#but yeah! Look at dust being in denial about parental feelings

[ancha-aus]

RealAgeAU Drabble - Caught

As promised! The next drabble in the series :D (or the next one made in between the series? You guys get it. also thanks @spotaus for the original post which gave me the idea/inspiration to start this whole thing)

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Okay the links should all work now and go to the right places.

Usual warning, unedited and unbeta'ed. We are just here to enjoy our time :D

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Cross groans as he leans against a wall and resists the urge to bonk his own skull against it "How can we not have foudn him!?" It has been three weeks of them searching at this point! Which means that Nightmare had been out and about for a month now!

Killer leans against the wall next to him "Chin up Cross. We don't want to make a scene and make people realise something is up."

Cross sighs but pulls away from the wall and pulls himself together. Killer is right, a sentence Cross does not use often, and they need to keep a low profile if they want to find Nightmare wihtout anyone realising it.

Dust joins their side and shakes his skull. Okay. Good news and bad news in one go. Good news, no one seems to have heard or seen anything about Nightmare. Bad news, no one has heard or seen anything about him!

Cross sighs and looks at Dust "Horror?"

Dust shrugs. he must see the unimpressed look on Cross face as Dust seems to think a moment longer "Horror is making a second round. No traces of him foudn just yet. but he wants to be sure."

Cross nods. Horror is by far the best tracker out of the four of them and if Horror can't find anything none of them will.

Killer nods as he pulls out his phone "Okay. this universe was also a burst. We don't need anything right?"

Cross shakes his skull "We got our supplies." which is nice about staying on the move, you can travel very light.

Killer nods as he considers the list he made "Okay. We are still searching for that universe. but we are near a split again. We can either go for the sciency universes or the more magical ones. I think the magical ones will lead to our end goal quicker..."

Cross thinks it over. It would be nice if they get to Dreamtale quickly to make sure Nightmare isn't there. It had been a goal until now and the only reason they had been making small jumps and going from universe to universe is because they wanted to be sure Nightmare wasn't in one of those or anyone heard of what happened.

It had been Horror who had offered that they should check everything. After his own accident and his own magic being difficult he had lost some of his more natural abilities. If Nightmare lost his own magical powers he may also lose his ability to travel through the mulitverse. meaning he could get stranded somewhere.

So they were making tiny jumps to neighbouring universes for now. and checking each one that they stopped it. The job they had with Nightmare is actually very helpful for this and trained them as at this point they are able to search about three universes a day.

They know how each universe is suposed to feel and are able to spot key differences or elements that don't belong thanks to all the exposure they have had. Meaning they should in theory be able to spot Nightmare as soon as they see him. or the traces of him.

Cross is still worried. They all already agreed Nightmare would most likely go back to the way he was before. the tiny skeleton from the storybook. But the image of the babybones with his skull smashed open keeps haunting cross. What if that wound returns as well? Would that mean that Ngihtmare is just somewhere heavily injuried with no help? could that have meant that nightmare just... died?

When Cross first asked Killer about it he had just huffed. said that boss is tougher than they can even imagine. and that if he had already died that Killer doubts the castle or the universe it had been in would have still been as stable as it had been when they visited.

Which, Cross knows Killer is right. Cross had seen what happens to a universe that grows too instable and gets destroyed. He had lived in it.

Still. the worry remains and-

"Nothing." Horror joins them again "where too next?"

Killer looks over at Horror "We are at another branch. Science or magic."

Horror frowns as Dust finally speaks again "Both can be promising or worrying. Both have ways of knowing about the multiverse and them..."

Horror nods "Meaning, which way do we think Nightmare would pick if he had to make small jumps. and which could he get stuck in if a large jump misfired?"

Killer frowns as he looks back at his phone and the copy of the general multiverse map he made. Cross looks over his shoulder and frowns with him. Cross can see what makes Killer hesitant to pick either. both paths look promising.

Dust tilts his skull "Which universes are in both paths? And which is saver for a babybones."

Cross turns to Dust and knows so are Killer and Horror.

Dust rolls his eye lights "We know who he is. He knows that. The multiverse at large? Does not. their story isnt known. either way. If nightmare remembers everything and he is going where we think he is going. He will pick the path off least resistence as he knows he is..." a glance around before softer "fragile. if he does not remember. He will take the path of least resistence because trauma and past injuries. So. Which is safer for a babybones?"

Killer blinks before looking back at his list and removing universes. Most Fell universes go straight out. so fo the Mafia stuff. Blaster AUs are next to go. any Genocide endings are out as well and Killer reconsiders the map.

Killer frowns "There is no clear path anymore. a lot of zigzagging. But! I think i see a path which could be seen as safe." he snorts and wiggles his eyebrows, how he does it Cross never figured out, "We can go by a Lustverse."

Dust looks wholly unimpressed and Horror looks disapproving "Focus. Adn are you sure?"

Killer snorts but nods "Yeah. Lustverse is originally build on having a children wish and that not working correctly or something. I don't remember they details but if they see a child they will 100% protect him." he nods and looks at Cross "Knife ready?"

Cross nods as he pulls out his knife "Where to?"

Killer joins his side "We are going to a pacifist upper tale thing. just aim east and slice and it should connect." Cross does as told and the portal fuzzes for a bit before a clear rift opens. On the other side green grass and sunshine.

Cross waits until the other three entered before looking around them quickly. No one near. good. and he goes in.

-----

Nightmare is not a fan of this.

The market is too open and there are too many people.

Good side about it is though... a lot of them will give you free samples and food if you are a kid.

Nightmare walks around another stand and stops by one with all kinds of fruit. it is a lot harder to look over the edge and see all of it but he makes it work. He still hasn't eaten today and really should.

He can't quite remember how much food he needs and when. For now he just gets food whenever he gets really hungry. Just a tiny snack to keep him going. He had been having meals every day or other day. that is good right?

Sure he feels hungry a lot but that is probably normal. If he ate each time he got hungry he would be eating throughout the day and that just seems like a lot.

Nightmare considers the food and how much gold he still has. He had been lucky so far and hadn't been moving to a new universe yet. He had eben here for three days now instead of his normal two.

"Oh hello again friend!"

Nightmare flinches and has to stop himself from ducking away. He looks up and sees the man behind the stall smiling. "... hello..."

The man grins "Good to see you back again little friend. we had been worried when no one spotted you. Would you like to help me test some of the fruits? I can only sell the best stuff of course!"

Nightmare... knows he is just trying to ease him into accepting it. even though he knows it... it works. his soul swells a bit at the idea of helping and being seen as helpful. Nightmare isn't sure why. Ever since he finished shrinking it has become hard to understand himself.

He looks to the side but nods "okay..."

the man nods and considers the fruit "well. I personally think the grapes may be a bit off." he grabs a cluster of grapes and holds it out.

Nightmare holds his own hands under it and the man releases the grapes, never touching him. which is probably because Nightmare can't stop flinching and backing away when people raise their hands or voices.

Nightmare picks one off and eats it. it tastes so good! Sweet and refreshing. nightmare takes his time to eat the tiny treat before looking back at him "It is good." he holds the grapes back out to give back.

The man nods as he taps his chin "that is good to hear. you mind finishing those all and come back if any of them tasted off? We need a good sample size of the tastetesting." he says it as he calmly places a box full of grape clusters ready for sale.

Ngihtmare immediantly pulls the grape close again and nods "Sure..." he doesn't promise it. He isn't an idiot to make promises to strangers. but this man has never been difficult about him having to pay much more than a taste test. Nightmare figures it is something else pity he just pities him but Nightmare just.. can't focus as easily on those things anymore. it is harder too focus on certain stuff and if he tries to force himself to focus or think certain ways it just causes his skull to ache.

So he tries to stay in the now and reacts and thinks only to what happens or are direct threats.

He walks through the market as he eats his grapes. one by one. enjoying each one.

Nightmare is very disappointed when the cluster is all gone and takes a moment to find a trashcan to throw it away. some woman coo and mutter about such a good mannered child and Nightmare feels himself blush and feels the need to hide. it isn't that big of a deal! H just threw soemthing away! be good for nature and stuff and don't throw it just on the ground!

Nightmare quickly leaves the area and starts to make his way back to where he left his stuff. He needs to relax. maybe he can read his book for a moment and nap.

He walks between people and makes sure to not touch anyone. letting his eye lights look around the crowd.

Then he freezes.

Was that white?

probably not right?

Nightmare still strains his eye lights to search the area he saw it. Then he spots him.

And Nightmare cna see that Cross spotted him at exactly the same time.

Neither of them look away from each other for a moment. Nightmare feels his soul pick up the pace as the need to run rises by the second. It is fine. It is fine! Cross... cross probably doesn't even realise he was here! It is just a coincidence.

Cross turns his skull a tiny bit but his eye lights don't break eye contact. Cross is saying something to someone and Nightmare breaks the eye contact to glace.

That is Killer.

Ngihtmare doesn't think as he turns and runs right into the crowd.

"Wait!"

Yup! That is Cross! Nightmar keeps running.

He goes between people and dives under stalls as he uses the crowd for cover. he makes a turn and glances back only to see Cross a lot closer.

Shit.

He makes another sharp turn and spots an possible escape. He rushes into an alleyway and dives behind a dumpster and stays very quiet.

it only takes a few seconds before he hears running steps. he sees a flash of white between the opening of the dumpster and the wall.

the footsteps don't pause and Cross keeps running.

It takes a while but eventually it goes quiet again.

Nightmare waits for a while longer before wiggling his way out of the enclosed space. he checks the area as he jumps out and goes back into the market. He pulls the hood of the hoody back on and puts his hands into his pockets.

He can't hide the skeleton feet as he isn't wearing socks or shoes but this will have to do for now.

He is such an idiot! He should have kept moving instead of staying in the same universe for so long! Nightmare nods to himself. He will go to his little hidey place. grab his things. and make a jump.

He cuts through the market and finds the building with the empty storage he had taken over. he climbs in through the window and huffs as he lands hard in his little hidey place.

Nightmare leans against the wall and lets out a breath in relieve. okay. he is fine. he is fine. he is-

"Ah!" he gets picked up and is suddenly held back against a much larger form.

"Finally. we have been looking everywhere."

Nightmare freezes because that is Dust. Then he starts to struggle and fight more to be let go.

---------

Dust runs over the roof tops as he easily keeps up with the small form in the market. Cross on the ground not far behind.

To say they are relieved would be an understatement. They had actually found boss.

How is he so tiny? Are all six year olds that tiny? Or is he just that tiny because of... well everything?

Dust isn't sure.

When Cross had frozen they had all turned to him to see what had been wrong. He had motioned that he had found Nightmare. Only for Nightmare to start running.

Which, rude. What the hell Nightmare?

Killer had been quick to step up to the job or right hand and gave them orders. Cross would follow on foot. Dust would go over the rooftops to make sure we didn't lose him. Killer nad Horror would go around the market and go to the other end to corner him if necessary.

Dust watches Nightmare dive into an alleyway and hide. Cross follows the path but once he can't spot Nightmare he keeps running right back out. only a moment later Nightmare comes out of hiding and goes back the way he came.

Dust follows him from the rooftops. making sure to stay quiet as he does so. He does take a moment to take his phone out and text the others that he still has eyes on Nightmare and is following him.

This does imply that Nightmare doesn't remember him. Why else would he freak out at the sight of Cross? Cross of all skeletons?

But if Nightmare doesn't have his memories and only remembers Dream as fellow skeleton... maybe that could explain why he freaked out?

Or it is because all of you betrayed him and he knows you can't be trusted the voice of papyrus is not welcome at the moment.

Dust glares as he keeps following Nightmare "shut up. you don't know shit."

he laughs oh? Cursing already? You will infect your terrible manners unto the tiny babybones. unless of course you just do what you should and kill him.

Dust slowly moves to the next roof "I already told you. I am not killing him."

A huff Then what will you do?! He is useless like this! Offers nothing!

Dust hisses his own answer back "He is a child. He doesn't have to offer anything."

a laugh so now he is a child? While before he was just your weakened boss? Which is is sans?

Dust ignores the ghost as he watches Nightmare disappear into a building. Dust is quick to silently follow him. Nightmare pants as he leans against the wall under the window that Dust is perched on. Dust scans the room before anything else. It is empty and looks old. in the corner he spots a backpack that looks a lot like one of Cross's anime backpacks. it lays on a thin blanket of some kind. otherwise the room is filled with boxes and other junk.

Nightmare looks calm and Dust acts quickly as he scoops Nightmare up as he lands inside the room.

Dust lets out a breath as tension leaves his body "Finally. we have been looking everywhere." They found him. they did it.

Nightmare is frozen for a moment before he starts to wiggle and struggle "let me go!"

Oh fuck that voice is so much higher than before. also shit Ngihtmare is slippery!

Dust groans as he tries to tighten his hold on the small skeleton but he is unsure how to do this without hurting the other. he is so much tinier than he thought he would be. Not to forget most likely much much more fragile. How does he hold Nightmare like this?!

Dust tries to change his handhold but alost drops Ngihtmare "Calm down Nightmare. it is just me." maybe he just didn't recognise him? please remember him.

more laughter What now you are scared he forgot you? Like he ever mattered to you! Hah!

Dust wants to snap at the voice but stops himself. If nightmare really doesn't know who they are than talking out loud to something no one else hears is not the right way to introduce himself.

Nightmare does not stop struggling and Dust keeps having to change his hold on the other.

In the end Dust decides to just sit down under the window and roll up around the tiny babybones- Nightmare. around nightmare. He ahs to remind himself it is Nightmare.

But... nightmare is a babybones now. or was always a babybones.

... mental and moral problem for later with how he will deal with that.

At least Nightmare stopped struggling. instead jjust panting harshly in his hold. No doubt tired from first trying to escape them and then struggling to be freed.

Dust just hugs the other tighter. do not relax his hold and give the other a chance to escape.

He is so tiny! so much lighter than Dust expected him to be. Also thinner as most of his form seems to be just the hoody. Wait that is his old hoody.

Dust isn't sure how to react to this. How to react to the feeling of having this tiny babybones against and with him.

Well good job. you have captured a babybones. are you going to kill him like you killed me? remembering how i was as babyboned never stopped you from killing me after all.

Dust feels his hold tighten on Nightmare. No. he is not going to hurt nightmare. Dust can be a good... a good.. henchman. and henchman help their boss. even if their boss is now tiny and easy to hold and so so thin and feels warm against them and Dust can feel the tiny fragile soul slowly calm down as they are close enough that Dust can feel it pulse and beat in the other.

Dust sighs as he struggles to find words "That is better." he makes sure one of his arms has a tight hold on Ngihtmare before he grabs his phone. He opens the group chat and types a message 'I got him. Just have to get back to you guys. See you outside of town, south side.' and he sends it. only a moment before he gets celebratory emojis back for the news.

Dust puts the phone away and stands "Time to go." he turns to the window.

Nightmare immediantly starts to struggle "no! My stuff!"

Dust frowns down before looking back. It shouldn't matter. They can just grab stuff he wants from other universes and they did that before... then again. If anyone understands how you can unreasonably attached to objects it is Dust, he still has Papyrus' scarf after all.

Dust nods and walks over to the corner of things. He holds one arm around Nightmare, holding him against his shoulder and partly over it. as he packes the stuff laying around with his other hand.

Thin blanket, backpack just holds a book, a lighter, a pocketknife and some gold. Not a lot but if this is all NIghtmare had to make his way through the multiverse for the last month it is all the more impressive.

Dust can't help but ask "Why not take more things?" he finishes packing and puts the backpack on Ngihtmare's back before taking a tight hold on him again as he easily lifts him.

Nightmare grumbles but mutters and answer "Too heavy... travel light and find what you need."

Dust freezes. He hadn't expected an answer. but if... if Ngihtmare answered then... "Ready... to meet up with the others?"

Ngihtmare freezes and wiggles for a moment before going lax with a sigh "you four met back up?"

Dust feels his soul relax. He remembers them. He rememebrs them! Oh this makes everything so much better!

Dust grins as he checks outside the window "Of course." of course they would emet back up to find him. obviously. Now. To get to the tohers and get the hell out of here.

They are going to have to figure out how to manage this child after all.

----

They had aqcuired the child! now they just need to figure out how to be parents lmao. I am sure they will be fine :) They only lightly traumatized Nightmare here by stalking him, hunting him, intruding on his safe space, and forcefully moving him :D

They are fine you all :D

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This one was fun to write! so mcuh fun! i love getting them all to interact and do things :D

[whatstruthgottodowithit]

The Girl He Left Behind [Part Twenty Four]

Fandom: American Actor, RPF, Elvis Presley, Elvis Movie 2022

Pairing: Elvis Presley x Original Female Character

Characters: Elvis Presley, Addison Goodwin, Gladys Presley, Vernon Presley, Minnie May ‘Dodger’ Presley, Red West, Sonny West, Gene Smith, Billy Smith, Original Female Characters, Colonel Tom Parker, Billy Smith, Marci Cunningham, Steve Cunningham, Jerry Schilling, Mary Jenkins, Alan Fortas, Marty Lacker, Original Male Characters, Mona Goodwin, Joe Goodwin

Word Count: 5452 // Rating: Mature

Summary: When Elvis returns home to Graceland from the Army he’s followed by the headlines ‘The Girl He Left Behind’ but what the media don’t know is that Priscilla wasn’t the first. No, that title belongs to someone Elvis will never forget.

Tags/ Warnings: Angst, Fluff, Graceland, Poverty, Friends to Lovers, 1950s Elvis, Bad Parenting, Surprise Surprise the Colonel Is a Colossal Prick, Parental Loss, Grief, Fun Fairs, Kissing, Vaginal Sex, Oral Sex, Movie Nights, Arguing, Tension, Denial of Feelings, Age Gap Romance, Underage, Addison is 17 Elvis is 22, Guilt, Betrayal, Extortion, Blackmail, Jealous, Army Elvis, American Draft, US Army, Lying, Time Shift with Elvis moving to Memphis, Flashbacks, Caught

Notes: Second to last chapter but this is where all the good stuff happens! Dont say I didn't warn ya about it being sad x

LINK TO ALL PARTS // AO3 LINK // PINTEREST LINK

@girlblogger2002​ @sania562​ @caitlin1996​​ @literally-just-elvis-fics​ @notstefaniepresley​​ @artlesson8892 @18lkpeters​​

‘You don’t have to do this you know. If you don’t want to,’ Marci said biting her lip as she watched Addison finish running comb through her hair. ‘Why wouldn’t I?’ Addison said, ‘it’s not like I’ve got anything better to be doing.’

Marci watched her friend closely trying to see if any flicker of emotion passed her face but it didn’t which concerned her. Ever since Elvis had been drafted she had seen the change in her friend and though it was gradual it worried her all the same. She was pulling away. Trying hard to protect herself from the inevitable crash that was coming. It had happened when Joe had died - she had retreated into herself, refusing to lean on anyone for anything. She hadn’t even told Marci about it until after the funeral and by then there wasn’t much she could say to her grief-stricken friend. After all, Marci couldn’t even fathom what it must have been like to lose a parent at just sixteen not when she’d already practically lost her mother as it was. And now she was losing someone else. But not just someone. Addison was losing the person she needed the most. The person who had helped her heal more than anyone had ever been able to. Marci longed to be able to fix it but as she watched Addison pretend to be okay she realised nothing she could do would help how she was feeling now. All she could do was wait for the dust to settle and try and help her through it.   ‘We could hang around. I mean I know Elvis has the press conference but as soon as it’s over-’ ‘The Colonel will whisk him away to do something else no doubt,’ Addison said grimly. ‘There can’t be much more he can have him doing,’ Marci said. ‘I don’t think getting him ready to leave is the goal here,’ Addison said pointedly looking at her friend in the mirror. Before Marci could question what she meant there was a knock at the door.   ‘Come in,’ Addison said. The door opened revealing Elvis which made Addison’s breath hitch in her chest as she spotted he was in his uniform for the first time ever. He smoothed it out as he ducked inside feeling a tad self-conscious as both girls’ eyes roved his frame from top to bottom. ‘You look handsome,’ Marci blurted out without thinking. ‘Thanks,’ he said making her blush as she noticed his lip pull up in a small smirk. ‘Yeah, really handsome,’ Addison said though there was a sorrow behind it that no one could ignore. Feeling awkward Marci shifted uncomfortably and said, ‘so did you need something?’ ‘Uh, yeah, Addison actually,’ Elvis said. ‘What do you need?’ Addison asked cautiously. ‘The Colonel needs to speak to us both,’ he said as upbeat as he could muster though he knew it was pointless. At any mention of the Colonel Addison’s face went into a scowl. ‘What about?’ she said coolly. ‘He just said it was important,’ Elvis said shifting nervously. He watched her think about it for a beat, no doubt trying to hide whatever sarcastic thought had bubbled in her mind before she nodded and followed him out smiling at Marci apologetically as she went.   As Elvis walked through the house he expected her to fall into step beside him yet she didn’t, keeping just behind him as she followed him upstairs. She was watching him though. Marci was right. He looked handsome, infuriatingly so, and if it didn’t make her so sad she was sure she would have no issue enjoying the swagger that it seemed to bring to him.   The Colonel was standing by the desk when they entered the office and he looked up as they came inside a smile on his face, ‘ah, there you are. Come in.’   Elvis moved to sit on the couch, Addison following quickly behind him but as she sat down she folded her arms making his plan of reaching for her hand fall flat though he refused to let her ignore him completely. He missed her, so as the Colonel moved to perch himself on the edge of the desk Elvis placed a hand on Addison’s knee not daring to look at her, unsure of what her reaction would be.   ‘Now we don’t have long as the press is nearly all set up downstairs but I thought now was a good a time as any to talk about the plan,’ the Colonel said. ‘Plan?’ Addison asked. ‘For tomorrow of course and what’s going to happen going forward,’ the Colonel said, pausing for a moment as if he expected one of them to interject but when they didn’t he continued, ‘now, Elvis needs to be there at 9 am sharp therefore we need to leave at no later than 6 am.’ ‘That’s not a problem. Hell, Addie’s always up before me anyway I bet she’ll be the one to drag me out of bed,’ Elvis chuckled, squeezing her leg reassuringly. ‘Actually…’ the Colonel said tentatively but Addison spoke over him. ‘I’m not coming, am I?’ Addison said flatly making Elvis look at her. She didn’t turn to meet his gaze though, instead, her eyes remained fixed on the Colonel who shifted uncomfortably as Elvis looked at him before he answered. ‘No,’ the Colonel said. ‘What she can’t even come and say goodbye?’ Elvis asked. ‘Given the number of cameras and reporters that will be following your journey I don’t think that’s wise, do you? Considering why we’re doing this in the first place after all,’ the Colonel said throwing a sympathetic look their way as Elvis’ face fell, ‘that’s why I wanted to tell you now, that way whatever goodbyes can be said in private.’ ‘Right, sure,’ Elvis said though he couldn’t help but feel a little forlorn about their time being cut short even more. He had wanted to spend every minute he could with her but since new year everything had gone into overdrive as they prepared for his departure. Physicals, uniform fittings, meetings upon meetings he longed to get out of. Most of which he was sure none of the other boys he would be joining would have to go through. So much for being treated as a normal soldier.   ‘Is that everything?’ Addison said coolly making both men look at her. ‘Actually, there is something else but before I ask this I need you to agree that you’ll think about it carefully,’ the Colonel said making nerves bubble inside Addison.

‘Go on,’ Elvis said curiously. ‘Once you are inducted I think it would be prudent for the both of you to limit the amount of contact you have with one another,’ the Colonel said. ‘We’re already going to be five thousand miles apart is that not enough?’ Addison said bitterly. ‘Addies right. I mean how much limited can you get?’ Elvis asked. ‘None,’ the Colonel said. ‘What?!’ Elvis baulked. ‘Just for a little while, six months-’ ‘Six months?!’ Elvis gaped, ‘you want us to go without speaking to one another for six months are you out of your damn mind?!’ ‘I am just anticipating the way forward. You are going to be a very busy man and until you are fully settled into army life we need to be sure nothing will go awry. You’re no longer going to be surrounded by your own people. Until you know who you can and can’t trust I must insist you take precautions,’ the Colonel said trying to explain as Elvis shook his head angrily his jaw clenched in anger, ‘it only takes one fame-hungry solider to overhear a phone call or spy a letter and the entire reason we’re going through with this will be ruined.’   At those words, Elvis’s face softened. The Colonel had a point. Hell, the only reason he was going through with this entire charade was because he was trying to pave the way for their future but as Elvis looked at Addison, an ache in his chest at the sight of her, six months of no contact didn’t seem feasible. To not hear her voice or be able to tell her how much he was missing her it seemed impossible. Still, he could only imagine what scandal would come if some nosy private got his hands on a love letter. Or God forbid overheard him on the phone, he didn’t dare think about what might come out of his mouth after a few lonely nights in an army barracks. It was no use, so with a sigh, he said, ‘fine but once Addie turns eighteen all bets are off.’ ‘Sure, sure,’ the Colonel said though it was noncommittal. Addison watched a glint of smugness flicker in his eye before it disappeared shrouded by sympathy. Though it made her blood boil she didn’t say anything. She didn’t want to give him the satisfaction and it wasn’t as though there was much point to it anyway since Elvis had agreed. She didn’t have time to dwell on it though because there was a knock on the door before Tom Diskin popped his head around it with an apologetic look on his face.   ‘What?’ the Colonel asked tersely. ‘Sorry boss,’ Tom said, ‘but folks are getting antsy. It is nearly time.’ ‘We’re coming,’ the Colonel said gesturing for Elvis to come along with him which he stood up to do though he hesitated as he noticed Addison didn’t move. She was sitting perfectly still staring away from him, the mask still in place. Elvis stopped in his tracks which made the Colonel pause, an irritated look on his face.   ‘Uh, give us a minute,’ Elvis said. ‘Not too long,’ the Colonel said curtly. Elvis nodded walking him out and shutting the door behind him. Once he was sure it was firmly shut Elvis turned only to find that Addison had moved away from him, going to the window. She could see the crowd of people gathered around the office building, various reporters lugging equipment inside their faces ruddy from the cold.  

‘Addie,’ he said, sighing as she didn’t turn around. He moved to stand behind her, slipping his hand into hers and pulling her away from the window until she stood reluctantly in front of him. The mask was gone now, silent tears having made their way down her face making that ache inside him worsen. He didn’t know which was worse, her pretending she was okay or seeing how heartbroken she really was.   ‘Hey, hey now,’ he said wiping the salty tear tracks away with a swipe of his thumb, ‘don’t cry.’ ‘I can’t help it,’ she said. ‘I know and I know it’s not ideal,’ he said making her scoff though he continued, ‘but the Colonel is right until I’m sure there are people I can trust we can’t be risking anything. You get that right?’   Addison paused for a moment, chewing on the inside of her lip as she looked up into his pleading blue eyes. Protestations whizzed around in her head and though she longed to tell him every single one she couldn’t bring herself to. He looked so innocent. So willing to believe everything was as simple as it seemed. So instead of saying anything she simply nodded.     ‘I mean that’s what all this is for and I’ll be damned if I let it be ruined by some eavesdropper listening in on a dirty phone call,’ he joked, getting a flicker of a smile on her face. It wasn’t enough to make him feel entirely okay but the fact he had soothed her at least a little made him feel better. ‘Hey I’m a lady,’ she giggled sadly. ‘I could tell stories that contradict that but sure,’ he said, falling silent for a beat before he pressed his head to hers, ‘I’m not saying it’s going to be easy but we’ll get through it. Together. Okay?’   She didn’t contradict him though she did offer the slightest nod of recognition that caused him to pull back and wrap his arms around her, pulling her into his chest. The material was scratchy against her tearstained face but she leaned into him all the same, the comfort the embrace bought being worth the itchiness. She allowed him to hold her, clinging to her body as he clung to the idea that everything was going to be okay. She didn’t tell him that she doubted that was true, she couldn’t bring herself to do it. Because he still had hope. He could still see the light at the end of the tunnel but for her, it was snuffed out. She hadn’t wanted to believe it but in her heart of hearts she knew from the look on the Colonel’s face, she could tell that there was nothing more they could do.   The same look that appeared a minute later as the Colonel came back through the door forcing them to break apart more prematurely than either of them wanted or needed.

‘They’re waiting,’ the Colonel said as Elvis let go of her. ‘Coming,’ he said but before he headed to follow him out the door he leaned down and kissed her gently.

‘As soon as I’m done we’ll do something okay?’ he said. Addison nodded. Satisfied with her answer he straightened up, smoothing out his uniform as he looked at the Colonel waiting impatiently by the door. ‘Let’s get this show on the road then,’ he said and then he disappeared out of the office. Once he was gone Addison moved back to the window, watching and waiting for him to emerge from the back of the house so he could head towards the office as tears started to roll down her cheeks once more.

 ✵✵✵ 

Addison was sitting on the toilet seat staring at the door handle as she willed herself to get up and go back in into the bedroom. Though Elvis had stuck to his guns and they had managed to spend the whole day together after the press conference she couldn’t get rid of that knot inside her. It hadn’t disappeared when he’d kissed every inch of her making her melt with each touch. It hadn’t disappeared when he had told her how much he loved her and that he always would. It hadn’t disappeared when they’d made love, his every move slow and adoring as they both tried to savour every part of it to memory. And it still hadn’t gone as she tried to work up the nerve to leave the little sanctuary she had made for herself. At least in here Elvis couldn’t see her cry. That was why she couldn’t bring herself to go and get into bed beside him, to kiss him, have him hold her because that knot wouldn’t go. It wouldn’t go because all of it felt as though it was the last time they would ever do it.   She didn’t know that on the other side of the door Elvis was loitering, wondering what he should do. At first, he had thought she was just preparing for bed but the longer she stayed in there the more worried he became that he had done something wrong. That in his desperation to commit every inch of her to memory for those long nights on base he’d freaked her out. He was just about to knock on the door when he heard it unlatch and, in a panic, he dove back into bed making the distance in a couple of leaps. Whether she noticed or not he couldn’t tell because she walked into the room silently and slipped into bed beside him, facing away from him much to his disappointment. He couldn’t do the same though so instead he slipped down into the bed and nuzzled up behind her, his arms wrapping around her as he held her as close as possible.   Neither of them said a word. Whether it was because they were just trying to take in the moment or because neither of them knew what to say it was unclear but the silence lasted until both of them drifted off into an uneasy sleep.   When they awoke it was Addison who was up first, scowling at the alarm clock as it blared out its mocking ring reminding her that it was nearly time to go. She was still in Elvis’ arms though he disturbed as she reached onto the nightstand to shut the noise off. When she moved back he’d flopped onto his back, sleepily reaching for her and pulling her into his chest as he mumbled, ‘morning.’ ‘Morning,’ she said quietly, resting her hand on his chest as her fingers traced shapes on the bare skin there. She could hear people below moving around no doubt panicking as they frantically tried to make sure everything was in place for when he was supposed to depart but she was too content to even care about getting him up and ready for leaving.   After a moment Elvis stirred, rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he looked down at her blearily, a small smile on his lips. Without warning he rolled her onto her side, watching her with his baby blue eyes as his hand caressed the side of her face. Then he leaned in and kissed her pouring everything he had into that one moment. As her arms looped around his neck he pushed her backwards kissing her deeply before his mouth migrated down her neck to the sweet spot he knew made her squirm. It was foolish to even contemplate in a situation like this. He didn’t have time to mess around but as her breath hitched in her chest he couldn’t stop himself. He was going to carry on until she pushed him back with an apologetic look on her face as she glanced towards the clock on the nightstand that was now further along than both of them had anticipated.  Elvis sighed and sat up pulling her with him until they were sitting in the middle of his bed a mess of sheets and blankets around them. He watched her closely. The way her small hands played with his nervously. The way her flowing light brown locks fell around her face. The way her large hazel eyes watched him sadly.   ‘I love you, you know,’ Elvis said after a moment leaning in until they were mere inches apart. ‘I know,’ she said ‘More than anything,’ he said earnestly. ‘I know,’ she said with a sad smile. He leaned in to kiss her once more but it was disrupted as there was a rapt on the door that made him pull back suddenly. When no one came in he leapt out of bed and yanked the door open where he found a nervous-looking Marty standing on the other side.   ‘What?’ Elvis said leaning on the door frame as he watched his friend angrily. ‘The Colonel sent me to see if you were awake,’ Marty said. ‘Well I am now,’ Elvis said angrily. He didn’t know why he was so abrupt with him after all it wasn’t Marty’s fault he had to leave but as he glanced back to the bed he spotted Addison quietly moving towards the bathroom meaning that their moment was well and truly over. ‘I’ll go and tell him,’ Marty said. ‘You do that,’ Elvis said. As Marty scurried away he shut the door behind him, resting his head against it with a sigh as he heard Addison lock the bathroom door.   Neither of them said much as they got ready. He didn’t really know what he should say and Addison didn’t seem in an all that chatty mood either though he supposed when women had waved their husbands off to war there hadn’t been much chit-chat then either. When he came out of the bathroom, now dressed in his freshly pressed uniform, she was sitting on the bed waiting for him but she stood as he entered the room.   ‘Marty came back up again. Said we’ve not got long,’ she said heading towards the door but she stopped as he grabbed her wrist and pulled her towards him. ‘We can go down in a minute,’ he said, ‘there’s something I want to do first.’   Addison watched as he moved to his bedside drawer and fished something out before he returned to stand in front of her. In his hand was a small black box which when he opened it revealed a white gold ring housing the biggest diamond she’d ever seen in her life. Her eyes went wide making him chuckle.   ‘Don’t worry I ain’t gonna ask you to marry me,’ he smirked, ‘not yet at least.’ ‘I don’t understand,’ she said puzzled. ‘I just…I want you to know that this, all of this is for us. So one day I can put this ring on your hand like it’s meant to be,’ he said. ‘Oh Elvis,’ she said feeling tears sting at her eyes. ‘I love you Addison Goodwin and I ain’t gonna stop not for a minute until we’re back here together.’ ‘I love you too,’ she said her breath shaky in her throat. As he kissed her once again she let that seed of doubt melt away, desperate to believe that what he was saying would come true.   That feeling didn’t last long though as they were brought back to reality by another knock at the door. As Addison went to open it Elvis moved to put the ring box back in his nightstand. This time it was Red mumbling an apology as he told them that this time they really did need to head downstairs which they did reluctantly.   Waiting at the bottom was Vernon, Gladys, Dodger and a couple of the boys who would be helping get him to his destination safely as well as the Colonel who watched them come downstairs with a look of irritation on his face. Addison shrunk back out of the way as everyone started prepping for their departure. She would be the only one left behind.   Whilst Alan and Marty took the last of Elvis’ things out to the car Red checked his watch and said, ‘ready to go man?’ ‘Yeah, just give me a sec,’ Elvis said moving over to where Addison was sitting on the stairs watching them all quietly. She stood up as he reached her. ‘We really gotta go son,’ Vernon said though he backtracked as Elvis scowled at him, ‘but I’m sure a minute won’t hurt.’ ‘We’ll go and get in the car,’ Dodger said rolling her eyes at her son as she took gestured for Gladys and Vernon to follow her. Red and the Colonel remained inside, loitering by the open door which was blowing a furiously icy wind inside making Addison shiver though she was warmed as Elvis pulled her to him, out of earshot of the others.   ‘I don’t even know what to say,’ Elvis said with a sad chuckle. ‘Me either,’ she said quietly, ‘I think you said everything upstairs.’ ‘Yeah probably,’ he said leaning in to place a kiss on her forehead. Addison closed her eyes feeling the familiar sting of tears flood over her once more as he did so though she managed to blink them away as he pulled back. ‘We really have to go boss,’ Red said sympathetically, just loud enough for the pair to hear. ‘I’m comin’,’ Elvis said over his shoulder before he looked back at Addison. She nodded and pulled away, wrapping her arms around herself as he straightened up, his finger tilting her chin up to look at him as he said, ‘remember I’ll be back before ya know it.’ ‘Hope so,’ she said. Elvis smiled at her sadly and then moved away heading out the door with Red on his heels. As it shut behind them she moved forward to the window where she watched them jog down the path to where the cars were waiting. The last thing she saw of him was the back of his head disappearing inside the backseat of the Cadillac before it took off down the long driveway followed by the Lincoln. She didn’t even realise she wasn’t alone until she noticed another car move into the space the other had vacated, idling by the steps with Alan inside.   That was when she felt the Colonel enter the hallway bringing with him that seed of doubt. Except now it wasn’t a doubt. As she realised he hadn’t gone with them it became a realisation, everything slotting into place like a puzzle she never wanted to complete. He stood watching her, his hand on his cane as she watched out the window determined not to look at him for fear she wouldn’t be able to stop herself from crying.   ‘I’m not staying here, am I?’ she asked flatly. He didn’t speak at first which forced her to look at him watching her with mock sympathy. ‘No,’ he said. Addison took a shaky breath. ‘Where?’ she said looking at him in the eye. ‘A boarding school in Alabama,’ he said, ‘a good school by all accounts. Had to pull a few strings of course but they specialise in… troubled girls.’   Addison shook her head, her tongue in her cheek as she tried to will herself not to cry, ‘so that’s it? You ship me off and what? Elvis forgets I ever existed. That it? You know that’s not going to happen.’ ‘It’s amazing what a couple of years can do,’ the Colonel said cockily. ‘He’s not just going to forget about me,’ she scoffed. ‘Not at first no,’ the Colonel sighed, ‘but a few months of no contact, a couple of pretty Fräuleins. I’ve seen his head get turned for less.’ ‘He wouldn’t do that. He loves me,’ she said trying to convince herself that what the Colonel was saying wasn’t true. Elvis loved her. She knew that. ‘Why wouldn’t he? I mean, everyone else in your life has either left or betrayed you. Why would he be any different,’ the Colonels said. His words pierced her heart like a dagger and she could no longer keep herself from crying though it wasn’t tears of sadness but anger.   ‘Even if he does. Say he goes away and forgets all about me do you really think you can just erase me from his life? I have a home here. A family. Vernon and Gladys care about me. They’re not just going to let you ship me off to some boarding school like I never existed,’ she shouted getting close to his face. She was at least half a foot shorter than him but she refused to back down. The Colonel didn’t even seem phased by her shouting though, instead, he leant closer to her and said in almost a whisper, ‘who do you think signed off on it?’   He moved passed her then, leaving her standing in shock as she tried to process his words. They weren’t sinking in. None of it was. Even though she had suspected it for days if not weeks that something was coming, something bad, she had never anticipated it would have come from them. That her family, the people she had come to think of as her own would be okay with casting her aside like she was nothing. Like her mother would.   ‘They wouldn’t do that,’ she said in a small heartbroken voice after a moment. ‘You’re the girl who cost them their son,’ the Colonel said as she turned around to look at him. ‘You’re lying,’ she said, ‘whatever you’ve told them it’s lies.’ ‘Oh Miss Goodwin,’ he said with a smirk, ‘haven’t you learned by now? It’s never about the truth, it’s about what you can make them believe.’   He moved towards the door then and opened it allowing a cool rush of air to flow in that would have made her shiver if she wasn’t so shellshocked. He looked at her for a second, pity in his eyes at the devastation on her face if only for a moment.   ‘Tom Diskin will be here in thirty minutes to take you so you better pack a bag,’ he said grabbing his hat off the sideboard as he headed towards the door before he got to it though he turned back to add, ‘oh and your tuition is paid till graduation. After that, I don’t really care what you do.’ ‘Just as long as I don’t come back here huh?’ she said through a clenched jaw. ‘Precisely,’ he said placing the hat on his head.   And then he was gone leaving Addison alone in the middle of the room with only her thoughts. She didn’t know how long she stood there, her eyes on the door where he had left before she found her feet moving, heading towards her bedroom without her brain even realising.   She was in shock.   In the last year she had lost everything twice over. First her dad which had broken her. Then her mom, though admittedly she was less heartbroken about that one. Her home, not only the one she had shared with her dad but the one she was standing in now, the one that felt just as much of a home as any. Then the family she had come to think of as her own was gone now too. Was the Colonel right? Did they really hate her? Blame her for the reason Elvis had no choice but to leave. Elvis.   As he popped into her head her heart clenched in her chest. Of all the things to lose, losing him was the worst. He had been the one to rebuild her. The one who had brought her back to life, saved her life even, and now he was gone. She wanted to believe that their love would survive that no matter what vitriol the Colonel pumped into his ear whilst he was away. That no matter what he would never stop loving her but she doubted that was true. He’d thought of every inch of it so there was no doubt in her mind he’d have a plan for when Elvis asked questions. Even she had to admit as a snowman the Colonel had played a blinder. They had been no match for him.   So what choice did she have?   Fight or flight.   She could try and fight him but would anyone listen? How many people had he convinced that she was the reason Elvis had to go? If he had Gladys and Vernon on board surely everyone else would follow. Would she be fighting a losing battle? Not to mention she didn’t know how much fight she had left in her. Hell, she had spent the majority of her life fighting to do so now seemed exhausting. After all, she’d been running on empty when Elvis had first seen her at that fairground and that was months ago. A whole heartache ago. Whatever fight she had in her was gone.   She supposed she could run away. Forget the Colonel, forget everything and start over though she knew straight away that wasn’t an option. Not right now at least. If she ran away now she’d have nothing but the clothes on her back. At least if she did follow his offer she’d get an education out of it. It wasn’t any sort of consolation but it was better than nothing.

As she stuffed the last of her things into her suitcase she heard the rumble of a car pulling up the driveway which she suspected was Tom. She glanced at her clock and found that she was almost out of time but there was still one more thing she needed to do.   After a quick check to make sure everything was inside her suitcase she closed it, dumping it by the stairs as she raced upstairs to Elvis’ bedroom immediately going to his nightstand. There was a stack of books on top of it, ones he read almost every night, each one of them bookmarked by a picture of them. She rifled through each one, searching for the one she wanted. It was the one that had been in his wallet. The one of them at the party he had thrown for her. The one that had made her realise he loved her.   She knew he wouldn’t one day. That the Colonel would get his wish and he’d forget, fall out of love or find another pretty face to turn his head but that picture would prove it forever. That at one moment in time Elvis Presley loved her.   The world would never know it. But she would. And that would have to be enough.

[latenightwalking]

that time i did kill myself 

35

at a stranger’s house

the house party murmurs wanton lust

jean waistbands shuffle, accommodating thick thighs,

crossed; slender backs arch, sunset lips purse, full eyes give

a sultry gaze around the room

that i try to ignore

a drink gets spilled and that’s the funniest thing ever

fingers caress the bare, toned chest that needed to be disrobed

quickly; obviously

“I am so, so, s-sorry”

“Let me make this up to you. In the bedroom. I’m talking about sex. I’ll apologise by how well I’ll let you fuck me.”

fly on the wall in the corner

the booming music

blurs into idle chit chat about ex-partners

into gossip about over dramatic flat-mates

into “did you hear about that slut [redacted]”

“wait! look! here, there’s even security cam footage!”

“what a loose cunt”

giggling

candle wax creases melt further

work; life; this; the stress of it all;

my shadow friend pays a visit

but i’d already checked out

of the castle in my mind

left the keys there that morning, 

couldn’t stand another minute,

agitated

a gentle hand offers the quivering lamb respite, leads it

to the slaughter

and the grunge of the illicit room takes me aback, at first,

heads turn, 

kind of,

quickly re-captivated by white dust

by the smoke covered walls spluttering the haze

of one sequence of inhalation,

spread over the many years

that dysphoria takes from a person

i can relate to that

“this your first time?”

“don’t take too much”

“you don’t know how you’d react”

“best to go slow, eh, real slow”

“takes a few minutes to hit, yeah?”

“i’ll cut half”

“there’s always more”

“[person]’s got connections”

“he’s in deep”

“real fucking deep”

“almost feel bad for ‘em”

i’m not paying attention

the tally reminds me of math class

if i had to describe it:

transcendence

like floating in clouds

except you’re the cloud

so floating in yourself

the birds watch

perched on the solid cloud

that holds no one else

and they speak their squawky language

and although it’s just high-pitched guttural noises

you can understand them

they tell you not to go higher

“fuck you bird.”

“i’ll go higher if i want to”

i had already committed to taking another line

as many lines as my conciousness could handle, in fact,

before this opportunity had even presented itself

the fabric of air is torn slightly

exposing loose, yarn, stiches that i pull on

curiosity did kill the cat, after all

the other atmosphere seems no different

though the cacophony of distortions rifling my eardrums

unnerves me.

i remain in complete, illogical suspension

as euphoria and dysphoria play their dance

i want to rip open this small mousehole

and pull myself through

but there’s nothing to grab

the air brushes my hands aside

like love letters received from one

too naïve to know about love

silence, the only option left

and shouting, wailing,

panic at an unforeseen crisis

concern, regret,

anger

i feel the hot coal remnants of slaps to the cheek

warm, liquid, pooling from several unrestrained kicks to the rib

of my unconscious body

“why’d you have to go and do that for”

“this’ll ruin me!”

“snap out of it!”

when a rocket knows

that it’s going to tilt back toward

the braced, unflinching earth

and end itself in a fiery, horrific explosion

of metallic guts and oil blood

it has no choice but to concede its fate

much to the chagrin of the lock-jawed personnel

who’ll later try to deny any responsibility

that “that guy didn’t matter anyway”

and that their mistake wasn’t the one

that caused this hellish one

i wonder

if my parents knew

playing fast and loose with baby

shutting the door to its incessant wailing

as the shadow form, stuck to the pale wall

un-sticks itself and creeps closer

i wonder

if they realised

this one seemingly inaction

would set my entire path

or at least, block off the happy ones

and lead to passiveness; quietness - they just want me to shut up. no problems. got it.

in-defensiveness - a doormat has no right to refuse being stepped on

denial of responsibility - the guilty shall bear witness to the hand

self- inadequacies, fear of rejection

the horizon seems endless, lost in the desert

and so too my woes

i don’t blame them

they were tired

after my sister

[amayaonly1]

A Lil’ Oopsie - Lesson 9 (Obey Me x Female!MC/Reader)

@strawberry-moonpies So... I was planning to finish this chapter a few moments ago... until it was that time of the month for us ladies, and I nearly passed out from excruciating pain. Not fun. 🙄 Anyway, we're so close to the end of toddler MC's journey. I hope you enjoy this chapter! Take care. 💕

Other work: Diavolo's Cousin from Hell

A Lil' Oopsie mini-series:

Prologue | Lesson 1 | Lesson 2 | Lesson 3 | Lesson 4 | Lesson 5 | Lesson 5.5 | Lesson 6 | Lesson 7 | Lesson 8 | Lesson 9 | Lesson 10 [End]

Angelic blue eyes with a yellow gradient blinked.

A pair of inquisitive eyes blinked back.

The blond angel adorning a white apron smiled slightly as he stiffly greeted, "Hello."

The toddler standing in front of him nodded in response. She then turned around, hugging the crow plushie tightly, and walked towards Barbatos who'd been waiting at the edge of the dining table where a high chair was placed.

Simeon, who looked very amused by the curt exchange, let out a chuckle. "Luke," he called in a playful tone. "This is MC. It's not like you're meeting her for the first time, so you don't need to be so formal."

A light shade of pink dusted the embarrassed angel's cheeks. "I-I know that!" he stammered. "I'm just not sure how to talk to her now that she's in this state."

With Luke trailing behind him, the tall angel trod towards the toddler. There she sat with a look of content as Barbatos dabbed her messy cheeks with a napkin while she gleefully ate some omelette prepared by Simeon. Since Luke was busy baking some pastries for the guests, he had to prepare something suitable for a human child; but he wasn't going to have her risk of getting food poisoning caused by another human with rather questionable culinary skills. So what better way to prevent that than researching simple human food recipes with ingredients available in Devildom that were - hopefully - safe for MC?

Simeon stood on the other side of her and gently brushed her hair. "But to think that we would come to see MC as a toddler," he commented. Another chuckle left his lips before he teasingly added, "I supposed that's the reason why all of you took your time coming over after Solomon announced that the antidote was finally done."

Mammon, who was sitting at one of the dining chairs having breakfast, was in denial. "It's not like that-"

"Of course!" Asmodeus, on the other hand, wasn't shy about that fact. "I mean, just look at her. Supple skin, soft cheeks, exuberating innocence; how can you resist such an adorable being? Had you been in our shoes, you would feel the same, Simeon."

"Maybe not in such way," responded the said angel sheepishly. "But I do admit that MC is an adorable human child."

"Isn't she?" bragged the champagne-haired demon, adorning an expression that one could mistake him as MC's parent. "Maybe it's because of that daily moisturiser I put on her skin. Or maybe it's just MC herself being so effortless. No wonder she's so beautiful in her original state~"

"When will you stop being such a creep around MC?" chided Leviathan. "We get it that you're fascinated with her, but now that she's a child... it just sounds so wrong..."

"But I can't help it now that MC is just so vulnerable and adorable~♪"

"Quit it, will ya?!" The Avatar of Greed hissed. "Ya gonna make me lose my appetite!"

"Aw... You're no fun, Mammon. But it's okay. I understand that it's your nature to be jealous that MC didn't get to spend much time with you."

"Why you-!"

By the Lucifer was about to say something, it was already too late for the squabbling to cease. "Here we go," he sighed exasperatedly.

Meanwhile, after Barbatos had wiped off the last smear on MC's cheek and took the plastic plate and cutlery away, Diavolo cut a piece of strawberry shortcake and scooped it with his fork.

"MC," he called before leaning over, immediately grabbing her attention. "Would you like to try some of this strawberry shortcake that Luke made?"

"St-ah-bewry?" The confused toddler repeated.

"Yeah." He nodded. "It's really delicious, so I'm sure you'll like it. Say "Aaah"."

"Aaah..."

MC eagerly opened her mouth wide to which Diavolo fed her the shortcake, being careful to not poke her with the fork. Once her lips clamped down, he gently slid the silverware out before she started chewing. She must be enjoying herself, he thought, judging by the pair of round pink blushes on her puffy cheeks.

"Is it good?" he asked, to which she nodded. A chuckle left the amused Prince's lips. MC was just too adorable. Raising his free hand, he rubbed the back of her head before he returned to feeding her with more of the pastry.

"My Lord," called the demon butler who returned from the kitchen. "Do be mindful of the amount of dessert you are feeding MC. Too much sugar would not be healthy for her."

"Aw..." Diavolo pouted. "It's just a few pieces."

"I might be mistaken, but it seems that you have fed her almost half of the cake." The young Prince looked down at his plate. True to the butler's words, there was less than a quarter of what's left of the said treat.

With a sheepish closed-eye grin, he said, "Oops, I didn't realise that. But as long as MC enjoys it, then I guess it wouldn't hurt to let her indulge once in a while."

But Barbatos begged to differ, although not so deliberately. "My Lord, I'm sure MC has been indulging herself since her unprecedented transformation."

And he wasn't surprised about getting ignored by the young Prince, who resumed feeding the toddler with the rest of the cake.

"Come to think of it," mentioned Beelzebub, who then turned to look at Simeon approaching MC with a small plate of pie. "Where's Solomon? I thought that he'd be here since he was the one who called us here."

The angel placed the pastry on the tray and looked up, leaving Diavolo to gladly feed the toddler who was all too happy to eat another scrumptious treat.

"He said he'd like to do some finishing touches," he replied. "I think he is concerned about the antidote for MC's toddlerisation."

"No surprises there," Satan remarked. "MC has already missed a number of classes, and the teachers are starting to be suspicious about it. It's best that he settles this once and for all before this prolongs any further."

But Asmodeus wasn't so keen on that. Getting up from his chair, he dashed to the other side of the dining table where MC was. He lunged in to hug her by the side, rubbing his cheeks against her chubby ones; all the while being very careful of the drips of sauce.

Quite an amazing skill, one might think.

"Aw..." he whined loudly. "I'll miss this version of MC so much! Not that I'm saying I don't like her in her original state, but this one is just so... irresistible!"

"Asmo," called Belphegor, looking equally annoyed. "Stop taking advantage of MC's current state and jumping on her."

"Hey!" Mammon shouted. "Get ya' hands off her!"

"You're not being fair!" argued Leviathan. "Since the time she transformed, you're the one who hung out with MC the most!"

"Now that they mention it, you've been coming in swiping her off whenever you get the chance." Satan pointed out accusingly. "Even when it was your turn to look after her, you'd take your sweet time which took up to an hour or two, then let us take over before you swoop in and take her away with the excuse of giving her a bath. I can't help but wonder if all this is a coincidence, or there's an underlying intention."

"As if all of you are the only ones to talk about being jealous!" defended the Avatar of Lust dramatically who'd released the oblivious girl. "Imagine the heartbreak I had to endure when I realise the truth - MC loves Lord Diavolo! If I were to be Tristan and MC Iseult, then Lord Diavolo must be King Mark, the one whose hands caused the demise of the princess's knight. Aah, the travesty!"

"No one is being nobody, and that's that," Mammon remarked sharply.

"Bless your heart, big brother. I know you're bitter that you're not part of our tragic tale, so I'll be a bit more sympathetic this time."

"The hell does that mean?!"

"All of you, quit it!" shouted Lucifer.

But no one heeded the eldest.

While his brothers were squabbling, Satan couldn't help but notice something. "Huh?" he began. "Where's MC?"

"She left with Diavolo and Barbatos," explained Beelzebub, who'd been occupied by the BLT Devil Sandwich. "From what I heard, she wanted to go to where Simeon and Luke were, which is most likely the kitchen."

"I see," was the blond demon's response, sounding relieved. "I was worried for a moment. I thought she'd gone off wandering on her own. At least she's with someone, then I guess there's nothing for us to worry about."

"I'm more concerned about the cupcakes that she wanted to make with Luke," mentioned the Avatar of Gluttony, whose stomach suddenly rumbled. "Just the thought of it makes me hungry again."

A sweatdrop hung by Satan's left temple. "Is that all you're concerned about?"

[pies-writes-and-more]

the first time saying I love you p. 2

Warnings: nothing! Maybe some swearing but all fluff!

Characters: Iwaizumi Hajime, Oikawa Toru, & Tsukishima Kei, all with a Fem!Reader

A/N: Thank you so much @livy384​ for asking for a part 2 of this idea!!! I was so excited to see someone wanted to see more of one of my headcanons haha. So here you go lovely!! A big thank you as usual to my inspiration babies @thisnoodlewritesao3​ and @satan-ruler-of-hells​ <3  Also I’m sorry I know Oikawa’s is shorter than the others but I’ve never written for him or thought about writing for him so i’m so very sorry if it sucks xD

pt. 1

Iwaizumi Hajime Who says it first: Neither of you

It was supposed to have been a really cute date - Iwaizumi had remembered you telling your friend that there was a market near by that you’ve always wanted to go visit, but never had anyone to go with. Naturally, Iwaizumi tucked that information in the back of his brain and planned.

It was a Saturday and Iwaizumi had somehow managed to get himself away from practice, making you smile wide when he asked if you wanted to spend the day together. You knew he felt a little bad lately, being so busy with volleyball, and as much as you never blamed him for it, you were happy to be spoiled with his presence. When he started walking you towards the market, your eyes went wide, looking at all the cute stalls that you wanted to visit and the items you wanted to check out.

“Iwa!” You grinned up at him, shaking his arm excitedly. “How did you know I wanted to go here?”

He just shrugged and gave you a smile, patting your head gently, “Let’s find some cute things for my cute girlfriend hm?” You beamed and happily took his hand, the two of you going around to each stall.

There was too much to look at honestly and you wanted nothing more than to carry bundles of everything home. Iwa managed to sneak away from you for a second while you talked to a stall owner, picking out a necklace for you and holding it close to his chest for a moment, just thinking of you. Meanwhile, you managed to find a beautiful lucky charm to give him for his next game. He never really needed it but you always liked the gesture of being the one to give it to him anyways.

It was a perfect date so far.

And then Oikawa showed up.

“Iwa!” He grinned, waving from afar. You laughed, realizing that Oikawa had most likely followed you guys here. You never minded him tagging along on your dates (though the girls that followed him were sometimes a bit extreme), but Iwaizumi on the other hand... never seemed too happy to see his best friend.

Iwaizumi groaned loudly, annoyed at himself for casually mentioning that he’d be bringing you here this weekend, “Why are you here?” He grumbled, glaring at his friend as he made his way over.

Oikawa just pouted, “I just wanted to make sure you were being nice to Y/N!”

“When am I ever mean to Y/N?”

“I dunno, but you’re mean to me and I’m your best friend so I just assumed it was how you show affection,” Oikawa chuckled and gave you a wave, “Are you two having fun?”

You nodded and glanced around at all the other stalls you still wanted to visit, “There’s so much to look at! Are you looking to get anything, Oikawa?”

The boy just smiled and looked around, “I dunno, I’ll have to look around some! What did you two get?” He asked, nodding at the little bags and packages you were holding.

“Oh! I found this cute little decoration for my parents’ kitchen,” you explain, showing off some of the little knickknacks you found. “I wanted to find some sort of accessory for myself. Maybe like a barrette or a bracelet,” you admitted, eyes drifting away again as if you would be able to find something from where you were standing.

“Like this?” Oikawa asked, peeking into Iwaizumi’s bag and pulling out a little jewlery box, opening it to see the necklace that Iwaizumi had bought you.

“You asshole! Give that back!” Iwaizumi’s eyes went wide, realizing he had had his eyes locked on you the whole time you were talking because you were just so cute, he hadn’t even noticed Oikawa practically pickpocketing him.

Oikawa’s bottom lip just stuck out again, huffing and holding the item farther away from his best friend, “Why are you so mean? If you bought it for her, shouldn’t you give it to her? What, were you just going to let her buy something else for herself and waste her money?”

Iwaizumi’s whole face was red. He didn’t want to yell out his whole plan to the market, let alone to Oikawa when you were standing right there, laughing at the whole encounter.

“Stop being so shy, Iwa,” Oikawa cooed, smiling as he looked at you, “I’m sure she thinks it’s really cute that you buy her things to show her you love her!”

“Shittykawa, please shut the hell up,” Iwaizumi glared at his friend, still trying to grab the box away from him.

“Aw don’t put words in his mouth, Oikawa,” you giggled, smiling up at your boyfriend and his friend, “I think he just does it cause he’s sweet.”

Oikawa noticed the way you were so quick to dismiss his words, glancing between you and Iwaizumi, completely confused, “What do you mean?”

“Oikawa, I swear to god, please go before I kill you,” Iwaizumi was practically clawing his hands up to Oikawa’s neck, his whole body feeling flustered.

“Iwaizumi, did you tell her you didn’t want to be embarrassed in front of your friends? It’s okay! She can know I know! It’s not like you don’t talk about it all the time.”

“Talk about what?” You asked, growing more confused as the conversation went on.

“About how much he loves you! He talks about it all the time with the team!” Oikawa beamed, finally letting Iwaizumi grab the jewelry box from his hands.

Your eyes go wide, looking over at Iwaizumi, who seemed suddenly very concerned over kicking some dust on the ground. His whole face was red, eyes looking literally anywhere but at you.

“You love me?” You squeaked out nervously.

“No! I-I mean, yes but- hang on,” your boyfriend groaned. He had the whole thing planned out, he had wanted to tell you a whole speech about how much he loved you and now that whole plan was absolutely ruined.

Oikawa’s body froze as he watched the two of you, sheepishly laughing, “Oh... I spoiled it didn’t I? That’s what the necklace was for hm?”

“Shittykawa, if one more word leaves your lips-” Iwaizumi huffed, punching his arm with an annoyed look on his face.

“I’m sorry, Iwa! I didn’t mean to spoil your first love confession! But honestly, I’m such a big part of your life, maybe it’s better this way-” Oikawa grinned, obviously trying to lift up some of the tension.

“I’m going to count to three, and if you’re not gone by the end of it, I will literally bury you alive.” There was something different about this death threat, a growl in Iwaizumi’s throat building with his anger.

Oikawa’s smile tensed and he just turned to you with a little wave, “I suddenly remembered I have to be literally anywhere else but here. Have a nice date! Please convince him not to kill me!”

You had never seen Oikawa dash away so quickly, his figure gone almost immediately after waving goodbye.

Iwaizumi seemed so angry, all you could was offer a small smile, “You okay?” You asked softly, touching his arm gently.

He seemed to relax a bit at your touch, sighing and just turning to look at you, “Yeah. Please don’t listen to anything he says. He’s literally an idiot.”

You smiled shyly, rocking on your heels awkwardly, “So... you don’t love me then?”

Iwaizumi’s eyes widened immediately, shaking his hands in front of him quickly in denial, “N-No. I mean. Yes. Just don’t listen to him. But yes, I love you.” He hesitated for a moment, seeming to watch your eyes. “Unless you don’t love me back, then we can just pretend none of this happened,” he mumbled shyly, rubbing the back of his head.

You couldn’t help but giggle, pushing his arm playfully, “You idiot. Of course I love you.”

He blinked in surprise, staring at your face and trying to make sure you weren’t just joking with him, “Oh. Well in that case, this is for you.” He handed you the small box holding the necklace, watching as you open it to find a small pendant of your favourite animal. “The heart ones just seemed so cheesy,” he admitted with a shrug. “But I hope you think of me whenever you wear it.”

Your heart literally grew three sizes, this boy was being so cute and sweet. You nodded up at him happily, still admiring your new necklace, which was exactly what you had hoped to find at the market, “I will.”

He whispered another “I love you” to you as he helped clasp the necklace behind your neck, pressing a kiss to your cheek from behind and sending a tingle down your spine. 

He said “I love you” to you every hour after that - if his surprise was going to be spoiled, he was going to spoil you with those words over and over again, never wanting you to forget how he feels about you.

Oikawa Toru Who says it first: You

Oikawa was literally the worst person to study with - he was always so distracting. How could someone who barely looks at his notes during your study dates be in Class 6? He was always busy with volleyball anyways, so how was it possible that he had any other time to do work?

“Hurry up and finish your work so we can go do something fun,” Oikawa hummed with a smirk on his face, having already finished his homework. He refused to let you look at his answers, or even help you, because “how are you supposed to learn, Y/N?” Smug ass look on his face how rude. “I might just have to go on some adventure on my own while I wait for you to finally finish.”

You just roll your eyes and mumble something about hating him making him laugh.

“Aww, is someone pouting?” He teased, ruffling up your hair happily. “I’m sorry, baby, I just love looking at your cute concentration face!”

You rolled your eyes, glaring at him playfully, “You’re refusing to help me because you want to look at my face? Take a picture why don’t you.”

“I already have,” he beamed, showing you the new background for his phone. You did not look the least bit attractive in your opinion, but Oikawa was smiling so happily at the photo, how could you argue?

“You’re an idiot,” you mumble with a huff, scribbling a half-assed answer on your sheet of paper.

“Aw come on, Y/N,” Oikawa smirked, sliding closer to you and tilting your chin up with a singular finger so you were forced to look him in the eyes. “You know you love me,” he teased in that fake sultry voice of his.

Normally, you’d just get a bit flustered - there was just something about those bedroom eyes of his eyes that made you squirm. But here, just sitting here with him and realizing that even when he took ugly pictures of you, this perfect pretty boy still wanted to be with you... you realized there wasn’t a single person you’d rather be with right now. Or ever.

“Ya you’re right,” you smiled up at him, pulling away from his teasing look and turning back to your homework. “I do love you.”

The expression on his face was probably photo worthy and later, you’d wish you had snapped a picture of it. The utter shock was enough to send all the blood flying out of his face, a nosebleed soon ensuing.

“Oikawa! Are you okay?” You asked with wide eyes, rushing to get tissues.

“F-Fine! I’m fine!” The fact that all the blood was rushing to his rosy cheeks probably wasn’t helping his nosebleed, only making it flow faster.

The two of you laughed when his bleeding was under control, Oikawa blushing enough to look like a marker colour, “You can’t just say stuff like that to a guy, Y/N! That’s so mean! Teasing me like that.” He pouted, crossing his arms like a child.

You tilted your head slightly, watching him for a moment before saying, “Teasing? What do you mean? I meant it, Oikawa, you idiot.”

His eyes would just widen and suddenly homework wasn’t all that important anymore.

“Oikawa! it’s due this week!” You insisted as he dragged you out of the house, your hand firmly held in his.

“Too bad! We’re going for ice cream!” He declared with a grin. “Oh and Y/N?”

“Hm?”

“I love you too. Idiot.” His smile was as wide as ever but there was a genuine love in his eyes as he looked at you, soon leaning down to press a kiss to your cheek.

But don’t worry, later he’d help you with your homework. As long as you said “I love you” to him one more time.

Tsukishima Who says it first: Him

Tsukishima says he loves you in actions more than he does words at first, throwing you snacks that he carries with him specifically for you, when he notices you getting hungry. He’ll bring an extra hoodie or wear one when he knows he’ll get too warm for it, because he knows you like to be comfy and warm. He offers to come over and study with you when you’re getting nervous over a test, holds your hand and squeezes it gently if he notices you getting anxious over something, and he walks you to and from home every day.

He loves you. And even though you can feel it through his actions, you weren’t quite sure if he was ready to hear that you loved him too.

Honestly, you would’ve been fine just going about your relationship the way that it was. But of course, what good would having upperclassmen in his volleyball team be if they didn’t annoy the shit out of him and talk about your relationship?

Tanaka had been going on and on in the club room about how badly he wanted a girlfriend, pouting to himself because he was still unsure of how Tsukishima, a salty brat, managed to get a cute girlfriend like you before he did.

“God it must be so nice to have someone to hug and hold hands with and tell them ‘I love you’ every five seconds! If I had a girlfriend, I wouldn’t let her leave my presence until she knew how much I loved her!” Tanaka was saying, Noya nodding aggressively in agreement.

Tsukishima’s ears perked hearing this, pulling his gym shirt over his head as he got ready to head home for the night.

“How did you do it, Tsukishima?” Noya asked randomly, a grin on his face. “I bet you’re secretly super romantic aren’t you? You got her flowers and chocolates and stuff huh?”

“How did I do what?” Tsukishima asked flatly, glancing back at them. The second years shared a look and then looked back at him, both tilting their heads simultaneously.

“How did you first tell Y/N you loved her,” Tanaka explained, his eyes narrowing as he watched Tsukishima’s eyes move away from them. “Wait a minute, you haven’t told her yet?”

“Tsukishima! You asshole! Don’t you know how lucky you are to have such a cute girl on your arm? Always doing cute things for you like that time she made you a bento box? Or when she comes to our games and always cheers the loudest for us?” Noya’s yelling was soon turning into a tearful whine, still upset that he didn’t have these things that Tsukishima did.

The blond boy just tried to turn away, packing up his things as his upperclassmen moaned.

“Tanaka, Noya, leave the boy alone,” Sugawara scolded. “I’m sure Tsukishima’s going to tell her on his own time! Aren’t you, Tsukishima?” His voice was so sweet, as if he was only trying to help him out, but Sugawara’s eyes told a different story - one where he was really trying to pry an answer from the first year.

All eyes were on him once again and Tsukishima was silently wishing he had left earlier without getting dressed. The question loomed over the club room like a raincloud, pressure on Tsukishima’s answer building the more the silence lasted.

“Sure,” he answered finally before leaving the room, shifting his bag on his shoulder slightly. He hadn’t really thought about it before. Why hadn’t he told you yet? He knew he loved you, it’s not like he was an idiot in denial over it. He had spent a good year in denial but he wouldn’t admit it. He knew he loved you but why hadn’t he said anything yet?

The idea of telling you made his whole face feel hot but why? It’s not like he hadn’t sent you songs about love, or watched those sappy romantic movies with you and thought about you the whole time. So why hadn’t he said it? It was just three words after all, wasn’t it? Three little words.

There you were, waiting for him again outside of the gym. You had that cute little smile on your face that you always had whenever you caught his eye. He loved that smile.

“Ready?” You asked happily, him holding out his arm for you slightly and you link yours with it and just look up at him with those gorgeous eyes. He loved your eyes.

“How was practice?” You asked as the two of you walked and he told you all about how annoying Hinata and Kageyama was, you always laughing when he expressed his annoyance. He loved your laugh.

At some point while you two were walking home, Tsukishima felt himself stop. He could feel Tanaka and Noya’s words starting to get to him, an uneasy feeling in his stomach making him feel... different. He knew if he didn’t say it now, he never would.

“Tsukishima?” You blinked up at him, noting the way he stopped so abruptly. “Are you okay?”

He took a breath - if you were going to reject him, that would be fine. Everything would be fine. No it wouldn’t, he heard that little voice in his head say. What the hell would we do without you?

Despite his conflicting thoughts on the matter, Tsukishima pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to silence them as he managed to get out weakly, “I love you, Y/N.”

You just stood there for what felt like forever. Why weren’t you saying anything? His heart fell a little as you just stared at him, your face not betraying any of your emotions.

“What?” You squeaked.

He sighed frustratedly, unsure if you were trying to give him a way to go back on his words, or if you were really this deaf. “I love you,” he repeated himself, his voice louder and firmer this time. If he was going to get rejected, it wouldn’t be because he backed down. He would make sure of it.

But soon your lips were curling into that smile that he loved, your eyes were sparkling up at him, and a giggle fell from your lips, “I-I love you too, Tsukishima!” You beamed, hopping a little where you stood in excitement.

He couldn’t hide how happy that made him. His lips turned into a smile and he reached up to pat your head, his arm wrapping around your shoulders, “Alright, stop looking at me like. It’s late, we should get you home,” he told you, scolding you as if you had been the one to stop first.

But it didn’t matter. Because Tsukishima Kei said he loved you and those were the last three words you had ever expected him to say, even though you had felt the same all this time.

For the first time ever, Tsukishima actually took the advice of his upperclassmen and made it his promise to himself that he would never let you leave his sight without telling you “I love you”, even if it had to be over text because he wasn’t quite ready to say it in front of everyone else yet. But he would tell you over and over again, because even when he was annoyed at you or in a bad mood, Tsukishima loved you and he didn’t ever want you to think otherwise.

Haikyuu taglist (let me know if you’d like to be added!)

@scphiredrafts​ @aurumk​ @devilkittymusic​ @thisnoodlewritesao3​ @satan-ruler-of-hells​ @trashy-simp​ @jeppiet​ @lucyheartfilias-wife​ @darkvadeeer​ @haikyuutothetop​ @wolfishwriting​

[bookofmirth]

Az, Gwyn, and power

Something I’ve seen going around a lot lately, in the past couple of months, is that if Azriel and Gwyn were to enter into a relationship, it would be unequal or imbalanced, basically that Azriel has more power than Gwyn and so it would make for a potentially... bad (? definition tbd) relationship.

I’ve already explained why the theory about Elain not knowing how the bond works makes her look like either stupid, or ignorant, or supremely passive. I’m assuming that is not the intention of the stans.

Now lemme explain why this interpretation, of a gwynriel relationship being inherently imbalanced and problematic for being so, would make Azriel look like an asshole.

I keep seeing people saying “because this person has power and this person doesn’t, this thing is bad”. No. That’s not how it works. Power is much more complex and nuanced than that, and it depends on how the individual decides to wield it. There are multiple ways that someone can gain, retain, and use power. Some have more access than others, for different reasons. However, it is not inevitable that those with more power will exploit those with less.

In the post about power I mentioned Rhys, and he is a great example of why having power isn’t necessarily a bad thing for everyone around him. The only thing that keeps Rhys from literally every sort of privilege is that he is half Illyrian. Other than that, he has everything going for him. However, he rarely, if ever, takes advantage of his power to the detriment of others. We could probably argue about why this is or isn’t true and to what extent, but the point is that we have other examples of similar fae - Beron - who wield the same types of power and do not gaf about anyone else. Rhys intentionally allows the IC to have a voice in what happens in the NC, he listens to them, he takes their advice, and sometimes he does a shitty job but he tries to avoid ruling with an iron fist.

Back to gwynriel.

So the idea that Gwyn and Azriel cannot be equals in a relationship initially came from the idea that Gwyn is, somehow, at 28 years old, mentally and emotionally a child. We know that this is NOT true. It has been confirmed by the writer, who did hear explanation of the different rates at which fae age. So her denial that Gwyn is a child was not out of context. She knew what people were thinking.

However, there are still issues that people bring up regarding Gwyn being a priestess and Azriel being the spymaster. But let’s be clear about who Gwyn and Azriel are:

Gwyn is a priestesses. She is not a nun. She spends her time learning and aiding others in that pursuit.

She protected children when her temple was under attack.

Gwyn is Carynthian. One of the only two women in history to earn that distinction. That accomplishment took intelligence, cunning, cooperation, and strength.

Gwyn is mostly High Fae.

Gwyn is a SA survivor.

Azriel rescued her.

Azriel is a spymaster.

Azriel is also Carynthian.

He is part Illyrian.

Azriel’s role in the library is not “supervisor”. He is not their camp counselor. He is not their authority figure. He brings women to the library who have been victimized, and then he leaves. 

The two people who are actually in charge of the library and its citizens safety are Morrigan and Rhysand.

Combining all those facts with Gwyn’s age, Gwyn is not Azriel’s inferior in any way. No matter which way you look at it, there is nothing about Azriel that inherently puts him in a position to abuse his power.

She is also not his inferior in terms of maturity (while I can see that being an argument, it would need to be equally applied to nessian, feysand, elucien, e*riel, etc.... and it’s not. Unless an sjm anti is reading this, then yeah, I can see them making that argument.)

So let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that Azriel does hold a position of authority over Gwyn. He doesn’t, but let’s just pretend that these arguments are actually valid.  If - if - Gwyn and Azriel were problematic as a relationship because of some power imbalance, then it stands to reason that that ship is problematic because Azriel is the type of person to exploit that imbalance.

Is that what y’all were going for when you try to say that gwynriel makes you feel uncomfortable??? Doubt it.

One last point about my list above - if y’all think that the fact that Azriel rescued Gwyn means that he can only see her that way, that he can only see her as an SA survivor and can never see beyond that, fails to recognize her growth and strength, even though he helped her to complete the Blood Rite Qualifier... again, that doesn’t say great things about Azriel (and maybe doesn’t say great things about people who would make that argument, since people are not defined by their trauma!)

I have seen (maybe? maybe I imagined this) a comparison between Azriel and Gwyn that he’s like... a teacher, and she’s the student, to explain why they are not an appropriate ship. The big problem with a teacher/student relationship is that the student in the scenario feels like they cannot say no. Your teacher is an authority, they are more mature, more knowledgeable, they have influence over whether you pass a class and get a good grade, they can tell your parents if you have been behaved or completing your work, etc. There are a lot of ways that a teacher can punish a student for not doing what they want. This is why those relationships are always frowned upon - it’s big dubcon territory, if not straight up noncon. 

However, again, Gwyn is participating in the Valkyrie training voluntarily. She lives at the library voluntarily. She is a priestess voluntarily. There is nothing that Azriel can do to Gwyn that would force her to comply with what he wants. Gwyn can tell Azriel to fuck off, to go choke, to eat dust, to go jerk off, and... nothing would happen. He would probably stop hanging around as much, but that’s... it. He has no actual power over her in the sense of being an authority figure or being in control of her life in any way.

Something that I almost put in that original post but didn’t because it was besides the point at the time, was that there are always power differences. People will always have differing levels of access to privilege and power. That does NOT mean that people can and must only ever be in relationships with people of similar levels or power/privilege. In that post I mentioned how feylin didn’t work out because Tamlin had so much access and Feyre had none - to compound this problem, he allowed her access to none. He did nothing to try to even the playing field, to educate or empower her. That’s what made it a problem. 

So do y’all think that Azriel would be like Beron? Someone willing to take the privilege he has and wield it over someone else like a cudgel? Or is he more like Rhys? Aware of his position and working to support - not manipulate - others? Because even if we were to accept the premise that there is a problematic power imbalance between Azriel and Gwyn, the only reason we should be uncomfortable with that is if we think that Azriel is the type of person who would exploit that imbalance. 

[jaedore]

BINDING BONDS | 11

< prev 

parings: jung jaehyun x reader

genre: ceo!au, arranged marriage!au, angst, asshole Jaehyun, swearing

[ ☽ smut | ◇ angst (mental health, therapy) | ☼ fluff ]

note: BB deals with themes of mental and physical abuse, which can be upsetting for some readers. If you feel uncomfortable reading these types of plots, you are advised to not continue. MINORS, READ AT YOUR OWN RISK, but I advise you to skip the sexual parts.

[ 10.7 words ]

The brisk winter wind pierces your cheeks and flows past your hair as you look at the view in front of you, the door to your balcony slightly opened. The distant image of the Eiffel Tower illuminates the city below your feet bringing bittersweet memories from long ago. It’s been five years. Five years since you felt his touch, funny how you could still feel his fingertips between other men you decided to indulge yourself in. It made it hard to stay until the sun rose. You hated yourself for it, but how else were you supposed to forget about the man who didn’t want to marry you? His ghost never left you, though. It followed you wherever you went, making you go crazy. That’s why you left the town where the love bloomed and broke, settling down in the city of love, how ironic. Your actions were always contradicting and it still is to this day.

In those five years, you quickly took over the CEO position of Audace, giving your mother the gift of early retirement. Into your first couple of years, you were listed Top 20 in Forbes Magazine, immediately gaining attention for your designs. You always reminded yourself to be humble whenever someone praises you for your work, you weren’t the only one with the hands behind the designs, of course.

Everything was the way it was supposed to be, you felt like the timeline had finally restored itself like it was your job to do so. You haven’t heard much about Jaehyun, you tried to avoid all news outlets about him as much as you could. But it was hard when the image of him would be spread across magazines, you figured that he did dip into the field of modeling, he was bound to with that beautiful face of his. You were roaming the streets of Paris when your eyes brisked over the stand that sold magazines, his face immediately catching your attention. You were proud of him, he looked like he was doing well, better. As you said, you steered away from the topic of him, afraid that maybe you still weren’t over him even if it’s been a couple of years.

News also came out that Jaehyun’s father was finally kicked out of Jung Corporations for his conviction of abuse, no matter how long ago it was, Jaehyun finally grew the courage to stand up to his father. Of course, the stocks plummeted, but with Jaehyun’s quick words of persuasion and work ethic, they soared the next year, earning Jung Corporation a spot on the Forbes Top 20, also. You remember smiling when you saw his company’s name on the same list as you, he did it.

As for the contract of your marriage, it was currently on hold, creating dust in its existence. As time moves on, your mother hopes that you can reopen the contract, but she knows that it’s more than that now, so she leaves it to you, since you’re presently the CEO of Audace and made all the decisions. You’d think that you’d shred that contract by now, but you haven’t. What’s been stopping you?

Jaehyun has made sure to spread his face on every single cover on a magazine, hoping that you’d come across it and come home to him. Ever since you left, he’s gotten no trace of you. He’d call you, text you, but got nothing. He quit trying the third year, thinking that you had blocked him or got a new phone number because he never heard an answer back. Jaehyun even reached out to Haewon and Mark, but they never got the answer he wanted because you never told your closest friends. Were you selfish to do that to them? Too bad that Haewon knew you too well to find out where you were, but trustworthy enough to seal her lips.

It took Jaehyun a long time to accept that you were gone, the memory of you felt like a dream to him. Waking up alone every morning brought anguish to him, the sun telling him that you never came back and that you probably never will. Sometimes he thinks he’s going insane because his memories of you are so distant.

That’s why he traveled to every possible country he’d assumed you’d be in, New York, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Shanghai, London, and even Paris. So when you heard the word of the newest, hottest bachelor was coming to Paris, you knew you’d have to go into hiding because the newest, hottest bachelor was your ex. Being on the cover of dozens of magazines sure had its perks, but for Jaehyun, all he wanted to do was find you. That’s why he left Paris after three weeks, thinking that you had for sure resided there. Which you had, you just didn’t have the courage to come out and face him. You sure did a hell of a good job erasing your existence from his world. You were stubborn, he’s always known that he just didn't know he’d have to go to these lengths to come to that conclusion.

Life went on like that, you two lived your separate lives like there wasn’t a string attached to your fingers, you felt like you two were always meant to say goodbye. Jaehyun has never dared to touch another, for you, and only you solely have his heart. He’d give it to you over and over again if it means getting hurt again. Of course, he didn’t know about your short-lived rendezvous because while you found your lust in other men, begging yourself to be open and find someone, it was never them that refused your love, it was your own doing because you could never find yourself to stay the night. Goodness, you just wanted to feel again. You wanted to love, love like how the sun goes down for the moon every start of the night.

“You’re not staying the night?”

“Not tonight, Yuta.” you gave him a small smile as you picked up your discarded dress on the floor.

The Japanese model propped himself on his elbows, whistling at your figure as you slip your dress on. You narrowed your eyes at him until you realized a few buttons to your Versace Sweetheart Cady Single-Breasted Blazer was missing.

“Really?” you sighed, falling on your knees to search the floor for those stupid buttons.

“What are you looking for?” Yuta sat up, watching you crouch below the bed.

“You ripped this too hard that the buttons popped out, Yuta,” you snapped.

“It’s fine. Go, I’ll find it. It gives me another excuse to see you again,” he smirked at you.

“Yeah,” you sighed, glancing at him, “that’s very unlikely.”

“And why is that?”

Spotting the lost buttons under the bed, you snatched them in your hand and stood up, giving him a sly look, “Because I never give a man a second chance.” Grabbing your clutch, you smiled at him before shutting the door, seeing him chuckle to himself in denial as he fell back on the bed with his hands behind his head.

That was a lie, you do give men a second chance, but the only man you’d give it to is Jaehyun. No matter how long it’s been, how old you were, how forgotten your relationship was with him, you know that he will always have you, be a part of you.

Tomorrow you were leaving to go back home. It’s been a while since you’ve been back and your parents dearly missed you. It was the annual charity ball your family always attended and they wanted you to come to create social networks with others to build Audace. You were a little hesitant because you knew Jaehyun was going to be there, you just didn't know if you were ready to face him or even to just see him.  

You leave early in the morning so you could land back home by sunrise. And with your bags already packed, you wondered if tonight would finally give you the rest you needed. You spent countless nights unable to sleep, you think it’s insomnia, but your heart tells you differently. You’ve invested in useless doctors that only tell you to just take those ludicrous melatonin gummies. Of course, they never helped.

You throw your bag onto the chair next to your bed, everything was set for you to leave for tomorrow. Your passport, luggage, duffle bags were all in place at the door and for the slightest second, you felt excitement electrocute through your body.

Maybe it was just you, but the smell of home brought you wistfulness. Should I have stayed? Would everything have been better if I stayed? You had no idea where Jaehyun was or if you’d ever see him on your little trip back home. You wouldn’t blame him if he didn’t see you, you didn’t even bother coming out of your shell when he did.

“Y/n!!!” A familiar squeal was heard from the echoes of the airport.

You closed your eyes and let out a sigh with a smile on your lips. You turn around to see Haewon running to you with a lovely smile on her face, “Hey,” you embrace her in a tight hug, wafting the same perfume she wore when you two were younger.

“You haven’t changed one bit,” Haewon pulled you away by the shoulders, examining your face. You’d beg to differ, but she’d disagree, “I mean, you aged backward! Your skin is glowing and you look so beautiful and youthful. Paris must’ve done its justice on skincare!”

You laugh at her witty remarks, “No, no, no! If anything, you’ve changed! Look at you, you still look like how you did 5 years ago!

“Stop,” Haewon waves at you in disagreement, “come. Let’s get you home,” she grabs onto your arms and heads to the car as her assistants drag your things behind you two.

“So tell me all about Paris!” Haewon blinks at you with wide eyes, like a child excited to receive their favorite candy.

“What do you want to know?”

“Everything! From fashion to food to the monuments. I want to know everything, y/n,” she begs.

You tell her everything. From the fashion shows that you were able to manage, to the sweet and savory meals, even to the fountains in Paris, you told her everything that your fingers brushed past. Haewon sat in envy, wishing that she visited you more often. There was a snip of a moment where regret weighed in your heart, maybe you should’ve called her to come. As you finished telling her about your adventures, you two sat in silence, the hum of the car filling the car. It’s been a while since you saw her and she looked so satisfied to finally have you home even if it was just for a few days.

“How’s Jaehyun?” Your voice barely meets a whisper that almost misses her ears.

Thinning her lips, Haewon looked at you with sincerity but with a little pity, “he’s okay, I think. With modeling and the company, he’s been busy so he hasn’t hung out with Mark a lot. Mark says that he’s doing a lot better, he’s been going out a lot the past couple of years, but he doesn’t talk to anyone or bring them home. We both think that it’s because he’s still not over you, he also still doesn’t talk to Chaeyoung anymore.”

You nod, you weren’t necessarily expecting anything, you just wanted to check up on him, but his name still makes you miss the happier times with him. You hold Haewon’s words like a string in front of you, I hope he is doing better.

The car rolls up to the familiar view of her apartment building, more trees were added around the rectangular architecture bringing out the bareness of it due to the cold weather. As your feet patted the snow, the way up to her apartment was almost unfamiliar. You always thought you’d know the steps to specific places with your eyes closed, but it raised a question to your mind. What if you forgot the most important things? What would you do then? Would they even be important if you had already forgotten them in the first place?

When Haewon opened the door to her apartment, everything about it had changed. The couch was on the opposite side of the room, the dining table that used to be horizontal was now vertical, giving it more space, and the color scheme that was once in hues of pink and greens was now white and browns.

“Wow,” your eyes widen, taking in all the changes, “love what you’ve done with the place.”

“Thank you,” Haewon smiled proudly, “the pink and greens were getting old. Plus, I feel like this is more mature for me.” her laugh rings in your ears as you scan her kitchen, she’s even got new dishes.

You smile back at your best friend, “It’s nice.”

You sit comfortably on her couch as she makes you some warm tea. Your eyes skim through her walls, pictures of you remained nailed to it but in different frames, she’s even added new ones from when she visited you in Paris.  Below them, there were green plants in grey vases, giving it the earthly vibe she always had in her.

“Here,” Haewon hands you your cup of tea as she sits beside you, “so you’re gonna stay with your parents?”

“Yeah, they miss me a lot and I miss them too, so it won’t hurt to stay.”

She pouts a little bit enough for you to notice her bottom lip jutting out, “Aw, that’s okay. Just promise that you’ll say goodbye to me before you leave. If you leave like last time, I’m gonna tell Jaehyun where you are,” Haewon threatens you.

“Hey!” your eyes enlarge in seriousness. You hope she doesn’t and you know she won’t but there’s a sliver of desire that you want her to.

“I’m just kidding, I won’t. I know you don’t want that,” she holds your hand after seeing how serious you were, “You and your little game of fate.” Haewon laughs as she strides to the kitchen to retrieve some snacks.

By the time you’ve binge-watched a series, finished a whole meal of Chinese takeout, you were drained and out of it. You know it’s getting late as the stars are the only source of light in the sky, other than the street lights.

“I should get going,” you grabbed your jacket that draped over the couch, but when you didn’t hear a peep from Haewon, you turned your head to see her asleep with her mouth opened to the ceiling. You chuckle at the amusing sight of your best friend knocked out with deranged hair and a little drool at the corner of her mouth. You turn off the tv and cover her with the cotton quilt before you kiss her forehead, “goodnight.”

As you quietly shut the door, you call for a cab knowing that you’re on the brink of almost being too late, but since no one’s out, by the time you reach the entrance, the driver is already there and waiting for you.

The night winter air hits your cheeks, turning it a crimson red along with the point of your nose. Home was always the coldest in the wintertime and hottest in the summer, there was no in-between. Puffs of grey smoke escape your mouth as you sit in the heated car, rubbing your hands together for more warmth. You tell the driver your address as you lean back in the seat, letting the drive paint your window with the outside scenery until you see the familiar sight of your home. When you do, you tip the driver with a heavier tip because it’s late at night before striding up to the front gates.

When you walk in the mansion, the lights are off darkness pooling into the large vacant home, echoing your heels. You’re quiet in your steps that lead to your room, afraid that you’d wake your parents up. The empty hallway that leads to your room is still filled with the same pictures, the smell coming from the same candles, the same flowers in the same vases, nothing has really changed around here. It’s as if you never really left, it makes your mind drift to your former shared apartment with Jaehyun. Has he changed anything since I’ve left? Is everything still the same? Does he still even live there? It’s a bittersweet memory, it really is, but you hope for the positive, your heart silently wishing things hadn't been the way it was. That you stayed that night in his arms, hearing his silent breathing as you comb your fingers through his soft, floppy hair. To have his head laying on your chest, hearing your heartbeat go at peace because he was in your arms. You got the good side of him.

You strip off your clothes, discarding them on the cream rug, and letting the warm water spill on your body. Life is a series of choices and if you are lucky enough, miracles. Your youthful mind would have disagreed and thought that you’d do things based on choices, but now, you’re convinced that if fate allows it, it shall be. Miracle or not, you will welcome it with open arms, you’ve grown accustomed to detachment and self-growth. Maybe you were saving yourself for Jaehyun because maybe you truly weren’t over him. Either way, you detach yourself from every man you’ve met because you had a sliver of hope that fate was going to lead him to you. But were you wasting your time in doing so? What if in the end, he wasn’t even yours? You dip your head, letting the water swim through your hair, giving it slight weight. I’m thinking too much. You rub your eyes, not knowing if the sting was from your developing tears or the water. Suddenly, you reach to turn off the water and give yourself a quick dry ahead of pulling your pajamas on.

And now you’re on your bed, your eyes still light as a feather. Your nights always consisted of this, unclosed eyes, frequent gazes at the ceiling or the window by your side, and sometimes tear-stained cheeks. The theory of possibly seeing Jaehyun crossed your mind the entire night, you know you were bound to see him soon so you needed to mentally prepare yourself for the moment. Thankfully for the long night Haewon provided for you, the thought of Jaehyun finally left his home in your mind and you found yourself slowly falling into slumber, anticipating another visit from him in your dreams.

“Honey, honey...honey,” Shaken awake by the sweet voice of your mother, you woke up to the image of her sitting on the edge of her bed. Just like the home, she looked like she didn’t age a day. She was as beautiful as you last remembered her.

“Morning, mother,” you yawn, stretching your limbs towards each side of the wall.

“More like afternoon,” she scoffed, pulling the sheets from you.

You instantly curl your body into a ball, cursing yourself for only wearing a long t-shirt and shorts. You peered at the clock by your bedside seeing 12:30 glancing right back at you. “Sorry, long day yesterday.”

“That’s okay. Get up now, get ready, go eat, and let’s go find a dress for you. The ball’s in a few days.”

Obeying your mother, with stiffness in your body, you were able to brush your teeth, comb your hair, and put on a presentable outfit. As you walk down the stairs to the dining room, you see your mother and father holding hands, laughing as they eat. You stopped in your tracks, standing still on the stairs as your hand gripped on the rail, watching them enjoy each other’s company. A little bit of your heart envied the sight in front of you, all you wanted was to love someone. To care for them, love them, and grow old. Most of all, you wanted to do all of those things with Jaehyun, but-

“You’re here! Come eat, we have to hit the stores before traffic gets heavy,” your mother waves you, immediately cutting you from your thoughts.

You greeted your parents as you sat down. Everything in front of you was luxurious, there were fancy sandwiches, bowls of freshly washed fruit, and cut out aged cheese, along with the bottles of wine scattered across the table. You didn’t even know where to begin, you missed everything from home, especially the food.

“Hurry, eat! I have a ton of places we have to check out,” your mother is persistent in finding you the most extravagant dress, a present for your return home for the couple of days you were here. It’s been 5 years since you’ve been back, of course, she wanted to go all out for her only daughter.

“Okay this,” your mother points at the lake green colored dress that hugs your body, the silken fabric falling at your feet, “is the one,” with wide eyes she slowly stands up and walks to you with arms open.

“Really?” you tilt your head to the side, observing your reflection.

“Pair it with some clear heels, signature earrings to elongate your neck, leaving the chest open, and voila, the perfect outfit.” the employee persuades you, as they should because that’s what you ended up purchasing.

“Oh no,” the employee waves his hand at you, dismissing your mother’s card, “that gentleman already paid for your entire attire,” he points behind you and you snap your head in his direction.

Like the time had slowed down, the most handsome man that has ever come into your life, stood across the store from you. His gentle gaze sits on your shoulders, but it embraces you instead of piercing through you. His tall physique has become lean, more muscular yet toned. His signature dark hair was styled like the last time you saw it, it was always your favorite.

“Jaehyun,” your whispered tone comes out as a gasp at the man who stood several feet from you.

A friendly smile sits on his face as the air returns to your lungs and as your brain begins to function again. What a sight you desperately missed. You longed to run to his arms and to hug him, kiss him, love him like the old times, but your feet remind you to stop as soon as you see a pair of arms slither his arm. A woman, just around your age interlocks her hand with his and smiles brightly at him. She’s as gorgeous as you can imagine, probably a model, for her body and frame compliments his.

You clear your throat, regaining poise, and give him a slight nod, careful to not look at him again as you turn yourself around to thank the cashier and scurry out of the store.

“That was Jaehyun, wasn’t it?” Your mother cautiously asks, quickly catching up to you.

“L-let's just goes mother, p-please,” you stutter as you reach the car and attempt to open the door, begging her to unlock it.

Cranking up the air conditioner, you rest your head between your hands as they rub your temples. You ask yourself again and again what just happened and if you actually saw him, but your brain knew better than your heart, you did in fact see Jung Jaehyun standing just a few feet from you.

“Are you okay?” she rubs your back as you try to steady your breathing.

“I’m fine, can we just please go home now? We have my dress,” you beg.

Your mother starts the car right away, aware of your little episode. You think that maybe you’re overreacting a little bit, but this was all physical. If you could control it, you would and you wouldn’t be in such a crouched position feeling this way.

When you finally feel your heartbeat becoming steady again, you sit up and lean back into the seat, you stare out the window, completely dazed. You feel like you didn’t even experience seeing Jaehyun. For the first time in five years, he still tugs your heart and how stupid you feel for thinking that there could be the smallest room for you in his heart when you were the one who left him, ignored him, written yourself off from his story. Of course, he already had somebody, somebody that loves him, cares for him, far better off than what you could’ve done. You were the one that left, what were you truly expecting at this point?

As the car drives up to your home, you’re quick to strip yourself and bury under the covers. The room is dark and silent, the most dangerous time for your mind to wander. Fear settles under your skin when the thought of ending up alone crosses your mind. You’ve been alone all of your life before Jaehyun even showed up, who knew how hard it’d be to go back to the forgotten feeling of being alone.

You hadn’t noticed that you’ve knocked out when a faint knock sounds from your door. Your eyes slowly open, but along with your head, it’s too heavy from your thoughts to lift itself. Slowly as the door opens, Haewon peeks her head through and suspects that you’re still asleep when she sees your body calmly fall and rise. Haewon tip-toes to your bed, lifting her heel, afraid that the clanking noise would startle you awake. Without a word, she sits on the edge of your bed and combs her fingers through your hair, removing the loose strands from your face. She hates seeing you like this, so broken. You’ve worked yourself until you were unable to stand, you’ve dismissed all opportunities to feel something from any man and anyone, most of all, you’ve denied your existing love for Jaehyun. But she knows that you know all of that, you just choose to brush it off your shoulder because that’s what you always did. You’d dust things off and shove them down until you’d combust. Five years of shoving things down have resulted in this.

You stayed that for the next few days, curled up in a ball under the mountain of blankets. You despised yourself for not spending time with your parents with the few days you had, but you could barely get up, you didn’t have the energy to even sit. Your mother brought you soup occasionally and stayed there, making sure you finished it to the last drop. She reassured you that it’s okay, to stay in bed and take your time to heal. She also told you to make time to walk around, talk to the workers in the house, or take a walk in the greenhouse, which you did when you could. Heartbreaks were never easy for you anyway.

Before you knew it, tonight was the night for the Annual Charity Ball. There you stood in front of the mirror in the Marchesa Crystal-Embellished Velvet Gown observing how the dress nestled against your body. You always wore expensive gowns like this, but you felt rather insecure for the first time in a while, maybe the reason was that you were finally home after years of never showing up and felt like you had to prove yourself.

Everyone was gathered in the dimly lit room, waves of laughter, and the clinking of champagne glasses filled the massive ballroom. One of the biggest events for the biggest international companies and here you were, not even reaching ten years of CEO experience and now forced to network with those that have been.

“You’re going to do fine,” Haewon rubs your back, “just don’t look intimidating and you’ll be fine,” she winks at you, but you playfully roll your eyes and push her towards the bar where she was already making her way.

A low voice clears behind you, “Ahem-”

You turn around to reveal an old friend, “Mark!” you jump into his arms, missing the embrace from him.

He pulls away from you with a bright smile shining on his face and carefully eyes you, “You look stunning tonight.”

“Wow,” you smiled, “you clean up very well, I must say Mr. Lee.” you gently punch his arm.

Mark playfully winces, but offers you his arm, “Come on, let me get you something to drink.” you happily take a hold of his arm as he leads you to the bar that was elegantly built, chandeliers decorating the area with white marble counters in addition to the handsome bartenders mixing the most luscious refreshments.

“I’ll have an Old Cuban please, and-” Mark glances at you, waiting for your answer.

“And I’ll have a Gin and Tonic, please.”

“Classy,” Mark cocks an eyebrow at you.

“Always have been.”

As you wait for your drinks, Mark and you take your time to catch up. The need to network and talk to others completely dissolves as you two catch up five years of each other’s lives. You avoid the opportunity to take another drink as Mark orders his second one, but time is lost when you two are immersed in each other’s stories. It makes you realize how much you’ve missed him and how much you missed everyone’s life when you left.

“So where have you been?” The burning question leaves his mouth and you hope that he’s too tipsy to even hear or wait for your answer.

“Just-” you hesitate, seeing his state of giggles and blushed cheeks, “around the globe, traveling here and there.”

Mark laughs and shakes his head, “No, but like, where have you been? You left without saying goodbye and you were gone for five years, y/n.” even though it held humor, you knew Mark enough to know he was being serious.

“I was...I was in-”

“Come on, why didn’t you tell me you were leaving? I thought we were friends.”

“We are Mark, we are!” you repeat to the male, “but I just needed to get away from all of this, I needed to leave.”

“Leave because of what? Because of Jaehyun?”

And like a fever dream, your eyes meet with the owner of the name. He’s across the ballroom, this time his gaze piercing through your chest. It’s intense and possessive, yet also holds a longing for you. A whispered gasp rolls from your throat and your eyes scatter anywhere on your lap, avoiding to look up.

“Y-yeah,” you stutter, “I have to go to the bathroom,” you leave a tipsy Mark behind as you race for the bathroom.

Dashing to the nearest bathroom, there’s a ring in your ear against the thumping in your heart, and it’s the only thing you can hear because it’s so loud. You push open the door and slam the stall door shut as you lean against the stone stall. You clutch your chest and play with your collar as you catch your breath, a gust of heat coating your body.

“Y/n?” It’s Haewon.

“Y-yeah?” your voice breaks.

“I saw you run in here, you okay, baby?” you can hear her voice becoming louder as the ring in your ears tunes out.

“I’m fine,” you slowly open the stall to see Haewon standing in front of you with a worried expression.

She gives you an absurd look, fully knowing that you are clearly not okay and she brings you into a hug. “Everything’s going to be okay. Do you want to leave? We can go back to your place and just hang out.”

Haewon’s offer sounds tempting, but you had to remind yourself you were here for a reason. You were here to talk and network, yet you let your emotions take over you. Once again. You give her a compassionate look, a small smile stretching your lips, “No, I’m okay now. Thank you for checking up on me, though. Let’s go,” you rub your forehead as she holds onto your hand, leading you back out to where everyone is.

Your eyes scan everyone in the room, seeing who’s here and who’s who, but they scan over certain someone. Someone who chased you away. Jung Jaehyun stood just a mere few feet away from you. His tall, lean physique would still tower over you if he came closer, his eyes still gleamed against the chandeliers, and he still looked handsome as ever. As soon as you see the familiar arms that belonged to the woman you saw at the store a couple days ago, wrap around his, you’re convinced that you’re just a distant memory for him now. You quickly turn your head, making sure to keep your chin lifted as you follow Haewon, who’s already talking to a bunch of businessmen. You step until you're beside her and join the conversation. Several of them were handsome, bachelors, some your age, a little older, and some a little younger.

They were all polite enough for you to jump in, they included you in their jokes, making you clutch your stomach in laughter. They were good at keeping your mind away from straying.

“So, Y/n,” Johnny Seo, a corporate bank owner speaks up, “how’s the CEO position of Audace treating you?”

“It’s great. You know life is kinda fun when you love what you do,” you reply, earning groans from a bunch of them.

“You’re lucky you were born into such a life like that,” a car enterprise CEO named Ten, speaks up.

You quickly laugh before the conversation turns into a serious one, “you’re always welcome to dream a life that you want if you have the drive for it.” You smile at him before turning your back and heading out to get air.

Outside the ballroom leads to a greenhouse, the lush trees and vibrant-hued flowers compliment the sunset that sits on the horizon outside of the warm, glass structure. Making your way on the stone steps that lead to the edge of the greenhouse that overlooks the city below you, you inhale a deep breath and slowly let it out as you gaze at the orange and pink sky.

“Stunning, isn’t it?” A voice expresses behind you.

“Yeah,” you simply reply before your eyes widen. You knew that voice, you could pick it up from anywhere at any time because it always brought you peace of mind.

The owner of the voice walks until he’s beside you, his body coming in your peripheral vision. At that moment, the familiar smell travels to your nostrils, the warmth from his body embraces your cold one, and that’s when you knew you had nowhere else to go.

“I was talking about you,” Jaehyun replied, his eyes glued to the view in front of him.

You slightly drop your head to the ground, staring at your shoes. There’s a dreading feeling that sits in your bones, anxious if he was going to ask you a series of questions of where you were or why you were gone for such a long time. You weren’t expecting him to approach you but little did you know, he’s been waiting all night to.

“Thank you,” you whisper, keeping your gaze stuck on your shoes. In the corner of your eye, you can see him shifting until he’s fully facing you, but you’re good at doing what you’ve been doing.

“Y/n, where have you been?” Jaehyun asks, his voice is tainted with sadness, yet tinted with a little bit of frustration. “You’ve been gone for five years and I haven’t seen you, talked to you ever since you left. You haven’t picked up any of my calls, you haven’t answered any of my texts. I know I blew up on you and we broke things off, but I-” he slightly pauses to calm himself down. You’re next to him, eyes on your expensive shoes and you look absolutely breathtaking to him. You haven’t aged one bit, you still look like your younger self when he met you, still youthful and beautiful. Like always, you were a literal angel. Instead of continuing to speak, Jaehyun clutched your shoulders and pulled you in his chest, tightly wrapping his arms around your frame.

You let out a surprised gasp when your body collided with Jaehyun’s. The tightness of his arms constricted you like he was trying to tell you to stay. He holds you in that moment, afraid to let you go, knowing that you weren’t going to come back for the next couple of years. Tears begin to grow in his eyes as he feels your arms wrap around his body, your gentle touch brings him to his knees, brings him to tears.

“Jaehyun, please,” you bleed, your voice broken.

He instantly pulls away to see you crying and brings his palms to your cheeks, “Please don’t cry.” he begs you because he knows that if he continues to watch you cry, he would also cry. “I didn’t mean it, I didn’t mean a word back then. I wanted to marry you, I still do. I just said those words out of anger and I know I shouldn’t have. I’m so sorry. Please, y/n, will you ever forgive me?”

“I’m sorry,” you cry out, closing your eyes, letting the tears stream down your face.

“Don’t,” he shakes his head, “I am. I am sorry,” a tear leaves the corner of his eye and he rests his forehead against yours, letting his emotions take over him.

You two stay like that for a bit, holding onto each other, basking in each other’s presence with the sun setting behind you. You gently pull away, holding onto his hands, the ones that became stronger over the past few years, the ones that always set your skin to flames.

“I’m sorry,” you repeat, looking at him with bloodshot eyes. Jaehyun gives you a questioning look, “but I have to go.” you bring his hands together, pressing them against your lips before you set them beside his side.

“Please don’t leave me again.” his voice cracks, his heart is unable to bare life without you again.

Your innocent eyes catch him and before you know it, Jaehyun’s proximity is so close you can feel his breath float on your lips. Functioning on your emotions, you close the distance, gently pressing your lips on his. And it’s like you haven’t forgotten the feeling of his lips, you’d never forget it whenever you kissed, it’s like water after a marathon. It’s like sleep after a hard day, it’s everything you’ve ever wanted. But you could no longer have this kind of luxury.

You cup his face, pulling yourself from his lips, “I’m sorry Jaehyun,” you give him a sad smile before backing away, leaving him once again, alone.

As Jaehyun watches you leave, he doesn’t chase after you. He knows you still love him and he still loves you, if fate allows it, you’ll come back. You always do.

Saying goodbye was harder than you thought, but it was the hardest with Jaehyun. You never said goodbye to him, you just left him there as you did before. You were always leaving, always shoving your emotions down, never facing them head-on.

Life wasn’t always easy, but you tried to make the most of it. You missed Jaehyun dearly, although there was a big part of your heart that longed for him and wanted to go back home to him, a larger part of yourself knew that your clocks were no longer in sync. You both have given each other love and growth and taught each other how to forgive, whether it was silent forgiveness or verbal. Every day you hope that you’d have the courage in yourself to let him back in your life, you know it’s there and you’re ready, you just needed the extra push.  

It’s been months since you returned home. The brisk, winter wind finally cooled you down whenever you opened your windows. The trees were a lush green, blooming with yellow flowers on the tips, and there were chatters from below your window. The people of Paris always loved coming out in the summer to attend the town marketplace, picking fresh produce and bundles of colorful bouquets to bring to their loved ones. Every Saturday you made sure to also go, it was a good way to make friends and grocery shop.

In your stay in Paris, you made a small group of friends. The five of them were always good at bringing you to tears with their jokes and spontaneous stories, it was like being a careless teenager again. Since everyone was always busy with their own lives, you guys made sure to schedule a time of the month to get dinner and catch up. Tonight was one of those nights. Since they’re more on the extemporaneous side, the reservations were always bounced around within the city, giving you the gift of tasting every fine cuisine. Tonight’s reservation was at the Le Jules Verne, the second floor of the Eiffel Tower. That place holds a special place in your heart, heck, this entire city did. You would be lying if you didn't miss Jaehyun every time you’d pass a place you passed long ago on your visit here with him.

“Hey! Y/n, you’re here!” Julian greets you from the table.

“Hi,” you hug her before sitting in your seat, “Adalene isn’t here yet?” you scan the seats as one sits vacant.

“No, you know how she is,” Estelle rolls her eyes from across the round table, “always late.”

“It’s okay, we’ll order wine first,” Diane chirps, raising her hand to the waiter.

You sit yourself down, shifting in your seat to make yourself comfortable. Conversations and giggles are exchanged from across the table, from the hottest gossip to old stories, everything was always such a good memory with these ladies. The food that was brought was slowly chomped down throughout the night, making the night go by a little faster than usual, but you weren’t complaining, you always had a good time with your friends, but something about this place just brought you nostalgia and slowed time down. After a while, the wine bottle was sipped and emptied, while blinded smiles were painted across everyone’s faces with a slight blush.

“Ma’am,” your waiter came to your side of the table.

“Yes?” You glance at him, with a questioning look, your eyes curiously staring at the beverage in his hand.

“The man from the bar brought your drink,” he nodded at the bar, but you were too busy already reaching for it and sipping it.

The glass of red wine looked all too familiar, you knew the texture of it, the smell, and the taste. You memorized on melancholy nights where you locked yourself in your apartment and looked at pictures of Jaehyun or read articles of him. It was the wine that you two had the first time you two came to Paris. It was always hard to forget several little puzzle pieces of him.

As your friends ogled at your bizarre behavior of quickly downing the drink, you finished it in a couple of gulps and set the glass down. Your eyes skimmed the bar, but no sight of Jaehyun was there. You sighed and excused yourself from the table, you were completely losing it that you needed to get fresh air. But as soon as you opened the doors to the balcony of the Eiffel Tower, there he was. His eye-catching self leaning over with his hands clasped before him.

Your forehead creased, “Jaehyun.”

He turned to you, and boy, was this man very dapper in his dark suit with his hair gelled back. You always loved that look on him and now that he’s illuminated in the moonlight, it was a sight you never thought you’d be able to see.  

“Love,” his nickname makes your heart skip a beat, “you got my drink?”

You nodded, slowly making your way to him, “what are you doing here in Paris?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” he mumbles under his breath, head falling forward following with a little chuckle, “but I think I know the answer.”

You stay silent beside him, looking at the dark sky that’s littered with stars. With Jaehyun by your side in Paris, it feels as if he’s always been here. It feels like your first time here with him again.

“Congratulations on your successes by the way,” he says, a sincere smile across his lips.

“Thank you, you too.” you return, “Being on Forbes list, especially. That’s a big achievement.”

“Thanks, it was hard after- all of that,” he implies to the incident of his father and how everything went crashing down after that.

“But hey-” you turn to him as he does the same to you, “-you did it. I always knew you could.”

Jaehyun smiles at you, “I got help too,” he whispers, fumbling with his fingers. He lets out a quiet chuckle, “I still am.”

“That’s good, I’m proud of you. I understand how helpful that can be, let me know if you need anything.” you silently say the last part, quietly shunning yourself because you haven’t been present in his life.

Jaehyun thanks you, but looks at you, his gaze peering at your face. Oh how much he’s missed seeing you, having you this close to him. “I’m still in love with you,” he blurts out. Your breath pauses as you turn his way. Your eyes scan his face and it tells you that he genuinely means it.  “And I mean it. There hasn’t been a day where I don’t miss you, where I love you less. Hell, having you not by my side makes me love you even more. It makes me crazy.” He confesses.

You’re dead frozen in your stance, the wind gushes through both of your hair, messing yours up more. Maybe this was a sign, a sign that the world is telling you that the time is now because a large part of yourself knows that if it’s not now, it’s never. The look on his face tells you how much love the man in front of you holds for you and you know that it’ll be there forever. There’s not a question of doubt that crosses his face and nothing will stop him from leaving because he knows you feel the same way. He almost knows you more than you.

“I love you, Jaehyun. I never stopped,” you reveal, your voice slightly breaking from the river of tears you were now producing.

Jaehyun brings you into a hug, his arms find his place around your body and it feels like the last puzzle piece has been placed. He sniffles with you in his arm, he’s dreamt of this moment every night. That you’d be back in his arms and that your love is still there for him. Feeling like this is almost too good to be true, Jaehyun pulls back to see you. Your makeup is almost smeared, but your eyes are delicate as he gazes into them.

Just as you felt the wind dance through your hair once again, Jaehyun pulls you to him, his lips settling on yours, letting the familiar feeling of comfort take over him.

(a/n: lol listen to kendrick lamar’s love [slow + reverbed] it’ll set the mood hehe)

You struggle to lock your apartment door as you both enter with fumbling feet, tangling your shoes with your fingers as it pleads to be taken off. Once the last shoe hits the ground, Jaehyun pushes you against the wall, fumbling with the buttons of your blouse as he sucks onto your bottom lip. You envelop your hands over his and put it on his chest to let him take his clothes off so you can take off yours smoothly. You can feel a small smile growing on his lips and you pull slightly back.

“I just can’t believe that you’re here with me right now,” he whispers against your lips.

“And I’m here forever,” you coo, reaching for his hand. You lead him to your bedroom, occasionally looking back at him to give him a sly smile. As soon as you’re about to turn the lights on, Jaehyun stops you.

“Leave them off, I love looking at you when the moonlight is shining on your glistening skin,” his voice lowers and it makes your legs go weak.

And just like that, clothes were shed like a second skin and now Jaehyun towered above you. What a wonderful sight to see after a few years. Your fingers trailed from his chest, down to his abdominals, feeling each straining muscle against your fingertips, until it was met with his manhood. Your eyes innocently glanced up at him when you gently grabbed his cock, pressuring the tip just a bit before bringing your hand to it, rubbing it in your palm.

“Oh, baby, you always know how to make me feel good,” Jaehyun lowers himself until he’s groaning in your ear.

You know you’re doing a pleasing job when you feel the tough grip on your hips and when the other hand comes to your core. Jaehyun lets out a little scoff when he realizes how wet you already were.

“You’re so wet,” he whispers in your ear.

“Only for y-you,” you stutter, “oh shit,” your back arches when Jaehyun plunges two fingers in without any warning. Both of your hands shoot up to hold onto his arms as he finds a quick pace for his fingers, occasionally circling his thumb on your clit.

“Baby, baby,” Jaehyun hums as he lowers himself onto his free elbow to litter you with hickies across your neck, later leading to your chest.

Everything is blurred and everything is going so fast, you’re almost convinced that this isn’t even happening, that this is just another dream of yours. You struggle to relax as Jaehyun stops in his tracks, which results in you shooting up to prop yourself on your elbows to only see Jaehyun lowering himself down to your dripping, wet core.

This is definitely not a dream. You let out a loud moan when Jaehyun presses his hot tongue against your core, letting his teeth gently nip at the lips of your pussy.

“Tell me, angel,” the vibrations of his voice shoots pleasure through your spine, “did you fuck anyone while you were here?” You wince when he doesn’t hear an answer from you and harshly pats your pussy. “I don’t like being ignored, you know that, don’t you?” a smirk stretches across his face seeing you sexually frustrated, but you persistently nod.

“I-I did,” you let out another wince when he carefully slaps it again. Jaehyun shakes his head, almost in disappointment, but you pay no attention to it because you’re so aroused at this point that you just need to feel him in you.

“Bad girl,” he shakes his head as he lowers himself back down. His hot breath fans across your clit, making you involuntarily clench around nothing, and Jaehyun notices it but shakes his head.

“Please,” you groan, your fingers tangling in his hair.

“So you’ve been a busy girl, huh?” He mumbles against your pussy.

“Yes, yes, I have been. I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” you’re in a frenzy. Five years and you haven’t felt his touch, at this point, you feel like he’s just mocking you at this point, “please let me feel you.”

The ability of his tongue is superior to every man you’ve decided to entangle yourself with, no one could match how well Jaehyun could make you feel. And tonight, you were ready to give all of you to him.

“J-Jaehyun,” you drag out, “I’m-”

“What do you want, baby?” Jaehyun asks, looking at you from below.

“E-eat me out.”

Jaehyun lifts himself until he’s hovering over you, there’s darkness in his eyes, foreshadowing that he won’t be gentle. “You have to ask nicely.” he snickers, bringing a hand down to rub your clit, fast.

Your eyes widen from the surprise feeling, a gasp comes out of your mouth and your back arches, your perking nipples touching his chest. Jaehyun seems to notice because he brings his other free hand and pinches it, rolling it between his fingers. You close your eyes, blinded by the feeling and the power he has over you. You’d let him ruin you any way he wants.

“Want...you to...eat. Me. Out, please, please, please,” you’re impatient as you finish your command, sounding snappy, but Jaehyun gives in because he enjoys how needy you sound.

He lowers himself until he’s face to face with your sex again, the wetness and clenching of it arouse him and he doesn’t hesitate to bring his mouth to it, instantly sucking your pussy. You release a loud whine, your hands shooting to his hair. You didn’t expect him to be so rough on you so soon. But he is and as he licks the wetness, drawing circles on your clit simultaneously.

“You taste so good, angel,” he coos, pulling away for a split second before lapping onto your sex again, this time thrusting his tongue in you. The feeling of his tongue fucking you has your stomach tightening, so close to snapping. He lets his tongue explore your walls as he pinches your nipples, forcing them to perk up more than they could.

Jaehyun knows you’re about to climax when your hips begin to rise and your legs start to close in beside his head, but knowing how sensitive you are, Jaehyun gently presses your hips down and pries your legs until they’re as far as your flexibility allows it to go before returning to his deed.

“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck,” you curse, sweat beading down your temple. Soon, your coil snaps and you’re shaking in Jaehyun’s grasps, but he gives you no time to come down from your high as he instantly thrusts his cock into you. You gasp, eyes widening as you hold onto him, your hands searching for any kind of leverage on him.

Jaehyun lowers his head into the crook of your neck, kissing it as he thrusts harshly against you. He hears your loud winces above him and he supports himself on his elbows, seeing tears on both sides of your face. “I can stop,” he whispers, afraid that he might’ve been overstimulating you too much.

You persistently shake your head, the pain is a bit overwhelming but the pleasure is worth it. “Please don’t,” you croak, bringing Jaehyun back down to you.

He fucks you like the angel you are, praises fumbling from his lips, “you’re so good, baby. You feel so fucking good.”; “No one feels good as much as you do.”; “God I fucking love you and your tight pussy.” praise after praise has you in a trance as he fucks you dumb.

Jaehyun pulls out and you whine from the empty feeling, cold air reaching your sensitive sex. But he lifts you by the hips, his grasp tight on you as he turns you over, lifting you until you’re on all fours. Jaehyun brings his hand hard on your ass, “promise me you won’t fuck anyone anymore unless he’s me,” he commands with a growl in his voice.

“I promise,” you whine, voice desert dry.

Content in your words, Jaehyun thrusts into you from behind. You let out an elongated cry, his tip reaching farther into you, hitting that sweet, sweet spot repeatedly. His grip on your hips tightens as you look forward to the bruises in your hips the next day.

“Oh baby, you feel so good,” Jaehyun hums, “still tight for me after all these years.”

You moan when he reaches for your breast, kissing your back in doing so. A moan escapes your throat, “only for you. Only for you,” you repeat, closing your eyes.

Jaehyun knows you’re dazed, your words are barely coherent, your pants are almost louder than your moans, and he knows you can barely hold yourself up, noticing at your shaking limbs. So, he wraps his arms around your hot, sweaty body and brings you up until your back is pressed against his chest. You groan from the new position that he puts you in, almost as satisfying as the previous one. Jaehyun gently kisses your shoulder and the place where it meets your neck while he rams into you, his actions contradicting. Nonetheless, it holds so much love. Vulnerable, naked bodies pressed together in the moonlight from Paris that illuminates your bedroom. You’re making love with the love of your life and how much of a roller coaster it took to finally get to this point.

“I love you,” you bring your hands around to his hair, combing your fingers through it, earning a groan from your tugging, “I love you so, so much. I love you and only you” you don’t know if your cry comes from the overwhelming feeling of your emotions or the fact that he’s vigorously ramming into you, reaching so far into you, making you feel like you could crumble in that instant.

“I’m close angel,” he moans in your ear.

“In me, come in me,” you beg, squeezing your eyes closed because you know you’re almost there too.

Jaehyun reaches down to your abused sex and draws circles around your sensitive bud, making you arch away from him, but he’s close to bringing you back to his sweating body. Soon you can feel that coil in your stomach snaps. Both of you let out a series of moans and curses and after staying like that for a bit, Jaehyun brings you down on the bed. He lays next to you catching his breath while holding you as you gasp for more, your body twitching from time to time as it calms down.

“You did well, my love,” he kisses your forehead, staying there for a few seconds, “and I love you too.”

Jaehyun doesn’t know whether or not you finally fell asleep, but he slowly pulls back to get a glance at you. In such a time like this, he thinks you’re absolutely beautiful, hair sticking out in various directions as some stuck to your forehead, your swollen lips that sit plumply on your face, the rare beads of sweat that sat on your temples, and the red flush that blushes your face. Everything about this, about you, is perfect for him. It’s a familiar feeling for him when he holds you, kisses you, makes love to you and it takes him a while until he finally realizes that you are his home.

You’re not sure what time it is when you wake up, but you know it must be around the early afternoon from the fresh sunlight that sneaks through your curtains. You remember the events from yesterday, going out to dinner with your friends, seeing Jaehyun, making love with Jaehyun and that’s when you feel the pair of arms around your waist move just a bit, which confirms that yesterday really wasn’t just another fever dream. With a smile on your face, you turn yourself until you’re facing him. What a beautiful man you managed to get involved with, again. You giggle a little bit when he stirs in his sleep, slightly pouting and you can’t help yourself but peck his lips a couple of times to wake him up.

Your fingers comb through his hair as he struggles to open his eyes, “Hey, sleepyhead,” you laugh.

“Good morning, my love,” whenever Jaehyun calls you that, it makes your heart flip. You felt ridiculous that such a word can make you feel like you're back in high school, experiencing your first, real crush.

“It’s the afternoon,” you mumble, reaching for your phone but he’s quick to wrap his strong arms around your body to keep you close to him.

It’s just like you never left like there wasn’t a whopping five years of nights where you missed being held by him. For you, everything fell back in place. For you, it felt like you were finally back home.

“Hey,” Jaehyun clears his throat and you back away because for a split second you could hear the hesitation in his voice.

“Yeah?”

With those dark chocolate orbs of his, Jaehyun looks down at you and you’ve never felt more alive in your years of living. He was only two years older than you, and you’re both still considered young, but he’s convinced that you’re the love of his life. You hope that what he says is something good, because after all of this, what would be the point?

“Will you marry me?”

You shot back, completely shocked with your mouth opened and your eyes wide. You really weren’t expecting such a proposal so soon, especially after seeing him for the first/second time in five years. You’re taken aback and completely speechless, you’re stunned and you think you’re losing it until Jaehyun calls out your name.

“Yes,” you reply, “yes, yes, yes!!! Let's get married!” You gleam, wrapping your arms around his neck to pull him in for a tight embrace.

Jaehyun pulls away from your waist and gives you a sincere look, “I know it’s not the ideal proposal, but I promise when we get back home, I’ll do it right. I’ll do everything right this time,” he declares.

“Oh honey,” you cup his cheek, “there’s nothing you did wrong, we all make mistakes and go through hard times. I’m just glad it all led me back to you.” you lean forward to kiss his forehead as he embraces you again.

It’s time, you were finally getting married to Jaehyun. And for real this time, no contract, no business, just love.

“By the power given to me, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may now kiss each other. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my honor to present for the first time, Mr. and Mrs. Jung!”

Cheers throughout the venue fades as Jaehyun leans into your lips, a smile adorning his face as he places a gentle kiss on your lips. Flower petals are thrown in the air and smiles are exchanged between each side of the family.

And after the reception, dinner, first dance, cutting of the cake, bouquet tossing, and after everything fate has put you through, everyone bids you goodbye as you and Jaehyun run out of the reception hall. With the sparklers in their hands, complimenting the sunset in front of you, the cheers of encouragement sing through your ears as Jaehyun opens the car door for you. As he gets in, he gives you a teasing chaste kiss, before waving off to everyone and riding into the sunset.

You always had faith in fate, each decision has its own consequences and leads you on different paths. You often think to yourself if you had chosen a different path, where would it lead you? Would it lead you to the same ending? Or would you end up in a different place? And would the person you love the most be there? Yes. The answer is yes, wherever you go, you’re convinced Jaehyun will always be there. He will follow you like the sun and the moon, he will love you like how the moon leaves to let the sun breathe. Jaehyun will love you to the best of his abilities because you taught him to love himself. He’s almost convinced that you saved his life and he couldn’t be more grateful to have someone like you by his side.

Life was always good at never going the way you wanted it to. Like your mother said, “life isn’t fair,” yet at the time she said it, you were too young and only took it as a grain of salt. Little did you know, the world will throw you in several different directions, the world will bash you, judge you, and sometimes make you feel like it hates you. But when you find love, kindness, and forgiveness within yourself and others, everything that brought darkness will complement the light, showing how sometimes bad things happen so you can grow. Life is hard and no one said it was going to be easy, but right now, life is good. Life is great when you’re with Jung Jaehyun.

Fin.

[weirdkpopgirl]

Protect Her | pt. 3

Title: Protect Her (pt.3)

Genre: Romance, Angst

Warnings: slight swearing, mentions of abuse

Word Count: 1753

Author’s Note: I’m sorry it too so long for me to post the final part to this >~<. I think the ending is a little cheesy, but I still hope you guys liked it. Thank you for reading.

━━━━━━━━┛ ✠ ┗━━���━━━━━

“Are you thinking about Y/n again?” Sunghoon caught the male zoning out for the nth time today. 

Jay’s head turned to see the teasing look his friend was giving him, “What? No, I’m not!”

“Uh-huh,” Jake said, clearly not convinced. “You were totally thinking about her, weren’t you?”

“I’m just worried okay?” Jay said in exasperation.

About a week passed since Y/n and Jay last talked. But it wasn’t like they interacted with each other daily. The only difference was that Jay couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“You never cared about me before. So don’t start acting like you do now.”

At first, Jay was angry when she said that to him. He contemplated whether he should just give up if she was going to be so stubborn in refusing his help. But after thinking about it, he realized that the girl had a point. He usually never took a second thought when it came to Kim Y/n. But now, things felt different to him. Maybe he always cared about her, and he just didn't want to admit it.

“Why? Did something happen to her?” Sunghoon asked.

Jay got up from his seat and started to pace, “It's that Jungwoo guy...he isn’t good news.” 

“Well he did seem kind of a jerk,” Jake agreed.

Sunghoon asked, “But why do you care? I thought you hated Kim Y/n.”

“I do it's just… I don’t know anymore,” Jay’s voice trailed off. “Ugh! I swear I’m going crazy!”

He had never felt such frustration before. Why did he feel like this? Why couldn’t he get her out of his head?

“Maybe you like her,” said Jake. Jay scoffed in response to his friend’s ridiculous suggestion.

“Like her? Yeah, right.”

Sunghoon smirked at his friend, “Yep you definitely like her. Denial is the first stage.”

Jay groaned in frustration. Kim Y/n was his rival and only his rival. Nothing more and nothing less. Whatever was happening between her and Jungwoo was her problem, not his. He didn't have to meddle in their relationship.

At least, that’s what he kept telling himself.

~ ~ ~

After that, Jay didn’t bother to talk to Y/n again. That was until their senior school trip came about. No matter how hard he tried to ignore her, he kept getting anxious whenever he saw Y/n. It seemed every time, there was a new bruise she was trying to hide. 

The buses had arrived at the school, ready to take the students. Y/n nervously walked down the aisle and almost jumped when she felt a hand grab her wrist.

“Y/n-ah, sit by me,” Jungwoo said. He was wearing a smile, but she could hear the warning laced in his tone.

These past days, she had been trying her best to avoid seeing him. The last thing she wanted was to spend a bus ride with him. Y/n bit her lip nervously, knowing that she didn’t have much of a choice though.

Suddenly another hand wrapped around her wrist. Y/n turned in surprise to see Jay with a teasing look.

“Sorry, she’s sitting by me today,” He said to Jungwoo, “I need someone to annoy.”

He didn’t even let Jungwoo talk and brought Y/n to the back of the bus. He didn’t care if the jerk was shooting daggers at the back of his head.

“Yah, why did you do that?” Y/n asked when they sat down.

Jay didn’t look at her, “Don’t think much of it.”

“I don’t understand you, Park Jongseong,” She crossed her arms, “All these years you’ve hated me, and now you’re doing confusing things like this.”

Jay scoffed, “Is that what you think? That I hate you?”

“Was I supposed to think otherwise?”

“I never hated you, Kim Y/n,” He said.

Y/n was baffled. Why was Jay acting like this all of a sudden? In the past, he had never bothered to spare a glance at her. When he pulled her aside that night, Y/n thought he was just pulling some trick. 

The rest of the bus ride was silent between the two. They were both stuck in their troubling thoughts. 

By the time it was dinner, Y/n looked away from the grill to see Jay who was with his friends. She still couldn’t fathom his actions.

“I never hated you, Kim Y/n.”

Y/n shuddered at the flashback of his words. She didn’t expect to ever hear those words from him. Ever since she could remember, Jay showed nothing but irritation toward her. So why was he trying to be nice now?

“Y/n-ah?” one of her friends nudged her, “You keep zoning out.”

“Huh? Oh sorry,” She smiled sheepishly.

Frustration filled inside of her. Why couldn’t she get Jay out of her head? 

Eventually, Y/n separated herself from the others and took a walk. She hated how Jay kept lingering in her thoughts. He never had before. So why now? Why did she feel so flustered?

“There you are,” a voice snapped her out of her thoughts.

Y/n froze when she saw Jungwoo approaching her with a smirk.

“Did you think you could avoid me forever?”

“Jungwoo I-”

She was stopped by a hard slap to the face.

Tears welled up in her eyes from the sting of his hit. Before she could raise her hand to soothe her inflamed cheek, Jungwoo grabbed her by the hair. A yelp escaped her. 

“Be honest Y/n. You’re seeing Jay behind my back, aren’t you?” He snarled.

“What? No, I...I would never!” She stammered. 

She tried to pull away from Jungwoo’s grip. But he was too strong for her.

“Oppa, please st-stop this!” 

But Jungwoo only seemed amused by her weakness. He raised his fist to strike again. Y/n closed her eyes, waiting for him to hit.

“Yah!”

She opened her eyes again to see an angry Jay rushing towards them. He went towards Jungwoo and punched him. Y/n stepped back and gasped in surprise.

Jungwoo scowled and grabbed Jay by the collar, “Yah, who do you think you are?”

“Guys stop-” Y/n tried to interfere. But Jungwoo pushed her away.

Jay gritted his teeth, “You bastard! Who are you to hit her?”

“She’s mine. I can do whatever the hell I want to her,” Jungwoo rammed his fist into Jay’s jaw.

Jay stumbled back, and Jungwoo kicked him to the ground. Y/n couldn’t watch as Jungwoo beat him up. She clenched her fist, feeling adrenaline rush through her. 

Before Jungwoo could hit him again she screamed, “STOP!”

The two boys turned to look at her. Y/n harshly pulled Jungwoo off and helped Jay get up.

“What? So you’re taking his side now? He’s the one who hit me first!” Jungwoo said.

She shook her head, “I can’t...I can’t do this anymore. We’re done, Jungwoo.”

“Ha, do you think it’s that easy to break up with me?” Jungwoo ridiculed, “What will your parents say?”

“I don’t care what they say. I’m not going to let you hurt me anymore,” Y/n said, “We’re done.”

She grabbed Jay’s hand and led him away from Jungwoo. When they were far away, she stopped to see Jay’s injuries.

“Aish you’re bleeding,” she saw his bleeding lip. 

Jay reached to touch his wound, “It doesn’t hurt that much.”

“Liar,” She muttered and forced him to sit on the bench, “Sit here, I’m going to get a first aid kit.”

Jay didn’t say anything when she came back. He sat quietly and watched as she carefully tended to his wounds. He had never seen her so concerned before.

“Don’t look so sad Y/n-ah,” he told her. But the guilty look in her eyes didn’t leave. 

She gently pressed an ice pack on his jaw, “I’m sorry. You wouldn’t have gotten hit if it weren’t for me.”

“It’s not your fault,” Jay awkwardly patted her shoulder to comfort her. 

Y/n partially smiled at his actions. There was a short silence that followed after. The two were trying their best not to get too flustered around each other. Y/n had never been so up close to him before. Jay hoped she couldn’t hear how his heart rate had sped up.

“I’m glad you broke up with him,” He said quietly.

Y/n sighed, “I think that’s something I should’ve done a long time ago.”

“I couldn’t stand the way he treated you,” Jay shook his head. 

“Jay-ah, can I ask you something?”

“Go ahead.”

Y/n paused for a moment before speaking, “Why...why did you stand up for me? I mean you’ve always acted as you hated me. So I don’t understand what changed.

“You know I asked myself that same question,” Jay chuckled. “But I came to a realization.”

“And what was that?”

The lightheartedness in his eyes dimmed. Suddenly the mood between the two teenagers became a lot more serious. So serious that it made Y/n feel like she had to hold her breath.

“I like you Kim Y/n,” he finally said.

The hand she was using to ice Jay’s wound dropped to the side and her eyes gaped at him for several seconds.

“What did you say?”

Jay ran a hand through his hair nervously, “It’s just I realized that I hate seeing you hurt and I tried...I tried to deny it for so long. But I don’t want to anymore, Y/n-ah. I don’t care if our parents are enemies, I want-”

He was cut off when he felt her soft lips meet his. Her hands had taken hold on the front of his hoodie and there was so much sweetness in her kiss. Then before Jay could properly process what was happening, she pulled away with a deep shade of pink dusted on her cheeks.

“Sorry, it was just...” She said breathlessly. “You were talking too much.”

Jay stared at her in awe. A part of her was saying that she shouldn’t just jump into another relationship. But being with Jay just felt right to her.

“I...I like you too,” She looked at the ground shyly.

That was all Jay needed to hear before he leaned in to kiss her properly this time. He wasn’t going to fight his feelings for her anymore. He wasn’t going to let anyone hurt her anymore. Now, he was going to protect her.

━━━━━━━━┓ ✠ ┏━━━━━━━━

[alwaysahiccupandastrid]

His Dark Materials - Season 2 Episode 5 (rambles)

I only realized last week, there’s only 7 episodes this series because the eighth would have been the Asriel centric one. So only two left now after tonight! :(

Also I finished the book during the last week so I am so READY

Ahh gotta love that London traffic!

I don’t know why but the Golden Monkey wearing a seatbelt SENT ME

Mrs Coulter is watching the mother and baby :(

Boreal saying that our world is barbaric and our world is corrupt is so accurate tbh I’m not even mad

Will literally just threw the knife into the wall omfg watch it!

Red PAN-da is becoming a permanent fixture in this show apparently

Lyra’s hair was so pretty this episode? Her costume too obviously but her hair had me in awe

The theme music to this show gives me literal chills

Boreal is evil but his house is A-fucking-plus

Okay but how does Ruth Wilson always look so gorgeous and fluid in this show?!?

Her faking nearly dropping one of Boreal’s precious collection pieces and him panicking 😅

Mrs Coulter’s little “hmm” and smile... we love a Queen

“Why are we whispering?” “I don’t know” - LMFAO

“Will, you left the window open” - LMAO and also please don’t do that, that’s like one of the BIG rules about the knife!

“He’s getting good at this” “he is” - we love a supportive feral wild girl and her dæmon

Mrs Coulter looking bored as fuck as Boreal plays his music is such a damn mood

“You’d like it here too” - Umm NO STOP PLEASE SHE DOESNT WANT IT

“Carlo, can you make that stop?” - OMG 🤣

“You’re far too conspicuous like that” - but she’s not??? She just looks like a posh well dressed woman, maybe that’s not common in this world but she looks fine??

Boreal picking out clothes he’s obviously got just for her is... eww. Just ewww.

Her reaction to the jeans/clothes though XD

“Would you mind?” - YEAH BOREAL STOP CREEPING AND FUCK OFF PLEASE

“Maybe it’s time we issue a firm denial of the tear in the sky” BRO IT’S LITERALLY HUGE AND RIGHT THERE YOU CAN’T PRETEND IT AIN’T

Oh shit the Magisterium know about that witches going to the new world + the massacre

MacPhail literally imprisoned Father Graves and for WHAT?! I think the power’s getting to him (which I know it the point but still!)

MRS COULTER SHUT THE DOOR ON HER DÆMON I’M-

Okay so I know it’s been implied/said that Mrs Coulter can go far away from the monkey already, and that they maybe have been through some kind of process that’s made that a thing, but like DAMN.

“I’m sure you’ve encountered witches in your travels” - if I hadn’t already read the books, I would be asking if she IS a witch tbh like omg

This is probably one of the few times I’ll say this but... I feel so sorry for the monkey?? Just him watching her as she leaves from the window... like that’s so sad. I get why she couldn’t exactly walk around with a monkey but urgh

“I apologize if she was a nuisance” “She wasn’t a nuisance!” - Oof you tell her, Mary

“You must be so proud.” “... I am.” - OOF

Mary showing that she’s better fit to be a parent to Lyra than Lyra’s real mother tbh

Damn Marisa disappeared FAST

Mary really googled Mrs Coulter I’m-

“You must play the serpent” “hornbeam” “save the girl and the boy” - IT’S HAPPENING IM GOING TO CRY IM SO EXCITED

The computer turning completely off and the room going dark before going red OH MY GOD

“Oh shut it, Pan” - LMAO

OH NO OH NO ANGELICA FOUND TULLIO AND SHE IS PISSED D:

A+ acting from Bella Ramsay by the way

“We WILL get you” - OH SHIT

The fact that Will feels guilty over fighting and inadvertently getting Tullio attacked by spectres because he has the knife :’(

It’s so sweet to see Lyra and Pan comforting him though

“I’m not judging” - Mary’s sister says while totally judging her for reading the Holy Bible. She probably thinks she’s about to rejoin the convent!

I find the relationship between Marisa and the monkey so interesting?? I’m so intrigued by it

“Do they drink in this world?” “That, they do well.” - LMFAO ACCURATE THOUGH

“I found her arrogant, like many women in this world.” - umm, FUCK you, Boreal you misogynistic sexist piece of shit

So Mrs Coulter was denied a doctorate despite being the best in her class because she’s a woman, and they would only have published her papers if they were by a man. I’m starting to see why she got upset when she met Mary, who’s got her own office and a doctorate and is head of the department/project

“Who I could have been in this world” - oh shIT

The way she started talking about how she felt after the whole affair/baby ordeal, followed by “we’re not talking about Asriel, we’re talking about ME” - FUCK. I love Ruth Wilson’s portrayal, I love it

“You’ve spent your time trading trinkets” - lmfao you tell him ma’am

“Were you hoping to add me to your little collection?” “I was hoping this would be a life for you here” - oh god I hate it, fuck right off Carlo

“If you got me, you wouldn’t even begin to know what to do with me” - oh SHIT :O

Lyra turning up to distract them so Will could have the chance to cut a window and steal the Alethiometer had me on the edge of my seat

Let’s be real right now, the whole last 15 minutes? THE MOST TENSE AND INCREDIBLE PIECE OF TELEVISION ASDFGHJKL

Mrs Coulter’s face when she saw Lyra at the door :’(

Also she nearly saw Will and I was sitting there praying she wouldn’t find him, I was so worried even though I’ve literally just reread the book

So um THE FUCKING MONKEY BASTARD JUMPSCARED ME AND I AUDIBLY YELLED SO LOUDLY HOLY HECK

The way that Lyra saw her mum and immediately tried to run away though, she just keeps trying to yeet herself away from her parents and I honestly don’t blame her at all

Boreal was being truly extra in the way he dropped his snake dæmon out of his sleeve like that whilst advancing on Will

“Why would I trust you?” TRUTH

Coulter saying for Lyra to stay away from Will and getting super teary eyed makes me think she’s worried Lyra will suffer like she did? Like she’s worried that Lyra will suffer at the hands of men and be in the same situation she was I think? And that’s so sad but nuanced

“I am NOTHING like you.”

So Lyra did this little head move like Marisa did in 1x02, when she made the monkey attack Pan to subdue Lyra - AND THEN PAN ATTACKED THE MONKEY JUST LIKE THAT, LITERALLY EXACTLY THE SAME, AND MRS COULTER FALLING TO THE FLOOR AND CLUTCHING THE SOFA LIKE LYRA DID?? AND LYRA WATCHING WITH THIS COLD LOOK ON HER FACE?!

SOMEONE PLEASE MAKE A COMPARISON GIFSET BECAUSE IM CRYING

I love Will getting mad at Boreal taunting him over his mum, and immediately starting to punch him

HE SMASHED THAT COLLECTION PIECE ON BOREAL’S HEAD FUCK YEAH WILL 👏🏻

That was a DAMN close escape, holy fuck, but she’s got the Alethiometer back!

“The man who hurt you, I wanted to kill him” - same Lyra

I was so emotional when she was talking about how Marisa used her dæmon to hurt her and Pan, and Will saying that he’s never worried about his mum hurting him... the comparison is so sad

“I hope I’m not like either of my parents” - I mean I don’t blame her tbh

SHE CONSIDERED MA COSTA AND LEE SCORESBY TO BE BETTER PARENT FIGURES TO BE LIKE I’M CRYING

So Mrs Coulter is definitely planning some shit, like she didn’t seem that concerned when Boreal was talking about the Spectres, and like obviously I know what happens but I’ve always been intrigued as to why the Spectres listen to her instead of just attacking her. Also is it something to do with her dæmon? Like if they ARE separated in some way, maybe the Spectres don’t feed on her because it’s Dust or something? (Idk if that makes any sense)

“Deceive the guardian... okay... okay...” honestly same XD

Mary pretending to be Mrs Coulter to get past the guard is such a brilliant idea, like she just ran with it immediately, we have to stan a Queen who keeps a calm head

SHE WENT THROUGH THE WINDOW AND INTO THE CITY AAAAHHHH

The angels said they’d protect her, right? So she doesn’t need to fear the Spectres I’m assuming (I need to assume or I’ll worry)

The promo for next week was literally half what we saw THIS week and half Lee/John Parry footage I’m assuming is next week... ?

The fact there’s only two episodes left makes me so sad :( I have no idea what I’ll do waiting for the final series - and I’m assuming it’ll be delayed maybe because of Covid. Plus I’m hoping we get the extra episode NEXT series, the one that was Asriel-centred and supposed to be in this one but wasn’t filmed because of Coronavirus, so fingers crossed! 🤞

[mudhornchronicles]

dreamboat | greaser!frankie morales | part one

pairing: francisco “catfish” morales x reader; greaser!frankie x reader

warnings: smoking, drinking, swearing, lewd comments, mentions of racism.

a/n: We got ourselves a series, ya’ll. I cannot wait until chapter 2. I present to you – Greaser!Frankie Morales

masterlist

You gently close the door as your mother leans over to wind down the passenger side window. “You will be fine, sweetheart. It is absolutely normal to feel nervous! It is your first day after all.”

You nod and feel your tied hair bound up and down. The white ribbon falls on your cheek and you push it back. “I understand, mother. It’s just different than my previous school, that’s all.”

“And they taught you how to be a lady, did they not? You are properly educated, unlike these individuals. Now smooth your skirt down before it wrinkles. First impression matter, correct? I will see you after school. I love you!”

You tell your mother you love her too as you smooth down your white full-circle skirt and adjust your two notebooks on your arm. You wave a goodbye to your mother and watch as she drives her 1953 pastel yellow Pontiac your father had gifted her for her birthday.

You turn and take a good look at your new school and you immediately feel out of place. The cream-colored cement building looks old, but the lawn looks taken care of. The sounds of revving engines and the smell of cigarette smoke abuse your ears and nose. You are most definitely not used to those aspects of the place. Your old school was strict about noises and smells. The only smell they wanted lingering the air was that of perfume and the sound of the girls talking about the school curriculum.

What you see here would give the mistresses a stroke. You see couples shoving their tongues down each other’s throats, students smoking on campus, hot rods racing up and down the streets, and the boys throwing such obscene comments. As you walk up the path towards the building’s entrance, your eyes fall upon a group of five boys whose comments make a chill run up your spine.

“Hey paper shakers,” one calls out. “Why don’t cha shake those pom poms over in this direction? I’ll give ya somethin’ good to cheer about!” The guys snicker to each-other as Benny jokingly thrusts at the cheerleaders. The group hollers at the cheerleaders as they shout insults at the boys and run into the school’s building. You notice that four of them continue to laugh and yell other comments at the athletes, but the fifth just looks around and appears to shy away from joining his friends.

Dressed in black jeans, a white tee, and a worn black leather jacket, Frankie tries to hide away from his brothers’ banter. He never understood why they talk to betties the way they do and then complain that they don’t have a doll around their arm. Pope seems to be the one who is a bit like him, but that’s only because he’s felt the uncomfortableness on the receiving of impudent comments. Being Latino in this town wasn’t the most welcoming while growing up. His family was always met with derogatory comments just because of their appearance. He never understood why people thought it was okay to jump his father every other night on his way back home from work. He never understood why his mother was always denied jobs because she had an accent. He never understood why he rarely had friendships that lasted because their parents said that they couldn’t hang out with the “brown boy.”

Once he grew up, he understood what the concept of racism was. When he met Santiago, or Pope as Frankie called him, he learned that Santiago’s family left his town because they were threatened and when they wouldn’t leave, their house was broken into. The pair soon became best friends and were able to fight off their bullies with each other’s help.

Frankie had never been one to initiate a fight, but he would be the one to end it. Benny was always the fighter. Whether it was his battle or not, he would always be up to throw the first punch. When they made it to freshman year, the boys decided it would be best to create a group of friends that they could lean on when times got tough and to their luck, they met the Miller brothers, Will and Benny, and Tom, also known as Redfly.

You took a deep breath and clutched your books to your chest. You slowly walked up the stairs and as you revert your eyes down to the floor as you tried not to bump into someone and walked past the group – that was until you heard “hey there doll face, where’d you come from?”

You look up to see a tall blonde, younger than the other blonde, snicker at himself and wink at you. You look around to make sure the comment was directed at you and the group laughs. “Yeah, I’m talkin’ to ya sweetheart. I’m guessin’ yousa newbie?” You widen your eyes and steadily nod.

One of the brunettes steps up to you, takes his toothpick out his mouth and replaces it with a cigarette. He takes a deep inhale and blows the smoke in your face. You wave you hand in front of your face and cough as he lets out a laugh. “You that chick that escaped Saint Catherine’s?”

You shrug and nod once more, but with a grimace etched on your face. He raises his cigarette back into his mouth and puts his hand out to you for a handshake – you reciprocate the handshake.

“The name’s Tom, but you, pretty lady, can call me Redfly. Those two over there is Benny and his brother Will. This one behind me,” he points towards one of the two other brunettes, “this one’s Santiago, but call him Pope. You’re familiar with those religious names, right?” This comment earns him an eye roll from you, but it also earns him a scoff from the final member of his little clique.

Tom turns around and looks at his friend. “You trynna say somethin’, ‘Fish?” The brunette smirks and shakes his head. Tom lets out a “hmph” and nods. “This one’s Frankie. We call him Catfish because he may seem like a kicked puppy dog, but the guy can fuck someone up if he really gotta.” You nod and look over to Frankie and find that he’s already looking at you.

You notice just how right Tom was when he described Frankie as a puppy dog. Frankie’s eyes are brown deep-set eyes are captivating. His lips are pink and plush – making you want to give him a big ol’ kiss. His rugged hair calls out to your hands to run your fingers through it. You suddenly lost the ability to speak, so you resulted in clumsily wave a hello, but resulting in your books falling to the ground.

You began to kneel over to pick them up, but a hand stopped you from doing so. Frankie bent over to pick up your things, dusted them off, and handed them to you. What you didn’t see was the boys smiling at seeing their brother be dumbstruck over a girl.

You took your books back with a shy thank you to Frankie and him saying “no problem.” He caught sight of your schedule you received in the mail the day prior and smiles to himself.

“I see you have World History first. Is it with Robinson? May I?” He puts his hand out for your schedule that is taped on the front of your notebook. You pass him your blue notebook and he starts to analyze your schedule. Once he’s satisfied, he gives you back your notebook. “I have classes near yours. I can walk you if you’d like?” Before you’re given the opportunity to answer, Frankie’s friends burst out into laughing fit so loud, the students passing by look over to see the cause of the sound – looking right back to where they were when they see who it was.

“Whatcha gonna do, ‘Fish?” Will teases, “gonna take the new girl on a grand tour of the school? She don’t look the type to give it up behind the bleachers, pal.” Frankie turns red and stutters his denial of the accusation. The boys laugh at him as he nervously tugs on his leather jacket.

“I’d love if you would, Frankie. I haven’t a clue where I’m going, and I really don’t want to get lost on my first day.”

“Yeah, sure. That’s cool.” Frankie nods and stuffs his hands in his pocket.

“Ya might wanna go now, ‘Fish. Princess here ain’t gonna wanna be late,” Tom teases. Tom nudges his head towards the other side of the building. “Let’s go Bandits. Teach’ aint gon’ misses us too much. We’ll see ya in a bit, Frankie.” The boys walk away with Pope and Will giving Frankie a pack on the back with a chuckle – leaving you and Frankie alone on the steps.

“Are they not going to class? It’s the first day and they’ll make a bad impression on their first period instructor.” You ask. You wonder why the boys wouldn’t go to their homeroom, especially being the first day of class.

“They’ll get there… eventually. We can go though. I don’t wanna make ya late or anythin’.” He gestures for you to start walking in front of him, but you won’t walk until knowing something first.

“Frankie, will you be going to homeroom? They said they would see you in bit. Are you just taking me to my classroom and skipping your first period?”

Frankie gets red and shakes his head furiously. “Nah, I ain’t those idiots. My parents would flip their shit if I had to retake a year.” You smile up at him and nod. You reach out to take his arm, as your old school taught you a gentleman should, and were shocked when Frankie pulled away as you touched his arm.

“Sorry, doll. Didn’t mean to scare ya.”

“I was just taking your arm, is all.” You cocked your head to the side. Every man you’d been escorted by has always given you their arm.

It was his turn to act confused. He knew exactly what you were doing and why, but he had a reputation to uphold and it wasn’t him being a gentleman. “What does that mean? Whatcha takin’ my arm for, doll?”

“Nevermind. Shall we?”

Frankie leads you into the crowded building. Students were running everywhere, and voices drowned the pair of you. He takes you to the second level of the building and leads you down the hall and taking a sharp left. You’re a bit lower than he is, but with each step, you start to really get a good luck at the back design on his jacket.

“What does Bandits mean?” Frankie turns around and by instinct, looks at the back of his jacket.

“It’s our group. Call ourselves The Bandits,” he says with “The Bandits” in air quotations.

You stifle a giggle, and he smiles showing of his dimple on his right cheek.

“Yeah, Pope came up with it. I just ran with it.”

“Do you steal?”

“Nah. Pope just thought it sounded cool. Redfly wanted the name “The Unarrestables,” but got arrested two weeks later for mailboxing 7 blocks.” You let out a loud laugh, covering your face with your notebooks, and Frankie looks over at you and smiles. He hasn’t been able to laugh the way he just did in a long time. As you share a funny story about your former mistress skirt being caught in a window, the two of share more laughs as you ultimately arrive at your homeroom’s door.

“Here we are. Room 249… World History with Lloyd Robinson. I’ll come back for you after class to take you to second period. That cool with ya?” You smile and nod. You’re a bit sad that you made it so soon, but quickly disappears when he mentions coming back for you.

“That sounds great, Catfish. Thank you very much.” He lets out a chuckle and nods at you.

“You can call me Frankie. I like the way you say it, doll.” Just as he starts to walk away, a voice makes him freeze in place and slowly turn back around.

“Mister Morales, will you not be joining us today or is your cigarette of much more importance?”

“Mister Robinson. How’s the new kid?” Frankie nervously scratches the back of his head.

“Frankie, get in this classroom or you’ll receive a failing grade starting now.” Mister Robinson gives you a warm smile in comparison to his frown towards Frankie and goes back into the classroom.

“Wait a minute. You have the same homeroom as I do? You said yours was near!”

He sighs and holds his hands up in surrender. “I guess I’ve been caught. We have the same classes, lucky you.”

“But this is AP World History.”

“Just because the guys I run with don’t give a shit, don’t mean I don’t either.”

You stand in front of him and cross your arms underneath your breasts – eyes narrowed and staring into his. “You are just full of surprises aren’t you, Frankie Morales.”

He looks deep into your eyes and smirks. He adjusts his jacket and runs a hand in his hair. He reaches for the handle and opens the door open for you. 

“Ladies first, doll.”

[itsadamcole]

fix you

fem!reader x finn balor

(requested) reader loses someone really close to her and Finn is the only one who can "fix her" ...

word count: 2.3k+

warnings: mentions of someone dying, the grieving process, crying, upset!reader

— this is based on “fix you” by coldplay. thank you to anonymous for requesting this. it’s one of my favorite things i’ve ever written —

masterlist || request an imagine here

***

The first feeling you felt was numbness. It didn't seem real when your brother called you to tell you the news. You couldn't believe what your brother was telling you. It was shocking and very unexpected.

"Y/N, Mom and Dad were hit by a drunk driver," your brother said to you over the phone. "They went to the hospital but they didn't make it. They're gone."

The funeral was the same day that you had an opportunity for the NXT Women's Championship so you couldn't go, but you won the title. Nothing felt any different. You didn't feel happy or in a celebratory mood. Yeah, maybe you felt borderline content with winning the title, but it didn't help you feel better like you thought you would. You put on a fake smile but cried real tears that day. The confetti fell, everyone was celebrating, and all you wanted was to see your parents' faces in the crowd. They weren't there.

It's been a week since you won the title, and you're still in denial about your brother's call. You've tried calling your parents' phones, hoping they'd answer. You only spoke to their voicemails. You just wanted to hear their voices. It had been a few weeks since you last talked to them, and you wish you talked to them more recently.

You've pushed all your friends away since you've tried to cope with your parent's deaths. You've been so tired, but you haven't been able to sleep at night. Non-stop tears streaming down your face for days, maybe even weeks. You don't even know.

What am I supposed to do when I lose something I can't replace? you think to yourself every night when you lay in bed. The thoughts constantly ring through your mind when you're trying to sleep. Does it get worse than this? Can you handle it if it does get worse than this?

One of your friends, well your boyfriend, asked you if he could come to your apartment today. You told him he can come over. You saw him the day you won your title but you haven't seen anyone in days

You've been hiding out in your apartment, barely eating and not showering. You haven't had any motivation to do anything. Your little one-bedroom apartment is a disaster. Clothes are thrown everywhere in your room, the living room is covered in trash and glasses, and the dishes are piling up in the sink. The title lays on the arm of one of the chairs in the living room.

At almost one in the afternoon, there's a light knock on your apartment door. You get up, brushing your hair out of your face and wiping the tears away that have stained your cheeks. You unlock the door and open it.

Finn Balor stands at your front door in his signature black leather jacket, a black t-shirt, and jeans. He's holding a bouquet of flowers, a bag with snacks, and an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts. The tears start again at the kind gesture. "Finn," you cry, walking toward him and hugging him.

"Don't cry," Finn coos. "Come on, let's go dig into these snacks, yeah?"

Nodding, you let Finn walk into the dark apartment. The curtains are all closed, making it darker in the apartment than it is outside. Finn looks around the apartment, setting the bag of snacks down on the kitchen island counter. You stand behind him and look at his view.

"I, um," you say, clearing your throat. "I haven't had the chance to clean it up." Finn turns and looks back at you. Tears well in your eyes. "Actually, that's a lie. I haven't had the motivation to clean it up in weeks."

Your boyfriend sees the tears in your eyes and says, "Hey, that's okay. Ya are going through a lot, Y/N. We can clean it up together and I can help ya in any way ya need me to help."

Nodding, you say, "That sounds nice, Finn. Thank you."

Finn nods and says, "Anything for ya, my love." He walks over to the silverware drawer and grabs spoons. "So, I brought over your favorite ice cream and we can watch some Netflix or Disney Plus. Whatever ya wanna do."

He hands you a spoon and a tub of your favorite ice cream flavor, chocolate chip cookie dough. You take the tub and walk to the couch. You throw the empty boxes of tissues off the couch so Finn can sit. He joins you and grabs the remote, putting on Netflix. You open the tub of ice cream.

"You've been starting a lot of things but ya don't finish watching them," Finn observes. "Ya started so many shows."

You stab at the ice cream and say, "Yeah, I watch it then I get sidetracked with crying." You stab harder at the ice cream and get frustrated. "Why won't this stupid spoon go into the ice cream?"

Finn looks over at you and says, "It's a frozen food, Y/N. It'll defrost a bit if ya give it time."

Getting irritable, you mumble, "Time's not something a lot of us have." His facial expression softens when he hears what you say.

These comments and thoughts aren't uncommon, especially recently. You've been thinking about this a lot while you've spent hours upon hours crying.

You're still stabbing at the frozen ice cream when Finn reaches over. You snap, "I can do it myself."

"I was just trying to help," Finn says, pulling his hands back from you. He's looking at you while you finally get a spoonful of ice cream onto the metal spoon. You take the bite.

"I don't need you to help me with getting ice cream onto a spoon," you say.

Finn looks at you and asks, "Why am I here then? All you're doing is snapping at me and making these comments that you didn't make before."

You say, "You're the one that asked to come over, Finn."

He blinks at you and says, "Because I missed my girlfriend, Y/N. I still do. I don't know who ya are anymore. I don't know this person. Ya disappeared after ya won the title and I didn't hear from ya until I reached out to ask to come over. I probably wouldn't have ever heard from ya if I didn't ask to come over."

While Finn talked, you put the tub of ice cream on the table. When he's done, you say, "My parents died, I didn't get to say goodbye, and you expect me to just be the same Y/N I was before they died. I didn't even get to go to their funeral, Finn. I was too busy winning a title I'll eventually lose anyway. I was winning a title that I don't even deserve." You begin crying again for the millionth time in weeks.

Finn turns so he's facing you as he says, "I never expected ya to be the same Y/N ya were before. I one hundred percent never expected ya to be the same Y/N. I've never lost a parent let alone two so I can't understand the pain and the anger you're feeling right now." He takes your hands in his and holds them while you cry. "Especially because they died so unexpectedly and you didn't get to say goodbye to them."

"Fix me, Finn," you cry to your boyfriend. "I can't keep doing this. I can't keep crying when the smallest thing sets me off like this. I can't have my apartment looking like this." You motion to the messy room around you. "For the first time in weeks, I felt genuinely happy because you were here. I feel like you're the only one who can fix me."

He pulls you into a tight hug and your bury your face into Finn's neck. You cry silently as Finn says, "I'll try to fix ya, Y/N. I can't promise that I can but I'll try. I can't be the only one putting in effort though, baby. I need ya to work with me on this too."

You look up at Finn and you nod, saying, "I can do that." He gives you a soft smile and wipes away your tears before cupping your face. You meet his eyes before he rests his forehead on yours.

Your boyfriend says, "Ya know I'm always here for ya, Y/N. Ya don't have to push me away like I know ya probably want to. I'm in this with ya. Tell me what ya need and we can get started."

"Can we clean my apartment so it looks halfway decent again?" you ask.

Finn laughs a little bit and says, "Of course. I'll get some trash bags and we can start."

Nodding, you pull yourself away from Finn and he gets up. He grabs trash bags from the kitchen and you gather the empty tissue boxes that litter the floor. You grab the used tissues too that missed the tiny trash can you have in the room. Finn returns with an open trash bag and you throw them out.

Then you walk into the kitchen to do the pile of dirty dishes. Finn brings you any glasses, plates, or silverware he finds throughout the living room and dining room areas. He does the same in your bedroom. You do them as he brings them to you.

Your boyfriend being here has given you a little extra motivation you failed to find over the past few weeks. He's helping you clean, and he promised to help try and fix what's going on with you.

You know it won't be easy learning to cope with your parents' deaths, but maybe Finn being around can help you begin to cope. Sometimes having someone to be there for you isn't a terrible idea. So, you make a mental note to see your other friends when you go to NXT tonight.

Step one is to cope with the fact that your parents are gone. Learn to deal with all the emotions you're feeling without keeping them bottled up or snapping on someone because you're feeling emotional. Finn can help you with that, and you're grateful.

It's one step at a time from now on while you learn to cope. You'll figure out step two when you eventually get past step one.

It's close to four when the apartment is cleaned, dusted, swept, vaccummed, and washed. You've even showered and shaved by this time, and dressed in clean clothes that aren't stained with tears or snot. Your hair doesn't look like a bird's nest and you were actually able to put on some makeup so now it looks like you've slept.

You walk into the living room after your shower and find Finn on the couch watching Netflix. You walk up behind him and cover his eyes. "Guess who?" you say by his ear.

"Hm, I don't know," he tease. "Whoever it is actually smells clean."

After gently tapping the back of his head, you uncover his eyes and say, "Jerk."

Finn turns his head and looks at you. He smiles and says, "Look at ya. Ya look good in actual clothes instead of a t-shirt and sweatpants. Not that ya don't look good in a t-shirt and sweatpants but ya have probably been wearing them for days."

You say, "You're the reason I'm actually dressed. You give me a little extra motivation and kick just by being here. Thank you."

He gets on his knees and faces you. "I'm just here to help ya get through this," he says. "Start to finish."

You wrap your arms around his neck and say, "You're the best. I don't deserve this."

Finn says, "Ya don't deserve what happened to ya. We can fly to your hometown so ya can see your family if ya want."

"When I'm a little stronger and I can handle my emotions better we can," you say. Your face falls. "My parents never were able to meet you."

He says, "I don't have to meet them to know that they gave birth and raised one of the most intelligent, athletic, strong, and most beautiful women on this planet. I know they would have went off and started telling me how smart ya are, how strong ya are, how well ya wrestle, and how beautiful ya are. I already know all of that."

Your face gets all flustered as you listen to what Finn has to say. You let him finish before you say, "I wanted them to know how amazing you are, Finn. I wanted them to know that you're taking care of me while I'm thousands of miles away from them."

Your boyfriend climbs over the couch and stands in front of you. "I'm sure they know," Finn says. "If not, I'm sure they do now."

He engulfs you in a hug and you rest your head against Finn's chest. "I know," you sigh. "I'm just glad you're here and trying to help me."

"Fix ya," he reminds you.

You look up at Finn and say, "Yes, fix me." You give a small smile.

Finn says, "Woah, was that a smile? Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen that pretty thing."

Your face gets hot again and you say, "Finn, if you don't stop making me get all flustered."

He chuckles and says, "I'm sorry, mo ghra. Anyway, ya ready to head to the arena? We do have a job to do tonight."

Nodding, you grab your bag and your title. You grab your keys and leave your apartment with Finn.

[nose-bandaid]

Smitten

hihi !! are your requests open? sorry, i was looking around your blog but I couldn’t find anything ;; if so, would you be open to writing a fluffy boy next door for joshua? (svt) hope you have an amazing day <3

Joshua x (gender neutral) Reader | boy next door AU fluffy fluff:) | 3.3k words

synopsis: you’ve got a new neighbour — as you’ve been expecting for the past few months. what you didn’t expect was for you neighbour to be the most polite, kind hearted, and not to mention beautiful, man you’ve ever met. alternatively:

“when your pet dog does a better job at getting you a date than all of your friends combined.”

a/n: for my lovely bunny anon! i hope it’s to your liking and that it’s at least somewhat similar to what you had in mind:) i had a lot of fun brainstorming the ideas so i’m really hoping my writing does it justice lol

You almost dropped the bag in your hand when you turned the corner to your street and saw a party going on right beside your house. You even did a double take to make sure you didn’t make the wrong turn earlier, but nope, you were on the correct street alright. And the group of people milling about didn’t seem to be planning on going anywhere, anytime soon.

It baffled you, how such a ruckus could’ve emerged within the hour that you were gone to get some groceries. Sure, you were expecting a new neighbour — the house had been on sale for the past few months — but you weren’t expecting, what, ten? Twelve? No, thirteen people? How were they planning on fitting all of those bodies into such a tiny house? 

Even from afar, you could tell that they were a rowdy group, and their loud voices reached all the way to where you stood. Your stomach squirmed at the thought of having to deal with a bunch of chaotic people living right next to you for the next who-knows-how-many-years, and you took slow steps towards your own house. The old couple that lived on the other side of you had all of their blinds drawn, which was unusual of them to do, considering they loved the sunlight, and you wondered if they’ve made a noise complaint yet. 

When you finally reached your own yard, the energy within the party died down a little and some of the boys cast curious glances your way while whispering and snickering to each other. You just stared back at them until one broke from the group and approached you with a bashful smile.

“Hello!” He radiated such a soft, friendly aura, your initial spite towards the group melted away and you willingly accepted his handshake.

“Hi.” You managed a tight smile. “I suppose you guys are my new neighbours?”

His eyes widened and he turned back to the others, who had already found something else to engross themselves in. “Ah... no, no.” He turned back to you and gave you a sheepish look.

“Sorry, those are my friends, they all insisted that they visit me on the day I moved. Even though they probably won’t be helping me with the actual moving.” He rolled his eyes childishly at that last part.

“I see...” You watched the group together, as they began screaming at what seemed to be a funny video on someone’s phone. Judging from your neighbour’s deadpan expression, he was just as tired of the noise as you were.

“So yeah, it’s just me that’s your neighbour, don’t worry. I’ll try to make sure that it’s not this chaotic the next time they visit. I’m Joshua by the way.”

“Y/n.” You responded, and he echoed it quietly before nodding. “And it’s not much of a problem, I don’t really mind the noise. I guess I’m just not that used to it being lively in this neighbourhood.” You gestured to the empty streets as you spoke.

Before he could respond, one of his friends loudly called out his name and Joshua gave you another apologetic look.

“I probably shouldn’t ignore them. I’m sorry that this introduction wasn’t the best out there, but let’s try to redo this again later.”

You bid him off with a wave and made your way into your own house as the group of boys started shouting once again. Giving them one last glance, you laughed quietly to yourself and wondered how they could possibly store that much energy into their bodies. Even just watching them goof around like that made you exhausted.

You were greeted with your own bundle of energy to deal with when your dog, Mittens, dashed towards you upon your arrival. The sound of your keys jingling never failed to catch her attention. Dropping to the floor in defeat, you let her gift you with a flurry of kisses and you returned the love with some scratches behind the ear.

“Hey, Mittens.” 

She barked, and you were grateful that most of your conversations with her didn’t end up being one sided. Though you weren’t able to understand a single thing she was trying to tell you, at least it seemed like she was trying. 

“We got a new neighbour today, and guess what?” 

Another happy bark.

“He’s kinda cute, you know?”

=====

You saw Joshua again the next morning when you took Mittens for her daily walk. Or at least, that’s what you tried to do. The moment you stepped outside, she abruptly bounded towards him, yanking the leash straight out of your hands.

“Mittens—!” Before you could react, she had already tackled him to the ground  and was delivering her usual round of kisses, the boxes previously in his hands scattered all over the driveway. You ran up to them and quickly heaved her off the man, letting a string of apologies fall out of your mouth. As friendly as he seemed to be, you didn’t think that having your dog attack him with her love was the best way to make your first impressions.

“I’m so sorry she’s never acted this way towards anyone before I don’t know why she did it.”

Joshua laughed and dusted off his pants. “It’s alright, I take it that this is your dog?”

Lending him a hand to help pull him back up, you answered. “Yeah, her name is Mittens.”

He raised an eyebrow at the mention of her name. “Mittens?” 

You pouted. “Hey! I think it’s a cute name... And it’s because she kept on stealing my mittens when I first adopted her.”

“Just curious,” He shrugged. “Y/n and Mittens... yeah, that sounds like a cute pair.”

You frantically tried to distract yourself from the blush blooming on your cheeks and remembered the boxes laying on the ground. “Right! Your boxes I’m so sorry about that too, I hope they weren’t anything that important?” The last thing you wanted to do was destroy your neighbour’s property on the second day of knowing him.

“Oh, these? They’re just my clothes, it’s all good.” He answered, dismissing the boxes with a wave.

“Thank goodness,” You let out a sigh in relief as your pet struggled in your arms, trying to go back to Joshua. “Do you need any help with moving in?”

He shook his head in a polite denial. “There’s only a few things left to bring in, I should be done in a bit, thank you though. However...”

You perked up when his voice trailed off. “Yeah?”

“I might need some help with getting over how cute Mittens is.”

You burst into a fit of laughter at his confession. “She’s usually not that friendly to new people, but she seems to like you a lot. You’re welcome to hang out with her anytime you’d like, if we’re both free. I trust you, you seem like a nice person.”

“Really? Thanks for that.” He bent down to pet Mittens and gave her a longing look. “I had to leave my own dog back home with my parents because of some vet stuff that needs to be completed, so I really appreciate it. It’s like a little reminder of him.” As he got back up, he retrieved one of the fallen boxes and gave you a smile. 

“I’ll look forward to getting to know you two better then.”

=====

Over the next few weeks, you realized that the time you took Mittens out for her walks aligned with the time Joshua usually set off to work. Which was a clearly a win for your pet, who still treated him like a brand new friend every time she saw him. You weren’t complaining either, the perfect schedule meant that you got to see his gorgeous face and listen to his sweet voice every morning — a wonderful way to start your days. But you weren’t quite sure how good that was for your heart, because you were well aware that you’ve begun to fall for him. 

Hard.

Once in a while, the two of you would meet up in each other’s backyards so that he could spend some time with Mittens, who would practically refuse to eat her dinner when he’s around, because she’s just that happy to play with him. These meetings also allowed you to learn more about each other, and to you, everything about him just seemed so perfect in your eyes. You learned about how he moved here to be closer to his new job, and how some of the friends he grew up with — the ones at the party — were starting up a band in the city. You learned that he played the guitar in his free time, and that he used to teach little kids at a music school. He also grew up in a very quiet town with a small family, explaining his down-to-earth, endearing personality. Honestly speaking, if you were him, you’d find it hard to not boast about all the talents you had.

As time continued to pass and your crush on him continued to grow, you found it harder and harder to look at him in the eyes when he passed by. Heck, even conversations with him had gotten more difficult, and you could barely hold one without stuttering out some barely coherent words. But being the polite man he was, Joshua never showed a single sign of annoyance towards your change in character. Which honestly, just made you fall for him even harder.

It eventually got to the point where you had no choice but to alter your schedule. If you didn’t create an opportunity to compose yourself, you swore you would literally combust in front of him. And so, you held off on walking Mittens so early in the morning, and opted to taking those walks when you got home from work instead. Though it didn’t eliminate your encounters with Joshua, you were grateful to have more time alone to think about your feelings because you had no damn clue what to do with them.

Mittens however, seemed to notice the way you’ve been avoiding the man in question, and had been sending knowing looks your way (how she does that as a dog, you don’t know, but her message is strong and clear) every time she saw Joshua outside. And on one particular day, she was adamant on getting you to see him. She didn’t stop barking at the harmless window until you joined her in the living room to check out the sight that’s been provoking her.

And of course, it was just Joshua lugging a guitar case back into his house. He must’ve returned from visiting his friends in the city, judging from the way he was dressed the slightest bit fancier than he usually did. Though his clean and casual style suited him very well, you had to admit the button down shirt he had on made him look incredibly refined. As he unlocked his door, he looked your way and sent a small wave.

Your ears burned when you realized he must’ve caught you staring from the window and you could barely muster a wave back before flopping onto the couch with a sigh. 

Your dog plopped herself onto the carpet nearby, finally calm, and you glanced at her.

“You have it good Mittens... So lucky.” 

She simply stared at you happily, not understanding the reason for the downcast tone in your voice. Nonetheless, you continued your miserable rambling.

“Like really, I’m so jealous. So you can express your love for him at every passing minute but I can’t? And you have permission to give him constant kisses, but not me?” You paused. 

“Wait, I take that back, that sounds so stupid now that I’ve said it out loud. Of course it would be weird if I went up to him like that. I have to be a decent human being and neighbour.” You muttered into the arm draped over your face in an attempt to hide your embarrassment.

You rolled onto your side and scratched her head in an attempt to apologize for your harsh comments. Mittens gave you a small lick on your other hand in response. What am I going to do...

“Ah... I’m smitten aren’t I?”

You laid there for a good ten minutes, moping about your one sided crush and how unfortunate it would be if you did confess to him, only to get rejected. You’d still be forced to face him pretty much every single day, being neighbours and all, wouldn’t you? Oh how awkward that situation would be. You let out a long groan until you felt a nip at your fingers.

“Ow!” You frowned at your pet who playfully growled back. “What was that for?”

She scurried toward the front door and once again, barked at you endlessly until you hefted yourself into a sitting position on the couch. “What is it?”

She began scratching at the door — an act that she knew you didn’t really appreciate. You thought the two of you had already reached a mutual agreement to have her use other methods to announce when she wanted to be let out. 

Then it hit you.

She’s doing this on purpose isn’t she?

You sighed, not even bothering to fight her antics, and got up to open to door. “You want to be let out? Is that it?”

She let out a joyous bark the moment she was free, and dashed towards the other houses across the street. 

“Hey!”

In a rush, you hastily slipped on your shoes to catch up to your runaway pet. Your stomach churned with worry, what if she messed up someone else’s property and got you into trouble? Or even worse, what if she got herself into trouble? As empty as the streets usually were, you couldn’t bear the thought of her getting injured.

“Mittens! Come back here!” You desperately called.

And she did. 

Your dog returned to you with a happy smile on her face, as if her only motive was to lure you out of the house and into the bitterly cold wind. You didn’t even get to even spit out a lecture about her dangerous behaviour before she was on the run again, and this time, she made a beeline to Joshua’s backyard. If any of the other houses were looking out their windows that day, they must’ve thought it was quite silly to see their grown neighbour desperately chasing after their energetic dog, but you didn’t care. She was clearly up to no good, and you had to put a stop to that immediately.

The door to the backyard was left wide open that day, and she took full advantage of that, slipping easily into his property. You just stood there, mouth gaping at the audacity your pet had to pull yet another stunt, and she simply stopped in her tracks to smile at you in the safety of his garden. With dumfounded steps, you made your way towards her and hesitated before entering. As much as you wanted to snatch your dog and flee back into your home as quickly as possible, you didn’t want to enter his yard without permission. What if he happened to see you randomly lingering in his backyard? He’d most likely understand your reasoning behind it, but you wouldn’t be able to stand the embarrassment that was sure to come with the confrontation. After taking a moment to weigh your options, you decided it was best to try and coax her out of there without actually entering. You even considered offering extra treats for a week, despite her bad behaviour.

Before you could even utter out a single word, Mittens began nudging the wooden door with her body, and a strong gust of wind completed the task, shutting (and ultimately locking) the door in front of you.

All alone, you almost screamed out loud at all the unfortunate events that just had to happen to you. It felt as if everything really was scripted by someone else, and you were the unlucky protagonist who had to deal with it. The only option you had now was to get Joshua to help you out, or else Mittens would either A) hang out in his backyard until she gets noticed or B) dig her way through into someone else’s yard. You definitely didn’t want to risk having to deal with the latter, so you begrudgingly made your way to your lovely neighbour’s door to finally give in into Mittens’ plan. Letting out a sight, you tried to compose yourself before ringing the doorbell. You certainly weren’t in the ideal state to present yourself with, but you had no other choice. 

It took about a minute before you heard some shuffling on the other side, and the door opened to reveal a sinfully good looking Joshua. He looked as if he had just gotten out of the shower, with his damp hair hanging over his eyes, small towel wrapped around his neck, and loose fitting t-shirt that exposed way too much skin for your own good. Stray water droplets still ran down his face and he wiped them away before greeting you with that goddamn cute smile.

“Hi y/n! Sorry that took a while, just got out of the shower.” He gestured to his appearance and you merely nodded, at a loss for words. “What brings you here?”

Tearing your eyes away from him, you stared at the fuzzy pink carpet at his front door instead, and reminded yourself of the reason why you were talking to him in the first place.

“Ok, so believe it or not, Mittens was being sneaky as usual—,” He interrupted your sentence with a small chuckle. “—and she somehow made her way into your backyard and shut the door on me before I could do anything about it.”

His expression morphed from understanding to astonishment. “She really did that? So like, you’re telling me she’s in my backyard right now?”

“Well, hopefully, she’s still in your backyard and hasn’t run off yet. It’s almost as if she’s trying to play games with me, I can’t with this dog.” You muttered, and Joshua gently patted your shoulder in consolation.

“No worries, I’ll go check right now and if she’s there, I’ll let her out through the backyard.”

When you nodded in agreement to his idea, he shut the door with a soft click and you anxiously paced the front yard, waiting for the arrival of Joshua, and hopefully Mittens in tow. It took a while — much longer than you thought it should’ve taken, but you also knew just how difficult she could be, so you waited it out patiently and hoped for the best.

After what felt like eternity, the backyard door opened again and Mittens came bounding into your arms, tackling you the same way she did to your neighbour when she first met him. Shouting a quick “Thanks!” at Joshua underneath all the fur you were buried in, he simply sent you a small thumbs up before disappearing behind the fence. It a bit odd that he left so quickly without a word, but you quickly dismissed the thought to turn your attention back to the happy troublemaker. 

As you lightly scolded your pet for pulling off a stunt like that, you noticed something unusual dangling from her collar and gently took it into your hands. 

It was a small guitar keychain with a piece of paper taped to it, definitely not something that you owned. And from the way it was attached, it was obvious that it didn’t accidentally cling onto the collar in the midst of her adventure. Someone had put it there.

Taking it off, you curiously unfolded the paper to read a beautifully handwritten note.

Hey y/n! 

Ever since I moved in, I’ve been having a great time getting to know you and such. I’ve learned that you’re a wonderful friend and neighbour:)

I feel like Mittens is trying to scheme up something here haha, maybe she knows more about life than we both do? Things can work out in pretty funny ways. Anyways, I can’t just let her do all the work so... How about we grab a cup of coffee this weekend, if you’re free? My number’s on the other side of this so let me know:)

— Joshua ♡

Burying your face into your hands, you gushed at the note and gave your loving canine a big hug.

“Ok Mittens, I’ll have to thank you for this one.” You whispered, unable to wipe the stupid smile off your face. 

=====

i’m sorry if the plot felt a little rushed askhfddkjgf if i continued rereading this i think i would’ve ended up making it worse.

but despite that, it was still written with love, so i hope you enjoyed it! ♡

~ tiny

[kpopfanfictrash]

For Me, It’s You

Member: Jimin (BTS)

Prompt: Song!drabble, inspired by For Me, It’s You by Lo Moon

Rating: R

Genre: childhood friends to lovers!AU (THANK YOU @underthejoon​ for this amazing header, ur the best)

Warnings: angst, estranged parents, references to former underage drinking

WC: 4,015

↳ part of my 30K milestone drabble game

You should not have come home this weekend.

Honestly, you knew better but allowed yourself to be swayed by the guilt of your siblings. There were the ones who insisted your parents wanted you here, who said things would not be the same without you and you fell for their lies – hook, line and sinker. Never mind that, when you texted your plane flight to your mom, it took her nearly a day to respond.

In complete denial, you chalked this up to timing. It was not. As soon as you arrived from the airport, you sensed the chill in the air. Your little brother – Dean’s list, summa cum laude, McKinsey consultant, Henry – was welcomed in with warm hugs and cookies. You barely received a terse smile and ‘welcome home.’

Even so, you deluded yourself into thinking things would be fine. You would lie low, make it through the weekend and return to the city unscathed. So long as you did not bring up your job, or the argument, everything would be okay. Sadly, you underestimated how disappointed your parents were. It took only two glasses of wine at Thanksgiving dinner for your mother to let you know exactly how she felt.

“When do you have to be back at work, Henry?” she asked, accepting the vat of potatoes.

“Monday,” Henry said, setting down his glass. “Working on a big client of ours right now – unfortunately, can’t take much time off.”

“Oh, that’s alright.” Your mother beamed as she replaced the spoon in the bowl. “It’s nice to see you hard at work. Unlike some people your age.”

Everyone around the table stiffened. It was not necessary for your mother to say your name in order to make her feelings known. The point was clear in the way she set the bowl down, looked your way and waited a beat.

Refusing to take the bait, you looked down. You had not been hungry before but, upon hearing her comment, lost all appetite entirely.

“Let’s not talk about that right now,” said Jia, your sister. Hastily, she shot a pleading glance at your dad. “It’s the holidays.”

“That doesn’t diminish the reality of the situation,” your father said sternly. Turning your way, his brow furrowed. “So, Y/N. Have you found yourself yet?”

Cheeks slowly heating, you pushed your plate back from the table. “I’m working on my drawings, yeah. If that’s what you’re asking.”

He made a dismissive noise in his throat. “All that money towards college – wasted.”

“Dad,” Jia said. “It wasn’t wasted.” She scowled, looking between your parents.

Jia chose to become a dentist; a perfectly respectable career path in their opinion. Still, she had always been protective over you and Henry. When you were younger, your parents often worked in the evenings, and it often fell upon your older sister to help.

“Let’s just eat, okay?” Henry glanced around the table. “It’s Thanksgiving. Let’s be glad we’re all here.”

The table was quiet for a few minutes, everyone digging into their respective plates. Then, your mom sighed and said, “I suppose I’m thankful two of my children followed our example to form steady careers. At least I can sleep knowing I won’t be in the poor house when I’m old.”

“Mom!” Jia blurted out, looking appalled.

Henry jumped to your defense, too. “That’s not fair, mom –”

“I’ll tell you what’s fair,” interrupted your father. His voice somehow drowned out the rest. “Wasting all your hard-earned money on a fancy college degree, only to throw it away. Living disrespectfully, coming back to our house and having the nerve to –”

“I bought my own plane ticket, dad,” you interjected. “My website is doing really well, and I’m working on illustrations for this book, and I –”

“Don’t interrupt!” he exclaimed. “This is exactly the lack of respect your mother and I are talking about.”

With a loud screech, you pushed your chair away to stand up. “I’m done eating,” you announced. Stiffly, you looked at your mom.  “Doesn’t sound like anything’s changed since the last time we spoke. Thank you for cooking. I’ll clean up after myself.”

With that, you turned around and strode into the kitchen. The arguing continued after you left, with Jia jumping in to combat your parents. Even Henry was angry, protesting he and Jia wanted you there, but you were no longer listening. It did not matter much, either way. You should have known better than to think today would go well.

The last time you spoke to your parents was in the spring, the day you told them you were quitting your job to pursue illustration full-time. They were not happy, simply put and after the initial, blow-out fight, you did not speak at all. Obviously, they still had a lot to say.

Retreating up the stairs to your childhood bedroom, you slammed shut the door and collapsed on your bed. Being in this room made you feel like a child and in many ways, you still were. It did not matter that you had been able to drink for four years and vote for seven. In many ways, you were only just beginning to progress on your own.

Downstairs, you still heard the debate raging on. It was always like this, when you were little. Even when you were not the one arguing, there was another fight to be had. You could not blame your parents for that, not really. It was the only way they understood discipline – loud voices and the overbearing idea of respect.

Eventually, things would calm down. You knew they would. Eventually, Jia would help your mom clean up and Henry would play piano in the next room. For a few hours, maybe, they would be like a family – except you would not be there.

Not this time.

Unable to replay the events any longer, you roll out of bed and unlatch your window. Prying it open, the cold air hits your face. Shivering, you stare into the night and reach out for your sweater. Your childhood home was built with a small, wrap-around porch over the front.

When you were a child, you often climbed out here to escape. When you were in your teens, you came out here to drink, or smoke, or journal about how your parents were ruining your life. It has been a long time since you remembered that part of yourself.

Glancing away, you see lights on in the Park house. They must be finishing Thanksgiving dinner as well, hopefully not in as dramatic fashion as yours. You cannot imagine it is, since the Parks adore their two sons – Jimin and Jiwoo. Besides, both of their children adopted traditionally successful career paths. Jiwoo is in medical school and Jimin recently passed the bar.

Exhaling, you glance again at the rooftop. The fighting can still be heard downstairs and so, pulling on your sweater, you climb out on the porch. Quickly shutting the window, you find yourself ensconced in blessed silence. No disappointed parents berating you. No siblings rising to your defense. Only silence, the wind and far-off sound of cars on the highway.

Settling onto the roof, you lean against the side of the house. The sky overhead is clear, a silver crescent of moon hanging above your head. As you breathe in and out, your breath frosts in mid-air. It is chilly enough you are glad for your sweater and still, your hands stiffen with cold. Pulling your sleeves down, you relish in the silence.

“Y/N?”

Head jerking sideways, your heart nearly stops when you see a face looking back. At the edge of the overhang, clinging onto the roof is a familiar – well, now unfamiliar – person.

Jimin.

“Is that seat taken?” he breathes, face red with the exertion of climbing. “Because it’s been a while since I’ve done this, and god knows how much your parents take care of this trellis.”

“Shit,” you blurt, realizing his predicament and scrambling onto your knees. Grabbing Jimin’s hands, you haul him onto the roof.

Jimin tumbles beside you, dusting dirt from his pea coat. You wince at the gesture, since the fabric looks expensive – probably is, given his new job. Collapsing against the siding, Jimin adjusts his grey beanie and looks sideways at you.

“Hey,” he greets, as though he climbs up on neighbors’ porches all the time.

Trying not to laugh, you smile back. “Hey.”

When you say nothing more, Jimin arches a brow. “Surprised to see me?”

“You could say that,” you say, glancing down at the cul-de-sac. From up here, the world seems more manageable. It always did. “It’s been a while since you came by.”

“Could say the same.”

Glancing at him, you see a small smile on his face. Jimin is quiet for a moment, staring out at the world and you cannot help but layer this Jimin with ones past. When you were younger, this was your place – he and you. Whenever your parents were too much, or you were mad at the world, you would climb out here to escape.

Jimin would see this and know it was his signal to come over.

It has been a long time since then, though. The wood of the house is cold on your back.

“So, why are you out here?” He asks this calmly, as though this were another Tuesday.

You shrug. “The usual.”

It has been seven years, give or take, since you two last talked. Really talked, that is – in the way that friends do. All throughout middle school and high school, Jimin was your best friend. Even Jia was wary of you. She did not understand the way you acted, the way you purposefully pushed your parents’ boundaries to understand all their lines.

Jimin was not like that. Jimin did not break rules, but Jimin understood. He saw you out here, night after night and grew curious. Eventually, he climbed up to meet you and what happened next cannot be explained. You became the unlikeliest of friends.

Subtly, you glance sideways.

Glasses are perched on the end of his nose. Jimin used to need glasses in high school but insisted upon contacts because of his dancing. When he quit dance for college, you heard a lot of things changed, but you never imagined his glasses to be one of them. The frames suit his face. You have always thought that.

Of course, you cannot say for certain this change took place during college. That was when you began drifting apart – it was not either of your fault, really. You two tried to keep in touch, you really did. There were phone calls, e-mails, but there was always something else demanding more urgent attention. Eventually, phone calls became texts, which turned into long bouts of silence where you forgot one another.

Maybe the silence was a bit purposeful on your part. Maybe you were running from feelings you deemed ultimately, fruitless.

“You haven’t been home for the holidays in a few years,” Jimin comments, still casual. His foot is stretched out before him, clothed in an Italian loafer which must be worth twenty of your commissions.

“Not really, no,” you say, surprised he noticed.

“Why not?”

“Ha.” Leaning your head to the house, you close your eyes. “I don’t know. It felt like a lie every time, you know? Coming home and seeing them. Pretending to be happy. It was easier just… not to come.”

Jimin is quiet for a moment. “You weren’t happy?”

“Wrong job.” You open one eye. “Wrong life, really. But it was one they approved of.”

“And now?”

Suddenly, you look at him. Jimin stares back, gaze soft in moonlight. It makes your heart skip a beat, a phenomenon you thought died a long time ago. It is maddening, how quickly he does this to you.

When you were in high school, Jimin was the golden boy. The dancer, the honors student, the friendly type who knew everyone – even the weird, quiet girl who drew fantasy landscapes in the margins of her notebooks. Once upon a time, you were in love with him.

You even dreamed of him loving you back, but those dreams never became reality. Jimin loved you, of course, but only as a friend. He had a strange sense of protection for the girl on the roof. You realized this not in one moment, but in a thousand little ones all strung together.

You realized it when watching him with his first girlfriend – a bubbly, cheerleader type much like himself. The stake was hammered in further with his second girlfriend, whom he left the first one for. It was obvious when he took you to parties, leaving you talking to his friends in the corners. Obvious when his group booked a limo for prom and you were not invited.

These moments crushed your hope for anything more. And yet, here you are, back on the roof and wishing something more existed.

“Now, I’m happy with my career.” Not looking at him, you exhale. “They hate it, though. They think I threw everything they gave me away.”

Jimin snorts. “Bullshit.”

“Yeah?” You smile before you can help it. Jimin was always protective when it came to your drawing. “I don’t know it is. I had a good job, a stable job. The type of job they wanted so badly to have but couldn’t. I get why they’re mad.”

“You weren’t happy, though,” Jimin points out, rearranging himself on the roof. Somehow, his hand falls closer to yours. “And your drawings are amazing. I’ve seen your website.”

“Oh.” You pause, uncertain how to respond. Strange butterflies take flight in your stomach and you wonder what else he has seen. “Yeah, well. I don’t think they really care about that. Not like your parents do, anyways.”

Jimin’s smile turns bitter. “I guess.”

Now, it is your turn to look at him curiously. “What do you mean?”

Shaking his head, Jimin ducks his chin against his chest. The pea coat bunches around his shoulders, making him look more like old Jimin – your Jimin. The high schooler who feared his future, who did not want to quit dance but did, because he had to.

“I mean,” he tries again, frowning. “My parents are proud of me on paper. The love listing my accomplishments to their friends, but when it comes to me…”

He trails off, leaving you to draw your own implication.

“Oh.” Your words soften, glancing away. “I get that. I think that’s how Henry feels sometimes. He likes his job, he really does – but with my parents, it’s not about that. It makes the success feel kind of… hollow, somehow. You know?”

“I do.”

Looking at him, you hesitate. “Jimin… why’d you come up here?”

Jimin is quiet for a moment, rolling the corner of his pea coat with his fingers. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Oh, I don’t know,” you say, some of your usual sarcasm seeping through. “Maybe because we haven’t spoken in like, five years.”

Jimin’s lips quirk. The gesture disappears almost immediately, replaced with something which could almost be called sadness.

“I heard you moved into the city,” he says quietly.

Your stomach plummets. “Jimin, I…”

“Yeah?”

“I – I didn’t know you knew,” you say, finishing lamely.

“Really?” His laugh is hollow. “Even if we didn’t follow each other on social media, you really thought my mom wouldn’t tell me?”

Shifting uncomfortably, you fail to meet his gaze. “Well. I moved to the city last fall.”

“I know. Why didn’t you look me up?”

“I don’t know,” you say honestly. Avoiding eye contact, you pick at your sweater. “It’s been a long time, I guess.”

“Too long.”

“Well, why didn’t you reach out?” you demand, looking up. To your surprise, you find Jimin has moved closer.

He stares at you determinedly. “What happened to us, Y/N?”

“What happens to most high school friends?” you stammer, still trying to be casual. “We moved, drifted apart, lost touch…”

“No.” Reaching out, Jimin takes your hand in his. He feels much warmer than you do. “I – oh. You’re cold.”

“N-no shit,” you say, teeth chattering. “I just grabbed this sweater.”

Jimin shifts closer, his right thigh pressing against yours. “Y/N.”

“Yeah?”

He stares at you for a moment, warmth finally tangible. After so many years without him, the smell of his cologne is almost too much to bear. No longer does he drown in it. You remember the year his mom gave him that for Christmas. The first few weeks of January Jimin fairly bathed in it, until his mom pulled him aside and told him she would throw it away – no matter the cost.

Remembering this makes you smile.

Jimin’s expression remains serious. “Why’d you leave… that night?”

There it is. There is the memory between you which you have been pointedly trying to ignore. The night Jimin kissed you and you ran away. It happened here, on this very rooftop. The night before you left for college, Jimin stole wine coolers from his mom and asked you to celebrate.

He was an absolute lightweight.

Jimin did not drink in high school, unlike you and so, after one wine cooler, he was already giggly. Laying back on the roof, you traced the stars with your fingertips and somehow rolled into his side. His arm slid around your waist, stable and warm.

Softly, he looked down – and kissed you.

It lasted only a moment. A brief miracle before you forced yourself away, leaping up on the roof and flinging open your window. You hurried in, shutting the blinds and ignoring his pleas. Jimin stood there for nearly twenty minutes before you heard him leave. He knew what your parents were like – knew what would happen if they heard him and caught you.

“I don’t know,” you say quietly, still looking at him.

“Bullshit.” Jimin says this in the same tone he used to describe your parents.

Stiffening, you sit up. He still holds your hand in his. Despite the sternness of his tone, Jimin continues to trace your fingers through the sweater. He stares, biting down on his lip and you know he does this when he is nervous.

It is surprising how easily you remember. Surprising how easy it is to slip into who you used to be, the dreams you used to want. Perhaps they never really left at all.

“I was scared,” you finally say, barely audible.

“Of me?”

“No,” you say, before you can help it. “Never of you. Of what… I might do to you.”

Jimin’s brow furrows. “You do to me? I don’t understand. How could anything you do be bad?”

The aching sweetness of this reminds you why you loved him. Or, why you love him. It is all so confusing with him here in the moonlight, with you here beside him, remembering ghosts of the past. Turning to face him, your knees graze each other like children.

“I didn’t make sense with you,” you explain. “Everyone knew it in high school, even if they wouldn’t say it out loud. You were always the bright one, the brilliant one – and then there was me.”

“Yeah. And then there was you.” Jimin speaks fiercely. “Grounded, real. Always telling me what you thought, not letting other people get to me for too long. You were the only person who really believed in me. No caveats, just belief.”

“That’s not true.”

“It is,” he insists. “God, Y/N. How could you think you were bad for me?” Reaching out, he tenderly tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. Pulling away, his fingertips graze your jaw. “For me, it’s you. It’s always been you.”

“Don’t say ridiculous things,” you say on reflex.

Jimin’s brow furrows. “Did you honestly not realize? The entire time we were friends – you didn’t know I was in love with you?”

Your breath catches at how easily he says this. “But…” Mind spinning, you sift through the memories. “You dated other girls. Took someone else to prom. You didn’t say anything until you kissed me!”

“I know.” Jimin’s expression is tortured. “I only dated those girls though, because you said I should! Don’t you remember? I’d describe my ideal girl to you – describe you – and you’d point someone else out. When I took you to parties, you’d talk to my guy friends. And you accepted someone else’s prom invite before I could ask!”

“What!” You blink, since this is news to you. “What are you talking about?”

“We had a pact.” Despite himself, Jimin nearly smiles. “Remember? We were ten, watching Footloose in my basement and you pinky promised to be my prom date.”

“We were ten,” you say, although you also find yourself smiling. “You didn’t really think –”

“I was planning to ask you the next day,” he interrupts.

Words die on your lips and you can only stare for a moment. “What?”

“Peter Graff asked you on a Friday.” Scooting closer, Jimin takes your other hand in his. “I remember. I remember stopping by your locker and hearing you talk about prom dresses, limo colors, what boutonniere you should buy. I… I had been planning to ask the next day.”

“Jimin, I…”

“I was planning to stand in your yard with a boom box,” he admits, lips curving into a smile. Dark hair falls into his gaze. “You know, like in Say Anything. Except not creepy. And on very low volume, so I didn’t wake your parents.”

“Good call.”

“I thought so.”

It is strange to hear your friendship described in this manner. Because you remember those moments, but through a very different lens. You remember the day Jimin described his ideal girl. You remember crying that night, feeling you fit none of the description. He is right – you were the one who pointed out his first girlfriend, telling him he should really ask her out. It seemed more logical than any other version of the truth.

“When you kissed me…” Swallowing, you force yourself to continue. “It was perfect.”

“Yeah?” Jimin bites his lip.  “Then, why’d you leave?”

“You’d been drinking. I was leaving the next day. I thought maybe… you’d done it out of pity,” you whisper, finally voicing your fears from the night. “I thought you knew how badly I wanted you and it was just your way of saying goodbye. I… I wanted to keep that night the way it was. Perfect.”

“It wasn’t pity.” Jimin catches his breath. “Never.”

“Jimin…”

Lifting his hands to your face, he gently strokes your jaw. “I missed my shot that night,” he determines. “I’ve been a coward lots of ways, my whole life. I didn’t go after you like I should’ve. I haven’t stood up to my parents a million times. But I’ll be damned if I fuck this up again.”

Before you can respond, he kisses you.

His lips are soft, warm despite the bitterness of the night. He tastes like vanilla Chapstick and wine and you only hesitate a moment before kissing him back. The kiss is nothing like your first. That was a moment between teenagers, too scared to ask for what you both wanted. Now, you know what you want.

Greedily, your lips part as your hands wrap around his. At the first brush of your tongue, Jimin releases a groan. You kiss like this for a while, gently exploring the new boundaries between you. Whatever once was is shattered but something new exists in its place.

Finally, you drag yourself away and open your eyes. “Is this why you came here tonight?” you whisper, the world somehow seeming brighter. “To kiss me again?”

“Amongst other things.” His lips quirk when he laughs, shaking his head. “No. I came out because I saw you on the roof.”

He does not need to explain what it means. You only come out on the roof when you are upset. Unthinkingly, your heart starts to swell.

“You still remembered?” you ask, thumb brushing his neck.

“I meant what I said. For me, it’s you.”

  © kpopfanfictrash, 2019. Do not copy or repost without permission.

[join-the-joywrite]

Hamish & Vera soulmate au headcannons

Tattoo au from @everythingabouthatship because why not. We're gonna go with the tattoo being of something meaningful to your soulmate, which resides in the spot where your soulmate will first make direct contact with you.

I'm back on my vermish bullshit everyone :)

So, Vera growing up with a tattoo over her fingertips when, if she holds her fingers together, forms an image of a wolf. It's super faint, almost transparent.

Hamish has a very very very faint tattoo of a blue rose on his cheekbone. He thinks it's blue, anyway. Not like he'd be able to tell with how faint the tattoo is.

We know I don't particularly like Hamish's parents so are any of you really surprised when I say that his mother's fussy about the placement of the tattoo and teaches Hamish to cover it up??? Because it 'marrs the pretty face of her trophy son' and it'll probably be talked about more than her if anyone were to see it.

So Hamish gets into this habit and he just cannot break it (explaining how the Knights never see it and ask him wtf that's all about)

Hamish also stops paying it any attention, because he's only ever looking at it to cover it up. Why does he even do it anymore? He doesn't know. He just does it. Honestly, he thinks, it'd be easier to quit drinking than to stop himself from covering it up.

"I have a potion to finish." "Good for you." "I need werewolf blood!" "Not it."

It's funny, she thinks as she makes the potion, all her life she's wondered about what the tattoo could mean and now here she was, surrounded by a pack of werewolves. Enemies to the Order. Ha. Cruel trick, fate, cruel indeed.

Vera is alone down in the basement, working on the Nephelim's Tears. Lilith and Randall are gearing up to Tear Shit Up. Hamish is .... concerned to have the actual leader of the Belgrave chapter of the Order, their enemies, down in the basement with all the stuff about werewolves.

So, like any cautious person, he ventures down to the basement to spy on her see how she's faring.

"I'm not going to break anything, Mr Duke." "I didn't say anything." "Didn't gave to. Written all over your face."

Hamish folds his arms and peers into the cauldron. "Is that -- is it supposed to bubble like that?" "Shit."

"Is there something you need or do you just plan on hindering me?" Vera still hasn't looked up at Hamish since he entered.

"Curiosity killed the cat." "But satisfaction brought it back .... I suppose you may stay, provided you remind out of my way."

Suits Hamish fine. Seeing as he's not leaving, Vera decides to look up and acknowledge her audience. "You're hurt."

"What? No, I'm not. And even if I was, Tundra would have fixed it by now."

"Not if Kepler used the enchanted blade on you." Vera pretends like she knows who -- or what -- Tundra is. "Here, let me."

"The potion--" "needs to simmer for five minutes. I can spare some time to close a small cut."

Vera's eyes are closed as she whispers words he doesn't recognise. Her fingers barely touch his face before it's done and she's holding her hand up to the air in front of him. Hamish thinks the burning on his cheekbone is because of the spell. Vera knows it's not the spell. She's done the spell before, several times. She knows what it is. What else could it be.

Hamish stares at Vera who stands frozen in front of him. Surely the spell is complete?

"Magus." His soft voice is a thunderous sound in the silence. Vera opens her eyes and stares at him. "The potion."

The potion! Vera busies herself with the Nephelim's Tears and forgets about the burning on her fingertips as she had cast the spell.

After powdering the Knights, she catches herself staring at her hand often. Did they even stand a chance? It's a raging war between the Knights and the Order. Would anything between them had survived? She looks at Jack and Alyssa and wonders how Alyssa lives with herself and what she's done to Jack.

She realises that if Alyssa broke away from the Order for Jack, she would be neither surprised nor bitter. After all, Alyssa and Jack had actually built something for themselves whereas Vera, who had but a moment of time with Hamish, considered abandoning everyhting to run away with him.

So when the Knights do get their memory back, Vera isn't at all surprised to find Jack lying to her to cover Alyssa's ass. He's lucky Vera likes him.

Of course, Vera now has to content with the fact that Hamish knows everyhting, but she wonders if he's really her soulmate. After all, he has no tattoo.

It's like a week and a half after the whole tall glass thing when Hamish forgets to cover up the tattoo. Years and years and years of doing it every single day and Oh, Vera's on the mind, everything mundane matters naught.

Vera practically starts hyperventilating when she sees it and locks herself in the reliquary because she's not sure how to Deal With Emotions.

"Magus? Is everything all right?" "I'm fine!"

Vera stands up against the doors, hand held out infront of her. She fucking knew it. Why was she surprised? She knew that's what had happened.

She knew it and she still went through with stealing everything from them -- themselves included.

Guilt -- more so than before -- creeps in and nags at the corner of her every thought.

Everytime Vera thinks about what she'd done to the Knights and spends hours trying to justify it and explain to even herself that it was a necessary precaution, Hamish's tattoo warms up. Depending on how consumed Vera is by the guilt on any given day, Hamish's face could go from a gentle warmth to blazing hellfire.

He never connects it to Vera because they get in the same room and the guilt in Vera's mind is quickly overshadowed by, and she won't admit it, but it's love. And in the same room, she's calm and relaxed and at peace -- just because he's in the same room as her.

Does she ever tell him? No. Why? Because I am just Like That™

Ayyyeeeeeeeeee the Foley/Salvador attack guys. Them tattoos be on fire because they're so worried about each other. Hamish knows that Praxis won't go after the rest of the Knights, not when there are so many people around to stand witness and Vera is sure Praxis won't find the temple -- but each other? Oh, yeah. They're scared shitless for each other because they both know they were on their way to meet each other i.e. they were alone. They were perfect targets.

Even Tundra is a little afraid for Vera. Tundra's champion's feelings for the witch are just That Strong. Okay maybe not fear, but Tundra would definitely fight for Vera just as Tundra would for any of the Knights. Not to mention, Vera's the Grand Magus, someone the Knights are supposed to keep in line.

Hamish throwing Angus out of the reliquary? I stan protective boyfriend. Vera's tattoo is heating up, but she's ignoring it. Because denial is just so much more comfortable a state to be in.

"We're not staying." "Yes, we are." "No, you're not."

Vera clenches her hand into a fist to try ignoring the burning in her fingertips because Hamish is so. fucking. worried.

Alone in the reliquary, Vera can almost feel it weighing down on her. Everything. The weight of the Order, being Grand Magus, the Knights' safety, Praxis, Alyssa and on top of it all -- Hamish.

"I don't deserve you." "Vera, you deserve so much more than what you have."

Vera's fidgety, repeatedly wiping her hands on her clothes, tucking and untucking her hair, twisting a ring or two, tugging at a bracelet, adjusting an earring, pacing, gaze on the floor the entire time.

Vera finally looks up at Hamish when he grabs her by the elbows and stops her in the middle of the reliquary.

"Why do you hide it?" "Hide. . . I always have."

Vera brushes away a few specks of dirt -- Hamish must've taken a tumble chasing Midnight. Of course, Tundra's fixed any scrapes and cuts he might have acquired, but the dirt is still there. It's faint and it looks as thought it were drawn in fading marker several hours ago, but it's there. The blue rose.

Hamish watches her dust her fingers off.

"What is that?" "This? Oh, it's. . ."

oh

Hamish swears to himself that he will protect Vera just as fiercely as he will Jack, Lilith and Gabrielle. They're his family, his pack, his fellow Knights, his blood and his every thought.

And Vera? Why, Vera's his heart and soul.

Well, doll, what do we think of that? I do believe the creative juices are flowing again skkdjsks I am. A distaster shipper.

See the others :)

[lettheladylead]

avoid the unhappy ending (ch6)

ships/characters: Goldie, Huey, Louie, Beakley, Scrooge/Goldie words (ch6): ~2200  summary: Goldie comes to town to see Scrooge. Instead, she somehow manages to run into literally everyone else. ao3 link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27108943/

[1 & 2] [3] [4] [5]

Chapter 6 below the cut:

Goldie, finally alone, took the opportunity to climb down the stairs. Duckworth had said Scrooge was down there at some point. Of course, Scrooge was all around the manor at some point. Not the most helpful clue. But still, there she went.

Quietly creeping down the staircase to ensure the housekeeper wouldn’t notice her, she poked her head around the side and glanced every which way. There was definitely someone in the kitchen and she had no doubts who that was. It was not a confrontation she was interested in having. Sure - Goldie could take out Twenty-Two with minimal effort. But did she want to? Not particularly.

She tip-toed her way towards the dining room, hoping to see Scrooge eating some of his disgusting family recipes or reading the paper. And as she opened the door, she saw someone sitting at the end of the table right underneath the large portrait of Scrooge’s parents.

Even with the giant newspaper covering his face, she recognized the signature top hat.

“Finally.” Goldie stepped forward and leaned on the table flirtatiously. “Scroogey, where have you-”

The newspaper was pulled down to reveal the red triplet, who just happened to be wearing Scrooge’s hat.

Goldie and Huey stared at each other for a full second before they both yiped.

Huey grabbed the top hat and threw it across the room. “I-I wasn’t pretending to be Uncle Scrooge!”

Goldie watched the hat’s descent. “Um…”

“Wait, what? Miss Goldie?” He blinked several times and then shook his head, focusing on neatly folding up the newspaper. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m - ”

“Stealing something? Visiting Scrooge? Come to talk to Louie?”

“...it’s -”

“Are you going to tie up Mrs. Beakley again? She probably won’t appreciate that.”

“...”

“Well?”

Goldie crossed her arms over her chest. “I was waiting for you to stop talking.”

Huey stood up straight and popped his normal hat back on his head. “I’m done.”

“I’m looking for your uncle. Contrary to apparently popular belief, I don’t need to steal something every time I’m here.” She glanced around the room and a few items of significant monetary value stood out to her. “...of course, that doesn’t mean I won’t.”

He followed her eyeline and frowned. “Why are you looking for Uncle Scrooge?”

Goldie picked herself up and sat on the edge of the table, one leg crossed over the other. “I don’t see how that’s any of your business.”

“You being in my home makes it my business,” Huey said matter-of-factly. “I don’t think I’m wrong to assume that you broke in here, which means the manor isn’t as secure as it should be considering the types of people who try to just come in whenever they want to.”

Impressed, she smiled down at the kid. “So serious. You know, I spoke with your brother earlier and he’s busy putting on a show, while you’re down here pretending to be an ancient businessman with a back problem.”

He stiffened. “What’s your point?”

“My point…” Goldie leaned over and flicked the brim of Huey’s hat, knocking it off his head. It was easy to change the subject with kids. “...is that you don’t seem to know how to have fun.”

Huey reached over and grabbed his hat to put it back on. “I make my own fun! The girls have their sleepovers and Dewey is...Dewey. And Louie doesn’t do anything! Scrooge is alone all the time so I thought imitating him might give me some ideas!”

She frowned at that. “What do you mean, alone all the time? He has a million people living in this house with him.”

“Well, yeah, sure. But he still has his alone routine he fell into before we moved in.” Huey scratched his arm. “He takes long baths, usually eats meals by himself, drinks a lot of tea alone on the couch, spends hours writing stuff at the desk in his room…”

Goldie’s frown deepened. Was this kid trying to pull one over on her? Those specifically sounded like activities she could be joining in on if she were a more regular resident of the manor. “I’m sure he prefers it that way,” she said with a shrug.

Huey gave her a suspicious look, almost like her reaction was not what he thought she’d say. He clearly gave his response some consideration before saying, “Yes, well...that’s the life of a bachelor, I guess!”

She laughed. “What would you know about a bachelor’s life? You’re, what, 10?”

“I’m 11, thank you very much.” Huey clasped his fingers on the table in front of him. “And I may not know a lot about bachelors, but I know Uncle Scrooge! Plus I know you’ve,” He pointed at her dramatically, “been running around all afternoon trying to find him and you won’t tell anyone why. So I think you miss him, and he’s lonely. And Duckworth thinks it’s some anniversary for you guys. So you can keep pretending that you’re just here to get on Uncle Scrooge’s nerves, but I think it’s pretty obvious that you just want to spend some time with him and it’s kind of ridiculous that even at your age, you two can’t seem to just sit down and have a normal conversation about it. Considering what Webby told us about your little adventure down in Florida, I would’ve thought you two would be better at communicating by now. I guess one good trip can’t undo over a hundred years of messiness.”

Goldie stared at him, quite taken aback. She wasn’t used to anyone speaking to her like that.

“I’d say I know quite a bit, Aunt Goldie.” Huey stood up and grabbed the paper in front of him, stuffing it under his arm. He shuffled towards the exit. “Tell Uncle Scrooge I said hi when you finally find him.”

She was still staring at the empty chair when Huey left the room. This was really turning out to be some kind of day, wasn’t it? Scolded by children. Lectured by children. Pitied by children. Interviewed by children. There were too many kids in this house, she didn’t need to tell Scrooge that. Communication wasn’t the problem - he knew exactly how she felt.

Goldie hopped off the table. She brushed some dust off her shorts and considered the possibility that maybe Scrooge didn’t one hundred percent know how she felt.

...no, no. He knew.

She looked at the doors around the room. That was the one she entered from, that one went to the kitchen, and...she didn’t remember where that door led. So…

The door creaked quite a bit as she pushed it open, revealing the living room. Oh, yeah. Now she remembered. And there was someone sitting on the couch, sipping a drink and watching television.

Goldie smiled and walked over, plopping down on the armrest and leaning against the back of the couch.

“Hey, can you get me another Pep? I’m almost out.”

Her smile turned into a smirk as she realized Louie wasn’t paying enough attention to figure out who was with him. She snatched the soda out of his hand and chugged the rest of it.

Louie stared at his now-empty hand. “Hey! What do you think you’re…” He turned his head to confront the soda stealing culprit and then froze. “...wait, what?”

“Hey there, Sharpie.”

“What are you doing here?!” Louie jumped over to the far side of the couch and checked his pockets to see if anything was missing.

“Just hanging out. Talking to your entire family, for whatever reason.” She shrugged. “And what are you up to? Judging from the number of empty cans here, I take it there’s no scheme in the works.”

“I’m not constantly scheming,” Louie said with a frown. “Unlike you, I have a life outside of that. Y’know, family and friends.”

Goldie didn’t let his comment annoy her. (Almost.) “More proof that family just bogs you down. Let me guess; they ruined your last scheme?”

Louie shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket. “Nope.”

“Oh?”

“They actually saved my last scheme. I guess having a family isn’t as bad as you seem to think it is.” He smirked at her, feeling like he was on top again.

Goldie scowled and turned her body to face him, letting one leg droop onto the couch while the other hung over the edge of the armrest. “What is with everyone today?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’ve spoken to ninety percent of the people who live here, including several random children that I’ve never seen before, and everyone is just constantly talking about how great and important family is.” She shook her hands for emphasis. “Are you people always like this or is it just a special topic for me?”

Louie let out a short, rude laugh. “Ever think you might be a little paranoid? If everyone’s talking to you about family, that’s probably your own fault.”

She scoffed. “Paranoia is good for a person like me. It’s the only reason I’m still alive.”

“Oh, really?” He sat back down, leaning against the other armrest to look at her smugly. “It’s not because of magic? Or fountains of youth? Maybe some dimension hopping?”

“That all came later. Before I found my first fountain, I was just a normal duck who had to be better than every other duck or dog or pig that came to town. No family or friends to support me or fall back on.”

Louie snapped a finger and then pointed a finger gun at Goldie. “You just brought up family again with no prompting.”

“What?” Goldie frowned and thought about what she’d said. “No - you know what? That’s because I’m surrounded by you people!”

“So you admit that it’s your own fault.” He smiled and adjusted his position so he was facing the TV again. “Does denial come naturally when you get old or is it just you and Uncle Scrooge?”

She glared down at Louie for a moment before picking herself up and plopping down on the couch next to him. “So what are we watching?”

Louie glanced up at her, surprised that she hadn’t left. “Ottoman Empire. It’s my favorite show.”

“What’s it about?”

“I don’t even know, it’s so stupid.”

A minute passed with them silently watching the show together. Louie was clearly very comfortable, and Goldie had to admit that just sitting and watching some nonsense with her favorite of Scrooge’s kids was...nice.

As annoying as the day had been, there were a few moments she enjoyed. This was definitely in the top three, as embarrassing as that fact was. There was something about Sharpie that made her feel lighter. Sure, she’d betrayed him, but he didn’t seem to hold a grudge like his uncle tended to. He didn’t seem to care at all. He even told one of the other ducklings that she was soft.

“Why’d you tell Lil Vanderquack that I’m, quote, a softie?” she asked suddenly, cutting through the boredom of a commercial break.

Louie didn’t even look at her, taking a sip from an old can of Pep that still had some liquid at the bottom. “Cause you are.”

Goldie hummed in response. What would be the point in disagreeing with him? Clearly he’d made up his mind. And here she was, snuggling with him on a comfy sofa, watching bad reality TV while not twenty feet away was a woman who wanted to rip her head off and not five feet away were treasures worth more than her home. Maybe he had a point.

“Do you always think you’re right?” she asked.

“Do you?”

Goldie frowned deeper and put a hand on top of Louie’s head, brushing her fingers through some of his little feathers. “Of course.”

He didn’t stop her from playing with his hair, enjoying it more than he’d admit. “Then there’s your answer.”

She was tempted to get into a whole pointless argument of ‘well we can’t both be right,’ but it would get old fast. “So I’m looking for your uncle.”

“No kidding.”

“...he wasn’t in his bedroom -”

“Ew.”

Goldie rolled her eyes. “Have you seen him?” She removed her hand from his head and started to stand up.

“Ehh…” Louie sat up straight for a minute and combed through his hair to set it back to normal. “I’m not sure. I thought I saw him looking at some old treasures earlier. Near the garage.”

“Alright.” Goldie looked at the TV again for a moment, genuinely interested in where the episode was going.

But the sound of footsteps walking towards them from the kitchen took her out of that stupor. She leaned down and left an unprompted smooch on Louie’s head. “Seeya round, Sharpie.”

“Wha-?! Gross!” Louie angrily rubbed a hand over the spot she’d kissed and when he looked back up, Goldie was gone.

“What’s gross?” Beakley asked as she stepped into the room with a fresh can of Pep.

Louie smiled and grabbed it. “Oh, nothing. Goldie’s here, by the way.”

“That is quite gross.”

[miruka-cioccolata]

La Squadra being single dads after s/o is killed in battle and after sometime their child asks about s/o?

Everybody get on the angst train and make sure you hold on tight, cuz it’s gonna be a bumpy ride!

(….but honestly, writing this got me so sad too ;v;)

Risotto Nero:

This was the thing he had always feared. The exact same reason why he had been hesitant to have a family in the first place.

The excruciating pain of his s/o’s death felt just like when his beloved cousin got killed all this years ago, the event that had driven Risotto into the vile hands of Italy’s underworld and into Passione’s ranks.

Risotto had sworn himself to never open his heart to another person again, he simply couldn’t allow himself to become vulnerable in this line of work. His heart should have stayed closed right then and there, cold and alone and locked behind heavy chains of iron, and yet it had happened again…he had given away the key only for fate to come and rob him of his light again.

However, his love’s sacrifice shouldn’t be in vain. They had gifted him the greatest joy in his life -  his child - and he was determined to keep them safe at whatever cost.

One day, Risotto’s child asks him about his s/o, wanting to know more about the parent that had passed away way too soon.

He’d be gentle with them, telling his kid more about his s/o albeit the sorrow of his loss making it hard for Risotto to remain a calm façade.

Prosciutto:

He is…devastated. Utterly devastated.

Whenever Prosciutto sees his child – with their eyes the exact same colour as his deceased love - a fierce wave of sadness floods his mind. It hurts so much to be reminded of those eyes, this loving glance from his beloved s/o he will never ever see again in his life.

Wasn’t he supposed to protect his lover? To keep both them and his dear child out of harm’s way? Isn’t that what he promised on the day his child was born?

No, but he failed. His s/o was dead, mercilessly killed in battle, and there was nothing he could do.In the back of his head he knew that in this line of work, death would come sooner more than later, but this…it was just too cruel.

His loss changed Prosciutto: It slowly becomes apparent to the others when he starts coming to work late with his hair disheveled and his stained shirt messily tucked in his pants, his killings are sloppy, his gaze unfocused and the smell of alcohol seems to always trail behind him in its atrocious tenacity – in short, he had become a former shadow of the proud, almost pedantic hitman he used to be.

Sometime later, his child starts questioning their father about their other parent. Prosciutto stays silent at first, the only reaction being him flinching slightly when his kid uses his s/o’s name. No matter how much he tries, he can’t bring himself to talk about his dead love, not without having the sorrow taking over again. They say that time heals all wounds, but how much time will it take for him to finally be happy again?

Ghiaccio:

Betrayal and anger. That is what Ghiaccio felt, an irrational anger against his dead lover. How could they just leave him and their child behind? Of course, in the back of his mind Ghiaccio knows they didn’t choose this fate, but each and every day is a chore for him now that they are gone.

For the longest time, Ghiaccio was in denial about his s/o’s death. Handling emotions isn’t his strong point and so he just tried to sweep his loss under the rug like a pesky pile of dust.

‘They are dead? Yeah, whatever. Don’t think about it.’That’s what he tried to tell himself over and over again like a sacred magic spell while desperately trying to hold back his tears. Maybe the pain would go away if he didn’t let the thoughts about his s/o devour him.

However, the memories of his s/o all come back to haunt him in the form of his child. When one day his kid asks him about Ghiaccio’s s/o, the hitman just snaps:

“Never fucking ask me about them ever again, you hear me?!”

The venom in his voice surprises even Ghiaccio himself and he regrets his words and harsh tone immediately. Usually, he isn’t furious with his child, but their innocent question tore open a painful wound he thought had already closed…

Pesci:

Words wouldn’t convey fully what vast sadness Pesci felt when he learned about his s/o’s death.

With their passing and funeral, his whole world had collapsed in a matter of days. How was he supposed to carry on with this pain? Having to live while the love of his life was already on the other side?

No, now was not the time to be selfish. He had to think about raising his child, the proof of his and his s/o’s love.

When his child asks about his s/o, Pesci feels his eyes watering up. Of course they would ask about them, his kid had every right to know more about their other parent, and yet…Pesci couldn’t talk about his dead beloved. Not yet. Not when words would only cause more sorrow.So instead he hugs his kid tightly, telling them over and over how much he loves them while tears keep streaming across his face.

Melone:

Melone still has nightmares about his lover being killed in battle. Those dreams always end in him rushing to their side, crying out their name and clasping their cold, blood coated hand as the horrifying realization of their death slowly settles in.

He wakes up covered in sweat from the nightmares and every time reality comes crushing in when he reaches out to the other side of the bed only to feel chilly emptiness instead of a body full of warmth and life next to him.

Oh, how much he misses them. Misses their gentle touch, their loving gaze. To think it only took one careless fight to take away all his happiness and leave him as a shipwrecked on the shore of sorrow.

Maybe this is why he put all his remaining love into his only child, never letting them wander to far off, always clinging onto them in fear of losing another beloved person in his life.  

Everytime his child asks them about their other parent, Melone feels a burning sting inside his heart, a familiar sadness making his voice hoarse and tightening his throat so that it became harder to breath. Just the mere thought, just their name, is enough to let all those nightmares resurface again.

“I’ll tell you another time, gioia mia. Another time, yes?”

Another time, when time has healed the aching wound in his heart.

Illuso:

Illuso doesn’t have it in him to grieve openly. Although the pain weighs heavily on his shoulders, his pride still prevails. Whenever the hurt becomes to much, he vanishes into the mirror world where he is entirely by himself and nobody can hear him mourn his dead lover.

Does he blame himself? Of course, but there is nothing that he can do about it now. His s/o is gone forever and what little presence there is left of their warmth remains as their child.

The only thing to do – and the one thing his s/o would surely have asked for – would be to pour all his remaining love into this child of his. To spend as much time as he can with his kid. And so Illuso does.

Inevitably, the feared question arises one day.

Illuso’s child asks him about their parent that passed away. At first Illuso doesn’t know what to say. The memory of his s/o still hurts and it still hurts to use past tense when talking about them.

Illuso’s gaze darkens as his lips draw upwards into a bittersweet smile.

“I will tell you, so listen carefully…”

Formaggio:

Just as he arrived at the graveyard, it started to pour. Heavy rain was crashing down from the dark grey clouds above, rain drops dancing on the flickering lanterns around the graves.

What a fucking fitting scenery, Formaggio thought to himself bitterly.

His steps came to a halt when he reached the new grave at the end of the small aisle. Slowly he crouched down, trailing his finger tips along the name engraved into the ice cold marble.

“How am I supposed to do this alone? You know as well as I that I’m not a good father. Fuck, I’m a bad man. A criminal. I will screw up with this, just as my own father did with me. I can’t do this without you”, he mutters under his breath, barely audible.

Formaggio’s forced smile slowly melds into him gritting his teeth hard and clenching his fists until the knuckles turn white, holding back the urge to break down crying in front of the tombstone of his beloved s/o.

“Why…did you have to leave so soon?”

Amidst the rain’s monotonous song, he suddenly feels a tug on his sleeve and a set of wide, innocent eyes looking up to him, questioningly.

“When will Mama come back?”

The rain still pours and pours with seemingly no end in sight.

“Papa? Why are you crying, Papa?”