#he saw her n went 'wife shaped' and she was sold to him

[apocalympdicks]

no one:

me creating my most autistic oc: no cuz kleptomaniac & nonverbal uses ASL or communication devices but she has like 4 things she talks about & is prone to violence when overwhelmed oh and one of the 4 topics? her gf. The other 3 are legos, minecraft, and painting.

[realcube]

their team reacts to seeing them with hickeys/back scratches 💫

characters: kageyama, akaashi & kita

tw// fem! reader, sexual references, swearing, blood 

kita tw// mentions of daddy kink, punishment, overstimulation - MINORS DNI 

KITA’S IS AGED UP!!

thank you anon for the request 💗

Tobio Kageyama

he was on tanaka’s team for game amongst karasuno and he watched his senpai take off his shirt and wave it around after they scored another point

but instead of putting the shirt back on, he kept it off bc he was too lazy to go get it since he threw it to the other side of the gym

then noya took his shirt off too bc he was sweating buckets 

but kageyama wasn’t really sure why they had their shirts off so he felt the need to ask

‘why aren’t you putting your shirt back on?’

noya was just kinda like ‘who are you, my mom?’ but tanaka gave him a straight answer which was ‘it helps with ✨ aerodynamics✨’

kageyama isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed so he doesn’t even know what aerodynamics are

but then he watched tanaka make a killer spike and he was sold 

shirt = off

aerodynamics = thriving (?)

sets = awesome

back scratches = exposed 😳

hotel = trivago 

tsukishima was the first one to notice ofc as he was positioned right behind kageyama 

he didn’t say anything tho bc yamaguchi was on the opposite team so he just had to snicker to himself

hinata was like ‘what’s so funny, stinkyshima?!’ bc he automatically assumed that tsukishima was laughing at him lol

but then he followed tsukki’s gaze and leaned back to look at kageyama’s back too

‘yeesh, man. you should probably put some aloe vera on that or something, it could get infected.’

AIUWRAFHBE ok ok hinata isn’t completely oblivious to the connotations of back scratches but he’d never think in a million years that kageyama would get laid so he kinda subconsciously ruled that possibilty out-

kageyama quirked a brow, ‘what?’

‘your back! it’s all mangled.’ 

then noya and tanaka ran over and fkn BURST OUT LAUGHING 

at this point, all of kageyama’s team was surrounding him while the other team waited patiently for them to serve

but after a while, it was clear that they weren’t gonna do that so suga - who was on the opposing team - strolled over to see what they were all laughing about

and when he saw it- bitch- he went red 

a cool mom so he probably made a suggestive remark as he walks away

it eventually got to the point where everyone in the gym was crowded around kageyama and for ease, i’ll categorize their reactions:

laughing their ass off  ➵ tsukishima, tanaka, nishinoya, coach ukai & yamaguchi

concerned and confused  ➵ yachi, takeda, hinata & narita 

a blushing mess  ➵ asahi, kinoshita & sugawara

unfazed 😐  ➵ kiyoko & daichi 

LIVID  ➵ kageyama

‘WHY DO YOU ALL CARE SO MUCH ABOUT MY BACK?!’

kageyama could literally break his neck and walk into practise with a neck brace and no one would bat an eye but now that he has scratches on his back, suddenly everyone is so concerned about his wellbeing? where with this energy that time he said that hinata gave him a concussion?

to be fair, he didn’t have a concussion- also, he forgot the word so he told suga that hinata gave him a ‘conclusion’

daichi agreed, trying to usher everyone back to their spot on the court, ‘yeah, it’s no big deal, guys. let’s get back to practise.’

everyone slowly made their way back to where they were previously but since tanaka and noya were still on kageyama’s team, they continued to pry 

tanaka flung his arm around kageyama’s shoulders, ‘so how’d you get those scratches, big boy?’ 

an ungodly laugh left noya’s mouth

kageyama shrugged, ‘(y/n), i think.’

the whole gym room went silent before erupting in choruses of laughter once again

‘WELL YOU AND YOUR GIRLFRIEND NEED TO CALM DOWN THEN!’ tanaka wheezed

kageyama was truly the idiot that didn’t understand the implications of the back scratches - so you can imagine that he was frustrated when everyone started laughing again

‘what’s so funny?’ but then, he recalled the events which he was pretty certain were the reason for the marks on his back......it was pretty funny

you insisted on giving kageyama a back massage after a long day of practise so he took his shirt off and let you go for it 

for the record, he really loved it :)) he was just so happy sitting there between your thighs as you sat on the couch and rubbed his back, loosening all the knots he didn’t even know he had

but then he got a lil’ inch on his back and was like ‘can you get that for me?’ since your hands were already on his shoulders/back

ofc you said yes and started lightly scratching the spot he desired, but being extra careful bc you just got you nails done in the stiletto shape and the last thing you wanted to do was puncture his back lol

‘harder..’ kageyama muttered so low that you almost didn’t hear him

you obliged, pressing a bit harder 

‘harder.’ he insisted once more

again, you served by digging your nails in a bit deeper

‘harder.’

‘no, kags. i’ll literally pierce your skin if i press any harde--’ 

‘harder!’ he barked (for a joke) and you jumped from fright, instinctively pushing in more and increasing the pace of your hand

at this point, you were rigorously clawing at his back, on the verge of drawing blood which you could tell by his skin’s newfound crimson pigment 

kageyama took it upon himself to lean backwards onto your nails to force you to go rougher as you had yet to ease his itch 

then you let out a high-pitched scream so naturally, kageyama jerked away then peered over his shoulder to make sure you hadn’t like..died

‘what?!’ he asked, eyes filled with worry

‘blood!’ you yelled, pointing at his back before sprinting to the kitchen to get a tissue 

kageyama’s gaze followed you until you were out of sight, then he lightly touched his back around the parts you were scratching and once he pulled his hand away, he noticed the blood which was now on his fingers

‘oh.’

the concerning part was that he didn’t even feel it tbh 🤔

anyway tanaka and noya probably coo ‘oooh~ lovebirds~’ when you come pick him up from practise

Keiji Akaashi

bokuto heard some ppl whispering about akaashi & (y/n) in the changing room so he turned around to take a look at his friend then he noticed the scratch marks on his poor friends’ back

‘AKAASHI!! DID YOU GET MAULED BY A BEAR?!?!’ he screamed, grabbing the attention of everyone in the changing room and those who weren’t whispering about akaashi before, were definitely doing so now

akaashi smiled softly and shook his head, hastily throwing on his shirt and buttoning it up as he spoke, ‘no, bokuto-san.’

bokuto quirked a brow, wondering what could’ve possibly happened before his jaw dropped to the ground

‘is it ‘cause i patted your back a bit hard earlier?!?!?’

akaashi didn’t even bother to question how bokuto could think that a slap on the spine could lead to scratch marks and instead just replied normally, ‘no.’

bokuto was stumped once again- why else would his buddy have marks on his back? and why was (y/n) such a prominent name floating around in this changing room? doesn’t everyone know that she is taken by bokuto’s best-bro akaashi?

....

WAIT

bokuto’s jaw hung open once again as his soul left his body through an overdramatic gasp, before leaning in and whispering in akaashi’s ear, ‘wait- don’t tell me- you and (y/n)-’

akaashi’s cheeks tinted red slightly so he turned his head away while he pulled on his blazer, ‘no.’

bokuto let out a light sigh of relief, gently patting his pal’s back, ‘ah, good. but then, where did those marks come from?’

before akaashi even got the opportunity to open his mouth to respond, komi and konoha passed the pair, konoha patting akaashi’s shoulder and komi shot him a toothy grin accompanied by a thumbs-up, ‘get some, akaashi.’

then they walked off, konoha mubbling something about his chances with (y/n) being ruined 

this left both bokuto and akaashi extremely confused

once all traces of komi and konoha were gone, akaashi proceeded to explain himself

‘backne is a horrible thing.’ he murmured, grabbing his satchel, slinging it over his shoulder before strolling out the changing room. ‘i’ll wait for you outside.’

and bokuto just stood there like (。_。) ‘what’s backne?’

Shinsuke Kita

atsumu had invited the whole squad back to inarizaki for one last game before coach kurosu’s retirement 

after ages of arrangement, the whole team were able to make an appearance at the game - whether that be for 10 minutes or the whole thing

kita was able to stay for the whole thing

he was currently warming-up while chatting with aran before he was approached by atsumu, who was as lively as ever

‘mister rice farmer! it’s good to see you again!’ he sung, tossing his arm around kita’s shoulder and patting it in a friendly manner, ‘how’s life been treating ya?’

kita and atsumu somehow managed to make small-talk as if they hadn’t been apart for the last 6 years

‘me and my girlfriend have only been together for 6 months but i think i’m ready to settle down.’ atsumu mused, tapping his elbow before realising that he had been talking about himself for a while, ‘but anyway, i see that you and (y/n) are still going strong. haven’t y’all been together since the first year of highschool? that’s impressive! when are you gonna wife her up?’ 

kita perked up upon hearing that, ‘uh, yes. but how do you know that?’

atsumu couldn’t help but smirk, casually running a hand through his hair before motioning to the hickey on kita’s neck which was on semi-display, ‘right there, bud.’

kita looked down but unfortunately, his neck didn’t bend enough to see what atsumu was referring to 

‘also,’ atsumu chuckled, slightly embarrassed about what he was going to admit ‘i saw the pic of her you put on your facebook.’

‘ah, okay.’ that one kita could understand

atsumu was about to open this mouth to say something but then the shrieking noise of the coach kurosu’s whistle rang through the gym room, indicating the start of the match

the game went surprisingly smooth tbh 

minimal fights :o

but kita did get teased quite a lot smh 

anyway, after everything was all said and done and everyone started to filter out the gym, kita rushed to the bathroom to check himself in the mirror and see what atsumu was referring to on his neck

once he took a look at himself, he frowned

just as he thought, a hickey - that’s embarrassing

it was clear you made an effort to place hickeys in areas that would be hidden though as the bruise was barely peeking out from under the collar of his jersey, atsumu just has a rather keen eye 

however, that wasn’t going to stop kita from pounding you dry when he gets home - as a punishment ofc 

kita was about to leave but he couldn’t help but stay and stare at himself in the mirror for a bit longer, recalling last night as he wondered at what point you bit those onto his neck

was it during the 2nd round? or the foreplay? or perhaps the 4th round? wait- no- definitely during aftercare cuddles!..or actually, maybe the 1st round?

in all honesty, he couldn’t remember 

to him the whole night was a blur of pounding into you relentlessly, overstimulation, pleads for mercy, tears, passionate kisses and praise

with a sprinkle of daddy kink but let’s not talk about that

oh, and not to forget the way you’d call out his name just as you were about to reach your orgasm 

or your sweet, lewd whines that echoed through the room when he thrashes against your sensitive spot 

and don’t get him started on the cute little nicknames you have for him that squeal out through moans, like ‘daddy’, ‘master’, ‘sir’ etc 

kita snapped out of his fantasies, letting out a sigh and about to exit the bathroom- until he noticed himself in the mirror out of the corner of his eye

he was hard

smh smh smh 

now he was stuck between a rock and a hard place

(literally 🤠)

he could either potentially embarrass himself or cause an accident by walking to his car and driving home with a throbbing boner

or he could call you to help him jerk off in a bathroom stall

so he took a seat in one of the stalls - for the sake of the ppl he might run over if he did otherwise  

he rung you up and thankfully, you picked up and you weren’t feeling bratty enough to deny him the help he needed so badly

although it wasn’t a very pleasurable experience since he was constantly on hyper-alert just in case the janitor walked in, at least he got a lot of nostalgia from it :))

[fyodorsslut]

Wrists- Bakugou Katsuki

Requested by: @toomanyotpslove​

 A/N: both of us can’t remember what the request was sadly, but I still have the story and find it very much worth publishing!! So, here we are! It’s not the type of thing I’d usually write, honestly, but I tried

AU: Fantsy!Au

Pairings: Dragon Lord! Bakugou x shape shifter! fem! reader

Genre: Fluff, some angst (?), comfort

play: Particular Taste by Shawn Mendes

Warnings: Not proof read, mention of physical abuse, child abuse, blood, mention of killing, reader triggered, enslaving, dehumanizing, bruises

He learnt to never touch her wrists.

  So, when he accidentally pulls her back by her still-bruised wrist, her reaction doesn’t surprise him too much.

  When Y/n jumps back, startled, clutching onto her wrist like she’s doing it for dear life, with her mesmerizing y/e/c eyes shot awide, Katsuki isn’t even surprised. A good 12 years of living with her have taught him this much, at least.

  “I-I’m sorry,” he coughs vaguely, gulping and watching out for any sign of an abnormal reaction. Even though it’s been long, Y/n’s mentality isn’t that stable and any small trigger could be like a bomb, and the explosion is her turning into some animal and losing control over herself.    “It’s alright,” Y/n sighs, rubbing  a thumb against her wrist.

  “You sure?” with a little tilt of his head, Katsuki takes a closer step towards scared Y/n. “You good?”   “Yeah,” she smiled, nodding. It took a lot of Katsuki not to push further. Instead, he nods in concern, wary of the apology he now owes her

   A few years back, or so he recalls, was when he met her.

                                              (12 years ago)

  The shore was so thick with humid, too much humid he couldn’t breathe properly. His small, bare arms prickle with the sensation of moisture, minuscule droplets too small to see dancing over his skin. The 6 years old boy stretches a little, moving his fingers in tiny circles, stirring up the cloying warmth hanging over the seashore.

  Sniffing, he grimaces, the light breeze smells of fires doused by the passing rain. His small features scrunch, the kid at the castle, went out fishing or such. Instead, he was here, with his parents and some lieutenants, checking on what’s coming in and out the country.

   Dazing away from his parents, he runs a hand through the flowers blooming from boxes along the pathway. The dirt around them is still wet from the passing rains and a particularly exuberant gardener. Behind him, more flowering veins run  up the brick walls and rocks, these people love there flowers. The explode in various shades, thriving in this climate-

  That’s when he spots it. Her

  A few men bulk up, trying to casually hide it, tensing at the presence of the king and queen, clearly not have been expecting it. But, from the heir’s vantage point, he saw the girl clearly, Bruised, chained up so movement is very uncomfortable. Some leather, cage muzzle sat disturbingly on her mouth and wrapped around her head. With clearly barely any movement, the girl’s body could go through so much harms, aside from the position she’s sat in.

  It’s almost terrifying, goosebumps crawling up the young boy’s body.

  “Katsuki?” A gentle voice calls for the ash blonde. He slightly flinches, ripping his gaze off the girl in chains. He looks at his mother in a frightened manner.

  “Is something wrong?”

  Shakily, he points a weak finger towards the cage.

  Holding a hand out, he manages to pull the abashed girl out. She has an air of misuse and neglect. Skinny and barely able to balance her weak form on her own.

  Katsuki softly takes the muzzle off. He smiles at the face in front of him, only to be met by wide eyes and trembling lips.

  “Are you okay?”

  Flinch.

  A small hand grips into the back of his dress shirt. A certain body’s heat closing up to him.

  “She won’t do anything, not even eat. She spoke no words, and is continuously clenching onto the prince.”

   Young Katsuki didn’t understand what was going on as the nurse spoke to his mom. A clan murdered? People... haunted? He didn’t mind her huddling onto him the way she did. He heard she’s a shape shifter, what is that? 

  “Shipped, enslaved, and sold in the black market. She’s a special, these ones cost a fortune there.”

  He didn’t understand, sure. But he still knew whatever this girl has been through, it’s trauma. He knew that from how the words sounded, and from the look on his mother’s face, he’s never seen her more disgusted his whole life, not even when he eats his mucus.

   He glances at her, bruises clouding her freshly cleaned cheeks, one eye purple. Her arms and hands were the same, too. When her eyes catch his, she looks down immediately, pulling away as an embarrassed red paints her cheeks.

   “Katsuki...” The king slowly kneels before his son. “What do you think?”    “What do you mean?” He raises a light eyebrow, confusion written on his face with wide letters.

   The king glances over to his prideful wife, who only softly shrugs, both unaware of what to do with the girl who could’ve possibly ended up reduced to some lifeless corpse in a few more days of starvation. They don’t get to ask Katsuki more than he’s already done; finding the girl. Yet, it seems as though the almighty king and queen, for the first time, are out of any other options.

  “Would you mind staying with her until we figure out how to help her do things on her own?” His brunette father spoke gently, simplifying the words so that the young, stubborn prince could understand much of it.

   “I’m not a kid,” He huffs, annoyance unjustified. “Of course I’ll help her around. That’s my job.”

  A scream erupts from her lips before she could help it. Her eyes immediately shot shut as she holds out her arms in defense, ready for the punishment for being so loud.

  “Hey, easy there,” The man at the infirmary smiles gently at her. “What’s wrong?”

  “She doesn’t want anyone touching her wrists,” Katsuki confirms, watching over them closely like an examiner over a test. The doctor helping figure out her bruises as y/n flinches like a spooked animal.    “Manacles trauma,” he nods. “These monsters really did their business.”

  “Katsukiiiii,” she whines, helplessly running. “Slow down a little!”   “Not a chance!” Her friend chuckles aloud, tugging at the blindfolded girl’s hand as his legs take off, fleeting against the floor of the castle.

   He comes to a sudden stop, pulling Y/n to stop too. 

  “Why’d you stop?” she questions, tightening her grip over his small fingers.    “Shh, we’re here,” he talks, smiling agape as attempts to control his uncontrollable excitement.

  His hand leaves hers, clutching on to the blindfold at the back of her head. Swiftly, he rids her of the void she was staring into.

  The sight she was outlet into was like an ambush to her feelings. Unable to form any words or create a reaction other than a stuttered “is this for me?”

   “Do you... yes! It’s yours! Do you like it?” The young ash blonde asks excitedly, watching over the girl’s reaction. “It’s even right next to mine!” 

   She turns to him, tears filling her pretty y/e/c eyes. Before he realized it, she’s pulled him into a tight embrace, sobbing for some reason unbeknownst to him.

  “Thank you.”

                                   ( Back to the present )

   “Can we go back inside now?” He felt her breath before he heard her voice, straight up nauseous from the amount of people gathered up in such feast.

  “Yeah, sure, whatever,” he grumbles under his breath. He sounds annoyed, but it’s no sweat for his lover to slip past his well-made façade.

  “Thank you, Katsu,” She presses a soft kiss on his cheek. Even though he knows no one saw, due to their position at the far corner of the room, his cheeks rise a flame. He immediately grimaces, you could practically see steam fuming from his ears as he, without any ado, stomps inside puling  the girl alongside.

  “I sure hope you have a proper explanation for that, princess,” He folds two strong, muscular arms onto his bare chest. The multiple necklaces and animal teeth almost scrambling away from his arms.    “Explanation for what?” Y/n raised a brow, playing dumb. She smiles softly, twirling a lock of y/h/c hair around her index finger, knowing damn well the practiced act does the trick.

  “Tch,”he rolls his eyes. Only throwing himself on the couch. “Sit here, idiot,” he pats the spot beside him in a soft manner, indicating he’s about to start a sensitive conversation.

  Gracefully, Y/n places herself on the couch, placing he r head on Katsuki’s broad shoulder. His arm wraps around her waist like it always does, scooting her closer as it finds rest on her thigh ((stfu-)).

  “This morning you were... crying?” He spoke softly, unable to find the perfect way to speak in this specific situation.

  Y/n takes a deep breath, fingers fidgeting with Katsuki’s fingers. “Nightmares,” she admits.   “The same one?”   “I think,” she shrugs, gulping. “I can only remember the faces of.. you know.”

  By the way her fingers slightly squeezed his, Bakugou knew he should stop the conversation there.

  “Don’t worry,” his voice was so, very low she could barely hear him. He presses a tender kiss on the top of her head, letting his lips take the weight of her whole  head, finding rest at that spot. “No one will harm you as long as I’m here,” his voice sent slight vibrations through her head, as he inhales the familiar scent of her hair. “And you know I’m too stubborn to die, anyway.”

  “Wow, very comforting, Katsuki,” she chuckles, pressing a kiss on his shoulder.   “Shut up,” he blurts, flustered.    “I love you too, Katsu,” She held his hand with both hers, printing continuous pecks on it.

  His hand grips her cheek, the other gripping the opposite.  Fixing his seating, he pulls her face upwards, planting a firm and fiery kiss that’s too short for her liking on her soft lips.

  Unlike the rest of the shapeshifters, and unlike most of the the population she lives amongst in this country,  Y/n’s a soft, curious soul. Not made for a harsh living or to be put against anything. Yet, the fire in her only ever lured people, the difference in her. Of all people, the heir to the dragon throne, Katsuki Bkugou. 

  “Fuck you for being like this,” his ruby eyes bore into hers, unable to find a single flaw.

  Both the kids’ hearts raced in their chests.

   He learnt to never touch her wrists, instead, he touched her soul to anchor her

[talltree-writes]

Art History, Philosophy, and Scientific Periodicals // K.NJ

Y/N is a senior in college and works part time at the library near her apartment. RM is the leader of the powerful Wings gang. Despite knowing his dangerous reputation, Y/N can't help but be interested in the sweet man who borrows vastly different books and talks with her for hours.

Genre: Fluff, slice of life, mild angst? (there's a brief fight between reader and her brother), f2l

Pairing: Kim Namjoon/(F)Reader 

Warnings: Reference to sexual assault (it doesn't happen, but it's implied it could have), swearing, guns (make an appearance, but they aren't used in the story), fighting 

Word Count: 7.2k 

 Author's Note: Inspired by Close to You by hollyhomburg on Tumblr (I just checked, and I think she might have deleted, so if anyone can find a link, that’d be really cool!). A really cool concept that I obviously enjoyed, haha! Also I intended this to be a little warm-up piece that was maybe 2k, but uhhh, that obviously didn't happen (it was still a bit of a warm up, it was just a warm up that lasted about 2 weeks...) 

Photo isn't mine!!

-Kim Namjoon had always intrigued you.

-You had seen him for the first time at the local library you worked at part time, earning a bit of cash to help pay for the last bit of tuition that your scholarship didn’t cover.

-It wasn’t the best location, but it was close to you, you enjoyed most of the people who came, and most of all: you loved books. And, well, the enigma of a man who came in during your shift didn’t hurt

-Namjoon stood out in most ways from the normal visitors.

-For one, he checked out odd combinations of books. Usually, the books were philosophy or art history combined with a scientific periodical, often adding a book on a certain language (it changed every once and awhile), or one on music theory or history.

-Secondly, the man, with his blonde hair, piercings, leather jacket, and copious tattoos were far cries from most of the library’s usual visitors

-Lastly, he always came alone. Most of the regulars at the library brought someone at least occasionally, a child, a wife, a friend, someone. But never Namjoon.

-Curiously, instead of finding what he needed and either occupying one of the couches or arm chairs in the back, or even simply taking it home, he always sat at the table closest to your desk

-After a while of reading, he’d ask you a question or bring up a topic. Sometimes your day, or your classes, sometimes he’d ask what the oddest thing someone had checked out was, or, on particularly slow days, he’d leave his books and come sit on the counter next to you, where you two would chat about your lives or philosophy or mythology or art.

-He checked his books about thirty minutes before your shift would end, flashing you a dimpled grin and tucking his books into the beat up backpack he always had before waving on his way out.

-Now, you weren’t dumb. You knew Namjoon was RM, leader of the Wings, and that you should absolutely be scared of him. He sold drugs, he threatened people, hell, he killed people.

-But he was also Namjoon, the dork who showed up at the times he knew it would be slow (street reps were important), the dimple-cheeked guy who teased you about your love of dramas (before secretly confessing to enjoying a few himself). He was the guy who would help you put returned books away before he left, laugh brightly at your dumb jokes or confused face or ruffle your hair affectionately when you did something cute. He was the guy who made butterflies flutter in your stomach and your heart thump wildly.

-So, against all logic, you couldn’t muster up any fear for him.

-However, you did fear your walk home

-Normally, you went unbothered, but that didn’t change the fact that you were walking through a bad area of town at night. You carried a small switchblade and pepper spray just in case.

-One night, everything had been going normally. You had finished closing up the library, waving goodbye to your coworker as you both set off in different directions.

-For the first half, everything seemed normal enough. You stopped at a small shop on your way, grabbing a few essentials that your brother had asked you to get before continuing on your way.

-A few of the street lights were out ahead of you, but you shrugged, it happened sometimes, and would probably be fixed in a few days’ time. Still, you were more cautious as you walked, conscious of the shadowy alleyways along the street.

-You palmed the small blade in your sweatshirt pocket, tensing as the area around you grew darker. Just a few hundred feet, you reassured yourself. Just a bit more and you’d be back in the light, in safety.

-A few feet from returning to the light, you were passing an alley when the shadows started shifting.

-Before you could react, foreign hands reached out to grab you, pulling you towards them. You screamed as loud as you could, but a hand wrapped around your mouth, another pressing something sharp into your side.

-“Shut up, bitch.” A man hissed into your ear.

-You whimpered as he dragged you backwards, the point of what you assumed was a knife digging further in, a silent order to comply. His hot breath in your ear sent spikes of fear through your body, and you felt tears drag down your face.

-The sudden cock of a gun forced both of you to freeze.

-“Let her go. Right. Fucking. Now.” A familiar voice commanded. Your eyes widened when you looked up and saw Namjoon standing at the alleyway entrance.

-The hands on your body shifted, and for a moment you thought he might let you go, but your heart fell when the hand at your mouth just shifted down, grabbing the knife from his other and bringing it to your throat. Your captor arranged your positioning to where you were acting as his unwilling shield, any shot your savior tried would risk your injury.

-You saw Namjoon’s gaze shift slightly to the area just behind you, and you heard another gun cock. “He said let the girl go, asshole.”

-Slowly, the hands around you released and you stumbled away from him, towards Namjoon who already held an arm out to catch you.

-You buried your head in the chest of the familiar man, one of his arms holding him to you comfortingly.

-“L-look, I didn’t know she was your girl. I-I just wanted a little fun. I’m sorry”

-You gulped at his implications, burying yourself impossibly closer to Namjoon.

-The other guy with a gun growled “It’s not fun if she isn’t willing, you piece of shit.”

-“JK, take care of this guy. I don’t want to see him around here any time soon.” You felt the rumbling of his voice through his chest.

-The arm holding his gun lowered, reaching back to shove the weapon in his waistband. He lead you out of the alleyway and back the way you were going. Faintly, you wondered how he knew, but were still too in shock to think too much about it.

-It wasn’t until you were standing outside a well lit shop that your emotions finally hit you.

-Honestly it’s not pretty.

-We’re talking snot, tears, all of it.

-But he just hugs you to his chest and rubs your back, letting you cry away your fear and horror before you got home

-“It’s going to be okay, you’re safe now. I won’t let that happen again.”

-You realized he was whispering soothing things to you and you just gripped his jacket tighter.

-Finally, after you had cried yourself dry, he leads you into the store, nodding once at the owner, and telling you to get some candy

-He left you to choose, always being careful to stay in your sights, and to keep you in his. He wandered to the drinks, grabbing two bottles of water and, after a moment of hesitation, a chocolate milk.

-The two of you met at the counter, you with a bag of assorted mini chocolates and him with his drinks.

-You started to take out your wallet to pay for all of the items (afterall, he saved you, you kinda owed him a lot) but he beat you to it, throwing down a few bills and telling the owner to keep the change.

-He gathered up your purchases in one hand, grabbing yours with the other.

-Outside, he offers you your choice of water or chocolate milk and gives you your candy.

-You choose chocolate milk, because you haven’t had it in forever and it just seems so comforting

-It is, in fact, very comforting and you smile a little at his thoughtfulness

-As the two of you walk, you don’t do much talking. You’re still pretty rattled up from the alley, but you offer him some of the chocolate from the bag you’ve put in your sweatshirt pocket. He doesn’t accept, and you just shrug.

-You don’t realize that he actually really wants some chocolate, but he refuses to let go of your hand and his other hand has water bottles in it.

-He forgets he’s carrying a backpack and can just put them in there, because wow you’re really pretty and distracting and your hand is so small and delicate and soft and he will absolutely Not be letting it go until he has to

-Eventually, you speak up.

-“Thank you, by the way. For the chocolate and for the… alley. I’d have been in much worse shape if you hadn’t shown up.”

-Your voice is quiet and scratchy from crying, but he catches every word, always so very aware of you.

-He shrugs, as if saving you was a given. “I don’t want to see you hurt. Especially like that, no girl should be treated like that.”

-You squeeze his hand again in thanks.

-You idly chatter to each other, but he seems a little more distracted, scanning the area.

-He glares at several people. Some cross the street with their head ducked, others pass with glares of their own. If they glance at you, Namjoon’s hand tightens around yours and pulls you closer.

-When you get to your apartment building, he only hesitates about walking to your door a moment, encouraged by your hand tugging him along with you.

-Honestly, you’d kind of forgotten his hand was wrapped around yours, only becoming conscious of it when he would squeeze it.

-He doesn’t squeeze it when you start to drag him into your building

-At your door, you look back up at him and send him a shy grin.

-“Thank you, again, for saving me. And for comforting me, and walking me home, and… yeah. You didn’t have to do most of that and I’m really grateful.”

-His eyes are soft and tender as they meet your gaze, nothing like the man who aimed a gun at someone not 45 minutes ago.

-“I’ll always do my best to protect you, Y/N. I re-”

-He was cut off mid word by your door swinging open

-“Y/N! Oh my god, are you okay? What happened?” Your brother’s gaze zeroed in on your red, puffy eyes and the small dribble of blood on your throat caused by the small cut the knife had made. You hadn’t even noticed until now

-Namjoon had. Namjoon was going to help you clean it up when you got back to your apartment if you let him.

-Namjoon, assuming the guy was your boyfriend, dropped your hand quickly and cleared his throat

-You really hated the lack of warmth honestly and had to stop yourself from reaching for it again

-Your brother’s eyes shifted to the large man standing in your doorway, noting his appearance and drawing his own conclusions

-“What the fuck did you do to her, you son of a bitch?”

-Namjoon was ready to knock your “boyfriend” out for insinuating that he’d ever lay a hurtful hand on you but you stepped in between the two guys first

-“What-- No, Jordan, he saved me. Someone attacked me. I’ll tell you the whole story later, but I’m fine now, and that’s mostly thanks to him.”

-Your brother’s jaw clicked shut and stayed tense. His words were clipped and cold, almost as if he didn’t believe you.

-“Well. Then, I suppose I should thank you. (Y/N)’s safety is very important to me.”

-Namjoon’s voice was equally as tight in his response.

-“It was no problem. I’d hate to see her hurt, too. I should head out, though. You guys have a good night.” You glanced at his retreating form curiously. You had seen RM, the gang leader, you had seen the Namjoon from the library, but you’d never seen this version. This one was standoff-ish, and nowhere near the passionate and boyish guy you knew.

-It unsettled you a little.

-Your brother gently gripped your forearm and pulled you into your apartment, shutting and locking the door firmly once you were both inside.

-He met your eyes with a searching gaze, but waited a moment before speaking.

-“You can tell the truth now, did he hurt you?”

-You recoiled in shock. Namjoon? Hurt you? Sure, you knew who he was and what his reputation was, but you felt safer standing next to Namjoon than almost anyone else.

-“No, Jordan, he didn’t hurt me. I know him, he wouldn’t do that.”

-You made to turn away and go to the bathroom. You wanted to shower and wash the last few hours off your body. But your brother wasn’t done.

-“Wha- Know him? (Y/N), do you know who that is? How in the everloving fuck do you know him?” He practically shouted

-You shushed him, conscious of your nosy neighbors and the thin walls separating the apartments.

-You rolled your eyes, though. “Yes, I know who he is. That’s RM, formerly known as Rap Monster, and he’s my friend. He comes into the library a lot during my shift and we talk.” You bit back a soft smile at the thought that he might be back tomorrow.

-Your brother sees this though-- he’s way too good at reading you

-“No, absolutely not. You cannot be friends with him. He’s dangerous and I don’t trust him or his gang members.”

-He crosses his arms and stands straight, as if the extra inch and glower will force you to conform.

-But you weren’t 14, and he wasn’t your father.

-Anger washed over you, and you nearly forgot about your nosey neighbors and the thin walls.

-“Jordan, I am not a child! In fact, I am a fully fledged adult woman who can make choices for herself! Now, I have been getting to know Namj-- RM for a few months now, and I’d like to consider us friends. Not to mention, he and one of his gang members just saved me from a rather fucked up experience, so I’d be pretty damn grateful for him right now. Tell me, though, how exactly would you stop me from being friends with him? I met him at the library, you know, the place I work? Are you going to make me quit my job too?”

-You’d started to say Namjoon, but figured he didn’t want too many people knowing his real name.

-“I know you are not a child! But you’re my baby sister, and I promised to protect you always. I’m grateful he saved you tonight, but maybe you should consider quitting. You only need a few more credits to graduate next spring, maybe you should focus on finishing up and looking for a big internship, you know?”

-You glared at him.

-“Oh yeah, because we can really afford to lose my income.”

-He didn’t have a leg to stand on and he knew it. But he kept going.

-“Ok, so maybe it would be tight for a while, but if it got too bad you could get a new one, maybe closer to campus, just until you could start using your degree.” His voice started edging on desperate, but you just rolled your eyes and turned your back.

-“I’m not quitting my job or avoiding RM, end of story. Now I’m going to take a shower and go to bed. I’ve had a long night and I just want to move on.” You, once again, started for the bathroom.

-Your brother stepped forward and caught your arm again, his touch gentle despite the argument you’d just had, and when you turned his eyes were soft and concerned.

-“What did happen tonight, (Y/N)? Are you okay?”

-You swallowed and nodded. “I’m okay now. A guy grabbed me as I was walking and dragged me into an alley. He had a knife and a hand over my mouth so I couldn’t do much, but RM and one of his guys threatened him and he let me go. RM took care of me and brought me home.” You gave him what you hoped was a reassuring smile. Honestly, you were still pretty rattled by the whole experience.

-His eyes searched your face again, and your expression must have been convincing, because he just nodded and let you go.

-“Get some rest.”

-“Thanks”

-The next morning, your brother was up and gone before you, as usual, but he had prepared breakfast before leaving for work. There was a note left on the counter beside it.

-‘(Y/N), I’m sorry about last night. Have a good day and call me if you need anything.’

-You smiled a little at his apology.

-The day dragged on; you had one class in the morning that ended around 11 and your first afternoon class started at 2, so you used the time between to get a headstart on homework. You usually tried some at the library, but got distracted by Kim Namjoon more times than not.

-Your shift at the library started like any other. You saw some regulars, some people just there on a whim or because they needed a reference. You checked books out occasionally, checked them in when you needed to, but all around, had a quiet shift.

-When Namjoon walked in towards the end of it, though, you were surprised. He’d been there yesterday, and he didn’t usually come one day after another-- even he couldn’t read the books that fast.

-Even more surprising, he didn’t even go look at the books. Instead, he sauntered over to the desks, settling himself next to you. His grin showed easy confidence, but his eyes were guarded in a way you hadn’t seen in months.

-“You doing alright?” He asked

-You shrugged. You’d kept your mind preoccupied enough today, but you’d be lying if you said it hadn’t affected you.

-When a classmate had run up to catch you after the lecture to get last classes notes, you’d noticeably jumped, your heart rate increasing far more than if it had been a normal scare

-You kept checking over your shoulder as you walked to class, despite knowing how safe your campus was and the fact that it was broad daylight

-You really weren’t looking forward to the walk home tonight

-“I’m still spooked, but I think that’s a little justifiable given the circumstances.”

-He bit his lip, looking like he was trying to figure out whether to ask something. Something must have won, because he asked

-“Are you walking home alone again? I mean-- is your boyfriend coming to get you or are you going by yourself?”

-You cocked your head. Boyfriend? “What boyfriend? Is someone telling people that he’s my boyfriend?”

-Now it was his turn to look confused.

-“The guy last night at your apartment? Jordan or whatever, wasn’t he your boyfriend?”

-You stared at him for a second, trying to gauge whether he’s joking or not. “Jordan? You mean my brother?”

-A look of shocked understanding took over his face briefly. “Your brother, oh. Okay. Cool, cool. That’s cool.” He had never been this awkward, and you had to bite back a smile.

-But when a bright smile broke through his guarded eyes, you let your own loose.

-Namjoon stayed for the rest of your shift, helping you shut everything down and walking out with you.

-You expected him to wave and head off on his own after you locked up, but he stood for a second.

-“You never answered my question about whether you were walking home alone earlier.”

-You’d thought about calling your brother, really, you had, but every time you had the opportunity to do so, Namjoon did or said something that distracted you

-He didn’t know he was doing it, of course. How could he know you were thinking of calling your brother to bring you home after your shift?

-“Oh- um, well no. I don’t. I can call my brother, though, and he’ll come get me.”

-“But you’d still have to wait for him to come get you, right?”

-You shrugged, already opening your phone. “Yeah, but it’s fine. I’ll just wait here or at the shop down the block.”

-“I mean, I could just take you home.” He shrugged casually

-This man is absolutely not casual in his head, he is freaking the fuck out

-He has his bike, which he doesn’t bring to the library most of the time

-Mostly because that’s kinda conspicuous

-But also because he’s been trying to work up the nerve to ask to walk you home for a while

-But today he figured you might not want to walk

-You glanced up at him. “I don’t want to inconvenience you. It’s a long walk.”

-He shot you an easy grin, “I wasn’t proposing walking. I have my bike.” He gestured to the parking lot where a motorcycle sat

-Your resolve is already pretty low. The walk is long, and you’d have to wait for your brother and then do the walk yourself, and you’d honestly rather just get back home and go to bed

-So you nod and follow him to the barely lit lot

-He hands you the helmet hanging from the bars, and when you shoot him a questioning look, he shrugs

-“I’d rather I get hurt than you, and I don’t have another helmet.”

-He’s definitely buying one for you like tomorrow

-You put on the helmet and slip onto the seat behind him, loosely wrapping your arms around him

-He smiles a little at the feeling of your slim arms around his waist and kicks on the bike.

-Now, you’d been on motorcycles before, and you knew what it sounded and felt like. But that didn’t stop you from jumping a little and tightening your grip around him

-You feel the rumble of his chuckle as you cling to his back, only really relaxing once you had gotten on the streets.

-Truth be told, the way home wasn’t that long when you drove it.

-The ride came to an end far too soon. He walked you to your door again, and outside your apartment, you hesitated.

-You had been talking all throughout the end of your shift, but you didn’t want it to stop. You wanted to keep talking, about the books he reads, about his life, about your life, about everything. You were incredibly interested in the enigma standing before you and just wanted to figure him out.

-“Do you want to come in tonight?” You offered, very hopeful.

-He glanced at the door with an odd look. Almost as if he wanted to just as much as you did, but was nervous or scared.

-Which is odd. Because he doesn’t get scared.

-Right?

-RM, leader of the most influential gang in the city, hardly rivalled and with numbers unknown, didn’t get scared of going into a girl’s apartment right?

-He didn’t get scared of overprotective brothers, or of not being enough for them

-Not at all

-Apparently, he does.

-Because he shakes his head, and says “I don’t think your brother would appreciate it.”

-He shoots you a smile, and heads back down the hall.

-You slip into your apartment and frown at your brother, who’d obviously been listening.

-“What did I tell you about him, y/n?”

-You glare and shake your head at him

-“And what did I tell you? He’s a good guy, he was just bringing me home.”

-You brush past him and towards your room. He was always like this with guys, which made sense, but didn’t mean you had to appreciate it.

-You showered and ate dinner, but otherwise stayed in your room doing homework. Your classload the next day was light, so you could sleep in

-When you woke up the next day, Jordan was already gone, but today he hadn’t made breakfast or left you a note.

-‘Message received, dickwad.’ You thought, moving to grab a cup of coffee.

-Both your classes were after lunch, so you studied all morning, until you got a text from a friend in your art history course who wanted to meet up and study, since he’d heard you had a quiz that day.

-You agreed, and got ready, getting to a coffee shop near campus by 11:45, 15 minutes earlier than you had agreed, but you didn’t care much.

-Soonyoung got there early too, and you both quizzed each other on paintings and their years and artists. The quizzes weren’t exactly hard, they were just a lot of memorization

-You went your separate ways for your first classes, yours a basic bio course that you’d been putting off, and his some advanced math class for his major.

-Both classes passed as normal, and you felt you did well on the quiz, which was largely due to the studying and warning Soonyoung had given you

-You both walked out together, smiling and talking, and he offered to go with you to your job

-He needed some reference material for the paper you’d just been assigned

-And you were both from the same area

-You’d just met at the campus cafe earlier so you could study longer

-He also has a big ole crush on you

-Has for like a year

-Mans literally took the class to get close to you

-You have 0 idea and just think he’s a really good friend

-It’s kinda because you’re very focussed on this really nice gang leader who reads art history and philosophy books paired with scientific periodicals and articles.

-Agreeing, you both head to the bus stop, chatting just as easily all the way to the library

-That is, until you get there and see a familiar figure walking from the parking lot, a motorcycle parked among the few cars

-You notice that there are two helmets now

-And one of them is your favorite color

-Something you’d told him months ago when you were playing a silly 20 questions game to pass the last hour of your shift

-And he’d obviously remembered, or just gotten lucky and guessed

-The smile automatically lands on your face

-He very rarely comes at the beginning of your shift, he’s a very busy man, afterall.

-“Oh shit, y/n, RM’s here.”

-You haven’t stopped watching the tall man, and his gaze hits yours, and he waves, a smile starting to grow before it lands on your companion.

-He tries not to assume again, because last time he’d assumed your brother was your boyfriend

-“Yeah, he’s here pretty often.” You look over at Soonyoung in time to miss RM’s glare at the boy.

-Soonyoung, who hasn’t missed the glare, glances at you. “I’ll stay until he leaves.”

-He’s determined, and you can see it, and before you can tell him that you’d literally never been safer than when Namjoon was around, you’re walking in the doors and you have to go clock in.

-Soonyoung goes to look for his references, very obviously keeping an eye on RM

-Unfortunately for him, the references he needs are a few aisles away from him, so he can’t watch him forever, and, about 30 minutes later, he’s alarmed to see RM leaning against your desk, laughing and grinning

-You’d dissuaded his fear before he’d even voiced it this time

-“Soonyoungs’s not my boyfriend either, you know.” You’d said as he’d approached with the same guarded look. “He’s just a friend who needed a few references for a paper our professor assigned”

-He’d brightened again, and decided to try and play nice

-Even if the guy is a rival

-Soonyoung thinks he’s making inappropriate advances because you look a little scandalized, but he can’t tell that you’re also laughing at the smiling guy in front of you

-Your friend slides in, all cool confidence, doing everything he can to edge between Namjoon and your counter.

-“Hey, man, what are you doing here?”

-You watch as the smile slides quickly from his face and is replaced by the expression he wore when he’d seen your brother-- expressionless, mildly intimidating, cold.

-“I’m getting a book and talking to y/n. What are you doing here, Hoshi?”

-One glance over Soonyoung’s shoulder told Namjoon that you had no idea about your friend’s gang affiliation.

-Soonyoung, who didn’t want you to find out this way, but was determined to protect you, regardless, stood his ground, “Y/N and I are friends and I came with her.”

-He doesn’t want RM to know where you go to school, that could open up a whole world of trouble.

-RM looks Hoshi up and down, before cracking a smile. “Ok. I guess I’ll just go look at my books over here.”

-He doesn’t want to start a fight in the library, but oh boy does he want to start a fight with this guy

-So he’s making it very clear that he’s not intimidated

-He doesn’t expect Soonyoung’s next words

-Neither do you, honestly.

-“I think I’ll join you.”

-This man is trying not to scare you, but he’s gotta get the point across to the Wings boss that you are Off Limits and Protected™

-You watch, astounded, as your two friends go off together

-You still haven’t really put the connection together that Soonyoung is in a gang

-Why would you, he doesn’t necessarily look like a gang member.

-He’s pretty delicate looking, and he doesn’t have a lot of piercings or tattoos like Namjoon, and he’s never done anything or given you any sign that he might be affiliated

-You go back to your work though, occasionally glancing at the guys

-Namjoon is facing you and catches your eye to send grins

-Otherwise they glare at each other over their books

-You’re getting more and more confused

-What had happened?

-They both stay to the end of your shift-- neither leaving before the other

-So they both end up helping you close up

-Soonyoung fails to notice how RM knows what to do and has obviously done it before

-They both wait for you to lock up, staring at each other and daring the other to leave.

-When you turn around, their gazes don’t move. “Ok, I think I’ll leave you two to get a room…”

-It’s mostly a joke, but you still brush past them

-It’s a joke because you’re not ready to walk home alone yet

-And you were really hoping the second helmet meant that Namjoon was going to take you home again

-And you got paid that day so you were kinda hoping you could pay him back with a quick dinner

-The joke snaps them out of it and Namjoon reaches out to (gently) catch your arm

-But Soonyoung doesn’t like that

-“Get your fucking hands off her!” 

 -He shoves Namjoon and steps between the two of you 

 -But now RM is mad 

 -This is the second guy who assumed he’d ever hurt you 

 -And that’s pretty offensive given that he’d literally let you run a bus over him -When i say the guy is whipped 

 -The first was your brother, which he excused. Brothers are allowed to be protective 

 -But this guy is another gang member and has tried to stake a claim on you that he doesn’t have any right to 

 -Back off, Hoshi, you’re going to scare Y/N.” 

 -Namjoon keeps his voice level because he really doesn’t want to scare you, especially given the events of the other night 

 -A glance at you would reveal that you’re really not scared, you’re just confused 

-“Soonyoung-” 

 -You don’t get to finish your sentence because the fucker interrupts you 

 -Now you’re kinda mad 

 -“I’m just trying to keep her safe. She didn’t appreciate your flirting earlier, so just catch the fucking hint, asshole.” 

 -He turns and grabs your arm this time. “Y/N, let me walk you home.” You just look at him. This man just made a lot of presumptions about your life without talking to you and you don’t really appreciate it. 

 -“Actually, Soonyoung, RM is my friend, and I don’t like what you’re implying about him.” 

 -You’re kinda glaring 

 -Namjoon thinks you might be referring to the part where Soonyoung said he was flirting 

 -He was definitely flirting 

 -He’s a had a huge crush on you for a while 

 -He’s still angry at Hoshi but now he feels a bit like a kicked puppy too 

-Oh well 

 -More emotion to take out on Hoshi 

 -But then you’re really glaring when Soonyoung pulls you closer 

 -“Y/N, that guy isn’t the kind to defend. You don’t know him, not really. 

 -Let’s go, we can talk more on our way to your apartment. 

 -He’s never been to your apartment 

 -And you don’t necessarily think he’d do anything 

 -But you kinda get a weird feeling about him going there. 

 -You wiggle out of his grasp and step towards Namjoon 

 -“No, Soonyoung, it’s fine, you go on.” 

 -Soonyoung is very determined not to leave you with RM 

 -“Y/N, c’mon, let’s just go.” 

 -He reaches for you again 

 -“I’m pretty sure the girl said no, Soonyoung. Go on home, and tell the other Diamonds that she’s officially under Wings protection.” 

 -Namjoon’s voice is pretty deep, and he puts his hand on your shoulder 

 -Which means he feels you flinch when you hear about the Diamonds 

 -The whole interaction makes more sense 

 -And you know why Namjoon called him Hoshi earlier 

 -But damn are you pissed that he didn’t tell you 

 -You step closer to Namjoon, bumping into his chest, when Soonyoung steps closer to you again, his face very apologetic and obviously trying to make amends. 

 -You’re not afraid of him, he can’t hurt you when literally the scariest gang leader is standing right there and just blatantly said you’re under his protection  

-But you definitely don’t want him to touch you right now 

 -He looks a little hurt but backs off. 

 -You put your hand on Namjoon’s and turn your head up to look at his face 

-“Can you give me another ride home?” 

 -The look he returns to you fills your heart. It’s so tender, damnit. 

 -“Of course. Do you want to go wait by my bike?” 

 -You nod and start to walk toward the parking lot. 

 -That is, until Soonyoung yells very angrily 

 -“Oh! I see! You’re RM’s whore, that’s how you got Wings protection-” 

 -The fool doesn’t even finish the sentence before Namjoon is shooting his fist out to meet Soonyoung’s jaw 

 -The fight breaks out quickly, and you stand shocked for a second 

 -Obviously you had seen fights before 

 -But Namjoon, no, RM, is absolutely wailing on Soonyoung, who looks like he’s reaching for somethi- 

 -A gun 

 -He’s reaching for a gun 

 -And you look up at the security cameras 

 -And you really don’t want the police asking you questions 

 -Especially because you must seem very familiar with two guys who have gang affiliations in the footage 

 -You also don’t want Namjoon to get hurt 

 -Like you really don’t -So you start screaming at them 

 -“Stop! Jesus fuck, both of you, just stop!” You try to move in to pull one off the other, but a poorly aimed limb hits you instead (you’re pretty sure it was Soonyoungs, but you can’t be certain). “RM! Soonyoung! Stop!”

 -When you spot the gun, your screaming becomes a little more frantic. 

 -When you said you wanted to return the favor, you didn’t mean patching him up after a fight 

-“RM! RM! Stop! Soonyoung! Stop!” 

 -Neither seem to hear you, and you can’t get in to pull one of them off the other, so you try something else. 

 -Honestly, it’s a longshot 

 -And you’re hoping you don’t hurt either of them 

 -Because you’ve got some heavy books in there that could give them a concussion 

 -But you just need to shock them enough to get them to stop 

 -You throw your bookbag at them 

 -It hits both, thankfully, so they both get distracted 

 -They’re still locked in the same positions, but now they’re both staring at you, their chests heaving 

 -Your chest is as well, but that’s out of panic more than exertion 

 -“Both of you, stop it. I don’t need the cops at my door asking me questions because I openly interact with you and you kill one another. Nope, no thank you.” You take a deep breath because now that shit seems a little de-escalated, your heart needs to calm the fuck down. “Soonyoung, go the fuck home, and don’t ever talk to me again. Return your books during someone else’s shift, don’t talk to me during class, just, don’t ever fucking talk to me again. I’m no one’s whore.” You glare at him with every ounce of anger in your body 

 -Which, to be fair, is a whole lot 

 -He lied to you, didn’t listen to you, didn’t respect your boundaries or when you told him no, and then called you a whore. 

 -“Y/N, look I-“ 

 -RM, who has let him go and moved to stand in front of you again, opens his mouth to say something but you beat him to it 

 -“I said go, Hoshi.” 

 -He tosses one more glare RM’s way before turning around. He walks off and for a second neither you or Namjoon move. 

 -Then you let out a sigh of relief when his form disappears around a corner -Namjoon immediately turns to you, hesitantly reaching out a hand to cradle your face and check if you’re okay 

 -“I’m fine.” He still looks at you, very concerned. “Really, I’m fine. I’m not the one who just got into a fist fight.” 

 -You start scanning your eyes over his face. You couldn’t see much in the low light, but you caught a cut by his eye, where the skin was darkening already. 

 -Otherwise he looked fine

 -You couldn’t see the rest of him though 

 -And honestly, if you saw the rest of him… 

 -You probably wouldn’t be looking for injuries 

 -Let’s be honest 

 -“Joon, your eye…” 

 -You reach your hand up to brush your fingers over the cut, and you don’t even realize that you’ve just called him Joon 

 -But damn, he did. He doesn’t realize it but he’s holding his breath, and he’s staring at you with wide eyes and oh wow he might be in love is this what love feels like? It has to be because he can’t be this excited about a nickname unless it’s from someone he loves 

 -A couple of other people call him Joon

-It’s not that complicated of a nickname 

 -But he doesn’t get this feeling when they call him Joon 

 -You notice that he’s staring at you after a second of him not saying anything and you give him a more concerned look “Namjoon are you okay?” 

 -He starts breathing again, but kinda only because little black dots start appearing in his vision and he doesn’t want to scare you 

 -“I-I’m fine, y/n. Um, what did you just call me?” 

 -You get shy 

 -You really hadn’t realized you said it, but Namjoon just seems so formal sometimes and you wanted to give him a nickname 

-Also you’ve been calling him Joon in your head for a while 

 -But only sometimes, not all the time 

 -Only when you were thinking about how cute his dimple smile is 

 -Or when you thought about that one time he hugged you -It was the day after your birthday a few months ago 

 -He’d found out because he’d come in on your birthday (he didn’t even want a book, he literally just wanted to see you) 

 -But you had asked your coworker to cover so you could spend the day with some friends and brother 

 -The official excuse was that you had a doctor’s appointment and it was the only time they could fit you in for a few months 

 -He’d been pretty concerned (and very disappointed) so he’d asked your coworker 

 -She worked the shift with you sometimes and knew the two of you got on well 

-So she just shrugged and said it was your birthday 

 -She figured he wouldn’t snitch on you 

 -Also she really wants you two to get together

-Because she can see how he looks at you 

 -It’s literally like you hung the moon 

 -This man goes out and panic buys chocolate and a little plushie that he thinks is really cute and that you’ll love 

 -You do. You love both 

 -When he gives it to you, you’re really shocked, though 

 -Because you didn’t know that he knew when your birthday was 

 -And you didn’t expect him to care that much 

 -You should have realized then that he was coming into the library just to see you sometimes 

 -You’re really shocked, though, and you kinda run into his chest and give him a hug 

 -And he just wraps his arms around you 

 -And it’s the nicest hug you’ve had in a while 

 -Because he’s so much bigger than you 

 -And his arms are so warm and gentle and strong and safe 

 -Anyway, so you weren’t really calling him Joon that often, right? Just whenever you thought about him... 

 -You step away from him and drop your hand, wrapping your arms around yourself 

 -“I called you Joon…” 

 -You’re silent for about .5 seconds before you start babbling 

 -“I’m sorry, it just kinda slipped out, but your name seemed so formal, especially since you just defended me again. I won’t call you Joon again if you don’t want me to, it could just be a one time thing if that’s what you want but I just- I- I’m sorry.” You finish lamely and look down, blush tinting your cheek 

 -He cradles your face tenderly, guiding your eyes back up to his. “Please call me Joon again, Y/N. There is almost nothing I’d like you to call me more than Joon. In fact, please forget you have ever heard any other name for me.” 

 -He gives you that soft grin you’ve only ever seen when he looks at you, and it’s your turn to freeze 

 -His eyes are sparkling with affection and mirth 

 -And his hand against your cheek is warm 

 -And are you crazy or is he moving closer? 

 -He’s absolutely moving closer 

 -Oh my god oh my god oh my god 

 -His lips are soft, and honestly, you’d hardly call it a kiss, more like a barely-there brush of lips 

 -There aren’t any of the fireworks or sparks you read about in all those romance novels

-But it raises goosebumps all over your body 

 -He pulled back just a little to catch your reaction, his eyes holding a little bit of anxiety about being rejected 

 -You blink up at him owlishly before raising yourself up to meet his lips with yours again 

 -You keep it soft, trying to transmit your feelings through the kiss 

 -You break away a moment later, smiling softly “Do you maybe want to go get some coffee or dinner or something? My treat.” You ask softly, aware of the bare amount of space between you 

 -He grins, straightening and taking your hand to walk towards his motorcycle 

-“There’s nothing I’d like more in this moment, Y/N.”

[chogiwrites]

300 Yuan To Love || Lay

Summary: The road to hell is paved with good intentions and, in this case, some rice cakes along the way. Or: Yixing makes a dumb bet but even when he wins, he loses.

Lenght: 5.4k

Genre: Humour/Fluff/mild Angst

Like with all shitty things in life, at least from a masculine standpoint, it begins with the desire to take a cute girl out on a date.

It’s hot and humid in Hangzhou, as is typical for the summer cycle in this part of China, and Zhang Yixing bikes up to Wang Xun’s cake stand with his balls tucked neatly in his wicker basket. This was his grandma’s doing, really. She knew Yixing needed a job and whilst she was wandering the neighborhood one afternoon, she ran into him.

Had it been anybody else, had it even been written in the Constitution of the People’s Republic of China, then Yixing would’ve immediately said no. But, it just so happens that Yixing is weak for his granny. So, when she returned from her walk, staggering with a fabric trolley full of leeks and other proteins, with a shiny look in her eyes, Zhang Yixing was honor-bound to accept.

Glutinous rice cakes are Zhang Yixing’s worst nightmare, and he starts work the next day

Just the smell is enough to give him a thick sense of nausea. Wang Xun knows this, and Yixing is about ninety-nine-point-nine percent sure that he’s banking off of that. So, what’s it about it all, that has Yixing bike towards there, on a road so quintessential that you could practically hear the 80’s pop music behind him?

Well, he needs a new haircut, that’s what. That, and he wants the opportunity to take his best friend, you, out someplace nice. It’s the latter mostly. Especially the latter.

You both entered Uni not too long ago but only one entered the prestigious option. Spoiler alert, it wasn’t Yixing. It doesn’t bother him much though, because he never intends to be a fancy businessman anyway. He applied to a local college to learn dance, and music theory, which he’s passionate about. On top of that, even though it sees him lose more money than it ever does see him gain it— Yixing enjoys posting his amateur attempts at rapping over on Weibo, which garners some positive feedback.

Meanwhile, there’s you. You’ve been friends with him since the first grade but you’re about as different from him as a banana to a pineapple. You set out to enter business, much like the rest of your family, and Yixing often catches you nowadays during your coffee not-dates in pressed blouses and pencil skirts. Your fierce makeup gives you an air of exclusivity, which makes Yixing’s breezy noncommittal to looking posh, nearly garish.

His idea of having a sense of style is often eclectic and vintage, in conflicting patterns and textures. He got into krumping, and this saw him, in turn, get into wearing blaze red tracksuits and little braids in his hair. It also saw him bleach his hair to the point of no return, which you made fun of him for relentlessly.

The consequence of having such an outlandish appearance—though at this point, he has his hair an ugly, faded red— came one day, full force, during one of your bi-weekly coffee not-dates.

You two were in the midst of a serious conversation when some yuppie mistook your frown as being caused by Yixing’s presence. So, he did what any overbearing yuppie does. He tried to forcibly remove Yixing from the situation with the same technique you use to swat away a pigeon that wants your Kentucky Fried Chicken.

It was embarrassing for all three of you and this is where it does bother Yixing, who’s become notorious for being blissfully unaware of any and everything. For one, he doesn’t see you as often as he wants to, and secondly, a part of him worries he’s slowly sinking beneath you.

Sure, this was a lifelong thing. You’d always come from the better and wealthier family whilst Yixing grew up with his grandparents in a relatively small, rickety house. But you don’t feel these things when you’re ten and frog hunting in the mud, you don’t feel these things when you hold your best friend’s dirty hand at the bus stop to ‘see what it’s like’ on your way to the arcade.

Admittedly, Yixing isn’t super certain as to why he feels the way he feels. He’ll figure this out by the end of the day but he doesn’t know that yet. His pretty face earns him a lot of kind-hearted Jiejies who’re happy to pay for his lunches out of pity. Usually, he’ll open up his phone and add a reminder in his notes to pay them back when he can, and this tends to be the end of his guilt. But, he doesn’t ponder on it too long either.

It’s not exactly in Yixing’s nature to delve too deeply into his own psyche, it’s that naive streak of his. He’s simple-minded and he knows that he is. It keeps him happy and he has that mindset from what he likes, all the way down to what he dislikes.

So, when he finally parks by the stall, over-grown bangs tied in a silly looking bun and testicles in tow, he resolves to approach this in the same way Zhang Yixing approaches all areas of his life:

He’ll just have to do his very best.

“Yixing!” Wang Xun says cheerfully, greeting Yixing with a tight hug after he locks his bike up to an iron fence. “Wow! So handsome!” He beams, pinching at those devastatingly high cheekbones as Yixing’s face quickly goes flush.

“Thank you, Gege.” He replies with a small, polite bow. Yixing’s humble and appreciative demeanor is broken as soon as he glances over at the thick, fragrant slabs of cake, just waiting to be touched, fondled and sold. His skin takes on a greenish hue.

Catching this, Xun thinks now would be a good time to have a little bit of fun with his new employee.

See, this job is often a dull one and last night, his wife, bless her memory, accidentally made double the usual quantity. Even on the busiest day, there’s always at least a bit of leftovers. This usually isn’t much of an issue because there’s a homeless shelter nearby. The only problem? They were quickly becoming tired of being constantly fed leftover rice cakes. Wang Xun hates waste, so he has a plan.

Diddling his fingers, he begins, “I heard from your granny that you want to earn some extra money. I know this doesn’t pay so well, but… How would you like to place a wager?”

Yixing turns to him with a look that is simultaneously hopeful and apprehensive. Wang Xun thinks that, oh yes, this will be fun. Very fun indeed. Unfortunately thouh, the road to hell is paved with good intentions and, in this case, some rice cakes along the way.

For you, whom summer often means being able to forget your studies and instead, focus on your friends and family, this one is already shaping up to be a massive disappointment. Some of your friends went back to their hometowns, whilst others went abroad. The most important contestant though, Zhang Yixing, your closest friend, your secret beloved, had gotten a job.

Your shoulders fell right down to your ankles when you got the news over the phone a night ago. But he sounded so excited that you couldn’t bare to complain. After all, you weren’t his girlfriend. Did Yixing even have a girlfriend? You don’t think you’ve ever heard him talk about any girls, even though he always has at least one woman around him. Maybe he was gay?

You sighed, lying on your back with your phone across your chest.

You only become concerned for Yixing and his mental state, when you find out what his job is, and the strange bet that succeeds it. You receive that text at ten am sharp.

«(Y/N)! Me and Xun-Ge (Do you remember him? He says hi! ^^) Made a bet for three hundred yuan to see who can sell the most rice cakes. The catch is that if we aren’t exact in our measurements, we must eat the surplus. I hope you’ll come and support me!!»

You reply instantly, wondering if all of this is some sick prank but that’s not in his character. Of course you remember Wang Xun, he runs that cake stand near the city square. You like his wife’s cakes but with that you also know…

«Yixing… You hate rice cakes???»

«I know, this means I’ll be even more motivated to win! Please come and support me!»

And this is how you end up on a plastic pull-out chair, watching your best friend torture himself for three hundred yuan, under the hot sun. “Are you ready, Yixing?” Wang Xun asks him and his grin is devilish. You can tell he completely expects Yixing to tank the whole competition.

“I was born ready, Gege! May the best man win!” Yixing grins and throws a little glance over his shoulder, hoping that you think he’s cool.

In that silly ‘Zhang Yixing’ way, he does look pretty cool, especially when he lifts the hem of his neon t-shirt to wipe the sweat from his browbone. The sad thing is that you would put money down the fact that Yixing will lose the three hundred yuan.

Truthfully, he can win this competition on sex appeal alone, if only he was aware of his own pull to begin with. Yixing isn’t though. He never was. He has the habit of presenting himself as a perfect image of self-control. You reckon the only correlation he’s made thus far is that the less clothes he wears, the more the female sex tends to smile around him. It’s a bit silly because Yixing, even now, will still walk around you in nothing but his boxers, as if he doesn’t look like he belongs in a Calvin Klein ad.

Needless to say, you, who has known him since a young age, rarely get to see him eschew from that respectability— sans his semi-nudist tendencies, that is.

Well, that’s until he begins losing the bet. Make no mistake though, Yixing tanks the bet before it can even begin.

“Ahhh, just 0.75? Why not make it a full KG?” Yixing whines at the customer, an older woman with a cold and mysterious look to her. “You don’t need to worry about your diet, Jiejie, you’re beautiful just the way you are. Eat the full kilo, your heart will thank you.”

Wang Xun chortles in the background as No-Name Jiejie rips him a new one. Somewhat offended yourself, you instinctively cross your arms across your soft middle and bite your lip. The next customer is another female, this one about high school aged. She orders a meager 0.25 KG and you try not to look at her with too much jealousy.

As she leaves, she turns to say: “Gege, you’re very handsome, but you shouldn’t make comments about a woman’s body like this. I think it’d be better if you found her and apologized for wounding her pride. Have a nice day~”

She waves before turning on her heels and Yixing looks at you in desperation, not understanding where his sales tactics are failing him. Your response is to cock a brow.

Even before his embarrassing comments, which you can only attribute as being brought on by a semester spent in South Korea, where he held a part time job as the person advertising Gangnam PS on the train, you were already slowly becoming annoyed with him. Why did you even bother to come out here in the first place?

It was unbearably hot and all you’re doing is watching the sweat stain on his back grow and grow while your thighs become welted from the plastic straps on the chair. Your leg skin is ruddy and bumped from shaving the night before and even though you like rice cakes, that and the smell of humid, mowed grass is threatens to make you sick.

Plus, it’s not as if you enjoy watching Yixing lose a dumb bet he should’ve already known he’d never win. By the time the sun is at it’s peak, around one-ish, you confront him behind the pagoda, where he gags in his fist.

“Yixing, I want to go home.” You say with your arms crossed, leaning against a ridged wall as you stare down at the dirt between you two. Yixing instantly looks up— churning stomach be damned. His eyes are wide and his face is a sweaty mess, but despite that, the disappointment is evident.

“You can’t go!” His voice comes out more frantically than it perhaps should. Your teeth dig into your bottom lip, trying not to seem too upset with him. Rather, you wish to simply look like you’re not feeling well. The snap to your tone betrays you though. It always does.

“This is ridiculous. It’s too hot outside and you’re making a goddamn fool out of yourself. What was the point of even having me here?” Yixing’s lips press into a thin line.

“We haven’t hung out in a while so—”

“So you think having me watch you make yourself sick is fun?” Normally, you would dislike the mean edge in your laugh, whenever you got the least bit annoyed with him. It might be the oppressive heat making your adrenaline run higher. Or, maybe, just maybe, Yixing’s lack of negative aspect gets on your nerves a lot more than you’d like to admit. Maybe, a deep, dark part of you wants to see Yixing get annoyed with you too, show you a face more offended than just one of mild hurt.

He doesn’t respond immediately. Instead, Yixing shoves his palms down his back pockets and rocks on his heels. Exhaling through his nose, Yixing opens his mouth to speak but closes up, pouting in a way which makes his lips look even pinker than they already are. It’s aggro, plain and simple.

“Aiyo! All this for an extra three hundred yuan you won’t win anyway?” You scoff, “If you need it so badly, ask me. I’ll lend it to you.”

Finally, his facade cracks and you’re not sure you like what you see. “Three hundred yuan may not mean much to you but it means a lot to others! Not everybody is wealthy like you!” His voice raises an octave, tone turning nasally and thick.

“You’re right. It means jack shit to me.” To prove your point, you reach into your daisy-shaped purse and pull out a few crumpled notes. “That’s why you should just relieve me of my burden and take the fucking yuan.”

Yixing, with his face as red as a chili pepper, gently pushes your hand back towards you. “You’re not treating me like a man.” He says.

Stomping your foot against the grass, you cry out: “Because you aren’t a man, Zhang Yixing!”

With that comes a steady, harsh silence. Yixing looks at you with an expression which you can’t decipher, as it’s not one you’ve ever seen on him. Once the guilt hits, and it hits fast, you let out a choked, “I’m going home. I’ll text you later.”

Just like that, you leave him there, before you lose control of your emotions in an entirely new way. After all, if Yixing never wanted to kiss you before, he certainly isn’t going to want to kiss you now, after what you just said to him.

Throwing your leg across the body of your bike, you push yourself until your knees hurt and Yixing is but a speck in the distance.

Things don’t get any better for Yixing after you leave, if anything, they become even worse, which is saying something. The idea of winning this bet begins to seem more and more fantastical, especially with the strange feeling holding onto his heart.

Whether it’s due to your hurtful words, or an impending heart attack, remains uncertain but one thing is for sure. Yixing has brain cells, and those brain cells are rapidly depleting.

“Ahh!” He screams, in Xiang, out at the neighboring lake and all the people paddle-boating. They stop and look at him like he’s an insane chipmunk. “It’s such a beautiful day!”

Yixing waves his fists around before cramming more baked shame down his gullet. Whilst singing an obscure folk song, he nearly falls over the stony ledge whilst doing a jaunty little dance.

Wang Xun, who has greatly overestimated his own mathematical prowess, as well as his abilities as a businessman, is the one who stops Yixing from meeting his soggy demise.

He places two sobering hands on Yixing’s shoulders. “We still have more cakes to sell.” When he speaks, passerbys can see his soul leave from his lips. Much like Yixing, Wang Xun has consumed so much goddamn cake that he fears he’ll wake up a rice cake. He reconsiders his line of work, but its much too late for that quitter mentality. He and Yixing are in it to the death.

Yixing, gaunt-cheeked, turns around with a rattle. “Gege… I want to give up.” He utters miserably. Xun considers calling the bet off himself but, the sun is setting, twilight is nearly upon them. He’s already lost so much money that unless he returns home victorious, there was a big chance he wouldn’t see the next day as a married man.

He laughs so hard the button holding his jeans together pops and hits Yixing right in the big toe.

“Yeah… Yeah, that’s not happening.”

Once you get home, the first thing you do is kick off your sweaty sandals before lying belly-first across your bed. Your eyes prickle as you shake your head to yourself. This is so stupid, you’re not really about to cry over Yixing again, are you?

Your fingers twist in your bed sheets as a few tears manage to squeeze their way out of your eyes. It seems like you are.

Flipping over so that your nose is in the air, you try to blink away the wetness. Throwing your arm across your face, your thoughts go to how stupid Yixing is. How stupid you are. Anybody with half a functional brain cell could see that you have a crush on him, one which spanned nearly the entirety of your friendship.

In elementary school, it was strange, because you never felt this way about anybody, not even the handsome actors you saw on TV. The only thing you had a full grasp on was that you liked this strange, chubby boy, who was also your close friend— a lot.

He had a sweet penchant for taking care of cats, none of which he could remember to name and whenever you were sad, he would lift his shirt and jiggled his belly.

His grandma also made delicious, albeit very spicy food, and they spoke in a dialect of Chinese which you couldn’t understand but found amusing to listen to. Afterwards, Yixing would let you rest your ear against his soft middle to hear the way his food digested, and all those gurgles and pops.

Your first experience with unrequited love must have been that. When you began wanting to nudge your head, so that your lips could press tender, butterfly kisses between his fleshy, brown rib cage. Instinctively, you knew not to.

High school was bearable, but only because for the majority of it, you were more popular than Yixing.

It was during the second to last year were his height shot and he became taller than most of the other boys. Suddenly, girls started to look at him with the same eyes as you. Suddenly, girls began to notice how handsome he was, how kind he was. It leaves you as you are now, supine on your mattress, unsure where to go from this point on.

With your pride majorly wounded, you stand up and waddle your way across the hall. Rarely are you ever desperate enough to ask your older sister, Mei, for advice. You knock on her door.

“What do you want?” She snaps, sliding off her headset. You take this as the okay to sit on her bed and divulge, and she eyes you with suspicion every step. “It’s just,” You sigh, smacking your lips as your legs cross beneath you. “Do you remember Yixing?”

Her face falls instantly. “Oh no. No. No. Not him again!” She grabs a small My Melody plush from her desk and chucks it towards your head. “Get out. I’m not listening to any of this Yixing shit. If I wanted a Korean drama, I’d go look on Tencent.”

You grabbed the toy and threw it back at her, whining, “I’m serious!!”

Mei kicks your knee with her manicured, cream toes. “Listen!” She cries in exasperation, throwing out her hands. “How many times will you bitch about this? If Zhang Yixing liked you back, he would’ve made a move by now. It’s as simple as that!” Conceding yourself to the understanding that, yes, Yixing doesn’t see you the way you see him, you look down at the small floral decals over her nailbed and begin to pick with a puffed cheek. “I understand that, Jiejie… But I may have said something mean to him.”

Seeing the sad look on your face makes Mei relent. “Then apologize to him, dummy.” She sighs as you lay across your side, clutching her foot to you as you try to hold back tears. She pushes herself closer, replacing her foot with a hand in yours, using the spare to push some wet strands from your face.

“Look,” She rolls her eyes, though she’s taken on a gentler tone. “Zhang Yixing sees you as a friend. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have stuck by your side for all of these years. If you said something mean to him, just tell him you weren’t feeling well and that you’re sorry. He seems like a nice guy, I’m sure he’ll forgive you easily. But before that, I think you need to forgive him for not being able to return your feelings, (Y/N). You’re always getting into these petty arguments, it seems to me like you’ve become bitter over your unrequited feelings. You need to make peace with the fact that you’re his friend and nothing but, or else the day will come where Zhang Yixing will no longer feel like accepting your apologies.” You nod, but why does it hurt so much to let go of this love, even if it’s hopeless?

Eventually, after you calm yourself down and rinse off your face, you begin to feel more and more uncomfortable with the way you’ve treated him. It grows and it grows until you can’t take it anymore. You set off to try and find him and, hopefully, make things right again.

“I lost, didn’t I?” Yixing breathes, sitting on the stone steps as Wang Xun begins to pack up for the day. With an apologetic smile, the older man replies, “Yes, but barely.”

“Ahhh,” He sighs, looking up at the stars. Today has been a real nightmare. It seems like nothing he set out has accomplish. He’s offended people for no reason, rocks live in his stomach and worst of all, you’ve become upset with him. Yixing swallows thickly.

“(Y/N)’s become rather feisty since I’ve last seen her.” Xun points out. “She has.” There’s a silence before Yixing adds, “Gege, I don’t know if there’s room for me in her life anymore. The more I think of it, the more I feel I don’t belong by her side. We used to laugh and smile together but nowadays, whenever I call her out, she’s tense. We never used to fight this much, I think she thinks I’m beneath her, and is only trying to spare my emotions.”

Wang Xun takes a seat next to him, stretching out his legs before glancing up at the sky as well. “All this because of what she said?” Yixing doesn’t respond, which is confirmation enough.

“Women— No, not just women, people will often say things they don’t mean when they feel as though they’ve been hurt.” He says, “I think the same is true for her. She’ll apologize soon enough, so don’t take her words to heart.” Pause. “And if she doesn’t? There are so many more women out there for you to pine after. Eventually, you’ll find the one who doesn’t break your heart.”

Neither of them speak after this, not until something, or rather somebody, catches Yixing’s eye. It’s the Jiejie from earlier. Excusing himself, Yixing jogs up to her.

She stops the moment she sees him and scowls. “What do you want?” She snaps, her dog running off into the bushes. Her expression is so fierce, it reminds him a bit of yours.

Though he freezes up, he pushes past it and she jumps back when he bows so deeply, there’s a crack to his spine.

“I wanted to say that I’m really sorry if I offended you earlier today,” Yixing blushes, “You see, I had a bet with that man over there.” He points over to Wang Xun, who’s in the process of cleaning his ear out with his pinkie. “And I’m afraid in my attempt to earn a bit of extra pocket money, I’ve said and done some things I normally wouldn’t say or do. I hope you can forgive me.”

The woman stood there stunned and Yixing is afraid that might not be enough. She thinks of his apology for a second before shaking it off. “I see,” She nods pensively. “I take it, this was all for your girlfriend’s sake?” Yixing stands up straight, blinking a few times for clarity.

“What girlfriend?”

“The girl that sat behind you, she wasn’t your girlfriend?” Yixing shakes his head. “Christ…” She mumbles, instantly grateful that she’s already lived through the ‘stupid love’ phase. She sighs.

“I forgive you. We all have lapses in our judgment and as long as you understand that, and think before you speak next time, I don’t see a reason to hold it against you.”

“Thank you, Jiejie!” Yixing says with a big, happy grin, bowing deeply once more. His heart clears itself a tiny bit.

Unfortunately for his cardiovascular health, at this moment, you bike up next to him and Yixing’s heart is back to feeling like it’s about to burst. Shit.

“Sorry, am I interrupting something?” You ask, much to the woman’s amusement. “No. Me and your ‘friend’ over here were just touching base. I need to go home anyway.” She says, tugging the leash so that her puppy comes running back at her ankles.

As she turns around, she makes sure to tack on a “Good luck!” It’s for both of your sakes.

You park your bike up by the tree trunk, feeling the awkwardness finally hit. It’s already nightfall and the air has cooled off significantly, but you’re so ashamed that your cheeks are blazing and hot.

“Did you apologize to her for earlier?” You ask despite its redundancy. Yixing nods and you can see it from the illumination caused by the lampposts. “I did.”

“That’s good!” You hum, trying to keep your voice steady as you fish a green, rectangular bottle out of your purse. “I got you a probiotic drink to help you with… y’know. Here. Catch.”

It lands in his hands and Yixing beams brighter than the stars. “Why are you smiling at me like that?” You furrow your eyebrows. “Because you came back.”

Saying it outloud only has Yixing smile wider and it eats up at his eyes in the most charming of ways. You feel your heart throb.

Clearing your throat, you stutter out. “Right! About that…” You will yourself not to mask your true emotions with the air of nonchalance but you meet his eyes and, fuck, you might as well do that or just start crying.

“I’m sorry about what I said earlier. I didn’t mean any of it. It was wrong and I regret ever treating you this way.” You expect Yixing to hold a more serious stance, but he laughs, opening his arms.

“Aw, it’s alright. Come here and give me a hug.”

Slowly, you take steps towards him before burrowing into his chest, hands fisting against his shirt as tears begin to prickle in your eyes. Yixing smells too sweet and sweaty but past that, you can feel the warmth of his skin. His body is solid yet comforting and you want to be in his arms all day and all night.

“Why are you crying?” Yixing asks, feeling the moisture through his shirt. and you laugh dryly. He sways you side to side before pulling at your face. “If you cry, I might start crying too.”

Yixing’s fingers release from your skin and instead, move to hold you. “So, no crying, alright?” The touch makes you breathless.

“Yixing, I…” The words slip past your lips before you can stop them. He tilts his head, smiling softly in anticipation. Should you confess to him? You already know you have to let this go. Will it make your shoulders lighter if he knows how you feel? You shake your head at yourself.

No. Yixing is too delicate of a person to treat you the same knowing you’ve fallen for him. Seeing your knees buckle, Yixing leads you to the bench. Swallowing your heart, you resolve for the next best truth.

“Yixing, I’ve missed you a lot.” “Oh! I’ve missed you too.” Yixing responds with an annoying ease, uncapping the pribiotic before taking a sip. He grimaces at the bitter taste, making you giggle at his cute reaction. As you laugh, Yixing’s heart does a somersault and suddenly, there’s not enough air in the world. It’s an emotion that only you cause in him. Not even the prettiest girls give him this type of feeling and it puts him on edge, but in the most tender way.

“Why did you accept this bet anyway?” You ask, gazing at the lake, which is now devoid of people. Steady and dark, with the reflection of the moon.

Yixing considers it. “I think I did it to feel better about myself.” He leans back and caps the bottle, fingers almost touching yours as he holds the bottle between his knees.

He stares up at the silver moon.

You turn to look at him in surprise, gazing at his profile. Yixing catches you in his peripheral and nods with a sheepish smile. “Yeah.”

He swallows and then adds, “My hair needs fixing and…” He considers closely the next thing he’s about to say, but throughout the past several hours, this is the only conclusion he can draw. The more he says the words in his head, the righter they feel. “And I wanted to take you out on a date.”

Your eyes widen and Yixing grabs your hand, too afraid that you’ll run from him again. “But I lost the bet, so there’s that.” He mumbles.

With the air squeezed from your lungs, you whisper, “We don’t need money to—”

“I know we don’t, but I wanted it anyway. It was selfish and vain of me, I know. But, I thought… Maybe if I had more money, you’d be more inclined to see me as a man… As somebody you can actually date.”

Taking the leap of faith, you lace your fingers through his. Yixing squeezes tight and you close your eyes, reveling in the warmth of his hand. Years. It’s been years since he’s done this.

You’ve waited so long, since that day at the bus stop, to feel his hand on yours again and for it not be just to see what it feels like. Finally, you feel like you can breathe. It fits as perfectly against yours as it did back then.

“I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I do think of you as a man. I’m sorry that I’m bitter and dramatic. I’ve taken these emotions out on you without realizing it, all because I’m bothered that you don’t see me the way I’ve seen you throughout all these years. I hope you can forgive me, I’ve been a bad friend.”

“When you speak with such a voice,” Yixing laughs, “It’s impossible for me not to. I’m scared of what you could do to me.”

There’s a silence and you bring his knuckles up to your lips. Yixing’s eyes flutter shut with a lazy grin.

There’s never been such a perfect moment in his life.

“I like you just the way you are.” You whisper, the feeling is just about the same for you too. “Thank you.”

“And I’ll wait patiently for you to take me on the date you feel we deserve.” “Thank you.”

He repeats as you two lean against each other and enjoy the serenity of an empty park. If this is what all these years have been working towards, then it must all be worth it in the end. It may not be a crescendo of epic proportions, a searing, tear-filled kiss in the rain, a loud, emotional ‘I love you’ shouted in the middle of a crowded airport, but this is perfect.

Zhang Yixing can turn the mundane into something extraordinary, this is what’s most beautiful about him to you. For a moment, it’s all quiet and that’s just fine.

Until he gets sick all over a bundle of Lotus roots, that is.

[chaoswillfallrpg]

CHRISTIANO PARKINSON is TWENTY-SEVEN YEARS OLD and the MANAGER of THE GRAVE AFFAIR in KNOCKTURN ALLEY. He looks remarkably like HENRY ZAGA and considers himself aligned with THE DEATH EATERS. He is currently TAKEN.

→ OVERVIEW:

tw: death, alcoholism, depression, anxiety

The life and soul of an affair, Christiano Parkinson is always the last to leave any party and always ensures whoever is also left to leave comes with him. The youngest child of ANTONIA and CLAUDIO PARKINSON, Christiano is four and a half minutes younger than his older twin sister ANDRESSA and although he has always appeared the more confident of the pair he has always been content with letting his sister take the lead in their relationship. Christiano was their only boy which in the Parkinson family carried a lot of weight as it did with most Pure-Blood families set on having their children produce heirs and maintaining a strong bloodline. Some of Christiano’s earliest memories were being preached to about the importance of blood purity, walking up and down the halls of their family’s specialist room at Parkinson House where all their family was detailed. Dating back to the first members of their family who were great witches and wizards residing in Brazil, the Parkinson family were proud of their family history and their heritage, forging strong bonds with other families to ensure their bloodline remained pure. One such family were the Travers of which his cousins ISOLDE and EVORA TRAVERS were born into. 

A close knit family, Christiano was close with his cousins growing up, easily led by their mischievous ways which differed greatly from his and his sister’s day to day lives. Though their mothers were sisters, Christanio and Andressa were raised the Parkinson way, stiff upper lip and conscious of continuing into the future rather than how they should make their mark on it. One day Parkinson House would belong to him but until it was safely in his hands he could not disappoint the family who would sooner pass it to Andressa than see their family disgraced. His sister had always acted as his protector growing up, parenting him and shaping him until all of the quirks his cousins brought out of him were hidden away to avoid scolds from their parents. To his mother and father Christiano and his sister were the perfect children and the ideal candidates to represent and carry forward their family name and legacy. Receiving his letter to study at Hogwarts alongside his sister Christiano was surprised to find them parted for the first time in his life. Andressa in Slytherin and Christiano in Hufflepuff which differed from their family enormously. A handsome and outwardly confident boy, members of his house were on the fence about Christiano for a while due to his family history. 

Christiano did believe in his heart his birth made him better than other people and his blood type moreso, the matters of blood purity and prejudice were not something he cared to concern himself with whilst he was at school. Hogwarts to him was time to have fun outside the confounds of his family home and the watchful eyes of his sister and that was exactly what he would do. Quickly befriending fellow Hufflepuff THORFINN ROWLE, the pair made a splash at school and were known for throwing parties, getting into trouble and helping Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team regain any sort of glory they had lost after AMOS DIGGORY had graduated. Alongside Thorfinn and their friends LUCIUS MALFOY, DECIUS FLINT and MARSHALL FAWLEY they ruled their year group alongside his sister and her group of friends who never said no to a party. Due to Christiano’s charismatic nature he had his fair share of love affairs but nothing could quite hold a candle to the one he shared with CAMILLE ROWLE. The sister of his best friend and his sister’s best friend, there were a million reasons Christiano should have kept away from Camille, but the danger of getting caught in the beginning of their relationship and the fact they shouldn’t have been entertaining it in the first place made it more fun. Andressa wasn’t happy of course and although he didn’t actually want to hurt Thorfinn, he blamed Camille anyway so he was well and truly in the clear. 

Despite displaying a front of happiness to the world, Christiano wasn’t always happy. On those days he had Camille and despite the world thinking she was made of porcelain due to her coldness, he saw a different side to her. Everything was going well in Christiano’s life until he turned twenty-one years old. He had been out partying with his friends, attending balls with his girlfriend and rubbing shoulders with the wizarding world’s elite. Despite his youth he felt ready to propose to his girlfriend and take on the Parkinson name in full, but then his mother died suddenly. A rare blood curse had run in his mother’s side of the family. At first it was something they simply talked about, then his mother began wasting away in front of them before passing just after the twins birthday very suddenly. His sister appeared fairly emotionless about the whole thing, though he did hear her cry at night sometimes when she thought no one was listening. Christiano had never been very close with his mother but her sudden death wounded him greatly and turned his world upside down. He found himself having panic attacks outside bars, drinking till he fell asleep without nightmares and cried in the shower so the sound of the running water drowned out the sounds. 

The one good thing in his life was his girlfriend, but with her starting a promising career in fashion and him an emotional wreck he didn’t want to bother her with his issues, tucked his mother’s ring back in the vault in their family room and carried on drinking. It was after Andressa found him sleeping outside her apartment one night crying in the street she’d decided she’d had enough. Despite earlier lectures about the Parkinson name their father was nowhere to be seen when Christiano, burying his head in the dirt after the passing of his wife. Moving into Andressa’s guest bedroom and out of Parkinson House he felt himself brighten somewhat. His sister kept a close eye on him, monitoring him closely and trying to draw out of him what he’d only cry about to himself when he was intoxicated. Christiano needed purpose, but before his sister could buy The Grave Affair and offer him a distraction someone else found one for him. Sneaking away from his sister while she went to visit friends an evening in The White Wyvern saw him introduced to BELLATRIX BLACK. Instantly he was captivated by her. Bellatrix saw something in him beyond the money and the fake confidence- she saw the hurt, something his own girlfriend couldn’t see. 

But in the hurt she saw potential and the more he got to know her the more became sucked into her rhetoric. Bellatrix belonged to a movement she sold him with seductive words and slight touches. She wanted to empower Christiano to take the Parkinson name and make his mother proud not by simply marrying another of their kind but shaping a new world order which saw them sitting atop of it where they should be. Christinao’s blood prejudice had never really run that deep but his mother’s death changed all that, Bellatrix changed all that. The manager of The Grave Affair which is now under Parkinson rule and ran mostly by his sister, Christiano spends his time looking for new people to recruit to the movement all under the nose of Andressa and his girlfriend Camille. A popular drinking hot spot for the wizarding elite and beautiful creatures who frequent the venue, Christiano is putting the feelers out to bring more people on board including fellow bar staff ALECTO and AMYCUS CARROW who are looking to climb back to the top after their family lost their fortune. He has also been given the important task of keeping an eye on previous owner GEORGINE FARIBAULT who they fear may not be as trustworthy as she has sold herself out to be. 

→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Blood Status → Pure-Blood

Sexual Orientation → Up to Roleplayer

Relationship Status → In a Relationship with Camille Rowle 

Previous Education → Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (Hufflepuff) 

Societies → N/A

Family → Claudio Parkinson (father), Antonia Parkinson (deceased mother), Andressa Parkinson (sister), Ilar Travers (uncle), Vivenne Travers (aunt), Isolde Travers (cousin/best friend), Evora Travers (cousin) 

Connections  → Camille Rowle (girlfriend), Thorfinn Rowle (best friend), Bellatrix Black (object of affection), Marshall Fawley (best friend), Decius Flint (best friend), Lucius Malfoy (best friend), Anastasia DuPont (friend), Genieve Avery (friend), Florence Jones (friend), Alecto Carrow (close friend/employee), Amycus Carrow (close friend/employee), Adrasteia Greengrass (employee), Eleanor Yaxley (employee), Rosalie Flint (casual employee/friend), Georgine Faribault (business associate)

Future Information → Father of Pansy Parkinson, Husband of Lavander Bulstrode (subject to change)

CHRISTIANO PARKINSON IS A LEVEL 4 WIZARD.

[tisfan]

If you're still doing Sarcasm prompts, could you please do 57. “This place hold a lot of memories for me. Some bad, some… No. No, no, all bad.” With Eddie x Venom? Pretty please?

Point Blank, Gross

A/N: The title is a playon the movie Grosse Point Blank, which is about an assassin who goes to hishigh school reunion. If you haven’t seen this movie, you really should. It’sfreaking hilarious.

Eddie sighed, lookingthrough the badges on the table. Each one labeled the former student with asmudgy picture probably clipped from one of the thousands ofprinted-and-never-sold yearbooks that were moldering away in the school’sbasement. It took him longer than it should have to realize that the badgeswere in order by first name, rather than last, and that, further, that wasprobably because some of the girls in his high school class had gotten married,and changed their names.

Eddie Brock. Schoolnewspaper, photography club, class clown.

It doesn’t say loser onhere, Eddie, Venom pointed out, helpfully.

“Yeah, that wasn’t anofficial award or anything,” Eddie mumbled, picking up the badge and pinning iton with a grimace. “There were lots of losers in high school.” Christ, hedidn’t really want to be here. He looked over the badges again. He was in luck.“Mac” wasn’t on the table, which meant the guy was here already.

(more under the cut)

Eddie gritted his teethand pushed through the doors into the old gym.

What is this place,Eddie? Venom was swiveling Eddie’s neck around like itwas on a ball bearing, trying to take in the sights. What sights? It was a gym,it smelled like a gym, and even the host of tiny round tables with papertablecloths, streamers hanging from the roof, and someone's disco ball spinningidly in the center of the room didn’t disguise it one bit.

At least there was abar. Didn’t look like the planning committee had much of a budget to work with;it was all Coors Light and box wine. Shelly Poindexter, who’d once beenhomecoming queen, was leaning against the bar, plastic cup of wine danglingidly in her fingers.

“Eddie Brock, from theBrock Report, come home to grace his humble beginnings?”

“Thought I’d see if itwas all the way I remembered it,” Eddie said, not really looking at her as heswiveled his head, trying to spot the man he’d come here to find. Find the guy,interview him, talk to a couple of other people as camouflage, and get out.

“If you remember it asbeing a ruthless crucible of gossip and hormones, then yeah, it hasn’tchanged,” she said, eyeing Eddie with interest. “You’ve changed.”

“Only on the inside,”Eddie said. Before she could say anything else, he reached past her to snag acan of beer and stuffed a couple of bucks into the bartender’s tip jar. Hecracked it open, gave Shelly a vague nod, and pressed forward into the crowd.Mac had to be here somewhere.

Venom finished theirsurveillance of the gym, sniffing at the beer can with interest. When theythought no one was looking, Eddie felt Venom grab their body a bit, stretchinghis mouth and jaw enough that he could take in the entire beer, can and all, ina single gulp. Cheap brew, Venom complained.

“Could’a told you that,buddy,” Eddie said. He burped, and made a face at the flat, watery taste. “It’sa high school reunion, not a socialite gala. Ugh.” He turned slowly on hisheel, looking at their surroundings. “This place hold a lot of memories for me.Some bad, some… No. No, no, all bad. Let’s just find Mac and get this overwith.”

Anne thinks it’s funnyyou’re at your high school reunion, Venom said. Do wereally think a man who kills people for money will be here?

Venom had a weird senseof right and wrong. Usually whatever was fun was right, and whatever was boringwas wrong. But they also thought that killing was for fun, or for protection,or because they were hungry. Or annoyed.

But Venom did notapprove of mercenary killing. An assassin was… rude.

“His name tag wasn’t onthe table outside,” Eddie pointed out. “And if our information was right, he’sin town this weekend on ‘business’, anyway. If he’s seen here, it’s a goodalibi for him. Of course, that only works if he’s actually seen...”

That woman is hungry, Venom said, turning Eddie around. Shelly was following him, witha determined look on her face. Not hungry the way Venom meant it, but more…aggressively sexual. Look out, here she comes, she’s the man-eater.

“She always has been,”Eddie muttered. He was pretty sure she’d slept her way to her homecoming crown,and god only knew how many more guys since. Not that Eddie was going toslut-shame her, but she’d never been what one would call discerning. Andhe rather suspected that she wasn’t looking at him like that because shethought he’d give her a good time, but because she thought he could dosomething for her.

More fool she. The BrockReport had a pretty decent following, but journalists were not exactlyrolling in dough. “Just ignore her; maybe she’ll go away.”

He promptly forgot abouther, spotting Mac near the DJ’s station, talking urgently, one finger near hisear, as if he was on a headset. Not even a little subtle, but at least Eddiewas close to having something off his to-do list. A break in the story,something he could use. He just needed a break, just--

“Eddie Brock!” Someoneelse squealed his name, and he was accosted by the sort of middle-aged man thatused to teach until he discovered that real estate was less stressful. Eddiesquinted, trying to mentally peel fifteen years off-- oh, good lord, really?His sophomore year shop teacher?

“Mr. Peterson,” Eddiesaid, smiling weakly. “How’s life been treating you?” He couldn’t help sneakinga glance at Mac. Just don’t go anywhere, he begged silently.

Eddie wasn’t very goodat small talk. And gaining a talkative parasite didn’t help his attention spanany at all. When Mr. Peterson stared at him, Eddie had to backtrack theconversation.

You told him goldfish,when he asked if you were dating.

Well, at least one ofthem was paying attention. “Uh, sorry, that’s... kind of an in-joke with me andmy friends.”

“Well, I suppose thatyou’ve seen Shape of Water, too,” Mr. Peterson said. He gave a bark oflaughter. “My wife liked it.”

“Yeah, it’s weird, huh?”Eddie checked on Mac again.

Across the room, Macnodded at something that the DJ said, and then turned. When his coat flippedup, Eddie saw the distinct shape of a pistol tucked down the back of the man’sjeans.

Eddie. Eddie, he isfollowing-- Venom jerked on their neck and pulled his gazearound to watch… the old chemistry teacher going off toward the ladies’ room.

What even the fuck.“Hey, so, uh, it’s been nice chatting, but I just saw, uh--” Eddie waved hishand in what he hoped was a vaguely meaningful way. He ducked away before Mr.Peterson could say anything else, letting Venom help him navigate through thesea of people, picking a path of least resistance.

We can go faster if wesuit up. Which wasn’t untrue, although that was often accompaniedby panicked mobs, Venom not exactly looking warm and fuzzy.

I am not warm and fuzzy, Venom complained, having caught that last thought. I am anefficient predator.

“Yes, I know,” Eddieplacated him. “And if we suit up now, everyone will run screaming and someonewill get hurt in the stampede. Just... Keep moving us through the crowd.”

You are less fun whenyou are working.

Eddie had an answer forthat, he was pretty sure he did, but before he was able to get it out, he’dbeen jerked through the doors and was pressed, face up against a concrete wall.“My god, you really are stupid, aren’t you?” a woman-- Shelly, in fact, said.There was something hard and chilly pressing into the small of Eddie’s back.“Bad move. Real bad move. Well, I suppose we can find something to do with theextra body. Make it look like you two shot each other. Something.”

“Shelly?” Eddie twistedhis neck until it crackled, trying to look at her. “What the hell are youdoing? You-- You and Mac?”

“He’s exciting,” shesaid, jamming the gun harder against his spine. “Which is more than I can sayabout you.”

Can I eat her? No onewill even know she is missing.

“Maybe,” Eddie conceded.“Shelly, seriously, you want to walk away from this. Right now. I feel like Ishould warn you that your life is in danger, here.”

There was nothingladylike about her scoff. “Mac won’t turn on me, asshole. People keep tryingthat on me, it doesn’t work. But, since I don’t think there’s anything you cansay that’ll get me to leave you alive, let’s just get on with this--”

She was still talkingwhen she pulled the trigger in time with a sudden surge of music from the gym,probably enough to drown out the sound of gunfire.

Fuck, that hurt-- the bullet went through his spine and Eddie spilledto the ground in a heap before Venom snarled in his mind and-- spread. Warm,comforting, a little bit slimy, but hey, Eddie would take it, especiallycompared to the red-hot agony of being shot.

Sorry, love, should’velet you have her sooner, Eddie said as theyclimbed to their feet.

He could feel his spineand the surrounding tissue healing, a soothing numbness as the nerves wererebuilt. A cold-hot, hard lump ached its way up and out of the wound as itclosed: the bullet. Joined as they were, he could feel Venom manipulating it,pulling it up to their mouth.

Shelly was staring atthem, frozen, unable to move or even scream. Her eyes were wide and as round asdinner plates.

“We,” Venom said,pushing the bullet into their cheek like a wad of tobacco, “are veryexciting. Aren’t you excited?” Venom hitched in a breath and spit thebullet directly into Shelly’s face.

They didn’t give her anytime to answer the question either, but leaned over and devoured the formerhomecoming queen in a few bites. Eddie had to close his eyes for that part.

All right, he said when Venom had finished, now let’s go find Mac.

[svrpcntined]

okie so here’s my third and final child ,, my softer boi lincoln who is less of a little shit than stevie and mickey , my lil bub and i luv him so pls be kind to him . this is v late bc im at work and got busy pfft and had to do my actual jOB .. lame, but here we go !!

( jordan fisher, cismale, he/him ) ↷ hey, that’s LINCOLN BRADSHAW who’s originally from KINGSTON, ENGLAND. i heard they’re TWENTY-FIVE and have been working on the ship as a BAKER AT PUFFERFISH PASTRIES for TWO YEARS. other passengers seem to say they’re INSOUCIANT and IMPETUOUS, but are also known to be SERENE and ELOQUENT. when they’re missing home, i heard MORNING YOGA & CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS can always cheer them up. ↷

statistics:

full name: lincoln william bradshaw / nicknames: linc / birthday: february 14th / sexuality: pansexual / birthplace: kingston, england / spoken languages: english & spanish / hogwarts house: slytherin

tidbits of info:

so lincoln is an only child between his two parents isobella and monica but he was a sperm donor baby of which isobella was who gave birth to lincoln .. at the time bc it was the 1990′s .. his mom’s were together but not Officially Together in terms of the law but they were together for a long while

isobella was a high end art dealer who had a studio in london and made serious $$ from selling these fancy schmancy paintings ,, she was v big into the dutch golden age but she sold a lot of post-modern art meanwhile monica was a bioengineering professor over at the imperial college london

things were swell and lovely up until linc was around 4 years old or so .. his mom’s loved him v much and he had his nanny samantha that raised him mostly when his parents were busy , but he often saw monica more than isobella and it was a lot of built up agitation between his moms that built up before it bubbled over the top

his mom isobella was super big into party and w her art friends and money , she often held parties at their flat and was more into recreational drugs and alcohol than she should’ve been with a lil son .. and monica was v wary of this and the two of them often clashed in terms of how to raise linc

his mom’s split up when he was four and isobella kicked monica out which made linc ))): and from then he mainly saw his nanny samantha and saw isobella whenever she would come home at night for a half hour before she tucked him into bed and her friends would come over

it was a tough time bc isobella was uHhh petty and didn’t let monica see linc much other than every other weekend and the law couldn’t do much bc isobella was the biological parent and technically they weren’t ever married so monica couldn’t do much

but fast forward his childhood which was kinda lonely and samantha raised him more than his mom did .. linc was easy going and enjoyed learning and was never a v fussy type of person

he definitely was shaped in the lax environment of his home w isobella and for sure when he was in his teens he went behind his mom’s back to spend time w monica bc he missed her and knew isobella was being annoying and petty

bc he remembers the arguments between his mom’s .. he’s not v big into like .. disputes and is a calm dude who goes w the flow and doesn’t ever yell or raise his voice bc he sees no point to it and it just gets ppl more angry

he got a job at a popular bakery which was owned by a friend of monica’s and *harry styles vc* he was a baker .. kdsan loved the intricacies and complexity of making pastries and loved decorating them and making them pretty bc he’s a nerd and i love him (’:

v soft and v embracing of his sexuality and kinda just .. does his thing ?? spreads the love and is content being on his own atm since he’s just enjoying his life  .. did fairly well in school bc things just came easy to him and was well liked among his classmates and teachers

knew he enjoyed baking and making pastries bc it was generally peaceful and he was kept to his own devices and was in the back more often than dealing with cranky customers in the front kjdnfdks but when he was up by the register he got some nice tips w his smile n dimples

he’s slightly miffed bc his mom isobella pulled strings despite him telling her not to about him securing a place at le cordon bleu in london for their diplôme de pâtisserie ,, but either way he accepts and gets educated there and he !! loves it !!

after graduating he decides he wants out of london and to kinda ,, spread his own wings and following his mom monica’s wedding w her new wife claire , he embakrs on horizon where he was hired as pastry chef at pufferfish pastries and he’s excited to be able to travel the world !!!

overall a v chill and laidback dude who means well , v compassionate and wears his heart on his sleeve but in no way lets ppl roll right over him .. v hipster  and loves getting up early to do morning yoga bc i hate him djkfs

[happys-crazy-queen22]

Clingy and Protective Chapter 4, The Final Chapter

(Gif Credit to @ghoulscott)

Tag list @k-n-e @heyheyhey-its-val @smilexoxoes

Happy Reading Dollies. Hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did writing it!!

Thank you all.

"FP, you have a shit ton of explaining to do". You barged in to Whyte Wyrm, all the attention went to you as you yelled through the bar, Sweet Pea coming in behind you with his head lowered avoiding eye contact. "You're not suppose to be in here, Serpents only". Tall Boy ordered. "Fuck off Tall Boy, you piece of shit". You walked right past him straight to FP. "What did I do this time"? He ran his hand down his face. "I heard that this little job that Pea did was on your call". You stood there with your hands on your hips and a bitch face plastered all on you. "Who said that"? "Tall Boy here told Pea that it was your idea that you sold drugs". You said pointing to Tall Boy trying to sneak off. "Tall Boy, what is she and Sweet Pea talking about"? He came off the stage, walking to Tall Boy. "I don't know man, you know these kids making shit up to just save their own skin". "Plus she's mad cause I interrupted her from getting laid, she has it out for me". He chuckled. You rolled your eyes and blushed. "Oh fuck you Tall Boy, you just want FP out so you can take over and get us in shit we dont need to be in". Sweet Pea spoke up making you smile, he was standing up for himself and his club. You were proud of him. "Tall Boy, I told you that I didn't want us to get in this kind of business". FP came up behind him. "So you disobeyed direct orders from me, if we wanted to get into drugs we would had a vote, and I think everyone here doesn't want to do it". FP looked around at everyone shaking their heads in disappointment. "So what should we do to you Tall Boy"? "Lets have a vote, who here thinks Tall Boy should be ripped from his jacket and exiled from being a Serpent"? "All in favor"? Everyone in the bar raised their hand, even you. You knew it didn't matter but you figured why not, he has put you through hell for the last couple months, he should get whats coming. "I think thats a fair vote, don't you Tall Boy"? "You can't be serious , letting a non Serpent and a girl tell you what to do"? Tall Boy got into FP's face, getting everyone on their toes. "Since I got out, I knew you were pushing me out so you could be president, I felt that". "Even when I was inside I felt that". "She just made it perfectly clear to me, that I was right". "When you got out, you started going straight, making this club weak". "I'm just trying to make these men and women have some balls". "Instead of becoming a joke, no ones going to fear us if we arent strong, doing things by the book is not us". Tall Boy walked around talking to everyone. "Well it is now, we have enough stuff on our plates as it is, we don't need the FEDS coming in and raiding our home, because of drugs and your stupid idea". Jughead stood up, walking to FP. "You dont get a vote on what we do anymore Tall Boy". said Sweet Pea. "So get the hell out of my bar and leave the jacket". FP went back to his seat, watching Tall Boy sling his jacket on the floor. "You'll regret this". Tall Boy slammed the door. Sweet Pea hugged you as he let out a breath. "I'm sorry Y/N". "Hey its okay, we got you out of this and back were you belong". You looked up at him and pecked his lips. "Y/N"? FP called you over. "Thank you, I knew something was up but couldn't prove it". "I guess a girl wanting her boyfriend home can make things happen". You laughed, FP smiled knowing a woman can get what they want, when it comes to a man. "I just want to say, you would be a great Serpent and we would love to have you". You looked at Sweet Pea as he talked to the group, you wondered if he would be happy if you joined. "I'll think about it, Sweet Pea needs to know what I want to do first". "Okay, you know were I am". He winked at you. Smiling you walked over to Sweet Pea, wrapping your arms around his waist. "Everything good"? He rested his chin of your head. "Yeah, lets go home". "Yeah, I have lots to make up to you". He wiggled his eye brows as everyone around us whistled. You smacked his arm. Grabbing your jacket you headed outside and into the night. Closing the door to the trailer, you took off your shoes and laid on the couch, watching Sweet Pea disappear in the bed room. "Babe, I know you just laid down but could you come here for a second". Sweet Pea yelled from the bed room. You huffed, rubbing your eyes. "I'm coming". Shuffling in the bedroom, you straightened up at the site you saw. The room was candle lit, with rose peddles on the bed and a warm vanilla sent drifted around the room. Coming out of the bathroom was Sweet Pea in his Serpent jacket, clean cut and smelling so good. For the little time he had, he out did himself. "What's all this". You gushed. "I wanted to make up for what an idiot I was for messing up everything, so I took what the money was for and did this". He came closer to you, giving you a single rose. You smelt the flower, it smelt just like him. "Thank you Sweet Pea, I'm sorry for being clingy, over protective and just wanting you to myself, I know the club comes with jobs but I just want to come first every once in a while". "I know, this is why I took the job". "Plus I like you being clingy and I really love that you're over protective, I could have gotten into the biggest mistake of my life and have you taken away".  "Thank you Princess". He got down on one knee, opening a little black velvet box. It was a ring shaped as a snake with diamonds as the eyes. You gasped, covering your mouth, tears started to fall. Your heart beating fast, hand trembling as he took it. "Y/N Y/L/N will you marry the Serpent that I am and make me the happiest man in the world and become my wife"? "Yes, Yes, YES". You squealed. He slide the ring on your finger, kissing your hand, getting up and wrapping you in a hug. Smashing his lips into yours. You both pulled away gasping for air. "I love you Y/N". "I love you Sweet Pea, I can't wait to be your wife". "So are you going to take FP's offer"? "How"? "He asked me after you caused the scene in Pops if it was alright if you joined". "So what do you say"? "If you are alright with it, then I'm joining". "I know what I have to do to get in and I'm willing to do it, when that means being with you forever". He picked you up, spinning you around. "My wife and fellow Serpent". He shouted, you giggled taking it all in. Putting you back down, his lips attacked yours. "Can we pick up from our anniversary"? "Oh yeah". That night you made love to Sweet Pea, it felt like the first time again but more special. Knowing you were going to spend the rest of your life with him. Through thick and thin. Ride or die. Romeo and Juliet but with out the suicide. It was going to be all worth it. He was your one and only, no one could replace Sweet Pea or get in the way of loving him. No one.

[seth-kate]

-an old love of mine (i)

Request: Hello there, I just wanted to know if you got my previous request: Could you please write a Jon Snow imagine the reader grew up with the starks and formed a romantic relationship with Jon during that time, but she had to leave winterfell because her father married her off to some northern lord (one of the reasons why Jon decided to take the black), fast forward to Sansa and Jon trying to gather allies for battle of the bastards, they meet again and they realize their feelings only grew

a/n: hope you enjoy the first part!

“Married!” the outrageous cry of disbelief rings clear and high throughout the room. It seems the syllables are the only sounds for moments after, for the great and hulking lord that sits before the raging woman remains silent and tight lipped. 

Sons had been hard to raise alone. Daughters were harder. 

The theory had proven correct when his daughter had been born wailing and thrashing into the world, the whole of Torrhen’s Square and possibly the entire north witness to her rage. She was fearsome to behold then, a small and tiny thing full of her mothers despair. And now was the same; discontent and unadulterated anger flashing in her eyes and the light of the candles hanging from the walls bouncing off her face and making it all hollow lines and sharp angles. 

There is an anger in her that is both wild and beautiful, and is something Lord Tallhart has been witness to only a certain amount of times. But it is not common for members of his house to hide such carnal rage within them. She should not be so familiar with such wildness. Perhaps being raised among the Stark children has finally made her into one of them, and now she holds in her an undomesticated vexation akin to a wolves. 

“I will not be married father!” she is pacing now and the clink of her boots and the steel sword by her hip ring off the stone walls of Lord Tallhart’s chamber. Y/n had never been content with posing as a lady, and her attire that would rather be suited to a male made that fact all too clear to any one who set eyes on her. But her hair is still kept long and her face is far too beautiful to be kept behind the walls of Winterfell. 

“You are a Lady and therefore you will fulfill your duty and marry a Lord. I have received almost close to thirty marriage proposals and suggestions from every corner of the North, and even one from Lord Randyll Tarly who suggests a fine and strapping young son Dickon as a husband for you” his words are quick and rough, and they do not comfort her in any way but rather irritate her further. 

“I will not be sold to someone named Dickon! Or anyone for that matter” she is a graceful whirl of thick hair and clinking steel as she rushes towards her father who sits watching with eyes that are dimming with age each day “please father, you can’t make me. I want to stay here at Winterfell” 

“You can not!” the words are harsher than he had intended them, but there is a truthful anger in them that he knows he has been holding back. His daughter may be young, perhaps a year or two younger than most are when married, but a union with someone of high birth is almost paramount at this stage. 

Jon Snow watches with those black eyes that are deep with a love Lord Tallhart can not bear when he sees him watching his daughter, and it is this reason he must sell her off to someone of legitimate birth. Jon is not the only one who has a deep buried desire that seems to radiate from ever crevice of his being when he eyes y/n. Tallhart’s daughter seems to reciprocate the feelings that the Stark bastard all too plainly displays while in crowded rooms and beneath weirwoods at prayer; their eyes always meeting no matter the place. 

“This is my home, and I belong here!” y/n cries, the barrier between childishness and maturity blurring as she yet again becomes a little girl in front of him. He wishes she were small enough to cradle and kiss and young enough to believe in stories and in her fathers promises. But she is not a child any longer but a woman, graceful and beautiful and fearsome to look upon and she must fulfill her duties. 

“Torrhen Square is your true home, and when you are married some castle or holdfast will be your new one” her Lord Father tells her and there is a flash of something so sad within her eyes that he is reminded of her mother all too painfully. 

“I never asked to be raised here, but you brought me here for Lady Catelyn to foster alongside Robb when mother died and when you went and fought with the King. You made this place my home by sending me here” she tells him, a dangerous softness replacing her tone of anger that had previously seeped her words with rage “but I do not wish to leave it” 

“If it pleases you I will let you read these letters” her father gestures towards the now crinkled and folded letters that are covered in different scrawls all in black ink. Y/n can notice some of the sigils that are marked on them with wax, and some are too obscured for her to recognise, but she does not care. Names and sigils and house words do not matter to one that is already in love and marriage proposals are altogether shunned from her mind if it is not one from the only man she wishes to marry. 

But you can never marry a bastard.The words are seething and sharp as they are whispered in her ear by her demonic, stalking conscious and she imagines a cloaked and hooded figure standing behind her with a cutting grin put there by her inner torment. 

Jon Snow is all that matters but he is all she can not have. He is what the gods promise all maidens and what her mother would have wanted for her since he is so gentle and honest and good. But the gods have not listened to her prayers in years and her mother is dead. She can not imagine clearly her face anymore and can not begin to remember if Jon Snow would have been the type of man her mother would have wanted by her daughters side. 

“I do not want to read them” her voice is rough and thick with Stark stubbornness. Sometimes she thinks the direwolf is the real sigil of her blood, but then she is reminded when everyone calls her Lady Tallhart, and whenever her father reminds her. Perhaps wanting to be a Stark so much is just another commonality she and Jon share; another lie they can convince themselves of every time they kiss. Like how they convince themselves they’ll somehow end up as man and wife. 

“It would ease your mind a little if you were to read them, my dear. Some of the young men sound promising, if you were to read them yourself then you could choose more easily” 

“I do not wish to choose any man because I have already chosen someone” there are tears upon her cheeks now that trail from her eyes in the utmost betrayal. Her eyes weep sadness from them as a weirwood weeps its blood red sap, but unlike a weirwood tree the person before her weeping eyes is not bowed in prayer. He is a raging figure of a lord; a shadow of the kind eyed man she used to cry for whenever he rode to battle. She will not weep for this man however; for his eyes are filled with too much rage. 

He stands now, rough and huge hands placing flat on the table as they push himself from his chair. His shadow is large against the stone walls as the candlelight throws it against the grey and white like paint on an artists canvas. His eyes are bright and dangerous and she is suddenly filled with a great desire to stare at them as hard as she can manage, but he is much better at it than she is. 

“I will not have you choose any man without my consent, and especially a man with such low birth as the one I know you are thinking of. You defy me by consorting with him in the godswood night after night to play out whatever fantasies you may still cling onto. You loved him as a child, I saw that I did, and I regret not stopping it sooner. But boys and girls tend to strike up feelings at that age that often temper with maturity. I recall young Robb once declared you his true love at the age of eight, but that changed and I had hoped Jon’s feelings would have too” there is a kindness in his tone at the end that contests with the anger on his face but she does not stop staring at him with discontent. 

“But they haven’t” she tells him, her words wavering and flickering just like the candlelight as it burns around the room. Her fathers shoulders slump then and his grey eyes narrow as they drop to look upon the heavy oak desk that is littered with her marriage proposals. 

“No they haven’t” Lord Tallhart once again looks at his daughter, her ethereal beauty magnified by the light of the room, but the sword at her hip contests with any claim she has to ladylike traits. 

“Bastard or not father, I love him” she is pleading now she knows, something that she detests more than crying in front of people but is yet another thing she is doing as she feels the hot tears leak from her. She wipes them hurriedly from her face but it is of no use, they come as fast as she rids them “I won’t love anyone else” 

“Your mother did not love me, she did not love me for many years in fact. She bore your brother out of duty for our marriage and even after he was born I could tell she only loved me a small measure for making her son. I loved her from the moment I saw her, red hair and a smile men would kill for and a heart just as sweet” he does not look so grim and formidable when he talks about her mother, and it softens her somewhat to hear it “but she did not love me, not until Benfred was four and was taken with a fever and was almost lost to us. I stayed with her by his bedside for almost a fortnight, and after that she loved me something terrible. What I am trying to tell you is that you may not love the man you are married to but you can learn to” 

“I will never learn to love any other man” her words are ice; the very frost that coats the grounds of Winterfell and it is hard and dangerous and everlasting. Winter has come in the shape of her promise, and she knows as she looks at her father, that she can never take it back. 

a/n: this is short and jon isn’t in it yet but he will be! more parts to come! and please send me in requests. at the moment I only write for Jon, Robb or Jaime so send requests for them please!

[bethebean66]

Best Albums of 2016

Allllright friends! That time of the year is finally here! Or, well... It came and went really. But, I was sick at the New Year, and my family was busy bumping our holidays, so my schedule was all out of whack. Now though! Is finally the time... My year end list of the best albums of 2016!

This was a pretty strange year for music for me. One of my favorite albums came out right away. One of them was released basically out of nowhere. A handful of top albums I never would have put on there any other year. And, another chunk just completely surprised me and have to be mentioned here.

No real use chatting away. Getting right into things, here's my top 25 albums of the year; with a quick rundown of my 25-11:

25. Béyonce — Lemonade 24. Conor Oberst — Ruminations 23. NxWorries — Yes Lawd! 22. Kaytranada — 99.9% 21. Blood Orange — Freetown Sound 20. Angel Olsen — My Woman 19. Wilco — Schmilco 18. Run the Jewels — Run the Jewels 3 17. Kamaiyah — A Good Night in the Ghetto 16. Flume — Skin 15. Leonard Cohen — You Want It Darker 14. James Blake — The Colour of Anything 13. Car Seat Headrest — Teens of Denial 12. Radiohead — A Moon Shaped Pool 11. Bon Iver — 22, A Million

Trust me, ordering those wasn't the easiest. Some real random albums on there, for me at least. A lot more smaller names than I ever list. And, a lot more music from the hip-hop world. Also, I'm pretty sure I've never placed Radiohead, Bon Iver, or James Blake outside of my top 10. With these fifteen out of the way though, onto the good part of the list! Here we go folks, my top ten albums of 2016...

10. A Tribe Called Quest — We got it from Here... Thank You 4 Your Service 18 YEARS. Eighteen years it had been since we last got an album from one of hip-hop's great acts. Drawing from formulas Tribe has proved successful, We got it from Here demonstrates why this group has remained in the upper echelon of artists, even in their absence. With deep influences of East Coast hip-hop, classic jazz undertones, guests spots from both long-time Tribe friends Busta Rhymes and Consequence, as well as current kings like Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West, Andre 3000, Anderson .Paak—Even a perfectly placed drop from the late former member Phife Dawg—this was arguably the best hip-hop album, and best surprise album of the year.

Favorite Tracks: We the People..., Dis Generation, Kids...

9. Vince Staples — Prima Donna This one is sort of sneaking onto the list. I typically don't include EP's. But, Prima Donna had to be on this list. You get five seconds into War Ready, and you'll understand exactly why (hint: it has to do with a brilliantly used sample of Outkast/Andre 3000). Just seven tracks and twenty-one minutes long, this albums comes with a heavy punch right to your chest. Vince is a force to be reckoned with in this game. If you don't know his name yet, you're going to soon.

Favorite Tracks: War Ready, Smile, Big Time

8. Solange — A Seat at the Table Yes, Solange made the better album of the Knowles sisters. Every year has an album that takes a political stance, covers our current events, touches on topics at hand—This is that album. A Seat at the Table brings funk, soul, and R&B blended together to deliver a message of empowerment, grief, healing, and weariness. We brush on prejudice, and struggles with racism in the current culture—in a way that truly speaks to you as a listener. Solange changed her sound and style, and she landed in a space I hope she plans to stay.

Favorite Tracks: Cranes in the Sky, Don't Touch My Hair, Don't You Wait

7. Anderson .Paak — Malibu Okay, yes, I'm going to get flack from the crew over at VNYL for placing this so low (really, is 7 even low?). But, it still made the list! Put it this way, .Paak had one of the best years of anyone not named Chance or Donald Glover. He was everywhere (including earlier on my list). This dude not only has one of the most soulful voices, best bands, and killer features—he appeared on practically every big album of the last couple of years. .Paak and Malibu have drawn similarities to both Stevie Wonder and Kendrick Lamar. The most difficult thing to do to this album is categorize it. Blurring more lines than a horrible 2013 pop hit, Malibu reaches Funk, R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, and a number of smaller sub-genres. This is an album for music fans, even if you doubt you'd like it. Put this on, and play it loud. You'll be dancing to it before the end of the opening track.

Favorite Tracks: Am I Wrong, Silicon Valley, Heart Don't Stand A Chance

6. Sturgill Simpson — A Sailor's Guide to Earth A lot of people first heard Simpson's name from his beautiful cover of In Bloom. I so hope that you dove into this Grammy nominated album (Album of the Year and Best Country Album). Described as a "modern Waylon Jennings," Simpson is making country music for non-country fans. A more personal album than I ever expected, A Sailor's Guide is a letter written to his wife and newborn son while stationed away for the Navy. Singing over Sharon Jones' Dap-Kings, Simpson wrote and performed one of my favorite concept albums in recent memory. If this is the future of country music, consider me sold.

Favorite Tracks: Breakers Roar, Sea Stories, In Bloom

5. Chance the Rapper — Coloring Book Another sort of cheat on the list, as I don't typically include mixtures either. But, when the mixtape is better than most everything else released that year—on the list it goes! With elements of hip-hop, gospel, and rap, Chance has never shined so bright. Put it this way, while recording, Chance was able to get the following artists on board: Kanye West, Justin Bieber, Francis and the Lights, Justin Bieber, and Ty Dolla Sign. He even locked down Kirk Franklin and the Chicago Children's Choir. There's a reason he played for President Obama so many times. Honestly, there isn't a lot to say about this album. It's a must listen. So, just go do that.

Favorite Tracks: No Problem, Blessings, All Night

4. Gallant — Ology From the opening note of Ology, you can tell you're in for a treat. And then... And then you hear Gallant's falsetto. That incredible falsetto. Truthfully, I don't know if I've ever heard a more impressive introduction to a debut album. Gallant is a force. A voice this big, yet it feels as though you're peering into a room of just him and his pains. This album starts on a high note (figuratively and literally), and just builds and binds as you listen. Drawing the attention from artists such as Frank Ocean, Seal, even Prince, Gallant finally found his voice and gifted us the album he's waited his entire life to make. And we couldn't be more thankful.

Favorite Tracks: Bourbon, Skipping Stones, Bone + Tissue

3. Frank Ocean — Blond(e) Yes, I attached/didn't attach the "e." Debate as you'd like. Is this a digital vs physical release thing? Is it a deeper gender rooted one from Frank himself? Right now, it's because whichever version you take, I'm talking about that one. This year, we were not only graced with the long awaited follow-up to 2012's phenomenal Channel Orange, but we were given TWO albums from Frank. Because Endless was never officially released in anything but video format, I'm not going to cover it. Blonde though... This album was everything we waited for and so much more. Full of twists and turns, loose ends and sprawling melodies, there are so many elements here that seem out of place, yet work as strengths. Carefully crafted landscapes weave us through the deep emotions Frank seems to shelter from everyone. We get a glimpse at the romantic, at the beauty, the depth that makes Frank Frank. This album was vastly different than his previous. This album is sparse, it's vacant, but not hollow. You're in an empty room, but there's so space to move. Pitchfork said it perfectly, stating, "These songs are not for marching, but they still serve a purpose. They’re about everyday lives, about the feat of just existing, which is a statement in its own right."

Favorite Tracks: Solo, Pink + White, Nights, White Ferrari

2. Childish Gambino — Awaken, My Love I've been a fan of Gambino for the very beginning. The nerdy hipster that raps about Freaks and Geeks, and Sufjan Stevens—so different, and so relatable. Queue 2016 Gambino. When Glover decided to reinvent his musical persona and punch us all in the gut when he decided to channel his inner 70's and give us the record nobody ever saw being made. The rapper we knew is gone. No more Adele samples. Instead, we bring in R&B, psych rock, soul, and funk. With the lead singles Me and Your Mama and Redbone, a new era was upon us. Name drops of Prince, of D'Angelo, of Sly and the Family Stone, of George Clinton! Glover reinvented himself in a way that shocked the music world. Redbone was arguably the best song of the year. The retro fusion created, with the absence of rap altogether, is a treat. Hearing Glover sing, actually sing (and with no vocal manipulation), makes this album what it is. Yes, this is a different Childish Gambino. Yes, I miss the old. But, I'm not the slightest bit worried with where he is going. Glover was finally cast in a Spiderman. He created, directed, stared in his own new Golden Globe winning show. He was cast in a new Star Wars film. Then he wrapped the year by releasing one of the most groundbreaking records in the last few years. Needless to say, Donald Glover and Childish Gambino handedly won 2016.

Favorite Tracks: Redbone, Me and Your Mama, Have Some Love, Boogieman

1. David Bowie — Black Star Look up here, I'm in heaven / I've got scars that can't be seen...

A true gift to the world, from the legend that is David Bowie, on his 69th birthday. A heartbreaking and beautiful farewell to his fans, just two days before his passing. Bowie's swan song, his departing gift. He had recorded the entire album over the previous year in complete secrecy. Upon its release, the world was shocked. Applauded as one of his best works—becoming his first, and only, number one record in the States.

Touching on genres from industrial rock, hip-hop, jazz, and art rock, influencers ranged from Kendrick Lamar to Boards of Canada. This is not a pop album. But, this is a Bowie album through and through. He experiments, he hides messages, he reaches out to touch those lost and confused.

Bowie was a star, a Spaceman, an anomaly. He gifted us with music that will last forever. This collection of songs is breathtaking. It's hauntingly beautiful, and uplifting. He will forever be missed, and forever be loved. Leaving us with some of his best work was a move that only he could make.

Sean O'Neal, of the A.V. Club, perfectly stated, "a sonically adventurous album that proves Bowie was always one step ahead — where he'll now remain in perpetuity."

Thank you for everything. Rest in peace, Mr. Stardust...

Favorite Tracks: This album is seven songs long. Listen to it all. Bowie deserves that.

---

What a year of music. Truthfully, I wish I had spent more time with it. There weren't as many big albums as years past. But, so many more gems. There were albums from favorite artists of mine that I basically completely overlooked (Sorry Jimmy Eat World, Thrice, Regina Spektor!!!). I'm surprised as many of you with some of spots on my list. But, these were all amazing albums. Very excited to see what these artists have in store for the future.

Looking past these, and into 2017, I want to list my five most anticipated albums to come. Some we may not get (I see you Brand New), but hopefully these are all in the coming months.

Japandroids

LCD Soundsystem

Gorillaz

Fleet Foxes

Spoon

Then, just because I'm not adding any honorable mentions to my best of list this year, I'm adding five more to my most anticipated. HEY, it's my list, I can do what I want!

TV on the Radio

Chromatics

Grizzly Bear

The xx

Arcade Fire

Okayyyy... That's it! That's my wrap up. 2016 is done and gone. And I'm already diving into 2017. I'm excited to see what music is to come. I'm excited to expand my ever growing vinyl collection. I'm excited to see better and better concerts. And, I'm excited to experience those incredible musical moments with the my favorite friends and loved ones. Follow me on Discogs, Spotify, or Last.fm. Happy New Year everyone.