#somethin like it leaves them sour forever

[ikkan]

mom was freakin earlier over her past relationships and exes...and started reflecting onto me and trying to drag me into it....like bestie...this isn't about me.

[starlightvld]

(Additional sketches by @kibagib of scenes from chapter 5 of Broken Bones and Shattered Hearts, my angsty ghostsoap fic. Snippet of chapter 5 is below [spoiler-y parts under the cut])

__

John grits his teeth against a wave of longing as he stands and slowly walks across the room toward the embodiment of everything he's been both hating and missing all these years. The embodiment of everything he's lost. Simon goes preternaturally still, perhaps sensing John's change in mood as he stops less than a foot away, his gaze scouring that familiar broad chest.

All the old scars are there. He knows the stories behind some and even treated a few of them himself in dark alleys or cold safe houses, but others — especially the most vicious of them — are still a mystery. 

I was scared of losin' you like I lost my family.

Ghost was never one to share much of his past, and Soap, though he might've pushed things when teasing or bantering, had never crossed those lines Ghost drew for him, even during those nights when he thought maybe... just maybe... Simon was coming to see him more often than Ghost. 

There's so much he doesn't know.

He tells himself he doesn't want to know, but the lie chimes a sour note in the chaos of his mind.

A few new scars peek through the dusting of blond chest hair, and John thinks maybe it would be worth the pain to learn them — one last night with the man he'd thought forever lost to him, one last rush of feeling before Simon leaves him again. Because despite Simon's assurances, despite all the words shared between them today, the leaving still feels as sure to him as the changing of the seasons or the rising and setting of the sun.

The trust is gone.

But everything else?

It's all there, pushing up from that deep ocean and pressing against his sternum like a boulder pinning him to the ground.

His chest hitches with a shaking breath as he reaches out and rests his palm between Simon's pecs. A corresponding soft rush of air over his face is the only indication the touch affects Simon at all. The silver disks that state name, number, and blood type sit just above his fingertips, and he frowns as he realizes there are more disks on the standard-issue silver chain that there should be.

He slides his hand up to brush over the Riley on display, and Simon's chest convulses. His hand shoots up to cover John's, obscuring the tags, but not before they're jostled around to reveal a different yet wholly familiar name on the tags underneath.

MacTavishJ C

He jerks his head up to finally look Simon in the eye, but Simon has turned his head to the side, blotches of color forming high on his bare cheeks.

"Simon," he says in a low and disbelieving tone. "Are those my tags?"

Simon still doesn't look at him or respond, but he does drop his hand. John stays still. Waits. It takes a few seconds, but Simon finally glances over at him.

His curt nod is like a kick to the chest. 

John's breath leaves him in a sharp exhale, and the boulder bares down on him as he looks down at where his fingertips touch the silver disks — the tags he was told were lost during his final mission. He'd come into the hospital without them, setting off a chain of endless paperwork for Price.

"Ye've had them? All this time?"

"Just... just wanted to have somethin' of you. In case..."

"In case I died again and they couldn't bring me back?" 

John whispers the question even as the hope he doesn't want — can't afford to indulge — digs in like a splinter in that hollow place inside. Simon hums, and it's answer enough to have John clenching his jaw to fight the pressure behind his eyes.

"We weren't owt in the military's eyes," Simon says in a low rumble. "They woulda sent 'em to your family. And I knew how much you hated those fuckers. Well. Almost all of 'em."

"But ye kept 'em even when ye knew I was still alive?"

Simon doesn't respond. And John... 

John frowns as logic bullies its way into those warm feelings. "Wait... Ye mean to say ye've been wearing these for years? What if ye were injured and the medics didnae know which one to use? We're no' even the same blood type, ye wee radge! If yer vest gets damaged or removed before they can see it, ye could get yerself killed—"

"Negative," Simon interrupts. "O positive is safe for B positive blood types."

"But—"

"If you want 'em back, just say so," Simon rasps. "Otherwise, they stay where they are."

Simon looks away. His whole body is coiled tight like a spring, as if he's bracing for another barrage of angry words from John. And John should be angry. Simon has been wearing John's tags all this time like some sort of fucking military widower, when he was the one who destroyed everything they were to begin with.

Fucked me up seein' you die like that.

Light begins to dawn as he puts the pieces together.

"I'm no' fucking dead, ye bastard," John growls, though the words don't have the bite they should. Instead, his voice is graveled. Desperate. "I'm right here. I've been here all along."

When John's hand slides up and grips hard at the back of Simon's neck, Simon whips his gaze back to John, and something clicks into place in his stance and expression. Perhaps it's the familiarity of the action. Perhaps it's something about John's face, though he can't begin to imagine what he must look like — can't image what the information that Simon has been wearing John's tags next to his own for three and a half fucking years has done to his expression.

He's so tired of fighting. So tired of the anger and grief that's festered inside him for years. It's not gone. Far from it. But standing here in front of the only person he's ever truly loved with his whole heart, his need outweighs his caution.

And maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe it never mattered. If he's destined to live a tragedy, what's one more crack in the pieces of an already shattered heart? 

Right now, all he wants is one more night and damn the consequences.

His fingers curl tighter around Simon's neck. Simon drags in a shaking breath.

Everything clicks into place like no time has passed at all. The white t-shirt falls to the floor, and Simon's hands are gripping John's waist before their lips even meet.

The world explodes into light and heat...

[wolfiemcwolferson]

comfort movies

Sol darling tagged me and I’ll gladly inflict these upon you.

1. Stranger than Fiction - I have a “perfect day” story about this movie that involves the first girl I’ve ever loved and...yeah. 

2. Little Miss Sunshine - One of my childhood best friends and I watched this movie together while we laid in his bunk bed after I told him I was moving and he told me that it was fine, I had to go for me, and that he wanted me to leave. I cried through the whole thing and we blamed it on the movie.

3. Practical Magic - Another one of my childhood best friends had a copy of this and we watched it together every year before Halloween and it was one of the first movies I dug out of a discount bin in a pawn shop once I moved out and had three quarters to my name.

4. Twilight - Blah blah blah family stuff, but basically for my sister’s birthday, I somehow convinced my mom to let me take one of my younger sisters and some friends to my apartment for a sleepover. I, of course, absconded with them all to the dollar theatre across the street from my apartment complex and we ate popcorn and drank soda and they all got to be really cool somehow and whenever I miss my sisters, I watch it.

5. Pride & Prejudice (2005) - EYE actually went and saw this movie in theaters with my grandmother and she was shocked and appalled the entire time, but we went to Olive Garden after and split a plate of pasta and a tiramisu after and she pointed a fork at me and told me she would never forgive me if I told but that Mr. Darcy was somethin’. Sorry, Grams.

6. Fly Away Home - One of the very few secular movies I owned as a child. We watched it until the VHS split in two.

7. Brick - Another movie that comes from a “perfect day” with someone I loved deeply and completely and too quickly and without reciprocation. The love was sour, but the memories remain.

8. Hedwig and the Angry Inch - I don’t think I have to explain what watching this movie was like for a young queer kid trying to claw out an understanding of themselves.

9. Casablanca - The first time my dad woke me up to come watch a movie with him past my bedtime was when Casablanca was on television. I still don’t think my mom knows he used to do that, but it created a weird little tradition and some of my favorite memories with him.

10. Veronica Mars - The ending of a series that changed my life. We waited forever. It did not disappoint.  What do you mean there’s a fourth season, there’s not a fourth season.  

[blackcatrph]

** sour  sentence  starters.

brutal.

“  i think that i’ll die before i drink.  ”

“  i'm so caught up in the news of who likes me and who hates you.  ”

“  i'm so tired that I might quit my job, start a new life.  ”

“  they'd all be so disappointed  because who am I if not exploited?  ”

“  where's my fuckin' teenage dream?  ”

“  if someone tells me one more time "enjoy your youth," I'm gonna cry.  ”

“  i'm anxious and nothing can help.  ”

“  i wish I'd done this before.  ”

“  i wish people liked me more.  ”

“  all I did was try my best.  ”

“  this the kind of thanks I get?  ”

“  they say these are the golden years.  ”

“  i wish I could disappear.  ”

“  god, it's brutal out here.  ”

“  i feel like no one wants me.  ”

“  i only have two real friends.  ”

“  lately I'm a nervous wreck.  ”

“  i love people I don't like.  ”

“  i hate every song I write.  ”

“  i'm not cool, and I'm not smart.  ”

“  i can't even parallel park.  ”

“  got a broken ego, broken heart.  ”

“  i don't even know where to start.  ”

traitor.

“  brown guilty eyes and little white lies.  ”

“  i played dumb but I always knew.  ”

“  i kept quiet so I could keep you.  ”

“  ain't it funny how you ran to her the second that we called it quits?  ”

“  ain't it funny how you said you were friends?  ”

“  it sure as hell don't look like it.  ”

“  you betrayed me.  ”

“  i know that you'll never feel sorry for the way I hurt.  ”

“  loved you at your worst but that didn't matter.  ”

“  guess you didn't cheat, but you're still a traitor.  ”

“  there's no damn way that you could fall in love with somebody that quickly.  ”

“  ain't it funny, all the twisted games, all the questions you used to avoid?  ”

“  remember I brought her up and you told me I was paranoid?  ”

“  i wish that you had thought this through before I went and fell in love with you.  ”

“  you gave me your word but that didn't matter.  ”

drivers  license. 

“  i got my driver's license last week.  ”

“  just like we always talked about.  ”

“  today I drove through the suburbs crying 'cause you weren't around.  ”

“  you're probably with that blonde girl.  ”

“  she's so much older than me.  ” 

“  she's everything I'm insecure about.  ”

“  how could I ever love someone else?   “

“  i know we weren't perfect but I've never felt this way for no one.  ”

“  i just can't imagine how you could be so okay now that I'm gone.  ”

“  guess you didn't mean what you wrote in that song about me.  ”

“  all my friends are tired of hearing how much I miss you.  ”

“  I kinda feel sorry for them because they'll never know you the way that I do.  ”

“  i still see your face in the white cars, front yards.  ”

“  can't drive past the places we used to go to because I still fuckin' love you.  ”

1  step  forward,  3  steps  back.

“  i called you on the phone today.  ”

“  all I did was speak normally.  ”

“  you got me fucked up in the head.  ”

“  like am I pretty? am I fun?  ”

“  i hate that I gave you power over that kind of stuff.  ”

“  it's always one step forward and three steps back.  ”

“  i'm the love of your life until I make you mad.  ”

“  do you love me, want me, hate me? i don't understand.  ”

“  maybe in some masochistic way I kind of find it all exciting.  ”

“  which lover will I get today?  ”

“  will you walk me to the door or send me home cryin'?  ”

“  it's back and forth, did I say somethin' wrong?  ”

“  it's back and forth, goin' over everything I said.  ”

“  i'd leave you, but the roller coaster's all I've ever had.  ”

deja vu.

“  strawberry ice cream, one spoon for two?  ”

“  i bet she's braggin' to all her friends, sayin' you're so unique.  ”

“  so when you gonna tell her that we did that, too?  ”

“  that was our place, I found it first.  ”

“  i made the jokes you tell to her when she's with you.  ”

“  do you get déjà vu when she's with you?  ”

“  do you call her, almost say my name?  ”

“  i hate to think that I was just your type.  ”

“  don't act like we didn't do that shit too.  ”

“  play her piano, but she doesn't know that I was the one who taught you Billy Joel.  ”

good  4  u.

“  well, good for you, I guess you moved on really easily.  ”

“  you found a new girl and it only took a couple weeks.  ”

“  remember when you said that you wanted to give me the world?  ”

“  good for you, I guess that you've been workin' on yourself.  ” 

“  i guess that therapist I found for you, she really helped.  ”

“  now you can be a better man for your brand new girl.  ”

“  well, good for you, you look happy and healthy.  ”

“  not me, if you ever cared to ask.  ”

“  good for you, you're doin' great out there without me.  ”

“  i've lost my mind.  ”

“  i've spent the night cryin' on the floor in my bathroom.  ”

“  it's like we never even happened.  ”

“  what the fuck is up with that?  ”

“  good for you, it's like you never even met me.  ”

“  remember when you swore to god i was the only person who ever got you?  ”

“  well, screw that and screw you.  ”

“  you will never have to hurt the way you know that I do.  ”

“  maybe I'm too emotional.  ”

“  your apathy's like a wound in salt.  ”

“  maybe I'm too emotional  or maybe you never cared at all.  ”

“  like a damn sociopath.  ”

enough  for  you.

“  i wore makeup when we dated because I thought you'd like me more.  ”

“  i know that you loved before.  ”

“  tried so hard to be everything that you like.  ”

“  i read all of your self-help books so you'd think that I was smart.  ”

“  stupid, emotional, obsessive little me.  ”

“  i knew from the start this is exactly how you'd leave.  ”

“  you found someonе more exciting.  ”

“  you left me there cryin', wonderin' what I did wrong.  ”

“  you always say I'm never satisfied but I don't think that's true.  ”

“  all I ever wanted was to be enough for you.  ”

“  maybe I'm just not as interesting as the girls you had before.  ”

“  you couldn't have cared less about someone who loved you more.  ”

“  i'd say you broke my heart but you broke much more than that.  ”

“  i don’t want your sympathy, i just want myself back.  ”

“  don’t you think i loved you too much to be used and discarded?  ”

“  don't you think I loved you too much to think I deserve nothing?  ”

“  don’t tell me you’re sorry, feel sorry for yourself.  ”

“  someday i’ll be everything to somebody else.  ”

“  you’ll be the one crying.  ”

happier.

“  we broke up a month ago. ”

“  your friends are mine you know.  ”

“  you’ve moved on, found someone new.  ”

“  i thought my heart was detached from all the sunlight of our past.  ”

“  she’s so sweet, she’s so pretty.  ”

“  does she mean you forgot about me ?  ”

“  i hope you’re happy but not like how you were with me.  ”

“  i’m selfish i know. i can’t let you go.  ”

“  find someone great, but don’t find no one better.  ”

“  i hope you’re happy, but don’t be happier.  ”

 “  do you tell her she’s the most beautiful girl you’ve ever seen?  ”

“  an eternal love bullshit you know you’ll never mean.  ”

“  remember when i believe you meant it when you said it first to me?  ”

“  now i’m picking her apart like cutting her down will make you miss my wretched heart.  ”

“  she’s beautiful, she looks kind.  ”

“  she probably gives you butterflies.  ”

“  i wish you all the best, really.  ”

“  say you love her, just not like you loved me.  ”

“  think of me fondly when your hands are on her.  ”

jealousy  jealousy.

“  i kinda wanna throw my phone across the room.  ”

“  all i see are girls too good to be true.  ”

“  i know their beauty’s not my lack but it feels like that weight is on my back.  ”

“  comparison is killing me slowly.  ”

“  i think i think too much.  ”

“  i’m so sick of myself, i’d rather be anyone else.  ”

“  my jealousy started following me.  ”

“  i see everyone getting all the things i want.  ”

“  i’m happy for them, but then again, i’m not.  ”

“  i can’t stand it.  ” 

“  oh god i sound crazy.  ”

“  their win is not my loss, i know it’s true.  ”

“  i can’t help getting caught up in it all.  ”

“  all your friends are so cool.  ”

“  you go out every night.  ”

“  you’re living the life.  ”

“  i want to be you so bad, and i don’t even know you.  ”

“  all i see is what i should be.  ”

favourite  crime.

“  know that i love you so bad.  ”

“  i let you treat me like that.  ”

“  i was your willing accomplice.  ”

“  i watched as you fled the scene.  ”

“  doe-eyed as you buried me.  ”

“  the things i did just so i could call you mine.  ”

“  the things you did. well, i hope i was your favourite crime.  ”

“  you used me as an alibi.  ”

“  i crossed my heart and you crossed the line.  ”

“  i defended you to all my friends.  ”

“  every time i siren sounds, i wonder if you’re around.  ”

“  you know that i’d do it all again.  ”

“  it’s bittersweet to think about the damage that we’d do.  ”

“  i was going down but i was doing it with you.  ”

“  i say that i hate you with a smile on my face.  ”

“  look what we became.  ” 

hope  ur  ok.

“  his parents cared more about the bible than being good to their own child.  ”

“  wore long sleeves because of his dad.  ”

“  somehow we fell out of touch.  ”

“  hope he took his bad deal and made a royal flush.  ”

“  don’t know if i’ll see you again someday.  ”

“  i hope that you’re okay.  ”

“  her parents hated who she loved.  ”

“  she was brought into a world where family was merely blood.  ” 

“  with the courage to unlearn all of their hatred.  ”

“  we don’t talk much.  ”

“  i miss you and i hope that you’re okay.  ”

“  address the letter to the holes in my butterfly wings.  ”

“  nothing’s forever, nothing is as good as it seems.  ”

“  when the clouds are ironed our and the monsters creep into your house, every door is hard to close.  ”

“  i hope you know how proud i am.  ”

“  i hope that you’re happier today.  ”

“  i love you and i hope that you’re okay.  ”  

[kythed]

the consequences of loving you

oikawa tooru x reader

synopsis: you’re willing to pay the price.

Loving him is like living on borrowed time, twisting in linen with fingers over mouths and curtains closed to the outside world, desperately inhaling as many fractured pieces of paradise as you can before the sun rises to reveal your sins. 

“Stay quiet,” he’ll say, voice edged in silver and syrup to coat your papercuts while he melts your body and pours it into his. Your secret little rendezvous are just that -- secret, because God forbid anyone finds out Oikawa Tooru loves someone like you. Next to him, you shine about as bright as a copper penny next to the moon, shrinking in the relative shadow of his blinding light. Yet, he loves you still. (Or so he says.)

Loving him is like recklessly dancing at the edge of a precipice, painfully aware of the ravine below. One false step and you plummet into unseen depths, you dash yourself into pieces on a bed of rocky shards. It’s a fool’s dance, certainly, but the music is far too sweet to even consider stopping. 

He’ll breathe life into your ear, spinning tales of soulmates and star-crossed lovers that creep into your chest like stubborn tendrils of wisteria and take root there. When he kisses you, it’s all warm lips and wandering hands and fireworks, sparks of crimson and cobalt and gold that blind you to the truth -- Oikawa Tooru is not yours. 

“I am yours,” he says, and you want so badly to believe him and his smooth oaken voice, his wide eyes rich as coffee swirled with honey. He touches you like no one else has dared to, and you touch him with shaking hands, quietly wondering is this even allowed? 

Is it allowed to be this good? 

Loving him is like a dream and a nightmare all in one, and each evening when you slip into his arms you’re not quite sure which you’ll get. Which Oikawa is it today? The one that gathers you into his embrace and paints kisses down your bare back, tracing hearts and cherries and stardust into your skin? Or the one that craves you, a carnal hunger humming along every stitch in his aching muscles? 

Nobody can truthfully say Oikawa Tooru is not a passionate lover. 

He buys you gowns of black chiffon and violet silk, twirling you deep into the night, a Venetian ball hosted in the underworld -- he’s Hades, you’re his Persephone. 

“You’re somethin’ else, you know that?” he says, lacing his fingers with yours as you walk down a deserted street, cobblestones freshly slick with rain. “You’re my kind of crazy.” 

You let him trail his kisses across your jaw and down your neck, shuddering when he nips at your skin, but you can’t help but wonder if he’s right. (About you being crazy, that is.)

He brings you bottles of strawberry wine poured into paper cups and drunk beneath the stars, a careless combination of wealth and simplicity. He’s expensive but attainable, he seems to be reminding you, just so long as you budget yourself accordingly. 

“You like?” he asks when you take your first sip, letting the full bodied nectar spread berry and rose across your tongue. When you nod, he laughs, cheeks dimpling. “Then let me have a taste.” 

Then he tastes not from the cup, but straight from your mouth, licking your teeth and tongue in a way that leads you to suspect he wants to tastes more than just the wine. 

He takes you to secluded parks, spreading a tapestry across the grass and laying his head in your lap while you read aloud from a gilded book of poetry, the romantic sort that he seems to love so much. His hair tickles the skin of your thighs, and those cherubic curls combined with the golden tinge of sunlight across his nose like heavenly freckles paint him into a human Gabriel, perfectly angelic. 

But passion comes in many forms, not all of them beautiful. If Oikawa Tooru is an angel, then he’s certainly a fallen one. 

You see this in the shadows that graze his heels; they’re the ghosts of his failures haunting him, and they haunt you, too. They drag him away from you, deep into his past, where he disappears only to emerge days later with bags beneath his eyes and an anvil on his chest. 

“Just leave,” he says, tone full of steel daggers that echo pain. His face spells misery, and during these times, you fear the chronic angers of his tongue enough to do as he says. 

You think you understand why Persephone only stays with Hades for half the year. 

Oikawa’s winters are cold, chilling to the bone. They send frostbite crawling up your forearms and tug at the strings of your soul, urging you to seek warmth elsewhere, perhaps in the arms of another. They make you wonder why you offer him your fullest adoration, only to be scalded by his freeze. 

But his summers… oh, his summers, when he comes to your door, eyes shining with tears and regret, smelling of heartache and sunflowers and peach tea… they’re irresistible. They’re a comfortable warmth dancing across your shoulders as he pulls you into his chest, mumbling apologies into your hair and rubbing circles into your shoulder blades. They’re featherlight butterfly kisses and late nights spent giggling quietly on his mattress, a layer of clothing mysteriously disappearing with each passing hour. 

Loving Oikawa Tooru is like running down the subway, frantically sprinting to catch a train that should’ve left five minutes ago, only to see it’s just now pulling out of the station. You pry open the doors at the very last second, breathing a sigh of relief when you manage to board. 

You know one of these days you’ll miss that train, and Oikawa will be long gone before you even think to double check your ticket. He’s a one track mind in a capable body, and the only direction he ever runs is forward. You’ll be left in his dust, a Tupperware of nondescript leftovers in the back of his fridge, undesirable and long-forgotten, and he’ll move on to bigger and better things. 

But that day hasn’t come yet. Right now, you’re everything he’s got. You’re his Juliet, his comfort, the only one with which he shares his sweet strawberry wine kisses. You know he thinks you’re his forever, too -- but forever is relative with Oikawa. 

Even so, you’re content with being his forever right now. You can’t really afford to think otherwise, lest those sweet kisses go sour before you can say “I love you.” 

Loving Oikawa Tooru comes with consequences, consequences you’re not sure you’ll be able to afford when the day comes for you to pay up.

But still… you wouldn’t trade the opportunity to do so for all the riches in the world.

[tigerseye46]

Summary: Sun Wukong asks Pigsy to make a choice

I made a spontaneous peachpig fic.

TW: brief talk of mortality and death

The king tapped a finger on his arm along with his foot, gazing at the wide open mountain, patiently waiting for a certain someone to appear.

The king took in deep breaths, he could do this. This was only going to be one of the most important things he was ever going to ask of anyone, especially his partner. This could change the entire course of their relationship. After a lot of thinking, he decided he was going to ask Pigsy to become immortal with him so they could live out eternity together. He hoped with all his heart that the pig would accept. He could do this, he could do this.

“Wukong,” Pigsy called and ran up to him.

He put on his best smile to hide his nervousness. “Hey, Pigsy.” He grabbed his hands and kissed them individually, relishing in the blush that marked his partner’s cheeks.

“Hey. What did ya need me for? Ya could have just called or somethin’.”

“I could have but that wouldn’t have been as fun,” he joked.

“Uh huh. You’re lucky I have the day off so I can see your sorry ass,” he remarked with an eye roll.

“Oh please, you love my ass,” the king remarked with a wink.

The pig’s face burned with crimson. “Shaddup! What did ya need me for?”

“Nothing really, maybe I just wanted your company,” he lied, his teeth bared.

The pig raised a brow, he had gotten to know the king’s tells pretty well so his boyfriend was obviously hiding something but he decided not to push unless absolutely necessary. “Sure, sure. What should we do today?”

The king silently sighed out of relief. “Well I was thinking we would dance together or something. Maybe open a bottle of wine.”

“Wine? Must be a special occasion.”

The monkey gulped. “Well, babe, every moment with you is a special occasion,” he excused.

“Tch. Flatterer.” Pigsy began guiding Wukong towards the mountain, the corners of the king’s mouth turned upwards as he was led.

They arrived in the small house in the middle of the stone cave. The king grabbed a bottle of peach wine and poured it into two glasses before passing it to his boyfriend. The pig sipped it. “You sure there isn’t a special occasion for you to be pullin’ this out?”

“Nope.” He flashed his teeth again. “No special occasion, my love.”

“Mhmm… whatever ya say. I’ll put on some music. Okay, babe?”

“Okay, take your time, hon.”

Pigsy digged into a box to find a cd, there were times where they would play music on one of their devices while other times they preferred to use a record player the king kept around. Wukong gazed lovingly at his partner until there was a pat on his leg. He looked down to see one of his monkeys with a peach in hand, gently lifting it up.

He ruffled the monkey’s hand and grabbed the peach. “Thank you, little one,” he thanked in a soft voice. “That’s all I needed. Thank you.” The monkey made a noise then left.

Pigsy pulled out a cd and music started playing as he placed it on the record table. He held out his hand. “Come on, babe. Join me.”

Wukong set aside the peach and the wine. He took his partner’s hand and wrapped an arm around his waist. “You got it, darling.”

Pigsy giggled and they began swaying together. The king’s heart beated against his rib cage as he ran through all the ways he could ask Pigsy. He accidentally stepped on his boyfriend’s foot during his thought process, receiving a small “ow” from his partner, he smiled sheepishly and kissed his forehead as an apology.

They continued onward without a word until the pig hummed. “You seem a bit off rhythm today, Wukong.”

“Maybe the reason I’m so off rhythm is because I’m taking the time to admire your beauty. Ever think of that?”

“Yea. Sure.”

“Don’t believe me?”

“Obviously.” He lifted the needle of the record player, halting the music. He crossed his arms. “Peach, you forget I know you and I can tell you’re not tellin’ me somethin’ so spill.”

The king’s hands were sweaty. “There’s nothing, love. Well okay, maybe one thing.”

“And that would be?”

“There’s a specific reason I called you here.”

“I can see that,” the pig interrupted.

“You could let me finish.” The pig’s lips formed into a smirk, most likely to say something snarky but he held his tongue. “I just want to say I love you very much. You’re the best thing to ever happen to me, one of the best. And I never want to live without you. Every bit of you is amazing. And I know… I know what I’m about to say next is going to ask a lot of you but…”

He held his partner’s hands and got down on one knee. “Wukong, are you… are you proposin’?”

“Not exactly but something similar to it. Pigsy, I love you so much. It hurts to have a world where you’re not in it so I was wondering...” He grabbed the immortality granting peach with his tail. “I want you to become immortal with me. That is, do you want to become immortal with me?”

The pig’s mouth was agape. “Wukong…”

“I love you so much,” he repeated. “I want to be with you for the rest of eternity. I want us to get married, train MK together to the best of our ability, and I want us to have kids together. Watch them grow up to be as amazing as I know they will be.”

“Wukong…”

“I would never force you. I want you to know that. This is your choice.”

He stared at the peach with hesitation, reaching out for it before receding his arm. “I… I don’t know,” he replied and Wukong’s heart cracked a bit like glass. “This is a big decision, Wukong.”

“I know.”

“To live forever… a lot of things would change, the world would pass by me and people I would grow close to could die… that’s a big decision and it would affect me for the rest of however long I have.”

“Love…”

“And what would I even do for the rest of eternity? Maybe cook but what if I grow bored? And what if you grow tired of me?”

“That would never happen,” he huffed.

“I… I know… I love you, I do but I… can I think about this? I need time.”

This is his choice, the king reminded himself. He mustered up a grin. “Of course, love. I just wanted to let you know immortality is on the table…”

“Okay… I… can you take me home?”

The monkey’s ears drooped. “Yea. Course, babe.”

He summoned a cloud and flew them towards the apartment, neither saying a word the entire time. Pigsy got off and pecked the king’s cheeks with a small, “See you” and went inside.

Wukong sighed, he lingered outside the apartment complex before leaving.

They didn’t speak for days with Wukong trying to give his partner the space he needed to think things over. Although it had broken his heart and left him in a mix of sad and angry, he just wanted to live a nice comfortable life with his partner for forever but he understood why the pig needed to mull it over. Xiaotian noticed his sour mood and commented that whatever was going on between him and Pigsy (since Pigsy had been noticeably quiet lately) would sort itself out.

A week or two passed by before Pigsy showed up on Flower Fruit Mountain unexpectedly. “Hey, Wukong,” his partner greeted.

He perked up. “Hey, Pigsy. What’s up?”

“I was thinkin’ about what you said and…”

“I get it. Immortality is a rough choice to make and I get it if you don’t want it. I accept your choice.”

“That’s not it. It took me quite a lot to think about it and yes.”

“Yes what?”

“I want to be with you for all eternity. I want to be immortal with you.”

The king’s eyes were blown wide. “Re-really?”

He bobbed his head. “Yea. I want to.”

Wukong pulled him into a bone crushing hug, his tail thumped to the ground and he pressed a trail of kisses on his partner’s face. “Yes, yes, yes! I love you.”

“Love you too. Now how many kids we havin’ exactly?” He asked.

“I was thinking eleven at the very least.”

“Eleven? That’s a big number. Sure you can count that high?”

“Yes, love, I definitely can.”

“We better get started then. Now where’s one of those peaches?”

The monkey elbowed a tree and caught a peach in his hand. “Right here. Are you sure you want to do this?”

“I’m sure.” And this time without hesitation, he bit into it, receiving a huge kiss from his boyfriend when he finished.

Centuries have gone by and to this day, Pigsy doesn’t regret his choice especially since he had an amazing husband and eleven plus kids, including their eldest daughter who shined like the stars.

[liibrii]

Chapter 3: In the light, your name

Ojiro Aran x fem!reader

Series Masterpost || Ch. 1 || Ch. 2

wc: 4.7k

warnings: time skip spoilers, swearing, internalised guilt and shame, intrusive thoughts, self doubt, drinking.

a/n: this only took forever cause I got carried away (what a surprise). if you wanna be tagged in future chapters lemme know, and as always feedback is greatly appreciated! 

A step forward, two steps back. Like a dance, just like his mother taught him, dancing and laughing back home, only this dance holds no joy, only cruel turns and twirls and your hand slipping from his as fate whisks you away.

“One Ace special coming up!“ Osamu places a plate of freshly made onigiris in front of Aran. They look amazing, as if taken directly out of one of those fancy cooking books. The practice had been especially gruelling that day and yet Aran has no appetite. All he wants is to go home and sleep. He would have, if Gao hadn't dragged him to the newly opened Tokyo branch of Onigiri Miya.

More out of politeness than really being hungry he takes a bite. It's good, much better than ones he remembers Osamu bringing to practice. “Woah, this is tasty!“

Osamu practically beams at Aran's praise. Even he has changed, notices Aran. Has he grown a little? The grey of his hair is gone, and he smiles so much more. Aran doesn't remember ever seeing him so talkative.

Has everyone changed so much while he wasn't paying attention?

While chewing he pulls phone from his bag, in some silly hope there'd be a message from you. But the screen is empty and seeing his screensaver is almost a mocking to his hopes. What else did he expect? People don't always mean what they say, but a storm doesn't mean to blow away roofs either.

Lost in his thoughts Aran barely takes notice when Gao says his goodbye and other customers slowly start leaving.

Osamu closes the shop then places two more cans of beer on the counter. Without much enthusiasm Aran opens the can and pours the fizzling liquid into a glass. Which drink was it, third? Fourth? For a moment he considers telling Osamu everything. About you, how he feels and how he screwed up. Just to get it out there. But Aran knows Osamu talks to Atsumu, and Atsumu never learned what keeping a secret means. So he blames his sour mood on practice.

 Even if Aran was a good liar Osamu'd see through his little ticks. They've been the same ever since elementary school and so obvious; the nervous scratching of his nails, rubbing of his neck. Ever since he'd grown a beard he added rubbing it to the list.

“I should probably get goin',“ says Aran before downing half the glass in one long gulp.

“What's a few more minutes?“ Osamu doesn't bother pouring his beer. “I'll clean up later. Don't have any other plans anyway.“

A low chuckle leaves Aran's lips. “Life goin' that good, yeah?”

“Could say that. Could be far worse. How about ya?“

Aran massages his temples. He's getting light headed and still he takes another long sip. “Like ya said, could be far worse. Had a rough couple weeks. Women, ya know?“

Osamu hums and nods, wisely. “Women. Got dumped, did ya?“

“In a way...“

“What happened, did ya forget her birthday or somethin'?“

Aran laughs. Oh no, he knows exactly when your birthday is. “Said somethin' stupid.“

“Just somethin'? If she gets upset so fast then maybe she's trouble.“

“Wasn't like that. She trusted me and I... had a bad day and took it out on her.“

Osamu takes an onigiri Aran hasn't touched yet. “Have ya apologised?“ He asks with his mouth full. “Should start with that,“ he continues after Aran shakes his head, “treat her to dinner. I know some good restaurants if ya want. Or better, cook somethin' yerself.“ He opens the browser on his phone. “What's her favorite food?“

Aran tells him. “Whichever recipe ya find I can tell ya right now I can't cook it.“

“I found a few even Tsumu can make,“ laughs Osamu still scrolling through his phone. “What's she like? More into fancy stuff or more homey? Fried rice's easy but not very fancy, more of a safe bet. Maybe with an omelette. I can show ya how to make it to look like a panda. Success guaranteed!“

“How can omelette look like a panda? It's yellow.“ 

“A yellow bear then,“ Osamu shruggs before putting away his phone. “Does she like bears?“

“Does- I ain't sure...“

“Ya don't know?“

“No! Why would I? Is that what ya ask folk ya take on dates?“

“Usually I ask what they think about apple curry.“

“I don't think she likes apple curry... Or maybe she does...“ He gloomily stares at the empty glass in front of him. “Gimme one more.“

Osamu obliges and pours him one more, deciding this is the last one for him. Aran's eyes are getting glassy and he dreamily observes the white foam before downing half the glass.

“We went down to the Kamakura beach,” he says, scratching at his immaculate fingernails. “She looked s' pretty in the sunset... She likes sunsets... I think. Ain't sure 'bout anythin' these days.“

“Everyone likes sunsets,“ nods Osamu. “Never trust people who don't like seein' sunsets. I'm tellin' ya, buy her some udon. Or bring her here, I'll give ya a special discount.“

Aran bursts into laughter. “He'll know then...“ Osamu leans his head to the side, wondering what his old teammate meant by that. “She's ex of a friend.“

“Ow,“ is all Osamu says. That explains everything. You don't date a friends' ex. “Sorry. She sounds great.“

“Yeah, yeah she is... Kinda almost like a whasit's called again, kotatsu? Warm...“ He's just blabbering now, his mind a hazy labyrinth of disconnected thoughts. He misses you, he misses you so bad, and he fucked up, and he doubts cooking you a dinner would repair the damage he's done. Once it would be pretty easy to bribe you with the right snacks but you've changed. You've changed so much he still fears he doesn't know you at all. “Hey Samu? Hav' I changed?“

“Yea? I doubt the old Aran-kun wouldda come to me for advice.“

Corners of Aran's lips perk up. Why is his glass empty? “Yer a good guy ‘Samu. Can ya call me a taxi? I've got practice t'morrow.“

He has to stop visiting Onigiri Miya on the evenings Aran thinks on another morning after drinking and talking with Osamu till late night hours. The cool breeze of the early morning hours is refreshing but isn't doing anything to ease the hammering in his head. Sky without a cloud promises the day to be sunny and hot. Aran's just glad he found his sunglasses ad that the gym has air conditioning.

There's a distant ringing in his ears. Ringing that doesn't stop and causes other people on the train to send him sideway looks. It's because his phone is ringing but he's too focused on trying not to throw up to notice. He only does so once he's walking the short walk from the train station to the gym. Seeing your name over the 'missed call' almost makes him drop the phone. He calls you back, frantically tapping his fingers on his arm, hoping you'll pick up. You don't.

The sun is too bright. Pouring rain would be more appropriate to his mood. Aran's glad he can hide from the warm rays inside the gym. No matter his mood volleyball always takes his mind off things, and even now he hopes it will help him see things more clearly. The thought of you has become a wind chime, singing at every little thing that makes him think of you. Staying focused on the ball in front of him is harder than expected. But first and foremost he's a professional volleyball player with a new season just around the corner. He can't let his team, his fans down. Since your first year of high school you've been his supporter too. He can't let you down.

When his phone rings again he’s in the middle of receiving drills and this call too goes unanswered. Instead your message waits for him.

           (9. 45) Aran are u free this Sunday? the shrine down the street is holding a festival. wanna come?  

A wide smile spreads over his face. He's more than happy to come he writes back, his smile spreading even wider when only a few moments later you text him place and time.

“Ojiro what are you looking at?“ Gao peers over his shoulder and Aran quickly puts his phone away.

“Nothin'“

“Nothing, ey? Does the nothing have a name?“

Aran rolls his eyes and heads for the showers, ignoring the teasing laughter of his teammates. Honestly, he's too excited to see you to care.

Aran glances on his phone to check the time. Five more minutes and he'll be only ten minutes early. He kicks the small stone form the pavement onto the road. Then he straightens his shirt. Maybe this colour wasn't the right choice after all, maybe you would've liked the red one better. Once in passing Akagi said red looked good on him. He sends you a short message, letting you know he's already here.

Minutes later he catches the sight of your figure manoeuvring between visitors flocking towards the many stands. “Sorry, I got worried all the best mochi'd sell out,“ you apologise, pointing to plate full of different kinds of mochi in your hand. “Samu isn't here yet?“

“No.“ His heart clenches. He didn't even think about the possibility of you inviting anyone else. “He's probably just late,“ he quickly adds, “let me call him.“

“Always late,“ you complain, “tell him I got his mochi but if he doesn't appear soon I'll just eat them myself. Want one?“

He declines the sweet and you shrug. While he waits for Osamu to pick up he avoids looking at you. The call goes unanswered. “I'll send him a message.“

“Tell him every minute he's late is a free onigiri,“ you mumble, your mouth full of delicious mochi. “And he's paying for drinks. I saw a stand with soya smoothies up the street. And a stand with takoyaki.“

“Have ya mapped out all the food stands?“ chuckles Aran.

“Well you know Samu, food is his best motivator. You sure you don't want one?“

He gives in and takes the matcha one. He watches with a fond smile as you stuff an entire mochi in your mouth.

“What?“ you mumble when you catch him staring.

“Ya look like a hamster.“

You roll your eyes in an effort to cover the smile creeping on your face. “Very funny. How's life?“

“It's fine,“ he nods, awkwardly.

“Good.“

“Yeah.“ He rubs his chin. The beard is getting a little long. He glances over at you. He should say something. But what? “I'm really sorry about what I said,“ he finally utters. “I do care. About you.“

“We all say things we don't mean, right?“ The soft look in your eyes makes his throat tighten. He hurt you and yet here you are. Reaching out, again. “It's all water under the bridge. Besides, I really missed hanging out with you. So, where do ya wanna go?“

“Shouldn't we wait for Osamu?“

“Nah. It's his fault for being late, he'll find us. And he better buy us those smoothies. Want one more mochi? You should really try the chocolate one, it's amazing.“

Never again. Aran doesn't want to see you hurt ever again.

The festival is crowded, which is to be expected in Tokyo, and he keeps an eye out for you. The last thing he wants is to lose you somewhere in the sea of people. He stays close, quietly delighting in seeing your excitement over different attractions of the festival. A few times your hand brushes against his, sending a shiver down his spine.

Osamu never shows up, messaging about an hour later he got stuck at work, promising you both as many onigiri as you'd like the next time you come around Onigiri Miya. “A shame. I was hoping to hang out with him while he's still in Tokyo.“

“He'll have time in the future,“ says Aran, doing his best to ignore the pang of jealousy in his chest.

“Probably. But will there be fresh soya smoothie for him to treat me to?“

Aran buys you the smoothie you so crave, grinning upon seeing your excitement. You walk around the festival grounds and from time to time he steals sips of your smoothie. You pout and nag he should buy one for himself but don't stop him. 

As night falls you search for a good place to watch the fireworks from. Just after they start Aran puts his hand on the small of your back to gently push you forward so you'd see better. But you don't budge and he bumps into you, his chest to your back. The sounds of festival fade, as if the crowd disappeared and all that remains is you, looking at him, fireworks reflecting in your eyes. The softness of your gaze causes his heart to do somersaults. You snicker and flick his nose.

Tease, he thinks and tickles you. He wishes he could properly put his arms around you and rest his head on your shoulder. He wishes he was here as more than just your friend. He wishes he alone would be enough of a reason for you to always have the same soft look in your eyes.

But if Kita, the perfect Kita Shinsuke, Kita who knew you better than anyone wasn't enough, how could he be?

His hand lingers on your arm for a heartbeat longer. He could try, he could always love you with all he has and hope you'd love him back, hope he could be enough. But if he failed... he'd only hurt you more, wouldn't he? And you've been hurt enough.

During lunch break his phone rings and his hearts jumps, hoping it's you. But instead Osamu's name is written over the screen. A bit disappointed Aran picks up.

“Aran-kun whatcha doin' this Saturday?“ Not even a'hello'. So many years and still so rude.

“Practice till afternoon, then watchin' a movie.“

“Amazin'! Want some company?“

A boys' night out? Why not? It would be nice to spend some time with someone who wasn't his teammate. “'Course.“

Osamu laughs. “Knew ya would. I happen to know someone interested in a blind date. I'll tell her to meet ya at the cinema.“

“What? Osamu I'm not really one for blind dates-“

“The ex of a friend. She's Kita-san' ex, isn't she?“ Aran's silence is an answer enough. “Ya asked me for advice. This is it, go out, try meetin' someone else. Whatever you want to have with her it won't end well.“

Aran knows. He knows all that. He knows you returning his feelings would be the worst case scenario. Sooner or later he'd have to tell Kita. “I know,“ he says. “I know that.“

Osamu doesn't answer immediately, waiting if Aran will add anything else. “Just go on this one date, see how it goes.“

“I'll think about it.“

He does think about it. The entire day in fact. Meeting someone new would be nice and who knows, she might be the one he's waiting for. A part of him, the guilty part that's been way too loud in the past weeks, stays firmly against the idea. Searching for the right one when you're right here. What if this blind date is just a crazy fan who somehow found her way to meeting him? And what about you, it asks? It would be cruel wouldn't it, leading you on while going on dates behind your back.

But he isn't leading you on, Aran argues with the voice inside his head, you're just a friend anyway. He cares about you yes, but only as a really good friend. Osamu is right, you should never be more than that. You're Kita's ex. And you don't date your friend's ex. So why break his heart further?

           (17.48) I'll go on the date. send me time and place.

That's the thing about making plans, the moment you make them something else comes up. Just the following day his phone rings, making his heart flutter when he sees your name.

“Hey.“ Your voice alone makes him smile. “I, uhm, I have a request.“

No beating around the bush. It makes Aran wonder if you've been hanging with Osamu so much you picked up his habits. “Oh, do ya?“

“Yeah. It’s is a bit awkward... Listen, I have a very important exam next week but my roommate's gonna have her boyfriend over for the entire weekend. Let's just say earplugs aren't helping and leave it at that, yeah? So, could I maybe crash at your place till then? I just need a quiet place to study. I can sleep on the couch! Or the floor, I really don't care!“

“'Course ya can,“ says Aran without hesitation.

This is how we finds himself sitting with a bunch of your notes in his lap, you leaning on his back explaining one of the questions. There are at least 4 empty mugs on the desk of his living room. He hopes you've left some coffee for breakfast.

He's amazed by how naturally you fit into his life. Almost like the space beside his shoes in the closet was meant for yours and the jacket hanging beside his was always meant to be there. You've even found your favourite mug already. The bedroll on the floor of the living room is the only reminder you're only crashing at his place for a couple of days. If you asked he'd let you stay longer.

The next morning you wake up the same time as him, sipping your first cup of coffee for the day, half asleep and draped in the hoodie he strategically left on the counter last night. You don't even raise a brow when he takes your phone and asks you to unlock it. “I'll send ya a playlist. Just some classical music. It's good for studyin'.“

“Sure,“ you answer in a groggy voice. “Have fun bouncing the ball around,“ you wave him off when he gets ready to leave.

Your sleepy face makes him smile for the rest of the day. Practice runs longer than usual and he returns late, stepping over two stairs at the time. The lights are still on when he enters but there's no answer when he calls out. He finds you behind the desk, so absorbed in your notes you don't notice his approach. When he places his hands on your shoulders you jump and shriek. “Aran!“ You remove your headphones. “Do you want to give me a heart attack?!“ He laughs and you smack his leg before he sits on the floor beside you.

“Is the material so interestin'?“ He looks over your many notes and pushes an empty mug to the edge of the table.

“I was listening to music,“ you rub your eyes. He notices they look a bit reddish. He takes your phone and clicks the play button and music continues. It only takes him a moment to recognise the piece.

“Dmitri Shostakovich, Waltz number 2. My mom's favourite. Used to dance to it with dad every Thursday.“

“That's sweet.“

He stands up and offers you his hand. “Come, ya need a break.“

You take his hand without question, only raising your brow when he places his left hand on your back. “Ya have to put your hand on my shoulder,“ he grins to your more than apparent confusion.

“Oh, right,“ you mumble. “I can't really dance you know. Not waltz at least.“

He gently holds your right hand in his and gives you a reassuring squeeze. “Don't worry, I'll teach ya. I start with my right foot forward, ya step back with yer left, yep, just like that, then my left foot forward,“ you jump in surprise when he turns you around, “and the first turn, now yer right foot forward, then left, and turn. See, it ain't hard.“

“Easy for you to say,“ you disagree, your eyes fixed on his feet and your mind preoccupied with trying not to step on his toes.

“Just follow my lead,“ grins Aran, gently pulling you a little closer.

He counts the steps and beats in his head and step after another you relax and follow his lead. All those Thursdays when dad wasn't home and mom pulled him into taking his place are finally paying off.

“I didn't know you could dance so well.“

Aran laughs at your words and gently pushes you into a twirl under his arm. “I guess there's a lot ya don't know,“ he says when he pulls you closer again. 

You follow his steps and soon begin catch on the slightest of his moves. Music changes but you don't let go so you dance on through his living room, off beat and saying quiet 'Sorry's,' every time you step on his toes. The way your brows furrow when you mess up is adorable but Aran doesn't give you the time to ponder over the mistake, pulling you into the next turn with ease and certainty of someone who has danced these steps countless times.

When the last song ends Aran leaves his hand on your back. You're so close, your hand in his. Looking and smiling at him. His eyes linger on your lips. It would take so little to close the space between you. So little that would change so much.

He pulls away.“ Do ya want tea?“

“Don't I always?“ you muse and head to put the water on, then open the cupboard but the last cups stand on the highest shelf and even on your tiptoes you can't reach them. Aran gently pushes you to the side and reaches for them. “Here.“

He pours himself a glass of water then pulls his phone out to check the time. Shit. The blind date. That's today! He glances over at you, making your tea, humming the melody of the last song you danced too. His heart drops.

What is he doing? He can't... This is getting out of control. He clenches the glass tighter. You're so close, he wouldn't even have to fully extend his arm to tap your shoulder. If, right here and now, he told you how he feels, how would you react? He lifts the glass to his lips. Probably not in the way he wants you to. A leap of faith, one that could take him anywhere. To the love of his life, he thinks watching you stir, or to the stone to shatter the friendship you both tried so hard to rebuild. A risk he doesn't have the courage to take.

The half empty glass he leaves in the sink draws your attention. You watch Aran head for the bedroom and you don't think much of it. It's his apartment, he can do what he wants. It's only when almost ten minutes pass that you decide to poke your head through the door to see what he's up to. The clothes he's wearing certainly aren't what one would wear for staying at home. “Going somewhere?“ you ask, curious as to why he's wearing a pretty alright polka dotted shirt.

“I have a date.“ He awkwardly fixes his collar. He doesn't want to meet your eyes.

There's a short silence before you answer. “A date? In this shirt?“

Your judgemental tone makes him turn. “What's wrong with this shirt?”

You scrunch up your nose. “It gives you that,“ you wiggle your fingers, “successful businessman in his forties looking for a wife vibes.“

“What's wrong with that?“

“What's wrong with-?! Aran! You're a professional athlete!“ You enter his bedroom and start looking through the closet. “Don't you get invited to fashion shows and stuff? One would expect you'd get some fashion sense purely through osmosis. Ouch!“ you yelp when he playfully smacks your shoulder. “Here, this one.“ You hand him a shirt of dark violet colour.

He takes it from your hands and inspects it. Then he hands it back. “I like this one better. And I'm runnin' late already anyway.“

You shrug and hang it back. “As you wish Mr. CEO. Wait, are you bringing your date back here?! Shit, I need to clean up my stuff.“

“Relax. I'm not bringin' anyone back. It's a blind date anyway. Ya keep studyin' alright? I'll be very disappointed if ya don't get the highest mark.“

“What do you mean a blind date? Damn, I didn't expect that from you player boy,“ you tease and it's a distraction enough for Aran to miss the forced smile.

“Osamu's idea.“

A small “Ah,“ is all you reply at first. “Get going then, being late is the worst you can be on the first date!“ You push him out of the room. “Have fun, don't say anything stupid, and don't only talk about volleyball.“

“It's not my first date y/n, gosh, stop bein' such a mom. Why are ya so excited anyway?“

“Probably too much caffeine.“

When he returns you're still up. You have two cups of tea ready before he even takes his shoes off.

“So, how was it?“ You push the cup across the table. “Come on, come on, no need to be shy,“ you grin, “tell me!“

Aran rolls his eyes at your sudden excitement. “It was nice, but nothin’ special,“ he tells you.

“Just nice?“ You tap your fingers on the table. Aran recognises the rhythm, it's one of your favourite songs. You sent it to him a few days ago. “Dating must be harder now that you're famous,“ you say, absent-mindedly. “Or is it easier?“

Before answering he takes a cracker from the bowl on the table. “Harder,“ is the answer he settles on. “Ya never know if they're attracted to ya or yer status. What about ya?“ He focuses on chewing crackers and taking small sips of tea, anything to keep from glancing at you.

“Ah you know,“ you sigh, “have enough other problems at the moment. College is messing with my head enough already. Why put another person in the mix?“ This time Aran doesn't miss how your voice trembles, and how you rub your forehead. Maybe you just have a light headache. You do look exhausted.

He changes the subject, feeling the talk of dating is quickly approaching dangerous territory. “How are ya feelin'? With studyin' and all?“

You lean on your hand. “Could be much worse. It's just a lot. Probably should have started with studying earlier.“

“But with work ya didn't even have enough time, right? Don't be too hard on yerself.“

“Actually, I quit. I thought it would help me focus on studying,“ you say upon seeing his questioning gaze.

“Ya know what will help ya study better? Some good night's sleep.“ He takes your empty cup. “I'll do the dishes, ya go ready for bed. No talkin' back,“ he points his finger to your face, “ my house, my rules. No stayin' up past midnight.“

“It's one in the morning.“

“Past time for ya to go to bed then young lady.“

After that you don't protest and before he even finishes doing the dishes you're snuggled on your bedroll and half asleep. Seeing you fills him with warmth. He could get used to this, coming home to you every night. He turns the lights off.

When he lays in his bed he wonders what's with the sinking feeling in his chest. There's anger. Why were you so excited for his date in the first place? Why did you look almost disappointed when he said it was nothing special? He hugs his pillow, thinking he'd much rather it was you in his arms. You must be soft. If only you'd be here, his nose filled with the scent of your shampoo. Teeth of shame sink in his heart. Why does he have to feel like this?

He wants you to be jealous. It's so damn childish, he knows that. It's something his teenager self felt when you hugged Kita after a game but only gave him a high five and a head pat.

How long is he going to keep lying to himself? He's in love with you. Not the you he remembers. You here and now. You sipping your fourth cup of coffee, you frantically flipping through notes wearing one of his old hoodies. That at least hasn't changed; you still steal any hoodie you can get your grabby little hands on. Not steal, he corrects himself, borrow. You borrow them. For an undetermined period of time.

He buries his face in the pillow. You're not the always cheerful manager he remembers anymore. But you are still you.

Tag list: @aonenthusiast @rosecaffelatte @kara-grayson04

[marshmallowprotection]

Cereus

Pairing: Choi Saeran/Reader

Description: You never knew what you wanted to do with your life from day one. It just seemed like there were too many things to pick from and all you knew was that you didn’t want to be bound by the expectations of your parents. So, you decide to head west like the rest of those that are seeking new lives and changes without knowing what to expect or your plan. You just never thought that you would find yourself ensnared in the rope of fate on your journey to find yourself.

Word Count: 2235

Cowboy Saeran x Reader

[Read On AO3]

Previous Chapter

Epilogue 

“Was now really the best time for you to pick up the guitar again?”

“What? Did ya’ want me to change the song to somethin’ more fittin’?”

“How about we travel in silence, instead?”

“That ain’t as fun, Saeran. Ya’ gotta live a little… c’mon, get that sour look off your face! Here, I wrote this one for you!”

“...Great.”

The sounds of a finely tuned guitar were all too prevalent in your eardrums these days. Saeyoung was far too content as the little wagon continued to go along the path, playing along to a song that he had been learning recently since he had so much more free time on his hands lately to explore his hobbies outside of conning and trickery.

While you didn't mind the sound, Saeran wasn't as big a fan of the humming and strumming. It led to a bit of bickering between the twins that was a surprise. The lighthearted argument wasn't unwelcomed. It was nice to see how the two of them interacted when they wanted to show that brotherly bond.

This wasn’t where you thought that you would find yourself but you weren’t going to complain about it in the slightest. 

You just leaned your head against Saeran’s shoulder as he commanded the reigns for both of their horses. He sighed at his brother’s antics and just continued as he was. It had only been a few weeks since everything happened and it was still an adjustment period.

After Saejoong was forcibly removed from power, the sheriff and everyone else that had been working with them were taken down and removed from power. They didn’t need to have a trial for them since it had been proved in front of them with the wave of a hand. They were going to be locked away where they would be unable to hurt anyone ever again.

Saeyoung and Saeran no longer had to live in fear of losing their lives because of him anymore. That was all they ever wanted. They didn’t have to hide their faces anymore. Frankly, there were people in many places that weren’t happy about their crimes as they were, but the boys had been forgiven for what they’d done by countless people.

Most of them, anyway.

It wasn’t like they had been stashing away all that money consistently. They were consistently fueling it to people in need. Anyone who needed to eat was getting paid. Anyone that was living without parents in their life was getting money. Anyone in need of something. They had been taken care of by the twins for quite a while.

The rest of the money had been for trying to control the crime scene to manipulate a load of real crooks into listening to them. Whatever they didn’t need was just put away so they could either give it back eventually or so they would have some money to get by when and if they were free. Not that the people needed to worry about it.

It changed everything in the town for the better.

But, everything changed in a matter of a few weeks. It went from zero to one-eighty. At the very least, it went from bad to better. Which was the greatest thing that anyone could hope for. The gold that was already taken from the wells couldn’t be placed back, but it could be doled out equally and fairly to all of the members of the town thanks to Jumin Han’s family.

Since his father controlled the banks, everyone’s accounts were layered with weekly reimbursements of gold and silver profits. Because of this, the town was able to grow in more ways than one, with more businesses opening up and people moving into town because everyone supported each other.

It was looking to turn around the town that was only a few months away from the brink of collapse.

Once Saejoong was gone, there needed to be a new mayor… and believe it or not, the people wanted Jihyun to take the job.

He had been such a capable man that had worked to protect everyone, and they all trusted him to do the right thing. He was elected in a landslide after everyone agreed on who they wanted to be in charge for the time being. With him and Jumin at the helm, the town was shaping up to be a great place to be and somewhere that you knew would be okay.

Since he was going to be handling matters of the town now, the bar was given to Yoosung. Who was surprised by the event entirely! But, in all honesty, he and Zen had been running the bar for quite a while on their own apart from Jaehee stepping in now and again to help with the books when she wasn’t busy with Jumin.

So, Yoosung was the one that he trusted most.

Yoosung was excited about the prospect. He had a lot of ideas for the bar, too. He wanted to be able to make it into a restaurant that anyone was welcome to. He and Zen were working together to make things work out with both of their capable hands. It would still be Jihyun’s Bar, but it would be more than anyone ever expected it to be.

While you liked your place at the bar and the job you held, you couldn’t deny that call to adventure that had your name written all over it. As things calmed down and you and the rest of the group had worked together to help the town, you had been dutifully recovering from your attack.

You weren’t on the stage to perform, but after a week of being stuck in bed, you had sat at the bar and gave a song to Zen’s performances. Singing didn’t take too much out of you, and it felt nice to be out and about where everyone was instead of worrying about how things were going. As always, this place was a good place to be.

All and all, things were going together in town.

Even better, Saeyoung had joined you at the same time, stepping in when he wasn’t working with Saeran and Jihyun to play some music along with you. He revealed his secret talent, that he was rather skilled at guitar, but he never had the chance to show it off to other people like he wanted to. He was really good!

Even if Saeran said otherwise.

Saeran had been right by Jihyun’s side the entire time, trying to help him make matters right from what happened with their father. He was taking it personally and seriously to make amends for things. You’d been surprised by that, given the history that you had heard about what the twins went through they’d met Jihyun, but the fact that Saeran was calling him “dad” was telling enough.

Saeran wasn’t trying to become the next mayor, though.

That was the last thing he wanted.

This was just the loose end that had to be tied up for him. Saeran had told you that he wanted to be able to leave the desert for a while, maybe not forever because he knew how much this place meant to you now, but he did want to see the world first.

You knew that feeling.

You knew what it felt like to want an adventure.

Saeran was your adventure now, and anywhere that he wanted to go, you wanted to be. That’s what led to this situation that you were now in. So, when he proposed the idea to you one day if you would be a willing party to go on a trip with him. Of course, Saeyoung was going to be tagging along, but it was a given. He still wanted you to come with him.

Of course, you said yes.

It wasn’t a “goodbye” to the western town that you had come to, but a simple “see you soon.”

Which is how you wound up where you were now, in a little wagon pulled by Begona and Big Dipper, headed out from town and deep along the trails to take you to wherever you wanted to go. Saeran was kind of interested in seeing the ocean since he’d never been able to see that before, well, there were a lot of things that he hadn’t seen before, but…

It was the first thing that came to mind when you asked, “Well, where do you wanna go?”

“I reckon it’d be nice to see the coast?”

“Good choice, Saeranie!”

Saeyoung seemed jazzed about the idea, himself. He had traveled out with Jihyun and seen the coast before, and had described it to his twin with a mystified look in his eyes. It had left a mark on him that Saeran wanted to see. Hilarious, you knew, but it was kind of sweet to see them getting along and sharing these things.

You were happy here with Saeran.

He snorted when you tucked yourself closer to his side, but ignored the urge to make a snide comment to torment you. You’d grown used to him teasing you and pulling your hair now and again. He might have been Saeran now, but he was still your tormentor by all accounts. Which was exactly what you’d wanted, anyway.

“How far do you think we have left?” you asked him, watching as the landscape changed by the minute from the clay and soil, into the greens that you knew very well. “Do you reckon it’s more than a day or two at this rate?”

“I reckon so,” he responded. You’d pay for stealing some of his quirky vocabulary to tease him. But, you liked that little accent of his whether he wanted to agree with that or not. “I ain’t never traveled this far by myself before, so I’m just guessing from what the maps said.”

“It took a while even by train,” you admitted.

“‘Course, we ain’t in no hurry, little Cereus. We’ll get there when we get there… don’t tell me that yer’ gonna start askin’ me that every five minutes. We already got one idiot n’ this car, we don’t need two of ‘em.”

The two of you chuckled.

That seemed to bring Saeyoung’s attention to the scene. He had stopped playing the time being as he leaned forward between the two of you, ignoring the way the wagon bounced against the terrain and could’ve knocked him over. The way that things were changing had caught his eye. Had he traveled in this area before? “I’ll pretend I ain’t hear that. But, hey, do y’all remember when I told ya’ that I met someone when I was gone with Jihyun?”

“...That fake partner ya’ mentioned?” Saeran quipped. You knew what he thought about that person that Saeyoung had brought up now and again. You couldn’t doubt him. Because they all doubted Zen about you! So, who was to say that he was hiding information about somebody just to make some kind of joke?

“They’re not fake!” Saeyoung retorted. He huffed and looked at you for some moral support. “Cereus, ya’ believe me, right? I’m only bringin’ this up because I was wonderin’ if you two would be interested in meetin’ ‘em? After all, they’ve been waitin’ for me to come back n’ see ‘em since I left a few months ago.”

That made you curious.

You raised a brow, “Oh?”

“Absolutely.”

Saeran sighed. He looked back at his twin and shook his head, incredulous. It was like he couldn’t believe that Saeyoung wanted to take a little detour. He wasn’t going to hear the end of it if he didn’t do something about this. “Alright, alright. Ya’ know what? I reckon that I want you to prove that this person is real, then. I’ve heard this spiel too many damn times. Ya’ wanna prove it? Let’s see ‘em, then. Tell me where we’re headed, then.”

“Aw, Saeran, I knew you cared about me!”

“Mainly, I just wanna see if yer’ a liar or not.”

“I’ll admit I’m a little curious, Saeyoung. I’m willing to give you the benefit of a doubt on this one. Be nice, Saeran. Who knows, it might lead us to another adventure!”

“The last thing I want right now  is another dangerous adventure.”

“That settles it, then. To the sea, we go!”

[AUTHOR’S NOTE:] 

Heya Howdy Doodle Doo, don’t let the door close on ya’ because this ain’t over yet.

That’s right. 

This isn’t the end of Cowboy Saeran. Join us soon in the sequel which is going to be a Seven x Reader story. This will be my first long-form Seven x Reader story, and I’m glad to be writing it. I sincerely am going to have to thank countless people for supporting this story and supporting me. I’ve made a lot of new friends that I hope to keep forever thanks to this story. 

My heart is filled with so much love for so many of you fans. 

I’ve received fan art, cosplay, and all kinds of gifts for this story of mine and it means a lot to me that there are people that enjoy something I’ve made so much that they want to play around in my take on the Mystic Messenger characters. So, this isn’t goodbye to you, my loyal cowboy fans.

This is a See You Soon.

[paperficwriter]

Your First Date

Some sweet, fluffy batarou. Being teens in love.

Cut is for length, not for content.

“Oi, Badd. Why didn’t we go on a first date?”

“Well, ya hospitalized me, and then ya went on some kind of monster rager and ended up becomin’ some kinda gargoyle thing? With horns, I heard? And then ya ran off for a hot minute until ya showed up here ‘cause Zenko thought you were some kinda stray to bring home, and here we are.”

“...Heh, yeah, that just about covers it.”

Somehow during months of living together, this conversation didn’t even come up until they were sitting together on the couch, watching an anime one evening that depicted a boy and a girl in a very typical ‘is this a date?!’ situation. They were quiet for a little bit after that, until Badd prompted him by elbowing him in the arm. “Did ya want to? I mean, I feel like we kinda skipped that whole thing, yeah? Usually ya date before ya start livin’ with someone.”

“So what’s the difference between going on a date and dating?”

Badd paused the television and turned to him, wedging himself into the back sofa cushion on his side. “The date’s kinda...the thing itself. Datin’ is when you’re, like, ‘Let’s see how this pans out and if I wanna be your girlfriend for the long haul.’”

“Does that mean we skipped straight to making you my girlfriend?”

“Psh. I’m savin’ my girlfriend status for The One. You lose.”

Garou chuckled and pulled one of Badd’s hands over to rub between his. “Never been on a date before,” he mumbled.

“Are ya serious?” Badd winced when Garou bent one of his fingers sideways. “Ow. I didn’t mean it t’ be shitty! You’re good-lookin,’ so I figured ya woulda had to beat ‘em off with a stick!”

Holy shit, did Garou just blush?! “It’s not like I really had a chance, with the whole ‘leaving home and living at a dojo and then dishonoring said dojo and everything afterward,’ you know?”

Badd dragged his thumb against one of the long lines across Garou’s hand. Then he realized it wasn’t actually the love line, or the life line, or whatever. But rather, it was the pink, faded scar left from his hero hunting. “That means if I take ya out on a date, it’s not just our first date but your first date. Officially.”

Garou nodded. “Which means it can’t suck.”

“Hey, my dates don’t suck.”

“They better not. You don’t have an excuse like I do, since it sounds like you’ve been on a million, you hussy.”

Badd snatched his hand back so he could grab him by one of his wild ‘ears’ of hair. “I ain’t a hussy! And I haven’t been on a million dates! Just a few!”

Thin fingers jabbed at his side right into one of his ticklish pressure points, and Badd’s body buckled in on itself. “No, no, you’re clearly the dating pro, so you better wow me or I’m leaving!”

“Fine!” Badd threw himself on top of Garou, grabbing him by his shirt. He dropped his face close to his with a huge grin. “Then I’m gonna take ya on the best damn date o’ your life. So get ready, wolf boy.”

Garou snuck in a kiss onto Badd’s round nose, flashing his own teeth in a smile. “Okay. I’m holding you to that.”

—

Badd ended up borrowing a car. Although he had gotten his license, he didn’t really need one in the city, since he either walked wherever he needed to go or took public transportation. But if he was going to take Garou on a date, they were going to have to head out a little distance from his normal stomping grounds, enough that no one would immediately recognize him or, worse, ask questions about Garou.

And even as it was, Badd still didn’t sport his normal pompadour, and Garou had one of his beanies over his trademark hair. “So, where are we going?” Garou asked as he reached over to play with Badd’s loose strands where they framed his face. 

“It’s a surprise, ya goober. Also, I, uh...didn’t wanna talk about it so much in front o’ Zenko or she’d be sore we weren’t taking her.”

“Scandalous.”

“Shut up!” Badd gave him a shove, but he was smiling. The drive itself was nice; the air was cool, they listened to some music (and since it was just them, they didn’t even have to suffer through Amai Mask’s discography), and the sunset was a beautiful bleed of color across the horizon. 

Garou grinned when Badd turned into a hotel. “Oh, so it’s that kind of a date, huh?”

“It ain’t like that! Don’t be weird!” Badd’s cheeks burned up to his ears. “I got us a room so we didn’t have to rush back tonight, and so I didn’t have to find some random place to park.”

When Badd got back from checking in, Garou had his face out the window of the car, sniffing, eyes big. It was like he was looking into the distance, at nothing in particular, an invisible interest.

Badd couldn’t help ruffling the top of his head. “What is it, boy?” he asked like he was talking to a dog, “Whattaya smell, huh?” 

Garou rolled his eyes but didn’t really divert his attention, though his did close his eyes. “It’s been forever since I went to the beach. I can smell the sand and the water...and I can hear it.”

Badd turned his ear up, letting the wind hit him. He could just barely make out the salty scent, but he certainly couldn’t hear it. “Good thing that ain’t the surprise.”

Tipping his head curiously, Garou got out of the car, and they started walking down the road. 

It couldn’t be but so surprising, because they could see the boardwalk from the half-mile mark as they walked up toward it. A large road right beside piers and docks had been lined with shops, stands and various attractions on either side, and there was a huge ferris wheel lit up with sparkling lights.

Badd had insisted on going during the week, so since it was Wednesday there weren't nearly as many people as there probably would have been on the weekend. On top of that, it was also late in the season, so there weren’t visiting tourists to contend with either. “I know ya hate crowds as much as I do,” Badd commented as he took his hand. “And I wanted your first date to be a good experience, ya know.”

Garou was staring in every direction, his mouth just a little bit open. Shit, was it too much? Had Badd overdone it?

What finally came out was: “I want to eat everything.”

Badd laughed. “Okay. Sounds like a plan.”

When Garou said everything, he wasn’t kidding. Like a bloodhound, Garou made a beeline for the spots that had the best-smelling greasy food scents, and Badd found himself being dragged to stand after stand to buy long skewers of yakitori, shioyaki and ikayaki. Each one was shoved into his face to try. “Please at least keep the squid in a different hand. If I think I’m gonna get chicken and bite into the ikayaki, I’m gonna hurl.”

Garou just took a bite of each. To spite him.

Now, the noodles he could get behind: yakisoba with deliciously tender pieces of pork; hot, sour Thai noodles that warmed him up to the core; a ramen burger made with prime beef and huge pieces of near-solid noodles. Garou was about to lead them to the taiyaki parfait stand, when Badd finally put his hand on his arm.

“Babe. Ya know I think the world of ya, but can we digest for, like, five minutes?”

“I guess.” He smirked and kissed a spot of sauce off the corner of his mouth. “You weakling.”

Next, Badd took him to an arcade. It was set up to look like one of the “classic” ones, with pinball, huge games with old displays that were probably twenty years old, and racing games that made Garou have to fold his long limbs inwards to get to the gas and brake. 

When he caught Badd laughing, he glared. “I’m still going to kick your ass, even if I do dislocate my hip.”

“You are older than me, Stretch. That’s a real concern.”

“By a year!”

But they figured it was time to go when Garou laid into a test-your-strength punching dummy a bit too hard and snapped it off its support. In his defense, Badd absolutely should have been watching him closer. Garou had a tendency to get carried away.

As they explored the area even more, they came to a set of shops outside a mall connected to the boardwalk. Garou wandered over to an open stand and stopped so hard his heels screeched. “Oh my god, Badd, look at this.” At first, it just looked like they were selling little trinkets and random junk...until Badd got a closer look. “It’s fucking knock-off hero stuff like you find online!”

Badd nearly choked as he picked up a toy that he could only guess was supposed to be Genos with huge neon eyes and a perfectly rectangular mouth. One hand was on backwards, and the paint job was so abysmal it was like it was just dipped in random colors. A figurine of Atomic Samurai actually had a gun for some reason, Zombieman had been painted lime green, and then…

“You have to buy it.”

“I don’t have to do any such a damn thing.”

“Please. I need this as a memento of our first date.”

Badd sighed and paid the ridiculous amount for a Metal Bat action figure: the torso was so big his head was roughly pea-sized, he was wearing a skirt and his bat looked like it was a wooden one. “It’s literally in the name! Metal Bat! They had one job!”

Garou cackled as he pocketed his prize. “Villains beware! The amazing Wood Bat! Special move: Splinter Spirit!”

As the sky was just beginning to transition from a red-touched blue into night, Badd walked Garou out onto the pier that cut into the ocean far enough that it was actually quiet, compared to the street. A torii gate stood alone overlooking the water and the far-off sunset. Garou stared up at it as Badd explained, “There used to be a shrine on the water, but it got destroyed by a typhoon or somethin.’ They left the torii up ‘cause the sun falls right inside it, yeah? And it was still standin,’ so...yeah.”

“You know a lot about this place.”

Badd grinned, kind of lopsidedly. “Yeah…”

“Like you’ve been here before. More than once.”

“Heh, guess I’ve been caught.”

Easily hopping up onto it, Garou sat on one of the wooden rails of the dock and looked out over the easy-going waves. “That’s fine. There are only but so many places you can take dates, so obviously there’s going to be some overlap.”

“What? Oh god, no. Garou.” Careful not to push him over, Badd got between Garou’s long legs, hands holding his waist. “I ain’t...I’ve never brought another date here. Never. You’re the first.” He sighed. “I came here when I was a kid, with my folks. And Zenko after she was born, for a couple of years but I think she was too young to really remember it. This is, uh…” He cleared his throat. “This is the first time…” God, don’t cry, don’t fucking choke up. “Since…”

“Hey.” Garou’s fingers rubbed the back of his scalp and pulled his face into his stomach. “I got it. It’s okay. I like it. A lot.”

“...yeah?”

“Yeah. It’s the best first date. I thought you were just going to drag me out to something really lame and I was going to have to be like, ‘Nooo, Baaadd, I loooove it…’”

Badd snickered and jabbed Garou in the side of the leg. “Jerk.”

Garou continued on in the mock-patronizing voice as he jumped off the ledge and back to the dock. “‘Oh my gooood...no, you put soooo much effort into it…’”

“Well now if I ever do disappoint ya, I’ll see right through you!”

“Of course you will, because I am so transparent and you are so perceptive.” Garou tugged him toward the ferris wheel. “Come on, I think this is a good time for this one.”

Badd nodded, and when they got to the ramp, there really wasn’t much of a line. They climbed into the next available car together. It was one of the new, fancier ferris wheels, with a compartment that people could sit in facing each other while looking out a window on either side, at the sea or at the glittering city skyline in the near-distance. Slowly, they started the climb, and as Badd watched the crowds below get smaller and smaller, he could feel Garou’s eyes on him. 

“So, I’m new to this, but it seems pretty obvious that this is when you’re supposed to kiss on dates, right? That’s a thing isn’t it?”

Badd turned his hand over when cool fingers rubbed his knuckles. “Yeah, I think ya kinda...play it by ear, and when it feels right, ya jus’ go for it.”

Garou leaned close, his smile reflecting the bulbs outside that lined the ride’s spokes. “I think you’re supposed to call the shots though, right?”

“Yeah...I think so.” Badd moved like he was going to close the gap between them, but then put his fingers up to block Garou’s lips. “Wait.”

“...seriously?”    

“Trust me.”

It was only about a minute until they rounded the curve and there they were, at the top of the wheel. In the grand scheme of things, it probably wasn’t that high up but...here, it was the highest point, and for them it might as well have been the top of the world. And before Garou could ruin it by saying something dumb or complaining about the hold up, Badd yanked him into the softest, deepest kiss he could give, putting every ounce of himself into it.

They didn’t actually break it until they were almost at the bottom again, and even then they stayed close, gazing into one another’s face.

“You know…” Garou gave him another little peck, smiling through it. “I think I could get into this whole dating thing.”

Badd hummed, and he kept his fingers loosely holding his shirt so he couldn’t get far away from him. “Yeah...kinda figured ya might feel that way.”

[sdktrs12]

( Day 1 ) ( Day 2 ) ( Day 3 ) ( Day 4 ) ( Day 5 )

“Can’t see shit in this.” Rio mutters underneath his breath and Beth barely bites back an ‘I told you so’.  

As soon as they’d stepped foot outside of the warehouse, she’d suggested waiting out the heavy fog and cold mist that had rolled through while they were in their meeting, but he’d immediately shut her down, anxious to leave, the meeting having soured his mood.  

Now they’re out in the middle of nowhere with almost no visibility in either direction and she’s damp, cold, and irritated. Even with the heat cranked up all the way her whole body jerks as a chill runs through her and Rio’s grip on the wheel tightens as he glances over.  

“Hoodie’s in the back.” He points out and—yeah, she knows, seeing as how she’s the reason it’s there to begin with.  

He hadn’t taken it with him when he’d left her that night in the backyard and she may or may not have been wearing it still as she’d slipped into bed once he was gone.  

When he’d popped by her house to drop this meeting on her, she’d made sure to grab it on her way out, worried if she didn’t return it now, she might just keep it forever.  

He’d thrown it in the back of the car without a word as soon as she’d handed it over and she’d almost just snatched it right back, because rude.  

But she doesn’t want it again, had given it back to get it away from her, but here he was offering it up yet again.  

“I’m fine.” She says, rubbing her hands over her exposed arms, because of course the one day she decides not to wear long sleeves...

“I could’ve dressed more appropriately if you’d given me a little warning.” She sniffs, lifting her chin, defiant and she hears him sigh. 

She glances at him out of the corner of her eye and she sees him lean forward a little, squinting hard out the windshield and god, the urge to say it—

“Don’t.” It’s short, clipped, his voice rough with annoyance and she flushes as she drops her chin, narrowing her eyes, really wanting to say it now just to spite him.  

“Just...put the damn hoodie on.” He shifts in his seat, shoulders rolling back as he flexes his fingers against the steering wheel, and she can feel the speed of the car adjusting as he slows down.  

She weighs the pros and cons of starting a fight with him out in the middle of nowhere in a car that he’s currently driving in less than ideal conditions.  

Beth lets out a loud sigh as she unbuckles her seat belt and reaches into the back and she swears she sees him smile.  

She jerks the hoodie out between the seats, smacking him in the face with one of the sleeves and his jaw rocks as he glares at her.

“Oops.” She says sweetly, pointedly not apologizing and he opens his mouth to say god knows what, but something darts out across the road in front of them, something very large and very quick, and Beth gasps as Rio curses and slams on the brakes.  

Her hands automatically fly out in front of her to brace herself as she’s thrown forward, but one of them is still tangled up in the hoodie and it skids off the dash right before her forehead smacks against it, hard enough that she sees stars, and then she feels Rio’s arm come out to wrap around her waist and yank her back.  

They’re both breathing heavily, slumped back in their seats, and Beth brings her hand up to tentatively prod at her temple, wincing as a sharp pain shoots through her head, registering a wet stickiness there before she pulls her hand away and sees blood.

She glances over at Rio, who’s watching her warily, and his eyes dart out the windows, taking everything in before carefully maneuvering the car as far off the road as possible before throwing it in park and wordlessly getting out of the car. 

She briefly wonders if he’s planning on just leaving her here with a head injury as payback for smacking him in the face with his own hoodie (maybe hoping whatever it was that jumped out in front of the car will circle back around and finish her off) but then she catches sight of him in the rearview mirror just as he pops the trunk.  

Beth slowly opens her door and swings her legs out, shoes slipping against wet gravel as she closes her eyes against the slight drizzle and she’s just about to push herself up and out of the car when she feels Rio’s hand nudge her knee.  

She blinks her eyes open and is forced to tilt her head back slightly to look up at him because he’s towering over her, which again—rude.  

“Thought you were going to leave me.” She grouses and he huffs out a laugh as he holds up what looks to be a first aid kit for her to see.  

“You okay?” He asks, eyes roaming over her face and she nods, wincing a little at the pain that causes and he frowns.  

He ducks his head down, hand coming up to push up on her chin, tilting her head back even further to see her forehead better in the overhead light. His fingers leave her chin to slide up into her hair, gently pushing it back to tuck behind her ear and out of the way.  

“Told you so.” She finally manages to whisper and he bites back a smile.  

“Yeah, I think you’ll live.” He murmurs, face so close she can see the teeny tiny bits of moisture from the air clinging to his eyelashes and she can’t help but think that all she’d have to do to bridge that gap is lean up just the slightest bit...reach her hand around to slide over the back of his neck and pull him down just the slightest bit...brush her lips up against his...

But he’s moving away, placing the first aid kit in her lap as he crouches down in front of her and she watches silently as he unpacks a few things—alcohol wipes, antiseptic cream and a band aid.  

Then he’s popping back up and getting to work on the cut on her forehead and Beth sighs. “What was that thing anyway?”  

“I got no idea. Looked like a fuckin’ moose or somethin’.”  

Beth scoffs and rolls her eyes. “We don’t have moose in Detroit. It was probably just a giant deer.”  

“You ask questions just to argue?”  

She pauses, considering. “Maybe.”  

He laughs and nods his head and she grins and it hurts a lot less to move her face this time.

Rio finishes up, carefully placing the band aid over the cut, gently pressing it against her skin, and then takes the first aid kit from her lap and returns it to the trunk of the car.  

He makes one more stop at her side of the car, reaching in to grab the hoodie and wrap it around her shoulders once more before tucking her back into her seat and closing her door.  

The fog has mostly dissipated by the time they finally make it back to her house.  

When she goes to shrug his hoodie off, he stops her with a hand to her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze as he tells her to keep it.  

[crepuscularqueens]

am i going to make another playlist breakdown that no one asked for... yes :) for samsteve :)

now - paramore (boy i could talk about this one forever it’s so on the nose of the whole them of it all! their energy is truly captured here!) feels like i'm waking from the dead and everyone's been waiting on me, least now i'll never have to wonder what it's like to sleep a year away / instead, i'd have some memories for the days i don't feel anything, at the least they will remind me not to make the same mistakes again / there's a time and a place to die and this ain't it

glory - bastille (oh god oh GOD. these two could have really had it all couldn’t they?? every single line could make me go bonkers from it) as we fell and hit our heads upon the curb, you make me laugh until i die, can you think of any better way to choke? / not everything had gone to plan but we made the best of what we had, you know? / and then you put your hand in mine and pulled me back from things divine, stop looking up for heaven waiting to be buried

homemade dynamite - lorde (you may know my thoughts on this one already! ah! but when they first meet and they both kinda lose it a bit for each other! steve needing to pass sam like 3 times then go and make his point again! sam harboring steve as a known fugitive when he just met the guy! wow okay!) a couple rebel top gun pilots flying with nowhere to be, don't know you super well but i think that you might be the same as me, behave abnormally / know i think you're awesome, right?

kindred - rationale (what can i say i have a giant weak spot for the bittersweet!)  we are kindred, tugging on the tether, like we'll live forever but one day we'll have to leave. i give thanks for each day of solid ground beneath our feet, but there are no promises for tomorrow for you and me / baby we risk it all just to fall like dominoes, baby all we have is good intentions, fine line in your memories, you’re not alone and you’ll never be, remember that we're both in this together

under the table - fiona apple (okay this pick is somewhat tongue in cheek because they are both insufferable smartasses who sometimes say things they shouldn’t. im thinking... “so you like cats” “sam.” “what?!?!?!?!”. like, this is just for fun) you know i don't go for those ones that you bother about, so when they say something that makes me start to simmer, that fancy wine won't put this fire out, oh kick me under the table all you want i won't shut up, i won't shut up

sudden desire - hayley williams (for the... well... you know) take the elephant by the hand and hold it, it's cruel to tame a thing that don't know its strength. but better to walk beside it than underneath. my kind companion, softened stone, my gentle giant, painful reminder

black moon rising - black pumas (we have to introduce a little heartbreak eventually. i know i did but yeah. we unfortunately know how this ends!) shoot me down and break my heart, it's the black moon rising. you brave the sight, i paint the picture of the black moon rising

lose my mind - kaye (okay but “i might just burn up my whole life”??? yeah that’s them alright. that’s them.) you're trouble, aren't you? i can see it, know you're gonna leave me bleeding, but you set alive every inch of my spine / i might just burn up my whole life, we don't have to be civilized / forget your loyalties to float in my gaze, we look good in destruction, couldn't we trust it? (all of that just SCREAMS them!)

fly me to the moon - frank sinatra (okay, so maybe i added this to my playlist for them immediately after watching ep 1 of tfatws. you have no proof.) you are all i long for, all I worship and adore. in other words, please be true. in other words, in other words, i love you

black sun - death cab for cutie (sometimes we just get very very bitter towards endgame steve. i don’t know that man.) how could something so fair be so cruel, when this black sun revolved around you? / there is a role of a lifetime, and there's a song yet to be sung, and there's a dumpster in the driveway of all the plans that came undone

demons - the national (you know how it is with me and the national. image of me violently shoving this song at steve rogers and glaring at him.) when i think of you in the city, the sight of you among the sights, i get the sudden sinking feeling of a man about to fly / can i stay here? i can sleep on the floor, paint the blood and hang the palms on the door, i do not think i'm going places anymore, i wanna see the sun come up above new york / i do not know what's wrong with me, the sour is in the cut. when i walk into a room, i do not light it up, fuck

the living - san fermin (trying to put into words why this song is so perfect for them is... hm. life’s for the living, you know?) i hear it coming, it’s coming this way, it’s digging me up, the dead have been raised / and it’s hard to quite describe it, like we're part of, part of something bigger

drive desperate - cold war kids (asking someone to follow you... desperately needing their approval) follow me will you? follow me will you? follow me down until, i will admire, oh i need someone who will / to find the words that lift me high i’d tear a hole up in the sky, i’d beg for your approval just to know i’m on the right course

estate sale sign - the mountain goats (okay! bitterly remembering when you shared a path with someone! when everything you had gone through and everyone you lost along the way meant everything in the world and then you feel so all alone in all those memories because they made their choice to give it all up!) some guy in an impala shakes his head when he rides by, but i remember when we shared a vision, you and i / the sacrificial stains all spreading out and soaking through, but i remember when we kept it pretty, me and you / try to see if secrets burn when you hold them up into the light, i remember when we loved each other day and night / every martyr in this jungle is gonna get his wish

end of the earth - marina (i got in my damn feelings for this one boys) love can never be what you want it to be, but i'd still follow you down / if we're torn apart, then i won't let go, cause wherever we are, it feels like home

heat waves - glass animals (furiously shaking endg*me by the shoulders screaming “make it make sense”) usually i put somethin' on tv so we never think about you and me, but today i see our reflections clearly in hollywood, layin on the screen. you just need a better life than this, you need somethin i can never give / i just wish that i could give you that, that look that's perfectly un-sad

deliverance - rationale (im aware this is getting repetitive) you sold me a dream, now i'm hanging on for my life, out of sight, out of mind / it's hard to believe that i don't mean nothing to you and i'll never back in your favor and back in your arms

emergence exit - freelance whales you would've been better alone without my love, you would've been safe from storms

[linkysmommy]

The Time That Came Between

PART I

Part II link here

Fandom: It Lives in the Woods

Pairing: Noah Marshall x fem MC

Words: 3,057

Summary: What happened to Noah after Jazmyn Park sacrificed herself and he fled Westchester?

Warnings: Some minor swearing, topics of drug use and addiction

Author’s note: This is basically my imagination of what happened to Noah after he left Westchester and before he realized that MC was still somewhat cognizant as the shadow monster. I definitely have some creative liberties and my own thoughts on the dark path Noah went on after everything went down. It shouldn’t be too long, but I’m splitting it into parts. It’ll probably be between 5-6 parts when all is finished.

The first thing he noticed was the overwhelming stench of sour, rotting garbage.

Then came the God-awful pain.

It felt like there was a bonfire burning in Noah’s back. The muscles in his body screamed and throbbed, and his body shook violently. He weakly opened his eyes, and could barely see because they were so watery. It was like this every morning when he woke up. But somehow, that didn’t make it any better.

He managed to push himself into a sitting position as he tried to put together where the hell he was. He rubbed the film away from his eyes and glanced around himself. He was sitting in an apartment parking lot, his back pushed up against a huge dumpster bin. A trail of gooey water dripped from the trash can and trickled down the cement pavement. The morning sun shone in colorful rays through the filth, and he could hear the morning hum of cars and commuters as the responsible population began their days. A street cat hissed and rustled through the trash, and one of the windows in the building across from him burst open as yells from the people inside drifted out into the morning.

Noah sighed and leaned his head against the metal trash bin. He didn’t even care that his shirt was soaked with trash water, or that the side of his face was still covered with gravel from the ground. All he could focus on was the pain and discomfort. His burning back, his aching muscles, his runny nose, the wave of nausea that crashed over him.

He should get up, go to his apartment, take a shower, get dressed. He should get to work on time and save some money so he’d be able to go far away and leave forever. But no. Instead, he woke up in front of a dumpster and the first thing he did was reach for his phone. He hated everything about himself as he turned on the screen and dialed the person he simultaneously hated most and needed most in this entire world.

But he was too weak. So he called Reynold anyway.

The phone rang, and rang, and rang. Terror seized through him and his hand began to shake uncontrollably. What if Reynold didn’t pick up? What if—

Before Noah could think much, a very unhappy voice on the other line answered.

“The hell you want? It’s 7:00 in the morning.”

“I need some,” Noah said. “Where can I meet you?”

The voice on the other end scoffed. “Are you serious? You already blew through what I sold you two days ago?”

“It’s been… a rough couple of days.”

Reynold fell silent, which pissed Noah off. He was the one funding this guy, yet Reynold acted like he was the nuisance. Finally, Reynold let out a long sigh. “I’m busy today Malcolm. I don’t have time to—”

“I’ll pay you double. Hell, I’ll pay you triple. Just tell me where to meet you and when.”

Reynold grumbled something under his breath, but then he agreed. Soon, Noah had the place and information typed into his old, cracked phone. Now all he had to do was survive six more hours until they met up. Even that long seemed like more torture than he could stand.

Noah didn’t know how long he sat there, feeling like complete and utter shit. It could’ve been minutes, or it could’ve been hours. All he knew was that when two middle school girls crossed in front of him to head to their bus stop, chattering excitedly about some TV show, the expression on their faces when they saw him was enough to make him want to kill himself.

There was fear in their faces. Fear that the dirty, grimy man sitting by the dumpster would hurt them. Noah lowered his gaze and they hurried past. And he wished, for what must have been the thousandth time in the past twenty-four hours, that his life had never been so goddamn awful that he felt the only way he could survive was through losing himself to heroin. 

He wished that it had been him who took Redfield’s place, and not Jaz.

Never Jaz.

***

The bell jingled as Noah stepped into the gas station where he worked. A handful of customers browsed the shelves, and crouched in one of the aisles was his supervisor, Russ, probably doing inventory.

The door clattered shut behind Noah and he tried to sneak past Russ. But, like some freaking bloodhound, he looked up the moment Noah took a step. Russ’s eyes narrowed and his face flushed with anger. He stood, the item scanner hanging loosely from one hand.

“You’re late again, Johnson.” Russ glanced pointedly at the clock, then back at Noah. “Twenty-two minutes late, to be exact.”

“I’m aware of that,.” Noah said, fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “I ran into some… stuff.”

Russ did roll his eyes. “That’s not an excuse. Not when it happens every day.”

“Yeah, well. I’m here now so let me get to work.” Noah shouldered past Russ to the employees only area. It wasn’t much, but there was a wall with hooks where he could hang his jacket, and shelves and shelves full of supplies. 

Noah hung his jacket and took a deep, calming breath. He hated this job. He hated how Russ thought he was worse than dirt, and he hated how much he resented that. After what he’d done, he didn’t deserve to be treated well by anyone. He deserved every ounce of hatred every single person had to spare.

He brushed his fingers over the scarred skin on the inside of his elbow. It was rough, and still tingled with his most recent dose. He was a coward for trying to find something to ease the pain, to make him forget. It was only fair that the drug no longer made him feel anything other than normal. Where it once had left him feeling powerful and nearly happy, now all it did was make him need it when he wasn’t using, and when he was using he just felt normal.

And normal… wasn’t exactly what he wanted.

The one good thing about Jaz sacrificing herself for him was that at least she didn’t have to live to see him like this. This pathetic shell of a man she thought was worth enough that she decided to die for him.

Noah squeezed his eyes shut and pressed his hand into his forehead. Forget about this. Don’t think. Just get out and do your job, go home, shoot up, go to sleep, repeat. Keep going. Just survive. 

He took one last calming breath, took a moment to steel himself… and then stepped back into the front.

As he approached the counter to take his position for the day., the girl standing behind it glared at him.

“Finally. You made me stay late, you jerk. I’ve been here since 12 AM!”

“Yeah… sorry Diane,” Noah said sheepishly, fumbling awkwardly with the edge of his beanie. “I’m here now though, so you can leave.”

Diane peered up at him from behind the counter and her scowl melted away into a grin. “I’m just teasing, Malcolm! No need to be so serious. Of course I’m not mad at you.”

“Oh! Right. Of course.” Noah forced a laugh and sidled behind the counter. 

Ever since the cops found Jaz’s broken body last September and Noah had become the prime suspect, he’d been on the run, never staying anywhere for too long. He spent time in Montana, Idaho, Utah, and Nevada. He never finished high school, and instead took to getting himself fake IDs and socials just to find work wherever he could get it. But now, he was back in Oregon, a mere three hours away from where it all started: Westchester.

Noah had only been working at this convenience store for two months, but no one in any of his other jobs paid attention to him like Diane did. She knew nothing real about him—she thought his name was Malcolm Johnson and that he moved from Missouri to live with his aunt—but she always invited him out, always found ways to tease him, always tried to make him smile.

And she was cute and pretty and sweet, but she was no Jaz. No one could ever even begin to compare to Jazmyn Park.

“Well now that somebody’s here, I’m gonna go get changed and get the hell out of here,” Diane said with a smirk, nudging Noah as she sashayed out from behind the counter.

“I said I was sorry,” Noah called after her. She just waved and disappeared into the employee area.

Noah let out a sigh and leaned his elbows against the countertop. The store wasn’t very busy right now, so he’d just get to stand there for hours, doing nothing. Doing nothing was hard because when you were doing nothing, there wasn’t anything to distract you from the terrible things you didn’t want to think about. He much preferred busy days to slow days.

The door jingled and Noah heard footsteps as people entered the store. He couldn’t see the door from where he stood. He hoped it was a munchy druggy or a parent with kids. Those people always bought the most stuff, which meant more time to be occupied.

“…Been a whole year now,” a familiar voice drifted over to where Noah stood. “And nobody knows where he is.”

Noah’s eyebrows shot up and he glanced furtively around the store. The newcomers to the store stepped out from behind a row of shelves and then, standing across the room with his back to Noah was a man with a flannel shirt and shoulder-length blond hair. A man Noah recognized all to well. Connor Green.

“Shit,” Noah muttered. His heart pounded in his chest and his mouth felt dry. “Shit shit shit sh—” 

Connor started turning, so Noah did the only thing he could think of. He dropped to his hands and knees behind the desk, disappearing from view.  Diane exited out of the employees-only area just as he did, and he saw confusion flit across her face.

“I miss Jaz,” Connor said. “She was really… somethin’ else. I still can’t believe she’s gone.”

A very unjustified but burning hatred for that man flared up inside Noah. He remembered being at the hardware store, shopping for supplies to go up against Mr. Red—Jane. He remembered how Connor flirted with Jaz and how she flirted right back. And he remembered the day Andy asked them if they wanted to go to homecoming. Noah had said, “Seems kinda pointless to go without a date. And I’m… not really in a good place for that. Dating, I mean.” Then he asked Jaz who she wanted to go with and she turned around and went straight to Connor.

He knew he had no right to be angry about it. He’d told Jaz that he wasn’t in a place for dating, and he probably would’ve said no if she’d asked him. But when she decided to ask Connor and Noah responded with “Good luck,” he really had just wanted to clock Connor in the face.

“Do you think they’ll ever catch Noah?” another voice—a woman this time—asked. Noah’s heart nearly froze at the mention of his own name and he frantically tried to place the voice. Then he realized—it was Stacy Green, of course.

Another pair of hands and knees fell onto the ground beside Noah and he started, jumping back and nearly slamming against the back wall.

Diane watched him with an amused expression. Her short black pixie cut was messily styled and her dark makeup made her features stand out against pale skin. “What’re we doing down here, Johnson?” she asked.

“Uh…” His mind raced frantically, trying to come up with some sort of explanation. Some sort of truth and lie mixture that could get him out of this mess. “I know those people from high school. And, uh, they were snobby assholes who hated me. So, I just don’t  want them to know I work here, okay?”

The amusement faded from Diane’s eyes and she nodded solemnly. “I understand. I know I already clocked out, but… I can cover for you until they leave.”

“Really?” Noah couldn’t hide the relieved smile that stole onto his face. 

“Oh yeah,” Diane said. “But you owe me.”

“Okay yeah, that’s fair. What do you want? I can cover your hours or—“

“A date,” Diane said with a smug smile, and before he could protest she bounced to her feet and pasted a winning smile onto her face.

“Hiiii,” she greeted. Noah wondered if she was talking to Connor and Stacy. All he could see was the gross tile, front counter, and Diane’s legs. “Can I help you with something?”

“Hey,” Connor’s voice said. “Cute shirt, by the way.”

Noah wanted to barf. Flirting with random strangers was so Connor.

“We just wanted to buy a few things and ask a few questions, if that’s all right?” Stacy said. Noah could practically hear the smile in her voice.

“Okay, shoot!” Diane said.

Noah heard the sound of items being dropped on the counter, and then the register creaking like it did whenever anyone leaned on it. He could imagine Connor leaning against it now, looking at Diane with the stupid flirtatious smirk he always used on Jaz.

“We were wondering—” it was Connor again “—have you heard of anyone… suspicious running through these parts?”

Diane let out a sharp laugh. “Is that all you’ve got to go off of? I’m sorry, sweetie, but if I told you all the suspicious people I’ve seen around here I’d be listing names ‘til midnight.”

Noah snorted silently. Leave it to Diane to handle a situation like this so perfectly.

He heard Stacy sign in aggravation. “Connor, maybe I should handle this.” There were shuffling footsteps, rustling of the contents of a purse, and something being slapped onto the countertop. “Have you seen anyone who looks like this man? About this tall, almost always wears a beanie? His name is Noah but he probably goes by something else?”

All traces of a smile evaporated from Noah’s face. His heart started to race with panic. He chanced a look up at Diane’s face, and her eyes were narrowed, her mouth tugged into a frown.

Silence. No sound besides a ticking clock and Russ shuffling around the aisles. Diane stared at the counter, at what Noah was sure was a picture of him. He held his breath, waiting for her to jump aside and say, “Oh you’re looking for this guy? Here he is, take him!”

But instead, she shook her head. Her voice was tight. “Nope, never heard of a ‘Noah.’ Also never seen this guy. Sorry.”

Relief flooded through Noah, almost as satisfying a feeling as a heroin high. Diane wasn’t giving him up. At least not yet.

Connor sighed loudly. “Do you have any idea who might know something? This is important. We got a tip that he moved to this area recently but so far, we’ve found nothing.”

“I don’t know,” Diane said. “Why’re you looking for him? Maybe if I knew I could point you to the right people.” 

Noah frantically grabbed her foot, trying to somehow signal to her to not ask these questions. But she shook him off and kept staring straight forward.

“It’s kind of… a personal thing,” Stacy said.

“Well I can’t help if you don’t tell me anything,” Diane countered.

“Look,” Connor interceded. “The police are after him for something he actually didn’t do. We think we might be able to help him, but he’s dodging us.”

Diane glanced down at Noah for a fraction of a second. Then she shrugged. “A person on the run? I’d look for them in Lensgate Park. Or maybe check out the baseball field on eleventh. Tons of shady people hang out there. They might know something.”

“Lensgate Park…” Stacy repeated slowly, probably entering it into her phone. “Okay. And you said eleventh?”

“Yup,” Diane said dryly. “Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Nope,” Connor said. “You’ve been great. I hope you have a great shift.”

Finally, finally, the footsteps sounded once again, the bell rang as it was opened, and then the door slammed shut. Noah barely had time to reorient himself before Diane reached down and pulled him roughly to his feet.

“Malcolm, what the hell was that about? Who were those people? They weren’t high school bullies, this was something else entirely. And Noah? The cops? What. The. HELL.”

“Diane, Diane,” Noah said, grabbing her by the arms. “Look, those people are from where I grew up, and they… they can’t be trusted.” His mind scrambled to come up with some sort of excuse, but all he could see was Jaz, over and over again. Her terror when she realized he tricked them, her body, broken in his arms… “Um, they, want to frame me—”

Diane scoffed and glared into his honey brown eyes. “Do you expect me to believe that? Are you just one big lie?”

Noah fell back a step, the color draining from his face. “I—”

“Save it, Malcolm. If that’s even your real name.” Diane skirted around the counter and headed for the door. “I backed you up because I liked you, but whatever you’re involved in, I don’t want any part in it. You can forget about the date.”

Noah’s eyebrows knit together as he watched her head out the front door, never looking back. Russ came out from one of the aisles, glancing between Noah and Diane.

“What happened with you two?” Russ asked.

Noah skirted around the counter, removing the name badge he wore on his shirt. “Sorry, Russ, but consider this my resignation.”

He dropped the badge on the counter and shouldered past a shocked Russ.

“Wh—what?” Russ sputtered, chasing after Noah. “Johnson, if you leave it’s just me and Tom. I need the coverage, at least wait until tomorrow—”

“Stuff came up,” Noah said, pushing the glass door open with his shoulder. “I’ll see you around, Russ.”

Russ watched helplessly from the sidewalk as Noah slid into his old beat-up car. He turned the radio on high as he backed out of the parking lot.

He was going to Lensgate Park, or maybe the baseball field on Eleventh.

He was going to figure out what Stacy and Connor knew.

***

Post-note: I wrote this a while ago and wasn’t going to finish but that fic by @isometimesplaychoices inspired me to continue and finish this fic, ily friend!! 

[edgeofmyniall]

four: “Hate Me”

masterlist | taglist | playlist | thoughts

“It's a thin line between all this love and hate, and if you switch sides, you're gon' have to claim your place. So baby, this time you're gon' have to seal your fate”

The sun blared into Ginger’s room the next morning with a vengeance. She awoke to her naked body sprawled over the contorted covers.She sat up rubbing her temples; her head felt as if a construction crew had been working all night on her skull. The empty tequila bottle laid down at the edge of her bed-stuck between the footrest and mattress. She moaned as she reached over. She was nauseous and wanted to throw up. The vile taste in her mouth began to build as she sat up right again. What the fuck did she do last night? The only thing she remembers is kissing Niall and then wanting to kill him for kissing Stella. She unlocked her nearly dead phone and proceeded to figure out last night’s antics. 

~~~~

Ginger locked her bedroom door and propped her desk chair under the metal knob. She felt the anger boil over in her. How could Niall kiss her and not even an hour later play tongue hockey with Stella on her couch. She let her guard down and made an irreversible decision that could and would ruin her relationship with Stella. 

She twisted the top of the clear distilled liquor and brought the bottle to her lips: the liquid burning her throat as she chugged down the liquid courage. It set a fire in her belly that she would regret in the morning. 

She began to strip and turned on her bluetooth speaker. She scrolled through her music before choosing a song that was so perfect, so hurtful that Niall would become angered himself, which Ginger devilishly smiled as she imagined him slamming the door shut and leaving her alone forever. 

Don Healey pulsates through her speaker as he begins to sing: “You can't hide your lyin' eyes, and your smile is a thin disguise. I thought by now you'd realize there ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes.” Ginger stood in the middle of her room, chugging the tequila as her mind raced with an idea that would bring Devil shame. She stood in front of the mirror and put on her makeup-pale lips and golden eyes before she began to throw clothes from her drawers to find her black lace bralette and underwear that had garter belts attached at each thigh. 

She sat on the floor and placed her phone on a stack of books before posing her body: hand on across her body, other hand touching her vagina, and her thighs raised high enough to cover herself from exposing her secret. The self timer clicked multiple times and when the flashes stopped, Ginger took another hard swallow of tequila before viewing them. 

Her eyes grew wide as she took in her sexual deviance, biting her lip before sending one picture of her careful posed body to Niall.

But it wasn’t enough for Ginger. She felt angry. She wanted to hurt him like Niall did her. So she took off her bralette and began to take selfies of her naked top with only her arm covering her swollen nipples. She made faces that she knew only porn stars made and involuntarily shook as she sent a collection of them to someone who clouded her conscience; after all these years she still couldn’t tell what was right or wrong when it came to him. 

Ginger sat on her bed as she waited for the comeback of both men. She wanted to see who was first-who wanted her more. 

A row of heart eyes appear at the top of her messages before Daniel sends another message. 

Wow still beautiful as ever. Fuck, I miss you

Ginger laughs to herself as she thinks, “Now you want me.” She sent back a quick response.

Miss you more, Danny.

Interrupting Ginger and Daniel’s conversation, Niall’s name pops up across her screen, forcing the texts to disappear. She rejects the call before reading Daniel’s response. 

Wish Cali wasn’t so far away. I’d love to get my hands on you right now.

Ginger smiles wide as she takes another sip of alcohol and sends Daniel another picture of her bare chest. Their history together forces Ginger to begin to touch her sensitive nipples. The thought of Daniel kissing her makes her head swoon. 

A ding from her phone pulls Ginger away from her fantasy.

We need to talk

You’re killing me ..

Niall sends his message one right after another, but instead of a response, Ginger leaves him on read before continuing her conversation with Daniel.

I wish you were hewe. 

I’d suck yur dicc rigjt mow abd 

Ginger feels the effects of the tequila and her head spins. Daniel texts again. 

And what baby? What would you do?

“Tell you I’m still in love with you,” Ginger says aloud before laying down on her bed, her head far too heavy to hold up. It was then she texted Niall the one word that flashed across her mind.

Comdativle. 

~~~~~ 

Three missed calls from Daniel and one hushed tone voice mail later, Ginger feels like death served on a stick. She had thrown up already but the guit ate at her. How could she do that with a married man? And with Niall as well? Ginger was on a downward spiral and she wanted nothing to do with her trail of bad decisions. She picked up her phone from her charging pad and dialed Niall’s number, the ringing tone blaring in her ear.

“Hey,” Niall sounds breathless and hushed.

“I fucked up.” Ginger spat before Niall could say another word. “I sent nudes to Daniel.”

“I di- you what? Isn’t he married?” Niall’s voice was concerned, but Ginger heard the hurt. “The same picture...you sent me?”

“That and more…” Ginger begins to cry as she feels her body forcibly hurt as if her body is teaching her a lesson. “I just…” 

“Meet me the Griddle Cafe in thirty.” Niall cuts the phone call and Ginger, hungover, forces herself to get ready to face judgement.

~~~~

“What are we having?” the older waitress smiles at Niall and when she sees Ginger in her a hoodie drawn and sunglasses with only a few tangles of red curls poking out, she offers a look of condolence. “Late night?”

Niall smiles tenderly and orders red velvet pancakes for the both of them before leaning back and watching Ginger suffer in silence.

The cafe was loud and when Niall clanked the spoon against his cup when he was stirring his coffee, Ginger wanted to rip her head off her shoulders.

Niall begins to tap his thumbs and palms on the white granite table and it was when Ginger suddenly reached out to stop the unnecessary tapping that Niall finally spoke to her.

“So what did Dickwad have to say for himself?” He crosses his arms across the table before taking a sip of his coffee. Ginger groans as she takes her sunglasses off. She winces at the light, but she’s focused on the wad of paper from her straw to honor Niall’s question.

“I don’t know. Not much.” Ginger lies. Her eyes are swollen from the amount of crying she’s done from the thirty minute drive. Niall huffs before sitting his coffee down.

“Well that’s fuckin lie.” Niall says straight forward. His brow is pushed together and his lips are in a tight line. The crinkles in his eyes are light, but the sour look is prominent. “Anytime a girl sends nudes, a guy has somethin to say.”

“He misses me. And that he wanted his hands-” Niall thrusts a fist down on the table, making a sudden noise that makes a few onlookers stop. His face and ears are red and his breathing is fast. “You asked.”

“I- I don’t know what I wanted. The truth or for you to continue to lie to me.”

“Lie to you? Ha, that’s a joke. You lied to me. Said you wanted me. And after we kiss, you’re mouth fucking my cousin on MY couch.” Ginger’s head was spinning and she felt the need to vomit, but her anger was keeping her grounded. 

“I tried breaking up with her.” Niall said, his tone harsh.

“How do you try to break up with someone? Either you do or you don’t. That simple.” Ginger folded her hands in her lap, squeezing them together to keep her rage in check.

“I was telling her that I’m happy and then she jumped on me; then you walked in.” 

“And you sat there like an idiot.”

“Idiot?” Niall half laughed, “I’m not the one who sent their nudes to their married ex.” Ginger stands, her eyes filling with tears. 

“Ya know, I don’t have to take this. You wanted to talk, but all we’re doing is arguing.” The waitress walks up bringing the two their breakfast. An awkward glance later, Ginger is sitting down poking her food with her fork.

“You can’t expect good things to come out of doing stupid shit, Gin.” Niall said before taking a bite of the red pancake. “You got to think things through.” 

Ginger sits in silence and realizes that Niall is right.

“I’m sorry.” Ginger says as she pushes her plate away from her. The sight and smell of food nauseate her. “I wasn’t thinking. I was just...mad.”

“I’m sorry too,” Niall reaches over the table and cups Ginger’s free hand-his touch feels like fire and Ginger wants to be burned alive. 

~~~~~

Ginger hears a faint knocking on her door. She’s sitting in bed trying to find the courage to finally face Stella and here was her moment. 

Stella’s head pops between the barrier and asks, “You okay?” Ginger nods and Stella opens the door further to welcome herself in. She sits on Ginger’s bed and places her hand on Ginger’s knee. Emotions and comforting others are not Stella’s strongest attributes, but when it counts, Stella tries.

“Anything you want to talk about?” Here was Ginger’s chance to finally be free of the guilt and the secrets. For her to finally come out and say what needed to be said; to get rid of the wall between them that was Niall Horan. 

But courage failed her and she shook her head. She sat there full of guilt and secrets and words that will never be spoken. The wall was still there. 

“Well if you need me, you know where to find me.” Stella quickly kisses Ginger on the forehead before leaving the room. Closing the door, Ginger pulls her phone out from under her covers and replies back to Niall.

Tomorrow then?

~~~~~~~~

taglist:  @kare38 @oyesmendes @stayclose-holdsteady @thicksniall @halfpinthoran

[lunarstags]

Iridescent

Tags: mutual pining, first kiss, theyre both oblivious gays

Yaz gasped once the light show began. Shimmering spots of light danced across the cavern and Yaz couldn’t stop the way a smile curled about her lips, couldn’t help the way she wished to live in this moment forever. The light bathed Doctor in iridescence.

They had travelled to the Caves of Erieona. Five hundred below the caves entrance at exactly noon the gems imbedded in the walls of the cave reflected light to create a blossoming array of moving glimmers. It took her breath away. She watched the lights as they played on the wall in front of her but couldn’t help the way something in the pit of her stomach begged her to look to her left. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what beautiful image was waiting for her and that kept her itching. Her curiosity won and she traced a dot of red to the iridescent Doctor.

Her face was painted in color and it only served to exacerbate her features, the wide, bright eyes, large smile, the excitement that was etched there.

Yaz’s smile grew into a grin and her chest tightened, she felt her stomach twist and turn and she knew that this moment was melded to her soul, she felt the weight of it pulling at her heart in a way she knew she would carry forever. This moment was forever a polaroid, completely captured, and regardless of how long her life was she would always have this image.

Her eyes were soft and her breathing was on unstable ground and she was just about ready to let the image go when the Doctor turned to face her and Yaz froze. The Doctor’s eyes reflected the shining color and it made Yaz’s heart stop. The Doctor’s eyes galvanized her. She was magnetic, light gracing her face, looking positively divine. Yaz wanted to kiss the light from her lips, wanted to see if she tasted as ethereal as she looked.  

Yaz’s face bloomed with heat and all she could do was bite her bottom lip, hoping the tiny sting would bring her out of her head. She wanted to say something, do something, anything to make time start again because the look on the Doctor’s face was far too raw with some emotion that if Yaz hadn’t known better she would’ve said was infatuation. But she knew better, the Doctor probably hadn’t even noticed how long they were looking at each other and that tension she definitely was imagining it. Because this was the Doctor.

The ground began to shake. Yaz reached a hand out to the Doctor instinctually but lost her footing with the tremor and fell forward. She took the Doctor down with her, the Doctor slamming into the ground and Yaz into her, it brought aches through her body but she didn’t really pay attention to it as she had something much more pressing to focus on.

The Doctor’s eyes were trained on hers and her heart thrummed uncontrollably against its cage. With each breath of the Doctor’s Yaz was moving. Heat flooded between their two bodies. Yaz couldn’t tear her eyes away. Her stomach churned and her breath became shallow.

She licked her lips and the Doctor’s eyes flicked down to them before back up the Yaz. It looked as if she were about to move when the ground shook beneath her. It jolted her awake and pushed Yaz up, “TARDIS.”

][

The TARDIS was within a few meters of them, they just had to turn down one side tunnel and there it was shining beautifully in the dim light.

They clambered aboard as quick as they could and the Doctor rushed to the console. Once she heard the click of the door shutting behind her she got to work on getting them into the time vortex. She spun dials, flipped switches, and pushed buttons before pulling the lever.

The TARDIS groaned as it dematerialized and found its way into the time vortex. The Doctor didn’t stop moving though, moving being a poor word for choice when compared to how she usually moved about the TARDIS. Her movements were controlled and lacked all enthusiasm that she naturally carried.

But if she stopped moving then she’d have to face Yaz. She clenched her jaw and tapped her foot. Yaz hadn’t spoken since their gazes met in the cavern and her silence grated upon the Doctor. She was never this quiet around her. Her stomach churned and grasped at the side of the console tighter.

The moment in the cave played across her mind again, some cruel trick of her subconscious. Yaz had looked absolutely stunning under the light, breathtaking. She’d caused her to lose her breath, lose her control, her hearts hammered and her chest constricted and she couldn’t think of anything aside from kissing her lips while graced by that dazzling light.

But Yaz was silent. She had made Yaz uncomfortable, she had read all the signs wrong, she had turned a pleasant outing into some awkward exchange and all she wanted to do was hide. Get lost in the guts of the TARDIS and work on her silently, work on shoving these emotions down.

She didn’t want to face Yaz after today.

Her stomach churned, her face contorted into deep lines of regret. She had made Yaz uncomfortable.

Those words weighed heavy in her mouth, poison on her tongue. The discomfort, the tension between them was so palatable she wanted nothing more than to forget that it had happened.

She wasn’t sure how much time had passed since the cavern before she looked over to Yaz. When she did she found Yaz’s wide eyes on her, Yaz’s breath instantly hitched and her gaze darted away.

She had made Yaz uncomfortable. .

“I, uh, I’m jus’ gonna do a little maintenance tonight, if you wanted to rest up or somethin’ you could.” She looked down to her hands before biting her bottom lip. “Not that I.” She sighed and clenched her jaw again, “I mean I want you ‘ere, I jus’ thought y’might be tired.”

Footsteps resounded through the control room and the Doctor fought her instinct to look at Yaz. “We could watch a movie-” The rest of the suggestion died on her tongue when Yaz was close enough to be defined in her peripheral vision.

She looked up and that face made her hearts beat pound like hammers. She hated herself for it but she could tell that she was now red in the face. “Or you,” The Doctor licked her lips, fingers fidgeting about the console, “You could help me. If y’want.” Her words were so rushed and unsteady they left her mouth sour.

She wanted to forget the night, wanted to stop herself from ever daring to think that Yaz, brilliant Yasmin Khan, could ever feel the same way about her, wanted Yaz to leave so she could come up with some way to look Yaz in the eyes after today.

Yaz’s face looked like a question as if she was putting some puzzle slowly together. The Doctor opened her mouth, to apologize or lie or anything to put an end to this eternity but she didn’t get the chance.

An uncertain, small smile flashed across Yaz’s lips and then her hands were fisted in the Doctor’s lapels yanking her forward until their lips collided.

The Doctor quickly melted into the kiss, eyes closing, hands threading into Yaz’s hair. She held her close, lips slid alongs lips quickly, passionately, sloppily, wet, showing her just how she burned for her. It was filled with saliva, and need, and love.

When Yaz pulled back she let out a sigh, holding her forehead to the Doctor’s, “I’m sorry, I just-” Her breath was hot on the Doctor’s lips, “I just needed-”

The Doctor pulled her close by the back of her neck, lips brushing together barely for another kiss, so incredibly soft, “Don’t apologize." She opened her eyes and smiled. "I needed it too.”

[markword]

Summary: You have had a crush on Jungkook since forever ago, but he’s changed and so have you. But when you get closer to him-in a different way than expected-feelings start to come out of the dark.

What’s in this bitch: swearing, SMUT, and a lil but of spice✨✨

Side note: this is my first fanfic, so plz be nice and enjoy!! She’s a long one so get comfy and get somethin to eat and get your playlist ready ✌🏼and there will be typing errors so ignore dem por favor

WITHOUT FURTHER ADUE::::

The echoes of your footsteps drilled into your head at an annoying volume. It didn't help that your heart was incessantly pounding either. You sweep by the empty classrooms, books laying on the floor, sprawled out in a hurry. The paper in your hand was nearly as wrinkled as your shirt, picked straight out of your hamper due to the lack of time and lack of any better ideas. The bell rings and kids start to spill out of every classroom, almost taking you off your track. the bell left an annoying buzz in your ears that kept you charging forward. No one has ever given you a note, not in the four years of highschool. The note was battered and slightly torn from your fidgety hands toying with the edges all day. You'd only read it once, out of fear that if you read it again, it wouldn't say the same thing;

Go to the main entrance after last period.

I'll be waiting.

j.k.

your heart couldn't help but flutter when you first opened the tightly folded note. you couldn't help but think of who sent it to you. He was always on your radar, but not in the romantic sense. You knew it was Jeon Jungkook because of the way the words were scribbled on the paper and obviously, how he closed the short note with his long lived nickname, ¨jk. He was always quiet and reserved in middle school, which would be his defining trait until sophomore year rolled around. rumors upon rumors built up about him, almost taking you off your feet when you first heard them. Jungkook, the quiet and sweet kid you basically grew up with through school, caught with a girl in a school bathroom? for some reason, the rumors were never proven but something about how he swayed when he walked and looked at girls for a split millisecond had them planning baby names. He had silently nudged you toward the conclusion that they were undoubtedly true. The hardest part about seeing his personality take a 180 was the fact that your secret but not so secret crush on him in middle school had quite nearly been strangled to death by the man that stood waiting for you, at the main entrance.

As your pace slowed, your ears and lungs caught up. you knew you were near the main entrance, but you couldn't see over the rushing flow of students going to and fro. you catch a glimpse of the top of his head, and miraculously, he notices you too.

You'd be lying if you said you didn't still have a little thing for him.

you couldn't help it. Maybe it was more of an instinctual hormonal pull, but he was easy on the eyes and in a rugged way, almost dreamy.

His longer dark brown hair, pulled into a small bun, perched on top of his head. his loose black v neck hanging dangerously against his strict collarbones. his baggy grey joggers molded to all the right places but still looking stylishly comfy.

you stride closer to him, and see that he was making small talk with a fragile blonde girl. He erupts into laughter, showcasing his devilish smile. which was always accompanied by his cute dimples. one of the reasons you became so hopelessly in love with him in middle school was that sweet and sour smile of his. You couldn't help but look for it every once and a while in class. You slowly approach him, giving him enough time to wrap up his previous conversation.

"Oh, hey Y/N. Sorry to leave a mysterious note like that" he smiled with his eyes, making the apology that much harder to not accept (although it was a pain in the ass)

"It's really okay. Why'd you want to meet here though? I haven't talked to you for a while"

"That's not true I talk to you everyday in class" he smiled, but it was obvious he was poking fun at you and your nervousness about being there with him. He had to admit, it was a little suspicious.

"Well, what is it then?" you were starting to get impatient, letting your temper mixed with your short attention span to get ahold of you. which of course, didn't go unnoticed by Jungkook.

"Iwas absent yesterday for that chem quiz. can you tell me what's on it? I know you’re smart and you understood the material really well."

You were definitely infuriated, knowing this could've been sent by text or even asked in the fleeting moments after class. you see him at least 5 seperate times a day, why a stupid fucking note to some clandestine meeting?

"Jeon, couldn't you have just texted me? But yeah, Iremember a few questions it wasn't that hard." You were dying for an explanation, but the way his face went blank and uninviting, was enough to gather the realization that you weren't getting one.

"Im taking the makeup test in 10 minutes. Do you think I could cram the answers in time?"

Of course he could. He was insanely and almost annoyingly smart. but just like his soft nature, that disappeared over summer break before sophomore year.

He sent you off with a quick thanks and then casually turned his heels to walk to the chem classroom. Once he left, you started to realize the strangeness of it all. He could've asked anyone in Chem 2, but he asked YOU? With a note to meet nonetheless. thinking about it gave you a headache, so once you turned on your car to go home, you started to think about what songs to play and what dinner will be instead. The car ride home was uneventfully blissful, the usual weird seat dancing and emotional signing to your favorite car songs.

You walk in the door with an exaggerated "humphf" when setting down your backpack to go look in the fridge to look for a snack you knew wasn't there. Your phone vibrates on your kitchen table and slightly annoyed you at how it proceeded to rumble loudly against the flat surface. You pick it up only to see that Jungkook had sent you a post on instagram with another message that read;

jungkook:Thanks for helping today, here's this to show my thanks

it was a distorted meme that you'd seen hundreds of times before, but its humor ran out after the second time it beamed on your screen. It surprised you that he sent a meme, but it surprised you even more to get another taste of the old Jungkook you knew. The one who would thank you for helping him out, and seem genuinely thankful. Sometimes you’d catch yourself stealing fleeting glimpses of him in class. you'd often try to pick up on his new tendencies and see some of his old, but comforting ones. He would also space out in middle school, leaving his notebooks riddled with doodles and scribbles to keep himself awake. Just two days ago, he was in a lab with you and you couldn't help but glance at his notebook for a split second; graffitied with little faces and tiny but strategic and pleasing scribbles. You're still looking blankly at the screen, sure that he noticed the "seen" under his texts a while ago.

you: Of course j.k. Ibet you aced it anyways

All of this weird and sudden contact had your head in a whirl. Too many questions and literally no answers. you thought it best to leave it alone for now. But he didn't.

_______________________________________________

You don't remember when you dozed off exactly, but you knew it was a good night's sleep when you woke up with a dry mouth and a full bladder. You groan and reach for one of the countless half filled water bottles on your nightstand. Huh? a sock?

"Whatever, Ihave to pee" you mutter to yourself. for a moment you didn't realize your deep and groggy voice.

"Wait, what" There it is again! you've never sounded this dead in the morning, even when you were hungover after your wildest night out. You finally flicker your eyes open only to be met by an unfamiliar ceiling fan and light grey walls. You rush to sit up. Something wasn't right. you look down and almost scream.

"Where are my boobs?!" your hands shoot reflexively to your chest, where they always are and are met with a dull smack as your hands hit complete flatness. You scurry out of the unfamiliar, but disgustingly messy bed and dart your eyes to find a mirror. It was weirdly easy to get up and dash to the mirror in the small bathroom to your right considering it wasn't your body you were in.

You stood panting in front of the mirror to see Jungkooks face staring back.

"What in the FUC-"

_______________________________________________

Jungkook sorta remembers when he went to bed. By sorta he means he knew it was between 8 PM and 1 AM. He's not good at remembering things, besides, he's already up now. He cracks his neck and instinctively reaches his hand down his boxer shorts.

"Where is my-" he suddenly feels his arm push against something warm on his chest while he extended his arm to find what was there just last night. He grabs the foriegn object on his chest, anxious to grab something since his usual apparently isn't there right now. Is this a boob? It was a boob. he reached up to mimic his other hand. and there's TWO? of course there he knew that. He'd seen plenty of them, but feeling them on himself? Hell no. THAT'S never happened before. He sat up, hands still clenched around the annoyingly loose bra that covered-well-HIS tits. His face went tense as he looked for a mirror. He slowly approached the mirror hanging on the door, hoping to not be met with one of his drunken hookups that could've been a witch for all he knows. He slowly opened his eyes.

"Y/N?! Damn. well, she has nice tits, I have to give her that."

——————————————————————————

You both immediately shot a text to each other, hoping it wasn't a dream, because if it was, you'd both look like idiots. But after telling eachother what happened when they woke up, (Jungkook left out the whole boob ordeal) and you decided to skip school today and sneak out of the house to meet and try to figure out what happened last night.

After throwing on something Jungkook might wear, you couldn't help but notice his figure staring back at you. He really was handsome. You flashed a beefy smile at the mirror and stayed smiling after seeing his signature but memorable smile. You finally talked his mom into letting you stay home just 30 minutes ago, with jungkook in an earbud listening and telling you the best way to make his mom cave. You were slightly annoyed when he said that all he had to do was say he felt sick and your mom was already convinced. It was still uncomfortable hearing your voice through the phone. you sounded really stupid on the phone. you decided to meet at a park close to both your house and his to figure it all out and how to undo it. You had a hard time figuring out how to drive his car but ended up to the park in one piece. well, Jungkook arrived in one piece. there was still no sign of your body yet. Your car comes screeching to a halt next to you before you see your body get out of the car in rage and slam the car door shut.

"Be careful with her she's old" you whine, referring to your beaten up and chipped car.

"Shut up and follow me. We gotta be alone." He grabs your arm and pulls you farther into the park and only loosened his grip when there were less than 5 people around.

"What the fuck happened, Y/N? This is freaking me out. How does this shit even happen? And why me and yo-"

"No, you shut up you're making me dizzy. I don't know my answer for all of those questions. oh god, what do we do at school? AT HOME? WHEN I HAVE TO PEE?" You almost choke on your breath thinking about going to the bathroom with a whole different set of tools.

"I don't know Y/N... I mean I could help you practice..." He reaches down toward your crotch-no- HIS crotch and you flick him away with wide eyes and a blazing stare back at him.

"This isn't a joke, Jungkook. What do we do?" you swallow heavily and look back at your body through his eyes.

"Ew. If I'd known that's what I look like I would just wear baggy sweats everyday..." you whisper it to yourself but since you were both so quiet and focused in thought, he heard it.

"Oh shut up you have a great body, Y/N."

"Did you LOOK? I didn't look, I thought it would be rude. wait-DID YOU LOOK YES OR NO?" you did look. He just doesn't need to know and wouldn't help your case any.

"Of course I did. nice tits by the way." he winked and cracked his neck again. you were too much in a daze thinking about how someone else had seen you naked. JUNGKOOK has seen you naked. Did he just say; nice tits? That doesn't matter, we need to figure this out before you cut off his dick for looking at you.

"We need to figure this out right now." you weren't kidding. if he touched your boobs that would be enough to commit manslaughter. it didn't matter if it was actually you that you were killing.

"We can go to my place now. Let's get something to eat. My mom wont think twice about me having a girl over anyways. She won't bat an eye and she'll leave us alone. Just tell her that we are both sick and want to study to catch up since its convenient. Its our best option." He cracked you a smirk, sending shivers down your spine. it was him alright, just in your body. You get up and start walking towards your beat up car out of habit to leave until he grabs your arm, almost jerking you so hard you would've fallen on your ass.

"Damn Y/N, your body is pretty strong. Stronger than you were in middle school. But lets take my car. I'll drive."

You couldn't help but blush at him mentioning middle school. I guess he really did pay attention to you back then. Your thoughts immediately hone in on memories of gym class when you'd be the best playing any activity and you embarrassed the boys in front of their respective crushes. you couldn't help but let out a little giggle, sounding even better when it came out as Jungkook's grisly and low voice. You settle in the car, and fidget with the seatbelts and keep your head glued on the dashboard to avoid any eye contact just in case you were still blushing. jungkook lets out an audible sigh before turning the keys in the ignition and putting the car in reverse. You couldn't help but look at him, sitting in your body, as he put an arm out behind your headrest to backout. He flickers his eyes between you and behind the car.

"Its so weird seeing my body like this, like from another perspective," you could resonate with what he said, especially since he's manhandling a car with legs wide open, but he looks like you at the same time. "I wonder what I look like during sex..." he mutters the last part under his breath and chuckles, part of him hoping that you would hear.

"Just ask one of your many lady friends, Jungkook. I'm sure they'd love to tell you all about it." You scoff. How could he change so much from the boy you were infatuated with? He was the same in small ways, but barely. It made you sad and frustrated when you realized that you secretly hoped he'd be the same around you after all these years.

"I could. But right now, I'm not exactly myself." You both reach to turn on the radio to drown out the awkward tension that seemed to have seeped in the car. You back off since it technically is his car anyways. He puts on one of his playlists and the first song starts to play. Its not rap and you're almost surprised. But you've known since middle school that he likes more indie and classic rock than anything else. You put your window down and look out with an elbow grasing the bottom of the window, and your hand finding its way to your hair. Well, Jungkook’s hair. Soft. You turn to look at the song name and realize jungkook is glaring at you. You never knew your face could look so scary.

"Don't feel pressured to act any different. Just be you and act normal, even if you want to touch my hair." He snickered and shot his eyes back on the road, making a smooth right turn at the light you'd been stopped at.

"Its a habit. Besides, you've seen me naked Jungkook, who cares if Iaccidentally touch your hair?" you had started to become more and more angry at his annoyingly hot voice. Just by hearing it in classes, you felt a tinge of wetness down under. But you're sure its just because of his voice, right?

"Am I wet right now? Is this what it feels like?" He chuckled so hard and loud you almost see your soul shoot out of the car and get run over. What the fuck do you even say to that? You had an idea as to why it happened but what do you say to jungkook?

He's still laughing a little when he shoots up straight in his seat.

"I know what it is Y/N, you think I'm SEXY."

you gulp. you decide that staying quiet is your best option, the one that will make you look less flustered and more cool about him calling you out.

"You know, Ihad a huge crush on you in middle school. It was almost embarrassing. I think I wrote you a love letter one time but I never gave it to you. You were such a player back then." He chuckles again, but softer this time. He confessed something embarrassing to get the conversation away from the obvious pool of wetness between his legs. YOUR legs.

"I did too." you mumble still looking out the window, trying to hide your excitement at his confession. you were happy but, that was a long time ago anyways. It didn't really matter now.

"Would you look at that, maybe we found out why we switched bodies." His facial expression was flat, almost bored looking. you both sat in silence until he pulled the car into the unfamiliar driveway you left this morning. You get out of the car and he reaches for the door and tells you to make yourself at home, as a joke, of course. To anyone else looking at you two, you were Jungkook, and this in fact, was your house.

"Maybe if we confess our past feelings, we will switch back. That’s the only thing I can think of anyways. You cool with that?" He was pouring himself a glass of apple juice and he set it down on the counter to get another glass for you.

"Yeah why not." you sipped slowly on the cold drink as he led you up the stairs to his room. You settle down on his bed facing each other, almost looking like two young girls at a sleepover talking about their celebrity crushes. you were both sitting with your legs folded and leaning in toward each other, a weirdly comfortable position for the both of you.

"You first." he grumbles with a cheesy smirk.

"Okay," you take a deep breath to collect your thoughts, "I liked you from 5th to 8th grade."

"That's it? I think we need a little more since we are still staring at our own bodies across from us." he was rocking side to side trying to conjure up any thoughts on how to fix your strange situation.

"Maybe we should kiss." He leans forward, which you dodge at the speed of light.

"What are you doing Jungkook?!" Your eyes wide open and stomach fluttering.

"Maybe this is how the spell thingy breaks, it makes sense."

He's right, If the reason you were stuck looking at yourself from this perspective was that you needed to confess and makeout, then so be it. You'd try anything at this point. You missed your own bed. He charges in closer to you slower this time and grabs your face. the way he was using your lips made it impossible to notice how quickly you'd shut your eyes. You opened them to see Jungkook staring at you with wide puppy dog eyes.

"Hell yes I'm back bitche-" He quickly silenced you with another kiss. I worked? You were sure you’d live out your days in another body. But you weren’t mad that his first idea worked out. But you weren’t about to keep your mind on the subject, Jungkook was millimeters away from you with his taunting lips. This kiss was more passionate and more eager. Your legs went limp, and your face set ablaze at Jungkook's fluid and sexy motions against you. He pokes his tongue at your lips, asking if he could enter. You quickly let him roam around your mouth, leaving you breathless and seeing stars. He slides his hands down from your face and traces the outer line of your figure, leaving goosebumps in their wake. you could feel the pool between your legs as your thighs began to quiver under his careful and strategic touch. He shifts you down, so that you're on your back and he is using an arm to support himself above you. you let out a needy whimper and you finally move your arms down his chest to trace his undoubtedly hot body. he flinched when you stopped at his waistband, and you were left just toying with the elastic until he forcefully pulled your shirt off your body, only leaving mere seconds between the deepening kiss. Neither of you were ready to stop. You could feel your body start to heat up against his and he slowly moved his waist into yours at a steady rhythm. you could feel his apparent erection glide across your thighs with every motion. You could feel the heat escape your core when you opened your legs farther, hoping he'd get the hint to touch you where you wanted him the most. You wanted his hands everywhere, but your arousal was too hot and strong to ignore for much longer. He slowly navigated his kiss downward, taking extra care of your neck, sure to leave a couple marks in his wake. once he reached your chest, with your bra still clinging on with the sheen of sweat you both worked up. As he moves his hands to hold you still, they rest on your hips with a tender but strong grip, willing you not to squirm under his touch. He started to kiss along the edge of your bra, frequently nibbling at the tender skin that lay beneath. He was taking his time of course, he'd been wondering what touching you and making you all worked up like this felt. He'd often steal glances at you in class, never letting go of his childish middle school crush. He'd accepted that he'd always feel something toward you, what that was he was unsure. But having you under him, and your back arching your chest towards him made him hungry. He knew he would never get you out of his head after this.

You take your arms behind your back and unclasp your bra hoping he would fasten up and make your horniness subside. He immediately grabs onto one and closes in on the other with tender kisses, licking around your nipple just to hear your sighs that turned into moans between his needy lips.

"Please Jung-" you whine trying to push yourself into him closer. you wanted to be swallowed into this moment. The tension was released, and god did it feel good. He cut you off with a strong and lasting rub against your core, just making you want to whine for more. He was rock hard, so the only thing he accomplished was making you shut up and making you kiss harder and your grip on his hips tighter. He finally slid his hands slowly up the inside of your thigh and his slender but strong fingers snaked their way under the thin cloth that was sticking to your folds. He took a deep and exaggerated swipe across your center, making you shiver with pleasure.

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that," he said, flashing a smile smile in between kisses on your neck.

"Just put it in already I'm dying here..."

With your words, he swiped off his shirt and pulled his pants down, showcasing the famous bounce as his erection springs out of his loose pants. his fingers wrapped around the fabric of your shorts, playing and twisting at them with want. He pulled them down slowly, propping your leg on the bed before throwing the soaking shorts somewhere on the floor. He pushed your thigh open with his now faster motions of his thigh, trying to get more friction against you. You whimper and reach for his erection. before you could fully palm it, he suddenly stopped and stared down at you, trying to catch his breath that had been sucked up by your deep kiss. He slid his thumb across your lower lip.

"Not yet Y/N. Let me do this first. I promise I’ll get to that in a minute." you watch him utter his words in a growl as he slowly drags his soft lips downwards between your breasts and then your stomach before his messy black hair is level with your core.

"I'll be gentle. Tell me if you want to stop at any time, Y/N."

You weren't expecting him to be gentle, or even offer an out for you. All the rumors of him being a brute and rough when it comes to sex and intimacy. You could see the old parts of Jungkook shining through. before you could think about it anything else he pressed his lips against you, lips pursed around your clit. a shake engulfed you, sending shivers up your spine and out of your mouth as a long moan. his tongue grazed over every inch of your center at least 3 times before he started to slow down and suck on your clit, leaving you able to feel every vibration of his ruffled moans against you. before you could recognize that you were almost at the peak of gushing-

"Are you still okay, baby?"

"Y-Yes. Oh GOD!" he had pushed two fingers into you, making you buck your hips into him. He grabbed your thigh with his other hand, silently telling you to stop letting your reactions distract him from the task at hand. Literally. He curls his fingers upward and moves slowly, applying just enough pressure to make your eyes roll back into your head, but gentle enough to keep you just below the line that would make it hurt. He was taking care of you, just like he said. You couldn't help but let your mind wander to his various conquests as he quite literally lapped at you like a starved man. Did he treat them like this? Was he this sweet but seductive with everyone? Are you the first to be thinking about this? His nibble at your folds broke you out of your daze. It doesn't matter now anyways, he was with you and he was good at making you feel good. Just keep going, you thought. It only took another nibble and his tongue in your heat to make you start to see a light.

"Jung- I'm-" you squealed. He just kept going, knowing that what he was doing was the ticket to your long anticipated orgasm. You quickly find yourself grabbing at his head of hair, just to help yourself ride out your climax. You feel the wet drip out of you, and Jungkook's tongue licking it up with lustful motions. Once he cleaned you up to his liking he lifted his head to look at you. Your eyes closed, chest heaving, and sweat making your face gleam. You really were beautiful, he thought to himself. But he wasn't done with you yet. He leaned over you and moved the baby hairs stuck on your face to the side. His doe eyes were searing into you, making you shift under him. You brought your hands up to rest on his chest. He really was beautiful, you thought to yourself. But you weren't done with him yet.

"Let me get a condom. Or are you on the pill? Its up to you, whatever you're comfortable with, baby." His term of endearment took you by surprise, but it didn't feel weird coming from his mouth, almost natural to him. You liked it, it even made your stomach hollow with excitement, but you'd never tell him that.

"I'm on the pill. I don't mind at all jungkook." His grin leaked into a smile, that adorable, sexy smile of his. it practically taunted you, knowing that his now stretched out lips were pressed up against you just mere minutes ago. You watched as he finally pulled down his boxers, allowing his painfully hard erection bounce out. The head, red and angry with understimulation, with beads of precum trickling down his length. He was big, just like the rumors had said, but you weren't expecting that he'd have the perfect length and girth. You knew after you felt him, it would be hard to go back. Especially since just his lips and tongue made you feel something you'd never felt before, something you'd think about at night while you played with yourself.

"Are you ready? I'll be careful with you if you're worried that it might hurt." He sat next to you on the bed, looking for any sign of regret in your eyes. Instead, he found your hungry eyes looking him up and down, completely naked in front of you.

"Don't hold back Jungkook, if we are going to do this I want to feel everything." You could barely focus on anything other than him. His abs, and the way they flexed when he let out a guttural laugh. His Adam's apple, that bobbed up and down when he would talk to you. His long, messy black hair, and how it framed his face. His rosy lips and how they pouted when he wasn't talking. Everything about the man sitting next to you was perfect. His features were just the same as they were back in middle school, but they became more mature and more sexy than cute.

"I'm excited to feel you around me Y/N. I've been thinking about what it would be like, and now you're here, and you're all mine." he uttered before leaning in for a soft kiss, making it easier to hide your face that was obviously blushing at his words.

"If you don't want me to hold back, Iwont" he whispers into your ear, making you wet all over again. His hand found your thigh amid deep kisses, and pushed it farther so he could fit himself between your thighs, allowing his erection to slowly graze over your dripping center with every motion. After Jungkook gathered enough of your arousal on himself, he decided it was enough to allow him to easily slip into you and lose himself in you. You grabbed his hip, angling him parallel to your body, begging him to ease himself into you.

"Please Jungkook..." you whine again.

before you could finish your sentence you felt his tip graze your entrance, teasing you with the heat. He was STILL teasing you? You grip your arms around his torso and force him closer, automatically pushing his length into you, but still not bottomed out yet. He was big and you wondered if you could realistically fit all of him in you. As soon as you pull him closer, Jungkook loudly grunts and shoots his head back at how well you fit around him.

"You feel so good Y/N." He breathes, starting to pump in and out of your heat. He didn't hesitate to throw your leg over his shoulder, allowing him further access into you. Within seconds he finds your g-spot, (he figured it was there since you let out ungodly moans when he hit it) and continues to hit it with each thrust. Each thrust was greeted with a slapping noise and the sounds of your arousal being moved around by Jungkook. His thrusts became more slowed, but deeper, grazing your cervix. The stretch that once felt uncomfortable started to feel pleasurable.

"Right there Jungkook, please don't-" you were too out of breath to even finish your sentence.

Jungkooks heavy breathing would've sent you over the edge right then and there, but he somehow kept you from coming to elongate the feeling of you around him, filling up his senses. His thrusts started to get sloppier, but still had a lustful drive in them. He shot his arm up to the wall, giving him support against his fastened pace. He grunts and shoots the other hand to use his thumb to circle around your clit, making you arch towards his touch.

"I'm gonna-" he spits out, clenching his jaw.

Not long after he warned you, you felt him throb against your insides, a warm pool filling you up. Just the sounds of Jungkook as he released into you was enough to make you follow suit not long after him since he rode his high within you.

"Sorry Ijust-" you put your finger up to his plumped lips to make him shut up.

"Don't say sorry Jungkook, It was perfect. Maybe too perfect..." you look to the side to avoid his taunting gaze. But he grabs your chin and demands for eye contact.

"I've had my eye on you since middle school, Y/N. And Iintend to keep it that way," He kisses your forehead before he gets up and throws you a hoodie that smelled like him.

"Get up butthead, we are getting icecream." he says through his stupid little grin.

[writings-of-dumpy]

The Princess and the Pirate - Chapter 8 and Epilogue

A/N: I think this is the fastest I’ve ever written a story???? Whatever. I love it and I hope y’all did to. Enjoy! Warning: the meat of this part is smut, so wrap it before you tap it!

Tags: @itsgreatestlie

I took Harry’s hand and bit the inside of my lip as he led me to the dance floor. Ever so gently, he placed his hand on my waist and pulled me close to him. His other hand held mine gently and we swayed to the music with our eyes locked. I felt my pulse quicken with every move he made with me in spite of all that he had done to me,

“I’m… not sure what to say. I had everything planned out in my head, but seeing you here tonight, lookin’ the way you do right now… I can’t even begin to say what I thought I needed te,” he said lowly.

I relaxed myself a bit at the sincerity in his voice. This was the Harry I recognized. I nodded and asked, “What did you have planned out, Harry?”

He smiled slightly and pulled me slightly closer. “I had planned to make a huge apology and explain that it wasn’t me who did those things… That I was bein’ controlled by Jukes’ spell… But I know you deserve much more than that.”

I smiled slightly and blushed. “I think that apology is just fine. After all, you were spelled.”

Harry sighed. “I know… but I should have done something to not get spelled… I would never hurt you, and it kills me every day knowing that I did, even if it wasn’t me controlling myself.”

Harry stopped us and pulled me into a complete hug with his arms cradling my body to his. “Please, ye have t’know how sorry I am.”

I was engulfed in the embrace for a moment and I breathed in deeply, allowing me to inhale his seawater and must aroma that somehow seemed to always be about him, and yet his breath smelled of peppermints and something truly and uniquely Harry… something I didn’t smell on his breath the night of my capture.

I pulled away from his embrace reluctantly and gazed up into his eyes. As I looked, I found only the sky blue surrounded by specks of green and lined with coal liner. I could admire none of this when Harry was spelled, not even for the split second that his eyes flashed blue.

“It’s okay,” I told him and let out a breath that I hadn’t realized I was containing.

Harry’s eyes lit up and he smiled from ear to ear. “I’d hoped to hear tha from ye… Bu’first… I need to give ye something.”

I furrowed my brow and watched as he searched his pockets and pulled out a skinny paper box. I was skeptical at first, but then harry started to explain.

“So.. I wasn’t seein’ ya because I was in Neverland makin this for ye. I know it’s something tha’hurt ye before, but you once told me to take that and make it somethin’ beautiful. And beauty is hard to make, but with you in mind… Easy. Go ahead, open it,” Harry urged me. At this point the slower music had stopped and the room became upbeat and lively, so Harry and I moved to one side.

I opened the simple box and saw a platinum silver chain with an intricate vine pattern that lead down to a small and ornate fish hook shape that resembled the hook he had once carried around. The weapon that was used by horrible men to try and tear us apart was made into something extremely beautiful and now precious to me. I ran my finger along the chain gently and smiled.

“It’s… it’s beautiful, Harry.. This was your mother’s?” I asked. Harry smiled sadly.

“It was, but then it was mine, and now I’m giving it to you,” he said and then held up his ring-studded fingers and pointed to one shaped like a crown that was made out of the same metal. I noticed it had a small glow to it as it drew nearer to me. “And this is what I really wanted to show ye. Peter helped me enchant them with Pixie dust so that whene’r ye need me, I’ll be right there for ye. And when I need ye..” he continued and then gestured to his glowing ring. “I’ll find my way to you.”

My eyes welled up and I smiled. “Harry, I didn’t think you knew… This is incredible.”

Harry cocked his head to the side. “Know what…?”

I suddenly realized that he had no idea of my plans to leave for Arendelle tomorrow, which turned my tears of joy sour.

“There you two are! Come on, Ben and Evie are headed off on their honeymoon!” I heard Uma say from beside us. I looked over and saw Evie and Ben waiting for us with smiles on their faces.

Harry and I were pulled apart and we bid farewell to our friends. Evie hugged me with tears in her eyes.

“Have a safe trip tomorrow, okay? I know Arendelle isn’t far, but still. I want to know when you get there and call me with every detail! I don’t care that I’m on my honeymoon, okay?” she said to me in a hushed tone through teary eyes.

I heled her face and looked into her eyes with a playful smile. “Evie, this is your honeymoon, okay? Spend it with Ben, and I’ll see you in a week for my father’s coronation, okay?”

Evie smiled and hugged me tight. “I love you, be safe.”

“I love you too, Evie. Now go get that King of yours.”

~Harry~

I waved goodbye to Ben and Evie with the rest of the crowd in much higher spirits given that Rayla had finally spoken the words I had wanted to hear since I found out about Jukes’ horrid plan.

“Queen Evie is so brave… Tomorrow marks two of her friends who have left Auradon what with Princess Rayla’s departure,” Harry overheard a guest say behind him. His face contorted in confusion and he turned to them.

“’scuse me, I seem to be out of the loop. Couldn’t help but overhear ye say Rayla..?” he asked the two brunette girls who appeared to be twins. They looked at each other and then back at Harry and he recognized this behavior as belonging to the Tweedle Twins. These girls must be the daughters of one of them.

“Well, Princess Rayla,” one began. “Since her father is the rightful king of Arendelle,” the other continued. “She’s going to live there tomorrow morning,” they said together.

Harry gulped and nodded, then looked over towards the woman his heart both kept going and broke for. She seemed to be happy enough and as the red sunset illuminated her face, he concluded that he would only have tonight with her. Just one more night to let his feelings be known, and one more night before both of them left Auradon for good. Harry clutched his ring and headed towards her as the rest of the guests left.

“Care for a moonlit stroll?” he offered with his arm extended to her.

She smiled shyly and nodded. Harry noticed that she still held the box containing her necklace and wondered if it was glowing just as his ring was. They walked in comfortable silence until they were long past where they probably should have been for the wedding reception, but Harry didn’t mind. He supposed that they both subconsciously were headed towards their dorms, which Harry had felt like he hadn’t seen in ages. And after tonight, he wouldn’t need to see them again, for Harry had decided that since Rayla was royalty (Jukes wasn’t lying), he couldn’t have her, and he shouldn’t have her. She deserved, and was probably expected, to be with a Prince and then become Queen when the time was right.

Harry looked down at her fondly and noticed she was staring back up at him as they walked. A brief wind caused Rayla’s skin to pucker and she shivered. Harry’s instinct to keep her safe kicked in and he wrapped his jacket around her shoulders.

“Want to come inside?” he offered as they were next to Shang house.

She looked up at him and he swore his heart was about to burst. She looked at him with pure anguish in her eyes and he’d never seen such raw despair, not even in his own reflection. He knew what she was going to say, but if he heard her say it aloud, he’d be broken forever.

“Harry, I can’t accept this… I have to tell you—” she began, but Harry placed a finger to her lips.

“Don’t… please don’t say it. Please, just for tonight, pretend that nothing else matters. Rayla, I need you to accept this and take it wherever you please, but I can’t keep it. I know we only have tonight left, but I only need that long to tell you how I feel,” Harry said with a broken voice and he pulled her close to him with an arm around her waist. He could see the tears form in her eyes and he fought back his own.

“Harry…” she whimpered. “You... you can’t do this to me. Not again.”

Harry nodded and placed a hand on her cheek and his forehead rested on hers. His heart pounded in his ears and he nodded. “Just tonight. That’s all we have, Ray… Tha’s all ask of you.” Harry could taste the desperation in his words as he spoke them to her and only loud enough for her to hear, “I love you.”

He heard a small sob escape Rayla’s lips and unable to bear her sadness at his confession, he closed the space between them and pressed his lips against hers softly. A jolt of passion was sent through him like wildfire as he felt her lips mold to his and accept his kiss. He held back his tears and urged himself to think of only now with her. Harry made himself completely in the present and with her instead of worrying that his would be the last time he’d ever see her.

She pulled away for a moment and caught her breath. “Harry, we can’t… I just..” she stammered and Harry’s solemn face looked down at her emotionally conflicted one and he stroked her cheek as he took in every feature he could and committed this moment to memory. He didn’t know how long he had with her even tonight, so he needed to make it count.

“Come one, let’s get inside,” he invited her after another gust of wind made her curl closer to him for warmth. When they reached Harry’s room, he opened the door and let her in, then closed and locked it, remembering that Gil was spending time with Jay and Carlos tonight.

When Harry turned back to Rayla, she had placed the box down and held in her hands the necklace—and it was glowing. Harry couldn’t help but smile because he knew that meant she wanted him just as much as he wanted her. She looked up at him and held the necklace open.

“Will you…?” she asked and Harry nodded. He took the clasps in his fingers and she moved her curled auburn hair away from the back of her neck and to one side. Once Harry had clasped the pieces together, he leaned down and kissed the soft flesh of her neck and pulled her against him. He felt her relax against him and he smiled.

“I love you so much,” he whispered in her ear. He swallowed hard. “You don’t have to go…”

She let out a breath and faced Harry. She held his hands and looked into his eyes as she spoke simply, “But who would I be if I stayed?”

Harry knew exactly what she meant. He knew she felt an obligation to her parents to try and fulfil her role as princess and he knew that her staying in Auradon would only create guilt and conflict within her. No matter how much Harry’s heart broke, he knew she wasn’t staying. This time, Rayla leaned up and kissed Harry’s lips. He returned her kiss with a concentrated fervor and the force of his kiss backed Rayla against the wall of his room. She didn’t stop him, though. Instead, she threaded her fingers into his hair and held him against her for as long as she could hold her breath.

“I’ve loved you for so long…. And when you said I couldn’t be loved, I knew it was true, but hearing it from you broke my heart..” she whimpered.

Harry stroked her face and shook his head as he shushed her softly. “Don’t think about any of that, love. We’ve only got tonight, princess. And tonight, I want ye to be mine.”

Rayla’s eyes met Harry’s and she nodded with a small smile. Harry leaned in and reattached his lips to hers with a newly kindled fire in his soul. He pulled her impossibly close and yet it wasn’t enough—he needed more. As they researched and memorized each other’s mouths, Harry’s hands found the corset tie on Rayla’s dress and he began to pull her out of the lovely garment. He was so focused on removing her clothes that he hadn’t noticed the work she had done on his suit. By now he was down to only the pair of shorts he had put on first when getting ready. He guided her over to his bed and he gently laid her down and made sure her leg was supported by the mattress. Once he was sure, he left a trail of wet and meaningful kisses along her thigh and then up her stomach until he reached her lips again.

When Harry pulled back to remove her undergarments, his eyes fell on the wound that his hook had created. His heart felt as though it had broken into a million pieces as his fingers lightly traced the puckered and pink skin that contrasted so harshly with her perfect porcelain complexion.

“Hey, it’s okay… Harry, I love you, be here with me, please,” he heard Rayla call to him from his trance of guilt. His eyes found her stormy sea colored irises and he leaned up to kiss her lips gingerly. Their kiss began as gentle and slowly became rougher and more passionate. Rayla’s hands traveled into Harry’s shorts and pulled the fabric away from his body. The amount of times he thought about this very moment, whether in the shower or during a fit of sleeplessness, he couldn’t have compared to the real experience. She silky touch of her hand against the hardened muscle of his manhood could have driven him mad, but he wasn’t about to succumb yet. He needed to see her—all of her.

Once Harry’s body was bare before her, he removed her remaining undergarments so quickly he feared tearing them in the back of his mind, but in the moment, he just needed her completely exposed before him. When she was, she was a sight to behold.

“Even the gods are jealous of ye, darlin’,” Harry said and ran his hands everywhere they could reach. He licked his middle ring-covered finger and slid it easily inside of her. Rayla’s vocalizations were as sinful as she looked. Harry burned this image into his mind—the woman he loved below him moaning for him to never stop and by the gods of the sea he worshipped, he would never until she told him. His fingers danced their way along her folds and Harry could feel his gaze getting darker and more lustful as she reacted so well to his touch. Her eyes were clenched closed and her hands clawed for anything to grip and settled on Harry’s arms as he flicked inside of her.

“Oh, Poseidon give me strength to bed this angel you’ve sent me,” Harry prayed in a gruff and hushed tone.

“Stop talking to Poseidon and make me yours,” Rayla replied. Harry laughed and kissed her nose before slipping inside of her. HE nearly collapsed at the pleasure.

“Fuckin’… Rayla you ever had a proper shag en yer life? Feels like the virgin Mary down there, fuck me,” Harry cursed and held himself up by placing his hands on either side of her head.

“Well not a proper shag, no. Not like this,” Rayla explained and pressed her hand against Harry’s chest above where his heart was screaming to let it out and be with this goddess.

Harry leant down and kissed her lips deeply and drank in every sound she emitted as he began to move inside of her. His pace was slow and almost teasing, but the look they shared was anything but flirtatious. No, Harry saw more than mere need to be satisfied in Rayla’s eyes. In her, he saw his whole being. His love, his life, his soul belonged to her now. Given the tear that ran down her face as their eyes made contact, he knew she felt it too.

Harry made love to her in a way that was only for her. He vowed to never take another like this because he knew that his very essence would be lost within her once she left his room. His movements elicited a cry of passion and pleasure from the both of them and somewhere between the perfuse declarations of love and their climaxes, Harry found peace. He held her in his arms and felt a tear fall from his face of pure emotion. With her in his arms, he drifted off to sleep with a final kiss.

“My love, be safe. Don’t forget that you’ll always, always be loved,” Harry said to her as they closed their eyes.

“I love you, Harry Hook,” he heard Rayla’s voice in the distance of his sleepiness. And that was enough for him.

 EPILOGUE ~ 8 months later

Today was my 25th birthday, so the whole kingdom decided to show up to my father’s party that he held for me. As much as he wouldn’t admit it, he loved to throw balls and galas just as much as the next king. As I waded through the crowd of people I didn’t know, all of them wishing me a happy birthday, I searched for a face I hadn’t seen in about two weeks. I stood by the entrance and I saw the Auradon seal on the side of a carriage that was coming up the way. When the door opened, out popped King Ben, followed by Evie.

“Rayla! Happy birthday!” she squealed and ran to me despite the ridiculously high heels she wore. She handed me a small box and insisted that I open it immediately.

“Ben will try to stick his name on this, but this is all my doing,” Evie teased her husband.

I opened the box and saw an incredibly beautiful bracelet that resembled two very famous stars. I grinned and put it on. “Thank you so much, Evie!”

“Alright, quit hogging the birthday girl,” I heard Jay say from behind Ben and push past the king and queen. Without warning, I was hoisted up into the air and hugged tightly by him and he roared and walked into the castle with me.

I giggled and he sat me back down once we were all inside the palace ballroom. I smiled and greeted everyone and thanked them for coming. After a few minutes, they were mingling amongst my guests which left Uma and I together by the snack table.

“You know, I say a lot of stuff about royalty, but man do y’all make an amazing dessert table,” Uma commented.

I laughed and Evie and Ben came over to me looking very sneaky.

“We have a surprise for you,” Evie began.

“Well, it’s kind of for all of us, but today it’s for you,” Ben corrected.

I raised a brow. “Alright…”

Evie grinned and excitedly held up a black and white picture with a small human shape on it.

“Is this..?” I asked in shock.

“I’m pregnant!” Evie shrieked.

I smiled and hugged her close and then Ben.

“You guys, this is amazing, congratulations!” I told them through a wide smile.

“Now, where you come in… We were wondering if you’d be the godmother of our child?” Ben asked.

I was taken aback and gasped in delight. “Yes, I’d be honored! Who’s the godfather?”

Ben shrugged. “I don’t know yet… It takes a village, so maybe everyone.”

Evie scoffed and playfully hit him on the stomach, then handed him the picture and took my arm in hers. “Come on, let’s take a walk. It feels a bit stuffy in here.”

I smiled and walked out through the gardens with her to the courtyard and we sat down on the benches.

“How far along are you? You’re not even showing yet!” I asked her and she smiled.

“I’m about 8 weeks along. Doctor says that I should start showing in about a month. Ben’s done his best to keep the news quiet, but I get the feeling that once I start shopping in the maternity section, it will be a media circus,” Evie joked.

I smiled. “I’m sure you’ll look incredible in every photo.”

Evie laughed and squeezed my hand. “Now, let’s talk about you… I see you’re still wearing a certain piece of jewelry…”

It was true. Ever since the day I left Auradon to become the Princess of Arendelle, there wasn’t a day that went by without my neck being adorned with the necklace Harry gave me the night he made love to me.

“I told you, I can’t bring myself to take it off,” I told her and gently touched the necklace that faintly glowed.

Evie sighed. “I understand… I just hope someday you’ll find someone who will make you happy.”

I shrugged. “I don’t need anyone. Besides, Arendelle has some pretty strict laws about the princesses dating only princes.”

Evie nodded. “That grandfather of yours sounded like a very protective man of his daughters.”

I nodded and remembered my aunts telling me about their childhood being isolated out of fear the kingdom would rebel against my aunt Elsa’s powers. I felt so sad for them and I asked my dad to change the stupid sexist law, but he had enough on his plate at the time, so it was pushed aside.

“Well, I suppose he grew by the time my dad was born,” I said. I sighed as my thoughts were completely consumed with Harry. I subconsciously touched the hook on the chain and remembered what Harry told me about him always loving me.

“You might be pleased to know that nobody else has heard from him either. He went to Neverland and just… disappeared from our lives,” Evie told me. I nodded. Every day I told myself I’d find a way to see him again, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get ahold of him.

“We should probably head back before my dad sends guards to look for us..” I joked and Evie and I walked back to the ballroom. The twilight sky was beautiful tonight and as the crowd started to thin, only family and friends remained, which helped me out tremendously in terms of maneuvering crowds. There were still plenty of people wandering the ballroom, but at least I had room to walk without running into anyone.

“Great party,” my cousin Eugene said to me as I got myself some punch.

I rolled my eyes and smiled, “Thanks. Where’s Rapunzel?”

He looked around and then shrugged. “Probably out with your aunts and mother.”

I nodded and played with the hook on my necklace.

“Hey, I didn’t know that thing glowed,” Eugene commented.

I looked down and the necklace started to glow brighter. My heart began to race, and I looked around for him, any sign of him, but saw none. The necklace grew brighter and brighter, then Eugene cocked a brow and gestured behind me. I turned around and saw a man with chestnut hair bowing deeply to me.

“Your majesty,” I heard a Scottish accent I hadn’t heard in what felt like a lifetime. The man stood up straighter and I was met with a pair of eyes that I’d longed to see again and I was shocked.

“May I have this dance, Princess Rayla?” Harry asked me and extended his hand to me. I noticed the crown ring on his hand was glowing as bright as my necklace. I took his hand and smiled brightly through the tears that were forming in my eyes. He stood up straight and guided me to the dance floor and I was reminded of Ben and Evie’s wedding.

As we waltzed around the room, I noticed that he and I were the only ones dancing and out of the corner of my eye, I could see my friends staring in awe and happiness.

“You look different,” I said to him as we danced.

He smiled and held me tighter. “My memory doesn’t do you justice.”

I couldn’t stop smiling at the man I was dancing with and it appeared as though his smile only grew the longer we danced. When the song ended, his hand continued to hold onto mine, but lowered as we looked into each other’s eyes.

“Can we go somewhere to talk?” I asked him.

He nodded. “Wherever ye wish. It’s your birthday after all.”

I led him to the observatory that was adjacent to the ballroom and we sat on the top deck, surrounded by stars in the night sky.

“I’m so happy to see you…” I told him and held his hand. “What made you come back?”

Harry’s thumb caressed my hadn and he smiled at me.

“Isn’t it obvious? I’was you. You made me come back,” he explained. “I’ve been doing some research on Arendelle’s laws. Quite a few for the princess.”

I blushed as he winked at me and stood up. I followed and stood with him.

“It specifically says that the princess is to only be courted by a man of noble or royal blood,” Harry continued and began to pace.

“It does say that. But I’m sure we can make an exception…” I told him.

Harry shook his head. “I won’t ask yer father to do that. Courtship isn’t allowed for us, but I kept reading, and never once do these laws mention engagement restrictions…”

I furrowed my brow. “So that’s why Ana got married so quickly,” I said to myself.

I looked back over at Harry, whose eyes shone in the stars. He seemed taller now and more confident. He was still the Harry I loved, but he had an air about him that exuded  more sophistication than I had seen with him previously.

He looked at me and held my hands. “With that being said…” he began. He pulled a small velvet box out of his pocket and opened it to reveal a simple silver band with a diamond cut in a diamond shape and he knelt before me, then looked into my eyes and spoke with conviction and passion, “Your Royal Highness, Princess Rayla Porter. I have nothing to give you. No riches, no gems and no money. But ye’ve had my heart since the moment you said hello to me. I only have with me the clothes on my back and an eternal burning flame of love for you inside me that I’ll cherish until my dying breath. If yer ready to take this plunge wi’me, I’m all for you. I love you with everything I am, my princess. Will you marry me?”

I couldn’t help but begin to let my tears fall and I nodded my head. “Yes, Harry. Yes, I’ll marry you!”

He stood up and slipped the ring onto my finger and cradled my face in his hands as he held me for a passionate and longing kiss.