#seem comparatively simple compared to this goddamn chapter LMAO

[musical-chick-13]

This transitory scene needs to be here, but my GOD, I don't want to fucking write it.

[illfoandillfie]

Seaside Rendezvous - Part 1

Request:  Can you please write a hc for going on a island vaca at a resort with your family after college finals and you meet joe (also a college student) and you two see each other a ton but you are always with your family so not much happens but flirty small talk and you both end up having a lot of sexual tension and go into one of your rooms when you’re family is out and just some smut happens?

Pairing: Joe Mazzello x Fem!Reader

Warnings: Mentions of sex but generally pretty innocent

Words: 4606

A/N: So this was meant to be just a small blurb/hc thing but it turned into a full 2 chapters lmao what can I say, the idea spoke to me 🤷‍♀️. It’s also the first full Joe fic I’ve done! Set in like the 2000s I guess because I don’t know a single goddamn thing about current celebrities (not that it really matters too much)

Taglist:  @idontbelievethiss @somekindof-cheese @dtfrogertaylor   @ezmina98  @vee-ndetta @atomic-watermelon @kellypenac @labessieisallama @deakyclicks @jennyggggrrr

In the days before you went on vacation your friends had made a lot of jokes about potential holiday romances. Everything from unsubtle innuendos to fantasies about running into pop stars who would, naturally, sweep you off your feet. You laughed at it all, rolling your eyes at the more far-fetched ideas – as if Justin Timberlake would want you. But, if you were being honest, the idea had crossed your mind the minute your Mom called to tell you she’d booked a family vacation to Hawaii. Not the Timberlake stuff, the real stuff – the potential to have a fling with a cute almost stranger, a couple of weeks spent relaxing on the beach and indulging in meaningless sex. After all, it had been a few months since you broke things off with Eddie and, while you weren’t necessarily ready to rush into anything as serious as a proper relationship, a brief holiday romance sounded almost ideal. Provided you could find anyone attractive enough. And get away from your family for long enough.  

Almost as soon as finals were done you were at the airport, boarding your flight to Hawaii where your parents and little sister had already been for a day. With thoughts of warm sand and soft kisses swirling though your head as you shuffled onto the plane, it was almost inevitable that you’d ended up fantasising about one of your fellow passengers. He’d seen you struggling to get your carryon luggage into the overhead compartment and had come to your aid, lifting the heavy suitcase with ease and offering you a sweet smile and a joke about travelling with rocks. You giggled, less because the joke was funny than that you didn’t know how else to deal with those gorgeous hazel eyes looking at you. Unfortunately, you couldn’t say much more than a brief thank you, the crowd jostling around you pushing you towards your seat, a few rows behind him. You spent the rest of the flight trying to subtly watch him, glancing at him from over the top of your magazine. It wasn’t like you had anything better to do for the duration of the flight – the magazine you’d picked up seemed painfully boring now and after finals your brain didn’t feel up to reading a whole lot anyway. Thankfully you had an aisle seat, something that had bummed you out at first but now seemed like a lucky break since he did too. He looked to be around your age, alone, reading. You took in everything of his appearance you could, the slope of his nose, the slight scruff covering his jaw, as you let yourself drift into fantasy. His hands pulling you into the airplane bathroom. His lips trailing down your throat. His fingers slipping into your shorts. He was definitely cute with a capital c, and it was nice to have someone to think about, even if this small infatuation or whatever it was wouldn’t last much longer than the flight. After all, he probably wouldn’t be staying at the same resort your family was, right? Because that would be the sort of thing you’d find in a romance novel or a cheesy movie, not real life. Real life never lined up so perfectly.

At the end of the flight you watched him get up, pull down his own luggage, and leave without so much as a backwards glance. And then he was lost in the crowd as you collected your things and followed everyone towards the arrivals lounge. The sight of your parents and younger sister, Erin, drove the cute passenger from your mind, the infatuation slipping away (as you’d known it would) as soon as you saw Erin waving at you, a big grin plastered to her face. Your mother pulled you into a tight embrace as soon as you were within reach, already asking you a hundred questions – how was school? Did the finals go okay? Whatever happened to that Eddie boy you’d brought home for Thanksgiving? Your Dad pried her off you, reminding her you needed air like everyone else, and began to lead you all out towards the car. On the drive to the resort you filled each other in on what had been happening, catching up on the months you’d missed since you last visited home.

By the time you arrived at the resort, the guy from the plane was so far from your thoughts you wouldn’t have been able to recall the colour of his eyes if you’d tried. Which is why you almost dropped your luggage when you saw him leaning against the reception desk. You mumbled something about tripping when your Mom turned to see what had happened, trying not to let your eyes flick towards him again. Your parents already had the key to their room but you’d booked one in your name as well – twin beds so your sister could join you.   “I’ll get someone to take your luggage up while you sort out your key and then we can all head down to the pool before dinner, sound like a plan?”   “Sounds great Dad, I’ll meet you guys upstairs” you nodded, willing them to leave before Airplane Boy did. If things went your way you could find out how he compared to your airborne fantasies by the end of the night.

Whatever being was watching over you must have been in a benevolent mood because twenty seconds later your family was in the elevator and your fantasy man was turning around, room key in hand, eyes going wide when he saw you. “Well isn’t this a small world,” his eyes, hazel, flicked over you as he spoke, taking in every inch of your appearance and suddenly you wished didn’t look like you’d just got off a plane. “Yeah, who’d have thought we’d both end up at one of the most popular resorts on Hawaii?” “Would have been just my luck if we hadn’t, did you manage to get that bag of rocks back down or is that why you’ve got no luggage?” “I got it down. I had to get help from someone in the cabin crew, but I got it down.” “Well I’m glad someone was there to rescue you. I’m Joe by the way.” He held out his hand. “Y/N,” you said, shaking it, setting the butterflies in your stomach fluttering. “Nice to meet you properly, Y/N.” “Likewise.” You smiled at him, batting your lashes ever so slightly. “Well, if you need any more help with your bags, I’m happy to lend a hand. Make up for not getting them back down for you.” “That’s a very sweet offer Joe, though I don’t think I properly thanked you for the help in the first place,” Oh christ did that sound too much like a line from a porno? Joe's laugh was that of someone a little flustered, cheeks turning pink. “S-sorry, I, uh, I should let you go check in now,” “Probably should do that should’t I? Maybe, I’ll see you round though?” “Yeah, I hope so. I mean, probably, right? A place like this – not many spots you could hide in,” he laughed. “Who said I’d be hiding?” You trailed your fingers over his arm as you walked past him, “See you later Joe,” He cleared his throat, “Yeah, bye Y/N.” You managed to resist the urge to turn around and see if he was watching you walk away as you headed to get your key, kind of wishing you had let your Mom talk you into getting a twin room. Erin was great, and you’d missed her, but nothing said you're not having sex like sharing a room with a twelve-year-old. It didn’t hit you until you were in the elevator that you should have found out his room number.  

“Sorry I’m late, the guy in front of me had some sort of problem. Took ages to sort out.” Definitely wasn’t flirting with anyone.   “Well you’re here now. Still got time to hit the pool so best get a wriggle on.” You and Erin exchanged rolled eyes as you opened your room. It was clean and simple, the two beds taking up most of the space. Splashes of bright green, like the cushions that sat on each bed, and the vase of flowers that stood on the side table against the far wall, were in stark contrast to the crisp white walls and sheets. A balcony gave you a picturesque view of the ocean, and ocean themed artwork hung above the TV and on half the blank walls. You ducked into the bathroom to get changed, finding more artwork on the walls and some decorative shells by the sink. It took you all of five minutes to change into your bathers and grab your sunnies. Normally you wouldn’t have bothered with the bikini for anything less than the beach, especially so late in the afternoon, but there was the chance you could run into Joe again and you wanted him to see you in something better than the old shorts and too big shirt you’d flown in. You gave your lips a swipe of gloss, blowing a kiss to your reflection before hurrying out to join your family, towel tucked under your arm.

The pool was not the single Olympic length one you’d been imagining but rather a series of oddly shaped lagoons of crystal-clear water interspersed with greenery that made everything feel full of life and offered protection from the sun when it was at its highest. It was busy but large enough and spread out enough that it wasn’t noticeable. There were people gathered around the bar, ordering bright drinks topped off with umbrellas and fresh fruit, and relaxing on the many lounge chairs, empty glasses and plates lining the tables. Your father led the way through the hoard of screaming children in the kiddie pool and their parents lazily watching them from the sides, towards a lagoon further back, finding a clear spot at the water’s edge. You’d barely sat down, dipping your toes into the cool water when Erin ran past you to cannonball into the pool, the large splash she made flying towards you. When she surfaced, she laughed at the now wet hair you’d had to push backwards out of your eyes. “Careful sweetie,” your Mom warned, already lying back on a lounge chair with her eyes closed. You kicked some water back at Erin, only half paying attention as you let your eyes wander over the people. No sign of Joe. You sighed, leaning back on your hands and closing your eyes as you tilted your head back, letting the low sun warm you while it still could. It felt nice to relax, even if there wasn’t a cute boy drooling over you. You hadn’t properly relaxed in too long to count.  

“Bikini’s a good look,” Slowly you brought your head back up, turning towards your right where Joe was suddenly sitting. “Suit’s you.” “Thanks,” you gave Joe a once over, pushing your sunglasses down your nose a little so you could take in the boardshorts and bare chest look he’d gone for, before tilting your head back to the sky again, “Could say the same for you.” “Don’t think I’d look half as good in a bikini as you do.” You could hear his stupid grin through every word and couldn’t help the laugh it inspired. “So what brings you to the pool?” he asked, shifting so he was facing you and leaning in. “Eyes forward, can’t look like we’re talking.” “Oh-kay.” He did as you asked, dropping his feet into the water and looking out to the other end of the pool, “Can I ask why we’re being so,” he stretched the word out, waving his hand in circles as he searched for the right word, “clandestine?” “Family. Mom’s over there on the lounge chair, Dad’s gone to the bar I think. And technically I’m watching my little sister swimming. Not meant to be talking to cute boys.” “Well I'm flattered you’d break whatever rules you’re breaking for me, but I don’t want to get you in trouble.” “I like the trouble. Besides it’s less rules and more that this is the first time I’ve seen my family in months. If they caught wind I wanted to ditch them for a guy I barely know...let’s just say they’d make a fuss.” “So we’re not dealing with like, an overprotective father then?” “Mum’s more of the worry, she’d get like super nosey. But Dad’d be too awkward to be mad.” “Thank God,” Joe mimed wiping sweat from his forehead. When he put his hand back down it was closer to yours, pinkie fingers brushing slightly. You could feel him chancing a glance at you but focused your gaze on Erin, watching as she tread water while talking to another girl around her age, trying to slow your heart beat before it thumped right out of your chest.   He flicked his head forward again, a shy smile still in place as his eyes came to rest on the same spot as yours, “Your sister seems sweet,” “Erin? She can be, but she also inherited Mom’s love of gossip.”   “So gotta be careful around her then,” “Definitely,” You turned your head towards him, finding it difficult to drag your eyes away from his lips once they’d settled there, your own parting slightly in anticipation of a kiss that wasn’t coming. “Sneaking around is kinda more fun though. Think you can get away tonight? Just long enough to have a drink with me?” You hadn’t expected him to be so bold as to ask you out this early on but it wasn’t an unwelcome surprise. Even so, you pretended to think it over, taking extra time as if you were running through a list of things in your mind, “Yeah, think so. Just depends how fast Erin drops off.” He threw you a questioning look. “We’re roommates.” “So I guess you’ll be wanting my room number then, since yours is off limits. It’s 308.” “Huh, I’m in 315.” “Well Miss Y/N from room 315, Hope I see you soon.” He pushed himself to his feet and walked away, leaving you with a racing heart, sweaty palms, and a pinkie finger that just wouldn’t stop tingling.  

After dinner you returned to your room, exhausted from the long day and needing to unpack properly. Erin collapsed onto her bed, flicking the TV on and settled in to watch reruns of The Simpsons while you hauled your suitcases over to the cupboard and began to put things away. The two of you talked intermittently, mostly during commercials, about what you were hoping to do on this holiday and how much fun it was going to be. She didn’t mention seeing you talk to Joe which relieved you no end, especially after you’d run into him at the restaurant where you’d had dinner. Just a brief, “Sorry, excuse me,” from him as he squeezed behind you while you waited for a table. His hand had lingered a fraction longer than necessary on your lower back, and it had taken all your willpower not to grab it and place it on your ass. And then he was gone again, lost in the crowd, while you tried to maintain a regular conversation with your parents.  

You’d just changed into your pyjama shorts and a singlet and were about to hop into bed yourself, when you heard a loud giggle from the next room over where your parents were. It was followed by your father’s voice making shushing noises through his own laughter and then, “don’t want the kids to hear us. So glad we’ve got the room to ourselves now.” You and Erin exchanged horrified looks and then you were both moving, slipping shoes on and grabbing the room key, all tiredness forgotten as you just about ran out the door. You only paused when you reached the elevator, realising you had no idea where you were going.   “Is there like a rec room or something we could go to?” You asked, scanning the list of floor numbers for any sign of a pool table or video game console. “How should I know?” “You’ve been here a whole 24 hours more than me,” “I just went where Mom and Dad went!” “Alright, Christ, no need to yell. Well, I know the bar is on flo-” “Typical,” “What’s that supposed to mean?” “All you grown ups care about is the stupid bar,” “Yeah cause you brats drive us to drink,” “You brats drive us to drink,” she imitated in a high pitched annoying whine that made you roll your eyes. “Fine, you’re gonna be a baby I’ll see if there’s a fucking nursery to drop you in. You clearly need to go beddy-byes.” Your bickering was interrupted by footsteps coming up behind you and a familiar voice calling your name. Fuck.

“Didn’t take you for one to argue in the hallways,” “Clearly you don’t have a younger sister then, Joe,” “No, but I do have an older one. She could be real bossy,” he winked at Erin who giggled. You rolled your eyes again.   “Do you know if there’s a rec room or something round here?” “At this time? What’s wrong with your room?” “Mum and Dad are fucking,” Erin chimed in before you could come up with an excuse, looking far too innocent to understand what that meant and for a moment you wondered what else she’d learnt while you were away at college, “I saw you talking to Y/N this afternoon at the pool. Are you two fucking?” “Jesus Erin, language. And stop being so fucking nosey,” “You swear all the time,” “I’m an adult, I’ve earned the right to swear,” “Why don’t we settle this argument back at my room? There’s a Simpson’s marathon on which I’m sure... Sorry didn’t catch this little angel’s name,” Smooth. “Erin,” the so-called angel piped up, sticking out her hand and grinning.   “Which I’m sure Erin would enjoy,” Joe finished as he bent down and shook her hand, “Nice to meet you.” Your eye muscles sure were getting a workout tonight. But Erin seemed pleased with the turn of events so you accepted. Better than getting lost on the way to a rec room that may not even exist. Plus it helped that as Joe stood up he subtly mentioned the bottle of vodka he had stashed in his suitcase.

Joe’s room looked much the same as yours, though he had different art and instead of twin beds, one king sized. “Alright, there you go Missy,” he said to Erin as he handed her the remote control to the TV, “Knock yourself out,” “Please,” you mumbled as Erin raced into the room, kicking her shoes off as she went and then bounced into the middle of the bed. Joe caught you rolling your eyes again. “You do that a lot y’know,” “Only when I’m babysitting. I love her to death but Christ,” If badmouthing your sister was going to earn you another laugh from Joe you could have gone all night. Instead you reigned yourself in, leaning against the doorframe as you watched him dig through his luggage. Finally he pulled out the bottle he’d been searching for, holding it up triumphantly. “D’you wanna sit on the balcony?” “Sounds great,” you followed him out, dodging Erin’s annoyed grunts as you moved in front of the TV. “Not gonna get too cold out here in those adorable PJs? Very short,” Joe said as he gently shut the door behind you. “I think I’ll be fine. But I’ll let you know if I need warming up.” He laughed as he slid down the door until he was sitting on the floor, patting the spot beside him. You glanced at the unused chairs but joined him anyway, stretching your legs out in front of you as he opened the bottle of vodka.   “I don’t have any glasses so I hope you don’t mind sharing the bottle,” “Who brings a full bottle of vodka and no cups?” “A college student?” “Fair enough,” “Ladies first,” He passed the bottle over and you took a large swig, hissing a little as the alcohol burned your throat. “You were good with her, before,” you passed the bottle back to Joe, tilting your head to indicate Erin. “Yeah well, don’t just have an older sister, got a younger brother too. Not quite the age gap though.” “She was a bit of...a surprise. But your family isn’t here too?” “Nah, came on my own. Reward for getting through another fuckin year.” “Cheers to that,” you peaked over your shoulder but Erin was completely entranced by the TV. “So you’re parents really just went for it?” “Urgh, god don’t remind me. That’s what the alcohol’s for. Completely unfair that they get to haunt us with nightmares for the rest of our lives and I can’t get a second away from my baby sister.” “You could always sneak away.” “What like, fake being sick?” “God no, too risky. Have you never watched a movie before? Ferris Bueller ringin’ any bells?” “Alright, calm down,” you laughed, “it was just a suggestion,” “Fake being sick,” he scoffed, taking another sip of vodka, “To make it believable you’d have to start exhibiting signs the night before. Then day of you have to give yourself a temperature and make yourself sneeze or cough or throw up a lot. And then what about Erin? She’s not gonna catch whatever mysterious illness you get that clears up in 24 hours. And you can only use it once.” “Jesus Christ. You really have thought about this.” “I got a lot of practice as a kid,” he said with a shrug, “If one of us was off from school sick, all of us were off from school sick.” “Okay smartguy, what do you suggest I do instead?” “Easy. Go with them on whatever they’re doing. Relaxing on the beach, golf course, whatever. Then a few hours in say you need to stretch your legs or claim to have an appointment with the masseuse or something but say you’ll meet up with them for lunch or dinner even. And then you come back here.” “You’re very confident that I’d visit you in my family free hours,” “You called me cute, think I can afford to be confident.” “Touché.”  

It was another few hours before you stood to leave, Joe having stashed the bottle of vodka away long ago, before you had the chance to get completely wasted. He’d told you that you’d thank him tomorrow when you didn’t wake up with a hangover but the part of your brain that remembered why you’d wanted a drink so bad didn’t fully believe him. You’d let him take the bottle with a promise that you could help finish it another night. As the hours ticked by he’d slowly inched closer to you, eventually wrapping his arm around you as you looked up at the partially obscured stars. You encouraged him by claiming you were getting chilly. Erin had dropped off within the first hour, though you were still cautious in case she woke up. Still you were happy to wedge yourself into his side, dropping your head onto his shoulder as you talked about whatever crossed your minds. You’d been even happier to let him kiss you, softly, breaking apart much too soon as Erin snorted in her sleep. That had been your cue to leave, even though your lips still buzzed with the desire for more.   “Sorry,” you said quietly, not quite pulling away from him. “No it’s fine, I don’t wanna get caught out by her either. She’s a feisty little thing,” “The word you’re looking for is nosey but yeah,” “Wouldn’t want her announcing anything to the whole resort,” “Not when sneaking around is kinda more fun,” You both chuckled, trying to keep your voices low as you re-entered Joe’s room. “D’you want me to carry her back to your room?” He offered with all the kindness you’d come to expect from him. “Sure your skinny little twig arms can handle it?” “I lifted your suitcase of paperweights didn’t I. Plus, it’s just up the hall.” “Thought it was a suitcase of rocks.” “Tomato, tomatoe. Do you want the help or not?” “Thanks,” He grunted slightly as he lifted her, one arm under her knees and the other under her back, pretending to drop her a little which had you stifling laughter and shaking your head as you lead the way out of his room.  

The walk back to your room was much too short, though Joe probably would have said different under the weight of your dead-to-the-world sister. You put your finger to your lips as you opened the door and held it. He deposited your sister on her bed as gently as possible, going the extra mile to tuck her in under the blankets she’d so hastily thrown to the side earlier. All was quiet in the room next door and you breathed a sigh of relief as Joe came back out into the hallway. He stood close, the extra inches he had on you much more noticeable now than when you’d been sitting on his balcony. “So, you’ll try to get away then?” Joe bit his lip nervously which only served to make him look even cuter, making you want him more. “Yeah, soon as I can.” “Tomorrow maybe?” “Coming across a little desperate Joey,” you teased, poking him in the chest, “Besides think Mom mentioned something about doing a tour of the island tomorrow, not sure I could get away. But soon, promise.” “I’m gonna hold you to that, Y/N,” “Of course,” There was a brief pause, Joe rubbing the palm of one hand with the other’s thumb as his eyes darted over your head to your sleeping sister and then to the door of your parent’s room. “Fuck it,” he said and then he was leaning in to kiss you again. It started as light and soft as the first attempt back at his room had, almost chaste, but when no third-wheeling sibling or grumpy parent interrupted it changed. His hands moved further around your back, pulling you as close to him as he could. You wobbled slightly as your balance shifted but he held you steady while you wrapped your arms around his neck, tongues meeting with the urgency only an imminent interruption could bring. You lost track of how long you were intertwined, all other thoughts driven from your mind until he pulled back. “Been thinking about that since you helped me on the plane,” you muttered softly, trailing your hand down over his cheek, not wanting to lose contact yet. “How did I do?” His hands hadn't left you either.   “Oh, uh r-really good,” you nodded rapidly. Joe laughed again, “Don’t think I’ve seen you this lost for words before,” You wanted to say something witty in response, but your mind was still whirling with the kiss so all you could manage was a, “spose not,” and a small giggle. Slowly you came back to your senses, realising where you were. “I should -,” you pointed at your room with your thumb, though it was half hearted. “Yeah,” He caught your lips with his once more, briefly, before bidding you goodnight and disappearing down the hall leaving you, once again, wishing you had a room to yourself so you could at least masturbate in peace.

[bucky-at-bedtime]

Redemption

Summary: Your life as an assassin for the mob has always been an easy one – find the target, kill the target. Simple. Everything changes when you fail to kill your new target – Bucky Barnes. 

Pairing: Eventually, Bucky x fem!reader 

Warnings: Violence, blood, death (wow, a bit different to my usual fluff)

Words: 3.5k

A/n: I’m posting this now – I don’t know when I’ll post the rest of this story because I’m kind of stuck with my plan for it, so if you have any ideas/wanna chat about it, I don’t mind! Though, this is just set-up – the Avengers become a bigger part of it next chapter, you might need to read that before you start speculating lmao

 I just really wanted to post this and see what you guys think. Let me know!

Chapter One

Stay low, go fast

Kill first, die last

One shot, one kill

Not luck, all skill

Inhale.

The air entered your lungs slowly, your chest rising ever-so-slightly as you closed your eyes. You were grounding yourself in the moment like you always did. Your entire body was still – practiced in the art of not being seen. You crouched in the empty sandwich shop, your rifle rested on your shoulder, your hands tight around the cool metal of a 300 Winchester Magnum as you begun your process – the habitual movements you followed before pulling the trigger.

Exhale.

You opened your eyes, staring across the road at the bank. You had trailed your target here and set up shop in the restaurant across the street – emptied out by the commotion. A robbery –– hostage situation –– in the bank across the road. At first, you thought they were your target – the masked idiots who attempted to rob a high-security bank with nothing but a few pistols and masks. Turns out, your target was someone else – the man that came to stop them. The Winter Soldier.

Inhale.

This time, your eyes stayed open, watching carefully as he landed a punch on one of the robbers, consciously withholding the metal arm – the one that would do more damage.

You squinted through the sight, adjusting your aim to make sure you were on-target one last time and swallowing carefully.

He wasn’t fighting to kill, just to subdue. The criminal fell to the ground and the Soldier’s partner –– a redhead with skills comparable to yours –– zip-tied his wrists. He was the last one to go down.

Exhale.

The breath came out shaky. This was your chance – The Black Widow moved to help the hostages, helping them up from the ground and attempting to comfort them whilst The Winter Soldier assessed the building, looking for any signs of danger. All You had to do was pull the trigger.

Your eyes flickered down and you noticed your shaking hands, your finger hesitating to cover the trigger. You frowned to yourself and took a sharp intake of breath, closing your eyes again as if you were restarting your process. You never had to do this twice. You swallowed the hitch in your throat and opened your eyes again on the exhale, trailing over the brunette. You couldn’t miss this chance.

His metal arm rose up and he squinted through the sight on his own gun, magnifying his surroundings as he spun, securing the perimeter. Shit.

You didn’t have enough time to move and suddenly, he had zoned in on your position, freezing in place as he saw the gun pointed at him.

“Shit,” you hissed to yourself, ducking down and reaching to pack away your gun. You glanced up over the ledge to see his figure running towards your position, calling something back to his partner. You mumbled a string of swear words under your breath, shoving the black bag under a nearby table and leaping up from your spot on the floor, smashing the window with the butt of your handgun. You’d been spotted – there was no longer a need to be subtle.

You ran at the glass, swiftly breaking through the already-cracked window, using the sleeves of your leather jack to shield your skin from any major cuts. You could deal with a few scratches. You could hear his footsteps now, heavy boots making their way towards you and you jumped into action, running down the empty footpath and swiftly dodging a hotdog stand.

He was still catching up –– clad in black, he was practically your shadow –– right behind you, step after step. But shadows couldn’t catch you.

His metal arm hit your back and you both hit the ground, half of his body pressed against your back. The air seemed to fly from your lungs on impact. You struggled to slip out from underneath him, scrambling back up onto your feet. You were about to run again – try to lose him, but he was up too, pressing you against the brick wall. His metal arm was pressed against your collarbones, cutting of a significant amount of air.

“Who the hell are you?” he practically growled as one of your hands gripped his forearm in a weak attempt to pull him off.

Instead, you lifted a knee, nailing him in the stomach and forcing him to lose his grip, allowing you a moment to get out of his grip. When he turned back to face you, you were ready for him and threw a right hook at his jaw, causing his head to jolt back. “No one important.” you heaved, attempting to throw another punch.

You didn’t keep the advantage for long though as he caught your hand, sending a punch to your ribs that caused you to double over.

“Who sent you?” He asked, grabbing you by the collar of your leather jacket and throwing you back against a window.

You fell through the shattering glass, letting out a few coughs before realising what had happened –– he made space between the two of you –– this was your chance to run. You scrambled back through the hair salon, feeling a few cuts on your hands from the glass, but he hadn’t entered the shop yet, and you managed to get behind the counter.

Seconds later, his footsteps entered the salon – but he was too late. You swiftly snuck through the back door, sprinting as fast as you could down the alley to a main road. You knew your employer would be tracking you, and luckily enough, a familiar black van pulled up at the end of the alley, the door opening just in time for you to leap inside.

The door was sliding closed in front of you when you saw him emerge, gun raised and ready to shoot. You pushed yourself up against the wall of the van, scrambling to get it closed as you heard a gunshot go off, hitting the door and creating an indent. With no vehicles nearby, he didn’t have a chance to follow the speeding van.

Silence filled the small space and you pulled yourself up, blinking rapidly through the pain of the fight.

Inhale.

You hissed at the burn in your ribs, pressing a gloved hand to the emerging bruise and squeezing your eyes shut. You could hear your heartbeat in your ears as the adrenalin pumped through your bloodstream and your body jolted with every twist and turn the van made.

Exhale.

“Shit,” you mumbled to yourself, eyes still squeezed shut.

Why couldn’t you pull the goddamn trigger?

You were pretty sure you hadn’t been able to breathe since you got into that van – at least that’s what it felt like. It was the first time you had ever failed. You had no good reason, no way to excuse this fuck up. You just froze.

Your hands had continued to shake as you sat silently in the back of the van, a masked driver staring solemnly at the road ahead, each twist and turn making your heart lurch as you got closer to your destination.

You brushed off your leather jacket, noticing the blood on your hands and wincing at the cuts that were scattered across your skin from the shattered glass. They would heal quickly – certain enhancements made sure of that, but for now, they stung with every movement.

Over the last few years, you had found yourself in and out of labs. Hundreds of injections into your bloodstream as they tried to perfect your enhancements, create the perfect assassin. None of it had worked how it was supposed to –– you weren’t anywhere near invincible –– just a little bit stronger, a little bit faster, a little bit better. You’d live a little bit longer and you healed a little bit faster. But it wasn’t good enough.

The van screeched to a stop and the door slid open, revealing your employer’s right-hand-man; Nathaniel, his lips were pulled into a straight line as he gestured for you to get out.

“King’s waiting – follow me. Weapons in the box, you know the drill,” he spoke, straightening his tie and tapping something on his phone screen. He was one of the only familiar faces – a constant in your bosses entourage. His slim figure and sharp features were a rare sight, and it wasn't hard to tell that Nathaniel wasn’t a fighter. 

You pulled yourself out of the van, biting your lip at the pain that shot through your ribs. You caught up to Nathaniel and threw an arm over his shoulder.

“Nathaniel! How are you? Long-time no see. Still the same old tight-ass?” You managed to sound as though your anxiety wasn’t going crazy in that moment and he quickly shrugged your arm off, dusting his shoulders and shooting you a tired look.

“If you would refrain from dirtying my suit, I would be better.”

“I’ll take that as a yes.” You nodded, strolling along beside him as he entered the warehouse, punching some numbers into a keypad to unlock a door and then gesturing for you to step into the room.

The warehouse was the base of operations – the man you worked for was something of a modern mob boss. He insisted on being referred to as ‘The King,’ and his kingdom was full of shady characters. Hitmen, lackies, and goons – all brutish people who strived for money and power, people who killed with no remorse. Over the last few years, you had gotten used to them – their snide remarks and gross infatuations. You had desensitised yourself from this world –– the world of criminals, the world of monsters –– as you, yourself, became one.

As you entered the dark room, (as all rooms seemed to be in this place) your eyes flickered over to The King. His hand was tangled in the hair of another suited man, tied to a chair. Blood seemed to seep from every orifice on his face and he groaned in pain as his hair was pulled back, his body straining to stretch towards it. His eyes searched the room for a way out, something to soothe the pain and they soon found yours.

They were wide, begging, brimming with tears – they were the eyes of a broken man, a man with no answers. He was a deer caught in the headlights and you were the brakes of the truck.

But the brakes had been cut long ago.

You watched as the slim, suited man pulled his knife and thrust it forwards, burying it in that man’s chest. You lowered your eyes at the choking sound the man-made and brushed some dust from your pants, biting the inside of your cheek.

Finally, the room fell silent and a few men entered, dragging the now-limp body from the room.

“Ah, my princess is back.” His voice was deep and full of false adoration as he pulled a handkerchief from the pocket of his navy-blue suit, wiping the knife carefully before tucking it back into the inside of his jacket, looking up at you. “How’d the mission go?”

“Wasn’t my best,” you huffed, looking up at him with a passive look on your face.

“What does that mean?” he asked, raising one dark brow and crossing his arms across his chest. “Did you get the target?”

“Not exactly, no. He uh… He got away”

“Excuse me?”

“The Winter Soldier – he’s good, boss.” you hated the way that word felt on your lips, but you used it anyway, in hopes that he would calm down. You licked your lips. “He got away.”

“You’re supposed to be better,” he growled, taking a step towards you. “This just won’t do.”

You watched as his jaw clenched and he brought one hand up, gesturing to the man behind him. “Bring him in.”

That’s all it took – those three words. You hadn’t heard them in a while, but then again, you hadn’t fucked up in a while. Your heart dropped to your stomach and you opened your mouth to protest, but the door crashed open, and your brother fell through. He already knew you’d failed – he was testing if you would tell him the truth.

“Andy!” You lurched forwards as soon as your brother hit the ground, but two men grabbed your arms, pushing you up against the wall. You tried to kick your legs out – do anything to get away, but the men threw punches at your torso – taking it in turns until you fell limp.

You watched as your brother’s eyes found yours – dark bags under his eyes, as usual. His skin was pale, and his cheeks were sunken. He looked tired. He always looks tired.

“Y/n, it’s okay – listen, it’ll be alright,” he murmured, blinking away the exhaustion and pulling himself up onto his knees.

The King was renowned for his cruelty – but in your opinion, taking your brother was the worst thing he had ever done.

In the beginning, 8 years ago, you had volunteered –– you took a few jobs, took out a few dirty congressmen, earned some (desperately needed) cash –– but when you tried to get out, after only two years, The King decided he didn’t want to lose his best assassin. He got up one day, ordered his men to kidnap your brother, and had been using him as leverage ever since. It had been 6 years, and you’d learned to co-operate pretty quickly.

“What are you doing? Stop – I’ll– I’ll get him next time,” you begged, trying to stop the pale man from hurting your brother.

“You need to learn from what happened this time,” he stated, pulling off his jacket and rolling his crisp white sleeves up to his elbows, stalking towards the middle of the room.

The first punch was always the worst – the sound of skin hitting skin, the blood spurting from his mouth, the crack of his neck as his head flew to the side. You pulled at the men who were holding you down, desperately trying to get to him as another methodical punch landed. Then another. And another. A few minutes in you were hanging limp in their arms, watching with the usual defeated expression as each punch hit.

Blood ran down your brother’s chin, and you let out slow shaky breaths, glaring at the scene in front of you. The King’s suit was splattered with drops of blood and you were trying your hardest not to yell and scream – the more you cooperate, the easier this would be.

But suddenly, your brother wasn’t aware of that.

His eyes locked onto yours across the room, lids hooded in pain, but you saw something in them – something you used to see in your own eyes. You shook your head subtly, trying to discourage him from whatever he was about to do, but he sent you a slow wink, the corner of his mouth twitching up before he looked away.

It all happened in a matter of seconds – you were unable to stop any of it as your brother lifted his arms, catching the bloody fist and pulling it towards him, smashing his forehead against your boss’.

“ANDY, NO!” you screamed, managing to loosen one arm and throwing an elbow against the man’s face, sending him to the ground.

Your brother reached for the gun on The King’s belt, pulling it out and holding it up, finger hovering over the trigger.

You struggled to get away from the man holding you back, watching as the man’s bloody knuckles closed around another gun tucked into the back of his pants.

You turned, sending a punch your captor’s nose, throwing him off guard, you lifted your knee, sending a blow to ribs, before you threw a kick at his left kneecap. He fell to the ground as a gunshot rang through the room and you felt your heart stop as you turned back towards the noise.

You froze at the sight of your brother’s body, the blood pooling underneath him. Your ears were buzzing and all you could do was stare. Your entire body was vibrating with anger and you could feel your mouth pulling into a straight line as The King stood up, brushing off the front of his shirt and adjusting his collar.

You wouldn't believe it. It couldn’t be real. Not after all this time. All these years you spent trying to protect him, keep him alive. You tried to tear your eyes away from his body, but you were stuck.

“Well, that was unfortunate.” His voice rung through the room and your shoulders jolted at the sound. A jolted breath escaped your throat as you continued to stare at the growing pool of blood. “Didn’t know he had it in him.”

Finally you raised your head, your eyes still on your brother as your face turned. With a blink, your eyes shot up to The King – his furrowed eyebrows as his fingertips brushed over the graze on his arm. “Not a very good shot,” he mumbled, picking up the handkerchief from before to wipe away some of his own blood.

“Yo– You–” your eyes flickered back down to the floor and you felt nausea surge through your stomach, causing you to keel over, hands on your knees. “I can’t– God I can’t breathe,” you mumbled to yourself.

“Now, if you could just cooperate, I’m sure we can work something out-”

You drowned out his words, your mind going into overdrive as you tried to think of your next move. You came to one conclusion – with nothing keeping you here, it was time for you to finally get out.

You stayed bent over, tuning him out as he continued to speak. Your eyes searched the part of the room you could see, looking for a way out. Planning your escape.

You couldn’t think about anything else right now.

You took a deep breath in, and dropped to the ground, pulling a gun from the holster of one of the men you had knocked out. When you pulled back up, pointing the gun at The King, your hands were steady once again and his gun was pointed at your chest.

“Oh, my king,” you drawled passively, pointing the barrel at his head. “Do you really think you can pull that trigger before me?”

His face morphed into a snarl – a brief moment where you could see exactly how angry he was. It was gone in seconds, a polished smirk appearing behind it as he let the gun fall to his side.

“No,” he chuckled lowly, raising an arm in surrender. “No, I don’t. I do think, however, that you won’t make it out of here if you shoot me. Far too much commotion, isn’t it?”

You let out a steady breath, holding the gun steady. “You’re right. But here’s how this goes – the second I leave this room, you’ll call your lackies, send ‘em after me. There’ll be a chase, I’ll get away, maybe I’ll kill them.” You shrugged a shoulder apathetically, quirking a brow as he watched you carefully. “And then – it might not be anytime soon – but I’m gonna kill you.” You murmured, taking a step back towards the door. “You’re gonna regret ever giving me that first job.”

You kicked back, and the door swung open, allowing you to slip out, staying low as you ran through the halls.

A few men were on your tail in a matter of seconds, but you shot back, taking one down as you continued to run, swerving through the shipping containers and old buildings.

Moments later, you’d lost them all except one – and you had a plan to lose him too. You were coming up on the inner-city streets and with a quick look over your shoulder, you could see the man in pursuit, pushing past drunken passers-by.

You assessed the entrance to a nearby alleyway and you knew that if you timed it right, he wouldn’t see you slip through.

You dodged a few more people before slipping down the alleyway, using the metal bars of a fire escape above you to pull yourself up and swing over the edge of dumpster, landing neatly inside, surrounded by trash. You let out a quiet groan, unsure if it was due to the smell or the pain.

You let your head fall back against the side of the dumpster, unable to care about how disgusting this situation was. You sighed to yourself, squeezing your eyes shut to try and stop the tears that were brimming in your eyes. You clenched your jaw in determination, fingers brushing over the gun in your jacket.

The King killed your brother. It’s about time he lost his crown.

Tags:

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Bucky Tags:

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[velvetchen]

Anonymous | pt. v

[ back to masterlist ]

Scenario: Tumblr AU Pairing: Chanyeol/Reader Word Count: 2226 Rating: T

Summary: Can you fall in love with someone you’ve never met? You just shot to tumblr fame when the latest chapter of your webtoon went viral. Messages start flooding in – hundreds of people saying things good and bad alike. One anon catches your eye, and you find you just have to reply to them…

<< previous part x next part >>

[12:03 AM] You: hey C, you awake? [12:05 AM] C: yeah what’s up? [12:05 AM] You: oh cool [12:05 AM] You: what are you doing~~ [12:07 AM] C: you know me, always working [12:08 AM] C: new song [12:08 AM] C: it’s coming along well i don’t want to interrupt it by going to bed [12:09 AM] You: you still haven’t let me hear any of your songs :( [12:10 AM] You: we’ve been texting for a while now and i still don’t even know your name [12:11 AM] You: i mean it’s fine like this but i can’t help but wonder [12:15 AM] C: trust me, S [12:15 AM] C: there’s a reason i’m so private

Anonymous asked: Lmao you think by blocking me you’re safe? I can do a lot, you know

Oh, you again

Anonymous asked: You don’t seem excited to see me :(

Anonymous asked: I just wanna know who my favorite author is, is that so bad?

oo3043j

posts about #webtoon and #me

You aren’t following this user. Do you want to report spam?

oo3043j: I know who you are

oo3043j: You think just because we’re your fans, you don’t owe us anything?

oo3043j: Lol bitch

oo3043j: Let me just say I’ve done some research on you

oo3043j: And I don’t just know your name…

oo3043j: I know C’s too

oo3043j: I don’t think it’s a name you want your fans to know. Given how much hate you’re already getting

oo3043j: Do I have your attention yet?

oo3043j.tumblr.com

Untitled

Meditate on this empty tumblr for a while.

[8:03 AM] C: hey how’s it going with that anon who was harassing you? :( [8:08 AM] You: oh it’s fine they backed off kinda [8:09 AM] You: well not really but i’m seeing if the cold shoulder works [8:10 AM] C: ahh i see~~ [8:10 AM] You: C just tell me one thing [8:10 AM] You: should i be worried about you? [8:12 AM] C: i get the feeling you’re not asking about my health... [8:13 AM] You: i’m serious [8:13 AM] You: who are you, really [8:16 AM] C: is that anon putting you up to this? [8:17 AM] You: what, i can’t have my doubts? [8:19 AM] C: come on, what are they saying about me [8:25 AM] You: i don’t have to tell you anything

Posted on 29 November with 44 notes

justanothershortcake:

So, webtoon developments aside (I’ll get to that in my next post, don’t worry) I’m sure all you shortcakes remember C? Yup, the guy who was flirting with S in the old days when SS was just starting to go viral. Yes, him. Well, if you’ve been keeping up with S as obsessively as I have, you probably know that they’ve been DMing ever since. Yup. And S said they’re almost best friends. Yuuuup.

So if you ship it, oh boy have I got some good news for you. It might not be from the most reliable - or ethical - source, but hey, gossip is gossip, right?

Should I post it on here or do you guys wanna shoot me a DM for the dirt?

soldmyseoul:

MINNIE I SWEAR TO GOD IF YOU DON’T TELL US

justanothershortcake:

I’m doing this for Chi @soldmyseoul …… if I go to jail, it’s her fault okay? Lol

The deets are: someone tracked C’s IP and figured out he’s an idol. A REAL LIFE IDOL.

You better believe it.

forgetmeright:

Update on this - they actually hacked S’s phone. I don’t know how much I trust this info but yeah they used C’s phone number to verify his location and the address on file for his number is apparently the address of the SM building in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul.  

Like I said this is probably false, they could just be making this up for attention. Everything seems super unlikely.

rxdvxlvxt:

yeah you’re wrong about it being false. they did hack S’s phone. idk who it was but they leaked some pictures on a blog and it’s since been taken down, but there are a lot of posts about how they hacked into her phone and how she’s a total no good bitch and whatever.... :/

[1:22 PM] You: C i need you to tell me [1:22 PM] You: i’m honestly getting freaked out [1:23 PM] You: they hacked into my phone and my pictures are being uploaded and i think they might have got your number too [1:29 PM] C: S i really don’t want to tell you [1:29 PM] C: i respect your privacy, don’t i? [1:31 PM] You: privacy isn’t even a goddamn issue here, it’s a matter of my safety [1:31 PM] You: and your safety too [1:32 PM] You: honestly when you’re as famous as i am, nothing is as simple as it sounds [1:33 PM] C: oh you wanna talk to me about fame? [1:33 PM] C: you know nothing about fame, okay [1:34 PM] C: this is nothing. compared to how some people live [1:34 PM] You: oh and how would YOU know

C is typing…

C is typing…

Anonymous asked: You really think because you’re famous you have a chance with an idol? Back off

I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about?

oo3043j: Aren’t you wondering how I found your photos? Hahaha

This user has been blocked.

[6:56 PM] C: okay fine [6:57 PM] C: you deserve to know [6:57 PM] C: meet me at midnight at this address [7:00 PM] C: sent a map location [7:01 PM] C: i’ll explain everything

[7:12 PM] You: jia he asked me to meet him [7:12 PM] You: should i??? [7:13 PM] You: i mean things are getting absolutely crazy and i just want everything to stop [7:13 PM] You: but what if he’s....you know [7:14 PM] Jia: a serial killer?? Lol [7:15 PM] Jia: i get why you’re worried, i would be too [7:15 PM] Jia: i mean, all this hate stuff started because of him in a way [7:15 PM] Jia: honestly i think you should go [7:16 PM] Jia: it would definitely sort things out [7:16 PM] Jia: i’ll come with you, if that helps [7:17 PM] You: thanks so much jia ;-;

It was a quarter to eleven when you finally left the house. By some stroke of luck, the location C had chosen happened to be close by. You’d been surprised, and not in a good way. What if he was a stalker? What if you were walking straight into a trap?

You let out a breath. You knew him - from what you had gathered, he was possibly the most harmless person you’d ever seen. Someone who wanted to hurt you wouldn’t have been so nice, would they?

You didn’t know.

The meeting place he’d picked was a children’s park. At night it was eerie, and the sounds of the wind through the metal structures sounded too much like whispers. Were you alone? It certainly didn’t feel like it. It felt like there were eyes on you from every direction. You shivered as you made your way over to a bench and sat down, flinching at the cold metal of it.

It was ten minutes later that you finally saw a figure coming down the pathway to the park, clad in black and making shuffling footsteps that grew louder as he approached. You held your breath. Was it him? Was it C? You wanted to stand up, but decided not to draw attention to yourself. Jia was waiting in the car within screaming distance. If he turned out to be anyone but C - or if he was, and he tried something - you were pretty sure you could make a safe getaway.

He looked right at you when he entered the park, footsteps ceasing as he stepped onto the sand. He wore a hoodie, but you could still make out his features: a round face, high cheekbones, wide eyes. “S?” He said quietly.

You stood up at last. “C? Is that you?”

“Yeah, it’s me.” He sounded exactly like you’d expected. It was definitely him. “You came.”

“I did,” you said awkwardly, crossing your arms over your stomach. “Are you going to explain?”

He reached up to run a hand through his hair and in the process knocked back his hood, exposing his bright red hair to the wind. Quickly, he yanked it back up. “I should, shouldn’t I? Sit - sit down, I’ll tell you.” You backed down onto the bench and sat again, pressing yourself to the opposite end to maximize the distance between the both of you.

“My name is Park Chanyeol,” he started, sitting down. The name was familiar - where had you heard it?

“And?”

“And I’m an idol. I’m Chanyeol from EXO.” He swallowed, the bobbing of his throat visible. Almost imperceptibly, he winced, like he wished he hadn’t told you.

You froze. “You’re...an….idol.”

“I’m an idol.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah.”

“That’s why you were-” you looked away, frowning. “I get it now.”

“...Yeah.”

There was a pause. Even though you knew each other well, meeting him in the flesh was a whole new monster. He felt unreachable after his confession. A million miles away. “Well. Thanks for telling me, I guess. It clears up a lot.”

You stood, making to leave. Chanyeol’s hand shot out to grab your wrist, his eyes flicking from his grip on you to your face and back. “Wait, S, don’t go.”

Unsteadily, you sat back down, not taking your eyes off him. “I...you’ll still talk to me, right? Won’t you?”

You answered truthfully. “I don’t know.”

“Please.” He moved closer to you, eyes pleading.

You wanted to say okay, but you couldn’t believe it. He was an idol, a thousand times removed from your simple life. How could you go on talking to him knowing who he actually was, having met him? Realizing he had talked to you for no other reason than him liking your work and by extension, you? It was overwhelming. “Why?”

“Well, why not?” He grinned, a quick smile that lit up his features and then faded as fast as it had come. “Oh, did I make you feel uncomfortable? I’m sorry. I, uh,” he leaned away, pushing himself to the other end of the bench like you had. “I didn’t mean to. I didn’t realize what it would be like for you. I’m sorry.”

You looked down at your hands. “Do you really want to talk to me?”

That smile was back. “Yeah. Obviously. Otherwise I wouldn’t have messaged you in the first place.” Gaining some sort of courage, he leaned back toward you, his hand lightly covering yours. “I’m just a normal person, S. I swear. You have nothing to be afraid of.”

You met his eyes. “I’m not afraid.”

“Good.” He swallowed again. “So I can go home and expect you to text me back?”

A tiny laugh escaped you. “Okay. Yes. Okay.”

He got up first, holding out his hand to help you, face falling just slightly when you didn’t take it and got up on your own. You might have agreed to keep talking to him, but you weren’t ready for anything else. Despite his assurance that he was just as normal as you, you still couldn’t feel like he was a real person at all. You wished it were easy to accept it - but it wasn’t.

“Did you come by yourself?”

You shook your head. “Oh, good, then. You can make it to the car alone?”

Again speechless, you nodded.

He looked reluctant to let you go. “Okay,” he finally said. “It was nice seeing you.”

“You too,” you choked out, and without another word, turned to leave. You could feel his eyes on you all the way back to your car. When you were out of sight, you ran.

[12:49 AM] C: did you get home safe? [12:53 AM] You: i did, thank you :) [12:55 AM] C: i should be thanking you [12:55 AM] C: again, i realize you might have been really uncomfortable [12:56 AM] C: shit, all that hate you’re getting is because of me [12:56 AM] C: i’m really sorry :( i didn’t know what i was getting you into [12:57 AM] You: it’s okay [12:57 AM] You: i just still can’t believe [12:57 AM] You: i’m glad you told me, i’m a little more at peace now [12:58 AM] You: there’s still some shit going on but this helps [12:58 AM] C: glad to hear that :)

[1:05 AM] C: by the way, did i mention you’re beautiful? [1:06 AM] C: i meant to tell you after comiccon, but i forgot [1:06 AM] You: don’t say things like that ;;;;; [1:07 AM] C: why not? it’s true [1:07 AM] C: i’ve never seen anyone more beautiful than you [1:08 AM] You: are you just saying that so that i’ll talk to you more? [1:08 AM] C: :) [1:08 AM] C: S, maybe you should know something else too [1:09 AM] You: oh god, what now, you’re a gang leader? [1:10 AM] C: come on [1:10 AM] C: i’m serious, S [1:11 AM] C: i meant to tell you at the park but stopped myself every time [1:11 AM] C: i should’ve told you then [1:12 AM] C: S, i think i’m in love with you

[thesarcastictree]

Chapter 1 - Play of the game

Hey, everyone! 

Author’s note: I did it! The first, however a shorter, part is out. I hope you’re gonna enjoy it. Remember - sharing is caring. ^-^

For my lovely best friend Susan, because she loves when I mention her.

Words: 3063

You have 1 new message.

I rolled my eyes as I heard the painfully familiar vibration coming off from under the pillow. My eyes hurt and my face felt disgusting, blaming the fact I again didn't take off my make­-up before taking an obligatory nap. The yawn was long, making me feel dizzy. I put my hand under the cushion, palpating a rectangularly shaped object, taking it out. 

Unlocking the screen of my phone, I sighed. Had I really been sleeping for only thirty minutes? I quickly tapped in the passcode, internally satisfying my clumsy self, since I hadn't made any mistake in the four meaningless numbers. 

Another message popped up, as my eyes met with the bright white chat.

forever alone bitch: YOU SLEPT ENOUGH COME PLAY noodle mommy: what  noodle mommy: did you seriously wake me up because of stupid ow forever alone bitch: yes now come  forever alone bitch: i wanna play compets noodle mommy: geez, ok noodle mommy: gimme five minutes forever alone bitch: gg noodle mommy: ??? forever alone bitch: you and your five minutes

I chuckled, shaking my head. Somehow, I managed to get off my bed in a record time. The procedure of undoing the paint I had stuffed onto my skin was, as well, quite quick. In a while, I sat down onto a spinning chair, putting on the headphones, giving up on the ball of cables that fell into my lap. As I waited for the Blizzard app to start, I swiftly found the playlist that had been my companion for a few months now. The brisk tones of one of my favorite songs hit my ears, and I laughed at myself and at my poor attempts of singing in Korean. "Geu bojogaen illegal, ille~~gal," I sang quietly, tapping the tips of my fingers in the rhytm, "but I want it anyway, anyway, anywa-" The invite to the group hit my screen, as soon as I got to the loaded menu. I, of course, accepted, joining the voice chat right after.

uncleREYES has joined the voice chat.

"Yo, nibblet, what's up?" I asked with a hoarse vocal, caused by the lack of usage. I got literally no response. Letting out a quiet sigh, the sudden hyped sound made me jump in my seat. "HELLO, HELLO, IT'S YOUR GIIIIR-" The microphone cut off.  "Yeah, hi," laughing, I started the queue for competitives. "-lright, you should totally see the video I sent you, because I'm fucking crying again. Why is MCCree so perfect? Why does Hanzo have to die in every fanfiction? Why can't they just be happy?!" Sometimes, I wondered how she was able to be hysterical over two characters from a game, but then again, I wasn't different. 

Well, okay, I agree. My obsession had gone perhaps too far, being it a few Korean idols, which made it even more difficult. They were real. They existed. They breathed the same air like I did, and their faces were literally everywhere I looked; printed on my phone case, set on my wallpapers - I even had a goddamn pillow case with Taehyung's face, biting his lip in the most seductive way ever. "You need help," I responded to her autistic screeching, glancing at the timer passing by the second minute.  "... and you are the one to say that." Susan barked back with ease. "Yeah, you're right. We both need help."

Susan and I, we had been friends since... pretty much forever. I met her during the start of the first year, as my kind of crazy classmate, also being an idiot into games. We'd argued for a few times, even stopped talking for another few months, but at the end of the day, noone could ever split our brotherhood, as we called it, apart. And there we were, the partners in any crime. However, little did we both know that the upcoming minutes were going to completely change our lives, for good. 

GAME FOUND! Joining the game...

Both of us went silent, as the map of Volskaya Industries showed, together with the name and rank lists of both teams. I briefly went through the players, and... something seemed off. 

"Susan?" I asked, frowning. She responded with a silent, almost unhearable: "Hm?"  "Don't panic, okay? We have a fallen diamond Widowmaker main against us, low plat, in premade with two other platinums," I began, taking a deep breath. It wouldn't be a big deal, if I wasn't a borderline golden rank, and my comrade a bit higher gold. Was our elo getting bigger, or did we just get randomly filled into the missing places of a long-buffering game? I cracked my knuckles, checking out the others' mains, even more confused. "How the hell am I not supposed to panic? I'll just play goddamn D.va, I'm not feeling the Ryu ga wagateki go-fuck yourself tonight." I let out a desperate laugh. "Yeah, enjoy it. One of the... well, the GucciBoy has about 100 hours on D.va. They have a 120 hours MCCree main too, what the fuck?" I whined, comparing the composition of our teams together. We seemingly stood no chance, yet I didn't feel like giving up.  I chose Mercy, even though I wasn't a big fan of her pick. I decided to go for certain, stable decisions, instead of a Hanzo or Widow, and it seemed like I perfectly fullfilled the expectations of our teamcomp. 

My attention, while we waited for the doors on attack to open, got caught by the allchat, as I smiled cheekily.

[ALL] Bunny: sugacheonjae? my ass... [ALL] GucciB0i: LMAO  [ALL] TuandonJuan: IT'S HIGH NOON SOMEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Susan's next yak reminded me of a dying whale, but I decided to ignore it. 

[ALL] uncleREYES: YES IN MY BED [ALL] TuandonJuan: GIVE ME YOUR ADDRESS HUCKLEBERRY

"I'm so adding him!" she hissed happily, as I heard the furious clicks of a mouse. We had about twenty seconds towards the beginning, and for some reason, I felt nervous. 

[ALL] Bunny: what is it, suga, you scared? [ALL] SugaCheonjae: Excuse me?  [ALL] Bunny: ;) 

That was the last hit my ego could take. I filled in with my Odile Widowmaker instead, ignoring the desperate cries for a switch back, as I just simply muted the teamchat. 

[ALL] xHeroO: can u pls report widow shes trolling [ALL] uncleREYES: can you please stfu and play, she's good  [ALL] Bunny: we will see about that [ALL] TuandonJuan: uuu [ALL] GucciB0i: spicy, I like that

"It's fine, yo, I muted them, anyway." I whispered to the microphone, to prevent Susy from distracting herself on pointless arguments with some kids. Wrapping my fingers tightly around the mouse, I covered the red light with my palm. The three of the enemy premades started to slowly dip over the edge of the cup of patience, that had already been pretty full.  The last seconds disappeared, and we rushed out of the building, with Reinhardt's shield leading us towards the point we were supposed to capture. I hooked myself at the edge of another house, dragging myself up in a long jump. Seeing the Symmetra's sentry turrets in the scope, I sighed, knowing already that it'd be pretty difficult to get over the arc, and then my point of view disappeared.  "Shit..." I cursed under my breath, waiting for the respawn. The first kill of the game was shining in the corner, as Bunny eliminated my courageous positioning. 

[ALL] Bunny: :) 

"Motherfucker."  Susy cleared out her throat with a loud cough, and before I tried to shut her up, her words pierced my ears: "Calm down, Natalie, you got this."  I nodded, not quite sure of myself, but I did. I truly also didn't feel like losing against a bunch of pricky platinum asses. Susy flew behind the entrance through the arc, destroying the sentry turrets, and losing her Mecha in exchange. Low on health, she jumped behind the corner, meeting up with Reinhardt's half-destroyed shield and Zenyatta's healing orb. I took a deep breath. It was my time to shine. I dediced to not make the same mistake twice. Instead of jumping on a visible place, I slowly looked out from behind one of the slopes, with my rifle scoped into the enemy team. At first, I couldn't quite spot a single thing not hidden behind Orisa's barrier, but then Symmetra made a simple, greedy mistake. I found the weak spot, quickly eliminating one of their major defense mechanism, dying to a bullet of the enemy Widowmaker again, afterwards. 

[ALL] Bunny: nice try :) [ALL] SugaCheonjae: Are you always this annoying? 

The beeping of a movement around the point assured me that I made a great move. Symmetra was down, and after the death recap, their Mercy too. Roadhog's hook wasn't something she could just simply survive. I bit my lip. The only proper problem on their team was Widowmaker, killing our squishy damage dealers without a fuss.  "She's on the rooftop-" I grinned, victoriously, pinning down Bunny's killing spree with a precise headshot. Reinhardt's shield protected us in front of the enemy's D.va ultimate and mister High noon got a bullet back, thanks to Genji's deflection. I got to kill Orisa on low health, before she placed the barrier, as we successfully captured the first point.

[ALL] SugaCheonjae: Everything's alright down there? 

I mocked at the cockiness the enemy Widowmaker showed before, Susy's 'ooooh' giving me the courage I didn't even know I had. 

[ALL] Bunny: you're just lucky

Yeah, of course, I thought to myself, hitting one head after another. Not even three minutes into the end of our timer we'd captured the second point, setting the score to 2:0 for our team.  "Good job, they don't even know what hit 'em."  I loved the enthusiasm in my friend's voice. And she was right - after a bad start, we didn't even let them move from their attack spawn, as Susan's arrow hit every spotted movement, and I finished off the rest. We won, almost effortlessly claiming the clear score. The victory poses triked through my screen and Susy, all proud, screamed, watching the animation of Widowmaker swinging, with my name underneath.

Play of the game SUGACHEONJAE as WIDOWMAKER. 

I quickly recognized the one last seconds before we captured the last point of the objective.  "Now, watch this." I grinned, biting the side of my index finger. TuandonJuan fell first. D.va's mech disappeared in Susy's scattered arrows and I quickly dragged my mouse over, finding Widow's peaking head, shutting down even the Mercy's desperate try to resurrect their last hope. 

[ALL] GucciB0i: GG [ALL] TuandonJuan: I'll find you in another life, unclereyes [ALL] uncleREYES: ;-; [ALL] Bunny: I could really use a hug right now... 

"Tsk..." I snapped. Disrespectful idiot, no wonder he fell to such low elo. We returned back into the menu. "Let me just go grab a coffee, and we can continue," I announced, taking off the headphones, heading to the kitchen. It felt good, really. I'd always liked to prove my skill, especially to such douchebags. 

Returning back to my room, I silently closed the door, placing the cup next to my laptop. What caught my attention were the extra three icons next to ours, and the names shining bright in the groupchat. 

[GROUP] TuandonJuan: howdy [GROUP] GucciB0i: HOW ON EARTH DID YOU TWO GOT ONLY GOLD FROM PLACEMENTS, I DON'T GET IT [GROUP] uncleREYES: its called skill, something you dont have [GROUP] GucciB0i: that doesn't make any sense [GROUP] uncleREYES: jeff hates us [GROUP] GucciB0i: touché [GROUP] uncleREYES: :^) [GROUP] Bunny: what are we waiting for? [GROUP] uncleREYES: coffeegirl [GROUP] GucciB0i: why did I read cowgirl [GROUP] uncleREYES: I almost wrote cowboy tbh [GROUP] TuandonJuan: what do you mean cowboy, im here all the time darlin [GROUP] uncleREYES: >.> [GROUP] uncleREYES: voice? [GROUP] Bunny: I'll pass [GROUP] GucciB0i: YA BOIIIIIIIIIIII [GROUP] TuandonJuan: anything for you

I slammed the M key, muting my microphone, hearing the honest laugh of my bestfriend and two as loud voices. 

TO: uncleREYES: WHAT THE HELL, SUSAN?!  FROM: uncleREYES: come onnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn he mains mccree i love him  TO: uncleREYES: i'm not playing with the bitchass widow  FROM: uncleREYES: he isnt even talking FROM: uncleREYES: please FROM: uncleREYES: i'll buy you cigs TO: uncleREYES: ...

"Hey, you can start, I'm back." I jumped into their conversation, which madly whirled around the best MCCree skin. TuandonJuan's voice made me chuckle, because he'd just found out that Susy also loved the Lifesaver skin the most.  "Is it the best Widowmaker under the sun?" I sort of cringed at the weird accent of the GucciB0i, but I took the compliment, proudly.  "Well, I'm definitely not Bunny, so it has to be me?" I grinned, as Susy started the quickplay queue, relieved that we weren't going to tryhard, because honestly, I felt like I gave everything skillful I had left in the competive game. However, that didn't mean I was going to be an easy prey to make jokes of, still visibly hurt by the offensive humor from the game before.   "Oh, shit, you're my new best friend," GucciB0i's oddly famous deep voice responded. Susy almost immediately grunted back: "Fuck off, would you? The spot is already taken!"  "I hope the spot of your boyfriend isn't taken, uncleREYES, because I'd definitely want to nominate myself." I choked on the sip of coffee, clapping as soon as I placed the cup back at its spot. "Alright, that was just too fucking smooth," I hissed, shaking my head. I felt utterly happy, because Susan deserved an equally disabled person in her life, to weight off all the bad events from the past. 

FROM: uncleREYES: im FROM: uncleREYES: fucking FROM: uncleREYES: in FROM: uncleREYES: love FROM: uncleREYES: who is that guy TO: uncleREYES: XDDDD idk

"Talking behind our backs, much?" GucciB0i seemed to have ears everywhere.  "Maybe...?" I teasily asked, laughing it off. The silence got quickly filled by TuadonJuan's adoration towards Susy's McHanzo kink. 

It... somehow felt right, yet stupid. Bunny still hadn't spoken and I felt guilty for making fun of him, but the again, he was the same in the competitive. I shrugged it off, mindlessly skipping the songs, finally getting to a slower cover of Adam Levine's Lost Stars from Jungkook.

"Please, don't see, just a boy caught up in dreams and fanta~sies-" I quietly hummed to the rhytm, as we finally joined the Dorado map. I didn't make a big deal about them hearing me sing, because honestly, in the talk of those two it occured to be as effective as hearing of a deaf person. I remained silent for next few seconds, until Jungkook's soft voice reached the refrain.  "Damn, I love that boy." I scoffed. "Who? Who?!" I rolled my eyes for a hunderth time that evening. "Jungkook, who else could I mean?" The only response in suddenly quiet voicechat was careless Susy and her laughing voice. "Girl, you love everyone. You have a pillow with Taehyung's face, Suga in name, Jin on hoodie, you want to rap like Namjoon and dance like Hobi. And now you say you love Jungkook, I'm confused."  "It's not my fault, okay, they are all perfect, shut up!" I whined, covering my blushing face, even though noone could see me, both in the darkness and through the screen.  "Sure, whatever," she chuckled back, paying all of her attention to damage-boosting of TuandonJuan's ass, playing, surprisingly, McCree, again. I picked Ana, thoughtlessly shooting my darts at everything that moved, either reducing or adding up on health. 

The final push seemed to be endless, as we either died or killed during the overtime. Finally finishing charging up my ultimate, I nanoboosed Reaper, who completely cleared out the point of the enemies, scoring a precise teamkill. Briefly realizing it was Bunny, I coughed, trying to somehow sound friendlier than before.

"Good job, bunny boy," I cheered, watching the scenario all over again from his point of view in the play of the game. He seemed to unmute himself, because the icon of him talking showed. I was expecting everything but not what I heard. Listening to the cover of Lost Stars on replay still, I gasped, as Bunny murmured a modest, yet elated: "Thank you very much for your ultimate, Sugasuga." 

For a brief second I couldn't quite believe what I heard.

"Why do you sound exactly like Jungkook?" I said more to myself, than to him, completely amazed by the discovery. "Nah, he doesn't." Susy opposed, visibly still annoyed by his previous behavior.  "I agree, he sounds nothing like the korean dude," TuandonJuan's voice interfered, and I raised my eyebrows in surprise. "You know BTS?"  I caught him off guard, visibly.  He laughed, embrarassed: "Yeah, my-my little sister won't shut up about them."  I smiled. "That's... well, understandable." 

"Aight, I agree with Sugasuga, though, he has something that makes him sound like Jungkook, but not quit-"  "Can you not compare me to that gaypop shit? Thank you." Bunny's voice went off again, and I scowled. "Did I say something wrong?" 

"Nah, he is... acting like an ass, tonight. You know, periods-" I held back my laughter. Guccib0i was cool, I could give Susy that. "Don't even fucking get me started about the periods, dude," she hissed, and I just legitimately bursted out, together with the others.

[GROUP] Bunny: fuck you too, T

We managed to play a few more games, before we said all the goodnights, and thanks for playing. I turned off the laptop, wiping my eyes, sliding under the cold bedsheets with the phone in my hand. 

forever alone bitch: told you they are not so bad noodle mommy: yeah, BUT im lowkey crushing on Bunny's voice forever alone bitch: wtf noodle mommy: fuck him though, GucciB0i is the S H I T  forever alone bitch: yeah we ship you two noodle mommy: "we"?  forever alone bitch: mark and me noodle mommy: ???? forever alone bitch: last seen a minute ago

Susan was right, though. They didn't seem like bad people. We had some decent laughs and giggles, plus, the GucciB0i turned out to be a pretty huge fanboy of Taehyung. 

Somehow, I couldn't wait for the next night, because that was the time we estabilished as another gaming session. I closed my eyes, hugging Taehyung's stuffed face, with a dorky smile, first time in a while feeling upon satisfied with how the day had ended,