#currently: shining inheritance

[namimikan]

genuinely impressed that the show's otp became genuinely cute!!! the last episode they were super adorable -- the build up was slow but good, imo? (you do need a lot of patience tho.) like i got why they fell for each other, but seung mi had me confused? (not that i wanted seung mi/hwan as endgame otp, but the nature of seung mi and hwan's relationship was unclear to me, so i thought that initially hwan was cheating on seung mi with eun sung). like it's a good love square, but even if i didn't talk about jun se/eun sung, i kind of got fond of it, even tho it was v. apparent early on that eun sung was never really that interested in him. first just bc she wasn't in the right head space, but then secondly, maybe jun se was too perfect-seeming anyway? not that hwan became a fix-it project, but through their spats, they learned from each other and became closer as a result, even if it cost them several misunderstandings. and being in close living quarters with hwan, idk, it made sense to me why eunsung ended up falling for hwan, watching him grow into becoming a decent person.

(hwan didn't steal eun sung from jun se, ffs.)

but in general, v. impressed at how good hwan's character development was! from spoilt brat to decent human being! lee seung gi has such a charming petty side to him, but it's funny how i only got endeared to it at the end!

ngl, even though seung hee is ridiculously villainous... i'm okay with her getting a happily ever after with her daughter? if seung mi is happy, i'm happy, honestly. like i pitied seung mi a lot for acting badly for her loneliness, and tho it was a consequence of her own actions, i do think both her relationships with hwan and seung hee shaped her this way, to be even more wretched and desperate.

quite frankly at least three people should have gone to jail, but. do i actually mind? nah, the cuteness got to me.

[livingmybestfakelife]

Birds Of A Feather

Elijah “Smoke” Moore x Annie Moore, Elias “Stack” Moore x Annie Moore (Platonic)

The usual sounds of moaning, cussing, gambling and headboards banging up against the walls were currently being replaced with a Hoover vacuum picking up every crumb, dust and dirt on the Moroccan imported rugs that laid on the first floor of the mansion. A cleaning crew of six went to work as scheduled to freshen up the house. Every Sunday at 8 o’clock on the dot, the men and a few women of Harrison’s Housekeeping had entered L’Étalon to do a deep cleaning of vacuuming, dusting baseboards, sweeping and mopping the hard wood oak floors. Sometimes when bed linens pilled up, they would even take that down to their laundromat and wash them for an extra fee, which was no issue for Miss Annie.

Annie Moore née Walker, had inherited the stunning mansion by her late mother Juanita, who was also a madame. She taught Annie everything she knew on how to run a business like this and how to keep your gigolos and their tricks in check. It wasn’t a career field she’s ever dreamed about, but it’s what she was good at. And the same was said about the Smoke Stack twins. The handsome men and voluptuous woman had all grew up in the gritty Delta that had various ways of survival, and that was either racketeering, hard labor in the fields, scrubbing laundry for rich folks, or turning tricks. And the twins were very good at the first and latter options. Stack especially enjoyed the fucking, that much was obvious, and he thought he might as well get paid for it so why not. That’s when he went into “business” with his dear old friend Annie. Doing four nights in the week, he had a decent amount of frequent customers who paid a generous cut for him to fuck them good into the mattress, it was no surprise that he was one of the fan favorites.

While the rest of the house was being cleaned. Annie was in her en suite soaking in her clawfoot tub. The warm water of the bubble bath heated up her soft skin while the fireplace was beginning to heat up her bedroom. She added some drops of lavender oil within the water, a fragrance she’s loved as long as she could remember. As she scooted herself up, some heavy footsteps made its way behind her. It belonged Stack. He had sat down on a plush cushioned foot stool and began to run his fingers through her hair. She moaned at the feeling, loving the treatment from one of her dear friends. He soon began to separate her hair into sections and took his time to oil her scalp. He never rushed this process, it was one of their bonding moments. He did it for her every other day and she would be the only person he trusted to shave him. Some moments later they began to sing a tune together, it was their song.

“My girl, my girl , don’t lie to me, tell me where did you sleep last night, in the pines, in the pines, where the sun don’t ever shine, I would shiver the whole night through”

He picked up her boars hair brush on the little table next to the tub. It had a sterling silver handle with flowers and vines engraved, a gift from Smoke when they got married. He gently brushed her soft tight coils. The feeling almost made her drift off to sleep. He ended the grooming session with a kiss to her temple and stood up to walk to the mirror in front of the sink to spruce himself up. Today was the only day of the week he got to visit Smoke, the inmates of Haywood Detention Center allowed twice a week visitations and only one person was allowed to come at a time, he used one day and Annie used the other. Stack always liked to look his best, even if it was just to visit a jail. He pulled a little comb out of his sweater pocket and combed his facial hair, he would wait a little while longer for Annie to shave him, liking the slight scruffy look for now. He topped off his own grooming with a few dabs of Florida Water that Annie kept in the mirror cabinet.

“Anything you want me to update him on?”

“No…it’s been slow this week, not much going on”

“It’s because of that new police chief in everyone’s business, scaring off folks from round here”

She sighs at the reminder. Vernon Hanley was steady “cleaning up the streets”, and one of the ways he was doing that was slowly cracking down on the red light district part of Clarksdale. Which was bad for business. He was part of the reason that Smoke was locked up now, though it was unrelated to the hoeing. He got caught up in a racketeering conspiracy which would’ve been five years, but with the help of a smooth talking yankee white lawyer, it was able to be talked down to just a year and four years probation. Which meant Smoke would have to have no parts in his and Stack’s casino business. He was screwed on that part, but it was better than the chain gang and not being able to see his wife and brother everyday

He nods and goes to walk out of the bathroom, but not before turning around and letting her know about the decision he made. Last week Stack had discovered Annie’s emotional affair with one of her workers, Lonnie. He’s been working there for three years and managed to fit in well enough, though Stack never warmed up to him as much as everyone else. Annie tried hard to convince him to leave him be, that she’ll fire him and make him leave town, and most of all, that it never got sexual. But Stack didn’t care about none of that, to him, Lonnie was a threat to the already built in family, he told her that he’d think about it, but that was just to calm her down for a while, he already made up his mind the moment he found out.

“I’m sorry Annie….but he had to go”

She begins to shed some tears, looking at him with the most devastating eyes, deep down inside she already knew what Lonnie’s fate was, but she still wanted some hope, how silly of her.

“Did you make him suffer?”

“Nah, it was quick, don’t worry”

She nods and sniffs and looks in the opposite direction to compose herself, if she saw his face a little bit longer she was bound to get sick.

“Smoke will forgive you, he always did, and always will….I do too, I mean with Smoke been tangled up in this shit you needed a shoulder to cry on, a woman can’t be without her man for too long, it’ll make her crazy”

“Elias, please…”

He walks over and crouches down in front of her, he gently grabs her chin to look at him.

“It was always just us, the three musketeers against the world, you really thought I was gonna let a muthafucka come between us like that Annie?”

“All we did was talk, I was hurting and alone-“

“You come to me then! You talk to me, not an outsider”

He wipes her tears and rests his forehead against hers.

“This whorehouse, the casino, none of this shit makes us Annie, we’re bigger than all of that, whatever temptations that come from it we fight through it, we’re all that matters, okay?”

“Okay, yes alright”

He gives her a forehead kiss and leaves for visitation. Annie hasn’t felt this much guilt in a long time, she felt like she could’ve tried harder to keep Lonnie at a further distance, keeping it more professional, no matter how hard he wanted her attention, she should’ve tried harder, but she couldn’t. It was too little too late to turn back now, Lonnie was probably buried in the woods somewhere, waiting to be consumed by whatever type of nature consumes him.

@sinnersappreciation

@childishgambinaax

@uzumaki-rebellion

@browngirldominion

@tforpresz

[potatomountain]

Alien In My Living Room

Pairing: Alien!Hongjoong x fem reader x neighbor Cowboy! San Summary: After inheriting your farm it's been a struggle- not as much as the alien that crashed there and has been a little menace for some time. A big enough menace your neighbor (and crush) come over at the wrong time- or maybe the right time. WC: 4k AU: cowboy vs alien! hentai Genre: pwp, scifi Warning(s): 18+ rating, eggpreg, breeding kink, tentacles, weird bodily anomalies. rainbowish cum, restraints, some slight predator/prey dynamics if you squint. threesome. double penetration, anal (male/female receiving) Betas: @bunnliix ~ @adelusionforyourthoughts ~ @yourfatherlucifer AN: Happy birthday to the LOML Kim Hongjoong! And also a happy birthday to one of my favorite fanfic writers @sanjoongie !! You can probably guess what bits were thrown in just for you! ps: I kinda got the idea from the song "Llama in my Living Room" by AronChupa! dividers and Banner by me! Ageless blogs that interact with this piece, even a like, will be blocked INSTANTLY, no exceptions.

Main Masterlist

The worst part of being a city girl from a farm was when the farm became yours. Still a year into owning and living back on your family’s farm and you still had no idea what to do with all the land. Your neighbors handled the last harvest, and you debated selling more of the land to them and mostly keeping the ranch house. Of course you knew how to take care of the land, you grew up doing so, but you weren’t sure if you wanted to spend your adult life doing it either.

But that hadn’t been a problem for the last couple of months. Instead your biggest concern was what the fuck you were going to do about the Alien that had taken up residence on your land. He looked human enough, but not at first. His pretty face didn’t erase the being you knew was under there, more limbs than torso, the translucent pink his hair currently was. How he had molded into a man that looked like one of the idols on your posters was beyond you. Though you supposed it wasn’t a complete transformation, as you learned the one time you saw him shirtless. If you ignored that, he was pretty to look at.

But he was also annoying.

“Are you ever going to fix your stupid ship and get out of here?” You snapped out, swiveling in your desk chair to glare at the being who was currently harassing your cat, again. Why your cat stood for it and didn’t hiss was beyond you, weren’t they good predators? Salem managed to slip out of Hongjoong’s hands, running for one of the many hidey holes he had around your home. Hongjoong looked up from the floor with wide blue eyes, the stars themselves shining in his irises. “I thought you liked having me around here?” “You’re terrorizing my adorable kitten and you’re out there at ungodly hours banging and causing a ruckus! Why would I like that?” You huffed out again, crossing your arms over your chest. “And for a creature that doesn’t eat, you sure like to eat all my food!” “I’m sorry- I need energy and I can’t get it my usual ways.” He protested, crawling over to you in such a clumsy way you wondered how this could be a being capable of space travel.

You frowned, lifting your leg to press your heel into his shoulder and stop him from getting too close. “What do you mean- that sounds awfully sus.” “Sus?” “Suspicious. Jesus, you managed to learn how to blend in so well but you can’t manage the lingo?” You rolled your eyes, still unsure how he managed to adapt so effortlessly. He never gave you an explanation, just transformed fully into this and within a few days he was talking like he had lived on earth his whole life- minus missing many social cues. “Anyways, I thought you didn’t need to eat so why do you need the extra energy now?” Hongjoong was still pressing forward, something different in his eyes that made you apprehensive. Maybe you shouldn’t have asked the question. 

The sudden appearance of one of his nearly translucent tentacles sliding up your leg sent off warning bells in your head. It pushed up the fabric of your sweatpants, leaving behind a little bit of slick that darkened the light gray fabric. Was it supposed to be wet? “I need the extra energy to produce and lay my eggs… you’re really warm actually.” The words came out like a lustful purr, furthering your panic. Quickly you slapped the tentacle aside, watching him wince as you stood up and put distance between you. “Sorry for asking, this is super interesting stuff but I uh- gotta go catch my fridge.” You mentally slapped yourself for the stupid excuse, but hoped he would buy it as you rushed out of your office.

He hadn’t been flirting with you had he? Hadn’t implied to fuck his eggs into you… that’s what you told yourself. Yet the idea was now in your head, as was the question if he even had a dick or would he use-

The train of thought had your body reacting, which just concerned you even more. He was an alien! Why couldn’t you have dirty thoughts about your neighbor instead? The mental reminder of the cowboy next door just had your cheeks even more heated, slapping them in an attempt to control yourself. Why were you suddenly so damn horny? You really needed the fresh air, booking it towards your kitchen and back patio.

However, you didn’t make it through the living room before you were tackled to the couch, bent over the arm and face in the cushions. You hadn’t even heard him following you, but now you could feel him pressing down against your back, his heavy pants so obvious as he leaned over your body close enough you could feel his breath on the back of your neck. “Sorry Star, but you ran away smelling so good. Humans like consent, right?” He sounded quite worked up, touching you in several ways that was making your mind fuzzy with heat. His hands pushed up your shirt, but there were several tentacles touching your skin. They were warm and slick, slithering over your flesh.

You realized you enjoyed how they felt, skin feeling hotter where the slick remained, almost sensitive. “W-we do. Hongjoong, what do you normally do with your eggs?” “Incubator on ship…” He panted out, his hands now pinning your arms to the cushion above you. “It broke when I crashed, don’t have the parts to fix it. Keep them safe until I return home to gift… but I can't wait.”

Biting down on your lip as the tips of his tentacles rubbed at your nipples under your bra- which you don’t remember getting pushed up - you tried to turn your head to look at him, just to have your breath catching in your throat at his needy expression. You could really see the stars in the blue of his eyes, no white in sight. His tongue lulled out, the same translucent pastels as the tentacles roaming your body. He was losing his human visage, but in the slightest ways, even the pale pink of his hair seemed almost otherworldly with how it fell in his face.

You should tell him off, knowing that the pleading look he gave you was your consent. As annoying as the creature was, he was not unbearable or disrespectful, changing any errors he made to suit your tastes. It was that knowledge that had you caving in. Within seconds of your nod your clothes were gone, bra and panties in particular ripped off you as you were put in such a lewd position but you couldn’t find the time to feel ashamed. Not when the warm slick of one of his appendages was rubbing between your slick folds, teasing you, while the rest sought out sensitive bits and toyed with them. They sucked on your nipples, rubbing around your throat and adding pleasure that made your head spin. Hongjoong let out a particularly pornagraphic moan just behind you that just added to the haze you were beginning to drown in. “Oh you like that?” He chuckled before moaning louder, moaning your name, which had your body reacting. The shiver that coursed through you had your back arching in response, pushing your behinds back against him. You wanted more.

He happily gave you more, pushing the tentacle into you with an inhuman cry of his own. It almost sounded eerie, probably did, but you lust-addled mind didn’t register at such. It did register another male calling your name in a panic, and your kitchen door slamming open. 

You looked up in time to see your friendly neighbor, once childhood friend, standing in the archway of your living room, beautiful sun kissed skin almost pale from the shock that the visage of Hongjoong probably presented. There were at least four tentacles on your body at the moment, and you couldn’t see how many more he had out, but enough to really shock the muscle man as he passed out, falling to the ground.

“San?” You attempted to pull away from Hongjoong, concerned for the man that laid on your wooden floor. His cowboy hat had fallen off, a thin layer of sweat coating his forehead and skin exposed under the vest. You were a lot less concerned than you should be, instead finding him quite delectable, almost like you wanted to jump onto his cock. The harsh way Hongjoong shoved his tentacle deeper into your cunt distracted you from those thoughts. “Pay attention to me Star, I’m the one fucking you.” He growled out, his hold on you tightening all over possessively. Gone was the needy being from a moment ago, Hongjoong was now completely in charge with the way you were lifted up off the couch and displayed in the air. He turned you to watch him, his own clothes coming off. He still had the shape of a human, even a cock you noticed, but the colors of his tentacles now moved over his skin like a work of art.

It was hypnotizing. “Hongjoong~” You whined out, glancing down as best you could to take in the sight of just how he was fucking you. Like straight out of a hentail, the sensations were almost too much.

It was his thumb on your clit that drove you over the edge, rubbing it in perfect stimulating circles that you cried out, creaming all over the slimy tendril. Hongjoong’s head rolled back, his body practically vibrating and you wondered how good it must feel to him for him to look so blissed out.

You didn’t get a chance to ask, falling to the couch the next second as Hongjoong was tackled to the floor by your neighbor. In the struggle he had let go of you completely, the wind knocked out of you from your fall, but some sense knocked into you as well. Still catching your breath you scrambled up, unsure just where to insert yourself in the mess of limbs flying about. “San! Hongjoong! Stop it!” You couldn’t really blame San for freaking out, since Hongjoong was an alien just casually in your living room. Casually fucking you, but making sounds that could be misconstrued.

San halted his fist, sitting on top of the being that had most of his other limbs restrained with his own. “But Miss he-” “He’s a friend San, alien or not.” You huffed out, bending down next to them and fixing Hongjoong with a stare. “And you won’t harm him either.” “But you were thinking about him fucking you! While I was inside you, it’s not fair!” He actually pouted, which was almost funny.

You were too embarrassed to laugh, San turning his attention to you. How could you not want to fuck him though? Toned cowboy, a real gentleman that had been helping you with the farm- even now in dusty jeans and a leather vest, hair tossled from when his hat fell off, he was fine as fuck. “Have you really not been noticing the way I eye fuck you when I ask your help for any manual labor?” “I… didn’t want to get my hopes up-” San mumbled out, just to get flipped over suddenly, Hongjoong holding him down. “Hey!!” “She’s mine human- back off!” “Like hell I will. You don’t have a claim on her.” “I was in the middle of that when you so rudely interrupted.” As if to show off, he moved one tentacle over to you, wrapping around your bare thigh and then the tip shoved itself back into your cunt. Instantly you moaned out, head falling back as it pushed deep. “Think you can fuck her like this?” San was pouty as he watched, but the lust there was unmistakable. “You have a lot to fuck her with. That doesn’t mean shit- is that a fucking egg.” San screeched out, both of you watching a small round object move through the tube-like appendage. You could feel it as it moved along your thigh, heart racing with panic. You tried to grab at it, stop him, but he had your arms pinned at your sides. The stars in his eyes swirled with chaos, striking you with a bit of fear.

Fear that melted away as you were stretched out more than you thought possible, the egg shooting up into you and pushed into your womb. It was intense, head falling back as you cried out, shaking from the sensation.

“Oh my God-” San was in awe at your sight, which drew your attention even through the haze. You wanted to slump forward, instead you couldn’t tear your eyes away as cum shot out of Hongjoong’s pink cock onto San, covering him in what looked like melted pearls. “Fuck-” San winced as a splatter got on his cheek, but Hongjoong wasn’t paying attention to either of you.

For what seemed like an eternity, both you and San couldn’t tear your eyes away from the alien. His tendrils trembled from the aftershocks of his climax, his hands moving up his body and twisting his own pink nipples while there was a soft glow behind his closed eyes.

You did notice that Hongjoong was no longer holding San down, just sitting on his thighs and tilted back in pure bliss. San could’ve easily pushed him off, in fact you had no idea why he didn’t. Was he just as enamored with the alien as you were?

The shifting between your legs reminded you that you were still impaled on the alien tentacle, though now he was pulling out. In a moment of panic you tried to grab at it, whining because you didn’t want to be left empty.

But even as it was pulled out, you didn’t feel empty though, the egg inside a weighted reminder that you were being bred. Collapsing forward on your palms not that you were let go, you panted out. “J-Joongie~ Please give me more.” You whined, needing more, and that was all you could think about in your hazy state. Hongjoong murmured something in a language you didn’t understand- what you recognized as his own language- as he slipped off of San and practically ignored you. So you whined again, reaching out for him.

“Are you just going to ignore her?” San scoffed, pushing himself up onto his elbows now that he was mostly free.

Hongjoong shook his head, most of his extra limbs retracting. “Your turn.”

“My turn?” San screeched out just as you let out a loud noise of confusion. You were getting really hot now.

In a flash, San's clothes were just gone, exposing his own thick and throbbing cock standing at attention. Your eyes zeroed in, spit building up in your mouth as the need for Hongjoong shifted to San and his throbbing member. Hongjoong giggled breathlessly, motioning with his fingers to the two of you. “Fuck. Fertilize. Next egg is prepping.” He rubbed his lower stomach now, a tiny bulge there that you noticed finally.

The eagerness to be filled with another egg had you crawling over to San and straddling his lap.

“Hey hey wait- sweetheart just think- fuck~!” San’s protests were cut off as you impaled yourself down on his cock, all fight leaving him as he grabbed your sides. “Fuck I think I can feel it. It’s hot. You’re throbbing… sweetheart I-” “Shut up and just fuck me San. Don’t tell me you didn’t think about it before.” Sliding a hand up through his hair, you tugged at it to get his full attention. “Or did you wear such a slutty outfit just for the hell of it and not to get me staring?” He swallowed hard, heat darkening his features and a bashful pout on his features. “But not like this.” He didn’t deny, and for you that was enough reason to roll your hips and feel him move inside you. He was harder than the tentacles, but just as deep that he probably could feel that large egg sitting in your womb. “Sweetheart please.” 

“Would you prefer to carry my eggs?” Hongjoong moved to sit beside you both, staring at the spot of cum that had dried on San’s sharp cheek. “Because I can arrange that.” Neither of you answered, both instead groaning at the thought, picturing San’s taunt stomach bulged out with the tentacles or eggs or both. Hongjoong laughed at your thoughts, at least it seemed so with the knowing smirk on his lips. “I could just fuck you both that way.”

You were on your back the next second, legs pushed up by San’s thighs and both of your behinds exposed to the warm air of your home. He seemed just as surprised as you were, only for his confusion to melt away, brows furrowed as he looked down between you. Your slightly swollen stomach was a sight to see pressed against his lower abdomen- hell he was a sight to behold just hunched over you and trapping you in with your legs and his wide shoulders. There was a slap, San lurching forward with a yelp that quickly turned into a groan, leading to control snapping and he was finally giving you what you wanted. “Sorry Sweetheart~” He drawled out, rough hands from years of farm work holding your hips still as he slammed his cock into you at an even rougher pace.

You didn’t care one bit, head falling back and just taking what he was giving you. It felt like a heavy haze of lust was encompassing you again, moans spilling from your lips as all you could do was lay there and get bred. Not that you minded at all.

Greedily you grabbed onto San’s shoulders, nails digging in as he bent forward more to rest his forehead on your shoulder. The soft grunts and whispers of your name and the dozens of different names of endearment he had for you falling from your lips. His breath felt hot on your skin, but nothing beat the pulsating heat from your womb.

Not even the slick intrusion in your rear, which by San’s reaction, he had a similar intrusion. “Fucking hell- my ass!” He twisted enough to growl at the alien that refused to be forgotten, just to let out a higher pitched moan than he was moments ago. It almost matched yours, the double penetration of his cock and now one of Hongjoong’s slimy tentacles pushing up inside, made everything almost impossibly tight.

For you and San. “What, don’t like it?” Hongjoong mused, thrusting the tendrils in and pushing you both across the floor a bit. “Do I need to do the fucking as well.” With an annoyed hiss, San turned back to you, a challenge in his eyes that ended up matched by his dimpled smirk. “Seems like he got lonely, doesn’t it sweetheart?” You nodded, eyes rolling back at how deep both your holes were currently filled. “D-don’t mind. Come on Sannie baby, fill me up. He wants it so bad~ give it to me please.” With how tightly you two were pressed together you managed to grab his firm butt cheeks, loving how they tensed as your nails dug in deep. 

He hissed again, then picked up pace that put his earlier one to shame. Now cries and screams fell from your lips, the wood beneath your back a harsh reminder of where you were but with both of them fucking you at such an animalistic pace you couldn’t even think.

Even when you came you could hardly tell when it started or passed, just trembling beneath them and holding on for your dear life. 

Hongjoong was just in sight to the side of you both, stroking his pink cock in sync with the tendrils he was fucking you both with. You were well aware when San started spilling his seed into you, his cry matched by an almost overwhelming heat between your legs as he filled you up deep. The egg pulsated in your womb, just absorbing what San was giving you, satisfying you in ways you didn’t know you needed.

The alien stilled himself inside you both, no eggs pushed in but his pretty pearlescent cum splattered on the side of both San and yours faces. The second it seemed to touch your skin the haze in your mind seemed to thicken. It would have you suspicious if you didn’t feel so damned content and peaceful.

In fact, so content and peaceful that the next time you were actively aware of your body and mind you were sitting on the couch, cleaned up and curled against San’s side. The man was once more wearing pants, a blanket was wrapped around you, and Hongjoong was sitting on the coffee table passing for a regular human almost.

The two were chatting, and you couldn’t really make out what was said until Hongjoong caught your attention with the phrase “I thought I’d never get you two to breed.” You sat up, frowning a bit. “What the fuck do you mean by that?” By the sudden panic on his face, you guessed he hadn’t realized he said it. “Well- uh- I mean you’ve been thinking about sleeping with him since I got here!” While it wasn’t a lie, you shifted to get up and interrogate him more. 

Both Hongjoong and San stopped you, hands on your swollen and heated stomach. Right, they had literally just bred you…. Convenient that San had stopped over when he did. “Sannie, why did you stop over today?” “The last few weeks there were usually weird sounds coming from your field around this time so I thought I could come over and ask you about it.” The sweet man was staring at your stomach, much more calm about this situation than he had been earlier.

Even you felt more calm, which was alarming by itself. You don’t remember any sounds around this time, but it was also the time of day that Hongjoong would be in the barn working on fixing his ship. Today he insisted on bothering your cat Salem though… it clicked. Slowly you turned to the inhuman being who looked to be perspiring oil down his neck. “Hongjoong… did you plan this from the beginning?”

San joined you in staring the nervous alien down, which considering what had just transpire was an ironic turn of events. “Now that you mention it… it is odd. When he was touching me I just got so damned horny too.”

“Same actually… think it’s some alien trick?”

“Maybe the slime?”

“Hmm maybe… fucking hell we’re talking about this like it’s the weather. What the hell did you do Hongjoong?” You snapped out, hissing at the creature.

He couldn’t meet your eyes, but his explanation came out like word-vomit. How his ship was technically fixed weeks ago, his incubator was fine, but he couldn’t leave like that. It took both you and San to pull it out of him. “Because I maybe, accidentally, imprinted on you both… now I’ll get sick if I’m away from you two for too long… Might have made sure it’s the same for you both now…” He pointed to your stomach, really solidifying what you had done.

San and you both scoffed, then shared a nonchalant look. Despite the daunting situation, there was a big part of you that you didn’t think would have minded even without the added imprint or whatever Alien thing Hongjoong had going on. It seemed the same for him. Still, you both grinned, then laughed. “Ha. Aliens.”

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[literaila]

I was thinking, if reader and gojo decided to have a baby of their own, I'd wanna honor Haibara and name that baby after him but I have this gut feeling gojo would hate it. Also most ffs I read where they have a baby, the child inherits gojos limitless but I have a feeling that wouldn't be the case. Watchu think?

“kaoru?”

“boring.”

“izumi?”

“too common.”

“ami?”

“blech, no.”

you sigh, shaking your head at him. “ami literally means beautiful.”

“and boring.”

satoru is sitting at the end of the couch and rubbing your feet (because you threatened him) and you’ve been at this… well, technically six months. but currently? fifteen minutes.

it’s not like you agree on most things—but you didn’t expect satoru to really care all of that much about a name. he might care about the color of the nursery, but he’s not that sentimental. indifferent, if anything.

though, if satoru can defy your assumptions in any way, he’s sure to do it.

it would be kind of sweet… if it wasn’t completely annoying.

“you know you’re supposed to make your own suggestions?” you ask him, wearing his pout. “not just turn down all of mine.”

satoru grins and you groan on instinct. “i like megumi for a girl.”

there’s a cabinet closing from the other room and then a brief: “shut up,” like megumi can’t be bothered to care any further.

you refrain a smile and point a finger at your antagonistic husband. “don’t ridicule the blessing,” you tell him, and very sternly too.

“i heard that too,” megumi mumbles, setting down two mugs on the coffee table.

you grin at him in thanks. “i know.”

while satoru pours a gallon of sugar in his tea and megumi idles through the baby names book you’ve been hoarding, you close your eyes, thinking again.

“how about sayuri?”

“that’s too close to mine,” satoru resumes his methodical feet massage, much to your relief. “we’d get confused.”

“that’s not even remotely close to satoru.”

satoru make a face. “besides i don’t want any flower names. too girly.”

megumi frowns, snorting. “she’s a girl.”

“and you’re a boy but you still—“

“don’t even,” you interrupt satoru, kicking his leg. he sticks his tongue out at you because he is very mature. “you make a suggestion, gojo.”

“i already did,” he wags a finger at megumi tauntingly.

“so two megumi’s in the house is fine, but god forbid her name shares a syllable with yours?”

satoru pretends to consider it. “yup.”

“i’m moving out soon,” megumi tells you, rolling his eyes at his father—they have a very loving, respecting relationship (obviously).

you pout again and megumi nudges your mug—more of a mother hen then you’ll ever be. you grab it reluctantly, and he turns away.

“see!” satoru points at him, reaching over to ruffle the boys hair—and failing. “he’s okay with it.”

“i do not find you funny, satoru.”

“yeah, you do,” he grins at you, tickling your feet just enough to make you squirm. you would have a fond look on your face, of course, if you didn’t have a reputation to uphold.

no one can know that you actually like satoru and the stupid things that he says.

and you both glare at each other for a minute—or two—but then megumi murmurs, “i like akemi.”

you blink and look at him, but he’s staring down at the book in contemplation.

hes really been so helpful with everything. cooking dinner when you’re tired, dealing with satoru constantly, going with tsumiki to find baby clothes and useless (but adorable) baby shoes.

you can’t help the little twitch of your lips, or the admiration the pit of your stomach holds for him. “that’s pretty,” you whisper, sitting up again, “bright, right?”

megumi nods.

you turn to satoru, eyebrows raised.

he immediately rolls his eyes. “no.”

“what? come on, that’s nice.”

satoru crosses his arms, your feet aching with his absence. “i’m not taking suggestions from a fifteen-year-old.”

“are you kidding?”

he frowns at you, eyes shining much too bright for the middle of the day—or anytime, really.

you nudge him with your foot and lean back again, readjusting. “why are you better at this than your father, megumi?”

“hey!” satoru sits up, looking dejectedly at both of you. “he just has more room in his brain to think.”

megumi snorts and you laugh, sipping on your tea again.

“it’s true,” satoru insists, “it’s hard being gojo satoru.”

you roll your eyes and nod exaggeratedly. “oh, i’m sure. big decisions to make.”

satoru pouts.

megumi hums. “glasses or blindfold, today?”

“should i threaten this kid with execution, or save his life?”

at that, megumi actually laughs and satoru slides even further down on the couch, arms still crossed.

“that was once,” he says, glaring at the both of you.

you blink at him.

“twice.”

“and yet you still can’t decide on a name,” you tut, megumi is still flipping through the book, trying to hide his smile.

“where is tsumiki when you need her?” satoru whispers, looking back towards the hallway. then he scoffs. “and i would decide if your names weren’t bad.”

“your name is literally satoru—“

“kazue?” megumi interrupts, tapping on the table.

satoru rolls over, groaning. “ugh, no.”

you sigh again, looking down at your belly. the baby is lucky that she has three more months before she has to deal with any of this.

“we may need to replace your father,” you tell her.

at that, satoru basically squawks.

***

of course. they are having a girl because megumi needs another sister. so no haibara—but reader does suggest yu.

and besides i think she would want to save that name for nanami and refrain from crying every time she has to fill out a school form for her third child.

to answer your other question—it does seem unlikely for the baby to inherit satoru’s techniques (considering he’s the first in a century) but maybe the genetics are just that strong.

i wish i knew more about the actual statistics of cursed techniques and how often they’re passed down/how many people receive a technique from their parents. based on what megumi says (“how many people have you met that can actually see curses?”) it’s probably more likely that their baby has no cursed energy at all.

it would be fun to play around with their techniques though. and to imagine satoru teaching another poor child how to manage cursed energy.

[punkpandapatrixk]

🎡Cosmic Messages for Workers of Light ♦︎ Timeless Pick A Card

Those of you who’ve always had a feeling that you were born to do something important; those of you who’ve recently been feeling like you’re being called to something higher than the mundane; YO, this reading has appeared in your Reality now to signal that the lights are green~🥝🥦🥑

Many people have been on different timelines that are now converging as one singular trajectory of where Humanity is heading. It’s a little bit more convoluted than that tho, because we each experience this Game a whole lot differently, too. But essentially, we’re wrapping up karmic cycles and entering a Golden Age of Workers of Light~★

Technically speaking, the essence…the theme…of the New Age of Aquarius is accountability. This is an era of accountability, folks. People can no longer be supported by any kind of cosmic power to perpetuate deceit and the misuse of knowledge.

‘But when knowledge is abused or put to the servility of coining wealth for a few, without respect of the treasury which all inherit, then humanity departs from the machine and all is toil without profit. For the false-hearted who would tear knowledge apart, diminishing the light and shielding its beams from us, will make mechanicals of us all.’ – excerpt from Manifesto of The Guild of Artificers; The Steampunk Tarot

What’s your current timeline? Which trajectory of the future of Humanity are you on? This reading serves as a prelude to what’s going to be revealed more in-depth in the ‘Lion’s Gate Portal to XXX’ PAC~💋

INTELLIGENCE: Mission Mind Control (1979) on Nuclear Vault

TECHNOMAGY: Probability Alteration and Luck (Energetically Programmed Audio) by Sapien Medicine

deck-bottom: XXI The World Rx, Silver Geographer (Francis Drake) & Priestess of Shine

[PAC Masterlist] [Patreon] [Paid Readings]

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

Pile 1 – You’re Going to Change the World by Making It Innocent Again

ANGEL NUMBERS: variants of 585, 627, 657, 757, 818, 828

the meaning of NOW – 6 of Pentacles Rx

Have you ever had glimpses of imagination, or a sense of knowing, or it’s just a feeling, like you were dropped to Earth by mistake? Perhaps it’s a feeling as if you were a Greek god banished from the realms of the gods and entered Earth as a form of punishment? Or a bit of a feeling like you got scammed and arrived on the wrong Planet? LMAO Why am I thinking of that Bollywood movie called ‘PK’?

The alien kid arrived on a strange Planet: Earth. And Humanity—Indian primarily—befuddles the living shit out of him XD I think you’ve known for quite a while that you’re not from around here. You’ve never really fit in. I think you weren’t treated nicely by most people—could be your own blood ‘family’, could be your schoolmates, teachers, neighbours. Just basically, you’re seen as a bit of a freak.

It’s hard for you to feel a sense of community. No matter what stage of Life you are in, it’s always felt like that. If at the moment of reading this you’re older in age, I think you’re managing a lot better now. You’ve learnt to be OK with your own company because you’re the most smartest and interesting person you could have conversations with. But if you’re comparatively younger, you’re probably still going through the motion, and that’s OK, because it’s just part of the lore building ;P

bridging the future – King of Wands

The simplest truth about your existence is that you aren’t meant to ‘grow up’ in the same sense as most other people do. Growing up is a wonderful thing, of course, we all need to grow up and become smarter and amazinger! But what doesn’t sit right with you is people’s twisted idea of ‘growing up’ is all about. To most lame-ass Humans on this Planet, ‘growing up’ means abandoning the core essence of what makes you, you.

On this Planet, ‘growing up’ means letting go of your innocence and simple kindness in exchange for survival and brutality (in the workplace, I guess). Here on this Planet, ‘growing up’ means burning your passion to ashes; not living Life fuelled by a burning passion. Here, ‘growing up’ means being punished for authenticity and the childlike courage to question authority. Growing up, here, means becoming complicit to evil abuse of power and greed.

How are you supposed to comply to any of that? Don’t you realise how pure your Heart is? Your sense of justice is clear since day one. It’s something you may not be able to express clearly but you know what’s right and wrong on the basis of what’s good and bad for people as….just people…not numbers or statistics or traffic or casualties. ‘People are PEOPLE, dammit!’

you’re going to MAKE IT – 3 of Cups Rx

You’re befuddled? This world is befuddled! If you’ve chosen this Pile as your main pile, you have it written in your Soul’s blueprint that you’re going to be involved in the politics of the world. Yes, some of you could become politicians or activists, but even those that aren’t interested in any of that, you’re still going to have opinions and perspectives that touch on the subject of Humanity and how psychopath politicians are fucking things up for Humans.

You know what I mean? Some of you could become world players that implement new laws and principles in your society. Some of you will have the power to influence public opinions so that people begin to demand accountability from their corrupt governments. Back to basics, baby. What is Humanity, basically? What does it mean to even be Human living in a Human World, basically? You’ve questioned all of this and you will one day have a platform to extend this musing to a larger audience.

The lights are GREEN now. You’ve experienced so much personal conflict with people who don’t understand your values, all so you would learn to forge connections with people who are just as innocently passionate as you are. That was your training ground, bitch~♥︎ Your personal experiences were a microcosm model of what’s going to sweep out the entire world in the coming decades, if not centuries.

Basically, it's time nations started actually taking care of their own issues before they raid and destroy other nations for resources is what your Soul is understanding.

TIMELINE🔻💛

daydreaming – Gold Magus (Johannes Faustus)

engaging in Reality – Priestess of Innocence

Access full reading + cards on Patreon����

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Pile 2 – You’re Not Confused; This World Is; So You’re Alright

ANGEL NUMBERS: variants of 111, 123, 222, 414, 444, 647

the meaning of NOW – 9 of Cups

Head in the clouds, baby? You’re the type of person who has many dreams and ideas, and it’s like, it’s easy for you to get interested in all kinds of pursuits. But then, it’s also just as easy to lose interest in all of those novelties; it feels like your heart and mind are always being pulled by newer interests or topics. I’m reminded of this meme or whisper that says something like, ‘Not tonight babe. A YouTuber has just posted a 4-hour video about a topic I’ve never heard about before.’

You like to study new things or basically just drown yourself in new hobbies/interests because you’re trying to make sense out of your very existence. I think you’ve felt incredibly confused your entire Life. If not ‘confused’ per se, it still feels like you’re lacking a sense of direction. You don’t really know what’s the purpose of being here on this Planet. You’re weirded out by the fact that you’re not motivated by the same things that others have convinced you to get excited about.

‘Why am I not motivated by these promises and achievements? Damn, I simply can’t be motivated by something as unromantic as that. There’s no Life in any of those pursuits. My God, what should I be interested in for me to motivate myself to make something out of myself? I really don’t know what to pursue in this world. I don’t even know how to live…’ So you continue to daydream but your heart is quite heavy sometimes.

bridging the future – Ace of Cups Rx

Pile 2, you are magic, you know that? Being the way that you are, you aren’t in the wrong for being rather ‘impractical’. If anything, you’re so high-vibrational that you still remember that physical manifestation comes from the dream world first. I think you’d resonate with being a very Feminine person, aenergetically speaking? Maybe you have a strong Moon/Neptune placement in your birth chart as well.

You remember on a Soul level that all dreams can become real as long as you keep on to them. Your being a dreamer who dreams ‘too much’ is not wrong; it is this world that’s too rigid and restrictive. It’s grotesque how society has set up so many rules that limit what a being as divine as you can and can’t do/create. They say the sky’s the limit; in your case, your faith’s the limit.

There are many wonderful things that you want to make manifest but you often tell yourself that you’re dreaming too much or that there’s no way someone like you could ever achieve that. That’s where you’re doing ‘wrong’: the not believing in your own ability to create your dream Life. Remember that successful people usually say that the Life they have now exceeds even their ‘wildest’ dreams.

So dream wild. Dream big. Even if you don’t believe you can exceed your expectations, can’t you still believe that you’ll manifest something very similar?

you’re going to MAKE IT – 9 of Wands Rx

Stop stopping yourself, OK? Stop gaslighting yourself for fuck’s saké. Right now, you need to stop believing that Life’s supposed to be hard work and lived logically. You literally deserve to get paid for just existing. That sounds extra narcissistic but hope you get the idea. This modern society that favours hard work and believes that only after you’ve worked really hard can you then be worthy of a lot of abundance is stupid. This world is confused. People have forgotten the essence of dreaming and living in ease.

Some of you will resonate with being a fairy or an elven soul, and so you believe from the depths of your heart that people should be allowed an easy existence in harmony with nature. Some of you will resonate with being a futuristic alien android being who believes that human lives can be made easy with the right use of technology.

All in all, cosmically speaking, your Soul came into this world to be a ‘lazy’ genius who will switch things up for Humanity so that everybody can have an easier time existing on this Planet. Geniuses are never lazy, bitch. Not in the mind! If wanting things to be more streamlined and easy to do makes a person ‘lazy’ that’s hilarious. So what’s a not-lazy person? A low-IQ idiot who perpetually works hard because they got scammed by capitalism?

TIMELINE🔻💙

daydreaming – Green Magus (John Dee)

engaging in Reality – Priestess of Ambition

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

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Pile 3 – Illuminate Others’ Paths by Simply Expressing Your Truth

ANGEL NUMBERS: variants of 211, 217, 303, 522, 814, 999

the meaning of NOW – 3 of Swords Rx

Do you know that you’re an energy worker? I almost feel you’re a miracle worker. You’re somebody who has a special power in the way that you express yourself, whether in writing or spoken. It’s not so much what you say or write or do, it’s HOW you say or do or write your truth that moves people’s hearts. You have the power to stir some shit up in people’s aenergetic fields LOL

You have both the power to destroy your enemies and heal those who want to get better in the world. If your power is speech, it’s the aenergy with which you talk that empowers people. Ionno, think JFK, MLK? Or some fascinating YouTubers who make us feel like, ‘Oh this guy/gal is my spirit animal!!!’ It’s their aenergy, right? Same with writing or any other thing that you do. It comes natural to you to create some kind of a ripple in people’s consciousness.

For other people, just tuning in your aenergetic space stirs them. That’s why you experience a lot of extremes. Good-hearted people feel immensely healed, comforted and uplifted in your presence or when they talk/text with you. But the false-hearted ones, they also know there’s something about you that calls out their bullshit even when you’re not ‘saying’ anything. There’s something about you that inspires people to be better! And that’s fucking annoying to narcs and the losers of the world LMAO

bridging the future – 10 of Pentacles Rx

I see that you’re honestly not the kinda person who’s ambitious about changing the world, about influencing the world. Not in that ambitious manner like some activist or whatever. Your Soul is very incredibly superbly soft; you ain’t an activist, you’re an artist; you ain’t a fighter, you a lover, baby~ So I get that you sometimes don’t really know what to do with yourself XD Like there’s this desire to heal the world, but you don’t think of yourself as someone who’s fighter enough or strong enough to do any of that.

WRONG. You’re the kinda entity who’s already doing all that healing stuff by simply being the amazing person that you are. Your aenergy is like a combination of both Pile 1 and 2. The half of you is superbly soft and dreamy and you’re so kind and empathetic; the other half of you is fiercely protective of those who are hurting, and you do a lot to make things better and easier for them—in your own practical, seemingly small ways.

The good news is, you really don’t have to be a fighter if it doesn’t suit you. Basically, you just have to be yourself and express your truth. In whatever way you find most suitable to you. Your power lies in your communication, self-expression, connection. You’re going to be a trend-setter, babe~ A trend-setter of authenticity, yup, ‘real authenticity’, ironically; not ‘fake authentic’ that’s propagated by a lot of narcs on the Internet LOL

you’re going to MAKE IT – 3 of Pentacles

With narcs who are pretending so HARD at being good, you know it’s all skin-deep; it’s all just jargon. And they’re gonna get really good at weaponizing self-love concepts to justify shit behaviour, deadbeat behaviour, toxic tendencies, gaslighting atrocities and all that shit, you know? With you, your VIBRATIONS can’t be faked, let alone emulated. The world needs a role model like you. That’s why you’re going to make it. Your Soul Mission ain’t just about you, babe~

You’re literally going to be the example whom people bear witness for what being authentic is all about. They will watch you and come to their own conclusion what a genuine soul looks like. You’re reminding me of Dr Jordan B Peterson. Yep, that kinda vibe. Be weird all you want, be scandalous all you want, the right people will see that your INTENT has been good all along. And in that sense, the people who CHOOSE to view you badly are the CLOWNS, and they’re gonna be proving that to themselves.

In essence, most people’s idols are all LIARS!!! You’re meant to break that, destroy that, and usher in a new era of influencers/celebs/thought leaders/spiritual teachers/all kinds of public figures that actually operate on Light—real information and real intent—instead of fake-ass jargon that lies to people’s faces with semantics and optics! Your aenergy is insane it’s literally gonna change the world massively, and upon finding this reading, you’re riding on the winds of CHANGE so get fucking READY, bitch~! \`★_★`/

TIMELINE🔻🧡

daydreaming – Green Astronomer (Nicolaus Copernicus)

engaging in Reality – Priestess of Illumination

Access full reading + cards on Patreon🌸

☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・. ☆♪°・.

[PAC Masterlist] [Patreon] [Paid Readings]

[dolceaspidenera]

I absolutely need to gush about Sylus and the informative video they made about wild animals because this is the time for my inner biology nerd to rise and shine.

The central theme of the video is, of course, love across the animal kingdom. Indeed all kinds of species adapted all kinds of reproductive strategies. One question that might arise though is "Do animals feel love?"

The short answer is yes. The long answer is more complicated. We can't know the full extent of their feelings the same way we cannot know the inner experience of any other person besides ourselves, but it is safe to say that animals have feelings too. After all, everything that we have, we inherited from them, nothing of what we are we invented. It is true that we are the most extreme animals to live on Earth, but what we have is the product of some refinement through lucky evolutionary chances of brain functions that were already there (i.e. mirror neurons, among other things, which are the main responsible for the ability to empathize, and they were found in many animal species studied). If you are curious to dive deeper into these fascinating topics I recommend watching the video "What animals are thinking and feeling and why it should matter", and if you are brave and interested enough, the book "Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are" by Dr. Frans de Waal.

Why does it matter? I always get surprised when I hear people be skeptical about animals being able to feel and having a rich inner world, but science has demonstrated time and time again that they are fully capable of feeling a wide range of emotions. Unfortunately, many people refuse to acknowledge this, and it is reflected in how animals are treated. If they can't feel then who cares if they "suffer", right?

All this made me think of how Sylus was considered a monster incapable of "human love" for so long, how he was only seen as a mindless beast who was only capable of destruction, and this was the perfect excuse to hurt him and hunt him down. And yet, when you scratch beneath the surface and take the time to look deeper behind the intimidating facade, he is one of the most loving men you could ever meet. He is caring, protective, and loves fiercely and with an open heart- if this sounds familiar, it's because he is just like a fierce and loyal puppy 🤭

Although I have my beef with this company, I love when they put this kind of care and effort and go the extra mile to make this kind of educational content. It is so important, now more than ever.

It's beautiful and heartwarming to see how Sylus loves animals and nature, this event helped me remember why I chose this field of study and helped me navigate the burn out I'm currently in.

I'm so grateful that we can share stories and characters that are so powerful that they inspire us. A big thanks to the creative team, the devs, and the VAs that made a character like Sylus come to life. 🙏 Happy Birthday to our beautiful dragon 🐉🌸

Following the example of the wonderful @yes-no-maybe-soo I also decided to make a small donation to help the animal conservation effort. ❤️

[yuzukult]

from home 03 || jjk & reader

title: from home pairing: jungkook x reader genre: richkid!jk, baker!reader, fakedating!au, fluff, angst, e2l, smut in future chapters word count: 8.1k prompt: jungkook is the youngest of five boys, the last in line to truly inherit any his parents’ money. but what if his mom suddenly cuts him off due to his current poor behavior and he’s forced to learn how it feels like to be part of the working class? a/n: .......... LMFAOOOOOOOOO SORRY FOLKS I ACCIDENTALLY DELETED THE ORIGINAL... anyways hopefully i copied the right chapter hahahhahahah

“You going to the staff dinner tonight?”

Raising a finger at Hoseok, Jungkook slips his phone from his pocket, skimming through the pages before landing on an app, typing a few things in before he looks up with a saddened expression on his face. “... I guess not.”

“Why? What’s wrong? Why can’t you go?” He turns his phone to show the both of you. 

JEON JUNGKOOKACCOUNT BALANCE: ₩33,258.75

“Jungkook!” You and Hoseok in unison exclaim in disbelief. “How the fuck do you only have $30 in there?” Jungkook shrugs, slumping his shoulders as he leans against the conveyor belt. “My mom hasn’t given me the modeling money yet. Our accountant is still calculating all of my earnings. You’d think with how much my parents pay him that he’d work a little faster...”

“We just got paid two days ago,” Hoseok points out, completely baffled as to how Jungkook was able to go through that money so quickly. “What did you do?”

Standing in the middle of Jungkook’s apartment, you and Hoseok just heave out a heavy sigh, shaking your heads in disappointment. He has new curtains, one that makes it easier for the sun to shine through in the mornings which has been an incredibly huge mood booster for him. His futons now have pillows and a blanket to claim their own. Then there was the fridge— full of almost every type of frozen meal from the aisles of the grocery store. And the pantry was an entirely different story; stacks of ramen, chips, cookies— they were practically spilling.

“Jungkook, you need to learn how to control your spending.” You say with great dismay, skimming through the labels of all the ramen bowls and packets that pile on top of each other. “If you keep going at this rate, you’re going to be so broke that you’ll be living on our couches on rotation.”

His face brightens. “You’d let me live on your couch if I needed to?” 

Ignoring his question blatantly, you start browsing his apartment with Hoseok. His suitcases and boxes remain full of things that he brought back from the estate which has you going through them in pure amusement. “You guys... wanna help me unpack or something?”

“Unpack or something. Either or.” You pull out a velvet royal blue suit from one of the boxes that’s still in its clear plastic jacket for the outer protective layer. “Jungkook, want to give me a reason why you have this?”

“Oh. That’s this year’s Hugo Boss. Haven’t worn it yet, I needed to get it fitted.”

Your nostrils flare at the words. “... OK, so why do you still have it? You’re a lower middle class guy living in a studio apartment that’s still probably being paid by his parents who have a butt load of money so they honestly don’t even know they’re still putting money into this. Why they hell would you have a suit that’s...” flipping the label around, your jaw nearly pops off when it drops to the floor, “₩665,175,000.00? Jungkook, what the flying fuck—”

“What?” Hoseok drops the bag of chips he’s in the midst of opening from his hands. Despite also coming from money, he was never that rich in comparison to Jungkook. “Yeah, Hobi, you heard that right. $600,000.00 buckaroos. That’s the cost of a house right there.”

“The Jeon estate is actually—“ You place your index finger against Jungkook’s lips to hush him. “Don’t even. You need to sell this suit.”

“Sell—“ Breathless, Jungkook looks like he’s going to pass out. “I can’t sell a limited edition suit. It was hard to even get it in the first place! What makes you think I’m going to sell it?”

“Because you have 30 bucks to your name.” You respond bluntly before picking up another suit that he has lying underneath the first. “Or sell this one.”

“Not the 2021 Vintage Gucci Men’s Suit!”

“How— One, how can something be vintage if it’s in 2021? And it’s not even 2021 yet?”

The sun begins to set; the rays peering through the curtains gradually dissipates, leaving the three of you sprawled across Jungkook’s new apartment with clothes splattered on every possible surface in the poorly lit room. He still lacked another lamp, but the one his mother left was going to have to do. The staff dinner plans are cancelled, mostly because reorganizing Jungkook’s belongings has been an unanticipatedly gratifying yet a fraught chore that took up more time than predicted. Jungkook was hoping to attend the dinner, but after seeing how much effort you and Hoseok put in trying to make his living space a bit more comfortable, the hope for going to the event has been pushed to the back of his mind.

“Do you guys want to order take-out?” Jungkook suggests, and both you and Hoseok nod while sharing each halves of the futon. “But we’ll pay since you barely have any money. You can get us next time.”

Next time, which means that you guys want to hang out with Jungkook again. 

To him, this is a huge step in the friendship direction. Throughout the entirety of his life, having friends had never really been a thing. Sure, he had play-dates per request from his mother, but those kids were fans of the stuff he owned, they didn’t even like him for him. It had become a recurrence up until high school, where the replacement for the need for friendship had been occupied with flings with women instead. People hung around him for the image, but he never felt a connection with anyone.

That was, until he met you and Hoseok.

Although he’d known Hoseok from showing up at the same parties, he never actually got to talk to him on this level until he visited the supermarket that fateful day. He was always the fun guy at parties; attention constantly gravitating toward him, whether he liked it or not, and he came from money as well, so Jungkook wasn’t sure if those people were surrounding him because of it. Sure, Hoseok’s parents weren’t as rich as Jungkook’s, but they were pretty high up there and could afford almost anything they desired.

Yet, he preferred this sight of Hoseok. Baggy hoodie and jeans, skin greasy from spending the day at work then coming to Jungkook’s apartment to unpack. He’s nagging at you for taking up too much space, covering the surface area that Hoseok had claimed to be his under an unspoken contract as you frown when he slaps your leg.

He likes this. There’s no gowns and tuxes in a ballroom with hors d'oeuvres worth the price of a car per bite; there’s no young people at a party, getting wasted and high, fucking in bedrooms that they weren’t sure who it belonged to; there wasn’t a dining room full of both family and strangers that attempted to start small talk about things he didn’t care about— there was none of that. Just comfort from people he genuinely wanted to impress and make proud of him. He’s not sure if he’s ever felt this way before and he’s barely even known either of you that long. Jungkook has been spending most of his life trying to fill a void in him and has been unsuccessful. He’s finally feeling like he’s going somewhere.

You and Hoseok finally agree on what to eat and he learns that it’s your favorite. Pizza. Extra cheese, pepperoni, sausage, spinach with an ungodly amount of jalapeño peppers, Hoseok mentioned earlier that night that your tolerance for spicy foods is stronger than the pits of hell. 

“Jesus, how are you eating this?” Jungkook cries, snot dripping from his nose while Hoseok wipes his tears after taking another bite. You sit there, unfazed, picking up the abandoned slices of peppers that sit in the box, dropping them into your mouth. “It’s honestly not that spicy. Don’t be dramatic.”

“Bitch, we are not being dramatic, your stomach is made out of whatever Captain America’s shield is made from...”

Jungkook’s phone buzzes in the midst of your argument with Hoseok and just from the name on his lock screen, his heart drops. Jeon Junghwan.

There were a couple things in life that Jungkook wanted to attain— the acceptance from Junghwan and his parents being on top of that list. Ever since Jungkook was younger, Junghwan had been the golden child, the rest of the four were just barely making it, arduously following in his footsteps. But he failed, he hasn’t been able to win the approval from him.

Jeon Junghwan [7:55PM]: Mother is having a charity banquet on Saturday. She would have called you but figured it’d be best if I contacted you instead. Something about ‘inspiration’. Please be at the estate at 7:00PM sharp.

Jeon Junghwan [7:55PM]: Goodnight, Junghwan.

“Why does he text like an old man?” Jungkook flinches, head turning sideways to meet with Hoseok hovering over his shoulder. “Junghwan, I mean. But cool, I was supposed to go to that banquet too, until I got called on a shift. Luckily you’re not scheduled.”

“Yeah...” He says quietly, seated on the floor as he leans back against the sides of the futon. “This is the first time I’m seeing my family after moving out. I need to plan this out right.”

“Well, what’s the plan?” Cheeks full of fries, you’re munching away on the other side of Jungkook as he contemplates the next steps he’s going to have to make in order to reach his goal. “One thing is for sure. You’re going to be my date.”

The breath has been stolen away from his lungs and his heart feels like you’ve pierced through his chest cavity and squashed it into the palm of your hands. He doesn’t know what it’s called (maybe a blowout) but the way your hair cascades down to your shoulders is marveling. In a black long dress with a slit that exposes the entirety of your legs, his breath hitches when his eyes meet the skin of your thighs, the spaghetti straps drape over your décolletage with the v-cut neckline only finishing it off right. He thinks this is his fatal moment. He’s never seen you dolled up like this before; cheeks brushed with a peach blush, lashes emphasized with mascara, liner that makes you look even more fierce, and lips... so buttery pink and plump that almost wishes he could—

“Jungkook?” He shivers, immediately pushing the thoughts out of his head. You’d probably stab him in mere seconds if you knew what he was thinking about. “H-Hey. You look good.” 

You grin, adjusting the fabric that hangs around your legs. “Thanks, you don’t look so bad yourself. Anyways, let’s get going. You said your brother sent a car for us?”

Even though Jungkook is a model and has posed in magazines in suits, it’s still a surprise to see how stunning he manages to look in person. He keeps his hair casual today, despite the formal attire, but when his fingertips rake through those luscious locks, it makes sense why he went with that decision. If you didn’t know any better, you wouldn’t believe that this hunk was living off of frozen meals and instant ramen for the past week. 

He’s pretty, yet there’s something that you can’t help but loathe about him. 

Jungkook is still from money, despite the amount of times you’ve seen him in the supermarket’s uniform and apron. It’s something you’ve been trying to force yourself to remember when you feel yourself slowly falling into the traps of his smile and looks. The reminder is there when a Mercedes Benz S-Class pulls up and Jungkook isn’t as astonished as you are. The window of the driver’s side rolls down, revealing a middle-aged man who wears a chauffeur’s hat and a grin upon his lips. “Jeon Jungkook, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”

“Hyungjin,” He dips his head in acknowledgement before saying your name, “... this is my date. This guy has been my driver since I was born. Park Hyungjin. He’s going to be taking us to the estate tonight.”

Jungkook opens the back door for you as you slide in with ease, completely in veneration at the characteristics of the vehicle. It feels luxurious, from the leather seats to the center console, and when you see Hyungjin beginning to raise the customized partition between the front and back seats, you’re shocked it can even do that until Jungkook halts him from doing so. “Uh, sorry, Hyungjin, she’s not one of those nights.”

Oh, you think to yourself, this was a routine. His preceding lifestyle is starting to unfold before you.

Arriving at the ‘estate,’ which was something you’d had been stuck with trying to adjust yourself in calling Jungkook’s family home, it’s an unreservedly different part of the home compared to your first visit however a sudden coldness hits your core from incredulity. How could anyone need a home this big? Jungkook guides you out of the car before you could even register the visuals of the home, waving Hyungjin goodbye and brisk “thank you.”

“Hold my hand.” His fingertips brush against the back of your hand discreetly, and as a reflex, you slap him away while he whimpers in pain. “What the hell was that for?”

“Sorry. Habit.” When you try to reach for him again, he opts for resting his palm on your lower back instead, keeping you close. “It’s okay. Is this alright?” You nod. “This is better anyway. We look close yet at the same time professional.”

When you step into the ballroom, you quickly learn that your previous time at the Jeon estate had only been a glimpse of what Jungkook’s sumptuous home had to offer. There’s something of a mezzanine or indoor balcony of some sorts with staircases that branch around the perimeter where a couple people stand idly. The chandelier that you saw in the dining room before was no comparison to what was currently hanging from the ceiling right now— there’s diamonds that hang like raindrops, intricately scattered with clear clarity that only the rich could identify and have the opportunity to see in person. The guests are dressed like those diamonds— sparkles and jewels of women that bathed in the crystals, accompanied by men who simply wore tuxedos and suits. 

But the real stars of the show were the Jeons. With Mrs. Jeon’s hair in an updo, it accentuates her collarbones and shoulders where her dress lies; a beautiful detailed lavender gown that you can already sense the weight of when she drags it behind her. You see where Jungkook gets his genes from.

The filler music from the orchestra that plays in the corner stops, the chattering along with it as they all divert their attention to the Jeons that stand by the railings of the balcony— the four boys and their dates. All that’s missing is Jungkook who stands beside you, hand graduating from your lower back to your waist. 

“Hello, everyone,” Mrs. Jeon greets, a pearly white smile upon her lips. “I am so thankful for your attendance here. As you know, tonight is dedicated toward the Cancer Research Foundation of Seoul, known as the CRFS, and I will be the host tonight but the true genius behind this all is my son, Jeon Jungsik.”

Jungsik approaches his mother from the side, dressed just as well as the rest of his siblings, shaking his head in disapproval. “Mother, I couldn’t have done this without you,” He says humbly, eyes browsing the crowd but pauses when he sees Jungkook with you by his side. There’s something hidden behind his stare, Jungkook hypothesizes, because his modest brother suddenly wants the spotlight whereas previously, he’d be standing in the audience. He can’t tell if it’s because it’s the first family event where he’s sober or if truly there’s something about Jungsik that’s different. “But tonight is a different kind of night. We’re here today not to just donate what we can to a good cause, but celebrating as well. I’m announcing my engagement with Kim Nari.”

An abrupt realization washes over Jungkook.

Kim Nari. The daughter of a tech mogul whose relationship with Jungsik would further advance the Jeon Corporation and skyrocket their profits. Her marriage with Jungsik would link the two companies together, creating possibilities for what seemed to be impossible. Which brings to question, why would Jungsik be interested in Nari? She’s a reflection in the mirror of Jungkook himself— uncontrollable, spoiled, and dependent with no future planned. Why would Jungsik, someone with passions, dreams, and stability want to be with someone like that? Something was up, and Jungkook can taste the bitterness in his mouth.

“Penny for your thoughts?” You ask, but you genuinely don’t care. Anything would be better than listening to conversations that were beginning to start up again at the hasty announcement. Nari has one of her hands sitting upon the rail, waving as if she’s the Queen of England, with a dress that may be deemed inappropriate for a setting like this. It seems that the rest of the family is hearing the engagement for the first time though because Mrs. Jeon looks like she’s going to faint and Mr. Jeon is holding in his anger rather than noticing Nari’s attire.

“Nothing, just... something weird with my brother.” He says before turning to give you his attention again. “Anyway, should I introduce you to my horrific bloodline?”

When Jungkook guides you toward his family members that have begun trickling down the staircase, you’re appearing to have heart palpitations from the suspense. The way the Jeons walk is intimidating alone; shoulders pushed back, straightened posture, and smiles that resemble authenticity on the surface but daggers will be pulled at their disposal if anything goes haywire.

“Mother, Father, this is my girlfriend...” You altogether miss when Jungkook says your name from the sight of his family up close until he squeezes your waist gingerly to capture your awareness again. “Oh, yes, hi,” You bow speedily, “I’m uh, Jungkook’s girlfriend.” Wait. Didn’t he just say that?

“Are you now? Last time we spoke, you said you weren’t,” Mrs. Jeon comments, and albeit her words sound harsh, the draw of her lips upwards say otherwise. It feels a bit forced, but you know it’s from the sudden news coming from Jungsik. There’s a façade of happiness when deep down, she’s disappointed. “We... we met after that night and he treated me to dinner for taking care of him. We’ve been... seeing each other ever since.” 

Mr. Jeon stands there in silence, observing the conversation between you and his wife before unexpectedly speaking up. “Did you attend University? And have you graduated yet?”

Jungkook knows what this is. The Interrogation. Every Jeon child’s significant other has gone through this and you were next. He had completely forgotten about it— mostly because his other brothers had gone through it years ago, and Jongseok’s ‘girlfriends’ had never really been girlfriends, so their dad had given up on that until someone serious came by.

He never thought it’d be him before Jongseok.

“Yes, back in 2016.” You state, fingers fidgeting with the metal chain of your purse. It was a simple question yet the way it’s executed is as if he’s searching for a particular answer.

The older gentleman tilts his head, the space between his brows crinkling in perplexity. He looks so much like Jungkook, except matured with wisdom, and if Jungkook was of any replication of his father when he’s that age, he’d probably still have a line of women after him. “So you’re older than Jungkook.”

“No, father,”  Jungkook chimes in, “... Quite the opposite. She’s actually a year younger than me. Graduated University rather early. Or... well, she finished high school early.” He can see from his peripheral vision that he has captured the ears of his other siblings that stand languidly. “Gifted, really. Child prodigy. Despite all the talented Jeon children, we’ve never had one of those.”

There’s a glimmer in his father’s eyes. He’s impressed. “Really?” His stiff tone has shifted to a lighter one. “Did you study in Seoul? What was your degree in?”

“No, uh, I actually studied abroad in New York after graduating high school. I was about... maybe fifteen at the time? I chose Food Science— I thought about being a Chef because my inspiration is Guy Fieri but someone told me to be a bit more realistic with my brain so here we are.”

Guy Fieri? Jungkook stifles a laugh at your secretive role model, rubbing your sides comfortingly. It’s something to tease you about later, but right now, you have a job to do. Swoon his father.

Mr. Jeon nods, hands slipping into the front pockets of his slacks. “Remarkable. We could use someone like you in the Jeon Corporation.”

Both you and Jungkook choke, clearing your throats at the sudden suggestion, glancing at one another. “I’m sorry?”

“I’m thinking about opening a chain of restaurants, something high end, something different.” Jungkook’s brothers are stepping in closer to listen shamelessly to the conversation, the look of disarray stamped onto each one of their faces as if it’s the first time they’re hearing this information, for the second time tonight. “I would love it if you gave me your take on how to proceed on some things, and help the chef formulate something that makes sense without him cheating me out on prices. Jungkook, tell Maeri to schedule something for us so I can discuss further details.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” You blurt, palms growing sweaty. “But you just met me, and Jungkook and I just started dating. Are you sure you trust me?” It’s another experience of déjà vu; Jungkook mirroring his father’s actions at the yacht party when he claims that he’d pay for your aspirations.

“Of course. Jeon Jungkook doesn’t have girlfriends.”

Just then, someone taps his shoulder and whispers something ineligible into his ear before he turns to you with his hand extended, and you take the offer with a firm shake. “I’m needed elsewhere. It was nice meeting you. Glad to know Jungkook chose someone fitting.” And with that, he leaves.

“Well, that was pleasant,” Mrs. Jeon comments, hand resting on Jungkook’s shoulder. “Seems that sending you off to live alone has brought nothing but good impressions on your father. Keep it up, Kook-ah. I’m going to go accompany him, so in the meanwhile, introduce her to your brothers, why don’t you?”

Turning your body to face Jungkook, you let out the hugest breath you’ve ever held in your entire life. “What was that?”

He looks equally as stunned as you. “I don’t know but that went so much better than I actually thought. I think that was the fastest he’s ever been fascinated by any of our girlfriends.” 

Jungkook’s father had strict outlooks for the company, one of them being that he wanted nothing but pure Jeon blood leading the corporation. This meant that the significant others of any of his children weren’t allowed to be part of the trade. So why did he ask you particularly for a hand in the family business?

“Jungkook,” One of his brothers calls out, your heads sharply jolting at the sound of his voice.

Have you ever watched Boys Over Flowers? When the Flower 4 walk through any entrance, it’s like time slows down and their hair flows through the wind like they’re models?

That’s what pretty much happens.

“Hyungs.” He says; it’s their own version of a hello and the atmosphere between them is tense. “It’s nice to see you sober, Jungkook.”

His jaw tightens. “I wasn’t an addict, just you so know. Made it easier being around you all.”

“Yeah, yeah,” The one you assume is Jongseok from your previous google search waves his hand, disregarding Jungkook’s statement before pointing his finger directly at you. If only you could bite it off along with his rude mannerisms. “Girl toy?”

“Girlfriend,” Jungkook corrects him and his other brothers are intrigued. “This is my girlfriend,...” As he says your name, your eyes immediately are drawn to the woman behind one of the males; shiny caramel colored hair with the simplest white dress that hugs her small waist that still manages to make her look like a goddess with a smile that was so sweet your teeth start to hurt. You recall catching a sight of her in the same magazines that Jungkook featured in and on the posters at the mall whenever you’d walk into a store but how she looked in person was flawless compared to those photos. She was like the real life version of a photoshopped picture.

“This is Hayoung, my brother Junghwan’s wife.”

“Uh, H-H-Hi,” why does she make you so nervous? Do you get anxious around extremely beautiful women? “It’s nice to meet you.”

“Likewise,” She hums, cheekbones high with her grin. “Kookie never mentioned he had a girlfriend, let alone brought anyone to meet his family before.”

“Kookie?” You reiterate with a mocking tone. He knows you’ll never let him live this down. Least he still had the Guy Fieri thing up his sleeve. “Noona, it would’ve been nice to keep that away from her for a bit. I’m trying to ease her into this madness. She’s probably still recovering from that conversation with our father.”

“As if!” Hayoung counters back. Her husband, Junghwan, wraps an arm around her waist before dipping his head slightly toward you. “I’m Junghwan, Jungkook’s older brother.” He then begins to point at the other gentlemen. “Jonghyun, Jungsik, and Jongseok, respectively.” 

Frankly, it had been a lot to unpack for the night, and you assumed that the boxes back at his apartment were a lot, but this was truly a lot. Within an hour, Jungkook introduces you to almost anyone that plays a significant role in his life and elaborates on each of their backgrounds. 

Junghwan, his eldest brother, is married to the international supermodel Na Hayoung, and he’s the next in line to inherit the CEO position when his father steps down from the company. He’s been trained all his life for this role, apparently, and it’s evident in how he carries himself. Jonghyun, the second oldest, stands behind Junghwan in the company, supposedly his right hand man when it comes to business, joined at the hip although their personal relationship with each other isn’t as close. He’s also married, Jungkook mentions, but his wife is currently very pregnant and at home. He skips over Jungsik, only because you’ve met him over dinner, but he doesn’t miss a beat when he says that Jungsik is purportedly the angelic Jeon. Lastly was Jongseok, the last sibling before himself, and was described as something along the lines of, “the most useless, right after myself, and if it weren’t for his involvement with the marketing department because of his diploma, he’d be living in a studio apartment downtown, cut off from this family too.” Jungkook’s words, not yours.

The night slowly reaches an end, people scattering to leave the estate, thanking Jungkook’s parents for hosting such a charitable event. Just before you’re about to step out along with Jungkook, his mother had her fingers wrapped around your wrist. “Jungkook, you and your lovely girlfriend should stay the night. Downtown is far and your siblings will be here as well. Maybe you can show her to your bedroom? I know you’ve been missing your bed and well... maybe show her around your childhood home.” She pauses for a moment as Jungkook hesitates as you eye him suspiciously before interrupting his thoughts. “Your father wants to speak to you and your brothers in the morning anyways, so it would be nice for you to stay for breakfast, dear.”

“Are you fucking dense, Jeon Jungkook? I do not want to stay the night here.” Contradicting your angry words, you’re already unlatching the attachment on the straps of your heels, sliding them off while seated on the bay window seats of his bedroom, rubbing the soles of your feet. “I’m sorry,” He mutters weakly, falling on the foot of his bed. “I don’t know how to say no to my mother.”

“Well, quit being a fucking momma’s boy and call an Uber. I want to go home, Jungkook.”

“Uber’s don’t run this late at night in the area. We live too far off the grid.”

“Well, then ask Mr. Hyungjin to pull up in his whip and take us home.”

His face drops, a guilty look pooling in his orbs. “We sent him home. He’s technically off on the weekends. Hyungjin only came out because Junghwan asked for him beforehand.”

You grumble, laying back on the cushions, locks tangling along with your mood. “What are we supposed to do here? Share a bed? What am I supposed to wear to sleep? Did you already ask your housemaids?”

“No,” He answers bleakly, standing up. “But I’ll go ask now. In the meantime, you can watch some TV? Then when I come back you can shower and do whatever you need. I think I have a spare toothbrush for you to borrow. As for the bed thing...” Jungkook looks over at that California King that he misses so much. “... it’s more than big enough for the two of us, I’ll keep my distance from you without a problem.”

Before you can counter the suggestion, he’s already out the door.

Perusing through his bedroom, you soon learn that this ‘room’ of his is the size of your childhood bedroom times five with a closet the size of your apartment with a connecting bathroom that was equivalent in surface area.

Then it has you thinking. Jungkook grew up like this, in a life of grandeur where everything he had, he had a plethora of. Whether it be education, belongings, or the aid of people who tended to every need he had, it never seems to run out. He had a driver since he was born while you struggled to learn how to take the bus alone at the age of 7. Or running out of money to pay for a new notebook for class since you’ve been using the same one for the past two grades in order to save cash so your parents could put food on the table. While Jungkook over here was probably tearing down trees in his yard to make all the paper in the world. What about noticing that you were ahead of the kids in your class? No one seemed to have realized it until you said to someone that you were bored, and needed more challenging material when you got sent to the Principal’s office per request, begging to be with the bigger kids.

If you had the money Jungkook had, you would’ve been able to pay off both yours and your parents’ debt in addition to opening your bakery all within the same year. 

But you aren’t Jungkook, and jealousy just runs through your veins alongside the enmity. 

Entering through the housemaids’ chambers was a nostalgic feeling that he couldn’t exactly say was his favorite. Sneaking down here during the late hours of the night for quick sex and running back up to his bedroom felt like such a teenager thing to do at the age of twenty, so he instantaneously gave up on that. 

There’s two wooden doors to choose from. Nayeon, the house servant he slept with several times before realizing that she had falling for him while thinking it was some forbidden love, and Hana... also a servant that he had sex with until she also fell in love with him.

So which one of them would be less upset about him asking to borrow their sleepwear for his new girlfriend?

Answer to that question: neither because they both slammed their doors on him after asking. He should’ve figured that sooner.

Next stop: Junghwan’s room. Maybe Hayoung had something for you. 

He hesitates when he’s standing outside of his brother’s bedroom door. It takes him back to when he was a kid all over again, desperate for his big brother’s attention who didn’t even have enough time to dedicate to him. Taking in a deep breath of courage, he does it yet again, his knuckles tapping against the wood that makes the same knocking sound.

Peeking out, Junghwan looks at Jungkook with a perplexed expression. “Jungkook, what’s up? Are you alright?”

“Uh, yeah. Is noona with you?” He nods. “Yeah, of course. She’s washing her face right now, wanna come in?” Jungkook steps into the room, ambivalent with each movement because he’s never been invited into Junghwan’s room before. It’s almost exactly what his room looks like, except all the shades are dark, varying from grey to navy, with his bed, closet, and bathrooms in the same locations. 

“Hayoung, Jungkook is looking for you.”

“Kookie?” Coming out the bathroom with a robe on, her hair is drenched as she attempts to towel dry it, face pretty even without makeup. “What’s up, bub?”

“Uh, my girlfriend,” He starts, rubbing the back of his nape anxiously because he’s never said those words before, “She doesn’t have anything to wear tonight. I have some clothes, but I think she’d feel more comfortable if she at least has some pants.”

“Tell her to sleep in her underwear, what’s the problem?” Because she’s not really my girlfriend, is what he wants to say, but he takes a different approach. “We’re... still in the early stages. So, uh, you know. She’s shy.” She shakes her head with a smile upon her lips. “Okay. Give me a second. I have a bunch of clothes that I left when we used to live here.” With that, she disappears into the closet.

“I’m... proud of you, Jungkook.” Junghwan speaks up, protruding through the silence. Jungkook just stares in bewilderment, unsure what he even did to make Junghwan say those words he had dreamt to hear coming from his eldest brother. “Other than landing a girlfriend who is definitely way out of your league, you’re actually showing some progress living alone. I honestly didn’t really agree with the plan that Jongseok proposed but... I see it’s working well.”

“W-What do you mean?” Jungkook questions. He still can’t believe what he’s hearing.

Junghwan hums. “You were able to find a job yourself. I haven’t seen you coming back begging for money again, and you found someone who doesn’t have the facilities to give you the lifestyle that our parents gave us. You found love without money and I think it really makes a person humble.” He’s fiddling with the strings of his sweatpants now, comprehending that the two of them don’t really talk one-on-one. “I know I changed a lot when I met Hayoung.”

“Kookie, I think I have a couple options for you— whoa, why does it feel so sad here?” She remarks, stopping in the midst of her walk toward Jungkook. “You guys... alright?”

“Nothing,” Junghwan responds quickly. “I just wanted to tell Jungkook that I’m proud of him.” This does nothing but prompt Hayoung to roll her eyes, laying out a pair of shorts and a silky baby blue nightgown. “Junghwan is always proud of Kookie, just not always the decision he makes. Anyways,” She completely brushes off the topic that Jungkook wants to hear, but he’ll circle back to that later. He had a pretty girl waiting in his room who had the temper of the Hulk. “I have two options for you to give her. Maybe you’ll get lucky and she’ll wear the night gown?”

Jungkook scoffs. “If I brought that to her, she’d probably wrap it around my neck and choke me within seconds. Keep the gown, I’m taking the shorts. I’ll let her wear one of my T-shirts.”

“Are you sure?” Hayoung sings and Jungkook tells her he’s almost confident that he’s going to die tonight if he so much reaches the door with that thing in his hands.

Jungkook chucks the shorts at your face while you’re laying on your back on his mattress. “Here you go, Mrs. Fieri. The girls wouldn’t lend me anything because well... I may have slept with them both and they were hopelessly in love with me. Hayoung noona gave me those shorts instead.” He’s babbling on about how rude the housemaids had been when he asked, but you’re canceling his voice out because the coolest chick you’ve ever met just lent you her shorts.

“... Are you even listening to me?”

“Huh?”

He snaps his fingers in front of your face but registers that it’s no use. You’re too busy trying to decipher how God decided to gift Hayoung the looks and the personality that you miss when Jungkook leaves the closet, throwing a plain white t-shirt at your direction. It’s huge compared to you, yet seems like it would fit him well. “Go shower. I’ll be in there after you.”

It’s awkward.

So goddamn awkward. 

Jungkook is wearing a black T-shirt of some band you can’t recognize because the majority of the print has been worn off paired with grey sweatpants that hug his ass so beautifully. Scratch that. You never thought that. They look soft. That’s what you meant.

While you’re currently occupied with attempting to avoid looking at Jungkook, he can’t stop staring at your exposed legs and notice how small and cute you are. Soft. It’s tempting him to want to wrap his arms around your frame and snuggle his nose into the crook of your neck while inhaling the scent of his body wash on your skin. He wants to blame it on the dry spell he’s having because all he does is work nowadays that once he gets home, he’s completely drained. Alcohol doesn’t even appear in his mind either. Or maybe he genuinely thinks you’re pretty and having you in his bed doesn’t make it any better.

Sitting on the farthest opposite ends of the bed, Jungkook clears his throat. “See? I told you that the bed is way too big for the two of us. Should be easy to steer clear from each other.”

Wrong. Incorrect. You should’ve known that Jungkook would be fallacious.

The sun gleams through the sheer white blinds of his prodigious windows, illuminating your faces on an unironically Sunday morning, emitting a groan from a stiff beside you. Your body feels heavier than usual, almost like something was pressing down on you. 

You panic. Were you having a stroke?

After forcing your eyes open from the dry boogers, you can’t believe the sight. Jungkook has his arms and legs tangled in the sheets with yours, nose brushing against your shoulder. He’s so cosy, the most he’s ever been, and the warmth from your body is like a different feeling of home for him. It’s comforting like a cup of hot chocolate during the harsh weather in the Winter or swaddling yourself in a blanket in front of the fireplace. Now knowing how it feels to be in your embrace, he’s not sure if he wants to let go.

“Jungkook, please get the fuck off me.” You bite. Cuddling was not what was discussed in the terms of agreement. Not that there was one but having a buff guy curled up beside you that wasn’t actually dating you was making your heart do cartwheels when it shouldn’t be. He doesn’t seem a bit rattled knowing that he’s snuggling up against you because he scoots even closer. “Five more minutes.” He mutters. His dreams of taking in the aroma of your natural scent mixed in with his shower gel were coming true.

You push him off with as much strength as your body could gather, yet you fail underneath those muscular arms. Those big, thick—

There’s one knock and someone just immediately flings the door open with a gasp. 

But then you see them. Jungsik and Jongseok. 

You don’t know why but you care about how Jungsik sees you, but you care. He’s the closest to your ideal type— as unrealistic as it is for him to ever have a relationship with you, especially since he has a fiancé now— yet at the same time, he knows you’re ‘dating’ Jungkook, and whether or not he believes it, you’re not sure, but your chances were already wearing thin as it is, even worse now that he’s witnessing you in the same bed as his youngest brother. You may have a teensy weensy little crush on your fake boyfriend’s brother.

“Cute,” He chuckles, already dressed in his daily attire; grey slacks that crop at the ankle and a navy dress shirt that doesn’t button up all the way, hugging tightly around his pecs that doesn’t leave much to the imagination. “Well, we’re sorry for intruding. Father wants us down for breakfast within an hour. Wake up your boyfriend for us, will you?”

“I’m not sorry,” Jongseok adds with a devilish grin before he quickly shuts the door and leaves promptly with Jungsik. Jungkook hasn’t even moved, not even twitching the slightest bit despite his brothers’ abrupt invasion.

You officially hate Jungkook even more... if that was even possible.

There's an abundance of choices for breakfast foods that sits on the length of the dining room table that you had gotten a glimpse of during your first visit to the Jeon estate, more food than you've ever seen in one place. They had waffles, pancakes, sausages, bacon, toast—all that’s expected of a typical American breakfast laid out like it’s a picture from the Food Network Magazine. He has servants, shuffling through in and out of the room, placing plates and utensils in specific detailed orders before they pull out the heavy upholstered wooden chairs for each and every member of the family in invitation. 

"Uh, it's okay, thank you, I got it—" The woman who has her hands gripped on the framing of the seat tightly as she clenches her jaw, has a glare shooting lasers in your direction. Maybe you'd just take the offer and sit instead. She might be one of Jungkook's late night affairs, you never know what she'd do to your food if you didn't comply.

Sticking out like a sore thumb, you settle yourself by your now claimed to-be-boyfriend who sits comfortably in his own seat since he's owned it for two decades now. You, however, it's your first day and you're not even sure how to feel. Hayoung seems to be doing the opposite; eyes shiny from excitement at the sight of all the options that are laid out in front of her. You can agree to her interest, the Belgium waffles that's stacked at the center of the table with a square of butter residing on top makes your mouth water.

"Thank you all for coming," Jungkook's father announces, the chair he's rested on makes him look so tiny at the head of the table. "I want to discuss some matters with all of you and also invite Jungkook's new love into the family. Honestly never thought this day would come where I'd see my most troublesome child make such advancements in a short span of time."

There's reticence along the table, Mrs. Jeon beside him, eyes searching the table for something in particular. "The proceedings with this engagement with Kim Nari, Jungsik. What did you expect would happen with that?"

And there it was. The conversation that had been put off last night due to guests being on the residence. It's because of two of the things that Mr. Jeon stood by when it came to his family and business: no bloodline, no business entrance had been challenged and the Interrogation had never been in place. 

"Father," Jungsik clears his throat, pressing his back against the cushion. "I'll have you know that I'm only thinking of the future of our company."

"Without talking to me about it?" He snaps, agitated. He doesn't even care that a complete stranger is sitting at the table with them. "What gives you the right to be the only person to know what's good or not for the company? Why not consult with Jonghyun and Junghwan? Why am I told that no one knew about this?"

"Well, I thought—"

"You thought wrong." He confirms, and the Belgium waffles don't seem as appealing anymore. His firmness makes your stomach queasy, despite not being his current victim. "Terminate your engagement. You don't love her anyways. I don't need any affiliation with a self-obsessed tech company."

"But father—"

"None of that." He shushes his son, laying a beige cloth napkin on his lap. "I'm tired of having to teach you how we run this business. I gave you a percentage of the company and I expect you to know what to do with it, which is not to share it with some airhead who doesn't even understand what her own father's company does." Jungsik's body stiffened at his father's lecture after he made a decision solely for what he believed was beneficial for the family business. "Anyways, let's eat." 

"Why do you favor Junghwan over the rest of us?" Jungsik spits, fist slamming against the table. The cups, silverware, and plates trembled underneath his strength, startling you. "I can't believe that I let you walk over us for so long. I can't believe that any of us has let you do it. In reality, none of us get your fortune, just Junghwan. What about the rest of your children? Do you have the only one? Or did mother have an affair for the remaining four?"

Yum, drama. You admit you were getting a little bored last night at the banquet, but his conversation was perking you up in interest. Jungkook oddly remains cool, turning to tap one of the housemaids to pour you some apple juice, patiently waiting for the go to eat. 

Jungsik is disparate in this light because he's not the compassionate and gentle soul you had assumed he was during your first encounters and what was seen on the internet. He’s fierce and competitive, in actuality, with this hidden duel behind doors against his eldest brother. The description written of him was all an image that was portrayed to the public and you start to see what Jungkook means now when he says "apparently" or "supposedly" whenever talking about his older brother.

And Jungkook... he's strangely distinctive as well when sitting amongst his siblings. He's quiet, actually, and attentive, but you take note that he mentions before how he often comes to these things under the influence, and that your presence was what halts him from doing so. 

"Just eat. We'll talk privately later." Mr. Jeon says through his gritted teeth, tips of his ears fading red from Jungsik talking back.

"I saw you eying that waffle earlier," Jungkook says in a hushed tone, leaning into you. "Want one? I'll grab it for you."

OK, maybe he wasn't that bad. He knows what you like and he’s getting it for you. You’ve waited long enough.

The Jeons are awfully good at pretending the argument between Mr. Jeon and Jungsik didn't occur. Everyone sits in lull, occasionally exchanging comments with whomever sits beside them but consuming their breakfast with glee. It wasn't something you were used to.

When you're back into Jungkook's room, you slip on a jacket that you brought the night before, zipping it up. "Is that... normal?"

"What's normal?"

"That whole thing with Jungsik and your dad. Do they fight often? And do you guys normally just... sit there and forget it even happens afterwards?"

He slides onto the bed one last time, inhaling deeply in the scent of lavender, wishing he could take this bed with him as he absentmindedly responds, "Mmm. Yeah."

What kind of family dynamic is this? "Yeah? And you just... watch?" 

"Well, what else are we supposed to do? Join in? Take sides? Hell no. It's a different sibling each meal and every time there’s always someone being jealous of someone else. We don’t really get along here and it’s just what we’re used to.”

Treading into Jungkook’s reality was starting to become comprehensible. Almost justifying the way he is, how he’s utterly clueless in basic situations and disconnected he was from the world. Because this is his world; his parents, four brothers, and house full of servants, and he knows nothing outside of it. Their home is completely off the grid, separated from people living regular lives, he even has his own tennis court (you learned from the view from his bedroom), and no one normal has their own private tennis court. His mother has been shielding him his entire life, letting him grow and become a shell of a man in an empty home.

Family isn’t family to him, is what you’ve come to terms with and something he hasn’t yet accepted because he hasn’t seen what a real family looks or feels like. His home isn’t a real home but brimming with employees who work for his family that probably see him more than the people who he called relatives.

It makes you pity him and want to show him what it’s like to be home.

[eahtheramblings]

in reference to ur post about how u would rewrite a character from eah, what would you do with Courtly jester?

Courtly as a character has a fascinating amount of potential if you take into consideration that there is no Jester in the original stories of Alice in Wonderland or Through the Looking Glass. There are two things that i would want to do with her character that i feel would really make this potential shine: 

I wrote up a list of rules in this post for how the destiny system in the rambles au works a while ago, and in that post I mentioned that on paper everyone *technically* has a destiny as commoners are expected to carry on family trades to support their kingdoms, but in practice they’re barely treated as if they are a part of the exclusive destined group. In this au, Wonderland wasn’t just left alone and then suddenly quickly cursed and quarantined, it has a history of many different Ever After kingdoms attempting to and semi succeeding in colonizing it at random intervals in history, hence how you get Ever After stories like Humpty Dumpty taking place in Wonderland. The unspoken caste system of Ever Afters destined/non destined was one such unfortunate and unwanted cultural import that came over a while ago, but not too long ago to have been completely accepted as being “the way it's always been”. I once read somewhere that Jesters were actually respected members of a royal court as they could break news to the king that would get others banished or executed, and while I’m not sure of the validity of that statement, i do think it would be very interesting to employ this concept in the case of Courtly. Imagine this; the Jester’s of the Wonderland courts once held an esteemed position, acting as both entertainment and trusted advisors. They may not have had a role in the main wonderland stories, but they were respected all the same, as well as all others living in wonderland. However, sometime when Courtly’s grandmother held the position, this changed. Foreign rulers brought great trade to wonderland, but also great calamity as they sucked up the fringes of the land for themselves and imposed odd cultural practices. And through this, the Jesters lose their prestige. They become laughing stocks, but not in a good way, and worse, they lose the position of advisor that they’ve held for generations. Courtly was raised by her grandmother, and grew up hearing tales about how the Jesters used to act as the bridge between the common folk of wonderland and the rulers, holding the power of keeping it all in balance. Now they have no power, and it’s cost them their world and way of life as one of these foreign rulers, the Evil Queen, weaseled her way into the role of the Queen of Hearts advisor using one of her many disguises, thus ultimately dooming wonderland. Courtly wants power, not just for power's sake, but because she sees the removal of the Jesters from power as a key domino in the cursing of wonderland. And since the only way to get power under the new rules of the world is to have a destiny, she will do anything to get her hands on one that will give her the power she deserves. 

Courtly could be a great foil for Lizzie. Lizzie was forced to flee wonderland; she hasn’t been back in roughly eight years at this point in the au, but has been ruling the refugees of wonderland in ever after. Meanwhile, Courtly has been holding it down, inheriting the leadership of what is essentially a commune of wonderland citizens back home from her grandmother. They're both deeply loyal to Wonderland and want to fix it, and both take to trying to do this through following the destiny system, but they clash in the worst of ways. Lizzie is playing everything to the rule, both in terms of destiny and in terms of her mother's cards, but ends up constantly breaking the rules of ever after’s culture by accident. Meanwhile Courtly is playing within the rules, but with malicious compliance. Courtly believes the current line of Hearts rulers got Wonderland cursed? Steal the destiny of the Princess of Hearts! Now she wins the game while only bending the rules. Courtly gets what she wants through manipulation, acting, and flattery, while Lizzie is a stalwart believer in always having her statements and emotions reflect the truth as she understands it. They are both scared, lonely individuals with the weight of their world on their shoulders but find themselves in fundamental conflict due to past sins of the previous generations that neither were at fault for.

[call-sign-shark]

The Queen and the Monster || Peaky Blinders meets GoT

♠ Queen Heavenerys Targaryen, the Frozen Plague. As the single pure-blooded child of the King, she was raised as a future ruler and merciless fighter. While her current husband is made of fire, rumors say she is the only Targaryen who is made of the deadliest and most scorching frost.

♠ Heavenerys is Daenerys' ancestor. Dany will inherit her name and her angelic complexions from her even though Heavenerys' face was a tad bit sharper.

♠ Heavenerys is said to have a magic so powerful she could kill without touching her enemies. She is a bloodmage, which makes her an incredible healer as much as a monstrous killer. It comes from her Asshai origins.

♠ Her dragon, Kairaxès the White Death, is barely smaller than the infamous Balerion. The terrifying beast, whose blue eyes shine in the fog, is white with some pale gray shades. As an Ice-breather, Kairaxès spits blue flames that can either freeze or burn. The dragon is always near the queen, ready to defend her.

♠ As a Queen, Daenerys is forced to marry and contrary to the Targaryen incestuous traditions, Lord Amos Bolton is chosen to be the her man and the King of Westeros. While initially charming, she slowly discovered the kind of monster Amos is. Her cousin and lover, Aerthurys, will spiral into madness at this marriage and will destroy everything to save her.

♠ She reigns, firm and unyielding but is known for her high sense of justice.

♠ Lord Amos Bolton is the eldest son of the house and the cousin of Lucy Bolton Tully ( @mischievouslittlecreature ). While absolutely enchanting, Amos craves power and violence. With words smooth as honey and unmatched cruelty, he's ready to inflict the most horrid pain on anyone who dares to stand in his way. Even if this person comes from his own family.

♠ Amos' favorite way of torturing people is letting his enraged dogs eat his victims alive. He's also very fond of stag-hunting.

♠ Even though the Boltons are not the most powerful family, Amos gained a massive influence and should not be underestimated. It took Aerthurys a long time and complex strategies to make him fall since attacking him was not easy.

♠ Amos genuinely fell in love with Heavenerys, blown away by her frozen beauty and strength. Yet, he also saw in her a way to climb the social ladder and become the most invincible and fearsome King ever thanks to her magic.

♠ Some people swore they saw him using black magic, but no one can ever tell if it's true or not.

The AU Gang: @justrainandcoffee @evita-shelby @peakyswritings @mischievouslittlecreature @shelbydelrey and the newcomers (do that I don’t forget to add you in future posts), @cillmequick @darklydeliciousdesires and @novashelby

[lady-of-tearshed]

Mother knows best

Nessian & Platonic!OC!Nessian's daughter (Briana)

Cassian Week 2024

Day 3: Family

@cassianappreciationweek

Sumarry: When Cassian encounters a hair issue with Briana, he can't help but wonder through his despair in this situation: "What would Nesta do?"

Warnings: None. Really, pure fluff

Word count: 804 words

Divider by @tsunami-of-tears

“Bri… I’m trying so hard…” 

“But it huuuuurts!”

Cassian pulled the brush away from his daughter’s hair. He didn’t have a fucking clue how she managed to get that much fir sap in her long shiny hair, so much like his. He kept staring at the nest-like mess her hair was in right now, and sighed, trying to find any inch of remaining patience left in him. 

When he became a dad, Cassian thought nothing could ever test his patience more than the dashing Illyrians recruits he had to train every once in a while. This exact moment he was in just proved him the opposite. He was exhausted, Briana was too, and mama was away to enjoy her girls’ night, the first she had in a good while. She deserved it, and Cassian could handle it here for once.

What would Nesta do… 

“We won't chop them off, right daddy?” Briana whimpered, her eyes shined with tears as she looked up at her dad, and escaped them to roll down her perfectly rounded cheeks. 

“Of course not sweetheart… Daddy won’t let it come to that. Huh… here,” Cassian said matter-of-factly while he picked her up into his arms, not missing to notice how big and tall his baby girl was getting. He kissed her tear stained cheeks, and filled the tub with warm water and vanilla scented oils, in hope it would help dissolve the sticky substance from his daughter’s beautiful, yet currently very tangled, curls.

“You’re going to sit and soak in a nice, warm bath and relax for a while, sounds good?” Bri nodded quickly and shimmied out of her dirty Illyrian leathers before jumping, inheriting all of Cassian’s grace, into the bath. The water splashed everywhere, covering Cassian from head to toe before he could even think of protecting himself from the splash. 

He wiped a hand across his face, and caught his daughter's amused glance. “Ha.Ha. So funny,” He rolled his eyes, sitting beside the bathtub to dip a finger, making sure the temperature was okay.  

An amused grin formed on his lips when his daughter attempted to roll her eyes at him, too. “Funnier than you and your “We don’t bite unless you ask us to” boring joke.” 

Sassy, just like her mother.

“You and your mother just don’t have any sense of humor,” “What did you say?” Cassian jumped a little, Briana followed the movement as their head pivoted to the bathroom door. Cassian threw the dirty leathers in the laundry basket, trying to hide the evidence, although the biggest one was currently sitting in the bath, of their wild and quite messy adventure. “Nesta! My love, I… uh…” 

Cauldron, Nesta looked like the Mother herself. A pure, raw, enticing beauty emitting from her.  

And he fucking missed her. 

He rose up to his feets, quickly closing the distance between him and his mate, and captured her lips into a searing kiss, flooding the bond with his relief of having her here now. 

“Mama, my hair…” Briana's pouty lip wobbled, and her whimpering tone made Nesta quickly pull away from her mate's arms.  

She walked up to her daughter and offered her an amused, yet reassuring smile. Nesta stroked Briana’s cheek and looked up at the mess her hair was in. “I assume you and daddy had lots of fun tonight?” 

Briana nodded, her eyes closing in content as her mother’s way more skillful fingers threaded through the knots and spread shampoo to melt the sap tangled in her long locks. “Yeah, we went flying!”

“Near the snowball fight field?” Nesta guessed, since there were lots of pines and firs there. 

“Yup! We made a gigantic snowman, we raced through the trees…” Her hands were flying everywhere, splashing water on every wall of the bathroom, and Nesta struggled to keep working on the knots on top of Briana's hair.  “Oh oh! Guess who won the race?!” 

Nesta chuckled “From how excited you sound princess… I'm going to assume you did.” 

Cassian faked an outraged expression, his hand snapping to his chest as if he'd been stabbed, and Brianna smiled widely. “Yeah, I did!!” 

Nesta smiled, thinking to herself how lucky she had been to be blessed with such a mate. She could never express how grateful she was for Cassian to fill her and their daughter's head with those joyful memories. 

“I'm proud of you Bri.” Nesta kissed her daughter's soapy forehead, then rinsed off the excess of soap covering her hair with water. “All done! No more big knots.” 

Briana launched into her mother's arms, hugging her tight, not caring that her movement made the water spill over the side of the bathtub. “Took notes to know what to do next time Dada?” 

Cassian laughter booming through the small bathroom. “Yeah, baby. I took notes.” 

A/N: Short Lil one, but I love it sm 🥹💕

Acotar Taglist: @lilah-asteria @mybestfriendmademe

Cassian Taglist: @acotar-lover @ladybookstan

[abyss-seer]

Disclaimer: All content in this reading, including interpretations and messages, belongs to me and should not be copied, reproduced, or distributed without permission. The images used are sourced from Pinterest and do not belong to me. They are for illustrative purposes only.

Pick A Card Reading

Before that here's a channeled song for collective.

What change is radically transforming your life?

Welcome to today's tarot reading! I always find tarot readings enjoyable, like reading chapters from a fascinating book. Before we dive in, let's set the scene and align with today's reading. Remember, this is a timeless read, so the messages can apply whenever you come across this post.

To start, take a moment to meditate on the question, and then choose the picture that draws you in. It could be a random object in the image or just an inner nudge guiding you to a particular pile. Feel free to choose more than one pile.

This is a general reading, so take only the messages that resonate with you and leave the rest. A tarot reading offers insight or answers to your subconscious questions. It's important not to force yourself into any interpretation that doesn't feel right; readings are meant to be more about entertainment and reflection than precision.

Be mindful of not taking things personally. This is a collective reading, and while some aspects might resonate with you, others may resonate with someone else. Please take your time with this reading. These messages are intended to awaken and provide insights, so I hope you find value in them. Enjoy the journey through these reads.

With Love

Abyss Seer

Pile 1

Pile 2

Pile 3

Pile 4

________________________

Readings are here 👇🏻

Pile 1

Conformations: Stork and fox and the soup bowl story, the forked road, straight bangs, messy hair, song named Hum pagal nhi hai bhaiyaa hamara dimag kharab hai, family and parents could be significant, dead fish, being eccentric, not fit in, standing out too much in the crowd

Something in your life could be changing to move you toward a specific goal. You might be shaping into the person who attracts that long-desired opportunity or gaining access to something you've always wanted. Pile 1, there’s something you've been dreaming of for a long time—possibly a long-awaited family dream you've been on a mission to fulfill.

I'm sensing Magha nakshatra themes: maybe someone being granted access to a family business or finally receiving their share of an inheritance. You might be leading a new line or school of thought with your family members. It was your dream to see this idea come to fruition, perhaps through market success, new investors, or business registration. It feels like one family approving another.

You've likely struggled with this issue for a long time, but now you see the success of your efforts. This achievement could be very emotional for you, bringing laurels and affection from loved ones. You may have felt stuck, unable to find love or support from your loved ones. Now, I see you taking swift action toward this long-term dream. Pile 1, good luck!

________________________

Pile 2

Confirmation: tongue twister she sells seashells on the seashore, Karla, Sarah, Coraline the horror movie, love and hate relationship, someone could refer someone as bitch and may get called back as a scum, take them with you (you could be asked to not hold grudges and take people with you, but at the same time don’t dull your own shine)

You might consider watching Pile 3 as well only if you feel called to it. There's something you've been delaying for a long time, Pile 2. Did you miss an opportunity or freedom to do something? You might be very goal-oriented, but there's some pessimism or fear of failure causing you to deviate from your goals. This could be a past pattern or bad habit repeating itself due to your current state of mind. There might be lingering anxiety about starting a new endeavor, leading to procrastination and worry about committing to new habits.

Celebrate your small achievements and start thinking positively by targeting negative thoughts and changing your thinking pattern. This cycle of self-sabotage is harmful. Avoid dwelling on those negative thoughts. Do well in life, Pile 2. You might be moving away from new friendships and people, disliking mingling with them. You could be trying to go solo to achieve your goals, leaving everything behind for yourself.

You might feel misunderstood, underappreciated, and isolated, perhaps feeling someone stole your credit. This could lead to a sense of worthlessness due to your own selflessness. I'm sorry for what you went through. Know that you deserve better friends and people around you. This might be why you want to distance yourself from new people. I'm seeing a strong feeling of self-preservation, Pile 2. Don't worry, work hard, and people will appreciate your efforts. Focus less on fair-weather friends and more on yourself. Take care, Pile 2. I feel for you and am sorry if that happened.

________________________

Pile 3

Confirmation: Paon ki jutti (song), Sydney Sweeney, number 333, 33, foundations, Anuradha nakshatra, someone from your past,1212, Australia

"Disrespect"—some female figure feels disrespected. This is anger channeled into radicalization, literally. The Hawaiian goddess of sacred rage, Pele, is coming through. There’s a mother figure in this pile who feels hugely disrespected, abused, and is doubting her faith and duty towards the collective. This is a very radical energy. " They are becoming more agnostic after whatever has transpired". They are hating and thinking how you have lost your faith in yourself after failing so many times.

Pile 3, you are someone agnostic, and you could be in danger of crossing this empress-like figure in the wake of her rage. This person could get furious at your heartache, the pressure you're feeling, and the fear of moving forward. You can trigger them, so be careful. This empress could be getting over a huge loss in life, an investment, a semester that went down the drain, or some trigger due to "Sweet Home Sydney" (a restaurant). Be careful dealing with this mother figure they might not be in the mood to be teased, she must have lost her assets because of your failures.

You could be moving on from a heartbreaking and stressful situation and trying to get your life together. You think that you are bringing your life to balance using sharp tools(im getting someone cutting their nerves) (even a sharp tongue if necessary). You could be determined to restore balance of mind through chaos. Pile3 they are coming to pull you out of this rut and you are trying to get rid of them. This awakening and rebirth could be due to their investment drowning because of you. This is an unforgiving energy. They might feel very cold to you at start but this all for your good

This grounded person may not be in

the mood for fantasy.. Pile 3, your awakening moment is this woman who doesn't want to see you slacking off. She has been carrying many burdens, and this could be someone you collaborate with at work. She could get very angry with you, Pile 3. You need to stop staying stuck in your head. You might have taken a new start without preparing for the consequences and are still moving on, carrying emotional burdens. This will get you back on track. Whoever this female is, she might be a strict mother figure, but she will get you back on track. She will dish it out very straightforwardly. There's no going back; you better start working hard.

________________________

Pile 4

Confirmations: 99, September, number 5 could be significant, 1313, Yee haa, cowboy, the west, Madison beer- make you mine, Flo Rida – Right Round,1616

"There's no power left in thy hand." Let me tell you something: if you take anything from someone, make sure to give them something in return or return what you took in due time. This is called borrowing. In life, nothing is taken without giving something back. This is the main motto of your reading. You may have borrowed or taken money or assets, become stingy with that money, and are not ready to give back. You could be basking in others' achievements and material gains to fund your own independence and freedom. But none of this was guaranteed for free. Be grateful for what you got for the limited time and give back.

Your mind is stuck in the thoughts of comfort without pain. Get out of this mindset. You might lose a lot in life due to fights and competitions, developing a loser’s mindset, thinking nothing is meant for you. This could lead you to take a wrong path you will regret in the long run. It's a survivor mindset, trying to run away when things get rough. Maybe there was a time you couldn’t run to safety, and now you have a survival instinct to run irrationally without seeing things clearly because you feel you cannot face the challenge. Remove that guilt. What has happened has happened. Accept your regrets for what you could not do to save yourself.

Don’t miss opportunities because of being stuck in your feelings. Use your rationality to get ahead in life. Stop wallowing in emotions. Get out of this emotional cycle and traumatic pattern. Your payback time is coming. The phrase "every dog has its day" comes to mind. You might have received an opportunity given with trust that you would return it tenfold, but you felt you didn’t deserve it. Anxiety hit when you first took it. You weren’t capable of receiving it because of a lack mindset. Then you were attacked by fake friends and your own self-hatred. You fumbled opportunities meant to move you forward.

The change that will transform your life is moving away from this toxic community. Let go of reasons to stay in a place you thought was good for you. Let go of what is not serving you. Look forward to results from your efforts and hard work. Move toward self-love and self-care, letting go of thoughts, ideas, and emotional pain from others. Proceed in life learning new skills, unafraid to express yourself and your beliefs. You are coming to balance, losing the lack and hoarding mindset, becoming more authentic. Heal yourself, learn to care for yourself, and turn controlling tendencies into self-discipline. Become a more balanced individual

[namimikan]

butler pyo and hwan's mom ending up together is SO funny, like i clocked that he had a crush on her like. midway? the catching her during the laundry, him saying he liked an immature woman -- he was clearly talking about her

but the fact that it's reciprocated?

and she realizes this in the LAST episode? hilarious.

[sleepisapriviligethatidonthave]

Hey yall it's me, your favorite procrastinating sleep deprived tumblr user

So I've got an AU idea I need to get out of my head (promise to finally fo the Vampirism Matrix AU post soon, please bear with me)

SO

Murim AU

I don't have anything concrete yet but I wanna put it out here for everyone to know

Basically if you have ever read a chinese or another martial novel you will know what I am talking about

I'll go about it in bullet points bc it's easiest to keep my thoughts organized rn

1. You have the Orthodox faction, also known as the Autobots, you have the Unorthodox faction/sect that is represented by the Neutrals, and then you have the Demonic Sect - a.k.a. the Descepticons

2. The main ruling power of this universe is the Prime (also known as the Emperor/Empress)

3. At the time when the AU takes place there are not one, but two Primes - Sentinel Prime, who has inherited the title from his sire the previous Prime. And the other one being the true Matrix chosen Prime, son of Alpha Trion, leader of the Orthodox sect

4. When Optimus - back then Orion - was born, his carrier passed away during his emergence as plotted by the Council and Sentinel who were trying to make A3 abdicate

5. The council planned it so that A3 would be away during the emergence of his creation, thus giving the Council ample time to put their plan into motion

6. Orion was never meant to survive that night, but he was saved by a maid that sent him away in a crate under the guise of the night

7. The Council presented the corpse of a protoform to Alpha Trion, making him believe that he had lost both most important things in his life thar night

8. Instead of resigning, he throws himself into work, not looking back

9. Somewhere very far from the city of Iacon, Orion Pax is alive

10. I have not decided on how his life would be as a youngling but ik it would be harsh

11. In his adolescent years he became a worker on the docks of the small village he lived in, working hard to support himself, often giving his earnings to those less fortunate than him and only keeping enough to get by

12. One of the few things he allowed himself as a luxury were scrolls, written by a low born mech, speaking of equality

13. He has a tendency to get into trouble whenever he sees injustices, some love him and some hate him for it

14. After another fight with the local thugs and thieves they are done with him and his constant meddling so they drag him out to the woods, beat him senseless and throw him in a cave to bleed out and die

15. There he finds the Matrix which bonds with him, turning his broken frame into the body of a Prime (keep in mind he's like 16)

16. The Matrix sends out a signaling flare that shines bright throughout the lands of the Orthodox sect, a beam of light lighting up in every shrine of Primus, announcing the new Prime

Aaand that's where I'm stopping it for now since it's currently 1:30 am and I need sleep 🥲

Will come back in the morning to finish up tho

[starling-ghoul]

Mountain hcs pls!!!

Whoever sent this in I'm so sorry I didn't see this earlier, my inbox always says it has like 16+ asks but it never does so I hardly check or see the notifications for it 😔💔

Anywhoo mountain headcannons for you anon 🙇‍♀️💗

- gentle giant to say the least, hes thankful to be in the era that he is because the ministry doors and archways have been customized to suit them and their taller builds

Otherwise our boy would be hitting his head on them constantly, even with glamour

- @skele-bunny plagued me with fawn mountain a few months back, so in my mind he's a European fallow deer

- being in tune with your element comes naturally for most ghouls, and it did for mountain

But his love of gardening and his greenhouse was an inheritance from the older earth ghouls, primos to be exact

He found it was easier to bond, the silence was nice especially after long days of chores and practice

Still being with someone but it was so serene, the warmth from the sun and the rays shining through showing the true colours of everything Including the pollen and dust from all the plants

- lovess to show his pack mates his current projects and new plants, everyone has their own plant that they learn how to take care of and it's such a fun thing to bring them closer together

- his favorite insect is a ladybug, sometimes you'll find one on him or in his hair

- he will literally go into the forest grounds just to take a nap or take time to himself, other ghouls and siblings have found him with some plants growing off of him if he's been outside for a while, and even birds perched on his antlers

- when the plushias first came out everyone thought that they looked ugly and wouldn't sell, but mountain thought they were super cute so he took one from the stock and he loves it soo much, it's like his baby (after his plants of course)

It's been a bit lonely since Copia was promoted to frater, so on bad days you'll often find him curled in Copias bed with his plushia :'(

- the girls invited him to their sleepover once and that was a snowball into him getting into self care for himself and the others

- forgive me as idk how to write smut, but I saw a post the other night about minute man mountain, and yeah I agree with that

- heavy sleeper, if you need him and he's asleep you're out of luck, swiss and phantom set off the smoke alarms and while everyone was trying to turn it off or leaving the building mountain was sprawled out on a couch in the lounge room taking a fat nap

He was very confused when dinner was toasted to say the least

[oliviablancmom]

"Pedriiii - Bonus Chapter''

N/A: And as promised, here is the bonus chapter. Have a look at how things are going for Pedri, Isa, and Axel. I hope you enjoy it.

Ps: I just realized now that this image might contain spoilers. lol

One Month Later

Axel was a very active and talkative child, especially when he felt comfortable around someone. It was like that with Pedri, with his friends, and also with the player’s family. Seeing him now, sitting in complete silence, was strange, mainly because he was about to do something he had always wanted, ever since he had understood it, and had tirelessly asked Isa to be able to go onto the field with Pedri. When the request came directly from his favorite player, Axel was over the moon. Isa didn’t even know how to calm him down, he was so excited about the invitation. Hours and days were talking about it excitedly, and now that the day had finally arrived, all that energy had passed, when it should have been the opposite.

“Well, at least we know that when he becomes a player he will be very focused,” Gavi said beside Isa while looking at the little boy.

“I love how you all already assume he will be a player,” Isa said reluctantly. Fernando looked at her and laughed.

“I love how you haven’t accepted that he will be a player yet,” Fer said, standing up and patting Isa on the shoulder. “You need to accept the facts, it will be less painful when it happens,” he said humorously. Isa rolled her eyes at him. She knew that the chances of Axel wanting to pursue a football career were high; he had inherited his grandfather’s passion for the sport. Now, with the presence of the club’s players in his life, Isa was sure that this would influence him even more.

“Isa, it’s time,” one of the club staff entered the room where they were. Isa nodded and walked to where Axel was sitting.

“Hey, baby, you have to go now,” Isa crouched next to her son. His eyes were shining, and Isa was sure of how nervous he was. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Isa said understandingly. Axel made a face.

“I want to go, but do you think Pedri wants me there?” Axel asked insecurely. He always got like this after spending a few hours with his father, but Isa understood her son’s insecurities; after all, she had her own when it came to the player.

“Are you kidding? Pedri has been counting the days for this moment, buddy,” Fer said, crouching next to Isa in front of Axel. The youngest looked at him, still seeming uncertain.

“Isa, he has to go with the other kids,” the staff member repeated. Axel looked at Isa and then at Gavi.

“Gavi, will you go with me?” Axel asked shyly. Gavi approached and picked him up.

“Of course, buddy, if it makes you feel better,” Gavi said, hugging him. “Deep down, deep down, I know I’m your favorite,” Gavi teased. Axel raised his eyebrows, looking offended, which made Fernando laugh.

“You know you not,” Axel said, hitting Gavi’s shoulder. The two left the room talking about something.

“Let’s go to the stands,” Fer pulled Isabella outside, and the woman could feel her nervousness taking over. When she arrived, she saw her father already excited, singing songs of the crowd. Pedri’s parents greeted her with a warm hug.

“You’re freezing, dear,” Rosy, Pedri's mom said, holding Isa’s hand. “Oh, I understand, I always get like this when Pedri goes onto the field,” the woman hugged Isabella in a comforting way.

Isa still found it strange the relationship she was having with the player’s family. They were so welcoming since the game against PSG. They sent messages asking Axel if she was okay. They gathered at Isa’s father’s house just to chat, and they even took Axel for outings. Isa found it strange because she had never had that experience before. Her ex-mother-in-law made sure to criticize her all the time, especially the way she raised Axel. And with her current mother-in-law, everything was different, well, Isa didn’t know if she could call her that, since she and Pedri were not officially in a relationship. This left her even more confused.

“They’re coming in,” Rosy said excitedly, holding Isa’s hand. Isa’s father stood up as if a goal had been scored, holding Fer by the shoulders and shaking him excitedly. Isa laughed at the scene and turned her attention to the field. Pedri was the last to enter, and unlike the other players who were holding hands with their respective kids, Pedri was carrying Axel in his arms.

“He got shy,” Fer concluded. The pre-game processes were finished, and Isa saw when Pedri walked to the edge of the field and handed Axel to Gavi, who was waiting there.

“Aw, a good older son,” Fer said, turning with a mocking smile to Isabella, who rolled her eyes. “I’m going to get something for Axel to eat. Do you want anything, sis?” Isa frowned and just shook her head. Fer looked confused at her and then left.

After a few minutes, Gavi arrived with Axel, who was talking again. His cheeks were flushed, and his eyes were sparkling with excitement.

“Mom, did you see me out there?” he asked excitedly while jumping into his mother’s lap. “It was so cool.”

“You did very well, Axel,” Rosy said, kissing the boy’s hand. “Did you like it?”

“Yeeeees, it was cool to see everyone from the field,” he said excitedly.

“Soon it will be you entering the field with a child,” Pedri’s father said, picking Axel up from Isa’s lap and starting a conversation with the little boy.

“You’re acting strange,” Gavi said beside her, watching her. Isabella looked at him stunned.

“You freeze every time Pedri’s family shows affection for Axel,” Gavi concluded. Isa was sometimes surprised by how observant Gavi was and how well he read her.

“Don’t you find it strange? They hardly know him and treat him like this...” Isa said quietly, hoping the noise of the stadium was enough for the player’s family not to hear her.

“Wow, I know Axel’s father’s family was horrible to you, but to the point of you finding it strange for your son to be well treated?” Gavi asked curiously.

“You have no idea,” Isa muttered, watching Axel get excited with Fer approaching with a bag of popcorn.

“Well, you’re Pedri’s girlfriend now, so it’s natural for them to treat you well,” Gavi concluded.

“I’m not Pedri’s girlfriend,” Isa said in a louder tone, attracting Fer’s attention, who looked confused at her again but soon returned his attention to Axel, who was telling him something.

“What are you talking about?” Gavi asked confused. “Fernando would have already said on Instagram that you weren’t if you weren’t,” he said humorously, making Isa laugh. “And I don’t think his family would interact so much with you and Axel if you weren’t. Believe me, he tells everything to his parents and takes their opinion very seriously.”

“I know, but we haven’t talked about it...” Isa said, watching Pedri run across the field.

“Oh my God, my brother is so dumb,” Fer said, turning again to face Isa. Axel looked at Fernando with a frown.

“Don’t talk about Pedri like that, Fer” Axel reprimanded him, and Fer was shocked.

“You two are very united, I’m at a disadvantage here. How am I going to speak ill of him now?” Fer asked indignantly. “I brought you popcorn, you have to let me talk bad about him a little.”

“Stop tormenting the boy,” Pedri’s father picked Axel up from his son’s lap. Fer looked offended, making Isa laugh.

Barcelona won the match. For the first time, the team seemed to have found a rhythm, and that was reassuring. Isa was in her car in the stadium’s parking lot. There were only a few minutes left until the match ended. Axel was sleeping peacefully in the back seat and would probably wake up only the next day. Early in the second half, he started complaining about a headache. Isa concluded that it was the adrenaline of entering the field finally passing and giving way to exhaustion, which Isa also shared. The woman had advanced all her work so she could have a day off and accompany Axel’s special day. And also, her mind couldn’t stop thinking about her relationship with Pedri. Since the game against PSG, Pedri’s presence had become constant, but at no time did they talk about what their relationship status was. Isa was looking at social media; she and Axel were already on the player’s fan pages, which also speculated about the nature of their relationship. Isa put her phone back in her pocket and leaned her head on the seat, closing her eyes. After a few minutes, the sound of someone knocking on the window woke her up, and she looked outside, seeing the player smiling at her. She unlocked the car, expecting him to get into the passenger seat, but instead, he opened the driver’s door.

“I’ll drive,” he said firmly. Isa didn’t argue, just jumped into the passenger seat. Pedri got in, looked at Axel in the back seat, and then at Isa. He leaned in to buckle the seatbelt for her, and she looked at him curiously. Isa wanted to ask him, but she was too shy to do so, and she was also a little dazed; Isa loved seeing Pedri play, but she also loved how he looked after a match, his messy hair, the confident look, the flushed cheeks. Pedri narrowed his eyes at her, a smile at the corners of his lips.

“What?” he asked, but Isabella just shook her head, forcing herself to return to reality. “What were you thinking about?” Isa felt her cheeks warm.

“Nothing... ” she shrugged

Pedri smiled and leaned in to kiss her, and then he drove out of the stadium toward her apartment.

Pedri could see that something was bothering her. The entire silent drive to the apartment showed that. His brother and Gavi calling him dumb and stupid were also hints. Pedri was sitting in Isa’s apartment living room while she put Axel to bed. It didn’t take long for her to return, and she stopped when she saw him sitting on the couch.

“You’re still here?” Isa asked cautiously, and Pedri found the woman’s cold reaction strange. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“What’s wrong, Isabella?” Pedri asked, watching the woman open her mouth several times to say something, but nothing came out. She seemed frustrated.

“Nothing,” she huffed and walked to the kitchen. Pedri followed her, stopping behind her with his arms on either side of her body, so she ended up trapped between the sink and him. Pedri could spend days looking at her, and he would never get tired. He was obsessed with her; it was all about her, the perfectly sculpted face, the sweet and welcoming smile, the way she raised Axel. The big brown eyes were looking at a point behind Pedri, and now he was sure that something was wrong because normally, when they were this close, her eyes were on his face, mapping it.

“Isabella...” Pedri held her face, forcing her to look at him. “What happened?”

“What are we?” Pedri was confused for a moment, thinking he had already been clear about his feelings for her.

“Is that why you’re in a bad mood?” Pedri asked humorously. Isa rolled her eyes, pushing him away and going to sit on the couch. Pedri followed her, still laughing at her mood. Pedri always enjoyed it when Isa showed her feelings. “I thought it was clear what we had,” Pedri sat next to her, who continued to ignore him. This time, it was Pedri who rolled his eyes. He moved a little closer and extended his hand to her face, pulling her so she would look at him. Isa’s big eyes were shining, and only now did he realize how serious she was.

“You’re married, Isabella,” Pedro said humorously, and Isa opened her mouth, surprised by his words. Pedri let out a little laugh. “We’re together, but to make things official, I don’t want that point between us.”

“Well, that never stopped you before,” this time it was Isa who said mockingly and humorously, and Pedri rolled his eyes, offended, moving away from her. Isa let out a giggle and sat on the player’s lap, holding his face and leaving kisses all over his face.

“I thought you were too smart for this,” Pedri said, holding Isa’s waist, who looked at him, not understanding. “Another thing you told me when we met at the nightclub,” Pedri kissed her neck. “That you were too smart to fall for my flirting.” Isa laughed, and Pedri felt his heart skip a beat; he loved her laugh, and he made wishes in his head so he could hear that laugh for many, many years.

******************************************

Three months later

"Pedriiii," Axel came running down the hallway looking for the player, holding his tiny soccer cleats in his hands. "Can you help me put them on?" Pedri laughed at the boy's eagerness. Today was a big day; Axel was going to play his first soccer game with his football class. At his age, everything was playful and introductory, without the pressure of professionalism, but still, it was an experience Axel was very excited and focused on. Pedri always talked to and supported the boy, encouraging him to enjoy the moment and not take it too seriously. Of course, at the end of the day, all the talk went out the window when Gavi showed up saying, "They are all our enemies; we can’t feel sorry for anyone."

"Axel, baby. Your father won’t be able to attend the game; he wasn’t given time off from work, but he wished you good luck." Isa appeared in the room. Pedri felt a strange sensation at the mention of the man and repressed the urge to roll his eyes at the excuse. It was his son’s first game, and he couldn’t make an effort. Axel shrugged at the information, not seeming affected, and Pedri mentally thanked, as he would hate anyone who spoiled Axel’s joy that day. "Go get your bag from your room, or we’ll be late." Axel ran to his room, and Isa took the opportunity to approach Pedri, hugging him. Pedri inhaled the woman’s perfume; he loved the intoxicating feeling it caused in his senses.

“Thank you,” she whispered in the player’s ear, causing a shiver. Axel returned to the room, running to Pedri's lap, making Isa roll her eyes at the boy’s preference.

“Pedri, don’t forget to control pop's so the coach doesn’t kick him out again.” Isa stopped in her tracks, staring at the two with wide eyes. Pedri felt his body go cold and looked at Axel, who seemed to realize what he had just said.

“What?” she asked, shocked by the information.

“He’s joking, love.” Isa looked suspicious while Axel hid his face in the player’s neck with small giggles.

Pedri had left Axel in the locker room with the other children. His appearance caused a bit of a stir among them, almost getting him kicked out by the coach too, but he managed to calm them down with the promise that he would take photos with all of them after the match. This resulted in Axel having a huge pout on his face while ignoring Pedri’s goodbye... the jealousy... like mother, like son.

Pedri headed to the stands where his family was. His mother was chatting animatedly with Isa’s stepmother, while his father was next to Isa’s father, who seemed to be too calm to what he usually was. When he noticed the player approaching, they exchanged a look of recognition.

“I thought we had a secret, my dear.” Pedri let out a little laugh while greeting his father-in-law.

“Complain to your grandson.” Pedri shrugged.

“She grounded me, but she’s there with the one responsible for the mess.” Isa’s father said, nodding towards where his daughter was. Pedri looked towards the edge of the field, where Isa was talking with Fer and Gavi, the latter hugging the woman who was laughing at something Pedri’s brother was saying.

“Don't worry, I'll make her see who he truly is,” Pedri said, laughing.

“Pedri, leave him alone, poor thing.” Pedri’s mother said.

“Poor thing because you don’t know the thing.” Pedri headed towards the three, and as soon as Isa noticed him approaching, she gave Pedri a cynical look.

“You have your child; I have mine.” She said, referring to Gavi, who gave a smug laugh.

“Now I know where Axel gets his jealous side from,” Pedri said humorously.

“Oh brother, you’re not far behind. You almost had a meltdown at that event because Bellingham greeted Isa and played with Axel.” Fer said, laughing at his brother, who scowled. Gavi burst into laughter, remembering the scene. Pedri looked at him and, seeing that he was about to say something more, so he intervened.

“You keep quiet, Gavira, or I'll tell her your secret...” Isa stopped hugging Gavi and looked at him attentively.

“You’re the only one who believes in his saintly face, Isa,” Fer said beside him, and soon he and Gavi started teasing each other. Isabella laughed at the scene and went to Pedri’s side, hugging him. The two shared a silent exchange of affection until Axel’s game began, and Isa started showing her motherly side. Ironically, Pedri had to hold her when she almost fought with a mother from the opposing team who's child had knocked Axel down rather harshly, which, of course, provided excellent ammunition for Isa’s father to tease his daughter.

*****************************************

Six months later

"Are you sure about this?" Isa asked for the thousandth time that day, making Pedri roll his eyes.

"Jesus... baby. Have you always been this anxious?" Pedri looked at the woman who was leaning against the door frame, staring at the large room, the room of the house that would be theirs. Ever since he had suggested they move in together, Isa had been showing signs of insecurity. Pedri walked over to her, holding her by the waist and pulling her into the house. Isa looked at him coyly. "There is nothing I want more than this, Isa. A house with you and Axel." Isa smiled at him, and God, how Pedri loved the woman's smile and the way her eyes sparkled for him.

"Pedriiii," Axel ran into the house.

"See, Axel. I told you they would be stalling while we do the heavy work," Fer said, dropping a box in the middle of the room.

"That's the first box you've picked up," Pedri said, looking at his brother while picking Axel up in his arms.

"Can we swim?" Axel asked excitedly. Ever since they had visited the house for the first time, the little boy had been excited about the pool in the backyard.

"Later, when everyone is here," Pedri replied. Axel nodded in understanding and got down from the player's arms, going to sit next to Fer on the couch.

Pedri saw Isa go upstairs and decided to follow her. In the past few days, the woman had been a bundle of nerves and anxiety, and he, more than anyone, understood all her fears, honestly, the idea that she might change her mind disturbed him to his core. He found her standing at the door of Axel's room. Pedri approached her, hugging her from behind. He kissed the back of her neck, making her giggle as she turned to face him.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked once more. "I'm a mother, and we have an age difference. I don't want you to take on such a big responsibility unless you're sure."

"You know we only have a four-year and a few months' difference, right?" Pedri said with humor. "And I am sure. I've been sure since the first time I saw you." Isa frowned.

"At the nightclub?" she asked, confused, and Pedri laughed, kissing her face.

"Yes, at the nightclub..." Isabella looked at him skeptically. "I am sure about this, baby. I've always been sure I wanted this, given the upbringing and family I had. But it was something distant until I met you and Axel. The moment you two came into my life, I knew I didn't want it with anyone else but you two." Pedri kissed Isa's forehead and wiped away the tears that streamed down her face. She kissed him so intensely that Pedri was sure he fell in love with her all over again.

********************************************

One Year Later

Isa could feel her heart in her throat, she could feel how fast it was beating, her hands were shaking uncontrollably, and tears were streaming down her face. Barcelona had won the Champions League, in an El Clásico, with an incredible comeback, and with the essential participation of Gavi and Pedri. The latter played an extraordinary game, the quality of his passes, his assists, and his leadership on the field. Isa felt her chest tighten with pride, or maybe she was having a heart attack. After all, no one expected or imagined that Barcelona would have such strength this season. As soon as the referee blew the final whistle, the stadium roared with a roar, a roar that had been stuck in their throats for years. An official came to the box to call the players' families to enter the field. Axel was ecstatic, his face red and swollen from crying. Isa wasn't sure if he understood the enormity of everything that was happening or if he was just carried away by his grandfather's emotions and Pedri's family. The player's mother was trembling so much, with a proud look on her face, and in the last minutes of extra time, the elderly woman had squeezed Isa's hand so tightly that it left marks. Pedri's father had picked Axel up, explaining that this way he wouldn't feel unwell. The player's brother had knelt to cry, and Isa hugged him, his tears soaking the woman's shirt. She admired the relationship they had so much. Even Isa's father had cried, and the man was usually tough, but he had cried, and Isa couldn't take him seriously because he was wearing a shirt he had received from Pedri's fans, a shirt with a picture of Gavi and Axel with the words "proud grandfather," and of course, the number 8 on the back, which he wore proudly.

"Pedriiii" Axel jumped down from Pedri's father's arms and ran across the field towards the player, who knelt to pick up the little boy. Isa felt her eyes welling up with tears again, and she tried to control herself for the photos. Isa stood back, wanting to let the boy's parents enjoy the moment. After all, they had worked so hard to get to that day.

"Isaaa," Gavi approached, hugging her.

"Gavira, congratulations, you deserve it so much. I'm so happy, I feel like a proud mother," Isa hugged him tightly. Isa looked behind the boy, and as if reading her mind, Gavi hurried to speak.

"She went to calm the things first" Gavi rolled his eyes, making Isa laugh.

Before they could continue the conversation, Isa's father approached, pulling Gavi towards him. The man gave Gavi a tight hug and gave him a speech about how proud he was of the boy. Gavi was almost crying, and the two were in an honest conversation, Isa could only think about how she had lost her father and son to Barcelona players.

"Hi, Ms. Gonzalez. You look beautiful" Ferran approached, greeting her with a hug.

"Thank you, Ferran, you too. Congratulations, you were amazing."

"Thank you, Isa. It's beautiful to see a father and his favorite kid," the player joked, looking at Gavi and Isa's father.

"Can you believe that?" Isa said indignantly. "He doesn't even hide that he has a favorite." Ferran laughed.

"Look at the size of your darling's pout. If there weren't cameras all around, he would have thrown me away by now," Ferran joked, pointing to Pedri on the other side of the field, who was looking their way but quickly looked away when he realized they were watching him. "Wow, I just had a major déjà vu," Ferran said, and Isa looked confused. "From when he saw you for the first time," he concluded.

"At the club?" Isa asked curiously, and Ferran chuckled.

"That wasn't the first time Pedri saw you." Isa looked at Pedri and then back at Ferran, who laughed at her reaction. "We were in the media room recording for the club, you walked in, and he was mesmerized. You didn't even notice him, but the boy was taken," Isa's mouth dropped open in shock.

"My God, I thought he saw me at the club."

"No, that was his stalker phase. He overheard you talking with the social media girls about going to that club and forced us to go with him," Ferran said, laughing. "He risked his 'I'd rather stay home, I don't like parties' reputation for you." Isa laughed out loud at the newly acquired information and looked at her boyfriend, who was frowning.

"Let me go over there or he'll get rid of you..." Isa said, laughing and hugging Ferran goodbye.

Isa walked slowly towards her boyfriend, who was watching his brother run after Axel, but his face was serious. He saw Isa approaching but paid no attention. She rolled her eyes and put her arms around the player's waist, who didn't reciprocate the gesture.

"Congratulations, mi amor," Isa said, leaning in to kiss the player, but he turned his face. "PEDRI," she said indignantly and pinched his arm, making him laugh and finally look at her and wrap his arms around her. Isa observed the player's face and never got tired of doing so. She loved looking at every little detail of his face.

"I can only accept sharing your attention with Gavi, and just because you and your father force me," he said, looking into Isa's eyes. The sparkle in them made the butterflies in her stomach take flight. "You congratulated them first," he said, feeling hurt.

"Love, it was your parents' moment," Isa explained, holding Pedri's face. "I am so proud, you were incredible throughout the championship, but today you were a level above everyone," Isa said proudly and saw Pedri's cheeks, already flushed from the game, turn even rosier, and his eyes filled with tears. He lowered his head, resting on her shoulder, the intimacy of the embrace putting them in their world as if it were just the two of them, nothing else around. But they were soon brought back to reality when they heard Fer shouting.

"Axel, no, your mother is going to kill me." Isa turned so quickly to see what her son was doing, and when she saw, she felt like strangling her boyfriend's brother. Axel was holding a bottle of champagne, shaking it, and trying to open it.

"My God..." Pedri muttered behind her amused by the scene, laughing at his brother running after the boy to try to get the bottle. Before Isa could go after the boy, Pedri pulled her back to him. "Let it be... Fer is watching, I want you here with me," Pedri said in her ear.

"Gross, what you two want to do can't be done here on the field, for God's sake," Gavi suddenly appeared next to them, startling them. Gavi laughed and tried to pull Isa into a hug, but Pedri prevented him.

"What's with you all competing for my girlfriend's attention?" Pedri said indignantly.

"It's not my fault she prefers me," Gavi winked at Isa, "and besides, sons have priority," Gavi teased, and Pedri rolled his eyes.

"Your brother is trying to get drunk, so why don't you go bother him before my brother has a heart attack from stress," Pedri pointed to Fer, who was still chasing Axel, who was laughing as he ran away.

"My God, I leave you for a minute..." Gavi said, moving away and running after Axel.

It was past three in the morning, the music was already playing at a lower volume, and there were remnants of burst balloons around the yard. Isa’s father had prepared a party for when the team returned to Barcelona after the final, as he was certain that victory and the title would come. And since it was more intimate than a nightclub, most of the players, staff, and families had attended; it had been completely lively, yet cozy. Several players had gotten drunk, even the club president had enjoyed everything, all of them forgetting that they would walk through the city the next morning to celebrate with the fans. At least their hungover faces would make for great photos and memes on social media. Isa had just finished helping her step mother put her father to bed; the man had finally rested. He was so proud that he even made a big speech about how proud he was of his kids Pedri, and Gavi, which drew a lot of laughter from those present.

Isa thought about tidying up a bit to have less mess the next day but quickly gave up as she was too tired, so she headed to the yard in search of her son. Axel had also enjoyed the celebration, and Isa was impressed by how his energy never seemed to run out. The woman’s eyes scanned the yard, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw Pedri sitting on the outdoor sofa, with Axel sleeping in his lap. He was accompanied by a few teammates in a quieter conversation. Pedri was visibly tired but held Axel with great care. Isa would never get tired of the bond between them and would be eternally grateful to Pedri for the affection he had for her son. Isa approached slowly, and as soon as Pedri noticed her, he gave a very genuine smile.

"Let's take Axel to bed," Isa said, and Pedri simply nodded. They said goodbye to the group; those who were there were regulars and knew how to manage themselves.

"He needs a bath," Pedri commented as he followed Isa to the bedroom.

"If we wake him up for that, we won’t sleep anymore," Isa said, laughing, and Pedri concluded that it wouldn’t be a good idea. He placed Axel in bed, left a kiss on the boy's forehead, and left the room. Isa repeated the gesture, and just as she was about to leave, Axel’s sleepy little voice called her back.

"Mommy, I’m so happy..." he mumbled.

"I know, baby, I am too," Isa said, running her hand through his hair.

"I’m so happy that Pedri is ours..." Isa laughed at the comment but felt her heartbreak, and remembered the conversation she had with her father when she felt insecure about her relationship with Pedri, right after Henry’s family threatened to take Axel’s custody if she didn’t return to her marriage with Henry, as he was Axel’s father and should be present in the child's life. Those were turbulent and sad weeks, and Isa almost fell into emotional manipulation, but her father always told her that she had to think about her happiness because it would consequently bring Axel’s happiness since he felt what she did, and he would only be happy if she was. And true, genuine happiness only existed when they were with Pedri.

"Yes, me too," Isa admitted and waited for a response from Axel, but there was none; he had fallen back asleep. Isa closed the door and headed to her and the player's room. The room was dark, but the bathroom light was on. Isa took off her clothes and went to the bathroom, finding Pedri in the bathtub. He smiled at her as she settled into the small space with him. It didn’t take long for him to slide into her, and they celebrated the title in another way that night.

**********************************************

Three Years Later

Isa had many insecurities about having a relationship with Pedri; she had never thought about the consequences or what it might bring to her life. She would have to deal with gratuitous hatred, malicious comments about the age difference, and unfounded rumors. But with Pedri, it was possible to forget these details that could influence her life. It had been this way since the first time she was with him, the first time she saw him at the nightclub. When she saw him, she knew who he was, knew she would be working with him, and that she should not have any relationship with him, but he was extremely inviting, and Isa felt attracted to him from then on. And as she saw how he treated Axel, he increasingly found a place in her heart. Axel was her life, and seeing Pedri’s concern and care for the boy filled her heart. Isa never imposed anything on the player; she always treated their relationship as a friendship from the start.

Isa entered the living room, and Pedri was sitting on the couch with one arm resting behind his head while the other was using his phone. Axel was lying a few meters away from him, sleeping. The two were inseparable, and this filled Isa’s heart.

"Pedriiii," Isa said softly so as not to wake her son. Pedri looked at her, a smile on his lips. He put his phone down on the couch and stretched his arms out to his woman. Isa smiled widely at the player, approaching with animated hops, and then sat on his lap, nestling her face into the crook of his neck. Pedri held her in a tight hug.

"I missed you," he mumbled. Isa pulled back to look at him and left a kiss on his lips, feeling the butterflies in her stomach take flight. Pedri held her face, kissing her forehead and hugging her once more.

"Our boy scored two goals today. He did my celebration for one of them, and for the other, he pointed to your dad, Gavi, and Fer; they almost cried," Pedri said with humor, looking at the little boy. Isa smiled, looking at her son. "Then he spent hours on a video call with my parents, telling them about the game, and when I sent them the video of his celebrations, they almost cried too." Isa pouted as she watched the photos and videos Pedri had taken, since her flight was delayed and she couldn’t see Axel’s game.

"And then he demanded that my mom come here to make his favorite food in celebration, so, well, they’re coming tomorrow." Isa smiled; Axel had his grandparents wrapped around his finger, and Isa felt her heart burst with how much he was loved by Pedri’s parents and brother. There were no fears, no tears—well, except when they had to go back home.

"Today some little girls were cheering for him..." Pedri said hesitantly. Isa looked at him quickly. "Then Fer asked, ‘Hey Axel, which one of these is your girlfriend?’ He got so red," Pedri said, laughing.

"Gavi joined in on the fun, and for the first time, I saw a fan—or rather, a Barcelona fan—give him a deadly look, and Gavi was so scared. I think he never expected to be disliked by a fan. Fer and your dad laughed so much at him, but your dad was ready to fight the little girl to defend his oldest grandson." Isa laughed heartily.

"I can’t leave you guys alone; you attract too much attention," Isa said jealously. She still wasn’t at peace with the attention Axel was getting and would receive. "And when Gavi is with you...I see the comments, your fans go crazy."

"Don’t worry, love. Me, and your two sons, are all yours." Isa grew serious, grateful for the turn the conversation had taken. "Well, Gavi more or less..." Isa rolled her eyes.

"Well, hopefully now at least a little girl will come to keep me company. It won’t even things out, but it’s a start." Pedri laughed and kissed Isa’s forehead, not seeming to catch on to what she had said. Isa remained silent, and so did Pedri, the room filled only with Axel’s sleepy breathing. Pedri pulled back, his eyes wide, finally realizing what she had said.

"Love...are you serious?" he said, emotional. Isa smiled widely at her husband.

"Congratulations, Daddy!" she whispered in Pedri’s ear. The player hugged her so tightly that Isa could feel her shirt getting wet from his tears.

"Thank you, thank you for giving them to me," Pedri said emotionally.

"Thank you, for choosing us, for embracing Axel and being the best dad in the world." Pedri sniffled, hugging her again. "Can you believe we’ll have another little voice calling ‘Pedriiii’ everywhere?" Pedri laughed, wiping his face.

"I’ll need to stock up on more M&Ms," Pedri joked, and Isa made a face.

"Love, can I tell you a secret? But you have to pretend you don’t know," Isa said seriously. Pedri looked at her, confused.

"Axel hates them," Isa said with humor.

"What?" Pedri asked, confused.

"M&Ms."

"What????" Pedri shouted, and Isa quickly covered the player’s mouth.

"Yes!!!" Isa said, laughing at his reaction.

"Isabella Gonzalez, impossible. He was so passionate about them." Pedri was too perplexed by such information.

"Because you liked them!!! And he mistook them for Skittles when he took them from my bag, and since he took them secretly, he couldn’t admit it...I think giving them to you was his way of getting rid of the evidence, but you ruined everything when you started giving them back to him." Pedri’s eyes widened, and Isa couldn’t help but laugh at his reaction.

"Wow, you mean our whole relationship might not exist if Axel had picked the right candy?" Pedri squinted, and Isa shrugged. "Nah, this would have happened anyway," Pedri concluded, pointing to the two of them, and Isa smiled at his admission. "Either way, your son is a great actor," Pedri said, laughing. Isa looked at him, offended.

"Oh, now he’s my son? When you want to impress your female audience, it’s my son here, my kid there," Isa rolled her eyes, making Pedri laugh.

"Baby, you’re the one who’s most impressed when I say those things," Pedri teased, and Isa smiled, embarrassed.

"I can’t believe he kept that secret for three years..." Pedri said, amused but finding the newly received information hilarious. Axel was something. Pedri looked at the boy sleeping peacefully on the couch and placed one of his hands on Isa’s belly, feeling extremely grateful for everything he had gained.

**********************************************

N/A: CRYING, SOBBING AND THROWING UP.

"I want to thank everyone who followed this story, all the likes, comments, and support made my days much better. I bid farewell to this story, but not definitively, because when Pedriiii and Isa speak in my head, I promise to bring it to you. My Gavi's girls, I promise I haven't forgotten about you, and there's a hint about his story in this chapter. My delusional mind took over in this chapter, and it firmly believes that next year the Champions League is ours. lol Visca El Barça!"

[phdmama]

A small piece of writing...

(Possibly to be archived later, but it feels appropriate to share here.)

I wrote this years ago. This is the epilogue to a longer Larry fic that I started but have never finished. It's a plot-heavy fic, soul bonds, psychic Harry and medium Louis, reincarnation, past lives, etc. I am not sure I'll ever finish it, but this epilogue capture something about life and death that I really, truly believe. I just revisited it and I want to share it with my fellow fans. This fandom brought me writing, and well. Here's one more little Larry thing from me.

I don't think you really need to know anything more about the story for this to make sense? I hope not. This is technically major character death because it's life after death but it's about the life part. Really it's about the eternal nature of love.

This is for all of us, but especially for Liam.

Louis slowly swims to wakefulness and opens his eyes, confused as to where he is. Fluorescent lights that are currently off, the grey of pre-dawn through the window, white sheets, white ceiling, white walls. Hospital then, not his little condo at the assisted living facility. The light in the room has an odd cast to it, and the sounds around him are muffled, as if he’s underwater. He yawns and stretches, noting that for the first time in years, well, decades maybe, his shoulder doesn’t do that painful popping thing. In fact. He sits up, wiggling around. He feels better than no pain, he feels great.

Louis carefully slides out of the bed and stands, and it’s not until he’s almost to the door that he registers the crowd around his bed, that he must have just walked through, but he... didn’t even see them. Weird. There’s Charlie and Mika, there’s Alice and James and Sophie. The grandkids are all there too, JJ with his arm tucked around each of the twins, Rose and Maddie. Michael, his hair is deep and lovely blue this month, Louis notes with a grin, and Nessa, the youngest, with her shining blond curls and vibrant green eyes that she’d inherited from her Granddaddy.

The mood in the room is somber, Louis can tell. Stoic Charlie’s mouth is drawn, while Alice cries softly as James rubs her back and Sophie clutches her hand. The normal “joyful noise,” as Louis has called it for 50 years, is absent. Louis knows this is odd, knows he should be concerned, but he can’t quite connect to that feeling. There's only to the urgent sense that he’s got somewhere else, somewhere important to be.

Then he sees it happen, the doctor in the corner reaches over and flips off the heart monitor that has, Louis notes absently, flat-lined. There’s a shuffle of movement, and the group around the bed parts for a moment, and oh. Oh, there it is, his old body, looking smaller and frailer on the bed than Louis remembers feeling. He looks down at the body he’s in; it feels strong and sure, familiar and solid. 

He looks at his family, and notes something odd. In some of their faces, he sees something almost flickering and shifting. In Charlie, Louis catches a glimpse that reminds him of the pictures of Harry’s dad. In Michael, he sees something of Stan, his childhood friend, lost far too soon. Oddly enough, in the doctor standing somberly in the corner, he sees the shadow of his grandfather who’d died when he was a baby. And Nessa. His breath catches in his throat, because Nessa has turned, and is looking directly at him where he’s standing, paused, with his hand on the door handle, and she’s watching him with his mother’s eyes. How had he never seen that? Nessa is staring straight at him, and then when she sees him looking back, her whole face lights up in her trademark Nessie smile.

“I love you, Grandpapa.” She says the words loud and clear, and the others turn to look, first at her and then at where she’s staring. “It’s okay, Papa, you can go. We love you, we’ll always love you. I’ll miss you, Papa, but it’s time to go.” She makes a little shooing motion with her hands and then blows him a kiss, which Louis pretends to catch and presses to his heart. Her smile wavers as the tears start and then she whispers, “Tell Grandaddy I love him, okay?”

Louis can’t answer her, knows somehow that there’s no way he can speak to her from where he is now, but knows too, that the words don’t matter when he can see the love shimmering in the air, filling the room. The light around them gets brighter as he looks at his family and smiles, and blows Nessa a kiss back, their tradition since she was a tiny child.

The twins have moved to flank her now, and they’re smiling through their tears as well, and then the entire family starts doing that ridiculous two-handed wave that they’ve always done when they’ve sent one of their own off into the world. 

Louis waves one last time, and then turns away. It’s time to go.

He opens the door to the hospital room and steps out — onto the back porch of the old house on the Lake, where Charlie and Mika live now. He sees Alex, one of their majestic, siamese cats curled up on the couch, and drags his fingers through her fur as he passes. She stirs, blinks sleepily up at him in acknowledgement, and then stretches languidly.

He passes through the screen door and walks quickly down the steps, the sense that he’s headed in the right direction solidifying within him, and then when he looks down to the lake and sees who's standing there, he starts to run, marveling at the strength in this body, the way his muscles contract and release as he races towards the water.  No pain, no aches, just fluid motion.

Harry turns, and Louis feels his heart overflow at the vision standing before him. Harry looks to be about 30, his body tall and broad, his face unlined, and when he sees Louis, his eyes light up as he opens his arms, and Louis crashes into him with the force of a tidal wave, wrapping himself around the love of his life, gone these last nine years.

Not gone, though, Louis understands now. When Harry had died, mercifully quick after the diagnosis, Louis had wondered if he’d linger, but he hadn’t seen him, only the occasional sign that Harry was popping in. But now, here they are, reunited.

Harry’s calloused fingers trail across Louis’s cheek and then his hand cups Louis’ face, and he leans down, and presses a fervent kiss to Louis’ mouth.

“You’re here,” he breathes, and tips his head down in that familiar way to rest his forehead against Louis’, “You’re finally here.”

“I’m here,” Louis agrees, hearing the joy in his own voice and he kisses Harry again, because he can. “Err,” he says after another long moment, “Where is here, exactly?”

“Oh,” Harry looks around him and grins, “This is a way station, it’s one of the places where the... barrier, I guess you’d call it, is thinner, so lots of people come here to....” His voice trails off for a moment as he chooses his words. “Where people come to decide.”

“Decide what?” Louis asks, a bit confused.

“Decide if they’re ready to move on,” Harry says, as if this is obvious and all of a sudden, it is. Louis remembers back to one of those first conversations with Harry, a lifetime ago now, and how Harry had explained to him his understanding of the purpose of life on earth. It’s a spiritual boot camp of sorts, Harry had said, We’re here to learn to live in love, to learn to let go of fear.

“Is there, I don’t know, like, a judge or something?” Louis asks, looking around. The water of the lake is clear, and even though he knows it’s February, there’s no snow on the ground, just the lush green of late Spring, and he’s not in the slightest bit cold, even though he’s wearing the skinny jeans that he’d loved when he was young, that haven’t been in fashion for years, decades maybe, and a t-shirt. 

Harry laughs and shakes his head, “No, it’s not needed, because no one chooses to move on unless they’re ready. God, Louis, I have so much to tell you, so much to show you.”

“Wait,” Louis says, “Have you been here,” he gestures around them at the familiar yard, the orchard off in the distance in full blossom, “the whole time?”

Harry laughs and Louis almost starts to cry because it’s been so long, too long since he’s heard his love’s voice. “No, baby, I didn’t stay. I wanted to, but it was time for me to move on, so I did, but I’m back to guide you, to go with you. We’re soulmates, Louis, we’re destined to be together, not only in this life that you’ve just left, but every other life as well. We’ve always been together, baby.”

He grins, the wind ruffling his curls under the ridiculous hat he’s wearing and Louis takes a deep breath, the habits of living die hard, he thinks to himself with a laugh. 

“Oh,” he says suddenly, “Before I forget, as I was leaving, Nessa told me to tell you she loves you. She’s missed you a lot.”

Harry’s face softens and his eyes shimmer. “She saw you, didn’t she? When you left that body, the gift transferred to her, just like it came to you when your Great Uncle Charlie died.”

Louis nods and says, his voice husky, “She told me it was okay to go, and then goddamn but if the entire family didn’t do that stupid wave.”

Harry barks out a laugh, tears still shining. “Of course they did. We did good, baby. No doubt about that.”

“So,” Louis looks around again, noticing now that there are others around them, some ignoring them completely, but a few are paying attention, standing a respectful distance to give them some privacy in their reunion. He looks more closely and then sees, standing a bit further away, a group of three men together, talking and laughing as they wait. 

“Oh god,” he whispers to Harry even as he grabs his hand to tug him down the beach towards them, “Is that them?”

The men turn and then Niall calls out, “Louis” and they come together in a tight embrace. “Couldn’t let this one come by himself to fetch you.” 

The other two men are as familiar to Louis as his own family, even though he’s only known them in dreams, and hasn’t seen them in 70 years. Niall releases him and he turns to them, and as one, they reach for him, draw him in, and Louis can feel the warmth in their hug.

“Zayn, Liam,” he says breathlessly, “You’re here. What are you doing here?”

Liam smiles and finally, Louis hears his voice for the first time. “We’re soul bonded, Louis, the five of us are soul bonded to each other. Now that you’re here and ready, we’re all moving on together. We’ll talk more about it on the way.”

Louis nods, and realizes that he’s feeling once more that sense of urgency, as well as the certainty that he’s learned here what he needs to know. It’s not an anxiety that he’s late or is going to miss it, whatever it is, he thinks, but more that it’s that deep anticipation, like being a kid early on Christmas morning, or waiting for the bell to ring on the last day of school before summer vacation. That thrill, that certainty, that there’s something amazing just around the corner, something that he’s spent his whole life catching a glimpse of out of the corner of his eye, and now he’s almost there, and he just can’t wait.

He squeezes Liam and Zayn one more time before letting them go, grins at Niall and then turns to Harry, holding out his hand.

Harry grabs it, and they give each other a quick squeeze in that old sign to each other, I’m here, I’m with you, I’m not leaving without you.

“Okay,” he says a bit breathlessly, “What now?”

Harry points to the pier and Louis sees now that there’s a small sailboat waiting at the end of it.

“If you’re ready,” Harry says, “We can go.”

The five men make their way down the weathered pier, and climb on board. Harry leads Louis to the front of the boat, while Niall calls out orders to Zayn and Liam, who move with practiced ease around the craft, loosening the lines and getting ready to depart. Niall starts the small motor, as Harry and Louis settle themselves on the cushioned bench.

The boat starts slowly, pulling away from the dock, and Louis looks back one last time, watches the house recede on the shore as they move further out onto the lake. The engine cuts out as Liam raises the sail, and the boat begins to pick up speed. Harry wraps an arm around Louis and pulls him even closer, dropping a kiss onto his head, and they turn as one, away from the past, facing forward as the boat soars across the water.

If you had been on the beach that day, you wouldn’t have seen any of this. You wouldn’t have seen the boat moving away from the shore, sails billowing as she took flight. You wouldn’t have heard the sounds of laughter and conversation as old friends reunited, the joy in each other's company readily apparent. You wouldn’t have seen the flash of light as the boat disappeared off the edge of the horizon, and you wouldn’t have heard Harry speak, the love in his voice palpable.

“I’ve missed you, Lou. Welcome home.”