#like sure fine if he put his goals over the kids it’d be whatever feel kinda seen it before but instead!!

[aurumdoesthings]

what gets me about qifrey is from the beginning I was so charmed by how adoring and nurturing he is of the girls, and his emerging shady behavior was worrying but I still clung to that because EVERY time there was a crisis, he was right there to throw himself in front of his girls and protect them no matter what

so in volume 7 we get both Qifrey’s old mentor and his best friend seeing his shady behavior and doubting him and whether he really cares about his students. I doubted too!! but how does the story resolve these questions??

firmly on the side of Qifrey loves them more than anything and will do whatever he can to protect them! Beldaruit remarks to Olruggio in the end that he was wrong to doubt his dedication to them, and instead should’ve been concerned over his self-destructive tendencies. Olruggio has a quest with Hiehart and Jujy who make him realize when a friend (COUGH qifrey) has two important goals they can’t choose between, instead of having to choose one they should get help to handle both of them! and directly after that he goes to Qifrey and tells him point blank I want to help you, let me help you.

One of Qifrey’s most defining traits to me is that he is a good teacher above all and he protects kids (see: his protectiveness of tartah next volume insisting on walking him home and that worrying over tartah is ‘a part of the package’ with him), and I love him so dearly for that <3

[littlestarrykenobi]

“I’m Good at Getting on my Knees and Begging”

Ukai x Y/N x TimeSkip!Daichi

Word Count: 2340

Warnings: Hair pulling, oral, soft dom themes, alcohol consumption (but lots of consent!)

You had grown so used to Ukai and Daichi’s bickering that the times where they were gone felt too quiet around the shop. Oh, you appreciated the break. The times when Ukai was off at practice so the constant muttering over the small television on the counter stopped, the times when Daichi wouldn’t be standing over your counter in his uniform, scrolling through his work phone as he drank his coffee… but at the same time, as you checked the clock ticking away on the wall you felt the silence. Silence didn’t describe it either as the low hum of the machines kept you company. You perked up as you heard Ukai’s car coming down the road, knowing your loneliness was about to come to an end.

“Yeah?! Well if you did more receiving drills-”

“Me?! You’re head coach! You can order whatever damn drills-”

“Oh, now you don’t want to be head coach?! Yeah, seems about right!”

“When did I say I wanted to be?!”

“Shut your mouth!”

That was certainly your boys. You couldn’t help but laugh as you went to greet them, leaning against the back door as they pulled their duffels out of his small vehicle.

“So, I take it the game didn’t exactly go spectacularly?” You joked, earning a frustrated huff in return from the older coach.

“Oi, y/n, tell Daichi he’s still that same dumbass he was in high school would you?” Ukai grumbled, lighting a cigarette.

“I told you to quit those, old man!” Daichi griped back.

“No, you said I couldn’t smoke with you in the car! God no wonder you’re single. Do you bitch this much to the people you bring home?!”

You laughed as you pushed Daichi inside, letting him drop the duffel off on the desk as he watched you lock the front doors. “I should be getting home, it’s late.”

“No way, I am not letting you go home alone,” Daichi insisted with a smile, waving his arm dismissively. “I can drive you.”

“It’s really not that long of a walk I-“

“Great! I would love to walk you home then! I need the exercise. Stuck sitting next to the walking dead over there all day anyway.”

“What did you call me?!”

“Oh hush, you both had long days!” You insisted, disregarding how Daichi looked at you as you brushed by his large frame in the small doorway, squeezing by. You two had been in the same high school class but hadn’t had a chance to interact much… not that it’d stopped him from noticing how cute you were.

“Well at least stay for a drink then?” Ukai suggested as he put out the cigarette, thinking that if it got a little later he might be able to be the one to drive you home instead.

“Yeah, a drink at least?” Daichi added, finally finding common ground. “I know he’s been working you like a dog with overtime on our account.”

“Do you always find a way to make it something negative? Damn, no wonder the guys are scared of you.”

“It’s better to be feared and respected isn’t it?” Daichi said defensively with a tight lipped smile, the fire in his eyes betraying his frustration.

“Okay, if it will get you two to quit I’ll stay for a drink.” You sigh, giving into their usual brand of chaos.

One turned into two which turned into a little more. You still had your head about you, to be sure, since the goal really wasn’t to get drunk. You’d done that plenty with both Ukai and Daichi before and trusted them with your safety but you did enjoy the warm fuzzy feeling being buzzed and cuddled up between the both of them afforded you. You seemed to be the one thing that got them to quit their arguing… But your inattentiveness only lead to surprise as you felt two calloused hands slowly slide to your thighs. Ukai on your left, Daichi on your right. The backs of their hands touched, both men immediately looking up to stare the other down.

“You know it’s getting late, Ukai,” Daichi said in his dangerously even tone. “Might want to get to bed. Old men like you need their rest and they’re much younger. They’ll want to be up for a while.”

“Old man, eh?” Ukai smirked, chuckling lightly. “I think you mean experienced. Lovers don’t expire, Sawamura. We age like fine wine. If you want to see what this old man can do, I’m sure they won’t mind an audience.”

Your cheeks flushed as you realized the situation they were putting you in. Their intense eyes turned to you, clearly wanting a decision.

“N-Now guys I don’t really know what’s going on here but,” You stammered, trying to buy some time to think.

“We want to fuck you, both of us.” Ukai said, sharply to the point. “What? Glare at me all you want Sawamura but we both know what we want, why shouldn’t they?”

“But do you have to put it so… Grossly, Keishin?” Daichi groaned, rubbing his temples as he tried to process and move past it. “But he’s not… fuck he’s not wrong. O-Of course you don’t have to fuck either of us. Just say the word and I’ll walk you to your place right now.”

You covered your face with your hands, heart pounding. You’d been imagining and fantasizing for so many years for a day like this hadn’t you? Why the hell is it when it’s finally happening you’re paralyzed with fear?!

“What if I want both?” you squeak, voice cracking. That only made it worse, fully mortified as Ukai began to laugh.

“H-Hey! That’s not- That’s not funny!” Daichi barked, pulling you in by your waist. “Don’t laugh at them.”

“N-No it’s not at them I swear!” Ukai promised through his chuckles, shaking his head. “It’s just so cute how they asked. As if we could say no to such a tempting offer…”

Ukai lightly pushed your hair away from your face, one hand easing yours away so his long fingers could travel down your cheek and jawline, a small smirk on his face. You looked back to Daichi, seeing him nodding quietly.

“You’re sure you want this?” he asked quietly, smiling as you whispered your consent. His lips met yours in an instant, Ukai’s hands quickly moving to your work blouse, unbuttoning it so he could get access to your soft skin as quickly as possible. The callouses only heightened your sensitivity, feeling all your awareness come back before the way his fingers squeezed your sensitive nipples obliterated it all over again.

“Fuck,” you whined, quiet, nearly under your breath as his lips attached to one sensitive bud, Daichi’s hands quickly moving to unbutton and unzip your jeans, easily slipping his hand inside despite how large they were and how tight the strong fabric tried to hold onto your form.

“Kei, I want them naked,” Daichi huffed. “Help me out.”

“Gladly,” Keinshin smirked, leaning you back on Daichi as he grabbed your belt loops, pulling them off quickly along with your underthings. You were naked for the first time in front of the two of them and you looked… perfect. They loved your every soft curve, every inch of skin, every flaw… They didn’t hesitate to start exploring with their lips, wanting to cover every inch.

“W-Wait I-I haven’t shaved or-” you tried to whine, but Ukai shook his head.

“You’re going to be delicious no matter what baby, I can tell,” He smirked.

“You know I’m surprised at you, Kei,” Daichi chuckled. “How Takeda put it, I thought you liked it when they got on their knees to beg more.”

Ukai shot him a look, a growl rumbling in the older man’s chest. “Maybe I should use your mouth instead of theirs if you’re going to be such a brat,” Ukai threatened, only succeeding in making Daichi roll his eyes.

“Just shut up and prove you’re not just all blowing smoke huh?”

Daichi had your head resting on his chest still, playing with your tits as he watched everything Ukai did. The coach wasted no time, tongue working your sensitive spots, licking and sucking greedily as his fingers began to work and stretch your hole, gaining speed as he found the ways you liked best, not afraid to experiment to make your pleasure all the better. You were surrounded by the scent of Daichi’s cologne, of Ukai’s cigarettes, of the liquor on both of their lips. The shop didn’t only have the signature sound of their bickering anymore, nor was it the silence broken by the humming of the lights and vending machines. Whimpers and moans, hard fought for and easily won, as Daichi was forced to close his eyes, uselessly grinding himself against your back as he felt himself reach a breaking point.

You could feel the coil in your stomach now, slowly but surely coming to that tipping point before Ukai suddenly pulled away.

“On your hands and knees, pretty. I wasn’t stretching that cute hole of yours for nothing.”

“W-What?! Hold on what are you wanting them to-” Daichi tried to argue before Ukai helped you into the position he wanted. Your mouth hovered over Daichi’s covered cock, making him breathe a little heavier as he slowly looked up at Ukai.

“I’m not a total asshole,” Ukai chuckled as he shoved the waistband of his athletic pants down, teasing your hole with the head of his thick cock. “But c’mon, I’m not waiting around for you kid.”

Daichi eagerly pulled himself free, letting you see him for the first time. It was thick, heavy in your hands as you gasped, letting out a cry of pleasure as Ukai mentally counted the inches disappearing into your needy body.

One, two…

Daichi couldn’t help himself, eagerly taking advantage of your open mouth to pull you down on top of him, the thick veins pulsing as he let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding in.

Three, four, five…

The more he pushed into you the further down on Daichi’s cock you went, the choked moans and whines only making it harder for the dark headed man to resist shoving you down completely on his length. He wanted to hear the way you choked, watch how you squirmed, wanted to know what it’d be like to have you a drooling, fucked out mess… But he wasn’t in charge right now. Somehow, despite being the one fucking your mouth, despite the way he’d always owned every other sexual encounter he’d ever had, he was back to taking orders from coach.

Six, seven, and ah, eight. Finally.

Ukai rested now, balls heavy as he waited. He needed to give you a second, no matter how delicious it was that you whined and bucked your hips back against him. “Be good little pet and we’ll reward you, don’t worry,” he cooed. “You like being rewarded right?”

You nodded eagerly, sucking Daichi hard as he groaned, tossing his head back as he thrusted into your mouth.

“Good, good you’re being such a good little bitch in heat aren’t ya?” Ukai chuckled, but he wasn’t just looking at you when he said it, not that you could tell the difference. Daichi blushed heavily, trying to avoid eye contact with his old coach.

Once Ukai started to really move, he grabbed your hips for leverage, groaning sweetly, muttering curse words, letting you happily bury your nose in Daichi’s dark, curly bush as you took him as deep as you could, gagging, pulling back, then going back for more. Daichi pulled off his t-shirt, looking like a chiseled statue as his muscles flexed, watching every last ripple as he took your hair in his hand to use it as leverage.

“I’ve got it from here, sweet pea,” He cooed, not taking you off his cock as he finally moved onto his knees, forcing you up from your forearms to your hands, looking up at him with those beautiful eyes he’d been fantasizing about since high school. “Fuck you’re so gorgeous, I want you to swallow me down, okay?”

You moaned sweetly, whining and whining as Ukai’s pace only got more intense, slowing down with a sharp look from Daichi.

‘Can’t a man just chase his orgasm without some dumb punk kid getting in the way?’ Ukai thought bitterly but savored the slower pace, reaching around to play with your sex to try and reach your orgasm. The situation was too perfect, eagerly sucking Daichi’s cock down as Keishin hit your sweet spot over and over. When that coil finally became too tight to handle, you came around Ukai without warning. It was like that was the last thing they were holding onto, the pretty tears rolling down your cheeks and pretty cum dripping from Ukai’s hand being the rain that washes away any pretense at softness. Daichi let out a growl as he grabbed your hair tighter, Ukai doubled his efforts, both of them chasing after their own euphoria with little regard for how tight the muscles in your jaw were getting or how weak your legs were becoming. They were curtious men though, Daichi pulling out at the last second to spray your chest, Ukai happily delivering a few playful smacks as he pulled out and jacked himself once, twice, then spilled his seed onto your arched back.

The hum of electricity and panting.

It was better than a symphony at the right time… and in the afterglow it was delightful.

“Both of you, upstairs… You’ll stay with me.” Ukai said softly. “After you can walk.”

“O-Okay,” Daichi nodded weakly, pulling you into his lap as Ukai found tissues in the office. “You okay sweetie pie?”

You nodded, giggling lightly as you curled further into Daichi’s warmth. “I’m with my two favorite guys aren’t I…?”

Ukai’s cheeks heated up with a blush for the first time that night. Maybe… This wouldn’t be a one time thing after all.

[miraculouscontent]

Can I ask for "Sole Crusher" and/or "Queen Banana" salt?

I’ll do both at once because all my gripes are relatively small.

“Sole Crusher”

They’re still using Marinette’s clumsiness as a punchline and I’ve been tired of that since “Animaestro.” Sabine clearly looks worried about the fall and it’s just--it really feels like Sabine and Tom don’t care about Marinette’s clumsiness unless it affects them personally, considering that Marinette was carrying their supplies. They either help her with her problems or they have no right to react to them.

Zoe is... fine. She’s just fine. I like her enough on at least the fact that Marinette has a pleasant relationship with her. I’m just not crazy about the fact that she’s another sad rich kid; we’ve already got like three of those. Her sad backstory is also way over the top and unnecessary, essentially boiling down to, “I was a nice person and people hated me for it.” It’s made weirder by the fact that no one just points out that it’d be dumb to hate her because they’re not terrible people, or just the ridiculousness in general of the people who treated her horribly.

Shame that Zoe’s only akuma is just... her looking like Chloe. I know it’s the point that she imitates others but I prefer when akuma show off the personality/tastes of the person.

I rolled my eyes a bit when the goal was to convince Sole Crusher down. After “Gang of Secrets,” trying to calm akuma down has just lost all meaning. Sole Crusher still listening to Chloe was dumb and the whole scene just ended up being padding. Sure, Sole Crusher ended up going for Chloe instead of Kitty Section, but still.

“Queen Banana”

Less of an episode criticism and more of me being disappointed from what I expected for from seeing the pre-airing stuff. Seeing Chloe just complain and everyone just being generally annoyed by it was super same-y and I’d kinda hoped that they’d all planned to backstab Chloe from the beginning and would feign fawning over her, giving her exactly what she wants with the intent of doing whatever they wanted later. It just adds more variety and comedy to the interactions instead of feeling like “Horrificator.”

Marinette says that she won’t be in the movie and then she’s in the movie. Is consistency too much to ask for? (I know the answer, don’t worry.)

Marinette being caught tripping on the news, even if it’s just in the background, is just... *sigh*

It felt like they wanted to develop Andre in “Sole Crusher” and then he’s just more of a joke in this one. He does try to back off from Chloe more than usual, but they pointed out the fact that he’s made a movie and then that doesn’t even come up as a plot point in the episode, instead just being a gag about him getting cut off (Andre could’ve easily been shown thinking of his own movie experience and what he’d try and do in this situation).

It got on my nerves that people were constantly overriding whatever Marinette said to talk about “tHe bEnEfIT oF tHe mOviE.” Same with Zoe comforting Marinette; it just ends up feeling like Marinette is needlessly put in this position so she looks in the wrong for not wanting to go along with everything?

If the students all were doing this in their free time, they really should’ve just left and said that they didn’t want their name on that project, especially Nino. They just sort of complain but it’s not like they’re stuck on the project if they’re donating their spare time to it.

Okay wait. So “Mr. Pigeon 72″ had Marinette say that she was using her holidays to do guardian stuff, then Adrien later said “see you tomorrow” as if they’d see each other at school the next day, implying that the holidays are over, but now apparently there are more holidays just three episodes later??? I don’t understand.

The banana thing was so forced. No other way to say it.

Adrien literally wasn’t in the plot until Chloe insisted on it (lowkey felt like the line about Adrien being the only one “worth rescuing” was the writers projecting), and then he gets a spotlight in the movie, being the only civilian who got a noticeable amount of screen time being healed, probably due to Gabriel’s influence. We’re back to “Mr. Pigeon 72″ logic where he’s there just to be there and for love square (and also “Lies” logic where this guy apparently has nothing better to do and can just afford to come by).

ARE ADRIEN AND CHLOE STILL FRIENDS OR NOT?? (More Adrien being sad too over Chloe, plz kill me)

Zoe’s personality jump between herself and Vesperia is really jarring. Speaking of which, don’t dig the “V” theme in Vesperia’s design, nor bits of her transformation. (they also felt the need to show off her backside in the end card, whyyyyy)

Chloe seemed to remember stuff from her akumatization in “Miracle Queen” too, but I just want this detail explained to me, because Chloe called Vesperia by name despite only hearing it as Queen Banana. Does Shadow Moth control what they remember or what??

Can’t tell how much of Zoe’s speech to Chloe is genuine and how much is just her putting on an act. Likewise, confused by the whole hint/jab at a potential future Chloe redemption, as it’s all really unnecessary.

[luci-in-trenchcoats]

More Than Words

Summary: The reader and her boyfriend Jensen have been together for years but she feels him slipping away when the physical distance between them starts affecting their relationship. She decides to end things for both their sakes when she feels him stop caring and tries to move on with her life. But an afternoon get together is going to change hers forever and she now has to figure out what that means for both her and Jensen...

Pairing: Jensen x reader

Word Count: 8,900ish

Warnings: language, angst, life in the time of coronavirus, panic attacks, break up, head injury, loss of hearing, fluff

A/N: This wasn’t how I set out for this fic to go but I love the way it turned out. Enjoy!

______

“Hey,” said Jared, throwing an empty water bottle near you. You looked up from your phone, Jared frowning at you. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” you said, shoving your phone in your pocket. You sat back in your lawn chair, biting your bottom lip as one of the kids started crying and Gen got up to go investigate.

“Y/N. I asked what’s wrong,” he said.

“Jared-”

“I said what’s wrong.”

“I haven’t talked to Jensen in like...he’s busy filming. I’m stupid is all,” you said. He rolled his eyes and you slumped further down into your seat. You felt him staring at you and felt the bubbling in your chest start to become too much. “Stop looking at me.”

“You know I’ve never seen you cry outside of a scene before. I’ve known you three years.”

“Oh boo hoo. Some people don’t cry all the time you know.” You stood up and were about to grab your chair to toss in the car and drive home with when it hit you. Your back was to him and you heard him stand, your stomach dropping. “I’m so sorry I said that. I can’t believe I said that.”

“Y/N,” said Jared as the bubbling in your chest popped open. You took a breath but it felt too small, not enough air in your lungs. You took another quickly and there still wasn’t enough. Jared said you down on the ground by the time you realized you weren’t breathing right. He was talking but you just felt icy cold veins pumping through you and a pounding in your ears.

You weren’t looking when a bag got shoved over your mouth and he plugged your nose. Your eyes flashed open as you took deep breaths, your breath slowly evening out. He moved his hand from your nose and ran it over your head, saying something to you.

“What?” you croaked out, exhausted and trying to get your bearings back.

“Sweetheart you had a panic attack,” he said. “Has that ever happened before?”

“No,” you said. You shut your eyes again, Jared putting the bag back up as you breathed slowly again. He pulled it away after a moment, rubbing his hand up and down your back. 

“Gen put the kids to bed. I’m gonna carry you up to the guest room, you crash here tonight,” he said.

“You shouldn’t even be this close to me,” you said.

“Our socially distant backyard get together is done. I know you’re safe and you never leave the house. I don’t want you alone tonight. We can go back to your place and I can stay on the couch if you feel better with that,” he said. 

“There’s no way I talk you out of this, is there,” you sighed.

“Nope,” he smiled. 

“I’m okay staying here,” you said. “This is technically a kidnapping you know.”

“Yeah but I’m gonna take care of you so at least I’m a nice one,” he chuckled. “You feel like you can stand up?”

“I think so.” He smiled and wrapped his arms around you, picking you up like you were nothing. You hung onto him and rested your chin on his shoulder, squeezing your eyes shut. “I’m so embarrassed.”

“Why? You’re hurting. Nothing to be embarrassed about,” he said. He didn’t ask anything else as he brought you inside. You knew he was gonna talk and ask you a lot of questions you didn’t want to answer. Lately you’d felt like crap but it’d only gotten worse and worse. It had nothing to do with Jared though and you had to insult him on top of it.

“I’m sorry I said that crack about crying.” He shushed you and carried you up to a guest room away from the other bedrooms, setting you down on the mattress. “I’m-”

“You apologized already and I forgive you,” he said. He knelt down and you stared at your lap. “I think we got some of your and Jensen’s clothes from last time you guys stayed the night. Want me to go find it, more comfy than jeans?”

“Okay,” you nodded. He moved away but was back quickly, a pair of your sweatpants laid down on the bed beside you and one of Jensen’s shirts. 

“I’ll give you a minute to change.”

He was back in five, Jared making a face when he saw you’d tossed Jensen’s shirt in the pile with your clothes on the floor. You lay down on the bed and put your back to him, grateful that Jared simply sat on the bed behind you.

“You guys have a fight?” he asked.

“No.”

“Do you not love him anymore?”

“No, Jared.”

“Why aren’t you wearing his shirt then?” he asked. You sniffled and he reached an arm over you, setting a box of tissues nearby. You took one and blew your nose, Jared running his hand over your head. “You gotta talk to me, Y/N. It doesn’t have to be right now but I’m gonna stay here all night and you talk when you’re ready.”

“I can’t do it.”

“Do what?”

“His life. I can’t do it anymore.”

“Sweetie, I’m not following,” said Jared. You reached up and grabbed his hand, holding it to your chest for a few minutes. 

“How’s it going?” asked Gen as you heard him come in. She sat on the bed near Jared and you shut your eyes. “You guys break up?”

“No. Not quite sure what it is yet,” said Jared. Gen touched your leg and you turned your head towards her, getting a smile from her.

“I understand,” she said. You nodded and lay your head back down. A small shake left your body and you felt Jared tense up. “Jared, you’ve never been on this end of it, the waiting end.”

“End of what?”

“The long distance relationship. It gets rough being apart,” she said. 

“Yeah but...these guys have been together for years,” said Jared.

“Yeah and he’s thousands of miles away and she can’t see him in person at all because of all the travel restrictions,” said Gen. “They’ve never done that. We have but not to this extent and you know it’s different, you know that.”

“Y/N, you could always…” trailed off Jared.

“I have work on your show,” you said. “All of his new plans...his life moves a thousand miles an hour. He travels all the time. I like quiet lazy days at home and he’s always going. I think I was convenient.”

“Convenient?” scoffed Jared and you dropped his hand, scooting farther away. “I’m sorry. I know how much he loves you is all. You’re not convenient.”

“I was Dean’s love interest. We lived in the same apartment building. We had the same schedule. I was there, all the time. I haven’t spoken to him in three days. Not real talk. Just small talk. Just casual. He doesn’t ask about me at all. It’s dying. I can feel it. I can’t keep up now and he’s got more music, a brewery, he’s got his own production company now to develop stuff on top of acting and cons. I can’t keep up when he’s away filming, just filming. I get barely any time as it is in a day. It’s selfish but I want my boyfriend back. But he’s not coming back. It’s gone and I can’t deal with being alone. He did nothing wrong. It’s why it’s…”

“Jared, go,” said Gen softly. “Don’t say a word of this to Jensen. He needs to hear it from her.”

“He does love you,” said Jared.

“I know. It’s why it sucks,” you said. He left and Gen lay down next to you, giving you a hug. “How do I make it work?”

“You both gotta work for it. I see you checking your phone all the time, the way you talk about him lately. You want his attention. Sometimes you gotta take a backseat, I get it. Sometimes, everything else has to take a backseat to you. If he doesn’t make the effort, if he doesn’t put you in that front seat when you tell him you need it, I’m sorry sweetie but I don’t know how it works without you feeling like this all the time.”

“Maybe I should call my agent and cancel on Walker. I could move up there with him.”

“You’re gonna ruin the reputation you built up with a network over the past five years? Honey, do whatever you got to for love but following him around the world isn’t going to get him to give you the attention you deserve.”

“It could,” you said.

“What about that idea for a show you had? Are you just going to abandon your whole career for his? You’re not stepping away because of kids or family...you can come back from that easy. If you say no, start backing out of contracts…”

“But what if I tried harder. It’s only been a few months. I’m...I just gotta try harder. I can...I can get his schedule from work and-and call on breaks or I could…” you said as she sat up behind you. You sighed and sat up, Gen giving you a sad smile. “You made it work. I want it to work.”

“We moved fast. I was with him always up until the kids. They made it easier. He checked in everyday, no matter how tired or busy. You’ve been fraying. Jared and I both see it. Other people do. The only person who doesn’t is him and he’s the one who’s supposed to notice it first. I love him like a brother but your happiness is not second to his and his goals. You gotta decide what that means. I think you already made up your mind too.”

“I thought I was gonna end up with him,” you said. You took a deep breath and nodded. “You ever wish you were like, naive? Like you didn’t have any goals for yourself? If I didn’t, it’d all be fine.”

“No, then you’d have a whole bunch of other problems. If you decide to go that route of ending it, do it in person. You both deserve that,” she said.

“He has to fly to LA over the weekend for a few days. Um, if he, if he throws me out of his house-”

“He won’t-”

“Yeah but he’s gonna be mad. If he does that…” you swallowed.

“You can stay here as long as you need to. Always.”

“Thanks, Gen.”

Five Days Later

“Well hey good looking,” said Jensen when you knocked on his hotel room door. He was ready to check out and fly back to Canada. A part of you thought you shouldn’t say a thing, it was cruel to force him to fly back on a plane full of strangers when you were about to break his heart. “Y/N.”

He pulled you into the room and you stared up at him, Jensen swallowing thickly.

“You know what I’m gonna say, don’t you.”

“Yeah,” he breathed out. “I figured when you said you were gonna fly all the way out here just to talk in person.”

“I love you. I’m always gonna love you.”

“I love you too. Can I, can I know who he is?”

“What?” you asked, srucnhing up your face.

“Y/N, I get it. I’m away a lot. I don’t think either one of us is very good at the long distance thing to be honest,” he said. “I’m not mad, honey. I just want you to be happy.”

“There is no guy, Jensen,” you said. You scowled and he let out a small chuckle.

“Well there’s got to be a guy,” he said. “Why else would you want to break up with me? I understand it’s hard right now but we’re fine. If you met a guy, I’m really not mad, I swear. I’d totally rather end things than we go behind one another’s backs.”

“Excuse me?” you said. “You don’t talk to me anymore. That’s why I want to break up, asshole.”

“Don’t call me an asshole,” he shot back. “I saw the pictures on your instagram of you and that guy.”

“He’s from Warner Brothers. He’s our boss. I was talking to him about my show idea,” you said. 

“You two looked a little friendly,” he said.

“I did my first fucking show with him when we were both eighteen. We...what the fuck is going on? Do you think I’m cheating on you?”

“No, I didn’t say that. I’m only saying if you want to be with someone else, breaking up with your current boyfriend is the right thing to do,” he said. 

“What the fuck happened to you, you self abosrded ass,” you said, running your hands through your hair. “What the fuck? I’m sad. I miss you. I cry most nights cause you don’t ask a single thing about me anymore. You’re so busy and I don’t fit in your life. That’s why I want to break up. We’re done. Find some pretty little actress or model that doesn’t give a shit about herself and you’ll be just fine with your wonderful fucking life.”

“Fuck you,” he said, his jaw clenched and eyes narrowed. “Fuck you. I’ve been working so hard for us. For our future and our family. If you can’t see that, fuck you.”

“You haven’t initiated one single conversation with me in months. I always have to call, text, facetime, whatever. All you had to do was pick up the phone you arrogant prick.”

There was a knock at the door and you scowled, Jensen opening it to reveal a very beautiful blonde around your age. You recognized her as a character on his show and she smiled at him.

“Ready for the airport, Jay?” she asked, a carry on by her side. She turned to you and was about to say hi when she say your face. “Oh. Sorry. I’ll just...be in the lobby.”

“Thanks,” he said. He shut the door and went to his bed, throwing his bag over his shoulders. “I know you’re thinking it. Just say it.”

“I’m actually not. I know you wouldn’t cheat on me. I know you’re a nice person and you’re probably friends with her. I have no problem with you being friends with attractive women. The only problem I have is that I somehow wound up as the least important thing in your life.”

“You are so wrong about that you don’t even know,” he said. He brushed past you and paused at the door. “I’ll be back home in about a month. Stay at the house however long you need but please be gone by the time I get back.”

“Fine. I want it back,” you said as he started to walk away. “I want it back, Jensen.”

He reached into his back pocket and took out his wallet. He opened it up and took out a small square of paper that had been folded up in there for nearly three years.

“I want mine back. You can leave it at the house,” he said as he held it out.

“You don’t want to miss your flight,” you said as you shoved it in your pocket.

“I hope the next guy makes you happier than I did,” he said.

“Me too, Jensen. Me too.”

Two Months Later

“How you holding up?” asked Gen as you knocked back the last of your wine. You were sat in your lawn chair, watching Jensen and his new girlfriend swim around in Jared and Gen’s pool. “Y/N.”

“I need more wine,” you said, holding out your glass.

“No, you don’t,” said Jared as he walked past and stole it from you. “You drank practically a whole bottle and I don’t want you puking.”

“Who cares,” you said as you shut your eyes and leaned your head back.

“Well I think-” was the last thing you heard before a skull crashing thud happened, a soft warm pain drizzling over your head. You blinked open your eyes, on the ground now and seeing a baseball nearby. Feet walked in front of you but no one moved you, Jensen’s face lowering down in front of yours. He said something but you didn’t hear him, his face full of worry as he looked up. 

You shut your eyes as you saw the red covering the baseball, a thin line of something sticky flowing down your cheek.

You woke up to a dark room, turning your head and finding Jensen sat in a chair, knee bouncing like crazy. You looked up and saw some monitors, surprised when Jensen was suddenly right there in his seat and squeezing your hand. He smiled and said something but you didn’t hear it. You touched the side of your head, feeling the wad of bandages by your right ear. There were some covering your left as well and you swallowed.

“I can’t hear you,” you said. He nodded and reached towards the end of the bed, grabbing a white board and marker. He wrote something down and paused, waiting to show it to you. You squeezed his wrist and he spun it around.

“You’re deaf,” he said, lips moving as you read the board.

“Forever?” you asked. He swallowed and erased the board, writing down again.

“They don’t know,” he said. “Depends.”

You touched your head again and he put the board down, wrapping you up in a hug. You clung onto him, Jensen kissing your temple. 

“What happened?” you asked. He sat back and picked up the board, writing for awhile before spinning it around.

“Jared’s neighbor had a batting machine in his yard with no safety net behind. They were going very fast. He was setting it up and a ball came over the fence at full speed, hit you in the right side of your head.”

“How fast?”

“If you weren’t so thick headed, you’d be dead,” he said. He forced a smile and you nodded. “You should be. You’re very lucky.”

“Yeah, I’m so lucky,” you said. It could have been a lot worse. A lot worse. You knew that. You sniffled but didn’t hear it, his head turning towards the monitor as your heart rate sped up. You shut your eyes and felt him cup your face. He wiped away the tears that were starting to fall and you tried pulling away but he kept his hands in place. You opened your eyes, trying to give him a hard glare to go away but he just looked back and smiled. His lips moved and you shook your head. He shook his again and kept your head facing him.

He pointed at his eye and moved his lips. You scrunched up your face but he did it again, pointing at his eye and moving his mouth.

“I?” you asked and he nodded. “This is the worst game of charades ever you realize.”

He chuckled but you couldn’t hear his laugh. You frowned but he put your hand on his chest quickly. You couldn’t hear it but you felt the rumble from his laughter. He was trying so hard to make you feel normal.

“Keep going,” you said. He smiled and pointed at his eye again and said another word. “I…”

He pointed at his eye and then his chest and then your own. He spoke again and you smiled.

“I love you,” you said. He nodded and you dropped your forehead on his shoulder. “You have a girlfriend, Jensen. You shouldn’t be here.”

He shook his head and picked up the board. 

“Just a friend. I was sad after you. She was just a friend there for me. No one since you,” he said. He wrote some more and spun it around. “I’m here for you. Always.”

“We broke up. You have work. You-” he said as he shook his head.

“Fuck work. Fuck all of it. You’re most important.”

“Jensen you have your production company and-” you said before he opened his mouth and said something quickly. He wrote it down and frowned.

“No. You’re most important. I thought you died. Don’t do that to me.”

You nodded and he wrote again.

“I want my letter back.”

“We’re not together, Jensen,” you breathed out.

“I want my letter back,” he said, tapping the board before he wrote more. “Want you back. Let me be better. You can get rid of me if I fuck up. Please.”

“I’m only saying yes cause I’m really scared right now and I want you to fix it,” you said, voice cracking. “Okay?”

He smiled wide and nodded, giving you a kiss. He hugged you and you let him hold you for a long time, a doctor eventually coming inside.

Four days later and you were released from the ICU to go home, everyone deciding you’d be better off going back to Jensen’s house. Most of your things were still packed away in the Padalecki’s garage so it wasn’t too much effort for them to move them.

You were still not used to a lack of noise in your life. You assumed your ear drum had been shattered as had the doctors at first but your inability to hear from your left ear was curious to them. After a whole bunch of tests and a minor exploratory surgery, your ears were actually okay they discovered. There was a swelling around a nerve they believed to be responsible for allowing your brain to interpret sound. You could hear, your brain just didn’t know it they said.

They also didn’t know if they could fix it and wanted to wait a few weeks for the swelling and bruising in your head area to go away before they did anymore tests. Jensen wasn’t thrilled on the idea of potential brain surgery either so for now it was going to be a waiting game. It could come back fully on it’s own. You might need surgery. You might never hear again even with an operation. 

You knew eventually you’d be okay, even if it was permanent but for the moment, you had other things to think about, rebuilding your relationship with Jensen for one. 

You’d been home for about five hours and he was still running around like a maniac, waiting on you hand and foot. He’d never left your side at the hospital and knew was going to burn out fast just like you had if you didn’t say something.

“Jensen?” you called from where you sat watching TV, grateful for the invention of closed captioning. You turned your head and he rushed out from the kitchen. He picked up the board from the table and you shook your head. “You need to listen right now. Not talk.”

He nodded and sat down on the couch, forcing a smile.

“Jensen, I’m deaf right now, maybe forever. I’m still learning and I know some things are a little dangerous for me right now until I get a handle on it. But you gotta slow down and take time for you. I can’t be your entire life. You need to be taken care of too. It’s why I broke up with you. I felt neglected and like I wasn’t important anymore. I don’t want you to feel like that. You can help me, you can always help me. But I’m not helpless. If we’re gonna try again, we’re doing it right,” you said.

He nodded and you smiled. His shoulders sagged and you saw him speak as he tilted his head down. You poked his knee and he looked up.

“I didn’t catch that,” you said. He shut his eyes and looked like he was laughing before he was running his hand over his face. His lips moved quickly. You didn’t catch a word but saw the look on his face and knew he was upset. He punched his leg and talked some more before he stood up. “Hey. Sit your ass down.”

He said something and you scowled, Jensen returning it, his eyes looking wet.

“I don’t know what you’re saying right now but I have a good idea. This isn’t your fucking fault. It was a freak accident. I promise. Let’s go lay down, okay? We’ll lay down like we used to when one of us was having a bad day,” you said. He stared at you and you took his hands in your own. “Please let me take care of you for thirty minutes. You can have the rest of the day back but thirty minutes is all I’m asking for.”

He nodded and you led him upstairs to the master. The room looked the same as you’d left it aside from your nightstand being empty. You sat down on the bed and pulled him down with you, eventually settling in the middle of the bed. He curled into your side and you played with his hair. He mumbled something, you felt it in his chest pressed against you. 

It hit you that you might never hear his voice again and you swallowed. Now was his time and he needed it. You could freak out later if you needed to.

You woke up to Jensen nudging your leg. He smiled and tugged you into the bathroom. There was a board in there and held it up.

“Bandage change time,” he said. You nodded and sat down at the vanity stool while he got out the bag of bandages the hospital sent him home with. He stood on your right side as he undid the bandage around your forehead. Something seemed off the more he peeled back though.

“What…” you said, staring at yourself in the mirror when the last bandage fell away. You touched the side of your head and the back, tracing gently over the large stitch there. “Half my hair is gone.”

Part of your ear looked black along with some skin near your jaw, probably the bruising from the hit. Jensen knelt down but you pushed him away.

“I look like…” you said, biting your bottom lip. He pursed his own before you saw a smile on his face. He mouthed something before he stood and went to his vanity. He plucked the razor out of the drawer and turned it on. “What are you doing?”

“Trust me?” he wrote down. 

“Alright,” you said. You shut your eyes and felt the gentle tug against your skin. He worked for a moment before he turned it off. He smiled down at you and moved your hair, turning you towards the mirror. He’d cleaned up the shaved area and fixed your part, brushing the hair over the side so it looked more like a purposefully done edgy cut. 

“You look perfect,” he wrote, smiling back at you.

“Thanks,” you said. He picked up some gauze and started wrapping up your cut again, gently tucking in the end when he finished. “Funny isn’t it. We broke up because we had trouble communicating, making time in our busy lives. Fate just had to twist the knife a little more, didn’t she.”

He pulled you to your feet and hugged you. You nuzzled into him for a moment before you sighed.

“I don’t wanna forget your voice,” you said. He ran his hand over your head and you held him tighter. “I miss it. I just want to hear you say we’re gonna be okay again and this right now isn’t just a fluke cause you feel sorry for me.”

He stepped back and cupped your cheeks.

“I love you,” he said and you smiled. 

“What if it’s not enough though? At some point you’re gonna have to go back to work,” you said. “And I don’t want to be clingy. I don’t. I just-”

He kissed you before shaking his head. He pointed at his eye, shook his head and then rubbed his palm against his eye.

“Just write it down,” you sighed. He shook his head and repeated the motions. “I don’t know what you’re saying, Jensen. Just write it down.”

He did it again and again and you stomped your foot. 

“I don’t understand. I what? You did what?” you snapped. “What exactly didn’t you do?”

He shook his head and grabbed your palm. He drew a “D” and an “I” followed by another “D” and shook his head.

“I didn’t…” you trailed off as he drew a “T” and a few more letters. “Try. I didn’t try enough.”

He placed your palm against his chest and took a deep breath. He spoke again and squeezed your hand.

“If we’re apart, that’s when it went to shit. We both have to put in the effort, no matter how tired or whatever we are. Promise?” you asked. 

“Yes,” he said with a nod. 

“Good. Cause I really need you right now,” you said. He kissed you and picked you up, carrying you downstairs. He brought you out to the balcony there and sat down in a chair with you. You turned so your back was against him, picking up on a quiet rumbling. You glanced up and saw he was singing. You went to sit up but he pulled you back to his chest. You couldn’t hear him but you could feel the reverberations through his body into yours. 

“You always sing to make me feel better,” you said. You snuggled back into him and nodded. “I can feel you, Jay.”

Lips kissed the top of your head before the rumbling continued and you shut your eyes, trying to guess what song it was he was singing. Whatever it was, you were very grateful for it.

Two Weeks Later

“Ugh,” you groaned as you felt a buzzing on your wrist. You sat up, smacking your new alarm clock off and took off the wrist bracelet, setting it on the nightstand. You still weren’t sure about it and were flipping back and forth with using just the bed shaker option. Jensen didn’t mind either way but it was slowly becoming more and more apparent at how much even little things in your life had to change. You ran a hand through your hair with a sigh as Jensen walked in sweaty in some workout clothes. 

“Good morning,” he signed with his hands and you raised an eyebrow. “Morning?”

“Sorry. Still waking up. Morning,” you yawned. You stretched and watched him pop into the bathroom. There was a text on your phone from Jared and you smiled. At least that still felt as normal as ever.

How’s it going today?

Just woke up to a very sweaty and sexy looking Jensen.

You giggled and he responded with a puking emoji before more typing came up.

Thank you for that mental image. We’re having burgers for lunch if you guys want to come over for a swim. I promise no brushes with death this time.

“Jensen. You want to go to the Pads for lunch?” you called out. He stuck a thumbs up out the bathroom door and you smiled. “Okay, sounds good.”

You texted that you’d be over later before you got up and headed into the bathroom. Jensen was in the shower and he gave you a smile when he turned around to get his hair wet. You brushed your teeth and combed your hair, throwing it up in a bun. You washed your face and smiled in the mirror. You wanted to have a good day. Every day the past two weeks had seemed to have some kind of moment where it all hit you too much too fast and you ended up crying in Jensen’s arms.

You didn’t have brain damage. You could walk, talk and do anything you could before. You just couldn’t hear was all. It could have been so much worse and you were lucky it hadn’t gone that way. Jensen stepped out of the shower and dried himself off, smirking when he caught you staring. It turned softer though as he saw you weren’t checking him out really.

“Okay?” he signed with one hand and you nodded.

“Do you think we would have gotten back together if there was no accident?” you asked. He tucked his towel in and grabbed the white board. You were both only just starting to get a few introductory phrases with signing and while your charade skills had gotten better, most of the time it was easier to be patient and let him write or type out what he wanted to say.

“Yes,” he’d written down. “It would have taken longer and been more of a long slow pain than the fast sharp pain that happened but yes. I want you. Forever. I’m sorry I didn’t try more back then and left it all up to you. It wasn’t fair. I’ll be better this time. I swear on my life I will.”

“I think we would have come back to each other too,” you said. He smiled and set his board aside. “You know, you haven’t talked to me about the accident, about how you felt and what happened. I’d...I’d like to know maybe later on if that’s okay.”

He picked up the board and wrote down some things.

“I got scared. I missed you and that made it worse. I had a panic attack,” he said as your mouth opened.

“You had a panic attack?” you asked and he nodded. “So did I. A few days before I went to LA. I...I was so scared of losing you. I thought I couldn’t keep up with your life.”

He held up three fingers and you cocked your head. 

“Three panic attacks?” you asked. He nodded and he shrugged. “At the hospital?”

“Hospital,” he wrote down on his board. “First day home. Last night after you went to bed.”

“But…” you said and he shut his eyes as he wrote.

“You don’t hear me have them,” he said. “You don’t notice if I get out of bed.”

“You wake me up. You wake me up. That is part of us communicating. Me being there for you.”

“Too much to put on you right now,” he wrote. 

“I’m deaf. I ain’t fucking dead,” you said. “You get me the next time it happens. I want to talk about this more too. I want us to figure out why it’s still happening and you feel like this. I can understand at the hospital. But it’s been almost three weeks. We gotta make sure you’re okay too.”

“Okay,” he signed. “Later?” he wrote down.

“Okay. We can deal with it later. If you feel it coming on though just let me know, okay?” 

He nodded and you gave him a smile.

“Come on. Finish getting dressed and I’ll make us some breakfast, Jay.”

It didn’t take very long into lunch for you to get that pit in your stomach again. Jensen was chatting up a storm with Jared and Gen. You’d already excused yourself to the bathroom and took some time to munch on the snacks that were out. You watched the kids swim in the pool until you felt a tap on your shoulder. You turned and all three were looking at you.

“How’d your show pitch go?” Jared had written down on a whiteboard. 

“Oh. Okay I think. They sent a follow up email a few days ago to check in on how I was doing. I got the vibe they thought I was developing it with Jensen through the company. They told me to take my time but it sounds like they want to move forward, probably on a streaming service.”

He said something and you forced a smile, Jared quickly realizing and writing down again.

“That’s awesome!” it said and you nodded.

“Yeah. I’m gonna go hang in the pool a bit I think,” you said. You got up and pulled off your shirt and shorts, sliding into the deep end and submerging yourself. It felt nice in the warm air to cool off. Your head popped up and you watched the kids play in the shallow end. You jumped when the water shifted beside you and Jensen was there suddenly. You took a deep breath and relaxed, following his lead when he tugged your hand. He started to swim and play, lightly splashing you. You spun around and were met with a face full of water. You coughed as you saw Jared pop up, Jensen wrapping an arm around you. You spit out the water in your mouth and swam over to the side, resting your head against the cool cement. You hoisted yourself up and out before you picked up your towel nearby and took a seat back at the table. 

“You okay?” asked Gen, moving a whiteboard in front of you. 

“I can’t hear the water moving or other people. It freaked me out a little. I’ll be okay,” you said. Jensen came back not long after and the boys decided to start cooking instead. Gen did her best to hold a conversation with you using the white board but eventually you just started texting one another to make it easier.

“Let’s go home after we eat,” Jensen texted you. The next thirty minutes the three of them didn’t talk much and you wished you stayed home in the first place. You wanted to shower and crawl into bed for the rest of the day.

“I’m sorry,” you said on the quick drive home. You stared out the window as Jensen held your hand, giving it a squeeze. “I thought I was ready for that but I guess it was too much.”

You didn’t look at him and tried to head inside the second you were out of the car but Jensen picked you up and walked out of the garage with you.

“Jensen what are you doing?” you asked. He carried you around to the back of the house and over towards the pool. “I don’t want to swim. It’s too-”

He walked into the pool with you and took your hand, drawing letters on it.

“Safe?” you asked and he smiled. “I don’t feel safe though in the water right now. I can’t-”

He swam over to the steps and sat you down on them, Jensen holding up a finger. He jogged out and over to the patio, grabbing something off the table and walking back over. He held up a small plastic tube and popped off the cap, dropping two small foam pieces into his hand.

“Ear plugs?” you said as he put them in. He stepped into the shallow end and sunk down a bit, holding out a hand for you. 

You knew what he was doing. You knew exactly what he was doing. He swam out further and came back, tilting his head with puppy dog eyes.

After a moment you stepped down and went to him, swimming out to the deep end with him. You went back and forth for a bit, slowly getting used to the feel of the water and how the movements made it shift. Eventually you went off on your own, mindful to be aware of where he was in the water too but you felt calmer after awhile. 

It wasn’t until your stomach was rumbling that you realized you’d spent the afternoon out there. You climbed out of the water, Jensen following after. You wrapped yourself up in a towel, Jensen still a little worried looking.

“Thank you, for going slow for me,” you said. He tilted his head and you giggled. You tapped his ear and he pulled out his earplugs. “I said thank you for today.”

“You’re welcome,” he signed back. 

“You had those in for awhile. Feel weird?” you asked. He nodded. “You get used to the quiet.”

He made a gesture like he was playing a guitar and you shrugged.

“I miss music. I miss sounds like rain or birds in the morning. I miss voices the most though. That’s the hard one to get over,” you said. “Let’s wash up. I’m getting hungry.”

Forty minutes later you were eating some pizza while Jensen glared at his phone. He scowled as he typed, setting it down before he caught your face.

“Your test yesterday had no clear signs of physical injury,” he typed on his computer. 

“Isn’t that good?” you asked with a mouthful of food.

“Yes and no,” he typed beside you. “Yes in that you’re not physically hurt from what they can tell. No in that it’s less likely your hearing comes back.”

“Oh. What else did they say?”

“They’d like to do more tests next week and possibly a more indepth exploratory surgery.”

“What’s that mean?”

“They’d have to crack open your head. They didn’t do that before. I don’t like the idea of brain surgery. It’s very dangerous,” he wrote. 

“Oh. Did, did you look up this kind of surgery?” you asked. 

“It was explained to me at the hospital by your doctors. It sounded very risky for something that probably won’t help anyways,” he said. 

“I understand,” you said. “This wouldn’t have anything to do with your panic attacks would it?”

He moved his hands away from the keyboard and picked up his pizza slice instead.

“Jensen. I’m going to call the doctor tomorrow and they can explain the surgery to the both of us. If I have hesitations, if you do, I won’t do it.”

He shook his head and you shrugged.

“S’not your head. You don’t decide how I decide.”

“But…” he started saying and you ate some more pizza.

“It’s not been that long. I want to give it more time. This is something we’re going to figure out together,” you said. “Okay?”

“Okay,” he said.

“It’ll be okay. I promise.”

Six Months Later

“Jensen,” you called as you stepped in the door from the airport. “I’m home. Guess who just sold our first show to Netflix…”

You trailed off as you walked into the kitchen to find the lights dim and the table set with candles and all. Jensen popped out from around the corner in his favorite suit of yours and walked over, holding out a light blue flower.

“What’s the special occasion? Did they call? I told them to let me surprise you,” you said. He shook his head and shrugged.

“I love you,” he said as you read his lips.

“I love you too,” you said. He dug into his pocket and held out a folded up piece of paper. “Is that the letter you wrote? The one for...if something happened to either of us?”

“No. It’s different,” he signed. You took it and unfolded the note, biting your bottom lip.

I’ve been meaning to do this for over a year. I made a mistake once and took you for granted. I forgot to talk to you. I forgot talking to you is my favorite thing in the world. I hate that the last words you ever heard me speak to you were cruel ones. I hate that I stopped trying. I hate that I made you feel so low and that I made you feel uncomfortable talking to me about how you felt in the first place.

I hate how scared you’ve been. How we had to learn everyday things over again. How so much was taken for granted. I hate that when I speak, when I tell you it’s okay and we’ll get through this, we’ll get used to our new normal, you don’t hear them. I hate how much pain there’s been in our lives the past year.

But I love watching your confidence grow every day. I love finding new ways to say I love you. I love that not only have you become the person you once were, you’re better. I love seeing you go start your own show, something you didn’t believe could ever happen a year ago. I love hearing you laugh and giggle and still find joy in the smallest things. I love learning to talk to you properly for the first time. Every slow and aggravating conversation. Every sign language class where we learn the dirty words and giggle about it to ourselves. Every way I learned that the worse thing in my life would never being able to speak to you again.

I don’t get to speak to you like we used to. When it was so easy. But it was broken. It wasn’t really talking. Or I wasn’t really talking I should say. I see the difference now. I feel the difference. It was never the fact I didn’t ask questions about you back when we broke up. I know that now. Words are easy. Showing someone without the words, that’s harder. That’s where I failed before. I don’t ever intend on failing again. 

You may never hear me tell you how much I love you again. But I know you feel it. I know I do a better job of showing it. I’ll keep saying them and you keep smiling and I’ll know you hear them. It’s not ideal but it’s how it is for us now. 

The one benefit to all of this is that you don’t hear the waiver in my voice right now. I don’t think I’ve given myself away up until now. I meant to do this a year ago but I’m glad I waited. For the first time in my life I know how to talk to you. I know how to ask this. We don’t need words. Oh and honey, if you haven’t noticed yet, look down.

You stopped reading the page and noticed him kneeling on the ground, staring up with a soft smile. 

“Yes, I will,” you said. He stood up and you smiled. “So where’s the ring?”

“Very long story,” he signed. “But it’ll be here in the morning, I promise. I’d already set all this up when I found out there was a slight hiccup with the delivery.”

“That’s okay. You’re the real prize,” you said. He threw his head back and you laughed. “Oh I could feel that groan. So what’d you make me for dinner, handsome?”

“Takeout. Another incident. Quite miraculous our house is still standing actually,” he said. “Today’s been a day.”

“A good one?” you asked. 

“Oh yeah. Best one yet. Let’s dig in while it’s hot, fiance.”

“Jensen,” you said the next morning, padding into the bathroom. He was in the shower, smirking as you stepped in with him. “Who said you were allowed out of that bed?”

He finished with his hair as you squeezed his hips. He laughed and spun you around when your hands wandered lower.

“Mr. Ackles. Are you up to no good this morning?” you teased. You took a step back and your foot landed on something slick. It went out from under you and you fell backwards. 

You woke up on the tile floor of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around you, Jensen pressing a towel to your head as he dialed his phone.

“No, no,” he said. You blinked and sat up, Jensen pushing you back down.

“No, honey. You hit your head. Stay there,” he said. 

“911, what’s your emergency?” the woman on the phone said.

“My fiance just fell in the shower and hit her head. She’s bleeding,” he said. “She had a brain trauma earlier this year and she was just knocked out.”

“We’ll send an ambulance to your address. Is she still in the shower?” she asked.

“N-No. I got her out,” he said, voice a little shaky and you tilted your head at him. “Y/N.”

“Jensen,” you said with a smile, Jensen letting you sit up that time.

“Did...can you hear me?” he asked. 

“Turn around and stop signing to me and then ask me,” you said. He momentarily took his eyes off of you and paused.

“If you can hear me, say applesauce.”

He turned around and you smirked.

“Applesauce? Really?”

He threw his arms around you and hugged you tight.

“I still literally like cracked my head open a minute ago so…” you said, Jensen moving back to put pressure on your head. “You sound muffled, like you’re underwater or something. But it’s something.”

“I will take something,” he said. He cupped your cheeks and you kissed the tip of his nose.

“Love you.”

“I love you, so fucking much. Are you okay if I get you some clothes to change into quick?” he asked.

“Yeah. I’m okay, Jay. Definitely okay.”

Six Hours Later

“So?” asked Jensen as soon as the doctor walked in. He gave you a smile and handed you a sheet. 

“I have 70% function in my left and forty in my right?” you asked.

“As of this moment, yes. I want everyone to be cautiously optimistic about this. This could be temporary or it could get better. We just don’t know and I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up. The good news is that your brain is still able to interpret sound, even on a limited basis.”

“I’ll take the muffled sounds. I’ll take whatever I can get. It’s still...difficult to understand voices but I can make out most words with some effort,” you said.

“We’ll keep you overnight to make sure there’s nothing else going on. You very likely will need to continue with your sign language and other methods of communication you’ve developed over the months. I don’t recommend brain injury to fix these sorts of things but we’ll see how you are in the morning and hope this will be a permanent change.”

“Thanks,” you said. He excused himself and Jensen sat down on your bed, looking you over. You signed to him and he returned it, nodding before he took out his phone.

“There’s a song on the new album. It’s for you. Can I play it?” he asked.

“Yeah. Let me use headphones. That might work better,” you said. He went to his bag and pulled out a pair, shoving them in the phone before handing it to you. He hit play and sat back as you heard nothing but quiet. Soft gentle notes came in slowly, his voice matching them as he started to sing. “I like it. It’s pretty.”

“There’s two versions. That’s the track for everyone. Then there’s one for you,” he said.

“Me?” you asked. He waited until the song finished to pick the instrumental version of the song and choosing to play it. Immediately you could tell the difference, the bass cranked up so you felt it in your ears. “What is that?”

“I made it so you could max the volume on a speaker and you could feel the beat through the bass. So you could hear music again.”

“I love it,” you said. “It’s my favorite song ever. Really. Thank you Jensen.”

“Thank you,” he signed. You pointed at your eye and your chest, then over to him. “I love you too. Can we keep the head injuries to a minimum going forward though? I don’t think I can handle another one of these.”

“I’ll do my best,” you said. You reached out for him and gave him a hug, taking a deep breath, giggling when you heard him do the same. “Would you sing for me?”

“For you, anything,” he said. “Anything at all, sweetheart.”

_______

[krreader]

dal | enemies to lovers.

pairing: kim taehyung x idol!reader ; ari x kim namjoon ; miya x jung hoseok fandom: dal ; bts  warnings: big hit girl group member!reader ; sex ; language genre: smut word count: 2k+ other: for more DAL content, please check out the DAL masterlist

summary: you wouldn’t break like your members. not even for a kim taehyung.

a/n: diamond maknae has jk and yoongi, dal will have taehyung and whoever else you decide ehehe. in all seriousness, though, thank you for the request and I hope you wanted the other members to have the whole enemies to lovers thing as well, not just the reader. even though the focus is still the reader, obviously!

Despite you and Bangtan being from the same company and despite you all now having a fantastic relationship... it wasn't always this way.

Every now and again, you'd still joke about why the dynamic between your two groups was so shitty at first, with you four claiming that it was because they were afraid that someone might throw them off their throne, whereas they claim, it was because you girls were way too overconfident.

Whatever it really was in the end, whether that or something else, your groups didn't like each other much. It was a constant battle of who's better. A battle, that you girls had to fight twice as hard due to their already existing fanbase and yours still growing.

Nevertheless, you four held your ground. And that was the first step of gaining BTS' approval.

“They actually work hard, you know?” Hoseok was the first to ever say these words out loud when Bangtan was having dinner one night.

“Mhm, I think we all know why you out of all of us says that, hyung,” Jimin shoved a spoon full of rice in his mouth, munching on it with a smirk while the rest of the boys were left with confused faces. Hoseok just lowered his head until they could see nothing but his forehead.

“No, we don't,” Taehyung said, “Why do we think that?”

“Do you want to confess, hyung? Or do you want to keep this a secret for a little while longer?”

Well, putting him on the spot like that wasn't exactly 'keeping it a secret'. Hoseok didn't say anything, but he did lean back, a little more confidently and raised his eyebrows at Jimin as to say: “Fine. Spill the tea.”

“Hoseokie hyung has been giving... dancing lessons to Miya. Private dancing lessons. If you guys know what I mean.”

And then a round full of “WHAT?!” and “SHUT UP!” and “NO WAY”'s were shouted into the room.

It was bound to happen eventually.

Even Bang PD had said something like: “Listen... I know that your two groups will probably spend a lot of time together and because of your age and your similar interests... things could... escalate. Do whatever you want to do, but I don't want to find out and neither should the rest of the company. Don't get pregnant and don't let anyone ever find out, then what you do is your business,” to Ari and Namjoon at a meeting for both groups one day.

Funny, that he'd say that to the two of them, since they were the ones that fucked each other first.

“Oh, come on,” you crossed your arms in front of your chest when you walked into Ari's room one day and found Namjoon lying in her bed, “You've got to be kidding me.”

“Fucking knock,” she jumped out of the bed, put on a bathrobe and pushed you out of the room, closing the door behind her, “You didn't see anything, okay?”

“I saw too much, actually,” but hey, good for her. That size wasn't easy to come by these days.

“I mean... don't tell the others, okay? It's not serious, I just need to let off steam and he's the same.”

“How long has this been going on for?”

“I don't know.. a few weeks? What does it matter anyways?”

“It matters, because a friends with benefits relationship that goes on for a long time might evolve into something more. What if you fall for him?”

She snorted that day and told you that it'd never happen.

But when you walked out of the kitchen one day and saw her kiss him goodbye at the door with that lovey-dovey smile, you knew that it had already happened. And from the way he didn't want to let her go, you doubted that it was one-sided.

“You'll forever be my baby sister, right?” you asked Jun one night when you were feeling lonely due to Ari being with Namjoon again and Miya having “gone to dance practice”. At one in the morning.

She wasn't exactly being sneaky here. You just didn't know who it was that she was seeing.

“Of course, I will be,” she snuggled against you and grinned, “Why are you so sad today?”

“Ah, I don't know. When we were announced and had that tension with BTS, it felt like we pushed ourselves to be better, you know? But now it feels like we're starting to lose that goal with Ari and Miya already having gone over to the dark side.”

“The dark side?” Jun sat up and let out a snort, “I think you should finally let go of that hate towards the guys, you know?”

“It's not hate. It's just... competition. Wanting to be better than them.”

“You know, I think the best way at becoming better than them is to learn from them.”

“When did you become so wise?” you furrowed your eyebrows, pulled a pillow into your arms and hugged it tightly. But within seconds, you sat up straight and looked at her with wide eyes, “Oh no... not you too.”

Jun let out a chuckle and got up, “They're really not so bad, (Y/N). Just put some effort into it. You'll be fine, I promise.”

Great.

So now all three of your band members had formed an alliance with one member of BTS. And whether they were just 'passing time' with each other or were actually in a relationship with them didn't matter here. What mattered was that they were no longer enemies.

Only you were left to defend your group.

“Aw, don't you have any friends that will have lunch with you?” Taehyung chuckled as he sat down in front of you, “Then I'll sacrifice myself and eat with you.”

“You're here on your own too, so right back at you,” you narrowed your eyes at him, shoving a piece of kimchi in your mouth.

He looked at you for a second with a half grin, then he started laughing and nodded, “Fair enough.”

“Don't you have to work or something? Thought the world famous BTS never stopped working.”

“Ah, don't be jealous, love. You'll get there in fifteen years, too.”

Taehyung was the worst thorn in your eye for sure. The one that you wanted to slap 90% of the time and the other 10 you caught yourself having thoughts that you really didn't want to have. Not when you fought for your ‘independence’ from BTS for so long.

But hey... he was fucking handsome. No denying here.

“You think I'm jealous of you?” you snorted and got up, “Please, don't flatter yourself.”

You returned your plates and then wanted to make your way back to the studio. Only that once you were in the elevator, someone squeezed in just in time.

“You literally just sat down to eat. What do you want?”

“I asked them to pack it up for me,” Taehyung grinned happily, “Want to hang out?”

“Wh..- Seriously, are you that lonely?”

“Yeah, that's why I want to spend time with you. You're the loneliest person I know.”

“I'm not lonely,” you snorted and crossed your arms in front of your chest, “I have quite a lot of friends. And... lovers.”

Not sure why you felt like you had to add – and make up – that last part, but it unfortunately didn't go over well. Because Taehyung instantly started laughing, way more than was natural.

“Oh, you don't believe me?” you challenged, instantly standing up straighter and taking a step towards him.

It shut him up, but only because he straightened his back too and licked his lips with a smirk.

“Not in the slightest. But hey... convince me of your talents, if you really want to.”

And that was the issue between your dynamic with him. Neither of you wanted to back down and lose to the other.

So you took another step towards him, your boobs now touching his chest and looking daringly into his eyes.

“Like you're worthy of that.”

“I will be,” he leaned down, until his lips were right beside your ear, “If you let me.”

He thought he had you then... but that's why he liked you so much. Because he didn't have you. Not even in the slightest. You just snorted and walked out of the elevator when the doors opened again and he was left there smirking with too tight pants.

“Oh, isn't this just wonderful, we're having a party,” you said with a sarcastic smile as you walked into your apartment that was filled with not just your members, but BTS members as well, “I guess I wasn't invited. Despite me living here.”

“Don't be such a downer,” Ari said with a heavy sigh, getting up and handing you a drink, “Just sit down and talk to them. Please.”

“No, thank you. I'll just take my leave and wait in my room until everyone is gone.”

Jun got up and wanted to convince you to stay, but you were already on your way and Ari stopped her, shaking her head.

“Just give her time. She'll come around. We all did.”

You were so ready to fall into your bed and sleep, trying to ignore the laughing coming from the living room. 

But when you closed the door to your bedroom behind you, you instantly jumped in shock when you heard a male voice coming from your bed.

“Oh, how fortunate for me. This is your room?”

When you turned around, you found Taehyung literally chilling in your bed, one arm behind his head, shoes off and legs crossed, while the other hand held the remote control and browsed through your Netflix.

“You know, I see a pattern here... a lot of PG18 movies.”

“Get. The. Fuck. Out.”

“Why? I don't want to go over there. They're all making out and being lovey-dovey and it's annoying me,” he sat up and pursued his lips, “Besides. You're way more fun than your members. No offense.”

“Offense taken. They're very funny, actually, now get out,” you tried to pull him out of the bed, but he was stronger than you and pulled you into the bed with him instead.

“Oops.”

He smirked at you while you were now lying on top of him. And suddenly you realized what a game he was playing.

That time in the elevator. It started a war between you two of who could break the other one sooner. Sexually speaking.

Oh, if only you hadn’t mentioned those damned non-existant lovers.

In your mind, you already considered yourself the loser. But on the outside? No way.

“Your lip balm is pressing against my leg.”

He let out a laugh, “Even a lip balm can satisfy the driest lips in the world.”

Oh, that fucker.

“But see, when your lips are already moist because of that newer lip balm that you're using, you don't need the older model.”

“Hm, I understand,” he pushed himself up, both of you now sitting, you still on his lap, “But what if I tell you that it's not actually a lip balm, but a lip gloss?”

“I never liked lip glosses. They're very thin... too little product inside to satisfy my needs.”

Taehyung's grin grew larger by the second and even you had a hard time containing yours now.

“You just need to find the right lip gloss then. One that is thick, holds a lot of product and makes your lips wetter than they've ever been... for hours and hours and hours...”

“Is that a promise?” you looked down to his lips, losing that battle on the outside as well now.

“It's a vow, baby girl.”

And there it was.

The battle was over in less than five minutes.

The two of you made out, got rid of your clothes and Taehyung fucked you better than anyone else ever had, with you literally having to bite into your pillow so that you wouldn't scream.

And when Bangtan wanted to leave an hour later and realized that Taehyung was not with them anymore, they and your band members searched the entire apartment, only to stop in front of your door and hear you... unfortunately.

“Oh god,” Jin grimaced and walked away instantly, your youngest band members doing the same.

But Ari stayed for a moment longer and even considered walking in just to give you a thumbs up.

If only Namjoon hadn't stopped her.

That would have been hilarious.

[latteunwoo]

[11:56 am]

you were currently trying to stifle your laugh as you watched jeno trying to bathe your playful samoyed pup since it was his turn this month. he’d be lying if he said he didn’t dread this the most. though he loved the little pup as much as he loved you, your pup loved to give him a hard time when it comes to bath time. 

“daisy, hold still,” jeno said as she started barking at him even more, “mommy is in the other room, don’t worry.”

you had to admit you were a bit worried about both daisy and jeno as they really did act like two siblings always fighting with each other when their parents aren’t around but then act civil when their parents are there. but you can’t help but wonder that because they really were very similar in terms of personalities maybe that’s why they act like that with each other. both of them are actually very calm outside of the walls of your small apartment, however when they’re at home they’re actually a bit more rowdy.

“mommy is right there,” jeno said as he picked up the pup and slightly turned in his seat on the edge of the bathtub so daisy could see you standing by the doorway, “see.”

as soon as she saw you, she started wagging her wet tail causing some water to splash onto jeno who was already pretty wet from trying to bathe her. 

“hi baby,” you giggled as jeno pouted, “what? she is my baby.”

“what about me?” he asked as he pouted even more while daisy kept wagging her tail in excitement that she finally got to see me after being stuck in the bathroom with jeno for almost two hours. 

you let out a small laugh, “jeno, just finish bathing her.”

he pouted as he put daisy back down to rinse her off before wrapping a towel around her and putting her down on the toilet seat so he could dry her off. of course because you were once again in her view she got excited and jumped off of the toilet seat to run over to you. 

“daisy...” jeno sighed as he had officially given up, “how come she always listens to you but not me?”

“sounds like a personal problem,” you giggled as you felt jeno glare at you, “but also like father, like daughter. you like me more too and you always listen to me but when she barks at you for something you don’t listen.”

“that’s not true! i do listen to her.”

“yeah, sometimes. only when you’re not focused on video games,” you said as jeno opened his mouth to say something but closed it once he realized he didn’t have a good retaliation for your claim.

“whatever,” he muttered as he took the towel daisy had abandoned and handed it over to you, “here you can dry her off then.”

you took the towel from his hand and started drying the little pup up, “i know, i know, daddy is stubborn too.”

though he was still a bit upset, he couldn’t help but feel his cheeks and ears burning up at what you had just called him. it wasn’t anything dirty though. get your minds out of the gutter for once. he just started thinking about having an actual family with you. 

the two of you have been dating since both of your first year of high school and he’s been completely in love with you since so it was only expected that with the two of you now being in your early 20s, he would start thinking about your future together. you two had this conversation once before after you had gone to your older brother’s wedding and your relatives had asked when you would be getting married too.

“what’d you just call me?” he asked as you looked up to see him smiling with both of his cheeks and ears turning red.

you obviously oblivious to what he was thinking about stated, “well she is our dog so technically you are her dad.”

his smile fell a bit as he was lowkey frustrated that you didn’t really get what he was trying to hint at. however he stated, “w-well i know that but...”

he tried to form the words but he also didn’t want to seem too pushy. sure he was a bit more of the assertive type, however he knew his limits and didn’t want to pressure you if you weren’t ready yet. 

“oh,” you said as you finally understood what he was hinting at, “do you want kids?”

jeno was now sitting on the bathroom floor on the other side of daisy who was still sitting in her towel looking up at you as you continued to dry her off. he stared at you for a few seconds before hesitatingly asking, “do you want kids?”

it’d be an understatement to say the both of you weren’t extremely nervous about where this conversation was going. sure you both were at the age that is usually the norm of when couples would start doing stuff like getting married and starting their own families. however, jeno seemed so excited about the idea that you were scared you’d upset him even more if he didn’t like your answer.

“jeno, we’ve had this conversation before.”

“yeah about getting married, but not about wanting kids,” he said as he placed a hand on your knee, “if you don’t want to then it’s fine, i’ll be fine with just us three-”

“no, no, no. of course i want kids. just not now.”

“of course. i don’t wanna pressure you if you’re not ready. we can stick to being daisy parents for now. but, y/n i want you to know that i love you so much and i’ll be ready whenever you’re ready. we don’t have to rush it.”

“are you sure?”

“yes, of course,” he said as he brought his hand up to brush his thumb against your cheek as you looked up at him.

you hesitated a bit but ended up getting the courage to ask him, “how many kids do you want?”

though the topic was about having kids, he was still surprised at your question. however, him being a little cheeky cheered, “a billion!”

you let out a small laugh, “well, i think we’d need a bigger house and we’d need to start now if you wanna reach that goal.”

“i’m joking,” he said as his smiled softened, “but really. maybe three? is that too much?”

“that sounds about right,” you said giving him a reassuring smile before picking up daisy who had started barking at the both of you from her spot and bringing her up to jeno’s view, “but i think for now we should focus on getting this one her lunch.”

“on it,” jeno said as he stood up and started heading over to the kitchen happy about your answer. you put the towel in the hamper and let daisy follow you into the kitchen where jeno was preparing her bowls for lunch. 

-

nct/wayv m.list || main m.list

[aimeelouart]

I dunno how you feel about Rufus, but I think it’d be kind of interesting to see if he found a young time travel Cloud instead of the 1sts. Like it starts off where he like “oh another shinra bastard” but by the end evolves to “if anyone hurts Cloud I’d kill everyone in this tower and then myself” lol

The Tanuki of Shinra Tower - 2106 words, roughly the same continuity as SSC, so Cloud looks like a kid

--

Rufus blinked at the little blond child, freezing halfway through his office door. The little blond child glared back from the wall, a knife clenched between his teeth. Slowly, he slid back into the vent he was hanging out of and pulled the cover closed behind him.

“Huh,” said Rufus. He picked up the phone on his desk and dialed Veld’s office.

⁠—

The child was back, this time raiding the break room for food at the asscrack of dawn. He paused when Rufus came in, eyes briefly flitting down to where Rufus’s guns were holstered, before apparently dismissing him as unimportant and going back to rooting through the fridge.

Rufus narrowed his eyes, a little insulted but more than curious enough to set his annoyance aside for the moment. He realized what he hadn’t the first time⁠: the tiny little thing had mako in his bright blue eyes. The tiny little thing had a SOLDIER’s enhancements. So Rufus leaned against the wall by the door and crossed his arms over his chest, observing as the child picked up a container of leftover wutaian noodles, sniffed it, made a face, and put it back.

Had his father handed one of his bastard children over to Science? It didn’t seem like something he’d do, but at the same time it didn’t seem like something he wouldn’t do. And if the little thing was an experiment, why was he running amok like this? Veld hadn’t had a clue that a blond child was loose in the vents when he’d first called, though Rufus and the Turks in general were starting to think the kid had something to do with the many mysterious happenings around the Tower.

The kid finished his raid as Rufus watched thoughtfully, standing up with an apple in his mouth and a half-eaten sandwich in one hand. He kicked the fridge door shut, cast Rufus one last uninterested look, and scrambled back into the open vent, closing it behind him with his bare feet.

“Huh,” said Rufus.

He mentally dubbed the child Tanuki and set the coffee to brewing before he went back to his office and called Veld again.

⁠—

The Turks weren’t making much progress on tracking Tanuki down, which was, frankly, hilarious. Some wild theories were being thrown around, mostly for entertainment and venting frustration that they were somehow losing to a child whose age wasn’t even in the double digits. The most popular theory was that Tanuki was actually a very lifelike robot.

Rufus’s personal favorite theory was that Tanuki was the hellspawn of Scarlett and his father. Scarlett, being a heartless bitch, had dumped her newborn baby in a reactor, from which he had then emerged filled with the wrath of the gods and spite enough to kill all of Shinra by a thousand petty cuts.

Considering how often the coffee makers in the executive floors had been mysteriously sabotaged, it seemed about right.

Rufus came back to his office from an executive meeting that had lasted well past 9pm, exhausted and determined to pick up Darkstar so that they could go home immediately. He found his dog, certainly, curled up in the corner of his office on her bed. 

He also found Tanuki, sleeping like a pup against the barrel of her chest.

Starry raised her head and whined very very softly, short tail wagging as if to say ‘look what I have!’ Rufus toed off his shoes and crept over to crouch just out of arm’s reach, observing the boy’s sleeping face. Of course his murderous (pushover) guard hound would be the first to pin the child down. He shook his head and patted her flank. Her tail wagged harder.

The child woke all at once, eyes flying open and landing squarely on Rufus. It was impressive. He’d seen Turks who had far less control over themselves so soon after waking.

“Oh. You,” said the child in a sleep-roughened voice. He rubbed briefly at his eyes, yawning without actually opening his mouth. “Tell Darkstar to get off me.” One of her heavy forelegs was laid over his waist, keeping him trapped curled up against her. Mako strength or not, it was probably difficult to wiggle out from under a heavy, stubborn dog.

A little smile curled at Rufus’s lips. The kid was fearless. He liked it, especially in a maybe-possibly little half-brother. “Why would I do that instead of, say, calling a Turk while you’re stuck here?”

The kid shot him a wry look that didn’t quite fit his soft young face. “I could kill either or both of you instead,” he said with not an ounce of false bravado. Pointedly, he tapped the hilt of the knife at his waist with one finger.

“Then why don’t you?” Rufus was curious. What exactly were the kid’s goals here? Based on his preternatural skillset, he could probably have killed every single person in the Tower and gotten away with it.

“Too much trouble. I’d prefer you alive.” He reached up and scratched Starry behind the ear. She leaned into it, tail and tentacle waving happily. “And Darkstar is the most tolerable out of all of you.”

Fair enough. Rufus was satisfied for now. He whistled and Darkstar got up with a deeply reluctant whine, slinking sulkily over to his side. Tanuki got up too, stretching fluidly, and headed for the vents.

“Do you have a name?” Rufus asked impulsively.

The kid climbed up and slid into the vent feet-first, pausing to look at Rufus. A tiny, shit-eating grin curled at his lips. “All things considered,” he said, “I think the nickname you gave me is good enough for now. I’ll tell you when you’ve earned my name.” Then he closed the grate and vanished.

Rufus huffed. Alright then.

⁠—

The tiny acts of sabotage continued apace, much to the Turks’ frustration. Veld still had yet to see Tanuki himself, though a few of the younger Turks had caught glimpses. That might have been deliberate on Tanuki’s part⁠—he seemed to be something of a little shit. Rufus himself had semi-frequent, if unpredictable, conversations with the child, mostly when he caught him stealing food from the break room. 

Or from his desk. Tanuki was shameless.

The child would pass on information when it suited him⁠—flash drives, printed files, occasionally physical evidence. It all seemed very random, but Rufus guessed that there was some kind of connection between everything. Whatever it was, it was inscrutable, even to Veld.

Or at least, it was until nearly all of Science was demolished in one fell swoop.

The chaos was incredible. As the reports rolled in, it seemed that dozens upon dozens of small events had neatly lined up to kill the top scientists and send the whole department screeching to a halt. Hojo was dead, killed by one of his own experiments. Hollander was dead, drowned in a vat of mako. Every fire sprinkler in the whole building had gone off and didn’t shut off for nearly thirty minutes. The physical damage was incalculable.

And Rufus had a feeling it was all Tanuki’s doing.

Oh, he had no evidence. But arranging something so grand in scale would certainly explain why someone of his skills had been doing nothing but relatively harmless sabotage for nearly three months. Veld agreed, when he voiced his thoughts. No one had any idea where the little gremlin was, or how he’d done any of it.

Rufus got part of an answer when he retired to his executive apartment at the top of the Tower, unwilling to go to his preferred home in the city proper when there was still so much work to do. Starry perked up the moment the front door opened, whining and bounding away from his side. Eyes narrowed, Rufus drew his weapons and crept into the apartment. If Starry was whining instead of growling, it was probably fine, but one could never be too cautious.

He followed the sound of Starry’s whines into the master bedroom. There was a trail of blood leading from the windows to the en-suite bathroom. When he entered, he found Tanuki curled up in the bathtub, head pillowed on a folded-up towel with Starry nosing at his hair. His hand was pressed over his stomach. Bright crimson soaked into his shirt and dripped trickled into the bathtub, flowing steadily down the soft incline and into the drain. His lips were tinged blue, cheeks pale, the dark circles beneath his eyes stark.

“Shit,” Rufus breathed, fumbling to holster his guns and pull out his PHS as he quickly crossed over to kneel by the tub. “Kid.”

Tanuki didn’t open his eyes. The corners of his mouth twitched slightly. “Did you know...that…Hojo is...actually a...good shot?”

“Was,” Rufus corrected, hitting the speed-dial for Veld’s personal phone. It was the first time he’d ever used it.

Tanuki huffed a laugh. “Was,” he agreed. “Sorry. Tried not to bleed too much on your fancy expensive carpet.”

“Oh, make no mistake,” Rufus said, shucking off his white jacket and shifting the PHS to his other ear, “you’ll be cleaning it up later.”

“Sure,” the kid agreed, breezily enough that it made Rufus’s stomach twist strangely.

Veld picked up. “Rufus?”

“Tanuki is shot and bleeding out in my bathtub. Executive suite. Send medical assistance.” He paused. “SOLDIER kit, a surgeon if you can manage it.”

“Understood.” Veld hung up.

Rufus got another towel and pressed it against Tanuki’s torso, gently moving aside the little hand that could no longer press down with mako strength to staunch the bleeding. “Hold on, kid,” he told his maybe-possibly⁠ little...no, his definitely little brother. Because Rufus said so, and what he said went.  “Help is coming.”

Tanuki didn’t say much of anything.

⁠—

The kid lived, though it was touch and go for a while. They couldn’t risk taking him down to the non-science medical floors just yet, so Veld came personally escorting one of the Turks' own medics. Assisting in emergency surgery on a mako-enhanced child on the floor of his bathroom was certainly not something Rufus was ever going to forget.

Eventually, though, long after his knees had gone numb and his back started cramping, the last bullet was fished out and the wound closed with a Cura, cast by Veld because the medic was exhausted. Rufus washed the blood from himself, then helped the medic wash the blood off the kid. They put him in Rufus’s bed, covers tucked up to his chin with heating pads (and Starry) around him to help as he recovered from blood loss.

The medic left, escorted back to her own floor by a younger Turk. Veld and Rufus both watched Tanuki sleep, lost in their thoughts.

“Did you know that Hojo was actually a good shot?” Rufus said abruptly.

Veld looked at him from the corner of his eye. “...no. That, I did not know.”

Rufus fished a bloodied USB drive out of his pants⁠—the same USB drive Tanuki had been clutching in his free hand. On its side, a neat label read ‘For Verdot: Valentine & Gast.’ He handed it over.

“I have a feeling he wasn’t just being glib about his own injuries,” he said, a wry, tired smirk pulling at his lips. “He’s a little shit like that.”

Veld read the label and slowly⁠—so slowly⁠—slipped the drive into his inner suit pocket. “Hm,” he said, a strange tightness in the corners of his eyes. It softened a little when he looked back at the kid. He leaned over, briefly resting his hand on top of Tanuki’s wild blond hair. “Get some rest,” he told Rufus, standing upright and straightening his suit jacket. “We have a lot of work to do tomorrow.”

On that cheerful note, he left.

Rufus glanced at his newfound little brother and sighed. Great. Now he had to sleep on the couch.

⁠—

When Rufus woke up the next day (late, because he deserved it for once, goddammit) he found Tanuki mysteriously missing and his fridge quite a bit emptier than it had been before he’d gone to sleep. He shambled around a bit, checking to make sure the kid hadn’t gone and holed himself up in a closet like a real tanuki or anything equally ridiculous.

There was a note on one of the pillows on his bed. In a surprisingly elegant hand, it read ‘call me Cloud.’ When he flipped it over, the other side had the name and number of a carpet cleaning company. Rufus threw his head back and laughed, startling Starry.

Yeah. Tanuki⁠—Cloud⁠—was going to be just fine.

[1oserjk]

— full stop | 03

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a series.

a messy divorce, unrequited feelings, and a five year old. 

* .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*. * .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.* .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.

02 ⇋ 04

x full stop masterlist | x masterlist

shit is 16k .. sry 

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full stop | 03: unhappy birthday

Hyejin has always been a ball of fury when you poked at the wrong buttons on her. But something about Jungkook and the aftermath of the divorce has made her even more apprehensive of the man, and you can only do so much to shift her opinions elsewhere.

“Fuck him over. Somehow, someway — just do it.”

You choke.

Eyes widening, sputtering out, “H-Hyejin..” 

“I’m not kidding,” she deadpans, already rolling up her sleeves, “How many times do I have to tell you that fucker will never learn?” 

A hand comes up, “Okay wait.” You pause. “Are we going to collectively forget Jungkook is my daughter’s father?” 

Her head shakes. “Not relevant—and also hard for me to care when it comes to him.” 

You exhale, eyes fluttering closed and palms resting flat on her kitchen table. “Look, I know he’s not the most liked between everybody right now. But, I can’t just tell him no.. That’s not fair.” 

“But there’s boundaries,” she points and argues, then prompts, “What kind of outcome does he expect when he goes out with the one person who caused most of the mess two years ago.”

Your eyes roll back. “She took a micro-portion of it.” 

“Her presence was still there and highly significant if I'm judging from most of the nights you came to me for!” 

“Hyejin.” You glare. 

“And don’t even try to do That Thing where you deduce your own valid feelings and assume everybody else’s choices and actions are reasonable when it’s clearly not!” You glare and she blatantly ignores it, waving you off, “And I know you’re keeping everything within yourself for the sake of being a better co-parent, or whatever fucking advice you read in the facebook group you’ve recently planted yourself in, but god. I’m mad, anyone would be mad, so let me be mad for you.” 

“No one is going to be mad about this,” you finally decide. “There’s nothing to be mad about. He is his own person and he can make his own decisions.” She pins her stare at your nails that you pick at. You feel it. “Even if it means going out with someone younger, more exciting, who prances around with a pen in her hand as if she’s really doing something useful all the fucking time for whatever goddamn reason. I could care less,” you can’t help but mutter under your breath shortly after. 

“Ha!” One of her acrylics poke at you and you flinch. “You are mad.” 

You groan out loudly. “I’m not mad,” you exasperate. “All I’m saying is for him to have at least decent taste if he’s going to date. Not someone so expectant after a divorce.” 

Her eyes narrow. 

“But that’s not the point,” you make sure to add right after. Fingers run through your hair and you sigh. “Look,” you ease gently. “I’m trying to be alright in this, okay? The last thing I want to do is stomp in like a madwoman and refuse a relationship that would’ve happened sooner or later.” 

Of course, she disagrees. “God,” she stands, grabbing both of your mugs and heading to the sink. “You’re turning into one of those Milf’s that stand by to live, laugh, and love—it’s grossing me out.” 

Your ears perk at attention and you smile smugly. “You think I’m a Milf?” 

“Shut up. You’re flattered.” She turns it on to soak both of your cups before the coffee sticks. “I only dropped by to tell you that it’s okay to freak out once in a while.” 

The only reason she’s been keening on you to go apeshit in front of your ex-husband, was the frantic phone call you left on the night of ditching Jungkook in your own kitchen. Being that she was here now, claiming that Kiumin ached for a playdate with Yeona, when in reality, her only goal was to scold you for not swinging at the doll Jungkook pranced around with as of late. 

She puts a hand on her hip and leans towards the counter. “Turning to corny coping mechanisms like following a Bob Ross tutorial isn’t going to fix your rage you’ve been pushing down.” 

“Okay, but that’s only because Jungkook still has some of his supplies laying around and the only thing I could come up with was painting a fucking sunset. Sue me,” you defend, throwing your arms up. “Besides, you weren’t there to see him, Hyejin. He was getting out of his office for once, smiling even, a-and it was different. A good different, and..” You’re completely at a loss, mouth opening, then shutting back closed, because what was even the point. 

“..You don’t want to take that away from him,” she finishes, a tilt to her head and a consoling expression gracing her features. 

“Exactly,” you exhale. “I can’t even be mad that she’s actually getting him out there, taking him to things that didn’t involve work. Something I couldn’t even do-“ 

“Hey, no,” she stops you, head firmly shaking. “No, you don’t get to do that. You were there and present, even on the days you were close to giving up before you actually did — you were there, trying your absolute hardest, clinging onto what he barely gave you. You were never the problem, okay?” 

You meekly nod, tired eyes on her when she takes a firm hold of both of your hands. 

She makes it clear, saying, “As a wife and a mother, you were always there and that is something nobody can take away from you.”

“I know,” you confess. “I’m just in a weird position right now, and I’m stressed out from it. Not mad—stressed.” 

“And you don’t have to be, alright?” She shakes on your shoulder. “I know I insisted on breaking some plates and screaming, but hearing you out, I’m sure you would rather stray from the subject as a whole.” 

“Please.” 

“Alright. I’ll get out of your hair for now, and if I come up with something to do for us that doesn’t involve egging someone’s car—“

“Hyejin!”

“—then I’ll let you know.” 

You huff out a breath and finally stand, entering into her arms she spans out. “I’ll always be worried about you, babe.” 

“I know,” you mumble, “And I’ll keep telling you I’m fine every single time you ask.” She pinches your side that earns a loud yelp from you and a hiss of pain a second later. 

“Love you.” 

“Always,” you promise and then remind, “Please save some space for Yeona’s birthday that’s coming up, and be prepared for any phone-calls beforehand of me crying because my baby’s growing up and I have no control to slow down time for it.” 

“Ah, that’s right,” she says. “Tell me if you need any help planning, alright?”

“Of course.” 

“Kiumin, baby,” she calls out, heading towards the living space, “Buddy, let’s go. We gotta get home before dinnertime.” 

Both of your children are on the floor, several toys in front of them and a television with brightly lit characters and colors that did not have to be at a high-volume as it was right now. 

“Aw,” the little boy pouts, “Okay.” He turns to your daughter and waves hesitantly. 

“Bye Kiumin,” Yeona yells out, clambering across the floor to get a hug. Short arms wrap around tiny figures and it’s absolutely adorable. Your eyes can sense a hint of red on Kiumin’s cheeks when your daughter’s hands tug tightly onto his. “See you soon, maybe.” She shrugs. 

“Don’t worry, Yeonie,” Hyejin promises. “We’ll meet up again soon.” 

At that, Yeona nods enthusiastically and shuffles herself forward for another hug directed towards your best friend. “Bye, aunt Hyejin.” She receives a soft pat to her head. 

“Be safe on the way home,” you order. 

They make their leave swiftly, and it finally gives you time to properly breathe—and think for a long while. 

-

Tiny fingers pinch the paper in between them, a determination set in her eyes as she excitedly jumps around in her seat. “It’s done,” she announces. 

Your eyes resemble a wink when you squint at her, sun shining way too brightly for it to be this early in the morning. It practically reflects Yeona’s attitude in starting the day like this, while you sit pathetically in an oversized shirt and coffee in hand. 

Taking the time in the morning for yourself was barely a thing, especially when it came to your daughter and her way too early sleep schedule her school had willed her on. 

Instead of sleeping in, you’re dealt with Yeona already being wide-eyed in her bed, making grabby hands at the toys in her bedroom you’ve put the time in cleaning up on the floor from the night before. 

Even staying home in her matching sweats her father had gifted her, she would still request her hair up and out of her face for the rest of the day. So, you’d be taking fifteen minutes to slick her hair up in her choice of a ponytail or pigtails instead of preciously sleeping in. Even right after, she’d become hungry, wanting breakfast to go along with her cartoons she had downloaded on her tablet. 

Which was perfectly fine, you’d be up soon anyway, so it would be better overall to just start the day off a bit earlier. It would only just leave you a bit off-looking and disoriented in the things you’d do for yourself. 

Years back, when Yeona was younger and you were still married, the routine was easier and much steadier when you would tag-team in getting ready for the day, passing off your daughter after one task would be done for the other and it would be your own turn for yours. 

At first, it left you frazzled when you were alone most days, but now, since the separation has settled in, it’d been okay for the most part. It just meant that some of the things and time you put aside for yourself were sacrificed, and that you would have to save your self care routine for later in the night when Yeona would flutter her eyelashes closed for slumber. 

You excitedly clap a few times and reach eagerly. “Can I see?” 

Yeona’s birthday was reaching close and for most of them, you would be able to know exactly what she’d want for that particular year. Normally, it would be a themed party of whatever she had been obsessed with at that time, and obviously the gifts you would drown her in. Last year went with a breeze. You were glad at that time when most of the conflict between you and Jungkook had faded when the time came, solely focusing on your daughter and that was it. But now, with the way things had left between the two of you recently, you were worried it wouldn’t be the same as this year. 

Yeona had declared she wanted something different this year and decided that she’d write it all out in a list. Still unsure and a bit confused, you complied and set out her supplies for her to take over on the paper. It was only fifteen minutes after she claimed that she was finished. 

Leaning towards her paper, you expected it to be drowned in color and design, taking the same artistic habits as her father. But to no avail, it was left blank. 

Your brows furrow. “I thought you were done?”

She nods. “I am!” 

“So.. Where—“ You awkwardly left off, wondering if she was hiding it beneath the table or behind her back. She giggles when you curiously dip your head under the tabletop. 

“In here,” she points. A single finger pokes at her head and she proudly smiles before explaining, “The list is in my head! If you read all of it at once, then it wouldn’t be fun, so I’ll tell Mommy the first thing now and the rest for later.” 

Your mouth opens in a sound of realization, and your eyes glint at how clever she became. “So,” you excitedly lean towards her more, landing a soft peck on her forehead. “What does my baby want for her birthday?” 

“No party,” she firstly says with a firm shake to her head. 

Your eyes widened. “No party?” Since the beginning, it’s always been one. 

“Nope.” Her lips purse out with a crinkle to her nose. “Mommy,” she says, eyes twinkling. “I’m growing, so big girls don’t have parties.” 

You hum, “Is that so?” 

She nods dramatically. 

“So what would you want this year?” 

“I would like to ask if we could have my birthday at Uncle Jin and Joonie’s beach house.” 

Your brows shoot up. “That’s all the way in Jeju..” 

She nods. “We could all take the ferry!” Then, she pouts. “We never go on the ferry.” 

Her idea runs through your mind for a few seconds before theorizing with her, mindlessly murmuring to yourself, “We could take the one in Busan and visit Grandma and Grandpa on the way..” You were sure they would want to see Yeona on the day of her birthday. 

Her eyes brighten when she picks up on your mumbles, grappling your wrist and shaking it, “Yes, Mommy! We’ll take everybody, like, Daddy’s co-workers and Kiumin!” 

It seems that you were already confirming the idea instead of considering it, though it all seemed like a perfect idea that wouldn’t take a lot of effort or stress. You can already imagine the small gathering for the weekend getaway, already knowing how much the others would like some time off, especially the guys that would always be cooped up in the suffocated shop filled with needles and ink. It would be a nice way of switching a few things up and catching up with the rest of the inner circle you’ve accumulated from the time of being with Jungkook. 

“Well,” you start, “Let me have a conversation with your Daddy and then maybe,” you halt when she begins to turn giddy, “Maybe it will happen. But he’s going to have to ask Uncle Jin and Joon if it’s alright, so it's honestly up to them to decide..” 

“Okay,” she quickly obliges, confidence set in her tone and smile, telling you that she was completely sure of her idea and their compliance to it.

-

“Of course!” 

Jungkook’s head drops down in embarrassment while you sit across from him, mouth almost gaping. 

“S-Seokjin,” you sputter. “You barely even gave it a few seconds to think about.” 

He shakes a hand back and forth, “Why would I need to?”

“You can’t just..“ You lead off hopelessly. Turning to the lanky man next to him, you raise a brow. “Namjoon?”

“Fine by me,” he says over a mouthful of noodles, “We barely even use the house, anyway.” 

“O-Okay, but-“ 

“We should go a week before the date to check up on it,” Seokjin suggests to Namjoon. 

“You’re right, just in case anything is out of place,” he replies. 

“The fireplace should be okay, right? I heard it rained last weekend.” 

And then they fall into their own conversation, leaving you and Jungkook, the real parents in this situation — silent. 

“I guess.. It’s happening?” You squeak out. The expensive couch sits uncomfortably on your bum, and you grow sweaty from being left to bask in the tension between the man across from you. It’s awkward, almost dragging on since you’ve entered the flat and sat down with Jungkook.

You were thankful at first, when Seokjin had butted in the conversation, boyfriend in tow. 

The last time you’ve encountered your ex-husband, were only the past few weeks of dropping off Yeona on his days off, stoically handing her to him and running off until you would have to pick her up again. 

It was childish, you knew that. You knew it exactly when you turned your back to him and completely shut him out three weeks ago. But at this point, it was the only way you were able to cope with however you were feeling about him, and simmering down most of your anger. But seeing that you would have to deal with him sooner rather than later, being that Yeona’s birthday was coming up, you were reluctantly willing to face him. 

“Yeah, I don’t think we have a choice,” he chuckles, palms nervously rubbing against his knees. A small part of you is definitely basking in the way he squirms under your scrutiny. 

“It’s fine,” you say, “This was the biggest part of Yeona’s list, anyway. She really wanted this.” 

He offers a quirk to his lips, and your heart immediately seizes, having to force yourself to stop looking at him so obnoxiously. It’s gross, really, how you’ve managed to be so affected by him - good or bad, since the very start. 

A throat clears, and it’s Namjoon, one hand stuffed in his pocket while the other on Seokjin’s lower back. You grow curious if he noticed. “Tell Yeona we can have her birthday at our house in Jeju.” 

“Thank you, really—to you both. She really wanted this, and for you guys to be there too.” 

“Of course, we’ll send a message to the rest that they’re invited.” 

With a smile, you stand and wrap your arms around both of them on your way out. “Thank you, again,” you can’t help but repeat. They only chuckle in your tight grasp that clearly proved how grateful you were to them.

“I’ll walk you out to your car,” Jungkook offers when he stands. 

You shake your head, “It’s alright. I took a bus here.” 

“Then, I’ll drive you back.” 

“Jungkook, no, it’s okay-“ 

Already disappearing into his room, he makes a grab for his jacket and shoes to head out. 

Seokjin chuckles when you whip around to face back the both of them, “Stubborn.” 

You’re breathless when you repeat in stress, “Yeah.” 

“Have a good night, _____.” Namjoon and Seokjin simultaneously wave, sending you both out the door. You embarrassingly let out a light laugh, waving back and wishing the same for them. 

You rush to the side of Jungkook when they disappear. 

Nobody talks, even until you’ve reached his car, unlocking the doors and allowing you to slip in the passenger side. 

He got the vehicle shortly after finalizing his move out of the house, offering the one you previously shared and owned. You didn’t have much of a choice when he slipped the keys in your hand and left shortly after without any argument. You were more nervous that if you pushed more for him to take it, he’d go out and buy you a new one the next day. 

For Jungkook driving the sleek black car everyday, it practically seems unused, leather seats still having that particular smell and everything still being tidy around it. Then again, Yeona is now older and less messy than before. 

Everything in the car is so exactly him, and you weren’t quite sure how to feel about it. 

After buckling up and properly settling in, he slides the keys in the slot, leaving you to stare at the hanging car accessory up at the rearview mirror. 

It’s a picture of you and Yeona, laid out on the floor. You remember the memory clearly, Yeona declaring a tickle fight and sprawling out on the floor for a fair match. Even with Yeona sat on top of you, it seemed that you were winning in the game with how her head was thrown back and a wide grin on her face, you could practically hear the squeal she was letting out in the picture. 

He still had it. 

For a second, you smile back at it. 

You barely even notice the car already moving and him asking the question, “Why didn’t you drive?” 

Your head flicks to him, and your eyes stay right at his jaw when he makes a smooth turn. You shrug, “It was nearby, I didn’t mind.” 

“You should’ve told me,” he says, “I would have come home instead of you travelling all this way for me.” 

Home. He still called it home, like it’d be any day now for him to return to it, that this was all a temporary fix until everything would get less foggy. 

“It’s fine,” you pass off. “I didn’t think you would see the offer as worthy since Yeona is at my mom’s place right now.” 

His head shakes, turning away from the road to catch your eyes for a split second. “I don’t need any reason to see you, _____. Just tell me, and I’ll be there.” It’s with vigour and promise, you almost turn flustered. 

You let out a small scoff before looking down at your hands. “If you said that a long time ago, we would’ve still been married,” you joke, though it comes out bitter. “Thanks for the offer, though,” you sarcastically add. 

The car suddenly halts and you look up, the red traffic light flashes in front of you. 

Jungkook shuts his eyes before tiredly letting out a sigh. 

You grow anxious, looking out the window from the side. Some of the restaurants and shops are surprisingly still open and you focus on the windows with bright lighting inside of the buildings. Friends and couples are eating out, some are laughing, and you wonder what some of their conversation consisted of. You surmise it’s something foolish when one of them throws their head back in a fit of laughter. 

Your hands grip each other when a pair from the opposite side of your vision pucker up and kiss. It turns personal way too quickly and you immediately feel like you're intruding, grateful that the light turns green and you finally move away from the intimate image, wondering if you would ever get close to that phase of your life again.

The silent minute brings you to announce abruptly, “We’re going to take the ferry in Busan instead of here, so that she would be able to see your parents before leaving.” 

“Sounds fine,” he replies. “My mother would like that.”

You nod. 

“What about yours?” He suggests.

You sigh, head hitting the headrest of the seat softly. “Another detox trip. They said they would send her a birthday card before they would leave. Probably why they’re spending as much time with her as they can before they leave.” 

Even with eyes on the road, he still seems to be listening intently. He hesitates a few seconds before asking, “How’s your dad?” 

You send him a smile, the least you could do before answering, “Still hates you.” 

He snorts. “Yeah,” he says, “I figured.” 

You swallow tightly and decide to ask, “How’s settling with Seokjin?” It’s been a couple of years, but still, it all still feels new and something you haven’t gotten around to asking ever since. 

He hums, “It’s quiet most of the time since he’s at Namjoon’s nearly everyday..” 

“The place is practically yours then,” you attempt to joke again, but it comes out as hardly, not exactly comfortable to throw that specific tone around.

He shrugs. “Wish he would let me pay more than half of the rent, but it’s tolerable.” 

“Are you ever planning to get your own place soon?” 

“Huh,” he thinks. “Haven’t put much thought into it.” 

“Well, if you ever do, I can always help out,” you quietly suggest and he takes a quick glimpse at you to see if you were actually being serious. 

“Really?”

You nod. “Yeah. I actually think it would be cool for Yeona to have a second room at your place. So it’s home over there for her as it is with me.” 

Another red light, and his eyes blink close for a moment. The conversation is going too fast and all of a sudden, it starts to hurt. 

Jungkook doesn’t want another home, a place that reads that he is officially separated from you and out of his reach, not when it doesn’t include you in it. 

It would hurt him even more if you would egg it on, support him and the move away from you, like you would want him to, and maybe you really did. He would understand why. Still, it hurts when you talk so freely like this, seemingly eager to get rid of him.

Jungkook doesn’t voice his disagreement, avoiding talking at all and keeping his mouth closed instead. 

The conversation falls off after that, and he most likely figured that would be the most he got out of you for the rest of the car ride. 

That was until you spoke up again. 

It was quiet, almost barely heard, and it’s said quickly. “You can invite her, you know?” 

His fingers unknowingly grip on the steering wheel. 

You look back down. “I don’t mind and I don’t want you to think that I’ll hold you back from doing so.” 

They want to reach out, grasp for your hands you keep fiddling with, scold you for biting on your lip too harshly, everything he used to do, he wanted to fall back and do it all at once. 

They keep clinging to the wheel. 

“I was mad back then,” you guiltily admit and he immediately shakes his head. 

“You had every right to be.” 

“I probably looked silly for being so mad on something I have no control over.” You move your eyes back over the window and the blurry images that pass by solemnly. “Especially when everything’s been said and done with, right?” You turn to him and he gulps. His heart drops at how quick and firm you said, as if it was that easy. 

“Yeah,” he agrees quietly. 

“Maybe this is a learning curve for us,” you nod to yourself. “So, I’m open to having her with us this year.” 

He had no idea why you were so sure that everything between Seol and himself were solid enough to introduce her as his girlfriend, fuck, even he wasn’t sure he could spit the word out himself. 

Everything was going by way too fast, too much to process. 

He only nods, clinging onto actions rather than words to speak for him. 

His throat clears and the car slows down to a clear stop. You peak over his head and find your house already being presented as the car decreases in speed. 

“Oh.” 

“Yeah,” is all he says.

“Well,” your buckle releases and you slide out onto the edge of the seat, already gripping onto the handle. You offer him a smile. “Thanks, Jungkook.” 

The door opens and he stiffly nods and doesn’t pull out of his spot until his own two eyes have watched your figure disappear into the entrance of the house. 

-

“Did you double-check that you have everything?” 

She nods. 

“Okay, then I think we’re ready.” You clap, zipping up the rest of your bags. 

She can’t even stand still with her excitement, having to run around at times when it got too much. 

Ever since the beginning of planning this weekend trip, you surprisingly had a lot of time on your hands from the immense help of everybody else who volunteered to plan. You were glad that they reached out, but you also became antsy at the fact you had no control over the outcome of this gathering. In anything that Yeona wanted, you strived to make sure it would happen with reasonability. Being away from most of the planning had left you anxious on most days, wondering what Seokjin would be pulling under his sleeve on Yeona’s celebration. 

“Here.” You hand her backpack to her, silently ushering her to turn around so you could slip it through her arms. “Sit on the couch and watch your show for now. Your father will be here soon to pick us up.” 

She complies easily, shuffling towards the cushioned chair. 

Before she becomes too absorbed in the cartoon, you ask a mindless theory for her to answer, “If Daddy shows up with a friend—that is a girl.. You’ll be nice, right?” 

Her head tilts and her brows crease. “Girl—friend?” 

Your fingers tighten against the hem of your sundress. “M-Maybe? I’m not sure, he hasn’t told me a lot about her..”

“That’s not right,” she notes. “Daddy should tell Mommy so she knows..” 

You send her a softened smile that holds a sad shift in it. “Not this time, baby.” You look down at your hands. “Just be nice to her, okay?” 

She only nods. 

You brush off your knees when you stand back up, moving back towards your room to grab whatever else you might’ve forgotten and rush through most of your makeup bag to fix yourself up a bit. 

You debated a few times in your head to switch up your dress for another one in your bag. Usually, you never cared, but this time, oddly, you wanted to satisfy more than yourself with the way you currently looked and dressed as - for whatever reason you cannot decipher as. But having to change, you would also have to switch out Yeona’s dress since you both decided to match today. 

You decided not to bother since it would take too much time, especially since you hear the buttons being pressed at your front door, buzzing when the code punches in and indicating that Jungkook was finally here. 

You quickly pull and clip on a necklace that was mindlessly set on your bedside table, and rush out the room with your bags. 

When both of them come into view, you already see Yeona attached to Jungkook’s hip. No one else. 

“Hey,” you breathlessly greet with a nod, trying not to seem blunt by focusing on the front door to see if a certain person tagged alone. “I hope this isn’t too much—? I cut down most of it last night..” 

He shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it,” then looks down at the bags, “But—uh, are you sure you need all of this? It’s only a couple of days.” 

“Yeah, but,” you hesitate, pushing some strands of your hair away, “It’s clothes, swimsuits, sunscreen, shower products, presents—“ 

“Presents?” Yeona brightens. 

“No,” You and Jungkook rush. 

“Mommy meant something else..” 

“Oh.” Her expression flattens. “Then what did she mean?” She presses. 

Jungkook’s mouth gapes and he attempts to spit out an answer before you boisterly interrupt, “Oh no! We’re running late.” 

He nods comically when he meets eyes with you. “Y-You’re right! Let me take your bags,” he offers. 

You practically shove them into his hands when you switch positions, taking Yeona into your own and softly letting her down. 

When you stand up straight, he eyes the both of you in awe when he notices. 

“You’re both matching.” 

You grow heated under his gaze and shyly nod, straightening out the flimsy skirt of your dress. “She’s been hounding me to get a mini size for her when I wear mine, so this was her first gift from me.” 

Her tiny hands cling onto your fingers and squeezes them, “Yup! We wanted to look pretty for Daddy.” 

You practically choke out a small cough at her statement as he arches a brow towards you, your cheeks dusting a shade of embarrassment immediately. 

“T-There was no set intent for doing this exactly,” you defend with a growing pout before you childishly point at Yeona and sputter, “It was her idea and I just went with it.” 

He chuckles, encouraging the dusty rose to spread to your ears and neck. “Well,” he starts and confirms, “You both look beautiful.” He’s already turning away and moving towards the door before you can react. “I’ll compliment you more when we get in the car, but we should hurry.” 

You both scurry in front of him, and a firm hand lands on the small of your back to lead you out. Whipping around slightly, you turn surprised from the mere gesture. 

A certain feeling washes over you — it’s nostalgic, almost drowning you from the blunt force when his fingers land on only the thin material that separates your skin from his. For a second, it feels like what it has always been. 

Even as false pretense or even reassurance, you bask in the feeling you can only assume is melancholy and warmth, all at the same time. It’s bittersweet, but it’s something and it’s clearly there.

He offers a smile, and it’s not a polite one you usually send each other when you would interact, it’s not a forced one either. It was genuine, and it was towards you. 

A smile that read this weekend would be a memorable one, like all of the other birthdays you celebrated each year. 

For a split second, you feel like a family again. 

The door clicks shut and you finally all head out to fulfill Yeona’s birthday journey. 

-

“God,” he rubs at his shoulder that aches. “What did you pack in here to make me feel like this four floors down?” 

Rolling your eyes, your daughter’s leg brushes against you when it kicks up for the minute of buckling her up. You don’t bother asking her to stop, silently allowing her to start playing with your hair when you lean over the other side of her carseat. You adjust her sandals while you’re at it. “We took the elevator, I’m sure it wasn’t that bad.” 

“You weren’t the one carrying it,” he argues, shutting the trunk closed. 

Finally finished with making sure Yeona would ride safely in the backseat, you recover your crouched form and rise. “You offered.” 

He sighs, hands on his hips, and a smile creeping on his face he managed to halt before your eyes would land on them. “You never answered my question.” 

Both of you make it to the front of the car and slip in, shutting the car doors simultaneously in coincidence. 

You wave a hand in dismissal before reaching up for the seatbelt. “It’s a few gifts for your mother. She really liked the scent of the apartment when she last visited, so I packed a few candles of the ones I’ve been using.” 

“A few?” He scoffs, pinning you a look. The car begins to run when he slides the key in the slot. He has a hard time believing in your estimate of the amount you were bringing when he picks up weights on a regular basis at the gym, not boasting when he clearly can’t help mentioning it every now and then. There were way more than a few.

You hesitate, observing him shift the gear and backing the car up and out of the parking space. “Fine, I slipped in a few more for Seokjin,” you confess and it’s clear that he has a smug smirk carrying his expression. “Only because he asked,” you huff.

A light chuckle slips out and his fingers on the center console almost twitch when he hears you let one out also. 

You abruptly turn towards the backseat. “Yeonie? Please turn down your tablet.” It Had been ringing in both of your ears since you got in the car. You wanted to have a proper conversation without having to scream out your words over the rhymes and overplayed sound-effects. 

When she does, you finally sigh and lean back in pure exhaustion from the lack of sleep the night before. 

Jungkook notices. 

“You okay?” He asks. 

Your eyes flutter open slowly and you nod. “Didn’t get a lot of sleep last night, so I’m dealing with the repercussions of it.” Your gaze on the road soon turns blank. 

If you were being honest, it’s been a long time in dealing with enough sleep. If you were in bed, you were most likely staying up, keeping yourself busy, not deeming it as a good enough reason to sleep just yet. Before, you slept easily, paying no mind to what was happening around you, you actually slept. Something changed to the point where you weren’t granted that access anymore, having to question the exact reason on why you should even sleep. You weren’t sure if you would find it, sticking with just coaxing yourself into slumber through most nights. 

“You can take a nap if you want,” he suggests. “It’s going to take a while before we get there, so you might as well.” 

You hum absentmindedly, barely registering any of his words if you were being honest. 

Yeona yawns. He shifts his attention to the back, watching Yeona squirm for a comfortable spot - as comfortable as she can get - in her carseat. “Are you sleepy too, baby?” 

She mewls out a tired noise in confirmation and leans her head to the padded side of hers. “Daddy, sing to me,” she requests, blinking, lagging until they fully close.

Jungkook’s soft hums fill up the noise of the car other than the white noise surrounding you when he drove. 

Your eyes go back to closing when it hits you, a metaphorical blanket that deems where you were, what you were doing, and who you were with — as safe. Your brows furrow unconsciously at the thought that you’ve been dealing with this specific problem about your sleep for God knows how long, but Jungkook suddenly fixes it and now it’s all gone. 

You finally sleep. 

-

An hour  into the drive and you suddenly ask, “Is she.. Driving on her way too?” 

His eyebrows furrow and he turns to stare at you, disoriented by the question. “Who?” 

You eye him wearily and tip your head forward, like it was obvious. 

He’s still confused. 

“Seol?” You finally spit out. 

“Oh.” 

That’s all he says and you grow impatient. “So?” 

“She’s not coming,” he finally answers. “I didn’t invite her. Why would you think I would?” 

“She wasn’t in the car when you picked us up, or at the house, so I just assumed..” 

“No,” he quickly denies, looking you in the eye this time. “She’s not coming.” 

“Oh—okay.” You wonder why. 

It’s silent except for when his throat clears and he turns the car. 

“Um,” you drag unsurely. “Are you.. Still—seeing each other?” It’s personal, and you regret asking, but for the sake of your bouncing leg and bated breath, you wait. 

“I—I don’t know? I mean we’re going out, but it’s not anything official.” He looks nervous, eyes shifting back and forth from one side of a street to another. 

“So.. You haven’t asked her to be your girlfriend yet?” 

This is weird. Too fucking weird and now Jungkook’s acutely uneasy because there is absolutely no malice in your voice. Just curiousness being unravelled.

“No, not really,” he nervously stammers, and he tries his best to gauge your reaction but you hold absolutely nothing to read on. “I want to decide carefully.” You suddenly stare back at him and he has no choice but to continue, “Like you said. I want to make sure it’s right. No fuck-ups anymore. Not with you or Yeona.” 

Your head shakes. “Jungkook, you don’t have to-“

“It’s my decision,” he firmly states, “and it’s on my terms.”

-

Jungkook’s mother was always a bright soul who greeted and welcomed you with open arms. 

The first time you were off to meet her, you were twenty-three years old and absolutely terrified, and you made sure to tell Jungkook that before you even stepped foot in the house he grew up in. 

You informed him how much bad luck you came with when it involved meeting your partner’s parents. More specifically — your past boyfriends and their overly clingy mothers who did not like you no matter what you did, as long as you were dating their son. 

“My mom loves everyone,” Jungkook explained previously the night before the anticipated meeting. 

You shook your head vigorously, eyes wide and anxious, shivering from having the thought of reliving something you always dreaded. “That’s what they all say before we end up arriving and then all of a sudden I’m being pounced on by an overbearing mother who obviously can’t stand the thought of having another woman in her son’s life.” 

He laughed. “Your exes were probably an only child,” and then continued to inform as if it would ease your nerves, “I have an older brother.” 

You shrieked. “Holy shit, that makes it even worse because you’re her youngest. The baby of the family—her baby.” He cackled and you landed a solid strike at his arm with a whine, “Jungkook, Take me serious.” 

“Alright, okay,” he shushed you and tugged at your hips before closing in on you. “I can assure you that my mother isn’t some type of villain you’ve painted out in your head.” 

You winced and patted his chest with a pout, “Sorry. Past minor trauma.” 

“I get it,” he reassured. “But she’s different than the rest, I promise.”

And she definitely was. 

The house fills with a scent of something cooking on the stove top and it immediately engulfs you in warmth when you hear the television going off in the spacious area of the living room, assuming it was Jungkook’s father planted on his signature chair he was always found in. 

When Yeona finally kicks off her shoes, she immediately runs through the house to find her grandmother. 

“Careful,” Jungkook calls from next to you. 

He notices your dazed state and takes a step closer. “How are you feeling? Still tired?”

Your mouth falls open and you shake your head with a smile, brushing it off, “My head is aching a bit from the long car ride, but I’ll be fine. Maybe I’ll sit down for a few.” 

He shows concern in his expression and leans forward to inspect you carefully. “Come here.” 

“I told you I’d be okay, Gguk. I’m fine.” Still, your feet take you closer towards him until calloused fingers land at your temples before applying pressure. “Mm,” you let out in surprise, lips pressed when he goes in circular motions against your skin, grappling onto one of his wrists for support. Your eyes flutter shut when the pain starts to subside. Four fingers each from both hands are firmly planted while his two thumbs continue to ease the throbbing that’s been planted in your head since you’ve gotten out of the car. 

“Starting to feel better?” He murmurs softly. 

 You nod with the space he provided for it. “I still think I should just take some medicine.” 

He doesn't stop his ministrations, only humming. “In a minute. Want to avoid my mom a bit longer before she starts to ask why I haven’t been visiting lately.” 

A smile quickly settles on your lips and you squeeze at the wrist you’ve been gripping on. 

It’s up close when he sees you softly giggle and his heart surges forward. Your eyes open back up and you’re suddenly staring at such a close proximity. 

“She worries about you.” 

“I know,” he promises. “Just not sure what to say when she starts interrogating me.” 

Before your mouth can slip in an answer, a throat clears and you tense immediately. 

You both stiffly turn towards the new figure in the room who raises an amused brow. 

“Uh, hi Mom. Where’s Yeona?” 

“With your father.” 

You remember suddenly before coughing and tugging at Jungkook’s hands that stay planted against your head. 

“We were just..” Jungkook attempts, wiping off his palms that have gotten significantly clammy in the span of a minute or two. 

“Headache,” you finish and state for him. 

“Yeah.” 

“Did we go back in time before medicine was a thing?” She jokes then tilts her head towards the direction of one of the bathrooms. “There’s painkillers in the medicine cabinet.” 

“Uh I’m going to.. Yeah.” Jungkook scratches at the back of his neck and seems unsure before seeing himself out to grab for the bottle of pills. 

“Please, don’t give me that look,” you beg once the embarrassment settles in and your cheeks start to warm up. 

“No, I’m just happy is all.” She smiles in satisfaction. “Last time I checked, you were divorced to my son.” 

You groan. “And I still am.” 

“Then what was that?” She refers back to the scene she had unfortunately walked in on. 

“A ploy to drag out time before hearing your questions about why he hasn’t been visiting as often as he should be,” you easily tattle. 

She gasps. 

Jungkook walks back in with two bottles in hand, eyes bouncing back and forth to each one. “It doesn’t matter which brand right? I brought out two just in case-“ 

“Jeon Jungkook,” his mother scowls. 

He freezes and looks up to his infuriated mother, then pointedly looks at you before the gears turn in his head. 

“You told her?” 

You simply shrug and snatch both bottles away before his mother would start shifting her target towards him. “Thank you.” 

You don’t bother to hear the scolding, instead, walking through the house to find where your daughter had drifted off to. 

Mrs. Jeon takes some time to catch up with her son and gives you enough to rest from the prolonged car ride. 

Small feet tap on the wooden floor and you try to search for the doe eyes and pouty lips that come with them. 

“Yeona, where have you been?” 

“With grandpa!” Then, she enthusiastically stomps. “He said my gifts are hiding from me.” 

You chuckle. “Is that so?” 

A bigger pair of feet walk in and Mr. Jeon looks flustered, as if he had done something he wasn’t supposed to do. His head angles down to Yeona and he explains, “I messed up! I was supposed to wait for Grandma to feed you guys before I said anything about birthday presents.” 

Your mouth opens to reply that he was perfectly fine before large hands settle firmly on your shoulders. You squeak and jump, registering that it was only Jungkook when you whip around to face the culprit. “Seriously?” 

“It’s payback,” he simply says. “I got scolded for fifteen minutes all because you decided to be a snitch.” 

“Sorry.” You softly nudge. “She was assuming too much when she saw us.” 

“Ah,” he realizes, and he suddenly seems okay with the thought of going down just for you. “I’ll have to talk to her again about doing that. Sorry.” 

You dismiss it with a smile. “Just more worried about you. Poor baby,” you tease. “What? Did she make you face the wall for five minutes?” He scowls. “Jungkook, she misses you,” you reason. 

“I know,” he mumbles. “I promised her I would be here more often.” 

He has that look in his eye you are way too familiar with — when the gears start turning and he begins to overthink his whole entire schedule for the month, figuring out the time-slots—if he even has any free space for it. 

“Hey,” you call, and he snaps out of it. “Don’t try to fill your family in your schedule as if they’re appointments. You’ll visit when you want to, okay? Not because you have to.” 

He exhales and nods. “Right. I will.” 

He then notices your features significantly brighter than the last time he’s taken them in, no more fatigued, so he asks, “Did you take the medicine?” 

You nod. “I just took it, but moving around a bit is helping a lot already. 

“That’s good.” 

His brows furrow when he catches the expression on his dad. “Is he okay?” 

You turn and observe him tailing your hyper daughter who has been checking every crevice of the house for any mere glimpse of eye-catching wrapping paper.

“Like father, like son,” is all you say and he stares on with no clue. “He’s literally a second away from hearing his own scolding.” 

Mrs. Jeon walks in and shrieks. “You told her already—?!” 

The man beside you sighs and questions out loud what on earth his father had done. 

So, you explain, “They put on a scavenger hunt for Yeona’s gifts. Except, it was supposed to be after lunch.” 

“Oh no.” 

“Yeah.” 

“You were supposed to wait so that I could take pictures for it!” 

The older man’s hands get thrown up in defense. “She hasn’t found them yet, it’s fine.” 

“What if she actually does?” She tests with a brow raised. 

“Mom,” Jungkook calls and both of his parents finally turn to give him attention. “It’s alright. We can do the scavenger hunt now since we’ll be leaving soon.” 

“You aren’t going to stay and eat?” 

“Please don’t worry,” you kindly decline. “I’d feel bad if you were to cook something, just for us.”

She waves a hand carelessly in the air. “Nonsense! I want to do this for you. It’s been way too long since the last time I cooked for more than two people.”

Your elbow prods at Jungkook who lacks his own attention. You quickly send him a look, a silent message to stop her from whipping anything up when you wouldn’t have much time to properly eat it, given from your strict itinerary. 

“We only have half an hour to be here before the next Ferry arrives,” he finally speaks up. 

“Oh,” his mother dejects with a pout. “Well, that’s a shame.” 

“Yeah, sorry mom.” 

Your hip pushes against his side, and your throat clears. “We’ll come back and stay for dinner,” you promise. 

“Please do,” she nods. “My son doesn’t even visit anymore.” 

She plainly ignores Jungkook, whose mouth has dropped significantly. “Mom—! I told you I would visit more often.” 

“Can’t even make a simple phone call,” she tsks. “Your ex-wife interacts with me at least three times a week—more than you ever did within a month.”

“Mom!” 

Your hand lands on top of his shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze and sending his mother a smile of understanding. “We’ll be there. Promise.” 

She sighs, hands smacking against her fruity apron and then clapping enthusiastically. “Alright, fine! Let me get my camera first.” 

Her son groans. “Just use your phone.” 

Her head shakes, already bending down and shuffling through the drawers, “But you got me that nice camera for Christmas! I haven’t used it yet.” 

“Alright, fine,” he reluctantly obliges. “Dad, will you please give my daughter a hint? She’s going crazy here.” He points and your daughter is exactly there, crawling through the coffee table and easing herself to the next tiny space she can fit in. 

“Baby, you’re going to hurt yourself,” you warn when she breezes through a few expensive-looking structures around the house, “Or break something.. Jungkook—!”  You tug on his sleeve and push him to grab her before any mishaps could happen. 

When Jungkook finally gets a hold of a squirmy Yeona, his father finally ushers everybody outside towards the direction of the backyard where the scavenger hunt is officially located.

-

“They just texted me that they’re already at the house,” Jungkook suddenly announces by the time Yeona finds her fourth present. 

You double-check the time on your phone and worriedly ask, “Do you think we’re running late?” 

His head shakes. “I doubt it. If anything, we’re probably on time. We left really early in the morning.” 

You sigh out with both shoulders deflating and he notices. “You okay?” 

“Yeah,” you ease. “Just worried, you know? This is the first year we aren’t doing a birthday party and she’s only turning six.” 

“Hey,” he chuckles. “It’s not like these aren’t going to be a forever thing.” 

“I know,” you groan and rub harshly at your temples. “I think I’m just so used to big gatherings, the amount of unnecessary attention, and the cake nobody eats because it’s all it really was for me growing up.” As much as the parties were for good intentions, it was never in a good way. 

The only reason your mother was set on giving you a birthday party every year was for the pictures and some way into measly bragging about how well her life was going and not everybody else’s. 

“And in no way I’m saying it as a way for Yeona to live through whatever I went through, but every year I try my best to plan something she wants.” You rub at your elbow unsurely with lips turned downwards. “For some reason, her not asking for one this year makes me think how much she didn’t like the others and how shitty I am for not seeing it much earlier.” 

Yeona giggles when she picks out another that happens to be sneakily hidden snug between a few branches of a tree. 

He shakes his head and calls for you softly. “Are you kidding? I’ve never seen her happier with every passing birthday you manage to outdo every year. Our daughter also has incredible confrontational skills - If she doesn’t like something, she’ll tell us regardless.” 

You snort. “Right.” You grow nervous how serious he becomes when you catch onto his eyes and his front faces you so suddenly. 

“She loves what you do every year,” he assures. He then reasons, “And maybe next year it’ll be different — she’s growing up.” 

You slowly nod, handing him a laugh of disbelief. “Yeah. God, you’re right. Sorry.” 

“Even standing here with a headache, you’re still worrying for nothing,” he scolds. 

“I told you I already feel better,” you argue in return. “The medicine helped a bunch. I’m okay.” And for the next ten minutes, you ignore the side-eye full of concern overpowering on his side when he shoots you a glance. He’s known you since the start of his twenties, of course he would be able to pick out if you were lying or not. 

“What’s the count?” Jungkook asks, eyes squinting from the bright sun casting down at the colorful yard. 

His mother points the camera at him and raises a hand, “Number Five!”

“And how much in total?” 

She pouts. “It wouldn’t be as much fun if I told you.” 

“Mom.” 

You shush him. “Leave her alone.” 

“Six! Six! Six!” Yeona yells near the fence. 

“You found the sixth one, sweetheart!” Jungkook’s father exclaims. 

His mother curses and whips the camera back around. “I missed it!” 

It’s comical when you watch it from afar, and a large smile blooms across your face at the three. “God,” you snort, quite endeared by the sight, “This is a mess. It’s cute.” 

Jungkook stays behind alongside you to simply observe you and them, and he’s already memorizing every part and aspect of this moment to set aside for later. 

Everything fell into place so perfectly, everybody belonging exactly where they were supposed to be. 

“You really do look pretty today, _____.” 

Eyes widening, you whip around to his figure with a questioned gaze. 

He’s willing to repeat the words, let you know over and over until you grow tired of the repetitiveness, drown you in all of the compliments he’s thinking of right now. 

But, you curtly nod and turn away. “T-Thanks.” 

His hand reaches out, exactly to where yours is and his sight subconsciously falls on your fourth finger that was blank of a specific jewelry he put on you two years ago. It’s already been two fucking years and he still grows somber when his eyes catch onto where the diamond used to be.

No matter how many times he can confront it with his own eyes, stare at it for however long you would allow him to look, seek it every time it would raise or show itself — It still hurts nonetheless. 

It’s exactly what makes him pull back and grip onto the chain tucked into his shirt, away from your eyes to see the charm that glints exactly like the first day you put it on him. 

-

Finally having it be the middle of the day, you get to leave and head towards the station to get from Busan to Jeju. 

The station is way more quiet than what you initially anticipated, it being the weekend and all, but the line barely lasts a minute, and you’re already boarding the ferry, right behind Yeona who holds her father’s hand tightly across the dock that transitions to the ship. 

“Snacks?” Is the first thing Jungkook asks for when you all sit down and you quickly reach into Yeona’s backpack. 

“All I have our a few baggies of rice-puffs and juice-boxes.” 

“I want one!” Yeona intercepts, and greedy hands suddenly wave in front of your face. 

“Alright, baby, hold on a minute.” You request and stare back up at Jungkook to propose the idea of sharing a muffin his mother offered last-minute when you slipped through the door to part ways. “There’s only two juice-boxes.”

Jungkook’s head shakes, going to decline the kind offer and allow you to have it before Yeona perks sweetly, “Daddy can share with me!” 

His thumb and pointer softly caresses the supple cheek beneath it before landing a kiss on it and murmuring, “Always so sweet.” 

Sitting back down, Yeona on Jungkook’s lap while you sit side-to-side, plastic cover of the muffin opened and lips pursed out to your own straw. 

With Jungkook’s hands full, squirming daughter all over his lap, you make it easier for him by popping small pieces of the muffin in his open mouth. 

You let out a laugh when you miss and watch a few chocolate crumbs dribble down his chin. “Sorry,” you murmur with a smile, fingers rubbing off some of where the chocolate smeared against his skin. 

“Do you need a tissue?” 

Turning to the nimble voice, you notice an elderly lady with a soft smile she carries so sweetly. “I’m sorry,” she laughs off. “I just noticed how much of a mess you’ve made on your husband.” 

You both don’t flinch at the assumption, smiling back at her. 

“Oh,” your voice brightens with a laugh of your own and bowing in your seat slightly, “Thank you so much for offering.” 

She brings out a few from her own bag and reaches out over the seats, “Here.” 

“Thank you again,” Jungkook says and she looks at you expectantly, practically requesting you to wipe off his mouth yourself. You jump at the realization and clear your throat with whatever protest that bubbled from within, and start with stiff fingers. You’ve already stuffed pieces of muffin in his mouth, what harm would it be to clean up the mess you’ve made? Except it’s completely different, not very easy doing the simple action with a bright-eyed old woman who seems very entertained by the aspect of it, all life returning to them when the tissue rubs at his bottom lip. 

“Daddy,” Yeona taps. “Want off.” 

His gentle grip on her tummy loosens and allows her to slide off of his legs to approach the woman. Your daughter gently waves and let’s her smile speak for itself, so easy to sway the woman when she was so used to doing this to every other person she meets daily. 

“Hi there.” The woman waves back and bends her back more forward to reach Yeona’s level. “Where are you off to today?” 

“Jeju!” She exclaims, and then boasts proudly, “It’s my birthday.” 

The woman eggs her giddiness on by clapping gently, “Oh wow. What a wonderful place to celebrate your birthday!” 

“Yes ma’am,” she agrees sweetly, hands clasped behind her back. “I told my Mommy and Daddy to bring me there and they said yes! We even rode all together here!” 

The woman spares you an odd look at the figures Yeona points at, and you both refrain meeting her eyes that read about obviously riding together, you were married with a kid after all.

At least, to her eyes you were. 

Unfortunately, the both of you lacked the guts to tell her the truth, and that this was just another day to simply tolerate each other more than you already do during the week. 

Nothing more, nothing less. 

The woman hums. “Your parents must love you a lot then. They look good together, too.” 

It all seems too much, as if she was mocking you, and you immediately grow antsy at her nosy stare. 

Luckily, after Yeona had her fair share in her frankly short conversation with the older woman, she left all of you alone for the rest of the ride. 

“That was—” Jungkook starts. 

“—Definitely new,” you finish. 

“I don’t think I’ll ever be used to the assumptions of us still being together. It’s hard not to just blatantly say no so that they could get off of our backs for once.” 

Your voice lowers a bit, just to make sure she can’t hear you from her corner-seat. “But we also have to understand their point,” you reason, “When people see both of us with a daughter, it’s easier to assume that we’re together.” 

His head leans on the metal rod behind him, still listening with his eyes closed. 

“Besides, I don’t really mind.” 

His head shoots back into position and he stares with widened eyes. “Y-You don’t?”

Shrugging, your head shakes. “It’s better this way. I’d rather just go along with it than explain exactly why we’re separated, let them into something they have no business in being in.” 

“Right,” he drags it. “Exactly,” and he says it more for himself to grip on, because fucking obviously. Not for any other reason but for convenience. Always for the best, and he was fine with it. Perfectly keen. 

His head turns towards the water, and he squints, legs bouncing obnoxiously, Yeona whines. It’s only then you realize he’s decked out in all black, as usual, with beads of sweat running off his temple and onto his neck. It’s only worse when he’s seated exactly right under the sun, where the roof fails to give him any shade. 

“You idiot,” you suddenly call and his brows furrow, whipping around to find you in a state of absolute worry, searching through your bag. “Out of all days, when we’d be outside, you’re wearing everything you’re not supposed to.” 

His eyes widen and he stares down at his attire, sizzling back down into realization when he finally realizes the problem. “I’m fine,” he passes off cooly. “Yeona wanted the seat nearest to the water, and I figured you wouldn’t want to be under the sun this long.” 

Before he can even come out with an argument, you’re already moving forward and grabbing Yeona off of his lap. 

“What are you doing?” 

“Come on,” you pat on his thigh, silently coaxing him to scoot. “We’ll trade spots. You can’t be under the sun like this.” 

“_____..” 

Your lips purse and stray down into a pout, and his heart falters, his argument pushed down his throat until he swallows it away. “Jungkook, I’m worried. I don’t even think you put on sunscreen today either.” 

He’s fully aware how irked you get when he doesn’t follow the skincare regimen you set up for him. It’s especially the distress you hold in your eyes and lips when he forgoes the most important step of it all: suncare. 

“Shit doesn’t even work,” he exasperates, and your eyes roll back.

“Say that to me when you’re fifty and covered with sun spots you’ll never be able to erase because you never wanted to listen to me.”

His bite comes without even a second thought, falling back into the banter he secretly misses, when it was comfortable to joke around you, tease you to no end, and drive you up the wall. “You’ll still like me that way, right?” He’s teasing now, and it’s clear when he raises his brows in expectancy, lighthearted and jokeful. 

To your embarrassment, your cheeks tint pink and you don’t have enough pride to return his stare. The only thing you can really do is stammer severely and point at your purse. “J-Just put some on and leave me alone.” 

He hands you a hearty and genuine laugh and you only try your best to ignore it, lips curving the same until you force them to stop from going any higher. 

-

“Holy shit,” you gape. “It’s huge.” 

“They’re loaded.” 

“I-I can’t go in this, Jungkook.” 

“You couldn’t have told me this before we went on a whole road trip and had me prepay tickets for a ferry ride here?” 

You hit his arm. “Jungkook, I’m serious.” 

He laughs. “Why exactly can’t you? It’s just a beach house.” 

“This is too big for a six year old! A few candles from the fucking mall is never going to pay off the fact they are letting us have it for the weekend.”

“With their advision,” he reminds. Yeona stirs in her sleep from the backseat and Jungkook pins you a look. “Can we get out now?” 

You hesitate. “How are you okay without thinking about being possibly indebted to Seokjin and Namjoon? First, they put out a car for us to drive here when we arrived, and now we’re staying in this? We’re being pampered.” 

“Because I’ve been leeching off of Seokjin since I was a teenager, _____,” he states, nimbly remembering when he would depend on a few meals paid from him and even to now - being roommates with the older man. “He’s fine with it. He offered first, after all. We’re just following orders,” he defends so easily. 

Reluctantly, you climb out of the car, crossed arms from your chest, heading towards the back to take out your daughter from her carseat. With a soft nudge and a kiss to her cheek, her eyes shot back open with the realization that this was the last stop, that she was finally here. “M-Mommy, look!” 

“I know,” you coo, “I was just as shocked as you are now.” 

She moves quickly, already releasing the buckle and sliding down to the car floor. She still requests to be picked up like a princess when her arms span out for you, and of course, you oblige. 

“Jungkook,” you call. “Are you getting the bags?” 

The trunk shuts, keys jingling in his hand, “Already on it.” 

When you reach the porch, Yeona eagerly leans towards the right of the door to ring the bell. 

It only takes three seconds for Kim Seokjin to open it with a wide smile. “Welcome!” 

Yeona squeals, legs kicking all over the place and you finally set her down for her to enter first. Not before giving her uncle’s leg a big squeeze of her own, “Thank you, Uncle Jinnie! Love it so much!” 

He chuckles, smoothing down her hair, “Anything for the birthday girl! You haven’t even taken a look around yet, sweetheart. Go find Uncle Joon and he’ll show you everything.” 

“Okay!” Her form is only a blur when she rushes out. 

He smiles. “You guys are on time,” and he says it like it’s a complete surprise. 

A brow arches. “When are we not?” 

“New years,” he recalls. “You both made it five minutes late after the countdown.” 

Jungkook slips behind you to set the bags down. “That’s not fair.” 

You agree. “Yeona was two years old that year. She had a hard time handling the fireworks. I had to coax her to sleep through the phone that night.” 

His head tilts in reason, “Fair.” 

Jungkook nudges you. “Where do you want these?” 

You shrug, turning to Seokjin. “Depends where you want us, Jin.” 

“It’s up to you guys. Taehyung and Jimin already took two of the guest rooms. There’s only three more.” 

“Kiumin is sleeping over, so they can have one room,” you calculate. “And Hyejin’s coming with Kiumin, so we can split.” 

The older man stares wide-eyed at his roommate. Jungkook stares back with the same expression, so Seokjin asks for him, “Split?”

You’re too busy with some of the messages on your phone regarding birthday wishes to your daughter, vaguely returning them with typed out thank you’s and kissy faces. “Yeah.” 

“Does that mean you and—“

You send him an odd stare before turning around and grabbing onto your own bags, disregarding Jungkook’s. “Of course not—? I’m rooming with Hyejin and Jungkook can have the extra room to himself.”

“.. Right.” 

“Is it this way?” You ask without a clue to the men behind you. 

“Uh, yeah! Let me help you,” Seokjin rushes. 

Jungkook is left at the doorway, all alone and with his own bags and a fuming heart that drags as if the slim possibility of what would have happened was anything more to go by.

-

It’s nighttime now. 

You’ve directed Hyejin to your room and have let her unpack while you watched over Yeona and her little boy. 

Your knees bend into a crouch, the familiar smell of chlorine filling your senses when you near the water. 

Jungkook's hair flicks back when his fingers push through them and the blue rays of the water reflect against his chest. His collarbones glisten against the minimal light the night provides, making it harder to strictly set your eyes forward and stray away from anything that wasn’t his own. 

“You couldn’t have waited a second for everyone to settle in before dipping into the pool?” 

He pouts. “Why?”

Head tilting, you pin him a stare and direct your eyesight towards the pink floatie in the corner, swaying calmly. “Because Yeona’s been eyeing that giant flamingo and now she’s asking to hop in with you.” 

“Let her in, then. Namjoon’s already here.”

Your head turns to the outdoor bar and they pin the figure reading a book with amusement when he sends off a small wave. 

“But then Kiumin..” 

Hyejin walks in with a relaxed sigh at the sight in front of her when she passes through the widened double-doors. “Too bad it’s nighttime. I could’ve been tanning.” 

“Hyejin!” You gawk at her bikini. “You’re going in too?” 

She nods in an obvious answer. “Kiumin’s been begging me to let him jump in since we’ve gotten here, and with a view like this — how could I say no?” 

Jungkook points. “See? Our friend is obviously taking the advantage of being here.” 

“We are way far from friends, Jeon,” she practically snarls back. “It’s almost insulting when you say it like that.” 

“Hyejin,” you warn, and turn back to the man standing in the waist-deep side of the pool now. 

Ignoring your friend’s hatred fueled statements, he coaxes. “Come on,” he lulls. “Taehyung and Jimin are already planning to jump in too.” 

Your head shakes in decline, “I can’t. I didn’t even pack a swimsuit, only Yeona’s.” 

“I have one laying out for you in the room,” Hyejin pitches and your eyes widen significantly. “It’s the one I’ve been meaning to give you.” 

“Perfect!” Seokjin claps by the doors, tray full of glasses and the two children following right behind him. “We can start having a pool party!” They immediately cheer and your mind starts to reel in defeat. 

You rub your arms shyly, “I-I’m fine. I don’t really feel like swimming right now..” 

Hyejin snorts. “Don’t even lie. We used to be obsessed with the pool when we were kids. We can do it again for old times’ sake! Show our kids where they got it from.” 

“Literally, what does that have to do with anything in wanting to swim? Aren’t kids naturally drawn to the pool, because it’s a pool?” You grit. 

“I’m just saying to take the chance and relax,” she stresses and her arms extend, waving around carelessly. “We’re here!” 

“You’re going to miss out if you don’t get in,” Jungkook bets, and he knows how much you despise being the outsider while everyone had their share of fun. You loathed the plain idea of it. “Just put the bikini on and stop being a pussy.”

“J-Jungkook!” 

Childish. Absolutely childish.

You hear footsteps approaching right behind you, the vow reaching your ears. “I’ll only jump in if we do it together.” 

Taehyung’s head shakes side to side, eyes narrowing at the shorter man with apprehension. “You pull back every fucking time we do it. I won’t fall for it again.”

Jungkook’s throat clears at the two and he orders his friends, “Tell _____ to get in the pool.” 

Taehyung’s brow furrows, “She doesn’t want to? It’s the pool—and we’re in Jeju!” 

You stubbornly shake your head. “Don’t care.” 

Jimin has a teasing glint in his eye, something you dislike a lot when it’s crystal clear he has something stirring up in his sick head of his, especially since Taehyung had turned down the proposal of his playful and expectant joke.

“We can—grab her and push her in?” He suggests. 

“That’s elementary school shit, Jimin,” you warn. “Get away from me.” 

He’s inching closer and you’re nervously sputtering for Jungkook, helplessly calling for him to get his friend from throwing you in the water so carelessly. 

Luckily, a small hand grapples onto you and it’s Yeona with eager feet who stops Jimin in his tracks. “Mommy, t-the pink birdie!” 

You have a staring contest with it, the one side of the floating flamingo’s eye stares back at you and you exhale a puff before finally standing back up. “Alright, come on. Let’s get dressed.” 

-

The white bikini on you terrifies you enough to cross your arms over yourself and skirt around the edge of the pool until you reach the chairs where Hyejin sits. 

No one’s noticed yet. Not when Jungkook and the rest were already in the pool, putting on the floaties for the children who sat on the pathed ledges made of stone. At some point, you can see both of Jungkook’s eyes completely wiped out and squeezed shut when Yeona excitedly flaps her arms around the water, hyper to get in. 

“Hyejin,” you hiss out, finally reaching your friend. 

She hums with furrowed brows, too distracted in trying to connect her phone to the bluetooth speaker. 

“Why in the world would you give me something like this. I-It’s too much,” you whimper out weakly. 

Her eyes roll back. “It’s a bikini, _____. Remember those? I bet you look great—“ She screeches, chin dropping, hands hovering over her mouth. You flinch, just as shocked as she was, shushing her to shut up before anyone even has the chance in blinking your way. 

“Holy shit.” 

Eyes squeezing shut, you shy in on yourself, carefully taking the wooden pool-chair beside her. “Please, shut up.” 

Her arms raise, “I haven’t said anything—yet.” 

You scowl. “You seriously couldn’t have given me any other fucking set? Like a wetsuit? This is too weird for me.” 

She cackles. “Relax,” she attempts to ease. “Why are you so freaked out? It’s just a swimsuit.” 

Your head knocks back against the wood and you sigh tiredly. “It’s been way too long since I’ve worn something like this. Something not.. Mom-ish.” 

“And why not? This literally proves how much of a Milf you really are!” She stresses. 

You shrug shyly. “I haven’t had much of a reason to.” 

“Well, I’m begging you to. Seriously, _____,” she reassures. 

You quietly break into a laugh, smacking at her arm harshly. 

“Where’s mommy?” You hear Jungkook suddenly ask, and you think you’re a hundred percent fucked. 

Yeona’s voice is muffled against your ex-husband’s chest, incoherently explaining, “Mommy was already running away when we got outside.” 

“Running away?” 

“Yeah! Kind’ve like a ninja. She was there and then—poof!” 

You don’t even announce your bathroom break to Hyejin, standing up and rushing over towards the doors that were close yet so far away.

It would only be a second before you would reach it, and straight into changing back to the sundress that was always deemed as safe. 

Part of you wishes that you could parade around with no care, being so long since you’ve gone out in something like this. But another part that tears you completely, thinks about Kim Seol and how different she is compared to you. 

With stark personalities and looks, you most likely would have never even thought about comparing you from her. But now that Jungkook was going out with her, everything’s changed, and your mind reels into thinking how in the world he had the chance of going to someone else completely different from you, and if he even liked you in the first place, relationship and marriage long forgotten, not even being considered in this context. 

You weren’t exactly sure how long this feeling would last, and maybe it wouldn’t, sticking to all of the new relationships he would continue to open up now that he was available. 

Sure, he’s seen you plenty of times in bed and in the shower from the past years of being together. But this is now and before he had anything younger, more vibrant. 

This was possibly the only thing you could take away from him. Seeing anything physical to compare you with another was the only thing you truly, absolutely wished for. 

You accidentally collide against something. Hard and wide. 

And when you eventually look up, you’re relieved to only find Namjoon with a bag of chips in hand. 

“Shit, are you okay?” 

“I-I’m fine, Joon. Sorry for—running?” 

He chuckles, pointing back to his boyfriend back inside of the house. “Save it for the lifeguard, but he’s off-duty right now mixing margaritas for everyone.”

You attempt to let out the same energy of a laugh as his, but it all turns dry and brittle, making him halt and inspect. “You okay, _____?” 

“O-Of course I am.” 

A few murmurs are made at the back of your figure until a small voice calls out, “Mommy! Over here!” 

Letting out a small gasp, you reluctantly turn around, weakly mustering a smile and avoiding the eyes that officially lay on you when he notices. 

“Hi, baby.” 

“Mommy!” She splashes. “Swim with me and daddy!” 

“U-Uh..”

“Looks like your daughter wants you to get in the pool.”

Turning back to Namjoon, you stiffly nod, “Yeah.” 

“If you’re worried about the temperature, don’t worry. It’s heated.” 

Far from your true concern, you manage to give him a thumbs-up and head back to the very place you’ve been trying to escape. 

“I’ll be there in a minute, okay? Let me go get Aunt Hyejin first.” It’s truly for your sake more than for hers, a cry for help in a situation you could have easily avoided if you had just never put the bikini on. “I hate this,” you managed to mutter against your breath when you finally reached her. “I’m never listening to you ever again.” 

She yelps when you rip the towel away from her, tugging tightly at her arm, urging her to get up. “Hey!” She pouts. 

“Come on,” you order. “Yeona wants to swim and I am not doing this alone.” 

She sits up and observes, quietly biting on a sly chuckle when she notices. 

“What now?” 

“Nothing,” she waves off. “It’s just—your ex is making googly eyes right now.” 

You groan, stomping impatiently. “Hyejin, stop lying and get up.” 

“I’m not lying,” she pleads. “I swear — I’m looking at him right now!” 

“I don’t care,” you deadpan. 

When she finally stands, you put a death-grip on her arm and timidly walk towards the pool. 

“Ouch.”

“Sorry,” you sheepishly say, releasing a bit. 

It’s a pleasant feeling when the warm water wets the bottom surface of your feet, and your shoulders subconsciously relax when your waist-deep. 

Hyejin coos at her little boy, proud of her son when she watches Jimin help, something more in her eyes that go starry at the man who leads him through the water. 

“Thanks, Hyejin,” you whisper.

“Ah, don’t worry about it,” she pats softly at your arm. “I know how nervous you are and all. Just don’t, okay? You’ll be fine.” 

You weakly smile at her again before finally sending her off. 

When she moves out of your view and directly towards Jimin and her son, you find Yeona eagerly waiting for you. 

Taehyung has his eyes blown at the sight of you, whistling with your name trapped between his lips, which exactly makes you wrap your arms tighter around yourself. Of course, he’s teasing, the natural flirt in him most likely powering over him. 

Fortunately, you’re saved when he gets whacked with a strong push of water, Jungkook’s doing. You don’t notice it when your daughter cutely dog-paddles towards you. 

All is forgotten, smile setting on your lips.

“Mommy! Stay right there, okay? I’ll swim to you.” 

“Oh,” you perk, arms already rising beneath the water. With the long distance, you subtly move forward when her legs kick to make it easier on her, and within a few seconds, she’s splashing against your arms with a squeal. 

You giggle. “Are you having fun?” 

“So much, mommy!” She exclaims. “Daddy threw me up high when I wanted a splash.” 

You gasp with a smile, nerves diminishing. “Really? I wish I was there to see it.” 

“Are you too cold?” A voice asks from behind her and you hesitantly face Jungkook, always polite and concerned for your well-being, except there was definitely something else in his eyes you weren’t able to pinpoint and didn’t bother to anyway, now that you were in the water. 

You stiffly smile and shake your head. “I’m fine. The water feels really nice.” 

He nods. “T-That’s good.” 

God, he feels like it’s high school all over again, having no utter idea in starting a conversation with a girl, wanting to, but not even knowing exactly how.

Still, he can’t stop the burning stare, even when your attention zeroes back in on Yeona. 

The nice music sets a comforting nuance around the place, hearing splashes coming from everywhere, specifically when Seokjin’s yelling resonates from the chairs when Taehyung targets him with a cheeky grin. 

“The slices of watermelon are here, you dick!” He scowls. 

Jimin butts in with a scold to the older man, telling him to censor his words around the children. 

Jungkook doesn’t have time to hear the continued argument when he’s hit with an expectant splash of water of his own. 

He doesn’t even need to ask a second later when he hears the both of you giggling. Wiping away the drops on his face and in his eyes, he brushes strands of hair back to get a good look at the satisfied looks on both of your faces. He approaches slowly. 

Your head shakes, already aware of what Jungkook was doing — getting his revenge. 

“I-It was Yeonie’s idea!” 

She only giggles louder, knowing fully well she would easily be the untouched one out of this. 

“Jungkook, I swear to god if you do anything to me-“ 

Your warning goes straight out when strong arms turn you around to face your daughter. Fully wrapping them around your form for a slim chance of being able to escape, you hear a soft chuckle against your ear. 

“I think it’d be fun to splash mommy, huh?” He teases and you tense. 

“Jungkook—!” 

“Yeah, let’s do it!” She pumps a tiny fist from out of the water.

“Sweetheart, no! Listen to me-“

Your nose scrunches, hair whipping with you to cover your face when she splashes. Jungkook helps along the way by releasing an arm and moving some of the water forward against you to hit you square in the face. His wave comes stronger and does an excellent  job at soaking you completely.

You gasp, wiping some of the water away from your face. “Okay, please, I’m sorry,” you whine, gripping his wrists softly, eyes squeezed shut.

He falters at the frail sight of you, easily making you his biggest weakness. 

“It’s okay, mommy,” Yeona speaks up first. “I forgive you.” 

“Hey!” You scoff with a pout. “It wasn’t even my idea.” 

Her eyes crease and she giggles loudly. 

“_____!” Hyejin suddenly calls, and your chin tilts up to find your best friend. “Kiumin wants to play with the birthday girl.” 

Yeona eagerly looks up at you and you simply nod with a smile, letting her small legs kick and float over to her best friend. 

“Ah,” you realize, now being all alone. “I think I should go now.” 

Still, with his arms wrapped around you, he leans closer, “What, why?” And it’s needy, wanting to pull you closer than what he already has. “Can’t you stay?”

“Yeona’s all the way over there and we’re..” Exes with barely anything to talk about or to get along in general. It wasn’t in the book you’ve written out for yourself and probably never will be. “I-I have to get her cake ready. Your mom worked really hard on it.”

“I’ll help you put the candles on it,” he quickly offers. “Just.. Just stay here with me for a while.” 

A brow raises and you turn in his arms. “And do what?” 

He feigns in thinking about it, sharp jaw tilting for you to settle your eyes on. 

Seokjin interrupts with a call of his name and a raised brow at the sight. 

You clear your tight throat and gulp when he hands Jungkook a towel. “Your phone is ringing,” and then carefully gives it to him over the water. 

You observe him as he answers. “Hello?” 

A female voice is heard on the other end and you sense the way he pulls back a bit, that it was Seol. Her muffled voice is enough to push you back into reality and to what exactly you were doing before the call. 

“Ah, hey..” He awkwardly greets, nodding to whatever she was saying. Your head turns away when his eyes land on yours and you feign interest at the potted plant set right next to the door that led inside. “I’m at the house now with.. Everyone else.” 

He chokes up a bit when she says another thing, and you don’t understand until he returns the words. 

“I—I miss you too.” 

Swallowing harshly, your expression hardens, and you begin to pull back. 

“I’ll call you later tonight, alright?” He assures, almost in a rush. Your ears catch some of her words, not really interested in any of the conversation anyway, wanting to create a distance between you and Jungkook before anything else would happen, before you would hear something else you wouldn’t want to be hearing at all. 

Finally hanging up, he takes a slow breath in and sets the phone at the side of the pool. 

You finally pull away from him completely. 

“_____.”

You give a curt smile. “Yeah?” 

His head shakes. “Nothing. It’s just.. Are you okay?” 

You nod, slightly with bewildering eyes, asking, “Why wouldn’t I be?” Then, you laugh softly. “We’re not married anymore, Jungkook.” He stiffens, jaw ticking and eyes shifting to catch your flat expression. “And from what I clearly remember — you’re seeing someone else.” You point towards the phone laying carelessly on top of the stone. 

For once, you feel bad for the poor girl who’s probably wondering when his goodnight text from him would be. 

You keep your eyes on his hands that sink and submerge into the water, and back to his sides. 

“Just because it’s our daughter's birthday does not entail us playing family again,” you mumble. “You took that all away from me two years ago, Jungkook.” 

He doesn’t say anything, shamefully looking down at the waves in the pool caused by Yeona a few feet away. A reminder that was given way too late. 

You nod again, turning slowly around. “I’m going to go get the cake ready. I’ll ask Hyejin to help.” 

With the distance you’ve given him, he finally looks up and finds a disapproving look being given by his own roommate, who had seen and observed every single second of the two of you together since being in the pool. 

He understood exactly why. 

-

Everybody eventually makes their way out of the pool and back into the house to hang out at. 

The same subtle music speakers through the house, the kids being fully entertained by the large television in the living room, and the inside of the house being overall in a mood and feeling that definitely differs from your own thoughts that constantly circle around your head. 

Whatever Jungkook was getting at in the pool, definitely wasn’t sitting with you right. And frankly, everything leading up to it too. 

The process of the divorce was already stripping and tiring enough, finalizing the documents and who would get exactly what was already overwhelming enough, but to throw all of that away and not even consider it when you’re wrapped in the arms you were so accustomed to was entirely stressful. 

It didn’t make sense. It never did when it came to him. 

“Yeonie, are you getting sleepy already?” You ask across the room from the kitchen as you watch your little girl yawn and squirm on top of the fluffy carpet she lays on. 

Her head stubbornly shakes with a pout set on her lips. 

Glancing at the clock sat beside her, it was only eight, but judging from the exertion taken place at the pool, Yeona must have been exhausted. 

Your feet move to where she lays lazily, crouching down and moving her towards your lap, you murmur, “Stay awake for me, baby. You haven’t even blown the candles or opened your presents yet.”

She yawns in protest and nuzzles her nose further into your neck. “Not even a nap?” 

Chuckling softly, probably making it worse for her when your fingers trace against her back, you repeat, “Not even a nap.” Saying it exactly knowing what that would entail, Yeona misinterpreting what a nap and sleep was more often than not. 

Jungkook comes back with damp hair and sweats, black socks shuffling through the floor until they reach you. 

“Hey,” you greet, looking down at the sleepy-head in your arms. “She’s tired.” 

He hums, crouching down with an endeared smile. “I can see.” 

“I swear,” you promise to Yeona, patting her back. “Dinner is almost done and then you can go to sleep, alright?” Your eyes search for Jungkook’s and you request, “Keep her awake while I get everything ready?” 

His arms stretch and extend out, and you pass off the small body in your arms. 

His lips instinctively purse to a gentle shush and rocks her gently when he feels her squirm. 

You glare. “I said keep her awake, not encourage her to count the sheep.” 

He winces. “This is new! Usually I’m doing the exact opposite.” He lifts her head, and begins his futile attempts in keeping her eyes open. “Alright, sweetheart. What mommy says, it always goes, so you’re going to have to help me out here, okay?” 

She mumbles incoherently. 

“Come on,” he nudges, “Up.” 

“Play that dancing game she likes,” you suggest. 

Taehyung from the couch, perks at that. “God, I love that game,” inputting himself in the conversation and inviting himself a second later, “Please count me in.”

“You think they have any games like that for kids?” He specifies with a swift look at his friend and Taehyung sends a throw pillow his way. 

Seokjin quickly dissipates it with a scold of how much the pillows cost and which country they were exactly from.

You eye the bar full of wires and game controllers, easily making the assumption quickly, “With the eight different consoles I’m staring at, they must.” 

His head dips down. “How does that sound, baby? You want to dance?” 

Yeona’s completely untouchable when she’s grumpy, so it doesn’t come to a surprise when her arms reels back to try to smack her father away from talking to her anymore. 

Luckily, he dodges it. 

But as her eyes open wider and catches an eyeful of Jungkook dancing along with Kiumin and Taehyung twenty minutes later, she ends up joining them in the end, the same jittery moves she first walked in with. 

You pull Hyejin out of her light conversation with Jimin, opting to question her tinted cheeks for later when it would be time to head to bed. 

Of course, Hyejin will want to pry whenever and wherever, deeming it acceptable when it’s noisy enough with the conversations and laughs airing through it. “Want to talk about it?” Hyejin, located beside you who unwraps the carefully decorated box, asks carefully. 

You feign cluelessness to the subject. “Not sure about what.” 

She pins you a stare. “Come on. I saw what happened. Everybody did.”

Shrugging, you grab the candles, sticking them carefully, three on top and three at the bottom. You would’ve gotten the actual number six, but Jungkook had argued that it would be more fun for your daughter to blow as many candles as she can, the singular candle not being enough for a kid’s satisfaction. 

“I don’t know,” you start unsurely. “It’s just weird, is all. It’s always hot and cold when I’m with him — having weird moments happen every so often and reminding him where the line starts and ends, and then acting perfectly poised when Yeona’s there.” 

Her back hits the counter as she leans, arms crossed and head shaking. “This needs to stop, _____,” she says honestly. “He can’t keep going back and forth like this, completely forgetting everything else that happened — you’re broken up for a reason.” 

“Forget it,” you dismiss with a bite to your lip. “It’s not like I stopped him on time. For a second, I forgot about everything too.” 

She’s visibly stumped, stern expression faltering and letting the silence bloom, other than the outdated pop music and stomping in the background. 

“_____..”

“I’m not going to sit here and blame him for every little thing that I could have controlled myself if I just stayed in my own lane,” distressed hands and fingers pull against your hair and you sigh out, eyes closing shut and feet swaying a little. The throbbing in your head continues and pulls at you venomously, like it couldn’t get enough from the first time. 

Hyejin’s eyes widen and she rushes over to you in full concern. “Babe, are you okay?” 

You nod, even if your furrowed brows clearly show the opposite. “Of course,” you pass off, eyes darting to the same place they’ve been at all night. 

He’s still dancing and smiling.

“He’s not my husband anymore.”

And you say it again, wanting it to stick inside of your head until it fully processes, that it’s your fault just as much as his, for playing against the papers and agreements you’ve spent so many nights and days over. A constant reminder for the rest of your life, and not the other. Not the one that consists of vows and promises. Never that one anymore. 

You muster a quick smile, turning to her gaping mouth who yearns to reach out, but you refuse it when you turn the corner, beginning to set everything up at the main table. 

“Is the birthday girl ready?” Your voice drags, upbeat lilt feigning the pounding in your head. 

High pitched squeals resound from the main room and their small feet bounce against the hardwood. 

Jungkook follows suit. 

“Me!” Yeona calls excitedly, “It’s me, Mommy!” 

“Woah,” Kiumin gapes. “You’re cake is awesome, Yeonie!” 

She giggles and hops on her tippy-toes to get a peek, “Thanks! My grandma made it.” 

“Oh,” Kiumin nods. “She’s awesome.” 

You chuckle softly at the kids, smiling down at the cute cake. You go to pull out your phone for pictures and videos to make sure she would see her work being fully appreciated. 

Jungkook hoists Yeona up on the chair, her lifted cheeks and glittering eyes proving her excitement when she sees the candles already lit. 

“Has it already been six years, already?” Seokjin asks in disbelief, plates and forks already in his hand to set down on the table. 

You nod, pouting and squishing one of her cheeks, “Already a big girl.” 

Yeona hums, “Basically a grown-up now!” 

Hyejin bursts in laughter, everybody following right behind. 

“Alright,” Jungkook sighs, arms circling around her softly, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Fondly staring down at his rapidly growing little girl, the same feeling you hold to your chest. “Don’t need to rub it into our faces, miss.” 

Your camera clicks on its own, a fond smile subconsciously forming. 

“Are we ready to sing?” Namjoon timidly asks. You turn to find him weary at the sight on the wax that begins to drip rapidly. “It’s just—the candles are starting to melt.” 

You laugh, nodding. “Alright, let’s sing.” 

It starts off normal, a little bit muted, until Kiumin bursts into a full performance for his best friend. Until Seokjin follows along and throws in an impromptu dance routine. Her father and the others join in right after, impressed at how eerily good it actually looked, almost looking rehearsed. But then you familiarize yourself with the sharp moves, the hands and arms showcasing that it was the corny traffic dance Seokjin taught them all a few years back on one drunk night.

Until eventually everybody does their best in throwing Yeona in a fit of giggles. 

You join her side and guide her into making a wish, clamping her hands shut and scrunching her eyes closed, until the commotion quiets and she opens her eyes with hopefulness written all over it. 

Kiumin is the first to question through the silence. “What’d you wish for, Yeonie?” 

She simply smiles, glancing at you from her side, and then moving her gaze straight to Jungkook. 

She subtly shakes her head, voice so soft, almost completely blurred into a whisper, “If I tell you, it’ll never come true.”

* .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*. * .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.* .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.

hi, i’m back omg. i had to take some time away bc midway of finishing this up, literally a few paragraphs away, i ended up having my mental health spiral down. but now, i’m better and managed to finish this part.

also please tell me ur thoughts! i crave validation n use ur feedback as my fuel towards anything i write. :]

* .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*. * .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.*｡･ﾟ✫*.* .✫*ﾟ･ﾟ｡.☆.

[teawaffles]

Forbidden Games: Chapter 4

Alan led the way as the two men proceeded down the corridor to another room. While he walked alone in front, the pair noticed the footsteps of several people following them from behind.

They seemed to be travelling to the back of the building, and apart from the people who were currently moving, there was no sign of life. Apparently, ‘normal’ participants could only play in that large hall from before.

“It’s gotten quite chilly, hasn’t it? As I recall, Mr Holmes, you’re not fond of the cold. Are you alright?” William murmured, his shoulders shaking slightly.

Sherlock himself wasn’t particularly sensitive to the cold, but he kept his expression static as he pondered the intention behind that statement.

In the next moment, William twitched the corner of his mouth upwards in a gesture that only Sherlock would understand. Recognising this, Sherlock understood everything, and promptly played along.

“That’s right. It does seem chilly. ——Liam, could you lend me your coat?”

“No problem, here you go.”

“Thanks.”

William held out the coat he had been carrying under his arm. Sherlock took it and immediately put it on. Then, he straightened the coat as he carefully checked how it felt on him.

“If you’re feeling cold, may I suggest we have a warm drink in one of these rooms before proceeding?”

Alan posed the question with a seemingly concerned tone. It appeared that he had taken William’s words at face value.

“No worries. Anyway, I’m also excited to see what kind of game you have for us. It’s almost like the shivers before a battle.”

At Sherlock’s words, Alan nodded happily.

“Is that the case? As the one introducing you to it, I’m pleased to hear that.”

At last, they reached their destination. Alan quietly opened the door and bid the duo enter. The two men shared a look, and went in silently.

The room was dimly lit, and roughly a quarter the size of the hall they were previously in. In the centre was a finely crafted round table, and surrounding it was a group of gentlemen standing in silence, staring at the new entrants.

It was an ominous sight, as if it were a secret ritual. The men’s expressions were unanimously mild, but there was also a keen sense of malice hidden underneath. Even so, having witnessed countless bloody battles and come out standing, William and Sherlock remained unperturbed amidst the disquieting atmosphere.

Sherlock looked at a corner of the room, and flashed a big grin.

“Yo, fancy meeting you here.”

Standing there was the noble’s son whom Sherlock had been tasked to find. Just like the other gentlemen, he was dressed sharply. Yet he lacked a trace of the dignity befitting a noble, instead glancing around his surroundings in sheer terror.

Having observed the young man’s appearance, William murmured a question to Sherlock.

“Is he the young man you were searching for?”

“Yep. It looks like he’s alive for now, but judging from his behaviour, it’s not hard to imagine how he was treated by these guys.”

After deducing the situation, they heard the click of a lock behind them.

Turning around, they saw Alan standing with his back to the door, a smile plastered on his face.

“As expected, you’re quick on the uptake. I sincerely admire your excellent deductive abilities.”

Sherlock snorted at his feigned courtesy.

“What’re you talking about? You’re the one who brought us here.”

“I thought it’d be pointless to keep this place a secret once you’d sniffed it out. Anyway, I reckoned I’d make sure to give him a proper welcome too.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. Still, what reason could you possibly have for locking up some noble brat? Are all these guys your accomplices too?”

Alan made a show of being astonished.

“We don’t do such perverse things as locking people up. All we pursue is the pure delight of a game, and the comrades gathered here today share in this goal. It is only when pleasure is kept secret that it ascends to a higher realm.”

“——So just like what you did to us earlier, you invited this man here, coerced him into playing some ‘thrilling game’ which he lost, then locked him in this room until he pays off his debt. Is that right?”

“…………”

William’s harsh words stripped away the veneer of Alan’s so-called lofty pleasures, revealing them to be but deceitful tricks. The man raised no retort, and Sherlock clicked his tongue.

“So, are you holding this noble’s son hostage for ransom? Or are you thinking of threatening him so that he’ll make arrangements for you when he inherits his estate? In any case, deceiving and threatening kids makes you no different from a stingy crook.”

Having been bluntly maligned, Alan finally shook his head in sadness.

“It’s utterly regrettable to be misunderstood in such a way. This man consented to play the game of his own free will. However, because he refused to pay up despite his defeat, I’ve had to keep persuading him ardently like this.”

“Persuasion…… so you say,” William retorted.

Having taught students of the same age, he did not hide his displeasure.

Then Sherlock pressed on, openly revealing his irritation.

“Well? Our goal here’s to bring him home safely, but as for you, you’re not going to let things go that easily, are you?”

Alan held out both arms, as if to express his admiration.

“Both of you have been a big help advancing the conversation so smoothly. But there’s no need to be afraid. We have no intention of committing barbaric acts. As I conveyed from the start, all I want to do is play a game with you, with all my heart and soul.”

“Damn you, if this was really just a game then there’d be no need to bet.”

“Doesn’t the risk of defeat just add to the excitement?”

“……Only your ability to make sophisms is first-class, huh.”

They seemed to be getting nowhere trading arguments with this man. Sherlock sighed, as if rendered speechless.

Taking over from the exhausted detective, William spoke up.

“In that case, would you release this man if we win your game?”

Alan nodded in enthusiasm.

“Precisely, since our motto is that all’s fair and square when it comes to games.”

However, Sherlock nudged William with his elbow.

“Liam, you don’t have to go out of your way to play along with them. If you leave it to me, I’ll beat these wimps to a pulp in seconds.”

Hearing Sherlock’s statement, Alan took a step back.

“Ooh, how frightening. In that case……”

He raised his hand. Taking that as a signal, one of Alan’s accomplices brandished a knife and held it to the young noble’s throat. Unable to even make a sound, the young man went white with shock.

“We have no choice but to respond appropriately.”

Alan’s friendly smile had morphed into a brutal one. Having seen the gentleman reveal his true nature, William finally looked at him with disgust.

“In other words, no matter how much we struggle to avoid it, we’ll be drawn into a game…… and although it wouldn’t be outright impossible, it would be difficult to call it ‘fair and square’.”

“This is all simply because we love games,” Alan said brazenly, with no regard for the hostility directed at him.

At that instant, the pair decided to crush this man.

“——Excellent.”

Sherlock spoke up. Even though it wasn’t said particularly loudly, his statement rang out across the room.

William continued in an exceedingly polite tone.

“The extent to which you wish to play games, that I have understood completely. Therefore, regardless of the outcome, I hope you will not regret your decision.”

“……Ooh.”

The pressure exerted by the pair’s fighting spirit had started to make Alan’s entire body tense up.

“I’m glad to hear that you’re in the mood now. By the way, what would you both like to wager on this match?”

At his question, the pair looked at each other.

“We demand that this man be set free. As for the price of our defeat…… Well, I’ll do whatever you want.”

“Anything I want?” Alan doubted.

Immediately, William chimed in.

“Then it would be the same for me. In the event that we lose, be it money, my position as a noble, or the fruits of my academic research, please feel free to lay claim to any of them.”

Alan’s eye twitched at their careless manner of speaking.

“……I don’t suppose you both take me for a fool?” he uttered, in a deeply uncomfortable tone.

“That would be outrageous. It’s simply because I have conviction.”

“When Liam and I team up, no one can stand up to us.”

They were outnumbered in the enemy’s hideout. On top of that, the enemy had taken a hostage.

But even though it would seem to anyone that they were at a disadvantage, the duo’s voices were filled with confidence. Any listener would soon realise that it was not an act of bravado. The two of them had complete trust that their intellectual capacity and force of will far exceeded that of these petty villains.

“…………”

Having been struck head-on by William and Sherlock’s unshakeable conviction, an intense, hot hatred welled up in the pit of Alan’s stomach.

——In the past, Alan had been an influential noble with a vast plot of land in the vicinity of Durham. However, he had fallen into economic ruin with the Industrial Revolution and the current of the times. Simply put, he had begun to walk the path of his downfall.

He’d blindly believed his days of prosperity would continue for all eternity. Watching them fade away, Alan had sunk into the depths of despair, and desperately sought a way to assuage this sense of defeat.

To that end, he became absorbed in games. Whenever he and his opponent had agreed upon the rules and engaged in an earnest match, with him coming out the victor, Alan found that those indescribable highs were finally able to satisfy him.

Having grown aware of his appetite, upon finding out that there was a club established with the purpose of playing ‘games’, Alan immediately sought out his old friends in the nobility to gain admission. He then gathered like-minded people from within the club. Among the club members, he then would pick a target, covertly invite them to a game, and use brute force to achieve victory after victory.

Day after day they would rob nobles of their rights, with demands for payment which were unmistakably threats. His accomplices appeared to be satisfied by the profits, but Alan was different. He wanted to look down upon his opponent and use any means necessary to make them surrender.

Therefore, even now, as he held a noble’s son as a hostage, Alan refused to negotiate. He only desired to win the game. No matter what absurd sequence of events was taking place.

However, these young men were different. Even in the midst of danger, they were calm and composed, with no expectation at all that they would be defeated.

Faced with a type of person he had never met up till now, Alan not only remembered what it felt like to be irritated, but also chuckled inwardly to himself: it would surely be a pleasant experience to tear them down.

Once again, he put on a boastful smirk.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll be the one to decide the price of your defeat.”

“Fine by me. Well then, what game shall we play?”

[milkacchan]

Sero/Bakugou/Kaminari w an S/O who's stupid good with kids

Sero-

• It was at the beach:)

• A little boy came up to you and your group of friends clearly in distress

• You immediately hopped on to ask what was wrong and comfort the small child

• You knelt in front of the boy and gently took his hands, telling him that whatever was going on would be okay

• Baby boy was crying and when you gently asked what was wrong he told you that he couldnt find his parents

• you wiped the tears from his cheeks and smiled at him, assuring him that you'd help him find his parents

• Sero's staring at you, eyes wide and cheeks red, just watching you deal with the situation at hand

• Like he knew you were good with with kids

• At least from what he's heard and sorta seen

• but he didn't know you were THIS good

• It was especially impressive since no one else in the group knew what to do

• But here you were

• Momming out

• Mina grins knowingly

• Seros always had a thing for people that were good w kids

• Sero falls in love for a second fucking time and he can feel his heart going crazy

• The way the little boy his holding onto your shoulders as you try to figure out where they might be

• The way you've secured him on your hip, making sure he laughs and smiles

• The way home doing everything in his power to make sure he's okay

•It's got Sero feeling some typa way

• And he's with you when you walk off to find his parents

• And he watches you set the boy down when he she's his parents and the way you smile as he runs to them

• He's enraptured watching you greet the parents- telling them what had happened and apologizing for taking so long

• He's enthralled as he watches you say goodbye to the boy, giving him a highfive and a hug

• And when they leave he's quick to take your hand and press a gentle kiss to your lips

• You grin at him

• 'I love you,'

Bakugou-

• Battle begs some interesting situations

• You run into a lot of things when you fight with villians

• This time it happened to be a kid.

• Everyone knew Bakugou wasn't particularly good with children

• He was okay with the younger ones but after they're like 7, they're mouthy

• And it annoys him

• You're the one to swing in though, sweeping the child up in your arms and holding her to your chest as she cries.

• She can't be more than five, her shirt is ripped, along with the leggings under her skirt

• You're rubbing her back, whispering into her ear that it'd be okay

• And something in him just- idk flipped

• You were being so gentle and he felt himself falling again

• How you went from the one goal of annihilation of an enemy to comforting a small child was incredible

• you've got a hand wiping her tears, telling her it's okay, the other securely on her back.

• You keep telling her you're not going anywhere, that she was finally safe

• She doesn't stop crying until your reiterate, many times, that you're not letting her go.

• She calms down as much as any child can in that situation. Her breaths were still uneven and her eyes were still watery but she wasn't sobbing anymore.

• he looks over when you when you walk up next to him

• honestly the instinct to protect is sinking in

• Just looking at you holding a kid, he feels like it's his JOB, his DUTY, to make sure you two are safe

• You personally are very protective of the kid

• you havent let the police taken her

• You havent let the pro heros take her

• You wouldn't dream of it the way shes holding onto you

• he finds himself warding off people trying to take her, telling them to fuck off and get lost

• and then he watches you

• He watches as you bounce her gently, humming in her ear and rubbing her back to calm her crying again

• He watches as you play with her hair, massaging her scalp gently to let her know it's okay to relax

• He watches you rub her back as she starts to fall asleep, exhaustion finally taking over

• And he watches as you hold her, not daring to put her down

• Covering her her small body with a blanket

• He's completely fine with it when you bring the idea of the girl staying in your shared apartment until her parents are found

• He watches you glare at the people in the corner who had tried to take her away as you left

• And over the next 3 days he watches you care for this girl like she was your own

• He knew you were good with kids

• He knew you had a mom instinct

• He along with his group of friends had been victim to it a few times in highschool

• But he didn't know it was to THIS extent

• It makes him feel warm when you feed her

• When you spin her around so she'll laugh or watch TV on the couch

• And he's torn when the parents are found because he sees you

• You were so strong delivering her back after spending three days with her

• But once she's gone you're crying

• And he feels kind of weird too, like now something missing

• Anyway. The parents have you as their babysitter 😌

• And you and Bakugou decide that maybe it's time to have your own kid

Kaminari-

• Kaminari takes you to a family BBQ

• With his

• WHOLE family

• Immediately- his little cousins love you. Especially the littlest one. She's fascinated with you and she ADORES you

• She ends up glued by your side and Kamis a lil jealous

• But watching you interact with her makes him warm

• You're so kind and gentle with her

• You pick her up and spin her around

• You let her play with your hair

• You're giving her piggy back rides ir letting her play on your phone

• He watches and you gently squish her cheeks and rub the tip of your nose against hers

• he watches as his 5 year old cousin lights up and laughs, leaning into you with a wide smile

• He watches as you pull her onto your lap so she doesnt have to sit on the ground

• He watches as you reapply her sunscreen and make her drink some water

• He watches you care for her as if she were your own, no questions asked.

• He watches you do the same to the other kids, making sure they're alright and they have what they need

• He listens to his mother making jokes that she's just going to have you watch the kids at family outings from now on

• Or his aunties say they'll pay her to spend the weekend at their house to babysit

• And then his dad say that his kids wont have to worry because they'll have a perfect mother

• And he's right

• If the two of you decided to have children at some point, after marriage, you truly would be the perfect mother

• He looks back at you and his heart flutters

• He knew you were the one, he knew you were the one he wanted to marry but fuck if he hadn't just fallen in love all over again

[notkageyamasprincess]

youth | tsukishima kei x reader

characters: childhood friend!tsukishima kei x g/n!reader

genre/warnings: fluff, a tiny crumb of angst, typical unrequited love EXCEPT IT’S NOT UNREQUITED, maybe crack if you really squint, no warnings except maybe cussing? anyways they slow dance in a playground 💞

words: 2.4k

summary: you and tsukishima are on a late-night snack run when you pass by the playground where you met as kids. together, you reminisce about childhood memories, make a few realizations, and make plans to fulfill an old promise.

notes: listen to youth by troye sivan while reading if you’d like. also, i tried to make the reader gender-neutral, hopefully i didn’t accidentally miss something

The sound of distant traffic and rustling leaves filled your ears as you and Tsukishima walked home from your trip to the nearby 24-hour convenience store. The snack packaging crinkled in the plastic bag he carried, and your footsteps fell into a comfortable rhythm beside him. The orange gleam of the streetlamps created tall shadows of your silhouettes, stretching across the pavement in front of you. Turning your head, you recognized the familiar metal railings of the old playground you visited countless times as children.

You tugged at his sleeve to stop him and pointed to the entrance. 

“Do you remember when we used to come here all the time? Let’s go sit for a while, I don’t feel like going home yet.”

“Suit yourself. It’s cold, I’m going home,” he responded, a scowl on his face. He hands you the bag and continues walking.

“Hmm, I bet you just want to leave so you can go text your crush. Your mom would be pissed if she found out that you left me out here alone at this hour, though. Auntie loves me like I’m her own child, you know that” you called out, grinning mischievously. 

He stops in his tracks. “____, are you threatening me?”

“Nope,” you replied in a sly tone. “I’m just a master of persuasion.” You don’t wait for him to reply and started cheerfully towards the swings, knowing he would follow you. You grinned even wider when you hear his strides coming closer.

You couldn’t see it, but a ghost of a smile softened his expression as he trailed behind you.

“You’re annoying,” he muttered. 

Fine, whatever. As long as it makes you happy.

You set down the plastic bag next to the swings and nudged his shoulder as he approached you. “Look, I’ll treat you to a hot drink to make it up to you. There’s a vending machine over there, what do you want?”

“Coffee’s good.”

As you hurried over to the machine, he gazed at your retreating figure illuminated by the dim glow emitting from behind the glass. He chuckled as you propped your chin on your hand, carefully pondering the options before you.

Your eyes flitted over the labels before finally settling on what to get for yourself. 

Milk tea it is.

You returned, tossing him his coffee which he caught effortlessly. 

He met your eyes with an amused look. “Took you long enough.”

“Hey, it was a difficult decision!” 

You plopped down on the swing next to him and popped open the tab on your own drink.

------☾------☾------ 

You swayed back and forth, tracing circles in the gravel with your foot as you and Tsukishima recounted your childhood antics. Breaths rise in puffs as you nursed your drinks.

“Sometimes I wish we could be kids again. We didn’t have anything to worry about…”

He hummed in agreement. You snuck a glance at his handsome features. Moonlight reflected off his glasses as he sipped from his can and you felt your cheeks burn when you realized you were staring at his lips.

And I didn’t have to hide anything from you. Especially not my feelings. I didn’t need to suppress my jealousy when girls asked you for “help” on solving problem sets, or when you brought up your crush. I didn’t have to act like I wasn’t sulking when you received other people’s chocolates on Valentine’s Day. I didn’t have to worry about ruining our friendship.

You quickly caught yourself and shook it off, putting a plastic smile on your face. “…I want to go back and relive it again,” you continued.

He quirked an eyebrow. “You sure? What about the time you tried to play hero when Yamaguchi was getting bullied, and then you ended up twisting your ankle?”

“I didn’t expect those boys to actually fight back. Plus, they were nearly twice my size, I didn’t think they would be that low,” you huffed.

“Who knows what would have happened if I wasn’t there.” 

“Luckily, my knight in shining armour came to the rescue,” you giggled, recalling how he had to carry you home on his back. “Anyways, if that didn’t happen, then we wouldn’t have become the Three Musketeers.”

“Dude, stop calling us that, it’s embarrassing.”

“The point is, as far as I know, all my memories with you guys are good memories.”

Tsukishima felt a smile tug on the corners of his lips yet tried hard to conceal how happy that made him feel.

“You’re such a sap. That’s because for the last ten years, I was constantly saving your ass and cleaning up after your messes,” he scoffed.

But I don’t think I’d mind doing that for another ten years. Or twenty.

You noticed faint music coming from his earbuds and perked up.

“Hey, you’re using the earbuds I got you for Christmas!”

“Of course, dumbass. What else would I do with them?”

“I still think you seem cooler with headphones but at least now no one gets to call you broke,” you joked.

He winced. “Isn’t that a dead meme? Also, they’re convenient and I like how they’re wireless.”

You just beamed at him.

He loved how pleased you get over the smallest things. He loved how your eyes became crescents when you smiled. He loved how easy it was to read you. Your emotions were always written on your face and you never made him guess.

God, I’m whipped. 

You finished your drink and placed it on the ground. “So, what are you listening to?” You reached over to take an earbud and found a saccharine love song crooning in your ear. “I didn’t know you listened to stuff like this,” you teased. 

“That’s because I don’t. Did you forget that you were the one who added this to my playlist?”

“Excuses, excuses. Just admit it, it’s a good song.” You leapt up and made a move to pull him up. “Let’s dance.”

“The hell? No way, why would I?”

“Come on, there’s no one else here except us, and I really want to.” You gave him your best puppy eyes and begged. “Kei-chan…Please?”

Tsukishima felt his resolve weaken.

This is bad. Why is it so hard to say no?

“I told you already, drop the -chan,” he said, reluctantly letting you drag him away.

You wrapped his arms around your waist and looped yours around his neck. “Oops, I guess old habits die hard.” You looked up at him. “Kei.”

The tips of his ears tinged pink and he felt the back of his neck heat up.

Shit, shit, shit. Calm down, she only said your name. Stop freaking out.

“Hey, your neck feels really warm right now. Didn’t you say you were cold?”

“Shut up, that’s just because of your sweaty hands.”

“Deal with it.”

------☾------☾------

You gently swayed to the tune and closed your eyes, savouring the moment. 

He glanced down. The moon shined on you and accentuated your long eyelashes, cute nose, and rosy lips. A slight breeze swept over the two of you and your hair fluttered softly in the air before coming to a rest, framing your face once more.

When did this brat get so attractive?

He averted his eyes just in time before you noticed. The current song ended, and a more upbeat track began to play. It was “Youth” by Troye Sivan.

“Do you want to stop? This is probably too fast to dance to, and you’re going off the beat,” he pointed out.

“No, it’s alright. I’m having fun and I really like this song.”

You reached into his coat pocket to put the song on loop then laid your head on his shoulder. Truthfully, this was the most romantic thing you’ve ever done. You wanted to press pause on the entire world and stay in your haven for as long as possible.

“Kei, do you know what just came to mind? This is the place where we first met, and I remember being obsessed with you at first because I thought you looked similar to the main character from my favourite movie. Back then, I made it my goal to marry someone just like him.”

You smiled wistfully at the memory, recalling how you followed him around everywhere like a lost puppy. You found it hilarious that you liked him even then.

He smirked. “Yeah, I avoided you like the plague and I got so fed up because you wouldn’t stop pestering me to marry you.”

“Yup! You even told me that kids are too young to marry but I just made you swear not to kiss other people and to marry me when we were old enough,” you laughed. “Now that I’m looking back on it, that was a pretty stupid promise.”

He honestly didn’t think it was that stupid. There were things that were more stupid in the world. One of them being your taste in men, for instance. He was tired of hearing you gush about a new guy every month.

You and Tsukishima allowed yourselves to get lost in the music and immersed yourselves in the lyrics.

My youth, my youth is yours Tripping on skies, sipping waterfalls

My youth, my youth is yours Run away now and forevermore

My youth, my youth is yours A truth so loud you can't ignore

My youth, my youth, my youth My youth is yours

  “We should go soon. You mentioned you had plans tomorrow morning, right?” he asked.

“I do, but it’s nothing too important. I’m meeting up with Terushima-san.”

His expression soured. “You mean that greasy bastard with the tongue piercing who tried to hit on you at one of our games? Why are you going on a date with that guy?”

“It’s not a date!” you protested. “He asked me to hang out with him once and then he’ll stop texting me.”

He tightened his hold on your waist.

Don’t go.

“You should have just ignored him, it’s not like you owe him a date,” he grumbled.

Why are you wasting your time on him?

You shrugged. “Too late now, it’d be rude to cancel so last minute.”

He rolled his eyes.

Are you trying to make me jealous? Open your eyes, I’m right in front of you! 

You froze. 

Did I hear that right?

You slowly pulled out of the embrace and scanned his face. He looked at you with an indecipherable emotion. Your heart sped up and you hesitated, wondering if you should say something. 

But why would he be jealous, that’s just wishful thinking right? Isn’t he in love with someone else?

You questioned him with a hopeful tone. “Kei. Can you say that again? I might have misheard.” 

Tsukishima’s expression morphed into one of perplexity. And then it dawned on him. 

Oh. Oh. Fuck, fuck, FUCK. 

You started talking before he got a chance to collect his thoughts. “I heard something about jealousy, and I think I heard you say, ‘Open your eyes, I’m right in front of you.’” Your imploring eyes nervously met his own. “But that can’t be right. You were just telling me about the person you were in love with last week.”

Shit. So, you heard it all. 

His mind was racing for ways to take himself out of the current situation. He didn’t think there was much damage control he could do at this point, but you seemed confused and skeptical of what he just said. Maybe he could try to play it off. 

Or... what if I took the opportunity to come clean?

He took a deep breath. “Actually, I’m in love with you, ____. The person I was talking about was you.”

You couldn’t believe your ears.  Never in your wildest fantasies did you entertain the possibility of him returning your feelings. 

He’s in love with…me? This is a dream. This has to be a dream. 

“It’s okay, you don’t have to respond. This is why I didn’t want to tell you,” he continued. “Look, just give me some time, it doesn’t have to be awkward between us or anything, we can act like how we were before.”

He loosened his hold and started to pull away when you suddenly gripped his shoulders.

“Kei. Pinch me.”

“What?”

“Pinch me,” you repeated. “Ow!” You rubbed your cheek. “Okay, this is definitely not a dream then.”

You gazed up at him and carefully placed your hands on both sides of his face. 

“Listen, I feel the same way. I love you. I’ve loved you since we were sixteen.”

His eyes widened. He gathered you in his arms and engulfed you in a hug. He felt relieved. He felt like he was in the clouds. He felt like he was on a high that he would never come down from. 

You laughed and wrapped yourself around him. 

After a couple minutes, he finally spoke. “____, this might be happiest moment of my entire life. The only thing that can top this would be the moment I see you walking down the aisle towards me. I’m serious. I fully intend to marry you.”

“I have no complaints. As long as you don’t go back on your words, I guess you’re stuck with me.”

“Idiot.” 

“I’m your idiot now,” you grinned. 

He kissed you on the forehead and smirked. “That’s right.”

You melted at the rare display of affection. Almost immediately after, an amusing idea came to your attention and you cracked up.

“What’s so funny?”

“I was just thinking, I feel like I should pat myself on the back and congratulate myself. Six-year-old me would be very pleased at how things turned out.”

He snorted. “Yeah, maybe you were onto something there.” 

“There’s one thing I’m curious about though. When did you realize you had feelings for me?”

“I’m not exactly sure. I think it was sometime during the first year of junior high that I started seeing you differently and noticed that I liked you as more than a best friend.”

Your jaw dropped. “You’re kidding. For real? You’ve suffered for way longer than I had.”

His cheeks flushed scarlet and he avoided looking in your direction for a few seconds. “Well, I wouldn’t call it suffering, but at least now you know.” Then, he caught your eyes and stared at you intently. “Hold on, you’re not still going on that date tomorrow with Terushima, right?”

You smiled reassuringly. “Not anymore. I mean, tonight changed things. I have a boyfriend now, yes?”

“Yeah. Unfortunately for him, you’re mine.”

“I’m yours.”

My youth, my youth is yours A truth so loud you can't ignore

My youth, my youth, my youth My youth is yours

My youth is yours

My youth is yours.

a/n: okay if you actually read to the end, thank uuu!  i’ve had the idea of slow-dancing in the night while listening to youth for a couple years now, it’s just been floating around in my head and i decided to take a chance to write it out! started as a cute date idea but alas, i have no partner to re-enact this with... so there you go! i honestly wanted to write kageyama for my first piece but tsukishima fit a bit better lmao. please feel free to give feedback or general thoughts!

[softkuna]

playlist

›  𝚋𝚘𝚔𝚞𝚝𝚘 𝚡 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚎𝚛 𝚡 𝚔𝚞𝚛𝚘𝚘

› 𝚙𝚘𝚕𝚢. 𝚙𝚛𝚘𝚋𝚊𝚋𝚕𝚢 𝚐𝚛𝚊𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚛 𝚒𝚜𝚜𝚞𝚎𝚜. 𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚒𝚗𝚍𝚞𝚕𝚐𝚎𝚗𝚝 𝚠𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚟𝚒𝚋𝚎𝚜. 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎𝚜 𝚊 𝚙𝚕𝚊𝚢𝚕𝚒𝚜𝚝.

›  𝟸𝟷𝟿𝟻𝚔

You had a shit day. You got pegged in the face with a volleyball so hard, you could practically taste the concussion as you sprawled backwards. Luckily, the medic ok’d you to keep playing. Unluckily, the whole ordeal happened right in front of a pro team’s scouting manager. The embarrassment alone made you want to hide under a rock until next season. To make it all sting just a little bit more, Bokuto and Kuroo had their own games to attend, so it wasn’t like you could curl up in Kuroo’s dorm like you might’ve before. Bokuto was only in town for a few days, too, and you were certain he’d be practicing or playing the whole weekend. So instead, you sigh as you walk onto the train by campus, shooting a text to the tweedle-dee and tweedle-dum.

🗨️We lost :( I think I broke my nose. And my careeeeeeer

  Bokuto’s fingers rapid-fire replied, followed my Kuroo’s more casual pace.

  🗯️BROKEN NOSE?!! ARE YOU OK???

🗯️Wait how did u lose? Aren’t they good luck????

💬That’s a broken leg, bruh.

💬Sorry babe. You’re not concussed, though, right?

🗨️I’m fine ^^” just pulled a hina

🗯️Hows a broken leg good luck? U cant play on that THAT SHIT HURTS 😱 😱

🗨️👀 👀 👀

🗨️Bo pls

  As you sat on the train, you quietly snorted to yourself. Bokuto was an amazing player and an even better boyfriend, but sometimes you thought his muscles squeezed out a braincell or two.

💬Saw the clip on twitter. hows your face? I’m sure its still hot

  You scoffed with a roll of your eyes. Kuroo, flirtatious as always, but your reflexive smile matched the tone of your text.

🗨️If hot = busted, then sure 🙄

🗯️HEY UR HOT 😘 😘 SHUDDUP

  By the way their texts disjointedly pieced together before coming to a halt, you knew their matches started. You locked your screen with a sigh. Whether it was the ace’s ADHD-induced impulse thoughts or the blocker’s humorously blunt honesty, the two had always managed to spike your spirits high and block the anxieties that crept over the net. Without their distractions, the day replayed in 4K across the theater of your mind. Back slumped against the seat, you could feel the heaviness of it drag you down to the ocean floor.

  But now here you were, walking to your apartment with no reprieve from the disappointment. Rather than doing your adult responsibilities like clean, cook, or generally care past a shower, you slept. It was a deep, blank sleep. The type where you know you’d wake up feeling that eerie calm in the dead of night.

    Brightness blared next to your pillow – invading your vision as it violently vibrated against your hand. A loud ring attacked your half-concious hearing, jolting your heart like a jumpstarted engine. Quick reflexes enacted before you could stop the near Olympic vault of your phone into the wall across the bed.

  “You’ve got to be kidding me… who the hell….” You tear the blankets off, shivering at the cold as you pick the device back up. Thank your lord and savior, Asahi, for gifting you an Otter Box for Christmas.

  A gentle gasp left your lips as you saw a slew of missed texts from the dynamic duo. Oh no. Oh no. You felt horrendous. Your phone lit up as a photo of Kuroo with a French fry up his nose vibrated to life.

  As fast as your fingers could, you slid to answer, “He-“

  “-LLO WE ARE OUTSIDE ARE YOU COMING OR WHAT?!” Bokuto hollered into the mic, practically blowing out the speaker with sheer vocal force.

  “Holy shit, Bo! What? What do you mean?” Cautiously, the screen was brought closer to your cheek again, ghosting about a centimeter for your hearing’s safety.

  “Don’t you check your phone, hot-stuff? We’re going for a drive,” Kuroo honked the horn, echoing through the window and phone.

  Sure enough, the string of texts was about a drive and a half-planned plan of action. Thrilled enthusiasm rippled through you. You didn’t even think you’d get to see Bokuto this visit let alone with Kuroo! Praise the scheduling gods!

  The phone squished between your shoulder and ear as hands searched for an outfit that wasn’t your hoe shorts and sports bra. You threw on Bokuto’s old Ace’s Way shirt, and on top a near ancient Nekoma varsity jacket. Both items of which were left in your apartment from a get together nearly a year ago, “I’ll be out in a sec!”

  College was difficult. Especially when each of you had gone in somewhat different directions after high school. Kuroo, like yourself, played volleyball in university. And like yourself, nearly ripped his hair out when experiencing the hell that was Macroeconomics with Professor Mori. Bokuto was scouted play volleyball professionally, popping in and out of Tokyo to visit you two. At some point along the way and a slew of confusing budding emotions later, the three of you dove head first into a lovingly symbiotic relationship. It was hard when each of your schedules were chaotic, but worked out for the best as you all strove for your own goals while cheering each other on.

  You grabbed your bag of random things including underwear, extra clothes, and some money.  You never knew with the two of them what may happen and you learned from one wild trip to Osaka that Bokuto’s sense of direction was about as bad as you’d think it’d be.

  Half jogging, you rolled your eyes to the red corvette. Kuroo loved that thing way too much. Through the window, you could see Bokuto lean across the console to open the back driver-side door for you. The grin he wore could’ve fueled the sun itself, “BABE! LIGHT OF MY LIFE! EDGE-LINE STRAIGHT SHOT! WER’RE GOING ON AN ADVENTURE,” His muscular arm stretched to you, calloused hands reaching for you to grab.

  He pulled you you between the seats for a  bear hug, wide chest nearly eating you whole. He was as toasty as always. Or maybe it was just your cheeks. Either way, you were happy to see him, “Missed you, Bo! Sorry for missing the texts.”

  “You were asleep weren’t ya?” Kuroo turned in the driver side, a hand finding its place at the crown of your hair. The lazy pique of his own lop-sided smile greeted your playful glare, which melted into a nod and a sigh. The look he gave softened at the navy-coated aura rolling off you in waves. He stroked your hair once, poking your cheek as his hand passed it, “You’re here. ‘s all that matters. Now, Hoots over here can shut up about your nose, which is… a little fucked up, wow.”

  “You don’t say?” Your expression dead-panned as Bokuto pulled back from you to examine the swollen cartilage. While you wanted them to see the game, you were absolutely glad that they didn’t. Bokuto would have barreled down the bleachers had he seen your wipe out in person. Actually, you recalled a snap from Atsumu; the camera pointed to the tile of a locker room, Bokuto’s howling in the background with a simple caption of ‘You good?’  

  Pulling away from the ace, you sat back into the middle seat, arms resting on the leather between the passenger and driver sides. Kuroo drove with his hands low on the wheel, long digits thwacking the steering wheel to a silent beat. You glanced between the two, suspicious of their matching expressions. You dared ask, “Why’s it so quiet?”

  “Are you saying-“ Kuroo began.

  “-you want some tuunesss?” Bokuto ended giddily.

  He readily tapped a button on his phone, shielding the screen from you protectively. Kuroo’s gaze darted between the dash screen and the road, waiting for whatever shitpost song Bokuto most definitely was about to put on.

  “Guys… what are you-“

  A record scratch.

  I still hear your voice when you sleep next to me.

  “You’re fucking kidding me! Turn it up, turn it up!” Your hand bulleted to the volume, body squeezing past the two to crank up Cascada’s Everytime We Touch until the windows rattled. Kuroo and Bokuto shared a knowing, toothy smirk. Bingo.

  “Forgive me, my weakness, but I don't know why

Without you, it's hard to survive!”

  Duetting with the utmost of dramatics, you and Bokuto reached for some imaginary lover escaping in the distance, opposite hand grasping near your hearts. Kuroo snickered, forever and always amused at how weirdly in-sync the two of you could be. Watching both of you thrash wildly together was probably the most endearing thing he’s seen all day.

  The silveret pumped his fists as you both scream-sang the modern masterpiece. His large hands enveloped yours with enough theatrics to shake the emotion into the chorus:  

  “'Cause every time we touch, I get this feeling

And every time we kiss, I swear I could fly

Can't you feel my heart beat fast? I want this to last

Need you by my side

'Cause every time we touch, I feel the static

And every time we kiss, I reach for the sky

Can't you hear my heart beat so? I can't let you go

Want you in my life!”

  The palm of your hands smacked into their biceps at the last lines, letting the 2000’s synth twinkle into your veins. The vibes in this vehicle were immaculate. Waves that crashed over you, drowning you earlier in the day, receded, leaving sun-warmed sands to dance across. The ones who paved the way were a sarcastic cat and overzealous owl.

  The song was coming to an end and you excitedly whipped between the two, “What’s next?! What’s the playlist?! Link it to me? Please?” You bat your eyelashes at them, Kuroo nudging his chin to the other. The ace hurriedly clicked a few buttons and opened a few apps, radiating delight itself, “Done!” Your phone buzzed with Bokuto’s link. The title of the playlist popped up, overpouring unadulterated admiration into your heart until it warmed up to your cheeks.

  Tunes To Cheer Our Best Babe Up To.

 It was silly, but on brand for the two. All of the songs were added within the last three hours by both boys. Each one of them an absolute banger.

  It was Kuroo’s idea in the beginning. He remembered all the times in high school you’d cry after an exam, near inconsolable until he’d loan you his headphones. Just a few months ago, he caught you throwing it back to the beat of some pop classic after you failed your first semester’s final exams. There’s a video of it somewhere, but he won’t admit to the sin. You know it because you can hear him hyena-laugh in the hallway every so often as Bad Boy riots in the background.

  Bokuto, with all the brilliantly rambunctious enthusiasm the world could give a single human being, added in every song he already had in his likes. All of which he sung with you on every trip until your voices hurt. He even added Mr. Brightside, reminding you of the time he screamed so loud during the chorus that he sounded like a donkey the rest of the day and into his next match. To this very day, the infamous ‘O ᴼO ᵒn ᵉ  TᵒOᵘCʰ’ could be heard in the locker rooms by each teammate in unison.

  You paused as the next song hit, mouth abruptly shutting as the two in the front recited, word-for-word,

  “Man, fuck.”

“What's wrong Bo?”

“Man, these kids, man, talkin' shit, makin' me feel bad.”

“Man, fuck them kids, bro! Look around, hoots, look at life!”

“Man, you're right”

“Mmm, you see? You see this fine bitch right over here?” Kuroo’s long fingers pinched your cheek at the red light, laughing as you jokingly smacked it away.

“Yeah, woah...” Bokuto beamed at you.

“You see these trees man? You see this water?” You snorted as Kuroo’s hand waved to four-way intersection.

“I guess it is okay.”

“Come on, man, you got so much more to appreciate, man.”

“Man you know what, y-you're right...” The words, lyrics or otherwise, still brought a childish scrunch to the ace’s handsome face.

“You damn right I'm right,” Kuroo smirked, taking even the smallest bit of delight out of his perfected timing, “I can't remember a time I was god-damn wrong.”

“Man, thanks, Demon Cat.”

“Hey man, that's what I'm here for.”

  Bokuto, half-joke-half-serious punched Kuroo’s bicep, eliciting a feral smirk as they went into the chorus. Bo’s arms crossed as he shook his shoulders to the beat. Kuroo threw down at the next red light, clapping to each beat. Just as the bass shook your heart in its chest, both players head-banged with all their might, car jerking with the force. You feared for the steering wheel and the threat of an airbag going off when both boys slam-drummed the vehicle’s surface. The sight of the two of them going absolutely feral elicited the brightest cackle from your belly.

  They really knew how to turn your shittiest days into your new favorites. And you’d definitely be revisiting this playlist.

[solartranslations]

VF Profile

Liberta

Introduction (Introduce yourself): My name is Liberta. I’m 18, and I like the sea and swords!

Affiliation (What role do you have in the organization?): I’m in Intelligence, so if you want to know something, ask me!

Talents (What are you good at?): You mean like how I can move easily on ships too? Ah no, there’s more!

Arcana (Use your Arcana Powers): It’s alright. I can do it. Make it happen! Pensiero Realizzare!

Ultimate Technique: Burn….! With this power, I’ll take the future…and light it up with hope! Fiamma di Meteora!

Comment (A few words to the heroine): If you ever need help ask me, er, I mean the people around you. That’s important. I’m always happy to help you

ED Bonus 1 (Birthday celebration): This is like a dream. I can’t believe you’d celebrate my birthday. I get to celebrate my most special day with the person who’s the most special to me. I’ll never forget it. I’ll make sure your birthday is something special that you won’t forget either, so look forward to it!

2 (Good night): If you can’t sleep, I know a special spell that’ll help. You’re getting sleepy~, very sleepy~… Oh, it’s not working? Then…*kiss*…… Uh, g-goodnight Ojou! See you tomorrow!

3 (Good morning): It’s morning, Ojou. Haha, you still look sleepy. Ah, you have a bedhead. I’ll fix it, so face this way. Let’s see…hm, alright! Perfect! I mean it! …It’s cute, isn’t it?

Special 1 (Your nicknames): Nicknames? Well first there’s Hero Liberta, right? Hero Liberta and…well the rest are Chick Head, Foolerta, Ocean Idiot…aggh! I’ll never accept those!

2 (Favorite women’s hairstyle): Huh!? My favorite women’s hairstyle? W-well, whatever’s fine if it looks good on her. Y-yours really suits you, Ojou… Your long hair is nice…and it smells good… Uwah!! A nosebleed!?

3 (Favorite word): Speranza! It’s such a nice word. Hehe, it means hope after all! If you have hope you can keep trying and never give up! I’m going towards the future with Speranza! You’ll be with me then too, right Ojou?

4 (First impression of the heroine): I think I was around 12 when I first met you, Ojou. I was so nervous back then. I don’t think I talked at all the whole day. It feels strange that it’s so natural that you’re beside me now

5 (Looking back on the incident): After going back to normal, that incident almost feels like a dream. But I know you and me both have memories from the ghost ship. I’ll ask Ash to let us on the ship sometime. Then we can remember all that happened together

Free talk (Liberta’s CV, Jun Fukuyama): Arcana Famiglia Special Episode: Vascello Fantasma no Majutsushi. Hi, I’m Jun Fukuyama and I played Liberta. Thank you and congratulations for clearing it! So, how was it? Oh, yeah! No no no, really? Wow, seriously. Liberta really, ahhhh. I’ll tell you now, but I wasn’t prepared at all. Well anyway, it’s great that I’m able to talk to you, or for you to listen to me again like this. I was in the main Arcana Famiglia game that came out October 27th 2011. And then right after that, the special episode, Vascello Fantasma no Majutsushi. Vascello Fantasma no Majutsushi. Vascello Fantasma no Majutsushi. Wow, it was so fast. And I was so excited! Anyway, I’m always super sweaty and going to the cooler when we’re recording. Well, summer started when we were recording. And now it’s winter. It’s been that long. Er, not summer, I mean autumn. Well anyway, in this special episode a character named Ash gets involved with Arcana Famiglia. We have a new friend in the Family now, and I think that’s great. So I sure hope you keep playing and spend time with all the characters in the Family. I think that’d be great. And also it’d be nice if you could all find a family like this one. I’m sure there’s one out there for you. Bye!

Nova

Introduction (Introduce yourself): My name is Nova. Is that all you wanted to ask?

Affiliation (What role do you have in the organization?): As the Executive of the Chalices, I’m in charge of the mansion’s security and patrolling the town. They are not just walks

Talents (What are you good at?): I’ll say one thing. Following the rules is not a talent, it should be a given

Arcana (Use your Arcana Powers): Sleep. La Tenebrore Addormentato!

Ultimate Technique: Heavenly wind, grant power to my blade! Fuuka Renyu!

Comment (A few words to the heroine): Don’t forget. Now that you’ve joined the Family, you have to work hard. Learn from me. It’ll help you

ED Bonus 1 (Birthday celebration): When my birthday comes around, I look back on the past year, reflect, and set new goals for myself. I know what it’ll be for this year. I want to be able to express my feelings better. First of all, thank you for celebrating my birthday. It made me happy

2 (Good night): You can’t sleep? Then, would you like to talk? You might start to get sleepy that way. There’s no need to thank me. I couldn’t sleep either. We can make some sweet café and talk in the dining room. Tell me anything you want

3 (Good morning): It’s rare for you to come to the garden this early in the morning. It was raining hard yesterday, so were you worried about the roses? They’re fine, and blooming nicely. The morning sun reflecting off the dewdrops on their leaves looks beautiful. I’m glad I could see this scene with you

Special 1 (Your nicknames): Listen to this. It turns out I’ve gotten even more nicknames. It’s Soybean now, but why is it always beans and peas! I’ve been called a little kid, “shrimp”, “chickpea”…I’m…I’m…not that short!

2 (Favorite women’s hairstyle): I think anything’s alright as long as it’s appropriate for the occasion. I do think yours looks hard to take care of since it’s so long. But, it’s not bad. I like the way it looks on you

3 (Favorite word): I like the phrase “make good on your word”. It’s a saying from Giappone that means you should always do what you say you will. I think promises are important. Especially the one I made with you

4 (First impression of the heroine): The day we first met… I could never forget that. I remember being nervous about meeting my fiancée, but I really didn’t need to be. We were able to talk naturally somehow. That might have been thanks to your personality

5 (Looking back on the incident): There haven’t been any big incidents at the harbor or surrounding seas since then. Except Regalo now being home to Ash’s ghost ship, anyway. What happened on that ship caused me to change, so I don’t think I’ll ever forget it

Free talk (Nova’s CV, Tsubasa Yonaga): Well, were you able to find happiness with me? …Anyway, hi! I’m Tsubasa Yonaga and I played Nova! Congratulations to all of you for clearing the game this far! Um well, so I got to play Nova-kun again, how was it? In comparison to the first Arcana Famiglia, Nova’s love level? Love level? Affection level? I guess it would be affection level for Nova. I think it was way higher now. What did you think? While I was playing him, I thought he’d gotten way, way cuter! I-I might think of him like my son now, haha. Well, Nova-kun’s 15 after all. 15 year olds get all embarrassed like this when talking with the person they like, and you got to see a lot of that with this special episode of Arcana Famiglia. He’s still lacking a bit, but I really hope that you all stick around and watch how Nova keeps on growing! Haha, into a really cute kid. He’s only 15, so he’s got a lot to learn! I personally would want to teach Nova a lot of things if he was real. So don’t think badly of him, ok? He’s not a bad guy. He’s just not that honest. It’ll be fine, he’ll be able to express himself even better from now on. I promise! Hahaha. That’s what he said to all of you who played his route, so look forward to it! And keep supporting Arcana Famiglia from now on too! Let’s meet again somewhere. Take care!

Debito

Introduction (Introduce yourself): Nice to meet you, Bambina. I’m Debito. You can remember that, right?

Affiliation (What role do you have in the organization?): I let my subordinates do most of my work with the Coins. But, I do what I have to

Talents (What are you good at?): I can tell if someone’s cheating. It’s boring to win like that anyway

Arcana (Use your Arcana Powers): See if you can spot me. Tra Coppo Scomparire…!

Ultimate Technique: Freeze…freeze everyone over! Odio Freddo!

Comment (A few words to the heroine): If you want to learn about a proper Regalo greeting, come see me. I’ll make sure teach you everything I know

ED Bonus 1 (Birthday celebration): Having you celebrate my birthday isn’t so bad. It makes for a rare and valuable experience. Or maybe not. You’ll be celebrating it every year, right? Then this happiness will always last

2 (Good night): What good timing. I was going to come see you before I went to sleep. They say the person you think about a lot will appear in your dreams. But that’s just a superstition. I prefer the real thing to a dream though

3 (Good morning): You’re going out early today? Me? That’s obvious, I’m taking a siesta. Hm, why’d you grab my arm? You’re quite enthusiastic today. Haha, alright. I’ll go along with the whims of our young lady for today. Let’s go, Bambina

Special 1 (Your nicknames): Nicknames, huh…well putting being called an “eroticist” and “obscene” aside, I don’t mind “Orion of Regalo”. Why don’t you try calling me that in that cute voice of yours, Bambina?

2 (Favorite women’s hairstyle): Hairstyles…are you saying you’ll do yours in a way I like? Then maybe try taking off your ribbons when we’re alone. I like seeing you look more grown up than usual

3 (Favorite word): My favorite word is siesta. There’s nothing else. So I’m going to my special place for a siesta right now. Oh, you want to come too? You’re always welcome, Bambina

4 (First impression of the heroine): I could never forget when we first met, Bambina. Luca just wouldn’t stop talking about what a cute little creature his Ojou-sama was. He wasn’t lying though. You’ve charmed me ever since

5 (Looking back on the incident): We’re finally back home. Ugh, I’m so tired. It’s weird though, it never really felt like home before. But I guess it’s because you’re here. Ha, you really are a fine woman, Bambina

Free talk (Debito’s CV, Hiroyuki Yoshino): Hello, it’s been a while. This is Hiroyuki Yoshino from Sigma Seven and I voiced Debito. So anyway, this is the special episode for Arcana Famiglia, but I guess you can just call it the second one? I think everyone who played the first one understood exactly what was going on, but if you just started with this one uh…yeah, you should probably go back to the first one… I don’t think it’s a good idea to go in blind here. Yeah? Anyway, this is set in an Italian-like…or I guess it is Italy? Well an island on Earth somewhere. I think that’s what it is. But all the characters, the members of this Family are here for the player, you, that’s right, you, to enjoy! So how was it? I hope you enjoyed it. Okay, bye-bye! What was that…

Pace

Introduction (Introduce yourself): There’s no restaurant on this island that doesn’t know the name, Pace!

Affiliation (What role do you have in the organization?): I’m the Executive of the Clubs and the Deputy Chief Executive. Basically I’m really important, trust me!

Talents (What are you good at?): Eating a lot is…just normal for me. Uh, what else?

Arcana (Use your Arcana Powers): I’ll entrust everything to my fists. Porci Tutto Trapassare!!

Ultimate Technique: The earth gives rise to strength…a power that dominates everything…! Mamma Mia!

Comment (A few words to the heroine): Ojou, look at all the plates on the table! Of course I saved some for you! Let’s eat together

ED Bonus 1 (Birthday celebration): My birthday present was a giant lasagna! Everyone really gets me~. Ojou, there’s actually one other present I’d like, is that okay? Can you come closer… Hehe, you’re mine, Ojou~

2 (Good night): I got to see you before I went to sleep, I’m so lucky! I tried making a wish to the moon earlier that I could see you. Then I ran into you, Ojou! So can you stay with me a little longer?

3 (Good morning): I think I’ll have a freshly baked lasagna for breakfast~. Hehe, I get so excited just thinking about food. Huh, you don’t? I feel the most happy when I’m eating meals with you

Special 1 (Your nicknames): Debito called me an idiot again! I’m not that much of an idiot. Luca also says my glasses are wasted on me, isn’t that awful!? My glasses are useful! They let me see how cute you are, Ojou!

2 (Favorite women’s hairstyle): I think I like scents more than hairstyles. Your hair always smells so sweet when I hug you, Ojou. I guess that’s something unique to you

3 (Favorite word): Lasagna! I get motivated when I yell “lasagna”. I guess that’s because it’s my favorite, and it reminds me of my mother. Ah, but I like calling out “Ojou” too! Ojou~! Haha, I’m so happy!

4 (First impression of the heroine): When I first met you? Of course I remember! You were so cute. I just wanted to touch your face so bad. …Ah, I did didn’t I? O-Ojou~!? Please don’t kick me!

5 (Looking back on the incident): I still can’t believe we were actually on a ghost ship. But I still have the injuries I got as proof that I protected you from the tiger and skeletons. You even treated them for me, and I got to see my mother. They were good memories

Free talk (Pace’s CV, Tomokazu Sugita): Lasagna. I’m Tomokazu Sugita and I played Pace. I did all my recording in the morning this time, so I would become this cheerful Italian idiot first thing in the morning. It was hard. But it was worth it. I think it’d be nice to have someone so happy and positive like him around, especially when he’s eating lasagna. So I think people like Pace are important. He’s also good friends with Debito and Luca-kun, and the balance between the three of them is really interesting. Besides their romantic feelings for Ojou-sama, I really felt like they also valued their bond with each other. But it really was hard. The producer was all like “and for this part you have to blah blah blah” and I was like ahhh this is so hard. And when I looked at the script it was all “ahh!” and “waaah!” and “gyaaah!” and “lasagna!!” so I had a hard time making them all sound unique. I tried really hard. But I wonder if you all could tell…this is the clear bonus now, right? How was it? There’s only one answer…I’m hungry! I’m going to have ravioli tonight and pretend it’s lasagna.

Luca

Introduction (Introduce yourself): It’s me, Luca. Did you call for me, Ojou-sama?

Affiliation (What role do you have in the organization?): I’ve been serving as your attendant for the past 13 years, Ojou-sama. And I still am!

Talents (What are you good at?): I like sewing and I’m good at it, but… I’ll answer alchemy here!

Arcana (Use your Arcana Powers): Fire, water, earth, sky, I seek the harmony of light in all elements… L’Armonia della Luce!!

Ultimate Technique: Light calls for happiness, and exists together with the people…! Quattro Felicita!

Comment (A few words to the heroine): Whether isn’t about your morning schedule or today’s dolce, you can ask me anything!

ED Bonus 1 (Birthday celebration): My birthday this year feels special. It’s my first one since we became a couple! Ojou-sama…can I ask something from you? Please spend all day tomorrow with me. I want time alone together to be my present

2 (Good night): *laugh* You look sleepy. You can go back to your room early. You’ll wait for me? Alright, thank you. I’ll make some tea so you’ll have a good dream as thanks

3 (Good morning): I’m happy being able to see your cute sleeping face like this but… Ojou-sama! It’s time to wake up! I’m making breakfast today! If you don’t hurry up, a certain glutton is going to eat it all!

Special 1 (Your nicknames): Ojou-sama, you don’t think I’m a “stalker attendant”, do you? Ah, no! It’s completely untrue! But everyone keeps calling me that. Even Ash underestimates me. Huh, what does Ash call me? …Oh… “useless hat guy”…

2 (Favorite women’s hairstyle): I think straight long hair is the best! It looks great on you, Ojou-sama! It’s part of my job…but I wish I could always brush your hair

3 (Favorite word): My favorite word would be…hmm. “Cooking is alchemy”, I think! Using things that go well together is what brings good results. Maybe it’s because I like both cooking and alchemy

4 (First impression of the heroine): You’ve always been as cute as a doll, Ojou-sama. I can’t believe I didn’t notice it back then. Huh? …Why are you giving me that fed up look? Ah, wait, don’t go, Ojou-samaaaa!!

5 (Looking back on the incident): We’ve finally returned to Regalo, but I’m still sore all over. But I’m proud of it because it shows I was able to protect you. I promise I’ll protect you if something like this happens again. So you can count on me

Free talk (Luca’s CV, Yuichi Nakamura): To everyone who cleared Luca’s route, hello. I’m Yuichi Nakamura, his voice actor. I’ll be taking up about 30 minutes of your time with this free talk section. I won’t actually talk that long. So what should I talk about? Um let’s see…my impressions while playing him? Um it was just Arcana Famiglia as usual, I think I talked about that already. My feelings about the Arcana Famiglia series, uh I think I talked about that too. You can listen to that if you clear the first one, so please do that. Uh, I’ll get yelled at if I end it here…but what should I say… This one is the special episode? Story? It sort of continues from the first one but not really. It’s kind of like a story within the first one but a different setting? Well it did feel like the romantic-ness has really gone up from the first one. Since it’s after they’d already gotten together and…are thinking of marriage maybe? It’s something in that direction. There were some scenes like that. That…kind of hard, huh? Well, being with someone does make some things easier, but this is a game, so you can’t really do that. But all of you who play are in the place of the heroine, in the context of the story. Anyway, this fandisk was made through the hard work of not only me, but a whole bunch of other people. Maybe you’ll realize some new things if you play it again? I’d be happy if you all enjoyed it. Anyway I hope we can meet again somewhere…er, it’ll be in Arcana Famiglia I guess. Oh right! We have drama cds! I’ll look forward to seeing you all again with those. This was Yuichi Nakamura, bye!

Dante

Introduction (Introduce yourself): My name is Dante. And my trademark is just as you can see!

Affiliation (What role do you have in the organization?): Leading the executives and Intelligence Division is my job as the Chief Executive

Talents (What are you good at?): I have the best sense of humor on the island! I don’t know if that’s why, but a lot of people look up to me

Arcana (Use your Arcana Powers): You will obey me. Atlantico Vortici!!

Ultimate Technique: Let all be swallowed by the storm, and return to nothing… Dare un Ordine!

Comment (A few words to the heroine): I become very aware of my age when I’m with you, but the happiness I feel is much greater

ED Bonus 1 (Birthday celebration): Thank you, Ojou-san, for celebrating my birthday again this year. The party Intelligence throws me has gotten even bigger than last year too. Ojou-san, will you celebrate with me next year too? Ahaha, that smile makes me excited

2 (Good night): Good work today, Ojou-san. Everyone at Intelligence was very impressed with you as well. It’s a waste for you to be the Executive of the Swords. They all wish you could be the madonna of Intelligence, and I’m starting to feel the same. Then I could spend more time with you

3 (Good morning): Ojou-san, it’s rare for you to come to the harbor this early. How about some breakfast at the ristorante over there? I’m asking you on a date. Ahaha, I’m feeling nervous now. Let’s go then, Ojou-san

Special 1 (Your nicknames): I don’t mind being called an old man, but I’d rather not be called an old baldy. It’s gotten better now that Ash understands, but it’s embarrassing to be called “Strawberry Head’s Amore” while in town… not that I don’t like it

2 (Favorite women’s hairstyle): Women’s hairstyles? Well…whatever suits her is fine by me. I was always picky about my hair before, but how I am now isn’t bad, right? Your twintails really do suit you, Ojou-san. I’m happy how that’s never changed about you

3 (Favorite word): I often tell Liberta, but mine is “perseverance”. You can’t accomplish everything right away. The hard work and practice you do every day is important. Well, Vascello Fantasma also taught us that we also shouldn’t endure too much

4 (First impression of the heroine): When we first met, I thought you were a very lovely young lady. I always thought you would grow into a beauty that resembled Sumire. Well, my prediction was correct, wasn’t it? Hahaha. There’s no need to be modest. Anyone would call you a Regalo beauty

5 (Looking back on the incident): The ghost ship incident has finally settled down. I’m just glad we made it back to Regalo safely. To me, this incident was just full of surprises and discoveries. Ojou-san, I’m sorry for making you wait. I will be sure to convey my feelings to you as a man from now on

Free talk (Dante’s CV, Jurota Kosugi): I’m Jurota Kosugi, and I played Dante. This is the special episode following the main Arcana Famiglia game that came out fall of 2011. How was it, everyone? So thinking back on the recording, it was a little more serious than the main game. And I feel like this special episode had more romantic parts too. Plus of course, Dante’s sillyness in this game is just as usual. Anyway there were plenty of exciting parts as well, so I’m confident that this special episode was something you all enjoyed. I’d be really happy if you all had fun with the main game and this special episode as well. That’s right, all of you who played this game are already a part of our Famglia. Let’s always stay together! Okay then, yay for Arcana Famiglia! Dante-ne!

Jolly

Introduction (Introduce yourself): They call me Jolly

Affiliation (What role do you have in the organization?): I’m the Family’s advisor, but I don’t get many consultations for some reason. Hmph

Talents (What are you good at?): My talents? If you’d like to know, then come to my laboratory

Arcana (Use your Arcana Powers): I’ll make you go mad. Luna Pienna Sonno!

Ultimate Technique: Sink, into the inky darkness. Tenebra mundus

Comment (A few words to the heroine): There are many rumors about me. You should just trust the version of me that you see

ED Bonus 1 (Birthday celebration): When your appearance doesn’t change, you don’t really feel like you’re getting older as time goes on. But I do treasure the once a year occasion where you celebrate my birthday. Today is my day. So, what will I receive from you, Ojou-sama?

2 (Good night): If you can’t sleep, you can come see me. I don’t mind making you some of the usual herb tea. We can also make conversation until you feel sleepy. What? It’s just because I feel like it

3 (Good morning): You’re here to see me this early in the morning? What a turn of events. I was just about to have a light breakfast. Would you like to join me? Come sit next to me. This is a seat just for you

Special 1 (Your nicknames): Nicknames? You mean like “that Marchen guy” and “senile alchemist”? Being called many names is a good thing. It means you’ve made an impression. I don’t even mind being called odd. *chuckle* I’m actually quite proud of it

2 (Favorite women’s hairstyle): I have no particular preferences about women’s hairstyles. Actually, I prefer when it is tied up. Hair hides one’s skeletal structure when it’s let down. *chuckle*

3 (Favorite word): The words I like are “alchemy” and “results”. Alchemy often results in failures, but you can’t let that be the end of it. You must continue your research until you get results. That’s what I do as I strive for perfection

4 (First impression of the heroine): My first impression of you? Well, what did I first think of you? Oh, there’s one thing I remember. You were looking up at me with wide eyes and red cheeks back then as well. Hmph, you look so dissatisfied even though I answered honestly. What a difficult Ojou-sama you are

5 (Looking back on the incident): It’s hard to believe, but you did save me during the incident. We actually both acted in order to protect each other. It was quite a lot of trouble, but things like this aren’t bad once in a while

Free talk (Jolly’s CV, Koji Yusa): *chuckle* Did you enjoy Arcana Famiglia: Vascello Fantasma no Majutsushi? … Hello! I’m Koji Yusa and I played Jolly. Did you have fun? This was a special episode, so it was uh how do you put it? I think there were a lot of scenes where you were alone together. What did you think? Hm? Did you think of something bad? How improper of you, Ojou-sama… Uh, anyway. I think the routes for the other characters are enjoyable in their own way too, but for Jolly there’s a lot of scenes where they’re alone together in the dark cabins of the ship which I think were really the highlight. And at the beginning there was a bit where Jolly used “ore” for himself and I really made sure that part stood out. Well, I’m looking forward to where Arcana Famiglia goes from now on. I hope I get to hear more of your thoughts since there’s going to be much more to come! This was Koji Yusa and I’m looking forward to playing Jolly some more!

Ash

Introduction (Introduce yourself): I’m Ash. The alchemist who inherited the power of Vir Ingeniosus

Affiliation (What role do you have in the organization?): I don’t remember joining Arcana Famiglia!

Talents (What are you good at?): Being alone. I’m a proud alchemist after all

Arcana (Use your Arcana Powers): Da Mero, Trasformarsi in…!

Ultimate Technique: I’ll unleash the power of the great Vir Ingeniosus. Miracolo di Nascita!

Comment (A few words to the heroine): You mean about how you’re hair’s like a strawberry? Apples are red too, but a strawberry is more accurate for you

ED Bonus 1 (Birthday celebration): It’s been a while since someone made a cake for me. Nobody was around who wanted to celebrate my birthday after my dad died. The cake you made was delicious. Thanks Strawberry Head

2 (Good night): You’re alone out here? You can talk to me if you can’t sleep. And tell me more about this mansion. Like about your overprotective dad and clingy attendant. There’s no reason, I just want to know more about you

3 (Good morning): An apple pie? For me? Alright, let’s eat it together. And do you want to go somewhere afterwards? It’s an equivalent exchange for the pie. Got anything you want?

Special 1 (Your nicknames): I like thinking of names for people, but I don’t like being called them. Like “Tarocco thief”, or “imposter guy”. I don’t like those. So, what do you want to call me? I don’t mind if it’s coming from you

2 (Favorite women’s hairstyle): Your hair? I don’t know, I’m not an expert on women’s hairstyles. Just do it however you like. I do like your strawberry colored hair though

3 (Favorite word): My favorite word? Just “equivalent exchange”, I guess. If you want to ask me something, you have to give me something in exchange. I’ll answer you for free though

4 (First impression of the heroine): My impression of you? I thought you were stubborn, reckless, and never thought things through. Also that you were a good person. You trusted me even though I was your enemy and even saved me. It’s nice. I like your personality

5 (Looking back on the incident): If I never went to that mansion to take back the Tarocco, I’d never have met you. I’m with Arcana Famiglia now, right? It’s kind of odd. But, it also feels right that I met you

Free talk (Ash’s CV, Nobuhiko Okamoto): Hello, I’m Nobuhiko Okamoto and I played Ash. Well then, first I’d like to say thank you. Ash is a new character that was added in this game, and I’m sure all of you who’ve went through the routes of the other characters know this but, Ash has the role of the one takes the heroine away from home. And Ash also sees the relationships between the heroine and the other characters too. So what was the hardest thing about playing Ash? It was hard watching everyone else being lovey-dovey with each other. Yup. So thanks to you all, er I mean you, you! For playing Ash’s route. I’m glad you did. I think he has a lot of cute parts to him too, but I’m sure you all know that already. Anyway I hope to see you again soon! I love Ash! Thank you!

Mondo

1 (Use your Arcana Powers): The world has been completed. Spaziale Partecipe!*

2 (Ultimate Technique): Everything is within my hands. Giuradio Finalizzare!*

3 (Comment): I heard about what happened on the ghost ship, Vascello Fantasma. But you can’t get on such a dangerous ship, my beloved daughter! If you must then take me as well!

Free talk (Mondo’s CV, Fumihiko Tachiki): I’m Fumihiko Tachiki and I played Mondo. Good job! You’re done now, right? But this might be just the beginning. Of what? I don’t know either. Well I’m glad you enjoyed being in my arms, wait that’s not right. You’ve all had fun playing with a bunch of different characters, er I mean you, you have. So since I played Mondo, um how was it? How was the ghost ship? My role was pretty much just the judgment and trial parts this time, how was it? Maybe you didn’t notice me that much. That’s not true, right? I’m Mondo, you know. I look forward to seeing you as Mondo again sometime. Anyway, see you!

*Had an Italian speaker who also knows Japanese check and these two don't actually make sense. The first one may be something like "space participation". For the second, I guessed on "Final Oath" previously, but he says it may have been intended to be "Gladio Finale" or "Final Sword".

Sumire

1 (Use your Arcana Powers): Behold, you are within my cradle. Culla Protezione! (TN: Cradle protection)

2 (Ultimate Technique): Even a grain of sand can become a mighty boulder. Nehan Jyakujo! (TN: Enlightenment leads to serenity)

3 (Comment): I know of a ghost that sinks ships by filling them with water. I heard they do that to increase their numbers, but I wonder what the purpose of Vascello Fantasma is?

Free talk (Sumire’s CV, Kikuko Inoue): I’m Kikuko Inoue, 17 years old, and I played Sumire. Mhm, yup, yup! Anyway thank you all again for playing this game. How was the special episode? While we were recording, I just really enjoyed the world that this game is set in. It’s really complicated and interesting, I feel like the world keeps getting bigger the more we learn. Yeah, it’s great! I love Arcana Famiglia! I’m looking forward to seeing more! Thank you!

Joshua

1 (Use your Arcana Powers): Aaaaaahh!

2 (Ultimate Technique): Find your way to despair…Un Labirinto Atmosferico

3 (Comment): Bow down to the scales of justice…Chiedo alla Giustizia

Free talk (Joshua’s CV, Yuji Ueda): Um I’m Yuji Ueda and I played Joshua. When I received the script there was a whole lot, so I was really excited for it. Uhh, but I disappear at the end of the scenario, or rather I went to the afterlife, so I guess you won’t be seeing me anymore…Bye

~*End of Scene*~

(Back to Directory)

[crabbng]

did this on twitter for hana and bon! i’ll put all their answers under the cut, please enjoy <3

HANA:

1. what's their favorite beverage - alcoholic and/or non-alcoholic? hana likes nice, comforting warm drinks like hot chocolate and apple cider, he hasn't really had experience with alcoholic drinks 2. what's their favorite flavor? (spicy, sweet, sour, etc.) umami tbh, some nice hearty savory stew flavors 3. what's their favorite food? BEEF Clapping hands sign STEW Clapping hands sign he also like sweets, pastries and candies and whatnot 4. breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks - which do they look forward to the most? dinner cause he imagines it as a family meal, and also it's the heartiest meal 5. do they have a food or flavor they absolutely hate? bland things like.. boiled green beans.. like.. wet tasteless vegetables.. he is not a fan but who is tbh 6. can they tolerate spicy food? yeah! he likes some good heat in his meals 7. what is their favorite animal? DRAGONS! cause they're cool. also... because baby. 8. what do they wear to bed? boxers or nothing in his own home, in the castle tho he wears like. pj bottoms. 9. what position do they like to sleep in? curled up around a pillow or in a blanket, or flopped on his belly 10. are they a morning person or a night owl? he would like to be a morning person, but he tends to get excited about whatever he's working on and accidentally staying up late, which then makes him sleep in late.. 11. are they a heavy sleeper or do they wake up easily? HEAVY SLEEPER. the boy sleeps like a rock. 12. it's a rainy day, what will they do cooped up inside all day? hana has a WHOLE ROOM of stuff to work on. he tries to get old tech up and running again (with.. limited resources) or to get it to be useful in other ways. 13. do they have a favorite scent or smell? honestly... musty smell of city that was cut off and unused for a thousand years. 14. what do they smell like? do they wear perfume or cologne? a little bit sweaty, a little musty from hanging out in an abandoned city, a little like oil, wood shavings.. he smells like whatever he's been working on. he tries to just smell neutral around other people. 15. baths or showers? BATHS! BUBBLES! RELAX TIME!! taking time just to be hana. nice. 16. how good are they at cooking? it's not gourmet or anything but he can cook a tasty meal. he's worse at baking but he's practicing!! 17. what's their favorite time of year and why? winter!!! pretty snow.. relaxing quiet.. getting to go inside and get all warm and cozy.. nice. 18. do they have a favorite holiday? tbh i dont know what holidays there are in kos world... i oughta think of that.. but anything with people getting together and celebrating together is something he'd like to participate in someday 19. do they prefer buying or receiving gifts? buying!!!! hana loves giving gifts. tbh he doesn't receive a lot of gifts. maybe like.. a jar of jam one time and it made him cry. he kept the jar. 20. how tall are they, and how do they feel about their height? 4' even. he's fine with his height tbh, his insecurities come in when he thinks about what OTHER people think about his height. he definitely recognizes that he looks different than everyone he's been around. 21. can they play any instruments? not really.. he made a guitar once. was NOT good at it. 22. do they have a nice singing voice? NO! cant keep a tune to save his life, but he's the only one (besides baby) who's heard him sing so it really hasn't mattered 23. do they talk to themselves? YES! it could seem like he's talking to baby, but really... she can be asleep or somewhere else and he's just still talking to himself. who else does he have to talk to?! let him live. 24. do they enjoy music? what kind? tbh he probably enjoys "old timey" music he found in the ancient city so like.. synth pop LMAO 25. do they make friends easily? yes! surprisingly, from his popularity in the town. he had a bad first impression whoops. but he's just very charming and sweet and wants to be your friend. 26. surprise birthday party! how do they react? crying. happy crying. but a lot of crying. he won't stop. please stop crying hana. second surprise party would go over better, he'd just cry at the beginning and then have fun at the party. 27. what is their favorite flower, if they have one? hydrangea.. symbolize heartfelt emotions 28. how does your character feel about wearing jewelry? neutral? i like putting him in a lot of jewelry, but it's not something he'd do himself. besides like. his ear and nose piercings (and the other one lol) those are kind of special. he's had those since before he can remember 29. if they wear jewelry, what's their favorite piece? his teal earrings! he was gifted those (one of the like 2 gifts he's received lol) by someone very important to him 30. fashion forward or fashion disaster? fashion neutral? he's definitely not fashionable when he dresses himself (in the clothes he made himself lmao) but he's not like.. offensively disastrous 31. what kind of underwear does your character wear? boxer briefs? for comfort. that's hana's goal picking out his own clothes. comfort. 32. do they wear makeup? what kind? not regularly but he's not against it. he likes looking pretty. he likes eyeliners especially but will sit there and let u put whatever on his face. 33. do they paint their nails? HELL YEAH he paints his toenails since he works with his hands and it'd chip off. after bath nail painting time. paints baby's claws too. 34. are they quick to get haircuts or do they often let it grow out? after his introduction to the townspeople with his hair that had been grown out for years and NOT well taken care of.. he keeps up with haircuts now. he doesn't want to give people reasons to dislike him lmao 35. do they know how to whistle? through the front gap in his fangs yes 36. or how to braid hair? he knows how to braid his own hair for sure. he hasn't had other hair to practice on but he would know how to braid like.. leather cord or stuff for other crafts projects. so i think he'd be good at it. he'd learn like fancy patterns and such 37. are they scared if anything in nature - bugs, snakes, lightning, being on the water, etc.? lightning and storms definitely. he spent his formative years under a mountain, safe from all that, any sort of dangerous weather freaks him out. 38. have they ever thought they were about to die? not that he remembers. but there were times. 39. how do they react to getting sick? a big baby. snuggled up in a thousand blankets with chicken noodle soup and hot teas. 40. are they afraid of blood? not especially? he's been injured before and had to patch himself up. bad injuries tho... lots of blood..... he wouldn't do great with that. 41. how do they earn money? hana builds and repairs stuff for the town mostly in exchange for produce and such. he doesn't really.. have money. 42. are they satisfied with their occupation or long to do something else? he enjoys helping people, so in that way he's satisfied. he'd rather people were more interested in his side job of repairing old tech and making his own tech stuff but... that's not legal. 43. how creative are they? quite creative! he has a number of different crafting hobbies and is always looking for more. he's not great at like.. like if you gave him a paintbrush and were like 'paint' he would just paint whatever was in front of him. not some imagined thing. 44. do they know how to draw? how skilled are they? he's good at like.. accurately drawn schematics? technical drawings. i dont think he would be great at like. portraits tho. like. he could probably draw an accurate face but it'd like completely lifeless. 45. what do they carry around with them during the day (ie in their pockets, a bag, a purse...) 1) a baby 2) his tablet, that's what's with him all the time.. except rn in the story.. when he is without both.. :( 46. do they have a sweet tooth? OH YEAH. he doesn't get a lot of sweets where he is (he's working on learning how to bake them) so he really enjoys good sweets when he gets his hand on them 47. haute cuisine or cheap eats? hana likes good homemade food, i guess cheap eats would be the closer of the two 48. do they know how to swim? HONESTLY.. PROBABLY NOT.. boy has not been around water much 49. do they have any scars? how did they get them? nah! at this point he is more or less scar free. i'm sure he has a few tiny ones from like.. when baby was playing a bit too wildly or something and he got a nasty little scratch but nothing like... big. 50. what kind of handwriting do they have? neat, messy, cursive, MESSY. like a kid who was never really taught how to write. he usually writes on his tablet, which has been taught how to recognize his handwriting and converts it to readable text.

BON:

bon can be hard so on questions where it's not really applicable now (like.. favorite foods and the like), i'll just go with what WOULD have been the case. when he was younger. 1. what's their favorite beverage - alcoholic and/or non-alcoholic? flavored sparkling waters, he likes the bubbles. he likes high alcohol content drinks, so it does its job. 2. what's their favorite flavor? (spicy, sweet, sour, etc.) he likes fresh, citrus-y flavors, whatever category that slots into. 3. what's their favorite food? THE ALL POWERFUL ORANGE, a good orange is a treat for bon 4. breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, snacks - which do they look forward to the most? snacks, cause he can generally eat them alone and not be judged 5. do they have a food or flavor they absolutely hate? puddings and yogurts and stuff like that, soft foods 6. can they tolerate spicy food? a fair amount, but he does have limits (he will not admit it) 7. what is their favorite animal? farm animals, especially working animals, they're nice and usually calm, bon likes that 8. what do they wear to bed? either whatever he's wearing at the time he knocks out or nothin 9. what position do they like to sleep in? huddled in a corner 10. are they a morning person or a night owl? BOTH! he's not a sleeper. if you find him sleeping its because he was probably up the past 3+ days and he just knocked out. 11. are they a heavy sleeper or do they wake up easily? if he's sleeping cause he hadn't slept the past week, he doesn't wake up easily, but if it's a purposeful rest he wakes up to a pin dropping. also re: bon sleeping, he technically can go without sleep indefinitely but he has to go into his lava form to kinda.. refresh his stats so to speak 12. it's a rainy day, what will they do cooped up inside all day? pre-incident: read! study! practice magic. post-incident: think about mortality and stare at a wall 13. do they have a favorite scent or smell? fresh air on a cool day. but he's also nostalgic about the stink smell of a tavern. 14. what do they smell like? do they wear perfume or cologne? ash and smoke. and on special days ;) burnt flesh ;) he doesn't wear perfume or cologne, he just smells weird all the time. 15. baths or showers? showers, a quick spray down and then he's out of the water as quick as possible. 16. how good are they at cooking? QUITE! bon can cook and he can cook good. he's stayed with a lot of families over the years and learned a lot of good tricks and recipes, plus what he learned from when he was growing up and would somewhat regularly cook for himself. 17. what's their favorite time of year and why? summer. he does well in the heat. also the days are longest. bon likes it when it's light out. 18. do they have a favorite holiday? bon doesn't like holidays! cause holidays come with traditions. and traditions come with expectations. and expectations come with punishments. 19. do they prefer buying or receiving gifts? giving, i guess? receiving gifts can come with a price. but it's nice to give a gift and know you expect nothing in return. 20. how tall are they, and how do they feel about their height? bonk is 5'9", he's fine with it 21. can they play any instruments? YES!!! he can play a variety, his favorites are harp and fiddle, though he also can play a mean flute, though that was mostly from his upbringing so he doesn't like it all too much 22. do they have a nice singing voice? YES!!!!! he has a most beautiful voice. he can rouse a room with a good folk song or bring a room to tears with a mournful ballad 23. do they talk to themselves? ahahaha yes. we have already seen this in comic. bon struggles with differentiating between reality and his.. imagination i guess. so. that can often lead to him just talking to himself. 24. do they enjoy music? what kind? yes! bon enjoys all sorts of music, but mostly songs you can sing along to. bar songs, shanties, ballads, he enjoys them all. he like songs that have an emotion to them if that makes sense. 25. do they make friends easily? NO. bon is both unfriendly and untrusting. however. if you are nice to him but once........... he Will die for you. and he will die for any child. loves childs. 26. surprise birthday party! how do they react? POORLY. either confused why people thought it would be a fun idea or angry that he was caught off guard. now... if you do it right..... have the surprise just be like.. a cake waiting at home or something.. a quiet night.. he will appreciate it. he Will die for you. 27. what is their favorite flower, if they have one? daffodil.. rebirth.. eternal life.. unrequited love.. perfect 28. how does your character feel about wearing jewelry? he's not a huge fan tbh. makes him feel like someone's shiny show piece. but he does like an earring or two or three 29. if they wear jewelry, what's their favorite piece? he doesn't wear jewelry regularly :( but he likes earrings! he likes little hoops that go on the top of his big ears 30. fashion forward or fashion disaster? more fashion forward than a disaster. he doesn't dress himself like.. super well.. cause his clothing tends to not last super long, but he knows how to look good 31. what kind of underwear does your character wear? NONE he's flying free 32. do they wear makeup? what kind? again, not any regularly, but will rock a good eyeliner if offered 33. do they paint their nails? no lmao good luck painting his lava nails, he'll melt ur brush, oh god and im sure the smell of burning nail polish is just awful 34. are they quick to get haircuts or do they often let it grow out? he cuts his hair pretty frequently (not well) he cuts like.. parts at a time. like 'hm this section looks a lil long' CHOP~ 35. do they know how to whistle? like a got damn bird 36. or how to braid hair? yes! he is good at this. 37. are they scared if anything in nature - bugs, snakes, lightning, being on the water, etc.? not really? he's had a lot of experience living outdoors so things that may have scared him at one point have been dealt with and most things it's like 'well i cant die so it really doesnt matter', cold and rain it's like 'well ill get real hecked up for a while but.. whatever' 38. have they ever thought they were about to die? YES! quite a few times, though not anymore lmao. one of the first times he ran away from home and nearly starved to death, the... incident, and when he was turned into a basbeo, just to name a few 39. how do they react to getting sick? pretending like he's not. pushing himself too hard until he cannot pretend anymore. nowadays tho.. he just turn into lava man and boom. all better. 40. are they afraid of blood? nah, he's seen plenty of it by this point to just not even register it. not even mostly his own! see this isn't a sad answer. 41. how do they earn money? HE DON'T! what use does a dog have for money u feel me 42. are they satisfied with their occupation or long to do something else? bon was basically a travelling bard at one point and oh boy he longs to go back to those days. his current occupation of 'guy who steals, kidnaps, murders and destroys on command' just isn't fulfilling for him. 43. how creative are they? i'd say pretty creative. he's not really doing anything with it right now, but he's a pretty imaginative guy. 44. do they know how to draw? how skilled are they? i think so! i figure that would be part of his lessons when he was younger. so he's probably.. too good at it. opposite of hana, where he's be good at portraiture and like.. pretty scenes. this also makes me think of little bon running around and putting lil devil horns on his mom's portraits 45. what do they carry around with them during the day (ie in their pockets, a bag, a purse...) doesn't really have.. a lot of things.. in the same vein tho, that jacket he wears, he's had for a while, and it's been through a lot now (i.e. the missing bottom) but. it's something he repairs and takes care of. it's special to him. for reasons. 46. do they have a sweet tooth? not especially, he doesn't like Sugar Sweet stuff, but he does like.. apples n stuff. he'll eat a peach croissant and enjoy it. everything in balance. 47. haute cuisine or cheap eats? cheap eats: more food for less 48. do they know how to swim? yes but he doesn't do it anymore cause he'll get too cold and seize up and lava man will just become a rock. he can use like.. hot tubs and very warm baths. he CAN enjoy those. 49. do they have any scars? how did they get them? well! bon had scars previous to his charred limbs (you'll see them soon) from being burned. because of.. reasons. i never know how depressing to get when talking about bon :( anyways, his charred limbs didn't happen immediately after becoming a basbeo. it basically happens when there's like.. a struggle for control between bon, his elemental, and who or whatever (maighstir, priomh, tera, his cuffs, etc.) is trying to control bon's transformation abilities. like either trying to use more power than he's being allowed, or to resist using it at all. they feel weird and crusty and leathery and warm! so the last one is kind of nice. it is unpleasant to hold his hand. 50. what kind of handwriting do they have? neat, messy, cursive, BOY CAN'T WRITE ANYMORE! he used to have really neat cursive handwriting like.. calligraphy style.

[silenceofthecookies]

hello! I couldn't help but notice that prompt 8 was still available! Can I maybe get that with Mirio from Hero Academia? I love this man, he is made out of sunshine! Congratulations on 100 followers!

Hi there Anon! You’re not the only one who loves him, just seeing him appear ont he screen makes me smile. That’s probably why this one turned out to be the longest of all sick fics! I just started typing and... oops. You don’t mind, do you? 😉 Enjoy~!

Living as someone with a chronic disease wasn’t easy, but you made it work. Due to the medicine you had been taking all your life, as well as regular check-ups with your doctor, you got through your day mostly unaffected. The only exception was physical exercise. You could do little things at your own pace, but nothing too straining or too intense. Because of this, your childhood dream to become a hero got crushed.

It was hard on you at first, but you came to accept it and explored different fields of work. There were three people who worked hard to help you with this as a child. Two of them were your parents, of course. The third was your neighbour and childhood friend, Mirio. As kids you’d often fantasize about becoming heroes together, fighting off the baddies, protecting the innocent people,… It was a dream the both of you had, and were actively working towards.

The first step was keeping up both of your grades throughout school, and getting into UA. It was the best school for becoming a pro hero, right? And the best was exactly what the two of you were going to become. Mirio always said that your quirk was much more useful for hero work than his and that you’d make it in no problem. So it was such a shock to him when you told him you’d never make it to be a hero because of your health. He started crying when you told him, so you started crying again too, and the two of you cried together for a good while. At that moment, Mirio vowed to you he would save at least a million people, both the people he would save, and the people you would’ve saved. He’d become a hero for the both of you.

It didn’t make you grow apart in the slightest though. You still studied together, Mirio to get in UA, and you to get into your new school of choice so you could reach your new dreams as well. Even after getting into UA, you and Mirio would get together on the weekends and in the holidays to keep each other updated on your progress. You were constantly lifting each other up, and whenever someone’s spirits were down, the other would cheer them up.

The hardest period was the first half year after Mirio started attending UA. He was at the bottom of his class, and he was struggling to make anything useful out of his quirk. Sometimes he would even avoid your eyes, saying that he wasn’t sure if he could make his promise come true. Coming in last at the sport festival was probably the hardest moment for him. But after that? He kept bouncing right back, kept a positive attitude and kept on improving. His internship with Sir Nighteye definitely helped.

Now he was in his last year of UA, almost a real hero. You were still studying hard to reach your own goals, but you were on the right path as well. There was but one hurdle that you kept bumping into.

Your medicine.

No matter how many years you had already taken them, you sometimes just forgot to take them. Days where you felt fine when waking up. Days where you were too focussed on the things you were going to do. Days where you woke up too late and you had to hurry. Or days like today, a combination of all three.

Mirio had asked you out on a date. An actual, proper date. You had a crush on your blonde friend for a while now. You probably always had it, but just never realised that you loved him as more than a friend until a few years ago. You never said anything because you figured he just saw you as a friend. Apparently, he didn’t.

Just your luck, your alarm didn’t go off, or you slept right through it. Either way, you were late. Rushing to get ready and to get some form of food in as quickly as possible, you completely forgot your medicine. You almost forgot your keys as well, but remembered just in time to take them, along with your phone and wallet.

Mirio was waiting for you in front of the park. You wouldn’t really do anything new or special, just a walk in the park and some lunch together, but this time knowing it was a date, and not just hanging out as friends. It made you a little nervous, even though you knew you didn’t have to be. As you reached the park, a little out of breath, you felt something was a little off but you blamed it on having to rush this morning, and on the nerves.

“Hey, Y/N, there you are! I was worried you forgot about me.” “Oh Mirio, how could I ever forget about you? I hope I didn’t make you wait too long.” “Not at all, let’s go!”

You both started walking. Mirio and you talked about whatever came to mind, as usual. He told you some stories of things he got into with his friends, Tamaki and Nejire, and some of his work with Sir Nighteye as well. As your walk progressed, you started feeling worse and worse. When you were in the middle of the park, your legs gave out on you.

“Whoa! Y/N are you ok? Did you trip?” “No…my legs gave out on me?” “Y/N… did you take your medicine?” You looked like a deer caught in the headlights when he asked that and answered with a guilty expression. “No… I didn’t…” “Do you seriously need someone to remind you to take medicine? I’m your friend, not your father.” Despite his harsh words, Mirio’s tone wasn’t harsh at all. It was a little scolding, though it ended in him laughing. “It’d be weird if I was on a date with my father.” You laughed, and now it was Mirio’s turn to look surprised. After a few seconds of being frozen, Mirio started laughing as well. “You’re right, it would be very weird. Let’s get you back home, shall we?” Mirio hunched down in front of you, his back facing you and his arms outstretched behind him. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at you. “You’re… going to give me a piggyback ride?” “Would you rather have me carry you bridal style? I can do that too, you know.” Mirio grinned. “No! No way, that’d be way too embarrassing…” Still somewhat flustered, you got onto his back.

As you walked back, the situation dawned on you just a little more. Mirio had often given you piggyback rides when you were kids, but doing this on a date? It just added a new level of something to it, something you couldn’t quite put your finger on.

“Hey Mirio?” “Yes?” “Sorry for ruining the date.” “You call this ruining a date, Y/N? How come? We’re together, we’re talking, and I’m carrying you, that makes me feel like the strongest man in the world, you know?” “But… your plans…” “What do plans matter? Things rarely go according to plan. I don’t mind some surprises. I’m still having fun! Though I can imagine you aren’t really right now.” “I’m… I’m having fun too, actually.”

You said as you tightened your arms around his shoulders, burying your face in the crook of his neck. Mirio chuckled and continued walking. You weren’t lying. Sure, you felt pretty bad without your medicine, but you were with Mirio. Everything became 10 times more fun when Mirio was there.

It made you wonder how much fun living together with him would be.

[adenei]

Fake It Til You Make It - Ch. 2

AO3 || FFN 

(”I want to be a musician, okay?”)

“Hi Mum! Hi Aunt Muriel. If you’ll just excuse me, I’m quite knackered. I’m going to go—” Ginny tried to skirt by them and make her way up the stairs. 

“Not so fast, Ginevra,” Aunt Muriel said with her nose up in the air. “We have matters to discuss.”

“Aunt Muriel, I know what you’re here for, and with all due respect, being a debutante is not who I am or who I want to be. I want to play football, not dress in layers of tulle and whatever that stuff under the skirt is called,” Ginny tried to explain for the hundredth time.

“Crinoline,” her mother corrected her. “Ginny, just sit down and hear your aunt out. Please?” Her mum was giving her a look that Ginny knew not to defy, no matter how rotten she was feeling.

“Ginevra, I’m well aware that the debutante lifestyle does not fit your...personality, but I am here to offer you a deal,” Aunt Muriel began.

Ginny raised her eyebrows, knowing her aunt always drove a hard bargain. She wondered what was in it for her since Muriel always had a trick up her sleeve to manipulate those to get her way. Unfortunately, being the only Weasley daughter meant there was no one else she could persuade to take her place.

“If you participate in the season, without complaint, I will pay the boarding fees for you to stay on campus at Beauxbatons this year.”

Ginny couldn’t keep her jaw from dropping. Her aunt never offered anything like this. Why was it so important to Muriel for Ginny to participate in the debutante season? Aside from the fact that she was the prime age to participate, it was often a way for the teens to find a partner, one of class, and better standing. Honestly, the whole thing was bloody archaic, and she had no idea why it still existed.

That’s when it hit her. She was a bargaining chip. Muriel would use her to ‘restore her family’s ‘place’ in society. You’ve got to be kidding me, Ginny thought. Sure, her parents didn’t make a ton of money, but they got by. Ron had just received a full scholarship to attend Hogwarts for their music program, and all of her older brothers were proving successful in their lines of work. They didn’t need Ginny to become a pawn in some ruddy game her aunt wanted to play.

“At the very least, please think about it, Ginevra. You are a natural beauty, and you could perform quite well if you allowed yourself to take a chance. As your family’s only daughter, you owe it to them to partake in at least one season. And, since that blasted football team has been disbanded, you’ve got nothing standing in your way this year.”

Anger flowed through her veins as Ginny felt as though she was going to explode. So her aunt had been behind eliminating the girl’s football team! All as a power play so that Muriel could live vicariously through Ginny. This was all so unfair! She needed the professional teams to start scouting her this year, and now all her chances were being thrown out the window at becoming a professional football player because her bloody aunt wanted her to become a debutante.

“No,” Ginny said fervently. 

There was absolutely no way she was going to let Aunt Muriel manipulate her life. Not in a million years. Her mother put her head in her hands, and Ginny felt terrible for a moment. Mum would understand, though. Ginny had goals and plans for her future, none of which involved becoming a debutante or a trophy wife. That was not who she was, nor would she ever be.

Aunt Muriel let out a long sigh. “I had a feeling you’d say that. You’re lucky I won’t be deterred so easily. I will give you two days to think about this, Ginevra. Perhaps you’ll change your mind. What else are you going to do this school year without that useless sport?”

“It’s not a useless sport, Aunt Muriel!” Ginny argued.

“Be that as it may, I know how much you’d love to live on campus with your friends. I can give you that experience. You have my number if you change your mind.” There was an air of finality in Muriel’s voice that told Ginny the conversation was over.

“Does that mean I can be excused now?” she asked through gritted teeth.

Her mother nodded exasperatedly as Ginny stormed up the stairs. She tossed her things in her own room before heading up to the house’s top floor, where Ron’s attic room was. They both shared a mutual hatred for Aunt Muriel, and if anyone would understand her frustration, it was him.  

Ginny walked into Ron’s room and immediately started venting. “Ugh! I can’t believe her nerve” Ron jumped. 

“Whose nerve?”

“Aunt Muriel! Showing up here with those ridiculous dresses and trying to bribe me into joining the debutante season! I even think she had a hand in disbanding the girl’s football team at Beauxbatons. Can you believe it?”

“That’s ridiculous, Gin. There’s no way she has that much influence, even if she’s vindictive enough to do what it takes to get her way.”

“Why are you not more upset about this?”

“I am! I’m just, er, busy,” Ron said.

“Busy with what? Is that a bag you’re packing? I thought you weren’t leaving for Hogwarts until Monday.”

“I, er,” Ron stammered.

“Ron, what are you planning?” Ginny said as she closed his bedroom door. 

Despite being polar opposites, they never kept anything from each other. She always knew when he was up to something, and he knew the same. 

He rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine, but you can’t tell anyone!” he warned.

“When have I ever given away your secrets before? You know you can trust me.”

“I’m going to be a bit late for the start of term at Hogwarts.”

“Why?” Ginny asked skeptically.

“I’ve been invited to this music competition in Germany. It’s for two weeks, but I have to go, Gin.”

“But you just got a full ride to Hogwarts for your music! Won’t you be jeopardizing that if you take off for two weeks instead of starting on time?”

“Not if someone covers for me and says I’m sick or something. Maybe I’ve got mono or the flu, or...” he shrugged, not bothering to put more thought into a plan.

Not that she wanted to change the topic, but his mention of the ‘kissing’ disease reminded Ginny of her run-in with Lavender. “Speaking of, have you talked to your wretched girlfriend lately?”

Ron winced. “Er, no, I’ve been avoiding her.”

“You don’t say. Must be why I got ambushed on my way back from school. If you’re going to chuck her, then you might as well do it sooner rather than later.”

“Eh, I’ll take care of it when I get back.”

“I don’t understand you. If Mum and Dad find out, they’ll pull you out of Hogwarts before you even have a chance to start!”

“So don’t let them find out. Please, Gin! I need to do this! This could be my shot at getting my music out there. It’s not that I don’t want to explore the classical route, but I don’t know how much I’m going to be able to focus on my own music at school.” Ron was begging Ginny now.

“How? I don’t suppose I could just dress up and pose as you for two weeks,” Ginny said in a bewildered tone.

Despite how ridiculous the statement sounded, the idea hit her full force. But there was no way she’d be able to pull it off, was there? Probably not. Unless….

“I don’t care how you do it. You just need to make sure Mum and Dad don’t find out. I’m going to tell them the auditions are tomorrow, so I’m leaving today. My flight leaves in five hours, so I have to get going.”

“How are you even paying for all of this?” 

“I’m staying at a hostel once I’m there, but Bill lent me money for the flight. I can pay him back if I place in the competition, and if not, then I’ll find a part-time job to pay him back.” Ron hoisted his bag on his back. “Listen, Ginny, I’ve got to go. The bus to London leaves in a half hour, so I really have to go.” He stuck one leg out his open window.

“Why are you going out the window,” she asked him slowly.

“Because Mum and Dad thought I left hours ago. I owe you one, alright?”

Ginny rolled her eyes. “Just let me know when you get there, okay? And don’t get into any more trouble.”

“Thanks, Gin, you’re the best!” Ron said as he disappeared down the makeshift fire escape.

As Ginny watched him go, the wheels were turning in her mind. Ron was leaving for two weeks. That was just enough time for her to pose as her brother and make the Hogwarts team. Then, she could play in the Beauxbatons game and stick it to Coach Snape and Michael when Hogwarts won. 

She’d show everyone that she was just as good as the boys! Now, how could she just disappear from the house for two weeks? And that’s when it hit her: Aunt Muriel’s offer. She could totally juggle the boy’s training schedule and the debutante program. It’d be tricky, but doable. And she wouldn’t have to try that hard with Ron’s schedule. It’d only be a week of classes, and hopefully, she could fudge her way through the music courses.

I can totally do this, Ginny thought. She headed down the stairs to see if Aunt Muriel was still there to change her answer, and if all went well, she’d be on her way to visit Fred and George next.