#look if that sounded harsh its cause if you make me hate the backtracking in a metroid game you've f'd up big time

[300iqprower]

Prime 3 is still easily the worst of the trilogy but damn if it's OST and worldbuilding didn't knock it out of the park

[terreisa]

Love Down the Line

The last thing Indie musician Emma Swan needs is a gigantic wrench thrown in the workings of her biggest tour to date weeks before its launch.  When her backing guitarist that caused the problem says she has the perfect solution Emma is skeptical but left with little choice but to accept.  Unfortunately she isn't really prepared for said solution to be former Rock Star and leading man of Emma's teenage fantasies, Killian Jones.  With no other options and a month of performing across the country ahead of her Emma just hopes she doesn't come to regret letting Killian onto her stage and into her life.

AO3

~*CS*~

Storybrooke, Maine- April 8th

The buzzing phone on the table in front of Emma Swan was a distraction she didn’t need.  There were a million and one things that needed to be done and only one month to do them before her tour started.  She swiped to answer it without looking, too caught up in what she was doing to bother.

“Yeah?” She asked impatiently, absently brushing the tendrils of her long blonde hair out of her face.

“I have good news and I have shit news.”

Emma sighed, albeit quietly.  It was Ruby, one of her closest friends and the rhythm guitarist for her backing band who also had a flair for the dramatic.  She only hoped that whatever it was Ruby was calling about wouldn’t turn into a two hour conversation over something they could easily discuss when she didn’t have time sensitive decisions to make.  Preferably in a month when they were finally on the tour bus and had nothing but time to kill between cities.

“If it’s about going on that second date with Dorothy that I already talked you into once can it wait?  I’m trying to finalize this set list so I can send it to Regina so she can send it to the lighting guys and the sound guys and we can stop fucking around at rehearsals and get things going almost smoothly.”

“Um, yeah… I mean, it’s not entirely about my date with Dorothy,” Ruby said with what sounded like trepidation.

Suspicion and dread immediately filled Emma’s veins.  Ruby was anything but hesitant when it came to sharing information.  She’d once announced at a club they were playing that she was on her period and would only accept phone numbers that were written on the outside wrapper of a chocolate bar.  By the time they made it back to their motel she had a mound of candy that would have made Augustus Gloop jealous.

“What’s the good news?”

“Nah, you’ll want the shitty news first,” Ruby hummed with a grin in her voice, her confidence restored.

She groaned, “When have I ever wanted the shitty news first?”

“Never, but this time the good news won’t make sense without it-” Ruby took in a deep breath, loud enough for Emma to hear over the connection and it set her back on edge. “Okay, so I was on that second date with Dorothy and it was going great.  Like, really great.  She’s amazing and funny and surprising.  We went to a paintball place.  Paintball, me!”

“Ruby-”

“And it was actually fun.  You know I’m more of a heels and cocktails kinda gal but I was getting into it-”

“Ruby-”

“Something about the adrenaline maybe or possibly the weird power trip of having a fake weapon to stalk your prey.  Though that makes me sound like I’m about to go play the most dangerous game or something-”

“RUBY!  The shitty news!”

“Oh, right,” Ruby had the decency to sound abashed but it did nothing to alleviate the pounding that had started in Emma’s head. “So paintball,  fun and exciting and I may have broken my arm.”

Emma suddenly felt faint, “What?”

“In two places,” Ruby continued, sounding almost proud of herself. “Plus there’s some stitches and a bunch of Bandaids involved but you probably don’t care about those.”

“How long?” She winced at her harsh question, knowing she sounded uncaring.  She backtracked, “No, fuck, wait, are you okay?  That should have been my first question.”

Ruby laughed, “Don’t worry, after all these years I know where your priorities lie.  I’m fine, they’ve got me on the good stuff here.”

“Wait, are you still at the hospital?” Emma stood up, ready to jump into whatever action was needed.

“Yup, they’ve still got to set the bones and wrap it up like the world’s worst present but like I said: the good stuff.”

“Alright, I’m on my way,” Emma dashed to her room and frantically tried to find a matching pair of shoes in the piles of crap strewn across the floor. “Do you need anything?  A change of clothes?  Are they keeping you there overnight?  Want me to stop by Granny’s?  Should I call Granny?”

“Whoa, Emma, slow down,” Ruby said, laughing again. “Dorothy called Granny when we were on our way to the hospital.  She’s already here and glaring at anyone in a white coat that walks by my little curtained area.  It should only be an hour or so then it’s home to rest.  You can come over with pizza and I’ll bore you to death then with all the little details of my date.”

“Okay,” she breathed, dropping down onto her bed with a tennis shoe in one hand.  “Pizza.  I can do that.”

“Good.  It’s six weeks by the way,” Ruby said offhandedly.

“Six weeks,” she repeated, confused by the non-sequitur.

“Recovery time.  At least six weeks.”

The shoe dropped out of her hand, “Six weeks.”

“And then a few weeks of physical therapy,” Ruby continued. “So, more like two months give or take.”

“Ruby,” she said weakly. “The tour starts in a month.  There’s no time to audition a replacement and have them learn the songs and what if they don’t get along with us or, fuck, what if they have a massive ego or-”

“Emma, stop.” Ruby said calmly. “This is where the good news comes in.”

“Good news?  How can there be good news?”

“I told you there would be,” Ruby tsked, “Here it is.  I already have a replacement ready!  He knows most of the songs you’ve been picking, has a shit ton of experience on the road and playing the type of venues we’ve got booked, and best of all he’s available to start as soon as you tell me yes.”

Ruby’s words had started to slow but her excitement was still palpable.  Emma on the other hand felt nothing but dread settling in her stomach.  Ever since she’d started doing the music thing seriously Ruby had been a part of the band playing behind her.  The seedy bars with tiny stages, the slightly better clubs with slightly worse sound systems, the places that could actually be called venues that held more than a hundred people and then bigger and bigger until she was finally selling out places that easily sat four or five thousand people.  She’d been there for everything, had seen everything, knew everything and her not being able to be there for any part of it was starting to cause Emma’s vision to go slightly grey at the edges.

“I need to call Regina,” she gasped, trying to draw in a deep breath, “We can cancel the first few weeks or reschedule them.”

“Emma-”

“I’ll say I have bronchitis or those polyp things on my vocal chords.  Or I can do the shows acoustic-”

“Emma, if you’d just-

“But then I’ll have to figure out how to pay Will and Tink-”

“Or you could just give this guy a chance, maybe?” Ruby said sharply and a bit pointedly. “I’m not letting you sabotage the biggest fucking thing to happen to you because I can’t play for a few weeks.  The fans don’t care who’s in the backing band, they’re paying to see you.”

“Then they won’t mind an acoustic show, will they?” Emma snapped back.

“No, but it’s also not what you’ve been teasing on Instagram for the past few months.  Not to mention all the techies and roadies that have already been hired that will be fired because they’ll be deemed unnecessary.  Plus isn’t it in your contract with the label that any major changes to the tour had to be approved by them?  I can tell you right now they won’t approve of anything this close to the start date.”

Emma hated that Ruby was right but couldn’t help one last argument, “And replacing you with some rando off the street isn’t a major change?”

“First off: the label cares even less about who’s in the backing band then the fans do.  As long as we make you sound good and don’t upstage you they’re happy,” Ruby said flippantly. “Second: Jones isn’t some rando, he’s actually a session guitarist and has played on a few songs on your last two albums.  Third: This is your best option and you know it.”

“I don’t know it,” she grumbled, “He could still be a problem, you know, personality wise or whatever.”

“Okay, sure,” Ruby conceded, “but you won’t know unless you give him a chance.  So will you?  Give him a chance?”

“Ugh, fine, but if he sucks I’m definitely writing a song called ‘I fucking told you so’.”

“And if he doesn’t I get to write it and you’ll have to play the terrible result at the final show,” Ruby said gleefully.

“I hate you,” Emma sighed, falling back so she was laying across the width of her bed.

“No you don’t,” Ruby paused and Emma could hear murmuring in the background. “Hey, the doctor’s back and they’re ready to get my bones a crackin’.  You can complain about it more tonight.  Meat lovers supreme, extra large, and bring those cinnamon sticky things too!”

Ruby hung up before Emma could utter a sound.  She chuckled to herself before the reality of the situation sunk back in.  For Ruby’s sake she’d give the Jones guy a chance but she had little faith that it would work out as easily as Ruby had made it sound.  Nothing had ever worked out easily for her before, no use in getting her hopes up again.

[dimpled-gukkie]

Give and Take

Moodboard made by @i-am-today-we-will-survive

Pairing: student heiress! Feminine Reader x art student!Jeon Jungkook ft. platonic best friend Kim Taehyung. (Brief appearances made by Park Jimin, Min Yoongi, and Kim Seokjin). 

Word Count: 20.5k

Warnings: mentions of drinking, taking pain meds (not abusively), belittling parents, incarceration, slight cursing, and allusions to feeling depressive

Genre: Fluff w/ some angst, S2L, College au, kinda a coffee shop au but barely

A/n: I’m sorry I’m a day late on this, I really thought I could get this whole thing written out but I was 4k short yesterday. I promise to get better at time management and not overextend myself. Anyways, yesterday I hit a milestone so this fic is also like a celebration to that. Hopefully you guys enjoy it!

Summary: Love has never come easy to you; you would say you even question if it exists. So when your parents hound you about finding a boyfriend to improve the company image you panic. The only boy you trust enough to bring home is Jeon Jungkook but he doesn’t quite match your parents ideal which means you need to give him a bit of a makeover. Along the way can Jungkook prove to you that love is real or will he just re-affirm your beliefs that it’s a lie?

Your heels clack against the linoleum floors, each step making you wince at the harsh sounds. It’s a stark contrast to the gentle thud of your converse, and you keep your head down as you pass through the hallways. People turn to stare at you as you walk by and you wind your arms around your middle in an effort to comfort yourself. If it were up to you, you’d be tucked into a pair of leggings and and a thin sweater, just warm enough to protect you from the cool breezes of spring. Instead you’re in what could best be described as a summer dress because your father’s words keep going through your head. The first impression is the only thing that matters, so always dress yourself well. In your own mind, you’re merely setting yourself up for being able to wear sweats for the rest of the semester. 

Casting a sparing glance to your phone, your eyes widen in surprise when you notice the time. Class begins in three minutes and you have to cross the entire building. Picking up your pace, you’re nearly to the lecture hall when you smack into someone’s chest while rounding a corner. Papers fly and the sound of a million pencils rolling across the tile haunt you. You’ll surely be late if you stop and help them but you accept your fate. Hastily you swipe the pencils and paper nearest to you, shuffling them into a haphazard pile. The person you crashed into says nothing as you both grab their belongings, only grunting in annoyance. Once everything you can see is collected, you give them the pile of paper and pens that threatens to capsize in your arms. “I’m so sorry.” You begin, looking up to see a pair of dark brown eyes glaring back at you. Their icy gaze causes chills to run up your spine and you find yourself backtracking. “I-I wasn’t looking where I was going and it’s all my fault-“ A deep blush creeps onto your cheeks as the stranger breaks out into a lazy grin, amused by your nervous antics. 

“It’s alright, no big deal.” You nearly get whiplash from his icy stare turning into molten pools as his eyes crinkle around the edges. 

“Well-“ You clear your throat. “Alright then. I have to get to class.” Scurrying past him, you catch a glimpse of a fond smile but don’t pay it much mind. After all, you know too well how fake smiles can be. Upon entering the classroom, all eyes turn to you and you awkwardly shuffle towards an open seat. Of course they’re left in the front row, meaning everyone in the lecture hall watches you plop into your chair and throw your head onto the table in embarrassment. 

“Well now that it seems that everyone is here,” The professor looks at you pointedly.”We may now begin. It should be noted that since this is an upper level business class, I expect you all to dress accordingly. That means no sweats, leggings, or anything less than business casual.” The class lets out a collective groan causing the professor to roll his eyes. “In less than two years, you’ll be entering the work force where you’ll be treated as professional adults. It’s about time you start looking like it.” With that the professor turns back to his slides, beginning his presentation. You could tell this was going to be a long semester. 

A grueling two hours later, you’re finally free and make a break for the door. You’re not sure if you can handle a whole semester of that man. His monotonous voice nearly drove you to sleep, but his sharp eyes kept you from dozing off. It was clear he had disdain for his job and you were worried he would take it out on your class. Taehyung is waiting faithfully outside of the classroom, leaning against the wall directly across. He opens his arms wide when you emerge from the classroom and you hide inside his chest. Nothing is as comforting as crawling into your best friends arms after a rough morning. “How was your first class of the day?” He mumbles against the crown of your head. Sighing you press yourself further into him as you answer. “That bad huh?” He chuckles giving you a squeeze. 

“I want to go back to the apartment.” You whine. You and Taehyung have been roommates since the end of your freshman year when the dorms dumped you both out onto the streets. They don’t appreciate when you smuggle dogs into them apparently. It was on the fateful day, surrounded by your Prada luggage and Taehyung surrounded by his Gucci, that you decided to be roommates. For most it was probably a bad idea to move in with a random stranger, but you and Taehyung clicked so quickly that by the end of the day you were best friends. 

“Me too. I miss Tannie already.” 

“We can skip?” You offer, giving off your best smile. It’s hard to want to go to class when you hate your major. 

“First impressions are the most important remember?” He wiggles his eyebrows and you regret telling him your whole life story. 

“Don’t remind me. Besides my classes suck.” You’re back to whining because being sweet isn’t working. 

“I know.” He rubs his hands down the length of your spine soothingly. “But college is almost over and then when you get the company you can sell it.” 

“I’m sure my dad will love that. He won’t even let me take the classes I want.” Glancing around, the hall is void of any other students, the rest already heading to their next class. You should be too, but you’d rather be with Taehyung. 

“You don’t have to take classes to make it as a writer.” Taehyung points out. You appreciate that he always tries to see the bright side, but sometimes you just want to complain. 

“Yeah. I wish my parents were more like yours though.” 

“I don’t think so. At least your parents care, in their own twisted way. I don’t even think I really have a family at this point.” He chuckles lightly but you’ve known him for long enough to know it’s to cover his sorrow. He’s pretty good at hiding behind a smile but you’ve know him too well for it to ever fool you. 

“You have me. You’re my family.” Glancing up, chin resting on his chest, you watch as a small smile makes its way onto his features.

“And you’re mine. We’re our own two person family.” 

“Exactly. And why would you want any more members when you already have the best?” 

“Did-did you just refer to yourself as the best?” Taehyung pushes you from his chest and holds onto your shoulders, keeping you at arms width. He suppress the smile trying to make its way onto his face. 

“What? No-no I meant you!” You both fall into a fit of giggles and Taehyung pulls you back into him. 

“I know bubs, you’re just too fun to tease. Now come on, let’s head to class. I’ll walk you there.” Pouting you let Taehyung drag you to your next class and sadly wave goodbye to him. You never have any classes together, aside from that rare time there’s an elective you both manage to snag. Taehyung majors in Art History, something he is actually passionate about, but always manages to be there to walk you to and from classes. You really don’t know what you did to deserve him. Inside, the classroom is already pretty full, only a few seats empty here or there. Walking towards the back, you sit down quietly next to a boy with his head down. Taking out your AirPods you pop them in to listen to some music before class starts. Taehyung always makes sure that you arrive a little early to class, the only exception being this morning because he has a class earlier than your own. You just hit play on your music when the boy next to you turns to face you. Looking over you realize it’s the same one from this morning. 

“Oh hi.” You wave awkwardly and take one earbud out. 

“Hi.” He smiles and now that you have the time to really look at him you notice his whole face crinkles when he grins. “Airpods huh?” He gestures to the one in your hand. 

“Yeah. I don’t speak broke.” You both fall into a fit of giggles at your lame joke and you reach out to give your earbud to him. “You can listen too if you want. I wouldn’t say my playlist is the best but it’s good enough.” Grinning he takes it and bops his head dramatically to the beat coming from them. 

“I don’t know what you mean. This is great.” Rolling your eyes you slide your phone over to him with the music app open. 

“Fine then. You pick something.” 

“Let me show you what intellectuals listen to.” His grin becomes earsplitting as he shields the device from your prying eyes and you gradually become more concerned. You shouldn’t have trusted him. The beginning of Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley begins to trickle through the speakers and you try your best to snatch the phone back from him but he holds it out to his other side. 

“I can’t believe you just rick rolled me.” You groan, struggling to hide a laugh of your own. “I don’t even know you yet and you’re already messing with me.” He turns to you suddenly serious and his face falls. 

“You mean, you share your headphones with just anybody?” Pouting he hands you back the device and guilt already begins to eat away at you. 

“No I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t really share them with anybody but I’m comfortable around you for some reason even though we only met this morning so I guess we’re not really stra-“ 

“I’m just teasing.” He cuts you off from your rambling. “I’m Jungkook.” He says sticking out his hand. Gently you place yours in his and he shakes it firmly. 

“Y/n.” 

“There you go, now we’re not strangers.” He smiles and you find yourself smiling back. You’re not sure what exactly makes you trust him so much. He’s just so warm and bright, reminiscent of Taehyung. He makes you feel safe and protected, something you haven’t really felt in a long time. Maybe it’s a mistake, but you decide that you want to keep him around. The professor enters the room and calls for your attention, effectively ending the conversation. 

That night you’re curled up next to Taehyung on the couch of your apartment, the dogs sprawled across your laps. “Who was that boy in your second class?” Taehyung asks, absentmindedly playing with your hair. 

“Taehyung there’s lots of boys in my second class. You need to be more specific.” 

“The one with the red hair. He kept glancing at you when we were talking after your class.” You rack your mind for someone with red hair before mentally facepalming. 

“That’s Jungkook. I think we’re friends now.” Taehyung raises an eyebrow at you. 

“Really? You don’t really trust people after him.” 

“Yeah I know, but there’s just something about Jungkook. He makes me feel safe.” 

“Well that’s good. I’ll have to meet him though, make sure he knows that if he ever hurts you I’ll beat his ass.” 

“Tae we only just became friends.” You groan hiding your face in his neck. 

“I don’t care. As long as we’re best friends it’s my job to make sure no one will hurt you.” 

“Ah yes, big bad Taehyung. You’ll really scare them away with that boxy smile.” You tease pinching his soft cheeks for extra measure. 

“Shut up.” He swats your hands away. “Besides I have a very manly voice. I’ll just use that to my advantage.” Nodding you rest your head against his shoulder, attention focusing back on the tv. “You tired?” Taehyung asks softly. You lightly nod in response. “Come on then.” Gently he scoops you up and places you onto your bed, shuffling the comforter up to your chin. “Sleep well okay?” Nodding, you watch with half-lidded eyes as he walks over towards your door. “Goodnight bubs.” 

“Goodnight Tae.

The next morning you’re enjoying your day without class, walking hand in hand with Taehyung. He swings your connected hands in large swooping motions, giggling childishly at the action. “Ahh I missed this.” He says and you roll your eyes, albeit your heart does grow a tad warmer. 

“Tae we see each other everyday. We live together.” 

“Yeah but it’s not the same. I have you all to myself today.” Grinning he pulls you into him, stopping to give you a bear hug in the middle of the street. Hugging him back tightly you rub his upper back, sensing a shift in his attitude. Maybe something happened last night after you went to bed that upset him and is making him so starved for affection. 

“You okay?” You murmur into his ear, ignoring the annoyed grunts and huffs of air the people around you are giving. 

“Your parents called me last night.” You feel yourself turn rigid in his arms, and this time it’s Taehyung rubbing soothing circles down your back. 

“Why? What did they want?” You’re not exactly sure how they got Taehyung’s number seeing as they only know him from the time they stopped by your apartment uninvited. They were solely against the idea of you living with a male until they found out Taehyung also came from a wealthy family. They couldn’t stop talking about him and pressuring you to make a move until you broke the news that Taehyung was already engaged to someone else. Truthfully, Taehyung was just as single as you but your parents would never accept the fact that you and Taehyung would only ever be friends regardless of his beauty or wealth. After finding out Taehyung was a no-go your parents have never mentioned Taehyung again and you had thought they’d completely forgotten him. 

“They called me and pleaded that I break off my engagement and court you instead.” Your cheeks turn a hot shade of pink and you hide yourself in his neck. 

“They really think I’m that much of a lost cause that they have to do my bidding huh? Did they offer you money? Wouldn’t be the first time.” 

“Bubs…” Taehyung warns, his tone of voice telling you not to ask questions you don’t want the answer to. 

“How much?” Your voice is muffled by his sweatshirt but his sigh signifies he still heard you. 

“1 million.” 

“That low huh? I guess my worth has decreased over time.” You laugh humorously. “To them that’s the equivalent of 20 dollars.” 

“Well you’re priceless to me, if that makes you feel any better.” 

“Thanks Taehyungie.” You pat his shoulder a few times before disentangling yourself from his grip. “Now come on, I definitely need some coffee to get me through the day.” Pulling him into the first shop you see, you’re welcomed by a soft yellow light emitted from the lights strung along the ceiling and soft piano music filtering through the speakers. The smell of freshly ground coffee beans swirls through the air, the smell like the soft flutter of a butterfly’s wings rather than pungent and assaulting. You’re too busy looking around to notice the boy with familiar red hair, dark eyes, and crinkly smile, which comes on full display when he notices your presence. 

“Y/N!” Looking over towards the register you finally take notice of the beaming boy. 

“Oh, he-hey Jungkook.” You move to rub the back of your neck nervously but end up pulling Taehyung’s arm with you, completely forgetting that you’re attached. Jungkook’s eyes dart down to your conjoined hands, as do yours, and his smile droops a little. 

“Hey. What can I get you both today?” 

“A medium vanilla iced coffee for me and then a large strawberry smoothie for him please.” Jungkook types in your order before turning the screen around for you to pay. He says nothing after you swipe your card and enter your pin, just turns around to start making your drinks. 

Taehyung gives you a weird look before leaning in to whisper in your ear as you wait to get your drinks, “I thought you said you were friends?” 

“We are?” You’re just as confused as Taehyung about Jungkook’s sudden change in mood. He seemed so happy before to see you, but now he won’t even speak to you. 

“Mmm. I don’t like him.” 

“He’s really nice. Maybe he’s just having a bad day?” 

“Just be careful alright? I don’t want a repeat of-“ 

“Your order is ready.” Jungkook cuts Taehyung off gruffly. You flash him a concerned look but he ignores it and heads back over to the register. Maybe Taehyung is right. Is Jungkook even worth it?

The next time you see Jungkook is your shared class together three days later. He’s sitting in the same spot as last week and part of you wants to go sit somewhere else. Your heart wins out though and you decide to sit next to him anyways. Everyone has bad days, you shouldn’t hold it against him. Pulling out your headphones and notebook you place them on your desk and out of the corner of your eye see Jungkook giving you a soft smile. “Feel like sharing?” He asks. 

“You want to be AirPod buddies? Hmm… I don’t know.” His grin turns into a pout, plush bottom lip jutting out considerably. His eyes twinkle like they’ve captured the stars. “Fine.” You huff and roll your eyes.

He grins happily as he pops the bud in, and bops his head happily side to side. A fond smile stretches across your face and it’s like the coffee shop incident never happened. It must’ve really been a bad day. You both sit at the desk bopping along happily until the professor comes in and you both set the headphones aside. You’re halfway through the lecture when a loud crinkling sounds next to you, and when the people around you also turn their heads toward the sound, Jungkook is frozen with hunched shoulders and wide eyes, a bag of banana chips clutched between his fingers. You struggle to hide your giggle, eyes scrunched as your body shakes in silent laughter. When everyone finally turns their sharp gazes away, Jungkook lightly shoves your shoulder. “I can’t believe you laughed in my time of need.” He whines. 

“It’s your own fault for trying to open up a bag of chips in a quiet room.” 

“Just for that I’m not sharing.” He sticks his tongue out at you when you spare him a glance. 

“Alright banana boy.” You snicker. A pout grows on his face at your words and you resist the urge to poke his jutted lip in response. It’s odd for you to feel so affectionate towards someone so quickly, Taehyung’s really the only one who brings it out in you, but you don’t want to shake off this feeling. It feels warm like friendship and it’s been a while since you’ve made a real friend after Taehyung. When Jungkook starts getting back into the lesson and is too focused on his notes to realize you inching your hand towards the bag, you quickly swipe a few chips and push them into your mouth to hide the evidence. You’re too busy grinning at your “sneaky” plan working to notice Jungkook tilt his head to the side quickly and poking his tongue into his cheek to hide his smile. He definitely saw you but if you were going to get so happy over sneaking chips he offered, he’d let it slide. 

When class is over and you are gathering your notebook and pens, Jungkook softly taps on your shoulder, twirling the AirPod around in his fingers. “Do you maybe -um- want to go grab a coffee or something? You don’t have to, I mean you’re probably busy but-“ His face gets increasingly redder the longer he rambles, becoming more and more flustered. 

“Sure. Just let me text Tae and tell him I have plans, unless he can come with us?”

Scratching the back of his neck he gives you a tight lipped smile. “Yeah sure. The more the merrier right?” 

You look at him skeptically before raising an eyebrow. “You sure?” 

“Yup.” Walking outside the classroom, Taehyung is once again leaning against the wall and when he notices you both come out together he raises an eyebrow. You dismiss it with a roll of the eyes but a blush still makes it’s way up your neck and onto your cheeks. The three of you walk out of the building in an awkward silence, the tension almost palpable. Pursing your lips, you wring your hands together, lost on what the route of the tension is and how to solve it. 

“So umm… what are you planning on getting?” You turn to ask Jungkook. He gives you a small smile. 

“I was thinking something sweet. Maybe a caramel macchiato.” 

“Oo good choice. Maybe I’ll get that too.” 

“It’d definitely be more exciting than a vanilla iced coffee.” He snickers. In result you shove his arm and he practically throws himself onto the grass next to the sidewalk, rolling a few times while clutching his “injury”. “Yah! Who knew someone so small was so strong? Be careful will you? I could’ve broken my arm or something!” Rolling your eyes you stifle your giggles behind the sleeve of your sweater. 

“You’re a dork.” 

“You know, surprisingly I’ve heard that before.” He chuckles while picking himself off the grass. 

“Wow that is surprising.” Jungkook rolls his eyes in response and opens his mouth to say something before Taehyung interjects. 

“Now now children. Let’s not fight.” 

You and Jungkook both huff and mumble, “I’m not a child.” 

“If you have to refute it, then you probably are.” Squinting your eyes, you give him your best glare but he ignores it. “Where are we going anyways?” 

“My place.” Jungkook grumbles. His eyes widen as he registers his words meanwhile you and Taehyung have stopped to stare at him. 

“Umm.. I’m sorry if I gave you that impression but-“ You begin but Jungkook frantically waves his hands while shaking his head. 

“No no not my place my place like my coffee shop. My place of work. This is so awkward, I’m so sorry. I swear I’m not like that.” Taehyung giggles behind you as a bead of nervous sweat trickles down Jungkook’s head the longer you remain silent. His gaze is pleading as he stares, praying he hasn’t ruined his chances. 

“Jungkook it’s fine. I figured that’s what you meant.” Taehyung is still giggling as you make your way towards Jungkook’s cafe, the same one you visited a few days ago. The bell chimes above your heads as you enter and the boy behind the counter whips his head up at the sound. “Kookie!” He yells, grin so wide that his eyes squint to the point that they’re nearly closed. 

“Ahh,, hi Jimin.” Jungkook smiles, voice soft. 

“Look at you making friends. I never thought the day would come.” The cashier teases while wiping a fake tear. “My Jungkookie is all grown up.” Jungkook rolls his eyes.  

“This is Y/N and uhh,,,” 

“Taehyung, but most people call me Tae.” Taehyung sticks his hand out to shake Jimin’s and Jimin winks at you when they release. 

“So you’re Y/N..” A smirk grows on his face as he gives you a once over and your cheeks heat up. 

“Yup, that’s me.” You smile awkwardly. 

“Okay well now that introductions are over, how about taking our order?” Jungkook steps in front of you, shielding you from Jimin’s gaze. 

“Sure thing.” 

“Two caramel macchiatos and a- what did you want?” Jungkook asks turning to Taehyung. 

“Strawberry smoothie.” 

“Yeah that.” While Jimin’s punching in the order you squeeze between Jungkook and Taehyung. “What are you doing?” Jungkook asks watching as you take out your debit card. 

“Paying?” Reaching out to hand Jimin the card, Jungkook places his hand over your own to stop you. 

“No I got this. Don’t worry.” 

“Jungkook it’s really no big deal.” You begin.

“Y/N it’s really no big deal.” Sighing you put your hand back down, realizing this argument is futile. Jungkook is too determined. 

“It really is no big deal. He’s got that employee discount anyways.” Jimin teases, leaning against the counter as he shakes in laughter. Pink dusts Jungkook’s cheeks and your heart hurts a little because he’s so cute. But you only mean it in a friendly manner, at least that’s what you tell yourself.

Ever since you’ve gotten coffee with Jungkook and Taehyung you’ve felt giddy. The type of giddy where your whole body feels like a live wire budding with electricity. You deduce it must be because you’ve made a new friend. You’ve finally found someone new to let in, someone who doesn’t seem to only want you for your contacts or bank account. Not that they’re even yours to begin with. Growing up in a household where your father was the youngest CEO of the largest distribution companies in the country meant you were always more than comfortable. You could get whatever you asked for, money came in like it really did grow on trees. Your biggest worry though, focused on the people outside your immediate family. Crooks and snakes lied around every corner, waiting to strike the naive girl you once were. The type who gave love so freely and in such an abundance that you couldn’t fathom the greed or cruelty that overtook humanity so easily. When you did finally see it, it felt like all the warmth and love you had was sucked out of you, leaving you this shell of a person. For a long time you didn’t really know how to be, the new you was so cynical, so cold. It wasn’t until you met Taehyung and truly trusted him that the flicker of life in you came back. That’s part of the reason you and Taehyung are so close, seeing as he made you feel human again. 

With a smile on your face even throughout your classes, nothing can break your mood, not the grumpy old man who loiters in the lobby of your apartment building yelling at the people at the front desk or the loud stomping of the people on the floor above you. Smiling widely, you flop onto the couch and both pups jump onto you, Tannie settling in your lap and your own dog lying on your chest giving you a few licks on your jawline. “Hi babies!” Craning your neck up, you pat them both on their heads before settling fully back down. 

“Why didn’t I get that kind of excitement when I picked you up from class earlier?” Taehyung whines, nudging your legs aside to make room for himself on the couch. 

“Oh, hey Tae! I didn’t see you there.” You voice drips in faux excitement making Taehyung roll his eyes. “Aww come on. You know I’m always happy to see you.” 

“And?” Taehyung pushes, eyes wide and hopeful. 

“And?” 

“I can wait all day you know.” Resting one arm on the back of the couch he shifts to his side to stare at you head-on. 

“I love you.” A boxy grin two sizes too big stretches across his features and you’re sure if they dogs weren’t on your lap, he would’ve tackled you. It’s not often that you say I love you, what with all that happened last time. 

“I love you too! You should really say that more often. It makes my day.” He’s practically beaming and you consider maybe just for him you’ll try and say it more frequently. After all, there’s no risk of losing Taehyung. You’ll be best friends even in death. 

“I might.” You mumble, half hoping he won’t hear you but also hoping he will. After all he’s done for you, you could at least give him this. 

The rest of the night is spent how every night is, you and Taehyung wrapped in pillows and blankets while surrounded by take-out boxes, the pups waiting fervently to catch any spillage. The whole time though, thoughts of a certain red haired, crinkly smiled boy swirls through your head leaving a small smile on your face even when you’re asleep. 

You find yourself back in your dreaded class, the same eyes as before judging you for your outfit choice. Did the professor say that you were supposed to dress nicely? Yes. Are you going to dress nicely though when you hate your major and have to study it at 7 am every morning? No. So here you are in your comfiest sweats and one of Taehyung’s hoodies, nursing a coffee that’s not nearly as good as the one Jungkook made a few days ago. The professor walks in and his beady eyes land right on you and you give him your best fake smile before grabbing your notebook out of your backpack. “I see some of us have forgotten the dress code.” He begins and all eyes fall to you. “Today I’ll let it slide, but next time you’ll start to notice an effect on your grade.” His eyes say try me and you shrink a little into yourself on the inside, even though you don’t let it show. You make eye contact with the class TA named Seokjin and he winks at you before mouthing something unintelligible, well at least to you. He definitely said something to garner the giggles of the girls around you but you’ve always been bad at reading lips. You just smile awkwardly before turning back to your notes.

When class ends, he saunters over to you, placing both hands on the desk before leaning into you. His wide shoulders shadow part of your desk leaving you feeling caged in, but not in a good way. “I’m Seokjin.” 

“I know.” His smirk widens. “Kinda need to know the name of the TA in case I have questions.” The smirk falls a little and you can’t help your swell of pride from knocking him off his high horse. 

“Well I thought it was real sexy how you stood up to the professor like that. He’s a prick.” Seokjin says. 

“Thanks. Well, I have to go. My friend is waiting for me.” You point to Taehyung who’s leaning against the wall like he does everyday. He won’t admit it but he definitely does it for the wallflower aesthetic. Seokjin’s eyes follow the direction your finger is pointing in and he stiffens when he notices Taehyung. 

“Friend?” He asks as he follows you towards the door of the classroom. 

“Mmhmm.” Taehyung wraps his arm around your shoulder when you you walk out sensing your discomfort. 

“Well, you should come to my party. It’s at my frat. Free entry for pretty girls.” He winks and you lean further into Taehyung. 

“Free entry for him and I’ll think about it.” Seokjin gives Taehyung a once over, like he’s assessing whether he’s more attractive than him. 

“Free entry for both if you come.” 

“You drive a hard bargain but I’ll accept.” You stick out your hand to shake on it and when you pull away a folded note is left on your hand. 

“I mean I study business so.. But I’ll see you later, Y/N. Maybe we could even hang out before the party?” He smiles before walking away with a small wave. Opening the folded note, his number is scrawled across in red ink along with a wink and a heart. 

“How can you be so greasy in a note?” You ask, scrunching your nose in disgust. Throwing the note in the nearest trashcan, you and Taehyung speed walk to your next class, seeing as your little chat with “mr. worldwide handsome” put you behind schedule. 

Jungkook chuckles as you race into class moments before the professor and settle down in the seat next to him. “Running late?” He asks. 

“No I just decided to have to run to class today for fun.” You roll your eyes and shake your head, not bothering to fight the smile stretching across your face. 

“You sure have an interesting idea of fun then.” He pushes his tongue inside his cheek and tilts his head a little, fighting back a large smile but leaving his eyes twinkling. 

“Well what’s your idea of fun?” 

“Going to the countryside, photoshoots, painting.” He whispers, both of you neglecting the lecture going on at the front of the room. 

“Spoken like a true wannabe art hoe.” You giggle and wink at him. He puffs out his cheeks in a pout and you can’t help but poke a finger into one of them, effectively making him blow out the air. 

“First of all if anyone’s the wannabe it’s you and your paint stained hoodie. I bet you bought that from Urban with the paint smears just to be quirky.”

“Someone’s defensive.” You snicker. “Besides it’s not even mine. It’s Tae’s and he actually studies art for his major.” You stick your tongue out at him for extra measure. 

“Well so do I so ha!” He sticks his tongue back out at you and you both fall into a fit of giggles at your childish antics. 

“You’re such a dork.” You laugh. 

“Takes one to know one.” He sings. 

“Remind me why we’re friends again?” 

“You mean… I’ve been upgraded from desk mate to friend?” Jungkook sniffles and wipes under his eye like he’s catching tears. “This is such an honor.” You shove his arm but he doesn’t even move. 

“I hate you.” You pout crossing your arms over your chest. “I was just trying to be nice and-“ 

“Ahh you know I’m teasing. Besides we both know you’re only my friend for the banana chips.” Reaching into his bag, he pulls out two packets of banana chips and hands you one. “Now we can wreak havoc together!” 

The next day you and Taehyung coincidentally end up at the coffee shop Jungkook works at. Taehyung says nothing the whole time you’re ordering, opting to just look at you with this big grin as Jungkook turns to make your drinks. “What?” You ask sharply. 

“Oh nothing, just find it funny that out of all the coffee shops in town we had to walk five extra blocks to come here.” He shifts his weight between his heels and toes, rocking back and forth and looking up while he says it. You glare at him in response. 

“Maybe I just like it better here? Did you think of that?” 

“Or maybe you just like a certain worker better here.” 

“Is it wrong that I want to see my friend?” Taehyung coughs loudly muttering boyfriend in between. “No. I don’t do boyfriends.” 

“Don’t do boyfriends?” Jungkook interjects, his brows furrowed and lips pursed as if he’s displeased. 

“Ahh,, let’s just say I don’t have a good history with them.” 

“With one.” Taehyung says, holding up one finger to Jungkook to really emphasize your lack of experience. 

“It only takes one bad experience to ruin something. Besides it’s alright, I’ve coped with dying alone.” You shrug. 

“That’s a little morbid. Don’t you think maybe you should give it another shot? Find someone who’ll treat you better?” Jungkook pushes, holding onto your drinks. He keeps them close to his chest though like they’re tethering you to him, making you stay. 

“That’s what Taehyung’s for,” You pat his arm a few times. “Who needs a boyfriend when you have a best friend that provides you with everything you need sans romance, of course.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” Jungkook pushes your drinks towards you, his mouth sadly quirked up in one corner. 

“Not quite. Since I’m getting married soon, you’ll need someone to take home to your parents.” Taehyung says, winking at Jungkook. Both of your faces turn scarlet and you hastily pull Taehyung out of the shop, not even taking the time to say goodbye to a stunned Jungkook. 

“What the hell Tae?” You exclaim when you’re a safe distance from the shop and the cool breeze soothes your burning skin. 

“What? I was doing you a favor. Planting a seed if you will.” 

“I won’t.” Grabbing your drink from his hands, you stomp away towards your apartment with Taehyung trotting happily behind you. You’re not paying much mind when you’re shoving your key into the door of the apartment, mind still reeling over the incident back at the coffee shop. What if Jungkook doesn’t want to be friends anymore? What if Jungkook thinks you like him? “I can’t believe you told Jungkook I need someone to take home to my parents.” You’re not looking as you enter too busy scowling back at Taehyung who’s standing behind you. He looks a tad guilty now, finally sensing your distress over the situation and it makes you feel a little better. He shouldn’t be pressuring you into getting a boyfriend, let alone one meeting your parents, when he knows the wreck you were left in last time. 

Later that week Taehyung convinces you to go to the university art exhibit with him. The gallery is made up entirely of student compositions and there’s even a small scholarship given to the creator of the best piece, voted by the art board staff. It’s a requirement for all students in the art programs to attend even if they haven’t entered a composition, hence why Taehyung is here. As a fellow art hoe, mainly a sucker for textured paintings, it really didn’t take much for you to give up your Saturday afternoon. Walking around there’s many pieces of all forms: paintings, prints, sculptures. You must spend at least three hours wandering from piece to piece discussing your own interpretations of the pieces and their meanings. Nothing has quite caught your eye yet, but Taehyung has become enraptured with a piece called ‘Squirrel trapped in a garden’. The ceramic squirrel sits in the center of a clear vase turned upside down and Taehyung can’t seem to pull himself away. While he stands staring at the woodland creature, you move on ahead of him to a painting tucked in the back of the venue. It’s a mixed media piece, the melancholy theme of it all contrasting with the bright colors. Your hand itches to run across the gray canvas and touch the raised paint and trace the harshly etched lines making up the face. An array of rainbow makes up half of the man’s hair and the color seeps from his eye like tears and trips down his face off his chin. It’s almost like the color is being drained out of him, spilling from the cracks that line his face. 

You’re too engrossed in the painting to notice the sudden presence beside you leaning in close to whisper, “What do you think?” 

“Hmm?” You ask turning to jump back when you realize Jungkook’s face is mere inches from your own. 

“About the painting.” 

“Right. I think the juxtaposition of the dark theme but bright colors makes for a really interesting piece. I like that it’s open ended. Is he becoming darkness as his colors fade to grey or is light breaking through his dark facade?” 

“Which do you think?” 

“I feel like you’re going to psychoanalyze me based on my answer.” You joke.

“Just answer the question.” 

“I think he’s being taken over by darkness.” 

“Interesting. I would’ve pegged you for the type to choose sunshine and rainbows.” Jungkook says. 

“I once was.” You scoff, almost mad at yourself for your past mentality. You were a fool. 

“What happened?” Jungkook presses, moving to stand in front of you as you refuse to take your eyes off the painting. 

“It’s a long story.” 

“We’ve got time.” 

“Correction, you’ve got time. I have to get ready for a party.” You say. 

“A party? Where?” 

“Kim Seokjin’s frat.” 

“How’d you get in? He’s real picky about his invite list.” 

“What can I say? The people love me.” Jungkook scoffs and rolls his eyes. 

“Well if you’re going then so am I. Can’t let you get drunk alone.” 

“I’d be in a house full of other people but okay.” You don’t tell him that you were planning on going with Taehyung anyways. You’re not exactly sure why, he’ll find out when you arrive together, but you’re afraid he won’t come if Taehyung does. 

The front door of the frat looms above you, your body nearly vibrating from the bass of the music coming from the house. You can taste the regret already as you walk inside, wrapping your hand around Taehyung’s as he pushes his way through the dense crowd of people. You pull Jungkook behind you by the belt loop, too awkward to grab onto his hand but not wanting to loose him. You release them both when you enter the kitchen, opting to hold onto a red solo cup instead. The only way you’ll be able to get through this party is with a little liquor in your system. Mixing yourself a little drink you turn towards the boys and only Jungkook grabs one too. Taehyung decides to be the sober one for tonight and watch over your little trio but you feel like it’s really to watch for Seokjin. Something about him is off-putting. Maybe it’s because he reminds you of your father. 

Speaking of Seokjin, at just that moment you have the misfortune of making eye contact with him from across the room. He smiles and nudges a boy with dimpled cheeks before nodding in your direction. The boy gives Seokjin a clap on the back before he makes his way over, the partygoers parting for him like the red sea. “Y/n.” He says, standing on the other side of the island. 

“Seokjin.” 

“Y/n’s friend and boy I don’t remember inviting.” He says nodding to Taehyung and Jungkook respectively. 

“Jungkook is with me.” 

“i thought I only gave you one plus one.” Seokjin smiles sweetly, to contrast his sharp tone. He really is picky about his invite list.

“That would be Jungkook. Taehyung got his own invitation remember?” You turn your head to the side and smile at him sweetly. It just feels so nice to one up him. 

“Ah, smart girl. You’re a true business student, always looking for loopholes.” Seokjin reaches across the island and swipes your cup, taking a swig. 

“Poor taste in alcohol though.” He coughs throwing your drink in the trash. “Here let me make you a new one.” 

“No!” Taehyung and Jungkook yell simultaneously.  

“Fine.” Seokjin says throwing his hands up in the air. “She can make her own drink, but she has to dance with me first.” Seokjin winks at you and your skin crawls. Something about this doesn’t feel right. 

“I think I’ll take my chances with the drink.” You say. 

“A shame. Most people would kill for a dance with the Kim Seokjin.” 

“I’m sure.” Jungkook snarks under his breath causing you to laugh. After your drink is mixed and back in your hands, the four of you stand in an awkward silence until the dimpled boy calls for Seokjin and he disappears from sight. You all immediately relax and Taehyung leaves for the bathroom, comfortable to leave you unattended for a few minutes. 

You turn to Jungkook once you’re alone in the kitchen, placing Seokjin’s drink in the sink. “So, I was meaning to ask but did you enter a piece in the art show today?” 

His cheeks dust pink, making his red hair a little softer. “Y-yeah.” His gaze focuses on the floor between you two and he smiles at something in his head. “You really seemed to like it.” 

“That was yours?” You exclaim, shocked that something dark could come from the boy whose eyes and smile shine. 

“Yup.” 

“So which one? Did you make him radiate light or darkness?” You ask, referring to the question he’d asked you earlier. 

“I can’t tell you, that defeats the whole purpose of interpretation. But I will tell you the answer I’d give today is different than the original one.” 

“That’s even more confusing.” You whine. Jungkook just grins. 

“Good. Art is supposed to make you think.” 

“Hey, did they announce who won?” You ask and Jungkook’s smile falls a little. 

“Yeah, something with a squirrel?” 

“You mean that squirrel piece beat your painting? I have to question the judges then because yours was definitely the best one there.” 

“You think so?” His blush deepens a shade but you blame it on the heat of the room. 

“Of course! I was even thinking of buying it to put up in the apartment.” 

“You don’t have to buy it. I’ll just give it to you.” 

“No, I couldn’t just take it. It’s a work of art, not some child’s painting.” Reaching into your purse you pull out your emergency cash before pushing it towards Jungkook. “Here, take it as a downpayment on the painting. I’ll give you the rest tomorrow.” 

‘Woah, woah, woah. Slow down there. I’m not charging you for it. Think of it as a gift.” Jungkook says, putting your cash back inside your purse. 

“Well at least let me do something for you in exchange.” 

“Take me out for breakfast tomorrow. I could use a pick-me-up after the headache I’ll get from this music.” 

“O-okay. Here, I’ll give you my number and you can text me when you wake up.” Handing over your phone, he types in his number before taking a derpy photo up close to the camera as his contact photo. It’s so close in fact that all you can see is his nose and eyes. “Kook, that’s gonna be so scary when you call me.” You whine, staring down at the photo with a pout. 

“Scary? Why because your heart will skip a beat at my handsome face?” He quips, a smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. 

“More like because you look like some deranged fish.” 

“Just for that you don’t get a contact photo.” Jungkook says as he makes your contact. What did you do to deserve this treatment? 

Your phone blares at six a.m. and you groan, having just gotten to sleep a little past two a.m. You’d made the most of the night, what with all the free alcohol, and your head throbs. You’re contemplating letting the call ring out until you turn over the device and are greeted by an intimate view of Jungkook’s face. Annoyedly you swipe to answer, croaking out a “what?” 

“You said to let you know when I wake up.” Jungkook sounds much to awake and happy for how much he drank last night.

“Who wakes up at 6 am after a night of drinking? How are you even alive?” 

“I just don’t get hungover.” 

“Lucky you. My head is pounding.” 

“I’ll pick up coffee and ibuprofen on the way. Drop me the location of your apartment.” Jungkook says and you don’t think much of it. You’re drifting in and out of consciousness for about fifteen minutes when there’s a knock on the door. You could yell for Taehyung to get it even though you know who it is, but that seems too cruel. No one should be up at the crack of dawn involuntarily. Standing up you pull your comforter along with you, wrapping it around your head like a hooded cape. You acknowledge that you probably look ridiculous but it’s too early for you to care. The knocking persists even as you move towards the door and you hurry across the living room, throwing the door open so the dogs don’t start barking. “Hi.” Jungkook smiles, cherry hair a tad messy from sleep. 

“Hey kook.” Turning around you plop down onto the couch and Jungkook follows. 

“You look ready to go.” Jungkook teases. 

“Oh I am. Blanket and all.” 

“Good, it’s cute.” He pats the top of your head for extra measure. You sputter a little as your brain malfunctions. Is Jungkook…flirting with you? 

“Okay, let’s go!” Standing abruptly you sway a little from moving too fast. 

“You gotta take your meds first.” Jungkook says, unscrewing the cap on the ibuprofen and handing you two along with your drink. 

“Thanks.” You murmur unsheathing yourself from the blanket. “Now I’m good to go.” Jungkook gives you a once over and your cheeks flare up a little. You’re only in a pair of sweats and a baggy t-shirt. 

“You sure you’ll be warm enough?” 

“Aww are you worried about me?” You tease, tempted to pinch his cheek. 

“Eww no.” He scrunches his nose and gets up to open the front door. “Now come on, I’m hungry.” 

A fifteen minute walk later and you’re seated in a small diner, your coffee Jungkook brought you long gone but replaced by another. Jungkook chose to get a hot chocolate because “coffee should cease to exist” which you can’t help but find a little ironic seeing as he works in a coffee shop. Your waitress is a young girl in her twenties who seems bored to death. She just stands by the till repeatedly stirring her coffee with a small spoon. “So you and Taehyung?” Jungkook asks after taking a small sip of his drink. 

“Me and Taehyung what?” 

“Are you two together or something?” oHis fingers drum on the table like he’s waiting with anticipation. 

“Oh no. Tae and I are just friends. He’s basically my brother.” Your nose scrunches in displeasure at the idea of you and Taehyung being something romantic. 

“Ahh. So you live together for fun?” 

“Yeah, it’s nice having someone to come home to. Plus the rent isn’t cheap.” You may be rich but you’re not about to drop 4k a month on rent. 

“Yeah your place is really nice. Much nicer than mine.” 

“I’m sure your place isn’t bad.” 

“It’s not. Just compared to yours it’s a dump and yet I’m still barely able to pay my half of the rent even though it’s considerably cheaper. Student loans are a bi-“ 

“Here’s your orders.” The waitress sets your stack of pancakes down and Jungkook’s breakfast burrito down. “Need anything else?” You can tell she’s only asking because she has to. 

You and Jungkook both shake your heads and she heads back to the till. You both fall silent as you eat, merely enjoying each other’s company. You watch the world outside begin to wake up as the sun rises and people begin to venture outside. You like this, being outside when the world is still half asleep. It’s peaceful, a stark contrast to the usually busy streets of the city your college is tucked into. When your plates are both clear, do you and Jungkook pick back up conversation. “This is my favorite time to be out, you know? When you can just move at your own pace and the city feels like it’s yours.” 

“It’s nice. Normally I’m still asleep but I like watching the world wake up.” He hums in agreement. “Is this what inspires your artwork?” 

“Sometimes. I just find I can think clearly during this time of day.” 

“Probably the lack of distraction.” 

“Do you have any passions?” A blush dots your cheeks as you pull at the hem of your shirt. 

“Writing.” Your family has never been fond of your hobby. You aspired to become an author but your family quickly vetoed it. An author isn’t a respectable career in their eyes. You think it’s just because it’s not a big money maker. 

“Like poems or stories?” 

“Stories. I wrote a novel but I haven’t had anyone read it yet.” 

“I’m not much of a wordsmith but if you ever do decide to share it, I’d be down to be the first reader.” A grin stretches across your face and you look up to meet his eyes, shining with sincerity. Everything suddenly feels warm. 

Three weeks later and two 6 a,m. friend diner dates with Jungkook later, you’ve both decided to make it a weekly Sunday hangout, and you’re standing in front of the cafe Jungkook works at. You made sure to learn his schedule so he wouldn’t be here today, because surely he would sense you’re up to something. Your hand shakes with anxiety and you nearly drop the papers you’re holding in your hands as you walk up to the counter and ask for the manager. Glancing back at the ‘hiring’ sign in the window you take a big breath and remember who you’re doing this for. Jungkook has mentioned for a few weeks now about how broke he is, and you know he’s joking and that it’s common for a student to struggle financially, but it hurts you. Seeing as you’ve never had that worry you want to help him out and alleviate his stress as any good friend would. But seeing as you’ve never worked anyone before, you’d rather have the comfort of Jungkook beside you. “H-hi.” You stumble awkwardly when the manager comes out to meet you. Wiping your hand on your pants quickly, you shake her hand. “I saw your and filled out the application.” You’re ninety-percent sure your voice is shaking. 

“Great! I’ll give this a look through and call you if we decide you’re a good fit.” Your heart stumbles a little. You thought they’d just give you the job right away. That’s how it happens in movies. 

“O-okay. Have a great day.” Hurrying out, you rush back to your apartment trying to outrun your embarrassment. You accidentally slam the door which alerts Taehyung who sticks his head out of his room. 

“What’s up with you?” He asks, moving from his room to the couch in the living room. 

“I just applied for a job.” His eyes go wide as he stills before motioning for you to sit down next to him. 

“Why? It’s not like we need the money.” He laughs. 

“I- uh I wanted to help.” His brows burrow as he tries to detect the hidden meaning to your words. 

“Help? Who? Jungkook?” Your cheeks flare up at his more than right accusation. “I should’ve known.” 

“I thought he could use a little extra money. To help with his student loans and stuff.” 

“That’s sweet. Taking care of your man and all.” 

“He’s not my man, Tae.” 

“But you wish he was.” Taehyung sings and you scoff. 

“Boys and girls can be just friends you know. Like us for example.” 

“Bubs we’re an anomaly.” He says but you disregard him entirely. If you give thoughts like that the time of day, you’re done for. 

You hear back from the manager a week later that you got the job. You’re standing in the hallway with Taehyung right after your first class and jump up and down excitedly. You’ve just landed your first job! Giddily you sit beside Jungkook, not even bothering to take out your airpods. You have too much to say. “So..” You begin.

“So?” 

“I got a job!” You tap on his arm excitedly like it’s a bongo. 

“That’s great! Where at?”

“The coffee shop you work at.” His whole body freezes for a second before he engulfs you in a hug. 

“I’m so glad you’re the new coworker. I was worried it was going to be awkward but now I can see you even more often.” He’s all smiles and so are you, too enthralled in each other to notice the professor come in. 

Your first day is on Wednesday seeing as you said you could start right away. You do your hair extra special today seeing as first impressions are important but also because you’re working with Jungkook today and if you’re going to be a bumbling mess you might as well be a cute one. Not that you’re worried about him not finding you cute or anything. 

You have to show up at five seeing as you have the opening shift but after your friendly dates that aren’t dates with Jungkook you’ve grown to somewhat enjoy the morning. At least when you’re in good company. He meets you outside your building and you both walk to the cafe together mindlessly chattering. You’ve found that you and Jungkook can talk about anything and everything, from your biggest fears to why mint chocolate chip ice cream is a valid flavor. When you arrive at the cafe the doors are already opened and the lights are on which has you a little confused. You could’ve sworn only you and Jungkook were assigned the opening shift. Sending your confusion he turns to you and says, “I asked Jimin to come help out this morning so I can focus on getting you familiar with the machines.” You’ve only met Jimin a handful of times so you don’t really have an opinion about him, but you’ll definitely give him credit for coming into work when he doesn’t have to to help you. Well more-so Jungkook but you inadvertently. 

Inside soft singing bounces off the walls in the backroom and you’re honestly a little floored. Jimin has both the looks and the talent? You wonder what that must be like. Following Jungkook into the back you spot Jimin picking up coffee blends and different cups. “Hey Jimin.” Jungkook says. 

“Oh hey guys!” Jimin waves, a smile gracing his features. 

“Morning.” You smile back, his happy attitude infectious. 

“Y/n we’re so glad you’re working here. I could use a pretty face to look at instead of Kookie.” You and Jimin break out into a fit of giggles at his jab and Jungkook just pouts in the corner. 

“I feel attacked.” Jungkook says. 

“Does it make you feel better if I say you’re pretty to me?” You ask. Jimin’s laughter suddenly dies and Jungkook looks at you with wide eyes and mouth forming a small ‘o’. His cheeks match the color of his hair and Jimin comes up next to you to place a hand on your shoulder. 

“I think that answers your question.” He winks, disappearing back to the front of the shop. The rest of your morning is rather uneventful and Jungkook has you man the cash register the whole shift. The machines aren’t that confusing but with how hectic the morning shift is it’s better for you to learn during the slower mid-day shifts. Jimin ends up staying through yours and Jungkook’s shift and when the three of you turn your responsibility over to the next shift workers you all let out a collective sigh. Rolling your shoulders and neck, you try and relieve the tension in your body from the stress of your first day. 

“Good job today.” Jungkook smiles when you’re both standing outside your apartment building. He insisted on walking you for safety purposes even though it’s mid-day. 

“Thanks. I couldn’t have done it without you.” 

“I know.” Rolling your eyes you push his arm. 

“You had to ruin the moment.” You groan. 

“We had a moment?” 

“I swear, every time I try to be nice to you-“ He cuts you off by pulling you into his hard chest and your breath hitches. He smells sweet and citrusy, his body warm as he wraps his arms around your middle. 

“Shh, you’re ruining the moment.” He whispers and you nearly burst out laughing. You can hear his heart hammering against his chest like he’s nervous. But he shouldn’t be, friends hug all the time. 

When you get your paycheck the next week you’ve never felt so accomplished in your life. You did that. It’s so gratifying to actually earn something and not have everything handed to you. Too bad you’re just going to give the money all to Jungkook, but at least it’s helping him. The real issue is how to give it to him because he’s definitely too prideful to accept it even if you gave it to him as a gift. You could leave it in his mailbox but there’s no guarantee he would actually use the money. He’d probably think it was counterfeit to something. The only real option you have is Jimin, if he could find a way to put the money in Jungkook’s bank account. When you have a shift alone with Jimin, you decide to confide in him about your idea. “So you’re like his sugar mama?” 

“Yeah, I guess.” 

“I mean I could use a sugar mama too. I’d make it real easy to pay me too.” Rolling your eyes you continue cleaning the counter top. 

“Focus, Jimin.” 

“I could give you his account number? You could just directly deposit the money in there.” 

“I feel like that’s illegal. Even if it’s not, he’d definitely notice someone putting money in his account and call the bank.” 

“You can just tell you’ve never been poor. If someone is sending you money for no reason, you just hope they’ll keep sending it.” Jimin says. 

“You sure?” 

“Yup.” He pops the ‘p’ for extra measure. 

Later that night Jimin drops you Jungkook’s account number and you anonymously deposit your paycheck into it. You log out right after, feeling wrong about seeing how much money Jungkook has in his account. It’s much lower than you expect but you guess that has to do with the fact that you have no real perception of what it means to be struggling for money. You do feel a little lighter though, knowing you’re relieving a little of his financial worries. With two incomes he’ll be better off and maybe can even buy himself some new art supplies. You could drop a little more money into his account but you figure it’s better to start out small.

Weeks pass and Jungkook says nothing about anonymous deposits in his bank account. You even ask Jimin about whether Jungkook has said anything but he hasn’t been told anything about it either. Everything between you and Jungkook is as normal as ever as he spends the whole time you’re together at work and school teasing you about your apparent coffee addiction and the fact that the only coffee you really seem to like is his own. He really doesn’t need the ego boost so you never admit this to him, just refute it every time he brings it up. You’re smiling as you enter your apartment after work one day, ready to tell Taehyung about the stupid thing Jungkook did not really paying much mind as you say, “Tae you won’t believe what Jungkook did today.” Laughing at the memory you look up only to spot your parents sitting on your couch. Taehyung stands up from the chair to the side of them and comes to stand beside you for emotional support. 

“Mom, Dad. What are you doing here?” You reach your hand back towards Taehyung who silently intertwines his fingers with your own, giving a comforting squeeze. Your relationship with your parents has been strained for quite a while. 

“I think the real question is what are you not doing here? You should be studying not out with your friend. I don’t pay for this apartment and all your things so you can go out and have fun.” Your father says.

“The semester has only just started. I have nothing to study for.” 

“I don’t appreciate your tone young lady.” You struggle to suppress the need to roll your eyes. 

“Irregardless, that’s not what we came here to talk about. Taehyung would you mind giving us a minute?” Your father is only nice to Taehyung because he has money. If Taehyung was anything less than a millionaire your father would forget all manners and pleasantries.

“I want him to stay. Anything you can tell me, he can hear.” 

“I’m not sure what gave you the impression that you have a say in the matter or that you can talk back to me, but this behavior ends right now. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself being moved back home under my supervision.” More like his scrutiny. 

“It’s fine. I’ll go.” Taehyung says, giving your hand another squeeze before heading into his room. With Taehyung gone, your father begins his tirade.

“It’s no wonder you can’t get a boyfriend with that attitude. What man would want to date someone so outspoken? Did you even bother trying to dress up today? You look like you just rolled out of bed. Do you even realize that whatever you do is a reflection of me, of the company? I constantly get sent photos of you and that Taehyung that I have to pay off because I can’t have my daughter frolicking with an engaged man! Do you have no shame? I mean you even live with him! Surely his fiancé can’t be too keen about it. I think it’s time you find a boyfriend, you need a man in your life. Someone to pick up your mess and make you a respectable woman, someone worthy of my company.” When he’s done he’s heaving, worn out from the yelling. You’re swaying in your spot, eyes a tad watery as you try and calm down. He already sees you as weak, you don’t need to make it worse by crying in front of him. You want to scream at him that a man doesn’t define you, that you had a boyfriend before and they ruined it but you bite your tongue. It’s not worth it; they wouldn’t care anyways. 

“Okay.” You murmur.

“Do you have anyone in mind or do I need to find someone for you?” You can just imagine your dad’s choice: a money hungry beefcake who sees you only as a means to and end. 

“I heard you mention the name Jung-Jung…” Your mom begins and your breath hitches. You hate to drag him into this but you really have no choice. 

“Jungkook.” 

“Yes him. Is there something between you two?” Taehyung barges into the room then like you’re saving grace. 

“Yes! Sorry I don’t mean to interrupt but I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation, the walls are only so thin you know? But yes Jungkook and Y/N are together.” Taehyung smiles widely at you, blinking purposely as if to say ‘I’m sorry, please forgive me’. 

“Why didn’t you start with that love?” Your mother smiles standing up to pull you in for a hug. “I’m so happy for you. Hopefully this one is acceptable.” You look at Taehyung over your mother’s shoulder, nervousness taking over your features. Jungkook is not the type your parents are looking for, although he does have a rather nice muscular build. But that’s merely an observation. 

“He sure is! She picked him out with you guys in mind.” Taehyung’s honey tone soothes over the rough edge to his words, passing in your parent’s ears and out just the same. 

“He’s clearly not done that well of a job then. Bring him to the estate next weekend so we can meet the boy. Maybe by then he’ll have fixed your little attitude; if not, I’ll just have show him how. Or maybe just find you someone new.” 

“No need for that. I’m sure you’ll love him just fine.”

When your parents leave, coincidentally right after they berate you like that was their only reason for coming by, you’re left in a shaking mess. Taehyung brings you into a hug and sits with you in his arms on the couch, stroking your hair while softly humming to calm you down. You silently cry, your tears wetting his t-shirt but he says nothing about it. He’s always been good at being the silent supporter. For once you kind of wish he was someone else, but you can’t put your finger on who. Or maybe you just don’t want to acknowledge it. “What am I going to do?” You whisper, after your heart finally settles and your eyes are dry. 

“You’re going to have to ask him to go to your parents. I would but they already know who I am.” 

“I don’t want to drag him into this though.” Your voice is muffled as you press your face further into Taehyung’s chest like you’re trying to hide from your reality. 

“You have no choice. Unless you have another guy in mind willing to pretend to be him.” 

“They would love Seokjin. Maybe I should just ask him?” 

“Bubs, he would want to go as himself not as Jungkook. Besides, I don’t think you want to have to spend a weekend with him. That would make you even more miserable.” Taehyung says.

“Jimin?” 

“Y/n.” 

“Yeah, yeah. You’re right. But do you think he’d do it? I mean he’d have to pretend to be someone else entirely. You know they don’t like the artist type. Especially not the non-millionaire kind. We’d have to make him into your basic business major. I feel like it’s unfair to ask someone to change their entire persona.” 

“It is but for you I think he’d do anything.” 

“You say that like he’s in love with me or something.” You scoff. 

“Something like that.” 

Turns out Taehyung is right about Jungkook being willing to pretend to be someone else for a weekend because as soon as you ask he agrees. Even after you give him an extensive list of reasons why he should say no, including the fact that his beloved cherry red hair will have to go. Not willing to lose the chance, you run your hand through his bright locks as he sits in the salon chair on Monday evening. His eyes shutter closed as you pull lightly at the surprisingly soft strands and he leans his head back towards you for easier access. “I was thinking black.” You say as your hand still cards through his hair. “A classic color you know?” The hairstylist nods and goes to the back to mix the dye. “I’m gonna miss your cherry hair.” You pout. 

“Yeah?” Jungkook asks, popping one eye open to look at you in the mirror. 

“Yeah. It really suits you.” 

“Maybe I’ll dye it back then after this weekend. So that way you don’t miss it for too long.” Looking up from your fingers tangled in his locks you make eye contact through the mirror. 

“Really?” You ask smiling.

“Really.” 

You and Jungkook spend the next two hours sitting in adjacent chairs, battling each other in cup pong and other little phone games. He pouts dramatically when you beat him 5 times in a row at cup pong and you cheer dramatically. As someone who calls himself the king of video games, he’s not very good. The hair stylist laughs at you two before turning Jungkook’s dried and styled new hair around so he can see it in the mirror. You end up missing your shot on the game, too distracted by Jungkook’s beauty. If the cherry was beautiful, the black is otherworldly framing his face and giving him a timeless look. It contrasts nicely with his eyes which gleam like they’re made up of stars as he looks at his reflection in the mirror. His hand reaches up to touch a tuft of black and he scrunches his nose before the bunny grin is on full display. “Don’t I look like James Bond or something? I feel like I could be a spy.” You bite back a giggle. 

“Yes Kook, you look like James Bond. All we need is to find you a bond girl and you can go off on your international adventures. Be sure to send me post cards amidst your travels.” 

“Bold of you to assume you’re not a bond girl.” You try not to mull over his words. 

“Bold of you to assume I am.” 

“You’re a dork.” He laughs. 

“Takes one to know one.” You sing. 

The night before your trip to your parents you invite Jungkook over to your apartment to go over how to talk like a business major, well more like Kim Seokjin. Jungkook is more soft-spoken and reserved but to really sell his business persona he needs to be brazen and loud. The first trial is with the pizza delivery guy, mainly because you don’t want to answer the door but Jungkook doesn’t need to know that. “Rule number one is to never admit defeat. Be like a bulldog, relentless.” You say as he walks towards the door. The poor boy on the other side must be only sixteen and you feel a little bad as his voice wavers under Jungkook’s intimidating persona. He’s really got the domineering attitude down. 

“One pepperoni pizza and one cheese.” The delivery boy says and you cringe a little. Of course this one time they screwed up on your order. Normally you’d let it go but the whole point is for Jungkook to learn how to be your father. 

“That’s not what we ordered.” He says gruffly and for a moment you almost let out a small laugh. You’re not sure why he decided to lower his voice but it has the opposite effect. Maybe it’s just because you know what he really sounds like. 

“O-oh?” The delivery boy says. 

“Yes. This heathen,” He says pointing towards you. “wanted pepperoni and spinach.” He says the latter word like it’s insulting him to even have to say that and you glare at his broad back. 

“Maybe it’s a good thing the order got screwed up then.” The boy laughs. You feel attacked. 

“I’m not paying for a pizza I didn’t order.” Jungkook says, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side for a more intimidating stance. He’s really laying it on thick. 

“Uh-I- okay? Then just the one I guess?” Your heart hurts a little and judging by how Jungkook looks away for a moment his hurts too. This must be the poor guy’s first day. Handing him only half the money, the boy basically tosses both boxes into Jungkook’s arms before dashing away. 

“I feel awful.” Jungkook says, placing the boxes gently onto the kitchen table. 

“Me too. Here, give me the money.” Before he can say anything more you run after the pizza boy and catch him just as the elevator doors begin to close, risking your arm just so he can get his full payment. “Here’s the money for the other pizza. Don’t worry, accidents happen.” You smile as the boy cautiously takes the money. “Have a good night!” 

Back inside the apartment you and Jungkook sit on the couch as the tv plays some drama. “Did I do well?’ He asks, after inhaling a slice.

“Yeah, almost a little two well to be honest. Rule number two is to always look for loopholes in people’s wording. Things you can get around.” 

“Are all business people like this? They sound so shady.” 

“My father is. I’m merely going off what type of people he likes.” You shrug. 

“They don’t sound like good people.” He’s not wrong. Your father’s business partners have always put you off a little. There’s just something about them that doesn’t seem right. 

“The last and final rule is to never lose face. Show no weakness.” You say. Jungkook says nothing as he continues to eat, both of you falling into a comfortable silence. There’s really not much to say. Taehyung bursts out of his room frantically calling, “Hey bubs did you take my favorite shirt? I-“ Taehyung emerges from his room shirtless, but stops when he sees you with Jungkook. 

“Why do you always assume I steal your stuff?” You grumble, unfazed by the sight of Taehyung shirtless. Walking back into your room you return moments later with the shirt in hand.

“You get mad at me for accusing you of having it, but you have it anyways? That’s not very fair bubs.” He teases ruffling your hair. Swatting his hands away you huff in annoyance and try smoothing down the mess he made. He slips the shirt on before going back to his room to continue getting ready for his date, something about also wanting to find romance. You’re not really sure what he means. 

“Why Bubs?” Jungkook asks when you settle back beside him. Before you can answer Taehyung pops his head back into the living room. 

“She used to be obsessed with bubbles. I remember we went to Disneyland once and she got this bubble maker and she had to keep rebuying the soap packs because she wouldn’t stop pressing the button to make them.” Pink coats your cheeks and you hide your face in your hands. 

“Taehyung you said we wouldn’t talk about that!” 

“Awe was that when you were little?” Jungkook asks and you peak at him through the slits of your fingers. 

“Summer of freshman year actually.” Taehyung snickers.

“See now I’m glad I kept hitting you in the face with them.” 

“I had the taste of soap in my mouth for days Y/n!” Jungkook’s laughter breaks the argument and you both turn to see him leaning against the coffee table clutching his stomach. 

“I-I’m sorry.” He says dramatically wiping a tear away. “I just-freshman year?” His fit of giggles starts back up and Taehyung joins, laughing at your embarrassment. 

Pouting you mumble, “I had never gotten to use them before. I didn’t really have much of a childhood.” 

“Ah yes, the woes of your typical rich kid. Hopelessly following nannies around for a sense of a family.” Taehyung chimes, walking towards the door to grab his coat from the rack. 

“Well this just got real depressing. Thanks Tae.” You say sarcastically. 

“Anytime.” He winks. “Now if you don’t mind I’m off to go on my date. Have fun, be safe, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” He blows you a kiss before leaving out the front door of the apartment and for the first time in a long while you feel awkward around Jungkook. 

“Best friends huh?” You chuckle. 

“Tell me about it. Jimin is always saying stuff like-“ And just like that things fall right back to normal. 

The next morning you and Jungkook are packed and the luggage is loaded in your car. Well really you did the packing for the both of you, borrowing Taehyung’s clothes for Jungkook to wear because they’re roughly the same size. Plus as much as you like Jungkook, you don’t want to spend a mini fortune on posh clothes when you practically have a mini Gucci store in the room next to yours. The drive to your parent’s house is nice, both of you singing along to the same playlist you played the first time you and Jungkook shared headphones. If someone would’ve told you then you’d be taking the boy sitting next to you home to your parents, pretending that he’s your boyfriend, you wouldn’t have believed them. That sounds like something out of a drama, not real life. Although your life always has been sort of a drama. 

Pulling up to the gold gates that practically scream ‘we have way too much money then we know what to do with’ Jungkook’s jaw drops. “I- I knew you were rich but not this rich.” He stutters. Sometimes you forget that your house is beautiful; all you can see are the bad memories. Punching in the code for the gate, you wait for them to open and impulsively check your rearview mirror, feeling like someone is watching you. A car on the opposite end of the street idles and it strikes you as odd. Even though it should look the part, being one of those fancy self-driving ones, it still seems out of place. “Y/n?” Jungkook disrupts your thoughts and nods towards the now open gates. You completely forget about the strange car. “So we never talked about PDA.” Jungkook says as you’re parking the car. 

“Oh right. I forgot about that. So umm we should probably hold hands.” You say, your blush rivaling that of Jungkook’s old red hair. 

“We could uhh.. kiss a few times in front of them, you know if we really need to.. sell it.” Jungkook’s cheeks are also very pink and he now refuses to look at you. 

“O-okay.” Turning off the engine, the car suddenly feels claustrophobic and you hastily climb out of it. Members of your staff immediately rush out to grab your luggage once you’re both out of the car and Jungkook panics for a moment, grabbing onto the bags’ handles and pulling them behind him. “It’s okay Kook.” You say coming up beside him. “They’re just taking them to our rooms.” 

“I thought this was a house not a hotel?” Jungkook asks innocently. 

“You’ll realize real soon this doesn’t feel like a home.” Sticking out your hand Jungkook intertwines your fingers as you lead him inside. It’s only awkward for a moment but holding hands with him feels almost natural. His hand is a comforting weight in your own, his warmth seeping through and easing the goosebumps you get when walking through the house. You haven’t been here in two years; truthfully, you thought you would never come back. The house is lined with art and Jungkook’s eyes never leaves the walls as he gazes at all the artwork lining your home. You would think your parents really admire art but truthfully this is all a ploy to make them look more cultured and refined. Well that and to also flaunt how much money they really have. Unlike most homes, there’s no pictures of you and your parents lining the walls, although you do have a few portraits of other families. 

Your parents are waiting for you in the great room, sat perched in two giant chairs that somewhat resembles thrones. Coincidence? You think not. When you open the doors their faces are entirely stoic as you call out to them, “Mom, dad.” A fake smile plastered on your face. Your grip on Jungkook’s hand tightens like it’s tethering you to your sanity as you walk farther into the lion’s den. This is all to reminiscent. You don’t know whether you want to cry or scream. 

“Sir, Madam.” Jungkook says and you try not to look startled. Glancing over at him he’s  got a confident smile on his face and standing tall and straight. His eyes have a glint in them and he looks like he could give Kim Seokjin a run for his money. You’re almost worried you’ve lost him entirely to this facade, until a rough thumb moves across your knuckles. Glancing down at your intertwined hands you notice just how hard your grip is and loosen it a bit to be more relaxed. Jungkook however continues his movement. “My name is Jeon Jungkook and it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He smiles but it’s not quite the same. His face doesn’t crinkle and it makes you a little sad. Sticking his hand out he shakes your father’s hand first before moving to shake your mothers. She ditches the shake for a hug and you’re thrown off. This was not the same reaction you got the first time you brought a boy home. The only time. Maybe it’s because he wasn’t decked out in an Italian suit. 

“So tell me, how did you two meet?” Your mother asks once you and Jungkook are seated on the couch across from them. You lean closer to Jungkook who’s hand is still in yours for comfort as this feels more like an interrogation than innocent questioning. 

“We share a class together and sat beside one another on the first day.” Jungkook answers for you and your father nods. You sit silently beside Jungkook knowing your father will like a man that does all the talking for you. 

“How sweet.” Your mother coos. This is sickening. Everything about this is just sickening. It’s like you’re reliving when you first brought him home but the only thing that’s changed is their answers. They’re okay with Jungkook but why couldn’t they be okay with Yoongi? 

“I just like that you’re a business major. She needs a man with a real job not one of those useless art ones. Wasn’t that what your last boyfriend studied?” You clench your jaw to keep from saying anything you shouldn’t. He knows exactly what Yoongi studied. Instead you nod. Jungkook’s grip on your hand tightens and it takes you a minute to realize your father offended him too, seeing as he is an art major. 

“Dear we shouldn’t mention her ex in front of her new boyfriend.” Your mother says and your father glares at her. 

“Don’t tell me what to do.” He growls. “Now tell me son what really made you want to join the business field?” Son. You almost laugh. 

“I’m a man of many passions and business is my main one. Well, besides family of course.” 

“Let me give you some advice seeing as I like you. Business should always be your first priority. If you want to be successful like me and be able to afford my daughter, you’ll have to make sure everything knows it’s place. Both in your work and personal life.” You’re not even surprised that this comes out of your father’s mouth. This just completely embodies him. 

Jungkook is quiet for a moment before saying, “That’s some great advice. You’ll have to take note Y/n.” Your father and mother chuckle. You and Jungkook make eye contact for a brief moment and you both look equally as pained. 

The day continues on with your father giving Jungkook advice which you can only hope he doesn’t taker seriously. You’re starting to worry he’s actually becoming your father he’s playing the role so well. He’s brazen, confident, stubborn. The perfect man in the eyes of your father. They play pool for half the afternoon, making bets to prove their manliness, well at least your father is. Jungkook seems to be very secure in his masculinity. Meanwhile you and your mother are sat on stools sipping wine and watching the boys. You’re tempted to have Taehyung call you just so you have an excuse to do something but you don’t want to leave Jungkook alone here. “I’m sorry.” Your mother whispers and you spin to face her confused. “No no face the front. He’ll notice.” It takes you a minute to register she means your father. 

“I know mentions of your ex hurt you. So I’m sorry that he kept bringing it up. These past two years you’ve been gone and I’ve been stuck here alone have been really awful. I just… missed you and wanted you to have good memories while you’re staying here.” 

You’re a little taken off guard. Your mother has never apologized to anyone in your life. “It’s okay mom.” You say. 

“Please move back home.” She croaks out and only then do you realize she was playing you. She wanted you to feel vulnerable so she could manipulate you. “I can’t stand being here alone with him. He won’t let me leave the house anymore and I’m all alone.” 

“So you want me to leave my apartment with Tae just so I can come here and be put on lockdown?” 

“Yes.” You actually can’t believe you believed this woman for a second. That she could actually be motherly when your entire life she’s practically been a stranger. 

“Sorry mom, I can’t.” More like you won’t but that answer would get you in trouble. You’re putting your own happiness in front of theirs for once. They can finally get a taste of their own medicine as vindictive as that sounds. But you’re finally really happy after a long while of being miserable and you’re not about to give that up/ 

“Fine. I didn’t want you here anyways.” She huffs like a chid, crossing her arms over her chest. That just confirms your decision. 

Dinner rolls around the corner and the four of you are seated at a table made for ten. Your father sits at the head, no surprise, and you and your mother flank him with Jungkook beside you. The staff returns and sets your plates down, your favorite meal set before you. Eyeing the meal suspiciously you give your father the side eye. The only time they’ve ever bothered to have your favorite meal prepared is your birthday, which is not remotely close to today. “Why are we eating this for dinner?” You ask and Jungkook pauses mid-bite, eyes round and cheeks full. 

“What can we not eat this meal now?” You father remarks, fire ablaze in his eyes. Oops. 

“We only eat this on my birthday and that’s not today.” 

“We’re celebrating.” Your father smiles maliciously. You gulp nervously and Jungkook reaches over to grab your limp hand resting in your lap. “Today is the day that Yoongi boy signed the contact.” Your eyes begin to water and you blink the tears away but they keep coming. Your father begins recounting the story of your first heartbreak but the words don’t even meet your ears as you’re too busy reliving the event. 

(flashback to two years ago today) 

Your father is sat at the head of the table with you and your mother flanking his sides. Yoongi, your current boyfriend and most likely love of your life, sits beside you with a hand on your thigh, stroking his thumb along it in an effort to soothe you as you bounce it nervously. Your father has been vehemently against your relationship since the moment they found out about Yoongi. For one he is studying the arts, something you found really intriguing but your father finds utterly useless. Secondly, he is middle-class at best, living mainly off your student dining card because you don’t care that you are racking up quite the bill as long as he is fed and healthy. 

But for as against your relationship as your dad is, your father is smiling brightly at the table, cheery even. He’s in a good mood which is very peculiar. Your favorite meal is served and you think this was strange seeing as it isn’t your birthday or anything. Your mother keeps the chatter going at the table, both of your parents cracking jokes and being pleasant, making you think maybe everything is okay. Maybe they finally see that money doesn’t make a person and that it should be more about how they make you feel. You begin relaxing, your leg finally stilling, hope building in your chest that this will work out. That you can live with Yoongi in peace and your parents will respect your relationship. Instead though, halfway through dinner the staff brings in a manilla envelope and Yoongi’s hand tightens momentarily on your thigh. You both immediately sense the change in atmosphere as your parents both put down their silverware and carefully empty the contents of the manila envelope. Stretching forward you take note of some sort of contract but the print is so small and fine that you can’t read much. “So, Yoongi is it?” Your father asks. Yoongi’s eyes turn into slits as he regards your father and nods. “Well Yoongi, judging from my daughter’s dining bill and your full stomach despite your very low account balance, I can guess you’re in dire need of money which my daughter is so willingly supplying.” 

“It’s not like that. I don’t date her because she’s rich, I date her because I love her.” Yoongi rasps. 

“Love,” Your father says. “such a fickle thing love is. It can be so easily bought.” The hope that was building earlier has crumbled. “Especially when you have as much money as myself. Say Yoongi, how much money do you need?” 

“I don’t want your money.” Yoongi growls. 

You both move to stand up and leave the table when your father shouts, “I’ll give you two million dollars! Two million dollars and a producing job at the biggest record label in the country. I’ve already got it lined up, all you have to do is sign this little contract.” You scoff and b begin walking away when you realize Yoongi isn’t behind you. Turning around he’s still facing the table staring down at the contract that your father is now pushing across the table towards him. 

“What’s the catch?” Yoongi asks, fingers tracing over the pen that lies on top of the contract. You take a step forward to stop him but freeze at your father’s next words. 

“You break all contact with my daughter. Your relationship is terminated at the very moment you sign. I want it to be like you never even existed.” 

“Yoongi?” Your voice breaks, tears clouding your vision as his fingers start to wrap around the pen. “Baby please don’t do this. I-I can get you the job and the money just please, please don’t leave me.” Sobs tumbled out of you harshly and you begin to hiccup form the violent onslaught of emotions. “Please Yoongi I can’t do this without you. You can’t- you can’t do this to me.” Running forward you grip onto his bicep turning him to face you head on, hoping that if your words can’t convince him then maybe the love and impending heartbreak swirling in your eyes will. 

Tears fill his own and as you hold eye contact a stream of tears fall down his full cheeks. You reach up a hand to wipe them away but he turns his head to the other side. “I’m sorry angel. I am. I don’t want to hurt you but this is my dream. If I don’t take this opportunity now I might regret it for the rest of my life.” His voice is even raspier than normal and as he clicks the pen to begin writing you put the final nail in the coffin. 

“But you’re my dream.” You cry, and he sucks in a shaky breath. 

“I’m sorry angel.” He says one last time before pressing the pen to the paper. You leave the room quickly, the sound of a pen scratching on paper and the overjoyed looks on your parents faces haunting you every step of the way. 

When your father is finished with the retelling of arguably the worst day of your life, a proud smile takes over both his and your mother’s face. You want to throw up. Silent tears stream down your cheeks from the memory and you say nothing as you push up from your chair, letting go of Jungkook’s hand. You’re unresponsive even as your parents question you and what you’re doing. Walking to your old room, you slam your door shut hoping to alleviate some of the tension but it does nothing. Laying facedown on your bed you scream into the pillow but nothing. It’s like you’re feeling everything and nothing at the same time and you don’t know what to do with yourself. So you decide to call the only person who knows how to make you feel better: Taehyung. 

He picks up on the second ring cheery after just getting free pizza from the student union. Something about there being a fundraiser. You can hear him talking but fail to register his words, too lost in yourself to even notice. “Taehyung.” You cut him off. 

“What’s wrong?” He asks worriedly. You never call him by his first name unless you’re pissed at him or upset. 

‘They-they celebrated the day- the day Yoongi signed the contract.” You croak, sobs wracking your body once again. 

“What? They memorized the date? They’re sick!” Taehyung spits, disgust evident in his tone. “Do you want me to come get you?” He asks, voice much softer. 

“I can’t leave Jungkook here.” 

“I’ll pick you both up, no worries.” 

“It’s okay. We’ll just drive back tomorrow morning.” You’re not sure why you’re so calm and rational when you were crying two minutes ago but you guess it’s because you’ve already dealt with the heartbreak a while ago. 

“How about you talk to me on the phone a while okay? Until you fall asleep.” 

“Okay.” You mumble placing the phone on your pillow. You wake up hours later to a soft knock on your door and when you open it Jungkook is on the other side. 

“Are you okay?” He immediately asks pulling you into him. “I was so worried about you, you know that? You just ran out and I could tell you were upset but your parents wouldn’t let me leave to come check up on you, and I should’ve just told them to fu-“ 

“I’m fine.” You grumble, half-asleep against Jungkook. It’s heartwarming that he cares. Giving his waist a squeeze you yawn against his chest. “Thanks for checking up on me though.’ Walking back to your bed you crawl under the comforter and turn to face Jungkook who’s standing in the doorframe awkwardly. “Kook could you sleep in here? I don’t feel like being alone tonight.” Taehyung had ended the call a while ago and you’re glad he had because you wouldn’t want him to hear this. He’d tease you for the rest of your life. 

“O-okay.” Stepping inside, he shuts the door quietly before moving towards your bed. “Here give me a pillow and one of the blankets and I’ll be just fine on the floor.” 

“You can sleep on the bed if you want. If you’re comfortable.” You mumble, pushing your face into your pillow to hide your embarrassment but to also not see his reaction. It’s all too silent and you get ready to backtrack, but the bed dipping stops you. Jungkook clambers into the bed and lies down beside you, the room suddenly so much cozier as his body heat mixes with yours. Your eyes instantly fall closed and your breathing slows, your body relaxing. “Thanks Kook.” You murmur before sleep finally takes its hold. 

You wake up in a heap of tangled limbs that your half-asleep self didn’t really account for when there was originally some space between you two last night. You’re laying on your side and his arms wrap around you from behind, a thigh pressed between yours and his nose tucked into the crook of your neck. Soft snores escape his mouth in short increments, his breathing slow and calm against your back. You just enjoy the moment and relax, eyes beginning to flutter closed when there’s a knock on your door. Jungkook starlet behind you and digs his face into your shoulder groaning. Your body goes stiff at the motion, the fact that Jungkook is conscious making it seem much more intimate. Scrambling, you land on the floor with a loud thud making Jungkook jump up and whoever is behind the door to burst in. When the maid comes in and notices you and Jungkook she blushes and apologizes profusely for her intrusion, but not before she sends you a sly wink. You shake your head and try not to think about her implication. “Your parents are requesting you in the dining hall.” She says before closing the door and awkwardness begins to cloud the room. 

“I guess we better get going. We’ve got to say goodbye and all. Pretend that we actually had a good time.” You chuckle, moving to reopen your bedroom door. Jungkook follows closely behind you, his hand slipping into your own. You almost take your hand out of his own, still reeling from the bedroom incident, but calm yourself down by repeating that this is fake. He’s only doing it because that’s what he’s supposed to do. He’s putting on a show. 

“Are you okay?” Jungkook asks, sensing that you’re a bit jittery. 

“Yeah, just peachy.” You smile but he stops you in the middle of the hallway. 

“Talk to me. Is it about what your parents said last night? Did I do something to make you uncomfortable?” Jungkook takes his your other hand in his own and rubs his thumb over your knuckles, and it’s too much. It feels too real, it makes you feel like you could have a fighting chance. That you could get your happy ending. So you pull away to save yourself both from the pain and from the disappointment. 

Carefully taking your hands out of his own your gaze ices over, face becoming unreadable. “I’m fine, just want to go home is all. We can quit the act now. Doesn’t matter much as we’re leaving right now. I’m not in the mood to stay for breakfast.” You head off towards the dining room not looking behind you to see if he’s following. 

Your parents take the news of your early departure surprisingly well, almost like they were expecting you to take off right away. You promise yourself that this really is the last time you’ll step foot in this house, bad things just seem to happen here. When you’re changed into fresh clothes and your bags are packed and loaded, they stand outside to see you off. Your heart picks up a little bit as anxiety sets in because this is wrong, something feels off. They’ve never taken the time to see you off, half the time not even taking the time to see you. When the engine roars to life and you’re about to put the car into reverse your father taps on the window. Rolling it down, he leans in to say, “ Feel free to come by anytime Jungkook. I’d love to get to talk to you more, maybe about a future position at the company.” You change the gears and start slowly reversing, desperate to get Jungkook out of here before this goes any farther. Your father jumps back but continues walking next to the car, hunched over to continue talking. “How about you and your parents give me a call and we can try and work out something? Maybe even a deal if it comes up?” Slamming on the breaks you send Jungkook shooting forward, his seatbelt thankfully catching him. 

“A deal?” You ask incredulously. “You’re fucking kidding me right?” You ask eyes welling with tears. It’s like Yoongi all over again. Any time you get close to someone they try and exploit them. “What you want him to break up with me too or would you rather me keep this one for the money? You people are sick, I can’t believe I have to call you my parents.” You spit. If you thought you were done with them before, you’ve never been so sure of it now. “You know what? Keep all your money, I don’t give a shit. Cut me out of the will if you want. I don’t want to be a part of this- this- whatever we are because a family sure isn’t it.” Your chest is heaving from your yelling and also the emotional toll taking over. There’s no going back now. Switching back into reverse, you peel out of your driveway barely giving time for the gates to open enough for your car to slip through. The car from before still sits across the street. 

Jungkook ends up driving home because you’re too emotionally distraught to focus on anything. You’ve just isolated yourself from your family and your funds, meaning you’re basically broke, something you’ve never been in your whole life. You just ripped your own safety blanket right out from under you and while it feels nice to no longer be under your parent’s control you’re entirely rattled. You have no idea how to live or support yourself. Taehyung meets you in the parking lot of your complex a sad, knowing smile on his face when you pull up. Jungkook must have told him what happened before he took over the wheel. “Hey bubs.” Taehyung says softly, pulling you into a hug as soon as you stand out of the car. You limply wrap your arms around his waist, too exhausted to do anything more. Taehyung kisses the top of your head before laying his cheek against it, rubbing up and down your back. “Let’s go inside yeah? I ordered chinese and ice cream.” Your nose scrunches. 

“Those don’t sound very good together.” You mumble into him and he chuckles. 

“They taste good though. Separately.” Moving to wrap his arm around your waist, Taehyung guides you all the way back to the apartment, Jungkook following behind while carrying your bags. You feel a little guilty letting him carry everything for you but make no move to help him. You really don’t think you could do anything other than focus on putting one foot in front of the other, which is already hard enough with your current mental state. 

Taehyung opens the front door and the dogs climb in your lap, licking your face and cheeks like they’re trying to cheer you up. Jungkook sets the luggage down by the door and stands there unsure about whether or not you want him to stay. Normally you would, Jungkook usually brightens your mood, but you’re feeling too vulnerable today and your vulnerability will get the best of you. So instead you say, “Thanks for driving and carrying the bags kook. I’ll see you at class tomorrow okay?” He deflates a little and you wonder if you made a mistake. 

“Okay. Call me if you need anything.” As soon as the door shuts you start crying again. 

The next morning during your shared class Jungkook arrives later then you and throws down two bags of chips as well as a large stack of newspaper clippings onto the desk. You look at him with a raised eyebrow. “I can’t let you starve, so I’m introducing you to the world of couponing. This will allow you to buy a lot of food without having to blow your whole budget. Speaking of which, you have a budget right?” You shake your head. The only thing money related was Taehyung offering to cover all your living expenses until you get on your feet which you politely declined. He was insistent on paying the rent though, so at least that’s one less thing to worry about. 

“Oh right. You and Taehyung are like dumb and dumber when it comes to this.” Jungkook chuckles at his own lame joke and you glare at him. “We can just use the same one as Jimin and I do. We all have the same income anyways.” Throughout class Jungkook shows you how to plan out how much you’ll spend each month and on what, along with several rebate apps that give you cash back. You feel like a fool for wasting so much money that you could’ve used today by completing disregarding discounts or sales. You used to even feel embarrassed for picking something up off clearance. 

When class is over you and Jungkook both head to the local grocery store to pick up food. Pink colors your cheeks as you hand the woman your rather large stack of coupons but she says nothing of it. Apparently a lot more people coupon than you thought. Carrying the groceries home though is a chore since they’re so heavy and you wish you would’ve just stolen temporarily borrowed a shopping cart so you wouldn’t have to carry them. The dogs yip happily at your heels when you and Jungkook enter the apartment, probably thinking that the food was for them. You can’t help but feel a little bad for them because there’s nothing for them, no coupon equals no buy, so when everything is packed away you give them a few bites of cheese. Flopping down onto the couch Jungkook joins you, throwing his head into your lap. He’s seemed to grow more physically affectionate after the trip to your parents. 

Unsure what to do you keep both of your hands close to your chest to avoid touching Jungkook. The thought of running your hands through his hair is much too tempting so you really have to keep yourself restrained. You don’t really know what’s wrong with you, why you’re having such a problem with this. Well you have a semblance of an idea but you’d rather not think about the repercussions of that. You shift a little uncomfortably because of your thoughts and Jungkook turns his head to look at you. “You okay?” 

“Yeah, just uhh… your head is heavy.” You lie, too afraid to hurt his feelings. It’s like you want him close but far at the same time. You feel like you’re running from something, you’re just not sure what.

“Feelings,” Taehyung says when you bring it up to him a week later after your weekly 6 a.m. sunday breakfasts with Jungkook. You had mentioned how Jungkook went to hold your hand but you pulled away at the last second, pretending to reach for more syrup as an excuse. You also ask him why Jungkook is suddenly more affectionate with you. He’ll give you hugs when you arrive at class and work now, his hand brushing against yours as he walks you home. “You’re running from your feelings because you’re scared to be hurt again. After your breakup with Yoongi you convinced yourself love wasn’t real and now that you’re feeling it, and it’s being reciprocated, you’re freezing up. You like the feelings but you’re scared of the hurt they could bring. You’re scared of being vulnerable again.” 

“But I’m not scared with you/“ You say, anything to save face. To pretend he’s not entirely right and that you’re just causing you and Jungkook pain all because you’re too afraid to put yourself out there again. 

“I’m not going anywhere, there’s no danger with me. We’re still friends even as ghosts remember? But with Jungkook you’re unsure because neither of you know where the other is at but have an inkling that your feelings are mutual. Which is why he’s getting touchy because by taking him with you to see your parents that was his in. That was the first time you’ve ever been vulnerable around anyone other than me right?” You nod. “That was your make or break moment and you didn’t even know it. So when you asked him to stay, that was you solidifying your feelings which he’s trying to encourage you to act on.” Taehyung says this all so matter-of-factly that you wonder whether it’s really been this obvious. If you’d been so in denial that you were blinded. 

“What if- what if I’m always scared? He shouldn’t be with someone scared to love him.” 

“Bubs, you’re not scared to love him. You’re scared of love itself. But so is everyone. Love isn’t easy, sometimes it’s hard. But you shouldn’t let that deter you from chasing after it.” 

“Okay,” You’re still wary but you think you’ll always be given your past. But you trust Taehyung and if he says, you’ll be fine you believe him. “I guess it’s time I accept my feelings and tell him.” 

You decide to wait until the weekend to confess your feelings to see if that’s really what you want. If you’re truly committed to the idea of trying to make this work. Because you accept that you love Jungkook and his stupid dorky humor, starry eyes, and crinkly smile but you haven’t accepted that you’ll have to open yourself up again. On Monday when you walk into your shared class again, your heart speeds up for a moment when Jungkook grins and waves frantically at you as you shyly wave back. You notice though that when you get settled behind him your heart slows down dramatically, instantly relaxed with him being in close proximity. This whole time you had thought it was because he was one of your closest friends but this whole time it was really because you love him. All those days where you sacrificed countless hours at the cafe just so you could give all your earnings to Jungkook so he could live easier were small declarations of your love. To have it all in the open now, well at least with yourself, is relaxing and for the first time you initiate intimate contact with Jungkook. You expected it to be nerve-racking and awkward as you lean your head on his shoulder but instead it just feels natural. Just like how it was when you two held hands for the first time. Jungkook stiffens for a short moment before he relaxes and you can feel his cheek brush the top of your head as he turns to glance down at you, the corners of his mouth tugging up into a soft smile. Looking up at him through your lashes his eyes are soft, their glimmer a soft glow rather than their usual blinding light, as he whispers softly, “tired?” You just nod because if you open your mouth you just know those three little words will tumble right out. And when you say you love him for the first time, you want it to be in something other than the back of a classroom. 

The next time you get the urge to tell him is when you’re at work and he’s got his white button up sleeves rolled above his elbow, arms practically on full display. Normally you wouldn’t give yourself the time to look at them, busying yourself with menial tasks to keep any wandering and dangerous thoughts at bay but you don’t care anymore. Your mind is too hazy with the image of his taut arms that you don’t notice that rather than the cup, your hand is under spot where the steamed milk comes out and you hiss in pain when the boiling liquid comes in contact with your skin. The sound attracts Jungkook who immediately leaves the till to come to your aid, gently holding onto your wrist to inspect the injured appendage. Tsk’ing quietly he hurries you to the back where he runs the faucet on cold before gently putting your hand under it. His hand is still cupping your wrist gently and his mouth is moving as he probably tells you to be more careful but you can’t make sense of his words. Not when his presumably soft and pink lips keep forming into a pout like they’re waiting for you to give him a peck. You need to tear your eyes away before you do something stupid, but you don’t want to. Unconsciously you begin to move closer and it’s not until he stops mid-sentence that you realize you’re much too close and you don’t want to confess in the back of your work so instead you turn your head and pretend it never happened. 

Sunday rolls around and you wake up before Jungkook’s traditional 6 a.m. wake up call to put in a little more effort today. Today is the day, no more waiting, no more torture of not saying anything even though it’s practically bursting out of you. This is your time and place to tell the Jungkook you love him, at your very own spot. Throwing on a comfy dress, one to hide the food baby caused by one too many pancakes, and fixing up your hair a little you anxiously wait for Jungkook to arrive at your apartment. You swear he takes a little longer than normal to get there but maybe it’s just because you’re so nervous. You’ve only confessed once before and that relationship didn’t end very well but you’re trying to not let it effect you. Just because it happened once before doesn’t mean it needs to happen again. 

When Jungkook does arrive he’s in his typical white t-shirt and baggy sweats but you swear he’s never looked so good in his life. During your double take do you only then notice his bright cherry red hair has made a reappearance. “Gone back to red huh?” 

“Told you I would didn’t I?” He smiles bending down so you get a full view of the top of his head. “Wanna double check it’s the same quality as last time?” 

“If you want me to play with your hair why not just say so?” You laugh softly, carding your fingers through the strands. It’s just as soft as it was last time. “Come on, we can do that later. I’m hungry.” You say grabbing onto his hand and dragging him down the hall. This time you don’t let go the whole way to the diner. 

You both sit in the same booth as always and the same bored waitress as always is working. She doesn’t even say anything as you come in, just begins punching in your order since you both always get the same thing. The only thing that has seemed to change is the tv mounted on one of the corners of the room above the counter top seating area. A news station plays in the background but the volume is practically inaudible. 

“So what’s been up with you?” Jungkook asks leaning on his elbows that are resting on top of the table. “You’ve been really affectionate all week, not that I mind, but it’s kind of out of character for you. Did something happen? Are you okay?” Your heart warms that he cares enough to ask. It grows twice as large at the fact that he noticed the change in your demeanor. It just validates everything Taehyung told you and gives you the confidence you need to really take the leap of faith. You’re ready to put your faith in Jungkook because you know he’ll be there to catch you. 

“Well actually-“ 

“Wait isn’t that your dad?” Jungkook interrupts. Whipping around you turn back to the tv tucked away in the corner. Sure enough there’s you dad with his hands handcuffed behind his back as two cops lead him to their patrol car. Your mother is shown seconds after your father is placed inside the car, also in a set of handcuffs as she’s placed in a separate vehicle. “Hey can you turn the volume up please?” Jungkook asks the waitress who begrudgingly obliges. 

-just in, the CEO of Medle Distributions has been arrested on several counts of tax evasion and embezzlement. According to law enforcement, he’s been doing this for quite some time and has also scammed smaller companies by selling them fake shares into his company. His wife has been arrested for assisting her spouse in his crimes.” The news reporter says and his words circled around your head for a while. Your parents have been arrested. They’re probably guilty of the crimes. Somehow they managed to mess up with your love life again by screwing up the day you were supposed to confess. But it’s in this moment while you’re processing what’s happening that you realize that life will always have its hiccups. It will never be perfect, there will always be some aspect that’s not great. If life was a garden there would always be a weed somewhere. But you shouldn’t expect it to be perfect either. If your life was perfect you would have never been here with Jungkook, you probably wouldn’t have even met him. And if a perfect life meant no Jungkook, well then you didn’t want it. 

“Y/n I’m-“ 

“I love you.” You say, not wanting to withhold it any longer. Your whole body sags after you finally let it out, relieved of the weight on your shoulders. Jungkook’s doe eyes have reached their peak roundness and his mouth is parted slightly open from being caught off-guard like a deer in headlights. 

“Y-You what?” He stutters. 

“I love you.” You grin at him, leg beginning to bounce in anticipation. Jungkook’s eyes sparkle even brighter than possible, their intensity rivaling that of the sun beginning to rise outside. His cheeks once again match his hair and your heart skips a beat as his crinkly smile takes over his whole face. 

“i love you too. But what about your parents? We can’t lie to them forever.” 

“That doesn’t matter. When I said I was done with them I meant it. Besides, I don’t really care what they think anymore. If they don’t love you for you, then that’s their problem.” You say, reaching over to grab onto his hand. Your heart is still slightly racing from the nerves of confessing but as Jungkook’s comforting warmth seeps from his hand into yours you know you’ll be okay. You have a home now, a family. Your family may be small with just you, Taehyung, Jungkook, and Jimin (you two have gotten much closer since you’ve been working together). It may not be much but to you they’re you’re everything and you wouldn’t trade them for all the money in the world. 

“Scooch over.” Jungkook says before sliding next to you and throwing an arm around you. 

“What are you doing?” You ask. The waitress comes over and places your food down before disappearing into the kitchen. 

“What does it look like? i’m sitting next to my girlfriend.” He says giddily before pressing a chaste kiss to your cheek and giggling into your neck as both of you grow shy. 

“Bold of you to assume we’re dating.” You tease and his other arm wraps around your waist to pull you into him. 

“Bold of you to assume I’d confess and then not make you mine.” He mumbles into your neck. 

“If I remember correctly I was the one who confessed.” Jungkook pulls back to roll his eyes at you. 

“You couldn’t have just let me be cute.” He whines, pouting. This time you finally give in a place a soft kiss against his jutted lower lip. 

“You’re always cute kook.” He nuzzles his nose into your neck and you laugh, bringing a hand up into his hair. 

“Is this your embarrassed tic?” You tease. “Because I hate to tell you but it really just makes you that much cuter.” You giggle. 

“You’re the worst.” He groans but moves so he can kiss you properly. His hands cup your cheeks stroking your cheekbones as he kisses you soft and slow. It’s more than you could’ve imagined because it’s real and when he pulls away and his eyes stay closed for a little while longer like he’s trying to relish the feeling a little longer, with a small smile pulling at the corner of his lips you just know this it is. Love is all about the give and take and you’d give Jungkook the world if it meant you could take small moments like this. 

“i love you.” Jungkook murmurs leaning in to give you another kiss, the food in front of you long forgotten.

“I love you too you dork.” You mumble against his lips. 

[tragedybunny]

The Blade’s Edge - A League of Legends Fanfiction - Chapter 15

Hello Lovelies! Here's Chapter 15 for you. My housing situation is in flux so I will keep working on this as much as possible. Please remember to like, comment, and reblog if you like what I'm doing! It means a lot to see notes!  Your playlist song: Monsters - Ruelle ❤Tragedybunny❤ Follow me on Twitter as well if you're so inclined

They had a simple arrangement. She was the weapon to be used on his enemies. Things get more complicated when emotions bleed into what should simple. Now the two of them find themselves on the precipice of something that was entirely unexpected.

Get married in less than a week, it sounded simple enough once I bought into this notion of his. But no, nothing was ever simple, and there was one particularly irritating complication I had to deal with tonight after I finished with the Capitol Guard Commander. 

My target had been ineffective in dealing with the attacks on the black powder weapon factories Jericho had helped establish since the meeting at Solstice. They’d been dismissed as the acts of agitated citizens, inflamed by the reshaping of the waterfront district for the optimal placement of the steam-driven machines. Jericho had interpreted them as personal attacks on his supply line of the new weapons. He claimed it was likely another move in the plot against him, maybe even nothing more than a distractionary tactic, nevertheless, the Commander would be the one to pay.

The Guild ledger snaps shut as I finish reviewing contracts and assignments. Seated across from me, Inara impatiently drums her fingers on the desk, head leaned on her hand. “Everything to your satisfaction, Commander?”

I glower at the spiky attitude but decide to give it a pass since so much falls to her when I have to deal with official Intelligence business. “You know this all needs to pass through me eventually, I’m supposed to be in charge here.” I think of the meager size of the member logs again, still not nearly as many names as I’d like to see. “I’ll get us an invite to recruit from the Military Academy, see if we can find anyone more talented than an infantry grunt. We’re the only operation in this damned city, we should be thriving.”

“Well.” She shakes her head side to side as if she’s trying to decide, it’s too expressive, like a performance. “I suppose now is as good a time as any to tell you. I’m hearing from some old contacts, someone is recruiting against you. Independents are moving underground if they don’t want to take a side. It would appear they are looking to topple your regime.” There’s an odd inflection to some of her words, again, like she’s rehearsed this.

“Damn it.” I slam my fist on the desk. I’d let myself get complacent after my stalker had seemingly disappeared. And now this, everything I fought for is being threatened.  I should have made more of an effort to catch them. “Then we recruit younger, build some loyalty from the ground up.”  I fling the ledger book adown, looking at it is tiresome.

“I assume that can wait until you’ve said your wedding vows, Madame Swain.” She grins at me, a much more natural expression than earlier, daring my wrath to come down on her. She hasn’t let up with the name since she found out about all this.

“Someday I’ll have a Second that doesn’t test me.” I push myself back from the desk, suddenly anxious to be out on the rooftops tracking down my target. “Speaking of, have you seen Lark lately? I’ve noticed a bit of hesitation to take on assignments.”

She fiddles with the ledger in her hands. “He’s with Alrich quite a bit. That poor little thing has been quite sick lately.”

“While I empathize, he’s neglecting his duties here.” I would hate to have to reprimand Lark, I’ve grown quite fond of him.

She shrugs. “Young love. You should know how it goes.”

I refuse to acknowledge the teasing tone that has returned to her voice. “Since you’ve kept everything in such a satisfactory order, I’ll leave you to continue it. I’ve got a private assignment.”

“Have fun. Don’t go getting your face bruised up again before the wedding.” I wave her off and head out into the night to hunt down my target. This one could be problematic, I’ve been instructed to keep it deniable.

Alessa Braun is a veteran of a harsh reputation. She’s kept an iron grip on the Capitol Guard even during the upheaval of Jericho’s ascent to Grand General and the purges that followed. Either her age was beginning to catch up with her or she had been caught up in the plot that was winding its roots into every facet of the Capitol. She couldn’t be easily dismissed from her position either, due to heavy support from within High Command. Gwen’s ring of servant-spies came through for me again, Commander Braun was just finishing dinner with her only son, a burgeoning battle mage,  when I steal in and conceal myself to lie in wait.

It isn’t long before I hear them exchanging heated words on the stairs. The tone of harsh whispers carries to me, but the words themselves are lost. I ponder if it is about her rumored weakness, some were saying frailty was creeping up on her even before this latest turn of events. Another tidbit from the spies tells me some of her closest staff are working to hide something. It won’t matter much longer either way. I slip into the bath, her destination,  as I hear her dismiss those attending her. She’s a soldier first and noble second, she’ll not want to be fussed over in her private moments.

She never checks behind her, intent on filling the tub, her movements slow and a bit stiff. With hands that clearly lack the strength of their younger days, she begins to disrobe. “Hello, Commander Braun.”

She freezes. “Ah, the Blade herself comes to me. How have I offended the Grand General that I am graced with your presence?”  

“You’re failure to protect the future of Noxus.” I’ve already moved between her and the door, there is no escape.

“So you’ve come to kill me for that? Because I cannot stop every act of violence done in this teeming mess of a city?” Her frustration is palpable and her eyes are haunted with grief. In this moment I believe that she is not part of that plot, but she is hopelessly beyond her prime, and that famous iron grip has finally faltered.

“No, you’re going to kill yourself for me.” I hold out one of her own personal daggers I lifted from her room when I first arrived. “You’re going to get in that tub of lovely warm water, and open up your veins.”

She starts forward, as though she means to shove her way through me, but her hands tremble so much she sharply pulls back. “Why would I do that?” She snarls, trying desperately to sound like the intimidating warrior she no longer is.

“For your son. Prove to me that you are indeed still loyal to the Trifarix, to Noxus, and he will be clear of suspicion. His magical talents could lead him to a brilliant career, but if he is the son of a traitor he will be nothing.” She tries to interrupt, but I raise my hand and with a gesture silence her. This is why they all deride me, they fear me. I am an extension of him, of his will and power, in a way that haunts their nightmares and causes their souls to quake. “You are old, your body is quite obviously failing you. Even if you lived through tonight, you would not hold your position long. Accusations surround you, many say you have been bought. Show me your loyalty, give your son his future.”

Hot tears fill her eyes and spill out. “Damn you and the monster that sent you.” She snatches the blade from my hand, and turns from me, placing it on the edge of the tub. With the water at its peak, she cuts off the tap before finally removing the last of her clothes. Even with her age, she’s maintained the lean muscle of a warrior, covered in the scars from a lifetime of battle. She lowers herself into the water with precise care, but without a trace of hesitation, I note. I cross my arms and wait, eyes never leaving her. If she decided to fight, it would at the least draw unwanted attention. “Bear witness, this is my pledge of loyalty. For Noxus.” The dagger rends the flesh of her wrist easily and quickly she shifts hands, the second opening just as efficiently.

Crimson tendrils flow into the water around her as she lies back and sighs as though her burdens have been lifted from her. I remain with her, keeping watch as her breathing slows and the flow from her wounds turns into a trickle. When at last there is no life left in her, I take my leave.

If only my next task was as simple. I backtrack from the modern little estate of the Braun family in Goldstone to the aged monoliths of Old Town, the path where I’m headed so horribly familiar. I slip over the garden wall where I know the guards have a blindspot and make it to the weathered stones I’ve climbed a thousand times before anyone can catch sight of me. The window I’m looking for is open to let in the cool night air, as I anticipated. I don’t hesitate, instead leaping through it before I let myself overthink this.

She looks up from the pristine desk she’s working at, the second-floor study has always been her little kingdom. “Well, this is unexpected.”

“Hello, Mother.” I stride toward her, intent on remaining intimidating.

“Have you come at last to kill me, Daughter?” She stares me down with that glower I know so well from childhood.

I haven’t seen her since the night of the Solstice revels. I’d been admittedly out of my element in the pressing crowd and she pounced on that weakness when she’d seen it. Her words had disarmed me, making me that small child being disapproved of all over again. Its familiarity had been awful, and to my humiliation, I’d frozen, trapped in the past. Now here I was confronting her. After we’d come to an agreement on his proposal we’d both realized this little snag. It had fallen to me to handle this and clear the way for our wedding.

“Sadly no, it’s been deemed unnecessary.” I loom over her, one hand resting on the handle of a dagger, the other removing a document from a pouch on my belt and tossing it on the desk. “I only require your signature, and then I’ll be on my way, nothing more than a slight interruption to your evening.”

She snatches it up from where it landed and quickly scans through it before howling with laughter, much to my irritation. “You want my permission to get married?”

“No, legality requires permission from my head of household. If you refuse I’ll be more than happy to remove you from that position.” I keep my tone neutral, any sign of the resentment that burns against her and she’ll twist it to her own advantage.

“Oh my dear little girl, why ever would I stand in your way? Wife of the Grand General, that’s a match I could never have dreamed of, even for Cassiopeia. Then again, look at what it has cost to get you there.” She focuses back on the document, pouring over every detail.

“Will you just hurry and sign it! I’m not feeling particularly patient tonight.” I shove the pen on her desk at her with no small amount of violence.

She holds her hand up in a gesture to silence me and I let our frustrated growl. “ ‘She comes into this marriage with no familial assets.’ We have to change that.” She’s scandalized.

“I have been living with him this whole time with nothing from you. It. Is. Fine.” I spit the words at her and my hand goes back to the dagger. This would be so much easier if I was allowed to kill her.

“This is a legal document. It will become a matter of record that I sent my daughter off to her marriage with nothing to call her own.” That would be the real tragedy, that her name would be dishonored. It is always about her.

The blade flashes out of its sheath and I bury it in the desk.  Much to my satisfaction, she jumps back a bit, colliding with her chair. “Just sign it.”

She huffs. “Fine, always so much like your father.” I feel my jaw tighten, how dare she mention him. She’s the one that led him down the path to his destruction. She takes pen in hand finally and applies her immaculate signature. When the ink is dry she hands it back to me finally. “I hope your marriage is everything you desire. You and Jericho Swain deserve one another.”

I pull my dagger from her desk. “Throw stones if you must.” I’ve already begun to walk away, intent on leaving her behind.

“Then allow me to offer you a warning instead, even though you’ve refused to listen to others that have been offered to you. The Usurper will not retain his hold on Noxus forever. You will share his fate if you remain at his side.” Her words drip venom, her hatred is a living thing, creeping about in the space between us.

“More talk Mother? That’s all you and the Black Rose seem to be capable of. My decision is made and I will hold to it.” I try again to walk away from her.

“This has always been your problem. You’re stubborn beyond reason and insist you are never wrong. No wonder your Father…” I don’t think, the blade cuts through the air towards her. I know it goes wide, I only want to scare her again. In seconds I’m back through the window, taking a leap toward the ground. I land, tuck and roll. I need to get out of here, I feel like I can’t breathe. No turning back, over the wall before anyone can see. Damn it all, she wasn’t supposed to get to me. Damn her.

To my shock, the sound of the guards being roused doesn’t follow me. I still sprint away from the house, not wanting her to change her mind. When I finally slow my head is spinning and I’ve pointed myself in the direction of a much seedier area of the city. I need a drink and a drinking partner. Thankfully I know where I can find both.

I find Draven occupying his usual table at the Maiden's Bowery, a few lovely young things surrounding him. For him it’s not so much man or woman, but what flattery you can give his ego. He waves some of his retinue away when he spots me headed towards him, full bottle of wine in hand. “Look what the cat dragged in.” He chuckles like it’s not the thousandth time he’s said that.

“I see you’re still a bastion of wit.” I drop in the seat cleared for me while his companions eye me warily.

“That’s a big word, fitting for the wife of the Grand General.” He grins widely but it fades after a moment. “Speaking of, should you be here the night before your wedding?” There’s trepidation in his voice. If anyone knows what Jericho is truly capable of, it’s him.

He watches my face, looking for tells, wanting to assure himself he won’t wake to a world of trouble in the morning. “It’s not until later. Plenty of time to sober up.” I lift the bottle to my lips and take a drink, continuing for several seconds, to prove my point.

The showman in him can’t resist and he begins to clap and cheer, encouraging those around us to join in. I continue the long pull until my stomach lurches a bit and I slam the bottle down on the table, nearly half of it gone. The room begins to spin almost as soon as I release my grip on it. Draven hoots again and roughly claps me on the back. “Well, let’s enjoy one more wild night before you’re too important and proper for all this, eh Kitty-Kat.”

I groan as he motions to the barkeep. “As long as you promise to stop calling me that.”

Bottles and cups appear almost instantly around us as Draven settles into the seat next to me. “How about I treat instead? All the questionable quality wine you can stomach!”

His enthusiasm lifts my mood and I find myself giving him a genuine smile. “Deal.” I pour a glass for us and raise a toast. “To Draven, best friend to those in need of a strong drink.” The haziness I was feeling continues to wrap around my mind and I surrender to it, letting myself float away in the moment.

I’m on my second or maybe third and an immense shadow falls over the table. I lean back in my seat, my head lolling to the side so I can peer up at the shadow’s owner. “DarDar!” I stumble out of my seat to rush at him and attempt to throw my arms around his impossibly broad chest. “When was the last time I saw you?”

He puts his massive hands on my shoulders and pushes me back ever so softly, causing me to relinquish my hold on him. “Been a while. What’re you doing in this hole? Isn’t tomorrow important?”

I huff, everyone wants to ruin my fun. “Don’t worry about it. I’m just blowing off a little steam.” I nearly fall back into my seat and gesture to the raucous crowd around me. “Why don’t you join us?”

To my left Draven snickers and slides a bottle across the table toward his brother. “Yeah ‘DarDar’ have some fun for once.”

He snorts before finally giving in and sitting. “I’ll join, but only to keep you two out of trouble.”

“Don’t be so mean.” I pout and pour myself another glass. “We’re celebrating tonight. Here’s to me, finally achieving my Mother’s dreams.” I drain it in one single drink.

He sighs. “Nothing but trouble, the two of you.”

I feel myself fading as the wine goes down my throat. The tavern becomes sweltering, and all the light and noise blur together, the edges of my vision becoming an indistinct haze. Slowly, the sights and sounds begin to spin. I close my eyes, head resting in my hand for a moment.

Draven is leading the crowd in a song. I think it’s about him. It’s an old melody all children know and every so often you need to clap. I clap loudly at the wrong time and laugh to cover my mistake. I glance at Darius and he at least seems to be bearing his brother’s antics with amusement. I try to pour myself another glass and lose control of the bottle. It smashes into the table and cracks. I stare at it, for some reason it’s heartbreaking and I fight back tears.

Darius is removing me from his lap, just forcefully enough that I comply. “Aww, what’s wrong? It never bothered you before. Back when we used to…”

“That was then. You have had way too much. Sit down and sober up Kat.” The stern tone he takes irritates me.

“Don’t scold me. I’m not a child!” I sit back in my chair anyway, I’m suddenly too tired to do anything else.

I’m being separated from a man roaring with fury and covered in blood. I think it’s his. “He had it coming. Get off me.”

The barkeep sounds at his wit’s end. “Can someone keep control of her?”

“Stay out of it!” I snap, shaking off the hands clasping at me.

“That’s quite enough Katarina.” His voice always sounds like silk, even when I can tell he’s displeased.

“Jericho!” I turn behind me and leap at him, wrapping my arms around his neck, burying my face in his shoulder. I’m overjoyed to see him until I realize why he sounded so aggravated. “Oh, you’re mad at me, aren’t you?”

[nuka-nuke]

Love Letters

Ilya learns something new about Mike. 

@life-is-no-sugarlicking comes up with a lot of great headcanons for Ilya and Mike’s relationship, but this one inspired me to actually try to write it! So here ya go, my first ever fic. Starring her character Mike, which if you don’t know him, what are you doing with your life? 

The air hung heavily in the penthouse of Fizztop Grille. It was fairly early into the summer months, and already the humidity of Massachusetts was bringing on a familiar haze to the theme park. Mike drew his cigarette up to his lips and inhaled slowly, allowing the nicotine to fill his lungs, and eventually letting the plume of smoke add to the stagnant atmosphere with a deep sigh. He laid lazily upon the bed on the raised wooden platform in the corner of the room with half-lidded eyes staring upwards towards that weird painting of some kind of pre-war sunset that hung above the headboard, unable to find the motivation to finally get himself up off that ancient mattress.

It had been hours since he woke up in the unbearable heat to find the Boss had already left his side. In the past couple of weeks since he had been spending more time here than in the arcade he normally resided, he had learned that it was normal for her to rise before him since she had such issues with the weather, but a glance around indicated that she had headed out for the day. Most likely with that suck up piece-of-shit he added to the thought with a visible sneer. He despised when she’d leave with him alone. Gage may still be her right-hand man, but that did not change the fact that he had an unfortunate amount of familiar knowledge of their mutual boss. Even though she insisted those ties had been cut, and even though he knew it was childish, he still fumed at the thought anytime it arose in his mind.

Not that it matters or anything, he bitterly crushed the cigarette out right onto her nightstand, It’s not like she ‘n I’ve anything different.

But the interrupting sound of the elevator creaking its way up the side of the building made him perk up, and with a mechanical whirl he swung his prosthetic leg onto the floor to finally rise up off the bed.

“Hey there, Snowflake,” Mike grinned at the sight of his boss as the elevator reached its final stop.

Her normally carefully styled silver hair looked disheveled with loose strands of curls falling out of her ponytail and off into the air, and her automatic rifle, painted obnoxiously with the style of the Pack, was slung haphazardly over her shoulder along with a clutch of documents she held in her hands. Even her make-up was smeared across her right cheek with the struggle of a long day’s work.

Ilya wordlessly dropped her weapon to the side with a resounding clatter as soon as the elevator drew to a stop. Her footsteps over the threshold seemed drawn and exhausted, but in his vision, she was still like a corporeal work of art, coming to life to free him from this boring day. Like a magnet, her arms immediately draped themselves around him and he scooped her up from the ground into a grateful embrace.

She dusted the scarred cheek she was presented with with several kisses before simply resting her head onto his bare shoulder. “Baby… Am I ever glad to see you,” her voice was quiet and wistful, unusual for his normally confident Overboss.

Mike couldn’t help but smirk at the compliment, whether she meant it as one or not didn’t really matter, and swung her down to the antique sofa beside the entrance. He sat with a metallic creak of protest from his artificial limb and placed her onto his lap. She made no effort to change the direction in which he carried her and seemed quite content just to nestle into the chest of the man who greeted her.

“Yeah? Rough day out there, huh?” he answered, his voice hoarse with the cigarettes and whiskey he’d occupied his day so far with. He shifted her slightly until he could properly press a kiss to those lips that graced his mangled cheek.

Ilya rose to meet the affection and hummed with a pleased sigh. “Well, do you know what a Gatorclaw is?” she began, those icy blue eyes finally flicking up from under long lashes to meet his gaze.

Mike visibly flinched when she did, but tried to play it off with a casual maneuver to brush the bangs off her forehead. He’d never outright admit it to her, but those eyes of hers were seriously terrifying; like nothing he’d ever seen before in all the radioactive wastelands he’d traversed. While they could viciously strike fear into the souls of many of the men and women here in Nuka World, he had learned to find that healthy fear of her almost arousing during all this time they’d spent together.  She could still be pretty scary when she wanted to be, though.

“Ehh, can’t say I do,” again, he punctuated the sentence with a resolute kiss.

“Then you’re lucky,” Ilya grumbled, finally shifting out of his embrace to stand and toss the documents which remained in her grasp onto the coffee table beside them.

Mike glanced down towards the papers with a disinterested sigh. He had been more enthused by the Boss making herself comfortable on his lap and was disappointed that that was already over.  “What’s all this?” he said in a tone which obviously hinted that he actually didn’t care, and instead focused on watching her walk away.

“Hmm. Just… Some things from Gage,” she hesitated without looking back, and he could feel his stomach sink. Just the mention of that name killed the mood he’d been trying to create. “Don’t worry about it.”

Her flippant disregard of something that clearly would annoy him just annoyed him even more. “Well, what is it?” he tried to play it off like it really didn’t matter, but he could tell by the way she immediately looked over her shoulder with those piercing eyes that he didn’t fool her one bit.

“Why don’t you just fucking read it if it bothers you?” Ilya responded coolly.

For a brief second his expression faltered, as if she had slung a harsh insult at him instead of a simple suggestion. Her brow furrowed thoughtfully.

Over the years in her life before all this, she had worked hard to make herself astute to the needs of others. She could tell what someone wanted, and especially what they wanted to hear, before even they knew. “She could sell ice to an eskimo” as her father always put it, and it was a skill she benefitted from greatly while in this new wasteland. And in this moment, she paused to choose her words carefully.

“Mike,” she slowly started, in a much softer tone, “ … do you not know how to read?”

“W-what?” He let out a short scoff and quickly stood up, waving a hand towards the papers nonchalantly. “Of course I can fuckin’ read, you think I’m an idiot? Man, you’re crazy,”

She stared at him silently. The feeling of her analyzing him was palpable and it made his face burn.

“I just, y’know, really don’t give a shit what kinda love letters you’re sharing behind my back with your ex-man, yeah? Like, he’s probably… probably just jealous that you’re with me now, fuckin’ obviously. Who wouldn’t be?” Mike shrugged with an over the top flourish and turned away from her. Her lips had curved into a hurt looking frown and he couldn’t stand to see it, especially with knowing he had caused it. He knew he was overreacting too much for her to actually believe him, but he couldn’t stop; for some reason just her finding out this one simple thing about him seemed to send him spiraling into a panic.

If she knew this, she knew some way she was better than him. She knew a weakness... And showing weakness only ever leads to getting himself hurt again.

“I didn’t mean that as an insult,” her tone remained the same, melodic and soothing, despite the fact that his seemed to unintentionally be rising in volume. “It’s just, not something I expected. That’s pretty uncommon, even in this world,” Ilya took a few tentative steps closer until she could see his face again, identifying from the way he stood avoiding her eyes that she was probably the first person to figure this out about him on their own and clearly he wasn’t equipped to deal with this kind of embarrassment.

“… So what now, you’re pitying me?” Mike cringed, just wishing he could have backtracked and reigned in his petty jealousy to avoid all this. “I don’t need your pity, Boss. You don’t…” he stopped himself, finally turning to look down with his mutilated vision onto the face of the woman standing so closely at his side. She was observing him thoughtfully with those translucent blue eyes, like maybe she actually genuinely had feelings, or at the very least some kind of compassion for him, but he told himself that he had learned better over the years than to fall for that. Everyone in this Wasteland was only looking after themselves, including himself, and she’d find some way she could use this against him. But his own thoughts sent a pang through his heart.

One of her ghostly hands extended to rest upon his back, the gentle contact against his skin sending an electric pulse through his whole body that knocked him out of the hypnotic effect of her gaze.  He whipped around to face her fully, shoving that tiny hand away in the process. “You can’t know what my life was like, okay, Ilya? You think I had time for shit like that? I mean, fuck—“ his voice wavered and he hated it, one hand furiously rubbing into his blind eye. “I worked since I could walk. I grew up on a shitty farm out here, and I worked, just like everyone else. We all did. Me, my parents, my sist—“

Mike groaned to interrupt himself, having said too much again. Every time he opened his mouth, it was like a tidal wave of words he really didn’t ever want to say, but couldn’t hold them back. She didn’t even need to say anything and he was pouring out his fucking guts to her, what the fuck was wrong with him?

These were things he never wanted to talk about, things no one knew about as far as he was aware. He hated seeming like a weak wastelander like all the rest out there and kept up his confident visage at all times, at all cost. But despite himself, here he was, for some reason laying out to her his actual emotions plain as day. He just felt an inherent need to make her understand; he couldn’t let her walk away and think less of him, and the strain of attachment he suddenly felt for the Overboss seemed to facilitate his desire to explain himself. How did she manage to have this kind of hold over him?

It’s not like me and her have anything deeper than she had with Gage, the thought again bitterly resurfaced, but at this point he even found himself reluctant to believe it.

He was deeply considering at the moment how effective it would be to just shoot himself in his good leg with her rifle there on the ground to get out of this conversation when he was drawn out of his mind by those tiny arms extending up to loop around his neck. Ilya was significantly shorter than him and needed to stand on the toes of her boots to reach, but still strong enough to yank him down to her height and reconnect their lips in a forceful kiss, silencing all his grumbling once and for all. He could feel his stomach twist into knots for reasons he really didn’t want to delve too far into and the panic seemed to come to an abrupt pause. Unsure of how to respond from here, he just stood there, dumbly bent in half into his lover with his arms hanging at his sides.  

After a few minutes, she leaned out of the kiss, but did not allow him any opportunity to storm off again; her right hand tangled itself into his messy blonde hair to redirect his head to rest face down into her chest. The motion was so gentle and careful that despite his instinctive reaction, he couldn’t even find the ability to force himself to remain on guard against her. His own arms slowly lifted, enveloping her small frame in a returning embrace with only a moderate amount of remaining caution. “You don’t need to be so worried,” Ilya began, and with his face buried in her breasts he couldn’t see but felt another small peck be placed against his temple. ”I care about you... And you can trust me,” she spoke softly, her voice now down so low he could barely hear it, as if this was a secret which only he was allowed to know.

This comfort was so unusual than anything he’d experienced before that it threw him off. She wasn’t judging him or mocking him. She didn’t even seem effected at all about any of the frantic rambling he just poured out onto her. Nothing that he expected to come did. Instead she just whispered kindly with that indiscernible accent she had, holding him tightly until he sighed the breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been keeping.

In that moment, he even found himself actually believing her.

“Besides, of course Gage is jealous I’m with you now. I mean, why wouldn’t he be?” Mike let out a muffled laugh and finally she could feel the tension release from his shoulders.

Both arms abruptly squeezed her tighter and then he tilted his head away from her chest so he could glance back into her eyes. “Ah, what’s that? Sorry mate, I was distracted by these tits. Fantastic.” He grinned, relieved the conversation had successfully shifted tones when he heard her bright sarcastic laugh as a response.

She swiftly stepped backwards until they were reacquainted with her ragged old couch again, never letting her hold on him slack. She dragged him along with her the whole way back, causing him to trip over his own feet to remain attached to the much tinier person in the way she demanded from him. Finally they were face to face once more, one mechanical leg pressed into the sagging cushions beside her hips, where she could adequately reunite their lips once again. In the middle of the kiss, she practically purred her response, answering his joke with a very serious, “Oh, you can believe I will give you something to be distracted by.”

[the-energon-hole]

Hi hi! Could I request TFP Wheeljack headcanons about him worrying over his human partner while they're injured in the med bay?

((A/N - Hmm, I’m sorry, It’s not that this ask is boring or anything in fact it sounded super sweet but for some reason my brain is mush and I think I’m still like grumpy or something-

I guess this is more like “Wheeljack inadvertently caused an injury to his human friend and he feels bad about it but is also justified in his actions” Idk I didn’t have inspiration when I wrote this.

I might try again later when I’m feeling more into it, I’m sorry this isn’t what you asked for.))

Wheeljack

-It all happened so fast, one minute you two were just having a good time on your day off while you just goofed off out in the desert just blowing up rocks in this big abandoned canyon while you also took the opportunity to practicing aiming by placing tin cans on various structures to shoot em off with a pellet gun, and the next thing he knew you both were ambushed from above by a bunch of vehicons that must have picked up on his Autobot signal that he sometimes forgets to mask whenever he goes out beyond the base. You ran and hid behind some cover before they really took notice of you just like how he taught you to do if something like this did ever happen, which was good because that meant you weren’t in the way whenever he needed to get a little more aggressive and violent with these sparkless drones, but it also meant that he cannot keep a good eye on you while he fought off about four of those machines by himself. It wasn’t a hard battle if you had asked him, he has taken on more bots by himself- but it took a little longer because they like to fight dirty and they ganged up on him without him being able to do much about it except brute force his way through the crowd with various punching and kicking, and by the time it was over and all the cons’ were dead on the ground and smashed into a million bits and you didn’t crawl out of your hiding spot right away to congratulate him as you normally would on seeing him win a battle,  he went out of his way to peek into every gap in search of you to make sure you were ok and not stuck in some hole or something (humans were small, you guys can get stuck in places he can’t even imagine!). You weren’t one to play games with him like Miko would, so when he found you lying on the ground covered in dust and debris from the previous battle he was just in he could swear in that moment he felt his spark physically drop out of its chamber in his chest and hit the floor hard enough to shatter as if it weren’t physically attached to his frame. You lay face down on the ground looking a little worse for wear as our clothes was a little tattered and your skin greying from the settling clouds of dirt in the air, his processor was telling him it probably wasn’t as bad as it looked- but his spark was panic while telling him that he got you killed because he was too dumb to wait for you to be in full cover before engaging with the enemy. There wasn’t any blood as far as he could tell, but he was pretty sure humans were not meant to have their arms bent that way, so as carefully as he could he lifted you up close and transported you back to the base after calling for emergency ground bridge from Ratchet.

-He got an audio full of what everyone’s opinions were once he got back at base; it was as if they all had this uncanny ability to gang up on him and make him feel as if he is gteh worst Autobot to have ever walked the Earth, and you know what maybe he was, but it’s not like he had much of a choice as they were literally in the bottom of a canyon without anywhere to really go- to say he would have fought them back for their harsh words and pretentious attitudes is an understatement as apparently hindsight was a damn superpower to this group of bots, but they can say whatever they want to say because really they were not there when it happened and they really have no place to judge him for his quick actions. Beyond his little oopsie of forgetting to scramble his signal, he was in the right, because if he hadn’t taken those bots out they would have easily just captured him and kill you. It’s not like it was Megatron that came after him or anything anyway, because if it was one of the bigger Decepticons contenders he would have stalled them a little before making his move against them, so why does it matter? Anyway, that kid’s mom, June was her name wasn’t it? She took you to the hospital after you regained consciousness a little bit after she examined you in their medbay to see how badly your injuries were and if she needed to treat you right then and there or not. It was as he predicted, it looked worse than what it really was, you were scraped and bruised and your arm was broken, but nothing irreversible happened because apparently you did the right thing protecting yourself from falling rocks that would have pelted you in the head. If anything they should be proud of you for being able to handle yourself in a way that your injuries could have been so much worse and yet you still have that goofy smile on your face as if you weren’t in any pain, he knew you were, but you were playing it up for everyone else’s benefit as they tried to dote on you and junk. You played the whole “oh if Wheeljack weren’t there, they would have killed me!” card and he was loving how everyone suddenly backtracked hard and told him he actually did the right thing for once engaging instead of waiting. He did feel guilty about what he did to you though as it was all just one big accident, but you both knew it was bound to happen eventually as you hung out with giant alien robots asa hobby, but you took it in stride and were a trooper about it in front of everyone.

-The next few days were a bit different however as you were barely even allowed to even come over to the base once your family found out you “got injured falling off a small cliff while exploring the desert”- at first he was frustrated as you were slowly becoming a great source of companionship to him, but when you did finally come out of your house bandaged up like some kind of burn victim with your arm in a sling did it really hit him that this really aws all his fault. You sat quietly in the cabin of his alt mode while stroking your arm quietly as he can tell you were still in pretty rough shape from all of the small injuries peppered all over your body. Scrap, you were dinged up pretty bad weren’t you, and now he looks like a total aft for not being more worried earlier when all of this happened. You were such a trooper though with that smile on your face and the insisting that you were fine and that he didn’t do anything wrong- he should have known you were acting to make the others back off a little and give you the space you needed. You were kind of good at playing people with the way you gave off those fake smiles and those cute little chuckles- Primus, you even had him fooled, and he can normally read right through your little acts. To be fair though, tensions were really high,and a lot of bots and people were yelling at him so he hardly was in the right mindset. He asked how bad it really was, and you were honest, you told him that it hurt like hell but you also really emphasized the fact to him that you don’t blame him for what he did, but you do expect him to worry about you more when shti does happen or else when you die you are going to haunt him for the rest of his existence while giving that real genuine smile he has been missing all week. Ah, there it was, the real sass and the real joy that he likes seeing come from you when being around when it came to you both just joking about dumb things- it was why you all got along so well. He did apologize to you kind of in his own way, and promised to try and be a little less selfish when you were around, he forgets how fragile humans really are compared to them sometimes. You forgave him of course, but you milked these injuries long after most of them were healed, and he hated it, but it also made him feel good to know there were no hard feelings between the two of you because now that you managed to wriggle your way into his life he finds more and more as the days passed that he can’t imagine his life without you in it.

(05/19/18)

[enixamyram]

I have a headcanon/short story that I saw somewhere but if you could write it into existence that would be amazingg: Robin and Alice meeting the Merry Men and Robin meeting her half brother? (just realised when writing this her mum killed his mum.....but that's all in the past......)

Family Reunion

Summary: Duringone of their adventures, Alice and Robin run into a little trouble with a griffincreature hot on their heels. Luckily a band of Merry Men just happen to bepassing through to give them a hand, even if the two groups don’t start on verygood terms. Something which is made even more awkward when they realise one ofthe men is the one and only; Roland Hood, aka, Robin’s older brother.

 “This is just so like you!”Robin snapped.

 “What?” Alice asked, looking offended by her loves harsh tone.

 “Acting without thought!” Robin shouted, leaping a fallen log that was lyingin her way.

 “You love that about me!” Alice challenged, diving around a tree beforereturning to Robin’s side once again.

 “Yes, but not when it gets us into trouble!” Robin said harshly. Theyhad broken through into a clear patch of the woods now, giving her the time toswing around, running backwards while taking aim and firing off a single arrowat the creature following them. It didn’t do much, but then it wasn’t meant toand she quickly faced forward again, running ahead once more, doing what shecould to stay ahead of the thing still giving chase.

 “I didn’t mean to!” Alice said, the hurt in her voice clear even throughher heavy huffs of breath. She hated it when she and Robin fought like this. Ithappened rarely but when it did, it was honestly painful.

 “I know, but you did!” Robin snapped. She hated fighting just as much asAlice, but she was angry. She was angry because Alice could have gotten hurtand that scared her more than anything.

 “Well I’m sorry!” Alice snapped, sulking slightly even as they continuedto run for their lives.

 Robin fought the instinctive desire to reach over and comfort her. “Justkeep going!” She snapped instead, now caught feeling incredibly guilty as wellas angry and scared.

 “Fine!”

 At that moment, the griffin appeared overhead, cutting off any furtherconversation between them as it jumped and landed with a loud crashing againstthe earth just a few feet ahead of them. When it turned back around on them, itlet out a mixture of a shriek and a roar that felt close to near deafening asit echoed around them and in between the trees, the painful sound continuinglong after the creature had let its beak snap shut again.

 The large beast crouched down to the ground like a kitten about topounce and play with its toy, except theywere the toy and playing wasn’t exactly what it had in mind at that moment. Hiswings stretched out either side of him, malting a couple feathers slightly asthey rustled and twisted while his tail swung behind him like ball of hair on astring. One of Robin’s arrows had caught it lightly along the side at one pointbut the creature barely seemed to notice the light scratch. His thick fur wasshielding most of his body from any kind of assault which was both a good andbad thing for the two girls he was currently hunting.

 “Damn it,” Robin swore swinging her bow and arrow back into in her handsand aiming for one of its legs.

 “Here! Let me handle this.” Alice said, eager to make up for her earliermistake and taking a step forward ahead of her love.

 “Alice! Stay back!”

 “I got this,” Alice began, reaching to her side for her dagger.

 “Alice! No!”

 The griffin leapt towards her just as Alice’s dagger got caught in thematerial of her long skirt. It must have torn at some point while they wererunning through the trees and now there was a gaping jagged hole where thedagger handle had snagged onto. Alice struggled with it for a moment, trying torip it free with brute force rather than slow down to untangle it with care,just as the griffin leaped forward again. But just before it could dig itsclaws into Alice’s distracted shoulders, Robin appeared by her side, tacklingher to the ground, safely out of the way.

 The girls didn’t even have the time to look at each other as they scrambledto push themselves up on their elbows and half rolling onto the sides, lookingback down at the creature where it landed not far from their feet. It roundedon them for a second time, roaring and shrieking even louder than before;enough to make their heads feel like they were going to crack, at the same timeas it took a slow threatening step towards them. For the second time he begancrouching down and readied himself for attempted murder pounce number two.Robin gasped aloud, scrambling to get back onto her feet as Alice grabbed herarms to help her, all the while knowing they wouldn’t have time to before themonster was on top of them.

 But just before it could land on top of them, something else appearedfrom the trees not far from their right and shot through the air too fast fortheir eyes to follow. The object slammed into the creatures shoulder in a sharpblur. It didn’t throw him completely away from them, but it did nudge thecreature enough for Robin to grab Alice and stumble out of its way, fallingback to their knees by one of the neary trees, just before its large clawcrashed onto the spot they had been.

 The girls sat up, looking around for the source of the attack thatstalled the beast. There was a long arrow sticking out of the creaturesshoulder, but no sign of the archer it came from. And then, as if summoned bythat very thought, a large man burst through the trees, crossbow in hand,running at the creature and being closely followed by several other men allwith bows, arrows and other similar weapons in hand, and all of which wereaimed towards the beast. They barely glanced at where the girls crouched to theside before hurrying towards the creature and yelling orders to one another soloudly their voices blurred together into nonsense.

 Alice watched the men in a momentarily stunned silence, barely thinkingas she asked breathlessly; “Who are they?”

 “No idea,” Robin whispered, dragging her eyes away from the men andturning to reach up and cradle the side of her face, checking for injury. “Areyou okay?”

 “Yeah,” Alice nodded, smiling at her softly.

 “Good.” Robin pecked her quickly on the lips, her earlier worry andanger forgotten entirely in favour of her concern and love.

  When they were both assured one another wasunharmed, the girls climbed back up onto their feet and looked over to see themen had somehow managed to knock the creature down to the ground. They now hadhim pinned with strings of strong rope with the ends attached to arrows thatwere dug into the earth on either side of his largs body. The rope wasstretching over it’s from its head, all the way down over each of its wings andeven onto its skinny tail. When the beast was safely caught and unable to swipat any of the men with his massive claws or otherwise defend himself, one ofthem stepped forward towards its head.

 The man stepping forward was handsome and young, maybe just a few yearsolder than Robin and Alice, but with a confidence that suggested he might besomething close to the group leader despite not being anything closest to theoldest member. He had long dark brown hair falling short just above his eyesand the slightest stubble over his tanned firm jaw line that probably madeother girls go weak in the knees but instead reminded Robin a little too muchof the jocks back in school during her final year. The ones that she alwayshated even before she realised she was gay. He was well muscled, his thick armsand torso showing through even under the brown and dark green material of hisshirt, with a skilled homemade bow in hand and a sheath of arrows resting overhis back, the detailed feathers resting inches by the side of his head.

 The man ignored the girls behind him altogether and stepped up to thecreature cautiously. He moved so he was directly over its head before he pulledout a jagged looking dagger out from the shealth across his lower back. Hemoved to grab the long pieces of feather mane standing out around the creature’sneck, squeezing his grip on both the weapon and the animal before lifting thedagger high in the air in order to provide the killing blow.

 “NO!” Alice screamed, appearing behind him and reaching up to wrappingher arms around the shoulder of the arm holding the blade.

 “What-” The man yelped as she jerked him backwards causing him to losehis balance and fall backwards on top of her. He tried to roll off but Alicetightened her hold on his arm and even twisted her legs around his waist,pinning him back on top of her with a strength that surprised the man enough sohe was unable to fully break free.

 “Stupid girl!” The big guy said. There were flakes of grey in his longhair and beard, yet he seemed in good shape for an older man, even if it was alarge one. He even moved with a surprising speed as he turned and pointed thecrossbow down at where Alice still struggled with his friend.

 One of Robin’s arrows appeared flashing past, inches from his nose andhe stumbled back in shock as it embedded in the tree opposite, turning to findRobin had aimed a second one at him within seconds. “The next shot won’t hitthe tree!” She snapped. “Now back off!”

 The men seemed momentarily shocked and the only other noise came fromAlice and the man’s grunting as they were still scrambling to separate from oneanother at their feet. A long moment later – a moment that probably wasn’tactually that long – Alice finally released her hold on him and dragged herselfout of the way of his flailing limbs. She hurried back onto her feet andbacktracked just as he jumped up after her. Alice immediately moved back tostand by Robin but had finally freed her blade from her side and had it now inhand, pointing towards them defensively while the man she had pulled down hadturned to face them, his own dagger still out threateningly and a furiousexpression on his face.

 “What the hell do you think you’re doing?” The younger man demanded, hisfeatures not so handsome when they were twisted with anger.

 “Stopping you from killing this poor creature!” Alice snapped.

 “Poor creature?” One of the men spluttered before silencing himselfquickly as the largest with the crossbow took a step towards them, hesitatingonly when Robin lifted her arrow to warn him back again.

 “This creature just tried to kill you both! You had your own weaponsdrawn against it for crying out loud!” Crossbow shouted, nodding at Robin andher arrows.

 “He’s just scared!” Alice snapped defensively.

 “And we had our weapons out to disarm and subdue him when he attacked us.Not outright kill him!” Robin snapped, stepping forward. “Now I won’t tell youagain. Back off. I mean it. Step away from him right now, all of you!”

 “You have got to be kidding me.” One of the men near the back called.“This is a violent monster! We just saved your damn lives!”

 “Maybe you did, but forgive me if I don’t thank someone who’s so quickto put down a creature rather than ask why he was chasing us in the firstplace.” Robin snarled.

 “What?” The big guy frowned, like the idea of asking ‘why’ had neveroccurred to him before.

 Alice ignored him and the others completely, carefully stepping betweenthem and crouching down by the griffin’s head. He was so firmly pinned that hecouldn’t even twist around to watch her, even when Alice knelt close by his wideblinking eyes. All the men were watching anxiously but they were no longerjumping in the way, too confused by the girl’s reaction from having been savedto do much more than watch suspiciously and wait for it to no doubt bite them inthe ass (or the arm if Alice got any closer to its beak). Not that either ofthem were worried. Not about the beast at least. Just in case, Robin kept herbow and arrow lifted and pointed for anyone who made a move towards her lovewhile she finished up for them.

 “Be careful, Alice.” Robin warned instinctively, not taking her eyes offof the men closest to her.

 “I know,” Alice said calmly, stroking the griffin’s head. “I think he’sokay. They didn’t hurt him too badly at least.”

 “Us hurt-?! Will one of you tell us what the hell is going on here?” Theman with the dagger snapped. “Who are you women?”

 Robin lowered her bow in front of her but didn’t replace her arrow inthe quiver and nor did she give him her name. Instead she walked towards Alice,glaring at the men on either side of her. “This creature was brought here by awitch to terrorize a nearby village. It’s as much a victim as anyone else,being dragged away from its family and thrown into a place where everyonescreams when they see him, let alone the ones who just blindly tried to attackhim first. We were simply luring it away from the people so we could return himto his home in peace.”

 “It’s a savage beast!” One of the men shouted.

 “It’s a creature who was used by an evil old hag!” Alice snapped,standing back up. “How would you feel if you were thrown into a land ofcreatures who assumed you were a monster and hunted you on sight?!”

 “Alright, alright, calm down.” The man with the dagger said, rolling hiseyes like they were overreacting and tucking his jagged blade away. “I supposeyou’re not wrong exactly. You’ll forgive us for maybe being a little rash butwe’ve lived a long time in these woods and around here it’s all just a matterof survival.”

 “When your survival is at the expense of someone else’s, maybe youshould rethink some things.” Alice said coldly.

 For a moment everyone fell silent, staring at one another suspiciously,with the only sound coming from the griffin’s harsh breath as he lay pinned, stillsnarling and snapping up at them all every few seconds. There was a definitecoldness hanging between all of them as the men watched the two girls and, inreturn, Alice and Robin glared back at them with matching irritation. Then,finally, Robin broke the tension as she moved forward and gave Alice a smallhandful of green leaves that she had been carrying in her back pocket, watchingas Alice crushed the leaves between her palms and begin to sprinkle the remiansover the griffin’s large blinking eyes.

 “What are you doing?” One of the men demanded.

 “Oh be quiet,” Robin snapped, rolling her eyes and waiting patientlywhile Alice worked.

 A few seconds later, the griffin had fallen into a deep sleep, slumpedunder his bindings and snoozing soundly in a way that was almost cute now thatit was no longer trying to cause them server decapitation. Alice proudly stoodback before she began walking around and cutting the ropes that were still stretchingover its large body so they were no longer holding him in place.

 “What are you doing-” The big guy snapped, lifting his crossbow only tostop short when Robin aimed her arrow at him for a final time.

 “I won’t keep repeating myself.” She growled. “Back off and let usfinish our job. I understand you were trying to help but now you have doneenough. All of you.”

 The man looked like he might argue with her until the one Alice had manhandled waved him down, crossing his arms like it was his idea to let the girlswork and they were only going ahead with his permission. It infuriated Robinbut she forced herself to ignore him, turning back to Alice and reaching intoher pocket, pulling out and handing her the magic bean they had been saving foran occasion such as this.

 “Is that…” One of the men gasped.

 Alice stepped back and swung her arm behind her, preparing to throw thebean to the floor.

 “Hey! What are you doing?! Do you know how much that is worth?!”

 Alice ignored all of them and threw the bean lightly down onto theground by the griffin’s sleeping head. A bright green portal opened beneath thecreatures limp body with bright blurst of light that was near blinding and awind that almost caught a few of the men still standing too close to thecreature. Everyone scrambled back a few steps as the creature was immediatelysucked through into the portal, the light and wind vanishing along with him secondslater.

 “Well that was a waste of a good old bean,” The man with the dagger grumbled.

 Robin rolled her eyes and glared at him while Alice moved to stand back byher side. “You really don’t care who gets hurt, do you?”

 The man shrugged calmly. “You can’t save everyone.”

 “Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try.” Robin said coldly.

 “And anyway, we just did.” Alice said smugly, earning a grin from Robin.

 Crossbow shook his head at the two of them. “Who the hell are you?” Hedemanded.

  “My name’s Alice.”

 “And I’m Robin Hood.” Robin said, puffing her chest slightly with pride.

 The men all did a double take. “I’m sorry. What did you call yourself?” Crossbowasked, his voice suddenly quiet.

 Robin wasn’t surprised by their reaction. Her own popularity mixing withthat of her father’s legendary status meant a lot of people reacted verysimilarly when she told them who she was. If she was being honest, then shenever grew tired of seeing their eyes widen and their jaws drop and she waslooking forward to knocking all of these brutes down a peg after the way theyacted before. They were thoughtless to lives that weren’t like their own andthat irritated Robin – despite her being very much the same before she metAlice. The fact was; she learned her lesson and so should they.

 “Robin Hood.” She repeated, nodding confidentally at them again.

 “Oh great,” The younger man snarled. “A wannabe trying to be like the hero.”

  “Excuse me?” Robin snapped.

 “What’s your real name?” He demanded, taking a threatening step towardsher, hand reaching on the handle of his dagger again. “And tell the truth thistime.”

 “My name,” Robin repeated taking her own step forward. “Is Robin Hood.Now why don’t you tell me who the hell you idiots are?”

 “Wait…” Crossbow said, taking a step towards them so he was beside hisyounger friend, frowning at them like he was trying to think something over inhis head, glancing from her to her bow and arrows suspiciously. “Robin? BabyRobin?!”

 “Huh?” Robin blinked, looking at him like he had lost his mind.

 “Little John, what are you talking about?” The younger one frowned.Despite the tense situation, Alice snorted lightly at the sound of the big guy’sapparent name.

 “It’s your little sister, Roland!” The big guy – Little John – saidenthusiastically.

 “What?” Robin asked, baffled and this time with the younger man – Roland– joining in.

 “Oh, you don’t remember,” Little John said shaking his hand at him,grinning from ear to ear. “Think back boy! You were six! Back in Storybrooke?Your dad, he had a daughter, your little sister. Remember! She stayed with hermum while we all came back here and well… It’s her!” He finished lamely, wavingat her for a moment before charging forward. Robin started to lift her weaponto defend herself but the man – despite his size – was too fast and suddenlyshe was being lifted up into an unexpected bone-crushing hug.

 Alice stepped back, looking baffled as she glanced over at the rest ofthe men still watching them. Half of them looked as confused as Roland andRobin while the other half – mostly the older ones – looked as happy as LittleJohn. In fact a few even came forward and joined the spontaneous hug until itwas a great big cluster of people all grouped together and Alice was beginningto wonder if she should try to save her love from them or not when they finallybroke apart and released her on their own.

 “Uh, so you know these guys?” Alice asked, sliding back to Robin’s side awkwardlyand looking around the men with only a little nervouness left over. Things hadtaken a very suddenly turn for the weird and she wasn’t sure what to thinkabout any of it.

 “I have no idea who any of them are!” Robin snapped, stepping back fromthem and looking around wildly. “And if anyone else hugs me without anexplanation, I swear, you’re losing an eye!”

 In response to that, all the men led by Little John, burst out laughing.The big guy with the little name laughed so hard that he needed to lean forwardto place his hands onto his knees in order to support himself before righting again.

 “Your father said almost the exact same thing once.” Little John grinned,wiping away a happy tear.

 Robin’s confused anger melted away almost immediately, replaced with shockand a small touch of wonder that flashed in the corner of her eyes that onlyAlice noticed. “You knew my father?” She asked quietly.

 “Of course!” Little John looked around, waving his arm at the older men.“We were his Merry Men!”

 “Merry Men?” Robin blinked, eyes widening with recognition. “You mean the Merry Men?!”

 “The only ones in this forest!” Little John said proudly.

 “I can’t believe it…” Robin whispered, looking around at everyone. “Myaunt and mum have told me so much about you all but…” She glanced towards theyounger members. “I… Thought you’d all be older.”

 Little John laughed again. “They’re some of the newer boys.” He turned.“Like Roland here. You probably won’t remember him at all. You were just a babywhen you saw him last.”

 Before Robin could say anything else to them, she felt Alice take a stepslightly closer and slide her hand into Robin’s. “So you do know them?” She mumbled still sounding a little unsure.

 “Um. Sort of. Not really. I mean. They’re old friends of my dads.” Robinexplained.

 She slowly glanced over to where Roland was still stood off to the side.She remembered some vague stories her mother and, in particular, her auntRegina had told her over the years of the older half brother on her father’sside that she had, living his life somewhere in the Enchanted Forest. But eventhen they hadn’t had very many stories to tell and those they did have weren’tvery interesting. He was a young boy when he left and as sweet as he was and asmuch as Regina missed him, there really weren’t very many adventures for a sixyear old to have.

 Roland was still standing back, frowning at her suspiciously for amoment and glancing towards the rest of his group. When he next moved, it wasto take another forward to stand beside Little John. This was the only wayRobin understood the older man’s nickname as Roland was towering over him,making him really seem ‘little’ in comparison.

 “How do we know you’re really my sister?” Roland demanded.

 Robin frowned back at him, squinting slightly. “I don’t know. Don’t careeither. I don’t have to prove who I am to the likes of you.”

 Roland continued to frown at her for an extra few seconds before hisface shifted into a joyful smile and all the tension died around them as LittleJohn let out another booming laugh. Then Roland was sweeping forward andpicking Robin off her feet even when she tried to step away from him, swingingher around in a circle and hugging her while she squealed and yelped insurprise, unsure what else to do in his firm grip. Alice had to fight the urgeto smile and covered her mouth to hold it back until Robin was placed safely backon her feet again.

 “Would you all stop that!” Robin snapped, trying to shove him away butit was like shoving a brick wall and the older man just placed his hands on hershoulder, grinning down at her.

 “Oh wow. I can’t believe it’s actually you!” Roland grinned. “But yeah.Those eyes, they’re dads for sure.”

 Once again Robin’s anger faded as quickly as it surfaced and she resistedthe urge to touch her face, just bellow her eyes. Instead, she found herselfsaying softly; “That’s what Aunt Regina always says.”

 “Regina? How is she?” Roland asked, still holding her shoulders tightly.“How is everyone?”

 “They’re fine. I mean, I haven’t seen them for a while.” Robin admitted,glancing back at Alice who was still watching with a cross between an amusedand shy smile on her face.

 Finally Little John seemed to notice her and smiled. “So you’ve startedyour own little Merry Women have you?” He laughed. “You and your friend workwell as a team.”

 “She’s not my friend.” Robin said, reaching back and taking Alice’shand. Alice moved back to her side and wrapped her free arm around Robin’selbow, holding her close until realisation dawned on the mens eyes.

 “Oh…”

O*U*A*T

 A few hours later, Roland had led Alice and Robin to their temporary campsite.It was where they had been setting things up for the night when they heard thegriffin’s roaring and Robin and Alice’s shrieks (“we were not shrieking.” Robinhad said quickly). There was still a lot for them to do so the younger members setabout finishing off their set up while the older fellows and Roland all took aseat around a warm fire with Robin and Alice, giving them the chance to try andcatch up a little.

 Alice had gone very quiet after joining the new group, sitting close toRobin on one of the logs and mostly watching and listening as the Merry Men andRoland told stories of Robin’s fathers and their adventures with him in the olddays. After they had run out of tales there, they explained about the shorttime they had spent with Robin and her family back in Storybrooke back when shewas a baby. After a while Robin, who had been as tense as Alice, seemed torelax a bit. She was no longer watching the men suspiciously or asking endlessquestions in order to prove they were who they claimed and instead was laughingat their jokes and joining in with them by telling stories of her own adventures,including the adventure of how she and Alice first met.

 “That’s where I learnt one of my most important lessons.” Robin saidfirmly. “Just because something looks like a monster, doesn’t mean it is one.It might just be lost, trying to find its way home. Just like all of us.”

 Some of the men looked uncomfortable and shared uneasy looks, two evenlooked a little annoyed like she was lecturing them (which, okay, she kind ofwas) but Little John actually took it in with serious concern. He nodded hishead at her. “That’s a fair point. You know, your father would be proud of thewoman you’ve become.”

 Robin smiled gratefully at him, and Alice instinctively gave her hand acomforting squeeze like she always did whenever Robin had that look on her face.She knew how hard it was when people said things like that. She liked hearingit, of course, but it also reminded her that she would never hear those wordsfrom the man himself. Though at this point, it seemed like every other personin her life had chanted the same exact words to her at least once or twiceduring any heroic act she did. It was hard to tell if she was getting tired ofthe reminder or just the words themselves.

 “So how come you never visited before?” Robin asked as Roland offeredher a small bowl of something warm and sloppy. “I mean. You never got incontact after you left…”

 “Well jumping realms isn’t exactly easy.” Roland snorted, retaking hisseat. “I mean, you two tossed that bean like you have a stash of them orsomething.”

 Alice and Robin both paused with their spoons halfway to their mouths andexchanged looks.

 “Wait… Do you two have a stash of magical beans?” Roland demanded,everyone suddenly going quiet around them.

 “Not exactly…” Robin said slowly. “Let’s just say that Alice has aspecific talent and well… She’s pretty good at jumping realms. I guess I kindof forgot how hard it is for everyone else.”

 “Wow, you sound like an impressive young woman.” Little John nodded, finallylooking at Alice properly for the first time since sitting down.

 For the most, part no one had really spoken to her during the long storysharing. They were all too caught up in seeing their old leader’s daughteragain and Alice had done her best to stay quiet and keep it that way. Both soRobin could have her time with her father’s friends in peace, and because shefelt somewhat awkward, like she didn’t belong there and was tagging along to aprivate moment she shouldn’t be involved in.

 “She is.” Robin said fondly, reaching over to squeeze Alice’s leg gently.

 Alice smiled and lift herself a little higher in her seat, sitting alittle straighter now. Just like that, it was somehow easier sitting amongstthem now. But then, Robin always had that kind of affect on her so it wasn’tvery surprising. She glanced around at the rest of the men, returning theirsmiles and kind nods before her eyes landed on Roland who was watching the twoof them with very a serious expression on his face. All of a sudden, Alice grewworried. Was he looking at her like that because he didn’t approve? What wouldRobin said if her brother turned her down and said she wasn’t good enough?What-

 “I’m sorry.” He said suddenly.

 “For what?” Robin blinked, not noticing Alice do a double take by herside.

 “For earlier.” Roland mumbled, looking down at his hands. “With thecreature. And for not coming to see you before. Even if it was hard I nevertried.” He picked up a stick and poked at the fire between them. “Guess I’m nota very good big brother.”

 “Nonsence!” Little John boomed. “You’ve been busy!” He turned back toRobin. “Your brother’s been leading the Merry Men as of late. You’re not theonly one your father would be proud of. The two of you have done well with yourlives.” Robin couldn’t help but notice the way Roland tensed before he suddenlystood and walked away from the fire in silence. No one else seemed to notice,still too focused on Robin and Little John was still talking loudly to herthough she had stopped listening. “Why don’t you stick around for a while? Youcould join us! Make it a family thing!”

 “Excuse me,” Robin said, standing and following Roland, not noticing thepanicked look Alice shot after her as she was left behind.

 There was a short pause before Little John shrugged it off like thathappened all the time and turned to face her. “So, Alice. What’s your story?Robin said you were locked away for some time?”

 Alice felt her cheeks redden and she shrugged. “For a little while. Yeah.”

 As the men began to question Alice about how long she had locked up forexactly, Robin found Roland standing on the edge of their campsite, aiming andfiring arrows at a nearby tree. Robin paused, watching him for a moment and shedidn’t think it would be unfair to say he didn’t have the natural talent for itthat she always had. Still, she didn’t mention this aloud. While Robin had onlymet her older brother a short few hours ago, she had a feeling he was the kindof man’s man who had an easily bruised ego.

 “You okay?” Robin asked, walking over to him, crossing her arms toprotect against the sudden chill now that she had left the fire.

 “Fine.” Roland grumbled, not even pausing to look back at her.

 Robin hesitated, then shrugged. “Look, if you want to talk well… I’mhere is what I’m trying to say.”

 Roland sighed, turning to face her. “Thanks but… You couldn’tunderstand. There is just so much pressure on my shoulders to be my dad’s sonand it can sometimes be a little overwhelming.”

 She snorted loudly. “Are you kidding? You think I don’t have the samepressure on me? I literally have his name, for god’s sake. Ever since I couldwaddle on my own two feet, everyone has either expected me to live like my mumor live like my dad. I even came running to the Enchanted Forest trying to belike him and made so many mistakes along the way because of it. All the whileeveryone was watching me the whole time, judging me and comparing me to him inevery way… It took me years to find my own way and be my own person.”

 “Yeah?” Roland blinked. “How’d you manage that?”

 “Alice.” Robin smiled, her eyes shining in a way that did not go missedby her brother. “She didn’t just remind me what dad’s legacy was about. Shehelped me find myself and become a person in my own right. In the end, all Ineeded was someone to believe I could be me and still make my father proudbefore I could do it on my own.”

 “That sounds nice. You’re lucky to have her,” Roland said, a small smiletugging at the corner of his lips.

 “Yeah. I am.” Robin beamed, then shrugged. “So what about you? Any luckylady in your life? Maybe a lucky lad?”

 Roland chuckled but shook his head. “No. That stuff never interestedme.” He looked down at his feet. “Wish it did. It’d be nice to have my own‘Alice’ helping me find myself.”

 “You don’t need an ‘Alice’. You have other people that care.” Robinsaid, glancing back towards the campfire where she could hear loud laughter.She was silently glad that Alice’s voice was joining that laughter, relievedthat she was getting on with the Merry Men so easily. “You may not be in lovewith them but it’s clear you all love each other in other ways. Maybe if youjust open up a little, then they can help you. Or if not, spread your wings.There’s a world out there full of crazy people. Even if you don’t meet Mrs orMr right, there are still people who can be your family and help you throughyour problems.”

 “Yeah, maybe you’re right.” Roland chuckled softly. “Are you sure you’renot the older one?”

 “Puh-lease. Girls mature faster than boys anyway. I’m already lightningyears ahead of you, dude.” Robin smirked.

 “Maybe,” He agreed, walking over and grinning down at her. “But you’restill shorter.” With that he wrapped an arm around her head and squeezed,refusing to let go of her until she punched him in the stomach, winding himslightly. “Damn, girl!” He gasped. “That’s one hell of a right hook!”

 “It was my left, actually.” Robin said, grinning as she straightened herhair back on her head.

 The two started laughing together and Roland reached over, nudging herplayfully like they had known each other for years.

 Who knows? Maybe it was a sibling thing.

O*U*A*T

 This time when Roland stepped forward to hug Robin, she returned itwithout hesitation. Somehow it was so much more comfortable than the one yesterday,despite the fact that they only had a night to get to know one another. In factit was almost hard for her to leave him after they had been reunited so soonbut Roland had his Merry Men and Robin had her… Well, her Alice. They had grownapart and now had separate lives from one another, though Robin liked to hopetheir lives would now intertwine together in the future.

 “You have a safe trip, sis.” Roland said, patting her back lightly.

 “And you stay safe here,” Robin responded, more because she felt she hadto say something to fill the short silence than because she was actuallyconcerned. It was clear Roland and his men could take care of themselves. “Andgo easy on some of the creatures in these woods.” She said, lighting punchinghis shoulder. “Remember, life’s not so black and white as it may seem at firstlook.”

 “Man, girls are so bossy!” Roland said, rolling his eyes and grinningplayfully down at her.

 “Only because boys are useless without them.” Robin smirked.

 Roland grinned and turned to where Alice was waiting patiently by hergirlfriend’s side. Then, before she could react, he pulled her into a tight hugas well. Alice looked startled over his shoulder and it was Robin’s turn to fightthe urge to laugh at them.

 “It was nice meeting you, Alice.” Roland said after they had bothstepped away. “I hope you’ll come and visit us as well.”

 “Um, yeah,” Alice smiled awkwardly, unsure of what else to say.

 “Good.” He pat her shoulder lightly.

 “You better go.” Little John said, giving Robin one more last hug.“Before the portal closes.”

 “It was so nice meeting you…” Robin said, taking Alice’s hand. “Well,again, but… You know what I mean.”

 “You, too, kiddo.” Roland grinned.

 Robin shot him an unamused expression that was similar to the one shegave Alice after the ‘Nobin’ nickname was uttered. It made Alice laugh aloud andshe lightly pulled Robin lightly towards the portal before she could beginarguing with him and miss their chance to move on to the next realm.

 “Bye!” Robin and Alice called, seconds before they walked into theportal and stepped out in a completely new realm.

 A second passed and they paused on the other side, glancing over theirshoulders at the way they had come but the portal had already shut and gonelike it had never even been there to start with. Robin’s brother and the MerryMen were gone.

 “Well, that was interesting.” Alice noted and glanced at her love. “Younever told me you had a brother.” She noted.

 “I kind of forgot.” Robin shrugged shyly. “I mean. Mum and aunt Regina toldme about him but it was so long ago and there wasn’t much to tell even at thetime…” She shrugged again.

 Alice nodded her head in understanding. “So what do you think?”

 “Of my brother?”

 “Yeah.”

 Robin hesitated, pressing her lips together. “I think he’s a pretty coolguy. I mean… I understand him. I think we could get along if we had the time tojust chat.”

 “Well, we’ve got years of time to do whatever we want.” Alice saidcheerfully. “I’m sure we can swing by and visit him and the Merry Men every nowand then.” She smiled proudly. “Those guys were alright.”

 Robin laughed. “You’re only saying that because you stole half theirmoney!”

 “I played the game fair and square!”

 “Killian taught you about cards and I’ve seen him play. There’s nothingfair about it.”

[sak-a]

A Flower by Any Other Kind (Akira Kurusu x Reader)

Word Count: 2,428

Got a few requests for Akira working at a flower shop; I’m here to barely deliver that.  ;u; A charming Akira with a reader with low self confidence; hope you enjoy!

*     *     *

     Akira Kurusu is the most beautiful man you’ve ever seen, and the kindest person you know.

     You wonder how many times you’ve perused 105’s underground mall, and how you managed to overlook that suave boy at the flower shop. When you think back, it was probably because he only started working there recently. He certainly seems suited for the job, and he’s a sight for sore eyes, you decided. Even the natural beauty of nature’s gifts couldn’t compare. If anything, being around him only enhanced his charms. How did he make an apron look so good?

     While you wouldn’t necessarily call what you were doing stalking, you couldn’t help but admire him from afar once you noticed he worked on Wednesdays. On the day you finally talked to each other, he was crouched near the potted flowers on the ground and watering them. He had a little smile filled with kindness, and the sight was so precious you found yourself smiling too. The holidays that capitalized on over-priced flowers ended a while ago, so there hadn’t been many customers that day. Good for you, you could stare at him all you liked without anyone obstructing your line of sight. All that got in the way was the rack of shoes you always hid behind. God forbid you could handle the idea of chatting him up before turning into a nervous wreck.

     He hadn’t noticed you since you started your outings of appreciating his beauty. You weren’t exactly head-turning in terms of looks so you should have been safe. Or so you thought until he looked up and your eyes met. You got the feeling of what it’s like to be a deer in the headlights and held your breath. Oh, god, just look at the damn shoes, look away already, play it cool--you waited too long, you’re pretty sure he’s figured out you were staring at him. Yeah, no, time to retreat for the day.

     When you spoke to your friends about what happened, they teased you for just how incredibly smooth you were, and asked when the wedding was. Their advice wasn’t helpful either; Seduce him with flowers that meant you were interested, pretend you were window shopping and ask for recommendations--all things that required you to go up and talk to him. As if, you sighed and mulled over the encounter until the next Wednesday rolled around. It probably would have been better if you didn’t go that day so that you didn’t look like a stalker, but you were already on the train to Shibuya out of habit.

     Where could you hide this time? The rack you usually hid behind had been cleared out because of the sale sign beside it. Wait, where was he? You only saw the owner standing by...

     “Would you like to visit the shop today?”

     You jumped, hearing an unfamiliar voice and spun around, met with a huge bouquet of little white flowers and a pair of amused eyes behind glasses. He couldn’t have been expecting you to show up, could he? It was hard to tell from his expression. As you held your hand to your chest to calm your racing heart, he blinked and tilted his head a bit. “I didn’t scare you that much, did I?” Yes, he did, but you shake your head to be polite and he grins. “You can loiter around the shop if you want. Miss Hanasaki won’t mind.” You assumed that was the owner’s name. He walked past you and you remembered what your friends said, deciding to take the invitation and follow him.

     The different flowers’ fragrances hit you like a brick wall, yet they surprisingly didn’t overwhelm your senses. You never got close enough to smell them before. He set the bouquet into a glass vase, and you figured there was no better ice breaker than asking him what they were. “White violets. Their color alludes to innocence, but they have an interesting meaning in the language of the flowers.” He adjusted the purple cellophane wrapping around the bouquet. “‘Let’s take a chance on happiness.’ Or, to put it in other words, to gamble on love.” He glanced to you. “How about it? Feel like taking a gamble with me?” Your throat quickly felt dry all and you looked to your feet out of embarrassment.

     He covers his mouth as a soft laughter spills out at your reaction, and you can feel your heart fluttering at the sound of it. When you lift your head, you see he’s trying his hardest to stifle it. Now’s not the time to be admiring how cute, though. You take a peek at his name tag. Kurusu. Doesn’t sound like a first name. “Akira,” he says. “Feel free to call me that.” Were you that obvious about looking? To distract yourself from your increasingly warm face, you ask about the meanings of the other plants, and he has no trouble educating you about the language of the flowers.

     “Along with the type, the color can also change its meaning,” he explained as he tended to them, adjusting their displays or watering them as needed. “Red tulips may convey a declaration of passionate love, while yellow ones tell the recipient there’s sunshine in their smile. You can usually guess a flower’s meaning from their color--white for purity, yellow for cheerfulness, red for deep love, and so on.” You nodded along, finding the trivia interesting. Perhaps it will come in handy if your friends needed emergency flowers.

     +1 Knowledge

     “Kurusu, you can go home now,” Hanasaki called out from below where she’s clearing dead leaves out of the flower pots. “Thanks for your hard work today.”

     “You too,” he bowed and went to put away his apron. You were able to talk to him for the first time that day, and learned his name on top of that. That’s something to pat yourself on the back for, right? The male in question came out in a blazer and toted a large brown purse. Despite the oddity slung over his shoulder, he still managed to look so stylish and handsome. Akira saw you had stuck around and seemed pleased before going over to Hanasaki to ask her for a flower. You can’t see what kind it is when he comes up to you. “I hope you didn’t get too bored talking with me. May I offer this as an apology?”

     He held up his purchase for you to see: a carefully wrapped tulip with red streaks on yellow petals. You’ve seen this pattern before but you don’t think he told you if it had a meaning. “It’s a variegated tulip. Its pattern is caused by a plant virus.” With his other hand, he takes yours and brings his lips to your knuckles. “Thanks for keeping me company today. Hope I can see you again.” He slipped the flower into your hand when he saw you were too shocked to take it yourself. “By the way, variegated tulips mean you’ve got beautiful eyes. I’d rather see yours up close than behind shoes, alright?” He waves and leaves you dumbfounded.

     So he did notice.

     That was how you met, and now you were somehow together. He could have picked anyone else, you knew he hung out with girls and guys who were just as wonderful as him. Compared to them, how could you not to wonder why he chose you? As much as you wished you could just enjoy your time together, your anxiety always got the better of you.

     Because there wasn’t anything you liked about yourself.

     And you couldn’t hide it from him. Akira doesn’t need much to see through you, and your self-deprecating jokes never lightened the mood like you hope. When it got awkward, he would put his arms around you and hold you gently until you forgot about your lack of self-esteem.

     But tonight, you’re feeling more self-conscious than usual.

     You went to a carnival and he’s exceeded your expectations for the night. New one-liners to make you flush despite how cheesy they were, perfectly timed kisses, and even a stuffed teddy bear ten times your size. It was quite the spectacle when he won it and the booth owner’s jaw dropped like a rock. You’re both enjoying yourselves during the festivities, but you’re not the only one who’s being drawn in by his charm.

     People keep approaching him despite how clearly you were holding hands. It’s like you’re invisible. Akira’s quick to turn them down, but it’s surprising how persistent people can be. You start comparing yourself to each person who tries to lure him away from you. Then you start remembering what you hate about your body, your personality, your...

     Your head’s starting to pound. You’re stressing yourself out.

     “Hey.” Akira squeezes your hand, disrupting your thoughts and you can see how concerned he is. He presses a light kiss to your forehead and flashes his gorgeous smile; you wish you could stare at him forever. “Wanna take a break?” He gestures towards an empty bench. Might as well, you agree and sit your tired body down. The teddy bear makes for a good cushion. Akira naturally sits with you and he rests his head on your shoulder. The soft curls of his hair tickle your skin and you can smell the mixed scents of his shampoo, flowers, and coffee.

     The quiet moment lasts for a few seconds before he speaks again. “You’re wonderful, you know?” His sudden compliment caught you off-gurad. Akira closes his eyes and continues with genuine affection in his words. “You don’t need to be so harsh with yourself. You’re fine the way you are.” You feel the weight of his body when he relaxes against you. “There’s nothing wrong with you.” When he tries to meet your eyes you can’t help but look away. Even if it’s coming from him, it’s a difficult for you to believe him.

     You can’t see anything other than your flaws, after all.

     You feel your side lighten. When you look back, you watch him stand and shove his hands in his pockets. Is he upset from your reaction? Before any apology could leave your mouth, he pets your head in assurance, dispelling any incoming anxiety.

     “Is it alright if we backtrack? There’s a booth I wanna check out.” No reason to say no. You take the hand he offers and follow quietly. As you walk side by side, your eyes are drawn to other couples passing by, laughing and openly clinging to each other without a care in the world. If only you could do the same without thinking about how you looked or how disappointingly boring you were. You feel Akira squeeze your hand and he tries to reassure you with another smile; it’s hard to hang onto any doubt.

     Akira ended up taking you to a flower booth. How did you not notice this? To be fair, the flowers weren’t anywhere near as pretty as the ones in the underground mall. The booth wasn’t exactly packed, it only had the occasional couple or two who stopped by to look around; Akira didn’t take you here to do the same. Although he also seemed to deem the selection wasn’t anywhere near the quality of his part time job’s shop, from the way his eyes were scanning them.

     “They looked better when we were just passing by,” he laughs and looks at you. “But how can I put this into words?” He closes his eyes for a moment before he squeezes your hand again. “Red roses are overused, aren’t they? But the depth of emotion they convey is undeniable. Red carnations are a suitable substitute and have more or less the same meaning, but they don’t have the same visual impact. Then there’s blue orchids, which mean ‘rare beauty’ since they aren’t naturally blue. Sometimes purple ones look blue or white ones are colored.” You listen to his mesmerizing voice and feel lost in his eyes as you stared, wondering where he was going with this line of conversation.

     “Gardenias are just as beautiful as roses. Although it’s more for expressing or confessing love.” Akira leans over and touches his forehead against yours. “I think you understand the extent of my feelings for you already though.” You feel yourself blushing and simply nod. He smiles from ear to ear and kisses the top of your head. “No matter how many flowers I find to express how I feel about you, I’ll never be able to find one that suits you.” He kisses your cheek. “You’re the loveliest flower of all. You don’t need to bend towards society’s distorted image of perfection. Keep growing as you are.”

     Akira kisses you briefly on your lips. Despite how short it was, you felt his affection for you and understood well enough. “I love the ‘you’ I see now. No amount of flowers could amount to what you are right now.” It’s all you can do to keep yourself from crying on the spot and press your face against his chest. He drapes his arms around your shoulders and pulls you close, resting his head on top of yours. “I’m not lying,” he murmurs. “I love you.”

     You can’t believe someone could accept you and see you in such a bright light. Had anyone else said those words to you, you think you couldn’t have believed them so easily. However, you know Akira would never dream of lying to you; your anxieties are fading away, unable to keep you chained to their whispers of depressing thoughts. It would take more than this to start seeing yourself the way he did, but tonight you resign to him. The booth owner yells at you both for loitering around and you continue on your date until the moon rose to its highest point in the sky and the carnival closed.

     Akira escorted you home, behaving extra affectionate on the train ride back until you were outside your home. It was certainly a challenge to separate yourselves from each other. When he tried to end a kiss, you started another one; when you tried to pull away, he brought you back. Your makeout session went on for probably ten minutes in front of your door when you finally run out of breath and inhale deeply. Akira licks his lips and holds your gaze for what felt like eternity before he leans down to your ear and whispers in a husky voice.

     “Want me to make you feel beautiful?”

[queenlokibeth]

Unpopular opinion; come at me you walnuts

Communism. Is. Not. Viable. And. It. Sucks.

Just the fact that in the year 2017 saying that you’re against communism @ tumblr dot com is unpopular, is baffling.

OK SO, something that always irks me about the entire goddamn world and tumblr as well is how USA-centric everything is, so that's where i'm coming from, i don't know enough about the US to make great claims about it, so I'll speak about how it affects other countries.

Disclaimer: i'm not far right, i hate nazis, i'm antifa, i'll punch anyone who's against equality, etc. WHY AM I STATING THIS? BECAUSE, AS SURREAL AS IT IS FOR ME, APPARENTLY ACCORDING TO THE US/TUMBLR, BEING AGAINST BIGOTS = BEING A COMMUNIST???

I feel like it's pointless to write this, but different countries evaluate different political views FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES. I was raised in a country, still live in this country, where the main (only????) Difference that's EVER REALLY CONSIDERED BETWEEN RIGHT-WING PARTIES AND LEFT-WING PARTIES IS CAPITALISM VS. COMMUNISM IN THE ECONOMIC SENSE. DIFFERENT SOCIAL RIGHTS ARE RARELY MENTIONED.

Let me explain further: sure, you have the far right that's a bunch of white, rich, priviledged, conservative men who are against women's rights, lgbtq+ rights, immigration, etc. And the far left that's about free education for everyone, free healthcare, free everything.

But when comparing the political tendencies, the "rights" part is rarely mentioned as relevant to the party. It's a fight in on itself, independent from political tendencies.

This is a country that has had left-wing governments for the better part of the past 30 or so years, and before that, several other left-wing governments, including a 3 year socialist president that had the country in the actual gutter.

There was no food, NO FOOD, it's not like it was expensive or blah blah blah, THERE WASN'T ANY. Everyone was poor, education remained shit, healthcare remained shit, the country was complete shit, ESPECIALLY FOR POOR PEOPLE. Weren't expecting that one, were you? Rich people had their land taken away from them (our economy is mainly centered around agriculture) and it sucked, it was bad, they were attacked, et al. But they still had money left, maybe less, but they did, so they could AFFORD TO BUY FOOD ON THE BLACK MARKET. Poor people? Poor people still didn't have anything, and they couldn't afford to buy food from the black market.

Back to the expropriated land. Where did it go? "Oh ho ho we shall share it amongst some of the poor people! Now they will be able to produce resources and make a living!" Wrong. They gave plots of land to people who had never farmed in their lives. They had no idea what to do. They didn't use these plots of land, everything in them died. Great. Now the people who knew how to produce vegetables and fruits don't have their land anymore, and poor people still can't make a living.

Communists were violent. They would attack people who weren't being actively political. Normal families had to live with the windows in their homes covered with mattresses, cause, you know, mattresses are great at slowing down bullets that could easily come from the machine guns that would go off on the streets all the time.

Did i also mention the part where the president at the time came from a very wealthy family and he was well off himself? Most other presidents before him and after him, left wing or right wing, came from middle or lower class backgrounds. This dude? Rich af. Surely didn't give a damn about making the entire country poorer than before. Seems a bit capitalistic to me if you ask.

People were dying, so there was a coup at the hands of the country's military. Nowadays said right-wing dictatorship period is very controversial, but that's a whole other topic. Yes, it was a harsh period, some more people died, BUT WAY LESS THAN BEFORE, COMMUNISTS AND RIGHT-WING ALIKE, IN TOTAL IT WAS LESS PEOPLE THAN THOSE WHO DIE IN A YEAR BC OF CAR ACCIDENTS HERE AS WELL, but it was the only way to sort-of restore the country. It got better, there was food.

After that, tons of other left-wing governments have ruled the country. We have not progressed. We had a right-wing party for a bit, the country made some progress, grew a bit, better economy, people were a bit better off, next comes our curreng left-wing government, we backtracked completely, economy is shit, and still after like 50 years total of them being in charge, no quality free health care, no quality free education, still not an industrialized country, still have a huge economic-class gap, still have a shittier than shit minimum wage, and i could go on.

If you want to go into the "rights" part as well, just because, let me tell you that gay marriage as such still isn't legal, JUST this week abortion was made legal but ONLY IF THE MOTHER WAS RAPED, IF HER LIFE IS IN DANGER OR IF THE FETUS ISN'T VIABLE, dialogue about good immigration laws MIGHT begin in the near future and the Catholic Church is still pretty well inserted in the world of politics.

I'll let that sink in.

Did you realise anything? Half a century of precious communist/socialist governments and the country is.... well.... exactly as it was half a century ago.

Why? Because our economy is shit. IT IS NOT VIABLE TO HAVE FREE HEALTHCARE, EDUCATION, ETC GIVEN THE STATE OF OUR ECONOMY. There's no money for it. That's why "rights" always come in second in the conversation, because everyone's true concern is that THERE'S NO MONEY. We don't have time to worry about our rights when you have to worry about 90% of the country being poor, as per US standards.

Example: here, i'm upper-middle class, maybe even upper class. In New York? Considering my family income, i qualify as part of the lower class. You know about those new laws about free state universities for people in NY who have an income of XXXX or lower? I fit into that category. Sure, there's an inmense gap between my economic situation and that of the actual upper-high class, where people are seriously loaded, but that percentage of the population is less than 7% according to statistics. Oh, but that 7% also includes me, and people who might have a slightly lower family income as well, bacause we're the entire upper class.

LET'S TAKE EVERYTHING AWAY FROM THE RICHEST FAMILIES THEN AND SOLVE THE COUNTRY'S PROBLEMS. Ha, no. If you grab the 13-14 richest families in the country, those who've appeared on Forbes 100, and you take all their money, absolutely all of it, leave them naked in the streets, that would only cover HALF of the country's annual expenses. That's it. You do that, the entire country is now poor, and you're just as shit out of luck as before. Congrats.

I could go on, but my point is essentially as it follows:

TL;DR: as a post that sometimes makes its way across my dash says, no one who has ever actually lived in a communist country will tell you that it's a good thing. It sounds great but unfortunately it is not viable, especially when you find yourself in a country that's already in less than optimal economic conditions. Rights for everyone are great, it's what we should strive for, fascists are the worst and they should die, but Capitalism isn't as bad as it seems sometimes. It could be much, much worse. It is the lesser of two evils, and I really hope you never have the misfortune of living in a communist regime, because you still won't have your rights and they'll be the last thing on your mind since you'll just be trying to survive. I'm not a pro-right, pro-conservatives, capitalism-lover, but i am definitely anti-communist. Just go look at Venezuela and North Korea. Still fancy socialism/communism?