#like hello trust me I'm a real person please let me live in this building so that I don't have to sleep outside

[running-in-the-dark]

why is viewing apartments so fucking stressful

it's genuinely one of the worst things ever for me, I hate it, I don't want to do it anymore

[mcufan72]

Sugar and Cinnamon

Loki x female reader (AU)/ 18+

Chapter 12

Chapter 11

Warnings: contains fluff, smut, angst, oral sex (f receiving), unprotected sex, alcohol and cigarette consumption, soft!dom/sub vibes, toxic relationship, morally grey stuff, blackmailing, abusive and insulting behaviour, workplace bullying, some violence

A/N: I'm sorry that it took me so long to update this. Life keeps being a plague. It's a long chapter once again and the end of the story is coming closer. I hope you enjoy reading.

While slipping into your dark green trainers you called Walker. You hoped that he could quickly drive you to lower Manhattan. You needed to find Loki as soon as possible and maybe you needed Walker's help to stop him from doing something really stupid. You weren't sure if Walker would answer your call, maybe he had worked the whole night and was still sleeping right now but you had to try it. You needed someone by your side you could trust and who wouldn't let you down in this awful situation and besides, you had no other person you could ask for help in this specific situation.

“Hello? Who's speaking?” You heard Walker's hoarse voice on the other end of the line, answering your call. It sounded like he was suppressing a yawn.

“Walker? It's y/n here. Walker, can you come, please? I need your help”, you asked him and grabbed your coat from the coat rack, putting it on.

“Are you okay? Did something happen? Is it about Mr.Larsson? Did he do something to you?” Walker was immediately wide awake when he heard your concerned and subtly frantic voice but he couldn't imagine that something bad could've happened between you and Loki.

“It has something to do with him, yes but he didn't hurt me. Walker please come, it's urgent. Can you drive me to lower Manhattan? Immediately? I'll explain everything to you while driving there and I promise I'll make it up to you. But please, please help me”, you nearly began to cry. You were so afraid that it might be already too late to avoid the worst case.

“Of course, dear, I'll be there in five”, and he ended the call.

You hurriedly ran down the stairway and waited in front of your house for Walker to arrive, impatiently walking up and down the pavement. It seemed you waited for an eternity but shortly after you saw the familiar black limousine driving around the corner to pick you up. You yanked the door hastily open, slipped into the passenger seat and closed the door, Walker looking quizzically at you.

“I don't belong on the backseat anymore, I won't return to the agency to work as an escort lady. I've fallen in love, Walker and I wanna be together just with him, with Lo… Luke”, you answered his wordless question, nearly accidentally revealing Loki's real name caused by the overwhelming situation you were in. You could barely think straight. Your thoughts were all about Loki and what he was about to do.

“I'm glad to hear that, y/n, you deserve happiness and a loving man by your side. Where do you want me to take you?”

“Do you remember the building I told you where my last workplace was?”

“Yes, I do!”

“Perfect! Please drive me there and Walker, we have to hurry. Loki… Mr Larsson is going to kill someone and… we need to stop him. He told me that… that he would kill my shitty ex after we spent our first night in the hotel suite. Now I'm running after him to avoid it and if not… he has to go… to jail. Walker, I can't lose him, I can't live without him”, you explained, your voice trembling with fear.

“He's going to kill someone? Seriously? This man would go to any lengths for you, wouldn't he? I always knew it. This man has fallen deeply for you. But…’Loki’?” The name evoked something in his mind.

“Walker, please…”

“Yeah, let's go. Buckle up, ma'am, we're in a hurry. Let's go on that mission”, and he ignited the engine, pressed the accelerator pedal down and merged into the traffic. The sun wasn't shining anymore and it began to rain when you were halfway through Manhattan. And as if that wasn't enough to darken your mood, you ended up in the biggest traffic jam you could think of. There wasn't any back or forth and no chance to take a different way. The rain got pretty heavy and you pulled the hood of your coat over your head. You opened the door, ready to jump out of the car onto the rain-filled and busy streets.

“What are you doing? You'll be drenched within seconds!” Walker warned you.

“I cannot wait for the traffic jam to clear, Walker. Meet me at the building of my former workplace, okay?” You didn't wait for his answer and confirmation. You slammed the car door shut and ran, ignoring everyone who came into your way, dodging everyone as best you could. The rain was pouring down now and you were already drenched to the bones after a few seconds but you didn't care. You ran, you ran as fast as you never did before in your life, and you hoped it wasn't already too late. Ralph's agency was still several blocks away.

“Loki, don't, please don't do it… Loki, no”, those words dropped off your lips like a mantra and your tears mixed up with the heavy raindrops on your face.

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

“Is your boss in?” Loki asked calmly but darkly.

“Do you have an appointment, Mister…?” The front desk lady, a beautiful, young woman dressed in an elegant business dress, wanted to know. Seemingly impressed she stared at the man in front of her. Tall, with prominent cheekbones and a sharp jawline, his long inky black hair slicked back to tame the obvious curls, his toned body perfectly dressed in an all-black suit and a black dress shirt with a dark green tie, fixed with a golden tie pin, a dark long straight-cut double-breasted coat with notched, dark green lapels and a dark green lining. A nice pair of golden cufflinks peeped out of the coat’s sleeves and rounded off his elegant outfit. Loki would never appear on a business matter in casual clothes like he had worn when he had left you this morning. His appearance was extremely intimidating, even frightening and the dark sunglasses, which covered his eyes, added to this feeling. Loki ignored her and turned around to head to Ralph's office which must be behind that massive wooden door to his left-hand side. Today was payday. Not for you but for Ralph. Loki was on a mission and his mission was to fight for the honour of his lady, for you. And he had no time to waste.

“Sir, please, I must insist …Sir, excuse me, you can't… Sir”, she shouted at Loki, running after him and trying to stop him from entering Ralph's office without an appointment or personal invitation.

“Shhhh”, was all she was hearing when Loki turned around to look at her, placing his pointer finger vertically over his lips to shut her up.

“I assure you, I can, madam”, Loki said, his voice deep and cold as the arctic night. The young woman froze in place and she already knew that she would get punished by her boss because she hadn't done her job correctly which was to avoid this man walking straight into her boss’ office. Her neck hairs stood up when she saw Loki with long strides approaching her boss’ office door, his boots heavily hitting the floor. Loki gripped the doorknob, turned it, entered the office silently, and closed the soundproof door soundlessly behind him.

Ralph's back was facing the door and he was staring out of the floor-to-ceiling windows while he was on a phone call with someone. At the horizon, heavy rain-filled clouds were hanging dangerously in the sky, coming closer with every minute. His voice trembled and sounded angsty and excitedly. Loki took in the interior of the office and everything looked like he had expected. A curved glass desk, with several photos spread out on it, and a black leather executive chair, designer furniture, of course. A big flat-screen TV embedded in a wood-panelled wall, mahogany, of course. The finest cashmere silk carpets covered the marble floor and an amazing view over lower Manhattan completed the luxury of this office. And nothing of this came from Ralph's work. Not the money he owned, not this exclusive location, not the interiors. Nothing he claimed to be his was his at least. Not at all. Most of it came from your work and the work of your colleagues and seeing all this now with his own eyes after you had told him everything made him even angrier than he already was. He could literally and figuratively see how hard you had worked for all of this and he knew that professional success didn't come from nothing. Ralph really knew how to exploit his employees, mentally, physically and emotionally. A more superior, arrogant prick who never shit between two shoes. His only interest was money. He didn't care about anyone, he only cared about money and wealth. It disgusted Loki to imagine you in the arms of this jerk and he shuddered inwardly, suppressing the upcoming possessiveness and protective feelings he had for you. He had to stay cool and collected to avoid any bad mistakes which could bring him back to the dungeons of Asgard.

“You'll get your money… yes… yes, I assure you… yes, yes I promise… yes, I know she'll pay… C’mon, you know me, I'd never…”, Ralph whined into the phone and tried to sound credible when he turned around, looking at the tall, dark-dressed man standing opposite of him.

“I call you back, bye”, he talked into the phone and ended the call abruptly.

“And who the fuck are you? Who let you in? Do we have an appointment? I don't think so! Get out of here!” Ralph addressed Loki disrespectfully and upset.

“The front desk lady told me that you're here and I let myself in”, Loki responded emotionlessly and took off the sunglasses to put them provocatively slow into the pocket of his coat, settling his piercing gaze on Ralph's face.

“That bitch will get fired. That fuckin’ loser will never learn to do her job right. I'm surrounded by fuckin‘ idiots”, Ralph shouted towards the door, raising a clenched fist.

“Says the son of a bitch who has nothing else to do than exploiting and mistreating his employees and caretakers. I'd say, that makes you a fuckin’ idiot, a snorty pretentious douchebag who looks down on others”, Loki said while walking slowly towards Ralph, towering dangerously over him.

“Who are you? Are you one of Malone's men? I've told him I need more time. Don't go on my nerves, man!”

“Never heard of that name”, Loki answered, his voice menacingly.

“Are we dealing with the wrong men, Mr Belmont?” Loki tilted his head. “It doesn't matter who I am. I am no one's man. Well, I'm y/n's man but this is none of your business”, Loki's voice was deadly calm, deep and threatening and he felt the urgent wish of conjuring a knife.

“Ohhh, I see…”,Ralph laughed bitterly. “Are you her new stud, eh? Is that bitch in heat again? Well, I hope you fuck her right. Does that slut go wild when you shove your dick up her cunt or does she still think of me to cum hard? She's so frigid sometimes. That's so boring and annoying, isn't it? Thankfully it's none of my business anymore. Maybe I could give you some advice on how to pleasure her right. You better make the slut pay her debts or I'll forget about my good manners”, Ralph bellowed. “The clock is ticking man and soon you and the rest of Manhattan will know about what she really likes, you know. Would you like that? Your girlfriend posing naked on every billboard in Manhattan you can think of?” Ralph said provocatively not knowing who he was talking to. Loki clenched his jaw hard, glancing down at Ralph before he looked at the pictures on the desk.

“Are these the photos you're blackmailing y/n with?” It was a rhetorical question and he had a closer look at the spread-out photos. They showed you, his precious girl and beloved queen, in sexy lingerie or completely naked in lascivious poses or throwing air kisses toward the photographer, which was Ralph. Loki would've found them cute and arousing but knowing under which circumstances and why they were taken he was just disgusted. You didn't deserve that. It was abusive and violated the most private part of your life. He knew you had agreed to get photographed like that by your ex but they shouldn't lay here, on the desk, for everyone to see, ready to get published. On closer inspection, Loki discovered an HD-card lying on the desktop too, halfway covered by one of the pics.

“And the sex tape is on that card, I assume.”

“What a clever man you are?” Ralph answered sweetly and dismissively. “The bitch hasn't paid yet. If she pays, she can have them. If not, I'll publish them tomorrow at 6 am sharp. I own a bunch of billboards around town and beyond the city limits. It'll ruin her reputation, she won't have any chance in the marketing business anymore… or she comes back to me, back to the office and into my bed, so I can teach her further and everything will be fine again and I'll forget about the sexy, dirty little secrets I share with her”, Ralph said, a sardonic smile curving his mouth. “Or are you interested in the photos and the porn video? It's a really good one. Maybe you can learn something new, eh?” And he kept grinning complacently at Loki. “You can have them… let me think… for half a million dollars? That's the bare minimum for such a beautiful girl and a great offer, isn't it? You also would have two things for the price of one… you'd have her and the erotic photos. I'd say that's a fantastic deal so... Take it or leave it”, he offered the pics to Loki like they were a slice of meat.

Loki kept eyeballing him, pure hate and contempt in his gaze and he tried hard to not lose his cool. His fantasy evolved from punching and stabbing Ralph to ripping his tongue out. It was hard for him to stay calm but he had something to lose and that he would never risk. Not for someone like Ralph. Somehow he had a feeling he could hear your voice from afar, begging him to not do it, whatever ‘it’ was.

“And you say you loved her?” Loki's voice sounded emotionlessly but inwardly his blood was boiling.

“Who said I did? Yeah, in the beginning… everything was sunshine and roses and we were fucking like rabbits, yeah it was fun. She was of great use, you know. Everything she touched turned to gold. She's smart, clever, brave, an excellent negotiator, and a successful account manager. She's one of the best in our business. It gained us loads of money. She had a luxurious life with me and everything a girl wants: a penthouse in the best region of Manhattan, a beach house in the Hamptons, luxurious holidays, luxurious designer clothes, purses and shoes, her beloved cabrio to cruise to her mama, finest jewellery and big ass parties, and we still had sex which was off the charts when she was in the right mood… anything a girl could dream of but she threw it all away… for someone like… you?” Ralph raised his eyebrows and his grimy laughter filled his office. Loki was close to freak out and he had to suppress the urgent need to kill Ralph in an instant.

“But love? Love is for kids and dogs and absolutely overrated. Money and sex are good, and more fulfilling. Y/n was an investment, you know. She had a good life with me and there was no need to leave me. She decided differently. But no one, absolutely no one leaves a Belmont. Not without paying back their debts. I just want the money back I have invested in her. And being generous as I am she just has to pay a fraction of what she has cost me… or you take my offer. It's all up to you. Your decision. But as lovesick as you are I'm sure you'll take my offer.”

Loki's anger was boundless and grew with every second this piece of shit kept talking. The memory of you, sitting on the couch with your knees pulled to your chest, desperate and bawling your eyes out because of this man, this swine and what he had done to you and to what his behaviour had forced you to do, flashed back into his mind and made his heart aching. Enough was enough. This man would never hurt you again. Without a warning Ralph was grabbed and spun around and with an expulsion of air when his back hit the wood-panelled wall hard, he was pinned against it by two horned shadows. Panicking, Ralph couldn't see that they had the same shape as Loki. Loki's eyes shimmering greenish and dangerous, he slowly and elegantly took a seat in Ralph's leather chair, crossing one long leg over the other, keeping his stare fixed on that pathetic mortal literally sticking to the wall. He could clearly sense the smell of cold sweat that ran down Ralph's forehead and temples. Ralph screamed and shouted, struggling against the shadows that held him firmly against the wall.

“Hey asshole, stop that, damn it! What is that, let me down! Who are you?” He screamed.

“Someone who is fighting for justice and the honour of a woman. If you want to survive this you better answer my following question accurately. I only ask you once. Are these the only pictures and the only HD card you have of y/n?” Loki rested his forearms on the chair's armrests and kept staring at Ralph with that greenish gaze.

“Don't you dare threaten me… as if I would tell you, asshole… arghhh…”, Ralph whined and instantly the grip of the shadows tightened painfully.

“Wrong answer. Try again but be aware, it's your last chance”, Loki explained dryly. He still considered stabbing Ralph, cutting his balls off, and freeing him from his tongue and eyeballs… There were so many possibilities.

“Yes, yes these are the only ones…”, he answered, his voice squeaky and nearly suffocating when the grips of the shadows tightened further.

“Are you sure? No copies?”

“Yeah… arghh…no… no copies”, Ralph howled, convinced Loki would buy his lie.

“Wrong answer”, Loki responded and let the grip tighten further. He was sure he heard some bones of that pathetic creature break.

“Hey, …stop it… I tell you but please stop it, let… me down”, Ralph begged pathetically and cried painfully. “Hey, I need the money, okay?”, he pressed out. He wouldn't be able to stand this physical attack much longer but Loki wouldn't show mercy until he knew where the copies were.

“I need the money… they won't have mercy. Y/n owes me… she owes me the money…I invested in her… I've debts…a lot of debts. I borrowed money from them…”

“Who are ‘them’?” Loki wanted to. Not that it was important, he was just curious.

“The mafia, the… New York mafia, guys from… the underground…”

“Then you shouldn't have messed up with them. I'm sure they'll take good care of you and your issues. It's none of y/n's business. She was definitely right when she told me you would never get enough. Did you really just try to sell her to me? You even tried to sell me the pictures of her for twice the money you're blackmailing from her. You're such a disgusting piece of shit. And for the record, y/n owes you nothing. But you, you owe her everything. She never wanted all that fancy stuff and your money that isn't even yours. She wanted to be loved and appreciated but all you did was just hurt and abuse her and keep her in a toxic relationship. You tore her heart out and destroyed her happiness. Slowly, torturously, every single day over so many years. You're a scourge, a fucking scourge, threatening everyone around you. You deserve no pity or any kind of sympathy. You used y/n, her trust and her love and mistreated her in every way possible. You nearly wrung the life out of her, you wanted to throw her under the bus. That girl sold her body out of necessity because you had nothing else to do but take advantage of her and blackmail her. And the worst thing is you blackmailed her with these photographs, her proof of love because she posed just for you and trusted you that you would never show them to anyone else. You're disgusting and pathetic and you will burn in hell for that. You don't deserve any good and you never deserved her. You just used her to save your own ass. I should kill you for that and believe me, I could do terrible, awful things to you but you're not worth it that I get my hands dirty on you. You're a disgrace, not worthy to be in the same room as her, not worthy to breathe the same air she breathes, not worthy to even look at her. She's a queen, a goddess and you were never worthy of her at all. And now listen very carefully! You will never reach out to her again or I will find a way to eliminate your pathetic existence.” Loki's voice was full of hate and wrath and there wasn't the slightest shadow of a doubt that he wouldn't do what he was telling him.

“She's under my protection now and you get out of her life for once and all! Got it, you little shit? Where are the copies?” Loki snorted angrily, nostrils flaring and teeth clenching.

“Yeah… got it…”, Ralph confirmed, desperately gasping for air his lungs were longing for. “On my laptop… there's a file on my laptop… that's all… I swear, that's all…”

Loki rose from the leather chair and with a flick of his hands the photos, the HD card and any other digital devices in Ralph's office and on any other desk on this floor turned into ashes, leaving a smoldering mess on every table of Ralph's company. When Loki's shadows vanished, Ralph crashed down to the floor and Loki saw that this pathetic nobody had pissed his trousers.

“Pathetic”, was Loki's only comment and with that he left Ralph's office without closing the door.

“Someone should clean up the mess and tidy up his room”, he said while passing the front desk lady, with her shocked face staring at her smouldering computer and phone. Loki quickly left the floor and finally the building. When he stepped out of the building the sun wasn't shining anymore. Rain was pouring down instead and the streets were already wet and puddles formed everywhere. Damn, he had forgotten to take his umbrella with him. He still lived undercover as Luke Larsson and as this alter ego he couldn't risk conjuring an umbrella under the eyes of Manhattan's inhabitants.

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

You ran through the heavy rain, desperately crying and your lungs aching from the exhaustingly run. But you didn't dare make a pause or run slower, you needed to find Loki and stop him. What if he had already killed Ralph? What if it were already too late? You ran and ran, water splashing up your trousers. You were holding your head down the whole time to save your face from the raindrops painfully hitting your facial skin. You kept staring down at the pavement while running through the crowded streets. The way to your former workplace didn't seem to end and you were close to giving up on your plan to save your lover from doing something really stupid when you finally arrived and suddenly bumped into a solid wall of muscles. Immediately, two strong arms were wrapped firmly around you and a familiar voice addressed you scoldingly but lovingly.

“Hey, watch it, girl!”

You looked up, the rain covering your face again.

“Loki, oh my goodness, Loki”, you gasped and hugged him ever so tightly that he moaned with laughter.

“Sweets, what are you doing here, I told you…”

“Loki, please…please tell me you didn't kill him…Loki…” you cried.

“Sweets, why should I…”

“Loki, why did you kill Ralph? Please tell me…please…why did you make such a mistake…I'm not worth it that you risk everything for me…”

“Sweets, calm down. Protecting the people you love is never a mistake… well, listen… everything is…”

“Loki I can't lose you, I can't. How am I supposed to live without you? They will take you away from me…they will bring you to Asgard and then…” you continued upset.

“Sweets, no one will bring me…” Loki tried to interrupt you.

“They will, Loki, they will…and I will never see you again…please, please don't leave me alone…I can't let you go…”, you sobbed desperately.

“Would you please listen to me just for a second, my love?” Loki asked you insistently.

He made you loosen your tight grip on him a little bit so he could look into your tear-stained eyes and talk to you. He cupped your rain-wet face with his big hands, his thumbs gently rubbing over your cheeks and he pressed a tender kiss to your lips. They were wet from the rain and your tears but the salty taste was delicious and the softness of your lips gave him the familiar comfy feeling in his gut. But it also felt painful and somehow like a goodbye.

“I didn't kill him. I only taught him a lesson”, Loki told you calmly after breaking the kiss.

“You didn't kill him?”

“No!” He answered softly and chuckled.

“You really didn't?”

“I really didn't!”

“The photos… What about the photos? And the video?”

“Destroyed, gone to ashes. Everything!”

“Are they? Really?”

“Yeah, really”, he responded, nodding affirmatively and smiling at you.

“I am… I am free now?” You asked unbelievingly. Loki hesitated for a moment before he gave you the answer. He didn't want to let you go ever again but maybe he had to.

“Yes, Sugar. You're free. You're free to go wherever you want. And… I'll keep an eye on you, I promise. I'll be there whenever you need me, sweets. I hope you get happiness soon, you deserve it, more than anyone else. You will always be in my heart and I will never forget you, my sweet thing. You showed me how love, care and adoration should feel and I'm so grateful for it and… I envy the man who is going to call you ‘his’ one day. What a lucky lad he will be.” Loki's voice broke a little bit and he was glad that it was still raining so you couldn't really see the upcoming tears in his eyes.

“Why would you say that? Why are you talking about another man? Why do you make it sound like this is our goodbye?” You were puzzled and rattled.

“You said, you aren't sure if you're ready for a new relationship, a relationship with me. You also told me that you would never fall in love with a client. And in the end, I maybe was never more than this, a client. And it's okay, I totally get that. I just want you to be okay. If you're happy, I'm happy too. I'll always be your friend,” Loki said with obvious sadness.

“I've already found him…” and you gave him a reassuring smile.

“You found who?”

“The man I want to be with… the lucky lad”, you told him, mischievously grinning.

“Yeah, I thought so… and it's understandable”, Loki confirmed and you couldn't help but chuckle.

“You're such an adorable, admirable, wonderful and beautiful charmer, Loki Laufeyson. You still don't know it? It's you. It has always been you!”

“But you said…”

“Yeah, I know… I said a lot of things, stupid things. But there's one thing I didn't say yet”, you told him softly, grabbed him by the collar of his coat and pulled him towards you.

“I love you, Loki, I love you more than I can tell or show you. You're everything to me”, and you pulled him in for a kiss, pressing your lips gently onto his. He swept his tongue along the seam of your lips, demanding entry and you opened your mouth willingly. This wasn't a kiss of passion or a kiss to evoke positive emotions. It was a kiss of revelation. It was a kiss filled with all the love you had inside of you for each other. Now he knew that he loved you, sincerely and genuinely, and he also knew that you loved him too in the same way. You had just told him and he knew that you would never lie to him. The truth was in that loving kiss.

“We should get you out of the rain, sweet thing. You're drenched to the bones. I don't want you to get ill, my love. Let me bring you home.”

“Home? Which home, Loki?”

“What do you mean, sweets?”

“Please, I'd like to go home with you. I don't want to be alone anymore…” Loki smiled brightly at you and pressed a kiss to your forehead, the rain still pouring down on you two.

“Let's get back to your home first so you can get some of your clothes and belongings and then we can go to my home if that's what you want. I'd love to take you home with me, sweets. I don't want to be alone anymore either. And later I'll take you out for dinner. I want to date you and spoil you. Would you like that, my love?” He asked you softly.

“You've no idea how much I'd like that, Loki”, you confirmed.

Loki felt a swell of emotion rise inside him and he didn't know if he wanted to smile or cry or both of it at the same time.

“Thank you, thank you for doing this for me, Loki. You risked your freedom and your life for me”, and you kissed him again and he was holding you so tightly as if the pouring rain could wash you away if he wouldn't hold you this close.

“I'd do anything for you. I'd spend the rest of my life in shackles and solitude as long as I know that you're okay, that you're happy and safe. And I swear, I never wanted to buy you, all I ever wanted was to help you, protect you, love you and have you by my side!” Water was dripping from his dark locks and the tip of his nose, and you were sure there were also some tears running down his cheek.

“I know, Lo, I know”, and a swell of tears prevented you from further talking.

Loki rested his forehead against yours and pulled you gently closer against his chest if that was even possible. He felt you trembling because of the rain and the upcoming wind and most possibly it wasn't just because of this. There was so much tension in you and so much pressure over the last months, emotionally and physically, and you still couldn't process yet what just had happened and what Loki had been doing for you. You would need some time to cope with the whole situation and to fully understand that you were truly free now.

“Let's go, sweet thing. You're dripping wet and shivering because of the cold”, and while he thought about calling for a taxi, a car's horn, which definitely was different from other horns, was honking invitingly. You both looked in the direction of that special noise and a big smile crossed your faces. It was Walker. He finally had made it through the traffic jam. You two hurriedly ran hand in hand to the limousine. Loki yanked the rear door open to let you get into the backseat first.

“C'mon, get in, you two love cats”, Walker insisted and he smiled at you both, a fatherly concern in his eyes.

You two slipped into the backseat and as soon as you were sitting next to each other, you began to laugh wholeheartedly. You two looked rather like completely drenched street cats than like two adorable love cats. Walker turned his head to look at you and joined in your laughter. Neither Loki nor you could remember the last time you were laughing that freely and genuinely. For the first time, you recognised Loki laughing like this and you were in awe at how beautiful he looked when he was laughing and you were sure his smile could cure all of your sadness, insecurities and fears.

“So everything is alright, I assume?” Walker wanted to know.

“Yes, everything is fine. We're so sorry, Walker, that we're ruining your backseat. I'll dry and clean it after reaching my apartment, I promise”, you told him while lovingly squeezing Loki's hand which rested on his thigh in the sodden trousers of his completely waterlogged suit.

“Don't worry about that, y/n. So, where do you want me to drive you and Mr Larsson?”

“Please drive us to my beautiful lady's home first and then it would be great if you could drive us to New Jersey, to my penthouse”, Loki asked him politely.

“Of course, Sir, as you wish”, Walker responded kindly and turned the key in the ignition. Ignoring the blare of car horns, he merged into the traffic to drive you two to your home first and he also put the partition up to give you some privacy.

With a slight side nod of his head, Loki's clothes went dry and his hair was all styled and fluffy again. Your mouth agape, you stared at him and formed a silent o with your lips and raised your eyebrows. You couldn't believe what you just had seen.

“How did you do this?” You asked him surprised when you had found your voice again.

“Ooh… ahhmm… sorry, old habits, sweets”, he answered apologetically. He wasn't aware that you had never seen him using magic.

“It's one of my many magical abilities. I'm sorry if it freaked you out.”

“No, no, not at all, Lo! It's cool. Can you do this drying thing on me too? I'd love to be dressed in my dry clothes again”, you sighed longingly.

“Of course, I can use my magic on you, too. I just wouldn't do it without your consent, and he looked deeply into your eyes, drowning in them and he urgently wanted to kiss you.

“You have it!”

“I have what?" His eyes, which had the aura of a lovesick panther, were still fixed on yours and you cupped his face to pull him in for the much-needed feeling of his warm lips on yours.

“My consent… you have my consent, Lo.” Your last words were a whisper and then Loki captured your lips with his. While he kissed you so deeply and passionately you felt how your clothes went dry.

“Thank you, you mumbled against his lips before you continued making out with your lover. As much as you enjoyed being dry and feeling more comfortable in your clothes again you couldn't deny how sexy and irresistibly arousing you found it to get physical with Loki when you two were in a drenched state. You should test it in a warm shower with him and you started giggling under the sweet torture of his lips, teeth and tongue.

“What?”

“It's nothing…"

“Ooh, I know there's something. What makes you giggle? Did I tickle you?”

“Nooo… I just thought about having sex with you and cuddly hugs in the shower”, you explained.

“Uhhh, you would like that?”

“I would!”

“Your wish is my order, sweet thing and you know that I'm eager to fulfil all of your wishes and needs and not only the naughty ones", he said softly and brushed a strand of hair tenderly out of your face and placed some more gentle kisses to your lips and finally to your temple.

“I want to ask you something”, Loki said, his tone a bit more serious again.

“What is it about?” You wanted to know.

“Do you think Walker would like to work for me?”

You just looked quizzically at him.

“I don't know. Maybe? You should ask him!” Loki nodded at you and pressed the button of the intercom to get in contact with the chauffeur.

“Walker, could you please put the partition down, I'd like to ask you something”, Loki addressed him and immediately the partition went down.

“Of course, Mr.Larsson. How can I help you?”

“Walker, you're one of the most loyal, friendly and reliable chauffeurs and men I've met in a very long time. The way you always supported and protected my beloved woman and I guess any other escort lady of Rhea's agency impresses me and … I would like to employ you. Could you imagine working for me? Exclusively for me? I need a reliable driver who lays great value on discretion and secrecy as much as I do and who would take good care of not only me and my family but also their safety and security in casualty when I can't be with them. It would also include driving a lovely woman and her wheelchair to any place at any time she wants, together with her daughter. You would only have to work in the daytime and driving us by night is going to be an exception. I'll pay you properly and I'll guarantee you excellent working conditions. You don't have to give me an answer right now. Take your time to think about it and… do you have a family?”

Walker was speechless because of Loki's extraordinary offer and he needed a second before he could speak again. He cleared his throat and answered Loki's question.

“Yes, I've got a family. My wife and three kids. I'm sure they'd be glad if I didn't work entirely at night anymore. Also, I'm not only a certified driver, I'm also a certified bodyguard so I could work as a bodyguard for your family too, if necessary. Working in the daytime would offer me more time with my offspring and the missus would be happy to spend more time with me, too.”

“Then discuss it with your wife and let me know your decision.”

“Thank you, Mr Larsson. I… I really don't know what to say and how to thank you. I truly appreciate your fantastic offer.”

“Not that for, and no worries, Walker. Take your time. And there's one more thing which might help you to make a decision. My name isn't Luke Larsson. I'm Loki Laufeyson and I've been living undercover here for twelve years now and you possibly know who I am. But I think you deserve to know who your might-be new boss is. And don't hesitate to refuse my offer. If so, that's just fine for me. I'd absolutely understand it and would totally accept it”, Loki said genuinely.

Now Walker knew why it clicked when you called him this morning and accidentally used Loki's real name.

“New York Invasion 2012. That Loki Laufeyson?”

“Yes, Walker, I'm exactly that man”, Loki confirmed. Walker nodded knowingly, directing his words towards Loki, looking smilingly at him through the rearview mirror.

“It won't have any influence on my decision, Sir. And if y/n trusts you, I'll trust you, too. There's no doubt about it. I'll talk to the missus tonight and I'll let you know about my decision.”

You stared unbelievingly at Loki. Did you get him right? He not only wanted Walker to work for him, but he also wanted him to work for you and your mum. You couldn't believe it.

“Loki, you… you also thought about my mum when you made him this offer? I… I don't know what to say”, you asked him surprised.

“Of course, I did. You're a part of my life now. And so is your mum and everyone and everything that belongs to you and I'll take care of that too”, he told you and with one of his hands he cupped your cheek lovingly. Your eyes teared up and your lips formed a silent ‘Thank you’. What a wonderful and caring man he was and you just hoped you could live up to his love.

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

In the early evening after bringing some of your belongings and the things you needed to finish your exams, there were just a few days left, and after some hours of cuddling and drinking tea, you were now sitting in a small, romantic Italian restaurant and having a wonderful candlelight dinner with Loki. A dinner you always had dreamt of you could have with him without the pressure of doing the job of an escort. Tonight you were here as his date, a real date and not a fake date. You wondered why you two were the only guests in the location and Loki explained to you that he had booked the whole restaurant because he wanted to be alone with you. It was so wonderfully intimate and you two enjoyed every second with each other, sharing food and wine, exchanging smitten looks and dreamy moments. Loki held your hand, kissing your knuckles from time to time and he never took his eyes off you. Intimate gestures and loving teasing didn't need any words. The atmosphere was perfectly harmonic. Was there anything more lovely?

“Have I already told you how gorgeous you look tonight in your lovely dress?” Loki gushed.

“No, not yet until now.” You knew that he would like your casual, sleeveless, nicely swinging black dress with the big white polka-dots and he didn't know yet that you wore the green silk lace panties of the lingerie set he had given to you.

“I'm so sorry, sweets, please forgive me. Your beauty makes me just speechless and it clouds my mind.”

“Charmer! As if you were any better, dressed in that dark green, half-opened shirt and your tight-fitting chinos. You're distracting me too and I know you're doing it on purpose”, you teased him and let your foot slide upwards over his shin between his thighs, and with your toes, you started playing with his crotch.

“What the hell are you doing there, you sweet little naughty thing?”

“Nothing”, you responded with assumed innocence, a mischievous grin curving your lips and you took a sip of your wine, looking temptingly at him over the rim of your glass. Loki grabbed your foot and prevented you from rubbing and massaging his manhood further and making him cum in his trousers. He had different plans with you.

“I'm so sorry”, you pouted playfully, licking your lips and placing your glass on the table.

“You're not but if you're a good girl for me and stop turning me on so shamelessly you might be rewarded later.” With your innocent smile and your sparkling eyes, you were hard to resist and Loki considered fucking you right here and now, bent over the table, your breasts exposed and your panties shoved aside, his stiff cock penetrating you pleasurably. But no, this date should be all about you and he had planned something sweet and lustful for you, something he would've loved to do much earlier at a former date and he was sure you'd enjoy it to the fullest. He'd let you fuck him later, at home, under the shower, against the wall or in his bed or wherever you wanted to make love with him. Tonight he was all yours.

“I'll be a good girl then, I prefer to get a reward”, you said smilingly and withdrew your foot. You shoved some spaghetti into your mouth, chewing and becoming thoughtfully.

“What is it, sweets? You seem lost. Are you mad at me now? I was just kidding… I thought you might like some lustful games. I love it when you touch me like this…”, Loki said apologetically.

“It's not because of that and no, I'm not mad at you, Lo. It's just… What happened in Ralph's office? I just can't get it out of my head. Would you mind telling me?” You pleaded for him to tell you about it. You needed to know it for your inner peace so you could close this painful matter.

Loki considered what to tell you and what he should better tell you not because he didn't want you to get hurt any further.

“I told him to stay away from you for the rest of his life and that I would find a way to eliminate his pathetic existence if he's not willing to follow my orders. I did it with a kind of physical force… guilty of that. But I swear I never intended to kill him. I'm well aware of the consequences it would have for me and I'd never risk that. I'd never risk losing you and I'd never leave you alone, sweets”, Loki answered your question and held your hand firmly and protectively in his.

“I know, Lo”, you whispered and a single tear escaped your eye, making its way down your cheek and a soft smile curving your lips.

“When you took a nap in the afternoon I did some research and contacted some business friends for further information about your shitty ex. He has not only lent money from the New York mafia, he also has gambling debts with several New Yorker underground guys, more gambling debts than he can handle. He also kept living beyond his means and he was never good enough to run a company on his own. You were absolutely right, he never gets enough and he tried to use you to save his ass.”

“Yeah, everything makes sense now and I always sensed there's more about it. He would never have stopped if you weren't there…”, you sobbed quietly and Loki caressed the back of your hand tenderly with his thumb.

“Don't think about it anymore, my love. It's over now, you're free and I'm with you and I'll keep you safe. I always have your back”, Loki told you comfortingly.

“Please help me to forget and to start my life anew. Free and without those disgusting threats”, you muttered and kept smiling lovingly at him.

“I'm here and you're already in the middle of the beginning of your new life and I'm with you and I won't go, I'll never leave you alone, sweet thing”, Loki assured you and with your free hand, you reached over the table and cupped his cheek. He leaned into your touch and before you withdrew your hand again he pressed a tender kiss to your palm.

“Thank you for this wonderful dinner, thank you for everything. Did you recognise that this is our first date as y/n and Loki and not as ‘Sugar and Luke’?” You asked him, changing the topic. You didn't want to talk about Ralph ever again. Mentally you let him go to ashes as Loki did with your pictures and the sex tape. He would never influence your life again.

“Yes, now that you mention it, and … my pleasure. I always wanted to have an evening like this with you”, and you both chuckled. It was followed by a deep loving stare into each other's eyes and you couldn't stop doing it.

You finished the main course peacefully and waited for the waiter to take your plates. Loki asked him politely to not disturb you anymore and the waiter nodded and left the dining area. You were completely alone now just as Loki had booked it.

“What about a dessert? You know how much I love desserts. Why did you send him away?” you pouted and Loki smiled brightly and mischievously at you.

“What are you up to, handsome?”

“Come here, sweet thing”, he commanded seductively and you stood up from your chair and rounded the table, your finger slowly trailing over the tablecloth.

“What do you want, loverboy?” You purred velvety and moved like a cat, slowly and lurkingly, prepared for any dirty little game he wanted to play with you.

“I want a dessert”, he murmured and his deep demanding voice sent a shiver down your spine.

“You once said you hate desserts…”

“Did I? Well, I said a lot of things,” and he rose from the chair, grabbed you carefully but firmly by your hips and placed you on the top of the table, staring deep into your sparkling eyes. You spread your legs for him so he could stand between them.

“Yes, you did”, and you watched him slowly unbutton his shirt completely, tugging it out of his chinos and when he finished, you yanked him closer and shamelessly touched his abs and well-toned pecs.

“Yes, I said a lot of things but there's one dessert I'd never deny”, he answered devotedly. “Keep touching me, sweet thing.”

“Here? We're in a public place, Lo. Anyone outside can see us!”

“Don't worry, I took care of that. I'd never expose you like that. No one will see or hear us. Please, keep going, my love”, and you followed his wish and let your hands explore his torso further. He obviously enjoyed it as much as you did. You knew he would never lie to you and that you were safe with him.

“What dessert is it? What does it taste like?”

Loki's answer was a devouring kiss, his tongue playing eagerly and lustfully with yours as if it were the last time he would be allowed to kiss you. His fingers played with your nipples which lay already stiff under the thin fabric of your dress. You moaned into his mouth and your upcoming wetness began to drench your panties and the tablecloth. When Loki broke the kiss you both gasped for air.

“Its taste is sweet, tempting, alluring and it beguiles my senses”, he whispered against your lips.

“Like chocolate?”

“No, like sugar but so much sweeter and I only got a hint of it so far and I definitely need more”, and he sank on his knees pulling your ass closer to him.

“You just got a hint of me on our first night together and you still remember how I taste?”

“How could I forget about that? It haunted me, sweets. Your scent, your softness, your wetness, it haunted me every night but I know it was worth the wait. Please let me have you, let me give you the pleasure I promised you.”

“Yes, show me! Put my mind at ease, Lo and take your dessert. I need you and I need your hot tongue licking that sensitive spot of mine. Please redeem me, make me forget”, you begged him desperately and he slowly shoved the skirt of your dress up to your waist and pulled impatiently at your underwear. He needed to have you and he wanted to have your taste on his tongue. He had been waiting for it for so long.

“Nice panties, sweets. But we need to get them off”, and you lifted your butt a bit so he could slide them down. He winked at you and put them into the pocket of his trousers. He looked so good on his knees and he was so beautiful it hurt.

You laid your back down on the table top when he began to pepper soft kisses to your inner thighs, inching closer and closer to the spot where you wanted him and then he finally buried his face in your crotch. He spread your legs wider and held you by your hips and with the flat of his tongue he licked gently over your clit and you shuddered in response.

“Please, don't stop…”, you murmured and sighed heavily.

“I won't, sweet thing. You taste too good to stop”, he moaned with pleasure.

Loki began to lick you quicker and harder and vigorously ate out your cunt as if he were possessed by it. You could just cry out in pure lust. Loki sucked at your throbbing clit and licked around your sensitive bud in firm circles, the tip of his tongue teasingly licking your entrance. You squirmed and writhed under his delicious torture, your back arching, your legs shaking as he brought you close to the edge. It wouldn't take you long until you would explode and you whimpered loudly when he withdrew his tongue from inside of you and stopped licking you just before you were close to your orgasm.

“Come for me, sweet thing, let go and give it all to me, give yourself to me, fully and completely”, Loki told you as his fingers ran along your clit and you clenched around nothing. You arched your hips against him and he slipped two fingers gently inside of you, curling them up and teasing your inner spot, causing you to let out a throaty moan.

“Norns, I love it when you moan for me. Let me worship you”, Loki groaned and sucked hungrily at the soft flesh of your inner thigh. He withdrew his fingers, made you lick them clean and immediately his magical lips were all over your lady parts again. You positioned your upper body on your elbows and watched him. You needed to see him, kneeling in front of you between your thighs, feeling his tongue moving furiously over your clit. It didn't take long and your much-anticipated climax washed over you.

You threw your head back and moaned deeply and after a few seconds of recovering, he was teasing you again and put his mouth back on your still swollen and sensitive clit, flicking his tongue over it and making you come for a second time. You were crying out his name, your back on the table again, your legs resting on his shoulders. Your hands grabbed his head and you raked your fingers through his thick curls. This man knew exactly what to do with his tongue. He was truly a magician.

“It felt so good, Lo. It was the best cunnilingus I ever had”, you whispered blissfully when you caught your breath again and he raised from the floor, pulled your upper body upwards flush against his chest and enveloped you in a loving embrace.

“My pleasure, sweet thing. I'm glad that you enjoyed it”, he cooed.

“I definitely did, Lo. Best dessert ever. Thank you”, you mumbled against his cheek and your lips found his to kiss him ardently.

“I hope the dessert was to your liking and you enjoyed it too”, you asked him, your hands caressing his nape, and you wrapped your legs around his waist and pulled him close to you.

“Ohhh yes, I absolutely did enjoy it, my love. The way you flush when I make you come, the way you throw your head back in that special moment of bliss, the way you moan for me, is so beautiful, sweets. You are beautiful and you taste so good. I can't get enough of you”, he whispered against your lips and claimed your mouth in a heated kiss. The taste of your juices and your scent were lingering on his lips and it somehow got you hot and bothered again.

“Please give me my panties back, Lo.”

“Why do you want to have it back, hm?” He purred against your soft and kiss-swollen lips.

“You already have stolen one and the one you have stolen from me just now was a gift”, you pouted sweetly. You felt so free now, worshipped and craved and you were satisfied to the core.

“A gift?” He teased, a mischievous smile tugging at his lips.

“Yes, a gift. It's a gift from the man I love”, you purred.

“Is that so?”

“Yes, it is”, and you captured his mouth by tenderly kissing him. You could still taste yourself on his soft lips.

“What if I want to keep them?” He teased further.

“For what? Why? What are you doing with them?”

“I used the other one to get some steam off, on the lonely nights when I missed you terribly and imagined you touching me, sucking me, making me moan your name. So at least I had your scent and the softness of your panties and rubbing them all over my body, and jack off and cum all over them was so arousing and satisfying”, he muttered lasciviously against the soft and sweaty flesh of your throat.

“You nasty, nasty boy”, you scolded him playfully, tugging his curls gently. Loki chuckled lightly, tilted his head and sucked and bit your earlobe tenderly. You could only make a faint groan.

“But still… I want it back. Please, Lo. You'll have me every day and night from now on. And I really love that lingerie you've given to me.” You still held him captive with your arms entwining his neck and your legs wrapped firmly around his slender waist.

“As you wish, my queen”, and immediately your panties dangled on his long index finger right before your nose.

“Thank you”, you whispered and with a quick, soft peck on the lips you took the panties off from his finger. “Can we go home now? I'd like to get back to the shelter and comfort of your cosy home and I can't wait to strip off your clothes and worship your divine body. And until then my panties stay off, just for you”, and you smiled mischievously and seductively at him.

“Can't wait to get fucked by you. Norns, you're driving me wild, sweet thing”, and he kissed you demandingly and deeply. Since he made you come twice he has been on edge.

“Let's get home then, my sweet lover, let me return the favour and make you happy.”

You two left the restaurant, entered the limousine’s backseat and asked Walker to drive you home. You were well aware of his massive boner, visibly bulging his trousers. You sat glued to him, took his hand in yours, intertwined your fingers with his and with your other hand you held him firmly by his biceps and rested your head on his shoulder and Loki rested his head on the top of yours. You inhaled his scent deeply. An alluring mixture of his expensive cologne, masculinity, arousal and that special something you still couldn't decipher. You felt his heart pounding fast when you moved your hand from his biceps to his chest and placed it in the open V of his half-buttoned shirt. You saw his cock twitching with anticipation and smiled.

“Are you aching for me, Lo?”

“Yes, you have no idea how much”, he answered devotedly and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of your head. He then placed a finger under your chin and made you look at him. In the dim light of the limousine’s backseat, it wasn't clearly visible but you were sure there was a reddish shimmer in his eyes, slowly replacing the familiar piercing blue and his pupils were dilated with lust and desire.

This man burned for you and you would feed his flames. Tonight you would become his forever and he would become completely yours. No more fears, no more secrets.

🌹🥂🌃🌹🥃🌃🌹🥂❤️❤️🥃🌹🌃🌹🥂🌃

Taglist:

@faesimps @lokisprettygirl @gruftiela @anukulee @fandxmslxt69 @foxherder @depressedpolishgirl @buttercupcookies-blog @chantsdemarins @fictive-sl0th @justjoanne242 @km-ffluv @stupidthoughtsinwriting @lovingchoices14 @wheredafandomat @lokixryss @huntress-artemiss @smolvenger

[johnkrrasinski]

started from a call

full masterlist

Pairings: Bucky Barnes x female!reader

Word count: 3,610

Warning: angst with a happy ending! that's all.

Summary: written for @wkemeup's 9k writing challenge with the prompt "character a leaves an embarrassing, drunk message on character b’s voicemail and spends the rest of the night trying to discreetly delete it from [b]’s phone." inspired by a bit of ross and rachel from friends too. you found out from steve that bucky was in love with you in high school but after he returns home with a girl in his arm, you cancelled your plans to tell him how you feel. will you and bucky have your happy ending?

a/n: please like, reblog and leave a feedback. :) enjoy!

"Alright, I'll see you tonight. Bye." He leaned against the kitchen counter and hung up the phone with a grin on his face. "You hear that, Sam? We're going on our third date tonight." He threw his phone up into the air and caught it so casually without spilling a drop of his coffee sitting on his right hand. "Looks like I'm getting that 300 bucks soon."

"Hey, easy. You ain't going to that date yet, who knows? She could bail on you. It doesn't count if the date doesn't end well."

"Oh, but it will. I just gotta turn on my charm and next thing you know, we're already meeting the parents stage."

"Meeting the parents? That's a big step from you, Buck."

"Hey, I'm a man of my words. If I said that I'm going to change this year then I'm gonna stick to it."

"So Leah isn't just a one-time thing to get 300 bucks?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no. We'll see how tonight goes. But one thing's for sure is that I'm getting that 300 bucks."

Sam and Bucky made a bet as their New Year's resolution that Bucky would never go on a second date with any girl or remember to call her in the morning after a wild night. His commitment issues had given him a reputation as the player in the gang. It wasn't a new thing anymore to anyone that when they visited Bucky's place in the morning, they would see a girl with a dopey smile and slightly ruffled hair walking out of his apartment, giddy that Bucky just made a promise to call her later.

You, Natasha, Wanda, Sam and Steve were hanging out at Nat's place. The six of you had been friends since college. You, Nat, Bucky and Steve had known each other since high school and the four of you kept in touch despite going to separate universities. You met Wanda when you went to NYU and Steve met Sam while he was in Harvard. Long story short, after the four of you graduated, you and Wanda lived together as roommates and even started your own bakery business. Steve and Bucky lived in the same building as you and Natasha and Sam lived nearly alone. They were too independent for roommates. Don't even start on Natasha and how much she valued her personal space. That's how the six of you ended up here, gathered at your place on a Saturday afternoon.

"Are you gonna pick her up tonight?"

"Of course. Gonna clean up well, bring her some flowers and knock on her door at 7 pm precisely. Which girl isn't gonna fall for that?" Bucky walked over to the couch you and Nat were sitting on and leaned on the headrest, his arms caging both you and Natasha.

You didn't say anything nor did Natasha because she knew about your feelings for Bucky. Despite never feeling that way about Bucky in high school, your feelings changed a week ago after learning that Bucky used to be in love with you but never had the courage to tell you. That's why he never had a girlfriend during his high school years and he wanted to take you to prom and confess his feelings to you but he was too late. Another guy had already snooped in first.

You were his first love but it wasn't reciprocated until now. That's why in college, he learned how to get over you and slept with as many women as possible because he felt like he lost four years of his life of finding the one. He never intended to be a player and feed girls empty promises, it just kind of became his way of dating. He was too afraid that no one could live up to you yet he enjoyed being with women. Hence, the bet.

The day you found out from Steve about Bucky's past feelings for you while playing truth or dare, you immediately wanted to call him up but Bucky was out of town for a few days and as soon as he was back home, he had Leah in his arm. Your heart was crushed. Wanda told you that it would probably last for a few days and that he'd eventually be single again but you totally did not expect this thing to turn into something serious. You loved Sam with every fibre of your being, he was like the big brother you never had, but you wanted to curse him for making that bet.

So you just rolled your eyes and stayed silent throughout this entire conversation, even though your heart felt like it was being stabbed over and over again. "Alright, I gotta go. Got a big date tonight. I'll see you guys in a few hours." Just like that, Bucky walked out of the room without knowing the pain his words caused you.

The next day you were sitting in your bed watching The Notebook in your pyjamas because you were too heartbroken to do anything productive. It was Sunday so you could just have a whole day to yourself and do absolutely nothing but cry. Wanda knocked on your door bringing a plate of cookies and she had a pitiful look on her face. "y/n? Sweetie? I made you these cookies, they might make you feel better." Sometimes you thank the stars for bringing her into your life.

"Thank you, Wanda. You're so nice to me." You know you probably sound like a hormonal whiny kid but everything made you cry at the moment.

"Do you need anything else? I know how it feels to get your heartbroken, trust me. When me and Vision had a fight and we didn't talk for days all I wanted was to curl up and never leave my bed, so in case you need anything, I'm here." She offered you that warm smile of hers.

"No, all I want right now is to just eat these cookies and go back to my film, thanks Wan."

"Okay, I'll be outside." Your pity party was interrupted when Nat arrived in her leather jacket and burst into your room.

"Get up, you are taking a shower and you're getting that face beat."

"Natasha, what the hell? Leave me alone."

"Y/N, listen to me. I got a date for you. His name is Scott and he's a real nice guy, he's funny, he's a good friend of mine and he is really smart. He is so much better than Bucky, I promise you. Now c'mon, I already told him that you are meeting him tonight at Stark's restaurant at 7."

You whined, doing anything you can to get her to leave you alone with your tears and your cookies but you knew that once Natasha set her mind on something, there's no talking her way out of it. Damn that woman with her determination.

"Y/N, c'mon! Wallowing all day isn't you. I know you and what's good for you. That's why I found you a great guy who will charm you so good that you will forget Barnes even existed. You can't let him win, y/n. If he's going to be happy with someone else, then you better show him that you can be much happier with other people."

You stared at her, trying to absorb her words. There's some wisdom in that. You're not the type to cry over a guy, not even for even Bucky Barnes. So you let Natasha drag you to the shower and asked Wanda to do your hair when she does your makeup. She chose an outfit for you, a dress that was not too sexy but chic enough to leave a good first impression.

Scott was early to the restaurant and he looked elated to see you. He was wearing a grey suit with no tie and he had a really exuberant smile on his face, the type that drew people easily. You could see why Natasha called him a nice guy.

"Wow, sorry, I just- didn't expect you to be this beautiful."

"Ah, thank you, Scott. Have you been waiting long?"

"No, not at all. I just arrived here like five minutes ago."

The night went on and Scott did most of the asking and talking, you answered each question curtly with forced enthusiasm in your face and body language. You weren't even listening to half of the things he said because your mind kept playing images of Bucky with Leah and how you heard from Sam that the date went well so he lost 300 bucks. You kept thinking about Bucky and Leah and how they would probably get married and have kids and live in the suburbs with a golden retriever while you'd still be single and you'd compare every man you meet to Bucky. Maybe it was your karma for not reciprocating his feelings in high school.

Five glasses of wine and you spent more time nodding than talking. Honestly, all you wanted to do was to just go home and go back to The Notebook because their love story was much better than your love life. Scott woke you out of your daze, "Natasha told you that I was cuter than this, did she?" after you gulped your sixth glass of wine.

"Oh Scott, I'm so sorry. It's not you, it's me. I know it sounds cliche but it's just... I'm not in a place where I'm looking for a boyfriend. You are a really likeable guy and I swear, if we had met at another time, maybe I would be a better date but right now, I just- I have someone else in my mind." You sighed, it felt like a relief to get that off your chest.

"Is this guy... an ex-boyfriend?"

You chuckled, "no... He wishes."

Scott nodded, "look, I don't know what your situation is but I've been through a divorce and it's never easy. But eventually, you'll be fine. You can't see it now because you haven't had closure." Then it was as if the bulb above your head was turned on.

"That's it.  Closure, yeah. That's all I need. Okay, give me a minute. I'm gonna call him now and I'm going to get my closure."

Scott sat there watching you comically trying to find your phone in your purse and tapped on Bucky's contact number. The normal you would be sweating with every ring but intoxicated you had no worries in the world... For now.

"This is Bucky. Can't pick up right now, leave a message." Beep.

"Hello, yes, Bucky! Or James, should I call you James? I always thought Bucky was a weird name. Anyways, I'm just calling to tell you that I am fine and I am on a date with Scott. And speaking of dates, I just gotta tell you that I'm happy to hear that your date went well. And that, my friend, means that I am over you. That's right, I'm over you. Tell Leah I say hi." You said sarcastically.

You hung up the phone and threw your phone back into your purse. You felt like you just won a chess game.

The next morning you decided to sleep in because your heart was pounding and you could barely sit up without feeling like you might fall. You were supposed to be working at the bakery but since you owned the bakery, Wanda let you sleep it off until you recover. You couldn't remember anything from last night, how you got back to your apartment was a mystery. You tried to put the pictures together, from being forced to go on a date, meeting a guy named Sean? Simon? Sebastian? Scott! Yes, Scott. You ordered your meals and then... Nothing, it was all blurry. You weren't even sure if anything happened at all after eating your meals.

The apartment was empty because Wanda was working at the bakery and it was just you with your hangover pills. Bucky came to your apartment without knocking because Wanda told him on the phone that you were home. He greeted you with a smile and asked about your date.

"Uh, let's see. I think there was a restaurant, I know there was wine. And there's a guy, Scott and pretty much that's all I can recall."

Bucky made a yikes face. Seeing the state you were in, he could do the math (of the wine you had). You probably enjoyed the alcohol more than the guy. What a doofus, he thought. If he was the one going on a date with you, you'd definitely remember every detail from last night.

"Leah's downstairs and I'm taking her back to her place but I left my keys here last night. Have you seen it?"

"No, check the drawers. Maybe Wanda put 'em there."

"Ah, okay." He opened the drawers and found the keys to his bike.

"Did we... Speak on the phone last night?"

"Nope, my phone was dead and I didn't charge it all night so I haven't really checked it. Why?"

"Nothing, nothing. It's just... Never mind. My memories are a bit hazy right now. You should go, say hi to Leah for me."

Bucky nodded as you walked back to your room to go lie down. Your question reminded him that he should probably check his phone now because there could be work-related messages but the first thing he heard was a voicemail from you. "Oh, y/n. I got your message!"

That instantly stopped you in your tracks. Your eyes went wide and you froze. You immediately turned around and ran to grab his phone away from him. Bucky had a confused look on his face, "who's Scott?"

"Oh my God, no, Bucky, give me the phone. Give me the phone!" But it was already too late, he was already halfway through your voicemail and by the time you successfully snatched his phone out of his grasp, he had already heard every word.

Bucky stood there dumbfounded, he needed time to process everything you just said to him. "What do you- what do you mean you're over me?"

"Oh, God... Alright, um- lately, I've um- sort of, have... Feelings for you." You never had to chase a guy or confess your crush first so this felt new and my God, it was nerve-racking.

"You have feelings for me..." He said it as if he was convincing himself that his ears got it right. Bucky couldn't believe the words that just escaped through your lips, for years he had dreamed of this moment. Though never did he ever want you to make the first move but adolescent him wanted to hear you say what he'd been wanting to say to you too.

He didn't say anything for what felt like minutes and you couldn't decipher his thoughts from the look on his face. "I need to sit down," he pulled one of the dining chairs and leaned on his side in a defeated posture.

"Bucky... Please say something." You alerted him in a hushed tone, not wanting to startle him than you already did. But he didn't. He was lost at words. What the hell was he supposed to tell her?

"Look Bucky, I'm sorry for telling you this way but I had to. I just- I've been wanting to talk to you about it since you came back to New York, well- actually, since Steve told me but-"

"Whoa, Steve told you?!" He interrupted.

"Yeah, it just accidentally slipped when we were playing truth or dare..."

"Okay well," he stood up from his seat, yet he still couldn't look you in the eye. "I can't do this right now, Leah's waiting for me downstairs and I gotta go." He basically ran out of the room and slammed the door behind him, leaving you alone.

Once your hangover had begun dissipating, you decided to help Wanda at the bakery and took the night shift. She must've been exhausted from managing the bakery alone while also helping the employees in the kitchen so you told her to go home and leave it to you. The bakery's usually slower at night.

When it was nearing closing time and your employees had gone home, you decided to clean up and turned off the lights and checked everything one last time before locking the door. The bell above the door dinged and you were slightly annoyed because who the hell comes to the bakery at this hour?

"I'm sorry we're clo...sed." It was Bucky. He stood there in a black coat, with an expression you still couldn't figure out. "Bucky, what are you-"

"You have no right to tell me that you've got feelings for me." His tone was harsh, he never spoke that way to you or anyone... Ever.

"What?"

He walked closer to you, maintaining his gaze, "You can not tell me that you've got feelings for me now when I'm doing well with my life and Leah..."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"I was in love with you for years! Years, y/n! And you never said and did anything and now when everything's going well you're ruining it!"

"I am ruining it?" You repeated the question because you couldn't believe what you just heard. How dare he said those hurtful things to you.

"Yes! I was doing fine with Leah and now I don't know what's going to happen with me and her anymore..."

"Yeah, well, I was doing fine before I found out that YOU were in love with me and never had the balls to tell me!" You did everything you could to not cry, you hated crying in the middle of an argument.

"Hey, it's not like I didn't try. There were your ex-boyfriends and your dates and I had to move on. I couldn't wait forever! And now, now you're too late."

"Oh, so what? You're just gonna walk away and pretend that this never happened?"

"Yes, I'm going to do exactly that and I'm going to go see Leah." He turned around like he did earlier in your apartment and left you alone once again with your heartbreak.

"Fine! Go ahead and see Leah because I don't give a fuck about cowards like you or whoever you sleep with." You slammed the door and tried everything you could to not have a breakdown here because you really hated letting an argument hurt you. You sat on one of the chairs where the customers would sit and you hid your face with your hands and cried.

Not because you just lost an argument but because of what Bucky said and it felt like you had lost Bucky before you even had him. Now there was no hope left for you and Bucky, things were too complicated.

You didn't know how long you had cried there, alone, in the dimmed lighting of your shop but after you felt like the tears had dried, you wiped the traces of your tears from your cheeks with the back of your thumb. You stood from your seat and was ready to go home. You couldn't wait to eat some leftover pizzas, take a warm shower and cry into your pillows until you fall asleep.

But when you were about to leave, you saw Bucky standing on the other side of the door, watching you through the windows with a softer expression on his face. You opened the door and Bucky instantly grabbed your waist and kissed you as if his life depended on it.

You gave in to his kiss, letting him pour every desire and yearning into your lips for as long as he wanted. You grabbed his face because you wanted him impossibly closer and you shut your eyes, letting your guard down. Because it was Bucky, and you'd known him for as long as you could remember and you both deserved this moment.

Bucky eventually pulled away until both of you were running out of air. You were breathless from his kiss, you never knew he was such a good kisser. (It's Bucky and he's had a lot of women on his bed, of course, he was excellent at it. Who were you kidding?) But now that you've had your own front-row experience, you felt a tad of possessiveness at the thought of sharing those lips or any part of him with anyone else.

"I couldn't go back to her knowing you are here alone and I had thrown away what I've wanted for as long as I could remember."

"I'm glad you came back." You pressed your foreheads and you rested your hands on his chest. You could get used to this.

"I hope it's not too late to say this but, y/n y/l/n, will you let me take you to dinner and see a movie after maybe?"

"I wasn't the one who said it's too late," you halfheartedly teased him.

"Shut up, so is that a yes or a no?"

You bit your lip and nodded, "yes. Definitely a yes." You stared into his ocean blue eyes, so deep and beautiful, you could easily get lost in it.

"y/n y/ln, I'm going to put all of your ex-boyfriends to shame."

"Hm, we'll see about that." You put your arms around his neck. Then a thought crossed your mind and your smile faded away, "what are you gonna do about Leah though?"

"I'll talk to her in the morning. Let's take you home now, yeah? It's getting late."

You bit your lip and nodded, "okay."

Ninth grade you dreamed of popular jocks and athletic seniors, but little did you know that, sometimes, the one who sincerely loved you was the book nerd who loved The Hobbit a little too much.

[gucciwins]

Are you Angel?

Harry gets hurt while on the job and Y/N gets a phone call she was not prepared for.

Word count: 7413

A/N: hello friends, it's been a while :) this is a continuation to my story Trouble Follows. You don't have to read but it will give you an insight of how Y/N and Harry met. I am thrilled to share more of firefighter harry with you. I adore him and I hope you do as well.

please do let me know what you thought of the story and please reblog! <333

Warnings: angst, breakups, hospitals

A firefighter will always run into a burning building with not a hint of hesitation. All their focus is on saving the people stuck inside.

Running towards trouble is second nature to them.

She knew that.

She also knew what it meant to date a firefighter.

The unreliable hours, the non-frequent communication, the many failed dinner dates. The twenty-four hours shifts when he would then arrive home to just sleep.

Harry had begun to give her a constant comfort that he would eventually come home and climb into bed behind her. He would then gently nuzzle his face in her neck, taking in her sweet honey scent. In contrast, she took in the woody ashy smell that seems to be permanently stained on him.

So trust her when she said she knew what she was in for when Harry asked her to be his girlfriend.

Four months in, she knew she would be here for a long time, maybe forever, if life would allow it.

She was sure; she knew what to expect.

But she didn't, not until she got the call.

The call that would shatter her heart.

The call that would lead her to be sitting in this uncomfortable, ugly brown hospital chair, holding tightly onto his ashy hand. As she prayed on and on to a God, she no longer held close but wished for Harry they were real and would bring Harry back to her.

Y/N prayed for Harry to finally open his eyes and give her a reassuring smile that he would be okay.

That they would be okay.

Until then, she'll wait.

Harry being Lieutenant allowed him to have a consistent schedule. That did not mean there weren't days where he had to pull a double shift or stay back to finish paperwork; he let it pile up.

The one day that was Y/N's was Sunday.

She got him an entire day to lay in bed together and eat all the baked goods she baked for him to try. It was becoming their day. Everyone at the station knew Harry could not be disturbed on Sundays unless it was the end of the world, and even then, they'd have to pry him away from Y/N.

He feels safe in her arms. Harry had never felt that before. Sure, he was surrounded by his firehouse family, but he had never felt so loved in two arms as if she could take all his problems and stresses away. Still, she did exactly that when she would flash him her gorgeous smile and hold her arms open for him to fall into at the end of every day.

Harry knows he's never felt this way, and he won't ever take it for granted.

This Sunday will be different, and she feels it as soon as she wakes up because, in her queen-sized bed, she's alone. No arms wrapped around her waist; no head tucked into her necks as he places soft open kisses to wake her from her sleep gently.

Already, she knows this is going to be a bad day. She feels it in her bones. Having been around trouble for so long, she knows the difference between good and bad. The feelings she has made her want to find Harry and pull him back into bed where she can keep him safe.

Y/N gets out of bed, throwing the warm sheets off her body going to the bathroom to do her morning skin routine, wanting to feel refreshed for when Harry breaks the news; he's going to leave her alone on their day. She knows him well enough; he's cooking her breakfast to make up for leaving her so early in the morning.

She walks out of her bathroom, going straight to her closet and taking out the first sweater she saw. It's a baby blue color and stitched on the left side on top of her heart is: "love me please?" It's Harry's favorite sweater of hers because it's an oversized sweater that fits him well. The only reason she has it back is that he wanted her to wash it and wear it until it got her smell again. Y/N kissed him silly when he told her that, plus she loves that it smells like him now.

Y/N takes one look at her unmade bed and walks away, knowing she's going to crawl back in after Harry leaves her. She walks out and, from the hallway, can hear Harry humming away. If she's honest, she doesn't recognize the song. As she has come to learn, Harry has an interesting taste in music; he has basically heard every song ever to exist. It's a reason they are so good at Four Clovers Thursday Trivia night. She dominates pop culture and films, and Harry takes on music. She's also better at history than him. Their friends love trivia night because their winning always gets them free drinks. It's something she looks forward to each week.

"Morning, H," Y/N says as she approaches him from behind and wraps her arms around his waist. Harry smiles, instantly feeling warm with her arms around him.

"Morning, firebug. Sleep well?"

She mumbles a no, causing Harry to laugh, and she feels it vibrate through her.

"Awe, upset I wasn't wrapped around you." He teases. "I'm making up to you by making breakfast."

She pulls away, spotting blackberries on the counter. "Sure, Jan."

Harry can hear the change in her tone and knows she's still goofing off with him but knows she's upset.

"Angel, come sit. Coffee is ready."

She shakes her head but makes her way over to the chair he pulled out for her. "No coffee. I'll be going back to bed soon." Y/N waits to see if he'll correct her, but he doesn't.

"I'm sorry." He begins.

"No apologies."

"Please let me. I'm leaving you on our day." He pouts.

"As much as I don't want you to go, I'm sure they need you more than I do."

Harry frowns, "I hope you'll never stop needing me." He whispers against her lips before closing the gap. Y/N hums against his soft lips allowing herself to get lost in the moment; she loves his kisses, soft and gentle just as he is despite what his sharp eyes might have one believe.

Harry pulls away after pressing one final kiss on her pouted lips. "I'm sorry I have to go to work, but I know for certain that I can meet you for a late lunch."

"Lunch?" She repeats, arms wrapped around his waist, hoping he was serious with his offer.

He hums. "Yes, 2:30, that bistro with that avocado dressing you like for your sandwich."

"It's a date." She grins, laying her head on his chest letting him hold her tight. He unwraps his arms, letting her go.

"I've got to get going, firebug, but I'll see you later."

"Stay safe, Styles." She tells him as she does every time he leaves.

"Try my best, angel."

With that, he slips his beat-up white Vans with lilac laces and walks out the door; it shuts it behind him. Just as Y/N steps towards it to lock up, it opens back up, startling her. Harry steps back in, and before she can question him, he places both faces on the side of her face and kisses her breathless. Y/N is quick to react, allowing their lips to move in perfect harmony, not as smooth but perfect, nonetheless.

"I--" Harry begins before he clears his throat. "I'll miss you, angel."

Y/N feels the heat rush to her cheeks because, for a moment, she thought he'd say another three words. "And I'll miss you, H. Now get out of here; I don't need you showing up late to our lunch date."

Harry smiles, dimples on full display, hugging her before walking out a skip in his step. She peaks her head out, making sure he gets in the car safely before he drives off. He sits there for a moment, and she knows he is letting his Bluetooth connect as he waits for his drive-to-work playlist titled "it's time" to start playing. He takes a look at his mirrors before backing out and driving. That's when Y/N closes and locks the door.

Time to go back to bed for a few more hours; what else is there to do on a Sunday when she's left alone.

Harry genuinely did not want to go to work today, but it's not like he could say no to his Chief. His Chief was never one to call in favor unless it was an emergency. He didn't ask, knowing he'd get the full story Monday, but for now, he gets on his pants, t-shirt, and boots and hopes there are no fires today.

The only thing is that Harry isn't used to working with the B-shift, sure he knows everyone's name and a little of their lives, but they aren't his usual team. He shakes that off because he knows he would do anything to help a team member and knows they would do the same in return.

Harry is lost in thought, wondering what Y/N was going to do today. He knows she planned to take him to a butterfly pavilion today even told him the outfit she had planned out for it. A pair of jeans that had flowers embroidered all over something she added, saying she thought they looked a bit plain, pairing it with a pastel pink top. Harry was surprised with her style after meeting her various times in different outfits. He was surprised at how soft she dressed in pastels. She may have a bold personality, but her fashion was delicate and warm. It was a nice balance.

He nearly runs into Carols as he made his way to his office, too busy thinking of the girl he left at home. "Sorry, bud."

"No problem, Harry. Surprised to see you here," Carols tells him, everyone knowing Sunday was Harry's day off.

"Chief had something come up and asked me to come in. I should be out of here by eight tonight if we're lucky."

Carlos smiles, "with you around, we usually are."

Harry chuckles, telling him he'll be in his office if he needs anything. He looks around his desk and sighs at how much has piled up already.

Might as well get ahead.

It's a few hours when Harry realizes the house is quiet. He peaks around the window and figures they are all in the common room. It's only one, and thankfully there have been no calls, and if it continues, then he will make it to lunch with his angel.

He shoots her a text.

Angel

13:24 PM

I miss you. Counting down the minutes until I get to see you xxx

Harry clicks send and smiles down at his phone. 2:30 couldn't come fast enough.

As he gets up to stretch and go for a snack in the kitchen, he takes a deep breath because as confident as he may seem, he isn't around the second shift. They don't know him so well, and Harry ultimately is shy. He may be able to hide it, but he has small quicks that others pick up on. Something he knows Y/N spotted quickly, like when he toes his foot into the ground or when he begins to chip at his nails, and Y/N's favorite is when he moves his hands behind his back and sways side to side. She finds it endearing, but others might not think it's leadership material.

He walks into the lounge to cross to the kitchen when a few heads turn to him, but before they can say a word, the alarm rings, and Harry is literally saved by the bell.

Not a second to waste, everyone heads over to the rig and quickly suits up. Harry is Lieutenant meaning he's in charge of the scene today, seeing as their captain and Chief aren't here today. Harry respects all the firefighters and knows this will go well if everyone carries out their job.

It's a factory fire, and as soon as they arrive, Harry can see it's burning fast. He's not sure how many people are there, but he calls in for reinforcements knowing they will need all the manpower they can get.

"This is House 102; please send more units available. The factory fire is burning at a faster rate than we can control. My team is going in now. There are five people unaccounted for; the left side of the building is clear." Harry speaks into his two-way radio.

"Carlos," the young firefighter jogs over, eyes on Harry, no longer staring at the roaring fire. "You're going in with Baz. Stay close and don't go up the second floor; you need to be quick in and out."

"Who's going with you, Lieutenant?" Carlos asks, clearly worried.

"Jameson and Rey are coming with me; stay safe, and if anything happens, just radio in."

"You got it!" Harry pats his shoulder and walks off towards the two waiting men.

Harry knows the men well, he trained them when they came into the house, but they preferred B-shift instead of being with him. One spot was available, and he knew they didn't want to be separated. Rey and Jameson have been dating for two years, but that's a secret only very few know. It's not prohibited, but if it gets more serious, one will have to relocate to a new station. They simply aren't ready for that, and indeed Harry would be sad not to have them around the house or hearing their stories. It just adds a more considerable risk because, at the end of the day, the job is first.

Rey walks towards the entrance with Harry following right behind. Jameson, a few feet back, calling out for anyone in there that needs help.

"Fire department, call out." Echoes out as much as it can as the fire begins to roar louder.

The heat gets worse the further they walk in; they turn right at the edge of a desk labeled "Torres."

"H, there!" Rey shouts, rushing over to a man knocked unconscious and had heavy storage struck over his legs, pinning him down. Harry and Jameson run over, assessing the man before making any sudden moves.

Jameson finds a pulse, weak but there. He gets the extra mask over the man's face hoping it'll wake him up soon.

"On the count of three, we lift," Harry tells the two men standing to a stand as the others do the same.

They nod. "One, two, three." They grunt in unison, pushing the container to a standing position. Harry looks over the man's legs and is thankful there is no blood, but there will be swelling and bruises. "Right, Rey, take him out. We'll keep searching."

Rey nods, lifting the man over his shoulder as he was trained to do, and rushes out of the burning building. Harry and Jameson have just learned a new area when the radio comes on. "Lieutenant Styles, it's Carlos. We found two men; only one remains unaccounted for."

Harry nods. "Got it, no one comes back in. We'll be out soon."

He now leads the way, making his way towards a stairway. There's no fire here, but it's moving faster, and smoke is thick. Whoever is in here might not last much longer without oxygen.

"Fire department, call out," Harry shouts, voice firm.

"Here.." a whisper is heard, both Harry and Jameson freeze. Once more, "here" is yelled but sounds muffled.

Harry looks around, not seeing anything but fire, and fears the structure will collapse soon. Just as he was about to yell again, he sees a can knocked, and a man hidden under a black rag is seen. Jameson rushes over, helping the man sit up. He's older, well into his sixties. He doesn't look too well; he has a few scapes.

"Right, we need to head out," Jameson tells Harry, helping the man stand up who is fighting consciousness.

"This is Lieutenant Styles; on our way out found the last man. Have paramedics on standby."

"Got it, Styles. Get out quick."

Jameson and Harry get the man up and head to exit. Harry can see the light of day and knows he will be late for lunch, but thankful Y/N is understanding and very forgiving. He'll make it up to her by buying dessert.

Just as they almost reach the door, a piece of dry wood comes falling down, separating Harry and Jameson; luckily, it did not hit them, but now Harry has to find a new way out. It's not looking good.

"Harry," Jameson looks panicked, but Harry stays calm.

"Get him out, now," Harry tells him, looking in every direction for what to do.

"No, I won't-" Harry cuts him off.

"Jameson, get this man out. He needs medical attention. That's an order." Voice full of authority with no room to argue.

Jameson nods and heads out. "I'm coming back for you."

Harry chuckles. He sees a small path, but it'd be a more extended way out. He debates what to do. He could wait, but the longer he stays, the quicker this building is beginning to collapse.

It takes him two seconds to decide to go right and find a new route out instead of staying put. He walks and only gets hotter as the fire begins to surround him. He's good at not panicking, always thinks better under pressure, but this is getting intense. Harry climbs over a crate and bends low to go through this tight space. He sees the exit, it's still a bit away, but he knows he is in the clear.

That's when he hears a big explosion knocking him forward. His oxygen masks flys off, landing a few feet away. As Harry reaches his hand out to get it, he's pulled back. He looks behind and sees he's stuck. There are crates stacked on top of him. The air is thick of smoke, and with no oxygen, it seems like the fire will soon enough engulf him.

Shit.

He's really in trouble now.

Harry presses his radio, holding it, hoping it's still working. "This is Harry," He coughs. "I'm trapped under a few crates. I can't reach my ask. I'm west of the building."

"Harry, hold on. We're going in." Harry hears Jameson reply, but he's fading quickly.

He shakes his head. "Can't go to sleep, but this smoke is too thick to actually see anything, let alone for his team to find him.

"Tell…" He coughs again, and this time doesn't stop for what feels like five minutes but is only a few seconds. "Tell angel, I'm sorry."

A voice comes over the speaker, but Harry's eyelids are fluttering shut, the weight of the crates is too much, and the smoke only gets deeper in his lungs if he keeps speaking.

Harry welcomes the darkness as he sees the one person he was supposed to meet for lunch. She's holding an outstretched hand for him to take and who is he to ever say no to her.

Real or not, he goes to her, and soon enough, he falls unconscious, not feeling when his team lifts him out and puts him in the back of an ambulance.

Y/N decided to show up a bit earlier for their lunch date, putting in their order early, wanting to maximize all their time together. She wouldn't see him until late that night, and honestly, she wasn't a fan of being separated on her favorite day of the week.

She sits on a bench right outside, both sandwiches wrapped tucked away in a brown paper bag and a lemonade sitting next to her untouched. It was his favorite, too sweet in her opinion. Still, Harry loved it, especially since he wasn't one to indulge in sweets unless they were hers.

Knowing Harry could be running late, she pulls out a book from her orange tote bag that Harry gifted to her. The book was Beach Read, Frankie recommended it to her then gave her the book saying she needed to read more romance books and not just poetry and nonfiction books. She actually enjoyed it, which surprised her, but even if she didn't, she's too invested to not find out the ending.

She was just starting chapter five when she feels too much time has passed and glances down at her phone.

2:55

25 minutes late isn't bad or unusual even; she decides to put the book away and keep an eye out for him. Usually, when he keeps her waiting, he makes up for it with a long kiss that never fails to take her breath away; she's excited about it now.

Time seems to go slower when she just sits waiting. She debates beginning to eat her sandwich when her stomach starts to growl. It's low, but she would feel bad if she began to eat, and that's when he shows up. She settles for waiting and instead takes a drink of the sweet lemonade.

As Y/N sits waiting for Harry, her phone begins to ring and displays an unknown number but the city's area code. Every bone in her body tells her to prepare for the worst but hopes she's paranoid.

She takes a deep breath before answering and bringing the phone up to her ear.

"Hello, are you angel?" A deep voice man asks.

"It's Y/N. Actually, can I ask who's calling?" She's holding her breath; only one person calls her angel.

"I'm calling on behalf of Lieutenant Harry Styles. Harry has been in an accident and was taken to the hospital. He asked us to call an angel on his way to the hospital. We assumed you were one of his emergency contacts."

Y/N feels her hands begin to shake. "What hospital?"

The man on the phone rattles the information, and she lets it all sink in. He hangs up, and she sits there waiting on the bench for her date that will not be showing up.

Her phone rings again, she answers without looking at the caller.

"Y/N," she recognized the voice; it's Mitch, and if he's calling, then it must be true.

"Mitch," she whispers, not recognizing her own voice. It's shaky, tears beginning to well up.

"Where are you?"

"At the bistro a street down from the station." She replies, hoping he's coming for her.

"I'm close; we'll pick you up and go see him, darling." She nods but remembers he can't see her.

Y/N isn't sure why she's not crying. She feels the tears, but it's like they are stuck; her heart hurts, and she knows that says enough. "We were supposed to meet for lunch. I got worried when he didn't show up, but I didn't think--" he interrupts her.

"Harry is going to be fine, trust me. He's okay, and he needs us there."

Y/N doesn't reply because she sees him pulling in. Mitch is in the passenger seat, Sarah is driving. She doesn't say a word as she swings open the door and settles in the back.

She sets her hands in her lap; she can feel herself trembling. She can feel herself breaking because she won't know if he's okay until she sees him. Mitch can say he's fine, but she needs to see for herself.

Sarah and Mitch share a concerned look; Y/N doesn't notice her eyes looking out the window.

"Y/N?" Mitch begins, voice full of concern. "Do you- are you okay to go see him?"

"Of course." She replies quickly. "He needs me; well, I hope he does."

"Course he needs you. Needs his angel by his side." Sarah tells her calmly, wanting to see her smile, but it doesn't work because only Harry should be calling her that. She shouldn't be on her way to see him in a hospital bed. She should have seen him next to her on that bench as he ate his sandwich and gave her kiss and kiss as she told him stories.

They are silent the rest of the way. Sarah pulls into an empty parking space, and she rushes after Mitch, who seems to know exactly where Harry is as he rushes past the front desk. The only thing that slows them down is waiting for the elevator; she gladly would have taken the stairs if Mitch didn't tell her that he's on the sixth floor. Instead, she waits impatiently for the old elevator that will take her to see her love.

He is going to be okay. He has to be okay. Y/N keeps those thoughts running through her head as Mitch and Sarah guide her to room 613.

Mitch walks in first, holding the door open, Sarah places a comforting hand on her back, and Y/N feels supported and loved, but nothing prepares her for what she is about to walk into.

The constant beep of Harry's heart monitor is the only thing that can be heard in his private room. The beep is steady; it makes her let out a deep breath. The monitor already calming her down, she approaches slowly as if he'd wake if she'd walk any faster.

She sits in the uncomfortable chair next to his bed and pulls it as close as she can.

Y/N just stares at him, taking it all in. He looks like he's resting peacefully like he should originally have been when they started this day together. His curls are disheveled, his face dirty with smoke stains and a few gauzes wrapped around his arms. She can't see much else but knows he's got a road of recovery still ahead of him.

"Hi, Harry," she whispers, her hand slowly reaching under the white sheet to grab hold of his right hand. "I'm right here, okay. Take your time waking up; there's no rush. Just know that I'm not going anywhere."

She pauses, hoping for a reply even though she knows she won't get one. "We can also discuss how I'm sort of one of your emergency contacts."

Y/N presses her lips to his hand. "Need you to wake up, want to see those Rapunzal eyes." She sits back, not removing her hand from his. Sarah has not taken her eyes off of her, Sarah might feel like she might blow up soon, but being at his side, she has begun to feel better.

"Harry, we're here for you. The whole team is outside in the lobby, probably why they sent us to the floor with the biggest waiting area. Even young Carlos is out there, saying you gave them a scare but really hopes you never pick up another B-shift again." Mitch sniffles before stepping out of the room. Sarah walks over to where he was standing.

"Hey Harold, it's trivia night in a few days, and kind of counting on you to get us those free drinks." Sarah chuckles. "It's been a while since we've been in the hospital. I think it was when I made you all donate blood for that ambulance competition. Fun times, now you rest and get better. The good thing is you have the best nurse looking out for you." Sarah glances at Y/N, sending her a small smile.

Y/N sits back in her chair as Sarah sits in one by the window. She knows she's in for a long afternoon and an even longer night.

Harry's head is throbbing.

He's not sure why. The last he remembers is leaving Y/N's house to go for his shift at the station.

They were meeting for lunch; he's sure she wouldn't let him drink any alcohol on the job.

Harry slowly opens his eyes and is blinded by the bright light. He sees a photo of the sunset right in front of him, and a tv hung up; if he's not mistaken, he's in a hospital room, primarily due to being in an uncomfortable bed. The oxygen mask over his face is also a dead giveaway he was in an accident.

He looks around, and he sees he is not alone. His angel is sleeping, a tight grip on his right hand; she looks exhausted. Mitch walks in just as Harry was about to wake her. Y/N mumbles and sits up, pulling her hand away from his to rub the sleep away. Harry wants to tell her to stop knowing how much it actually irritates her eyes, especially when she tubs a little harsher than usual.

"Were you able to find tea, Mitch?" Y/N asks, looking over at him.

"Sarah's bringing it over." Mitch's gaze never turns to her staying on Harry; this confuses Y/N and turns back around in her seat to look at a resting Harry but instead finds his eyes on her.

"Harry!" Y/N scoots forward, grasps his hand in hers. "You're awake. Mitch, the nurse, please."

Harry raises his free hand to take off the mask. He wants to speak, but this won't allow him. "No, love. Got to keep it on."

Harry's eyes close, then flutter open. He stares at Y/N, his eyes kind but defiant. He takes the mask off, coughing a bit; it makes Y/N feel nauseous, knowing he's not doing so well.

"I think you need to keep it on, Harry." She says, "the nurse needs to see it when she comes in soon."

"Hey, angel," he says in a raspy voice. It sounds like he's in pain when he talks.

"Yes?" She asks.

"I'm sorry for scaring you."

Y/N shrugs, "no big deal. I wasn't even scared."

Harry smiles, showering her his dimples since she last saw him this morning. He begins to laugh but stops when it causes him to cough. Y/N lets him settle down before bending down to gently kiss him.

"Now, let that hold you over, and put the mask pack on."

Harry nods. "Anything for you, my angel."

It's a half-hour before the doctor comes in, and by that time, Harry had fallen back asleep, only just waking up a few minutes before the man walked through the door. Mitch alerted everyone outside he was awake and doing good.

Dr. Vazquez walked white coat open, displaying a purple button-up and a bright yellow tie. It puts a smile on Y/N's face.

"Hello, Mr. Styles. Glad you're awake."

"Me too, Doc. Nice tie."

Dr. Vaquez smiles, looking down at himself, "Thank you, my wife picks out my tie every morning before she heads off to work."

"Lucky man," Harry tells him.

"That I am." Dr. Vazquez replies. "You've got a mild concussion, nothing serious, but you are allowed to sleep while you're here. We've got a good team looking out for you. You've got a few burns, but those will heal nicely if properly cared for. A few deep bruises on your leg and one on your rib cage, no blood clots. It will hurt to walk for a few days."

"Nothing too bad, then," Harry sighs, relaxing in bed.

"I've looked at your charts, and it looks like you will be making a full recovery and should be back on the job in three or four weeks. In the meantime, you will need to stay overnight and keep taking in oxygen. I see the nurse changed your mask. Please don't remove this one." Harry nods. "Any questions?"

Harry shakes his head no, "Not at the moment."

"Alright, I'll be off then. I'll come to see you tomorrow midday, and we'll talk about going home. I hear you have a waiting room full of people dying to see; just be aware that visiting hours end at nine, but if you're kind to Nurse Lucy, she'll be lenient to ten."

"Thank you, Dr. Vazquez." Mitch and Y/N say in unison as the man exits the room.

"That's the quietest I've ever seen you, firebug." Harry teases.

"You hush." She lightly pats his arm.

Mitch laughs, "going to go tell them you're allowed, visitors."

Y/N and Harry sit in silence. He can tell she has something on her mind, a slight frown on her face. He wonders if it's about him if she won't be able to handle dating someone who can be hurt by the job. Harry honestly does not want to lose her.

"I'm going to step out," Y/N tells him, looking down at their joined hands, not wanting to meet his eyes.

"Y/N," Harry sighs.

"You've got lots of people waiting to see you and roughly have an hour to see them all. I'll be close by." She leans down, presses a kiss to his cheek, and walks out before he can reach out to stop her.

She steps out while a few members of his team come in to see him offering her a smile as she passes them. As much as she didn't want to leave him, she needed a moment away, and he needed a moment with his family.

God, Y/N has never felt so scared, and now a minute alone, everything is beginning to set in. She has no idea where the restroom is, and the next thing she knows, she's running into someone, but it seems they recognize her because they say her name, and the next thing she knows, she's crying, sinking to the floor. She feels arms wrap around her.

Shushes in her ear, brushing the ends of her hair. It's calming, but she needs to let all the tears she's been holding in.

"Y/N," she can now recognize the voice as Sarah's, "I'm going to help you stand and sit you in the chair.

Y/N feels herself nod.

She begins taking deep breaths, never letting Sarah pull her hand away. It is the only thing keeping her grounded.

"I got her some water." Y/N hears Frankie whisper handing it to Sarah before taking the seat to the left of her.

"I'm okay," she repeats. "I'm okay."

"Y/N," Sarah begins.

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, sweetie." Frankie brushes her hair back.

"I'm supposed to be strong; I have to be strong to do this to stand by his side," Y/N tells them, beginning to let her emotions out.

"No one is expecting you not to cry."

"Bu-" Sarah interrupts her.

"No. stop. Accidents happen, and so do injuries. It's okay to be scared and hurt."

"I want to be strong for him." She whispers.

"You are. You never left his side; you talked to him. You're crying now because you care."

She wipes her eyes with her sweater sleeves. "I love him, and I was so scared that when I got the call, I'd never get to tell Harry."

"Then you tell him as soon as you walk back into his room."

"Thank you."

"Nothing to thank, I care about you, and I know Harry would be grateful to know you're not alone. You've always got us. Now let's grab something to eat, and we'll come back in an hour once all of them go home."

She chuckles. "Alright."

"Text me where you're sitting. I'll pop in to see Harry, then meet you."

"You don't have to," Y/N tells Frankie because she knows she is just as concerned about her friend.

"Are you kidding me? You're my friend first, always."

Sarah and Y/N walk down to the cafeteria. She knows she isn't okay but is feeling better, finally letting emotion out. It was only a matter of time before she let the dam break; she's just happy it was not in front of Harry.

The girls sit in the cafeteria munching on snacks for well over an hour. Mitch sends them a message letting them know all the crew has left and it's time to say goodbye for the night. Frankie wishes her goodnight downstairs with promises to come to see her tomorrow and bring her a change of clothes.

"Let's walk you back," Sarah tells her, linking their arms together.

"Do you think he'll know?" Sarah takes a good look at her and grimaces. "I'll just say I tripped, and it made me cry." Y/N jokes.

"I don't think he'll believe that."

"Yeah, me either." The girls walk out of the elevator as their laughter dies down.

They settle in silence as they make their way to his room, Sarah holding her hand leading the way. Mitch is in the chair she was in for so many hours before waiting for him to wake up. Mitch hears their footsteps and turns his head, but Harry is frowning, looking out the window at the dark sky.

Y/N doesn't know what to say, but one look at him has her heart filling up with relief; he's okay.

He's fine, and he gets to go home soon, and she gets to love him all she wants.

Harry turns his head as she steps forward. "Angel," he breathes out.

It makes her eyes well up with tears again. "I love you," she just lets it out, as if she's told Harry this every day as if she never went a moment not saying it.

"Oh my angel," Harry begins to cry, feeling overwhelmed and incredibly happy. His angel loves him, and although this isn't a perfect day, the moment is.

Mitch and Sarah sneak out quietly, shutting the door behind them to give them their privacy.

"I love you so much. Please come here." Harry replies, voice shaky.

In the next second, she's moving forward, pulling the chair as close as she can as he grabs her hands, squeezing them tightly. She leans down and presses her lips to his chapped pink lips. They move gently, pouring all their love and fears into the kiss. Telling each other that the worst is over and they are together, and they are fine. Y/N pulls back, knowing she can't kiss him as long as she'd like due to his sensitive lungs.

"Harry, I love you, and I was so scared I'd never get to say it."

"I'm sorry, angel; I never wanted you to get a call like this, at least not before talking about it."

"Me either," She sniffles, no longer able to control her tears, "but it happened, and I'm just happy you're okay."

"I'm okay," he repeats. She smiles, taking one of her hands out of his hold to wipe his tears away; Harry can't help but lean his head into her gentle touch. "I'm okay because my angel is always looking after me.

"Harry."

"It's true. I've never been luckier and safer since you came into my life." She smiles. "But there's something we have to talk about." He continues, and by the tone of his voice, it's going to be serious.

"Are you okay?"

"What? I'm fine. You're the one in a hospital bed." Her tone is defensive.

"There's something wrong. I can see it."

Y/n sighs, taking a deep breath. She takes her hand out of his hold.

Harry is quick to mask his hurt.

"I don't like that you're hurt. I hate that we aren't at home in the kitchen dancing around to your Sunday playlist as I bake you a new treat." She says in a rush.

"Hey, love, relax," he says and gestures for her to move in closer. She does so, allowing him to take hold of her hands with a firm grip this time.

"You're upset because I got hurt?" She nods in reply to his question. It's stupid because, of course, he's going to get hurt; it'd be naive to think he wouldn't in his job.

"It's part of the job." He says simply. It's something he wants her to accept and remember. She thinks back to a month into dating when he told her about his ex-girlfriend and how she couldn't handle the unknown of the job each day he left her. Y/N thought she'd be fine, but she loves him, and losing him would be something she could never recover from.

"I know. It's just not easy to see." Her voice was quiet and defeated.

"What do we do?" Harry asks, and Y/N freezes; she can feel her heart beating in her ears.

What do we do?

"What do you mean?" She can feel her hands begin to shake.

"This can happen again." He gestures to him in the hospital bed.

"I know." She says softly.

"Is this something you can handle or not?" He asks very direct. She knows this might not be the first time he's had the conversation, but she just told him she loved him, and he's questioning her. She's allowed to feel this way, but it doesn't mean she can't handle it.

"Y/N," he begins, "I'm incredibly happy with you. I see you and me together for a long time. You're it for me, but this job is my life."

"I know," she repeats. "I would never ask you to give up your job."

Harry stares at her; heartbreak passes through his eyes. "Are you asking me to give you up?

She shakes her and begs for the tears not to fall, but it's no use. She feels them falling and can't wipe them as Harry has a hold of her hands.

"Harry, I love you." He frowns as if fearing the worst. "I love you, and I'd rather love you every moment I have you than let you go now and never know what could have been."

"Oh, thank god." Harry lets out a deep breath. She giggles. "I'm sorry we couldn't have this conversation earlier; honestly, I feared if I brought it up, you could possibly break up with me, and I selfishly wanted to have you longer."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere, not if it's up to me. Seeing you laid up is hard but knowing I get to be there for you makes up for it. Also helps that I'm a nurse."

"That it does."

Y/n grins at Harry, leaning in to kiss him, short and sweet for now. Each kiss never fails to make her heart race, and due to Harry's heart monitor, she knows it does the same to him. They sit in silence, staring at each other as Harry traces small shapes against Y/N's cheeks, loving the feeling of her in his hand. Especially when she lets out a soft giggle when he hits a sensitive spot.

"Move in with me," Y/N blurts out after a while of silence.

It shocks Harry. "What?"

"Until you're better. That way, I can be your in-home nurse."

"Only until I'm better?" She nods. "So, you'll give me the boot after." Harry teases.

Y/N can feel her cheeks warming up but pushes through, "Only if you're a bad patient."

Harry smiles, dimples on full display for her, always for her. "Okay, I can be good and naughty only when you ask."

"Harry!" She gasps.

He throws his head back, laughing.

"God, I'm so lucky to love you." His words warm her heart, and she promises to tell him every day from now on.

"Now get up here and cuddle me. I got Mitch to cue up Netflix."

"Are you sure?" She stands slipping her shoes off, knowing he won't be taking no for an answer.

"Going to deprive an injured man of what he wants most?"

"Guess not."

"Good."

Y/N crawls on and lays on his side, carefully resting her head on his chest. Harry presses kiss after kiss for his comfort, knowing he will be okay and has his favorite person by his side. She chooses Legally Blonde knowing it's Harry's comfort movie as much as he tries to deny it.

For an unusual start to their Sunday, it ends right; together in bed, a hospital bed but nonetheless a bed, together arms wrapped tight around each other.

Y/N might not have liked that Harry got hurt, but he's okay, and he will recover.

That's all she could ever ask for.

thank you so much for reading!

please send me a message of what you thought or if you'd like to see more firefighter harry

I adore you. take care xx

[suicidalslasher]

𝒕𝒓𝒖𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒍𝒚 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 ➤ 𝒄𝒂𝒓𝒓𝒊𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒆

Here's one of three Carrie White fics!! :D This is honestly short and sweet, plus simple... compared to the other two. But.... it's here and I'm very much happy with the way it came out. I hope you all enjoy it, as well.

Although, the gif is of Sissy, you can pretend it's either version of Carrie.

(Chloe or Angela's. I, personally, just prefer Sissy's. Although, I love all three.) And despite it being Sissy, too, I took inspiration from the (2002) adaption with Angela whereas Carrie never died in the accident of her house.

Instead, she lives and runs away. And yadda yadda. Enjoy!! xx

Warnings: None. Unless you count fluff and love confessions UwU.

“I know she was your friend but c’mon, (Y/N). She was nothing more than a piece of shit… Grow up. Move on.”

“She was a monster, (Y/N). Do you really think she wasn’t? After all she had done? She destroyed everything and hurt so many people… she killed several hundred people, too… if that isn’t a cruel, heartless bitch, I don’t know who or what is.”

“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re just like her…. are you a demon in disguise, too, (Y/N)?”

They said the same exact thing. The statements were always said by different people but the topic of the subject remained the same - Carrie White.   Carrie White was the devil. So on and so forth…

It was a constant reminder she no longer was here with us - with me.  

 The tragedy that struck on prom  night wasn’t my fault. Nor, was it Carrie’s.

Carrie had so much anger built up within her, she was bound to explode with rage eventually. And that day just so happened to unravel at the dance. All thanks to the students (and some teachers) of Bates High.

They constantly bullied Carrie for no real given reason, they harassed her for things she couldn’t quite control, either.  Not me, though.

I’m not crazy, even if there are people that  say I am and even if there are those that put words in my mouth I never said to begin with, too -

It’s not true.

None of it is true.

Everything you’ve read about Carrie White is false. Everything you’ve, more than likely, heard about her is furthest from the truth, also.

She’s not a monster. She never was one. She was just an ordinary girl, begging to be loved,  to be happy. And I loved her.

I just… I wish more than anything she realized how much I loved her.  I was in love with Carrie White, truly, madly, deeply…. in love with her.

And nobody could ever change how I felt - how I feel - towards her.

The night I was going to confess my feelings, believe it or not, was before the dance. Before everything happened.

The moment I arrived to the dance, well…by then, it was too late.   I hadn’t known it yet but almost everyone  was trapped inside the gymnasium, nails digging through the doors as they tried - and failed - to escape.

Their blood curling whines and agonizing moans were silenced by the music that played out on the speakers which echoed outside of the windows and bounced back and forth from the building to the parking lot.

I didn’t realize something terrible had happened until I smelled an intoxicating scent that caused my eyes to blur over with tears and caused me to grimace as the odor only grew stronger, thicker.

I winced and gazed around the parking lot which still remained full of different colored vehicles.     Confusion struck but after a moment or two later, realization hit like a ton of bricks.

From where I had stood, I saw a huge  cloud of gray smoke lingering around the building, only growing more and more thicker in the sky.

When I first arrived, the sky was crystal clear.  Not a single   speck of white was seen from above.   Now, that beautiful shade of blue was replaced with dark and haunting clouds of gray.

Even the moon was no longer hanging in the air for the smoke had it hidden.

The odor that swarmed the air, I realized, was people’s flesh burning.   One by one, people within the school were dying and suffocating to death.

Call me whatever you wish, as I’ve been called every name in the book, but I mean it when I say that I could care less  about the students and teachers of Bates High. If that made me an insensitive bitch, so be it.

The only reason I even attempted to try to get inside the building was because I remembered Carrie had gone to the dance with Tommy Ross.  And I’d do anything to save her.

Expect… I couldn’t.

Every area of the school was locked. Every entrance and exit doors were shut tightly. No matter how hard I tried to open them,  the damned thing wouldn’t budge.

I even tried to go through the windows but they were shut, too. There was nothing I could do.

Nothing expect fall to the ground and bury my face in my hands as tears began to fall, one by one, a tear dropped and soaked my hands and stained my cheeks.

Everyone said prom was a night to remember… but I doubt anyone wanted to remember their prom like this.

*~*

The following week after the incident, I heard a knock at my door. Slowly making my way out of bed, I walk down my too small and narrow hallway and open the door once I’ve reached the entrance,  glancing at the  person behind the screen door.

Sue Snell stood there, hands in her pocket and a look of sadness painted across her face.

“(Y/N),” She began.  “Can…. can we talk?”

“About what?” I snarled, not caring if I came off as rude or ignorant or any other definition.  I didn’t want to talk. I wanted to sleep and never wake up. I already knew where the conversation was going and what the main subject was going to be about. And I didn’t want to hear it. I didn’t want to talk about it.

“It’s about last week…  It’s…. it’s about Carrie.”

“I already know. She’s dead, okay? She’s dead and she isn’t going to come back, you don’t have to remind me.” I go to shut the door but Sue sticks her foot out and stops me from doing so. I narrow my eyebrows at her and give her a questioning gaze.

“Please…” She but all begged. “Tonight. Meet me at her headstone, tonight, would you? Midnight. I’m being serious. Trust me on this, would you? I know you have no reason to… but please.. if not for me, for Carrie.”

“Fine. I’ll think about it. Now, I have to go.”

“(Y/N), wait-”

Before she could finish her sentence, I’m  closing the door in her face and storming back to my bedroom, falling onto my mattress with an ‘ugh’ leaving my lips.

For the past few days, I didn’t do anything expect cry and scream into my pillow.

The moment I got back under the covers and buried my face under several blankets and two of my pillows,  the tears came rushing back down.

I was surprised I still had tears left in me from all the crying I had done, truth be told.

I tried, really, I did… to be strong but it was so hard. Especially when Carrie wasn’t here to make things better.

It was so difficult to live when  the one person you kept yourself alive for is no longer around…. it’s hard to live when your heart is no longer beating.

The day Carrie White died was the day a little part of me died, too.

*~*

It was 11:50PM.

The house was eerily silent. The only noise, from where I was at in my bedroom, was the whistle of the wind and the gentle knocking of tree limbs outside on my window.

I glance at the clock by my bedside table. It now read 11:52.

I sigh and sit up, my feet touching the cold hardwood floor. I rub my hands over my face tiredly as I try to come to a decision whether or not I wanted to meet Sue at Carrie’s gravestone.

I came to the decision… yes, I should go.  After all, I wanted to make sure nobody wrote any more harsh and ruthless slurs on Carrie’s grave.

Even in death, they wouldn’t let her rest and wouldn’t stop picking on her.   Carrie should be able to rest and yet there’s hundreds of people who forbid her from doing so. It was a shame.

People say Carrie White is a monster or the daughter of the Devil himself but in reality, the only monsters are the ones  that won’t leave that poor girl alone.

"If you look in the face of evil - evil's going to look right back at you."

*~*

The time I got to the cemetery  it had just turned midnight.  As I exited out the car, it seemed as if the howl of the wind grew louder upon my arrival.

“Hello?” I call out. My voice seems loud against the empty area and I grimace; I didn’t realize how wobbly it sounded until I had spoken.

(I blamed that on all the off and on crying sessions I’ve done recently.)

“Sue? Are you there? Hello?”

Nothing.

I groan and face palm, shaking my head from side to side. I should’ve known not to come. I should have known better and yet-

“(Y/N).”

My eyes dart forward and I feel my knees begin to buckle out underneath me and all the air in my lungs is snatched away from me.

“(Y/N).” She repeats, walking toward me and gives me a wry smile. “Hi.”

“C-Carrie?” My voice shook and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. There she was, alive, breathing and all.

And she was right in front of me.

“You… I thought you were dead.” I was speechless. I could barely form any sentences without stumbling over my words.

“That’s why I’m here,” Carrie explained, stepping closer to me.  She rests the palm of her hand across my cheek, fingers brushing over my skin and I shudder, goose bumps prickling ever so softly across my arms.

“I didn’t know how to tell you….” She continued, sighing as she moves a loose piece of hair back and out from my face, tucking it behind my ear.

“I didn’t want anyone to know but Sue found me  on the side of the road when my house collapsed… she took me under her wing and helped me out.” She informed.  Carrie looked up and gave me a shy smile, her cheeks turning a bright rosy red.

“She insisted I should tell you, too… I was wanting to tell you, regardless but… I had been so scared. I’ve been terrified recently…. and with everything that happened, I only got more scared and… well, I thought you’d be like them and laugh at me or go on and tell the world where I was at and-”

“Carrie, I love you.” I blurt, unable to stop the words from forming out my mouth.

“I’d never, in any way, hurt you. I’ve loved you for the longest time and I thought…. I thought you were dead, Carrie… and it truly felt like I lost a piece of myself, too.”

The blush on Carrie’s cheeks grows darker, deeper as she nods. Tears swell in the corner of her eyes and she laughs softly, taking her hand away from my cheek as she wipes her eyes, sniffling quietly.

“I know. Sue told me, too… and I didn’t believe her. How could anyone love a freak like me? The laughing stock? Everyone’s personal punching bag..” Carrie smiled sadly as she shook her head.

“Mama told me it was a sin, you know? Love only is shared between a man and a woman. Not two men or two women together but… I realized I’d rather burn in Hell and be with the person I love than to go to Heaven being the person I’m not. I love you, (Y/N).

“I prayed every night for a friend and you came into my life at the time I needed you the most. You’re not only my best friend but my blessing, too.” By the time she’s finished talking, I’m crying and pulling her into my chest, hugging her tightly.

“I love you, I love you, I love you.” I repeat.  “From the moment I met you in the library and we bonded over our favorite novels together at the start of school, I knew I wanted to be your friend. I could care less what others thought.

And then when we went to the park that Saturday evening and had a picnic, I knew I loved you then…. I knew that no matter what, whether we were friends or more, I always wanted to make you happy, Carrie White.”

“And you do,” she reassured, voice cracking as she buried her head in the crook between my shoulder and neck. “You make me the happiest girl alive. I’ve never known true happiness until you came into the picture, (Y/N).”

I pull a little bit of ways out and take her face, pressing my hands across her cheeks and with little to no hesitation, I press my lips hungrily against hers.

Carrie, almost instantly, kisses back.

“I love you.” I murmur into the kiss, not daring to pull away.

“I love you.” She muttered. Through the kiss, I can feel the corners of her lips curling up into a smile. A grin finds its way across my face, too.

“Let’s go… let’s get out of here.” She said, pulling back as she looks up and into my eyes. “Let’s leave Chamberlain and never look back.”

And so, well, we did.

Carrie White wasn’t your average or your typical ordinary girl. She had powers, as I came to find out. I knew there was something unique, something special about her and now I knew what it was.

Carrie White wasn’t a demon. Or the daughter of the Devil or none of that sort.

Carrie White was simply just a girl, ready to start her own life and accomplish her own goals and seek happiness.

And I, (Y/N) (L/N) would do anything to help her achieve that.

Carrie White deserved better than to live in fear and shame.

Carrie White, just like anybody else, deserved to be happy.

So, whether you believe me or not, I don’t care.

If you still think she is a monster in disguise or whatever; I do not care.

I know the truth. Sue Snell knows the truth, too. Carrie White is anything but a monster.

Carrie White is, and forever will be, my girl.

And that’s just that.

End of story.

[cocobeanncteez]

ATEEZ San: Fight For Us (one-shot)

Pairing: idol!san x fem!reader

Genre: angst, light fluff, idol au.

Warnings: profanities, mentions of anxiety, breaking down, lots of crying, alcohol.

San never realized how awkward the atmosphere was whenever you and the members were in the same place. You knew they didn't like you from the first day San introduced you to them, but you didn't know why. Still, you tried your best to interact with them as they were very important to your boyfriend. San was really happy when he saw you making an effort to talk to the guys, but he didn't know that it was really hard for you to talk to them. They usually gave you short replies which just end the conversation. Hongjoong and Seonghwa were okay with you after awhile, but they still didn't make much efforts to talk to you.

One day, you went to the dorms when San had a sore throat. While you were making soup for him, you could hear some of the members talking about you from the living room. They were trying to talk quietly, but it was loud enough for you to hear.

"Why is she in our kitchen?" Wooyoung asked.

"She's probably making something," Yunho answered.

"Well, why is she using our kitchen then?" Yeosang scoffed. "I seriously don't like her." You felt your heart break at that. You knew they didn't like you, but it felt terrible to hear them say that.

"I should've hooked San up with my idol friend," Wooyoung said. "She's literally his type."

"I hope San breaks up with her," Mingi mumbled and Jongho agreed. "Our manager found out recently and he's not happy about it at all. San hasn't even been focusing very well these days."

"Manager hyung has plans of asking San to break up with her. I guess we all should be happy now," Jongho said. You felt your heart drop. At this point, you were sure the guys hated you. You really wanted to fix the situation, but you didn't want to cause any more problems; you knew San would never be able to break up with you, so you'd have to do instead.

You stirred the soup you made for San, controlling your tears from falling. You poured the soup into a bowl before taking it to his room.

"Thank you, love," San said softly, sitting up on his bed. You quietly fed him the soup, lost in your thoughts. "Babe, are you okay? Your eyes are watering." San asked, concern shown on his face.

You blinked and the tears fell. "Y-yeah, I just . . . I hate to see you in pain," you said; that was true, but it wasn't why you were crying.

San chuckled a little. "It's only a sore throat, love." Your heart hurt to hear him call you that; you won't be hearing it anymore after sometime. Tears began to stream down your cheeks at the thought of it.

San took the empty bowl from your hands and placed it on his bedside table. He cupped your cheeks, wiping your tears away. "Baby, I'm alright," he murmured, leaning in to capture your lips. You kissed him back with more urgency, knowing that you'll never get to do it again. San gasped a little, surprised at the new feeling that somehow made him feel anxious. To him, it felt like you were going to say goodbye. Little did he know, he was actually right.

When you went home, you bawled your eyes out. You were very much in love with San, and you knew he loved you just as much. You texted him, saying that you would come over the next day. He felt relieved: his anxiety from the urgent kiss you both shared immediately going away.

The next evening after your university classes ended, you went to Ateez's dorm. Hongjoong opened the door for you, and you found all the boys in the living room, laughing while playing some board game. You saw Mingi and Jongho roll their eyes at you, unhappy to see you here.

"San," you called out nonchalantly, catching everyone's attention; they had never heard you say his name like that. "Can we talk?"

"Yeah, of course, love," he said with his dimpled smile, taking your hand in his as he lead you to his room. He appeared to be calm, but he was filled with anxiety on the inside; your emotionless expression was scaring him. He kissed your forehead to see how you'd react. When you didn't respond in any way, he got even more scared.

"Babe, what's wrong?" he asked while you sat on his bed.

You took a deep breath.

"San, let's break up."

There was only silence. San felt daggers stabbing his heart over and over again as he repeated your words in his head.

"D-did I . . . " he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath to calm down a little. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No," you said, looking down at your feet. "I just think things aren't working out between us anymore," you lied.

"That's bullshit!" his voice raised a little as tears began to roll down his cheeks. "Don't lie to me, Y/N! Just don't . . . We were always fine!" he yelled as he broke down. "These eleven months . . . we managed everything so well despite our busy schedules!" You kept quiet; if you opened your mouth, you knew you'd break down as well.

"D-do you not love me anymore?" he whispered. "Am I not e-enough?" You knew San's biggest fear was not being good enough, and you wanted nothing more than to take back everything you said.

"I'm sorry, San," you murmured, feeling your heart hurt from saying his name.

"Don't do this to me," he cried, kneeling down in front of you, taking your hands in his. "Please, don't. I love you, Y/N. Don't do this . . . " You didn't say a word. You only closed your eyes, trying not to cry. You hated yourself for breaking his heart.

It was silent for a while; San was lost in thought, and you wished you knew what he was thinking about. You waited for him to say something for god knows how long.

You got up from his bed, looking at him one last time. "Take care of yourself," you said with a small smile that didn't reach your eyes. You left his room, tears immediately rolling down your face as you prepared to leave. However, San stopped you right beside the living room by grabbing your arm and turning you around to face him. Seeing your tears hurt him, but relieved him at the same time; it was enough proof that you still loved him.

All the guys were watching, and they were quite shocked to see San crying and looking so heartbroken.

"It's them, isn't it?" San asked, gesturing to the members with his head.

"No, it's not th—"

"I know they don't like you, Y/N," he said, surprising you; you thought he never knew that. He turned to look at the guys. "Are you all happy now? This was what you wanted right? For me and Y/N to break up?"

"San, please stop," you begged, not wanting any fights to happen between them. "It's not even related to them."

"What do you mean, San?" Hongjoong asked. "We never wanted that."

"Maybe you and Seonghwa hyung didn't," San stated. "But the rest of you certainly do."

"Yeah, he's right," Yeosang said. "We don't trust her or like her."

"And she's a gold-digger," Mingi added.

"She's just using you for your money and other things, San," Wooyoung said and Jongho nodded in agreement. San laughed so hard, you all were actually quite scared.

"A gold-digger?" he laughed. "You know that large company across Mnet's building? That belongs to Y/N's father. She's a chaebol heiress." The guys were quite stunned, not expecting that. "If you made an effort to talk to her instead of wrongly judging her, you'd know. She doesn't need my fucking money."

"What else can she use me for?" San continued. "Sex? We did after five months of dating. I don't think she would've waited if that's what she really wanted. Fame? She and her family are already well-known. So please, tell me why you all think she's fucking using me?!" San yelled. You were just frozen in place. You've never seen San this angry before and honestly, it scared you. None of the boys, not even Hongjoong, dared to say anything. You felt really bad that you're the reason why he raised his voice at them.

San turned to you. "Tell me the real reason why. I'm right, aren't I?"

"I can't," you looked away. "I'm sorry, San." Before he could say anything, you quickly unlocked the door and left.

San just stood there, feeling his already broken heart shatter even more. He chuckled bitterly while tears rolled down his face.

"There, you guys got what you wanted for so long," he said while looking at the members. Several seconds later, he broke down again, his back sliding against the wall. Seonghwa immediately went to his side, pulling the younger boy into his arms; it hurt him to see San like that.

"I love h-her, hyung," San sobbed loudly. "Why did she sacrifice her happiness like this?"

"I know, San," Seonghwa said, letting San cry on him. Hongjoong sat beside them, rubbing San's back comfortingly. San cried harder, struggling to breathe. Hongjoong got him a glass of water, but he wasn't able to drink it. After nearly an hour of crying, he fell asleep against Seonghwa.

"Yunho," Seonghwa called out. "Can you carry him to his bed?" Yunho nodded, picking San up; he wanted to cry at how broken his roommate was.

"Y/N . . . don't leave . . . " San murmured in his sleep, making Yunho's heart ache. He quickly tucked San in before heading to the living room where the rest of the boys were.

"We should apologize," Seonghwa said. "What the fuck is even wrong with us? Since when have we been like this? Judging a person so hard when we don't even know her properly? Look at what we've done now."

"Hyung, you and Hongjoong hyung didn't even do anything," Jongho mumbled.

"No, we did," Hongjoong said. "We didn't trust Y/N initially either. But I was fine with her after seeing San so genuinely happy." That last sentence hit the boys so hard. Seeing San happy . . . They didn't know when they would see him happy again.

"I'm calling Y/N right now," Hongjoong said. "I'm putting it on speaker, so everyone keep quiet. If we're really the reason why they broke up, then we're going to fix it." Everyone agreed and Hongjoong called you. You didn't pick up the first two times, but you finally picked up on the third.

"Hello?"

"Y/N, it's Hongjoong. Can we please talk right now, just for a minute or two?" You hesitated for a few seconds before agreeing. "Please tell me why you broke up with San."

"Hongjoong, I'm sorry, but I can't tell—"

"It'll stay between us, Y/N," he lied. "It'll be easier for us to help San move on."

You took a deep breath. "I heard some of the guys talking about me when I came over. I knew you all didn't like me, but I didn't expect you guys to hate me. They also said something about your manager planning to tell San to break up with me 'cause he isn't focusing."

"Ah, so that's why," Hongjoong said, extremely disappointed in himself and the members.

"No, it's not really about that," you mumbled, your eyes watering. "I just . . . I would never make San choose between me and you guys. I didn't want to cause any problems for you all. San loves you all so much, and you're very important to him. It's important for you guys to have a healthy relationship with each other for your career, so I didn't want to ruin it in any way. I didn't want you guys to have any problems with San just because of me." Yunho started crying, feeling extremely disappointed in himself for misjudging you and making San go through so much. Seonghwa and Wooyoung were in tears too. "If your manager asked San to end things with me, I know he'd never do it. So I did it instead."

"Y/N, I apologize on behalf of everyone," Hongjoong said. "We made a huge mistake, and I'm really ashamed. But I want you to know that none of us hate you. I hope you can forgive us."

"Don't worry, I forgave everyone. I understand why they thought I'm using him, so it's fine," you said softly. "I have to go now. I wish you guys the very best, and take care of San, please."

"Y/N, listen," Hongjoong said quickly, but you already hung up. "Fuck."

"We fucked up," Yeosang said, staring at the ceiling. "We fucked up big time."

"You should tell San about it, hyung," Jongho said to Hongjoong.

"I already heard everything," San mumbled, leaning against the wall, startling some of the guys with his sudden presence.

"San, we're so sorry," Yunho said sadly, his tears now dried up on his cheeks.

"Yeah, we shouldn't have judged her," Mingi murmured.

"Your apologies aren't going to change anything," San said nonchalantly. "I just lost the love of my life because of you guys. The sad part is, you all were the only people I trusted other than her." The boys felt terrible, but they knew it was their fault. "You all are so selfish. We're supposed to be a team, right? But none of you even thought about my feelings." San changed his clothes, grabbed his phone and wallet, put on his shoes and left, not wanting to be with anyone right now.

"I don't feel comfortable with him leaving at this time when he's in that state," Seonghwa said.

"I guess he's going to some bar," Yeosang murmured.

And he was right.

"Three more shots, please," San said to the bartender.

"Sir, you're already quite drunk," the bartender said.

"I need it, please." The bartender only gave him two shots, genuinely worried for the younger boy.

Tears rolled down San's face as he took a shot and fidgeted with the other. "Rough day?" the other younger bartender asked; he seemed to be only a year or two older than San.

"My girlfriend broke up with me," San said. "My members didn't like her."

"Ah, you're an idol?"

"Yeah," San nodded, not caring about whether or not this bartender would expose him.

"She must've done it so that your relationship with your members won't get spoiled."

"That's exactly why," San chuckled brokenly, more tears rolling down from his eyes. "I love her so much. And I know she loves me as well."

"Then what are you doing here? Go get her!" the older bartender said. "It's not easy to find genuine love these days. Don't throw it all away just because of that."

"She wouldn't get back with me," San murmured, sobering up a little.

"Well, you said she loves you. If she really does, she wouldn't give up," the younger bartender said. "I know people say if really love someone, you'll let them go. I think the opposite. You don't give up on the person you love."

San pondered about the words he just heard. "You know what? You're absolutely right," San said, getting off the barstool. "I'm gonna go get her."

You were doing pretty bad after the break up. Although it hasn't even been twenty-four hours, you've been a mess.

"If you aren't gonna eat, will you at least drink this?" your best friend said, placing a bowl of soup in front of you.

"I don't feel—"

"Y/N, if you don't fill your stomach up with something, you're gonna feel worse." You sighed, taking the spoon to drink the soup. Your bestfriend waited till you drank everything before leaving for work.

Three minutes later, your doorbell rang. You rolled your eyes, quite sure your best friend forgot something as usual.

"What did you forget now?" you asked while opening the door. "I bet it's your—"

San stood at the door, wearing his usual grey sweatpants and a black hoodie. His mouth and nose were covered with a black mask, and his wet hair was nearly covering his eyes.

"Y/N, can we talk, please?" he asked a little shakily. He was visibly shivering and you wanted to yell at him for not dressing warmly when it was freezing outside.

You immediately let him in, running to your room to get a blanket. He sat on the couch, eyes never leaving you while you wrapped him up in a cotton fleece blanket. You quickly made him some warm tea; you breathed a sigh of relief when he stopped shivering.

"Y/N," he started, sipping on his tea. "I overheard your conversation with Hongjoong hyung." You opened your mouth to say something, but he placed a finger against your lips. "Let me finish, baby."

"I was on my way to your apartment last night, but I was drunk and passed out in the cab. The cab driver tried to wake me up for almost an hour until Seonghwa hyung called me and the driver brought me home," he said, finishing his tea and placing the empty teacup on the table. "The guys and I had a long talk today morning. They apologized for being immature and judging you, but anyway, they will call you later to apologize as well." San cupped your cheek. "Y/N, I know you broke up 'cause you didn't want any problems to occur between the boys and I, but baby, please consider my feelings as well. Your happiness is my happiness. So if you sacrifice that, how will I be happy?" He stroked your cheek with his thumb. "Y/N, I love you so much. You mean the whole damn universe to me. I fucking love you to the point where I literally cannot live without you. Please don't put me—put us through that again. I can't and won't ever stop fighting for us." You choked on a sob, bursting into tears. He pulled you into his arms, crying as well. You apologized for whatever happened while he placed soft kisses on your head.

"I love you, Sannie," you whispered, wiping his tears away.

"I love you too." He took your hand, intertwining it with his, placing a kiss on yours. "Promise me that you won't ever stop fighting for us."

"I promise."

[rainbowsky]

Hello RainbowSky hope you're doing ok, thx for all you do! I just saw a YT video showing GGDD's license plates?? Is this true? XZ has WYB's b'day as his license, WYB has 16-23 as his? WILD IF TRUE but I don't trust YT! Also... what do you think of the Kadian stuff? It seems like a lot of trouble for them to go through and some looks like corporate decisions but... OTOH sometimes it looks obvious? IDK what to make of it.

Anonymous 2 asked:

Hello Rainbowsky! First of all, love your blog, love you, keep doing your thing and being amazing!! I was wondering if you'd seen the license plate candy? It's a picture of GG entering a car (supposedly his car) and the license plate reads [redacted] and it doesn't... look photoshopped?? BUT LIKE it's too good to be true, right?? Wouldn't this just be too much??? My heart wants to believe it but my brain tells me I'm being too gullible. Please help me take off this clown wig (or don't). xxx

Thanks for your kind words, Anons!!

I view the license plates of the cars they drive in as private information, so I would never pursue an answer to this question. Even if it was proved to be true, it's not significant to me. Cute, I guess? But not something I'd get very invested in.

I know I say that a lot - "I'm not very invested in it" - and maybe some of you get annoyed when I say that, or wonder what I mean.

What I mean by that is... a lot of turtles seek out signs and evidence that GGDD are together. That pursuit becomes a huge part of their experience of fandom, and it consumes a lot of their time and energy. When a proof seems real they get a huge endorphin rush, and when a candy is washed they plunge into anxiety and despair.

That's not at all how I live as a fan. I don't really seek that sort of thing out, I don't take much interest in it and I don't let it influence my day to day life. I don't make a lot of bluster about signs and candies.

It's not because I have some 'superior' way of being a fan or something. This just my own personal approach based on my personality and where I'm at as a fan. Some of that is because I already believe BJYXSZD (and therefore don't need proofs), but mostly it's just because I prefer to enjoy GGDD rather than ride a rollercoaster or 'build a case'. If candies come, they come. If they don't, that's OK too.

Most candies, even if they are real, don't really say anything about GGDD or their relationship. Like this license plate thing. What difference does it really make if they have personalized kadian license plates? Does it tell me anything interesting that I didn't already know? Not at all.

GG's choice to leave DD's name in his recent snacks video is infinitely more interesting to me. He would have had to have made a conscious choice to do so. He knew what was said because he reacted to it.

That tells me that he is willing to take some risks to show a connection with DD. It tells me that he's not trying to hide the fact that DD is a part of his life. It tells me that he's either getting more reckless or more bold, or both.

So when it comes to 'candy' or 'signs' I'm just more interested in things that give me new information or expand on or confirm what I already suspect. A license plate isn't interesting to me. It feels a bit stalkerish, and even if confirmed it really doesn't tell me anything new. I can look at their public posts for kadian without feeling like I'm invading their privacy.

Edit: More on this here.

[devinescribe]

Next Time, No Death, Yeah?

Chapter 10 of '100 Promises'

Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Warnings: Swearing, weapons, violence, blood

You were somewhere in Tokyo. Where? You'd find out sooner or later.

Currently however, you were walking through an abandoned mall. Everything was abandoned, so it didn't make this one anymore special than the millions of buildings in Tokyo. There was broken glass under your shoes that crunched when you stepped on it. "That's fucking satisfying," you whispered. "You're weird," Last Boss said from besides you. "Ok, if anytime you talk it's an insult to me imma hit you," you said, glaring playfully at him. It was an empty threat, he noticed, seeing as your tone of voice was too light and playful to be a real threat. "I wouldn't test her patience. She can be a real bitch when she wants to," Niragi stated, walking in front if both of you. Last Boss saw your eyes narrow, like a cat about to pounce on its prey. You reached your hand out, and tugged on his hair. "I just said if you insult me I'll hit you," you laughed. "Ow. Fuck you," he cursed, rubbing his scalp as you laughed. You shrugged your shoulders walking faster, ready for anything to happen. 'What could go wrong?' You thought. 'All the militants must be pretty trust worthy if the have weapons.'

Well, that's what you thought when you first got there. Now, not so much. One of the militants had tried to escape, seeing as they got all they needed from the Beach. Hiding behind objects when the man had a gun seemed like the best idea. "Alright, so what do we do?" You questioned Niragi, who kept looking from the side of the cement wall you two were hiding behind. "Stop the guy, and try not to get shot," Niragi responded, a tone of sarcasm in his voice. You noticed, but really it was a solid plan. Not getting shot was the best outcome for both of you. "Sounds like a good plan to me, let's go!" You shouted. He found it amusing how only a few days into the borderlands, you had already adapted. There was so much change, and usually you didn't do well with change. But yet here you were. "He's going to run out of bullets. And he can't change them that fast. So, let's wait till he runs out, then we grab him and take the gun away," you suggested, pointing at a mirror that showed the reflection of the man. "His bullet case is strapped onto his belt... You damn genius," he said, petting the top of your head. You leaned into his touch, enjoying the feeling. You smiled, shrugging your shoulders. "You the left, I'll take the right," he instructed. "Oki doki, let's goooo I'm bored!" You exclaimed, loading up your pistol. He kneeled down, peeking out the side of where you were hiding. "On the count of three?"

"Yeah."

"One."

"Two."

"Three!"

You both ran at him, being concentrated on the gun. He tried to shoot, but he had already ran out. He reached to grab bullets, but you aimed your gun, shooting it at his arm. He dropped his gun, yelping in pain. Niragi kicked the gun away from him. "Nice shot (N/N)," he complimented, high fiving you. He turned his attention back to the man on the floor. Blood was passing through the hand that covered his wound, staining it crimson. "Damn, any last words? Regrets? You know, death to the traitors and all," Niragi asked, crouching down besides the man, pointing his gun at the man's chest. He gulped, and took a shaky sigh. ''Yeah. I only regret that a girl took me down," he said. Your eyes widened, and you grabbed the knife from its sheath on your waist. You bent down to his level, stabbing the knife into his stomach, and twisting it. He screamed in pain. "This girl knows how to murder and get away with it," you said. You let go of the knife stepping back. He immediately pulled the knife out, making both you and Niragi laugh. "Hey, dumbass. That makes more blood come out," Niragi snickered. The man tried making pressure on his stomach his shirt staining dark red. "Alright, I'm bored. Someone else can do that. I got his blood on me, I feel nasty," You said, grabbing Niragi's hand and pulling him along with you.

Once you entered a random store, you looked down. There was blood covering your hands, and your swimsuit. You cringed in disgust. "That was pretty fucking badass," Niragi said, walking around the store. You sighed, "I guess." It dawned on you that since you were a militant, you could wear actual clothes. "Wait, so on supply runs what do guys collect?" You asked. Niragi turned to face you. "Anything and everything that could be useful. And of course, we are allowed to bring back personal items if wanted," he answered. You smirked, grabbing some backpacks off of one of the shelves, giving one to Niragi. "These would be easier to carry things around in," you suggested. "Ok, well then you take the pink strawberry one," he said. You rolled your eyes, trading backpacks with him. "Suck up your fragile masculinity you stupid fuck~," you sang before laughing. He shook his head, following you around. It really was like you two never skipped a beat. Sure, your whole lives had gotten derailed, but being back together made most things ok. The longest you two had been without each other had been the two months you stayed with your grandmother. After that first summer without him, you always asked if he could go with you. Even though you had called each other every night, you couldn't go to sleep. It wasn't like he was with you every night, but knowing you'd see him the next day would always comfort you. You didn't know why, it just did. So every summer both of you would have two months of peace at your grandmother's house.

"Alright, that's two bags full for each of us. Let's see if we can fill a third?" He asked. You both put the bags in the car. The person who was guarding the cars thanked you both. She looked down at your hands, and back up at you. You gave her a friendly smile seeing her stare. You sort of forgot about your blood stained hands. She smiled nervously, waving you both away.

"What was her problem?" You scoffed, crossing your arms over your chest as you both walked back. "Blood," he answered, pointing at your hands. "Oh... well, sounds like a her problem," you said nonchalantly. It was quiet. Something you hadn't taken the time to appreciate before. Living in the city, there was always something making noise, it was never quiet. But now, looking at the desolate city of Tokyo, you sighed happily. It reminded you of the quiet up at your grandmother's house when you were little.

"Hello? Earth to (Y/N), Earth to (Y/N)," Niragi teased, waving his hand in front of your face.  You shook your head snapping out of your daydream. "Sorry... spaced out. What else do we need to do?"

On the way back, people were more talkative and cheerful. They had done a lot, running through the empty streets to find things. You were quite excited to return back, as Chishiya had mentioned talking again when you got back.

"(Y/N), piece of advice. Don't go to the parties at the Beach... everyone's to drunk to notice anything, and no one stops anyone from doing anything. So be careful," Kuina said. You two had been talking for a while besides the pool, watching others splash each other with water. You nodded, looking around. "It also seems you've caught the attention of Chishiya. He seems to think you're quite smart. That's near impossible, good job girl," she complimented. You laughed, shaking your head. "This is the first time in months I've been... truly happy, I guess you could say," you said, looking down at blue water in the pool. "What do you mean by that?" She questioned. "Well, back in our world, I thought my best friend was dead, so... I wasn't in the best mental state," you answered. "Ew, sorry, I just made this conversation about me. Ick, I hate it," you shuddered, shaking your hands. "Please tell me something about you Kuina?"

"They seem to get along well. She keeps him in line, she could be very useful," Ann observed after hearing what happened at the supply run. "She's also quite the wildcard, if you ask me. Dangerous, but calculated. Seems like she'd be a methodical killer in a show or something," Last Boss commented. This drew some attention, as he never spoke about others that often. It was often short answers, but it seemed you'd peaked his interest.  "Well, it's no use just talking about their skills. Put them to the test!" Hatter suggested, a bit too cheerfully for everyone in the room. "Haven't they proven themselves already? She's pretty high up for a newcomer, and Niragi has been here for a while, he's a high rank as well," Ann questioned, turning to face Hatter. "They've proven themselves as individuals. But if we have a pair that is on the same level physically and mentally, who seem to find fun in the games, that trust each other..." Hatter started, trailing off. Ann caught on to what he was saying. "It's an advantage for us in the end... in using their connection, it makes them stronger players?" Ann said, suggesting her thoughts. Hatter smiled widely, "Bingo! The easier the games are to clear, the faster we can all leave!" Of course, Ann was a bit uneasy at the idea. You had both proven yourselves to be useful, even in the short time you'd been there. Niragi, while annoying to deal with at times, did have amazing abilities with guns. He was able to complete games without hesitation to hurt others to get his goal, and that's what made him such an asset to the Beach. People feared him. The more you fear a person or punishment, you are more likely to not do what lead to dealing with that person or consequence. You were already building quite the reputation. Although coming into the Beach with Niragi, you would expect people to avoid you. People backed away from you even more now, seeing as you were a militant, and a dangerous one at that. You two were equally as intelligent and dangerous, the only difference being you thought things out before rushing in. He was more impulsive. A do now, think later kind of person. You, however, you thought first, thinking of outcomes, and followed through.  It would be interesting to see how you two worked together.

Wow that took a while to write for no reason at all.

[ofmermaidstories]

Hello!!!

Ahhhh okay so I spent like all of yesterday reading !! AND OH MY GOD IM LOSING MY MIND OVER HOW GOOD IT IS!!! YOU'RE SUCH A TALENTED WRITER!! IM IN LOVE 🥺💖

Just okay first of all write your setting!??! The works building is sooooo beautiful!!! I'm obsessed with the reader's flower shop, the apartment, the city, the park scenes were sooooo pretty!! Agsiwooqlq and the way you wrote the readers and Bakugou's relationship was just SO WOWKSOKAOQ AMAZING AND REAL AND HEARTFELT, IM CRYING And!!! Omfg the scene with Ochako! The gravitational pull!!! The inevitable pull of yourself and the people around you, the bravery in letting yourself be pulled and letting yourself fall into another person's pull!Ahh pls I'm sobbing at the whole convo And the whole "you're okay" and "we're okay"!?!?!? 🥺🥺😭😭😭😭💕💕💕💕💕

And!! Omg that whole thing with the reader wearing wings!!! And how after everything happened, it was like their wings had been clipped and that was so tragic but still beautiful???! And also! The way you wrote the relationships of all the UA kids! Like omgg it was so perfect, I could feel the trust, the companionship, the understanding between all of them!! Tjeoewmwow and when Kaminari saw how scared Bakugou was of losing reader, and just how he acted and was there for Bakugou!!! I'm sobbing all over again!! And my boi!! Kirishima!!! The absolute sunshine of my life!! Pls he was just so lovable and cute in this fic!! His chaperon of readers and Bakugou r/s was sooo sweet and funny!! Pls I'm in love!! Ainaakaoq and lmfao I was dying at the whole the aunties on the street love him!! That's so accurate honestly 😂🥺💕 and I cant forget Deku!!!! The whole meeting between and him and reader and Bakugou was just soooo soooo nice! And sweet! And the way you describe him as the symbol of peace!! I would trust Deku with my whole life 😫😭💖

AND MY BOY HARU!!! HE HAS MY WHOLE HEART!!!!! He was sooo sweet, so fun and mischievous and cute!! And ughhh my heart broke for him with all that happened to him!! But i loved the ending you gave him!!! And his promises with reader and Bakugou were so endearing and I just- 🥺😭💖

But yeah! Sorry this ask is so long! But I needed to scream about just how good this fic is!!! ITS MY FAV!! IAKAKWSOSKSOS THANK YOU FOR GRACING ME WITH SUCH AN AMAZING PIECE OF ART 💖💖💖💖💖

djsfldsjflkdjfkdfjk HI ANIMA. 🥺💖🌷💖 Hi. HI. i’m excited that you came back!!!!!!!! and i’m really excited you read surrender. 🥺 it is……… the loml LOL.

Uraraka was always going to be the perfect encourager, for Bakugou, because she is so intimately familiar with the concept of gravity — and what it means to be pulled into circling someone (*cough*, Deku). Especially in canon where we see her wanting to bring everyone together. And I think, in a romance AU, someone like Bakugou would need to hear that — even if he’s going to scoff at it, LOL. Because he’s going to fight that connection, that intimacy, every step of the way (until he can’t).

Idk… there’s something so magical about connecting with someone unexpected — falling into it. You basically invent your own language with them (“we’re okay”) — your own eco-system. and i wanted to write about that LOL. i wanted that for Bakugou, and i wanted that for a Reader-insert who he might’ve never have crossed paths with, otherwise (being quirkless and a florist) if he wasn’t literally thrown into it. and i wanted his classmates to be there!! their friendships are literally being forged in blood and sweat in canon right now, LOL… they’re going to be in each other’s lives forever, and it’s fun to see that in fics! (I love the idea of Kiri being Bakugou’s bestie — Deku is so central, to who Bakugou is as a person, that he was always going to be apart of this but i think there’s something special about Bakugou and Kiri’s friendship because Kiri was the first person Bakugou saw as “equal” to him. And he’s so sweet…. and in a fic, a good contrast to Mr. Tsundere. He and Kaminari both! Kaminari isn’t as dumb as i think fandom makes him out to be, sometimes. And he’s a pro-hero in his own right — so he always would’ve tried to save Reader, no matter what, but he would’ve never been able to tolerate watching Bakugou, his friend, break his heart over this).

I like to think that Haru, in the wake of his trauma getting a way to live his dream, rises to that challenage magnificently — and causes nothing but havoc for an older and more fed up Bakugou LMAO lkdsjfsklsdjfklsdjfldsjf

please don’t apologise for the length dslkfjsdlkfjdslkfjskldfjkldsfjl it made my DAY. thank-you for saying hello — thank-you for being here. 🥺💖🌷🍊🌿

[slasherwife]

Hello♡ Could I please request a matchup?

I'm actually really boring and paradox. I always feel like I don't belong anywhere, that's probably why I have a soft spot for anyone and anything different. I suffer from autism and depression. I admire people who are bold and straight-forward with their feelings. Because it's hard for me to express my own and, sadly, I usually don't "see" others. And, even though I'm not at all funny, I like people who are. I'm lazy as hell. I am incredibly understanding and almost impossible to get upset, so I am always calm. I have a passion and interest in the more darker aspects of the life and world and a rather dark/morbid humor. My ideal day would be spent with cuddling, listening to music, watching movies, having in-depths conversations and drinking tea on a rainy day and to take a walk in the rain. I'm extremly loyal and I honestly try to be as kind/polite as possible. Music is very important and therapeutic for me, I could never live a day without it. I always try to act against injustice, even if being the center of attention makes me uncomfortable. I'm not at all dominant, but that's not a problem to me. My favorite colours are green and black. People always tell me that I think too much. I have a really, really big problem with laws, rules and authority and I'm not afraid to speak up against them (which is surprising to most people because I'm usually very shy, insecure and quiet). As a quiet person, I like talkative people because they are willing to do the talking themselves and don't expect me to keep up my end of it. I really have no sleep schedule. I'm open-minded and have a kind heart, I see the good in nearly anyone. I secretly crave affection and attention, but I feel like I don't deserve it. I'm barely able to make eye contact and am sometimes painfully awkward. Nevertheless, I love animals and I'm more comfortable with them (they are far easier than humans). I'm a feminist and anarchist with my whole heart. I don't know if it's true, but I think I annoy people. I have trust issues and I'm therefore more cautious around others. I really struggle to say what's on my mind, sometimes I can't even build the easiest sentence. I think the best feelings are that of a hug or cuddling (but I could never ask anyone for one) and that of feeling and being protected. I'm probably the clumsiest person. I only judge people for what I experience, so it doesn't matter to me what is said about that person or what their heritage/beliefs are.

Thank you♡

Hi lovie 💖 you remind me of myself a little. It took me such a long ass time to realize that I am worthy of being competant, and confident. A good friend of mine broke me out of my shell, and just like that I was free from doubt and sadness, and feeling like I was never meant to succeed at things. Trust me, you don’t annoy people. If you are quiet and reserved like you said, there’s no way. You’re not boring either, you’re just a thinker. I am too. Common folk want to go out and have fun, but rare people like you appreciate deeper meaning, and I think that’s beautiful. You deserve every bit of love you receive, and so much more 💖💖💖

Sorry if I was a little too personal with you!! I just hate it when ppl doubt themselves 🥺🥺💕

I ship you with Vincent!

Soulmates. Just saying that here and now.

Vincent saw you first, barely— you were so quiet in how you observed everything he barely noticed you

He compared your delicacy to his wax sculptures, something of art, a spectacle, and that’s why he didn’t kill you— because he thought you were sort of beautiful.

He approached you, not meaning to show himself to you, but you noticed and looked over— he froze.

You smiled at him so politely, no fear or suspicion, so unassuming and pure. He didn’t touch you, nor would he let Lester or bo touch you. You weren’t meant for that.

He loves you so much because you’re so gentle, and calm and unassuming.

He’ll play Beethoven for you, while he works on his sculptures.

He loves to be in the same room as you, though just enjoying each other’s presence and not exactly talking

Vincent prefers sign language than to use his real voice, which you don’t mind of course

He weirdly gets really relaxed around you, especially when you two are alone. It’s like you’re his safe space, away from all of his stresses

His ideal evening with you would be in his quarters, alone with you. He works on his art, while you read in the corner while listening to classical music.

Vincent gets really shy when it comes to physical affection, and will usually never initiate it.

So in the beginning of the relationship, he’ll get really tense and embarrassed when you try to hold him.

But he eventually comes to love it, and will sign you to come lay down with him sometimes, if you two are alone in his quarters.

He may refuse to come out of his quarters sometimes, to which you go to the kitchen to make some tea or a snack for the both of you, and share with him

It makes him melt for you, (honestly if you are kind to him an any way he’ll melt for you), and that’s when he’ll most likely initiate affection, hold you, ask you to sit next to him, etc :)

He lets you know without saying it, that your autism and depression does not matter to him, and that his love for you is unconditional

When he shows you his face, you embrace him and kiss him deeply, and he could die from how happy he felt.

He never wants to be apart from you. He would protect you from his brothers and from everyone, he wants you to himself forever.

He loves you so much he can barely breathe

I wouldn’t be surprised if when he died, his love for you resurrects him 💜

[keiscait]

Hey lovely! Your matchups sound super fun so can i get living room and bedroom? If you only want to do one that's okay with me! Or none at all🤗

My pronouns are she/her and I'm bisexual. In relationships romantically i can take a bit to open up due to severe anxiety and general forgetting to share things that are importance.

On that same note I'm super forgetful but i always make sure to note down important dates and set reminders so I'm ready! I like pda but hardly initiate since I'm super awkward when asking for affection or attention.

I often need someone who can help me take care of myself, since i either forget or get so stressed i sieze to function properly. I will forget to eat meals, and drink water, etc. I also regress on occassion so someone who's ready to help me out a bit here would be great.

In a sexual relationship I'm definitely a bottom, leaning towards brat but usually really sweet. I'm pretty shy about being intimate, and that plays into my praise kink.

Most things I'm willing to try, not really into anything too hardcore but most kinks to a mild extent are within my comfort range.

My hobbies are reading and writing, as well as baking! My zodiac sun and moon are both capricorn (despite often being told i seem more like a libra or pisces, until i ask questions) I'm a super curious soul too, i ask lots of questions all the time, especially when my partner is interested in something I don't know much about.

I tend to look for a nurturing partner who can help aid me along in rough times and enjoy the good ones with me when i want to explore. I also appreciate having a more dominant partner even when in public settings, since i often panic when asked simple questions and left to my own devices. Oh, and lots of down time at home together since I'm an introvert.

My hogwarts house is Hufflepuff! And i hope to take a medical career in my future so i can help out those who need it. I also want to explore the world! I'm multilingual and pick languages up super quick and well.

I'm 5'5, with red hair (dyed, similar to tendou) hazel eyes, my skin is superrrr pale (I can't use foundations, i have to either custom order it or use cheap white face paint to achieve a similar effect) I'm also pretty slim, with an athletic build. I often wear dark, puno types of makeup and fashion, and on the other 50% of the days i wear super soft clothing. I also have a lot of piercings, with snakebites, left eyebrow, doubles in each ear lobe and one cartilage piercing.

My taste in music is definitely in rock and metal, to the surprise of everyone around me. They all think I'm too shy and sweet for it xD

That's all! Have fun lovely!

-sunny ☀️

Hello, Sunny darling! You are MY FIRST EVER REQUEST so thank you so much and I hope you like it! Let’s head on over to the living room first, then we’ll make our way to the bedroom ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

Here in the living room, I’ve invited over for you...

Ennoshita Chikara! (Runner up: Yaku Morisuke)

I think our wonderful leader of the 2nd years would be perfect for you. He’s stern when he needs to be, and has a naturally nurturing personality. He wants to bring out the best in the people he loves, and he’s capable of doing so in whichever way he can. He’s willing to step up to the plate, he’s reliable, observant, and protective.

- It doesn’t take Ennoshita too long to pick up on your non-verbal cues. He will learn your ups and downs, and sooner or later he will be able to predict them

- Expect this guy to be super understanding when it comes to your anxiety. If you ever get anxious, especially in public, he is bound to notice before it gets out of hand. I imagine if he starts seeing signs, like you tensing up, he’ll just grab your hand and give you a soft reassuring smile to make you feel at ease

- He’s responsible enough to get the 2nd years whipped into shape, so he’s capable of doing that for you when absolutely necessary, but will always make sure he does it in a gentle manner

- Remember when Coach Ukai was supposed to scold Yamaguchi about his serve? Expect that kind of protection from our darling junior captain as well. He’s super patient, and makes sure you are treated right by others too

- If it takes you a while to open up to the team, Ennoshita would surely try his best to make you feel comfortable, sometimes use his more dominant side to give you a little push to break out of your shell more, all while making sure that you aren’t overwhelmed by the situation

- Ennoshita understands THE HELL out of being anxious and withdrawing from situations (yes, I’m talking about that time he ran away). He will take the lessons he’s learned from then, and will help you through the tough times

- Your dreams to become a doctor? That AMAZES him. How can anyone be so selfless and so determined to succeed to help others? He believes in you so much and is so excited to be there to watch you turn your dreams into a reality. (manga spoiler, beware!: He’s also in the medical field - a physical therapist - so you guys would be a super duper power couple!!!)

~

The two of you stood on the porch of Daichi’s house, waiting to be let in. It was the 3rd year captain’s birthday, and your boyfriend, Ennoshita, thought it was about time you met the team.

“You’re tense,” he quietly said. You just looked at him before flashing a nervous smile. He wraps one arm around you and pulls you a little closer to him. “I’ve got you, it’ll be alright.”

Daichi opens the door, letting out all the noise coming from inside the house.

“HEYYY Ennoshita” he greets, which makes the rest of the team shout out a few greetings as well.

“Hi Daichi-san,” your boyfriend started, flashing his best smile. “This is y/n, my girlfriend.”

“Happy birthday, thank you so much for having me.”

The captain gives you a warm smile with a small bow, “We’ve been so excited to meet you, y/n. Please make yourself at home.”

The 3 of you proceed to where the rest of the team is hanging out. Ennoshita’s arm doesn’t leave your side, knowing that his warmth comforts you.

You make it to the living room, and had to hold your breath due to the amount of people present. Some of your nerves are quelled when the team greets you with warmth and excitement, instantly making you feel like you’re already part of the family. Once everything settles down, Ennoshita kisses the back of your hand, a reminder of how grateful he is that you’re here, with him, and all will be well as long as you two are together.

~

I hope you liked that! Let’s head on over to the bedroom real quick ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶

My darling, I think you and Ennoshita are a match made in absolute heaven, so I’ve asked him to come with us to the bedroom as well! (Runner up: Kageyama Tobio)

- I headcanon that Chikara isn’t super freaky in the sheets. I don’t think he would be the adventurous type when it comes to trying new things in the bedroom unless his partner brings it up

- If there is something that comes to mind that he wants to try out, he’ll sit you down and talk to you about it first before anything ever happens, especially if he knows you get anxious about certain things

- HOWEVER, I think he is p r e t t y dominant in bed

- His dominant side won’t come out on your first time, but he would still make sure everything is alright and is in control of the situation. He loves the feeling of being in control, and would full on melt if you tell him how good he is doing/making you feel

- Once you two get more comfortable sexually, that’s when he’ll want to explore

- I also feel like most of the things he wants to try out is stuff that will make YOU feel good

- Praise kink!!!!! both giving and receiving praise

- if you ever feel like being dom, he’d be SO game

-----------

That’s it for now, Sunny darling! I hope you liked this and thanks so much for trusting me with your matchup! Much love!

Thanks for stopping by! (ﾉ´ヮ`)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ

[deidaratheartboi]

A Day In Life With The Akatsuki Pt 4

As I am writing this story I am going to be writing others as well because I have a feeling this is gonna be long. Anywho enjoy!

-Cue Intro Music-

Kevin walks out onto the stage like he owns the place.

Kevin: Welcome back to the show ladies and gentleman! Last time on "A Day In Life With The Akatsuki" should really shorten that name author. (Screw you Kevin)

Kevin: Anyways we got all the vote in and the people who were nominated were Itachi, Deidara, Hidan, Kakuzu, and Pain. Now you may be asking nominated for what? Well it's just to see who's a fan favorite. Whoever has the most votes by the end of the show will receive an award.

Kevin: Now let's get back to the real show.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Hidan and Kakuzu were chilling on the couch watching tv. Well more like arguing over it.

Kakuzu: Maybe if Audrey didn't do Kenya dirty like that she wouldn't have the damn problem. She should have paid the hitman to take Mane out then she wouldn't have to worry about anyone.

Hidan: Yeah but even if she did pay him what about Chelsey?

She would have taken notice one of her people were gone.

Kakuzu: Guess your right

A/N: I'm not sure how tv stuff works so I'm gonna make this as realistic as possible and not make it realistic.

Interviewer Person: You guys are really into the show huh?

Hidan: Shut up Chelsey is about to find out what Audrey did to Kenya.

Interviewer Person: But, I-

Kakuzu: Shut up

After the show

Hidan: I TOLD YOU MANE WOULD FIND OUT!

Kakuzu: Fuck you Mane fuck you

Hidan: Pay up

Kakuzu pays him $300.

Interviewer Person: Are you two done?

Hidan: Oi can't you see we're talking? Rude ass.

Kakuzu: These tv people get on my damn nerves

Hidan: You said it no manners

Kakuzu: Let's watch another one

Hidan: I got the snacks

Interviewer Person: Before you two go can I ask a few questions?

Hidan: Can I ask you some?

Interviewer Person: That's not really how-

Hidan: Why are you watching us you creep? Why are you still here? Do you have nothing better to do? Please go bother someone else.

Interviewer Person: Man I need a new job

-----------------------------------------------------------

Kevin whistles.

Kevin: Seems like Hidan and Kakuzu are giving Steve a hard time. (Yes he has a name now and I am naming the audience.)

Rianna: Hidan is lowkey a savage

Greg: A savage? He only told him off big difference.

Sofia: When will they show Painnnnnnnn?

Jorge: Calm down Sofia yeesh. Wait till Kevin announces it.

Kevin: Next up to observe we have the artists Deidara and Sasori!

Greg: I like Sasori he's dead inside like me

Jorge: Edge lord alert

Rianna: I bet he's sweet on the inside

Sofia: We'll see

-------------------------------------------------------------

Dei-Dei and Sasori were having a heated discussion about art.

Dei: ART IS TRANSIENT!

Sasori: ART IS ETERNAL!

Dei: Art is about as eternal as life is

Sasori: That was dark

Dei: Humans dying everyday just proves my point everything is temporary.

Sasori: Yet buildings have stood for decades even when time was moving fastly.

Dei: But, eventually it all wears away before it crumbles to dust.

Sasori: Then why is nature still here? It has lasted for many many centuries.

Dei: But, humans are destroying it everyday tearing down the once beautiful Utopia it once was.

Sasori: But, what about the sun?

Dei: Everything has to die eventually but, for now let's enjoy it. (Hope this didn't trigger anyone)

Sasori: Agreed

Steve: Wow you both have very valid views on art?

Dei: Are you an artist?

Steve: No-

Sasori: Then don't talk to us

Steve: I-

Dei: Whatever views we have we are still friends.

Sasori: Yes the best

Steve: That's sweet-

Sasori: Get the hell out of my room

Steve: All of you are very rude.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Kevin: Whooooooo Deidara and Sasori were having a very nice discussion? What say you audience? Forever or transient? (Feel free to comment which you guys think as well)

Greg: Forever

Rianna: Trasient

Sofia: Forever

Jorge: Art isn't where the money's at so no

Sofia: Damn ok

Greg: Kakuzu much?

Kevin: Next up is the dynamic duo of Itachi and Kisame! I wonder what they have in store for us.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Itachi and Kisame were enjoying the silence while drinking tea and eating donuts. The crew arrives in the room.

Itachi: I think the fuck not

Kisame: Can you people leave us alone?

Steve: Nope not until we get paid and leave this shithole.

Kisame: Damn ok

Itachi: Why are you here?

Steve: To observe you in your natural habitats

Kisame: You make is sound like we are animals

Steve: You are

Kisame: ....

Itachi: Leave Kisame alone whatever your damn name is

Steve: It's Steve

Itachi: Then leave us alone Stephen

Steve: No it's Steven

Itachi: Scott

Steve: No

Itachi: Samuel? Simon? Spencer? Sonny? Sheldon?

Kisame: Lmao

Steve: MY NAME IS STEVE GODDAMN STEVEN NOT STEPHAN, SIMON, OR SAMUEL! I KNOW YOUR DOING IT ON PURPOSE. I have a wife and three kids I need to take care of and you people are treating me like shit! I quit!

Steve storms off.

Itachi: Hope his kids don't turn out like him

Kisame: He looked stressed and unstable to begin with.

Back at the live tv studio.

Kevin: Due to Steve unexpectedly quitting we are sending a new interview their way.

Back at the hideout

Leon: Hello I am your new interviewer. How are you boys?

Kisame: I am fine

Itachi: ....

Leon: Good so what are you two doing?

Itachi: What does it look like?

Leon: Your quite sassy aren't you? I like it.

Kisame: Um chile anyways so what are you going to do?

Leon: Ask questions. First one Itachi are you single?

Itachi: Why do you need to know?

Leon: For personal I mean tv records

Itachi: Yes I am if you must know

Leon: Mhm next one how's a good looking guy like you still single?

Itachi: I have goals to reach I can't have someone distracting me from them. (Me in a nutshell)

Leon: Oh ok next one what is your sexuality?

Kisame: Ok no more questions

Leon: We can skip it

Kisame: No leave also how come you don't have any questions for me?

Leon: Your not interesting to me or anyone else

Kisame: Itachi finds me interesting

Leon: Dear he's only trying to be nice

Kisame: Not true you don't know him

Leon: We'll see anyways Itachi do you want to answer or not?

Itachi: I haven't decided yet

Leon: Mhm now for Kisame first one is do you like Itachi in a romantic way?

Kisame: What? No I like him as a fellow Akatsuki member and friend I can trust.

Leon: Really cuz you seemed kinda jelly when I was asking him questions.

Kisame: Those were personal questions that were none of your concern. We're done here

Kisame drags Itachi off.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin: Finally a little spice to this dull show

Rianna: I don't like the Leon guy

Jorge: Yeah it's like he's getting into their mind

Greg: Welcome to reality television folks.

Sofia: He is only doing his job

Jorge: I know but, still.

Kevin: Next up Konan and Pain are up next! The total not couple.

--------------------------------------------------------------

Konan and Pain were reading and chilling.

Leon knocks on their door.

Pain opens it.

Leon: Ello there handsome I am your new interviewer name's Leon.

Pain: Oh come in

Leon walks in and sits down.

Leon: Nice place you have here

Pain: Thanks

Konan: So what questions do you wish to ask us?

Leon: Well the question that everyone is dying to have an answer for is and are you two a couple?

Konan: No we are not

Leon: Mhm. Next question what kind of snacks do you like? I like orange snacks like oranges, Cheetohs, and ramen noodles.

Konan glares at him.

Konan: Well I've been having those kind of snacks for longer then you. (I'm dying over here help me)

Leon: Is that so?

Konan: Mhm you wouldn't know anything about that.

Leon: Or would I?

Pain: Ummmmmmmmm I like fruit

Leon: Next question why did you decide to come onto this show? For love? Drama? Me?

Pain nervously laughs.

Pain: I just thought it would be a nice experience

Leon: I know something else that would be a nice experience ;)

Konan: Leave

Leon: As you wish

--------------------------------------------------------------

Kevin: Damn Leon just damn

Rianna: Leon you hoe

Jorge: Can't blame him those guys are hot

Sofia: I thought you were straight

Jorge: Not anymore

Greg: Oh god

Kevin: That's all folks join us next time when we come back. Next week we will switch it up quite literally!

Greg: Is he gonna do what I think he's gonna do?

Jorge: It's gonna be mad chaos

Sofia: I smell potential tea

Rianna: Oh no

--------------------------------------------------------------

Just realized I did not put Tobi or Zetsu will next time

[hunnyuwu]

Connected // Pt.1 || NCT 127

Summary: Humanity has reduced down to a dystopian wasteland. Women disappear daily, civilians now rely on physical modifications and nodes to feel alive, and the concept of civilization is a far cry from their current state. While the one who reigns supreme is the puppeteer of societal affairs, will a small group of men be able to regain the humanity they once held so dearly when they were young? Or were the doomed for an eternal state of dreary, impoverished slums?

Genre: dystopian, cyberpunk, futuristic, angst, romance

WC: 2k

~ ~ ~

Part I : 008

"How are you feeling, 008?"

A small woman regained her consciousness as she was shaken from her delusional state. She always hated these examinations.

"I'm fine." She stated, wanting to do nothing more than pull the dumb wires and circuits out of her sore limbs. She waited patiently as the examiner in all white, wrote down a few bullet points on a small clipboard.

"You are done for the day, 008. Except, for visiting the girls and the head master, of course. Who will you visit first?"

The examiner assisted the girl with long, wavy black locks out of the machine's system, pulling out about a hundred thick and thin wires that were attached to separate areas of her small frame. The girl became impatient as the process was taking too long.

"I'll visit the girls first, then visit the head master. Thank you for your assistance, 375." 008 started ripping cords out, even if they did sting like no tomorrow, but she was finally free of her mechanical restraints, so that was a win in her book.

"Before you go, 008. I have a question for you."

008 started walking out of the room, but halted when 375 piqued her attention.

"What is it?"

"How have you lasted... here so long? When the others haven't?"

008 thought for a second before a simple little smirk grazed her lips, an odd sight to say the least.

"I think that is a question I will have to answer another day. See you tomorrow, 375." 008 gave a little bow to her companion, leaving the examination facility hastily. She always hated that place. Her 'skin' crawled every time she heard the place even mentioned, never forgetting her first experience in that wretched room.

"How are you, trainees?"

008 entered a large room within a smaller, pristine white building a little further away from the main compound. Why did everything have to be so white? It almost made her sick at the bleakness of it all.

"Good!" The girls all replied, turning their attention to the respected woman on the grounds. They all looked up to her, not only was she a top tier, but she has also maintained her position for years, a feat that only belonged to her. It's not like they wanted to be there, but if they wanted to hang onto a sliver of their lives, they might as well do what they do with dignity.

"What has been the progress for today? Any new recruits among you?" 008 stated sharply, picking up a pile of clean cut white papers, quickly grazing through reports of treatments, part changes, the usual business.

"Today, we have started weapons training, starting with the pulverizers."

008 quickly cut off the lead trainer of the recruits, her eyebrow quirking into a confused frown, "You started with the pulverizers? And how is that working out?" She stated lowly, a threatening growl laced through her simple question.

The trainer visibly gulped, nervous by 008's unrelenting strictness, "It's been..." She trailed off, her body freezing under 008's glare. There was no point in even continuing her report as 008 already knew the answer.

"We start with every day objects, 489. If these ladies can't defend or attack with the bare minimum, then there is no chance of survival for them outside of the barriers. In our world, high tech gadgets are nice, but sometimes there's no time for that. Now, get back to work. I know I've taught you better than this, 489."

489 nervously bowed to 008. Her cold, militarism attitude left her shuddering every time they interacted. She nonetheless had nothing but respect for 008, if you didn't respect her, she would make you do so.

"Good, I'll be leaving. I would like to hear better news tomorrow. Have a productive training, Ladies." 008 ducked, a ton of 'thank you's' and 'yes ma'am's' rung from around the room. 008 went to her next destination within the heart of the main complex. She knocked on a large golden door, a soft 'come in' allowed her to enter the large, gadget laced office.

008 came face to face with the back of a sleek, high-tech office chair, only allowing her to see the top of the head master’s balding scalp.

"Hello, Head Master. I have gone through my examinations and the check in with the girls. Was there something else you would like me to complete today?" She stated softly, her hands instinctively tucked in front of her torso as a courteous way of addressing him. His chair slowly spun around so that she could see the man that she has known for far too long now. The man she wanted to bury into the soil of the earth herself. That day would have to wait.

"Hello to you too, Dear. Please have a seat. You have had a long day." He purred, gesturing to the mini couch in front of his extravagant desk. 008 tucked her bottom lip under her teeth, complying to his wishes. She gently and gracefully took a seat in front of him, sitting exactly like she was taught so long ago.

He simply examined her physique as she stared at the ground. One of the most basic rules of interacting with the Head Master was to never look at him unless asked to do so.

"So, tell me. How have I been dealing with the resistance?"

"Is that something you would like my opinion on, Sir?" 008 stated gently as her back stiffened. He always asked her questions like these that she was afraid he was going to kill her for one of these days. It was only a matter of time she stepped out of line.

"I have always trusted your opinion, Dasom. That is why you have served me for so many years now."

008 gulped, hearing her name being spoken by the Head Master. A name he only allowed himself to call her. Was it endearment? Did he want to feel special to her? Was she particularly special to him? Yes, yes, and yes. She didn't know what his obsession was with her, but whenever he reminded her of her sheer withstanding permanence within the force, it made her heart drop to the floor. When would he finally pull the plug out of her?

She hummed, pondering his serious question, carefully plucking and choosing the precise words she would present to him, "Well, as you have heard, the resistance becomes larger and stronger, slowly but surely. I believe that you have deployed more units recently, Sir?"

He nodded, concentrating on every word she said, "Well, I believe that the increased influx of violence and push back is causing the resistance to attract more attention and following. I think it would benefit with you if you would not deploy more units, but instead, spy on their movements, waiting for the perfect moment to exterminate those who are discovered. They all have one another's backs, Sir, so spying on them would be beneficial to you." She sighed silently after spewing her thoughts. She always regretted giving him her strategic thoughts, she was simply too intelligent. While it helped her live this long, it also came with a great price.

He gave her an endearing smile, folding his aged hands down onto the table.

"Why won't you let me designate you as the tactician, Dasom?"

Dasom forced a smile, gritting her perfectly shaped teeth. She received this offer so long ago, but politely declined ever time, even though he continued to persist with the offer thereafter. She was lucky enough that he gave her a choice to begin with; others never, ever get choices around here.

"That position is above me, Sir. I am very grateful to continue assisting the new recruits through their training."

"Do you intend on betraying me, Dasom?" He said wistfully, walking over to the fully-glass wall that gave a perfect view of the whole city. The neon lights permanently illuminating his enormous accommodation on the highest floor of his personal skyscraper.

Dasom sucked air through her nose, eyes shooting wide. She didn't dare look over at him, not even with his back facing her.

"Never, Sir. I intend on staying loyal to you until the end of time."

"I've never trusted anyone as long as I have with you, and here you are, still beside me. You will continue to follow me until my empire crashes and burns, won't you Dasom?" He cooed, every word dripping with honey, but in actuality, was a constant threat that he inflicted on everyone who worked beneath him.

Dasom felt fear course her body for once, a feeling that she rarely felt. The Head Master simply trusted her too much in such an untrusting, back-stabbing world.

Dasom must survive at any cost.

"Yes, Sir. I will follow you until the very end of time itself."

~~~

"The streets are too quiet today."

"You didn't have to state something so obvious. Stop wasting your breath, Mark."

"Damn, okay then."

The shorter of the two mimicked the older by scrunching up her face and quietly restating what the other said. The two bickered for a little while, scoping their district from the top of a skyscraper with cameras and binoculars.

"Why do you think Taeyong has been so uptight lately?" The younger, Mark, lazily asked while bringing his binoculars up to his eyes, scanning the other side of the block.

"I'm not sure, but I sure as hell wouldn't ask him whatever you do. You know how he is whenever he is upset about something."

"Which is always."

The older gave a strict glare at Mark, but he payed no mind to it. The two were like brothers, but they could barely acted like it anymore; everything was becoming so tense so fast nowadays.

"Ah, he texted us to come back. Ready to go, Johnny?"

"Yep, lemme quickly pack up my shit real fast."

The two headed back to their underground compound, disguised as a zap shop above them. (will be explained later)

"S'up boys."

Mark said while throwing up an awkward peace sign, gaining the attention of a few who were doing various tasks within their underground mole hole. None of them gave a response.

"Oooookay then." Mark puckered his lips into a pout, going to the kitchen to look through their little to nonexistent food supply. They were become flesh and bone fast, so they were going to have to make a supply run soon.

"The streets are clear tonight." Johnny reported to Taeyong, who was going through some documents on his small table in the corner. He didn't believe in private offices, so they had one large common area where most of them did their work.

"Intriguing..." Taeyong muttered to himself, setting down a file that he had been going over and over. He ran a hand through his silver hair, biting his lip as he ushered Johnny to leave him alone.

"Taeyong, I have a letter for you."

Jungwoo happily walked over to the tired male, making said man always wonder how the younger could be so happy during such miserable circumstances they lived in.

"Thank you, Jungwoo." He sent him off before opening the small envelope.

“Who sends physical mail in this day and age?” Tarting whispered as he smoothed out the creases of the paper.

I miss you. I miss you to the point that I wish I could simply forget what you did to me. The hell that you couldn't even bother to save me from. But it's fine; it is easy to live and forget, right?

Love you to the end of time,

BD

No, no it couldn’t be.

Taeyong threw the letter, hands quivering as he rolled his chair as far away from his desk as possible. The members in the common area were startled by Taeyong’s harsh reaction, jumping up in their spots respectively.

Taeyong shot up from his chair, body pin straight as he sneered down at the clean piece of paper limply sitting over his laptop keyboard. Emotions that he hadn’t felt in awhile flooded his system like a tidal wave and he didn’t know how to digest it at all.

He took one look at his members before bolting out of their grounds.

Doyoung was the first to react, cautiously walking over to the slip of paper that had their leader shaken up to the point that he literally left their site.

“What did Taeyong do?” Doyoung whispered to himself, feeling strangely upset by the letter of someone who he didn’t even know.

“And more importantly, who’s BD?”

~ ~ ~

Prologue || Part I || Part II

[macgyvermedical]

Hi! I'm sure you have many prompts already, but on the slight chance you don't, I've been wanting to read a fic from Matty's perspective of a couple of times Mac has been in danger and how much it affected her emotionally. I feel like she is a very soft person inside and would have mini panic attacks when Mac takes too long to answer comms or when she is told he is injured but has no idea how bad. ^_^

So technically this was prompt number 6, but as soon as I read it I knew it was the one. I love long-distance worry. The scene from Casino Royale where M is alerted that Bond’s been poisoned? The very archetype of my jam. I can’t honestly believe that I never thought about writing something similar for Matty. So thanks for that.

This is try #3 of a missing scene from “CD + Hoagie Foil”

Close Call + Background Noise

“Uuuh, Matty, we’ve got a problem.” Jack’s voice burst back through the comms. Matty had been waiting uneasily, knowing any radio-mediated communication could potentially tip off Chandra’s goons that something was afoot. She nearly jumped when she finally heard his voice after the nearly half hour of silence.

“Do you have the gas?” She asked immediately, urgently. Already she was thinking about routes between the water treatment plant and Grand Central, where she could cut off Chandra’s route to inciting a mass casualty incident. She motioned for Jill to look up the emergency number for the NYC transit authority.

“Not exactly according to plan, but yeah, the gas has been neutralized.” Matty let out a barely audible sigh of relief.

“So what’s the issue, Jack?”

“Chandra’s plan changed. Instead of Grand Central, she decided to dump both canisters into the NYC water supply.” Jack said. Matty picked up a little effort in his voice that put her on edge. If the situation was truly over, he should be as relieved as she was. Something wasn’t right. “Mac had to improvise. He managed to stop that from happening, and the NYC SWAT team is securing the area and taking all of Chandra’s people into custody as we speak.”

“Okay… and?”

“And in the process… Matty, Mac’s been exposed.”

“How bad?” She asked immediately. There was still a level of relief, that the lives of potentially thousands of New Yorkers would be spared, but the dread in Jack’s voice told her she should very much still be worried.

“There was a lot of it, Matty, it filled up the room he was in.” Matty policed her face, motioning Jill over.

“How fast can we get an ambulance to them?” She asked Jill in a whisper.

“I’ll find out.” Jill’s fingers wizzed across her tablet screen and she tapped her headset.  

“How’s Mac doing?” Matty asked. It had been a while since she’d had to use any information on nerve agents besides ‘they’re deadly’ but they were always something she kept a foundational knowledge of in the back of her mind. They scared her more than just about any other substance her agents could come into contact with. Even before Jack could answer, she could hear someone coughing forcefully in the background.

“Mac, how you doing, buddy?” She heard Jack ask. There was a pause, more coughing, turning to a kind of pained croaking. “Mac!” The sound of gravel being pushed out of the way and someone falling against Jack. A pained intake of breath. “Matty, he’s breathing real bad.”

“Jill! Do you have that ambulance yet?” Matty asked urgently.

“There was supposed to be one there, but a SWAT officer was badly wounded in the firefight before they knew about Mac. Another ambulance is en-route but they’re pretty remote- its going to be 20 minutes before they’re on scene.”

“Make it half that. Mac’s not going to last that long.” Matty said.

“The hell you mean Mac’s not going to last that long?” Jack asked over the comms. “He said he had 18 hours!”

Matty looked quizzically at Jill, trying to contain her hope that she was wrong. “Does he have that long?”

“VX? Dermal exposure only, maybe he’d have that long.” Jill explained quickly. “But aerosolized in a confined space? If he breathed it in, he could suffocate in 10 minutes.”

“Shit, Mac.” Matty heard Jack say. “Okay, okay…What do we do? How do we save him?” Matty took a breath. “There’s gotta be something we can do, Mats, c’mon.” She could only imagine the panicked look on Mac’s face, and that was if he was still conscious. Really, the only thing going through her head was get the ambulance there faster. But no matter how much pressure she put on Jill she knew she couldn’t change the laws of physics. She looked at Riley.

“I’m trying to line up the traffic signals, but I don’t know how much time that’s actually going to buy us.” Riley chimed in.

“Do you still have the kit I put in Sam’s car?” Jill asked.

“No” Sam responded; her voice worried. “When I was captured earlier we lost the car.”

“What about Jack- do you still have your tac vest?”

“Yeah, why?” Jack asked hopefully.

“There’s a pouch on the front lower right panel. Is it still there?” Matty listened to the crunch of Velcro.

“Yeah.”

“Open it. There should be three auto-injectors inside.”

“Jill I could kiss you.”

“Please don’t.”

“Hello? Someone want to fill me in?” Matty asked urgently.

“When I found out this mission was going to involve VX I had oc health put together some antidote kits. We should have done a training on them before they left, but there wasn’t a lot of time.” A wave of relief washed over Matty. There was a chance. There was hope.

“Jack, were you ever trained on DuoDote?” Jill asked.

“A long time ago.”  

“Okay, they’re easy, just take the auto-injector out of the tube, take the safety plug off and slam the green end into Mac’s thigh. Count to 5, then remove it.” In the background, there was the sound of someone fiddling with plastic. The sound of gravel moving under a knee pad. A click.

“One, two, three, four, five…” The silence was palpable. “Now what?” Jack’s voice asked.

“Is he breathing?” Matty asked.

“Barely, Matty, I don’t think it worked.” Jack was keeping his voice together but Matty could tell he was panicking. She let out her own slow breath.

“Give it a minute or so. The atropine needs to open his airway and that’s not always immediate. If it doesn’t happen in 5 minutes, give him a second dose.”

“Can he go that long without air?”

“I know what you’re thinking, Jack, but don’t give him rescue breaths unless you have a barrier.” Matty looked at Jill incredulously.

“We only have the 3 doses.” Jill explained. “If Jack gives Mac rescue breaths, that could expose him, and we don’t have enough antidote for both of them.”

“You know I don’t care about that.” Jack said.

“…Besides, Jack, until the atropine works, Mac’s airway is too narrow for the breaths to do much good.” Matty looked wary at this advice, but said nothing else about it.

“I…”

“Trust me, Jack.” There was a disappointed grunt on the end of the line, followed by long minutes of tense silence.

“I think it’s working.” Sam was the first to report. Matty let out a breath. In the background, the familiar but much more reassuring sound of coughing and choking filled the background noise. It was a lovely sound. “I’m putting him in recovery position, yeah?”

“Do that. EMS should be there in about 5 minutes. They have the hospital alerted and they’ll be able to provide decontamination when he arrives.” Jill reported.

“Jack and Sam, were either of you exposed? Did you touch Mac with bare skin or come into contact with the nerve agent in any way?” Matty asked.

“Yes.” Sam said hesitantly. “Both of us, when we helped him out of the building.” Matty went back on alert.

“Are either of you showing any symptoms? Nausea, blurred vision, eye pain, sweating, coughing, runny nose, anything like that?” There was a pause.

“Nope, neither of us.” Jack reported.

“Okay, I’m going to have the two of you go to the hospital with Mac. They’ll decon you there and you’ll stay for however long they want to watch you for, understood?”

“C’mon, Matty.”  

“You heard me, Jack. I can’t have all three of you out of work. Keep me updated on any developments.”

She let the line go dead as the sound of sirens filled the background noise. It wasn’t always her fault, but it was never easy to make calls like that from a distance. She would have put her head down for a moment to try and clear it, but Riley and Jill were still in the room working, and it would look weird to kick them out now, before the situation was well and truly resolved. Instead, she allowed herself a long breath and a sip of coffee that had long since gone cold.

[moderatelydarkfantasies]

Lunch with the family was an event that all three of the girls couldn't care less about. It was something zeen had to hide from Drew because it was just too soon for him to deal with her parents have not so long ago met her notorious sister.

she saw him walk into the apartment at 10:30 after finishing his morning run. She had freshly gotten out of the shower and was getting ready to go to mass in a lovely plum jumpsuit while he looked like a gorgeous mess in his slightly sweat slicked hair and almost wet clothes making him look even hotter.

Good morning darling she says to him a smile on her face.

Walking up to her he hands her a cup of coffee with a kiss to her fore head. She closes her eyes and breathes his neck.

I missed you.

Me too. He answers back.

He hands her the coffee and sits down next to her.

What are we doing today.he asks enthusiastically.

Umm I have to go to mass and then a thing I have to attend .

Ohhh. What thing.

Just a small personal thing nothing important.

He looks un sure but tells her he might go into work later since she went be here. However she tells him to not change his plans at his account

.

Later during the day.

He nodded slightly and felt the colour draining from zeen's face. Was she embarrassed of dating him. As far as he knew he was on the satisfying to look at spectrum and sure she didn't exactly know how much money he had he still didn't expect it to be an issue.

Having had enough he walked up to the table to introduce himself. Reaching the table he saw the couple who were unmistakably her parents. He put on his charming smile and introduced himself.

After she left her house he decided to go to one of his hotels that was closest to her house and work in that office . He dresses in a blue pinstripe suit. One of her preferd ones and worked for what seemed like 40 minutes.

once done he walked outside to the grounds to sit by the pool for a while when her laugh caught his ears. He turned to the source of that sound hoping she had surprised him at work only to see her at a table with 4 other people. Two of whom he he met before and one he was sure he hated. He sat close by observing her behaviour. She looked relaxed and at ease. But upon further inspection he concluded all three of the girls having stif postures and talking about random things and at an extent things he was definitely sure she hated. Tirza looked around and caught sight of him before elbowing her sister slightly.

Good afternoon. My name is Andrew Knight, I own the hotel and the restaurant.

I apologise for interrupting his fantastic meal but I had to come say hello.

Not at all Mr. Knight .The man replied.

Christina looked at the tazeen but was wise enough to keep her mouth shut.

He went to speak but was interrupted by tazeen.

Mr.knight works in the building of the firm Christina works for. She says. The parents immediately start to coo and talk about how proud they are of her and her accomplishments and both the sisters share a fleeting look. After about 5 minutes of meaningless conversation and recognition for the terrible relation zeen and her younger sister he decided to excuse himself. Irritated and mildly hurt that she still hadn't introduced him.

Mr.vincent he said looking at the father. Might I please borrow tazeen for a minute I have a position in my management team that might be available and would like to introduce her to my manager. Christina had spoken fairly well of her. Te father nods and she cautiously steps up and follows me I turn and smile at the family before walking away with her following me. I grab her forearm as soon as we are out of sight and hear her flinch. I turn around to look at her and for the first time our relationship she seems unsure of my reaction.

Would you like to explain that.

She remains quite.

Are you embarrassed of me. He asks flat out.

Of course not. she sounds genuinely surprised he would think that.

Why hide it then.

He reluctantly agrees and walks her back to the table but she stops him before reaching and plants a chaste kiss to his lips.

A promise .

I don't know. Can we please discuss this later. He knows what that means, she'll avoid the topic now and ignore it completely later. He looks around noticing people are out of earshot and whispers in her ear.

Alright but take care of yourself.

He sits down in his previous spot and she joins the table. Telling them that the previous spot had been filled already and she is happy with the job she has. He hears her parents tell her she should have worked and talked harder or have been more persuasive in order to get the job and he hears christina say she is happy she didn't get the job. A statement which the parents completely ignore. He makes to get up and walk towards them again but she shakes her head at him. Thee parents start talking in a language he doesn't quite understand. By the end of the meal he realises why they have such a terrible relationship. The parents do nothing to stop Christina's antics while they argue amongst themselves trying to up one another. Tirza pays the bill while tazeen walks the family out. The parent get into a car and Christina gets in the driver's seat they hug goodbye and she walks back to see tirza and Drew talking. She notices Tirza Pat his arm and tells him not to be harsh. He let's out a deep breath and walks over to see tirza off. He kisses her cheek and closes the door for her. Telling her to convey his greeting to Oliver. (Tirza's boyfriend and a very good friend of his)

She leaves and tazeen starts walking inside only stopping when she realise she doesn't know the way

She falls limp in his arm and quietly agrees to talk about it later.

He takes her hand and guides her to a path that leads to a calm secluded section of the garden where no one is.

What the fuck was today. He asks her.

Nothing.

That's not only the real problem

It didn't look like nothing to me.you had lunch with your family. I get that but why did you not talk about us.

What do you mean.

Why won't you let me protect you. I have to watch your parents complain and talk about their lives without once asking if you were okay or needed help.

Look you don't know what they're going to do if they find out we're together.Dad has told us since day one. No one white and I know this was kinda weird but that's what's up and let's say If this does happen and they're okay with this the constant questions of are we ready for marriage will start and I don't want to put you through that.

Oh really. I agree but it's clear enough that I don't like what I know and have seen. I'm just saying I still don't like the fact that Christina was with you .I don't trust her and since you won't tell me why I feel that , there isn't nothing much I can do about it.

. Look I really don't want to talk about this and I hate to say this but I need space I feel overwhelmed and crowded.

With that she walks away.

Later that night around 8 30 the concierge rings the intercom telling him that zeen is here.

You don't know anything about them.

He feels slightly vexed knowing that she is one of the 2 people on the access list other than him. But still instils on announcing.

He is sitting in the living room still in his suit from this afternoon working away as she walks in.

Hey she says.

Hello he greets back. Setting his laptop on the table he stares at her as she figets. Somehow finding a slight sence of pleasure at making her nervous.

Have you though about today.

She nods .

Would you like to discuss it. He offers still not having touched her. He sees her fingers twitch slightly before setting in her lap. She draws a deep breath

I'm sorry she says. I realise the position I put you in and apologise for this afternoon. I know you're angry at me not introducing you and I'm sorry I just cant deal with them. They have a very superficial place in my life and that's all that is important.

He nods once more.

Please say something she asks him.

He looks around noticing people are out of earshot andThere isn't much but I will say that is your decision to tell me when you are ready but that isn't my problem. She feels the immediate change in his body language before she feels one single finger caress her face.

I trust you you know. More than you might believe it. My parents had the strongest marriage in the family. But by their 34th anniversary they were done with each other

With us

With life in general.

Ultimately I decided that I couldn't deal with something like that and I'm not scared of it because I want something like that. I'm scared because we might have a chance and I don't know if I want that

you don't trust me.You not trusting me doesn't make me feel bad he tells her looking directly in her eyes.

It hurts right here he says putting her hand directly over his heart and here he says dragging it slightly upwards towards his windpipe. I need to provide for you and protect you because you've already had enough shares of bad experiences In life and it makes me feel like maybe just maybe you'll care about me.

No she let's out with a sob. I care for you more than you know.

He pulls her to him and she stays there for a moment before pulling away and getting up. She starts walking towards their room. And he follows her into the shower striping as they go.

She let's out a breath and turns the shower off while he grabs them towels

They're both standing under the hot shower holding onto each other he grabs his soap from the shelf and begins to scrub himself and her paying special attention to the scars on the left thigh. They go back to holding each other before she starts speaking.

He wraps one around he hair and gives her her robe. In her mind she whispers I love you to him and she whispers it back. In reality a slight fear settles in that he might let go once he finds out the truth

But that isn't important now.what is important now is that we're together and i won't let anything hurt you

[itsakpopalypse]

Lost In a Dream

moodboard made by @memoiresofaneternaldreamer (thank you again for inspiring this fic with this beautiful moodboard and collabing with me, you're the ABSOLUTE best!!!)  Original post is here please go give love also!!

Cold sweat mats your hair to the back of your neck and around your hairline. Your breath comes heavy and hot, barely flowing out between quivering lips. 

 Kihyun.

His fingers so gentle, so soft, lips pulled back over pointed teeth gleaming in low light, flickering fire in the corner- playing orange and yellow on his skin. The air is full of him. The world is glitter and holographic rainbows and silken sheets and desire. It’s unheard of, the spark within you, far from mundane and far too perfect to explain.

You’re rolling at his gentle direction, granting him the entirety of your bared soul and silky skin from your shoulders to the widening of  your hips. His hands follow a path made for them, slowly trailing across  your burning body. “Petal, the sun will rise soon. The fog will wipe this from your mind.” His voice is resigned but sure. You know he’s right and the panic builds in your chest at the reality.  Flowers and moss surround the bed, the smell in the air is so fresh, it always is like this near him. Alive. Clean. Meaningful. The air nearly sparkles when he speaks. 

“Don’t leave me.” You whisper into the pillow, lips touching feather soft against the nape of your neck have you reeling, his fingers loop into your hair to pull it away, granting him further access to the expanse of skin beneath. His breath is warm and damp, you can feel the desperation in his touch. 

“You have me.”  He replies. True to his kind, you will  get no solid answer. “You have me and I have you. What is a little distance when your heart beats between my ribs?” 

You roll over, pulling him to hover above you so you can see the sincerity  you know is there. 

“I want you whole. Real. Not pieces stuck in my imagination. "

"I am real. This is real.  The only thing you are imagining is that-" his finger points to the door which is opening, streaks of morning light cutting through the darkness. "That is a distraction. " 

You can feel tears teasing your lashes. "I don't  want to. I don't  want to." 

You are a petulant child and you fight  the slow  slip into reality, you grasp the fullness of his cheeks,thumbs  brushing under his eyes.  

His eyes are warm and his smile is gentle,  and he holds your soul inside his as he murmurs soft promises and bids you farewell. "You must wake. But you're still mine. "

The soft rumble of his voice pulls you away. The edges of heaven slip  out of your grasp and the real world crashes down like cold water. Reality is hateful and dull, leaving you weighed down and burdened. Your skin itches with memory. You cannot see a face, you cannot  recall the substance of the dream  but you're on fire with longing. Someone is missing you as you miss them. Someone is out there. A sweetpea sits beside your bed,one that was not there when you fell asleep. Delicate, pleasure, bliss, departure after having a good time. 

It never made sense, but you had been receiving flowers with similar messages for as long as you could remember.

Soulmates weren't  anything new, but most people remembered the face from their dreams. All you remember  is fog and velvet kisses. Promises and a whisper.   It's not fair, honestly.  It's unheard of. Everyone sees their soulmate and when they meet them, it clicks. You're scared to tell anyone  you can't  see their face when you wake, so when asked you avoid it or act as though you're too shy.  The flowers also, were inexplicable. 

There's services to contact to look based on description  but you don't have one to give.  So you deflect and hope when you see them you'll just know.  

You begin getting yourself ready for work, knowing another boring day awaits, and wish you could return to the world that lives in your mind.  

------

“Y/N! There’s a customer downstairs, can you check in please?” Your boss calls from the hallway, poking his head in to catch your attention. You look up from the plants your misting gently. 

“Got it Sebastion.” You reply with a smile, setting down the spray bottle. “I’ll be right back.” You whisper to the plants, fingers gently tracing the edge of a leaf as you leave your favorite part of the job for a few minutes.

“Hello, welcome to Dream Blossoms, can I help you make a selection?” You ask as you approach the customer. He turns, and your momentarily struck. He has light pink hair, shaggy around his eyes which are warm and smiling. The corner of his lips tick up in greeting, and some warm tingle runs down your spine. You can’t explain it. It’s not the bolt of lightening you have heard is from soulmates, but the tingle is far too strong to go unnoticed. 

When he speaks, his voice is quiet but firm and it draws you nearer, your feet following a path you don’t yet know yourself. 

“Hello. I do think I could use your help.”  The base of your neck feels hot, like someone is breathing on it. It isn’t unpleasant, as it would normally be, instead it’s welcoming. 

 “I am looking for a flower that expresses sorrow. Maybe one for longing… “ He pauses pursing his lips thoughtfully in a way that is far too attractive and makes the apples of your cheeks color. “Something about incandescent happiness.”  His hands are in his pockets, but when he turns his body toward you, the draw pulls harder. 

“I can throw something together, is it, for a lover?”  You pass by him, and notice vaguely that the air near him smells less like a person and more like freshness. Clean and lively, and so so inviting. 

“It’s. For someone who is very special. They’ll understand it all together. Perhaps you can incorporate forget-me-nots?” His eyes wrinkle when he smiles, and for a moment, the very edges of his teeth seem sharper than they should, and his eyes, did they change color? 

The dreams must be getting to you, in your lack of sleep you are imagining insanity.

You eye him for a moment, desperate for a read on him. Deciding the bouquet is likely for his soulmate, you continue in your job, pushing the strange longing away.  “Okay, give me  a moment I think I can convey a feeling for you.” you incline your head to the chair in the corner flanked by orchids. “Have a seat please.”

You’d need white tulips, lily of the valley, blue bells,  cutting and arranging various flowers to fit his description. Something appeared off. Unbalanced, without a thought, you grab some white sweet pea and add it into the bouquet, pulling the entire message together .

Upon returning a short while later, you gesture to the man. “Here, I think this should be right.”

He hurries to your side, something sparkling in his eyes as he looks over your work. He looks more excited than you’d expect, his skin brushing against yours a few seconds longer than you would expect. It feels natural and you want to sigh when he pulls his hand back and clears his throat. “It’s lovely. Can you.. Tell me why you chose what you did?” 

“Of course. White tulips are best for a sincere apology, lilly of the valley indicating the return of happiness, and the blue bells for devotion, and you asked for the forget-me-nots so I assume you know they have several meanings. It’s sort of what inspired the others I picked. “

“Remembrance, connection even over time and distance, loyalty… Yes.” He nods, there's something sly in his smile, but you continue. 

“Yes.”

“And the sweet pea?” He steps a little closer, “ Why that?” He seems nearly out of breath when he asks, leaning close to you, invading the bubble you kept to yourself. You shouldn't  be okay with it, but you allow it, unable to bare backing away from the warmth that radiates from his being. He feels like life and happiness  and it sends a rush down your limbs that you can’t describe, and he hasn’t even touched you.

“It was more of a haunch. You’re apologizing but trying to show your affection. It didn’t seem like it was something too heinous, more like you had been lost to them but are coming back. Did I assume too much?”

His smile widens, his eyes wrinkling and cheeks nearly covering his eyes. Oh. It’s a beautiful sight, and one that doesn’t belong to you, you remind yourself. 

“It’s better than I could have hoped.” He replies and after paying, gives you a final smile and wave on his way out. 

You wish you understood the way your heart followed him through the doors. It was silly, and wrong. You shook off the feeling and got back to tending the flowers. Your dreams must be altering your expectations.

---

“You nearly had me.” He whispers into your neck, trailing gentle kisses across your collarbone. “This will all be better soon, I promise.“

You heave a sigh into his hair. Casting your gaze to the bouquet on the silver side table, engraved and ornate. Fireflies dance in the air around you and the skylight lets in the moonlight. You don’t know where he has taken you but you know you trust him with your everything.

“Why must we go so slow. If you found me, isn't that all there is?”

The tinkle of his laughter fills your ears, a  sound you will never get tired of. “Not so simple, Petal. You are a woman of much distrust. I have to snatch you up the way my kind always must, if I’m to have you.” His nose scrunches as he meets your eyes with another light giggle. 

"Remind me why you won't  just tell me? After all this time and you've finally  found 'day' me, but you won't just tell me who you are to me?"  

 You know you're pouting but it doesn't  feel fair. You're getting to an age where people are going to wonder if you're undeclared… if your someone is already  gone somehow. A cruel twist of fate before you'd even met. 

You don't  remember those things, of course, only the concepts around them, since your days slip from your mind at night the same way your nights slip your mind during the day.  It's unfair,  but loving Kihyun is worth it, will always be worth it.

"I'm sure you'd respond  wonderfully to 'Hello, I'm Kihyun. I'm  a fae living in the  woods past a ‘glamour and I help bring the flowers.  Oh, also I'm the man of your dreams.’" He poked your cheek gently with a laugh. "Oh! Literally. "

You scrunch up your nose in distaste but can't help the small huff of laughter. "Okay. Fine. If I heard that line I would likely never speak to you again. Cheesy." 

"You love the way I am. You have to. That’s what soulmates mean.”

You shudder as the room begins to fade, and fear clouds your eyes-you reach for him. “Not again. I’m not ready to forget you.”  

He gives you the same saddened, resigned face as every night. “You must wake. But you're still mine." His fingers begin to lose warmth against your cheeks as everything blurs.  “You’ll be with me again soon. When this is over there will be no end to us.”

The streaks of light cloud your vision and you rub your eyes. The smell of fresh flowers sours. 

You wake, and all is gone. 

----

“I never thought I’d see you sneaking around. Aren’t you supposed to be the good son?” 

Kihyun turned to meet his brother’s eyes, unsurprised he had been followed by the light footed prince. He wore a teasing smile and his dark prowling outfit, no doubt on his way into a colony somewhere to experience the nightlife without the guards. Byeongkwan was a bit more… Outgoing, than himself. 

Kihyun preferred to follow the rules, but the current situation was getting desperate. He was tired of the empty ache in his stomach when you weren’t there. He was tired of waiting for you to figure out something that was a bit too mystical for the human mind, and he was a bit too excited to hold you in the day time. It wouldn’t kill him to bend the rules a bit, just this once. After all, he was going to visit an artifact maker, not overthrow the Sirens.

“Yes well. Priorities.” He replied finally, watching his younger sibling’s smirk grow as he stepped into Kihyun’s space. Byeongkwan’s eyes sparkled and he genuinely looked full of glee at the discomfort Kihyun felt about disobeying. It wasn’t like he couldn’t do what he wanted… he was next in line for the throne… but there was a way things were done, to keep the glamour safe, and he wasn’t used to messing with the tried and true methods. 

“Priorities,” Byeongkwan replied, stepping back with mischief in his eyes still, hand raising to show the dangling chain he had unsurprisingly picked off of Kihyun. 

Always did have incredibly quick hands, that one. 

“So it’s related to your lady, then isn’t it. Y/N.” He sat in the windowsill, holding the necklace up for inspection. The royal jewel pendant on the end glittered with a rainbow prism when the light filtered through it, something akin to moonstone but with more magick, more fire. 

He squinted at his brother and held his hand out to receive the necklace. “Yes yes, you are a master of whispers and a knower of all secrets. I am suitably impressed. You can return it now.” 

Byeongkwan sighed, placing it directly in Kihyun’s palm. ”Taking it to the enchanter, hm? You want her to know. Everything. I think it’s nice.” He smiled, wholesome and for once without a hint of teasing. It would have been a pretty smile, if he hadn’t ended it with one flicked up eyebrow, closing Kihyun’s hand around the pendant. 

“Don’t lose this again.” He leaned in closer, this time with a glint that left Kihyun a little worried. “They won’t like this, and they already know.” His lips didn’t move, and his voice was too low to be picked up, it was likely he had used an enchantment of some kind, one without an incantation, which meant he genuinely believed they were being watched at this moment.

It took everything in Kihyun to not react or look for the source of the spying. Instead he smiled back in his most warm way. Nodding as he stepped back.

“She means everything, I won’t let this opportunity pass me up.”  Kihyun watched Byeongkwan’s smile take on the knowing edge that made him as dangerous as he was. The message had been received on both sides.  Kihyun needed to see you tonight, after dropping this necklace off. 

----

 “Loosen up, Y/N. You never know, you might meet your soulmate here! It’s not unusual for you to run into them in places like this.” Your friend laughed as she made a gesture to the rest of the dimly lit bar. It was open mic night and the person singing now was… less than fantastic.

Your head hurt and you wanted to leave. It was smelly and crowded and there were too many bodies in the tight space. “Right. Soulmate.” You nodded, knowing that wouldn’t happen. You couldn't even see his face how would you see him? You didn’t want to let out your secret so you forced a smile and lifted your drink to your lips. It was sweet, something that your friend had picked. It didn’t feel great going down, somewhat burning and the tingles it left in your fingertips were the only blessing. Perhaps with a buz it wouldn’t seem so sad that  you were in this place when you wanted to be at home under your fuzziest blanket in your biggest shirt. You tugged at the hem of your dress, something a bit tighter than you were used to,  but more than fitting for the scene.

“Yes. Soulmate. We are getting to be an age where we should and could meet them anywhere!” Your friend loved the idea, her smile sparkly and genuine. You matched it best you could and nodded to the change of singer, an older woman in her mid 50’s singing off key to Journey.

“Maybe there's yours.”  you teased and your friend rolled her eyes, laughing off your joke as she motioned that her glass was empty and made her way through the crowd and from your table to get a new one. 

You focused on the inside of your glass, uninterested in the crowd pushing in, when the song changed again and a voice that could only be described as hypnotic hit your ears. You looked up, shocked to find the man from the flower shop on the small stage, and somehow, his eyes found you as he sang. It stirred something in your chest, aligning the same as the other day. This time you would blame the combination of loneliness and alcohol, though. What you couldn’t explain away was the way his eyes burned into you as he sang, drifting closed only to hit notes that seemed far outside the average person’s vocal range. 

Something about him was too enthralling to miss a second of, so you drank him in thirstily, unable to quench the longing in you. When he finished and the entire bar erupted into applause, you swallowed thickly at the lump that had formed in your throat. You heard someone sit opposit you, and fully expected your friend, but were met with someone else's eyes. 

This guy… you’d seen him here on other nights. He was attractive, but he was a bit smoother than your tastes desired. His middle part exposed a regal brow set with a stud, eyes piercing and strong beneath them. He was far prettier than someone who belonged here, and he prowled the joint enough that you knew what he came here for. 

“Did you enjoy the song?” He asked voice so deep it resonated in your chest, banging around like a caged bird. His eyes flitted from the low neckline of your dress back up to your lips before settling on your eyes. 

“I think everyone did.” You replied as nonchalantly as you could. “He belongs on a real stage.”

For some reason, that amused your guest. He grinned, eyes sharp suddenly, leaning forward, all aloofness suddenly gone. 

The room felt fuzzier somehow, when he neared. “He certainly doesn’t belong here. You are right about that.”  He seemed to say it more to himself than to you, and it was strange that you felt the air a bit tinglier than before.  You glanced at your still half full second glass… you shouldn't be feeling this much this quickly.  You'd eaten.. and you'd been here over an hour…

"I.M. I think I saw your friends looking for you. Maybe you should go and meet them.”  It was him. He had come your way, the man from the shop, who sings so beautifully.  However, this time when he spoke, instead of a gentle voice, it had a sharpness to it that was unfamiliar. He seemed... Irked? Jealous? His handsome face was tight and lacked the soft smiles you had grown to love far too fast. Any trace of the pleasant wrinkles and endearing nose scrunches far gone. 

The man in the other seat, I.M as he had been called, was smirking knowingly at the Flower Guy. They stared silently at each other, one stoic, one amused. It wasn’t a cruel smile but there was an edge to it, like they were silently exchanging a conversation you weren’t privy to.  After a moment, his smirk turned to a full, bright smile, and he turned back to you, grasping your hand gently and placing a soft kiss on the top. “Pleasure to meet you, I’m sure we will see each other soon.” His deep voice had not lost its charm. 

You nodded back, “Perhaps.”  Was all you could think to say, your cheeks were burning but it wasn’t because of I.M’s low tones or flirty smiles, or even the way his lips had grazed your hands. It was the intense, unwavering stare of the Flower Guy. You felt nearly aflame under his gaze. As I.M departed you bit your lip, almost afraid to meet his dark eyes. 

When you did, you were pleased to see the darkness had seeped out, instead replaced with a different type of intensity, but his lips were turned up at the corners now. You’d have sighed in relief but you didn’t want him catch on.

“Petal. Pleasure to see you here.” His voice was soft again, as it had been the first time you met. It sent tingles down your spine. Or was that still the drink? You didn’t know. The air was too full, too full of oxygen and you were nearly heaving from the high of it.  

“Is it? I don’t even know your name, nor do you seem to know mine.” 

An eyebrow lifted in response, tongue darting to the corner of his lips momentarily as he considered his response. “Mh. I know your name, Y/n. Petal fits you better.”

Oh. Oh. Why did that make the inside of your chest feel so full? Your head was still light and silly. It didn’t make sense, but the closer Flower Guy got, the more grounded you felt. 

“Whole.” You murmured to yourself, slipping between your too loosened lips.

“What was that, Petal?” His teeth looked sharp again gleaming behind his lips. It must be a trick of the light dancing on their tips, and the fire water flowing in your veins. 

“Nothing. Just thinking about something.” You replied, licking your lips and hoping he wouldn't inquire further. 

Your phone buzzed on the table, blessedly giving you reprieve from his eyes. 

I’m leaving with Matt. You good? 

Your friend had rekindled with her on again off again fling clearly, and while you didn’t begrudge her a good time, you also weren’t sure you were going to sober up in time to be safely home. It was best to call for a car service, because you weren’t sure walking was a great idea in your state either.

“Everything alright?” His voice dragged you out of your thoughts, a finger gently unwrinkling your brow- you hadn’t even known that you had furrowed. 

“Yeah. My friend is leaving, so I should probably try to find a way home too. I didn’t come here for me.”  Flower Guy started to look concerned, his own brows so beautifully creasing. “I’d rather curl up in bed anyway, dreams are the best part of my day.” Your teeth dug into your bottom lip, realizing the whimsy in your voice was perhaps uncalled for with a new acquaintance. 

Inexplicably, it seemed to please him though, his eyes darted to the table top and he covered his smile behind one hand, clearing his throat before smoothing his face into a more neutral position and asking you. “Soulmate dreams, then?”

“Ah.” you frown, unsure how to answer. “I suppose. I can never remember. But I wake up happy. Happier than ever.”

Something indiscernible crosses his face and he smiles again, it’s one of the extra dazzling ones where his cheeks cover his eyes and his nose scrunches. “Oh. I should assist you in getting to your bed then. So you can be happy.”

Your eyebrows shot up in shock. He-What? His hands were already rising in defense, shaking them back and forth as though to push your thoughts away, his face panicked.

“NO! Oh. No. I meant.”  His cheeks puffed as he sucked in too much air and scratched the back of his neck. “I meant it in the way where I help you get a driver and make sure you get home safe. From outside. I won’t go in... to your bed. Where you sleep that's. Uh. That’s not what I meant and…” He was cute flustered, cheeks tinging pink and words rushing out on top of each other. You couldn't help but laugh, placing two fingers on his lips to stop the babble. 

“I got it. Thank you.”

He nodded, clearly still embarrassed. It didn’t stop his lips from pouting out slightly into the pressure from your fingers, so soft and…

No. Not a safe line of thought.  You had to admit that while you had initially found him attractive, every time you saw him it intensified. You were starting to wonder what made him smile. What made him infinitely happier. Was it the person he had gotten the flowers for?

 Why were you still touching him??

He didn’t speak more as your fingers dropped from his lips, instead he stared at your hand in your lap and stood, clearing his throat again. Then he took your hand in his own to help you to your feet. It would have been suave, and gone perfectly, had not some very intoxicated patron bumped directly into you and set you off balance as you lifted yourself, so instead you stumbled and fell on Flower Guy fully. He caught you, gripping you in a sheltering way to his toned and warm chest. 

When you looked into his eyes to thank him, the room seemed to slow. Nothing made sense for a moment. The entire universe took a moment to stem the tides of time and the only thing you saw was the shine within his gaze. The truth lay there, something about fate.

“Ah! Y/N!” 

.....And just like that, the spell was broken, you righted yourself, pushing gently against Flower Guy’s chest to do so. 

“Simon.” You nodded in the direction of the interruption.  

“Why are you here? You hate going out.. You have always hated going out. It’s part of why we didn’t work.” Simon looked smug and you just wanted to turn and walk away. He didn't deserve your time, after sleeping with other people in clubs because you were ‘no fun’.

Before you could defend yourself, Flower guy smirked, that hardened expression back. Instead, he replied for you. “That’s why we are headed home. If you’ll excuse us.”  You weren’t sure how he had so quickly read the vibe, but you were thankful, and now he had rescued you in some way or another, three times within the night. 

Simon stood back, fumbling to reply as Flower Guy entwined your fingers and cast you a sultry smile, the type you had yet to see, but very much hoped you’d see more of, because it forced your heart into your throat.. “Let’s go, Petal.”  Before leading you out onto the sidewalk.

He hailed a cab and still got inside, but not until assuring you he was only doing it so he could pay and take it to his own home. 

You thanked him as you got out in front of your building, and asked him for his name.  He only smiled and said. “Next time, Petal. Third time is always a charm.”

You weren't sure why, but as the door to the cab slammed shut before you, you knew your dreams were going to be more... intense this time. 

----

 "You're impossible.  Irredeemable. I do not condone it." Kihyun is half serious and his scolding comes with the lightest of taps on your rear, as though punishment for your so called crimes.  It doesn’t last though, and as gentle as it was to start with, he runs his hands over the spots he swatted  reverently.  “It’s naughty. You are in trouble.” His lips pout prettily with the words and you want to be serious but you can’t.

You're laughing, cuddled into his embrace, you don't take offense because his voice has that teasing note that means you're about  to be complimented. 

"Am I?" You ask with softly pouted lips, gazing up into his eyes through your lashes.

"Yes. You're in a lot of trouble, Petal. You draw others to you like wil o’ whisps to a lost traveler. AND those you draw are of my people, dangerous and seductive. " he is trying to frown, and you can tell worries lie behind his eyes, but he's  too full of love for you make  to you feel any true shame. 

"Seductive? Are you being jealous?" You crave his jealousy. You know what nights it brings you when he is on fire with  it. The way it makes his movements less careful and adoring, more desirous and heady. 

You love it when he devours your love like the sweetest dessert. 

"Jealous? Perhaps. Worried? More than I can say. Impatient for you to come to me? Ardently. I want to steal you away.  Scoop you up into my arms and drag you to the veil. When I  finally get you,  you'd better be ready."  Danger sparks in his eyes. The exact type of danger that makes your skin too tight and your fingers itch to wrap around him. You love it when he pushes you to the brink of desire… 

"You're a silver tongued seducer on your own. Why would  I ever turn to another?" You question, breathless and leaning in to him as a reed sways in the wind. 

"You won't." And you know he's right.  The words drip off his sweetened silver tongue so full of promises you know he will keep. After all… fae can't  lie.

He's  laid his soul bare for you so many nights, that games aren't what  he wants. There isn't  a riddle in the way between you. Just circumstances.

 All deception would do is complicate your arrival  and his impatience is too overwhelming. 

"Because I'm still yours."  You remind him, as the fog begins to roll in with the sun, and he nods, bittersweet and determined. 

"I’ll make it right." He whispers.

You gasp awake, clutching your heaving chest and wondering why your skin felt alight.  You swallowed and gazed at the sun coming up.  For some reason, you felt so loved. Someone out there felt things for you that you could hardly fathom. You still couldn’t see a face, but some missing piece clicked now. You felt the emotions. Longing, happiness, affection, impatience.  Something was different, this morning. 

When  you saw fresh  sweet peas by your bed again you couldn’t bite back your grin.

 It would be a new day

----

The line at the cafe was a bit shorter than usual and you considered yourself lucky, hustling inside before your shift at the flower shop.  Your apron was hanging out of your jacket pocket and you were very ready for your daily cold brew. The wind wasn’t quite cold enough to bite your fingertips and force you to switch to your winter drink. 

The jingle of the bell behind you didn’t catch your attention until you smelled that strange floral freshness that drew you in. Flower Guy, it had to be, no one else could elicit the same response, your heart quickening pace and your fingertips buzzing. Should you turn around and greet him? No isn’t that strange, considering you shouldn’t recognize him by smell?? 

Stay cool, y/n, stay cool. Instead you go up and order your drink, lightly sweetened and stand off to the side pretending not to see him out of the corner of your eye. Hiding behind your hair as you lift your phone as though you are texting someone. He’s watching you, and biting his bottom lip to hold back a smile. His head tilts to one side and you notice his hair has changed a little. It’s still soft pink, but now it also has an undercut, and the way it’s swooped away from his brow bone has your heartbeat quickening, even without a solid look at him. His eyebrows lift and he seems about to say something to you, but instead goes to the counter to order since the line has moved. You notice him settle in standing beside you as he waits for his drink. 

“Petal. I told you there would be a third meeting, didn’t I?” His voice is as honeyed and smooth as ever, and you have to bite back the little noise you so desperately want to make.  

Trying to act as though you are surprised it’s him, you look up and smile gently. “Oh. Hello. You also told me that on the third meeting you would tell me your name, didn’t you.”

He does that beautiful, breathtaking smile again, the one that causes creases to form beside his eyes and lights your soul up like the sun. 

“I did. And I will. Let’s sit for a minute.”  He tilts his head to indicate a nearby table. You check your watch, unsure if you have time to sit before work. 

You have never been late before though, and your boss wouldn’t scold you if it wasn’t very late…

You meet his eyes and nod, taking a seat as he slides across from you. “I’m glad I saw you here… I was going to go by the shop soon in fact, because there’s something I needed to talk to you about. I thought it would entice you into coming somewhere with me.”

You want to blurt out that everything about him is enticing, alive, and enchanting but you manage to control it. Instead you laugh a little and look at your hands on the table, where his fingers slowly, and with plenty of time for you to stop him, gently lace in between yours on the table. Your palms don’t meet, and it’s not quite holding hands, but it means something and you can tell. 

You don’t want to be conflicted but you are, because those flowers were for some one. 

“What about your…” You search for the right word, eyes darting from his fingers to his lips to the fringe that tickles the side of his brow. “Person? The one you got the bouquet for.” You clarify.  

He giggles. 

Giggles. 

“What if I told you that was a ploy to talk to you?” Mischief sparkles in his eyes and he brushes up and down your index finger with his thumb, the tiniest touch is making your chest feel tight and full and you are realizing it is getting harder and harder to deny that this feels what people explain. This feels like soulmates? But it was a slow fall, not that instant dunk into a freezing tank of water, instead, it was like you had been in water that was warm, and it was slowly getting hotter and hotter, and you had  barely realized it before it began to boil. 

It didn’t fit the descriptions, but it meant something, it had to. 

“I would-" but you were cut off by the ringing of his phone. He gave you an apologetic smile and checked it. The frown that crept onto his face told you that it wasn’t good. .

“I have to take this.”  He said, but he looked torn and hurt by it. 

“It’s an emergency. We’ll catch up next time. Maybe fourth time is the real charm, for us.” You said with a small smile, trying to convince him you were okay with it. He squeezed your hand in his reassuringly before scuffling out of the coffee shop, forgetting his drink on the counter as he did. You got up to grab both drinks and saw a small blue box on the chair he had been in.  As you returned to the table to investigate, you saw there was  “Petal” written on it in neat handwriting.  This was for you? 

You picked up the box and put it in your jacket pocket, and hurried out in the direction he had gone, hoping to catch him in the parking lot with the coffee. 

The wind was blowing your hair into your face and making it hard to see, but you were rushing too much to care. It took a moment to go through and realize that he was long gone, and you held the two coffees and chewed your lip, trying to figure out what to do. 

“Look! A lost flower in the big city.” A deep familiar voice was too close, causing you to jump forward and spin to meet their gaze. I.M  Strange, but he seemed to know your Flower Guy.

You greeted him with an uneasy smile.  “Oh, hi, did you see… I-I don’t know his name?”

A smile slowly stretched across his face, eyes sparkling with some mischief.  “Your darling? I can help you find him. For a price.”

You squint for a moment, something about the situation felt a little.. Off?  “What kind of price?”

“Oh don’t worry. It won’t seem like much. But I may have need of a favor from you. No money or tricks. Just a no questions asked favor.” I.M looked  more honest but you still felt uncertain. Flower Guy hadn’t seemed to like him so much, unless that was just jealousy… You didn’t have much of a choice, something inside you nagged at  you that Flower Guy needed you for something. An inner calling that began beneath your ribs and wrapped into each one like a vine. The constriction was suffocating. You didn’t know why, but you knew you needed to go to him… Was it worth the price? 

Deciding that it was better to give a favor to this man than to have something bad happen, you nodded. “Alright. One favor. Within REASON.” 

The smile that slid onto his face made you question your decision but you stayed resolute.  Something was wrong, and you needed to help. 

He extended his hand to you in a deep bow, you scoffed but took it, and he lead you away. 

----

The greenery around you was lush and vibrant, and the smell in the air was the same as that ozone smell before a storm. You felt uneasy but at home all at once, and it made your skin itch as you drew your arms across your chest in defensive posture. 

Coffees long forgotten, the box in your pocket felt heavy for some reason, the air around you grew still. You eyed I.M as he turned around finally, eyes unreadable. 

“We approach the faerie ring. Once you get inside, we will have to activate it, and that will get us through the veil.” He was explaining, but it didn’t make sense. 

“The what? What are you saying?“ Your head was shaking and your hand instinctively went to your pocket again. The box was.. Vibrating?

He fully tuned to face you, heaving a sigh. “All right I will make this fast and lover boy can flesh out the details when everything is better okay? Let’s start here.” He waved around to indicate the area. “This is a portal. I protect the portal.” He points to the small grassy patch that while untouched with light, is brighter than the rest of the forest floor. It is  a perfect circle lined with flowers of exotic beauty and the air around it shimmers a bit in the dim lighting. “Your lover boy and I are both fae. I don’t need to explain that do I?”

“Ah. Maybe? I don’t know. Magic is real?” You squinted in confusion but his face fell to full deadpan in response. 

“Soulmates are basically magic, but fae are a stretch? Don’t be silly. Just like. Ground rules. Don’t give anyone your full name. Fake name or partial name only, understood? Also We can’t lie but we are really good at deceiving with words so be careful. The rest is less important. Anyway. Your darling is in there-” He points back to the ring again. “And he is probably in trouble. He gave you something today right?” 

You nod. “Well, he was going to but he got a call and left. Which you saw. He dropped it on his way out.” You fish the box out of your pocket. “It’s buzzing. Is this magic?” 

I.M looked slightly envious for a moment, tongue darting out before he replied. “Yeah. Open it. Now. You’ll need it.” 

“I wanted to ask him about it before I-” You began but when his eyes met yours, steely and serious, you decided to listen. Opening the box gently, you pulled a chord inside. It was silvery but a bit heavier than one would expect for how thin the chain was. It was a necklace of some kind, with a stone hanging from the end pendant style that seemed to be shining with inner light. It was almost opalescent, rainbows sparking inside. When it touched your skin you gasped, and electricity leapt through your body in arcs that should have left you stunned but instead left you gasping and awakened. 

The air got even more shimmery, and when you looked  at I.M he looked startled, his mouth fell open and he pointed at you while you slowly rolled your shoulders against the thrumming in your veins.  

Slowly, your regained your normal footing, realizing things felt different, inside and out. You felt different. 

“Sly.”  I.M said with a giggle. “You are one of us. Or partially. Guess my favor is even better now.”

“I don’t.” You began before things began to shift and bend around you, almost as though you yourself had a bubble around you refracting light… “I.M, touch me.” 

His eyebrows raised, but he did as you asked, lifting his hand only to have it forcefully blasted back as he reached your bubble. Sparks arched from the place he touched, sizzling as though it would burn him if he tried again.

“You absolute… This is great, turn it off so we can go and get him?” 

You nodded, concentrating on bringing the bubble in closer to your skin, then pressing itself back into the gem. You didn’t know HOW you knew to, but you knew it was the thing to do. 

As you stepped inside the fairy ring, reality itself seemed to shift. You closed your eyes and when you opened them, you were in a forest much thicker, much more foriegn. 

The wildlife was exotic, and shimmers danced into your vision.

Flashes of silk and skin kept playing in your head. Ki.. His name bounced on and off the tip of your tongue in the most irritating fashion. But you knew how he tasted, how he felt flush against you. How his lips felt pressed against the crown of your head. You knew he brought you flowers.

You knew he was yours. 

But it wasn’t time to revel in memories, so you turned to I.M who was still regarding you carefully.  “By now, they’ll have him cornered. Come on.” 

You nodded and followed but still called out to ask him who has him and why. 

“Usurpers. Your sweetheart is the 1st prince of the Seelie court, and word got out about you. You being human and all. It caused the already more tricky members of court to stage a coup. That’s where we come in. “ He waggled his eyebrows and it occurred to you that  he genuinely was a good person, if a little feisty. You liked him more each moment. 

“And how do YOU know about this plot?”  

His smile was jagged at its edges as he cut through a passage and lead you further along. “Oh. I know people, you know?”

You didn’t know, but there wasn’t time to dig into I.M’s world too deeply when you were still recovering memories as they slid into place on their own.

Laughter in sheets and silvery moonlight, nicknames and promises. Years of it, years of being his without knowing. 

You two kept mostly quiet as you slid through the tunnels. The air felt colder, but not quite damp, still, some pressure on your skin akin to humidity, but with more life set you on edge.

I.M motioned for you to come close, and pointed out into the opening ahead.

There was a ring of creatures, shades of blues and purples some with wings and some without, all surrounding Ki-, the man, your man. 

Your prince

You corrected. He didn’t look overly concerned, in fact, he almost seemed confident even surrounded as he was. You couldn’t make out the conversation but there were weapons pointed at him, and panic filled your gut.

“What can I do?”

“We’re cloaked best we can be. You’re going to have to get right in the middle of all of that and activate the gem. Do you think you can?”

His laughter soft and happy in your ear, breath bouncing off your skin sending shivers down your spine. The way his fingers traced the sides of your face. Your soulmate, yours all along.  

 You nodded with firm conviction. You would have to.  “I can do whatever I need to.” 

I.M smiled back at you, gave your hand a reassuring pat and pointed. “Then go get him.”

----

You sucked your breath in and held in on approach. You could hear your heart beating in your ears but you knew there wasn’t a choice. Thinking quickly,  you pretended to fall, the noise drawing the attention of the entire group.

 Kihyun looked up at you eyes widened,  alarmed and upset.  His head began to shake and mouth formed an “O”. The panic in his eyes made you feel guilty, but he didn’t know your plan.  

“Who is that? Is that her?”  A blue skinned creature that stood roughly 6ft tall asked with a graveled voice. 

Kihyun’s eyes were steely and angry, he looked ready to make a move and you wished you could calm him. There were too many of them and they were heavily armed. You needed to goad them into getting you closer to him.

“Aren’t we lucky.Now they can watch each other die.” A smaller one with sharp jagged teeth said, chuckling. 

“If you even-” Kihyun began before a harsh slap rang out and he fell to the ground. You lunged towards him without thinking, only to be stopped suddenly.

“Please. Let me see him.” You begged, you needed to be sure he was okay.

When a pale fae with purple hair and sharpened claws grabbed your arm you winced, he was dragging you to your feet and into the middle.  “You’ll see him. You’ll see him bleed out.” 

You were pushed towards where he was getting back to his feet, he stumbled but he caught you in his arms, trying to wrap his body around you and check you for injury. 

Electricity traveled inside your veins immediately, and for a moment you were lost in memories, lost in dreams... 

Silver moonlight in pink hair. Giggles and secrets and kisses. Hot skin on cool nights and promises made between glistening lips. The feather soft beat of his eyelashes against your cheek as he sings softly to you. The way your heartbeat syncs into his and drags you home. Home is him, and it’s all real. It’s a blur, but then it’s part of you, he’s part of you.

You see him, much younger, much more excited.

“You belong here as much as I do, this power is as much yours as it is mine. You are one of us, even if it’s just a little bit.”  His scrunched nose makes you weak with happiness and you feel the air sparkle with your combined magick. That little bit in your veins is enough to feel the words he says are true. 

“So I really won’t remember you in the morning? We only just met!”  You want to stay in this place with him.

“You won’t. Because I am not human, and neither are you. Or at least not all of the way. We’ll make it work, I’ll find my way to you.”

When you opened your eyes again, Kihyun was panicking, saying something to you, but your ears were still ringing. You smiled reassuringly and touched his face, cupping his cheek with one hand as you squeezed tight to the necklace in your pocket with the other, and the shimmering light enveloped you both.

He was smiling, then, and holding onto you as the fae outside began trying to attack, only to be bounced back by the shield that surrounded you.

“Hi,” you said to him, ignoring the ruckus, “It’s nice to see you again, Kihyun. My Kihyun. My soulmate.” 

His eyes were watering and he was laughing, holding your face in both his hands as he realized you had returned to him. “It worked. It worked and you remember don’t you?” He peppered kisses across your forehead and cheeks, with giggles. “This is real! This is real and you’re mine.”

You didn’t think before you acted, only knew that he had to be closer to you. Gripping the back of his neck, you tugged his face closer to yours and tilted your head to press your lips to his. Softly, at first, and then firmly when he breathed into the kiss and tightened his hold, hands pressing into your lower back and pulling you up into him. You swear you had never felt so full and so alive at once, his lips the perfect blend of soft and harsh. This was the kind of kiss people wrote songs about, the kind of fairy tail nonsense that was fed to you as a child. But here, in his arms, there didn’t seem to be a single thing in the world more magical than the press of his lips desperate to  know you as well in reality as they had in dreams.

You eventually pulled back, albeit unwillingly, your foreheads joined as you both caught your breath.

He glanced up, reluctant to look away but knowing the threat was still present. You followed his gaze when a huge smile lit his face.

“You didn’t have to wait so long to help out, but you always did have a flair for the dramatic.” He’s speaking to a smaller man outside the bubble, silver hair and a sneaky smile. He’s handsome too, with round eyes that tilt up at the ends. 

“We had a plan. You should trust us more.” He insists as I.M joins at his side, there’s others in hoods and robes also all around, apprehending the group

I.M looks slyer than ever, “You still owe me, highness.”

“I’m not-” you begin, only to be cut off by Byeongkwan who is smirking and Kihyun.

“You will be, pleasure to meet you, sister in law.” He winks at you and turns to make a hand sign at the group around him. “We’ll take care of this. You guys head back.”

You slowly let go of the jewel in your pocket, retracting the shimmering light. Kihyun refuses to let you go, clutching onto your hand and lacing your fingers. 

You walk off knowing that things will be okay, that whatever is next, together you’d figure it out.

----------------------------------------------EPILOGUE----------------------------------

The sheets are silken. The bedside table is silver. The room has a skylight.

You smell life and flowers and  Kihyun and the scent of your skin combined. 

There’s no fog to usher you back into the day, there is nothing rushing you away from this dream. 

You snuggle deeper into his hold, he murmurs in his sleep from you shifting, eyes fluttering open to regard you blearily. 

“Hello Princess.” His voice is lower and thick with sleep, you’re nearly overwhelmed with love,the way your skin tingles and your breath quickens at his touch.

“Hello, Prince.” You respond as his lips brush yours lovingly, starting soft and deepening as you tightened your grip. 

His fingers danced along the skin of your collar bone, drifting down your arms to stroke your skin lovingly. The heat between you was always present, but as he grunted into the kiss and rolled you onto your back, teeth glistening in the dark, you knew that this was going to be a longer night. And you had all night...

This time, you weren’t lost in a dream, you were lost in him, and that was perfectly alright....