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tightjeansjavi · 1 year

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Endings Create New Beginnings

Burning in a Hopeless Dream | The Prologue: Part 2 (final part)

(Joel Miller x f!reader)

A/N: I genuinely feel like this might be the most complicated piece I have written in the sense that I went out of my comfort zone a little bit. Rather focusing on dialogue, I used a lot of descriptions of what the reader is going through, what she is mourning and what Joel is feeling as she goes through this. To be completely honest with you? This is beautiful. It’s tragic in the sense that these two people have no idea just how meaningful they will soon be to one another. I feel like I have done them a justice by writing their true beginning. There are dark themes throughout this piece so please tread carefully. Please read part 1 before this piece and while this is Joel and Gwen’s story, I have written it as a readers perspective. There are no physical descriptions of the reader.

Thank you for reading ♡

~word count: 5.1k~

Summary: after losing your lover, and friends of 5 years, you find yourself running straight into Joel Miller, and his partner, Tess Servopoulos. You don't know it then, but your life is about to drastically change forever.

Warnings: dark themes, depression, mourning, suicidal thoughts, guilt of one’s death, feelings of being trapped, isolation, dark thoughts in both the reader and Joel’s mind, hinting at soulmates without directly stating it, stubbornness, banter, empathy, jealously, secret pining, feelings of denial, mistrust, anxiety, brief depiction of a knife wound, stitches, alcohol consumption, confusing thoughts, fear of the unknown, no use of y/n, no physical descriptions of the reader, (+18) minors dni!

Songs Used:

“I Wonder” by Shawn Mendes

“The Alcott” by The National and Taylor Swift

“Lift Me Up” by Rihanna

“The View Between Villages” by Noah Kahan

“Everything Has Changed” by Taylor Swift and Ed Sheeran

“My Cell” by the Lumineers

“Second Chances” by Gregory Alan Isakov

“Dear Patience” by Niall Horan

“After the Storm” by Mumford & Sons

You quickly came to the realization that Joel and Tess’s ‘empathy’ only stretched so far. You weren’t even sure if empathy was the right word to use, especially when it came to Tess. She had no issues showing her glaringly obvious distaste towards you. You really couldn’t blame her, simply for the fact that only a mere few hours ago, you had thrown your knife at Joel’s face. If you were in her shoes, you would have felt the same way that she did.

Joel and Tess didn’t take you to the QZ right away. It created a rather awkward, and tense situation given the circumstances. Your mind played tricks on you, and made you believe that maybe the pair had changed their mind. Maybe they were going to kill you after all. Joel could smell the stench of your fear from a mile away as he slowed his heavy footsteps down.

“Easy.” He spoke softly to you. “We have to wait for nightfall before we can sneak you in. There’s a set curfew that starts at 6pm, till 6a.m. Tess and I are always breakin’ the rules, and this ain’t our first rodeo. FEDRA only patrols specific blocks at a time. Our apartment isn’t far from the main entrance. So, once it’s late enough, we’ll sneak you in through the tunnel system. You won’t have to worry about runnin’ into any QZ residents either. If we do happen to be caught by FEDRA, you run, and you don’t don’t look back. Do I make myself clear?” His back was resting along a nearby tree, arms crossed over his chest. His tone may have been soft, but you averted making eye contact with him regardless.

“How long have you and Tess lived in the QZ?” you scratched the outside of your arm absentmindedly. The rain had since long passed, but your clothes were entirely soaked through. Joel could see your body trembling, shivering from where he was leaned up against the tree.

“A while. I’ll be honest, ain’t no one really keeps track of how many days, months, years have gone by. They’ve all blended together for me at this point.” He gave a small shrug of his shoulders before he gently pushed himself off the tree, taking a few steps towards you. “Hey, are you cold? Would you like my jacket?”

You took a hesitant step back when he approached you and Tess scoffed at your inability to recognize that Joel wasn’t going to kill you. He wasn’t going to harm you. She turned her nose up at the fact that you were still acting like a frightened cornered animal.

“No thank you. I’m fine. Please..don’t come any closer to me.” You whispered.

Joel let out a visible sigh as he shrugged his thick layered jacket off of his body. “You’re gonna catch a nasty fuckin’ cold shiverin’ like that. Take the jacket.” He firmly demanded as he held the coat in his outstretched hand towards you. “I won’t come any close to you, but take the damn jacket.”

You knew he was right and despite wanting to show a hint of stubbornness, and to prove that your brain hadn’t entirely been fried by trauma, you reached for his coat, grasping the material between your fingers. You briefly made eye contact with him as you slipped your arms through the sleeves. The material was warm, warmer than you had expected. The outside layer of fabric had a residual scent of whiskey, pine, and woodsmoke. A wave of nostalgia washed over you, and Joel could see the emotions swirling through your pupils, as if they were trying to tell him a story; mapped out delicately in your irises.

“Thank you.” Your tone was barely above a whisper.

“Don’t mention it.” He returned to his prior position against the evergreen, arms crossed, stern gaze falling on you.

When the sun began to set, and the sky grew into an endless black pit, with only the pale moonlight to guide you, Joel and Tess guided you to their secret entrance into the QZ. A series of underground tunnels that ran under the QZ. Smuggling routes that Joel and Tess knew by heart.

The tunnels had you feeling claustrophobic in some moments. With only Joel’s flashlight as a light source, it was easy for your heart to start racing in your ribcage. Everytime you could hear the sound of Fedra trucks driving above ground, you squeezed your eyes shut tight. You had heard hushed whispers of what the quarantine zones were really like and more than ever now, you were missing your close knit camp with your once living friends.

Tess was the first to climb out of the hole in the ground, surveying the area while Joel offered you his hand and carefully hoisted you up. The streets were quiet sans the distant shouts of FEDRA soldiers. Joel was already nudging you up the street, gun drawn at his side. You were overwhelmed with the newfound stench of the quarantine zone. A mixture of filth, soot, and ash burned your nostrils and watered your eyes. The smell of rotting flesh nearly had you gagging, feeling lightheaded. Had they lied to you? Why did they bring you here? Was the quarantine zone just disguised as a raiders commune? Joel promised he wouldn’t hurt you, he promised–

“Hey, hey. Easy now darlin.’ You’re safe. That smell? It’s..not what you think it means.” He whispered under his breath as he gently grasped your arm. “When FEDRA brings in potential new residents, they’re put through a series of screenings and tests. If you’re found to be infected..they administer a shot that puts ya to sleep. Pretty much is like euthanizing a dog, or a cat. After they put you to sleep, your body is burned in a huge pit. It’s one of the more grueling jobs in the QZ, but it pays well with ration cards.”

Tess was already a few lengths ahead of you and Joel as she impatiently waited for the two of you. “Uh, any day now would be really fuckin’ nice.” She harshly whispered through the dead of night.

“C’mon. Our apartment is just a couple blocks east. We gotta move fast though, alright?”

All you could do was nod as Joel nudged you in front of him to keep moving forward. He couldn’t see your face, but he just had a feeling that his jacket was bringing you some form of comfort similar to the way you felt earlier. You were indeed using his jacket, and the nostalgic smell it gave off to pacify your apprehension. Whether or not Joel saw you turn your face into the collar, was the least concern on your mind.

Whiskey, pine, woodsmoke. Whiskey, pine, woodsmoke. Whiskey, pine, woodsmoke.

Home. Home. Home.

Joel and Tess’s apartment was not what you were expecting it to look like. There was an odd sense of comfort that the small living area particularly gave off. Perhaps it was the dense multi-colored quilt that rested along the weathered couch. The quilt itself looked well loved, and you imagined being wrapped in it must have felt as close as a warm hug did. She gave the best fucking hugs. She’s dead now. You left her for dead. Her body is rotting away in the earth, and the insects have made their home in her flesh and here you fucking stand. You hadn’t even heard Tess shuffling around in the tiny kitchen behind you. You hadn’t detected the sound of a liquor bottle being popped open. Nor the splash of amber into a chipped crystal glass. All you could hear were her distant screams, and your ears painfully ringing in your skull.

“..Darlin?’” There was a certain edge to Joel’s voice. A low rasp that was ridden with exhaustion, and his own terrors. He wanted to tread carefully when approaching you. He wasn’t sure why he gave a damn in the first place. Why did his last shred of humanity fall upon your trembling shoulders? He could see your lower lip wobble in the faint reflection of the grime covered windows. He knew your friends were dead. Raiders had murdered them and you ran. There was more to the story. There were always more pages left unturned. Whatever words were written on your parchment, he imagined they were painful. The kind of pain that had you clutching your fist to your chest, clawing at the skin to rip your heart from its strings. The kind of pain that wrecked silent sobs through your body. Where tears were un-shed because your body had spent them all. The kind of pain that dried your soul to dust, ash between your trembling fingers. The kind of pain that would have your arms squeezing your broken body so tightly, you couldn’t breathe. Rocking yourself as a mother would rock a crying child except, no one was there to hold you. No lullabies were to be sung, no soft touches were to be felt. No one was there to tell you that the world wasn’t always this cruel. That the sun would always shine another day, warm your skin, feed your soul. That you wouldn’t feel trapped, clawing desperately to reach the surface as the current drags you further and further into darkness. Waves crashing, tumbling, jostling what is left of your withered being until you give up. Phantom shadows, enveloping you in a never ending chill. So cold. So alone. So broken. So beaten.

Joel knew the inner turmoil that you were facing as if it was the back of his hand. It was in a sense. He too knew of indescribable pain not that long ago. When his own soul was turned to dust between his fingers. When her body went cold in his arms as he clutched her to his chest. When he felt like breathing was the hardest thing to do. When his own tears were spent, deep salty caverns laid their claim on his cheekbones that used to ache from joyous laughter and smiling too hard. He knew of the pain you presently endured all too well.

His hand gently clasped over your shoulder, squeezing the worn fabric that encased your skin in warmth. “C’mon. I’ll uh–I'll show you to your room, okay?”

You shuddered from his touch, feeling your senses being knocked back into you like a wrecking ball turning concrete to rubble. You pulled away from his touch, caving in on yourself.

You felt his hand retract and fall to his side. He let out a deep sigh as he made brief eye contact with his partner that wasted no time on giving him the “I told you so” look before she downed her glass of whiskey in one harsh gulp, slamming the glass down on the counter with a crashing thud.

The sudden sound sent your body jolting as you followed Joel’s heavy footsteps down the narrow hallway. He pushed the door at the end of the hall open, standing off to the side. “It ain’t much, but you got a bed to sleep on and a decent blanket to keep warm. I’ll have to convince Tess to lend you some of her clothes. I imagine you ain’t got much in that bag of yours. Anyway, you should get some rest. You’re safe now.” His arms were crossed over his chest as he leaned against the peeling wallpaper.

“Thank you.” Was all you could muster out as you stepped into your new living space. Joel was right. It wasn't much, but it was more than you had in years.

“You’re welcome.” He softly pulled the door shut to give you the privacy that you didn’t realize you were desperately seeking. You listened to the heavy creaks of the floorboards beneath his boots disappear. You stood there for what felt like hours before you slowly sunk down onto the old mattress. You didn’t move. You didn’t cry. You didn’t sleep. You sat there all night long staring into the void as your mind ran excruciating circles. Head rocking like a pendulum with no end in sight. Eyes glazed, lifeless, dull, ghostly. As if all the wondrous color had been sucked from your soul. The world through your eyes now was dark, dismal, tenebrous. A swirling black pit oozing with sorrow. Dripping in overflowing guilt. Like toxic sludge bubbling and bursting through the cracked crevices in the fragments of your vanquished heart.

It's all my fault.

I did this.

I caused this.

She’s dead.

They’re dead.

Here I am, surrounded by darkness in an undeserved warm bed.

Wishing I was dead too.

Two broken heartstrings, bleeding the sad sad blues. Separated by thin walls, peeling wallpaper, creaky floorboards. Two shattered souls; unbeknownst on how devoted they would soon grow for one another. Silent sobs, nightmares, darkness consumed. Struggled breaths, dealt the same cards; fortunes foretold, they have met before.

You mourned the loss of your lover and friends for what felt like endless years. In reality, it was two weeks of you isolating yourself in your room. Two weeks of numbing yourself to the pain where all that was left was the outer shell of who you used to be. Where was she now? You had yourself convinced that part of your soul died along with the ones that you loved. Maybe it had, and maybe that part of you was never going to reach the surface again.

You soon learned that Joel Miller was a persistent man. He respected your privacy, but that didn’t mean that he didn’t go out of his way to make sure that you hadn’t offed yourself in those two long weeks. He would leave food outside your door in hopes that you wouldn’t let yourself wither away entirely. Each morning, he’d find the wrapped jerky, and long since stale biscuits untouched.

On the nights where Joel was unable to relax into sleep, he’d quietly, and carefully untangle his limbs from Tess’s before leaving their shared room. He’d find himself seated against your door, back aching at the uncomfortable angle he was in. For whatever reason he was feeling desperate to know anything, and everything he could about you. Your name, where you were from, did the sorrows and grief of your past haunt your dreamless nights just as his did?

“Can you just fuckin’ let me know you’re alive behind this door? ‘Cus I’m sitting here with an achy back for whatever goddamn reason so the least you can do is let me know you’re alive. Would greatly appreciate it.”

He was met with no answer from the other side of the door.

“Can you tell me your name, darlin?’” You heard his whisper through the thin door that separated him from you. Maybe he needed to take a softer approach, despite the fact that Joel Miller was anything but soft.

“I can’t tell you my name.” You spoke soullessly through the impending darkness that surrounded you.

So you weren’t dead behind the door, thank god. He thought to himself.

“Why can’t you tell me your name?” He pressed you further.

A pregnant pause, seconds ticking by as he awaited your answer. The floorboards creaked beneath your feet as you slowly rose from the crumpled sheets, and padded quietly to the door. You sunk down, back against the thin wood right where he was resting on the other side.

“Because everything that’s mine is a landmine Joel. Every single fucking person that knows my name is dead. Every. Single. One. They’re all dead. You’re better off not knowing my name or who I am, or where I came from. Knowing someone’s name is personal. It becomes a personal interaction and I don’t want that to happen. I don’t want anything to do with that.” You pulled your knees up to your chest, resting your chin against them with a heavy sigh.

“Now listen, I ain’t into all that superstitious crap. So you’re tellin’ me that you think everyone who knows your name is like fuckin’ doomed or somethin?’ That’s the most ridiculous thing I have ever fuckin’ heard darlin.’” I ain’t gonna die if you tell me your name.” He fought the urge to scoff but you could feel his demeanor through the door.

“Well, fine. What about you? What’s your story?..Joel…?” You paused, realizing you only knew his first name.

“Miller. Last name is Miller, and wouldn’t ya like to know, darlin.’” He was smirking to himself as he crossed his arms over his chest taking in a deep inhale before exhaling.

“Well, yeah. That’s why I asked.”

“Yeah? Well, I’m not tellin’ you anythin’ ‘bout myself till you tell me your name.” He stated as a-matter-of-factly.

“Oh? Well, guess that just means you’re gonna be sitting there for an awful long fucking time, Joel Miller from Texas.”

“How the hell did you know I was from Texas? Is my accent really that thick?” His eyes were open now as he gently rested the back of his head against the door.

“Yeah. It’s a pretty obvious southern accent. Hard to miss it.”

“Fair enough. How about this, can you give me the first letter of your name?” He was still on the topic of your name? For fuck sakes, did this man ever give up?

“No.” Was your immediate response.

“C’mon. Just the first letter, and then I promise I won’t ask ya again. Deal?”

You rubbed your fingers against your temples taking a deep breath when you realized that Joel was absolutely persistent in the most insufferable way possible. You mumbled out the first letter of your name begrudgingly.

“Was that so hard to tell me?”

“Yeah, it was. Now can you please fucking drop it? I don’t want to tell you my name, and I’d really would just appreciate the fact if you would just fucking accept that, alright? Thanks.”

Joel could sense your frustration through the door as his nails picked at the skin around his cuticles till they would tear and bleed. The light sting of his skin being split open was one that was familiar and oddly soothing. “Alright, darlin.’ I won’t pry any further. You have my word.”

A few minutes of silence had passed between the two of you. The floorboards creaked beneath his weight as he turned his body, resting his cheek along the splintered wood with a heavy sigh. It was frustrating to him that he couldn’t quite figure out why he was so immediately drawn to you. That he was causing his back to ache even more and for what? Just so he knew that you were alive? Why the hell did he care so much?

This became a routine for the two of you on the nights that sleep would not come. Sometimes you’d sit in complete silence and other times Joel would press for you to talk about anything. He wanted to get to know you, in whatever way you would allow him too. It was a challenging task and you proved to be tougher than he thought.

You never wanted to admit it, but Joel Miller wasn’t the most awful company to have in the odd hours of the morning.

It took just about a month for you to find your footing. Your body physically could not handle mourning what was no longer physically there in your grasp. Your brain was constantly in survival mode. Even now when you clearly were safer than you had ever been before, your brain hardly let you rest. Joel was not lying when he said that the most grueling jobs in the QZ paid handsomely in ration cards. You took every shitty job you could get your hands on. It was a good distraction from the constant thoughts racing through your mind. It was tricky, but somehow you had avoided working any jobs with your new “roommates.”

Despite your efforts to remain neutral with Tess, you still managed to evoke the woman in showing a deep distaste for you. She was far more intimidating than Joel was. It was obvious who was the brains of their operation, but you were also aware that Tess packed a lethal bite. It was only a short time ago that she threatened to gouge your eyes from your skull.

Some weeks you wouldn’t see Joel or Tess for days at a time. Not that it really bothered you because having the apartment to yourself had its perks. The biggest one being you didn’t feel like you had daggers trained on the back of your head. The downfall was that you were alone with your thoughts..and they weren’t going away.

“You enjoyin’ those late night chats with our new house guest?” Tess bitterly asked as Joel was patching up her arm alongside a crumbling alley outside the QZ. They had just traded a couple guns for some pills when 2 outsiders ambushed. Joel of course made both thugs regret that they had ever been born, but Tess had a fairly large gash along her forearm from a switchblade. Luckily for her it wasn’t muscle deep, but she’d still need stitches.

“What’re talkin’ about Tess?” Joel met her burning gaze as he dabbed away the blood. There was a stray sweaty curl blurring his vision and he paused his movements when she gently brushed it away.

“You don’t know what I’m talkin’ about? Bullshit, Joel. The walls are paper fuckin’ thin. Look, don’t you think she’s more than capable of bein’ off on her own? I agreed that we not kill her, but for fuck sakes. I don’t like the fact that she’s livin’ with us.” Tess didn’t want to admit outloud, but the main reason for her distaste towards you was because she viewed you as a threat. To what exactly? Well, it wouldn’t take a rocket science to figure out that Tess Servopolous was finding herself growing jealous anytime Joel diverted his attention from her, onto you. She knew it was silly, and a little embarrassing at the core, but Joel was hers. She was his, and she’d be damned if anyone got between that.

“Do’ya hear yourself right now? Look, you wanna be mad at me because I just wanted to make sure she didn’t off herself during those two weeks? Fine. Go ahead and be upset with me. I know it ain’t like me to take in strays and bring ‘em home. You and I both know that if we left her in those woods, she would have died. Hell, if Tommy were here? He probably would have killed her as soon as she threw her knife at my face. Do ya remember when he and I found you? Alone, and afraid? It wasn’t that fuckin’ long ago that you were a shell of yourself too, Tess. Tommy and I took ya in. We could have killed you, we could have left you for dead but we didn’t. Not long after you told me what happened to your husband and son. You told me about your loss, and the sacrifices you made to stay alive. I get it, you don’t like her for your own reasons, but you ain’t all that different from each other.” He concluded as he finished stitching up her wound, wrapping it firmly in some cloth before he grasped her hand and helped her up from the rocky ground.

“Fine. All i’m gonna say is that she’s gotta start pullin’ her own weight ‘round here too. You’re the one who said she might be useful to us. So, lets get some good use out of her. Today was a perfect example as to why this operation ran much smoother with three people.”

“Don’t worry. She’ll be goin’ on runs with us soon enough.” Joel zipped up his backpack and slung it over his shoulder along with his rifle. “Let's go home.”

It was springtime now. The air was warmer, there were birds outside the window that could be heard. The sun shone brighter. Despite all of this, you still felt trapped. Trapped in this apartment, trapped in your thoughts, trapped in a droning routine that was draining you day by day. You were desperate to get out. To let your lungs breathe the fresh forest air once more. Your wish was manifesting faster than you thought it would. Joel and Tess were meeting up with their two unlikely friends, Bill and Frank. Tess was against the idea at first, but you learned that Joel could be incredibly convincing when he wanted to be. That’s how you ended up outside the QZ walls after months. Joel would never say it outloud but he wanted to give you a taste of normalcy after everything you had been through. He wasn’t expecting you to thank him or anything. You owed him your life, this was true. However, he’d never ask you to repay him. He only hoped that perhaps you and him could become friends. If friends was even the right word for the journey you and him would find yourselves enduring together.

Frank adored you the moment he laid eyes on you. You believed that people had many different soulmates in their lifetime. Frank had to be your platonic soulmate in every sense. The older man was like a breath of fresh air in your lungs. His hugs reminded you of home, and his eyes were welcoming and kind. He doted you as his “little bird” when you explained why you couldn’t tell him your name. Soon enough you were being whisked into his world of art, music, books, and the simple pleasures in life that you weren’t sure if you’d ever have the privilege of experiencing again.

He showed childlike excitement when you gushed over his artistic abilities. He had all different sizes of canvases in his art room. Many of which were paintings of his polar opposite lover. He also loved to paint nature, flowers, and his favorite plants. The colors were warm, vibrant, and full of life.

“One day I'll paint a portrait of you in the wildflowers out back, how does that sound to you little bird?” His warm arm was wrapped loosely around your shoulder, a warm smile gracing his gentle features.

You were almost certain that you had met Frank in a past life. You felt as if you had known this man forever, and now you were catching up over coffee, and spilling secrets of your shared pasts. You adored him just as much as he adored you. “Wait, there’s wildflowers out back? A whole field of them?” You looked up at the older man with a bright full of life smile. You couldn’t remember the last time you had smiled this hard.

“Yes! An entire field of them. They’re all in full bloom. Would you like me to show you?” He offered you his elbow like the true gentleman he was.

You nodded enthusiastically, grasping his elbow gently as he led you out into the backyard. Your eyes watered when you gazed upon an entire field of different species of wildflowers that sprouted up between the tall thick wild grasses. Asters were your favorite, as Frank came to learn. They were all beautiful of course. Butterflies danced around your head like a fluttering halo. Their delicate wings were different hues of purple as you carefully plucked the flowers into a homemade bouquet.

Joel had been watching from afar. His arms were crossed over his chest, broad muscles bulging through the worn fabric of his flannel. He was half paying attention to the conversation Tess and Bill were having as he was too distracted by you. There was something so surreal to him, seeing you relaxed, and in your element. Could flowers truly bring one person that much pure joy? What was so special about these particular flowers? Did they remind you of home? Were they your favorite? Or did you simply just think they were pretty? Joel wondered as his jaw clenched tightly. Why were you able to find happiness in the littlest of things, and yet he couldn’t. He wondered what it would be like to see the world through your eyes at that moment. A world full of color and life. A world that wasn’t black and white.

Joel Miller wondered, and it terrified him.

He wondered if he was always being real. He wondered if he always spoke his truth, or does he filter how he feels? He wonders why he is so afraid of saying something wrong, when he never claimed to be a saint. He wondered why on the loneliest nights when he would cry into his hands, it conditioned him to feel like he was less than a man.

He wondered—

And then you met his gaze. Eyes sparkling under the warm rays of the sun. A soft smile gracing your lips. A smile different from the one you portrayed around Frank. No, this was a smile that would make any man weak in the knees. A smile that would send a man to his early grave if he never got the privilege to see it again. A smile that would now rot Joel Miller's brain to mush for the rest of the day. A smile that he felt like only he was supposed to see. A smile that had him wonder if one day you’d be by his side and promise him that the world would end up alright.

Your smile hit him like a freight train colliding with his body over, and over again.

It was true, Joel could not stop thinking of the way you smiled at him earlier in the day. He thought about it at the dinner table where he was sitting across from you. He thought about it when he found you and Frank seated side by side at the piano, giggling like two drunk fools after a few too many glasses of wine. Heads leaning against one another like old friends.

He thought about it during the odd hours of the night while Tess was asleep at his side. He stared up at the ceiling, picturing what it would possibly be like to be loved by you. Your smile was etched into his brain like a fucking tattoo. He blinked, and it wouldn’t go away. His thoughts were flooded with you.

darlin’, if my memories of you were ever stolen from my mind, my only hope is that you’d forever haunt my dreams, as someone I used to know; who is now a phantom of my past unknown.

Fin

Tag List: @chaotic-mystery @peterhollandkait @yuly @soft-cryptids @dinsdjrn @myrealmofchaos @itskenziebb @lovers-liability @korynnekorynne @ems-alexandra @kirsteng42 @casssiopeia @novemberrain-writes @goodwithcheese @loquaciousferret @sarahhxx03 @777-wonders @bonglorddaryl @mirasantidotes @luvrking @finnsbubblegum @last-girl @pedrostories @yazsos @pedgeitopascal @wildemaven @sourccream @walkingintheheartbreaksatellite @amanitacowboy @morning-star-joy

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lia-life-lounge · 1 year

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How to Write Like a Philosopher

Or: How to Balance Clarity and Complexity in your Writing Style.

Writing like a philosopher is not just about using big words or complex run-on sentences. It's about conveying profound ideas with both depth and clarity. Here are some techniques and tips to elevate your writing to a philosophical level!

Clarity in Complexity: Sometimes, the most complex ideas can be expressed in the simplest terms. Strive for clarity without sacrificing depth.

Example: "Freedom is not just the absence of constraints but the presence of opportunities."

Layering Ideas: Introduce a concept and then layer additional information to connect other relevant concepts in subsequent sentences.

Example: "Courage is not the absence of fear; it's the decision to act despite it. Yet, true courage also involves wisdom, knowing when to act and when to hold back."

Pacing and Rhythm: Vary your sentence lengths. Use shorter sentences to make a point stand out and longer ones to elaborate or add nuance.

Example: "Life is fleeting. Yet, its brevity makes each moment precious, each choice significant, and each relationship invaluable."

Using Philosophical Jargon: Use specific philosophical terms but ensure you define them clearly the first time you use them.

Example: "Existentialism, a term that can intimidate even the well-read, is essentially about personal responsibility and the freedom to choose one's path."

The Socratic Method: Pose questions within your writing and then proceed to explore them, guiding the reading through a logical progression of thought.

Example: "What then is justice? It is not merely lawfulness, for laws can be unjust. It is a harmony, a balance between individual freedom and collective responsibility."

Rhetorical Devices: Use rhetorical devices like parallelism or antithesis to emphasize your points.

Example: "To err is human; to forgive, divine."

Referencing and Building Upon Other Ideas: Don't shy away from referencing other philosophers or theories to build upon or contrast with your own ideas.

Example: "Unlike Hobbes, who views human nature as brutish, I posit that our essence is rooted in social cooperation."

The Art of Arguments: Develop a logical argument to explore your question. Use premises, counterarguments, and conclusions.

Example: "If reality is objective, then our perceptions should align. However, they often don't, leading us to question the nature of reality itself and our capacity to perceive it."

___________

While this isn't an exhaustive list, it should give you a place to start if you're trying to improve your academic writing skills—especially if you're like me and tend to write convoluted run-on sentences.

Many of these points (especially the last one on the Art of Arguments) can be extensively expanded upon... but that's for another post. It's 4 a.m. and I promised myself to be asleep before 6a.m. for once.

If there are any specific points you'd like me to expand upon, feel free to leave a comment, Ask, or reach out in some other way. I'd be happy to answer.

Check out this post for specific vocabulary to add to your lexicon in order to sound and write like a true academic. Also, check out my blog's #AcademicWriting or #Philosophy tags for more writing tips!

#LiaLifeLounge

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epic-solemnity · 1 year

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Its 6a.m, I have just finished part IV and I have never been so far on the edge of my seat 0.0 I absolutely love how everything in unfolding so far. Immunity is such an amazing series that I will never be able to forget this adrenaline that is running through me at this moment. Epic I love you and cant wait for the published part V <3

Thank you @pinguchuuz 💕💕 I'm so happy you're enjoying the [very long] ride that is Immunity! Many thanks for leaving a message with your thoughts, it's always encouraging to hear what you guys think. Hopefully you were able to catch up on your sleep 😅🤍

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totallyexhausted · 1 year

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Random Sick Hirano (with his parents) Notes for my FF for Back-up

Just small notes on one of the ff’s in case my computer deletes the files again (so I have like a triple backup)...

(Just random-ass notes for right now to have a back-up back-up for myself) - feel free to comment or motivate me lol jk brb crying....

Title:

Sick/ dinner, bath, arguing, AE, mom, dad/ eating, sick, day off, calls Kagi… Dad EMT, mother stay at home.

Flashback, fight, feelings

Everything alright here, Kagiura?

Pft. This your boyfriend?

What? No, he’s-

It doesn’t matter who I am. Kagi? You good?

Y-yes. It’s fine, right, Tashaki?

He punches Kagi, Hirano tackles him.

FH:

Sore muscles?

Shit, how was he supposed to go back to normal after that?

6a.m.

The phone rang several times before the younger boy picked up, and Hirano smiled as his voice filled his ear, thick from sleep, still fighting to stay awake.

“I’m not sure if you remember but its Saturday, and we’re on break, which means I don’t have practice…”

“Well, I want to make sure you aren’t forgetting the routine. Have to keep you on your toes, after all.”

The lines quiet for a few minutes, and Hirano wonders if Kagiura fell back asleep. He’s about to say something when rustling fills the other end of the line, and the younger boy whispers, “Hirano… what’s wrong? Your voice… are you not feeling well?”

He sounds more awake now.

Hirano winces as Kagiura’s words meet his ears. Of course the younger boy knew him well enough to know when something was off. He hadn’t known there was something wrong with his voice but given he hadn’t talked much over the past few days, he’d imagined it sounded rough, hoarse, weak.

“No, I’m fine,” Hirano says, “Sorry, I was sick, but I’m better.”

There’s a quiet pause again.

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I mean, I’ve been sick since… Wednesday? My parents took me to A&E the other night. But I’m better now. I feel better now. I promise.”

Hirano isn’t exactly sure why he promised… it just felt right. Kaguira sighs, “You were at A&E? Why didn’t you tell me you were sick? You should have- I would’ve- well, I don’t know what I would have done, but it would have been something! You’re supposed to tell me when you’re sick, Hirano!”

“You’re really dense sometimes.”

“Well, you’re an idiot sometimes, so…”

“Great. The blockhead and the idiot.”

Hirano laughed, “Yeah, has a nice ring to it.”

Part of him feels guilty. He’d be giving the younger the same lecture if it was the other way around.

“I’ll probably fall asleep.”

“That’s okay. Could we… just talk until then?”

“Yeah, I’d like that.” Hirano can hear the smile in Kagiura’s voice.

Blunt.

“Is that why you didn’t tell us you didn’t feel well, son?”

“We spend so little time together now…”

“We’d rather know you’re okay and healthy than fret over some cancelled plans… idiot.”

Hirano glances up, a small smirk crossing his face as his father’s eyes meet his, the playful smirk setting on old features.

“I’ve been told I’m dense sometimes.”

“Well, that’s an understatement. Whoever said that must know you pretty well, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess… he does.”

His father’s quiet for a few minutes, “You’re lucky to have him, then… so don’t mess it up, Taiga.”

If he was being honest, he felt okay on the train; but the day progressed he just started feeling worse… He blamed Kagiura. He’d taken a stupid sip from his water bottle when the younger had offered. A day later, the stupid kid had gotten the stomach flu and basically spent the day in the bathroom trying to isolate himself from Hirano until the older dragged him out, demanding he sleep on a bed versus the floor… they’d gotten into an argument which ended with Hirano getting puked on and Kagi breaking down. But Kagi was always getting sick, so Hirano hadn’t really thought too much about it. Besides he always felt like shit after exams or was getting sick after them, too much stress and pressure, eating away at an exhausted mind…

Her fingers running through Hirano’s blonde locks, brushing his bangs away from his blue eyes before tucking a few strands behind his ear. Truthfully, she hated the blonde hair and the earrings, but neither her nor her husband were going to stand in the way of Hirano expressing himself. Especially since he’d had such a hard time fitting in in middle school. It was heartbreaking to know he wasn’t the same kid they’d raised. He wasn’t open with others the way he used to be. Middle school hadn’t been kind to him… hadn’t been kind to a sweet boy. Because of that, Hirano learned to lock himself away, learned to keep his feelings inside, his thoughts, himself… until he broke, until he yelled or screamed or cried or fought… until he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“These are new,” his mother said gently, ghosting her finger over the blue earrings. A gift from Kagi.

“He sounds sweet.”

“He’s getting too old for you to carry.” His father just grunted in response.

“Are you sure you feel okay, sweetheart?”

“Hm. Yeah, sorry… just tired,”

“Taiga.”

There’s firm hand pressed against his forehead, and Hirano feels the chopsticks fall from his fingers as his hand slips…

Whatever happened next was a giant blur. Nauseating and hot..

“You need to take the meds, son.” It’s not a suggestion. It’s an order. A command.

“Sorry, sweetheart, I’ll give you more water in a few minutes. We just really need you to keep this down.” There’s a tone of desperation in her voice that Hirano doesn’t like…

Bits of conversation flying around him that meant nothing to him.

“If his temperature doesn’t start to drop in an hour, we’ll need to take him to the hospital.”

“I know… hopefully he can keep these meds down. I mean, it’s been over 12 hours, what else could his stomach have left to purge?”

“You should get some rest. I’ll take his temperature in 30 minutes and let you know if it’s moved. Besides if he gets sick again or if we need to take him to the hospital, I can carry his weight. Kid’s not as tall as me yet.”

Fevered delirium he thinks of Kagiura.

“Where did you go?”

“Go? I haven’t gone anywhere, sweetheart, I’m right here,”

“No. I mean, you said, since we’ve been back.”

“Oh,” his mother laughed softly, and Hirano closed his eyes briefly. He’d forgotten how much he’d missed her laugh…

“You don’t remember?”

Cool fingers run through his hair, pushing blonde bangs away from his face before caressing his cheek, a thumb running along his cheekbone gently, and Hirano groans softly before opening his eyes.

“Sorry, honey, I needed to wake you so you could take some more meds,”

Door creaks open, a hand pressed against the side of his neck, then his cheek--- Hirano instinctively reaches his hand out, grasping a wrist before opening his eyes. Kagi?

“Sorry, son. I didn’t mean to wake you. I just came to check on you- you’ve been asleep for over 10 hours now.”

“How about we get some food in you? Then maybe a nice shower so you can wash everything away? You can finish off the remaining meds, then go back to sleep. Sound okay?”

Hirano knew it wasn’t a command. He could refuse if he wanted, and his father wouldn’t argue with him, he wouldn’t chastise him, he wouldn’t push him… but walking, stretching his legs after laying around for so long sounded nice…

Hirano felt his face blush. His parents were always like this. They weren’t overbearing or suffocating… just kind and gentle and nice. They were always open with him, trusting him, not afraid to show their emotions or wear their heart on their sleeve… but they were a little older than most parents, and more passionate. They weren’t afraid to express themselves, express their emotions, something Hirano had tried and got bullied for in middle school.

He hadn’t found a balance and because of it was the constant target of fights and taunts in grade school. He remembers crying, yelling, screaming at his parents while they just sat there, letting him lash out, letting him take his anger out on them because it was their fault he was a pushover… at least that’s what he thought. What he told them. It was their fault he was getting bullied… they weren’t mad. Not then.

Eventually, Hirano learned to hide himself through a tough exterior. People tended to stay away from you if you looked like trouble… and the fact that he’d been in more fights than anyone in his class helped. He didn’t like fighting, and he’d tried to avoid it, but he learned to stand his ground, he learned how to take a punch… and how to give one.

By the time he reached high school, everything became easier. He’d dyed his hair, got piercings, managed to perfect a cold-hearted stare, and deflect a conversation, or at the very least, shut down a conversation he didn’t want to have. Middle school had taken him, a sweet boy who wore his heart on his sleeve and tormented him until he crafted a suit of armor others refused to mess with. He learned to close himself off; opening up to only those he trusted… but that circle was small. Really damn small.

It wasn’t like Hirano could do no wrong in their eyes because God knows he’d fucked up more than he could count. Most of the time he was lectured; they talked about his actions, what he could have done differently, what he did and why he did it, and why he was being punished, then he’d accept his fate. But despite all the times he’d been grounded, or the time last year when he’d been brought home by the police for doing something stupid with Sasaki, Hirano had only been yelled at twice in his short existence. Once by his mother, the other, his father… both for fighting.

Even when his father went through a depressive episode, Hirano tried returning the favor. He’d sit with him, sometimes talking, sometimes in quiet, his legs sprawled out in front of him as he leaned his back against the wooden headboard or sitting on the floor next to the couch, listening to the sound of his father breathing. He knew there wasn’t much he could do; that he could fix… when his father was having a low period… but he wanted him to know that if he needed Hirano, he was there. That although he might have felt alone, he wasn’t… or at the very least, he didn’t have to go through this alone.

He’d become aware at a young age that his father dealt with depression. He was quieter sometimes, reserved, distant; his mother wasn’t. She was loud and brash, and she loved hugs… She’d explained to Hirano when he was 6 that sometimes, “Papa was just sad and there wasn’t much they could do to cheer him up.”

It wasn’t until he reached middle school that Hirano understood what that sadness was. How it affected you. How it hurt you. He’d started sitting with his father just so he wasn’t alone. Most of the time, Hirano felt completely useless, and he fucking hated that. He hated feeling useless. Watching someone he cared about sick or hurt, and not being able to help…

“You’re alright, son. It’s okay. Just get it up… your mother and I- we’ll clean you up. Don’t worry. You’re alright, son.”

“I felt better.”

“You might have felt better,” his father chuckles softly, his grip still firm against Hirano’s shoulder, “Hell, you might feel better… but you’re still sick, son. Your body is still recovering. You haven’t eaten in a while, so your stomach isn’t used to the food…”

“I don’t want to,” Hirano shudders, swallowing again as he lurches, “I- I can keep- it down.”

Hand on stomach.

“Next time, we’ll try something different than rice porridge, okay?”

“Here, sweetheart, I made ginger tea. It’ll help settle your stomach.”

Hirano was mad at him and that was okay...

#hirano to kagiura #hirano and kagiura #sick hirano #his parents #hirano taiga #kagiura akira

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pbwithjade · 6 months

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How a Peloton 30-minute studio class became a 1 hour and 30 minute class.

I was waiting for my 3p.m. HIIT running class to start. It was only 2 and I was starving because the last I ate was at 6a.m. so I was hoping to run to the nearest Chipotle and get some lunch but that quickly backfired. I ran to the front desk asking if I could go out and get some food but they reminded my crazy brain that I had to be outside the studio doors of my class 30 minutes before class.…

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soranihimawari · 4 years

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running at 6a.m.

word count: 3.5k

random, but can you believe i haven’t written for hanamaki yet, @oikawa-obvs? tagging: @m0nstergeneration20xx [youse all gotta thank them for this one, fr fr]

warnings: new neighbor x makki// seijoh 3rd years x baffoonery// slightly suggestive scenes [pg 13 recommended] // rated W for woo!

<< |masterlist| >>

Of all the times in your high school career, you did not think you’d find yourself waking up before the sun when your neighbor called you at 5:45a.m. one weekend. Your neighbor, time and time again, has been trying your patience recently seeing that his sports club was asking for extra volunteers around this time of year for the conditioning exercises. Granted, your school was considered a powerhouse all because of one high caliber setter, and now you found yourself fumbling around your bed trying to ignore the chiming ringtone of your phone. Your eyes squint to readjust for the brightness of your Do Not Disturb setting to see the fourth missed call from him. You slide your finger in an attempt to unlock your phone the second time and redial the number.

“Morning ichigo no kori,” you state rather flatly. You knew the Hanamakis ever since you moved to this neighborhood to be closer to your high school after you had convinced your uncle and aunt to let them use their spare bedroom in the loft attachment of their town house. Your father was not shocked by this development in the slightest since he did lay out some ground rules between all parties involved. You did come from a single parent household, but given the fact the company your father worked for had a position opening up overseas in the Hong Kong office, you spoke at length about how you didn’t want to move right away due to your third year at aoba josai was about to begin again.Thus here you were, three months later, laying down in a comfortable full bed hoping neither of your guardians stirred from their slumber.

“Strawberry ice?” hanamaki was amused by this development.

He remembered the day you moved because the moving truck was pretty hard to miss; his friends from the volleyball club were walking back from the convenience store with snacks only stopping briefly to ask if he knew about the family that lived there:

“You mean Kurarun-san?” hanamaki asked. He shrugged his shoulder explaining shortly thereafter he didn’t know them very well, but maybe his mom did. She was always seen talking about her day (the daily gossip) with the wife of the homeowner. “I don’t think they had kids.”

“You might be wrong about that,” his friend in arms, mattsukawa, mentions as his eyes wondered to where you were standing. Your arms folded over your chest observing the movers lower the ramp to the pavement. Now considering you were raised by your father, it didn’t surprise your uncle and aunt to say the very least, you grew up learning how to fix dirtbikes one summer with him. Your father taught you everything there was to known about rebuilding a motorcycle from spare parts, which to be fair, was a huge bonus to the quartet of volleyball boys across the way.

“Be careful with that! I built that bike from the ground up, ok?” you instructed sternly, lending a hand to the movers who nodded grateful you were there to help them when the bike teetered too far to one side. Your aunt came out of the garage clasping your shoulder when the bike was securely out and off the ramp.

“Oh wow, that’s a gorgeous bike dear,” your aunt smiled. “You going to take it out for a spin later?”

“Yep! Right after the movers leave for the day,” you said. Your smile did not go unnoticed by the boys who not only stopped to look, but now were staring at you. It was 16:24 (4:24p.m.) when Hanamaki Takahiro first fell in love with you.

True to your word you went out the rest of the week running errands for your hosts (did a little grocery shopping while wearing your favorite backpack) on Monday, then on Tuesday you took a little joyride to the library to familiarize yourself with the layout of the neighborhood, by Thursday you already knew the earliest and latest time you should be out the door to make it to campus, so by Saturday, you were free to help with the chores around the house. It was the same day your aunt had planned a special dinner with her neighborhood best girl friend, Hanamaki-sama, as you affectionately called her. You aunt reminded you to go start cleaning up after your uncle returned from buying the last of the ice cream pops at the store down the block. You took a quick shower and changed into a pair of jean shorts paired with a royal blue loose fitting dri-fit longsleeve v-neck. You wandered into the kitchen wearing ankle socks covered by your house slippers. You were tasked with setting the table trying to get a sneak peak at the hot pot dinner your aunt was stirring. After shooing you away with a short laugh, you took a glass out of the dishwasher drying rack and poured yourself some water.

“Hanamaki-sama is bringing her son along too,” your aunt said, silently gauging how you’d react. You just sipped your water with a curt nod pretending to simmer down your nerves. Was her son older than you? Younger? Was he nice? Etc.

“Apparently you’re going to be in the same year when the school year starts,” your uncle’s voice echoed from the living room. He shut off the television to join you two in the kitchen.

“Oh, that’s nice.”

DING DONG DING

“Looks like they’re here,” your uncle said, holding on to your glass for you. “Why don’t you let them in.”

You nodded, brushing your stray bangs behind your ear. With a soft sigh escaping your lips, you opened the door with a swift turn of the nob.

“My my, dearie, aren’t you gorgeous,” hanamaki’s mother greeted you tapping your arm gently. Hanamaki on the other hand, for as tall and lanky as he seemed, he seemed a bit lackadaisical upon seeing your bright smile greet them at the door. He held a small bowl that was filled with tri colored popcorn with a thin cellophane cover on top. The snack was his idea because he had heard his mother speak to your aunt at length candidly mentioning how you would watch home movies with your father’s family every weekend until you started primary school.

“Hello to you too hana-sama,” you reply motioning her to come in. Then you notice her son with strawberry blond hair walking in behind her. He had dressed a little bit more formal like how he would on days leading up to an official match (solid color slacks and relaxed-fit printed shirt with a small moogen [infinity symbol] embroidered on the left sleeve) “And you must be…”

“Hanamaki Takahiro, but you can call me Makki,” he says when you close the door behind them.

“I saw you at the store the other day buying some popcorn,“ Hanamaki-san mentions when she hands you her light jacket to hang. “You know how we talk, anyways, your aunt told me how much you like bite size chocolate squares in your popcorn I heard.”

Makki says nothing when your eyes glance toward the bowl. You had a full conversation with him when you two kept looking at each other. Your aunt had washed her hands and joined you as she and Hanamaki’s mother exchanged casual greetings as they headed to the dining area; your uncle was giving the curry a final stir. You and Makki were thankfully, left to your own devices and my gods did you two relish in it.

Earlier that afternoon, he was speaking at length about his mother had been invited over to their neighbor’s house. It wasn’t the first time Makki had come over before, yet he had trouble easing his nerves because you were also going to be there. Makki paced back and forth trying “to get his shit together” while the company he kept on call was chuckling in what would certainly be an entertaining story for future reference.

“Makki, if you don’t date her at some point in the first quarter of the year, i will gladly dote on her out of my own free will,” Mattsun meant well, but at the same time, Makki knew the threat was an empty one. He was on a video call with his friends who shared the same sentiment as Mattsun. Soon the time approached for when his mother told him about the dinner party at your place.

“Listen Takahiro, take it from me,” Oikawa says. “Treat Mattsun’s words as not necessarily a threat, but more of a firestarter.”

“Makki!” his mother’s voice calls from the otherside of his closed door. “C’mon, let’s go.”

He ends the call after his teammates hang up.

The cold piece of technological glass rubbed against your warm cheek. With your eyes closed, you recalled hearing OIkawa and Iwazumi remind the other two to spread the word to their juniors to start their conditioning regiment this upcoming weekend. Be it as it may, Makki took this opportunity to ask you if you wanted to be his running partner (this was a trap his other friends laid out for him since they’re trying their best not to meddle too much in your private affairs).

You grumbled into your receiver imploring your neighbor to reconsider waking you up this early for a morning run. You left a note on the kitchen counter next to the landline in case your guardians woke up ahead of you to discover your now empty bed. Stifling a yawn, you meet Makki at your front door, dressed in a light jacket and a pair of running shorts. Your shoes weren’t in the best condition for running, rather, they were an old pair you didn’t mind using for this house call.

“Who runs at 6a.m. on a regular basis?” you ask him with a coy smile.

“Psychopaths and,” he holds your hand to steady yourself when you step down from the ledge of your short walkway. Makki lets go of your hand for a second to whisper an alternative answer. “Lovers.”

“Oh,” you tease, poking his cheek. An amused smile tugged your lips upward which you did not bother hiding. “Of course.”

“You don’t have to sound so annoyed by it, chisana josei.”

Makki had since insisted on giving you the nickname because it was what his other three cohorts dubbed you one evening when you came over to return something your aunt borrowed from Hanamaki’s mother.

“Makki, who’s at the--oh hello there chisana josei,” the charming boy wearing an alien lime colored shirt and pearl sweatpants peered around the corner of the living room. You were reluctantly (read as invited inside) to disrupt the boys only sleepover being conducted at the Hanamaki household.

“She’s cute Makki,” another disembodied voice, this time it was much deeper, spoke up this time. His curious eyes wandered up and down, yet although you were fully clothed, you felt entirely skyclad by the giant. You laughed a little bit at the compliment.

“I wouldn’t say I’m cute,” you said when you ceased laughing, handing Makki the bowl and other tupperware you aunt borrowed from his mother a few nights ago. Makki quirked his brow at his two friends, sighing at their comments and for a split second, you saw his bottom lip jut out in a slight pout.

“Oikawa, Mattsun, shut up,” he stated praying Iwazumi would at least straighten them out later. Unfortunately for Makki, Iwazumi was game in making his friend sweat a little bit because so far, you were able to refuse both Oikawa and Mattsukawa’s praises/favors.

“Oh ho ho,” you observed the last member of the trio to speak up. “And what would you describe yourself as anyway? It’s not like Makki to keep such a pretty secret from his friends.”

“Not you too Iwa-chan,” lime green sweater guy whined.

“Are you three always like this to every girl or is it just the ones that don’t like you?” your eyes glazed over and Makki didn’t want to admit it, but you definitely telegraphed that you were angry. Iwazumi realized this as soon as he found himself face to face with your shorter stature defiantly staring up at him. The other boys watching the silent argument continue before Makki calmly told you they were just messing with you. Introductions and apologies were exchanged as soon as your stubbornness subsided when the four boys surrounded you rather quickly at the hallway of Makki’s front door. If it weren’t for the fact that each of them had a qualm of serenity, charisma, and stealth boosted up by plus 10, you would have challenged them to a simple game of chess. Then again, they were literal pillars loyal to the princely type who bestowed upon you your nickname.

“If they really wanted to ruffle my feathers,” you begin to say, crossing your arms over your chest opening. “They’d form a reverse harem and vie for my attention. You included Makki. I’ll see myself out.”

“I-wait, what?!” Makki finally had heard enough.

“I have spoken,” you mentioned over your shoulder looking at his confused expression. “I’ll let you know when I’m back home. Have fun boys.”

You shut the front behind you, shaking your head whilst casting a glance to the heavens above, grinning like a wild cat.

“That went well, don’t you think?” OIkawa said, returning to his spot on the couch. “Makki, what’s with that look?”

Mattsun and Iwazumi both shrugged when dragging their host back toward the kitchen area to gage how their friend suddenly realized something right then and there. It was 21:07 when Mattsun and Iwazumi realized their friend was in like with someone a month before their third year would commence.

“I like her,” Makki found his voice suddenly and Oikawa had a large smile on his face.

“Stage five, acceptance,” Mattsun states before he blocks a throw pillow aimed at his direction. Iwazumi shakes his head before laughing at the strawberry blonde’s luck.

When you two round the corner of your block for the fourth time, you slowed your pace while Makki turned around and began running backwards facing you. Sweat covered both of you in a glowing sheer shine as the sun was ever presently rising.

“Slowing down already?” Makki taunted.

“I’m not the one on the school’s volleyball team,” you explained in between your short breaths. “You submit your body to this kind of torture willingly and call it conditioning training?”

He stopped jogging backwards for a second, instead opting to walk briskly toward you when he noticed your breathing becoming more steady. Makki might always be the first to challenge Iwazumi to an arm wrestling match and really gets along well with reading Mattsun’s expressions, but he was always reliable in helping keep Oikawa’s personality in check right behind the aforementioned.

“Pretty much, chisana josei. C’mon,” he knelt down with his back toward you signaling to get on. You gladly accepted the piggy back ride on these mornings. It was the top reason why you didn’t mind the morning calls as much anymore.

“I’m not too heavy for you?” you ask sheepishly, wrapping your arms around Makki’s shoulders when he stood up.

“For the nth time, y/n, you’re not.” He shifted his arms underneath your knees, locking you in place after allowing you to shift your weight a little bit for comfort.

“Ready when you are,” your breath fans across the back of his neck, causing his usually smooth spun cotton candy colored baby hairs to spike up. You pretended to not notice how pink his cheek was when you raised your head a short distance while he began his cooldown lap.

“Thank you Takahiro,” you say in a hazy tone, resting your head against his shoulder once again. He muttered a quiet “no problem,” internally screaming at himself for trying to not to die from the way he fell harder for you with every step he took.

Makki glanced down a few minutes later, being greeted by your peaceful sleeping expression when he woke you up again arriving at his place once again; he was too proud to admit you were rather clingy as you got more drowsy during the third time you were invited to a film night.

By this point, you had been living with your aunt and uncle for a week and a half, which in of itself was a delight for them. Yet it was rather treacherous for you because since the night you returned Makki’s bowls, you were often found crossing paths with either Oikawa, Mattsukawa, and/or Iwazumi. Sometimes Makki was with them or more often than nought, the boys were alone. Considering that the market was exactly in the center part of all your places of residence, the probability was rather high.

However, as a sign of good faith, OIkawa, with Makki’s blessing apparently a detail you were not aware of at the time, invited you to come along for a movie marathon the week before his birthday. Unbeknownst to you, as your eyes continued to droop during movie five of the line up, Makki froze when you decided to snatch one of the spare pillows from Oikawa’s sofa and used it as a buffer to rest your weary head on your neighbor’s lap. The boys were howling behind their eyes as they watched their friend finally succumb to the one time their newly appointed token girl friend had Makki wrapped around her finger by the simplest gesture the minute he started running his fingers through your hair.

“Aaand here I thought Makki wasn’t going to get any sort of affection from a girl this year,” Oikawa teased.

“Shut up and let me enjoy the movie,” Makki retorted. The other two in the living room sharing the couch with you and Makki noticed your childlike grin fade the deeper you fell asleep to the soundtrack of the movie.

Now you were sleeping again, tugging on Makki’s shirt instead, burrowing your head in between his shoulder blades causing his heart to jump to his throat.

“Mmm, don’t want to go,” you mumbled. “Too early.” He found the spare key where his mom usually left it (in the rain gutter above the door frame) and opened his front door with ease; he coughed to clear his throat.

“OK,” was all Makki could say in the front of his peaceful hallway, kicking off his running shoes before entering the rest of his house. Upon reaching his room, he left the door slightly ajar as he laid your groggy self down on his bed. He was about to tuck you in after tracing your prominent features with his index finger, leaving a message on your cheek: “I like you my chisana josei.”

“Me too, ichigo no kori,” you murmur as you stifle a yawn, prying one eye opened allowing your selfish need to see Makki’s face turn to stone.

You pull yourself high enough to bump the tip of your nose with his, causing your lips to briefly brush past his own. Immediately upon receiving said peck, Makki regained his composure rather quickly allowing his hands to find their way on to your shoulders pulling your lips back on to his again. Her lips always looked so inviting, plump and deliciously filled with the right amount of venom and sugar, Makki thought. You inhaled a sharp breath. There was a growing rhythm between you two within the fleeting seconds you counted in your head.

“Mmph~!” you nodded in a miniscule way to keep Makki setting the pace your body reacting to the way Makki’s hand openly traced over the exposed parts of you; you cautiously looping your arms propelling him forward. Makki crawled back onto his bed the moment he guided you back down amongst the wrinkling sea of the bedding; his body now hovered above you with knees on either side of you, thus caging you beneath him. You pulled away first, revealing a hauntingly entancing smile.

Makki’s face seemed a bit more flushed than when you started running your regular route less than forty-five minutes ago.

“Now look who’s the breathless one,” you chastised your host in a cheeky manner.

For the first time since July, Makki really studied your features, trying to commit every imperfection to memory tethering it to this love-drum beating in his chest. You laid there surrounded by the dark gray and black undertones of the surrounding pillows, your attire cascading a holographic reflection of the ever rising sun, illuminating your figure. Makki was the only one who got to baskin your natural face with the lack of makeup; your heaving chest; your scar above the bridge of your nose from when a crab nicked you with its claw as a child in the market. Despite your insecurities you told him about one day, returning from the store with him together, Makki saw only beauty.

He could tell behind the way your pupils were focused on his own, the sun’s rays enhancing his reflection in them that caused his heart to bask in the light of a new day. Makki liked the way your hair was frizzy and tangled from the way his hands tousled it in his hands when he laid you down beneath him. Her hands were strong yet at the same time gentle. And her sweetened lips tasted like spun sugar fresh from the fair. Makki bent down toward your left side and whispered something before he continued to kiss you senseless.

The way I know you relented as Makki played with you hair and held you tighter and tighter, was something you craved, even if you weren’t pondering it before, you returned the seemingly unspoken gesture with a similar kindness.

You cradled Makki’s face in your hands, pushing back his saccharinely hued textured hair again, asking him to catch his breath for a moment, synching his breathing with yours.

“C’mon Takahiro, b r e a t h e,” you advise, your eyebrows added to your pleading, moving one of your hands to rest against the middle of his chest tapping your fingertips lightly against his chest. You took advantage of this tonal shift; using your lower body to coerce his in switching positions with him. You were now the one hovering him, your hair undone, snuffing out the morning’s rays eagerly trying to sneak their way through the blinds of Makki’s room. This was not how either of you thought running at six in the morning would have ended, yet here you both were caught in the throes of your own summer enquinoxal love. Whether you two would want this to continue was entirely up to the two of you.

As Makki’s breathing finally returned to his resting rhythym, you allowed his hand to caress the side of your face, tucking a few long strands of hair behind your ear.

“My pretty chisana josei,” he said in the lowest register of his voice. “Finally.”

“...call me that again,” your voice has a slight lilt in it when you sigh. “I need to get used to it.”

Your natural smile could rattle the stars and Makki was determined to make sure not only knew that, his friends in arms also knew it too.

“Mine,” Makki said looking away like a child about to get scolded.

“Uh-huh,” your retort mixed wonderfully with a chuckle harmonizing the two. You release him from your hold, checking the time on the analog clock when you quietly lept off his bed. “Get some sleep dear one; you earned your keep.”

You tapped your fingers over your lips glancing at Makki long enough to watch him bring an arm over his eyes. Literal steam could have been escaping his ears with how your taunts drove him mad.

It was 06:59 when y/n and Hanamaki decided this was when you truly loved another.

--weekend messaging rates apply--

Suffice to say you made a mental note to make good on your word, but opted to maintain the peace seeing him outside with said dessert with a grin.

#running at 6a.m.#hanamaki takahiro x y/n #5W's miniseries #who what when where and why #mini series event

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definitelynotafurinasimp · 3 years

Note

Hello-I enjoyed your posts a lot!! Could I request for a reader who has smaller hands than their s/o Yae Miko,Kokomi and Ayaka and it’s a trait that they both notice and the reader gets very flustered by it?

Them with a reader that get's flustered because of their hands being smaller

characters: Yae Miko/Kokomi/Ayaka x gn!reader (seperate)

warnings: english isn't my first language, so there might be some mistakes / not proofread, because there's no one to

a/n: I'm trying out the Queue feature Tumblr has with this one, so I hope that there aren't any problems. I plan on releasing things at 6a.m and 6p.m CET, at least if I have things to release. If not then I'll probably release them just as sporadically as I do now, that means whenever I'm finished with them. (Nevermind, I f*cked up, it got released at 2 pm)

Anyway, that's enough for me rambling, hope you enjoy!

Yae Miko

Yae already was a force to be reckon with. Her endless teasing never failed to embarrass anyone she targeted. So when you once again delivered a book to her at the shrine, hoping that she would like it as much as you did and she focused on your hand instead of the book, you could already feel a cold shiver run down your spine. It wasn’t as if you thought that anything was wrong with your hand, but her looking at it, was enough to make you worried.

“Would you mind giving me your hand for a moment?”, she asked in a polite tone, but her voice couldn’t distract you from the smug she wore on her face. You hesitated at first, but when it became clear that she would get what she wanted eventually, you relented and gave her your hand. Only to realise that it was smaller than hers.

Yae didn’t even have to say anything for you to start blushing furiously, knowing exactly what was going to happen and when you looked up to her face, your suspicions were confirmed.

“I’m almost finished with work. How about you wait here for me and then we can continue talking”, you didn’t really know if ‘continue talking’ was what you wanted, especially since only someone that didn’t know Yae privately would assume that she meant it in a completely harmless way, but it wasn’t as if you could run from it.

Kokomi

Kokomi never really looked at your hands or cared for them that much. The only thing that counted for her after a long day of work, was that you were besides her, hugging her as she read a book from her favourite series. But when you read the book at the same time, both of you always waiting until the other one finished the page before turning it, both your hands lied next to each other and Kokomi couldn’t help but notice how small yours were.

“Can I turn the page now?”, you asked after you saw that Kokomi’s gaze wasn’t lingering on the book anymore, but when she failed to answer you in time, you followed her stare only to notice that she was looking at your hands. At first you were confused, thinking that it was a signal that she wanted to hold hands, but when you intertwined your fingers with hers, it finally clicked.

Your face was quickly getting red as you pulled your hand away, but judging from Kokomi’s equally awkward face, it was far too late to save face.

“There’s no need to be embarrassed because of something trivial like having smaller hands”, she instantly tried comforting you after noticing your expression, but instead she robbed you of your last hopes that it was just a misunderstanding, confirming that she did indeed notice. It took her a while to calm you down, assuring you that she didn’t mind and would never laugh at you for your hand-size. But even her assurances didn’t prevent your furious blushing whenever you would hold hands.

Ayaka

Ayaka was always shy when it came to showing affection through physical touch or any other ways. It took both of you a long time to even get comfortable with the idea of holding hands, not to mention actually doing so, but when you eventually did, you noticed that your hands were smaller right away, starting to blush anytime you hold hands. But Ayaka didn’t notice, she was far too busy being flustered and self-conscious about everything to even notice your red face, and once she did, she simply assumed that your blush was for the same reason as hers.

Ayaka sat in front of you, nervously fidgeting with her fingers while staring to the side with a huge blush before finally speaking up. “C-Could we maybe hold hands again?”, she stuttered out while glancing at you every now and then. But when you didn’t answer and she noticed your face getting red too, she quickly added something to her request. “It’s fine if you don’t want to. It’s just that it helps me calm down and- You know what? Please just forget that I asked”, she started to rant before shutting her mouth once she felt your fingers intertwine.

It was then, that she looked down to both of your hands and realised the difference in size. “Your hands are so small”, she absent-mindedly stated before smacking her other hand over her mouth. Apologizing over and over again.

“I’m sorry that I said something like that. That was rude, please forgive me”, you couldn’t help but find her panicking cute before remembering what it was about, causing you to also blush even more.

#genshin x you #genshin impact #genshin x reader #genshin x y/n #genshin impact x reader #yae miko x reader #yae miko #ayaka x you #ayaka x y/n #kamisato ayaka x reader #kamisato ayaka #ayaka x reader #kokomi #kokomi x reader #sangonomiya kokomi

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honeypiehotchner · 4 years

Text

intelligence & issues (Hotch x Reader) -- chapter thirteen

Did anyone order more angst? Today’s chapter title is also from Taylor Swift’s song “False God” which is another song that really resembles Hotch x Reader’s relationship here, if you wanna listen and get a taste for what’s coming soon ;)) Oh and the gif is kinda unrelated, he just looks prettyyy

Chapter Warnings: Angst. So much angst. More case stuffs, so more talks of rape and all.

Previous chapter || Fic Masterlist

Chapter Thirteen: I can’t talk to you when you’re like this

It’s 6a.m. when you’re rudely woken up by a blaring alarm. JJ groans as she smacks the clock, stopping its incessant beeping.

Their room was the lucky one with two king sized beds. You didn’t mind sharing a bed with either of them -- you ended up next to Emily.

JJ is up and heading to get dressed far quicker than you want to move, but you know you have no choice. There’s a serial killer running rampant out there, so today is a 7a.m. start -- 6:30 if you can help it. You know Hotch will be sending texts any moment now about wanting to get an early start.

The thought of Hotch sends your mind spiraling again. The memories of your argument come flooding back and all you want to do is fall into a sinkhole.

But you refuse to let him have power over you like that. You’re a professional. You’re here to do a job, so you’re going to do it. Feelings be damned.

It’s not like you expected anything different, so you honestly don’t know why you’re so torn up over this. It must be the fact that the two of you were going to regular dinners, and that he would pay and drive. Sharing wine and listening to your favorite vinyls surely didn’t help matters, either.

But you misread it all. How hysterical of you. How typical of you.

Throwing the covers off your body, you sit up, your hand reaching over to shake Emily’s shoulder.

“I’m awake,” she says into her pillow. “I don’t wanna be, but I am.”

“You and me both,” you chuckle, swinging your legs over the side of the mattress.

Once your feet hit the floor, it’s like a bolt of electricity goes through you. Screw feelings, screw romance, screw love, screw it all. You’re an FBI profiler. You’re better than some idiot who thinks he can take you out to dinner and flirt up a storm, only to throw it back in your face.

You’re not going to let this get to you. Screw him.

So, you get dressed in your best outfit, and you take the time to do what makes you feel the most badass. Normally, you don’t put a ton of effort into your appearance because there isn’t much of a point. But on days like today when you need an extra boost of confidence, it’s almost required.

And boost your confidence, it does.

“Hell-o Agent L/N,” Emily teases when she emerges from the bathroom. “You look hot.”

“You sound like Morgan,” you say with a grin. “But thank you all the same. Is it bad that I feel hot when we’re supposed to be hunting down a serial killer?”

“Nope,” JJ shakes her head. “Sometimes it helps it feel more like a movie than real life.”

“God knows I need that right now,” you mutter, turning to grab your gun. As you’re busy strapping it on and grabbing your phone, you say, “Hey guys, if Hotch and I are acting weird...don’t mention it. Please?”

Emily’s head whips around. “Is he why you came in here crying last night?”

“Maybe,” you mumble, adjusting your belt. “But it’s fine, don’t worry about it. I’m over it.” You look up with a smile that you hope is more convincing than it feels. “Thanks for letting me crash your party.”

“Crash anytime,” JJ smiles back, all knowing. “And we want details later, just saying.”

“I knew you were going to ask,” you groan. “But it’s honestly nothing. I misread the entire situation, so it’s totally my bad.”

“Misread the situation?” Emily almost laughs at you. “The two of you were going on dates!”

Your eyes widen. “How did you--”

“I may or may not have seen you guys in a restaurant as I was walking by,” she confesses. “And I may or may not have gone back the next few nights to see if it was just a one-time deal.”

“You-- Oh my God,” you nearly smack your forehead in embarrassment. “Okay, well, yes, we were going to dinner, but it-- Look, I guess I got too caught up in my own feelings and worked it up in my head to think he felt the same.”

JJ shares a look with Emily. The kind that makes you want to claw your eyes out.

“Look,” Emily says, gently, but you know she’s serious. “You’re one of the best profilers on this team-- You wouldn’t be on the team if you weren’t good. So there’s no such thing as making it up in your head. You were following your instincts.”

“Maybe my instincts are shit.”

“The last few cases say otherwise,” Emily fires back, raising an eyebrow.

She’s right. Dammit.

“I don’t think you misread anything, I think Hotch is just...complicated, you know? Divorce can’t be easy, especially with a kid in the mix, but I’m not excusing him for taking you on dates and staying over at your place, he should’ve known better-- and don’t ask how I knew about him being at your place. JJ told me what you said on the phone, and I told her about the dinners, and we kind of just...figured.”

“Nothing happened,” you mumble, as if you need to tell them the details. “He slept on the couch. Passed out before me.”

“All I’m saying is you have a right to be mad,” Emily finishes.

JJ nods. “I would also be pissed. I’m a little pissed for you.”

“Me too,” Emily agrees.

“I feel stupid,” you admit. “Like I’m in high school or something.” You won’t lie. Hotch’s comment last night has hurt you more than you thought it would. You didn’t even act like you were a high schooler when you were in high school, but still.

“Oh, no,” Emily sighs, wrapping an arm around your shoulders. “It’s not high school. It’s just fucking annoying.”

“You got that right,” you snicker.

“So…” JJ raises an eyebrow. “Are we gonna talk about you dressing this hot to make him jealous or…?”

“It’s actually just for me,” you say firmly, meaning it. “But if he wants to look, he can.”

“Atta girl,” Emily laughs loudly, then stops. “We probably should head down to the lobby.”

“Right,” you chuckle. “Don’t wanna be late.”

+++

Hotch is the first one down to the lobby until Rossi joins him, looking the most well-rested. But upon seeing you’re not with Hotch, Rossi furrows his eyebrows.

It wasn’t exactly Rossi’s plan to stick the two of you together last night, but he did help it along. The two of you really need to work your issues out and he thought being forced into a hotel room would help. Unfortunately, now he’s seeing it might’ve done the opposite.

“Where’s Y/N?”

Hotch looks up at the sound of your name, cursing his own behavior, knowing Rossi is taking note of every little thing. “She’s with JJ and Emily.”

Rossi hums. “I thought she would’ve been with you.”

“She was.”

“What happened?”

Hotch shrugs. And Rossi’s face softens. Hotch looks strangely like he did all those years ago, new to the BAU, when he and Haley had an argument about his taking the job. They worked through it, thankfully, because Rossi would’ve lost it if he saw Hotch walk around the office looking like a kicked puppy for another day.

But now, he looks worse than that. Forget kicked puppy, Hotch looks like he was run over.

“We had an argument,” Hotch explains when he sees that Rossi hasn’t stopped looking at him, expectantly waiting for more information.

Rossi nods slowly, having figured that. “Have you apologized?”

“I haven’t seen her.”

“You could’ve texted her,” Rossi offers, a little surprised that Hotch didn’t.

Hotch stays silent. He could have texted you. He knows he probably should have. But his words had already done enough damage. He figured if he tried to say anything else, it would’ve only made things monumentally worse. So, he went to sleep early. And dreamt of you.

It’s getting out of hand, now that he’s dreaming about you. He doesn’t normally dream, and when he does, they’re nightmares. But even those are rare. He’s mastered the art of shoving everything so far down that nothing appears even in his dreams.

Except you.

About this time is when Hotch hears your laughter floating out of the elevator. His head instinctively turns toward the sound, finding you with JJ, Emily, Spencer, and Morgan.

Morgan must’ve said something to make you laugh so loud, especially for it to make you shove his face, causing him to wrap an arm around your shoulders, dragging you into his chest and daring to rub his knuckles into your head, but he doesn’t. Still, your smile lights up your entire face, and Hotch has to catch himself before he starts smiling, too.

“Alright, children,” JJ says, tugging you and Morgan off the elevator by Morgan’s shirt sleeve.

“He started it,” you whine, ready to smack Morgan for wrinkling your shirt, but he jumps out of the way before you can.

“I know he did,” JJ replies, still in her ‘mom’ voice, her hand on your arm to usher you forward.

“Ouch,” Morgan feigns hurt, sauntering away with a scrunched up face. “I see what sides we’re takin’.”

You roll your eyes. “So dramatic.”

Emily gives you a look as you slowly approach Rossi and Hotch. But you flash her a smile, letting her know you’re okay.

You’re a professional. You’re a damn FBI Agent. You can handle some unreciprocated feelings. Unrequited love has nothing on a psychopathic killer.

Thankfully, before you’re forced to greet Hotch so no one else questions things, his phone starts ringing. You all know what that means.

And Hotch confirms your suspicions when he hangs up. “There’s been another murder.”

+++

JJ and Reid headed to the police station to start connecting some more dots with this new murder -- Edward Richardson is his name. He’s about the same age as the other men, but so far that’s the only connection.

This left you with Morgan and Rossi to head to the crime scene. Hotch and Emily are coming too, but they’re going to speak to the ex-girlfriend who found Edward.

Yeah. His ex-girlfriend found him. Apparently she was coming over to pick up the rest of her stuff. He wasn’t answering the door, so she used the spare key under the mat and went inside, thinking he was either passed out or in someone else’s bed.

She found him in his bed. But he wasn’t alive.

Upon pulling up outside the house, you see it’s not a mansion, but not a trailer, either. Police are already milling about, but hopefully they haven’t touched anything.

You spot the ex-girlfriend when you get out of the car. Her long, dark hair is pulled back from her face, and there’s tear-stains all down her cheeks. You’re positive she’s not the unsub, though, because the unsub wouldn’t insert herself into the investigation like this, and if she did, she definitely wouldn’t show this much remorse.

Your heart aches for the ex all the same. And for that reason, you grab Emily and ask to switch with her.

“You sure?” She asks, knowing this means you’ll be with Hotch.

But you could care less about him right now. “Yeah. I got this. I also don’t think I should look at another body.” That part is true, even if you thought of it just a few seconds ago.

She understands completely, giving your shoulder a comforting squeeze before she sets off to join Morgan. Hotch watches her go and then looks back at you, eyebrows furrowed. But you don’t give him a second glance.

You both start toward the ex-girlfriend, but you see her tense up when she notices Hotch, which stops you right in your tracks. You hold out your hand to get his attention.

Turning, you say, “I think I need to do this alone.”

“Why?”

“She’s terrified, Hotch, look at her,” you whisper, watching him use his peripheral vision. “She tensed up when she saw you. I don’t know why, but...let me do this alone. Please.”

He nods. “Okay. I’ll be inside.”

“Thank you,” you breathe, glad he’s not going to put up a fight. The last thing you needed was for him to cause a scene here.

Once he’s gone, you turn back to the ex-girlfriend, putting on the best comforting expression you can muster.

“Hey,” you murmur as you’re close enough. “I’m Agent L/N, I’m with the FBI.”

“Jane,” she supplies. “Where’d your partner go?”

“Oh, he just went inside. I told him we could just talk, girl to girl, you know.”

“Is he your boyfriend?”

“No, he’s just my boss,” you say slowly, not sure why she’d even need to ask that.

“Sorry,” Jane apologizes, explaining your previous confusion away. “I’m not-- I feel like I’m living in a nightmare right now, so my brain is kind of fried. I’m glad it’s just you.”

“Totally understandable,” you say. “So, you’re Edward’s ex-girlfriend?”

“Yeah,” she says. “I um-- We just broke up last week and I hadn’t been over to get all my stuff yet. I was coming to pick the last of it up this morning. I texted him yesterday and he said it was fine, so I didn’t think to call before I came. I just walked in.”

“Why did you guys break up, if you don’t mind me asking?”

“I...found out something he had done,” she says vaguely. “That he kept from me.”

You nod slowly. “I know it’s a lot, and I know you don’t know me, but...what did he do?”

She hesitates, closes her eyes. Her bottom lip starts to quiver, her eyes glassy when she opens them again. “He...he raped my best friend.”

“I’m so sorry,” you murmur, letting her cry. “When did this happen?”

“Last year,” Jane mutters, anger taking over. “She never told me because she was scared and because he and I had been dating already when it happened and-- He asked me to marry him and I told her and she-- She told me what happened. She said she didn’t want him to do that to me, or worse.”

“So you broke up with him.”

“I confronted him about it and he denied it,” she says through more tears. “But my best friend wouldn’t lie. And he didn’t even seem sorry or even care that that happened to her, so I know he did it.” She pauses, shaking her head. “What does the FBI want with this, anyway?”

“There’s been a series of murders,” you explain. “And each victim has been a rapist that was acquitted or given a short sentence in jail, like two months, a vacation, basically.”

Jane’s eyebrows furrow. “Lily never took Edward to court.”

A break in the pattern. “What?”

“She never even told me until last week. I don’t even know if her mom knows, or her sister,” Jane says, still confused. “How did they even know to kill him?”

You’re asking yourself that question now, too. “Can you give me Lily’s full name and any contact information you have?”

“Yeah,” Jane nods. “You don’t think she did this, do you?”

To put her mind at ease, you ask, “What does she look like? And how tall is she?”

“She’s almost six feet tall, but wears heels to be taller,” Jane chuckles. “Blonde hair, naturally, not like some of these bleach blondes out here. She’s getting her master’s right now, if that means anything.”

“It does, actually,” you smile softly. “Just between you and me, I don’t think she’s the one that did this. We build a profile that’s a set of characteristics of who we’re looking for, and she doesn’t fit it.”

“Thank God,” Jane breathes. “I don’t think she would, but she’s-- You’re different, after that, you know?”

You nod solemnly. “I know.”

After taking down Lily’s contact information, you ask her if she knows anyone that might fit the profile.

“I can’t think of anyone, honestly,” Jane shrugs. “I mean, I know probably fifty girls that look like that, but that are capable of this? I don’t even want to think that anyone I know would kill someone -- even if they are a rapist.”

“I understand.”

After you grab Jane’s phone number as well, you head into the house to find Hotch. Or Rossi. You’d rather relay this information to Rossi and get away before Hotch spots you.

But you never get what you want because Hotch is the first one you see, and he’s just looking around idly, no gloves on his hands, clearly waiting for you to be finished.

Upon seeing you, his eyebrows raise, and he steps closer. “What did you find?”

“Well, for starters, Edward’s survivor didn’t take him to court,” you break that news first. “It was Jane’s best friend, so she gave me contact info and her address. But Jane said Lily is blonde, almost six feet, working on a master’s degree, so I don’t think she’s our unsub.”

“No, but we should still talk to her,” Hotch says.

“We?” You ask before you can stop yourself.

“If you want to take--”

“No, it’s fine, sorry,” you say, gesturing generally to the house. “They’re busy. We should talk to Lily as soon as we can.”

“Agreed. I’ll go let them know.”

“I’ll be in the car,” you say with a nod.

The professionalism is going to absolutely drive you insane.

To distract yourself, you dial Garcia. “Garcia?”

“What do you need, babe?”

“I need you to get everything you can on this new victim. Edward Richardson. Did he have any criminal records at all?” You pause. “His ex-girlfriend told me that he raped her best friend, Lily, but Lily never took him to court over it.”

“I will dig up everything I can on him.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep you posted. Hotch and I are about to go talk to Lily.”

Garcia is quiet for a moment. “You and Hotch?”

“Yes,” you mutter. “The ship has sailed, Garcia.”

“I didn’t even mention a ship.”

“No, but I knew you were going to,” you chuckle, jumping in the car. “It has sailed far, far away, never to be seen again.” You lean your head back on the headrest, glancing over to check and see if Hotch is coming yet.

“If you say so…”

“Goodbye, Garcia.”

“Goodbye, my love.”

Must everyone be in your business? Shaking your head, you pocket your phone, sticking the key in the ignition.

Hotch makes it to the car a few moments later, silently getting inside and buckling up. You expected at least a look since you’re driving, but there was nothing.

There never was anything.

You take a deep breath and pull out onto the main road, following the GPS toward Lily’s apartment. Jane said she should be in right now, so you’re hoping she is.

The car ride is fifteen minutes of dead silence. A few times, you nearly let your word vomit spill. Just questions. You have probably a thousand questions, maybe more.

If it was just dinner, then why did he keep paying? Why did he drive? Why did he check your apartment? Why did he say yes to wine? Why did he stay the night?

If it was just dinner, then why does he look at you like that? Why does he say those things?

If it was just dinner, that’s fine, but God, you need to know.

Lily’s apartment complex approaches before you foolishly start asking Hotch anything.

“I’m assuming I’m taking the lead again,” you say as you park the car.

Hotch nods. “Sure.”

“Okay,” you reply, hopping out.

Hotch keeps his distance as you walk up to Lily’s door. You knock a few times, not wanting to scream, “FBI!” because chances are, she didn’t report because she has issues with trusting authority. You understand.

Sure enough, after a moment or two, the door is opening, revealing Lily. Jane’s description was spot on.

She’s definitely six feet tall. She is a natural dirty blonde, and it’s pulled back in a ponytail. Glasses rest on the bridge of her nose, and she looks to be in her clothes for class -- a sweatshirt and jeans.

“Lily Hampton?” You ask.

She nods. “May I help you?”

“I’m Agent Y/N L/N, this is Agent Hotchner. We’re with the FBI. We were wondering if we could ask you a few questions.”

Her eyebrows furrow. “About what?”

“Well, we’ve been investigating a series of murders in the area,” you start, watching her eyes for anything. There’s nothing. “And this morning, Edward Richardson was found dead.”

You hate and love what you see in her eyes. It’s the same as Abby’s. Fear, sadness, relief, guilt, all at once.

“What happened?” She finally says. Then pauses, opening the door further, “Uh, come inside, sorry.”

“It’s alright,” you murmur, stepping inside. Hotch follows close behind, and you see he’s making a conscious effort to keep his expression softened.

“Please, sit,” Lily motions to the couch as she takes the chair by the window.

“Thank you,” you say, taking a seat on the couch. Hotch sits next to you, but on the other end. You continue. “These murders have been of rapists who were either acquitted, dismissed, or given incredibly short sentences,” you pause. “I spoke with Jane earlier and she informed me that you never took Edward to court.”

Lily shakes her head, otherwise sitting dangerously still. “I was too scared. Didn’t think it was worth it, anyway. He was dating Jane, I didn’t wanna ruin both of their lives.”

“I understand,” you whisper. “Can you think of anyone besides Jane that you’ve told about this?”

Lily thinks for a moment. “My therapist and my mom.”

“Who is your therapist?” You ask.

“Her name is Dr. Harris, I can get you her phone number.”

“That would be perfect,” you smile gently.

Lily stands and excuses herself to find the number, leaving you alone with Hotch once more.

“What are you thinking?” You ask, wanting to know what’s going on in his head.

“Her mom doesn’t fit our profile, and unless her therapist broke confidentiality…” Hotch shrugs.

You nod. “We’re at another dead end.”

Lily returns with a small piece of paper, but there’s two numbers written down. Your eyebrows furrow as you stare at it, until she explains.

“The top is my therapist and the bottom is um--” She glances at Hotch. “There’s a group that I went to-- That I go to, um-- It’s kind of like alcoholics anonymous, but not for alcohol. It’s...for assault. The number is the woman who runs it. Lina.”

This could be it. “Thank you, Lily,” you smile, tucking the paper in your pocket. “I think that’s all we have.” You pause to stand, holding out your card. “But if you think of anything that might be useful, don’t hesitate to call.”

She takes the card with a small smile. “Thank you.”

You show yourselves out, both of you waiting until you’re in the car to say anything. Hotch is driving this time.

“I’m calling Morgan,” you tell him, dialing on your phone. Once it connects, you say, “Feel like going to an AA meeting?”

Next chapter

#intelligence & issues #criminal minds #aaron hotchner #hotch #aaron hotchner x reader #aaron hotchner x you #aaron hotchner x y/n #hotch x reader #hotch x you #hotch x y/n #aaron hotchner fanfic #aaron hotchner fanfiction #criminal minds fanfic #criminal minds fanfiction #angst #all angst #totally my bad

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juulcharg3r · 4 years

Text

Why’d It Have to Be Hermione?

Summary: Your boyfriend and best friend suck. Based on the song Hailey by WRENN

Pairing: Ron Weasley x Girlfriend!Reader

Word Count: 2,030

WARNINGS: Swearing, cheating, angst I suppose (I don't think I'm very good at making things sad outside my own brain oops)

Same day, same night

Always feeling our fights

Like a fire in an empty house

Gone off somewhere

All I know is you’re not here

You think I’d have learned by now

You had had a premonition that this birthday wasn't going to be as pleasant as the last three with Ron had been. Maybe it was the rain, though you usually rather quite liked the rain, or maybe it was the screaming match you were currently having with your boyfriend of four years.

“Are you kidding me, Ronald? It's my BIRTHDAY!” You’d been with Ron since your days in Hogwarts, since 5th year, and he had never missed your birthday before.

“Bloody Hell, Y/N, it's not like I can control it! It's an emergency meeting, I have to go.”

“You promised we would spend the whole day together.”

“And we will! Just not right now. I have to go.” You watch Ron grab his wand and bag and head towards the door, “I’ll see you later.”

“Fine. I love y-” The door slams, effectively cutting you off. “Great. Best birthday ever.” You let yourself fall backwards onto the bed you shared with your boyfriend, “The Dark Lord is dead. What the fuck could they possibly be having a meeting about at 6A.M.?”

You stew in your thoughts, your anger slowly subsiding. Maybe you were being unreasonable. Ron was right, he couldn’t control when they had meetings. You were just hurt because he always had meetings and had canceled many dates for them. You just wanted to spend your birthday with him, to have one day where he spent the entire day with you and all his focus was on you for once.

Eventually you sit up and mope downstairs to make yourself coffee to wake up. There was no point in trying to get a few more hours of sleep, not after a fight with Ron. They always left you feeling empty and you were left sitting alone in a desolate house.

It was awful. Constantly fighting with Ron about the littlest things, about the stupidest things. It had been going on for months and it was always the same. Ron would either miss a date or one of you would do the littlest thing, then you’d fight, he’d leave and go somewhere, and you’d cry yourself to sleep in the spare bedroom. He would come home eventually (he always did), though you never knew when and if you’d ask he would say he went to the pub and then things would go back to normal between you two.

But when you would do laundry the next day, you'd notice his clothes would never spell like the cigarettes and beers that normally came along with a trip to the pub.

The fights would eat you alive. For days after you would feel awful, like you were being burned from the inside out. The arguing left you feeling empty inside but as if you were on fire. You were like an empty house on fire, nothing inside to burn but the structure was slowly but surely succumbing to the flames.

“Why haven’t I learned?”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Ron finally came home, six hours later. There was no way in hell a meeting lasted six hours, but you were tired of arguing.

“Hey, Baby.” Ron grins at you as he walks in and kisses you on the lips.

‘Hey!” You smile tightlipped at the man you love, “How was the meeting?” He seemed to be in much better spirits than he had been this morning.

“It was fine.” Came the simple response.

“Oh, what was it about?”

“Y/N you know I can’t tell you that.”

“Right…” You trailed off before you remembered your original plans for today and became excited again, “Well do you still want to go to the art museum? I want to see the new exhibit on Picasso!”

“I’m tired from the meeting and I just want to relax. I’m going to nap before dinner tonight, Babe, you go without me.”

“What? The whole point was… Okay. Fine.” You accio your wand and wallet and apparate to The National Gallery in Muggle London. “Fucking piece of shit,” you stomp into the gallery, but the sight of the paintings quickly erases your anger. You had always loved art and were impressed by the skills that some people hold. You could see their passion in the brushstrokes and the feelings poured into the paint.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Eventually you made your way to the exhibit on Pablo Picasso. Something about his art just spoke to you, you weren’t sure what it was.

An hour and a half later, you thought you had seen all his work encased in the exhibit until in the back corner of the room you saw it. A painting you had never seen before entitled The Melancholy Woman.

You stood staring at it with an air of familiarity, though this was the first time you had laid eyes on it. You realized it was because you had been sitting in the same position all this morning. After getting your coffee you had spent several hours sitting on your couch facing the window but not looking out. You instead wallowed in self-pity wondering what had happened between you and Ron that caused all the fighting.

“Oh my god.” Faced with the reality of your own sadness you all but ran out of the gallery and to a good spot to apparate home.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

You say she’s just a friend, well okay

Why’s she showing up at midnight on my birthday?

Why’s she crying in your arms looking a mess?

And you’re looking at me like you gotta confess

Not the first time you held her

You were home now and were curled up next to Ron on the couch watching your favorite movie. Ron was stroking your hair and you felt lighter than you had in months. You and Ron had had a wonderful evening at dinner, for the first time in a long time. You went to your favorite restaurant and laughed all night long, but the sense of foreboding from this morning lingered. You shook off the feeling and thought maybe your premonition was wrong and you were just being silly, nothing bad had happened after you came back from the art gallery.

Then the doorbell rang.

You and Ron look at each other weirdly, who was showing up at your house this late at night? You both pad to the door, Ron looks through the peephole and then opens the door with hesitance, “Mione? What are you doing here? It’s nearly midnight.” Hermione, your best friend since second year, looked like a mess, her hair was knotted, and clothes wrinkled.

The foreboding feeling that had been licking at you all night was now crashing over your entire body.

Hermione was crying and was well past ruining her mascara, “I... I don't know.” Then she threw herself into your boyfriend's arms and started sobbing violently.

You were too shocked to move. What do you do in this situation? Your best friend was sobbing in his chest at midnight on your birthday. You were about to ask if she was okay when Ron looked at you and the expression turned your blood to ice. He looked like he was about to confess something horrible to you and you knew then that this wasn’t the first time this had happened. This wasn’t the first time he had held her, crying and not.

You took a step back, shaking your head, “No no no no no. You didn’t. No-”

“Y/N let me explain!”

“No, you fucking didn’t. This is a lie. This can't be real. Did you really? Are you serious? With her?”

“Baby please,” Ron untangles himself from Hermione and leaves her on the floor to approach you.

You hold out your hands to stop him from getting closer, “Did you even have a meeting today? Or were you just with her? Were any of these ‘emergency meetings’ real or were they just excuses to go see her?”

“Y/N…”

The sound of your name on his lips told you everything you needed to know, “That's what I thought.” You glare at him with more anger and sadness than he thought possible, “And on my fucking birthday. Fuck you, Ron Weasley.” You dash upstairs to the bedroom you once shared with your boyfriend.

Mascara stains dripping down your t-shirt

Now I’m packing a bag, but I gotta ask

Out of everyone, everyone else

Why’d it have to be Hailey?

You throw clothes blindly into an old, ratty backpack while ignoring as Ron begged you to stay. As you pack you stew in your own thoughts, wanting to scream at him, wanting to punch him in the face, stomp on his head, and just ask why.

“I gotta ask… Why’d it have to be Hermione?” Your brain was stuck on the mascara stains on his shirt as he stood in the doorway of your bedroom. She ruined everything, both Ron’s shirt and your heart. She was your best friend, how could she? She knows how much you love him.

“W-what?”

“Out of everyone, everyone else in the entire fucking wizarding world, why did it have to be Hermione?”

“Y/N, I…” Ron trails off, he doesn’t know the answer to your question.

“I mean I guess that explains what I heard in the back of Harry and Ginny’s birthday card to me,” you open your bedside table drawer and take out an envelope with a card in it. It's one of those cards where you record a birthday message in your own voice for the recipient. You throw it at your boyfriend and cross your arms. When he opens it, the sound of Ginny and Harry’s voices yelling out greetings and the lyrics to Happy Birthday to You burst out. After their offkey rendition that had initially put a smile on your face, in the background there is the faintest conversation going on.

“Are you gonna tell her?” The first voice asks.

“There’s no point.” The second responds.

“She’s gonna find out eventually.” The first voice presses.

“I mean it doesn’t matter if she does at this point.” The second voice concludes. Then Harry and Ginny finish their well wishes for you and say goodbye and that they love you. When you first listened to it you thought you were hearing wrong, but after this… There was no mistaking it now, those were the voices of your boyfriend of four years and your best friend of seven years.

You say that I’ve got it all wrong, but I think I know you better than myself

Don’t you get tired of always playing the victim and running your mouth?

“No, Baby, no. You- you’ve got this all wrong! I wouldn’t-”

“Ronald, we have been together for too long. I know you better than I know myself sometimes and this is one of those times. You would because you did.”

“No Y/N I didn't I swear!! Hermione came onto me! I love you; you know that! I wouldn't cheat on you, it was an accident, I swear!”

At this point you couldn't hold back the tears and were openly sobbing, “It wasn't an accident, Ronald.”

“YES, IT WAS!”

“Maybe it was an accident the first time, but you chose her over me every time after that. It was a choice that you made and now you have to live with it.” And with that you shove past him, bag and wand in hand and sprint down the stairs. You pause to stare at Hermione who no doubt heard your entire conversation. “I hope you’re happy, Hermione. You got what you wanted.”

“Y/N/N, I’m so sorry-”

“Save it. I do not care what you have to say. I hope you and Ron are very happy together.” You step over her body on the floor, out the door, and out of their lives forever.

Why’d it have to be Hailey?

Out of everyone, everyone else

Why’d it have to be Hailey?

FINISHED

#harry potter #ron weasley #hermione granger #ron weasley x reader #ginny weasley #harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #ron weasley imagine #hp #hp imagine #x readers by Jules #Why’d It Have to Be Hermione?

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aiyaar · 4 years

Text

Solangelo headcanons

They have completely different sleep schedules. Will usually wakes up at 5-6a.m. while Nico just... Well, he usually goes to sleep at 5 a.m. Will tried to make Nico's sleep healthier but soon gave up

They both don't eat meat. Will is a vegetarian and Nico just doesn't like meat because it smells like death to him

Will really loves sports. He's that kind of person who goes for a run early in the morning. He also plays basketball. Nico doesn't do sports at all. He hates them

I know that 90 percent of the fandom headcanon the height difference and so do I. Will Solace is 6'2 Nico di Angelo is 5'4 change my mind

Will really loves playing with Nico's hair. He makes small braids etc. He thinks Nico looks cute with them. Nico pretends he hates it but secretly loves Will's hands in his hair

They steal each other's clothes, so with years of living together Will's wardrobe is mixed with black clothes and Nico has some yellow hoodies

Will is one year older than Nico

They go to the same school UwU

First time Nico meets Will's mother, it's really awkward. Nico was scared that she might not like him or something, so he barely talked. Soon he understood that she's a wonderful woman. He still didn't reach the moment when he calls her mom but it's just Naomi to him

Eventually Will makes Nico watch Star Wars. Much for his own surprise, Nico liked it and became a big fan

Will also learned how to play Mythomagic

Nico calls Will "tesoro"

Will is bad at music. Really bad. Which is weird, since he's son of Apollo. Nico can play piano and has pretty good voice.

Will persuaded Nico on meeting Hades. It was very weird and they try not to talk about it

Will can not cook at all. He's that type of person who can burn the kitchen while making omelets. But he makes awesome coffee

Nico is a good cook. He can make not only Italian food, but his Italian dishes are just magnificent

One thing they both like for sure: Russian literature. Will really likes Russian poetry. He can read Pushkin and Esenin by heart. Nico loves Dostoevsky. His favourite book is Crime and Punishment

They like having dates in different places all around the world. Thank to Nico's shadow traveling, they can go wherever they want. Of course, Paris was a dream come true but Tokyo is their favourite

#pjo #pjo/hoo #percy jackon and the olympians #heroes of olympus #trials of apollo #tower of nero #solangelo #nico di angelo #will solace #percy jackson #jason grace #piper mclean #annabeth chase #leo valdez #hazel levesque #frank zhang #reyna avila ramirez arellano

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saints-and-sinners · 3 years

Text

Reader x zemo

Warnings : mention of miscarriage.

Angst

Reader was zemos right hand in ecko, after he was in prison she was left to fend for herself. Things get heated when he shows up at her door.

As always under 18s stay away.

Just super...

Zemo, commander in Ecko scorpio and Baron in Sokovia. The man who trained me.

Trained me to put the mission above feelings and the country before anything else. That being said it's still safe to say Zemo and I had our moments before his sister and her child died and he left in retaliation against the avengers.

I thought back to my life as Zemos right wing in Ecko scorpio. We were the most unstoppable duo. We understood each other in more ways than just teammates...

It was an early morning, 6a.m. I just came back from a 1.5 hour run, training the new recruits when Helmut was waiting to train with me further, we ended sparring and versing each other until 9pm, it was futile, using steel bars, punches, kicks and words.. Zemos words.. . We were matched with our fighting skills but those words were my weak spot. Water gushing from the pipes where we had been fighting, things had become somewhat heated in our sparring and no winner was declared... But that was 5 years ago.

Present day life had me in Madripoor.

Following a lead on supersoldier serum production and crimes. Staying at my hideout I ran the hot water for my bath when I heard a knock on the door. It's 5pm nobody ever visits at 5pm. The door opens and in the doorway there stands Zemo and 2 other men I've never seen before. I look at him as though I've seen a ghost.

Zemo: Hello little bird.

I continue to stare at him.

Zemo: it's me, I am I alive, I was..

Me: you should've stayed in prison.

I push passed Zemo and walk out of my complex that was once ours. I continue walking and Helmut and the 2 men follow.

The roads are empty, barely any people come out this time of day, the perfect time to make a scene with the Baron.

Zemo: y/N!!

I continue to speed walk through places until I find a quiet place with barely any people.

Zemo: little bird.

Me : I am not your little bird, it's been 6 years since you decided to sacrifice yourself for your sister and left me behind. I got shot twice in those 6 years while you were sipping coffee in your cute little cell that you could've easily broken out off.

Zemo : I was captured, the dora milaje would've found me. I was keeping you safe y/N.

Me : I became a bigger target. I nearly died. I even...

I paused..

Zemo knows me, I can't hide anything from him.

Zemo: y/N}, even?

Me : we were supposed to have a child. I lost him because of the stress thinking you were killed, until I found out a week later that you were in prison!!

Zemo stands there speechless. Out of everything that happened he realizes he could have never predicted this. Honestly he thought y/N would come visit him in prison or break him out or answer his calls but now he understands why she stayed away.

Zemo: come back with me, I will take care of you.

Me : I can take care of myself thank you. But I know why you and your friends are here. I've got leads on the serum.

#Zemo #Marvel #Tfaws #Helmut #Baron #Madripoor

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renjunthings · 4 years

Text

[23:37] being deprived of seeing your boyfriend, it was almost three weeks since you last saw boyfriend!jaemin because of the quarantine. the video calls and constant message doesn't suffice the yearning for the both of you but, unfortunately, you had to stay with your parents even though college offered online classes due to the fact you were in a strict household with paranoid mother who constantly disinfects the house like a mad woman.

another night in your room, on a voice call with jaemin while you were playing animal crossing. the two of you doesn't even talk, you just enjoy the comfort of knowing he is there. but it still wasn't enough.

dinner had just finished four hours ago and you know it's gonna be another usual night where you sleep three in the morning and be waken up by 6a.m. for your "daily exercise" your mother has been forcing you to do. the exercising part never works but waking up early sure does.

"baby," jaemin broke the silence. his breathing... seems uneven? this alarmed you because what activity would make jaemin pant this hard.

"jaem, are you okay?" the worry in your voice evident as jaemin goes on breathing heavily. you put your switch down and placed the phone by your ears, noticing the footsteps in his other side of the call. is he running? why was he running?

"what are you doing?" you asked, eyebrows furrowed in confusion and concern.

the other line didn't answer and all you can hear were haste footsteps, followed by a grunt and a sigh of relief but his breath was still ragged.

"open your window," jaemin finally spoke in a whisper after antagonizing five minutes of confusion.

"what-"

"just do it quickly before i fall off your roof."

you did as what he told you to do quickly. pulling the curtains aside, you see jaemin in a hoodie and pajamas and some slippers he used for running. he gave a cheeky smile as he held on to the foundation near your window to which you only rolled your eyes at.

you helped him go in and as his two feet touched the floor, jaemin immediately hugged you, "i miss you."

you face was buried on the crook of his neck, your arms around his waist and his arms around your shoulder, one cradling your head the other sat on your back. he gave a light kiss on your hair, erupting a million of butterflies inside your stomach. you were glad your face was away so he wouldn't see the redness of your face.

he pulled away but only to hold your face, squishibg your cheeks, staring into your eyes lovingly, "look what the quarantine did to you, you got cuter!"

jaemin cooed at you and gave a small kiss to your nose. the butterflies in your stomach turned into elephants parading inside and your face red as a tomato.

"jaemin, please, why are you here? either the police or my parents could catch you and neither will let you go easily." you removed his hands from your face and intertwined them instead.

jaemin chuckles and "no worries, love, i texted your mom, she will read it in the morning."

"jaemin!" you smacked him at his cheeky idea knowing your parents couldn't do anything but let jaemin be because he is already in the house.

"so cuddles?" he asked, smiling widely, confident that you weren't gonna say no. and you didn't say no.

the night was spent in your bed, cuddling and talking with each other. it was your usual activity and after three weeks of not being able to do that, it seems worth it with jaemin.

by morning, you woke up to your mom talking about breakfast is ready and all. you nodded and started to sit up but then that's when it hit you. memories of last night come flooding in, your eyes wide at the thought your mother didn't say anything about jaemin. maybe it was a dream? dying to know the answer, you ran out of your room towards the kitchen and there you saw jaemin talking with your parents.

you were shocked at least, that they weren't mad about jaemin sneaking in the middle of the night and that you didn't tell them.

"morning," you said in a small voice, still unsure how to react.

"c'mon, y/n, jaemin helped cook breakfast," your mother said, handing you a plate with your favorite food.

as if reading your mind, your father spoke "don't worry about last night, i'm sure jaemin just misses you so much."

you blinked twice and turned to jaemin, who just flashes his pretty smile as if to say, told you it'll work. you shook your head in disbelief and fought back a smile before eating.

jaemin and his charms, back at it again.

#nct #nct dream #nct imagines #nct fluff #nct drabbles #nct blurbs #nct dream imagines #nct dream fluff #nct scenario #nct scenarios #nct dream drabbles #nct dream blurbs #nct dream scenarios #nct jaemin #na jaemin #nct dream jaemin #na jaemin imagines

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nubnubblr · 3 years

Text

If You Do. 32 Handcuff Hideaway

THEA

"Do you have any classes for the next hour or so?" I asked Shawn. Everyone recovered quickly but there was still concern in their expressions that Mackenzie was going to walk back through that door and Shawn's world would fall apart.

"Nope," he shrugged taking a huge bite out of a burger.

"Does that mean you want to be my knight in sweaty armour?"

"That's gross," Charlie pulled a face.

"Where do you want to go?" Shawn ignored her comment.

"I want to do some shopping," I smiled sweetly.

"But you're crippled," Junsun smirked.

"The correct term is disabled and that never stops you," I retorted.

"How am I disabled?" he frowned.

"You're disabled in the brain," I huffed.

"I think that's referred to as being 'on the spectrum'" Austin commented.

"Fine, I'll go with you shopping," Shawn nodded devouring the rest of his meal.

"You're ditching me?" Charlie frowned.

"No, Doobin said he was having trouble remembering your choreo on top of the other classes he's taking, I figured you were going to help him out and that would have left me stuck here," I sent her a slight smirk.

"He doesn't need my help," she gave me a warning look.

"Actually, some help would be great," Doobin nodded.

"Seriously?" she asked in a flat tone.

"I mean if you don't want to, I'll just go ask one of the other students," he shrugged.

"Oh, come on, throw the kid a bone," Austin sided with Doobin. I had to cough to cover the laugh that almost burst from my throat.

"Fine, but you better pay attention because I'm not doing this again," she huffed.

"Right," but Doobin and I mumble together.

CHARLIE

I knew that he didn't want me to help with the choreography, he could do it in his sleep. But I wasn't going to boost his ego any more than it already was.

"So what part of the choreo is confusing your little brain?" I sighed following him into an empty practice room.

We have a few around the building, they were just small 5x3 meatre rooms with a mirror covering one wall and a door, there were no window and the rooms where soundproof so that several students could practise at the same time without disturbing or being disturbed by anyone. The doors also had locks on them, convenient.

"Why don't we start with something you know isn't small?"

"You're attitude?" I raised an eyebrow.

He just smirked, let out a slight laugh, then his face turned dark with lust, he took a step towards me and instinctively I took one back leaving me pressed up against the wall, with nowhere to go. His lips connected with my neck and a small moan escaped my lips, I felt his smirk on my neck before he relocated his mouth to mine. I wanted to curse myself for giving in so easily but the logic in my brain evaporated the longer Doobin's lips assaulted mine.

"If you want me to stop just say so," his husky voice whispered inside my ear. I didn't trust my voice so I just didn't say anything, he waited a few moments before taking my silence as permission to continue.

I was lost in my train of thought as we slid to the floor, he stretched my hands over my head with one hand, logic slammed back into me when I felt the cold metal clamp around my wrists.

"What are you doing?" I frowned.

"Having a little fun,"

"What if someone tries to come in?"

"The door is locked, and the room is soundproof. But if you want me to unlock you then that's fine, just thought it would be fun," he shrugged.

I don't know why, and I wasn't even sure when I had decided it would be fine, but the words seemed to fall from my mouth before my brain had the chance to run them through a logic filter. Instead of saying what I should have said, being the responsible adult and his teacher, I said;

"Leave them on,"

I wanted to throw everything, I had to step away from my desk so that I didn't throw anything breakable or important. I was trying to function on barley any sleep, Austin has stolen so much money that I wasn't able to give a lot of shifts out to my staff and I even had to let a few go. They were understanding about the whole situation, but not being able to use my staff meant that I had to cover the shifts. Thea still came in and worked the kitchen, but she didn't say anything to me, she just showed up, did her job, and left. So my day usually went; up at 3 a.m, work at the bakery until 6a.m, come home and get a few hours sleep, usually 3 or 4, then wake up but no later than 10 a.m, set up the bar, re-stock the shelves, do ordering, open, serve customers until closing at 1a.m, clean the bar, maybe eat something, quick shower, sleep for an hour, and repeat.

So, I was overworked, overtired, understaffed, and severely stressed. I had been to the bank about a loan, but they felt like I was too much of a risk, I had reported Austin to the police, but I wasn't hopeful about getting my money back, I should probably talk to one of the boys about it because I know they would help out in the bar but they hadn't been home since I slept with Olivia, it was pretty clear they know about it, also I vaguely remembered hearing Charlie's voice.

I'd been feeling guilty about that since it happened, not just because of her technically being Sam's girl-whatever, or because it was Jae's bed, or even the whole Thea situation. Don't get me wrong, I felt bad about all of that, but I had also realised that I had kind of been seeing Somin, and I mean, we weren't dating per say but it's not okay to show someone that you're interested in them and the go and slept with someone else. That's not the type of person I am, but I haven't really been acting like myself lately.

Pushing my friends away, keeping secrets, sleeping with strangers, getting angry for no reason. Okay, not for no reason, but in from the point of view from everyone else it is for not reason because I haven't told them what's going on.

Maybe I should just sell my car.

THEA

"I still don't understand why you haven't already done your Christmas shopping," Shawn frowned at me as we made our way back to the dance studio. We had been gone about an hour and a half, long enough for Mackenzie to be long gone, and for Charlie and Doobin to have finished, 'dancing'.

"I have most of it done, shut up, like you have any Christmas shopping done," I huffed defensively.

"I only have to buy for a handful of people, and I'm not Miss Overly Organised, which is why I'm surprised that you're Christmas shopping wasn't don't in like July," he retorted.

Okay, it was actually already done, but in September, not July. I just needed a reason to get Shawn to stay out shopping when he was insisting on my getting off my foot. Besides I found some things that I just had to buy for Charlie.

"Maybe you should have used this time to do your Christmas shopping,"

"I still have time,"

"Christmas is in like 8,"

"Yeah, that's 8 days full of time to buy things,"

"When there is nothing left in the shopping centres that qualifies as good gifts, you'll regret waiting," I shook my head at him.

"It's the thought that counts," he tried to counter,

"And apparently they're the last thought," I retorted.

"Has anyone ever told you that they can only handle you in small doses?" he huffed at me.

"All the time," I nodded as we walked into 1Million, well technically I hobbled but I wasn't about to admit that.

"Shit. I have a class in 10 minutes," Shawn groaned.

"I thought you said you were free?"

"I forgot about it, I'll catch up to you later," he rushed off.

I looked around for Charlie, she didn't seem to be anywhere maybe she was still with Doobin? Her car was still out the front, and she wouldn't leave me here anyway. She had to be with Doobin, I should probably find them before Shawn stubbled across them.

"You're back," Doobin nodded towards me, he was standing in the doorway of one of the classrooms. I looked around him to see if Charlie was in there. She wasn't.

"Yeah, have you see Charlie?"

"I have," he smirked.

"Okay, stupid question. Do you know where she is?"

"Of course," he nodded still smirking.

"Well are you going to tell me?" I sighed.

"She's in that room," he nodded towards one of the practise rooms.

"Thank you,"

"Thea," he called as I turned away from him.

"What?"

"You might need these," he handed me a set of small keys.

"These look too small to unlock the door," I thought out loud.

"They're not for the door," he smirked, I frowned and began to ask him what they were for but he turned and walked into the classroom, that Shawn was teaching.

I headed over to the door he had pointed towards turned the handle, but it was locked. I thought he had said that the key wasn't for the door. I knocked just in case I had the wrong door. Then realised that the rooms were sound proof so I wasn't sure she would even hear it, so I rattled the handle.

CHARLIE

The door handle turned and shook, if whoever was on the other side was calling me, I couldn't hear them, the downside to a soundproof room. Did I risk opening the door to see if it was Doobin with the keys? What if it was one of the other boys? How did I explain being naked and handcuffed in a practice room? I didn't. Which left me with no other option but to wait until Doobin decided to come and save me. Even though he is the reason that I'm stuck in this situation to begin with.

My phone started buzzing in my pants pocket on the floor. I maneuverer my way towards them and somehow managed to answer the call, only because it was Thea. I hit the loudspeaker button.

"Hey,"

"Hey, opened the door,"

"Why?"

"Because Doobin gave me a key and said that you would need it,"

"Where is he?"

"In Shawn's class,"

"And where is everyone else?"

"How am I supposed to know?"

"So, if I open the door, you're the only one out there?"

"Well, other than the reception staff but they're all busy. Why are you being weird?"

"Okay, I'm unlocking the door, but hurry up," I sighed working my way to my feet. I unlocked the door and quickly ducked behind it just in case anyone looked over to see what Thea was up too.

"Why are you being so weir..." Thea started at me.

"Close the door!" I snapped.

She pushed it closed and tried to cover a laugh with a cough. May have actually worked, if she didn't just laugh instead.

"What?" was all she could manage to get out between laughs.

"Shut up and give me the keys," I snapped.

"And you think you're going to be able to unlock those cuffs by yourself?" she raised an eyebrow once she stopped laughing, although she still managed to chuckle at me.

"Yes," I cursed the doubt that found its way into my voice.

"Do you want me to uncuff you?" she giggled.

"I want you to stop being a jerk, but I guess I'll take the uncuffing," I sighed, she held her laughter until I said uncuffing, for some reason she found that hysterical.

"Thea!"

"Oh, wait, I have the perfect thing for you!" she beamed.

"Like the keys to these cuffs?"

"Yeah, yeah, in a second," she rolled her eyes rummaging through the bags in her hands.

"Bro, I'm literally standing here naked," I was starting to get a little annoyed.

"Yeah, I know, I'm about to fix that,"

"You could just give me the damn keys and I could get dressed!"

"Yeah, but that wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. Ah! Here it is," she smirked pulling a jacket from one of her bags.

"I have clothes over there,"

"Yeah, but this works sooo much better, I saw this in a shop and had to buy it for you, because you're technically Doobin's professor, I got you a professor jacket, with elbow pads!" she unfolded the grey checked jacket, brown patched covered the elbows.

"I hate you, now uncuff me,"

"Argh, fine," she rolled her eyes.

THEA

I uncuffed her and she basically kicked me out of the practice room, she's so touchy sometimes. I watched Shawn's dance class through the glass door. Doobin seemed pretty pleased with himself, he caught my eye through the door and smirked at me, I suppose that the fact I was the only other person who knew about the two gave him a small kick, considering that he could basically brag about it with one look.

"Let's go," Charlie came out of the

SAM

"I want food," Jae whined lounging across the edge of the couch.

"Then go get something," I shrugged.

"Are you kidding me? The last time I took food out of that crazy dwarfs kitchen she withheld food from me for like a week,"

"It was an hour, and that's because you were so annoying she didn't want to listen to you anymore,"

"Yeah, well, it felt like a week,"

"Then order something,"

"That takes too long to get here, and it costs money,"

"You can wait until she gets home,"

"Can you message them and see how long they're going to be?"

"Why can't you do it?"

"Because I don't know where my phone is," he whined

"You're literally staring at it,"

"Shh, busy," he muttered scrolling through Tumblr.

SAM: Hey, where are you guys? Jae is complaining he's hungry and I'm worried he is going to eat me.

I wasn't expecting her to reply so quickly but she replied before I could relock my phone.

CHARLIE: Just waiting for Thea to get her braces off, not sure how long it will take.

"Charlie doesn't know how long she is going to be,"

"They went shopping, how much can two poor girls even buy?" he huffed.

"They're at the dentist, Thea is getting her braces off," I rolled my eyes. He paused, looked at me and smirked.

"Come on," he stood up.

"What?"

"We'll go get food, Thea is going to be in so much pain when she gets back," he beamed.

"You don't need to sound so happy about it," I frowned.

"Yes, I do. Do you know how easy it is to annoy her when she's in pain, and then she does that thing where she get huffy and hurts herself, it's hilarious, but I'll even buy her food to make up for it,"

"Really?" I looked at him sceptically.

"I mean, you'll pay for it because I lost my wallet, but sure," he shrugged.

"Of course, you did," I rolled my eyes.

"I think I left it next to or on my bed, so it may as well be lost, who knows what naked parts of BM have touched that," he shuttered.

"Okay fine," I sighed.

"Keys," he held his hand out.

"Why?"

"Because you still can't drive? Do you think I'm going to walk there and like go into the building with those people?"

"Those people? Who are also going to buy fast food because their too lazy to cook for themselves?"

"If you were supposed to cook for yourself they wouldn't have invented cars and drive throughs, are you going to mope around here daydreaming about Charlie or are you going to come on this adventure with me?"

"We're going on an adventure?"

"It's modern-day hunting, come on Samwise," he stood.

"Does that make you Frodo?" I raised an eyebrow following him.

"I feel more like a Gandalf, wise and magical,"

"More like Radagast," I commented.

"Charlie likes him better anyway," he shrugged.

CHARLIE

The boys weren't there when we got home, or at least Sam's car wasn't and he still can't drive so unless Jae decided to go out and take Sam's car, which wasn't likely.

"I thought the boys were staying again?" Thea frowned.

"Maybe they went to get a change of clothes," I shrugged.

"Hopefully they don't come back, the last thing I need right now is Jae and his stupid face,"

"Are you sure you two don't have a thing for each other?" I raised an eyebrow.

"If by 'a thing' you mean do I want to stab him with a sword? Then yes, but if you mean in the general sense, then I would rather stab myself with a sword," she pulled a disgusted face.

"You two just seem really interested in where each other are," I shrugged.

"I am in enough pain right now; do you have to make me want to vomit as well?" she sighed.

"Shouldn't you be pain-free after having your braces off?"

"You would think so, after two years with the pressure moving my teeth you would think the release would be amazing, not painful,"

"Then again, it's been two years of pressure, what happens when you release the pressure after you hurt yourself?"

"Intense pain," she groaned collapsing into the couch.

"There are painkillers in the kitchen, do you want me to get them?"

"I'll get them, hot coffee might help with the pain," she sighed.

"Alright,"

"Do you want water in the kettle?" she asked.

"I'm good," I shook my head.

She just nodded leaving the room, I checked my messages to see if Sam and sent one letting me know where he had gone, he hadn't.

CHARLIE: Hey, where are you guys?

SAM: Jae decided he would have me buy us food, he thought it would be entertaining to get things Thea can't eat and eat it in front of her.

CHARLIE: Forget his wallet again?

SAM: Apparently he lost it

CHARLIE: I bet you it's in his pocket

"Where are these painkillers?" Thea asked, she walked into the lounge room pulling the door with her.

"On the shelf about the kettle,"

"They're not," she shook her head.

"Maybe they're in my bedroom," I got up, she turned around to leave the room, the door handle wouldn't turn.

"Not funny," I frowned at her.

"Not kidding," she frowned back.

"Seriously?"

"I must have hit the lock on the way in,"

"You locked us in the lounge room?"

"I mean not if your bedroom window isn't locked," I thought about it, I had locked it a few nights ago, there was a breeze that came into my room and the window only stayed securely closed if it was locked.

"Is yours?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Paranoid," she pointed at herself.

"So you locked us in the lounge room," I sighed.

"I mean only technically, we can just call one of the boys to come to save us," she shrugged.

"Jae and Sam only went to get food, they'll be back soon,"

"See, we're fine," she shrugged again.

"I'll text Sam and ask them to hurry up,"

SAM

CHARLIE: Hey, can you guys be quick, Thea locked us in the lounge room

"We don't need anything else?" I asked as Jae pulled out of the parking lot.

"No, why? Do you miss Charlie already?"

"No, the girls are locked in the lounge room, Charlie wants us to come save them,"

"How did they...?" he because.

"Thea," I cut him off.

"Of course," he shook his head.

"Well, let's go to the Zoo then," he smirked, which probably meant he wasn't going to save them straight away.

"The Zoo?"

"Their lounge room is basically entirely windows, which means we can eat and enjoy the show,"

"Charlie will kill you,"

"Probably," he shrugged not seeming too phased by the idea.

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pocketsizeddemon · 5 years

Text

Bang Chan x Reader fluff, 2.1k words, AO3

I was craving a friends-to-lovers Chan fluff so I wrote it.

You were one of Minho's oldest friends. He was the first friend you made when you moved to Korea. You lived in the same neighborhood, went to the same school up until some point, and you’ve been through thick and thin. Even though it was difficult to stay in touch during his trainee years, and even more now that he was actually an idol, you two still tried to make time for each other. He was literally like a little brother to you. Or more like the close cousin that you can be annoying with. A few months before his debut he was insisting that he wanted you to meet his members but both of your guys’ schedule was hectic, yours with university and work and his with promotions and practice and it never really happened until months later.

You still remember the day that Minho walked you into the chaos that was their dorm with a box full of donuts as a little treat for them. Eight cheerful boys running up to meet you and, of course, devour the donuts that you made for them. That was about a year ago. After all this time you were actually a regular at the SKZ dorms, you had become friends with all the boys and you bringing sweets for them regularly made you their number one guest of honor. Minho was often complaining that you had spoiled the maknae line rotten.

It was an evening like all else. Felix and Jisung were sitting on the couch playing games with Changbin watching them, Minho, Hyunjin and Seungmin were out for a walk, Jeongin was napping, Chan was in the studio and you and Woojin were chilling in the kitchen, having coffee and catching up. As you were talking, a fresh-out-of-bed Jeongin walked in the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water, taking a detour to hug you when he noticed you.

“What did you bring us this time, noona?” He asked cheerfully.

“Oh? So I’m only good for bringing you guys sweets, hmm?” you teased him.

“No, no, no!!” he tried to explain himself. “It’s just that I was craving cookies.”

“Cookies?” you asked as you made a list in your head.

“Yes! Like the ones you brought us a few weeks ago, they were delicious. Channie-hyung and Han-hyung ate like half of them and we didn’t even get to enjoy them.” He pouted sadly.

“Well… I’m pretty sure we can make them!” you pondered and started listing the ingredients to Woojin, who in exchange nodded.

“We can do that?” Jeongin asked, full of shock.

“Who do you think has been making the sweets all this time?” Woojin answered as he pointed at you. “And yes Y/N, we have all the ingredients apart from chocolate chips. But I’m pretty sure Minho, Hyunjin and Seungmin will be back in a bit, so we can tell them to bring some on their way back.”

Five hours, and way too many cookie butter batches later, you were laying down on the couch, a blanket covered you as you tried to get comfy. It was around 8p.m. when you started with the cookies and now it was almost 1a.m. It was lovely to see the boys trying to help you cream the butter and sugar together and knead the dough, or seeing them argue on how much chocolate chips they should put in the mix. It was by far the slowest and funniest cookie making experience you’ve ever had. In the end, you had made a lot of cookies, though mostly they were gone in the next two hours as you watched a movie. You had insisted that they left a few of them for their leader, who would be sure to return later.

Naturally at the end of all this, it was too late to go home on your own, so you grabbed your designated sleepover blanket and nestled on their couch after they all went to bed. It wasn’t often that you stayed overnight but it had happened a few times so this wasn’t new for you. Surprisingly, even though you were quite tired, sleep wouldn’t come to you. Insomnia was a usual thing for you, so you were watching cute cat videos on your phone. It was pushing 2a.m when Chan returned from the studio, with a squeaking from the door and the soft sound of his footsteps. You sat up as he turned on the light and stretched.

“What are you doing up so late?” he giggled quietly. You could see that he was really tired, dark circles underneath his sparkly eyes. You rolled your eyes, mentally scolding yourself for getting romantic like this.

“We got baking cookies and it took longer than expected, so the boys offered me to stay over. But I can’t really fall asleep.”

“You baked cookies? Are there any left for me?” There’s that lovely sparkle again, you thought as you pointed to the box on the kitchen counter.

“What are you doing out so late?” was now your turn to ask him.

“Editing.” he sighed as he all but fell on the couch you were sitting on, munching on a cookie. “I wasn't able to finish something I wanted and I’m so frustr- Oh my god these are delicious!” he looked at you. “Did you make these?”

“I mean… the recipe is mine but everyone helped!” you said with a shrug.

He smiled sweetly at you and you kept talking for a bit. As you could see his eyes getting heavier and heavier, you patted the couch right next to you, wordlessly calling him closer for some cuddles. You knew Chris well enough, he basically lived on affection and you could tell that he really needed and most definitely wouldn’t pass up the chance for a hug. He wrapped his arms around you and you got comfy, trying to not nuzzle to his chest. You tried to get his head away from work for a bit, in hopes to get his stress to ease. Asking him what’s his interest these days seemed to do the work as he brought up astronomy and how interesting he found it lately. He was reading about the stars of Andromeda just yesterday.

“Oh so you know the story behind it too?”

“Sadly no” he said with a sigh. “The book I got is mostly scientific so I don’t really know the mythology.” He pouted.

“Good thing I had an ancient Greek mythology phase then.” you giggled and you started telling him the story of Andromeda and Perseus. Five minutes in you could hear his soft snores and you tried to hold in your giggles. You pulled the blankets over you two and in a few minutes you were fast asleep too.

Around 6a.m. an incredible thirst woke Chris up. As he saw you nuzzled up into him, clinging to his shirt, he felt a blush creep up his cheeks. How were you so cute? Your voice had peacefully lulled him to sleep last night and even though he’s only slept a few hours, he was already feeling rested. He smiled warmly, gave you a tiny kiss on your forehead, carefully got up and after covering you back up, went to his own bedroom.

A few hours later you woke up into the already noise-filled dorm. As you finished washing up and walked towards the kitchen to grab a glass of water, you saw Chan already sitting on the table with an extra cup of coffee next to you and you swore you could feel your heart flutter.

It had been a few weeks later that you got to see the boys again. You were busy with some paperwork and they were promoting their latest comeback. Minho had suggested that you could come watch their performance and then you could all go get food and hang out later since they’d have a few days off. You were backstage, just catching up with them, simultaneously daydreaming of sleeping in Chris’ arms. You’d be lying if you denied that you haven’t been feeling warm and soft every time you thought about it. You happened to be talking with him at the moment that a very familiar figure walked into the room.

There stood Matthew, or… you were pretty sure he went by BM lately. Your older brother’s best friend, from way before you moved to Korea was KARD’s beast rapper and dancer Big Matthew and naturally, growing up he had been like a second older brother to you. Chris, being the friendliest person was politely saying hello to him before he turned to introduce you to his hyung and before he could blink you were receiving a bear hug from your old friend.

“Y-You two know each other?” Chris stuttered.

“This little munchkin? I knew her since she was in diapers!” BM laughed out loud, ruffling your hair. You started catching up and since the boys had to start getting their makeup done so he took you outside of the room to continue your conversation. You were soon laughing to his jokes, remembering old stories and talking about each other’s families. In-between a joke and completely out of nowhere he got serious.

“So what's up with you and Bang Chan?” he asked.

"N-nothing! We're just friends!" you mumbled.

“Yeah ok, as if you're not starry-eyed when you look at him.” He rolled his eyes as he answered.

And all of a sudden your eyes were full of tears the feelings that you were trying so hard to hide, pouring out as you began telling him everything. Your feelings and how they grew without you even realizing it, how sweet and lovely Chris was and how he always found time, even when he seemed to be so busy to send you cute supportive messages and ask you about your day. You finally had to admit it, you were in love with him…

“Please don’t tell anyone Big Bear. I’ll get in trouble… or worse he’d get in trouble” you wiped some last stray tears and sniffled as he hugged you protectively.

Little did you know that Chris had heard everything. He had finished getting ready first and went out looking for you, and he happened to find you talking about old stories and felt his heart sink. You sure seemed close with BM. And then he heard his question… and your quiet sobs. And he couldn’t believe his ears. He truly felt like the luckiest man in the word, he wanted to come hold you and wipe your tears himself but he felt frozen in place. As he heard the conversation die down he found the courage to come over.

You could feel Matthew poking gently at your side as Chris approached and you pretended to worry about BM overworking himself, and patting his shoulder. Chris smiled cutely at you two and quickly found an excuse.

“Do you mind if I steal Y/N from you hyung? Minho wants to tell her something.” he said, scratching his head. BM looked at him knowingly, raising an eyebrow.

“I’ll let you, but you have to take care of her, alright Chan?” Matthew smirked.

Chris smiled softly and nodded, took your hand and started walking towards the changing room and you followed him, trying to slow your shocked and still slightly overwhelmed heart. You also tried to not overthink the fact that he was holding your hand ever so softly. He stopped halfway though and you quirked an eyebrow, almost ready to ask him what’s wrong when he turned towards you and took your free hand in his too.

“Ok so… I lied. Minho didn’t want to tell you anything… It was me who wanted to tell you something. Something really important.” You instantly grew worried, but before you could ask anything he continued.

“I like you! Like, a lot. I’ve liked you for a long time. You’re so kind and loving and so very cute, I swear there’s not a day that I don’t want to kiss your cheeks. The boys like you and you’re so good at taking care of them. You’re as sweet as the cookies you bake and then some.” he kissed your hand as he confessed his feelings to you and you stood there in shock.

You could feel the tears from earlier almost returning, this time from joy.

“Ch-Chris are you serious?” you asked, your hands shaking. He nodded shyly, rubbing the back of your hand.

“I like you too Chris, I’ve liked you for so long” you answer as you let go of his hands and excitedly wrapped them around his shoulders for a hug. He just as excitedly wrapped his arms around your waist and gave you his warmest hug.

He gently raised his hands to your cheeks, caressing your face ever so softly and looked into your eyes he leaned down for a kiss.

“Mmhm, I was right, definitely sweeter than the cookies” he teased and you giggled as you stood on the tips of your toes to steal one more kiss.

#stay kids #bang chan #chris bang #christopher bang #skz #stray kids fanfic #stray kids fluff #bang chan fanfic #bang chan fluff #fluff #tooth-rotting fluff

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