#he never made it far enough to be in the group that got surrounded

[woantohae]

Every breath you take || (Bob Reynolds x reader)

Summary: After a failed mission, in which Y/N ​​almost drowned trying to keep herself and Bob afloat, the man feels guilty for not being able to save them. Or more like, save her.

Author's note: Did you guys watch the new teaser of THUNDERBOLTS*???? I literally can't stop watching it and I repeat over and over again to find any new detaill of Sentry.

I'm gonna start writing more of Bob Reynolds because it's never enough <33

《tags: fluff, hints of angst, Bob being shy, mentions of drowning, angst, Bob being guilty for what happened》

Lost and insecure.

That's how Bob felt after having caused destruction in New York City. After having been the cause - or having been part of - such chaos that drove the city crazy.

He still didn't fully understand his powers and everything that he and... his other self were capable of. It hadn't been long since Valentina and her followers experimented on him to turn him into their weapon. But when he was able to escape Valentina's perfect varnished nails, he was able to feel a little calmer.

Until he felt the heavy gazes of the rest of the team again.

It wasn't like they did it on purpose to make him feel bad about himself, but they still hadn't forgotten what had happened. Bob knew it would take time to gain their trust and really become part of the group, but he was struggling to do so. He constantly made an effort to make small gestures and actions that showed he was trying hard. But the man always received a smile that was almost polite rather than genuine. He couldn't blame them though, Bob would be like that too if he were in the rest of them's place.

He always kept quiet. When Alexei, Yelena or Bucky spoke to him, he allowed himself to respond. Or when it was time to eat, he usually excused himself by saying that he wasn't hungry, but whenever the rest finished and went somewhere else, he would go to the kitchen, take a plate of food and eat it while silence surrounded him. The silence of the environment, because his head was always making noise.

If they didn't want to include him yet, he would wait. However, even if he didn't realize it, Y/N was always there trying to include him.

The girl didn't feel pity for the man. No, that was not it. She knew what he was going through, because she had also been through something similar, so she could understand him. Besides, there was no point in bringing up the past and blaming Bob for his actions, because every member of the team had done wrong in their past. Even her.

And now it's not like they were doing anything good either.

Y/N was fighting off four men who were trying to stop her. The team was on a mission to infiltrate the mansion of a drug dealer of the Soldier's serum, who was trafficking it to the least suitable people to manipulate it. They had fought and killed many of those who crossed their path to stop him. Staining their hands with blood, something they were already accustomed to.

After Y/N was able to finish off the men, she takes the suitcase with the samples and places the earphone in her ear.

"I already have the samples. We need to move before more of them arrive" she announces as she rushes to run through the hallways until she exits through the courtyard of the mansion.

"Got it. Guys, go to the meeting point" Yelena orders "Alexei will come for you"

"On my way!" The man says.

Y/N adjusts the suitcase in her hands and walks through the backyard that overlooks a large forest. It was obvious that such a person would live as far away from everything as possible to avoid being caught. In the distance she sees Bob waiting for her. They had agreed on this meeting place so that Alexei could come and pick them up in the helicopter. The spot was right on the edge of a cliff so that Alexei could stay in the air when he picked them up and escape as soon as they got into the helicopter. It was quite high from where they were, and as Bob waited he had seen how rocky it was down there and how the waves broke against the rocks in a violent impact.

Y/N comes to Bob's side and smiles at him, moving the suitcase triumphantly.

"I told you it would be easy," she tells him, catching her breath.

Bob, in the splendid Sentry suit, looked at her proudly and shyly at the same time.

"You should have let me go with you. Something could have happened to you," he mentions, looking over the girl's shoulder, in case someone unexpectedly came.

"Worried about me?" she asks amused. Bob blushes "Aww, no one has ever worried about me that much"

He smiles amused and looks away to the sky to see if Alexei is nearby. "Are you sure you want to wait for him? I could carry you in my arms so we can get out of here faster" the man points out, turning to look at her again.

"It's okay. They'll come for us," she points out, and her eyes widen as she sees a man sneak up behind Bob and hit him with a rock. "Bob!"

Y/N rushes to send the man flying away with her powers, while she watches as Bob staggers and falls off the cliff. She drops the suitcase and without hesitating twice, she throws herself after the brown-haired boy, who luckily doesn't fall into the rocks.

Bob falls into the depths of the sea, while Y/N dives right behind him to grab him. As she can, she grabs his arm and tries to pull him afloat, but he's heavier than her, so it's harder than it looks. As soon as she manages to lift him a little and pull him with her, Y/N gets her head out of the water while trying to get Bob's head to face the outside as well.

She tries to stay calm, but the desperation of not touching the ground consumes her. The waves crash against both of them, causing Y/N to start gulping water.

"Yelena...." she tries to speak.

"Y/N..... we are...... guys....." Yelena's voice is heard in her ear.

"We're in the water," she manages to say, before a wave covers them for a few moments.

Y/N clings to Bob's unconscious body, still straining to keep them both out of the water. She feels the tiredness take over every muscle in her body, feeling the temperature of the water freezing her with every passing second. Y/N spits out the water that enters her mouth and looks at Bob, who keeps his eyes closed.

"Please, Bob. Stay with me" she begs, hugging him against her as best she can to stay afloat "Stay with me..."

After that, Y/N closes her eyes.

Y/N opens them still feeling like she's in the sea. But she's relieved to look around the corners of her room.

She sits on the bed and sighs as she listens to the raindrops falling hard outside, feeling at peace for a moment until she remembers the man.

Bob.

Where is him? Is he okay?

These and more questions invade the girl's head.

"Shit" she curses and rushes to remove the sheets from her body, bringing her feet to the floor, but feeling an object that prevents her from moving.

Or rather, the body of a person.

"Ah! Shit!" he complains.

Y/N looks with surprise at the person, freezing in place as soon as she sees that it's Bob, sitting on the floor and removing the blankets from his body.

"Bob? What are you doing sleeping on the floor?" she asks him, kneeling down next to him.

Bob scratches his eyes and then looks at her.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay," he replies in a low tone, as if he were embarrassed, "after the mission."

She gulps and a small smile curves her lips.

"Are you okay?" she asks, bringing her hand closer to his, but not touching it.

Bob nods.

"I'm sorry" he says suddenly.

Y/N frowns not quite understanding what he's referring to. "What are you sorry about?"

Bob stares at her with guilt flashing in his blue eyes.

"That I couldn't have saved you right away."

She looks down and shakes her head.

"It's not your fault" she lets him know. "We didn't see the guy coming and we didn't know what was going to happen after that either."

Bob closes his eyes and lets out a sigh, starting to feel the pain in his head spreading. He feels the guilt consume him and believes that the team will continue to hate him for what happened. Y/N shakes her head at the thoughts of the man in front of her.

"Stop blaming yourself Bob, no one will hate you for what happened" Y/N intertwines her fingers with his. “I don’t want to see you like this.”

Bob reconnects his gaze with hers, letting her fingers caress his.

“I don’t want you to hate me,” he admits in a whisper. “I’m supposed to be strong and have the power to protect you guys from anything. Protect you from anything, but I.... couldn’t. I was weak.”

She rushes to wrap her arms around him, feeling him hug her tightly, as if she were going to fade away from his arms. Y/N caresses his back, feeling the wool fabric of his blue vest that he wears to sleep. The girl feels him sob on her shoulder, feeling a weight on her heart.

"Bob, it's okay" she whispers.

They spend a little more time hugging each other until Bob calms down a little, still in her arms. When they separate, she puts her hands on the man's cheeks so that he looks at her.

"What happened doesn't make you weak. We can't always save others, but we can let ourselves be saved by others" she tells him softly, under the man's saddened gaze. "It's not your obligation to protect me, but I appreciate that you want to do it."

Bob reimains silent.

She lets out a sigh as she sees that the guilt is still eating him up inside. Y/N makes a face and stands up, being watched by Bob from the floor, with puppy dog ​​eyes.

"Come," she holds out her hand.

Bob frowns slightly and stands up holding her hand. Y/N leads him by the hand until he is in front of her bed, to which he opens his eyes like saucers.

"No, I can't...."

"Bob," she interrupts him.

With her look she seems to tell him that she will not let him continue sleeping on the floor, so he gives up and watches as Y/N lays down, leaving him a space on the bed. Hesitantly, he drops onto the bed and climbs inside, while Y/N covers him with the sheets. Bob gulps and doesn't know where to put his hands or how to position himself so as not to disturb her or make her feel uncomfortable, so the girl takes the initiative and puts her head on Bob's chest, putting an arm around his waist and hugging him. The brunette moves his hands slowly until he hugs her waist as well and feels the warmth of the closeness between them.

Bob prays that the girl can't hear the rapid beating of his heart against his chest, but he knows that's impossible with her so close to his chest. He doesn't care anymore though, because she's in his arms now and in that moment he knows that she's safe.

"I promise next time I won't let anything bad happen to you" he whispers as his eyes gaze out the window and out into the rainy night "I'll be watching you. Always"

She smiles and feels her heart warm at his words.

"I know" she lets him know "I promise you that too, Bob"

And both swear on their souls that such a promise will not be broken.

[organic-bloodbath]

Can you write about a shy reader who is involved with Gi-hun's group and she is completely oblivious to Thanos showing interest in her until the Mingle challenge when it came down to 2 people and Thanos saw an opportunity to get close to the reader?

Mingle

Thanos x Reader

Summary: As above.

A/N: Bestie this is EXACTLY what i've wanted to write. Please leave any other requests you have in mind 🫶🏻

Part 2

☆☆☆

Thanos was surrounded by his fans, all clinging on him and ready to take a picture together.

"Hey, there's room for one more," he said with a smirk and winked an eye to you. You didn't say anything, only quickly turned away and left, walking faster than before and hands in your pockets.

During the Red light Green light game, Thanos noticed that you seemed to be a little clumsy and struggled to stay still. He wasn't far away from you and ran in front of you, pushing others out of his way, not caring if they fell and got killed.

"Stay behind me, pretty flower," he said with a low voice, but loud enough that you heard. You were confused but thankful.

During the run towards the goal you were stumbling a little bit once in a while and if it weren't for Thanos, you would have been shot several times. You had always had a bad coordination.

Every time someone was shot, you had to shut your eyes and just imagine that it wasn't real, people weren't actually getting killed if you didn't see it. You pretended it to be just an act. Your entire body was shaking and you had never struggled this much to stay calm.

You crossed the finish line when there was only 4 seconds left and couldn't believe that you actually made your way into safety.

"Glad to see that a pretty face made it through," Thanos said next to you, his shoulder almost brushing yours.

"Yeah, um, thank you," you said quietly.

When they shot the rest of the players who hadn't managed to cross the line in time, you shut your eyes again and put hands against your ears to muffle out the sound.

You didn't know how long you stayed standing there like that, until you felt a hand touching your arm, making you to open your eyes.

"It's over now, okay?" Thanos said, looking at you with a concerned look.

☆☆☆

"Señorita, excuse me," a voice said right behind you, making you startle and turn around. "Play a game with me."

You struggled to get a word out of your mouth at first, nervous having a few men around him stare at you as well.

"Um, no thank you," you mumbled. "I already got a group, sorry."

"You can still change," Thanos suggested and stepped closer, standing right in front of you. He was a lot taller than you and you had to look up to meet his eyes. "I'll keep you safe, okay?"

"I'll pass, thanks," you said, feeling awkward and your mouth turning into a thin line. You didn't want to abandon your group, now that they had just found the correct amount of players to play the game.

Thanos looked after you as you hurried away from him without another word and narrowed his eyes. You joined a group of a few older men, and by looking at them, Thanos knew you would have a better change of winning with him than them.

☆☆☆

"You were good at Ddakji," Thanos said, appearing next to you out of thin air. "Maybe we could play it together some day. You win - you get to slap me. I win - i get to give you a kiss."

"I don't slap people for fun," you answered, with a tone as if his offer had been offensive.

"Well, then i'll make sure to win every round, hm?"

"I never lose," you said coldly, but a short smile spread on your lips just to mock him.

"I always like a good-" Thanos started but you were already walking away to have a dinner with your friends, ignoring him completely.

☆☆☆

During the Mingle game, Thanos saw you with the same group of men as before - they seemed to protect you well and not leave you alone even once. A younger man, possibly around his age, made sure to always grab your hand and lead you to another room with other players.

When it was time to find a room with a group of 2, Thanos started running towards one of the rooms with Nam-gyu, kicking other people out of his way. But when he was about to enter the room and already held the door frame, he looked behind him and saw something what made his heart drop.

Just a moment ago you had had a partner, but now you had fallen on the floor, none of your group members in sight, not even the man who had protected you previously. You were all alone and holding your ankle, struggling to get up.

"Sorry, brother, you're on your own right now," Thanos said, patting Nam-gyu on his shoulder a few times and sprinting away from him.

"Dude, what the fuck?!" he heard Nam-gyu yelling after him but he didn't turn to look at him. Instead, he looked at the time left and then at you.

20 seconds.

You didn't notice him arriving next to you and when he scooped you in his arms, you let out a startled yelp.

Your eyes widened when you looked at him carrying you to safety as fast as he could, your arms automatically wrapping themselves around his neck to keep you from falling, even though he had a firm grip on you.

Thanos opened one of the rooms and put you down, but two people were already in the room. He didn't hesitate even a second, instantly throwing them out of there, closing the door and hearing it to lock right after.

You stared at him in shock and were panting rapidly, ready to have a panic attack soon. When the shootings started, you winced and were about to put your hands against your ears to muffle out the sound.

But Thanos was immediately next to you, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you tightly against him, pressing your head against his chest with his hand against your ear. You closed your eyes and didn't hear barely anything else than his heart beat which was a lot faster than normal.

You melted in his arms and felt yourself to calm down a little bit, feeling the panic leave your body. When the shootings had stopped, he pulled you away from him, but had a grip on your shoulders, making you to look at him

"Why were you there all alone and not with your group?" Thanos asked, furrowing his eyebrows. You weren't sure if he was angry, worried or simply saw you as pathetic, thinking you had given up so easily.

"I was pushed away... I um... I don't really remember," you mumbled and slightly shook your head. "Why did you save me and not your friend?"

"I told you i'd keep you safe."

"But your friend..."

"He can take care of himself," Thanos said and shrugged. "And if he couldn't - well, it was nice knowing another fan i guess."

You kept staring at him directly in his eyes, making his heart skip a beat. This was the first time he got a proper eye contact with you, previously you always avoided his gaze.

"Well, thank you, Thanos." You let yourself give him a little smile, which made Thanos to feel warm inside.

"You know my name, huh?"

"Doesn't everyone?" you asked like it was common knowledge.

"Fair," he shrugged. "I think i deserve to hear your name as well or do i continue calling you 'pretty flower'?"

You felt your cheeks feel hot and turn red and you broke the eye contact for a moment. Thanos found it adorable how two words could make you so flustered.

"Y/N."

"Y/N," Thanos whispered, as if trying to taste what it felt like in his mouth. "Beautiful name for a beautiful girl."

Your cheeks got even warmer now, you weren't used to guys complimenting your looks or barely any attention from guys at all. That line was so cheesy and used too it made you cringe, just a little bit.

"Thanks," you nervously said and put a strand of hair behind your ear. "What's yours? Your real name?"

Thanos looked at you for a moment, comtemplating whether to reveal it or not.

"Su-bong," he soon said.

"Su-bong," you said, wondering where you had heard the name before. "Oh, i knew a Su-bong once. He was my neighbour, died choking in a pancake."

"I hope they won't serve us pancakes here then," Thanos chuckled and quickly crossed his fingers. "That would be an embarrassing way to die. I'd also want to get out of here alive so i can take you on a date after all this. With or without the pancakes."

Your chest felt tighter and you had butterflies in your stomach, but before you could respond, the lock on the door opened and you were allowed to leave. The game was now over.

You were thankful that the door was unlocked right at that moment, because you didn't know what to say. Nobody had asked you out before, partly because you avoided people and had social anxiety.

"Y/N!" a man shouted on the other side of the room. "Y/N, where are you?!"

You walked towards the voice and locked eyes with Dae-ho, huge relief on both of your faces. Seeing that him and the rest of your group was safe, you felt a lot lighter and felt like you could breathe freely again.

Before you were able to return to your group, Thanos grabbed your wrist to make you look at him one more time.

"Join me for dinner tonight?" he suggested. "I'd be happy to share my dry rice and milk with you."

"Um," you quickly glanced towards your group waiting for you, as if trying to get them approval without any words. "Okay."

This time when you left him, you gave him a warm smile, biting your lip to keep it in but failing.

"Were you really going to let me die because you want to get laid?" Nam-gyu spat next to him, Thanos had barely heard him arrive there, he was busy looking after your figure. "I was forced to save some useless old man."

Thanos turned to look at him with a stare so cold and deadly that Nam-gyu was prepared for a fist on his face and getting a broken nose, making him take a step back with his hands in the air as defense.

"You shut the fuck up," Thanos threatened, his demeanor immediately changing from nice to angry when he changed his attention on Nam-gyu.

Thanos spared one last glance at you before you all left the game area, you having Dae-ho's arm around your shoulder and him making you laugh about something.

Thanos couldn't help but feel a little sting of jealousy stab his heart.

[marauder-misprint]

Hiii! So I wanna start off by saying how absolutely in love I am with your writing. It's so fucking amazing and I can never get enough, I swear I've read most of your marauders' fics more than three times cause they just stay absolute gems 😭

I love how you write Remus, he's such a cutie, and I was hoping maybe you'd want to write a little fic with shy!reader x casanova!Remus? Some pining from reader's side, who's not at all popular or well-known and wayyy too shy to ever make a move, let alone on Remus? I'd like it to be fluffy, but it can contain basically anything you want 🫶

Thank you so so so much!

🥰🥰🥰 Thank you for all the love/support and the request!

And if reader won't make a move on Remus, he'll make a move on you. But politely bc that's who Remus is.

'These damn stairs'

part 2, part 3

Remus Lupin x reader

2k words

cw: fluff, mutual pining

It was a common sight to see: Remus studying in the library at a full table. Occasionally, the other seats were filled by James, Sirius and Peter, but more often than not, they were filled with various girls. He was always leaning over the table to explain something, keeping his voice low enough to not disrupt others. When he wasn’t at his own table, you would watch him offer his assistance to other girls in the area. It was obvious why so many girls loved him and purposefully sat near his table, simply hoping their expression was confused enough to catch his attention.

From what you could tell, he loved it too. How could he not? Pretty girls from every house trying to get his attention. You knew Gryffindor girls were the luckiest; they could vie for his attention in their common room as well and they had the highest chance of sharing a class with him. 

You watched Remus from afar. He was a mischievous genius, part of the Marauders and a prefect. You were a nobody who preferred to stay out of the spotlight. As much as you’d like to have Remus’ attention, you knew it would come with far more eyes on you than you wanted. You made peace with admiring him in secret. You envied the girls with the courage to lean over his shoulder, asking him to read their essay for them. You wished you were a part of the group that surrounded him during quidditch matches. You dreamed that one day Remus might invite you to Hogsmeade on a date, despite knowing that the chances of that were slim. 

You were surviving the day and on your way to the library during your free period. 

At least you were when your foot sunk into a fake step and got lodged. You cried out as your books spewed from your arms, spilling down the stairs. The few students who were around you snickered and walked around you. No one stopped to help you up or free your foot. The embarrassment alone was enough for tears to prick your eyes. You squeezed your eyes shut and took deep breaths to gather yourself.

“Hey, are you okay?” 

That voice. You’d recognize it anywhere. You opened your eyes to see Remus kneeling next to you. He had some of your things that had fallen farther down the stairs. 

“These damn stairs, right?” he joked when you didn’t answer him.

He set your things down a few steps up and then gently reached for your calf. 

“Turn your foot to the left. Then point your toes. It’ll help you wiggle your foot free,” he instructed.

You did as told and soon enough you were free. 

“Thanks,” you said softly. 

You immediately went into gathering the rest of your things.

“Yeah, it’s no problem, love.” He stood up when you did. “I’m Remus, by the way.” Part of you wanted to laugh that Remus thought you didn’t know who he was. Instead, you mumbled out your name and said, “Thanks again, Remus.”

Then, no longer feeling like studying due to your humiliation, you headed in the direction of your common room, holding your book tight to your chest. Remus watched you walk away. He recognized your face from the classes you had together and the time you spent at the library. He had never approached you in the library because of the focus that emanated from your table; he didn’t want to disturb your flow. 

You hoped to put the embarrassment of falling into a false step behind you. You had gotten Remus’ attention, but it wasn’t in the way you wanted. You certainly hadn’t wanted it to be paired with the laughter of your peers. Little did you know how deeply you caught Remus’ attention.

He chatted with his friends outside of the Transfiguration classroom the next day. When you walked by, he smiled at you and said hello. You returned the gesture and hoped you weren’t blushing as all of his friends looked at you. You took your seat and tried to calm yourself down. Simple pleasantries should not send you into such a frenzy. 

Remus noticed your reaction, finding it curious. It didn’t deter him from acknowledging you whenever he was near you. He would’ve been lying to himself if he said he didn’t think your blush was cute. The more he observed you, the more he realized how much you kept to yourself and seemed content to be alone. That, however, made Remus want to get to know you. He wanted to know the girl who hadn’t put herself directly in his path. 

He made sure to stop by wherever you were studying in the library to say hello. He would take a longer route to where his friends were sitting in the Great Hall so that he could ask you a question about homework, whether he actually needed the answer or not. He tried to catch you in between classes, but you proved to be more elusive then. Each interaction left you blushing and flustered, although after two weeks of it, you came more accustomed to it. Remus saw that as progress and hoped you would be open to having a real conversation with him. 

If someone had told you a month ago that you’d be trying to avoid Remus, you wouldn’t have believed them. However, you somewhat were. Every time he spoke to you, you felt like the whole castle was listening in and judging every word you said to him. You assumed that he was just being polite. You assumed that you were just the girl who fell on the stairs to him. 

---

“When I call your name, come get your essay and then you are dismissed,” Professor Flitwick said, holding the stack of graded essays at the front of the classroom. “James Potter, Emmeline Vance, Severus Snape, Remus Lupin.”

The first four students got up and retrieved their essays. You rested your head on your hand as you waited for your name. Obviously they weren’t in alphabetical order, and you assumed it wasn’t grade-wise either since you were confident in the essay you turned in. After a few more names were called, Flitwick called yours. You got your essay, noted the O at the top and left the classroom with a small smile on your face. Maybe it was the order in which the essays were turned in?

“Hey!” Remus called from where he was standing off to the side. 

You kept walking. There was no way that he was talking to you. Sirius or Peter must’ve been called after you. 

Then he called your name. You froze. You could hear footsteps as he jogged over to you. 

“How’d you do?” he asked once at your side. “O! Nice.”

You realized you were still holding your essay and hurriedly tucked it inside of your things.

“Yeah, I put in the work.” 

He gave you his easy smile and then ran a hand through his hair.

“I was wondering if I could ask you something.”

“Um, sure?” 

“Would you like to study with me later?”

You stared at him, unable to breathe. Had he just asked if you wanted to study with him? Well, yes, he had. But it didn’t feel real. Your mind started to spin with worry. You wanted to study with Remus. You wanted to spend time with him. But whenever he studied, he was always surrounded by so many other people vying for his attention. It was bad enough that whenever he talked to you, you could feel the eyes of everyone passing you; you knew that they were wondering why a guy like Remus was talking to a nobody like you. 

Remus said your name, bringing you out of your thoughts. 

“Uh, yeah. Yeah. I’d like that,” you managed to say.

His smile, which had briefly faltered at your hesitation, relaxed. 

“Great!” he said. “Meet you outside the library after dinner, yeah?” 

“Yeah. Erm, I’ll see you then, Remus.”

Remus turned and headed back towards the classroom, likely to wait for Sirius and Peter if they hadn’t been called already. You took a deep breath to steady yourself before you continued on your own way. You had just agreed to study with Remus and he was the one to ask you. He had actually asked you. And you agreed. 

It didn’t take long for your nerves to spike. You were regretting your decision to agree. The feeling of looming embarrassment hung around you for the rest of the day and through dinner. Part of you debated sending Remus a note saying that you were feeling ill and couldn’t make it, but another part told you that he might not invite you again and this could be your chance to make an impression on him. 

You ended up walking to the library. With each step, you felt your heart rate increase. You were sure that if you weren’t holding onto your things with such a death grip, your hands would be shaking. 

Remus was waiting for you, just as he had said he would. 

“Hi!” he greeted you enthusiastically. 

You smiled at him as he held open the door for you.

“I’ve got a table claimed in the back,” he told you, taking the lead.

Your nerves changed into confusion as you passed Remus’ usual collection of tables. He led you to a more secluded part of the library where his things littered one of the smaller tables with only two chairs around it.

Trying not to sound too ecstatic by the sight, you asked, “Oh, is it just us?”

Remus chuckled softly. “I invited you to study, not our entire year.”

A subtle blush dusted your cheeks.

“Oh… I just… You’re usually…” you mumbled.

“Yeah, I know,” he said. There was that easy smile again. “Forgive me if I'm wrong, but I assumed you’d rather have a more private table.” He paused as he watched your face for a change in expression. “We can move to a different table, if you’d like.”

Your blush became more prominent. He actually put thought into what table you’d like to study at? 

“Oh, no, no. This is good. You’re right. I study better when there’s less people around.”

“Helps with focusing, don’t it?”

“Yeah,” you breathed as you placed your things on the table.

His smile grew. He pulled out your chair and helped you in before taking his own seat. The two of you worked diligently in silence for a while. Every once in a while he stopped and watched you work; he loved the face you made when you focused so deeply that nothing around you could catch your attention. 

“What’d you think of Slughorn’s lecture today?” he asked.

“Hm?” You looked up from your assignment and processed what he had asked. “Kind of repetitive, if I’m honest. I guess some students need the review though…”

“Glad it wasn’t just me,” he smirked. “Good thing there are some pretty distractions in that class.”

You gave him a curious look as you repeated, “Pretty distractions?”

“You know,” he said, resting his elbow on the table, “the same pretty distraction that I have Charms, Transfiguration, Arithmancy, Defense with.”

You bit your lip. You had those classes with him.

“Believe it or not, saw that same distraction on the stairs a few weeks ago. Strange how she travels…”

Oh. oh. You blushed furiously before turning your attention back to your assignment. Remus Lupin was not flirting with you. There was no way. 

He let you return to your work, watching you sort through your thoughts for a minute before returning to his own. Once again, you worked in tandem. After a while, you started yawning. You cleaned up your stuff, which caught Remus attention. 

“This was nice,” he said as he started to gather his own things. “I’d like to study with you more, if you’ll have me.”

If you’ll have me. 

“Same time tomorrow?” you offered.

“Same time tomorrow.”

As he watched you leave the library, all Remus could think about was getting you to come out of that shell of yours. Maybe then he’d be able to ask you out on a date. 

[navybrat817]

If you're still taking ficlet requests, maybe a dark or soft dark Bucky who works for your dad?

I hope you like where I went with this, nonnie!

Dollhouse

Pairing: Soft Dark!Bucky Barnes x Female Reader

Word Count: Over 900

Warnings: Toxic family, implied cheating (not reader or Bucky), drug and drinking reference, inspired by the song Dollhouse. Soft!Dark Bucky Barnes and implied future dubcon/noncon.

You didn’t want to come home for the weekend. You lost track of how many times you told your dad that. It didn’t matter that you weren’t a child anymore or that you weren’t living at the mansion. The expectation was that you would play the part of a supporting daughter in front of his employees no matter what. It was laughable, if not utterly sad. Either most didn’t know your family was far from a happy one or they didn’t care. And why would they as long as they got what they wanted?

Places, places, get in your places. Throw on your dress and put on your doll faces.

“Dad, I’m going to change and go for a swim,” you announced.

Your dad along with the group of men that surrounded him turned their heads toward you. Most of the men averted their gazes after a moment, except for one: Bucky Barnes. Ever since he started working for your dad he took an unexpected interest in you. He was always asking about your personal life, and he seemed all too happy when your recent relationship ended. Your dad, of course, loved him because he was a hard worker and made him money.

“Where’s your brother?” your dad asked, making you look away from Bucky.

“Couldn’t tell you,” you answered. If you had to guess, he was off in his room getting high.

“Okay. Just enjoy your swim, princess.” You did your best not to roll your eyes at the nickname. “But make sure you’re set for dinner. Your mother’s cooking your favorite.”

You did roll your eyes this time, and Bucky continued to stare. Your mom never lifted a finger in the kitchen. She’d order out and make it look like she did it herself.

Everyone thinks that we're perfect. Please don't let them look through the curtains.

“Of course, dad,” you said, leaving without another word and feeling a pair of cold blue eyes follow your every move.

The chatter from the main room filled the hall as you went to your room to change, the sound muffled once you shut the door. You blocked it out as best as you could as you selected one of your bathing suits and changed. You hoped your mom wouldn’t drink too much and embarrass herself at dinner. You also hoped your dad was smart enough not to bring a side piece around until after she passed out. It could be a little entertaining though if your brother ran his mouth.

Picture, picture, smile for the picture. Pose with your brother, won’t you be a good sister?

“Well, look at you.”

Your heart leapt to your throat when you turned around to see Bucky standing by your bed. He held your cover up in his hand. How the hell did he get in your room so quietly? Why was he there?

“What the hell are you doing?” you demanded.

“Sorry. I was trying to find the bathroom,” he said. A terrible lie, like he didn't even try. “Such a large place, you know. Easy to go through the wrong door.”

“Do you normally pick up garments that don’t belong to you when you’re 'lost'?” you asked, trying to take it from him.

He pulled his hand out of reach. “Not normally, but I couldn’t resist,” he said, not hiding the lust in his eyes as they landed on your chest and slowly drifted down. “You know, you have a pretty fucked up family.”

“Tell me something I don't know,” you scoffed.

Everyone thinks that we're perfect. Please don't let them look through the curtains.

“Allow me,” he offered as his gaze flickered back to your face.

“No, thanks,” you said, attempting to grab the cover up again as he narrowed his eyes.

"Turn around,” he ordered, his voice deeper and gruffer than before. “I won't tell you twice.”

Tell, not ask.

You hoped your trembling wasn't noticeable when you turned and faced the mirror, having to look at his reflection as he slowly walked up behind you. He was handsome, you couldn’t deny that, and large. He could overpower you easily.

“This is such a beautiful color on you. Must drive all the boys crazy when you wear it. Also must be why your daddy keeps you locked up as much as he can,” he said more to himself than to you as he ran a gloved finger down your side. “But I’m not a boy, am I?”

“He doesn’t keep me locked up,” you whispered, unsure of why you were arguing. Maybe it would distract you from his touch.

He brought his mouth to your ear, his eyes locked with yours in the mirror. “You think because you live on your own that you’re free? That you aren’t watched at all times?” He asked, chuckling when you shivered again. “You may be your daddy's princess, but you'll be mine soon enough.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I make your dad a lot of money. He owes me.” He straightened up and slipped the fabric over your shaking frame. “As much as I hate to cover up such a beautiful piece of art, I may lose control if I don't,” he said, as if he had the right to do so. “Keep your door unlocked for me tonight.”

“I won't-”

He had a hand around your throat, but didn't squeeze. “You will,” he said, kissing your temple. “And we'll see if you can keep quiet.”

Love and thanks for participating in Ficlet Friday! ❤️ And this one may be fun to continue.

[cxrrodedcoffin]

Don’t Call Me Kid - Aaron Hotchner

“don’t call me kid, don’t call me baby, look at this godforsaken mess that you made me.”

——

Likes are always appreciated but reblogs and feedback keep artists going!

Summary: Reader confesses their feelings for Hotch, they have an angsty yet adult conversation about it.

Word Count: 2.5k

A/N: I was originally not going to give this a happy ending but I got too sad writing it and changed my mind, also yes i’ve been writing a lot don’t criticize me lol

TW: alcohol mention, angst, age gap, slight physical touch (all respectful, nothing sexual), slight implied daddy issues, fem reader

Rating: G

——

Aaron Hotchner was not a man one could approach without a level head. He was rational, always thinking of the most reasonable course of action, weighing every outcome before making any decision. He had to be, as hasty decision-making had cost him more than he cared to discuss.

You knew that, you’d worked under him for two years now and although he didn’t discuss his private life all that frequently at work, these weekly team meetups at the local bar taught you more than enough about him as a person. The usual stoic head of the team was kind, funny, encouraging, albeit a bit quiet until he knew you a bit better.

About a year into your time with the team you let slip that you’d never explored the city, and Rossi wasted no time letting Aaron know about it. A week later he was driving you around, explaining the history behind the popular monuments you had requested a visit to, then spending an hour at the Folger Shakespeare Library to admire the historic architecture and impressive selection of literature, and ending the day at the Moongate Garden, watching the sunset on a bench surrounded by cherry blossoms.

From that day you knew if there was anything you needed, all you had to do was ask. He’d shown you your favorite restaurant, the coffee shop you sat in every free morning you had, reading books he’d suggested you read. You didn’t want to admit it, but you had fallen hard for him, and over the last year those feelings became harder and harder to push down.

It was 2 a.m. and the bartender had announced last call, earning a disappointed groan from Penelope.

“We were just getting started!” She whined, her speech slightly slurred.

“You’ve had more than enough for tonight Babygirl, let’s get you home.” Derek caught her waist, steadying her as she rose from the booth the team had been sitting in.

“I better get going too, Will has to work early so I have to take Henry to school in the morning.” JJ added, playfully rolling her eyes.

The rest of the group finished up their drinks, wrapping up the current conversation before shuffling out of the bar. You said your goodbyes, giving parting hugs before pulling out your phone, ready to order yourself a rideshare home. Your cell service was almost non-existent and the app was taking forever to load, the chill in the air causing goosebumps to form on your bare legs. You raised your phone in the air, trying to gain a better signal as you walked back and forth in front of the bar, growing increasingly frustrated.

Aaron exited the bar as you made another pass by the entrance, tripping as your ankle wobbled in your heels. He was quick to catch you, helping you find your footing once more.

“Do you have a ride home?” He asked, offering you his suit jacket for warmth.

“I’m trying to order a taxi but the app won’t load.” Your frustration was evident, each tap of your finger against the glass of your smartphone just a little too firm.

“You don’t live far, correct? I can walk you home.” He offered, his hand still lingering on the small of your back to steady you. You weren’t drunk, not by a long shot, but you didn’t handle your liquor the best and although you were mostly there mentally, your center of gravity had been better.

“Are you sure? I don’t want you to go out of your way for me.” You countered, always raised to decline at least once when offered anything to remain polite.

“I want to make sure you get home safe, it’s really no trouble.” You knew he was earnest, always such a father figure to every member of the team. You put your phone in your bag, throwing it over your shoulder before turning to walk down the street that led to your apartment building.

You walked in silence for a while, his hand hovering behind you just in case your clumsiness kicked in along your walk. His suit jacket was surprisingly warm, the stiff fabric shielding your bare arms from the cold. You weren’t sure why you’d chosen to wear a short sleeved blouse when it was nearing the end of fall, but you suspected it subconsciously had something to do with how well the v-neck showed off your cleavage. You felt a bit pathetic sometimes, finding any way you could to attempt to pull his attention. It never worked, Aaron respected you too much to stare at your figure no matter how provocatively you dressed.

After a few blocks your heel caught on a storm grate, making you stumble forward. His reflexes were impressive as ever, his arm reaching out to catch your waist.

“I swear I’m not usually this clumsy.” You joked, straightening your skirt as you started again on your journey home. He didn’t say anything, but the slight smile his lips formed told you he found your try at humor in an awkward moment amusing.

“It’s just around this corner, I’ll be fine from here.” You tried to wave him off, dying to disappear into your apartment to prevent further embarrassing yourself.

“I’m walking you up to your apartment, I need to see you home safe.” He stated, turning the corner with you. Butterflies fluttered in your stomach, his domineering yet caring tone making your heart race. This was all becoming too much, the protectiveness, the slight touches, you could feel something burning in your chest, the urge to spill your guts growing stronger by the minute.

He waited for you to punch in the code to the front door of your apartment building before holding it open for you, following you to the elevator up to your floor. You took the quiet ride up, him continuing to follow you down the hallway to your apartment when the doors opened. You opened your bag, fiddling around for your keys for a moment before finding them, your hand shaking as you tried to unlock the door. You finally got it, pushing open the front door and stepping into your messy living room.

“How are you getting home?” You asked, setting your bag on the small table next to the door.

“I’ll order a taxi, I’m just glad you’re home safe.” He began to pull out his phone, and the liquid courage coursing through your veins told you to invite him in.

“Do you want to come in while you wait?” You offered, handing his suit coat back to him. He stepped inside, shutting the door behind him and making sure to lock it, never too cautious.

He laid his suit coat over the back of your coach, taking a seat before taking out his phone again to order his ride.

“It won’t be ready for another 30 minutes, I hope I’m not overstaying my welcome.” He was far too courteous, and all you wanted to do was tell him how badly you wanted him to stay forever.

“You could never.” You told him, kicking off your heels before sitting next to him on the couch. You took a deep breath, trying to settle yourself as you picked up the book that was resting on your coffee table. You watched over the top of the pages to see him glancing around the room, scanning the contents until he stopped on the media console across the room. He stood from his place next to you and walked over to it, taking a knee to get down to the same level as your record collection.

“You have impressive taste.” He stated matter-of-factly, his long fingers brushing across the spines of each album. You gave a quiet ‘thank you’ as he began to pull a record out, and you placed your book down again to see what had caught his eye.

“I didn’t know you listened to The Beatles.” He held up the jacket of the band’s white album, looking to you in slight disbelief.

“Of course, The White Album is one of the greatest of all time.” You were excited to talk music with him, it was a topic you’d never discussed before and you were always eager to learn more about him. That may have been to your own detriment, because the more you learned about him, the harder you seemed to fall.

You knew a relationship between the two of you could never happen, he was your superior, not to mention twenty years your senior, but something felt like it was pulling you to him no matter how many guys you tried to distract yourself with.

“You never fail to surprise me.” He smiled, the outer corners of his eyes crinkling just so. You could’ve died right there, content to collapse into a puddle of yearning. You didn’t know what came over you, but you found yourself clearing your throat as a rush of adrenaline coursed through you.

“Aaron, I have to tell you something.” Your voice shook, but you remained strong in your conviction.

His faint smile turned to a look of concern, quickly rising from his knee to join you on the couch again.

“What is it?” He questioned, brow furrowed as he angled his body toward you.

“I-It’s, nevermind.” That burst of adrenaline quickly faded, his eyes on you feeling like a cigarette burn.

“Y/N, whatever it is, you can trust me. I understand if you’re not comfortable telling me, but don’t let fear hold you back on my account.” He reassured you, resting his hand on your knee sympathetically. You had to do it, there was no way you could face him every day if you brushed him off without an explanation.

“I’m in love with you.” You blurted out, hanging your head, too afraid of what his reaction would be to dare look him in the eye. The silence that sat between you two felt like it carried on forever, tension thick enough to cut with a knife. After what felt like an eternity he cleared his throat, still holding his hand on your knee.

“Why do you feel that way?” He asked, trying to understand where this was coming from. He couldn’t deny that he had felt chemistry between you, but it wasn’t something he could ever entertain acting on.

“Over the last year I’ve gotten to know you in ways I never dreamed I would, I’ve never felt this way for anyone before, even those I once thought I loved in the past. You’ve been so kind, Aaron, you’re an incredible friend, father, leader, how could I be anything but amazed by you?” You felt as though you were rambling, but he seemed so invested in your answer that you didn’t care if what you said was rational.

“I understand.” He confirmed, turning silent as the gears turned in his mind. You could tell he was fighting something internally, the look of concentration on his face seeming almost painful.

You pulled your knee out from under his hand, your nerves convinced that he was looking for a way to fire you without creating an HR nightmare. As quickly as you pulled away he had moved closer to you, his hand finding its place on your knee once more.

“Look at me.” He said, thumb rubbing soothing circles against your skin. You did as you were told, tears threatening your waterline as you did your best to hold his gaze.

“I’m not going to lie to you, you are a very charming young woman and I’d be honored to pursue something more intimate with you, but we can’t. I’m your superior, and you’re young enough to be my daughter.” He explained, the pain in his expression serving to break your heart in two.

“I don’t care.” You were not thinking rationally in that moment, your heart speaking for you instead of your head.

“You should, this is your future.” His tone held frustration this time, finding your childish response disappointing.

“I am not a child Aaron, I can make my own decisions.” You told him, a tear slipping down your cheek as you grew increasingly frustrated with his stonewalling.

“I know that, but you’re young, you have so much to experience and you shouldn’t put that on hold for me, or anyone else for that matter.” Even through his anger he was just trying to steer you in the responsible direction, thinking more about your future than whatever desires he held.

“I have all I’ve ever wanted, my dream has always been to work for the FBI. I don’t have any delusions of grandeur, I never have. I want a job where I’m doing good and a family to come home to when all is said and done.” You explained, and it wasn’t a lie. It’s not that you weren’t driven, you clearly had to be to even make it to the bureau, but that was as far as you wanted your drive to take you.

“For this to work, I can not be your boss, and I won’t ask you to step down.” He continued evaluating each possible risk in your dynamic, and for once you were one step ahead of him.

“You don’t have to, I put in for a transfer to the financial crime unit last week.” You finally let the other secret you’d been keeping slip, and you watched his face drop in disappointment.

“The team is going to miss you more than you know.” He told you, wishing he had known so he could have convinced you otherwise.

“I know, but I couldn’t bare the thought of being around you every day while I feel like this, and I was fascinated by the way their team handled the case we partnered with them on last month. The timing felt right.” You explained, needing him to know that it was not his fault, but a conscious decision you made.

“I just want to try.” You pleaded one last time, hoping he’d let his walls down just this once.

“If this is really what you want, I’ll take you out next weekend. If we’re going to do this, I’m going to do it the right way, you deserve that much.” He gave in, letting himself do something personally risky for the first time in years.

“I would love that.” You agreed, all of the anger and frustration that had been building up over the last year finally starting to dissipate ever so slightly.

How it would pay off, only time would tell, but for now, you were content to just get to know him more and show him who you are the best you can.

��—

Part 2 can be found here

Tag List: @pleasantwitchgarden @lover-of-books-and-tea

DM me or send me an ask if you’d like to be added to my general or Aaron Hotchner taglist :)

[shrewsburysworld]

Mad Doctor (part 1)

Pair :- Yandere Seokjin × Toxic Reader

Summary :- Dr. Seokjin is adored by all, yet bound to a possessive wife who marks him as hers. His colleagues pity him, thinking he’s trapped. But behind closed doors, the truth is far more complicated.

Warnings :- Yandere themes, toxic relationship, manupilative behaviour, domestic violence, jealous reader, possessive reader, dubious consent (mild).

"This is a work of fiction and does not promote or romanticize toxic relationships in real life."

Dr. Seokjin was perfect. That was the general consensus. The nurses adored him, patients fawned over him, and even the strict hospital director softened in his presence. He was the kind of man who carried warmth in his voice and sincerity in his touch.

It wasn’t just his skill that made people admire him—it was his kindness. The way he remembered small details about his patients, how he never raised his voice, how he treated everyone with a level of care that felt personal.

But behind that perfection was the weight of something else. Something only those who worked closely with him noticed.

Bruises and Marks.

Small ones or big ones. Light fingerprints that faded in a few days or scars that stayed for months. Marks around his wrist or his arm, as if someone had grabbed him too tightly.

The hospital staff whispered.

"His wife must be something else, huh?"

"He never says anything bad about her, though. Always smiling, saying he loves her. But you saw it, right? The marks on his arm?"

"Yeah… I feel bad for him."

"Did you hear what happened at the party?"

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:* ✦ *:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

The hospital gala was one of the biggest annual events, a night where doctors, nurses, and hospital executives could finally let loose. It was held in a grand ballroom, chandeliers sparkling above as classical music played in the background. The air smelled of expensive champagne and designer perfume.

Seokjin, as always, looked perfect. Dressed in a crisp black suit, his hair styled back, he greeted everyone with his usual warmth. Women—nurses, executives, even some patients’ family members—found excuses to talk to him, to laugh a little louder when he spoke, to touch his arm casually as they conversed.

And then there was Yn.

She stood close to Seokjin, always within arm’s reach. She was beautiful, no doubt. But something about her presence was unnerving to those who observed. The way she watched him, her gaze sharp and assessing as if controlling him with her eyes. The way her fingers twitched slightly whenever another woman got too close.

Then it happened.

A junior doctor, unaware of the invisible boundaries that surrounded Seokjin, leaned in a little too much. She laughed at something he said, placing her hand lightly on his arm. A casual gesture. Innocent.

But not to Yn.

Her fingers clenched around Seokjin’s arm, hard. Hard enough that his sleeve tightened, his skin compressed under her grip.

"Yn—" Seokjin’s voice was low, meant only for her ears. But the look in her eyes burned.

She didn’t yell. Didn’t make a scene the way some expected. But she turned toward the doctor, her voice soft yet sharp enough to cut.

"Do you always touch married men like that?"

A suffocating silence fell over the group. The junior doctor froze, face paling.

"I—I didn’t mean—"

Yn smiled. It was small, but it didn’t reach her eyes.

"You didn’t mean to, yet you still did."

Seokjin exhaled, trying to ease the tension. He gently placed his hand over Yn’s, but she only tightened her grip, her nails pressing into his skin.

"Yn, let’s go outside for a bit—"

"No need." Her voice was clipped. And before anyone could react, she let go of his arm and turned on her heel, walking straight out of the ballroom.

Seokjin hesitated.

For a brief second, people saw something in his face—panic. A rare crack in his perfect composure. Then, as if forgetting the crowd around him, he hurried after her.

The room buzzed with murmurs the moment they were gone.

"Did you see that?"

"She was furious. All that over a harmless touch?"

"And did you see his arm? She was gripping him so hard it left marks!"

"Poor Dr. Seokjin… he must be exhausted living like that."

"He should leave her."

✦⋆ ˚｡⋆༶⋆˙⊹ ✧˖°

The hospital was quiet that morning after the night of gala party, but the air felt heavier than usual. Seokjin moved through his routine in silence, his hands steady as he checked patient charts, offered polite smiles, and ignored the glances his colleagues exchanged behind his back.

The bruises on his neck, faint under the collar of his coat but still visible, spoke louder than words. No one dared to bring it up. They had tried before, but Seokjin would always deny, dismiss, deflect.

He wasn't a fool. He knew what they thought—that he was trapped, suffering in a marriage with a woman too possessive, too unstable. They pitied him. But pity was useless when they didn’t understand.

"Hey, hyung," Dr. Junho, a colleague as well as close friend more like his little brother - finally spoke up, his voice careful, measured. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

Seokjin hummed, still focused on the paperwork in front of him. "You already are."

"You know what I mean." Junho sighed, leaning against the counter. He hesitated before continuing. "About last night… you should really consider talking to Yn. This—this isn’t healthy."

Seokjin didn't respond immediately. He never did.

"She loves me," he said eventually.

"Love and control aren’t the same thing, hyung." Junho shook his head. "I’m not saying she doesn’t love you, but if she really wants this to work, she has to control her anger. Maybe she could try yoga, meditation, therapy—"

Seokjin's jaw clenched.

"You don’t understand, Junho."

"Then help me understand. Why is she like this?" Junho asked, genuinely concerned.

For a moment, Seokjin didn't know how to answer. But then—memories surfaced.

✽✿❀──❀✿✽

Their marriage had been arranged. She had been shy at first, soft-spoken, always seeking permission for everything.

The café was quiet, the air filled with the soft hum of conversation and the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee. Seokjin sat at a corner table, stirring his cappuccino absentmindedly. His parents had arranged this meeting, insisting that he at least meet her once.

Yn.

He didn’t know much about her—only that she came from a respectable family, that she was soft-spoken and well-mannered.

And then, she walked in.

She was dressed modestly, a simple ivory blouse tucked into a flowing beige skirt that reached just above her ankles. Her hair was neatly styled, framing a delicate face that seemed hesitant, uncertain.

Pretty. In a quiet, unassuming way.

She approached the table carefully, almost as if she were afraid of disturbing him.

"Uhm… Kim Seokjin-ssi?" Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper.

He glanced up, offering a polite smile. "That’s me. You must be Yn."

She nodded, biting her lip before asking, "Is it okay if I sit?"

Why is she asking permission? Seokjin thought, slightly amused, but he simply gestured for her to take a seat.

She sat down with her back straight, hands folded neatly in her lap. For the first few minutes, she seemed tense, answering his questions in short, quiet replies.

But then, something changed.

Once she got comfortable, she started to talk more—still hesitantly at first, but soon with a little more ease.

She told him about her hobbies, her childhood, her love for collecting small trinkets. Her voice gained warmth, her expressions became animated. And then—just when Seokjin thought he had figured her out—she did something unexpected.

She pouted.

"You’re so serious," she said, leaning slightly forward. "I thought doctors were supposed to be funny."

Seokjin blinked in surprise before letting out a soft chuckle. "I can be funny."

"Prove it."

He raised a brow, smirking slightly. "Why did the scarecrow win an award?"

Yn tilted her head, curious. "Why?"

"Because he was outstanding in his field."

For a second, she just stared at him.

Then she laughed—a small, genuine giggle that turned into a soft snort.

Seokjin found himself watching her.

Not just her face, but the way her eyes crinkled, the way she covered her mouth as if embarrassed by her own laughter.

He didn’t realize it at the time, but something about her—about the way she could shift so easily from reserved to playful—drew him in.

And then came the moment that changed everything.

────────── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ──────────

The waitress had been nothing but polite.

She was young, cheerful, and clearly trying to do her job well.

"Would you like a refill on your coffee, sir?" she asked, her smile warm.

Seokjin barely glanced up. "No, I’m fine. Thank you."

But the waitress tried pursuing him.

"Do you need something?"

The shift in her tone was subtle—barely noticeable to an outsider. But Seokjin caught it immediately.

The waitress blinked, slightly confused. "Oh, I was just—"

"Because if you’re done, you can go." Yn’s expression was still polite, her voice still gentle. But there was something off about it.

Seokjin turned to her, studying her face.

The waitress hesitated, then quickly excused herself.

Yn went back to sipping her drink as if nothing had happened.

Seokjin tapped his fingers against the table, watching her.

"That was unnecessary," he murmured.

Yn met his gaze, unfazed. "I didn’t like how she was looking at you."

There was no hesitation in her voice. No embarrassment, no attempt to cover up what she had done.

Seokjin should have found it strange.

Instead, he found himself intrigued.

⊹ ⊱ ────── ஓ๑♡๑ஓ ────── ⊰ ⊹

Seokjin had thought she was delicate, fragile even—until he noticed something deeper beneath the surface. A quiet storm brewing inside her.

It started small.

A flicker of irritation when a waitress lingered too long at their table, a slight frown when his female colleagues greeted him too warmly. She never said anything outright, only observed, eyes dark with something unreadable.

A woman had complimented Seokjin at a family gathering, a distant cousin’s wife. Just a simple "You’re so lucky, Yn. He’s so handsome and kind."

Yn had smiled, polite as ever, but later that night, she had clung to him with an intensity that was almost suffocating.

"Don’t talk to her again," she had murmured, fingers tightening around his wrist.

"Yn, she’s family—"

"I don’t like it."

Her voice had been calm, steady, but something about it made his stomach twist.

And then, little by little, her possessiveness had grown.

⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆ ⋆｡˚☽˚｡⋆

Seokjin hadn’t known about her past at first. Not until her mother, in an offhanded remark, mentioned:

"Yn has always been like this. She can’t stand sharing what’s hers."

She had laughed as if it were a joke, as if it were something endearing.

"You should have seen her as a child. She scratched a friend all over her face just because the poor girl tried to take her doll. It took weeks for the wounds to heal."

Seokjin had been startled by the revelation. But more than that—he had been intrigued.

Yn had always seemed fragile, but now he realized she wasn’t weak at all. She was ruthless when it came to what was hers.

And for some reason, that scared him yet fascinated him.

✽✿❀──❀✿✽

"She’s just… always been like this," Seokjin finally murmured, his fingers tapping against the desk absentmindedly.

Junho frowned. "That doesn’t mean it’s okay, hyung. Marriage should be about trust, not fear."

Seokjin chuckled under his breath, shaking his head. "Fear?" He turned to Junho, eyes unreadable. "You don’t know what you're talking about."

Because fear had nothing to do with it.

Seokjin knew, at the back of his mind, that their marriage wasn’t normal. He knew that love wasn't supposed to feel like possession, that their dynamic was wrong.

But did it matter?

Because the truth was—Yn might have been selfish, possessive, and unstable.

But Seokjin?

He wasn't innocent either.

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Hey Guys!!! This potato is back after short break. This one was long af!! There's part 2 for the plot twist. Like, Comment and Reblog.

Taglist :- @luaxjin , @illnevertrustmyselfagain , @aaclariww , @taekritimin123 , @massiekurrb , @demonshauntingthedoves .

[yandereonepieceimagines]

I realli like the HC you did with Sickly reader With Crocodile! What if he finds out that one of the best doctors Drum island had to offer travels with the Straw Hats? Chopper? And that he decided to kidnap out cute little reindeer?

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My, how evil! Poor Chopper wouldn’t know what hit him. Nor would the rest of the Straw Hats!

I struggled a bit with the timeline, but I hope this explanation- deviation from the original, is reasonable enough.

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Sir Crocodile

It started with a rumbly cough.

Just a dry, rattling sound that escaped your throat as you leaned too far out of bed. Crocodile was beside you in seconds. You didn’t even realize he’d been watching.

"You’re coughing again." He said it calmly, but the chill behind his baritone voice cut through the cool air of the room like a knife. The irritation was barely masked. Not at you, but at the world, for daring to let you suffer in his presence. He summoned doctors before sunset. Four of the best Alabasta could offer. Specialists and healers known by name across the region. None of them pleased him. You could see it in the way he stared at them. Like they were nothing but sand to be swept away.

You eventually heard that one of them never made it back to Alubarna. Their fate uncertain.

Over the next few weeks, as your condition slowly got worse, Crocodile’s frustration deepened into something charged. He started reaching further. Importing physicians from the surrounding islands, funding silent expeditions to medical academies, paying outrageous sums to someone rumored to possess unconventional medical techniques, only for them to die horribly under mysterious circumstances. You overheard hushed conversations among his men. Rumors of him interrogating travelers and sending scouts to scan remote settlements. He was on the edge of fury and the desert was running out of options.

Then came the whispers.

Two remote desert towns, settled close to each other. A handful of villagers speaking in awe of a wandering doctor who healed ailments they had long accepted as fatal. They spoke of transformation, of miraculous recoveries, of someone with strength and agility uncharacteristic of any human. Bones reset without pain, fevers broken within hours and even fresh scars mended as if they were never there.

But the most curious detail was this: No one could describe what the doctor looked like.

Only that he was tall, bulky and cloaked in heavy clothing. A coat too large for any ordinary man.

Crocodile’s eyes narrowed.

It clicked.

He didn’t know for certain, but the clues pointed in a tantalizing direction.

Drum Island was apparently famous for its elite doctors. A harsh, snowbound land known for surviving only in parts because of its skilled healers. And now, in the middle of scorching Alabasta, a mysterious figure in a heavy coat with unnatural strength was healing people no one else could. The contrast was too perfect to ignore. It didn’t add up. Not unless...

Crocodile narrowed his eyes further. Could it be someone from Drum Island? A prodigy trained in those unforgiving mountains? Perhaps even affiliated with the Straw Hat crew he’d heard whispers about since Whiskey Peaks? They were in Alabasta now. The timing fit. The rumors matched. And the description, vague as it was, tugged at something buried in his memory of past reports: a fleeting shape, squat and horned, during the brief skirmishes his agents had reported.

A miracle doctor. Disguised as something else entirely. And now, potentially within reach.

Crocodile was patient.

He waited until the Straw Hat crew moved deeper into Alabasta, venturing away from larger settlements and safer territories. He had eyes on them at all times now. Agents stationed across important caravan routes. He observed, tracked and planned until the opportunity was flawless. One moonless night, as the group camped near a jagged rock formation where visibility was poor, a specialized squad moved in. Silent, efficient and ruthless. Trained in extraction and subterfuge, they approached without a sound and disappeared just as quickly.

By morning, Chopper was gone. The crew momentarily assumed he had wandered off to forage desert herbs, as he often did when scouting for medicine. Their guard was down. That was all Crocodile needed.

Panic hit the moment they realized what had happened, and who could have been behind it. Chopper had been taken, deliberately singled out for reasons they couldn’t yet understand. But the fear didn’t linger. If anything, it sparked something fiercer. Luffy, in particular, burned with anger and resolve; knowing Chopper had been targeted made it personal. Their desire to bring down Crocodile only deepened.

But time was slipping away, and fate forced them off course. Instead of going after Crocodile directly, they were misled deliberately.

Nico Robin had fed them false information, them and Smoker. sending them all in the wrong direction just long enough to keep them off Crocodile’s trail entirely.

And then, Vivi vanished. Taken in the chaos, hidden from the public eye. Another piece removed from the board to keep the truth buried for a little while longer.

With no other choice, the Straw Hats diverted to Alubarna, forced to pursue Robin alone. This time, there was no bomb ticking in the clock tower, no civil war yet at its boiling point. Just a cold, calculated delay. Everything had been thrown into a dangerous limbo. It would be another week or two before they discovered where Crocodile, and Chopper, had been moved. And by then, the real threat would be ready to show its face again if Crocodile didn’t get what he truly wanted. For you to live… And it would be with a force which would have made the chaos in the original timeline look like child’s play.

Chopper woke up in a lavish medical wing inside an unknown town in Alabasta. The walls were sandstone, smooth and warm beneath the flickering glow of ornate lamps. The bed sheets were silk, dyed in muted golds. Medical equipment was neatly arranged on polished trays. Guards stood silent and immobile outside the door. The air was too still, too clean. The kind of silence that screams authority.

And Crocodile was waiting.

"You’re not a prisoner," he said, leaning casually against the frame like a man who already knew the outcome. "Not unless you choose to be."

Chopper trembled, instincts kicking in as he bit down on a rumble ball and shifted into Guard Point in a defensive reflex. His fur bristled, hooves digging into the sheets, but Crocodile didn’t flinch a muscle. He simply tilted his head.

"You were the one who saved people in those desert towns, weren’t you? I have someone who needs saving. You’ll treat her. That’s all."

His tone was even, as though he were stating a fact rather than making a demand.

Chopper hesitated, his ears twitching. He was scared, confused and deeply wary. But he was also curious. And then he saw you.

You were lying in bed, barely awake, eyes glassy with fever, your breath shallow and uneven. Your skin was pale with a sheen of sweat and every small motion looked like it took monumental effort.

You looked nothing like the typical captives Chopper imagined villains might keep. No bruises, no signs of force or cruelty. And yet, there was something deeply unsettling about the quiet stillness that surrounded you. Especially considering who was now standing behind you at the other side of the bed. Chopper remembered Vivi’s stories clearly. She had warned them many times that Crocodile wasn’t just dangerous. He was smart and ruthless. He didn’t use brute force alone to get what he wanted. Instead, he played with people’s hopes and fears and used lies to twist the truth. He had gained a lot of power in Alabasta by pretending to be a hero while secretly tearing the country apart. Chopper understood that Crocodile had carefully created the civil war, letting the people fight each other while he stayed in control behind the scenes.

But when you noticed the little reindeer, your expression shifted. Despite your condition, you managed a small, sincere smile. It was weak, but unmistakably warm.

"You're... The doctor Crocodile mentioned? Thank you for coming."

Your voice was hoarse, barely a whisper, but it carried a note of genuine gratitude that caught Chopper off guard.

There were no chains. No cage. Just a soft bed, fresh linens and an oppressive air that seemed to hum with something far more dangerous than physical restraints.

"She’s not a hostage," he said evenly, reading the little reindeer like an open book. "She's with me. And I need her to live."

It wasn’t a plea.

It was a threat against the universe itself. Unspoken, but thunderously clear. If the world wouldn’t allow you to survive, Crocodile would force it to before it even could.

Chopper examined you that very same day.

Crocodile stood silently in the background, arms crossed, a silent sentinel radiating authority and menace. The faint gleam of his golden hook caught the light, reflecting a soft, deadly shimmer. His gaze didn’t move from Chopper, as if daring him to disappoint. Not with words, but with the quiet threat of consequence glinting in that polished weapon and the cold certainty in his empty stare.

Despite the immense weight of Crocodile’s presence- an oppressive force that never truly left the room, the little reindeer found himself drawn deeper into the case than he expected. Your condition was difficult. A tangled web of symptoms caused by old, long-term neglect and something deeper he couldn’t yet name. But it was treatable. More importantly, you were kind. You apologized when you coughed, even when it hurt to speak. You thanked him with a soft voice and tired smile when he adjusted your blankets or checked your pulse. You didn’t behave like someone being forced to stay. Instead, you seemed like someone who had accepted your situation. Maybe even found a strange kind of comfort in it. It was clear you had long since started to care about the one person who was doing everything he could, no matter how extreme, to keep you alive. Even if it was for a little while longer.

By the second day, Chopper began to request more than the basics: specialized herbs, rare ingredients, precision tools he hadn’t used since Drum Island. He scribbled notes rapidly, his medical instincts fully engaged. Despite his fear, despite the tension radiating from the hallway, he focused with more drive than he ever had.

Crocodile never left the corridor just beyond your door. He stood there like a shadow carved into the wall, his golden hook gleaming every time a nurse passed by. He said little, but he didn’t have to. His silence carried weight. His stare was enough to send a chill through the most seasoned soldiers and to keep Chopper working with little to no rest.

And he never stopped watching the little reindeer with eyes that promised swift ruin if even a single misstep was made.

Because to Crocodile, you weren’t just someone he cared for.

You have become his main purpose in life. The only vulnerability he allowed himself to exist.

And it’s a good thing Chopper succeeds where every other doctor had failed. His skill and compassion slowly stabilize your condition, breathing hope into a future Crocodile had almost given up on. In doing so, Chopper unknowingly shifted the tides of Alabasta’s ultimate fate. He became a vital key in unraveling Crocodile’s war-forged plot to unearth the secrets of Pluton. Not by force, but through an exchange far more personal: the life of the only person Crocodile not only trusts, but loves beyond reason.

[cashmoneyyysstuff]

fem reader, fluff, hurt/comfort, reader gets into a fight, this fits into the weirdo! shouto ficlet i wrote, older bro touya au, shouto's scar, kindaaa non neurotypical shouto hinted if you squint lol, shouto n reader are lil misfits, lemme know if i missed sum else !

"can i help you, young man ?"

"i hurt my knee."

you're laying in the nurses office when a familiar voice hits your ears.

"oh really ?" no verbal response but you assume there's a nod because the nurse continues "what happened ?" she sounds skeptical.

"i fell." the person, a boy, replies. the nurse sighs, complaining to herself about kids these days coming to the nurses office for every little thing. you're still pretending to be asleep, not wanting to go back to class yet because you know your classmates won't leave you alone. your face is turned away as you hear the office door shut and soon after there's shuffling in the bed next to you.

your eyes snap open and you turn to see a scarred boy looking right at you, blinking slowly.

"shouto !"

"hi." he answers simply. unmoving, he lays on his stomach. after getting over your shock you copy him. "what're you doing here ?" you ask. your friend blinks in response.

"i hurt my knee."

you look at him incredulously "what are you really doing here ?"

shouto lays quietly simply staring at you. he has a habit of doing that, you've heard your classmates call it weird, but you like when he looks at you. his eyes are pretty. his gaze trails off towards the sheets, "i wanted to come see you." he admits. your eyes widen and you feel your ears burn. shouto doesn't seem affected by his confession, his face as deadpan as it usually is.

"everyone is talking about you in class." your nose scrunches up at his words, huffing with a scowl. "what're they saying ?"

"that you won."

that makes your scowl shrink a bit. your eyebrows raise and you shuffle a bit on the bed and hum. shouto only stares. he isn't much of a talker. you've noticed it's because he just doesn't realise that you're supposed to keep making conversation when you're talking with someone. your classmate mahoro says it makes things awkward, but shouto has such kind eyes when he looks at you, you don't mind. and sometimes, you don't really feel like talking either.

"you didn't have to do that you know." is what he says after a while, you blink at him like you'd already forgotten and he continues. "you didn't have to push tanaka like that, it wasn't a big deal."

tanaka, just the mention of the boy's name is enough to make your scowl return full force.

he's one of your classmates that keeps making jokes that all his other friends laugh at that aren't even funny. he doesn't bother you much, but he's kind of a bully and he makes a face whenever you end up on his team for dodgeball. he makes sure you see it too.

you don't care about him much, because he doesn't bother you. but he bothers shouto. you think he does so because shouto doesn't care to confront him about it so he thinks he's stupid. but shouto's the smartest in your class. today though, he went too far and it made you mad, so you shoved him and he'd shoved you back and suddenly you were surrounded by a group of kids screaming in your ears. your face stung from where he'd hit you and then a teacher was pulling you away from him. then you'd ended up here.

shouto hadn't been coming to school for a bit a while ago and when he did come back he had a huge bandage over his left eye. you'd tried to ask him about it but he never told you. so you never pried, but you heard the (not so quiet) whispers from your classmates and shouto who never seemed like he cared, furrowed his brows and slightly clenched his fists underneath your shared desk whenever he'd hear them. and it got worse when he took the bandage off, revealing a big red blotchy scar.

shouto doesn't usually mind what people think, but he'd asked you if he looked ugly and you assured him that you thought he looked super cool. (you'd never seen his eyes so wide and shiny, so pretty.)

tanaka had disagreed with you though. he opened his big mouth and told shouto he looked better with his bandage on. and you'd snapped. you hated that stupid bandage because it'd make his usual face so gloomy. because you only got to see one of his kind eyes and you loved looking at both.

and so, here you were.

"he had it comin', he made fun of you !" you scowl, shouto's brows furrow the slightest bit as well, mildly irritated. "but you got in trouble."

"well, he made fun of you !" you repeat. you both stay unmoving, laying on your stomach while the nurse is out on lunch break. shouto's lips move up into a pout and for the first time ever you hear him huff.

"i wasn't mad about it. i was fine." he insists, his eyes drift towards his fingers picking at his sheets. "you got hurt because of me, and i don't like that." he mumbles sadly. his cheek smushed against the hard pillow makes him look like a little puppy. you hear your heart in your ears.

"well, i didn't just do it for you," you try, "tanaka's always pickin' on everyone, so i taught him a lesson." you huff. you believed you sounded convincing, but shouto looks anything but convinced. others can't see it well, but you can.

"but everyone's gonna think you did it for me. and they're gonna call you weird again," shouto grips and pulls at the white sheets, you're worried they'll rip off and he'll get in trouble. "even though you're not."

you don't care, you'd been called weird plenty of times at your old school. but shouto's bothered for you and your heart beats in your ears "do you think i'm weird ?" shouto quickly shakes his head, as best he can in the position he's in. your chest feels warm and you smile.

"then i don't care what everyone thinks."

the sound of sheets crinkling stops, and shouto stares at you again. he sits up to instead go sit down on your bed. you bring your legs closer to yourself to make space for him.

"i still don't want you to get hurt, even if it's not just for me." his pretty eyes, one surrounded by red zero on you " i don't like it."

shouto never seemed picky to you. except when it came to his lunch (which was always cold soba) and the order in which he started his day at school (first he changes his shoes, then he takes off his jacket and then went to sit in his seat. exactly like this every day.)

he never told you he particularly liked or disliked anything, usually always shrugging. but he said he doesn't like seeing you hurt. it had made him panic when people started pushing him away to see the fight and he couldn't see you anymore. your classmates were talking about you and he didn't like it. the nurse stood in his way and he didn't like it because she kept him away from you for longer.

he does not like tanaka because he'd punched you in the cheek, your cheek that rises up like the sun when you smile at him.

i don't like when you get hurt, he says. i don't want you to hurt because of me, he thinks. you've got a bandaid on your cheek where you'd gotten punched, but you grin and your cheek rises like the sun, shouto hears his heart in his ears.

you hold out your pinky and promise him you won't do it anymore. holding onto your pinky is comfortable and even after promising he doesn't let go. not even when the nurse checks up on you and scolds you when you shamelessly tell her why you'd landed in her office. he doesn't let go in the hallways even when others are looking. they'll think you're weird for hanging out with him, but you told him you didn't care, and shouto feels like he's floating.

( he only lets go when you get to the principal's office. but he ignores the teacher who passed by and told him to get to class and wraps his pinky right back around yours when you walk back out. your smile is pretty like the sun.)

one time, touya-nii had called you weird, and touya-nii is always right. but this time shouto knows he's wrong. because your smile doesn't dim despite the bandaid on your cheek and you only look at him when you get back to class, despite the people calling for you, your pinky stays tightly wrapped around his, only moving so you can readjust and hold it better.

touya is clearly wrong, and shouto knows you're the nicest person in the world.

[thewinter-eden]

Damn Puppy Dog Eyes

images are mine (except middle KS pic that I got from pinterest). please do not use without permission. ATE pcs are my inspo for this series.

PLEASE READ!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

in honor of so many of you being so sweet and sending me birthday wishes yesterday, I was extra motivated to get this one finished and posted as soon as possible. You all made me feel so loved and appreciated and I'll never be able to thank you enough. So to ATTEMPT to thank you, I got this goofball finished.

ALSO - y'all go read the story that @ramadiiiisme wrote for me as a birthday present <3 if you love Ateez' Yeosang (as you SHOULD), you'll enjoy the bit of fluff that my bestie outdid herself with. (p.s. hey bestie I put Wooyoung in this story just for you hope you love it sorry he's a lil twerp but he kinda is ok bye) find my birthday story HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

part 7 of the skz crack!horror series.

pairing: Kim Seungmin x fem!reader rating: mature, dark themes summary: werewolf!Seungmin saves your life from a pack, inadvertently earning your unwavering loyalty, even though he’s just as much a killer as they were. Sometimes he can’t decide if he wants to wrap you up in bubble wrap to save you from your own idiotic self or dump your annoying ass back where he found you. (warnings below the cut)

word count: 6k

warnings: Fear, attempted murder, werewolves hunting humans, reader makes dumb decisions, Seungmin’s gonna pull his own hair out, Ateez, group dynamic manipulation (Jeongin is SKZ alpha, Yunho is ATZ alpha), language, undertones of violence (canine-type pecking order fights), reader is referred to as ‘the bitch’ occasionally (canine term more so than derogatory term), undertones of domestic abuse (non-physically-violent, reader is unhappy), Yunho SLANDER (I’m sorry Yunho I love you), reader is touch starved, cuddles

Comment a request to be tagged.

series info

He's noticed you here and there around campus.

You're always with Yunho, or one of his pack. The entire student body knows who you are, knows you belong to one of the strongest packs on campus, knows that you're engaged to the alpha. To Yunho, one of the most prolific killers of your generation.

No one bothers you.

The first time Seungmin recognizes you by yourself, you're on the outskirts of campus, practicing some kind of flowy, yoga-like, graceful movements in the back of the baseball field. He watches you for only a few seconds before his eyes are scanning your surroundings, checking the bleachers for Yunho or the other members of his pack who are always hovering around you with possessive consistency. There's no one. You are alone.

Your focus surprises him. The way you control your motions, the finest muscles in perfect form, your expression intensely concentrated, is different from the behavior he's seen from you so far. You're always smiling, always latched onto Yunho, always fluttering around him and his pack to provide companionship and servitude whenever called upon. Now, though, you are planted firmly in your own autonomy, exercising some kind of active meditation that speaks volumes of your true self.

Seungmin turns away from you and doesn't look back. To be caught gazing at Yunho's fiancé with anything other than perhaps disinterested reverence means trouble.

The next time he sees you, you're in a restaurant alone, watching the clock tick away the minutes as Yunho stands you up. You're quiet again, your face peacefully still in your fiancé's absence, your hands folded neatly in your lap and not an ounce of surprise in your body that you're being forgotten once again.

After over an hour of waiting, a member of Yunho's pack arrives and hovers over your table. When you meet the eyes of the man who's come to pick you up, you've got a manufactured embarrassed smile on your face and you get up, already laughing and chatting about something that you had no thoughts of only moments before.

The man herds you outside into his car, pays the bill for the glass of wine that you've barely sipped, and chauffeurs you off into the night.

A few weeks go by before he sees you again, and this time you’re in the grocery store with two of Yunho’s pack, and you’re not smiling anymore. Your hands tremble as you reach for packages of meat and cartons of eggs, your eyes downcast and darting to clock the positions of your companions at every turn.

Each time he catches a glimpse of you between aisles and around fruit displays, he notices the dynamics have shifted from what they usually are. Because they’re not your companions, this time; this time they’re your keepers; your captors.

Seungmin notices a familiar face pop up obliviously from behind a shelf of fresh bread, turning over a package of sourdough in his hands to check the baker’s date. The young man, one of Seungmin’s own friends, bounces the loaf of bread in his palm once and then tosses it into his basket before moving on to the display of cheeses.

You noticed the guy at the same time that Seungmin did, but you whip your head away and make a beeline for an aisle at the complete opposite side of the store to avoid him.

Both of your companions have already caught sight of the man you’re trying to stay away from, and they’re hurrying after you with hostile glares pointed back at him.

The entire exchange is odd, especially since Seungmin knows for sure that his friend Felix wouldn’t be stupid enough to make a move on Yunho’s woman.

Despite your obvious attempts at avoidance, you run into Felix at the checkout line, which Seungmin witnesses from a spot further back in line, his own groceries piled high in his own basket. He hears Felix chirp a cheerful hello to you, and then a more cautious one to both of your escorts.

You murmur a quiet response back, and your men say nothing.

“I just wanted to thank you again for carrying me on that partner project last week.” Felix is saying, completely ignoring the darkening auras of the wolves beside you. “I was getting worried about my grade there for a minute.”

“You don’t give yourself enough credit,” You respond kindly. “Your part definitely tied the project together.” You’re dumping your items on the conveyor belt as quickly as you can, desperately trying to get checked out and away from Felix as fast as possible.

The line moves and Seungmin finds himself ever so slightly closer to you.

Felix laughs softly and reaches to lay a casual and friendly pat to your arm, a move that Seungmin has seen him replicate hundreds of times with dozens of friends and acquaintances—a move that means nothing—but the shorter of your two companions bullies his way between you and Felix with a snarl.

“Woo!” You snap, snatching him by his sleeve. You can’t move him, you can’t actually call him off, but the frantic tone in your voice and the desperate plea in your eyes convinces Felix to back off without a fight.

“Don’t worry about it,” Felix shakes his head at you, ignoring Wooyoung entirely. “It’s not your fault they don’t have the social experience to recognize a harmless interaction. But I hear that’s a common problem for lapdogs.”

Seungmin can feel the tension thicken between the four of you and his own hackles rise instinctively, his hand gripping his basket with enough strength to bruise.

“That’s not helpful right now,” You say, and loop an arm through Wooyoung’s to hold close. You turn to the taller man behind you, the one who hasn’t torn his smoldering glare from Felix. “We need to pay and go. Yunho doesn’t want to cause problems with another pack, and there’s no reason to waste energy on him.” You shrug a dismissive shoulder at Felix, who rolls his eyes and walks away to join another checkout line. “He was just a group project partner, Mingi. He’s friendly with everyone.”

The larger man glances at you, then over the divider to Felix, then to the end of your line to Seungmin.

Of course he’s already clocked Seungmin.

There’s a reason he was chosen to guard you.

Evidently deciding that getting you out of the grocery store is easier than dealing with a confrontation from two members of a competing pack, Mingi tugs his wallet from a back pocket and pays for the groceries. He tosses the bags into Wooyoung’s grasp and then turns you with a hand on your back and herds you out of the store.

Seungmin doesn’t breathe again until their vehicle speeds you out of the parking lot.

The reason for your sudden protection detail becomes a little clearer the next time he finds you at the end of the baseball field, practicing your meditative *tai chi—*when he finds you crying. Your arms and legs carrying you with perfect poise through the movements, your face scrunched with pain and soaked with tears.

He’s on alert at the sight of your obvious distress, his senses kicking into overdrive to determine the cause of your ache, but he can’t identify a source. Instead of endorphins and blood, obvious markers of physical pain and abuse, you smell like cortisol and low blood sugar. Despite the over-controlling appearance of things, Yunho doesn’t seem to be hurting you, which does surprise him.

But you are unhappy.

That much is obvious.

You’re unhappy, you’re pulling away from your perfect fiancé to find time for yourself, and Yunho is feeling his grasp on you slipping. He can’t risk suffering a humiliating breakup that the entire student body would find out about, so he’s using his pack to keep an eye on you.

Seungmin knows what will happen to you if you continue to be unhappy—what happens to all humans who overstay their welcome with Yunho’s help. Either he will manufacture a breakup that humiliates you instead, or you will be disposed of.

Seungmin collects his gear, bouncing a baseball thoughtfully in the palm of his hand. You’re still unaware of his presence, still crying into your morning meditation, but he can’t help but feel like he’s witnessing your last moments on earth.

It’s not his business.

He leaves you there, headed for the showers, and hopes nobody had seen the indecision in his eyes.

The next time he finds himself close to you is an accident. His head is down, thumbing through the pages in his notebook, looking for a homework sheet that he’s suppose to turn in by today, when he’s hit by the scent of tea tree and blackberry—and then a shoulder jabs into his ribs.

He lurches back, hand lifting from his notebook to push the offending body away from him, and finds himself holding you by the arm, blinking down into your apologetic face.

You’re babbling regretfully, asking him if he’s okay, checking the ground to see if he’s dropped anything, but he’s just watching the way you’re avoiding his eyes.

You’re terrified, overwhelmed by the sheer number of werewolves on campus. He can feel you shaking beneath his hand. For a moment he wonders if he was wrong in his assessment of Yunho’s treatment of you, if you are actually being physically abused—based on the way you flinch away from his blank stare, you’ve clearly had some bad interactions with wolves.

“I’m so sorry.” You say again. “I’ll watch where I’m going.”

Seungmin lets you go. He never should have touched you, not even as a reflex. You’re Yunho’s woman, and now his scent is on you. “It’s fine.” He says simply, and shoulders past you.

He’ll hear of this again.

Jeongin will hear all about the member of his pack who put his hands on an alpha’s fiancé.

“Let me make it up to you!” Your voice cries from behind him, desperate to smooth things over and help him explain this unintentional rendezvous. You know how wolves can be. You know what’s just happened—you’ll probably be punished for it.

“Forget it.” Seungmin snaps back, barely looking over his shoulder. “Leave me alone.”

You find him the next day in the library, studying by himself. He can smell you coming, now that he’s gotten a scent of you up close, and his body immediately coils, tightening to leave. Nothing good can come of the two of you being seen together, much less studying together. You dump your books on his table and plop yourself down into the chair across from him.

Seungmin abruptly forgets his topic of study, stunned by your brazen neglect of cultural boundaries. “Are you stupid?” He snaps, whipping his gaze around. Your posse seems to have abandoned you today, but the morning is young. “You need to stop talking to my pack.” It’s harsh and biting, but it’s best for everyone.

You’re human—you don’t understand.

You can’t be getting buddy-buddy with Felix, you can’t be seeking out Seungmin. There are enough members of the pack you’re marrying into to keep you company without dragging another one into the drama that is your human desire for friendship and attention. You’re going to cause a fight, and you’re going to get someone killed.

But you just roll your eyes and flip open the cover of a textbook. “Things aren’t working out with Yunho.”

Seungmin’s scraping his things together, dumping handfuls of pencils and scrap paper and sticky notes into his backpack. “I don’t care.” And he really, really doesn’t. He thinks you’re pathetic, trapped in a relationship that isn’t all you thought it was going to be, and now you don’t realize there’s no way out of it. “Does Yunho know that? Because your guard dogs are still stalking you.” He juts his chin towards the front desk, where Wooyoung and Mingi are hovering, glowering at you.

Your complexion washes out ever so slightly.

At least you realize a little bit of the severity of the situation.

He catches your eyes finding his again and for a second he pauses in stacking his books. “What?”

“I don’t like these rules.” You say. “Why can’t I talk to you just because of Yunho?”

Seungmin’s backpack zips with a definitive sound. “Don’t you know anything? Wolves are territorial.” He shoves his chair back and gets to his feet. “Stop trying to talk to me. You’re not worth killing an alpha for.” He doesn’t catch your shocked expression as he spins on his heel and stalks out of the library.

And of course you don’t listen. Of course you think you know better than what everyone is telling you. You must think that, because Seungmin can’t imagine another reason that you would show up at his doorstep, banging on his dorm room door, sobbing your pitiful heart out in front of him.

You must be either stupid or arrogant.

He can only stare at you, one hand clutching the door, when you barrel straight at him and he finds a miserable, weeping human wrapped around his chest. Your tears are soaking into his throat, your heart hammering against his chest, and all he feels is panic.

Because you’re emitting hormones and chemicals that every wolf in the building can smell and you’re smearing them all over his clothes.

He doesn’t even question why you’re crying. In two seconds he’s shoved you off of him and slammed the door in your face, and in the next two seconds he’s bolted across his dorm and plunged himself into the shower to scrub every last remnant of you off of him.

It’s not until he’s out of the shower, toweling through his hair, tugging on fresh clothes, that he realizes that he hasn’t been able to get the image of you bawling like a lost lamb out of his head.

The shower isn’t enough. He’s meeting Jisung and Felix the next morning to study, and as soon as he approaches the table both older boys pin their gazes on him suspiciously. They’re taking in his scent, absorbing the intermingling of his familiar musk and the treacherous addition of your tea tree shampoo and warm skin.

“Dude.” Jisung sniffs, face scrunching once. He leans in, pushing his nose into Seungmin’s hair and bouncing back with a bright laugh when the younger man shoves him away. “Who did you fuck last night? You reek of woman.”

Seungmin swings a half-assed fist at Jisung and lets him dodge it. “I didn’t fuck anyone. Shut up.”

Felix’s eyes widen, leaning closer as well, and then he flinches back in surprise. “That’s Yunho’s girl. You smell like Yunho’s fiancé.”

A second of silence settles over the library before Jisung’s hand claps down on Seungmin’s shoulder. “You fucked Yunho’s fiancé?” He hears himself as soon as he’s said it, smacking a hand over his own mouth and ducking his head to avoid Seungmin’s burning glare. To take the target off his own back, he squints at Felix. “How do you know what she smells like?”

“We had a class project.” Felix frowns. “It took us a week and I nearly got gutted by Wooyoung and Mingi every time we had to meet for it. Are you fucking insane?” He directs the last question to the youngest.

Seungmin slams his textbooks down at the table, expression dark with rage. “I didn’t fuck anybody.” He snaps. “She showed up at my dorm last night and I shut the door in her face.” He hopes it will be enough to change the subject, but Jisung just inches closer. “I didn’t talk to her,” He grumbles before any more questions can be thrown haphazardly across the table. “I don’t know why she came to me. I’ve met her exactly once and told her to leave us alone.”

“I’ve heard she’s not vibing with Yunho anymore.” Jisung says, flipping casually through his notes. “She’s not as enamored with his freaky possessive tendencies as she thought she would be.” He completely ignores when Felix kicks him under the table. “And, actually, I’ve heard that his second in command is higher on his fuck list than she is.”

Seungmin kicks him too, being the second to notice to looming presence approaching from behind Jisung. “Shut up, hyung.” he grumbles. “This is none of our business.”

“Leave it alone,” Felix agrees. “It doesn’t concern us.”

“Yeah, but come on.” Jisung barrels on. “Why wouldn’t she be pissed to find out she’s second to Mingi after being paraded around like a queen for two years?”

The approaching wolves decide to make themselves known as Seungmin’s eyes roll to the ceiling. “Maybe don’t believe everything you hear.”

At the sound of Wooyoung’s voice in his ear, Jisung scrambles up and spins to face the two pack mates who have overheard him yapping. He looks appropriately abashed and rubs the back of his neck once but doesn’t back down. “We’re just talking,” He says, and flashes them both a glare.

The larger of the two, San, edges closer. It’s a very clear warning.

Wooyoung’s eyes flicker to Seungmin and his nostrils flare. “That one smells like the bitch.”

It’s enough to raise Seungmin’s hackles, even though he knows it isn’t meant the way humans mean it. More than that, it’s almost affectionate—because you aren’t properly a bitch; you’re not a wolf; but they accept you as belonging to Yunho anyway, like you are one.

They just don’t seem to care that you don’t want to be.

“It was nothing.” Seungmin says lowly. His tone is threatening, low enough that Wooyoung thinks twice about jumping in his face. “She came to the wrong room, I sent her away.”

San’s eyes narrow. “She’s come home reeking of you before. This isn’t the first time, pup.”

The nickname does not go over well.

Jisung utters a reverberating snarl that seems to eliminate the almost comical height difference between himself and San, while Felix rises from his seat and lifts his chin in a challenge.

The rest of the students begin to gather their things and move seats, giving the wolves a wide berth.

“We have no interest in you or any of your toys.” Jisung announces flatly. “Go home before you embarrass yourselves.”

Wooyoung takes a step back, but he has one final blow to land. “Watch yourself, dog.” His eyes are on Seungmin. “Yunho doesn’t take kindly to stealing.” He looks gleeful as he utters his next words. “And he doesn’t keep tainted goods.”

Seungmin doesn’t even know your name. He’s tuned everything about you out ever since he first started noticing you around campus. He doesn’t want to know you, doesn’t want to spend time with you, doesn’t want to think about you.

He especially doesn’t want to think about how pretty you are, or how kind and innocent you seem, or the way that your expression sinks into loneliness when you think you’re alone. He doesn’t want to know your name, or why you’re engaged to Yunho, or why you’re suddenly unhappy that you’re engaged to Yunho.

He doesn’t want to know why you showed up sobbing at his door after he was so cold towards you, or why you thought throwing yourself into his arms was a safer option than sharing your burdens with your own fiancé.

But when he hears you weeping once again, your wails echoing through the woods, he doesn’t even try to avoid you. This time he follows your sound, follows your scent, creeps through the dark trails to find you. Because he’s the reason your back is against a tree, your terrified body surrounded by the eight members of your pack.

He’s the reason Yunho looks sick as he takes in your scent and smells remnants of another wolf.

It’s his scent on you that is about to cost you your life.

If you were a wolf, Yunho would have just cut you loose. He would have sent you on your way, let you find someone else, staged some public and humiliating breakup for you. But you’re not. You’re human; you’re less than. he doesn’t need to let you live.

You’re screaming into the dark, pleading your case, begging them to believe that you don’t even know Seungmin, that it’s all a misunderstanding. The entire pack ignores you. They’ll make an example of you after they’ve torn you to pieces.

Seungmin knows there will be parts of you around campus by morning, a warning to all other wolves to keep their hands off of Yunho’s toys.

He can’t just sit by and watch you be killed because you were too dumb to understand pack boundaries. But he also can’t face down eight werewolves by himself, not on two legs.

So he shifts.

He transforms at will, assuming the form that so many fear and he takes a second to adjust. He’s big, one of the biggest of his pack, and he’s fast. As long as all four limbs are cooperating, he has a good chance at success to get you out of the trap you’re backed into.

He’s so fast Yunho’s pack doesn’t realize what’s happening.

Seungmin bolts into the circle they’ve created around you and darts straight towards you. Before you can scream or dodge his trajectory, he’s clamped his teeth around your shoulder and snatched you away into the dark.

He knows it hurts, he can taste your blood in his mouth, but his greater concern is the shouting and howling of the pack behind you. They’ll shift and give chase in a matter of seconds, but they’ll need the same time to adjust that he had needed. It will be enough time.

At least for now.

You’re screaming beneath him, clawing at his throat and trying everything to loosen his bite, but he can’t stop. If he stops they’ll catch up, and if they catch up, they’ll kill you both.

He doesn’t drop you until he’s outside his dorm, shifting back to human form just in time to catch you before you hit the sidewalk. You’re pale and bleeding, your shoulder mangled from his own teeth. He can still taste the blood on his tongue, and he feels it as it trickles over his lips.

“Seungmin?” You gasp as soon as you find yourself in his grip. “Wait, you—”

“You really are stupid, aren’t you?” He lifts you to his chest and shoulders the door open, casting a glance back to see the wolves of your old pack burst out of the tree line. “I told you this would happen.”

Seungmin hurries you up the stairs and down the hall, slamming his door shut behind you just in time to hear footsteps pounding behind you. He'll deal with it later. He'll text Jeongin, and Jeongin will deal with your pack.

He locks the door and sets you down on his bed, turning away abruptly to catch his breath. Sweat is trickling down his brow, seeping into the shirt at his back, his heart pounding a mile a minute. Behind him, he hears you tell him your name. "I don't want to know," He snaps, reaching for a first aid kit. "Don't say anything. God." He's seething, face red with rage. "You can't actually be this stupid."

"But--" You're confused. "You saved me. You got me out of there. It's over."

Stunned, Seungmin flings a hand towards the door where Yunho is doing his best to beat it down. "Does it sound fucking over? No. You're going to sit there and shut up, and once I'm done dealing with this mess you're going to leave. Transfer schools. Get lost. Just take your drama somewhere else and leave my pack out of it."

You sink into his pillows, your expression falling.

As he pushes your sleeve aside to clean the flesh his teeth have punctured, the only noise is the clamoring of your pack outside his door. Campus security will be alerted to the disturbance soon and they'll be gone without a fight, but the real trouble is coming.

"Why did you start running around on Yunho anyway?" He mutters sourly, not bothering to apologize when you hiss at the sting of his ointment.

"I'm not running around on Yunho." You refute glumly. "I broke up with him. Two months ago."

Seungmin snorts. "I don't think he agreed with you."

"Yeah, well, I didn't expect to be the one on a leash." It's a bitter, unkind comment, one that earns you a sharp glare. You flinch away from him, fully expecting to earn a slap or another bite for your disrespect, but the expression on Seungmin's face just melts into a smirk.

"Well, you know how dogs can be."

You weren't expecting that. "Why did you save me if you hate me so much?"

Seungmin begins to wrap your wound, not bothering himself with gentility. "Because you're dumb as fuck."

"Not because I'm human?"

It's your turn to surprise him. He fully expected another round of tears at his words, but you just take his prickly demeanor in stride. "I don't hate your humanity." He says, quietly this time. "I don't hate you. But you need to think about what you're doing. You got yourself involved with a volatile pack when you decided to date Yunho, and then you put my pack in danger when you decided to come crying to me. This world isn't all about you. You're messing with instinct and pride and you literally almost died over it."

You sink even deeper into the pillows. "I'll do better," You say. "I promise. I'll do better."

"You'll leave." He replies flatly. "You won't survive on campus. You have to leave."

A few minutes pass as the pack outside his door goes quiet, noise shifting into the sounds of campus security escorting them out of the building and urging them to deal with their issues during the daytime.

"Why did you come crying to me?" He asks finally. He gets up to collect a clean shirt for you to wear instead of the one that's now doused with blood.

"You called me stupid."

Seungmin rolls his eyes. "You came crying because I hurt your feelings?"

"No I came to you because you called me stupid when everyone else over there tells me nothing's wrong, it's all in my head, everything I do is fine. I came to you because I knew you'd tell me the truth, that you wouldn't do me any favors."

Well he certainly hadn't done you any favors by slamming the door in your face.

"What truth were you looking for?" He asks, tossing you the shirt.

You blush. "I wanted to know if they were going to kill me and never let me leave."

Seungmin snorts. "Figured that one out on your own, did you?"

You sit curled up on his bed while he rummages through his groceries and finds some rice and chicken to make. There’s a twitch in your posture, an obvious tug from where his bite has damaged the muscle of your shoulder.

He slides the pre-cooked rice into the microwave and turns it on, letting the low hum fill the room as his eyes find you once again. “I’m sorry about the bite,” he tells you, and he is. He hates the way your eyes fill with tears from the pain of it, hates the way your pathetic expression makes his gut twist.

You flinch, staring up at him. “No, no, I’m fine! You saved my life. I have no complaints.” Despite your rushed reassurance, you bring your legs closer to your chest and make yourself even smaller. “Look, I hear you.” You say. “I know I’ve made trouble for the packs. And I know I’ve put you in danger. If it’s important to you to just kill me, I understand.”

You’re absolutely stunned when he swats the back of your head. “You really are dumb as fuck, pabo.” He rolls his eyes again and drops himself onto the bed next to you, sitting against the wall as he watches the microwave hum away. “Why would I save your life just to kill you?”

You’re trembling next to him. “Why would you save it at all?” For a second your gaze drops to your shoulder, taking note of the enormous breadth of his teeth marks. “I’ve never seen a wolf so big.”

“Yunho is bigger.” Seungmin says simply. “I saved you because it’s my scent that marked you. They didn’t need to kill you over some stupid accident. Not when I wasn’t even trying to steal you.”

“Steal me?” Your eyes are wide.

“Wolves are territorial.” He reminds you again. “Yunho would rather kill you than lose you to me.”

The microwave beeps and he hefts himself up, going to swap one container for another. By the time he’s turned around again, you’ve gotten off the bed and found the strength in your legs again.

“Careful,” he warns, reaching for a plastic spoon. “You’ve lost a lot of blood.”

“Seungmin.” Your voice is tiny, pleading.

He turns, and then you’re flush against his chest, your mouth crushed against his. He stumbles back but you chase, kissing him so hard he feels his brain blank out for a second.

Until your hands climb the back of his neck and scrape through his hair and he lurches back, seizing your wrists.

You’re gasping, staring at him, eyes filled with tears. “I’ll be yours. I swear. I’ll be good and I’ll respect pack boundaries and I’ll do anything for you. I’ll make you feel so good, please, Seungmin. Let me be yours.”

He pushes you back, pushing you back on the bed. “God you really don’t know how not to be someone’s bitch, do you?” He pries your hands off his neck and backs away from you. “Stop chasing wolves. Go have a normal human relationship somewhere else.” He puts a plate of rice and chicken in your lap. “Eat.”

Your tears spill over. “I’m scared, Seungmin.”

“Scared isn’t a good enough reason to mate a wolf.” He snaps. The cruelty in his tone is undermined by the gentility with which he lifts your hand and presses chopsticks into your palm. “You must have learned that with Yunho.”

“He’ll kill me, Seungmin.”

“Eat your food.” He plates his own meal and sits at his desk, far away from you. “And don’t go kissing people for protection anymore.”

Your eyes duck to your plate and you sniffle pathetically. “I’m too scared to eat.”

“I’ll drive you to the airport in the morning.” He says disinterestedly. “Once you get out of here you’ll be fine. Just don’t go chasing wolves anymore.”

You put your food aside and get up to stand at the window, glancing out over the darkness of campus. “I like it here though.”

He drops his plate on the desk. “Oh my god, wolf girl, you literally cannot keep yourself out of trouble, can you?”

There’s a second as you turn to face him, a coy smile crossing your lips. “Do you like trouble, Seungmin?” You take one step and then you’ve got his chin in your palm, your other hand scruffing through his hair. “Do you want to get into trouble, puppy?”

He looks absolutely appalled as he snatches your hands away from him. “God, no wonder they were trying to kill you. Keep this up and I’ll just leave you on their doorstep.”

You utter a quiet laugh and the playful sneer melts off your face. As soon as it’s gone he realizes that it was a mask, that you had just been messing with him, but at the mention of your uncertain fate your fear is gripping quiet fingers at the base of your neck. “If you’ll let me sleep here tonight, I’ll sleep on the floor.” You say quietly. “Airport tomorrow morning, no more wolf chasing. Got it.”

He hates the defeated slump of your shoulders, the tears that slip down your face.

“You already have my scent.” He says flatly. “Sleep in the bed with me.”

So you do. You’re pressed into the wall on the other side, as far away from him as you can possibly manage. He watches you through the dark, watches your body shake with silent sobs.

You reek of fear and heartbreak, the scent overwhelming his senses until it’s pulsing in his skull.

He’ll never sleep at this rate, and he doesn’t want to think about the way his chest clenches every time he catches a glimpse of your big pitiful eyes.

“Pabo,” he whispers at your back, and sees you fall still. “You’re sniffling so damn loud I can’t sleep.”

Your entire body cringes. “I’m sorry. I’ll move to the floor.” You roll over to attempt to crawl to the foot of the bed to get around him but he catches your arm.

“Just come here,” he says, giving you a tug. “Neither of us are going to sleep if you’re over there being pathetically lonely. Come here, pabo.”

You seize the opportunity, desperate for physical touch, and you scoot closer until at least you can feel his shoulder against yours. “Thank you,” you whisper. “Yunho never let me touch him when he was trying to sleep. He’s not much of a cuddler.”

“And you are.” He guesses, feeling the way you’re leaning every ounce of your need for comfort into the two square inches of shoulder that is touching his.

“It’s a disease,” you laugh at yourself. “I just want to be held so fucking bad sometimes.”

Maybe it’s some science about the resonance in your voice or the sob that breaks through your tone or maybe a bout of temporary insanity, but the second your aching words touch his ears, Seungmin’s arms fall around your waist and tug you into him.

He hears you gasp, feels your heart beating through your back against his chest, feels your abdomen clench against his arm as you hold back sobs.

He gets it now. “You’re fine, pabo.” He mutters into your hair. “Just cry it out quickly so we can actually get some sleep.”

You immediately begin to sob, entire body decompressing with a corner of his pillow stuffed into your mouth. Months of a miserable, domineering relationship where your most sensitive emotional needs are neglected finally expressing itself on the night you nearly lost your life over nothing.

Seungmin huffs a tiny laugh against the back of your neck, allowing instinct to take over as he squeezes you closer. He sighs, almost amused. “Poor pabo,” he says, and chuckles again as you cry harder. “If only you had picked Wooyoung, I hear he’s way too physically affectionate.”

You launch a foot backwards and kick him, causing him to laugh harder.

“You’re not funny.” You mutter weakly.

“Shh, you’re supposed to be crying.” He tucks his arm firmly around your waist so neither of you will fall off the dorm twin mattress and promptly falls into comfortable sleep.

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[eu-nicola]

jealousy

summary: you're jealous of a woman who approached Rafe

warnings: nothing

word counter: 2291

author's note: english is not my first language, writing something better but i left this here

You had known Rafe Cameron forever. Outer Banks was far too small for you not to cross paths with him every now and then, although you had always been from two completely different worlds. You were a Pogue, born and raised between sunsets on the docks and impromptu beach parties. He, on the other hand, was a Kook, living in the luxury and opulence of Figure Eight, surrounded by wealth that you had no interest in.

You had always thought Rafe was arrogant, self-centered, and often unbearable. And to be honest, he didn’t have a very different opinion of you. Every time you crossed paths at a party or on the docks, there were looks filled with disdain and cutting remarks. To him, you were a "loud Pogue," always ready to question him. To you, he was "the typical spoiled rich kid," used to getting whatever he wanted.

The funny thing is, you were both wrong.

Everything changed one night, one of those where the air was thick with salt, and the sky seemed like an infinite blanket of stars. You had gone to a beach party, invited by Sarah and Kiara, and, of course, Rafe was there with his usual entourage of friends. You had decided to ignore him as usual, but the events of that night wouldn’t allow it.

It all started with a sarcastic comment from him, something about how Pogues were always sticking their noses where they didn’t belong. You responded with an equally sharp retort, and before you knew it, you were engaged in an argument in front of everyone. You don’t exactly remember what you said, but it was enough to shut him up. Rafe gave you a look you had never seen before: a mix of challenge, interest, and something you couldn’t quite identify.

Later that same night, you found him alone, sitting on a rock near the water. It was rare to see him apart from his group, but something in you decided to approach him, maybe driven by curiosity or lingering anger. To your surprise, instead of continuing the fight, you talked. And for the first time, you saw another side of Rafe. A more honest, even vulnerable side. He talked about things you’d never have imagined bothered him, and you surprised yourself by being honest with him too.

That night marked the beginning of something neither of you expected.

At first, it was strange. It wasn’t like you suddenly got along. In fact, most of the time, you still argued, but the fights stopped being purely hostile. There was something electric about, a tension both of you pretended to ignore but became harder to hide every day. It didn’t take long before that tension spilled over.

The first kiss was an accident or at least that’s what you told yourselves afterward. It was during another argument, one that started over something insignificant but ended with both of you too close, too aware of each other. You didn’t know who made the first move, only that suddenly his lips were on yours, and everything you had thought about him crumbled in that moment.

From then on, things changed. You started spending more time together, first in secret, away from curious eyes and the judgments you both knew you would face. Surprisingly, it was Rafe who insisted on keeping your relationship private. “It’s complicated,” he told you once, and even though you didn’t like the answer, you understood why.

Still, the relationship progressed quickly. You spent almost every night at his place, though you never entered through the front door. He always found ways to make you feel special, whether it was sneaking you onto his bike to ride to the cliffs or staying up with you for hours, just talking. Despite your differences, you began to see how much you actually had in common.

Rafe, despite his confident, was someone with far too many inner demons. Sometimes, he would come home late, upset about something he wouldn’t tell you, but you found ways to calm him down. In turn, he was always there when you needed him. You learned to trust him more than anyone you ever had before.

Of course, it wasn’t perfect. Sometimes you fought, and you couldn’t help but wonder if what you had was sustainable. You were a Pogue, and that wasn’t going to change. He, a Kook, had a reputation to maintain, expectations to fulfill. Yet when you were with him, none of that seemed to matter.

What surprised you most was how much he truly cared about you. It was something you never would have expected from someone like Rafe Cameron. He treated you with a tenderness you never imagined he could have. When you were with him, you felt seen, like you were the only thing that mattered in his world.

The months flew by, almost like a sigh. You and Rafe were still together, closer than you’d ever thought possible at the beginning. What had started as something secret had become your refuge, a space where you could be authentic without the weight of the Pogue and Kook labels. But you couldn’t deny that being with him meant stepping into his world, a place you never quite got used to.

That night was yet another test of that.

You found yourself at an elegant party, one of those where everything about the atmosphere screamed "money." The music was soft, like a sophisticated murmur, and the place was filled with people who seemed all too aware of their status. The men wore perfectly tailored suits, the women donned dresses that probably cost more than your house, and everyone drank whiskey or champagne like it was water.

You had tried to fit in, wearing a pretty dress and styling your hair with care, but no matter how much you tried, you always felt like you didn’t belong. You stood near a table, idly playing with the rim of your wine glass, watching people chatter in small groups. Everything felt so superficial, so far removed from what you knew, it made you want to laugh.

Out of the corner of your eye, you spotted Rafe. He was a little farther away, at the bar, with a whiskey glass in hand. His eyes were almost glassy, a clear sign he’d already had more than enough to drink. Despite everything, he looked incredible, as always. He had that presence that made people stare, that almost arrogant confidence that drove you crazy but had also drawn you to him in the first place.

However, you weren’t the only one who noticed his charm.

A blonde woman, probably in her fifties, was approaching him. She wore an elegant dress that fit her perfectly, carrying herself with the kind of confidence that screamed she always got what she wanted. She stopped in front of Rafe and smiled at him, a smile that made your teeth clench.

You watched as she leaned in, introducing herself with a handshake. Rafe, drunk but ever charming, smiled back and soon they were talking like old friends. After a moment, they moved to a nearby table, sitting across from each other.

You weren’t the jealous type, at least not in the classic sense. You never felt the need to control what Rafe did or who he talked to. But there was something about this woman, about the way she looked at him and smiled, that made your blood boil. You couldn’t quite explain it, but you felt it deep in your chest.

You took a sip of your wine, trying to ignore it. But the discomfort didn’t go away, and before you could stop yourself, you were already walking toward them. You stopped next to Rafe, placing a hand on the back of his chair, and glanced at the woman.

She noticed you immediately and gave you a smile that seemed far too fake to be polite.

“Oh, hello,” she said in a high-pitched tone, as if surprised to see you there.

“Hello,” you replied quietly, keeping a neutral expression.

The woman shifted her attention back to Rafe, as if you no longer existed.

“Who’s she?” she asked curiously, gesturing toward you with a subtle tilt of her head.

Rafe glanced at you briefly before turning to the woman. It took him a moment, probably more due to the alcohol than anything else, but he finally answered:

“This is my, uh, friend.”

You raised an eyebrow at his choice of words but said nothing. The woman, who apparently was named Hollis, gave you another smile and nodded.

“Nice to meet you, Rafe’s friend.” Her tone was friendly, but there was something in it that set your nerves on edge.

After a few more comments, Hollis finally got up. Before leaving, she handed Rafe a card, which he accepted without hesitation. You watched as she walked away confidently, and once she disappeared into the crowd, you turned your attention back to Rafe.

“Who’s she?” you asked, crossing your arms.

Rafe rubbed his forehead, clearly feeling the effects of the alcohol, and looked at the card in his hand.

“She’s the biggest real estate agent on the island. Also, apparently, a cougar.”

Your reaction was immediate: a mocking laugh escaped your lips as you rolled your eyes.

“Oh, sure. The biggest cougar on the island.”

Rafe kept looking at you with that smirk you loved to hate. You knew what was coming; you recognized that spark of amusement in his eyes whenever he found an opportunity to tease you.

“So?” he asked, leaning a little closer to you, his warm breath brushing your skin. “Are you jealous?”

You stared at him without flinching, even though you felt the heat rising to your cheeks. You weren’t going to give in so easily. You raised an eyebrow and adopted a nonchalant tone, though deliberately defiant:

“Should I be, friend?”

That stopped him for a second, but only for his grin to widen even more. He leaned in closer, reducing the distance between you until your faces were dangerously close. You felt your heart begin to race, but you held your ground.

“Friend?” he repeated, his deep voice dropping even lower. He leaned in until his nose brushed yours, his teasing smile making you want to laugh and hit him at the same time. “Is that all I am to you?”

You bit your lip to keep from smiling but decided it was time to hit back.

“Maybe I should go find JJ.”

Rafe’s smirk disappeared for a second. You saw him tense, and before you could step back, he grabbed your waist and pulled you close, your chest colliding with his. His gaze locked on yours, intense and dangerous, but there was a glimmer of amusement in his eyes that made him even more irresistible.

“Don’t tempt me. You know JJ can’t make you feel what I do,” he murmured, his voice rough and dripping with something deeper.

Your breath hitched for a moment, but you weren’t going to give in that easily. You looked at him with a challenging smile and raised an eyebrow.

“That sounds like a warning, Cameron. And you know I don’t like warnings.”

He smiled, that arrogant smile you knew so well, and before you could say anything else, he tilted his head, and his lips found yours. The kiss was so sudden you almost lost your balance, but his firm hands.

The world seemed to disappear in that instant. You couldn’t hear the murmur of the party or the soft clinking of champagne glasses around you. All you felt was Rafe, his warmth, his intensity, and the way his mouth claimed yours as if he was trying to prove a point.

When he finally pulled back, just enough for his lips to still brush against yours, he smiled again, triumphant.

“Are you going to run off to JJ now?” he asked in a whisper, his voice dripping with arrogance.

You rolled your eyes, trying to regain your composure, though the way your heart raced gave you away.

“You’re an idiot.” But you couldn’t help the smile tugging at your lips.

“And yet, you can’t resist me.” His tone was cocky, but there was something softer in his gaze, something that made you forget why you were even upset in the first place.

You gave him a small shove on his chest, though you didn’t make much effort to pull away from his arms.

“Next time I see you talking to Hollis or any other “real estate agent,” you said, emphasizing the words with a slightly mocking tone, “you better remember who I am.”

Rafe let out a low, charmingly husky laugh as he nodded.

“Believe me, baby, there’s no one at this party, or on this island, who could ever make me forget who you are to me.”

Your heart skipped a beat, but instead of showing it, you simply lifted your chin and looked at him with a satisfied smile.

“You better not. Because I’m not good at sharing.”

He looked at you as if you were confirming something he already knew, and before you could say anything else, he kissed you again, this time softer, as if he wanted to erase any trace of doubt from your mind. And as you got lost in that moment, you knew that, no matter how chaotic things were with Rafe, he would always have the power to undo you with just one kiss.

[avelera]

I feel like I don't have the spoons for this, nor the understanding of real-life PTSD enough to explore it, but I feel like it's worth examining Jayce's arc for signs of PTSD. Much has been made of the canonical mental illnesses and PTSD of characters like Jinx, and I've mentioned that I think Jayce might have generalized clinical anxiety, but I think it's worth looking at how much of his behavior might be PTSD related even before he goes to the Anomaly future.

Some possible places I'd look:

Jayce has been getting fed paranoia by Marcus and by the tension that is being deliberately ratcheted up by Silco and Jinx. Yes, he says awful, bigoted things to Viktor on the bridge, but it is worth pointing out that he's not saying this in a vacuum, there are people in proximity to him deliberately stoking his paranoia and that of the city for their own ends, literally Marcus is gaslighting him actively by telling him the Firelights are responsible and the best way to keep people safe is shut down the bridge.

The fight in the Shimmer Factory gets more wild to me every time I watch. Jayce should not be there for so many reasons but one of them is Jayce is not a fighter. I think his video game counterpart sort of obscures this, but unlike Vi who has spent her whole life fighting AND in prison for years, Jayce has never, ever wielded that hammer before. He didn't even have it until the day before! And suddenly he's up against the Shimmer-infused berserkers who are some of the toughest fighters in the whole show. He almost gets his head cut off, if not for features he built into the hammer like weightlessness and the shield, he'd be dead, and then he makes what I call the, "Jayce is Making Bad Decisions" Face (I need to make a gifset of this face btw, he makes it a couple times, also while resurrecting Viktor).

Ok I might make fun of the Jayce is Making Bad Decisions face, BUT on a serious note, it's clear the Fortiche animators are doing a superb job showing someone who has gone into "Adrenaline Mode". REAL fighters do not want adrenaline. Adrenaline fucks up your reaction times and makes you shaky and turns off your higher brain functions. I've been in a fight when fear adrenaline kicks in and you just start wildly swinging to get people away from you and that is exactly what happened when Jayce's face got scrunched up and he started shooting wildly, he just wanted to stop the threat because he's never fought before, unlike Vi. And then he kills a kid and the triumph of his first fight against an uncomplicated enemy just dies and btw, never returns except in that moment fighting more Shimmer berserkers and Renni but those are clear self defense and there's no triumph in it.

BRO gets HIT BY A ROCKET, has a pure panic response leaving living people who need his help in the chamber to save Viktor, and he doesn't go back as far as we know.

Ok so the things that me, as not an expert would be curious to note as possible PTSD responses would be:

Jayce not leaving the lab after the attack except 1) to go to the funeral (where he's attacked AGAIN) 2) to comfort Caitlyn after Mel basically tells him to, 3) to make weapons for Caitlyn's team specifically to keep a small group of people safe, not arm an entire army. Besides that, it looks like he spends all his time holed up in the lab, even after Viktor is gone, because that's his safe space and I think I read once that PTSD has a way of shrinking your world down to just the people and places you trust.

Dragging that hammer around with him in the Anomaly future. Look, Jayce is a city boy, he has no survival instincts, but it wasn't just a bad idea because it broke his leg, it was actively detrimental to his chances of survival because lugging an anvil around drained him of water and calories. Bro had a lot less chance of survival with it, but he thought he was surrounded by zombies (he wasn't, they're all dead and they're all controlled by Viktor, we learn he was never in danger, though I don't blame him for that). But that could also be a PTSD response, his actual emotional support hammer.

Clamming up and not talking to Mel about what happened because she's not in his circle of trust anymore, it's more or less shrunk down to just Viktor (once he can save him) and Cait, maybe.

Ok as usual this got longer than I intended by just... some things that are in my mind right now.

[sigma-alpha-writer-chad]

Grow Up, Would You? [Josh Washington]

“I don’t know if you’ve changed any since middle school but I really hope you’ve learned the difference between pranking somebody and just being a fucking bully.”

You can also find this story on Ao3!

Prologue / Chapter One / Chapter Two

[Italicized chapters are sort of like,, flash backs? Stuff in the past, whatever.]

[CHAPTER ONE]

I’d never been one for parties.

Yet there I stood, staring up at the house of the address I was given, the windows flashing a multitude of colors as the muffled music blared. People were scattered around the front lawn, holding their drinks and talking happily amongst themselves as laughter filled the cool night air. I felt a sense of midding as I slowly made my way to the front door, a small smile formed on my face.

I opened the front door to be met with the loud, hot air of the party. It wasn’t packed, but it was close. Immediately I started looking around for the one who invited me, gently pushing my way through the groups of people. There were faces I recognized, and ones I didn’t. I hadn’t seen anyone in the area since I’d changed schools years prior. But none of them were who I was searching for. Until finally, I saw him.

He was tall, with blonde hair and blue eyes behind a pair of thick black rectangular glasses. He wore a dark green sweater that fit his broad shoulders snugly and blue jeans. I especially knew it was him when I spotted his hiking shoes.

Who wears hiking shoes to a party?

“Chris!” I called. M y cousin, Christopher Hartley, leaning up against the wall and talking to a girl with red hair. He turned to me and smiled.

“Jordan! I didn’t think you’d show,” he said. He took a step towards me and pull ed me into a tight, familiar hug. Chris took a step back as if to get a better look at me. “You look great!”

“Yeah, well, y’know,” I grinned. I tucked a hair behind my ear. It was Chris’s friend group’s graduation party, and it was a big one. A smaller celebration had been held prior by the adults for Chris , a nice outdoor barbecue with baby photos tacked onto the walls and various cork boards. But once that was over and everyone had left, Chris begged me to go with him to a much larger, run by the teens grad party the next week.

“Let me introduce you to my friends!” Chris was practically yelling into my ear to be heard over the blasting music.

“Uhm, no! I’m good, actually, I’ve met your friends!” I’ d met his friends. Mean girls, meat-heads, and -

“C’mon, Jordan, please! You haven’t seen them in like 4 years, they’re totally new people now!” Chris insisted. He grabbed my wrist and began to pull me back towards the red-haired girl. I recognized her then.

“Hi, Ashley,” I waved meekly.

Ashley Brown. Despite the people she surrounded herself with, Ashley seemed like a nice girl. She had red shoulder length hair and hazel eyes under thin eyebrows. Her makeup was subtle and suited her well. She was a very conventionally pretty girl and one that Chris had a huge crush on. Even back in elementary school I remembered seeing her and Chris, nervously sitting together at lunch. Their crushes on each other were so obviously mutual it was sickening to know they were both oblivious to the other’s feelings.

“Hey, Jordan.” Ashley smiled sweetly and waved back at me before glancing back at Chris with a look that screamed “get me out of this.” I decided to get her out of the situation myself while escaping the prospects of having to re meet Chris’s friends. As far as I knew, the group was entirely made up of the same people as it was when I’d changed schools 4 years prior. “Actually Chris, I’m going to go…” I paused. “To the bathroom.”

“But you just got here,” Chris’s face dropped. He knew me well enough to know I was just making an excuse.

“I drink a lot of water, and -”

“Jordan. Don’t ditch me,” Chris said. “Please.” At that moment I despised him for being a sweetheart. I couldn’t say no to Chris, no matter how much I’d wanted to.

Chris spent the next hour or so introducing me to his posse. Just as I’d suspected, it was exactly the same as it had been previously. Emily Davis, Jessica Riley, Matthew Taylor, Michael Monroe, Samantha Giddings, and Hannah and Beth Washington. I noticed there was one missing, but I didn’t dare ask in fear of reminding Chris of th at final person.

“ Sam seems nice,” I commented. “She’s probably my favorite out of everybody that you’ve introduced me to.” And I wasn’t lying. Sam stuck out like a sore thumb compared to the people she ran with. She was active, vegan – not passive-aggressive.

“Yeah, Sam’s great. Hey, I’m going to grab a drink. Do you want something?”

“A water bottle?” Chris gave me a look.

“Really?” I nodded and he left to go get the beverages, leaving me by myself near a fireplace. I took a moment to really look around at the house I was in. It was large, just short of a mansion, and old. The architecture was somewhat gothic.

“ BOO!” I nearly jumped out of my skin at the sudden scare. Someone had grabbed my shoulders hard as they shouted into my ear. I knew immediately who it was, and I was as far from happy as someone could have ever possibly been. I heard a familiar laughter as I turned around to face him, taking deep and steady breaths.

“Joshua Washington,” I said blankly. “Still fail to grow up?” Josh’s smile fades.

“Whatever your name is,” Josh repeated my tone. I couldn’t tell whether or not he had actually forgotten my name or didn’t care to use It. “Still can’t take a joke?”

“Guess not,” I shrugged. Josh stared at me, his shit-eating grin slowly returning to his face. “Or maybe you should come up with some new jokes. ‘Boo’? So last year.” I held eye contact with Joshua for what felt like an hour.

“An oldie but a goodie.” Josh’s brow twitches in frustration. He still held onto his smile but I could tell it was a struggle.

“Not a goodie if nobody fucking likes it.”

“I like it.”

“Hey, Josh! I see you’ve re-met Jordan!” Chris chimed in. Whether he knew we were about to start fighting or not was a mystery, but I was grateful for the interruption nonetheless.

“ Right, Jordan, that’s what it was,” Josh said. “I didn’t remember her at all other than the amount of crying she did.”

“The amount of crying you made me do.”

“All in good fun.”

“You tried to get pig’s blood to ‘Carrie’ me.”

“Like I said, just jokes.” Chris finally interjected.

“C’mon, Jordan, he didn’t mean anything by -” I hold my hand up to stop Chris there.

“I’m not doing this. You were in on a lot of those, Chris, you know how they hurt me.” I didn’t expect him to be on Josh’s side, but then again it wasn’t that surprising considering the amount of torture he helped exact. Chris looked down at the floor in defeat. I turn to Josh.

“I don’t know if you’ve changed any since middle school but I really hope you’ve learned the difference between pranking somebody and just being a fucking bully.” I huffed at him. I could barely see him under all of the lights but I managed to catch a glimpse of expression other than snark. For half of a second I could’ve sworn it was remorse.

It didn’t last.

“ Well. I’m not a bully, so… whatever.” Josh turned around and walked away, leaving Chris and I. I was shocked to look at Chris and see him glaring at me.

“Did you have to do that?” He asked. I raise my eyebrows in surprise.

“Do what?”

“Start a fight, just like that?” I could feel my heart sink.

“Chris, no, I didn’t -”

“Why can’t you just get over it already?” I could smell the booze on Chris’s breath. I knew he was drunk, he didn’t mean it. He couldn’t. He watched me cry enough growing up to know what kind of effects Joshua Washington had on me and my mental health. I chose to say nothing, my eyes full of tears threatening to spill over. My throat felt tight, and I knew if I said a word, all eyes would be on me as I cried in the middle of the room. So I just shake my head and shrug. I took my water bottle and headed out onto the back porch of the house – where Hannah and Beth Washington happened to be.

They noticed right away that my expression was negative. Something I’d apparently forgotten was how different from their brother the twins were, as they came to me immediately.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Hannah asked as she took my hands into her own. I swallowed.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” I sighed, looking over the balcony and into the woods.

“Was it Josh?” Beth asked. My eyes flickered to hers. My silence was all the answer that she’d needed. “He’s an ass, for sure. But he’s not as bad as he makes himself out to be. When it comes to you we don’t know what’s wrong with him.” I’m surprised at what Beth was saying. “Have you heard that dumb stuff about ‘he’s only making fun of you because he likes you’ from, like, grade school? I think it’s like that.”

I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at that. The twins ignore the obvious attitude and continued to chat with me. There was absolutely no way Joshua harbored any feelings for me other than disdain, and there was no way in HELL that it could have ever been romantic.

“Girl, don’t worry. You can hang with us.” Hannah grinned at me as she hopped excitedly. “He’ll leave you alone if we tell him to, or whatever.” I smiled at the girls. Just as I had with Chris, I could smell the booze on them and could only assume this kindness and promise of friendship was temporary. Once they were sober, they wouldn’t remember this at all. And if they did, I was sure they would regret it.

“Sure, that would be nice,” I admitted. Even if it’s just for the night, I would never complain about having friends – even if they were related to my sworn enemy.

“Great! Give me your phone!” Hannah insisted. I did as she’d asked, and next thing I knew I had their contact information. “We’ll hang out after tonight, we promise.” I nodded. I would be lying if I said that I hadn’t hoped it would happen, that these two would somehow integrate me into their lives.

It was severely unfortunate that it didn’t last long.

[paropamisus]

Just remembered how shite Modern Warfare 3 was and how it doesn't count to the cannon so yeah Soap is basically alive. John "Soap" McTavish x GN reader CW: Kinda creepy Soap, stalking, alcohol, mentions of nudity, medical inaccuracies, lmk if I missed anything So what if Soap survived? You were put on as backup for the mission in the tunnel. Good enough to make it into the SAS, never quite making it into the ranks of the 141 though. Orders were simple enough, wait outside the perimeters and if something went wrong be ready to storm in with the rest of the personnel in your squad. But it was the 141, nothing ever went wrong with them. Until it did, when the field radio reported that a group of Konni men were seen approaching the tunnel, everyone was already on the move. Making it inside just in time to see the taskforce work on defusing the bomb as Makarov approached. Everything was a blur after that. You briefly remember how no one noticed Makarov walk right up to the Captain and man with the buzzed mohawk, shot the two of them in their legs, and right before a bullet could've gone through his head, you remember pulling one guy to the ground. There was the sound of a gun going off and when you looked down at the man, his head was bleeding but the bullet hadn't gone in. Just grazed the side of his head. Honestly it was pure luck the man had survived, you had no idea why everyone was praising you when all you had done was be at the right place at the right time. In the midst of it all, your arm had been shot which resulted in medical leave for a few months. ... Johnny had truly wished that bullet had killed him.

At first he was thankful, then he got the news. Honorably discharged. Apparently there was something wrong with him. Aside from feeling a little hazy sometimes he was still perfectly fine. But everyone told him the same thing, even Simon. Apparently the bullet graze did some damage to his brain. It was deemed too risky to send him back out again.

And just like that, with a gnarled scar embedded deep into the left side of his head, he was sent back home to his bachelor flat expected to just reintegrate into civilian life, like that wasn’t the hardest thing he had ever had to do. Civilian life was never cut out for him ever, Johnny had always known that his true home was out there, on the field, constantly surrounded by the threat of violence. He really should've died out there.

Even right now, the blinding led lights of the Tesco was just giving him a migraine as Johnny scoured through the multiple different types of cereal. He could understand why so many retired military officers went insane. That's when he noticed you through the wire separating the two aisles'. You hadn't noticed him of course, too busy deciding which juice to get. Johnny couldn't help but notice how serene you looked, calmly taking all the time in the world to do your grocery shopping. As if you weren't the sole reason, in his mind, he was stuck living this suburban nightmare. You should never have pulled him back away, Johnny truly believed he should’ve died that day as a hero. Even with the cast around your left arm, it was tranquil, relaxed and peaceful. Things Johnny had desperately wanted to experience for himself.

It wasn't fair, how on earth could you stand there, perfectly in tune with everyone else acting like a civilian whilst he was stuck constantly struggling with the simple idea of being outside. Before he knew it, Johnny had followed you to the cashier. Watching the way you seamlessly interacted with the staff with that soft smile on your face. Then he trailed behind you out of the Tesco and towards your car. Staying just out of sight so you'd never notice the man carefully watching you. He just wanted to know what made the two of you so different. What were you doing that he wasn't?

Johnny had only noticed how far this had escalated when he had got in his car and followed you all the way back to your home, quietly saving the address into his gps. It was for research, he told himself. Johnny needed to understand just how you felt. How to eliminate the buzzing sound in his head that never went away, how unsettling he knew he seemed to others with his perfect smile stretching just a tad bit too wide as if he had forgotten what a normal smile looked like and this was just a cheap imitation, the scratching inside his brain as if something had crawled deep inside the bullet hole and taken root like an infection.

Maybe the reason why you seemed much more laid back was because you had the promise of returning. That arm of yours wouldn't stay injured forever. And maybe the only way of understanding Johnny's point of view was to have you stay.

He didn't even realise how far this whole monitoring thing had gone until he found himself outside your home everyday. Watching your window from inside his car with a pair of military grade binoculars noticing everything you did. By the end of the month, he had started to bring his sketchbook. Simple domestic things, cooking in your homely kitchen, folding laundry on the sofa, getting changed in a dark room because no one could see anyway right?.

Often he found himself spacing out, looking too long at you sweeping as he let his imagination run. His fingers mindlessly sketching the shape of your body over and over again in his notebook. Johnny couldn't remember the last thing he drew that wasn't you. It was all (mostly) domestic things and quite frequently he forgot why he even started doing this in the first place. To analyse, take notes on what he was doing wrong. He swore up and down to himself that he truly hated you. Johnny really did believe it. But he never could figure out why whenever his brain fogged up and everything got hazy, he could just imagine himself with you. Doing all those homely things with you. Cooking together, watching TV together, all that sappy shit he never imagined himself doing with anyone but himself. Once when he went out with the team for drinks, he spilled everything out to Price. The Captain, in response, could only laugh and shake his head.

By the time a very confused Soap could finally understand what he felt, he was too far gone. He had notebooks filled with drawings of just you, entire pages dedicated to noting down every little thing about your routine. But he only had a month left, your arm was healing up quite nicely. The good thing was that Johnny knew basically everything about you by now, even if your only memory of Soap was dragging him back away from a tkb-023. So when Johnny overheard you making plans with your friend over the phone about going out for drinks, he knew he had to make a move. … When you bump into the stranger, his name was Johnny, you suddenly feel as though you had met this man before. With that charming smile of his and those ocean blue eyes, surely you could recall someone as memorable as him. It didn't seem to matter anyway, the two of you had gotten along so well. He seemed to like all the same exact things as you! However somewhere along the way at the sticky booth top he sat you at, you had gotten to the topic of jobs and everything just spilled. It was definitely the alcohol speaking but you really couldn't hold yourself back from stuttering on and on about how much you hated the military and how brutal some of the things you saw were. Johnny seemed to listen intently, hanging onto every word you said about you wanting nothing more than to remain on medical leave forever and that you were loving civilian life. His smile just got wider and wider as you continued rambling. Johnny had been such a good listener that you didn't complain when he guided you out of the club and into his familiar looking car with his hand secured on your lower back. Nor did you say anything when your intoxicated self tried to mumble out your address to him and he just chuckled to himself. "I know bonnie, don't worry about it"

Definitely not commenting on why he knew where your bedroom was when you opened the door. You were probably just really out of it right? It didn't explain why the next morning you had woken up to the smell of your favourite breakfast cooking in your kitchen with a new email reading: Failed Psych evaluation - Unfit for further deployment.

Sure Johnny had to pull a few strings but recording your whole crash out and sending it to Laswell might've been the smartest thing he's ever done.

[caberzatto]

distraction (pt. 1)

fem!reader x Minho

summary: After the arrival of a new female glader, Minho begins acting strangely. He’s losing focus and getting easily distracted, which leads to an incident one day when he's out in the maze. Luckily the newest greenie is there to help.

word count : 4.6k

Being a teenage boy is hard enough as it, but being a teenage boy and having spent the last three years in a confined space surrounded by around fifty other teenage boys? Yeah, not the most ideal living situation in the world, I mean you can just imagine the amount of pent up sexual frustration.

I mean it's not like thoughts of sex or women were constantly on Minho's mind, but at the end of the day he's still a teenage boy with needs.

That day you had come up in the box was by far the most genuine feeling of excitement that the boys had felt throughout their time in the glade. I mean for most of them it was the first time that they could remember actually seeing a girl, and a really, really, pretty girl no less.

You can only imagine all the crass thoughts and mental images that made their way through the minds of majority of the boys once they opened up the box, only to find a girl sitting at the bottom.

The crowd of men above you simply stood and glared down at you in silence before one of the boys made a comment something along the lines of "Well how do we decide who gets first go, boys?," resulting in scattered snorts and chuckles from the rest of the group.

Alby was quick to step in, though. Keeping a close eye on you during your first few days in the glade; setting rules and boundaries around you to make sure no one would try anything. He showed you around and how things worked, informing you of all the different roles that everyone plays to ensure smooth sailing, introducing you to people like Newt and Fry and Gally.

And Minho.

You and Minho had never really spoken to each other despite you having been in the glade for almost 2 months now.

The most you'd interacted was one evening after the runners had gotten back from the maze. It was a night of festivities; everyone was gathered around what appeared to be a very large bonfire.

You were sat next to Newt on the trunk of a fallen tree, and as you blankly stared into the orange flames of the fire, you felt someone gently nudge your shoulder from behind, pulling you out of your trance like state. Alby. In his left had he held the necks of two bottles of Gally's secret drink and in his right hand he held a bowl of food, along with two more balancing on his inner forearm.

"Thanks, Alby," Newt said as he grabbed a bottle and a bowl from Alby's grasp, digging right into the plate of food, which honestly looked like a pile of vomit - no offense to Frypan, he does the best with what he’s got.

"Here you go Greenie," Alby offered a bowl of food to you as he climbed over the branch to take a seat beside you. "So, how's life in the glade treating you so far?" Alby questioned in between bites of food.

"Not bad I guess. Considering everything, you know," You placed your half-eaten bowl of food down, grabbing one of the bottles of Gally's drink from between Newt's legs to take a swig, cringing at the taste of the beverage.

As you pressed the bottle to your lips your eyes began to scan over the rest of the gladers sat in their own separated groups. Since Newt and Alby had already shown you around a few days prior to the bonfire, you were somewhat familiar with a majority of the boys and the jobs everyone did.

The 'runners' was one of the jobs that intrigued you the most when you’d first learned of them from Alby, (even though you yourself were a medj-jack), and they were just the group your eyes had landed on whilst you scanned the bunch of boys sat around the fire.

Your eyes settled on Minho, the dark haired Asian boy who was sat in the centre of the rest of the runners. He was the 'keeper of the runners' which is apparently a highly important role. Well, that's just the way everyone else described it.

It was not your intention to stare, and you hadn't actually realised that you were until Newt made a comment that snapped you out of it.

"Hey, Alby. I think our Greenie here might have a little crush," causing a chortle to leave Alby's mouth as he glanced between you and the Asian boy sat on the other side of the fire.

"Slim it you shanks," you were quick to roll your eyes at the two boys sitting on either side of you. Although they weren't totally wrong.

It's not like you hadn't taken notice of Minho when you were, eventually, let out of the box. The first thing you observed about him was his stoic demeanor. Unlike the rest of the gladers, Minho definitely did not appear to be as talkative or interactive as everyone else. He was honestly kinda reserved, only speaking to a few other boys such as Newt, Alby, and Fry.

But there was something about him that intrigued you. I mean, you obviously couldn't deny the fact that he was a very, very attractive dude, but it wasn't just that. There was something more to your interest in him.

Just as you were about to go back to your-unintentional-staring after brushing off Alby and Newt, once your eyes landed back on the spot Minho had been sitting, he was gone. Your eyes wandered around the area, trying to locate him, when you spotted him heading in your direction to which you quickly dropped your head to look down at the grass in hopes that he hadn't seen you staring.

Once he'd reached where you and the two boys were seated, he turned his attention towards Alby. "Hey, Alby, I needa talk to you," his eyes flickered to yours before he continued "It's about the map."

"Yeah sure, let me just finish off here and I'll walk with you to the map room, alright."

Minho nodded in response before finally paying attention to you and Newt, well, more so Newt than you but still. "W'sup Newt,"

"Yo, Minho," pulling his sleeve over his hand before wiping over his mouth to clean himself up, "How are things looking in the old maze?"

Minho placed his hands on either side of his runners' harness, grabbing onto it, causing it to pull down ever so slightly. Why was that so shucking attractive. "Not too bad actually, think we might be making a lot more progress."

Just as Alby had polished off the last of his food and was beginning to get up, Minho turned his attention towards you, giving a quick upnod, "What's up Greenie?" Without saying anything you merely returned the nod before he and Alby were on their way.

And that was the only 'interaction' you and Minho have had since then, if you can even call it an interaction at that.

Since then the two of you haven't exchanged any other words with each other, yet even aside that fact, you couldn't get him off your mind for a reason you couldn't come to terms with, or rather one that you were too embarrassed to admit.

It was safe to say that you had developed kind of a crush on the apathetic runner, although you don't even know how it happened seeing as you've barely said two words to one another in the past 2 months since becoming a new resident of the glade. But even so you would catch yourself stealing glances at the unbelievably pretty dark haired boy, from time to time.

Though you were blissfully unaware, Minho too would sneak looks (and the occasional stare) at you when you weren't paying attention. Even though he acted like it (and very well too) you were definitely not invisible to him. In fact you were truthfully the immense opposite of invisible to Minho.

From the day you had arrived in the box, to you and Minho's very first interaction that night during the bonfire, the boy could not, and I mean could not, get you out of his head.

Now, despite the fact that it was the first time he'd seen a girl in well over 3 years, it didn't change his mind that you were the most gorgeous girl he'd ever laid his eyes on. Ever.

Everyone in the glade knows very well that Minho is not an easily distracted, or crush - having type of guy, so when Ben and the rest of the runners were discussing their plans for their next venture into the maze and Minho was not quick to chime in to either correct something or simply just to add his input, they knew something strange was definitely going on.

"Minho," Ben called out the boys name on the account that he'd been staring at section 6 of the maze for the past 10 minutes without saying a word, or even blinking for that matter, "Minho!"

Minho's head quickly snapped up to look at Ben, before clearing his throat and trying, but very miserably failing, to pretend as if nothing happened at all.

"Yo, Minho, where's your shuckin'' head at today?" Ben questioned as the rest of the group grunted in agreement.

The answer to Ben's question was you.

Minho knew himself very well, and for him to be distracted whilst on the job? is not like himself whatsoever. Being the leader of the runners is one of the most important jobs in the glade, and Minho himself knows that better than anyone, which is why he takes his job very seriously, never allowing his mind to be absorbed with anything else less eminent. He puts it above almost everything else.

But now, suddenly he's constantly finding himself daydreaming about you, about the gorgeous girl who came up in the box almost 2 months ago. And he just can't seem to shake you from his head.

He's tried almost everything he could think of to keep his mind off you : burying himself in his work - sometimes even spending hours in the map room - taking cold showers in attempts to slow his heart rate. But nothing was doing the trick.

It even got so bad to the point where he'd run out of possible solutions to solve his problem, so he did something completely outside of his character - he confided in someone about it.

This specific someone being Newt, who when Minho came to him all tense and awkward and completely unlike his normal self, immediately knew what was causing his newfound dilemma. The newest (female) Greenbean of the glade.

Once Minho had finished informing Newt of his current problem, and embarrassing himself by rambling on and on in the process, a smug, shit - eating grin was plastered onto Newt's face

"For shuck's sake, Newt, you're supposed to be helping me with my problems here, not finding them amusing." A frustrated Minho expressed.

"Okay, okay, you're right, my deepest apologies," Newt placed a hand over his heart, feigning sympathy for the wreck of the usually put together boy standing in front of him. "But alright, you want my advice?"

The keeper of the runners nodded his head desperately, "That's the entire bugging' reason I came to you in the first place, Newt."

"Well," Newt replied, dragging the end of the word almost as if he was unsure of what he was about to say, "You're going to have to talk to her, Minho." He explained as he shrugged his shoulders, almost as if to say it wasn't even that big of a deal.

"No. Absolutely shucking not," Minho babbled on, "I mean, I wouldn't even know the first thing to say to he- what the shuck would I say to her?" Desperately looking to Newt for the answers to his problems.

The blond boy merely crossed his arms over his chest, "That my dear friend, is for you to figure out on your own."

Minho is not a talker, he's simply just not good at it. So unsurprisingly he took absolutely none of Newt's advice. Instead, sticking with what he knows he's best at - running. When he's running between the walls of the maze his mind is clear, well, for the most part. He still has to be alert and aware of grievers on top of having to lead the rest of the runners, but for Minho, that's as clear as it gets.

So that's what he's been doing and it had been working great for maybe a week or so before everything went awry.

The scorching sun was beginning to disappear behind the vine-covered walls of the maze, signalling that the doors were about to close, although today was different from any other day because usually by his time, the runners would have been back already. And they weren't.

Ben and Minho were the only two to go into the maze today, which made the fact that they weren't back yet even weirder. Typically, the fewer runners went into the maze , the earlier they'd get back, meaning that the two boys should have long emerged from the griever-infested walls.

People had started to gather at the solid doors of the maze, worry beginning to consume the thoughts of one glader at a time. You and Newt were stood at the forefront of the rest of the boys, anticipating the safe return of Ben and his leader.

5 minutes had passed and still no sign of Ben or Minho. "They're not coming back bro," were the words being exchanged amongst the group of dispirited boys. At least 2 more minutes go by and still absolutely nothing; no movement from inside the unwelcoming walls of the maze.

A once sizeable group of gladers waiting under the anticipation of the two runners' return, had now decreased until the only people left were you, Newt, Chuck, Alby, Jeff, and Clint. 

"They're not gonna make it." Newt proclaimed to everyone else. 

Even though you hadn’t know him long, you couldn't even fathom the possibility of Minho not coming back from the maze. The possibility that you might never see him again. Never see his face again. "They'll make it."

And just as the words left your lips, two figures rounded the final corner of the maze, coming into view for everyone to see. 

Chuck's head shot up whilst his arm flung in Ben and Minho's direction "There!" 

But the closer the two boys got to the doorway, the more apparent it became that something was very wrong. Minho's arm was slung over Ben's shoulder, whilst his other one clutched his midsection. His head hung down as Ben used all the strength he had left to drag the both of them to the safety of the glade.

A loud rumble erupted in the air, shaking the ground beneath the feet of you and everyone else surrounding you, indicating the closing of the maze walls. By now, it really did look like the two adolescent teens weren't going to make it in time before the doors shut, meaning they would have to spend an entire night in the maze. And no one ever survived a night in the maze.

Without thinking, you lunged forward, heading towards Ben and the injured boy lugging by his side. Your fellow gladers tried to grab hold of you but were unsuccessful in their attempts as you had already set foot in the maze.

Ben shifted his gaze to you, giving you a look as if to say, "You've really done it now, Greenie," yet you couldn't care less. The only thing on your mind was getting them to safety before you were all trapped in there for the night.

Yanking Minho's free arm from his stomach, you pulled it over your shoulder to provide more support for the injured boy who now stood between you and Ben. Shouts of desperation and distress flooded your ears, coming from the now-increased crowd of boys standing on the grass in front of you.

You grunted as you and Ben pushed closer towards the exit, dragging Minho as best as possible along with you. Your safe haven was a mere few feet ahead, looking like the three you might make it, but the doors of the maze were faster, closing in in an attempt to squash you between them.

"Come on!" yelled Chuck and his fellow friends as you approached closer and closer towards them.

An exhausted Ben looked at you with an encouraging expression, as he could see you were beginning to tire out, and with all the strength you both had left, the two of you hastened your pace, Minho's legs dragging along the floor of the maze.

Your bodies were now sideways due to the limited space between the doors, brushing against the cold surface of the walls. With Ben behind Minho, and you in front of him, still clutching onto his limp arms, you squeezed your way through the doors that threatened to crush you.

And just as the doors made their final thrust, you were through.

You hit the ground hard and with a thud after being pushed by Ben, who barely got his arm out in time before the doors of the maze finally slammed shut, resulting in a loud 'BOOM' erupting throughout the glade.

The soft grass brushed against your cheek, your chest rising and falling with heavy breaths of exhaustion. 'I'm safe. I made it." Was the first thought to enter your head.

Using all your effort, you planted your hands on the ground, hoisting yourself up onto your feet, and before you were able to register what was happening, at least 30 boys were clamoring around you and the two other boys that lay on the ground beside you.

Minho.

God, Minho. You looked down and watched as your friends helped Minho and Ben to their feet as best as they could. Without any regard for yourself and your current state, you promptly began giving orders to your fellow med jacks, Clint and Jeff. "Get them to the med hut, now!"

Newt and Alby sat Minho down on one of the beds in the hut, whilst Jeff and Clint attended to Ben to check if too had any injuries. Once Minho was settled, Alby gave orders to the large huddle of boys situated outside the entrance of the hut to pack it in for the night and head to bed. "You guys alright in here?" His words, directed to you, Jeff and Clint.

Your eyes never once strayed away from the Asian boy who was now laying on the bed in front of you, "Yeah, we've got it from here. Thanks, Alby."

"Let us know if there's anything you need," Newt added. And with that, the two of them left the hut to settle down for the night.

Jeff and Clint had completed their inspection of Ben, concluding that he was relatively fine; just a few cuts and scrapes were all, and once they had finished cleaning those up with some rubbing alcohol and plasters, they assisted Ben to his hammock, checking on you before they left, "Yo, Greenbean. You good?" Clint questioned.

Still not taking your eyes off Minho, "Yeah, I got it, thanks guys. Goodnight."

And then there were two.

Minho had both his arms draped across his stomach, clutching his midsection. His eyes were shut tight, his brows furrowed as he groaned in pain. But let it be Minho to still pass a comment whilst being severely injured, "You could've gotten us killed in there, Greenie."

You scoffed in amusement as you carefully began moving his arms away from his stomach to take a closer look at his injuries, "True, but I ended up saving your life didn't I."

No response.

You placed your fingers on the hem of Minho's shirt, accidentally brushing them against his skin, causing him to shiver under your touch. For a second you wondered if it was because of the pain from his cut, or the fact that you had touched him, although you quickly brushed your thoughts away as to not let yourself get distracted.

As you tried to lift his shirt to assess the severity of his cut, it soon became apparent that you need more access to be able to do a proper job of cleaning it up. Meaning he has to take his shirt off. Meaning you're gonna see him shirtless for the first time ever.

Great. This won't be awkward at all.

"Minho," pausing to collect yourself, "I, uh, need you to take your shirt off, y'know, so I can get a better look at the cut on your stomach."

He tenses under your touch. Again.

In your head, you excuse the reaction for him just being in pain. But in reality, Minho is having a full-blown freakout in his mind right now. He has to take his shirt off. In front of you. The girl he's secretly been crushing on since you arrived in the glade.

Great. This won't be awkward at all.

He clears his throat before lifting his head off the table to look a you, "Uh, yeah, sure no-no problem." He's stuttering. Minho never stutters, like ever.

You remove your hand from its current position on Minho's stomach and place it on his lower back to help him sit up straight, but as he's getting up, his hand slips off the side of the narrow twin bed, and in a quick attempt to balance himself he grabs onto the forearm of your other free arm, causing your body to jolt forward.

Your faces are now mere inches away from one another, both of you in shock with wide eyes as you look at each other, registering what just happened. This sudden closeness doesn't last long, though you wish it had, as Minho pulls his arm away.

Once again, he clears his throat, meanwhile, you blink rapidly in an attempt to gain back focus, "Um, okay where were we-right, um I'm gonna need that shirt of yours to come off now."

He simply nods, before lifting his arms over his head, as best as he can, wincing from the pain coming from his midsection. As his arms raise, his shirt lifts up slightly, giving you a peek of his toned stomach in the process.

Focus.

You unhooked his harness, carefully taking it off first before tackling his shirt. Your hands find their way back to the hem of the garment, steadily raising it higher and higher until it's over his head and his arms are through, before placing it on the bed on the other side of the hut.

A now, shirtless, Minho sat before you on the bed as you tried to calm your quickened heart rate. But God was he a work of art. You couldn't help but admire his athletic body, I mean he literally looks like he was carved from stone.

Focus.

"Okay, now let me take a look at that nasty cut of yours," you positioned one hand on Minho's chest and the other on his stomach just below where the cut was.

As you took a closer look to examine the injury closer, Minho's head was just about ready to explode. His head was tilted upwards, barely even breathing, focusing only on the way you were touching him. Touching his body.

What could he have possibly done to deserve this? Aside from maybe almost dying, of course.

Suddenly, the warmth of your hands disappeared, prompting Minho to look down at where they once were, as you walked over to the cabinet to get supplies to clean the affected area. And he couldn't help but wish your hands were back on him.

With your back facing him, you grabbed everything you needed, your mind wandering back to the maze. Minho has never gotten injured in the maze before, he's the best of the best, and he never gets distracted. So what was so different this time?

"So, what the shuck happened out there today?" you made your way back over to him, supplies in hand, "I mean," you paused, placing a cotton ball that was damp with rubbing alcohol on the cut, causing a strained moan to leave his lips. the sound left your mind fuzzy, "you've never gotten hurt, and definitely not this badly, in the maze before right?" You looked up at him, eyes wide with confusion.

That look could have sent him over the edge.

He licked his lips, "Uh-shuck...I dunno, I guess I just..." his words trailed off as he looked back down at you, "uhh, just got distracted I guess."

You couldn't believe what you'd just heard, "You, got distracted?" still running the cotton all over the large cut, "I mean you, the Minho, the always focused, leader of the runners?...surely my ears are deceiving me."

Minho chuckled at your genuine disbelief, "Sure did."

After wiping off the last bit of blood, you put down the now red-stained ball of cotton and picked up the roll of gauze and began unraveling it, "Well...are you gonna tell me what on Earth it is that distracted you or are you gonna make me guess," smiling at him as you asked the question.

He's going crazy right now.

"Uhh..." Okay, deep breaths now Minho, "well, it was uh- okay," The boy was literally a stumbling mess in front of you, his hand flying to scratch the back of his head, "okay-shuck, I mean...okay,"

"Jeez, I can take a hint y'know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, I was just curio-"

"It was you!" He blurts out, cutting you off mid-sentence.

You blink, confused at what has just come out of his mouth. "Me? what do you mean it was me who distracted you?"

Well, there's no going back now.

"I,okay-shuck... I like you, okay? Like, like-like you, and for the past couple of weeks I haven't been able to get you out of my head and I just- I don't know, I mean it's not like me to be easily distracted but you- you just-you're so pretty and sweet and it was getting so bad-not that...liking you is a bad thing, I just mean I didn't know how to stop thinking about you that I even went and asked Newt for his help! Which is just...so unlike me but I-uh-yeah..."

No words. I mean you literally had no words. Minho just told you he likes you?? What is the right reaction? So you just stood there. Frozen.

"Shuck... say something. Please." He asks softly, pulling you out of your trance like state.

"I-uh...I...I like you too Minho," you admitted.

His eyes widened as he stared at you in shock. You liked him? You like him. You. Like. Him. "You...you like me?"

You rolled your eyes at the oblivious boy in front of you, "Yes, you shank, I do." your tone low and faint.

His voice is soft and almost gleeful as his eyes flicker to your lips briefly, "Oh... well that-that's great, I mean its good-I mean-"

You leaned forward, cutting him off, and pressed your lips against his, catching him off guard. He kisses you back almost immediately as you stand between his legs, his hands gently coming and settling on your waist.

"Holy shuck!"

The two of you abruptly pull away from one another, as a third voice fills the hut. Both looking over to the entrance, Newt is leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed over his chest, and a very big smug smile on his face as he stares back at the both of you.

"I take it you two lovebirds have finally worked things out?" he added, sounding much too pleased for you and Minho's liking.

You turn to look at each other once again, chuckling lightly before awkwardly turning back to face the tall blond boy by the door.

[giddyfatherchris]

I'm in love with you!!

pairing. felix x gn!reader

type. best friends to lovers

warnings. none except pure undiluted fluff

a/n. fricking loved writing this, it made me miss summer so muuuch, but i had the greatest time while listening to these songs on replay😋 highly suggest to have them playing in the background while reading! or just give them a listen cuz they’re amazing hehe hope you enjoy!! xx

song recommendations. calm - cody simpson, im in love with you - the 1975, island in the sun - weezer, heavenly state of mind - lewis capaldi, the view - skz

"I like the view right now!" you chanted as the salty wind ruffled your hair and caressed your skin.

Your eight friends started hooting in agreement, all understanding the reference to one of your favorite songs of theirs.

As a celebration of their highly successful last tour, you had all decided to book a trip to a private island off the coast of Australia. It took a boat ride to reach the secluded piece of land filled with villas and populated with a few staff members. It was a paradisiac hideaway for you all, so accustomed to being surrounded all the time.

You turned back with a gigantic smile. Felix, who was standing behind you, mirrored the expression on your face, a certain twinkle illuminating his gaze.

You jumped in his arms, startling him as he caught you rapidly. "And I love going to the beach!"

He spun you around, feet digging in the sand while you both screamed. The rest of the group looked at you with amused expressions. By now, they had become quite accustomed to your antics. You ended your frivolous spinning by plopping down on the sand, slightly out of breath. You stretched your arms as far as you could, relishing in the stunning warmth of the Australian sun, and turned to cuddle against Felix, his nose already nuzzling in your hair. "I'm so happy to be back home, Lix." "So am I," he answered with a soft smile, his eyes half-closed.

After a day well spent outside, swimming and exploring, you had collectively decided to set up a cozy little camp on the beach to enjoy the warm night under a sky full of stars.

"Are you done, you two? We need help setting up!" shouted Changbin.

"I'm coming, you whiny child!"

You faked irritation with rolled eyes, but ever since you walked off the plane, you couldn't stop your lips from tilting upwards. Your soul seemed to be shouting and dancing to the rhythm of your home. Nothing could you get you down from your little cloud of happiness, even a whiny Changbin. You got up to lend him a hand before he started throwing a tantrum, not noticing Felix's hand still subtly reaching for you.

The young Australian looked at the stunning view. You were right. Being home felt amazing. It was wonderful to have some vacations after being on tour, especially here with you.

You had been friends for as long as he could remember.

From meeting in kindergarten to facing high school's adventures to growing into two young adults. You never had any big fights, your friendship having prevailed over any argument and hardship. Even the distance hadn't been enough to pull you apart.

Felix remembers too well the fear he felt before telling you he wanted to become an idol all those years ago. He was so scared you would disapprove and hate him for wanting to go so far away. But your anger only came from the fact that he had never said a thing about it. He remembers fondly how you jumped on him, hugging him tight with tears lining your eyes. From that moment on, you had been his fiercest supporter. You cried buckets when he left for Korea but made him promise to keep in touch every day. So you video chatted whenever he could. You stayed up with him for entire nights, braving the time difference to give him pointers on choreo stuff or to cheer him up when he had a rough day.

Until you no longer had to do any of that.

Looking at you now, getting along so well with his brothers, made his heart tighten with emotion. At 23 years old, he had everything he ever wanted. Well, almost everything

Felix knew since he was 14 years old that he loved you. Part of him had hoped that once he was in Korea, his heart would finally stop beating only for you, but it never happened. He had dated a little, but no one had compared to you. With time, he became accustomed to the idea of never falling in love with anyone else.

It was a thought he accepted without so much difficulty. He couldn't help how his heart started speeding up whenever you were close to him. The reassuring feeling of having you by his side. The way your smile made him see stars. The way you cuddled into his side or held his hand, how your gaze lit up whenever you saw the sea, and how he was the one you reached for when you were sad, angry, or just disgustingly happy. He wanted to experience everything with you, every high and every low. He couldn't and didn't want to imagine himself doing life with anyone else. It would be this or nothing else, and he was comfortable with that.

After all these years, he had never found the courage to tell you. The fear of losing you paralyzed him. But as he looked at the joyful sea, breathed the fresh Australian air, and looked at you laughing and fighting fiercely against an uncooperative beach chair, he thought maybe this vacation was the time. The time to face his fears, as he did almost seven years ago to chase his dream, and see where it would lead him.

"Felix!" called Changbin, interrupting his train of thought. "Come and walk with us! We want to see how far the beach goes in that direction."

He lifted his head with a smile, looking at his friends waiting for him, bare feet in the sand.

"Hurry!" you waved. "We don't want to miss the sunset!"

It had been months since he had seen you so excited, so eager. He knew you loved coming with them on tour. But he also knew Australia would always own your heart.

"Alright, alright. I'm coming!"

He swatted the sand away from his shorts before walking to your little group.

You started walking on the beach, Felix close to you. Seungmin, I.N, Hyunjin, and Changbin ahead, busy taking pictures in front of the rose-colored sunset. Bang Chan and Lee Know were trying to start your little fire while Han prepared the perfect playlist. Suddenly, you recognized the familiar air of their song, 'The View'. You looked back to Han with a huge smile. He simply winked and gave you a thumbs-up before focusing on his phone once more.

The notes of the music danced around you, making the ambiance even more special. There was something in the air, a prickling, exciting feeling.

You swayed gently to the music as Felix snapped a few pictures. The two oldest near the fire, Han next to the speaker, the boys walking ahead, the sunset. He seemed to be on a mission to commit everything to memory.

You felt his focus shift and noticed he subtly tried taking pictures of you. You walked up to him with a soft smile.

"Are you taking pictures of me, sir?" "I might be," he smiled back, his dimples on display. "Well, I'm afraid you need permission for that…" you continued, taking a step closer.

Without giving him a second to interpret your movement, you stole his phone with a squeal of victory.

"Come back here!" He protested, but you ran as fast as you could to Changbin, giving him the phone. As you expected, he sprinted in the opposite direction while laughing like a dolphin.

"You think you're funny or something?" asked a slightly out of breath Felix as he reached you.

"In fact, I do."

You splashed him and ran off while giggling like a maniac. As hoped, your antics started a generalized water war. Felix kept running after you, deciding he needed to get vengeance while the other boys splashed each other. You laughed wildly and ran in the shallow waters, not daring to look back and give him a chance to reach you.

You had water up to your knees by the time you heard him whine, "Wait! Y/n! You're gonna get all wet."

You turned around with a taunting look in your eyes. "Felix Lee, has the idol lifestyle gotten to you?" You gave him a pitying look. "Have you forgotten all about your Australian roots? Are you scared of a little water?"

A little taunting was usually all it took for you to rile up your best friend, and tonight would be no different. His eyes scrunched with determination, "Oh, you just wait till I get my hands on you." He tried threatening you, but you didn't give him a chance as you dove into the clear water.

Without a second thought, he jumped in after you, fully clothed. He barely broke the surface when you jumped on him from behind and tried to push him back underwater. He managed to take ahold of your wrists, careful not to clamp too hard. You took a deep breath, ready to be ducked under, but he softly made you twirl in the water. You gave him a surprised look as he winked and let you go benevolently.

Complete elation seized you as the beautiful young man looked at you with that smile of his, hair slicked back from the water, a light illuminating his soft eyes.

"I love Australia! I love the beach! I love being in the water! I love this night!!!" you screamed as you threw your arms in the air.

The other boys looked in your direction with giant smiles, drenched in water. The ever-present professional idol aura in their demeanor was nowhere in sight. They shone with pure happiness. For once, they could be only themselves, away from cameras and personas. Your heart sang with happiness for them.

"I love being home!" screamed Chan. "I love Australian BBQ!" added Changbin. "I love vacations!" said I.N "I love to splash Grandpa Chan!" joked Seungmin. "I love sunsets!" screamed Hyunjin. "I love water wars!" laughed Han. "I love cats!" finished Lee Know.

All eyes turned to Felix, the only one who hadn't said anything yet. His soft gaze set on you, the intensity taking the breath away from your lungs. He rallied his breath and screamed. "I LOVE YOU!"

The boys all went silent. You stared at him in disbelief.

"I love you. I love you so much. I always have, and I always will. Since we were kids, no one has ever meant the same to me. I love being here with you. I love being anywhere around the world with you. I love seeing you smile. I love the way you're so passionate. I- I don't want anyone else." It occurred to Felix that this was maybe not the right way to do this, as he noticed the silence surrounding him, but he kept going. "I know this is probably so out of pocket for you. You probably don't believe this is real, but I assure you it is. Since I was 14, I've been thinking of the right way to say this to you. I never thought it would happen like this but it feels right. So right, to finally tell you while you're at the place you love most and where I can see you shine brighter than ever."

You stared at him before a smile tugged at your lips, and you suddenly screamed. "I LOVE YOU!" He stood there with his arms limp at his side. Your words shocked him, and his mouth opened before he asked, "You love me?"

The light of disbelief shining in his eyes made your heart tighten. "Of course, I love you Lix. Honestly, I'm not sure how you didn't notice it," you added with a sheepish smile.

He took a step towards you, "You love me?" "Yes." Another. "You're sure?" you nodded with a bright smile. He was right in front of you, his arms a millimeter from wrapping around your body. "You love, love me?"

"OF COURSE I LOVE LOVE YOU. ALWAYS HAVE AND ALWAYS WILL." You leaped in his arms, water splashing around.

"SHE LOVES HIM!" Screamed the seven other boys in unison.

You smiled as you put your lips on his, barely registering the ruckus of your friends running for the two of you, throwing water around to celebrate the long-awaited moment you two idiots would realize you had been pinning for each other for years.

[honeydippedwaffles]

Smallest Drop

Summary: Tav overhears Astarion complaining about their situation and decides to do what she can to make it a little better for him and she ends up surprising him in the process.

Tav isn't referred to by name. There might be a part 2 if this is well-received.

Content Warnings: She/Her Tav

Word Count: 1.8k words

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧    ✦    ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

It started when she overheard a passing comment from behind her, grumbled in response to something Lae’zel said.

From the earliest parts of the day, they’d been making their way through difficult terrain; surrounded by thousands of bugs and mud up to their ankles. She’d tried not to complain about it though Astarion never shared her focus on quiet suffering and he had a fair point.

Though they’d managed to set up a fairly comfortable camp outside the grove – not wanting to impose nor deal with the druids for too long – they hadn’t really found any chance to properly bathe since their abduction.

The late afternoon glinted into her eyes as an idea presented itself.

She slipped away from the group almost excitedly to find the abandoned house where she’d spied it not long ago. After making sure it contained no nasty surprises, she’d left. It didn’t really have a roof and the majority of it had been burned down by some form of magical fire but most importantly, it had a tub.

One night together shouldn’t have made her so weak for the elf but despite all his sweetened words and falsities, he captivated her attention. She knew he meant little by it but sometimes those words made her days brighter regardless.

And she wanted to return the favour given how the muddy path came from her badly thought-out route.

The river running close by provided her with clean and cool water, not the easiest to move in large amounts but still able to fill the tub. It didn’t leak (a minor miracle) and she managed to use a little more of her already-exhausted magic to get a few charms warming the water up.

She smiled at her work proudly and left the charms to do her work while she made her way back to the grove to get some soaps.

Her shoulders shook a little as she eyed her small surprise. Proud and excited, she now faced the greatest of tasks.

Encouraging Astarion to actually step away from camp.

“No, thank you,” he said, dismissed her with the casual wave of a hand. “I’ve had quite enough traipsing through the forest for one day. If you want to continue finding every possible swamp insect to attack you, you’re welcome to be my guest.”

She sighed. “But I have something to show you. It’s a surprise.”

He smiled, strained. “My, aren’t you a desperate little thing. Maybe I’ll join you a little later in the night but for now, I’m afraid I don’t have the energy or the interest.”

“No, it’s not…” she groaned. “It’s just a bath, alright? I overheard you complaining about being dirty earlier so I found one for you.”

“Did you now?”

“Yes. Come along. Those runes aren’t going to last forever and I know you’re going to fuss about the water temperature.”

Astarion chuckled and she immediately knew he didn’t believe her. “I appreciate the creativity, darling. Really, I do, but you’ll find direct offers are far more effective on me.” He leaned closer and she became suddenly aware of how many eyes watched them from around the camp. “But if you’re really going to such lengths, I’m not going to deny you forever.”

Flushed, she stepped away and ducked her head. “Fine. I’ll use it myself but you better not complain once more about it.”

She ignored the slightly concerned expressions of her friends as she stormed back into the tree line by herself. Why she even thought he’d appreciate it… she shouldn’t have even bothered offering it to him. She really needed to be more selfish if she wanted to not get turned down by the vampire spawn again.

It stung more than she expected it to, even if she wasn’t offering anything more than an actual bath.

She brushed her fingers over the surface of the still-warm water when she got there and sighed. It still felt like a waste, even if she used it. Amazing how homesick she’d grown for her house when stuck out in the wild with nothing more of comfort than a single bedroll.

Maybe she should have stolen one of those beds from the goblin den they cleared.

The floor creaked and her hand flew to her weapon, spun around only to find a very arrogant elf who appeared annoyingly surprised.

“My, so it wasn’t even a ploy alone,” he said. “You genuinely managed to find a bath. I respect your dedication if nothing else. There are certainly easier ways of seeing me undressed.”

She rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to the water. “I was trying to do something nice for you but as you’re not interested, feel free to return back to camp.”

He stepped close enough to brush his fingers against her cheek. “Whoever said I wasn’t interested?”

“You did. In very direct words.”

“Well, things change. I’ve decided you’re quite right. It’s been far too long since I got to wash and you’ve been so sweet, setting it all up for me. I couldn’t be rude and turn you down right now, could I?”

Cursing the elf beneath her breath for his indecisiveness, she moved to walk past him. ��Enjoy.”

Once again, she surprised him and Astarion took a second to respond, calling to her as she reached the edge of the charred flooring.

“You’re not joining me?”

She looked back at him. “Am I meant to be?”

“Why, yes. I can hardly be expected to do things like washing my hair all by myself. What if I get lonely or attacked?”

She frowned at him but he kept smiling at her in the same insistent way he did when he wanted something. The corner of his lips pulled up as though he knew a joke and didn’t want to share it. She couldn’t help herself but relent under his burning gaze; he’d done the same thing when she’d agreed to let him drink blood from her throat. Perhaps she should be concerned with where her willpower went when it came to this man.

“Alright,” she said. “I’ll help with your hair if you really need.”

“How fun.”

He insisted on being as distracting as possible when he got undressed. His constant glances at her met nothing in return but she couldn’t help glancing at the scars as he lowered himself into the tub.

Their ridges made her uncomfortable. Not knowing what it said frightened her for Astarion’s safety rather than her own.

Nothing good ever came from runes carved into flesh.

“There’s no need to act so shy, beautiful. You’ve seen me in far more compromising situations than this.”

She wouldn’t call their night together compromising but she ignored the comment regardless. His soft sigh of relaxation as he settled into the water worked wonders for clearing up her irritation.

How he managed to be so magnetic astounded her. She found a spot to sit behind him and slowly, gingerly, began to help him with his hair. Despite being ridiculously soft considering how long they adventured in the wilderness, it needed some careful care and attention.

She took care to stay gentle when she found where tangles turned into knots and worked them free without pulling. He gave a small hum when she had to give a soft tug and she took it as an okay to use a little more force.

“We don’t have much to work with but I did manage to get some things from the grove,” she said. “It won’t be up to your standards but I don’t think anything really is.”

Cagey about his past, all she knew surrounded the small snippets he gave her when upset or ranting. She doubted he’d ever had much time to fuss over which hair products he used, too busy watching over his shoulder for a constant threat. He still did so now when he thought nobody could see. His meditation never held him deeply as sleep took her.

“Regardless of whether or not it’s professional, I won’t complain about your skills with this.”

“Skills at detangling your hair?”

“At winning my favour.”

She frowned a little and focused on the white locks where they curled between her fingers. “I’m not only doing this because I want to impress you.”

“I’m sure you have other motivations,” he hummed, teasing. “But you know you’re more than welcome to join me whenever you’re ready. You chose a good-sized tub for both of us.”

She ignored him again, instead focusing on working out a tight knot. Once done, she encouraged him to lean back a little so she could massage the soap gently into his hair, rubbing soft circles against his scalp until his eyes fluttered closed and the smallest hint of relaxation showed in his expression.

Good. He carried far too much tension and she stopped herself from continuing the slight massage down to where she could see the stress in his neck and shoulders. How uncomfortable it must be but she didn’t want to encourage whatever strange idea he had about this situation.

Still, even if she hadn’t planned anything, she couldn’t deny her attraction.

She wanted to press her lips to the pale skin of his neck and trace the path of the water droplets as they pooled against his collar bone. She wanted to trail her hands over his sides and pull him close.

She coughed to stop her thoughts before they ran too far.

If the parasite in her skull didn’t kill her soon, she may just die from the way this elf made her heart pulse unnaturally fast.

“Everything alright?”

He sounded… well, still as flirtatious as ever but more concerned than she thought he would. She snapped her attention back to him and almost lost herself in those stunning eyes.

If she wanted to, she could so easily fall prey to his sweetened words and he really wouldn’t mind. He would encourage it even.

She finished washing the last of the soap from his hair and stood up somewhat uneasily. Pride still shone in her chest as he sat up properly, appearing far cuter than she anticipated with his hair falling flat against his skin.

She saw the invite on his lips before he even said it. Watched him flick whatever switch he had to draw her in and she hurried to leave.

“I’ll see you back in camp, alright?”

His confused expression followed her as she stepped away from the building but he didn’t call her back. She found her way back to camp with a slight heave to her chest and a desperate need for a distraction.

Though she really should have thought it through before she asked Lae-zel to spar with her. The bruise kept her up for the entire night – long enough to realise he didn’t come past for a taste of her blood in the evening.