#in my head she’s sweet and kind. but she’s still tough nonetheless (you ever eat a tough gummy sometimes? yeah.)

[gongedtornado]

this is super rough but…. gummigoo’s mom interpretation

(more ramblings in tags)

finished interpretation here!!!

[goggles-mcgee]

Too Late: Alya & Nino (commission for miner249er)

Fourth chapter of @miner249er ‘s commission

Chapter Summary: The truth is harsh. Teens are harsher.

Previous Work

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Truth.

As an aspiring journalist it was something Alya strived for. It was the most important thing she could give the people who followed her so diligently. She thought she had been giving them that. She had been so good about giving them the truth, her truth, and Ladybug’s truth in the past, she foolheartedly believed she was continuing to do so despite taking shortcuts later on in the road. Why didn’t she fact check herself? Why did she throw that very thing in Marinette’s face? What kind of reporter was she? What kind of friend was she? The answers were all around her and yet she still wasn’t ready to face them head on. There was still that voice in her head that was telling her that this was all Lila Rossi’s fault. 

But is it? Alya thought as her and Nino ate together at her house, the TV on in the background. At first it had been on the news but Alya was done with the news for a long while, all it had been was coverage of The Protector and Nino had immediately taken the remote and changed it to cartoons. This was hitting him hard, harder than Alya had expected if she was being honest. When they found out Ladybug and Chat Noir had, in fact, not defeated The Protector and instead the akuma, that Marinette had gone missing, it hit the class hard. Hard because they learned the truth about Lila in that time and that had been rough to work through. Then they had to come to the realization that they believed Lila over Marinette, the sweet, kind, selfless girl that had all at one point been friends with. 

Then the lies got to them. It poisoned them. That’s what Alya had written on her blog anyways. They were victims of a silver-tongue and they had paid the price, one they had not been prepared to pay for. Their friend was missing, had been missing and they couldn’t do anything. Alya had been searching through as many local papers and news around the world for any clues if Marinette had possibly gone to those places. Everything was coming up empty. She had even made a separate website along with Max all about Marinette and what had happened, she left ways to reach her and her classmates in case anyone had any info. Nino said they should have added Tom and Sabine’s information as well but Alya was too scared to ask them if they would be okay with it, last time they had all been at the bakery the tension had been palpable. 

They weren’t banned like Nathaniel had worried they would be but every time they went in with their families, because that was the only time they went in there, it was always awkward. Tom and Sabine were much too nice to ban them even if they felt like they deserved it. How did everything go so wrong? Even school wasn’t as fun as it had been. Walking into their classroom was like taking a walk of shame, people from other classes, even teachers just stared at them. Some even glared. Then there were the whispers, Dieu the whispers, they followed them everywhere not just school, but they were the most prominent there. Her, Nino, and their classmates would find notes in their lockers, none were really threatening but they tore at her heart all the same. Things like, ‘You’re the reason she’s gone,’ or, ‘Are you guys proud of yourselves now?’ ‘Were the lies worth it?’ ‘You traded in a gem for fool’s gold.’ ‘What a reporter you turned out to be.’

All the notes hurt. That was the truth. That last one? She had found it in her locker this morning and it burned. Alya had been bullied before, she never liked to think about it, who would? But she was and she had to acknowledge it because she had told herself she would never allow herself to be bullied again, and most importantly, she would never turn into a bully. Wrong. She was wrong, and it wasn’t the first time she had been made aware of this since everything happened. Since everything changed. It was a blessing that Nino and her were still together, he never partook in the “tough love” the class had been giving Marinette before she...before she had been akumatized. Sure he didn’t stop them, and that was bad, but he didn’t go out of his way to not invite her to things until she stopped being “jealous” and started acting like the bigger person. Nino wasn’t the one who ignored her text messages, which now that Alya read them, were pretty telling that her friend had been hurting and she had only made that worse. 

“What are you thinking about babe?”

Alya looked up from her half eaten bowl of soup to see Nino gazing at her in concern. “Marinette.”

“Oh…” He breathed out as he put his spoon down and looked down at the table before placing one of his hands on hers and giving her a small smile. “Everything will be okay Alya. Someone will find her and then she’ll be back home.”

Empty words. Empty words fed to him too much from adults who didn’t have any updates on anything. “You don’t believe that. And even if she did...who's to say she would even want to talk to us!? What’s to say that anything would be better? We would still be seen as the bad guys! We will still all have to eat lunch at our houses or the park just to avoid the stares and the whispers and the tossed trash our way and the “accidentally” spilled drinks!”

Alya had never understood just how much their class had been living in its own little world. Not to say they were completely unattached to the rest of the school, Alix, Nathaniel, Rose, Chloe, and Sabrina were in the art club (the art teacher and the rest of the club had made a mural of Marinette without notifying them or asking for their help. Everyone is encouraged to leave notes about Marinette on the mural. The art room even has a chair decorated in honor of Marinette that no one else can use. That was announced very pointedly Alix later shared.), Rose was in the scrapbooking club (no one asked to use her materials anymore like they used to), and Max was in the gaming club which Marinette had helped him set up (people weren’t showing up lately.) They weren’t kicked out, but they were reminded of Marinette all the time,it was like everyone’s way of punishing them. It had never occurred to any of them how popular Marinette was.

So popular that the whole school seemed to hate them. Even Mlle Mendeleiev seemed to be harsher than normal and that was really saying something, it would seem like she had a soft spot for Marinette. In their class everyone avoided Marinette’s seats in class, Alya had to step up as class representative but the silver lining was that Nino had stepped up to be her deputy. Though another negative was the fact Nino had stopped making his music and taking DJ gigs. At first he hadn’t said anything to her or their friends, Alya found out because of Chris actually, but then her and Adrien confronted him and he broke down. He cried and he didn’t stop for a long time, but when he had calmed enough to talk he pulled out old pictures of him and Marinette, told them stories about how they had grown up together. It had made the pit in Alya’s stomach grow, she had just been thinking about her and how much she blamed herself and how much she missed her best friend, she hadn’t even thought how this was affecting Nino.

“I...I need to believe it Alya. I need to. Because if I don’t I will break apart. Mari...Marinette and I were best friends in l'école primaire. I never thought she would ever not be a part of my life. Then the whole Lila thing happened and I turned into a coward again, like I had with Chloe! No, worse than a coward! I don’t even know what I would call myself but I know I can’t call myself her friend.” His voice rose the more he spoke and near the end it cracked. 

“Nino…”

“No. I know that’s the truth! And I know, I know that things at school have been rough. Hell, they’ve been awful, everyone sees us as these villains in some trashy young teen novel when all we’ve done is make a mistake! Yes. It was a big mistake but it was a mistake nonetheless but we’re...we’re kids dammit. We’re just kids.” Alya felt tears race down her cheeks as she saw her boyfriend break yet again, his cheeks wet with his tears, his voice choked with his guilt. 

“I know. I just...I just want her back. I want everything back. I don’t know how many times we have to apologize to the school, but they’re not even the ones that need to hear the apologies! The one we need to have hear us isn’t here and…” Alya could feel herself breaking but she tried to hold on. Nino needed her to be strong. Her class needed her to be strong. Her family needed her to be strong.

“I can’t take the stares! Or, or hear Rose’s cries that she tries to hide from us. Mylene hasn’t been eating and I know she thinks we don’t notice and Adrien, god Adrien. I’m trying to hold it together because my bro is falling apart at the seams! First Marinette gets...gets fucking akumatized, then his dad and Nathalie get taken to the hospital from some supposedly random attack but it’s pretty obvious it was Mar-the akuma’s doing, his mom freaking pops out of nowhere but of course that can’t just be a good thing because everyone has to talk about how his dad and Nathalie were probably Hawkmoth and Mayura! And I’m over here trying not to think too much about all that because it makes actually too much sense, but then we find out that Marinette was most likely Ladybug! LADYBUG!” He lamented, not bothering to hide the fact he was crying, more like sobbing. It just made Alya cry more.

“I...I wanted the truth for so long, but not like this. Not like this. I...I know this makes me sound like the worst person on the planet but I kind of wish stupid Gabriel Agreste wasn’t Hawkmoth because then I could be akumatized and maybe I could be some kind of time-travelling akuma and we could go back and fix everything and school wouldn’t be hell and the twins wouldn’t act like they had to walk on eggshells around me all the time and my dad wouldn’t look like he’s always so disappointed in me and my mom wouldn’t look at my with only pity in her eyes and Nora would talk to me and Marinette would be back!” Alya sobbed out. At this point her and Nino had moved from their seats to the kitchen floor and were huddled together hugging each other for comfort. 

The two just sat there soaking up whatever comfort they could and dreaded the time that passed. For each minute that passed, was a minute that brought them closer to having to go back to school. Alya didn’t know if she had the strength to go back and deal with everything, she didn’t know if Nino could handle it either, but she knew her mother would be by any minute to give them a lift back to school. If there was a way she could just finish school online, Alya was willing to do it, but her father wouldn’t ever allow it. He had put his foot down, Otis Césaire was mad, then he was disappointed and he thought it only fair that Alya face her peers and continue on at Françoise Dupont. It didn’t feel fair, it didn’t feel fair at all, it felt like punishment. Hadn’t she been punished enough? Even in sleep she wasn’t safe, all she dreamed of was Lila and her making her act like a puppet. She would see puppet her do all these things to Marinette and she would wake up in sweat and tears.

“Okay I’m here, I hope you two are ready to head ba-” Alya looked up to see her mom standing there staring at her and Nino, her mouth agape. “Oh Alya...Nino...How about I call the school and tell them you’re not feeling good? And I’ll call your parents Nino.”

Alya was going to respond, she really was, but when she opened her mouth nothing came out but a choked off cry and nod. Nino nodded as well as he took in a shaky breath. “Th-Thanks, Mme C.”

“Nino, you know I told you to call me Marlena. Now you two go rest in Alya’s room while I make those calls. Then maybe I can get the rest of the day off and-” 

“No manman. Things...things are already bad enough, don’t make it worse by not going back to work. I don’t...I don’t want to be the reason why you get fired.” Alya mumbled as she and Nino got up off the floor.

“Oh...Oh my little one, that won’t happen. And if it did, not because of you. Never. Don’t you think that.” Alya’s mother breathed out as she pulled her daughter into a hug before taking her daughter’s face in her hands and doing her best to wipe her tears. 

“Papa and Nora would! Nora still won’t talk to me and Papa only looks at me like he’s disappointed he ever had me!” Alya cried out before she could stop the words from coming out. Her mind completely forgot that Nino was standing right beside her until she felt him hold her hand and give it a squeeze. 

“Your Papa is just being stubborn, but you listen to me, he could never ever be disappointed in having you. You are our daughter. You made a mistake yes, but I know you know you made a mistake and that you are sorry. Your Papa will realize that. He just needs time. And Nora...she just needs time too. I just think she doesn’t know how to handle everything and that she’s mad that she couldn’t protect you sweetie. She’s always been the protective older sister, and this was something she couldn’t protect you from herself. They’ll come around. I’m sure.” 

“If you’re sure manman…”

“I am. Now you kids go relax. I’m going to take the rest of the day off and go to the store for dinner ingredients, I’ll be back soon. I know things are hard my little Melusine but they won’t always be like this.” With a kiss to her forehead and a swift hug to Nino, Alya’s mom left the two teens in the family apartment.

At first they just stood there in silence and sniffles, but Nino made the move to put their plates in the sink and rinse them out while Alya gathered their schoolwork back into their bookbags. Then they  made their way to Alya’s room and kicked off their shoes before sitting on the bed. Nino nudged Alya who looked at him in confusion until she saw him give her a crooked smile and open his arms which she fell easily into. She took off her glasses and placed them on her bedside table while she felt more than saw Nino take off his cap. For a while they just sat there in the quiet of the moment and Alya was content to do just that, to just have a moment of peace, but she slowly pushed away and reached for her remote to turn on the TV and quickly pulled up Netflix. Her mom wanted them to relax so why not fry their brains with some television. 

“Anything in particular you want to watch?” She asked as she settled back against Nino.

“As long as it has nothing to do with school or superheroes...I’m good.” Nino responded with a hollow chuckle. 

“I’m glad we don’t have to go back too…” She murmured, “Should we...tell the others?”

“Probably. But if I’m being honest I don’t really feel like talking to them and them asking how we are and if we’re okay when they know we’re not. I just. I don’t think I could handle that. Not today.” 

“I get it. Sometimes I feel like everyone else even blames me for what happened. Like... Like it was my responsibility to not fall for the lies and to warn them. Like my word would have made a difference! Mari...Marinette’s didn’t so why would mine?” Alya huffed as she scrolled through all the movie and show choices and tried her best not to cry again. 

“If they blame you then they need to blame me too and blame the people in the mirror. We all fell for the lies. Sure you’re the budding reporter, but the blame could just as easily be pushed onto Max who is so smart he created a living AI. But we have no one to be mad at but ourselves and we can only do that for so long.” Nino sighed as he held her closer and kissed her temple. Alya relished in the warmth of it all. 

“When did you get so wise?” Alya teased softly.

“When I decided to rewatch Star Wars. But no seriously. If anyone in class bothers you please tell me because we should be sticking together not at each other’s throats.” Nino stuck out one hand and Alya slid her hand into his.

“Cross my heart and hope to die. I will. And you’re right, we do need each other, especially now, especially at that school.”

“Especially at that school, yeah.” He laughed out. “We’re going to get through this. I don’t know how, but, we are and we’re going to do it together.”

Alya smiled wryly before she looked up at Nino and it slipped into a real small smile. “Together.” She agreed softly.

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l'école primaire - elementaryschool

manman - Haitian Creole for Mother

[thescreamingraven]

A promise

Dabi x reader

Genre/warnings: Fluff and angst, domestic, slight mentions of injury.

Words:  2 203

Summary:  A promise is something to be kept then why do you insist on breaking it?

“Mom! Daddy’s home” Your daughter screamed at the top of her lungs as she charged to the door. When it opened, Dabi couldn’t even get one foot in your house before she clung to him.

“I’m home.” Dabi smiled softly, picking up his little girl.

You appeared from the kitchen and approached the two of them. “Welcome home.” You cooed gently, reaching up and running your fingers through Dabi’s hair.

It’s been like that for a few years, peaceful and quiet.. It was a bit difficult at first, when you told Dabi you were pregnant and were planning to keep it; he started to avoid you, ignoring your calls and messages, but after some soul searching he came around. You both knew deep down that it was the right thing to do, even if it was going to be difficult.

After that, you both quickly bought a small house together in a safe area outside the city. You took a break from heroism and Dabi stopped going on missions for a while. The nine months were tough with your hormones taking a toll and Dabi being not the most patient person ever, it had an impact on your relationship. Also, the fear of bringing a new life into this corrupted world wasn’t the best either, but here you were… countless sleepless nights later.

Your little girl was almost eight now, which was exciting on its own. She was the perfect picture of her dad. You sometimes wondered if she got any genes from you or was it all her Dabi. Who knew that a hero and villain could create someone so pure, so sweet, so innocent and so loud…

You leaned against your kitchen counter and looked at the two most important people in your life. Your daughter was sitting in Dabi’s lap babbling about her day and showing the pictures you helped her draw. You instinctively touched your stomach. “We need to tell him” You whispered to yourself, rubbing small circles on your stomach.

You decided to try a new recipe you saw online, which proved to be quite a challenge. It was something you never cooked before and the steps were confusing. You massaged your temples and jumped a bit when you felt someone’s arms around you.

“Here, let me help, you must be tired…” Dabi Purred as he took the knife you’ve had in your hands and placed it on the counter after that he gently kissed your cheek

“Well, hello to you too.” You giggled, relaxing into his warmth.

“Your shoulders feel a bit stern.” He said placing a kiss on your shoulder and reaching to get another cutboard from the upper cabinet.

“I’m fine. I didn’t even do that much today.” You mumbled picking up the knife once again.

“Still….” He looked at his daughter who was scribbling something on a piece of paper, from this angle she looked like an angel, deep down he still couldn’t believe that it was his daughter, even if she did look a lot like him. “She can be a little… active sometimes.”

He looked at your phone. “New recipe, huh?”

“Yea thought I’d try cooking something new.”

“How do I… cut this?” You murmured to yourself, holding the knife horizontally.

“If you do that you’ll cut yourself, Hold on, give me your hands,” Dabi said as he once again stood behind you, intertwining his hands with yours and assisting you in cutting.

“Getting handsy, huh?” You teased.

“Don’t get any ideas miss, I’m taken,” He looked at you and nuzzled slightly into your neck “And happily so.”

You giggled, planting a small kiss on his cheek.

“Have you ever cooked this before?” You asked soothingly.

“I cooked something similar, I think… When I was little, I need to help out a lot because of my siblings, so I learned how to cook.” He explained. “I think my mom used to cook something similar.”

“Huh, maybe you should drop this whole villainy thing and become a chef.” You chuckled, turning around to face him.

“Oh yeah, I’ll conquer the world with my amazing cooking skills…” He remarked, pulling you closer.

You wrapped your arms around his neck and scratched his scalp gently. You both looked at your daughter, who was now distracted by the TV.

“You know she’s really excited about her birthday tomorrow.” You chirped.

“Did she ask for that dog again?” He smirked.

Tell him

“You okay?”

Now or never, just spit it out

“She asked for a puppy again.” You mumbled turning your back on him, once again focusing on your dish, Dabi cocked his eyebrow and sighed.

“No, seriously, what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” You smiled faintly. “I’m just glad your back is all.”

You glanced at him and saw that he wasn’t going to let this go, so before he could continue pressing the matter, you mumbled. “I think it’s finished… think you can get her?”

He gave you a suspicious look but nodded nonetheless. He walked towards your daughter while you began to set the table.

He sat down near her, patting her head. “Dinners ready.” He cooed softly.

Before she could get up, he gently pulled her into a hug and whispered. “Mommy seems a bit off today, do you know why?”

“No, but,” She hesitated and looked at her father, he gave her a slight nod and she continued “Mommy cried today… I asked her why but she didn’t tell me…”

“I see,” he mumbled. “Well, get your butt to the kitchen.”

“But my drawing…”

“You can finish it later…” He chirped slightly patting her back.

She gave him her drawing “Do you like it?”

“Of course I do now, cmon” He picked her up while her loud giggles filled the room “time to eat.

The dinner went by quietly while your daughter’s favorite cartoons played in the background you and Dabi barely kept any conversation going. The guilt of keeping it from him grew bigger and bigger by the minute.

Dabi could see that you were nervous about something, but decided not to start that kind of discussion in front of your kid. The last thing she needs is to worry about her parents fighting, he thought.

When the dinner ended, you suggested washing the dishes while Dabi put your daughter to sleep. It didn’t take you that long to finish and the stars outside looked so gorgeous tonight, so you decided to go get some fresh air and do some soul searching, so you put on Dabi’s jacket and your shoes and stepped outside. The night was warm with no trail of wind anywhere; the crickets were loudly chirping. You looked up at the sky and got lost in it; it was difficult not to, There were so many stars, different sizes, ones brighter than the others. You were so overwhelmed by the night’s sky that you didn’t even notice Dabi coming up to you and leaning down on the porch next to you.

“Have room for one more?”

You jumped slightly.

“Sorry didn’t see you there…” You gasped.

“But Yes, I think there’s one more free spot right here.” You teased, tapping the railing, signaling him to get closer, and he did. He wrapped one of his hands around you and pulled you in.

“She’s something else huh..?” He quietly mumbled, “Hell, I still can’t believe that’s she’s ours… we made her…”

With a sigh, he gently turned your face so you would meet his gaze.

“Tell me what’s wrong”

Before you could say anything he quickly interrupted, “Don’t say nothing, I know you well enough to know when something is bothering you.”

You let your head fall, scared to meet his gaze.

“Were you going to tell me?” You asked with simple directness. “About the mission.”

“Oh…” He sighed. “You heard that…”

You gave him a sad smile “Yeah,” You finally lifted your head facing his piercing blue eyes.

“You never keep things for me….” You murmured. “So wh-?”

”Your doctor left you a voicemail.” he said with a casual tone. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

He saw your expression change like lighting, and the look of guilt replaced any frustration you might have had.

He’s going to leave you.

You should’ve told him before it was too late.

“I…” You signed, “I was going to tell you…”

“When?”

You hesitated. “Soon…?”

“Bullshit,” He snapped. “two months Y/n, that’s a long time. And you know what’s worse, I had to find out from your doctor… and on accident too.”

“I’m sorry.” You Sniffled. “I just…” Suddenly it became all too overwhelming, and you began to sob. “I thought… I thought maybe, you didn’t want it… and maybe you’d leave… like l-last time”

He saw you break down before his eyes. “Y/n…” He pulled you into his warm embrace, slowly messaging your back.

“Look at me.” He cupped your cheeks and made you face him. “I want this… alright?”

��R- really?”

“Yes, of course, I do…” He cooed softly, wiping away your tears with his thumb. “you’re not getting rid of me that easily. And besides, I’m happy that our little angel will get a sibling, maybe she’ll calm down a bit.” He smiled.

“I just wish you’ve told me…” He pressed a gentle kiss on your forehead. “Let’s go inside, we wouldn’t want you to get sick now would we.”

You lay entangled in Dabi’s arms, feeling his slow and calm heartbeat, while he draws small circles on your back.

“So is it dangerous?” You finally broke the silence.

“No, just some basic stuff. Don’t worry, it won’t take that long… I’ll be home before morning. It will be like I never left.”

You lifted your head from Dabi’s chest.

“You know she’ll be crushed if you don’t come.” You murmured, nuzzling away a stray of hair from his face.

“I will, I promise, I’ll come back to you… and when I do…” we can both go pick up that mutt she keeps babbling on about.”

You repeated confusingly. “Mutt?” You giggled. “You got her a dog.”

“Quiet,” He shushed.

“You’re such a softie Toya… where did my big evil villain go?” You teased.

“Shut up you snot,” He pressed your head back on his chest “it’s your fault you know you did this,” he retorted.

Before sleep could overtake, you whispered something to him.

“I love you… please come back to me…”

“I love you too Y/n, and I will that’s a promise”

After that, you slowly drifted away to a deep slumber.

Half of the city laid in ashes, the street where Dabi was thrown during his little encounter only had one street light left. He slowly began to crawl to a nearby boulder thrown by none other than Endeavor himself. It was supposed to be a simple low-key mission; they needed to retrieve some supplies from one of their warehouses. How did something so insignificant attract the hero’s attention?

“I know you’re there, old man, you can come out. Noth-” He winced in pain, trying to at least slow down the bleeding. “I can’t really do anything now.”

He could see two figures approaching him, yet even in the dead of night, he knew who they were.

“You know I never thought that Shoto would-” he coughed.

“But you did it, you actually did it.” He chuckled.

Both figures quickly appeared before him, kneeling down next to him, talking about something Dabi could barely understand. He looked at Shoto, who was seemed to be panicking. “We need to get him help.” Endeavor stated while wrapping something around Dabi’s torso.

“I knew this day would come… eventually, I just didn’t expect you to-” Dabi began to cough drastically.

“Stop talking, son, and save your strength.” Endeavor advised.

“He’s bleeding out fast.” Shoto shuddered while trying to keep constant pressure on the wound. “Keep your eyes open, Toya. “Shoto pleaded.

“You’re such a softie Toya… where did my big evil villain go?”

Dabi tried to push himself up, mumbling something under his breath, but Shoto stopped him. “I can’t die here… I promised her… I-” Dabi started to tremble.

“I think he’s confused.” Shoto blurted.

“I love you… please come back to me…”

“Just hold on alright? We’ll get you some help.” Endeavor comforted.

Dabi could feel himself getting colder, he could feel himself slipping away. So he made a decision. He pulled Endeavor closer by his collar.

“Listen, you old bastard.” he coughed. “124th. Cherry street.”

Endeavor stared at him, confused and dumbfounded, not knowing what to do.

“Repeat it to me.” Dabi barked.

“124th. Cherry street.”

“Good. If I don’t make it Keep them safe for me…” Dabi winced in pain. “And tell…. tell, ” Dabi mumbled something under his breath, before slowly passing out.

The sound of the sirens was blocked by Shotos screaming and Endeavor murmuring something like a chant or prayer. Yet the only thing that Dabi could hear was the voices that sounded almost angelic. They pulled him deeper into the darkness like sirens luring him into a song he could never leave.

“I love you… please come back to me…”

“I love you too Y/n, and I will, that’s a promise”

[doingthingsthewriteway]

shakedown pt. iv

Summary: Barnes continues to make his moves. 

A/N: cross posted from ao3

Taglist: @projectcampbell​ @charmed-asylum​ @jhay-fangirls​

Never had a teacup meant so much to you. Not in the sentimental "I will treasure this until I die" way but the "my life is about to be fucked" sort of way. And not the good fuck, not the thrill that trembled down your spine when you locked eyes with your college boyfriend (he wouldn't watch you, would he? No things had ended well all things considered). No, this was the bad kind of fucked. The "Jesus take the wheel" fucked.

So the teacup remained in the package wrapped tightly in bubble wrap. For safe measure, you stored it in the back of the closet behind your winter coats and scarves knitted by family members you never cared for. A temporary fix at best.

Two days passed, leaving you dissociated. You caught your usual train, read the same stories at story time, visited the same coffee shop, but it wasn't really you in control. Auto pilot was getting your through it. Perhaps it was a defense mechanism, if you were numb long enough you wouldn't have to be paranoid because paranoia meant whoever it was won.

You had a mental list of who it was and after having ruled out your ex-who offered to come stay and maybe you should have taken it- your list consisted of whoever the fuck was in that alley. The issue now was finding out who or if you even should. Logic said to stay out of it and maybe that was for the best.

Ultimately, though, you decided to ask around. Everyone at the library seemed appealed you'd suggest such a thing, lips pursed thin. Peter and his girlfriend MJ gave firm negatives to anything suspicious going on but assured you everything would be alright. Whatever alright meant. So you settled with asking Scott on your next mail run.

The office bell jingled overhead as you stepped inside. September brought a crisp breeze that ruffled the hem of your skirt as you entered. "Howdy Scott!"

Scott emerged from the back, smiling as always. "Y/N, hey how are you?"

Terrified. "Good but busy, haven't gotten the time to bake those cookies yet."

"Damn." The gritty voice of Bucky Barnes filled the office. He emerged from the same back area as Scott. Bucky had forgone the suit jacket this time, opting instead for suspenders. "I was hoping to get one before he eats them all."

With a dismissive hand, you smiled sheepishly. "I'll get around to it." You fumbled with the mailbox key, dropping it before your feet. Immediately, Bucky was there picking them up and placing them tenderly back in your palm. He was closer than before and smelled intoxicatingly good. Tobacco clung to him in a way his cologne couldn't hide. Manly. Tough.

"Thank you." Bills filled your little mailbox, a catalogue, and a reminder to register to vote. Flipping through the mail if only to stall enough time to get courage built up, you shut your mailbox and crossed to the reception desk where Bucky and Scott stood.

"Can I ask you all something without sounding like a paranoid woman who lives alone?" Bucky fought the temptation to smirk.

"Sure thing, sugar." He threw in a wink for good measure.

"I love the complex and neighborhood, don't get me wrong, but has anyone complained of suspicious activity in the alleyway?"

Scott shared a glance with Bucky. Both men shaking their heads. "No, not lately. Why?"

Bucky prayed you weren't a snitch. Sure, part of him was a sadist who wanted to see you feel the fear a shakedown could bring; the other part of him needed to see you could be loyal. He had plans, albeit no traditional plans, but plans nonetheless. Being a single Don was wearing him thin, he couldn't take much more.

"Ah, well, guess I'm still not fully acclimated into city life yet. None of my business anyway."

Knocking his knuckles on the countertop, Bucky made his decision. "Living in the city can be a lot for someone who isn't used to it. Especially if you're living alone. Hell, I've lived in Brooklyn all my life and I nearly pissed my pants I was so scared my first night in my own apartment."

"Yeah yeah." Scott chirped in. "I lived in my van for a bit too, talk about scary shit."

"You're safe here." Bucky's thumb stroked the back of your hand ever so slightly. "And if you ever feel unsafe or need something" he pulled out his wallet and removed a business card "call me. I'll be here in no time."

Taking the card along with your mail, you retreated to your apartment dissatisfied. No one might have believed you or saw anything, but you knew you did. They knew you did. You knew that they knew that you did. At least you had Bucky to make you feel secure.

Watching you leave, the breeze rustling your skirt, Bucky let out a low whistle. "Damn this is going to be worth it."

Scott rolled his eyes. "I know it's fun boss, just make sure she doesn't get too spooked. She's a sweet girl."

Bucky nodded, licking his lips. "I know, I'll be careful." He retreated back to his second office, temptation running through him. Settling into his desk chair, he propped his feet up on the oak desk. His thoughts traveling to you, alone in your apartment. Oh, what he wouldn't give to be a fly on the wall. He could make it happen of course but even he had boundaries. After all, he needed you to trust him.

His phone pinged with a text, pulling him from thoughts of you running to him for cover. Are we still a go?

The kid was always so eager. Postponed a week. Need more time so be less suspicious. Bucky Barnes could be a patient man if the price was right...and you were.

[jungcity]

love, eternal. | vi

genre: reincarnation!au, fallen angel!au

[supernatural!au-ish, angst, use of blunts and intoxicants, extra asshole jaehyun, smut, vulgar words]

pairing: jung jaehyun x reader

words: 10k

note: hello, loves!! here is chapter vi, sorry if it took a while for me to finish this one. i hope you enjoy reading it as much as i enjoyed writing it.

ps.: special thanks to @cherr-e for helping me edit the chapters of this series! i'd always remember your kindness!

part v

“Thou shall bear a love for one soul in a thousand faces,

And suffer as the face cease to exist but the soul, perpetually.”

Jaehyun was a soldier. But instead of a village, it was your heart that he’s pillaged after the war— leaving it empty and burning.

Catastrophic, he was. You should have seen it in his eyes, you should have heard it in his lips. But like the good, naïve girl that you are, you forgot about the devil once he’s touched your lips with his.

The shattering of your heart is as loud as the collision of coffee mugs against the floor, the only difference is that the mugs are heard but your heart isn’t. How cruel it is, to see something like this early in the morning. How tragic it is, to be hurt like this by someone who is as close as a stranger to you— or perhaps you to him.

You wanted to pick out all the littered shards of the mugs, close your hands around them just to feel their sharp edges on your palms and make it bleed. By doing so, Jaehyun would not bother to question if you ever cry. But you can’t move, your body feel listless.

“S-sorry. I’ll go get the cleaner.”

It’s appalling how have you mustered the strength to make your feet move even if your bones feels heavy. With trembling fingers, you dialed for the maintenance number, inhaling a deep breath before talking. You know you need to go to the comfort room, and perhaps in its white tiles and bright lights, you’ll find the silence your mind demands.

“Do not cry, do not fucking cry. For fuck’s sake, it’s eight-thirty a.m. in the morning, Y/N.” You repeated the sentences until you’re inside the comfort room. For the first time since you started working for Jaehyun, you thanked the emptiness of the floor. You do not have to worry yourself about someone walking in on you trying to collect your last bit of sanity.

The mirror was bright, reflecting even all the pores in your face. You look fucking miserable; eyes red from the tears that’s begging to come out, lips trembling from forcing yourself not to cry. But you will never cry. You are stronger than what you saw in Jaehyun’s office. I will not cry. It was hard to breathe, yes, but you inhaled air despite the burning pain in your throat and in your chest from trying your hardest not to fall apart.

What was that? You asked the reflection on the mirror. Were you that naïve? To even let your mind think that what transpired between you and Jaehyun could mean something? Could mean anything at all? Your trip to Paris felt like an ages ago. You should have known better then. You should have never held his hands, or you should have not let him tuck the strands of your hair behind your ear. You should have just looked away when he stared at you as if you were the moon on a clear night sky. Instead, you dared yourself stare at the halo in his eyes. Now, you’re burning because of your own folly.

“This is nothing. Act like you didn’t see anything,” For the last time, you take a deep breath. “Let’s get to work,” Then you walk back to your own table.

The cleaner inclined his head at you as a sign of greeting, he carries a mop and a pail of water. By the bluriness of the water you could tell that he’s done cleaning up the floors.

Now, what? Do I go inside and ask them if they need anything? I should make them coffee again, right?

You pushed your chair away, sighing as you’ve decided to continue your work. If there’s one thing Jung’s Fiscals have taught you, that is professionalism. Feelings are not needed in the work ethic. Sure, you could try to drown yourself from alcohol tonight but you need to keep your sanity intact today. You just need to get through this day.

It feels like the world is on your shoulders as you walk towards the door, your arms holding the tray again. This time, you’re certain it would not fall. When you successfully opened the door, you kept your head staring straight at the view outside. You whispered a silent thanks when you saw them promped on the sofa, not kissing or touching each other, with the girl giggling to whatever Jaehyun said on her ear.

“Good morning, Sir.” Just smile, Y/N. Smile like it’s your birthday. Your lips stretched into the widest smile it could make, hoping it’s enough to convince Jaehyun you weren’t affected by the little staunt he pulled on you. “Good morning, Miss…?” You turned your head to the woman, maintaing your smile as you did so.

She returned the smile, her pearlescent teeth flashing. “Call me Miss Mina.” Then she stretched out her hand to you, you didn’t have any choice but to shake hands with her. “Nice to meet you,” said she.

It’s your second time catching them on the ‘act’ (well you didn’t the first time, you just watched her gave Jaehyun a handjob) but there isn’t an ounce of embarrassment in her face as she smiles at you now. It also doesn’t seem like she remembers you from Jaehyun’s penthouse.

“Nice to meet you too, Miss Mina. I’m Y/N. Mr. Jung’s secretary.” The reality tastes bitter in your mouth. Perhaps it is why you’re hurting right now. You forgot your position in Jaehyun’s life, you forgot that you’re just his secretary and nothing more.

“How about dinner tonight, huh?” Jaehyun asked her by snaking his arms on her waist, trying to bite her ear. She giggles and tries to push him away, but she nodded her head nonetheless, telling your boss that it’s a good idea.

You felt the familiar tightening on your throat, causing you to swallow with the hopes to wash it away. Staring at them feels like staring at the sun, it hurt your eyes.

“Is there anything I could do for you, Sir? Miss?”

Jaehyun just brushed you off like a fly, “Go.” He said. He didn’t even look at you.

You settled the mugs on the small table, not daring to peek on what the both of them are currently doing. After what seems like forever, you finally departed the office, leaving them to continue their kissing.

Tons of e-mails were sent to Jaehyun’s inbox when you opened the mail. They were all about business; some from Johnny, from Taeyong, and from Hendery. You knew Hendery from Johnny’s party. His features are sharp, with a good sense of humor. It’s a shame that you didn’t had the chance to converse with him.

As you click everywhere in the mail, your phone vibrated on the table. A message from Yuta.

[Are you busy?]

[No, why?]

[Can I talk to you later?]

You shifted on your seat, pondering about his offer. It’s been weeks since you last talked to him and you know it’s time to sit and have a conversation with Yuta.

[Sure. Text me the loc.]

Jaehyun’s office door swung open the same moment you kept your phone. He had his arm on Mina’s shoulder.

“Cancel all my schedules for today,” He said.

You glanced at the alarm clock. It’s only ten-thirty in the morning and he’s got a meeting at twelve noon.

“Sir, what would I tell Mr. Kang about your meeting?”

Oh, for God’s sake Mina, couldn’t you keep your hands to yourself? Mina’s touching Jaehyun’s stomach, probably feeling the hard muscles on his abdomen. You blushed as you remembered the image of his body on the night you shared in London.

“Re-schedule it. Tell him I’ve got something more important to do.” At his last sentence, he looked at Mina— ready to devour the girl any time soon. The woman giggled underneath his stare. You wanted to retch.

“Alright, Sir. Take—”

But he’s already walking away. Not bothering to hear you.

—

You agreed to meet Yuta at your go-to fast-food chain when you were still in college, fifteen-minutes away from Jung’s Fiscals. College students could be seen eating as well as young couples. The restaurant gives the vibe of that of a resto style, that’s why it’s popular among teenagers. The couches were the only thing that’s changed after all these years, but the nostalgic feeling still lingers in the air once you stepped inside.

Yuta stood up from his seat the moment you locked eyes with him, waving his hand to you wearing his bright smile. You couldn’t stop but remember the times the both of you would have your dates in the fast-food chain with your silly young heart bouncing every time you see him waiting for you. How long has it been and how happy you were back then.

“Hi,” Yuta greeted.

You sat across from him, “Hi.”

There’s already food on the table when you arrived. It is the same food you always get every time you eat with him.

“The food’s still warm, I hope you don’t mind me ordering for you.” He softly tells you while pushing the food your way. You pick on it while waiting for him to say something.

“I know I was an asshole towards your boyfriend—” Oh, yes. Yuta thinks Jaehyun is your boyfriend. It made you feel even worse. “and I know I made a mistake. I just want to say sorry to you. And to him. But mostly to you, I know you were scared and shocked.” He stated. “I just want us… to reconcile. Be friends again. I know your heart belongs to someone else now, and it’s not my goal to interfere with your happiness, Y/N.” He sighed. “I miss you, as my friend.”

You bit your lips. Here you are again, being emotional as a baby. But you have to admit that you missed having Yuta as a friend. He was someone who you could lean on when life got tough on you back then. He was your wall, your strength, your one reason to keep moving. You knew all he wanted was to make you happy.

“I miss you, too.” You smiled despite of your trembling lips. He gave you a sweet smile while he held your hand on the table.

“Oh, before I forgot, here.” He brought a pamphlet on the table, offering it to you.

“I know it’s been ages since the three of us had gone to an adventure. I’ve already invited Soojin, she told me she’d say yes if you do.”

You stared at the pamphlet, reading the text printed out on the paper. Mountain hiking. Nature. Forest. Perfect for your current emotional state. It is exactly what you need, so without much of a thinking, you said yes.

—

“You know this night would get us looking wasted tomorrow, right?” Soojin asked as you picked up yet another bottle of soju.

You read the label on the drinks before nodding at her, “Relax. Trust me, it’s what we need.”

It’s what you need; ten shots of soju to drown your thoughts about Jaehyun. And about Mina. About everything else.

“What’s this? You’ll try to get yourself in a coma?” She shot up her brow, looking at the soju bottles on the push cart and to you.

“That’s why I invited you so we could get ourselves in a coma together,” You teased her.

Tonight, you invited Soojin to have a slumber party in your apartment with Yuqi. The emotions you’ve been bottling up since seeing Jaehyun with Mina needed to be released or else you’d die of suffocation. By your own experience of heartbreak and loss could you tell that soju is the bestest way to relieve yourself of the stress. Jaehyun does not have the rights to infiltrate your mind any longer and what’s best way to kick him out of your system than gulping down bottles of liquor, right?

It’s not normal of you to drink liquor on a Monday night, and if Soojin had noticed anything wrong about you, she didn’t ask. You’re not ready to face the problem yourself, either. Or maybe you will never face it.

“Anyways, Yuta told me you’ve accepted his apologies and that you’re willing to join us in the hiking,” Soojin starts as you walk outside the convenience store carrying snacks and soju bottles.

“Yes. I did. It’s time to revive the friendship and I think there’s nothing wrong in trying,” You shrugged.

Soojin nodded, “Yep. But…” She hesitates, you know exactly why. “…how about Jaehyun, though? Does Yuta know the truth?”

He doesn’t. Because you didn’t want to give him false hopes that both of you could work it out and be together again. “No. I didn’t tell him.” You frowned. “The last time we ate together, he told me he still loves me, that I should give him a chance.”

Soojin gaped at you, “You said no, of course. You wouldn’t introduce Jaehyun as your boyfriend if you’d agreed to give him a chance,”

You nodded at her. Soojin rolled her lips between her teeth, hesitant to ask you yet another question. “Do you fancy someone else now, though?” She finally asked.

Was it too obvious? The thought of Soojin noticing your affection towards Jaehyun gave you the creeps. It’s not like it isn’t true, but you aren’t ready to voice your feelings to someone else yet.

“I… I don’t know.”

“You don’t have to lie to me. I can see it in your eyes. I know you like… Jaehyun. I mean, Y/N, do you know that you’re the first secretary he took with him overseas?”

You stop in your tracks, completely focusing your attention to your best friend. She did the same.

“Yes. That’s right. Because his former secretaries couldn’t even make it to one month, except Maggie. Yet he didn’t even take Maggie to attend business with him overseas. I know it’s not that special… but it’s unusual of him to do that.” There’s a spark of hope that kindled in your chest by realizing what Soojin is trying to tell you. But you quickly smashed it, there’s no way Jung Jaehyun could have an affection towards you after the incident in his office.

“Are you saying he likes me?”

“Maybe…? I couldn’t tell yet, but there’s a possi—”

You cut her off, “Do you know that I saw him making out with another girl inside his office?”

Soojin gasped, “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.” You’re aware of the fact that it’s not right to tell what you’ve seen earlier to another people. It’s not right to gossip about the business of your boss. But Soojin is your best friend, you need to convince her that Jaehyun has no fondness towards you or else you’d believe her and that would definitely lead to your own destruction. You have to nail in your mind that Jaehyun would never like you. In that way, you’re saving yourself from the worse heartbreaks.

You walked back to your apartment talking about anything except for Jaehyun. It has cleared your mind somehow. As you talk with Soojin, you’ve prevented your mind to think about Jaehyun and Mina, or what could they possibly be doing in the moment. At least, you felt far away from them.

“Yuqi, you’re not allowed to drink.” You told your sister, tossing a juicebox her way.

“You’re such a kill joy,” she pouted. It’s her midterms week and you’re only allowing her to stay late to review her notes, not to drink with you. Soojin patted her back, frowning with her.

The night went on with the three of you laughing at some silly jokes you shared. Both Soojin and you reminiscing your embarrassing moments back in college. How Soojin literally drew a vagina, making your professor blushed in his seat while grading the canvas.

“I am fucking sleepy,” Soojin’s words were sluggish, proof that the soju has kicked in her system already.

You feel it too. You feel the warmth in your body, mind spinning from too much shots. Yuqi bid her goodnight five-minutes ago, leaving both you and Soojin on your own.

You were absolutely wrong to think that the liquor would make you forget Jaehyun. If anything, it just made your situation worse. Jaehyun’s memories flows within you like how the liquor flows in your veins— searing every part of your body.

How had everything came back to square one, you have no idea. All that you think of right now is the shame of hoping for something else after the night you spent with Jaehyun. Was it really a wishful thinking? But he made you feel special in those times, he made you feel like you were something out of the ordinary. Perhaps he does it to every girl he’s met and mingled with. Perhaps you weren’t really special. Perhaps he toyed with you and that was it— no explanations, no apologies, just utter heartbreak.

Why does this heartbreak feel different? Why do you feel like you are being hollowed inside out? Why do you feel like there’s a force trying to squeeze the air out of your lungs and the blood in your veins? God, why does it hurt so much?

“God, I love him.” You blurted out, your palms digging in your eyes while you let the tears flow down freely.

“What the heck are you talking about?” Soojin squinted her eyes at you.

“I love him! I love Jaehyun!” You cried. Soojin shifted beside you, bringing her arms around your body as you cried your heart out. “Why does it hurt so much? Why?” She’s lulling you now, her former drunk self thrown out because of your current situation. The pain, you couldn’t bear it. It feels like a sledgehammer to your heart.

“Sssh, Y/N. It’s okay. It’ll be okay,” she shushed.

“It will never be okay.” You whispered. The pain feels almost atavistic. It’s like a part of you is missing and never in a hundred years could it be found.

—

In this dream, you couldn’t feel anything; not the headache from being drunk nor the heartbreak from Jaehyun. Everything about this dream is like a fairytale, you know exactly where you are.

There are no crying voices, there are no prayers of sorrows, there are no kneeling families begging for Aurora to wake up. Only silence and the chirping of birds.

“You’re awake,” said the voice from the edge of the bed. She’s looking at you, with her body twisted sideways. Aurora.

You sat up on the lush bed, squinting and protecting your eyes from the burst of sunlight penetrating the room.  “Why am I here again? Aren’t you dead?” Right now, you need answers— from all these visions, from all these dreams. These aren’t just  simple images created by your mind; they are life.

“If I am dead, you are dead too. But we live, for eternity,” she says, facing you. She is ethereal. Soft. Pristine. Her every move is like the quiet waves of the ocean. It is unreal.

“What do you mean, eternity? I— I don’t understand. Why am I here? Why do I always see you in my dreams? Who really are you?” You bombarded her with questions, hoping that she’d quench every single one of it with answers.

“I am Aurora. You are here because it is your destiny. Soon, you will understand, once you are ready for it.” Her voice was like velvet in your ears, so smooth.

“Destiny? What destiny?”

You trace her lips with your eyes as she speaks the words, “Thou shall bear a love for one soul in a thousand faces— and suffer as the face cease to exist but the soul, perpetually.” She paused, then looked at you with smile on her lips. “That is your destiny.”

“What? Who told you that?” Because it is clear that the words are not from her, for it seems like it’s from someone— and she’s only memorizing the words to you.

“His name is Yuno.”

Yuno? Who is Yuno?

You gasped as you wake, your heart and head pounding. The clock tells you it’s five a.m. in the morning. Convenient. Now is the time to get up and face the world again— face Jaehyun again. You wonder what surprises he’s laid for you today.

It’s still dawn yet your body feels heavy already, preventing you to be productive and dynamic. The dream you had about Aurora sinking in your bones, making everything more difficult for you.

Yuno. The name sounds strange to you. You’ve never rolled its syllables on your tongue before. Destiny. You groaned at the thought. Here you are, thinking that you’re just a simple girl in a big city, yet your dreams tells you you’re more than what you believed you are. Is it true? What path does all these dreams lead to? Would it be worth it to jump and find answers?

Your intuition tells you there’s something out there for you— but you weren’t expecting something as complicated as this one. One step at a time, you told yourself. If you’re determined to find answers, you need to know who Aurora is. You need to find out if she still lives or she’s already dead like in your dreams. You need to have a point— point where to start.

“Thou shall bear a love for one soul… thousand faces… suffer… as the face cease to exist… but the soul… perpetually,” You chanted the words as you write them in your sketchbook. Understanding what it means would be a big step in your sleuthing.

Aurora said that the words are your destiny, and they were from a person named Yuno. But who is Yuno?

—

“Soojin, can I ask you something?”

The both of you are walking to the bus stop, looking bedraggled from the risky night you spent drinking and crying in each other’s shoulders. Soojin hugged you until you stopped crying yesterday night. She guided you on your bed, tucking you in before sleeping in Yuqi’s bedroom. Unfortunately for the both of you, your single bed wouldn’t be able to hold two bodies, that’s why she slept in Yuqi’s. But before she departed your room, she gave you a glass of water and kissed your forehead.

“Sure, what is it?” She said that while gliding her lipstick on her lips.

You’re certain that Aurora played a big part in Jaehyun’s life. You wouldn’t see him crying in the corner of Aurora’s bedroom as she laid dying on her bed if she was a nobody. Jaehyun crying, you would’ve considered it as a joke if it wasn’t for the fact that you saw it with your own eyes, despite that it happened in your dreams. Are they just your dreams, though? That, you will find out. You know they’re related with each other— no matter what his friends told you.

“In your two years of working in Jung’s Fiscals, have you ever seen Jaehyun with a girl?” You asked, “black hair, that falls up to her waist—” You motioned your hands to your waist and pointed your finger at your eyes, “and blue eyes! She’s pretty. Like a living princess.” Your eyes are widening now, eager for Soojin’s answer. But she only looked at you as if it’s her first time knowing you.

“There’s one girl who always visits him… and I know you’re familiar with her. She’s Chaelin. Apart from her and the other girl from yesterday… I don’t think I’ve seen him with the girl with blue eyes and black hair.” Soojin stated while she looked at you with knitted brows. “That’s an unusual appearance, you know. I’ve never met someone with the same facial features.” She added while fixing her hair.

“I told you she’s beautiful.” You told her. But you couldn’t stop the disappointment as it sips on your energy. On a spur of moment, Aurora feels so far away. The people who could help you refuses to say anything about her. Chaelin, Johnny, Taeyong. But why?

“Why are you asking, though? I know you like him, but you need not to murder his exes you know.”

“Shut up, bitch. I was just curious. To be honest, I always dream about the girl. Her name’s Aurora. And in my dreams, I always see Jaehyun. That’s a bit mysterious, don’t you think?” You tighten your hold around the strap of your bag, anticipating for your best friend’s answer. You know Soojin as a practical woman, but she might know something useful about your dreams. There’s no harm in trying. “I’d tell you that the setting of my dreams looked like it was made out of the eighteenth to nineteenth century.”

Soojin stopped fixing her bangs as she whirled towards you, “It feels old? That’s what you’re telling me?” You nodded as she pursed her lips like she’s remembering something. “My grandmother told me that sometimes, our dreams are doors to the life we had before. You’ve stated that you dream about odd and old things. There are a lot of reincarnation stories in the internet y’know. More of the times, it’s their dreams that tells them what they were before their life today. It’s honestly cool to have those kinds of visions…” Her voice was blurred out by your thoughts.

Past life. Reincarnation. Could it be possible that your dreams are doors to your life before? How? Now everything seems too convoluted for your brain to process. The voice of Aurora repeating in your mind: “That is your destiny.” What destiny, exactly?

—

“Sir, these are the files Laura sent me. She told me you need to sign these papers as soon as possible.” You laid the stack of piles on Jaehyun’s table while he currently scans a document and fiddling the pen with his fingers.

There wasn’t a making-out session to greet you good morning today, but Jaehyun still arrived earlier than you. He was rummaging through his files when you came into his office with a cup of coffee. Some were on the floors, some were on his desk. You could tell he was frustrated by how his brows were narrowed as if they’d become as one anytime soon.

“As soon as possible? Who the fuck tells the CEO that bullshit?” He flipped the pages of the document with enough force that the stapled edges of it were torn apart.

“Apparently, Laura did, Sir. You indeed need to sign the papers as soon as possible since you postponed your meeting with Mr. Kang yesterday,” You added, looking straight at the skyscrapers outside. You couldn’t afford to look at him and not break down here and there.

“Look at me when you talk to me.” It wasn’t a plea, it was a command. You have no other choice but to look at him— into those cruel dark brown eyes you want to forget. The moment you did, your lips slightly trembled.

He stood up from his seat, eyeing you as he did so. He leaned his weight on the edge of the table, arms crossed as he looked at you. “You’ve been ignoring me.”

Ignoring? What the hell is he talking about?

“Sir?” You asked him, incredulous by his audacity.

“You’ve been ignoring me. Why? Were you jealous about the incident you saw yesterday?”

You gulped down your irritation. Of course you were jealous. But you refuse to give him that satisfaction. “Why should I?” You cleared your throat then added, “Sir.” Like a soldier under the scrutinizing of the captain.

“Because you like me.” He stated, as a-matter-of-fact. Where is this conversation going? You couldn’t calculate his reason to state that sentence, but it made you shift on your position despite that. It was another thing to hear it from his lips.

“I don’t see the reason why it matters, Sir.”

“It matters to me, Y/N.”

“If you don’t have anything more to say, I’d better get working. Call me if you need anything, Sir. I’ll be right outside your office.” You flashed him your sweetest smile, ready to turn your back on him. But he swiftly caught your wrist. His look was almost apologetic. You didn’t even know why do you wait for him to say something. Minutes had gone by with the both of you just staring at each other, sharing a silence that shattered your already broken heart, levigating every bit of what’s left of it.

“Go.”

One word. You have no idea how could that one word hurt you even more. Perhaps because that one word held all possibilities that he could’ve taken but chose not to. The thought of hurting more than you already are baffles you. Just how much effect does Jaehyun holds against you? It’s frightening to think of it. His grip on you slackened. You walked away from him, but before you could open the door, you swear you heard him say the word ‘sorry’.

—

He’s certain you didn’t hear the words, he made sure of that. But as you tensed before opening the door made him realized that he was wrong. You heard it. He never felt so stupid as he did now.

Sorry. Sorry for what? For treating you like you didn’t matter to him? Sorry because you walked in on him devouring the lips of this unknown girl who seems too eager to have a piece of him? You could hide the pain in your eyes to the world, but not to him. He heard you entering his office and instead of pushing the girl away and give himself up to you, he chose to grab her waist and her breast like his life depended on it— he kissed her with enough hunger to make you recoil. And you did— with trembling hands that led to the coffee mugs crashing on the floor.

It wasn’t a simple shock of what you saw, it was also the shattering of your hopes, he saw it in your eyes. He wanted to run, hug you, beg for your forgiveness, but his feet wouldn’t move. It was locked up on the floors like how his promise to himself was locked up inside him; that is to keep you safe.

That night, he laid on his bed awake, no alcohols running in his blood. His thoughts were clear and they were all about you. How your lips trembled as you asked them if they still needed anything from you. You might have not realized that he saw the unshed tears behind your smiles, but he did. He felt sick to his stomach remembering how painful your smile was. He felt sick to know that it’s all because of him.

The pain was almost unbearable, if not for the thought that he’s hurting you for your own good. He closed his eyes then, remembering the words of the Almighty before He casted him out of heaven to fall into the abyss.

“Thou shall bear a love for one soul in a thousand faces— and suffer as the face cease to exist but the soul, perpetually.”

Do you belong to the faces? He didn’t want to know. He’d lose his mind if you were. The thought of you wasting away like Aurora made every fiber of his being to convulse in utter fury. It couldn’t be. You couldn’t be. Yet what power does he have against the will of his Creator? None. So he closed his eyes, letting the sleep to pull him under, forgetting all the troubles of his reality behind.

“Aurora?”

This is a dream. He knew it the moment he opened his eyes to a lake, surrounded by wildflowers and butterflies. At the edge of the lake’s mouth stood a woman he knows too well like the back of his hand.

“My love,” she called out, voice like the lullabies of the angel in the heavens. Black hair, blue eyes— it was indeed his lover. Jaehyun could feel his heart beating loudly against his chest with every step he takes towards the girl he loved for more than a century now.

“You’re alive,” He knows she’s not. But she feels so real that he’s afraid his realities might be slipping away from him. The woman smiled. She never changed one bit.

“I am always alive, my love.” She stretched out her hand to him, he took it gladly, placing it on his chest where his heart is located.

“Here. You are always alive.” He smiled. How unusual it was to feel his lips stretch into a smile, his skin feels tight and the feeling is unfamiliar.

“I know it belongs to someone else now, Yuno.”

How long has it been? How long has it been since he was called by that name? The name he cherished because it was his name when she was still alive. The name he buried together with her when she died.

“My heart belongs to you, always.” He kissed her palm, pressing it lightly to his cheek after.

“It was mine. Now it’s hers.”  She softly voiced.

“What do you mean, chérie?” His heart has been pounding in his chest now, mind blank from what Aurora tries to tell him.

“Have courage, my love. It is our destiny.”

Jaehyun woke, gasping. He stood up and ran his hand through his hair, the sweat on his forehead sopping its strands. What the fuck was that?

It’s been a while since he dreamt of Aurora. It wasn’t always pleasant. He always dreamt about her wasting body, the jutting bones and her frailty always occupies his vision. Her kneeling and sobbing parents around her deathbed, her little sister praying to God to wake her up. All the prayers and the cries that resulted to nothing; it all comes crashing down on him whenever he closes his eyes.

It is our destiny. She said the words again. He could hear her over and over in his mind, trying to convince him that no one could stand against the will of God. But he refused to believe it. He was never going to believe it. It was one thing to punish him, it is another thing to punish someone because of him. Yet Aurora unfailingly saw the punishment as her blessing. She was always a pious lady— never missing any mass, befriended all the priests, always praying whenever she went. She never once took it as a burden. If that is the will of God, who am I to refuse Him? She always told him. Not a trace of disbelief or horror in her pretty face. She embraced her destiny like how mothers embraces their newborn child.

Are you not happy that my soul would never die? She asked him once. How could he rejoice from that fact? How could he rejoice when the love of his life was destined to die, but her soul? How could he touch an intangible thing such as a person’s soul? How could he hold it? He wasn’t happy. It was Aurora that he wanted and he never wanted so much in his life before her.

What is a hundred years compared to your lifetime? He remembered her asking. It was too much. How could he wait for someone he could fall in love with after hundreds of years if it’s not going to be Aurora at the end of the century? Why does he need to fall in love over and over again just to be left broken in the end? It is your punishment, traitor. The voice inside him whispered with enough obloquy to make him wince.

It was foolish of him to expect that his retribution won’t kick him in his guts again. He was so careful— so careful not to fall in love a second time. He guarded his heart with glacial ice that no one could melt. He guarded it with the love he shared with Aurora. Yet you came and went crashing down on the ice. You came, slowly infiltrating the love he kept for Aurora only. His heart is as jagged as his soul, it is a rotten thing but it’s all that he could offer you. He’d willingly give it you if it weren’t for the odds.

—

The mountain of Sagada nestled in a valley at the upper end of the Malitep tributary some half kilometers in the Central Cordillera Mountains. The guides who are usually called as Kankanaey welcomed the three of you with warm smiles.

It’s more than half an hour since you arrived and registered at the Municipal Tourism office located in the municipal hall. Various groups of friends and families registered alongside the three of you. The Kankanaey introduced Sagada as a well-known place for recreational activities such as hiking, camping, exploring caves and waterfalls and joining tribal gatherings.

You personally feel elevated to travel the famous waterfalls and caves as well as the hanging coffins as introduced by the Kankanaey. It’s been awhile since you’ve done something such as hiking a mountain. You almost felt thankful for Yuta for inviting you in. Soojin couldn’t keep her DSLR since you started the hiking— you could only assume that she has so much images to keep as memories now.

Sagada Mountains did not disappoint. Your first destination was the Bokong waterfalls near the town center. The falling waters from it gave you the refreshment your mind deserves. Jaehyun still lingers in your mind; you wonder about his well-being, about what he’s doing, eating, whether he’s stressed-out and needed a hand. But you try not to dwell in those thoughts as you stepped in the beauty of the mountain. This adventure would be in vain if you fail to clear your mind from all the heartbreaks.

Yuta decided that you should stay for two nights and three days to appreciate the view of Sagada in the gloaming. Many mountain people have told you that the skies at the peak of the mountain stretched out like clouds of cotton as the sun rise. The view would be a spectacle to behold, it would be a shame not to witness it.

“… later,”

You heard Yuta whispered to nowhere as you trailed the rocky path of the mountain, tha hanging coffins visible in the distance. Who was he talking to? It was a whisper but you’re certain you heard him talked. Soojin and the others trails ahead of you, hands in her camera.

“You alright?” You asked Yuta with concern. The Kankanaey didn’t say anything about ghosts nor elementals roaming the mountains— did Yuta see one?

He was quick to blink and shook his head at you, like a dog shaking off the waters in its fur. “Yes, let’s go?” He laid out his palms to welcome you to the path. You shrugged your thoughts away and hurried to match Soojin’s strides.

Before going into your own guest house near the mountains, there was a tribal gathering you attended first. It was relaxing to familiarized yourself to different cultures other than yours, it reminded you of the life outside of work and responsibilities. You wished that you brought Yuqi with you, but her inability to do challenging abilities prohibited her in joining the mountain hike. Nevertheless, she promised to take her meds and she also invited her classmate to accompany her in the days that you’ll be gone.

“I need a shower,” Soojin declared as she laid down her duffel bag on the mattress. The both of you shares a room, leaving Yuta alone in the other bedroom across from yours.

You decided to cook something for dinner while Soojin cleans herself. Yuta offered to help you. The air between the two of you wasn’t as awkward as it was when he came back from Japan, it was bearable. He does not ask you about Jaehyun, which makes you wonder whether he’s already noticed the truth and decided to shrug it off. Or he observed your aloofness from the topic of relationship that’s why he doesn’t bug you about your ‘boyfriend’. Either way, you were thankful to not hear Jaehyun’s name being uttered by anyone. It’s nice to have this little vacation to yourself and with your friends.

After the dinner, you cleaned yourself and joined Yuta and Soojin as they drink in the veranda.

“The air’s so refreshing,” Soojin muttered as she took a swig on her own bottle. The air was cold, but it’s not unpleasant to the skin. It was a comfortable type of cold, like the splash of water on your face in the mornings of summer.

You sat beside Soojin, opening a bottle of your own. “I wish we could come back here,” You said, looking out at the view. Tiny lights were emitted by houses, like fireflies underneath the darkness of the forest.

“I personally liked the hanging coffins,” Yuta blurted out. The hanging coffins weren’t something you’ve seen before. They were literally coffins hanging on the side of the cliff. The Kankanaey told you it is the traditional way to bury the dead during the olden days. Unfortunately today, it is not used anymore. And based from the natives, a certain requirement should be met before someone would get buried that way; he or she must have been married and had children.

“Those gave me the creeps, but it was such an incredibly unusual way of burial.” Soojin commented.

“We should really go back here,” Yuta chuckled. “And hopefully we could bring Jaehyun with us.” He looked at you, his face unreadable by the dimness of the light.

Jaehyun. Just when you thought that nobody would chant his name today. You felt Soojin’s eyes as she waited for you to say something.

“I don’t think so,” You fake laughed. “He’s such a workaholic. I bet he does not fancy adventures as this one,” You added. Yuta only nodded at you, his mouth twisting in disappointment.

“That’s a shame. He must be boring then,”

Is he taunting me? You collected your thoughts by Yuta’s comment. Your mouth opened up to what? Defend Jaehyun? Thankfully, Soojin washed the tensed atmosphere away by clearing her throat.

“I’d like to swim in their famous waterfalls, tomorrow. Could we do that?” Soojin looked at the both of you with hopeful eyes.

“If we’re still here tomorrow,” Yuta commented as he mindlessly took a swig of his bottle.

“I thought we’d stay for three days?” You asked Yuta. He stared at you as if he was caught off guard by your question, then he chuckled; a trace of nervousness could be heard from his voice.

“Yeah… I forgot.”

Forgot? Staying for three days in Sagada was the only thing Yuta talked about on the way here. According to him, you’d enjoy the wonders of the mountains if your stay would be a bit longer than the usual. It’s unexpected of him to forget that when he was the one who literally planned all of this.

“Alright! I must ready my swimsuit then. Good night!” Soojin laid her empty bottle on the table with a thud, hurrying down the hallways to your shared bedroom.

“I think we should—” You stood up, but Yuta caught your wrist, demanding you to sit down. “What is it?” You asked.

“Can we go for a walk?” He sounds pleading, that you’d feel bad to say no. So you nodded your head and gave him an encouraging smile. Maybe he wasn’t yet sleepy and he needed to unwind.

You walked the rocky trail from your guest house to nowhere, the light of the moon your only guide in the darkness. Crickets could be heard, hiding in the trees. The surroundings was eerily silent saved for the ophidian whispers of the winds slapping against the trees.

“Do you know what a fairy circle is?” Yuta asked all of a sudden. You kicked a small stone in your way before looking at him.

“I don’t. Why?” In the darkness, you’re certain you heard his little huff of relief by your answer. “Is it something ghostly? You inquired, a small chuckle reverberating in your throat.

“No. But they say it could bring you luck once you stepped on it,”

“Really? What kinds of luck?”

“Good fortune, as I’ve read.” He shrugged then added, “I saw one earlier on the way here and I thought I should show you,”

You gasped, excited. “Really? Where?” By your question, Yuta halted on his tracks, his body now pointing towards something in the darkness.

“Here.” He trudged the distance, with you trailing behind him. The light of the moon illuminated something white in the distance. “The fairy circle,” He announced as he looked at the wild mushrooms in a form of a circle on the earth. The inside of the circle wasn’t big, just enough for your two feet to step on.

“Oh! This is so cool. We should try it!” You enthusiastically tug on Yuta’s shirt like a child begging for ice cream. Yuta doesn’t share the same excitement, he was looking at you bewildered.

“Are you sure?”

You nodded, “Yep. I mean, it looks harmless. And it’s probably just a myth. But you know I love to try these kinds of things.” You widened your eyes at him in amusement, “So, how should I do it? Do I step inside and close my palms together as if I’m wishing?” You chuckled, your blood rising jovially.

Yuta seemed to decide about something, then he closed his eyes as if to release some tension. Is he afraid? The thought made you chuckle. But then he opened his eyes and told you that you needed to step inside the circle and wish.

“Okay! I wish Soojin’s with us…” You frowned but stepped in the circle nonetheless. “I wish that—”

Everything seemed to swirl the moment you said the words. Yuta slowly becoming a blur beside you. You couldn’t stop but spin on the same spot, making your head hurt and your stomach to churn.

“Yuta!” You called out. There wasn’t an answer to your plea but little voices that seems to be laughing at you. What is happening? The sharp and painful stomping of your heart only adds to your anxiety. The world that you knew seems so far away— feels so far away as you spin and spin into nothingness. Into the bluriness of darkness.

You called out for Yuta, begging to be heard. But all seems to fade now— the copse of trees, the sound of the crickets, your voice as you shout for Yuta’s name— they were all gone and all that you could hear was the merriment of the little voices as you plunged into the abyss.

You fell with a thud; a cloud of dust rising all around you as you plummeted into the earth. Your clothes are dusty, you feel your bun loosing its grip on your hair. There was the sound of fire crackling, you opened your eyes.

Creatures loomed around you, their faces monstrous and unique. Some of them have blue skin, some of them has thorns, has spindly limbs, claws instead of fingers. Some of them looked as if they came from the deepest parts of the ocean, some looked half-human and half-animal. They were all dancing around the fire, around you. It took you a second to realized that they’re currently having a fête.

What cosplay world is this? You searched around for anything familiar. There was none. Your vision are full of singing and dancing creatures. The memory of you spinning after you stepped into the fairy ring comes rushing back like a splash of wave against the boulders of rock along the shore.

You stood up, legs trembling from the impact of your collision in the ground. The music slowly receded as a figure slowly emerges from behind the crowd, parting the creatures in her every step.

A woman. With a crown atop her head. She’s wearing an elaborative gown of a champagne color. Her cleavage proudly showing. Veins and twigs hugs her gown— with red flowers adoring the silk. The queen. When she spoke, everyone shushed as well as your heart. “My dearest fairies of this realm, I welcome you to the night that we have all been waiting for. Lay all your troubles behind, let us all dance and sing!” She raised her hands in the air, and the creatures around you all rejoiced.

You feel yourself getting smaller and smaller by their lack of concern towards you. But it was short-lived as the woman stared at you like you’re the most delicious meal she’s ever going to taste. “Oh, what an interesting creature,” Her voice was sultry as she continues to speak, “Welcome to the lands of the fairie, Y/N.”

Everyone shouts, different tones of voices— some were tiny, some sounded like they came from the darkest of the cave, some ethereal. But all of them, despite their varieties in tones, they still sent shivers down your spine. They are not human. They are nothing like you.

“Silence!”

The voice didn’t come from the queen. It came from behind you. Everyone seemed to shut their mouths as yet another figure emerged from the crowd. She wasn’t anything like the queen. The woman who appeared from the crowd holds a branch of tree as her walking stick. Her back has been bent because of old age and she’s wearing a simple brown hood— nothing special. There were no jewelries adorning her body. She reminded you a lot like the old woman in Snow White. And she’s walking straight towards you, eyes boring into yours.

You wanted to run, but where would you go? The shock absorbed all your strength. You couldn’t even scream as she stood in front of you. You fell on your butt to the ground, the old woman towering over you— while the heat of the fire felt so near against your back. No matter what you did, you couldn’t look away at her black irises— so stark against the burning fire behind you.

Her rough hands grasp your cheek, scanning your face for anything, for something. Then her eyes widened, real fear reflected in her orbs. She was scornful as she looked at the Queen, still grasping your cheek, her nails digging in your skin.

“You are a fool, girl.” She spat, eyes blazing with horror.

The Queen doesn’t seem to know what the old woman was trying to convey, she only looked bored. “Yuta, bring your aunt into her own chambers. She is ruining the night for everyone.” She rolled her eyes.

Yuta? He’s not the Yuta you know, right? A man with white hair emerges from behind the Queen. His ears are pointed, and he looks as if he’s shining. He’s beautiful. And he’s indeed Nakamoto Yuta. If you could sink further into the ground, you would. You couldn’t feel your knees, you couldn’t even stand. He’s looking at you apologetically; a silent sorry for what he did to you.

“Yuta,” You were surprised to hear your own voice, no matter how dry it sounded. He walked towards the old woman, not bothering to look at you.

“Yuta, wait!” You scrambled to your feet, but you couldn’t stand, so you crawled towards him— tugging on his clothes. Everything about him screams royalty that it feels wrong to touch him somehow. “Where am I? What is this?” You begged. But he held your hand and slowly pushed you away from him. “Just trust me, Y/N.” He said.

You stare at him, dumbfounded. How could you trust him when it was clear he’s the reason why you’re here? Before Yuta could drag the old woman away from the crowd, she said something to the Queen; shadow of fear was painted on her face as she heard the words.

“You have not realized it yet, but you already brought the wrath of the Fallen into your own kingdom.” Then she stomped far away from the fête, with Yuta trailing behind her.

—

Something is not right, Jaehyun thought. It’s already eight in the morning yet you still haven’t arrived. There’s still no sound of the door creaking open, there’s still no aroma of the coffee infiltrating the air around him. There’s still no trace of you.

Jaehyun massaged his temple, temper rising like the documents on his table. It’s unusual of you to be late. He wanted to calm down and let his mind relax for a bit, but the documents scattered on the floor stands as a proof of him failing to do so. You’re supposed to be back from your mountain hiking— the mere thought of it plus the fact that you spent your little vacation with that fae prince made his blood boil— but you’re still not around after three days. He’s lost count of the times he’d glanced on his phone for a text message. He’s lost count of the times he attempted to call your number just to ask whether you’re alright.

He stood up, hands on his waist. He needed to fucking breathe or else he’d lose it. Where the fuck are you, Y/N? Not seeing your face for three days almost drove him insane. Not to mention the fact that in those miserable days, you were with Yuta. If he could follow you just to make sure Yuta won’t lay a single finger on you, he absolutely would. But he knew it’s best to leave you alone to have your time to think, to heal.

The tall buildings outside of his own seems to blur by thoughts of you, he couldn’t think about anything else other than your well-being. Where are you, what are you doing, are you sick, do you need a break. Come fucking on, Y/N. Just one message. But it’s been three hours since he arrived in the building, still, there wasn’t a single message from you.

He doesn’t even know why is he so unnerved today. This day has been the worst of those three days without you. Perhaps because he’d expected to see your pretty face first thing in the morning, waiting for him patiently on your table.

He couldn’t do this. No. He feels like he might burst sooner or later if he’d make no move to know about your wellfare. So he dialed the front desk and requested for your friend, Soojin. She arrived moments later. And if she isn’t the human embodiment of mess, who is?

Jaehyun blinked at the sight of her. Soojin’s hair was tied in a neat bun, her lips red from a lipstick, but if you’d look closely, fatigue circles her eyes and there’s restlessness by the way that she carries herself. Her current appearance gave Jaehyun an ominous feeling.

“Good morning, Sir. You requested for me?” Even her voice sounded tired. Something is entirely wrong.

Jaehyun cleared his throat, careful not to push the woman in front of him since she looks like she’s about to cry. “Where is Y/N?”

At his question, Soojin covered her face with her hands and began sobbing her heart out. Jaehyun’s jaw twitched as his chest constricted by different thoughts of what possibly happened to you. The woman cried for a good three minutes before she gathered herself and answered. “I… we… don’t have any idea— one moment they were with me, then they were gone.”

“They?” He squinted his eyes.

“Yes. I… I went to sleep first. And I left them— Yuta and Y/N— then they’re gone the next day.”

The mention of Yuta’s name made Jaehyun curl his fingers closed. That bastard. He’s got a bad feeling about where they went— or worse, where Yuta took Y/N with him. He would applaud the audacity of that fae bastard if it wasn’t for the fact that every fiber of his being are being woken up by something he’s completely familiar with; fury.

“Can you write?” He asked Soojin, the girl nodded yes. She slumped on the seat in front of Jaehyun’s office table. “Write all the exact location of the places you went to.” He commanded. Soojin wrote it down without question. The list wasn’t long, which makes the tracing easier to accomplish. Jaehyun told Soojin to go home and get enough rest, since the girl badly needed it. She bowed and then left the office.

He wasted no time to dial Chaelin’s number, the piece of paper crumpled in between his fingers. “Dispatch someone to the location I’m going to send you,” He said as a greeting.

“What’s going on?” The woman inquired.

“Search all the premises. For anything. I need to make sure Yuta took Y/N to the Fairie lands.” He breathed, his patience thinning. He could go straight to the realm of the Fairies but there’s too much to risk— his every step and plan needs reckoning.

“Isn’t Yuta the fairie bastard you told me to take care of?”

“Yes.”

Chaelin groaned, “That faerie prince won’t listen to me. He stated that he doesn’t care whether it’s Lucifer’s line he’s crossing as long as he’d be together with Y/N, forever.”

Jaehyun’s grip on the phone tightened. In his long life of living in the Earth, this is the first time a mere faerie prince neglected him. “Let’s see how far his impudence would take him once I destroy their kingdom.”

—

“We mustn’t let him enter the Fairie realms alone,” Chaelin leaned on the table in Doyoung’s library as she finished informing them about what Jaehyun told him on the phone. She already sent him a picture the fairy ring that was found by Lucas and Jeno near the guest house they had stayed in.

Jaehyun’s response was unpleasant; the call was muffled by cursing and threats that she needed to cut off before Jaehyun could lose his temper completely. The mere fact that a fairie prince dared cross Jaehyun doesn’t really surprised Chaelin— there were kings back then who tried Jaehyun, and all their kingdoms crumbled to dust before their eyes— what baffles her right now is the way how he reacted by your disappearance. For all the years that she’s known Jaehyun, she’s never seen him so disoriented. He always laid out plans in pristine order. He always carries himself neatly even during a war. But right now, it’s different. He’s different because of you.

“Why? It’s not like he’s gonna get himself killed.” Taeyong shrugged as he slumped on the sofa near Chaelin, staring at the ceiling as if to stretch his neck.

Chaelin breathed a sigh of frustration. It seems like she’s the only one who’s actually afraid about Jaehyun’s threat. “Yes. He won’t. But he’s gonna get every fairie annihilated in a blink,”

“That would be beneficial for us, don’t you think?” Taeyong let out a groan, stretching his limbs as he tries to close his eyes.

“Can you hear yourself right now Taeyong? The destruction of the Fairies would disturb the balance of Netherworld.” Doyoung chided in. And it seems like the three of them were the only people who’s actually interested to the discussion.

“Since when did they consider themselves as netherworlders?” Taeyong opened his one eye, the red of his irises gleaming on the bright lights provided both by artificial lightings and moonlight.

Chaelin massaged her temple, the discussion suddenly felt like boulders of rocks on her back. “They don’t. But it’s a fact they’re one of us.” She sighed, “and what do you think Jaehyun would do once he’s in there? Shake hands with the Queen?”

“I think… he would call upon the horsemen.” Kun commented, a vampire in Taeyong’s clan. Fucking finally, Chaelin whispered. Someone other than her seemed to listen.

“I don’t know guys, but I don’t think Jaehyun is that impulsive?” Taeil looked at each of them, brows shot up to his forehead. He’s also a warlock like Doyoung.

Then Xiaojun, a vampire under Taeyong’s clan chimed in, “Yeah. I mean, it’s not like it’s Aurora who’s kidnapped by the Fae. It’s Y/N. She’s another topic. And I don’t think Jaehyun would risk wrecking havoc in the Fairie realms to get her back.”

“I would.” Jaehyun said, entering the library with a bud of cigarette pressed between his lips. With his hair disheveled and his tie hanging loosely on his neck, he pinned them down with a stare. “So you fuckers better decide now, or else I’ll go there alone. And I’m telling you it’s not going to be pleasant.” He crashed his cigarette against the table, scorching the wood as he did so. Chaelin believed the ember wasn’t because of the cigarette only— it also came from Jaehyun’s fingers.

“I won’t risk my changelings, Jaehyun.” Taeyong said, still slumped into the sofa like sloth.

Jaehyun whirled on him, “What the fuck are they here for then? They need to grow some balls, Taeyong.”

It wasn’t normal of Jaehyun to talk the younger ones down. Chaelin realized the fact of you alone and helpless in the Fairie realms ignited something inside Jaehyun which resulted to his attitude towards them.

“Jaehyun, we’re aware that you’re frustrated. But we won’t achieve nothing if you keep being a dick.” Chaelin stated, careful with her tones.

Jaehyun spun around, “And some of us need to fucking check if they have one.” Then stopped at Taeyong’s direction.

Taeyong sprung up from his seat and seethed, “Watch it.” He told Jaehyun. And they both stared each other down.

“Don’t you dare look at me that way, Taeyong.” Jaehyun sounded like he’s talking to a child. His ancient glory towering over Taeyong. Chaelin sighed from the sight.

“While the two of you are bickering about your masculinity, the Fae could be doing nasty fairie stuff with Y/N.” Doyoung sounded tired, “We need to plan! If Taeyong doesn’t want his changelings involved, let him! For fuck’s sake Jaehyun, you alone could get Y/N back. What more if we’re with you? We don’t have to bring everyone.”

Taeyong was the first one to break the tensed atmosphere by sighing and clapping Jaehyun at his back. The latter ran a hand through his hair, a dispirited sigh leaving his lips.

“When do we leave?” Ten, a warlock, emerges from behind the stacks of books. Chaelin didn’t know he was with them all along.

“At dawn.” They aren’t words, they are an order. A command from Lucifer.

[princessamericachavez]

to let you know we made mistakes pt.1

It's been two years since The Traveler summoned his followers to a meeting in the outskirts of Zadash.

It's been two years since The Mighty Nein last saw Jester Lavorre.

Two years. It's been exactly two years since Fjord last saw Jester Lavorre disappear down the street, skipping cheerfully. It feels like a lifetime ago, like he has aged decades with every passing month. It also feels like just yesterday. As he looks at the luxurious entrance of the Lavish Chateau, he can feel the memory of her all around him, like a ghost made of giggles, ocean blue skin and the faint smell of cinnamon. His stomach twists into knots as he braces himself for the meeting. At least, he's not alone. Beau stands close enough to him that he can feel her shoulder brush his arm with quiet support. On his other side, Caduceus breathes calmly, his presence soothing as ever. Caleb, Nott, and Yasha stand behind them.

"I hate this," Nott sighs.

"Yeah, me too," Beau grumbles. "It sucks, but we owe it to Jessie."

"Ja," is all Caleb contributes.

Fjord won't admit it, but he agrees with Nott. As much as he knows Jester would want them to look after her mother in her absence, it doesn't make it any easier to stand there and see into the eyes of an orphaned mother. The first time was the worst, though, by far. Seeing Marion's gentle eyes as their words settled, as she understood why they were there without her daughter, as the last glimmer of hope died down and morphed into pain. They didn't see her cry, but Fjord knows there's pain that no tears can begin to express. He didn't cry after losing Vandren and he didn't cry after losing Jester, but both times felt as if something had been ripped out of his guts by a hungry gnoll.

And yet, despite the pain that he knows their visit must bring, Marion Lavorre welcomes them with a smile and warmth in her eyes. The pleasantries are short, no one is sure of what to say, they all dance ungracefully around the real subject of their visit: the anniversary of Traveler Day, how Jester had excitedly called it. Fjord takes the lead because he figures he owes it to their missing friend. He asks Marion how she's doing, makes sure no one is bothering her anymore, restates the promise he made two years ago to look after her and help her in any way they can, any way he can.

"You're as kind as ever," Marion says, smiling softly at him, "but I am alright. Having you here is already a very sweet thing to me."

Fjord ducks his head, avoiding her eyes. He can't look at them anymore, not without seeing the mirror of the pain that eats him inside, not without thinking of the promise he made and failed to keep, not without wishing he'd find anger in them rather than comprehension.

"Well, then, we won't take any more of your time," Fjord says, with a stiff bow.

"Nonsense," Marion shakes her head, "I am happy to have you here. I will see that your rooms are ready for the night."

"Ma'am, we-we wouldn't wanna abuse of your hospitality, we'll be on our way as soon as-"

"Please, none of that," behind the Ruby of the Sea's gentleness there's a hint of authority. "My Jester cared so much about you. The least I can do is make sure her friends have proper accommodations. You are welcome here for as long as you wish to stay."

"I- thank you," Fjord manages to say, biting down on every complain he has about not deserving that kind of attention from her because the last thing he wants to do is slight her.

They make their way down to the bar, sit around the very same table they used the first time they visited. Jester's sit, the one she sat on that time, stays empty for no reason other that no one can bring themselves to take the place. Their spirits are down tonight, heavy with memories and the voice missing from the circle. They try, though. Fjord makes sure to talk to everyone, at least to check on how they are doing, take care for them. Caduceus offers words of comfort and resignation, as he has been doing since the day they lost her. Beau buys round after round of drinks and makes a toast in Jester's memory, speaking sweetly of her in a way Fjord's never heard her talk about anyone else. Nott recounts old stories of their detective shenanigans, but sadness taints her voice before she can finish them and she ends up falling as quiet as Caleb and Yasha, who've been practically non-verbal since the morning.

One by one, they take their leave to go to bed, until it's only him and Beau sitting at the table, nursing new drinks.

"How you doing there, Fjord?" Beau finally asks. "I feel like you've been so busy trying to look after all of us, that you've kinda forgotten to check in on yourself. You know what I mean?"

Fjord huffs a laugh at her lack of tact and shakes his head.

"I'm fine, Beau."

"Bullshit." Her blue eyes are set on him as if she could pierce through any mask he dared put on. "Look, man, I haven't been extracting the truth from people for years for you to try such a lame lie on me now. Do I have to use my cobalt knuckles on you?"

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't," he grimaces.

"Then, talk to me."

"What do you want me to say, Beau? I'm- I can't stop thinking about it. And it's not just today, it's all the time. You'd think I'd be used to losing people by now, right? Vandrin, Molly, her... but this is different. I keep going through that day, asking myself what I could've done differently, how I could have stopped it. It's like this-this hole in my chest, and no matter what we do or where we go, it doesn't go away. Somedays... somedays I think I hear her, just talking away as she used to do on the road, and I'm pretty sure I'm losing my mind. I'm just- I can't stop thinking that I failed her."

"Fjord, you didn't fail her."

"Didn't I?"

"No, you didn't," Beau says softly, "and you gotta stop blaming yourself, man. I mean, she said 'oh, hey, I'm going to go see some followers of the traveler today, see you later!'. How were we supposed to know she was gonna fucking disappear like that?"

"We shouldn't have left her go alone," Fjord says, and those words have been eating at him for longer than he cares to admit. "I shouldn't-"

"You didn't know."

"I should have known!" He snaps, more at himself than at Beau, and is incredibly grateful that she doesn't even flinch. "I mean, fuck, Beau, she was willing to go all the way to Rexxentrum to the Academy with me, she followed me to the bottom of the goddamn ocean to activate some weird freaking temple, she was there the whole time and the one time she needed me to follow her and I... I didn't. I should've been there."

"Yeah, and then maybe you would've both gone missing," Beauregard points out, arching an eyebrow. "What good would that do?"

Plenty good, Fjord thinks. At least he would know what happened that way. At least he would be with her, able to help her if she needed him. Maybe things would've been different like that. Even disappearing into oblivion would be better than carrying this guilt inside him the rest of his life.

"Stop that!" A bullet-fast hand slaps him in the back of the head.

"What?"

"Stop thinking like that!" Beau frowns at him. "You know Jester wouldn't want you to be brooding over her, right?"

"You kidding?" Fjord laughs again, though his voice sounds broken even to his own ears. "She'd be furious at me. She would probably hate me right now. I-I mean, you remember how she got after the dragon? She hated me for disappearing on her like that. I promised myself I would never leave her like that again, and then when she needed me..."

"First of all, you didn't leave her, dude. She left us," the monk's voice is tainted by a little resentment that's all too familiar to him, but it softens immediately, anger melting into sadness. "And second, Jester loved you, Fjord. She would never hate you, no matter what. She would want you to be happy."

"Well, tough luck," he grumbles, burrowing his face into his drink.

How is he supposed to be happy like this? It's not fair, he realizes, but he's suddenly angry at Jester —at the idea of her— insisting he be happy when she isn't around. It's just cruel, like feeding a starving man and then hoping he's satisfied for the rest of his life. For her to become the source of laughter and comfort and light in his life, only to disappear on him and leave him in the dark again, it's a cruel kind of joke.

But Jester was never one for cruel pranks.

"Alright, fine," Beau stands up, "you wanna wallow about it, be my guest. Just don't pretend to be fine, okay?"

"I am alright, Beau," he assures her. "I will be. I just... I need another drink, then I'll head up to bed."

"Knock yourself out," she says, squeezing her shoulder on her way out. She probably didn't mean it literally, but it's a tempting idea nonetheless. "You know, it'd be a good start to actually be able to say her name out loud," she adds cryptically before disappearing upstairs.

With a heavy sigh, he rolls his eyes and orders another drink. The golden drink gives him a distorted version of his own reflection but he's still able to recognize the judgment in his own eyes. The Chateau is empty tonight, aside from him. Marion canceled her weekly performance, probably to mourn the memory of her daughter in private. He briefly considers joining her, hoping to offer some new words of comfort, or at the very least quiet company, but he's too much of a coward to face her again. There's something in her face that terrifies Fjord profoundly, a pain too similar to his own, a loss that he has no claim to.

"Fuck," he sighs. "I-I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say. I don't know how to do this without you. I miss you... every day. We all do."

Fjord! 

He swears he hears her voice in his head, clear as water, as if not a day had gone by. The memory makes his chest flinch with pain, like an old wound tearing back open, and he hates his brain for conjuring such a bittersweet sound to torture him. Except... that's not all. It goes on. 

Hey, so I just came back from Traveler Day, but I couldn't find you guys at the inn. Did you go somewhere without me?

The world comes crashing down around him, time seems to stop, his heart forgets how to beat for half a second and then picks up at full speed. Fjord darts to his feet, knocking over the chair and nearly spills his drink, as the one word that has been banned from his lips for exactly two years returns to him, along with laughter, and blue oceans, and the smell of cinnamon:

"Jester?!"

[ofstarsandvibranium]

To All the Boys Who Broke My Heart & To the One Who Mended It: Bodhi

Fandom: Star Wars (Modern AU)

Pairing: Kylo Ren x Reader (main), Poe Dameron x Reader, Armitage Hux x Reader, Finn x Reader, Cassian Andor x Reader, Bodhi Rook x Reader

Summary: You have bad luck with love. Every time you think you found the one, they end up trampling on your heart. You’re thankful that your best friend, Kylo, is there through every heart break. (Best Friends to Lovers Trope)

Poe | Hux | Finn |  Cassian | Bodhi | Kylo | Epilogue

A/N: not gonna lie...I forgot about this series. lol.

He had to be it. He just had to be. All of those boys, men, all of the heartbreak surely had lead you all up to this, to him, to Bodhi.

Bodhi Rook was your local mailman. He was well-liked by everyone in your neighborhood. He was kind, sweet, and a total gentleman. 

One hot summer’s day, you were on your porch, enjoying the afternoon. You heard the familiar rumbling of Bodhi’s mail truck. You immediately sat up and watched as he walked towards you, “Good afternoon, Y/N.”

You smiled, “Hey, Bodhi!” you reached over to the cooler and pulled out an ice cool water bottle, “Here,” you handed it to him as he handed you your mail, “Looks like you need it.”

“You’re a saint, you know that?” he immediately uncapped the bottle and chugged about half of it. Droplets of water cascaded from his mouth and down his chin. Wow...that’s really hot.

He let out a sigh of satisfaction, capping the bottle closed, “Thanks for that, Y/N, I really needed it.” He waved at you and began to walk back towards his truck, but you stopped him.

“Wait!” He turned and looked at you expectedly, “Do you wanna have dinner sometime?” Hell yeah, Y/N. Gotta shoot your shot.

He smiled at you, “That sounds great. Eat out or in?”

“In! We can make pizza?”

“Pizza sounds great.”

“Great! Sooo how about this Friday at 7?”

“Sounds like a date,” he waves at you, “I’ll see you soon, Y/N!” he rushes into his truck and hurries onto the next house. 

You squeal and jump in place, then run inside to Kylo. He’s sitting on the couch playing video games and he’s wincing as you begin to repeatedly hit his arms, “Ow! What?! I’m playing a game!”

“I asked out Bodhi!”

Kylo paused the game to look at you, “Who?”

You rolled your eyes, setting your hands on your hips, “Bodhi! Our mailman?”

He snorted, “You asked out our mailman? Why?”

“He’s nice and sweet and not to mention sooo hot. Anyway, you need to not be here on Friday. He’s coming over and we’re gonna make pizza.”

“Aaaaww! But I wanna make pizza too!”

“Tough nuggets. Go to Phasma’s and make pizza with her.”

Kylo scrunched his face up in dislikeness, “No! She’s mean to me!”

_________________________________

The date went off with a hitch. You and Bodhi were playful and flirtatious the entire night, which was definitely a good sign to you. At the end of the night, he left, leaving a sweet and gentle kiss on your lips. 

After several dates with him, you just had a good feeling. This had to be him. Bodhi had to be the one for you. He was everything you could want in a guy: funny, handsome, caring, a good cook. What more could you ask for?

The several months you dated turned into five years of dating. You and he now lived together and you were the happiest you’ve ever been. 

_________________________________

Kylo never truly knew what miserable was until you left him to move in with Bodhi. He helped you pack, of course, but it hurt him inside. Seeing you with someone else again and again always hurt, but things always ended up falling apart for you and whoever you were with. Kylo loved you, and yeah, it was pretty selfish of him to be happy that things didn’t end well, but what could he say? He was selfish when it came to you.

He thought Bodhi was going to be like the rest. He waited and waited for your call or for you to show up crying about another heartbreak. But that never came. 

Your time spent with each other was minimal. Very rarely would you two hang out just you and him. Bodhi came along often, which Kylo was annoyed with. You two were together, living together, spending almost every single waking moment together! Why couldn’t he just let you have time with him apart?!

Nonetheless, he cherished the rare occasions you saw each other. Because despite everything, he still loved you with his entire being.

__________________________________

“W-What?” your voice cracked in disbelief.

“We need to break up.” Bodhi said again.

“I-I don’t-but we-why?”

Bodhi held onto your hand as he looked into your eyes, you could see the conflict in him, “I’m just not ready to settle down just yet. I realize that there’s still a lot I want to do before I get married and have kids. I want to see the world, get my piloting license-”

“Can’t you do all that while we’re still together?” you tried reasoning with him. You really did.

He shook his head, “I’m sorry, Y/N. I want to do so many things and-”

“-You don’t want me to get in the way,” you finished his sentence, malice lacing your words.

Bodhi shook his head, “No, that’s not-”

“Isn’t it though?! Why else would you not want to be with me and do all that stuff?! You don’t want to be held back!” you yanked your hand out of his, “If that’s what you want, fine!” you stood up and grabbed your purse and keys.

Bodhi followed you, “Where are you going?!”

“Out of your way!” you yelled as you stepped out the door, slamming it behind you and towards your car.

__________________________________

Kylo stirred from his sleep to the ringing of his phone. He groaned as he blindly pat the bedside table for it. Picking it up when he felt it and answering the call, “Hello?” he tiredly said. Sniffles filled his ears and he immediately looked at his phone, “Y/N? What’s wrong?”

“C-Can I c-come over?”

Kylo’s shoulders immediately dropped, “Don’t tell me-”

“Yeah...unlucky number five.”

He sighed, “I’m sorry, Y/N. But yeah. Come by.”

“Th-Thanks.” with that, you hung up.

Kylo sat up in bed, running a hand over his face. He had to tell you now. Nothing was preventing him from doing so. Nothing and no one could get in the way.

series taglist: @foxface9000 @cucumberinmyass @wolves-rider @noe-stechin-gando @marvel-classic-rock @swedish-strong-style@courtneyscornerofdisfunction

[mellowgirl01]

🍷Sweet Wine🍷

masterlist

Part 2

word count:  2320

Characters: 11753

People: Adam x Y/N x Eve

Made for: @ladyfluff

Tags: @ladyfluff @may-bereblog @jaquellejohnson

Request:No

Date:3/3/19

Summary: I may be out of the storm. but I know that a new one will soon appear. But when it does I know i’ll be prepared for it. Fore I have learned to love such rain, it makes me appreciate  the sun more.

A/N: Another 2 parter but don’t worry I will uplode the second one Asap 💕

Y/N slowly awoke. Her face ached and she felt a little stiff but a little bit comfortable as she stirred awake. Looking around she only saw black, a hint of the fire light that was in the room was poking in form the thick curtains that covered around the bed. She struggled to get out of the soft bed due to her sore right arm that she put pressure on every few seconds. The bed was huge and felt like silk. The thick warm covers on top of her were a bit heavy but understably so since when She remembered Eve’s soft touch as she held her in her arms, Eve felt lifelessly chilling.

‘Wait..Where am I?’

While being late on this idea she continued to wiggle out of bed and into the warm light of the fire place within the room. She smelled something delicious and also sweet. Looking forward she saw the black coffee table and couch in front of the fireplace. The table held food and some water. Her stomach grumbled loud at the sight and beautiful smell of the spread. Quickly she sat down and stuffed her face with the delicious food. Humming at the wonderful many tastes. Taking this time to relax she looked around. She was definitely not at the Bloomington's manner anymore and was now in the master bedroom of who she would only assume Adam and Eve.  As she regained her memory from when she was last awake she slowly ceced to eat. All that went through her head was the fight between herself and Madeline. She knew that she shouldn’t be thinking of someone so selfish and so vile as the creature that was Mrs.Bloomington yet she couldn’t help it. All the memories that she had with her when they were small. All the laughs and the days when things got the lowest of them all. She remembered that Madeleine was there to help her. Did she miss her then? Yes and both no. She loved her best friend but knew well that the person she saw before blacking out was no longer her Madeline. While she did still love her she knew that her soul wouldn’t have been safe around her. Jealousy, greed, anger, and the corruption through time had made her into something Y/N no longer liked nore recognized.

After taking a large gulp of her water she sighed and stood up. She no longer wanted to remind herself about her old life if she wasn’t to go back to it. She had this chance to move forward. She was to be grateful for it by trying to renew herself and respecting herself.

Snapping out of her head she saw that the room had the colors of red, deep red, black and gold. Hints of white were shown but not many. The carpet was beautiful like the rest of the room and covered most of the wood that laid beneath it.

‘Maybe to not get splinters’

She thought. She looked to her right and saw two closed doors one had a black handel, the other black. She wondered where the doors might have led to and or what they held. She stopped thinking once she heard the door behind her open. Sarrah poked her head out form the large dark chocolate door and smiled at Y/N.

“Good your up. How are you feeling?”

“..Misplaced..But new. What happened and why does my face ache?”

Sarrah sighed

“After you went out Adam heard all of the commotion and to say the least he wasn’t at all happy to see the situation at hand. THe master of the manner was more than angry, I had never in all of my 6 years of working here I had never seen him like that. While I ddi feel safe when Luther and Adam helped through him out, I was quite shocked when the lady followed. I didn’t see what happened downstairs and my lady told me not to inform you further about the people who left this house. Your face is a bit bruised but only one. The other aches and pains i would assume are only temporary. Soon it will all go away. She did tackle you pretty hard though so I thought maybe some darkness would help your head. I heard that it was a good trick to calm the brain a bit more. OH! She and my master also told me to get you dressed and ready to meet them downstairs.”

“Sarrah, please. Maiden to maiden, you must tell me the truth and about them if I am to stay here. Are they at all abu-”

“No. They would never hurt you like that...and in all honesty I think that it was fate for you to be here. I don’t know why but I can just feel it in my bones. You’ll love them Y/N. I know that it may seem scary and all. Yet ever since you stepped foot into this house your eyes took the form of a childs on christmas day. I may have nowhere else to go but the whore house if it weren’t for Adam and Eve but at the same time it sayed her all 6 years for some reason. The main one was that it was safe. Comforting and felt like home. Now come on. We have to get you dressed so we can see just in fact what they might need from you. My lady even said for you to wear one of her favorite dresses.”

Ad sarrah got up from the couch to the closet with the white handel Y/N wanted to take a peak as well. But sarrah stopped her from walking in to the seemingly huge room by walking back out of it. She placed the dress over the couch neatly. Walking over to Y/N she kneeled down and pulled the nightgown over her head. Once she helped her get the dress on she moved Y/N over the the mirror to see herself.

“You look beautiful..my lady sure knows how to pick the most beautiful dresses.”

The corset of the dress was a cream color with the most beautiful of detailed swirls in them that were the same color. The top of the dress that was tucked under the corset but not all the way was pure white and the colar was low cut. The sleeves on the top were puffy and the cuffs slim and snug to the wrists. Same as the top the skirt was tucked underneath the corset though the skirt was close to the same color as the corset. It looked as though the dress was just made but not at the same time. More so the dress was made in a different time. Still beautiful nonetheless.

After helping her with her minimal makeup and shoes sarrha helped walk Y/N down to the huge living room. Once the lovers caught sight of the small woman a hush was sent over them both and luther.

“Oh my, You look wonderful. Thank you greatly Sarrah for taking such good care of her as I knew you would.”

“Anything my lady.”

“Come Please, sit down my darling. We have much to talk about.”

“Am I..In trouble or anything?”

“No no no, We just wanted to know your answer on something..that’s very important.”

Adam was stumbling over his words as he tried to be more confident in the awkward situation since he didn’t want to make Y/N feel uncomfortable but he didn’t know how to deal with most people especially women. Men to him were fine and he wasn’t as uneasy as he was with women. Especially someone so pretty Y/N, she seemed so sweet and confused. Not so much as a delicate flower but one that he still found he wanted to take care of. He now fully understood what Eve was on about before she entered the room. Beyond that her heavenly essence grassed his nose as he took a deep breath in. What secrets she must of held that were as beautiful as she if her blood ran with such utter beauty and grace. Even though if she was around any other vampire they wouldn’t say the same. Blood was different with every human and the same could be said with every vampire that smelled it. Some liked sweet, some liked bitter. But it all depended on the vampire that smelled it. And for the lovers they smitten for such a daisy. Eve had more time to deal with the cravings than adam so she understood her husband as he could be seen trying to seem like his more confident self. How she adores his cute fidgets but at this moment understood and helped him a but by taking his hand in hers and gently squeezing it. Y/N thought the gesture to be really sweet and could feel the love that they had as they both looked into each others eyes. She smiled as she thought about how lovely that would feel. To share what they had..could she?

“Do forgive my husband. He gets very flustered around pretty girls.”

It was hard to notice due to the fire light but Y/N could see Adam slowly starting to sprout a pink shade. She giggled at this and decided to calm his nerves a bit.

“Don’t worry. I’m the same at the moment..”

Adam looked a bit surprised as his heart fluttered more but smiled after a few seconds

‘How sweet’

He thought

“Well you wouldn’t be wrong about that. Now the thing that we must converse with you is, we understand your situation. I did not see all that happened but Sarrah filled in those blanks.”

“We, we want to help your situation and even support you with whatever you want to do. You no longer work for the Bloomington's and now work for us. Yet you are indeed free to leave and go wherever your heart may see fit. We may not know your story but-”

“We can only assume that it’s not a pretty one if that kind of situation happened in public, well rather just in different places. You are a human being and while it is a very very tough world you still have your rights that you’re entitled to.”

“So you would let me stay here..even if chose not to be here for business reasons?”

“Exactly. If you need a place to stay then you are more than welcomed to stay here.”

“You would even give me money? No I just couldn’t take it and it just seems too good to be true and everything. I. I think that even though, you both might be telling me the truth and you want to help me..I don’t even know you both. Vice- versa with you both. I just don’t think it’s right.”

“ What do you think that should happen then because, we have another option that we would like to hear from you about.”

“Well. I would like to hear your other offer then. Just to see the cards.”

“Well, if you do chose to stay with us. We would like for you to be our lady in waiting.”

Y/N was very shocked and sort of confused.

“But sarrah has worked here for much longer than I-”

“If I may speak, i’m happy with wear I am Y/N there's no need to worry about me. I assure you that I love my job and the people who I work for. I respect their choices.”

“Thank you sarah. So? Little dove, your answer please?”

Y/N was silent. She wanted to stay, in all her life she had never felt so comfortable with just being herself and existing. Not afraid to move or to just breathe a single breath of air. She never did feel an ounce of discomfort with the couple the sat in front of her. If anything for the first time she truly felt a small portion of what love was when she stared at Adam and Eve, as she looked at the confidence that they had within each other even though being completely light and day. Adam was a strong man who had tendencies of being isolating and a bit shy but never a man who would let people walk all over him. Eve was similar in the fact that she asked for nothing but respect but was more confident then Adam, she was inviting and soft. Strong in her own way. Y/N wanted to know more about the mysteriously fun couple. What each of them liked, hated, enjoyed, and more. She slowly found herself wanting them to feel the same. Didn’t they already if they wanted her to stay? She decided to trust her gut that screamed out to say yes. Shunning the one thing in the back of her mind that said softly be careful and run. She knew that this voice was built up by fear from Mrs.Bloomington. If she no longer wanted to be chained by this monster, this darkness of a past dilution and all. Then she would have to remind herself that not all people were like that monster. Not evil..

“I will..Yet, you must give me space. My own room and my own clothes. I don’t want to wear a maid outfit.”

“We completely understand, is there anything else that might make you comfortable?”

“No nothing material wise. Yet I have one more thing to ask you. Please..call me Y/N or any pet names that you might like. I assure you..I like them too.”

[bugheadjones-the-third]

Title: Wounded or Not

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Summary: Jughead suffers a minor, bike accident, and even if he wasn’t really going to call her for help, Betty Cooper didn’t need a formal invitation to take care of her boyfriend.

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A/N: This is the fluff I needed to relieve a bit of the tension from the week. Gosh, I hated this week so much! I still have to study today and do lots of stuff, but finishing this ended up being a priority for obvious reasons XD Hope you have fun with this small one!

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By the time he got home, Jughead could feel the stingy pain taking over his arms and cheek. There was a pained expression spread all over his face, and the strong smell of iron was only making him scrunch his nose even more. His legs were feeling heavy as he limped around the trailer, and after he threw his keys over the counter, he couldn’t help but stop midway to the couch so he could take a deep breath. Blood was soaking the right sleeve of his red, flannel shirt and his clothes, in general, had dirt and some non-stylish rips that would be incredibly hard to clean and fix.

Everything hurt at that moment. From head to toe, it was as if his entire body was throbbing, and yet, the one thing troubling his mind at that moment was that new scratch on his bike.

Damn it, how could he have been so stupid and let something like that happen?! He’s been riding that thing for years— more than he would dare to admit in front of a judge— and yet, it only took him a moment of distraction and a cardboard box that came from nowhere to send both him and his bike down to the asphalt. It was an amateur move, for sure, but thankfully, he wasn’t going fast enough to completely screw up his motorcycle. Yet, it was bad enough to haunt his thoughts and turn him into a joke around the Serpents.

Neither Fangs nor Sweet Pea would leave him alone once they found out— and they would find out. It would be the end of his reputation, and for sure, the beginning of a new crise of migraine.

The vehicle would survive without major damages, though, and that was the most important thing since he owned no money for major repairs that were out of his girlfriend’s field of expertise. Luckily, a scratch was no problem for Betty Cooper, therefore, the rest was just the rest. His body would heal for free, and as long as there was no blood coming out of his mouth, he could consider that a victory.

A painful and bloody victory that made it hard to breath and that would probably leave some marks, but a victory, nonetheless.

At that moment, better than anyone Jughead knew that he had to disinfect those bruises and make sure to tend to those cuts before things got any worse. He knew he had to take off his clothes and head to the shower, but his body didn’t seem to care about those logical needs, deciding, instead, that the couch seemed to be the best place to stay and suffer in silence for a while. Moving his limbs had never been so painful before, and for the moment, he couldn’t help but curse himself and his pride for not even considering calling for help.

Jughead was alone. He has been, for most part of his life, and even if the blonde had managed to take over a lot of space in his lonesome life, he knew that, at times like that, he couldn’t count on her. Not because she would refuse to help and not because she didn’t know what to do, no.

If there is anyone who knows first aid in Riverdale apart from the doctors, that person is certainly Betty Cooper. She would know exactly what to do and she wouldn’t need to think twice before dropping everything and running to the trailer if he eventually called her and explained what happened.

She would help him, for sure. She would come for him and he knew he could count on her.

But by doing so, he also knew he would expose her to an unnecessary amount of concern and it would introduce her to this new role in his life that shouldn’t belong to her.

Betty is not his personal nurse. She’s not responsible for righting all the wrongs of his life, and she’s definitely not the maternal figure he lacks of that is supposed to keep him safe and warm.

She is his girlfriend. She makes him feel loved and she helps him in more ways than he could ever count, but mending his bruises is a different story.

Her hands were not meant to deal with blood. They were not meant to hold the weight of his mistakes.

However, she is Betty Cooper. And she will use her hands for whatever she wants.

He really didn’t know for how long he stood there on the couch until the front door was pushed wide open. The chilly, Riverdale breeze invaded the trailer, and unexpectedly, it also brought the vanilla scent that his nostrils love so much. His eyes darted to the entrance only to meet emerald ones, and by the look on her face, Jughead could tell he was in big trouble.

Apparently, Betty had found out about his small accident, and since it was not by him— well— chances were she was going to be mad as soon as she made sure that he was okay.

Unlike popular belief, Elizabeth Cooper is not your kind and forgiving, small town girl, no. She can be fierce and tough if someone pushes her buttons, and even if he finds that incredibly attractive about her, the raven haired boy knows better than anyone that is not really nice to be at the end of her stick.

But it was not like he could actually run from her.

“ Forsythe Pendleton Jones the Third!” She started, dropping her bag at the entrance and quickly making her way towards living room. She found herself a spot next to him on the couch, her hands already rushing to touch his face and inspect his bruises. There was a certain anger lingering on her voice, but the concern in her eyes betrayed her rough facade. “ Were you not hurt, I swear to god I would be smacking your arm right now for leaving me so worried!”

“ Wow… You used my real name. I don’t know if I should be scared or excited about this, Betts.” He smirked, not being able to hold back his characteristic dark humor, only to be scolded by her green glare. Perhaps, it would be wiser to keep his sarcasm inside for a while.

“ How did this happen? Were you and the boys doing something stupid? Did you lose to Sweet Pea or something?” She asked, saying all the things that were crossing her mind at that moment.

“ Honestly… I’m offended that you think I’d lose to Sweet Pea. Have you ever seen him driving that thing he calls bike?” He grinned, even if moving his facial muscles hurt, and took a deep breath before continuing. “ Though, I assure you that this time I was minding my own business when a box suddenly came flying on the road! Seriously, it came from nowhere like it was alive or something!”

“Tch, were you at least wearing a helmet? Because Mr. Jets had no trouble in identifying you, Jug!”

“ Of course I was, Betty. I would never risk hurting my face like that. I know you love me for my looks, so I can’t risk it, right?” Betty arched her brows in an are-you-serious way, and if anything, he could consider her reaction an improvement from her previous state of pre-explosion. She seemed to have softened a bit by now that she knew a bit more of the situation, but still— “ Wait, how may I ask, did you know what happened? And more precisely, that it happened in front of old Bennie’s grocery shop?”

“ It was definitely not by you, Jughead. “ A sigh escaped her lips, as she finally dropped her hands to her lap and closed her eyes. Betty was visibly calmer now as she seemed to be considering her next moves, and he could say he had dodged a blonde bullet. Green eyes came to view again, and she withdrew her lips for a second before offering him an explanation. “ He told me about it. I was walking by and imagine my surprise when Mr. Jets came to me and apologized for dropping the box the sent my boyfriend to the ground. I was so worried about you that I didn’t even have time to grab the bag of groceries he offered you as an apology.”

“ Are you serious, Betts? How could you forget that?! Do you know if there were those cinnamon rolls in there, too? Because if so, I’ll go out there myself to eat them! And for free!”

“ You’re not going anywhere, Jug. Tch, geez… You’re all hurt and bleeding, and are you seriously just thinking about those cinnamon rolls?”

“ ….. Maybe?”

“ You’re impossible, you know?”

“ But don’t you just love me like that?”

Her emerald eyes were a lot calmer than before, for the anger had completely dissipated by now. She was looking at him with a worried expression that hurt more than his bruises, and if anything, he just wanted to move both his arms to wrap her in a warm embrace. Jughead considered moving from his spot, but before only the idea could bring him pain, her soft, small hands were on his, as she massaged his his skin with her thumb in a soothing rhythm. Betty was holding him with just enough strength not to hurt, and for the first time since she entered the trailer, the Cooper girl finally allowed herself crack her strong facade in front of him.

“ … Are you okay, Jug?”

A sigh escaped his lips, and he wasted no time in holding her hand tighter with enough strength to show her he was, indeed, okay. “ I’m fine, Betts. It was just a couple of scratches that will heal soon, don’t worry.”

“ Are you sure? What if you broke something? What if you’ve lost too much blood? Oh, Jughead… Can you not feel any part of your body?”

“ Oh, believe me, I can feel everything just fine. A lot more than I wanted, to be honest.”

“ Do you think we should go to the hospital? Or maybe call an ambulance?”

“ Wow, take it easy there, Betty.” He chuckled, offering her a small grin. “ I’ll be fine. I just need to clean this stuff and take some painkillers. I’ll be good as new in no time.”

“ Are you sure?”

“ Positive. Now don’t worry about me, okay?”

“ That’s a lot easier said than done, Jug….” A weak smile crossed her lips as she released a deep sigh. She bit her lower lip, taking her time to consider her options now that she was a little calmer and could think straight. His eyes were studying her face carefully, trying to anticipate her next move, but before he could even come up with anything, she released her grip around his hands and clapped hers together. Determination was now filling her green eyes, for they seemed to be on fire as they locked with his, and Jughead couldn’t help but swallow dry. 

Apparently, Betty had made up her mind, and if anything, he knew his plan of keeping her out of that whole, bloody mess was about to be crashed. He tried to bring himself to protest, however, the blonde was faster and stopped him before he even had the chance of saying anything. “ Alright. We need to take off your clothes, Jug. We need to fix you before it gets worse and for that, we can’t just stay here on the couch the whole afternoon.”

“ I was on my way to doing that, actually. I was about to go grab the first aid kit and—“

“ Oh, great! So you two did buy the stuff I asked you to!” She said, somehow cheerfully, before standing up. She straightened her ponytail and took off her white keds so she could walk faster in her socks. “ Is it in the bathroom?”

“ Yeah, I think so, but Betts, you don’t have to—“

“ Good! I’ll go prepare you a bath so we can clean those cuts, and do you think we’re gonna have to cut your shirt?”

“ What? No! No need to cut it. I just need you to—“

“ Okay! Then I’ll go and start the water. You wait right here until I get back for you.”

Seeing her doing all of those things in an almost automatic mode made his heart clench in anxiety. His breathing was becoming unease, his throat was going dry and his eyes couldn’t leave her as she moved around the trailer in order to gather the things she was going to need. She was getting lost in that messy side of his life he never really wanted her to know, and she didn’t seem to know how bad that could be for her.

Betty was about to stain her hands with his blood, and that is something he had never wanted for her. She didn’t deserve this, no. She didn’t deserve to have to act like that just for his sake.

She didn’t deserve to act like a mother. Not like his mother.

He had to stop her. He had to stop her before it was too late.

“ Betty, wait a minute.” He tried to move, only to feel a stinging pain on his arm as he unconsciously tried to support his weight on it in order to stand from the couch. “ Shit…”

“ Jug!” She turned to face him, pure concern alive in her eyes. “ I told you to wait there for me. I’m here to—“

“ You’re not my mom, Betts!” His voice came out an octave louder than her had initially planned, stunning the blonde and stopping her before she could reach out to him. Her eyes widened at his words and her pink lips parted in awe. “ You’re not… You don’t have to do this kind of stuff, Betty. It’s not your job to take care of me like that…” He smiled, but he was sure his face wasn’t showing any trace of happiness at that moment.

His heart was aching inside his chest now, for he knew exactly how things would end up. He was telling her what to do and to ignore a part of his life, and thanks to previous experiences, Jughead knew it wouldn’t take long for her to just turn away from him. Betty is fierce and untamable, and if anything, trying to protect her would only push her away from him.

Trying to keep her in the shadows would, eventually, make her walk away from him.

Though that was bound to happen in the future, right? She was bound to leave him just like everyone else.

Just like his mo—

“ I’m not your mother, Jughead.” She stated, her voice with absolutely no trace of hesitation or doubt. “ I’m your girlfriend. Even if it’s not my job to take care of you, I’m doing this because I care.”

“ But—“

“ No buts, Jughead! Seriously, why can’t you just be happy and let me help you without being so pessimist all the time? I’ve already told you I love you and no matter how stubborn you are, I would never not care. So just let me do my stuff, okay?”

His eyes widened at her words, his heart skipping a beat in a hopeful feling. Betty caught him by surprise, for it was as if she was reading his troubled mind at that moment. Once again, she was telling him the words he wanted— needed— to hear, and even if all the odds told him he shouldn’t take her words to heart and that they were both too young to know the meaning half of the things they tell each other; Jughead couldn’t help but be happy.

Now, more than ever, he was happy to have her by his side. He was happy to have her taking care of him, as if he was a little boy in need of a healing kiss from the girl he loves.

Betty is not his mother. Thankfully, she will never be.

And even if he was old enough to take care of himself, having a beautiful blonde tending to his wounds didn’t seem so bad, right?

“ Fine… You win.” He smiled, relaxing back on the couch. “ I’ll be your patient for the day, Doctor Cooper. Though I’ll want those cinnamon rolls later."

She sighed, a smile making its way to her lips. “ Do you think you deserve them, Jones?”

“ Of course I do. I’m injured!”

“ Tch.. You really are impossible, Jug. I’ll go heat up the shower.” She said, making her way towards the bathroom. Her blonde ponytail was bouncing behind her, and when she arrived at the end of the hallway, she—

“ Betty…”

“ What is it?” She turned to face him once again, curiosity concern rolling her face.

“ Just… uhmm… Thank you.” He smiled, nervously, as if he was embarrassed for taking so long to say such words. " Thank you for being here with me.”

“ … Sure.” A bright smile made its way to her face, and he could feel his chest getting warmer at such view. “ You’re more than welcome, Jug.”

Perhaps, he could get used to that. Perhaps, depending on her for small things wouldn’t be so bad, after all.

.

.

.

A/N:  So, what did you think?? I tried my best to add a mix of emotions to Betty and I hope you were able to see the reason why XD Please, tell me what you think! Also… I was thinking about continuing this…She still needs to give him a shower, after all… Would you guys like that? I’m sure Jughead would hahaha

[jeon-jungkxook]

La Douleur Exquise | 01

Summary: “It was a question you had worn on your lips for days - like a loose thread on your favorite sweater you couldn’t resist pulling - despite knowing it could all unravel around you.

’Do you love me?’ you asked.

In his hesitation, you found your answer.”

Genre: Soulmates!Taehyung (ft. Jeon Jungkook); Smut + Angst; Hanahaki Disease (not my idea) 

La Douleur Exquise - French: (n.) the heart-wrenching pain of wanting the affection of someone unattainable.

You were six years old when you discovered that not all roses were red. It seemed ignorant to believe that those kinds of flowers can only come in one color, yes, however those were the only types of roses you ever grew up around. You were on a field trip with your first grade class to a farm, seated next to the new kid in your school.

Kim Taehyung.

Apparently, you were the best student in your class and your teacher thought of that as the perfect excuse to push the boy onto you - forcing him to shadow you for the past week and a half.

Taehyung was a shy boy, keeping to himself and never causing any trouble. He barely spoke to you even when you attempted several times to start up a conversation of some sort. He’d only provide you with a one-worded reply, making you feel as though you did something to him - but you knew better than to think that of him.

“So,” you turned to the child and watched as his round eyes widened, resembling saucers, as his head snapped in your direction. His hands began to fidget with the hem of his bright green sweater and he trapped his bottom lip in between his teeth, visibly chewing on the flesh there.

“Do you like the farm?” Taehyung’s breath hitched in his throat as he let his eyes travel down to your bright pink lips. The way they formed a genuine smile was so heart-warming, but that didn’t stop his heart from beating a mile a minute.

How was he supposed to answer this? Of course he loved the farm, after all he’d grown up there with his grandmother. He wanted to tell you all about the crops he helped her to grow, his favorite cow he named Luna, and more - he just couldn’t, and he didn’t know why.

“U-um, yes. I used t-to live on a f-farm with my grandma,” he stuttered.

Taehyung watched as your eyes lit up in surprise, and he wondered what could’ve made such an expression dominate your features. Little did he know that he - finally, replied with more than two words. You could tell that he was nervous, as he was around everyone he interacted with, but at least he was warming up to you (if that’s what you could even call it).

“Really?” You gasped, casually placing your right hand over his quaking ones. At this, Taehyung flinched ever-so-slightly but he didn’t pull away - and soon enough, he halted his fidgeting fingers as he let his cold hands rest under your warm ones. “What was it like?”

Soon enough, Kim Taehyung, the kid you thought would never say anything other than ‘yes’ or ‘no’, was opening up to you - telling you about Luna, the crops he grew, and the garden that he visited everyday.

“I really do love flowers,” he smiled up at you. “My favorite is Baby’s Breath and my grandma’s are roses - the white ones-”

“There are white roses?!” You squealed, and Taehyung peered up at you with confusion lingering in his chocolate brown orbs. “Yes,” he whispered.

“I though roses were only red!” You gasped, and Taehyung found sudden interest in the ground beneath him as you babbled about your stupidity for thinking that only red roses existed.

“You’re not stupid, (Y/N),” he chuckled - and that was the first time he’d ever said your name. Your eyes widened as your left hand came to cover your mouth. You didn’t even know he’d known your name until this moment, and before you could stop yourself, you were throwing your arms around the boy next to you.

“Taehyung, you said my name!” You whispered in his ear as he stilled. What was so great about saying someone’s name? Apparently (Y/N) liked hearing her name, Taehyung thought. Why else would she react this way? But then it hit him - that was the first time he’d said your name, and a pang of guilt and regret swirled in the center of his chest.

You’d been nothing but generous, sweet, and caring towards him and he repaid you by giving you the silent treatment? He didn’t mean to, but that didn’t stop the remorse from seeping into his veins and swallowing him whole - and soon enough, Kim Taehyung was wrapping his arms around your waist, letting his forehead rest on the junction between your neck and shoulder.

“Yeah, I did,” he grinned.

You were thirteen years old when you learned about soulmates. You were in the girls’ restroom, seated on the toilet in one of the many stalls when you overheard a conversation about soulmates.

“I’ve heard that once you share a kiss with your soulmate, you get a gaurdian angel that does anything and everything to make sure that you end up with your other half,” one of the girls squealed as the others all let out ‘oohs’ and ‘ahs’.

“But,” she continued. “Let’s say the girl believes in soulmates but the boy doesn’t. The boy will never get an angel to guide him to his other half. This can also happen if the boy doesn’t feel the same way about the girl after the kiss is shared.”

“Wow,” another girl sighed. “This is just- wow!”

“Wait so,” a high-pitched girl interrupted. “Let’s say after a while the boy starts to fall in love with the girl - or he starts to believe in soulmates. Will his gaurdian angel appear?”

“Hell no! He’s on his own even if he does start to love her.”

Those girls knew everything about soulmates, you thought. Eagerness coursed through your veins as your lips stretched into a wide grin. “I’m ready to find my soulmate when the time’s right!” You whispered after the group of girls exited the bathroom. “Even if my soulmate doesn’t love me or doesn’t believe in that stuff, I’ll love him and get him to feel the same way about me!”

Little did you know how wrong you were about that small statement - nor did you know much you’d hate roses later on in life; especially the white ones.

That day at lunch, you skipped over to your table where Taehyung sat - patiently waiting for your arrival. Once the boy spotted you, his beautiful brown eyes that you’d loved so much were widening with happiness as a smile grew on his plush lips.

Taehyung had grown to be a more out-going boy, making friends here-and-there and even becoming a ‘social butterfly’. After your encounter with him at the farm, you two were best friends - and you liked it that way. In fact, you loved it that way, just the two of you spending time together. Sure, he’d hang out with his other friends, but he would always try his best to include you and you were grateful for that.

“Finally! I thought you were gonna ditch me or something,” Taehyung laughed in a very nervous manner.

The boy had come a long way from the anxious mess he was back in first grade - but that didn’t mean he never showed small, yet noticable signs of anxiety at least once a day. “Of course not, Tae,” you chuckle, and his tensed shoulders relaxed a bit.

During your seven years of friendship, you’d also learned that Kim Taehyung was a very emotional person - and he also had a very low self-esteem (which you were working on building up daily). “C'mon, let’s eat lunch,” you breathed as you took a seat across from him, opening your lunch box.

That day, you told Taehyung about soulmates as well as the pros and cons of finding one. He seemed intrigued and his hand even found yours to give it a light squeeze. “This is great and all, but just remember that whoever our soulmates are - we stay friends. Don’t let anything or anyone get in the way of our friendship, okay?”

Your breath hitched in your throat as you gazed at the boy in front of you. Never have you heard such a deep, touching statement come out of Kim Taehyung’s mouth, but you agreed without hesitation - returning his squeeze and nodding your head.

“Agreed.”

You were now nineteen years of age, headed to a frat party with Taehyung. Six years has passed now, and Taehyung had grown into a beautiful man. His hair was recently dyed a dark brown, and his ears were peirced - on his left ear, he had three peircings while his right ear only held two earrings. Nonetheless, Kim Taehyung was one hot guy, to say the least. Not only has his features changed, but his voice had transfigured into a sound so deep, that it resembled Satan himself. He’d also grown into a man that - if you didn’t know any better - didn’t know what shy or quiet meant.

“Okay, this is it,” Taehyung breathed as he turned his vehicle off and stepped out, jogging around to the other side in order to open the door for you. A gentleman.

You wore light blue skinny jeans, medium-sized rips in the knees of your pants, and on your upper half was a black, long-sleeved crop top. Meanwhile, Kim Taehyung was clad in black, leather skinny jeans and an oversized, white Puma sweater. Casual, yes, but he still looked as if he could be a model. In other words, you had a major crush on your best friend, for approximately seven months.

Approximately.

Taking your hand in his large ones and lacing his fingers with yours, Taehyung pulled you towards the booming house. “I wanna get drunk tonight, and you’re gonna do it with me,” he grinned, and your eyes widened in horror.

“Then who the hell is going to get us back home?” You said as you slapped him playfully on his broad shoulder with your free hand. “Don’t worry about that. We could crash here or just sleep in the car,” he suggested and you shook your head in disapproval, yet the thought of getting drunk didn’t bother you as much as it should’ve.

School was tough these past few weeks and you just needed to forget about all of that for at least one night. Without another thought, you were looking into your best friend’s big brown eyes and giving him a wide grin.

“Let’s get drunk, then!”

About two hours later, you and Taehyung were a ‘drunken mess’. You were both seated in a large circle now, waiting for the game of Spin the Bottle to begin. The boy sat across from you and next to you was Hoseok and Yoongi - two of Taehyung’s close friends.

“Alright! We’re starting!” Hoseok, the owner of the house, yelped. “I’ll go first.” The man reached for the empty beer bottle and, with a flick of his wrist, the object was spinning until it stopped - facing a girl who was in your psychology class, yet you had no clue who the hell she was.

Hoseok’s eyes lit up as the two crawled towards the middle of the circle and locked lips for about a minute. You watched as the girl practically melted into the boy’s touch whilst Hoseok slid his tounge into her mouth. But soon enough, the kiss was over and it was your turn to spin the bottle.

Completing the same exact action as Hoseok had done when getting the bottle to move, you watched as it spun and spun until it landed on a very familiar face. Taehyung eyed you with a smirk as he made his way to the middle of the circle and you moved a bit slower than he had, but you reached him nonetheless.

Before you were even able to take in a shaky breath, Taehyung was crashing his lips onto yours, his hands snaking around your waist and you moved your arms to wrap them around his neck. His lips were soft, but slightly chapped, and they moved along with yours. Soon enough, his wet muscle was swiping across your bottom lip, silently asking for access, and you obliged a second later.

His tounge explored every inch of your mouth, leaving nothing untouched - and when it came to slide across your teeth, you sucked the pink muscle into your mouth, earning you both roars of excitement from the others that surrounded you.

Taehyung was the first to break away from the kiss as he gazed at you with eyes that had darkened significantly. “Let’s go get another drink,” he smiled as he took your hand, leading you to the nearby kitchen. As he lead you to said kitchen, you felt an unfamiliar tingling that traveled from the tips of your toes to the center of your chest. It was a calming sensation, yet it bothered you simply because you didn’t know where it came from.

Once you reached your destination, Taehyung grabbed a solo cup, taking a gulp out of it before handing it to you. You looked up at the boy as you emptied the remaining contents into your mouth, receiving a wide smile from the opposite.

Taehyung was way too drunk to comprehend what had just gone on between the two of you, but you had sobered up a bit due to the strange tingling. Maybe it was just the alcohol, or the weed you could smell from a mile away. Who knows?

Certainly not you.

“That was fun wasn’t it-” Taehyung began. You peered up at your friend in confusion to find him eyeing a woman that’d just entered the kitchen. She wore a pair skin-tight jeans that adorned her curves, and on her upper half was a spaghetti strap crop top with a v-neck so deep, she might as well be wearing nothing but her bra.

She’s probably one of those whores I’ve heard about, you thought. But you were very wrong, and you learned that when Taehyung strode over to the girl and gave her a small, yet meaningful embrace.

“Rose! It’s so good to see you,” Taehyung beamed, resting his hands on her shoulders.

“You too, Tae!” She blushed.

Tae…?

Taehyung wrapped his muscular arms around the girl’s waist and leaned down to give her a peck on her lips. They both giggled and joked around, forgetting that you were even in the room to begin with.

That’s when you felt it for the third time that day. The heat began at the tips of your toes and, unlike the first or second time, it didn’t take its time rushing to your midsection. The heat was a bit too warm to be called comfortable, and instead of settling in your chest, it raced to your stomach sending stabbing pains to your abdomen.

Hunching over, your scurry to the nearest restroom and swing the door open, thankful that it was vacant of any horny couples. You kneel over the toilet, making sure that you shut and lock the door before doing so, and inhale deeply.

This was definitely not the alcohol, it was something deeper, painful even - and a couple of minutes later, it had you heaving up the alcohol you had consumed earlier. But you weren’t done yet. As soon as all the contents of your stomach was into the toilet bowl, you began to cough up something soft and silky.

Squeezing your eyes shut, you grasp your chest as the contents spill out of your mouth once more. Once your were - finally - done with your little vomiting extravaganza, you peeled your eyes open to find millions of medium-sized rose petals swimming in the toilet water.

But they weren’t just any rose; they were the white ones - the ones 6-year-old Kim Taehyung showed you at the farm, the ones that you labeled as your favorite flower ever since that day.

After cleaning yourself up by the sink, you unlock the wooden door and walk out of the restroom as if you hadn’t just gagged up flower petals. You couldn’t stay here and watch as Taehyung and that girl groped and kissed each other as if they were in the confines of their own room - when they were actually in someone’s fucking kitchen.

Entering the room in which the two stood, you went up behind Taehyung and grabbed the car keys out of his back pocket - where he always kept them. The boy whipped his head around to face you, shock and confusion written on his handsome face.

“(Y/N)!” He breathed. “Ah, don’t do that shit. You scared me.” Taehyung visibly relaxed and his features contorted into that of worry. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m going home,” you deadpanned. “I’m not feeling too good, maybe you can get a ride from… Rose - that’s her name right?” You pointed your index finger at the silent woman and her gaze shifted to you.

“Um, are you sure? I could just come with you now-” you cut him off.

“No! It’s fine, I don’t wanna ruin your fun or anything,” you give him a fake smile, and you know he doesn’t believe you but he doesn’t push any further.

“Fine, see you when I get back!” He waves you off as he hands the solo cup in his hand to Rose, letting her drink from him for a bit.

When you arrived at you and Taehyung’s shared apartment, you entered the shower, basking in the hot water as it hit your skin. You decided that you wouldn’t bother to wash your hair tonight, as you were too drained to do so.

After your shower, you threw on your pajamas and hopped onto your queen sized bed - enveloping yourself in your white down comforter. As if on que, you yawned as you stretched your body, hugging one of your fluffy pillows close to your body - and seen enough, you were drifting into a deep slumber.

You woke up to a tall, dark figure gently removing your comforter from your body. Eyes widening in horror, you sat up to find - not Taehyung - but a total stranger. “W-who are-” you began to shout, but the man was quick to cover your mouth with his large hand.

“Shh,” he gave you a warm smile. “I’m not here to hurt you; I’m only here to protect you, okay love?” Your mouth went dry as you had no words for this man. A second later, his warm hand was off of your mouth and you watched as he made his way to your beside table, where your lamp sat. The figure turned on the source of light and made his way back to you and pointed at your top.

“That’s going to have to come of,” he breathed and you snapped your head in his direction. “So you can put on a new one,” he finished.

“B-but this one isn’t dirty,” you whispered, peering up at the handsome man with furrowed eyebrows. “I am fully aware of that,” he chuckled. You watched as his doe eyes crinkled into little crescent moons as his grin widened and his pearly whites were revealed.

“But I just need you to do it, okay? Trust me.” With that, the man was stripping himself of his white T-shirt and placing it beside you on your bed. Before you could even say anything, he was reaching for the hem of your shirt and lifting it over your head.

You we’re so flabbergasted that you didn’t even move to cover your exposed chest, but the man seemed to not pay much attention to that part of you anyway.

Thank fuck.

“Uh, can I at least ask you who you are and why you’re here?” You asked, breath shaky. “I’m Jungkook,” was his only response.

“Okay, so why are you here?”

Instead of receiving a reply, Jungkook went on to his knees and hooked his long fingers around the spandex of your joggers, pulling them down. You still weren’t able to move, as his actions flustered you to the maximum.

Once you were free of any clothing, safe for your underwear, Jungkook got to his feet once more and grabbed his T-shirt, pulling it over your head. “There,” he sighed with an emotionless face. “Lay down, love.” Without as much as a second thought, you obliged and got comfortable on your pillow, pulling your covers over you.

You heard Jungkook shuffling around the room and you peeked from under your covers to find him removing his own joggers and pulling his underwear down with it. “What the fu- Jungkook! What are you doing?!” You squeaked.

“Just go to sleep, don’t worry about me,” he whispered back, the slightest bit of annoyance lacing his words. How could one fall asleep when a handsome stranger was stripping right in front of them? You watched as Jungkook threw his underwear somewhere across the room as he did the same to your previous clothing. He then pulled his light grey joggers back on, his upper half still bare - revealing his chocolate abs and his strong arms.

You silently watched as Jungkook made his way to the side of the bed that you weren’t laying on and climbed in, but not quite laying down just yet. “Ugh,” he puckered his face in shame. “I almost forgot.”

Before you were able to ask what it was that he forgot, Jungkook was pulling you up in a sitting position - and the next minute, he had his hand right above your chest area. You suddenly began to feel a tinge of warmth along with a small, bearable pain on your collarbone. A couple more seconds, and Jungkook was removing his hand as he admired whatever the hell it was that he’d just done to your body.

“What did you do…?” You questioned, not quite trusting this man, for you’d only knew him for about a half an hour. “Don’t worry about it, you’ll find out tomorrow, now lay down and go to sleep.”

You were too lazy to ask him anymore questions, so you did as you were told and got into your sleeping position. That was soon interrupted when you felt the boy scoot closer to you and turn you around so that you were in a spooning position (him being the big spoon, of course).

Jungkook’s arms snaked around your waist, pulling you closer - if that was even possible at this point - and he nuzzled his nose into the junction between your neck and your shoulders.

Warmth crept up your neck and settled on your cheeks as you felt Jungkook’s breath on the shell of your ear. Not only did you feel his cool breath, but you also felt his penis pressing on to your butt which had your breathing come to a halt, but you quickly found a distraction.

“Oh! The light is still on,” you said in a way too enthusiastic manner. Removing yourself from the boy’s body, you reach to turn off the light and go back to laying down - this time in a position of your choice. “What are you doing?” He asked as you layed down, facing him and his arm automatically slung around your waist, pulling you closer to him.

“I like this better, I could feel your dick the other way,” you shamelessly told him and watched as his features contorted into that of amusement. “I see,” he replied. “Go to bed now.”

As your eyes fluttered shut, you took a deep breath when you felt a soft pair of lips, which you assumed was Jungkook’s, connect with yours. “Goodnight, love. I’m here now; your guardian is here.“

And with that, you’d fallen into a deep slumber - for the second time that night.

Author’s Note: Taehyung is a mess and Jungkook stripped in front of you hehe… I’m finally posting again!!! Sigh, it’s been rough this school year but I’ve mustered up enough courage and time to create LDE. Tell me what you think about it, asks and comments are always appreciated whether it be good or bad bc we all know there’s always room for improvement. Look forward to part 2!!!

[spicelupin-blog]

L.Lovegood: Important

(I headcanon Elle Fanning as Luna btw that’s why I used this gif, but to each, their own ya know)

Luna Lovegood. Golden Trio Era.

Summary: Luna Lovegood is the most important person in your life and she shows you how important you are to her.

Warning: SMUT!!! Reader losing virginity type situation.

Genre: Smut and very fluffy

Pairing: Luna Lovegood  x Female Reader

Words: 2297

Requested by @fleurhermione : Hi I was wondering if I could get Luna lovegood smut were your both in the same year (5th year) and dating and your a Hufflepuff and you take your relationship to another level (first time together) and it’s sweet and sensual and just really loving and passionate and sweet. Fluff at the end. Please and thank you so much 😊

I couldn’t blame them. Befriending a timid baby-faced eleven-year-old that is decked out in yellow and black wasn’t everyone’s priority. Nonetheless, I found myself disheartened by the lack of attention. In a letter, my mother suggested approaching someone myself. She said that if waiting around was getting me nowhere, then why not?

That’s how I ended up in the seat next to Luna Lovegood on the third day of Transfiguration.

“Is anyone sitting here?” I inquired as I fiddled with a loose strand of hair.

The girl looked up at me with blue eyes the size of saucers. I glanced at her desk, noting the upside down magazine that laid open in front of her. I heard some of my dorm mates talking about her before. They were calling her an airheaded freak yet, I didn’t find her reputation off-putting.

Luna’s lips formed a kind smile. “Not at all.”

I smiled back and moved to sit down.

“Ooh, watch out!” Luna warned, hurriedly grabbing my arm to prevent me from making contact with my seat.

I stared at her questionably with a cocked brow. “Is something wrong?”

Luna simply brushed off something that I could not see and gave a sigh of relief. “There. Much better.” She gestured for me sit back down.

I tentatively sat down, as though I was expecting another outburst. But Luna was calm the rest of class. Later, she told me that a tiny drowsy creature was napping in my chair, and she was trying to save it from being crushed.

When I was eleven, I thought Luna was strange. I would sometimes get embarrassed when she would have an outburst over some nonexistent creature, and other people would turn to stare, gawk and often times laugh.

Flashing forward to the third year, I was no longer embarrassed by Luna; in fact, I started to find her outbursts adorable and endearing. I didn’t even bat an eye at other people’s laughing or taunting because I was too wrapped up in Luna.

While all the older students were off dancing the night away at the Yule Ball, Luna and I decided we would create our own fun. The teachers were busy with the ball, leaving the halls vacant of authority. This allowed Luna and I to snag a basket of goodies from the kitchens without a hiccup, and take it to our favorite alcove.

The alcove was always empty as no one really knew of its existence. This made it perfect for our picnic.

“Okay, I got one.” I giggled, already laughing at the joke brewing in my head. Luna and I were playing a game. One of us had to fill our mouth with pumpkin juice while the other told a joke, and whenever you spat out your juice from laughing you had to give the other person one of your chocolate frogs. So far, I wasn’t doing too hot.

Luna filled her mouth, shooting me a thumbs up.

“What do you call a group of unorganized cats?”

Luna shrugged.

“A cat-astrophe.” I grinned, laughing at my own joke.

Luna’s face held back a wide grin, yet finally succumbed to a string of giggles. “Not fair!” She squealed while wiping the pumpkin juice from her face.

I was stilling laughing, now holding my stomach. “What isn’t fair?” I said through my gasps for air.

Luna pouted as she slid my prize towards me. “Your laugh is contagious. I can’t help myself from at least smiling when I hear you laugh.”

“Excuses, excuses.” I sang while waving my treat around.

Luna shook her head. “I can’t help it. When I hear your laugh it’s like hearing the best thing in the world. Like hearing rain hit a roof or a breeze ruffling leaves. It’s crisp and fills your body with light. Your joy is contagious.”

I listened to her talk, feeling a bit bashful by the end. “Thanks…” I played with my fingers, my cheeks turning pink.

Luna scooted to sit next to me on the wall facing the window. The stars were lit up amongst the falling snow and you could faintly hear music playing somewhere below. I felt Luna grip my hand with her soft milky fingers.

“Y/N?” She asked softly. For the first time since I’ve known Luna, she seemed unsure.

I raised an eyebrow. I could feel a familiar butterfly expanding in my stomach when Luna tough my hand, but looking into her eye I could feel it explode.

“I need to tell you something.” Luna began, sounding a bit nervous. “It’s important to me. So please just listen. Even if you don’t like was I say.”

“Of course, Luna.” I nodded, urging her to continue by squeezing her hand.

Luna’s eyes fixed on our joined hands. I began to think she was lost in thought when her head snapped up and suddenly her lips were pressed to mine. My head swam with a million thoughts before settling on one: this is way better than the Yule Ball.

With that, my eyes fell shut and I allowed myself to melt into Luna’s soft lips.

Fourth year seemed to trudge on. The school was so tense with the threat of Dark Magic, and the even more prominent threat that was Professor Umbridge. The Dark Lord might have been alive a gaining strength, but to every Hogwarts student, the only real danger was a detention with the pink toad.

“She the worst!” I barked out. I was pacing in front of the large rock Luna was propped on. Luna had been listening attentively to my rant about Umbridge for a good chunk of time, yet her observant eyes did not falter.

“How dare she put students through this?!” I gestured to the words engraved on my flesh.

Luna shuddered. “She’ll get what she deserves. I’m sure of it.”

I shook my head, plopping down on the grass by Luna. “When? She’s a Ministry puppet so she could get away with anything.”

“Life is funny.” Luna responded, and I knew that was Luna’s way of saying, “Everything will work out.”

I leaned my head on Luna’s shoulder, and she leaned her head on the top of my mine. Most students were inside eating dinner, but Luna and I decided to skip. We hadn’t had one of our traditional picnics since October, and we figured it was about time. Instead of staying inside we set up by the Black Lake. We didn’t want to be caught by Umbridge or Filch when the whole of the DA was in deep enough shit.

“Luna?” I asked softly.

Luna made a noise of acknowledgment that was muffled due to her face being nuzzled in my hair.

“Did you hear about Harry and Cho?” I internally sighed at how gossipy my question sounded, but trust me it had a point.

Luna nodded, moving away from my hair enough to be heard. “They snogged before Christmas, right?”

“Yeah and I asked Hermione if they were dating, and she said it wasn’t her place to answer,” I explained while twiddling with a loose string on my Hufflepuff scarf. I felt the rare awkwardness between us rise.

“Hermione doesn’t like gossip,” Luna shrugged, then narrowing her eyes at me. “I thought you didn’t either. Are you feeling okay?”

I looked away as my cheeks grew heated. “I’m fine. I just… I don’t know. I want to know something.”

“And what is that, Y/N?” Luna enquired in an airy tone.

I took a deep breath and let the question fall out with it. “Are you my girlfriend?”

Luna raised her eyebrow like she was surprised. Her reaction only made me continue my nervous rambling.

“Because I think you are, but I’m not sure. We kiss and cuddle, but was am I to you? Because I know what you are to me.”

“…and what am I to you?” Luna asked in a gentle voice that lulled my rapid heartbeat into a docile patter.

“You’re my best friend. You’re the only person who’s ever authentically loved me unconditionally. You’re the most fascinating person I’ve ever met, and I aspire to radiate the effortless confidence you do. You’re the most important person in my life.”

Luna flung her arms around my neck and pulled me into a hug. I wrapped my arms around her in response and allowed her to knock me to the ground. She let go and hovered above me, whispering, “You’re the most important person in my life, too.”

Before I could respond, Luna pressed a soft kiss to my lips. I let my hands wander down to grip her hips as the kiss began to get more intense. Luna’s body seemed to melt into mine as her hand dug into my hair. We were attached to each other in a way that only my dreams had ever conjured.

Even though we were close I wanted to be closer. I let my legs fall open, and allowed Luna’s hips to settle in the freed space. Feeling her warm body pressing into my own that way I couldn’t help the little moan that escaped me.

“Y/N…” Luna whimpered, breaking away to look at my face. Her pupils were blown wide leaving only a blue ring around the darkness. “I…”

“I want you, Luna,” I whispered in her ear. I shiver ran through both of our bodies. “Please, do something.”

Luna bit her lip and nodded. “Let me know if you want to stop.”

“I won’t want to,” I swore, wrapping one of my legs around her hips. “But if you feel weird at all…”

“I’ll let you know, honey,” Luna mumbled as she leaned in to kiss me again.

The snogging made my entire body heat up. I felt a pool of heat at the bottom of my stomach, and soon I couldn’t help rubbing myself on Luna.

“Please, Luna…” I whined, soon finding myself humping the air as she pulled away to kneel between my legs. I watched her soft hands run from my ankles to the hiked up hem on my skirt. The stopped at the hem that was resting just below my panties.

“Are you-?”

I cut her off by cupping her face and pecking her lips tenderly. “Do it. Do anything. I’m yours.” I promised, running my thumb over her cheekbone with as much affection as humanly possible.

Luna pecked my lips in confirmation and then proceed downwards. She gripped the hem of my underwear and pulled them down my legs. She took both my knees and spread my legs with her eyes locked between my legs.

“Wow…” She mumbled.

I blushed. “Is it okay?” I didn’t know how to not make this awkward.

Luna answered that by leaning forward and running a long lick up my folds. I felt my body surge forward and my body clench. I let out a soft moan as Luna’s tongue spread my fold apart and began prodding around. I could tell she didn’t know exactly what she was doing, but I was more than happy to be her test subject.

Luna pulled back for a moment and stared at my spot for a second before bringing a hand up to replace her mouth. “I’ve done this before to myself…” She muttered like she was trying to convince me she knew what she was doing. “That hand part, I mean.”

I nodded and felt one slim finger enter me making me gasp. It wiggled around before being joined by a second finger, and the two curled forward. I felt something inside me tingle intensely and I moaned loudly. I hoped no one had skipped dinner too and was nearby because then I’d have a lot of explaining to do.

“More,” I moaned, lodging my hands in Luna’s silky blonde hair.

Luna complied by attaching her mouth to a bundle of nerves. She pumped her fingers in out while sucking the sensitive flesh. I moaned and felt my body go through waves of pleasure. I felt pleasure from Luna’s mouth and fingers, but also from everything said earlier.

“You’re the most important person in my life, too.”

The strongest wave of pleasure overcame me. My entire body seemed to clench around Luna’s fingers and I let out a final cry. Luna continued her movements until I was lying limp on the grass.

I looked down at the beautiful girl. Luna’s white-blonde hair was in disarray and her fair skin was tinted with a flattering light pink. Her eyes seemed to be full of glitter and shone brightly in the newly arrived moonlight.

Luna grabbed my underwear which had been hanging on one of my ankles, and pulled them back into place and then readjusted my skirt.

“You seem sleepy.” She noted with a giggle.

My eyelids were growing heavy, but I reached for her anyway. “It’s your turn.”

Luna shook her head. “You’re too tired. I can have my turn when you don’t look knackered.”

I nodded, not having enough energy to argue. Luna laid next to me, and we watched the stars. As my eyelids finally fell shut, I mumbled, “I love you, Luna.”

I heard whispered in my ear in that wonderfully airy voice, “I love you too.”

Masterlist

[recentanimenews]

Cardcaptor Sakura – 61 – A Hymn of Twisted Metal

Sakura is flying around late at night…has she become a delinquent? No, she was just converting four new Clow Cards while using Mirror as her decoy in case anyone checks on her in her room. Mirror wants to tell her something, but Touya peeks in, and she has to return to her card form.

Kero-chan believes Touya is totally on to them but Sakura doesn’t see it. Why would her big bro teases her about everything—from her stomping to her tardiness to the way she eats—yet not tease her about dressing up in frilly dresses and collecting magical cards?

While escorting her to school Touya asks Sakura if he’s gotten a gift for dad yet. He needs a new wallet, but Sakura can’t afford one on her allowance, so Touya and her will pick one out and buy it together. I loved it when Sakura run down a list in her head of people for whom to give gifts…and leaves Syaoran out!

As we know, Touya knows pretty much everything about the magical goings on with Sakura, Yukito, and Tomoeda town in general. He’s pretty much onto Ruby Moon/Nakuru too! It’s just that he’s usually a passive observer and nothing more. I wonder how long he can keep that up when Yukito is growing more and more fatigued.

Sakura has homeroom duties with Syaoran, which I’m sure he sees as yet another glorious opportunity to tell her how he feels, only to be interrupted yet again, this time by Yamazaki’s inane rambling. I daresay this bit has the potential to grow stale, as one can only imagine so many iterations of Syaoran trying and utterly failing to say three simple words.

However, each instance seems to add more dimension. This time, Sakura has Syaoran translate the characters Meiling wrote in her letter, which mean “my dear friend”. Syaoran also tells Sakura that you give people “close to you” Christmas presents in Hong Kong as well, and Sakura tells him she’ll be sure to give him one. Dawww…

Speaking of confessing, Touya has said “I…you…” several times to Yukito without ever getting his intended words out. This week he comes closer than ever, telling the snow rabbit “I know the truth” before Nakuru pops out of the scenery and pounces on him anew.

After listening to Eriol practice a hymn of gratitude on the piano, Sakura prepares to meet her brother, but she and Syaoran sense Clow’s presence. She decides to go with Syaoran, and summons Mirror to go with her brother.

Once Sakura and Syaoran arrive at the location of the presence, they’re confronted by a detached metal railing with a mind of its own, full of sharp, jagged points. It’s one of Eriol’s nastier conjurings, seeing as how the animate twisted metal is a veritable hive of tetanys.

The pair hack at the metal to no avail; it simply reattaches and comes at them again and again. That’s until Sakura summons Mist, which causes the metal to corrode into harmless dust. The aftermath of their battle would appear to be a good time for Syaoran to say what he needs to say, but Sakura, having realized something, has to suddenly go!

As for Mirror!Sakura, she seems happy for the opportunity to hang out with Touya. Even though he immediately notices she’s not really his sister, he’s still kind to her and they have fun shopping and having coffee. Tange Sakura does a lovely job modulating differentiating between Sakura Prime and the quieter, gentler Mirror!Sakura’s voices.

Touya even thanks Mirror for helping Sakura, and offers her a humble gift for Christmas: hair ribbons for her normal form, which he knows has longer hair. Mirror accepts them, bursting with joy and gratitude.

When Sakura suddenly left Syaoran, it was out of a sense of duty to express her gratitude to her cards for helping her whenever she’s in tough spots. She decided to have Eriol teach her the hymn so she could play it (or at least one side of it) and record it for them to listen to.

Mirror, the only card who can communicate verbally with Sakura, warmly accepts the gift, and reveals that what she had wanted to say to her all along was thanks in return for changing them into Sakura Cards and taking care of them. Sakura’s cards love her—and who can blame them??

In the most heartwarming part of the episode, upon returning to card form, Sakura notices green ribbons in Mirror’s hair—the very ribbons Touya gave her. I have no idea how that worked, practically speaking, but it was hella sweet nonetheless!

By: magicalchurlsukui

[ikonxmx]

No Happy Endings | Wonho [M]

Warnings: Strong language, sexual suggestiveness. (no actual smut scene yet)

word count: 2,489

 “I don't think I have ever been so graphically threatened a day in my life,” Hoseok says clutching his heart.                                   

Part 2: Eating out, and eating out. Because apparently there's a difference.

“Let's go for dinner tonight. As a first official date.” Hoseok says still seated across from you. He's been here watching you quietly as you finish assignments since your earlier conversation ended.

“Why? I already said I'd pretend to be your girlfriend.” You say. Apparently, it's a bit too loud for his liking. His eyes widen and he looks around to make sure no one heard before turning back to you with a too-sweet smile.

“To keep appearances.” He answers.

You sigh and close your book. “You've obviously never done something like this before so I'm gonna give you a little run down. Dinner with your girlfriend after the relationship was reported and not announced… not a good idea. Your fans will think you don't care, some of them may think you're rubbing it in, others might think you had the information leaked intentionally.

“Lay low for a couple of weeks. Small private dates that you tried to keep hidden but somehow were crashed. A half-assed disguise like a mask and a hat shows an attempt to keep things down low. People will find it admirable that you're still being considerate of your fans even in a relationship. Got it?”

“Yeah… I think so.” Hoseok says looking at you in disbelief.

“You coming here today was already a bit too much, but you can say you were worried about how I'd be feeling after the news broke. We’ll go on an ice cream date two days from now. Remember the mask and hat.”

“But no one will know it's us.”

“They'll know. I won't be wearing a disguise. And besides, anyone who wants more information on your hidden relationship will probably follow you from your apartment. The night after the ice cream date you'll sneak out to my house. ‘I really wanted to see her, it's been so tough away from her these past few days, blah blah blah’. Play it up. You're young and in love,” you finish and begin packing your bags. “You're walking me home today too. Kiss my cheek at the door and get the hell on. That's another thing, we should set some boundaries here.”

Hoseok rose an amused eyebrow at you, “We should?”

“Yes. Although I've agreed to this I won't be your little play thing. We should be strictly professional at all times.”

Hoseok laughs, “We both know I wouldn't have to pay you to be my play thing.”

You roll your eyes and flip him off. His eyes widen and he looks around. “Careful.” He says in a harsh whisper.

You finishing packing your things and raise from your seat. “C’mon. It's 9 o’clock.”

Your walk home was filled with conversation. Back and forth information sharing. You told him the basics about your family. You let him know your major and class schedule. Your hobbies, your neighbor, you told him everything. He knows more about you than people you've shared classes with for the past two years.

“This is it.” You say as your apartment comes into view.

“I'll walk you up,” Hoseok says.

“There's no need to.”

“I insist.”

“Well, I decline.”

He huffs his frustration, “Too bad.” He says and walks past you into the door for your apartment building.

You stare at his retreating figure in shock. Pouting, you follow behind him quietly. He has no clue where he's going, though. You smirk as he stops at the stairs confused on whether or not to take them or continue down the brightly lit hallway he's been walking down. You scoff and purposely bump his shoulder as you walk past. You can hear him suck his teeth from behind you but nonetheless, he follows closely.

Two flights of stairs later and you're finally on your floor. Hoseok is the quietest he's been since showing up at your school and you appreciate the silence. However, it's quickly broken.

“Miss lady, you got some splaining to do!” Your neighbor says as she walks out of her apartment. A lit cigarette is hanging from her lips as she pulls the string in her silk robe to tighten it. She looks from you to Hoseok and takes a long drag of her cigarette. “The fuck is he?” She squints before blowing out her smoke.

“He's a-” you start only to be interrupted.

“I'm her boyfriend.” Hoseok jumps in quickly.

Your neighbor laughs a bit, “So the Internet tells the truth sometimes? Here I am thinking they're slandering my baby girl’s good name.” She says as she pulls your head down to her shoulder and lightly strokes your head.

You laugh and twist out of her grip.

“Hey, you ungrateful little shit. You get a boyfriend and suddenly my affection isn’t enough?!” She smirks and places her cigarette back to her lips.

“Of course it's enough, Mary.” You say playfully pouting.

“Yeah yeah yeah, you kiss ass.” She pulls the bud from her lips again and laughs. “Well, I was going to ask if it's true, but I can see it is. That bullshit stalker story you gave me yesterday. You could've just said the dick was too good to walk away at 9 last night.” She smirks.

“Jeez, Mary. That's disgusting.” You huff and fold your arms.

“Excuse me?” Hoseok says looking quite offended. “You weren't saying it was disgusting last night.”

Mary laughs, “You've played it up too much. I can tell you two haven't done anything” She winks. “Anyway, take care of her. She's a fucking angel and if you break her heart, I'll shove your balls up through your asshole and make them come out of your mouth. Got it?” Mary asks pointing her cigarette in his direction. She takes another drag before throwing it down and stomping to put it out. Before she even receives an answer, she's walking back into her apartment. The door slams behind her and fills the once quiet hallway with a loud bang.

“I don't think I have ever been so graphically threatened a day in my life,” Hoseok says clutching his heart.

You laugh and enter the code to get into your apartment.

“1-2-3-4? Are you kidding me? You need to change your code.” Hoseok reprimands you.

“It's easy to remember.” You shrug.

“Yeah, it's also easy to guess.” He rolls his eyes. “Change it to today’s date. Our official first day.”

“No.” You answer with an eye roll of your own.

You walk in and turn to face him. “Smile on your way out.”

“Give me something to smile about.” He smirks.

You stare at him blankly for a moment, “That's actually not a bad idea.” You note and swipe two fingers across your lipstick stained lips. The pigments transfer to your fingers easily and you roughly wipe your fingers across Hoseok's lips.

“Jeez!” He sputters and jumps away from you.

You smirk and close the door in his face.

“Why ice cream?” Hoseok asks as he picks a small bit up on the small spoon in his hand.

“Because it’s delicious.” You answer with your mouth full. “It also gives you a reason to drop your mask every now and then.”

Hoseok scrunches his nose, “Careful before it melts and falls from your mouth.”

You close your mouth and swallow the melting contents. Hoseok laughs and grabs a napkin.

“You’re a terribly messy eater.” He says wiping at your face. You pout and smack his hands away. With a roll of his eyes, he’s dropping the napkin and scooping at his own ice cream.

He’s kind of just playing with it and for some reason, it pisses you off.

“If you’re not gonna eat it then just give it to me.” You huff.

Hoseok looks at up at you through his lashes but doesn’t say anything. He drops his mask and brings the spoon to his lips.

It’s quiet between you two for awhile. Neither one of you really feels the need to talk. What can be said at this point? It was like that on the way to the ice cream shop as well. He’d slung his arm around you and smiled but other than that you guys weren’t really talking. It was a bit awkward. You played your role nonetheless. After a few minutes of silence passed you thought about how anyone watching this scene would think you two are total strangers. You are, but as far as most of the world is concerned you’ve been dating for four months already.

You wordlessly take your spoon and dig into Hoseok’s ice cream. He looks at you confused as you plop the spoon in your mouth.

“Did you want the ice cream that bad?” He asks.

You roll your eyes, “Take some of mine.” You say and offer him the bowl. He hesitates but takes some anyway. “It’s good right?”

He shrugs, “I just like plain vanilla.”

“That’s so boring.” You scoff.  

“Isn’t it?” He laughs. “I’m not that interesting.”

“The guy who needs a fake girlfriend for 6 months is saying he isn’t interesting?”

He laughs again, “Hard to believe, right?”

It’s quiet again for awhile. You two go on eating your separate ice creams and looking aimlessly out of the window.

“Hey, how come you never asked why?” Hoseok suddenly questions.

“Why what?” You say as you place another spoonful of ice cream in your mouth.

“Why I needed to lie.”

You shrug, “It wasn’t my business.”

He scoffs, “You’re involved in a lie but it’s not your business?”

“Look you’re paying me to keep my mouth shut, the less I know the better. Right?” You ask looking at him expectantly. He says nothing and drops his head back to his bowl of ice cream. You look at him a bit longer before doing the same, “Besides,” You start and gain his attention.

“Besides, what?” He asks.

“I just figured it had something to do with the girl that ran out before I ran in.”  You answer and go on eating the treat that’s quickly melting in front of you.

“Stay for 30 minutes.” You tell Hoseok the next night.

He’s at your house like you two had discussed at the library. The ice cream date had gone over like you’d predicted. Portal sites posted articles about your small date with tons of pictures connected. They’d caught moments of Hoseok smiling and the small scene you’d given when you stole a little of his ice cream.

“How did you know everything would go so smoothly… that all of that would happen?” Hoseok questions as he plops down on the first chair he finds.

You shrug, “I read a lot.”

“You read? Am I supposed to believe that? Hey… you’ve done something like this before, haven’t you?” He asks wagging an accusatory finger at your back.

“If I had, don’t you think they’d reference my ex in all of the articles being put out?”  

He frowns and drops his finger. You’ve got a point. They’d pulled information about you from thin air. Had you ever dated a celebrity before, he would’ve known about it by now. But it still makes no sense. How are you so knowledgeable on every move he needs to make? So far, he hasn’t received any negative backlash for the scandal. People called him a sweet boyfriend for checking up on you the day the news broke and they gushed over the pictures of the ice cream date.

‘We all knew Wonho oppa would make a great boyfriend.’

‘They’re such a well-matched couple.’

‘I hate to say but they look very good together.’

‘She seems like an okay person.’

You’d even managed to save your own face in the public eye. No one had anything negative to say about you. They all sympathized with how hard it must’ve been to keep the relationship a secret. There were a few angry people but they were far outshined by the supportive ones.

You decided not to consult the internet much for the next 6 months. For the sake of your own self-confidence. How brutal fans could be when their idols have confirmed dating is no secret, and you didn’t need to see someone pointing out flaws you already know exist.   

You and Hoseok use the 30 minutes to quietly watch television. IT moves quickly and soon he’s getting up to leave.

“How often do you eat out?” You quickly ask. You have to plan outings and dates for the next 6 months, and knowing his usual habits could help quite a bit.  

“Eat out, or eat out?” He says with a wiggle of his eyebrow.

Confusion is written clear across your face as you stare at him, “You just said the same thing twice.”

“Yeah, but-” He starts but stops to look at you with his own confused expression. “Hey, are you a virgin?” He quickly asks.

“No.” You answer with a roll of your eyes.

“Then how do you not pick up on all my innuendos?”

You clear your throat, “Ahhh. I get what you were saying now. I meant the nonsexual one.

The confused look is still on his face. “Has no one ever...?” He leaves the question hanging.      

“That’s not really important.”

He laughs and quickly drops his shoes and coat. “Want me to?” He asks as he drops a knee onto your bed and begins to crawl toward you. He connects his eyes with yours as he moves forward

You swallow quickly and avert your eyes. “No.”

He laughs, “It’s okay if you do.” He says and rests one of his hands on your ankle.

“If you come any closer I’ll kick you square in the balls.” You threaten and close your eyes tight. A hand sits purchase on your thigh and a very nervous you lets out a squeak before swinging your foot up.

“Fucking hell!” You hear Hoseok groan and open your eyes. Both of his hands move to cup his lower region and he falls from your bed to the floor with a loud thump. “ I was fucking kidding!” He calls.

Your eyes open wide in shock. You jump to the floor and hesitantly pat at his shoulders, “Oh my gosh, I didn’t mean to actually kick you!” You say in a bit of a panic.

“Shit!” Hoseok groans again rolling from side to side.

What the hell just happened?

Part 2 FIN.

A/N: It was sort of just a filler chapter. You might still like Hoseok now but you'll start hating him soon enough. And what do you guys think about Mary? With such an introverted character I figured someone loud and outspoken would compliment them well. Anywho, hope you enjoyed. :)

- AJ

[peachingboy]

Boku No Hero Light Novel No.2 Trans

Chapter 1: Commence the Study Groups! (そろそろの勉強会),  Part 3.

[Part 1, Part 2]

t/n: at first I didn’t think I’d get this done today but! due to the fact that bnha s2 was starting today which gave me a big motivation boost to do something bnha related and hence me plus ultra-ring through part 3! Btw I also want to say thank you to those who have left kind messages in my ask box, they really make me happy! THANK YOU <3

Kyouka is starting to get the quadratic formula’s they were going through.

“Ah I see, you can solve them like this?”

“Oh, Kyouka-san, at first glance you’ll feel like you are stuck but if you look at the question properly you will be okay.”

“As expected that’s our Yaomomo, so easy to understand!”

“Oh, please, don’t say stuff like that..” 

Kyouka’s honest thoughts about Yaoyorozu made her blush happily, her explanations made it really easy for everyone to understand.

“Yaomomo-senseiiiiiiiii- How should I do this English translation?”

“Just give me a minute Ashido-san….. ah this one…”

Yaoyorozu’s standing study plan was the most perfect, each subject was carefully timetabled together, everyone’s weak point was analysed and measured. Yaoyorozu taught everyone with kindness and carefulness which made everything easy to understand too.

When they think about all the time and preparation she’d put into this, to think in the beginning they didn’t want to enter into this palace.

Because Ashido really wanted to attend the lodge for the test of courage she is aggressively trying really hard to concentrate.

“Uh, your face is gonna explode!”

However, there is already one person who has had enough, that guy is Kaminari Denki.

From the sports festival to the work placements, they’ve literally been swept away by these events, it’s bewildering and then having to come and study, the brain is going to fry if this keeps up!

“X&Y ions combination…. auxiliary verbs…. Sumerians and Crown Shock….”

“Ahhhhh! If you say anymore, I’m going to really explode!”

Even though he didn’t emit any electricity he had on his stupid facial expression. Kaminari turns towards his neighbouring Kyouka who tells him:

“Get a hold of yourself! Don’t you want to go to the lodge?”

“I doooooooo, but even Aizawa sensei said who ever gets failing marks won’t be able to attend, I even had supplementary lessons at school!”

“AHHHHHHHH…. somebody……. anybody please exchange heads with me!!”

Ojiro tried to give him some encouraging words, but the soon to be reality for Kaminari is him blowing up and sinking, because of this Ojiro felt bad and apologised for not being more sensitive.

“Kaminari-san, should we take a break soon? It’s good to have moderate breaks, it raises efficiency” Yaoyorozu suggested, just then a voice could be heard from outside the doors.

“So then…” The door opens, and the butler enters.

“As you wished, the tea has been prepared.”

“Welcome back.”

Don’t tell me, he’s just been waiting on standby all this time???

Kyouka and the gang eyes rounded at the sight of the maids reeling in a wagon with tea and cookies in front of them. 

Just from the looks of it, the tea set prepared were obviously really expensive, they watched a crimson red coloured tea being poured out into the cups. The steam along with the soft aroma can be felt drifting in the air around them.

The butlers and maid left out to avoid getting in the way of their break so they quietly and quickly distributed the tea and left the lecture hall.

“Pleas everyone drink and eat up.”

Yaoyorozu acted as a cue and everyone stopped their studying and took a sip of the crimson red tea.

“The tea brewed by the maid for us…” The carefully brewed red tea rains down and stains the dry grounds of Kaminari’s heart.

“mhmm, that hit the spot!” The obviously exhausted Ashido complimented.

“Harrods? or something right?”

“Yes that’s correct, I personally love drinking this specific blend when studying, it’s produced in a different area, that’s why the blend produces a complex flavour of persimmons so when your brain becomes weary, you relax and drink this, it’ll instantly rejuvenate you.”

“ummmmmmmm…… I don’t really get what you just said but it’s delicious!”

“I don’t usually drink tea but this crimson red tea is really good!”

Sero and Ojiro appeared to be quite interested in the tea.

Ashido eyes began to shine at the tea coloured cookie she just dipped into her cup.

“This cookie looks real yummy!” The little distorted shapes on the cookies were kinda weird but nonetheless they were certain it was ordered from some fancy high end shop which had their version of stuff they’d thought would be delicious, well that’s what everyone thought as they put the cookies into their mouths.

Yaoyorozu smiled at everyone eating, waiting for the taste of nutrients (?) to hit, it was different from the usual sweet tastes, she anticipated them to taste the complex bitterness.

“……………………”

The five cocked their head slightly at the unexpected taste, at first they were stuck in a state of confusion but suddenly a strong bitter and pungent taste came rushing in their mouth with a strong hint of salted fish!

Their senses were going off, their tongues were tingling and their mouths and throat felt like it was under attack. They turned their head back to try and stop the smell of fish from getting into their nose.

“YGYGSHJSSJSGSGSGJSG” 

This isn’t something people can eat, they had to trust the instinct of their tongues right now, but they were in such a fancy place, there must be a reason, they have to doubt their own tastebuds.

This must be the taste of celebs.

“What do you guys think?”

To stop themselves from puking, they pressed their hands down onto their mouth, their faces turned blue and started producing cold sweat.

Yaoyorozu suddenly notices their demise, but they five just chugged down the red tea alongside the cookies.

“Is it possible that it is not suitable to your taste?”

“Ah…h n-no it’s not like that…”

“The celeb cookie is grea—–t!”

Somehow Ojiro and Ashido managed to open their mouths to try and not hurt Yaoyorozu feelings but she becomes worried she made them eat bad cookies.

“………….?!”

Yaoyorozu’s face fills with shock.

“Wai- please excuse me for a moment..”

She presses her hand against her mouth as she becomes mildly confused.

The remaining five waited for her footsteps to distant away from them before they end up throwing the cookies away.

“uwaaaa! The taste is still in my mouth..”

“These aren’t cookies anymore, they’re weapons of mass destruction!” said Ashido as she tries to drink out the taste with her tea.

Kaminari was still staring suspiciously at the cookie.

“But this really woke us up right? It got me in one shot!”

Following on from what Kaminari said, Ojiro mentions with a serious expression.

“I really had to work up the courage to take bite it once.”

Kyouka also downing her tea played lookout and kept her eyes fixed on the door.

“I wonder if Yaomomo tasted something weird, she did look confuse?”

“Ah, it doesn’t matter, she’s going to return soon.”

However, it was the opposite to what Kaminari said, it didn’t seem like Yaoyorozu was going to come back any time soon. But they can’t resume their tutoring with a teacher however, they thought with concentration, motivation and a different mindset they could atleast try,

But Kyouka couldn’t function with the smell still lingering, she’s still trying to get rid of the taste that is still swimming in her mouth with the tea.

“Wait a minute guys, I’m gonna head to the toilet”

“Ah, me too! I need to go too, I drank way too much!”

Both Kyouka and Ashido get up and opened the door, there was a maid on standby for anything they might need.

They had to hurry as the urge to pee was unreal, the long corridor playing music did not help either and Ashido was about to burst!

“fuaa- I made it! 

“It’s tough because this place is so wide!”

The two exit after washing their hands both with refreshed smiling faces, suddenly they both stopped.

“Ah…. which way was back again?”

“oh.. god”

Right or left, no matter which way they look it’s just the same continuous long corridor! It feels like they came from the right but it also feels like they came from the left.

Kyouka was embarassed about the maid waiting in front of the toilet so she sent her away, now who was going to make sure they returned back okay?

“I don’t think she’s coming, let’s just go which ever!”

“Huh?!…. wait!”

Ashido simply suggested turning to the right based on only intuition, Kyouka was unsure but followed anyways.

“They’re late…. did those guys get lost or something?” Sero asked with a laughing face, Ojiro agrees with an eyebrow raise.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if they got lost, look at this place.”

“But the maid would be there to bring them back right? They should be okay, no?”

“Nah, I think so too” Ojiro smiles. While Ojiro and Sero were conversing, Kaminari planted his face down into his notebook and started rubbing it around.

“…………………”

He wiggles the top half of his body like a giant worm, Sero and Ojiro couldn’t help but notice, they exchange looks and then watched Kaminari’s head, Sero with a calming voice asks;

“Dude, what did you just do?”

“I’m trying to get the knowledge to enter my head.”

“Dude, I don’t think that’s going to work, you’d probably lose more knowledge like that” Sero calmly pointed out as the teary eyed Kaminari raises his head.

“sooooooooooo what should I doooooooooo?!”

“Try and study normally.. don’t you think?”

“My brain has reached its limit!…. Limit!!! If I don’t get one more letter into me… uhhh….hu…good bye lodge camp… hello supplementary lesson hell.”

Even his dreams of having tea made by maids before couldn’t stop Kaminari from going into give up mode, Kaminari is just doing whatever now.

Ojiro and Sero tries their best to console him.

“I-it’s gonna be okay man! There’s still plenty of time elft!”

“Y-yeahh… Yeahh! That’s right! If we just focus hard enough we can surpass any difficulties! Remember the school’s motto!”

“PLUS ULTRA!”

“….Even if I can’t remember one more letter?”

It didn’t look like Kaminari’s give up mode was going to end anytime soon, this went against his usual positive attitude. I guess the studying and it’s stress really changes you negatively!

“Hey, you can definitely plus ultra that last letter can’t you?”

“Yeah, what Ojiro said, you can totally power through the last word! Don’t you want to attend the lodge camp?!”

His classmates kind, encouraging words had Kaminari’s stuck gears slowly moving again.

“………y-you’re right! I just need to power through this last letter!” said Kaminari as his eyes fell upon his English text book and its tightly packed lines of English letters.

From A to Z he tries to line up the letters in a formation he’d like and was able t to read from.

pa———–n, Kaminari bursts a brain cell!

“ahhhhhhhhhhhhh! I can’t I can’t I can’t!” Kaminari tries to escape from the reality as he covers his ears from Ojiro and Sero’s worrying words.

The world is cruel, he remembers the ridiculing from Mineta Minoru from a few days ago.

-When push comes to shove, you gotta do what you gotta do…

“….ha”

Kaminari lets out a dry laugh, the days before it was Kaminari who kept bragging to Mineta about going to study at Yaoyorozu’s house.

“Ay, you alright there dude?”

“Man,, you seem pretty tired, maybe you should call it a day and head home to bed?” suggested Ojiro and Sero who were seriously concerned Kaminari probably over studied.

Kaminari with a bitter smile said, “You’re wrong, Mineta… that guy… he said studying at Yaoyorozu would be helpless… that I should cheat… I keep remembering those words”

“Ha…ha, if you cheat you won’t be able to attend the lodge camp, don’t even think about that conversation with Mineta.”

“you’d get expelled dude!” Ojiro and Sero laughs together, Kaminari laughs too.

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Kaminari looks at the reflection on Sero’s arm. Sero’s quirk allows him to shoot tape from his elbows which he can control freely and draw back whenever, it’s an extremely high-tier, useful quirk. And then Kaminari suddenly remembers the class seating order, Kaminari sits diagonally behind Sero’s seat.

“hahaha….ha…. no that can’t be right….”

“hah?”

Ojiro and Sero stared at him with puzzled faces as his laugh disappeared and his frightening voices draws near to them.

t/n next part switches back to bakushima and teaser note they visit a drinks bar after escaping the library lmfao fun times, once again dependent on my speed I’ll try to post it asap.

btw pls check my acc from time to time for updates, I thought at first I could just go back to my previous updates and post links to new parts but it’s actually really troublesome to do so, so please pop back every now and then to check for updates.

And last but not least, bring on season two!

[seventeen-central]

Catch Me If I Fall - Dino Angst/Fluff (Gang!AU)

Request: Okay so I got this idea but I'm not very good at writing! Can you do like a gang AU? With maybe either Jun or Dino? (Whoever you would think would be more protective) And just have a rival gang someone try to take the reader or hurt her and they will just be hella protective and make it angsty? (Its okay if you don't do this kind of thing)

Word Count: 2898

Genre: Angst and Fluff

Member/ Group: Lee Chan (Dino) of SEVENTEEN

Warnings: Mentions of rape, violence, and death

A/N: Part 2? Tell me if you guys want it. EDIT: You guys asked, I answered. Part two is on my masterlist for all of you that sent me messages requesting it!

 Curls of smoke rose into the air and disappeared into the atmosphere. Fourteen chairs were lined against the wall and wrappers littered the entirety of the room. Each chair was occupied by a warm body, except for two. A man with a fierce expression let out a breathy sigh before tossing his cigarette onto the dirty, cracked floor. 

 “Where is he? He said he would be here an hour ago, that fucking liar...”

 “Coups! Calm your tits, bro. He’s bringing the lady today, so he probably got caught in traffic from wherever she lives. Just lay off his case a bit.”

 When anybody decided to join the ruthless gang that simply went by ‘SEVENTEEN’, their name became a secret. They would choose a nickname to go by in case the cops ever caught up with them, though a few brave souls just went by their real ones. Each member never pried for the other’s real names, because the unspoken rule was always that ‘if what we’re doing is a secret, our identities should be too.’

 Outside the only entrance to the room, the boys heard multiple pair of footsteps echoing. They all got ready to run incase it was a police officer, but their worries were resolved when they heard the familiar pattern of knocks on the door. Woozi, the most aggressive member among them, stepped forward and picked up his phone to check the camera they had planted outside the door. Just as he thought, it was the hooded figure they had come to know as ‘Dino’ and a female.

 Woozi hurriedly opened the door and pulled the couple inside and went to go sit back down.

 “Hyung, I brought food.” Dino pulled a bag from behind his back and laid each steaming box of food on the table in the center of the room. As the other twelve boys ravenously began to devour each morsel of food, Dino laid back in his chair with you sat in his lap. He was stroking your hair as you both looked at each other.

 “You guys gonna eat? Because I’m telling you now, the foods gonna be gone in the next 5 minutes.” Dino shook his head and motioned for you to stand up so you could formally introduce yourself. 

 “You guys can call me (Nickname). I hope to be helpful to all of you, and I hope you accept me and Dino’s relationship.” Your fidgeting hand was brought to a stop by the solid build of Dino’s, and he wrapped his arm around your waist. He nuzzled his chin into your shoulder and a few of the boys let out exaggerated groans.

 “Well, (Nickname), my name is Jeonghan. S. Coups is the leader around here, so if you have any questions. I am not even going to bother introducing the rest of my annoying kids the boys, you’ll get to know them eventually.” He flicked a stray hair over his shoulder and walked away to go sleep on the couch in the corner of the room. 

 The rest of the boys introduced themselves one by one, then left you and your boyfriend to your own devices. Dino sat you on a chair and began to play with your hair as you both whispered sweet nothings to each other.

 Dino, or Chan as you knew him, was anything but a tough boy. His image may have began to finally show signs of his allegiance to the night-life and criminal underground, but you still thought of him as the awkward pre-pubescent teenage boy that had saved you from falling down a staircase on your high school campus. 

 “Jagi, what do you think of the boys? I’ve been so nervous about you all meeting.”

 “Channie, don’t worry. I’m pretty sure they don’t dislike me and won’t lay a finger on me unless I hurt their precious maknae.” He laughed and pecked your cheek before a loud ‘ding!’ broke through the air. You pulled away from him and pressed the home button on your phone, and realized you had a text from your brother asking where on Earth you had disappeared to. You shot him a quick reply and said you were apartment hunting (which you and Dino had been doing before you had gotten launched into his now lavish lifestyle) and told him not to expect you home for tonight. 

 “Is (B/N) upset that we were planning on moving in together? I mean, now it’s a bit late considering that S. Coups will most likely want us to move into the HQ so we aren’t in much danger...” Rolling your eyes, you pecked him on the lips before shaking your head.

 “He actually really likes you, and he told me a few days ago that he wouldn’t mind you as a brother in law in a few years.”

 For the past 6 months, you had been living at the headquarters with the rest of SEVENTEEN. They had all basically accepted you as ‘one of the guys’, and continually loved to poke fun at you and Dino when they saw you together. More specifically, they liked to highlight anything they believed was so mature that you ‘young kids’ had been up to. (Keep in mind, Dino had just turned 23 and you were 21.) Sometimes, it would lead to small fights between all the boys, but everybody would forgive and forget by the next day.

 The elder 12 boys had left to infiltrate another groups dealings with a certain ring of illegal jewelry dealers, and they had left you and Dino completely and utterly alone.

 “Jagiya~ Can we cuddle?~” Chan tried his best to do some sort of aegyo, and was not shocked in the least when the cushion you had been laying on suddenly whipped him across the face.

 “As long as you never do whatever that was again, sure.” You patted the empty spot on your small twin sized bed and he practically dived into the sea of billowy sheets. No words were needed, and you both quickly fell asleep in the warm embrace of each others arms.

 For a few hours, the sleep that hung n the air went completely undisturbed. That was, until Vernon decided that they all should go back and try to be as loud walking in as possible.

 “Aish! You bastards are the only thing standing between me and my precious beauty sleep!” Your groans broke through the air as you untangled your legs from your still asleep boyfriend’s. 

 “Don’t worry, (Nickname). You need a lot more than beauty sleep to look like a normal human being.” That remark brought everybody to a pause, and Seungkwan realized his mistake in saying so when he felt the burn of a throw pillow being struck against his face.

 “I’m going to go to the convenience store. Anybody want anything?” You slipped on your shoes nonchalantly. 

 “Banana milk please!” The look of complete disgust that crossed your face made everybody in the room laugh, as you hated banana milk as much as Seungkwan hated bad selfie lighting. Nonetheless, you nodded and stepped out the door, footsteps ringing through the whole corridor.

 On your way back from the convenience store, you couldn’t help but notice how eerily quiet it was. The alleyway that you needed to walk through to reach the entrance to the HQ was so silent that the only sounds were your footsteps and the dripping of water off the rusty pipes. 

 “M’am? Please, help me with something.” A deep voice shook the Earth from behind you, and scared you to the point of you dropping your freshly bought goodies on the ground. When you mustered up the courage to turn around, a man with a intimidating expression stood before you. 

 “Uh, what do you need, exactly?”

 “For you to shut up and let it happen. Thanks for the help, sweetheart.” You shuffled backwards just to feel yourself collide into a solid frame behind you. Before you even had a chance to scream, they slipped a small cloth over your mouth that smelled distinctly of a certain chemical. As you drifted off, the man grabbed your arm and began to launch you forwards to what could only be their large, black van.

 “Wasn’t (Nickname) supposed to be back a while ago?” S. Coup’s finally got off his chair and began to look on the security cameras at Dino’s question.

 “Well, how long does it usually take to go grab some stuff and come back?” He snapped, carefully scrolling through each camera. “How about you and Vernon go to look for her? Something doesn’t feel right, and I need to go hack into the security cameras at the Seven-Eleven she went to.” Vernon nodded and pulled Dino to his feet before speed-walking forward.

 They were welcomed to a completely empty alleyway, which they carefully stepped through. The occasional trashcan would clatter and cause them to jump, but nothing made them more scared than what they discovered just around the corner.

 “Hey, isn’t that the stuff that (Nickname) was supposed to be bringing home to us?” The now trampled plastic bag was ripped wide open, and a puddle of milk had spread across the majority of the pavement.

 “Looks like it... Don’t worry too much Dino, she may have just gotten scared by something and run off.” Vernon patted him on the back as they stepped over the puddle. A sudden ringing erupted from Vernon’s phone, and the boys both grabbed their chests with shock before chuckling and picking up the phone.

 “Come back. Now. We know where she is.” S. Coups speech was extremely short, and he simply hung up the phone and left the two boys extremely confused.

 “So, we know for sure that the Bangtan Boys have her?” Dino wrung his hands nervously as they waited for any attempt of contact from the well known gang.

 “For sure. If you look here, you can see that the leader, Rap Monster , was following her all the way out of the store. And if you look here, you can see Jin driving their van into our territory earlier today.” All the boys nodded. Suddenly, a video call message popped onto the screen with the distinct contact name of ‘BTS. Before anybody could stop him, Dino thrust himself forward past the group of boys and clicked on the green button.

 After the webcam loaded, all that was visible to the boys was a dark room with a chair in the center. Garbage and grime covered the floor, and everything was completely silent.

 “Where is she?...” Jeonghan muttered, looking over to check on Dino.

 “Hello, SEVENTEEN. How nice to speak to you boys again? Wasn’t the last time when we found you on our turf, stealing our profits?”

 “Shut up, Suga. Where’s the girl?” The male, now identified as ‘Suga’, chuckled and switched on the lights.

 “She’s right here. Don’t worry Rap Monster will be here in a second to clear everything up for you.” The door on the right side of the camera slammed, and only confirmed what they had been told.

 “Ah, how nice to see everybody together once again! I know what you’re talking to us for, and I’m sorry to say the girl is ours for now. Consider it payment for the trouble you caused us.”

 “HOW IS THIS PAYMENT? You are sick, fucking sick.” Rap Monster simply laughed at the worried Dino’s words before stepping towards the chair. Instead of sitting like they thought he would, he snapped his fingers and swiped his hand over the seat to wipe off the accumulated dust and dirt. Two boys, one with narrowed eyes and another that seemed to be a bit too happy in the situation, stepped into the room with your limp body hanging from their arms. They placed you in the chair before making their way over the wall where they would end up standing on for the next 5 minutes.

 “it was so nice of you all to send this lady to us! I bet she's gonna love it here, and all the boys love her. She’s got a nice ass, too.” At that comment, it took both The8 and Jun to hold Dino back. “Aw, how cute! Lover-boy is upset that we have his pretty little girlfriend! Don’t worry, I won’t let the boys be too rough with her, unless she’s into that.”

 S. Coups had a look in his eyes that was vengeful. All the boys were a bit scared, as both the eldest and the maknae had never looked this scary before.

 “What do we need to do to get her back?” Dino clenched his teeth and Rap Monster seemed to think for a second.

 “$100,000 in cash. That should be about the price of the cargo you all ruined. Anyway, I must go so I can get a bit more familiar with our new Lady here. Get the cash by tonight, and I’ll consider giving her back untouched.” The call blanked out, and S. Coups swiveled his chair to look at the rest of the boys.

 “Jeonghan, take Mingyu and Wonwoo to get the money. Dino, you and me are gonna pack some guns in the van incase the deal goes south. The rest of you, get as much info on BTS as possible. We leave in 3 hours.”

 The boys all piled into the back of the van, some holding guns, others cradling laptops with all the information pulled up. Dino was in the passengers seat when his phone went off. He looked up at the other boys, who all nodded and told him to open it and put it on speaker. 

 As the video played, the screen was just a camera facing a closed door. From within the door, audible gasps and male groans could be heard before a woman started screaming and movement could be heard. Fire erupted in Dino’s eyes, and the other members all became deathly serious. “I’m not gonna let that bastard live, so lets hope he rots in hell for what he’s done.”

 You groaned as the boy you had come to know as V groped at your body. 

 “The boss said I get first chance with you, so how do you like it?” He struggled to hold down your arms as he clicked the chains onto your arms that officially marked you as a captive.

 “I would like to do nothing, if thats good with you...” You spat at him, venom seeping through each word.

 “That’s not how it works, Princess. If you aren’t gonna tell me, I’ll just do it how I like; raw and rough.”

 For the next hour, your deafening screams echoed through the halls.  By the time that V was done, you had put up the mental block that would get you through this experience. You felt trapped, but that didn’t matter anymore. Even as the cell door slammed shut and left you with no company, you couldn't help but curl up into a ball and just sit there blankly, hoping that a savior would arrive soon.

 Dino stepped towards the entrance of BTS’s hideout. He cracked his fingers and lifted the briefcase that held the key to your freedom, and the boys joined him near the door one by one. A single know was all that was needed for the door to be opened, and the boys piled into the room one by one.

 “Where’s my money?” Dino lifted the briefcase and shot a spiteful look towards Rap Monster.

 “You get your money when I get my girlfriend back. Bring her here before you end up with a bullet in your skull.” Rap Monster lifted his hands in a defensive way before snapping his fingers, and the two young boys from earlier dragged you in. Blood was encrusted on your arms and thighs, and you had nothing but a pair of boxers and a tank top on. The one thing that chilled all the boys to the bone was the dead look in your eyes as you were dragged forward.

 Dino threw the case forward, and Jin stepped past his husband hyung to inspect the items inside. 

 “It’s all here.” The boys nodded and pushed you forward, and Dino ran forward to hold you in his embrace. You gave no effort to hug him back but limply hung in his arms.

 “Now leave, before I change my mind.” The entirety of SEVENTEEN walked out of the building with you in tow. Nobody said anything until they arrived back in the van. 

 When you sat on the cool, leather seats of the car the tears finally came.

 “Dino, he... he did things to me! I’ve never wanted to die so bad before...” Dino patted your back and let you cry into his shirt.

 “It’ll be okay, (Nickname). They’ll figure out why they shouldn’t have done that soon enough, believe me.” The van disappeared into the maze of roads and alleys, just like the potential of peace between the rival gangs.

[unpopcorned]

.

.

How does one usually start the day?

Waking up in the morning, staring at the ceiling, eyes nearly shut and unfocused. He supposes he starts it the same as anyone else, he’s not too different. But at the same time, he is. Vastly, otherworldly almost.

Hi.

His name is Derek Arthur Peterson. He just turned sixteen yesterday. He goes to Durmhall Highschool. And he’s been deaf since he was ten.

At first, he hadn’t realized. No one around had really noticed. His fourth-grade teacher had though, she used to scold him for not paying attention in class. When really, his hearing had steadily deteriorated throughout the year. He was often seated in the back of the room for his failing grades, many parent-teacher conferences were called in hopes of helping, and his parents would simply think he was ignoring most of the adults in his life.

It wasn’t until there was a fire drill at school, when he was inside of the bathroom and failed notice the piercingly loud sirens. He’d been one of the last students to leave the building, out of befuddlement from the empty classes and halls, and that’s when everyone found out more or less.

He supposes it had taken awhile, given the fact he was good at reading lips, which he’d unconsciously learnt as his hearing grew worse. In fact, he used to think it was a superpower of his. Surgeries were attempted, but didn’t help very much, apparently it’d been going down hill for years and they were lucky to catch it before he was completely unable to hear.

High-pitched sounds sometimes break through the constant roaring or water-rushing noises in his ears. He has a difficult time pinpointing exactly where it may come from, but he hears it, nonetheless. And the hearing aids are the only help with that, with much of anything. He has to be extra-extra vigilant of his surroundings if they were going to be of any use.

Anyway. He guesses he can say he’s like anybody else. A normal person. Besides - well, everything else.

He has a mother. A brother. And a grandmother.

A mother - she’s constantly on the brink, on the edge. She worries a lot, her hair is always frizzy, and she keeps a close eye on Derek. She’s a nurse, so she works long hours, checks on him when she can, and scrounges up just enough money to get them through tough months.

His grandmother - who’s pushing seventy, she knits and cleans and cooks all day long. Their water bill was substantial the previous month, she could wash dishes and do laundry until the sun goes down. She smells like sweet cookies and peppermint, and her touch is always gentle. She frets over her daughter a lot, Derek can see where his mother gets it from.

His brother - he’s seven years older than Derek. And he doesn’t come around much anymore. Not since the accident.

His family has a lot of secrets. And a lot of ups-and-downs. But they’re still family.

He sits up in bed, reaches to his left and plucks his hearing aids from the end table beside him. They’re tucked smoothly into his ears, there’s been points where they don’t help much with day-to-day life, but its a comfort to have them either way. He’s quick to brush his teeth, splash water into his face, put on his clothes.

His grandmother is cooking breakfast already, and his mother is fluttering around the kitchen like a hummingbird. He can tell they’re speaking to one another, his mother looks frustrated with something and his grandmother is barely giving her the time of day, flipping a pancake smoothly and reaching for a stick of butter on the counter. Even though they may be at odds most of the time, they still move around each other fluidly and familiarly.

Derek isn’t very hungry, but the smell is irresistible.

As soon as they notice him, he’s bombarded with kisses and good mornings, and told to sit at the table and wait. And so, he does, eating slowly once his grandmother puts the plate down in front of him. Ever so often, he’ll take glances in their direction, they continue to speak as if he isn’t there. Which they often do a lot.

“Jesus, Mom!” His mother is complaining, quickly pouring herself a cup of coffee and slamming down the maker with far more force than necessary, “Can you just give me a minute to think? To breathe?” He doesn’t catch the rest of what she’s saying, because she turns head away and takes a hearty drink.

His grandmother is saying something back, which only makes his mother cast an ugly look in her direction. He’s pretty sure he sees her mouth something about bills, and so, he speaks up, “I can help.”

Both of them look over at him. His grandmother’s face looks sympathetic, his mom looks even more frustrated than before. She’s quick to sign to him, lips moving along with her hands, “Help with what, sweetheart?”

“You’re talking about bills, right? I can help.”

Her mouth presses in a firm line. And she signs - How?

“A job.”

As soon as the words are out, she’s glaring, “No,” she makes sure to enunciate the word sharply, “No. No, absolutely not, Derek.”

“But, mom--”

“I told you not to bring that up anymore. Your disability check is fine--”

“I want to do more. All summer, all I did was lay around.”

“You did not - Oh, Jesus Christ. Derek, can we not do this now?”

“We’re not doing anything. I’m only saying--”

“Not now.”

“Give the boy a chance,” His grandmother says, she’s moved most of the dishes she’s used to the sink. Wiping her hands clean on her apron, she faces her daughter, “He obviously wants to work. Have something to do, it’s normal for teenagers.”

“Do not tell me how to raise my kid,” His mother hisses, and he’s pretty sure she doesn’t mean for him to be able to read her lips that time, but he does, “Derek, I want you to focus on school. That’s it. You do plenty - you go to group, you hang out with your friends, you--”

“I want to do more.”

“Why don’t we have this conversation later?” His grandmother suggests optimistically. She crosses the kitchen to plant a kiss on his head, “You’re going to be late.”

He feels frustrated, because it’s as if no one is listening to him. With the look his grandmother gives him, she can tell that she’s pleading for him to drop it - just for his mother’s sake. So, he does, leaving his food and grabbing his things.

Before he’s out the door, his mother catches him, hands him his gloves and kisses his head, the same as his grandmother. She smiles at him - but the lines on her face are tired and worn. Familiarly, she signs: I love you.

He signs right back: I love you too.

And her smile widens, the weight on her shoulders appears a bit lighter.

.

.

When people greet him at school, they make sure to tap him on the shoulder before saying good morning. Just so they’re certain he can see it and respond. And he appreciates that, because there’s been many instances where he’s oblivious to the ones around him.

Everything is a constant numbing sound, he finds himself drifting off more often than not.

“Morning!” Jade says to him when he gets to his locker ( 16 - 20 - 02 ), opening it quickly and stuffing his backpack inside. She seems to notice his dampening mood fast, “What’s wrong?”

Arguing.

“Ah,” she nods, cocking her head slightly. He’s known Jade since he was much younger, right before the accident. And ever since then, she’d been a stable support system in his life, learning sign-language quickly and fluidly, talking to him when no one else would.

She signs to him: Want come over later? Her hands move in such a fast-pace, lazily - almost like her words. She even has this small quirky way of disembodying her words, cutting off her hand movements at the last second and switching to the next. Derek’s known her long enough, fortunately, to be able to to tell what she’s trying to say.

He almost nods. But something over her shoulder catches his attention. He must get That Look on his face, because the next moment, Jade is following his gaze.

Wyatt is coming down the hallway.

Wyatt is a cheerleader, he’s tall, he’s smart, and he’s too cute for his own good. He has this hair that looks so soft and pretty. And this mouth that’s constantly in a smile, like he knows a funny joke and Derek is desperate to be in on it. And these shoulders that are like whoa. He’s the type of person where its hard to stare at him for long intervals, because you’re bound to fall in love.

Brooke had once said he looked like the kind of guy you wanted to climb like a tree. Well, yeah, that too.

Which is a little strange because Derek’s never liked a guy before. He’s never looked at much of anyone for more than a second or two. When he was in the seventh grade, he had a girlfriend, but he was pretty sure she was doing that out of pity because he didn’t have a date to the Spring Fling Dance that year. Other than that, no one’s really put in the effort to try and date him ( more than likely because of his disability and all the shortcomings that came with it ) and he’s never really minded either.

But Wyatt--

Is it possible to have such a big crush that you don’t know what to do with yourself?

“Nice uniform,” Jade points out when Wyatt is close enough to greet. She even goes out of her way to sign it as well, just so Derek can keep up with the conversation, “Becca and Jessica really want a bunch of people at the pep rally, huh?”

“If you don’t come, I’m here to show you what you’ll be missing,” Wyatt tells her, giving his one-hundred-million-dollar smile. Truth be told, he is wearing his cheerleading uniform, and it’s sticking to him in all the right places. He notices Derek right after, smile growing wider: Hey, Derek.

He’s getting good at that. His motions could be a little sloppy, but he’s trying. And Derek finds himself smiling back, cheeks growing flushed: Good morning.

“I won’t be missing much of anything,” Jade says, “Full on dyke here.”

“Everybody needs a little action,” Wyatt replies, glancing at Derek again, “Right?”

Derek might as well be a bobble-head, that’s how fast he nods. But then again, he’d nod at anything Wyatt says. Just to be included. His heart is going pitter-patter in his chest ( you love-sick idiot ).

Did you need help - Wyatt’s hands hesitate for a moment - getting to class?

“Work on your delivery,” Jade says, which Derek is unable to catch, “And your flirting.”

Wyatt gives her a look. But glances back at Derek after awhile and - and he has those intense kind of eyes. The moment doesn’t last long because someone apparently calls Wyatt’s name, and Derek can tell because Wyatt turns his head suddenly in the other direction, over his shoulder.

Jessica Crimson, along with a few other cheerleaders, come to stop at his side. Jessica is also pretty, she’s like - otherworldly pretty though. Long blonde hair with never a single strand out of place, slender figure that everyone glances twice at, and the perfect life ( including her family, grades, and friends ). And for some reason, she’s always liked Derek, she pinches his cheeks sometimes and kisses his head, she even knows a few words in sign language.

He can’t keep up with the conversation, because they’re talking too fast and some of them aren’t even looking his way. But he can stare at Wyatt this way without seeming weird. At his nice hair, his nice smile, the nice little freckle on his collarbone.

Derek studies and stares at people and things a lot. But not as much as Wyatt, he’s realized.

He catches one of the cheerleaders say “party” and Jade is rolling her eyes, turning her face towards him and imitating sticking her finger down her throat: Gag me.

The bell rings. The vibrations are shrill enough where he can feel it. Students around the group beginning closing their lockers and disappearing into separate classrooms. Jade loops her arm through Derek’s, they have the majority of classes together, so he typically follows her throughout the day.

“Bye, Wyatt,” Jade gives a prissy little wave, just to bug Jessica.

“See ya’,” he tells her, his eyes linger on Derek though. And he makes sure to sign: After school. Derek doesn’t know what that means, since they’ve never met after school before, but Jade tugs him away before he has a chance to ask.

Class goes pretty smoothly, but he has a hard time paying attention. Mrs. Spuel - his translator that transitions to every class with him - notices, and she makes vague gestures to get his attention throughout. He’s too busy thinking about Wyatt though ( pretty, handsome, always-looks-good-in-uniform Wyatt ).

His first three classes go by in a blur and soon, it’s time for lunch. Despite his disability, a lot of people are nice to Derek, go out of their way to communicate with him. Jade, Aahna, Paula, Janet, and Mason are already at their usual table. Derek sets his sights on it fast, relieved to get a moment to just sit and think for a small while without anyone bothering him.

Mason hardly looks up from his book when Derek joins the table, Aahna and Jade are going back and forth over two bands and which is better, Janet is leaning into Mason’s side, peeking over his shoulder to see what he’s writing in his notebook. And Paula, as usual, is lost in her own world, daydreaming.

Derek pays to the attention at the table for the most part - Mason looks as if he’s more focused on studying, Janet tries to find a middle ground between Aahna and Jade, and Paula prefers not to be pulled into any of it. Finally, Janet turns to Derek. 

“Derek, what do you think?”

He blinks, smiles uncertainly, “Both...are okay, I guess.” 

“You guess? Oh, c’mon,” Jade begins complaining, “No way you prefer Foo Fighters over Pulp.” 

He’s still smiling, “You know me. Not really into music.” And to make a point, he taps the side of his hearing aid twice. 

Underneath his breath, Mason laughs. And then so does Aahna, and next Jade. Janet is the only one who gives them the stink eye, “That’s not funny. You guys have the worse sense of humor!” 

He finds its better to laugh at his situation, rather than mull over it. 

.

.

True to his word, Wyatt sees him after school. 

Derek notices him in front of his locker as soon as he’s close enough. And it takes a moment for Derek to process that ( super-pretty-Wyatt is standing at his locker ). He takes a moment to to take him in, hesitate on his steps before he gains his nerve and practically skips over. 

“Hey,” Derek breathes when he’s close, “Hi.” 

“Hi,” Wyatt is already smiling, pushing himself off his locker, hands in his pockets. There’s a bustle of students around them, some stop to say hi to Wyatt, which he eagerly returns, but always refocuses his attention onto Derek, “Class was okay?” 

Derek rocks on his feet, his stomach is filled with butterflies now. And he’s never had that happen with anybody else, “Oh. Oh! Yeah, it was good. Nice. How about you?” He’s fumbling with his words, uses his hands as clarity as he speaks. 

“Boring. But you know, it’s looking up now,” He stares at Derek for awhile, presses his lips together to smother a smile, “So, after the pep rally, we’re all going over Trevor’s. Did you want to come?” 

“Ah,” he shakes his head. But they’re both smiling - looking like idiots staring at each other, “My mom doesn’t like me staying out really late or anything. She worries all the time, you know?” 

“Yeah, I get it,” But something weird happens. He moves closer, close enough where Derek can see the different specks of color in his eyes, “You never come to the pep rallies or parties or really anything, so I thought I’d ask.” 

Wyatt looks for him at those kind of things? Whoa. Even so, his eyes don’t waver from his mouth, “It’s...’cause of my mom. I want to go.”

“Then you should. I’d like to see you there.” 

His hands stop, “You do?”

Wyatt is patient, eyebrows lifting, smile still there. He’s so pretty, it hurts. Smart, handsome, always-nice Wyatt, “Yeah. We never really get time to hang out.” 

Yeah, they don’t. It feels like they’re on total opposite sides of the spectrum, Wyatt’s constantly surrounded by cheerleaders and jocks. Derek has always kept to the same people since middle school, Aahna and Mason, Janet and Paula. He’s never tried to drift out of his circle, his comfort zone was always best for himself, he decided that a very long time ago. 

Wyatt is different. He’s never wanted to be so close to a person before. He wonders if he smells as good as he looks. 

“That’s my fault,” Derek says, he’s still really distracted by his presence in general. A pause as he thinks, “I can...I can ask my mom if she’ll let me go.” 

Wyatt brightens fast, even his eyes light up. He’s too cute. “Yeah?” 

“Yeah.” 

Someone from behind Derek must say his name, because Wyatt cranes his head around his shoulder, and his eyes flicker back to him quick. He signs: So I’ll see you there?

Yeah. Definitely. 

.

.

So turns out, no matter how much he begged, his mom wasn’t letting him leave the house that night. The two of them even went back and forth over it for awhile, until his grandmother forced her way into the conversation to calm them both down. 

He feels beyond frustrated - he always sticks to the house rules, he goes to group, he makes good grades, he tries his hardest every day, and he’s not allowed one night to just be a normal teenager. By the end of the conversation, his mother looks close to crying, and she keeps saying she’s tired and doesn’t want to talk anymore. She has her second shift soon, so she goes to her room to finish putting on her shrubs. 

His grandmother runs him a bath, gives him a sorry look when she opens the door for him. In the tub, he can only watch as the steam lifts to the ceiling, squeezing his eyes shut for a moment just to block everything out. 

He wishes he had Wyatt’s number. He can’t help but wonder if he’d even notice if he wasn’t there tonight. Probably not. And the thought makes him shift deeper into the water until his head is submerged underneath. 

When he’s finished and dressed for the night, he works on his homework. Just for a couple hours, and to clear his head. His mother leaves for work, when he glances at the clock, he can see its well past ten at night. So, she has to be gone. Which means she hadn’t taken the time to say goodnight to him before going. She must really be upset. 

He’ll have to apologize in the morning. He feels like a jerk now. 

His grandmother is the one who comes and kisses his head and leaves him to his studies. And out of instinct, he tells her he loves her twice, but the jerk-feeling doesn’t go away. After he finishes his homework, he stands from his desk and stretches. He’s tempted by the sight of his bed, but he’s also too anxious to sleep before his mom gets home. 

Which wouldn’t be for another few hours. 

The kitchen is spotless, his grandmother always cleans throughout the day. There’s the heavy smell of cleaning products and laundry detergent every time he comes home. And in the fridge, it’s stocked with leftovers and plenty of food, drinks, snacks, anything he asks for he usually gets. That just makes the jerk-feeling take a punch to his gut, he really hates fighting with his mom. 

Lips quirk to the side, and he reaches into the fridge to take the carton of orange juice out. By the time he pours himself a cup and puts it back, he’s already yawning. Maybe he should call Jade, just so she can keep him company until he feels better. 

He turns, “Oh!” 

“Sorry!” 

Derek almost drops his cup, wide-eyed. On the other side of the island counter, his older brother stands there. Brandon stares back at him, hands lifted in up to his shoulders, like he’s a burglar who just got caught. Derek hadn’t noticed him come in, heart in his throat, he carefully places down his glass. 

His brother stops for a moment, takes a glance in the corner of the room where the door leads to the sitting area. Probably making sure they didn’t wake their grandmother. And then he returns to his attention to Derek, grinning impishly. 

Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you. 

Derek hesitates: It’s okay. 

Whenever he sees his brother, he thinks of their dad. Not only because of what happened, but the similarities - the sharp nose, the hard-set eyes, even the way he set his shoulders sometimes. Even though his memories of his father were very blurred, he can see him in Brandon easily. 

His brother is eyeing him now: What’re you doing up so late?

Studying. 

“Ah,” he nods, continues glancing around: Mom redecorated? 

No. Grandma.

It’s silent between the both of them for awhile after that. His brother still hasn’t gone around the counter, hasn’t hugged him. There’s never been a time where he hasn’t felt far away from Brandon in some sense, though. In the back of his mind, he can remember warm hugs and a hand on his head and remembering the skinny lines of his back. Because all he used to do is follow Brandon around when they were younger. It seems so long ago now. 

He stops, drags his thumb over the rim of his glass: Mom is going to be mad if she knows you were here. 

Brandon sighs, “I’m not gonna take anything. Don’t worry.” 

I know. 

His eyes tighten, and he looks visibly tense now. He must’ve cleared his throat, because his throat bobs uncomfortably, “Hey, so - uh--” He shifts: Happy Birthday. Derek can’t help it, he smiles. Brandon smiles back, “You thought I forgot? No way.”

Mom probably thought he did. But not Derek. Even though Brandon has missed the last couple years, Derek never really lost hope. That’s his job though, staying optimistic even when things’re particularly hard. 

Thanks. 

“Yeah, sure,” Brandon is shifting on his feet still, “I wanted to come by and see you, but...” He shrugs a shoulder uneasily, “You know.” 

Yeah. He does know. 

Did Mom get you anything cool? 

Shoes. Some notebooks. New sheets. 

She’s so lame. 

I needed new shoes. 

Brandon is smiling now, looks close to laughing. He keeps glancing at the door and listening out for any noise. But there doesn’t seem to be any, “You look good, though. Like - you’re eating more, I mean. Doc say anything at your last checkup?” 

Derek shakes his head. 

“Huh. Okay,” Brandon presses his lips together, the smile leaves as quickly as it comes, “You know...you know I miss you, right? And as soon as I work all this shit out, I’m going to come see you more. Not just once or twice a year. No bullshit. For real this time. I promise.” 

Most of Brandon’s promises were empty, easy to see through and clear as day. Like a shallow puddle. Derek kind of hates when he makes promises because he so fiercely believes them, even now. He stares at Brandon for a long time, taking him in. The disheveled hair, the stubble, the jitters. It’s the same as last year, and the year before that, and the five years before that. 

He’s doing it again.

Derek’s expression falls slightly, enough where it catches Brandon’s attention. He leans his weight into the counter, staring at him beseechingly, “Look at me, okay? I’m gonna get better, I’m gonna stop doing this shit, alright? No more. I’m serious, I’m done. I’m gonna - I’m gonna start rehab and then I’m gonna come back home. I swear, Derek.” 

He doesn’t say anything. 

“I know mom is really mad at me right now, about before. But...I’m going to pay her back.” 

Derek is still staring at him, eyebrows furrowing. A familiar feeling stabs him straight in the chest, Brandon has said this to him before. Many times. He knows what comes next. 

“But right now, see - right now, I can’t. I’m kind of in a bind. I need your help.” 

Here it comes. 

“I need some cash.” 

Derek stares more. The feeling is stronger now, its filling up his chest. But he ignores it, he ignores stuff all the time. Plays dumb, acts like he doesn’t notice certain things, even when it eats away at him. This is no different. Attempting a half-smile, he signs: I have leftover money from my birthday. 

Brandon looks overwhelmingly relieved when he sees that. His face relaxes, shoulders slightly droop, “Thanks, little brother,” Derek retrieves the money fast, its a thick bundle that he hands over without hesitation. Brandon pockets it fast, hugs him tight right after. 

Derek has a hard time letting go though. He always does. 

.

.

“It’s so hot!” Jade groans, tipping her head back. Messy hair thrown into an even messier bun, she pulls uncomfortably at her sweaty shirt before returning her attention to Derek. He’s watching her in clear amusement, “I’m serious! It’s fall, isn’t it supposed to be freezing by now?” 

Derek shrugs, holding out his mitt. Jade takes the hint and lobs the ball at him. Coach Kenson could be pretty lazy sometimes - throwing a baseball back and forth for an hour couldn’t really be called exercise. But Derek can tell most of the students don’t mind. Anything to get out of the stuffy school for a few minutes. The rest of the class is lined up, tossing back and forth along the field. A couple of guys are currently wrestling over the last inflated football, two of them crash into the grass and the rest dog-pile on top. 

Coach blows his whistle, Derek can tell from how far his cheeks puff out and how Jade immediately cringes away from him, “Hey! Hey, no rough-housing!” 

Derek throws it back, “Is everything with Paula going okay?” 

“Huh?” She seems startled by the question, and ends up fumbling and dropping the ball, “Oh. Yeah. I mean--” A shrug, “We’re cool.” Derek can tell that she’s mumbling, he can barely make out what she’s saying. When he squints his eyes at her, she rolls her own and makes sure to enunciate her words, “We’re fine.” 

Derek makes a face that visibly says - yeah, sure. Just because he may act stupid sometimes, doesn’t mean he is. He knows Jade better than the back of his hand and he also knows when something is going on with her. He’s deaf, not oblivious. Give him some credit here. 

“Don’t give me those squinty eyes,” She lobs the baseball at him hard, and Derek hurries to catch it. It’s hard enough to make his hand smart, he shakes it out with a frown, “I just - I think...she’s not into me, okay?” 

That’s strange. From what he could see, Jade and Paula went together very well - personality and in a physical means. They’re always touching, always smiling at each other, and Jade’s never been happier. He can tell. But for the last couple weeks, he guesses Paula has been acting a little weird ( more than usual ), distant almost. Maybe Derek is just a little too good at reading his friends. 

“Some stuff is going on at home with her. And I’ve been trying to be there. But she’s the type to push people away, I think,” Jade smoothly catches the ball when he throws it back, “We’re kind of...on a break. Or whatever.” 

He blinks fast at her. It’s like a freeze-frame on one of those stupid movies Mason liked to binge on Saturdays. With wacky jokes and overdone theatrics. He loves comedies. 

“It’s only for a little while.” 

Now, he feels bad for even bringing it up. And sympathetic. Removing his glove, he signs: We can hang out after school and talk about it. 

“Yeah,” she nods, looks as if she’s relieved to even get it off her chest, “Yeah, okay.” Something past his shoulder must catch her attention, she’s wrinkling up her nose fast, “Oh, here we go.” 

Derek turns. And runs right into someone. A chest, a really nice chest. Sweaty, warm. And the smell is very familiar. He snaps up straight, “I--” 

Wyatt is smiling already, grabbing a hold of his shoulders to steady him, “Sorry.”

He almost says don’t be. Why should he be sorry when he smells so good and looks so pretty? The sun is out just the perfect amount, shining through his hair and making it appear golden. Derek doesn’t know why Jade was complaining, the light helps the view. 

“It’s okay,” he signs it as well, “I wasn’t watching where I was going.” 

“Wyatt sure was,” Jade says, though Derek has no way of catching it, he’s facing away from her. Jade sticks her tongue out when Wyatt gives her a look, “Aren’t you supposed to be running laps?” 

“Hey, so,” Wyatt ignores her, “I didn’t see you at the thing the other night.”

Derek blinks, and then blinks again. The thing, the party. It’s not like he’d forgotten, but he was kind of hoping Wyatt had, “Oh. Yeah. My mom said no.” 

“I figured,” Wyatt shrugs his very nice shoulders, “I was looking all over for you. Was gonna save you a dance and everything.”

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” Wyatt steps closer, which Derek immediately notices, “I wanted to see you.” 

“Gag!” Jade teases from behind them. 

Derek feels lame, enormously and utterly lame. He can’t even go to some high school party without his mom throwing a fit, and even though he’d prefer to avoid all conflict with her especially when she’s so stressed, it’s hard. Besides the frustration, there’s a light feeling to his chest, spreading from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head. 

Wyatt had saved a dance for him. Had wanted to see him. Totally cute Wyatt.

“Is it okay if I come over to your place?” Derek is back to blinking like a dummy again. He must look startled because Wyatt rushes to finish, “We can hang out. I figured it’s best to come to yours, rather than force you to some stupid party. Unless, you don’t want to--”

“No!” Derek stops him quick, “No, I do. I mean - you can. Yes.”

Wyatt is smiling again, it spreads across his face slow. Derek doesn’t think his heart can take much more of this, “Yeah? It’ll be okay with your mom?”

“Yeah! She would love you.” 

“Love me, huh?” 

“Yeah. Yes.” 

“This weekend okay for you?” 

He’s reverted back to Bobble-Head-Derek, nodding fast. 

“Good. Great.” 

“Okay.” 

“So I’ll see you this weekend?” 

“Yeah.” 

Wyatt is shuffling backwards on his feet, this almost excited smile to his face. Before he can say anything more, Coach is yelling in his direction, assigning him two more laps for stopping to chat. Wyatt locks eyes with him for a moment, a quick wink thrown in Derek’s direction, and then he’s jogging off. 

When Derek turns back around to face Jade, absolutely smitten, she’s staring at him.

“What.”

“You know what. You might as well get a shirt with the words written across. LOVE ME, WYATT.” 

Derek throws the ball at her, aiming for her shoulder. And she catches it, laughing.

He hangs out with Aahna and Jade after school. Janet and Mason usually do their own thing, and Paula has a strict curfew, so it’s only the three of them left. They get milkshakes and burgers ( Aahna doesn’t, she’s been a vegetarian since she was eleven and refuses to even look at meat for too long ). 

“--and I was like, well why didn’t you tell me sooner that you wanted to break up. And she was all like, I didn’t tell you ‘cause I knew you’d freak out. And get this, she had the nerve to just call it a break.” 

Aahna looks puzzled, “What’s so bad about calling it a break?” 

“Everybody knows a break is just stalling the inevitable. We might as well be done,” Jade huffs, leaning back heavy in her seat, “And you know, it sucks. Because...we’ve always been great together. It came completely out the left field.” 

Yeah, for Derek too. It’s definitely a surprise. Maybe Jade and Paula are a lot better at hiding things than he’d originally thought. He reaches across the table, touches Jade’s hand gently. She gives him an awfully sad look and he squeezes in return. 

Aahna is equally as affectionate, rubbing at Jade’s back in comfort, “You did say before that Paula was going through a tough time, right? Maybe when things’re better, she’ll actually talk to you.” 

“I doubt it,” Jade mumbles, avoiding both of their eyes. She takes a long drink of her chocolate milkshake, “Me and Paula aren’t like everyone else. All perfect all the time,” Derek doesn’t have to hear to be able to detect the light jabbing in Jade’s voice, she’s obviously frustrated, “Like you and Sam. Cute and cuddly and kissing.” 

“We don’t kiss all the time,” Aahna protests, there’s a flush to her cheeks now. She releases Jade, tucks hair behind her ears in a flustered fashion, “And we’re not perfect. No couple is.”

“He’s always there for you when you need him. He touches you in public. And you guys talk, all the time. Sounds perfect to me.” 

Aahna turns a deeper shade of red, “Can we not talk about this? Maybe Paula isn’t for you. Sometimes stuff just doesn’t work out. And I mean, you’re great, Jade.”

“Yeah,” Derek decides to put in, “You’re funny and talented and your hair is really nice. It’s always in cute styles.” 

Jade stares at him, this little smile comes to her face, “You’re kinda obligated to say that, you’re my best friend.” 

“Still!” 

“Paula doesn’t know what she’s missing,” Aahna puts in next, smiling now. She moves closer, lighting pressing her shoulder into Jade’s, “Derek isn’t lying about the cute hair part--”

“Okay, okay! Enough about my love life,” Jade says, “Geez. Let’s talk about Derek’s instead.” 

His eyebrows go up, “Mine?” 

“Derek has a love life?” Aahna’s attention is caught swift, looking between the both of them, “Since when?” 

“Since he started drooling over Wyatt,” Jade supplies. 

“Cheerleading Wyatt?” 

“Mhm.” 

Now, he’s the one blushing, ducking his head and studying his own milkshake like its the most interesting thing in the world. He can feel them both staring at him, so he tentatively lifts his head to see what they’re saying, “I’m not...drooling over him.” 

“Sure,” Jade teases, “You just get all twinkly-eyed and stare at him.” 

“Staring,” Aahna repeats, “I haven’t noticed.” 

“Are you kidding? Every time Wyatt spots him, he’s running over to say something. It’s so gross.” 

“Does Wyatt like guys?” 

“He likes Derek, definitely.” 

“Wyatt--” Derek says, “Wyatt doesn’t like me,” His two friends look over at him, Jade looks doubtful and Aahna appears curious, “Nobody really likes me. That way.” 

“Why would you think something like that?” Aahna is staring at him again, leaning closer from across the table. 

“Because,” he shrugs his shoulders in an almost helpless manner. His heart is racing now, it’s not a usual where the conversation and attention may shift onto Derek. Actually, he makes sure it never does. Because who wants to hear about him - sure, you might like his smile or his sense of humor or anything on the surface. But that’s exactly what it was, just stuff on the surface. Nothing below the skin. Maybe that’s why he related to Jade so well, because he knew she felt like that too sometimes, “You know. I’m kind of weird. Abnormal.” 

Jade speaks first, “Who isn’t? Aahna and Janet are pretty weird. Mason, too.” Aahna glances in her direction, pursing her lips at her, “Don’t take it personal. It’s a good weird. We’re all a good weird.”

“I think you’re one of the most amazing people I’ve ever met,” Aahna notes, quite seriously. She’s staring right at Derek. Aahna’s always had those really, really deep eyes that you can’t help but stare into. Can’t lie to her face, can’t be mean to her for even a second. Her eyes are that powerful, “You can’t see that?” 

They’re both staring at him and that makes him wish he hadn’t said anything, “Wyatt wouldn’t like someone like me. He would like someone like...Jessica. Or Brooke. Or--” 

“He would have super bad taste then,” Jade complains, “Can we not mention Malibu Barbie while I’m eating?” 

“I’m only saying,” Derek tells the both of them, “I don’t want anybody to be with me out of pity. Or because they think they have to. He’s just being nice to me. He doesn’t want...that.” 

Aahna visibly sighs, puffs out her cheeks. But Jade is the one who speaks up, “If you don’t see how much that cheerleader is head over heels for you, then you’re not only hard of hearing, but blind too.” 

“Jade!” Aahna slaps her arm, makes a face at her, “That’s not funny!” But Derek is already smiling and laughing. And then Jade is, too. Aahna glares at the both of them, “Janet’s right, your senses of humor suck.”

.

.

His bedroom door opens and Derek turns slightly to see his mother standing in the doorway, already dressed for her shift. He’s busy cleaning, folding his laundry and tucking each article of clothing into the proper drawer. His mother leans against the wall, watching him for a moment: Cleaning? So it’s not Jade who’s coming over?

He shakes his head: No. Somebody else from school.

Her eyebrow raises: Have I met this person?

No. You will soon. He’s really nice.

As long as he’s nice. She pushes off of the wall, leaning over and kissing the top of his head quickly: Grandma already went to bingo, she probably won’t be home until late. If she doesn’t fall asleep at Ms. Mable’s again.

I hope she does well. 

“You know your grandmother. She’s pretty lucky.” She hesitates, watching him, “I love you, Derek,” She puts a hand to his shoulder soothingly, then up to the back of his neck to touch his reddish-brown curls, “You know that, right?” 

He does know that. And he loves her, he loves her more than anything. He loves her and he loves his grandmother and his brother and his home. Sometimes, on some days, he loves himself and he thinks he wouldn’t want to change anything about his life. Because he wouldn’t be Derek without all of his imperfections. And then on other days, not so much.

He nods, “Love you too.” 

“Of course you do. ‘Cause I’m your mom,” she curls her arms around his shoulders, “I’m sorry I’ve been so...parent-y lately.” 

He smiles now: It’s kind of your job.

“Yeah,” she smiles back, it looks a little tired and soft - like her usual smiles, “Yeah, I know. I wish I could be better at it.” 

Better at what? 

“At being your mom,” He’s just barely able to decipher what she’s saying. A delicate wrinkle appears to his forehead when she brushes his hair back, “I remember when we first moved to this house and I just kept thinking that now its just me. And my little guy. You’re so big now, it’s hard to remember that.” She’s quiet for a long time after that, and then she suddenly says, “I should call your brother soon. Don’t you think?” 

He thinks back to a few nights ago, seeing his brother for the first time in a long time. His desperate eyes, his thin frame, his scratchy voice. He nods again: You should. Her smile twists, she looks like she’s in pain. After kissing his head one more time, she reaches over and takes the shirt he’d been currently folding and does it for him, pointedly tucking the sleeves back first.

“This is why you don’t do laundry.” 

“Aren’t you supposed to be going?” 

He can still see the tension lingering at her shoulders, it’s not often that he gets to see her like this. She bottles stuff up a lot, and he thinks that’s where he must get it from. He worries that she will overrun, like a glass that’s filled with water and threatening to crack. When she talks to him like this, its at super small windows, when they’re just alone and she snaps back just as fast. It’s hard to get her to open up, he’s been trying ever since dad died.

He hopes the bad feeling in his chest will go away by time Wyatt comes.

She leaves soon after. It’s been awhile since he was alone in the house, his grandmother usually watches after him. But it feels empty like this, with him just alone. He makes himself busy by finishing laundry and cleaning the dirty dishes in the sink. His room is pretty boring, there’s no TV, so he doesn’t see a point in tidying it up too much. 

He’d said hang out, so Derek’s pretty sure that’s code for eating a bunch of junk food and talking. As he debates on where they should sit ( at the dining table or at the couch ), the doorbell rings. He can tell because the flasher in the corner of the room goes off twice and catches his eye. His heart almost jumps out of his chest, he nearly drops the couch pillow in his arms.

He manages to make it to the door, takes a deep calming breath, and then opens it. Wyatt is standing there, he’s wearing his cheerleading jacket and jeans and nice sneakers. He looks pretty, Derek is always a little starstruck every time he sees him. He must look dumb, just standing there and staring at him. 

Wyatt smiles: Can I come in? 

Bobble-Head-Derek is back. There’s no stopping him. He closes the door after Wyatt once he steps inside, “You’re getting good at that.” 

Wyatt turns to look at him, smile lifting into an easygoing grin, “Yeah? I’ve been practicing a lot.” That makes his stomach flutter, that Wyatt would take time out of his day to learn more and more, just so he can be able to talk to Derek, “Can I take off my jacket?” 

“Yeah.” 

Wyatt does just that, he removes his jacket. Derek takes it, almost in a daze. Wyatt’s arms look really nice, and even though he isn’t looking in Derek’s direction ( he’s glancing around the expanse of the house ), Derek is staring at him. Gosh, how can a person be this nice to look at? Shouldn’t be it like, against the law or something. 

Derek tries to keep himself moving, he goes to hang up the jacket in the sitting room closet. 

“This is nice,” Wyatt says, he’s still taking a quick look around, “Where’s your room?” 

Derek pays close attention to his hands, blinks once, “Oh. In the back.” It’s not that exciting to look at, it’s almost painfully boyish. Posters of bands, pictures of his friends, dirty clothes bin in the corner, dark blue sheets and blankets. Fortunately, he’d taken the time to tidy up before Wyatt got there. 

He never thought he would get to this point. His crush, totally cute cheerleading Wyatt is in his house, his living room. The old-eighties wallpaper along with the ugly drapes his mom refuses to get rid of become even duller in comparison with him here. He’s here, he’s really here. This isn’t another one of those over-imaginative dreams, and he has a lot of dreams about Wyatt. He hopes he’s not staring too much or he thinks his house is ugly-looking. 

But of course not, because its Wyatt and he’s sort of incapable of being mean. He turns to him with this pretty smile under prettier eyes, “I always imagined how your house was, but it’s different actually being here.” 

“Really?” That’s exciting to hear. 

“Yeah. I realize how weird that seems now. Saying it out loud and everything.” 

“No, it’s...” Derek shakes his head, “I bet your house is cooler.”

Wyatt shifts on his feet, and for some reason, it looks very shy-like, “Can I see your room?” Derek leads him down the hallway, hooking a left into his bedroom. Wyatt seems even more entranced, he’s taking a close look at everything around him. Derek fidgets some. 

Wyatt’s mouth moves, but Derek doesn’t catch it. So, he enunciates more clearly, “There’s a lot of pictures of Jade in here,” he says, poking at a taped portrait on his wall, over his bed. Along with a hundred others, “I’ve known her since grade school, you know.” 

“Really?” Jade had never mentioned it.

“Yeah. She used to steal my crayons all the time,” He’s studying on with rapt attention, flipping it halfway over to see the back. It’s dated, Derek dates all of them, “Your birthday was this week?”

“A couple days ago,” Derek tells him, “It was--” Now Wyatt is staring at him, for some reason Derek now feels as if he said something wrong, “It’s...not a big deal or anything.”

“I missed your birthday. I can’t believe I missed your birthday,” he says, slightly slack-jawed, “Why didn’t you tell me?” 

Derek is kind of smiling at his reaction. Kind of surprised too, “I didn’t think you’d care.” 

Wyatt looks even more offended than before, “Not care? You’re serious? I would’ve gotten you something - no way, I’m getting you something.” 

“You don’t have to. Jade didn’t even get me anything.” 

“Jade obviously doesn’t know how lucky she is to be close to you.” 

Derek is grinning and blushing now, and Wyatt is shaking his head to himself in some kind of mock disapproval as he puts the picture back. Derek takes his time pointing out each one and telling him when it had been and where. After awhile, the two of them are sitting in bed and looking through them, and just - well, talking. And that’s nice. It’s like they’ve been doing it for their whole life. 

“What did you do for your birthday?” 

Derek stares at his hands as he signs and speaks, “There was lots of cake. And everyone was talking and having fun. Aahna and Jade, too.” 

“Having fun?” He’s staring at him with this almost amused tilt to his mouth, “You make it sound like you weren’t there.” 

“It’s just--” He shrugs, “Everybody was dancing.” 

“Dancing - oh. You don’t like dancing?” 

“It’s not that. When I was younger, I remember I liked to dance. All the time, my mom said I was always moving or something.” 

“Yeah?” Now the smile is wider, more amused. His eyes are shining, “We should dance then.” 

Derek blinks, curious. He doesn’t get a chance to say anything, Wyatt is already glancing around the expanse of the room before he seems to remember something. He takes Derek’s wrist in his hand gently ( his hands are so nice and soft and -- ), and tugs him towards the living room. There, it’s his grandmother’s old stereo that she never got rid of, the one encased with glass and she always told him not to touch when he was younger. Wyatt fiddles with it for awhile, Derek can do nothing but watch. 

Music starts to play, he can tell because Wyatt stands up straight and turns up the volume. Eyebrows slightly furrowed, Derek is unsure of what’s playing but Wyatt doesn’t look as if he minds too much, even as he shrugs and says, “Okay, we can work with this.” 

It’s a jumbled, muffled mess to Derek. But he can’t keep himself from smiling, watching as Too Pretty Wyatt steps closer to him and offers his hands. Like he’s some kind of prince asking for him to waltz. Derek doesn’t even hesitate, he clasps his hands with his, surprised when Wyatt pulls him forward without pause. It’s pretty clumsy and Derek’s heart is in his throat, but it’s also kind of perfect. 

To be completely honest, he hasn’t dance in a long, long time. He can’t remember the last time, actually. It’s not because he feels awkward or embarrassed doing it, he just can’t hear the music. Of course Wyatt would be the one to take him out of his comfort zone, a million miles away from it, in fact. It’s hard to say no to that face, that smile, those eyes. 

He’s smiling and laughing again, Derek wishes he could hear it. He’s never wished something so bad in his life. It dissolves into Derek jumping around in a full circle, he’s moving energetically to what he guesses the music sounds like, and Wyatt’s watching him like he’s doing something weirdly endearing.  

At some point, Derek had closed to his eyes, and he’s unsure of just when. But he feels Wyatt’s hands on his shoulders, twisting him gently back around to face him. When he opens his eyes, he finds Wyatt staring at him again, smiling and breathless, “Here, here--” 

He’s guiding his arms, keeps them from flailing around, his touch is warm and kind. For just a heart-stopping second, their eyes meet. And neither of them are really dancing anymore, just smiling at each other, pink-faced. 

Jade’s words are stuck in between them, said over and over in his head: Wyatt likes him, definitely. 

He doesn’t know if that’s true. 

Well - he figures out literally two seconds later because Wyatt leans in and kisses him. It’s a quick kiss, just a peck. Nothing to gush over. Except that it is. Wyatt watches his face carefully as it goes from surprised and wide-eyed, to processing like a slow computer, to as red as a ripe tomato. Derek doesn’t give himself a chance to back out of whatever just happened, he leans in and kisses Wyatt right back. 

A peck, just like him. Testing the waters to make sure it’s fine. Wyatt smiles at him again, all goofy and ecstatic, Derek mirrors him. It’s a pause between the both of them, before Wyatt is leaning back in. They kiss, again and again, sweet and soft, Derek delving for something deeper when he’s unsatisfied with just that. 

He becomes bold enough to touch Wyatt, both hands framing his face delicately, careful even in this spur of a moment decision. He didn’t think this would ever happen, so he admits that he’s trying to milk it for all its worth. Things like this only happens in dreams, and those dreams do nothing to compare to the real thing. Wyatt’s arms wrapping fluently around him, pulling him in, thumb tentatively brushing his hip when Derek’s shirt rises just an inch or two. 

He hates that he needs to breathe, that his lungs feel like they’ll explode if he doesn’t. Kiss breaks away for a second, Derek attempting connect the right wires in his brain, in and out. It proves to be fairly difficult with Wyatt staring at him, almost affection-like, the look in his eyes making Derek’s stomach go all gooey. 

Vaguely, he remembers the music. Even if he were able to hear it clearly, he’s sure it would be difficult to over the roar of his heart, practically jumping out of his chest. He’s left blinking at Wyatt in some type of wonder, as if he’s never seen him before. If he could press PAUSE on his life right now, he would, no hesitation. Just to stay in this moment right here. 

Finally, his mouth seems to start working, maybe twenty seconds in, “You...” 

“Was that okay?” Wyatt is asking, and Derek has never been more happy to focus on his lips - kiss-bruised as they are, pomegranate flush to them. His breath is on Derek’s face, the scent of him invading his sense, thoroughly. Like aliens when they conquer Earth in those movies Jade likes - that’s how Derek feels, as if Wyatt has conquered and taken over him completely and he has no want or urge to fight it. 

“I--” Derek is at loss for words, blinking and staring. If he wasn’t so against letting go of Wyatt, he might’ve pinched himself, “I don’t get it.” 

“Hm?” Wyatt nuzzles into his cheek, breathing out through his nose, question in the furrow of his brows.

“You’re...Cheerleading-Pretty-Nice-Funny-Arms--” 

“Arms?” 

“--Tall-Cute-Smiling Wyatt...and you kissed me.” 

Wyatt pulls aay a bit, just so Derek can see his face fully, can make out what he’s saying. There’s surprise there, in the subtle curve of his lips, eyebrows lifting high on his forehead, “Why wouldn’t I?” 

Derek keeps blinking. That seems as if that’s all he’s able to do. “Because.” 

“Because?” 

“You know...” 

“I don’t,” He smiles at Derek, “Enlighten me.” 

“You know.” 

“I don’t.” 

“It’s really hard to think when you’re so close.” 

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“I just - Jade said you do, but I can’t tell if you like me or not--”

“Derek,” His mouth forming around those two syllables is so pretty to watch. Eyes melted, he presses forward, mouth close to Derek’s, murmuring, “I’ve liked you for like, two years now. Since I met you.”

Derek probably looks like a goldfish, mouth open in an ‘o’ shape. And Wyatt laughs, eyes crinkling at the edges, teeth white against his plush lips, forehead nudging against Derek’s, “You’re silly.” 

“I like you, too,” Derek gushes, quick as ever, praying to whatever is above them that this isn’t a dream, “I like you so much, Wyatt.”

This time, Wyatt is the one who flushes. Pink in the cheeks, he’s still smiling, “Can I kiss you again?” 

Derek nods, eager, leaning into him, lips parted and searching. Wyatt meets him halfway, kisses him softer than the last, a brush of their mouths, Wyatt’s tongue dipping inside and Derek is pretty sure he moans. 

“You like me,” he’s mumbling against Wyatt’s lips, over and over again, heart in his throat, “You like me, you like me.” 

“I like you,” he says back, voice subdued, swaying the two of them gently, and Derek thinks it’s to the music. “I like you.” Wyatt kisses his mouth, his cheeks, his eyelids, and the crown of his head with soft lips. He thinks his heart will melt this way, completely and truly. 

But that’s okay too. It kind of already belongs to Wyatt anyway. 

. 

.

Cold hands slither underneath Derek’s shirt, press flat to his ribs and back, and he yelps, jerked out of sleep. Twists and turns, tangles himself further in his covers to try and escape, but it’s futile. You’d think Derek would get use to this type of wake-up call, but nope. It scares the crap out of him every morning. 

Wyatt’s weight in the only up side to it all, his lips pressing soundly against the back of Derek’s neck, mouthing something. Derek cannot help it, he pouts until he’s kissed, melting into it for just a second until he’s complaining about his own morning breath and trying to bury his face into his pillow halfheartedly. 

“Good morning,” Wyatt says against his cheek, chest pressed against Derek’s back, “I missed you.” 

Derek peeks one eye out, just to see what he’s saying, catches the tail end of his words, “Missed you, too.” Even though they see each other practically all the time, he means it, definitely. 

“C’mon,” Wyatt swats him on the butt, Derek lazily kicks at him, “Rise and shine.”

Wyatt helps him with sitting up in bed, reaching over to pluck his hearing aids from the bedside table. Derek smiles at him in thanks, filled with warm and fuzzy feelings, tucking each smoothly into his ears. After, he watches Wyatt go, maybe watching the way his jeans and t-shirt fit him so nicely. He brushes his teeth, washes his face, and puts on his clothes. 

Quiet, Derek stares at himself in the bathroom mirror. 

How does one usually start the day?

Hey.

His name is Derek Arthur Peterson. He just turned sixteen a couple months ago. He’s pretty normal. Just like any other teenager. Goes to Durmhall High School, been deaf since he was ten. 

He has a mother. A brother. A grandmother. And now a boyfriend  - a caring, cute, cheerleader boyfriend.

.

.