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krazyyyyyy · 4 months

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Forever Longing Solivan Brugmansia /Reader

Synopsis: A small glimpse into Sol's elementary life, where he abruptly meets the single most important person in his life...You

Warnings: Mentions of violence

Words: 2553

Notes: Don't know how many more of these I'll write, but I'm hoping to get around three more done if not a few more.

Hope you enjoy this short story <3

Children’s happy laughter echoed loudly throughout the playground, as they began to spill out of the school building; marking the beginning of their cherished recess time. Kids ran freely playing around with friends, swinging giddily on the swing sets, and continuously going up and down the slide.

Well, all the kids but one…

A young, small, and quiet Solivan stood far away from the other kids, staring at the ground at his feet, avoiding any eye contact with anybody within the area. He knew he didn’t fit in with the others, given his introverted nature, he was considered an outcast amongst his classmates. People tended to overlook him, barely acknowledging his presence even when they were standing right next to him.

He was used to it, though…. He had his drawing supplies and stuffed animals, the only things that really made him feel anything close to happiness. The stuffed animals would never judge him, and, they’d always be around to listen to him when he needed it, an idiosyncratic concept to him growing up in a loveless household.

A soft tap on his shoulder causes him to lift his amber gaze from the ground and into the familiar brown orbs of his teacher, Mrs. Baker. A woman with a skinny frame and curly auburn hair that just slightly exceeded her shoulders. It took everything within him not to scoff at her arrival. She was keen on pushing him towards being more sociable with the other kids, a goal that would always fail in his favor. So why couldn’t she just leave him alone?

She crouched down to his height and spoke to him in her usual soft and steady voice, “Solivan, Why don’t you play with the others today? It seems they're playing a little game of freeze tag, doesn’t that sound like fun?”

Solivan spared a short glance toward where the kids were running wildly at each other, while some others stayed frozen in place, showing signs of annoyance at being frozen; he retracted his gaze back to the ground shaking his head, mumbling a small “No”

Mrs. Baker smiled understandingly at the timid young boy before her, “I know it might seem scary, but give it a chance, you might like it more than you think.” She attempted one last time to try to convince the boy to open up, even if it was just a little.

The boy remained silent, having lost interest in the conversation completely and hoping that his teacher would simply give up and leave him alone for the rest of the recess period.

Thankfully, it seemed fate was on his side, as he heard his teacher sigh next to him before standing up and walking away to a different part of the playground to supervise a group of rather exuberant children. Leaving him alone at last.

The little raven-haired boy sat on the ground, back pressed against the steel fence that separated the playground from the busy streets that lay not far behind. Settling down, Sol pulled out a small sketchpad from his back pocket; a notebook that was filled page to page in his numerous doodles, which he usually did during class time to pass the time.

Pulling out a pencil, Sol began to doodle, head buried in the notebook; heavily embarked on the mini sketches that required his utmost attention. After a while, he finally cranes his head back to admire his work; his sketch was that of a small horse with a small sketched figure of him seated cheerfully on its back.

He beamed at the drawing, proud of his work. While marveling at the sketch, the notepad is quickly ripped from his grasp. Startled and confused, Sol snaps his head up to look at the culprits. Standing above him, were three kids, obviously much older than he was, possibly four grades above him.

Sol was quick to spring up to his feet to try to get the notebook back, but to no avail, as the blond boy who held the item towered over him. He held the sketchbook high above his head, so even if the little boy tried to jump for it, it would prove pointless in the end

“Give it back!” Sol shouted at the kids as he continued to try to reach for what he considered to be one of his only sources of comfort. All three of the boys laughed at him, “Aww, is the little weirdo gonna cry.” a boy with red hair teased, pointing at him.

“You drew yourself riding a horse? What are you, some kind of girl?” The blond boy jokingly flipped through the pages of the book, briefly observing its contents.

“Stop it!” When Sol tried to reach for his sketchbook once again, the blond boy laughed, before tossing the book over to another boy; then that boy proceeded to also flip through the book and laugh before also tossing it to the next boy. Sol found himself playing in this miserable game of monkey in the middle; a game where he could only watch as his book flew through the air above him, out of reach, with no hopes of ever reaching it.

Eventually, Sol got the courage to defend himself from these bullies, and with all the strength he could muster with his tiny form, he tried to shove the bully who had the sketchbook in his possession. But, the shove proved unhelpful, as the bully didn’t even move an inch.

Sol could barely catch his breath before he was harshly shoved to the ground. A sharp pain pulsed through his body as his back was met with the hard ground; Sol opened his eyes to notice that his sketchbook had fallen next to his body, the bully had more than likely dropped it in outrage at Sol’s sudden rebuke. Sol swiftly snatched the book off the ground and held it close to his chest, shielding it from the bullies.

Sol lay on the ground in a fetal position, with his back facing his bullies, arms still tightly wrapped around his sketchbook. There was a sudden sharp pain on his side as a bully directed a fierce kick toward the young boy; another boy directed a kick, of similar intensity, toward his other side, leaving the little boy only to whimper in pain.

The group of bullies continued to relentlessly kick the defenseless boy, not showing any hint of mercy toward him. Tears ran down Sol’s cheeks as he could only endure the endless kicks that the bullies threw at him. He closed his eyes and hoped the boys would soon grow bored with this and walk away, or maybe a teacher would notice this assault and interfere.

It felt like an eternity that the kicking would continue, he almost thought it would never end…

Until a loud voice rang out and suddenly the kick stopped.

“Hey! Leave him alone!” Sol heard the unknown voice shout at the group of boys. He peeked from his position to glance at where the shouting came from; upon opening his eyes, he was met with his saviors back facing him as they spread their arms out wide to shield him away from the sight of the bullies.

“Get outta the way Pipsqueak! Or you're gonna be next!” He heard one of the bullies shout at the person before him. Sol noticed the stranger's visible shakiness as they stayed rooted in their spot in front of him; they were just as scared of these bullies as he was, yet they still chose to throw themselves in the middle just to protect him. He felt a surge of admiration for the stranger; this had been the first and only time someone stood up for him… his heart couldn’t help but skip a beat.

“No! I-I won't l-let you!” The stranger's words came out shuddered and breathy as if they were holding back tears. Luckily, their voice had been loud enough to possibly draw the attention of others nearby.

The twisted grins on the bullies' faces faded at the realization, and they looked around the area to see if anyone had caught the drift of what was happening.

“Shit!” Was the last thing Sol heard from them, followed by the frantic pattering of feet in the grass as the bullies quickly fled the scene. Leaving behind two frightened kids as a result.

Sol, who was still lying on the ground, breathed heavily, the fear coursing through his veins still running wild. He flinched when a blurry object suddenly came into his vision. As his vision slowly cleared, he noticed that the object was the outstretched hand of his savior; they looked down at him with a concerned expression, tears still lingering in the corner of their eyes.

Hesitantly, Sol took the hand, which helped pull him to his feet. He stumbled a bit but managed to regain his balance with a bit of effort and help from the person next to him.

“Are you okay?” The stranger asked him, their voice a bit hoarse from all the yelling yet still holding a subtle gentleness to it. Sol looked at them for a second, before shyly shifting his gaze off somewhere else and slightly nodding his head.

They smiled, their gaze landing on the item that Sol continued to hold tightly to his chest. “What’s that?” They pointed out the sketchbook, which, unknowingly to them, had caused the whole ruckus that just happened moments ago.

“... It’s my sketchbook,” Sol murmured under his breath, keeping his gaze away from the person in front of him. He never did well talking to people, never mind kids his age, this person wouldn’t be any different.

Their eyes lit up as he spoke, “You draw?! I wanna see it! Can I see pretty, please?!”

Sol was taken aback by their sudden interest in his sketchbook, his eyes were blown wide at them; he had never shown anyone his work before, nor had anyone ever asked to see it… this person was achieving a lot of firsts for him. He supposed he could show them, considering they had just saved him from a harsh beating.

“Umm… Okay.” Sol pulled the sketchbook from where it rested on his chest to hold it out between him and the stranger. He slowly navigated through the pages, properly allowing the person next to him to take in each piece of art. They were a bundle of excitement, commenting excitedly on almost every single little doodle in the book; it brought a small smile to Sol’s face, knowing that someone enjoyed his drawings just as much as he did.

“These are so good! You're so talented! Do you think maybe you can draw me something?” Sol felt his cheeks flush with an odd, unfamiliar warmth. They wanted him to draw something for them. Him? Out of all the people they could have asked? They wanted him to draw for them…

He fidgeted with the pages of the notebook in his hands, keeping his eyes glued to the ground, nervously. “Sure–”

“Wait! Before I forget, my name is Y/N!” They cheerfully cut him off, “What’s yours?” They talked a million words per second, which was a bit overwhelming, but Sol still found himself intrigued by them.

“My name is Solivan…” He spoke quietly, but loud enough for their newfound acquaintance to hear. “Solivan?” They tested his name out, “Well, Solivan from this day forward you are now my friend!” Sol stared at them dumbfounded. He never had a friend before, but didn’t think it would ever be this simple, yet here he was.

He didn’t get a chance to respond to their declaration when they continued to speak, “I’m thinking maybe a butterfly–No wait! A gecko… no…” They continued to list through a variety of animals, as Sol would stand and watch them in awe. He didn’t know what it was, but he felt some sort of connection to his new friend, it wasn’t unwelcome, but it was still strange.

“Oh, I got it! How about a dove? Mom says those are her favorite!”

Sol raises an eyebrow at them.“Like the bird? Are you sure?”

“Yeah!” They cheer.

Sol only nods his head in response, but a smile remains on his face at their jubilation. He sees the opportunity to speak after your moment of triumph and takes it, “I-um… thank you… for helping me. Not many would’ve done the same.”

They shake their head at him with a smile,“ Don’t mention it. You needed help…so I helped!”, the sincerity in their tone set Sol at ease. He wondered if had truly been missing out. If other kids acted just like Y/N, then maybe talking to others wouldn’t be so bad.

A mature voice suddenly rang out through the playground, catching everyone's attention, “Kids, recess is over! Start lining up with your class!”

“Aww man!” The child next to Sol groans, “Just when we were having fun, too!”. If their definition of fun was getting nearly trampled by a couple of older students, then Sol supposes he had the time of his life… Not really, though, but meeting Y/N was a nice surprise.

Children from all around the playground started to depart, moving to their designated class lines. Y/N started to make their way toward their line before they stopped to turn around to look at Sol one more time. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Solivan! Can’t wait to see the drawing!” And with that, the energetic second-grader gave him one last wave before running over to their class.

Sol gave them a little wave in return, watching as their figure got further and further away. It wasn’t long before he himself started making his way toward his own class, to continue the rest of his day. Of course, his attention wasn’t drawn toward that of his classwork, but rather that of the little dove drawing he spent the rest of the day drawing for that special someone he met.

Sol paid no mind as his art teacher rambled on and on about the importance of elements in art; his focus mainly on the small, worn-out sketch pad that lay open on his desk. He lazily drew his fingers along the delicate pencil marks of his old drawing from way back then.

Out of the drawings he had created during his entire childhood, that little dove that he drew for you in the second grade always held a special place in his heart. He remembers how bright your face lit up when he showed it to you the very next day; you insisted that he kept it in his sketchbook, under the circumstance that you get to view it anytime you want–which you would do on the daily.

He shifted his gaze from the paper to where you sat near the front of the classroom, trying your best not to fall asleep during the lecture. His heart ached for you to look at him the way you did when you were kids, now it was like he was a total stranger to you; another student who simply attended the same art class as you.

But with time, you’d eventually grow aware of his existence, you’d have too.

After all, you were his soulmate, just as he was yours.

#solivan brugmansia #tkatb sol #tkatb #tkatb vn #the kid at the back #tkatb x reader #katb vn #im tired

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roosterr · 1 year

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white flag ✹ proglogue

note: can't believe i'm actually writing for ghost, yes he was the reason i got into cod, but i havent thought about him since like january lol. has this trope already been done? yes. am i doing it anyway? also yes.

pairing: ghost x gn!reader

wc: 2.2k

no use of y/n readers callsign is 'stingray'

summary: if there's one constant in your life, it's that ghost doesn't like you, so when your house burns down and you have no choice but to move in with him, it feels like your life is on a steady downhill spiral.

warnings: slowburn, some angst, your house burns down, ghost is mean, sort of enemies to friends to lovers

ao3

【next】

it's been almost a year since you'd joined the taskforce. nearly twelve months of gruelling hard work, and not for a single second had lieutenant ghost treated you with a shred of familiarity. at first, you thought he'd get over it, that he'd get past his obvious trust issues and warm up to you eventually, but you quickly gave up on that idea.

clearly, you'd been too optimistic.

which was unfortunate, considering how much you'd come to care for the prickly bastard, no matter how dismissive he was of you. it started slow; when you were first recruited, you held a great deal of respect for him because of his reputation, and you'd naively even looked forward to working with him. when you discovered his less than friendly demeanour, to say you were disheartened would be an understatement. he was withdrawn and stoic, never sparing you so much as a passing glance and a barked order, whether you were in the field or not.

the other sergeants had assured you that he wasn't as cold as he comes across; soap and gaz both told you how he'd acted the same towards them when they first met – he was a lone wolf, not used to having to look out for teammates.

the more time you spent on missions with him, the more you saw of the person beneath the hard exterior. you saw how he seemed to know everyone's strengths and weaknesses, things you never would've picked up on. he always made sure the team had eaten, disguised as a gruff order to stay on your game. when he got angry, it would be because someone put themselves in danger, not because they screwed up the mission. you saw someone who'd been through hell and come out the other side swinging.

before, you'd respected ghost as a soldier and your superior, but now, after spending so much time with him, your perspective of him has changed. he intrigued you; he's quiet, introverted but not shy, more observant than you could imagine, and so closely guarded you wondered if he'd ever be able to open up. you'd only heard whispers of the things he'd been through in the past, so despite his obvious animosity towards you, you treated him with the respect you thought he deserved – like a person, and you'd hoped that with time, he could see you as more than just a soldier too. though he still didn't like you, you liked to think that the two of you have come to some sort of understanding.

and that leads you to your problem; you wanted to know him. every tiny crack in his facade made you more and more curious about the man behind the mask – about simon, rather than ghost, but from what you could tell, he didn't hold the same sentiment about you. where he would banter back and forth with the others over comms, he'd fall silent whenever you join in. every minute little mistake was amplified to him, you've lost count of the amount of times he's berated you for things he's excused for others. it made your heart ache that you just couldn't win with him, and you feared you'd never understand why.

but now, as you sit shivering with a shock blanket wrapped around your shoulders, watching the smouldering remains of what was your home in the middle of the night, freezing and exhausted, you'd never felt more hated.

you could hear them, ghost and the captain, talking in hushed voices a little ways down the road from where you sit. they probably think they're being subtle, discussing what to do with you like you're not even there, like every single one of your worldly possessions hadn't just gone up in smoke, but you hear them as if they're standing right in front of you.

"i wouldn't do this if there were any other options, simon."

"there are plenty of other options, just stick 'em in a hotel for god's sake."

"there's no hotels close enough to base – it'll only be temporary, 'till we can find 'em somewhere else."

"fuckin' hell, why cant they go with one of the others?"

"soap and gaz are already flatmates, you live alone and you're the closest to base. this is the only option that makes sense."

"i'm not fuckin' happy about this, price."

their profiles are momentarily illuminated by the blue lights from the fire engine parked nearby, allowing you for a second to see the withering glare ghost is sending your way, and all of a sudden the last couple hours of emotional distress is crashing down on you; his obvious distaste for you combined with the toll of watching your house literally burning down was too much for you all at once. you could feel the tears start to spill over again, but you can’t find the strength to stop them and just bring the shock blanket closer to your face. you’d lost everything, and even now he couldn’t find it in himself to feel an ounce of compassion for you? why can’t he care for you like he does the others? like you do for him?

as your watery gaze drops to the soot and ash covering your pyjamas, a voice sounds from beside you, the opposite direction from price and ghost. you don’t even realise you’re hyperventilating until they lay a hand on your shoulder and rub soothing circles into your back.

“hey– hey, it’s okay,” it’s gaz, you notice in the back of your mind, sitting on the curb next to you. you squeeze your eyes shut in an attempt to block out the world around you, and gaz brings you closer into his embrace. “you’ll be alright, we’ll get everything sorted, yeah?”

"i– i don't– i can't–" you try to speak, but you can't seem to form a coherent sentence through your sobbing.

"it's alright, just breathe for me." gaz hugs you tighter again, your head coming to rest on his shoulder as he consoles you. for a few minutes you stay like that, your breathing eventuslly returning to normal and the tears slowing to a stop.

price and ghost are still arguing, but you can't hear what they're saying anymore; probably for the best, if you had to listen to ghost complain about you for one more second you might really have a breakdown.

soap's voice cuts through the fog in your mind, "managed to find this, thought ya' might want it." you look up to find him crouching in front of you and holding out a slightly singed photo, a weak smile on his face. "frame's broken, but the picture's still mostly fine."

you take it from him, fingers grasping the card gently as you turn it around to look at the picture. it's from a few years ago, you and your friends from your previous unit, smiling into the camera as if you had no worries at all. staring at the ghosts of your friends starts you crying again, clutching the photo to your chest and leaning back into gaz's shoulder. if anything could've survived the blaze, you're grateful it was this. gaz rubs your arm sofly, whispering comforting words to you again.

you hear another set of footsteps approach and look up again to see price now standing in front of you as well. it's not exactly surprising, but ghost is nowhere to be seen.

"ambulance is here," price says, offering you a hand and pulling you to your feet when you take it. "i'll follow behind to the hospital, one of you two take their car to simon's."

you nod and retrieve your car keys from your jacket pocket, thankful you'd had the mind to grab it on your way out in your frantic state.

"I've got a bag in the boot, it's got some clothes in it." you mutter, handing the keys to soap, who smiles and gives you a pat on the shoulder.

"no bother, i'll grab it for ya." he says, and jogs off to where your car was parked, thankfully untouched out of reach of the fire. he returns not a minute layer carrying your duffle of emergency supplies, something you never thought would actually come in handy.

before you know it you're waving gaz and soap goodbye, the paramedics are guiding you to the back of the ambulance, and you're leaving what remains of your old home in the rear-view mirror.

✹✹✹

you hated hospitals. it was a fact, and it had been that way since you were a child, everything about them just made your skin crawl. perhaps you inherited the feeling from your mother; she always managed to bring up her distaste for the place whenever the topic arose. or, maybe you only hated them because they scared you.

either way, the relief you felt as you stepped out of the front door into the car park with price trailing behind you was palpable. he falls into step next to you as the two of you make your way over to where he parked, his keys jingling as he fishes them from his pocket.

"we're puttin' you up with simon for the time being, 'till we can get you somewhere else." his words make you wince; you already knew he was going to say that, but it didn't stop the anxiety from bubbling up in your chest.

"i heard." a beat of silence passes before you continue. "how long will that take?" you ask, climbing into the passenger seat and dropping your bag at your feet as price settles into the driver's side.

"i wouldn't get your hopes up. might be quicker to wait for 'em to rebuild your old place." he flashes you a smile, but you can't find it in yourself to return the gesture.

"right."

neither of you say another word as he starts the engine and pulls out of the car park. you turn to look out the window, watching the world go by, the quiet rambling of the radio serving as white noise in the background. it's the early hours of the morning now, the sun would be up in a few hours and you'd have to go back to work already – price did say you could have the day off, but honestly the last thing you wanted was to sit around all day with nothing to do but overthink.

after nearly ten minutes of trying to ignore it, the worry playing at your mind becomes too much to keep to yourself.

"you know he hates me, right?" you utter, half expecting price to ignore your question all together.

he clicks his tongue. "he doesn't hate you," price replies, and his voice sounds reassuring but it doesn't bring you much comfort.

"okay, well, he doesn't like me either." you turn your head to look at him, raising your brows. rolling to a stop at a red light, he meets your eyes and huffs.

"alright, he can be difficult–"

"really?"

"–but i promise you, he doesn't hate you." he says. you give him a disbelieving look, and he sighs, looking back to the road as the light turns green. "give him a chance, alright?"

"is he gonna give me a chance?"

"he will." price says firmly, sparing you a look as he drives down the quiet road. "and if he doesn't, you'll knock some sense into him, eh?"

"sure…" you mutter, looking back out the window and falling back into silence. its only a few minutes until he's pulling over to the side of the road, outside the house number you know to be ghost's.

"sting," price calls out, stopping you as you reach for the door handle, "he'll come around, alright?"

"it's been a year, cap. i don't think he will." you reply, and before he can say anything else you open the door and step out into the night air, grabbing your bag from your feet before closing the door again. you give price a half-hearted wave as he pulls away again, before turning around and gazing up at your – temporary – new home.

it was nice, all things considered; a standard terrace on the end of the row, but the size has you wondering if there was even room for you to stay here. though it's not as if you have a choice. all the lights were off, which had you hopeful that you wouldn't run into ghost just yet.

you drag yourself to the front door, your eyes stinging from the effort of keeping them open, and twist the handle as quietly as possible, closing it behind you and cringing at the clunk it makes. thankfully ghost didn't hate you enough to lock you out for the night, something you actually wouldn't put past him considering how he feels about you.

there's a small side table in the entryway that catches your attention. on top of it sits your car keys – you make a mental note to thank soap in the morning – a new key, and a note. you pick up the paper, using the torch from your phone to examine the scratchy handwriting.

living room's yours. lock the door. – s

it's more than you expected from him. you sigh to yourself and pick up the other key, locking the door and shuffling into the small living room. the pull-out bed is made up for you, albeit quite messily, and you waste no time in dropping your stuff and laying your head down on the lumpy pillow.

with any luck, this arrangement wouldn't last long, but in the meantime you got the feeling you were in for a bumpy ride.

#ghost x reader #simon riley x reader #simon ghost riley x reader #mw2 x reader #cod x reader #141 x reader #call of duty x reader #mw2 #cod mw2 #call of duty #simon ghost riley #mw2 ghost #roosterr writes #praying that hes not ooc

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whatifyoulivelikethat · 4 months

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never not mine | jjk | "... the whispers..."

pairing(s): jungkook x reader

We broke all the pieces but still want to play the game. This confrontation is long overdue and is either going to end in handcuffs or tangled limbs.

part i | this is part ii | part iii

warnings: rated M (18+) for language; alcohol consumption; things are thrown during a public altercation; second chance romance?; angst and fluff and feels; Jungkook's POV

non-idol!AU; fashion model!Jungkook — ft fellow model/actor!Kim Taehyung and model/businessman!Kim Seokjin; a few cameos you can speculate on and one named cameo hehe; reader is not part of the entertainment industry

whether I'm gonna be your wife or gonna smash up your bike, I haven't decided yet but I'm gonna get you back – imgonnagetyouback by taylor swift

It was a night just like any other night, which meant Jeon Jungkook was somewhere doing something because he was someone. On this night he was visiting a new upscale nightclub owned by one of his close friends, which was why he was at a table surrounded by his bros, expensive bottles of alcohol, and beautiful women. Not his scene, really. He was an introvert at heart. Despite that, he had obligations to be here. Obligations to laugh, to jest, to be merry, to be somebody.

But he knew he was just a somebody surrounded by much better bodies.

So, really, he was only a ghost.

“Hey, isn’t that…?”

It was luck and good friends that got him in the position he was in now. Jungkook knew that. He couldn’t complain too much when they invited him out. After all, they were only doing it because they cared about him. Yeah.

“She's really staring at you, man.”

Someone nudged his arm. For a moment, he didn’t comprehend that it was him that was being spoken to. Maybe it was the heavy black leather jacket. Underneath, he wore a tight white tank, and completed his outfit with studded charcoal-wash jeans and black leather boots. Nice, sure, but there were other men that much more sharply dressed with bigger designer labels. Of course, he cleaned up well with his slicked-back black hair and clean-shaven jawline. So did any other male model out there. He was not so egotistical to think he was the most interesting man there.

“Hmph, who?” he snickered, swinging around in his chair with the ice in his glass clinking. He would figure out who everyone was talking about from the reactions of the public. He snapped his head around, stray tendrils of black falling free onto his forehead, obscuring his vision for a split second, and then he faced the crowd beneath the VIP tables.

Time slowed.

The club was loud. Very loud, due to the deafening combination of music, chatter and laughter. It was lit with the imperfect balance of light and dark, oscillating spotlights exposing corners and weaving through moving bodies clad in fitted dresses, high heels, tailored blazers, suit pants. The alcohol was high-grade. The crowd was cherry-picked and pre-screened at the door. It was what it was. Individuals who had money blowing money, ignoring the sins around them to commit their own. It was hard to pick out someone.

But Jungkook saw her right away.

The club became quiet from his point of view. Sound became a mishmash of muffled, incoherent noises fading to the background as the faces blurred. The music dulled. All lights dimmed except in one area. Everything was still moving, still thriving, still breathing yet he was only aware of one single person.

His ex-girlfriend stared right at him from below.

Even from this distance he could feel the blades in her gaze.

Black patent leather jacket. Very short, cut just under the breasts. Black lace corset, see-through except for the cups. Skintight lilac miniskirt. Legs for days. Pointed-toe black pumps with a thin ankle strap, the kind he had trouble with due to the small delicate buckle.

He tried to breathe but the air was like concrete in his lungs.

She tilted her head, narrowing her smoked-out eyes. Her lips were glossy crimson, cool-toned to match the palette of her outfit. Her hair had been pinned up, exposing her graceful neck and glimmering collarbones.

She began to walk through the crowd.

Jungkook spun around and suddenly all the sound roared back, intense and thunderingly hostile. He winced, clutching his drink and holding the side of his head, trying to make sense of it all.

“Tch, why is she here?”

“Right? She doesn’t belong here.”

“She can be wherever she wants to be,” replied a calm, deep voice.

He could hear voices around him talking but it wasn’t making any sense. How? Why? Was he seeing things? And why did it matter? It didn’t. It didn’t. He took another sip of his glass and found it bitter and tasteless. Maybe that was in his head too. It didn’t matter if she was here. Someone was tugging on his arm. He pulled himself free, snapping his hand down onto the table.

The world crashed back into place as his drink sloshed and spat out from his force.

A startled feminine gasp.

The calm, deep voice returned. “You okay, man?”

Jungkook jerked his head up and saw Kim Taehyung carefully surveying him. He was a man with strong, masculine features and a comforting baritone voice that reminded one of cozy winters and romantic nights. Out of all his friends, they were the closest in age. However, Taehyung was more than a year older and a much more seasoned veteran of the modeling industry. He had been scouted at a very young age, quickly learning the ins-and-outs without losing who he was. He was grounded, easygoing, and never had a crack in his composure. At least, that was how Jungkook thought of him.

Taehyung raised a dark eyebrow, repeating his question without saying a word.

“I’m fine,” Jungkook scowled, then controlled his face a bit better. “What?”

Those dark, moody eyes served him a dose of silent judgement as one of the girls at the table spoke up again.

“Oooh, she’s sitting down at a table.”

He told himself not to look. It didn’t matter if she was here. And yet his head moved on its own, pivoting to the left so fast he almost had whiplash. At high-end clubs like this, there were tables available depending on to how much a patron spent. The larger tables had to be paid for in advance to be secured a space. Such reservations were violently expensive, signaling VIP status. A lot of the smaller tables on the lower level were occupied. The more exclusive tables were higher up, needing stairs to access the higher tiers. A waiter was holding her hand, carefully guiding his ex-girlfriend up the stairs to an empty round table that typically seated ten.

There was no one else at the table.

She sat down at the seat closest to overlooking the club.

“She can afford that?”

A crackling laugh. “Doubt it.”

“Who are you to say what she can’t afford?” Taehyung cut in sharply in a disapproving tone.

“O-Oh, well… It’s just not that common, you know.”

The chittering was from the women they had invited to the table earlier. Shit, their presence seemed so frivolous and annoying now. Jungkook had half a mind to turn around and glare at them. Instead, he was transfixed by the woman in patent leather and tight lilac. She crossed her legs, smoothed her skirt, and leaned back in her chair, scanning the crowd. A waiter came back and brought a bucket of ice with a champagne bottle and accompanying flutes. A waitress came by with another bottle. Porcelain, with painted flue floral design, and placed two crystal glasses onto the table. His former lover smiled at them, nodding. They bowed and took their leave after serving her.

Instead of touching the drinks, the woman turned her body and locked her icy stare right on him.

Jungkook stiffened and turned away quickly, feeling his body running hot. The table was still talking, but it was behind hands and feigned disinterest. Taehyung sighed, shaking his head. Of course, there had been other friends at the table too. Only now did Jungkook notice that they were missing. Must have wandered off. At the very least, their host Kim Seokjin would definitely be gone for a while. He was an affluent actor, model, and owner of several establishments, including this luxury nightclub. Eventually the tall, broad-shouldered man would return to see them off, but there was no telling when.

“Did you know she was gonna be here?” Jungkook hissed through gritted teeth, ignoring the odd looks he was getting from the women. They still lingered for the free drinks which Taehyung kept supplied. No sense in wasting Seokjin’s endless tab after all.

Taehyung frowned. “I don’t police people’s actions. Does it matter what she does?”

Jungkook scoffed. “Oh, so this wasn’t your idea?”

Those normally warm brown eyes turned cold. “It wasn’t. Besides, she’s no longer your girlfriend.”

“Yeah, she’s definitely not.”

A growl collected in Jungkook’s throat and he was about to let it loose. He swiveled his head again only for the sound to die before it began. A man was standing by her table. He was sharply dressed in a suit and tie, with tied-back bleached-blond hair that laid over his shoulders. He had a pleasant decorum and a smile like a predatory feline. She gestured him to sit down and poured him a drink as invitation. He watched in horror as his ex-girlfriend chatted up a beautiful stranger.

He didn’t know whether he wanted to cry or run over there to flip the table.

A low voice cut through his thoughts.

“Wasn’t the breakup amicable?”

He froze.

Slowly, Jungkook faced Taehyung, his long-time friend. He never really could bring himself to fully lie to those piercing dark orbs, now reflecting the same reserved gaze that Taehyung had given him when Jungkook provided the same flimsy excuse he was once again repeating.

“I… It wasn’t meant to be,” Jungkook mumbled once more. “The traveling… it was too much for us.”

The older male was too good at reading between the lines, especially when it came to romance, his forte. “Hm.” He knew when he wasn’t getting the full story. “It’s probably too late to ask now, but was it what you wanted?”

Jungkook couldn’t help it.

“It was…”

He looked over his shoulder again.

“… What I deserved.”

She was thanking the blond-haired man. He bowed ninety degrees and leaned in, whispering something in her ear before leaving the table. His glass was empty. Someone else was approaching the table. A pretty woman with long black hair in a white minidress and short, pearl-white nails sat down, bowing lightly and introducing herself. His ex-girlfriend offered between the two drinks and the pretty woman chose the champagne. A waiter came over to uncork it for them, pouring a healthy amount into the two flutes.

They two chatted, immediately absorbed with each other.

“For a guy naturally talented at a lot of things, you’re such a stupid idiot.”

He was.

Wait.

Jungkook scowled, turning back to a disapproving Taehyung cradling a small ceramic cup. It was hand-painted with the smallest of brushstrokes, depicting a flock of black birds disappearing into the white sky. He took a sip with a gruff sigh, making a tense face. He was a wine guy, but he couldn’t turn down traditional Korean alcohol. That would be uncouth.

“How long are you going to continue moping?” Taehyung scoffed.

“I’m not moping,” Jungkook countered, hunched over the table and gripping his whiskey glass a little too hard.

“You are convincing no one. Least of all me.”

His eyes flickered upward, glaring. Taehyung remained refined, unperturbed, nearly prince-like in his half-open floral-and-forest-green silk shirt and ruffled hair. A black-brown curl perfectly grazed one of his eyebrows, accenting his condescending look with a dash of softness.

“Did you ever realize how much she did for you?”

Jungkook pushed away his glass. He couldn’t reply. He stuck his tongue in his cheek, trying not to feel. It was only then that he noticed that the table was strangely silent despite the fervor of the environment – the women had made themselves scarce, understanding that this conversation was much too serious for their girlypop night.

Finally, he forced himself to speak. “For me? I take care of myself.”

Taehyung winced. Hard. “You cannot be serious right now.”

Another peek behind him. A different man at her table now. Silvery-blonde hair, tan skin, muscular like a godly titan. She caught him looking and stared directly back. Jungkook cursed under his breath. “What did she do then? Hm? Enlighten me.” His voice was becoming rougher, slipping out of his practiced Seoul dialect and into his Busan dialect. The broad-shouldered man at the table had no suit jacket. The sleeves of his white dress shirt were rolled up. He must have noticed her lack of attention, because he began to turn around as well.

Jungkook jerked away before they could lock eyes too.

“Look, I don’t know what happened between you two,” Taehyung exhaled, not quite annoyed but getting there. “But I know you were the one that was wrong.”

Yeah, right.

“Never once did she complain about you. Never once did she butt into your business and cause you trouble when she could have. Never once did she talk behind your back when we both know damn well that you’re no saint, Jeon Jungkook.”

His tattooed hand against the table balled up into a fist, the familiar ache in his chest splitting, threatening.

Unintimidated, Taehyung continued. “The travelling was rough? Of course, it is. And there are probably a thousand ways to make it up to someone you love, but instead now I’m looking at you sitting here and her sitting there, pretending to be strangers. Tells me a whole lot about how that worked out.” His natural Daegu satoori was becoming more evident during his tirade. Taehyung wasn’t trying to be polite, though.

“You don’t know anything,” Jungkook retorted.

“I don’t.” Those dark brown eyes burned hot, scrutinizing him and tearing him apart. “And I don’t need to. Your hostility is telling me everything.”

“It was you,” Jungkook snapped, slamming his fist onto the table. “You invited her here.”

Taehyung’s low voice became lower, more accusatory. “Go ahead. Keep deflecting. Run back home and hide. That’s what you want to do, right?” His gaze narrowed and Taehyung’s normally friendly warmth morphed into scalding heat. “You heard what they said. She doesn’t belong here. And yet, here she is. They all talked and gossiped and badmouthed her, right to your face even, and yet you said nothing. You still don’t have the fucking balls, man. You didn’t respect her for all she was. In spite of that, she stood beside you, head held high, until you tossed her away. You brought her into this world, you ripped her out of it, and guess what? She is here. She holds her own. You deluded yourself into thinking she needed you. But she doesn’t, and it’s the other way around.”

Jungkook shot up out of his seat, nearly knocking the chair over. He was breathing hard, his furious anger so violent that it clawed at his insides, and Taehyung tilted his head, mirroring the expression of an adult tiger observing a foolish cub.

“You’re wrong,” Jungkook gritted out between clenched teeth. “You’re fucking wrong.”

He… No. She did this. This was her fault. She was the one that always pushed him to go for what he wanted. She was the one who always helped him make it work. Last minute changes happened often early in his career and she always smiled at him and told him to go, to run, to chase those adventures. And she always waited for him to come home.

“I wasn’t like that.”

In the middle of dinners for two. In vacations cut short. In forgotten special dates. Go. She always waited for him to come home. He couldn’t be blamed for that. Those were all her own decisions. He just had to do what he had to do, didn’t he? He couldn’t be blamed for doing what he thought was best. He couldn’t be blamed for trying his best. This dull ache created from a thousand cuts was not made from his own hand.

Right?

“You’re hopeless.” Taehyung slumped back in his chair and sighed. “Do as you wish.”

He wasn’t the person Taehyung was saying he was.

If he was, then…

No.

Jungkook whipped around and locked his eyes to the table, walking determinedly up to it.

There was a different man sitting there now. A very tall one with very short hair, violate energy, and a striking profile, deeply engaged in conversation with his ex-girlfriend. Currently laughing bashfully at something she must have said. The stranger was wearing a crisp black dress shirt with the first few buttons undone and well-tailored black slacks. Jungkook wanted to punch him in his very handsome face. He didn’t care that the man’s shoulders and arms were so built that they were nearly bursting the seams of his dress shirt, nor did he care that starting a fight right now would do absolutely nothing except get him thrown out in handcuffs.

Jungkook wanted to kill him.

Her eyes took a moment to shift from the very handsome stranger to him.

It hurt.

It really fucking hurt.

He glared back. Her gaze was not as heated, nor did it hold the same ice she had during their last conversation way back then. There was a completely different mix of emotions conveyed now. Almost disconnected, lonely, and loathing all at once, the last not directed at him but at herself.

As if she didn’t want to care but did and hated herself for it.

It wasn’t who she was at all, and Jungkook hated himself for doing this to her.

“Dude, I’m going to need you to get lost.”

Startled, the seated man turned his head to see Jungkook giving him a death stare. He hated seeing the puppy-like expression on such a masculine-looking man, not because he looked down on that but because it was a genuine, adorable reaction that couldn’t be faked.

She probably liked that.

She probably deserved that.

Jungkook was determined to ruin this too. Why the fuck not?

The man looked confused, and then irritated. “Uh… Look, I don’t know what your problem is, but I don’t think you belong here.” He had a commanding, stern tone. He shifted in his seat, halfway to rising. “This conversation doesn’t include you.”

“No, this conversation doesn’t include you,” Jungkook snapped, glancing at her. His ex-girlfriend did nothing but raise an eyebrow at him, her arms crossed under her breasts. “Fuck off.”

The man in the black dress shirt began to stand, brows furrowing. “Hey, I’m going to have to ask you to leave–”

“Excuse me.”

She stood up.

From this distance, Jungkook could fully take in how the smoke-grey eyeshadow accentuated the shape of her eyes, making them more prominent and intense. The lights caught the glow of her skin and the vividness of the scarlet of her lips, giving her an ethereal, untouchable demeanor. Loose layers of her hair framed her face despite the majority of it being pinned up, casting cold, dark shadows around the hot radiance of her gaze.

“I’m sorry to cut our conversation short, but I think it’s best if you give us a moment,” she said politely to the tall stranger while bowing. “I was enchanted to meet you tonight, Kim Mingyu.”

A pink flush dusted over the man’s cheeks. This motherfucker had the audacity to be flustered. Jungkook still wanted to punch him in the face. Maybe more now than before.

“O… Oh… Um. Alright.” He glanced between Jungkook and her. “Will you be okay?”

She smiled, maintaining confident eye contact with the stranger. “Let’s not assume the worst of people. And… Your words have given me courage. I thank you.”

It took everything in Jungkook not to trip the guy on his very expensive designer shoes as he hastily bowed and took his leave, offering an awkward half-wave before backing away. She raised a hand back, not looking away even when he turned around.

And then.

Quiet.

At least as quiet as a loud nightclub could be. But it all became background noise in the face of loaded silence. The safety off now. The bass faded into heartbeats as she raised her eyes and, once again, they faced each other across the table. Jungkook stood with his hands balled up into fists in the pockets of his leather jacket. His former lover stood with her hands in front of her. She was still the most beautiful, graceful, and collected woman that he had ever had the pleasure to know.

“I’m…”

And he missed her so, so much.

“I’m sorry.”

So fucking much.

Her eyes flickered down in a pause, and then back up. “It really doesn’t matter anymore. The past is in the past.”

Her name on his lips felt foreign and familiar all at once. She didn’t react. It was as if he had said nothing at all. He said it again, almost with an edge of panic, and she closed her eyes, breathing in slowly. He wanted to run to the other side. He wanted to climb on top of the table and grab her hands and tell her it was going to be okay, that he was going to be better, that she was the love of his life and that he could be hers too, please, if only he had a chance. Instead, he stayed where he was, frozen in place, trying not to do the wrong thing even though everything about this scene and script was all wrong.

Her eyes opened in a resigned, resolute flutter.

“Do you think saying sorry takes back everything you’ve done?” she asked in a measured tone.

He pulled his hands out of his jacket, shaking his head. “No. No, of course not. I… You didn’t give me a chance to apologize, and I–”

“Apologize for what?” she coldly interrupted.

“W-Well… For… everything, really.”

Her eyes narrowed. “You don’t know.”

Jungkook blinked hard, trying to banish his tears. “Know?” he echoed.

“You don’t even know what you’re apologizing for.” Her words were sharpened steel, cutting right through him.

“I do,” he insisted. “For all the times I left during dinner, for all the times I’ve left during our scheduled time together, for forgetting your birthday, anniversary–”

“For the blatant disrespect,” she interrupted, her hands separating, those intense eyes narrowing. “For always believing I could fend for myself when you got swept up during work events. For contacting me not to talk about my day, but to interrogate me on what I was doing. For not believing me and asking me to send photos every time I was out somewhere.”

He sputtered, taken aback. “That wasn’t… Those things–”

“For always knowing I understood your position and taking it for granted.” Her glare was like daggers, cutting through all the lies he told himself. “And yet never understanding mine. Never believing in the love I had for you.”

“I did believe!”

“And so you accused me of lying?” she shot back, scathing him. “I have never done anything to make you believe I was disloyal to you, but I was five minutes late to a date and suddenly I need to be lying? Suddenly that was a sign of my nefarious plans? Suddenly I’m the bad guy that needs to be backed into a corner? Suddenly I must beg on my knees to soothe your feelings?”

“I didn’t ask for that,” he retorted. “I just asked why you didn’t text that you were late.”

“I don’t need to repeat what I said then,” she growled, bristling. She had been five minutes late because of an elderly taxi driver taking his time. “Because it didn’t matter what the reason was for you. I know that now. You were scared. You were insecure. You were nervous that I was beginning to fall out of love with you. You latched onto the first thing I did wrong and blew it out of proportion to force me to grovel to you. You could have asked me directly how I felt. Instead, you decided to play fucking games.”

Jungkook couldn’t move, couldn’t speak.

Her hands balled up into fists by her sides. “I was patient. I was understanding. I loved you.” She dug her nails into her palms, clenching her jaw. “But I was not going to let myself be manipulated by your insecurities. I was not about to lose myself to become an extension of you, Jeon Jungkook.”

Past tense.

“You… loved me?”

She might as well have stabbed him right through the heart.

A thundering pause.

Finally, she sighed. Her hands relaxed.

“When I came in here, I didn’t know if I wanted to run to you or slap you.”

She looked around, down at the crowd, up to the lights, to the bar, the tables, the people.

“Before you, all I had was a decent job. Not exciting, but good enough to enjoy the life I wanted. I had loose acquaintances and once-in-a-blue-moon friends. I had mediocre hobbies that I was okay at. Before you, that had been enough. This,” she breathed, indicating the people and the money being flaunted around like water during a rainstorm. “I didn’t know this. I didn’t know how lonely it was to be standing this high. I didn’t know… My acquaintances and few friends saw the life you gave me and faded away, no longer relating to the extravagance I was exposed to. My job became a forbidden topic for the mere crime that it was boring. My hobbies became childish to these refined eyes. Yet… I could live with all that. The life I wanted was the one I had with you. And… it turned out to be miserable.”

For the first time, Jungkook realized how much she lost loving him.

“I was miserable.”

She half-laughed, empty.

“But I loved you.”

Lowered her head.

“And I was so, so damn angry with you.”

She smacked the table with her palm, hard enough to make the people around them flash them a startled look. Her fingers tensed, cherry-red manicure flaring over the wood.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” This was the part Jungkook didn’t understand. His voice rose in both frustration and desperation. “Why didn’t you just blow up on me? Why didn’t you say something?”

“Say what?” she snarled, snapping her head up, each word a bullet tearing through him. “Huh? No, don’t go? How dare you leave me, again? Create the war wounds right before we part? What good does all that do? Make us both upset right before you run off? Because you would anyway. You know you would, because you are stubborn and selfish and always doing what you need to do, putting me at the bottom of the list since I am capable… right? I can handle myself, right?”

He was rounding the table, knocking chairs aside. “You could have been angry at me. You just didn’t want to be!”

“Who wants to be angry? Don’t be ridiculous!”

“What, you were worried that you would no longer be the perfect girlfriend if you weren’t understanding?” he accused.

She looked livid. “Don’t you dare flip my consideration onto me.”

He stopped right in front of her, tension all over his neck and jaw. “It’s your fault too. I can’t change if you act like everything is fine!”

Her eyes widened. “Are you serious? I have to be the one to teach you not to be a fucking selfish prick and think about someone else for a change?” she hissed.

“How am I supposed to know?”

“Of course, you know!”

They were beginning to draw whispers and stunned faces but neither of them was backing down or ashamed enough. Or, perhaps, they were simply completely unaware of the disruption they were causing.

“You knew – no, you still know,” she snarled, jabbing him in the chest with a impeccably manicured finger. “You have never felt like you fit in with these people. That was why you tried so hard. That was why you took every opportunity to be a lapdog. That was why you dated me, because I am not privileged and enabled, that’s why you dragged me into your world and got paranoid when I wasn’t showing the same apprehensions as you, putting me in impossible positions and playing games, when we could have been teamed up against the world, when we could have been yin and yang, but all we were was a pair of damn cowards!”

His eyes went wide.

Fury laced in her helpless expression.

“You could have protected me. All you did was make me throw myself to the wolves to protect you!”

Her hands slammed into his chest and she shoved him, hard. He stumbled back, throwing his right arm out, knocking over a champagne flute and shattering it. Glass exploded onto the floor, delicate shards shooting out and catching the light, scattering into dust beneath designer feet.

People gasped and someone screamed at the unexpected noise.

His left hand reached out and gripped the patent leather sleeve of her jacket. Their gazes locked in shock and comprehension. His lips parted. One of his knees was still bent to steady himself from falling. But before Jungkook could say anything, she squeezed her eyes shut, breaking their connection, and ripped her arm from his grasp.

Then she seized the porcelain bottle with painted blue flowers and threw it onto the floor, shattering that too.

One moment of awful, dazed silence.

The next moment, men in security uniforms swiftly and silently crossed the distance and surrounded them. He was being grabbed and pinned down to the table, metal handcuffs clicked onto his wrists behind his back despite his protests. His jaw dropped when one of the men touched her shoulder and she immediately turned around and slapped him. Instantly, she too was firmly pushed down and also restrained, both of them staring at each other over the surface of the wood, their previously well-styled hair in disarray all over their faces, their eyes wide with the realization of the severity of their public argument.

He couldn’t help but think she looked fucking hot.

Something flickered in her eyes. She recognized his exact thought from their shared look. And his ex-girlfriend burst out laughing at this absurd situation, even as security hoisted them up and dragged them down the stairs. So, fuck it. He couldn’t help it either.

Jungkook started laughing too.

“This is your fault, by the way.”

“Feel free to add it to the list of shit I’ve done wrong.”

They were still handcuffed. Both standing a respectful distance away from each other in the middle of a storeroom crammed with boxes stacked like a cardboard maze. There were no windows. The door was closed and presumably locked. Neither of them had moved towards it. There would be no criminal undercover going on here. They were already in deep enough shit. Adding attempted escape would probably change their current storeroom location into separate jail cells for the night.

They did not look at each other.

Jungkook leaned against the boxes, his hands stuck behind his back. One of the sides of his leather jacket had slipped down, exposing his right shoulder. It was nice, actually, since the previous scuffle had left him rather hot-blooded. He snuck a glance beside him.

His ex-girlfriend’s body was facing the door. The backs of her hands rested on the prominent curve of her ass in that tight lilac skirt, her straight posture making her waist look even smaller. Must be nice to have a built-in shelf. His eye line travelled up to her hair, seeing it half-undone and falling down her neck. Half of the pins were still holding up by sheer luck. The patent leather of her jacket crackled as she adjusted, stretching out her ankle. She was still in her high heels.

“Uncomfortable?” he found himself quietly asking.

“Could be worse,” she answered back, still not turning around.

He waited for her to elaborate.

She didn’t.

The silence was palpable. Somehow not unbearable. He looked back down at his feet, wondering why they had been left here. He half-expected security to escort them off the premises and into a police car, but they had marched them behind the kitchen and told them to stay put and not cause trouble, similarly to how misbehaving kids were put in time-out. Then again, the owner of the club was his affluent friend Kim Seokjin. Perhaps this was a rich people thing. Or an under-the-table thing.

Her voice echoed in his head.

You have never felt like you fit in with these people.

“Hey, uh…” he started, trailing off.

A light sigh.

Then, she shook her head, somewhat vigorously. Some of the hairpins loosened up. “Ugh, my hair is more annoying than anything,” she muttered under her breath. “It’s all messed up.”

Hell yeah, it was, and it was a turn-on, reminding him of after-sex tousling. Jungkook kept his mouth shut. Not the right time for that. He chewed on his lower lip, wondering if he could do anything. Wondering if he should do anything. She still hadn’t turned around.

So, he did.

He turned around, bent down slightly, and tried to reach up. The angle was difficult. Not high enough either. His leather sleeves were also constricting his movement and making loud creaking sounds. He looked back, trying to reach up with a grunt, and she stiffened, swinging her head around. He froze in an awkward position. She stared at him.

“What the fuck are you doing?”

He blinked back. “Um… I… I was trying to help…?”

Her eyebrow raised. “By… doing yoga?”

He let out an impatient huff. “No, I’m trying to help you take the pins out of your hair,” Jungkook clarified, straightening with a frustrated shake of his body. “It’s bothering you, isn’t it? But I’m not flexible enough and you’re too tall in your heels.”

She paused. He looked away, feeling somewhat embarrassed for even trying. Who was he to think that he could do something like that? Hah. His hands tightened behind him. They weren’t close like that anymore. They weren’t even friends.

He felt a sting in his heart remembering that.

“Sorry… I should have asked if you wanted the help at all.”

He exhaled heavily.

Stillness.

Then he heard the crack of patent leather and raised his head to see her squat down, lowering one knee to the concrete floor, her back perfectly straight and her head at his waist height. She was facing the door again so he couldn’t see her expression.

“If… Well, it would be helpful if you could… If you could remove the hairpins,” she mumbled, keeping her head up. “Please.”

He gawked at her kneeled form, unmoving.

His heartbeat accelerated.

“Um… if you’re going to do it, faster would be better,” she added hesitantly with placed-in chuckle. “I don’t know how long I can keep my balance in these shoes.”

His cheeks burned. “Uh, yeah, s-sorry. I’m on it.”

The metal handcuffs clinked as he moved. He turned around and backed up a bit, reaching out to feel for her hair. Sucked in a quiet breath as his fingers grazed the soft strands, memories of stolen nights drifting back to him. He swallowed hard and bit his lip, using touch to search for the hairpins, and then loosening them as gently as he could. One by one. He tried to tuck them in his palm as he continued. Sometimes he would need to rest one hand on her head and use the other to pull them out slowly and carefully. She said nothing, tilting her head slightly as he made his way around. He felt his way along her scalp, running his fingers through her hair, remembering the familiar scent he could detect when he used to breathe it in, remembering his hands holding her head as he used to lean in and kiss her, remembering that he had lost all of that now.

Jungkook lowered his chin, letting out a soundless cry.

“You liked my hair down, I recall,” she commented behind him, her soothing voice mirroring the rolling tide late at night.

“Y… Yeah.”

He smiled despite himself. He pulled back his handcuffed hands.

“You have lovely hair. I don’t like seeing it all tucked away.”

For a moment, there was a quietness as those words sank in. She shifted, and he heard her stand up, the sharp click of her heels indicating as much, but he kept his back to her, unsure if this was the last time he would touch her hair. The last time he hadn’t known it would be the last, so he didn’t mourn the moment until way later, but this time…

“Thank you.”

He breathed in through his nose. Oddly stuffy in here.

“Y… You’re welcome.”

He wished he could take it all back, but he couldn’t. He wished he could prove he was a better man, but he didn’t know how or even if he could. She was right. He had gotten swept up in his ambitions and the superficial relationships. He had been afraid. He had let that fear control him because he had felt out of sorts with who he was, who he was becoming, and who he wanted to be.

“I really… I really am sorry.”

They were back-to-back. Not touching. Just close enough to feel each other’s presence without seeing them. Hands behind their backs, staring in opposite directions but finally seeing the path before them.

“I know.”

She let out a soft breath.

“I wished for the way I felt to change once I could accept your apologies, but,” she whispered. “Life isn’t that simple or clear cut.”

His chest ached. “Yeah.” It didn’t matter if his actions had unintentional consequences. The consequences still existed. “You’re right. About it all. About the person I became and how I treated you because of it. About how this was because of me feeling like I don’t fit in.”

She didn’t say anything, yet Jungkook could sense her acknowledgment. He couldn’t really explain why he knew. Maybe it had something to do with their current circumstances.

“I keep trying and I… I don’t know. Maybe I’m too simple-minded. Maybe I can’t understand the world these people live in. I mean, my friends seem like normal people but there are still moments where I catch myself thinking, I wouldn’t have thought to do or say that. I feel so… disconnected, sometimes. Meaningless. Maybe I’m not worth a damn to them.”

He was rambling, slipping between his refined dialect and his Busan satoori. He caught himself, about to correct his wording.

“You don’t have to be like the people around you to fit in,” she chided.

He stopped trying to form a sentence and listened.

“You don’t listen. That has always been your strength. Your charm is your natural character with the added spice of rebellion.” Her chuckle lightened, making his heart tighten and feel like exploding at the same time. “Your talent has always been bravely walking your own path, confusing as it may be. There is a pureness in that. You have friends because they want to protect that part of you. Haven’t you noticed? Your friends have never asked you to change or be like them. They just accept you for how you are and push away people who try to mold you into their vision.”

His friends? Well, true, they were the main reasons for him getting the jobs he got. He had always felt somewhat inadequate, realizing his success was from seniors in the industry helping him out. They all told him that this was how it worked. They all told him to do well so he could get more opportunities. It was part of the reason that he felt that he couldn’t let those connections down. He had always felt that he couldn’t refuse.

“Your friends have always been on your side. They don’t want you to be like them. They want you to stay as you are. You mean that much to those around you.”

But perhaps he had been wrong all along.

“Only you thought you needed to change.”

There was probably a lot of sound outside, but the distracting racket was inaudible from the distant storeroom. Her quiet voice amplified her words in this slice of stillness. There something stricken and bitter haunting the air between them as the revelation settled.

He clutched her hairpins in his fist.

“I didn’t… I didn’t date you just because you weren’t part of this vapid world I’m in.”

He wanted her to know.

“I wish…”

The tears stung the corners of his eyes. He refused to let them go. Jungkook looked up to the ceiling, taking in each breath as steadily as he could. He felt like he was drowning, except instead of water, it was all the things he never said.

“I wish I could have been strong enough for you to be angry at me sooner. Tonight, I realized… It was my own shortcomings that made you stay quiet.” He chuckled dryly in admiration. “You endured more than I ever could. More than anyone should.” He didn’t know if he was making any sense but he kept on going. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you so mad. That was the most emotion I’ve ever seen from you. You must have spent a lot of nights… feeling so alone because of my selfishness.”

This was not a romantic setting at all. They were stuck in a storeroom with no windows, surrounded by boxes, handcuffed for being a public disruption, for being too dramatic and too emotional. Neither of them could look at the other. A disaster in every sense of the world.

But.

Maybe this was the most honest moment they had ever shared.

Her laugh simmered behind him.

“I’m sorry for losing my shit.”

He half-smiled in rueful relief.

“It wasn’t so bad. Low-key kinda hot. I almost lost the plot at times.”

She laughed under her breath. “You don’t mean that.”

A single heartbeat of silence.

“I kinda do,” he admitted, feeling the upturned corners of his lips falter.

It became quiet once more. An embarrassed quiet, but maybe only on his side. Jungkook still couldn’t bring himself to turn around and find out. He shifted awkwardly, realizing he was still holding her hairpins in his hand. Uh. Well, he couldn’t exactly ask her to put them in her pocket. Did she even have any pockets with that outfit? He furrowed his brows, thinking about that tight skirt and lace corset. Doubtful there would be any pockets in such fitted clothing. Maybe in her jacket, but it was so short that he would basically have to reach for her tits to…

His face heated slightly realizing that he was heavily focusing on her body right now.

Click.

He didn’t really register the sound behind him at first. It sounded like something falling onto the concrete. There was another sharp tapping sound, but before he could shift and twist his body to see, he felt her fingertips brush against the knuckles of his fist.

“I’m sorry too.”

He was too shocked to even move or react. Just stood there wide-eyed, struck by the lightning of her touch, realizing they were that close and that it was her who initiated that.

“I should have brought up the little things that bothered me. I shouldn’t have let it snowball simply because I thought it would make your life easier. I should have tried to remind you not to be intimidated by those around you,” she sighed heavily. “And I should have believed in your apology more than I did.”

The pads of her fingertips stilled.

One by one, they lost contact.

Jungkook dropped all the hairpins on the floor in a cascade of metal raindrops.

He reached back and grabbed her hand, gripping her fingers tightly, gasping as he felt her cool skin against his warmth. He felt her initial rise of reluctance, however, she did not pull away. Their handcuffs clinked against each other, the chains colliding. He scrambled to reach a little higher. Grasping her hand in his. Her right in his right. He tried to say something. Something romantic, something reassuring, something self-derogatory even.

But nothing come out.

He tried to breathe and was choked by inner tears. Tried again, shaking, trying to be silent. Her fingers curled around the back of his hand and laid there. She gave him a light squeeze.

“Don’t worry.”

Her calming voice a dream on this night.

“I’m here.”

They held hands.

It must have been only for a short while. It felt like forever packed in minutes. He inhaled deeply, catching fleeting traces of her sweet and sultry perfume. Closed his eyes with an exhale. Another inhale, slower this time. Maybe this was futile. Maybe this was objectively wildly inappropriate. Maybe he was the fucking worst, wishing, hoping they could reset to something new. All of this could crash and burn.

Or.

Or, maybe.

He swallowed tightly. Leaned back just a little. Their shoulder blades touched. A moment of suspended anticipation. She leaned back against him. The backs of their heads didn’t yet touch. He felt her hair on his neck. It was only the tops of their backs that touched, but now there was only centimeters of trembling air between them.

“Are you cold?” he asked, his voice rough and nervous.

“Only a little.” Her thumb brushed against the side of his palm. “I’ll be alright.”

Yeah, he knew that. “You’re the most capable person I know.”

She sighed. “It’s not all sunshine and roses.”

He scrunched up his face in search for the words. “Well… You suit moonlight and thorns more.”

She nearly snorted. He felt her shoulders shake in silent laughter. He winced, thinking he said something wrong.

“Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“I like those better, anyway!” He blurted it out quickly. Maybe too quickly, curling a bit in on himself once he realized what he said, cringing, but she tugged on his hand ever so slightly. It was obvious she was shaking her head from her hair swishing over his neck.

“You always had a thirst for danger, Jungkook.”

Her tone was slight and playful. He felt his cheeks burn and his heart race so hard that he almost couldn’t breathe from the pressure. Nearly stuttered when he heard his name in her voice, clenching his jaw shut so he didn’t make a fool of himself. Again. His entire body tensed, on edge and vibrating from the rush of emotions.

“Are you trying to break my hand?”

He was gripping her hand way too tight. “S-Sorry!” He loosened his stiff fingers, twisting his wrist to keep his hand cupped around hers. “Sorry…”

“Heh, it’s not like you to apologize,” she teased.

Jungkook furrowed his brows. “Hey...”

Her head laid against his shoulder.

He stilled, heartbeat pounding. She looked up at the ceiling. At least, he presumed that from the angle. The back of her head touched his left shoulder, just barely. Her hair spilled against his collarbone and back, messy and free.

“I bet you have somebody. You’re too good-looking to have nobody lined up.”

Her murmur was soft and resigned. Guilty.

Her words hung in the air.

He tipped his head back, the nape of his neck against her shoulder. The patent leather of her jacket squeaked loudly under his presence. He wished. He hoped. He…

“I have someone,” he confessed.

He squeezed her hand. Their faces tilted upwards to the ceiling, and still Jungkook could recall every detail of her eyes – the way they glimmered when she smiled, the way they sparked when she was serious, the way they twinkled during all their special moments, the way they hollowed out when she turned away from him.

His fingers gently separated hers, interlocking.

The words were at the tip of his tongue.

His lips parted.

Suddenly there were loud footsteps on the other side of the heavy wood door. His ex-girlfriend jerked up in alarm. Jungkook stumbled. Both of them quickly sprang away from each other as the noisy jangle of keys was heard and then the heavy door swung open, revealing the two of them standing there, tense, now staring wide-eyed at a tall, broad-shouldered man flanked by two security guards. His black hair was perfectly parted, half brushing against his forehead and half combed back, giving a corporate feel in his tailored black suit. He was strikingly handsome by all accounts. Intense dark brown eyes, sculpted brows, full lips, stunning jawline.

Kim Seokjin wore an exasperated, annoyed expression.

He ticked his head to Jeon Jungkook’s ex-girlfriend.

“You. Come with me.”

She hesitated for a second and stepped forward, hanging her head a bit. “I sincerely apologize for the trouble I’ve caused.”

It would be expected for such a stern, posh-looking man to be harsh. Instead, Seokjin stuck his fists by his waist and sighed loudly, similarly to a disappointed grandmother scolding her favorite child.

“Haaah… come on. You’re not going to jail. I want to talk to you alone. Hey, uncuff her,” the owner of the nightclub tutted. One of the security guards went around her to unlock the handcuffs. “It took me a while to handle everything out there. At least the incident won’t be on the news or anything.” He reached out and held her elbow as she was released, steadying her balance and leading her out of the room. The guards followed, not taking a second glance back.

Jungkook frowned. “Hey, hyung–”

Seokjin whipped up and pointed a finger at him. “No. You stay here.”

Jungkook balked, offended. “What?! What about me?”

The older man glared at him like he was the naughty child. “I’ll have a conversation with you after. Stay.”

Anger boiled high. “I’m not a dog!”

Offensively, Seokjin barked back with, “You’re right. Dogs are loyal. And want to listen to people. You have the listening skills of a straw. In one end and out the other.”

The door slammed shut with finality.

Jungkook stood there, speechless, gawking at the sheer audacity.

Then he kicked the floor with a roar of impatience once Kim Seokjin’s insult finally registered. What the hell! Kim Seokjin was the one to invite him here in the first place! Seokjin was the oldest of Jungkook’s friends that took him under his wing, teaching him about various business aspects behind the scenes and making sure Jungkook knew the importance of having a good lawyer to look over his contracts. Now Seokjin had him locked up as if he was a five-year-old receiving a time out! Who did he think he was, his disciplinarian?

“What the fuck?!”

Then Jungkook ceased all movement, no longer stomping around in circles.

It was him.

Kim Seokjin had invited him here tonight.

It was him. Kim Seokjin had told him he better get his ass over here on this night in particular if he knew what was good for him. Not unusual, as his friends usually had to threaten him to go outside these days. It was you. You invited her here. It wasn’t Taehyung who invited her. He had been telling the truth all along.

“That bastard.”

Snarling, Jungkook whipped his head to the door and glared at it, fully intending to charge like a goddamn bull right into Kim Seokjin once it opened again.

I, I hear the whispers in your eyes I'll make you wanna think twice you'll find that you were never not mine you're mine

i hear... | ... the whispers... | ... in your eyes.

masterpost

#jungkook x reader #jungkook x you #bts smut #jeon jungkook x reader #jeon jungkook x you #jungkook smut

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nysrage · 11 months

Text

College Daze, Connie Springer.

college days were hard. you hadn’t quite found your footing around campus, not making any friends, and often times too homesick to even get out of bed. being the quiet introvert didn’t help with any functions going on campus either. but nonetheless, it was that college daze. days were especially hard when you were hours away from everything you knew, your town, family, one friend, and boyfriend. all the things that made your heart so full.

the only thing keeping you sane were the phone calls you’d share with them. parents giving you encouraging words to keep you going and motivated. your friend who remind you of the vision you had for yourself when you felt low enough to quit and come home. Connie, who’d stay up with you on those long night where you’d study for upcoming exams, and fill that lonely hole with warmth during those overnight calls. It’d been months since you been face to face with any of them and you couldn’t help the feeling of loneliness clouding your heart.

that was until there’d been a knock at your front door, pulling you not only from your thoughts but also your bed. annoyed that your roommate most likely left her keycard in her room for the umpteenth time since you’ve settled on campus. “ girl you’ve got to learn to—” swinging the door open to be met with your boyfriend, “surprise mamí” flashy smile on display as he engulfed you into his arms. “connie?” you mind barely processing all of this until you were burying your face into his neck. opening up to that safe, warm, and familiar scent that you’d missed for so long, taking in as much of it as you could not knowing how long it’d last. “c’mon lemme see that pretty face.” pushing those soft natural coils out of your face, taking you all in. “how… when did you even find the time..?”

“like i told you princesa..” connie smiled, giving you a small peck in the cheek. “i’d be outside your dorm for you one of these days.” you giggled, quickly wiping away any tears threatening to fall from your eyes. “you know i can’t be away from you too long.” nuzzling your face into that warm hand of his that rested against your cheek. basking in that feeling of home and happiness.

the next few days were spent on some much needed catching up, quality time, and acts of service. showing connie around campus and enjoying a few parties, along with a nice stress free day at the salon. connie paying for all those self care needs that you’d neglected in the past few months, getting you back to that bubbly personality he’d grown to love. those beautiful smiles returning back to your face. the next day was spent in sweetheart circle in the center of campus, full of beautiful land that was perfect for a picnic. which connie made sure to pack all of your favorite fruits, wraps, and drinks into your basket. Along with three small canvases to draw whatever your heart desires.

the gentle breeze, warm sun on your skin, and connie’s arm wrapped around your waist made everything feel so much better. like this journey isn’t as lonely as it seemed, not when the people surrounding you did everything in their power to keep you happy along the way. It’d been the most you smiled since the first week of school and you didn’t think it’d fade anytime soon. the two of you sharing your paintings when you were done, connie’s canvas colored with doodles of you and him beneath the sun. while your gave a more realistic and detailed portrait, one your sure he’d be hanging up somewhere in his room to keep your close to him. A third canvas of your painted hands on either side, and the date that the two of you became official in between.

ending the day with a walk around the trail, a known legend at your university for couples that visit sweetheart circle. “you know legend says, if you walk sweetheart circle the right way three times.. you’ll be married.” connie chuckled, “oh yeah?” playfully biting down on his lip. “right or wrong, you’ll end up as mrs. springer regardless” pulling you close his side, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “we work too hard at this relationship for us not to work.” his words were sweet and sincere, eyes never leaving yours as he spoke. your body whirling around in front of him to stop his tracks, taking his strong hands in yours. “i’m really glad you surprised me for the weekend baby.” a bright smile of your face as you looked up at the towering form of your boyfriend. his smile just as wide as yours, placing a delicate kiss on your intertwined hands. “I know this big city was a lot for you and you really needed some piece of home..” shrugging his shoulders as he looked out at this distant fountain. “so i thought i’d bring home to you.”

squeezing his hand as his eyes met yours, those golden brown orbs holding so many emotions. “I love you..” his reaction to your words always the same, small curve in his lips along with that brightening of his eyes.

“i love you more princesa.”

#nys works.ᐟ ᥫ᭡#aot fluff #aot connie fluff #aot connie #connie fluff #aot connie springer #aot connie x black reader #aot connie x black!reader #connie springer #connie x black y/n #connie springer x black reader #connie x black!reader #connie x black reader #connie x you #connie springer fluff

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youre-amazing-say-it · 2 years

Note

Can i request avengers x teen!reader where she feels a bit left out because she's young and when they see it, they show her that they love her still and she's their baby? If you wanna write it ❤️

Left Out

Pairing; Avengers x teen!reader, Sam Wilson x teen!reader

Warning: IT IS SO SAD HOW THEY TREAT Y.N I CRIED

summary: the team always leaves you out of the celebration after the missions until a new team notices and brings it to there attention

"Great Job Team!" Tony said to 6 of his teammates: Steve, Natasha, Thor, Bruce, Clint, and Y/n. You were the newest and youngest addition to the team, this only being the 2nd mission you have been on with them. "And good job out there Y/n, the super speed sure came in handy today." You just nodded your head and smiled. "Thanks, Tony!" you responded.

"Usually Plan I assume?" Clint said looking at the billionaire. "Of course Katniss, the party starts at 8 so be there!" Tony said as he pointed at each of his teammates. "Um, party?" Y/n said as she looked at her coworkers. "Oh um," Bruce started to say before Natasha interjected.

"After big missions like these, Tony likes to throw parties to celebrate. Unfortunately, they are more adult parties so you can't come." the redhead stated as she sat down next to you on the bench of the Quinjet. "Oh," you said, "do these happen a lot?" you asked the group. "Not too often anymore now that you are here," Steve said giving you a warm smile. "Okay, sounds good," you said as you sent the group a smile. "I can give you company if you would like," Bruce said, the two of you were very alike in your introverted ways.

"that's fine, I still have some shows I want to catch up on." Thor came over and gave you a hug. "Thank you Lady Y/n, you are appreciated," he shouted. "Okay.. too much.." you tried to say until Thor finally let go. As the quinjet finally landed, Tony turned towards the team and clasped his hands together. "Let's get the party started."

It wasn't a one-time thing.

It turned into almost every mission that Tony was involved in or anytime the community wanted to celebrate the Avengers, excluding Y/n. You should have said something to someone, but as the youngest, you felt you didn't really have a say in the after-party. And it wasn't like they were ignoring you all the time, they were great friends and teammates. But the after-mission part just became routine that nobody noticed or asked how you felt.

The group just came back from another mission, this time with Sam Wilson with them. He was a new teammate and you didn't know him too well. But you knew that he worked at the VA and was a therapist of some sort.

"Seriously Y/n you did great on this mission, we couldn't have done it without you kiddo," Clint said as he patted your back. "Thanks, Arrow" you responded. "Hey Tony what time does the party start?" you asked. "Um around 9pm so you can go get your dinner quickly then head upstairs," Tony responded. You wanted to ask if you could all hang out as a team but with the way everyone responded to the party news, you didn't want to bring everyone down.

"You send Y/n upstairs for the party? Why doesn't she join?" Sam questioned looking puzzled. it wasn't a secret that you were one of the most helpful avengers. Your powers have helped a lot on a mission and saved countless lives, including your teammates. Before you could even speak, Steve spoke on your behalf.

"They like to spend after a mission in their room. It's routine for them." Steve said as he started to remove part of his mask. "You are okay with this Y/n?" Sam asked concerned. You put on a fake smile and nodded. "Yeah, as Steve said, it's routine," you commented. Sam could see you were hurt inside, but knew now wasn't the time to ask about it.

Later on, once the party was in full swing downstairs, you were in your room in your favorite pair of sweats and got a cupcake and a candle out of the fridge in the room. You had on y/f/m in the background as you sat on the bed with the cupcake on a plate. You were about to light the candle when you heard a knock on the door. "Come in," you responded. You were surprised someone even came to check on you.

Sam walked in and closed the door behind you and let out a sigh when he saw the image in front of him. "Please tell me they didn't forget your birthday or else I'll go down there and beat their asses." he quipped. You laughed as you shook your head. "No don't worry, it was just my 50th mission today," you responded as you lifted up your cupcake. "Want some?" you asked. Sam came and sat on the bed, "yeah why not." he responded.

The two of you ate in silence for a while before Sam spoke up. "Do you like spending your nights in here after missions?" he questioned looking at you. "Depends, most nights I don't mind, but on missions where I know I did a lot of help and they don't even include me in the celebration, that's when it sucks," you responded. "I thought that I would be invited tonight," you stated. You gestured to a short y/f/c dress that was in your closet. "I even had an outfit picked out." you laughed. It was stupid when you thought about it.

"Well go put on the outfit." Sam said with a straight face. "wait, really? I can come?" you asked with hope in your eyes. "I'm part of the team now, and I know it's no good for you to celebrate a big milestone alone," he said as he got off your bed. he extended his hand, which you took. "Now hurry and get ready, I don't want to wait all day." You turned towards Sam with a smile on your face. "Thanks, ill hurry I promise," you said as you locked your bathroom door.

Ten minutes later, the two of you were heading downstairs and the avengers and company were shocked to see you with Sam. Tony and the rest of the team were quick to approach you. "Hey, what are you doing down here kiddo? Thought you would be upstairs." Tony said with a glass of whiskey in hand. "She never wanted to be-" sam started before you put your hand on his arm. "Sam, I got this," you stated before turning back towards the group.

"I never wanted to be upstairs. During our first mission together, you guys kind of sent me upstairs because there was a party. And you promised that it would only happen every so often. And that didn't turn out to be true, and I was too afraid to say anything to correct you guys. But tonight was my 50th Mission, I was hoping that we can do something as a group to celebrate, and it seems you had all forgotten about it.” you stated to them. The group all looked incredibly guilty.

"It was your 50th mission?" bruce asked. "Yeah," you said with a laugh as you pulled back some hair. "I'm sorry Kiddo, we should have done better," Clint said with a sad face. "Yeah you should have." sam said annoyed. "How about this, I can kick these people out, give us an hour to clean up, and we can eat ice cream and watch a movie. sounds good?" Tony asked coming over to give you a hug. You looked up at him and smiled. "That sounds perfect." Tony smiled back before nodding toward Steve.

"Attention, everyone. Unfortunately, we are going to ask you all to leave so we can spend some team bonding time. But before you go," he said as you notice Natasha gave you a glass of your favorite drink and gave you a quick hug. "can we all raise our glasses to Y/n. Tonight was her 50th mission as an avenger, and we wouldn't be more grateful to have such an incredible person on the team. To Y/n." Steve said. The crowd responded as everyone cheered in your honor.

You wiped some of the tears from your eyes as you saw the guest leave down the main exit. Thor turned towards you and gave you a good pat on the head. "We are all very proud of you young one. Would you like some Asgardian Liquor to celebrate?"

"NOOO"

#avengers x teen!reader #avengers x reader #tony stark x teen!reader #tony stark x reader #steve rodgers x reader #steve rogers x teen!reader #natasha romanoff x teen!reader #natasha romanoff x reader #thor x reader #thor x teen!reader #bruce banner x reader #bruce banner x teen!reader #clint barton x teen!reader #clint barton x reader #sam wilson x teen!reader #sam wilson x reader

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brf-rumortrackinganon · 16 days

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Idk I go back and forth on the divorce. Because I think Meghan was surprised by how much pull William had. Kicking them out of KP and then ultimately shutting down their attempts at coming back. I think meghan has cooled off on her threats to the BRF because it’s been a very clear line that has only been reinforced since they left, she’s not welcome there and she’s basically lost all of her bargaining power. Harry is still the one openly threatening them to get what he wants, so how Meghan has switched to completely threatening him during the down swings of their relationship. so I do think that she’s had a least one ah ha moment. It’s still toxic as hell and Harry won’t get what he wants, which is why I leave the door open for divorce, because I do think it will get to a breaking point with him.

Ask from August 3rd

Not just William's pull and William's strength - I think Meghan was surprised by Kate's too. Kate's public persona is one who's pretty passive and submissive (after all, her whole image is "plastic princess designed to breed and stand behind her man" if you aren't a close follower) so Meghan totally went into KP thinking she was going to rule the roost because she has personality, opinions, and American "go-getter-done" directness, which makes her a better boss than the shy introverted British princess.

Which meant Meghan was totally blindsided when Kate confronted her about several issues (how Meghan treated the staff, Charlotte's dress fitting, shutting down the parties, etc.) because she expected Kate to just roll over. To be honest, I wouldn't be surprised one bit if Meghan thought Kate was so demure (so mindful) that she could just take the Wimbledon patronage by sheer force.

And I bet Meghan didn't realize how much pull Kate has until it was too late and she was already getting kicked out the door. I don't think Meghan ever actually interacted with William all that much and the few times she did interact with William, she was making those goo-goo eyes and lovebombing him so she probably wasn't aware that he knew/thought she was a problem until he was throwing them out. I feel like most of Meghan's interactions were with KP staff or Kate, and Kate was the one keeping William in the loop. (But also, William isn't blind and probably saw a heck of a lot more than Meghan or Harry thought he did.)

#sussexes #waleses

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blackreaderfics · 1 year

Text

Pinky Promises | Clark Kent x Reader

↳ Pairing : MAWS Clark Kent x Fem!Reader

↳ Rating : PG

↳ Summary : childhood friends meet again under unlikely circumstances

↳ W.C : ~1.3k

↳ Tags: fluff, mild language, flashback, childhood friends, extrovert!reader x introvert!clark, reader giving manic pixie dream girl vibes, heat vision when excited/agitated/stressed, mixed in some MoS backstory

“Give them back!” Clark swiped at the older boy who was now dangling his glasses high above his head.

“Or what, four eyes?” His bully since the first day of middle school, Billy sneered. “I just wanna see ’em.”

Clark knew that wasn’t true. Every time Billy wanted to “see” something he’d just outright take it without giving it back. It started with his pencils, which was innocuous enough, until it moved on to the lunches his mom packed, and even his new sneakers at one point.

Clark was okay with losing those things. He had plenty of pencils, and he was never really that hungry. He could try and fly home if worst came to worst too, but his glasses were the one thing he couldn’t give up to Billy.

The first time his heat vision had flared up, Billy had spilled his carton of milk in his lap on purpose, making it look like Clark had peed himself in front of half the school. He’d almost burned a hole into the school lunch table out of embarrassment. The second time happened on that same day, after school when he’d snapped at his mother for prying too much, singeing the doorframe.

A few days later Martha Kent would give him a special pair of glasses that she’d made herself using the glass of the spaceship he landed in. And upon seeing her gift, he’d bury his face into his mother’s arms as an apology and a ‘thank you’.

“How the hell are you even seeing through these?” Billy inspected the glasses, all the while avoiding Clark’s reach. “They don’t even work. Just a piece of garbage.”

Clark could feel his anger rising and a prickling heat behind his eyes. Reflexively he squeezed his eyes shut and stumbled, tripping backward from Billy’s rough shove.

“What? You crying, loser?” He taunted. “Don’t worry I’ll take out the trash for you.” Billy wound up, preparing to throw the glasses like a baseball.

“Hey! Leave him alone you big bully!”

Clark peeked his eyes open to see you barreling down the road wielding a baseball bat and already swinging wildly.

Clark had heard about you offhandedly from his peers. You were like a Smallville Middle School urban legend mostly for your weird outfits and lack of filter. Unlike Clark, no one dared to bully you for fear of your unpredictable nature. Even Billy, big as he was, knew better than to stick around to test it.

“That’s right! You better run!” You shouted as Billy escaped.

Clark blinked dumbly back at you, and even more dumbly when he felt his glasses being placed back on his face. Your face was close, and your mouth was moving but he could only hear the sound of his heartbeat thumping in his ears. Your tugging him to his feet was what finally pulled him back to reality.

“—and if any one bothers you again they’re gonna have to go through me! And if I’m not there you better fight back and kick his butt, Clark!”

You held out a pinky, the look on your face leaving no room for Clark to refuse it. He linked his pinky with your own, marking the beginning of your friendship along with the unofficial beginning of Clark’s crush on you. The next day you would sit next to him at lunch, naturally, as if you had always been friends.

The Kents began to notice that their usually quiet son was visibly happier and becoming much more talkative. Imagine Martha Kent’s surprise when a phone call for Clark came into the house phone, and a female voice was on the other end.

Jonathan Kent would be equally surprised when he accidentally picked up the house phone and overheard Clark talking to you excitedly about his favorite book series. Needless to say, they would hint incessantly to Clark that he should invite his new “friend” over for dinner.

It wasn’t long before you were inseparable; and for all of middle school everywhere he was, you were not far off. Until one day you told him you were moving away, 100 miles away to be exact, to Metropolis.

You would pinky promise each other to keep in touch but as you both got busier and Clark discovered more about his own origins, the letters and phone calls became more sparse until communication stopped entirely.

10 years later

The one day you decided to get your hair done was the day some eldritch abomination decided to descend upon the city of Metropolis.

You were used to it by now; you had your fair share of close calls. Most people would hole themselves up in their apartments and never come out with all the intermittent attacks lately, but you weren’t most people and in your opinion, living in fear was not living at all.

So when you found yourself falling to your death from a building, you accepted your fate and braced yourself for the inevitable impact. Only...it never came. You did feel your cheek resting against something hard though, and when you looked up at what seemed to break your fall, you found yourself face to face with the “Man of Steel” himself: Superman.

“Fear not, citizen. You’re safe now.” You could hear his deep voice rumble from his chest to your ear as he spoke.

When Clark finally got a good look at your face, it felt like he was back in Smallville again, back to the day you’d chased Billy off. Back to the moment your face had filled his vision entirely; All he could see was you. He almost blurted out your name out of surprise until he remembered he was supposed to be a hero now and not Clark Kent, the farm boy.

“You look…” You began but then trailed off as you stared at his face. You were breathless from everything; the fall, the chaos, and now the handsome man who made you feel safe in his arms. You couldn't quite place it, but he looked oddly familiar. “You look a lot like someone I know.”

“I…get that a lot, Ma’am.” Clark tried to sound professional and not alarmed at the fact that there was a chance you’d recognize him. “Get to safety quickly.” He recovered the authority in his voice, but it was now clashing with his reddening face. When he set you down, you wondered why the charismatic superhero you’d seen on TV seemed much shyer in person.

“Well, I would but--” Your eyes both drifted to where he still had a protective arm circled around your waist, pulling you close to his body. Upon realizing he hadn’t let you go, he jerked his arm away to give an awkward salute.

You gave him a curious look; He was so jumpy and…cute? Oh god, it was killing you. Where had you seen that face before?

A loud crash accompanied by a guttural roar from the 50-foot-tall monster in the background saved Clark from further embarrassment. “Well, uh, that’s my cue.”

“Hey, Superman?” You suddenly spoke up as he turned around.

He paused to look back at you, mid-preparation for flight.

“Kick its fucking ass!”

And with that, he returned you a bashful smile with a thumbs up and took off into the air.

That night, after a long fight with the inter-dimensional threat, Clark had gotten a voicemail from his Mom saying that you had called her asking for his number. Not shortly after, his phone vibrated, an unknown number with a Metropolis area code filling the screen. It must’ve been you.

“Hey, it’s me, Y/N. Something reminded me of you today." His heart leaped. Ten years later and yet your voice still made his heart rate erratic; a form of muscle memory.

"I got your number from your Mom," You continued. "Do you…still remember that promise we made when we were kids? The day before I moved.” You talked to him like you’d never left. Like you were picking back up a conversation that began yesterday and not a decade ago.

How could Clark possibly forget? And what happened to ‘Hello, how are you?’ But being too embarrassed to say it out loud, he could only breathe out a shaky “Y-yea. I remember.”

On a warm summer day, you made rings out of dandelions and a half-joking pinky promise that you would marry each other someday.

You were kids who didn’t know much about marriage or how it worked exactly, but you knew that’s what people did if they liked each other enough. And there was no doubt that you both liked each other because that pinky promise was the first and only one that had been sealed with a kiss.

©️ blackreaderfics // credit to cafekitsune for the dividers

#reader figures out he’s Superman pretty quickly later on offscreen 🤭#needed to write fluff after all the smut lol #cross posted on ao3 #maws x reader #maws clark kent #maws x you #clark kent x reader #my adventures with superman #maws imagines #brfwrites

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mashup-writing · 9 months

Text

How Suyaeon would react to Y/N feeling left out of the relationship

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Summary: It's not always sunshine and rainbows in a relationship, there's a close bond between Sua and Siyeon which comes from them being cut from the same cloth- Y/N can't help but feel like an outlier.

"Ikaw pa rin ang pipiliin ko."

"You're still the one I'll choose."

Requested? ☑

Genre: Fluff, Smidge of Angst

Warnings: Insecurities, Self-doubt

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At the start you simply assumed that it'll take time for her to bombard you with energy like she does Siyeon.

Time passes but you're proven wrong, as four months in and she still doesn't get as hyper with you as she does with Siyeon.

You can't help but feel as if there's a barrier between you and Sua that you'll never manage to overcome.

At first it stings your skin when she touches you, lacking the energy that she does with Siyeon.

Eventually the sting deepens into your heart, and it collects instead of fading.

Siyeon is the first to notice.

For a while the wolf thinks that it's just her overthinking tendencies that's playing tricks on her.

Then Sua jumps her with a hug only to pull away and gently hug you, Siyeon doesn't fail to notice how your shoulders are sagged after the hug ends.

That doesn't mean that Sua is unatentive towards you.

She just has the tendency to believe that people have the courage she does when it comes to being up front.

In Sua's eyes, she's making it easier for you to be around her.

She knows that her hyperactivity has the tendency to tire people out regardless of whether they're introverted or extroverted.

One day after practice, Siyeon tells the rest of the members that she and Sua need to stay behind to polish up some moves.

Sua thinks nothing of it. She's always happy to get a bit more practice in.

She is after all one of the main dancers for the group.

She's confused when Siyeon doesn't move towards the speakers but towards her instead.

Siyeon wraps her up in a tight hug and something about it feels off. She's about to shrug the intuition off when Siyeon breaks away and something in the other girl's eyes proves her feeling right.

Sua's senses could never have predicted what she was about to hear.

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Y/N steps out of the bathroom feeling tired but refreshed. Gahyeon waves at the youngest member from the couch with a cup of instant ramen in her hands, the other girl scoots over as You roll your eyes while making your way over to her.

"Unnie, what are you doing eating that when Handong unnie made dinner for tonight?"

Gahyeon blushes before scrambling to defend herself.

"Hey! I'll have you know that I asked her if it's okay if I have this for dinner tonight! It's human nature to crave something you like you know!"

You stand up with a shake of your head, preparing to run away as soon as you can before ruffling her damp hair with a laugh. "That's for rejecting Handong unnie's food!" You turn around to run as Gahyeon's shriek fills the living room but you're not fast enough to avoid Gahyeon's revenge seeking hand, which yanks the towel wrapping your hair off your head before she throws it back at you.

The girl's got spectacularly bad aim however, as the balled up towel soars past your head and hits Yoohyeon's face instead. The blonde haired member shrieks, demanding to know why there was suddenly rendered blind with a damp thing clinging to her face.

Jiu laughs at what has transpired before Handong peeks out from the kitchen and announces that dinner's ready. Leading to your leader to clap her hands and announce that she's going to go call the other members to the dining area.

Gahyeon saunters to the kitchen on high alert, Yoohyeon keeping an eye on the younger member with your offending towel in her hands.

"You wouldn't swing at someone with ramen soup in theur hand, would you?" Asks Gahyeon before she brandishes the ramen cup infront of her. Yoohyeon squints, seeming to consider her next words before she eventually says no.

You shake your head in mirth before following behind the two, paying Handong a compliment and your thanks for the dinner. Your mood brightened and your insecurities forgotten for a while.

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"... Hello?"

"... Hi..."

"What is all this?"

You're tackled from the side in a hug. You turn your head to see Sua clinging to your side with a squeal, you're definitely not complaining but you also definitely want an explanation.

Siyeon tapes the last remaining length of fairy lights onto the top of your bunk before she crawls out of the tiny space, looking like she doesn't know what to say to explain what's happening.

Sua kicks the door behind you closed before breaking your hug and taking a breath to calm herself down. She transforms from the excitable puppy you see her as when she's with Siyeon, so a sheepish and apologetic looking version of herself. She surveys the room for a moment, before steeling her nerves. She holds a hand out and it takes you a moment to realize that she's reaching for your hand, not Siyeon's.

Sua tries to mask the hurt in her eyes when she realizes your conclusion.

You know people though, a performer she might be but the people you take the time to know can never hope to hide emotions from you when you look at their eyes. So you take her hand and place a kiss on each of her knuckles before gesturing for her to speak.

"I'm sorry for hurting you-"

You open your mouth to assure her that you know she didn't really mean to, but she beats you to the punch.

"I may not have meant to, but that doesn't excuse the fact that I did anyways. You're not always quiet, but you're a calm person and I thought you would've preferred me to be subdued around you for lack of a better word."

Siyeon wraps her arms around you from behind, resting her chin on your shoulder and you're glad she did. The tension in your body that you didn't know was there dissipates with the presence of her touch.

"I realise now that I should've asked you at the start if you'd prefer that I be calm around you or if you'd like me to just be as chaotic as I normally am instead of assuming what you would've wanted for yourself and in our relationship. I was out of place and I'm sorry it took me a long time to realise that."

Sua's hand in yours tightens its hold and you drop your gaze to find that her free hand is trembling by her side. You reach for it, pulling her close to you and placing a lingering kiss on her cheek before wrapping her up in a hug and peppering her face in short kisses.

Sua laughs, shrill and breaking in her excitement. She lets go of your hands to enclose both you and Siyeon in a bear hug, lifting you both off of the floor for a moment before her hug tightens even more.

You laugh along with your girlfriends as the irony hits you when Siyeon tells Sua to calm down unless she wishes to snap both your spines.

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"This isn't working, is it?"

Silence greets your question for a moment, then Siyeon moves from her spot on your right.

"No, half my ass is hanging off of the bed."

You and Sua share a laugh before three of you immediately get up from your bunk. Sua moves the laptop off your lap, pausing the movie before getting to work on moving the snacks to a safe area as Siyeon takes the job of laying a blanket down on the floor of your shared room while you take all the pillows from your beds to lay them on the blanket.

Jiu cracks your door open the next morning to find the three of you sound asleep and cuddling on the floor.

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A/N: This took me a whole day. To the anon who requested this, I accidentally deleted your ask in a draft (Of all things) that I published before proof reading so I apologize for that!

I hope y'all will like this work despite it being written an exercise for me to get back into the swing of things.

Song Insp. for this work: Cup of Joe - Ikaw Parin Ang Pipiliin Ko

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sh0tanzz · 4 months

Note

can you do ZB1 as your boyfriend PLS (like all of them🙏)

guess who’s kinda back…😨

ZB1 RICKY AS YOUR BF based on astrology ~

(reminder that this for fun and astrology is something I study for a hobby, these are all inferences based off of observations and not exact fact unless I knew him myself !!)

Taurus Sun @ 29° : With his sun being in a venusian sign in a leo degree (the sun), he’s the bf that takes care of himself/maintains his appearance. Everyone talks about “boyfriend air” and how bfs tend to be messy but he most likely is vv hygienic. He’s not one to rush and might initially be a bit reserved/introverted (until he opens up and feels more comfortable). He appreciates physical art and pleasures (fashion, food, leisure) and it translates into his relationships. He probably likes to gift his partner with material items that enhance their beauty so outfits, skincare, jewelry. It makes sense that he helps the members do their makeup and probs would maybe do the same for his partner. Being reliable is something he finds relatively important.

Gemini Moon @ 9° : In relationships he enjoys being able to be versatile and express himself in different and even unpredictable ways. He finds comfort in being able to freely share his thoughts/feelings and will reciprocate this to his partner. He may enjoy hearing his partners pov and opinions about things or even relish in hearing his partner’s voice in general. There’s a sense of spontaneity especially with the moon being in a sag degree. He has moon square jupiter+uranus and trine neptune; so he could be a bit restless and even indifferent emotionally adding onto his unpredictability. I wouldn’t say he has mood swings but his feelings could be very case by case.

Taurus Mercury @ 4° : He is honestly on the more laidback and rational side of things but is capable of being more obstinate and deliberate. He has mercury trine jupiter and sextile uranus so he lowkey has a gift for gab and basically is a yapper with whoever is partner is. With mercury sextile mars he might even slightly enjoy debating things (unless it’s something he’s super set in opinion with and sensitive about). He’s most likely more intelligent and has more common sense than he likes to let on and most likely shares his more intellectual/philosophical side when he’s with his partner. Would enjoy having person inside jokes with his partner alone.

Gemini Venus @ 26° : He’s naturally flirty, charming and even playful. He dislikes being bored and mentally under stimulated in his romantic pursuits. He acts in a sense that will bring both comfort and stability but also still mentally entertain. He likes his space however and may not enjoy extreme clinginess. Ricky is naturally creative and finds beauty in refined things with quality even in the mundane. He’s the guy who takes you to outside places to both indulge as well as communicate. He flirts in a way that’s not super in your face but still witty and clever with a smoothness; with it being in a taurean degree he finds satisfaction in giving gifts and doing reciprocal tasks. He has Venus opposite Pluto so depending on the state of the relationship he may have a tendency to constantly waiver between being passive/indifferent to being attached/controlling or just borderline being unpredictable in his displays of affection.

Cancer Mars @ 8° : In a scorpio degree oooo. He’s very caring and protective to a degree. He most likely would want to take the lead or at least be a source of comfort for his s/o. He isn’t super quick to confront and may gather his thoughts and feelings before expressing more negative feelings. He might have an unintentional tendency for unspoken resentment if he doesn’t/can’t express himself. He has mars sextile jupiter and conjunct saturn so though he seems slow to act whenever he does it will be bold or at least with impact, in relationships he wants actions to emotionally mean something and not be pointless. Lowkey might be persistent in a seductive nature LOLL.

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cracked-rose-lenses · 4 months

Text

Sherlock Holmes x GN! Reader Headcanons

a/n: just finished watching enola holmes 2 and HNNNNN 🦋🦋

warnings: none!

look, it’s Sherlock Holmes

he’s a detective! he doesn’t have time for romance!

the very idea is simply preposterous…

…and deep, deep down, rather intriguing

you two most likely met through Enola forcing Sherlock to get a roommate so he doesn’t drown in his own “organized chaos”

you make him small snacks and tea when he’s stressing over a case which he appreciates more than he lets on

and overtime, it goes from small snacks, to making him breakfast, to brushing his hair, to holding him at night, and finally to a gentle kiss pressed to his lips to hush his rambling

i feel like your relationship dynamic would likely be the grumpy introvert (him) and the cheery extrovert (you)

but on the flipside, if you’re a fellow introvert, he’s be sooooo grateful when you show him love yet respect his space unlike SOME OTHER PEOPLE

*cough* Enola *cough*

he’s super warm but his hands are FREEZING (he definitely chuckles when you yelp at his hands sliding under your shirt-)

big spoon mostly, but definitely has his little moments (don’t we all bro)

some days (especially when he’s hungover) he gets c l i n g y, im talking pressing small kisses aimed for your lips that miss, limbs LOCKED around you, and gives LETHAL puppy eyes if you try to leave

his hair is so floofy after a shower and smells like wine and old books

probably not a fan of PDA, not just for his professional image but also for you two getting harassed by some jerk

that’s not to say he’ll object to you holding his arm, of course!

will melt if he finds you wearing his clothes, whether they’re big or small on you!

him swinging the door open and just collapsing in your arms because he’s a tired bby :c

if he’s rushing and can’t give you a kiss, he’ll just press his nose to yours, murmur a “love you, be safe” and leave

and then brings you your favorite flowers on his way back

such a gentleman in general, will make time for you even when he’s swamped with work 🩷

#enola holmes #sherlock holmes x reader #gender neutral reader #sherlock holmes x reader headcanons #castor.ways

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rafemotherfuckingcameron · 11 months

Note

Requesting Rafe Cameron

Could you do a fluff!Rafe when he comes to visit you at work for the first time and all the co-workers are surprised at how hot he is.

I HAVE READ ALL YOU FICS AND THEY ARE AMAZING, IM SO IN LOVE. DEFINITELY ONE OF MY FAVOURITE WRITERS OF TODAY

Meeting Rafe

Word Count: 2.1k

Pairing(s): Rafe x reader

Warnings: Sexual References, kissing

Summary: Readers dad meets Rafe for the first time.

Masterlist

6 Months Ago……

Y/n could never have envisioned in a million years that she would find herself in a relationship, let alone the KOOK PRINCE RAFE CAMERON.

Y/n was quite introverted, keeping mostly to herself and interacting primarily with her family. Her job was just as unremarkable; she worked in administration, handling tasks like bill payments and data input – essentially everything that typically comes to mind when you think of administrative work. This was all for her family's business.

Leaving school after completing 10th grade, she entered the workforce directly. It was her father's business, and though she wasn't officially a personal assistant, she was practically treated like one. Y/n felt like she was constantly under her father's thumb, especially since her parents had separated about three and a half years ago.

As she turned 21, she had hoped for more respect and independence, but the reality proved to be quite the opposite. However, one night, she took a daring step and sneaked out of her father's house to attend the Annual Bonfire at the beach.

Dressed in a white top, denim shorts, and a lovely flowery headpiece, even though she didn't know many people there, she felt that if she didn't break free from her father's shadow soon, she'd remain trapped in his world.

As Y/n arrived at the bonfire, the festivities were in full swing, with intoxicated individuals scattered all around. She made her way to the keg to grab a drink, completely unaware that from the moment she walked in, Rafe Cameron had not taken his eyes off her. He was captivated by the way her long hair gracefully fell over her shoulders, the rhythmic sway of her hips to the music, and her sun-kissed figure.

Rafe made his way through the crowd, leaving his group of friends behind, determined to approach her. Just as he was about to tap her on the shoulder, Y/n unexpectedly turned around and their collision resulted in her spilling her drink all over him.

"OMG, I'm so sorry," she exclaimed, reaching for some napkins on the table to help wipe him down.

"I totally ruined your shirt," Y/n continued to apologise, her voice filled with concern.

Rafe gently took the napkin out of her hand and reassured her, saying, "Hey, it's all good, don't worry about it."

Y/n looked up and found herself gazing into his stunning deep blue eyes. In that instant, they both locked eyes and shared a profound connection. It felt like love at first sight.

With a playful grin, Rafe quipped, "If it was my favourite shirt, it would be a different story."

Their laughter filled the air, and Y/n placed the used napkins behind her and tossed them into the bin, breaking the moment but feeling a newfound connection with Rafe.

"I'm Y/n, by the way," she introduced herself, extending her hand for a handshake.

"Rafe," he replied, shaking her hand with a smile. "I know," he chuckled.

He then asked, "Do you want to dance?" setting his cup down.

"Sure," she replied, and he placed his hand on her lower back, guiding her to the dance area, the start of a night they would both remember.

Dancing to the rhythm of "Promiscuous," Rafe's hands found Y/n's waist, gently pulling her closer to him. She welcomed his advances, placing her hands behind her head and on his neck. As the alcohol began to take effect, Y/n pressed her hips back into him, their bodies moving in sync.

Rafe leaned down and started placing soft, wet kisses along her neck. Y/n tilted her head to grant him better access, and he took the opportunity to gently suck on her nape just above her breast.

With a firm grip on her hips, he pulled her back onto his bulge, their intense attraction growing with each passing moment.

Y/n spun around, her right hand finding its place on Rafe's neck, and she crushed her lips into his with a kiss that was soft yet filled with intense passion. He gripped her butt and signalled for her to jump, a gesture she eagerly followed. They left the bustling party behind, seeking a quieter spot.

Leaning against a tree, Rafe's fingers started tracing circles up the inside of her thigh, causing her to release a soft moan of pleasure. Suddenly, he withdrew from the kiss, and Y/n felt the loss of his lips on hers. Concerned, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"No, it's just... I don't want to go too fast," Rafe explained. "I really like you, and I don't want our first time to be at some party when we're both drunk."

Y/n smiled in agreement and gave him a gentle peck on the lips, her hands resting on his chest. "Besides, I would like to take you on a date first," he added.

Their moment was interrupted by fireworks being set off in the distance. Y/n responded with enthusiasm, wrapping her arms around him and saying, "I'd love to go on a date with you." Their connection deepening, they continued to enjoy the magical moment together.

Today…..

As Y/n's alarm blared, she reluctantly got out of bed and began the process of getting ready for work. Today was a bit different because her father would also be at the office. She had a quick breakfast of toast and prepared a takeaway coffee. Y/n had told her father that she would be picked up after work, but she didn't mention that her boyfriend, Rafe, would be the one picking her up.

Y/n and Rafe had been dating since their very first date, and he treated her like she was a princess. He spoiled her, buying her anything she wanted, and he respected her in ways she had never experienced before. Their love had grown stronger with time, and Y/n cherished every moment they spent together.

Rafe was undeniably wealthy, but his financial status never altered the way he behaved when she wasn't around. He was genuine, transparent, and always open and honest, with no secrets between them. Given his family's substantial wealth, they were often targeted by people looking to benefit from it. Rafe had his own set of bodyguards, and when they began dating, Y/n also had the protection of these bodyguards, ensuring their safety and privacy in the midst of the world's expectations and temptations.

Around 3:00 PM, three black SUVs pulled up in front of the office. One of Y/n's co-workers noticed this on the security camera and alerted everyone, saying, "Are you guys seeing this?" He drew everyone's attention to the SUVs parked outside.

A man in a black suit, sporting black sunglasses and an earpiece, emerged from one of the cars. This was James, the head of Rafe's security team. He positioned himself near the passenger door, standing on guard, prepared for any potential trouble or security concerns.

*Ding* Message from Rafe 😘

Rafe: We are out the front baby:) Y/n: I can see that!! �� Rafe: WYM? Y/n: Cameras! Rafe: 😂😂 Y/n: Everyone thinks someones going down. Rafe: Someone is…. Y/n: What? Who? Rafe: Me on you tonight 👅 Y/n: 🤤🤭 Y:n See you soon

As the discussions about the SUVs outside continued, Y/n's co-worker, Dillon, arrived in the work van. He couldn't help but notice the man standing near the cars and briefly exchanged a look with him. Dillon grabbed his belongings from the van's passenger side and entered the office, placing his things on his desk. His attention was now fixed on the office's surveillance cameras, observing the scene outside.

Dillon couldn't contain his curiosity and asked, "Who is that?" He began pacing around the office, periodically glancing out the window, clearly concerned about any potential developments or approaching individuals.

"Somebody should go out and see what they're doing," Y/n's father remarked with a hint of humor. The rest of the team started playfully pointing to each other, like children discussing who would confront the "bad people" outside.

However, Y/n rose from her seat and walked towards them, saying with a smirk, "I'll go." This unexpected decision left them all surprised, and they collectively expressed their concerns, as if they were about to advise her not to go. Turning to face them, Y/n reassured them, "It's okay; they're here for me." With that, she left the office to confront the situation outside.

As Y/n walked out and James gave her a kiss on the cheek, the onlookers in the office still wore puzzled expressions. Y/n greeted James, asking, "Hey, how are you?" and taking a step back.

James responded with a laugh, "Not much today, just listening to Rafe talk about you all day." The playful exchange revealed the camaraderie within the group.

"I heard that," Rafe chimed in as another guard opened the car door for him. He got out of the car, approaching Y/n to give her a kiss on the lips. Breaking away from the kiss, he wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Y/n chuckled and leaned into his side, saying, "Sounds like a great day." Their affectionate reunion showcased the strong bond between them.

"When do you finish, baby?" Rafe inquired.

"Right now, I'll go get my stuff," Y/n replied, leaving his side and heading back inside to collect her belongings.

Y/n’s Father’s POV

"I'll go," Y/n declared as she walked past her father. He shouted back, "What?"

Y/n reassured, "It's okay, they are here for me." She then left the office, and her father and co-workers couldn't help but watch the scene unfold on the surveillance cameras. They observed as a man in a suit kissed her on the cheek and they engaged in conversation, appearing to know each other. Another man exited the car and also kissed her, which left everyone in the office exclaiming, "OMG."

One of her co-workers, Dillon, asked, "Is that her boyfriend?" To which the father replied, "I don't know?" The situation had them all confused, and they anxiously awaited Y/n's return, trying to make sense of what they had witnessed.

—

Y/n re-entered the office and noticed everyone staring at her. Her father's voice held a tinge of anger as he inquired, "Who is that?"

Calmly, Y/n replied, "That's my boyfriend," and gestured with her index finger towards the outside.

Her father stepped forward, asking rather abruptly, "Are you going to introduce me to him?"

Y/n responded with a hint of humor, "I wasn't planning to yet, but I can tell from your reaction that you'd like to."

"Of course, I want to meet him and that guy in the suit who kissed you!" her father exclaimed, his anger evident. Feeling his emotions, Y/n agreed and instructed him to wait there.

She then returned outside to Rafe and James, saying, "Hey, my father wants to meet you," as she intertwined her fingers with Rafe's. Rafe asked, "Only if you want me to?" to which Y/n nodded. "You too, James, he insists," she added, conveying her father's desire to meet them both.

As they followed Y/n inside and met her father, she introduced Rafe by saying, "Dad, this is my boyfriend, Rafe." Rafe extended his hand, and Y/n's father shook it. Y/n continued, "And this is James, Rafe's... our bodyguard," the last part said a bit more quietly, though her father certainly heard it.

Y/n's father, always inclined to assume the worst, became angry and questioned, "Why would you need a bodyguard? Are you putting my daughter in danger?"

Rafe calmly reassured him, saying, "I would never put Y/n in danger; she is safe with us. You don't have to worry." He placed an assuring arm around Y/n's waist.

Y/n sensed the tension and intervened, saying, "Okay, we should go," as she stepped away to collect her belongings. Rafe and her father remained facing each other in a tense silence.

One of Y/n's co-workers, Dillon, pulled her aside and said, "Just thought I'd let you know we all think your boyfriend seems really nice. And he's really good-looking too," with a sly grin.

Y/n smirked back at Dillon and replied, "Thank you." She then came back to Rafe, said her goodbyes to her father, and walked out of the office behind James. James opened the car door for them, and Rafe helped her into the car before following her.

They settled in the back of the car, holding each other after the rather strange conversation. Y/n let her shoulders drop and apologised, saying, "Sorry about him."

Rafe reassured her, "Don't apologise for him, baby," and gave her a hug.

His hand brushed her face, and he leaned in for a kiss. His hand traced up her thigh and squeezed it. His lips moved from her mouth to her neck, leaving small purple marks.

"I love you," Y/n said, pulling his hair gently.

Rafe responded with affection, "I love you too, and as soon as we get home, I'm going to show you just how much." Their connection remained strong, and they looked forward to a more private and intimate moment together tonight.

📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢💑❤️📆🏢

#outer banks #rafe obx #rafe cameron #outerbanks rafe #rafe x reader #rafe outer banks #rafe mf cameron #obx #rafe!hot #drew starkey #drew starkey x reader #daddy issues

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kingofthe-egirls · 1 year

Note

Omg omg! I'm bombarding you with stuff, lovely. So sorry BUT!!!

I'm listening currently to two feet- love is a bi*** and my mind, I swear

Night on an Island. Lu is lost until he follows the smell to an adult Bar. Going in because of food, the anouncer say your stage name and you come out and Lu is mesmorized! Like he can't look away and approches you, and you flirt with him a little, finding him so cute and handsome 😩😩😩😩❤️❤️

if i wasn't such an introvert and didn't hate loud noises/crowds i would be a stripper lmao

STRIPPER: LUFFY x Y/N

(cw: strip club, self-harm scars, stripping/lap dance, sorta angst, stripper has a devil fruit, food)

(a/n: i have no idea if i should've used "she" or "you" so idk man lmao. also ive never been to a strip club, vis-a-vis hating crowds and loud noises, so if ive got any stripper friends out there plz feel free to correct me lmao, also tell me what stripper name u chose for y/n!)

Songs: "Starsick" by Maude Latour, "i'm too pretty for this" by Claire Rosinkranz, "Frankenstein" by Claire Rosinkranz

words: 2.4k

Luffy likes dancing.

He's pretty good at it, too.

But he's never seen anyone dance like this before.

Spinning around on a shiny metal pole, dancing with shoes on that clack together when she lands. Someone hands her money, and she reaches down to take the shiny paper bill. She tucks it into the space between her breasts, lacy bra holding other, sweaty bills.

Her face is slack.

She's scanning the crowd, eyebrows slightly furrowed together. She's not really paying attention to your movement, Luffy notices, especially as she absentmindedly spins around with her legs twisted together. Kinda like a pretzel. Luffy likes pretzels.

"Heya!"

He shouts, crowding his way to the front of the bar. He's at the foot of her stage, the little runway that leads out into the audience lit by blue fluorescents. Her skin is sweaty, and her hair is messy. Fly-aways frame her unamused face. Luffy's skin is heating up.

"Hey," she says, slipping down to kneel in front of him. Her hands trace the neckline of her bra, before sliding down to squeeze her own stomach and hips. Luffy wants to reach out and touch, but Sanji already hit him over the head while telling him the rules.

No touching.

And no spending more than two hundred berries. Luffy wants to see what lap dances are all about, since it's something Zoro and Sanji seem to agree on really liking. Would she like that?

Luffy hands her two hundred berries.

"Can I have a lap dance?" He asks, raising his eyebrows as politely as he can. She gestures to the seating around the the side of the dance floor. It's all vinyl and blue lights with shiny poles in the middle.

"Over there?" She asks, lowering herself to her elbows in front of him. Now her face is below him, and her lace-covered ass is in the air. Luffy thinks she's wearing blue, but with all the disco lights it's hard to tell. Sometimes the lingerie looks purple. He tilts his head.

"Do you have private rooms?"

Sanji had mentioned that's what he's gonna do, so Luffy decides that it's probably good enough for him, too. He's never been to a strip club before. Seems okay, so far.

"I can take you to a VIP booth," she says, swinging her legs over the side of the stage. Someone else is spinning around the shiny pole, now. She's wearing stringy underwear and a sports bra. Luffy helps his stripper down off the stage, supporting her arm as she slides delicately to the floor. It's sticky with spilled drinks.

"This way," she says, her voice airy and disinterested. Her lingerie is definitely violet, now. Luffy follows her like a dog would, tagging along at her heels as she leads him to the back room.

"What's your name?" He asks, the scent of jasmine perfume and sweat wafting off of her. He sniffs his own shoulder, wondering what he smells like to her.

"Y/N."

"That's pretty!" Luffy hops along behind her, scooting into the velvet-lined booth as she opens the door for him. It's small, with tufted black seating and another shiny pole in the middle. There's a mirror on one wall. The others are lined in sparkly gold wallpaper.

She starts circling the pole, leaning away from it as she holds it in one hand. Her legs are crossed.

"So," she starts, deadpan, "Since you gave me two hundred already, I can strip and do a buck show for you. Wanna see me naked?" She arches an eyebrow, but her voice doesn't change. Luffy shakes his head.

"Eh, it's okay. Unless you wanna! But I kinda wanted a lap dance?" Luffy is getting a little impatient, watching her spin lazily around the pole with her feet still on the ground. She looks like she's on the swings on a playground--Luffy kinda wants to try. (Next time).

"Lap dances are cool too," she says, striding over to him nonchalantly to kneel between his legs. Luffy stutters a little, not used to having someone so close to his crotch before. She stares at his lap, openly.

"You've paid me a lot, though. So," she shrugs, sliding her hands up his shins to the frayed ends of his denim shorts. Her fingertips play with the fuzzy fabric. Luffy stares at her hands as they move up his legs and over his thighs. She smiles, a small, polite thing, as she says, "I wanted to make sure you felt satisfied, hah."

Luffy shrugs.

"I've never gotten one before! And Sanji says it's really cool, so..." He trails off, fidgety under your slight touches, "I wanna see what all the fuss is about." He pouts a little, unsure if he's made the right choice.

Luffy's not sure what to do.

His hands steady themselves into fists at his hips. The stripper is sparkling a little, he can see in the overhead lights. She's got glitter on her skin, or something--like Nami’s makeup collection.

I'm so sick of all these pretty boys

tryna act like the shit

The stripper slowly slides into Luffy's lap, and his breath hitches in his throat. He's kissed people before, yeah, but...it's never been quite like this. This, so obviously sexual and endearing.

She slowly grinds her hips onto his, as her fingers start to card through his hair. "Pretty," she says, voice slightly scratchy as she speaks. The music is muffled through the speakers; she stands, turning away from him. Her ass is curvy and round, with slight cellulite at the junction where it folds over the backs of her thighs.

And I wish they wouldn't fall in love

then leave me so quick

She swivels her hips, standing a few feet in front of Luffy. His hands clench in and out of fists, as his body starts to react to what he's seeing. She's gorgeous, there's no denying that, although Luffy's more interested in the aura of disinterest and heartbreak that's roiling beneath her skin. He can almost see her energy, crackling at the edges of her silhouette. It's ultraviolet--sorta pastel blue.

He watches the dancer turn around in front of him, as she slowly lowers down, her hand sliding down her own shimmering leg. She straightens, slotting her knee in between Luffy's thighs. He clenches, suddenly extremely aware of her scent. It's jasmine: sweet.

The song swells a bit, as the chorus starts.

I guess I gotta build my Frankenstein

Draw the picture, color all the lines

She smiles, sliding onto Luffy's lap. She stands above him, space left between them for her to slowly sway her hips side to side. She's supporting herself with one hand held onto the headrest of the black velvet lounge. Her chest is in his face, and he tries not to stare too hard at the gap between her breasts and her bra. She smirks.

His face is red; he knows it.

Sanji wasn't exaggerating at all.

"You can touch me," she whispers, dragging her fingers up Luffy's cheek to rest her palm against the side of his face. She sits down now fully on his legs, her supple weight spilling over his body.

Luffy's hands go to her waist, since that seems the safest place for them to settle. She snickers, and leans forward to start mouthing along his jawline. She's searing heat into his skin.

He makes me laugh; never on my nerves

Gets along with my dad

She switches, so now her back is facing him. She still supports herself on the back of the chair, but now she's swaying her hips up and down, snakelike as she slowly thrusts into the air above him.

I've been searching, don't think it's out there

Oh, so loyal, makes me feel spoiled

Then she's sitting down on him, her ass pressed right up against his crotch. She leans forward, hands on her knees, as she shakes it for him. Luffy snickers a little, letting his hands trail over her ass.

He's my daydream, never a nightmare

Every little thing that I want

"Who was he?" Luffy asks, throat scratchy. She stops, stillness overtaking her frame. He scratches at the tops of her thighs.

"Scuse me?"

She asks, vitriol lining every syllable.

Luffy swallows. "The dude who broke your heart?"

Was he not clear enough?

The heartbreak spilling from her soul is suffocating to him; it fills the room like half-purple steam. The song still plays, undercutting the sound of her breaths quickening in her chest.

"Wh-what shit are you tryna pull?" She straightens, spinning around to face him with her hands on her hips. She pops her weight to one side, glaring down at him with ice in her veins. Her energy sizzles, and Luffy guesses that if she had control of her conqueror's haki, then lightning would be striking through the small room.

She has a cute nose.

Luffy shifts, sitting up fully. He swallows, tongue like sandpaper, as he tries to explain himself. "I--sorry, I--," he stutters and stops, then shakes his head. "I didn't mean ta scare ya..."

She raises an eyebrow, a subtle threat underlining her careful expression. Her heartbeat is wild, sending shockwaves through the purple energy pulsing around her. Luffy stands, straightening his shorts. He holds up his hands in surrender.

"Sorry, I--," he starts again, "I see like, um...soul stuff. I guess?" He's not sure how to explain haki to a non-user. (Although he can tell she has observation haki, however subconsciously or not).

"So?"

She stares at him with the eyes of a boa constrictor.

"So...sorry, um. I was just tryna--relate to ya, I guess?" He scratches the back of his head, a rare flush of embarrassment shooting through his cheeks and down his spine. He swallows.

She puffs out a sigh, and goes to lean against the pole.

"My dad," she says, staring at a spot on the floor next to Luffy's feet. She scuffs the sparkly floor with the toe of her stripper heels.

"S'okay," Luffy shrugs, scratching at his own arm, "I won't judge ya."

She sniffs, twisting her lips to one side. "He—left."

"So did mine," he offers, sorta lamely. She smiles, the first twitch of her lips that Luffy's believed all night. He's glad he said hi to her.

"Sorry for asking," he says, thumbing at his nose. He's never felt this...awkward before. She shrugs.

"S'okay," she echoes him, smiling slightly. Her eyes are sparkly, in the lights. She's wearing blue eyeshadow, with silver lines around her lashes. Sometimes Luffy watches Nami do her makeup, standing over her shoulder and making funny faces in the mirror. Luffy stretches his own cheek out, slapping it back against his face in an effort to make his stripper laugh. She stills, eyes wide, before she quirks up a smile.

"Power user?" she asks, grinning. Luffy nods, squeezing his eyes shut in pride like he always does. She snorts, and hooks an elbow around the pole. She spins slowly around it, lifting her feet off the ground.

She sprouts wings.

"Same!" She chirps happily, feathery wings flapping slightly. They're blue and turquoise, with sunshine-colored insides, like a parrot's. "Parrot-parrot fruit," she says, smirking in her own shining pride.

"SO COOL!!!"

Luffy lunges forward, sifting his fingers through the soft feathers. She gasps, but doesn't stop him. She stretches out her wings.

****

She ends up sitting on the black velvet chaise with him, sipping her ginger drink she'd gotten someone to fetch for her from the bar. She's smiling in earnest now, her wings stretched out and proud behind her. She's a lot prettier with wings.

"Okay, okay," she's saying, smirking into her fizzy drink, "So I was twelve, and I was scrounging around in the jungle for something to eat--,"

"Oh, me too!!" Luffy says, sitting up in his seat, "I was raised in a jungle too!!"

She snickers, covering her face with one feathered hand. "So dangerous," she says, and Luffy shrugs. He's used to danger. (Is that what the D stands for?) He's not sure.

"So, anyway," she sips from her frosted copper mug, "Super hungry, super lost, thirsty as all shit--and I stumble across this stupid fruit. It's green, all swirly, sorta like a kiwi? Like the inside of it," she swallows, and Luffy sneaks his fingers into her drink. She scoffs, surprised, but she lets him swipe the lime wedge anyway.

"And ya ate it?"

"Mhmm," she nods, wings folded behind her as she speaks, "Tasted like shit--,"

"Mine too! It was purple though."

She smiles, "And there ya go! Sprouted wings and found out I could shift shapes, now. Sorta really cool, actually...," she trails off, eyes sliding to the side. Luffy pokes her cheek.

"Ya can fly, right?!"

"Mhmm, but not for very long."

"So cool," Luffy says again, relaxing back into his seat. His fingers circle his big toes, as he rocks back and forth. He's hungry.

"Can we get snacks?"

She stares at him for a second, but then shrugs. "Sure," she smirks, "My shift's over, anyway. Wanna steal something from the back?"

Luffy's chest soars.

She stands, extending her hand to him. He takes it, and follows along behind her as she leads him out of the club and back in through a back door. She doesn't mind walking around the streets and alleyway in her heels and lingerie, which Luffy likes. She looks comfy, like that. She leaves her wings out too, which Luffy likes even more.

She sneaks into the fridge, opening it to survey its contents. "Salami?" She asks, holding out a log of spiced meat. Luffy thinks he knows what falling in love feels like, all of a sudden.

He licks his lips.

"Sure," he sounds a little hungrier than he means to, but she hands him the whole thing anyway. She reaches back in to pull out a wedge of cheese for herself.

"Let's go eat," she leads him back through the alleyway and down the street. She's got her duffel bag over her shoulder, having run into the dressing room to grab her things. She's wearing a hoodie over her sparkly lingerie, but the sleeves are too long since she's wearing it under her wings. It drapes over her elbows as she walks.

Sanji's gonna be so jealous.

Luffy is giddy as he follows her down the street. She chews her bites of cheese slowly, whereas Luffy has already inhaled his meat. She turns to him, suddenly.

“Wanna stay over at my place?”

Luffy grins.

“Sure!”

#idk idk idk idk #luffy fic #dumpster dive

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slime-sandwhich-nom · 3 months

Text

New tawog headcanons because I have nothing to do

Leave me be

They'll never stop

- once gumball tried cheerleading with penny (this time without embarrassing himself to the judges) but honestly all he could do was jump higher than her.

He can fold like paper and yet he can't do what she can do

Unless he's stuck somewhere, because then he'd be doing backflips.

- penny and gumball met at the park actually. When they were little.

penny liked to read, instead of playing with gross and chaotic children, and gumball..just didn't like people lol

he did enjoy climbing stuff and play around but he usually left the socializing part to Darwin.

So, gumball had nothing to do so he sat down next to penny on a bench, because he was waiting for Darwin, and she was quiet so he didn't mind sitting there.

they had a small talk but nothing too big, they became small friends, then met again in middle school.

- Darwin wasn't allowed in the park for a while because he traumatized a bunch of kids before (accidentally.)

- gumball promised to not become sappy and corny like everyone whenever they got a partner but he very much failed.

- if gumball gets asked who would he want to kiss, I'd be penny, if penny wasn't an option he'd say Tobias or something

Or himself

- we all know gumball is a jealous cat, and you bet he stares down and plans multiple ways of killing whatever boy that talks to penny that he isn't sure won't try and steal her. heck he's so jealous he even tried it with Darwin!

penny has to stop him because last time it was a spirit of jealousy, this time it's gumball being clinically insane and jealous. Bad combo.

- gumball is scared of tiny spiders but he could potentially (and probably already did) pick a fist fight with a bear or a crocodile, or both.

You know those cats who chase bigger animals and those bigger guys are scared and run away? Gumball.

- Darwin is the one who pays, gumball is the one who freeloads (he has the money but doesn't wanna spend them.)

- gumball was exactly like Anais when he was 4-5, aside from Darwin he had no friends whatsoever. But it's not because no one wanted to talk to him, it's because he didn't wanna talk to anyone.

- gumball thinks Anais just needs a little bit of time to get a friend, her situation is weird and he knows that, a 4 year old around 10-12 year olds is tough but soon she'll meet someone, he's sure.

- penny likes games like animal crossing, gumball is more for the resident evil,bendy and the ink machine, amnesia, stuff like that.

but, gumball did install animal crossing (cracked because he refused to pay anything) just so penny is happy with taking care of her and his island (she makes matching and cute couple stuff, stuff like that)

- gumball talks so much about rob because he knows that if he doesn't keep reminding everyone that he exists, he'll be back in the void. And gumball feels bad about that so he tries to avoid that as much as he can.

- Darwin has to pay to watch films, games and stuff like that because then he feels bad. Gumball embraced fully the illegal sites to install games and watch films.

- gumball can speak french. And he tends to use British words rather than American ones (like biscuit or pavement.)

This is a reference to the fact that the Wattersons are a caricature of the creator of the show Ben Bocquelet and his family, and Ben is a british-french animator and director.

- gumball's favorite thing at the park is the swing, he constantly wishes for people's downfall if they come in before him to use the swing.

Darwin likes to play with sand \^_^/!

- gumball is an introvert and doesn't like going first to talk to someone, but since Darwin is too shy for it, he forces himself to go and start a convo or ask for something.

- penny was the one who talked first to gumball, if it wasn't for her getting the courage to speak to her crush, gumball wouldn't even know she existed. (Now he's down bad for her.)

- penny and gumballs dates consists on playing videogames or eating at joyful burger. They are not romantic ever

- Darwin and Carrie ARE big romantics, super romantic dates forever

Literally you can see them with flowers at the fancy ass restaurant and the super expensive clothes and gifts

- gumball when he was wayyy younger, back when he was 4-5, he scared his parents way too much.

It was because of him being aware, so he was just odd for people, but sometimes his mother just thought he was hallucinating or something.

Darwin just found it funny, but there were moments where gumball was mad scary because he sounded frickin insane.

Y'know, imagine your kid talking about being watched by an imaginary audience.

- Richard does dad jokes. Only gumball laughs at them. In return, gumball does them to Darwin.

- Richard was a pretty fun dad, he made jokes, fun games and he somewhat managed to take care of gumball and his craziness.

He's still like that, he just sleeps way more. (Much to gumball's liking.)

- Anais Is a daddy's girl. Gumball is a mom's boy (not in the toxic sense.) and Darwin is a mix of both.

Gumball: you're killing my tough guy personality

Penny: who's a good kitty?

Gumball: meeeeee :3

- if gumball gets too quiet he's either plotting or he's going to scream because he's too overwhelmed by people and noises. Usually the tail and ears give it away.

- penny has a very very ugly laugh. Like yeah she's gonna be loud and snort, will sound like a pig eating

Gumball doesn't mind anymore, at first it simply scared him because he would randomly hear a snort

- gumball's Saturdays consist of sunbathing all day.

- Penny's a peanut and Leslie is a flower. How is that? Especially since they are cousins.

Both flowers and peanuts grow on the ground. And for sure either Leslie's mom or dad is one of Penny's parents sibling

So let's go with, let's say. Patrick.

Patrick is a peanut, and so is Leslie's dad. their father, or mother, if not both, were flowers! (Because peanut plants do have a flower!!!)

Patrick went with another peanut, and so he had two other peanuts

Leslie's father went with a flower, and grew a flower!

(though, I'm assuming they planted different seeds. Because if they planted the same seed, Leslie would have been also a peanut. So, I imagine Leslie's mom was "infertile" and so "adopted" or had a surrogate to "give birth" [planting another seed] to her child, which was leslie. A flower.)

((yes mammals give birth, birds lay eggs, so do fish and I imagine the objects or plant directly plant the seed of their kid or ""create"" their child like the toast kid. Forgot his name, sorry HAHAH.))

- Anais and gumball are both bunnies and cats. They are a mix.

Gumball has some slight traits and behaviors of a bunny, but he's like 99% cat and 1% bunny.

Same goes for Anais.

(technically there's some rat genes around too.)

- gumball is definitely that cat that has beef with every other cat in the neighborhood

- gumball is down bad but penny is down bad harder

- people keep saying they see clear similarities between gumball and Nicole, and gumball doesn't understand if it's a good thing or not. Because usually when they say that they mean the scary part of his mother.

- Patrick doesn't hate gumball, he was simply scared for his little girl. he was scared his little girl would have ended up being heartbroken, cheated on, or worse, nothing personally against gumball, just some paranoia.

But seeing how happy they are with each other, and how happy gumball makes her, it's not something Patrick is against. As long as his daughter is happy then it's all good.

He's still skeptical about the shell though, but it's nothing about gumball.

- penny and gumball both have a pretty short temper, actually. I guess both took it from one specific parent.

- gumball used to meow loudly at his parents door so they would get up and he could tell them he threw up on the floor. (Occasionally he would do that for Darwin too.)

Darwin: gumball no.

Gumball: gumball yes.

Darwin: ...

Gumball: gumball no.

- (these are headcanons I have showed before, but I wanna say them again :3)

Darwin, Richard and Anais are the autism gang 😈🔥

Darwin has the + separation anxiety, and Anais Is also hyper intelligent.

Richard was hit by being babied his entire life and he doesn't have the basics.

gumball has dyslexia and dyscalculia! Along with anxiety (his human version has also amnesia. cat gumball just sleeps 16h a day.)

Nicole has anger issues. And is a workaholic.

- gumball...does not understand kisses. like, the gesture.

And it's kinda weird to do it as well, he usually just puts his face on you and that's it.

He knows it's a way to show affection, so he does it instead of his usual language (because apparently people don't get that him headbutting his own brother isn't beating him up but is actually showing affection) but he still does not get it.

He just. Mimics, per se. he mimics others who do it (like penny to him) because he knows people will get it more than his headbutting.

- penny sometimes looks up documentaries or facts about cats to understand his own boyfriend better

- yes gumball and Nicole drink like actual cats do.

- Tobias probably had some kind of thing going on with ocho. I bet.

- gumball and tina hang out every Friday!!! Sometimes you can see gumball rub himself on Tina's leg.

- gumball bites ice cream.

- Nicole's ex is masami's mom. They dated in middle school, but during the last year Nicole got feelings for Richard.

And..shit happened (nothing too angsty. Nicole and masami's mom just broke up and Nicole then went for Richard.)

Nicole bisexual arc I must say.

- gumball enjoys watching those gacha life videos.

- I did say this before but I'll say it again because it's funny af

gumball did went to that party, did got drunk and did beat the shit our of dream. Next day, all over the news. Everyone was talking about it. Every single kid in Elmore Jr high. The only one who don't know are the parents.

Darwin hates gumball for it because he came back at 3am or something, drunk, telling him the entire story

- gumball is the one who would joke about you being gay (he's gayer.)

Leslie: hey, I'm gay

Gumball: you owe me 5 dollars

- gumball likes to be on top of Darwin's head, like that one video of that dude screaming while he has a cat on his head.

Tobias: fuck

Gumball: watch your FUCKING language, man! Darwin is here.

Darwin: i

#tawog #the amazing world of gumball #gumball watterson #anais watterson #richard watterson #nicole watterson #darwin watterson

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guppygiggles · 7 months

Text

Like Real People Do ♡ (Casper x Avery)

☁️ Summary: Casper moves to a new town. A peaceful morning longboard ride along the boardwalk leads to a chance encounter~! This story is written in first-person (Casper's) perspective.

☁️ Warnings: Light tickling (accidental + clinical setting), mild injury (no blood or gore), death mention (no actual death). Loneliness/insecurity mention.

☁️ Author's Note: This is my first fic (ever, lol, not just with these characters) so I hope you enjoy it! Please let me know if the tags/warnings are wrong and I will fix them. I am so thankful for the support and love I have received for my characters, it means so much to me.♡

This is a series now!

Part 1 *you are here

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Part 5

Part 6

Part 7

Part 8

If you just got here and want to know more about my characters, you can read my comic starting right here!

"Alright, go ahead and lie back," the doctor instructed as she pulled the extender out from the examination table. I did so, swinging my legs up and planting my socked feet on the extender. Goosebumps rose on my arms as the cold vinyl was easily felt through my thin t-shirt. My eyes traced the borders of the sterile white ceiling tiles, my lips pursing as I prepared to be examined. "I'm just going to feel your belly, okay?"

“Just,” I thought.

"Okay," I sighed, and then locked my teeth together. Perspiration formed between the vinyl and my clammy palms, and a familiar heat began to creep from my ears across my cheeks. Invisible under my soft layer of pudge, my stomach muscles knitted together. As she leaned over the table, I avoided the doctor's eyes, as if one glance would betray some emotion a little too complex -- a little too personal -- for a routine checkup.

She lifted my shirt to the bottom of my ribcage, prompting a shiver as the cold air rushed over my bare skin. Her icy fingers began to unceremoniously probe my stomach; starting above my bellybutton, she pressed and prodded in a seemingly random pattern. Toes curling, I tried to steel myself, to compose my face in a mask of indifference, even as I felt my blush deepen. My belly trembled as her fingers traveled down each side, then lower, pressing into the spots just inside each of my hip bones. I twitched, my composure faltering. Mercifully, I was able to quash my giggle into a sound more akin to a cough.

“Did that hurt?”

“Ah, no, it's just… sensitive,” I answered, cleaning my throat to lend more credibility to my coughing.

“Okay, good. You can sit up now.”

I sat up – a little too quickly – cursing myself as my head spun.

“Well, you're very healthy. We'll keep an eye on that low BP, just make sure you stay hydrated, exercise, yadda yadda, you know the drill,” she prattled as I prepared to leave, jamming my feet into my shoes without untying them.

I checked out at the front desk and got in my car. Once safely in the driver’s seat, a relieved sigh rolled from my chest. In the privacy of my sun-bleached and beat-to-hell Versa, I could admit, at least, in my mind: while I enjoyed being ticklish, it did make doctor visits a challenge at times.

Back at home, the rest of my Saturday proceeded without incident. My new job offered weekends off, a pleasant change from the unpredictable schedule of my previous position. Since I had just moved to Port Oleander, though, I didn't have anyone to spend them with. Most of the time, that was okay; I was pretty introverted, but I did get lonely sometimes. Well… more often than I liked to admit.

Standing over the sink, I ate dinner – leftover chicken with rice and green beans – while watching YouTube on my phone. I took a shower and brushed my teeth. In bed I watched the ceiling fan spin in the dark, trying to follow the tips of each blade with my eyes, until it gently hypnotized me to sleep.

+++

When I awoke, the room was dark and still. Rolling over, I grabbed my phone and checked the time, blinding myself with the backlight I had forgotten to turn down. Four a.m.

I mopped a sweaty hand over my face. For no reason I could discern, I had been waking up three hours before my alarm every day for the past month. With no hope of going back to sleep, I would scroll on my phone, waiting until it was time to get out of bed. Today felt different, though. While I would generally awaken groggy and irritable, today, I was restless and alert.

Summer was hot and humid in my new city, so I pulled on a pair of cargo shorts, my most breathable binder, and a loose t-shirt. “It’s supposed to be nice today. Maybe if I ride my longboard, I'll run into some other skaters and make a friend or something,” I thought, then blushed in spite of myself. Not very many people skated anymore, especially not in my age group, and even if I did run into someone… would they want to befriend a visibly queer person like me? Would I even be safe? Oleander seemed generally more open-minded than my hometown, but since moving there, I had already been the recipient of enough sour looks to make me gun-shy.

I shook my head to stop the spiral.

“All I can do is try.”

+++

Yellow streetlight bathed the boardwalk pavement as I made lazy, wide carves down the vacant street. Aromas of coffee, food and ocean spray enveloped me as businesses began to open. The smooth pavement was a refreshing change from the rough sidewalks where I had grown up, and with my wheels gliding like marbles on glass, I barely needed to push. Clean, cool air filled my lungs and whistled through my short hair, pulling negative thoughts from my mind. It was more than a plank of wood with some metal and wheels attached; it was a magic carpet, and I lived to fly.

I surfed along the boardwalk, watching the sky lighten in shades of red and orange as it prepared to welcome the sun. It was my first time visiting the boardwalk since moving to Oleander, and as I coasted, I came to a pier that stretched way out into the water.

“That might be a cool place to watch the sunrise,” I mused. Angling my feet into a turn, I felt my wheels roll over the wood slats, gently vibrating my feet up to my hips. I was surprised at how soft the wood felt; it rattled a bit, but it wasn’t unpleasant. The pier was dotted with awnings and folded-up stands, but no vendors had opened yet, and I was glad for the lack of pedestrians to avoid. I pushed hard as I cruised down the pier, feeling the cool salt spray on my bare arms and face. As I looked out across the water, something caught my eye.

I thought it was a glass bottle catching the light as it bobbed in the surf, but as I looked closer, I became more convinced that it was not a single object; it didn’t just shine, it glittered, as if someone had spilled a container of sequins in the water. Unlike debris, though, the sparkly mass did not follow the swell of the waves. Seeming to act of its own accord, it moved toward the coast and then back, vertically upward and then down, hovering just above the water. Squinting in the pre-dawn light, I could have sworn it had a smokey, blurry haze around it, too. There was something distinctly alive about its movements. Transfixed, I watched it move almost playfully as it bobbed and weaved along the coast.

By the time I looked up, it was too late. I slammed my foot down to brake, but the slick wood did nothing to stop my forward momentum. My arms pinwheeled as my stomach connected with the guardrail at 10mph. It was only then that I realized just how high the end of the pier was. Shock and vertigo seized my body as I flipped over the rail, hands grasping uselessly at empty air. The next few moments of my experience proceeded as a flashback.

I was nine years old, crying on a beach chair at the public pool. I had jumped off the high-dive for the first time, my skin stinging and red as my dad wrapped me in a towel and sat beside me. He rubbed my back. “You were brave for jumping, angel, but you gotta be careful how you hit the water next time, okay? Water is just like concrete if you’re too high.”

“I wonder if I’ll see him again,” was my last thought as I plummeted into unconsciousness.

+++

The first thing I became aware of was a high-pitched whistle, followed by a musty scent, like wet stone and paper. I opened my eyes to a small, circular room.

Across from me, just beyond the foot of the bed I was lying in, was a red door. The walls were white-painted brick and featured bookshelves that practically exploded with books. “This isn't a bedroom with some books,” I thought, dazed, “it’s a library with a bed in it.” From every available wall space hung scientific illustrations of all kinds. Above my head, a tall window flooded the room with sunlight.

I tried to sit up, causing pain to radiate from my stomach. I was hurt, and this wasn't a hospital, meaning I was in someone else's home… in someone else's bed.

My mind scrambled to fill in the blanks. I woke up too early, again. I was skateboarding. I could smell pancakes and coffee. I wanted to watch the sunrise from the end of the pier. My feet tingled as I recalled my wheels rolling over the wooden slats; it seemed to go on forever. Did I make it to the end? Wait… what was that in the water?

Whatever happened next must have led to my injury. Did someone attack me? I couldn't remember seeing anyone on the pier, but maybe I was wrong. Did I fall?

Immediately, I checked my clothes. They weren't wet, which meant I didn't hit the water, but my back felt a bit damp… perhaps from sweat. How long was I unconscious? Frantically, I jammed my hands in my pockets, looking for my phone. Not only was it gone, so were my wallet and keys. Fuck!

With some difficulty, I kicked my feet out from under the heavy quilt and tried to stand. For the first time, I noticed that the bed had a small table beside it. All my effects were there, along with a glass of water and some over-the-counter painkillers. I urgently checked my phone.

“Six P.M.?!”

I had been sleeping in a stranger's bed for at least eight hours. No, probably even longer. I thrust everything into my pockets and made for the door, feeling a flash of fear that it might be locked. Mercifully, it wasn't.

The door opened with a creak that was loud, but did not travel as the hallway was incredibly small. Stairs led both to and from the tiny landing, going so far in each direction, I could not see where they terminated. Whipping my head around, I looked out the window. I could see nothing but sky. Was I in a tower?

I heard movement from above me. Whoever it was that brought me here was coming back. I started to descend the stairs, as quickly as my aching stomach would allow.

“Wait, stop, please!” A man's voice called down the spiral corridor.

I didn't stop, though. Racing down the steps, I practically tripped over my own feet as I scrambled to escape. Maybe he didn't kidnap me – he did leave all of my belongings, after all – but I wasn't sticking around to find out. My heart thundered in my chest as sweat broke out all over my body. The stairs seemed to go on forever, and I could hear the stranger behind me the whole time I ran, begging me to stop.

“Please, you'll hurt yourself! Please stop!”

When I finally reached the bottom, I threw open the heavy door and gasped as I was met with a cold spray of seawater in my face. Far in the distance, across miles of ocean, I could see the coast. Desperately looking from side to side, I saw that the tower was surrounded completely by water. There was no escape.

“Please… don't go any further. There's no way off this island. Please, I don't want you to get hurt.”

A hand on my shoulder made me jump. As I spun to face the stranger, all the blood drained from my face.

I was stricken by how tall he was, dwarfing me by at least a foot. His skin – if you could call it skin – had the appearance of thick white smoke trapped in a bottle, seeming to billow and roll beneath the surface. Most strange of all was his head. I could see the faintest outline of a human-shaped face, but it expanded outward from the sides and top, forming rolling peaks like a cloud. In the center were two large eyes, the irises and lashes of which were both stark white. Despite the creature’s fantastical appearance, he wore a simple blue button-down shirt and slacks.

Suddenly, I felt sure that I had died on that pier. Perhaps I fell. Perhaps I was still falling even now, synapses grasping at straws, presenting a frenzied hallucination before death. I could feel my grip on consciousness slipping, like flat shoes sliding on ice.

“Please don't hurt me,” I whimpered, fighting the pressure behind my ears and eyes.

“My dear, you being harmed is exactly what I am trying to prevent.”

“What are you? Am I dead?”

“I'll explain everything, okay? Please come back inside,” he pleaded, offering me his hand. My strength was fading fast. Deciding that the risk of trusting this stranger was preferable to collapsing in his doorway, I took it.

+++

Like the bedroom I had awoken in, the lighthouse kitchen was filled with sunlight as I sat at the table. Riding above the ever-present scents of sea, stone, and paper, the dining room air was thick with bergamot and lavender.

“I know it's summer, but I drink hot tea year-round. Would you like some?” he asked.

I suddenly became aware of just how thirsty I was, having been unconscious for so long, followed immediately by a frantic jog down the longest staircase of my life.

“Please,” I croaked.

I watched the back of the cloud-man’s head as he prepared the tea, my brain immediately connecting the loud whistle I had awoken to with his old-fashioned kettle.

He took a seat across from me, porcelain clattering softly as he placed the teacup and saucer in front of me. I sipped, relieved at the familiar and comforting flavor of earl grey.

“Listen… I'm… very sorry. It's really my fault you ended up here… that you got hurt.”

I looked up from my tea, brow furrowed. His eyes were pained as he stared at the vinyl kitchen floor.

“I was collecting sea glass and I lost track of time. When it's dark, humans can't really see me, so I usually do it at night,” he glanced up at me, the faintest hint of blue tinting under his eyes, “when I saw you watching me, I was just going to disappear into the water… but then I saw you hit the end of the pier. You hit it so hard. I got to you before you fell into the water, but you were already unconscious. I didn't know what to do... so I brought you here, to my lighthouse.”

His face was a mask of apprehension and regret. I had no memory of hitting the guardrail, but it did explain the bruise across my stomach.

He continued, “I’m not a medical doctor, but I've read many of your medical textbooks. I… examined you, while you were unconscious, to make sure you weren't seriously injured. Professionally, of course!” The blue tint under his eyes deepened and spread a bit as he stole another glance at me. Was he blushing?

I offered a humorless laugh. “Well, I'm glad you didn't take me to the hospital, my insurance doesn't cover that, and god knows I can't afford it. I've fallen off my skateboard before, it's no biggie. I'm sore, but I don't think it's, like, serious,” I supplied casually, trying to comfort him.

He perked up, just a little.

“I'm really very sorry, and I'm sorry if I scared you, too. I know that seeing me must have been quite a shock. I've read many of your books, and watched you on TV and on the computer, but I've never met a human before.”

Reality began to settle on me. I still wasn't totally convinced that I wasn't flailing in midair, moments from death and hallucinating vividly, but if this was real… then this was the coolest shit that had ever happened to me.

“Even – and perhaps, especially – if am about to die, what's the harm in playing along?” I thought.

“What… are you?” I asked.

He brightened a bit more, even managing a shy smile now.

“I believe in your language, the closest word to describe me would be ‘elemental.’ I learned that from one of your Dungeons and Dragons books. And, I do actually have a name,” he gained a bit of confidence here, giving a little hand flourish, followed by a bow, “Doctor Avery Nimbus, at your service.”

I giggled, and as I did, Avery’s face lit up; his grin was so big, it curved his eyes into half-moons. For a moment, I could swear the room was brighter, and a warmth spread through my chest.

He proceeded, “And you are…?”

“Well, my name is Casper. I'm just your regular ol, garden-variety human.”

“Casper, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance,” he said, extending a hand across the table. I clasped it gently, his large hand almost completely enveloping mine. His skin had an interesting texture, too; it was cold and soft, much softer than human skin, and I could feel the swirling tempest beneath it, like storm winds against a window pane. He held my hand for just a tick longer than I expected. By the time I looked up, he was already looking away.

“Ah… it's starting to get dark, now. I should take you home,” he said softly.

I frowned. I had so many more questions. A pit grew in my stomach as I thought of returning to the mundanity of my life after this experience, but I couldn't just drop everything, could I…? Besides, I was afraid of overstaying my welcome. I had been sleeping in his bed for hours.

“How do I even get home? You said there's no way off this island, and I didn't see a boat out there…”

Avery beamed again. This time, there was a sly twinkle in his pale eyes.

“Allow me to show you.”

+++

I gasped as Avery hoisted me into his arms, easily carrying me princesses-style despite my extra pounds. The night wrapped around us like a star-studded cloak, Avery's body nearly invisible in the darkness. He stood on the rocky edge of the tiny island, the crashing waves spraying us with salty mist.

“Are you ready?” he asked.

“Oh, god… as I'll ever be,” I whined, my hand clutching the fabric of his shirt.

“Then here we go~!”

With that, Avery leapt upward with incredible force, propelling us into the night sky. My stomach dropped as I squealed, memories of the drop-tower ride at my hometown amusement park flooding my mind. I hated that ride, but my brother always made me go with him. Avery was trembling, though, and it took a moment for me to realize it was because he was giggling.

“I always love takeoffs,” he tittered, and then began to walk across the air in slow, bouncing leaps. The cool night wind caressed my cheeks as I leaned into his chest, blushing and grateful he couldn't see it in the dark. Looking down on the city below us, I could see where the black of the shore met the twinkling yellow of the boardwalk lights. In that moment, I forbade any further notion of this being a hallucination; even if it wasn't real, I was going to live as though it was.

+++

My feet kissed the ground just outside of my door. Looking up, I stared into the glittering blackness of Avery's face, the bits of ice in his cloud-head catching the lights around the apartment courtyard.

“Will I see you again?” I asked.

“If you like, certainly.”

“Can you come back tomorrow night?” I blurted out, blushing brightly -- and now, there was definitely enough light for him to see it.

For the first time, Avery laughed a real, genuine laugh. It was a symphony that started as a tinkling of giggles, crescendoing into a hearty boom that rattled my chest like a thunder clap, tickling my ears and making them flush.

“Absolutely, dewdrop.”

#tickle fic #tickle fluff #tickling community #casper and avery #like real people do #fluffylore #writing #my fic #romance #tickling #ocs #my ocs

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