#do not comment on how yellow sans gif is I KNOW!!!!

[halavibe]

choi san, park seonghwa, jeong yunho, jung wooyoung, and choi jongho at coachella 240420

the real satoori lines

[callsigndragon]

A little bit of courage | Bradley Bradshaw

Pairing: Bradley "Rooster" Bradshaw x female reader

word count: 1.7k

warnings: all the fluffs

if you want to be tagged on everything tgm or on everthing rooster related, let me know down below in the comments! (with some love, very much appreciated! ❤️)

“Can you say that again? I want to check that I didn’t hear you wrong,” you say, feeling a ton of butterflies in the pit of your stomach. And not the good ones.

Rooster chuckles, taking one hand from the wheel to grab yours. “I said,” he kisses your knuckles and keeps looking ahead, “that I want you to meet my family.” 

“Oh, yeah. I heard you right.” 

“Are you scared?” Rooster asks, stopping the car at a red light and looking at you. 

“Scared of meeting the people you work with, and not only that but also Maverick, who is not only your boss but also the closest thing to a father you have?” You look at him with wide eyes and a trembling smile, giving away your true feelings. “How could I be scared?” 

“Honey, you know Phoenix and Hangman already.” 

“But I haven’t met all of them at the same time!” You reply, covering your face. “Okay, just tell me when, so I can get mentally prepared for it.” 

Bradley doesn’t respond for a few seconds before turning to the right and parking the car in front of a two-story light blue house. There are a few other cars and some bikes parked in the front, and you can hear animated conversation in the backyard. “...now?”

“Bradley Bradshaw, you have the worst timing in the history of timings.” You groan, looking at your brand new dress that he bought for you. “So that’s why you bought me this? So I didn’t get angry?” 

Bradley pouts, looking like a child who has lost his favorite toy. “Are you angry?” 

“I should.” You reply with a stern tone. 

“But you aren’t, right?” He leans closer to you, pecking you on the cheek. “Right?” 

“Don’t think kisses will fix this.” You scoff, grabbing your bag. 

“Well, it depends on where I kiss you. I'll show you tonight."

You feel your face burn at the teasing tone on his voice, and the silent promise of fun activities that might take place tonight. “Let’s get inside before you start something here.” 

Bradley gets out of the car, adjusting his clothes. Yellow Hawaiian shirt over a white t-shirt, and jeans. “You’re way too loud for that, baby girl.” 

“Bradley!” 

"Come on, everybody is waiting." He says, placing his hand on your lower back and leading you to the backyard.  

Bradley's family is sitting under the brown cedar outdoor pergola, talking and laughing as the day fades and the San Diego sky darkens. Phoenix and Hangman, the only two faces you can recognize, are talking with a blonde man with glasses. They seem to be sharing something from the past with the other man, because she keeps shaking her head every time Jake speaks, as if he weren't telling the story as it really was. 

There are more men and two other women, one of them seems pretty young. The blonde girl turns in your direction when he sees Bradley walking towards them, and when her face lits up, you know that she must be Amelia. Bradley talks a lot about her. 

“Roos!” 

“You need to stop growing up, look at you!” He gets closer to her, hugging her tightly and messing with her hair. 

“Hey! Don’t do that.” She whines, fixing her hair with her fingers, before turning to you. “You’re y/n! Bradley talks a lot about you.” 

Bradley’s ears turn red, and he clears his throat. “I don’t talk a lot. Just the normal amount.” 

“Puh-lease, Bradshaw. You literally spent three hours talking about how marvelous she is, how beautiful she is, how she is the most-” 

Bradley covers her mouth with his hand before she can keep embarrassing him. “It’s all lies.” 

You nod, tightening your lips in a thin line to not smile. “Sure, all lies.” 

“Come on, I’ll introduce you to the rest.” He grabs your hand and walks you up to his family. “Hey, where’s Mav?” 

“He’s with Mickey at the BBQ.” A woman with long, dark hair says, getting up from her seat. She’s Amelia’s mom, Penny. “And you, my dear, you must be the girl that has Bradley wrapped up around her finger.”

You chuckle, looking at your boyfriend. “I think it’s the other way around, ma’am.” 

You spend the next few minutes getting introduced to the other aviators and learning their names, their call signs, and the stories behind them. It feels like you're part of the family already. 

Maverick walks out of the BBQ station, Mickey close behind him, and places large amounts of meat on the dinner table set under the patio lights suspended from the big porch's ceiling. You don’t know who is behind the decoration, but they know how to create a cozy, inviting ambience. 

“Hey, Mav! Want you to meet someone.” Bradley speaks when the whole group reunites around the dinner table. 

“Oh, you’re y/n? And here I am, all greasy and sweaty.” Mav chuckles, offering you his hand. 

“That’s like your everyday outfit.” Penny chimes in, making the rest laugh. 

“Ignore my wife, please. She’s on a crusade to make me look like an idiot.” Maverick explains, rolling his eyes. 

“You don’t need any help with that, honey!” 

“I’m Pete Mitchell, but everyone calls me Maverick. Or just Mav.” He shakes your hand, chuckling at the fit of giggles around the room after her last dig against him. 

“Nice to meet you, sir.” 

The night goes on smoothly. Small conversations over the most delicious food, laughs, jokes, happy memories, and sad ones are shared... When Rooster told you about his family and how none of them were blood related to him, you were a bit skeptical about it. But seeing the way they talk and share stories, how they always have each other’s backs, how they make plans for the near future and for the distant future, knowing that no matter what life has in store for them, they will be there, makes you realize that this found family is in no way inferior to any other one. 

If any, it puts many families to shame. 

“He loves you.” Maverick says, sitting next to you once dinner is over, and everyone is scattered around the backyard, some of them even playing a game called, dogfight football. You’ve never heard of that before. 

“You think?” You ask him, playing with the edge of your dress. You haven’t said that yet. Not because you don’t feel it. You love him, and you’re sure of that. 

But somehow... it never seemed the right moment. 

“I know. I’ve known him all his life. He has it written on his forehead.” He chuckles, watching Bob fall to the ground trying to catch the ball. 

“I don’t know, Mav… We’ve been together for a while now, but… Maybe he’s not ready for a-” 

Mav raises a hand, stopping your train of thought. “He has lost every single member of his real family over the years, and for a while, he was alone. I wasn’t the godfather he needed, and I almost destroyed his career.”

“What did you do?” 

“I pulled his application from the Naval Academy,” Maverick admits, feeling horrible. 

“Oh god… Why would you do that?” 

He sighs, weighing his options. “His mother asked me to. He doesn’t know.” 

The news come as a shock. Why would he tell you this? He just met you! And now, you have that feeling of knowing a secret that you shouldn’t. 

“Mav… why are you telling me this?” You ask, wanting to know why he is trusting you with such information. 

“Because I want you to know that the other important woman in his life, his own mother, didn’t think he was prepared for being a fighter pilot.” Mav explains, watching Rooster and Hangman run around the backyard. “People have been underestimating him all his life. They thought he wasn’t prepared for the Navy, they thought he wasn’t prepared for the uranium mission…” 

“Uranium mission?” 

“That’s classified.” He grabs your hands, squeezing them a bit. “What I’m trying to tell you is that you may think that he’s not ready for a serious relationship, but he brought you here, with his family. He is ready.” 

You stop for a second, thinking about the implications of his words. He really did that. 

“He has brought you here, wanting to show you the family he has. The family that he wants you to be part of.” He insists, turning his head to look at all the members of this small but lovely family. 

“I’m not an aviator, Mav. I don’t fit in” 

Mav shakes his head. “Nobody wants you to fit. You’re different, and different doesn’t mean bad. It means that you have other specialties, and that we can learn a lot from you.” 

“I don’t have a lot to teach y’all.” You chuckle, looking at your hands. 

“I think you do. Bradley says that you encouraged him a lot on this last mission.” 

You smile, remembering Bradley sitting down on the kitchen table, looking at the report in his hands, wondering if he was able to pull it off, or if he was going to burn in. “He can do whatever he wants. He’s more capable than he thinks.” 

Maverick nods, kissing your hands before getting up. “And that’s why you’re here, love. To remind him that he can do whatever he sets his mind on. Even when the rest of the world tells him he can’t.” 

When Maverick walks away, you stay there for a while, thinking of everything he has said. Maybe he really is prepared for that serious relationship you crave. Maybe he just needs a bit of encouragement. 

“Honey, are you okay?” Bradley’s voice startles you, making him snort when you jump on the bench you have been sitting for a while. “Sorry.” 

“Don’t worry. I was just… thinking.” 

Bradley sits with you, removing his shirt and putting it over your shoulders. “About what?” 

“About how much I love you, how proud I am of you, and how glad I am to finally have met your family. Nat and I are going shopping together next week.” 

Rooster smirks, liking his lips, while an airy laugh leaves his body. “You realized what you’ve just said?” 

You nod, kissing the corner of his lips. “Want me to say it again?” 

He shakes his head, grabs your chin between his thumb and index finger, and lifts your head so he can look you in the eyes. “I love you too, y/n.” 

He leans in, kissing you softly and lovingly, and he’s worried that you can hear his loud heartbeat. 

“So you only needed a bit of courage, huh?” You joke, placing your head on his shoulder. 

“What do you mean?” 

“Nevermind.” 

Taglist:

@shrimping-for-all

@purplevortexx

@xoxabs88xox

[ninjakitty2988]

Chapter 6 - you are my sunshine

Slightly smutty (if you sqint!) 🤏 👉👈

Kyojuro Rengoku breaks the hug and tucks a strand of hair behind your ear. You smile and look into his yellow and red orbs Kyojuro Rengoku returns the smile and stands up straight, moving the stool out of his way. He walks up to Shinobu and asks her some questions. "Kocho, how long will she be able to get out of bed? Will she have to stay in the infirmary for long?" Shinobu Kocho smiles calmly and teases Kyojuro "she will have to stay in the infirmary for a night but however if you want, take her to your sleeping quarters to watch over the night you are welcome to do so!" Kyojuro blushes and you blushes furiously!

She coughs "That w-ont be necessarily k-ocho San". Tengan mischievously smirks at the both of them. "Why not Rengoku? She would be a very cute cuddling bed buddy. Oh you could keep each other warm snuggling very close next to each other! You said to her you missed her dearly!" Kyojuro Rengoku turns around and his face heats up. "You heard me say that!" Tengan laughs playfully and he points to his ears. "Of course I did Acute hearing remember". Mitsuri looks at them both and she's internally squealing with her eyes wide open, at the thought of you and Kyojuro Rengoku cuddling in bed innocently yet romantically. You are way too embarrassed to speak fiddling with her sheet on her bed not daring to look at any one of them directly in the eyes. Shinobu Kocho is laughing at all of them and she walks off to her office to write up some notes.

Tengan laughs "well I am going now to see my wife's see you later Rengoku. Look after her tonight." Tengan looks back and smiles and waves.

You look flushed from Tengan's comments yet you also ponder "did he say wife's how many does Tengan San have?"

Mitsuri Kanroji looks at you "how are you feeling now? How's your thigh wound?" You look at the love hashria and then look at her hair "I am ok now I just impatient I want to get out of the infirmary to my own bed or to at least sit down on the engawa for some fresh air"

Mitsuri smiles sweetly clasping her hands together "you will get there, hey I know I will bring some wagashi that will cheer you up" you smile kindly at Mitsuri "oh but you don't have to go out your way for me! Oh by the way I really do love your hair colour and how it's styled, it's really pretty". Mitsuri had the biggest smile on her face with a light dust of pink spread on her cheeks and she dived right into you and gave you a strong hug. Kyojuro Rengoku was about to stop her because he didn't want Mitsuri to jostle you but it was too late. Yet you didn't seem to mind the painkillers must have taken full effect to completely work. Kyojuro Rengoku sighs in relief. Mitsuri sweetly spoke. "Oh you really think so? That makes me soo happy!" Your cheeks are squashed up against Mitsuri Kanroji's cheeks and you smile "oh of course i do".

Kyojuro laughs and grins "I believe you have made Kanroji's day". Mitsuri releases you from her hugging you tight. "Strangers would pass me by and make unwanted comments about my hair colour but you didn't". You frown sadly "well I believe they're all wrong they should get really know who you are." Mitsuri Kanroji tears up a little bit. You look concerned "I'm very sorry for making you cry. I didn't mean to please forgive me, I just don't like people judging a book by its cover". Kyojuro Rengoku put his hands on Mitsuri Kanroji's shoulder. He looks at you with a gentle smile "Kanroji she's very expressive with her motions being love hashira".

You nod and sigh in relief. Mitsuri smiles "it's no trouble at all I will get you some wagashi". She leaves the infirmary skipping on the way out before you protest her not to as you thought she was going out of her way leaving just you and Kyojuro on your own!

[cocobeanncteez]

ATEEZ Hongjoong: Tame (Part 3)

Genre: Fluff, angst, smut, mafia au.

Pairing: Mafia!Hongjoong x OC (written in 2nd person)

Word Count: 17k in total, 5k in this part. (Part 1, Part 2, Final Part)

Warnings for all parts combined: Mafia themes such as torture, abuse, violence, human auctions, murder, drugs, guns. Mentions of rape, human trafficking, sex slavery, organ trafficking, unprotected sex, pulling out, facesitting.

Three weeks later, you could pretty much call yourself a member of a mafia gang. Well, that's what you were now even if you were in slight denial.

You spent a lot of time with Ateez. Hongjoong taught you how to shoot like a pro, Jongho taught you how to defend yourself if you don't have a weapon, and Yeosang and Seonghwa taught you medical related stuff such as removing a bullet from a body and treating a gunshot wound. Yeosang also taught you the basics of hacking, but you sucked at it. San, Wooyoung, and Aeji taught you how to seduce a target, and you nearly died of embarrassment when you had to practice with Wooyoung as the target. Jiwoo pretty much gave you some of her bubbliness while she and Yeoreum taught you a bit about illegal international business deals. The three girls also told you a hell lot about their sex lives when you all had a girls' night a few days ago. On the other hand, Yunho and Mingi were just playing 'tossing Kiah' (as they call it), which was literally just them throwing and catching you like as if you were a ball. The giants found it extremely fascinating that you were an entire foot shorter than them. Sometimes, they would use the top of your head as an armrest.

Hongjoong bought you a phone, but unfortunately, you couldn't log into any of your social media accounts, or even your email as your cousin and uncle were searching for you and the culprits who made your cousin unconscious the night he was going to sell you.

"Kiah, do want some orange juice?" Mingi asked you from the kitchen while he poured himself a glass. You nod your head and he poured some for you too. Yeosang was there as well, busy eating fried chicken.

"Hey, Kiah?" Mingi called out, making you look up at him. "You never really told us about your parents." He handed you your juice.

"My mother died when I was a newborn," you replied, sipping on your juice. "My father... well, I rarely saw him after he made me live with my uncle. Now no one has seen him in months." Both the boys noticed how sad you were when you spoke about your father. You really wanted to see him; you didn't even know whether he was dead or alive.

"What's your father's name and age?" Yeosang questioned. "I could track him or at least find out if he's all right."

"Moon Dongwoo and he's 49 years old," you answered with a small smile. "Thank you, Yeosang." 

~

After about three hours, Yeosang approached you while you were talking to Aeji and some of the boys. He sat on the couch adjacent to you after briefly greeting everyone.

"So I tried to track your father, Kiah," Yeosang stated nonchalantly. "And I found absolutely nothing."

Your eyebrows furrowed. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"There are zero records of him," Yeosang explained, "Like no bank or property details… To put it in simple words, it's like as if he doesn't exist."

You frowned. "So he's… d-dead?"

"Don't know," Yeosang shrugged. "There are no death records either. There were a couple of men with the same name as him, but no one was 49 years old."

You pondered about it for a while. Why would your dad erase all traces of his existence? Even if he didn't, someone else did. But why?

"Wait," you blurted out. "Did you check with the police station? My dad is a cop."

San, who was listening to the conversation, nearly chokes on the sprite that he was drinking. "Your dad is a cop and you're here, living in a mafia gang's house?!"

"I know right?!" Yunho said from beside him and you only shrug in response.

"I checked the police station as well," Yeosang remarked. "Still no records."

Your eyebrows furrowed. "That's just strange. He's a cop, there has to be at least something about him at the police station."

"Hey, don't worry about it, Kiah," Yeosang said in a soft tone, giving you a reassuring smile. "We'll find him."

-

The next day after you woke up, you found everyone seated in the living room, lost in deep thought. You quietly sat beside Jiwoo, wondering whether you should ask why everyone is so quiet.

"That's not a bad idea, actually," Wooyoung said after glancing at you while you stared at him in confusion. What idea was he talking about?

"Yeah, it's a terrible idea," Hongjoong retorted, glancing at you as well.

"Kiah," Mingi starts, grabbing your attention. "What do you think about attending a masquerade party?"

"You mean a mafia masquerade party?" you emphasized.  

"Of course," he replied.

"Ah, it's cool, I guess?" you said nonchalantly; you were getting used to the mafia life, and you'd be lying if you said that you didn't like it.

"It's settled then," San stated, getting up from the couch and stretching his arms. "Kiah is Hongjoong's date for the party."

"Knew it," Jongho murmured.

"No," Hongjoong protested. "A lot of people saw her face at the auction. It's a terrible idea."

"Well, it's a masquerade party hosted by our ally," Seonghwa remarked. "No one will try shit even if they recognize her."

"Plus, we're all going to be there. We can't leave Kiah alone here," Yeoreum added and Jiwoo nodded her head in agreement.

Hongjoong sighed. "Fine."

~

"You look gorgeous, Kiah!" Aeji squealed after doing your makeup. Yeoreum just finished doing Jiwoo's hair and started doing your hair.

"Hongjoong won't be able to keep his hands to himself," Yeoreum remarked with a smirk, making you blush.

"I'm surprised he hasn't made a move yet," Aeji said.

"We all know he wants to," Jiwoo mumbled while taking a mirror selfie.

You chuckled. "Nothing has happened yet."

"Yet?" Yeoreum teased you, curling a strand of your hair with the curling iron. "So you want something to happen, huh?"

“I—”

"You obviously do."

You playfully rolled your eyes at her. "Don't accidentally burn my hair, Yeoreum!" The girls laughed at the sight of you getting flustered 

"Kiah, what are you planning on wearing?" Aeji asked.

"The black cocktail dress."

"No, you're not wearing that," she protests. "Wear the red dress Jiwoo got you last week."

You raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"You'll see," she smirked.

~

After all of you got ready and slipped into your respective outfits, you went downstairs where the boys were waiting.

As soon as Hongjoong saw you, his lips parted slightly as he scanned you from head to toe. You were wearing a short, strapless red dress that fit your body perfectly, hugging your curves and exposing your highlighted collarbones. You wore silver wedges that matched the silver necklace around your neck. Your long hair was curled and your makeup was simple yet elegant.

"Hongjoong's favorite color is red, by the way. Thank me later," Aeji whispered to you, giving you a wink before she ran into Seonghwa's arms. So that's why she forced you to wear a red dress. You snorted at Aeji's words before your eyes landed on Hongjoong. He looked absolutely ethereal in his black ripped jeans and white t-shirt underneath the leather jacket he was wearing. You expected to see the guys in suits, considering it was a masquerade event, but it looked like you all were going to a club instead. Oh well, maybe this is how the mafia rolls.

You heard someone clear their throat. "Um, if you're both done eye-fucking each other, can we leave? We're getting late," San commented and Jiwoo laughed loudly at her boyfriend's words. The other eight already left and you wondered how you didn't even notice.

Hongjoong doesn't utter a word; he only approaches you and takes your hand in his, leading you to the garage. You, Hongjoong, Jiwoo, and San were riding in the same car.

San begun driving and the car was filled with Jiwoo gushing about how she loved going for Stray Kids' parties. San told you about how Wooyoung introduced Ateez to his friend, Changbin, and that's how Ateez met the rest of Stray Kids.

After a while, you reached Stray Kids' mansion. The exterior was lit up with blue and yellow lights.

Jiwoo handed you a pretty silver eye-mask and you put it on; Hongjoong wore a red mask, Jiwoo wore black, and San wore gold.

"Alright, let's party!" Jiwoo squealed, pulling San along with her, practically running inside.

Hongjoong wrapped an arm around your waist as he led you inside Stray Kids' mansion, scanning the crowd to see if he could find any of his allies.

"Ah, Hongjoong!" you heard someone say, catching your attention. Hongjoong's arm leaves your waist to hug that person.

"Chan! It's been so long, yeah?"

"Very," he agreed before glancing at you. "I see you've got yourself a girl."

Hongjoong chuckled. "This is Moon Kiah. Kiah, this is Bang Chan, the leader of Stray Kids." Chan stretched his hand out and you shake it.

While Hongjoong spoke to Chan, Jiwoo dragged you away to get a drink. You wondered how hyper she would be when drunk, considering the fact that she was already pretty hyper when sober.

Jiwoo got a couple of tequila shots and you only downed three.  "Only three?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," you answered with a small giggle. "I have very bad alcohol tolerance."

Jiwoo took her own shots before Wooyoung dragged the two of you to introduce you to the other members of Stray Kids. You were seriously shocked by how young and polite these men were, despite being in the mafia.

"So whose girl is she gonna be now?" Changbin asked.  

"She's Hongjoong's girl," Wooyoung answered, and you giggle at that, already a little drunk.

"Mhmm, yeah, I'm Hongjoong's girl, hi!" you squealed before realizing that Jiwoo suddenly wasn't there anymore. "Where's Jiwoo?" you pouted  

"Probably would've found someone to talk to or she's in some room with San," Wooyoung replied. "Anyway, let's get you to Hongjoong, little one."

"I'm here," you heard a familiar voice say behind you, making you jump a little before you turned around. "Kim Hongjoong, you…” you trailed off, admiring his face even though half of it was covered with the mask. "You're so fucking hot, like what the actual fuck?!"  Wooyoung and Changbin laughed loudly before they walked away, leaving you alone with a slightly stunned Hongjoong.

"How much did you drink, hmm?" Hongjoong asked, looking down at you with soft eyes. You gave him a loving smile while your arms moved to wrap around his neck.

"Three tequila," you mumbled before you suddenly squealed. The DJ started playing one of your favorite songs. "Dance with me," you whispered in Hongjoong's ear, pulling his body closer to yours.

Hongjoong danced with you for a little while, holding you close to his body so that you wouldn't trip and fall in your 5-inch heels. After the song ended, he pulled you to a less crowded area to sit on the sofas. Your heartbeat sped up when Hongjoong made you sit on his lap instead of the free space beside him. You wrapped an arm around his neck while your other hand ran through his soft hair.

"What's wrong with that guy?" you whispered in Hongjoong's ear, glancing at a green-masked guy who was sitting near you, all alone on the floor, staring at the ceiling with a huge smile.

"Probably took LSD," Hongjoong remarked after taking a quick glance at the man.

"Oh," you murmured. "He's a really bad boy. You shouldn't take drugs. Okay, pretty boy?" Hongjoong raised an eyebrow, amused by the tipsy side of you. He chuckled prettily in your ear, pulling you even closer to him.

"I don't do drugs, love." He places his cold hand on the skin right above your knee. "I'm a good boy," he whispered in a low tone. Hongjoong could clearly see how much he affected you.

"Liar," you whispered in his ear. You place a kiss right below his ear before trailing kisses along his jawline. You stopped at his chin and pulled away. When his eyes met yours, you leaned in, finally pressing your lips against his. He responded immediately, kissing you back like as if there was no tomorrow. You've never been kissed with such intensity before.  Hongjoong's hand that was just above your knee, began to move upwards. You weren't drunk, just tipsy, so you knew what was happening; you were starting to feel really excited as his hand went higher and higher.

You heard someone clear their throat. "Kim Hongjoong?"

Hongjoong halted his actions and pulled away from you to look up at the woman who interrupted him. She had orange colored hair and was wearing a dark blue eye mask.

"Oh? Royeon?" he got up from his seat, making you stand up along with him. He sounded a little excited, and that made you feel a little jealous. Who was she?

Royeon smirked. "New girl, huh?"

Hongjoong ignored her comment. "Kiah, this is my friend, Royeon."

She snorted. "Friend? I'm quite offended by that title, Joongie." she pouts a little before turning to you. "I'm his first love."

You kept a pokerface on. "That's nice. It’s a pleasure to meet you," you said nonchalantly, trying not to sound bothered about the fact that Hongjoong's first love was standing right in front of your face. She was giving you a bad vibe and you absolutely hated how she was undressing Hongjoong with her eyes. You couldn't deny that you had strong feelings for Kim Hongjoong and you were planning on telling him pretty soon.

You turned to Hongjoong with a small smile on your face. "I'm gonna go get a drink," you said, purposely giving him a kiss that lasted a little longer than it should before you left him alone with his previous lover.

You didn't get a drink. Instead, you went outside, exploring the lit up garden in Stray Kids' mansion. The mansion was a little smaller than Ateez's mansion, but was extremely beautiful nonetheless.

You walked to one of the trees that was lit up with blue lights, taking out your phone to take a few pictures of yourself.

"So Yang Daeyoung hasn't been spotted anywhere?" you heard someone say.

"No," another person replied. "He probably escaped to another country or died.”

"What about his child?" the first person asked.

"No one knows what he or she looks like. Anyway, we have to find Yang Daeyoung and his child before another gang does. I heard many gangs are still searching for him… especially Ateez and CIX. We need to get all that information before them."

You were suddenly really interested in whatever the two people were talking about. You mentally reminded yourself to ask one of the Ateez members about this Yang Daeyoung guy later.

"What's a pretty girl like you doing all alone here?" you heard someone say behind you, words slurred.

You turned to face the man who was in a green eye-mask. "Taking pictures as you can clearly see," you answered the clearly drunk man.

He smirked. "I'm Jinseop," he introduced. "And your attitude is really fucking turning me on, babygirl."

"I didn't ask," you stated, rolling your eyes.

He took a step towards you and you didn't move an inch. "You know," he starts, placing a hand on your shoulder while he towered over you. "I heard Stray Kids have a few spare rooms here. How about we go upstairs and—"

"Get your fucking hands off her."

Jinseop rolled his eyes, not even glancing at the person.

"Now," the person growled. He froze when he finally realized who was talking to him.

"O-Oh, I'm sorry," he apologized and quickly walked away, leaving you quite stunned.

"Wow, Kim Hongjoong," you remark in amusement after a few seconds. "You scared someone."

Hongjoong doesn't say anything. He only walked towards you, and you involuntarily took a step back, making your back press against the cold surface of a wall. Hongjoong towered over your short height and you could tell he loved how small you looked next to him.

He cupped your cheek with one hand and places his lips against yours, gently kissing you before trailing kisses down to your neck. Your hands immediately went up to grab his hair while he started to suck and kiss the skin of your neck, making you moan softly. He smirked against your skin, absolutely loving how he was the one who was making you feel good. He brought his lips back to yours, kissing you a little harder than before while his hands moved down to your ass, grabbing it through the fabric of your dress. You gasped at his actions and he takes that opportunity to slide his tongue in your mouth. He pulled away after a few seconds.

"You're all mine, Moon Kiah."

-

Hongjoong led you back inside and you immediately spot his ex-girlfriend who was trying to hit on an unbothered Yunho.

"Yunho," Hongjoong called out and the man looked at him. Royeon's attention was also now on the two of you. "Where are the rest? We have to leave soon."

"I have no clue," Yunho answered.  "Yeoreum just took Mingi to the bathroom. The man drank way too much."

You noticed Royeon glaring at you, her eyes flickering between your neck and Hongjoong's messed up hair; you realized that he probably left a nice mark on your neck. You smirked, loving her annoyed reaction. You wrapped your arms around Hongjoong's waist and he smiled at you, draping an arm around your shoulders. Yunho controlled the urge to laugh once he realized what you just did.

Royeon cleared her throat. "So Hongjoong, did you get any news on Yang Daeyoung?" You felt Hongjoong stiffen a little.

"No," Hongjoong simply replied.

She chuckled. "Oh well. That must really suck for you since all... that happened, huh?" You could tell Hongjoong was going to lose his temper. You were extremely curious about this person, considering the fact that you've heard about him twice in less than an hour. "I bet you're dying to capture him. You would've planned so much to—"

"That's none of your business, Royeon," Yunho stated in a cold tone, cutting her off.

She raised her hands up defensively. "What I'm trying to say is I'd like to help."

"We don't need your help," Hongjoong spat through gritted teeth and Royeon was taken aback. You wondered why she looked shocked; was Hongjoong a complete sweetheart to her or something when they were together?

She cleared her throat, clearly offended. "Alright… come over to my place whenever you want me, Hongjoong," she said with a smirk before she walked away. You scoffed at her words and tightened your hold around Hongjoong who was quite amused by your reaction.

He put a finger under your chin to make you look up at him. "Maybe I should take up her offer, hmm?"

You scowled. "Don't even think about it, Kim Hongjoong. You're mine."

"Say that again, baby."

"You're mine."

Hongjoong crashed his lips onto yours and you kiss him back immediately, loving the feeling of his soft lips moving with yours.

"Oh, they're finally doing something," you heard Jongho say.

"Yeah, I was so tired of hearing Hongjoong whine everyday about how badly he wanted to kiss her," Seonghwa remarked, and you smile against Hongjoong's lips. You pulled away from the kiss, smiling widely at a blushing Hongjoong.

You turned your head to look at Seonghwa. "He was whining about that?" you asked in amusement.

"Oh, yeah, all the time," he answered with a chuckle.

A drunk Wooyoung laughed loudly. "That's not all! Hyung was also complaining about how Hongjoong junior was aching for—" Hongjoong smacked his palm over Wooyoung's mouth, stopping him from exposing him.

"Hey, let him complete," you stated, amused by the whole situation. Hongjoong shook his head in disagreement.

"We have to leave," Hongjoong changed the topic. "Yunho, go get Mingi and Yeoreum. Seonghwa, call San and Yeosang."

"Yeosang's getting some upstairs after so long," Yunho revealed. "He'll be shit pissed if you guys interrupt him."

Wooyoung chuckled. "After so long? He got pussy last week! And he's with the same blonde chick upstairs."

"No wonder he was the most excited to come here," Jongho mumbled.

Hongjoong rolled his eyes. "Well, I want to leave now. Anyone else wants to come?"

"Hyung, you and Aeji can go," Yunho said to Seonghwa. "Aeji's really tired. I'll come with the rest."

Seonghwa nodded and the four of you leave first, walking to one of three cars. Seonghwa had to drive after losing a game of rock-paper-scissors to Hongjoong.

After he began driving, you wanted to ask who this Yang Daeyoung guy was, but you thought now didn't seem like an appropriate time; you didn't want to interrupt the peaceful silence in the car.

You were feeling quite drained out, so you rested your head on Hongjoong's shoulder, trying your best to not fall asleep.

“Sleep, Kiah,” he mumbled, bringing your body closer to his. “I’ll wake you up when we reach,” he said, although he had no plans of doing that.

“Okay…” you closed your eyes, sleep taking over your body within a few minutes.

Hongjoong placed a soft kiss on your head. “I love you…”

5 months later.

As soon as Hongjoong came back home from his mission and stepped into your bedroom, you ran into his arms. “I missed you so much!” you mumbled against your boyfriend’s chest while he embraced you.

You started dating Hongjoong around three months ago when he finally got the courage to confess that he fell in love with you. To his relief, you were just as head over heels in love with him. The boys sometimes refer to you as ‘the one who tamed his temper’ as Hongjoong didn’t get annoyed very often anymore. You had also grown used to the mafia life, and you often found yourself enjoying it more than you should. You knew almost everything about the boys and the world you were now a part of. They even let you go on missions, sometimes letting you go solo. Hongjoong was always a little hesitant as he was scared something would happen to you, but he was getting used to it.

“I was only gone for a week, love,” Hongjoong chuckled and you sighed.

“It felt like years.” You pulled away from his chest to look at him. You pecked his lips before moving to sit on your bed, your boyfriend mirroring your actions.

“I got you a lot of chocolates,” he said, reaching out to grab your hand, intertwining it with his own. “I’ve kept them in the fridge.”

You smiled, lying down while you played with Hongjoong’s hand. “It’ll get over in two days,” you stated, knowing the boys would finish it before you could even grab a piece.

“Then I’ll go back and get you more.”

“I’d rather you stay here with me,” you mumbled, arms reaching out to hug your boyfriend. Hongjoong settled in your embrace, burying his face in the crook of your neck. Your hand moved to his hair, playing with his strands. Hongjoong couldn’t help but place a kiss on your sensitive neck, causing a chill to run down your spine. He began placing more kisses on your neck, smirking when he felt you grab a fistful of his hair. He trailed kisses from your neck to your jaw and finally to your lips.

“I love you,” he murmured, moving to hover above you. Cupping your cheek, Hongjoong gazed at you with nothing but love and adoration, making your heart race.

You grinned at his words, wrapping your arms around his neck. “I love you too.” You pulled him into a kiss which he eagerly responded to. Lips moving with yours, Hongjoong took your bottom lip between his teeth, gently sucking on it before licking your lip as a way of asking for permission. You parted your lips wider, letting him slide his tongue inside your mouth. Your tongues danced in a slow rhythm while Hongjoong rolled his hips against yours, making you moan. You gently pushed him away, making him look at you with a worried gaze, thinking he went too far. But you pushed him further, making him lie down on his back before you straddled his hips. Your hands pulled your t-shirt over your head, tossing it onto the floor. Hongjoong’s eyes moved to your bra clad chest. You reached behind your back to unclasp your bra, letting it fall from your chest.

“Can I touch you?” he asked. You took his hands, placing them on your chest in response. Hongjoong gently squeezed your boobs, thumbs running over your hardened nipples. He sat up a little so that his face could reach your chest. He placed kisses on your sternum before taking one of your nipples in his mouth, gently sucking on it, licking the small bud. He mirrored his actions for your other nipple, and your back arched in pleasure. When he pulled away, you immediately crashed your lips onto his in a hungry kiss. You involuntarily grinded down on his hard-on, a groan leaving his throat. Hongjoong’s hands moved to your hips, helping you move faster on his bulge.

“I want you, Joong,” you moaned out, making him get harder.

“Are you sure, baby?” he asked.

“Yeah. I want you to fuck me. Please,” you begged. You weren’t a virgin, but this was going to be your first time with Hongjoong.

He only smiled, halting your movements on his bulge. “Let me prep you, baby. Sit on my face.” You got off his lap to take your jeans off along with your panties. Hongjoong also stripped out his clothes, leaving himself bare in front of you for the first time. You involuntarily bit your lip, taking in the sight of his thick, hard cock. He looked absolutely irresistible.

Hongjoong climbed back onto the bed, lying down while he waited for you to straddle his face.

“Are you sure about this?” you asked, a little hesitant to put your weight on his face.

“Don’t worry, baby,” he chuckled. “Sit comfortably.”

You lowered yourself onto his face, making sure you didn’t put all of your weight on him. Hongjoong's hands gripped your ass, pulling you closer to his mouth. He wasted no time in lapping at your slit, collecting your wetness on his tongue. He moaned at your sweet taste, tongue dipping into your hole, his nose pressing onto your clit. He moved his mouth to latch onto your clit, giving your nub a few sucks before moving back to your hole. “Fuck!” you moaned, hands reaching down to grasp his hair while he fucked you with his tongue. You felt the familiar knot forming and you warned Hongjoong that you were close. He licked up and down your slit, lapping at your clit, pushing you to your high. You moaned out his name while you came on his face and he wasted no time in licking up your juices, a drop rolling down from his lips. When you moved your pussy away from his face, you got wetter at the sight of his lips glistening with your juices.

You moved down his body to return the favor, but he stopped you. “I’ll let you do that another time, babe. But now I really need to be inside of you.” Hongjoong sat up, piling pillows behind him before leaning back on it. “Are you on the pill?” he asked while pumping his cock.

“No…”

He groaned. “I don’t have condoms on me right now. They’re in my room.”

“It’s okay, you can just pull out,” you stated.  

“Are you sure, my love?”

“Mhmm.” You moved to straddle his lap, aligning his cock with your entrance. You sank down on his length, the stretch making you whimper. Once Hongjoong was fully inside of you, you placed your hands on his abs, slowly moving yourself up and down on his cock, coating it with your arousal. Hongjoong bucked his hips up to meet yours half-way. You leaned down to kiss him while you rolled your hips against his. You pulled away and smiled at him before you increased the pace. Your hands reached back to grab his thighs while you rode him. Hongjoong watched your boobs bounce along with you, the sight making him groan. When Hongjoong felt himself getting close, he switched positions, slipping out of you, making you whine. He only giggled, leaning down to peck your lips before he gripped your waist. Without any warning, he slammed his cock into you, making you gasp, your walls clenching violently around him while he fucked you hard and raw.

You gripped the bedsheets beneath you, feeling the knot forming in your lower area. “J-Joong… I—”

“I know, baby, I’m close too,” he groaned out, his thrusts getting sloppy. “You’re taking me so well, fuck.”

Hongjoong moved one hand down to your clit, his fingers rubbing your nub in circular motions. You screamed his name when your second orgasm washed over you. Hongjoong pulled out immediately, spilling onto your stomach. You reached out to pump his cock, milking him dry. Hongjoong collapsed beside you, body coated in a thin layer of sweat, hair sticking to his forehead. He pulled you into a sweet kiss a few seconds later.

“That was amazing,” he murmured against your lips. You smiled, placing a soft kiss on the tip of his nose. “Let’s clean up, hmm? Shower with me?” You nodded, letting him carry you to the bathroom.

[teeztheflag]

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Wolf!Ateez Reaction to when they accidentally hurt their mate

warnings: strong language, fighting, injuries, mentions of blood, mentions of bullying

a/n: ok ok I am really sorry I had to change the request a little bit so it doesn’t become repeating <3

general taglist: @latte-fairytaekwoon @little-precious-baby @yunhobabygurl @multidreams-and-desires

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k i m  h o n g  j o o n g

Usually the alpha was the most caring person with you. Bringing you flowers and spending as much time with you as possible. When the fights between several packs reached his land he knew dangerous times were coming.

Instead of talking to you and taking you to the meetings he decided it would be safer for you to stay in your house guarded when the attacks began.

Little did he know that you were tired of not being included and as the luna of the pack it was time to use your own power to help. Hong Joong was in a full fighting and killing mode when you were circled by five other werewolves who tried to kill you without mercy.

Hong Joong‘s senses were blended when he launched at the intruders and absentmindedly also accidentally bit your leg earning him a painful cry from your wolf.

Immediately he felt like his heart shuttered to pieces not knowing you would be out here in the battlefield. You limp away from your mate and run back to your mansion. Hong Joong changes back into his human and sags to the ground.

He still cannot fully control himself. That’s why he didn’t want you to help. He cries out and lays down on the grass not knowing if he could get under your eyes again.

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p a r k  s e o n g  h w a

Running away from a horde of big - way too big - wolves wasn’t what you planned for your camping trip. It was easy the third time you stumbled over your own feet hearing the low growls behind you. Your blood seems to freeze when you emerge a wide meadow where the only source of light is given by the full moon.

Tears escape your eyes when another whimper leaves you - they circled you. Was this a normal behavior for wolves? What should you do in a situation like this?

You’re only in a light see-through gown because of the hot temperatures these days. It feels like the wolves are strategizing at how they share gazes and let out noises that could be mistaken as chuckling.

Suddenly one of them jumps on you pinning you down to the ground. The animal is flashing it’s dangerous canines at your shaking form. You cannot help yourself to frantically scream and try to push it off you.

It seems to lower itself only more and out of instinct you bare your neck fearing this would be the end for you. The wolf sniffles and licks the spot under your ear. A tear runs down you cheek when you can feel a sharp pain where he draws a little bit of blood.

Suddenly it is pushed off you with force and a much stronger growl leaves a completely black wolf that’s is standing in front of you. You follow the scene in front of you with interested eyes when the other wolves seem to bow down in submission and quickly vanish out of the scene.

Great. The big bad wolf wants you for himself.

It really confuses you when the wolf slowly turns around eying you for a while. You try to get away from it when it nears your form and leans down to lick away the blood that is running down your neck. Again a sound of pain leaves your form to which the wolf backs away in an instant.

A huff can be heard and with conflicted eyes it turns around to escape the scene.

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j e o n g  y u n  h o

„Why are you running away from me?“ No answer.

„Do you like being chased?“ You still don’t answer.

„Okay, (y/n). We know it since three days so why are you not recognizing our bond?“

A tear escapes you which you’re quick to wipe away with the back of your shaking hand. You stop abruptly staring into the depths of the forest. Your gaze turns to the ground when you can sense Yun Ho moving to stand in front of you.

„My little mate. Why aren’t you talking to me? Did I do something wrong?“

„Wrong?“ You look up your hands turning into fists out of anger. Your chest rises with your breaths and you can feel your body heating up.

Yun Ho‘s playful smile soon vanishes and he starts to look concerned. „My love, why are you so sad?“

Of course your souls are already starting to form a connection and he feels your emotions.

„You’re asking if you did something wrong? How about hanging out with all the people that have nothing but bad comments about me left? Laughing at me? Hurting me whenever they can?“

Yun Ho starts to realize what you’re talking about.

„You’ve hurt me, so much already. That is not easy to accept.“

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k a n g  y e o  s a n g

You can feel his eyes burning on your back since half an hour. The beta next to you shamelessly flirts around although he knows your mate is sitting back with his friends.

Yeo Sang was one of the more roguish wolves in your pack always tending to not listen to any orders or picking a fight. Finding out about your bond was actually really shocking to you. You’re probably one of the nicest girls in the pack - according to folks. Always dressed in some pretty dress or blouse and never a too low neckline.

Your connection was still fresh and so far you managed to have the minimum contact with the trouble maker. Just to the point of tonight where the younger people of your pack met up for a campfire and some drinks.

„Wanna take a swim?“ You blush at his words but take his hand anyway letting him guide you through the trees. Standing in front of the lake and seeing that the beta ist already getting rid of his clothes makes you feel bad. He’s smirking at you.

„I don’t know if this is ok...“ Suddenly the beta gets a blow into the face by one of Yeo Sang‘s friends and two of them start to secure the beta in his holds. You’re overwhelmed with the situation immediately and Yeo Sang‘s eyes are dangerously yellow. He gets a painful hold on your wrist screaming at you but you’re not in the position to answer him.

„Y - you’re hurting me.“ Yeo Sang‘s mouth twitches at your words and with a hiss he let’s go of your arm ordering his friends to take you to his home.

The beta spits out blood laughing at the remaining guys and Yeo Sang.

„Great. Now she fears you even more.“ Yeo Sang punches him again knowing he’s right. He lets out a frustrated sigh condemning his short temper.

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c h o i  s a n

It was San‘s highest priority to keep the daughter of their alpha safe. Naturally he was always by your side following you around sometimes to your dismay.

This night you were able to shake the boy off and visit a club with your friends in the town nearby. Mostly humans could be seen here and you finally were able to let loose.

Shaking your body from left to the right you can feel a pair of arms sneaking around your waist to move you to the rhythm with him. Your head falls back landing on the shoulder of your dance partner a permanent smirk on his face.

It all happens to fast when you can feel someone ripping you out of the grip of the stranger. You fall down to the ground hurting your knee in the process. Hissing out you can see your friends immediately rushing to your side while you give the intruder a deadly glare.

San doesn’t stop to give the beautiful man punches when you’re quick to stand up and pry him off the man. San‘s eyes turn into a dangerous color when he eyes you an you know you better get out off here before he looses himself fully.

Outside he has a strong grip on your arm and ushers you into his car. The night flys by while a soft tune is humming. You’re so pissed at him that you decide to better not say anything. Suddenly he speaks up: „You’re letting vampires touch you now? Yeah? The daughter of the alpha is getting it on with vampires!“

„I - I didn’t know he was a - “

„Of course you didn’t! You are so young and literally know nothing!“

After a while of silence you turn to him a sigh escaping you. „I am sorry, San. Thank you for rescuing me...“

His gaze is fixed on the street and he can feel his heart and soul pulling on a bond that is still not touchable for you.

„It is my job to look after you. I failed...“

„No! You didn’t! I promise I won’t ever run away from you again!“ Silence follows but with a last glance San frowns deeply.

„Your knee... this will be a problem when we’re back.“

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s o n g  m i n  g i

„Yes, Min Gi! Just a little bit - closer!“ The wolf under you grunts while balancing you on his shoulders.

Your fingers are close to the fruit that is considered very rare in the realm. Your fingers are close to touching the fruit when suddenly your self made latter shakes and both of you fall down with a low thud.

„Ouch! Min Gi!“ The wolf‘s head hurts and his vision blurrs but hearing your crying he quickly stands up on his paws and howls out.

His tail is wiggling excited while he licks your face and tries to comfort you.

„I - I think my wrist is twisted.“ Tears are running down your cheeks while Min Gi suddenly changes back into his human form a frown on his face.

„Oh my god, I am so sorry!“ He frantically turns from left to right gripping his hair out of frustration. „What should I do what should I do!“

„Min Gi!“ You say through gritted teeth trying to hold in the pain. „Calm down and take me back to the pack!“

Min Gi wears a blank face hurt because he hurt you.

„Min Gi!“

He shakes his head to get a clear mind and sends you a firm nod. „Right. Back to the pack!“

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j u n g  w o o  y o u n g

You and Woo Young often played around in your wolf form chasing each other in the forest. Of course your animal instinct pushed you to little fights from time to time doesn’t matter if it is your mate.

Usually the fights always ended in the two of you changing back into your human body and starting a heated session.

This time unfortunately Woo Young pushed you a little bit to hard against the tree earning him a painful howl out of you. First you can hear him jumping around snickering for winning the battle but when you’re still lying down not moving much he slowly emerges your side tilting his head confused.

„(y/n)?“ He nudges your side with his snout trying to get a response from you but you keep breathing hard letting out little whimpers.

„(y/n)?! Are you hurt?“ Immediately his playful demeanor is gone and he changes back into his human form to search your body for any injuries.

„Oh shit! Change back! Come on!“ He’s totally devastated by now trying to caress you and encourage you with slow motions. You’re a crying mess when you’re back in your naked form.

„Woo Young... my b-back...“ He’s quick to pick you up bridal style and carry you past the trees in a lightning speed.

„Hold on a little bit longer, sweetheart.“ His firm voice and determined gaze really does it‘s wonders and you try to hang on to it until you reach the hospital.

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c h o i  j o n g  h o

Jong Ho could only snicker how you always managed to get out of his way. The campus was big and you really thought the handsome male that just happened to cross your way out of pure coincidence. Of course Jong Ho made sure to follow your every step because he just couldn’t help himself.

Finally finding his mate filled his body with adrenaline and having you not in the eye sight drove him crazy. The only problem that stopped him from immediately getting to you: you’re human. Probably not knowing about the world of magic and their creatures.

It was just the problem that you happened to have a boyfriend and one day it was too late for self control when he had the boy pinned to the wall in one of the cafeterias of the campus.

„Stay away from her!“ Your boyfriend shuddered at the low growl that came from the boy in front of him not knowing the slightest what he did wrong when he just gave a you peck on the cheek.

You screamed and kicked at him not knowing what happened a few seconds ago. When he suddenly turns around leaving you dumbfounded and all the others in the location you decide you wouldn’t let him go this easily.

You follow him and don’t even recognize that he’s going into the woods. He stops in his tracks when you don’t stop talking and you can see him breathing hard. Jong Ho tries to control his feelings but the frustration is taking over and when you try to turn him around by his shoulder he accidentally pushes you.

Your head collides with a stone and blood can be seen leaving the desperate wolf speechless. He runs to your side trying to wake you up but he’s getting no reaction out of your form. With tears pricking his eyes he’s quick to carry you to his pack to help you knowing it is now to late for you to turn back.

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↺ back to navi

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[hxseok-honee]

blossom | part 8

blossom [part 8] || “Jungkook doesn’t like me very much, does he?”

[‘cause all i need is to see you blossom out, blossom out, blossom out]

previous || masterlist || next​

taglist !!

@deepseavibez @thetrueghostqueen @reddeathraven @dingzerenistall @skyrro @unadulteratedlyunique @ramyagovindraj @itismochirice @wwhseokjin @drpepperobsessed @monamone @thekookiecorner @army-moa75 @burningupppp @sonderkook @lele-bb @pb-n-juju @red-kebab @heonsbebe @peachyyoongs @superloverpielamp @marifujioka @butterflylion @lilacdreams-00 @calling-dips-on-j-hope @heyitsgigi @cahowlkook @worshiphoseok @taeshuworld​ @bongsbeforebibles​ @x-xjaeminx-x​ @missmadwoman

________________________________

“-- And there’s Jacobson with the quaffle, passing right through Slytherin defences -- he bought a flower crown from me once for his girlfriend, great guy -- Oh, there he goes! Will he make the shot? And he scores! Another ten points to Gryffindor!” Whatever calls of annoyance are made from the Slytherins are quickly drowned out by the cheers of the other three houses as Gryffindor scores once again, placing them yet another ten points ahead of their opponent.

Y/n cheers alongside her friends, but she does so almost mechanically. She can’t bring herself to focus on the match, too busy keeping her eyes on the commentator. She’d heard that since the last quidditch commentator had graduated he would need to be replaced, but she hadn’t exactly put two and two together a few days ago when asking Hoseok why he’d been so excited about the match. 

Up in the commentator’s box stands a very enthused Jung Hoseok, decked out all in yellow despite the match being Gryffindor v. Slytherin. He’s got his Hufflepuff scarf draped loosely over his shoulders as he follows the match, ears tinted red as they poke out cutely from under his hat. His gaze follows the quaffle with impressive focus, large wire-rimmed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose, aiding his mission and making his eyes look impossibly round in the process. 

He gives himself a small moment to relax only when goals are scored and there’s a few brief seconds of respite as the crowd reacts and the players fix positions for the next set of formations. In those few seconds, he’s shaking out his tense limbs and pushing his glasses back up to a comfortable spot as he takes a couple deep breaths. And -- just as he’s managed to do every time for the last ten goals in a row -- he allows himself the fraction of a second it takes to locate Y/n in the crowd below him, eyes meeting hers in an exchange of small smiles and even smaller waves.

She remembers the way he’d used his time before the match watching the crowd trickle in, twisting his scarf around in his hands nervously as more and more students started gathering and cheering for their respective teams. Once it had become clear that the crowd had split itself off in the stands, he’d started searching the sea of red scarves and hats almost desperately, biting away at the skin on his bottom lip as he scanned the faces of his classmates. Only when he’d found Y/n, standing in the back row with her friends (sans Yoongi and Jin, who were stubborn in their undying support of the admittedly horrible Slytherin quidditch team), did he release his lip from its torture, flashing her a bright smile and sending an exaggerated wave that required his entire body. She tries not to think, even now with the match almost over, about the fact that he’d been looking for her in the first place.

So caught in her thoughts, Y/n barely registers that Hoseok is yelling Jungkook’s name, cheering alongside the rest of the Gryffindor supporters as her ex-boyfriend flies past her on his broom, quaffle tucked securely under his arm. 

“-out of nowhere! Jeon Jungkook is at it again, insanely complicated maneuvers that I know nothing about making him almost impossible to catch as he races for the goal! Slytherin Keeper Alvin Durmenstringer -- is that a real name? -- is no match for the Chaser as they go head to head -- and he scores! We can expect nothing less from Gryffindor’s star player, who is not nearly as goth as I thought he was going to be -- he’s actually kind of intimidatingly athletic, isn’t he? I mean just look at his arms -- okay, I’ve been informed that I’m no longer being professional so let’s focus on the match! Another ten points to Gryffindor!” 

Y/n watches as Jungkook shakes his head at the commentary, a scoff leaving him as he flies back into position. He appears indifferent as always, but Y/n knows him well enough to see the smallest of smiles dancing across his lips at the praise of the crowd. If they had still been together, Y/n would have found that smile unfairly attractive, but at this moment in time all she can think about is how arrogant he looks. Sighing slightly, her eyes scans over the crowd opposite her, a sea of green and silver, until she finds Yoongi. He and Jin are booing Jungkook obnoxiously, and she can see even from here that Yoongi’s letting loose an interesting string of expletives as the Gryffindor passes him. 

Only when Jin places a hand over his roommate’s mouth does Yoongi calm down. Y/n can hear Taehyung, Namjoon, and Jimin laughing loudly beside her, and she guesses that they’ve all just witnessed the wrath of their aggressive Slytherin friend. Yoongi glances over at the spot where he knows they’re all seated, and, realizing they’ve all seen his display of emotions, he sends Y/n a wink, eyes dancing with mirth. She’s immensely grateful for him, as she has come to be over and over again in the seven years she’s known him. 

The match continues much in this manner -- Gryffindor absolutely dominating the quidditch pitch as Yoongi’s blood pressure rises, Hoseok’s creative narration filling the air until the very end. It’s no surprise that, even though the Slytherin Seeker had managed to find and catch the snitch before his opponent, Hoseok still gets to excitedly announce to the crowd that, with a gap of more than 150 points between them, Gryffindor had won regardless.

The crowd loses all semblance of control, cheers audible even from the castle as three out of four houses celebrate a victory. The Gryffindor team flies around the pitch, reveling in house pride. Up in the commentator’s box, Hoseok turns off his mic and flops down in the stool that had been behind him the entire time, completely unused. He removes his hat, running his fingers swiftly through his hair and letting out a dramatic sigh. He sits there for a few minutes, watching the crowd and the Gryffindor team with a smile, leaning forward at some point to plant his elbows on the ledge and watch the excitement with his chin in his hand.

Finally, he moves to leave, rising to his full height and shoving his hat back onto his head, ears sticking out cutely once again. Glancing quickly over at the spot where Y/n had been, he stops in his tracks when he realizes that she still hasn’t left. In fact, she’s still sitting with her friends as they wait for Yoongi and Jin to make their way around the stands to join them, and she’s still got her eyes on him. The noise of the crowd is drowned out slightly in his ears, and he finds himself warming at the idea of her watching him -- waiting for him to look for her, too. He waves sweetly at her, heat crashing over him and painting his cheeks an embarrassing pink when he sees that she’s mouthing words of encouragement at him for his job well done. He thinks of something to say back, but he doesn’t get the chance. There’s a Gryffindor player hovering in the space between them, and he can tell even from where he stands that he’s looking at the back of Jeon Jungkook’s head.

On the other side, Y/n is interrupted by a pair of eyes she could recognize even in her sleep, but it isn’t the fact that Jungkook’s gotten in the way that bugs her -- it’s his expression. It’s filled with something close enough to annoyance for her to find herself becoming agitated, but there’s something else there too. Is it hurt? Betrayal? Disbelief? Y/n can’t pin it down, but she’s certain he must be bothered that she isn’t paying as much attention to Gryffindor’s star player as he’d like. 

He’s finally pulled away from her by the sound of his own name, called by his captain as he’s instructed to join the team in the locker room. With one last glance, he waves coolly to the rest of their friends as he flies off, leaving her both confused and irritated. Her only comfort -- that is, until Yoongi appears behind her with an arm thrown over her shoulders and a chaotic presence that only she could find comforting -- is that Hoseok still hasn’t left, and he’s looking as confused as she feels. He smiles awkwardly at her before waving farewell, choosing at the last moment to pull out his phone and gesture for her to do the same. 

Reaching into her pocket just as it’s buzzing, she opens the text thread to read the new message, not even noticing the weight of Yoongi’s body hanging off of her as he reads over her shoulder.

Jungkook doesn’t like me very much, does he? 

She feels rather than hears the hum that leaves Yoongi’s body as he considers the text from behind her. When he speaks, she finds herself turning to hide in his embrace, a noise of annoyance muffling itself in his chest as she realizes what he’s saying is very likely to be true. 

“Looks like you’re going to be dealing with a very crabby Jungkook at the after-party tonight.”

[storiesbymads]

EIGHTEEN ( joe liebgott . )

Y/N met Joe a few days after she graduated from high school. loosely based off the one direction song.

warnings: none but it gets kinda sad @ the end ig

wc: 4.3k

Graduation was days away and Y/N could feel the air escaping her lungs just thinking about it. She had been dreaming about this day for the past twelve years and it was actually happening. Although, now that it was here, the moment felt bittersweet. She was about to leave all the childhood friends she’d made for a junior college across the country in San Francisco. It was almost too surreal for her to handle. A week from now, she’d be somewhat situated in an apartment she’d only seen once without her parents or really anyone that she knew. She would be starting her life.

The last few days of senior year could not have gone by any slower. Final exams had been the week prior so the classes she was attending were really just excuses for all of her classmates and teachers to get emotional about the time they’d spent together. Y/N counted down the minutes until she could finally get out of there. While some of the girls she’d come to know as her best friends were allowing themselves to shed a tear or two and give close to a million hugs to people they’d shared maybe a conversation with in their time there, Y/N kept finding herself in her daydreams about what her new life was going to be like.

“I cannot believe it’s our last day of high school,” her friend Annabelle said. There were about twelve girls all scrunched up at one lunchroom table in an already overcrowded lunchroom. Thankfully, the number had dwindled slightly over the years and now Y/N at least had enough room to put her elbows on the table when she was eating.

“I know! I’m gonna miss you girls so much,” another girl named Cecile said. Y/N swore she saw the slightest hint of a tear in her eye as she said it. Y/N took a bite of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich without another word.

The amount of nerves surrounding her as she stood on the small auditorium stage astounded her. She attended a small school with her graduating class maxing out around 200 and yet the room felt like it was about to explode. All of the classmates around her were decked out in the signature royal blue of their highschool with bright smiles and hazy eyes from the brightly flashing cameras. Y/N fidgeted with the tassel on her cap as she waited for the ceremony to begin. A few of her friends were sitting a few feet away from her. The deafening heartbeat in her ears stopped her from being able to hear what they were talking about. It wasn’t until one of them nudged her ribs that she realized the lights had dimmed slightly and everything was starting.

The announcer’s speech, thankfully, hadn’t lasted longer than a few minutes and the graduates had started making their way across the stage. Before Y/N knew it, she was walking across the stage and shaking hands with the principal and various other administrators she’d come to know over the years. Her legs were numb and she was surprised--and very grateful--that she made it across the stage without so much as tripping. She even silently thanked her mother beforehand for discouraging her from wearing the three-inch pair of heels in her closet.

“The Class of 1936! Congratulations!” her principal announced as a wave of blue filled the air. There were graduation caps everywhere across the auditorium. It was going to be extremely difficult to tell whose was whose at the end of the day but that didn’t stop a single student from completing the tradition. One student’s cap even managed to land in the rafters for a few seconds before coming down.

It was difficult to locate her parents in the crowd in the moments after. Everything seemed to be simultaneously happening in slow motion and hyper speed since her first step across the stage. She spotted the top of her mother’s head across the room and rushed over to meet them. Both of her parents had been leaning up against the wall near the exit speaking to another couple until they noticed her semi-running towards them. Her father pulled her into a tight hug and made a comment about an eyelash messing with his eye the entire ceremony. She gave her mother a soft smile when he finally let her go. Her parents gave a small goodbye to the couple next to them and joined hands with their daughter on the way out of the highschool for seemingly the last time in their lives.

The sound of her alarm clock buzzing at 6:30 in the morning caused a loud groan to fall from Y/N’s lips as she begrudgingly pulled herself from the warmth of her duvet and into her adjoining bathroom to start her day. It was moving day. Well, technically. Most of her furniture had been shipped out to her apartment a few days prior but today was the official moving date. She had to be at the train station by 8:00 with the last of her belongings. Judging by the fact that Y/N was brushing her teeth with her eyes still very much closed, it was evident that she was very much regretting choosing the earliest departure time to San Francisco available.

Her two suitcases were packed and stacked next to the front door of her parents’ home and she kept glancing at them during the entire duration of breakfast. In her mind, she was going over every item that she needed to bring and checking the mental checklist she’d gone over about twenty times over the past two days. She knew it was overly redundant but she couldn’t bear the thought of forgetting something and not being able to retrieve it until the next major holiday. It was unlikely, though, that she would forget something as her childhood bedroom was practically barren save for the twin bed and the wire coat hangers in her closet.

“Honey, if you look at those suitcases one more time,” her mother lightly scolded. She was glad her daughter was so excited for something but she was still slightly bitter to the thought of her daughter leaving home so soon after graduation.

“I’m sorry! I can’t help it,” she sighed. The plate of eggs and bacon had barely been eaten--mostly just moved around with a fork--and was growing colder by the minute. Y/N knew she wouldn’t be able to eat with the amount of nerves building up in her stomach. She spared a final glance at the luggage

“Your mother’s right,” her father sighed and blew the steam off of his cup of coffee. Y/N was surprised to see the newspaper usually tightly clutched within her father’s fingers nowhere in sight.

“So, what’re your plans for the day?” Y/N asked after a few moments of silence. She had completely given up on her plate of food and had pushed it further towards the center of the table.

“Oh, you know. Mope around the house wishing our baby were still here with us,” her mother said dramatically, pretending to wipe a tear from her face.

“Very funny.”

“She’s not joking,” her father chuckled into his mug. It was odd to see him this way. Both of his hands were tightly wrapped around the white porcelain and he still had his reading glasses on rather than the contacts she was so accustomed to seeing. Come to think of it, her mother looked quite strange, too. She was still in her evening robe and had made no effort to remove the curlers from her hair.

“Are you not accompanying me to the train station?” Y/N asked. She watched her parents share knowing glances before they each turned towards her.

“Your father thinks it’s best if we say our goodbyes here. He knows I’ll cry like a banshee if we do it in public and he wants to spare you the embarrassment,” her mother said.

“Oh,” Y/N mumbled and glanced down at her fingers fiddling with the hem of the tablecloth. “Thanks, Dad.”

“Oh Honey-”

“We can come with you if you want!”

“No, no. Dad’s right. Plus, if you start crying I’m sure to start crying and then where would we be,” Y/N allowed an airy laugh to brush past her lips at the thought of her and her parents all crying and smushed together in a dysfunctional group hug.

Due to the fact that Y/N had taken probably the longest nap in her life on the train, her legs felt as stiff as the concrete beneath her feet as she tried (and failed) to make her way out of the station in a normal looking way. Every step looked more like a waddle combined with the luggage that felt ten times heavier getting off than getting on settled on either one of her shoulders.

“Need some help with that, doll?” One of the various taxi-cab drivers asked. It took her a second to locate which one was addressing her but it was easy enough to identify him when she noticed him quickly approaching her with a hand out.

“Uh,” she mumbled. “Yeah-Yes. That’d be great, thank you.”

“Just doing my job,” he sent her a wink as he helped her load the luggage into the trunk of the bright yellow vehicle. Y/N allowed herself to take in the appearance of the man as she got into the backseat and told him her destination. He was quite skinny but that didn’t take away from the overall build of him. In fact, it seemed to make her more attracted to him. His lips seemed to be plastered in a permanent smirk and his hair was way too perfect for him to just have thrown some gel in it and called it a day. It was good enough to land him a hair modeling gig, in her opinion.

“How long will you be staying?” the driver asked and made eye contact with her through the rear-view. His eyes had a mischievous glint to them.

“I don’t look like a regular to you?” she asked with mock offense.

“With that accent? Not a chance, dollface,” he said. They retained eye contact for a few more seconds before his sight flickered back to the road in front of him. Y/N was thankful for the added background noise of the radio at that point.

“You’re actually taking me to my new place,” Y/N said after a few moments of awkwards silence. She found herself fiddling with a slightly ripped piece of leather on the seat beneath her. She felt his eyes on her but by the time she looked back up at the mirror his eyes were focused on the road once more.

“How do you know I’m not a creepy stalker? Now I know where you live,” he joked as he reached a red light. She was able to get a good look at his eyes in the mirror now. The sunlight coming in from the windshield allowed her to notice the swirl of chocolate in his irises. Multiple car honks behind them startled the driver into pressing on the gas a little too quickly, startling Y/N and almost causing her to faceplant into the back of the seat.

“Sorry about that, doll,” he muttered and adjusted how he was sitting ever so slightly and allowed one of his hands to rest on the center console rather than the wheel.

“So, are you?” she asked.

“What?” his eyebrows scrunched together and his grip on the wheel tightened.

“Are you a stalker?” Y/N allowed herself to relax into the seats more. She didn’t really care if he was a stalker. She just never wanted him to stop talking.

“You’ll be glad to know that I am not, Miss…” he voice trailed off, obviously asking for her name.

“Y/N Y/L/N.”

“Joe Liebgott. Nice to make your acquaintance, dollface,” he sent her another wink through the mirror. Y/N felt her heart sink slightly when she noticed her apartment building only a few feet away.

By the time Joe had found a parking spot in front of the building, Y/N could feel her heart all the way in the souls of her feet. She had no idea why she was reacting this way. She had only known this man for, what, twenty minutes? And their one striking conversation had been about whether or not he was a stalker. She had no right to get this attached to him.

“You know,” he started. “I could give you a tour of the city if you’d like. You know, since you’re new and all.” He flashed her a million-dollar smile as he handed her the two pieces of luggage from the trunk.

“I think I would really enjoy that, Joe.” Her heart was beating so fast it could have jumped right out of her chest and made it back to her parents’ house before she was able to get inside her new apartment.

“Great,” he said. He opened up the passenger side of the cab so that he could reach into the glove box. He pulled a pen out of his shirt pocket and began scribbling on the blank side of the receipt he had just pulled out of the compartment before handing the small piece of paper to her. In very messy handwriting, she noticed he had written Joe (not a stalker, he promises) followed by a phone number and a smiley face below all of it.

“I’ll make sure to call you, Not-a-stalker-Joe.” Y/N’s face had heated up an extreme amount and she hoped that Joe wouldn’t think anything of it.

A few days passed before Y/N worked up the courage to actually call Joe. Maybe it was the fact that it was eleven o’clock at night. She always had been braver when she was tired. Maybe it was the fact that she hadn’t been able to get the cab driver out of her mind since he dropped her off at her place. Especially at night when she was alone with her thoughts. He got her head spinning and her heart racing without even being in the same room as her. She could only imagine what it would be like when she took him up on that tour offer.

“Hi, is this Joe?” she asked as politely as she could. She regretted calling the second he picked up.

“Depends…” his voice was raspier than it had been a few days ago. There was a possibility that Y/N had woken him up. “Who is this?”

“Y/N,” she said. Her nerves were skyrocketing at this point. The past week or so had not been easy on her heart.

“Who’s the stalker now?” he chuckled lightly into the phone. She heard rustling from the other side and assumed he was moving around on his bed. Having the phone by the bed seemed like a smart idea to her and she wondered why she hadn’t thought of moving hers there.

“You gave me your number, you know,” she said, twirling the cord around her finger.

“For a tour of the city. Not a late night rendezvous,” he said.

“I’m sorry. I can call again in the morning.” Her face was burning with embarrassment; the pressure managed to trail all the way down her spine, it seemed.

“No, doll, don’t worry about it. It had been a pretty boring night anyway,” Joe sighed. Y/N could imagine him running his hand through his hair. Then the image of running her hands through his hair popped into her mind.

“So, about that tour?” she asked. She really hoped she wasn’t being too forward. He was the one that offered.

“You up for it? Tomorrow’s my off day so you called just in time,” he said.

Y/N was barely able to sleep an hour that night. She didn’t know if it was the nerves (it was) or if it was the seemingly endless downpour of rain outside. After her fifth wake up, she decided trying to sleep was a lost cause. She slipped out of bed and out of her bedroom into the open concept of the rest of her apartment. The clock on the wall beside her stove let her know that it was edging on 4:15. Somehow, she managed to turn on her coffee pot and actually make herself some in her zombie-like state. She felt the liquid warm her right down to the tips of her toes.

Around 7am Y/N was beginning to regret skipping out on anymore sleep. Her eyes were droopy and she could barely keep them open long enough to read more than a paragraph on the morning paper. She figured this would be as good a time as any to start getting ready. She probably should’ve worked out a better plan with Joe before hanging up last night; she had zero percent of a clue as to when he would be picking her up that morning.

Y/N’s shower lasted longer than usual due to her starting the whole ordeal by just standing under the hot water with her eyes closed for about ten minutes. She’d even let her mind wander to thinking about Joe being in said shower with her but quickly shook the thought away as she began applying her coconut scented body wash. By the time she was finished, the originally scalding water was beginning to grow cold and Y/N was practically shivering trying to push the hot-water knob past its limit.

She decided to fix herself a third cup of coffee after getting dressed to aid her in doing her makeup in a way that wouldn’t make her look like a raccoon. A few years ago she had tried to do a Smokey eye after about three hours of sleep and she was not going for a recreation of that this morning.

9am was beginning to roll around when she heard a knock on her door.

“Morning, doll,” Joe said when she opened the door. He had his hair slicked back and a collared shirt left unbuttoned about three buttons.

“How’d you know which apartment was mine?” She chuckled lightly. She could have sworn he hadn’t followed her up to her door the previous day but she could’ve been wrong.

“I watched from my car to make sure you got in okay. I was really hoping I remembered which door it was and didn’t go knocking on some old lady’s door,” he said and ran one of his hands through the gelled hair. Y/n glanced over the balcony of the complex to see the bright yellow taxi parked in the exact spot it was in yesterday.

“That was very sweet of you, Joe,” both of them had a slight red tint to their faces as they made their way down the stairs and to the taxi. He opened the door for her before jogging around the front of the car to get in himself.

“The best tour of your life begins now,” he said before starting the car up.

“So how old did you say you were?” Joe asked after about twenty minutes of awkward silence.

“18. You?” Y/N said. She really hoped he wasn’t 37 or something or this whole ordeal would have gotten really awkward really fast.

“21,” he said and turned down the radio knob ever so slightly. She couldn’t stop herself from thinking about how nice his fingers looked. “Now our first stop…”

It had been months since Y/N had first met Joe but she swore it felt like the pair had known each other forever. She felt more comfortable around him than anyone else she had ever met. They went on one or two more dates after their tour before Joe asked her to be his girlfriend. Everything between them was moving incredibly fast for Y/N’s usual tastes but she couldn’t be happier at the given moment. Joe made her feel alive. Her fingertips burned with every touch and her insides were practically doing backflips any time he complimented her or so much as held eye contact with her.

“Good morning doll face,” Joe said with his raspy morning voice that Y/N adored more than anything. She groaned with displeasure at being roused from her sleep but she gave him a soft smile when she finally opened her eyes. Joe was running his fingertips lightly across Y/N’s bare back as the thin sheets of his bed covered their lower halves. Her hand moved from being placed at the top of his abdomen to gently stroking his jaw. There was the faintest of stubble growing in and she would never tell him how much she really loved it.

“Morning, handsome,” she mumbled into his chest. She began trailing kisses from his chest up to his collarbone and back down again. Joe used his free hand to stop her antics and pull her face up to kiss his lips this time. In a few short moments, Joe was able to flip the pair of them to where he was resting over Y/N with one of his hands beside Y/N’s shoulder to support his weight and the other securely positioned on her jaw.

“That was a very good way to wake up,” she said and ran her thumb across his slightly swollen lips. He let out a soft laugh before poking her in the side and laying down on the bed beside her.

“I think I’m going to go get a shower. Care to join me?” He asked with a smirk. They had showered together before but it had never ended with them cleaner than when they entered.

“Not today, baby,” she said, which earned a very over exaggerated groan from Joe as he forced himself out of bed and into the connected bathroom.

She, too, pulled herself out of the bed and grabbed Joe’s button up off of the floor and buttoned it up just enough to cover all the necessities. She heard the creak of the hot water knob as she exited the bedroom to make herself some much needed coffee. Neither had gotten the recommended 8 hours of sleep and she was wondering how Joe was able to be so animated about everything already.

Their one-year anniversary came around faster than anything that Y/N had ever experienced. One day she was living in her parents home desperate to graduate from high school and now she was living in her boyfriend’s apartment (unbeknownst to her parents) and celebrating a whole year of dating. And it had been the most magical year of Y/N’s life.

“More wine?” Joe asked her as he pulled himself off of the couch. Y/N whined slightly as her side was hit with a gust of cold wind.

“Yes, please,” she said and handed up her empty wine glass.

“You got it, doll,” he sent her a wink and went into the kitchen to fill both their glasses. Y/N couldn’t help but watch him the whole time. She never thought that she’d be this head over heels for a man— especially this far along in a relationship. Before Joe, the longest she’d had a boyfriend had been about two months and they barely even talked during that time.

Joe glanced over at her from the kitchen just barely making eye contact with her before Y/N shifted her gaze to the record player in the corner of the room near the small television. It had been playing static for about an hour now but the both of them were too comfortable to care enough about flipping it.

“I love you, Joe,” Y/N said after a few more moments of silence. There was a loud crash in the kitchen that caused her to surge up from her seat and rush over. Before she was able to bend down to clean up any of the broken glass, though, Joe pulled her in by the hips to smash his lips against hers.

“Say it again,” he said when he pulled away with the biggest grin Y/N had ever seen.

“I love you, Joe.”

“I love you, Y/N/N. So much,” he pulled her in for another kiss, sidestepping around the broken wine glass to set her on the kitchen counter and placing himself between her thighs. His hands trailed from her hips to rest on the sides of her knees.

Almost four years had passed since then. Joe was set to leave for boot camp this afternoon and Y/N was barely functioning at this point. He had become such an integral part of her life since she arrived in San Francisco. She had no idea what she would do if he didn’t come back to her. Hell, she barely had a clue what she would do if he did come back to her. She knew nothing would be the same after all of this.

“I’ll write to you whenever I get the chance, baby doll. I promise,” he mumbled into her hair. Y/N had not left his side once in the past week and she didn’t plan on leaving it until he was on that train.

“I’m going to miss you so much, Joey,” she said.

“I know. I’m gonna miss you too.”

“I’ve loved you since I was 18 years old, Joe. I’m 22 now and somehow I love you more and more each day. Promise me you’ll come home to me,” she said. There were tears beginning to leak out of the corners of her eyes. He wiped one away with the pad of his thumb.

“I promise to try as hard as I can to come home to you, baby doll,” he said and pressed another kiss to her hair.

[pockpop]

ateez reaction to their black s/o being insecure about their looks/skin tone

↬ synopsis: you’re feeling insecure about your looks/skin color and the boys are there to show you how beautiful you are.

↬ genre: angsty & fluffy

↬ requested? yes

↬ a/n: these are kinda long so i apologize haha also this request kind of hit home for me, brought back some interesting old memories and thoughts. but i’m telling yall now, don’t ever let anyone belittle you for the skin you were born with. every shade is amazing and beautiful! if someone does, send their ignorant asses my way. carry on loves :)

hongjoong ♡

for your birthday, someone had gifted you a skin care package and among the items was a skin whitening cream. at first you were pretty offended by the item and wanted to find it light hearted and hongjoong had told you to just throw it away, burn it or something but a few days later, you still found yourself thinking about it.

one night, you were just finishing up your skin care routine when you noticed the bottle and picked it up. just then hongjoong came in the bathroom to also start getting ready for bed when he saw what you were holding.

he didn’t say anything, just yanked it from your grasp and threw it in the trash.

“wha-“

“I thought I told you to get rid of that.” he looked more hurt than angry with you. when he realized you weren’t going to answer, he came up to you, grabbing your face gently, making you look at him.

“stop thinking it. your skin is glowing, that melanin is tight and right so let it be. okay?”

when you started laughing, he gave you a eskimo kiss, a warm smile adorning his lips,”okay, okay just promise me you won’t say that again.”

“what? tight and right? isn’t that what the kids say these days?!”

when you only laughed harder, he’d pout, bumping you aside so he could start his routine.

seonghwa ♡

“i don’t think that color would look good with your skin tone.”

the snotty voice made both of you look up from the velvet red lipstick box in your palm. one of the workers, a older woman, was standing near you, a fake smile on her. she reached in front you and picked up a darker color and held it out to you.

“this should..suit your skin tone a bit better i think.” you just stared at her and she tilted her head. seonghwa cleared his throat and took the box from your hand,”we’ll take this one actually.” he dug out a bill and handed it to her, “keep the change.” 

he turned promptly,placing a hand on your lower back and led you out that store. you said nothing, feeling the anger radiate from him. once you two reached the car, he was about to open your door when you spoke up.

“you know, maybe she was right.” he looked at you, his facial expression softened. “you shouldn’t have spent your money on this, i probably won’t even wear it.”

seonghwa was quiet for moment before he handed you the box,” put it on.”

“right now?”

he cracked a smile but just nodded in response. after doing what he said, he guided you to the car window and looked at your reflection. the red popped off your melanin, accentuating your full lips and bringing attention to your features that you didn’t notice before.

“that woman was wrong.you could put on green or blue or fucking neon yellow and it will still look good on you. your skin tone doesn’t have anything to do with it, she’s just being prejudice for the fun of it. i had to get out of there before i lost it on her.” you found yourself smiling a little and turned to him, “isn’t that supposed to be my job?” seonghwa bit his lip, trying not to smile, “no, more people should stand up to shit like that instead of just being bystanders. you shouldn’t be alone ever in a situation like that.”

he came closer, placing a hand on your chin, “plus, you look so fucking beautiful that i’m very tempted to kiss it all way.”

“i mean you bought it, do as you wish.” he didn’t waste another second before kissing you passionately, not giving a damn who saw.

yunho ♡

being in a foreign country, you were used to the stares, or at least you thought you were. you thought that no one really noticed you anymore and that you were finally getting adjusted. but your day was going horribly. a man spit on your shirt while you were walking to the store, a old woman refused to let you sit beside her on the bus in the only empty seat and she called you something hateful that you were happy you didn’t understand well due to wearing headphones. to make it worse, it was one of the first days of wearing your natural hair out and you had been so happy that morning.

when you came through the door that evening, yunho was in the kitchen humming away. you could smell something good being cooked and he happily turned to greet you, his face fell seeing your solemn face.

“hey baby, what’s wrong?”

you slumped into his arms, feeling so heavy and tired. he rocked you back and forth, pressing kisses from your head down, giggles escaped you as he kissed both of your eyelids,the apples of your cheeks, your nose, you cupid’s bow before finally reaching your mouth. the kiss was sweet and sensual, a warmth spreading through you instantly. he pulled away slowly, resting his forehead on yours.

“can you tell me what happened today?”

you tried to pull away from him but he started pouting so you stayed put but didn’t meet his eyes.

“i was so excited to wear my hair like this and finally just feel whole, but i guess everyone else wasn’t ready for all this i guess... i don’t know, i’ve enver felt so low in my life, so...black.”

the word came out of your mouth so harshly, your heart burned in response. yunho pulled you closer, the closest he could.

“what are you doig?” you said with a breathless laugh and he started rocking you again, “trying to engulf you in my love, just let it happen.”

he leaned his cheek on the top of your head and you settled finally into him, that comfort overcoming you again.

“people are hateful and gross. and you know, that’s okay cause guess what? they don’t get the pleasure of your company, but hey that means more for me!”

when you laughed again, he kissed your head and pulled away, “now get changed, i made your favorite and i would love to serve my beautiful queen.”

yeosang ♡

you had recently met yeosang’s family for the first time and you thought it was all going well until you overheard his father asking yeosang why he couldn’t have brought home a good korean girl or even a white girl. you didn’t stick around to hear the rest of the conversation. after he dropped you off at home, you barely talked to yeosang and it’s almost three days later and you’re still being distant with him.

you were kind of sulking around your apartment, you knew it wasn’t healthy but your mind was filling with old demons, insecurities about whether you should stay with him anymore, if maybe he could find someone more worthy for his father’s liking. these thoughts were haunting you and left you watching ‘friends’ reruns but not actually paying any attention.

but then your doorbell rang and when you opened the door, a distressed yeosang was standing there. he walked in, running his fingers through his hair.

“you haven’t been returning any of my calls, or texts, ignoring my facetimes. is something wrong? did i - did i do something? did you meet my parents too soon what-”

 you started shaking your head, “no, no you didn’t do anything i just -” you kicked the door closed and avoided him, going back to your spot on the couch, “I've just had a lot on my mind.”

“like what?” 

you shrugged, now fidgeting with your fingers, “like maybe we should break up?”

“Break up? he asked in disbelief and you shrugged again,” i mean it would make your dad happy right? to see you with someone...more suited for you. someone korean you know.”

but yeosang was shaking his head sharply,”how can you say something like that? do you see how crazy i went just from you ghosting me? why would i want anyone other than you?” he moved to sit beside you, grabbing your hands in his.

“i don’t care what everyone else thinks is better for me, i know what i want, i know who i want to be with and that’s you,” he reached over caressing your cheek, and out of habit, you leaned into his touch. “just you” he finished softly.

“okay?” he asked and you nodded, letting him lean over to kiss your forehead.

san ♡

it was hot. though it was nearing the end of summer, it was boiling even inside the house, even with the ac on blast. san was complaining the whole day about going out to the beach and it was a perfect day to soak up some sun.

he had been blabbering on and on about why you two should go out that he almost missed you mumbling about not wanting to get any darker.

“what did you say?”

“I don’t know... some people have been making some comments about how dark my skin already is and how I’m getting darker. maybe I should just stay in today? you go ahead, call the boys, I’m sure they want to go.”

but san wouldn’t have any of it, kneeling down in front of where you sat on the couch just so you could be eye to eye.

“you know one of the greatest voices of all time once said the blacker the berry the sweeter the juice.”

you had to laugh a bit, him smiling at seeing your face brighten.

“what? you’re quoting Tupac songs now?”

“it worked didn’t it!”

you grabbed his face in your hands then shook your head, “nah”

he’d scream and spend his whole day trying to show you that your skin is gorgeous no matter what it looks like. when you eventually go out to the beach, he purposely forgets to bring your wide brimmed hat and even the sunscreen, but that was an accident that he would regret later after the sun burn he endured.

mingi ♡

dating mingi had its pros and cons. of course, the pros outweighed the cons. but there were some days when you just couldn’t handle it. it had already been a rough week, your boss being nothing short of a dickhead and to make matters worse, the cyber bullying from unsupportive fans were through the roof.

it was expected after announcing you and him were officially dating after it being rumored but these comments were becoming malicious. picking at every single thing they could find, picking at every single insecurity.

you had spent the night scrolling through your mentions and they were just as bad as they were earlier that day. mingi was obviously a bit clueless, not aware of the fact you were getting bullied and he believed his fans were angels. you didn’t exactly want to ruin that image for him.

but the next morning, you stood in the mirror, your makeup laid all out in front of you but all you could do was stare at yourself.

maybe your skin was too dull, too dark. maybe your nose was too wide and your teeth were too yellow. maybe your thighs were too chubby, maybe your torso was too long.

a deep sigh escaped you as you let their words get to you, eating you from the inside out. mingi came in the bathroom, rambling and excited about your day together but he stopped seeing tears streaming down your face.

“baby, baby what’s wrong?” you didn’t say anything but instead just unlocked your phone to show him everything. you watched in the mirror his happy face turn stone cold, his jaw clenching and his body stiff.

“how long has this been going on?” he asked but didn’t even let you answer before he said, “no fuck that this is some bullshit.” he put your phone aside and turned you towards him, instantly reaching up to wipe your tears away.

“you are stronger than what they say,they are only speaking from hatred and jealousy okay?”

snifffling you shook your head, “I mean some of them are right, how could someone like you end up with someone like me?” even you hated hearing those words come from your mouth but nothing prepared you for seeing mingi’s eyes visibly express his heartbreak.

“if anyone is lucky in this relationship, it’s me. you are the prize, the golden ticket, the treasure I’ve been searching for forever.” he sighed deeply, leaning his forehead against yours, “please believe me when I say I love you for all of you and I wouldn’t want anyone else standing here, understand?”

when you nodded in understandment, mingi grinned and kissed you swiftly, “now come on! we have a date to get ready for!”

wooyoung ♡

you watched from afar as wooyoung laughed with her, his cheeks heated and his eyes bright. next to each other, they looked perfect, like they belonged together and not one person missed the cameras and media loving it.

you only agreed to go to the event because he begged you to but all you wanted to do was curl up in bed and disappear. while many had complimented your shimmering gold dress, it was her who had the spotlight and now touching your man’s arm.

you jumped a little when a man appeared at your side, you recognized him as one of their group’s associates. you had offered him a polite smile but his gentle smile did nothing to hide his venomous words that came next.

“people say they are gonna be the next couple. Korea’s next favorite couple, what do you think about that?”

when you just stared at him, he was about to continue but you excused yourself from the group you had been hanging with and walked across the room to where wooyoung and her were conversating, as you were walking past them, you buy him on purpose and don’t even apologize or glance back as you stormed off.

you had just stepped outside, the cool air comforting your heated skin when you felt a familiar grip on your arm.

“hey, where are you going?”

“I’m going home, woo, if you don’t mind.”

“without me?” he said with a laugh but seeing your expression, his laughter died down.“what’s wrong? did something happen? did someone try you?”

“yeah, you did. and I’m sure she’s still waiting on you.” you tried walking away again only for him to grab you again.

“my love, you know it’s only business.” he tried to say softly, but you shook your head, holding back tears.

“just tell me wooyoung, would you rather it would be her you were taking home? the way you looked at her...”you shook your head again and shrugged, “I felt invisible with her in the room, I had to bump you in order to get your attention! do you want to leave me for her? is that it?”

when he tried to touch your face, you stepped back, your vision blurring.

“I’m sorry okay? I’m sorry, I’m sorry,”he continued to repeat, his hands reaching for yours and this time he kissed each one as he pulled you back to him.

“I got caught up in the conversation, I wasn’t trying to ignore you or make you feel invisible.” he wiped away a stray tear with his thumb before cupping your cheek. “forgive me, i am truly sorry. why in the hell would I ever think of leaving you? especially for a girl who wouldn’t grease my dry ass scalp.” he mumbled and you rolled your eyes.

“boy bye, I can’t with you! and also, you can’t give me those puppy eyes and expect me to just give in, you know it doesn’t work like that.” you teased but still kissed the inside of his palm.

“well damn at least let me try!”

jongho ♡

he’d be so confuzzeled. he seriously thinks your skin is one of your best features, and also your butt but he wouldn’t tell you that. so when you’re complaining and ranting about having to get a summer foundation and how your skin just keeps getting darker and about staying indoors for the rest of the year, he’d have to laugh a bit.

“nothing’s funny jongho! I’m serious! some old lady today called me darkie today! i was just seconds from cussing her ass out.”

he’d come up behind you to where you were standing by the vanity, wrapping his arms around your waist. he’d wait until you met his eyes in the mirror before saying, “You could be blue, green, periwinkle, fucking velvet and I’d still hit it.”

you gasped, turning to his chest but he only laughed keeping his hold on you.

“jongho!”

“I’m serious too! you should love your skin no matter how dark or light it is, it’s beautiful no matter what. it makes you, it’s illuminating and always smells amazing, like that shea butter stuff!”

your pout left your bottom lip sticking out and he leaned around to kiss it before whispering that you’re so so so beautiful over and over until you were a giggling mess.

[winchesterbrotherstan]

Kong: Skull Island- Villagers

Pairing: Reg Slivko x Irene Brown

James Conrad x Irene Brown (brother-sister relationship)

Jack Chapman x Irene Brown (brother-sister relationship)

Summary: The gang is reunited and brought into civilization

Warnings: cursing... fighting?

Word Count: 3575

“That’s them!” I heard Mason’s voice.

Jack had a grip on my wrist, keeping me stuck behind him. I jumped, trying to see over his shoulder.

Mason, James, Houston, San, and Reg. All on canoes with people that seemed to be from a tribe. There was a man in an army uniform, an old one. He had a beard down to his chest.

“Slivko!” Jack called out and Reg popped out of his seat, practically sending him into the water. His brown hair fell around a dull red bandana.

James was in the river already, knee deep and moving as fast as he could. I yanked my hand away from Jack and all but sprinted at James, who had a wide smile on his dirt stained face.

“Jay!” I shouted as I reached him, jumping into his arms as he lifted me by the waist, gripping me tightly.

“You’re alive.” He whispered.

I nodded and he let me back down, the water to his knees and my thighs.

“Are you okay?” I asked, grabbing at his wrists.

He nodded. “Dazed is all. You’re bleeding.” He rubbed at my cheekbone.

I shrugged. “I think I’m okay.”

“She might have a concussion.” Jack said from behind me, holding my crossbow out for me.

“Chapman.” James stuck his hand out for Jack to shake.

Jack took it.

“Thanks for taking care of her.” James spoke, genuine.

“She actually took better care of me.”

They talked between themselves and I slipped away, leaving my bow to James. Reg was standing by his canoe, hands hooked in his pockets. He grinned goofily, pure enjoyment on his face.

I pressed myself to him and leaned up, pecking his cheek before wrapping my arms around him. He hooked an arm around my shoulders, holding my head against him with the other hand.

“You okay?” I mumbled against his shirt.

“Better now that I know you’re alive.” He whispered and I could hear his heart thumping.

I pulled my head back to look at him. He had a cut on his right eyebrow, along with horizontal scratches down the side of his face and neck.

“You’re hurt.” He cupped my cheek.

I kissed his palm. “I’ll be fine. What’s with that?” I pointed to his head.

His fingers brushed around the red fabric and he laughed.

“It’s my lucky bandana.”

“I wish you would’ve put it on sooner.” I grinned.

“You and me both, doll.” He smiled.

“Marlow. This is Major Jack Chapman and Irene, my little sister.” The boys had come back around to the canoes.

Reg kept his arms wrapped around me and turned us to the side so I could see who James was talking to. It was the man in the old army uniform. I knew that uniform. I had seen it on my uncles and my older cousins and at one point, on my father.

“Have you been here since World War Two?” I asked.

The man snorted in laughter. “Yes I have. Lieutenant Hank Marlow of the 45th. I was a pilot.”

I nodded, looking over at Jack. “He’s here thirty years and he’s alive. We’re here three hours and a lizard tries to eat us.” I shrugged nonchalantly, an everything’s fine tone to my voice.

Jack laughed. “You’re right.”

“A lizard?” James asked.

“Are you guys alright?” Mason’s voice was laced with concern.

“Long story.” Jack sighed.

“But we’re fine.” I smiled over at Mason.

“Ah, those things are the devil themselves.” Hank sighed. “But we’re burning daylight. Let’s keep moving, we’ve got room for two more.”

Reg squeezed my hand. “Stay with me?”

I looked to James, who nodded before settling back down next to Mason, my bow tucked between his feet. Jack took the canoe with Nieves, sticking his tongue out at me and gently placing his bag at his feet. Reg helped me into the canoe before getting in behind me, pulling me to lean back against him.

“Did you and Chapman acknowledge the giant ape? Because Mason and your brother refused to.” Reg spoke softly as his arms wrapped around my middle.

I let my head rest against his shoulder. “No. We kind of accepted it and moved on.”

Reg scoffed, pressing his lips against my forehead. “You’re all crazy.”

I smiled. “I seem to be the common link between James and Jack.”

 “I don’t think it’s your fault. You lived in the Amazon, remember?” He moved to rest his chin on my shoulder.

I chuckled. “You just want me to tell you about it, don’t you?”

He laughed, his chest rumbling against me and his breath tickling the side of my face. “A little, yeah.”

I smiled. “I’ll tell you about it tonight. I promise.”

He kissed the shell of my ear. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”

I laced my fingers through his. “I know. Me too.”

                                                           ***

“You’ve probably noticed a lot of weird things on this island. As long as we stay in here where the people live, we’ll be alright.” Hank spoke as we stepped out of the canoes.

James helped me out of mine and handed me my bow. I slung it over my shoulder. I noticed the lack of arrows and I mentally groaned. I was too stunned to retrieve the ones Jack and I had used to kill the lizard.

Hank looked to me, “That thing can’t be new.”

I realized he was talking about my crossbow. “It was my father’s.”

“He fight in World War Two?”

I nodded skeptically, thoughts broken as James slung his gun across his back and grabbed my hand, gripping it tightly.

“That wall…” Mason pointed to the wall made of logs, sharp at the end, dozens of feet high above our heads. “Is that supposed to keep out that thing?”

“Nah.” Hank said dismissively. “He’s not the one they’re trying to keep out.”

He walked away, expecting us to follow.

“What?” Houston was confused.

I looked at Jack over my shoulder as we turned to follow Hank. He tilted his head at me, lips in a tight line. I shook my head, serious. Something was weird here. It must’ve had something to do with the lizards. Hank had been dismissive the time Jack and I mentioned it before.

“These people live up on top of the trees while we’re down on the roots. Some of them don’t even seem to age. No crime. No personal property. They’re past all that.”

The people watched us as we walked by. They were cooking their food, building new shelters, weaving cloths. I pulled my hand from James’s to slide the hair tie off my wrist and tie it up. Hank stopped in front of two people. A woman, with blue paint on her face and her dark hair tied into a bun atop her head. Next to her, a man, bald with the same blue paint, a different pattern on his face and down his torso. These were the people in charge of the village. Their leaders. A group of what seemed to be guards came after them, some with spears and others with blades of sorts. These people had yellow paint, like the rest of the village.

Hank made eye contact, and there was some unspoken form of communication as they bowed a nod at him. I stared at Hank’s back. Looking the leaders in the eye was received differently depending on the culture of those people. I didn’t take any risks.

“Thank you.” He said softly to each of them individually.

They both nodded once more before walking away, their group of guards walking behind them.

“So good news.” Hank turned to us, but spoke mostly to James. “They say you can shack up here.”

He began to move, and so did the rest of us. James seemed confused, Jack shot me a look and Reg tilted his head. I shook my head at Jack. In some tribes, communication had nothing to do with verbality. Sometimes it all had to do with the look in somebody’s eyes.

“I didn’t hear them say anything.” James questioned.

“Oh they don’t speak too much.” Hank explained.

I grinned to myself. It was starting to look like my so called jungle expertise wouldn’t be needed. We had Hank now.

“When you’ve been here as long as I have, you start to understand. You’ll see.” Hank continued.

“Wait, wait, wait!” Nieves made his way to the front of the group, and for a moment I had completely forgotten he was with us.

“We can’t stay here. We have to get off the island, we have lives, I have a life.” He objected.

I shook free from James as he stepped in to stop Nieves. The villagers had stopped their work and looked at our group. I moved closer to Mason, whose eyes were wide. She noticed me immediately and turned, hugging me. I hugged back, my head fitting right under her neck. I didn’t realize how easily I had taken a liking to her until the possibility of her being gone presented itself. I pulled back and she brushed at the stray hairs in my face, a hand on my shoulder.

“You’re gonna have to tell me all about that lizard. Yeah?” She smiled.

I nodded. “Okay.”

“Nieves.” I heard James just as Nieves was starting to groan. “Now is not the time, alright?”

“What lands here tends to stay here.” Hank commented gravely.

I saw Reg visibly tense up at that. I gave Mason’s hand a squeeze before moving to Reg, a hand on his arm. He looked down at me fearfully. I shook my head.

“We’ll get home. I promise.”

He said nothing as he shifted his rifle to the other hand, grabbing my hand in his. Nieves stood there, a look on his face. James pulled him out of the way and let Hank lead us forward. The group stayed silent as Hank led us to a large ship, rusted and broken down.

“As far as I can tell, this ship washed up about ten years before I did.”

“You’ve been here since ‘44?” Mason lowered her camera and moved to catch up with him and James, who were at the front of the group.

“How’s she doin’ math right now?” Jack mumbled at me, eyebrows furrowed and a hint of a smirk on his face.

“Hey what happened with the war, did we win?” Hank asked.

I could see James physically recoil and Reg spoke up next to me. “Which one?”

Hank grumbled something back, but it was too quiet to hear from so far. He ducked into the ship, and James and Mason followed without hesitation. Jack looked at me cautiously before following. He wanted me to stay behind him just in case. I shook my head.

Hank led us deeper into the ship, which had a tunnel leading into a pit of darkness. I heard Nieves sigh from behind us. Houston whimpered. I looked up to Reg. He squeezed my hand before stepping in front of me, following Jack. I took my hand back and grabbed at my crossbow.

“This is all hallowed ground to them, so if you like your hands don’t touch anything.” Hank ordered.

My grip on my bow tightened and I heard Nieves grumble from behind me. San spoke to Houston in a hushed tone. She was quiet and calm. It was reassuring. Hank led us to a doorway, where he stopped and took off his hat. It was the inside of the boat, emptied out and lit by torches and the broken spots in what was now the top of the ship.

“Oh.” Mason gasped, following behind Hank.

Reg turned to look at James, a weary look in his eyes. I reached for his hand and he took it quickly, without even looking.

“Look at that.” She whispered, mesmerized.

An old man stood in front of a young girl with long hair and a young man with a blue fabric around his neck and head. The three of them had the same blue paint on. They turned and walked forward, and the group of villagers that had been in the ship now made their way to the sides. James took the lead, walking over to stones lined up in groups.

“The way they tell it, for thousands of years, the people on this island lived in fear. It’s a hell of a long time to be scared.”

I slipped my hand from Reg’s as I walked to my brother’s side. The white patterns on the stones formed an image. It was two lizard heads, with sharp teeth, trying to eat the people. I reached out for Jack, eyes trained on the picture. He came to stand behind me, gasping when he realized what I had. We kept walking.

“And then one day the damndest thing happened.”

The next set of stones was the ape from earlier, with people bowing to worship him. I looked to Jack, who shrugged. He had been within a hundred feet from us and all he did was unknowingly throw something in our direction. Maybe he wasn’t all that bad.

“Some of the things they were afraid of started protecting them against the things that were eatin’ them. But nothing lasts forever.”

The same ape, kneeling by two skeletons of his size.

“His parents?” Jack whispered to me, and I stared, confused.

James walked ahead of Hank, to the small fountain made of bricks and stones, in front of a drawing of the ape and the people bowing before him.

“This is where they honor the last of their saviors.”

We all stood in awe, necks craned up to see the picture. I expected a click from Mason’s camera but it never came. I shook my head. We shouldn’t have come here. It wasn’t our business.

“Yeah…” Hank came up between James and I. “That’s Kong. He’s king around here. He’s God to these people.”

I looked at James and he was already looking at me. I scanned his confused face, eyebrows furrowed and jaw set. I felt myself making the same expression. I shook my head.

I don’t know what’s going on.

The air was tense and I felt like we were in danger.

“Kong’s a pretty good king.” Hank poked James in the back before walking behind him. “Keeps to himself, mostly. This is his home. We’re just guests here.”

I heard Nieves scoff from behind Houston. I noticed San give him a scowl out of the corner of my eye. Hank circled us, passing behind Reg before standing between us and the alter.

“But you don’t go into someone’s house and start dropping bombs unless you’re picking a fight.” Hank pointed an accusatory finger at us.

Jack cleared his throat and I moved a hand back to my bow, gripping tightly.

“Wasn’t Kong the one who killed your friend?” Mason asked.

I looked to Jack, confused. He only shrugged. It must’ve been something they talked about before we found them.

Hank’s expression changed from angry to upset. “No. One of them did.” He pointed to another picture of the lizards. I pulled Jack toward it, not caring about unsettling the silence. A lizard with two legs. I felt my shoulders drop.

“Kong is God, but the devils live below us.”

Jack tugged on my shoulder, bringing me closer to James and Mason as James questioned Hank.

“And what are they called?”

Hank hesitated before whispering, “The Iwis won’t speak their name. But I call them Skull Crawlers.”

James stayed tense. “Why?”

Hank’s voice came back to a normal volume. “Cause it sounds neat.”

James nodded shortly before turning to Mason, who had sent him a scrutinizing look. She opened her mouth to say something, but James cut her off with an “okay”.

“Look, I just made that name up. I’m trying to scare you.” Hank grumbled.

“I’m fine calling them that. Are you cool with that?” Mason spoke to James, who mumbled an agreement.

“I’ve never said that name out loud before, it sounds stupid now that I say it. You call them whatever you want. The big lizard things. Nasty. They come from the vents, deep down. That’s why Kong got so mad.”

The green creature flashed in my mind again. It smelled horrible. Now it made sense why. Jack clasped a hand on my shoulder, bringing me back to reality.

“The bombs woke them up. Didn’t they?” I asked.

Hank nodded. “That’s exactly what happened. I’ll tell you what, you’re lucky he’s out there too, or you wouldn’t have made it this far.”

Jack snorted loudly. Hank looked at him, angry and confused.

“One came after us.” Jack announced.

Hank shook his head. “It must’ve been something else.”

I shook my head, ponytail swinging against my neck. “No.”

“How did you make it to here then?” He questioned us.

I felt all eyes on me, and Jack standing behind me. I gripped my bow so tightly I thought it would snap in two.

“Irene killed it.” Jack stated.

I tilted my head, “More of a team effort.”

“How in the hell did you kill one of them?” Hank asked, stepping closer. His emotions were a mixture of anger and disbelief.

Jack took a step back, pulling me along by the shoulders. He squeezed my shoulder, telling me to speak. I glanced at James and his instructions rung in my head once more. He grinned, knowing what was coming. He was proud.

“I cut it open.”

Hank stared, mouth dropped open. I felt Reg staring at me too, the same expression as Hank, only a warmth to it. I grinned a bit as Jack leaned forward, both hands on either shoulder. He usually didn’t act this cocky, but I found it amusing.

“But please. Keep telling us about your story.” He spoke.

Hank sighed, turning back to his original spot. “They’re crafty bastards. Mean as hell. Now he can handle them as long as he gets to them when they’re still small. Now you don’t wanna wake up the big one.”

“How big is it?” San asked.

I looked off to the side to see that Reg had sat on the floor, a horrified look on his face as Hank answered.

“It’s bigger. It wiped out his whole family.”

Reg tilted his head, looking back at me and breathing hard. I shrugged. He shook his head, disgruntled. I moved away from Jack and over to him slowly. He dropped a hand from his knee to wrap around my ankle. I rested my hand on his shoulder.

“Now Kong’s still growing. And you better hope he does, because the Iwis say once Kong goes, then the big one comes up. Then it’s goodnight Irene.”

It was just a song, but it made everyone tense up. Reg’s hold on my ankle turned into a grip, and his shoulder seemed to turn to stone. James’s eyes flicked back at me. I shook my head.

I looked out at all the people that were in the room with us. Kids my age, kids younger. Generations upon generations. This wasn’t a small family. This was a people.

“Listen. There’s a refuelling team coming to the North end of the island in three days.” James explained.

“You should come with us.” Mason spoke.

“To the North end of the island?” Hank began to laugh, grabbing James’s arm.

James took it positively and began to laugh back. I sighed, knowing that Hank was only laughing at us.

“Yes. We’re going to get out of here.” James tried to reassure him.

Slivko dropped his head, sensing our most likely impending doom. I wiggled my leg and he let go of my ankle. I dropped down to kneel between his legs, hands on his wrists.

“Are you okay?”

He chuckled bitterly, quietly. “We are seventeen. And we are going to die here.”

“No we won’t. We are not going to die. Not here.” I shook my head, trying to get him to look at me.

He didn’t respond.

“Reg.” I sighed.

He brought his head back up, finally meeting my eyes. His were red and watery and he looked afraid and angry.

“Hey. I killed one before. I can just do it again.” I smiled softly.

His lips turned up into his goofy grin. He brought his hands up to grab my face and pulled me closer to him, pecking my lips. I pulled away with a smile and stood up, holding my hand out for him to take.

Hank was still laughing, only now he began to pat James’s face. It evolved into a slap. I shoved my crossbow off my shoulder. The villagers noticed, and the air grew tense. Mason looked between Hank and James and me. She shook her head, teeth closed and eyes wide. James had stopped laughing.

“You can’t get to the North end of the island in three days. It’s impossible. That’s it. No way.” Hank began to walk away.

I slung my crossbow back over my shoulder, making my way to James, Reg following close behind. I remembered the pictures we had been shown.

“The river runs clear from South to North!” I called after Hank.

He turned back to me, a grin growing on his face.

“Now we can’t do that on foot.” I started, grasping at James’s hand.

“But you could on a boat.” Hank smiled wide.

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