. "We were lucky to get our hands on this van," she said and walked over to the children who were still holding onto Hyun-Su.

"There has to be some abandoned shop... We can't be squeezing in that van for a long time," Eun-Hyuk said.

"I actually know a place. They resold used vehicles... I guess some cars could still be there in one piece," Sang-Wook said.

"Hm." Eun-Hyuk looked at Sang-Wook who kept his cool as always and walked to him which made Sang-Wook take a step back.

"What are you doing?" Sang-Wook said on alert.

"Nothing. How are you feeling?" Eun-Hyuk asked curiously, sensing Sang-Wook's nervosity that wasn't only caused by Eun-Hyuk's strange behavior.

"I am fine," Sang-Wook answered shortly, "why are you so weird about it?"

"I am sorry," Eun-Hyuk awkwardly chuckled and scratched the back of his head, "it's just this sixth sense I am dealing with lately. But if you have something to let out, better do it here than in the van with little space, what do you say?"

"What are you talking about?" Ji-Su wondered.

"I think that him being possessed postponed any transformations. That means it's all stuffed inside of him and he's barely holding it together-"

"So, you are now an expert in monsters? Or what?" Sang-Wook said, his tone being on edge.

"I wouldn't say an expert...-"

"I don't want to become a mindless monster! Of course I am trying-," Sang-Wook paused as he felt heat rising within him, "I am trying to hold it together."

"Yeah, I know. You'll be fine, though. Like Hyun-Su," Eun-Hyuk answered calmly.

"How do you know?!" Sang-Wook bursted out on him, his eyes changing color.

Eun-Hyuk also wasn't sure how he knew. He was somewhat aware of the fact that if he's there while Sang-Wook turns, he'll be able to keep him somewhat by his senses.

Everyone else in the lobby watched the two silently, as if any noise could've had destructive consequences and Hye-In tried to comfort the children as quietly as she could since they were uneasy from the whole situation.

"Trust me in this," Eun-Hyuk said and grabbed Sang-Wook's hand tightly, pulling him closer.

"Let me go!" Sang-Wook said angrily as his body twiched and its surface slowly changed from human skin to a wrinkly one with wounds that seemed to have produced some liquid. Eun-Hyuk held onto Song-Wook's hand during the whole process, having a short glimpse into yet another painful set of memories.

"Look at me," Eun-Hyuk said strictly when Sang-Wook's change came to a finish. Sang-Wook's black eyes landed at Eun-Hyuk's face in anticipation.

"Good," Eun-Hyuk said and laid Song-Wook's hand he had been holding on his chest and put his own hands on Song-Wook's temples, "it'll be alright. Just listen to my voice. You have control over this and you can change whenever you want. Hm? Yeah, that's right."

Song-Wook's skin was returning to his human one once again until he was back to himself, watching Eun-Hyuk in awe.

"How did you do that?" Hyun-Su asked in amazement, "it went so smoothly..."

"I don't want to make any premature conclusions," Eun-Hyuk said, taking down his hands from Song-Wook's head, "but I think that when a monster hears the... scream, or however you want to call it... then... they somehow do what I want."

"What?" Eun-Yu spat out of herself.

"So... you can make us whatever you want us to do? Even against our will?" Hyun-Su said, anxiety rising in his voice.

"It would seem so," Eun-Hyuk confirmed and raised his palms in defense, "I know... it's a bit of a moral dilemma. I can tell you that I won't misuse it but let's be frank. I do not know what lies ahead of us-"

"If I am a danger to somebody, then you can do whatever you want to stop me," Hyun-Su interrupted.

"Hm, I guess, same here," Song-Wook added, "if we get a say in this..."

"That makes you pretty dangerous," Ji-Su said, "we should keep it as a secret. Just imagine if the army found out..."

"The army would be stupid if they wanted to kill him!" Eun-Yu cried out, "and even if... you'd survive it, right?" she looked at her brother who gave her a small smile in return and said: "I promised that I'll come back, didn't I? Then I'll always come back."

https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13825734/6/

[fckyeahdaisukekambe]

[ROUGH ENG TRANS] FUGOU KEIJI NOVEL: THE MILLIONAIRE DETECTIVE’S DECOY (Part 8)

ahhhhh at lasttttt~ we’re almost there! The Kambe sponsored party. anyway, sorry for the delay. i’m having really, really bad mental breakdowns nowadays like i’m always crying and sad. i have bpd for some years now and i think this isolation thingy makes things worst. anyway, look forward to Part 9 <3

so after the scene where Daisuke threw his cigar away, and grinned. "To find a good match.", i forgot to mark the scene where Daisuke already met the 4th suspect. sorry about that!

"No. I didn't notice it. I did something wrong." After saying that loudly, Daisuke also whispered to Sakamoto. "I don't bet money for something so careless. So apologies, I'll have some sake."

"Oh, sorry." Sakamoto slovenly grinned. "But this is a member-only club." 

Sakamoto rounded his eyes as he looked around the luxurious interior of the elegant and quiet club he came with Daisuke. "And the club has very strict rules when it comes to memberships." As expected of a bartender, Sakamoto slightly mumbled. "I'm in this kind of business too."

"How?" Daisuke asked with a face pretending not to know, while about to take a sip of brandy soda. "You also run something like this?"

"No, not something as fancy as this." Sakamoto cleared his throat, stared and immediately changed to an expression that looks like he's challenging Daisuke. "I'll definitely have a store like this one day. Ah. I'm sure of it." He took a gulp of brandy. "I'll also have a billiard table in my store. Like a foreign club." Sakamoto continued to speak as if it's already the alcohol that's being talkative. "At a billiard place, you can't just have a glass in one hand. The police are troublesome."

"There's a way to do it right now." Daisuke said. "You can just come to my house. There's a home bar inside our ball (billiard) room. You can make your favorite liquor and drink while playing games."

____________________________________

"It looks like Hatano's in your house." Detective Tsuruoka told Daisuke when he returned to the investigation headquarters. "Is he still obsessed with inventing new toys?"

"It seems like going well." Daisuke nodded. "The reason he comes up recently is he have a patent application."

"Hm," In his seat, Detective Kojima made a hateful note. "So what do you know? Just investing money to him invent is not enough for an investigation."

"Other than that," Daisuke said in a relaxed tone. "He seems to have fallen in love with my father's beautiful secretary."

"I can't help but understand that." Detective Nunobiki overtly sneered.

"I was invited to go to Hatano's house." Tsuruoka said. "I wonder if the paint can was still in his lab."

"I haven't seen it." Daisuke shook his head. "I'm sure he has already used it to paint his some inventions."

"Wasn't it used for the crime?" Tsuruoka rebuked. "Then, you're saying Hatano is not the culprit?" After hesitating a little, Daisuke nodded. "Yes."

"I think (Tsuruoka) Izuku-san's conclusion is better," said Captain Fukuyama.

"On the contrary. Kambe seems to think that Suda is not the culprit, either. " Nunobiki told Fukayama and asked Daisuke, "You took him last Sunday to your house. On the contrary, have you finally been liked by your Oden shop relatives?"

"Why do you think Suda isn't the culprit?" Captain Fukuyama frowned. "It seems a little early to judge."

"No,  not until the time we know who's the criminal." Daisuke rushed. "However, he seems to be a man with a strong sense of justice."

"Also, what did you found out?" Fukuyama looked at Daisuke like he's seeking for help.

"Oh, besides that, he apparently also like my father's secretary."

"Did he fell in love?" Kojima smiled. "That's trouble. What do you do to make the suspects fall in love with your father's secretary? Hayakawa seems to go to your home's clay shooting range often, but to think even Hayakawa will fall in love with her?"

"Hayakawa really hates losing, so I haven't said anything to him so far but he's showing that he seems to fall in love."

"What's wrong with that?" Fukuyama began to draw infinity symbols with his finger on the desk, even more frustrated. "Is there any way to get them spend money?"

"That's it for now." Daisuke scratched the his head. "There's only two months left." Fukuyama groaned.

Saruwatari is back. "I heard that Sakamoto caught a millionaire patron at his bar." he laughed. "I'm going to have Mr. Kambe give me some money and have my own store." Daisuke tilted his head in confusion."But he's just talking to me like he already has his own store."

"Erm. Having said that, that would be suspicious." Saruwatari is glancing at Fukuyama who deliberately stayed alone.

"Wouldn't it be an excuse to have your own store with the robbed 500 million yen?" Tsuruoka asked Daisuke a speculative question.

"Kambe-kun, The name of your father's secretary, uhm"

"It's Suzue. Hamada Suzue."

"So I wonder if Sakamoto is also in love with Suzue?"

"Ah. That man is also a womanizer. Anyone can see it in his eyes." Daisuke laughed. "Of course to Suzue-san. Especially since he thinks  she's a daughter of an upper class family. I think for him it's intriguing."

"Well," Tsuruoka turned to Daisuke after thinking again. "All four of them could use it to make Suzue-san fall in love. It's a way Cap said earlier to make them spend money."

"That's right,"  Daisuke striked his lap and stood up. "I have a good idea."

OK. EVERYONE FALLS FOR SUZUE! LOL. Part 9 by Sunday/Monday.

[nialledfromfics]

The Dating Game | Chapter Two

~~

Nearly a week had gone by since her catastrophe of a first date with Puke Boy and Joey woke up the following Friday morning, bright and early, to get ready for work. She attempted to stretch her legs out under the warmth of her weighted blanket as her phone alarm blared from her bedside table, but a little bump at the end of her bed hindered her from moving. Twisting her upper body to tap off her alarm, Joey eased herself up and used her toes to gently nudge at the warm bundle that rested by her feet. With a tiny furry head popping up from the protective curl of its body, Joey smiled and reached down to ruffle her fingers over the dogs’ head. “Morning, Sadie,” she yawned out, flipping the covers off her bare legs and forcing herself out of bed. “Time to get up!” 

The brown long haired Dachshund hopped right up as Joey pushed to her feet, Sadie jumping onto the floor to follow the young woman into the bathroom. After a quick shower and taking Sadie on her morning walk, Joey grabbed her travel mug filled with coffee from the kitchen counter and the overstuffed ‘#1 teacher’ tote bag that was hanging on the back of a chair, and headed into work. 

She was met by her best friend, and fellow teacher, Alexis and her son, Lincoln, the moment she stepped foot into her empty classroom. “Morning, Lincoln,” Joey greeted her student as she flipped on the classroom lights.

Lincoln slumped over to his cubby to put his book bag away. “Mornin’, Ms. Parker.” 

She smiled at the fair-haired little boy before turning to her best friend. “Hey you,” she greeted, setting her bag and hot coffee down on her desk.

Alexis shuffled two large tote bags on her shoulder. “I forgot my coffee this morning,” she whined, wringing her hands up through her dirty blonde hair as she attempted to pull it back out of her way and in a low ponytail. 

Joey chuckled, and nodded to the travel mug on her desk. “You can take mine if you want.” 

“Oh please, no. I’ll just have to live off the bad excuse for coffee that’s in the teachers lounge this morning,” she said with an eye roll, “wouldn’t be a normal crappy morning without it!” 

Pushing out another laugh, Joey turned to the whiteboard behind her and picked up a marker, writing out the date and the topic for the day: Rhyming Words. “So,” her fidgety friend continued as a few of the other faculty members began to noisily fill the hallways, “what are your plans for this weekend? Another hot date with Puke Boy?”

Alexis had a very sarcastic tone with that last bit and Joey peeked over at her, noticing the smirk on her face. “Funny,” she commented before going back to her board and marking down the days’ forecast. “Actually I do have another date tomorrow night. But with a new guy.” 

A playful gasp came from her blonde friend. “Ooh do tell.” 

Setting the marker down, Joey spun back around to face her desk and began pulling some graded papers out of her tote bag. “I really don’t know much about him, to be honest,” she started, glancing up at Alexis. “His name is Omar. He’s tall, from what he says, he’s an exec at some kind of tech company and he drives a Maserati. That’s pretty much all he told me.” 

“Interesting,” Alexis mumbled with narrowed eyes. “Where are you guys going?”

“To that...music festival in Santa Monica? I forgot the name of it.”

“Rhythm and Lights?”

Joey’s eyes went big and she pointed at her friend. “Yes, that’s it. We’re meeting there at five.” 

“Hmm,” Alexis hummed out, her mouth turned down at the corners, “that should be fun. At least if he gets drunk and throws up, ya’ll will already be outside.” 

Joey let out a long sigh, slightly cocking her jaw to the side in agitation. “I’m never gonna live that down, am I?”

“Nope,” her friend said with a satisfied giggle.

Joey shook her head and went to grab the containers of crayons out of the utility closet just as a few of her students started to trickle into the classroom. “Alright, I guess I better get over to my own room or those fifth graders will have my head!” Alexis joked, stepping over to Lincoln to give him a kiss goodbye. “Have a good day, buddy.” 

“See ya at lunch, Lex,” Joey called out as her friend began to walk out of the classroom.

“Yup!” 

•

“Omar, right?” 

He hadn’t lied, he was tall. Like six foot, four tall. And his arms were massive. He was respectively handsome, dark eyes and dark hair and he immediately hugged Joey when she met him outside of the festival grounds. That took her by surprise for a split second, but as they began walking through the front gates and his hand slipped to sit at her way lower back, it became clear that he was a touchy feely kinda guy. Really touchy feely. 

It also became clear that Omar was very confident. Almost too confident for her liking and had a bit of a wandering eye from the few glances she caught him taking when a group of girls would walk past them. But Joey decided to roll with it and let herself have some fun. The music was blaring and he was a good dancer, and he did make her laugh a few times. 

“This was a really great idea!” Joey shouted to Omar, assuming he could hear her over the thumping music from the band that was on stage. 

“Huh?” 

Apparently he couldn’t. Joey moved herself closer to him, Omar taking what he thought was a hint and wrapping his arms tightly around her waist. “Oh…” Joey stuttered out, as she felt both his hands start to slip down her backside. She contemplated kicking him in the shin and running away, but that seemed a bit too dramatic, so Joey, once again, decided to just go with it. He seemed harmless. She hung her arms up around his shoulders, following his rhythm as they began to dance. “This is fun!” she told him, hoping he would hear her this time. 

Omar smiled and nodded his head before burying his face down against her neck. Joey’s eyes went big as his mouth latched onto the side of her throat and she nearly choked on her breath when his fingers dug harshly into the bottom curve of her ass. Pushing back slightly, Omar lifted his head with a crinkled brow and Joey smiled big at him, not wanting to make the situation any more weird that it had already gotten. “I’m gonna go get us some more drinks, okay? You want?” 

“Sure...a beer is good.” 

“Cool, I’ll be right back!” 

Spinning on her heels, Joey rolled her eyes and carefully weaved around the crowds to make her way back towards the tented bar at the other side of the grounds. She waited in the long line for at least fifteen minutes, brushing tiny strands of her red hair off her face that had fallen from her high ponytail and stuck to her sweaty skin. She was sure she was looking quite ravishing. If the drops of sweat sliding down the middle of her back, the mud covering her black boots and the spilt beer on her jean shorts were any indication.

After placing her order, one beer and one large mojito, she moved over to the side a bit to wait with the other customers as the busy bartenders prepared the drinks. Joey pulled out her phone and tried to check her email but she was barely getting any service and refreshing the app wasn’t working. She was beyond frustrated at that point. “C’mon, you stupid piece of shit–”

“Joey?” 

The vaguely familiar and mesmerizing voice stalled her mid sentence and Joey peeked over to her right. There was no mistaking those gorgeous baby blues, it was him. Again. “Niall?” she blurted out, almost not believing it herself, “Oh my God, hi!” 

He tipped his head down slightly in a half smile. “How are ya?”

“I’m good,” Joey said, stuffing her phone into her back pocket and turning her shoulders slightly to face Niall. “Wow, this is so crazy running into you here, how are you?”

A chuckle slipped past his lips and Joey’s eyes caught him as he messily combed his fingers through the front of his hair. It looked even softer than the last time she had seen him. “I’m alright. How, um...how was your date last week?” 

Joey pulled in a deep breath. “Well...he ended up getting super drunk, threw up on my leg at the restaurant and I had to call him a Lyft home before we even finished dinner, so...not super great.”

“Jesus.” 

“I know,” she laughed, shaking her head as she shyly looked down at the toes of her boots. “He was also weirdly obsessed with his cat? Most definitely dodged a bullet there.” 

Niall tossed his head back in a low laugh, his eyes pinching shut as the sound rumbled in his chest. Joey bit at her lip as she watched him, her stare locked on the base of his neck. He had a really, really nice looking neck. She couldn’t help but let her eyes slide down just a bit further, Niall’s white tank that nestled under his open short sleeve button up perfectly showed off just the right amount of his dark chest hair. There was no denying how sexy he looked. Shaking her head out of her insane thoughts, she quickly glanced around her, hoping no one had seen the drool that was uncontrollably pooling at the corner of her mouth. 

“Are ya here with friends or...?” 

Joey shot her attention back to Niall as his question hung idly in the air. She licked across her lips. “Actually...I’m here on another first date.” 

“Oh,” Niall said, his brows raising, “uh...how’s it goin’ so far?” 

“Well, he wasn’t late...so that’s a start.” They both chuckled and Joey leaned her hip against the side of the makeshift bar. “Are you here with friends?”

“Yeah,” he said, Niall tipping his chin up as he began to shoot his stare through the crowds of people, “they’re over...there somewhere.” Joey followed the wave of his finger, taking note that he was on the completely opposite side of the stage than her and her date. “It was my turn to get the drinks.” 

Joey slowly brought her gaze back to his. “Enjoyin’ the festival so far?” he then asked her. 

“Yeah, it’s pretty cool!” she replied with a nonchalant shrug of her shoulder, “I like seeing bands that I’ve never heard of before. I was kinda hoping my favorite band would be in the line up but...I never have that kind of luck.” 

“Who’s your favorite band?”

“The Wildflowers?”

“Oh yeah, I’ve heard of them.”

“They’re great, this...indie chick band with fiddles,” Joey added with a chuckle, “I’ve actually never seen them live. They play a lot of those small underground shows that are, like, super hard to get into. Never been lucky enough to get tickets.” 

Niall narrowed his stare and a tiny smirk pulled at the corner of his mouth. “I could get ya tickets.” 

“What?” Joey choked out, her light brown eyes going wide. “Are you serious?”

He threw her a nod. “Yeh, I can get pretty much anythin’ through my label. Ask and you shall receive,” he told her with a giggle. “Why don’t I, um, get your number and see what I can do and hit ya up when I get me hands on some tickets.” 

Joey could barely believe what she was hearing. His words floated around in her head like vivid daydream before Niall covered his mouth in a stifled laugh. She was sure the look on her face was nothing less than embarrassing. But tickets? To the Wildflowers? Her parted lips creased into a huge smile and Joey rubbed her palms down the sides of her face in excitement. “Oh my God, that would be...holy shit, that would be so fucking incredible.”

Niall grabbed his phone from his front pocket and Joey took a step closer to him, both their heads tilted down as he typed her number in. Joey also couldn’t help but take a nice deep inhale, confirming to herself from the last time, that he still smelled damn good. Niall, on the other hand, was rendered numb with how close she was to him. The tiniest whiff of her shampoo tingled his nose as her ponytail slid down between their faces and the barely-there scent radiating off of her exposed dewy skin made his mouth water. It was intoxicating. 

Peeking up at her through the tops of his eyes when he finished, Joey caught his stare for a moment before she realized just how close their proximity was–so close that her chest was nearly touching his bicep–and she quickly took a step back. 

She cleared her throat. “Thank you so much.” 

Slipping his phone back into his pocket just as one of the bartenders set Joey’s drinks in front of her, Niall softly smiled. “ ‘course, love, no worries.” 

“Okay, well,” Joey started, picking up the two plastic cups, “I guess I should get back to my date. Hopefully he doesn’t get too drunk and puke all over me.” 

Niall breathed out a laugh. “That would not be very fun.” 

“Not really, no,” Joey smiled. “It was really good seeing you again, Niall.” 

He faintly nodded his head and licked across his lips. “It was good seeing you too, Joey.” 

Turning away from him, Joey started to walk through the large crowd towards her date, taking one last second to look back over her shoulder at Niall. She caught his gaze, still stuck on her as he shoved his hands down into the front pockets of his striped shorts. Joey smiled big at him, something she couldn’t seem to help when she was around him and he smiled right back, and just as big. 

•

Joey woke up the next morning with a splitting headache, her face plastered against a pillow and in a room that she had never seen before in her life. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, she pushed the mess of hair off the side of her face and slowly began to roll herself over. She then realized she was completely naked, in someone else's bed. A muted groan fell from her lips and she heard a soft ‘hey baby’ come from next to her. 

Turning her head, she was about to reply when she noticed that Omar, her date from the night before, was laying naked next to her, talking on his cellphone. Joey’s brow wrinkled, her mouth falling open as she sat up and bunched the grey sheet up around her bare chest. 

“We still on for tonight, baby?” he continued into the phone, apparently not even aware that Joey had awoken. “Good, good. Missed you last night. Can’t wait to see you.” 

Shaking her head with a look of pure disbelief written across her face, Joey muttered a low ‘oh hell no’ before scrambling out of his bed and grabbing her clothes that were sprinkled all over the floor. She didn’t say a single word to him in the process, hurrying out of his room as she tugged each piece of her clothing on. Shoving her feet down into her boots, she snatched her bag from the couch and ordered herself a Lyft, not even bothering to look back as she quickly left his apartment. 

Joey sat quietly staring out of the backseat window on her ride home, part of her not even sure what happened the previous night, the other part of her not wanting to believe it. The skin on her bottom lip was nearly bitten off, her fingers twisting in her lap and she closed her eyes for a second, hoping it would settle the intense thumping that she was feeling against her temples. After about ten minutes, she pulled out her phone and dialed Alexis, knowing she would be the only other person awake at 9am on a Sunday morning. 

It only rang twice before Alexis answered. “Jo?”

“I fucking slept with him.”

It was quiet for a moment on the other end. “...the guy from last night?”

Joey rested her head back on the seat, her hazelnut eyes watching the palm trees flash by as they drove. “I can’t believe I decided to waste my revirginized vagina on him.” 

A cackling laugh belted out from the other end of the line. “Where are you?”

“On my way home.” 

“How far away?”

Joey lifted her pounding head to peer around as the car slowed to a stop at a light. “Um...I dunno, fifteen minutes, maybe?” 

“Okay, I’ll meet you there.” 

•

Joey was able to get back to her apartment, take a shower and some much needed aspirin, and take Sadie for a walk all before Alexis even showed up. Not unusual for her. Alexis was a great friend, her and Joey had met a couple years prior when Joey got her teaching job at Midlawn Elementary School. She was the first one to strike up a conversation with Joey, and they immediately hit it off. She was fun, a bit loud and spontaneous but was the most caring person Joey had ever known. 

Answering the door, Joey let her best friend in and Sadie went ballistic, hopping up and down and barking nonstop. Alexis attempted to bend down and pet the dog, hoping to calm her, but Sadie skitted away from her touch, barking even louder. 

“Sadie, knock it off!” Joey yelled, having no patience for her antics at the moment. She gently pushed the dog away with the side of her foot and the dog quieted down and scurried into the other room.

“After all these years, your dog still doesn’t like me,” Alexis commented, tossing her purse down on Joey’s table as they both shuffled into the living room. 

Joey laughed. “She doesn’t like anyone, Lex. At all. You’re not special.” 

“Ha, Ha,” her friend retorted with an eye roll, both girls plopping down on the sofa.

“Where’s Lincoln?” Joey asked.

“With his dad.” 

“Oh. I forgot it was his weekend.” 

Tucking her leg up on the couch, Alexis turned her body towards Joey and reached out to tap her knee. “So...c’mon, spill.” 

“There’s nothing to spill,” Joey started, slumping back into the sofa with a huff. “I just...gah, I dunno. I mean, he was cool, I guess. A bit handsy but once I had enough alcohol in my system, I didn’t really mind it. We danced a bit, he made me laugh a little and we just ended up back at his place. But honestly, I’m never doing that again. I don’t even know what I was thinking.”

“Well…” Alexis said with a snort, “to put it bluntly, you were thinking you hadn’t gotten laid in two years, Jo.” 

Joey dropped her face in her hands with a groan. “But he was so douchy, Lex. Especially this morning.” She lifted her face and scratched across her forehead. “He was already making plans to see some other chick tonight. While I was lying there in bed next to him!” 

“Ew,” her friend commented, pulling her face in. “was it even good?”

Joey shrugged. “It was alright, I guess. He didn’t get me off but...what’s new.”

“Humph,” Alexis pushed out, crossing her arms over her chest, “yeah, tell me about it. Most men these days can’t. But you were at least careful, right? You don’t wanna end up like me, getting pregnant by a guy you barely know.” 

“Lex, you got a beautiful little boy out of it.”

Alexis rolled her eyes. “I know that, but still...better to be safe than sorry.” She raised her brows at Joey. 

Carding her fingers up through her damp hair, Joey tossed it up into a loose bun and let out a knowing sigh. “Yes, mom, I was careful.” 

Alexis grabbed a throw pillow from behind her and threw it at Joey, hitting her right in the side of her face. The red-haired girl giggled. “Oh..oh my God, I totally forgot to tell you,” Joey exclaimed after chucking the pillow back at her friend. “Guess who I ran into last night at the festival?”

“Who?”

“Niall.”

“Niall?”

Joey furrowed her brows. “Ni-...oh fuck, did I not tell you?” she said, realizing that she had yet to tell anyone that she had met Niall at all. She watched her best friend's brown eyes go big in curiosity and Joey eagerly scraped her teeth across her bottom lip. “Okay, so listen, the other week when I went out with Puke Boy, well, he was, like, super late and I was waiting for him up at the bar, having a drink or whatever, right, and someone said something to me and when I looked over...it was Niall fucking Horan.”

With her mouth falling open, Alexis stared intently at her best friend. “Stop it.” 

“I’m serious,” Joey continued, “we got to talking, he bought me a drink and shit and, I dunno, it was just, like...really chill. He was totally cool. To the point that I almost forgot he was famous. Anyway, he was there last night at the festival too! We ran into each other, oddly enough, getting drinks at the tent bar.” 

“That’s fucking crazy!”

Joey chuckled. “Right? That’s what I told him!”

“So… are you guys gonna hang out or something?” Alexis pried. 

“Well..no,” Joey said with a shake of her head, “I mean, we talked while waiting for our drinks, but he did get my number.” 

Alexis squealed. “No, he didn’t!” 

“He did!” Joey explained. “We were talking about the Wildflowers and I mentioned that I had never seen them live before and he said he could get me tickets and...asked me for my number.” 

“And you just...gave it to him?”

Tossing her head back, the young woman laughed. “Why not? I’m literally going out on blind dates with random guys from Tinder. At least everyone knows who Niall is and he’s not, like, some creep.” 

Alexis chewed at her bottom lip, wanting as much tidbits from her friend as she could get. “‘So are you guys gonna go out then?”

A loud snort came from Joey. “You’re joking, right, Lex? Like he would ever in a million years go out with me. No,” she said, peeking down at her lap and shaking her head, “he was only gonna let me know when he could get some tickets, that’s all.” 

“Sure,” Alexis said with a narrow stare, drawing out the word.

“Believe me, it would be a cold day in hell before Niall Horan ever asked me out on a date,” Joey said with a chuckle, “But I dunno, besides being crazy fucking hot, he was just really chill, you know? Really easy to talk to. I could definitely see us being friends.”

Alexis bowed over in a full belly laugh. “Okay, Jo,” she said between breaths, not for one second believing her best friends intentions, “whatever you say.” 

“I’m serious,” Joey told her, playfully pushing the front of her shoulder, “Besides, there’s no point to even entertain the absurd idea that we would date, ‘cause...I’m literally never having sex again, remember?”

They were both rolled over in laughter at that point, almost in tears when the sound of a text coming through to Joey’s phone dinged loudly through the apartment. Hopping up off the couch, Joey wiped the wetness of laughter from under her eyes and gathered her breath as she stepped over to the kitchen counter to pick up her phone. It was a number she didn’t recognize, but the text itself told her immediately who it was. 

“Well…” she said, holding the phone up towards Alexis as she bit off a smile, “speak of the devil. It’s him.” 

[prompt-wars-in-the-stars]

Sorry it took an age! Here's the D&D Modern Star Wars AU with bonus Jango x Obi since you gave free reign with parings.

Obi-Wan was not quite sure what to expect when he had been invited to Anakin's 'campaign'.  He'd understood his little brother had began playing a role-playing game once he started college and had been happy to see how it helped Anakin bloom in confidence and his moods mellowed out as he befriended his 'party members'. Obi-Wan had gone to a game shop and the young woman working there had happily helped him purchase some dice and books for Anakin when he'd realized his brother was not going to let this hobby go anytime soon. Seeing Anakin beaming when he opened the presents had made the disbelief and judgement of the worker's worth it. Apparently Obi-Wan did not look sufficiently 'nerdy' as the teenage worker, A. Tano had explained. 

Obi-Wan was fairly certain nerd was supposed to be an insult. It certainly had when he was younger, but the girl had said it with pride and he'd seen the merchandise bearing the word. So perhaps he was just out of touch.

When he'd received Anakin's invitation, it had been a text that had been followed by 'only if you wanna', 'our DM really wants some new blood', 'we don't see each other much any', and 'IGNORE THAT IT WASN'T FOR YOU'. Obi-Wan had spotted the obvious lie and felt instantly guilty. They had been spending less time together with Obi-Wan's new book and promotions for the movie and Anakin being at college and with his friends so often. It would be a good structured way to see each other each week. Anakin had tried to be nonchalant when he'd said yes, but Obi-Wan knew he'd been grinning and vowed to make sure it was a good game and threw himself into research. 

A. Tano, who finally introduced herself as Ahsoka, had been happy to help and had turned out to be a player herself, explaining classes and races and lore to him as they looked through dice and The Player's Handbook. She'd offered to just send him her PDF's of the book, but he'd declined though it was sweet. He preferred physical books and enjoyed being able to tab and write in them. Although he did accept the many websites she directed him to that were quite helpful.

All in all with a few texts to Anakin, who sounded more and more wary of his specific game related questions, he felt quite confident in his character and emailed the DM, whose name Anakin had failed to supply, his typed up storyline and sheet for approval.

The man, presumably one of Anakin's classmates, and it was an odd thought to have a 20 something with some authority over him, had approved it and complimented his storyline with something along the lines of, 'It's always nice to have another story and roleplay player in the group. I was concerned Anakin had invited another Murder Hobo, but you will do nicely Kenobi.' Anakin had sent him a long line of 'lols'  when he'd asked what a 'Murder Hobo' was and promptly forgot to explain it as he instead asked for romantic advice. 'For a friend.' After she'd finished laughing, Ahsoka had, yet again, proved much more helpful in explaining and managed to get Obi-Wan to buy another set of dice, a lovely blue shade that glimmered and had gold numbers. He had yet to play and he was becoming quite fond of collecting the different colored sets. His first one had been 'Lawful Good' at Ahsoka's insistence.

All in all he felt confident as he drove to the address Anakin had texted him and the DM, who never signed his emails, had confirmed. He'd been expecting some first time apartment or perhaps, at worst, a dorm. Instead his GPS led him further and further into the countryside outside the city Anakin went to school, until he was turning down a gravel driveway. The road was covered in trees on both sides that bent over it, cutting off the sky as the outstretched branches blended together and pretty soon he was going up a small hill, into the large forest he had spotted from the freeway. Obi-Wan was somewhat nervous, but his GPS assured him this was correct and then he was pulling into a large lawn spotted with cars and staring at a beautiful sprawling cabin style home with a full wrap around porch, garden out of a fairytale and picturesque pond with a small pier.

That was not a college student's home, but he could clearly see Anakin on the porch talking enthusiastically to an older looking young woman with a besotted look Obi-Wan recognized. Perhaps it was one of Anakin's friends' parent's home? Obi-Wan realized he was suddenly nervous at the realization that besides Anakin, his neighbor, and his agent he hadn't really socialized with anyone since they'd moved here two years ago. That was a bit embarrassing. 

Before he could consider it too long he parked beside one of the other vehicles and saw Anakin look up and grin like the sun at the sight of him. It made Obi-Wan relax. He would be fine. For goodness sakes he was a friendly grown man he could socialize fine. He'd even been called charming on more than one occasion. 

It would be fine.

Obi-Wan hurriedly collected his binder and then grabbed the cloth bag containing the snacks. Ahsoka had insisted that snacks were a must for any game and helped him select a collection beyond Anakin's favourites. Obi-Wan got out and just managed to brace himself in time for Anakin to launch himself at Obi-Wan and wrap him in a tight hug. Obi-Wan stifled a laugh into his brother's shoulder and returned it one armed only protesting when Anakin tried to pick him up. The boy, young man now, laughed at his protest but dropped him. He looked up into familiar blue eyes on a tanned face framed by a mess of long curls and felt something inside him soften.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan said, full of affection and then to distract from it reached out to gently tug the curls. "It's gotten even longer."

Anakin rolled his eyes pulling away, grumbling but still grinning.

"Qui-Gon's was longer," Anakin pointed out,  the same argument he'd used when he said he wanted to start growing it out. "And it's nothing compared to your mullet."

"It was not a mullet," Obi-Wan protested by rote and was surprised when there was a soft feminine laugh from behind Anakin.

Obi-Wan looked over Anakin's shoulder to find a lovely young woman a few years older than his brother. Her brown hair was done up in a lovely curling style and she smiled brightly. She wore an odd dress that was deep blue dress frames with black lace with odd white square patterned corset that resembled windows on the waist. There were swirling shapes in the blue and he could see up close that the top of black bodice said "Police Box" in white lettering.

"Oh, hello there," Obi-Wan said, slightly surprised. Anakin looked askance at the greeting which made Obi-Wan want to roll his eyes. Instead though he smiled and side stepped his brother to offer the woman his hand, shifting the handle of the snack bag to his wrist. Anakin had the absurd idea that Obi-Wan was an unconscious flirt, which was ridiculous. He may have bantered with others on occasion, but it was all very lighthearted and he hadn't pursued a flirtation in years. As it was he was suspecting he had become too much of an odd hermit to be all that appealing despite Anakin's insistence of 'seductions'.

He was even convinced that Obi-Wan's neighbor had some kind of crush on him rather than a strangely intense hatred and disapproval.

'Hello there' was not his 'signature move' despite what Anakin liked to claim.

"Obi-Wan Kenobi," he said, ignoring Anakin's betrayed look as the woman shook his. Her hands were small but strong. 

"Padmé Naberrie," the woman returned with a dimpled smile of her own.

"Queen Amidala?" Obi-Wan asked, startled and Padmé looked just as surprised but then beamed laughing.

"You follow my blog?" She sounded torn between flattered and embarrassed. 

Obi-Wan nodded. "Your analysis is very thoughtful and it's been helpful for developing my more political character's thought processes as well as provoking me to consider my own--How did you put it, 'civic duty and impact on my government and holding them accountable'?"

"Oh," Padmé said with a smile and her face sharpened with interest. "Anakin mentioned you were a writer. You're focusing on something political?"

"A bit of alternate history fun," Obi-Wan admitted lightly. He was very much not thinking on the stacks and stacks of posted notes covering his desks, hours of recorded footage from documentaries, and books that were more sticky notes and highlighting than text. He was ignoring the hours and hours of time thrown into research spirals.

"What are you changing?" Padmé asked, eyes bright and interested. 

Obi-Wan opened his mouth to answer but was cut off by a loud clap beside them. They both turned to find Anakin standing there hands together looking embarrassed and vaguely panicked. Obi-Wan stared, confused as his brother went pink and started speaking, rushed and stumbling.

"Alright. Don't wanna be late for game!" Anakin choked up and ducked between them grabbing Obi-Wan's arm. "COME ON OBI-WAN YOU CAN SIT BESIDE ME."

Obi-Wan allowed himself to be dragged, stunned by this but Padmé laughed lightly behind them. He noted the color on Anakin's face deepened at the sound and he felt something inside him soften. He had not imagined the besotted look then and he had most likely found the one behind the advice for Anakin's 'friend'. 

Obi-Wan hid a small smile as he followed Anakin inside. It was loud, though the noise seemed to be coming from down the stairs to the immediate right. The first thing Obi-Wan saw was a very comfortable living room with some weapons hung on the wall, one wall reserved for what appeared to be an album's worth of family photos, a large TV, and several glass cases that seemed to contain figurines and models. Children's toys were scattered haphazardly throughout and this along with the colorful quilts, the homework and crayons spread out on the coffee table, and baby pen folded in the corner seemed to soften the room.

Obi-Wan's smile stayed firm until he looked at the man in the middle of the room who was collecting the scattered toys to place in a box. Clearly older, closer to Obi-Wan's age and likely the parent of Anakin's friend. Obi-Wan opened his mouth to greet him only for the man to look up and for Obi-Wan to come face to face with familiar brown eyes.

His words died.

The man looked just as stunned--even more handsome than when Obi-Wan had last seen him, part of him pointed out--half bent over, one hand wrapped around a stuffed dragon and the other stabilizing the toy box he was carrying. He was slightly rumbled in soft worn-in sweatpants that clung to his thighs and a white tank top that fully displayed his arms. The outfit was finished by a lopsided crown of dandelions and wildflowers, resting on his head. He looked so much softer, older of course with wrinkles around his eyes and a few small scars, but there were smile lines and he looked so much more in his element in a way that made Obi-Wan's heart squeeze and a worry he'd carried for two decades unfurled.

"Obi-Wan?" Anakin's voice knocked them both out of the staring. Obi-Wan jumped and turned to Anakin to find him frowning and then flickering a quick look to the man. "Do-do you know Jango?"

He sounded so baffled by the concept.

Obi-Wan honestly wasn't sure how to answer or how much was his to share.

"We're old friends," Jango said smoothly stepping forward to offer his hand and a smile as he met Obi-Wan's gaze.

Obi-Wan took it, feeling the warmth and calluses of his palms without quite believing this surreal moment was happening.

"Yes," Obi-Wan confirmed, voice thankfully not showing the strange mess of his thoughts. His eyes were focused on Jango's taking in the color he'd used to know so well. "Very old ones."

The warmth lingered as the broke apart and Obi-Wan felt strangely bereft at that and curled his palm closed as if to keep the memory of the sensation from fading.

"Time for game," Jango said, firmly and Anakin looked ready to protest, but a soft touch on his shoulder had him following Padmé down the stairs leaving Obi-Wan alone with one last suspicious glance.

Alone with Jango. Who he hadn't seen since he was sixteen and completely besotted.