#so i hope they fall down the stairs and suffer minor injuries but that’s all. just enough for them to have to pause before getting out of

[aqricus]

yo why are high level players so MEAN ADKCMSAK

[equestrianwritingsstuff]

For the BTHB: enemy turned caretaker with Villain whumpee and Hero caretaker ???

Thank you, your writing is amazing. Have a good day!!!

Thank you for the ask and lovely comment! I hope you don't mind that I gave the characters genders as my brain cannot write with neutral ones today, but feel free to imagine the characters as you like.

If you want to send in an ask: here.

Downside to the River

@badthingshappenbingo

Warnings: beating, intensive description of broken bones (including broken leg, ribs, and jaw), blood, minor vomit, losing consciousness, bathing, enjoying hurting others

~

Maybe she went a little too far.

Maybe, it was a possibility.

Likely? No.

Unlikely? No.

Did she? Yes.

Now, the real question was... did she care?

In the heat of the moment, that trilogy of words wouldn't dare cross her fired-up mind.

But afterwards? After the deed was done? After she tucked him into bed with a warm blanket?

Yes, she cared. She cared and regretted it.

Let's go back in time for moment, shall we?

July 15, 11:23 PM:

Her fist struck something hard, her ears heard a crack, but her heart felt victory. Her other hand dove in, earning the same satisfying sensation.

"Knock it off, will you?" The villain below her spat, blood circling in the sticky saliva. "I get your point ma'am."

Hero didn't listen. She kicked, landing a near-stunning blow on Villain's chest. He wheezed, coughing and wincing, but he didn't get much time for recovery before another kick sent him hurdling to the ground. He laid there, winded and exhausted, calculating his injuries for greatest to least- he doubted Hero would hurt him further; after all, he was already down.

Yet the otherwise positive premonition failed him. Hero slammed both fists into his temple. Way to kick a man when he's already down, Villain groaned to himself just as stars erupted in his already dimming vision.

He brought himself clumsily to his arms, legs still reclining against the wooden floor. They were on a bridge in the woods, a place that young couples would go for dates on. Though it was more than obvious that wasn't the intention for the late night visit.

Hero pounced, a flying fist meeting his ribcage. Crack! Hero pulled back for moment to allow Villain to collapse on the ground, grunting and moaning weakly, before hopping to her feet and jumping on his side.

"I get your point," Villain growled through clenched teeth.

"I doubt that," Hero retorted, and stomped on Villain's outstretched hand.

"Nngh," Villain replied, pulling in his hand instinctively, but Hero didn't allow for that form of comfort. She placed her shoe onto his wrist and pinned it down.

"Shut up, will you?"

Crrreeeeaaaakkkk

Hero stood up straighter, giving Villain minimal, but relief nonetheless. When the eerie sound didn't come again, she continued her pin of victory.

Creeeeaaakkkk

Hero looked around again, shrugged, but stopped. There was something different in the air.

It was raining.

Not just a drizzle, but a downpour.

Hero looked over the side of the bridge to see raging waters hitting the wooden beams.

Oh crap.

It was a flash flood.

Hero pushed herself away from Villain and bounded to shore. She jumped over pools of mud and water, leaped over fallen branches, and slid over slick slides of leaves.

Before sprinting back home, Hero took a glance over her shoulder at Villain who was struggling to get back on his feet. For a moment, a pure second of temptation, Hero considered going to save him.

No, she told herself, silently shaming herself for those types of thoughts. He is a monster. He brought this upon himself.

Hero looked up again to see the bridge collapse. Villain's arms and legs gave out as a beam smacked into his back, right by the shoulder blades. She didn't have to hear his holler to know the horrible sound that escaped his bloody lips.

As he fell, obviously dazed and disoriented, his skull smashed into a stray piece of wood and he was enveloped by the muddy waves.

July 16, 12:18 AM:

Hero laid upon her bed, aimlessly wrapping a strand of her hair around her index finger, making knots and toying with the invention. Her mind was wandering. Was he dead? Or dying? Was he alone and cold? Or was he not even awake, only his body awaiting inevitable death?

Hero looked out the window and into the dark sky beyond. The consistent tapping on her window told her that it was indeed still raining- pretty heavily at that. But the rain wasn't her concern.

"He is cold," she whispered silently to herself, shaking her head, blonde curls bouncing off her forearms.

She tried to concentrate on her Game of Hair-Knots, but her restless legs walked themselves to the window, her inquisitive eyes looking outside.

Where was he?

She forced herself back to her bed and plopped back onto the comfortable cushioning. She laid her head against the comforter. Should go back out there...

No. She aimed to defeat Villain that night. The task was over, mission finished.

She didn't defeat Villain. The storm did. The intoxicating flash flood that more than definitely was making Villain suffer with dreadful hypothermia.

Save him.

But he is better dead.

It's not right.

I'm saving the world.

You're saving yourself. Go!

Hero rolled onto her back, groaned, and ran down the stairs. She threw on a jacket, grabbed a flashlight and trotted through the booming thunderstorm.

July 16, 12:56:

"Villain!" Hero screamed over the gusts of bellowing winds. She waved her flashlight around wildly. "Villain!"

She was following the river. He had to have turned up somewhere. She shuddered thinking of the waterfall not to faraway from where she was.

It was too crazy of one, but if he fell...

Hero didn't want to think of the "what ifs".

After a few more minutes of looking, she came upon said fall of water. Heart lurching, Hero madly searched around it, desperate to find him before the drop off.

He wasn't anywhere in sight.

Hero ran down the hill that caged the powerful waves up. She tripped over sticks and branches, and even fell a couple times, but kept going.

She had to find him.

And that she did.

His body was laying haphazardly on a rock, completely limp and seemingly unresponsive.

"Villain!" Hero yelled and crouched next to the injured person. Shining the light over his wet face, she could see all the bruises she left, the odd angle his jaw was in, and the smeared trace of blood on his temple where he hit his head earlier.

She let the light wander over the rest of his drenched, and nauseatingly bloody, body. A large wooden beam rested on his leg. His leg, in question, was sticking up on the other side, bent inward with blood staining the pale material of his jeans.

Hero shot straight up to look closer at his leg. If she moved it, she knew it would upset his injuries even further unless, of course, she woke Villain up.

"Hey," Hero tapped Villain's cheek until unfocused eyes open. "Wake up," she whispered.

Villain took a moment to get his bearings, but the moment he did, he screamed. "Hurts, hurts so much," he sobbed. Hero kept her hands rested on his shoulder until he shook them off.

"Get your hands off of me," he growled, glaring at Hero.

She didn't blame him.

But she did ignore him.

"You are trapped under that beam," she informed the villain, pointing to the heavy board that laid upon his lower body. Villain's gaze, still full of hatred, followed her finger.

"I have to lift it. The second I do, drag yourself away. Got it?"

Villain seemed to realize how dire his situation was for he nodded his head. Hero gave an encouraging smile and proceeded to lift the beam.

"Wait," Villain said. "How bad is it?"

"Bad."

Villain noticeably gulped and furrowed his brow.

Hero lined up to the board and wrapped her arms around the slimy material. "Ready? On the count of three. One... two... three..."

Hero lifted while Villain pulled himself to his feet- or foot.

The wood slipped from her hands. Even though her muscles trembled from lifting the beam- thanks to the blessing of adrenaline- she looked at Villain, who was swaying on his foot.

Then she looked down, at his leg.

The bone was popped out of his pants, white and ragged, with cracks running downwards. Hero felt bile rise up her throat, but the nauseating feeling was quickly succumbed when she noticed Villain's eyes roll backwards.

"Crap!" She exclaimed and caught Villain as he collapsed into her arms. His head lolled on her shoulder, body the human equivalent of a ragdoll.

July 16, 2:12 AM:

Hero dragged Villain into the bathroom and quickly got him out of his sodden clothes and wrapped in countless blankets. His lips were an unnatural shade of blue, fingertips waxen in yellow candlewax.

"C'mon bud," Hero murmured, rubbing his wrists to stimulate warm blood flow. She periodically checked hie temperature and smiled as it increased by the decimal.

His hair was matted in dirt and blood- he needed that cleaned immediately before it got into any open wounds. Hero found so many, so many little cuts and deep gashes that she lost count. He would need stitches, antibiotics...

His leg. Surgery was a definite.

But bringing him to a hospital would be suicide for him.

But wasn't I the one who just wanted him dead? The one who left him for dead?

Hero shook her head. That train of thought wouldn't help the situation.

The moment his body temperature was raised enough to safetly bathe him without the risk of even more pain due to the sudden change from cold to hot, Hero filled the tub with warm, vanilla scented water, and lowered him gently into it. She took the showerhead and tenderly rinsed out his hair, picking out hardened bits of mud and dried blood.

He slept through her motherly care, sometimes groaning, but Hero was quick to soothe him.

The next task in cleaning him was shampooing his hair. She scrubbed her coconut scented soap into his hair, then rinsed, dipping his head back to avoid getting it into his eyes.

When the bath was done, Hero wrapped him in a thick bathrobe, tied the front into a bow and carried him to her room where she wrapped a blanket around his sleeping frame.

The last thing Hero did before sitting in a nearby chair was call her friend.

"Caretaker? I kinda have a situation here."

[vicarfelix]

Internal Suffering

Vicar Max x Fem! Captain

Warnings: Language.

Word Count: 2,756

“Captain. You’re better than this.”

“Is she okay?”

“Should we get SAM to break open the door?”

“Damn. No amount of alcohol in the world could drown out what she probably saw.”

“ERROR. Status of Captain’s door...LOCKED.”

Max finally held up a hand to silence the rest babbling crew that was expressing their concern for their Captain from where they sat around the kitchen table. They had known something was wrong the moment that Ellie, Max, and the Captain returned to the ship after they had been out for almost two days. She didn’t say much at all, only offering a brief hello before snatching a drink from the fridge and taking a shower before keeping herself buried away in her quarters. 

She was bruised and had minor injuries in various places. Not to mention that she hadn’t slept in almost 48 hours. But it was clear that was the least of things on her mind.

Max had managed to convince her to open the door long enough for him to check on her, which didn’t amount to much considering that she practically yelled at him to get out and leave her alone for a while. Max usually wouldn’t give up so easily, but he could tell that (despite her angry tone) she wasn’t mad. 

She was hurt.

She was completely rattled by what they had seen today. An ugly painting of horrific images and gruesome smells that not even the hottest of showers could wash away. It would haunt her for weeks to come, and on top of that, she was worried about how this was affecting her crew. 

Thankfully, she had taken Max and Ellie along today, which made her feel a bit better considering they were two of the more thicker skinned of the group. Still, she felt guilty for exposing them to that. 

Max and Ellie gave the crew a brief rundown of what had happened. While they were sickened by it, they were more worried about the Captain.

“Come on. We just want to know if she’s okay.” Felix pleaded.

“She’s just seen probably the worst that the colony has to offer,” Ellie huffed; “I’d be worried if she was okay.”

Max sighed heavily. He was beyond concerned. It wasn’t like you at all to shut out the crew like this. It wasn’t like you to shut him out. He was afraid that this had pushed you over the edge.

“She wishes to be by herself,” Max announced; “We should all give her some space and let her work it out.”

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea, Mr. Vicar.” Parvati replied.

“Yeah, I don’t think she ought to be alone after seeing something as traumatic as you’re saying it was.” Nyoka detested.

Max shook his head.

“I know. But she doesn’t want to talk to us. We don’t need to push her.” Max pointed out.

Felix looked stunned at that, his eyes widening.

“She must be really shaken up if she won’t even talk to Max.” He said, clearly alarmed.

While Felix’s statement had innocent intentions, it caused a sting in Max’s chest. It was true that the Captain always seemed to flock to Max when she needed to talk. It was a mixture of things really. He was a professional when it came to listening to confessions, but he was even more comforting being as he was her boyfriend. She never felt like she couldn’t go to him when she needed him until now. 

It was killing him that she was closing herself off to him.

“She’ll be alright. Give her a couple days...or weeks. She’ll feel better when we get this job done.” Ellie stated.

Max sure hoped that Ellie was right. He wasn’t going to be able to stand it if the Captain never got over this. For now, all he could do was keep his arms open to her for when she was ready. Or for when he knew she couldn’t take it anymore.

The crew dispersed reluctantly to finish out their chores to close out the day, the Captain weighing heavily on their minds. Max went to take a shower to wash off the blood (some his and some not his), dirt, and sweat from his body. He took a moment to reflect on what he had seen earlier, realizing that he hadn’t given himself a moment to process everything. He wasn’t quite like Ellie Fenhill who preferred to drink herself into oblivion until her mind was too foggy to remember much of it. He’d rather come to terms with it on his own time.

Max had killed more people that day than he had the entire time he had been traveling with you. The strung out marauders and the doped up test subjects were probably the most terrifying people he had ever encountered. They were basically soul ridden beings with no sense of purpose or morale. They were just blood thirsty, violent animals that were once loving people.

That was the scariest thing imaginable.

Max stood under the stream of water until it threatened to turn cold, prompting his exit. He changed into a pair of clean clothes before leaving the bathroom, debating on what he should do next. By the time he had freshened up, everyone else had turned in for the night. The only sounds were the humming and singing around the ship, as well as Felix’s beloved Tuesday night adventure serial coming from his cabin. 

Max eyed his own cabin, the only one with the door open and the lights turned on. Max chuckled to himself as he entered. He couldn’t even remember the last time he had actually spent an extended amount of time in his cabin. Ever since establishing a serious relationship with the Captain, he found himself staying in her room pretty much always. Her cabin was much larger than his, and despite the fact that her bed was exactly the same as his, he was convinced that it was comfier. 

Maybe because he always had someone he loved snuggled up to him at the end of every day.

He ran a hand through his damp hair to somewhat even it out. It always seemed to have a mind of its own when water dripped from his graying hair. She had always told him that she liked seeing his hair somewhat out of order, which was why she was likely the only person who had ever seen his hair unkempt.

He wasn’t too keen on the idea of sleeping alone, considering he had gotten so used to having her with him. But if she didn’t want him, then he would respect her desires. He bit the inside of his cheek in disapproval when he tried to stretch out onto his bunk. He sank into the mattress that hadn’t been used in quite some time, but it didn’t feel the same. 

His entire cabin just didn’t have the same comfort that hers did. Although, it wasn’t her cabin that he found comfort in. 

It was her.

Every other thought was occupied by his Captain. He wondered what she was doing as he lay there awake, worrying himself beyond measure. He was beginning to go against his own word, tempted to go to her even if she had pushed him away. She was struggling right now. She was suffering. 

He couldn’t just let the woman he loved be in pain like that.

He got up from his bed, quietly going down the stairs to the Captain’s door. The red light above her door indicated that it was still locked, and he couldn’t get in unless she opened it from inside or ADA unlocked it for him. It was awfully quiet from inside the Captain’s quarters, and he hoped that she was just asleep.

He traveled down to the ship’s computer asking ADA nicely to unlock the Captain’s bedroom. ADA, however, almost always gave Max a run for his money.

“I cannot take orders from anyone other than Captain Hawthorne.” ADA informed the vicar.

He groaned. 

“I know, ADA, but I’m worried about her. I just need to get into her room.” Max explained.

He always felt so stupid arguing with a machine. Although, ADA was likely light years smarter than he was.

“I can only take orders from Captain Hawthorne. You are not Captain Hawthorne.” ADA replied.

Max grumbled to himself. He’d have to take a different approach.

“Well...can you at least tell her I want to speak with her?” Max questioned.

“The Captain gave me direct instructions not to converse with her unless there was an emergency. Is this an emergency?” ADA acquired.

“No...” Max responded gruffly. He was a little surprised that the Captain had taken so many steps to avoid anyone from seeing her; “How would I go about unlocking her door myself?”

“Hypothetically, her door would automatically unlock if I entered a rest cycle. But that requires my restart button to be push-”

Suddenly, ADA’s screen went dark as Max put her into a manual rest cycle. The Captain usually ordered ADA to take a rest cycle overnight anyway unless something with the ship went wrong, so Max didn’t feel bad for shutting the computer up for a bit.

He commuted back to the Captain’s door, the doors whirring open to reveal what appeared to be an empty room. The Captain wasn’t sitting at her desk or laying in her bed, and she appeared to be nowhere to be found. Just as Max went to panic, he heard a sound. 

It was a soft noise that he would’ve missed if the room hadn’t been as quiet as it was. He followed the sound of sniffling over to the far corner of the room behind her bunk. 

The Captain was backed into the corner, knees huddled up to her chest with her head buried behind them. Her towel from her earlier shower was still wrapped around her naked body, indicating that she hadn’t even gotten dressed afterwards. Her skin was dry now, and her hair was just barely wet as if she had been there the entire time. She raised her head from her knees when she felt his presence, revealing her reddened, watery eyes and blotchy cheeks from her hours of crying. 

Max’s heart broke at the sight of his Captain falling to pieces like this. She was hands down the strongest, most confident person that he knew. He always reminded her how proud of her he was for always being the bigger person and doing what was right. Maybe that was his mistake. Perhaps he had made her feel like she had to be at her best all the time. 

She looked at him through bleary eyes, a fresh set of tears falling down her cheeks. Her voice cracked as she spoke, her tone thick with sobbing.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you.” She apologized, almost choking on her cries.

Immediately, Max was sitting at her side, her head falling onto his chest as she wailed. He eventually brought her into his lap to hold her close, rubbing her back up and down and kissing her temple. He hushed her, hating the feeling in his gut every time she sobbed out again. Her face was buried into the soft material of his shirt, her tears staining it. Her arms and legs were freezing from being exposed to the cold air of her quarters for so long without clothes, Max’s hands rubbing up and down to provide her some warmth.

“It’s alright, love. I’m here.” He hummed, holding the back of her neck in his hand.

“It was horrible. I’ve never seen anything like that,” She cried; “I don’t know how Spacer’s Choice could ever be capable of something like that.”

“Spacer’s Choice is arguably the most powerful corporation in the colony,” Max spoke; “The stronger the company, the more room there is for catastrophic events.”

The Captain sat up from his chest, leaning against Max’s leg that he had hiked up for her to lean on.

“I fucking hate the Board,” She hissed; “If I have to personally put a bullet in the skull of every single person involved then I swear to Law I’ll do it.”

Max was alarmed by her harsh words, his hands coming to her face to wipe away her tears.

“Captain. You’re better than this,” He remarked; “What’s the number one rule you always tell us? Try to talk it out before pulling the trigger.”

The Captain shook her head. Her tears had dried, but the anger coursing through her was giving her more energy than she had in days. 

“It’s becoming obvious that doesn’t always work. I don’t care if I have to wipe out every soul in Byzantium if it means overthrowing the Board.” She growled.

The last thing that Max ever wanted was for the Captain’s heart of gold to be hardened by all the things she had seen. In the beginning, the Captain had the most hope for the colony’s revival. Now though, her hope was diminishing with each new discovery she made.

He didn’t want her to become a lost soul the way that he had been for so long.

“What happened to my darling Captain? This isn’t you.” Max stated.

“I want the Board out of the system. Halcyon’s never going to make it with them around.” She replied in fury, ignoring his question.

“Captain, I-”

“I personally want to throw Sophia Akande out of an airlock.” She went on.

“Listen to me, this isn’t-”

“I’d like to throw her in a cell and pump her full of drugs just like-”

“Stop,” Max cut her off; “This isn’t how you do things. I know this isn’t how you want to do things.”

She finally let her tense shoulders relax for a second. Her eyes falling downward, her hands fiddling with the edge of her towel. 

“I know,” She whispered out; “I’m just tired of seeing so many people get hurt. Earth was never like this...not really.”

Max felt relief. Now she was beginning to sound like herself again. He pushed her hair behind her ear to reveal her pretty, but tired face. He caressed her face with his hand, her cheek resting in his palm. 

“If you keep doing things the way you have been, taking things day by day...then we’re going to be fine,” Max said; “I believe in you. I believe in us.”

She nodded, his hand falling to her waist and rubbing through her towel. 

“What do I do now?” She asked.

Max smiled softly.

“For now, let’s get you in bed. We can figure everything else out in the morning.” Max said, kissing the Captain’s knuckles in a gentle manner.

“Okay.” She replied.

She had to admit, it felt nice to have someone else giving orders for once.

Sleeping the rest of the night away was sounding really good to the Captain right about now. Without really giving it a second thought, the Captain let her towel fall so she could get dressed. She caught the way his eyes lit up at her naked frame, a blush evident on his face as he looked over her. She smirked a little, the first real positive emotion she’d had all day.

“You’re blushing, Vicar.” She teased,

His grin was blinding, as he pulled his leg in more to bring you in closer. 

“It’s hard not to,” He purred; “Beautiful...”

She kissed him like she meant it. His hands were warm on her exposed skin as he touched her the way he had dozens of times before. She ran her fingers through his hair, his smirk showing on her lips.

“I’m here for you. I love you.” He rumbled deeply.

“I love you.” She returned.

Max guided her up from the floor, wincing at the way her joints cracked from being uncomfortable for so long. He got her into a shirt to sleep in, bringing her over to her bed and getting her comfortable up against him. It didn’t take her long to fall asleep. The feel of Max next to her and the softness of the mattress under her was enough to send her straight to sleep. Max was tired too, but he wanted to make sure she was okay before he got any sleep. 

He knew she wasn’t totally back to normal. It’d be a while before she felt like herself fully again. But he didn’t care how long he had to wait.

He’d always be there for her.

[bangtanloverboys]

wasteland, baby // jjk

summary - others deemed jungkook cold, maybe even unreliable. his business and the safety of his family was all that really mattered to him. or at least that was, until you came into the picture. now he cant stop himself from falling for you. 

or alternately:

it's mafia au jungkook, but gay

pairing - mafia boss!jungkook x male!reader

genre - fluff, angst, smut; mafia au

word count - 17.1k

warnings - allusions of drugs, grinding, jungkook is surprisingly soft for a mafia boss, yn is so oblivious, gays moving at strange paces but what do you expect they’re gay, vmin mentioned, minor violence and injuries, use of homophobic language (faggot and queer), implied torture, yoongi tries to flirt with jimin, making out, lowkey consent kink, nipple play, daddy kink, anal fingering, fellatio, handjob, top!jungkook, bottom!reader, soft dom!jungkook, sub!reader, some dirty talk, unprotected sex (pls use condoms), creampie, aftercare, cuddling

author’s note - behold my baby, i have no idea how he got this fucking long but here he is. i worked really hard on this so i hope yall enjoy this. be gay, do crime. big big shout out to @vinterjeon for the summary ily; and big big shout out to @yoongs-jeontae @rougebangtan​ @foxybread @chelsea-chee @absoluteyoongit and everyone in the ghostie chat for helping me out with this monster ;-; 

Jungkook was in an especially sour mood tonight, the pounding of the music doing nothing to lighten his demeanor. He wanted nothing more than to return home to his estate, but he was currently in the middle of a meeting with the club owner, going about discussions on loaning the poor man some money and in return Jungkook and his men could sell their goods here. It was nothing new to Jungkook’s agenda, and frankly he should’ve just sent some men out to deal with it in his stead. But his right hand man, Namjoon, told him it was best for him to make the deal in person. Something about good impressions and needing to get out of the house. 

He sighed, listening to the man beg and plead for some extra cash. Downing the last of the whiskey he’d been nursing the past 10 minutes, he placed it on the table in front of the owner and gave him a tight smile. “You got yourself a deal. I’ll have my accountant wire you the money, expect to see more of us here.” Jungkook stood, straightening himself up as the man thanked him profusely. Giving him a curt nod, he then excused himself from the meeting and made his way out from the VIP section. “I still don’t understand why I needed to make the deal myself.” He grumbled as Namjoon caught up to him.

“Because Jungkook, you need to start solidifying your relationships with other businesses. You’ve spent so long in that damn house people are beginning to question their loyalty” He explained as they made their way down the stairs and into the main dancing area. “Besides, thought you might want to get out and I don’t know, find someone to let your frustrations out.”

Jungkook rolled his eyes. “I’ve told you before Namjoon, I’m not in the mood for a woman-” He was cut off by someone bumping into him. Quickly, he turned his head just in time to catch you facing him. 

He watched as your eyes checked him up and down. “Sorry,” you said with a smirk playing on your lips before another man with peach colored hair pulled you away, tugging you towards the bar. Jungkook stood there and kept his eyes focused on you as you ordered a fruity drink alongside your friend, both of you giggling away in your own little world.

“Perhaps you’re not in the mood for a woman,” Namjoon mused from beside him. “Maybe you want a man instead?” He raised his eyebrows at him, eliciting Jungkook to scoff at the elder. 

“I’ll be home late,” he muttered as he straightened out his jacket. He was right however, Jungkook was frustrated and needed someone to take it out on. And the way you looked at him gave him more than enough reasoning to tell him that you were more than willing to be that man. 

Namjoon gave him a slap on the shoulder as he made his way over to you at the bar. You were facing away from him, but your friend looked directly at Jungkook as he approached. Your friend whispered something in your ear before stalking off in another direction. He must’ve made you aware of his presence because soon as he was a single step away from you, you turned to face him. 

“Hello there.” You again shamelessly checked him out. Jungkook was no better, drinking in your form. You must’ve returned from dancing as your face was flushed and covered in a sheen layer of sweat, causing you to glow in the lowlighting of the club. You radiated confidence, perhaps it was spurred on by the alcohol you undoubtedly consumed tonight, but there was something just behind your eyes that he couldn’t place. And he was going to find out.

“Good evening,” he said, leaning on the bar next to you. He kept his eyes trained on you as you bit your lip and scooted closer to him. “What’s a pretty boy like you doing out here?”

“Just having a night out, what about you handsome? What are you doing?” You purred as your hand traced up the lapels of his suit jacket. He was amused as he watched your hand dance around his chest.

“Just finishing up some business. However, I’m thinking about. . . other plans,” he admitted, his hand beginning to snake around your waist. But before he could tug you in, you pushed his hand away. Jungkook barely had enough time to register what you had done before leaning forward.

“Dance with me.” Your breath was hot against his skin. Pressing a quick and teasing kiss to the shell of his ear before you pulled away, slowly making your way back to the dancefloor. Even in the low lighting of the club, Jungkook could tell your eyes had darkened since he approached you. Against his better judgement, he followed you towards the dance floor. 

The once blaringly annoying music turned into a sultry beat which had him pulling your back to his front. He heard you let out a surprised gasp but you leaned into his touch, grinding against him. Jungkook let out a soft groan as the two of you danced and moved to the beat of the music. His hands roamed the sides of your body, your own reaching behind him to mess up his hair. The more you ground your ass against him, the harder he could feel himself getting, and he knew that you could tell. 

You spun around to face him, hands now on his shoulders and tracing down against his chest. Without thinking, he placed his thigh between your legs, feeling your hard bulge against him. A strangled moan escaped past your lips as you rested your head against him. Jungkook’s hands slowly fell to your ass and started to move your hips against him. A smirk tugged on his lips as your fists closed around his suit jacket, whimpering as you worked yourself against his thigh. Jungkook lowered his face to your ear, but before he could even get a word out, your friend from earlier interrupted.

“Y/N-ieeeee!” The pink haired guy threw himself on to you and pulled you away from Jungkook. “I’m -hic- tirrred.” He slurred as he clung to you. You had a pained expression on your face, clearly not wanting to leave your friend alone. Before you could even muster out an excuse, Jungkook held up a hand to silence you. 

“It’s okay,” he said. “Perhaps another time.” The way he said it was hopeful but he knew better than seeing a random stranger again. The city was huge and it was very unlikely they’d run into each other again, especially with Jungkook’s history. You gave him a weak smile and said thanks before escorting your friend out from the dance floor and out of the club. He kept his eyes on you as you disappeared into the crowd and let out a sigh.

Fishing his phone out from his pocket, he stepped away from the hoards of people and towards the back alley exit. Away from the loud noises he quickly selected Namjoon’s number, telling him to send the car back around.

“Did you even listen to what I said?” His friend said from the other side of the line.

“I tried but we got. . . interrupted. Just hurry up alright, the music is getting annoying.” He then promptly hung up the phone. “Y/N. . . Nice name. . .”

The next morning you woke up with a splitting headache. Slowly but surely all the memories of last night came flooding back: the club, dancing, drinking, the mystery man. You let out a long groan as you covered your face with a pillow. Goddammit, did you really do that? And did you really let him get away? 

Before you could even think about getting up, Jimin burst through your door with a smile on his face. “Good morning!” For some reason Jimin could get completely wasted and still have less of a hangover than you, and you envied him for that ability as you were laying there suffering.

“Go away!” You groaned as you pulled the covers to hide away from your cheery friend. 

“Nuh uh, time to get up and start the day!” He said as he sat down on the bed and pulled the blankets away from you. “Besides you gotta tell me about Mr. Fancy-Pants from last night.”

“There’s barely anything to tell because your drunk ass wanted me to take you home!”

“Yeaaah,” Jimin scratched the back of his neck. “Sorry about that. But tell me about him. Name, age, is he sugar daddy material? He was wearing a very expensive suit to a cheap club.” 

You rolled your eyes as you sat up, the sudden movement hurting your head. You hissed as you leaned over to your bedside table and took a couple gulps from your trust water bottle. “Name unknown, age unknown, sugar daddy material maybe,” you chuckled as you recalled the handsome stranger’s face. The way his dark hair fell over his eyes, his soft kissable lips, and the small scar you could make out on his cheekbone in the dim light of the club. “But fuck was he hot. And his dick! God, his dick was big.”

“I thought you didn’t do anything?” Your roommate raised a brow at you. “And you know better than to withhold the juicy details from me.”

“Because we sadly didn’t, all we did was dance but fuck I could feel how hard he was and- Mmmm, I would’ve gotten on my knees right then and there,” you sighed, fantasizing about what could’ve been.

Jimin simply laughed at you, “Think you’ll see him again? I mean, I vaguely remember him saying something about another time?” 

To which he was right, the mysterious stranger did say another time while his voice and words said one thing, you could clearly tell in his eyes that he didn’t mean it. While it did hurt to think about, he was right. You two probably wouldn’t have had anything more than a one night stand. No matter how much you dreamed about getting to know him and learning his likes, dislikes, what he was like as a person (and in bed). It wasn’t going to happen. He knew that, so did you. 

“No. . . Probably just being polite.” You dismissed the idea, letting go of the dream of seeing him ever again. “Anyways, you make breakfast or something?”

The two of you get up and make your way to the kitchen where Jimin did indeed make breakfast for the both of you. Consisting of eggs and bacon, plus his disgusting hangover cure that you absolutely refused to know the recipe of but drank anyway. The two of you discussed what you would be doing the rest of the day, seeing how it was still early in the day and what you might do later on in the weekend. You were going to sort through orders for the bookstore you work at, while Jimin wanted to go out again in hopes of seeing your mystery man once again. 

“No Jimin, I doubt he’s there and I need to go through these orders before Monday.” To which your roommate called you lame before going back to watching his trash reality TV. You rolled your eyes at his childishness as you went through and checked the next orders that would be arriving by the time you got back in the shop. The rest of the weekend seemed to roll by without any issue, the mysterious stranger far from your mind. 

Monday eventually comes around and you’re in the bookshop organizing all the books you have. As people come in and out of the store, the more you have to reorganize the shelves and try your damndest not to lose your mind at the next entitled mother who is upset you no longer shelve Harry Potter. Currently your boss, Eugene, had abandoned you, saying he needed to go to the bank, leaving you alone at the helm. You were slightly annoyed at the poor timing as you’re about a half an hour from your lunch break. The bell above the door rings, signaling to you a new customer has arrived. Taking a deep breath to prepare yourself for whoever it may be this time. 

“Hello welcome, how may I-” You turned, a big customer service smile on your face but the words died in your throat as you laid eyes on the new arrival. Dressed in an even nicer suit (if that’s even possible), was the mysterious stranger from the club the other night.

He also appeared to remember you as a quick look of surprise flashes over his handsome face. “Hello,” he said, sounding pleasantly surprised. Was he happy to see you again? 

“I- uh, hi,” you responded, your face flushing under his gaze. The two of you stayed silent for a moment, taking in each other’s presence. You must’ve looked horrible in comparison to the last time he saw you as last time you were wearing much nicer clothes and not working under a lot of stress from a customer service job. He on the other hand looked just as good, if not even more so than the last time you saw him. Eventually the quiet staring became too much. “Uh, is there anything I can help you with?”

Panic flashed across his face. “Right! I uh. . I’m here to purchase a book.”

You waited a few seconds, waiting for him to elaborate. “A book on. . ?”

You watch as his eyes darted around frantically“I, uh. . .birds!” He exclaimed.

“Birds?” You chuckled at the way he basically announced to the world what his purchase was going to be. “Any particular bird or just birds in general?”

“Nothing in particular, just. . . birds,” he said, looking a little less confident in his answer. 

“Alright, Bird Man, if you’ll just follow me,” you teased as you moved from behind the counter and towards the non-fiction nature section of the store. With each step you could feel his eyes burning into the back of your head. Was he embarrassed? Did he not want to see you again? Thoughts seemed to be running through your head so fast that you nearly passed the bird section entirely. “Okay, uh, books on birds. Here we are, if you need anything else I’ll be-'' Before you could even step away from him, his hand encased your wrist.

“Wait- uh, what’s your opinion? On. . . these bird books. . .” You looked at the man, who seemed to be nervous, nothing like the man who practically oozed sex appeal and control from the other night. It was something you couldn’t help but find endearing. 

“Well, it depends on what the bird books are for. Are you just looking to inform yourself more about birds or are you interested in bird watching?” You asked as you turned toward the bookshelf, looking for the books for either answer so you could be ready to pull them off. 

“Bird watching, I’m. . . starting a new hobby?” He answered, sounding a bit unsure about his words.

You look at him with a raised eyebrow but then turn back to the books in front of you. “In that case, this book,” you pulled a heavier looking book off the shelf and handed it to him, “should give you all the information you need.” 

“Thank you,” he nodded as he took the book in his hands. 

“Is that all you needed today?” 

“Yes.”

“Alright then, let's ring you up.” Again in silence the two of you made your way back towards the register. Neither of you said anything unless it was related to the purchase; asking if it would be cash or card, and telling him when to swipe his card when the machine prompted him. When you saw him pull out a black card you nearly choked; you quickly made a mental note to tell Jimin that the mysterious stranger was indeed sugar daddy material. You stole a few more glances at him as you waited for the machine to process his purchase. “Thank you for shopping with us.” You said, handing him his receipt. “Hope you enjoy your new book, Mr. Bird Man.”

That got a chuckle out of him as he placed his receipt into the book. “I will, Y/N.”

The use of your name had you freeze for a second. “How do you know my name?”

“Well your friend the other night called you that and you are wearing a name tag,” he explained, gesturing to the metal clip that displayed your name for all the world to see. 

The realization had heat rushing to your cheeks. “Right, forgot about that for a second.”

“Happens to the best of us,” he goes to turn to leave the shop which has your heart dropped for a second. You know it was foolish to think that he would stay to get to know you more but clearly neither of you had hopes of seeing each other again yet here he was! In the store you worked at! That had to mean something, right? But in that split second of you feeling dread, he turned back to face you. “Sorry if this is me overstepping my boundaries, but would you like to grab coffee?”

“Yes!” You squeaked out, to which you immediately cleared your throat. “I mean, yes. I’d like that very much.” The man smiled at your eagerness, clearly happy with your response. “My lunch break is in about 20 minutes, if that’s alright with you?”

“That’s perfect actually, meet me at the coffee shop across the street?” He gestured behind his shoulder, the coffee shop that was parallel to the bookstore easily in view. “I’ll see you then.” He slowly started to turn but you grabbed his hand, you swear you saw him panic for a moment.

“Wait, I uh, I don’t know your name.”

As quick as the panic flashed in his eyes, it vanished and was replaced with warm regard. “It’s Jungkook.”

He almost couldn’t believe it. Jungkook spent the entire weekend working on collecting debts and keeping his men in check, but all that time you never left his brain. That cute guy from the club, with those fascinating eyes. Sitting there in the back of his mind. Why you never left his brain was a mystery to him, was it because you never finished what you started? Whatever the reason was, he was happy he got to see you again. 

He entered the store thinking he’ll have a quick meeting with Mr. Kang, the owner of the bookstore, about rent and paying off his debt that was owed but upon seeing you he was stunned into silence. When you started asking questions about looking for a book he panicked, he didn’t need a book. He needed to talk to your boss! Not wanting to raise any suspicion with you, he just named the first thing that came to his mind which was birds. Now he had a book on birds that he really didn’t need but he couldn’t really care as he was going to see you again.

Jungkook made his way across the street; he debated on purchasing something but decided to wait for you. He sat himself down in the corner of the coffee shop, it was secluded enough that he doubted anyone would recognize him, which should work out in his favor. He quickly sent a message to Hoseok saying he needed him to collect the money from Mr. Kang, saying that something came up and he couldn’t get it himself. All he got in response was a thumbs up emoji and then he put his phone away. 

He tapped away on the table, waiting for you to arrive. How long was 20 minutes again? Had it been that long yet? Every time he checked his watch time seemed to just slow down even more. He sighed and stared at the book that was laid out in front of him. “Might as well,” he muttered to himself as he opened the book and started to sift through the pages. Jungkook skimmed over the information on the types of birds and habitats of the local aves, mainly paying attention to the photographs and diagrams; finding those images more entertaining than the actual text.

Looking through the book helped pass the time because after a while, he heard your voice above him. “How’s the book so far?” His eyes darted up immediately to see you, still in uniform but now your name tag is off. “Sorry if I startled you.”

Jungkook stood up. “It’s no problem.” On instinct his hand shot out for you to shake, before he could cringe at his actions and retreat his hand, you took it in hand and gave a firm shake. “Please, sit.” He let go of your hand and gestured to the seat next to you. The two of you sat there for a moment, not exactly knowing what to do next. He couldn’t help but stare at you, seeming so different from the other night. Not a bad different, but he could finally place what that look was behind your eyes when he first approached you.

Innocence. 

Not childlike no, nothing of the sorts. You still seemingly had joy in your life, unlike Jungkook whose life has been surrounded by pain and violence since the day he was born. He wanted nothing more than to protect that flame of innocence, keep you safe. But he realized he couldn’t do that, he shouldn’t do that. Not in his line of work.

He could feel guilt build up in his stomach, he shouldn’t have asked you here. He should’ve left you alone. He should’ve-

“So, Jungkook,” you started. “Besides wanting to start bird watching, what else do you do?” You leaned forward on the table, fully invested as to what his answer was.

“Not many hobbies I’m afraid. . . hence why I’m looking to pick up bird watching. Learn more and have time to fill my free days, at least.” The lie seemed passable as he watched you nod in understanding.

“I get that, last weekend was my first free day in a while. Normally I’m swamped with book orders,” you chuckled nervously. “But my roommate, Jimin. He’s the one who. . . interrupted us.” He felt a smirk pull on his lips as you looked away sheepishly. “After his boyfriend had to work a double shift at the hospital, he forcibly pulled me away to go out with him.”

“Does Jimin’s boyfriend not live with you?” Jungkook asked, curious to learn more about your life.

“Tae? Oh, yeah he doesn’t. But with the amount of time he’s spent over he might as well be.” You let out a small laugh, as if it was an inside joke. “What about you? Any embarrassing friends and or roommates?”

“No, nothing embarrassing.” He watched as your face fell slightly. Fuck. “Well actually. There was this one time my friend Namjoon, we were in the middle of a business meeting. He was in charge of presenting and he took the pointer and accidentally used too much force and ended up breaking the projector screen straight through to the wall.” Thankfully the details of the meeting were strictly about company loans and not anything damming him if you knew. The story did get a good laugh out of you, and Jungkook never thought a laugh could sound so beautiful. He laughed alongside you until you calmed down a bit and acted as if to wipe tears from your eyes. 

“Oh man, I’m sorry but that’s- that’s too funny. Imagining someone in a suit just mess up that badly.” You were holding back more laughter. “I’d ask what the bill was but I think that would’ve been irrelevant. Seeing how- Nevermind.”

“No, not nevermind. What?” He leaned forward, he knew you’d possibly say something about his money and it was only a matter of time before you mentioned it. He had no doubts that was possibly part of your attraction to him, but you shying away from the topic did say something else about your character. 

He watched as you took a deep breath. “I was saying how I’d ask but, seeing how well you’re dressed I doubt it was a large sum of money to you.” 

“You’re right, it wasn’t much to us. Do you mind that?”

“I mean, I think you’re a pretty interesting guy and I’d like to get to know you more. You don’t seem to flaunt it around so no. I don’t mind.” You gave a small shrug, then you muttered a few words Jungkook didn’t seem to catch. 

“I’m sorry, what was that?” He asked, raising a brow at you.

“What was what?” You cocked your head to the side, your eyes having a playful gleam in your eyes. You wanted to play a game. He licked his lower lip and shook his head, he should’ve known you wouldn’t have gone without a fight. You wanted to play? Fine, he’ll play along. 

“I said, what was that?”

“Oh, it was nothing.” Little by little he could see the tease he remembered from the club breaking through. “Don’t worry about it.” You gave him a wink. 

“I don’t like it when pretty boys lie to me,” Jungkook mused, reaching forward to place his forefinger underneath your chin, his thumb grazing your lower lip. “I like it when pretty boys are good to me. Can you be good for me?” Before you even had time to react, his hand retreated to be folded in front of him. 

He watched as your brain processed what just happened. You stuck your tongue between your teeth in thought as your eyes dragged him up and down. He guessed before you could think about chickening out, you started leaning across the table, Jungkook stilled as you crossed into his space. He could feel your breath on his ear before you whispered. “What I said was: bring another definition to eating the rich.”

Just as quickly as you leaned forward, you pulled away. “Why you little-”

“Excuse me?” You both turned to see a barista standing awkwardly beside your table. “Are you going to order anything?”

Since the chance encounter, you and Jungkook have continued to see each other the past 3 months, agreeing to meet up every other week whenever either of you (but mostly him) weren’t busy. What you did on the dates, if you could even really call them that, always reminded you that what was between you was way different than any other relationship you’ve had before. 

At first they were small things, you’d go on walks through parks. You’d ask him how his bird watching hobby was going, which always had him feeling a little flustered; but he always responded saying that it was going well. Sometimes you’d test him, pointing to a bird and asking what type it is and you’d listen to him as he’d mutter something that was possibly right but always missed certain details. 

On the dates nothing much even happened, besides him linking arms with you. It’s not like you didn’t want anything to happen, because you definitely tried. You’d attempt brushing hands, placing a hand a bit too high on his thigh, anything to get a rouse out of him. The look in his eyes told you he wanted to go in that direction, but he never let it go that way. Giving you a stern look and pushing your hand away, before continuing what he was talking about. Alongside nothing happening between you two, you barely had an idea of a label of what to even call the type of relationship you had. Whatever the two of you were, you, or more so Jungkook, didn’t talk much about it. 

Then the dates slowly got a bit more extravagant. He once asked you if you were free for him to pick you up on a Friday evening for a surprise. This was one of the only times you’d seen him drive, all other times he asked to meet you somewhere. To now pick you up from where you lived was a step forward, wasn’t it? Whatever it was, upon entering his car, he handed you a blind fold. You gave him a strange look which had him chuckling and promising nothing weird will happen to you. Trusting him, you put on the blind fold. He asked you questions about your week as classical music softly emitted from his radio, to which you always responded the same about the bookstore and how it’s business has been getting strangely better the past few weeks, updates Jimin and Taehyung were doing, and other miniscule things that went on. When you asked him questions though, he always gave you the same response. 

“Business as usual, but it’s nothing really important.”

His job really was his life. There was one time he did let it slip that besides his work, you were the only other thing he was starting to care about and that definitely had you blushing. 

Back to the mystery date though, he parked his car and helped you out of the car, Jungkook took you by the elbow and led you towards the place. Once inside he removed the blind fold to show that he had rented out an entire aquarium for the evening! When you asked him why you couldn’t just go when there were people, he said something about liking privacy to which you could understand. You had a few more dates where he would rent out museums, greenhouse gardens, and when you asked him about any updates on his bird knowledge he took you to an aviary where he named all different types of birds.

Tonight however was a different date as it was to celebrate your birthday. While technically your birthday was last week, he felt guilty about not being there to celebrate with you so he decided that he was going to take you to a very nice restaurant and treat you.

You just finished getting dressed when Jimin knocked on your door, alerting you of his presence. He let out a low whistle when he noticed you were dressed particularly nicer than usual. “Damn bitch, where are you going tonight? The Ritz?”

You chuckled at your friend’s comment, you weren’t dressed that crazy you hoped. You were wearing white button up that was loosely tucked into your black slacks, a nice loose blazer on top with a small scarf tied around your neck to add a dash of color. “It’s not that outrageous, is it?”

“No, but it’s way nicer than anything you’ve ever worn besides our graduation,” he answered. “You better give your sugar daddy some extra sugar since he’s going all out for your birthday. Goddamn.”

“Min, I’ve told you he’s not a sugar daddy!” You laughed at your friend’s claim.

“What’s the difference? He’s spending loads of money on you, isn’t he?!”

“The difference is, it’s being spent on the dates. Not material items,” you explained as you went to your dresser to pick out some rings. “I also don’t give him any sugar, you’d know if we did anything.”

“Well not all sugar daddies want sex, sometimes it’s just company,” he countered as he walked over to you. “Stick to silver, not gold.” He took the gold band out of your grasp and back in your ring stash. 

“But that would also still require him to pay me, he doesn’t. We just hang out and talk, like you and Taehyung.” You pointed out as you slipped a couple silver rings onto your fingers. “These good?”

Jimin nodded as he looked at your hands. “Fancy restaurant for my birthday? Maybe. But Taehyung doesn’t rent out whole ass museums for me and we’ve been together for two years.”

You rolled your eyes at him as you went to your closet to pick out the shoes you wore when you met him at the club; still very nice looking but still comfortable enough to walk around. Glancing at your digital clock, the blue numbers displayed 7 o’clock. Jungkook said to meet him at the restaurant at 7:30. “I gotta get going, Jimin,” you said as you started towards the front door. 

“Alright, text me when you arrive and then when you get home? I’m spending the night at Tae’s,” Jimin said as he pressed a kiss to your cheek.

“Will do, bye!” You started towards the elevator, phone in hand as you ordered an Uber. Thankfully the wait wasn’t that long as there was a driver nearby ready to pick you up. You went to your chat room with Jungkook to text him that you were on your way. Should you send a photo as well? You’ve sent him photos of birds and some small things you knew he liked but never a selfie. Deciding not to over think it much, you took a quick selfie. Not wanting to make a fool of yourself in the Uber, you kept the camera angle low, keeping the main focus of the photo your neck and the only part of your face visible was your lips. Before you could over analyze it too much, you sent the photo and the text. You put your phone down and stared out the window for a few minutes, watching the buildings slowly get more and more upscale. You felt your phone on your lap buzz, almost too quickly you picked it up to check the notification. 

Jungkook: Cute. . . I’ll see you in a bit, pretty boy.

It wasn’t until the Uber driver looked back to check on you and asked what made you so happy when you realized you were grinning like a madman. You simply say it’s nothing, not wanting to embarrass yourself. The driver nodded and silence once again filled the car. 

Once you arrived, you thanked the driver as you walked away and took in the restaurant before you. All around you the buildings and streets were bustling with life, while as you walked towards the entrance you noticed that once again, there was no one else in the restaurant. You can’t say you aren’t surprised, but you can’t over the fact he always felt like the two of you always should be private. It was a sort of attention you never ever received from anyone else.

“You must be Mr. L/N?” The host asked you as you walked towards him. You gave him a quick nod, confirming to him your identity. “Follow me, sir. Mr. Jeon is this way.” As you followed the host, you sent a quick message to Jimin as promised saying you arrived. He responded right away with a thumbs up and you then turned off your phone and kept your eyes trained on the man in front of you.

He led you towards the center of the restaurant where Jungkook sat, scrolling through his phone with a frown on his face. Oh dear, was he in a bad mood? However the frown melted away as soon as he looked up and saw you. He put his phone away as the host seated you across from him. Whenever you went out, he was always a little bit dressed up. Normally wearing slacks and a white button up, nothing extreme. But this time he wore something a bit different, wearing a fitted grey pinstripe suit and his hair was partially swopped back. 

“Hi,” you sighed as you settled into the cushioned seat. Out of habit, you took the folded napkin from your plate and placed it over your lap. Even though nothing was being served yet, it was good to just get it out of the way. 

“How was your day so far?” Jungkook asked with a small smile pulling on his lips as he looked at you.

“It was good. Although I do admit I was a bit nervous for this dinner,” You shyly admitted, scratching at the back of your neck.

He cocked his head to the side, “Why would you be nervous?” Concern lacing his voice. 

“It’s just. . .fancy dinner for my birthday. Dressing up, it’s dumb. I’m sorry.” You waved your hand, trying to dismiss the subject but Jungkook took your other hand that’s resting on the table in his. Instantaneously, your eyes dropped to your linked hands watch as he delicately held your hand in his, then your gaze flickered up to see him staring intently at you. 

“Y/N, your feelings are valid. I’m sorry if this dinner stressed you out,” he apologized. Before you could even begin to think of a rebuttal, he spoke again. “I merely wanted to give you a treat for your birthday. Next time, we can go to someplace more. . .lowkey? If that’s the proper word for it.” The smile on his face as he told you that had butterflies fluttering in your stomach. 

“You going to buy out a McDonald’s for a night then?” You couldn’t help but crack the joke, and seeing Jungkook’s eyes crinkle at the line made it all the more hilarious to you; especially seeing how he probably would.

“Don’t tempt me,” he said as he gave your hand a quick squeeze before letting go. “Now, what are you hungry for tonight?”

You pulled open the menu and took in all the very fancy foods. Everything sounded delicious but the sight of the prices made your stomach churn. Was it really that much for a steak? You were about to say that you’ll get the cheapest thing, which was a sort of small fancy tuna sandwich when Jungkook told you not to worry about the price. 

“It’s your night Y/N, I shall spare no expense for you.”

“As soon as I tell Jimin that line, he’s really going to think you’re a sugar daddy,” you muttered as you settled on the steak you saw earlier. You knew he heard the sugar daddy line, judging by the smirk on his face. 

The host returned to take your order and the two of you talked; him continuously updating you on his growing bird knowledge and birds he’s spotted recently. Honestly when you met the man, you wouldn’t have pegged him for a bird lover yet here he is, fully embracing the hobby. As the food was served, the conversation slowed as you ate, but never ceased to be interesting. 

You were nursing a glass of champagne, telling a story from college when his phone beeped. He quickly glanced at it and you watched as his cheerful smile morphed into a sneer. The warm cheery atmosphere around the two of you grew cold and you stayed silent as he looked to you. “Do you mind if I make a quick call? I promise, it’ll be quick.”

“Yeah, of course go ahead,” you answered softly. Jungkook gave you a small smile in return, the warm aura slowly returning to the dinner. He sat up and walked over to you, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead then walked away. This was the first act of affection he’s given you since the club 3 months ago and you swear you could die a happy man right now. The action was so small, yet it was such a sweet gesture that had the butterflies in your stomach going nuts once again.

While Jungkook was on his call, you finished your steak. You sat there fiddling with the table cloth when you heard a loud “GODDAMMIT!” and glass shattering. You stood immediately to go see what the matter was but soon as you stood, one of the waiters told you to sit right back down as he rushed over to where the shout came from. From where Jungkook walked off to. 

You sat there, scared. Whatever happened couldn’t be good and this was the first time you would ever see him angry. You deep down you knew he probably wasn’t going to hurt you, but then again, you don’t really know what could happen next. He was already in a somewhat bad mood, would that have a reflection on the rest of the dinner? Would he associate whatever bad news he had on you? You keep focus on your hands that have started twisting with the napkin laid on your lap, holding back tears. Only moments later did you hear footsteps return to the table, you don’t dare to turn your head to look.

“Y/N, look at me.” His voice was soft, unlike that animalistic growl that came from his throat minutes ago. You squeezed your eyes shut, doing anything to not let him see you cry. “Y/N, look at me please.” It was then you looked up, your frightened expression there for him to see. Guilt washed over his face as he got to his knees, he reached out and took both your hands in his. “I-I don’t even have the words to describe how sorry I am for that.”

“N-No, it’s-”

“It’s not alright. This was supposed to be a celebration for you, but I ruined it with. . bad news from my business.” His hand moved from yours to gently cup your face, wiping at the tears that were starting to fall. “Please forgive me.”

Nodding. “I forgive you,” you managed to get out with a sniff. 

Jungkook leaned forward, you let your eyes flutter shut as his lips once again pressed a kiss on your forehead. “Thank you,” he whispered against his skin. He pulled away to look you in the eyes. “Would you like to continue the dinner or would you like to return home? It’s up to you.”

You pursed your lips in thought, perhaps it wasn’t too late to salvage the last of the night. “Can we stay for a little while longer?” You whispered out. Your response had Jungkook beaming.

“Yeah, we can stay a little while longer, baby,” he responded as he stood up, but instead of returning to his seat, he pulled his chair over to be next to you. “Would you like to order some dessert? They have delicious cheesecake.” 

You nodded, liking the idea of having some cheesecake. Whatever had Jungkook riled up before, seemed to have been pushed away as now he’s focusing on you and only you. Telling you about the different types of cheesecakes they have and slowly you feel the warm atmosphere return. He called over a waiter and got a slice of chocolate cheesecake for you to share. He even requested for there to be a candle on top so when it arrived, he sang happy birthday to you. His silky smooth voice had you completely captivated. Once it was time to blow out the candle and make a wish, you paused and thought for a moment. You kept your eyes trained on Jungkook before closing them and blowing out the small flame.

“What did you wish for?” He asked, pulling the candle out of the cake and handing you a fork.

“I can’t tell you or it won't come true,” you countered. “Don’t you know that?”

“But what if I’m in the business of making wishes come true?” He asked as he took a bite of the cheesecake. 

“Hmm,” you pretended to ponder before quickly dabbing your finger in the cream of the cake and wiping it on his nose. “Still no.”

“Why you little-” He muttered as he took the napkin from your lap and cleaned his nose of the sweet substance. You gave him a cheeky grin and continued eating the cake, both of you falling into a comfortable silence. 

When the two of you finished the slice, Jungkook and you walked over to the front where he pulled out his card to pay for the meal and you waited patiently for him by the door. You tried your best to hide your shock when the huge price fell from the host’s lips as Jungkook swiped his card. Meal all paid for, the two of you walked arm and arm out of the restaurant and into the cool night air. 

“Is this where we part for the night?” He turned to you, sounding a bit upset at the thought. 

“Yeah, I need to get back,” you sighed as you looked up to face him. “But I had a really good time tonight.” You smiled.

“I did too,” he returned your smile. You watched as his hand came again to cup your face, his eyes flickering from yours to your lips. He slowly started lowering his head to you, he stopped however a few centimeters away from your mouth. “Happy birthday, Y/N,” he whispered, his breath fanning against your lips. He didn’t move however, he stayed there. You moved forward to close the gap but he pulled away, maintaining the same distance away from you though. He was teasing you! You must’ve started to pout because Jungkook chuckled at you before fully closing the gap.

At first the two of you just stood there, his soft lips against yours. Ever so gently, he started to move his lips against yours. His other hand moved to cup the other side of your head, your hands now resting on his wrists. You could still taste the last bit of the chocolate cheesecake on his lips, causing you to smile into the kiss. 

It only lasted a few more seconds before the two of you pulled away for air; you smiled like an idiot and Jungkook just stared at you, the smallest of smiles pulling at his lips. He leaned forward again to lightly peck your lips again. 

“Goodnight, Y/N,” He said as his hands fell from your face.

“Goodnight,” you giggled as you walked backwards for a few steps then turned to walk towards a less busy spot for you to call an Uber. As you walk away however you hear Jungkook make a call saying something along the lines of keeping an eye on someone. Whoever that someone is, you don’t know. Maybe related to the call earlier, but you don’t dwell on it. 

Your phone took a few minutes to wake up again as you stopped at a corner, leaning against the wall of a building. You’re basking in the aftermath of the kiss, touching your lips lightly as if you feel like he’s still there. What a perfect way to end the night.

But quick as the night was over, you felt your arm get pulled down the street and into an alley. “Hey!” You called out, struggling to get away from the person who grabbed you. 

“Shut up!” The man growled as he shoved you against the wall. “What’s your business with Jeon Jungkook?”

“What?” You’re confused. What does Jungkook have anything to do with this?

“Answer me, faggot!” The man punched you straight in the gut, you doubled over. The man took the opportunity to then push you to the ground and start kicking you repeatedly. “Answer! Me! You! Fucking! Queer!” He articulated each word with another kick. Tears burned at your eyes as your attacker continued, demanding you about what Jungkook’s plans are and who else he has working for him. 

“I don’t know! I don’t know!” You sobbed, trying to turn onto your stomach, but the man stopped you by pressing his foot into your back, causing you to cry out again. He raised his foot up, you presumed to stomp down on your back. You tensed up, preparing yourself for the blow but it never came. 

At that moment, another figure tackled your attacker to the ground. The figure has him on his back and he’s being punched repeatedly to the face. You took this moment to start crawling away, to get away from your attacker and the figure. With each movement you make though it has pain shooting down your back, you choked out a sob. You didn’t want to give up but it hurt too much. The grunting of the figure punching stopped and you heard footsteps make their way over to you. 

“Please. . .don’t hurt me. . .I don’t know anything. . .” You pleaded with the shadow as it made its way over to you. But instead of demands like your attacker, a deep voice flooded your ear drums.

“Shh, it’s okay. It’s okay. You’re safe.” You turned to look up and see a man with bleached blond hair look down on you. “You’re gonna be okay,” he assured you as he moved to take you in his arms. Tears started falling freely as your savior cradled you in his arms, groaning as he got to his feet. He carried you back towards the street, a black SUV parked right on the sidewalk. You were placed in the backseat of the car. “It’ll be okay. I’ll take you to Jungkook.” The voice said as he closed the door and made his way towards the driver seat.

Jungkook. You cried harder at the mention of him. What was going on? What did that man want with him? More importantly, why did he think you had any important information? Thousands of questions were running through your head as you cried into the leather of the seat. Eventually, the adrenaline wore off and your body started to fall slack. You felt your eyelids grow heavy and you could feel yourself starting to pass out. The last image that flashed through your mind was Jungkook’s smiling face.

Jungkook was only in the car for a few minutes driving back from his estate when he saw Yoongi’s SUV speed past him on the street. Initially he thought that was odd, seeing how he asked him to trail after you just to make sure you got home safe, normally he’d never do that. He did his best to keep you safe and keep your dates with him private and discreet; renting out entire buildings so the two of you could be alone and he could keep you away from enemy eyes. But after the phone call where the Hwang family, one of his biggest rivals, stole a bunch of his product, something told him it’s better to be safe than sorry and have his guard follow you home. 

He went to grab his phone in his coat pocket, only to feel the shattered glass against his skin; remembering it was useless at the moment since he threw it into a glass case at the restaurant. It wasn’t hard for him to put two and two together and realize what had happened.

Your safety had been compromised. 

“Mr. Chung, go faster. Something’s wrong,” he ordered his driver, who promptly stepped on it and weaved through the cars on the highway. Jungkook was seething in the backseat, he shouldn’t have pulled you into this. All he saw was red and before he knew it, he was punching the roof of the car.

“Sir, you’re going to hurt yourself. Stop that!” Mr. Chung scolded him as if he was a child. But he didn’t care, he couldn’t care. He let himself get attached to you and now you were hurt because of it. He brought his fist to his lips, closing his eyes. He tried his best to think of where it could’ve gone wrong. Who could’ve seen you? How long had they been trailing after you? So many things were racing through his head as both his car and Yoongi’s finally arrived at his estate.

“What the hell happened?!” He shouted at Yoongi as he ran over the gravel driveway to where he was pulling out your limp body. 

“Fucking Hwang foot soldier,” the elder grunted as he adjusted you in his arms. He barely gave Jungkook time to look at you as he immediately started towards the house. He quickly ran ahead to open the door. “Jin! Guest room, first floor, stat!” His shouts echoed in the vast hallways as he quickly ran to the closest guest room and kicked the door open. 

It was when Yoongi laid you on the bed that he finally was able to get a good look at you. Your clothes were filthy and your hands were covered in grime; your body was slack and didn’t move, if it wasn’t for the weak rise and fall of your chest he would’ve thought you were dead. The mere idea of you being gone and him being the reason for it had his blood boiling.

Seokjin burst into the room, medical bag in hand and pushed Jungkook away to have a better look at you. “What happened?”

“Jumped in an alley. He was kicked several times in the stomach and was about to have his back stepped on.” Yoongi said as the eldest man put his bag down and started to unbutton your shirt. He took in a sharp breath as your torso was exposed to them, a large dark bruise starting to form on your side. 

He did this to you. He caused you harm. He wanted to find the scum that did this to you and break every bone in their body. He wanted to do so much harm to them but he knew none of it would have you forgive him for doing this to you. He probably won’t ever forgive himself for it. 

He kept silent as Seokjin examined your bruise, applying light pressure to it and feeling around your chest; looking for anything that could be broken or out of place. You let out a groan when he pressed on certain parts of the bruise, Jungkook had to hold himself back from crawling over to you and hold you close.

“It doesn’t seem like anything is broken,” he pulled away from you. “Maybe some bruised organs and ribs, but nothing too serious. He’s lucky.” Jungkook felt himself relax instantly at the news. “JK, undress him while I go get an ice pack from the freezer.” Seokjin told him as he walked out and towards the kitchen. 

Dejected, Jungkook moved to sit beside you on the bed. He pushed the hairs away from your eyes as you laid there unconscious. “Thank you, Yoongi,” he whispered to the elder, who was still in the room, watching you both. 

“It’s my job, boss,” he said as he made his way out of the room to give you privacy.

Sighing, Jungkook followed his medic’s orders and started to remove your clothes. He removed the scarf that was still tied loosely around your neck, grateful that whoever attacked you didn’t use that to their advantage. Folding it gently and placing it on the bedside table, he then moved to your shoes. Untying the laces and pulling them off along with your socks, setting them someplace else. Next part he definitely wasn’t looking forward to. He grimaced to himself as he started to remove the already undone shirt from your torso, flinching every time you made any sort of noise that sounded like discomfort. 

After the shirt and jacket were undone, he set those aside to fold later. He sucked in a breath as he went to undo your belt and remove your slacks, while it was necessary for him to do it and has had to do it before to those in his inner circle, but he didn’t feel right doing it. Trying not to dwell on it too much, he started shimmying the pants off your waist and down your legs. He slowed however when he got to your knees and noticed tears in the fabric. You had tried to crawl away. The thought of you on your hands and knees, trying to escape had his blood boiling. It took everything in him to not throw your clothes to the floor and storm out and after the Hwarng family for trying to use you against him. The only thing holding him back was you. You needed him.

Now that you were fully undressed, besides the boxer briefs you still had on, he could see that your knees were scraped a bit but nothing major. That was a relief to see that you weren’t hurt any more physically than what was seen on the surface. He could see you start to shiver from the cool air surrounding you. Not wanting you to freeze and let you keep some modesty, he gently pulled the covers from underneath you, trying his best to not disturb you too much. Just as he laid the blankets over you, Seokjin came back in, with an ice pack and a glass of water in hand. 

When he got to the bed, he pulled up the blanket just enough to place the ice pack on your bruise. You stiffened at the sudden cold, but you relaxed after a few moments. Resting soundly. Jungkook took this time to start folding your clothes when your pants’ pocket started vibrating. He reached in to see that your roommate Jimin was texting you furiously, asking how the dinner was, when you’d be back, but that was over 20 minutes ago now they sporadic messages where he was and if he’d gotten home yet. 

“Fuck,” he muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair. 

“What is it?” Soekjin asked as he placed the water glass and pulled a bottle of pain meds from his medicine bag on the bedside table. 

“His roommate is wondering where he is. . .” Jungkook responded, he slid to open a response to him. He quickly typed out a message, hoping to god that whatever he was saying sounded like you. 

Y/N: I actually won’t be coming home tonight, spending night with Jungkook

“Should I add a winky face?” He mumbled to himself.

“What in the hell are you writing?” The elder looked at him bewildered. 

“Nothing, just- nevermind,” he huffed as he decided against the idea, not wanting you to be mad about pretending to be you and message your friend. Almost immediately your phone blew up with more responses from Jimin, all in capitals and screaming about getting some. Jungkook scoffed at the messages before turning your phone off and setting it down. 

Seokjin sighed and patted him on the back. “He’s going to be fine, Jungkook.” He let the elder lead him towards a cushioned chair that was not too far from where you laid. “I’m taking a guess that you’re not going to leave his side, so if you’re going to stay here: at least sit down and rest. He won’t be awake for a few hours at least.”

He was right, it was only barely 11 pm, your dinner had gone on a lot longer than he originally expected so he was a bit tired, especially after seeing what had happened to you? He’d seen a lot more terrible things, sure. But this was you, the young man who blatantly checked him out, who teased him always, the man he dared might even say be in love with. The mere thought of you in danger had his head spinning. So he sat himself in the chair, yet the weight on his shoulder didn’t leave him. What was he going to do when you woke up? Would you be mad at him? Shout at him and never want to see you again? The thoughts ran rampant in his mind. God, what did you do to him?

Three months ago, he wouldn’t be freaking out so much over an attack on a civilian. But the fact that the civilian in question was you made it different. You did something to him that he possibly won’t ever explain. Three months ago, he wouldn’t be studying a birdwatching book before bed every night to impress someone.Yet he was doing that, loving watching you beam as you listened to him spout off random facts about the birds you pointed out. He wouldn’t have done that for anyone, but he did that for you. 

He was vaguely aware of Seokjin telling him to get some rest as he left the room; to which he followed suit, shutting his eyes to try and sleep. But it wasn’t for very long though because a few hours in, his eyes shot open to sounds of low groans. He sat up straight to see you rolling on your side, hand stretched out for the glass of water. He practically flew from his seat over to you. “Hey, hey, hey.” He went to help usher you to sit up, he took the glass for you and held it up to your lips. You gulped down on the water, it pooled at the corner of your lips, dribbling down your chin and onto the bed sheet. When you pulled away from the glass you immediately collapsed back onto the pillow, tears in your eyes once again. “It’s okay. I’m here. I’m here.” He ran his hands through your hair, in an attempt to soothe you as you cried into the pillow. 

The two of you stayed that way for a while, until your sobs turned into sniffles. “What happened?” You don’t bother looking up at him, keeping your eyes focused on the glass of water.

“I’ll tell you in the morning, you need more sleep.” Jungkook continued to stroke your head, right now you were still very fragile and weak. He wouldn’t know how you’d respond to startling news right now, so the best option was to just wait until morning.

Being told this didn’t sit right with you as your eyes moved to him, your gaze hardening. “No, tell me now.” You demanded, if it weren’t for the circumstances he might’ve thought the defiance was cute but that wasn’t the case.

“Y/N, in the morning. I promise I’ll tell you everything in the morning. Please” His voice was on the edge of breaking. You were already so hurt because of him, he didn’t want you to hurt anymore. Not right now at least.

“Okay,” you respond, your voice small. “Can I have some of that though?” You point to the bottle of pain medication on the side table. Nodding, he pulls two of the pain pills out and hands them to you. You leaned up on your elbow, but he can tell the movement causes you pain as you winced, but you popped the pills in your mouth and held your hand out for the water. He handed you the glass, only taking a few gulps this time before handing it back to him to set down.

“Get some sleep now.” He leaned down to press a kiss to your cheek. “I’ll be here in the morning.” As he was going to move to sit back up, your hand latched onto his wrist. Looking back at you, his heart broke again as he saw the scared look etched onto your face. 

“Can you stay here though, next to me?” He smiled at you and nodded, going over to drag the chair over to you. Seated once again, he took your hand in his and pressed a kiss to your knuckles.

“I’ll be right here,” he whispered, watching you close your eyes as you laid against the pillow. There he sat watching you as you peacefully slept. He felt his eyelids grow heavy as the night continued on. With a yawn, he laid his head on the side of the bed, closing his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

Two weeks. That’s how long it’s been since you were attacked and Jungkook told you the reason why you were attacked. Because of him. Because he was in the mafia.

When you woke up the morning after you were alone. You barely had time to even take in any details before your brain caught up with the pain that shot through your torso. The pain reminds you of what happened: the date, the kiss, the attack, your blond savior, Jungkook- Jungkook! You immediately sat up, biting through the pain of your gut. Before you could even do anything else, the door to the room swung open. You watched as a tall man with dark hair walked in with a tray of food in his hands.

“Oh, you’re awake.” He sounded genuinely surprised at the notion as he walked over to the bed where you laid. He walked so quickly he caused a small breeze to hit you, the cool air brushing against your skin- Wait your skin? You glanced down to suddenly be aware that you weren’t wearing the clothes you wore last night. With the stranger in the room, you immediately took the satin sheet that pooled at your waist up to at least give yourself some semblance of privacy. 

“Who are you? Where am I?” You croaked, your voice groggy from sleep and the amount of crying you did. 

“My name is Jin, I’m a friend of Jungkook. You’re at his estate,” he answered as he placed the tray next to you on the bed. “Thought you might be hungry when you woke up, although I thought that wouldn’t be for a few more hours-”

“Where’s Jungkook?” You cut him off, you remembered last night he said he would tell you what was going on. It was at that moment, somewhere off in the house a loud scream was heard and you stiffened.

“He’s. . .busy at the moment. . .” Jin smiled at you, no doubt in an attempt to keep you calm, only it did the opposite, making you even more anxious. You were practically naked in a place you don’t know, with a man you don’t know, and someone in the house was being tortured. “I can go get him if you want?”

Your body acted on its own accord and nodded, to which Jin said he’ll be right back and told you to eat some of the food. Once he left the room, you let the sheet fall back down with a sigh. Turning your attention to the food tray, you take in what was offered. There was a fresh glass of orange juice, a couple slices of buttered toast, then a small bowl of peach slices. Something itched at the back of your brain, telling you that it could be poisoned but that wouldn’t make sense. The way Jungkook acted last night. . . he wouldn’t do that, you trusted him. Fork in hand, you take a stab at a peach slide and bring it to your lips. Letting the sweet fruit dance dance along your tongue.  You silently nibbled at the food for a few minutes when the door opened again and there’s disheveled Jungkook. He’s wearing the clothes he wore from last night, only they’re wrinkled from sleep. But what caught you off guard is the rag in his hands, wiping away red substance from his hands. Blood.

He’s silent as he placed the rag on the dresser as he slowly made his way over to you on the bed. “How are you feeling?” His eyes are locked on your torso, you followed his gaze and finally saw the cause of your pain. There’s a large bruise on the side of your stomach where your attacker kicked you repeatedly. Quickly, you took the sheet again and covered yourself. 

“Fine,” you shallowly answered. 

Jungkook slowly approached the bed, trying his best not to startle you with any quick actions. Jin must’ve told him you heard the scream so he was acting extra precautious. You didn’t move as he seated himself beside you, watching him as he gently moved the tray down toward the foot of the bed. Neither of you said anything, only studying each other. Your eyes dragged him up and down; his hair was a mess, there were bags under his eyes, and when your eyes fell on his knuckles you sucked in a breath. They were bruised, and lightly stained with blood but there were no open cuts. Meaning that it wasn’t his blood. You don’t know if that made you feel better or worse.

“I-,” he broke the silence first. He squeezed his eyes shut, like he was trying to search for the right words to explain what was going on. “I’m sorry.”

“What do you-”

“I dragged you into my business and I shouldn’t have done that and I’m sorry. I thought I could keep you safe, but I couldn’t. If you hate me-”

“Jungkook!” You put your hands on his face, forcing him to look at you. He leaned into your touch, placing his hand over yours. “What is going on? What happened?”

He took a deep breath, taking in the feeling of your hands on his face for one more second before removing them but not letting them go. “I’m head of the Jeon Family mafia.” 

You stiffened, you’ve heard your boss mutter something about owing money to a family, always rushing off. One thing that always stood out in your memory was him always muttering something about a Mr. Jeon. Was Jungkook. . .him? Suddenly things started to make sense about him. The constant want for privacy, him not going into details about his business. . . God you were so stupid not to notice it sooner!

“The man who attacked you last night was a foot soldier from a rival family sent to spy on me. Unfortunately, they caught wind of you being my-” he stopped himself before he let himself finish what he was calling you. His what? “They caught wind of you and I, and thought to use you against me to gain intel.” His eyes never left your face, he was waiting for a reaction. 

“Who was the man that saved me?” You were curious as to how he knew you and how you were connected to Jungkook, seeing how he clearly knew who you were. 

“Yoongi, he’s my. . .lieutenant of sorts. The call I got at the dinner was related to some. . . bad news connected to them and I asked him to watch you to make sure you got home safe. I promise that was the one and only time I had you followed.” He squeezed your hands, his eyes pleading with you. Before you could even think of responding, he went off again. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have approached you at the club. I shouldn’t have asked you for coffee. I shouldn’t have kept you around, but I just- I wanted you in my life. I can’t excuse that.”

You sat silently as he rambled on, processing every word he said. Your mind was running at a million miles an hour. You don’t know what to even really think anymore. You’d think Jungkook didn’t care for you or your safety, but the way he watched over you last night and the way he’s acting right now, clearly pointed in the direction saying otherwise. The dates he had planned were always careful and calculated, wanting to ensure you were okay and away from a connection with him. 

Then there was the matter of your feelings for him. You felt something for him. Something strong and you didn’t want to admit it yet, at least not yet and especially not right now. You were scared and rightfully so. 

“If you never want to see me again, I understand. I can ensure a new life for you, far away from here. You’ll be safe and away from me and all my business. I promise, just say the word.” You looked back up to him as he laid out his offer. A witness protection of sorts. With you already being caught with a connection with the Jeon family, you couldn’t go back to your life. That was the only way to 100% guarantee you were safe, the offer should’ve been very attractive but at the same time you didn’t want it? You thought of Jimin and Taehyung, your job, your boss, then Jungkook. Jungkook had so quickly become a part of your life and even though the information he told you should have you running for the hills but you and your stupid attatchments to people held you back. 

“Can I. . .” Jungkook’s eyes widened as his grip on your hands grew tighter. “Can I think about it?”

“Yeah, yeah.” His voice started out as a whisper but then was back to his normal tone. “Yeah, you can think about it.” He leaned forward, probably to press a kiss to your forward but stopped when you stiffened. “Sorry, I- I shouldn’t have done that.” He released your hands as he got back up. 

You gave him a meek nod as he walked back out of the room. 

“I uh, if you’re going to think about it, would you be alright if you stayed here? I don’t know if they know where you live, so staying here is the easiest way I can confirm your safety. . .” The lightness of his tone makes it seem less serious than it should be but you understand the severity of what he’s saying.

“Yeah, okay.” You agreed, to which he gave you a quick smile before leaving the room.

Since then you’ve barely left the Jeon family mansion, mainly because of Jungkook wanting to keep you safe but another reason was so Seokjin, who you later learned was his medic and friend, could also keep an eye on you as you healed from your attack. He was a rather pleasant guy to be around, always checking in on you since Jungkook has started to keep a distance from you. While you understood why, to let you think, it still hurt. You only saw him occasionally when he got home, he’d ask you about what you did today before excusing himself to his room, far away from the downstairs guest room. 

You kept in contact with Jimin; you hated lying to him but it was necessary for his safety as well as yours. When you didn’t come back the next night, he furiously texted you asking if you were okay or in trouble. You saw that Jungkook already texted him that night to appease him but after so long he grew impatient. It was Jin’s suggestion to tell your roommate that you were now on a surprise vacation with Jungkook; Jimin at first had a hard time believing you but decided to trust your word for it. 

Slowly your bruise started to heal and you were able to move around with little to no pain, it was now when you started getting cabin fever. You needed to get out of the house. You proposed the idea to Jin at first, seeing as to how he might think you’re ready to move around outside. While he did agree that you had healed enough to go out, he wasn’t sure if you could and it was up to Jungkook. 

You were able to last a few days longer before you grew too antsy and marched yourself up to his study. It was late at night so you doubted he was making any deals or business calls. Taking a deep breath, you knocked on the door twice.

“Come in,” he answered from the otherside. Opening the door slowly, you watched as Jungkook turned in from his desk to see you peeking out from behind the door. “Y/N!” He stood abruptly, hitting his knee against his desk. “Ow fuck- what can- what can I do for you?”

You chuckled lightly at his nervousness, finding it slightly endearing. “I uh, wanted to ask if it would be okay if I went out to meet with Jimin possibly?” You tugged on the ends of the shirt you were wearing; clothes Jungkook had gotten from your apartment when Jimin was out one day. 

You watched in silence as he prodded his tongue in his cheek. “Yes, but I’d want Yoongi to escort you there and back. For your safety.” 

You nodded at his condition, if he was going to reject your question that would’ve been one of your pleading options; for someone to come along with. “Thank you.” You gave him a smile as you started backing out of the room.

“Wait- is, is that all?” He wanted to know if you were going to accept his offer or not, since you still had yet to tell him. You’d avoid any type of conversation on the topic, you didn’t want to even think about it yet. Not while you were still healing and that was another reason as to why you wanted to see Jimin. You needed to see your best friend again before you made any decision. 

“I’m still thinking,” you responded. His face fell as he nodded, only saying a quick okay before sitting back down. You glanced quickly over on his desk to notice that he was reading the bird watching book still. You smiled to yourself as you closed the door. “Good night”

Back in your room, you texted Jimin saying that you’ll be back home the day after tomorrow and wanted to meet up. He was ecstatic that you were finally coming home and agreed to meet you at your favorite coffee shop, not understanding why you couldn’t just meet him back at the apartment but was mainly happy that he finally was able to see you again. The following morning you told Jungkook when you planned to meet and said he’ll have Yoongi knock on your door when it was time to leave. 

You had said 3:30 but Yoongi knocked on your door at 2:45, telling you that you’d be leaving in 15 minutes since it took a while for the drive to get to the coffee shop. That reminded you how far away you were from the rest of the world and other life, only seeing Jungkook and the members of his inner circle. Once you were dressed and ready, you stepped out of the house and into the bright sunlight. 

“You coming or what?” Yoongi’s deep voice pulled you from your thoughts, you let out a soft apology as you walked over to the SUV and climbed into the backseat. Yoongi didn’t talk much the entire drive and you realized that quickly after you were properly introduced to him. The two of you sat in silence, the only noise was some rap music that was playing on low volume. He was a man of mystery, you thought to yourself. 

When you got close enough to the shop you sent Jimin a text saying you were almost there; like the man he is, he responded right away saying he was already there and had ordered your drink for you. You should’ve seen that coming but it still brought a smile to your face.

Car parked, Yoongi walked right behind you as you entered the cafe (“Do you have to follow right behind me?” “Direct orders to not let you leave my sight”). Spotting Jimin, you gave him a wave as you walked over to where he was sitting.

“Y/N-ie!!! I missed you!” He called out as he got up to hug you.

“I missed you Minnie!” You winced as he hugged you a bit tight, while Seokjin said you were good to move about, the yellowing bruise still hurt when pressure was applied. He pulled away and took you in. You doubted you looked any different, but you were happy to see him. 

“So . . . who is your friend?” He asked, eyeing Yoongi suspiciously. 

“Jimin, this is-”

“I’m Min Yoongi.” He held out his hand for your friend to take, a small smirk pulling on his lips. “I’m Jungkook’s driver, he asked me to give him a ride for the day.”

“Park Jimin,” your friend responded, not bothering to shake his hand. “Do you mind if we have some privacy?”

He put his hands up in defense. “Alright, I’ll be over by the door. Tell me when you’re ready to go.” With that, he left the two of you alone.

“You’re not coming back home?” Jimin asked you as you sat down. “Y/N, are you being held against your will?” He lowered his voice, his eyes glancing back at Yoongi.

“No no no no.” You stopped your friend from causing a scene. “I’m good, I’m fine just. . .  Jungkook has a bunch of things still planned and wants me to stay a while longer with him.” The lie kills you, but it’s what you got to say. You can’t involve him in this tangled web. 

The statement caught Jimin off guard, “Wait, is he like. . . in love with you?”

You wanted to chuckle at the notion. “Love? No, I don’t think so. He’s-he’s not like that. He just likes me, that's all.”

“Y/N, the man took you on vacation and wants you to stay longer at his place. . .I think that’s the L word.” You hated how in the lie that made sense and you wanted to cry. When did your life become such a mess? Why couldn’t it be as simple as the lie, you and Jungkook being stupidly in love and going on long vacations to nowhere. 

“No, just. Just moving at our pace.” You tried to wave it off, taking a sip of the strawberry lemonade Jimin ordered for you. 

“But you love him, don’t you?” The statement had you nearly do a spit take. 

“Excuse me?!”

“Y/N, I’ve known you since we were in highschool. I know when you’re in love” He rolled his eyes at you. “Jungkook has been doting on you like crazy the past few months; I remind you, he’s rented out whole buildings for dates with you. Fancy dinner, now vacations? You wouldn’t have allowed that if you didn’t at least love him. And he loves you back.”

You were stunned into silence, did you love Jungkook? You did admit to yourself that you may have cared for him a bit too much to let him go, but did that qualify as love? Then him being in love with you, he did express true remorse for putting you in danger. Not to mention he offered to give you a whole new life at the snap of his fingers. Was that love? 

The question just itched at the back of your mind the entire rest of your time with Jimin, catching up with him and how Taehyung was doing. Apparently the two of them were thinking about adopting a dog together, looking at breeds and going to shelters. You were so happy for them and talked about how you couldn’t wait to meet their dog and dog sit while they’re out on dates. 

After a couple hours the two of you got tired, and realized it was time to part ways. You excused yourself to go to the bathroom before leaving. As you walked away though, you could swear you saw Yoongi in the corner of his eye get up and move towards your table. What was that man doing?

As you were washing your hands, you stared at yourself in the mirror. Jimin’s words echoing in your head. You love him. . .and he loves you back. You think back to before, how he would smile at you. He hung on your every word. Hell, the way he stayed by your side when you first arrived at his estate. Did he love you?

The question bounced around in your head as you walked out of the bathroom and saw the strangest scene before you. Yoongi was sitting in your seat, leaning over the table and Jimin sat back with his arms crossed. 

“While that sounds cool and all, I have a boyfriend,” Jimin said with the fakest smile you’ve ever seen him wear.

“He can join us,” Yoongi said with a growing smirk. The way Jimin’s eyes looked like they were about ready to pop out of his skull would’ve been funny if you hadn’t known that he doesn’t like to be flirted with by anyone outside of Taehyung; meaning you had to diffuse the situation fast.

“Hey, ready to go!” You interjected quickly. “Thank you so much, Min.” 

“Of course! Anything for you!” His sour face instantly brightened as he stood up to give you another hug. “I don’t know where Jungkook found him, but he’s a freak and needs to be put on a leash,” he whispered in your ear before he pulled away.

You snickered at the comment as you bid your friend goodbye. Yoongi gave Jimin a wink before parting ways officially. “You are shameless.” You sighed as you walked back to his car.

“He was cute, what can I say?” He chuckled as he climbed into the driver's seat. “Buckle up.” 

You scrolled through your phone, looking through pictures and your social media feeds as you just sat there in thought. Occasionally looking out the window to watch the cityscape turn to fancier residential properties. By the time you got back to the Jeon home, it was nearly sundown. You said goodbye to Yoongi and went back to your room.

Falling onto the bed, you just stare at the ceiling. After seeing Jimin today, you felt a bit better but only more questions bubbled around in your head. About Jungkook, about you, then the offer. Were you closer to a decision? Could you manage the rest of your life not seeing your best friend? Could you live with yourself letting him and your loved ones believe that you died? Your body seemed to have answers already because before you knew it, you were sitting up. 

You let your body lead you out of your room, up the stairs and down the hall until you got to Jungkook’s room. There you stood for a few moments. You were really going to do this. You raised your hand to knock on the door but before your knuckles touched the wood, it swung open. Jungkook, clearly shocked to see you standing in front of his room.

“I- Y/N, what are you doing?” His voice laced with concern as he stood there. He was dressed in his usual button down and slacks, you never really saw him wear anything else. Not that you really ever saw him in anything else. Did he even have any other normal clothes, you wondered. It was at that moment you realized he was still staring at you, waiting for a response.

“Can I come in?”

Without missing a beat, he stepped aside. “Of course.” You gave him a nod, stepping into his room. His room was large but he kept it simple and clean, the only thing that seemed to be out of order was his unmade king sized bed. “What can I do for you?”

Turning to face him, you immediately blurt out. “I came to a decision.”

You watch as the man visibly stiffen as you made your announcement. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, his shoulders relaxing; like he was finally accepting the inevitable “Okay, I’ll talk to Namjoon about arranging an accident, Hoseok will get you new papers-”

“Jungkook.”

He continued to ramble, as he pulled his phone out of his pocket and started to type furiously. “It’ll take a few days to find a. . .body similar to yours, but that’s no matter-” 

“Jungkook!” You shouted, trying to catch his attention.

“What?” His eyes widened like a deer in headlights. 

“I. . .” You started, oh boy you didn’t think of anything to say. “I don’t want to go.”

“What?” His voice was just barely above a whisper. “But, your safety, the Hwang family they’ll-”

“Will you keep me safe?” You asked him, taking a step toward him and placing your hand over the one that held his phone.

The question had his gaze immediately harded. “I’ll do anything to keep you safe, Y/N. I promise you that. I-” He tossed his phone to the carpeted floor to take your hands in his. “I care about you so much, I won’t let anyone ever hurt you again.”

You could feel your heart swell at his words; tears brimming your eyes, you pulled your hand away to cup his cheek. “Then I’m staying.” As soon as the words left your mouth, you watched Jungkook as his steely gaze soften and he let out a sound that’s a mix of a sigh of relief and a cry for you. With his free hand, he pulled you in by your waist and immediately you reciprocated, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

“Thank you, thank you.” He repeated those words as he held you tight.

“Jungkook, bruise! Bruise!” You tapped at his shoulder, trying to get him to let go as you squirmed against him. 

“Shit, sorry!” He loosened his grip on you, chuckling lightly. 

“It’s alright,” you smiled at him. He lifted his hand up to your face, cupping your cheek. It was then you realized that you’re crying. 

“If you don’t mind me asking,” he started as he wiped a tear away from your eye. “What made you stay?”

“Well, I thought of Jimin and Taehyung. How I’d never see them again and they’d think I’d be dead for the rest of their lives. I thought about my job and all my favorite spots here. Then I thought about you.” You admitted, your eyes not leaving him.

“Me?” His eyes widened, stunned that he was part of the equation.

“Jimin said something that helped me realize that. . .I love you.” Your confession had Jungkook freeze for a split second, before him moving his hand to the back of your neck and pulling your mouth to his.

His lips are just as soft as you remembered, you gently moved your lips against his, savoring his scent as you wrapped your arms around him. He held you close as he possibly could without hurting you, his hand threading into the hair at the back of your neck, tugging on it lightly. The action has you moaning ever so lightly against Jungkook’s mouth. He took the opportunity to slip his tongue past your lips, gently massaging yours with his.

“Say it again,” he groaned into the kiss. 

“I love you,” you complied. From the kiss to the confession, you feel the world like your stomach is doing the vault for the gold medal. As Jungkook reconnected his mouth with yours, he slowly started walking you backward. When your knees hit the back of the bed, they buckled and you tumbled onto the bed with Jungkook on top of you. 

His hands moved to prop himself up above your head, caging you in. “Is this alright?” He asked, watching you for any sign of rejection or discomfort. 

“Mhmm,” you nodded as you raised your face to his, eager to kiss him again. However he pulled back and tutted at you.

“No, I need to hear words pretty boy.” The use of the nickname sends shivers down your spine. “Yes or no.”

“Yes. Kiss me again. Please,” you whined, craving his lips on yours once again.

“Needy baby,” he taunted you, but he did lower his head to yours to meet your lips with a kiss. The two of you make out for a few more moments when you start pulling at the buttons of his shirt. “No.” He pulled away, eliciting another whine from you. “Let me take care of you first, let Daddy take care of you.”

You died right then and there, you swear by it. You died and went to heaven right at that very moment. In the arms of the man you loved, telling you to let him take care of you. You nodded at him, he gestured for you to move up the bed. Once your in the middle of the bed, Jungkook crawled over you, pressing kisses to your jawline and neck. His hands were pulling on the ends of your shirt. “Sit up, pretty boy,” He whispered against your ear. You started to lean up, as he pulled the T-shirt off of your torso. You laid back down as he started peppering kisses to your collar bones, sometimes stalling to leave a purple mark, claiming you as his. 

When his mouth reached your nipple, you could feel him smirk against it as you squirmed beneath him. He pressed light kisses around it, before wrapping his lips around it. More moans fell from your lips and you bucked up into Jungkook above you. Your hands flew to his hair, knotting up his dark locks. His tongue flicked against the hardening bud while his free hand pinched and rolled at your other neglected nipple. Pulling away, he blew lightly against the puckered flesh. Then continued his journey down south.

He stopped however when he reached the yellow-green contusion that’s haunting your side. You still as he traced his fingers over and around the bruise, he pressed a light kiss to it. Mumbling some words as his trail of kisses got lower and lower. He stopped right at your belt buckle before looking up. “May I?”

“Yes. . .please yes!” You didn't even realize how hard you are until he started to relieve the pressure from your jeans. He tugged your pants and boxers off, your erection gently slapping your stomach as it’s freed. You watched helplessly as he tossed your jeans somewhere else in the room and he looked at your cock hungrily. 

“Does my pretty boy want my mouth? Hmm? Does he?” He tutted as he took you in his hand, giving you a light squeeze.

“Yes! Please! I want your mouth!” You sobbed out as he gave you a few teasing pumps.

“Yes what?” He smirked at you as he lowered his head, you could feel his hot breath on your tip. 

“Yes, Daddy!” You cried out, his thumb grazing over your slit to smeer the pre-cum that collected. 

“Good boy,” he growled as he took you into his mouth. Pleasure overwhelmed your body as Jungkook ran his tongue along the underside of your length, then sucking on the tip, causing you to buck wildly into his mouth. “Nuh uh, patience baby.” He scolded as he took a hand and applied pressure to your hips, keeping you in place. With his free hand, he let his hand travel lower as he peppered kisses around the base of your cock. His digits lightly traced around the ring of muscles. You felt his eyes on you, before he even asked the question you nodded your head and sigh out a yes. “I didn’t say anything? What do you want, pretty boy?”

You merely pouted at his taunt, moving your hips to try and give him the idea but he pulled his hand away.

“No, tell Daddy what you want,” he teased as he moved off of the bed and toward his dresser, pulling open a drawer and shuffling around in it.

“Fingers! Please! I want your fingers!” You cried as he pulled out a bottle of lube, you watched as he smirks at you. Back on the bed, he opened the bottle, applying an appropriate amount of lube to his fingers. You’re silent as he brought his pointer back toward your ring, applying the smallest amount of pressure. “Pleeeaase,” You drowned out, wanting nothing more than for him to stretch you out for him.

“As you wish.” His finger slid in and you let out a sigh of relief, happy that you were somewhat filled. You relaxed as he worked his finger in and out of you, slowly adding more as he continued fingering you. As he stretched you out, he lowered his mouth back to your cock pressing kisses along the veins. He eventually got his way down to your balls, prodding at them with his tongue. You swear you could cum like that and you were about to until Jungkook pressed one last kiss to the base of your cock before moving away, taking his fingers out too.

You watched him as he stood up from the bed once again and stripped from his clothing. Your mouth dried as he removed his shirt, revealing his taut muscles. He smirked at you as you watched him, captivated as he moved. You didn’t think your mouth could get any drier as he pulled his slacks down, his thick cock bouncing as it was released from his fabric prison. 

“You like what you see, baby?” He asked, obviously loving how enthralled you are with his impressive length. You nodded subconsciously as he sat back down on the bed, laying amongst the pillows. He patted his lap, a silent order which you quickly followed. Scrambling over to him across the large bed, straddling his thighs. “You ready for my cock, pretty boy?”

You nodded furiously at his question. “Yes, god please yes!” You begged, your hands grasping onto his shoulders.

“You wanna get my cock ready baby? Wanna get it nice and wet to fuck you?” He questioned you. 

“Mmhmm! Please I wanna get it ready please please please,” you plead with him, to which he just chuckled at your eagerness.

He took your hand and held it out, bottle of lube in the other, he squeezed lube onto your fingers. His eyes flashed down to his length before back to yours, you get the silent order to get to work. He’s heavy in your hand, your slippery fingers easily gliding up and down his cock. He leaned back against the pillows, letting out a low groan as you jerked him off. You watched his face the entire time, completely fascinated with the way his face contorted in pleasure as you worked him up and down, giving him the occasional squeeze.

Jungkook stopped you from speeding up though, before you even had the chance to pout he shut you up. “Don’t you want Daddy’s cum inside you?”

When that statement was said, all bets were off. You quickly moved your head to kiss him, taking him by surprise. For a second you think he’d punish you for acting without asking or being told to do it, but he seemed to let it slide as his hands moved around your waist, settling just before your ass.

“You ready, Y/N?” He asked you, looking you dead in the eye. 

“Yes Jungkookie.” The nickname slipping past your lips. “I’m ready.”

He gave you a toothy grin before bringing your lips back to his in a softer kiss. As you kissed, he started moving your hips against him, forcing you to grind into his erection. Getting the message, you lifted your ass up a bit, giving him space to position himself at your entrance. He kept his eyes trained on you, but before he could lower you himself, you sank yourself down on his cock. The both of you groan in unison as you completely sheath him within you. 

“Fuck- Daddy!” You whimpered as you tried to adjust to his size. Your eyes are screwed shut but you can still feel his eyes drinking you in, looking so fucked out on his cock. After a few minutes, you started to roll your hips against him. You started at a leisurely slow pace but you could tell that Jungkook was starting to grow antsy. Bucking his hips each time you grinded down on him. When he had enough, he stilled your hips, his fingers gripping you so tight you swear you’d have bruises, and he wildly started fucking up into you.

“God, you’re so tight, fuck.” He moaned as he flipped you onto your back, his hips pistoning into you at a fast pace. “God, I love your ass- Fuck. That feel good, pretty boy? You like my cock stuffing your tight ass?”

“Mhmm I love your cock, Daddy! I only want your cock!” You could feel yourself get closer and closer to cumming, and with Jungkook’s thrusts getting sloppier you knew he was too. “God fuck, I’m close! Harder please!” You cried out, you dug your nails into his shoulders.

One of his hands left your hips and he wrapped it around your cock, pumping it wildly. “Come on baby. Come on my cock. You can do it,” he whispered in your ear, pulling on your earlobe with his teeth.

With one last flick of his wrist, you feel your gut tighten and you let out a loud moan. Cum spurts out of out, painting your chest with your essence as. He helped you ride through your orgasm, whispering praises all while still fucking into you like no tomorrow. Then he let out a low groan, his hips still as you feel him paint your insides white. He took a few more shallow thrusts before collapsing on top of you. Your chest was heaving as Jungkook laid his head in the crook of your neck, he didn’t bother pulling out just yet. The two of you laid there catching your breath.

Soon enough the stickiness became too much and Jungkook slipped his softened cock out of you. He watched as some of his cum started seeping out of you, he took his finger and started gathering it up and pushing it back in again. You whined at the stimulation, but didn’t bother moving. 

You felt him lay down next to you, turning your head to face him. You see him staring at you with a big goofy grin on his face. Before you could ask him what grinning like the Cheshire Cat, he pressed a kiss to your head and sat up, walking over to his bathroom. You admired his cute butt as he bent down to open up a cabinet and pull out a hand towel. He wet it and brought it back over to you. You shivered at the cool washcloth as he wiped down your stomach and then your ass, cleaning up any bits that might’ve seeped out again. He wiped his own chest down, wiping away the smears of your cum that was on his chest. He dropped the dirty towel, saying he’ll pick it up later, then walked over to his light switch and the room went dark, only the moon illuminating the room from the open window.

Jungkook made his way back to bed and pulled down the covers, you follow suit. Both of you snuggled under the blankets, he pulled you close to his chest, pressing a kiss to your forehead, then your nose, then your lips. 

“I love you,” he murmured against your lips. 

“I love you too,” you replied, snuggling closer into him, embracing the warmth he’s giving off despite the heat of the room. Whatever happened next between the two of you, you don’t know and you don’t care. All you cared about was Jungkook in your life and you know he wants the same with you. You closed your eyes and listened to both of your heartbeats; beating at the same time, at the same pace. 

[bonjour-rainycity]

Double Heart | Chapter Nine ~ Cosima

|previous part|

Pairing: Haldir x OFC

Rating: PG-13

Word Count: 3476

Warnings: None

**Read on Ao3 under the user “bonjour_rainycity” if you prefer!**

A/n Sorry this was a little late! Happy reading :)

Translations: Mae govannen = well met! // Meleth nîn = my love

Two weeks after I woke in this strange world, we reach Imladris.

When Haldir tells me that the sparkling city in the valley is our destination, I can scarcely believe him. After endless days and nights riding through open country, to finally reach civilization, even if it’s not the civilization I’m used to, is so welcome I nearly cry with relief.

Four men on horseback race up the slope of the mountains to meet us. They wear heavy armor—more than what Haldir and the others wear—and carry tall spears. Their leader, fierce though he seems, takes my breath away. Even from here, I can see his face because it reflects an ethereal glow. His hair, which has to be spun gold, flows long down the back of his horse and glints in the sun. Whoever he is, he is no mere man.

“Elrond’s patrols,” I question, remembering someone mentioning them earlier.

“Yes,” Haldir responds, and I can hear a grin in his voice. “We have reached their outer borders. Congratulations, Cosima.” He twists to offer me a proud smile. “You have completed your first journey.”

I swallow, unable to keep myself from smiling back. Haldir can be so stoic at times that praise from him is completely unexpected. Warmth spreads through my chest.

The riders come to a halt in front of us and the one I assume to be their leader dismounts, striding confidently in our direction. Haldir slides off Faervel, approaching in a similar fashion. I take the horse’s reins in my hands, stroking his back affectionately. The horses’ height doesn’t bother me anymore and I’ve become much more confident in riding them in the past two weeks.

“Mae govannen, Haldir o Lórien!”

“Glorfindel.” Haldir clasps the man’s elbow jubilantly. They converse in that language I haven’t heard since I arrived — the others have been speaking solely in English for my and Alex’s benefit — and it’s jarring to hear the unfamiliar sounds. It serves as a reminder that, though I have allowed myself to become comfortable here, too comfortable, maybe, this is not my world. This is somewhere different.

Haldir turns over his shoulder and extends a hand in my direction. I catch my name and Alexander’s among the strange syllables and offer the man—Glorfindel, Haldir called him—a smile in greeting. He approaches, stunning golden hair shining in the light of the sunset, and bows elegantly. A laugh bubbles from my throat—startled by the action. Vaguely, I remember Rumil bowing to me when we first met. Whereas his motivation had been to make a joke, Glorfindel seems totally genuine, the gesture one of respect and welcome. He performs the same movement for Alex.

“Welcome, lost humans and my elven friends. Come, I shall keep you waiting no longer. Elrond is eager to see you and I am sure you are equally ready for proper food and a full night’s rest.” With that, he strides back to his horse and mounts.

I scoot higher on Faervel’s back to give Haldir room and hand him the reins. The horses must sense how close we are to extended rest, because they race faster than they did the entire journey. Despite my new skill, I have to grip Haldir extra tight to make up for the frantic pace and only being able to use one arm. Though the mountain slope is steep and the city surely has to be miles away, we arrive in less than an hour.

Streams of blue and white cascade above us, falling every way I turn and crashing down below. The air smells impossibly sweet and fresh — perhaps due to the flowers that bloom all around. The rays from the sinking sun, brilliant orange and gold, mingle with the water in the falls and, just as Haldir promised, send gently curving rainbows over our path. I let out a breath, completely stunned.

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Haldir’s voice holds a reverence I’ve never heard before, but it is aptly placed. I could not fathom regarding this city with anything less than the utmost respect and admiration.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. Even in my homeworld, I—” I blink, unable to comprehend the etherial nature of my surroundings. “I would have remembered it. This…”

“I know.” Theres a soft, almost vulnerable quality to his voice that caresses the phrase. I can imagine his eyes are alight like mine, taking in the splendor of the city even though he’s seen it many times before. I’d wager this is a sight one never gets used to.

Glorfindel pulls his horse to a stop before an arching, narrow bridge.

Oh no.

I suck in a sharp breath, gripping onto Haldir with both my injured and uninjured arm. My wound stings, but it is preferable to suffer this momentary pain than to loosen my grip and go plummeting off the edge.

Haldir chuckles, the vibrations rumbling deep in his chest. “The bridge is only the beginning. Look ahead—part of the main city is suspended on pillars.”

My stomach churns and I feel my heart race. By the way my arms constrict around him, Haldir seems to figure out that he has not employed the wisest strategy. His voice softens and he squeezes my hand like he did earlier, after the attack. “Faervel knows the way. Neither he nor I will let you fall.”

I take a deep breath. It’s either the bridge and the safety of Imladris or the orc-infested mountains. And, I suppose, Haldir has gotten us this far. Minor injuries aside, we survived a heavily out-numbered attack relatively unscathed. I trusted him then and I can trust him now. “Fine.”

He chuckles again but makes a big show of lining Faervel up with what will be the middle of the bridge. I resist the urge to elbow him in the ribs — armor covers them anyway. It would hurt me more than it would him.  

Glorfindel calls out in that language again, then directs his horse onto the bridge. The three other mounted guards follow. Then, so gently I barely register the change, Faervel steps from the lush grass to the stone of the bridge. Water roars and tosses below us, drowning out any words the others might say. And drowning you if Faervel doesn’t keep straight. That is, if the impact doesn’t kill you first. I fight the urge to whimper and keep my eyes locked straight ahead. Almost to the end.

The bridge is mercifully short and soon we are on much surer foundations, having crossed into the city. While the water still cascades around us, its noise has subsided, almost like it’s been muted. In its place, soft, lyrical music fills the air. Harps. Once we are far from the bridge, I look around. The buildings are made of stone yet seem a natural part of the valley. Chains of flowers spill from every archway, peek between small cracks in the stone, weave into the intricate designs in the masonry. Trees, the same ones that welcomed us at the border, make a home in the city, growing where they wish — even if that means rising alongside a fabricated pillar.

Haldir speaks softly, hesitantly, almost like he doesn’t want to interrupt my exploration of the city. “Is it worth the bridge?”

I realize we’ve come to a stop in front of a large dais backed by a constant stream of blue and frothy white. It’s like we’re in the waterfall. “Definitely,” I exhale. Though, I have no desire to cross that bridge again any time soon.

A tall man steps onto the dais. His face is kind and, though the edges of his mouth and forehead are lined with creases, he could be any age. He seems altogether outside of time. His eyes hold wisdom, more than I could ever hope to collect, and I know this must be the Elrond my friends talked about. He could be no other.

He spreads his hands and smiles warmly. “Welcome. Our friends from Lothlórien and the humans who accompany them, welcome to Imladris. We have dinner prepared for you. Leave your horses with the guards — they will be well cared for.”

I believe him. He could probably tell me the sky is green or Faervel is a mouse and I wouldn’t question it.

And if he told you that you’re in a different world?

I gulp and push the weighted thought away.

Haldir swings his left leg to meet his right and slides off Faervel’s back. As always, he keeps a gentle hold on me until my feet are securely on the ground, then clasps his hands behind his back in his most favored stance.

I peek behind me to locate Alexander. He shifts from foot to foot and darts his eyes suspiciously around the room. With his short hair, lanky stature, and clear discomfort, he looks so out of place here. With a start, I realize that I must, too. Though the physical differences are certainly apparent, there’s just something about these men…an otherworldliness I had somehow gotten used to during our journey. But here, in this unreal city surrounded by others who are so clearly not men…For the first time, I truly, honestly consider that they might not be human.

Rumil appears on my right side, practically beaming with excitement. “What do you think?”

I exhale on shaky breath, my recent realization having left me feeling a little lightheaded. “I think it’s a lot to take in. It’s gorgeous, though.”

At my left, Haldir eyes me curiously. He heard my reaction upon reaching Imladris and is probably wondering why I’m downplaying it to Rumil. Truth be told, I just don’t have the energy to take much more this evening. A good meal and sleep will hopefully help.

“Orophin!”

I tilt my head around Rumil to find the source of the delighted shriek and find myself staring at the most enchanting woman I’ve ever seen.

Her hair, coiled and dark, tumbles down her back in tight curls, brushing the back of her legs. Her espresso skin shines in the nearly-faded light, almost as if it has a luminescence of its own — perhaps a result of the joy that radiates from her. She wears a long, ruby-colored gown that sweeps gently over the stairs as she practically throws herself down them, sprinting in our direction.

“Meleth nîn!” Orophin calls back to her, breaking from our informal line and rushing to whom I assume to be his fiancée.

Indulgent chuckles run through our group as the two collide, gripping each other in a fierce hug. They pull back almost immediately, pressing their foreheads together and just staring into each other’s eyes. The action seems much more intimate than if they had fallen to the floor in a passionate embrace, and I avert my eyes, feeling the need to give them privacy.

“Come on,” Haldir whispers, ghosting his fingers over my elbow. “They will join us later.”

Elrond leads us through open-air hallways. Every way we turn seems to offer a view of the waterfalls and brings with it a light, fresh scent. He takes us right, bringing us through one final archway and into what looks to be a dining room. In the center is a long rectangular table surrounded by ten matching chairs. The table is already stacked with food — breads, salads, fruits, and various kinds of meat that smell absolutely mouthwatering.

Elrond smiles invitingly, entering the room and stopping behind the chair at one of the table’s heads. “I expected you would be weary this evening and would wish to dine in private. Please, sit and help yourselves.”

I follow Rumil and Haldir, hoping I’m not violating any social rules I am unaware of by choosing a random seat in the middle. Before I can pull the chair back, Haldir steps in to complete the task, gesturing for me to take a seat. I have to hold back my amusement at the antiquated gesture — perhaps it’s a custom here. He does seem more formal than Alex and I are.

Haldir and Rumil take the chairs on either side of me and, before long, Alex appears at my opposite. I smile at him. Given our recent arguments and the fact that I don’t really know if we’re friends in this life, I’m not quite sure where we stand. But he returns the gesture which allows me to breathe a sigh of relief. He’s familiar, at least. Baranor sits between Alex and Elrond and immediately the two healers engage in deep discussion.

I distract myself with the food and soon have more piled on my plate than I could possibly hope to eat, but I can certainly try. Before long, Orophin and the woman from earlier join us and are welcomed jovially.

Orophin beams, gesturing to the woman at his side. “Lavandil, these are the humans I was telling you about. Cosima and Alexander, this is my betrothed, Lavandil.”

Lavandil sets her excited gaze on both myself and Alex. “Hello, it’s so nice to meet you. Welcome to Imladris! We are pleased to have you here.” Her voice is warm, welcoming, and I find it impossible not to smile along with her, distressed though I am at Orophin’s clear distinction of me as ‘human’.

Orophin pulls out a chair for Lavandil and sits between her and Alex, who looks ridiculously uncomfortable in the presence of so many of these…humans. Though, I must admit, my resolve to call them that is steadily weakening.

Minutes later, Glorfindel enters the room accompanied by a demure man called Lindir. Haldir and Glorfindel fall into a spirited debate about patrol strategies and border security. Rumil piles something on my plate that he claims I have to try. He’s not wrong — it’s really good!

“So, Cosima, Alexander.” Lavandil props her elbow on the table and rests her chin on her hand, looking at us with interest. “Orophin says they happened upon you both near the river and that you haven’t any memories?”

All eyes converge on me and Alex. I don’t trust him to be polite, so I hurry to answer her question.

“Yes. We remember each other and tiny snippets of our home, but besides that, nothing.”

“How strange,” she muses, looking fascinated. “That must have been so shocking. How are you adjusting?”

I exhale slowly, playing for time. How am I adjusting? The weight of everyone’s eyes feels almost crushing. “It’s definitely a lot to get used to,” I say diplomatically. “But we’re really lucky to have run into good people who were willing to help.”

Despite his feelings towards our companions, Alex wisely remains silent. It would do us no good to offend our hosts.

Lavandil giggles, the sound bright and cheerful. “I’m glad they were helpful and not rude. I know Haldir has a tendency to interrogate first and help later. He’s slow to trust.” She shoots Haldir a teasing grin, to which he merely rolls his eyes, but his cheek twitches like he’s fighting a smile.

I try to suppress a grin. “Well, he wasn’t exactly warm and fuzzy, but he calmed down quickly enough.” I purse my lips, contemplating. “But now that I think about it, no one really left me unattended or gave me a weapon even though the trip was dangerous. Hold on, do any of you actually trust me?” I lean back in my chair and cross my arms, though I raise an eyebrow at Haldir to let him know I’m only kidding.

He shakes his head, huffing in mock exasperation. “We trust you now but at the start, how was I to know you weren’t some sort of spy?”

“A spy!” I huff. “I’m hurt. But moving on. Later, once you decided I was not a spy, how come no one gave me a knife or anything?”

Rumil chortles. “Have you seen the lines of your mending? You’re more likely to impale yourself than an enemy.”

I grumble indignantly. He’s right, but that doesn’t mean I have to tell him so.

Haldir quirks an eyebrow. “Would you like to learn? I can teach you.”

I think on this. Hmmm…do I need to learn how to use a weapon? Probably. But do I want to? Surprisingly, I find that the answer is yes. This world is obviously dangerous—I got a very real reminder of that just a few days ago—and I want to be capable in it. Haldir or the others might not always be there to defend me—I should learn how to protect myself.

“Yeah, I would. Thank you!”

Haldir nods, the edges of his mouth pulling into an expression of grim determination. I quickly discover why.

He’s psyching himself up, I realize with a quiet laugh.

He inclines his head towards Alex. “And you, Alexander? I can teach you as well.” By the gravity in his tone, it is clear Haldir’s offer is real, but begrudging.

Alex takes a bite of fruit. “No thank you.”

That’s to be expected. Though Haldir was angry earlier and probably overreacted, he did make a good point when he said that Alex has yet to make an effort to adjust to life here. He’s stayed on the edge of things since the moment we encountered him, always keeping one foot out the door.

A voice warns me that, rather than criticizing Alex, I should have been doing the same.

Elrond motions for an attendant to refill my glass of water. “Baranor says you were attacked in the mountains? That must have been very frightening.”

Flashes of grotesque beasts and shining swords enters my mind and I shrink away from the images. I know we’re safe inside these halls but the fear is still there, lurking at the edges of my thoughts.

Haldir cuts in and I realize I have been silent for longer than is polite. “We were attacked, yes, by about eighteen orcs, wouldn’t you say?”

Rumil and Orophin both nod — I didn’t even know they had a count. I had been focused trying to dodge the blades and arrows. To me, it seemed there was an endless stream of the monsters. Haldir continues. “We killed them all and had no trouble for the rest of our journey. It does make me wander though,” his eyes dart to mine and then quickly away. “Such a large party so close to your borders? Is that common these days?”

“Yes.” Elrond nods gravely. “We have seen an increase in scouting parties and attacks. Just last month, a fully armed company of forty attempted to breach one of our southeastern border stations.”

“No,” Orophin breathes, gripping Lavandil’s hand tightly, a stricken look of horror stretching his face.

She brushes his concerns aside. “Oh, I’m fine. I was up north visiting my mother at the time. I didn’t even know the attack had occurred until I returned home.”

Orophin’s reaction worries me. I lay my fork on my plate, appetite fading as fear gnaws at the edges of my gut. “That’s unusual?”

Haldir shakes his head. “It is not unusual to encounter orcs at the borders, but an armed, prepared, planned attack of such a large number is…telling.” He avoids my gaze.

My body runs cold. “Telling of what?”

“Sauron,” Elrond says simply.

“That name means nothing to them,” Orophin reminds him, still looking at his love. He holds so much concern in his eyes—and a measure of fear—and I wonder just how big of a threat this is. Is Lavandil in danger? Is Elrond? Are we?

Elrond elaborates. “Sauron is a being of great power and even greater evil. He was defeated once before, but whispers of his presence have been heard throughout the realm. I believe he is growing in power again, gathering his armies. He is preparing.”

I drop my hands into my lap, gripping the edges of the chair in an attempt to find an anchor. Across from me, Alex has gone pale.

I don’t have to ask what this being is preparing for. It’s obvious. He’s preparing for war.

If the orcs weren’t bad enough, now we’ve got an evil power looming over us all? I wonder…is my homeworld safer than this?

Glorfindel raises his glass of deep red wine. He holds a steely, almost feral glare in his golden eyes and, suddenly, I am very, very afraid of him. “As quickly as he rises, so shall he fall.”

All aside from Alex and me raise their goblets, a forceful, “hear, hear” resounding through the room of stone. My eyes meet Alex’s. He raises an eyebrow as if to say, what do you want to do?

And I know my answer.

I want to go home.

A/n Thanks for reading! Likes, comments, and reblogs make my day! Let me know if you would like a tag :)

|next part|

|masterlist|

Tolkien tag list: @anangelwhodidntfall @eru-vande

Haldir tag list: @tolkien-apologist

Double Heart tag list: @lainphotography @themerriweathermage @thophil2941btw @kenobiguacamole @wishingtobeinadifferentuniverse @from-patroclus-with-love @boywivlove @ordinarymom1 @my-darling-haldir @sweet-bea-blossom @moony-artnstuff

[baby-grayson]

okay but imagine the after care once they get home from the hospital 🥺 ness trying to help him up the stairs but it’s really just ethan, and then all the head messages he gets

((changing this just a little bit because I am saving coming home from the hospital for the next part but I hope you like it just the same))

Grayson Dolan was a proud man. His voice sounded like a mighty roar and his presence filled any room he walked into. His pride seeped into this greatest fault: his fear of being helpless, of being vulnerable. He avoided admitting weakness at every chance he got, even in front of Vanessa and Ethan. At times, this fault often led him to being bombastic and defensive. After his first fall, when he was suffering from a minor concussion and couldn’t turn the lights on, his pride withered away as Ethan had to guide him to the bathroom and stop him from stepping into the toilet when he needed to pee.

“M’okay bro,” Grayson muttered, “I’m okay.”

“Yeah, sure you are buddy,” Ethan resigned and leaned a sturdy hand on Grayson’s back as he aimed into the toilet but missed and made a puddle on the floor. Ethan shuddered in disgust, but he didn’t say anything as Grayson leaned on the counter to hold himself up while he washed his hands. Ethan guided his brother back to his and quickly went to clean the puddle in the bathroom before Vanessa found out.

After a handful of bathroom trips using the buddy system, Grayson’s shame subsided. However, he was not a fan of showering using the buddy system. Ethan would stand on the other side of the curtain, leaning against the bathroom door and playing on his phone while Grayson sat in a folding chair, in the dark, trying to wash himself as best as he could. When he was done, he would move to shut the water off but accidentally spray himself with a frigid shower or an aggressive thermal assault and yell for Ethan’s help. Ethan would quickly shut off the water and wrap a towel around Grayson to escort him to his bed.

Grayson laid on his bed, his wet hair dripping onto his pillowcase. He felt defeated. Something about having his brother walk his naked body the ten steps from the bathroom to his bedroom made him feel like less of a man. He wallowed in his shame, letting it poison his mind until everything inside of his eyelids was as dark as the space outside of them.

He heard Vanessa’s footsteps come to his doorway. “Hey,” she started shyly, “Are you up for dinner?”

Grayson sighed into his pillowcase. This week was the first time in their year long relationship that Vanessa was cooking. Prior that week, her cooking consisted of burning chicken nuggets, serving hard pasta, and ordering pizza with UberEats. Seeing her in the kitchen amused Grayson, she was sticking to pastas and mac’n’cheese but he was honestly impressed by how hard she was trying to make his life easier during his injury.

Grayson groaned and sat up, his towel sank lower on his hips, “Not really if I’m being honest.” He didn’t need to turn the lights on to see her face fall, “I’m just not hungry, but can you save me a bowl for later?”

“Yeah,” Vanessa said quietly and turned to go back into the kitchen. She stopped herself and walked further into Grayson’s room. She sat on the edge of the bed and lightly ran her fingers over his, “How are you feeling? Are you getting better?”

Grayson shrugged and ran a hand over his face, “Not really, I mean—I feel the same. But it’s not getting worse.”

“Mm,” she hummed and playing with her fingers against his, “I’m sorry I can’t do more. I wish—I wish I could something to take the pain away.”

Grayson chuckled, “You’re doing so much,” he wanted to lean over and kiss her but was unsure of where her face was in the darkness. “It’s just my head,” he groaned again.

Vanessa leaned forward and stretched out a tentative hand, laying it on the top of his head when she found it in the dark. She brushed her thumb against the side of his temple, where his hair usually swooped down in his iconic flop.

“Mmfeels good,” he commented in a resigned tone, he leaned his head down to give her more reach.

She circled her fingers in his hair, rubbing at the natural curves of his head. His wet hair felt soft between her fingertips. She smiled softly, starting to appreciate this new kind of vulnerable intimacy she had found with Grayson. She chuckled when he bent his entire upper body forward, giving her free reign to use both of her hands to massage circles into his head and down the back of his neck.

“You’re the bestNess,” his words blended into each other and came out like a moan. She responded by leaning down to place a gentle kiss on the top of his head before continuing to massage his scalp. She swore she could see the twinkle in his eye through the darkness when he moaned softly, “My sweet girl.”

[paradife-loft]

Worth

Well, this intended to start out being for a prompt, but then.... I guess my brain decided that “Jiang Cheng and Jin Guangyao” was the actual real prompt and it didn’t have to incorporate any of the material from any of the days of the prompt lists. Whatever, I’m still gonna include it in my October fic series. I wrote it in October, after all... D: Also hey, it’s my first time writing Jiang Cheng! Hopefully he didn’t come out too poorly /o/

-----

When a-Ling had been checked over once more for injuries; the Jin servants disappeared upstairs to help put him to bed, and the innkeep paid for the meal and rooms, Jin Guangyao found himself unusually alone, in the waning candlelight, with Jiang Wanyin.

Despite the shock of more, wilier, and more unusual, elementals lurking around the mountain village than any of their information had prepared them for, he had no substantive signs of damage on him. The hardest blow he had presumably taken was the one to his pride, having to send a flare up for reinforcements when it turned out that a-Ling staying back in a secured area while Jiang Wanyin dealt with the ambush wasn’t going to work if their assumptions on what counted as safe couldn’t be fully trusted.

Even so, he seemed to have recovered admirably well by now, wiping down his sword from the sticky, hallucinogenic sap expelled as he carved a swathe through the engorged plant monsters, and no displeasure besides the usual evident in his face.

As the last of the Jin disciples filtered out of the room, Jiang Wanyin glanced up to Jin Guangyao, still waiting. His expression flickered, and then he sheathed Sandu and stood. Jin Guangyao smiled slightly.

“Please excuse this one borrowing another moment of Jiang-zongzhu’s time. I simply wished to impress explicitly once more, the Jin sect’s apologies for the unexpected encounter you and a-Ling had to suffer. We will of course not bear any fault from his care in mind, going forward.”

Jiang Wanyin’s brow furrowed, before he nodded, with a short “thank you.” His gaze flickered over Jin Guangyao’s comportment, lingering for a fraction longer on the sleeve where he’d drawn a hidden qin string from during the earlier battle, before piercing it through one of the elementals and using the vibrations from his hand to disrupt the creature’s spiritual energy, until it had practically dissolved into the earth.

“I was wondering where all that steel I saw in you at Qinghe went, once you put those Jin robes on,” Jiang Wanyin said a moment later. “Doesn’t seem like Jin-zongzhu makes as much use of you as he could, just having you greet guests and arrange banquet tables.”

Of all the things he’d expected him to say, that had not made the list. Jin Guangyao felt his stomach tense, and his face broke out into a brief flare of a smile, before he slid his gaze down and scraped the shape of his expression back from the cliff it felt like falling off of with the skin of his fingers. When he looked back up, he’d managed to return it, he hoped, to something more unremarkably thoughtful.

“I’m sure my father would appreciate any advice a fellow clan leader would have to give, next time you visit Koi Tower,” Jin Guangyao replied.

The look that emerged from Jiang Wanyin’s face after a few moments was, if nothing else, distinctly privately gratifying.

“Did a-Ling have any difficulties during the night-hunt, other than the unexpected numbers?” Jin Guangyao asked, after a few moments where neither of them spoke. Drawing his hands up in front of him, he set them together beneath the long drape of his sleeves. Jiang Wanyin shook his head at the new question, the furrow in his brow melting away slightly - until he’d returned to his ordinary level of prickliness - when he glanced up toward the stairs.

“No, he did well. I guess you Jins have been teaching him more than just fine manners and the history of all the cultivation lineages?”

Jin Guangyao inclined his head, letting the derisive implication slide past him. “We do take him and the other junior disciples on educational outings to our clan’s hunting grounds,” he said, patient and unruffled. It would do no harm to offer a few more drips of information to him, so clearly parched for any involvement in his young nephew’s education. “It allows them to observe the behavior of a wide variety of monsters, and the strategies our cultivators have developed to subdue them, all in relative safety - appropriate to each disciple’s age cohort, of course. If Sandu Shengshou has concerns, I could arrange a tour for him?”

Jiang Wanyin looked briefly surprised, and not for the first time, Jin Guangyao’s thoughts flashed to how much better he would do to learn to hide at least a fraction of his expressions. “Well, I mean, we’re all busy, I don’t want to get in the way for something trivial -”

“The satisfaction of a-Ling’s jiujiu in his education is of course not a trivial matter! It would be no trouble.”

(Or rather, it would; it would be yet another task added to his neverending list of them; but his father, he was quite sure, would have instructed him to extend the invitation if he were here, perhaps have him note a few minor suggestions Jiang Wanyin would wish them to make that wouldn’t have much true impact on the actual administration of the sect… Jin Guangyao found his own gaze wandering up toward the stairs to the inn’s second floor this time, and his emotions drifting in tandem toward envy of the small child now assuredly tucked into bed and, if his attendants were lucky, fast asleep - before he caught himself and fixed his eyes back onto Jiang-zongzhu’s face.)

Jiang Wanyin didn’t answer right away, looking at him consideringly for a few moments first. And then said, “Is that where you learned that trick with the elementals?”

“From the Jin sect hunting excursions?”

“Yeah.”

Jin Guangyao’s eyes flicked away from Jiang Wanyin’s, and he held his face still against the urge to bite at his bottom lip. The last time he’d been to the private hunting grounds outside Lanling, it had been to oversee and resolve a stock discrepancy. “Ah - not that one.”

“Oh? It’s pretty impressive, anyway. Not something I’ve seen.”

Jin Guangyao regarded him for a moment, contemplating what he knew of Jiang Wanyin’s own special techniques. His swordplay was widely-praised, of course, honed and matured on the bloody butcher’s floor of the Sunshot campaign; but his Zidian was an heirloom passed from Meishan Yu, rather than a relic directly chosen from the (now mostly-recovered) treasure chambers ensconced in Lotus Pier.

He smiled again. “Well, Yunmeng Jiang isn’t known for its musical cultivation techniques, if my experience hasn’t given a misrepresentative impression? Aside from your silver bells.”

And those were a rudimentary assay into the use of sound as a spiritual focus, certainly; but as far as making sound itself the instrument rather than a conductor alone, they didn’t approach the subtlety of even the children’s exercises taught by Gusu Lan. No, the Jiang sect’s unique strengths, aside from its once-head disciple, were sure to lie elsewhere.

But Jiang Wanyin looked back, his brows drawing up as if surprised, or not sure whether to be offended. “Most sects aren’t,” he replied. “Mostly, we focus on a strong grounding in the traditional disciplines, and plenty of practical experience - not so much specialisation in just one style.”

Which fit well with the easy popularity of the sect, allowing them to so effectively rebuild thus far, Jin Guangyao agreed. If what they wanted was for people to put in the work, and what they offered was more practical to the lives of the area’s villages than just the status that came with the prestigious possibility of secret techniques - not surprising that even now, they would do well.

And Jiang Wanyin, for all that the advantages of delicate political trades shirked him at a wide berth, was nonetheless dedicated to his work, and did not make frivolous demands of others while refusing to see them done himself.

“It’s a worthy philosophy,” Jin Guangyao finally returned - expression genial, even if his mood was no better. “A solid foundation is of course the most important basis for all later cultivation techniques.”

He paused, as if considering something, then added, “A-Ling would surely benefit from a longer period of time immersed in Lotus Pier’s training style, for that matter. Perhaps in a month or two, you might discuss it with my father? It would surely help maintain the strength of the bond between our sects.”

If Jiang-zongzhu had looked surprised before, it paled before the hopeful delight that spread, almost disbelieving, across his face this time. “Really? You think so?”

“Not immediately; it may be difficult for him to agree too soon after tonight. But with time and caution…” Jin Guangyao trailed off. An invitation for Jiang Wanyin, into the closed realm of private understanding and accordance created between them in doing so. Not that they were on any same side in truth; not with Jin Guangyao’s own responsibilities, which would be served just as well by Jiang Wanyin’s openness to being strung along even further in search of scraps. But everyone was flattered to think himself half of a closed mutual agreement - and it would not surprise him for Jiang Wanyin to be even moreso than others.

And indeed, he nodded, taking Jin Guangyao’s meaning well. He sobered, then, drawing himself up and letting one hand settle on the pommel of his sword, as if to reinforce in Jin Guangyao’s eyes the image of him as a capable, responsible leader of one of the four great sects.

But a moment after, he seemed to soften, handing over an expression nearly of gratitude with surprising ease. “Lianfang-zun,” he said. “Thank you for taking care of Jin Ling.”

The words settled over him like dust before sinking in, and Jin Guangyao’s eyes widened, just a fraction, despite himself. They were said with all apparent seriousness, and even so, he couldn’t help but look, instinctively, for the cutting implication the sentiment must have encased.

But he maintained his smile, empty, in the meantime; polished it with an almost demurring acceptance given only half of his attention. And at the end - he didn’t, or couldn’t, find anything truly objectionable about the gratitude to shred against the sharp skin of his soul. Jiang Wanyin, likewise ever sharp with his tongue on all other occasions, apparently meant it.

Jin Guangyao took a slow breath in, wavering in his lungs, and looked away.

[dalamjisung]

it’s an emergency! ❊ mark tuan

word count: 5147

genre: hospital!au, fluff

member: ER doctor!mark x clumsy!reader

description: what happens when a clumsy artist (literally) falls for the handsome ER doctor?

“We have three from a car crash coming in!” 

“Help! Someone help my husband please!”

“He’s crashing!”

The voices screaming around you mashed into one loud noise and you can’t help but flinch, holding your friend’s hand as tight as possible. You didn’t quite understand why you were at the Emergency Care Unit, but your friend insisted– you had taken quite a fall at your building’s stairs and although your felt fine, you hit your head hard enough to worry her. You also think this is her using you as an excuse to meet the people she refers to as her “future bosses.” As a med student, her dream was to work with the Emergency Surgical Team, and this might just be her chance to put her name out there.

“I don’t need to be here,” You whisper, flinching when someone else shouts. “Look at these people, Sora, they really need help! I’m fine! I can just sleep it off–”

“You’re not fine,” She says calmly, looking straight into your eyes, and you know she’s examining you. “You are dizzy and you vomited on your way over here. Chances are you have a concussion; and if I’m correct, which I always am, the last thing you can do is sleep.”

“Excuse me, ma’am,” Someone calls from behind you and you try to move fast enough to the nearest wall, but your body feels heavy and you are pretty sure you are sweating. You kind of walk, kind of fall on the wall and smile to the doctor that rushes past you, offering you a nod and nothing else.

“This is ridiculous,” Sora mutters. “We’ve been here for hours! Excuse me, my friend needs medical attention!”

“Everyone here needs medical attention, babes,” You chuckle and you start feeling sick with the atmosphere. The noise, the lights, the people; you just wanted to leave. You look at the old lady behind you, and she is oddly quiet for someone who looks like they’ve been crying. “Are you alright, ma’am?”

She shakes her head and points to her shoulder. “I fell.”

You nod, and you wait. It takes another thirty minutes until someone finally walks to you, clipboard and gauze in their arms.

“Hi, how can I help you?” The nurse asks, already pulling out her pen to start taking notes.

“Can I you check on that woman first?” You choke out. “I just heave a headache, but I think she’s in a lot of pain. I can wait.”

“Ma’am,” The nurse looks at you surprised. “I don’t–"

“I’m fine, really,” You mutter. “I can wait ten more minutes, it’s not a pro–“

Just as you are about to finish your sentence, a wave of nausea hits you and you have just enough time to lean over to the trash can, emptying anything you had left on you. 

“She hit her head,” You friend states firmly. “She needs help.”

“Nurse, go check on the other patient– I’ll take care of this one.”

You look up to see the same doctor as before. Blue scrubs, white coat, dark hair. He nods at you again, and proceeds to shine a light on your eyes. 

“What happened?” He asks, and as your vision returns to normal you look at the embroidery on his coat pocket. Mark Tuan. 

“She fell down the stairs,” Your friend says. “She seems to be okay besides the hit she took to the head.”

“How hard?”

“Hard enough that I could hear it.”

Dr. Tuan nods once again and you feel yourself getting anxious. Your breathing picks up and he notices it, but still no smile. No reassuring words. No nothing. 

“We’ll have to get a CT scan,” He says to a nurse passing by. “Prep her and send her to me after you’re done.”

It all happens a little too fast for you and the cold and dark imaging room freaks you out enough that you have a mild panic attack. You don’t know what is happening and no explained it to you, simply throwing you around as if you were nothing much, an object. The nurse can’t calm you down and when she offers you a sedative, you hold it in– the panic, the helplessness, the fear, everything. Scared that she’d refer you to the Psychiatric department, you comply silently to everything she says. You know you are not being rational; you know she’d never forcibly drug you unless you are a danger to yourself or others, but they have things to do and you feel incredibly intimidated and alone and you think that cooperating will make everything go faster. 

“It’s only a concussion, Y/N,” You whisper to yourself as you wait in another cold and dark room, your friend somewhere around the hospital looking for some food. “Stop being a goddamned coward.”

“Miss Y/L/N?” 

Your turn your head too fast and it hurts, but you push it down too. “Yes?”

“Follow me,” Dr. Tuan squints at you and, as he notices your struggle to get yourself moving, offers your his arm as support. You walk to a nearby office, where a nurse and another doctor wait inside. “This is Nurse Han and Dr. Park. He is from the Psychiatric department, and I called him here because there are some things I needed to clarify before proceeding with the diagnosis.”

“S-Sure,” You gulp. “What’s up?”

“It shows here,” Dr. Tuan says pointing to your file. “That this is the fourth time you’ve been here. This month.”

“That is correct,” You offer him a small smile. “Sorry about that– I know they are all minor injuries but–“

“No need to apologize,” And for the first time, you feel at ease, mainly because Dr. Tuan widens his eyes and something about it just makes him look soft. “No need to apologize at all. We just wanted to make sure that these injuries happened... naturally.”

“Uh, what do you mean?” You frown, confused. 

“What Dr. Tuan is trying to ask,” Dr. Park steps in, eyes piercing into your soul, looking for the slightest falter in your body language. “Is if you are having some trouble at home– with whomever you live with. We have resources at the hospital to help in cases of abuse and–“

“Abuse?!” You shriek. “No, no no no, not at all! I live by myself, I don’t even have a boyfriend! I’m just really clumsy.”

They all just stare at you, surprised with your outburst. 

“I swear I’m okay,” You smile. “I promise. It makes me really happy that the hospital cares for its patients like this, but I’m not suffering from any kind of abuse. I just can’t seem to be able to get the hang of basic human functions like walking down the stairs.”

“Well, in that case,” Dr. Park smiles and he looks relieved. “I’ll get back to my patients. See you later Mark. Miss.”

“Now that we got that cleared out,” Dr. Tuan coughs uncomfortably, his cheeks slightly blushed and you giggle a bit. “You’ll have to stay here for a few hours, Miss Y/L/N. We need to check on you from time to time just to be sure that your condition is stable. During that period, we’ll just ask that you stay awake and in case of pain we’ll give you some Ibuprofen. Thankfully, this is your first concussion and it was a mild hit, so you should be fine in a couple of hours. Nurse Han will take you to a a resting room, and we’ll let your friend know where you are. Any questions?”

“No, thank you,” You sound calmer and more relaxed now that you understand your situation. “Thank you Dr. Tuan.”

“Just doing my job,” He nods, and you nod too, understanding that you won’t get anything other than this. “I’ll check on you soon.”

                                                       —————————

The resting room has many beds and you feel slightly uncomfortable in there, trying your best to not make any noise so that you wouldn’t disturb other people. Your friend, on the other hand, chats the time away with some of the other patients, making them laugh their worries away. 

“You’ll be a great doctor one day,” You tell her once she’s done her round of jokes and is back by your side. “I am sure of it.”

“I hope so,” She smiles. 

“You calm people down,” You tell her. “I really wish someone would’ve calmed me down earlier.”

“I still can’t believe that nurse didn’t help you,” She grumbles. “She’d bad at her job.”

“Don’t say that,” You chastise. “She’s probably tired and overwhelmed with patients.”

“Everyone is, but that doesn’t mean you can slack on the job,” You find gives you a pointed look. “Dr. Tuan seems great though, even if he’s a bit too serious for my liking.”

“He is, isn’t her?” You giggle. “But that’s okay, he’s been really good to me.”

“Oh, I’m sure he has,” Sora wiggles her brows and you slap her shoulder playfully. “What? You can’t deny he’s handsome.”

“Never said he wasn’t,” Now you’re the one wiggling your brows. “But let’s all be professionals here. He is your future boss, after all.”

This leads Sora to talk about medial school and the hospital for a couple of hours, and she barely notices Dr. Tuan coming to check on you a few times. As time passed, you found yourself drawing on the back paper your found next to your bed. As an artist, this is a habit you developed during your college days, when you had to practice still life and movement for drawing class. Doodling makes the time pass faster and before you know it, you are being released. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t dying to get some sleep, but you were glad that you had proper medical attention, or else you’re not sure what would’ve happened. 

“Miss Y/L/N,” Dr. Tuan calls as you as putting your shoes. “Here; these for your headaches. You can’t take anything that contains Aspirin, but you should be good with just Ibuprofen. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to contact the hospital.”

“Thank you so much, Doctor,” You smile at him as your friend made sure to listen to every word carefully. 

“No problem,” He nods and looks at the bed you just got up from. “Wait, is that your chart?”

“My chart?!” You look back at the paper sheet you left on the bed, completely unaware of the similarities in between the man and the drawing. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even realize it was something important!”

And you finally hear it– a laugh. Dr. Tuan’s eyes shine as he looks at the drawing, laughing in the process. 

“This is certainly something I want on file,” He smiles and you finally understand why he didn’t do it before. 

Mark Tuan just has one of those smiles that when it’s directed towards you, it makes you feel special. One smile from him and you already felt invincible. 

“Can I keep this?” He asks, giggling and oh my god you giggling too. You nod, smiling wide. “Can you sign it?”

You laugh at this and you feel as if the room stops, everyone looking at you guys’ interaction. Nurse Han has surprise written all over her face, and so does your friend. You give him the paper back and thank him once again. 

“Well, goodbye then,” You mumble. “I’ll make sure to contact the hospital in case I feel sick.”

“Please do,” He breathes out and is that a blush? “Goodbye.”

The drive home is ridiculously silent and it’s only after you enter your apartment, with your friend in tow, that she starts.

“What the fuck was that?!” She laughs out loud. “There was so much tension in that room, what the actual fuck?”

“You think so?” You ask nervously. 

“I know so!” Sora smiles, pointing at you. “You like that, huh? You have a crush on the doctor!”

“I mean…” You try to come up with an excuse but you know that there is no lying to her. “I mean, who doesn’t?! Have you seen him? He is so beautiful– and his smile! Oh my god, his smile, Sora–“

“Ha!” She exclaims. “I knew it! He is totally your type…”

“But am I his type?” You bite your lip, frowning over your childlike behavior. You just met him and you already have a crush on the cute doctor.

“Why don’t you call him and ask?” Sora winks and runs away before you can hit her with a pillow. 

Laughing, you go to your room to rest and finish some work. 

That wouldn’t be such a bad idea, though…

                                                      —————————

You call him three days later but not for the reason he thinks you are calling. Nurse Han runs around the Emergency Unit after him but what she doesn’t know is that Mark is running late because his alarm broke. So you sit in the waiting room, your friend panicking and it all feels weirdly familiar. 

“I am so sorry, but I think he’s not here yet,” She says looking around the empty room. Today is a very mellow day at the ER and it feels much better than the last time. “Ah, what should I do?”

“Uh, I am sure any doctor could help us,” You smile tightly, feeling your hands being crushed by your friend. “She’s in a lot of pain.”

“Where is the pain?” Nurse Han asks already testing for head injuries and finding none. “What happened?”

“Goddamned biker,” Sora says through gritted teeth. “Hit me.”

“She was crossing the road and a person riding a bicycle wasn’t paying attention and hit her,” You explain better. “I think she messed up her shoulder when she fell, so I brought her here.”

“Oh my,” Nurse Han inspects the bruises forming on Sora’s skin already and frowns. “Yeah, I think I can call our Physician if you’d like…”

“Nurse Han, what’s going on?” 

You turn around in time to see Doctor Tuan walking in the room and there is something about seeing him in casual clothing that made you want him even more. His blue sweater made his hair even darker and you don’t think you’ve ever been this attracted to someone before. 

“Y/N?” His shock is visible– and audible, since he doesn’t call you by your first name out of politeness. “Is everything okay? Are you experiencing any side effects? Headache? Dizziness? Let me take a look at you–“

“Wrong patient,” You smile, chuckling. “This time I’m here with my friend, she’s the one hurt.”

“Oh, thank god,” You hear him muttering before he’s composed again. He nods at her and you hold in your laughter. “I mean, not thank god, but I’m glad you’re not hurt... you get me. What’s wrong?”

“She had a collision with a biker and her shoulder seems to have been dislocated,” Nurse Han says and it takes him only some prodding and poking to nod in that familiar way. “Should I call Dr. Wang?”

“Please do,” Dr. Tuan says and then looks back at Sora. “I’ll pop your shoulder back, but you will need physical therapy after. Our attending physician is really good, so I’ll redirect you to him.”

“Oh my god this will hurt so fucki-“ Before she can finish her sentence, the shoulder is back in its place and you think she might have broken your hand. “Shit!”

“I’ll take you to Dr. Wang,” Nurse Han says and looks at you. “Would you like to accompany her?”

“Yes, please,” You smile and get up. Before leaving, you turn back to Dr. Tuan. “Excuse me, doctor?”

“Yes?” He asks eagerly. 

“Technically speaking,” You mutter, too embarrassed to look him in the face. “I’m not your patient anymore, right?”

“Uh, n-no,” He says, eyes wide. “Technically speaking, you’re not.”

“Oh, good,” You feel your palms starting to get sweaty and you rub them on your jeans. “Then–“

“GODDAMN IT!” You hear your friend screaming in pain and you jump from the scare, sighing in defeat. 

“Then I’ll see you later,” You smile tightly, knowing that you missed your chance. 

“Wait, Y/N,” He extends his hand, stopping you before you can turn around. “My lunch time is in a couple of hours, and I know that Jackson– I mean, Dr. Wang– takes his time examining his patients, so would you like to grab something to eat? I know the food here isn’t the best, but it’s better than not eating at all, y-you know? And as a recovering past patient, nutrition is very important so that you can maintain a healthy condition and have a smooth rest… and I could also check for any remaining side effects! I think–“

“I’ll see you then,” You laugh, winking at him as you leave to find your friend. “Dr. Tuan.”

Turns out Dr. Wang not only is best friends with Dr. Tuan, but he is also extremely attractive, and you wonder is it’s something about this hospital specifically– if you remember correctly, Dr. Park was also someone you’d call “attractive.”

“Okay, so this is not as good as it could be,” He smiles widely and you think you are blinded by his light. The contrasting personalities are crazy, considering how shy Mark’s smile is. Mark, you think, getting all giddy inside. I like calling him Mark. “But it’s also not as bad as it could be. We’ll have to work on it for about a month, twice a week, but you’ll be good as new once you’re done.”

“Sounds good, Doctor,” Sora smiles.

“Just to be sure, I’d like to get an X-Ray,” You nod, listening carefully. “It’s already lunch time, so I’m sure it’ll be quick. Nurse Kim can help you and bring you back.”

Then he looks at you. 

“Don’t you have somewhere to be?” Dr. Wang asks in a teasing tone, and smiles. “Dr. Tuan asked me take you to his office first, he wants to make sure you are well recovered.”

“Oh, you don’t have to, I’m sure I can find my way,” He nods and you wave goodbye. “I’ll be back to pick her up after.”

“I promise that I’ll take good care of your friend,” He laughs. “Now go.”

Finding Mark’s office was a little too easy and you blush a little as you enter, seeing him behind his desk, immersed on something on his computer. 

“Ah, Y/N,” He smiles that shy smile and you are so happy that he’s now comfortable enough to do that. “Come in, I’m just finishing some work.”

“I can come back if you want?” You hope you didn’t sound as disappointed as you feel. 

“Not at all, just give me a minute,” He motions to the chair and you sit in comfortable silence. “Okay, let’s take a look at that head.”

You recognize the procedures from before and he nods approvingly, tongue peeking out from his lips and you almost coo at how adorable he looked. 

“Everything looks great!” His eyes smile with him, this time, and you smile back. “You are officially recovered.”

You chatter animatedly in his office and lunch hour flies by. You feel a little guilty once you realize that you’ve taken all of his time to eat, knowing that hospital shifts are usually hectic and they don’t have much personal time, if any, so you insist you two walk to the vending machine where he can at least grab a snack.

“I’m really sorry, Mark,” You say for what feels like the millionth time. “I really don’t know what happened and–“

“Time flies by when you’re having a good time,” He says. “I’d say we were having a good time, Y/N.”

You are shocked with his boldness, but you nod, nonetheless. Just as you reach the machine, you see Sora and Dr. Wang talking and you wave them over. 

“Y/N,” Dr. Wang says excitedly. “Sora just told me about Saturday! You must be excited!”

“Uh,” You are taken aback with how friendly this man already was with you, but you smile anyways, enjoying the casualty of it all. “Yeah, I’m really excited…”

“What’s happening this Saturday?” Mark asks confused. 

“You guys talked all this time and you didn’t mention?” At that, you look at Sora with eyes that promised a lecture after. “It’s her art expo, dude. Sora invited us.”

“Did she, now, Dr. Wang?” You smile dangerously. 

“Oh, please, call me Jackson,” He laughs. “You’re not my patient.”

“You’re an artist?” Mark asks and you see the wheels turning in his head. “Actually, that makes a lot of sense… that drawing you made is really good.”

“The one on your desk?” Jackson asks with innocent eyes and mischievous smile.

“That one,” Mark deadpans. 

“I’m glad you like it,” You chuckle. “And yeah, I’m an artist. I hope you guys can make it to the exhibition, if you are not too busy with medical things…”

“We’ll be there!” Jackson promises and Mark nods. “Even if we’re late.”

“Promise?” You joke.

“Promise,” Mark says, and you know there and then, that he has no intention in breaking that promise.

                                                      —————————

The week passes without you seeing or even hearing from the handsome doctor. Sora, on the other hand, would see him every week, whenever he walked by to say hi during her therapy sessions or when Dr. Wang– Jackson– would talk about him. How those two think they are smooth goes beyond you, but with the exhibit coming up you couldn’t really accompany Sora to the hospital like she wanted you to, and you had to focus on the upcoming event.

“Are you nervous?” Sora asks as you two arrive at the gallery. This isn’t your first exhibit and she knows, having been there for all of them– you know what she’s talking about. 

“Yes,” You laugh, looking at around to see your work in every wall. It filled you with pride, to this day, every time you successfully finished a collection. “Oh my, I never felt this nervous before.”

“He’ll love it,” She whispers in your ear.

“How’d you know?” You ask, freaking out. “What if he’s not into art?”

“I doubt that,” Sora laughs and turns you around, to where Mark is standing with Jackson, pointing at the large painting. With them, two other men stand to the side, observing one of your few drawings. “Hey guys!”

You shush her as people start looking at you, them included. Their smiles could light up the room, and you think you might just tell your single friends to attend that hospital. 

“Y/N, congratulations!” Jackson shouts excitedly, hugging you tight. His friend, taller than the rest, face palms himself, pulling the doctor away from you.

“I’m sorry for him– sometimes he gets too excited and forgets about personal space,” His friend laughs. “Nice to meet you, I’m Yugyeom. I work with these idiots.”

“Oh, so both of you are doctors, too?” You ask impressed. 

“Yeah,” His friend nods. “I’m Jaebeom. I work in the Neurosurgery department, and this big baby here is with Pediatrics.”

“I’m Y/N, and this is Sora,” You shake their hands. “I hope you enjoy the exhibit!”

“Everything is beautiful, Y/N,” Mark finally speaks up. “Thank you for having us.”

“Thank you for coming,” You smile, inching closer. “It means a lot.”

Everything works out wonderfully; you sell a few paintings, the boys stay until the end, and you all end up in a bar nearby, celebrating a successful night. After a few drinks, you and Mark were flirting shamelessly. You both sat in front of each other and, ignoring everyone else, you two talked as if there wasn’t other four people in the table; and they also let you be, poking fun in between them, but never interrupting your chat. 

“You know,” Mark says taking a sip of his beer. “There was this one painting I saw tonight, and I was wondering if it had been sold.”

You laugh. “You want to buy my painting?”

“I do!” He defends himself, chuckling a bit. “It was colorful and peaceful at the same time; I loved it. Working in the Emergency Room can be, and usually is, a lot… you lose your faith in the world a bit. I think that if I have that painting in my office, it can help me relax and remember that there is a lot of good out there, too. You know which one I’m talking about? The one with light pink and dark blue and–”

“When’s your birthday?” You ask, suddenly. 

“In a couple of weeks, actually,” He squints at you. “Why?”

“Nothing,” You shrug, already texting the gallery’s manager to take that painting off the wall. She tells you she reserved it for you and you relax, knowing you can do something for this man that’s done a lot for you. 

“Did you just–“ 

“We gotta go,” Jaebeom calls. “There was a crash nearby and they need everyone on shift. Did everyone drink?”

They all nod, but get up anyways. 

“I drank a third of a beer, I’m good,” Mark says and his face is hard as stone. You sigh, knowing he’s back at doctor mode. “Were there kids involved?”

Jaebeom nods and Yugyeom pushes his cup away, putting his jacket in record time. 

“I’m really sorry,” Mark whispers to you as you all rush to pay the bill. “I wish I could drop you home but…”

“Hey, it’s okay,” You promise. “I completely understand; here, give me your phone.”

He does and you give him yours.

“Text me when you get home,” He begs, eyes sad.

“I will,” You smile, hoping to lighten the mood before he has to face more tragedies. “And you text me when you’re done, Doctor.”

“Will do,” He kisses your cheek and winks before running after his friends. 

Sora walks with you and promises to let you know once she��s home. Disappointed but overall happy, you change out of your fancy outfit in favor of your oversized sweatpants and sweatshirt. The TV is on but you can’t seem to focus on anything, always glancing at your phone in hopes of receiving a text. You understand that he’s probably really busy, being the head of the ER, so you try to not expect much, deciding that it’s better to not hope for anything then to get disappointed in the end. 

It’s around midnight that your phone shines, illuminating the dark room. Luckily, your insomnia kicked in and you were wide awake, replaying the events of the night over and over again, sometimes cringing at something you remember having said, or giggling at a face Mark made. Once the light of your phone washes the room, though, you forget all about the past hours and focus on the present, quickly unlocking your phone.

Mark: you promised you’d let me know once you were home >.<

He used an emoji. You couldn’t believe Mark Tuan, the stone faced doctor of the ER, used an emoji.

You: I’m sorry! I completely forgot!

You: Did you get off of work just now?

Mark: Yeah… I’m sorry if I woke you up

You: It’s okay, I wasn’t asleep

You: You must be really tired right now…

Mark: Not at all! We can talk more

Mark: If you’re not tired, that is!

You: Can you come over, then?

You: It’s an emergency!

And you are very aware that there are a thousand better words to use rather than “emergency,” especially with a doctor that spends his days performing surgery on emergency patients, but you couldn’t help but laugh at the irony.

Mark: Emergency??? What happened?

Mark: Are you feeling alright?

Mark: Send me your address, please!

Mark: Y/N!

You send him the address and for a second you almost feel guilty for setting him on a panic driven mission, but you console yourself with the hope that he’ll like the reward. It takes him exact seven minutes to make it to your house and you worry about him a little, knowing that on a good traffic day, it usually takes fifteen; however, you forget all about it when you see him at your door, hair messy and eyes wild. He is still wearing the clothes he had at the exhibit and you chastise yourself for changing into your sweats.

“Hey–“ You open the door a little bit but he gently pushes the rest of it open, walking in, and closing it with his feet. His hands are on your head instantly, searching for an injury. 

“What happened?” He asks and asks you to follow his finger with your eyes. “Do you feel sick? Did you get hurt again? How are you so clumsy, Y/N?”

Laughing, you hold both his hands and put them down, letting it go only when his arms are limp next to his body.

“I’m okay,” You say taking a step forward. It was now or never; you had to be brave. “It’s another kind of emergency.”

“W-what kind i-is it?” His stutter makes you smile, knowing you can break his stone face down. 

“Hm, the urgent kind,” Your lips graze his as you speak, and you think he stopped breathing. 

“If it’s that urgent why didn’t you call me before?” You can feel his confidence growing as one of his arms goes around your waist, and the other hand grabs the nape of your neck. 

“You were busy,” You know you sound lame but it’s true– you were afraid of messing up his work. 

“Never too busy for you,” And then he kisses you.

You think his kisses can be compared to his smiles; they are shy and gentle in the beginning, but once he gets comfortable, they are languid and familiar. They claim you in the most delicious of ways– your body, your mouth, your heart,– and all you can do is give; give everything he wants, even if that means giving your whole self. The things about Mark, though, is that although he takes it all, he gives his all, too; and you feel it, through the kiss, how much he wants to be yours. How much he wants you closer, and closer, and closer, until you’re pressed against your wall, trapped in his body.

You pull away first, laughing as he follows your mouth with his. 

“It’s late,” You whisper in between pecks. “Why don’t we go sleep?”

“Sleep?” He asks, blinking as if he never heard those words before.

“Or not,” You wink already walking to the bedroom. “Your choice, though you look like you have… an emergency.”

“You’re going to be the death of me,” He groans and runs after you. “Get back here!”

Safe to say, you trip on your way down the hall. But it’s okay; you have your stone faced doctor with you. 

------------------------

hello lovelies! This is the first story of the General Hospital Series I’m doing for GOT7! How’d you like it? I have been falling in love with Mark more and more each day ❤️ leave your thoughts in the comment section, it means the world to know what you thin of my story :P love you all and thanks for the support!

[writingfromkitchenator]

A Not So Dreamless Sleep ~ Part 3

A Crowley x Winchester!Sister OC

Lucy Winchester wakes up to a normal life, a life she had always wanted with a loving partner, a solid career with her brother, and a family that is complete.  The problem is, she’s knows that it was wrong, a feeling nagging away in the back of her mind, and once she figures out what is going on, the consequences bring up a whole new set of problems that she wasn’t quite ready to deal with.

Part 1 | Part 2

This is an 18+ story.  Warnings below.

Series Warnings: Suicide, talk of suicide (fair warning, the suicide isn’t technically real in the context of the story), angst, violence, torture, severe injuries, near death experiences, NSFW content, unprotected sex, fingering, plenty of fluff and teasing, mutual pining, minor touch starvation.

Words: 9,907

Part Warnings: Mild angst, mentions of wounds, character death, NSFW content, unprotected sex, fingering, plenty of fluff and teasing, mutual pining, minor touch starvation.

Part 3

Something felt weird as Lucy stirred from sleep.  She felt too comfortable, too at peace and warm…why was she so warm?

Moving slightly, she registers being buried underneath a duvet, a large, fluffy, duvet, and before she can help it, she yawns widely, reluctant to open her eyes.

She’d been through this before.

Lucy opened her eyes and recognised the room before her.  Sitting up, she looks around, the bed empty next to her, and her heart starts to beat a little faster.

This wasn’t real.

Letting out a deep breath, Lucy cautiously gets to her feet, wondering what to expect this time, her frown deepening as she heads down the stairs, trying to remember going after another Djin but coming up blank.

The sound of crying reached her, making her pause at the bottom of the stairs.

No…this was her nightmare again.

Slowly, her hand reached up and touched the back of her head, her fingers coming back covered in blood.

She lets out a shaky breath, telling herself that it wasn’t real, that this was just remnants from whatever the Djin had done to her, but it was a hard feeling to shake.  Lucy had expected it to get easier as time went on, but she already felt her chest starting to ache, knowing what she was about to see.

Lucy stood there for a long time, debating whether or not she could go through that again, but as if the whole thing was out of her control, her feet carried her forward.

Crowley was sitting at the table, his head in hands, sobbing, Juliet’s head resting in his lap, completely still, just watching him, her ears back.

Lucy wanted to say something, wanted to try and snap him out of this state of grief, but she knew it was pointless, she’d spent many nights trying, many nights crying along with him, but it all seemed to fall on deaf ears.  She had never expected this kind of thing after escaping a Djin, had thought that that existence would be over, and yet, here she was again, and she still had no explanation as to why.

Sighing, Lucy sits at the table, surrendering herself to another night of this, dread sitting in her heart that she knew it was going to get worse.  It hadn’t originally, although they still hadn’t been pleasant, but it was like her mind was punishing her for wanting this in the first place.

“Can you blame me?” She asked herself angrily, as if her subconscious would listen.  “Can you really blame me for wanting something normal?  I’m not stupid, I know my reality, but that doesn’t mean you can’t want something else too.”

She kept her gaze away from Crowley, knowing that it only seemed to make things worse, that it seemed to make things move quicker.  It broke a small part of her to see him like this all the time, real or not, and she knew that that was from the depths of her feelings, no matter how much she told herself that she should be ignoring those too.

Lucy leans back in the chair and stares at the ceiling, a defeated set in her shoulders, bitterness in her words.  “You could just get on with this you know?  There’s no point in dragging it out and making yourself suffer any longer.”

The only answer she received was Crowley continuing to cry.

“What is the point of showing me this again and again and again?”  She asked, closing her eyes.  “Is this punishment for everything I’ve done?  I haven’t gone to Hell or been possessed by archangel, instead I get these god awful dreams from a damned Djin memory that just keep happening night after night after night?”

She felt sick, her stomach twisting over and over.  Had the initial dream been different, had she realised sooner that she was trapped by Djin, then she wouldn’t have done it the way that she had, she would’ve made sure that she was alone, but she knew once she realised that time would be short, that either the Djin would notice or she would die.

Now this nightmare was the result.

Sighing, she tries to force herself to wake up, hoping that this time would be different.

Crowley’s crying had turned to deep shuddering breaths and she knew that it was only going to be a matter of time before the next steps happened, her feet always frozen in place, no matter where she followed him too.

Only, this time, it seemed it was different.

There was the creak of a door and Lucy cautiously looked up, this having never happened before, and she wondered just what her mind was going to throw at her next.

It seemed Crowley had also heard the door creak, looking up from the spot on the table, his eyes red, his voice hoarse.  “Hello?”

Lucy had never been on her feet so quickly in the dream before, Juliet growling by Crowley’s feet, Abaddon standing there grinning at them.

“What the fuck?”  Lucy said.  “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Abaddon’s grin turned purposefully to her, her eyes shifting black.  “You knew this would’ve happened eventually cupcake, no matter how perfect a life it was before.”

“No!”  Lucy tried to move as Abaddon went for Crowley, but her feet were firmly stuck to the ground.

Abaddon’s winks at her, her grip tight on the front of Crowley’s suit, Crowley struggling against the hold.  “Just take solace in that this would’ve happened with or without you here.”

Lucy fought and struggled as Abaddon started to laugh, a scream rising in her throat, helpless to do anything.

The dream swirled around her and Lucy’s scream continued in pain, her body arching, hands holding her down, shouts all around her that were nonsensical, alarmed, and tears sprung to her eyes before she could make any sense of it all.

“She’s seizing!”

“We need to stabilize her!”

“Her vitals are crashing!”

Lucy plunged back into darkness.

It was some time before she could process what had happened, sometime before her mind caught up with what her body was telling her, and once she had, it took a while before she find a way of comfortably dealing with it.

She was close to death, clearly what was happening outside, was keeping her alive, but for how long, or whether she’d recover, she didn’t know.

There was no acknowledgement of time, so she didn’t know how long she’d been like this, or how long her body had been recovering, but she was glad that there was at least some relief, apart from the initial one she had, there’d been no more nightmares.

A part of Lucy wondered why there was no Reaper to convince her that she was dying, that she had to let go, not that she would, she would much prefer living despite having accepted death in that initial moment, but still, she wondered.

There wasn’t a lot to do in her own little world either, and without the conscious knowledge of the passage of time, she often found herself wandering aimlessly, or sitting down and thinking about how long she’d been sitting there, before having to move again. It was a restless boredom sometimes, and for all the knowledge she had, she didn’t think that there was a way out of this.

In what felt like a small eternity later, sitting out on the swing on the porch in a sunset, something finally changed.

“I’m out here Crowley,” She said quietly, watching the door open out of the corner of her eye, a hesitant Crowley stepping out.  “I was wondering if I’d eventually have some sort of visit.”

Crowley frowns, carefully looking her over.  “You’re…aware that this is just in your head?”

Lucy nods.  “It took a little bit, but yeah.”

He screws his nose up a little and looked around the porch.  “And you chose to stay here ?”

She chuckles lightly and pats the swing next to her.  “It was the only home I ever really knew, no matter how little or how much time I spent here, it was the most consistent.  I’m sure Bobby wouldn’t mind.”

Crowley sighs and sits next to her on the edge of the swing, looking uncomfortable.  “Then why haven’t you come back?”

“I don’t know how,” She admitted.  “And it’s not for lack of trying either.  I guess a part of me is just not quite ready for it.”

He makes a thoughtful noise and follows her gaze out to the sunset, which wasn’t moving.

Lucy gives a soft sigh. “What are you doing here Crowley? I take it you got away from Sam and Dean?”

“Was there a doubt I would?” He asked, glancing at her, but then went silent for a long moment as he thought about her other question. “Honestly…I don’t know.”

She nods and stands. “Did you want a drink?  It mightn’t be real, but it still tastes the same, and I find feeling normal is better for dealing with all this.”

Crowley shakes his head, but then quickly grabs her hand as she goes to walk away, making them both freeze for a moment, before he slowly lets his hand drop.  “Please…stay…”

Lucy takes a breath, and then smiles at him.  “It’s not like I can go far.”  She returns to her seat and waits for a moment, but when the silence drags on, she decides to break it.  “How are things out there?”

“Not good,” He said, avoiding her gaze.  “You probably don’t remember the angels falling, but their system is now as chaotic as what Hell’s has become.”

“Abaddon?”  Lucy said.

Crowley nods slowly. “She didn’t take me surviving too kindly and my own alliances seem far and few between now, I can’t say I’m a fan of being on the run again.”

“Can you risk being here then?”  She said worriedly.  “Crowley, you need to-”

“I needed to know,” He said, cutting her off.  “I-I needed to know that you were alright.  Your brothers wouldn’t tell me.”

“Well, here I am,” She said with a small smile, which faded once he shot her a slightly annoyed look. “Out there though, I wouldn’t have a clue.”

Crowley drew in a deep breath and let out slowly.  “I’m not about to admit that I…may have gotten that information, but…” He glances at her.  “You were lucky that your leg was a clean break, although it’ll take a while to heal, the arm however, they’ve had to put multiple plates and bolts in to keep it together, how you managed to move it in that fight at all is a mystery to me but-”

He paused, realising that she was listening to him intently, and it took him a moment before he could continue.

“The worst wound was from the knife,” He said a little slowly.  “It punctured your lung and scraped against your heart.  You were…well, lucky doesn’t quiet cover it.” The next words came quickly. “What were you thinking going against Abaddon like that?”

Lucy shrugs, tucking her legs up on the swing.  “I’m a Hunter, it’s what I do.”

Crowley shakes his head. “No, this was more than that, I saw the way you fought in there, that wasn’t-wasn’t normal.”

“I…”  Lucy sighed and looked away from him.  “What did you want me to do Crowley?  Just sit back and let her do whatever she wanted to you?  She would’ve killed you if I hadn’t…and then who knows what she would’ve done to-to Sam and me after that.  I could hardly let that happen.”

There is an odd silence between the two of them, Crowley watching her.

“At the cost of your own life,” Crowley’s voice was quiet.  “You saved mine?”

Lucy shrugs it off. “Just repaying the favour.”

“It’s not the first time you’ve done it though.”

She went still and gave him a cautious sidelong look.  “What do you want me to say Crowley?”

“You tried to talk Sam out of doing it,” He said.  “And you didn’t want to be involved in the first place.”

“I was-I was trying to save Sam’s life,” She couldn’t look at him.  “And I’d just survived that damn Djin, I hardly needed a world ending crisis on…on…”

Crowley’s hand rested atop hers, stopping her.  “Lucy…”

She looked at him, nervousness in her gaze, and the two of them sit there for a long moment, wondering what to say next.  It dragged into an odd awkwardness and Crowley finally cleared his throat, moving his hand away.

“I’m glad you’re alright, even if it is in here.” He said softly, looking away.  “I wish I could do more for you, it doesn’t feel right, not having you out there.”

“I’m sure I’ll be on my feet again in no time,” She said.  “And thank you…for saving me.”

Crowley pauses and nods. “You’re welcome.”

Lucy licks her lips and decides to change the subject.  “So…how do you beat a Knight of Hell?  She seemed rather a pain in the arse to kill.”

“Your brothers are working on that,” Crowley said, seeming to relax a little.  “There’s certainly no easy way of doing it, but it seems your brothers are as stubborn as ever about it.”

“Well, I have to agree on being stubborn about this one,” She smiled at him when he frowns a little at her.  “Can hardly have someone that psychotic running Hell, I don’t think it would be good for business.”

Crowley chuckles after a moment and nods, leaning back on the swing.  “Indeed, none of it has been pleasant.  There’s going to have to be a lot of correcting once I’m back.”

“Do you want to go back?” She asked the question before she thought about it, heat creeping into her cheeks as she quickly shakes her head. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“It’s alright,” Crowley said.  “In all honesty, I’ve been asking myself the same question.”

Lucy looked at him curiously.  “Is this really the same demon I first met when he was just King of the Crossroads?”

He gives a soft laugh, shaking his head.  “I think I’ve spent too long around you, you’ve changed me.”

“Not too much I hope,” Lucy nudges him slightly.  “I’d still like to think you’d turn someone to dust if they pissed you off.”

“No, that I’d have no problem with.”

The two of them laugh after a moment and the silence that falls is much more comfortable for a moment, until both of them begin to think again.

Crowley clears his throat. “I probably shouldn’t stay too much longer, I’d hate to think of putting you in more danger than you’re already in.”

Lucy nods slowly. “Yeah…I guess that bitch burning my tattoo off hasn’t really helped that situation.”

“I could help with that,” He said quietly.  “If you wish.”

He moves before she can answer and Lucy stills as his hand rests on her forehead, a warmth creeping through her for a moment before easing away.

“It looks like I didn’t have much of an option,” She chuckles lightly, seeing his slightly nervous expression.  “Although, I would’ve thought that it would be better once you were out my head?”

Crowley brushes a strand of her hair back lightly, taking a small breath.  “I have a few more moments, but no other demon will be able to touch you now.  I…can, but with your permission.”

Lucy leans into his hand slightly, his thumb brushing along her cheek, before he seems to think better of it and stands quickly, avoiding her gaze.  “I should go.”

“Crowley,” He pauses as she stands after him, glancing back at her.  “Thank you.”

He nods slowly, uncertain.

She hesitates a moment, before resting a gentle hand on his arm and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. “I mean it.  Stay safe out there.”

All he can do is nod again, the rest of him standing very still as she smiles slightly at him and walks past, going inside, Crowley gone by the time the door had closed.

Lucy didn’t know whether Crowley would come back at all, but it had helped put her mind a little ease, knowing that he, Sam and Dean were, for the most part, alright, and somehow, she had the thought that this was easing her recovery on the outside world, that her body had relaxed without the threat there and giving itself time to heal.

As aches and pains began to settle back in, she knew it wouldn’t be long before she’d be back to consciousness.

It didn’t seem like too much longer and soon she was jerking awake in a hospital bed, choking momentarily on the tube down her throat before she managed to relax, waiting for a nurse to come in.

Lucy couldn’t move much, even after they removed all that they had to and did an initial check over. Even if her arm and leg still hadn’t been in casts, she doubted she would’ve been back on her feet right away, her body aching from having been motionless for so long, and they warned her, even as she asked for a phone, that it would be some time before she would be able to move about.

“Hello?”

“Hey little brother,” Lucy said a little tiredly on the phone.  “You boys been keeping busy without me?”

“Lucy?”  Sam exclaimed on the other end of the line.  “Holy shit, you’re awake?”

“No, I’m calling from my coma.”  She chuckles. “Has it really been that long since you’ve heard my voice?”

“You’ve been out for three months you crazy bitch,” Dean’s voice cut in.  “Next time you do that to us, you’re buying beers for just as long.”

“If we worked like that, you two would already owe me about three years’ worth of beers.”  Lucy laughed.  “So good luck getting away with that one.”

The two of them denied it, but eventually Sam talked again.  “We’ll come get you Luce, you’re going to be safer back here.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Lucy said.  “As much as I’d love to not be in a hospital bed, I can’t even stand on my own two feet at the moment, perks of a broken leg and having been motionless for a large amount of time.”

“We can’t leave you there Luce,” Dean said, his voice tense.  “With the things that have been happening, especially once they find out you’re awake, your life is going to be in real danger staying there.”

“What’s been happening?”

There was a moment’s pause, but eventually the two of them started talking. She pretended that it was all new information, and only asking questions when she needed to.

When they were done, she hummed thoughtfully for a moment.  “Well, you two better bring an invisi-pen, black light and some of those books you haven’t checked out.  We can ward this place to hell without the staff knowing easy enough, and I hate to think of leaving you guys alone on this.  Maybe bring me a phone and a laptop too, I’m sure there’s more I can do than just sit here.”

“Luce-”

“Come on Dean, what other choice have we got?”  She asked. “I know you’d feel better with me back in the bunker, but there’s not a chance that the doctors are going to let me go, so let me help how I can.”

Dean sighed.  “I don’t like it, but alright.  In the meantime, we hid an angel blade in your top draw, I recommend having it handy.”

“What was I going to do with an angel blade in a coma?”

“Just…shut up.  I felt better leaving it there.”

Lucy and Sam both chuckle.

“It’s good to hear your voice again Lucy,” Sam said.  “We’ll be there in a few hours.”

A few hours felt way too long, but she’d never smiled so much when she saw Sam and Dean walk in, who both looked more than relived, although both extremely tired.

Sam put a bag full of stuff down next to her bed.  “You should have everything you need in there, including some fresh clothes if you want to get yourself out in a hurry.”

“Feels a bit weird having you two look after me,” She said with a grin.  “I seem to remember it was always the other way around.”

“Don’t flatter yourself too much,” Dean said, sitting heavily in a chair.  “It’s not like we haven’t gotten you out of more situations than we can count.”

The three of them talked a little more, in which Lucy proceeded to learn more about the mark on Dean’s arm, one that had her more than a little curious, having never seen anything like it before.

“We can thank Crowley later,” Dean growled.  “But first we need to find the bastard again and find out whether he’s got the damned blade.”

“He’s been dark for a while,” Sam sighed.  “It’s been rather frustrating with it in the back of our minds when we hunt.”

Lucy looks between them. “You said he was on the run right? That can’t make life easy.”

“Luce, the guy practically loves the sound of his own voice, if he wanted to talk to us, he would.” Dean said.  “He didn’t even shut up when he was you, it was maddening, especially trying to drag Sam to the hospital as well.”

“He still helped though, didn’t he?”  She asked, making Dean shrug.  “Come on, you can’t keep denying that.”

“Abaddon wouldn’t have turned up if he hadn’t tried to call for help,” Sam said, looking at her casts guiltily.  “Which in turn almost got you killed.”

Lucy decided to drop it, instead paying attention to both of them looking at her casts.  “You two don’t need to worry about me.  The doctors said my arm should only need about another week and then the cast is free to come off, the leg will be a bit longer, but it’s all healing okay.  I’ll be out of here before you know it.”

They sat and talked until visiting hours were over, Sam and Dean quickly setting up wards around her room, using the black light to check them over before wishing her well and call if she needed them.

She waited a fair while after they left before she pulled out her phone, searching through her contacts and quickly realising she didn’t have the one that she wanted.  It took a few moments, but eventually her eyes narrowed as she had an idea.

Typing a number in, she then types and sends a message.

So, you visit me once, only for me to wake up and learn that you ghosted my brothers in trying to get rid of Abaddon?

For a few moments, nothing happened, then her phone buzzed.

Lucy?

No, Santa Claus.  Merry Christmas.  Ho. Ho. Ho.

Very funny love, how did you even get my number?

I made an assumption, one I’m glad was correct.  I hardly wanted to ask Sam and Dean for it.

Are you still in hospital?

Very much so.  She wipes her hand over the mark she knew was on her headboard.  Could use some company if you’re free?

There was soft sound in her room and she looked up at Crowley as he blanches.  “This is warded to high heaven in here Lucy.”

“Funny about that,” She said, nodding to the open door, one Crowley quickly closes.  “Apparently there’s a lot more going on than what you elaborated on.”

“I didn’t want to worry you, you were recovering from being on deaths door.”  Crowley sits, looking a little irritated.  “And are you really going to get mad at me for not being in touch with those two knuckleheads?”

“I wasn’t mad,” She said, looking amused.  “But I can’t help but wonder why you haven’t updated them at least.”

Crowley looks at her, clearly uncomfortable.  “Because they expect me to snap my fingers and get it done.  I don’t work like that Lucy.”

She chuckles and shakes her head.  “I know you don’t, but in this case, I think reassuring them might help a little, it’ll certainly stop them trying to hunt you down and doing less than pleasant things, I’m sure.”

Sighing, Crowley pinches the bridge of his nose, and for the first time she notices the dark circles under his eyes, concern knitting her brow.  “Crowley…are you alright?”

He meets her gaze slowly. “No, no I’m not.  It seemed that little experiment has had an unintended side effect.  I could hide if from you in there, but out here…”

Lucy adjusts in her bed, looking at him, her mind working.  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

Crowley shakes his head. “You have no idea what it’s like not to feel properly for so long, none of you do, and the sheer fact that it’s brought so much out is infuriating, and half of I don’t even know what to do about, especially-”  He cut himself off, his mouth clicking shut.

She thought about it for a moment, deciding not to push whatever he was about to say.  “So…you’ve been using human blood?”

He nods solemnly.

Watching him, Lucy realised that there was some small amount of shame hidden in his expression. "You're not weak for that Crowley.”

“If the other demons knew about this…”

Lucy knew where he was coming from.  “Then find that blade for Dean, get rid of Abaddon for good, and take it one step at a time from there.”

Crowley licks his lips nervously.  “The first blade is no simple trinket Lucy, a part of me regrets telling them about it at all and…well, there’s other things…”  He shakes his head and stands.  “I shouldn’t be here, I need to go.”

“Crowley-”

“No, love-” He stops, shakes his head again, and frowns.  “No, Lucy, I need to go, before I say something that I’ll regret.”

He vanishes and Lucy let’s out a slow breath, thinking it over for a moment before sending another message.

For what it’s worth, I forgive you, for everything.

She doesn’t get a reply.

One thing that Lucy hated now about being back in the conscious world, was the return of her nightmares, now plagued by Abaddon, and occasionally Dean, especially after she learnt exactly what the mark was.

She dreaded the thought of them having to try and get rid of it.

Her days were spent reading and researching, in amongst the therapy sessions with trying to get her back on her feet properly.  She could at least walk for about half an hour now, with crutches, but it was better than nothing, it meant she could update the wards as she needed to in her room.

It was after about another month in hospital that Lucy began to take notice of some unusual things happening outside of her hospital room door, and the more she noticed, the more she realised that angels and demons had found her here, they just couldn’t enter her room.

She didn’t really want to wait around to find out if they could get around the wards.

Her biggest problem was still her leg, while finally out the cast, they were still being very careful with her walking.

The boys didn’t know that activity was increasing around the hospital, she left that out of daily chats and messages, she didn’t want them to worry about her as well as everything else they were dealing with, especially finally having found the first blade.  Getting a hold of Abaddon had to remain their top priority.

Lucy’s other problem, was that she still hadn’t heard from Crowley.  She didn’t blame him, she certainly couldn’t imagine what he was going through, but it was hurting a little that he wasn’t trusting her completely.

One morning she awoke to someone standing right at her door, her fingers curling around the angel blade under her pillow.

“I’m not going to hurt you,” He said calmly.  “No matter how much Metatron wants you dead, but I recommend not staying here much longer, the demons and other angels here are close to finding a way to get to you.”

“That’s…good to know,” She said cautiously.  “And who are you exactly?”

He just gives a small smile. “Consider it…a small repayment for some wrongs I did your brothers.”

She watches him go and she made a note to check with Sam and Dean later.

Knowing she didn’t have much choice after a warning like that, Lucy went dark on Sam and Dean and got herself out of hospital and out of the way for a little while, keeping an eye on things from a distance.

It’s seems Abaddon has been working more than I thought.

Lucy stared at the message, the first one she’d received from Crowley since that night when she’d woken up, a message that was quickly followed by an address.

She knew, with a sinking feeling, that this may very well be the only chance that they get at taking on Abaddon.

Forwarding the address to Sam and Dean, Lucy makes her way there and silently hopes that she won’t be too late.

The building was surprisingly light on demons, something that Lucy found unusual, but then she also thought Abaddon was arrogant enough to do just that.  Whatever she had planned, was nothing good.

There were two guards on the door, Lucy making short work of them, and entering the room cautiously.

“Back for round two are we cupcake?” Abaddon asked, grinning at her from the other side of the room. “Here I would've thought that once was enough.”

Lucy shrugged, taking in Crowley seemingly stuck to a chair, his hand on his bleeding shoulder.  “It's not going to be much of a fight, but if you really want to try again, be my guest.”

“I suppose it's a good thing my demons did fail to find you and kill you then,” Abaddon stalked closer. “The idiots.”

“They had plenty of opportunities, I assure you,” Lucy readied her pistol in her hand, pointing it at her.  “Guess they were just feeling lazy, or cowardice, take your pick.”

Abaddon laughed.  “Do you think that little toy is going to do anything to me?  You offend me cupcake.”

Lucy smirks and fires, hitting Abaddon square in the chest, causing the demon to laugh again and keep moving forward.

Her smiles shrink as she realizes she's stuck in place.

Crowley huffs a laugh. “Doesn't feel too good now, does it?”

“Bitch!” Abaddon spat, her eyes going black on Lucy.  “Who is the coward now?”

“Think what you will of me,” Lucy said with a shrug.  “It's not my place to kill you.”

Abaddon growls and starts digging for the bullet, only for Lucy to fire again, this time in the knee cap, dropping Abaddon down to one leg.

“But that doesn't mean I can't fill you with these bullets in the mean time,” She smiles at her. “So please, keep trying, this is fun.”

The growl that leaves Abaddon just makes Lucy laugh.  “Down girl. You've been a bad dog.”

Her attention then moves to Crowley, who is watching half amused, half concerned.  “I wasn't expecting you to come alone.”

Lucy shrugs and goes to him, eyeing the wound in his shoulder.  “Sam and Dean are on their way, figured I'd cut a path through, not that there was much resistance.”

Crowley had noticed her heavy limp though. “Should you even be out of the hospital?”

“No,” She said earnestly. “But with demons and angels on the doorstep, no matter the warding, I didn't have much of a choice.” She looks at him.  “Do you want me to dig that out?”

He nods slowly, his gaze flicking to Abaddon over Lucy's shoulder.

Lucy turned her gun on her again and fired without thinking, hitting her in the arm, and smiles at Crowley, who is more than stunned.

She pulls out a knife and a pair of tweezers from her pocket.

“You just carry those around with you?”  Crowley asked, watching as she gets to work.

“Honestly, you never know when you're going to get shot.” She said, her gaze locked on his wound, trying to find the bullet.  “After I kept getting shot without them, it worked much better when I had them.”

Crowley hissed a little in pain as she dug the tweezer into his shoulder a little deeper.  “I suppose I owe you again?”

“Who's keeping track?” She asked and tugs the bullet free, smiling at him, throwing the bloody bullet at Abaddon, hitting her squarely in the head.

“You two are sickening,” Abaddon snarled.  “A demon and his pet.”

Lucy sighs and rolls her eyes, turning the gun on her again and this time hitting her between the eyes, dropping her to the floor.

“That's better, some peace and quiet right?” Lucy said and then looks up as the door opened, Sam and Dean entering, looking angry and confused until they see her.  “Hi guys, I must have been closer than you two.”

“Lucy,” Sam's voice was relieved.  “We thought the worse when you left the hospital.”

“All good Sam,” She nods to where Abaddon was slowly starting to move.  “She's there if you want her.”

Dean was glaring at Lucy though.  “You shouldn't be here Luce, the doctor told us about your heart, how exerting it could kill you.”

Lucy flinched, which covered Crowley's sharp intake of breath next to her.  “I'm not going to sit out just like that.  I'm fine.  I barely broke a sweat in here.”

“You should still be more careful,” Sam said, even as Dean snorts and makes his way over to Abaddon. “We could've handled this.”

“I hope you all rot,” Abaddon hissed, eyeing the first blade in Dean's hand.  “You really think that you can kill me with that obnoxious thing? Take your best-"

Abaddon shrieked as Dean plunged the blade into her and moments later, collapsed to the flood, dead.

Crowley snorts, amused. “Bitch.”

Lucy sighed, relieved. “Well, one problem down.”

Dean turns and faces Crowley, the blade shaking in his hand.  He didn't say anything, but Lucy could see the intent in his gaze.

As Dean steps in, Lucy steps between the two of them, the blade poised over her chest, having frozen as Dean stares at her.

“You're going to have to kill me to do that Dean,” She said calmly.  “Because like it or not, the only reason you are here right now, and have finished off Abaddon, is because of him.  Not only that, but I wouldn't be sitting here.”

Tension filled the room, Crowley's hand wrapping around Lucy's wrist as her and Dean stared at each other, Sam the only one noticing the movement.

The blade shook in Dean's hand.

“Dean,” Sam said.  “It's Lucy.”

Dean blinks and lowers the blade, his eyes flicking between her and Crowley.  “Right.” He focuses on Crowley.  “Don't think this is over.”

“Looking forward to it Squirrel,” He clipped, quickly letting his hand drop from hers.  “Now, if you three don't mind, I have one hell of a mess to clean up, no pun intended.”

He vanishes, leaving them alone, Lucy letting out a slow breath.  “Can we go home now? I need one hell of a nap.”

With Abaddon gone, Lucy slept a little easier.  The nightmares still plagued her, but they weren't as bad and most nights she could sleep right through.

She started checking her phone a lot too, something that Sam noticed, but Dean was now too focused on Metatron, often disappearing on his own from the bunker.

They were on their own one day, when Sam noticed her do it again, distracted from the book she was trying to pull information from.  “Luce?”

She hummed in response, not looking up.

“I don't really want to ask this but…” He hesitates for a moment.  “Are you and Crowley together?”

Lucy stills and blinks at him, surprised.  “What would make you say that?”

His gaze is soft, worried, but understanding.  “You've both seemed awfully quick to defend each other recently, and, in all fairness, it would explain a lot.”

She draws in a deep breath and shakes her head.  “No Sam, we're not.”

“Then who are you checking your phone so much for?”  He asked.

Lucy hesitates and knew there was no point in denying it.  “Crowley? But only because I thought he'd let me-us know that he was okay, that things were back to somewhat normalcy in Hell and-" She sighs.  “I'm digging my own grave here.”

Sam gives a sad smile. “It was him, wasn't it?  In the world the Djin showed you?”

Slowly, Lucy nods, not looking at him.

“I'm not even going to try and understand where that's come from,” Sam said.  “I'm not really one to talk after all, but I do want you to be careful.  He could turn on you and use it against you at any point he wanted.”

“A few months ago maybe,” She said quietly.  “But we all know that he's different now Sam.”  Her expression turns slightly panicked.  “Does Dean know?”

He shakes his head. “I haven't said a word, I promise. His mind is occupied elsewhere anyway.”

Lucy relaxes, but still looks uncomfortable.  “We're still not anything, but the less Dean knows, the better.  I haven't even known how to explain it to myself Sam, let alone to you two.”

Sam chuckles lightly. “I can understand that, you always were the enigma in the family.”

“Shut up,” She laughs. “And mind your own business, we've got more important things to worry about anyway.”

“Yeah, getting that mark off of Dean,” Sam said, looking at his book.  “Before it gets him killed.”

“I almost thought you were going to bring up the hospital discussion again,” she snorts.  “Because that's not getting old.”

“Our opinion on that is unchanged Luce, but if you don't want to go, that's your choice.”

It took a few days, but eventually Lucy woke up to a text one morning.

Can we talk?

It was followed by an address.  Lucy's heart raced a little, and she found herself telling her brothers that she was off to the hospital, not feeling overly well that morning.  They offered to drive but she assured them she would be fine, she just wanted to make sure that nothing was seriously wrong.

I'm on my way.

Lucy drove a little nervously, her mind whirling with possibilities that she had to keep forcing away.

The hotel was stupidly fancy and she quickly realised that she was going to the top floor.

The door was unlocked.

She steps in a little cautiously, unsure of what to expect, but quickly eases a little when she catches sight of Crowley standing out on the balcony, overlooking the city below.

Lucy quietly shuts the door and locks it, heading out to join him.  “Crowley?”

He remained silent for so long that Lucy steps up next to him and looks at his distant expression, a gentle hand resting on his arm, making him start and look at her.

“Hey,” She said with a soft smile.  “Are you okay?”

Crowley nods and sighs. “Yes.  My apologies Lucy, I was just...thinking.”

“I could tell,” She moves her hand away and taking in the view.  “I don't think I've ever been up this high before.  It's amazing.”

He looks at her.  “Lucy...” He turns away as she faces him.  “What are we?”

Lucy looks at him a little surprised, but gives a small smile.  “You mean besides the King of Hell and a Hunter?”

Crowley huffs a small laugh and nods.

“Well,” She said slowly, looking back at the view.  “If we rely on my brothers for that, we are mortal enemies that are out to kill each other all the time.  Hunters kill monsters and most demons fall into that.”

When he remains silent, she continues.

“If you're asking about the two of us...I don't know how to answer that Crowley.  I haven't known how to answer that for a long time.” Lucy leans on the railing.  “If things were different, maybe one of us could.”

“You know...” He swallowed. “You know I saw what that Djin had shown you…when I…possessed you, right?”

Lucy nods, giving a sympathetic smile.  “When you saved my life, you mean?  I had figured as much, really rather embarrassing on my part, but I'll get over it one day.”

His gaze returned to her. “You could've stayed.  You would've been happy.”

“I would've been dead,” She said a little flatly.  “But I get what you're trying to say.  Even with no memory of what was happening, I still felt like there was a part of me missing there, that something was wrong, and even once I had realised, it tore me apart to make the decision, the view of a normal life was oddly nice, and a part of me wanted to stay, consequences be damned, but I knew I couldn't.”

“Why?”  He asked softly.

She sighs.  “Because this is my normal Crowley, and no amount of false wishes and dreams is going to change that.  I know where I belong, I guess that’s why I’ve never really stopped hunting before; I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I did.”

Crowley doesn’t seem sure what to think about this.  “And you’re…happy with this?”

Lucy gives a light chuckle. “It’s far from perfect.  Between all the world ending crisis’s, the monsters trying to kill us every other day and now the fact that I can’t really hunt anymore, or shouldn’t more so, it does drag you down a bit, but despite it all, yes, I’m happy.  To want more would be selfish, and I do like to think I help more than hinder.”

He takes a moment before sighing, looking away and remaining silent.

As the silence drags on, Lucy hesitates, unsure of what to say.  “Crowley…what did you really want to talk about?”

“It doesn’t matter,” He said and she was surprised by the sudden hardness in his voice as he turned back inside.  “I think it’s time you should go.”

This took her back and she watched after him for a moment before frowning.  “If you have something to say, then say it.  You have never minced words with me Crowley, don’t start now.”

“I said it doesn’t matter,” He snapped, keeping his back to her.  “So just leave it, Lucy.  Go home.”

Lucy pursed her lips, her eyes flashing a little in anger.  “Don’t you dare, don’t you dare do this to me Crowley.    You think just because I say I’m happy doesn’t mean I can’t still want more?  You think that just because I say I’m happy that I still don’t think back on that dream every night and every day?  That I don’t dread sleeping because I know I have to watch you-you die again and again? You know how I feel Crowley, you’ve known it since you saved my life, maybe even before that, so instead of pushing me away why don’t you tell me what is going on?”

“You said it was selfish to want more.”

“Then call me selfish,” She said.  “I know how bloody hypocritical it is, but last I checked neither of those were a sin.” Lucy draws in a deep breath, eyeing the tension in his body.  “Look at me Crowley, look at me and tell me why you suddenly want me to go.”

“You don’t want this!” Crowley snapped, rounding back on her. “You don’t need the extra burden Lucy. I’m telling you to go so that something worse doesn’t happen further down the line.”

She held her ground and his gaze.  “That’s my risk to take and you can’t force that decision on me.”

Crowley growled and closed the distance between the two of them, his eyes shifting red, his hands gripping tight on her upper arms.  “Look at me and tell me you want this, that you can deal-deal with a monster in your life. It was a dream love, nothing more.”

“Exactly,” Lucy said. “A dream Crowley, but this, here, this is real.”

“We cannot keep playing this game!”  He snarled, his grip tightening, looking more like he was trying to convince himself. “You save my life.  I save your life.  It has to end at some point.  I’m the King of Hell and you’re-”

“A Hunter.”  She whispered, staring at him, making him tense. “Are you going to tell me that it’s as simple as that?  That there’s no good reason I keep having those dreams every night?  There’s more to both of us than meets the eye Crowley, we both know that.  We’ve known that for a long time now.”

“You should be running from me,” He snarled.  “You should-”

“I am not afraid of you,” She held his gaze firmly.  “If I was afraid of you, I wouldn’t have ever approached you the way I did when we first met, nor would I have allowed contact to continue, but here I am.  You asked why I went up against Abaddon?  I did so to save you, because I couldn’t let my dreams become any sort of reality, not while I still had some level of control, and as much as I talked a whole level of bullshit to you originally about Sam and I, it was for just you.”

Crowley breathes deeply, holding her gaze, the red still burning away into her.

Lucy’s voice lowers, her gaze genuine and unflinching.  “And I meant what I said in that message.”

Crowley tenses, his jaw clenching.

“I forgive you Crowley, for everything,” Lucy whispered.  “And no matter what you say, or what you do, nothing is going to change that.  I’m not going anywhere.”

He huffs, irritated and frustrated, and goes to move away but her hand rests on his arm, stopping him.

“What are you afraid of Crowley?”  She asked. “What is it that you are running from? I’m here because I want to be, and I’m not going to simply go because you don’t think you’re worth that.”

The red in his eyes slowly fades as he looks back at her, his expression hurting, broken.  “How can you say that?  How can you…after all that’s happened…it doesn’t make sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” She gives a small, apathetic smile.  “But please, tell me, what exactly in our lives has?”

Crowley lets out a shuddering breath and, a little hesitantly, he reaches up and brushes her cheek gently.  “This is a bad idea love, I can’t even begin to explain…”

Lucy sighed and took his hand in hers, pressing it to her cheek and closing her eyes.  “You don’t have to explain anything.  I get it, more than you think I do.”

“I think the world of you,” He said quietly, watching as she nuzzles into his hand slightly.  “I just…I’ve gotten used to keeping up appearances and…”

She places a small kiss to the palm of his hand.  “It’s just us here Crowley.  Neither of us have to perform for anyone.”

Several moments pass as Crowley lets that sink in.

“Lucy…” He sighs and closes the distance between the two of them, resting his forehead against hers. “I don’t know how we are going to keep something like this up.  We are from two very different worlds and I won’t be able to give you what you saw-”

“I don’t want what I saw Crowley,” She meets his gaze.  “I want this. Us.  Nothing more.”

Crowley searched her eyes for a long moment, still hardly daring to believe it, and after a moment he realised that Lucy was holding her breath a little, waiting to see what he would say.

“Dammit all.”  He said and pressed his lips to hers.

The first kiss was tentative, unsure, barely there, but slowly, they eased into each other, each kiss deliberate, exploring, neither willing to be the first to move away, eyes drifting shut as they just let each other feel.

Lucy cupped his cheeks in her hands, fingers gently trailing and exploring as she presses against him, Crowley’s hands dropping to her waist.

They broke after a moment but barely pulled apart, looking at each other longingly, Lucy’s arms wrapping around his neck.

“Damn you and that moment I met you,” He growled, pecking her lips softly.  “I haven’t been able to shake whatever feeling it was since.”

Lucy smiles and nudges his nose with hers.  “You’re not the only one, for a while I actually thought I was going mad.”

Crowley hums a little thoughtfully, his hands moving lightly over her.  “I always did wonder what to call you.”

It takes a moment before she catches his smirk and laughs.  “You are…ugh.”

She presses her lips back to his, the kiss firmer, needier, Crowley letting out a small groan.  They stay like that for a long moment, holding onto each other firmly, wanting more, but not hurrying.

“What do you want Crowley?” Lucy breathed, allowing them both a moment to collect themselves.  “Please…tell me what you want.”

“You.” He said, claiming her lips once more but barely waiting a moment before scooping her up into his arms, causing her to giggle against his lips.

They sink down into the bed, kisses turning soft and lazy as they get comfortable.

Crowley breaks away for a moment, staring down at her, taking her hand in his and kissing her knuckles softly.  “Can I ask you something love?”

She smiles at him.  “Question for a question.”

He chuckles and shakes his head.  “No, not this time.”  A little cautiously, he rests his hand over her heart, he takes a moment to look at it before his gaze returned to hers.  “Would you like me to fix it?”

Lucy takes a deep breath at this, a small frown creasing her forehead.  “Crowley…what would I have to do?”

A smile tugs at his lips, a little nervous, but unworried.  “I promise your soul is very safe where it is love, and I’m pretty sure if I asked for that seriously, then I’d be out of this room quicker than you can call me a bastard or whatever other wonderful names you could come up with. No…this is far more simple and should technically be stretching the rules of it all just enough that it still holds.”

She raises an eyebrow at him, causing him to chuckle.  “It’s just another question love.”

“Then ask it,” She said. “Stop making me feel like an idiot here.”

Crowley grins and presses his lips quickly to hers in reassurance.  “It doesn’t have to be right now of course, but will you marry me?”

Lucy blinks at him and then rolls her eyes, grinning.  “You really are a bastard, you know that?  Of course I will you idiot.”

“Oh good, I was worried that-”

He doesn’t get a chance to finish his sentence, Lucy pulling him back down into a kiss, smiling against his lips, even as he chuckles.

Warmth blossoms in Lucy’s chest, a sharp breath leaving her, but it settled just as quickly, letting her relax back into the bed, breathing easier than what she had in long time.

“I believe I have a birthday to make up for.”  Crowley nuzzles down her jaw to her neck.  “Unless you have other plans?”

Lucy laughs.  “That was months ago.”

“So?”  He asked, his eyes sparking with mischief.  “We did get rather rudely interrupted.”

“A bit hard to be interrupted when it’s not exactly real.”  She continues to laugh.

“Maybe not, but it hasn’t stopped you thinking about it.”  He smirks.  “Or are you going to deny that.”

Lucy grins, biting her lip. “Well, a girl still has needs.”

He gives a dark chuckle and captures her lips in a deeper kiss, a small moan leaving her, her hands burying into his hair, the air in the room shifting as they settled into each other, Crowley’s jacket soon thrown across the other side of the room.

She breaks away from the kiss to draw in a breath, shivering as Crowley continued the kiss down her jaw and throat, his hands slipping under her shirt, fingers brushing lightly over her skin, until he finds the scar from Abaddon’s blade, making him give a small growl.

“We don’t have to worry about her anymore.”  She said, a little breathlessly.

Crowley lets out another low growl.  “Doesn’t make it any easier to deal with the memory.”

He slips her shirt off and Lucy arches into his touch, not wanting to think about it either, biting her lip, tugging his mouth back to hers, her legs wrapping around him, making him moan and start to grind against her.

Slowly, clothes are tugged free, lips barely leaving each other, and it was only when they take a moment to breath, that Lucy notices something, her fingers trailing along the edge of a tattoo.

“I still wonder how you knew about that,” Crowley mumbled, lips trailing softly down to her collar bone. “Hardly anyone knows about it at all unless they’ve shared my bed.”

“In all honestly, stranger things have happened.”  Lucy huffs a laugh.

Crowley hums a little thoughtfully, meeting her gaze.  “You mean like Juliet being a dog?”

Lucy shrugs, smiling at him. “I’ve always wanted a dog, I guess it was logical assumption to make.”

“And that car?”  He raises an eyebrow, amused.  “If you actually had one I honestly don’t know who would be easier to spot, you or those two idiots you call brothers.”

Laughing, Lucy shakes her head.  “I’ve wanted one of those cars since I was little, that doesn’t mean I don’t understand it’s not exactly practical for hunting.”

He looks thoughtful for a moment, before he grins.  “And you would actually sell your soul for that car?”

“No, but you would have to fight to get my attention away from it.”

Laughing, Crowley claims her lips again briefly.  “I don’t think it would be that hard love.”

Lucy smiles and continues the kiss, letting out a soft moan as his fingers brush against her core, her hips arching into his touch.  Her lips trail along his jaw, making him groan, her body shuddering as he eased a finger into her, taking his time, slowly teasing, building her up.

“Fuck that feels good.” She huffs, letting her head drop back to the pillow, watching him with half open eyes, her body relaxed.

Crowley smiles, nudging her nose gently.  “I don’t know about you, but I’m in no rush.”

“Absolutely not,” She lets out a small gasp as he pushes a second finger into her.  “Fuck Crowley…”

Kisses become slow and lazy, small noises leaving her as Crowley continues to gently tease.  He lets out a low groan as her hand wraps around him, matching his pace, even as he pressed his hips closer.

Neither of them said anything, lost in the moment, in the need and the feeling, and they didn’t think any more of it, Lucy letting out a small gasp as Crowley sinks into her. Their lips meet, swallowing the small noises from each other as they slowly rocked into each other.

One of Crowley’s hands brushes into her hair, gently tugging her head back as he places open mouthed kisses down her throat.  Lucy moans softly, biting her lip, her hands on his arse, encouraging him deeper. Crowley’s free hand sneaks under her hips, changing the angle slightly, groaning as she lets out a gasp, clenching around him.

“Crowley…” She breathes and hums.  “Just like that.”

Crowley moans and nips lightly at her skin, the pace languid and slow, neither of them wanting to hurry, even as Lucy began to tremble slightly at every thrust, her legs wrapping around to try and ground herself, her fingers pressing into his shoulder blades.

His lips brush along the shell of her ear.  “You’re not the only one that’s wanted this moment, you know?  A time where I could finally have you all to myself.”

Lucy lets out a shuddering breath.  “There was…nothing…stopping you.”

He growls a little, nuzzling back to her throat.  “If you’d seen the real state I was in after escaping your brothers, you wouldn’t be saying that.  Even when you were back on your feet, I couldn’t risk hurting you, that’s why I left in the way I did.”

Quietly, she laughs, earning his gaze as he looks at her, a little confused.  “Crowley, I don’t think you could hurt me if you tried.”

He went to answer but she presses a soft finger to his lips.  “Even when you took me hostage, just before all that happened, you didn’t lay a finger on me, did you?”

His gaze softens and he shakes his head.

“Stop doubting this,” She said, one hand resting over his heart, the other over hers.  “It’s not worth torturing yourself for, save that for others.”

Chuckling, Crowley shakes his head, pressing a light kiss to her lips.  “I love you, you know that?  I figured I’d say it before I feel too much like a demon again.”

Lucy laughs softly, smiling. “Then I’ll just have to say it often enough for the both of us.”

The next kiss was slow, loving and sweet, Lucy sighing contentedly, their bodies continuing to rock together, steadily building in rhythm.

“Don’t stop.”  She whispered against his lips, causing him to groan, the kiss quickly becoming firmer, his fingers pressing harder into her.

Lucy’s head tips back, her body arching a little, giving him better access to her body, small gasps leaving her, with every movement.

They both moaned, trembling for a moment before sinking back into the bed, breathing deeply to catch their breathes, even as lips blindly find each other, kisses light, fingers brushing over still sensitive skin.

Peace washed over Lucy and she sighs, content, making Crowley give a soft laugh, moving them both to their sides while keeping her firmly to him.  Gently, his fingers brush over her cheeks, pushing her hair back away from her face before kissing her lightly again.

“Feeling better love?” He asked quietly, making her smile and open her eyes to look at him.

“Never better.” She pecks his lips and then nuzzles down into his chest, not tired, but not wanting to move, enjoying being pressed against him.

Crowley lets his fingers trail softly over her skin, watching her as she settles against him, a soft smile on his lips, completely enraptured.

“Crowley?”

“Hmmm?”

“I, um, may have told Sam and Dean I was going for a check up to come here.”

“Well, it’s probably still not a bad idea.”

She looks at him, frowning a little.  “Seriously?”

He nods, looking a little guilty.  “Just…put worrying minds to ease.”

Lucy takes a moment before laughing softly and returning to her position against him.  “If that will help.”

Crowley snapped his fingers and blankets pulled up over them, Lucy smiling, unable to help it, feeling warm and comfortable, soon finding herself yawning.

“No more nightmares now, my lovely Lucy,” Crowley said into her hair.  “Get some proper sleep.”

Lucy hums and presses herself as close as she can to him, letting her eyes drift shut.  “Only good dreams now, I promise.”

[sadmmann]

20 years ago

20 years ago, on April 20, during the massacre at Columbine High School, we lost not only 13 dear people, but 24 people were terribly injured after which they could never return to their previous lives. 

I propose to recall their names

Richard Castaldo (17 in 1999) -  He was shot 8 times in his left arm, right arm, chest, back, and abdomen. Since the shooting he has to use a wheelchair. After the shooting he got his driver's license and a car designed to be used by people in wheelchairs.

Lance Kirklin (16 in 1999) - Lance suffered from a total of five gunshot wounds. His jaw and face were rebuilt with bone and tissue from his leg as well as titanium alloy to replace lost bone in his thigh and jaw. The process took 9 operations. He was released from the hospital on May 15, 1999.

Anne-Marie Hochhalter (17 in 1999) -  She tried to run to the safety of the cafeteria and was shot by once in the back and once in the chest. Paralyzed by a bullet that severed her spinal cord and went through her diaphragm (it was later found lodged in her liver), she collapsed, unable to move. She told investigators later that while she was playing dead she could hear one of the gunmen shouting orders to the other but couldn't understand what they were saying. If rescue workers had been two minutes slower in reaching her, she would have died. Doctors later called her the "miracle girl". After shooting, she has to use a wheelchair. Severe pain, disability and suicide of the mother did not break Anna, and she continues to fight to this day.

Sean Graves (15 in 1999) -  His back/spine injury was deemed an 'incomplete spinal injury' by doctors, meaning that he was paralyzed below the injury level but retained some feeling and movement. He was later moved to Craig Hospital for spinal cord rehabilitation. On June 20th, 1999 he took his first steps. He was released from Craig July 7th, 1999.

Mark Taylor (17 in 1999) - He was hit several more times - twice in the chest and five times in the back - while laying there. As he watched, went over to where [Rachel] lay bleeding and shot her again as she tried to get up. Other students trampled Mark in their attempt to flee from the gunmen, thinking him dead. Eventually an officer showed up and dragged Mark to safety behind the nearby shed.Four of the eight bullets were left in him: Two near his aorta and two in his spine. He was released April 30, 1999.He was later re-admitted to Littleton Adventist for treatment of a staph infection in the wounds in his lungs. Was in and out of the hospital three times.

Michael Johnson (15 in 1999) - Michael was outside the cafeteria with four friends: Denny Rowe, Mark Taylor, John Cook, and Adam Thomas. They were sitting on the grass near the east stairs when the shooting began.At first Michael didn't know what was going on but he quickly realized bullets were hitting the ground near him and and his friends. He felt a sensation like someone had poured warm water on his left leg and he and his friends got up to run toward a shed that was about 120 yards away. As they ran he heard Mark cry out: "Oh my God! I've been shot!" as he fell to the ground. Mike continued to run. He felt another "warm feeling" on the back of his jaw and realized he'd been shot too. He managed to make it as far as the shed. Denny, John, and Adam kept running and jumped the nearby fence. Michael lay down and propped himself against the shed where noticed the left leg of his blue jeans was covered in blood from mid-thigh down to his ankle.  Michael was in intensive care for 8 days during which time doctors had to wire his jaw shut and repair a ruptured blood vessel in his leg. He was released April 28, 1999.

Brian Anderson (17 in 1999) walked past the glass doors with Patti Nilsson (35 in 1999) when gunmen shot at them. The shattered door knocked Brian and Patty. In 2008 a friend of Brian's [Dewayne Johnson] said that 26 year old Brian Anderson has moved on with his life. He now owns his own trucking company in the Littleton, Colorado area. Brian still tries to make sense of that fateful day at Columbine High School. To this day he has not stepped one foot into any library nor does he like the sound of helicopters or fire alarms. Brian lost his good friend and classmate Corey DePooter in the shooting and said there are times when he thinks of him and all the fun times they had in school. Recently Brian said he would like to go back to Columbine and see the new library and there he hopes to find more closure. Brian still lives in the Jefferson County area. He would like to thank all those who pitched in with a helping hand during the whole ordeal at Columbine. Brian also stated that "there is one person that means a lot" to him and will always have a place in his heart because in his eyes she is a HERO and that is teacher Patti Nielson.

Stephanie Munson (17 in 1999) -  Stephanie and her friend Melissa Walker were heading out of tech lab class to go talk with one of the A.C.E. teachers when she heard popping noises. She had never heard gunfire before so didn't recognize the sound. About that time a male teacher ran up behind them, yelling at them to get out of the building. She and Melissa ran west toward the main entrance. As they were exiting through the first set of double doors Stephanie felt as though her left foot exploded: There was a burning sensation and a pop, then her foot went numb.Once outside the school, Stephanie paused by the bike rack to look at her foot and saw that it was bleeding. Melissa, hysterical, insisted that she keep running. It wasn't until Stephanie got across the street to Leawood Park that she was able to stop and take off her shoe and sock. That's when she discovered that she'd been shot. There were several people already in the park at the time and more were pouring out of the school by the minute. Seeing her wounded ankle, which was a through-and-through injury from a 9mm bullet, someone with a cellphone called 911 .An ambulance arrived and took her to the hospital where she was treated and released April 20, 1999.

Nicholas Foss (18 in 1999) -  Nick was treated for slight injuries sustained in the 15 foot fall through the ceiling and the bullet that grazed his head. Released April 20, 1999. He told investigators later that he felt as though angels were watching over him that day because one of the killers pointed a gun at his head but it didn't go off when the shooter pulled the trigger.

Joyce Jankowski (45 in 1999) - When the shooting began Joyce, a teacher at Columbine, was in the faculty lounge about to have lunch. She heard a commotion outside and when she looked out the window she saw two bodies. Judy Grecko, one of the other two teachers in the room, tried to call 911 but the phone was dead. Several shots soon followed and Joyce and another teacher, Amy Burnett, ran into the small one-person bathroom that was attached to the teachers' lounge. She was treated for injuries sustained in the fall through the ceiling when she tried to escape the school and was released April 20, 1999.

Adam Kyler (16 in 1999) -  He was treated for abdominal pain and released April 20, 1999.

Evan Todd (16 in 1999) - was a sophomore at the time of the Massacre. He was the first to get injured in the library (however, he only suffered from minor injuries), as he was hit from flying splinters that came from the bullet striking the table he was hiding under.

Makai Hall (19 in 1999) - was sitting with his friends in the library when the shooting began. He hid under a table with Daniel Steepleton and Patrick Ireland when the shooters entered the library. When they demanded that everyone with white hats stand up, Dan - who was wearing a white hat - started to get up. Makai held him back, telling him: "Don't move." Shortly after killer looked under the table where Makai and his friends were hiding. Smiling, opened fire. Makai was hit in the knee by the shotgun blast. Pat moved to help him and was shot in the head. Pat was knocked unconscious; Makai and Dan played dead. Then killer threw a home-made C02 bomb that bounced under their table and landed on Dan's thigh. Dan was too afraid to move so Makai reached over, grabbed it, and threw it back out from underneath the table where it exploded mid-air.

Patrick Ireland (17 in 1999) - After Patti Nielson entered the library with Evan Todd, he hid under a table together with his friends Makai and Dan even though at first he thought it was just a joke; the other two hid under a different table.When the gunmen entered the library and shouted "Everybody with white hats get up" he closed his eyes and played dead.After some time and a lot of shooting he heard Makai groan in pain.He looked over and saw that both of his friends had been shot.Patrick decided to crawl over between them to provide first aid but passed out because he had been shot in the head twice but hadn't noticed this before.He passed in and out of consciousness for two hours but was woken by the fire alarm eventually.Patrick still hadn't noticed that he was shot and decided that he had to get out of there immediately but he couldn't stand up since he had been shot in his leg.He crawled towards a window and managed to pull himself up.He wanted to jump out in case nobody was there to help him but luckily members of the SWAT team saw him and parked their car right under the windowto pull Patrick out.

Daniel Steepleton (17 in 1999) - He saw killer look directly at him, smile, and then lift his sawed-off shotgun. He fired at Daniel, who was hit in the left knee. Daniel felt it as a sensation of warmth. He also saw that Makai had been hit in the right leg and it looked "torn up". Patrick reached over to help Makai;Daniel heard another shot and saw Patrick go down. He had been shot in the head. Both gunmen were firing their weapons at the time so Daniel wasn't sure who had shot Pat. Daniel fell to the floor where he lay with his head down and played dead. He was treated for a shotgun blast to the leg; he took five pellets to the knee and one to the chin. He was released before April 24, 1999.

Kacey Ruegsegger (17 in 1999) -  She suffered multiple injuries including a gunshot wound to the right shoulder, a through-and-through injury to her right hand that medical officials pulled a metal washer out of, and a gunshot graze on her neck. They pulled a shotgun wad out of her shoulder. At the hospital she was given at least two doses of morphine and was still in quite a bit of pain. A steel plate was put in her arm and she went through lengthy physical therapy. She was released from the hospital on May 1, 1999.  

Lisa Kreutz (18 in 1999) - She was hit several times, sustaining multiple gunshot wounds to her shoulder, hand, and both arms. She lay bleeding in the library for 2.5 hours, unable to move due to the severity of her injuries, before she was rescued by officials. She was the last survivor to be pulled from the library. Lisa was released from the hospital April 28, 1999.

Valeen Schnurr (18 in 1999) - suffered nine soft tissue wounds to her left arm, chest, and abdomen from shrapnel and through-and-through bullet wounds. she was released from Swedish April 27. Graduated from Columbine May 22. She graduated from Columbine May 23, 1999 despite her injuries

Mark Kintgen (17 in 1999) - When the shooters entered the library and began to kill people Mark didn't see much from where he was hiding but he clearly heard one of them say after shots were fired: "Oh look at his brains!". Laughter from the killers followed. Not long after that he heard one of the two assailants shoot out a nearby glass display case. The gunman then went over to the table where Mark was hiding and shot at him. Mark took a bullet to the head and one to the shoulder. The bullet in Mark's head was surgically removed. He was released from Denver Health April 23 with a bullet still lodged in his shoulder.

Nicole Nowlen (16 in 1999)) -  was hiding under the table with John Tomlin when the shooters entered the library. She was shot in the abdomen but survived.

Jeanna Park (18 в 1999) - She was hit in the right knee, right shoulder and left foot, and fell to the floor where she stayed until she noticed some of the other people in the library getting up and leaving.She went to leave as well, checking the computer tables for her sister. Not seeing her, Jeanna left alone.

Jennifer Doyle (17 in 1999) - was hit with three shotgun pellets in her right hand: One crushed her ring finger, another entered her wrist, and another entered the back of her hand, resulting in seven broken bones. Released from the hospital April 24, 1999.

Austin Eubanks (16 in 1999) - He was put in the hospital and treated for a gunshot gazed knee. He was released the same day and graduated from Columbine High School on May 20, 2000.

Remember the survivors

[illumose]

BTS reaction : their s/o has an accident

genre : a mix between angst / fluff

warning : mention of death, not in every reaction, tough.

author’s note : enjoy it !

seokjin •

You accidentally fell in the stairs of Bighit’s building when you were about to go back home. Fortunately for you, one member of the staff came to your rescue.

"I think I might have broken a couple of bones." You winced, the pain in your leg becoming unbearable. The man made you sit down against the wall.

"I’m going to get Seokjin, and I’ll also call an ambulance." He informed you, running to the studio.

Perhaps you should have accepted to stay with Seokjin during the recording, it would have prevented you from falling. Your boyfriend arrived, in a total panic mode.

"Oh my god, Y/n, are you okay?" He kneeled next to your side, and held your hand gently. You winced when he accidentally brushed past your broken leg. "You are never taking the stairs ever again."

yoongi •

Yoongi was on tour, in America when your accident happened. You were driving to work, when a truck has dark on you. The first thing you felt was a sharp pain in your back. You couldn’t move at all, and you couldn’t hear anything else than a thud. You fell unconscious right before the paramedics could ask your name.

Yoongi has been informed of your state by Bighit, who managed to find him an airline ticket to Korea. He has been told that your injuries were serious, and you could die from it.

He could not believe it, a few hours before the accident, he called you. You were planning to join him on tour, and he had felt impatient to see you. Now, he was going to see you, but at the hospital.

He did not even know if you would be alive by the time he would arrive in Korea. He tried his best to suppress this thought, he had to stay optimistic.

hoseok •

"Hoseok." Namjoon firmly called his member, with a serious face. He had just received a phone call from the hospital.

"Yes?"

"I have something important to tell you, but you must sit down." Namjoon informed, motioning for Hoseok to sit on a chair. "Y/n has been involved in a car crash, and is currently at the hospital. The hospital called you, since you’re her/his only relative in Korea."

Hoseok, numb with shock, stopped listening to Namjoon’s explanation about your condition. For him, it meant death.

"Hoseok... Hoseok!" Namjoon raised his voice, knowing that his friend was thinking that you could be on the verge of death. "Y/n only has a broken arm, nothing more. No need to worry or stress it, your significant other is alive."

The older sighed in relief, his head lighting up a little bit.

namjoon •

Namjoon was right in front of you when a man in motorcycle had hit you. He rushed to your side, panic overtaking him. You seemed fine, despite the blood dripping from your forehead. The driver ran away, leaving you alone with your worried boyfriend.

"Are you okay? Do you feel any pain? Wait, I’m calling an ambulance." He was filled with fear, even though you were actually fine. Your injuries were probably minor, and you were grateful because the drive wasn’t driving fast.

"I believe that I just have bruises. I don’t feel like my bones are broken." You managed to smile at your boyfriend, who held your hand. "Can you help me to stand up?" You asked, as Namjoon nodded.

Once you were back on your feet, you hugged your boyfriend. "The asshole did not even stop to see if you were alive, it makes me sick." Namjoon sighed, his jaw clenched.

jimin •

Jimin warned you about using your phone whilst driving. He kept repeating that you would end up in the ditch if you continued. Each time, you would smile at his concern, thinking that he was overreacting.

You never thought that one day, you would find yourself in this exact situation. Your car was upside down, the windscreen was broken and fragments of glass were scattered around you. You wanted to get out of the car, smelling the odour of gas, but your body did not react.

The firemen quickly arrived, and tried to extricate you from the car. Jimin, who has been called by a woman, rushed to your side. He was stopped by the police. "I’m her/his boyfriend, Sir. I need to be here." He implored the policeman to let him pass.

Jimin heard the words ‘internal hemorrhage’ and ‘surgery’. He knew that it was not good, and that your life was in danger. He fell on the floor, not caring about the people around him. What if you died?

taehyung •

You went out to buy food at the convenience store, since your fridge was empty. Taehyung should have gone with you, but he told you that he was a bit tired, so you agreed to go alone.

You tripped because of a man who walked past you and slightly pushed you. You fell on the floor, confused. You felt a pain in your right foot, however, it did not appear to be broken.

You dialled the number of your boyfriend, and asked him to come get you. You stood up, finding stability against a wall. "I’m on my way." He told you, rushing to his car.

He regretted not coming with you, you would have avoided a luckless accident. "Thank you." You muttered, laughing a little. You knew that he would tease you for being clumsy and falling the middle of the street. And it did not bother you, you preferred to laugh instead of crying over it.

jungkook •

Jungkook’s phone was ringing, but because of the volume of the music in the practice room, he did not notice it. Half an hour passed until he got to take a break from dancing.

As he checked his phone, he saw the missed calls from your best friend, and an unknown number. He raised an eyebrow, what was happening? He quickly called your friend back.

"Y/n is at the hospital?" He choked on his own words, worry overwhelming him. Your friend explained that a drunk driver had hit you, and you were currently being operated.

"I’m coming." He said, rushing to his car without even explaining the situation to the other members. He did not care, what mattered was you. He hoped that you were just suffering minor injuries, because he was not ready to lose you. And he would never be.

[jpgluke]

The Vow // C.H

CALUM HOOD X READER

Summary: You and calum have been married for about two years. It was an average date night when tragedy strikes.

A/n: I’m super in my feelies about this one. Ugh I love it and I can’t wait to write part two!!! I hope you all love it as much as I do :^) advice is always appreciated!!!!!!

Word count: 2k

Want to be added to my tag list?

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Calum was your world. Your happy place. The one you always wanted to come home to after a bad day. Your rock. He knew how you were feeling just by the slightest glance towards you. Calum was so head over heels for you. Ever since he first laid his eyes on you. You were his best friend. The way he felt when he was with you was indescribable. He fell more and more in love with you everyday. When he asked you to marry him you didn’t have to think twice about it and these past two years have been everything and more than he could’ve asked for. For once in his life he felt completely happy with every aspect of his life.

You rolled over to face your beautiful husband. He was still asleep on his stomach. The comforters slid down exposing his bare back. He was truly gorgeous. Even when he wasn’t trying. He could be a model if he wanted to. Even when he wasn’t trying. You started tracing little shapes and writing out words on his toned back. He turned his head and barely opened his eyes. “Hi gorgeous.” His voice still raspy from just waking up. A sleepy grin plaster across his face. “How’d you sleep baby?” He pulled you into his chest and you intertwined your legs in a big jumble of limbs. Mornings with calum were always relaxing. You’d usually wake up before him and play on your phone or read a book. On the mornings he would wake up before you he would always make you breakfast. When he’d wake up he’d say the same thing every morning. “I slept great. You were really warm last night.” You continued your tracing of shapes just on his chest and he lazily combed through your hair. “Babe, I’m always hot.” He let out a laugh as you untangled yourself from him and sat up. “That was bad. Really bad” you started laughing as his jaw dropped acting offended. “Oh yeah if it was bad then why can’t you stop laughing huh?” He grabbed you and pinned you down placing kisses all over your face and neck while you tried to squirm away. “Calum stop I have to get ready for work” he stopped but jutted his bottom lip out trying to get you to come back in bed and join him. “Don’t look at me like that!” You pointed at him and then pushed his head back causing him to plop back into bed. “Fine have a good day my love. Remember date night tonight!” He threw the comforters back over him as he tried to go back to sleep for a few more hours until he needed to be in the studio. You headed to the shower to start your daily routine.

Work was long and boring but Calum frequently sent you stupid selfies of him in the studio which made you smile. When the clock struck 5 you started to wrap up what you were doing at work so you had some time to get ready before your date night. On your way out all your coworkers told you to have a good date night. They all knew you and Calum’s date nights were Thursdays. Honestly you loved where you worked everyone was kind and you felt comfortable. Most of your coworkers kept prying on when you two were going to have a baby which always made you blush. You and calum had talked about it a few times but both agreed that you two weren’t ready to have one.

You pulled into the driveway next to calum’s car and locked the doors as you headed inside. “Hey my love.” He greeted you as he sat on the couch with duke on his lap. You walked over and cupped his face and kissed his forehead. Then gave duke a kiss on the top of his head. “Hi cutie. I’m gonna go do my makeup and then I’ll be ready to go” you headed up the stairs as calum called out “you know you don’t need all that crap.” You shook your head as you walked into your room. You saw a beautiful black dress with a rose laid on top of it. You walked back downstairs holding it up in front of you. “What is this?” “What you’re gonna wear tonight. I saw it in a store window and had to get it for you.” You walked to the couch and gave him a hug “I love you” and a sweet long kiss. You never get tired of his soft lips. They always tasted like chapstick but that never bothered you. You went back upstairs to complete getting ready.

Once you were satisfied with your makeup you slipped on the black dress with some simple red heels and headed back downstairs. “God damn it my wife is hot.” He wrapped his arms around you and hugged you from behind while kissing your cheek. “And my husband isn’t too bad himself.” He spun you around and examined the face he knew all to well. “Ready to go?” He grabbed his keys and walked to the front door. “Bye duke love you” Calum called out to the small dog who seemed unbothered that you two leaving.

Calum was softly singing along to a song that played through the car speakers. It was a particularly cold day out. His hand was placed on your exposed thigh. His thumb rubbing circles causing goosebumps to arise on your skin. Times like these you were so thankful for. Calum was focused on the road but still snuck glances over at you as you quietly sang along. “Where are we going tonight?” You looked over at calum who was already looking at you. While he wasn’t looking at the road the yellow light ahead at turned red and before either of you could do anything another car slammed into the passenger side of the car.

Everything was dark and loud. Calum looked around not being able to recognize anything that was happening. Lots of lights flashing around him he looked over to you. Your eyes were closed and you weren’t moving. Blood was dripping down your face even though he couldn’t see where the source was. Calum realized what had happened and he tried to reach out for you but he was locked in place “y/n!” His voice was shaking. He pleaded for you to open your eyes. Suddenly an emt was on your side of the car

“Can you hear me? Can you move at all” the large man opened the door and unbuckled calum. “You have to help my wife she’s not responding please” calum could barely choke out what he was trying to say. Another man showed up on your side of the car. Calum was transported to an ambulance waiting nearby his injuries were minor. Just a small concussion and a few scrapes. Y/n on the other hand still wasn’t responsive. You were rushed to the hospital calum rode along in the ambulance gripping you hand so tightly.

“I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her. I can’t lose her” was the only thing coming out of calums mouth during the short ride to the hospital. When they arrived you were rushed to the OR. Calum had to wait behind. His thoughts becoming more and more negative.

“Dude oh my god are you okay. What’s happening?” Luke rushed in the other boys followed closely behind. “I looked away for one second.” His head fell in his hands. As he sobbed. “I can’t lose her. I need her.” The boys embraced the shaking boy as they waited for any news in the waiting room.

A few hours passed when a doctor in scrubs came out to talk to them. “Are you Mr. Hood?” The small man approached the group of men sitting in the waiting room. All of them stood as Calum stepped forward. “Yes that’s me. Is she okay? Is she awake? Can I see her?” He stood there in anticipation. “She’s doing better she suffered a major head injury. She should be awake any minute. But there is something you might want to know. With that large of brain damage we’re not sure how much she’ll remember.” Calums eyes started to water again. He felt a few stray tears fall down his face. How could I have done this. His thoughts were so loud in his brain. Pounding against his skull. The doctor led him to your room. As the other boys held back. You looked like you. But not like yourself. You laid in the hospital bed eyes carefully closed. He sat by your bed side and held your hand.

“I’m so sorry my love. Please wake up.” His voice cracked. His eyes were so red and puffy from the crying.

As the darkness and haziness began to fade your eyes lifted open into a room you didn’t recognize but could tell was a hospital room. Your head was pounding. The lights were so bright. As you scanned the room you see a beautiful man sleeping in the chair next to you. He looked like he had been crying and had scrapes all over his face. He didn’t look familiar to you. Once you were fully awake you were incredibly thirsty but your arms could barely move. “Uhhhhhgg” you audibly struggled to reach for the water placed on the bedside table. Which woke the sleeping beauty. “Oh my god you’re awake.” He handed you the water. You took a big sip as the cold sensation dribbled down your throat. “My head hurts. Can you tell me what happened to me?” His face fell when he told you you had been in a bad car accident. “Did your car hit mine? You didn’t need to stay to make sure I’m alright. I’m fine thank you.” The words that came out of your mouth made calum’s heart drop. You didn’t recognize him. He didn’t know what to do. Whether cry or be angry with himself for doing this to you. “Y/n do you not know who I am?” His voice broke when he delivered the question.

“I’m sorry. I don’t.” Your brain was blank the last thing you remember was you had just moved to LA. “Oh my god. Okay. Um I’m your husband. Calum Hood.” He shook his head and stood up to call the doctor in.

“Good you’re awake. How are you feeling y/n?” The doctor came in and started checking your vitals and the charts. “Well, I just found out I’m married so like I guess I’m doing okay?” You let out a soft laugh as the doctor assured you that some memory loss was normal for the amount of damage done to you brain. Calum stepped outside the room with the doctor.

“How long until her memory is restored?” He leaned against the nurses station tapping his fingers against the top of the desk as the doctor responded. “It’s hard to tell. Sometimes it comes back within the day but sometimes it never comes back. I’m really sorry Mr. Hood.” With that he had walked away. Calum headed to the waiting room where all the boys were sitting patiently waiting. “She’s awake.” He walked up with his eyes still looking at the ground. “That’s great mate.” Ashton gave him a quick hug. “She doesn’t know me. Sh-sh-she doesn’t know who I am.” His throat bobbed with emotion. “Calum... I’m so sorry. But she loves you I’m pretty sure she’ll remember that.” Michael put his hand on the broad shoulders of the brunette.

“Hopefully.”

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Part two :^)

[angelynrostrand]

Chapter 10

Summary:  To the outside world, nothing should connect shy girl Angel Monroe and popular boy Xavier Hazelwood. But that isn't entirely true. They both hold secrets. Behind both of them lie 2 separate wolf packs. Xavier is well on his way to Alpha status and running the pack. Angel is not a wolf but instead the last healer in the world. When the realization comes forward that they are connected by destiny, will they decide to fulfill it? Is their connection predetermined by fate or will they choose their hearts? Lives and packs cross and mingle while romance and conflict brews. The story of 2 opposite souls on a collision path. Will destiny win out? Even the most innocent face, has the darkest secrets.

Word Count:1,975

Warnings: Minor blood mention

http://angeliquebasket.teechip.ru/3968195-43-trendy-basket-ball-aesthetic-high-school.html

The game is fun. Jesus and Sage try to keep me updated and teach me about basketball, but I just don't get it. I don't get the scoring system. I understand some, but they kept laughing about my misjudgment of the scores. I'm glad they are both able to get along. If a stranger looked at us they would think how normal we look. Young, full of life, and free. Just a normal group of teens enjoying their Friday night. We are teens and we do like drama and my drama is only 8 steps above me. Xavier is here and he is so close. I should have guessed he would be here. If not for me, for his best friends. I can still remember our first encounter and he would talk about them at my brother's ceremony. Both of us in formal wear and I envied him that he had great friends. But as I look at Sage and Jesus, I guess I made my own too.

By halftime, I need to stretch my legs. I stand up, and so does most of the audience to get food, water, or to use the bathroom. As I stand up Jesus quickly goes in protective mode.

He stands up and asks, "Where are you going?"

"To the bathroom."

"I will go with you." He said right after me.

Sage gives a weird look to Jesus. Normally girls go together and not boy and girl. "Ok, I'll just save your seats."

We thank her and walk down the stairs.

"Are you enjoying yourself?" I ask. I hope he is having fun. He seems like he is.

"Yes it is fun, your basketball team is really good." They are, we are winning by 10 points. But that may be because the twins are using their werewolf abilities. Cheaters. They are subtle about it though.

Our road is blocked by Xavier. "Well I am glad to see you, but who the hell are you?" His head swivels to Jesus.

"Xavier, is there something you need?"

"I'm just curious about your friend and why he is following you around like a lost puppy," Xavier says.

"This is my friend."

Jesus sticks his hand out. "Jesus Mendoza, part of the Harvest moon warrior pack." Jesus does his best to keep it professional by giving out his title.

Xavier rudely ignores his hand and moves closer to me. He grabs my hand, but before he could take me Jesus grips Xavier's arm. "Let her go," Jesus warns and following my father's private orders. I am caught in between two strong and tall males. Scared if they are going to be violent with each other. Jesus just recovered and Xavier needs to take a deep breath. Xavier's eyes go dark. His inner wolf is coming out.

"Both of you calm down." I can hear their wolf growl vibrating through the hallway. I take my hand out of Xavier's hand. At that moment Xavier looks hurt and focuses on me. Jesus also lets go. "Jesus can you give us a moment." He agrees and walks only a few steps away from me, but is still supervising us. Xavier's eyes follow Jesus angrily until we were alone. "Xavier, please. This is hard enough can we just not."

"What are you doing with that guy?" His brows am down and his ears look a little red from his angry state. "Are you on a date with him? Why did you guys come together?"

"I told you he is a friend and he is here to protect me." I lower my voice to keep him calm as much as I can.

"Why? I am here. I can protect you from anyone and everyone." He points at himself. "Do you just not want to be with me? I thought we had something. Enough to convince your family to accept me."

"Why don't you get it? I push and push but you keep coming back." I have to say this for his protection and for his pack. He can be in danger if I am around. It's bad enough I have my family in danger because of me. I am one of the reasons why my mother died. I can't let anyone else get hurt because of me. Especially, Xavier, he is too good to be true. 

"I do not want to be with you! I do not like you. So stay away from me." I lie through my teeth. I leave him standing there and speed walk around the corner. I can't see his face. All I hear is his frustration. He kicks a couple of chairs and a table from the snack bar stand, leaving everyone shocked and uneasy. Mrs. McGuire rushed to him and talked to him. By the time I found a new spot Jesus also rushes towards me.

"Angel don't run away like that. What happened? Did he hurt you?" He sees my glossy eyes.

"No, I hurt him," I said which made him quiet. "Let me just clean up. I need to go to the bathroom." I pointed across the hall to one of the private women's bathroom.

He stays quiet and nods to agree. I walk inside and hover over the sink. I use the water to clean my face. Why am I a bad person who only makes people suffer? The last thing I wanted to do is to hurt Xavier further. I hear weeping from the last stall. I guess I am not the only one having a bad night. I investigate the sound and knock on the stall. Some people would pretend they didn't hear it. But I could use the distraction and my curiosity took over.

"Hello, are you ok?" I asked. Before I could say another sentence, the door bursts open to expose Rebecca. Her sadness was unexpected for me. She has always been fierce and strong since I could remember.

"What are you doing? Get out! Get out!" She keeps pushing me out and walking closer to me, so I have to walk backward. Her black makeup surrounds her eyes. I look past her and notice clothes and her bag covering the bathroom floor. Like if she was digging for something. I see bullet boxes on the floor. Does she have a gun?

My mind can’t keep up with my mouth. My adrenaline is taking over. "Becca, what are you doing?"

"What, are you scared?" she has a lifeless voice. "Are you scared of this?" she reaches down to her bag and grabs the gun lazily. Waving it around as if she could not die from it.  I swallow deeply and take a deep breath, not sure what to do.

What can I do? What should I do? I could run away or yell for Jesus but it might trigger Becca. My legs can't move. Would she kill me? Is this what she meant when she said things can get serious.

"What is wrong, Angel? Are you scared of this little gun?" She swings the handgun. I can smell alcohol on her breath. Has she been drinking? She is definitely not in the right mindset. Between her sadness and her anger towards me.

"Becca, please put that gun away," I plead. I try to distract her. She is still vulnerable. I take my time with her.

"Why should I? My original plan seems to have changed now that you are here." She points the gun at me. I get more nervous and pray to my mother. She keeps the gun on me and locks the bathroom door.

"Becca please talk to me. Why are you doing this? Are you going to kill me or other people?"

"Angel, are you alright?" Jesus calls through from the other side. The loud lock must have caught his attention.

"Who is that? Did you text anyone about this?" She gives me worried looked. I ruined her plan. Whatever her plan was. Fear covers her eyes.

"No, I didn't. It's just a friend." She points the gun at the door. She could shoot right through the door. I step in front of it. "Please don't." my voice is raised.

"Angel open the door!" Jesus is wrestling with the handle. "Open the door!"

"Jesus you need to go!" My eyes are still on Becca. Scared what her next move will be.

"No!"

"Make him leave!" she said.

"Please just go!" I yell across the room. Tears of fear roll off my cheeks. I could never let another person get hurt because of me.

"Angel! Open up!" He ran into the door to bust it down. Over and over again.

She pulls the trigger.

 BANG. BANG. BANG. I close my eyes and drop down to the floor. She did it from nervousness and her mixed emotions. I looked around and Becca only managed to break the mirror. The glass was spread around us. Thanks to her poor aim, I was not shot but the glass slashed my leg.

I see my blood pouring out of my thigh. It was easily exposed to injury because of my lack of pants and only a dress. I want to cry and scream, but Becca looks more scared than I do. "I am so sorry," she cries.

The once cheerful crowd died down. I could hear screams and people running around not sure where it came from. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to!" Becca says with only tears to cover her voice.

I don't know what happened to Jesus. He has suddenly disappeared. I can no longer hear his shouting. I lay down on the floor in the growing pool of my blood. Darkness crowds my vision.

"Angel I am so sorry. It was supposed to be me. I wanted it to be me. I originally came here to end ME! I can't do this! I am a screw-up! My parents are getting a divorce, I'm failing senior year, I lost Xavier and now I screwed up." She is pointing at me. I wish I could stand up and hug her.

My vision is getting worse. I am getting tired of fighting. I am losing too much blood.

"So I need to go. I am so sorry." She points the gun at her head and begins to sob.

"NO!" I use all my strength to stand up with one leg. "No Rebecca!" I fight her and finally am able to get the gun out of her hand. I toss it across the room. Far away from her. We both fall to the ground. One because I lost all my energy and she was disappointed to still be alive.

I move closer to her and hold her close to me. While I feel like I am disappearing, she cries in my arms. My blood is still pouring out of me. I remove my jean jacket to place it on my thigh to stop the bleeding. My blood is special and looks different than normal but Rebecca is not paying enough attention. "It's ok. I am ok. You are going to be alright." I care for her. I stroke her hair and let her relax from the shock. I can heal people physically but mentally I’m useless. It is someone's mind and I can't control their mind.

I don't remember much. I can hear loud noises. Lights flashing around me. Policemen and women? Around us. "Don't hurt her. She didn't mean to." I repeat over and over hoping they could hear me. They grab Rebecca from my reach. They take her away from me and I don't know where she is going. People touching me and checking my pulse. No, they will find out. I can't fight. I am too tired. I want to sleep. I want to be with my mom.

[lindoig4]

Starting our Greenland Expedition

(I have temporarily given up trying to post more photos.  I spent several hours uploading the 3 recent pics in about 100 attempts.  The internet is so dodgy here that I just hope Canada offers better pictorial opportunities.)

August 4

Today was the big changeover day when 30 of the 54 voyagers and a couple of staff were replaced with a fresh complement of crew and passengers.  Heather was still not well enough to get out of bed, but we were booked to go searching for fossils so I got togged up and waited for the car to take us fossilising.  We waited - and waited - and after more than an hour, when we couldn’t even contact the guides to find out where they were, the excursion was cancelled and we walked into town (about 2 km although we were told it was only 5 minutes down the road).  It nearly killed me.  This reflux problem (or whatever it is) made it impossible for me to keep up with the others so I just wandered along, stopping for a rest several times, but I made it - only to be told that our fossil hunt had been rescheduled for 2pm.  The guide said he thought the 9am trip really meant 3.30pm but agreed to start at 2pm instead.

I had quite a few little things I wanted to buy (like toothpaste!) so I set off for the supermarket.  Alas, it is Sunday so nothing opens until 11, or maybe noon, or after lunch or.......  The supermarket opens at 3:30!  I scrounged around the few other places that were open, but came up empty-handed.  (One think I did see in one shop that tickled me was that their extensive range of cuddly polar bears were all stored and displayed in a large fridge!)  I couldn’t find any of the things we wanted so I was forced to squat at the Radisson where a meeting room had been booked for all the Aurora people who were ashore.  They provided a ‘sort of’ lunch for us - a pretty tasteless mayonnaise-drowned wrap that I assume the Radisson is ashamed to serve.

Our guide turned up almost on time to take 5 of the 9 originally-registered fossil hunters on our excursion.  (Two were on the sick-list, one had to drop out to go shopping when the supermarket that sells everything opened, and one had withdrawn to go dog-sledding instead.  They were the lucky ones.)

We had been told that it was a short easy walk from the car to the fossil field for anyone of average fitness.  In fact, it was a challenge for an ultra-fit mountain goat with extensive mountaineering experience.  It was at least 2 km and probably a 500 metre climb over the most treacherous terrain I have seen.  We skirted the glacier along a path (in name only) that was often less than 20 centimetres wide and sloping at nearly 45 degrees to a 40-50 metres slide over precipitous shaly rocks to the ice below.  One of our team had two falls suffering minor scrapes and bruises, but I was in fear for my life at several points.  I suffered no injury, but getting up and down the stairs on board was hard work for my aching thighs for a few days.  It took us just over an hour to get there so we only had 15-20 minutes cracking rocks looking for treasures before we had to trek back to the car to board the ship at 4:45.  I had about given up looking for fossils when I had one final whack at a rock and discovered a fossilised twig - of which I am quite proud.  It is far from impressive, but it is perhaps 60 million years old and I released it from its matrix in a fraction of second today!  I hope I can get it home in our baggage.

I am really glad I did it for the bragging rights (and because I have a fossil to show for it) but would not recommend it to a healthy tahr.  We all provided some pretty pointed feedback to the ship and I don’t think they will be offering it again to anyone without very close scrutiny in future.  At least, they gave all the intrepid fossilisers a free bottle of wine to calm our nerves after the ordeal.

More than half our fellow expeditioners had to go through the mandatory lifeboat drill and safety briefings, but we experienced old-timers were exempt and watched smugly as they trooped off to their orientation practices.

It is interesting that so much of the second leg of our trip mirrors the first leg - even the menu.  The Meet the Team, Meet the Captain, the Polar Plunge, BBQ night, the Captain’s Farewell and several of the lectures all repeat the format we have already enjoyed.

Greenland

Most of the stuff above (once it is posted, it will actually be below so I will leave it to the erudite reader to interpret the literary compass as he or she wishes) was written during our Svalbard circumnavigation - but our Greenland experience means that some parts of it need moderation of sorts.

We had two days with our new complement of expeditionists revisiting western Svalbard, albeit different areas than we had visited before.  They were exceptional days, including one when we went to see the Three Bears.  There is some dispute as to whether there were 3 or 4, but my photos indicate the former.  We spied one big bear sleeping way up on the mountain (shall we nominate him/her as Father Bear?) so we Zodiac-ed across in the hope of a better look - only to see another adult (had to be a female so I will call her Mother Bear) with a cub who was obviously Baby Bear, somewhat higher up and off to the left of Father Bear.  Some in our group must have had a spot of double vision, claiming to have seen two cubs - but I don’t believe them.  We are reasonably sure that the bears were unaware of the others’ presence because if Mother Bear saw Father Bear, she would take Baby Bear far away - or Father Bear would likely kill Baby Bear in an attempt to persuade Mother Bear to cooperate in making more Baby Bears next season.  But look as I would, I could not see a single bowl of porridge anywhere on the mountain - nor a broken chair or a mussed up cot!  Maybe they hadn’t read the script......

But after doing due diligence to our bear observations, we motored across to an adjacent glacier and did something really cool.  Walking on a glacier is about as cool as you can get and it was an experience of a lifetime for both of us.  It was a bit of an adventure getting up onto the glacier, but a lot easier than we imagined walking on it.  We were able to explore a couple of small crevasses and walk quite a way on the ice.  I don’t think we were the first or only people ever to set foot on a glacier, but it was certainly a big deal for me and we have the photos to prove it.  Apart from being a couple of hundred metres above sea level, we were on an emotional high, an experience we never imagined we would have but one that gave us more of a thrill than many things, including long-distance bear watching.

Greenland is very different from Svalbard. We had two full days at sea sailing to Greenland and had to detour a few times when the ice became almost impassible.  But we awoke to find ourselves surrounded by mountains even more spectacular than many in Svalbard and icebergs several hundred times bigger than anything we had seen before.  There was comparatively little snow and the vegetation was hugely larger - I saw grasses over 30 cm tall and the biggest polar willows, although still prostrate and hugging the ground, had trunks/limbs up to almost 50 cm long/tall. The vegetation was quite varied: a lot was similar to that in Svalbard, albeit often not quite as miniaturised, but quite a few other species were interspersed.  The first morning, we also saw our first musk ox, 3 adults and a calf, checking us out from high on a ridge, giving rise to almost unanimous comments about Apaches ready to attack the settlers.

I was also able to add a couple more birds to my list and I am itching to get some time on the Internet to confirm a couple of identifications and to check whether these are mainly just species we have seen before or variations (subspecies that are different from those seen in Russia and Scotland).

[ryuu--sushi]

Better With You Chapter 1

Kira's eyes snapped open. She had no memory of falling asleep, yet somehow, she had woken up in a bed. She ignored the ache throughout her body for now, and looked around her environment frantically, not recognizing any of her surroundings.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself, Kira sat up. There was nothing familiar in the room she had found herself in. She couldn't remember any situation that had gotten her here.

Kira was relieved to find out she hadn't been restrained in any way, she would at least be able to get out of the room then—if it wasn't locked—that is. Standing up, her gaze was immediately drawn to a certain area on the wall. There were photos put up on a board, and they all displayed the same two people in them.

She decided to take a closer look, hoping it would at least tell her a little more about her current situation, and the place she had found herself inside.

The first girl looked the youngest, seemingly a minor, judging from her appearance. She had medium length hair that appeared to be reddish-brown in color. Her eyes were a light blue, reminiscent of the ocean. She was smiling next to the figure beside her.

The other girl looked older, and clearly taller as well. Her hair was much shorter—slightly above the shoulders to be more precise, the color quite similar, but more of an orangy-brown instead. Her eyes were leaning more to the purple side than blue. Yet despite those differences the two still looked quite similar, perhaps they were related?

Kira tore her gaze away from them, taking in the rest of the room. It looked like a typical bedroom, nothing standing out from it aside from those photos. She assumed this bedroom belonged to one of these two, then—that's at least some information.

Now, it was time to find out if she'd been locked inside.

Kira walked to the door, pushing down the handle. It opened with ease, almost surprising her, and she made her way out into the hallway. Going down a pair of stairs, she ended up in the fronthall.

"Oh, you're awake."

Kira flinched at the unexpected voice, turning around in the blink of an eye, making her a little dizzy as she took on a defensive stance.

The person in front of her was familiar, she had seen her in the photos just a moment ago. She was the taller of the two figures in the photo, to be more exact, even towering over Kira with her height.

"Careful there, wouldn't want to reopen one of your wounds. Now would you?" The taller remarked, a bit of amusement flickering in her eyes. "After I spent so much time wrapping them too."

Kira wasn't sure what to think of the other, but what she did know is that she suddenly felt extremely annoyed by what she had just been told. "It's not like I asked you, so don't go blaming me for it." she responded, her tone cold.

"Okay, calm down. I was just trying to lift the mood a bit, since you seemed so tense. Y'know?" the other clarified, giving Kira a smile. "Seriously, though." She continued speaking after a moment, looking concerned. "You shouldn't move around so frantically with those wounds, I'm pretty sure you hit your head at some point too."

"I don't care what you have to say. I'm leaving." Kira had already realized she'd suffered from some kind of head injury. She had been feeling slightly lightheaded since she had woken up, and the dizziness she had been feeling just now told her enough. That didn't mean that she would listen to what the other had to say, though. Her only goal was getting out of here right now, no way was she accepting help from some random stranger. Even if her memory was spotty, and she couldn't remember what she had been doing before, or how she had gotten wounded. She would figure all that out after she'd left.

Ignoring the dizziness; Kira once again turned around, making her way towards the front door. "Hey, wait—" the other started pleading, yet Kira would never know what the other had to say. Because, the ground was suddenly way too close, and then she couldn't comprehend anything at all.

Kira regained consciousness for a moment, but couldn't make out much of what was going on.

There was a warmth surrounding her body.

Kira subconsciously moved closer to it, the warmth comforting her.

She thought she heard someone snort before passing out again.

The first thing Kira registers when she wakes up is the sound of something soft being torn, and that her body was lying atop a soft surface—it wasn't as soft as the bed she had woken up in, however. Kira slowly opened her eyes, the light in the room blinding her momentarily, making her wince.

"Welcome back."

Kira slowly turned her attention towards the voice.

The tall stranger was by her side, with roles of bandages and bottles of other ointments placed about. Apparently, her rescuer had taken it upon herself to legitimately tend to her wounds once again, after all. Was she really replacing her old bandages? Why was she going to these lengths to assist her so much, anyway?

"I told you to be careful." the taller commented, slightly amused. Though, Kira could spot a hint of concern in those lavender eyes as well.

"I'm aware, I just chose to ignore it."

"Yeah, and how did that work out for you?"

"You may have had a point." Kira responded, her tone still cold, with a hint of annoyance within.

The other girl only smirked, moving away from Kira's field of vision for a moment. When she returned, there was a sandwich being shoved into her face. "You better eat it, you've been passed out on my bed for days."

Kira grumbles, miffed, but grabs the sandwich anyway. She couldn't deny that she was hungry any longer, it wouldn't make her feel any better. Kira took a bite, silently enjoying the taste.

Once the sandwich was completely finished, the other girl held out a glass of water to her. Kira quickly grabbed it without any protest this time, gulping it down in only a few seconds. She hadn't quite realised how thirsty she was, her throat still a bit dry.

"Can I have another glass?" she asked quietly, avoiding eye contact.

"Of course, I wouldn't want you drying out on me." The girl took the glass from her hands, moving away from Kira, presumably into the kitchen. She returned after a few seconds, giving the now refilled glass of water back to her.

"So, you remember how you ended up passed out in the woods?"

Ah, so that's how she had gotten here. That explained her situation a little bit, though it still didn't tell her what had happened before. There was definitely a chance she had hit her head when she fell to the ground, though. Kira slowly shook her head, after gulping down the water for the second time.

The other sighed. "Figures…" she looked away for a moment, before turning her gaze back towards Kira again. "Welp, now that you're awake, might as well tell you who's bed you've been sleeping in these past days. I'm Kate." The taller—now revealed as Kate—told her. "What about you?"

Kira debated for a moment if she should tell Kate her name. It didn't seem like she had any ulterior motives, but she couldn't be too sure. She sighed, deciding that Kate had helped her enough to at least get to know her name.

"Kira."

"For a moment there I was sure you weren't gonna tell me, but Kira, huh? Pretty."

Kira jolted from shock. Did she just say her name was pretty? What the hell? No one had ever—no, wait, she was not going there. Kira resolved to instead glare at Kate, to express how much the comment had annoyed her.

Kate only looked amused, smirking. "That's quite the death glare you got there. What, can't you take a compliment?"

"You mean your mockery?"

"Who said I was mocking you? Maybe I just think your name is pretty."

Kira huffed in annoyance. "Shut up. I don't care."

"Okay, okay, I'll stop." Kate grabbed Kira's empty glass, walking back into the kitchen with it.

Kira turned around, facing the back of the couch. There was a chance she was acting this way because she wanted to avoid Kate, and since she currently couldn't get up and leave, this was the closest she could get to doing so. Not that anyone would be able to confirm that, of course.

"So, you're just gonna brood over there now?"

Kira doesn't acknowledge the remark.

"Ah, ignoring me I see." Kate commented after the moment of silence. "That's fine, you should get some rest. I'm sure you're stressed from this whole situation. Try to get some sleep, okay?"

Kira wasn't planning on following any advice Kate was giving her, yet she felt her eyelids slid closed regardless.

Panic was all she could feel, and she was not sure why. Where was she? She couldn't tell. Why was she running? No clue. Yet, something told her she couldn't stop. If she does, it would all be over for her.

So, she ran.

She ran past indistinguishable blurs of scenery. She jumped over any obstacles in her way. She dodged something, she couldn't tell what it was, and she didn't care to find out either. She just needed to avoid, avoid, avoid, don't let him catch her.

Kira suddenly woke up, but she couldn't will her body to move just yet. There was a sensation on her arm, something warm. She couldn't tell what it was, though, not fully able to feel her body.

After a few more seconds, Kira managed to open her eyes, turning her head to the side and towards her arm. Kate was sitting there, holding one of her hands in her own, while her other hand was busy wrapping a bandage around her arm, just as she had been doing earlier.

Huh. So that's one of the reasons her body is presently aching. She hadn't really been paying close attention to her body since she had woken up, so she hadn't taken notice of the pain.

Kate glanced towards Kira with furrowed brows, having noticed she was now awake. "Hey there. Bad dream? You seemed a bit tense.."

Dream? Did she dream? Kira couldn't recall. Though, why did she feel a small amount of panic when she thought about it?

"Don't remember."

"Ah," Kate responded, having finished wrapping the bandage. "Do you mind sitting up? I need to rewrap the wound on your back."

Her back was injured too? What was the cause of her wounds anyway?

"...Sure" she answered, slowly sitting up. "How bad are they?"

"Mmm, not too bad, most are almost gone." Kate lifted up the shirt Kira was wearing, slowly unwrapping the dirty bandage around her lower back and stomach. "The majority of them were just surface level cuts, so those healed fine. The gash on your arm was a bit deeper, but still nothing terrible." Kate stopped speaking for a moment, discarding the dirty bandages, staring at her now uncovered back. "You got pretty lucky with your back, there's some pretty nasty cuts there, along with some kind of burn mark, but nothing that won't heal. If you had been hit any closer, though…" Kate trailed off, into a contemplative silence.

"Anyway," she spoke again after a moment, grabbing something from the table behind her, "this is gonna sting. Sorry."

Kate wasn't wrong, it did sting, a lot in fact. Kira didn't let her discomfort show however, trying to focus her attention on something else. "...Are these your clothes?" Kira asked, glancing down at what she was wearing for the first time. It was a pretty simple outfit. Just a loose lilac shirt with some black sweatpants.

"Yeah, yours were a bit sliced up, and I figured some loose clothes would relieve the pain a bit. Can't imagine having a tight shirt against your back wound would be pleasant." Kate placed aside the cream she applied, grabbing some new bandage rolls to wrap around the wound.

"It wouldn't, no." Kira agrees. She felt the clean bandages being wrapped around her, sitting in silence for a moment. "...Thanks."

Kate stilled, surprised. "Oh, so you can be polite?" she commented, smug, and continued wrapping the wound.

"Shut up, even I can admit when someone has helped me."

Kate snorted at the snappy retort. "Okay Ms. Grump, I'll accept that answer for now." Kate finished bandaging, putting the shirt back down. "There, all done." The girl stood up, stretching. "Welp, I don't know about you, but I'm hungry. Want some pizza?"

Kira lied back down, facing the back of the couch. "Why?"

"Mmm?"

"Why are you helping me? I'm just some stranger you found in the woods, aren't I?"

"Who knows? Maybe I just fell for your looks—"

"Bullshit."

There was so much animosity in that one word that it shut Kate up immediately, the atmosphere suddenly very tense. The girl had been acting churlish the entirety of the time she'd spent here, but Kate still hadn't seen her react in a way that was as fierce or aggressive as her response just now had been. Clearly, she must have hit a sore spot. Awkward, Kate broke the silence. "I'm just gonna order some pizza, okay?"

"...Fine. I don't care." Kira grumbled, her fierce glare fixed on the couch.

The time spent waiting for the food was uncomfortably tense, and it didn't get much better after they had eaten, either.

Kate wasn't really sure what to do, she didn't really know the other after all. "You… wanna watch television?"

"No."

"Watch a movie?"

"No."

"Play some Mario Kart?"

As if she had been expecting it; Kira turned towards her the moment she opened her mouth, glaring before she even finished her sentence. "Would you stop bothering me?! I don't—" Kira paused processing what the other just said. "What's.. Mario Kart?"

Ah-ha! Some progress. "It's a game where you race against each other, very fun. You even get these special powers you can use."

Kira seemed to debate with herself for a moment, unsure what she should do. "...Fine. I'll give it a try."

And that is how they both ended up playing Mario Kart a few minutes later.

"I thought you said this game was fun?!" Kira yelled, frustrated. She had just gotten hit by another red shell.

"It is! It's not my fault you suck at it."

"I'll make you eat those words once I pass you, and take first place!"

"Ha, I'd like to see you try!"

Much to Kate's surprise, it doesn't take very long at all before the other girl does pull ahead.

"Hey, stop hitting me with shells!"

"It's not my fault you suck!" Kira countered with the most shit eating grin on her face.

"How did you get so good at this in such a short amount of time?" Kate asks, perplexed.

"Spite."

Kate snorts. "Why am I not surprised?"

Multiple races passed, their rankings stayed close to each other. In the end the trophy went to—

"Ha, suck it, I won!"

"You sure did." replied Kate, chuckling.

"That… wasn't too bad."

"Told you it'd be fun. You seem to be doing a lot better."

"Yeah, I guess." Kira responded, a softness to her voice that Kate hadn't heard in the girl’s tone before. Kira glanced away, hiding the small genuine smile that was across her face.

"Soooo, you wanna watch a movie now?"

"Ugh, sure." The softness in her voice remained, rendering her unable to sound as annoyed as she wanted to.

Kira ended up falling asleep halfway through the movie, Kate didn't mind, though.

She looked so peaceful like this.

[morfinwen]

28, 37, 41, 43, 44, and 50 for all OCs :)

RIP anyone on mobile, here’s a “read more” for the rest of you:

28 - What are some of their guilty pleasures?

Reagan - Dumb phone games, some she’ll download just to play once then remove forever.

Chris - Action paperbacks, the kind with paper-thin characters, plots that fall apart if you think about them for more than two seconds, villains as realistic as a Saturday morning cartoon, etc.

Angie - Her abiding love for the Disney movies she watched as a child goes beyond what most adults will admit to. She wore out her old video cassette of Cinderella, and takes very good care of the stuffed Winnie-the-Pooh bear she’s had since she was a baby.

Neal - There’s this one soap opera he’s kept up on since he was nine years old. No one can know.

Elarin - She loves cheesy pop love ballads. No matter how ridiculous or sappy they are, if it's got a catchy tune, she’ll be humming it under her breath for weeks. HK-47 confirms this was a trait she had even back in her “terror of the galaxy” days, which has led to some interesting mental images for both Elarin and her friends.

Meaghan - She has a collection of various animal figurines she’s collected from all over the place, from all different manufacturers and planets. Most of them are brightly colored and made of cheap materials, almost none of them are realistic. About the only thing all of them have in common, besides being goofy imitations of animals, is that she likes the way they feel in her hands.

Leah - Fancy Lads Snack Cakes. So sugary you can feel your teeth rot when you bite into one. So packed full of preservatives they’ve lasted as long as she’s been alive (which also means most of them are at least slightly irradiated). Whenever she finds a box somewhere, though, she’ll pick it up and hide it somewhere, for when she’s having a bad day.

Avery - There have been various incidents across Kirkwall that have occurred suspiciously close to times and places Avery and Varric were left unattended for lengthy periods of time. Avery doesn’t regret a single shenanigan, but that doesn’t mean she’s going to admit her involvement to Aveline.

Ash - If, hypothetically speaking, Ash ever watched a romcom or chick flick -- which, given the general low quality of many of those types of films, he is definitely not likely to ever do -- he would only do it somewhere private, where if some part of the movie might by happenstance make him tear up, he could keep his emotions to himself and not have to deal with the judgment and opinions of others. All purely hypothetical. You have no evidence.

Lanzo - Reality TV. It’s ridiculous and melodramatic and over the top and not realistic in the slightest, but he can get sucked into watching it for hours. What else is he going to do during the daylight hours?

Connie - Chasing sticks. It’s not fetch, it’s more like catch. With himself.

Aidan - Musicals. Even the silly ones with pointless plots and unbelievable characters.

Nate - He used to love Skittles.

Q - Some animated show that he watched a lot of when he was a kid. Absolutely refuses to speak of it to anyone. He has copies of his favorite episodes saved on his laptop in a password-protected folder with a misleading name, just to make sure no one learns about it.

Niner - Yarn. It’s not that werecats have anything against yarn -- many of them are just as entranced by it as Niner -- but batting a ball of colorful yarn around on the floor is not part of Niner’s image.

Amanda - Self-describes her drinking habits as a quest to replace all internal fluids with Coca-Cola.

Ian - Twinkies. He knows they’re terrible for him, but it’s a road trip necessity. He had a minor freak out when Hostess went bankrupt and they stopped being sold for several months.

Lauren - The occasional cigarette, when she is extra stressed or angry and nothing else will calm her down. If she's particularly self-controlled, one pack will last two weeks. She is usually not quite that self-controlled.

Kira - An older teen romance werewolf movie. She knows it’s dumb, but the lead male is just. The cutest. The dreamiest eyes. His smile. His hair ... 

Darcy - Chocolate covered marshmallow cookies. Dipped in peanut butter.

Susanna - Susanna is too young to have guilty pleasures. If she likes something, she likes it, and refuses to be ashamed about it.

37 - Do they like glitter?

Reagan - It doesn’t bother her, but no.

Chris - Giving someone a card with glitter on it is one of Chris’ ways of getting petty revenge on people who haven’t done anything bad enough to merit serious comeuppance. He’ll always add a little extra, in such a way that the recipient won’t notice beyond “wow, there’s a lot of glitter on this card”.

Angie - Not particularly.

Neal - No.

Elarin - Not usually, but sometimes a girl just needs to feel sparkly.

Meaghan - Doesn’t care either way.

Leah - Sure, in small doses.

Avery - I don’t think they have glitter in Ferelden. If they did, she’d love it, but mostly for petty revenge like Chris.

Ash - Ugh. No.

Lanzo - He has a glittery tiara that says “DIVA” that he wears sometimes when he's drunk. When he’s sober, its tendency to get everywhere irritates the heck out of him.

Connie - No.

Aidan - Eh.

Nate - No.

Q - No.

Niner - Won’t ever admit it, but has a certain fascination with anything shiny or sparkly.

Amanda - When she was younger, she did. Nowadays she’s just slightly more likely to buy a glittery card than the average person.

Ian - He would, except he seems to have extraordinarily bad luck with it.

Lauren - With as many siblings as she had, there was always something leaving glitter everywhere when she was growing up, so she’s developed a dislike of it.

Kira - Yes.

Darcy - No.

Susanna - No interest.

41 - Have they ever broken a bone?

Reagan - Once, broke her arm falling out of a tree.

Chris - A few, while playing sports.

Angie - Never.

Neal - If asked, Neal might talk about the one time he got his collarbone broken while playing football in junior high. He will not mention the other times he had a broken bone in his childhood. His parents get angry with him when he talks about those. 

Elarin - Considering all the violent conflicts she’s been involved in, she’s suffered serious injury on multiple occasions, but even without amnesia she couldn’t tell you offhand how many of them involved broken bones.

Meaghan - Same.

Leah - Pre-War, she broke a couple fingers playing sports. Post-War … she lost count a long time ago.

Avery - A few. She also leads a conflict-heavy life, but she keeps to the back and lets her better-armored friends take the charge.

Ash - Slipped and broke his ankle one winter. Most boring winter of his life.

Lanzo - Not since becoming a vampire. Vampires can break bones, but it’s significantly less likely.

Connie - No. Werewolves are also tougher than humans.

Aidan - Phoenixes, on the other hand, have light bones that break more easily. The longest he’s gone without breaking something is eight months. (Fortunately, phoenixes also have methods of healing faster).

Nate - Broke his left arm once, and his left leg on a different occasion. The latter event was the one that put an end to his skateboarding/rollerblading days and kickstarted his interest in video games.

Q - He’s suffered a lot of batterings, thanks to riding a bike professionally -- mostly scrapes and minor cuts, but also more than his fair share of broken bones, he’s sure.

Niner - Probably not? When asked, she claims not to know what bones are, and shows no interest in learning. Q is 88% sure she’s joking, but … it’s Niner.

Amanda - Once, broke her leg very badly during an investigation.

Ian - Once, in college. He got lost on his way to class, and thought he was walking down a different set of stairs on the other side of campus -- ones that didn’t require you to be as mindful of where you put your feet.

Lauren - Answered.

Kira - Broke her collarbone once.

Darcy - No.

Susanna - Two fingers, one toe, her ankle, and one hairline fracture in her arm. Considering how much energy Susanna puts into doing everything, it might be a bit surprising she hasn’t broken more.

43 - Have they ever drunk underage?

Reagan - As a small child, she wanted to try her aunt’s wine. Janet figured allowing her a taste would put her off of it for a while, and it did. Reagan never drank again for years, until some very determined coworkers convinced her to accompany them to a bar after work.

Chris - He was at a few parties in high school where there was drinking going on, but he never had any himself.

Angie - Nope. No interest, no opportunities.

Neal - His dad’s idea of “male bonding” was making his twelve-year-old drink an entire can of beer while watching old videos of him playing high school football. Neal threw up shortly afterward, which did nothing to improve his relationship with his father, but it did mean he never “wasted” his beer making Neal drink it again.

Elarin - Never really had the opportunity, and wouldn’t have taken it if she had.

Meaghan - Ditto.

Leah - Someone spiked the punch at one school party Leah attended her sophomore year of high school. Before she’d had more than half a cup, her not-yet-boyfriend Nate warned her about it, and offered to see her home, as the friends she’d come with were not put off by the spiked punch.

It was a warm spring evening, so they walked home very, very slowly, talking about everything going on in the world and what they hoped to do to change things for the better.

Avery - I’m not sure if Ferelden has a drinking age. If it does, then no, but not for want of trying -- so many adults seemed to love alcohol so much, young Avery just wanted to know why, but the mean bartender never let her try any.

Ash - Nope. His dad took him to his favorite local pub shortly after Ash’s twenty-first birthday, and gave him a lot of advice on the topic.

Lanzo - If the concept of minors even existed when Lanzo was born, it was a very different understanding. He grew up drinking alcoholic beverages with pretty much every meal.

Connie - Disliking the taste of alcohol and/or being more susceptible to it are not so common among werewolves as to be a distinctive trait, but for some reason are more likely to be true of the average werewolf than the average human. For this reason, among others, there wasn’t much peer pressure or opportunity for underage drinking.

As an adult, Connie’s tried a variety of different drinks, all of which taste vile to him.

Aidan - No underage drinking, though he did visit a couple speakeasies during Prohibition.

Nate - A little in college, mostly just a friend offering him a taste of theirs. Once at a party he picked up someone’s mixed drink by accident and drank the entire thing. Apparently, Nate’s a great dancer once he loosens up a little.

Q - Not by British standards.

Niner - Werecats leave their immediate families when they reach physical maturity, usually in their early teens, and will travel for a while with others of the same age. One of the other werecats in Niner’s group discovered an abandoned bottle of whiskey on the side of the road, and gave it a try. His reaction was so strong everyone else in the group had to give it a try as well. None of them liked it.

Amanda - For a short period of her teenage years, Amanda rebelled against the strict rules and high expectations of her mother by engaging in various transgressive acts, such as sneaking into bars with fake ID and attending parties where alcohol was available. She was very careful never to get drunk, as she knew there would be serious consequences if her mother ever found out.

Ian - He accidentally drank some of his dad’s beer once as a kid. Like Reagan, it was enough to put him off of it for years. He tolerates some mixed drinks, but he’s still not super-fond of alcohol.

Lauren - She was raised Catholic, so she had wine with her first Communion in grade school. Apart from that, her parents permitted their children to have a single glass of wine at dinner on certain special occasions, once they were double-digits. Like most of her siblings, Lauren didn’t like the taste of it, but it made her feel very grown-up to ask for some. There was also a lot of competitiveness between the siblings, so once one had a glass, all the rest had to have it too, lest they be “shown up” by the others.

Kira, Darcy, Susanna - Nope.

44 - What is the first thing they do when they wake up?

Reagan - Check her phone.

Chris - He has a whole system that starts with getting up, making the bed, getting dressed, brushing his teeth, making breakfast …

Angie - Opens a window.

Neal - Wakes up gradually to the smell of coffee -- sets his coffee maker to start automatically in the mornings.

Elarin - Goes back to whatever she was doing before someone made her go to bed.

Meaghan - Meditates.

Leah - Helps whomever is making breakfast, or starts it if no one else has.

Avery - Mornings are difficult for Avery, so once she’s awake she just lays in bed for a while, until she feels better or something forces her to get up.

Ash - Makes tea and goes outside to watch the sunrise.

Lanzo - Has a drink.

Connie - Showers, if he has to work. Picks up the nearest book and leafs through it until he's fully awake, if he doesn't.

Aidan - If it’s rainy, and it usually is, he’ll get up, get dressed, and find some breakfast. On the rare occasions it’s sunny, goes outside, climbs onto the roof, and watches the sunrise for as long as he can.

Nate - Doesn’t sleep anymore. Back when he did, he would check his phone first.

Q - It takes him a while to fully wake up, so some mornings the first thing he does once he’s awake is make tea, other mornings he’s halfway on his way to work before he can be considered “awake”.

Niner - Food is the only thing on Niner’s mind when she wakes up.

Amanda - She uses the radio for an alarm, and her preferred daytime radio program starts a half hour before she has to get going, so she’ll lie in bed and just listen, letting herself wake up more gradually.

Ian - Wakes up to his alarm, hits the snooze button one too many times, gets up in a panic and drinks as much coffee as he can before leaving for work.

Lauren - Takes a cold shower.

Kira - Bury her head under her pillow, groan, then very reluctantly get up.

Darcy - Get dressed.

Susanna - Run downstairs for breakfast.

50 - Are they good at remembering significant dates? Anniversaries, birthdays etc?

Reagan - She’s not terrible at remembering. Whether she’ll do anything for it is a different matter.

Chris - Yes, but he’s not above getting it wrong or ignoring it if he feels it’s called for.

Angie - Always. In fact, there have been occasions where Angie has recognized a significant date for someone in her social circle and honored it appropriately without that person having any recollection of telling of her that such a date even existed, let alone when it was.

Neal - For the people he cares about, yes. Otherwise, probably not.

Elarin - Dates of personal importance, to her or those close to her, yes -- though mostly by setting up alerts to remind her and other, more subconscious methods. Otherwise she has trouble remembering what day it is.

Meaghan - She’s pretty good at remembering, unless something very serious comes up to distract her.

Leah - She’s good at remembering the actual date, but between all her responsibilities, the incredibly low likelihood of coming across any accurate calendars, and the fact that the Commonwealth’s weather patterns have changed a lot since she was growing up, she might not realize an important date has come up.

Avery - For Avery, recognizing the occasion is more important than getting the date absolutely right, but she is decent at recalling dates, and she makes a point for those to whom getting the date right is important.

Ash - As soon as he learns about an important date for someone who’s more than a casual acquaintance, he writes it down in his personal calendar/address book. You would really have to work to aggravate him enough not to send you a birthday card, once you’re in the book.

Lanzo - Yes, but after this much time, he occasionally mixes up what day is important to what person. Especially awkward when he confuses someone in the house’s birthday with the birthday of, say, one of his wives.

Connie - With a little effort, he can. He has a calendar with every important birthdate written down on it.

Aidan - Nope!

Nate - He remembers all important dates for his immediate family, and a few for his extended family. Otherwise, not really.

Q - Yes. Not really a benefit to him at present, seeing as most of the significant dates he remembers are for his ex-girlfriend and terrible aunt and uncle.

Niner - Vaguely aware of approaching holidays. Otherwise, can’t even tell what day of the week it is, or even what the days of the week are. She’s almost certain “Wednesday” isn’t a real word.

Amanda - She tries, but she gets so involved in her work that it can slip her mind until it’s too late. She really does put in an effort for her closest friends and family.

Ian - Answered.

Lauren - The only important dates she can really remember are those of her family and Ian’s family.

Kira - She only has to hear it once to remember it. Now if only that worked for her history tests …

Darcy - Has been known to forget when his own birthday is, so that would be a no.

Susanna - Not particularly, though she has on multiple occasions surprised people by remembering an important date they were sure she’d forgotten.

Long enough for you? Thanks for asking, though! Still fun working through these. Most of these, anyway. (Poor Neal ... )