#still have to furnish the apartments and decorate the lobby

[windslar]

big, spacious apartments = big, stuffed wallet for our friendly neighbourhood rent collector

[rom-e-o]

We've turned thrifting into such a thing for the girls. Imagine if, after they get to know their respective Twins, they take on the task of FINALLY helping them clean out their old things they don't wish to keep. Lots of things need to be tossed. But there are still plenty of items that are still good and can be put to use. (There might be a few items the girls latch onto too.) The twins, at this point, are very familiar with monetary donations, but the girls take the opportunity to introduce them to another kind. The boys go with them to bring the boxes to the stores and bins and everything. These places aren't ENTIRELY new worlds to them, but it's been DECADES since they stepped a full foot into them.

I love this for so many reasons. One, it involves the girls sharing their passion with the men they love. They were deprived of the chance to do that for many decades (Oliver and Orin? Thrifting??? Not even if the planets aligned). Two? It allows the gents yet another opportunity grow from their past, but in a different way.

The Twins were misers - they walked the line between having nothing and overusing the things they did have to the point of them breaking/becoming threadbare. I can see them clinging onto some things too, from Isabel/Belle, or even their parents. It's not intentional - they get shoved into the back of a closet, like a physical version of the memories they shoved down and hide away.

We see a little bit of this in the film, when he gifts Jen's doll to Harry, and I love them doing this on a more official scale once the wifeys come into their lives.

They box up some items, and it takes a day or so. Wifey helps.

Then they go to drop things off. I can immediately imagine one of them bringing their items to the donation door, and the volunteer is like, "Oh, sir, that painting you're donating is lovely." If it's Adonis, I imagine it's some personality-less bird painting. Like something you'd see in a office lobby. Isabel loved birds, and it's from when they were trying to furnish a flat, but things kind of fell apart, and he just kind of ... grabbed stuff he thought she liked? (She did not.) He's like, "Oh, um ... you can take it, if you'd like."

"Really? Oh, thank you! My grandmother would adore this - she just moved to a new flat, you see. This will be her first piece of art."

And in that moment, the whole beauty of thrifting kind of clicks for him. the joy of passing things onto others.

Then there comes the part where they browse the store with wifey. We've established that they feel immense relief knowing their lovely ladies do appreciate antiques (heh) and don't just throw out furniture/decor that's half a year old. They know this, but seeing it in action is even more eye-opening.

"Oh, look at this vase! It would be beautiful for flowers - or as an umbrella bucket", "Darling, look at this sweater! Oh, you'd look so dapper in this. The knit is amazing quality", "Oh, records! Why don't we choose a few random ones, they listen to them tonight? See if we discovered some long lost treasure?"

[ratticus-writes]

1 Californian Upstart

After weeks of waiting for the rest of his belongs to arrive, Macho had finally gotten to sleep in his now fully furnished bedroom. It wasn’t quite as big as his room in his parent’s house, but it was enough for him to start with.

Especially since his Dad was paying his rent while Macho still worked on getting the boxing thing set up. His parents were a bit unsure of him moving to the other side of the country, but he assured them that he was dead set on becoming a WVBA Boxer.

Waking up at 7:15am with a groggy yawn and stretch, Macho got out of bed to start his day. First getting dressed in his running gear: Teal scrunchie, teal socks, black and white tennis shoes, black polyester shorts that go to his knees, and a teal graphic t-shirt of a golden retriever wearing sunglasses on a surf board. Then grabbing his sunglasses, black crossbody bag, turquoise bifold wallet with yellow hibiscus print, Motorola Razr V3. Gold, and his keys. He heads out, making sure to lock the door behind him.

During the weeks he was waiting for his stuff to arrive, Macho had managed to structure a routine for himself.

Get breakfast from the cute bakery down the road, jog to the WVBA sponsored gym (unless the sidewalk is too crowded), train for a couple hours with couch, get lunch, train some more, jog home if he can, heat up dinner, shower, relax, and then go to bed.

Of course that was the consistent stuff he'd kept up with, anything in-between ranged from exploring Queens to being aloud to pet a stranger's dog. Today that inconstant variable was getting registered as a WVBA contender after lunch! He asked one of the instructors at the gym about it the other day, and they told him the process was simple.

Get a form from the WVBA lobby, fill it out at home, put it in a file or envelope with two copies of your passport photo and the money for the fee, bring it back to the lobby, give it to the receptionist to send it to a promotor, and then wait for a call about your contender status.

However Macho did not have the patience to wait till lunch to get the form. He knew that he wouldn't be able to focus on training until he had the registration form filled out and submitted. Instead of waiting for lunch, he briskly walked to the WVBA building while eating a breakfast sandwich wrapped in a decorative wax coated tissue paper.

He ended up finishing that along with a latte from a locally owned coffee shop WAY before he got within 3 blocks of the building. In his excitement he failed to realize how far the building actually was from his apartment. At least he'd have cardio covered for today!

_____

Walking into the front of the WVBA building, Macho couldn’t help but be a bit giddy at the site of it. The lobby was spacious with cobalt blue painted walls and grass green carpeting, though the egg shell colored marble pillars were an odd choice. Quickly collecting himself, he continued his way to the wooden receptionist desk.

The receptionist that sat at said desk had reddish brown hair tied in a tight bun with a black scrunchie. She wore circular glasses, a cream colored blouse, a dark blue blazer, and a name tag on her blazer that said Sheryl. She looked up from the magazine she was reading and made direct eye contact with Macho. She spoke in a rehearsed tone and notably Jersey accent, “Hi, welcome to the World Video Boxing Association: World Circuit lobby. How can I be of assistance?”

“I’m here to register as a competitor for the WVBA”, Macho said with as much confidence as he could muster. Sheryl looked at him, then down at his shirt, and then back at him for a few seconds before asking, “Is this your first time registering as a WVBA Contender?” “Yeah,” Macho responded. “Alright. So you’re actually going to go over to the WVBA: Minor Circuit Lobby to fill out your registration as a rookie,” Sheryl corrected.

Macho felt a sense of dread well up in his chest, “Oh um, sorry,” was all he could say. Sheryl waved her hand in a shooing motion while saying, “Oh don’t sweat it kid, happens All the time. Just go back out the doors you came in, turn right, keep going forward till you get to the crosswalk, take another right, and keep going forward till you see then busted ‘pen’ sign in the window on your right.”

Macho nodded, “Oh. okay, thanks”. She gave a nod and he turned around to head for the doors, really hoping it wasn’t too obvious he was nervous. When he got out the doors he stealthily looked at his hands and made two L’s before heading right.

He kept repeating the directions in his head until he got to the ‘pen’ sign in the window. The ‘O’ in open was out so the sign just said “PEN”. He gingerly opened one of the double doors and made his way in to the lobby.

Not only was the door frame a bit short for him, but the whole lobby was tiny compared to the World Circuit lobby. The walls were a brownish tan with burnt umber accents, and the carpeting was dark brown. The receptionist at the desk was a scrawny guy with messy short brown hair. He was wearing an off white tee shirt, brown vest, and a name tag that said Dillion on it. He was starring at the wall with a bored expression. Even when Macho was right up at the desk, the guy didn’t seem to notice him.

The silence in the small space was kinda awkward, but it was just what he needed to calm down from going to the wrong lobby. With a quiet breath Macho nonchalantly asked, “Yo dude, which lobby is this?” The receptionist jerked at the sound of another person’s voice, and stared wide eyed at Macho. He blinked a few times before he finally processed the question and answering in a squeaky voice, “Oh. It’s the Minor Circuit lobby.”

“Rad. I’m here to register as a contestant,” Macho responds. Dillion nods his head while pressing his lips into a thin lined awkward smile, just staring.

After an awkward silence Macho asks,“…So do you work here?” This question causes Dillion to jerk again and say, “Oh yeah, sorry! Let me get the form for you,” as he starts rummaging through the desk drawers. A moment later, he hands Macho a form that says New York Department of Licensing & Regulation in bold print along with several boxes for Macho to write his information in.

“It’s recommended you fill the form out at home to make sure you have all the correct legal documents and cash… Also the manager that actually has the authority to process your form isn’t here yet. She should be in later-,” Dillion noted now looking down at Macho's shirt with wide eyes and stifled smile forming on his face.

"Right on! Guess I'll be back. Later dude," Macho said turning away without processing Dillions change in demeanor. Though he did hear what sounded like a sneeze or muffled laughter as the lobby door closed behind him. He assumed it was the former since he didn't know what would have made the guy laugh all of the sudden.

_____

Back at his apartment, Macho quickly gathered everything he needed for the registration form. He sits down at his 'dining room' fold out table and arranges his documents neatly. Thoroughly he fills in each box and reads the fine print, only taking a bit more time on two of the boxes.

The first box he stops at is the one labeled 'Ring Name'. He could just put Macho Man. That was the nickname he got in high school. Guys and girls alike used to call him that, and he really liked the name. It sounded cool, and he figured he got the name for being tall and handsome or something. Turned out that most kids called him that ironically. According to one of his actual friends, his reputation was "being the weird guy that won't shut up about fighting movies".

Even now he found that title irritating because it wasn't just any fighting movies he liked. It was Specifically BOXING MOVIE-...

He considered just using his real name, but Brandon was just too normal for the WVBA. Not really any interesting word play or fun puns with Brandon. Nah, not at all...After several minutes he decided that adding the word 'Super' in front of 'Macho Man' didn't sound too bad.

The second box he stopped at for more than thirty seconds, was because of a similar feeling of resentment. It didn't take him as long to figure out his answer for it, he just needed a moment to swallow his pride. With a roll of his eyes and a sigh, he writes 'cleft chin' in the box labeled 'distinguishing characteristics'.

[storiesofsvu]

hi, your probably already been asked this before but wanted your HC about Rita's apartment/or where she lives. I'm so interested on how amazing it probably would be.

hey bestie.

so i definitely have thought of this a LOT, but i never really did a whole lot of research on specific real estate sights for NYC/Rita (yet!) aside from her brief stay in the penthouse in Penthouse of Sugar.

I'm going to invest some time maybe this week, to go through and try and find the perfect place for her in reality/with pictures/an actual listing. but for now will give you some general HC's about where I think Rita does/has/would live.

We all know Rita is not stranger to money, personally I do think she was raised with wealth, she's always known what it was like to be upper class, and obviously rakes in the cash with her career now. This is quite literally canon because of s17 when it's revealed she went to Dowland, a high end, expensive, ritzy private school. Her high school friend lives in a gorgeous giant house, has a housekeeper, etc. BUT, I also very deeply head canon tha she *knows* what it is like to work for a living, she's not some spoiled brat.

I think she was raised on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, in some fancy ass nice either multifloor apartment (like the ones on gossip girl) or a large brownstone.

As an adult, I can definitely see her on the UES still, but I always picture her in an apartment, not a brownstone or actual house, don't ask me why.

Tribeca is the second area I hc her living in, it's expensive, there's great views, and it's super close to the court house. While we don't canologically know where her firm is, I wouldn't be surprised if it's also in the area, which would make things walkable/not a long car ride, and we all know she doesn't drive and would probably NEVER be caught on the subway...

I think I like her in an apt because she's a very independant person and comfortable on her own. Having a partner isn't her number one concern in life and I do hc her being 10000% comfortable being perpetually single. So she's not going to be in a giant 3-5 bedroom place. A nice 2-3 bedroom max. Like, main suite for herself, one for a home office, and *maybe* a guest room depending on the apartment building.

An apt also gives her ammenities, there's probably a gym, a rooftop terrace, the extra security of a doorman, maybe even a nice little coffee shop connected to the lobby that definitely knows her by name and exactly what her order is and has it ready and waiting at precisely the time she needs it in the morning.

Rita wants a place that's in a nice area, has a couple of bistros, nicer bars and the like around for her social life. She likes at least a small private terrace for herself, indulging in morning coffee, summer mojitos while suntanning, curling up with a nice mug of tea and a good book at the end of the long week while she watches the sun set.

She wants a place with large windows, lots of sun, natural light, the courthouse, precincts and probably her office don't get a lot of that, so she wants to get it where she can. For the same reason I picture a lot of open space, at least in the common areas.

Though the one thing she absolutely does not give a fuck about is the kitchen. For obvious reasons.

As for aesthetic/furnishing... why cant I think of the phrase? lololol. It's going to be neat, tidy, i can definitely see a nice hardwood throughout, decorated with stylish cozy rugs in the living room. Bright, not all white, and not like, obnoxious colours, but bright, nice, calming and relaxing on the eye.

It's going to have lavish touches for SURE, more than a few pieces of very perfectly selected art from around the city on the walls. The common areas are going to be more generalized, the further you get into the house and closer to the bedroom you get the more her soul is exposed. The more personal, very close to the heart things she keeps in the bedroom.

Homegirl also loves books, if there's a nook or corner of the living room she can convert into an in the wall bookshelf, she's going to have that done and it's going to be (very neatly and meticulously organized) crammed with books of all genres.

That's all i've got for now, and we'll do some sleuthing on the internet to get some pictures and listings and further ideas for the stuff that i can't really describe well lol. I might add them in here, i might make a separate post! We'll seee!

[sammystep]

No One Lives Forever- CH12

(AO3 link)

Stardust Crusader Wolf Pack AU

[From the beginning- CH1]

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The drive into city limits was thankfully uneventful. There was enough gas left from the last stop to make it all the way to the new apartment so Joseph declared that there would be no more stops. You and the younger guys had no issue with this plan, all of you so beyond tired that you would have agreed to any plan that involved you getting back to sleep.

It’s mid-morning when you wake up next, neck stiff from the awkward angle you slept in. You ended up in the very back row next to Kakyoin this time, and you both have to wait for Jotaro and Polnareff to fold down the seat to let you out. It’s disorienting to wake up in a completely new place. You’re greeted with a pretty nondescript parking garage, warm city air breezing through the open structure and kicking up dust and other questionable smells. You quickly cover your nose with your sleeve, reminded why you prefer smaller towns.

“Cheer up everyone! Not much further now.” Joseph seems to have really benefited from the full nights sleep, practically skipping past you all carrying his own bags as you trudge to the back of the truck to help unload. Between the six of you there is no need for a second trip, so the pack follows Joseph to the elevator, but instead of heading to the ground floor to begin your journey to the new apartment he selects the ‘lobby’ floor. If he was bouncing before, Joseph is vibrating with excitement now. “Everyone stay right here for a moment while I get the key. I want this to be a surprise.” Jotaro sighs but ends up putting his bag down in the open elevator door to wait for Joseph to get back. The view out the door is obstructed by a wall with some kind of post-modern art on it, the parking garage you just came from must be private parking for residents of the building. Your shoulders slump in relief; tension you didn’t know you were carrying melting at the realization you wouldn’t be hauling your bags across town on foot.

Joseph is back quickly, a brass key held out in front of him like some sort of holy relic as he walks. “Caesar’s been sending me pictures of the place; get ready to be blown away!” he turns the key in the elevator panel and selects a residential floor.

“Uncle Caesar’s already been here then?” Jotaro inquires.

“Well, he was. His email just said that it got set up and he’ll be done with company business soon. Then his pack is going to join us.” Joseph scratches at his beard as you all watch the numbers light up on the indicator panel. “I’ll call him today and we’ll get the final plan set in stone. It sounded like they only had a few things to set up before they can leave the company on ‘autopilot’ for a while.” His grin is as bright as ever as the elevator finally stops on the 26th floor and he rushes into the hallway as soon as the doors open wide enough.

The rest of you follow at a more sedated pace but you can’t help the excited feeling in your gut as you progress. The front door is flung wide open as Joseph hurls himself through the opening. You are almost blinded by the amount of natural light that greets you as you enter.

The two-level floor to ceiling windows grant a spectacular view of the city skyline, few other buildings tall enough to obstruct your view. The white walls and furniture bounce the light around the open living room and reflect off the glass and silver modern tables, everything placed and organized perfectly.

To your left is a dining area with a modern table and chairs, dark woods and pale cream-colored decorations tying in the colors of the living room. A large chandelier blocks some of your view to the kitchen, but from what you can see it is the most high-end residential kitchen you’ve ever seen outside of magazines and movies. Hell, it would put some of those to shame too. A pastel, almost minty aqua tile behind the stove is the only color added to the otherwise monochrome browns and creams so far, silver appliances shine in the reflected light.

Polnareff whistles loudly as he gives the place a good look as well, pretty much summarizing your thoughts. Jotaro, Kakyoin and Avdol are more modest in their reactions but you can tell by the way they straighten up and look around that they are eager to explore the new place too. Joseph is standing in front of the huge main window with his hands on his hips looking out on the mid-morning skyline. He turns with a flourish and throws his hands in the air, “We finally did it! I thought the previous owners were going to holdout forever, but we out lasted them! And now it’s ours!”

“Wait, you own this? Its not just a cool monthly rental?” you haven’t moved very far from the doorway, afraid to get anything dirty.

Jotaro ducks his head so his hat obscures most of this face, “Well, that’s not exactly what he means.”

“That’s right, JoeStar Realty has become a pretty big conglomerate since Caesar and I started it. We didn’t just buy out this apartment, we now own the whole building!” Joseph throws his head back and laughs triumphantly. You’re gob smacked as the reality of his statement sinks in. just what kind of pack did you stumble into? “Come on- showers and bedrooms are upstairs. We’ll all get situated and just relax today.” Joseph leads the charge up the stairs to your right and you all follow him up, bags in tow.

“There are five bedrooms, but with the Zeppeli pack staying here we’re going to have to share. I’ll give him a call and see what’s going on.” The rest of the guys nod and split up to explore the upper level. You follow suit and are amazed by the opulent bedroom you find yourself in. Looking in each doorway you see there are two smaller rooms decorated in creams and whites, still big enough to comfortably fit queen size beds. The larger three rooms done in blue, green, and grey are all furnished with king sized beds.

“(Y/N)! We’ve got two showers in this place- one of them is yours if you want to go first.” Joseph shouts from down the hall and you can see him poking his head out of one of the doorways.

“Yeah, sounds good to me- if everyone is cool with it?” You make your way over to the free bathroom, no one disagreeing with letting you be one of the first to shower. “I promise I’ll be quick!” You shout to the hallway before closing the door. the bathroom is just as fancy as the rest of the apartment, a large walk-in shower taking up most of the space. There are so many buttons and knobs, you’re tempted to try all of the settings but you just promised to be quick. Maybe you’d have the time to fully test it out later.

Luckily the apartment was also stocked with other essentials like towels and soap, and after a disappointingly fast shower – you only had time to try out a few of the fancy settings- you quickly change into a new outfit and grab a comb from your bag before dropping it off in one of the bedrooms. You make your way back downstairs to the living room and Polnareff jumps from his seat at the dining table when he sees you. He’s already bounded up the stairs before you can announce the shower is open now.

“Ah, (Y/N). I’ve got good news! I gave Caesar a quick call- he and his pack won’t be here till tomorrow afternoon. Polnareff volunteered to sleep out here in the living room, so we all get our own rooms for the night.” Joseph says as he and Avdol make use of the kitchen. Soap and towels must not be the only things supplied by the mysterious Zeppeli pack. A pretty impressive array of sandwich meats and condiments are spread out on the counter, and Joseph is putting the finishing touches on his own monstrous sandwich creation.

Jotaro is already showered and changed and sitting at the dining table working his way through his own mountain of sandwiches; you put you phone and comb down on the table next to him to save your spot while you make your own food. Cringing to yourself, you hope no one else notices you basically marked out territory right next to the alpha of the pack. Quickly throwing together some sandwiches you join the guys at the table.

The relaxed atmosphere is broken by the chorus of ‘Mama Mia’ suddenly staring to play. Joseph nearly chokes on the bite he just took and coughs it down as he reaches for his cell phone. He finally gets himself under control and answers the call, “Suzi! Sweetheart!”

“Jojo dear! I just got off the phone with Caesar, when were you going to tell me you were back in the city? And what’s all this nonsense about monsters?”

“He, uh, told you about that, did he? Well, its nothing to worry yourself over. I was going to give you a call once we all got settled here.” Joseph’s free hand can’t seem to stary still, alternating between scratching his beard and ruffling his hair. “But it’s all good now! Everyone is fine, perfectly fine! No reason to worry!”

“You are a terrible liar Jojo. Is everyone really ok?”

Joseph relaxes a bit and a small smile creeps onto his face. He makes his way out to the balcony to take the call in private. Shutting the glass door, he takes a look at everyone gathered at the table before turning to face the city skyline.

“Jojo?”

“I’m here, just stepped out for some privacy.” He takes a deep breath to prepare before continuing. “We’re all ok for the most part. Some cuts and bruises but we’re all in one piece.”

The silence that follows is almost more frightening than Suzi screaming at him. Finally, she breaks it, “Where are you, I’ll be right there.”

“No! No, you stay put. Besides, Caesar and his pack are going to be here tomorrow, there’s no need to worry.”

“I’m not going to argue with you about this Joseph. If there are dangerous people around, we should be together- the whole pack. There is safety in numbers after all.”

“Suzi, darling. Love of my life and sun in my sky,” Joseph does his best to butter up his mate, “I’m begging you to stay where you are; where you’re safe. We are attracting all kinds of enemies right now, if you got caught up in my fight again…” Joseph trails off, hoping the desperation in his voice talks some sense into her.

It seems to have done the trick as Suzi sighs loudly into the receiver, “Ok, have it your way Jojo. But are you going to keep everyone away? Remember Holly and Sado are supposed to be back in time for his big audition.”

“Damn. I forgot they were coming back so soon.” Joseph slaps a palm to his forehead and rubs it over his face.

“Oh! Wait! This gives me an idea!” Suzi practically sings into the phone, “It’s been so long since I’ve seen Fiona and her kids, I’m sure Caesar wasn’t planning on bringing his whole pack along with him. She and Holly and anyone else not needed to fight, we can all stay together! We’ll have the best of both, all of us out of harms way and safety of numbers!”

“Suzi, you are absolutely brilliant. I’ll get Jotaro and Caesar up to speed on this plan. I’m sure they’ll agree. We can look for a cabin outside of town, that way you’ll be able to transform if you do run into trouble.”

“Oh, silly me! I keep forgetting we need to let Jotaro make the decisions. I don’t know if I’ll ever get used to my baby grandson being in charge.”

“I know. I’m still getting used to it myself, but he’s doing so well. Even with everything going on. Listen to this, it all started when we were at the new cabin to check out the area…”

***

From inside you watch as Joseph starts pacing and throwing his hands in the air as he talks on the phone. Jotaro had explained that was his grandma Suzi’s ringtone, Joseph was probably telling his mate everything that happened over the past several days. You pause as you are about to take another bite. Had it really only been a few days? Just a week ago you were a lone wolf, going from town to town as you pleased, and now…

You smile and greet Kakyoin and Polnareff as they take a seat at the table as well. Between bites of his food, Polnareff regals you all with a story about a job he had some years back that took place in a building down the street from this one. You do your best to look like you are listening, but you can’t help your thoughts drifting off to this strange situation you’ve become tangled in. You felt so at ease with everyone here, so unlike the packs you’ve tried to join in the past. They were such a close-knit bunch, especially considering it was rare for packs to be made up of so many non-family members. Hopefully the threads now tying you to this pack held strong after the hunter issue was solved. Just the thought of being outed from the group is enough to make you anxious, but you quickly quell the feeling with the resolve that you will do everything you can to prove you deserve to stay. To prove you belong.

The rest of lunch passes uneventfully, one by one you migrate to the living room and you end up sitting between Jotaro and Kakyoin again on one of the couches. Joseph and Avdol are across from you, Polnareff remaining at the table as he pulls out a laptop from his luggage. Now that you’re settled, clean, and full it’s hard not to drift between sleep and wakefulness. You don’t want to completely upset your sleep schedule so you settle on paying attention to the classic movie Joseph found on TV.

Jotaro and Kakyoin have no reservations about this it seems as they both quickly settle in for a nap as their attention on the TV wanes. Polnareff gives a loud yawn as he snaps his laptop shut and stands up to stretch. “Polnareff, would you mind if I borrowed your laptop if you’re finished with it?” Avdol stops him from putting it back in the carry case.

“Sure, what do you need it for?” Polnareff hands over the silver laptop, standing behind the couch and leaning over to see the screen.

“Something has been bothering me, about the encounters we’ve had recently. We seem to have run into more than our fair share, one of them even mentioning Dio by name.” You can see Polnareff’s hair stand on end and a full body shiver run through him at the mention of Dio. “I need to know; was it just bad luck that we ran into them? Or is there a magical component to this that we are not seeing? I need to do some research, but I wouldn’t put it past whoever is behind all this to use supernatural means to track and keep sight on us.”

You sit up straight in your seat as a chill rushes down your spine. You had been attributing the encounters to just bad luck, but the thought that they were intentional… Joseph seems to feel the same way, he stands from his seat with a growl and starts pacing.

“How can we tell for sure if we’re being watched?” Jotaro’s voice startles you. Apparently, he hadn’t been fully asleep. Kakyoin leans forward in his seat as well, the whole pack focused intently on Avdol.

“There are a few ways I can deduce if there is some kind of tracking spell being cast. But I need some time to refresh my knowledge on the subject. More importantly, if we find that there is a spell involved, we may be able to counter it.” Avdol hadn’t looked away from the screen while he addressed the pack, already deep into his research process.

“You’ll be able to block it once you know what it is?” You question him, curious to how the other werewolf could have such an in-depth knowledge of spells that he would only need to ‘refresh’ his knowledge.

“Not just block it. Most people don’t realize this, and in fact most spell casters depend on it, but when you use magic to view something it is like opening a window to look through. But when this window opens, if you have the right tools, you can view the caster back through the same portal.” You nod slowly at his explanation, still mystified at how he could possibly know this.

“Well, that’s some good news at least. Is there anything we can do to help?” Kakyoin asks as he sits up straight in his seat again.

“No, for now it’s just research to be done.” Avdol looks away from the screen to the pack. “Once I figure out what counter spells to use, I’ll need to collect some specialized tools from my shop.”

“Your shop? What’s that?” Today is raising more and more questions about the pack you’ve found yourself affiliating with.

“Forgive me, I forget you haven’t been with us that long to know. My family owns a curiosities shop, mostly catering to other sorcerers and people interested in the occult. You see, I’m half wolf on my father’s side. My mother is a sorceress, though she claims her only real talent is fortune telling.” Well, that would be one minor mystery solved about why Avdol knows so much about these things, but opens up even more intrigue to his past.

Jotaro nods and relaxes back into his seat, “Avdol, you make a list of what you’ll need from the shop. If its possible you should head over tomorrow with gramps, let your parents know it may be best to get out of town for a while.” Avdol nods at the order from his alpha and goes back to his research. The rest of you slowly relax back to your previous positions, Polnareff joining you all in the living room.

Its hard to tell how much time passes after that but it must be hours later when Joseph stands up and stretches, his joints cracking in protest. He winces a bit as he straightens out his spine, “I’m going to get started on dinner. Steak and potatoes sound good to everyone?” You could feel your mouth water at the thought and nod enthusiastically. Everyone else agrees as well and Joseph grins as he makes his way to the kitchen.

You join him, no time like the present to prove yourself useful. “What can I do to help?”

Joseph blinks twice before grinning at you, “Well if you really want to help, you can peel and chop these potatoes while I get the water and pans heated up. Sound good?” he hefts the bag of potatoes to the counter and you nod again, taking the bag from him and start looking for a knife.

You don’t catch the thoughtful look Joseph gives you and the glance to the living room as you get to work on your task. The open plan of the apartment was great for aesthetics but not for privacy. If he tried to grill you about your feelings and intentions toward his grandson, Jotaro was bound to overhear. Oh well, there were bound to be more opportunities in the future. Better to ignore it for now, Jotaro was under enough pressure as it was without discussing him like he wasn’t there.

Joseph gets to work on his own tasks and is impressed by how much you’ve gotten done when he checks your progress. “Wow, you really got to work on those. Where’d you get those knife skills, you a professional chef and just didn’t tell us?” Joseph laughs at his own joke.

“Ha, no. No, I’ve just worked a lot of odd jobs over the years. A lot of them happened to be in kitchens so I picked up a few things.” You chuckle with him as you continue working, adding a slight flourish to your movements to impress.

“Yeah, I guess that would do it, huh?” Joseph scratches his beard as he looks at you again, “If you don’t mind me asking, you said you’ve been on your own for a while… Why exactly? Have a falling out with your pack or something?”

“Nothing like that. I just…” You pause your movements as you try and think of the right words to explain, “It felt like it was time, you know? Adventure, fining myself, fining a pack of my own… That wasn’t going to happen if I just stayed home. So I packed up, hit the road and just kept going.” You smile as you turn to look at him. “I’ve actually had pretty poor luck with that last goal- finding a pack. Every time I ran into a new one that was looking for a member, it just never felt right, you know?”

“Well, that’s sad to hear, but at the same time I’m glad you’re with us now. How do you feel about that by the way? I know you’re kind of stuck right now…” Joseph trails off and you give him a bright smile.

“I know I barged into your lives, but you guys have done so much for me already. And, for the first time, I really feel like…” Joseph catches your glance at the living room and faint flush of your cheeks, “like I really have a place in the pack. Like I can belong.” Your eyes light with a sudden fire and intensity that catches Joseph off guard. “And I’m going to do everything I can to prove it. That I belong here.”

The last thing you were expecting was Joseph to gently pat you on the head and ruffle your hair a bit, “I wouldn’t worry about that (Y/N). You’ve already done it.” He gives you a sincere smile before turning back to the stove to get to work on dinner. You smile and do the same, quickly finishing and cleaning up your station.

Dinner is soon served and you are all entertained with stories from Joseph’s youth growing up in New York. You catch Jotaro next to you rolling his eyes at different parts of the tale. He sees your raised eyebrow and leans in, “Last time he told this story it was five vampires, now he’s up to eight.” You take a sip of water to hide your smile behind your glass.

After dinner is done and everything put away you find yourself back in the living room. You are about to get comfortable in an armchair when a yawn catches you off guard. Glancing at the clock you decide its not an unreasonable time to go to bed. “I think I’m going to call it a night guys. Do we need to work out bedroom assignments for the night or should I just pick one?” You stretch a bit as you move to stand next to the staircase.

“Nope, they’re all fair game tonight. Tomorrow we’ll have to figure out who is rooming with who when the Zeppeli pack gets here.” Joseph replies and you nod, giving one last goodnight to everyone before heading upstairs. You decide to just go with the one you dropped your stuff in, one of the rooms with a queen bed all to yourself tonight. Making sure you weren’t trapping anyone else’s things in the room you quickly change before falling into the bed face first. The covers are barely settled over you before you drift off to sleep.

***

You hadn’t set any kind of alarm, so you are a bit disoriented with the feeling of having overslept the next morning. Or was it early afternoon already? You crack an eye open to read the time on your phone; 10:15. Not early by any means but not unreasonable after the last few days you’ve had. And nowhere near your record for sleeping in, but the rest of the pack didn’t need to know that just yet.

You go through your morning routine at an unhurried pace before descending the stairs. Polnareff is seated at the table on his laptop again, Jotaro and Kakyoin eating breakfast across from him. You greet them and make yourself some toast before sitting next to Polnareff. Taking a glance at the screen you recognize the blue logo of Facebook but the profile Polnareff is looking at makes you pause.  

“Isn’t that one of the hunters?” you motion with your free hand to the screen as you take a bite of your breakfast.

“Oui. I’m doing a bit of research on them before I go check out the addresses.” Polnareff responds but his eyes never leave the screen.

You hum and nod before returning to your toast. Glancing around you realize Joseph and Avdol must still be upstairs, but you hadn’t thought them to be late risers. Kakyoin sees your survey of the room, “Mr. Joestar and Avdol have already left for his family’s shop. He said he was going to gather the necessary equipment to cast some protection spells.”

“They should be back in an hour or two, they didn’t leave that long ago.” Jotaro adds, his attention mostly on his breakfast but he makes eye contact with you as he speaks.

You nod again and watch Polnareff click through profiles and make some notes for a bit while you chew on your toast. “Is that really what you do as a PI? Facebook stalk people?”

Polnareff laughs, “Well this is just the first step. But you’d be astounded by what people volunteer sometimes. This guy,” he taps the ID card on the table, “has been surprisingly careful in what he posts. Which is a shame since he’s our best lead on whatever is going on. But since I have his address, I can put together a few things from what he does post.”

This catches Jotaro and Kakyoin’s attention and they both sit up straight in their chairs. “Since the place he claims to work for doesn’t have a website, and we know what his real job was, I was able to figure out where their equipment came from by cross checking their check-in tags from different restaurants around. It has to be one of the warehouses around the bay here.” Polnareff explains as he points to the map pulled up on his screen.

“Well, no time to lose then, lets go investigate.” Kakyoin says as he stands and collects his plate from the table to wash.

“Actually, I’d prefer to go by myself. It’s less suspicious if one person is hanging around and my methods, well… Let’s just say they aren’t 100% legal all the time.” Polnareff rubs the back of his neck and looks away for a moment before they both look to Jotaro for his decision on the matter.

Thinking for a moment, Jotaro seems to come to a decision as he closes his eyes and sighs. He opens his eyes again and focuses on Polnareff, “I’ll trust you to take care of yourself. I think you’re right though, a group of people snooping around is going to be more noticeable than just one.” You can tell by the look on Kakyoin’s face that he doesn’t agree, but he stays quiet. “The first sign of trouble you call us though, understood?”

“Of course! Although I don’t know how much trouble there could be, its not like he’s going to show up while I’m there.” Polnareff laughs and you smack your palm to your forehead, you would think he’d know better than to jinx himself like that.

<Previous Chapter    Next Chapter>

Author’s Note:

No fighting this chapter- everyone needs a break now and then. Also, I’ve decided I’m going to have to give up on once a week uploads- I feel like I’m really finding my voice writing this but it also means the chapters are getting longer and longer and I don't have the time I thought I would to get one chapter a week done. From now on posts will be sporadic but know that I am working on it a little each day!

[btsslowburnfic]

Series Summary: For Namjoon, the moment he set his sights on being the #1 rapper, he pushed the symbol to the side and hated it. Love should be chosen, not forced on you. He didn’t believe in fate and this mark on his wrist was a big “fuck you” to all that.

AN: a loooong update where we get YN to Korea Previous Chapter here

The three of you made it safe and sound to your new brownstone across the river in New Jersey. Joe has a job lined up, but at the moment you and Xavier are unemployed. On this particular day, you are in your room job hunting when you hear a knock on your bedroom door and then see Xavier gently push it open. “Fly your ass to Korea. Now. Here,” Xavier throws a book at you. “I bought you a Korean dictionary.”

You roll your eyes. “Namjoon speaks English. And I can’t read the characters or whatever so how will a dictionary help. And, I’m not going to Korea.”

Xavier crosses his arms in front of his body. “Girl. You are still in your twenties. You have no job. There is a hot man who is also your soulmate across the ocean. GO TO KOREA.” You pick your phone back up, ignoring him. You hear him let out a frustrated sigh and leave the room. You didn’t know what you wanted. You didn’t tell them that Namjoon had passed along his schedule to you and that he would be in Korea for 6 weeks starting in two weeks and that he had offered to buy you a plane ticket. You kept going back and forth. Fine. Fuck it.

YN: Hey! I’ve been thinking and I would like to come visit. As long as it’s not too much trouble and won’t interfere with your schedule

You let out a breath and put the phone down. One thing you have learned is that he keeps very strange hours and there is no way of knowing when he will be awake, when he will be performing, or even what country he is in. You are shocked when you receive a reply instantly.

NJ: It’s no problem. I will be working a lot of the time, but there is also some free time blocked out so make sure you’re ready to do some sightseeing as well on your own. I’ll rent a noona for you.

YN: I have no idea what that means but ok. Sounds exciting.

NJ: You can rent tour guides. An “older sister” to translate and show you around on some of the days.

YN: That would be amazing! Ok. Sounds great!!

NJ: I’ll book the flight and email you the information.

YN: Awesome ^_^ Thank you so much.

You try to keep your cool. You really do. But it doesn’t last long as you sit the phone down and walk out into the hallway. “Xavier!”

“What? Brat.” You hear him call from the living room.

“I’m going to Korea!” You say with a big smile on your face.

“Holy shit. You’re doing it!?! Really? When?” He sits up straight on the couch.

“I’m not sure. He’s booking the flight.”

“Oh my God. Oh my God. IT’S HAPPENING. Come. Sit here. Let’s watch some Kdramas. We need to prepare you.”

You roll your eyes but join him on the couch anyway.

--3 weeks later--

The flight isn’t too bad. When Namjoon booked your ticket you did secretly wonder if he would spring for an upgraded seat since you know...you guessed he was rich. You did not expect that he was going to pay for a first class seat though. The comfort of the seats and the fact that food was actually delicious helped to balance out the longest flight you had ever taken in your life. You managed to get some rest on the plane, but not very much since you were so excited and nervous. You had not seen each other for a while. And the last time you saw him you were both naked.

When you arrive you don’t have any bags to collect; you just brought your carry-on. You know you are going to do a lot of shopping while you are there and had decided you would just buy a suitcase there. You walk down to departures and scan the crowd looking for your name. This was so exciting. You had been the person in the crowd holding a name placard before, but you had never had it done for you. It helped that it was one of the few names written in English. You smile and walk over to a man in a suit.  After confirming each other’s identity, you follow him out to a black SUV with tinted windows. He takes your bag and you slide into the backseat. 

YN: Hey! I’m on my way to the hotel. When will I get to see you?

NJ: Yeah….about that. There is no way I would be able to just be going in and out of a hotel without anyone here noticing. This isn’t LA. We can’t really go out in public much here. The driver will be taking you to my apartment complex. Once you get here, you will let security know who you are. They will provide you with a key and directions.

You weren’t expecting this at all, but it made sense.

YN: Umm ok. Sounds like a plan. 

You hoped to God someone at the security office spoke English. Oh well. You typed some things into your translation app just in case and tried to enjoy the scenery. It was a city, but it seemed a lot cleaner than LA. Less sunny, and more modern. At least the parts you were driving through.

After a fifteen minute taxi ride that has brought you into a very fancy part of Seoul you try to keep your cool as your driver assures you that this is the location you are supposed to be at. It is fancy looking as fuck and has a giant ass gate around it. The driver pulls up and shows his credentials and then pulls up and rolls your window down.

The security officer stands there, looking at you. You pull out your passport and state your name. He looks over a sheet of paper and nods. Handing you an envelope that feels like it has a keyboard and some papers in it. You thank him in shitty Korean and the driver closes the window. You open the envelope.

“Hey. If you’re getting this, I wasn’t able to get off work in time to meet you. The driver knows which building to go to. Use this key to go to unit 4106. Text me when you get there. Sorry!

Namjoon”

The chauffeur drives between several of the buildings. The streets are lined with trees and there appeared to be several small gardens between the buildings. The car comes to a stop outside building 4. The driver gets out to open your door and hands you the bag. You thank him and head into the building.

The apartment building was a lot like a luxury hotel, you find yourself thinking. It was decorated similarly with gilded light fixtures and a marble floor. You scan your key card at the elevators and head up to the 10th floor. 

It becomes very obvious from the minute you walk in that this is Namjoon’s actual apartment. His giant shoes are all over the foyer.  You purse your lips and take out your phone.

YN: YOU DIDNT SAY IT WAS YOUR APARTMENT

NJ: Relax sweetheart, the guest bedroom is for you. I’m hardly ever there. Make yourself at home and I’ll see you later ;p

YN: THATS NOT THE POINT

NJ: You’re welcome. Stop being a brat and enjoy.

You pout a little bit. Fine. Fine. You’ve already slept with him so why does it matter if this is his apartment. Because it feels so much more intimate, you think. You enter into the space while texting Xavier.

YN: New chapter in the Kdrama series. 

You knew Xavier would normally be sleeping, but he was so excited and wanted to make sure you made it safely he was wide awake.

X: Oh no, what?

YN: he didn’t arrange for me to stay in a hotel IM AT HIS APARTMENT.

X: AHAHAHAHAHA HOLY SHIT. Is it nice? Is there like a waterfall? Does it smell like rich people? Send pictures!

YN: I don’t think I should send pics since he’s famous, but there are no waterfalls that I can see. It smells normal. Actually no, it smells new, like people don’t really live here. Stay tuned for updates.

X: Has he dicked you yet?

YN: -_- he’s stuck at work. And I’ll be in the guest bedroom thankyouverymuch.

X: Yeah….ok…..suuuuuuure.

You put your phone back in your pocket and continue to wander around the apartment. It is the size of a house. There is a small terrace running  along the side of the unit and three open rooms that flow together. I guess rich people need more than one living room? You wonder. They are all furnished with couches and art. The floors are a beautiful Marble. Or Granite. Some expensive imported thing. You notice several plants on the wall as well as out on the terrace. Huh. I did not think he would be into plants, you find yourself thinking.

YN: Nice plants

NJ: My pride and joy

You smile and walk into the kitchen. It looks like a showroom. You doubt much cooking goes on here. If you could afford to eat out all the time you would too. You open the fridge and as predicted, it is mostly empty. There are a few bottles of water and some random condiments. Panic strikes you as you begin to wonder if there’s a coffee maker in this apartment. This could be a deal breaker; you might have to flee to the Marriott. There isn’t one sitting out. You frantically open cabinets. You make eye contact with a very fancy looking Espresso maker. Ok. You will learn how to use this beast. You sit it out on the counter and plug it in. Crisis averted for now. You continue through the rest of the house. You quickly find the master bedroom. Big bed. That’s all you take note of before closing the door. You don’t want to be nosy. You wander to the other end of the apartment and find an extra bedroom and an office. You don’t go to the office, but do take your stuff into the guest bedroom. You are feeling tired and starting to feel hungry.

YN: When will you be back? Is there a convenience store nearby? I need coffee and/or food.

NJ: Sorry. It will still be a while. Actually there are several stores on property. The closest one is in building 2. Here, download the app. I’ll send you the login info.

YN: Thanks.

You change out of your traveling clothes into real clothing and head to the market. The apartment complex’s layout is fairly easy to understand once you look at the app. You walk over to tower 2 and ride the elevator to the market level. It looks like the atrium of a cruise ship. There is a giant crystal chandelier hanging in the middle of the lobby area as well as beautiful indoor trees, glass art bulbs, probably a peacock or two wandering around, and some light music playing in the background. Oh God. I should just starve. This is too fancy. I need to leave.  

You turned to leave when you heard a voice speaking politely in Korean. You ignore it, and then hear the same voice ask in English,  “Excuse me, Miss. Can I help you?” A short man in his 50’s walked over. “I’m on the concierge staff here. You must be new.” 

“Ah yes. Thank you. Umm...Coffee please?”

“Of course. Take-away or beans?”

“Both please?” You ask, trying to keep it simple and very thankful for the English.

“Yes of course. If you just get me the unit number I can actually just have it sent there. Also there is an ordering and delivery app you can use next time if you would like to save yourself the walk.” The man explained while he typed some information into a tablet. 

“That’s very helpful. Thank you. For today, now please.” 

“Very well miss, please insert your chip or resident card here and sign,” he turned the tablet towards you. You inserted your debit card.  

“Thank you. Please wait.”

You take a seat in the fancy lobby area and get out your phone. You had some messages from Namjoon.

[NJ]: Oh, there is also an app you can download and order groceries to the apartment. 

[NJ]: I usually eat at work so I forget about it.

[NJ]: Sorry, you probably already hiked there.

A smirk crossed your face as you started to type a response.

[Y/N]: Sorry, I just saw these. And no worries. It’s a beautiful part of the complex. I was a little overwhelmed to be honest but the concierge was very helpful!  10/10 recommend.  

You take a picture of the lobby area and send it to him.

[NJ]: wow, yeah that’s beautiful. I haven’t actually been there myself.

The concierge returns, handing you a coffee and a bag of coffee beans.  You thank him profusely one more time.

“My pleasure. Take care.”

You sit the beans down and pose with your coffee cup, snapping a selfie to send to Namjoon.

[Y/N]: There, now all is right with the world ^_^

[NJ]: :) See you soon!

You travel back to the apartment and unpack your suitcase. You try your hardest to stay awake, but at this point you have been up for over 24 hours and you can feel the pull of sleep. You’ll just lay down for a nap. 

---------

It is dark outside by the time Namjoon gets off work. He feels bad he couldn’t meet you in the car at the airport, and even worse that he’s kept you waiting for hours. You haven’t answered any of his texts these past few hours either. He opens the door to his apartment. The lights are off. Did you leave? He wonders. He flips on the light and sees your shoes by the door which put a smile on his face. You must be sleeping. He hasn’t actually been in his apartment for about 2 months. It was mostly the same as he left it, except most of the time when he returned the apartment had a stale smell from having been left empty. This time it smelled like coffee and girl.

He enters the main living area and finds you laying in a small blanket nest on the couch with a laptop on the table; a coffee cup resting on a coaster next to it. He smiles and goes through to his bedroom to deposit his travel bag. He washes his face and changes clothes and then proceeds to nervously pace. Should he wake you up? You were probably tired, but at the same time, to prevent jet lag you shouldn’t sleep too much, and he wanted to hang out with you. He wrestles with this issue for a while and then decides he will try to wake you up.

He gently shakes your foot, “Hey sleepy. Wake up.” 

“Mmmmmmmmmmm…” you respond. What’s happening? You kick the thing bothering your foot. So annoying. You hear a deep voice laugh. Oh shit, where were you again? The shaking of your foot resumes and you crack open one of your eyes and see Namjoon sitting on the couch. “Heyyyy.”

“Hey there sweetheart. Nice seeing you in Korea.”

You feel your heart do a little flip flop at the way he’s talking to you but you want to play it cool. “Yeah. It’s good to be here.” You stretch out and move to sit up.

“How are your legs doing?” He asks.

“Good. They get stiff pretty easily and I still have to do my exercises everyday but they don’t hurt most of the time or anything. I get pretty bad headaches from time to time, but you already knew that. Sorry about that by the way.”

“It’s fine, I just carry aspirin around with me now.” He shrugs. “Did you get any food? Should I order something?”

“Yeah. Order some super Korean food.” You are fully awake now.

“Yeah? You serious? It’s not going to be like Koreatown food.” He teases

“Might as well jump in. If I don’t like it, there’s always rice, right?” You smile.

“That’s true,” he takes out his phone to order dinner.

“What did you do today?”

“Today was planning for the Festa. Even though it’s months away we have to make sure we have enough content planned just in case there are any unforeseen delays.”

“Cool.” You say. You had done your basic level ARMY research so you were somewhat familiar with their different activities.

“How was your flight? You should probably get up and stretch those legs around. Get up.” He pushes your shoulder playfully.

“Ughhh….fine. By the way. Nice apartment. Is rent like 20 grand a month?” You stand up groaning slightly like an old woman. Damn stiff legs.

“Uhh...I paid 6 million dollars for it up front so I don’t pay rent. Do you want anything to drink?”

It’s a good thing you weren’t drinking anything when he dropped that little factoid on you or you would have spit it out comic-book style. Jesus. That explained the security and Gucci grocery store. “Uh water please.” You walked over following him to the kitchen. “It’s good to see you by the way. Thanks for inviting me.” You slowly remember how to speak like a human again.

“Sure. I wish I had more free time to spend with you, but I’m glad you were able to make it.” He fills a glass with water for you. “Wait a minute! Before I forget,” he jogs out of the room and returns with a small box. “Here, this is for you. We were in Australia last month and I wanted to get something for you.”

You are surprised. It didn’t occur to you that he would think about you or buy you something. Until a few months ago you had considered yourself a nuisance. “Wow, thank you so much. You didn’t have to do that.” you say, taking the box, “I hope it’s a tiny KNOIFE or tiny koala or tiny kangaroo,” you open the box. It is an adorable mug with a Koala on it superimposed on the Australian Continent. It says in English, “Lucky Australian Koala.” You burst out laughing, cupping the mug with both your hands in front of your face. “This is perfection. Thank you so much for my authentic LUCKY AUSTRALIAN KOALA, I cannot wait to drink out of him tomorrow. Seriously. “ You sit the mug on the kitchen table. Fuck it. “Come here,” you gesture, and pull him in for a hug. His body feels solid against your and he gently wraps his arms around you. You give a firm squeeze. “Thank you for the mug and for flying me out here.”  You pull away and smile at him. 

He looks away almost shy, “It was nothing. I figure I still owe you a few for the pen incident.”

You take a drink of the water. “Yeah. You have had some dickish moments.” 

“Speaking of dickish behavior...do you want to talk about what happened with Ben or…?”

You shrug. “There’s not a lot to say. Ben apparently met his soulmate about 4 months before the car accident. He tried to stay away since we had already agreed that we didn't care about stuff like that. But he couldn't. I don't know when he started seeing Jessie behind my back. They were apparently banging all summer in the apartment and while I was in the hospital.” You take another gulp of water. Namjoon is surprised that he isn’t feeling much anger or sadness coming off of you. “After I got all my shit out of the apartment and had a chance to calm down, I couldn't be too mad about it you know? You and I had already slept together and most people aren't as stubborn as us. So really, how could they resist? I mean I was angry and sad at the time but at this point it seems like a lifetime ago. "

Namjoon had never asked about what had happened with Ben before, assuming that if you wanted to talk about it you would have brought it up. " Wow. "

"Yeah. I mean that's waaaay oversimplified but that's the gist of it. Anyways. Everything was a mess for me for a while. You know I stayed with Xavier and Joe and then  Xavier's husband got a really good job offer here so we all picked up and left LA."

“And now you’re in New York.” He finishes your thought

“Yeah. Well Jersey technically because rent is $1000 less a month. But I’m applying for jobs as assistant director at tv stations and theaters. I’m hopeful something will come up. I can’t really teach fitness classes anymore.”

Namjoon listens thoughtfully, feeling like a jackass for never asking about this stuff before. What kind of soulmate was he? 

“Well, let me know if you need a job reference.”

“Ahahahaha,” You laugh awkwardly. “No way. I don’t want people thinking I only got a job because I know someone famous.”

“Sweetheart, that’s how everyone gets jobs in the industry.” He leans against the counter.

“I don’t know, I’ll think about it.” You fidget

“You know I’ll just text Xavier and he’ll tell me the companies you applied for.” Namjoon flashes his dimples at you.

You scowl. “I didn’t realize you two were so chummy.”

“Hey, we bonded a lot in the hospital.” His phone let out a chirp. “The food is at the security office. I’ll be back in a few. Make yourself at home.” He heads over to the foyer to slip his shoes on. 

You decide to unpack and then wash your face and brush your teeth before returning to the main area where he has just returned. “That was fast”, you comment, meeting him near the door and taking a bag from his hands.

“I rode my bike over.” He replies, following you to the kitchen. 

“They let your clumsy ass ride a bike?” You tease, pulling food out.

He lets out a laugh, “Yeah. Just remember, only one of us has got hit by a car.”

“Touche. Touche. Alright. I don’t know what any of this is, so I’m going to go wait at the table like a lazy bitch.”

“Haha, fair enough. I’ll bring it over. “

You head over and have a seat at the dining table, placing your water down. This feels so weird. So intimate. He joins a few minutes later placing a bunch of food on the table along with a spoon and chopsticks.

“I’m sure there’s a fork around here somewhere if you need one.” He says as he opens the lids on the containers.

“I lived in LA where we ate sushi almost every day, I think I’ll be ok.” You sass back, ,looking over all of the delicious food. You start to dig in. He sits waiting to see what your reaction will be. You flash him a thumbs up as you chew. It’s definitely good. He smiles and begins to eat as well.

Dinner is relatively quiet. You had no idea how hungry you were until you started to eat. Some of the foods had a texture you didn’t quite care for, but overall you liked it all.

“Wow. That was delicious. Thank you so much.” You smile

“It was. You’re welcome.” He gets up and starts to clear the table and you join him. 

You continue to yawn involuntarily as the two of you straighten up the kitchen,

“Do you want some coffee or a nap?” he asks.

“I’m going to try and stay awake a little bit longer. What does the rest of the night look like?”

“Relaxing. I am exhausted from work. And you don’t look so fresh yourself. LEt’s watch a movie or something.” He says it so casually. Like this is a normal thing the two of you do. Like it hasn’t been months since the last time you saw each other and you left him naked and alone in a bed. You feel your heartbeat speed up.

“Hold on, I’m changing into some comfy clothes before I make this commitment.” you get up and head towards your room.

You come back in leggings and a shirt. Namjoon has re-positioned himself on the end of the couch. You sit next to him. “Ok, all set,” you grab your blanket. 

“You take your comfort quite seriously,” Namjoon laughs as he hits the play button. 

“Definitely,” you respond, yawning. After about half an hour, It’s dark outside, the night spilling into the living room. You are trying to keep your eyes open. You feel Namjoon put his large arm around you. You don’t resist, you nestle into it. You feel the warmth of his body radiating against you. It feels so nice.You try to stay awake but your eyelids grow heavy.  The next thing you know, you wake up slowly, not quite oriented to where you are. Your face is sweaty. You take stock of your surroundings. You are still in the living room. You must have fallen asleep while watching the movie. You move a bit and realize you are not alone. Namjoon is asleep as well. Underneath you. Oh god. You probably trapped him. Is that your drool on his shirt? You wonder. But you know that yes, it definitely is. Jesus [Y/N].Not making a great impression here.  Must sneak out so the drool will dry before he wakes up. You move as stealthy as possible off of him, which is very difficult since you found yourself laying between his legs. How did you even get like that? You had gone in for a light snuggle to see how it would be received and then apparently passed out dead. No more starting movies when you were tired. You knew it was your weakness. 

The poor man probably had to pee and was stuck, forced to lay underneath you until he fell asleep.    Is he snoring? Huh. Well ok. You drool and he snores. Very attractive individuals. You grab a blanket from your nest on the other side of the couch and put it on top of him. You sneak down the hallway to your bathroom, pee and sneak into your bedroom. You lay down and try to fall asleep, but your heart is beating fast as all you can think about it falling asleep on Namjoon. You feel your face grow warm. You are  a mix of turned on and embarrassed. You turn off your light and wonder if he will still want to go sightseeing with your drooly-ass tomorrow.  @calling-dips-on-j-hope​​  @ghostkat23​​ @cuteipat​​ @marianeamine​​@thisisval​​ @almonte12​​  @themisunderstoodblackswan​ @bobbyboops​  @betysotelo18​ @katerbees​

[tedrick]

caldel fic bc i can’t put it in docs uwuwuwuwu

mostly early 2020???? late 2019???? unfinished

Calvin found himself a bit bewildered, and unsure what to do with his hands during the long elevator ride. Typically not the type to be visibly nervous, Calvin was clearly out of his comfort zone in this large, grandiose building.  

It was hard not to notice from the outside, ornate and elaborate; Calvin was used to staring at it whenever he’d pass by, wondering about what the apartments inside looked like, the size of the lobby, the expensive furnishings. Now he found himself inside, traveling to one of its top floors in the elevator. 

Adel really lived here? 

The silence was becoming increasingly awkward. If Calvin had dared to watch Adel during their ascent he would have seen that Adel was also clearly uncomfortable, standing a bit too stiffly and holding his breath. By the gracious nature peripheral vision though, Adel seemed to just be naturally and comfortably subdued. 

“So..” Calvin said, looking across the elevator, the walls of which were lines with a soft, velvety looking covering. “You live on the twelfth floor? Here?” He laughed as he said it, trying not to seem rude or strange, while also making an attempt to hide his nervousness. 

Adel turned to him, eyes wide and attentive before he quickly glanced away again. “Uh, yeah- haha.” The laugh was embarrassingly forced, but he wanted to seem as nonchalant as he mistook Calvin to be. “The suites are all on the highest floors, but it’s still a very nice building, I think.” Adel punctuated his sentence by nodding to himself, that was probably the right thing to say. 

Calvin stared at Adel for a moment, processing what he had just said. There wasn’t very much time for him to process though, as the elevator finally slowed to a stop, the doors swiftly opening to a classy well-lit hallway with a faint pleasant fragrance. 

Adel stepped out and Calvin followed stiffly, transfixed by the elaborate patterns in the carpet and the wallpaper. Some ways down the hallway, Adel finally stopped at a door, and Calvin stood behind him as he retrieved a key ring from one of his jacket pockets, a singular key hanging from it. As he leaned over Adel’s shoulder, Calvin also saw that attached to the key ring was a small, cute keychain of a frog that he had never seen before. He smiled, thinking that it was adorable. 

There was a click as the door unlocked, and Adel slipped the key ring back into his pocket. Surprisingly, after he swung the door open, he stood by the doorway and motioned for Calvin to enter first. 

Calvin drifted through the doorway that entered into the bedroom portion of Adel’s apartment, which was even larger than his own bedroom. 

The room was immaculate as well as bright, mainly thanks to the rather large window on the opposite wall which displayed a view of the busy street outside, and the sprawling blue sky above it. 

The cleanliness of the room brought attention the its decoration, which was mostly limited to various instruments arranged around the perimeter of the floor and the walls. A guitar leaned against one wall, a ukulele hung on another, a keyboard sat in the corner, aside several other instrument cases. Besides the instruments, the rest of the decoration in the apartment was comprised of different houseplants, which took up most available surfaces- the windowsill, the desk, the dresser. They all looked different, and were all obviously very well taken care of. 

Besides that, the apartment wasn’t just impeccably clean, it was also incredibly sparse. Evidently, Adel didn’t take much an interest in interior design. Furnishing the room was the bare minimum: a comfy bed, a polished nightstand, a desk and a seat, a cushy chair, some shelves and a rug.

It all looked nice enough to fool the eye at a glance, but there were no knick-knacks that weren’t plants or schoolbooks. The entire area was distinctly.. utilitarian. 

“Ah,” Calvin started, removing his jacket as he took it all in. “So you’re one of those ‘minimalists’, huh?” He cracked a smile at Adel, who was locking the deadbolt on the door. 

“I uh, don’t really know what that means.” Adel said timidly, trying not to show his confusion as he turned around. He smiled at Calvin, and removed his own jacket, then walked past him and draped it over the chair at his desk. 

“You hungry?” Adel asked with a grin, and without waiting for an answer, he disappeared down a hallway, leaving Calvin alone beside the entrance. 

Taking his cue, Calvin gingerly placed his jacket over Adel’s and followed him through the short hallway into a small, organized kitchen space. Adel was searching through stainless steel refrigerator. Quickly, he turned and tossed something to Calvin, who caught it to find that is was a large, round orange. 

Internally grateful that he hadn’t fumbled the orange and made a full of himself, Calvin further tested his luck by tossing the orange back and forth from hand to hand, trying to look cool.

“Thanks, man!” He said, looking up at Adel with a beaming smile. Adel smiled back, relieved that he made Calvin happy. From a cupboard he pulled out a granola snack for himself and began to unwrap it. 

“You’re welcome.” He replied sheepishly, looking down. 

Making short work of his orange’s peel, Calvin glanced around the kitchen, which was relatively small, yet well-outfitted with different appliances and utensils. Still, something about the arrangement of it was off- it looked superficially decorated rather than a well-used kitchen. He got the feeling that Adel didn’t spend too much time in here. 

“So uh, how-“ Calvin started before Adel wordlessly moved forward and gently took the orange peel from his fingers, sliding a drawer open to reveal a trash can that he dropped the peel and his wrapper in. 

Realizing this had interrupted Calvin, Adel looked back at him with his wide, expectant blue eyes. “S-Sorry. Go on.” He prompted. 

Now flustered, Calvin spun the peeled orange in his hands. “Yeah uh. How’d you even get a place like this dude?” He asked, gesturing to the space around them to show that he was impressed by it’s grandeur. 

Adel didn’t seem to share his sentiment though, as he shrugged. “I dunno really. It’s a nice building. It had nice reviews so..” His sentence trailed off as he took a bite of his granola. He was dodging the question. 

Forcing the orange slices apart with his thumb, Calvin chuckled. “No, I mean, how do you even afford a place like this? The rent here must be crazy.” He hoped that Adel could tell that he was sincerely not trying to be rude, he was just bewildered. Calvin couldn’t fathom this small, awkward, punkish boy living in a place so lavish. In fact, he was pretty sure Adel had never even mentioned having a job that would pay well enough to support such a living situation. 

Something about Adel’s posture shifted and solidified, taking up the brooding and serious shape it had before they’d gotten to know each other better. When he spoke his words seemed stilted, as he gave his response a good amount of contemplation. 

“Well.. it’s mostly family money.” As he spoke, he suddenly began walking back to his bedroom area. Calvin followed. “My grandparents are kind of... doting? I think. They send me money from Germany to help with school, housing, the like..” 

From an outside perspective, it was unclear what Adel was thinking. Part of him was embarrassed to admit that he was sustained by money that he didn’t earn. Another part of him was ashamed by the fact that the money was mostly insurance against him needing to work. 

“Wow! That’s really nice of them!” Calvin exclaimed, painfully aware that Adel had become a little uncomfortable, and they were both just standing in the middle of his room. “I’m sure my parents would do the same but, five kids is a lot to provide for already, haha.”

At this, Adel’s discomfort seemed to disappear. He perked up and looked at Calvin, who was in the middle of eating another slice off his orange. “Five kids? You told me you have sisters but not four other siblings!” Adel sat down onto his bed, clearly unable to fathom being a part of such a large family. 

Tentatively sitting down next to Adel, Calvin nodded. “Yeah I’ve got four sisters. I swear the exhaustion will kill me someday.” He feigned a wistful look into the distance, making Adel crack up immediately. Seeing Adel laugh so carefreely made Calvin loosen up a bit. 

“We all have our differences,” Calvin continued. “But I love them. At least it’s never boring.” As he spoke, he lovingly thought of his large family, and all of his younger sisters who he cherished deeply. 

“I can imagine.” Adel said. “It’s probably never lonely either, huh?” Even though he was speaking directly to Calvin, his gaze was lowered to his hands, which he fiddled with now that he wasn’t holding the snack he’d just finished. 

Calvin shrugged. “I dunno... It can get pretty lonely sometimes. I’m the big brother- I’ve got to take care of everybody, be responsible, be smart, be happy. Its a.. Its a big role to live up to, y’know?” He tried to smile but the furrow of his eyebrows wouldn’t allow anything convincing. 

At this point Adel looked up at him again. “I never really thought of it like that before.” 

Instead of replying, Calvin remained silent. He could tell that Adel was thinking through something that he wanted to elaborate on. 

“I’m an only child so.. sometimes I wonder if i missed out on any of that. Those-“ He gestured with his hands as he tried to think of the word he wanted to use. “Those bonds, i guess, that are built in with siblings. Even the responsibility. Someone to take care of. It sounds nice.” 

There were several moments of silence as the two of them were lost in their thoughts. Calvin spoke. 

“Adel... were you lonely at home?” 

Adel grew somber. He inhaled deeply, releasing his breath in a tired sigh. “I wish I could lie to you Calvin, but honestly.. there wasn’t really a time when I wasn’t lonely.” 

Calvin stayed silent once more, opting to observe. As Adel began to continue speaking, he slightly shifted to face towards Calvin less. His words came slowly, as if reliving the memories was difficult, or perhaps he had spent a very long time trying to forget. 

“I was an only child, yes, but.. not even my parents ever spent much time with me. My mother was always very paranoid. It pushed my father away, he became unfaithful. That only made her behavior worse.” Adel paused for a very long time. “They divorced very early in my life. I lived alone with my mother afterwards.” 

This was the point where Calvin decided he should speak up, offer some words of consolation or a change in the topic. Before he could utter out anything however, Adel continued. 

“You know, neither of them ever really treated me like i was their child though. I was probably just proof that two shallow people managed to achieve a nice family life. That was a lie. We’d smile for portraits, then go to our own rooms far away from each other. Even in such a big house, i could still always hear them yelling at each other.” Adel chuckled as he spoke these final words, but his face was emotionless, and his eyes were distant. 

“And when there were two of us I hardly interacted with my mother. There was nothing she could do that a maid couldn’t do for her, so long as she didn’t have to look at me. I was just a little doll in a big empty doll house. Nothing ever changed. It wouldn’t even matter which room i used because they had never even made a room for me. Isn’t that strange?” Finally, Adel turned to make eye contact with Calvin. His eyes were wet, but not close to tears.

“A boy living in a house for adults. She had arranged the house to her liking before I was born, and never changed it afterwards. That house was exactly the same for as long as i lived in it. Sparkly and extravagant, my messed up family hardly belonged. It was like... a puzzle, that was already complete without us. Not a single one of us fit into it, and none of us fit together as well... I’ve never really known the closeness of a family, large or otherwise.”

“Even after we moved in with my grandparents, sold the house, I was still always all alone.” Then Adel fell silent, and withdrew into himself. It seemed he was done speaking about his past.

Calvin looked around the room once more. Perhaps thats why all of the decor was so superficial and functional. Perhaps thats why the apartment seemed so empty. He looked back at Adel.

“I’m sorry Adel. I shouldn’t have pried.”

Adel’s back straightened, and he swatted at his eyes, blinking back any threat of tears.

“No, it’s alright.” Adel assured him. “I shouldn’t be getting emotional, it’s not that deep.” Then he became visibly uncomfortable. “I- I’m sorry for making this awkward, Calvin. We should talk about something else. I didn’t mean to be a bummer.”

Without much forethought, Calvin said the first thing that came to mind, hoping it would cheer Adel up.

“Uhhh what about these plants? You never mentioned you were like, world’s best houseplant owner! I’d probably kill a cactus but these, these are really nice!”

Obviously Adel was invested in his plants, he must love them, and Calvin was earnestly impressed by them. He’d once tried to plant an orange tree when he was younger, but to his disappointment, nothing ever came of it.

Thankfully, Adel smiled. His eyes lit up with pride, and he straightened his back. “Yes, i love my plants. I’m very proud of them. I’ve always enjoyed gardening, but there’s not much you can do in an twelfth story apartment.”

This made Adel laugh, and Calvin tried to laugh too even though he couldn’t relate.

“Do they.. do they have names?” Calvin asked.

Adel tried and failed to repress a smile, and he leaned in close. “They do.” He giggled. “I wasn’t going to say- i think it’s a bit embarrassing.”

Calvin leaned forward as well, setting his hand down right next to Adel’s to brace himself.

“Nooo! I’d love to know, for real!”

Adel rolled his eyes playfully and smiled as he stood up, walking around his room and introducing each of his plants. He started out shyly, but eventually it was clear how invested he was in his individual houseplants- none of which Calvin could name, but they were all very pretty.

“This is Anne, and Claudio, Henry, Franz, Hector, Fanny and Felix, Guissepe, Gustav, Igor, Maurice, and Samuel.”

Adel paused next to the final plant, clasping his hands together and pulling at his fingers, eager to recieve praise from Calvin.

[subtextread]

My mama, and I, are so set in our ways. My mom can’t help but say triggering things - I perhaps can’t help by being triggered by maybe mundane things. It’s work (Work™) not Reacting, and I’m working very hard at it because we are in a scary pandemic and my dad already died this year.

But after washing dishes and saying a goodbye which felt loaded for me and probably/hopefully just flew over her head, I think it was natural to find myself thinking about my dad. My dad had such little access to me - even when circumstances changed and I grew up. He was just grateful to spend time with me and see me. There were times he wanted influence over my life, what parent doesn’t, but it wasn’t the entirety or even a majority of our relationship. I don’t say this as a critique of my mama - she and her side of the family had to do the raising and all the actual work of caregiving, so it’s natural that she also wants a heavy hand in transforming me into what she thinks is right. I’m just saying that there was a balance there. Maybe in safe, well-adjusted families that balance exists with both parents as a unit. With mine it was polarized between them. All that to say, I felt that balance palpably growing up and I wonder if I ever conveyed outwardly to my dad or even to myself in recognition that I appreciated the unconditional nature of his love.

The one year anniversary of my father’s death is in about three weeks. It feels like it was just yesterday. I was writing on tumblr the day it happened because pen to paper was too hard (it’s still kind of hard).

I have hit many roadblocks with processing his death. No death of this magnitude can be easy, but the isolation is unbearable. I will never be able to see my father’s final resting place. When I think of him, there is so little tangible to hold or places to go.

After seeing my mom I ended up driving to the last place he lived when he was here. It was hard. Trying to hold vigil, trying to manifest ritual in these circumstances feels like grasping at vapor, at punishing myself and trying to discipline out memories of places and images that must be somewhere in my mind. It’s also hard because my father lived a life of such transience. His last home in the city was an affordable housing unit, but it’s in a glitzy part of Old Town in Chicago with super commercial streets all around. The building is gated and secured because it is, by its nature, a place people try to access for sanctuary. I was only there for a few minutes. It didn’t feel right to be there, seeing its gentle and cheery Christmas-light bedecked lobby several feet behind the fence while people in need of sanctuary waited outside.

I remember my dad’s unit. If any of you have read the screenplay to Brokeback Mountain, when Alma Jr, Ennis’s daughter, comes to visit him at the end of the book, she’s saddened by the utilitarian nature of his dwellings. That’s how my dad lived too. Is it how all divorced, working class dads with adult daughters live? He had his inflatable mattress on the ground, a hearty and healthily stocked fridge, a TV that only kind of worked, a dial radio, a small closet of pretty chic dad clothes and fancy leather shoes, a lot of magazines and library books. That was it.

I drove around Old Town a little. I could see him walking around there. I could see where he’d post his mail and where he’d board the red line, and where he’d go get groceries.

I went to our old apartment. It was the apartment I was born in, and where my father probably last lived a full 20 years ago. When my parents were together, our family occupied several of the units in the building. This apartment was the backdrop of all of my baby videos and photos. After my parent’s divorced, my dad stayed there still. It was super shitty, to be honest, and at the time, mice-infested haha, but I didn’t know any better. It was home. Its crappiness kind of made it a place of some level of abandon. Once it was just my dad (but even before then), he - and I guess the whole family - had given up on me not drawing on the walls so at some point everything under three feet was just Scribbles, for example.

During that period where it was just my dad in that apartment, I remember a few things - my dad had hung up his target practice headshot sheets (from... work? he was a security guard) on the walls, lol #art. He once made a makeshift swing which hurt my butt and broke a lot but was fun anyway.

One time - ha - I found a tube of bright pink lipstick in the bathroom and subsequently used it to adorn the scribbly walls with a pop of color. I distinctly remember as a kid being like this is weird, but okay. And now, as an adult, I wish I had a camera on me when the implications of my lone, always alone, dad having a random singular tube of hot pink lipstick in his bathroom dawned on me l o l. I was driving down the highway to my childhood home and after being the lady calculating numbers meme for a hot second started cackling hysterically Through The Tears™. My father was just a person, after all. We are all just people. Full, complete, independent people with lives that are always somewhat secret from our loved ones.

I got to our old apartment and there are these two big rocks that have just been there decoratively on this Chicago corner for 30 years at this point. One of them used to be a white/light gray, smooth stone and the other one was a rugged rock with one fully geode encrusted face. I distinctly remember being little enough to climb on them (the white one was slippery, the geode one had purchase making it easy to climb). They’re still there, although now I could literally just climb from one to the other like they were steps on a set of stairs lmao, and the white one has been darkened thanks to city grime ✨. That was the strongest memory of this particular vantage point of our home that I have. All other memories are from the window looking outward, like waiting for my dad’s taxi (like all immigrant south asian dads, mine too was a taxi driver at one point) while listening to the sounds of traffic on wet pavement after the rain.

I texted my brother to ask if he remembered which floor we lived on. He said “wow, weird”. He had just had a dream of our apartment last night. My brother is currently about a half a day ahead of me time-wise, so I think he was both very surprised by our connected subconscious and also perhaps a little concerned that I was visiting no longer familiar neighborhoods at 1 in the morning. But my brother is gentle about this. He didn’t have much of a relationship with my father, his stepfather. He was the first person I called when I was told of his death and he soothed me in all the perfect ways as I drove the 15 minutes it took to get to my mom’s from work. He told me I had been a good daughter, that my father had loved me with the entirety of his being and had lived solely for me, and that I had made him proud and that he had known I had loved him. I wept and wept apologizing that he had to comfort me over someone he had a difficult relationship with, over a stepfather who hadn’t treated him the best, and I could hear him shrug over the phone. He said my father had been a simple man who was constrained by a difficult life and that he had not any ill will towards him. May God protect my brother always, inshAllah.

It’s funny attempting to create ritual, chasing some sort of catharsis or relief in places that felt loaded with meaning, but on physical approach, are devoid of it. My father’s most recent place does not hold his spirit, my birthplace apartment is now occupied by another family and probably furnished up to code. I arrived back to my place having had a stilted cry, a period of smug laughter, a nice conversation with my brother, and now a headache. I’m still stuck in some ways. I’m still figuring out how to process a grief that has elusive, elusive memories attached to it and nothing physical to represent it. But I tried, and my earlier hurt from my mom doesn’t feel all that present anymore. We will keep on trying.

[timelock97]

Love Without A Name

Chapter Ten: Pictures Emerge

Word Count: 4118

Masterlist

Warnings: Language and Anxiety

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next two months moved in a blur. Tom and I bought a place together, moved in, and I had started a new job not far from it. The flat was actually in the same building as the original.

"We are still neighbors, Haz!"Tom laughs as he carries in a box from the hallway inside the new flat.

Harrison groans, setting down his load as I tag along behind him,"You two could have, I don't know, found a different building?"

"But if we had done that then this would have been ten times worse!" Tom smirks, setting down his box labeled 'Kitchen' on the island.

"And think about it Haz," I hum, lifting myself on the counter to sit, "now if you two hang out, when you're sick of him you can just send his ass home."

Harrison laughs and gives me a high five while Tom whines out a, "Heeeeeeey."

The place was pretty spacious, leaving two bedrooms left to be furnished in the future when my family, or Tom's friends, decided to come visit. (Or we decided we wanted to maybe start trying for kids.) The master bedroom was a lot bigger, and included a master bath which Tom and I enjoyed having. We did eventually get a bigger bed, but only after did it became less occupied, especially since the pet beds had been set up.

It took some time for Tom and I to figure out what our style was together. But it was nice to be able to decorate and furnish the place the way we wanted it; which ended up just being cozy and homey (with lots of colorful pieces to displace the black and white furniture). The walls were slowly starting to become decorated in photos from the wedding and our honeymoon, as well as pictures of our family and friends. It had really started to become a home.

"You three need to come and visit," I whine as I pull the phone further from my face where I was laying on the couch.

"When we have time, and money." Mae smiles, Joyce nodding behind her.

"Yeah, who do you think we are?" Celine teases, shifting in the background.

"Uh, duh, my best friends; but anyways, Tom and I are officially moved into the apartment now, and I started my new job last week." I hum, thinking about the small clinic not far down the road.

"I heard!" Mae laughs, Joyce suddenly laughing in the background. "Mom was talking to yours and said you two had almost burned down the apartment, twice I think."

I sheepishly smile before holding up three fingers, causing the girls to erupt with laughter and call out my name. "Okay, it's not my fault. We like to have music playing in the apartment and well, a few times it's a nice slow song and Tom wants to slow dance so we do and we got distracted." I giggle, shaking my head softly. "On the plus side, the owner of the pizza place knows our order by heart."

The girls are laughing so hard that Celine actually falls of her couch. "You literally are living the dream, (Y/N)." When she finally makes her way back on the couch she motions for me, "You never did give us a tour!"

"Yes! We wanna see the house!" Joyce yells, Mae's eyes falling wide at her excitement.

I stand, giggling at them before I begin to walk around the apartment, telling them about all the different places, narrating from behind the camera. In the process of this, Tom had actually come home and was just watching from behind me as I talked about the master bedroom. He eventually laughed at me, asking what I was doing, which go the response of "I'm giving a house tour!"

He leans on the door frame, arms folded over his chest, "Over Skype?"

"Yup!" I giggle, pointing the camera at him, "Look, it's my husband!" a chorus of 'hellos' come from the speaker.

"Hello, ladies!" He laughs, waving before walking out of the room, but not before adding, "You're a strange one, darling."

"You married me, that's your own fault." I call back, moving into the hallway again to show off the extra, empty rooms, "Stuck with me forever."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, my love."

I smile, the girls cooing about how cute we are. Eventually I end the call and join him in the kitchen. I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head down on his back. "How was your meeting?"

"Good," he sighs, placing his hands on top of mine, "we discussed when filming would start." There is a slight pause before he adds, "going to be earlier than expected."

"How soon?" I mumble, squeezing him closer to me.

He takes in a deep breath, almost as if he is braving for the worst before muttering out, "Two weeks."

"For how long?"

"About a month and a half," he takes one of my hands in his, lacing them together, "then I'll be back in London for the rest of shooting." The tone in his voice tells me that he is worried about how I'll react; but, it's his job, nothing I could do about it.

"Not bad," I hum, squeezing him before letting go to wander over to the fridge. I stand in front of it, deciding on out of everything in the fridge, what I could make and begin to pull it out. The only problem, Tom picks everything that I take out and keeps returning them to the fridge. "You're being very counterproductive, Tommy. I need to cook dinner," I laugh.

He smirks, "Well, if you would have asked I would have told you that I ordered take-out and that you didn't need to cook dinner." He sasses, causing me to hum in response tugging me into his arms. "It should be here in a few minutes." He smiles, leaning down to pepper my face in soft kisses, making me giggle.

I move away from him slightly, noticing the slight pout on his lips, "So since we have some time to kill, can I tell you some stories from today?" Tom smiles and nods as I begin to ramble on about some of the more entertaining things that had happened at the clinic; of course, not exposing any of the kids' personal information to him while doing so. While I ramble, Tom nods along and hums in all the right places, but I can tell he really has no clue about what I am talking about.

"You're cute when you talk about all this smart stuff that I cannot even fathom." He chuckles, leaning on the counter and shaking his head.

"Cute enough to convince you to help me build something for one of my kids to help with his treatment?" I bat my eyes at him, causing a laugh to fall from his lips.

"I'd love to help you, lovey." He nods, leaning down to kiss me, but is interrupted by the buzzer going off. He sighs, pressing a quick kiss to my forehead before untangling himself from me, "Get a movie and drinks while I get the food?"

"I got it." I smile, moving back to the fridge, "Beer?"

"Please," he calls as he makes his way over to the front door, leaving it cracked as he heads to the lobby.

I walk around the kitchen, refilling my water bottle before heading to the living room. Tessa and Phoebe are sleeping in the large dog bed, snuggled together. I smile and snap a picture, which I have plenty of already, before I switch on the t.v. and scroll through Netflix. I settle for the Princess Bride, simply because we had planned to watch it last time but ended up watching Infinity War because we wanted to count and talk about the funny scenes; and so Tom could shield my face and yell so I didn't hear Peter's dusting scene ('Because I can't get enough of that laugh, my love!'). I smile when he returns with the take-out bags and sets it down on the coffee table.

"Princess Bride, nice. Go ahead and play it, lovey."

"As you wish," I giggle noticing Tom's lips turn up in the corners.

"Isn't that supposed to be the prince's line-"

"Technically, he is a servant boy-"

"He's her prince charming-"

"I know, baby," I giggle, catching his face in my hands. "And you're mine."

Tom rolls his eyes but leans in and captures my lips in a kiss, "That was cheesy, (Y/N)."

"It was supposed to be." I mutter into his mouth before pulling away and settling into his side. "Food?"

"Yup, only the best take-out for the best last-minute-improvised date-"

"So this is a date?" I giggle, looking up at him.

Tom looks up at the ceiling and playfully groans, "I'm trying to be romantic!" He whines, making me laugh.

"I'm sorry, I just love teasing you. And I love you, sooo..."

"I love you too." He mutters, kissing my nose. We look at each other for a few minutes until we realize that we missed the first ten minutes of the movie.

"Will you rewind that?" I laugh as he leans away to grab the remote.

"As you wish," he mutters while wiggling his eyebrows at me, causing me to laugh behind him. Oh was a perfect, last-minute-improvised date.

~

"Okay, what are you thinking we do for supper?" I ask, Paddy walking beside me, phone pressed firmly into his hand.

"Uh, something with chicken...?" He looks over at me as I grab a cart, pursing his lips slightly. "Also, can we grab something that I can take for lunch for the summer program?"

"Yeah, if you have anything in mind, go grab it. I'm thinking chicken stir-fry, that okay?"

"Like what you made the night you and Tom first moved in? Yes, please."

I laugh, ruffling his hair as I point him in the direction of a few other things I would need for the upcoming week. He smiles as he takes his part of the list and wonders down the familiar aisles. I mutter ingredients under my breath and stand in front of a display of veggies, pulling my hair out of its ponytail and letting it fall again, massaging my scalp to get the roots to stop tingling before grabbing peppers and onions. As I walk to go get wild rice and chicken, Paddy runs over and places a few things in the cart, only to dart off again to grab something else.

The sound of my phone going off in my backpack causes me to knit my eyebrows together in confusion. I swing it in front of me before pulling out my cell phone, Hazel's name and number illuminating the screen. I smile as I answer, "Hazel! How are you?"

"I'm good!" Hazel's voice chirps from the receiver. "How has everything been?"

"Good," I hum, stopping as I grab a loaf of bread, only to grab another. "Tom's working, I'm working, and we got and moved into the flat." I let out a content sigh, "Everything is just really good."

"I'm glad! I was just calling to check in, make sure you were okay."

"Yeah, doing really well. I'm just shopping with Paddy, he's staying the week with me cause his folks are on vacation and the twins are doing projects out of the country."

"So not alone, that's good."

"Yeah," I laugh, noticing Paddy standing in the magazine aisle, holding one in his hand.

"Oh, sorry to cut this short! A client just walked in, I didn't realize it was that close to time. Have a good day!"

"You too!" I smile, hanging up before maneuvering the cart into the aisle and over to Paddy. "You find everything you needed, Pads?"

"Uh, almost, but I noticed this." He hands me the magazine. It's a common gossip magazine. Except, one of the bubbles has the caption, 'Marvel Actor, Tom Holland, spotted on vacation with potential girlfriend?' the picture was blurry, but I could tell that it had been taken while Tom and I had been at the airport in Florida. "Do you think we should tell Tom?"

I nod, but only take a quick picture of the article and front page before replacing it on the shelf. "I'll call him while we make dinner." Paddy nods, quipping out a quick 'I'm going to grab one last thing,' before running off again. I get in line and begin to unload my cart, noticing a few teens looking at the magazine, whispering. Once Paddy is back at my side, I nudge him further into the line, "Can you unpack the front?" He only nods, glancing in the direction of the giggling girls. Thankfully the two of us make it out of the store without any questions and walk the few blocks back to the apartment.

While Paddy goes to sit in the living room to sit with Tess and Phoebe, I unpack and start cooking. Once I had everything set up, I grab my laptop and make sure Skype is set up before texting him and seeing if he was busy.

-----

Spooderman<3

Just taking a break

I would love to hear from you

My Princess

I'm hoping you can skype?

It's important

Spooderman<3

Of course

-----

I text him the pictures before starting the call, hoping he has his computer too. And from the way he has his head tilted down when he answers, tells me, thankfully, he does. "Hi, baby."

His head snaps up, giving me a bright smile. "Hey, lovey. Are you okay? I just got those pictures."

"Yeah, I'm fine. Uh, Paddy found them while we were at the market, so I wanted to make sure you knew."

"I'll call my agent and see if there is any way to clear it up; it should be up to us to tell everyone, not some tabloid."

I nod at him, moving the laptop to the other counter so I can go back to cooking. "Okay, do you think I should worry about it at all?"

"No, no one should bother you, and if they do call Harrison or Tuwaine. They can come get you and tell my fans that you are a friend of ours until I get back and we can talk more about it." He shakes his head, his hands falling back to his phone. "I'm going to call my agent really quick, it shouldn't take too long."

I let out a hum as I continue cooking, Tom placing his phone to his ear. As he talks, I can tell he is annoyed, noting the way that he repeats 'There really is nothing that can be done?' back into the speaker. I move out of frame to wash the veggies while Tom continues to talk quietly. Finally, I can hear him hang-up, letting out a frustrated sigh.

"Baby, its fine. We'll be okay." I tell him, noticing him shake his head.

"I just don't want it to escalate while I am away." His hand going to his hair as he pushes it out of his face, "My fans can be a bit much."

"I'll be fine, like you said I can just call the boys. Actually," I lean into the frame, giving Tom a bright smile. "Guess who is sitting in our living room right now?"

Tom lets out a hum, placing a hand over his mouth in 'deep' thought. "Well, I know it's not Sam or Harry; maybe my Mum?"

"Nope," I giggle, only for Tom's eyes to go wide and he lets out a loud laugh.

"Uh, (Y/N)?" I turn and start to giggle at Paddy, who is leaned slightly forward so Phoebe won't fall off his shoulders where she is perched. "I need help, I think she is stuck."

"Oh Phoebes, you sure have gotten yourself into a pickle, huh?" I walk over and help the cat declaw herself from Paddy's shoulder.

"So I am going to make a second attempt and say it was Paddy in our living room." Tom teases once Paddy is free.

He walks over and places himself on the counter across from the stove, smiling at his brother. "Mum and Dad are on holiday, so (Y/N) and I are hanging out."

"Having fun?"

Paddy nods, going into a long, in depth explanation of what we had done the past few days.

When Nikki had asked if he could stay, I panicked. However, it was only because Tom and I hadn't set up the other rooms. Nikki assured me that he would be fine, but after an afternoon of checking some second hand shops (because I still wasn't comfortable shopping for big things without Tom, cause it's a lot more from his paycheck than mine); we found a nice bedroom set. Tom's parents were so thankful, especially since he had some summer programs that he wanted to attend. But, we were family now, and family meant that we helped each other out.

I smile watching the two of them interact. Tom nodding and telling Paddy about things that were happening on his end as well; but, it didn't take long for someone to pop their head into Tom's trailer to tell him he had to be back on set.

"I have to go, you be good, Pads. And, love?" Tom looks at me with an expression that screams a lot more than just 'I love you'; it says 'I'm worried', 'I miss you', 'I want to be home', and 'God, I just need to hold you'.

"Yes, Tom?"

"I love you."

"I love you too."

He leans closer to the screen, "Please call someone if something happens, okay? I want you safe."

"I will, you stay safe too."

He smiles before giving us both one last wave, ending the call; the black screen reminding me that I had a lot of time till he would really be home.

I stretch my arms over my head before clapping my hands and look at the youngest Holland. "You know, if you help me, this'll be done a lot sooner-"

He hops off the counter, moving toward the sink ready to wash his hands, "How can I help?" ~

I was up most of the night. I could feel the anxiety creeping in my chest, like when you know you have a test the next day that you wish you would have studied a little harder for but you didn't and now it's too late. I got up several times during the night, the last straw being at three forty-seven in the morning. There was no way I was going to fully fall asleep, so I got up and decided to make myself a cup of tea. While the kettle was getting hot, I began looking up any other articles about Tom and I on the internet.

Stories about the blurry photos of Tom and I were surfacing everywhere. Eventually, I turned on my Instagram and started to scroll through the explore page, finding a few fan pages with the blurry photo as well; but besides that nothing. I let out a sigh of relief, only to jump at the sound of the kettle going off. I quickly make the cup before retreating to the couch, turning on Netflix, where I eventually fell asleep.

It wasn't until Tessa nudged my hand and lapped a couple kisses to my face did I wake up an hour later. I sigh, rolling off the couch and slipping my feet into a pair of shoes, which in my half-asleep state, I was unsure if they were mine or Tom's. Once Tessa was taken care of, I prep breakfast and let Tess into Paddy's room to wake him.

"It's too early," he whines as Tessa laps at his face.

"Well, I have to get to work, and your thing doesn't start for a few more hours." I state, getting ready to walk away, but not before adding, "I'm making breakfast." I can hear him groan again, but with the creak of the mattress as well. I smile, making my way down the hall to finish cooking.

Paddy gives me a quick hug before walking up the street to his friend's house as the two of us leave the flat. "I'll text you when I get there; you want me at the clinic after or to head to the flat?"

"Only head to the flat if someone is willing to drop you off," he scoffs as I continue, "I know, I know. You're old enough to do things on your own but for my paranoid mind-"

"I'll keep you in the loop, promise." He nods, pulling his backpack straps away from his body as he walks backwards. "I'll see you; love you, (Y/N)!"

"Love you too, Pads!" I giggle, turning the opposite way and walking to work. The whole way I check around my surroundings. Once I am in the parking lot I notice a car sitting in the far end of it. I raise an eyebrow at it before entering, calling out a quick 'good morning' to the Wilma working at the front. She smiles at me as I pass to set my stuff in the group office before checking my caseload for the day. Today will be a good day, I remind myself.

When I finally make it home, Harrison and Paddy are sat comfortably on the couch eating pizza. "Hey, boys," I hum, rubbing the top of Paddy's head before hugging Haz over the back of the couch, "Thank you, I appreciate this-"

"Not a problem, also, Tom filled me in on your situation."

"Well, I'm glad for that-"

Paddy cuts me off, mouth still full of cheesy goodness, "And I told him that you are on edge because of it-"

"Thanks, Paddy." I roll my eyes as I walk into the kitchen and grab a slice of pizza before making my way down the hallway and change out of my scrubs. Finally in comfy clothes, I return to the kitchen and grab another piece before jumping on the couch with the boys to watch the movie with them.

As the night gets later, Harrison helps me clean up while Paddy gets ready for bed. Harrison watches me as I move, and he notices the way I keep glancing at my phone. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just-" I cut myself off to rub my hand down my face, "Worried. I don't know."

"You shouldn't have to, but we are here if you need anything, I swear."

"And I hope you know that I really appreciate that."

Harrison smiles, carefully tugging me into his arms to hug me. It's comforting, and it reminds me of my brothers. I should call them soon, I miss them. I squeeze him a little tighter before letting him go. He lets out a small sigh before stating that he should probably head back to his flat, he had to be up early the next morning. I walked him out, locking the door behind him since he had taken the liberty earlier to take Tess out for her 'before bed wee'.

Paddy comes back to the living room to say goodnight, hugging me tightly before making his way down the hall, Phoebe hot on his heels. I rub my hands over my face as I scroll through my phone, checking my usual apps before bed.

While back on the explore page on Instagram, I notice a new picture. No, several new pictures.  Most were far away, but I could one-hundred percent tell it was us; especially the ones from Disney. I bite my lip as I read the caption of a cluster of photos. They were when Tom and I were at Epcot, most likely in Germany because he had a beer in hand that in one of the pictures I took a sip from.

Thought I was crazy, but now that I have seen the pictures on People Magazine, I can 100% confirm that @tomholland2013 had to have been on a vacation with his secret girlfriend.

I shake my head before deciding to close out of the app and head to bed. I grab one of Tom's sweaters off the dresser where it had been thrown weeks ago, and pull it under the covers with me. I nuzzle my face into the fabric and send a little prayer to whoever is listening to help me sleep.

Just let me sleep, and I can pretend that everything is okay.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think! Reblog and comment! I hope this upcoming week you have the best time.

@revenantwriting | @bellagrayson-wayne | @jackiehollanderr | @snowxbarryxendgame | @let-me-luve-you | @mybitchborky | @linnyalou | @fanficscuziranout​ | @literallytrashhhhhh | @akweenbitch | @marveltomjunkie | @infinitycaprogers

[a-collection-of-villainous-aus]

Coffee Shop au

Why.... Because I can XD

I mean I could do a whole this guy was working at Hat Manor instead of Flug , Demencia isn't there either and other people are in their place to have this au, but our good doctor and Hit woman are both in this and of course our dastardly Hat man we all love lol, it would not work without the entire crew right...manages to forget 505 for this one pffft maybe he’s Flugs stuffed bear from childhood?

For now let's just focus on Amadeus Black Hat.

(yes named after Mozart and I personally like the name.)

Also focusing on how this all began with him wanting a regular but decent cup of coffee without concerning ourselves on the other details of who would be in place of our favourite characters in his home.

So let's begin.

Early morning, shall we say six, despite being up since five, curtains still closed, our good (not so good) demon was curled up in bed eye closed, grumbling, his pyjamas kept riding up and irritating him and one of his bed socks had come off in the night.

That was another thing that was bothering him, half assedly trying to find it only to discover the damn thing had somehow managed to get on the floor, he glared at said object, how dare it be so far away.

Light peeked around heavy black drapes making him groan again, pulling the covers up over his shoulder trying to settle back and snuggle in pillows that were supposed to be the softest money could buy but today his bed just seemed so ARGH!

"Fine! You win you stupid contraption!"

He snapped at the inanimate object, kicking off the covers in frustration.

(We all know this feeling I'm sure!)

Stretching, bones popping, his yawn much like a cats, small and then stretching to reveal rows of fangs with a curling tongue.

Another glance at his bed sock as he pulled the other off simply to throw it at the offending one while pouting

"Traitor."

So now let's move on to him stripping down to shower as the instrumental of careless whisper plays in our minds and Hat washes himself, soap bubbles and steam miraculously censoring out all the spicy bits, long sweeping shots of legs, hands cleaning his neck and suggestively over two smallish horns protruding just above his brow, looking like he's enjoying his shower way more than any actual person would be.

Waves hand hello, yes hello you there, you can stop drooling now he's out of the shower, in a bathrobe and towel on head despite being lack there of in the hair department.

Toe claws tapping on kitchen tiles, of course he could have someone make his coffee, but he was not ready in the slightest to socialise with the idiots who worked here.

Cupboard doors open, fingers curled around handles, standing there in silence looking over the contents, a clock ticking somewhere in his sterile kitchen.

That's it! He was going out, who in the nine circles could enjoy coffee here!

His bed was uncomfortable, his socks had committed mutiny and now even his kitchen was unwelcoming.

Clapping his hands his suit appearing on him the towels going who knows where, even he did not care!

There was that new coffee shop, it had recently opened, of course he was going to know everything that went on in his town, no one could slip anything past him.

Yes that would be the perfect place to go, being new probably meant the place was not yet popular...hopefully, so then it would not be over crowded, just please don't let it be one of those copy and paste places that held absolutely no charm.

While he was a monster that did not mean he could not appreciate a good atmosphere while enjoying certain beverages.

Heels clicking against marble flooring, cane tucked under his arm, perhaps walking would also lighten his mood, was his lobby always so big?

Hmm perhaps a change was in order.

Upon opening the doors to his home he looked up at the sky, there was a chance of snow or so the weather forecast had predicted, obviously it wouldn’t when he was out.

Black Hat squinted at the clouds, they wouldn't dare.

Of course controlling the weather was not something our miserable fellow here could have charge over and here now we introduce Demencia and Flug, also because I am writing this I've named the doctor /barista Acylius Flug...so... Blep on you.

Now Acylius was in the kitchen, working on making the first batch of muffins, they did not open until at least seven, if they were popular enough they would certainly change it to six to make sure everything was ready on time.

Their café was indeed an inviting place, with deep red walls, high back comfy chairs, circular tables made of dark oak, four books between book ends on each one so someone could read something if they so wished, footstools tucked under chairs and blankets folded on the seats.

Children were not allowed.

Charging ports were optional, though phones had to be on silent.

Wooden beams giving off the impression this place was much older than it was and what art lined the walls which were an assortment of landscapes and portraits Flug would never admit to being their artist.

Demencia was using this job to hopefully pay off outstanding college debts from some years back, there was a two bedroom apartment above the Café where they lived, she got to live here rent free and was still going to be paid.

Apparently her boss and friend was not exactly short handed and sometimes she questioned where the money came from...

Pffft of course she knew about the sedated man down stairs.

"Hey stop panicking gigantor, business is gonna be slow, we just gotta get word out there or listen to customer suggestions, they always like to feel important."

Oh yes did I mention he is also six ft seven and when not torturing keeps his hologuise device off, so you would never compare him to his shorter self with the paper bag and goggles or slight nasally voice...come on now a lot of us have our own design and thoughts on Flug under the bag don't we.

His hologuise has of course been worked so that no one can see his real tall self unless he has it switched off.

"You do not think I am over doing it with the Victorian decor?"

Flug asked awkwardly, while working the white chocolate and raspberry muffin batter.

Nothing was going to come in a premixed cardboard box in his kitchen.

"With that roaring fireplace keeping the place nice n toasty absolutely not, people are gonna love that."

She had a shoulder resting against the door frame and arms folded, watching as Acylius evenly spread the batter into each muffin case.

"Though if no one shows up I am going back to bed, you know you can always join me if you want, help keep it nice and hot."

"Demencia!"

Flug returned, clearly getting flustered a blush forming on his pale skin, placing the tray in the oven, the door clanging shut.

"Now is not the time and anyway would you not prefer someone who does not have a smile permanently carved into their face, I look like I should be quoting Batman Dark Knight lines."

"Awww why so serious!"

The lizard girl teased and only laughed more at his deadpan look only then to be hit in the face by a flying tea towel .

Demencia couldn't help but laugh even more as it was sarcastically followed by

"Oops my hand slipped."

They both paused though when the chiming of the little bell went off, it was their first customer of the day, their first one to arrive at this time...mainly because they actually weren't open yet, not at least for another hour.

Black Hat stood there in the door way, snow thick on his Hat and shoulders, his frown so set in as he shook the cold powder off it could have hit the bloody floor.

The weather had dared to defy him.

Blasted cold wet frozen rain urgh...well this place...it reminded him of a home he’d once known...its styling far too similar it felt like an old parlour , comfortably furnished, a form of nostalgic peace.

The old demon wanted nothing more than to shrug off his coat, put on his fuzzy slippers with bat wings...which of course he'd never in a million years would admit were his and sit by that roaring fire.

(Heh even Mr grumpy pants can be adorable sometimes ;3)

He could hear people around here somewhere, no doubt the kitchen, cane over his arm he walked up to the counter, noticing the empty displays besides a few things in factory sealed plastics.

Sniffing he let out a sigh, a dessert treat was baking, its sweet aroma filling the air, usually our cranky demon here did not care for such things but he would be lying if he said that scent of raspberry and white chocolate with jussst a hint of vanilla did not seem appealing, he could already imagine the tart taste of raspberries on his tongue, wondering how long until those would be ready.

Like kisses from a lover he'd lost so long ago...but that was his story to keep.

Tapping the bell on the desk Demencia came running out paused and went running back, Black Hat rolled his eye and nearly left what awful customer service...when the other one came through, wearing animal oven mitts, he couldn't help but let a small smile form at the corner of his mouth, they were amusing to see on such a tall man...

Time slowed as he turned to face him, like when you see in movies, hair blowing, lighting perfect looking ridiculously gorgeous as the one staring is entranced while the chorus of take my breath away plays out of no where.

He knew that face, pale skin, ebony hair, how did he have the same scars...this man was a duplicate of...

"Sir are you alright?"

Flug asked, shifting as Black Hat had been staring, damn it he knew he should have covered his face up.

Pulling up his white Doctors mask and sighing

"Apologies, I forgot myself, I usually cover them up, did you have an order to make?"

It took Black Hat a moment to come back to reality, clearing his throat and nodding

"Uhhh Black coffee, goats milk-"

"And a dash of Hazelnut!"

Acylius blurted out and froze a moment, crap what if Black Hat didn't like that and he'd just assumed he would and the demon would get mad.

Demencia raised a brow at her friends suggestion, did he just try and finish THEE BLACK HAT'S ORDER!

"Please forgive me sir, I have no idea where that came from."

It was clear while it seemed this man did not remember him, there were old memories lost within that mind, still lingering even in this new life...a part of him still remembered perhaps...he hoped.

"Well there is no need to apologise Acylius, though perhaps I should find out where you are getting your information from."

He teased, leaning in a little.

That made Flug nervous, knocking over the thankfully empty cup, setting it up right again he was about to ask how he knew his name...of course then realising he was wearing his name tag, must've seen it and after all this was Black Hat.

No doubt he knew about the sedated man in the basement.

What our dear six foot seven Barista was really worried about was the demons presence in his newly opened coffee shop.

If the King of darkness hated it no one else would come, then there was a matter of no one else would come unless it was to see Black Hat if he was here all the time.

No that was ridiculous Black Hat would not be here everyday.

So perhaps if this went well, word of mouth would spread that if this place was good enough for Black Hat it was good enough for them and bring in business....oh my god stop thinking and make his drink!

"Please find yourself a seat, I will bring it over, Demencia please turn off the oven, no doubt the muffins are ready now."

"I would like to order one of those to."

"Yes sir, one devil's brew and muffin coming right up!"

Black Hat lingered a moment longer.

Acylius, his Acylius could not have been reborn...no this had to be some peculiar...cruel act of nature.

Karma was finally catching up with him... Yes that was it.

Taking a chair in front of the fire, crimson with a high back, he pulled out the footstool tucked underneath, of course it was facing the counter, he could barely stop looking at him.

Awww our little demon's heart is going boom boom da boom...yes I know cannon wise Hat doesn't have one but that's what Au's are for, free the imagination, anything is possible!

Acylius could still feel his eyes on him, he shivered subtlety, honestly being watched like prey was somewhat thrilling.

All the while though he was concerned he was taking too long to make his coffee as he brewed it and refused to use that instant crap.

(That most of us drink XD)

Turning back , Demencia returned with the display plate now full of muffins, one on a saucer with napkins and small fork.

Placing it on a tray she went on to put the rest where they belonged and noticed the demon watching Flug and grinned

"You like what you see, he's single you know!"

She of course held back nothing with hands on hips adding

"I'm single to but I'm not really looking for anything but come on you've been staring at him like you want him to serve himself on your lap as if he were the most tasty treat on the planet! Long legs, keeps fit-"

"Demencia PLEASE STOP!"

Acylius snapped, blushing bright red, oh god he wanted hell to swallow him up whole, could he just fucking die now please.

" I am so sorry for my co workers behaviour I-"

Flug was so embarrassed that he was completely missing the fact that Black Hat was trying not to laugh.

In any other case he would have simply just left and found it all inane but it was endearing if not bittersweet to see features resembling a lost one look so flustered, he'd always found it cute when his Acylius blushed.

Legs out on his footstool, ankles crossed, he laced his fingers and looked as serious as this entire scenario would possibly allow.

The fire crackling as both co workers stood there in silence, Demencia still grinning, oh ho the legendary master of all evil was actually considering Acylius as a snack!

Of course if her ridiculously tall friend didn't want any of that, she would be more than happy to mount the beast to her wall...bed...any available surface.

Black Hat waved a hand and spoke evenly

"I will let it slide on one condition."

Acylius gripped the tray, where was this going.

"What is it sir?"

"Call me Jefecito."

"But I, you are not..."

He sighed and gave a momentary glare at Demencia, bringing over the coffee and cake.

"Coffee is served, Jefecito, is there anything else you would like?"

"Yes, when I am here, only you are to serve me."

Hat replied, holding his coffee, the bottom of the cup making a clinking sound on the saucer, drinking he felt a comforting familiar warmth spilling down his throat.

"Kinky."

Demencia chirped out.

In which Acylius hid his face behind the tray wishing for death and Hat near choked on his coffee.

[redgillan]

Missed Chances - part 2

Steve Rogers x Reader

Summary: 13 Going on 30!AU - Steve Rogers is crazy about you, but he’s afraid his feelings are only one sided and being one of your best friends, he doesn’t want to ruin your friendship… On his 13th birthday, he makes a wish and wakes up in the body of his 30 year old self. The problem is, you’re no longer a part of his life.

Word Count: 3,845

Warnings: Language, Nudity, Implied Sexual Content, Implied Drug Use, Cliffhanger

A/N: This is so long, I’m sorry. I tried to make the descriptions fun, but idk. I added a few pics bc it was too beautiful. It took me a while to write this chapter, but I had so much research to do for this fic... yikes. I really hope you’ll like this chapter, I worked so hard on it.

Missed Chances - Masterpage

Steve woke up with a migraine, the mattress soft beneath him. His mother must have carried him up and tucked him in while he was asleep because he sure as hell wasn’t lying on the basement floor.

Soft silky sheets brushed against his naked skin and his brows immediately furrowed. He always wore pyjamas.

He tried to sit up, but soon realised that there was a weight on his left shoulder. He looked down at it and saw a mop of tousled light brown hair resting on his chest.

A woman!

His first reaction was to roll to the other side of the bed where he ended up face-to-face with another woman. A strangled cry escaped his throat, making the two women whine in their sleep.

“Mornin, daddy,” the one on his left slurred, her hand trailing up his thigh.

“Did you just call me daddy?” he asked. His voice was so low, he must have caught a cold during his birthday party.

“Isn’t that what you want, daddy?” she whispered into his ear, her hand cupping his groin.

He shirked and scrambled off the bed, taking the silky sheet with him. The two naked women sat up, concerned looks on their faces.

“What’s wrong?”

“You’re naked!” Steve wrapped the sheet around his hips and gestured in their direction with his free hand.

Why did he feel like he was standing on a stepladder? His head was spinning, the room was spinning, too. He had to get out of here.

He looked around the darkened room and yelled, “MOM!”

A look of mild panic crossed the brunette’s face. She picked up her discarded dress and slipped it on. The second woman apparently had the same idea and together they quickly collected their things before they rushed out of the room.

“Wait!” Steve yelled, fumbling with the sheet as he tried to follow them.

He tripped over the trailing sheet and fell face-first onto the soft rug, accompanied by a muffled ‘oof A soft, vibrating sound made him raise his head and he watched in speechless awe as the natural light began to pour into the bedroom.

The room was large, yet simple. There was a King size bed facing floor-to-ceiling windows, offering one of the most impressive views of New York City Steve had ever seen.

Decorative pillows had been thrown to the foot of the bed. One of them even landed on a teardrop shaped settee near the door.

“Good morning, Mr Rogers,” said a sweet feminine voice with an Irish accent. Her voice seemed to come from the ceiling.

Startled, Steve sat on the floor and tugged the sheet around him while looking suspiciously around the room.

“The cook is in the elevator, he should be here any second,” the voice continued. “I’ll start the shower now. Would you like me to turn on some music?”

He had so many questions, but he couldn’t decide which one to ask first so he went with the most obvious one. “Where are you right now?”

The voice sighed. “As I’ve explained before, I’m F.R.I.D.A.Y, an artificial intelligence created by Stark Inc. I’m connected to all the devices around your apartments, including your personal and work phones and computers.”

He sat on the bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, trying to make sense of what happened. He cleared his throat, hoping to get rid of that ridiculously low voice.

“I’m sorry, ma’am, I think you have the wrong Rogers. I don’t know how I ended up in this apartment, or in New York, but I’ll give you my mom’s numb-”

“I’ll ask the cook to add pain killers with your breakfast,” she cut him off, sounding amused. “Perhaps you should lay off the Norwegian liquor for awhile.”

Steve was scared to leave the room, not knowing what he’d find behind the door. He didn’t want to run into the owner, Mr Rogers.

As promised, F.R.I.D.A.Y turned on the shower and, remembering the two naked ladies in his bed, he figured he could use one.

He walked to the windows and marvelled at the view for a moment. He lived in Port Chester and rarely visited the city. On second thought, it wasn’t so bad. At least now he had a funny story to tell Bucky.

He followed the sound of running water and opened the door that led to the bathroom.

The bathroom was equally luxurious with its inlaid stone rain shower that could easily fit eight people. There was also a long vanity with double sinks and a mirror facing the shower.

Mouth agape, Steve let the sheet drop and padded to the shower.

As he passed the mirror, he caught a glimpse of a naked man and threw himself to the floor. He slowly peeked over the vanity, an excuse ready on his lips, but he realized it was just a mirror.

Frowning, he lifted his head a little and let out a small gasp as he stared at himself in the mirror.

“Oh, my god,” he swore, straightened up to his full height, “It’s me, I’m... hot!”

He didn’t look sickly anymore; he was strong and muscular and at least a foot taller. His hair was a darker shade of blond and slightly longer, too. He had a full beard and stared at it for a full minute. He’d always wondered if he’d ever grow facial hair.

“What’s happening?” he said, staring at his reflection.

He ran a hand through his hair, combing it back from his forehead. His hair seemed to naturally fall back into place, like he’d done this gesture so many times that his hair knew exactly where to go.

Yesterday was his thirteenth birthday party and today he woke up looking like a thirty-year-old man. How was it possible?

Oh, the birthday party....

I want to be an adult. I want to be thirty, I want to find love.

“No,” Steve drawled out, disbelief lacing his voice. “That’s so cool!”

It seemed completely crazy, but there was no other explanation.

He took a step back and checked himself out in the mirror. His body was, for lack of a better word, impressive. Wide shoulders, broad chest, tiny waist, massive arms and thighs...

“Tattoos?” he whined, inspecting his body closely. He had one on his left shoulder, a quote under his clavicle and another one on the right side of his chest. “Mom’s gonna kill me!”

The shower was already running, the steam fogging up the mirror. He stepped into the shower, his eyes focused on his blurry reflection.

Showering was a strange experience. He ran his hands over the hard planes of his broad chest and tight abs, discovering this new body more intimately.

His breathing hitched and he felt himself growing hard. Chancing a glance down, he saw the evidence of his arousal sticking up straight from his body. Then, suddenly, the water turned ice cold and he hurriedly leapt out of the shower stall.

“What the hell?”

“You always end your morning shower with a blast of cold water,” the A.I replied. “It increases alertness and closes up the pores.”

“Yeah? Let’s not do that again.”

“Very well, sir.”

“You can call me Steve,” he said, wrapping himself in a fluffy towel. “So, um, I live here?”

“Yes, Steve, 45 East 22nd Street, apartment 60FL. Is there anything else you need?”

“Clothes?” he replied with a shy grimace.

Following F.R.I.D.A.Y’s direction, he took a deep breath before he opened the bedroom door. He was scared to run into someone, even though the A.I. had informed him that it was just him and the cook.

He entered the walk-in closet tentatively and gasped when F.R.I.D.A.Y. turned on the lights. It was twice the size of his bedroom, with a round sofa in the middle of the room and a small staircase that led to another closet with mirrored sliding doors.

Suits, shirts, trousers, jeans, shoes; there were enough items for him to open his own store. He took his time and tried on several outfits before he found the perfect one.

“Steve,” the A.I. interrupted, “Your morning coffee has just finished brewing. Breakfast is served. I should also remind you that Mr Rumlow will be expecting you in the hall at 8 a.m.”

“Brock?” Steve squealed, suddenly excited to see a familiar face. “I’m still friends with Brock! That’s awesome!”

“Indeed, it is,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied in a monotonous voice. “Are you sober enough to find the dining room?”

He bashfully told her he had no idea where the dining room was and she provided directions again. She sounded like a real person: annoyed, sassy, amused... It was strange to think she was just a voice in the wall.

What Steve had seen so far was nothing compared to the living-slash-dining room. It looked like a page out of a magazine.

There was a large and modern dining room table for formal meals that led to a windowed eat-in kitchen with marble countertops and custom-designed cabinetry.

The living room was spacious and bright, decorated with modern artworks and furnishings. Thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, he had a 360-degree view of New York City, looking over the borough of Brooklyn.

“I could get used to that,” Steve whispered to himself.

He sat at the breakfast nook and glared at the tray of food in front of him. His breakfast consisted of a green concoction in a tall glass, a slice of grapefruit and a bowl of sliced bananas in plain yogurt. He poked the grapefruit with his spoon and screwed his face up in disgust.

“Um, ma’am,” he spoke, looking up at the ceiling. “Do you have cereal?”

“You cut out sugar from your diet,” F.R.I.D.A.Y. replied.

“That sucks!”

He ate a few spoonfuls of yogurt before he pushed the tray away. It was almost time to meet Brock downstairs so he took the elevator down to the lobby, excited to see his friend.

“What the fuck are you wearing?” a voice startled him as he stepped into the lobby.

A man, most likely in his thirties, stared down at him, incredulous. His black hair was short and styled with gel and he wore a perfectly tailored beige suit with no tie.

Steve looked down at his own clothes and frowned. He was wearing a pair of jeans with a matching jacket and a light blue shirt.

He really liked this look and it was really popular, especially after the American Music Award where Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears showed up wearing matching denim outfits.

“Denim-on-denim?” Brock said with a smirk. “Trying to bring sexy back?”

Steve cocked his head to one side. Was that a reference to something? He had no idea. “Brock? That’s really you? Whoa, you’re old!”

Rolling his eyes, Brock turned on his heel. “Fuck off, Rogers.”

Brock was on his phone when the doorman opened the door for him. Steve trailed after Brock like a lost puppy and greeted the man at the door with a polite smile. The man looked at him incredulously before his face broke into a similar friendly smile.

“Where are we going?” Steve asked as they walked to the car parked in front of the building.

“Work, dude.”

“We work together?” Steve said excitedly. “That’s awesome! Okay, what do we do?”

Brock threw him a side glance. “I knew I should have stayed last night. The party must have been wild, you look so stoned. What’d take? Cocaine? Heroin? Meth?”

“What?! No, I don’t do drugs,” Steve objected.

“Yeah, right,” Brock scoffed, “me neither.”

It only took fifteen minutes to go from his apartment to his workplace in the garment district of Manhattan. Steve looked out the tinted window as the chauffeur pulled to the curb before a large mirrored-glass building.

His bodyguard opened the door and Steve slowly climbed out of the car, his eyes widening when he saw a plaque above the double doors that read ‘STEVE ROGERS HEADQUARTERS NYC’.

“Nice outfit, sir,” his bodyguard said, a smile lifting the corners of his mouth.

“Thanks,” Steve replied, still flabbergasted.

Brock rounded the vehicle and pulled Steve aside. When Steve continued to look around in wonder, Brock grabbed his shoulders and shook him once.

“Man, you gotta pull yourself together,” he whisper-shouted. “You’re a fucking fashion designer. You can’t enter this building looking like Justin fucking Timberlake on Prozac.”

Brock glanced around to make sure no one was listening and spotted paparazzi on the opposite side of the road. He moved in front of Steve to block their view.

“Here’s what you gonna do,” he continued. “You’re going to enter this building, drink a large fucking coffee and lock yourself in your office. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of everything, but you owe me big fucking time.”

Steve gave him a hard look. “You say the F-word like a lot.”

Brock sighed, his eyes never leaving Steve’s face. “Man, I don’t know what you took, but next time I want in.” He pulled him into a hug and patted his back. “Stay hydrated, ‘k?”

They entered the building together. There were a lot of people in the atrium; tall, skinny models who turned their heads when they recognized Steve and employees who watched him with a mixture of fright and admiration.

They seemed to move out of his way like he was Moses parting the Red Sea. Steve was too speechless and confused to focus on them. They took the private elevator and stood in silence while the elevator made its long ascent.

“I’m a fashion designer,” Steve spoke quietly, mostly to himself.

“Yup,” Brock mumbled as he pulled out his phone and started typing a text message. “Time’s person of the year in 2012 and 2017, youngest billionaire in the world and the wet of every boys and girls on this fucking planet.”

“I must be dreaming,” Steve said slowly as he processed what Brock had just said. “Ow!” he cried when he pinched the tender skin on his neck.

“Not dreaming,” he said, “now let’s go.”

Brock walked over to a woman with long golden hair. He leaned in and whispered something into her ear. She gave him a thumbs-up and turned to Steve with a bright smile.

“Oh, my God,” Steve cringed, looking for a place to hide. His employees were busy looking busy and didn’t pay attention to them.

Brock and the woman walked back to him. “Wanda’s gonna take care of you.”

Steve took Brock aside and explained that he woke up next to this Wanda girl just a few hours ago. Brock laughed and called Steve a ‘fucking stereotype’ before he headed toward his own office. Steve turned back to Wanda with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry about earlier,” he said. “So, um, who are you again?”

“Wanda Maximoff, your assistant for the past two years,” she replied with a frown. “You really scared us this morning. Mr Rumlow said you weren’t feeling well.”

Steve replied with a casual shrug while she led him to his office. She informed him that Brock had already transferred the files he needed for the meetings and that he was free for the rest of the day.

“Clint will drive you home when you’re ready, sir.”

“Ok, cool,” he replied.

Involuntarily, she let out a loud laugh as the words passed his lips. He was always so professional and stern, definitely not the kind of boss who treated their employees like family members.

But when he was not at work, he was completely different.

Wanda had run into him in a very select bar the night before. He had danced with her, offered her fruity cocktails and she had really liked the attention. When he invited her and her friend over to his apartment, they eagerly accepted the invitation.

“Oh, by the way,” she turned back to him and handed him his personal phone, “I took your phone by mistake this morning.”

“Oh.” He looked down at the rectangular device in his hand.

She left the room, closing the double doors behind her. Steve plopped down on one of the sofas in his office and took a good look around the room. One thing was for sure, his 30 year-old self was a materialistic person.

His office was a mess, which was strange since his apartment was absolutely spotless.

There were mannequins everywhere, sketches and pieces of fabric clipped onto wooden boards for future reference. He also had a large collection of fashion magazines, sharpies, pencils, erasers, rulers and sketch pads.

He sat in the comfortable leather chair at his desk and flipped through various files. He soon realized that work was his whole life and that he probably spent more time in his office than at home.

Steve loved to draw; it was his safe place. His mother didn’t make enough money to buy him GI Joe dolls or remote controlled cars, but she always came home with pens and scraps of paper stuffed in her bag.

He was looking at some of his drawings when an alarm on his phone went off. He had never owned a phone before, but Bucky’s mother had one –a Nokia 3310- and it didn’t look like this one at all.  He managed to turn the alarm off and read the reminder.

Chez Francis, 8PM

The computer on his desk was a lot thinner than what he used to use at the public library, but he recognized the Apple logo. He was relieved to see that Google was still a thing and after a quick search, he found the restaurant located in Greenwich Village.

Since he was technically allowed to leave, he asked his chauffeur-slash-bodyguard to drive him home. Clint was a quiet guy. He seemed nice, though a bit on the scary side.

Steve learned that he owned ten apartments in the tower; the penthouse, the first five floors, which were for his employees, and four others for his guests.

Like Uncle Scrooge, Steve was swimming in money.

But something was missing.

No one had mentioned his mom, you or Bucky and it was starting to stress him out. Plus, now, he had a dinner date with a mysterious guest. He could have bailed on them, but his mother had raised him better than that.

He arrived at the restaurant with ten minutes to spare and decided to stay outside while he waited for his guest. It seemed like a lovely place; French food, but not too pretentious. He hazarded a glance inside, but the lights were dimmed.

French food and dimmed lights? This wasn’t a casual evening, it was a date. A wave of nausea hit him and for a second he thought he might throw up. If he had a girlfriend, then he was the world’s shittiest boyfriend.

He woke up that morning with two naked women, neither of them seemed to be his partner. As a kid, he’d promised himself he’d treat his partners with respect, especially after his father left his mother for another woman.

His mother was his hero, but as far as he was concerned, his father could rot in hell.

Outside the sun had set and there was a distinct chill in the air. Steve tightened his coat around himself and looked around. There was a man, not far away, busy typing away on his phone.

He was tall, probably in his late twenties, and dressed smart casual. His shoulder length hair was tied up in a bun and he was wearing a long coat above a navy blue shirt.

“Bucky?!” Steve exclaimed, recognizing his best friend.

The man looked up from his phone with a frown and met Steve’s eyes. Steve’s face split into a wide smile as he walked over to him.

“I’m so glad to see you,” he said, pulling him into a hug. Bucky’s body was stiff, but Steve was too happy to notice that. “Look at us, all grown up and stuff!”

Bucky didn’t say a word, he pulled back quickly and smiled tightly at Steve who was still beaming.

“The craziest thing happened to me today,” Steve continued, undeterred. “You’re not going to believe this. When I woke up th-”

“I’m so sorry I’m late. It’s rush hour, I had to fight my way into the train,” you said breathlessly. You had seen someone with Bucky, but you only realized who it was when you turned to him. “Steve?”

“Hi,” Steve replied, looking down at his shoes.

The last time he’d seen you, you had run away after Brock asked you if you wanted to play Seven Minutes in Heaven with Steve. You had broken his heart that day. It might have been 17 years ago, but, to Steve, it was only yesterday.

“Are we waiting for someone else?” he asked.

Your eyes widened. “We?”

You and Bucky shared a look, the two of you had become masters in the art of silent communication. Bucky curled his arm around your waist and tucked you against his side. The gesture didn’t go unnoticed.

What?

No...

“Steve,” Bucky said after clearing his throat. “I don’t know who you’re meeting here, but it’s not us. We,” he paused briefly, “we haven’t seen you since high school.”

That comment made Steve’s head snap up. “High school? We’re not friends anymore?”

You were taken aback by his tone. It was pleading, almost childlike and it made your chest tighten. You had to remind yourself that this man, as nice as he was trying to be, wasn’t the sweet kid you used to know.

He was a celebrity, a billionaire and women threw themselves at his feet. He lived a scandalous life. He wasn’t your Steve.

A pretty blonde with long legs and a perfect white smile came up to them and kissed Steve on the cheek. She turned to you and Bucky and greeted you with a cheerful ‘hello’.

“Looks like you found your date,” Bucky told him watching you shake the blonde’s hand.

Steve caught the gleam of the solitaire on your ring finger. Caught off guard, he stared at you with a wounded look on his face. Bucky tightened his arm around your waist.

“You’re married.”

“Engaged,” you corrected, smiling at his date when she grabbed your hand and took a closer look at your engagement ring. She commented on how beautiful the ring was and you agreed, turning your head to smile at Bucky.

He shook his head, bashful, and kissed your temple. Steve was frozen, unable to look away and unable to close his eyes. His whole world came crashing down around him.

“We should go,” Bucky whispered into your ear as he linked his fingers with yours. He straightened up to look at Steve and his date. “It was nice seeing you. Enjoy your evening.”

“Likewise,” the woman said with a smile. “And congratulations.”

Steve cleared his throat. “Yes, congratulations.”

He watched you and Bucky enter the restaurant. A myriad of emotions washed over his face, none of them pleasant.

Be careful what you wish for...

Part 3

[ggukgore]

Roommates- Kim Taehyung (1)

Warnings: Mentions of suicide, Major character death

Wordcount: 1.2k

Genre: Angst, Slowburn, Slice of Life

Rating: T

notes: Living with permanent company wasn’t ideal, but it was what your paycheck could afford. // please forgive me for not having a “read more” button, I’m on mobile! Also, I wrote this over a year ago, I’m sorry if there are any plot holes and for the weird wording and also for the immense amount of cringe-worthy cliches

Finally, you managed to get away from you're overprotective parents. Although you were twenty-one years old, they still believed that you weren't responsible enough to be out on your own. You had finally escaped them, moving into the one of the first apartments you laid eyes upon.

The apartment's lobby was nice and modern. It was almost like a penthouse. The only downsides of living there was the fact that you had a roommate, and the fact it was located in the middle of a busy city.

You didn't have much to bring into your new home since you expected it to already be semi furnished. You made your way to the elevator while dragging your suitcase close behind you. You looked into the side mirror that was inside the elevator, sighing.

Eventually, you made it to a hallway that had symmetrical looking doors down it, a few had decorations such as reefs. You walked slowly down the quiet hallway, carefully searching for your apartment number.

"213...213.." You murmured to yourself so you wouldn't forget, you tended to that a lot more than you cared to admit.

You made it, knocking on the door a few times before waiting for a response.

'Is he home?' You wondered, while fumbling with the spare key you had in your sweating hands.

The door opened slowly as a tall man with a white robe engulfed around his body and damp hair appeared. You quickly shoved the key back into your pocket, almost dropping it in the process.

"(Y/N)?" He asked, looking down at you.

"Hi, Taehyung." You said. You obviously had to contact him when applying for the apartment, there you learned each other's names.

"Who's that?" A feminine voice shouted from the inside. You frowned, feeling quite awkward. Hopefully that's not his girlfriend, you don't want her coming after you since you now live with him.

"My roommate." He lousily answered back, creating a bigger gap in the door than before. A girl in silky lingerie appeared behind him, hands holding onto his shoulder while she poorly attempted to hide her body in back of him.

He whispered something in her ear as you watched, oblivious to what he said. Her eyes scanned up and down your body, you stood insecurly.

"You can leave now Minji." He whined, waving her off.

She pushed past you, shoulder bumping with yours. She left, in her lingerie, down the hall. You followed her with her eyes as she disappeared.

"You can come in if you want."

"That's what I was planning to do." You said, smiling uncomfortably.

He gave you grin, only to turn his head and scratch his nape. You entered the house as he directed you towards your room. "It's right there, across from mine." He pointed. You nodded as you opened the door, studying the queen sized bed.

"Wow, this is nice." You said in awe while looking back at him. He hesitated before smirking and spitting a sly remark. "Yeah it was ex-girlfriend's." You scoffed, taking a seat on the bed while unpacking your things. He watched you do so.

You responded by closing the door with your foot.

"Hey!" He called out as the doorknob turned. You went to hold your foot against it so it wouldn't open but you were too late. Taehyung leaned his body against the doorframe, watching you unpack.

"I was going to go to the grocery story, but I don't feeling like cooking-"

"- I can help cook." You interrupted as he coughed at your sudden abruptness.

"Anyway, I was wondering if you wanted to go out to eat or something, It's my gift to you moving in." He stated plainly as if he didn't care, although on the internally he was hoping you'd agree. He picked up one of your picture frames as you arranged things. He eyed it thoroughly.

"Who's this?" He asked, pointing to a girl with blondish hair.

"It's my sister, and I'll go out to eat with you if you get out of my room." You complained, pointing toward the exit. God, he was going to be a pain. He looked at to where you were pointing, then back at you. He hesitated before speaking. "To be honest with you, you're my first roommate here. This extra room needed someone in it." He said, shoving his hands into the pocket of his robe.

"Who was that girl anyway?" You asked curiously. "It was no one too important." He answered back with a smug expression. "I thought maybe it was your girlfriend, at first." You said honestly.

"Who said it wasn't?" He shot back, studying your reaction. Your face flushed red as you avoided looking the boy in the eyes. You didn't respond.

"I'm kidding." He said, seeing your embarrassed form. He didn't want to take it too far since you had just moved in that day. "Why? You jealous? Am I that good looking?" He teased, chuckling as he walked towards the door. "Leave." You sternly said.

"Alright, Alright, come out when you're ready." He said, closing the door slowly behind him.

You sighed, being annoyed at his arrogant attitude. "He's so cocky." You mumbled to yourself as you began to pull out clothes to wear from your suitcase. You decided not to wear something too fancy, just leggings and a shirt that went straight across, exposing your shoulders.

Taehyung's eyes jumped straight to your bare skin as you entered the kitchen, where he was sitting on the counter. You noticed his glance but decided not to comment upon it.

You followed him to his car, taking a seat in the passenger's side. He started the car and began to drive off to the restaurant. "Sooo...where are we off to?" you piped, waiting for him to give you details. "Anywhere, why? Do you have a place to eat you want to go in particular?" You shook your head no.

"I don't really know any good places around here in the city, I lived on the countryside." You told him as he raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "Really?" He asked excitedly. "I'll show you around to few places, how about that, my mother used to show me around the city when she had days off." He said.

"How cute-"

"Yeah." He said quickly cutting you off. "Why don't we start our travels tomorrow? Tae's Travels." he giggled.

"I wouldn't mind, I guess, even though I should be searching for a job ." You shrugged. You didn't feel like traveling too much, you overall just wanted to settle in. Taehyung saw through you.

"You seem like one of those people who would host a party without liquor." He said, he hadn’t known you for very long at all, but he sure got a kick out of testing you. He was simply testing things out and exploring your personality. You didn't answer as you looked out the window at the view of the city.

What does he mean by that?

-

"That was really great, thanks, Taehyung." You said sweetly as you walked beside him. He smiled down at you being so happy just from a small meal he treated you to. He had insisted that it was his treat to you moving in, again. You rolled your eyes at that.

He took you to a flight of shady looking stairs, you looked at them skeptically. "Are you planning on killing me up there or something?" You said playful, lowkey thinking he might. He groaned, taking your hand in his. "Just follow me."

[fortitude-sakura]

Noir [1/?]

AO3

Summary: We wander through the darkness, alone and blind. That is, until we find each other and walk into the light together.Love blossoms in many different ways and at different times. It's beautiful any way you look at it.

Rating: M 

Tags: Corporate AU

next

“Sakura!” A sweet, feminine voice sing songed from the hallway. “Congrats!”

Sakura’s roommate Tenten bounced into their tiny living room, the widest grin on her face.

“Thanks, Tenten.” She smiled, looking up from her laptop over her shoulder.

“I got you something.” Tenten announced, leaning over the back the couch, dangling an envelope in her roommate’s face. “Something to celebrate you finally finding a job.”

“An internship.” Sakura corrected, as she took the envelope and opening it up.

“It’s a paid internship, that’s what counts!”

Tenten had gotten her a gift certificate to Serenitea House, a fancy tea house in the city. It was a really popular place because of how aesthetically pleasing everything was from the food to the decor and so she saw it a lot on Picstagram.

“Oh wow! You’re the best Tenten, thank you!” she said, hugging her roommate. “You wanna go tomorrow since it’s Saturday?”

“Sounds like a date.” Tenten said, winking mischievously.

“I’ll pick you up at 1.” Sakura laughed. “It’s not as if I have a better offer.”

“Rude!” Tenten pouted comically, hitting her roommate with a throw pillow. “I’ll have you know I’ll be the best date you’ve ever had.”

黑

The tea house was styled with traditional Japanese elements - wooden furnishing, panelled walls with linen pillows - as well as more modern design - their desserts and drinks were served on delightfully minimalist dinnerware. They had been seated by the window, where the lazy Saturday sun, made the small koi pond outside sparkle.

“So which company is the internship with again?” Tenten asked, peering inquisitively at her assorted tea jellies.

“Uchiha Enterprises. You know, I’m surprised I got the internship there since I’ve applied to nearly every single job in this city.” Sakura replied, taking a sip of her hojicha latte. Serenitea House really lived up to all the hype, the hojicha was divine.

“Well, since it’s a paid internship, we can finally stop eating like we’re broke students.” Tenten laughed.

Indeed, in the last 2 years they had lived together they really did eat like they only had $100 to feed the both of them, so much so that Tenten developed a signature instant ramen dish (which really was just ramen noodles stir fried with whatever she could scrounge up with a spicy sauce).

“You’ll still cook noodles for me though, right?”

“Of course, otherwise the only thing you’ll have for the entire day is a coffee and a muffin.” Tenten giggled. “Anyway, when do you start?”

“Monday. Which reminds me, do you have a blazer I could borrow?”

“You don’t have anything?”

Sakura shook her head. Between her job searches and meagre part time wage, she had only bought a single black sheath dress to wear to interviews.

Tenten thought for a moment. “I should have something. I’ll have to take it in though - you’re a lot smaller than I am.”

That was the benefit of having a friend that was a tailor - she could make anything fit you like a glove. Sakura had wide hips but wasn’t very tall, so she would often have to buy pants that were slightly larger resulting in extra pant length. Sakura also had the issue of a lot of clothing being too loose in the chest, much to her dismay. Over the years, Tenten had taken up many pant hems and taken in clothes that were too big or loose for Sakura.

Tenten herself shared Sakura’s pain with ill fitting, off the rack clothing, although her issues were attributed to  a generous chest and what she liked to refer to as Thundaga thighs (a result of playing too much Final Fantasy).

“Tenten?” a soft voice questioned.

Tenten jumped slightly and looked up to see a pretty, gentle faced girl with long silky black hair. Her lavender coloured cashmere sweater brought out small hint of lilac in her pale eyes and emphasized the slight purple lustre to her hair.

“H-Hinata! Hi!” Tenten said, rather started. “This is my roommate, Haruno Sakura.”

Sakura smiled and gave her a polite head bob.

“It’s been a while! Are you having tea here too?”

The girl called Hinata smiled softly, her pale purple eyes twinkling. “Oh um, kind of. I opened this tea house.”

“Really?” Sakura exclaimed, “The tea and desserts here are amazing!”

“Thank you. We also serve light meals too! Our chef, Koma-san is very talented. Please let me know when you’d like to try them - I’ll save a private room for you.” Hinata said earnestly, reaching into her expensive leather handbag and producing her business card. “Just send me a message or call me.”

“Thanks! We will!” Sakura said, waving as Hinata left the two girls to their tea.

She looked over the business card. ‘Hyuga Hinata’ was embossed on the heavy cream coloured card, her phone number just below her name. She opened her mouth to say something but Tenten looked like she was in a faraway place, her eyes glazed over with hints of reminiscence.

黑

The first week at Uchiha Enterprises did not go as she expected. She had been slightly nervous about the idea of having to get straight to work but it seemed as though the first week was purely for orientation and administrative matters.

After getting her photo taken and keycard printed, Sakura, along with a dozen other interns were given lengthy presentations from a Takaya-san from the Talent Acquisition Department (which was really just a fancy name for Human Resources) on how the Internship Program worked (a quarterly department rotation in order to best determine suitability beyond the program if the participant passed), various employee incentives (from discounted movie tickets, corporate discounts to the famous Employee Housing Program). Lunch had been generously catered for each day, even though there was supposedly a subsidised staff cafeteria.

At lunch, her fellow interns were discussing the many benefits of working here.

“So, did you guys apply for the Employee Housing thing?” a tall, dark haired guy name Shoichi  asked, tucking into his turkey and cranberry focaccia.

“No,” Hiromi sniffed, tossing her shiny golden hair over her shoulder as she picked at her salad with ladylike delicacy, “I don’t live far away enough to qualify.”

Takaya-san talked about the Employee Housing Scheme that morning. Apparently it was a new incentive that Uchiha Itachi had started to encourage applications from talented individuals that would not have otherwise applied due to location.

“That was the only reason why I applied.” Toshiro piped up, pushing his glasses up his nose. “This was the only company in Konoha I applied for. I had offers back in Suna from high profile companies, but ultimately the program was what convinced me.” he said rather haughtily.

Of all the interns, Toshiro was the one she liked the least. He was always humble bragging, talking about what other companies made him offers and how he graduated from University of Suna magna cum laude . If she had to endure another conversation of him and his IQ (“142, that’s genius territory.”) she’d punch him (or not, since it was technically physical assault and she’d get terminated).

After lunch and the inevitable lull of sleepiness that followed (too much good food can be a bad thing after all), they were given a “quick tour of the office” as Takaya-san put it.

The Uchiha Enterprise owned the land the building stood on and subsequently owned all 38 floors of said building. Takaya-san also noted that the Uchiha Enterprise also owned other various buildings, including a high rise and a small block of apartments that were used in the Employee Housing Program.

Most departments took up a single whole floor, while others took up several.  Some departments (mostly the marketing and creative departments) had surprisingly modern office concepts - open offices, bean bags, feature walls and even table tennis tables - while other floors were more traditional - cubicles, potted office plants and file boxes piled everywhere.

They all piled back into one of the 6 elevators after touring the sad cubicles of the Finance Department when Toshiro spoke up.

“So is the 38th floor, Uchiha Sasuke’s office?”

Takaya-san was looking rather annoyed as did everyone else. Toshiro kept commentating on almost everything as they toured the office. Hiromi and Ami gave him withering looks and shuffled away from him.

“It’s Director Uchiha to you.” snapped Takaya-san. Poor Takaya-san. She had been rather patient the entire time but even she had her limits. “But yes, 38th is the Director’s Office.” she said, swiping her keycard and pressing the ‘38’ button.

The rest of the interns started murmuring with interest.

“The man’s a proper genius. Not as brilliant as Uchiha Itachi, but still.” Shoichi said in awe.

Hiromi and Ami were giggling about how they had seen Director Uchiha on the cover of Konoha Business Review. Toshiro let out a little scoff, muttering under his breath how he too had won awards at his alma mater too.

Sakura didn’t know a thing about Director Uchiha. She had applied for the internship on a lark, received an interview invitation that day, interviewed the next and received the offer later on that afternoon. She had directed her research to the company itself and its subsidiaries, not the actual director himself and knew nothing other than his name.

The elevator doors opened with a gentle ‘ ding! ’ and the interns were greeted by a beautiful lobby - dark marble floors and a wood panelled wall feature, the Uchiha Enterprise logo emblazoned upon it. An attractive woman was shuffling papers around at the reception desk, looking up as they exited the elevator.

“Hi Akane, I’m doing an office tour for our new interns.” Takaya-san gestured to their group, “Is the Director here?”

“He should be. I don’t have any appointments for him and I haven’t seen him leave.” Akane said with a warm smile.

“How’s his mood?” Takaya-san whispered.

“Well, Keiko didn’t get his coffee order wrong for once so I’d say it’s as good as you’ll get.” she said quietly, before pushing a few buttons on the phone. “Keiko? Let Director Uchiha know that the new interns are here taking their tour.”

“Uh… sure.”

黑

Seriously, it’s not fucking difficult to get a damn coffee order correct.

Sasuke paced around in his office, the takeaway cup from Milk Grind in his hands. Getting Keiko to grab him his daily dose of caffeine was like playing Russian Roulette - you never knew which one she’d come back with. She’d come back with long blacks, short blacks, cappuccinos, flat whites (an Australian specialty that Milk Grind prides itself on), flavoured lattes. The list goes on. Once she came back with an iced latte (despite his request for a hot drink) and another time she came back with a hot chocolate (which didn’t even have caffeine in it!).

Kakashi probably thought it was funny, hiring him an executive assistant that couldn’t follow instructions. However he didn’t really have a legitimate reason to terminate Keiko’s employment. Even though Keiko seemed to be incapable of remembering his coffee order, she was doing the rest of her job to a reasonable level.

His intercom buzzed. Speak of the devil .

“Director, the new interns are here in the lobby. On their tour.” she drawled lazily.

“I’m busy Keiko. Give them my apologies, I’ll arrange another time to meet them.”

The intern program had been overhauled by his brother during his term as Director. No longer were interns delegated menial tasks like photocopying and fetching coffee, they were given actual work. His reasoning was that interns were an excellent way of finding untapped talent - how were we supposed find out if they were talented if all they’re made to do is stand guard at the photocopying machine? His brother also went out of his way to make sure that new employees were given tours of the office - including the executive floor.

While his brother may not have minded new employees poking around his office, he certainly did.

He wasn’t Itachi. When would anyone get that?

黑

Sakura had been put into a software development team as a business analyst. Her fellow interns were also doing business analyst work, including the insufferable Toshiro. The faint silver lining being was that he was in a different team which limited their interactions some.

Her work was challenging and her colleagues were all friendly and accommodating. On the whole, she had no complaints except for the frequency of the coffee runs mandated by the Team Leader. It also hadn’t helped that Sakura decided to get the coffee from a local coffee house called Milk Grind instead of Starbucks - the team loved the coffee so much that it was decided that it would fall on her shoulders to get coffee and snacks.

Still, they were a nice excuse to get some fresh air during the day (even if she got fresh air on an average of 3-4 times a day). This coffee run included 7 lattes (one regular without sugar, one regular with a single sugar, one with skim milk, two with almond milk, one caramel and one iced) and snacks. She had become quite adept at carrying all the coffees and snacks back to the office, a talent that she wasn’t sure if she should be proud of or not.

“What will it be this time, Sakura?” a roguish looking barista asked, leaning on the counter. When you come down for coffee runs multiple times a day, you make fast friends with the staff.

“Hi Kiba.” She rattled off the list and added a chai latte for herself. Kiba had convinced her to try a chai latte and was pleasantly surprised by the sweet spiciness and had been ordering them since. “Oh and I’ll take three of the chocolate chunk cookies, three almond croissants and two of the raspberry slices.”

“Woah, not watching the scale are you?” Kiba laughed with a wink.

“Not in the slightest.” she quipped back, grinning.

Sakura sat down at one of the tall tables while she waited for her gigantic order. Aside from the fresh air, she enjoyed watching the people at Milk Grind because you’d encounter a wide range of people, from caffeine deprived corporate slaves to ironic hipsters in flannel to hypebeasts flexing their new Keezys.

Her eyes fell squarely on one person though. A dark haired man, dressed smartly in a crisp white shirt, navy slacks and shoes the colour of cognac. His sleeves were pushed up to his elbows, showing off his forearms. His  side profile showed a high nose and a well defined jawline which gave way to-

Is that a piercing?

His ear was pierced with a black flat button stud.

'Damn’ was the only thought that came into her head. Her eyes traced his face again. For a man he had surprisingly delicate features and yet, when you pieced it all together it was perfect in every masculine way.

“Here you are, mate. Latte with one sugar.” the Australian bartender said, handing the tall dark haired stranger his drink. “See ya later.”

The handsome stranger raised his takeaway cup as a gesture of thanks.

Realising she had been staring just a second too long,  she averted her eyes away, fighting the blush that was rushing to her cheeks. She suddenly found much interest  in the bags of coffee beans for sale as the man walked past. She began to wonder about him - what did he do? Did he work in an office? Is he even from around here?

“Hey Sakura! I’ve got your order!” Kiba called out to her a few moments later.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Sakura startled, knocking over half the little bags of coffee beans on the shelf in her surprise.

[sfw-byronic-heroines]

It has been four years since I have seen King's Landing.

It has been four years since I have seen this building.

I step out of the black cab, cradling a little plastic aquarium, and look up to the skyline. I remember the shining steel and the great glass windows. I remember the name Dragon Glass in silver letters. I remember the revolving door and the polished marble floors just inside.

I remember the building my father, and his father, and his father built.

It does not feel like coming home.

The lobby feels strange. It's cavernously large, and eerily quiet. The place seems dark, even with the wide windows that overlook the sidewalk...even with the sleek new decor. Furnishings that were once deep crimson and shadowy black have been replaced with burnished reds and golds.

Despite the colors of fire, it is cold here.

My heart flutters.

In the very middle of the enormous lobby, the crowning relic of my youth is still displayed: a great skull, pale bone pocked with fossils and time, sharp teeth nearly six inches long, and eye sockets big enough for a little white-haired girl with an overactive imagination to have climbed through.

Tyrannosaurus rex.

She is one of the most complete skulls in the world, only missing tooth 18 and tooth 19. She had been a wedding present to my parents, excavated from the sandy, fabled dunes of Dorne by a great Martell prince. I stand before her again, and feel her power as I did when I was a child. She was a true dragon, reigning over the earth before lowly humans had even climbed out of the primordial sludge.

"Look," I whisper to the aquarium, still tucked under my arm. My three little monitors are quiet and listless from the cold trip. I turn back to the skull and reach out, my fingertips nearly grazing the snout -

"You can't touch that, ma'am," comes a voice across the lobby.

Chapters: 2/? Rating: Explicit Relationships: Jon Snow/Daenerys Targaryen Characters: Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Cersei Lannister, Jaime Lannister Tags/Warnings: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, reluctant romance, Power Dynamics, Male Dominant, sexual games, intense chemistry, Eventual Smut, Angst, Self-Discovery Summary: She has spent her life running from her past. He has spent his life drifting without roots. Neither knew what they were looking for. An heiress and a mercenary, their worlds couldn't be farther apart - but they do more than simply meet. They collide.

(Tags subject to change with updates)

Click here to read >>

[adanirealtydotcom]

Diwali Decoration Designs You Can Use Year-Around

If you’re an ardent Diwali decoration person, then enfolding the decorations and the lighting at the end of the festival can be like wrapping away a slice of your heart. With little creativeness, you can turn your post-festive Diwali decor “junk” pieces into all-year sparklers with a festive edge. 

From artificial flower arrangements to extensive candle displays, fanciful fairy lights, or wistful paper lanterns, here are a few ways you can mesmerize a Diwali-inspired paradise fit for any day of the year. It doesn’t matter whether you stay in a luxury apartment in Bengaluru or whether you have the best villa in Ahmedabad by Adani Realty, these tips are for almost everyone.

 1.     Flower Arrangements- 

The essence of Diwali is not complete without the aroma of fresh flowers. And while it is true that these blooms will not last all year round, you can still keep the festive décor alive with an artificial flower arrangement. Place a potpourri of petals in a decorative centerpiece, hang ropes of flowers along your window or door frames, and they all look great.

 2.Candle Display-

Give traditional Diwali diyas a peculiar spin, with cylindrical candles in bright complementary colors. Go for ornamental candle holders for a lovely décor on your dining table, cabinet, or any other surface. Otherwise, create your floating candle spectacle by placing tea lights in water-filled mason jars.

Tip: Save yourself the trouble of wax candles by choosing electric candles. These are mess-free, low-maintenance, and can be turned on and off with a simple electric switch.

 3.Rice Lights-

Use Diwali as a reason to craft your little creative hideaway. Casually wrap rice lights through your walls or over a transparent canopy, or wind them through fixtures to create a scene depicting a fairytale. Rice lights can lend an eternal spark to your space and soak your room in a warm, soft aura.

 4.Rangoli Art-

Why leave behind beautiful rangoli designs for Diwali? Bring out your artistic side with paintings inspired by rangoli that will allow your entrance to welcome all year round. Anything can work as a canvas – the doorstep, the entire door, the floor, or the wall. If you live in an apartment where creating a rangoli artwork in the lobby might not go well with others living on the same floor, consider making rangoli towards the inner side of the doorway.

Tip: Rangoli paint works best on a concrete floor, and readymade sticker rangolis are suited for tiles.

 5.Dining table lights-

Lights in any form are resonant of Diwali. Add battery-operated candles, lamps, and lights to your dining table to create a luminous, sparkling table setting. Dot your arrangement with faux branches and flowers.

 6.Paper Lanterns-

Buy a few additional paper lamps during Diwali to craft a buoyant, quixotic ceiling-scape. Bunch your lanterns together, or dot them through your ceiling. Even with no light inside, a décor like this can bring colors to life to a blank roof/ceiling and give your space a dose of relaxed, bold, and unusual look.

 Whether you have a fully furnished studio apartment in a high-rise in Pune or a semi-furnished ready-to-move flats in Ahmedabad,  these small tips will not only lift your Diwali spirit but also add charisma all-round the year. Do stay safe and enjoy the festivities in all their greatness!!!!

[nyr-nra]

Red Thirst : CH18

Meeting The Family

Jiyu had called Synda and asked for some money to buy new dresses for her and Jie. Synda happily agreed. She bought herself a new blue dress while Jie chose a white one. They were more elegant and expensive than the one the landlady took from her.

On the day of the gathering, Kiwa came by himself to pick up the sisters. He froze in the doorway when she opened the door.

“You are breathtaking,” he said.

He looked dashing himself. A well tailored black suit, maroon tie. Now he looked like the son of one of the wealthiest men in Ku’ve, but he seemed indifferent about all the events. Actually no one was. She hadn’t seen Jie smile since yesterday. She wasn’t too thrilled about the beautiful dress she bought for herself.

Who would be excited? They had no other choice. That’s the worst feeling of all.

They left her apartment at twilight. Jie sat alone behind them. Kiwa got behind the wheel. Before they started moving, Kiwa turned to Jie.

“I’ll say what my mother said the other day; nothing has changed in your life, if anything it only gets better. You are going to a place where no one would judge you, or try to harm you.”

Jie bobbed her head. “Thanks.”

Her nervousness receded a little, Jiyu could see. They set off.

If the Magistrate HQ was the heart of the Ku’ve, The Crown Hotel was the kidney. Accept that there was only one Crown. The gate stood magnificent. Jiyu had passed the gate several times in the past but never stopped to gawk at the gate. The guard there would shoo them away. Now they were entering the gate.

Jie was staring out the window in the back of the car.

The compound of the The Crown Hotel was the largest in the Ku’ve, almost twice that of the Magistrate HQ, Jiyu had read somewhere. Once inside, Kiwa slowed down the car, sensibly, allowing the two sisters to admire the garden on either side of the stoned path. Myriad light poles had been lit among the flowers and the well maintained hedges, enabling them to see all sorts of the colors as if it was daytime. 

Kiwa rounded the car around the fountain. At the centre of the fountain was a golden statue of a knight, thrusting his word into the sky.

It was gorgeous. She couldn’t take her eyes off.

“It’s Zagerin Knight of the 13th century.”

A historian would know that, and would be mesmerised more than it was doing to her now.

“Zagerin Knight!” Jie said from behind, “The company of the golden knights?”

“Actually, there was only one Golden Knight, but yes. They are also called the Company of the Golden Knight, because the Golden Knight was the commander.”

Jie mouthed the word, wow. But she retreated to silence again.

“What's so special about them?”

“They were the greatest warriors in history. Girls and women of the time would die for them.”

“Who did they fight?” Jiyu asked. “N’ra armies?”

“No. They were N’ra warriors. This was still when Akerin was part of N’ra Empire. They liberated Akerin only in 15th century. It’s that the Zagerin Knight were hailed from Ku’ve. They fought Creatures, too strong for humans. Even the real N’rian soldier were afraid of them.”

“Wow,” Jiyu said. “So, your father is also a historian like you? The statue must’ve cost a fortune.”

“Oh, it’s not real gold. The real ones are at home, along with the real antics. Father wants to let the world know Aisags are the descendant of the Zagerin Knights.”

“What!” Jie blurted out again.

“Didn’t I tell you this before?” Kiwa said.

“Nooo,” Jie said.

Jiyu shook her head. 

They stopped in front of the hotel. A valet in a deep red uniform came to assist them. 

Jiyu craned her neck up to see the top of the building where the large symbol of a golden Crown sat. It somehow glowed in the darkening evening background.

“That’s pure gold,” Kiwa said. “The outside.”

No way.

The building itself was grand. It had a mixture of modern and classic design. It was colored white, and seemed to collect all the lights from the poles in the garden and reflected it back. The steps spread thirty-percent of the building in the front. Jiyu held her sister's hand when they climbed toward the entrance.

The entrance door was wide and tall. The doorman held them and opened them.

Once stepped in, the hum of the outside vanished, and was replaced by the sounds of quiet murmurs and sounds of footsteps on the marble floor.

About a dozen people in the lobby, some talking to each other in a corner, some were sitting in one of the ornate chairs by the wall, some were in the reception desk. When one of the reception ladies saw Kiwa, she excused herself, left the desk and came over.

“Good evening, Sir Kiwa,” she said, in a well trained and friendly voice. “Mr Aisag had asked me to bring you directly to him. Please come this way.”

They followed her.

They took one of the elevators on the right, just for the four of them. The receptionist didn’t press any of the buttons on the panel. Kiwa reached into his suit, and brought out a golden key, and handed it to her. She put the key in the hole below the numbers, twisted it. The mechanical floor number indicator above the door switched from 0 to a symbol of a red wine glass. The elevator rose slowly.

In the silence it went on forever. Jiyu huddled with Jie behind Kiwa. He turned once to give them an insurance smile. 

The elevator slowed down to a stop. A chime and the door splitted and they slid leisurely away revealing an enormous hall. Jiyu dropped her jaw. So did Jie. Their feet moved forward on their own. They stepped onto the hall. The lady from the reception stayed behind. “Have a nice day to you all,” she was saying but Jiyu’s full attention was already in the hall.

Dashin men in expensive suits, gorgeous women in colorful dresses filled the hall. Lovely couple walked with a glass of red in their hands. Families around tables, with their adorable boys and girls. 

Boys and girls!

A big bright chandelier hung at the centre, along with it and the dozens white bulbs on each side lit the hall which made Jiyu forget it wasn’t daytime. Clean wall hangings depicting beautiful scenery adored the walls.

Kiwa joined them.

“What do you think, Jie?”  Kiwa asked.

“It’s amazing,” she mumbled, eyes sweeping the hall inches by inches. “Are they all leeches?”

“Most of them are. Come, let me take you to my mother.”

Kiwa avoided the centre and stayed near the right wall and they made their way through the clumps of people, tables and floor vases. They still attracted some eyes. Kiwa received some greetings, but smiled and politely greeted them back, but never slowed down to chat.

They reached a door.

“Is my mother in?” Kiwa asked the man outside as he barely opened his mouth.

“Good e-evening sir. Yes, Madam is inside.” 

He pushed the door open for them. “Thank you,” Kiwa said, and gestured to the sisters to follow him inside.

A relatively quieter room. Jiyu spotted Lady Iris immediately on the couch. A bunch of women and girls surrounded her. Mr. Lauf, the big bodyguard of Lady Iris, was standing behind them by the wall, near another door.

“Mother.”

Everyone in the room looked in their direction. Everyone, save for Mr. Laug, were adorned with sparkling jewelry around the ears, necks, and arms. Jiyu felt naked standing there. But Jie held her chin high as she scanned each and everyone in the room.

Lady Iris excused herself and walked over, a young girl wa tailing behind her. She looked about the same age as Kiwa, maybe a little older.

“Are you two lovely,” Lady Iris said.

“Good evening, Lady Iris,” Jiyu and Jie dipped their heads. 

“This is Lucile,” Lady Iris said. “One of the big sisters. Lucile, Jiyu and Jie.”

“Nice to meet you,” Lucile said. Her voice was meek and soft.

She wore a pink dress. Unlike other girls in the room, she wore a small silver necklace and tiny earrings.  Unlike her mother, her hair was golden. She looked super cute.

“Nice to meet you too,” Jie said.

Luciled smiled.

“Mother, father wants to see me. Can you keep them company and do the paperwork without me.”

“Of course. We don’t need you. Do we Jie?”

“Nope.” Jie looked up at Kiwa and grinned. 

This was the first time Jiyu saw her little sister smile. Every tad of nervousness and fear had evaporated from her. Unlike Jiyu, she no longer looked out of place. 

“Father is in room eleven.” Lucile said to Kiwa.

“Thanks, sister.” he faced Jiyu, ���I’ll be back as soon as I can. Get yourself comfortable. Jie, anything you want, Lucile will help you.”

“Okay,” Jie said.

Kiwa left them.

“Come,” Lady Iris said, and led them out of the room through the door, Mr. Laug had been guarding.

“Good evening, Misses,” he said, with a dip of head.

Nice man.

They passed two rooms filled with people before they stopped before an iron door. On the way, Lucile excused herself and left them. Lady Iris used a big iron key to open it. A dimly lit room, devoid of all sorts of decoration and furnishers unlike the rooms they just passed. In the centre was a plushed chair with a rectangular hole in the headrest.

There were some wooden chairs by the wall as well. They sat down on it. 

“I want you two to understand,” Lady Iris said, “how important the secrecy of the Coven is. Once you take the oath there is no going back. The rule is simple, don’t tell anyone about the coven. If you fail to uphold the rule the Coven might resort to harsh measures to compensate for the damage.” 

She paused. Jiyu was getting warmer hearing this. Jie was bobbing her head up and down.

Lady Iris continued. “The last person who tried to disclose the secret is now in the darkest cell of the Rachi Asylum, his memory wiped out. He couldn’t even remember his own daughter, who lived in the next cell along with the wife.”

Lady Iris smiled. Her gaze on Jiyu. But Jiyu saw no warmth, felt no comfort this time. It was more a warning. It would be her who would live in the adjacent cell, if Jie break the rule. The message was clear. That’s the real reason why she was here. She had to be a member of the coven. An insurance.

“Oath?” Jie said.

“You’ll do that after you pay the fee.”

Jiyu’s heart leaped. Her throat froze.

“But we-we don’t have a-any money,” Jie said.

“No no no. Did Kiwa tell you nothing? It’s not money.”

Lucile came back. A man tagged along with her.

“Oh Amma. Perfect timing. You must’ve done with the other. Sorry, I forgot to tell my son to fetch them early. She is Jie, the new member and Jiyu is her big sister. Jiyu, Jie, this is Amma. You will see him a lot after today.”

Jiyu and Jie stood, forced smiles and dipped their heads

“The toast is about to be raised,” Amma said. “Let’s finish this quickly.”

Finish what?

“Jie climb on the chair,” Lady Iris said, gesturing to the plushed chair in the centre of the room. 

Jie obeyed without question. She seemed to have some idea what was going on, but Jiyu was still in the dark.

Amma went behind the chair, opened the locker behind it and began to take out stuff; small glass bottle, cotton, big syringe with needle thrice the length of that of normal ones. 

“Now, remember the rule. Maintain the secrecy,” Lady Iris said. “The fee is Jie’s spinal fluid. Amma will harvest a small amount for now, for the ritual, and every week after that. This is one of those rule where you don’t ask questions. The less you know, the better.”

“Okay,” Jiyu said. “Would it have any side effects on Jie? Taking out the fluid?”

“No dear,” Lady Iris said.

She didn’t say anything more.

“Shall we?” she said to Amma instead. 

Amma went on to open the bottle, sucked the liquid inside with the cotton, and spread the liquid on Jie’s back. Lucky, she was wearing a backless dress, otherwise she would have to remove her entire dress. Jiyu stood close to her sister, and held her hand. Amma was now attaching the long syringe to a metal arm behind the chair. He turned on a switch and the arm moved, the needle disappeared inside Jie’s back.

She twisted her face for a brief second.

After paying the fee, they retracted their way back to the main hall. Lady Iris leading the way. Lucile walked behind them, along with Mr. Laug.

“Do you feel alright?” she had asked Jie.

“No,” Jie said. “Little light headed but it's fine.”

Now, they joined the crowd in the hall, now walking toward the far end of the hall, where there was a low stage. Jiyu saw Kiwa standing beside a tall, strong man. No one needed to tell her who the man was. Arnam Aisag. Kiwa’s father. The leader of the Red Coven. Closer, he looked older than she had anticipated. Long golen hair that touched his broad shoulders. He must be in his sixties but with still strong jaws like that of a warrior.

Descendant of a knight. The gene was still with him.

He smiled as they approaced. He held out his hand for his wife, and then for Jiyu and Jie as well.

“Lovely girls,” Arnam Aisag said. “Welcome to the family.”

Jiyu was sure which family he was talking about, the Coven or the Aisag. Maybe both. 

“Nice to meet … you,” Jie said, dipping her head in reverent.

Jiyu said and did the same.

“Hi, I’m the biggest sister, Hira.” She was tall and thin and beautiful. Her golden dress matched her golden curls. Among the Aisag she radianted the most. “Kiwa wasn’t kidding when he said about your beauty. What a pair. Finally a contender, don’t you think Lucile.” Lucile simply beamed a smile and shrugged. “She doesn’t talk much. Mother said, I do that on her behalf. but I don’t see that’s true. Did Kiwa ever say how we tease him everyday and drove him out of the house. Haha. That’s why he live alone. Poor baby. Can you belive that? He could barely stand two mild sisters, and is going to be carry on father’s legacy. Between you and me, I’ll make a better leader. But they say I’m a girl.” she said the last bits in a whisper to Jie. “I can hold a rifle but Kiwa couldn’t even grab blade…”

Another man with golden hair just like Mr. Aisag came on the stage. Shorter and less comely, a woman and two little girls in pretty dress accompaning him.

“We’ll talk later,” Hira whispered to Jie, who had been bobbing her head. She head returned to usual self, Jiyu could tell.

“Uncle Zal,” Kiwa said. “Aunt, Lily… Naiyo, this is Jie and Jiyu.”

“Oh the new member,” Zal said. He dipped his head to Jie. “Welcome to the Coven.”

His wife and daughters did the same. Naiyo must be Kiwa’s age, or older, but Lily looked about Jie’s age. Only she had inherited her father’s golden hair. She wore a big smile and came to Jie. “You look nervous. Don’t be. I’m a leech too. We could be friend.”

“I l-like yo-your hair,” Jie said. “It’s cute on you.”

“I like you dress,” Lily said. “You are pretty too.”

Kiwa came closer to Jiyu.

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. You didn’t say anything about the fee?” she whispered.

“You know, I could. The rule.”

“You are right.”

A week ago, Jiyu had a simply life with a simple friend and a lovely sister. Now she was surrounded by leeches and their family, wearing expensive dress and shoes. Life was changing fast. For better or worse, it’s still early to tell.

Arnam Aisag stood in front of the family, holding high a silver chalice, studded with small colored gems.

“Good evening family.”

The hall went huss. Every eyes turned to him. 

“It’s a new moon for us.”

Rustling among the crowd. A girl came forward flanked by a man and woman, her parent. They stood in front of everyone, two metres away from the stage. Two more girls, one looked over seventeen and a young boy who looked not more than twelve joined the first girls with their parents. The boy only had his mother by his side. The last to join them was a man in his early twenties. He was alone. They circled the stage.

Lady Iris told Jiyu and Jie to join them. They took the spot on the far right.

Hira took a silver tray with chalices and distributed them among the new member. Their parents and Jiyu were given standard wine glass with white wine in it.

“When my great great grandfather,” Arnam Aisag said, “Aisagi himself saw leeches being maltreated, he knew something needed to be done. Thus the Coven was born. We protect each other,” Arnam Aisag said. “Let’s welcome the new ones to the family.”

Just like everyone else in the hall Jiyu raised her glass and drank, praying for good days ahead.