#slightly greying ben is so personal to me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

daydreamtofiction · 16 days

Text

The Feature XX // Benedict Cumberbatch x Reader

Series Overview | Previous Part | First Part

Chapter Summary: (Female Reader) Two unexpected visits in one day leave Quinn in an awkward predicament.

Chapter Word Count: 4.2K

Chapter Warnings: Morally-grey reader, strong language, adult and sexual themes. Readers must be 18+

Join the Tag List Here*

You had been cleaning your flat for most of the morning, and at first it felt good, productive, freeing. But now you were just getting bored; too lazy to pick things up off the floor before rolling over them with the hoover, kicking a sock under the fridge when it fell out of the washing machine and shoving things into drawers or cupboards when you couldn't find a place for them. On the surface, the flat looked neat, organised; curtains open to let the light in, a candle filling the air with the scent of vanilla and tobacco leaf.

You heard a thudding over the sound of the vacuum, switching it off and waiting a moment before you realised it was a knock at the door. You looked up at the clock on the wall before rolling your eyes with a groan. They were early, and you hadn't even gotten dressed yet.

You walked down the hall, wiping your hands on your jogging bottoms before opening the door, your breath catching in your throat when you saw the person waiting on the other side. Ben, tousled from travel, a duffle bag slung over his shoulder and a charming crooked smile on his face.

"Surprise," he said, his voice tired yet soft.

You stared up at him, your mouth slightly agape.

He raised an eyebrow and let out a nervous laugh. "Not the reaction I was expecting..."

"Wh- No, no I'm... Sorry, I just, I didn't even realise you were... I thought you were still in America."

"I was, but I caught an early flight so I thought I'd come and surprise you. Why? Are you not happy to see me?"

You let out a breath you didn't even realise you were holding, your stupefied expression melting into a smile. "Of course I'm happy to see you. I'm just shocked, I wasn't expecting you."

"That was the point," he replied with a boyish grin.

You stepped aside to let him in, closing the door and turning to look at him, still in disbelief. He dropped his bag and reached for you, pulling you into a tight embrace. His presence was so comforting; the familiar scent of his aftershave, the placement of his hands on your back, the warmth of his breath against the top of your head.

You stayed in his arms as you looked up at him, taking in his ever-changing appearance - the moustache had gone, replaced with a slight stubble, a tan across his nose and cheekbones.

He stooped his head, giving you a quick peck on the lips. "How've you been?"

"Fine. Bored. Just working, mostly." You peeled yourself away from him and made your way towards the kitchen. "What about you? Are you not insanely jet lagged right now?"

"Not yet. That'll probably kick in tomorrow," he replied as he followed you.

You filled the kettle and put it on to boil, dropping a teabag into a mug and looking over at him. "Is tea okay? Or I mean, there's gin in the cupboard..."

He laughed, sitting on a stool at the small breakfast bar at the end of the counter. "Tea's great, thank you."

The air fell quiet as you listened to the water bubbling in the kettle. You crossed your arms over your chest and looked at him again.

"So come on then," you said. "Are we going to keep ignoring the elephant in the room?"

He furrowed his brow, tilting his head in confusion. "What? What elephant? Is something... Have I done something—"

"The slap, Ben. The slap. You were there. You saw it. Up close."

His eyes widened in realisation, a relieved laugh escaping him in a breath. "Oh, that," he said, running a hand through his hair.

"Yeah, that." Your excitement was palpable as you stared at him with curiosity. "I mean, what the fuck happened? What was it like being there?"

"It was... surreal. One minute, everyone's laughing, having a good time, and the next... Will's on stage and then - bam. It was definitely a shock."

"I'm sure Chris Rock thought it was a shock too." You filled the mug with hot water, opening the fridge to take out the milk. "What was the room like? What did people do?"

He blew out a breath through puckered lips. "It was like the air got sucked out of the room. You could see everyone's brain trying to catch up with what just happened. For a second, I thought it was a skit or something. But then... it wasn't."

"My god. Watching it on telly the other night was crazy enough. I can't imagine actually being there in the theatre."

"Yeah. Everyone just sat there, stunned, and then it was like this wave of tension hit the whole room. You could see people looking around, trying to figure out how to react. And then it was like everyone collectively decided to just... move on."

"Then he went on to win your Oscar."

"It wasn't my Oscar," he laughed.

"It should've been."

He smirked, giving a teasing tut. "Aww, look at you being all sweet and supportive."

You rolled your eyes, handing him the cup of tea and standing opposite him on the other side of the counter, resting your elbows on it as you looked at him. "You looked sexy in your suit. The little dickie bow."

"Bow tie," he corrected.

"Dickie bow."

You stood upright, making your way around the kitchen to tidy away the last few things, wiping down the counters and opening the window to let in the brisk March air. He sat quietly, nursing his tea as he watched you, the fatigue of his journey seemingly starting to catch up with him.

"So where are you going after this?" you asked.

"Nowhere. I actually thought I'd stick around..." He seemed to notice the apprehension in your face, narrowing his eyes at you as he continued to speak. "What? Is that not okay? Sh- should I go?"

You sighed. "It's not that I don't want you to stay, it's just... My parents are coming."

"Ah."

"Yeah. I still haven't seen them since they got back from their cruise. And they actually called me in advance this time so I can't cancel on them..."

"Say no more," he said with an understanding smile. "How long do I have before I need to disappear?"

"They'll be here in about an hour."

"Plenty of time to make myself scarce."

Your gaze softened appreciatively. "I'm just going to run and get dressed," you said, kissing him on the cheek before hurrying out of the room.

You stepped out of your bedroom in jeans and a soft cashmere jumper; the one you'd bought yourself in celebration of Ben's feature, the one that was so expensive you'd never actually worn it outside for fear of spilling something on it.

Ben was in the living room plumping the cushions on your couch. You looked around to see he'd also folded the blanket on the armchair, wrapped up the cord of the hoover and put it away, neatened the small stack of books on the coffee table. You exhaled a soft breath as you stepped into the room.

"Ben, you didn't have to do that, I was coming in to finish-"

"I don't mind," he said. "Anything else I can do before I go?"

You smiled, brows curving upwards in adoration. "Yeah," you said, walking across the room to meet him, reaching up to slide your hands around the back of his neck. "You can kiss me and tell me about your trip."

You pulled him into a deep, reverent kiss. He sighed against your lips, as though he'd been craving the intimacy, his arms wrapping around you, holding you close to him.

"It was nothing special," he whispered between kisses. "Just spent the whole time thinking about you."

"Nothing special?" You giggled. "SAG, Oscars, BAFTAs, Vanguard, AFI, interviews, photoshoots... Nothing special?"

The corner of his mouth curled with a smirk. "Totally mundane."

You scoffed, taking him by the hand and pulling him to the couch.

"Fuck sake, I just fixed these cushions," he said as you flopped down, dragging him with you.

"Sorry," you replied, turning to straddle his lap, your chest against his, arms draped around his shoulders. "But really, tell me about your trip."

He let his hands rest on your backside, tilting his chin up to kiss you. "It was fun. Exhausting, but fun. It's the first time in a long time I've done a big awards season without..."

"Faye."

"Mm. It was hard doing it on my own. No one to turn to for support, take the pressure off, y'know? But I also couldn't stop thinking about you the whole time, which just made it even worse."

You stroked his hair with your fingers. "Well if it makes you feel any better, I have been losing my mind waiting for you to come back."

"Really?"

"Mhm. You're really going to have to look into a change of career, Ben, because I'm not cut out for these long leaves of absence."

He laughed, covering your face in a flurry of quick kisses.

A knock at the door made your stomach drop. You furrowed your brow as you looked up at the clock.

"They're early," you sighed, hiding your face in the crook of his neck and letting out a frustrated growl.

"It's okay," he said reassuringly. "I'll hide and then slip out like last time."

You looked at him for a moment before nodding and climbing off his lap. You rushed out into the hall and picked up his bag, handing it to him as he followed behind you. There was another knock, and you rolled your eyes.

"I'll be one minute!" you shouted, loud enough for them to hear through the thick wooden door.

Ben leaned down and kissed the side of your head, before making his way towards your bedroom, bag in hand. You watched him open the door and disappear into the room. But instead of turning to let your parents in, you stood there a moment longer. Maybe it was the memories of last time making you hesitate; the guilt you felt at hiding him away like a secret, the way your heart sank a little at the sound of him sneaking out without a goodbye.

You shook it away and walked to the front door, brushing your hair out of your face with your hand as you opened it with feigned excitement. They stood on the other side in their zipped-up coats, the glow from their long trip still visible on their skin.

"Hi," you sang in a high-pitched voice.

Your mother was the first to step forward, opening her arms and pulling you into a hug.

Your father placed a hand on your back, giving it a loving pat. "Sorry we're a bit early. Traffic wasn't as bad as we thought it'd be."

"That's alright," you replied. "Come in."

They took off their coats and hung them in the hall, before following you through to the living room.

"Can I get either of you a drink?" you asked.

"No we're okay for now," your mother answered for both of them, making you share a quiet laugh with your father as he sat himself in the armchair.

You sneakily shut the living room door behind you, leaving it slightly ajar, a small sliver just visible from your spot on the couch.

"So come on," you said. "I want to hear all about your cruise."

"Oh gosh, Quinnie it was fantastic," your mother replied. "The ship was huge. You walk up and you can see from the dock all of the-"

A loud clatter from the hall made her stop, all three of your heads snapping in unison towards the door.

"What was that?" she asked.

You cleared your throat, giving a dismissive shrug. "I've got no idea. Anyway, go on, you were saying about the boat...?"

"Oh yes, well there were water slides at the big pool and you could see them-"

Another noise. You pinched the bridge of your nose, exhaling a sigh.

"Is someone else here?" asked your father as he rose from his seat.

"No, just me," you replied quickly. "Dad, honestly it's fine. It must just be the neighbours or something."

He continued towards the door anyway, pulling it open and peering out into the hall.

"Dad..."

You watched his back stiffen in fright at the sight of a man in your hallway. You stood up quickly, rushing to his side to find Ben holding shards of glass from your broken candle, the walls and floor covered in splashes of hardened wax.

"Sorry," he said, keeping his head stooped, turned slightly away from your father. "Knocked it with my bag."

"Who are you and what are you doing in here?" your father asked sternly, his voice laced with a protective rumble as he eyed the duffle bag, the dark clothes that only added to the burglar aesthetic.

You saw the blue of Ben's eyes flit up to meet yours, as though silently asking you to save him. You closed your eyes, taking a deep breath, before placing a hand on your father's arm to calm him.

"Dad, this... This is Ben. Benedict," you corrected yourself quickly. "I was trying to sneak him out but clearly he decided now would be the perfect time to become clumsy."

Ben laughed awkwardly, meeting his gaze properly for the first time.

You watched your father tilt his head, his brow furrowing in recognition. He was trying to place him, to figure out why he was so familiar, as your mother joined you in the doorway, peering over your shoulder to get a glimpse of him.

"You're that actor," she said instantly.

"The one from Quinn's magazine," your father added as it finally clicked.

There was a short silence, though it felt like an eternity. Ben - usually so confident and imposing in stature - looking more like a teenage boy caught sneaking out after curfew. You didn't know what to say, no lie seeming convincing enough, no excuse that would satisfy their intrigue.

"We've been.... seeing each other," you finally said.

You suddenly felt eyes on you; your parents turning to you in shock, Ben staring at you in disbelief, like he couldn't believe you'd actually said the words out loud.

"You have?" your mother breathed.

"Yeah." You cleared your throat. "Ben- Benedict, these are my parents, Ralph and Nancy. Mum, Dad, this is Benedict. The guy you have framed on your wall."

The corner of Ben's mouth twitched with a smile. He seemed to stand straighter all of a sudden, reaching out his hand to shake theirs.

"I apologise for sneaking around," he said with a laugh. "Your daughter was very adamant about me not being here when you arrived."

They seemed starstruck, their eyes turning wide and glassy as they each shook his hand, lips parted in awe.

"Why wouldn't you want us to meet him?" your mother asked you.

"Well because it's- We're not... I don't know."

"I've never met a film star before," your father said. "I'm honoured."

You covered your face. "Oh god, Dad, please."

"The honour's mine," Ben replied charmingly. "Anyway, I'll get out of your way-"

"Don't be ridiculous! Come and sit, join us," said your mother, waving him into the living room with excitement, your father making his way back to the armchair.

Ben glanced at you, as if seeking approval. You rolled your eyes, letting your face break with a subtle smile before nodding.

He put his bag down and you made your way over to him, taking the glass out of his hand.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"You can buy me a new one."

"I don't mean the candle."

You looked up at him through your lashes. "It's fine, just prepare yourself for an interrogation."

A low, quiet chuckle rattled in his throat as you took the last few shards from him, carrying them to the kitchen as he took a deep breath and joined your parents.

When you returned, you couldn't help but giggle to yourself; the sight of your mother talking so animatedly, gushing over him like a zealous fan with exaggerated hand gestures and flushed cheeks. While he sat there calmly, eyes creased with a kind smile as he listened to her every word.

"And that show you did on the telly," she continued as you made your way over to the couch. "The one with the little girl who went missing."

"The Child in Time?" he replied.

"Yes! That one! Oh my goodness I cried and cried. You were just brilliant."

Ben smiled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Thank you. Gosh, that was so long ago now."

You settled in between your mother and Ben, feeling him casually drape his arm around the back of the couch behind you. It wasn't a possessive act, but an automatic, comfortable gesture. As though having you within his breadth was the most natural thing in the world.

Your father was squinting slightly as he looked at him from the armchair, searching for a memory he couldn't quite locate. "There was another one," he began. "A film. With spies and that fella from The King's Speech..."

"Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy?" Ben replied.

He snapped his fingers. "That's it. Bloody great film."

"Oh," said your mother. "And what about the one with-"

"Guys you know he's a real, actual person," you interrupted with a laugh. "You can talk to him about other things besides his entire filmography."

"Sorry," she replied. "Just not every day you get to sit down with a famous actor."

"Yeah and it's not like we're going to meet another one anytime soon," your father added.

Your lip curled with derision, but Ben simply chuckled, taking it all in his stride. It made you soften, giving them grace and relaxing slightly into the couch.

"Quinn said you went on a cruise," said Ben.

"We did, yes," your mother replied. "For 40 days."

"How did you find it?"

"Long," said your father.

"Yes, it was a bit long. I think we'll only do a week or two next time."

"Next time?" you asked.

"She's been keeping an eye on the deals and discounts," your dad said. "Gets them all emailed... to me."

You and Ben laughed as your mother rolled her eyes.

"We did South America and the Caribbean," she said. "Next I want to do Europe. The glaciers, the northern lights, all that."

"Did you have a favourite place you visited?" asked Ben.

"Oh, St Vincent. It was gorgeous."

"We got lost in the rainforest," said your father. "Missed dinner."

You laughed again, picturing them trekking through bushes and trees like explorers in the 1800s.

"I wouldn't go over Christmas again though," she said, looking at you. "Didn't like leaving you on your own."

"Oh don't worry, she wasn't on her own," Ben replied. "I came to keep her company."

Your stomach turned with the thoughts of that night; the watch, the fight, the sex, the sound of his footsteps as he walked out of your flat for the last time.

"So you've been going out for a while then?" asked your father.

"We've been... getting to know each other," you replied with a shrug.

Your mother shook her head. "I can't believe you didn't say anything."

"Have I ever told you about who I'm seeing?"

"Well, no." She paused, thinking for a moment. Then suddenly her brows raised, her mouth curling into a hopeful smile. "So that means this must be serious then?"

You wanted to disappear, to morph into a TV remote and sink between the cushions of the couch. You always knew you got your lack of tact from your mum; though while yours manifested itself in abrasiveness, hers was rooted in innocence, in the complete inability to read a room.

"Mum..."

"Am I going to be getting those grandchildren-?"

"Right," you interrupted, standing up quickly. "Would anyone like a drink?"

You stood with your arms crossed over your chest, watching as your parents shrugged on their coats and zipped them up next to the front door. Ben stood beside you, cupping the back of your neck with his large hand.

They'd stayed until early evening, telling you all about their cruise; the beautiful places they visited and the nice people they made friends with onboard. Your mother asked you about work while Ben and your father lost themselves in conversations about vintage cars and engine specs you didn't understand.

It was so strange inviting outsiders into the world you'd created with Ben; like it somehow felt more real now that they'd laid eyes on him. He'd been so charming, so laidback yet attentive. He'd entertained every question about films and fame, and shown just as much interest in their lives too.

"Now I'm holding you to that invite, Benedict," said your father. "I need to see these cars you've been talking about."

"Absolutely. I'm looking forward to it, Ralph," he replied, shaking his outstretched hand.

Your mother pulled you into a hug, whispering in your ear. "He adores you. Be good to him."

You leaned back, looking at her with a smirk. "Aren't you supposed to be telling him to be good to me?"

"You're forgetting I know you."

You scoffed a laugh, shaking your head as they moved towards the front door.

"And you both know," you said apprehensively. "Not to go telling people about..."

She mimed zipping her lips and you nodded appreciatively, watching as she and Ben shared a kiss on each cheek.

Your father opened the door before turning around to give you a hug. "See you soon, Quinnie."

"Bye. Text me when you're both home."

"Will do."

They left down the hall and you closed the door slowly until it clicked, turning around and leaning back against it with a long exhale. The weight of their presence still hung in the air, the flat still buzzing with the energy of excited questions, loud laughter and their unrelenting curiosity.

Ben took a step towards you, placing his hands on your upper arms. "You okay?"

"Yeah." You let out a dry laugh. "That was... intense."

"I like them a lot," he said, gently rubbing your arms. "And I can see where you get your sense of humour from now."

You snorted, wrapping your hands around his waist and letting your forehead fall to his chest. "I can't believe I introduced you to them."

"I don't think you had much of a choice."

"Yeah. My dad nearly had a heart attack when he saw you."

"I have that effect on people," he replied, jokingly smug.

You gave a breathy giggle.

"Is it true what your mum said? That you've never introduced anyone to them before?" he asked.

You looked up at him. "Don't get big headed."

"I'm not!" He laughed. "I just... I'm proud to be the first."

"The first of many."

He rolled his eyes, holding you tighter in his arms. "And you know what this means, don't you?"

"No...?" you replied, narrowing your eyes sceptically.

"Now you have to meet mine."

Your face fell into an expression of pure horror, making him smirk. He dipped his head to kiss you lightly, letting his lips linger against yours before pulling back, just enough to speak.

"They'll love you," he said.

"Yeah, okay," you replied sarcastically.

He kissed you again, deeper this time, his hands dropping to your hips, holding you firmly against him. You moved your hands to the back of his head, weaving your fingers into his hair as you arched your body closer.

His breath was warm, his lips soft as they trailed down to your neck, making your skin tingle as you clung to him, your mind fogging. His hands roamed, just enough to ignite something within you, and before you could realise what you were doing, your hands slipped beneath the hem of his t shirt.

"Quinn," he murmured, his voice low and ragged against your throat.

You stopped, pulling your hands away and tugging the t shirt back down. "Sorry. Habit."

He exhaled a laugh and lifted his head to look at you; his eyes filled with desire, yet his gaze was steady, a familiar flicker of restraint. You felt his thumbs brush against your hips, his hands gliding up to the curve of your waist.

You sighed, leaning back against the door again, his hands still on you. "I don't really have to meet your parents, do I?"

"No," he laughed. "Not until you're ready, anyway."

You appreciated how he never pushed, always happy to go at whatever pace you set for him. It made you feel guilty for all the times you tried to make him overturn the abstinence rule, made you realise that his arm around you on the couch while you chatted with your parents was enough, for now.

You pulled him down into a kiss. "You know my dad's going to be pestering me about this car thing now..."

He smiled. "I'll speak to the guys from the car show this week and set something up."

"You don't have to-"

"I want to. I like him. I like your mum too."

"And they liked you."

"I hope so."

"I think they like you more than they like me."

He laughed and kissed you again, planting a palm on the door beside your head to brace himself, the other coming up to cup your face. You couldn't help but melt into him, your body flushing with warmth, responding to him whether you wanted it to or not.

"Ben..." you whispered.

"Mm?" he hummed against your lips, kissing you softly, slowly.

"You owe me a new candle."

*Reader Tag List: @blondekel77 @evelynrosestuff @bakerstreethound @annesthaeticc @aephereal @sharp-cheekbones-locked @sherlux @veryladyqueen @graciebear47 @allurenia @jamerlynn @cottagecore-cat @aysamuka @thegardenerofeden @cumbercatchmebaby @inspirationalandrandom @turkisherlockian @swds @weepingdreamerpanda @elzabethann @childofgod215 @briecantopme @lovecleastrange @jaspearl31 @paola-carter @greatburger @azu21 @xourownsidee @hunterofshadows04 @asgardianprincess1050 @teddycrimson @sherlocksgirl91 @oliveoilthoughts @hai-kbai @shjl15 @bloodyxsaint @charleighsblog @stephenstrangeaddictions @omgstarks @sleutherclaw @bisciwri @theevilsupreme @druggedbyfiction @gwoods123 @classickook @coffee-d0t @strangeobsessed @januarycolor @strangeions @lonadane @downtownshabby @diabaroxa @stllbrln @thealleydog @cakesandtom @irisbutterfly @coffeebeing @lexlexigogh @mun7on @svntnpldis @lilyroseluthor @belan-the-dilf-hunter @blxckdragonfly @detective-sherlocked @xdelulu @nicoletk @filmlock @bensherstrange @midnightramyeoncravings @coldnique @dearwatson @scailedandisolated @aphroditesdilemma @bergararyans @txylorrvelasco @classicrebound @hthrevr @happybunnyclumsyduck @c00letha @j3mj3rrica @ironstrange1991 @vi0letdaze @theothersideofthescreen

#benedict cumberbatch #fanfiction #fanfic #fanfic writing #benedict cumberbatch x oc #benedict cumberbatch x you #benedict cumberbatch x reader #benedict cumberbatch imagine #benedict cumberbatch smut #benedict cumberbatch fanfic #Benedict Cumberbatch fanfiction #smut #smut writing #lemon #fanfic series #ao3 fanfic #the feature

53 notes · View notes

kaylinalexanderbooks · 5 months

Text

Find the word

Thanks to @mysticstarlightduck here and @finchwrites here for the tag!

My words: lovely, sheer, tiresome, manic, rain, mellow, deny, quietly

Your words: black, attract, pause, raise

Tagging @the-stray-storyteller @writernopal @songsofsomnia @stesierra @unrepentantcheeseaddict

@talesofsorrowandofruin @sarahlizziewrites @sleepyowlwrites @revenantlore @melpomene-grey

+ anyone else who'd like to join in!

TSP intro

TSP tag list (ask to be +/-): @thepeculiarbird @illarian-rambling @televisionjester @finchwrites @nebula--nix

Keep reading for:

Tyler and Carla book talk

Lexi and Ash in the Gateway

Couldn't find this in current WIPs so enjoy this bit from my creative writing midterm!

Ash listens to Lexi plan

I've shared the singular use of rain before so here's a short story I wrote for class in high school based on an idea for SOTL

Lexi in an Alii forest

Gang found the Gateway

Lexi is alright (:

Lovely - from The Secret Portal Part Two (Akash POV)

“I got around to reading The Crossover.” “Oh?” Tyler was instantly up, crossing to the couch closer to us to lean against the back. “How was it?” “Amazing. I had to look up a little bit about basketball to follow the concept. The poetry was so lovely. I almost cried at the end, but I cry at everything.” “That’s fair,” said Tyler. “It was a required reading in my sixth grade English class back on Ceteri. Made a lot of people learn to love reading.” He turned to me. “You read it?”

Sheer - from The Secret Portal Part One (Lexi POV)

“Maybe we’re dreaming?” “Isn’t that cliche?” “Then we’re hallucinating!” “More cliche!” “Well, you think of something!” We were both silent. I chewed on a chunk of my hair, trying to hold back the anxiety building inside me. My mind raced. The stale air against my skin, the tickle of the grass, and the sheer uncertainty I felt gave the whole situation a verisimilitude appearance.

Tiresome - from "Final Project Short Story"

The smacking was getting tiresome. Once she reached a red light, Mariah tore her eyes to her consultant in the passenger’s seat. “Can you eat that somewhere else?” Ben stopped chewing for a second and glanced up at Mariah innocently. “It’s lunchtime.” “Sounds like you have a problem.” Mariah turned her gaze back to the light. Ben muttered something about Mariah having a “stingy” problem.

Manic Crazy - from The Secret Portal Part One (Lexi POV)

“Not that this isn’t fun,” said Ash, “but why exactly am I here?” I looked up from my planner. “I just need someone to talk to while I plan this out.” Ash cupped her cheek in her hand, having her hair move slightly over her face. Her hair was noticeably past her chin, around her mid-neck, which was still very weird to me. Despite saying three weeks ago she’d cut it soon, she hadn’t gotten around to it. I wanted to ask about it, but that was the day Rose disappeared. Maybe it was her way of coping. “Alright,” said Ash, looking tired. “Shoot.” I turned back to the planner. “Okay, so this week is a little crazy. Thursday is Robbie’s play, and we’ve all decided to go to that.” “We did?” “Yes,” I said, barely glancing up.

Rain - from "Romance Short Story" aka SOTL (Úrsula POV) (SOTL was in first person??)

The rain poured down on the school later that evening. Lightning crashed, thunder rumbled. I made my way across the courtyard, keeping my head down, trying to get to my dorm. “Hey! Úrsula!” I cringed inwardly as I turned around to face Kitty, strutting toward me at rapid speed. “What do you want?” Kitty’s eyes were blazing with an uncharacteristic rage. She shoved me once she was close enough. “How dare you do that to my sister!” She pushed me again. “How dare you! We’re nothing but kind to you!” She shoved me again. “And what do you do?” She shoved me harder, and I slipped on the wet stone, crashing to the ground. “You can’t treat Billie like that! How dare you!”

I have changed Úrsula's character so much since so if I have an equivalent scene in SOTL it'll play out much differently

Mellow Soft - from The Secret Portal Part One (Lexi POV)

A piney scent hit my nose, but it was interlaced with some fruity smell. I now surveyed my surroundings and realized I now lay in the middle of a forest—a pleasant juxtaposition to being in the middle of nowhere. Well, maybe I was still “nowhere,” though the variety of plants was nice. Woah, a big variety. There were ferns of all sorts of colors with a wide variety of leaf shapes. I lay in a cluster of magenta flora I didn’t know the name of. I noticed the humidity was back, but the air was cool enough to where I didn’t remove my hoodie. A soft rustling of leaves above my head with interesting bird sounds gave the whole place a magical feel. It was… venerating. That was a good word.

Deny - from The Secret Portal Part One (Maddie POV)

Kelsey stepped back. “You’re saying we follow?” “Why not?” I asked. I stuck my hand out to the wall, watching it disappear. A tingling sensation ran up my arm. “It’s weird, but it doesn’t seem harmful.” I pulled out my hand to find it intact. I smiled. This was cool! “It could be harmful on the other side,” Kelsey said, twitching. “Rose may not be okay.” “We need to find Lexi and Ash,” Noelle pointed out. “I know I said she just didn’t answer her phone, but that was before—” She gestured to the wall. “It doesn’t make any sense, but I can’t deny what I saw.”

Quietly - from The Secret Portal Part Two (Gwen POV)

Lexi smiled. “You’re probably right.” She took another big sigh, then picked up her phone. “Sweet, Main Event has been scheduled.” I exhaled quietly through my nose. I decided not to comment on Lexi trying too hard to meet her obligations. Maybe this was a good thing. I did tell Ash earlier that Lexi needed to be around more people when she was stressed. Maybe more fun with Ceter friends would do her some good.

15 notes · View notes

zeynatura · 10 months

Text

List of tanned and dark skinned characters in Granblue Fantasy

Since i created the list of LGBTQ+ characters in granblue i wanted to make more, and this is one of them.

The list will be in alfabetical order, and I will mostly be including playable characters and summons with some special mentions, also some of these chars are slightly tanned, i'll mark them as (ST) so don't shine a light on them or you'll scare their melanin away.

Beware spoilers. Did not include characters that are only tanned in their Summer or so versions. Also original characters only, no collabs.

Masterlist

[Long post below]

Agielba

Aletheia

Almeida

Anderson

Ankusha

Apollonia (ST)

Attiyah

Atum

Bakura

Balurga (ST)

Beelzebub

Bennu

Bowman

Chloe

Corow

Cosmos

Deliford

Eso

Elsam

Eugen (ST)

Eustace

Fediel

Feena (ST)

Fenrir

Fiorito

Fif/Fünf

Galadar

Garuda

Garma

Geisenborger

Gilgamesh

Ghandagoza

Halluel

Hector

Helel ben Shalem

Horus

Inchoate World [humanoid enough to be included]

J.J.

Jamil

Joel

Kolulu

Kumbhira

Lowain

Makura

Marduk (or at least the angel that accompanies Marduk)

Mariah

Melleau

Mugen

Nehan (ST)

Nemone

Nezahualpilli (ST) [his pains me the most, because he is based of an actual person that lived in the XV century, his grandfather was Ixtlilxóchitl Ometochtli and his son was Ixtlilxóchitl II (christian name Hernando Cortés Ixtlilxóchitl), Ixtlilxochitl in nahuatl means "dark face flower" at least that was the best i was able to translate it into english from spanish, so it makes sense for them to be a dark skinned family. I'm not an expert, just Mexican and passionate about our culture, so feel free to correct me]

Orchid (ST)

Poseidon

Raphael (ST)

Redluck (ST)

Reindhardtzar

Satan [humanoid enough to be included]

Seox/Six (ST)

Sethlans

Shiva [i know he is purplish-blue but still dark skin, plus he's definitely poc]

Siegfried (ST)

Skull

Tabina

Thor

Titan

Tomoi

Tsuchinoko (human ver)

Twin Elements

Vanzza

Vaseraga

Wilnas (ST)

Xeno Corow

Xeno Ifrit

Yatima [i know she has grey skin, still dark]

Yngwie

Yodarha (ST)

Yurius (ST)

Zooey

Zaja

If you squint hard enough maybe the next ones are tanned:

Magisa [tanned vibes]

Paris [tanned vibes]

Petra [in my mind she is tan, but comparing her skin tone to other characters i realized her skin is pretty light]

Yuel [same as Petra, because she is next to Societte the palest of them sacred foxes her skin looks darker in comparison]

Special mentions:

All Kahuans, as seen in the Paliuli Pararaiha event, have tanned/dark skin, to name one we have Felluca, Queen of Kahua and Nemone and Melleau's sister.

Geo [not playable but i don't want him to take down my blog iykyk]

The case of the lightening of some characters the higher their rarity goes will forever be a mystery (or will it?)

I'm looking at you Anna, Feather, Volena, etc.

#granblue fantasy #gbf #poc #poc characters #dark skin #dark skin characters #jrpg #rpg #no counting special mentions #nice #videogames #diversity #inclusion #80

7 notes · View notes

brian-in-finance · 2 years

Note

https://www.revamp-magazine.co.uk/lauren-lyle?utm_campaign=later-linkinbio-revamp_mag&utm_content=later-30175435&utm_medium=social&utm_source=linkin.bio

Link to interview and there is an Instagram Story.

Thanks for the message, Anon.

Lauren Lyle

9 October 2022

Necklace / Maria Black // Dress / Missoni // Photographer: Stewart Bywater

Interview & Editor: Owen James Vincent

Stylist: Ben James Adams

Hair: Joe Pickering Taylor

Makeup: Maria Asadi

Photographer’s assistant: Hannie McBride

Stylist’s first assistant: Linda Houtsonen

Stylist’s second assistant: Fatima Koko

Cover Design: Emily Curtis

A big thanks to Georgia & Ellie from Public Eye & Sorcha Adamson from Arch The Agency

With ITV drama 'Karen Pirie' coming to an end. We got to chat to Lauren Lyle about her time on the show, preparing herself for the role and behind-the-scenes stories.

Dress & Gloves / La Musa @ Cult Mia

Hi Lauren! Thanks for chatting with ReVamp Magazine. Has 2022 been good for you?

It has, i’ve been very lucky to travel a lot for work from LA to the very most Northern Island of of the UK so i’ve seen some amazing sights. A grey whale in California and a colony of grey seals in the North. It’s been such a good summer in London too. After working away loads it felt cool to reconnect with my friends and actually live in my newly renovated apartment.

Do you remember the first production you worked on?

My first ever proper acting job was The Crucible at The Old Vic on The West End. I couldn’t believe it. TV wise it was either a BBC comedy called Radges which was hilarious and written by now a very successful comedian Fern Brady. Or it was Holby City! An absolute right of passage for a UK actor, i’m honoured to have got an episode before it ended.

Shirt / Letoit // Trousers / ArmedAngels // Shoe / Grenson

You’re the lead role in the ITV crime drama ‘Karen Pirie’. How has the reaction been so far?

It been crazy. I’m quite overwhelmed, and even Twitter which can be a horrible place is largely very positive. I’m so happy everyone is loving it and despite not wanting to read reviews it is good to know even rival papers are agreeing that is a great show. I knew we were making a good thing and its such a relief now its finally out.

How did you prepare yourself for this role?

I read the scripts a million times, watched all the detective shows I could, and created my own big wall which outlined the case and all the suspects. It was very intense wrapping my head around the case and every little details but a real pleasure diving in and immersing myself. Then when it came to line learning it was just repetition repetition repetition. And then sometimes the pub alone, with a half pint and my script.

Jacket / Dagmar // Shoe / Grenson

What was it like to be part of Val McDermid’s world?

Very cool! She’s created such iconic characters and much loved worlds. I was slightly daunted a the prospect of playing a character so many already loved from the books knowing I might not be everyone’s Karen they imagined in their head, however having done it once with Marsali as a book character from Outlander I knew this was our version and people would hopefully honour that. Which they have.

Do you think we need to see more female representation in big roles such as Karen's?

Always. I think telling this story through the lens of another young woman who also knows what it means to be nervous walking home at night is relevant and important. The case is very personal to Karen and the subject matter is to me, so i definitely feel proud to be opening up that conversation further into the mainstream. I’ve had lots of amazing messages from women saying that seeing a vanity free, funny, relatable woman on screen is so refreshing and reassuring.

Earrings / Maria Black // Dress / JC Pajares @ Cult Mia

Have you got any funny behind-the-scenes stories?

I got my parents into the final scene of the whole show as extras. It was quite special to bring them to work and show what I do. We did one take where we picked up half way through the scene and on one told my mum so she started acting out the very beginning of the scene. She stalled the whole take and accidentally got in Chris Jenks (The Mint’s) shot. Luckily the director through it was hilarious and filmed the whole thing.

Lastly, have you got any plans for the rest of the year?

I have just finished another film and i’m preparing to go away to an Island to shoot another one which will take me up to Christmas. Then it will be Christmas dinners and sleep.

You can catch the last episode of 'Karen Pirie' on ITV tonight at 8pm or watch the whole season on ITV Hub.

Revamp

Remember… I got my parents into the final scene of the whole show as extras. It was quite special to bring them to work and show what I do. — Lauren Lyle

#Tait rhymes with hat #Good times #Inbox #Karen Pirie #Revamp Magazine #9 October 2022 #Received 10 October Answered 12 October 2022

19 notes · View notes

wintervsuns · 9 months

Text

who: @benblackwood where: the blackwood day of hosting yule, riverrun, the riverlands

if brandon karstark blinked, he would be able to fool himself into believing he were in the north itself for the amount of furs that seemed to wrap around each and every guest within attendance - it were the first time on this trip he were able to wear the clothes he had originally travelled in, his usual furs of deep grey. it were amusing to notice, how despite the furs that wrapped around each person, it remained painfully obvious none of them were northern: apart from a specific number of individuals. five, including the two youngest children of house blackwood, their mother often looking over at him with a certain look of displeasure within her orbs.

the sun of winter had first met the ruling lord of raventree hall when the latter were merely a boy, a boy with shaking hands and a sword that made his arm shake; and he continued to hold it, until his arm no longer shook. until he became the blade.

there was a look of relief that could clearly be seen within the orbs of the young man when seeing brandon karstark emerge from the doors, an embrace that was more than brotherly: it were family. true family. following promises of finding one another later in the evening, brandon found himself sitting with the stark princess and watching the drama seemingly continue to unfold. how much these people clearly hated one another, and made no effort to try and hide it; so fractured they were. it was ultimately up to ben blackwood to fix that, due to the pin that had been bestowed upon him; the sigil of the hand, the same level of responsibility they shared.

brandon had recently needed to push for a united north after a war that threatened to rip them apart: that resulted in the deaths of so many, including his own. ben would need to do the same.

he were speaking with alys about something not entirely important when he saw the sight of the ruling lord of raventree hall slipping from the crowded hall, though none seemed to follow him. his brows furrowed slightly, a silent observer as his cup remained in his hand, well on his way to having drunk far too much - and yet, he was awaiting for someone to follow. and when nobody did, brandon felt a familiar sense of protectiveness come over him in the knowledge that the lord had many an enemy as of this moment. muttering to alys about returning soon, he pushed his way through the crowds to attempt to find the lord, and when he passed through the main doors of the hall, he still could not see him within the hallways.

"lord blackwood - where will i see him?" brandon asked, his northern accent rough around each syllable as he asked a serving girl, whom he no doubt had startled. and she directed him, in the direction of the godswood. the one place two northmen should truly meet. brandon karstark's boots broke twig after twig as he approached the godswood, running with many streams, the quiet singing of songbirds, and within the middle remained the heartree. a sad face upon it. the ruling lord turned to hear the approach, the approach that was loud, for a very specific reason. and it were clear to see the sense of lowness that were clearly upon him.

"yer tellin' me i've travelled this way to find ya glum faced?" brandon asked, his tone only half serious. it were perfectly acceptable for a lord to want to find momentary solace amongst his gods, and any who thought otherwise no doubt thought they knew too much about everything. "steady on, soldier." he extended his hand to help the man up from where he was sat upon a log. once he would have called him soldier boy. ben blackwood was not a boy. "gonna tell me why we both be here, even if 'tis where we should be?"

#c: benadict 001 #benadict 001 #and carry on for you are mighty and will be mightier still (brandon&ben)

1 note · View note

gothicmilktea · 2 years

Text

Den over 2 and a half/3 years

showing the interesting progress with art i had over the past 3years

It seriously surprised to see how much this character/my art has gone in just a year. I'm so proud to see how far I've gotten and learned through my art flaws.

And to see how she looks now in 2 and a half/3 years.

she is technically a ben 10 oc but I mostly think she's just pretty to draw. Other then that I don't know what to do with her.

You can actually see in the very beginning of her digital art story her personality is different from how it is now.

Before she had a more alert look to her eyes and she shows her more anxious personality traits but her serious undertones when it Hero time.

Then in stage 2 where still in 2020 but her nose changed i believe this is because as I've drawn her hair the view of her face began to morph.

Her face became less rounded and was stretched due to me now practicing human anatomy.

Stage 3/4 she's finally giving a ref not much other then her personality is still anxious mybe more then before. In other drawing after this she seems Irritable.

And I've decided for her 10 years old personality to stick with that shy fearful demeanor.

Stage 5/6

Again ref makes her look anxious But she's actually giving a new ref to show her New personality her eyes are sharp and have lead to her more grumpy looking face with relaxed eyes. Her freckle are more defined and are hand drawn. She has tones of battle scars

So basically she's grumpy, with a more serious undertones then before this will be her main personality traits Going forward

Stage 7

She's a bit chunkier. She looks calmer. I can tell that 14 year old me wanted her to have a more intimating look.

Her skin in 6 and 7 is way lighter then her first adoptions not sure why tho.

Stage 8

Ok here im really starting to figure out how to draw fat. her eyes are less boxy but her skin still looks grey. I had started drawing her with an upper lip.

But I had this thing back then where I was fussy about changing the color of her lip even though I knew it looked weird. Her nose is longer.

Then this is around the first time I started drawing her eye browse white but still drew her eye lashes black.

But as I drew her i added slightly pink gradient to her lips.

Stage 9

This is where my anatomy got funky guys And this is the only digital drawing of her of 2022

Idk it practically the same as stage 8.

Stage 10

My favorite i made her skin darker and more accurately fleshed toned her lips are a dark pink. Her scar actually decide to look more nasty in appearance and is based of some who lost there eye in the walking dead when they got stabed by glass. Ech freckle is individually hand drawn her eye lashes are white I'm glad I did this drawing from memory of what the character looked like instead of looking at her old references.

Finally I get to talk about her very very outdated back story

So how she got her scar was when she was 10 being bounty hunted and when a crystal shard flew her way she froze and it hit her in the eye.

Then i made an au within an oc au of her getting mutated by dr animo turning her into a half human half bear hybrid. Where she had a bears body and eyes but a human face. Also to add to this insanity she was Patient 0 because this was a mutation virus/ Disease that mutated the host into a twisted animal hybrid of them self. Because if you can't destroy/take over the human using animals then make the humans the animals.

#original character #freckles #ben 10 fandom

1 note · View note

kissbentennyson · 3 years

Note

I have no idea if you'd do this but I need a nega ben x reader. He's my favorite out of the alternates. A softer one shot would be nice but whatever you're feeling is good too! I'll take any content I can get!

*Emo Boy by Ayesha Erotica begins to play* Yeah me too.

Nega Ben x Reader | reader uses they/them pronouns, but dresses femininely.

Spill

He’d been waiting all day, and I mean, all day. Classes always seemed to drag on and on longer when he wanted something, and sure, he could have skipped. But that would have taken too much effort not to get caught. He isn’t afraid of the cops or the school administration… But dealing with his parents? Yeah, no. Not worth it. He’d b-lined it across Bellwood, all the way to the “café” he frequented. Truthfully, it wasn't much of a café seeing as how they specialize in more smoothie like drinks, but whatever. It has been rather crowded, too crowded, and everyone just wanted to get in then out.

He should have expected to bump or get bumped into someone, but it didn’t dawn on him until his espresso smoothie was all over your bright pink, fuzzy sweater. Both of you stood there with slack jaws and wide eyes as the brown liquid dripped from your chest and down onto an equally as pink lolita-esque skirt. It looked expensive, not in a daddy's money way, in a “I saved up to buy this” way. And so, he was prepared for hell.

“Oh my god! I am so sorry!”

When it left you, Ben was confused. “Gosh, I should have been looking where I was going… But I was too distracted. Ugh, I-” You were flustered , more than actually, embarrassed is the correct word. “Um… Give me a second and I'll buy you a new one…”

“What?”

Watching as you tried to pat away the coffee with one of the recycled paper napkins the café gives out, a million thoughts passed through him. Of course he took the offer, he wanted that coffee. The line was a lot shorter this time around, and got by a lot quicker too. You ordered for him as he zoned out suddenly looking over your shoulder at him. “What?” He asks, watching you get even more flustered. “I just asked if you wanted anything else. Do you?” “Oh, uh, yeah.” he clears his throat, raising his voice. “The kale chips.”

You both walked out together, your head was down and you watched your shoes as you walked. “Again, I’m really sorry.” He glances at you with a slight side eye as he sips on the coffee, this was the gazillionth time you’ve apologized in just the last few minutes. “It’s… whatever.” He lets out a quick and breathy chuckle. “You apologize to me, but I ruined your sweater.” All of the sudden, your embarrassment seemed non-existent. A light and bubbly laugh leaving you. “Ruined? Oh, trust me, I’ll be just fine. I've dealt with worse.”

“Anyways! I have to get home and change, It was nice meeting you!”

The lunch room was beyond packed, packed like the reunion tour of a popular punk band from the 2000's. The doors and tables overflow with hungry and impatient mouths. You had managed to get in before the rush and snag a serving of less than okay school food, but by the time you got out of line, they had all flooded in. People had no concern for others around them, pushing and shoving like toddlers over toys, and you were getting the brunt of it. Not actually, but it sure felt like it.

You were halfway across the room and were looking around the tables for a free space- but it was too late for that already. A body slams into yours hard, you hit the ground as your food falls and splatters all of the chest of the sweater you had just gotten the coffee stain out of. Feet come down around you as you struggle to get up, the other person now looming over you. “Could you have watched where you were going!?” This whole situation was not intentional, but they had no right to get angry at you for that.

You felt the tips of your ears heat, unable to answer. Her eyes bore down on you as she sways with every passing body bumping into her. Suddenly, you feel a hand grab the back of your sweater and pull you from the ground, as if they were scruffing a cat. “Or, maybe you could stop play fighting with your friends in the cafeteria, like a bitch.” Her jaw drops and her freckled face goes red with embarrassment, obviously on the fact that she can't pawn her mistake off on someone else this time. The voice was rather monotone- in a way- compared to the words spoken. And rather familiar.

When you look up it’s the guy from the café, his neutral expression was a thin vale to hide his irritation- at least to you. His hand still had a grip on the back of your shirt, it was a firm hold, and it made you just a tad bit nervous. You swallow as the person swallows her embarrassment, rolling her eyes desperately to try and hide. “Whatever freak, sorry…” she turns and disappears into the crowd. You watch her do so, completely shocked at the situation at hand. Your lips part to say something, but his grip on your sweater releases, being replaced by an arm around your shoulder. Suddenly, you’re being dragged through the crowd and towards the cafeteria door.

He walks you out into the hallway, which is mostly empty at this point. “Thank you.” you choke out through the lump in your throat. He doesn’t say anything, just keeps walking with you- and you aren’t in any position to object.

Eventually you reach the stairs. Under it is a mostly empty black backpack, and there’s a light reflection of gold from inside. The weight of his arm leaves your shoulders and he walks ahead, sliding under the stairs and sitting with his back to an old AC unit. You hesitate for a moment, you’ve only met this guy one other time… maybe you should just wait…… nah.

Sliding under the stairs right after him, you sit straight across from the guy. He’s already looked away. “I think we have third period together. Your name is Ben, right?” His phone is already out, and he’s scrolling through it. “Well I'm…” you give him your name, and all he does is look up at you with a nod before going back to his phone. The volume is low, but there are noises coming from it, ones you recognize. “Is that the Sumo Slammers mobile game?” There was no judgement in your voice at all, and suddenly the losing end sound plays.

The corners of his mouth twitch. “Yeah?” “My little brother is obsessed with that series. He says that the mobile game isn’t that good, but he still played it to the end.” He let out a little huff like laugh through his nose, pressing the power button and finally giving you his full attention. “Yeah, maybe the old one wasn't that good, but this one is a new release- Doesn’t even have dubbed lines yet.” He clears his throat, slouching a bit as his hands slide into his pockets. “Actually, it’s not fully released in the states yet. I got pre access to the game.” He watches you smile, and suddenly there's a slight tense feeling in his chest.

“That’s really cool, are you a beta tester or something?” He shrugs. “No, and it’s whatever.” He glances away, gaze holding on the wall. “Well I think it’s really cool, especially since it's a series you like.” “How do you know that?” His gaze snaps back to you, suddenly defensive. “Your backpack is open and the sun is reflecting off of the cold backing of the trading cards.” You lazily point to the stairs above you, and there is the reflected image of the symbol on the cards. “Those are the collectors additions, from japan. I know because I’ve been looking for that exact deck for my brother.”

You watch as his cheeks dust a light pink color, lightly nudging his bag so it falls over. He starts avoiding eye contact, leaning back fully against the old AC unit. “Why are you still here? Shouldn't you be cleaning up your sweater?” You lean back against the stairs. “Yeah, maybe. But I think you’re kinda cool, and I’d like to stay.”

It was rather silent the rest of lunch, when you tried to hold a conversation- he would end it with short answers that gave you nothing to build off of. The bell rings above you like the screech of an angered bird. You both get up, him raising from the floor before you. You brush the dirt off of the back of your thighs, the light sound of unzipping catching your attention. You watch as the zipper of his hoodie comes down as he pulls it. Yanking it off of his shoulders, revealing the greenish-grey long sleeve he had under it.

“Here. Even if you get the food off, it’ll still stain.” He hands you the coat, slinging his backpack over one shoulder, the already open flap lolling open even more. “Oh, thank you, I don’t know what to sa-” “Don’t. Don’t say anything. This never happened.” He walks past you and into the crowd of students, with his head down.

You watch as he does so, eventually looking back down at the hoodie in hand. You feel your face just slightly twinge with heat. “Yeah… Alright.” You say under your breath as you rush off to the nearest bathroom to scrub the food scum from your sweater.

It was a game day.

Not that he kept track of that, he had never been into football. Once upon a time he played soccer, but after he got the Negatrix any hopes of that former love returning was gone. Ben knew it was game day because his cousin was in her cheerleading outfit- and it was no were near time for cheer competitions. Her makeup was done and her strawberry blonde hair was pulled up, and she sat in the front seat of her boyfriend's car chatting to said boyfriend about the routines she had to do.

Ben sat in the back, as he always did, waiting for the drive to be over. It came soon enough as the car pulled into the drop off area in front of the school, slowing to a stop. Neither Tennyson waited for it to fully stop before opening their doors. He got out, closing it with a slam and without a thank you. Gwen still leaning in and talking. The chatter of the hoard of tired teenagers flocking into the building almost drowned out the shouting of his name.

Almost.

He groans, looking over his shoulder, spotting the mass of pastels jogging towards him with something in their arms. “I’m so glad I got here on time! They were packed this morning- and I thought I'd be late- but I made it.” In your arms is his hoodie and an espresso smoothie. You hand him your gifts with a large smile. “I um, washed the jacket for you. Thanks again.” The bell rings and you give a quick wave before pushing into the school building yourself.

His jaw hangs slack, looking down at his freshly cleaned jacket- lint free, folded, and still warm- and the smoothie. When he moves there's a light cracking from inside the jacket, like the sound of a chip bag. He pulls back one of the folds and there is a bag of kale chips, stuck to it is a yellow sticky note written on with a pink gel pen. A phone number with “See you at lunch.”

“Who was that?” Ben looks over at his cousin, an impressed smirk on her lips.

“You’re getting mileage out of this, huh?” “Soooo much.”

#proship dni #alternate bens x reader #ben 10 x reader #ben tennyson x reader #nega ben x reader

253 notes · View notes

blueathens · 3 years

Text

Loving His Wife In Secret

-Mission: Happily Ever After-

Chapter 5

Song: A Sunday Kind of Love by Etta James Quote: “You look beautiful.”

Masterlist//Dusk Till Dawn Masterlist//Agape Masterlist

Ben and Y/n spent a couple of months just getting back into their relationship, their marriage. Ben, Y/n and Lottie all went out as a family together. Ben and Y/n went together for events of Lottie, together, as in they actually sat next to each other, cheering on for their little girl, whether its for Sports Day, a Production, Dance, they were there, together. If Lottie was at Ben’s he would get his parents or sister or one of his friends to babysit Lottie whilst he went out with Y/n or the other way round.

Ben saw Lottie nearly everyday now, and she was loving it, whether it was her and Y/n coming round his for dinner or him to theirs. Or if he was picking her up from school or a club to spend quality time together because Y/n was working longer shifts.

Ben and Y/n was going strong in their marriage like they had done so before. Like they used to be. Like they should be.

The only difference was that no one knew.

Not even Lottie.

They didn’t want anyone to get happy and get their hopes up in case they both realised that they were better of without each other. Which they both knew was a lie. They were better together, and their separation proved this. They also didn’t want to tell anyone as they enjoyed it just being them. They felt bad that their own daughter didn’t know, but it was all out of protection and love in case worst comes to worst and they separate again.

But Lottie was happy and that was all that they cared about.

Ben and Y/n was happy too. Very happy.

“Hmmm…you’re cooking.” Y/n hummed as she wrapped her arms around a shirtless Ben who was standing by the stove, making pancakes. Y/n kissed the back of his shoulder up to his neck with gentle kisses.

It was 1pm and there was no better time to have pancake then now. Ben had only gotten out of Bed 10 minutes ago and Y/n followed behind 8 minutes later. Lottie was at school and unfortunately she didn’t have any clubs straight after.

“Are there-”

“There’s chocolate buttons in the cupboard, like usual.” Y/n interrupted, knowing exactly what Ben was going to ask as she knew him better than he knows himself. She remembers how cute she thought he was in the moment she saw him putting chocolate buttons on his crepes – something he does a lot with pancakes too – he was just grinning happily as he poured buttons on his crepes, telling her why he does it and how everyone called him childish for it. She listened intensively and disagreed with those thoughts, telling him how cute it was and that it was still chocolate, nicer chocolate too as it was Cadburys.

She thinks that might have been the moment she started to truly fall for him as he was just so comfortable doing something that many people called him childish for.

“God,” he groaned with a smile, “have I ever told you how much I love you.”

“Yes, but I like hearing it come out from your mouth.”

Ben felt her warm breath against his back as she stopped her kissing and now rested her forehead against his bare back. Her index finger was running up and down his abs, the cold metal band of her ring made him shiver slightly.

He still smiles at the jewellery that is placed on her ring finger. He missed seeing it, and seeing it again always made him kiss it as he mumbles, “you have me and my love forever, Mrs Chilwell.” He just loves knowing that she was his girl…again. She was his wife again. He was her person again. They were each other’s favourite again.

It was all going good until that knock.

They had just finished eating their breakfast, holding hands, smiling and laughing at one another.

Y/n stood up, walked to the door in an old Chelsea shirt and grey jogging bottoms, after claiming her legs were cold.

Opening the door was something she regretted instantly.

“What are you doing here?” She spat out bitterly at the person outside her front door.

The blond gelled up hair with brown hazel eyes belonged to a man who she could never love.

“To see you.” He smiled softly. “You look beautiful.”

Ben already told her that this morning. Her hair was messier as it wasn’t in the bun that it was in now, sleep dust was still in her eyes, she had morning breath and her cheek was slightly pink from her she was lying down on his arm. She even had slight droll from her mouth and Ben still thought she was the most beautiful girl there.

Y/n ignored his comment as she only wanted one man to ever say it to her in the way he just did. And that man was still in the dining room, trying to figure out who was at the door, how Y/n knew him, why he spoke like that and why he’s voice sounded familiar.

“Baby, are you okay?” Ben called from the dining room.

“Baby?” The person muttered. “You did run back to the one who broke your heart then, huh?” He asked her angrily, arms folding against his chest.

“It’s really none of your business, Tyler.” She glared at him

Ben stood up abruptly, chair fallen backwards, as he paced towards the door. And there the man stood. The man who once had his girl.

Tyler looked Ben up and down as he stood in just grey sweatpants.

“Speak of the topless devil.” Tyler spitefully said, glaring hard at Ben. “Let me guess, you ran back into his arms when I broke up with you?”

“It’s not of your business.” Y/n grip on the door tightened at every look he gave her and Ben.

“I mean I am her husband.” Ben wrapped his arm round Y/n’s shoulder, the hand over her shoulder laced his fingers with her left, allowing him to show off the ring on it. He saw how Tyler scowled at it. “It’s pretty, isn’t it?” He taunted. “Perfect fit on her finger. A symbol of love as it was given to the person who loves her the most.”

“You said you were going through a divorce.” Tyler’s eyes were still on the ring.

“We were. But we – I don’t know why I’m explaining this to you.” Y/n scrunched her face back a bit, confused at her own idiocy. “I owe you no explanations. You broke it up and what I did afterwards is none of your concern.”

“It was obvious though…it was obvious that you still loved him.” His voice was full of one of pain as he gulped in the middle of it.

“I mean, can you blame her?”

“Benji!”

“What? Maybe he should stop eyeing up my wife.” Ben glared at Tyler making him stop looking at Y/n.

“I just thought you might…I just thought you could’ve loved me back.”

“I’m sorry.” Y/n eyes went softer. “But I couldn’t love you…I always will love Benji, and you were the one who wanted Ben out of Lottie’s life.”

“He what?!”

“It was what was best for her.” Tyler declared.

“That wasn’t your choice to make.” Y/n growled. “She’s not your kid. She’s mine and Ben’s.” She watched how he opened his mouth, ready to argue back, but Y/n raised her hand and pushed him back. “Now I never want to see you back here again. We have an assembly to attend and there isn’t an invitation for you. Goodbye.” She slammed the door shut, head resting against the wooden door.

“So, that was hot.” Ben whispered, arms wrapping around her waist as he kissed her neck before he started to leave tiny love-bites to it, tongue flickering over every new creation he makes.

“Shower.” Y/n demanded.

“Michelle’s dad wanted to know if you and Tyler are still together.” Lottie told Y/n innocently, as she put a spoonful of chocolate ice-cream in her mouth.

Ben hand tightened on Y/n’s thigh.

What is it with men trying to get with his wife. Like, yeah, she’s a catch. But she’s happily taken and married. The ring with their words on it proves it.

“Benji, can you pass me a tissue for-”

“Benji?!” Lottie screeched out. “T-t-that.” She looked between her dad and mum. “Mission: Happily Ever After complete?” Her eyes looking at Ben.

“Mission: Happily Ever After?” Y/n asked looking at her husband and daughter.

“Mission: Happily Ever After completed.” Ben nodded.

Lottie jumped up onto the booth she sat in, the ice-cream parlour was practically empty, and thank god for that, because Lottie screamed a loud “Yes!” as she danced on the red cushioned booth. “Mummy and daddy are back together!”

It took a lot of explaining to Lottie of them wanting to love each other and be a family again but Lottie wasn’t listening much as she was too much in her own world of happiness after she watched her parents hands come out from under the table, holding one another, rings on their fingers, and she nearly burst into tears of happiness at the sight of her dad kissing her mum.

Lottie was still practically bouncing in her seat as her parents watched her with smiles on their faces. They knew it wasn’t the sugar of the ice-cream making her this excited. She even asked if she should tell Michelle’s dad that you were married. But Ben told her no as that makes it seem like she’s telling him that Y/n was married to Tyler, which is hard no. Ben also asked Lottie to point out Michelle dad out to him next time she sees him, which Y/n narrowed her eyes at.

Ben and Y/n were over the moon too as they could be a family again and not in secret.

Ben could love his wife again without it being a secret.

They could love one another again for everyone to see.

Y/n placed another spoonful of cookie dough ice-cream into her mouth, tongue licking it clean before she spoke again with a small smirk when she saw Ben drop his spoon and hearing Lottie’s screams of happiness again.

“So, Lottie, do you want to be a big sister?”

A/N: So, like, surprise...

I only did a part 5 because someone requested it and helped me get the idea...but I don’t think chapter 5 is as good as the other’s in my opinion because the angsty/jealous/small fluff we were having was exciting...

But they achieved their mission which was the whole point.

So I hope you liked your surprise ;)

𝑃𝑟𝑒𝑣𝑖𝑜𝑢𝑠 ◁ II ▷ 𝑁𝑒𝑥𝑡

#ben chilwell #ben chilwell imagine #ben chilwell imagines #ben chilwell series #ben chilwell x reader #ben chilwell x y/n #blueathensfics #chelsea #chelsea imagines #footballers imagine #football x reader #football imagine #football #footballers x reader #footballers imagines #footballers #fluff

198 notes · View notes

radiosandrecordings · 3 years

Text

I found the start of a script I was working on in.. apparently June last year. It was supposed to be for a podfic because I wanted to do my own travelling-to-the-safehouse fic but apparently this is as far as I got. I think it’s pretty good though so may as well post it. Left in all the ah... More creative notes I was apparently giving myself for direction. [Tape clicks on]

[Sound of two sets of footsteps on stone, reverberating around a confined tunnel. Possibly water drip?]

JON [Firm, but soft. Like a memory foam mattress.] Martin? Are you still with me?

MARTIN [As if distracted, snapping back to himself] … What? Oh, yes, yes, still… Still here. Sorry it’s just- [He falters, struggling for the words] Hard. With- With everything. It’s all a bit… [A pause. He’s making vague hand gestures with one hand.] A bit much.

JON [Flatly] Oh. [Realising] Oh!- Do you- Do you want me to let go of your-

[Walking stops around here]

MARTIN (OVERLAPPING) [Firmly, almost panicked] No! Uh- No. No. This is… This is good.

JON [Trying not to sound pleased. Failing] Oh! Uh- Good. Good.

[Several beats of silence as the walking starts up again]

MARTIN … It’s grounding, really. Everything else is… A lot. Even breathing feels weird. I’m too… Hyper-aware. Of my own lungs. Not sure I breathed in there, not properly anyway. You just kind of dissolve into the background. Even yourself is too much company. Your whole body just kind of feels like a limb you’ve been sitting on too long, all the blood flowed out of it. So it’s… Nice. To have you. As a- As a focus point.

JON [Muttered] Something to be said about anchors, and all that.

MARTIN What was that?

JON Nothing, just a… Bit of a personal joke.

JON (CONT’D) Anyway. I think there’s light ahead, hopefully this should be the end of the tunnel. No idea where it’ll spit us out though.

MARTIN Guess we’ll see.

[Beat]

Just… Don’t let go?

JON [Unbearly fond. Get it together, gayboy] ‘Course not.

[Tape clicks off]

[Tape clicks on]

[They’re outside. There are outside noises. You know what those sound like, don’t you? I know you’ve been at home for 3 months but please. Please try and remember. Is there wind outside? Maybe a pigeon? It’s south bank there has to be pigeons. You remember pigeons, right? Also, river noises. Boat.]

MARTIN Are we at-

JON (OVERLAPPING) Southbank. Yes.

MARTIN Southbank? But the river, we’d have to have-

JON (OVERLAPPING) Yes, I’m… Not quite sure the same physics applies, when it comes to those tunnels. They’ve spent more time being moved around by a Leitner than not. I think they end where they want to end. Bloody miracle we’re not halfway to Twickenham. Or still in London at all for that matter.

MARTIN ...Right.

[He absolutely does not get it]

MARTIN (CONT’D) [He lets out a breath] Can we just- Can we just sit? For a minute?

JON [Quiet] Of course, of course…

[Movement as they make their way to a bench and sit]

[A seagull squawks overhead]

MARTIN The sunrise is nice…

JON [Clearly not looking at the sunrise] Yeah, it is…

MARTIN Do you have any idea what time it is?

JON I’d say… Just coming up on seven.

MARTIN What, Beholding goes to the trouble of telling you that and it can’t even pin it to the minute?

JON Martin, not to sound like the most stereotypical Englishman in the world, but we’re on South Bank. I just looked over at Big Ben.

MARTIN Oh- Er- Right.

[A sigh. He relaxes from all the wound up tension]

… God it really is just there isn’t it. Like, it’s one of those things that, if you didn’t grow up here, you don’t really get that it’s… Real, y’know? It’s like, you can see it every day and never quite get past the notion that it’s something that only exists as… Cheap, shitty fridge magnets and… And novelty t-shirts.

… Does that make sense? No, no sorry I’m rambling-

JON (CUTTING HIM OFF) [Quick, reassuring] No, no I get what you mean.

[A pause. He’s searching for something to fill the empty air, desperate not to leave a silence between them. It’s only tangentially on topic, but it will do]

… I grew up in Bournemouth. Did I ever tell you that?

MARTIN [Voice slightly shaky, but solidifying] Not in as many words, no. I think you mentioned it, on a… Tape. At some point. Not directly.

[He hesitates]

… Do you want to tell me about it?

JON [Hesitant. He may not have been Lonely, but he’s spent a fair amount of time trying to diminish himself] Only if you want me to.

MARTIN But do you want to tell me about it?

JON [Meekly] … Probably not the best story for now, actually. Not terribly interesting. And when it is, it’s just a bit… Miserable, really. Childhood orphaning never really leads upwards in the ways Dickens would have you believe.

MARTIN ...Some other time then?

JON [Stumbles slightly, as if shocked by the knowledge that there will be times that aren’t this. NOW YOU’VE THROWN HIM OFF HIS RHYTHM!] Y-yes. Some other time.

[Pause. 5 Seconds? Ambience. Sound of voices around has started to filter in.]

JON [Slow] I was just… I was thinking. About what- What Peter Lukas said, back in… [With vehemence] There. And how it was… Partially true, in a way. We may not know each that well but… I’d like to change that. If- If you do.

MARTIN [Soft] I would like that.

[Content hum]

… Tell me something non-miserable, then.

JON What?

MARTIN About yourself. Something that isn’t, I dunno, doom and gloom. What about, mmm, favourite colour?

JON [Amused, mock scolding] Are you five?

MARTIN Humour me!

JON Fine, fine… Actually, no.

MARTIN No?

JON No, you tell me what you think it is.

MARTIN [Under his breath] I tell you what I think…

[Contemplative] Okay. Okay. What is… What is Jonathan Sims’ favourite colour… You used to wear a lot of green around the office, dark jumpers and tweed jackets and stuff… But I’m half convinced you just thought it was a ‘professional’ colour, to match your fancy new job. I think it’s… I think it’s purple.

JON [Surprised] Purple? Why

MARTIN When… When you were in the hospital… Georgie stuck some photos up on the wall next to your bed. Old ones, polaroids, but in a kind of artsy way since they clearly weren’t from anywhere before the 2000′s. They were you in uni, and you had this ridiculous purple streak in your hair. So… Purple.

JON [Quietly mouthing the words along, not quite processing] Had a purple streak in Uni…

[Startled, just processed fully the implications] Wait, you met Georgie?

MARTIN Not in the hospital, a bit later in the Institute yeah, but… That’s another story for later. No, we never met in the hospital, I never quite felt…

[Grimace] Up to company, when I was there.

JON Right, of course. I remember that, though. Some time in my second year; I got a bit tired of people assuming I was a post-grad student and thought I’d try and dye my grey streaks purple. It fit in with the sort of… Aesthetic, I was cultivating at the time.

MARTIN [Absentmindedly, almost as if he doesn’t realise he’s saying it] I always liked your grey streaks.

JON [Shocked Pikachu but he’s got Dreamworks single raised eyebrow syndrome] Oh?

MARTIN [Oh shit, oh fuck, did I say that out loud] It’s just… Y’know. Nice. Not something you should want to hide.

[Quickly changing the subject] … You didn’t answer though. Am I right or wrong?

JON [Slow, amused. In a visual medium he’d be spreading his hands out] You got me.

MARTIN [Inordinately pleased] Really? Huh. Okay. Guess mine. And no Knowing!

JON Oh, gosh, uhm… Yellow?

MARTIN [Hah!] Green!

JON [Audibly :D because Martin laughed] Green? Why?

MARTIN [Hummed] Mm, I dunno. Just something about it.

[Volume of crowd has increased considerably now]

MARTIN [Slightly more nervous. The slight break in conversation gave him time to notice the people beginning to crowd around]

I apparently didn’t get to include it in the script, but it was going to be a reveal later that actually, Jon doesn’t have a favourite colour. He just agreed because he wanted to make Martin happy.

#My Post #My Writing #The Magnus Archives #Jonmartin

475 notes · View notes

redhairedwolfwitch · 3 years

Text

Doctor Y/n - Residency - 27 - Grey's Anatomy x Fem!Reader

It was very rare to spend a day off by doing anything that wasn't sleeping or house chores.

This meant you'd never actually seen some areas of Seattle, including the Space Needle.

"Y/n... we should get up, if we want to go to the Space Needle today..." Leah whispered, trying to stir you from your slumber in her arms.

"Urf... good morning." Your voice was croaky as you said your first words of the day, shuffling slightly so you could look Leah in the eye.

"Hi..." You murmured as Leah smiled down at you.

"I'm going to go shower. You can join me, as long as you don't bump your head on the tiles again." Leah announced, smiling to herself as she felt your eyes watching her form as she walked to the bathroom.

///

"We totally missed that press conference about Riggs and Grey saving those people on the plane." You realised as the two of you began to head back from visiting the Space Needle.

"Well, we were a little distracted. Plus, we sort of saved a life at the Space Needle-"

"We diagnosed an asthma attack." You deadpanned as Leah chuckled, nodding as she realised it didn't really compare.

"Yeah, that's not as wild, but... Steph just texted me about a stomach full of worms?" Leah replied, showing you the text.

"Intestinal roundworm? That's different." You replied, chewing your lip as you weren't sure whether to be disgusted or intrigued by the fact something so rare had came into the ER.

"Do you think we could go in and watch-"

"Watch the surgery?" Leah finished your sentence, leaving the two of you to nod before getting ready to head to the hospital.

///

"Are those worms?" Warren's voice caught your attention, leading you to hurry towards the OR with Leah behind you.

"That's a lot of worms." You exclaimed as you and Leah slipped in behind Warren and Hannah. Your focus on the surgery to remove the worms meant that you didn't see how Hannah glanced between you and Leah.

"Are they taking pictures and measuring the worms?" Leah realised, leaving you to gasp.

"Yes! Steph's having fun too. Oh my god, do you think it could break a record? Ohh, god, yeah, that's- it's getting gross now... and Joey is missing this!" You retorted whilst Leah was grimacing at the amount of worms being removed from the patient's body.

///

"Josephine Wilson. Strong in ortho, plastics and not a bad head for neuro, actually. Her outcomes are excellent." Minnick announced after glancing over Jo's file.

"Yeah, she rallied. She had a tough year, personally." Webber added, leaving Minnick to admit she never would have known.

"Stephanie Edwards. She's expressed a clear interest and talent for neuro. She could write whatever ticket she wants. She's a superstar." Minnick continued, leaving Webber to nod.

"Very driven."

"She will make us proud." Bailey added to Webber's comment.

"Leah Murphy, very clear drive towards cardio." Minnick continued leaving Webber to nod.

"She's come a long way."

"Y/n S/n, an even split between ortho and cardio, outcomes are outstanding." Minnick stated, leaving Webber to nod.

"Torres knew back when S/n was an intern that she had a knack for orthopaedics."

"Benjamin Warren." Minnick began, passing Bailey the file.

"Well, say what you want to say." Bailey stated, realising that Minnick was holding back.

"Warren's a utility player, good anywhere you put him."

"That's true." Webber agreed, waiting for Minnick to continue.

"He tends to play it safe. He goes for the easy cases, easy diagnosis. He lays back. No risks."

"Ben Warren? Have you seen his file?" Webber asked, removing his glasses and putting them in his pocket as Bailey gave the file back to Minnick, arguing her husband has made risky moves before.

///

"You talk to Wilson a lot?" DeLuca asked Steph, leaving Steph to pause.

"Uh daily, but Y/n does more. Why?"

"She and Karev. Do you think they're back together?" DeLuca asked, leaving Steph to frown until she realised.

"Just do yourself a favour, that's all I'm saying. Maybe hang out with Y/n if you want to play it safe, too." Steph explained, leaving DeLuca to frown.

"Hang out with Y/n? She likes girls."

"You two are friends, right? That's important, Y/n doesn't really make friends easily, and it's healthier than pining after Jo." Steph replied, leaving DeLuca to look confused before remembering the task at hand, helping patients.

///

"Steph! Hey, Steph! Wait up!" You shouted, running past Minnick as you chased after Steph. The smashed tablet lay on the ground as you found Steph.

"Hey, hey, breathe, just take a breath." You instructed, leaving Steph to sigh as she pushed you away.

"I need to tell Bailey I wasn't aiming for his head." She stated before walking away, leaving you to sigh, your hands on your waist as you processed what had happened.

///

Joey: DeLuca was about to ask me out

Braces: what did you say?

Joey: I asked him not to say it

Braces: that explains the 'was about to'

Joey: are you at home tonight or the hospital?

Braces: hospital, I have two surgeries tomorrow morning with an hour between them

///

Steph: I have to go to counselling

Y/n: for what? Are you okay?

Steph: my privileges were revoked, can you get Brody to watch my patients?

Y/n: sure, anything you need.

///

Waking up at 5am to prep for day wasn't the easiest or funnest thing in the world.

Surprisingly, it wasn't awkward talking to Hannah about Steph's patients, but her asking about you and Leah? Deer in headlights, but she was glad you were happy, apparently.

Steph had messaged you after a week of counselling that she would talk to Webber about coming back too.

"Edwards is coming back?" DeLuca's voice had you almost drop the tablet you were holding, leaving you to whip around to greet him.

"Potentially." You brushed him off, saying you had to check the OR board as you spotted Jo.

"You doing okay?" You asked as you hurried over to the coffee cart, pausing as Jo put her coffee down, immediately launching herself the short distance to you. You were still for a moment before hugging her back, feeling the tension leave Jo's shoulders as she pressed her face into your shoulder.

"Better?" You murmured, kissing the crown of her head as she stirred from your arms.

"A bit... might need more hugs." Jo admitted, leaving you to nod.

"I have forty-five minutes before I have to scrub in on a valve replacement with Riggs, so I can hug you some more if you want." You replied, feeling Jo hum in response.

///

"People need to get busy where god intended. Parking lots, because it's flat." Bailey announced, leaving you to pause as Leah quirked a brow.

You were quick to shrug at her before realising you needed to scrub in soon.

"Gotta go scrub." You stated, feeling Leah's gaze on you as you hurried up to the OR.

///

You were exiting a patient's post-op room when Leah ran over to you.

"You are okay? Have you seen Steph?" Leah immediately asked, leaving you to frown.

"Not since I saw her wheeling a patient around-"

"The patient's a rapist, Steph's in danger and Avery can't find her." Leah explained, leaving your face to fall.

"Code orange, hospital will be going onto lockdown, we need to move!" You stated, immediately opening your phone to call Jo.

"Crap, it's voicemail! Joey, where are you? Steph's missing and so is the rapist, are you safe? Have you seen Steph? Call me back as soon as you get this, I'm safe with Leah, we're near the coffee cart, heading down to reception, please call me back!"

///

"Were those gun shots?" Leah startled, whilst you froze, recognising the sound.

"No, that's an explosion. Code red!" You exclaimed as the fire alarms began to go off.

"Doors are unlocked!"

"We have a multiple alarm fire on floors five and six, from the service elevators east. And we are concerned with structural damage on that floor." The firefight announced.

"We're diverting all incoming traumas." Webber added.

"Patients in immediate or impending danger need to be evacuated first. Unaffected areas: the ER, radiology, nursery, day-care - they stay put. We have to prioritise." Bailey explained, checking over her list.

"Firefighter Caroll here will be directing you to the most urgent areas." Webber instructed, leaving you and Leah to nod.

"Yeah, and, uh the woman with her arm in the air over there is Doctor Kepner. She is setting up a holding area?"

"Outside by Parking Lot 1." April explained as Bailey directed everyone's attention to her.

"By Parking Lot 1, take evacuated patients to her. She is in charge." Bailey finished

"And if your patients can walk, they can transport themselves." Meredith interjected.

"Thank you, Doctor Grey. Do not be a hero. Okay? If they can walk, let them walk, carry the rest. The elevators are not working, do not try and use them." Webber replied as Bailey told you all to work fast but work safe.

"Chief! Chief! I think Steph might be on the fire floor with the rapist." You hurried after Bailey, who immediately nodded.

"Lord, don't make me have to tell Katherine Avery I burnt her hospital to the ground." Bailey prayed before getting to work.

///

"My daughter, Erin, she's missing again!" Erin's father told Meredith.

"Leah, we've got a code pink too!" You murmured as you and Leah worked on evacuating patients whilst you waited for Jo to call you back.

///

"Hey, we have a missing child-"

"We have people looking for the missing eight year old girl-" The cop began, leaving you to almost glare.

"And a missing resident, Stephanie Edwards, last scene with the rapist before the lockdown and explosion." You stated, leaving the cop to nod and immediately start radioing and co-ordinating with the firefighters.

///

"Braces! You okay?" Jo shouted, running over as she spotted you helping a patient onto a gurney in the parking lot.

"I need a minute, it's smokey..." You wheezed, feeling Jo squeeze your shoulder before you looked around.

"Are you okay? Have you seen Steph? She's been missing since before the fire, along with the rapist." You replied, leaving Jo to freeze.

"I'm okay. I haven't seen Steph, did you tell the cops?"

"Yeah, yeah, I did." You answered, letting out a breath as you tried to ignore how much your lungs ached at the smoke you'd inhaled whilst evacuating, plus the running up and down flights of stars to evacuate patients.

///

"Chief, any word on Edwards? Nobody's seen her since the lockdown. I told Minnick to tell the cops." Jackson asked Bailey.

"Minnick, what did the cops say about Edwards-"

"Oh my god, I forgot-" Minnick realised, leaving Bailey's face to drop to shock.

"Cops are looking, I told one. They're looking for Steph and the missing eight year old." You informed Bailey, leaving her to almost hug you.

"Thank god you were here, S/n." Bailey replied, but you just shook off their praise, looking at Minnick with a 'wtf' look.

///

"S/n, with me!" April called you over, watching as you sprinted at the sight of a burned Stephanie Edwards on the gurney.

"Oh my god..." You murmured, setting up an IV line as Jackson and April began to look at the extent of her injuries.

"S/n, are you alright?" Maggie began, spotting the burn scars on your arm.

"Remember how I told you about the burning bus? It was Y/n and Jackson who ran to save the child, those are the burns Y/n got from it." April explained, leaving you to clear your throat nervously.

"Can I wait nearby for when Steph wakes up?"

///

"It'll be a while before you step into an OR..." Webber stated, leaving Steph to let out a whimper.

"Actually, about that. I've spent my whole life in hospitals. My whole life, and - I think I need to see everything that's not inside of a hospital. I need to travel, and explore, and hike, and, and breathe, and breathe, breathe real air. So deep, I need to breathe it all in. Away from the monitors and the blood, and the, and the sterile gowns, away from saving other people's lives. I want my own, it's time, it's time I live my own." Steph breathed in sharply, her body rushing with pain as the morphine hadn't been adjusted yet.

"You changed my life, Doctor Webber. You have. You, you taught me how..." Steph groaned before chuckling at the pain, "you taught me how to take my past and find my path. Thank you. Thank you. I think I found it." Steph thanked Webber with tears in her eyes.

"Which means?" Webber prompted, but deep down, he already knew.

"Which means I quit. Can you let Y/n in? She's clawing at the door like a cat." Steph requested, leaving Webber to nod to you.

"DeLuca, turn that morphine up, as high as it'll go please, Y/n, you better be quick." Steph chuckled, leaving you to pause.

"Well, you better keep in touch with me, y'know. I want to see all the photos from your travels, and your explorations and hikes. I'm going to miss you, Steph. Thank you for everything, you're a badass and the best resident in our class, don't tell Joey or Leah I said that, okay?" You bid your farewells to Steph as she shuddered through the pain, leaving you, Webber and DeLuca to wait as the morphine set in.

"Gonna miss, miss you too, Y/n. We'll call, okay?" Steph shuddered, leaving you to nod before shushing her, telling her to save her breath and focus on fighting through the pain.

///

Tags: @nnightskiess @emskisworld @multifandomlesbianic

112 notes · View notes

cheekygreenty · 3 years

Text

Leave Me Lonely p.1 - The Darkling x Reader

Based on Ariana Grande’s song Leave me Lonely ft.Macy Grey. Was supposed to be just one part but I got carried away as per usual 🤓

'Get the General!' Zoya's eyes were borderline frantic but her composure remained the same, the once pristine blue kefta was dirty and ragged and her long luscious hair was disheveled, a piece of it in the way of a small cut on her temple.

'Zoya are you alright?' You were exiting the General's tent when you saw her approach, your body filled with an alarming feeling as you raced to meet her and some other Grisha, The skiff, she was manning a skiff across the Fold not even an hour ago, why is she back?

She ignored your question and continued with her dutifulness, 'The General, this is urgent'

You nodded and ran back, mind whirling with the possibilities of the skiffs return. Zoya was a great Squaller who'd successfully manned many journeys across the Fold so why was she back here, all scratched and bruised.

He was conversing with First Army Lieutenants and Captains when a rough grasp around his arm interrupted the flowing conversation. He squared his shoulders but when he saw your panicked face, he relaxed but only the smallest amount. Not even 10 minutes beforehand you two were involved in a heavy argument and at the feel of his tense muscles beneath his kefta, you guessed he thought you were back for more.

You had a right to come back and throw insults at his face, hell, he was the one who brought out that side of you. A vicious, ruthless, and malevolent side you never knew you had, but you ignored that urge.

-Dangerous Love, you're no good for me darling-

'We have a situation.' You cocked your head in Zoya's direction and waited until his company excused themselves and stood to the side before you let Zoya speak.

'I think we may have a sun-summoner.' She said without any negligible hesitancy. The tent suddenly froze in time. The Grisha held their breath and the otkazat'sya paled as your eyes grew wide. A Sun-Summoner.

'We were 2 markers in and were attacked by volcra, a searing light came out of nowhere, or rather came out of a girl, a first-army soldier.' You could see the lieutenant perk up at the sound of one of his being mentioned but Aleksander's expression hadn't changed since Zoya started talking.

'Bring her to me.'

'A Healer is bringing her now.' As she concluded her statements, she silently moved off to the crowd of other Grisha who'd come back from the skiff journey looking equally as shaken as she did.

You leaned back on the desk for support as you settled the information she'd just given you. This was Zoya, a very, very credible witness who'd just said a Sun-Summoner had been found. A legend come true, a myth that no longer needed debunking.

You looked at him again, this time noticing a flicker of hope in his eyes. He stared right back into your own wide eyes and gave a gentle nod followed by a small squeeze of reassurance to your hand which still held a tight hold on his arm. He kept his back to the entrance but you had a full view of her once the tent flap opened.

She was brought in by two guards in a scuffed First-Army uniform, Whether it was from the volcra or just daily use, you didn't know. She looked slightly sickly but mostly scared, like a wounded animal being hunted by its prey.

'Bring her closer.' You had let go of his arm now, that feeling of surety left you cold as his touch disappeared from yours. The guards brought her forth a bit more, letting her go and stepping back as their General finally turned around.

'Closer.' She took a tiny step forward. The poor girl is petrified.

'Well?'

'Well, what. Sir?' She was on the defense, I don't blame her. He was intimidating even when he wasn't using his powers.

'What are you?'

'Alina Starkov, Assistant Cartographer, Royal Corps of Surveyors.' Her fearful expression suddenly changed into a more devastated one. 'They’re all gone. It’s my fault. That’s why I’m here, isn’t it?'

'Answer the question.' He leaned back against the desk just as you did.

'A mapmaker, sir' It was clear to you that Ms.Starkov had no idea why she was here. She was scared, alone, and being interrogated by the most feared man in all of Ravka. The tent erupted in a peal of laughter but you had no time for such snobbiness.

'Quiet' You ordered and a silence fell over the space once again. There was a time when you wouldn't dare command a tent full of Grisha, but Aleksander had changed you; changed the way all his Grisha looked at you.

'So who actually saw what happened? Zoya? You manned the mainsail.'

Zoya repeated what she told you, and Aleksander asked the girl whether she'd been tested but your ears stopped listening once she'd stated she grew up in Keramzin. You too grew up in Keramzin before you were shipped off to the Little Palace to train and become a skilled Heartrenderer. You knew they tested all the children, so how the hell did she slip through the cracks?

You came back from your thoughts just as Aleksander approached her and subsequently amplified her powers. A beam of light so bright and strong you felt some heat from it pounced from her skin and up through the ceiling.

Everyone looked away from the harsh ray but you couldn't turn away. It was beautiful and magical, the physical embodiment of hope, but short-lived as Aleksander let her go and she fell back with a look of awe. He moved quickly, whispering into Ivan's ear and then moving back to you.

'Accompany them to the Little Palace. Ride on a horse and be on the lookout, and give her your kefta.' You nodded curtly, knowing he only trusted his inner circle with the transport of the Sun-Summoner to Os Alta, and that included you. Alina was dragged out from the tent still in a daze of her own.

Your earlier argument with him vanished from your memory as he leaned down to briefly kiss you on the top of your head, 'Be safe.' And with that, you left to find your horse.

***

The backroads were peaceful and quiet as your horse galloped along the dirt road. You wanted so badly to sit in the carriage and speak to Alina, a fellow child of Keramzin, but you listened to Aleksander's command and served as a lookout for any oncoming dangers. So far it had been all clear, but as you approached a hill, a tree blocking the road caught your attention. You slid off your horse and signaled the coachmen to stop too.

'The road is blocked! Beware!' One of them shouted and then all hell broke loose. Shots came from everywhere and anywhere while your horse, in a frightful spell, escaped the way you came.

You had no clear line of vision as dust and dirt clouds plummed above ground and a bullet scratched your left shoulder, then your leg. Your eyes stung and lungs burned as you tried to get yourself out of direct lines of bullets and bombs, eventually finding a place behind thick trees.

Ivan and Fedyor joined you almost immediately both panting and the latter holding his hand to his chest.

'You're bleeding Y/N, where is your kefta?' Fedyor panicked and lay his other hand on your leg where the blood glistened like a jewel.

'How many are there?' Ivan risked asking, trying to get your mind off of the bleeding wounds. Your hands were up in the air as you listened for heartbeats and your heart dropped to your stomach. Too many.

'At least 15 more.' You looked around the Grisha desperately devising a plan in your head that would bring you all out alive.

'Get to the carriage, protect the girl' You signaled to the three Heartrenderers and Squaller.

'But you're hurt and you cannot fight the-' Ivan was cut off by the darkening of the forest, a classic tell that Aleksander was here. Relief flooded you all. The shadows loomed over you, directing their course to near the carriage and then up ahead to where Alina was.

You waited for him to erupt from behind the trees and help you, but the minutes ticked by and you were still hiding from the skilled Fjerdan fighters without backup. Fedyor looked to you, disappointment and pity clear on his face.

Only momentarily did the fighting cease as bullets carried on their assault. You assumed they would flee from the fear of being in the Darkling's presence, but they hit back twice as hard. In return, you all fought back equally as strong, knocking out bodies left right and center despite your dwindling body.

All throughout the fight, you had one thing on your mind and that was why Aleksander chose to ignore you. Was he still mad from your argument? No that couldn't possibly be why he would leave you to potentially die at the hands of druskelle.

Yes you were a soldier, but no doubt he knew the extents of the Fjerdan army and their skilled fighters. If outnumbered, a Grisha was basically of no use.

-If you're gonna love me and leave me hanging here....-

You understood she was the Sun-Summoner but you were you. You were the person he shared his bed with every night, the person who could calm his stormy mind, and the person who stayed with him through it all even though you hurt more than he loved. It stung like a throbbing wound and snagged at your already dwindling will to keep the relationship alive.

-then I'd rather you leave me lonely-

—————-

Part 2

Taglist

@aleksanderwh0r3 @theonelittleone @searching-for-gallifrey @lostysworld @0-artemis @exo-1204 @staradorned @bookfrog242 @simp-for-ben-barners @keepdaydreamingbb @acciorudolphx @pansysgirlfriend @pansysgirlfriend @justmesadgirl

238 notes · View notes

drakenology · 4 years

Text

Yeah, My Boyfriend’s In A Band

guitarist!todoroki x fem!reader

summary: something straight outta wattpad! you go to a rock band’s concert and stand front row of the stage. The band’s vocalist /guitarist catches your eye and.. well, the rest is history! this is the story of how you first met.

author’s note: soooo.. how yall been? i kinda said fuck it to the schedule i made. why force myself to make content when I just can’t ya know? I’d much rather upload content when it’s at it’s best. so enjoy! I used some lyrics from some of my favorite rock songs for this, can you guess em? Also the art work above isn’t mine!

warnings: smut (duh.), drug use (weed), size kink, pinch of daddy kink, spitting, degradation

It was a hot Saturday night. You were all dressed up and excited to see your favorite heavy metal band the Diaspora play in your city. You were a huge fan, their posters adorned your bedroom walls. You’ve been a fan since they first came out as a cover band.

The members were all pretty fuckin cute, especially the band’s front man. Todoroki Shoto.

He was so handsome; black and red half and half hair, grey sullen eyes, the sexy scar on the left side of his face only adding to the edginess of his visage. His tattoos coated his left arm in a sleeve, his eyebrow pierced as well as his lower lip. He was fucking hot. Obviously not the kind of guy who would pay any attention to you right?

You threw on the Diaspora t-shirt you bought just weeks before the show and tied it in the back so it could be a little cropped and called your uber, frantically spraying perfume in a panic that you were going to be late to the concert. You ran outside, saying goodnight to your roommate as you rush out the door and jump into the car.

“Hey. I’m Shoto Todoroki and I’m the lead singer and guitarist for the band The Diaspora. Hope to see you guys at the show tonight at 8.” You hear as smoothe and sultry voice play over the radio.

You swoon and text some buddies who were also going to the show in excitement, the rush going straight to your brain in a haze as you blast some of their music in your headphones.

When you arrive to the stadium, you spot your best friend from highschool Nejire Hado. You two actually grew up together and even graduated together. It was like you two were sisters, inseparable since birth. Nejire saw you and waved excitedly, squealing with glee and motioned you to come to her spot in line.

“Y/N!!!! Over here!!” She yelled, causing you to run over and jump up and down with her.

“I can’t believe we’re finally here!” You say.

“Me either! Hey, did you hear? There’s rumor’s going around that their having an after party after the show! We have to go, Y/N please say yes.” Nejire rambled, clapping her hands with an inability to contain her excitement.

You look down at your shoes, unsure at first. What if you aren’t even allowed inside? It could be VIP only.

“Fuck it. Let’s go!” You say, causing Nejire to scream and laugh with joy.

Suddenly, the band’s security comes outside to greet the fans waiting to come inside for the show.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please enter in a single fil-“ the poor guy couldn’t even finish his sentence before hundreds of eager fans rush past him and squeeze into the stadium doors, running as fast as the could to get to their seats.

Luckily for you and Nejire, you had front row tickets. Those days of refreshing the page for them as they sold out every second really paid off. You grab Nejire’s hand and run inside, elbowing and clawing your way through to your spot with your best friend by your side. The lights suddenly go dim and the crowd goes insane.

The show’s about to start. You heart seemed to float up into your throat as you stood sweating and nervous, Nejire screaming her head off and jumping up and down when the band came rising up from the bottom of the stage. Smoke covers them for a while until it clears and all you see is Todoroki standing above you, the real him finally being exposed to you as you gaze from the crowd.

He was even more handsome in person. Tonight he wore black jeans and a white band tank top ,showing off his muscular and tattooed arms. Chains hung on his hip and his boots as he propped his foot up on the amplifier in front of him.

“YOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!” He screamed into the mic, causing the crowd to scream impossibly louder. He smirked, causing you to feel woozy just seeing him look so smug, as if he knew the effects he had on his fans.

You could’ve died right there a happy woman as the band started to play their hit single, the gritty sound of the electric guitar sending chills up your spine as you and Nejire headbang and dance to the music. You sing along to the top of your lungs, watching as Todoroki owned the stage. You gaze up at him again to see something completely and utterly unbelievable.

He was looking right at you.

You gasp, your eyes widening as you lock eyes with him. Shoto kneeled down towards you and reached his hand out to you. You almost scream and grab his tattooed hand with both of your own and smile at him, keeping your eyes focused on his. Shoto took your hand and kissed it as he sang a pretty racy part of his song to you,

“I wanna take you home.” (sleeping with sirens fans?? your nickle aint worth my dime???? NO?)

Oh. My. God

“OH MY FUCKING GOD! Y/N, HE-“ Nejire screamed, just as excited as you. You stood there shocked and flustered, staring into space. Todoroki fucking Shoto just kissed your hand. Shoto smirked and let your hand go, continuing the rest of his show in hopes you got the message. He wanted you. It was common sense that you go to the afterparty now.

The show continued for another 2 hours, Todoroki now dripping in sweat from the hot lights shining upon him and his band.

“Thank you all so much for coming out. For those invited, I’ll see you all at the afterparty! Goodnight everyone!” Todoroki bellowed to the crowd, causing them to cheer him and the band off the stage.

You stand there, high off of every guitar riff and belt from the performance feeling sad that the concert was over. But a rush of hope filled your heart in knowing that you were going to see Shoto again soon. You and Nejire walk out of the stadium hand in hand as you discussed the plan to get to the party.

“So the party is not too far from here, exactly 15 minutes away. We could totally call an uber.” Nejire explains, saying that it’s going to be held in Todoroki’s mansion.

When you both arrive at Todoroki’s Mansion your jaws drop. A huge fountain greeted your uber driver’s car, cobblestone driveways leading you towards his front door. There were hedge sculptures all over the front yard and expensive cars adorned the driveway as you and Nejire step out of the car to see the line to get into the party. Damn. More lines.

You approach the security guard; the same one from earlier that night with a nervous wave.

“U-Um excuse me sir, we’re on the list..” You said unconfidently. Nejire nervous laughed and nudged you for sounding so unsure after giving you a long confidence pep-talk in the car.

“Sorry, kiddo. I’m not seein’ an ‘Y/N’ or a ‘Nejire’. Back o’ the line, ladies.” The security guard huffed, hardly even looking at his list.

“Nah it’s cool, Ben. Let them in.” You hear a familiar voice utter before you get the chance to turn around and walk to the back of the line. Sure enough it was Todoroki standing there, joint lit and eyes hazy. Clearly stoned.

It was like he got more gorgeous as you got closer to him, your cheeks heating up as you realize you’re literally standing in front of your fucking celebrity crush. Nejire squeals and runs inside to go find the drummer and get his number, she says drummers do it harder.

Shoto took you by the hand and led you inside the rager in his foyer. The smell of beer and weed absorbs your nostrils as you walk inside with Shoto in hand, watching as Nejire talks up the drummer with ease as if she already knew him from way back when.

Todoroki sat down on the most comfortable couch you have ever sat in with you next to him, taking a big drag of his joint and motioning it towards you.

“Wanna hit? It’s not laced. Promise.” He said cooly, slowly blowing out the smoke. You take it and take a hit, coughing a little as you puff out the smoke.

Damn this must be what rich people smoke.

“Good huh? Grew it myself. Heh.” Todoroki laughed a little as he watched you take another hit.

“Shit. I didn’t introduce myself. I’m Y/N. Nice to meet you, finally.” You say, nervousness coating your tongue. Shoto gave you a warm smile, his hazy eyes gleaming in the dim lights of the room.

“Gorgeous name for a gorgeous girl.” Shoto said, kissing the same hand he did at the concert.

You heat up, your panties becoming slightly wet at him touching and kissing you. He smirked and grabbed you by your chin to make sure you look him directly into his grey orbs.

“When I saw you in the crowd, I almost couldn’t keep my eyes off you.” He said into your ear, causing your mind to block out any outside sound that wasn’t his voice. You gulp, blinking dumbly as you try to find the words to say something.

“I-I, um. Th-thank you.” You say, looking down into his lap. Shoto pulled away to smoke his joint a little more. You two talked all night, everyone around you both becoming irrelevant as you seemingly grow closer together.

Strangely, none of the rumors about Todoroki were true. He wasn’t this stuck up asshole the media made him out to be. He was calm and gentle, the sweetest guy you’ve ever had the pleasure of having a conversation with. You learned so much about him that night. He was so misunderstood.

You’re high now and completely hazy as you and Todoroki make out on the couch. You’re not sure how you two even got to this point but you loved it. One thing led to another and now you were straddling him on the couch, his hands in your back pockets as he groped and squeezed your ass.

Your lips mingled as you moan into the kiss, Todoroki’s tongue slipping into your mouth to make home of it. The kiss got so hot your pussy was sopping wet underneath your jeans as you mindlessly grind against him for some kind friction.

Todoroki pulled away and started kissing your neck, damn near ripping your clothes off in front of the entire party. You’re gasping and grabbing at his clothes, forgetting where you are as you become desperate for him. You wanted him so bad and you knew he wanted you too.

“Wanna get out of here? Go upstairs I mean.” Shoto asked, huffing into the skin of your neck as his hard dick poked at your thigh.

“God yes.” You say breathily. As soon as he got your consent he carried you upstairs, the party raising their glasses and their blunts in celebration for Todoroki getting some.

“YES! Y/N tell me everything okay!?” Nejire yelled drunkenly, pulling away from her makeout session with the band’s drummer. You giggle and wave down at her, Todoroki laughing softly as he watched the interaction between you and your best friend.

“Just so you know, princess. I’m not going to go easy on you.” Shoto said, pinning you against the hallway wall.

“I don’t want you to.” You mewl, leaning into his neck to nip at it. Shoto let out a low chuckle and nearly kicked down his bedroom door, tossing you onto his luxurious california king bed.

You take a quick look around his darkly colored room, black walls with coordinating grey funiture. Posters of his inspiration adorned his walls, almost similar to your room just $100,000 richer. He had a mirror above his bed as you look up at your reflection you see Todoroki crawl on top of you, unbuttoning and pulling your jeans off in one fell swoop.

You’re immediately embarrassed, forgetting it was laundry day at home so you threw a thong on because you didn’t have anything else to wear. It was black and lacy and oh so skimpy you quickly move your hands to cover up in shame, Shoto grabbing your wrists and pinning your hands above your head.

“Heh. How’d you know I love lace?” Shoto teased, practically salivating at the sight of your smooth legs beneath him. “You’re so beautiful, you know that?” Shoto said, running his hands along your sides as if he was a lion playing with his prey before he ate it.

You bit your lip, dripping and hungry for some kind of touch in the places you needed him most, your nipples prodding at the thin fabric of your band tee. Yeah, you forgot to wear a bra. Shoto pulled your shirt above your head, tossing it somewhere and hissing at the sight of your bare breasts.

“No bra either? Man.. it must be my birthday. I’m gonna have fun with you, princess.” Todoroki says taking a nipple into his mouth, not breaking eye contact with you as he suckled gently following with short lick causing your entire body to catch flame.

You start moaning miserably, your whole body begging him to take you. Shoto pulls away from your nipple with a light pull of his lips and slips his hand down to your slit, caressing it agonizingly slow to tease you. He takes his other hand and presses his thumb to your lips.

“Open your mouth.” He rasped. And you did, sucking on his thumb as he rested it on your tongue making Shoto moan at the sight, humming a ‘good girl’ under his breath. Shoto held your mouth open and spit, pulling you into a sloppy kiss as he plunged his thick digits into your needy hole.

You arch your back off the bed, biting down onto Shoto’s lip as he finger fucked you without mercy. Your moans filled the air, Shoto watching you intently as he took your breast into his mouth once more.

“Sho- ah! I-I’m gonna-“ You bellow, trying to hold onto something for dear life as he brought you closer and closer to your peak.

“That’s daddy to you, princess. Try again and maybe I’ll let you cum around my fingers.” Shoto hissed, slowing his pumping fingers a bit to ensure you got the point.

He was in control. You pant, your chest heaving as you try to catch your breath only for it to get caught in your throat again. Desperate moans fall out of your mouth as you beg him to let you cum.

“D-Daddy!~” You gasp, Shoto leaning into your neck, his ear right next your mouth as you scream for him. You collapse into his arms, fucked out and stupid off Todoroki’s strong fingers. All those years of guitar weren’t for nothing.

“That’s it baby.. fuck, you made a mess.” Shoto cooed, slowly dragging his fingers out of you as he watched your slick stick to him sloppily. At this point, he’s so hard you can clearly see the veins in his dick jumping out of his pants, his size making you wince in pain before he even entered you.

“Think you can take all of me, princess?” Shoto asked, throwing his contricting pants and boxers somewhere across the room, releasing his impressive size for you to see. You gulp but nod, licking your lips at the sight of him.

Shoto smirked at your reaction and pumped himself a few times before teasingly tapping the head of his dick against your clit, causing you to yelp from the sensitivity of your abused core.

“Pleaseee.” You whine, Shoto grabbing you by the neck and choking you almost to tell you to shut up and be patient. He wastes no time in plunging into you, the thickness of his dick stretching your walls with a delicious sting.

You claw at his back as he bottomed out, gasping sharply as he filled you completely.

“Am I hurting you?” Todoroki asked with what little sympathy he had left in his body. You shook your head no, moaning as he stayed still inside you.

“P-P-Please move..” you mewl, chewing your bottom lip. Shoto smirked and began rutting his hips into yours at a rough pace, not really caring if you adjusted to him or not. Hard slaps and the sound of your whiny moans filled the room as the headboard of his bed slammed against the wall, probably alerting the entire party downstairs.

You’re screaming now, a moaning mess beneath him as he split you wide open. As your eyes rolled to the back of your head, Shoto throws your legs over his shoulder and starts pounding into you.

He’s going to make sure you’re unable to walk straight for the rest of the week, marking you as his.

“Fuckkk, daddy. S-Slow down.” You pleaded only for Shoto to ignore you and continue his pace, laughing at the shocked and fucked out face you were pulling.

“Told you I wasn’t taking it easy on you. Did you forget already, princess?” Shoto breathed, moving his hands to rub shallow circles into your clit.

Your toes curled up tightly as your orgasm ripped through your body, your moans reaching a cresendo as your scream Shoto’s name.

He hissed as your walls fluttered around him, your pussy gripping him tightly as he fucked into you continuosly.

“I hope you didn’t think I was through with you just because I made you cum. I’m not done yet, doll.” Shoto muttered through your pathetic whines for him to slow down.

He cooed praises at you, a “good girl” here and a “you take my dick so well” there until his thrusts got rusty and sloppy; a sign he was close to cumming.

“Shittt, where do you want me to-“

“I-Inside m-mee! Fuck, cum inside me!” You shriek. And so he did, fucking his hot stickiness into you for a while as you both moan and pant. Shoto rode out your climaxes for a while before slowly pulling himself out as he watched his cum ooze out of your abused pussy.

As Shoto flopped on the bed next to you, you both stare up at the mirror on his ceiling. You’re both sweaty and your hair was a fucking mess from being tossed around the bed for what seemed like hours.

“Shit. Probably late as fuck by now. You wanna stay the night?” Shoto asked, taking your hand and famously kissing it once more. You smile and nod, unable to form coherent sentences as you feel yourself doze off.

Todoroki jumps from his bed and opened the door, screaming from the top of the stairs, “Oi! All you motherfuckers can fuck off home!Party’s over!” You laugh and throw a pillow at him.

“Don’t be so mean, Sho. Uh.. C-Can I call you Sho?” You ask embarrassed.

“You keep fucking me like that you can call me whatever you want, angel.” Shoto groans, grabbing you by your face and kissing you sweetly.

“Honestly, I wanna go again. You down?”

#bnha smut #bnha fanfiction #bnha x reader #bnha bakugo x reader #bnha imagines #bnha midoriya x reader #bnha todoroki x reader #bnha #bnha bakugo katsuki #bnha bakugou #bnha todoroki #bnha todoroki shoto #punk rock au!

772 notes · View notes

itsjustmyfantasyroom · 3 years

Text

Desk Duties.

This is for @beccabarba hope this cheers you up a little bit and lets be honest I’ am a puta for anything sexual that happens in an office.

Warnings: Role playing and Female receiving smut.

WC: 1247

Enjoy x

You walked up the hall way to the half-opened door. You fixed your charcoal grey tight pencil knee length skirt, ran your palm over the buttons on your black button down and then took a deep breath. You stepped closer to the door giving it a hard knock and you waited to hear a “Come in”. You took another deep breath pushing the door open. Your stomach dropped and your knees trembled at how handsome Miguel looked in his white button down, sitting behind his desk and the smell of his cologne filling the small space,

“Ms. Y/N Y/L/S, please, come in” Miguel stood up from the chair giving you a smile and you nodded back “Please, close the door behind you and take a seat”

You closed the door and walked to shake Miguel’s hand. You caught your breath, the hairs on your body standing on end as his big warm hand wrapped around yours,

“Good afternoon Mr. Galindo, thank you for taking the time to meet with me”

Miguel gave you another smile and you both moved to sit in your seats on opposite sides of the desk. Miguel looked down at the paper work in front of him and started to flick through it, your hands sitting on your lap as you watched his long fingers flick through the pages biting your bottom lip,

“Your education is very impressive, surely a personal assistant position would not be putting your skills to good use” Miguel looked up at you.

“I have been in my career for too long. It’s time for a change and I feel like this position is right for me and gives me the break I need. With my education, as you can see, I would be able to pick up again at anytime in the future if I have the calling to go back to it”

A smile pulled to Miguel’s face and his eyes bore into you,

“You have a lot of confidence Ms. Y/L/N”

“Is there a reason I shouldn’t Mr. Galindo? I was amazing at my previous job and there is no reason why I wouldn’t be excellent at this one. I get things done when I’ am asked and I handle what needs to be handled”

You saw the sparkle in his eyes appear and he licked his lips,

“You always do what is asked of you?” Miguel smirked at you.

“Within reason, yes”

Miguel lent forward, leaning his elbows on his desk,

“So, if I told you to come and sit on my desk, with your legs spread, would you have a reason not too?”

Your whole body heated up and you clenched your thighs together as your arousal started to seep onto your thighs. Your eyes locked with his and he sat back in his chair, his hands going to rest in his lap raising an eye brow at you. You stood up off your chair walking around the desk. As you walked around to him, Miguel spread his legs wider, pushing his office chair back to the wall more.

You placed one hand on his shoulder to balance yourself stepping over his thigh to stand between his legs. Both of his hands went to your hips and he looked up at you. Your thumb and pointer went to either side of his chin gripping it, tipping his head back, your eyes meeting again,

“There would be no reason, Mr. Galindo, not to do what you asked me, or what you will ask me to do in the future.”

A growl rattled through his chest, his hands gripping tight on your hips and he lifted you up slightly to perch you on the edge of the desk. Miguel then reached down to pull off your heels throwing them on the floor with a clunk, his hands coming back to rest on your ankles, grabbing them and lifting them up and sitting them on his wide spread legs. Your skirt straining against your now wide spread legs.

Miguel started to run his hand up the inside of your legs, the feel of his big warm hands on your boiling hot skin made you whimper and you lent back on the palms of your hands, your head dropping back as his hands creeped higher. A small chuckle left him when he discovered you had no panties on and he pushed your legs wider, his fingers rested on the creases where your legs meet your hips, both his thumbs running through your wet folds,

“See you came a little bit more prepared then most” Miguel muttered into your skin as his lips started to trail up your thigh, nipping and sucking on your skin, his thumb brushing over your clit.

“Just goes to show how dedicated I’ll be” you gasped out.

Miguel pulled back from you, and you whined at the loss of contact. Miguel grabbed onto the material of your skirt and pushed it up, right up to the tops of your thighs. You lifted your hips up slightly and pulled your skirt up the rest of the way to bunch at your hips. Miguel grabbed your legs throwing them over his shoulders, grabbing onto your hips and pulling you forward, you falling back onto your elbows. Miguel sucked on the inside of your thigh pulling off with a hard pop and then flattened his tongue licking over it and then kissed the purple mark appearing on your skin,

“That’s what I like to see, dedication” Miguel muttered before he licked a strip up your core.

Miguel’s tongue pushed into your folds, the tip of it flicking your clit, your legs shaking from the pleasure that shot through you. Miguel pulled you into him more, his finger tips pressing into your skin, the feeling of his tongue in you and the feel of his beard on your skin made you roll your hips up into his face, one of your hands going to the back of his head pushing his face into you more.

Miguel took your sensitive nub between his plump wet lips sucking on it gently, 2 fingers pushing into you reaching your sweet spot. Your knees started to cage around Miguel’s head as the pit of your stomach started to knot tighter and tighter,

“Miguel, oh my-” You pushed his face into you more, your hand screwing up in his hair, your mouth dropped open and your head fell back, your eyes slamming shut, moaning loud.

Miguel lapped at your juices, riding you through your high. He pulled back from you when your hand loosened in his hair and you sat up reaching down to grab his cheeks pulling his face to you as you lent down, kissing him deeply and then kissing all over his wet beard, his hands resting on top of yours,

“That was actually fun” Miguel laughed “You’re a good actor, my love”

You giggled into his face, leaning back to lock eyes with him, your thumbs running over his cheeks,

“Glad you had fun, I did too. I have to admit, I do prefer you calling me Mrs. Galindo, rather than then Ms. Y/L/N, I like having your name.”

Miguel chuckled standing up and stepping between your legs, his hands running up and down your sides and your hands went to hock on the back of his neck his nose brushing over yours,

“I love you, Mrs. Galindo” Miguel peaked your lips.

“Love you too, Mr. Galindo”

Tags: @lovebishoplosamiguelgalindo @alwaysachorusgirl @ben-c-group-therapy

#miguel galindo #miguel galindo x reader #miguel galindo smut #miguel galindo x you #mayans mc #mayans fanfic #mayans smut #mayans fandom

139 notes · View notes

crystal-moon-101 · 3 years

Photo

Since I saw people talking about Ben's little big chill kids, I thought I'd finally do some headshots of my ones, who are also a part of my Ben 10 Next Gen. For me, I've always imagined that for young necrofriggians, they all start out looking the same (Beyond some size difference), but as they grow older, they'll start to develop their own patterns, small body traits and shades of colour, as showcased here. I'll share the little info on each sibling, and the basics of who they are as a person. When Ben first found them again, saving them from poachers and going full mum mode, they had been developing these different psychical traits, but not enough to identify each properly on their own, so while giving them names, Gwen used bandana pieces to colour code them, and each kid still wears theirs to this day, slightly modified. So here they are now, as full grown young adults. You can follow from left to right each row, or just the colours next to their names. -North (Black)- The largest and physically strongest of the kids, North acts as the leading member when Ben isn't around, doing their best to watch out for their siblings and be a middle ground to them. It's been this way since they were born, looking out for them and doing whatever they can to protect the others. This has resulted in North collecting quite a few scars and wing tears, though they wear them with pride, wanting to display how strong they are to others. They often looks up to Ben when it comes to being a hero, in how their mumdad protects others and the galaxy, and wants to be a fighter like him one day, often asking to train with their mumdad whenever he's around. Ben has suggested Plumber training for North, but they're still thinking about that. -Tundra (Red)- Tundra is a very curious one, and is known to wander off when things catch their interest. They prefer using experience to learn from, thus making them quick on their feet when something happens, and good at thinking logical. When the siblings are struggling with something, or come across some kind of problem, it's often Tundra who provides the quickest answers that should go well for them. That being said, due to their wandering, they gave gotten into trouble a few times and need to be saved by their siblings or Ben, as despite how smart they are, they can be a bit of a ditz when something catches their interest. -Grey (Silver)- Having a connection to the earth bellow, Grey often spends their time searching caves, and any hidden areas they can find. They especially love to research and find minerals of any kind, ranging from metals to gems, sometimes even studying their metal lunch for the day before eating it. Because of this, they can be carelessly dirty, and aren't the cleanest of people, but does pick up after themself when reminded. Grey is also pretty close with their sibling Storm, and surprising Gwen and Ben when first hearing the two call each other "Dweeb" and "Doofas", when first meeting them again. -Storm (Brown)- As someone who likes to spend a lot of time flying and high in the clouds, Storm is fascinated by the weather and how it behaves, and feeling the cold fresh air and challenging themself with flight training. This has provided them to have the most agility in the air, and knows the best ways to build up speeds, while also not draining themself. Whenever they aren't flying around, they're doing research on the weather, very keen to be a meteorologist one day. Whenever Ben visits, they will often ask him about the weather on other planets, and any adventures he's had in the sky. Storm is also pretty close with their sibling Grey, and surprising Gwen and Ben when first hearing the two call each other "Dweeb" and "Doofas", when first meeting them again. -Crystal (Blue)- Graceful on their feet, Crystal is a charming and gentle person, with a keenness for the art of dancing, especially when hovering in the air. This was something sparked in them when seeing how the patches in their wings, which are see through, glittered and reflected light through them, making Crystal often move around to see what they could get them to do, and the introduction of dancing was something they latched onto as a result. They are one of the hardest of the siblings to get angry, upset or rile up, and often goes with the flow and speaks in a slow and soft voice. Because of their kind nature and beautiful display of their wings, Crystal has attracted many others who are interested in them, many falling for them after meeting Crystal for a mere minute, though they tend to pretend not to notice, and turn down those who ask. -Orion (Orange)- Having an eye for art, Orion is a skilled painter and drawer, while also dabbling into other art forms to create things, their room filled with their works of art, and often creating gifts for others. From when they were little, Orion has always admired their auntie Gwen, and are always keen and eager to hang out with her when she visits, showing every new drawing and painting they have made while she was away. In fact their fondness for auntie Gwen is why they picked the orange bandana, as it reminded them of her hair. -Neva (Green)- Fashion focused and head strong, Neva is a keen one, who knows exactly what they like and isn't afraid to say it. They love designing things to wear, especially since fashion isn't that big on Kylmyys, and Ben brings them fabrics and items they request from earth whenever he comes by on a visit. Though, despite Neva's expensive tastes, they are most certainly aren't a snob, and more often than not create outfits and accessories for others that Neva knows they'd like, and wants to bring out the best beauty in them. Though admittedly, they can get a bit carried away if someone asks for fashion advice, or even brings up the idea of something related to it. Neva also a bit of a business mind too, having gotten some clients recently on their homeworld after seeing what Neva could make. -Raine (Aqua)- A very sweet young one, Raine has a keen eye for collecting things, particularly shiny or unknown stuff. From gemstones to simple earth utensil, if something interests them, Raine is known to take it with them, sometimes snatching without thinking. They don't mean any harm, and just sometimes think before acting, and will give something back if they've realized what they've done, but if it's clear they can keep it, then they aren't one to share, though do like to show off what they have with joy. They are also very well organized, knowing where everything they own is, and even when their siblings misplace something, having a photography memory and mental list of things. They may own a lot of stuff, but that doesn't mean they want to live in a pigsty. -Vale (Yellow)- Being one of the quiet ones, Vale likes to keep a lot to themself, and don't speak very often, only when they need to. They spend a lot of time outside, observing nature as it passes by them, using a little diary to note down what they see, hear, feel, smell and even taste. They like to appreciate silence and the world around them, and the beauty of nature, and collect little things to store away in their diary as memory. Whenever they visit earth, they love to visit the forests in the spring and summer, seeing the range of colours blooming from flowers, and has many flower prints because of this. -Lux (Beige)- Quite the basic of people, Lux likes to live life in a simple way, and tends to try and stare clear of any chaos, which is quite hard when you have 13 wild siblings. Because of them, they can come across as annoyed and frustrated at times, and can be blunt and honest, but they do love their siblings, and is often the one that says what's needed to be said. Lux also have massive wings compared to their body, a ratio none of the others have, and use to trip over their feet a lot growing up. Now, their massive wings are a great way to hide away when they're not in the mood to talk to read a book, or to hug a family member when seeing them down. -Micha (Pink)- Bubbly and sneaky, Micha has been dubbed the "Pink Ninja" for a reason, someone almost always able to hide away and sneak up on others. They love to jump scare people, and has found more and more crafty ways to get around without being noticed, even without their ability to go invisible. They love to pull jokes and get a laugh out of people, and Micha is known to have a snort with their own laughter. It's always their mission to catch Ben off guard when he visits, as each time it gets trickier due to him knowing it's coming, and his training and skills build up over the years, but Micha always finds a way in the end. -Zodiac (Gold)- Patient and often neutral toned, Zodiac is often seen to be pretty wise. From a young age, they've always loved stories from history, especially those about myths and legends they hear from around the galaxy, and spend a lot of their time reading and researching anything they hear about, always keen to hear a new story they may have never heard about before. It always fascinates them how much Ben has seen and done, and the stories he tells, Zodiac is practically fond of those about Alien X and Celestialsapians, and wants to meet one one day. -Alaska (White)- High on energy 99% of the time, Alaska is always zooming around and never has time to stop. They rarely sit still for long, and it takes a lot to drain them of their endless energy, always moving in a blink of an eye. Because of this, Alaska is the fastest of the crew, which has come in handy often. But they can be easily bored, and a little frustrating to deal with when they don't pay attention, but they do like to spend that energy by jumping around each sibling to spend the day with, and wants to engage in all of their activities to support them. -Arlo (Purple- The smallest of them, Arlo was born the runt of the group, but thanks to their siblings, especially North, they managed to survive childhood when most other necrofriggian runts would have died. This makes Arlo the baby of the group, and the one they all want to protect, even if it can be a little baring at much, wanting to prove they can be strong on their own. And Arlo somewhat got their wish, when reaching a certain age and Ben learning that one of his children had the spark, thus meaning Arlo is an Anodite, and is able to use magic, though they're far from being perfect at it, and their small body sometimes struggles to keep up. But each day Arlo practices, wanting to feel more than just the tiny one, but they are generally kind and great with emotions, being very supportive and just trying their hardest.

#ben 10 #B10 #ben 10 alien force #ben 10 ultimate alien #ben 10 omniverse #ben 10 original series #ben 10 ben tennyson #ben tennyson #Ben 10 Big Chill #Big Chill #necrofriggian #Baby Chills #Ben 10 Next Gen #next generation #My Art

332 notes · View notes

hannie-dul-set · 4 years

Text

araw-araw [na jaemin]

(EVERY DAY)

part of “the puhon playlist” collection

SUMMARY | mahiwaga— someone or something that you’ll choose every single day no matter the circmstance. and for you, that was na jaemin. even if time decides to set you apart PAIRING | na jaemin x female! reader GENRE | childhood friends to lovers! au, college! au, romance, slow-ish burn, fluff, humor, tiny angst, biology major jaemin and art major mc HEHE WARNINGS | excessive swearing, insecurities, some sex jokes LMAO, i project a lot in this i’m sorry JSFJG WORD COUNT | 14.5k TAGLIST | @prettyjaems @lcvemark @shra-vasti @danishmiilk @probablygonnahurtsomebody @jccv @rebel-lious-alien @dalkomhanchocolateicecream @kthpurplesyou @fullsuhnshine @dejvns @nctzun @sweetjaemss @sehunniepot @wownajaemin @emoshishi @holywaterbetch @ukiyoneo @injunified @huangxx @jaehyunnie3 @nct-writers @czennienet @neowritingsnet @kpopscape

a/n: HERE IT IS.... MY PRIDE AND JOY JHSFJSD gahh okay i’m gonna keep my rambling to a minimum but this fic is very close and very dear to my heart and if it isn’t obvious that i’m in love with jaemin then this fic will make it obvious LMAO

also do yourself a favor and listen to ben&ben’s araw-araw on loop while reading this!! adds to the ~vibe~ hehe

Five-thirty-seven in the morning, grey clouds stretching throughout the sky as you peeked outside the window, falling right above oceans and buildings and people that you couldn’t even see. You sighed as you sank deeper into your chair, closing your eyes and adjusting your earbuds to clear your thoughts that were brought about by your sudden move.

You felt a nudge from beside you, coming from your mother (your dad was long knocked out since earlier), and so you politely pulled the earbuds away. “Excited to come back to Korea?” she asked. You simply responded with a smile and hum.

It wasn’t like you didn’t like the idea of returning— it was the prospect that it did not even feel like you were returning in the first place. Indifference was what you felt. After moving to Los Angeles when you were twelve because of your father’s job, you had to say goodbye to all your friends living in your hometown, all the traditions and customs that you were used to, and all the memories that you have built up in order to get used to a new environment. Seven years later when you thought you were just about to fit in with the west, your father comes out with the news of going back to Seoul again.

So it was difficult to manage a full smile.

You had a thought as you looked down through the window, recognizing a few of the landmarks that stood out: how strange it was to have somewhere that used to be home feel so foreign.

Just as you were about to put in your earbuds back in, your mother suddenly brightened, looking at you with a large smile on her face, eliciting your curious gaze.

“Oh! Do you still remember your old friend Jaemin?”

A smile tugged at your lips. How could you forget him?

Na Jaemin. Nana. Jaems. Your childhood best friend for six years until you were forcibly shipped all the way to LA. You still remembered how hesitant you were to tell him that you were moving because you didn’t want him to cry— only to have you crying and refusing to let go of him until your parent's pried you off of him at the airport. He assured you while wiping away your tears that you’d still get to see him one day.

Maybe that day would actually be one of these days.

“Yeah,” you mumbled, fiddling with the drawstrings of your jacket. “Why? I haven’t been in contact with him for years now.”

“His mom and I talked the other day and I told her that we’re moving back! And just earlier, she told me that Jaemin volunteered to pick us up from the airport so we won’t have to take a cab. Isn’t that great? You’d get to be reunited with your old friend again.”

“Ah,” you paused for a moment, in thought, just before pressing your lips together into a tight smile. “Yeah, it would be nice to see him again.”

That was what you said, but even until you left the plane, lugging your baggage across the cold floors of the airport with your music at full volume to drown out the noise, you were actually rather conflicted about meeting him again. A lot could happen within seven years, and therefore there was no assurance that things would still be the same. You weren’t sure if he’d still be the same sweet boy that was determined to fight the park swings after you fell and cried, if he’d still be the same kid that stopped talking to you for three days because you tricked him into eating a strawberry flavored lollipop. Maybe he’d still be, maybe he wouldn’t, but it was exactly that uncertainty that made you feel uneasy.

Still, there was still a hint of excitement, a string that tugged your heart away from all the uneasiness, just enough to bring a smile to your face at the thought of seeing him again.

“Y/N, let’s go?”

Your father called out to you and you didn’t even realize that you have actually stopped walking amidst your musings.

“Oh, yeah I—” you stumbled in between the ever moving airport crowd, looking down to see your shoelace had become undone, and so you let go of your suitcase. “You two go ahead, I’ll catch up in a sec!”

You ducked down, right beside the large, grey case to fix it, lips pursed in concentration. People passed by without minding you too much, but at one instance, just as you had finished retying your shoelace, your suitcase moved away from you with a shadow looming from above. Panic struck, and so you jolted up, instincts forcing your hand to move, quickly grabbing the handle. There was another hand resting on it. Your eyes moved up to meet with the culprit's.

Weirdly enough, he was just as shocked as you are.

Even weirder— he looked way, way too attractive to be a thief. Or maybe that was the modus these days? Still, you harshly dragged back the suitcase, ripping it away from his grasp with a glare. “What the fuck—”

At that moment, you recalled your mother’s words. Jaemin volunteered to pick us up from the airport. This guy looked a little too much like your old friend from your old neighborhood.

It felt like you were looking into the exact same large, dark eyes that used to be always accompanied by a pretty smile, now matched by a mouth hanging slightly agape from surprise. He even had the same dark hair that always messily fell over his eyes. There was a moment of pause in between the rush of bodies, the both of you in a frozen trance staring at each other until you had finally realized that motherfucker— this was Na Jaemin.

When did he get so hot?

“I—”

He flashed you a smile. The same damned smile. It brought you to the conclusion that seven years really didn’t do anything except make him far too attractive for his own good. All of a sudden you felt self-conscious about your own appearance as you gawked at him. God really liked to play favorites, huh?

You could see him say something, his lips moving just enough to represent a few words, but it was muffled thanks to the blaring music. Your confusion reflected clearly on your face contorting, and Jaemin only shook his head and laughed before reaching his hands to your face, bringing you to a momentary halt of haywire because what the actual fuck was he doing.

“You shouldn’t listen to music too loudly in public,” he said, pulling your earbuds out of your ears and gingerly placing them into your open palms with a smile. Holy fuck, his voice got so deep. “I’ve been calling out to you since earlier, but you couldn’t hear. Let’s go, your parents are waiting.”

Before you could even try to recollect yourself from the sudden crashing of events, Jaemin took your suitcase in your stead, leading you to his car.

If you still weren’t sure whether or not this was Na Jaemin from your past, you were now because although a bit watered down, he was just as excessively weird and sweet as he was ages ago. You found yourself feeling stupid for even doubting it in the first place. Of course, he was still the same; he even chirps your name in the same way as he always did before.

“There we go,” with a huff, the trunk came to a close. He threw your suitcase in there after seeing your mini struggle episode with far too little effort for your peace of mind. “You should just ask me next time. Okay, Y/N?”

“Thanks,” you gave him a small nod, flustered when he pinched your left cheek while making a questionable noise, and he opened the car door for you to enter.

Maybe it was you that had changed.

You were fairly quiet throughout the car ride while your parents and Jaemin decided to catch up after everything, only listening and giving your reactions whenever needed. You weren’t a morning person and your jetlag wasn’t doing you of any help either.

“You’re in your third year, right Jaemin?” your father asked, sitting at the front seat as your mother and you sat behind.

“Yep, yep,” he happily replied.

“Time really does fly fast, doesn’t it?” your mother joined in. “What uni do you go to, Jaemin?”

“Ah,” he sounded, eyes still directed on the road. “NCT U. It’s the closest at home, and I didn’t really wanna move out.”

“Oh, what a coincidence! Y/N isn’t that where you’re planning on going, too?”

“Really?” you could see Jaemin’s eyes brighten from the mirrors. “Y/N, do you want me to help you with your requirements? Have you enrolled already? I can give you a tour if you want!”

He’s really the same. You thought, smiling. “It’s fine, Jaemin. I already enrolled and took care of everything online.”

“But I should still tour you, though!” he retorted, the pout and whine evident in his voice. “The campus is really big so you might get lost. Ah, but aren’t universities in the States much bigger? I can also introduce you to some of my friends if you like.”

Jaemin went on for a while, telling your parents not to worry and promising that he’d take care of you throughout your college life here in Korea despite your protests that you could very much take care of your own self. Eventually, your mother asked about his major, and his animated expressions dimmed down into a slight bashfulness after answering that he was taking biology. You joined the conversation upon hearing that. “You said back then that you wanted to be a surgeon, right?”

With a shy smile, he nodded, and at that moment you felt a rush of awe for your childhood friend. Your parents seemed to have reacted the same way seeing as he was growing a little more embarrassed. It was amazing how he held on to the same dream he held since he was a kid— the amount of passion and dedication he must have for it. You on the other hand—

“What about you, Y/N?”

You jumped at the sudden subject switch. “Oh, I’m—” a pause in your statement. “I’m… taking an arts course.”

“Wow! As expected, Y/N is as cool as always,” he doted, which caused you to flush.

“It’s— it’s not really that amazing, it’s just the only thing I’m kinda good at so—”

“No, no, no. Y/N, you shouldn’t say that,” he scolded, clicking his tongue while his hands remained on the wheel. Your mother was beside you yet he was the one doing the mom nagging. “Who is that again? Bob Ross? Leonardo DiCaprio? You’re gonna be much much much better than them someday, I just know it! I have something called Nana vision, you know.”

You stifled a quiet laugh, not having the heart to correct him that it was not DiCaprio. “Does your Nana vision also see that we’re already almost at the complex?”

“Oh!”

At your words, Jaemin’s attention was now a hundred percent back on driving, profusely apologizing for getting distracted. You could see his ears slightly reddening from your seat which lasted until the end of the drive. Jaemin helped your family carry everything to your apartment on the eighth floor, even volunteering to help you unpack. Your mother firmly declined, however, insisting him to take a rest after all his help, but she did invite him and his parents over for dinner tomorrow. A little reunion of sorts.

“Six in the evening, right?”

“Yes. You should head back home now, Jaemin. Thank you for everything.”

He shot a bright smile before readying to march outside. “We’ll be here by five!”

She laughed at him, shaking her head, and proceeded to look for you inside the mess of the living room. You were about to disappear inside your room, luggage in hand to unpack, but she quickly dragged you back by the ear. “Go see him out the door!” she whisper-yelled, and so you did. Fortunately, he was stopped by your father before he got to leave, so you took this opportunity to smoothly stride beside him as he slipped past the door when he said goodbye. The door clicked to a close. He raised a brow at you.

“Mother’s orders,” you answered.

“So you wouldn’t have gone out if she didn’t tell you to?” he huffed, pouting. “And I was really happy to see you, too. I think I might have to take that back.”

You rolled your eyes at him, laughing, and eventually you made it to the end of the hallway. “Too late. You can’t take back your happiness. It’s good to see you again, Jaemin.”

The both of you stopped right in front of the elevator, and you waited for him to depart, but he didn’t. He had his arms crossed over his chest, accompanied by an expression on his face that you couldn’t quite tell if it was hurt, disappointment, or offense. Probably all three. Definitely all three.

“What? are you putting up a wall between us? Don’t I mean anything to you anymore?” he groused, nose scrunching. “What happened to Jaems? Nana? Y/N, you’re seriously hurting me over here.”

Laughing at the way he was sticking his frown right into your face to prove his point, you playfully shoved him off, pushing him into the elevator after all of his complaints even though he was the one moving his feet, anyway. You missed him, that much you could conclude, therefore you decided to stop his whining just before the elevator doors came to a close.

“See you tomorrow, Nana.”

You grinned, not missing the way his eyes lit up in between the small gap. You really did miss him, and you were lucky enough to have him as a small memory to remind you that this place was indeed home.

Maybe it wasn’t just Jaemin that you had missed. The entire family was just a smack in the face of early childhood nostalgia that you nearly cried (thank god you didn’t) when Mrs. Na buried you into a bone crushing hug the moment she saw you when you opened the door. You were really happy to be back— even when you weren’t exactly sure before.

“Mom, I think you’re suffocating, Y/N,” Jaemin pointed out as he left his shoes in front of your doorstep, walking inside with his father following behind him.

“Oh my, I’m so sorry, Y/N. I just couldn’t believe that this is you!” she coddled, and somewhere in between Jaemin found himself beside you. “I think I have pictures of you two when you were younger, hold on—”

Mrs. Na was pushed forward by her husband as she dug through her phone for a decade old Facebook posts of you and Jaemin (you hoped she wouldn’t remember you had an entire album). The older man ruffled your hair as he passed by with a fond smile, disappearing into the dining table where your parents were preparing and leaving you and Jaemin behind.

He was looking at you. Questionably so.

“What?”

“It’s not fair,” he whined. “I didn’t get to hug you yesterday.”

Oh my god, you shook your head, grabbing the sleeve of his mint jacket and leading him to where your parents were to help. “You’ll have more opportunities, you loser. It’s not like I’m going anywhere.”

Jaemin was speechless for a moment as he let you drag him along, but a happy smile broke through and he matched your steps halfway.

“Yeah,” he agreed. You weren’t going anywhere.

Dinner followed the usual sequence of events: reminiscing about the past, asking both parties what they have been up to, and of course talks about the future. During the meal, Jaemin asked when your classes were starting (next week), and he proposed his promised tour to be held this Tuesday— two days from now— because he didn’t have a lot of classes that day. He wouldn’t take no for an answer, neither did your parents, so you ended up agreeing.

Unfortunately for you, your mother pulled out the ancient photo album of the past right after dinner, and the stark contrast between yours and Jaemin’s reactions were also album worthy. By the end of it, you were sure that smoke was emitting from your ears because your good friend had an affinity with screaming over how cute you were, even going as far as stealing one of your baby pictures right before they decided to make their leave.

“Ah, ah,” he pulled the photo away the moment he sensed your attempt of theft. You two were standing right in front of the open door, his parents already having left ahead. “I’m keeping this. You look so cute here.”

“How am I so sure you won’t blackmail me with that!”

An offended gasp. “I would never,” he took out his phone, inserting your picture inside his colored phone case with you watching his every move. “It’s for me to see only, so you don’t need to worry.”

You looked at him. Then to the phone that he was holding up with a confident smile. You let out a sigh.

“Fine,” you begrudgingly relented, and he waddled over to you with a big smile on his face to envelop you into a hug. He smells nice, you thought, reciprocating the embrace. Wait, isn’t this my perfume? That would explain what he was doing inside your room earlier. You could only sigh inwardly let him keep on hugging you. He was whining about it earlier, after all.

It lasted long, maybe a bit too long because his dad came back to fetch him.

“Mhm, you can trust me with anything, Y/N,” Jaemin mumbled before finally pulling away, his hands still resting on your shoulders as he did. “Anyway, before I go— should we exchange phone numbers?”

Tuesday came by, and you were met with two realizations. Both of which made you feel very very small in comparison.

One, NCT U was really freaking big.

Two, Na Jaemin was really freaking popular.

Granted, he had only shown you around the STEM department, but with every turn that you took and every hallway that you passed through, there was least one person that stopped by to say hi to him. Even some of the teachers were close with him. You should have expected it considering he was literally nice, smart, handsome, and everything you could ever ask for, but it still made him feel just a tiny bit out of reach.

“Are you feeling tired?” he asked, breaking away from a conversation with a senior. He put a hand over your shoulder with concern that reflected in his eyes. “We can take a break around the benches if you want.”

“Yeah, sure. After you—”

“I’ll talk to you later, hyung. See you around.”

Jaemin waved off his older friend, Yuta, you had overheard, and proceeded to lead you to the aforementioned area on the ground floor before stopping by a vending machine to get some drinks. You pressed your lips together, feet shuffling as you waited behind him, and then you finally decided to speak. “You didn’t have to do that.”

“Do what?” he asked, slotting in a few coins into the machine.

“You— you with your friend,” you fumbled, trying your best to speak your mind, but how were you supposed to say ‘cut your conversation short with your friend because of me’ without seeming like a total headass? You could have waited until they were finished.

With a soft smile, he passed a canned, carbonated drink into your hands— lemon, you read— and took one for himself. He didn’t answer your incomprehensible question and decided to walk across the field leading to a bench area, but you were sure he got what you were trying to say. He simply chose not to answer. Or did he? Hell, you didn’t even know anymore. Annoyed, you decided to gulp down the drink in one go to distract yourself, even when the bubbles stung your throat. Jaemin stared at you in horror.

“Were you that thirsty? You should have told—”

“Na Jaemin!”

In sync, your heads snapped towards the direction of the ear-ripping screech, which was quite coincidentally where you two were headed. There were two boys sitting on a bench, one more on the table with a guitar. You assumed that it was one of them that screamed out your friend’s name— probably the one that was making eye contact with him before dramatically turning away with a butchered sob.

“Na Jaemin! Traitor of the brotherhood! I remember when he would still come running the moment I call his name but now— forgotten for dust! He doesn’t care about us anymore, Renjun. He even has a new—”

“What are you on about this time, Haechan?”

Haechan’s evidently fake sobbing stopped, pushing away the boy that he had just been crying into moments prior. “Oh you’re here,” he deadpanned.

It was almost horrific how three pairs of eyes immediately zeroed in on you as you meekly hid behind Jaemin, causing the hairs at the back of your neck to stand as if you were about to die in a fucking horror movie. You could tell from that alone that despite having many friends, these guys were probably his closest— whether it was better or worse, you had no idea. All of a sudden you were dawned with the intimidating task of trying to get them to like you, which was already way too out of reach because the one with the guitar was practically ripping you to shreds with his eyes alone.

“Please stop trying to scare, Y/N. Jeno, you might actually make her cry, stop that.”

“Whoops,” Jeno stopped his death staring. “Hyuck initiated it.”

“Actually it was Renjun, but whatever,” before Renjun could even bite back after being falsely accused, Haechan had already blocked him off and had directed his attention towards you, legs crossed and a critical gaze. “Fuck formalities. Y/N, right? Who are you and why are you trying to steal—”

“Alright, no more scare tactics. Y/N, there are my friends, Jeno, Haechan— or Donghyuck, whichever you prefer, he doesn’t mind— and Renjun. They’re just trying to mess with you, don’t worry. Friends, this Y/N L/N, my childhood friend for like four, five years before she left Korea and moved to LA.”

The term childhood friend lit a spark within the three boys, but before they could do or say anything dangerous that would jeopardize your relationship, Jaemin the ever popular boy was called out by a group of girls. He excused himself to leave for a moment, but not before apologizing to you a million times over (“If you’re really sorry,” Renjun chided before he ran off. “Treat us and Miss Y/N to Kun’s, yeah?”). He agreed without even hearing him properly, and now you were left with his three friends that felt more like three sharks that circled around you. They were fucking out for blood.

“So,” the moment Jaemin disappeared from the parameter, Haechan pulled you to the bench in between him and Renjun with a devilish grin. “Childhood friend, huh?”

Your eyes snapped over to Renjun who was on your right to ask for a way out of this, but the guy was busy filming the entire thing on his phone. Why did Jaemin leave you behind? You had no chance of escaping. Haechan locked you down by swinging his arm around your neck just as you were about to stand. He signalled at his friend who was sitting on the table. “Jeno, drop the beat.”

There was a moment of miscommunication in between because instead of dropping the beat like Haechan asked, Jeno started strumming a sickeningly sweet tune on his guitar. Or maybe that was what he intended. Either way, Haechan was flexible enough to go along with it.

“You know what they say about childhood friends,” another strum. Haechan sang. Was this a fucking oration? “You either end up forgetting each other, hating each other, or you end up toge—”

“That is not—”

“Hush!” he silenced. Renjun was losing it at the side. So was Jeno, because the guitar tune was long replaced by fits of strangled laughter. “It is, clueless Y/N. It is. How many childhood friends have you met that stayed as childhood friends? None, I assume. I’m never wrong, you see.”

“Weren’t you and Mark childhood friends, too—”

“Shut the fuck up, Huang. This isn’t about me. Y/N, listen.”

Grabbing your shoulders, Haechan pulled you away from Renjun, the sudden movement nearly giving you a whiplash.

“From my expert calculations, you and Jaemin are undeniably going down route three, but the both of you are moving at an agonizingly slow pace, correct?” you stared at him, wide eyed, and he was staring right back. “Correct! Now, in order to speed things up a bit, all you have to do is follow Hyuck’s five step guide on How To Trap Your Childhood Friend Into—”

“Isn’t this the same guide that ruined your—”

“I said shut the fuck up!”

The two ended up quarrelling and you ended up being forgotten. You weren’t sure whether to be thankful or be offended. Jeno shot you a look of remorse on behalf of his friends, bringing you to the conclusion that this must have been a normal occurrence. Your eyes shot towards the sky, clouds covering the sun just enough so you wouldn’t be blinded, ears picking up the argument occuring that went back and forth on both of your sides. They’re a lively bunch, you breathed out, a subtle smile on your face.

Eventually Jaemin showed his face again, jogging over to your group and you greeted him with a beaming grin. “You guys seem to be getting along,” he said the moment he stopped before you.

“Oh, Romeo returns,” Renjun decided to stop picking a fight with Haechan. “Where’d you get dragged off to this time?”

There was silence, all four sets of eyes heavily sparked with curiosity as you waited for Jaemin’s response, but the boy was rather hesitant. “Well—” he fumbled, a faint baby pink blush powdering his cheeks. Sheepish, he continued. “Someone confessed to me.”

The first person that reacted was Jeno, who released a loud snort and scooted a little more forward. “Shouldn’t you be used to it by now?” Jaemin indignantly refuted as he continued to be teased by the other two boys, the remaining uncharacteristically not joining in. At that very moment you could feel Haechan looking at you, a gaze that you couldn’t quite put a finger on but it was enough to shoot him a glare back.

“Who was it? Is she pretty?” you chose to ignore the annoying male beside you and decide to focus all of your interest and attention on Jaemin instead.

“Jiah,” he mindlessly answered, pushing Haechan to the side so he could sit next to you. “From nursing? I think?”

“Dude,” you turned your head to Renjun. “Kang Jiah? Holy shit, that’s crazy.”

Noticing the lost look in your eyes, Renjun proceeded to explain that not only was the alluded Kang Jiah arguably the prettiest in her department, she was at the top of her class too. You didn’t understand which part about that was crazy because for you, that was exactly the kind of person that Jaemin was destined to end up with. You wouldn’t be surprised if they do become a thing— well, there was only one way to find the answer to that.

“Well, what did you say? You said yes right?” you asked him, looking forward to his answer.

“Oh,” he shrugged. “I turned her down.”

What?

“Of course,” Renjun scoffed, shaking head with his arms crossed. “Only you would turn someone like Jiah down. At this rate you’ll end up dying an old hermit.”

“You have a crush on her or something?”

“Pff— no? I just think she’s pretty,”

“You’re not fooling anyone, dumbass. Come over here, I’m gonna squeeze it out of you—”

While the two quarrelled again in the middle of the field with Jeno being the one filming this time, you remained frozen in your seat, somewhat surprised. Huh, you blinked, wanting to ask him why he turned her down but frankly it was none of your business. You turned your head to face him. “Wow, I didn’t expect you to turn into such a heartbreaker, Jaems.”

He clicked his tongue, face scrunched into a bitter look of disapproval as reached out to mess up your hair. “Stop thinking weird thoughts,” he scolded. “Instead, why don’t I finally take you to the art building?”

Your eyes immediately lit up after the mention, and he stifled a laugh at your reaction, patting your head once more before sneaking off without the other three’s knowledge.

Jaemin’s tour of the whole campus actually deemed to be pretty useful because after three whole weeks of going to NCT U, you’d only gotten lost seven times— pretty remarkable if you do say so yourself. Within those three weeks, you had actually expected that your old childhood friend would leave you off on your own once you got used to everything, but no. He tried his best to meet you in between classes even though your buildings were nowhere near each other, and the times when he couldn’t, he’d never failed to call or text you. “I promised your parents!” he reasoned, but you weren’t sure if that promise included asking you if you’ve eaten breakfast every morning.

“Breakfast?”

You repeated into the phone as you and your recently made friend Soorim walked to your Visual Studies class. You’d met her during your first week and the both of you immediately hit off. It was nice to have someone else other than Jaemin and his friends, but of course you appreciated their company, too.

“I, uh, actually haven’t eaten— no wait! Before you nag me, I have a valid excuse, okay!” Soorim gave you a sidelong glance, curious and suspicious over your loud phone call so she tried to lean her ear closer to the device but you quickly evaded without even looking at her. “Listen, I was in a hurry to school! I actually planned on grabbing a bite on the way but I… forgot my wallet because again, I was in a hurry and— no, shut up, you don’t have the right to scold me for this, too! You literally left your report at home yesterday and I had to walk all the way back to save your butt so you’re no better, Mr. Na.”

Without even realizing, you were already in front of the doors to your classroom, and so you hurried a goodbye to Jaemin just before you and Soorim took your seats at the near back.

“Alright, I’m in the classroom now. See you later. Yes, I’ll eat after, yes, I promise to double check my wallet from now on. Bye.”

The moment you settled on your seat, setting your phone and backpack aside, Soorim swiveled her chair to face you, legs crossed, hands resting with poise on her thigh, and she batted her eyelashes expectantly. You ignored her, twisting open your water bottle because it was the only thing you had that could somewhat silence your crying stomach.

“So,” she started anyway. The bottle opening was hovering over your lips. You narrowed your eyes at her. What the fuck was she doing. “When are you introducing me to your boyfriend?”

You choked while drinking.

“Boy— what,” with a grimace, you ripped away the bottle from your face, slamming it down on the table. You looked at your friend in disgust. “If I had one I wouldn’t be hanging out with you.”

Soorim rolled her eyes, sneering at you. She held up her hand to the side of her face, all fingers closed except for her pinky and her thumb, shaking it a little. You sighed.

“He’s a friend.”

“The same friend that kept on calling you during our night out because he was worried?”

“Yes, well,” your sweat dropped. “He’s just like that, you know?”

“Sure,” she scrunched her nose, haphazardly throwing her giant notebook on the table. There was a brief moment of quiet that overtook because Soorim decided to stop egging on you as you waited for your professor, but that quiet only lasted for a while. She nudged you, and you looked up from your desk. “Oh, look who's coming.”

Huang Renjun sauntered in with an expression not fitting for a “good morning” greeting, so you chose to remain silent and simply stare at him in judgment as he settled right before you and Soorim, plastic bag in hand and binder in the other. What shat in his coffee this early in the morning?

“This is all your fault,” with a grunt, he dropped the bag filled with all sorts of food and snacks right in front of you, immediately pulling out a chair and sitting his ass onto it after. “My plans of turning up late are ruined because of you.”

Your eyebrows furrowed, picking out a small container of strawberry milk from the bunch. How was this your fault? Furthermore, what exactly was all of this?

“Ooh, you making moves on Y/N, Huang?” Soorim, on the other hand, was digging into the rest of the goods, stealing a bun filled with red bean paste with a happy smile.

“Ew, as if.”

Renjun fake gagged, earning a look of offense from you which he completely ignored and disregarded. He took a box of pepero from the pile, shooting you a smug look before adding.

“It’s from Nana.”

(“You’re at school already? It’s very early. You’ve eaten breakfast, right?”

At a convenience store nearby the school, Jaemin and Renjun decided to eat their first meal there. Though, it appeared that the latter was the only one doing all the eating because his friend seemed to be far too preoccupied with his conversation on the phone to even notice that he took some of his sushi right in front of his face. Renjun silently chewed as he watched the colors on his friend’s face change at each sentence.

“Aish, it’s the most important meal of the day for a reason. How many times do I have to tell you—”

Another piece of sushi stolen. He wondered how far he could get away with it.

“Y/N, I—”

Jaemin let out a long sigh, causing Renjun to drop the food back onto the plate, retracting his chopsticks back to his own food— a bowl of ramen noodles that he had still yet to finish. He discreetly slurped it down as if he hadn’t been stealing since earlier. He was sure that Jaemin noticed though, but knowing his friend, he probably just let him. Renjun noticed the small pout on Jaemin, eliciting his curiosity.

“Okay,” he’s whining, Renjun concluded. “See you later.”

The moment Jaemin shut off his phone, Renjun expected him to say something, to air out why the fuck he was being all that this early in the morning, maybe even tell him what the call was about like a friend would, but no. Instead, Jaemin promptly stood up from his seat, disappeared into the limited selection of isles in the store, basket in hand, and started throwing a mountain full of food with a scrunched out, concentrated expression. Renjun had his mouth hanging open, brows knitted together, and wondering what in the ever loving fuck was going on with his friend as he stared at him pay for everything at the counter.

He sat back, eyeing Jaemin as he returned in front of him, who placed the full bag on top of the table as he took a seat.

“The hell?” a particular carton caught Renjun’s eye, and he immediately fished for it in primal disbelief. “Strawberry milk? You literally hate strawberries and milk separately yet you’re buying them combined? Are you sick?”

Jaemin did not answer. In fact, he dismissed the question completely with a smile, deciding to ask one of his own.

“It’s almost time for your first class, right? Visual Studies?”

At that point it hit him— the call, the food, the stupid behavior of his friend. It was completely obvious.

“Oh,” Renjun dropped the drink back onto the table. “Oh my god, you’re so fucking whipped.”)

“Shut up.”

After hearing Renjun’s story, you couldn’t look at all the multicolored snacks laid in front of you without heating up a million degrees anymore. It was ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous.

“You’re just messing with me, shut up.”

Renjun scoffed. “Why would I even make up something so stupid? C’mon, Y/N. You know I’m way better than that.”

You couldn’t argue that this wasn’t something Jaemin would do. No, because this was exactly something sickly sweet Jaemin would do and your sad attempt of denial was simply because your heart might actually run away if you admit it to yourself. And as if to give you more assurance or to fluster you even further, your phone vibrated, causing you to jump in your seat. Before either of the two’s nosiness could take a peek, you quickly snatched your phone, leaning your chair all the way back to read the message.

[<nana3: never skip breakfast okok?!? u don’t have your wallet right? wait for me in front of the bio building later. let’s eat lunch together 🥰💚]

Dear lord Jesus, have mercy on your soul. Renjun took your squeak as a sign of victory.

“Wait a minute,” Soorim looked at you wide in a sudden moment of epiphany. “Nana as in Na Jaemin? The fucking Na Jaemin? Is he the friend you’ve been mentioning? The guy you were calling and bought all this? Holy fuck, Y/N—!”

Your body moved before you could think and you thanked god that your professor wasn’t here yet because you would have caught the entire class’ attention when you leaped forward to slap your hands over Soorim’s mouth.

Renjun’s excessive giggling brought you back to reality, pulling your hands off of her with a gasp and an apology. “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.”

“What the fuck, why did you do that?”

“I don’t know, it felt like you were about to say something stupid!”

She gave a look, half done and half amazed at your willpower. You’d never been this fired up for anything. “Is it stupid to say that one of the hottest guys on campus is literally—”

“Stupid!” another slap on her mouth. Renjun was about to fall off his chair laughing. “You were going to say something stupid. Please don’t even think about finishing that.”

Lucky for you, your professor had finally come in. Unlucky for you, Soorim shot you the signature dirty stare which meant that you wouldn’t be let off that easily. How fun.

Class went on quiet and boring as usual— you’d never been one for technicalities, preferring heading straight into the creative process with nothing but inspiration coursing through your veins, so your professor’s voice was nothing but white noise running in the background as you busied yourself with your thoughts. Your eyes flickered to the floor, cheek resting on your palm, and you gazed down to the plastic back beside your backpack. Twirling your pencil between your fingers, you pulled out a scrap piece of paper, every move that you made triggered by nothing except the abstract flow of your mind.

There was only one person you were thinking of. The same person living inside your head the moment you stepped foot back into Korea, the same person that made you feel as if you were someone special out of all the eight billion people in the world, the same person that bought you three persons worth of food because he didn’t want you skipping breakfast, the same person that felt more like a dream than anything.

Mindlessly, you started sketching the face of your childhood friend, filling in all the details of his face that you could see whenever you closed your eyes, up until the bell rang that signalled the end of the class.

“Y/N! Your father and I are leaving, now!”

“There’s extra money on top of the fridge if you want to eat out.”

Saturday evening. Your parents decided to go out on a well-deserved date that night, leaving you alone inside your apartment. You saw them out the door, locking it up once they left, and as you pressed your back against the white washed wooden door, your eyes darted over to the clock hanging on your living room wall. Six-twenty-three. There were still a few hours until closing.

An art exhibition was to be held on the same evening, and this was the last day that the actual artist was going to be there. Free and you got to meet world renowned artist Ten Lee? You’d be insane not to go. Though, as you made your way into your room to change out of your raggedy old sweatpants and Jaemin’s (stolen) mint hoodie, you’d come to a realization that maybe the venue was too far for you to just walk. Your parents were using the car and it wasn’t like you could drive anyway. You could commute, but there was a better idea in your system.

Opening your phone, a smile involuntarily tugged at the corners of your mouth as you pressed the contact number that seemed to have never left your recents.

[you: nana! are you free rn? there’s an art exhibition out of town! i need a ride :p and you need some time off your studies too bcs i noticed youve been more tired than usual so good idea i think yes hehe]

As usual, he took no more than a minute to reply. But after lighting up when you saw his name flash on your screen, you bit down your bottom lip to prevent a frown from forming.

[<nana3: TT i’m attending a seminar for an org rn y/nie huhu i don’t know what time it’s ending so i’m not sure if i can make it 😫😭]

[you: it’s okay!! jhfdj sorry for disturbing u!! please listen well to the speaker hehe and tell me how it went]

[<nana3: i’m so sorry]

It was difficult to pinpoint how you exactly felt.

You chewed the inside of your mouth, staring at the phone screen. He shouldn’t be apologizing.

After shutting your closet door down to a close, you fell face down onto your bed, your phone thrown over to the side. Yes, you were disappointed, but it wasn’t what weighed you down; the actual reason feeling like a disgusting, throbbing feeling writhing underneath your skin after being suppressed for awhile now. It never left your system the moment you'd arrived, the moment he showed you what his life was like, making you realize the stark difference between you and him.

You couldn’t care less about the exhibition now. In fact, fuck that entire plan entirely. As you were loitering, fooling around, planning on going to pointless events that wouldn’t be of benefit to your future, Jaemin was there, making connections and decisions and taking a step further into life.

It made you wonder what exactly had you been doing these past seven years— what haven’t you been doing, what you should be doing. You were ashamed to admit it, but it plagued the back of your mind since you got here.

Jaemin was far too out of reach.

It made the wrench in your gut worse whenever he made an effort to not make you feel that way. He’d always include you whenever he’d be with his other friends, always made sure that you didn’t feel left out since you came here, whether it be by his little cute texts even though you were in the same room just to make you smile, or by giving you all of his attention despite the many people vying for his. God, you didn’t deserve him. You didn’t deserve to like him.

What did you deserve?

Just then, there was a knock on your front door, followed by a buzz from your phone.

[<nana3: open the door!]

And you did, scrambling out of your bed and nearly tripping over your feet as you ran just to swing it open. Jaemin stood before you with his hair tousled by the wind, a purple and orange varsity jacket covering his frame. He greeted you with brightened eyes.

“I thought you had—”

“I left early,” he smiled at you, walking inside. “Why aren’t you dressed yet? Hurry, I’ll wait here.”

You blinked at him as he passed you by to sit on your couch, unable to understand what led him to such a decision, staring as he stretched his arms over his head with a yaw. He shouldn’t have come here. “Jaemin, it’s just an exhibition, it’s not as important as your seminar.”

He raised a brow at you, stealing a pillow into his lap. “But you want to go, right?”

“Well…” you did want to go, even after your small episode earlier. “Yeah, but—”

“Then it’s more important.”

He smiled at you. You cursed at yourself for letting your heart dither.

“Besides, you actually think I’d let you go out alone this late at night?” Jaemin stood up from the sofa, resting his hand on top of your head with an affectionate gaze. “You should go change. Or maybe not. You look good in my clothes, anyway.”

It was cold outside, so Jaemin made sure that you were wearing enough layers so that you won’t get sick, forcing you back inside when he deemed that you weren’t covered enough.

“Jaem, I’m fucking sweating.”

You huffed as you lugged yourself to the front seat, but your padded winter coat was preventing you from making a smooth landing inside.

“Sweating is a good sign! That means you’re healthy,” noticing your struggle, Jaemin relented to leaving the coat at the back of the car, but keeping it there just in case. He got in after you, starting the car and turning on the radio for some background noise. “Reconnaissance Gallery Right? What’s the name of the show?”

“Mono,” you replied. “It’s by Ten Lee.”

“Oh! I remember you talking about him once,” he exclaimed. “We should hurry then.”

It was a generally quiet car ride, but the silence was welcomed. After asking where you wanted to eat dinner once you were done with the exhibit, Jaemin didn’t talk anymore. Your eyes followed the moving lights that were lit up all around the night scene, and from time to time they flickered over to admire the boy beside you who seemed to be far too engrossed with his driving. An unconscious smile grew, warmth fluttering inside. You were lucky enough to meet him again in this lifetime, even after being set apart for so long.

“Something wrong?”

He asked without looking. He must have noticed you staring.

“No,” you replied with a soft voice. “Just remembered how baby-faced you were back then.”

With a laugh, he shook his head, one hand stretched out to the steering wheel. “You’re one to talk. Alright, I think we’re here.”

You felt a rush the moment you went past the glass doors, met by a relatively large interior with walls painted either black or white and lined with numerous paintings that contrasted the wall they were hung on. With a large grin, you quickly tugged Jaemin’s arm deeper into the venue, your footsteps making hollow echoes inside the place. He was taken aback by your sudden action, heart racing when he felt your grip on him, never slowing down even when you stopped in front of one of the larger works in the exhibit. “Oh my gosh, I love this painting— wait let me take a picture.”

As you fumbled with your phone, Jaemin couldn’t help but stare at you as if you were a part of the exhibit itself. There were more people inside, yet he didn’t even notice them; paintings as pretty as the night sky, yet it was you that he couldn’t take his eyes off of. Your phone camera captured it with an audible click, and he took it as a signal to scramble and take his out too.

Click!

“The painting’s really pretty, right?”

He nodded at you. “Yeah,” it wasn’t the painting that he wanted to capture. He dug his phone back into his pocket after sneaking a brief glance at your excited grin behind the screen. It wasn’t every day that you smiled like this since you were usually reserved. He didn’t want to miss saving a memory. “You wanna walk around more?”

At his suggestion, you and Jaemin decided to move deeper into the exhibit. You knew he wasn’t that knowledgeable about art, but he still listened intently whenever you told him something about the strokes and composition of some of the works displayed. You hadn’t run into Ten Lee yet even after an hour of walking around and taking pictures, but you didn’t mind at all. Jaemin froze in front of a certain painting— the visage of what seemed to be a face formed together by different objects, drawn in a style similar to the rest with the black and white motif, graffiti-esque structure, and the overall whimsical and abstract feel to it. There was a smile on his face, you wondered what he was thinking about.

“One day, it’s gonna be your paintings that will be displayed here. You promise you won’t forget about me when that happens, okay?" he started, turning his attention to you. “You should also paint a portrait dedicated to me," he joked, nudging you a little.

You smiled at him. Jaemin noticed that this wasn’t your usual smile, but he chose to not say anything. “Okay,” you breathed out before looking down seconds before he could see your expression melt away. How was he thinking so highly of you when it was him who was too far to reach?

He was about to ask— he didn’t know what to ask— but he would say whatever just to erase whatever was bothering your peace of mind. But he wasn’t able to. In fact, just as he lifted a hand to rest over your shoulder as an act of comfort, your head shot up, turning to face the sudden eruption of a commotion that Jaemin had failed to notice in his worry for you.

“Holy crap,” you gasped. “Is that—”

Ten Lee, just a few feet away from you with cameras and crowd surrounding him. You wasted no time to run to him, grabbing Jaemin’s hand in a flash to drag him behind. His eyes softened upon seeing the excited bounce of your hair as you ran. At least your spirits were brought back up again.

Jaemin watched as you nervously fiddled with the hem of your jacket as you waited for an opening to talk to the famous artist, how you would stand on your toes to peek above the small crowd and stand back down again after feeling too shy. Eventually the crowd dissipated to only around four or five people. This was your chance. You looked at him Jaemin. He nudged you with his shoulder. ‘Go,’ he mouthed. You pressed your lips together before finally deciding to march up to the artist. He didn’t realize you have been holding his hands until you let go.

“A-ah, hi!”

He followed after you in case you were feeling too nervous, but he was relieved to see that Ten Lee was pretty down to earth and easy going for someone famous. He stayed a few steps behind you as he listened to the ongoing conversation.

“I can’t tell you enough how much I adore your works. Especially, Monarch! I took a picture of it earlier and it’s so much more captivating in person,” you said, watching as Ten signed your phone case. “Actually, I—I look up to you a lot as an artist. A few of my paintings were actually inspired by your style, but of course it— it would be an insult to compare.”

“You shouldn’t compare,” he scolded, adding in a little sermon about your art is yours and that it should stand alone as your own. He handed your phone back, a smile on his face. “Can I see?”

You couldn’t believe what you were hearing. In a flustered rush, you quickly scrolled through your gallery folders to find the specific paintings you were referring to, and Jaemin, out of curiosity, hovered over your shoulders to see as well. As you passed through your works with your friend’s mouth hanging open in awe (he wanted to gush about them, but figured this wasn’t formally appropriate), his eyes caught a glimpse of an image that you quickly swiped past— far too glaring too miss because he was sure that it looked something like his face. It was a different kind of pride that he felt when he saw that.

Ten’s eyes flickered as he saw through your paintings, something formulating within even after you hid your phone. He looked at you, grabbing your hands without any warning which caused you to squeak. “Y/N, right?” you nodded, wide eyed. “You know, I’m hosting an online gallery within the upcoming weeks. It’s for young, aspiring artists like you to be recognized at a larger scale.”

Hold on, you tried to catch on to what he was saying. Was he—

“Are you interested?”

—serious? Was he actually serious? It looked like he was because when he let go of you, a business card suddenly materialized in your hands. Holy shit.

“Think about it, okay? Just email me your portfolio and everything. Who knows, what if you get recognized and scouted after this?”

He winked at you, shooting you a thumbs up. This had to be a dream. You were still trying to process the piece of fucking paper that you were holding and now all of a sudden Ten came in between you and Jaemin, swinging his arms around your neck and giving you a pat on the back

“Anyhow, thanks to the both of you for coming to my show. And Y/N—” he looked at you with a grin. “Looking forward to your more of your works.”

Ten disappeared off with two other people, their footsteps clacking against the cold, tiled floor. You stared at the card in your hands for a few moments— Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul, it wrote— before snapping your eyes back to Jaemin who was wearing a far too large smile. “Oh my god.”

Jaemin wasted no time in drowning you into a hug, knocking the air out of your lungs when he nearly toppled you onto the ground.

“Y/N,” his voice was soft in comparison to the roughness of his actions, sweetly fluttering into your ears as he rocked you left and right with his squeezing embrace. “I’m so proud of you.”

His words nearly broke you down to tears.

“This calls for a celebration, right?” he pulled away, hand automatically falling to hold onto yours as he led you to the gallery’s exit. “My treat! I know a place nearby, we should eat an entire feast!”

“Nana, you already treated me to lunch last time, I can’t just—”

“No, no no! I’m treating you, okay? This is your achievement so I should congratulate properly.”

There was no point arguing with him when he already had his mind set, but even during your drive to a nearby barbecue place, even when you were already halfway with the meal, you kept on insisting that you’d pay him back for all of this someday. He’d only laugh it off, telling you that he doesn’t mind as long as you’re enjoying yourself. You downed a shot of soju after hearing that, hoping that it would make you forget momentarily about how fast your heart was beating.

Somehow the clock eventually struck nine, and rather than going home, the both of you took an impulsive detour to a nearby public beach. The sounds of waves crashing against the solemn quiet of the night was heard as you neared the area, bringing you to a moment of peace.

Instead of going to the sandy shore, you two decided to take a spot on the beach cliff right above the rolling water. “Be careful,” Jaemin whispered from behind as he guided you along the rocky surface, heating up from the way he was so, so close with his hands steady on your back. You two sat side by side on the cliff, underneath the veil of stars, with the ocean right in front of you.

“Are your parents okay with you staying out this late?” he cocked his head to face you in a manner that was far too cute for you to suppress a giggle.

“Jaems, they’d probably allow me to disappear off to Italy as long as you’re with me.”

The both of you broke into laughter, but it was eventually replaced by the noises of the ocean. You breathed in the salty scent of the sea, folding your knees to your chest with your arms hugging them together. For a moment your eyes flickered over to Jaemin, and a chord was strung, tugging your heart towards him, but it was impossible for it to leap out of your chest so it only rattled against your ribcage desperately just like the waves. You stared at the way his dark hair melted into the night sky, the wind brushing it away, the way he had his legs stretched out freely over the rocks while you squeezed yourself as small as you could get, and lastly, the way he flashed over to look at the exact moment that you wanted him to.

If there was such a thing as a perfect instance where the stars of the night sky aligned, it would be this.

“You know,” you started, letting your arms fall to your sides as you looked over to the distance. “I envy you sometimes.”

Jaemin was taken aback by your confession.

“I also admire you,” you pressed your lips together tightly, forming it into a smile. “A lot. I admire you a lot. To the point that it made me feel like you’re living in a completely different world from me and that I wasn’t deserving of you.”

You’d finally mustered up the courage to tell him everything you’d pent up during your first month back here— it was better than just letting it fester into something worse, even if there was a risk of completely ruining your friendship. It was better than playing pretend.

“We’re both only a year apart but it seems like you have your life all tied together while I’m still barely able to walk on my own two feet. I wouldn’t even have been able to go to the exhibit if it weren’t for you,” you crossed your legs, a mirthless laugh slipping past your lips as the wind brushed against your cheeks .“I don’t… want to seem ungrateful for everything you’ve done or make you feel bad or anything, because Jaemin—”

You turned around, looking at him.

“If I had the choice to stay back then, I would have gladly chosen to spend those seven years together with you.”

Jaemin stared at you, speechless, unblinking. He had a gut feeling that there was something bothering you all this time, but he never had thought that it would be this.

“But the feeling of seeing you again after all this time is a feeling that I wouldn’t trade for the world either,” you hummed, looking down as you traced the creases of the rocky ground with your fingers, a shaky breath slipping past you. “If only… I wasn’t just so insecure then maybe everything would be perfect.”

For a moment there was nothing— only the lulling sounds of the sea that became quieter after you laid your heart out to the ground. The next moment, Jaemin spoke up.

“I got into an accident four years ago.”

You shot up in a single instant.

Jaemin laughed a little, bringing his hand to the crown of your head in assurance. “I had a herniated disc which got worse during a dance camp. It was definitely scary, how it seemed like I was in a standstill for two years while everyone else carried on with their lives,” he continued, letting his hand drop once more right beside yours. “It’s hard to get out of that hopeless mentality. It takes small steps, but once you do, things will eventually start looking up.”

He shot you a smile, eyes twinkling under the light of the moon. You couldn’t help but put your head down after hearing everything.

“I understand how and why you’re feeling that way, don’t worry I’m not upset. You don’t think I am, right?” he caught you sniffling, leaning forward to take a look at your face but you kept on turning away. “Y/N— Y/N, look at me, okay? I’ll be your personal cheerleader from now on, yeah? Up until you realize that you’re actually greater than you think you are.”

He was too good to you.

“I’m— I’m sorry I couldn’t be there when you were having a tough time.”

You silently muttered, meekly sneaking a glance at him to see that he was actually smiling at you this entire time. He’d always been like this.

“It’s alright, you didn’t have a choice, right?” he assured. “And I’m all better now, as you can see. I can even jump off the cliff into the ocean without having a single scratch!”

Right, you managed a laugh from his silly proclamation. He lit up upon hearing you. Maybe you can try to be like that too.

“What’s important is that from now on.”

There had been a gap between the two of you that entire time, but Jaemin bridged it the moment his hand brushed against your skin, his pinky interlocking with yours against the coarse ground. You met his eyes. He shot you a smile. That same smile that you could never get enough of.

“You’ll be with me.”

“Jaemin, please put your shirt back on.”

When you walked back into the living room, easel and canvas in your arms, you did not expect to be met with your childhood friend-slash-boyfriend mid-strip. In fact you were far too in shock that you dropped everything to the floor at that exact moment, only managing to utter those previous words once you were busy picking them all back up and not looking at him. He quickly ran to help you.

“Oh, I thought this was—” he passed you a paintbrush, helping you stand back up once you’ve gotten everything. “Aren’t the models for your classes usually, like, naked?”

“You think I was gonna paint you nude?!”

“Well,” he mused, holding his shirt to his bare chest. “If you want— okay, sorry! Shirt on! Shirt on!”

You settled down the easel that you just threatened to launch at him near the window where the afternoon sunlight was leaking through. A few days prior, you had contacted Ten Lee regarding the online exhibit, asking when the deadline was because you wanted to include one more piece in your portfolio.

“Nana, can you sit over here?”

There was a stool situated a few feet in front of the easel and right beside the window. He did as you said, now fully dressed and sitting properly and well behaved. You marched up to him, moving around his limbs into a specific pose. Jaemin wore a subtle smile as you grabbed his arms to a certain position, his shoulders into a certain angle, and when your fingers landed on his jaw to adjust his head, he just couldn’t help but throw all your work out the window by pulling you towards him by the waist.

“What are you—” a kiss fell on your nose. Jaemin shot you a cheeky smile.

“Sorry,” he said. “I couldn’t help it.”

You weren’t inclined to do anything else but forgive him, even if it meant refixing him into position, but somehow you managed. Running back behind the easel, you wore a satisfied smile upon seeing the composition, flicking your wrist to start the initial sketch. There was music running in the background. Jaemin sat still for thirty whole minutes.

“Can I move for a sec?”

“Yeah, yeah,” you answered. “I got the basic shapes down anyway.”

He let out an amazed gasp, lips forming into an ‘o’ shape. “So cool,” he said, and you let out a little laugh.

You were trying to focus, but in between a few strokes of your pencil, he wiggled his eyebrows when you looked at him again. You threw your head down to suppress a barrage of giggles. “Okay, this is— this is going nowhere. Can I just take a picture of you?”

Even taking a shot of him was difficult because he just wouldn’t sit still. He’d always do something to make you laugh or smile just when you were about to take a picture. You scolded him, telling him that all you needed was a few takes then the both of you can make a run for some popsicles at the nearby store. He straightened upon hearing, and you finally got to do the job.

“Do you have a title in mind for the piece?” he asked, just as you finished taking the last photo of his face up close.

You did have one. In fact, you’ve had it in mind for a while now.

“Yeah,” you answered, smiling. “Mahiwaga.”

Haechan, for whatever suspicious reason, volunteered to treat you out to lunch today at a family restaurant near the uni. You did not know why, and he would not tell you why, but you could not pass up free food. You texted Soorim to follow just in case you needed mental support because as you sat across him, looking up from your phone while munching your fries to catch the terrifying stare he was giving you, you could tell that you needed at least one other person around.

[you: dude, i think hes actually planning on killing me please hurry up]

[soorim: omw babe]

[soorim: but ur paying for me right]

You sighed, telling her yes you already ordered her food, and she replied with an annoying heart that you refused to mark read. Just as you were about to shut off your phone, ready to hear whatever Haechan was brewing, another message was sent your way.

[<nana3: baby, i saw the exhibition!! 🤩 you know, you’re so amazing, you know?!?! nana is super super proud of you 🥺💚 and i’m sure your parents are, too!! i sent the link to all of my friends yesterday hehe. also i’ll call you immediately after my class, ok?? don’t forget to drink lots of water today 😚 byebye! 💚]

“Are you two fucking yet?”

Haechan’s question caused you to choke on your fries, dropping your phone to the table so you can reach for the glass of Sprite. You looked at him, appalled. “I’m sorry?”

“What are we talking about?”

Soorim had belatedly joined in the party, pushing you farther into the seat to make room for herself. Her eyes zeroed in on the table, choosing the giant burger to attack first. You scrunched your nose as you looked at her.

“We—”

“Whether Y/N and Jaemin have done the dirty yet,” Haechan interrupted. You looked at him in offense and horror. He reciprocated with a deadpan stare. “You have, haven’t you? I went to Jaemin’s house at four in the morning yesterday and—”

“Why were you at his house at four?!”

“Doesn’t matter.”

You looked at him in disbelief, scoffing, and you looked over to Soorim with the words ‘can you believe this guy?’ ready to fire from your tongue. You could not say it. Not when Soorim looked absolutely compelled by Haechan’s bullshit allegations. She even stopped scarfing down her food. You made a mistake in calling her up here.

“What matters is that he looked absolutely fucked out absolutely naked, but not only that!” a scrunchie. He pulled out a scrunchie from his backpack. That was yours. Even had your hair on it. “This is yours isn’t it? I’ve caught you red handed, Y/N, now answer me—”

Haechan’s eyes were out to kill.

“You wrapped it, right? I’m too young to be called Uncle Hyuck so please tell me you did.”

“We are not—”

“That explains why you were walking all weird yesterday!” Soorim exclaimed. “Y/N, you know you could tell me these things, right? There is no—”

“We are not fucking!”

This wasn’t the best conversation to have at a family restaurant.

A waiter stopped serving the table next to you, it’s occupants (that included three kids and their parents) froze and looked at you in horror. An innocent passerby spilled his drink on his tray. You sharply inhaled, bowing your head apologetically. Thank god there weren’t any managers here— the three of you might have actually gotten kicked out.

With a cough, you collected yourself, giving both of your companions the stink eye for putting you in such a compromising position. “Can I not sleep at my boyfriend’s place without— without doing anything of that sort?” you huffed, ignoring the red hot heat creeping up your neck. “And as a matter of fact, I was walking weird because I fell down the while lugging plywood up the stairs, so shut the fuck up.”

The two of them let out a shriek at the same time.

“Boyfriend?! And what— you fell off the fucking stairs?!”

“Did you do as I told you?! Did you follow Hyuck’s five step guide on How To Trap Your—”

“Quiet!”

You shushed the both of them before the three of you actually got kicked out.

“Yes, boyfriend. Yes, I fell off the stairs. No, I did not follow Hyuck’s guide to whatever,” you spitefully took a sip from your drink. “You never even told me what the hell that was.”

As Haechan started to further explain his guide with Soorim enthusiastically taking everything in, you were caught by the buzzing of your phone. The screen lit up. Someone sent you an e-mail— the sender you did not recognize at all. You wiped your fingers with some tissues on the table before taking the device, clicking on the notification immediately after.

“Right. After you tell him that you’re— hey! Y/N, are you even listening?”

You shot up. Haechan noticed the distraught look in your eyes. His brows furrowed together.

“What’s wrong?”

The following weekend, you went out and treated Jaemin to dinner at a fancy Chinese restaurant despite his many complaints. He was about to pay for everything again, but this time you were faster in stealing the check. Afterward, you stopped by a nearby hardware store to buy another two pieces of plywood. You’ve been painting a lot more frequently lately, and you’ve been experimenting more on larger scale works. It was fortunate that Jaemin was there to help you bring the large sheets of wood this time.

“There we go.”

Jaemin settled the wood resting upright against your living room wall, right beside a few stained cans of paint underneath layers of newspaper. You thanked him, smiling, and he ruffled the hair on your head.

“You should ask me whenever you need to do some heavy work alright? We don’t want a rerun of last time,” you cringed upon recalling. That wasn’t a pretty fall. “How are your legs? Have the bruises healed?”

“Almost. You don’t have to worry,” you assured him. He sighed in relief.

Dinner and a shopping trip weren’t the only reasons you called him out tonight. You had actually been meaning to tell him something within the past three days. Your parents knew, Haechan and Soorim found out during lunch last time, Renjun and Jeno might have already found out thanks to their loudmouthed friend. All that’s left was Jaemin. It was his reaction that would help you make the decision.

But why was it so difficult to start talking?

“I’m gonna head out now,” he hummed, pulling you into his chest. You bit down your lip, contemplating, and maybe he noticed your unease and hesitation, as if he could hear your unsaid thoughts, because he lightly pulled away to look at your face and spoke. “What is it? Do you wanna tell me something?”

Of course, you thought to yourself. He’d probably know you’re hungry before your stomach could even rumble.

You gently pried away his hands from your arms, a hollow smile directed to him. Concern flashed through his eyes, but he held back his tongue, waiting for you to say your mind instead.

“Yeah…” you started. “I— I do have something to tell you.”

That was what you said, but as the clock ticked a couple dozen times in the background, you still had yet to tell him. It wasn’t easy to tell him. Because you were afraid that the moment you opened your mouth to squeeze out a single word, you might not make it to finish the entire sentence. If it were him, this might have been easy. But you were not, so it took a little more effort on your part to let the words go.

Maybe you shouldn’t have looked him in the eye, because the moment you did, your eyes stung from the threat of tears and so you jerked your head to the side.

But you weren’t able to evade, because Jaemin decided to follow you. You turned away again, looking towards the unplugged television, but it was once again replaced by Jaemin’s dark brown eyes. Your eyes stung, your lips pressed together, and at that moment you couldn’t help but laugh at his ridiculous actions throwing your head down in the midst of it, but your laughter got choked up by the sudden streaming of tears that you had come unprompted.

Jaemin panicked.

“Hey, hey, baby, what’s wrong? What is it?” he ducked down to reach your face, cupping your cheeks with his large hands as you wiped away your tears. “It’s okay, you can tell me, baby. I’ll listen to everything, okay?”

It took you a while to regain your voice, but Jaemin patiently waited with words of consolation. You couldn’t understand how one person could have this much goodwill and kindness in them.

Eventually your sniffling died down, and so you finally willed yourself to speak. “I— I joined Ten’s exhibition, right? And— and there was a possibility that other artists or institutions might be interested in the participants, right?”

“Mhm,” he replied, stroking the back of your head as you tightly gripped the front of his shirt. “Go on.”

“I— I got scouted? You know PIOA? In Paris? They— they offered me a full scholarship if I…” you paused for a moment, biting the inside of your mouth. “If I transfer there for the remaining months until my last year.”

Jaemin took a while to absorb it, silence flooding along with your occasional sniffles.

“Isn’t that a good thing? Ah, ah, baby look at me, look at me,” he grabbed your shoulders, frowning when he made contact with your red stained eyes. He brushed your cheek with his thumb, heart heavy from seeing you like this. It pained him to see you this way. “Why are you crying? Don’t you want to go?”

A beat of silence. You swallowed, speaking in a small, shaky voice.

“Do you want me to go?”

Another beat of silence.

“Of course! Can you imagine that out of all the people that joined that exhibit, they chose you! Your talent and hard work shouldn’t go to waste,” Jaemin inhaled sharply in between his speech, managing a smile for you to see. “I’m really proud of you, Y/N. An opportunity like this doesn’t come that easily.”

“Jaemin.”

You softly sounded, letting your head fall into his chest. He held you close, as if you were leaving at that instant.

“You know I was so happy when we got in touch again, when I came back to Korea. I know I don’t have a lot going on for me, but I could easily forget all of that because I’m with you,” once more, you felt the tears start to rise up again, but you tried your hardest to swallow them down. “It hasn’t even been that long since we got reunited and now you’re… you’re just telling me to leave you again miles, miles away as if it’s nothing.”

“It’s not like that, Y/N. It’s hard for me too, you know,” he muttered into your hair with a slight whine, his chin resting over your head. “But it’s not like we’re never going to see each other again, right? We managed for seven years, what’s two or three more?”

When he heard you stifle a laugh, laughing despite your sniveling, he couldn’t help but laugh along too. Once more and perhaps the last that night, he pulled away so he could look at the smile on your face, eyes still red and watery, and he pressed a warm kiss on your forehead.

“You have nothing to worry about, baby. We can visit each other during breaks and—” he breathed out, lips curling into a smile. “I’ll call you every day.”

Right, you wiped away your remaining tears, huffing out a brief, airy chuckle.

You looked at him, hopeful, earnest.

“Every day?”

You asked.

“Every day.”

He answered.

You were never going to get used to airports. They always carried a bitter, cold air that signified a goodbye that you were far too familiar with. Today was no different.

“Don’t forget to drink your vitamins alright? It’s a new environment so you might need some time to get used to it. Oh! And—”

“Dude, you’re worse than her actual mom.”

Jaemin shot a smile to your mother at the mention, who was waiting for your group to finish from a distance with your father. Your mother was to stay with you in Paris for a week until you got everything settled down while the four boys, Soorim, and your father decided to send you off today. Though, unlike your usual experiences with leaving and returning, today was much louder, more rowdy. It was a nice change— you only wished that it would last longer.

“It’s okay, I appreciate the concern,” you laughed. “Do I have to report back to you everything before I go to bed?”

“Well, if you can,” Jaemin mused, locking his pinky finger with yours and swinging your hand into the air from side to side. “Kidding, kidding. I trust you’ll take care of yourself there.”

A chorus of gagging noises broke out when you pulled his shirt, burying your face into his chest, prompting him to smile and wrap his arms around you. You drowned them out, though, only focusing on how warm he was despite the cold brushing of the wind, how he held you with so much gentleness that one would think he was afraid that he might break you.

It was funny how free you felt when you were trapped inside his embrace.

“How many times do I have to say goodbye to you at the fucking airport?” you grumbled, tears welling up again and so you wiped them away with your sweater sleeve. “Wait, why aren’t you crying. Aren’t you even at the very least sad that I’m gonna leave?”

Jaemin chuckled, replacing your hand with his to brush away the stray tears.

“If I cry in front of you then you probably won’t even board the plane.”

You hated that he was right.

“I’ll do it after you leave,” he let out a laugh, tucking a strand of your hair behind your ear. At that moment, the pre-boarding announcement rang throughout the area's speakers, signalling that it was time for you and your mother to go. Grabbing your suitcase, you sent a grateful look to each one of them— your father, Jeno, Renjun, Donghyuck, Soorim, and—

Jaemin suddenly grabbed your suitcase handle before you could go, his hand right beside yours. You locked eyes with him, wide and surprised.

He landed a kiss right on your lips.

“Call me when you arrive, okay?”

You mindlessly nodded, still in the midst of recovering from shock. Your mother called out to you to start moving.

As you walked away, head still locked behind, you watched as the four screamed, cheered, and teased your boyfriend as they shook and pushed him around like a ragdoll, while he just kept on looking at you with a smile.

“Don’t worry, Y/N! I’ll record his crying face!”

Haechan screamed despite being several feet away already, and you stifled out a laugh.

You might have to say goodbye today, but time will come when you would meet again.

Across the cobblestone tiled sidewalk, people were walking about, the streets were filled with tourists and natives, the mid noon sun was just in reach. Summers had always been crowded in the city, and you were swimming in the middle of the crowd in a far too inappropriate attire, sweating as you spoke into the phone.

“Oh, yeah. I’m on my way to the gallery now— I had to stop by at a cafe first, though.”

“You seem busy.”

Jaemin’s voice echoed from your phone’s speakers. The streetlight turned red. You followed the crowd as you crossed the street.

“Yeah… It’s a lot of back and forth work, even on the last day of the show, but it’s all worth it,”you replied. “Did you know that people kept on asking me who my muse was for Mahiwaga? Ever the popular boy, even when you’re not here.”

It has been a year and a half since you first got to France. Things have been going well on your part with your budding art career— and so far you’ve guested in three exhibitions, but you have yet to have one solo. Even though you and Jaemin promised to see each other during breaks, it was practically impossible to align your time. He was busy with internships and his organizations this year and so were you. But one thing the both of you have faithfully maintained throughout the course of your time away was calling each other every day, even if it was just for a few minutes.

A cyclist sped past you. Jaemin’s voice was heard again. He laughed at your last remark, saying that he wasn’t that popular, but all of a sudden his voice turned into a more serious tone.

“Since you have a lot of work these days…”

Your brows furrowed, squinting as the light shone into your eyes. You clutched your sling bag, heels clattering as you passed by the cream, brown, and grey buildings.

“Should we call less often?”

You stopped in your tracks.

What?

“No— no, Jaems, what are you saying? Are you sick? Are you not feeling well?” you were almost late for the opening, but you couldn’t care less at the moment. What was he on about? Call less? Never had that crossed your mind even once. “I don’t even get to see you anymore, so if anything… we should call as often as we can.”

A few people passed from behind. His end of the line was silent. Your lips scrunched into a frown, confused.

“Jaemin?”

“That’s a relief.”

Before you could even ask him anything, the call ended.

“What the hell?” you huffed, staring at your phone screen in perplexity before you returned it to your pocket. Maybe he was feeling a lot more lonely than usual— that was unavoidable, but the both of you made it work. You should ask him what that was all about later. Now, you really needed to head to the gallery. With a sigh, you marched forward, stopping at an intersection where the large, eggshell white walls of the gallery stood across.

You stopped before the crosswalk, the lights green, and a few vehicles passed by, and your thoughts were once again clouded by Na Jaemin and why did he suddenly propose that. Was he getting sick of you? Was this his way of hinting a breakup? Your face contorted into a look of horror. No, you shook your head at the notion. He literally sent you a picture of a weird keychain last night saying it reminded him of you. Another sigh. The light went red. You crossed the street.

Maybe it was because you were thinking too much of him, maybe you were missing him too much, but the moment you reached the middle of the crosswalk, your heart suddenly stopped, legs froze, eyes stuck to the sight right in front of you.

There he stood, right before the front stairs of the gallery with dozens of people disappearing and passing by. He spotted you, eyes lighting up, the corners of lips automatically quirking upwards. He sent you a small wave.

You ran.

“Hi— woah!”

Maybe you were causing a scene, but you didn’t care. You couldn’t find it in you to care when Na Jaemin was right fucking here. He chuckled when you suddenly ran into him, wrapping you in a tight hug that matched your own. “You know, I was afraid that you’d actually agree to limiting our calls,” he started, and you looked up, the light shining into your eyes. Jaemin’s smile was as bright as the sun. “I thought I would have to deport myself back to Korea.”

Your lips quivered, unable to hold it back. Yeah, you shook your head, a shaky laugh leaving your lips. It’s always been like this.

“Is this where you’re holding the exhibit? Wow, it’s a lot bigger than in pictures.”

There are points in your life where you’re met with a choice— to stay or leave, to smile or cry. Always him between something else. Twice. You’ve said goodbye to him twice choosing to leave. For a moment, it might seem that you’ve chosen the other. But that was never the case, because at the end of each day it was him you were thinking of, it was him that your lines end, it would always be—

“Y/N? Y/N? Are you crying?” he exclaimed, frowning as he wiped away your tears. “Ah, it’s such a happy day today, you shouldn’t be crying.”

“I missed you, you dummy.”

—Him. You’d always choose him. Na Jaemin. Jaems. Nana. Your childhood best friend. Your boyfriend—

He smiled at you, eyes shining, pressing a kiss on your forehead before taking you into his arms once more with a shaky breath. “I missed you too.”

—Your mahiwaga.

hannie-dul-set, 2020.

#NCT-WRITERS #czennet #neowritingsnet #kpopscape #na jaemin x reader #jaemin x reader #nct x reader #nct dream x reader #na jaemin scenarios #jaemin scenarios #na jaemin fluff #jaemin fluff #nct scenarios #nct fanfic #nct angst #na jaemin angst #jaemin angst

826 notes · View notes