#confirmed that they were only friends/that the uncle line stays in

[acoraxia]

Yo rhy

As a shadowpeach king, what do you think of the new ship going around called sunstone?

Swk x the azure lion

i feel like if i answer this i'll get swarmed and anons will start going off in my inbox about things..

but i don't like it. like at all.

idk

[hellfirenacht]

Wing Man Part 6

Fic Summary: Steve 'the Hair' Harrington is your best friend, and is constantly striking out. Sick of this, you two make a deal; you'll wing man for each other. Hooking Steve up with dates is easy, but he finds himself struggling to find you a date. At least, until Dustin starts talking about his new cool friend Eddie. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9)

Chapter Summary: What DID he mean by five? The second meeting.

5.1k words

A/N: How are we feeling in a post-"Flight of Icarus" world, y'all? I knew from the beginning that I'd want to add some of the lore in and let me tell you, I LOVE Ronnie Ecker. For those of you who did not read the book, or haven't had a chance to, Ronnie is Eddie's best friend who ended up with a full scholarship to NYU. They're siblings, your honor.

Also if anyone can show me on this map where the plot is going, I'd really appreciate it.

This late at night, the only sounds in the trailer park came from the occasional dog barking and the echoes of Eddie’s tapes blasting as he pulled up to Wayne’s trailer. His uncle was working tonight as usual, which would normally allow Eddie time to hog the tv before passing out for a few precious hours before he had to get up for school. 

Tonight however, his mind was buzzing with what had just happened less than an hour ago. He liked you, he wasn’t sure how much yet but he did. You were sharp and knew your stuff about metal. It helped that you were cute. Really cute. 

He liked seeing you in the passenger seat of his car, matching wits with his friends and ranting about Ozzy. He liked seeing you laughing and the way you watched him play. He really liked the way you had fiddled with the pick he’d thrown at you at the end of the set. 

Eddie had never done that before. He’d wanted to, but never had anyone’s attention like that before- no. That wasn’t true. There had been one other person who’d listened to him play like that, two years ago. 

Was he always gonna fold to the site of a pretty girl actually paying attention to his music? 

“Of course you are.” Ronnie’s voice echoed on the phone. “And I’m gonna laugh every time you do.” 

Eddie groaned, holding the receiver to his ear as his forehead pressed against the front of the fridge. He hadn’t planned on running to her with this, but he was nowhere near able to wind down. He hadn’t even expected Ronnie to pick up the phone this late at night with the time zone difference and the fact that it was a school night. He’d have to push his stash a bit harder to pay Wayne back for the long distance call. 

The past two years had been a slow crawl of building back trust up with Veronica Ecker. The two had gone almost a whole summer without talking before Eddie had basically groveled for forgiveness outside of Granny Ecker’s trailer before Ronnie left for New York. She had forgiven him enough to let him give her a ride to the airport. 

“Last time?” He’d asked. 

“Last time.” She’d repeated. 

“So why didn’t you shack up with her tonight?” Ronnie asked. “You got her into your van, and you dropped her off like a gentleman.” 

“I don’t know, I panicked.” Eddie sighed, bonking his head against the fridge a few times. “She was right there, and she was leaning in and all I saw was Paige leaning in-”

“You know not every girl who shares your taste in music is Paige, right?” Eddie could practically see Ronnie rolling her eyes on the other end of the line. 

“Any girl that shares my taste in music ends up fucking off to the opposite end of the country.” 

This made Ronnie laugh. “You’re an idiot. Paige fucked off back to her job and I fucked off to college.”

“Fucking off is fucking off.”

“Maybe you need to fuck off.”

“I tried, remember?” 

She remembered. Both of them remembered. 

“Look, stop being a dipshit.” Ronnie said after a moment of awkward silence. “You’re graduating this year, right?”

“Uhhh...”

“Eddie.”

“Yeah, yeah I’m working on it. I just need those last stupid two classes and then I’m home free.” Eddie confirmed. 

“You can’t stay in high school forever.” Ronnie said. “And you’re gonna realize that there’s life outside of Hawkins. Have you even talked to Paige since then?”

He hadn’t, and they both knew it. Eddie gave up two months after she’d bailed him out of jail. Two months of dead air silence. He got the hint. 

“No.”

“Then stop worrying about one girl from over two years ago!” Eddie could feel the phantom pain of Ronnie punching him in the arm like she always used to. “Get laid and graduate, Munson. You earned it.”

Eddie snorted, sliding down the fridge to sit on the cool floor. “Is that the only advice you got for me, Ecker?”

“It’s the only advice you need. Did you pass that test last week?” Ronnie asked. 

“By the skin of my teeth.” Eddie sighed, leaning his head back against the fridge. 

“Your new girl graduated, maybe she can help you study.”

“She’s not my girl. She’s a girl that I’ve met a handful of times-”

“That’s turning your brain to mush.” 

“She doesn’t even know who I am, Ronnie.” He fiddled with the chord in his hand, watching the spiral wind and unwind around his fingers. It was already stretched out pretty bad, with a few spirals already tangled beyond repair like his old slinky from when he was a kid. 

“Isn’t that a good thing?” Ronnie asked. “She doesn’t know you, that means she doesn’t feed into the bullshit of the rumor mill.” 

Ronnie had a point and he hated it, but that’s why he called her to begin with. Ronnie was the only person who could cut through his Munson bullshit and give it to him straight. He missed it. As much as he enjoyed the power he had to protect his little lost sheepies, they were all too intimidated to actually stand up to him and call him out the way that Ronnie would.

“Yeah, you’re right. As usual.” Eddie could hear her snort and he couldn’t stop himself from grinning. “So why the hell are you even awake right now? Up til 2 am on a school night, Ecker?”

“It’s barely past midnight, the time zone isn’t that off. I was studying for a test, but hearing you complain about your love life is a far more productive use of my time.” 

“You’re using me to slack off, aren’t you?” 

“If I have to look at my flashcards one more time tonight my eyes are gonna go square. How’s Granny doing?”

“She’s an empty nester and is determined to turn me into her replacement grandson until you visit again.” Eddie shook his head. “She threatened to give me a haircut the last time she dropped off a plate for Wayne.”

Ronnie had come back to visit a grand total of five times since she’d left, returning for holidays and summers to visit Granny Ecker and by extension Eddie. Each time she’d come back with stories of law school and how different New York is. 

It seemed impossible, everything that Ronnie had told him about going to college and about life outside their small town. She was playing Dungeons and Dragons still, having found a group that would play with her. According to her, being a rules lawyer for the game at a law school hit way different than it had their small Hellfire group in high school. No one even cared that they played outside of a few students who had better things to do than enact violence against a few nerds. 

Then again, in law school everyone was some sort of nerd. Eddie wondered if even a freak would be accepted there. Well, socially at least. He wasn’t delusional enough to think he’d be able to be accepted into law school with his grades. Ronnie had invited him up to visit a few times, but there was never time or money to do it. 

The two continued talking for another hour, catching up until Ronnie was scolding him for staying up so late on a school night. 

“Yeah? And what’s your excuse?” Eddie said. “It’s almost 4:20 am there.” 

“Ha. Ha. Again, ha.” Ronnie said. “Still not how timezones work. And my first class doesn’t start until noon.”

Right. In college you didn’t have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn every day. 

“Night, Ecker.”

“Night, Munson. Graduate and get laid.” 

“Does it matter the order?”

“Good night, Eddie.”

Talking to Ronnie had eased his nerves, but there was still something inside that wouldn’t let him lay down and go to sleep. It was late now, way later than he intended to stay up tonight. The night he played at the Hideout always had him up late, and his teacher already considered him more useless than usual on Wednesdays. It’s not like anyone would care if he slept in class, unless they were in a particularly foul mood. 

He made his way to a stack of books in his room rummaging through a pile or two until he found what he was looking for. Eddie’s copy of Lord of the RIngs was well loved at best, and completely trashed at worst. The cover of the paperback was nearly torn off, taped back together haphazardly over the years. Pages were dogeared, the spine was cracked, notes were scribbled in the margins, and his name was scribbled in messy cursive on the front page declaring that this book belonged to Eddie Munson and that he was in third grade.

Eddie stripped out of most of his clothes, tossing his jewelry on his nightstand, and hopped into bed. He turned on a small lamp and opened the book. He could probably recite the first chapter from memory if he tried, the words on the page a comfortable lullabye for his wound up mind. But tonight he flipped to a page near the end where his bookmark was. The flower made out of blue construction paper wasn’t nearly as old as the book, and only in better shape because it never left the safe pages of Tolkein’s writing. 

His eyes glanced at his arm again, your phone number a temporary tattoo on his skin until it washed off. Shit, it was going to wash off eventually. Eddie grabbed a pen from under his bed and added another scribble to the inside of the book before copying your number carefully onto the paper flower. At least this way he’d always know where it was. 

With that aside, Eddie didn’t make it through three pages of his book before he passed out with the light still on. 

Fall Semester, 1984

The PrinciPAL’s office was just as interesting and inviting as it always was, which is to say not at all. Eddie was slumped back on a chair, watching as Janice sorted through paperwork, pretending to look busy so that she could avoid any small talk with ‘that Munson boy’. He had been waiting for Higgin’s to show up for almost fifteen minutes now, because why shouldn’t he waste Eddie’s time at this point? The worst that was going to happen today is that they’d do their little song and dance, Eddie would plead his case that the flyers were absolutely serious and that Chris Morrison had every intent to run for student council, and that it was all of the club that had made the posters, Higgins would shake his head and not believe Eddie for a second (which to be fair, this would be the first time that Eddie would admit privately that it was his fault), they’d go back and forth until Eddie got some form of detention or Saturday school. 

Honestly, the worst part would be rescheduling Hellfire if he wound up in detention. 

Eddie had counted out 13 paper clips that Janice had used in her papershifting before the door to the front office opened up again. He looked up, expecting to see Higgins walk in, ignore him for another five minutes, before Janice would let Eddie go in. 

He didn’t expect to see you, pale and shaken, clutching a teacher’s note in your hand. Eddie watched as you handed the note over to Janice who read it, shook her head, and pointed at the chair next to himself. Your eyes never left the floor as you sat next to him, staring at the cheap carpet as if you could somehow burn a hole in it and disappear. 

Trouble was no stranger to Eddie, and Eddie was no stranger to trouble. In Hawkins the name ‘Munson’ might as well be in the thesaurus next to the word. This wasn’t his first rodeo, and it would be far from his last as long as Higgins stayed the princiPAL. He’d walk away with a lecture and a sigh and then it would be business as normal. 

The look on your face though, that was far from the mild annoyance he felt. You look downright traumatized at the idea of having been sent here. Eddie glanced up at Janice who deigned to make eye contact with him now. Her eyes flicked between the two of you, a disapproving look behind her purple frames as if this was somehow Eddie’s fault that you had ended up here as well. But then, as far as any of the faculty from the office was concerned, even him being enrolled at this school was a death sentence to the rest of the poor student body. Eddie was a disease that they would try to contain until they had the cure to remove him. 

The shaking of your knee made your chair (and his chair by proxy) rattle slightly. The quiet of the office and the mundane shuffling of Janice’s papers only added to the tension that was radiating off you. 

“Janice, is Higgin’s gonna be long?” Eddie finally asked, and your bouncing knee stopped for just a moment before going back to its nervous movement. 

“He’s in a very important meeting.” Came the reply over a stack of papers, still not looking at Eddie. 

He sighed again and looked over at you, trying to place where he knew your face. Your eyes were a bit red, and you looked like you were on the verge of crying. Shit, he needed to do something before he had to ask Janice for the tissue box. 

“First time?” Eddie asked, and when you didn’t respond he nudged your knee with his. 

You jumped slightly, head snapping up. It was a wonder you didn’t give yourself whiplash and it would have been almost funny to Eddie had you not looked like a deer in the headlights looking at him. 

“I... Huh?” your voice cracked slightly. 

“What are ya in for?” Eddie did his best to give you a smile which he was sure made him look more like a serial killer than a comfort. It was rare he wished that he had his dad’s smile, but in cases like this he’d make an exception. 

You looked at the paper in your hand and swallowed. “Uh... skipped.” 

“Skipped school or just class?” Eddie prompted, trying to get you to talk more. If you were talking, then you weren’t crying. That’s what he hoped at least. 

“Class.” He didn’t think you’d say anymore but you surprised him. “US History.” Eddie caught the way your eyes darted to Janice again as if to make sure she wasn’t listening in, but Janice had better things to do than to eavesdrop on two delinquents. “I wasn’t... I had a bad day. I'm having a bad day. I felt like I was going to explode and I went to the library.” 

Eddie nodded, wondering what had happened today that made you need to duck out. It wasn’t his business, and frankly Higgin’s was going to grill you enough as it was. 

“Rookie mistake.” He said instead. 

“Rookie...?” 

Eddie kept his voice low and leaned in closer to you as if telling you a secret. “If you’re gonna skip, you can’t go to the library. You might as well have walked into the teacher’s lounge and announced that you were cutting class.”

You let out a sharp breath that he swore counted for a laugh. “Thanks for the heads up, can you tell me that a few hours ago?”

There was color returning to your face now and Eddie kept going. His brown eyes scanned your face, trying to place where he knew you from. Hawkins was a small town, and there was nothing about you that screamed ‘I’m new!’. 

He liked your sarcasm though, and his ‘comforting’ grin shifted into a genuine smile. “If you’re gonna ditch, you need to go to the bathroom or go outside.” He said. “Especially for last period. Go hide outside in the woods and you can slip into the parking lot seamlessly without anyone noticing. By the end of the day the teachers are barely taking attendance anyway.”

“Have you been in the girls rooms here?” you asked, shaking your head. “I think I’d rather take my chances here than stay in there longer than I’d have to.” Eddie wasn’t sure if you were trying to make a joke or if you were serious.

“Would you rather hide in the boys room?” he asked. “I swear it only smells like piss almost all of the time and you’d end up in the splash zone even if you were in a stall.”

That got a laugh out of you, a genuine one. Your shoulders were relaxing and you looked down at the paper again and took a deep breath that you exhaled with a sigh. 

“I’ve never been in trouble before.” you said, your hands starting to bend and fold the paper on your lap absently. “I’m not good at being in trouble.”

“Well, lucky for you I’m here.” Eddie nudged your knee again with his. “Being in trouble is kind of my job here at Hawkin’s High. I’m a professional, you know. If I wasn’t here taking up all of Principal Higgin’s time he might have to actually do his job.” 

That last part was louder, as he directed it to Janice who refused to take the bait and only reached for her lilac stapler instead. 

A small smack on his arm drew his attention back to you, you were smiling at him looking astonished. “You’re gonna get us in trouble!” you whispered at him. 

“We’re already in trouble.” Eddie reminded you, his smile never fading. “Look, you’ve never been in trouble before, right? You’re gonna be fine. Just give him a good sob story about being overwhelmed with school, or about a sick pet. If you can squeeze out some tears that’s even better. The worst that he’s gonna do is give you a slap on the wrist and maybe detention if he’s in a shit mood”

You take in his words, listening to him carefully and taking in every word he was saying as if this was life or death. Eddie admittedly, had purposefully slipped into his Dungeon Master voice. It was a skill that normally only worked on his little sheepies in his club, and that was after semesters of training his players to listen and pay attention to his words or else it would be life or death for their characters. 

Having someone else listen to him like that? It felt really good. 

Your mouth started to open to say something but then the office door opened again and Higgin’s stepped in, nodding to Janice and then looking at the two of you. There was an accusatory look in his eyes as he made eye contact with Eddie again, and it was clear what that look said. Leave her alone, don’t make things worse for her than they already are. 

“Munson.” Higgins said and it took everything in him to stay still and not flinch at his last name. He was used to the weight that came with his name, but he hadn’t wanted you to know who he was. Not after he just remembered where he knew you from, glancing down at the note that you had folded into a flower in a fit of nerves. 

“I heard you missed me, Sir.” Eddie forced his eyes to meet Higgin’s. “You really should just start saying hi in the hallways instead of inviting me to these little chats every week. You’re taking away valuable learning time from me, you know.” 

If the two of them had been alone, Higgins would have snapped back at Eddie about being a smartass. But you were there, and the color had drained from your face again, and there was a shine to your eyes that was threatening to spill over your waterline. Higgins looked at you and motioned for you to follow him into his office. 

Eddie wished that you would turn and look at him before disappearing into the PrincePAL’s office. He could imagine you turning to look at him for comfort, he’d give you a smile that would put you at ease and a thumbs up. You’d give him another smile and walk in feeling brave. 

Instead it was like you forgot he was there as your figure disappeared behind the heavy wood door that shut with a heavy click. 

Of course Higgins had you come in first, even though Eddie had already been sitting here since the beginning of the period when he’d been called in. 

He was tempted to go over to the door and press his ear up against it to listen in on what he was saying to you but even Janice would scold him for that. So there Eddie sat for another ten minutes as he waited for you to step out again. 

Higgin’s was the one to open the door and let you out of the office, as if he were some gentleman instead of Eddie’s own personal warden five days a week. You walked out and to Eddie’s surprise you gave him a nod and mouthed thank you as you slipped back out the door and into the hallway. 

Eddie’s eyes followed you until he couldn’t see you anymore and it took Higgin’s standing in front of him with folded arms and saying his full government name for Eddie to snap back to reality. 

“Munson. A word about your little flyers?”

“Well, I’d say a picture is worth a thousand words-”

“In my office.”

Eddie didn’t remember much else about that talk, only remembering the white paper flower that had been carelessly tossed into the trash next to Higgin’s desk. 

“He still hasn’t called you?” Steve asked as you, him, and Robin continued your closing routine. The day had been busy, with almost everyone in Hawkins coming to rent a movie for the weekend. Robin was stocking the candy while you wiped down the sticky counter where children had been touching all day. Who’s idea was it to leave out free suckers on the counter anyway?

Oh right, that was your idea because you loved Halloween. 

“Nope.” you said, your voice a little tense. It had been almost two weeks since that night at the Hideout. You hadn’t returned to the dive bar, hoping that Eddie would call you and make the next move. Each passing day you had stayed as close to the phone as possible when you were home and you’d checked your voicemail every day when you got home for any sign that he’d attempted to reach out. 

Nothing. 

You shouldn’t feel this rejected but you did. It was far too early to tell if you had any feelings beyond initial attraction to the guy, but... you’d felt something. An enjoyment of bantering with him and an ease that came as naturally as your friendship with Robin and Steve. 

Plus, you had to admit it, he was really fucking hot. Seeing him play guitar two weeks ago had haunted your dreams and slipped into a few of your fantasies when you were alone. 

You kept that part to yourself though, that was the last thing that Steve or Robin needed to hear. Besides, that was Steve’s job to go far too into detail about his sex life. Steve had tried ribbing you about going home with Eddie but you’d told him that you were a complete gentleman with him. 

That night had left you feeling electrified, almost high as you danced around your room as you got ready for bed. Even as his odd parting rattled around your brain, you couldn’t help but to feel excited at the idea of seeing him again. 

Then a few days went by. Then a week. And now two weeks later you hadn’t heard from him. The kids hadn’t stopped by either so you couldn’t hassle them about Eddie either. Even if they had, you weren’t sure if you could ask about him, you didn’t want to come across as desperate. 

“Did you ever figure out what he meant by ‘five times?’” Robin asked, opening up a squished package of Reese's Cups. “Like, didn’t you say you didn’t know him?”

You threw your hands up before tossing the paper towels you were using to clean in the trash can. 

“I have no idea.” you said. “Either I’m bad at math, he’s bad at math, or maybe we’re both stupid.”

“He did get held back a few times.” Steve muttered to himself. 

“There’s a chance that you two have met before though.” said Robin, “I mean think about it, you’re both weirdos who went to the same school. Shouldn’t you both have bumped into each other before?” 

“You’d think so, but my group kind of kept to ourselves.” you said with a sigh. “We were private weirdos. When I DID try and make other friends-”

“Yeah, yeah, Chris Morrison shot you down.” Steve said, waving his hand. 

“Oh, you heard that story?” you laughed. “I didn’t think I mentioned it to you before.”

Steve gave you a blank stare that only made you laugh more. “I swear you keep talking about that guy more than Eddie. Maybe I should track him down and set you up on a blind date with him instead.” 

“Don’t you dare!” 

“Hey, that could be fun!” Robin added. “We’ll dress you up super hot, set you up with Chris, and then you can turn him down instead!” 

“Excuse you, Robin. I am always super hot.” you declared, straightening out your unflattering Family Video vest. “Who wouldn’t want a piece of this?”

You hadn’t done laundry in a week, and your hair had seen better days. The green polyester vest was wrinkled and if Keith saw you looking sloppy he’d probably have words about it. Not big words or even intimidating words, but words nonetheless. It was night and day compared to how you’d looked at the Hideout and the arcade earlier in the month. But it wasn’t like you had anyone to impress while you were at work anyway. 

“Hey, nerdy chicks can be hot.” Steve said. “I mean, Nancy’s an academic nerd and I was crazy about her.” 

You hummed thoughtfully and turned to Robin. “How about we get married instead?” you asked. “You, me, a fuck ton of cats, and a tax break. What do you say?”

Robin laughed and shook her head. “You aren’t my type.” Her eyes darted nervously to Steve for a split second and you sighed dramatically. 

“Guess it’s just me and the cats I’ll eventually adopt.” you said. “Not even a tax break.” 

“You know, Keith thinks you’re cute-”

“I am going to pretend that you did not just say that, Harrington.” you said firmly. “Nope, not happening. Uh-uh. Absolutely not.” 

“He’s not... that bad?” Robin said, but you could hear the pain in her voice through the laughter. “Methinks the lady doth protest too much.” 

“The lady is trying not to think actually.” you laugh. “We’re closed, I’m actually done thinking. I just wanna finish cleaning up and go home. What’s left?”

“Rewinding the returns,-”

“Ugh.”

“Cleaning up the kids movies,-”

“Ugh.”

“And cleaning the bathroom.”

“UGHHHHHH.” 

“Would you rather clean up the porn room?” asked Robin. 

“Yes actually, I would.” You said. “Whatever they think about doing in that room is what they do end up doing in the bathroom.”

“Gross.”

Steve sighed “Okay, I’ll be the hero and save you ladies from cleaning the bathroom. Robin, you fix the kids section, and you can rewind the tapes.”

“I thought I was in charge here.” You crossed your arms. 

“Okay, did you have a better way to divide and conquer?”

“...No.”

“Then let’s hurry up and-”

Ding!

“Who didn’t lock the door?!” you asked. 

“It was Steve’s job to-” Robin started. 

“Oh, shit. Hi.” Steve was staring at the person who had just walked in. You turned around and your heart jumped in your chest and your stomach dropped. 

“Cursing in front of customers, Harrington?” Eddie said. “Now that’s not very professional of you.”

Robin’s eyes were darting so fast between you and Eddie that you were surprised she wasn’t giving herself vertigo. You tried to give her a pointed glare but your friend either didn’t get the hint or refused to. 

“Well, we’re closed. You can’t be a customer if you can’t pay.” Steve said, putting his hands on his hips. 

Eddie looked away from Steve and made eye contact with you. It had been two weeks since you’d seen him, and you glazed at his arm for a second, trying to see if the faded remains of your phone number were still stamped on his arm. Unfortunately for you he was wearing a heavy leather jacket and you had not yet developed x ray vision. Perhaps in another genre. 

“Do you want to get out of here?” Eddie asked and you, ignoring Steve who looked mildly offended. 

You stood there in shock for a second before Robin nudged you in the rib. 

“I- uh. I have to finish closing.” you said, snapping out of it. 

“Steve and I can handle the rest of closing!” Robin grabbed Steve and shook his shoulder. 

“Guys, I’m literally in charge of you both. I can’t leave before you.” You said, already reaching for your bag under the counter. 

“We can handle it!” Steve said. 

“And I can handle Steve!” Robin added. “We close without you and Keith all the time, remember?”

You could trust Robin, and as long as Steve didn’t knock down any displays then it wouldn’t take them more than another ten minutes to finish up. You were so tempted to turn them down, make Eddie wait as you had waited for him for the past two weeks. 

But you were already stepping behind the counter towards Eddie and tossing the keys to lock up to Robin. Keith would murder you and write you up (in that order) if he knew what you were doing but looking up at the roundest pair of brown eyes you’d ever seen had you in the mood to make questionable choices. 

You shrugged off your vest and tossed it at Steve, in an attempt to make yourself look like you hadn’t spent the whole day dealing with unruly customers and screaming kids. Part of you almost wished that you had agreed to bathroom duty, if only to give you an excuse to look in a mirror and straighten yourself out. 

“Thanks, guys.” you gave them a quick nod, catching sight of Robin’s knowing smirk and Steve shaking his head before walking out the door that Eddie was holding open for you. 

The last thing you heard was the scrambling of the entrance to Family Video being locked. 

Part 7

Dividers by @strangergraphics

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[snickerdoodlles]

Loved your answer to the: "How would you rank the Theeranyakapuls in terms of clinginess?" ask. Can we have Kittisawats as well please?

(prev) (and ❤❤!!)

if the theerapanyakuls are "everything i've let go of has claw marks" boys, the kittisawats are "i will cling until it shatters in my grip"

Porsche: man does not let anything go except grudges. the only reason why he doesn't hold grudges is because he's too busy trying to hold onto EVERYTHING ELSE. Vegas is shooting him but Porsche refuses to lose a friend. Kinn fucks up crossing lines but Porsche won't let go of his cute smile. absolutely never would've taken up Kinn's demand he runs away because it'd mean letting Kinn go. bows to mafia recruitment before giving up his childhood home. Porsche is still holding onto a promise he made to his mother when he was like six years old max. i maintain the only reason why Porsche tells Arthee to go away is because he was already negotiating his mafia contract in his head and couldn't risk anything on Chay's safety because he knew he wouldn't be around, he never would've let Arthee just walk out of their life without those special circumstances. honestly this is such a large part of why Kinn and Porsche work together so perfectly, neither of them ever want to let go of their people and they collect people under their umbrellas at a downright alarming rate.

Chay: also clings to things until they shatter except he is extremely choosy in what he clings to. he has to be, he doesn't have a choice given how hard he loves and how little he has. as furious as he is with Porsche leaving him to join the mafia, he will bow and accept all of Porsche's choices so he can keep his brother. there's no other choice to him really. Chay's already shown he's willing to give up everything else for Porsche, from their home to his dreams to their uncle, and he can't have already drawn that line and then give up Porsche too right after he got him back. he clings to Kim just as hard until Kim shatters it-- i will always maintain Chay approaching Kim after the mafia reveal was just to confirm if he was reading Kim's feelings correctly (he was). Chay would've accepted the mafia and the scheming in a heartbeat so long as Kim's feelings for him were real (they were). Kim walks away from him then, but even then, that isn't what shatters them-- when Kim interrupts him at the club, Chay lets Kim pull him away. he is more than willing to hear Kim out then, he just wants to know if Kim cares (he does). except instead of explaining himself when Chay demands an explanation, Kim says "fine, i'll stay out of your business from now on." that's when Chay gives up Kim, because Kim keeps showing that he cares but claiming the opposite, and Chay can't hold onto someone to his typical degree of sacrifice if he doesn't think they'll stay in the end. that's why he blocks Kim. that's why "why don't you stay" is the perfect apology-- the song that first brought them together, the song they worked on together, the song where Kim lays himself bare to say "i have nothing to offer, i can't drag you into my mess, i desperately want you to be here with me anyways." of course that would reach Chay, who's only wish in life is that his two people stay with him through hell and fire and let him take care of them as much they take care of him. of course that'd open the door back up with Chay, who just wants Kim to explain how he cares and stay.

the kittisawats' clinginess is actually the heart of one of my most favorite kp story concepts ever, which is pushing the mafia aspect to the point where it shatters something in Chay and he has to leave. because Chay will give up so much to stay with Porsche. if he's pushed to the point where he leaves Porsche, either Chay has Kim to fall back on or Chay has nothing, and both options are so much fun for different reasons. and then for Porsche...oh my god, Porsche. Porsche holds onto everything, but his top priority is still Chay. a large part of why he can hold onto everything else is because Chay works so hard to make himself okay and hold Porsche back, so having Chay hit a point where he can't would destabilize Porsche so bad. sure, he has everything else, but what does that matter if he doesn't have Chay? Porsche and Chay are so tightly intertwined and so desperately clingy in the same way that even just straining their relationship brings all this out. "what happens when you can no longer hold onto the person you'd give up everything for?" is a delightfully crunchy story question and so good for these two especially ❤

[ihavethedreamies]

Snow in Sweden | Renjun

Huang Renjun - NCT Dream

Word Count: 9.6k

Pairing: Renjun x AFAB!Reader

Genre: Reader-Insert, Fluff, Cuddling, Eventual Kisses, Pining, Flirting

Warnings: She/Her Pronouns used, the Reader punches someone, Jaemin

Uh, this is pretty long lol. It was exactly 9,300 words when i checked but I might have edited it and changed it. I am more proud of that then the rest of the story.

I am referencing this sweatshirt for a Jaemin.

Edit: I did change the title, it was just Winter Romance.

Edit (8/25/24): I changed the text/chat pictures to just text.

I am cross-posting this on Archive under the same name. Please reblog! If you know anyone that would like this or future fics but they aren't on Tumblr my name and icon are exactly the same on the other two sites. Happy reading!

Part of you wasn't quite sure why you agreed to this, but the guys wanted to so bad. Sweden in the middle of winter would be…a lot. They said winter was the best time to go however, because they wanted to go to stay at the Ice Hotel. You didn't mind the cold, but Scandinavia in the winter? The only country that did better with winter than Russia? Let alone staying in the ice hotel, which the rooms are literally made out of ice. However, when they told you it would only be for one night, the rest would be in a normal hotel room, you caved. Plus, you would get to meet sled dogs and ride in a sled. Before your group even left, everyone paired up to decide on a trip partner. You drew out on a piece of paper a bunch of lines, and everyone traced a different path to get a partner. The teams were Mark and Chenle, Jeno and Jisung, Jaemin and Haechan, and you got teamed up with Renjun. Honestly, you sighed a breath of relief, thinking of all the nonsense that could have happened otherwise. You weren't sure to feel worse for Jaemin or Haechan, in that situation. Since everyone had to share a bed, Renjun definitely felt like the best option. Plus, he was sweet and quiet with you and would be good company for the events. You had to stamp down the heart-fluttering it caused though. Your small crush on him that you had since you met him had only gotten much worse the longer you had been friends with all of them. He was also the only one you couldn't find a fault with. Chenle was loud. Donghyuck was touchy. Jaemin was flirty. Jisung would be way too embarrassed and not be able to sleep. Mark star-fished across the bed and you didn't care for that. Jeno would have been okay, if it wasn't for the fact that you two almost slept together a few months ago after a great deal of drinking had been had. All of them but Jisung and Chenle had stayed the night at your apartment and Jeno got to share your bed with you. Never again, he was dangerous. Not that he would try anything, but anyone with eyes could see how attractive he was.

After all the pairs were decided, with much ruckus after, you logged on and got everyone signed up for everything. Everyone agreed to save up their money and pool it together to afford everything. It also helped that your uncle was helping you get cheap airline tickets to get there and got you a discount at the hotel. Plus, Chenle was freaking rich.

"You sure you're okay being my partner?" Renjun whispered to you as you plugged in the debit card information. Everyone had given their money to Chenle, and he handed over his black card.

"Of course." you reassured, looking over the information before you hit submit. After checking everything was good, you hit submit and the confirmation popped up and your phone dinged with the email receipt. Another ding went off and you glanced at it to see a second email. You opened it and Renjun looked over your shoulder at it.

"Congratulations. Your booking has won a random raffle drawing and one of your rooms has been upgraded to a deluxe suite. The room under the name "Huang" has been selected…" You read out loud and the two of you just stared at it for a second.

"That's our room?" He clarified and you nodded. That sounded so nice! You pulled up the website of the resort and looked at the specifics of it. It was bigger and had more amenities. The biggest difference though was instead of two beds pretty much just shoved together; this was just one bed. It would also be smaller than the two small ones next to each other, meaning you would be much closer together. He must have come to the same realization and you two just kind of sat there, not sure what to say.

"Did you do it?" Hyuck burst in and you two jumped, scooting away from each other.

"Y-yeah. It seems we won some kind of raffle and our room got upgraded." You motioned between the two of you.

"Man! Lucky!" The other boy pouted and Renjun gave you a sheepish look.

"Let's go eat and figure out all the other plans."

About a month later, on the first day of winter break, everyone gathered together in front of your apartment building with all of their luggage. You were the only one that could drive, but your car could barely fit four people, let alone eight. None of you were old enough to rent a car either, so for a little more money than you wanted to pay, the airport was going to send a van to pick you guys up. Glancing at your phone, it was about five minutes before the transport was supposed to get there. It was only kind of cold right then, no snow and just a slight breeze. You soaked in the cool weather knowing it would get much, much colder. It had been decided that everyone literally had to do everything with their specific partner. That meant sitting with each other to the airport, on both planes, at all meals, sharing the hotel rooms, and every activity. They decided this since no one was paired up with their normal partner. You were normally actually with Renjun, so you two were not so fazed, but Jeno was normally with Jaemin, Donghyuck with Mark, and Jisung with Chenle. This trip was going to be interesting. When the van finally pulled up, the nice gentleman driving got out and helped everyone get their luggage inside. Climbing inside the shuttle, you sat in the back row near the window and as per the rules, Renjun sat right next to you. It was about a forty-five minute drive to the airport, and the traffic was heavy with all of the college students leaving for break. The man driving said it might be about an hour and you were glad you guys decided to leave almost four hours early. Your dad had ingrained in you to get to the airport early just in case anything came up to delay progress. You felt like one of the people in the insurance commercials that are turning into their parents.

"So, where are all of you headed?" The man-made conversation as traffic trudged along.

"Sweden." Mark answered, sitting closest to the front with Chenle.

"Wow! In the winter?" The guy chuckled and you rolled your eyes.

"I know! But they want to stay at the Ice Hotel." You shouted some for the driver to hear you.

"A hotel made out of ice? You better be a gentleman and keep your girlfriend nice and warm." He turned in his seat to give Renjun a look. Everyone froze and looked at you two and you gaped.

"Oh, uh, no, we're not-"

"I will sir." He spoke over you and the rest of the guys looked at each other in shock. You looked at Renjun, but he would not meet your eye.

"Good boy." The rest of the trip to the airport was not exactly quiet, but Renjun and you just sat there, listening to the crazy. You two didn't say a thing till you finally arrived at the airport and you all got your luggage out.

"Good luck, everyone!" The shuttle driver waved, and you all entered the airport. You had somehow managed to become the group leader because you had flown the most out of everyone and they started to call you mom as you managed everything. You checked your bags and were grateful you had weighed them ahead of time because they all just were under the limit. Beforehand you made sure everyone had their passports in their pockets for easy access. Showing them off to the ticket agent, Hyuck complained his picture was bad. No one had a good passport or license photo. Everyone got their physical tickets handed to them, and like the plan, everyone had booked seats next to each other. Jisung and Jeno were in Row C, Row D for Mark and Chenle, Row E for you and Renjun, and Row F for Hyuck and Jaemin. Getting through security was a racket because you all had to take off your friend group necklaces and rings, plus you each had a laptop, and a tablet, your phones, and three of you brought their switches. None of you thought about the shoes you were in; it was easier to wear snow boots than pack them but to get them off and back on again was a task. Once everyone was through, with them almost giving Jaemin a pat down because of a stupid joke he made, you finally all made your way to the gate.

"You really shouldn't make a joke about what's in your pants at an airport." You scolded him and he shrugged. You finally got a good look at his sweatshirt which read 'Orgasm Donor'. Simply sighing, you turned and led the way to your gate. You had to have a layover in New York and then continue on to Sweden. This fact started an argument with Donghyuck because he didn't understand the concept that not every airport was international. You all still had over an hour before boarding, so you stopped to get cinnamon rolls which is honestly a must at the airport.

"Can I have two?" You ordered and the boys gave you a look.

"One for later." You shrugged and received your snack. Everyone sat around the waiting area near the gate to eat. The whole airport was packed so some of you had to sit on the floor. Renjun sat in front of you and because there was so little room he basically had to sit between your legs. Hearing some giggling, you looked over to a short distance away where there was a group of girls about your age maybe a little younger. They were looking at your group and chattering. Honestly, you didn't blame them, not when all of them looked like they did.

"Are those girls talking about us?" Your partner whispered up to you and you nodded.

"Hm. I don't blame them." You huffed a laugh, and he tilted his head back to look at you upside down.

"Why?"

"Look in a mirror, dear." You thumped his forehead with your finger, and you didn't catch the red that flushed his cheeks and ears. You were surprised that the fact they were trying to fit their entire cinnamon rolls in their mouth at once didn't deter the girls.

"You're gonna ruin your amazing new sweatshirt." You pointed out to Jaemin and he managed to catch the glob of frosting before it made his sweatshirt look like he practiced what he preached.

"Um, do you guys live in New York?" An overly sweet voice called out and they all looked to see the girls had approached. You recognized them actually; they were freshmen at the college most likely.

"No, we're just going there before-" You got cut off.

"You want to go get something to eat when we land?" The one that seemed like the leader asked.

"We're only staying about an hour till we get on our next flight." You got in and she sent you a sneer. There were six girls, and you had an idea that they were trying to set up some group date.

"So, you two can stay here, and we can go with the boys." She scoffed and you felt Renjun stiffen. Did they think he was a girl? His hair was longer with blonde underneath the black, and he's quite pretty. When he showed up last week with his hair like that again you were secretly extremely happy, he's always looked so good with it.

"I'm pretty there's no time for that, also-" You started.

"We all would much rather stay with (Y/N) than any of you." Renjun cut it, making his voice a bit deeper than it normally was. They all did a double take when he spoke, and the other boys sat straight. Renjun used his 'you better listen to me, or I'll beat your ass' voice.

"We must stay with our princess and serve her." Hyuck sat up on one knee and bowed in front of you. You felt your eyebrow twitch. He was such a little shit.

"��하 (Your highness)!" They all cheered in Korean, bowing low to you and you couldn't hold in your laugh.

"You stupid idiots, stop." You waved them off, still chuckling and the girls hmphed and turned to go back to their seats.

"Maybe I should cut my hair…" Renjun whispered, running his fingers through his hair at the back of his head.

"No! It looks so good on you! That was so on them." You pointed out, smacking his hand away and petting the soft strands down. Once again, his face and ears reddened, and you saw it this time. After one last pat, you sat back and felt your own face get warm.

"You know, we could order one of these for all of us and having matching sweatshirts too?" Jaemin gave his stupid little smile.

"How about we don't." Jeno flicked him on the forehead. Jaemin dramatically yelped and squirmed excessively. Everyone just dicked around the rest of the time till the flight boarded. As they called certain rows, since you all were right after another you got to board at the same time. You had a fairly small carry on so you just kept it at your feet so you wouldn't have to put it up in the overhead.

"If you want to put your bag up, we can watch something on my laptop." You suggested as Renjun waited for Mark to put his backpack up.

"Okay." He took his shoulder bag off, and Mark took it from him to lay it up near his. You took the window seat, though you had no plans on looking out of it, your fear of heights too prominent. The flight to the east coast was about three and a half hours, but the flight to Sweden would be another eight hours, THEN from Stockholm to the airport closest to the Ice Hotel is about two hours, plus there would be a thirty-minute drive to the hotel. It was going to be a LONG trip. It was currently ten in the morning; you would get to New York at 3:30 pm eastern time. The arrival time for Sweden would be 6:30 in the morning, the next airport would be 9:00, to get to the hotel to check in by 11:00. That would be almost sixteen hours, and luckily being next to Renjun would allow you to actually sleep. At the same time, you had a Jaemin behind you, so you hoped that he didn't bother you the whole time.

"If I sat next to you, I could make my sweatshirt honest." He whispered between the seats as you got settled; before you could scold him, Renjun was kneeling on the seat and reaching over to smack him. You held back a guffaw at this and you knew you would be defended this day yet.

"I'm going to burn that the minute he takes it off." The shorter man whispered angrily, and you nodded in agreement. You had downloaded several things onto your laptop to pass the very long time, and luckily the plane had a normal outlet for you to plug it in. You dug through your bag, which held way more than it appeared, you found your wired earbuds and the splitter that went with them.

"You have your own?" You asked and he got his out so you could watch some movies.

"Wait, you downloaded Captain America?" Hyuck was peering between the seats.

"Yes."

"Lucky." He sat back with a pout, and you shut your laptop when the flight attendant announced to do so, and you made sure you were buckled in. As the flight attendant gave the emergency instructions, you all struggled to stay serious as Jaemin mimicked the woman quietly. As the plane began to taxi to the runway, Renjun nudged you and pointed out that the girls from before were sitting in the middle seats, some of them in the same row as Jeno and Jisung. Jeno was in the aisle, and of course it was him, no one could resist a Jeno…or really a Jaemin, but he was locked in where he was. Thank the Lord, especially since he was wearing what he was. While Jeno was incredibly attractive and nice, he could be shy, especially with girls. Jisung would be of no help, and really neither was Mark. You were pretty sure Chenle was already asleep. The plane lurched as it started to go faster, and you pressed your back into the seat as it began to ascend. You waited patiently for them to announce devices could be used again, so you reopened your laptop and put your phone on airplane mode. You all had your blue tooth turned on and were able to connect on a little server together. The group chat blew up immediately. 

(🐶) Help T.T (☀️) They flirtin'? (🐶) Yes T.T (🐹) They like his forearms (🐻) They should see his biceps (🐰) They should see other things ;) (🦊) I will come back there (☀️) Wadda you know he has? How do you know? (🐰) You wanna know? (🐯) One of them is hitting on me too (☀️) Seriously? (🐯) Rude (☀️) Not what I meant :/ (🦊) Probably flirt with Jisung if he wasn't hiding (🐰) ;p they should see his hands (🐹) -_- (🐶) Help T.T (☀️) Tell em' off (🐶) how (☀️) Send them this (☀️) Attachment Loading 🔄

You forwarded him a picture that you two took that fateful night. You didn’t see Jeno's reaction to the picture getting sent, he had no idea a photo existed. You did, however, see Renjun's reaction.

"When did you take that?" He whispered and you shrugged.

"That night you all stayed over after drinking. It'll tell em' off." You couldn't meet his gaze.

(☀️) Attachment Sent 🔗 (🐶/🐯) ✅ (🐻/🐰/🐹) ✅ (🦊) ✅ (🐶) when (🐻) lucky (🐯) OOOHHH (🦊) -u- just show them (🐶) k

You stood up a bit to look over your seat and saw him shake his head, wave his hand, and show them the picture. The girl that was closest to him scoffed and shot her head back to look at you and you sat right back down.

"It worked." You chuckled and Renjun frowned.

"Come here." He said all of a sudden and he held his phone out, wrapping his arm around your shoulders and pressing your head down to rest on his shoulder. He snapped the selfie, resting his cheek on your head and then let you go. You sank in the seat, adjusting your hood to pool on the side of your face to cover your red cheeks. Your phone dinged but you ignored it. It’s when it kept going off did you finally look. 

(🦊) Attachment Loading 🔄 (🦊) Attachment Sent 🔗 (☀️) ✅ (🐶/🐻/🐯) ✅ (🐹/🐰) ✅ (🐰) O.O (🐻) not sure who I'm more jealous of (🐯) cute (🐶) It worked, but they might wanna throw hands after, watch out ☀️! (🐹) What's the mile high club?? (☀️) WHAT (🐹) One of them said she wasn't a member yet... (☀️) which one (🐹) The blonde (🐶) The short blonde (☀️) They're gonna corrupt my precious baby (🐹) I'm not a baby :X (☀️) You're my baby (🐯) Isn't it that thing where people screw in the bathroom? (☀️) Yes (🐹) ew (🐰) ☀️ you a member yet? I'm not either... (☀️) Fuck off (🐰) If that's what you want ;3 (🦊) >:( (🐰) You wanna join? (🦊) I will come back there

You put your phone away and shut the volume off even.

"You still want to watch a movie?" You asked the boy next to you as he angrily typed.

"Huh?" He looked at you and you shook your head in amusement.

"You wanna watch a movie still?"

"Oh! Yeah." He too put his phone away and you got Captain America pulled up. When his phone would not shut up, he moved to turn the volume down but saw this message instead.

(🦊) I will come back there (🐰) GIF Loading 🔄 (🐰) GIF Sent 🔗

Very quickly that message was straight out deleted since Renjun was the mediator of the chat. He shut his phone off and then you two watched your movie. The plane was declared ready to land right as the movie finished, so you packed everything up. Once the plane touched down you were willing to slide the window shade up and open. You saw that it had either snowed recently or just stopped. You weren't going to be leaving the airport though since your next flight was not in too long, but you could look out the window. They didn't have a set way for people to get off, so the group of you waited for almost everyone else, including the gaggle of girls, to get off before you did. Mark got everyone's bags down and passed them around and then everyone got off with their partners. Once everyone was huddled together in the airport, they gathered around you so you could figure out how to get to the next gate. You looked at the map on the website and realized it wasn't that far off. As you passed the bathrooms, you all decided it would be a good idea to go; so, they mobbed the place, Chenle's voice echoing off the tile. You shook your head and entered the restroom. There was one stall open, and you were able to get in quick and be done quick. Washing your hands, you heard a group start to come in and they came around the corner and it was the girls from before. You hoped Jeno was joking that they might want to fight. Trying to avoid eye contact, you brushed down some fly away hairs with the water still on your hands and you tried. Didn't work.

"Are you really his girlfriend?" You heard the dreaded snide quip.

"Huh?" You turned to her, pretending you had never seen her in your entire life.

"The really hot guy with the white-blonde hair, he's really your boyfriend?"

"What is that supposed to mean?" You felt yourself get defensive. That was a little rude. A lotta rude, actually. She looked you up and down and scoffed. She was probably a good three or four inches taller than you and had heeled boots on to…well, boot. You were in a baggy sweatshirt that hid your figure quite well, it was actually Hyuck's. You realized to an outsider your friend group would be quite odd. You were the only girl and honestly the way you acted with them; anyone could figure any of them your boyfriend. If they saw what you saw though, they would really not know what was going on, especially Jaemin and Jeno. You felt your phone go off, the boys probably wondering what was taking so long.

"What about that guy that was ten times prettier than you? Isn't he your boyfriend?" Another one smirked and you were now getting mad.

"Well of course she would rather have the hot one, bet she can't even feel that kid-" That was it. You socked her in the nose. She screamed out, blood spurting out and you spun around and stormed out.

"(Y/N)?" Mark called and they all turned to look at you. They saw the anger on your face, and the blood on your hand.

"What happened?" They ran over, and Renjun shoved Jaemin out of the way to look at your hand.

"Punched that bitch." You shrugged and they all kind of formed a circle around you when the other girls came out of the bathroom. The one you punched was holding paper towels to her nose and looked like she was going to say something, but when an extremely pissed group of seven guys turned to look at her, she shut her mouth and they quickly left toward the baggage claim. Hopefully she didn't report you and get you kicked out of the airport. Maybe since you weren't on the plane when it happened it would be okay.

"Why?" Jisung finally asked and you shook your head.

"She said something bad about Renjun…" You muttered as he fussed over you, cleaning the blood off your knuckles. The rest of them nodded and exchanged some looks and they said they were going to head to the gate.

"Come with me." Renjun kept holding your hand and led you to the single-family bathroom and brought you in. Leading you to the sink he helped you wash your hand, there was a small bruise forming and once he was done, he even dried your hands for you with a paper towel, then placed a small kiss on your knuckle.

"What did she say?" He asked. He was standing so close that if you looked up, your noses would touch.

"She said she didn't believe I was Jeno's girlfriend. Then one said they thought you were, and that you were prettier than me. Then they suggested that of course I would want Jeno, that you…" You didn't want to finish.

"I what?"

"That…they implied that you wouldn't…be, you know, good in bed." You mumbled the last part out.

"So, you punched her?"

"Yeah." When he wouldn't say anything after that, you weren't quite sure what to do next, but he was still holding your hands. He stepped closer and pulled you into a hug, you happily returned it.

"Thanks."

You two left and met up with the others at the next gate and sat down in relief. You could tell they all wanted to ask but were too afraid of the both of you to actually do it. Everyone just joked around for the next forty-five minutes waiting to board the next flight off to Sweden.

"Flight 127 to Stockholm is now boarding." They called over the intercom and you all moved to get in the line.

"Can those sitting in Row AB, seats three and four please come to the checkout desk?" One of the flight staff taking tickets announced and you nudged Renjun for him to go with you. You both stepped up and the lady looked vaguely apologetic.

"I'm sorry, but it seems your seats were double booked. We can keep you on this flight, but our only seats are in first class, I figured you wouldn't mind the upgrade." The woman smiled, her accent was thick and pretty.

"O-oh!" You handed her your two tickets, and she handed you the new ones that just printed off your names and that allowed you to cut to the front. The others looked at you and you shook your phone and sent what happened in the group chat. 

(🐰) GIF Loading 🔄 (🐰) GIF Sent 🔗 Chat Deleted ❌ (☀️) We got upgraded to first class (🐬) You got the deluxe hotel room and first class?? I could have paid for me to be there! -3- (🐶) 8 hours in first class? Lucky (🐰) lucky huh? (🐹) please stop (🐯) dude that's so cool (🐻) I wanna be alone in first class with you... (🦊) Which one of us? (🐻) hmmm (☀️) OKAY see you later

You heard them groan and you followed Renjun down the walkway to get on the plane. The flight attendant helped you get where your new seats were, which were up a narrow stairway. Looking around in awe, you were both giddy at the luxury of the situation. You were led to a little pod with two seats, and it was NICE.

"This is so cool!" You grinned at him as you sat down, and he agreed. In front of you were screens to watch whatever movie you wanted (just had to pay for it) and the seats were so comfortable. The arm rest in between you two had a series of buttons on it and before you could look and see what they all could do, he pulled it up and out of the way, so it wasn't between you two. There were the same buttons underneath!

"Woah!" You were so preoccupied with the ~technology~ that you didn't realize what he was doing. You got buckled in and there was so much room at your feet both of your bags fit comfortably. You didn't know if it was the seats, or the plane, but you barely felt when the plane began to roll down the runway and take off. You were given all the same information from before, just now in a pretty Swedish accent.

"I think because we're in first class, we'll get fancy food!" You cheered. Since it was such a long flight, there was a meal included already. He smiled and watched as you cooed at all the upgrades. When the little light blinged off that the seat belts could be removed, you gladly complied and leaned forward to dig through the pocket in front of you.

"(Y/N)?" Renjun called and you hummed, waiting for his reply, still looking at stuff. He took a while to say anything, so you sat back to look at him and he fiddled with his sleeve.

"Renjun?"

"Never mind…" He shook his head but gave you a smile in reassurance. You continued the flight in luxury. You watched movies together and the meal was so much better than you are sure they were served in the rest of the plane. About three hours in, you were getting kind of sleepy, and you knew you were going to still deal with some jet lag. You wished you could have been more ready to train for the time change, but with classes and stuff, it was too difficult.

"Renjun, imma take a nap." You yawned and he smiled.

"You going to rest your seat back?" He looked at the panel to find the right button.

"Yeh." Once he found it, you pressed it till you were comfortable and slipped the provided eye mask over to block out the light. He smiled as he watched you fall asleep quite quickly. He found it super cute that you slept with one of your arms raised, your hand up by your head.

(🐰) You enjoying? (🦊) Maybe... (🐰) She super cute??? (🦊) ...yes (🐰) can i see? (🦊) no (🐰) gatekeeping? (🦊) yes

He smiled, putting his phone down and while he would definitely not be sending it to anyone, especially Jaemin, he secretly wanted a picture. He paused before he hit the button though, it felt a little creepy.

"Renjun?" Your voice made him jump and put his phone away.

"Yeah?"

"Is there a blanket or something, I'm kinda cold." You slipped the eye mask up and he looked in the compartment beneath the seat and even asked the flight attendant. She apologized profusely, but the machine that usually washed the blankets was not working and so there were no extras. He had an idea. The boy rested his own seat back, and since it was similar to a couch, it laid his seat right down next to yours and the arm rest was already folded up so it wasn't in the way.

"Come here." He opened his arms out for you, having fully reclined and putting the footrest out.

"Y-you sure?" You were squealing inside. Sleeping in the arms of your crush? Hell yeah. The fact that he always smelled amazing? Even better.

"Of course. We're going to share a bed at the hotel anyway."

"Well, yeah, but this is…public."

"You…don't have to." He looked so dejected that you were quick to consent.

"No! I…thanks." You shot a shy smile, and he rested his arm back down; you let him pull you in close. It was very nice and warm, and he really did smell so good. You could tell resting on his chest that he had way more muscle there than you were expecting. Trying to tell your heart to calm down, you moved your head more into the crook of his neck and quickly found yourself falling back asleep. He drifted off as well and the flight attendant passed by and cooed at how cute you two were. She even called over one of her coworkers to see.

Nearly two hours later you finally woke up, having a bit over two more hours to go. You were so enjoying laying on a Renjun though. So much so that you wanted to just lay there forever. However, your body had other ideas.

"Renjun?" You lightly shook him to wake him up and he groaned in protest, pulling you closer to him.

"Ren- I need to go to the bathroom." You shook him again and he opened his eyes this time.

"Oh, sorry." He let you go, begrudgingly and you stretched before getting up and going to relieve yourself. When you came back, he had fallen back asleep, and you giggled. He was so stinking cute. After you sat back down, he allowed himself to fully wake up and you both sat your seats back up. Instead of starting another movie - not enough time - you both talked about what you were most looking forward to. You were not only going to meet the sled dogs but go on a ride with them. And with reindeer too! You were also really looking forward to the northern lights and you were kind of dreading the ice room stay, but Renjun promised you would like it. He picked out the room, making it a surprise. They were different every year and he promised you would love the theme. When the announcement came that they would be landing, you once again opened the window to see outside after the plane touched down. There was also snow here, but so much more than in New York. It was dark out, but you could still see how pretty the scenery looked. Gathering your stuff, you were able to disembark first since you were in first class. You had to wait for a bit for the rest of the guys to get off and they looked ragged.

"I hate you two." Chenle pointed at you, rubbing his neck.

"Was it really that bad?" You asked, feeling a little guilty.

"No, he just slept weird and hurt his neck." Mark shook his head and Jaemin sidled up to Renjun with a stupid grin on his face.

"So."

"Fuck off." The shorter man scowled and Jaemin let out a 'wow'.

"What did they feed you guys?"

"Some kind of roast and potatoes."

"Oh."

"What did you get?"

"Steak…" You wouldn’t meet their eyes, the jealousy clear. Since you had just arrived in another country, you still had to go through customs and that seemed to take forever since you were all very tired. When you finally were done you looked at the time on your phone; you realized you would have to book it to get to the next gate since it was all the way across the airport. By the time you guys got there, there was only fifteen minutes before you had to board. You would be on a much smaller plane since it was basically just a shuttle flight to get to the smaller airport. The smaller plane was loud, especially since your seats were right near the wing, but it was fairly empty and so you guys got to be loud when talking with each other. The flight was short, and you all made sure to put your jackets on since you would be getting off the plane outside.

"Woah!" You yelped as the cold air hit you. It was luckily not in the negatives, but it was way colder than back home! Everyone bundled together close to try and block the wind some, and you automatically wrapped your arms around Renjun's. Everyone laughed as you ran toward the much smaller airport where you went to receive your luggage. Being much farther north now, you could see the sun on the horizon, and you could hear a couple that had been on the plane with you talk about how the sun kind of stayed in the same spot nearly all day since it’s so far north in the winter. Once you all finally had your suitcases, you asked someone at a help desk where to go to wait for the shuttle; he told you and you didn't have to wait long once you got there. No one else was taking that particular shuttle and so you all had the van to yourselves. Probably for the best considering there were eight of you and were loud as hell. Finally, after so much travelling, you got to the hotel! You still had to walk quite a while to get to the entrance and you all let out a sigh of relief once you did.

"It's so pretty!" You turned around looking at everything all around and without waiting too long, Jeno had gone over to a pile of snow, balled it up, and yeeted it right at Jaemin.

"You!" The one that got hit returned the blow and an all-out battle began. You really did not want to deal with it, and neither did your partner, so you both went into the hotel to check in. The first night was the night where you would spend the night in an ice art room, but they got you checked in for your normal rooms first. When they would only give the keys to the people assigned to each room, Renjun went and got the rest of the guys. They came in, covered in snow, but with giant grins on their faces.

"My children." You pointed to the group and the concierge laughed to herself and everyone else got their respective keys. Everyone was on the first floor except for Renjun, and you since you had been upgraded. As you were chided by your friends, you guys went to the elevator and went on up to your room. The door dinged open, and you entered, the nice clean scent hitting you. Guess all hotels, not just American ones, smelled the same.

"The bed is nice!" He cheered, jumping on it, but was careful not to let his boots touch it. You jumped on next to him and you both laughed. Being on your stomachs, he was able to move and drape his arm over your shoulders and he bonked his head to yours like a cat.

"What time is when we meet the sled dogs?" Renjun asked and you pulled out your phone to check the time.

"After lunch, which will be in like half an hour." you told him and he nodded. He rested his head down on his other arm and you lay your head down as well, looking at his pretty face.

"I know I didn’t hear it but thank you for punching that girl for what she said." He said softly and you avoided eye contact.

"I haven't had the privilege of knowing the truth but-" You halted, realizing you just high-key, hardcore flirted with him. Not a simple flirt either, it was straight up a move. He gaped at you, and you retreated quickly.

"I'm gonna freshen up and then we can meet everyone else for lunch." You ran to the bathroom and shut the door, staring at your extremely red face in the mirror. You also stared at the sweatshirt you were in, and it felt weird to be wearing it. For some reason, it bugged you that it was Donghyuck's all of a sudden. You shucked it off, leaving you in your undershirt and you used the bathroom, washed your hands, and fixed your hair. You came out and threw the sweatshirt on the counter in front of the bathroom door and turned the corner to find him opening his suitcase.

"C-can I wear one of your sweatshirts?" You asked quietly and he spun around so quick.

"Oh, yes." He dug through his belongings and pulled out one that was a nice soft yellow. He tossed it to you and when he turned back around you buried your nose into it. Smelled sooooo good. You put it on and while it wasn't as oversized as Hyuck's, it still was nice and big. As he packed a small backpack with minor things, you did the same and you both headed to meet the others for lunch. You quickly grabbed the discarded sweatshirt and when you found everyone already at a table, you gave the wad of fabric back to the owner.

"I said you could use it the whole-" He stopped, noticing you were in another sweatshirt. It was also clear whose it was.

"Hmm. I see." He pouted a bit and took the hoodie from you, rolling it up and shoving it in his own bag. When you guys ordered, the waitress had to use four pages to take everything down since there was a crap ton of you and the guys ate a whole lot. The food finally came out and you were sure the workers and the other diners were flabbergasted by the amount of food you all packed away in such a short amount of time. After you guys ate you headed out to where you were going to meet the dogs then go on a sled ride. Everyone was so excited to see the dogs and everyone was not only prepared for jokes about Jeno looking like the dogs, but everyone also had a list there were prepared to use.

"You know if one of the pups gets hurt, we can just strap in our own." You patted Jeno as you said it and he groaned, and everyone laughed. You had begun the long, long few hours Jeno was about to go through. When they let you meet the dogs, you all squealed in excitement and the workers laughed at the excitement you all had. You might have been in your twenties, but dogs bring out everyone's inner five-year-old. There were eight dogs for each sled and while it cost more money to get four sleds all to your own group, it was worth it. Everyone with their partner shared a sled and once the tour guides were able to haul the dogs and you guys away from each other they went over the procedure. After hearing all the rules and agreeing to the terms and conditions (the only time you really knew what you were actually agreeing to), you were coached into getting in the sled and they strapped and buckled everyone in for the ride. You were so excited that you didn’t even process laying back into Renjun and that he warmly wrapped his arms around your middle under your own. Going off of height, the other six determined who sat in front and back. Mark was in front of Chenle, Jisung was behind Jeno and Jaemin was behind Donghyuck.

"I want one!" You shouted as the dogs got all strapped in. They were huskies mind you, and you know what they do? Scream. You really didn’t need more screaming in your life.

"We have one!" Chenle shouted forward making everyone laugh but Jeno. The tour guides drove the sleds from where they stood at the back and on their signal, they took off. You squealed in delight, holding on to Renjun's arms around you, linking your gloved fingers with his. The ride was a few hours and when it was finally done, you felt sore and numb all at the same time. After your excitement adrenaline calmed down, you fully rested on Renjun, resting your head on his shoulder. He squeezed you a bit and relaxed himself. It was nice and warm being snuggled like that and you did not want it to end. Your tailbone did, but not you. Getting off the sleds everyone groaned and stretched and reluctantly said goodbye to the doggos.

"I am so freaking tired." Chenle whined and everyone kind of hobbled their way back to the hotel. Sitting on a sled for nearly three hours and not really able to move really makes everything stiff. There was still a lot of time before you could check into the ice art rooms for the night, but everyone really needed a nap.

"If you even so much as touch me, I will destroy you." Jaemin wagged his finger at Donghyuck who rolled his eyes, "Like I wanna touch you anyway." You were pretty sure Mark was actually going to fall asleep walking. Jisung trailed in the back with Jeno, the latter was the only one who looked like he had some energy.

"Sled dogs don't get tired from sled-dogging." Jaemin pointed out and Jeno stuck his tongue out at him.

"How are you doing?" Renjun bumped your arm with his.

"Good." You smiled, already thinking fondly of your sled ride together. Everyone got to the hotel and the rest of the guys went to their rooms and Renjun and you went up the elevator to your own lodging. Getting in, you shucked off your gear and he let you change in the bathroom before he went in himself. You were in fluffy pajama pants and still his sweatshirt. You didn't think you would ever willingly take it off. He came out in his own pajama pants and instead of the baggy t-shirt he often wore, he was in a tank top that was way tighter than you thought it would be on him. Feeling a blush rise to your cheeks you shuffled over to the bed while he shut the curtains. It wasn't super bright out, but it was enough. The comforter was super plush and warm, and you sighed, burying into the pillows. The bed dipped as he climbed in with you and once, he was settled, you turned to lay towards him, and he smiled.

"C-can I…?" You shifted a bit closer, and his smile widened. Opening his arms, you shuffled into them and rested your head on his shoulder, and he enveloped you. Despite the fact that he was the smallest guy in the friend group, he was still quite a bit taller than you and he still smelled so good. It didn’t take long for either of you to drift off.

You grunted in annoyance as your phone alarm went off. That meant it was time for supper before you would check in to your ice rooms and sleep for the night. You tried to roll over to retrieve your phone, but you were held firmly in your place. He was stronger than you thought he would be.

"Ren, its supper time." You shook him a bit and he grunted.

"No. Let’s just stay like this." He muttered, his voice rough from sleep and oh, it did things.

"R-Renjun, we gotta eat so we can go to the ice rooms." You whispered, feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. That got his attention. He had picked the room out for you specifically and he was quite excited to see your reaction.

"Okay, okay." He let you both sit up and you stretched in unison, getting up to go eat, still in your pajamas. You both fixed your hair in the mirror and headed out together to the restaurant of the hotel. It was quite funny once you were all together. Everyone else in the restaurant were dressed like adults; all of you were in your pajamas and only Renjun and you had bothered to fix your hair. As everyone waited to get their order taken, you went to each one and helped tame their hair. You really felt like their mother sometimes. As you were petting down Jisung's stray hairs, the waitress came to take your orders. Once again, a lot of food was ordered, and it was all devoured quite quickly. Everyone sat to digest for a while before beginning another nonsense conversation. You all still had some time till you could go to stay the night on ice, so you headed to the lounge. Not the ice one, that would be a bit much in just your PJs. You got a couple looks since everyone else was dressed normally, but none of you cared.

"Sit down, I'll get your drink." Renjun smiled and you sat on one of the couches, Chenle, Jisung, and Hyuck joining you.

"So." Hyuck started, and you glared at him.

"Is his sweatshirt better than mine?"

"Yes."

"Ouch. Why?"

"It…smells really good." You shrugged, pulling the sleeves down over your hands. The boy whined dramatically and soon the others came back with the drinks. Renjun handed you an Aperol Spritz and you were surprised he remembered your favorite. You didn't drink too often, but you really enjoyed these.

"Thank you!" You smiled and he joined you on the couch. He was shoved even closer to you when Jaemin sat with Donghyuck and you really, really didn't mind. You all tried not to make too much of a ruckus, but you were sure all of the other customers were quite relieved when you left. When you went to the part of the hotel where you prepared, you were given your gear and instructions, and you were a little nervous. You had to suit up in warm under layers, warm boots and socks, your coat, and a nice warm hat. You all had bought matching hats and gloves for the trip, and you could tell the hotel employee helping you was trying not to comment on it. They gave you specific sleeping bags and told you how to safely stay in the room, so you didn't freeze. You all made sure to use the bathroom ahead of time, not wanting to have to get up in the night. One everyone was ready, you headed to your rooms. Mark and Chenle were staying in a room that was decked out with a bunch of lizards…for some reason. Jaemin and Donghyuck's room was full of ice cactuses, which was a little funny when Renjun saw it. He was still mad about what Jaemin did to his poor little plant. Jeno and Jisung's room was cute, with animated like decor that lay slanted like a in a video game. You finally were led by Renjun to the room he picked out for you, and as you entered, you were in awe. The ice art was designed to resemble space, nebulas, galaxies, and stars. It was beautiful. You loved looking at the stars and admired the beauty of space and images captured from telescopes.

"Renjun, this is gorgeous!" You beamed, the lights shining through the ice further accentuating the design.

"I thought you would like it." He came close to you, brushing a strand of hair behind your ear that had fallen out of your hat.

"Thank you." You gave him a small hug, still holding your sleeping back in one arm. You guys prepared for the night, and before you crawled into your sleeping bags, you took all your layers off. Shivering from the cold, you slipped into your sleeping bags quick and sighed at the warmth that built from your body heat. You looked at each other and giggled. You were both still so tired from the long trip and you fell asleep fast.

Around eight in the morning, your alarm woke you two up, and while you really wanted to sleep a bit longer, you were both quite eager to get back in and into the warmth. Bundling up fast and gathering your supplies, you dashed back to the main hotel, the rest of the guys not too far behind you guys. Returning the sleeping bags, you all dashed once again to your hotel rooms to take a nice warm shower.

"You can go first." Renjun offered and a small voice in the back of your mind called for you to ask him to join, but you shut it up really quick.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." You took him up on his offer and the warm water was so nice. They warned you not to do too hot of a shower since your body had been pretty cold all night. You tried not to take too long since he was probably quite cold too. You realized you had forgotten normal clothes to change into after, so you cracked the door open and called for him to bring you something to wear. He stuck just his arm in so you could grab the clothes. Dropping the towel, you looked at what he brought, and your face visibly flushed in the mirror. He had given you a set of your underwear - you knew it was necessary, still embarrassing - and another one of his sweatshirts along with a pair of your jeans. You came out, shuffling to your bag yourself to get your socks and he dashed past you to get himself a warm shower and you giggled at his eagerness. He got done faster than you, which made sense, he's a dude; when he came out you almost keeled over. He had remembered everything but a shirt, so he emerged without one. He had more muscle tone than you would have guessed, and his skin was perfectly smooth, and you wanted to touch him.

"Ah!" He flushed and dashed to his bag and quickly put a shirt on, then his own sweatshirt. While you both were wearing a different colored one, the design was exactly the same, which meant you two were matching.

"I hope you don't mind they are the same…" He wouldn't quite look at you as he got his boot on.

"No! I…actually like it." You shrugged and Renjun grinned back at you. Going to get breakfast, you all talked about how the experience was. For some reason, the cold made Jaemin snore and Hyuck was quite cranky. Jisung slept very well since he normally slept like a mummy. Mark struggled because he was so restricted and apparently ended up with his head at the foot of the bed. Chenle talked about how he woke up in the middle of the night and got scared of the giant lizards and you all told him it was his own fault for choosing that room. Jeno actually liked it, said it was invigorating, but he also took ice baths.

"What was is like for you guys?" Mark asked you and you beamed.

"The whole room looked like space! It was so cool!" The boys all looked at you fondly as you spouted out how pretty it was. They all gave Renjun a look and he glared at every one of them in return. The rest of the day was to be spent with the reindeer. The experience was quite similar to the dogs, you got to meet the reindeer and there were a lot less of them since only one was required to pull the sleigh. The tour guide led the sleigh and you and Renjun bundled up in the front for the ride. The experience was similar, but they took you on a different path and showed you new things. It was just your speed though, you got to just sit there and enjoy, especially with Renjun's chest at your back and his arms around you. The rest of the day after was spent carving your own ice sculptures, playing in the snow, and eating yummy food. After supper, one of the hotel attendants came and told you that the northern lights were bright and vivid right then, so you all bundled up to go see them. It was amazing, you had seen videos and pictures, but to see it in person was awe inspiring. As you looked up at the sky, it began to gently snow.

"It's so beautiful." You gasped, and Renjun came up next to you.

"So are you." He grabbed your hand and you turned to him in shock. The other guys were a distance from you, taking pictures and pointing out the stars behind the rolling colors.

"I-I am?"

"Yes." He chuckled, turning your fully toward him. His gloved hands cupped your cheeks, rubbing his thumbs over the reddening skin. As he stepped closer, you gripped the front of his jacket. Renjun bumped his forehead on yours, your noses brushing.

"Can I…?"

"Please." And he kissed you. You had no idea how long exactly you had been waiting for that kiss. He pulled back too soon, so you stretched up to capture his lips again and his one hand moved to the back of your neck, the other curling around your back. Moving your hands to his chest, he bit your bottom lip and took the chance to slip his tongue in your mouth. You gave a slight moan and when he pulled back, you both were breathing hard, and a trail of saliva connected you.

"I…I think I've fallen in love with you." He admitted and you wanted to cry.

"I think I have too."

"GET A ROOM!"

"KISS HER AGAIN!"

"Kiss her again. Kiss her again. Kiss her again."

So, he did, and honestly, you never wanted him to stop.

Master-Master List

NCT Master List

[savage-rhi]

“maybe, in another life” kisses: knowing that this is the last time you’re going to kiss them, and making it count. pulling them in and then away. parting, your lips lingering for more. Noctis and one of the chocobros? (Your choice🙂)

Coming up!

The night had been filled with all the elements of life: sharing memories that had come and gone, both good and bad. Moments of silence and reflection on past deeds and regrets. Laughter and tears shed between four men who loved each other beyond words, having one last camp night before fate and the gods would shatter the bonds of brotherhood.

As the final embers in the campfire disappeared, Noctis felt his own spirit leave his eyes. Like the dying flames, he knew the night would set upon his own light. The final battle with Ardyn--the last of the Lucian kings--was around the corner: eight hours and counting.

He wanted to sleep, but what was the point when he'd soon have all eternity to rest? After confirming Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto were sound asleep, he left his chair and wandered off.

Noctis didn't stray too far from camp due to the daemons running around, but he gave himself enough distance to where he couldn't sense the presence of his friends. Sitting down on the edge of the cliff, he looked out into the desert of the Leide region. A warm wind coursed through his hair like fine fingers cradling every strand. He hoped the end would bring a similar peace. He even prayed the outcome would be the same for Ardyn. The crystal had shown the man's suffering to where Noctis didn't have it in him to hate his great uncle for his transgressions. Although, the thought of Lunafreya and her last words came and went through his mind.

"Soon, Luna…" He frowned, closing his eyes.

"Couldn't sleep either?"

Noctis jumped, turning his head as he saw Prompto's dark silhouette approach. He let out a breath of relief and chuckled. "I could've killed you just now."

"And after that wholesome speech you gave? That would've sucked!" Prompto laughed. He plopped himself next to Noctis, patting him on the shoulder and sighed.

"Is your mind traveling a million miles too?" Noctis asked.

"Yup!" Prompto nodded. "I keep thinking about the what-ifs."

"Dad would've said something along the lines of 'worry never robs tomorrow of its sorrow, it only saps today of its joy.'"

"Did he get that out of a fortune cookie?" Prompto snickered. He let out a yelp as Noctis playfully slugged him.

"Y'know what?" Noctis scoffed, grinning as he turned his head to face him. "I wouldn't be surprised if he did!"

In between laughs, Prompto frowned. "I miss him a lot."

Noctis nodded. "Me too."

"Like…how I'm going to miss you." Prompto somberly replied.

A heavy air sat between the two friends as they both allowed one another to sit with their feelings. A tension had been growing ever since they had set up camp with Gladio and Ignis, and both knew it was coming to a head.

"Do you remember that time we stayed up talking on the motel roof?" Prompto whispered, breaking the quiet.

"Can't forget it," Noctis murmured with a smile. "This feels similar, huh?"

"Yeah," Prompto nodded. He bit the inside of his bottom lip, looking toward his feet dangling off the cliffside and continued. "I have something…just as big that I want to share with you."

Noctis frowned, turning his attention fully to Prompto. "I'm listening."

Prompto closed his eyes, gathering up his courage as he tensed his shoulders. He managed to force himself to look Noctis in the eye, vowing he wouldn't be a coward and swallow his feelings back anymore.

"When Regis told the gang you were getting hitched, I was happy for you. Hell, I was ecstatic when you asked me to come along with you, Iggy, and Gladio to the wedding. At the same time, I felt…jealous. Not only was my best friend taking a huge step, and I probably wouldn't see him for a long time, but also…"

"Prompt…"

"Look, when we lost Luna, I was devastated. I mean no disrespect to you or her. I just…gods be damned I wanted to tell you that I…ever since high school, I…" The words wanted to fall from Prompto's lips, but alas, his cowardice took hold and prevented him from trespassing any further. He sniffled, feeling tears brimming at the corner of his eyes.

"I can't do it…even knowing what's going to happen, I can't tell you how much I--"

That's when he felt it.

Noctis's lips pressed to his.

Eos, fate, and destiny, it all faded away as their mouths met each other's with tenderness. Soft and gentle, but as they both realized the depth of their mutual feelings, the kiss deepened. Emotions that had been bottled up at long last finally saw the light of day.

Prompto's heart pounded in his chest as Noctis pulled away. Breathless with their foreheads resting against one another, he started to cry as his smile grew.

As Noctis retreated a little more, he let out a breath through his nose and somberly smiled as he cupped the side of Prompto's right cheek.

"Maybe in another life," Noctis murmured. "This could've worked."

"Yeah," Prompto breathed, nuzzling his face into his palm. "Whatever happens, at least we had this moment."

"Let's make it longer."

They sat together--hand in hand--looking out at the desert landscape. The future was uncertain, but for now, they had found clarity and comfort in each other, and that was enough.

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[vnknowns]

𝒗𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 '𝒗𝒂𝒏' 𝒍𝒂𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆

( felix mallard, genderfluid, he/they ) have you met vance "van" lapointe yet? you know, the twenty four year old undergraduate student. i think they’re a senior majoring in music technology. ring a bell yet? every time i walk past their dorm i hear self-sabotage by waterparks blasting through the door. everyone who meets them say they’re charming but can also be a little mercurial guess when you meet them you’ll figure that out yourself.

statistics

‣ FULL NAME: vance alistair lapointe ‣ ALIAS: van ‣ DOB: june 29, 1999 ‣ AGE & ZODIAC: twenty-four & cancer ‣ SEXUALITY: pansexual & panromantic ‣ YEAR: senior ‣ MAJOR: music technology ‣ CHARACTERISTICS: charming, mercurial, passionate, guarded, charismatic, capricious ‣ STUDENT ACTIVITIES: art & media club, radcliffe radio audio engineer, astronomy club, bassist for local band 'all systems red' ‣ LANGUAGES: english & french. ‣ HAIR + EYE COLOR: brown hair & hazel eyes ‣ HEIGHT: 6'0" ‣ FACECLAIM: felix mallard

background

van was born into a family whose wealth stems from old money, and their traditions and expectations seemingly set in stone. he’s the baby of the family so he thankfully lucked out as far as expectations go, with his older sister and brother bearing the brunt of their parents’ expectation since he was last in line to inherit the company, assets, etc, and he is more than content to let his siblings battle it out. despite this, he was still expected to make a good impression and play the part in public, given the press their family gets, which is something van consistently struggled with.

he never felt comfortable in this world that he was thrust into from birth, hated the black tie events and high profile dinners and guests, and constantly looking over his shoulder in case someone was watching or monitoring him.

his world was flipped upside down when he was 14, when all of a sudden a man contacted him saying that he is his biological father, that he had an on/off affair with their mother for years and they reconnected after his older brother was born and his parents were briefly separated, and they conceived him. this stranger claims he never knew he existed until recently, when he saw their picture in the paper for an event the family attended and noticed the youngest son, and how he looks so much like him, rather than the man van has always thought was his father. the kicker was that this man was also famous, a well-known rockstar from a band his parents had never allowed him to listen to (but he did anyways). when he mentioned it to his parents, rather than the vehement denial he expected, he only received a confirmation, although his parents were furious that the man reached out to him directly when they had explicitly told him not to. van was more shocked that his parents not only knew, but deigned to keep it from him rather than expose the truth.

after pushing his parents, they finally scheduled a meeting with his biological father, rich. van was shocked when his parents offered him money to go away and stay quiet about it, but van was immensely relieved when the man denied it, disgusted by the notion, and just said he wanted to know his son. after hours of arguing between the adults, they finally agreed that he could get to know van, but as far as the public knows, he is van’s godfather, and no one can ever know the truth. they even had him sign an nda, but after that, van spent time with his new “godfather”, getting to know him and learning about him. it was an interesting relationship, not quite like the father-son relationship he had with the dad he’s known his whole life, but they were more like friends, or like he was his cool uncle that he could confide in and share things with. he’d never had a relationship so laid back, where he didn’t have those crushing expectations, and it led van down a whole new path.

after getting close with his biological father, van’s love of music became an obsession. he would go to shows with rich, stay backstage and watch as the bands performed, watch as his “godfather” rocked it on stage, and he developed a hunger. he wanted it so badly, in a way he’d never wanted anything else before. he asked rich to teach him how to play, starting with the guitar and eventually moving to bass, and even the drums, though he quickly learned he preferred bass over anything else, loving the feeling of embodying the heartbeat of the song.

he ended up joining a local band at 17, but it ended poorly when internal issues caused a fallout between the members, and van didn’t look back when he went off to school, not having a good reason to stay.

he didn’t really want to go to college at first, but it was a non-negotiable with his parents. they didn’t care what he majored in, as long as he got the degree. he told them the only way he would go is if he could go for music, and so he did. after spending so many hours in the studio with his father, he went into music production, wanting to learn the ins and outs of how to produce his own music, knowing that no matter what happens, he wants to create music — whether it’s his own, or helping others bring their vision to life.

it was by luck that he met bellamy and joined all systems red when he came to radcliffe — a twist of fate that van is grateful for every day. he loves their sound, and is beyond proud of everything they’ve accomplished as a band so far. he thinks they can make it, and he only hopes that they will remain as passionate and committed in the future as they are right now.

TLDR —

van lapointe. felix mallard fc, 24, senior, music major, he’s a bassist in a band called all systems red with bellamy!!!

van is a charming lil rockstar boy who is a bassist in a band all systems red

he comes from an old money family, but his “godfather” (who’s actually his bio-dad but no one knows that) is in a well known rock band that was big in the 80s/90s, and fostered his love for music

he cosplays as a Normal Boy™️ but sometimes u can see his rich boy privilege shine through 

he’s a serial flirt and messes around a lot, has lots of hookups and has had many situationships!!! he doesn’t ever commit tho, he’s Married to the Music™️ (he would be willing to commit if he found The One™️ but he has not yet HFJSSJ)

connections

a previous (or current) hookup or situationship!!! they could still be hooking up, or it could've ended amicably, or could've ended badly!!!! so many options!!

a previous fwb situationship where the other person caught feelings and it scared van shitless (bc feelings Scare him big time) and so he broke things off and hurt the other person pretty bad. he probably said they could stay friends and then ghosted them LKSDJFS or maybe they said absolutely not to the staying friends thing (which. so fair tbh)

a Big Fan of all systems red who is maybe a lil fixated on him and just wants to get his attention and he's a lil freaked by it even though he's also very flattered

another old money rich bitch who either went to school with van or maybe their families know each other so they grew up being acquaintances!! whether or not they have a good relationship is up to you!!!

van's first love!!! someone who either went to van's posh little private high school or someone he met in the nyc concert scene in high school and they fell in love but it didn't work out for some reason or another and now van pretty much avoids them at all costs bc it's still sore for him tbh

van is in astronomy club and the art & media club so fellow club members!!! he probably shamelessly flirts w them honestly

he's a radcliffe radio audio engineer so anyone who is involved with radcliffe radio he probably either knows or sees/interacts with regularly!!! they could be friends or they could hate each other

would love a lil enemies to situationship ting!!!!

[ask-directorsada-and-friends]

"Arven? Arven please answer the phone! This is the third time I've tried to call you, just to get voice-mail. Your friend returned to the Academy saying you both separated following the battle with the third Titan. Just... just call me right away, alright sweetie? Love you."

Sada did her best to calm her breathing. Arven never stayed out late without giving her a heads up. It was something they agreed on- a way to make sure he was safe and she wouldn't worry too much following-

Following...

Following the events of last year.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

One Year Ago...

Sada was busy at work inside her lab at the lighthouse, currently on video call with Professor Augustine Sycamore regarding possible links between Terestalization and Mega Evolution. Arven was away on the Treasure Hunt, no doubt having the time of his life.

"Whats strange is how it only works here in Paldea, unlike Mega Evolution. Augustine, is it possible that-" Her Rotophone began ringing, flying out of her pocket and in front of her to reveal the caller ID.

[Incoming Call: Arven][Accept/Decline]

"I'll talk to you later, Augustine. Arven's calling."

"Au Revoir, Lucina! Say 'ello to your son for me!"

She chuckled and nodded, ending the video call before answering the phone. "Yes, Arv-"

"MABOSSTIFF!!!"

Her blood ran cold at the wail her son let out. That wail was one of pure terror and anguish. "Arven?! Arven where are you?! What happened?!" Sada asked, already rushing out the door.

"W-We went into the Great Crater to l-look for Uncle Clavell and something a-attacked us! Mabosstiff is really hurt and h-he's not moving!!"

The professor cursed under her breath. He went to Area Zero?! Alone?! Entry to the Great Crater was prohibited for most students, but Arven was allowed only if accompanied by either herself or Clavell. And seeing as Clavell was currently in Area Zero and he was calling her, the boy certainly was alone. Sending out Aero, she did her best to keep her son calm. "Arven, sweetie, I need you to stay calm for me, okay? Where in the Crater are you?"

The sound of sobs came from the other end of the phone as he struggled to catch his breath. "R-Research Station One. I'm h-hiding inside." He finally managed out, hiccuping and sniffling. "Okay. I'll be right there. Stay inside. I'll stay on the line for as long as I can."

He whimpered in response. Aero took off, the Aerodactyl seemingly sensing the urgency and moving as fast as he could. Sada still felt it wasn't fast enough, pleading to whatever higher power would listen that this was just a nightmare, that this was just something her mind had cooked up. Her fears were confirmed when she saw her son run out of the research station towards her as she landed. He was still a sobbing mess, Mabosstiff's pokeball in his hands as he collapsed into her arms, sobbing and apologizing and begging her to save Mabosstiff. Her heart shattered at the sight of her child like this. Helping him onto Aero, she pocketed Mabosstiff's Pokeball and climbed on, the pair quickly soaring out of the Crater towards the nearest PokeCenter. Her son hugged her waist from his spot behind her, his face buried in her back as he continued to sob.

He ended up crying himself to sleep sometime after they got the news at the PokeCenter that Mabosstiff had been stabilized, but that they couldn't get anything else to work. Nothing they tried seemed to work. She sent out an email to Director Harrington about what had happened and not to expect Arven back at school for a bit. Currently, she was digging through old textbooks on Pokemon biology to find possible remedies to Mabosstiff's condition. Sada had already emailed several other professors in hopes one might be able to suggest something- anything- to help.

She never wanted to see Arven in such a state ever again.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She's shaken from her thoughts as Arven entered her office, yawning. "Sorry I'm late, Mom. My phone died-"

He's surprised when she hugs him tightly, trembling. "Thank Arceus you're alright..." "Mom? Of course I-" He stops, realizing why she's acting like this. Hugging her back, he rubs her back. "It's okay, Mom. I'm safe. I'm safe..."

[lostonehero]

Heh

So this is nowhere near the full length of the growing fic but it's a taste and if you guys want more send asks and stuff

Seriously it's almost at 50k words

Henry gasps as he falls to the floor. He was so close to ending it all, freeing all of them with Jeremy. He was 73 he was almost there. His gaze focused on the red on his hands. Was he stabbed?

"Pathetic, aren't you." A familiar female voice was above him holding a knife she was too young for the year. "You still believe that poor William was behind this greatness. Don't make me laugh."

Henry groaned, staring up at his ex friends wife, who looked so smug. "What?"

"You know he didn't even realize he killed your daughter. I made him drink himself to the point that he couldn't even walk straight. Sure, making him kill some of the kids was fun, but it's so much better doing it yourself. William's dumb toy got rid of Elizabeth, and with the right push, I got Micheal to kill Evan. I long sold their souls for my benefit, and I never got to sell Micheal's, but I never needed to. I got what I wanted. The most satisfying was getting Micheal killed he would follow his father because he still loved him." She laughs.

"W-why?" Henry groans it was getting harder and harder to breathe. He feels a heeled foot dig into his chest.

"Because I wanted to." Clara chuckles. "Never toppled your empire, but it's great to hide bodies in." He heel gives away and pierces Henry's heart. "Leaving him for last wasn't as satisfying as I thought it would be. Oh well, I still have others to have fun with."

......

Henry woke up to the smell of smoke and ash. He was in hell he didn't even have to open his eyes to know that. "Why, I wasn't that bad of a person, was I?"

"Oh, if you were human, you would be in heaven." A female voice chuckles, watching Henry's eyes shoot open to stare at her. "Your mother is a very evil woman. She killed every girl she had, and she just wanted a son. Made a deal at the crossroads and got you and your older sister. Shame if you weren't killed, you would have stayed human." She leans down and helps him up. "Oh, where are my manners? I'm Lucifer Morningstar at your service. Your father had this intricate plan with your daughter, but your daughter didn't want to hurt you, and Consequences doesn't exactly have permission to return to the land of the living."

Henry stares at her. "Wait, Charlie's ok?"

"Yes, she is a half demon.... well, techinally, more so. She grew up in hell with your father, and she made her own human living suit in her teen years but knew if she would ever reunite with you she would have to kill you to get you here, and she didn't want to do that." Lucifer smiles. "She's currently back in Hurricane, unaware you were killed. She's with her childhood friend Micheal , and well minced rotten meat that is her uncle." She giggles. "He won't be like that for long if his son is anything to go by. Try to figure that out, won't ya. Now I'll give you some jobs later, but for now, enjoy waking up."

Henry blinks, and before he could ask anything, he is in a massive amount of pain and stares into the empty sky in the alleyway he was left in. His phone was ringing in his pocket, and he answered it. "Hello?"

"Mr. Emily, I just wanted to tell you, uh, I haven't found Springtrap yet. Are we still on the same schedule?" A voice Henry knew as Jeremy was on the other line.

Henry sighs. "No, we have to put things on hold he is integral to the plan. Jeremy just held steady, ok." He didn't believe what just happened was real, but he knew how to confirm it. "I will be over tomorrow night. Keep acting as if things are normal."

Jeremy hums. "Of course, Mr. Emily, I will do my best."

.....

A dirty blonde hair woman in overalls stares down at the mass of rotted flesh, then to a tall brunette who looks like he hasn't slept in weeks. "So that's Uncle William?"

"Yes, well, what's left? But in truth, only his bones should remain." He sighs, taking off his rubber gloves. "If this works, I know where I get it from."

She pauses and grabs the taller man. "You left a note. Now you have to sleep. Just because you can't be killed Stitches doesn't mean you're invincible."

The man huffs. "Fine Charlie, I'll head to bed, but you have to get me fishing wire."

"Yeah, yeah, just get out of this basement." Charlie huffs. "Micheal, we'll know in the morning. I know you miss your father, but we don't have a choice basked on how this works."

Micheal yawns. "I know, I know. Burn that spring lock suit, though, please."

"With pleasure." Charlie smiles, carrying Micheal up the stairs. "Now off to bed, sad man."

Micheal rolls his eyes. "Shut up, and I told you that in confidence. I don't need the other two asking questions."

"Yeah, yeah," Charlie tosses Micheal into his bed. "When I see my dad face to face is when you'll speak to him Yada Yada."

Micheal huffs. "Don't be a dick."

"I won't be if you actually stopped with the self hatred." Charlie sticks her tongue out.

Micheal sighs, and can't keep his eyes open.

......

"Dad!" A female voice rings out. "Micheal was right."

"He's naked..." The man behind her mumbles.

"So? He's alive." The woman runs down the stairs. "You're like Micheal."

"Techincally, Micheal is like him." The man comes into view a scar is wrapped around his head going over his nose and under his eyes.

"Semantics." The red-headed woman waves him off. She hands him a towel off of the wall. "Sorry it's stained."

William blinks. "Elizabeth? Evan?"

"It's a long story, but Micheal was right." Elizabeth smiles. "We would tell him you're up and awake, but he's asleep, and well, he doesn't exactly sleep much anymore."

Evan nods. "Uh yeah, so you probably have a lot of questions, but uh...." He grabs a booklet of papers. "We all wrote you stuff to explain things."

Elizabeth holds her hand out. "You can read it upstairs and not in Micheal's workshop in the basement. It smells like death down here."

"Well, the other half in here is Charlie's, but they always mix their stuff together." Evan sighs. "Come on, I'm sure we can get you some proper clothes. We aren't good at summoning things yet."

William blinks he had no idea what was going on, and he held the handwritten notes in his hand. "This will explain?" He was in the Spring Bonnie suit dead, and basically bone. He has a pluse now, and he can feel hunger gnaw at his insides. His two dead children were also adults helping him upstairs. Was Micheal here as well?

......

William sat on the couch in clean clothes, finishing reading the packet of handwritten letters for the fifth time finally digesting he was back. He reached out for his coffee and took a sip. "Youtwo don't have to keep staring I'm not going to vanish."

Evan frowns. "But you're back, and we missed you. Also, you didn't sell our souls, so that makes you the best parent."

"To be fair mother really put that bar into the fucking ground." Elizabeth sighs sinking into her seat. "Now, do you have any good idea to get Uncle Henry to die unnaturally?"

"If you're asking me if I could kill him, the answer is no." William sighs, taking another sip of his coffee. "You two wouldn't harm him. Well, Clara made sure you couldn't kill him. Again, I shouldn't be surprised since she wrote our arranged marriage contract."

Evan frowns, moving around the couch to sit next to his father. "Micheal found that and let us read it. I'm sorry."

"I don't regret having any of you guys. I didn't have a choice in the marriage to begin with, but don't ever think any of you three are a regret." William smiles at his two children, then throws his coffee when the door slams open.

"I'M BACK." Charlie shouts, slamming the door behind her, and she catches the coffee cup before it shatters. "Huh, Micheal was right in his assumption. It's nice not to see you in a pile of rotting flesh and broken bones Uncle William."

"You are so much like your father." William rubs his temples and takes a deep breath. "It's nice to see you all grown up, and I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize. Clara is absolutely the worst. Also, you were so drunk. I'm surprise they didn't have to pump your stomach to combat the alcohol poisoning." Charlie smiles. "You're already forgiven. Anyway, since Micheal's still asleep, we have to figure out a way to get my dad back and a way to stop Clara."

William sighs. "Again, I don't think I can help with either."

"Oh, I'm sure you can." Charlie smiles. "Or at the very least distract Clara."

"I can do that." William sighs. "Will Micheal be up soon?"

"Hard to say." Charlie frowns. "I hope not, but he hasn't exactly been sleeping well since he got scooped."

......

Henry groans getting home. His house was empty, and it was too clean like nothing was touched except for certain things. He pulls off his shirt and doesn't realize he still has the bloodstain on it. Today was just a bad day, and setbacks were had. They just had to move forward.

Henry freezes, staring at his hands. When did he forget his cane? He must have left it in that alleyway, and it's a miracle his hips weren't killing him without it. He had to ask Jeremy if he found it searching for the haunted animotronics.

Henry sighs, he was hungry, which was new. He hasn't had an appetite in a while he blamed that on getting older and his body breaking down. He had something he could throw in the oven, but he actually felt like he had the energy to cook himself something. He might as well take advantage of that.

He paused, cutting up some carrots as his phone rang. He picks up his cell phone, realizing he didn't replace the shirt he threw in the hamper. "Jen?"

"Henry." Jen sighs on the other end.

"Are you alright? Oh, did Scarlett cancer come back?" Henry pauses, putting butter into the hot pan.

"I'm fine, and no, her last checkup was perfect she's officially in remission." Jen gives a heavy sigh. "Have you've noticed anything different?"

Henry frowns. "No.... why?"

Jen groans. "Are you still on this suicide mission?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Henry huffs. "Look, what's wrong?"

"I'm going to come up and visit, and before you argue with me, boy. I'm allowed to visit my baby brother. We don't have many of these left in us." Jen huffs, and Henry can picture her scowl.

"I miss you too, Jen." Henry chuckles. He can push his plans back. He knows Jeremy was asking because his mother was going to visit. A joint suicide after family visits.

"Now make sure there's a little mess in that home of yours. I ain't gonna live in some picture perfect cut out home." Jen sighs. "And have something else then frozen meals."

"Yes, ma'am." Henry smiles softly. He can pretend to be happy. He knows this tragic ending was coming, and he could finally set everyone free, including his daughter. "I will get everything ready."

"I'm bringing Gareth and Scarlett up with me. Bring that kid you've been working with, Jeremy was his name, right?" Jen pauses. "Yeah, before you say it, I know 50s ain't a kid, but my boys older than him, I have the right."

Henry chuckles again more genuinely. "Yeah, I can invite Jeremy."

"Good now, get some rest, old man." Jen huffs. "See ya soon, Hen."

"Yeah." Henry sighs hearing the phone click. He adjusts his glasses and texts Jeremy, who just sends him a thumbs up.

......

Micheal rubbed his eyes and cracked his back, and headed down the stairs. He yawns and grabs some water, scratching his neck.

"Look at you, Stitches, you actually slept." Charlie chuckles. "Want a sandwich?"

"Yeah, thanks." Micheal sighs, sipping his drink. "So what's the news?" His eyes look around the kitchen then to the empty living room.

"Well, your theory was correct, but Evan and Elizabeth took your father for clothes. We still have to figure out how to get my dad to die unnaturally, but so far, Uncle William is handling things better than I thought he would."

Micheal nods. "Good, I'm glad." He pauses. "Let me guess, Father knew immediately that we're that weird house down the road from your dad's place."

Charlie huffs. "He did." She hands Micheal a sandwich. "Amd he knew I picked it. It's so unfair we haven't seen each other in decades and he can read me."

"Because you act like your father." Micheal chuckles taking a bite.

"What does that have to do with anything?" Charlie crosses her arms.

"Charlie, we discussed this. My father is in love with that man." Micheal sighs. "We've both read the letters my father wrote to him."

Charlie covers her face. "Shut up." She sighs. "Do you think it could ever work?"

Micheal shrugs. "Your dad still thinks my father is behind everything, so until he learns differently, the answer is no. However, I don't know if even after the truth comes out, it could work. My father doesn't act on his impulses, and Uncle Henry is well..." He sighs and finishes his sandwich. "I wouldn't get our hopes up. We'll just be unofficial siblings."

Charlie huffs. "No fair. Uncle William deserves a man like my dad. They are perfect for each other and can help each other heal."

"You can't force it." Micheal starts to clean his dishes in the sink. "We actually have to get them to talk first."

"Stop being logical and be on my side." Charlie sighs. "I think I'm going to the diner, I can't keep putting it off. Pa's right. I have to be the one to do it."

"I'll come with you." Micheal smiles. "I'm your partner in crime."

.....

Charlie enters the pizzeria and frowns. "Somethings wrong."

"Is it the fact were both adults in an establishment for children, and we don't have kids, or is it the fact we're here to kill a loved member of our family." Micheal responds dryly.

"No weapon." Charlie mumbles, holding her hands up as the door shuts behind them.

"No weapon...." Micheal pauses as his eyes go wide. "What do you mean no weapon?"

"No weapon means no weapon." Charlie takes a breath, ignoring the weird looks. "I can see him right there he has his cane, and he's staring at us. Micheal, I haven't been able to get this close without a weapon appearing in my hands."

Micheal looks like a deer in headlight. "How fast can you tellaport us, I've changed my mind. I regret this entirely." He grabs Charlie's shoulders. "Charlie, I'm serious." He can see his uncle approach them.

"But Micheal, no weapon!" Charlie grabs Micheal in a hug. "That means your dad did it. I don't have to..."

"Excuse me." Henry adjusts his glasses. "I couldn't help but notice you both are here without your child, and we aren't currently hiring."

Charlie freezes. "I uh. Well. Er. Uh..."

Micheal swallows. "I don't think my father did anything." He can feel Charlie's grip get tighter.

Henry frowns. "Again, what is your purpose here? Who's your father, and why would he do anything to me?"

Micheal shuts his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I'm Micheal Afton...." He frowns, realizing how out of place he looks. It's the middle of July, and he was in long sleeves and jeans. He was coving up the majority of his stitches, but he knew the one on his neck was visible.

"Micheal is dead." Henry narrows his eyes, adjusting his glasses. He had to admit the eye color was a perfect match. "Who's your friend?"

Charlie realizes that her dad hasn't even realized he's younger first off. Second, she can see the bags under his eyes up close. Third, he looked too skinny. She didn't know what to say.

Micheal swallows again. "Fuck we did not think this through." He covers his face.

Charlie watches Micheal sink to the floor knees to his chest. The look from her dad was now one of annoyance and anger. What could she possibly say to convince him? She gasps. "Rivitter the river otter!"

Henry steps back, his knuckles going whiteholding his cane so tight. "What?"

"You can't just shout that." Micheal groans. "This is a disaster." He buries his face in his knees, for 6ft7in man he sure can contort his body into a small circle.

"Rivitter was going to be the first animotronics you wanted to build based off Rosie the rivitter. You used to explain the blueprints to me to help me sleep." Charlie claps her hands. "I don't even think Uncle William knew about that, or he did..."

Henry swallows, looking this woman up and down. He saw bits of Margaret, but mostly he saw his sister, which she would tell him she looked just like him. "Charlotte?"

"Yes!" Charlie pulls her father into a tight hug, cracking his back. "Also, that is Micheal. He kind of shuts down when he panics in social situations. He's actually great in a crisis." She pulls away. "I didn't have to kill you.... wait, that means Uncle William didn't kill you either. Micheal didn't because he's still curled up on the floor. Uhhhh, huh..."

Henry was crying he shook his head. It didn't matter. He didn't understand what she was talking about, but it was her. Only Margaret knew how he got her to sleep, and he could recognize her a mile away.

"Wait..." Charlie huffs. "You only agreed because you knew Jeremy only worked nights."

Micheal doesn't even sastify her with an answer because it's true.

Charlie huffs. "Dad, I love you, and I have like a million things to catch you up on, but I'm going to throw Micheal in the dumpster."

Micheal huffs when Charlie picks him up. "Put me down." He huffs accent on full display, and Henry forgot how strong Micheal's accent was. "It's not my fault you didn't pay attention."

"I had other things on my mind, Stitches!" Charlie huffs. "Sorry we're making a scene, and I didn't exactly know that it wasn't Uncle William who killed you. He would have explained it better than us...me." She quickly corrects.

Henry pulls her into a tight hug even with her having Micheal over her shoulders. "How?"

"Well, you died too." Charlie puts Micheal down. "Didn't you talk to Aunt Lucy or Pa? Pa wouldn't really be helpful he likes to be cryptic, Lucy would be straightforward."

"Consequences's is an ass." Micheal sighs, dusting himself off. "He keeps dragging me into his damn pond, which makes my body rot, and having to rebuild my body is annoying. I have to redo all my stitches as well."

"To be fair, he isn't allowed in the living world till my grandmother dies. Oh yeah, your mom is awful and branded my stomach when I visited. She only put a clause in for a boy to not inherit demonic blood. She really hates girls."

"Charlie, you're rambling." Micheal sighs.

"Oh, oops, sorry." Charlie smiles. "Uncle William says I get that from you, but I dunno."

Henry can't stop smiling, then it registers what she said. "Why did you go see your grandmother? She did what?"

"Well, Pa was being cryptic, and in order to see you, I would have to kill you to well yaknow demon thing. So I wanted to meet family, and I was 16 and dumb." Charlie huffs, crossing her arms. "I can't believe she's still alive."

Henry takes a breath. "Ok, follow me to the security office. Both of you."

The two nod and follow

.....

William sighs. He really didn't need all these things, but his children insisted that he full his closet for his new room. He knew that money wasn't an issue, but this was too much for him. He took a seat while his two kids ran off to the food court. He pauses as an older woman sits next to him.

"Is this seat taken?" The silver hair woman smiles softly.

"No, not at all." William pauses. "You look familiar, have we met?"

The woman chuckles. "My son knows your eldest. You can call me Jackie." She holds out her hand, and William takes it to shake. "I haven't seen you in a while. Why's that?"

William rubs the back of his neck. "I've been around..."

"Don't worry, I know your children's secret. Two demons and something that hasn't ever been recorded, which is saying something." She pauses and smiles. "Don't look so nervous, I'm a hunter. I'll be out of retirement soon enough. Your ex has quite the bounty on her head."

"Hunter?" William furrows his brows.

"Humans that work beside the supernatural. I joined after I left Germany with my two children. Helped me get through med school." Jackie hums. "I will be coming out of retirement, though. Never wanted to, but I already know what my son and his boss are planning, which is selfless on their end, but it will be for nothing."

"Wouldn't they release their spirits?" William knew the basics of what his old friend was planning, fire setting the dead free.

"Yes and no." Jackie sighs. "Clara returned to town because she could feel what they were planning, and if it went through, she would take all of those children's souls. That would make her impossible to kill, which means very bad things." She crosses her arms. "I rather my son not die for nothing. Although that would mean he'll know about my secret, but I don't mind."

William frowns, gripping his shorts in a tight grasp. "Can I help?"

Jackie nods. "Mr. Emily and my son are working together. There is a delay in their plan due to family coming up on Mr. Emily's side, but that will only delay. Try to find a way to truly derail the plan." She pauses. "Give them a reason to live."

William nods. "I do have to confess some things, and they will probably give Henry something to gravitate towards." He rubs his arm. "Even if it's bloodlust."

"Anger can work, but your son Micheal." Jackie looks over to see her son coming. "Drag your boy out to the open, would you? He will be a great thing to get my boy safe."

"Mom?" The blonde hair man with whisps of silver in his hair. The massive scar that gies around his right eye and moves into his scalpe that catches William's attention. "What are you doing over here? I thought you said we'll meet by the food court."

Jackie chuckles. "Just catching up with a familiar face. I recall doing a skull reconstruction on his son."

Jeremy's eyes flick over to William, and a flash of emotions floods his eyes for a moment before he shakes his head. "Come on, let's go. Sorry for interrupting....?"

"Mr. Afton." William smiles, helping Jackie up. "It's not an issue. I have to find my two kids as well. It shouldn't take them this long to get food."

Jackie chuckles. "Kids get into all sort of mischief. It was nice talking to you." She takes her son's arm and hums. "Well, aren't you going to help me pick out an outfit for this barbecue your boss is holding?"

"...yes mom." Jeremy mumbles, eyes locked on the taller man as he walks away.

......

Henry runs his hands through his hair as if he is seeing his face first the first time. It was as if someone dipped him in the fountain of youth. The streaks of red I'm his beard was new, but besides that, he looked like he could be the same age as his daughter. He didn't know how he felt about that.

Micheal was distracted, looking at the photos on the wall. The blonde in the photos got older as they progressed. He was stuck at this age, and he could never have him again. The silver accented the blonde nicely, though.

Charlie huffed. "Ok, I'm sorry, but why are you distracted." She jabs Micheal's side, who groans.

"You're going to pop my stitches." Micheal hissed. His attention is back to Charlie.

Henry blinked and smiled softly. "Oh, that's Jeremy he's been helping me. Don't mind his scar he's the living bite victim, but he wears that as a point of pride." He sighs. "So why do you two want to stop us?"

Charlie scans over the photos and pauses, patting Micheal's back, realizing just how long it's been for him. "Well, mostly because Clara, if your plan goes through, she will become unkillable and will continue her constant murder spree. She is incredibly hard to track, which makes cornering her difficult. Demons can't harm her. She made sure to put that in her two contracts. I don't get the freebie because I'm half human."

Micheal crosses his arms. "I would do it, but I would have to actually find her and confront her without her well stopping me." He takes a deep breath. "I'm still digging ash out of my body from the last time."

"The problem now is that you've gathered all the children here. So, of course, she'll be close by, but that's a double-edged sword because she could just pick off these spirits one by one." She sighs. "I'm sorry we can't be much help."

Henry frowns. "So what now?"

"Now? To be fair, I didn't think we would get this far." Micheal looks away. "Just keep them here. I know Mother can't get to them during the night, and daytime well she knows camera's are watching." He takes a breath. "I can be bait to move them. I look enough like my father without having to grab him. Besides, father is still getting used to having flesh again, let alone ready to fight the supernatural."

"Well, he is taking this better than I expected." Charlie smiles and sighs. "Besides, I think Evan and Elizabeth are still dragging him around the mall."

Henry frowns. "William is back?"

"Yeah, don't worry, he only killed nine kids. Well, technically, Clara made him kill nine kids. I forgive him for my death. Actually, I'm surprised they didn't have to pump his stomach or he had a sezurie from alcohol poisoning." Charlie hums. "I mean nine is a lot, but Clara's kill count at this point is well into the mid hundreds, and that's mostly children."

Henry pales. "William didn't mean to kill you?"

Micheal nods. "He didn't even know he killed anyone until the third kid because mother tormented him, but by then, she has him on a tight leash like a dog trained by punishment and fear." He sighs. "I can show you the scars I've received from her if that makes it more believable."

Henry shakes his head. "No. I believe you. I don't know if I can forgive him, but I want to face him."

Charlie nods and gets up. "Of course we can come by. Oh, I'll make some food too."

Micheal rolls his eyes. "You just want to show off the skills you learned down south."

"Hush you." Charlie sticks her tongue out. "I still have no idea how you cook a better brisket than me."

Henry smiles. "Of course, my sister and her son and daughter in law are coming up. I'll be throwing a little barbecue. Granted, I don't think it will be so little anymore, but please come by."

Micheal sighs. "Yes, I'll make my brisket." He stretches. "I'm going to head back. Are you good if I take the car?"

Charlie nods. "Yup, don't worry."

Micheal nods and pulls a cigarette from his pocket. "See you later then, Charlie. Uncle Henry, it's nice to speak with you again." He slips out of the office and outside.

......

Micheal was laying back on the hammock on the porch, puffing smoke into the air, swaying slowly as the sun slowly dipped below the horizon.

"MIKEY!" Evan runs up to the porch, stopping himself from jumping on his older brother. "Where's Charlie?"

"Doing her own thing." Micheal blows smoke towards Evan. "You three were out late."

"Dad fell asleep in the car. I keep forgetting that this is all new to him. We'll you know not new but he hasn't done this in decades." Evan watches Micheal put out his cigarette and get up.

"I can bring him inside." Micheal stretches. "He's got the room next to mine?"

Evan nods. "Oh well, set up his clothes and everything." He vanishes in a puff of smoke.

Micheal sighs and heads down by the car. Elizabeth already got all they bought for their father. "You can quit pretending. We both know I got my terrible sleeping habit from you."

"You've gotten pretty jaded Micheal." Green eyes stare into blue. William stretches and gets out of the car.

"Kind of hard not too." Micheal shrugs leaning against the car. "Did you guys have fun? I know Lizzie has a temper, and Evan is the embodiment of sunshine."

"They got me too many things. I don't think I'll be able to use all of it." William frowns, looking up at Micheal. "You've gotten taller than me."

"You'll use it." Micheal sighs. "Yeah, I guess I did. We look like we're the same age. Still haven't figured out what we are, but I get it from you."

"It ends there since I was adopted." William sighs. "Are you alright?" He sighs, knowing the answer is no, but he could say the same about himself.

Micheal shrugs. "Physically, yeah, I'm always ok." He cracks his back. "Alright, we should head inside. Your room is next to mine. Lizzie and Evan don't stay here since they are full blood demons they have their own place in hell, Charlie. However, she stays here, her room is on the main floor, and she's a morning person."

William nods. "Explains why the two kept dragging me everywhere. I'm guessing they have work tomorrow?"

"Who knows, contracts happen, and they really can't control when they are summoned, but since they are full blood demons, they do have to return to hell to recharge. They've been in the living world for over a decade, and their human forms are cracking. They don't have to stay long, but they do have to check in and help around there."

"Are they ok with that?" William walks in as Micheal holds the door open.

"Eh, Elizabeth loves her job. Evan doesn't like hurting people. So it depends on who you ask." Micheal shrugs. "I'll make dinner, so head up and wash up, and welcome back to the world of flesh." He chuckles.

... ...

These games were something Micheal was accustomed to, Evan and Elizabeth created them to help with his depression and conquer the past. He never really did tell them the extent, but this one was scary accurate his safeword didn't even work. He hoped this ended soon he wanted to see his uncle again, and not this man with hope and smiles.

"Eat your food." Clara placed a plate in front of Micheal.

Micheal watched his mother sit in front of him with her own food, eyeing him. They've played this game many times over the month when the game started. He never did tell his siblings that Mother would put glass and nails in his food and bleach in his drinks. He applauds them for creativity in filling in the blanks. He takes a large bite, purposely crunching the glass.

Clara doesn't let her expression slip as she watches Micheal finish his food and drink and walk away without an issue.

Micheal sighs. Maybe he could finally see Charlie soon. His siblings never made her up, and she joined in the game. He sighs and nearly jumps as heavy knocks are heard on the door. His father answered it, and he frowned. He can't recall his uncle ever visiting his home they always came there or the diner. Oh, Charlie was with him. He didn't pay attention to what they were talking about as Charlie ran towards him.

"Micheal!" Charlie smiles. "How are you handling the past?"

Micheal freezes, staring at Charlie. "What?"

.......

"Ah, this explains the glass sandwiches. Mother wasn't even being subtle since I stopped picking out the glass and staring her in the eye while I ate it." Micheal shrugs

Charlie stops and stares at Micheal. "What the fuck."

"Wanna piece since you've got a death wish?" Micheal takes a bite and it's a loud crunch. "Probably should kill Uncle Henry first."

Charlie flinched along with her father from the kitchen. He didn't hear the conversation, but the loud crunch was something else. "Micheal again what the fuck?"

Micheal shrugs. "Eh, it's better than the bleach smoothies.

....

There was a knock on the door, and Clara frowned. Henry was already over. What did his wife follow him to make sure he didn't cheat like she does. She combs her red locks out of her face and opens the door, and is immediately slammed into the wall by.... a woman?

The dark blonde hair woman takes the cigarette out of her mouth and puts it out on Clara's chest. "Now don't fucking make a sound she devil. I ain't here for you." She pushes her to the side and heads to the back where the two men were along with the children.

Clara pressed a finger to the burn on her chest and inhaled the lingering smoke. Those eyes and that force. The burn on her chest was intoxicating. She wanted that deranged woman to attack her again. She didn't like power taken from her, but that wasn't.... Her blue eyes followed the path she charged through. She didn't know women could be violent like she was out in the open or had short hair. What else could this creature do?

.....

William sighs, crossing his arms. He was not fond of that woman who came through his back doors. It's bad enough that Micheal has been acting odd the past couple of months, but now she comes to visit. He bites his lip, swallowing his surprise when his wife is next to him.

"Who is that?" Clara stares into the woods beyond their yard.

"Henry's sister Jennifer." William huffs. "She's supposed to be in Texas with her son." He raised his brow he has never seen that look on Clara's face before.

"Married?" Clara twitches her fingers.

"No." William frowns. "She had her kid out of wedlock, and as far as I know, there isn't anyone in the picture. Why? Did she make fun of your hair?"

"No." Clara's eyes light up. "Just curious. I didn't know Henry had a sibling." She now understood her husband's infatuation with Henry because his sister has caught her fixation.

"They've been back there awhile." William kicks the ground. "Should probably let them be." He turns his attention to his eldest, who was sitting next to Charlie they seemed to be in deep conversation.

.....

It takes almost an hour, but Jen drags Henry back out by his ear. He's in a new clean shirt, but besides that, he's mostly trying to pull away from her. "Jen, I am not a child. Let me go." He huffs when she pushes him forward.

"Then don't be stubborn boy." Jen huffs and spits. "Also, change your locks."

"You broke into my house?" Henry stares back at his sister even the height advantage did not stop the intimidation from his sister, especially with the things she just told him.

"I did, and before that, I had a long talk with Margaret. Gareth is in your guest room with your old textbooks. I don't understand that boy, but it makes him happy." Jen cracks her back. "Hey Charlie, how about giving your old aunt a hug?" She chuckles when Charlie tries to tackle her in a hug. Her voice is quiet, only Charlie can hear. "Who else came back?"

Charlie vibrates in excitement. "Micheal's with me!" She points at Micheal, who was lying against the tree. "He's Uncle William's son, but we're basically the same age. Did you bring Gareth with you? Oh, are you staying?"

Jen nods. "I am staying for now. Gareth is back at your home." She ruffles Charlie's hair. "Isn't it your birthday soon?"

Charlie nods. "Yeah, it is. I'll be 12."

"Good for you. Alright, little one, I have to head back and unpack. Gareth got the guest room, I'll be on the couch." Jen smiles and turns back to William and Clara. "We'll be seeing each other, Willy boy."

"Great...." William rolls his eyes.

Clara smirks. "I look forward to it."

Jen raised her brow. "Right..." She shook her head. She waves and leaves through where she came to her beat-up truck.

William stands next to Henry. "You alright?"

Henry takes a deep breath. "I don't know?"

William frowns that Henry's family might have issues, and he doesn't know how to help him. He held his friend's shoulder. "Hey, I'm sure things will work out."

Henry rubs the new growing blush on his cheeks. Why didn't she warn him about this feeling or instinct? William was his friend, not a lover. He sighs. "Thanks, everything should be ok soon enough."

"Well, uh, maybe she should come by again...." William scowls. "Clara wants to know her better."

Henry raised his brow but nodded. "Of course. I'm sure my sister would love the company." He smiles. He didn't exactly like Clara, nor did he trust her, but she did just turn everything on its head, and maybe this could be a way to get even.

"... really?" William pauses when Henry nods again. "Ok then."

......

"Look, I hate you redheaded shedevil, but my brother told me to make friends with his partner's wife." Jen scowls at Clara, who smiles.

"I suppose I can understand why he finds this important." Clara hums. "So why keep your son? You aren't married, and isn't it a sin to raise a child out of wedlock?"

Jen growls. "I love my son. He is the best thing to happen to me. Kids are a blessing in themselves and have made me tougher than some prissy ballerina." She scoffs. "What did you have them to be little miss perfect? Family is important to me, and you either respect that, or I ain't gonna be round you."

Clara frowns she wanted Jen to be by her and not ignore her. She made a mental note to not harm what she finds important. "So where are you taking us?"

Jen huffs. "I'm getting a six pack of beer, and I'm going to drink. You can do whatever does your fancy. Well, be at my brother's after. I'll allow you to be in my presence as we pretend to make nice."

Clara always gets what she wants. She isn't told what to do, nor is she told what she is allowed to do. This woman was crashing into her perfect little life she had created to hide her dark underside. It was intoxicating, and she wanted to push her boundaries. "I rather we had a conversation. I mean, you did burn me. Why don't you do what I ask?"

Jen slams on the breaks, causing Clara to gasp and cling to her seat belt. "I don't care that I burned you. I hold not an ounce of pity for you. I'm going to buy my beer and you'll stay in the truck. Then we're going back and you'll just sit proper and watch me. I ain't in the chatty mood."

Clara swallows and stares. Her heart beat quickened, and her mouth was dry. The connection she tried to make was destroyed in an instant. Didn't people have guilt? Jen didn't care that she hurt her. Jen was becoming far more interesting than she could handle.

.....

It was late when Henry returned with the children. Thankfully, Charlie had stopped with her suicide attempts. It was peaceful all things considered. He hasn't really been able to interact with William's other two kids since Clara seemed to keep them close by. He did feel a tiny bit of guilt making Jen spend time with that woman, though.

Charlie busts through the door. "We're back!" She giggles, running inside dragging Micheal behind her.

William sighs. "How does she still have energy?" He was holding Evan and Elizabeth in his arms, who were both asleep. Thankfully, working with heavy machinery meant he was capable of lifting a lot of weight. He sighs, spotting Clara and Jen in the kitchen. "Oh Clara, I thought you wouldn't have gone home by now."

Clara smiles. "We just got lost in conversation."

Jen scowls. "Yeah, conversation." She rolls her eyes and smiles when she sees her own son walk in with her brother. "Gareth, how was your day out with your uncle?"

Gareth smiles. "It was fine, Ma. I think I like it better here than the farm."

Jen smiles and nods. "Good, you'll be starting high school with your cousin this September."

Gareth yawns and nods. "Yeah, ok."

Henry pats his back. "Alright, go to your room before Charlie drags you around again."

Gareth nods. "I'll be out for dinner."

Jen chuckles. "Your girl seems to be endless energy. Reminds me of you, except you got into much more trouble."

Henry huffs. "Charlie is a good girl." He flinched when a crash is heard.

Jen snickers. "Well, she's better than you at her age."

William sighs. "Do you want me to take them home?"

Clara hums. "Let them sleep on the couch for now. I know Evan will ask for Micheal when he wakes up."

William blinks, not expecting the answer, but he nods. "Well, I guess I stand corrected." He turns to Henry. "I guess you are treating us to dinner."

Henry smiles as something flutters in his chest, and he can feel his cheeks go hot. "That's great, I'll have something great whipped up."

Jen rolls her eyes and leans back in her chair. She glances back to Clara, who has again fixated on her. She huffs and takes a swig of her beer.

....

....

Henry gasps. "Charlie?"

Charlie screws her eyes shut and takes a breath. "Daddy?"

Henry smiles, hugging her tight. "My baby girl. I'm so happy you're ok."

Charlie looks over to Jen and winks before hugging her father tight. "I don't want to meet grandma anymore."

Henry chokes out a laugh. "You don't have to ever meet her."

Jen stumbles forward, dragging Clara up. "Take my son inside and protect him till I return."

Clara nods, grabbing Gareth and heading inside.

Jen sighs. She finally notices how much blood she is covered in, and the pain finally reaches her from the brand. She falls to her knees. She hugs her chest and lays on the floor.

Henry gets up, the cross finally breaking, allowing him to get up and pick up Charlie and help carry Jen inside.

....

Jen is lying on the couch, and his arms cross a scowl on her lips when Clara returns. "Look, just don't tell William about any of this. I know you sold your two kids souls, and I expect them to have a normal life till they are taken."

Clara nods. "May I ask how you found out?"

Jen sighs. "Ma ain't good." She adjusted the ice pack on her stomach. "Obviously. Father is a demon who we can't really see him or well learn from the man until she's in the dirt."

Clara nods, and her lips quirk into a smirk. "Now, why should I keep this secret?"

"Because if you don't, I won't speak to you ever again, nor will I even give you my attention. Your boy Micheal is quite observant and has told me about your little obsession." Jen bats her eyes and smiles. "Maybe if you follow my rules like a good dog, I'll reward you."

Clara bites her lip. When did Jen realize? How did Micheal realize he just turned 12. She can feel the anticipation crawl up her spine and the excitement burn in her chest. Her eyes light up. "I will do as you ask." She walks closer as Jen motions for her to come closer.

Jen grabs her blouse and pulls her down. "If you ever disobey me, I will never acknowledge your existence ever again." Their faces are mere inches apart. "Go the fuck home. Pretend to be an ok wife. Let my brother have William, and I'll keep you entertained if you can properly keep up the ruse."

Something twisted in Clara's chest when Jen pushes her back. "Yes, Jen." She bows and leaves.

.....

Henry returns back out after Charlie pushes him to shower, which he did. "Clara left?" He looks over to his sister, who is half asleep.

"Don't worry, she won't tell William." Jen cracks open one eye. "My boy is safe here, I ain't taking him back."

"I wasn't going to ask." Henry sighs, sitting on the loveseat. "I would never force you to, or even ask."

"That isn't what I'm getting at." Jen sighs. "Hen, you know this is just the start."

Henry frowns and nods. "Charlie is ok, and that is what truly matters to me. You I know you can handle yourself."

Jen huffs out a laugh. "Yeah, my boy is good too." She pauses. She knew Charlie didn't survive that slash to the neck, but she didn't understand how she was back. Charlie has more experience with this than she realized. Charlie did ask not to tell Henry. She takes a breath. "Warn Margaret. I don't want her getting caught off guard."

Henry nods. "I'll give her a call." He gets up and stops looking back. "Are you ok?"

"I'm not dead, and it's just a burn. I'll be fine." Jen sighs. "Call her, and then we have to clean."

.....

Clara came over the next day with her three kids. She had Micheal in an iron grip to her side as Margaret let them inside. "Thank you for letting us come over." She smiles politely.

Margaret nods. "Charlie has been asking for you guys, well mostly Micheal." She chuckles. "I don't think Henry is quite ready for her boy phase."

Clara nods and spots Jen on the couch and makes a beeline for her, taking Micheal with her. "Jen."

Jen looks up from her book and shuts it. "Clara." She smiles. "Micheal, how are you doing?"

Micheal shrugs, pulling away from his mother. He crosses his arms and frowns. "So, how was Charlie killed?"

Clara couldn't mask the subtle surprise in her eyes before masking her expression again.

Jen sits up. "How did you know?"

"Charlie visited me last night." Micheal sighs and sits on the recliner. "So should I keep an eye out for my father and siblings?"

"No." Jen smiles softly. "Smart boy. They won't go after you guys."

Micheal sighs and holds his arm out, making a motion with his hand, and Charlie runs up out of nowhere. "So how long till you can't hide the fact you're possessing your dead body?"

Charlie huffs. "I'm replacing the dead bits as I consume the flesh, but there will be overlap..."

Micheal nods. "Alright, I can fix something together so nobody outside of this group will notice. Did..."

Charlie answers before Micheal can finish. "No, absolutely not. I'm not an idiot. I'll have the body finished by my birthday, hopefully."

"You're cutting it close." Micheal frowns, getting out of the chair. "However, will you be able to handle Cricus, baby?"

"Yeah, not an issue. Now come on. I can only keep them entertained so long without being there." Charlie pulls at Micheal's arm. "Ah, wait, Aunt Jen and Aunt Clara, don't tell dad or Uncle William, please."

Jen nods. "It's still unnerving knowing you both are adults in your younger body." She glares at Clara. "You heard my neice agree."

"Only because this has piqued my curiosity." Clara smiles as the two kids run off.

Jen narrows her eyes. "I will reiterate keep them out of it." Her arm shoots out, and she grabs Clara and pulls her close. "They are from a future I'm trying to fucking prevent so fucking listen to me when I give you rules."

Clara merely nods never losing her smile as she is so close she can smell the soap Jen had used.

Jen huffs letting go. "Why drag Micheal over?"

"I wanted him to explain how he knew." Clara hums, sitting next to Jen. "However, if he is working with his adult mind, then that can explain certain behaviors."

"Just behave." Jen leans back and crosses her arms. "I appreciate you keeping a cover going bringing the children over while my brother and William work. I have to admit you did earn a reward."

"A reward?" Clara smiles, staring at Jen, who grabs her again and closes the gap between them. The kiss was only seconds long, and it wasn't anything, but Clara felt something. She pauses, opening her eyes.

"Now keep behaving you fucking shedevil." Jen huffs pushing her away and picking up her book.

Clara stays quiet, staring at Jen, and presses two fingers against her lips in disbelief.

....

Micheal crossed his arms, his siblings fallen asleep on Charlie's bed. "Charlie, I have to ask about your aunt."

"Our aunt." Charlie smiles, turning around.

"Don't move. I'm stitching your back." Micheal sighs. Thankfully, the string didn't snap. "No, I'm being serious. I don't understand how she managed to get my mothers attention. It's dangerous, and I uh...." He finishes the stitches. "Mother has been.... nice to me. She has always been kind to her two favorites." He taps Charlie so she can turn around and put her shirt on.

Charlie frowns, pulling her shirt over her head. "What do you mean? I know Clara neglected you and tried to kill you with food and drink, but she was never blatant."

"Yeah, subtlety is her game, even hurt father behind closed doors." Micheal frown deepens. "Actually, Father hasn't been on the couch since your aunt has come up or even nursing wounds."

"So you're worried about my aunt?" Charlie sighs, crossing her arms. "Aunt Jen hasn't really shown any issues or injuries besides what happened last night. She's been more focused on Gareth and how he is adjusting. It's only been three weeks since they arrived. Your mom has been popping up, too. Granted, I forgot how creepy she is, but she doesn't scare my aunt."

Micheal gets up and sighs. "I don't understand what my mother wants from her. It's obviously sexual in nature, but if she gets that, does she get bored and move forward with murder? Is Jen capable of taming her? She's awful."

"Stitches worrying about the what ifs won't help us. Right now, Aunt Jen has her attention, and we just have to accept that." Charlie gets up as well, grabbing Micheal's arm. "Come on, we got to figure out how we're going to take apart Baby or change her code."

Micheal sighs. "Alright, fine." He sits back down, still looking unnerved.

......

Micheal shifted uncomfortably on the couch. He was next to his mother while his siblings were still napping. Charlie was next to Jen. He didn't really understand why his mother called them over, nor did he know why he was next to his mother.

Jen sighs. "I'm sure the kids are fine with school supplies. Just a few notebooks and pencils should do."

Clara hums. "But they are starting high-school."

Jen sighs and crosses her arms. "That is true, but I don't think either of us will be much help. You went to the school overseas, and I was basically home schooled, Henry got to go to an actual school even if it wasn't much."

Micheal clears his throat. "I uh, I don't think we need that much. I can take the spare notebooks and pens. I can just use my old backpack." He really didn't want to discuss this. He doesn't really recall freshman year of high school due to Charlie's death and Elizabeth death.

"That's boring, though." Charlie huffs. "I'll be actually going to a human high school this time. I'm sure we can do something fun."

Micheal sighs. "Jeremy doesn't transfer in till halfway through the year..... I think. I don't really remember freshman year that much or sophomore year due to Evan....uh." He frowns. "Ok, maybe I do need things for high school."

"I knew the people moving across the street were something else." Charlie gets up, pointing at Micheal. "Ha... wait, no, the kid is only 13, and the other one is 17."

"Jeremy is a year older than me technically, but we'll be young for freshmen, and he'll be a normal age." Micheal shrugs.

"Wait, he is?" Charlie pauses. "Ugh, I don't even know what he looks like."

Jen pauses. "Wait, the bite victim? Why is he important?"

"Micheal and Jeremy were a couple well not out in the open or whatever. Technically, I just outed him to you two. But it's not like it really matters Micheal's twelve, and it's not like anyone will believe you." Charlie frowns. "But there's a problem we don't know if he also came back."

Micheal looked furious, but before he could speak up, Jen spoke up first. "He would seek out Henry first since they both were on that stupid suicide mission in the first place, but Hen didn't come back."

Clara tilted her head curious at Micheal's anger and placed a hand on his shoulder, which made him look up at her in confusion. The anger drained from his face faster than he realized. "Why are you angry?" Her voice was low as if she was excluding the other two in their conversation.

Micheal paused, furrowing his brows. He didn't understand why his mother asked, nor does he understand why he feels genuine comfort in her soft touch. "You know why I'm angry. Being queer is basically a death sentence till I'm in my 40s. I don't expect you to understand. Same sex attraction isn't exactly something you can force yourself to like." He bites his lip, getting frustrated trying to find the right words. "I've tried with woman. I didn't like it. I..." He huffs crossing his arms tighter so he doesn't bite his hand in frustration.

"Can two women be intimate?" Clara stares downnat her son, curious again as the frustration drained from his face again with her question.

Micheal's mouth thins to a line. "Two women can be intimate. I know a bit about it, but again, I'm not an expert on other queer relations." He's confused now since his mother truly sounded genuine in her question.

"So would William be a queer like you, or would Elizabeth and Evan be queer?" Clara hums stares down at her eldest.

"Father isn't queer in the normal sense. He has a person that fits him, and it happened to be Uncle Henry. Father doesn't feel romantic or sexual attraction to anyone but the person he bonded to." Micheal tilts his head. His mother actually looked interested in what he was saying. "Being queer isn't genetic if you're asking that. Lizzie, well, if she grows up the same likes men, Evan doesn't really have any interest in anyone. Evan isn't like Father. He truly just doesn't feel romantic or sexual attraction." He shrugs. "I just like men, I have a type like someone who was interested in woman."

Clara pauses. She looks to be in deep thought. A soft hum was heard from her as she nodded. Mkcheal knew more about things than she had ever considered a possibility. That is quite useful, but would it matter to Jen. She was looking at then two and seemed to have an approving gaze, so her plan to befriend her eldest was working in her favor. Micheal was an adult in a child body it would make matters easier when forced to deal with him.

Micheal looked back to Charlie, who just shrugged, not getting any of that conversation. He sighs and looks over to Jen, who seemed pleased that he had a civil conversation with his mother. He was still trying to process his own mother, stopping him from having a meltdown.

[jellyfishright]

At A Distance, Spring Is Green -BL Version (Yeo Jun x Nam Soo Hyun)-Chapter 12 : Just live in the moment.And don't die

Soo Hyun accepted the form from Miss Seol.

He looked at the caption : Drop Out Form.

"Soo Hyun. Is everything alright with you?" Miss Seol asked.

"Yes." he replied.

"How about you get through this semester and take some time off?" she said 

He looked at her. "Will this be processed right away?" he asked.

"After filling out the form you need to talk to Professor Park and get his approval." she replied. 

Soo Hyun nodded. "Okay." before leaving.

"Oh. It's that rich junior of Soo Hyun's" Koo Hyun was glad to finally see someone he knew.

"Oh. Hello. We meet again." Jun greeted Soo Hyun's brother.

"Hi. Have you seen Soo Hyun?' he asked. "His class ends around this time but he wouldn't let me come so I didn't tell him I'm coming."

"I'm pretty sure he's at work." Jun replied.

"You mean the one at the school cafeteria?"

Jun nodded. "Yes.Come on. I'll walk you there."

With Koo Hyun's assent, they set off.

When they arrived, they saw Soo Hyun putting items away. Koo Hyun smiled when he saw his brother and trotted away in the direction he headed off to.

Yeo Jun watched him go, pouting slightly. Soo Hyun would probably have lunch with his brother, without him.

Soo Hyun was packing his books for his next class in his backpack when Koo Hyun darkened the doorway of the room he'd been staying in.

"You were living here?" he asked.

"What are you doing here?" Soo Hyun replied.

Koo Hyun's eyes scanned the room slowly. "So it's true."

"Let's go." Soo Hyun attempted to lead him away

"I quit studying for the police academy." Koo Hyun announced. "I came to tell you that."

"What are you talking about?"

"I have to make money." Koo Hyun replied "I can't see you have such a hard time anymore."

Soo Hyun sighed. "Koo Hyun---Do you really think that's helping me?"

"How can I just sit and study, when I know you're living like this?"

"Pull yourself together!" Soo Hyun shouted. "I don't care about my education.Making a living comes first for me.And I'll take responsibility for you and mom.So stop spewing nonsense and get out of here."

Koo Hyun looked at his brother with teary eyes  before he left.

Soo Hyun sighed, the rims of his eyes reddening. There was no other option for him. This was his only way.

Yeo Jun was still standing in the cafeteria when Koo Hyun reappeared wearing a distraught expression.

"Hey--" he tried to stop him as he blew by, with his head down.

"I'm sorry." Koo Hyun apologized without stopping.

"Can we talk?" Yeo Jun held on to him.

Soo Hyun was sitting in the empty classroom when he received a text message from his uncle.

[Koo Hyun transferred the money for your mother's surgery. I'll make sure she gets the treatment she needs.I'm sorry I couldn't be of help. I cannot thank you enough.]

Soo Hyun's already fragile heart, sank a depth lower.No one needed to tell him, he knew exactly what had happened.

With a heavy heart, he dialled his brother's number.

"Koo Hyun. Where did you get the money for mom's surgery?"

[I borrowed it from a friend.You're not the only one with a rich friend.]

"Rich friend. Who?"

[He's my friend]

"Did you...meet Jun?" Soo Hyun was hesitant to ask. There was a moment of silence on the other line. "You didn't right?"  Koo Hyun's continued silence was all the confirmation he needed. Without another word, he hung up.

Scrolling in his logs, he looked for Yeo Jun's number. He was about to dial but stayed his hand. He was tired. Infinitely tired of everything. He retrieved the drop out form from his backpack and filled it in. This would be his next step.

"Can I tell you a story about myself?" Professor Park asked Soo Hyun as they sat down for a meal. Soo Hyun had spotted him in the hallway just to turn in his form for approval. Professor Park had in turn, invited him to a meal, so here they were.

"Sure, go ahead." Soo Hyun replied.

"When I was in school, I took a leave of absence three times. I couldn't pay the tuition.I didn't want to tell anyone and I would have rather died than owe someone."

Soo Hyun nodded. "I see."

"But" Professor Park went on "There was this one guy who would always call me and buy me a meal.And I was able to get through those hard times because of those meals."

Soo Hyun looked at him "It's painful for me to receive help when I can't return the favour."

Professor Park smiled at him "Soo Hyun. Things will change.Even if it seems like it never will.I thought I was all alone but that was all in my head.Open your heart, ask for help, don't reject it and stay strong.If you go through all that hardship, you will eventually have more than enough time to return the favour." Professor Park picked up his chopsticks. "Call me anytime. I'll buy you a meal."

"Thank you Professor." Soo Hyun felt overwhelmed.

After they parted ways Soo Hyun thought once more of Yeo Jun. Retrieving his phone, he looked at his name and dialled.

"I need to talk to you Jun."

"Are you the one who gave Koo Hyun the money for my mom's surgery?" Soo Hyun asked Jun as they stood by the river, gazing over the water in the night.

"Are you mad at me?" Jun asked, not looking at Soo Hyun.

"Thanks for your help,but don't do that again." Soo Hyun replied "If I need money, I'll do whatever it takes to get it." he sighed. "I keep letting you see me at my worst."

"You've seen my anxious too." Jun pointed out

"Why do we keep letting each other see the things we want to hide from others?" Soo Hyun finally looked at Jun

Jun sighed. "Right?"

"Do you know what's really miserable?" Soo Hyun asked . Jun looked at him. "Being so broke that you can't protect those who are dear to you."

"Some have nothing to protect even if they have the money to do it." Jun replied. "I'm more pitiful thank you right?"

"Is this a competition?"

"well then...Let's talk about something more cheerful." He looked at the scenery. "It's nice here."

"Will my misery ever end?" Soo Hyun asked.

"I'm not too sure." Jun replied "But I think it does come to an end eventually."

They both sighed.

"Is your mother in serious condition?" Jun asked

"She hurt her back working when she was young and it's been torturing her all her life."

"I hope the surgery goes well." Jun expressed. "You seem to have a good relationship with your mother and your brother as well." He paused "My mom says she hates me. She calls me a hypocrite"

"What about you?" Soo Hyun asked. "Do you also think that?"

"Isn't that why you didn't like me at first?" Jun countered 

"You are not a sly hypocrite." Soo Hyun replied as they began walking back side by side.

"What?" Jun was surprised by Soo Hyun's response.

"The things your mom says about you, they're not true." he looked into Yeo Jun's eyes. "It's just her twisted opinion of you.If someone ever says awful things to you, it means that person is hurting inside.Do not take it to heart, even if it's something your parents said."

Jun was still stunned by Soo Hyun's words. "I'll get going." Soo Hyun bid him goodbye.

"Soo-Hyun." he called after him.

Soo Hyun stopped walking and turned around.

 "You actually turned around." Yeo Jun smiled tenderly at Soo Hyun. "Get home safely."

"Jun." Soo Hyun looked at him. "I never hated you."  With that, he turned and left.

Yeo Jun made the rest of the journey back to his apartment alone. After Soo Hyun left, he reflected on his life this far and the words he'd heard time again that had pierced his heart.

No one in that house misses you or wants you there

You have no family

That's right. He had no family but for the first time, he felt like he shouldn't be sad anymore.He smiled at the thought.

The next day

Again he was dozing off. As he sat beside So-Bin for their lecture, Yeo Jun watched Soo Hyun's head for the millionth time. Since the beginning of the class his eyes had barely stayed opened.

When he reached out to touch him, So-Bin stayed his head and shook her head.

"Soo Hyun. Why do you keep dozing off these days?" Jun asked as the last of his peers filed out of the room after class.

"I have another part time job now, so I'm a bit tired."

"Soo Hyun. You can take my notes." So-Bin extended her book to him.

Soo Hyun accepted it gratefully with a smile. "Thanks. I'll give you the list of previous exam questions next time."

"Are you alright?" a stunned Jun asked Soo Hyun.

"What?" Soo Hyun looked at him.

"This is weird. This is so unlike him." He looked at So-Bin. "Why is he smiling?"

So-Bin smiled in turn. "Why? It's nice to see."

"Well, this is not the Nam Soo Hyun I'm used to."

Soo Hyun looked a little awkward. 

"Soo Hyun, I'll buy you a meal to celebrate this positive change."

"No thanks--" Soo Hyun replied.

Jun was disappointed "Right. You're still the same."

"Right. I wonder if there 's another way." So-Bin asked.

Soo Hyun raised his hand  tentatively. "Let me.. I want to treat you guys."

So-Bin and Yeo Jun exchanged surprised looks.

"Yes. Let me buy you lunch."

The other two agreed.

"We could have gone to a nice place." Soo Hyun said as he sat the table with his friends.  "I may not have the chance to treat you again." 

"You sure will." Yeo Jun smiled. "This is only the beginning. I'll mooch off of you." 

Soo Hyun looked at him and shook his head, smiling a little.

"Oh Mi-Ju." they heard so-Bin give out.

Soo Hyun and Yeo Jun looked.Standing a few paces away, with her tray was So-Bin's roommate, Mi-Ju.

She walked over and took the only empty seat at the table, the one beside Soo Hyun.

"Hello." she greeted Soo Hyun with a sweet smile.

Soo Hyun nodded politely.

"You know she can draw very well right?" So-Bin opened the conversation after Mi-Ju had taken her seat

"Gosh.Stop it." Mi-Ju blushed.

"Show him your profile photo." So-Bin encouraged.

Without hesitation, Mi-Ju retrieved her phone and showed Soo Hyun a portrait.

"Isn't she a genius?" So-Bin asked as Mi-Ju showed the picture around.

Soo Hyun nodded. "Yes. You're good."

"It's a portrait." Mi-Ju said proudly.

"Oh." Yeo Jun looked at it. "Is that me?"

Soo Hyun smiled. Jun looked at him. "What? Did you just scoff at me? What was funny? It looks just like me."

"No it doesn't." So-Bin replied. She was right. Anyone could see there was no resemblance between what Mi-Ju drew and Yeo Jun.It actually bore a slight resemblance to Soo Hyun. Jun remembered the way she'd looked at him at his birthday party.

"What?" Jun looked around, playing dumb "What's will all this awkwardness?"

"Soo Hyun. Can you spare me a moment later?" Mi-Ju turned to Soo Hyun.

Yeo Jun looked suspiciously from one to the other. What did she want to talk to him about?

"It's such a nice day isn't it?" Mi-Ju spoke to Soo Hyun after they'd left the others.

"Did you want to talk to me about something?" he asked.

She took a deep breath. "I like you."

"I'm sorry." Soo Hyun replied. 

"Are you rejecting me? In just three seconds? Tell me the reason atleast."

"Any guy would like you." Soo Hyun replied.

"But why not you?" she asked "I just need you. You're all I need."

Soo Hyun looked at her. "I'm..I'm sorry." was all he could say as he turned to walk away.

"No. I'm sorry for liking you without your permission." Mi-Ju called after him. Soo Hyun slowed his steps but didn't turn around. Not even when he heard her voice breaking. "I wish you weren't so hot because I can't make you mine." She was crying now "I shouldn't have said anything.I should have kept it to myself." 

He finally turned to look at her but there was nothing he could say. For her he had no feelings.

Soo-Bin and Yeo Jun were sitting on the benches by the river hanging out.

"What's with your friend?" he asked casually.

"Who?"

"The one from lunch today."

"Oh. Mi-Ju."

Yeo Jun nodded. "Mn." He tried to keep his tone light. "Does she...like Soo Hyun?"

Soo-Bin nodded. "I think so." she leaned in closer. "I think she wanted to confess to him."

The words caused Yeo Jun to frown. He knew it. Realizing his expression was a little sour, Soo-Bin looked at him. "What?"

Jun shrugged. "Nothing." he lied as he opened his backpack.

"What's that?" Soo-Bin's eye caught the notebook floating around in Jun's bag.

"Oh. This?" he held it up. "It's Soo Hyun's death note." he told her. "I saw your name in it too."

Soo-Bin grabbed it. "Let me see."

Jun attempted to retrieve it. "it's like his secret ledger."

Soo-Bin flipped it open.

It's all over now. Those were the first words that caught Yeo Jun's eyes the minute she opened the book.

"May 12? That's today." Soo-Bin said.

It's all over now. Yeo Jun turned the words over in his head. He grabbed the book from Soo-Bin.

A text alert came in.

[Nam Soo Hyun sent you 1 million Won]

Jun's heart froze.

"What is it?" Soo-Bin asked.

"Nothing." he lied.

His mind was already recalling past conversations with Soo Hyun.

I suppose you say that often, without knowing what it's really like to want to die.

I guess it's because my life sucks

You'd never be able to understand.

A very dark and frightening thought blossomed inside Yeo Jun's heart and mind.

"Hey. I've got to go somewhere." he told Soo-Bin "I'll talk to you later."

Not waiting for a reply, Jun darted off into the night, dialling Nam soo Hyun's  number as he went.

He ran as fast as his legs could take him, his mind desperately trying to think of where he might go or where he might be.

First he ran to the park, to that spot by the river. Empty.

His heart soared when he saw a figure Soo Hyun's height in the same type of plaid shirt he often wore.

"Soo Hyun." he grabbed him by the shoulder. His face fell when the person turned around. "I'm sorry." he apologized to the stranger. His heart anxious once more.

He ran from place to place. Calling time and again, going out of his mind with worry.Finally, he gave up. 

Yeo Jun hung his head dejectedly as he walked back to his apartment. He was almost at the entrance when he looked up ahead and stopped in his tracks.

It was him.

"Soo Hyun" He ran up to him and pulled him into a hug, relief washing over him in waves. "Why did you turn off your phone? I looked for you everywhere."

"I'm sorry." Soo Hyun replied, his voice barely a whisper as Yeo Jun held him in his arms.

"What's wrong?" Yeo Jun asked when he broke their embrace.

Soo Hyun hung his head. 

Jun looked at him. He was carrying all his bags. "I should go." Soo Hyun said.

"Soo Hyun." Jun stopped him. "How about we turn my lie into reality?" he asked.Soo Hyun turned slowly and looked at him. "Let's live together." Both their hearts began to beat more rapidly. "Do you not want to?" Jun asked when Soo Hyun was still silent.

"I'm sorry." Soo Hyun began, his voice low. Jun's heart sank. "For not being able to say no." Soo Hyun added. "But I promise you.."

"Don't think about the future---" Yeo Jun cut him off. "Just live in the moment." He paused, his eyes glassy with tears as he looked at Soo Hyun. "And don't die."

Soo Hyun's eyes were also moist as he simply nodded at Yeo Jun.

[popopretty]

BEAST Movie Spoilers

So I did watch the early show on Dec 20, but I wanted to wait till the official release date to post this. Please make sure to read the followings before moving forward.

· This post contains spoilers, a lot of spoilers, and might be pretty detailed. Please don’t read it if you plan to watch the movie later and think that it will ruin your experience.

· There might be a few parts that I missed or didn’t remember clearly. I try to keep it as accurate as possible but I may come back after watching the movies more and fix things if necessary.

· The movie just came out today in Japan, so please be extra careful when discussing it on Twitter. Do not take too many screenshots. If you want to share it with someone, you can link them to this post. Don't repost this anywhere else out of Tumblr. I actually don't have any clear rules I just don’t want to be noticed because a lot of Japanese fans also use Twitter so please understand :(

· DON’T GO TO THE AUTHORS’ OR OFFICIAL TWITTERS TO COMMENT ABOUT THE CONTENTS OF THE MOVIE, WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. HAVE SOME RESPECTS.

If you are okay with all the above, feel free to move on to the spoilers. I just wrote down whatever I remember, mainly the parts where the movie is different from the novel.

HEAVY SPOILERS AHEAD

· The movie didn’t show much of Akutagawa background as a kid. It started with his friends being killed and Akutagawa running off to avenge them. In the movie, Gin took a bullet for her brother.

· We didn’t get to see the scene where Oda found Akutagawa at the river bank on screen, but we got a scene of them eating curry together.

· The whole thing about Akutagawa collecting ADA’s approval stamp did not happen in the movie. The movie kept the babysitting scene and it was really sweet. He looked like a big brother to them, carrying them and asking them to help with housework etc.

· The house where the children stay was also attacked and the uncle also got stabbed in the movie. They made it look like what happened in Dark Era, only that this time Aku and Kenji appeared in time to save the kids from the kidnappers. (Honestly my heart skipped a beat here cuz I didn’t know what was going to happen to the kids).

· There was no farming scene with Kenji, but we had a new scene where Aku and Kenji met an old lady on the street, who commented on how thin Aku is then gave him a lot of stuff, telling him to eat up. He was so happy his eyes were shining.

· Kyouka in BEAST still loves crepes but no dates for her and Atsushi here ☹

· Oda is still friends with Ango. Ango works for the government and is Oda’s informant. He was the one who gave Oda information about the “man in black” that Aku was looking for. In the novel, it is said that Oda spent 3 days to look for a video of a secret meeting between Dazai and the government, so that Aku can confirm his face. In the movie, Oda also did that, but we got to see him actually breaking into the place and fighting the guards etc. That was when he met Fyodor, who gave him the data, but also slightly poisoned him (almost by the same method Ango did in Dark Era) as a warning.

· The video Oda got was not of a secret meeting as in the novel, but a video of Dazai and Chuuya 6 years ago (?) when they were fighting Shibusawa. In order to stop Shibusawa, Dazai told Chuuya to use Arahabaki but Chuuya didn’t want to because he couldn’t trust Dazai. Dazai then stabbed himself in the leg (not sure why he did that? Maybe to prove he won’t run away? I will have to watch the movie again and come back later). He asked Chuuya to believe him and said something along the line of “To protect this world, I cannot lose either Chuuya or Port Mafia.”

· There were quite of a few of flashbacks from Dark Era in Dazai’s mind. And those flashbacks always ended with him waking up in his office in BEAST.

· Dazai in the movie couldn’t keep his cool in the bar scene, as he did in the novel. He was already so emotional the moment he saw Oda. Oda was really indifferent to him in this scene. He pointed the gun at Dazai upon finding out that he was the Mafia boss, and later even put the gun on Dazai’s forehead when saying “Don’t call me Odasaku.” Dazai was on the verge of tear the whole time he delivered his last goodbye.

· Gin was really going to be executed in the movie, but the ADA came to rescue her and Aku. She also tried to kill herself with a gun (probably because she hast lost all hopes) but was stopped by Yosano. Ranpo appeared for the first time in this scene.

· In the scene where Dazai jumped, Oda was seen in the bar holding the lighter and looking up as if he could sense something.

· Atsu left PM with Kyouka as per Dazai’s order but he didn’t meet with Mori in the movie. Sometime later, he was called to a government prison (?) by Chuuya. Apparently after Dazai’s death, Chuuya became the boss. He went on a rampage (which Atsu wondered happened because of Dazai’s death) so he was captured and chained up by the government. Chuuya talked about how much of a trash Dazai was, how he looked down on people with his multiple personalities and how it was the worst of the worst to be teamed up with him etc. He waited 7 years to kill Dazai but Dazai went and died without a reason. Chuuya then told Atsushi to start a battle of revenge against the ADA, to erase ADA’s name from the phonebook and the map. Because the Mafia will have no face if they let the organization that caused the death of its previous boss to keep operating like nothing happened. Atsushi refused but Chuuya said Kyouka has accepted the offer. Atsushi then said maybe it is also Dazai’s plan for Chuuya to fight the ADA. Chuuya laughed and said something along the line of “So that mean if we keep fighting the ADA, it’s like Dazai is alive? (I’m really not sure what he means in this part. Maybe I misheard something so I will confirm later when I rewatch the movie). Or you don’t want to take revenge for Dazai?”. And Atsushi’s eyes looked fired up when he heard that. We didn’t get to know what happened after that.

· In the last scene, Fyodor was watching a footage of Dazai jumping off the building. It seems like he also knows the truth now. He told his subordinate that the next targets will be Atsushi and Akutagawa because having so many people know the truth will make the world unstable. He said he is okay with being the only one who knows the truth. And in the last scene of the movie, Fyodor said that what happens next will be the battle to save the world and told the viewers to look forward to it.

[nctsplug02]

Can I request dad!johnny? he cheated with y/n so they broke up and 3 yrs later he saw y/n with their son (y/n a single mom) but johnny isnt still aware of it that it’s his kid? Angst-fluff maybe? Thank you!

get your popcorns ready, this is gonna be a long story.

genre: angst, fluff

—

You and your son were waiting in line for some ice cream, he heard the ice cream truck and asked to get some, of course you agreed since it was so hot outside. “Hello,” you greeted the man in the ice cream truck. “Hi, what can I get for you today?” He asks and you hum. “I think I’ll get vanilla. What do you want, baby?” You ask your three year old. “Can I get the brown one?”

The man chuckles and nods before heading back into his truck to get the ice creams. “Okay, here you two are! It’ll be five bucks.” You hand the man a five dollar bill before bidding your goodbyes.

“Y/n?” You turn your head to the direction where your name was called. “Oh, Mark? Taeil?” You’re shocked to see your olds friends standing in line, waiting to order their ice creams. “So it is you! Hyung, you owe me twenty bucks,” Taeil rolls his eyes at the youngster and nods.

“Anyways, how’ve you been? It’s been so long!” The young boy cheers. “I’ve—,” you feel your dress get tugged on. “Mommy, who are they?” Your son asks, hiding behind you. “These.. um,” you look back at Mark and taeil. “They are my friends from a long time ago.” You smile at the two men in front of you.

“Wait, your a mom now? Wow!” Mark covers his mouth in shock. “Mark, youre too loud.” Taeil tells him, Mark apologizes and lowers his voice. “Uh, yeah.. I’m a mom now.” Mark crouches down and holds a fit out to your son. “Hi, buddy! I’m mark!” Your son tilts to the side to look at Mark. He looks up at you who just smiles down at him. “I’m Sungchan.” Your son quietly introduces himself and hi-fives Marks fist.

“Nice to meet you, sungchan.” Mark giggles at the three year olds shyness. “Where are you guys off to?” Taeil asks while Mark tried to start a conversation with the three year old. “Just back to the park, what about you guys?” You point to the park that had no people. “Well, we came here to get some ice cream for us and the others, so we’re headed back.. over there.”

He points to a place behind the cars that were all parked and lined up. “Oh, who’s all over there with you guys? Maybe I’ll come with and say hello to them.” You smile at him, thinking about the others that you hadn’t seen either. “Well, there’s taeyong, Jeno, yuta, Doyoung, and Johnny.” He lists them out, you pause at the last name.

“O—oh, um, actually I think me and Sungchan are just gonna head home after this.” You hug Sungchan to your leg. “Oh, well. Here, how about we swap numbers so you can come over tonight? I mean, we are throwing a little party.” You think about it, what could go wrong with reuniting with some old friends?

“Sure! I mean, it’s been years since we’ve all talked and seen each other, so why not?” He laughs a little and pulls his phone out. You and him swap numbers before you and Sungchan left home.

Mark and Taeil walk back to the little group with ice cream cones in their hands. “Okay, take your ice creams! Me and Taeil have to tell you guys who we just met.” They all take their ice cream and wait for Mark to continue.

“We bumped into y/n at the ice cream truck, she looks better than ever!” Mark announces with a giggle.

——

Later that night, Taeil had texted you, telling you to come over for a bit. You got worried and asked if you could bring Sungchan, he said yes and that he didn’t mind.

You got Sungchan out of the car and knocked on the door. The door swings open and you see Mark at the door. “Aye! You actually came!” He gasps when he sees the three year old standing besides you. “Ahh! Sungchan!” He giggles and starts to jump. “Hi, Mark.” You giggle at how excited he was to see your son.

Mark shuts the door after letting the two of you in. “Are you hungry? Yeah, okay. Why don’t you go play with uncle Mark while mommy grabs you some food, yeah?” Your son nods and looks up at Mark. “Let’s go!” Sungchan grabs Marks hand and allows Mark to take him to the basement.

You sigh and start looking around for the kitchen. “Oh,” you find the kitchen filled with food that they had just barbecued. You hum and start looking for plates, paper plates are sitting on the counter which you grabbed. You filled with plate up with some chicken and rice. You reheat the cold food and while waiting a voice scares you.

“Y/n?” Oh, you knew that voice, you knew it well.

You turned around to see your ex lover standing in shock by the door frame. “Johnny, hi.” You inhale sharply. “Is.. is that your kid?” He points behind him.

- few moments ago -

Johnny sighs and opens the bathroom door. “Yo! Watch out, man!” Mark yells and pushes the tall man back into the bathroom. “Woah, who’s kid is that?” Johnny asks pointing to the three year old.

“Mhm.” You nod confirming his question. “Oh, well, how’ve you been—?”

beep, beep, beep.

The microwave saves the awkward moment. “I’ve been good, how about you?” You grab the food out of the microwave. “I’ve been.. good too.” He nods and tucks his hands in his pockets. “That’s good. Can you show me where the basement is?” He nods and gestures you to follow him.

Entering the basement, you could see your son playing with Mark. “Oh, my god! Y/n? It’s been so long!” Jungwoo gasps and sits up, running over to you and hugging you. “Hi Jungwoo!” You giggle and pst his back as he swayed you back and forth. “Gosh! So that baby must be yours, huh?” You nod and scrunch your face up. “Okay, well I see you have a plate of food so, go on.”

You walk over to Mark and Sungchan who are playing with some action figures. “Channie, come eat food.” You sit down and place the plate down. “Okay, mommy.” He crawls over to you and sits in front of you. “Here, ahh.” You open your mouth and so does he. “Omm, nom nom nom.” Your son giggles at your food noises.

——

After feeding your son, your son got tired and wanted to go home. “Hey guys, me and Sungchan are gonna head home. He’s getting really tired and cranky.” The guys frown and whine, not wanting you to leave just yet. “I’ll see you guys next time, okay?” Mark walks you to your car with Sungchan in his arms.

“Okay, bye y/n. Drive safe, alright?” You giggle and nod. “I’m not that bad of a driver, Mark. But yes, don’t worry. Goodnight Mark, don’t drink too much.” He laughs and nods. “Okay, mom,” he jokes, “goodbye channie, see you soon! Bye buddy!” He waves the little boy off before running back inside as you drove off.

——

For days your son had begged you nonstop if he could spend the night at Marks, and honestly, you didn’t know if Mark would be up for it or if he would be able to take care of your three year old. “Okay, I’ll call uncle Mark to see if he lets, okay?” The three year old cheers and nods.

You pick up your phone and start calling Mark.

“Hey, what’s up y/n?” The man sounded so lively. “Hi Mark, can I ask you something?” The boy nods and hums. “Okay, so lately Sungchan had been asking and begging for me to let him sleep at your place, so is it alright if Sungchan sleeps at your place? For like, a day?”

The man on the other line freaks. “Dude, of course! Send me your address I’ll come pick him up.” You giggle at his excitement, him and Sungchan are growing up as best friends. “Alright, ill send it.” The other line goes silent, bitch hung up.

“Channie! Go get ready! Uncle Mark is coming to pick you up!” The little boy cheers and runs into his room, quickly packing some of his toys and some clothes.

“Im ready, mommy!” He says with his backpack on and his shoes on the wrong way. “Good job, baby! Let’s go wait for uncle Mark outside, yeah?” He nods and runs towards the front door.

You and him are outside, youre sitting on the steps while he sat next to you. “It’s a pretty day, isn’t it?” Your son nods and looks at the flowers that were planted by the big tree in front of your house, it had a swing on it from your childhood.

A car pulls up and you grab Sungchan hand. “Oh, it’s uncle mark.” You let his hand go as he slowly walks down the stairs and then runs to his uncle. “Uncle Mark!” He jumps into the mans arms and makes the older man giggle. “Hey buddy!” He lifts up the three year old and looks over at you, who is walking towards them.

“Hey Mark, take good care of my baby, okay? He’s the only one I’m having.” Mark and you laugh, but soon after he nods. “Hey y/n?” You look in the car to see Johnny sitting in the passenger seat. “Oh, hey Johnny, didn’t see you.” He slightly laughs and then looks back in his lap. “Alright, ready to go, buddy?” The three year old nods.

“You go and be good, okay? If someone tells me you were being a bad boy, then you don’t get to go back to uncle Marks, got it?” The little on nods. “Okay, give mommy a kiss.” You turn your head and point to your cheek. You pull away when you feel his little lips press against it. “Okay, bye bye, baby.” You ruffle his hair. “Bye mommy!”

——

Later that night, you had ran to that store for some food and bumped into someone very attractive. You and him swapped numbers and starts going on dates after that. While on those dates, Mark would babysit for you, you offered to pay him for every time he watch your son but he didn’t accept it.

Tonight was a rainy night, you and jaehyun couldn’t go on a date so you both decided to stay in with Sungchan.

- a little recap of their night -

“Happy 8 month anniversary, babe.” Jaehyun says and clinks his wine glass with yours. “Happy 8 months, baby.” You take a small swig. “Mommy, happy happy day.” Sungchan holds up his cup of apple juice. “Aww, happy happy day, baby.” You giggled and clinked your cup with his.

——

It was so late and the rain made the three of you guys so sleepy, so the three of you ended up sleeping early.

A sudden faint knock could be heard from the living room. You sit up frantically, another knock. “Who the f.. it’s so late..” you groan and get out of bed, making your way down to the front door with a bat in your hand.

“Johnny?” You see Johnny standing in front of your door all soaked, he looked.. intoxicated. “Y/n..” he slurred and wobbled, he couldn’t even hold himself up. “Johnny, it’s late, what are you doing in front of my door at this time?” He laughs but it sounded broken. “I.. I miss you so much..”

he was just drunk talking, you said to yourself.

“Johnny, should I call Mark—?” He quickly shakes his head. “No, please don’t. If you do then he’ll yell at me.” You sigh, the cold breeze making your legs shiver. “I just miss you so much, I miss holding you at night, I miss the way you kissed me, please just take me back—“ you stopped his rambling, his drunk rambling.

“No, johnny, you don’t get to do this! I’ve finally healed after 4 years of our break up. I was so heartbroken that you cheated on me with some random chick from the bar. I was so hurt that you hid it from me and that I had to find out from Renjun and Chenle. This ain’t fair, johnny!” He laughs and nods. “He’s my son, isn’t he?” Great, a new topic.

“So what if he is? It doesn’t matter anymore, you were never in the picture anyway so why does it matter?” He looks up at you. “He’s my son—“ you shake your head. “No he isn’t, he isn’t. He may have your blood but he isn’t your son.” Silence took over, all that could be heard was the raining showering. “Just leave, please? I don’t want to ever see you again.” He steps closer with tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Y/n, please let’s just talk—“ the door opens wider. “She said to leave.” Johnny looks at the man besides you and then back at you. “Alright, I’m sorry..” Johnny turns back around and walks out of your property.

Jaehyun closes the door shut and is immediately taken into your embrace. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you up.” He shakes his hand and taps on your thigh, telling you to jump, so you do. “It’s okay, let’s just go back to bed.” He says carrying you back up to your room.

————

a/n: i got really tired and confused at the end. hopefully you can see where i ran out of words and ideas for this story. and by confused i mean like, not knowing anymore words, not knowing what to write and etc. hopefully i can fix this and make it better because it isn’t really that good. I’ll try my best next time! :)

[jbreenr]

𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale × Reader

Summary: You wanted to meet Ransom's family, he wanted to make sure you'd never want it again.

Word count: 3k.

Warning: Poorly written smut (+18 only, please), public sex (prompt 11), fingering, unprotected sex (don't do that, kids. be responsible), a bit of dirty talk, the Thrombeys being the Thrombeys. And I think that's it.

A/N: So, after finding out one of my stories was stolen an translated in Wattpad, I did not know if I should post this just yet but, what the hell? Let's do it. Anyway, this is for @stargazingfangirl18 and @navybrat817 's Shameless Hoes for Chris Challenge so, happy belated birthday! Yaaay. 🥳 Hope you like this at least a little and that it's not as bad as my paranoid brain thinks it is. Also, I just love how the prompts fit perfectly together, don't you? As always, lack of vocabulary and grammatical mistakes abound. *apologizes in español*

Wheel results (just attaching evidence):

ᴹʸ ᵍⁱᶠ

Draining, tedious, exasperating. Those were some of the adjectives Ransom associated with Thrombey family reunions. He'd arrive late, have some sort of conversation with his grandfather and leave early to do whatever that took him away from that big house.

Today though, he had a reason to stay for more than half an hour.

If it was up to him, you two would have stayed at home, happy, relaxed, and most importantly, naked in his bed, having a more pleasant time than the one you were most likely about to have. 

He tried to persuade you. Of course he did! But your insistence and puppy eyes made it impossible for him to say no to your request. 

So, here you were, getting out of his car, cake in sweaty hands and an excited smile on your lips, an expression so different from Ransom's, who seemed to be ready to get back behind the wheel and drive straight to Canada.

He didn't knock; he simply opened the door and held it for you to enter. If the three floor house was imposing from the outside, you felt impressed by the inside. Extravagant sculptures, apparently expensive paintings and other kinds of pieces of art were scattered everywhere, telling you just how wealthy and eccentric Ransom's family were. 

“That's Harlan Thrombey! ” You exclaimed as you stood in front of the portrait of your forever favorite author holding a knife and a book.

“So?” Ransom asked, unconcerned.

You turned to him open-mouthed, the cake almost slipping off your palms as you went to playfully slap him in the arm.

“How come you are related to Harlan Thrombey and you didn't tell me?” Your question was more of a shock than an accusation.

The carefree gesture he did with his shoulders only accentuated his next words. “I did not think you would be interested in knowing.”

“I wouldn’t be interested?” Incredulity, flowing out of your lips. “He’s the best thriller author of all time! He’s like today’s Edgar Allan Poe!”

To say that you didn't believe him was an understatement. He knew for a fact that you liked Harlan Thrombey's books, just taking a look at the bookshelf in your apartment was proof enough of that.

“We call him grandpa here.” Said a femenine voice. A brunette walked in your direction, her pretty features hardening as she looked at your boyfriend. “Don't we, Hugh?”

He seemed to be ready to say something but decided not to. Instead he inhaled and placed his hand on your back.

“This is Y/N, the only reason I’m not telling you what you need to hear right now.”

Her eyes rolled in irritation and then turned to you. “I’m Meg. Let's introduce you to the rest of the family, shall we?.” And she dragged you to the room where more people were gathered together, discussing something, not before sending a deadly glare at Ransom.

Given the distance between you and him, you didn't listen to the heavy sigh he let out before waking behind.

“Everyone!” Meg called, making everyone leave whatever they were doing to look at her –and you, in consequence. “Meet Y/N, Hugh's new friend.” She then proceeded to introduce every single member of the family, including the housekeeper and the nurse, except for the grandfather, who apparently had a moment of inspiration and left them momentarily to put his ideas on paper.

None of them left their seat to go and shake your hand except for Meg's energetic mom, who hugged you and expressed how much she loved your coat even though it was soooo last season.

Sitting on a couch next to Ransom, you half expected someone to ask you about how you two met or how long had you been dating or what was it that you did for a living. Nothing. As fast as their attention was on you, it fell from you to their previous discussion.

You now understood why Ransom jokingly suggested deep cleaning the house instead of attending that reunion.

What you weren't aware of, Ransom thought, was that all of them were behaving wonderfully compared to previous times.

You didn't know if you felt more disappointed or uncomfortable. Ransom had left your side to go to the studio for a second and you had barely had any interaction with his family. All of them, dipped in their own matters to even notice your presence. 

Fran, the housekeeper, was kind enough to take the cake to the kitchen and offer you a glass of water, but after giving it to you, she disappeared along with Meg and the nurse. 

“So,” All at once, the room went quiet as Ransom's uncle spoke. “Have you read any of dad's books, Y/N?” Only until you heard your name was that your head snapped up.

“Oh, uhm… yeah. I'm a big fan.” Taken by surprise, you simply answered.

“Really? Which one have you read?”

And to that question, you felt suddenly included in the conversation since you had knowledge of the topic.

“I'm like fifty pages from finishing 'The Needle Game' and intrigue is eating me alive.” As you heard the excitement in your voice, you tried to compose yourself and said “Though 'Nick Of Time' is my favorite.” You smiled at him, hoping that your answer was a good one.

The woman that was introduced to you as Ransom's mother nodded as she licked her lips. The light of the fireplace, reflecting on her glasses as she moved her head up and down.

“Have you read 'Ultimatum' or 'Drop In The Pocket', dear?” Her tone was curious, but the look on her face said differently.

You responded anyway. “They're not bad. I feel like the ending of 'Drop In The Pocket' was a little vague and out of line but it can always be interpreted as an open ending so…” The change in their expressions told you that you had to add something else to that answer. Maybe it was not time for literature humor yet. “But I enjoyed both.”

She hummed and took her drink, detaching from the talk that continued with courtesy questions until it morphed into a heated discussion between Ransom's father and uncle, who would repeatedly ask for your opinion to back up his own.

The discomfort you felt, dispelled to be replaced by the disturbance of being bombarded with dozens of questions at a time, each louder than the other until they changed to a completely different topic to which you were occasionally included as a neutral point of view.

“She knows what she's talking about!” Said Richard at some point when you confirmed one of his arguments. “Thank you, dear.”

Ransom came back from his obligatory argument with his grandfather to find you nowhere to be seen. 

“She's using the bathroom.” Informed Jacob, who did not take his eyes off of his cellphone. 

Thinking that you went there to hide, he started his way to your potential direction until an overheard observation from his mother stopped him halfway through. 

“… Did you hear how she talked about dad's work? Oh, I assure you she won't make it to next week with Ransom.”

Her and Richard's backs were to him, both of them unaware that their son was listening to their share of opinions.

“And did you see her hands?” Joni joined the criticism contest. “She could use some moisturizer, I tell you.”

As usual, they ignored her attempt to fit in and kept going.

“I know it's contradictory to say this,” Richard paused, as to make his point clear. “But he could do better.”

Despite their whispering, Ransom heard every single word and was glad that you were not there to see what was about to happen… 

Ransom's words stuck on his throat when he saw you making your way out of the bathroom, fixing the skirt of your dress, with such niceness and warmth directed to him as you smiled, oblivious to the fact that the people you were trying to get to like you weren't going to. 

His parents were right. He could do better. He could determine to not see them ever again and it would be the best thing to happen to him… Besides you, obviously.

“What's wrong?” Your concern was evident, just as his annoyance was undeniable.

Cold hands caressed his cheeks and Ransom thought of going back to Joni and tell her to fuck off. Your touch was soft, comforting, and gave him the greatest idea he'd ever had.

“I want to show you something.” Was his answer. It was better if you were the one who decided to never step on that house for the rest of your lives. It didn't matter if it was out of embarrassment.

Taking your hand in his, he guided you up the stairs to the first landing. The creaking sound of the old structure, probably alerting everyone in the other room that you were going to the next floor.

“Are you okay?” The sweet giggle that you let out when he abruptly stopped, almost making him feel bad about what he was seconds away from doing. 

“Better than ever.” And he stamped his lips to yours. 

Taken aback, it took you a second to respond. Hands on each side of his face as his own explored your body. When his fingers lifted your dress to caress your ass cheeks was when you ended the kiss. 

“What are you doing?” You asked in a breathless whisper. “Not that I'm complaining.”

You were cornered against the wall with Ransom towering in front of your smaller frame.

Trying to escape from whatever he had in mind was useless, you knew that much. Though, you were not sure if you really wanted to escape.

“What I've been wanting to do ever since you got a shower without me this morning.” His lips found your jaw and descended to your neck where he sucked to create a bruise. Your eyes closed to the sensation.

“Wait. No, wait.” His fingertip that had started rubbing your still clothed bud paused it's motions as his eyes focused back on your face. “We can't do it. Not here.”

Ransom's finger went back to work, bringing a soft moan that you tried to suppress. “Why not? No one's gonna come here.” His other hand moved up your thigh to lift it. “Even if they did, they wouldn't notice.”

With an expert swing of his wrist, he moved your panties aside, letting the cold air that wandered inside the house hit you before his skilled middle finger entered you while still managing to rub your clit in circles with his thumb.

Adrenaline ran through your veins, fuel activating every nerve in your body and shaking away fear from your brain, replacing it with lust and boldness.

“I'm blaming you if we get caught.” Your hips jolted forward wanting to feel more of his hand, the contradiction between your words and actions, making him smirk.

He added a second finger. Knuckles deep and his cold ring slowly warming against the inside of your thigh, he said, “I'll take responsibility, sweetheart.” Pumping his fingers in and out, he felt your slick running down the back of his hand to his wrist, wetting his overly expensive watch and the cuff of his cozy sweater .“But I can't assure you we won't get caught.”

His words, instead of working as a bucket of cold water as one would expect, increased your need to be touched by him, the yearning for him to take you right there and then. 

“Damn it, Ransom.” One of your hands flew to his shoulder to hold onto him for dear life. “I'm close.”

“You're not cumming unless I'm inside you, pretty thing.” At what point did he unfasten his belt and unzipped his trousers, you had no idea. The friction of his digits was gone in a second but the feeling of his already leaking tip rubbing against your most sensitive parts was enough to make you forget about those trifles.

Your lips opened, ready to tell him to keep his voice down when he suddenly thrusted home, stretching you out so deliciously that you had to cover your mouth to muffle the moan that threatened to inform everyone of your current activities.

Ransom's breathing hitched. Being inside you was a dream come true, feeling your walls enveloping his cock so fucking good… it was like you were made for each other, and he was going to prove it, even if his family didn't really get to know.

His hips started moving. Back and forth, back and forth. Delicately at first, letting you adjust to his size but the second he felt you throbbing around him, he increased the pace. Little by little his pounds gained power and energy.

Your whimpers –stuck in your throat, leaving only soft snuffles that crashed against Ransom's cheek, soon became more rapid, erratic and as his fingers dug in the flesh of your thigh to keep you still while he accommodated to go even deeper you heard a creaking noise.

Your boyfriend's blue eyes met yours, his movements never faltering despite the alert given by the dark wooden floor under your feet.

There was a conflict in your head, and Ransom could tell. The way you tightened and the pleading look on your face told different stories, yet Ransom knew they had the same ending.

Shaking your head, your eyes asked him not to do it, but you knew Ransom well enough to be sure that not even begging could stop him. 

“You love it, don't you?” His smile grew bigger as his change of position allowed him to hit your sweet spot on and on, ripping high pitched whines from you and obligating you to close your eyes. “The thought of getting caught. The image of someone seeing how good I make you feel.” The placement of his foot, making the landing creak repeatedly each time he pushed up accompanying every word. “Fuck, you're talking me so well. Such a dirty girl, uh.”

His big hand yanked the strap of your dress down, exposing your left boob. Your already hard nipple was soon attacked by Ransom's fingertips. He'd pinch and twist it slightly, just enough to make your back arch in search of his touch.

Pleasure was overflowing your senses, you could feel your heart thudding in your ears and your legs losing strength. Your hand left your mouth to grip at the back of Ransom's neck to keep you from falling.

The sight of your lower lip trapped between your teeth didn't please Ransom. In other circumstances, he would've let you stay that way, as quiet as possible so no one would walk on you. This time though, it was his intention to rip the most delicious sounds from your lips so you thought of the possibility of his family listening.

And so, he lent to kiss you, passion and desire transmitted through his breath. His tongue asked for a permission that was not really required, but as you let it in, Ransom took the opportunity to bite down your lip.

With your lips forcefully parted and Ransom's restless hand traveling back to your bundle, you had no other option than to moan with each quick circle his digits drew.

A series of laughs and undistinguished words were heard from a distance. Both Ransom and you turned to see what they were about, stopping in your tracks with him still buried deep inside your needy cunt.

“Guess dinner's ready.” Unbothered about the information he just gave, he hid his face in the crook of your neck and resumed his movements.

A shaky oh, fuck fell from your lips as you felt the familiar knot in your stomach forming. Your head flew back, hitting the wall with a soft thud. 

“Careful. We don't want to be obvious, do we?” You knew you were about to explode, and by the way your walls were clenching and your trembling body tried to separate from him, Ransom knew as well. “Let go, sweetheart.” A roar erupted from him as he felt you tightening around his length. “Cum for me.”

With a last, powerful thrust of his hips, you let out a silent scream. The coil snapped, making you see a kaleidoscope of colors behind your eyelids and listen to a loud ring in your ears. 

Ransom followed right after, cursing as he finished inside of you, coating you with every last drop and making sure everything would stay there.

He slid out, leaving you with a feeling of emptiness as he zipped his trousers and took a step back to let you fix your appearance.

You managed to accommodate your dress just in time for Ransom's family to walk out of the room they were in to see you. Your agitated breathing and blushed cheeks, getting everyone's attention. 

“Are you okay, dear?” Ransom's dad asked.

“She's fine.” Your boyfriend answered for you. “She's feeling a little sick. I better take her home.” He took you by the hand and helped you down the stairs to the door, which you thanked. Had he not done it, you would have tripped taking the first step.

“But she hasn't met grandpa yet.” Meg noted, furrowing her brows.

“It'll be next time.” And with that, Ransom took you out of the house and in the passenger seat of his car without giving anyone the chance to say goodbye.

When you were at a considerable distance, you sighed, letting out the air you didn't know you were holding.

“Just so you know, there won't be a next time.” You informed him, against your want to meet his grandfather.

“Why not?” He asked with a chuckle, already knowing the answer. 

“Cause embarrassment won't let me come back in the near future.”

Behind an eye roll and a tap on your thigh, Ransom hid the triumphant grimace his perfectly carried out plan gave him.

[cloudteawrites]

chapter: six ( 15.5k ) rating: mature (death, past abuse, eventual smut) genre: mystery | romance | hurt/comfort tags: bts x reader | ot7 x reader | hybrid | poly summary: when an estranged uncle leaves you his massive fortune you wonder if the universe is playing a joke on you. when that fortune comes with seven hybrids, you know for sure that it is. << first < previous | next > last >>

what is hybrid marking

8.2 million results. 

While scent mixing (heretofore referred to as ‘scenting’) is temporary and lasts a maximum of twelve hours if left undisturbed, scent marking (‘marking’ in common parlance) is semi-permanent. A ‘mark’ is created when the pheromones present in a hybrid’s bodily fluids are applied directly to their markee’s skin. When said chemical compounds seep below the epidermis and bond to the sweat glands found within the dermal layer of the skin, the target has been officially ‘marked’. Between domesticated hybrids and their human caretakers, this is most commonly done by applying hybrid saliva to the skin of the neck, where a human’s scent tends to be strongest. While the behavior involved in marking resembles some aspects of human foreplay, it is a non-sexual expression of mutual trust and affection. It is important to note that most hybrids of age are able to mitigate the oral secretion of pheromones and cannot mark accidentally-

“How do I look?” 

The sound of Jimin’s voice makes you jump. You fumble with your phone, trying to exit out of the website, shove it in your pocket and look at the leopard hybrid’s outfit at the same time.

“You look great!” You tell him once the device is safely tucked away.

He rolls his eyes at you. “You’ve said that about everything I’ve shown you.”

You had, but only because it was true. No matter what the trio of hybrids tried on, they all looked great. You weren’t sure what it was, but seeing them in something other than neutral sweat suits made them look even better than they already had. You were discovering they all had unique senses of fashion too. Taehyung preferred earth tones, soft fabrics and slouchy cardigans, Yoongi tended toward plaid overshirts and dark denim and Jimin had just come out of the dressing room in his sixth button down and second pair of chelsea boots. 

When the four of you had arrived at the mall that afternoon, you’d told them to go wild and call you when they were ready to check out. There was an entire section of the shopping center that catered specifically to hybrids and you were certain they’d be able to find everything they needed and more. You’d been all set to sequester yourself in a booth in the food court and indulge your hybrid research habit, but Taehyung had fixed you with a forlorn look the moment you tried to part with them and Jimin had insisted that you personally review every piece of clothing he put on. You wouldn’t deny that you were having fun, but surreptitiously trying to google what every little thing they did meant without getting caught was getting harder and harder. 

Jimin breezes past you to the semi-circle of mirrors on the far end of the fitting rooms, brushing his tail against your shins as he passes. That was another thing that had changed. Since the talk you’d had with the boys last night, it seemed like they were always finding some excuse to touch you or brush up against you . You didn’t know if it was a manifestation of their cat genes or them just wanting physical reassurance that you were there, but it seemed like every time you turned around there was a tail curling around your calf or a nose tip against your ear or a shoulder brushing your own. You were practically wreathed in them. Even Yoongi hadn’t seemed to mind when your fingertips had brushed against each other at breakfast when you’d passed him the juice. You didn’t know if you should count that as progress, but you want to. 

You’re not entirely used to physical contact and nearly every time Taehyung rubs his cheek on the top of your head or Jimin reaches out to link your fingers together, you jump. It feels strange, to have people be so blatantly physically affectionate with you. It’s not like you dislike it, exactly, it’ll just take some getting used to. Whatever adjustments you need to make, you know you’ll need to make them quickly. You don’t think the hybrids will give up on friendly hugs just because you never initiate them first.  

“Y/N-ah,”Jimin calls, catching your attention. He’s twisting this way and that on the platform, trying to catch his reflection in every possible angle. He hums in disappointment as he turns back to the front, tail waving behind him. “This collar,” he says, tugging on the offending band of bright green plastic around his neck, “-is ruining my outfit. We’ll need to get real ones today.” 

You feel like a stone has settled in your stomach. Your shoulders sag, but if the leopard hybrid notices, he doesn’t say anything. “Yeah,” you reply. “Yeah, you’re right.” In truth, you’d hoped to put it off for a little while longer. Collaring and leashing a hybrid had always seemed odd to you. After all, weren’t they people too? The law was the law, you knew, but something about publicly and visibly marking someone as property...well, the morality of it was gray at best. The temporary collars had provided you with a stay from the inevitable, but there was no avoiding it any longer, you supposed. They’d have to get collars. 

“I saw a store for them a couple shops down,” Taehyung supplies as he steps out of his dressing room in a white linen shirt and cream drawstring pants. “We could go there?” 

“That works for me...Taehyung, one of your buttons is in the wrong hole.” 

The tiger hybrid squints down at his shirt, feels blindly for the hole he missed, but can’t seem to find it. 

“No,” you tell him. “Not that one, the other- do you just want me to fix it?”

He pauses and looks up at you for a solid three seconds before giving a single, slow nod. 

You come to stand in front of him and start undoing the buttons from the top. There’s only four of them but each one you pop open reveals more and more of his honey brown skin and prominent collar bones. Your fingers brush his skin accidentally and he chuffs happily, one hand resting on your lower back as you start buttoning him up again. Heat starts crawling up your neck unbidden. Even through the fabric of your t-shirt, you can feel the warmth of his palm, how long his fingers are. He presses you closer until your arms are nearly flat against your chest as you try to finish buttoning him up. It’s hard to move squished between the insistent pressure of his hand and the- surprisingly- hard line of his body, but you make do. “There!” You pat him gently on the chest as you finish the last button. “All done.”

He dips forward and rubs his cheek against your forehead, rumbling so deep in his chest that the vibrations pass into you. “Thank you.” He releases you and pulls away, but as he does, his lips brush against your hairline. You try not to read too deep into it. 

The tiger hybrid sidles over to his friend in the mirror, wrapping his arms around the smaller man’s waist and dipping his head into his neck. Jimin reaches back and scratches behind one of his ears and your heart swells in your chest. It was nice to see them be so openly affectionate with each other. They’re so close in a way you can’t even begin to understand. It’s beautiful. 

Your phone buzzes in your pocket and you thumb the screen to life. An incoming call from Mr. Seo. “You guys keep trying stuff on,” you tell the pair, already standing to make your way out of the dressing room. “I’ve gotta take this.”  They both call at you to hurry back and you give them a shout of assent as you rush away. 

The second you’re outside the store, you answer. “Hello?”

“Ms. L/N,” Mr. Seo’s voice crackles on the other end of the line. “I trust you’ve settled in well.” It isn’t a question and the tone of his voice makes it clear that he doesn’t wish to spend what precious time he has exchanging pleasantries with you. 

“Yeah, everything’s okay.” Everything had most certainly not been okay when you’d emergency dialed him two days ago about the tiger on your couch. The text he’d sent you back six hours later had told you to figure it out. You had and you knew you weren’t his responsibility, but him tossing you in the deep end was still a sore spot for you. 

“There’s been a change of plans.” 

You grimace. Straight to it, then. “What’s going on?” 

“Black Mountain Canines- the company your uncle purchased two of the hybrids from- changed their pick-up date. They want you to come get them in person today.”

“Pick-up?” You frown. “No, they were supposed to drop them off.”

“They were,” Mr. Seo confirms, “But it’s apparently no longer profitable for them to drive all the way into Seoul to hand-deliver two of their charges. They also claim they’re incurring additional expenses by feeding and housing two hybrids who’ve already been purchased, but we’ll see about that when we arrive.”

Your anxiety spikes and your fingers wrap tighter around your phone. You’d promised the boys a whole day out. All you’d done so far was get them phones of their own and furniture for their room. There was still so much to do, so much to see. “What about Yoongi and Jimin and Taehyung?” You blurt out.

Mr. Seo sighs and his breath crackles over the receiver. “Those are the cats, I assume? I suggest you let them know sooner rather than later that they’ll have to share their space.” There’s a flurry of movement on his end of the line, the sound of someone calling his name and papers shuffling. “I have to go; they need me to look over some case files.” He tells you. “I’ll be at Haneul Tower to pick you up in three hours. Be downstairs waiting.”And the line clicks off. 

You sigh and hang up. What were you going to tell the boys? Day one of your new friendship and you were already breaking promises. 

“Trouble?” Yoongi’s voice right behind you makes you flinch and whirl on him. His ears press back against his head and he takes a step back at your sudden movements. 

“Sorry!” You tell him, forcing your spine to relax. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you there; I thought you were still shopping. ”

“I can tell,” he snarks, but there’s no heat behind it. His eyes trace the line of your shoulders, still tense and flick to the phone in your hand. “I dropped my stuff at the register. What’s going on?”

You gnaw on the inside of your cheek, nerves making your stomach ache. “C’mon,” you tell him, walking back into the store. “Let’s pay and grab some lunch. I’ll tell you when we sit down.” He follows after you a few paces behind, trying not to let worry prick in him at the anxious shift in your scent. Something was about to change, he was sure, and not entirely for the better. 

Twenty minutes later, the four of you are sitting in the food court, a mess of shopping bags at your feet and a bowl of tteokbokki between you. Yoongi and Jimin had picked out all the fish cakes first and were bickering good-naturedly over who the last one should go to, but Taehyung seemed content to just gnaw at his rice cakes. You’d hardly touched anything, your eyes flicking back to the time on your phone. 1:20 P.M. Two hours and forty minutes ‘til Mr. Seo would be at your apartment to pick you up and bring you to get two more of the hybrids your uncle had bought. You push a rice cake around on your paper plate with the end of your chopstick. Well, no point delaying the inevitable. 

“Hey, guys?” You call softly. Three pairs of ears swivel toward you immediately. The words die in your throat and your tongue feels like lead as they look at you, all their eyes focused and expectant. You clear your throat and force yourself to continue. “So...you know how I…” You search for the right word, but there’s really no other way to say it. “...inherited you guys from my uncle?” 

Taehyung’s eyes flick toward Jimin and the leopard hybrid brushes his tail against the tiger’s. Silent communication you couldn’t even begin to decipher. “Yeah,” Yoongi says, tossing his chopsticks down and leaning back in his chair. “I told them.”

That was right. What you’d blurted out at Yoongi yesterday on the street you had yet to disclose to his juniors. “Thanks, Yoongi,” You tell him, meaning every word of it. He’d spared you from yet another uncomfortable conversation. 

“...For what it’s worth, we’re glad it’s you,” Taehyung tells you, his tail twining around your ankle under the table. He looks at his hyungs for confirmation and when neither of them deny it, he settles his amber gaze back on you. “We like being here with you, even if you didn’t pick us. It’s...It’s nice.”

You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips at his words. He beams at you, his boxy smile soft despite the sharp incisors poking his bottom lip. “I like having you guys around, too,” you admit, taking the time to meet each of their eyes. Jimin purrs as you look at him, the corners of his mouth curling. When your gaze meets Yoongi’s, his ears twitch but he doesn’t look away. He doesn’t blink either, just holds your stare with an intensity that makes heat crawl up your neck. You suddenly remember the warm stretch of his body over your’s, the sensation of his lips against your neck. You snatch your eyes away and cough to cover your lapse in speech.  “It would’ve been scary, I think, if I had to deal with all this alone.” 

You couldn’t even imagine it.That clinically clean apartment with its blank white walls and its imposing emptiness would have driven you down until you couldn’t stand it anymore. You’d always had a little pit of loneliness inside you. You didn’t know how long it’d been there. Maybe it always had been, a seed of something sad and dark at the core of your soul. You’d done well keeping it contained. You felt it in your goshiwon, but your room was small. It couldn’t grow beyond your keeping. In Oliver’s penthouse, it would’ve had endless room to sprawl and with no one to clip it back, you would’ve choked to death on vines of doubt.

“There are others,” you tell them, before you can down spiral into the mire of your own thoughts. “He bought other hybrids before he died. They weren’t supposed to be coming until next week but their company wants me to come get them today.” 

The mood at the table shifts almost immediately. Taehyung’s ears and tail sag, Jimin’s smile goes sharp at the edges and Yoongi’s lip curls. “How many others?” He asks, crossing his arms over his chest. You notice he does that when he’s nervous or uncomfortable. It’s a defense mechanism, no matter how at ease it makes him seem. 

“Four,” you answer and the bobcat hybrid’s ears tilt back in irritation. “Two are coming home today and the other two toward the end of next week.” Jimin doesn’t say anything, but you see the tip of his tail flicking back and forth. He’s annoyed. Taehyung drops a hand onto the smaller hybrid’s back and rubs circles in it, trying to soothe him. 

“Maybe it’ll be okay?” The tiger hybrid offers. He’s trying his best to be diplomatic, but you hear the strain in the deep timbre of his voice. “Having other cats around again might be nice. We used to live with a lot back at the center…”

You wince. “...they’re canines.” Almost immediately, all of their ears go flat against their skulls and they hiss in unison. Yoongi stifles himself the quickest, setting a hand on Jimin’s knee and squeezing to get the leopard hybrid to get a hold of himself. 

“Hybrids of different species don’t play well together,” he explains. “Especially not when our animals are solitary in the wild. The only reason Jimin, Tae and I are able to stand sharing the same territory is because we’ve known each other since we were kids and we’ve had to do it before.”

Before? A question forms in the back of your mind, but now isn’t the time to ask it.

“We don’t like sharing what’s ours,” Jimin continues for his hyung, interlocking his fingers with yours on the plastic table top. “It’s instinctual.”

“I know, I know.” You squeeze his hand lightly, trying to reassure him. “But the apartment is big; can’t you avoid each other starting out?”

All three of them give you a strange look and Jimin’s lips curl in a way that isn’t quite a smile. “...right,” he purrs, a little delayed. “The apartment.”

You chew on the inside of your cheek, anxiety sinking its claws into you. “I’m really sorry to spring this on you guys, I know it’s not great, but…” Your shoulders sag. “I don’t want to have promised someone a home and rip the rug out from under them, you know?” You knew what that felt like. You wouldn’t wish that feeling on your worst enemy. “I’m just...I’m worried that they’re not being treated well.”

“They were up for sale,” Yoongi drawls. “They definitely aren’t.” 

The taxi ride back to Haneul Tower is uncomfortably quiet. Jimin still holds your hand and Taehyung still leans on your shoulder, but nobody says a word. You help them carry their bags upstairs and drop them off in the master bedroom. You’d told them they could have separate rooms if they wanted, but they’d insisted on sharing, so you thought it was only fair that they get the largest room in the penthouse. Clothes went onto hangars and into closets and before you knew it, there were only ten minutes until Mr. Seo’s arrival. 

“You don’t have to go,” Taehyung huffs. He’s got you wrapped in a bear- well, you suppose a tiger hug and his cheek is mashed against the top of your head. You don’t even think he’s actively scenting you at this point, just keeping you from leaving. “Send your assistant instead and stay here with us.”

You let out a puff of laughter and pat the hybrid on the back in a way you hope is soothing. “Mr. Seo isn’t my assistant, buddy, he’s my uncle’s attorney.” You give a little tug away from him and he lets you go, albeit with a sad little mrow that makes him sound just like a disappointed cat. “I couldn’t ask him to do that. The only reason he’s coming is because they broke the contract. And I can’t drive.” 

The look Taehyung gives you is so downtrodden that you toy with the idea of calling the whole day off and staying with them- but no. You can’t bail out now, especially not with what you’d put Mr. Seo through when the first group of hybrids were delivered. “I’ll be back before you know it,” You tell him with a steadfast smile. 

“You’d better,” Jimin says, nudging the taller hybrid out of the way. Taehyung gives a half-hearted growl, but settles as Yoongi squeezes his shoulder. “The longer you’re away, the longer you’ll have to sit in the stench of those mutts.”

You frown. “Jimin-”

“Only joking,” He soothes, bringing both of your hands up to his cheeks. You don’t believe him, but you don’t press it. The leopard hybrid nuzzles into your palms, purring happily at the feeling of your skin against his. Your palms nearly burn from how warm he is. You feel a warm puff of air against your fingers and tense as Jimin presses all ten of them against his lips. 

“Jimin.” Yoongi’s voice is hard, but his junior’s lips curl up in a satisfied smile, one of his incisors pricking at the pad of your index finger. 

“Hurry back,” he murmurs. You try not to shiver at the feeling of his plush lips moving against your oversensitive fingertips. 

“I’ll do my best!” You say,  a pained smile tugging your lips apart. He hums in response and drops your hands, his fingers trailing across yours as he lets you go. 

“Hyung,” he calls over his shoulder. “Is there anything you’d like to say to Y/N-ah?”

“Don’t let them scent you.” Is all Yoongi says as he breezes toward the stairs. “You know better now.” 

It’s as much as you were expecting. “I’ll see you guys later,” You tell them as you head out the door. “Finish setting your phones up and text me if you need anything!”

True to his word, Mr. Seo is parked out front at 4 o’clock on the dot. You haven’t seen him in a little over a week and you’d almost forgotten how imposing he was. He cuts a sharp figure against the backdrop of the bustling street, dressed in all black and leaning against a brand new Buick Enclave. The poor valet stationed at the front door looks like he’s been trying to work up the courage to ask to park his car for the past twenty minutes and sags in relief as you start heading over.

The lawyer dips his head in acknowledgement at you and checks his watch. “Miracle of miracles,” he says, popping open the passenger side door for you. “You’re on time.”

“I was late one time,” you huff, sliding past him and into your seat.

“And that was enough,” he snips back, closing your door before you can come up with a retort. You grumble to yourself, but don’t press him. You know he’s right. He’d gone out of his way to help you and you’d put him out. 

“I’m sorry,” you tell him as he settles into his seat and reaches for his seatbelt. “It won’t happen again; I know you’ve got other things to do.”

He stills and looks at you over the gold frames of his glasses. For a long moment he holds your gaze, unblinking. You gnaw on the inside of your cheek. Had you done something wrong? 

Finally Mr. Seo blinks and finishes buckling himself in. “I apologize for staring, I wasn’t sure if I’d heard you correctly.” He push starts his car and pulls away from the curb. “I never thought I’d see the day a L/N would apologize to me.” He edges the car into the steady stream of Seoul traffic and you’re off, zooming toward the freeway.

Silence fills the car again, but as Mr. Seo takes on-ramp, you work up the courage to ask your question. “Did Oliver never apologize to you?”

Mr. Seo snorts and it’s such an undignified sound that you almost can’t believe it comes from him. “You could tell your uncle the sky was blue and he’d argue that it was red until he was. And your grandfather-” He seems to catch himself, reigning back whatever meager bits of his personality had managed to slip through the cracks in his normally flawless veneer. You’re all ears.

Up until a week and a half ago, you hadn’t known you had any family, much less an uncle who owned buildings and bugattis. Now you were finding out that you had a grandfather too. “What about my grandfather?” The word feels strange in your mouth. It’d been years since you’d followed the word ‘my’ up with any type of familial relation. 

Mr. Seo cuts his eyes at you, and flicks them back to the front. “Nothing,” he replies, clearly done talking about him. “I spoke out of turn.” He reaches forward and turns on the radio, the sound of national news filling the silence.

You pout and slouch in your seat, disappointment setting in as the promise of new information slipped out of your grasp.

The rest of the drive is easy. Mr. Seo takes the highway out of Seoul and up into the foothills but you’re asleep before he even finds the exit. You’d slept more in the past two days than you had in the previous three weeks, but it seemed like years of bad habits were catching up to you.

Last night, you’d passed out halfway through the second movie snuggled up between Jimin and Taehyung. They’d been so warm and soft and the quiet thrumming of their heartbeats had lulled you to sleep before you knew what was happening.You’d woken up with them still curled around you and -maybe most surprising of all- Yoongi plating breakfast in the kitchen.

Still, it seemed even twelve hours of the best sleep you’d gotten in years and a peaceful morning devoid of stress -for the most part- hadn’t been enough.

You wake up just as the asphalt transitions into gravel, the sound of it crunching under the tires and the car’s shaking waking you up. You’re bleary-eyed and confused, but a sign up ahead snaps you to wakefulness. Standing like a guardian over a chain link fence topped with barbed wire is a metal sign, imposing as it is tall: Black Mountain K-9s, written in stark font.

“We’re here,” Mr. Seo says, as if it’s not obvious. He kills the engine and without its purring to distract you, you feel nerves starting to boil in your belly. What kind of place was this? You half expect sinister organ music to kick on and lightning to start flashing from black clouds. Neither of those things happen, though. The sky remains startlingly clear and the only things you can pick up are the sounds of whistles being blown, dozens of people doing call and response, and one voice, louder than all the others screaming for people to ‘Run faster! Get those knees up!’

You pop the door and step out of the car before Mr. Seo can open it for you and head around to the nose of the car, taking in the compound. 

“This facility produces some of the highest caliber bodyguards in the country,” He says, coming to stand beside you. The attorney rebuttons his suit jacket and flicks his sleeves up before settling his arms over his chest. “Politicians, celebrities, even a few former presidents all have hybrids from this training center.”

“It looks more like a prison,” You remark, nodding toward the barbed wire. “First big cat hybrids, now this...Why didn’t Oliver just get regular pets if he was lonely? Was he worried someone was after him?” 

“Anything I can tell you would be pure speculation,” He replies, walking away from you and heading for the callbox. “Your uncle very rarely confided in me.”

“But you were his attorney.” 

For just a second, the tight grip Mr. Seo has on his composure slips. His lips press together and his shoulders sag- but just as quickly as it’d lapsed, his mask is in place again. “Yes,” he says after a beat. “I was.” And he presses the button on the call box before you can pester him with any more questions about the dead men he’d known.

The call box crackles to life, speakers squealing with feedback. You flinch and slap your hands over your ears to protect them from the splitting sound. Mr. Seo doesn’t react at all and you’re stunned, wondering how he can stand it.

“Seo Seunghan and Y/N L/N for Lim Hangyeol.” 

The person on the other end doesn’t respond. The speaker cuts and a second later, the metal gate before you starts rolling to the side, pushed by invisible hands. It’s like a curtain going up at the theater. 

Before you lies a wide, dusty yard, devoid of any plant life. The thick-trunked trees and lush grasses of the surrounding mountainside had been stripped down to the roots here. All that remains are a few weeds poking out around the base of the long metal buildings that ring the fence, and even those seem like an intrusion. People are making use of the space in whatever way they can. A group of people with matching cropped black ears and docked tails run past you in four straight lines, all perfectly in step with each other. Over to your right, there’s a pack of teenagers working in pairs to scale a ten-foot tall sheer wooden wall and in the center of the field, twenty kids are running through taekwondo forms, supervised by a widely smiling instructor.

You’re in awe of it all. Every single person is like a cog in a well-oiled machine, all in the same black tactical pants and compression shirt. You’d never seen so many hybrids in one place before and certainly not all of the same breed.

Mr. Seo places a hand in the center of your back, steering you away from staring and toward a squat cement building.You let him lead you.

“When we get inside,” the lawyer begins, his voice quieter than you’ve ever heard it. “Let me speak first. If we can get him to admit to breaching the contract right away, it’ll be much easier to get him to agree to a settlement.”

You frown at that. “Why would we settle?” You ask him. “It’s not like I need the money.”

“It’s a matter of principle, Ms. L/N.” He sighs, pulling open the heavy metal door and ushering you into the building. “He did something wrong, and it’s most easy for him to bear the brunt of atonement financially. Without requiring damages be paid for breaches, contract law would collapse.” 

“Can’t you just have him apologize?”

Mr. Seo’s mouth twists up like he’s just tasted something unpleasant. “As you attorney, it is my duty to advise you against accepting restitution in the form of an apology. You’ll get a reputation for being a pushover.” 

You wanted to be anything but. “Alright, alright,” you concede, “Do whatever you think is best.”

The building you’ve ducked into seems to be an office. Along one wall are a set of metal folding chairs doing their best impression of a waiting room. Along the other is a metal door covered in peeling paint and one suspicious dent bearing a plaque that reads ‘DIRECTOR LIM’. Set between you and it is a desk covered in a mess of paperwork. An old desktop stands among it like an island in the ocean and middle aged hybrid woman in coke bottle glasses is hunched before it, tapping away at the keyboard at a mind-boggling speed. One of her ears twitches as the pair of you approach. 

“Take a seat,” she orders in a reedy voice, not bothering to look up from her work. “The Director will be with you shortly.”

“Send them in, Eunjung!” Someone shouts from behind the metal door  just as she’s finished. She doesn’t look up or stop typing or even acknowledge you two again. Mr. Seo takes it upon himself to breeze past her desk and open the door for you. 

The office is militaristically organized, all right angles and bare metal surfaces. There’s a black leather couch that’d seen better days to your left as you enter, a half empty water cooler to your right. Bookshelves lined with trophies and textbooks dominate the western wall. You scan the titles as you pass: Predatory Instinct: The Teaching and Training Canines, The Utility of Force, On Raising Hybrids, The Art of War, all dangerous and daunting as the man they belonged to.

Lim Hangyeol is the most grizzled man you’ve ever seen and the only other human besides yourself and Mr. Seo in the compound, it seems. He looks like a drill sergeant from an old action movie, his salt and pepper hair buzzed short and his face craggy with frown lines. There’s a semicircle of pockmark scars marring the skin of his right cheek and as you get closer, you realize they’re teeth marks. You shoot a concerned look to Mr. Seo, but he’s more focused on giving the director a shallow bow than allaying any of your fears. 

“Director,” He says, straightening back up. “Thank you for having us-”

“Spare me the bullshit,” The older man orders, kicking back his office chair and sinking back into it. “Take a seat. Let’s talk business.” 

A cold smile settles on your attorney’s lips and you see a cord twitching in his jaw, but he merely nods and replies in a breezy voice, “Of course.” 

The two of you do as you told, settling into two metal chairs in front of his desk. These ones are nicer than the folding ones in the waiting room, but no more comfortable. You try to slide yours forward only to find that it’s bolted to the floor. 

“Stops the dogs from throwin’ em when they get bad news,” Director Lim tells you as you uselessly tug at the legs. “Got tired of replacing windows.”

You grimace. If the awards on the bookshelf, what Mr. Seo had told you and the dozens of hybrids running boot camp drills outside were any indication, the man before you must’ve had some idea what he was doing. You didn’t end up providing security for high profile public figures without a smidge of credibility, you knew, but the bite marks on his cheek, the little crack about people throwing chairs at him and the way he’d referred to them as ‘dogs’ didn’t inspire confidence in you. 

This was your first time visiting a place that produced hybrids, you realized. You’d never even been into a shelter before and certainly not a breeding center. Were they all like this? Devoid of anything soft or comforting, rigid with rules and regulations? Had Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung come from a place like this? You don’t know and you’re not sure you’d like the answer if you did. 

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice,” Mr. Seo starts, popping open the hinges on his briefcase and pulling out a few sheaves of paper. “After the sudden cancellation of your company’s contract with Ms. L/N, I was concerned for the state of our business relationship.” He slides one of the packets across the desk to the director. 

“If I remember correctly,” Director Lim says, scanning the lines of ink and unintelligible legalese, “Me and your boss signed for delivery, not me and whoever this little girl is you brought.” 

Your eyes narrow and your lips curl, but before you can give voice to the nasty thing crawling up your throat, Mr. Seo gives a subtle shake of his head and taps you twice on the knee, out of eyeshot of the director. You grumble, but cage it behind your teeth. 

“See?” The man jabs one gnarled finger at the page, right over your late uncle’s flourishing signature. “It says it right there: L/N Oliver. Last I checked, he was dead. I’m not holding on to a dead man’s dogs. ”

That same muscle tenses in Mr. Seo’s jaw. “The contract states that Black Mountain Canines would deliver the hybrids my client purchased to his residence on December the eighteenth and that they would be received by a proxy if he was unavailable. You were made aware of the fact that he was unavailable, as well as the fact that he now has a proxy-

“I’ll pay the goddamn fine!” The Director barks, throwing his hands up in the air. “Christ above, I don’t know why he wanted those two fuck-ups in the first place, but I don’t want them on my property a second longer.” 

You shoot Mr. Seo a look of confusion, but he just watches, blasé, as the Director rifles through his desk drawers. The man finds what he’s looking for and drops two manila folders on top of the contract. “The pair of them are useless. If it weren’t for my reputation, I’d’ve had them both sent to shelters years ago. Or put down, but you know how touchy the law is about that.”

“I don’t.” You say, your voice edging dangerously close to a snarl. It slips out before you can stop it. Mr. Seo shoots you a warning look and you ball your fists up in your sweater sleeves, fingernails biting crescent moons into your palms with the effort of keeping your mouth shut. 

You can’t stand this man, you decide. He’s awful. You should’ve known that from the moment you saw elementary school aged hybrids stumbling through taekwondo drills with their ears taped and bandages on their tails. You’re going to take whatever hybrids Oliver bought, get them the fuck out of there and never look back. 

If Director Lim had heard you growl at him, he gives no sign of it, just flips open the folders. “To be honest, I should be paying you to take them off my hands. They’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass since they aged out of training. I told your uncle he could have his pick of the litter for what he was paying, but he wanted a wide-eyed buffoon and a mutt who’d rip your hand off soon as look at you.” Clipped to the insides are photos of two men, staring back at you in black and white. 

One has the same black and tan cropped ears as every other hybrid you’ve seen thus far. Unlike them, he’s smiling. His eyes are little upturned crescent moons and he beams at you through the photo paper. There’s so much light in his face it’s nearly blinding. 

The other is not nearly as inviting. The photo is taken at an odd angle and it’s blurry at the edges, like whoever took it was much shorter than the subject and had to zoom in to even get the shot. His ears, larger than any of the other hybrids and longer furred, are pinned back against his head. His jaw is clenched and he glowers down into the lens, one eye soot black and the other piercing blue. 

There are stats listed on the pages behind their photos: height, weight, shot records and the like. Among them, you see their call signs, highlighted in yellow: Hope and Monster. 

“I don’t know where I went wrong with him,” the director says, tapping Hope’s photo. “He went through all the training, passed all the tests, but when it comes down to it, he just doesn’t have the instinct.” He gives a single shake of his head, clicks the tip of his tongue against his teeth. “No one wants a guard dog that’d sooner talk an intruder’s ear off than actually guard what he’s supposed to. He’s not good for much but nannying the pups, but he’s too soft on them too.”

A light bulb clicks on and you realize the hybrid in question had been the one instructing the kids outside in the center of the yard, his tail wagging a mile a minute as they completed another form correctly.

“Now this bastard…” the director continues, jamming a finger onto the second photo with so much force, it rattled the cup of pens on his desk. “Is my biggest failure.” He crosses his arms and kicks back in his chair, his dislike of the hybrid in question obvious. “His mother was the cornerstone of this facility for nearly a decade. I sold her pups to assemblymen and actors alike. Centers around the country wanted pups with her genetics. If it weren’t for her, we’d never have grown to this size.” He sounds wistful as he spreads his hands out, gesturing around himself like a king taking in his holdings. “But all good things come to an end,” He sighs. “A pack of wild hybrids settled a little higher up on the mountain.” His face darkens and his lips twist. “Wolves,” he snarls with all the disdain he can muster. 

“All that about them being noble and self-sacrificing? Complete and utter bullshit,” He scoffs. “They’re transient lowlifes who’d slit your throat as soon as look at you. At first I didn’t care. They stayed on their side of the mountain and I stayed on mine, but then they started sneaking down here at night to steal my food and fuck my dogs. By the time I managed to get the cops out here, they’d cleared out and my top breeder had gone with them.”

He let out a low chuckle and shook his head. “I tell you, I thought I was ruined. But wouldn’t you know it, she came stumbling back here six months later, barefoot and howling to be let in and heavy with some wild thing’s pup.” Director Lim snaps both the folders shut and slides them to you across the desk. “The thing about breeding hybrids is, the money’s all in the bloodlines. No one wants a dog with mystery genetics. The only way to solve that problem is to cut it off at the root- but it was already too late by the time she got here.” 

You feel sick to your stomach. You hope he isn’t implying what you think he is- that hybrid children he hadn’t planned out himself were mistakes in need of correction- but you know he is. Deep in your gut you know.

“And she spoiled him. She let him run roughshod over everyone and everybody in this compound. I tried telling her wild hybrids need a firmer hand- he certainly did if we were gonna break that wolf he’s got inside him, but she wouldn’t hear it. I tried to crop him with the other pups his age, he gave me these,” he said, gesturing to the teeth marks in his cheeks. “We keep him shut up away from the others, now, in the back when he can’t bother anyone. He gets his meals delivered but we don’t ever let him out.” The grizzled man shakes his head. “A drain on resources is what he is.”

“And his mother?” You ask, quietly. 

“Eunjung?” he questions. “You met her on the way in.” The director stands and unclips a ring of keys from his belt buckle, making his way around the desk and gesturing for you and Mr. Seo to follow. “I’ve got her doing desk work now. Gotta keep her close so she doesn’t cause any more trouble.” He pushes open the door to his office, barks something at his secretary and steps outside, not looking back to see if you two are following. 

You shoot Mr. Seo a look before you stand and he meets it, evenly. “We’ll discuss this in the car,” he says, stuffing papers back into his briefcase and flicking the clasps shut. Oh, you most certainly will discuss ‘it’ in the car. 

You don’t really know what it is or where to even begin. The kids with bandaged ears? The fact that Director Lim seemingly decided who was allowed to see the sun and who wasn’t? You think back to the conversation you’d had with Jimin, Taehyung and Yoongi last night. Right now, it seems years away, in some unreachable, idyllic past before you knew how breeding centers worked and how security hybrids were made. You feel foolish. Who were you to try to get them to let go of their pain and their hurt? If what they’d been through was even a little like what was going on here, they wouldn’t be able to for a long time. You’re angry. You’re disgusted. You are unquantifiably fucking sad. 

You pass Eunjung on your way out. In your time in the director’s office, she’s pulled her ash brown hair into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. Peeking out of the collar of her sweatshirt you can see a faded scar in the shape of a ring, little puncture marks pale and glossy. It looked similar to the one on the director’s cheek, but this one was a complete circle and not ragged at all, like she’d stayed completely still while it was given. Teeth marks. 

You swallow. You want to do something, to give her some words of encouragement, but you have no idea what to say. You still don’t as you slow to a stop beside her desk, but you open your mouth to speak anyway. “I’m sorry,” You tell her, with all the sincerity in your heart. 

She doesn’t answer, but one cropped ear flicks toward you and her fingers slow in their incessant race across her keyboard. 

You turn to go. Mr. Seo was holding the door open for you and you can hear the director barking orders at a group of trainees to run an obstacle course faster. Just as you set foot over the threshold, she speaks. Her voice is so quiet, you have to strain to hear her over the steady clack-click-clack of her nails on the keys. 

“He likes green things,” she says, not looking up from her work. “And old books.” 

You look over your shoulder at her. Her face is a mask of neutrality, her eyes clear and her mouth set in a relaxed line. She looks fine, but there’s an ocean of meaning behind her words. You see her, just for a moment, as she’d been all those years ago, barefoot in the snow and begging for shelter, her stomach full with one of the moon’s own children. You commit the sight of her to memory. Then you turn and you go.

The director is waiting outside, shielding his eyes from the sun and regaling Mr. Seo with some long-winded explanation on the best way to treat hip dysplasia in Doberman hybrids. “Where to?” you ask, effectively cutting him off mid-sentence. 

The man gives you a disgruntled look but despite the anxiety you feel spiking in your belly, you meet it evenly. Once upon a time, anyone in a position of authority looking at you the way he was would’ve sent you into a tailspin of self-doubt and nerves, leaving you shivering as your heartbeat thrummed in your ears, warning you of non-existent danger. If you were honest, it still did- but you didn’t have the luxury of running away and hiding anymore, not when there were people who needed you. 

“Hope’s bags are in the barracks. He just needs to grab them, and he can be on his merry way,” The direction grunts. “Monster’s still locked up, so I’ll-”

“I’ll go.” You can feel Mr. Seo stiffen beside you. 

“Ms. Y/N-”

“If he’s really that aggressive,” you start, your eyes not leaving the director’s for a moment. “Wouldn’t it be better for me to meet him now instead of when we’re packed into a car on a two hour car ride?” Director Lim narrows his eyes at you, but you don’t falter. You hold your hand out for the key. Your boldness surprises you. He drops the key ring into your open palm and you wrap your fingers around it, stuffing it in your pocket before he can snatch them back. You turn on your heels and march off in the direction he tilts his head in, nothing but a hiss of your name from Mr. Seo’s lips to accompany you. 

You walk quickly, eyes straight and willing your legs to go faster with every stride. It’s a long way across the compound but the less time you spend walking, the less time you have to stew in anxiety. None of the hybrids training in little packs spread across the yard pay you any mind- except for Hope. 

Your path takes you directly behind the group of kids he’s working with. You give them a wide berth, not wanting to disturb them, but you get a little distracted. Your steps slow for just a moment as you drink him in. He’s tall- the same height as Taehyung, if you’re judging it right, but there’s an ease about him the tiger hybrid hasn’t yet mastered. Everything about Taehyung is pulled in. He’s always coiled tight, like he’s preparing to spring forward at any moment, all his energy drawn into the center of his being. Even last night, when you’d been cuddled up with him on the couch, he’d pulled you tight against his side, shifting and rearranging himself til you both fit on one cushion. He’d held you tight through both films, his tail curled around the both of you and his spine tight, like if he let himself relax for a moment, you’d both turn to dust on the wind. 

Hope has no such fear. Everything about him is spread wide open, from the heart-shaped smile on his lips to his arms as he demonstrates a series of punches to his little pack of students. They all watch him with rapt attention, ears perked up and bandaged tails wagging. One of them asks him a question and he laughs, ruffles their hair. He laughs in a way you’ve never seen before, shoulders shaking like he can’t contain the force of it alone. It makes your heart flip. 

His ears twitch, picking up the change in the cadence of your footsteps. He looks up and your eyes meet for the first time. He looks surprised to see you, for a moment, face blank- but then it melts into a soft smile, brimming with affection you’ve done nothing to earn. You snatch your gaze away and fix it to the dirt in front of you, embarrassed at being caught. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see him cock his head to the side in confusion, but he doesn’t go after you. All the better, you’re all but running away from him now. 

You shuffle across the compound in a blur of scuffed sneakers and frayed nerves. You barely give yourself time to look up at the small cinder block building before you, shoving the key in the padlock before you can lose what unearned confidence you have left. You twist it, yank the rusted thing open, take a deep breath and enter.

You don’t know what you’d been expecting, but it’s certainly not what you find. The way Director Lim had spoken about him and this place, you’d been expecting cobwebs on the ceiling, blood spatters on the wall and rusty nails on the floor. What’s before you is almost entirely the opposite.

The room is a veritable Eden. 

There are vines climbing every available wall, wrapping around structural posts and digging their way between concrete blocks. Every surface is crammed full of flowering plants in makeshift pots: lilies in old water jugs, violets in a worn out boot, black-eyed susans dripping orange petals from an upturned helmet. The floor is in a similar state, ferns and foxgloves turning what little space around his bed there is into a meadow. It’s beautiful. 

“He likes green things,” you marvel, stepping into the room and pushing the door shut behind you. It seemed every living thing that’d been uprooted to expand the compound had found a second life here, sheltered from the Director’s violence. Maybe the hybrid who lived here had too. 

A plant different from all the others catches your eye. It’s set up on the cardboard box serving as his bedside table and it’s the only one in a real pot from what you can tell. It looks just like a miniature tree, complete with knobs on it’s trunk and tiny leaves. You let out a little sound of wonder and crouch in front of it, your fingers reaching out on their own to trail across the delicate branches-

A massive hand wraps around your wrist, stopping you cold. “Don’t touch that.” 

You hadn’t heard him approach, but now you knew he was there. You could feel his presence behind you, heavy and warm. He’s looming over you. You swallow and make your arm go limp in his grip. No need to give him a reason. “I won’t,” You tell him. “Will you please let go of my wrist?”

He drops your arm without protest and relief floods your body. You weren’t sure if there was a hybrid version of lockjaw and you certainly weren’t itching to find out. You sit back on your heels and struggle to your feet, still hyper aware of the person behind you, his eyes boring holes into the back of your head. By the time you turn around, he’s back where he came from, standing in the entrance for a bathroom you hadn’t seen, half hidden behind a curtain of vines. 

He looks different than the others. You’d been expecting that, but the full-length fluffy tail held stiffly behind his back and the long-furred ears pointed away from you are still a surprise. His fur, instead of being in rigid black and tan points, is marked by whorls of black, brown and gray. Instead of the lean musculature all the other hybrids had -all trim waists and narrow ankles- he’s sturdier, his shoulders broad and the veins in his forearms popping as he clenches his fists. He’s looking at you with that mismatched glare, his chin tilted toward his chest and his eyes shining aquamarine and obsidian. 

“If you’re new,” he starts, voice raspy. “They should’ve told you: you’re supposed to knock before you come in.”

“No, I’m not-”

“You can leave the food over there.” He nods toward a little plastic folding table jammed into one corner. It’s the one surface in his room that’s devoid of plants and there’s nothing on it besides a metal cafeteria tray, licked clean. “I won’t move when your back is turned.”

“I’m not here to deliver your food.”

He frowns, brows drawing together as his shoulders tense. “Then why are you…?”

You ball your hands up in your sweater sleeves and turn to face him full on. “I’m here to take you home with me.” You tell him. “They didn’t tell you?”

He laughs, but it’s a cold sound, devoid of joy. “Nobody tells me anything.”

Based on the short conversation you’d had with Director Lim, his sudden cancellation of contracts and the way he seemed ready to bulldoze over anything and everyone that didn’t fit his agenda, he didn’t seem the sharing type. Still it was hard to believe he hadn’t told him he’d be leaving the compound that’s been his home for over twenty years. 

“You don’t have to come with me,” you add, softly. “If you don’t want to. I know I’m a stranger. But you can leave-”

“I can’t go anywhere.” He taps the collar around his neck. At first, you’d thought it was the same as the ones every other hybrid had been wearing. You can see now that it isn’t. Theirs had all been leather with thin silver buckles holding them in place. His was leather too, but the band was broader and double-layered. There’s a little box on the side with hinges and a small drawing of a lighting bolt. A shock collar. 

Your stomach turns. 

You take a slow step toward him, but the second you do, his ears go flat against his head and he pulls his lips back, revealing sharp teeth. You freeze, hands held up and the keys dangling from your thumb. “I have the keys,” you say, extending them toward him. 

His eyes flick from your face, to the keys in your hand and back again, like he doesn’t believe what’s happening, like he can’t believe you’d actually want him free. The silence drags out into a little eternity before he speaks again. “If I try to unlock it, it’ll shock me.”

You blink up at him and risk another slow step forward, hoping you’ve caught his meaning correctly. This time, he doesn’t growl but his ears stay pinned back as he watches you through narrowed eyes. You close the distance between the two of you. 

When you were six, your mom scraped together enough money to take you to Busan for your birthday. You’d spent the day down at the beach, building sand castles with sea shell windows and wading through tide pools. After the sun had set, someone had set off fireworks and you’d watched them cuddled up in your mom’s arms, eyes wide and filled with a riot of colors you had no name for. It’s strange, you know. The ocean is miles away, but that’s what he smells like: the sea and the sand, and the last curls of smoke from homemade bottle rockets. He smells like that day. 

You lift your hands to the clasp on his neck and slide the key home. You twist it and the collar falls to the ground, a monster that can’t hurt him anymore. His skin is warm under your fingers, but puckered with scar tissue. There’s a ring of it around his neck, branching with whatever current had run through him in different directions. There’s no way this was legal, no way anyone with half a heart could treat another person like this. Your fingers trail one of the splits over his adam’s apple and he swallows beneath your touch, snatching your wrist again. 

“Dont.” His voice is cold. You blink, shaking off whatever spell you’d been under and shuffle back quickly, eager to give him space. He cradles his throat with one long-fingered hand, massaging the skin. He rolls his neck and you look away. You shouldn’t stare; the last thing you want is to make him uncomfortable. “I’ll go with you,” he rasps, answering the question before you can ask it again.

You gape for a second. You really hadn’t expected it to be that easy. “Really?” You can’t stop a note of relief from creeping into your voice.

“Anywhere’s better than here.” He answers back. So, you were a means to an end. It doesn’t bother you. You’ll be whatever you need to be to get him away from this place and that man who seemed to only want to drive him down. 

“Do you need time to pack, or-?”

He gives a firm shake of his head. “There’s nothing from this place I want to keep.” And that’s the end of it. You push open the door and stride back out into the cold mountain air, trying your best to exude the confidence you know you lack. The hybrid slinks behind you, head hunched between his shoulders and every step stiff. He hesitates at the threshold and looks up at you, uncertainty written in the rigid line of his spine. He’s nervous. He has every right to be. 

How long had he spent in that little cinderblock room, shut away from every living thing? How long had he spent being told that he was a monster? You didn’t believe it, not for one second. No one who was as violent as the director had painted him out to be could’ve raised that garden. 

He leans out of the door frame, sniffs the air and lurches forward, out of the shadow of his room, His shoulders bunch up even higher around his head and he goes stiff like he’s waiting for a shock or a shot or a shout- but none comes. The sun is still shining and he’s barefoot in the sand, standing for the first time in years under the open sky. He exhales in a short puff and it looks like he’s going to walk beside you- but he turns on his heels on goes back inside. 

You make a little noise of distress in the back of your throat. Had he changed his mind? Did he not want to come with you anymore? You go to call his name out of concern- but realize you don’t know it. All you have is the call sign he’d been given and you sure as fuck aren’t calling him ‘Monster’. You don’t have to flounder for long. He comes back out two seconds later, cradling the bonsai that’d caught your attention to his chest. 

“I’ll take this,” he mutters, shuffling into place behind you. You can’t smother the smile that starts tugging at your lips. Yeah, no one hateful would hold a little tree with as much tenderness as an infant. 

You give him a little nod. “There’s a terrace where I live,” you tell him, starting your trek across the yard once again. “It’s got a garden and a little greenhouse on it. It’s not very big, and it’s not as pretty as your’s, but you could grow new things there, if you wanted.”

His ears twitch in response, but he keeps his glower firmly focused on the plant in his arms as he shuffles along beside you. It’s then you notice he’s barefoot. “Do you wanna go back and get your shoes?” You ask, trying to make the question sound as innocuous as possible.

“Don’t have any,” he grumbles back. “Don’t need them; I never go outside.” 

Alright, that was understandable. Your first stop when you got back into the city would be a shoe store to get him a pair to wear- or maybe not with the way he kept flinching every time a whistle blew and his ears were swivelling like satellites at each new sound that reached them. You chew the inside of your lip. You don’t want to ask, but you know you should. Better to rip the bandaid off now, than get surprised later. “How long were you shut in for?”

“Fourteen.” He bites out. 

“...weeks?” You venture. There's a hopeful uptick at the end of your words. Even that would’ve been horrible, even that would be worthy of the litany of profanity you’re mentally lobbing at Director Lim- but it’s still better than the truth. 

The hybrid cuts a flat look at you out of the corner of his eyes. “Years.” 

A wall of your scent hits him like a freight train, vacillating between the thick, cloying odor of sadness and the burn of anger. His nose wrinkles at it, brows drawing together in confusion. 

However little you might’ve known about hybrids, however limited your view of them was, you knew they weren’t supposed to be locked up. Domesticated hybrids like hamsters and cats might’ve been fine inside a house all day, assuming they still had regular interaction with people- but dogs weren’t. And he was half wolf. Wild, he’d have had dozens of square miles to roam over, and he’d been limited to a four-by-four yard room for fourteen years. Your goshiwon was a similar size, but it hadn’t been your whole world. All he’d had was one tiny window and what narrow view he’d managed to glimpse in the doorway when his meals were delivered. 

You open your mouth to say something, anything, but you’re cut off by a scream of delight and a snarl keying up in the hybrid next to you’s chest. Your jaw snaps shut with a click. 

A few yards ahead, there’s a group of kids wrestling in a massive pile. They’re all giggling and rolling over each other, tails wagging a mile a minute as they play bite and make grabs for the person at the center of their puppy pile. A head of black hair and a pair of cropped ears pop up and you see that it’s Hope, smiling bright as the sun as his students try to pin him. 

“You can’t leave!” One particularly determined kid yips, adamantly pushing his shoulder back to the sand. “Who’s gonna teach us?”

Hope just laughs.”Lisa is gonna teach you with the older kids-“

A chorus of disappointed barks and howls breaks out. “Ms. Lisa’s classes are too hard!” A little girl complains.

“Yeah!” Someone else chimes in. “And she’s strict!” 

The hybrid ruffles both kid’s hair affectionately, careful of their bandaged ears. “Just because she won’t let you get away with skipping night practice doesn’t mean she’s strict,” he laughs. He’s only met with more grumbles and complaints. 

It warms your heart to see. Even if these kids were at the mercy of their director -for now, at least- it was good that they had him to rely on. Your eyes meet and the sheer force of light in his face makes your own heat up. You look away, but he’s spotted you. He disentangles himself from the mess of kids and draws himself up to his full height. He’s in the same uniform he was in before, albeit with a black tactical bag now strapped to his back. He takes a step toward you and the wolfdog hybrid's ears go flat against his skull. He’s not deterred. “Joonie?”  It takes you a second to realize he’s talking to the hybrid next to you. “Kim Namjoon, is that you?” Hope takes one step forward and the hybrid - Namjoon - takes a step back to counter him. Hope looks like he’s going to advance again, but a small pair of hands wrapped around one of his own stops him. 

A little girl is holding on to him. She can’t be more than six years old. Her tail is still long and her ears are still floppy and she looks so small in her child-sized boots and cargo pants. “Mr. Hobi,” she whines, her head craned back to look up at him. “Please don’t go.”

He falters. His eyes flick from the pair of you back down to her, then he crouches, holds both of her hands in his. “I have to, Sowon-ah,” he says softly. 

She sniffles pitifully and juts out her lower lip.”But why?” 

It’s a fair question. You’re about to tell him that he doesn’t have to come with you if he  doesn’t want to, but he beats you to the punch. “Because it’s my job, sweetheart,” he tells her, smiling softly.

“Y-your job is to teach us,” she hiccups back, face growing blotchy as tears well up in her eyes. Hope swipes one of them away with his thumbs. 

“I teach you so you can grow up well and protect your person, right?” She nods, little hands balling the fabric of her cargo pants up in her fists. “Right. Well this,” he continues, turning and looking at you with a soft smile. “Is my person. And I’ve gotta go make sure she stays safe.” 

You feel your heart jump into your throat. He’s looking at you like you hung the stars in the sky and you don’t deserve it. You’ve done nothing to warrant that much unearned loyalty. Sowon rubs at her eyes with the back of her hands and Hope pulls her into a tight hug. 

“Ah, don’t cry, Sowon! You’ve gotta make sure you get stronger so someone takes you home, okay? You don’t wanna get old and still be here like me, right?” He squeezes her and goes to stand, but gets mobbed by his students again, all wanting their own hugs and making him swear to write them letters. It takes another five minutes of tearful goodbyes and Director Lim approaching for them to turn him loose.

“Get back to your training, all of you!” He barks, stomping out of the office and slamming the door, Mr. Seo on his heels. The kids scatter to the four winds almost instantly, not wanting to be underfoot for whatever scolding the director was about to deal out. Hope’s face remains the same but you catch his ears droop just a little as his students leave him. The wolfdog hybrid- Namjoon, you remind yourself- on the other hand has his ears flat against his skull. A growl bubbles up in his chest and rips past his lips. It’s a dark, full bodied thing that has you taking a step back and Hope shrinking with a whine. 

“Joonie-” he pleads. 

“Don’t fucking call me that.” All the fur on Namjoon’s body is standing on end, from the points of his ears to the tip of his tail. Even his hair has fluffed out. His mismatched eyes are narrowed, lips pulled back in a snarl that reveals his incisors and all that fury, all that rage, is leveled on Director Lim. 

To his credit, the grizzled man doesn’t shrink back an inch before the enraged hybrid. His lips twist and he yanks a little remote out of his pocket, mashing a red button in the center. Namjoon flinches, his hands fly to his neck- but nothing happens. The shock collar is gone and the director has no power over him anymore. 

The man in question’s eyes widen, flicking between the remote to the column of Namjoon’s throat, now devoid of his one element of control. “Where’s his collar?” He demands. “How the hell did you get your collar off?” He advances on the tall hybrid, his hand in the air and though he doesn’t stop snarling, Namjoon ducks his head, anticipating the blow. 

You don’t know what moves you. Maybe it’s Hope pleading for it all to ‘stop, just stop!’. Maybit’s how Namjoon knows exactly how to move when he’s about to get hit. Maybe it’s your own lack of self-preservation. Whatever it is, you blink and you’re in front of Namjoon, your hand up and clutching the director’s forearm, stopping him from striking the hybrid behind you. You’re not strong enough to stop him, not fully. Your elbow buckles in and you stumble back, your back pressing into the wolfdog hybrid’s chest.

The director yells something at you, red flooding his face. You can’t hear him over the rushing of blood in your ears, the pounding of your heart. You force a dry swallow down your throat, put on your bravest face and glare up at him. “Don’t hurt him anymore.”

He reaches out with his free hand to tug you out of the way, but before he can touch you, Hope is there. He presses close to your side and holds the director’s wrist firm, his eyes on the sand and his shoulders hunched up by his ears.

Director Lim looks angry enough to spit. “Hell of a time for you to grow a backbone,” he snarls at Hope, making the doberman hybrid flinch. “I want all four of you off my property now.” He snatched his arms free and you don’t miss the nasty glare he casts at Namjoon. “And if this mutt ever shows his face around here again, I’ll-”

“Director Lim,” Mr. Seo cuts in, his voice cool. “You’ve made yourself clear; we’ll leave. You needn’t make threats.” There’s an underlying warning in the attorney’s voice. The director locks his jaw.

“Get out.” He breathes. Hope ducks around him, his head low and his docked tail pressed close to his back. If he could tuck it, you think he would. You follow after him, eyes fixed straight ahead and your back ramrod straight. He might’ve scared the shit out of you, but you weren’t going to let him see that. Mr. Seo fixes you with a hard look and the second you’re within arms reach, he presses a hand to your back and ushers you toward the gate. The only one who remains is Namjoon.

He looks like his anger has rooted him to the spot. His ears are still flat against his head, his lip still curled. 

“Do it, boy,” the director taunts. “Give me a reason-”

“Namjoon.” At the sound of his name, his ears prick up and you turn around. It’d come not from Hope- which you’d expected, seeing as he seemed to be the only one who actually knew his fellow hybrid’s name- but from the open door of the office building where Eunjung stood. She looks at him, her expression unreadable and he stares back. All the tension in his body has shifted and for a moment, you think he’s going to spring toward her and fall into her arms- but she gives an almost imperceptible shake of her head and his face hardens. His arms tighten around his bonsai. You think you know, now, why it was the only plant in his room that had a pot. 

“Go,” she says and all the tension leaves him. His shoulders curve in and he drags himself past the director, out from the fence and toward Mr. Seo’s car. There’s something final about the way the gate rolls shut after him. If you hadn’t known better, you’d’ve sworn you heard him whine as it locked. 

The car ride down the mountain is...interesting to say the least. Hope insists that the seating arrangements inside the Buick be done to his specifications,( “You’ve gotta sit in the middle,” he tells you, pointing to the narrow center seat. “And Joonie and I will sit on either side of you to protect you in case we crash!” His tail is wagging a mile a minute behind him. You’re surprised it can move that much, given how short it is. Mr. Seo looks affronted at the unintentional jab at his driving and Namjoon just looks irritated. “I told you to stop calling me that.”) and he keeps throwing an arm across your middle everytime the car hits a bump. You’re going down the side of a mountain. There are a lot of bumps. He also keeps pressing his nose against the glass of his window, ears pricked up and trying to take in every tree that passes by. Namjoon, on the other hand, slouches back in his seat, his body curved around his plant and ever so slightly away from you. He still watches the world pass by, but he doesn’t acknowledge any of you or speak- which would be fine if anyone else would. Hope seems to be doing his best to appear stoic and alert every time you look at him and Mr. Seo seems comfortable with the quiet. So, you’re left to ride the two hours back to Seoul in silence. 

You almost cry with relief when your phone buzzes with an incoming text. You fish the device out of your pocket, thumb it to life and scan your notifications.

Unknown Sender [7:13 PM] where are you

You frown. Very few people had your number or any reason to text you. You’re about to chalk it up to a wrong number when the second text rolls in.

Unknown Sender [7:14 PM] it’s yoongi

Now that’s a surprise. When you’d hurriedly told the boys to text you, you’d been expecting Jimin to urge you to hurry or for Taehyung to ask for updates, not for their hyung to check your progress. A little smile pricks at your lips as you rush to reply

You [7:14 PM] We’re on the way back now!

Unknown Sender has been changed to Yoongi 

Yoongi [7:14 PM] can i call

You bite the inside of your lip, suddenly nervous. You know there’s no reason to be. After all, you tell yourself, what’s scary about a pair of roommates talking on the phone? You give him the go ahead and not three seconds after the delivered notification pops up, you get a call. You answer it on speaker.

“...Hello?”

“Did you just start driving?” Yoongi’s voice is thick with sleep, like he’s just woken up. It’s different than normal, his usual smooth drawl gone gravelly. 

“Y-yeah,” you reply, trying to ignore the way Hope is watching you out of the corner of his eyes and Namjoon’s ears have swiveled back toward you. “It’s gonna be awhile, still. Are Taehyung and Jimin-”

“They’re fine; They ate dinner earlier and they’ll be asleep til you get back.” He yawns and you picture him slouched on the couch, his hair mashed up on one side and his face puffy.  “Why do you sound nervous?”

“I’m not,” you counter. It’s a blatant lie and he knows it. He hums in doubt, but doesn’t press you.

“I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Do you want me to text you when we’re close?” It’s an innocuous question. There’s no reason you can see for him to pause as long as he does. For a second you think you’ve lost him- after all, mountains aren’t known for having great reception- but then you hear his breath fan over the receiver. 

“...Yeah.” 

You give a little nod you know he can’t see. “Okay.” He makes a little noise of assent and then his line clicks off. You hang up. Just as you do, another text comes through. 

Yoongi [7:16 PM] don’t let them scent you

“Who was that?” Hope asks in a small voice, pulling you away from your phone screen and Yoongi’s insistence that you remain scent-free. His tone is open, but you can tell by the way his knee is bouncing that he really, really wants to know. “Is that your husband?”

The bark of laughter that rips past your lips is out before you can think to stop it. Namjoon flinches and you wince at him in apology, your hand flying up to cover your mouth. Hope is frowning at you in confusion, his head cocked slightly to the side. You force yourself to calm and answer him. “No, Yoongi is not my husband.” You weren’t sure if you even really qualified as friends at this point. “He’s another hybrid that lives with me.”

Hope perks up in his seat. “You have another hybrid? Director Lim always told us that once we left the center, we’d be alone.” Your expression sours at the mention of the ill-tempered man and you shake your head. 

“No, there’s a lot of hybrids in Seoul,” you tell him, eager to dispel some of his misconceptions. “The three that live with me are named Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung. Yoongi’s around your age, I think. Jimin and Taehyung are younger.” The doberman hybrid sits at rapt attention, soaking up every bit of information you give him and waiting eagerly for more. What else could you tell him about them? You remember the boys’ reaction that morning when you told them you’d be bringing dog hybrids home. “...They’re all felines,” you say, slowly, trying to gauge their reactions. 

“So that’s why you smell like that.” It’s the first words Namjoon’s spoken since you all piled into the car. You turn to him, but he’s not looking at you.

“What do you-?”

“You smell like other hybrids,” Hope says, covering for him. “But I’ve never smelled any that weren’t other dogs before.” He leans closer, his seatbelt stretching. You tense and lean away from him, but he’s not deterred. The tip of his nose brushes your neck and you have to fight off a shiver as he breathes you in. “They smell the same…” he starts, his breath fanning over your throat. “...but different? And one of them isn’t as strong as the others-” He presses closer, trying to catch the scent that’s eluding him. You make a noise of mild distress and lean further back, pressing into the solid wall that is Namjoon. 

“Hoseok, let it go .” Hoseok. That was his real name then. To your surprise, the dog hybrid pulls back as instructed, settling back into his seat without so much as a whine.

“I’ve never met a cat before,” he muses, turning his attention back to the window. “I hope they’re nice.”

You think about the chorus of hisses you’d been met with when you told the boys they’d have to share their space. You hope so too.

It’s 9:30 by the time Mr. Seo drops you off back in front of your building. He wishes you a good night and promises to call later in the week to discuss Black Mountain Canines. You’re not sure if there’s anyone to report him to or anything you can do, but you want to try. What you’d seen at the compound was wrong any way you looked at it. It made you sick to leave anyone there knowing how the director treated Namjoon and Hoseok. No one was useless. No one deserved to be locked away for years at a time for the sheer crime of existing. You’d make them see that. 

The moment you step out of the car, Hoseok is all wide smiles and exclamations. “Woah, you live here?” he asks, tilting his head back to take in all fifty-one floors of Haneul Tower in their sparkling, glass-paned glory.

“Yeah,” you tell him, handing him his bag. In his excitement to get out of the car, he’d abandoned it and Mr. Seo had nearly driven away with it. “But I just moved in a couple days ago, so it’s still pretty empty.”

Hoseok nods, scanning the windows like he’ll be able to pick out which one’s your’s. Behind you, Namjoon is lingering on the sidewalk.

He’s still got his bonsai clutched close to his chest and he’s hunched down around it like he’s trying to stop unseen hands from picking at it. His shoulders are bunched up by his ears, and he flinches with every car horn, every siren that comes to you on the wind. He’d grown up in the mountains and spent the better part of his life indoors. It only made sense that he’d be sensitive to the sounds of the city. 

“Is there a security system?” Hoseok asks, still enamored with the building. “How many entrances does your apartment have?”

“Just one second,” you tell him, forehead wrinkling as you take in Namjoon. You slide slowly toward the wolfdog, not wanting to startle him. “Namjoon?” He flinches when you call his name, head whipping toward you. “Do you wanna go inside? I know it’s new, but it’ll be quieter, I think.”

His mismatched eyes flick from you, to Hoseok, to the building and back to you before settling firmly on the concrete at his feet. He seems different than he had in the mountains. He’s smaller, quieter, less sure of himself. Was it because this is all new territory for him? Or had the snarling hybrid in the mountains just been a roll he was forced to play, the mythic monster to the director’s tyrant king. 

“You don’t have to go inside if you don’t want to,” you tell him, in a voice you hope is reassuring. “We can wait, if you need to.”

“I’ll wait with you, Joonie,” Hope chimes in, giving the larger hybrid the same soft smile he’d given his students earlier. 

He swallows, adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “It...it’s fine,” he mutters, “We can go in, I just…” He takes a few hesitant steps forward and huddles closer to you. There’s still an inch between you, but it’s closer than you’d thought he’d come. 

You peer up at him. “Okay?” You ask. He gives a single nod and your little group moves through the double doors and into the lobby. 

It’s quieter at this time of night. You don’t recognize the woman standing behind the reception desk. There’s no one really around except one man, pacing the width of the lobby looking thoroughly put out. You can’t really see his face, but there’s something familiar about the slant of his body. He whirls around as the glass doors click shut and you catch sight of a fringe of gray hair, pointed ears, narrowed yellow eyes and an all too familiar pout. 

Yoongi. 

“Fuck.” You’d completely forgotten to text him. Judging by the look on his face as he stalks toward you, he wasn’t happy about it. To his credit, Hoseok does his best to guard you, sliding in front of you and pushing you behind him. You can’t see Yoongi’s ears beneath the hat he’s wearing but if his curled lip and narrowed eyes are any indicator, they’re pinned straight back. 

“Move.” He snarls at the doberman hybrid. Hoseok is taller than he is, but the closer Yoongi gets to him, the smaller he seems to shrink. There’s fire in the bobcat hybrid’s eyes. Hope whimpers and slinks out of his way, ears low. 

You wince. “Heeeeey, Yoongi. I’m sorry I forg-“ before you can even finish the sentence, he tugs you toward him by the shoulders. His face roves your neck, sniffing in earnest as he tries to pick up the scent of the other hybrids on you. All is well until he reaches the right side of your throat and grazes over the exact spot Hoseok had nosed earlier. He pulls away slowly, his shoulders tight. His head turns slowly to the doberman hybrid, mechanical. 

“You.” He hisses at the other hybrid with so much virulence it makes your blood run cold. He takes one step toward him, teeth bared in a snarl, but Namjoon slides in front of him bumping him back. A growl bubbles in the bobcat hybrid’s chest and the wolfdog matches it, both their ears pinned flat against their skulls. 

“Hey-” If either of them hear you, they don’t react. They’re too focused on having a staring contest. “Hey!” You push between them, a hand on either of their chests. Namjoon snarls as you touch him and Yoongi looks ready to skin him alive for that alone. He pushes against your hand, trying to get closer to the taller hybrid. You ball your hand up in the fabric of his shirt. “Stop it!” The receptionist already has the lobby phone in her hand. She’s whispering earnestly into it and you’re sure security will be on the way any second. You exhale and squeeze your eyes shut. “Everybody, elevator.” 

Yoongi hurls an accusatory finger in Hoseok’s direction. “These fucking-”

“Yoongi, please,” you plead. That gets him to stop. His arm falls to his side and he glowers down at you for a few seconds before stalking over to the elevators and slamming the up button. “I’m sorry,” you murmur to Hoseok and Namjoon. The smaller of the two hybrids is still hunched in on himself and the taller has Yoongi fixed in his mismatched gaze, his lips curled in anger. 

This was not the way you wanted this to go. You’d wanted them to have time to settle before you discussed next steps and gave them the same talk you’d given the felines, but it didn’t look like that was in the cards. You don’t know what’s gotten into Yoongi. You’d thought the bobcat hybrid was calm, cool and collected, completely unflappable in the face of anything. Apparently not. He seemed upset that some of Hoseok’s scent had gotten on you, but there’d been no way to help that. You’d been packed in a car with him and Namjoon for two hours. It was inevitable, wasn’t it?

“It’s not okay,” you tell them, wanting them to know you didn’t condone the way Yoongi had acted. “I don’t...I don’t know why he’s acting like this; he doesn’t normally. Do you wanna go up separately?”

It’s Hoseok who answers. “No, we’ll go up together,” he assures you with a small nod. “If...maybe if we get used to each other, it’ll be okay?” 

You’re not optimistic, but you give him a pained smile you hope is reassuring. “Yeah, maybe?” You cast a look back over your shoulders. Yoongi is waiting by the elevators, his arms crossed over his chest and his tail flicking in irritation. The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Well, there was no avoiding it. “Come on,” you tell them. “Just...keep to the other side, for now. I’ll stand between you and him.” 

The four of you pile into the elevator, all tucked into your own corners. It’s strange, you think. It’s never seemed small until now. Hoseok keeps casting worried looks over at you, Namjoon keeps subtly shifting closer and Yoongi is still glowering at the both of them, angry for a reason you can’t quantify. 

“If it helps,” Hoseok starts softly, his voice an intrusion in the awkward silence. “I really didn’t mean to, honestly-”

“Don’t apologize.” Namjoon counters. “If it bothers him that much, he can speak up” 

You don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s too late that you realize the canines aren’t addressing you. Suddenly, Yoongi’s fingers are hooked through one of your belt loops. He yanks you backwards and you stumble, falling against the length of his body. “My bad,” You shoot out, before the hybrid can hiss at you. “I just lost my bala-” The words die on your tongue as Yoongi fixes his mouth to the soft skin of your throat. The elevator goes quiet.

The canine hybrids avert their eyes almost instantaneously, instinct telling them they’re witnessing something they shouldn’t be. Yoongi keeps them fixed firmly in his sights, a dark growl bubbling in his throat. 

Your fingers flex uselessly at your sides, hands clenching unclenching as the hybrid works over the sensitive skin of your neck with his teeth and tongue. ‘Don’t make a noise,’ you plead with yourself. ‘This isn’t what it feels like. Don’t make a noise, don’t make a noise, don’t make a noise-’ Yoongi’s incisors graze over a vein and a little whimper slips past your lips before you can stop it. The grip he has on your hips becomes bruising. You feel your legs turning to jelly beneath you. Any more of what he was doing, and they’d have to mop you up off the elevator floor. You force your throat to swallow. “Y-Yoongi, I think that’s enough-” You don’t know if he hears you over the noise he’s making, so you lace your fingers through his and untangle them from your hips. He releases you with a wet pop and you slap a hand over the skin he’d marked. Heat floods your face and a smirk spreads across Yoongi’s, his teeth flashing at the canines. He leans in again to rub his nose against the mark he’d made- but a hand on his chest stops him. 

“Can you stop?” You ask in a small voice. Honestly, you’re embarrassed. Regardless of what the articles said about mark-making being platonic, it doesn’t feel friendly. It feels possessive and mean and you don’t like it. “I’m sorry I didn’t text you like you asked, but what is with you today?” Yoongi’s expression changes from smug satisfaction to confusion and then surprise, like he hadn’t expected you to protest. “I know what I said about you being ready but…” You rub a hand over the mark, wiping away saliva and your sweat. The bobcat hybrid visibly deflates. The elevator chimes for the fiftieth floor and the doors roll open slowly. You rush out before any of them can and start punching the code in your door with shaky fingers. You don’t know what to say. You’re tired and stressed and you don’t know what’s going on. Was this about the apartment? You knew the felines wouldn’t be happy about sharing their space, but why had Yoongi gone this far?

“Y/N…” He trails after you, his ears drooping. You shake your head, You can’t talk to him right now. 

“In the morning,” you tell him as the door swings open. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.” You can’t deal with everything that’s happened today, and Yoongi flipping out and getting the canines settled. You weren’t that good at juggling. 

By the grace of all that’s merciful, Taehyung and Jimin are still asleep when you walk in. You’d need to have an extended meet and greet tomorrow, you decide. Maybe do some icebreakers or team building exercises. If they reacted anything like their hyung did, you were in for one hell of an adjustment period. 

Hoseok and Namjoon trail you into the penthouse warily, sniffing the air. You want to give them time to explore and get their bearings, they deserve that, but with the way Yoongi still seems agitated when they venture anywhere but exactly in your steps, that’ll need to be saved until tomorrow morning too. You give them the most spartan tour you can muster up and show them each to a guest room, promising to order them furniture and get them the things they need tomorrow. 

By the time you collapse into your own bed, it’s damn near 11. You groan and drag a pillow over your face as you ask the universe for the thousandth time why it had decided to continuously kick your ass. Having three hybrids had been hard enough. Having five of all different species was likely to prove impossible and having seven was going to be a sisyphean task you’d had no training for. You groan and kick your feet in the air, allowing yourself the brief respite of a temper tantrum before crawling under your covers and flicking the lamp off. Maybe in your dreams there’d be no stress and no snarling hybrids with behavior you couldn’t explain.

[dangerouslyallaboutdraco]

Could you write a Draco Malfoy x Slytherin !Potter!reader. Y/N and Draco have been dating since first year but haven’t told anyone because people think she might be the only “good slytherin” and to prevent Harry from freaking out they stay quiet till the Quitage World Cup where she goes with Draco and his father and spent the summer with them rather than the weasles . Pansy and Blaise know about Y/N and Draco because the 4 of them became best friends through the years (and reader won’t be only friends with Harry’s friends) . Harry and Y/N get into an argument when they return to Hogwarts the summer of the Triwizard cup and how she’s a traitor (EVEN tho that’s her house) and a disgrace for being with him. So she accepted that and that he hates her so she spends the next year mainly with her house giving the trio the cold shoulder and when the war happened draco and his mother protected her and hid her so Harry was looking for her that time but she was gon so after the war the 4 (Draco Pansy and blasé) walk into the great hall and the golden trio see that Y/N is engaged to Draco and Harry just apologizes and they catch up after all those years.

The Potter Twins

A/n: This has got to be one of the best requests I've ever seen anyone answer. I'm so gratefully you asked me to write it!! Thank you. Also, I did use lines from the book just to make the story work. I could have probably written a whole series so this is very long, I'm sorry. @loxbbg

"Y/n Potter." Professor McGonagall's shrill voice boomed. Just like that, the whole school's attention was on Y/n.

So many students, so much older than her, all focused on her. Probably, she had only just discovered, because of her last name.

The girl and the boy who lived. Apparently, they were famous.

On their 11th birthday, she hadn't expected a giant wizard man to come and whisk the twins away from the horrible Dursleys. But, he was nice and he knew their parents.

Y/n was always treated better than Harry. Aunt Petunia seemed to love her more, even letting her have a big bedroom.

Hagrid, she found out, had taken them shopping and brought them ice cream. While she thought it was all a hallucination when she was able to run through a wall, she knew something strange was happening.

After that, she had met a redhead, Ron. He was dorky but kind to the siblings. And, he seemed to know a lot about the wizarding world.

Y/n took a few tentative steps before sitting on the stool. She was hyperaware of the fact everyone was watching, not able to keep the blush off her cheeks.

The heavy hat was draped onto her head, weighing her down.

"Hmm, the other Potter. You would do good in Gryffindor." The hat whispered to her, making her widen her eyes. She hadn't expected it to talk. It was an object. How could it possibly talk?

Y/n was amazed at the whole thing. It still felt like a dream. The great hall was phenomenal, and she couldn't wait to explore the castle. It was unreal.

Y/n flicked her eyes to her brother. He was already sitting at the Gryffindor table, smiling at her. She hoped she would get to be with him, even though she didn't grasp the house concept. Plus, he was near the other girl, Hermione.

Hermione seemed to know a lot about wizards, and Y/n wanted to be informed. It was like she had finally discovered her missing part.

"I remember your parents. I think you could do just like them." The hat continued. Y/n kept hoping. Hoping she wouldn't go without Harry. The thought of her parents made her heartache, she knew so little about them, but she had heard so much about them in the last few days.

"Slytherin!" The hat roared. Y/n's eyes instantly widened, looking frantically at her brother. How was it possible? The hat had decided she would do good in Gryffindor. She wanted to be with her brother and Ron and Hermione.

Just like that, the hat was off her head. Y/n was speechless as she wandered over to the Slytherin table. Somehow, they all looked mean.

She hadn't noticed who she sat next to until the boy spoke. "I'm Malfoy. Draco Malfoy." He introduced himself, puffing out his chest proudly.

"Y/n Potter." Y/n introduced, despite knowing he already knew.

"I'm Pansy Parkinson." A girl with short black hair interrupted their conversation. "We're going to be sleeping in the same dorm, do you want to be friends?" She asked. A picture of confidence.

Y/n didn't know what to do but nod. "Yeah."

"Now shove off, Parkinson. We're talking." Draco interrupted the girls.

Y/n looked concerned at Pansy, but she didn't look offended at all. "Don't worry. Dracie and I have been friends since we were kids. He doesn't mean it." She reassured the girl, noticing her surprised look. The nickname made Y/n giggle, recognising the look on Draco's face as disgust.

"We're not friends." Draco joked, stoic face. Pansy hit him on the arm.

Y/n liked them already. She could tell they would be good friends. Plus, they filled the gap she was missing, not having Harry next to her.

Harry managed to get a chance to talk to Y/n after the feast. He quickly wrapped her in his arms, comforting his sister.

"I'm sorry we're not in the same house," Y/n told him, feeling guilty.

Harry shook his head. "It's not your fault. It's that weird hat's."

"It's strange, isn't it?" Y/n giggled, not feeling like crying anymore. "I don't know what so much of this means." She continued, feeling nervous about the whole situation.

"I know." Harry agreed with a nod. "We'll get through it together. I just want to know more about mum and dad, and it's good if we don't have to stay with Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon." Y/n nodded to that. They were horrible people. "We should go to our rooms now. It'll be okay." He comforted her.

She gave him another quick hug. "Thanks, Harry." She told him before turning around to walk off.

"Wait, Y/n!" Harry called, she spun back around to face him. "I've heard Malfoy is bad news, be careful." He warned. Y/n nodded, reassuring him she'd be cautious.

She didn't believe it, though, as she skipped off to the common room.

~

It was only a week into classes when Y/n figured out not everyone at Hogwarts was nicer than the Dursley's. Mainly Professor Snape. For no reason, he seemed to hate Harry. They dissected it later in Hagrid's cottage.

"'S 'cause yeh look like yer mum." Hagrid offered as an explanation. That confused the twins and Ron, who came with them. Hagrid sighed, realising he had to explain it. "Snape loved her, way back, but she married yer dad. He couldn' stand yer dad. Anyway, tha''s all history now. Unfortunately, he's one to hold a grudge. Don' let it bother yeh." He told the children.

Harry just sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "Okay, I'm used to Dudley, anyway." He figured Hogwarts was a lot better than the Dursley's house.

"What about yeh, Y/n, how's Slytherin? They're not pickin' on yeh?" Hagrid asked, switched his attention to the small girl.

"It's alright. I've made lots of friends." Y/n had actually had a rather good week. She'd befriended Pansy and a girl named Daphne. As well as Draco, with who she was very close. That was just in her house. Somehow, she'd managed to sit next to Hermione in a class, Lavender too, and a girl named Hannah Abbot from Hufflepuff.

"Good." Hagrid nodded. "Yeh best be off now." He told them, taking the last sip of his drink.

The 3 of them nodded, getting up and leaving the cottage.

"You know, we've got our first flying lesson next week?" Ron asked the twins, trying to brighten the mood. He could tell they were both thinking about their parents.

Y/n did know. Draco had talked about it nonstop. He was beyond excited.

Harry nodded as well. "I'm not sure I'm going to be any good." He mentioned, lightly blushing.

"I'm sure you'll both be fine. It is in your blood." Ron told them. Y/n and Harry both looked at him with furrowed eyebrows, confused about what he meant. However, he didn't elaborate.

~

Y/n went to watch Harry's first Quidditch practise, despite him telling her not to. He said it was a waste of time when it was just practice. But she was extremely proud of him. She knew their parents would be proud too.

So she hid in the Slytherin bleaches, hoping Harry wouldn't spot her.

It was slightly chilly, the night wind whipping at her skin. That's when she felt the drape on a coat on her shoulder.

Y/n whipped her head around to see who it was, only to be met with the blonde's features. She definitely had a bit of a crush on him. He was cute and the first boy who had ever paid her attention.

Draco took a seat next to her, giving her a smile. "Hi." He whispered.

"Hi, Dray." It was a nickname she had quickly picked up, noticing how it made him blush. "You don't have to sit out here." She assured him.

"I want to," Draco confirmed.

Y/n knew he was jealous. Draco had done nothing but talk about how much he loved Quidditch. And Harry, who he thought was a blood traitor, had gotten all his success. So it was big that he wanted to sit with her.

They watched in silence before Draco spoke. "Did you know Pansy is dating Blaise?" He asked her.

Y/n shook her head rapidly. "I thought she liked you."

Draco stuck his tongue out in disgust. "No, I hope not. I did have a question though..." He trailed off, cheeks heating pink. He was bouncing his knee up and down nervously.

Y/n had never seen him like that. "What is it?" She asked.

"Do you want to be my girlfriend?" Draco asked hesitantly. Y/n immediately nodded, accepting the offer. She had never felt happier and more relieved.

"Of course, Dray." She agreed immediately his face relaxed. Y/n reached over and laced her fingers in his, not concerned about how sweaty his palms were. "We can't tell Harry though." She suddenly realised, remembering her brother's words. Draco had never been kind to any of the Gryffindor's, despite them being her friends.

Draco nodded. "Okay." He accepted. Y/n was very thankful he agreed to her request.

~

3rd year was the most stressful yet, for Y/n. She and Draco were still secretly dating, much to Blaise and Pansy's surprise. They couldn't believe how long it had lasted. But Y/n and Draco were drawn to each other, as friends and lovers.

Summer break was also difficult for Y/n. Aunt Marge's visit had ruined the twins birthday. On top of that, apparently, a psychotic wizard had escaped. The Dursley's didn't understand what that would mean. But Y/n and Harry saw just what dark magic could do to Ginny Weasly last year. It was devastating and powerful.

Y/n ran away with Harry when he blew up Aunt Marge. Aunt Petunia had started being much meaner to her, the older she got. While Y/n didn't know Lily, she thought it might have been the reason Aunt Petunia started shunning her.

So, she stayed at the leaky cauldron with Harry. It was the first time she felt happy to not have parents, there were no rules.

Y/n was hiding something. All the letter her owl, Edwige, was bringing her. All from Draco. She figured Harry was too tied up in his own life to think anything was odd. He probably assumed it was Hermione.

The whole train ride all Harry, Ron and Hermione wanted to talk about was terrifying Sirius Black who was trying to murder the twins.

The train's sudden stop frightened Y/n. As the compartment grew cold, she thought it was Sirius, there to kill them. When the Dementor's bony fingers slide open the door, her heart raced, almost beating out of her chest.

This was it. She was going to die from a faceless ghost. It started to suck the life out of Harry and she froze, not knowing how to help her brother.

Thankfully, the cloaked figure in the corner sprung up, scaring the spirit away.

Y/n rushed to get to Harry, but he had already fainted. He was dazed and confused when he woke, Lupin, as Y/n had come to known, handing him some chocolate.

Once Lupin had re-explained what happened, to Harry, he left.

The Potter twins connection let Y/n feel the fear Harry was in, despite being the braver.

Y/n was more than happy to get off the train, being able to sit next to her boyfriend. The Gryffindor table couldn't see them, so they were free to subtly hold hands.

It didn't feel the same that year. Draco was much darker and meaner. He was mean to Hermione and Hagrid, two of Y/n's companions. She didn't understand it.

Their relationship issues came to a head on the date of Buckbeaks execution. Draco and Y/n didn't agree on the situation but it got worse as she roamed the castle with Harry, Hermione and Ron.

As soon as Y/n saw Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle hiding behind that rock she knew today was going to be her breaking point. She didn't understand why he couldn't just shut his mouth and not say anything.

"Have you ever seen anything quite as pathetic?" said Malfoy. "And he’s supposed to be our teacher!" The look on his face was pure disgust. His eyes flicked up to meet Y/n's, not back down from the remarks he'd made as she stared him down.

It was then she realised it. He cared more about maintaining his arrogant reputation than he did his own girlfriend. The thought broke her heart.

Harry and Ron both marched to him, with Hermione one step ahead. Y/n awkwardly stood there, not knowing how to come between her secret boyfriend and friends.

Hermione got to him first, landing a solid punch to his nose. It was as hard as she could, landing a solid sound.

Draco stumbled back, Crabbe and Goyle rushing to hold him up. He gave Y/n a final look as he ran past her.

Y/n's eyes were already filling with tears. Hermione noticed. "Are you alright?" She asked.

She quickly thought up a lie. "I'm sorry... It's just all of this with Buckbeard is difficult. Can you tell Hagrid I'm really sorry?" She stuttered out, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

They all brought the lie, Harry wrapping her in a hug before they walked off. She stood there and cried for a few minutes, all alone. Like no one in the world cared about her.

It quickly turned to anger, her blood boiling. She stormed off to the Slytherin common room, knowing Draco was too proud to go to the hospital wing.

She found him there, on the couch, Crabbe and Goyle at his side.

"I can't believe Granger," Draco exclaimed, not noticing Y/n. "She's a filthy mudblood I could easily get expelled."

"Tell your father." Goyle prompted. Crabbe and Goyle were the best henchmen, dumb and wanting to cause trouble.

"Goyle, Crabbe, I need to speak to Malfoy," Y/n announced. They didn't understand what she meant. "Alone." They finally understood, scurrying out of the room.

Draco didn't look concerned, his eyes challenging her. "What do you want? Hanging out with your idiot twin, that poor, blood traitor Weaslbee and mudblood Granger." He was just as pissed as Y/n was. Maybe, it was the anger for Granger he was taking out on Y/n.

She couldn't hide it anymore. "We're done." She told him. "I cannot be with you when you hate everyone that loves me."

"Fine." Draco shrugged. "I don't care."

That was the last thing Y/n heard from him as she stormed to her dorm room, a sobbing mess. Pansy quickly wrapped her in a hug, not needing to know what happened.

~

It was the end of term before Y/n even looked in Draco's direction again. She spent all those nights silently sobbing. The slight silver lining was she had gotten much closer to Harry, Hermione and Ron, no longer spending hours with Draco.

He'd trapped her when she was alone in the bleachers, just like he did on their first week.

He didn't place a jacket on her, rather some sunglasses. "Hi." He murmured, hesitantly sitting next to her. Draco was sure Y/n hated him.

"Hey." She replied. The truth was, she missed him. Draco was a part of her, they had grown up in love. They were never meant to fall out of it.

"Enjoying your last day?" Draco asked awkwardly. They felt like they were back in their first year, acting self-consciously.

She nodded, not interested in his small talk. "Yeah, I'm all packed as well." She still refused to look at him.

"I'm sorry." It came tumbling out like he didn't know how to say it. That made her turn her attention to him.

Y/n couldn't help but love him. She never wanted to break up, ever. "Me too." She replied.

Y/n wrapped her arms around him, pulling him in for a hug. He just looked so precious.

"Will you be my girlfriend?" Draco asked, the question was phrased differently this time but it still reminded her of the shy first year.

"Yes." Y/n agreed. She had never known heartbreak like being without Draco.

"Also... I want it to be real this time." That made Y/n worry. She didn't want Harry to find out yet. There was no one Harry hated more. "Will you stay with us these holidays? And come to the Quidditch World Cup?" He asked shyly. That was the bashful boy she adored.

So far, Y/n's plans were to go to the Durley's. She'd just lie to them and say she was staying with Pansy. They wouldn't care because they didn't love her.

'Yes." Y/n told him. "I'm terrified to meet your parents." She admitted.

Draco took her hand in his. "Love, you have nothing to worry about." He assured her. In truth, he also had doubts about his father. Y/n was a Potter.

Once they left the bleachers, Y/n went to see Harry. The trio was in the courtyard.

"Oh Y/n, we were looking for you." Ron pipped up as she took a seat next to them. She tried to not blush too much. "Do you want to come to the Quidditch World Cup with us?" He asked. Uh oh.

"I'm really sorry. I told Pansy I'd go with her family." Y/n lied once again. She felt terrible doing it but she had to. Plus, they weren't going to find out.

"That's fine. Are staying with her the whole summer?" Harry asked. Y/n hated to have to nod. She knew they were keeping a brave face on but they were disappointed.

~

Y/n's lie worked. She made it to out of the station with Draco without anyone seeing.

They got in the car and, from there, they travelled to the manor. It was fabulous. Better than she could ever imagine. Pointed towers and perfectly done gardens, she was in another world.

"Hey, it'll be okay," Draco assured her, taking his hand in hers as they made it to the door. She had already met their house-elf, who carried the bags.

Draco knocked on the door, trying to seem brave. Narcissa swung it open, arms wide open to pull Draco in. Y/n admired how close they were. She had seen Narcissa once before when she came to see Draco. They weren't introduced but Y/n admired how elegant she looked.

"Y/n Potter, right?" Narcissa asked once she had let her boy go.

"Yes, Mrs Malfoy. It's a pleasure to meet you." Y/n politely said.

Narcissa giggled, shaking her head. "Don't be silly, you can call me Narcissa." She said before opening her arms up for the girl. She hugged for just as long as she hugged Draco, making Y/n feel very comfortable.

Lucius walked over, making Y/n's heart race.

"Draco." He greeted his son with a handshake, much less warm than his mother.

Then he turned to Y/n, staring down his nose at her. She had never felt as small. "You must be Y/n Potter?" He held out his hand.

"Yes, sir," Y/n replied, shaking his hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

Lucius just scowled. Narcissa interrupted the tension. "Come, kids, we can talk in the living room." Just like that, she was part of the family.

~

The Malfoy tent at the Quidditch world cup was impressive. It was grand and dark like the manor.

Her summer with Draco was the best of her life, not that the others were much to compare to. Narcissa was the kindest woman she'd ever know. When she realised Y/n's birthday was the 31st of July, she insisted on throwing a large party.

She let Y/n pick out all the decorations, taking her on a shopping spree to Diagon Alley. Then, they had a spa day and afternoon tea party with Pansy and Daphne and some of Narcissa's friends. As much as she wanted to, Y/n figured it wasn't right to invite Hermione and Ginny.

That night, they had dinner out with the girls, Draco, Theo and Blaise. It was the best day of her life. It only got better when a massive cake was wheeled out, and a cart for of gifts. She was sure it was more than Dudley had ever gotten.

Draco's was the most special. It was a necklace, a traditional Black family one. On it was their initials.

Y/n made sure to stay in contact with Harry, but things had started to slip. She figured he was just busy but she missed him, and their other friends.

It was difficult for Y/n to get along with Lucius, knowing how close he was to Voldemort, the man who was trying to kill her. Somehow, they just didn't talk about it.

"Are you ready to go?" Draco asked, adjusting his black blazer. She couldn't believe how good he looked, a full black suit. His blonde hair parted in the middle. He had grown into his looks majorly over the summer.

"Yeah." Y/n nodded, putting her last earing in. They were a gift from Narcissa, real emeralds. She had a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach she was trying to shake off as anticipation.

"Okay, Mum has already gone to our box. We're going in with my Father." He told her, walking over to grab her hand. Physical contact was something the couple had gotten used to. It was no longer awkward.

Y/n took his hand, lacing their fingers as they walked out of the tent. Draco was taller than her now, he hadn't been in first year. His slim thumb traced over her knuckles mindlessly.

Lucius didn't seem to mind the two of them being so close. The sky had darkened, and the crowds were already cheering. While Y/n had never been to a muggle sports game, she thought this was better. It was noisy but spectacular.

Draco and Y/n talked as they walked, him occasionally bumping into her shoulder. It always made her giggle.

When she heard Lucius' cruel voice, she looked back at him. He was looking up. Y/n followed his eye line. The Weasley's. Hermione. Harry.

Her brain stopped working, and she froze. The look on Harry's face was pure fury. He was looking between her and Draco rapidly, but it was obvious. They were holding hands, and they had just been giggling together.

Those smiles were long gone. The atmosphere had immediately blackened.

Lucius' threat to Harry made her wince. Harry didn't even look bothered, just furious at her. Betrayed. It physically hurt her, and she gripped Draco's hand.

The Weasley group turned to walk off so did Lucius. Draco pulled Y/n closer to him, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

"Hey, don't worry. It'll be okay. Harry will calm down." Draco told her. She just hoped it was true. Harry didn't like to be deceived, and she had lied so much. Plus, Draco was never nice to Harry, Hermione and Ron. They probably hated her by association. "My father really shouldn't have said that." He grimaced. That's made her confident in her decision. Draco had changed.

Y/n nodded, trying to choke back the tears welling in her eyes. "Yeah, I know."

Draco stopped in the middle of the bridge. He took her face in his hands. "Hey, I love you." He reminded her before leaning down to kiss her. It was soft and filled her back up with warmth, making the chilling look Harry had sent her go away. She just hoped Harry still loved her.

Y/n tried to put Harry in the back of her mind the rest of the break. She did write him a few letters, but he didn't reply.

~

Harry was too busy to talk to Y/n on the first day of school. She hoped Hermione and Ron weren't giving her the cold shoulder, but they did.

So she spent the welcome feast with Pansy and Daphne. And, of course, her boyfriend.

He confronted her on the second day of school.

Y/n was in the courtyard when Draco and Harry had their quarrel. She always knew Draco was short-tempered, but she couldn't believe the things he was saying to Harry about their mother.

Y/n's shock grew when Harry spat back, knocking Narcissa. He didn't know her like she did. Narcissa had been nothing but kind to Y/n. That was when she knew she couldn't let Harry get away with it.

"Harry!" Y/n yelled, his attention flicked to her. His eyes were even more outraged than they were with Draco.

"What do you want, traitor?" Harry demanded, his voice was angry too.

"You can't say those things about Narcissa," Y/n demanded. Now she knew how mad Draco felt. Her jaw was clenched like her fits. "And, I'm not a traitor. I'm a Slytherin, that wasn't my choice."

Harry rolled his eyes and huffed. "You're sickening. Did you not hear what he said about our mother!?" He lectured her. "I don't know how you could be with someone so vile."

"Draco isn't who you think he is." Y/n defended. Draco loved her. He'd never given up on her like Harry had.

"He hates you!" Harry spat. He was closer to her now, towering over her. She had never seen anyone that mad. "You're not a Potter. You don't belong in our family." He said so lowly it made her shiver.

Harry was so close she thought he was going to hit her. That's when Draco jumped in the middle of the twins, pushing Harry back and shielding Y/n.

"Watch it, Potter." Draco threatened, glaring down at Harry. He was only an inch taller.

Harry scoffed, fists clench, ready for a fight. He looked around Draco, at Y/n. "Mum and Dad would have despised you. You're just like all those other awful Slytherins. I don't understand how you could be with someone as low as Malfoy." His words sat deep in her heart, and he didn't stop them from coming. "You're not a Potter." With that, he left, not looking back.

Y/n immediately burst out in tears. She couldn't stop it. Draco spun around to her, holding her so she wouldn't collapse.

"Hey, hey, hey. It's okay." Draco told her, wrapping her in his arms so tightly. He just held her. "You know they would be proud of you, Y/n. You're so strong and clever." He comforted her, his hands stroking her back.

Y/n shook her head. "No, I'm a Slytherin. They were all brave Gryffindors." She choked out.

"It doesn't matter what house you're in. You're so kind and talented." Draco reassured her. His heart was breaking, seeing his girlfriend in such a bad state. All he wanted to do was stop her from hurting. "I know how important Harry is to you. We can take a break until this all blows over." He reassured her.

Y/n shook her head, clinging to her chest. "No, no, please, Dray." She said as she cried out. "You're the last good thing I have left."

"Baby." He cooed, tracing her cheekbones. "I'll never leave you." He promised.

~

Draco stayed true to his word. He supported her throughout the whole year. Y/n was always worried for Harry. Despite the shunning, he inflicted on her.

It didn't stop with Harry. Y/n lost half of her friends that day. Hermione, the Weasley's and most muggle-borns refused to talk to her. She was always so kind that it troubled her.

Draco took her to the Yule ball, naturally. She saw Harry that night. They even made eye contact, but he didn't comment on her forest green dress. It matched her eyes perfectly, though, and Harry couldn't stop thinking about one photo of his mother he'd seen. They looked so similar.

She spent the Christmas break at the Malfoy's, receiving a sweater from Molly Weasley. That meant the world to her, despite none of them speaking to her.

When they got back to Hogwarts, Y/n figured out how irrelevant she was to Harry. Ron was the one that was taken for the second task. Everyone noticed. Not his own twin, his friend.

Y/n still remained close with Sirius. They wrote letters to each other throughout the year. He knew how worried she was about Harry.

The truth was, Sirius felt bad, James and Lily were his best friends and he knew they'd be disappointed to see the twins split up. Sirius was also worried for Y/n, he knew what it was like being part of the Black family.

He had hatched a few plans to get them to talk, but none worked. Not due to Y/n's lack of trying.

The third task was the worst thing Y/n had been through at Hogwarts. She could feel something bad was happening to Harry. When he came back through the portkey, she saw it. And it was distressing.

Voldermort was reborn, whether everyone believed it or not. Y/n could feel it was true.

~

5th year was exciting.

Y/n celebrated her 15th birthday before it started. This time, they had dinner with her friends. She didn't write to Harry.

Sirius sent her gifts, and he was starting to ask whether Narcissa was okay.

Just after her birthday, in August, Draco Malfoy and Y/n Potter were made prefects. They both read the letters at the breakfast table.

Narcissa was overjoyed for both of them.

At 11am, on the 1st of September, they got on the train to Hogwarts.

The rest of that year went on normally, apart from Umbridge's rules.

Christmas break was a sign that a darker power was brewing. Y/n heard the whispers under the door and she assumed the other side of the war also had meetings.

Y/n was shocked when Death Eaters escaped from Azkaban. After the Umbridge drama died down, they had to sit their O.W.L.s. That was rough.

One terrible day of June was Sirius' last. Y/n cried in Draco's arms for days over the death. She always thought Sirius was the only person who was going to be able to reunite the twins. And now he was gone.

~

Y/n knew something was very wrong during the summer. Draco told her he was a death eater. They cried about it together all night. The weeks following were stressful, and they weren't even back at Hogwarts. The war had started.

Draco and Narcissa kept Y/n hidden from Lucius' guests. O.W.L results were the first good thing that summer.

Y/n's 16th birthday was smaller than her last. Y/n, Draco, Pansy, Blaise and Theo were all hyperaware of the dementor attacks.

That weekend, they visited Diagon Alley with Narcissa. Y/n was at Draco's side the whole time, unfortunately, that meant she had a run-in with Harry and the Weasleys. It was awkward, to say the least. Her own twin still wouldn't acknowledge her.

Draco's task started at the beginning of the year. Y/n was the only one who knew about it, besides Snape.

Then Christmas, with even more death eater meetings. Y/n barely saw Draco. Narcissa had made her promise to take care of him, but it was difficult to get him to eat.

Draco continued his task during the second semester. Y/n knew that Harry knew about Draco. Their twin insight gave him the power to just know things.

It was getting difficult between Y/n and Draco. They didn't talk as honestly as they used to. He wanted to protect her. And she knew he needed to open up.

One day in May, Y/n rushed to see Draco in the hospital wing, concerned about how he could have gotten there. Did something go wrong with the vanishing cabinet?

"Draco!" She cried as she saw him lying on a hospital bed looking pale.

Draco waved at her, a little smile on his face.

"Potter." Snape hissed, looking down at the girl. Y/n didn't care he was there as she wrapped her arms around Draco. Snape was nicer to Y/n this year, which she didn't understand.

From a photo Sirius had given her, she knew she looked more like Lily than ever. She always kept the picture near her. It was the Potter parents holding up their twins, smiling.

"He's fine," Snape told her. "As for your brother, he's going to be in huge trouble." He continued before walking out of the hospital wing.

"What happened?" Y/n demanded, holding Draco's face in her hands. His cheekbones were more prominent now, and his eyes were more overcast.

Draco playfully huffed. "I was, uh, in the bathroom. Potter came in and used the bloody Sectumsempra spell on me." He complained, his eyes now angrier. She couldn't believe Harry would do something like that. But, then again, she didn't really know him.

Y/n noticed the way his voice faded when he talked about where he was. "Why were you in the bathroom?" She knew him well enough to push for an answer."

"Uh, talking." Draco offered an explanation. It wasn't good enough for Y/n to accept.

"To who?" She asked.

Draco groaned, rolling his eyes. He finally gave in. "Fine, I was crying to Moaning Myrtle." He admitted. His cheeks were pink with blush and he looked guilty.

"Dray." Y/n cooed, reaching down to hold his hand. "You can talk to me about anything you need to, any time." She assured him.

Draco nodded, thankfully. "He's going to get detention for the rest of the year." He told her, a self-satisfied smirk on his lips.

Narcissa was one of the last people Y/n expected to see walk into the Hospital Wing. She was in a black pantsuit.

"Mother." Draco greeted her, trying to move in the bed to get up.

"Stay put, you," Narcissa told him with a smile. She walked right over and hugged Y/n. "Are you okay?" She asked. Y/n just nodded. She knew a storm was brewing, but nothing had happened yet. It was only a matter of time. Then she turned to Draco. "Are you?" She asked him.

Draco already had a witty reply, clearly feeling like himself again. "Aside from my own mother preferring my girlfriend to me." He complained, a faux pout on his face.

Narcissa just rolled her eyes, like mother like son. "I can't help it. You get into too much trouble." She told him with a pointed look.

Draco scoffed. "Wasn't my fault." He complained quietly. The girls just gave him a look he knew too well. "Honestly, what are you doing here?" He asked. When Narcissa widened her eyes, he followed the question up with a statement. "Not that I'm not pleased to see you."

"I've actually come for Y/n." She explained.

Both Y/n and Draco looked at her in shock. "What? Why?" Y/n asked, most concerned.

Narcissa looked to Draco who sighed out an 'oh' and then back to Y/n before speaking. "You know about the cabinet." Y/n nodded. "They need it. The Death Eaters. To get into Hogwarts." That made Y/n worry. They weren't coming in to have dinner.

"You don't know this." Draco started, making Y/n's attention turn to him. "My task is to kill Dumbledore." Y/n's mouth gawked open. She could feel her hands shaking. More than anything, she couldn't believe someone would make a kid do that.

Narcissa grimaced. "It's all about to start." Y/n didn't need to ask what 'it' was. "So I'm taking Y/n away." She told them.

"Wait... for how long?" Draco asked quickly, gripping her hand.

"Draco, you sit in those meetings," Narcissa told him. "You know the plan is for them to take over the Ministry of Magic and persecute muggle-borns." That made Y/n wince. "It's not safe for Y/n to stay at Hogwarts, don't be silly about this." She strictly told him.

Draco sighed but nodded. He knew Narcissa was always right. "Can I still see her?" He asked, now thinking rationally. Y/n didn't like that she didn't have any say in the matter.

"Yes." At least there was that. "No one is going to know where she is apart from Lucius, you and I," Narcissa told them.

"Do I get any say in this?" Y/n finally spat out.

Narcissa turned her attention to Y/n with a pleading look. "You know we have to."

"I've still got a month of school left," Y/n argued.

"I know and I'm sorry we have to do this." Narcissa apologised. "It's all going to happen next month."

"Can't I stay until then?" Y/n asked.

Narcissa shook her head. "I promise you, if I thought you could, I would let you. You're a big part of what you-know-who wants, Harry more, but you must stay far away from this." She told her.

Y/n couldn't not agree. "Alright. We're leaving now?" She asked.

"Yes," Narcissa told her. "All of your things have been packed. Draco can come and see you once it's over." She promised.

Draco wrapped his arms around Y/n as he kissed her. It was one of the things she knew she was going to miss. She also knew it was time to go.

"Bye, I love you," Draco told her, waving from his hospital bed.

"I love you too," Y/n replied before walking out of the wing with Narcissa.

From there, they went out a secret passage, making sure no one saw. Professor Snape knew Y/n had to go, so he was coming up with the cover story.

Narcissa and Y/n finally reached a Slytherin scarf, which took them to a house she'd never been to. "Where are we?" Y/n asked, still holding on to the portkey.

"The South of England," Narcissa told her, making her brows furrow and eyes widen. "It's an old Black family house." She explained, opening the door. It was just as grand as the Manor, smaller, though.

Inside it looked just as gorgeous. All the decor was French country vintage. It screamed old money.

"It's beautiful," Y/n told Narcissa, having a look around the inside. There was so much light streaming into the room with wooden details.

"I'll make some tea. Your room is on the second floor, first door." Narcissa told her. Y/n nodded, walking up the stairs to find the room. It was decorated like royalty belonged there. There was a massive window that looked right out onto the coast.

It was then she realised the house was on a cliff. Y/n hadn't seen it from the angle the entryway was at. But it was spectacular. Lonely.

Y/n could spend her whole life there. She set her bags down and strolled around the room. It was smaller than Draco's was, at the manor. But it was much lighter. Almost the complete opposite of the Malfoy family home.

Once she had finished looking around, she went back downstairs to see Narcissa setting tea up on the coffee table. When she walked into the living room she saw the massive windows, showing the ocean.

"Sit," Narcissa commanded and Y/n did so right away. She poured tea for both of them before also sitting down. They sat in silence for a while, Y/n not knowing what to say. "I can tell you have questions." Narcissa prompted.

"Why is Snape protecting Draco and I?" Y/n asked quickly.

Narcissa sighed before answering. "Do you know what an Unbreakable Vow is?" She asked, and Y/n nodded. "Severus and I made one. He vowed to watch over Draco." Y/n nodded again. That vow must have expended to Y/n.

Y/n suddenly had more questions. "You need a Bonder, right?"

"Yes, Bellatrix was ours," Narcissa replied. Y/n was familiar with Draco's strange aunt. They had never met, out of Bellatrix's loyalty to Voldermort.

"Are you going to stay here with me?" She asked, concerned about being alone.

Narcissa shook her head. "I'm sorry. I can only be here sometimes. The story is you ran away, and no one knows where you are, so I can't be here too much." Y/n didn't know that before. Everyone was going to think she'd left by choice. Pansy, Daphne, Blaise, Theo. Harry, if he cared. She knew none of them were going to be able to know why she was gone.

"Am I safe here?" Y/n asked, now worrying about how she would be safe alone. The tea they were sipping seemed to calm her down.

"Yes, there are charms on the house so no one can get in. But, I'm also giving you this." Narcissa stopped what she was saying and pulled out a necklace. It was a heart-shaped gold locket. Narcissa placed it in her hand. Y/n looked at it. That's when she noticed the initials on it. Draco's and hers.

Y/n thanked her. "That's not it. If you open it like this." Narcissa instructed, opening the heart. Y/n noticed the emerald gemstone. "This stone is a portkey, right to the Manor." So Y/n would be able to get back to the Manor.

"I can't thank you enough, and I don't want to intrude, but I do have a personal question." Y/n was hesitant about what she was going to ask. But she needed to know. "You said before, in the hospital wing, that Mr Malfoy knew where I was staying. And I have a lot of respect for him, so I don't want this to come off badly." Y/n could tell she was rambling. Narcissa could as well, she slid a hand onto Y/n's to calm her down. "Why is it safe for him to know? He's you-know-who's number 2. Eventually, he's going to want me dead." It broke Y/n's heart, she knew it was going to ruin Draco's life. But, his father was going to have to kill her.

"Slow down." Narcissa smiled softly. That comforted Y/n a little. "Do you remember when we met, the summer before the World Cup?" She asked. Y/n nodded in agreement, not sure where it was going. "The night we met you, I knew. I knew Draco was in love with you. And, I knew Voldermort was going to come back and try to kill the Potter twins." Y/n's heart started to race at the mention of her parents' death. "I made Lucius make an unbreakable vow. Snape was the Bonder." Oh, it made sense. Lucius couldn't hurt Y/n, Narcissa had protected her.

She just didn't understand why so she asked. "Why? I mean, I appreciate it more than anything. But you risked your whole marriage." It was true, and Narcissa knew that.

"I've never thought you or Harry should be persecuted. My parents raised me as pureblood supremacists, but killing is wrong." Narcissa told her. Y/n was thankful for her honesty. She filled the place Lily had left, and Petunia hadn't tried to fill. "I love Draco, more than anything in the world. The only thing I've ever wanted is to see him happy. I knew he was happy with you." Y/n understood Narcissa's unconditional love for Draco, she felt the same.

"He's lucky to have you," Y/n mentioned, trying not to think about her parents.

"I don't know if I've ever told you this, but I'm very sorry about your parents," Narcissa told her. Y/n could feel the tears in her eyes.

She let a few of them fall. "Did you, uh, know them?"

"My last two years at Hogwarts, they were there. James was only 11 but he was loud and brave. He would even stand up to me with Sirius." Hearing both their names made Y/n cry more. She was crying for the dad she never knew, and the uncle she only had for a short time. "I noticed you at Hogwarts, I think during second year, and I had deja vu. You looked so similar to Lily. She always wore her hair just like you did." Y/n remembered seeing Narcissa but she didn't remember Narcissa seeing her.

"Would they be disappointed in me?" Y/n couldn't help but ask. Narcissa felt her pain, running deep. She immediately wrapped the girl in a hug, letting her cry.

"No, never for a moment." She confirmed. "I know it's not the same, but I'm proud of you." It wasn't the same, but it meant just as much.

"Thank you." Y/n thanked her again.

"No thanks are necessary. I should go back though." Narcissa stated, looking at her watch.

Y/n nodded, gently opening the necklace so she wouldn't touch the emerald. Narcissa held it, and just like that, she was gone.

Y/n found a good amount of things to do. There were movies and music. She still had some of her textbooks. Plus, exploring the house was fun.

But she did miss Draco. And the rest of her friends. Instead of using an owl, she decided to send letters by muggle post to the Malfoy residence, so Narcissa could send them to Hogwarts.

~

There was a knock on the door a couple of weeks after Y/n moved in.

She peaked out the window before seeing a tuff of blonde hair. It was Draco.

Quickly, she swung the door open, embarrassing him in her arms.

Draco hugged her back, lifting her off the ground and twirling her around.

"Dray, I missed you." She cooed, head buried in his shoulder.

"I missed you too, my girl." He replied, pulling her even closer. It was so tight she felt like she couldn't breathe.

When she pulled back, she had a thought. "How did you manage to come? Don't you have classes?"

Draco shook his head. "Quidditch match. It's Gryffindor vs Ravenclaw, so I came here instead." Y/n was very grateful for Quidditch that day.

They only had a few hours before people would notice he was gone. But they baked cookies together while Draco filled her in on everything she'd missed. As well as lots of kissing.

When it came time for him to leave, she was upset. But Draco made her promise not to cry.

~

Draco came back after the battle of the tower. Y/n knew there was something wrong. He didn't grin as wide when he met her at the beach.

There were already tears forming in his eyes, and it was late.

"Dray, talk to me, baby." Y/n pleaded as they lay together on the couch. It was far past midnight. Y/n was on Draco's chest and they were a tangle of limbs. She had her fingers running through his hair.

Draco sighed. "I couldn't do it." He sobbed out. "I couldn't kill him. Snape had to do it. It was so horrible, Y/n." He continued, tears still falling. "My father was so mad. He cares more about appeasing Voldermort than me." Y/n's heart clenched as she heard his words.

"Draco, he loves you." Y/n tried to reassure him.

Draco tried to accept it, but it was difficult. "I'm scared for what's going to happen." He told her.

"Me too," Y/n admitted. "How's it all going to end?" She asked him.

The truth was Draco didn't know. And she knew that. "They're talking over the Manor." He didn't want to be the one telling her the bad news. "They're going to go after anyone and everyone associated with Muggleborns. I'm not going to get to be here much." He hesitantly admitted.

"You've done what they needed you to do, though!" Y/n exclaimed, feeling outraged.

"I know. I'm not sure what they're going to do with me. Father lectured me and I just came here." Draco explained. It reassured her there might be some hope he could spend the summer there. "It'll be okay, Y/n."

She tried to retain that. "Can you come back on my birthday, at least?" Y/n asked.

"Of course, baby." Draco quickly replied. That brought Y/n some relief.

~

Draco was busy a lot of the summer. Despite having completed the task he was given, he was still Lucius's son.

He told Y/n all about how the Manor had been taken over by death eaters. It worried her. She also spent a lot of time worried about Harry. He was the only blood connection she had left in the world, and she had no idea where he was.

Draco came back on her birthday like he promised. He had more flowers than she'd ever seen in her life. That wasn't where the gifts ended. Jewellery, new shoes, perfume and a big cake.

Narcissa made it as well for dinner. She even insisted Draco stay the night.

By nighttime, they were lying in bed together. Draco's arms wrapped around her tightly. As usual, she lay against his chest. Draco stroking her hair.

When she looked up at him, she knew something was wrong. After all their years together, she could read him like a book. "What is it?"

"What do you mean?" He asked. His voice was a slightly higher pitch. Y/n recognised that as a sign he was hiding something.

"I can tell something bothering you," Y/n explained. "Let me in, Dray." She pleaded.

Draco knew he had to. "I have to leave early tomorrow morning."

Y/n knew that wasn't it. "I need the whole truth." Draco groaned, knowing she knew him better than he knew himself.

"I have to go early so I can be at the takeover of the ministry," Draco revealed to her. "They're going after Scrimgeour because he knows where Harry is." Oh. That wasn't good. Either the minister would give up Harry's location, and her twin brother would be killed. Or, the Ministry of Magic would be run by Death Eaters. Either way, their power was growing. Y/n knew Harry only had a matter of time. Then she would be next.

"So, no one knows where Harry is?" Y/n asked hopefully. Even if he hated her, she would rather he was alive.

Draco shook his head. "He's hunting the Horcruxes, I'd guess. Scrimgeour knows and maybe a few members of the Ministry." That made Y/n relieved, although she wasn't sure how good Harry's survival skills were.

"Am I going to be okay?" Y/n asked, fearing the worst.

Draco took a deep breath as he prepared an answer. "I'm never going to let him get to you, I promise. My Father's vow will make sure he can't either. No one else knows you're here." He reassured her. Y/n just hoped it was true, Draco could read that.

"So you're going back to Hogwarts?" Y/n couldn't help but ask.

Draco nodded. "I think Snape is going to be appointed Headmaster. I'll be safe there." That reassured Y/n to no end. He chuckled slightly, a smile on his face. "We were going to be Head boy and girl." He explained. Y/n's face dropped as she tried not to cry. "Hey, hey, hey." Draco noticed. "It's just the way it happened."

"I know." She nodded. "It just could have been the best year ever."

"When this is all over, we're going to have the best year." He assured her. Y/n tried to hang onto that.

It got difficult the further the year dragged on. Y/n barely saw Draco. She did receive letters about how horrible things had gotten. Hogwarts was gloomier, no one could find Harry, Snape's regime was intense. Y/n was thankful she was away from the whole mess.

Just before Christmas, she found out Luna Lovegood had been kidnapped. Draco had started to detest the cause he was fighting for. He never said so, but she could infer it from what he wrote.

In March, she discovered Harry had been captured. Draco was the one who had to identify him, and he felt horrible about it. He cried on her shoulder, begging her to forgive him when he came to see her. Y/n was never mad at Draco. She was smart enough to know he had to do it. And, deep down, she could feel that Harry was okay.

Draco was in a worse state when they escaped. Not because he wanted Harry to be killed. Because his own aunt had murdered Dobby. While he was taught to hate the house-elves, Dobby was almost his younger sibling.

All Draco could feel was split, unsure of what to do.

Draco told her it was all going to happen on May 1st. The battle of Hogwarts. Y/n spent the whole day riddled with anxiety. She spent a whole 3 days wide awake, waiting for news.

She felt a cursing pain through her head at some point on the 2nd of May. Then the visions started, of Harry and Dumbledore at a train station. She realised she was seeing inside Harry's vision. When he made the choice to return to his body, Y/n knew everything would be alright.

Y/n anxious sat on the couch until 3 people appeared. It was only the early hours of the morning. She immediately ran to Draco wrapping her arms around him. He was unkempt, and his hair was a mess. He hugged her back, pulling her into his chest. She had never seen him looking as disturbed.

"What happened?" Y/n asked, turning to give Narcissa a hug. Much to her surprise, Lucius shook her hand. It was the first time they'd ever done something like that.

"We left," Lucius told her. That was also the first time he'd ever properly talked to her. She didn't understand.

They explained it all to her. How Harry sacrificed himself, how he died, more importantly how Narcissa discovered he was alive. Y/n hung on every word as Narcissa told her how she had lied to Voldermort. She also told Y/n Harry asked if she was still alive. Harry still cared about her.

By that point Draco, Narcissa and Y/n were all crying.

The sun had just started rising when Y/n realised it.

Suddenly, she had a massive headache. The kind she knew Harry used to have. And she knew what it meant.

"Voldermort's dead," Y/n announced, causing all of their eyes to widen. "I just know. I can feel it. Harry killed him." She felt more connected to Harry than she had in years, but she knew.

There were no words any of them said as they hugged. She could feel her head beating rapidly, the same as Draco's.

"Who died?" Y/n finally asked the question she was terrified to ask. Harry was the only one she knew was alive from the good side.

"Bellatrix." Narcissa sobbed out, Lucius immediately pulling her into a hug. It was one of the first times Y/n had seen them acting so intimately.

Draco continued giving Y/n the list. Every second felt like an hour as she hoped none of her friends died. "Fred Weasley." She could only think about the heartbreak that would have caused her brother and his friends. "Snape too." Draco let a few tears fall and Y/n rushed to wipe them. "Lupin and Tonks." Lupin was the last person alive who really knew her parents. Now her chances of knowing about them were over. "There were a lot of others too but everyone else we are close to is okay."

"Good." Y/n nodded before wrapping him in a hug. They stayed like that for a few minutes. Both couples holding each other, all feeling extremely grateful.

"We should go back home," Narcissa told them, glancing at the clock on the wall. "We'll have breakfast." She promised.

Draco enthusiastically nodded. "I'm starving." He mentioned.

Narcissa reached out to grab his hand. "You haven't eaten in days."

Y/n quickly turned her attention to Draco. "Dray." She told him, hitting his arm. "You can't do that."

"I won't, ever again." He promised, his hand wrapping around her waist. "As long as you're there to cook for me." He cheekily quipped, looking at Y/n with a grin. It was the first one she had seen in a while.

Narcissa and Lucius both laughed at the younger couple who reminded them of themselves. "You're dreaming," Y/n replied, bumping into his shoulder. Y/n opened her necklace.

Narcissa, Draco, Lucius and Y/n all touched the emerald. Just like that, they arrived in the Manor living room. It was like Y/n remembered, still as dark. She did feel better about being there, knowing no death eaters were trying to kill her brother.

Over pancakes, they laughed and talked. The world finally felt peaceful again. It was the first time Y/n had been happy in weeks.

An owl knocked at the window, around midday and Y/n took the two letters out of its mouth.

"Dray." She told him, handing his one over to him. "It's from Hogwarts." She told Narcissa and Lucius. They both opened their letters and read them. "In June, they're having an end of year feast," Y/n explained.

"So, we've got a month off school?" Draco looked thrilled by the news.

Narcissa chuckled. "What does it say about your exams?" She asked.

Draco read further down. "Mine says my grades from last year will be considered my grades for this year and I can become an Aurora. Or I can go back to Hogwarts." There was hopefulness in his voice Y/n had missed.

"Draco!" Narcissa cheered, jumping up to hug him. "Congratulations."

"Mine says the same." Y/n realised. "But how is that possible?" She asked, looking at Narcissa.

"I'm not sure." The woman replied, looking just as confused.

"I may have a few words with the acting Ministry when Voldermort was in charge," Lucius reported. All 3 of them were shocked by the confession.

Y/n was overcome with appreciation. "Thank you, sir."

"Please, Lucius is fine." That surprised Y/n but it was nice to hear he might not have hated her as much as she thought. It was the first time Y/n had seen a smile on his face. "What are you two planning on doing with your time off?" He asked the younger couple.

Draco and Y/n met each other's eyes, they hadn't thought about it. "What are we meant to do?" Draco asked.

"The house on the cliff is empty, if you want to spend more time there, Y/n," Narcissa mentioned. Draco grinned widely, nodding his head. He accepted the offer. "Slow down, Y/n?" Narcissa asked, turning her attention to Y/n.

"Yes, I'd love to. Thank you." Y/n affirmed her boyfriend's acceptance.

"When can we go?" Draco asked.

Lucius chuckled. "You don't want to spend time with your parents, son?" He joked. Another first. "You're going of age now, Draco. Y/n too. I think you've both earned the privilege of being treated like adults." He told them.

"You have to be back for your birthday, Draco. We're going to throw a party." Narcissa instructed, raising her eyebrows at him.

"So I'm not an adult?" Draco quipped back.

Narcissa turned to Y/n. "Will you make sure he comes back?" Y/n nodded. "Then you are both free to leave after I get a hug." She informed them, opening her arms up. Draco hugged her first, standing much taller than her.

Then he left to get his stuff. Lucius followed him up the stairs. Y/n walked over to Narcissa, embracing her.

"Thank you, for everything." Y/n mentioned in her arms.

"It's never a problem, sweetness," Narcissa replied, kissing the girl on the forehead.

~

Y/n and Draco took a different portkey to the house. Both of them were buzzing to have a month together after being apart for so long. They finally felt free and independent.

For a few weeks, they just hung out, reacquainting with each other. They spent time in London, seeing muggle sights and shopping. As well as the small, nearby muggle town. It had the cutest cafe.

Draco and Y/n also hung out with Pansy, Theo and Blaise again. They were all thrilled to see her. She explained the whole situation to them and they completely understood.

Between them, it was like no time was lost.

One summer evening, Draco had insisted on cooking Y/n dinner. He explained it was a date. She was to dress up nice like they were going out. Draco was in a full black suit, matching Y/n's sparkling black dress.

He even set the outdoor table, making Y/n sit there and wait for him to bring out dinner.

It was a pasta dish. The same one Narcissa had made the first time Y/n met the Malfoy family.

"Thank you, Dray," Y/n said as they sat, looking out at the view. The sun was just setting and the whole sky was painted pinks and oranges. In the distance, there was the sound of waves breaking on the cliff.

Draco looked nervous, she hadn't seen him like that for a long time. "Uh, I had a question for you." He stuttered out, cheeks turning pink.

Y/n sent him a soft smile, trying to help him calm down. His nerves were worrying her. What could he possibly ask her? Y/n knew exactly what was about to happen when Draco slid off his chair and down onto one knee. Her hands immediately came over her mouth. Tears were already pricking her eyes. He reached into his back pocket, producing a green velvet box.

"I've, uh, I've thought about doing this for a really long time. When we first met I knew you were the one who was always going to hold a special part of my heart. It was everything about you. I never believed in love at first sight until I met you." Y/n was full-on sobbing at Draco's words. They were the sweetest thing anyone had ever said. "I knew from when I met you that I'd always love you. But I had no idea you'd bear to be around me for long enough. I was kind of insufferable." Y/n and Draco both chuckled. "I'm so grateful I even got the chance to know someone as clever, kind, funny and ambitious as you. Once I'd asked you out, I knew I needed you to be mine forever." Draco let a few tears out, stopping to wipe them. "I've done a lot of stupid things, hurt a lot of people and you're far too good for me, I know that. But, I swear, I'm going to spend every day making it up however I can. I'm going to spend every day making it up to you too. If you let me. I think I knew you before I understood myself. You truly are my best friend and the most important person to me in the world." Neither of them could stop the uncontrollable tears they let out. "So, uh, I've got to ask now. Y/n Potter, will you do me the honours of marrying me?" Draco opened the ring box, revealing a huge diamond ring. It looked vintage and the prettiest thing Y/n had ever seen.

Y/n wiped a few stray tears off her cheeks, leaning down to do that same to Draco. "Yes, Draco. A million times yes." He was grinning as wide as she'd ever seen as he slipped the ring on her finger.

He stood up, holding her face in his hands. "I love you." He told her, leaning down to kiss her gently.

"I love you too," Y/n replied, eyes closed with her forehead intimately pressed against Draco's. When she moved her eyes she looked down at the ring. "It's so beautiful, Dray."

Draco nodded before explaining the story. "It's, um, a Black family heirloom. If Mum, Aunt Bella or Aunt Andromeda were boys, they would have gotten it. Luckily for me, it skipped a generation."

"It's stunning." Y/n leant back up to place a kiss on his lips. "Now, what have you cooked for dessert?" She asked, giggling lightly.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Your favourite, of course, but only because you said yes." He revelled.

~

Y/n woke Draco up on his birthday with an assortment of gifts. After they ate breakfast and unwrapped presents, they went to the Manor.

Y/n knocked on the door happily. Draco's left hand entwined with her right one. Narcissa swung it open and embarrassed Y/n in an enthusiastic hug. She quickly grabbed Y/n's left hand, looking at the ring.

"I knew it would look perfect on you," Narcissa mentioned, tracing over the ring. Y/n grinned at her.

"It is perfect," Y/n said, grinning at Draco.

"You're perfect." Draco simply replied. Narcissa chuckled at the two of them. "Can I have my hug?" He asked Narcissa.

Narcissa dropped Y/n's hand hesitantly to pull him in. "18 but you're still acting like a petulant child." She joked making Draco pull a face of mock offence. "Happy birthday, Draco."

"Are you keeping them in here, Sissy?" Lucius asked, walking around the corner. Narcissa rolled her eyes at him. "Happy birthday, son." He said, wrapping Draco in a hug. "Y/n." Lucius turned to her.

"Mr Malfoy." Y/n greeted. She thought she was in trouble when he raised his eyebrows and shot her a pointed look. The smile on his lips assured her she wasn't about to be told off. "Lucius." She corrected herself.

Y/n held out a hand to shake his but he shook his head, opening his arms. "You're my future daughter-in-law, come here." He insisted, and Y/n hugged him, trying to avoid showing her shock.

After they had lunch and Draco opened more presents, Pansy, Daphne, Theo, Blaise, other friends and several Malfoy and Black family members came over. It was a phenomenal party.

Pansy raced right over to Y/n, flinging her arms around the girl.

"Hi Pansy, it's actually my birthday." Draco sarcastically greeted her.

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Happy birthday, you big baby." She said, giving him a hug too. "I'm sorry I missed my best friend." Draco faked offence.

Theo, Blaise and Daphne all came to hug the couple as well. Neither Y/n nor Draco had realised they didn't know about the engagement.

They all quickly got flutes of champagne, raising them to toast each Draco.

That's when Pansy saw it. "Oh, Merlin. Is that an engagement ring!?" Pansy shouted, grabbing Y/n's left hand.

Both Y/n and Draco awkwardly laughed. "Yes," Y/n confirmed as Pansy admired the ring, showing Y/n's hand to Daphne and the boys.

"That's not just any ring. That's a Black Family ring." Blaise noticed.

Y/n furrowed her eyebrows. "How did you know that?" She asked, looking back at Draco.

He was blushing pink. "Loverboy, here, has been talking about giving it to you since 1st year," Theo informed Y/n. "He wouldn't shut up about it most nights." Her eyes widened as she looked at a red-faced Draco.

"You never told me that," Y/n mentioned, nudging his chest. Draco groaned, wrapping his arm around Y/n's waist.

"Because it's really embarrassing." Draco quietly stated.

Daphne pattered Draco's arm. "Y/n used to talk about you in her sleep." Daphne declared. That made Y/n's cheeks heat. Draco and the rest of the friend group burst out laughing.

~

It was finally the day of the final Hogwarts feast. Y/n didn't ever think, at 11 years old, it was going to end like this. In 7 years, she had learnt so much more than most people learnt in their lifetime.

"Pans, Blaise." Y/n opened the door of the Black's seaside house to invite Pansy and Blaise in.

Pansy and Blaise were both dressed in formal clothing as they hugged Y/n. She was wearing a deep green dress that matched Draco's suit's tie.

"You look lovely." Pansy complimented her.

"Pansy, look at you!" Y/n returned the compliment, instructing Pansy to do a spin of her silver dress.

"Are we ready to go?" Draco asked, walking down the stairs. He was in a full black suit aside from his green tie. He bro-hugged Blaise and gave Pansy a hug before wrapping an arm around Y/n's waist.

Y/n nodded. "Let's do it."

Y/n hadn't seen how destructed Hogwarts was, but it now looked just like when she left. She couldn't help but feel sad at the tragedy that had occurred a month ago.

"It's odd being back," Pansy spoke what they were all thinking. Everyone gave her a nod of agreement.

The two couples walked into the great hall, hand in hand. Everyone was surprised to see Y/n. They still had no explanation for why she was gone.

Naturally, Y/n's eyes met her brother. She noticed how faded his lightning-bold scar looked. But she didn't go over to him, she just went to her house table.

McGonagall spoke, about the losses they had faced and how good always won in the end. Her speech was inspiring. Everyone was still distraught about the battle, it was evident on their faces.

They ate, laughing at their tables as the sky fell dark. Y/n had missed being at Hogwarts, it was like home to her. The couple finally made their way through the castle to go home when it was late.

"Y/n!" That was a voice she hadn't expected to hear. She hadn't heard him say her name in years. Harry. His voice was much deeper now.

Y/n stopped in her tracks, quickly turned around to look at him. She still looked like she remembered. "Hi." She greeted him, awkwardly rocking on her feet.

"I'll give you a moment," Draco mentioned, unlacing his hand with Y/n's and walking off.

Now, neither of them knew what to say. They were family but so disconnected.

"How are you?" Harry finally asked.

Y/n softly smiled. "I'm alright. And you?"

"Good." Harry stuttered. Silence fell again. "I'm so sorry." He blurted out. "I never should have said the things I did in 4th year. I was so angry about what Malfoy was saying and I couldn't believe it."

Y/n nodded. "I know, Harry, you don't need to explain it or be sorry."

"No, I do. I shouldn't have refused to talk to you for 3 years. It was childish and hurt you." Harry insisted. It made Y/n feel like the weight was off her shoulders. A weight she had been hauling for years. "I looked for you when I left Hogwarts for a whole year."

That was new information but it warmed Y/n's heart. "Harry, I had no idea." She replied, tears swelling in her eyes. "Narcissa told me you asked about me."

"I felt the worst I had ever felt. I was immature, and mum and dad would have been disappointed." Harry admitted.

Y/n shook her head, finally letting the tears fall at the thought of her parents. "Harry, no, please. They would be so proud of you for everything. I'm so sorry about everything I said as well. I just need to know if you hate me." She begged, looking into his matching eyes.

"I never hated you, not for a minute. I was mad but I was also stupid and prejudice." Harry told her, finally allowing her to relax. Y/n pulled him in for a hug without thinking about it. "I missed you so much." Harry was sobbing too, hot tears on Y/n's back.

"I missed you too. Ron and Hermione and the Weasley's too." Y/n told him, pulling back. "Would you maybe want to hang out sometime. Talk?"

Harry couldn't nod quick enough. "Yes, please. I'd really like that. We've missed a lot of time."

Y/n pulled him back in for another hug. It was like the two puzzle pieces were finally together. The part of her heart that was missing was now filled.

"Is your scar okay?" Y/n asked, running her left forefinger over Harry's forehead.

Harry nodded, glancing up at her finger. He noticed the ring. Harry grabbed Y/n's hand, examining it in front of her. "Oh my." He exclaimed.

"Please don't be mad." Y/n winced, breath shortening.

"No, not at all," Harry told her. "I just want to be a part of your life. Draco's as well." He told her honestly. Y/n had never felt better than she did right then.

"Thank you," Y/n told him. "Are you with Ginny?" She couldn't help but ask.

Harry smiled as he nodded. "Yeah. This ring is phenomenal though." Harry mentioned, smiling as he met Y/n's eyes.

"I know." Y/n agreed a giddy smile on her face.

Today just might have been the best day of her life. She had a twin brother she spoke to and an amazing fiancee. Life was perfect.

[deepseavibez]

Nerve_6 || KNJ

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Nerve [Namjoon x Reader]

Prompt - @casnextdoor

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Part 5.5 - Reflection

Part 6 || Worthy

Part 7 || Slander

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Genre: cheating; aftermath; husband au;

Summary - You would never expect it really. He's doting. He's sweet. He's hardworking. But he's forgotten his morals. Suspecting it is one thing, but when he confirms it, will you stay or walk away.

Warning - Cheating(Aftermath); Negative Thoughts; Confusion; Sadness; Pure Angst! Fluff (if you squint);

Word Count - 5.8k

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🎶 - Natural - Imagine Dragons

Kim Ji-ho was the part of the 94’ line, as young as the band when he first started interning under his uncle. The president and Kim Ji-hun, long-time friends and business associates, formed something of a kinship.

So growing up with the band meant he knew things others didn't, he was trusted, and most importantly he had attachments involved.

Ji-ho knew he wanted to be a lawyer, he didn’t know he’d be a part of the legal team for such a big company, but here he was, twenty-something, direct access to the biggest boyband in the world and as of the past month -- Lee Jong-woo, a very new, very infuriating pain in his backside.

It was not only because Jong-woo had been given a position, Ji-ho thought he would get, or that their ages were a year apart, but the band, its members, they mattered, but to Jong-woo, they were a means to an end.

So Ji-ho stood a level above the reception, delaying his work, so he could run into Namjoon that morning; he made it his priority to drop a copy of the amended agreement.

It was later than usual, Namjoon's schedule started a bit after everyone else, but Ji-ho had waited.

It didn't take a genius to figure y/n out. Ji-ho knew, that there was no way she would have mentioned anything to Namjoon. If she were forced to sign she probably would have, but she handled the situation as only Kim Y/n would - - Jong-woo, his threats, his words and insinuations, it didn't interest her.

To be fair, Jong-woo interested no one. He worked in his own interest, he had good experience and a set of accolades to boot. But Jong-woo was self-centered. He lacked empathy and thought of himself as above others.

He thought he was on the same level as the band members, because of age, and he figured the younger ones would listen to him if not Jin because he was Yoongi's age.

But they had dismissed him at the meeting. The first damage control he had to handle. As such Jong-woo took it out on y/n.

But women like y/n were cut from a different cloth. She came from money, exposed to the world and it's reality early in life, but she was soft, putting friends above her needs, placing love above everyone else. She didn't let the world harden her heart, the things that did deserve the worst parts of herself, far and few.

Ofcourse, with time, you learned every woman's flaws and y/n and her need to face the world alone, it was a weakness. A survival instinct, sure, but she needed to let people in, trust them to take care of her, she had a long line of people doing it behind her back - - if only she knew.

Carefully, Ji-ho placed the agreement on top of the stack of files next to him, making sure y/n's name was visible on the cover page.

He watched Namjoon clear security with his card and push through the double glass doors and nod at the reception area, a classic Kim Namjoon smile, polite as ever.

Ji-ho liked Namjoon, he liked all of them actually, saw them less as celebrities and more human.

He knew the band respected him too and y/n, y/n was fun to talk to. She wasn't high and mighty. She remained humble, didn't ask for things out of turn or act entitled. Y/n greeted and respected and used her manners and she was very clear from the get go on what she wanted.

Ji-ho grabbed his files and walked down the stairs, a bit fast toward Namjoon as he hit the ground floor, as if rushing to be somewhere. Taking advantage of Namjoon taking out his phone, Ji-ho bumped him.

'Whoa!'

The files scattered around them, as Namjoon steadied himself against the wall, but considering Joon's sturdiness, Ji-ho went down from the impact.

'Dammit! Sorry, Joon.' Catching himself on his palms, as if disoriented he moved the files, pushing the one with y/n's name directly in front of Namjoon as the man came down next to him to help him restack the pile.

Ji-ho continued, as if preoccupied, side-eyeing Namjoon as the man, picked up the agreement slowly, bringing it toward him and read the title.

'Ji-ho, what is this?'

Turning to face Namjoon, Ji-ho knew it was time to let go of the act.

'This has my wife's name on it,' Namjoon added, accusingly. ‘What is it?’

Lowering his gaze, Ji-ho replied softly, ‘We should talk about this in private.’

Namjoon pierced Ji-ho with his gaze, gave himself a second to think, till he pursed his lips and nodded. They collected the rest of the files in a neat stack, before Namjoon motioned for Ji-ho to stand up and follow him.

They walked through the halls, Ji-ho following close behind as Namjoon made his way toward the Rkive.

Punching the code, Ji-ho noted it was a set of numbers he didn’t recognize - 23102018. It wasn’t Nmajoon’s birthday or his debut date or anniversary for that matter.

Namjoon held the door open for him, and closed it with a click. Entering the Rkive, the homely, grey and brown tones were reassuring, despite the nervousness Ji-ho felt.

Stopping at the table mainly used for discussions and meetings, Namjoon stood behind it and folded his arms. 'Now, tell me, what’s going on?’

Ji-ho laid his files down and stood opposite the leader, a hard look in his face.

Doing his best to not avoid eye contact, Ji-ho answered Namjoon in the best summary he could come up with. 'That piece of paper, is an agreement that basically states that she has no right over you or your production, your assets, your property or any materials within it. She owns nothing and can claim nothing if she divorces you.'

'Hoseok mentioned something along those lines. I didn't pay attention to it earlier. What the hell Ji-ho, why couldn't you tell me about this?'

'It's been six years since she signed it, Namjoon. My uncle did the first one. I considered it fair at the time, I mean look at who you are, you have to protect your assets.'

'I've said it multiple times, she is entitled to everything I own and more. Who even gave your uncle the order for this thing.' He picked up the agreement and threw it back on the table, motioning to it, as if it would dirty his hands to hold it.

'Management.'

'Fuck.' Namjoon bit out, the severity of the situation dawning on him. His hands found the backs of the chairs pushed in front of him, he leaned on it, for good measure, supporting him as he made sense of the situation.

'But that's not the issue here.' His gaze found Ji-ho, through his eyelashes.

'No, that was the original version, the one that made sense. This document is a second agreement and was done by Jong-woo,' Ji-ho opened the document to the page with the clause highlighted specifically for it to be seen and read. 'It's better if you read it.'

Too impatient to be gentle, Namjoon grabbed the document, and tore the page above it, but for once, he couldn't be bothered about his clumsiness, he would rather do worse to it.

As Namjoon read, Ji-ho watched his face darken, his fingers growing tighter around the file, disbelief clouding his every feature.

'We will no longer take responsibility for your safety, bear any legal responsibility for fans, violence or medical - this is absolute bullshit!'

Ji-ho didn't reply, to do so now would not be in anyone's best interest. The man in front of him was a loving, protective husband, incited by the very idea that his wife's responsibility was not his, that she would be shown such little consideration.

'Did she sign this?'

'No. She said she'd sighed the first one already. And since there was no divorce on the table right now. There was no need for her to sign the second one, yet.'

'Yet.' Namjoon repeated, shaking his head ruefully, unable to let this sink in. He clouded the room in his discomfort. Ji-ho couldn't imagine how Namjoon could be feeling. That his wife, his chosen life partner, would be disregarded, that she would be spoken to like a child and shown as little concern, as that of someone of the street.

'He asked her to keep it from you, and name her price.' It didn't do well to incite a fire breathing dragon, but everything should be out of way at once.

'Her price! He thinks he can buy my wife?' Namjoon pointed to himself. 'My wife, that handles more people than he could in a lifetime, that matters more, that's been around longer than he could even hope to be!'

'She had a quieter reaction. You should be proud of her, your y/n.'

'Ji-ho don't make nice with me right now.'

'I'm not. You know I don't have any loopholes right now, Namjoon. Why am I in the reception area at 9am when I'm usually at work by 7. Why now when I've known about the original for six years?'

Namjoon caught himself, finally seeing something without the blurriness of his emotions surrounding him. 'I, appreciate this. I do. You have to understand that, but…'

'I get it, Joon, I do. But he's going to spin a story and get her to sign this somehow. He's not a fan of y/n, because she talked down to him.'

'She did?'

'Yeah,' Ji-ho's lips curved on one side, 'something about being Kim Namjoon's wife, and demanding class and decorum, and that he would have way bigger problems on his hand, especially if she told you.'

Namjoon couldn't help basking in the pride that crept into him. That was his wife. She was Kim y/n, no one would take that away from her.

'Where did you find her?' Ji-ho asked sincerely.

'The universe sent her to me.' Namjoon whispered, as if saying it too loud would give said reason, the opportunity to take her back.

'Namjoon I have to go. This is a copy of the new one, but there's a digitized soft copy of the one originally signed and this has a date above the new clause, with her signature needed directly below it.'

'Ji-ho, how were you so sure she wouldn't have told me.'

'She wouldn't,' Ji-ho's eyes bore into him, no sugar coating necessary, 'not when it comes to your career. Kim Namjoon comes first in Kim Y/n's life.'

It hit Namjoon like a battering ram, that the world could see how she felt for him, that they could attest to her love. He couldn't deny Ji-ho's words, no one who knew the couple could deny it; his wife was one of a kind and she loved him with every ounce of her being.

Instead he thought of his next step. 'I didn't get this from you did I? I won't keep quiet, you know this.'

'Actually, I'm the only one handling y/n's predicament at the moment. Jong-woo knows what he's trying to do isn't very... nice. This building, its staff, puts the band first. It won't take long to tie it back to me, but I'm fine with that. I'm actually counting on you doing something before he gets to me.'

Namjoon regarded the man he'd known for as many years as he'd had a career. 'Why risk it, especially now?'

Ji-ho looked down for a moment, contemplating his next words, 'I'm one of those staff, I'm one of those people.'

Namjoon didn't have anything to say, no words could match the loyalty Ji-ho was showing, so he did the only thing he could to show his appreciation, he bowed to him in respect.

Ji-ho returned it, and with his stack of files and a head nod, he was gone.

Sending a text to the rapline, Namjoon knew Hoseok was going to be pissed, but he couldn't get into the studio right now - - the session they were supposed to have, already past its time. Then he messaged Seokjin individually.

He knew he needed his older brothers for the Jong-woo problem.

The contract however...resisting the urge to tear it in half and shove it in the deepest crevice he could find, he turned the first page over to read.

----------

🎶 - Bleeding Out - Imagine Dragons

Seokjin sat in the band's personal lounge.

He had early morning vocal sessions and had every intention of leaving for a lunch run to make sure his dongsaengs ate and grab a bite for himself when Namjoon's text showed up. 

Need to meet with you all ASAP. Band lounge. 

Looking at his phone, the text was sent twenty minutes ago.

Tapping his feet in impatience he waited, spinning theories on what this could be about. 

Yoongi walked in a minute later, eyes droopy, looking too tired for midday, let alone a family meeting. 

'Did you get any sleep at all?' 

Yoongi averted his eyes, not wanting to lie, and most definitely not wanting to be scolded. 

'I was on my way out,' he mumbled, 'when I got the text.'

Seokjin decided against scolding him. Even if he said anything, it's nothing Yoongi hadn't heard before. 'Me too. You're joining me for lunch after this.'

Yoongi didn't argue. No one argued with Seokjin and food. 

Hoseok walked through the double doors on the left, hair slick with sweat, and a sweat soaked shirt. 

'Dance practice this early? I thought you were in recording with Namjoon today?' 

Hoseok sounded mad. 'He ditched, Jin hyung, I'd be surprised if he showed up here, whatever this is about.' 

Yoongi and Seokjin shared a look. 

Seokjin hadn't seen Namjoon and Hoseok fight like this. They were different people, with different opinions, they even expressed themselves differently, but there was always compromise. Hoseok, caring and understanding, Namjoon logically inclined, compromise was easy, until now. 

There was also the fact that no one had ever seen this side of Hobi, he'd never thrown anyone's mistakes back at them, he hadn't incited violence and he definitely hadn't kept a grudge this long. 

Seokjin and Yoongi, usually were able to figure out an approach, some way to get things to work again, but not this time. 

They sat for another ten minutes in silence, Hoseok scrolling through his phone, Seokjin uncrossing and crossing his legs, and Yoongi nodding off, before lightly jerking awake and repeating the process. Then Hobi jumped to his feet. 

'Okay this is wasting my ti-,' 

Namjoon burst through the double doors on the right. 

'Sorry, sorry, I know I made you guys wait, I'm sorry.'

'Oh now you show up.' 

'Hobi, not today, not now, please.'

'You ditched me. I saw you walk straight past my studio. This is work, Namjoon, it affects all of us.'

'Because it was important! That's why I need to explain.'

'What could be more important than working with me, and keeping to your schedule!'

'Hey!' Seokjin shouted. 'In your own time, not ours.' He looked between the 94' line, having reached his limit with them. When they both stayed quiet, he prompted Namjoon. 

'Namjoon talk.'

Namjoon placed the  agreement on the coffee table in front of them. 

'What's this?' Seokjin leaned to turn the page in his direction. Everyone else leaned in. 

'Remember the agreement you mentioned that y/n signed before marriage,' Namjoon didn't address Hoseok as he spoke, 'well Jong-woo just amended it and has already asked her to sign. This is it.'

'Amended it how?' Yoongi asked, all signs of tiredness gone. 

'Last page, where her new signature is required, it's highlighted.'

Seokjin turned to the last page and read aloud, Hobi and Yoongi following his voice with their eyes on the paper. Namjoon folded his arms, waiting for them to finish. 

'What the fu-,' 

'Yoongi.' Seokjin reprimanded. 

'Hyung, this is a special occasion.' 

'No responsibility of protection from fans? Do they know how some of them can be extreme with girlfriends or friends, let alone wives.' Hoseok read, and whispered to himself. 'What the hell.' 

It took a lot to get Hoseok to curse at all. 

'How did you get this, did y/n tell you?' Yoongi turned to Namjoon. 

'No way,' Hoseok answered for him. 'I'm surprised she hasn't signed it. You have a wife that puts you first, always.' Hoseok side-eyed Namjoon in disdain, making it seem like the worst thing in the world. It probably was. 

Choosing not to start another argument, Namjoon replied to his hyungs. 'Ji-ho bumped into me this morning. He dropped it on his way to wherever he was going.'

Seokjin raised his eyebrow, 'Purposely?' 

'I didn't say that.'

'No. No, you didn't.'

They all looked at each other, tensions aside, they knew when to agree on something. It was an accident.

'Well, you're fortunate you found it before she actually signed this thing.' Seokjin turned to peruse the other pages. 'Y/n.' He shook his head, a grimace on his face. 

'It's ridiculous. She deserves safety and protection, always. And if you guys separate, you can't act like you never knew her.' Yoongi pursed his lips. 'This really makes me not want to get a partner. Why go through all this shit on top of everything else.'

Namjoon agreed. He thought the exact same thing as he read it. He understood, no doubt, that because of who he was, there were risks involved. But to take it to this extent, was he worth a partner at all. Breaking out of his thoughts, he focused on what he came to do. 'I want to know what to do next.'

Hoseok turned to him, eyebrows scrunched, as if asking 'what do you mean?'

Namjoon eyed him cautiously. 'Management isn't on my side at the moment. But this is important. And there's no way they came up with this. This would make the whole company look bad.'

Hoseok turned away, as a notification came up on his phone.

'It makes it look like empathy is overrated.' Yoongi commented

'You said Jong-woo drafted this?' Seokjin sat down, the cogs in his brain turning. He was the oldest and too long in this to not have the most expertise in paperwork, and in finding loopholes.

'Why redo a document that was done six years ago?'

Rejoining the circle, Hoseok looked at the document again at Yoongi's question. 'Look at the date,' he pointed out with his finger. 'He probably did it after we dismissed him at the meeting.'

'Who even hired this ass?'

Soekjin rolled his eyes, not even bothering to call Yoongi out this time. 'We'll find out. We don't take our careers for granted and we have a say here.

If I got married tomorrow and my wife had to sign something like this, it would be a slap in my face for all the years I've given to this place.'

'Management first or asshole first?' Yoongi asked.

'President.' Seokjin replied. He was not in the mood for play. This was serious. 'This piece of paper is not in anyone's best interest. They should know that their name is slapped on something like this.'

'Alright then, Namjoon, you and I will go see the asshole.' Yoongi took off his hoodie, a plain black long sleeve underneath, too riled up to keep it all on.

Seokjin closed the document. 'I'll see manager hyung and the president, we’ll meet you up there.'

'And I need a shower,' Hoseok said, as he pulled his shirt up to his nose and sniffed.

They all turned to him, expecting him to join a team.

'I have another commitment after,' Hoseok shrugged. 'Plus, you know how to fire someone.'

'Oh yeah, because it's just that easy,' Namjoon mocked.

This was about y/n, not about him, Hoseok could be a bit more proactive about the situation.

Namjoon would go as far as to say he was feeling hurt, that Hoseok would rather do something else, than help his best friend defend his wife. He so readily did it the last time.

Seokjin broke the tension before Hoseok could reply. 'I'm taking this, plus it can't be left lying around anywhere. If the maknaes get a hold of this…'

'I'd be right there with them,' Yoongi muttered

'Okay, let's make hanging him upside down by his toes above a shark tank Plan B.'

They all nodded in unison. The funny part was, none of them were actually joking.

'That's very descriptive hyung,' Hoseok said as he dispersed with Seokjin towards the left, exiting through the doors he entered.

Namjoon and Yoongi took to the right, towards the elevators.

'Why do you need to come with me, hyung? You could have easily backed Jin hyung up with management?'

Namjoon was curious. Was Yoongi trying to make up for Hoseok's absence, just wanting to confront the lawyer or… ?

Namjoon resigned that he would not get a reply when Yoongi stayed quiet even after they'd got in the elevator and pressed the button of the floor they needed to get to.

But Yoongi replied and it was easily something y/n would have told him. 'To save you from yourself.'

----------

🎶 - Starboy - The Weeknd, Daft Punk

Namjoon was aware that he was not himself. His rare control, his limit of tolerance, his very state of calm, was being exercised.

But he could not blow up at the male he was about to address, not yet.

Entering the legal department, he made his way through the floor to the office furthest down the hall.

Door slightly ajar, the male in question leaned back in his chair, his feet crossed on his desk; some sort of waterfall sound playing from his screen, a contradiction to the unrest he caused.

Namjoon regarded Jong-woo as he stood up and popped the collar of his suit. The man clearly thought he owned the world, that people should bow at his feet and that he was it - his band was inclined to prove him wrong.

Yoongi stood behind Namjoon, but Joon could feel his hyung's cold temper. Yoongi was usually deadpan, his ‘the world would go on’ mantra, getting him through life unbothered as he did his own thing on his own terms. It was rare to phase Min Yoongi, it was the bad luck of the person on the receiving end if he was pissed and Yoongi was pissed.

'Namjoon, Yoongi, what brings you to my neck of the woods?' His smile was sickly sweet, the temptation to smack it right off his face, almost too much to resist.

'Cut the crap. We saw the agreement.'

'I have no idea what you're talking about, Namjoon.'

'We're not playing with you, Jong-woo.' Yoongi was at the end of his patience.

Jong-woo shook his head, averting his eyes, moving the stapler on his desk randomly. 'I don't know what you mean.'

'This,' Yoongi threw on the desk, 'this piece of shit agreement that you amended, that you asked y/n to sign.'

'You're my lawyer, Jong-woo, my lawyer,' Namjoon reminded him. 'Don't I have a right to know?'

'Namjoon -,'

'Y/n is a Kim. She's my wife. She does not work for this company. She is not associated with anything in this company, except for my name which you're trying your hardest to make damn sure, it isn't anymore!'

'Now, now,' his palms raised, in an attempt for calm, 'there's no need for such strong emotion Namjoon. Take a seat and we can discuss this. We both know y/n is no longer going to be a Kim, and so we felt it would be prudent to remove any further obstacles. A quick fix, we can call it.'

Namjoon took a threatening step towards the older male, narrowed eyes, 'Did I mention divorce? Did y/n mention divorce?'

'She's obviously going through a tough phase considering your mess Namjoon, we know where this is headed, she thinks differently.' Nonchalantly, fiddling with the sleeve of his suit, he continued. 'She told me there's a chance she won't stand by you.'

Namjoon laughed, the sound chilling to even Yoongi's ear. 'You're going to feed me lies about my wife, really.'

'Ji-ho was there. He can back me up.'

'I don't need anyone to back you up.'

Holding up a finger to silence Namjoon, Jong-woo moved his hand toward his landline and pushed one of the buttons.

'Sir?'

'Ji-ho a moment, please.'

The line went dead and a second later, Ji-ho walked in. He took his place across from Jong-woo's desk, his left hand clasping his right wrist in a respectful stance.

'Tell Namjoon that his wife stated she would sign the agreement. That there's a chance she will not be a Kim anymore.'

Namjoon squinted, deep in thought. What did y/n signing the damned thing have to do with anything? Now it looked like he had no ground to stand on because he was arguing about an agreement that she would sign anyway. This asshole was good at twisting words.

Ji-ho considered the order, contemplating for a moment before turning to Jong-woo and answering sincerely. 'Yes, she stated if Mr. Kim wanted a divorce, she saw no reason to complicate matters by not signing the agreement. And Mrs. Kim stated that whether she stood by her husband or not, she would be above choosing you, because you are the bottom of the barrel, Sir.'

Jong-woo's lips tightened, a venomous promise in his eye at the very accurate and excessive information. He stared Ji-ho down, the other man considerably unaffected.' Well, what matters is that y/n agreed to sign the document. So this whole thing’ Jong-woo motioned with his hand, ‘is baseless -- your temper tantrum is as unnecessary as finding a new side squeeze without keeping it under wraps.'

'You sonofa -,' Namjoon moved in front of him Yoongi, holding back his hyung.

'Hyung, don't get your hands dirty.' It was a good thing disrespect didn't phase Namjoon; he was too sure of himself to even consider Jong-woo's words about his actions or his character. He appreciated Yoongi, he did, but this was Namjoon's fight.

Taking his time, Namjoon poked his cheek with his tongue, nodding absently as he considered the lawyer. He took slow deliberate steps to move around Jong-woo's desk. 'Did you make a pass at my wife?' Namjoon stared daggers as he spoke, doing his best to refrain from reaching out to strangle the man in front of him.

At Namjoon's menacing tone, Jong-woo discarded his niceties and defended himself, clearly believing whatever idea he had spinning in his head. 'You are not interested in your wife any more. I was doing you a favour. Wash your hands off her and have a new life, one an idol like you deserves.'

'Do you have no sense of self-preservation?'

Namjoon was way past respect. Y/n would never turn on him, not even if her life depended on it. Pride speared through him, that she spoke as she did, putting this asshole in his place, as well as keeping his best interests at heart.

'Come on, Namjoon,' Jong-woo tried to reason, 'you cheated, wanted someone else, is that not enough to say that there's issues going on?'

Namjoon said nothing. He was by no means backing down, just calculating his next move. Y/n was no ordinary woman. He didn’t find her under normal circumstances. She was her own person, but only he would experience life with her.

The morning started off with his protective instincts rearing its head, but now, his male ego, his arrogance, meshed with one very black emotion coating his veins -- possessiveness.

'Why do you think that you know us?' Yoongi asked, infuriated Jong-woo’s mindset, his cheap way of thinking, but he was trying for logic, for reason, because he was also fully aware that he was no longer the most dangerous male in the room. His dongsaeng's reaction, the menacing way he crowded Jong-woo, his nostrils flaring, Namjoon was one wrong word away from exploding.

'What's between y/n and I, is between y/n and I. Not you.’ Namjoon made himself clear. Jong-woo or any other, would never be an option. ‘I love my wife with every part of me, my mistakes don't take away from that,' Namjoon clenched his fists, speaking through gritted teeth, 'despite my biggest mistake, on my worst day, I'm more worthy for her than you.'

'Why are you making this personal, Namjoon? Listen,' Jong-woo curved around Namjoon, as if he wasn't trying to tame a feral panther that watched its prey, waiting for the right moment to strike. 'It would be better for you to be done with this before a scandal takes place. We all know no matter how many NDA's get signed, it only helps after the damage is done. You should smooth this over before it escalates.'

Yoongi moved to stand next to Ji-ho, getting closer to Namjoon should the need arise, his face filled with disbelief. 'Are you actually trying to convince him to divorce his wife, right now? And that you tried to get with her, to get her off his hands. Is that what you call having our best interests at heart? Are you absolutely fucked up in your head?'

'It's better than choosing to cheat, Yoongi. Namjoon, take me like a big brother, let me think about your safety and future. This is your career. I promise with a fair amount of money, y/n will be fine. A woman like her, she won't have any more reason to complain.'

Grabbing Jong-woo by his lapels, Namjoon pushed him up against the glass, uncaring that numerous staff stopped to watch. He had had enough.

'Joon-ah,' Yoongi cautioned as he and Ji-ho moved around the desk. Ji-ho played his part well, standing on Jong-woo's side, but putting zero force behind his grip on Namjoon's shoulder.

'Don't talk about my wife, ever.' Namjoon seethed. 'Talking down to her, threatening her, name her price, as if!' He pulled Jong-woo forward and pushed him against the glass again, for good measure. 'You don't ever try to go behind my back in the name of my best interest!'

Leaning further into his personal space, his breath practically fanning Jong-woo, Namjoon continued. 'Who are you Jong-woo? An experienced small time lawyer thrown in with the big leagues, managing a big band. You don't know me. You don't know my band members. Don't you dare act like you do!'

'I'm older than you Kim Namjoon!' Jong-woo pushed against the younger male, no sign of his dark humor and sick goading

'Then you should have had more sense!' Namjoon roared at him.

'This piece of paper,' Namjoon motioned with his head, 'is nothing! it will not stop me from protecting my wife. It definitely won't stop me from squeezing the life out of you for ever thinking you could go over my head.'

Jong-woo's face turned into a mask of fury, struggling against Namjoon's hold, the man's grip, vice-like and unrelenting. 'I was doing you a favour. I was thinking of you and this company. Your mess doesn't have to become more. But clearly you think too much of yourself.'

Namjoon stilled, a slow smile creeping onto his face. It didn't quite reach his eyes, just made him look even more terrifying.

'You had such a bright future ahead of you Jong woo, but…' He shook his head, as if discarding any concern he could have. 'I don't know why you went after my wife, I really don't care either.'

Namjoon adopted a mask of calm, everyone could tell he was anything but. 'You listen to me very carefully. My wife can't be bought. Y/n will be Mrs. Kim for as long as I live. You ever put my wife at risk, financially, physically, mentally, or ever threaten her ever again, let alone this company, you won't work at all.'

Namjoon's face was cloudy, every bit the dominant male, every bit the leader of the biggest boyband in the world, every single cell in his body thrumming with awareness that he was the husband of Kim Y/n.

'Management is on their way, the president will likely see you. Whatever deal they give you, take it,' his tone leaving no room for argument.

His fists curled, tighter, raising Jong-woo off his feet, so he would listen, so he would focus on Namjoon's next words specifically as the rage-filled male manhandled him.

'If you stay in this position, near me, near us,' Namjoon's voice, barely above a whisper, 'we will make your life a living hell. You are an ant, barely that, your existence, insignificant. I'm not violent, Jong-woo. I'm all nature, and greenery and zen, so when I say you fucked up, you. fucked. up.

Don't ever contact my wife again. Don't think about my wife ever again. Don't bother about revenge, Jong-woo, because if I see you outside these walls, outside a respectful capacity -- you don't want to know what I'm capable of doing to you.'

Setting him on his feet, Namjoon smoothed Jong-woo's collar. Painting a picture of respect they all knew was a mockery on its own, Namjoon's fingers found Jong-woo’s tie, then he used his forearm and pushed, enough force to crowd the man back against the glass, Namjoon's arm big enough to cover his chest, inches from Jong-woo's neck. Forcing eye contact with the lesser male, Namjoon growled, 'Do you understand?'

A ping of a cell phone broke through the air, but Namjoon's piercing gaze didn't waver. He dared the sleazy lawyer, at a loss for words for the first time since meeting him, to say anything more, to try anything else -- Namjoon promised he would have hell to pay.

And since being given his new position, Jong-woo did one thing correctly, he nodded his assent.

Breaking the tension of the atmosphere, Ji-ho pushed his phone toward Namjoon.

'Namjoon, you need to see this.'

Namjoon turned his attention to the screen, a new article published, mere seconds ago.

'BREAKING NEWS. Pictures from a bar in Kornerstreet. Hazey's bar, a popular idol hang out has pictures surfacing of idol rapper Kim Namjoon walking away from a female figure after getting out of a car with her. The male reportedly doesn't have a driver's license so it is safe to say it's not his car. Where is Kim Y/n, who is this woman and is there trouble in paradise?'

Yoongi, who was leaning around Namjoon, to get a read asked, 'Is y/n at work right now?'

Namjoon's blood ran cold. For once, he could admit, he was the biggest idiot in the world. If they were still talking, if there wasn't so much distance, if they communicated each other's schedules the way they usually would, like the couple did before he cheated on her, he might know where his wife was right then. Because the truth was, y/n could be anywhere and he wasn't sure where to even start looking for her.

Taglist - @casnextdoor @jaysdimples @belliebell @pinkcherrybombs @sweetjellyfishland @blushingatyou @jiminiesfavouritecolourisblue @somewhereinthestarss @k-brownsugar @namsona17 @taejinxkoya @notsooperfect @zae007live @its-hopes-world @shina913 @bri-mal @piecesofapril11 [open]

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Part 5.5 - Reflection

Part 6 || Worthy

Part 7 || Slander

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[queenoftheworldisdead]

Home coming 5

Summery: Slow burn. You are forced to move back to your home town due to the pandemic.  When your high school tormentors return to remind you why you never  wanted to come back.

Warning: 18+ only, Dark themes, Non-con rape, Choking, Blow-job, Breeding

Notes: Should i stop it here? i feel like this is a good stopping point.

Dark Steve x Black Reader, Cop AU

Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5

While your uncle slept in his room you finished packing. Stuffing as much as you could in the duffel and forcing it closed was harder this time around depsite the lighter load.

Your cell buzzed a few times, but this time it went ignored. You were hoping to be long gone before consequences would be dealt out.

Outside your door you heard your uncle's bedroom door swing open. Putting the duffel on the floor of your closet you listened to confirm he was awake and moving around.

Shit

You needed the keys to his truck and it would be that much harder to steal again if he was up and about.

Sighing you sit on the small bed and smoothed the lines wrinkling your forehead. Your phone rang again reviving the bundle of nerves in your gut as you sat. Gnawing on your lip you forced yourself to look at it.

The number was once again unfamiliar, but the area code matched the numbers of the area. James. It must be him.

The ringing stopped as you stared at it, followed by a knocking on your front door. No one ever visited him and you sure as shit weren't expecting anyone.

Oh god it's James. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. No...

Steve going up against your uncle was one thing. James was another. He would not waste a second lashing out at the elder general.

"Well long time no see" you heard your uncle bellow from outside your door. The panic started to subside. The man's friends were few and far between. You wondered who your uncle became friends with in your absence. Had something changed since you’ve been gone?

When you heard the reply of a woman your brow furred even more. Your uncle called your name, his voice closer than before as you began to rise from your bed.

When your door opened and the cheerful laugh of a familiar voice filled your room. Your heart fell to your stomach. Peggy. Her hair bounced as she laughed at whatever corny joke your uncle gave her, her smile was so bright that her lipstick only helped to highlight it.

"There you are! I've been trying to call you." Peggy sang. The last time you saw her she looked like a model from the fifties. Now her hair a mess and dressed in jeans and a t-shirt.

"All right I will leave you two to it." Nick dismissed himself, before closing the door.

As the door closed her smile fell and the old friend you had hoped for with it. She stood close to the door while you at your bed facing one another.

"Peg.."

"Don't." She cut you off curtly. Her facade now faded. "Are you fucking him again."

After all these years it was still the same. She looked at you accusatorially and it broke you just like it did when you told her the first time.

"Why did you never listen to me?" You say defeated. 

"Steve told me-"

"What about what I told you!"felt your eyes burn as she rolled her eyes at you. You sat there staring at her as a thick silence   blanketed the room.

"It doesn't matter anymore." You sniffed before wiping away your tears. "I'm leaving."

"Good make sure you stay gone." She turned to leave, but a loud banging gave her pause.

*Bang Bang

The front door sounded with such force that your uncle's cursing could be heard from your bedroom. When a loud crash followed Peggy backed away from the door while your heart raced as you sat frozen.

"What the hell is that?" Peggy questioned, but you couldn't think, couldn't move especially after you heard 'Get down'. It was muffled, but it was an order familiar to you. Reminding you of the times Steve pranked your house and police that were a little too zealous bursted in.

There was shouting back and forth while Peggy, clutched her purse straps almost tripping over herself when she neared your bed post. The ruckus neared your door as you debated hiding under the bed. Your bed room's door swung open, bouncing off the wall before a bright flash light blinded you. Lifting your arm to shield yourself.

"Down on the ground! On the ground now" a male's voice screamed. Shaking you held your hands in the air as you slowly lowered yourself off the bed. "Face down! Face down!" He barked as you complied with his orders.

"What's goin on? What is this? My husband -" Pegg's voice trailed off as more bodies filled the room.

You didn't need to look. You knew.

"Get your gawd damn hands off me" your uncle shouted from beyond your room as your nose stayed pressed to the floor.

"Thanks Wilson I think I got it from here." The sound of Steve's voice sent ice through your veins. Tears began to bubble as you heard the other officer retreat.  

"Man I always wondered what your room looked like."

"Steve what the hell?" Peggy seemed furious, but Steve brushed her off. He had never gone this far. He had always allowed this one bit of peace and now he was taking it away.

Beads of tears ran down your nose as you shifted your eyes and watched Steve's black boots walk. When they reached your closet your stomach tightened. You could hear him as he riffled through your garment.

"Steve!"

"Pegg. Come let me take you-"

"No Bucky! What the hell is happening!"

"No dresses huh" Steve ignored his increasingly frantic wife. He pulled out one of the dresses, tossing it on the floor before you. As he took his time going through your closet you could hear your uncle's voice fade as the other officers forced him out of the house.

"Pegg lets go. You don't want to see what comes next." Bucky urged Peggy to come with him. She fought it, bickering with him, slapping at him, but he overpowered her.

You let out a sob as Bucky dragged Peggy out of the room. She calls Steve's name as he walks her out.

"What's this?"

He kicked the bag you had just packed before you.

"I-i hadn't finished un-p-packing" you stuttered out.

You heard the squeak of his boots as he knelt on his haunches. "We got a call of a woman in distress... Thank goodness I was in the neighborhood." He sounded angry as you sobbed on the floor.

"Don't worry ma'am we've got the situation under control. He is going to be booked down town." He choked down his anger, Steve spoke even, eyes darkened and unemotional. While yours bounced around inside of you.

"Steve please let my uncle go please don't do this" you sniffed looking from the floor. You were still to scared to move from the spot the first officer forced you in.

"Well I can't in good conscious leave you hear alone with him. I tell you what why don't you come with me?"

That’s what this was all about. Steve wanted you to come home with him to pick you were he had left off. There was nothing but a void in his eyes.

"OK OK but first let him go" you turned your head to the side, pleading up at him. “Please.”

Steve kept his eyes on you as he rose to stand. Pulling the receiver to his lips he called out numbers that were a code from something you couldn't decipher.

Steve grabbed your bag and led you. You looked over at the couch where the officers held your uncle still cuffed. "You promised Steve" you whispered at him as he walked through the front door.

In the passenger seat you watched as the other officers left the house. Steve pulled away before you could see them all leave the property completely.

"He will be fine don't worry."

You sat silently, watching the street signs change as he drove. When he didn't make the same turns as earlier, you realized that he wasn't going in the direction of his mothers house.

The little neighborhood with its cookie cutter houses filled your belly with revulsion. Taking your bag from the back seat you followed Steve as you did before, up the path to his front door.

Your eyes searched for a sign of Peggy. How he had convinced her of your new lodgings you weren't sure.

As Steve tossed your bag Peggy emerged and lunged at you. Her eyes filled with tears of her own as she attacked you.

"How could you?! You fucking bitch!" slapping you in the face as you blocked her blows.

Steve sighed hand on hip. "Why are you here?" She screamed and pulled off shouting at you, out of breath.

"Why are you here?" Steve interjected. Quickly Peggy spun to face him. She ran to him gripping the front of his shirt, nuzzling into his shirt.

"Steve I love you. Don't do this." She sobbed into his chest.

"I told Buck to take you to your mothers."

"I don't understand. Why? why are you doing this?"

"I'm calling your mother" Steve pulled out his phone and proceeded to dial. You stood back against the door as you watched the scene unfold.

"What did she tell you hmm?" She sounded desperate and frantic as he held the phone to his ear. "Did she tell you she was pregnant again?"

The air felt as if it had been sucked out of the room. She was the only one you told before you left. The reason you left with such urgency. Steve dropped the phone to his side, letting her words sink in.

"You were pregnant?" He looked at you.

Peggy was saying something, but it was so hard to hear as fear swallowed you. He looked at you with a range of emotions shifting all over his face at once. Disbelief, anger, denial then betrayal.

"And you knew?" He looked in-between you.

"Honey she lied and I didn't believe her" she went to embrace him again "I knew you wouldn't do that to me" You felt frozen. Your body wanted to escape, but your legs refused to move.

When Peggy grasped the front of his uniform Steve pushed her so hard that she fell to the ground. You watched as she screeched and nursed her bruised side.

Steve stood before you completely silent. His eyes burning with an intensity that only helped to keep you locked in place.

You flailed in his arms as he hauled you up the stairs. "Please, please, I'm sorry" you were desperate as your nails snagged on the odd picture frame in an effort to escape Steve's grasp. Some tumbled down as he held you up. You were too high  to grab the railing, but that didn't stop you from trying to grab at it.

Peggy called to Steve from the bottom step, crying for him as you struggled. "Please Peggy, Peggy help me!"

Bypassing the baby room and into the master bedroom he marched. Once inside he tossed you down. The floor kissed your back unlovingly. You hissed as your back throbbed.

Steve paced in front of the shut door. Peggy banged at the door, Steve looked at it and huffed. You winced moving backwards on your palms until you hit the bed frame.

"Don't move" he didn't look at you. Only opening the door and leaving. You saw a glimpse of Peggy before he slammed it shut.

Peggy's voice faded and you worried for her. Looking around the room you debated on what to do, there was a window. But would you survive the fall?

it wasn’t long before the door opened with Steve raking his fingers through his hair and shutting it once more.

"You better get comfy Roast, because you aren't leaving this room. And whatever thoughts running around in your head about proving me wrong on that fact....Don't."

Digging in his pocket he pulled out a box and tossed it at your feet. He stared at you and back at the box, wordlessly giving you the command to take it.

Scared you reached for it. The velvety container shook in your hand as you opened it. "You belong to me." It was a ring, a diamond wedding ring. Look at him in disbelief you said nothing.

"Put it on" he commanded. Taking it out you extended your ring finger and slid it on. It wouldn't go past your knuckle. "It won't fit." You mumbled with it half way on. Swiftly he marched over and snatched up your hand. Steve forced the ring on as you cried. You felt the circulation cut off immediately. Your finger swelled at the tight fit of the ring before he tossed your hand down.

"On your knees."

Your finger pulsed as you moved to rise on your knees. He was in charge and you weren't going to infuriate him any more than you already had.

"Tongue out" his voice went deeper. You wanted to beg him to not do this. To please stop, but you knew him well enough to not waist your breath.

You watched as he unzipped before your awaiting mouth. Shutting your eyes tight, more tears fell as your jaws ached.

Steve let out a long breath when the tip of his cock fell upon your tongue. You could already taste the saltiness of the pre-cum as you fought off the cringe.

"Look at me." Steve cooed as he tapped the head of his cock on your tongue.  His expression was too blurred, your eyes too glassed with water to see anything.

"Take me all in" he spoke with a soft growl. Timidly you enclosed your mouth on his length, but you couldn’t find the nerve to move.  Hiccuping around him when he placed a hand on the back of your head. Steve nudged you forward slowly. Easing you forward to take him deeper, motioning your head so that you slowly took him in and out.

You knew he was holding himself back from quickening your pace. He hadn't had you suck his cock in a long time, so he was going to stretch this out as long as possible.

He slid his length deep down your throat, holding you there.  "We were going to be a family."

You had to breathe and he knew it. You patted him, signaling him that you needed air, but that just had him hold harder. Pushing against his thighs you try to free yourself, panicking due to the depleting air in your lungs.

"You took that from me" Steve picked up speed, fucking your face mercilessly. His massive cock not allowing for much air to pass through. “Our baby, you took that from me.”

When he pulled out you gasped and coughed, holding your throat as you massaged your neck.

"Look at me" he glared down at you. Through your tears you strained your neck to stare at him. Pressing his tip to your mouth again you started sucking on your own.

Drool dripped down your chin while the ghastly gags escaped each time his cock hit that dangly thing in the back of your throat. You strained to hold his gaze as he watched you darkly. When his eyes started to roll back you knew he was close.

Your sobs vibrated on his cock the sensation making him moan with delight. Steve groaned your name to the melody of your  sloppy mess.

"I’m gonna nut in your mouth and your gonna hold it there while I fuck you in the cunt."

Steve's breathing quickly became heavy.  With one last twitch of his cock he exploded in your mouth. You wanted to vomit and spit out his seed as it filled your mouth, but his warning glare reminded you that you knew better.

The mattress smelled like Peg. Everything reminded you of her as you laid on your back. You tried to think where she could be. Did she go to her mother's? You thought as the head of his cock probed your folds.

You felt his cum dry around your mouth as you held it open, embarrassed you look away and he allowed it.

Steve hissed as the tip of his head got slicker and slicker while it roamed you. In that moment you hated yourself. He knew how to awaken the lust filled shame inside you. Building a fire in your corn that you wished you could stomp out.

"AH so fucking tight."

Steve sunk in deep, the pain jolting you, your back arching as he held your hips. He chuckled when your thighs squeezed his sides as your cunt tightened around him.  

"Fuck I missed you" he moved slowly, but it was still too much. On your elbows you try and crawl away, but he only let you get so far before he slammed you back to him.

Sending another jolt through your body causing you to choke on his salty seed.

"Didn't.I.Say.Hold.It.In" he hammered each point painfully before wrapping a hand around your throat. You apologized as he fucked you hard into the mattress. A quake started to erupt from your mound and you couldn't bite it back.

“Fuck!” you cried as you came around him. Steve praised your traitors cunt. It squeezed him tightly, eager to hug him.  

"Your going to be filled to the brim with me, morning, noon and night. You won't know what its like not to have me leaking from you." You felt his weight on your neck as his hips rammed into yours.

"Do you understand?" Steve barked at you.

Your vision spotted as you shook your head feverishly. Steve fell on top of you, his weight crushing you as he came.

"Tell me you love me... fucking say it." He panted into your ear as your thighs ached to stay open.

"I love you." You croaked.

"You are my first, last and now only" he was promising himself to you, but you didn't want it.