#the eldest curses headers

[cloud9gojo]

salt & the sea

consider this a one-shot for now, i really just wanted to get this prologue style chapter for my self-infsert suguru fic out there it was eating me alive. this is so on a whim, i don't have a header, nor do i expect anyone to actually read this lol. if you do like it, hmu @peachygf

pairing: geto x f!reader if we ever make it there

words: 4.2k

warnings: sfw they're kids bro, sign language, synesthesia, kid awkwardness, me being awkward, there ya go

also made a playlist for this but it's on apple music 😭 lmk if you're into that and i can convert it or smth

______________________________________________________________

December 1997

The morning of December 27th in the Inumaki household was chaotic.

Some months prior, it was decided that the disgraced, elder Inumaki son, Miharu, and his family would be offered redemption through certain means. During July, in the southern part of Japan, a sorcerer with the potential to become a special grade was discovered. They had no family lineage and the powers-that-be would have your family introduce them to jujutsu society. The order had been passed down that they would train alongside the son's eldest child, in both theory and practical study, until they attended Jujutsu High at fourteen years of age. That is if they survived that long.

So when your parents sit you down and make you promise to be on your best behavior, to not antagonize, make fun of, or laugh at your guests or there would be consequences, dirty dishwater-related consequences, you say yes. You promise them you will be good, nice, and welcoming.

At first, it was easy because it was exciting! Everyone (except Akari, who was drooling in her crib) was bustling with frantic energy, cleaning, and then going over the entire house. Making sure everything was in its place; flowers in the foyer, record playing in the living room, new sake ready to be opened on the counter. You even tolerated your little sister's incessant babbling and following afternoon tantrums with a great attitude. Granted, you couldn't hear her cries at full volume, but still, you were a good sport about the whole thing. You were more focused on the idea of training with another sorcerer your age and what gifts your parents might bring back from their visit to Jujutsu High in Tokyo next month. It was going to be a good new year.

When your guests arrived, your family had arranged themselves at your home's entrance. A poised, respectable sorcerer family welcoming a newly awakened sorcerer and their parents. Who you knew from peaking at your parents' signing during movie night, were normal humans, not a trace of cursed energy on them. (Your parents should really be more careful where they sign.)

Greeting the couple was nice and normal enough, you were bright and of course, the perfect host. You interpreted for your parents perfectly, like you had been doing for the majority of your life, "The Inumaki's are honored to be coordinating your child's sorcerer training."

"The honor is ours, thank you for allowing us into your home. Why, it's so beautiful!" Mrs. Geto's voice was soft to your ears, but the color of it radiated a light pink that settled neatly in the air around her. Her smile was sly, but inviting. She reminded you of a fox, especially with the way her updo gave her two bumps on her head that looked like little ears. You pursed your mouth to match hers and decided to keep that happy little thought to yourself.

You spared a glance at their son who had at first sight seemed ordinary like you. His bow was short and curt, his name lost to your wooden flooring. Only when prompted by his mother did he repeat it, "Geto Suguru. Pleased to meet you." The sound waves around him bent the light strangely, making the shadows curl around him even though the foyer was well-lit.

His voice sent a shiver down your spine, soft like his mother's but not at all like the soft pink she gave off. The color of his voice was deep indigo and unnerving. The waves refused to settle, creating a dark corona around the boy. It had you straightening your back, setting your shoulders up, back, and then down at attention.

"Inumaki. Pleased to meet you." Your bow wasn't as low as it should have been, but you had your eyes trained on him, making sure you saw every single movement.

The Getos, you're sure, were impressed with you either way. Especially with how grown up you were for a child your age (it's what every other adult seemed to say after meeting you). It was only natural, you were a jujutsu sorcerer after all. Or at least on your way to being a first-grade one. Right now though, all you were was a seven-year-old being told to make nice with some stranger.

"Go play, try to be friendly. You're going to be spending more time together soon." Your father's usually composed signing was rushed as he ushered you both through the backdoor and hurried to get back to where your guests were seated in the living room. His anxiety was visible, he had been going on and on about this day for a month straight. Finally, he would be respected again. (Or something like that, you tried not to peer in on your parents' private conversations in their bedroom. Most of the time.)

You were pretty sure he was happier to share his special sake and show off his vintage record collection than to talk about jujutsu society, those poor, poor people. They would have to get by on pen-and-paper conversations and charades with your tipsy parents while you were exiled outside with their son.

Alarm bells start ringing in your head finally being alone with him. He was just a little kid like you, all knobby knees and awkward limbs, but you could tell he was powerful. You don't know whether to run from him or fight him. You struggle, momentarily stuck to your spot, but ultimately decide against fighting. You would be going in blind and set a bad first impression.

Both of you stand apart, facing out into your backyard. A small garden that your mother keeps up is in the center, while the rest grows tall and wild around an old patio set towards the far right corner. A desire path is starting to form along the edges from your many trips back and forth from the beach that was just beyond the green belt of tall grasses at the end of your property. You let your eyes trace it as you chew on your lip, considering how to befriend this boy beside you.

You don't know what he can do exactly, only seeing your parents discuss it once in passing; Cursed Manipulation. What things he could manipulate was a mystery, all you knew was that you didn't want it to be you. Your mind screamed danger! but you had to get to know this strange boy, now that you were going to start training with him in the new year. After your eighth birthday, so you could still have time with your family before getting serious.

You pout and think of how your father had made you promise to be nice this morning. But you didn't feel like playing outside with this weird, jittery kid now! You wanted to cry, it was either this or dish duty for a month and you would rather die than touch nasty dishwater. So you make down the steps into the yard two at a time, in a huff, only partially caring if Geto follows you or not. (He does, with his hands in his pockets, taking his sweet time.)

Walking into the garden, you watch the air ripple with little bursts of color in every step. When you reach the patio set, you plop down facing the tall grasses at the back. It gives you a view of the sunset peaking through the blades, pale yellow into a muted blue sky.

Geto wiggles his chair out from under the table and positions it to face the same way as yours. He all but falls backward into it, releasing a long sigh when he settles. You sneak a peek at him from the corner of your eye. He's slouching so much, you're surprised he's still on the cushion, but he looks content to be watching the sky. You turn to watch little bugs flitter through the evening air. The beating hum of their wings gave off tiny warm yellow waves. At least they were a nice distraction from your present company.

"So, are you going to tell me your name?"

His voice almost makes you jump out of your seat. When you face him, he has his cocked to the side, a bored expression on his face. You masterfully pull yours into a kind expression, no dirty dishes for you. "Inumaki, remember?" You say it sweetly, to make up for the fact that it's not the answer he's looking for. You're not dumb, you know what he's asking you, but you don't want him to know your first name. Not yet, at least.

Geto scowls before turning away from you once again.

You sigh in frustration, you had been looking forward to having a friend, someone like you who wasn't three, stinky, and drooling. (Sorry to your sister, but she was just not very fun right now.) You were fighting an uphill battle of social awkwardness with Suguru Geto and losing. You weren't used to failing, ever. If this is how it's going to be between you both, then what would training look like in the spring?

Your parents believe you're being a good host, so that's some good-daughter points for you. Ugh, but if you don't try, then nothing is going to change between you both and you'll be stuck with your stinky sister your whole life. Yuck! You conclude that you can't rely on him to make the first move. You're the host, you make the conversation. It doesn't mean that Suguru Geto is going to be your best friend, but maybe you can get a powerful ally out of him. You perk up in your seat, yeah, you could make that work!

Working together with other sorcerers is important long term, if you're going to persevere in and preserve the jujutsu world. Maybe, if you tell him about when you first got your cursed technique, it'll make him feel more comfortable.

The thing is, you don’t really remember when your technique manifested.

You remember the heat and stickiness of the day. It must have been late summer, in the rainy season. A rare sunny day, no clouds in sight, spent at the park near your home. Your very pregnant mother sitting down watching you, laughing along with your high-pitched giggles. The red of the picnic table was a streak in your vision as you flew through the air on the swings, pushed higher and higher by your father. Silent, wearing a mask to cover his clan markings, but happy.

It was so, so hot that day, and the humidity had turned your hair into a frizzy mess. Sweat caused it and your clothes to stick to you uncomfortably, but you didn’t care. The sky was so blue and clear, and the air so crisp. You could see the expanse of the horizon at the top of your swing and the urge to jump was too great, you were weightless when you threw yourself from the seat.

You remember how the sky burst into color halfway down, how everything thrummed with color and strange vibrations. It was so pretty that you screamed with joy at the sight of sound waves emanating from everything. It was exactly how your mother described how she saw the world through her technique. The overload of visual information then clouded over the fact that everything was quieter. Like the volume set at full was dialed down quicker than your little brain could register.

You were only four or five when that happened. Suguru Geto, seven, is a late bloomer by jujutsu standards. The thought makes you want to laugh, but you hold it in and then calmly release it as a breath of air. Whew, that was close.

The evening was turning into night and the wind was cold against your arms causing goosebumps. Pieces of your hair were flying around your face, getting caught in your glasses and mouth. You sputter and push it back behind your ears for the hundredth time, even now it refuses to stay in place. You notice the indigo of Geto's sneaky giggles more than you can hear them.

"Are you laughing at me?" Geto, looking unashamed about being caught, meets your eyes only once before turning to watch the swaying grasses. You frown and follow his gaze, yup, still grass and sky. Beyond that was the color of the distant sound waves from the water crashing against the sand, although you know Geto can't see them like you could. You turn to face him once more, wishing he would at least try to keep eye contact with you. Or make conversation. Or do anything besides stare at stupid beach grass!

"You sound kinda funny." He tells you this very casually, like it's not the first thing he's said that wasn't a greeting or a question.

You blink at him, incredulous. "I don't get to use my voice that often." You're fully facing him now, bracing yourself on the patio chair's arm.

"Is it because your parents use their hands to talk?"

Did he really just ask you that?

"Yes."

"Oh."

Be nice, be nice, be nice. "My father can't speak because of his technique and my mother and I have some hearing loss from our own so it just makes sense for us to use sign," you manage, after a lengthy pause.

“Oh.” 

He’s still not facing you, have you done something wrong that you missed? Your family wasn’t exactly the most social, maybe it was you. Were you the one being weird? You can’t tell if he's being mean or not, but you also don't know why he would be mean to you in the first place so maybe you're overthinking it. You've never made a friend before, but surely it can't be this hard.

"When you see curses, are you afraid of them?" When he says it he doesn't face you so you have to read his lips to make out the parts you miss.

You take a moment to mull it over. "No, I already know some defensive techniques so I think I could protect myself. Low-level ones I feel like I could kill easily." You smile at that, remembering how your parents said your barrier technique was very strong for your age. It made you happy that you had a sound-related technique like your mom. You liked being like her, strong and beautiful, but also kind. (You were still working on that last part.)

"What about the stronger ones? Would you run or fight?" This time when he says it, Geto's gaze is so steady, you couldn't escape it if you wanted to. His pale face was open and honest.

"I'd fight." You try to keep your face earnest and keep eye contact, you want him to know you're being truthful. When you focus on them, his eyes are a dark amber framed by straight, long eyelashes. (Annoying, how boys always got pretty lashes without even having to try.)

Geto presses his lips into a thin line before casting his eyes back to the horizon past the grass. "I'd run."

You giggle at that, trying to imagine this string bean of a boy running from some scary curse. "I guess we'll have to work on that when we see each other again in the new year. Right?" You smile when he looks back at you. If you relax and keep making conversation, then training will go well the next time you meet. Having him warm up to you also means a boost to your strength, in the end.

Which means you have to be good at this making friends thing. You want to be good at it, for your parents who rely on you to carry on their legacy. For your sister, who will look up to you as you both get older. And for this new kid, who has no one else in his family like him. Who was assigned to the closest sorcerer family available so that he's prepared for jujutsu society—your family. Maybe, you think, you could be good for him and whip him into shape by the time you both attend Jujutsu High and start taking missions.

He blinks a few too many times before slouching even more than you thought possible, (looking at his posture was making your neck ache) and giving you a small, "Sure."

Another beat of silence, and you think he's going to let this one stretch out before he asks another question. "So why can't your dad talk?"

You laugh at his bold line of questioning this time, "My dad comes from a long line of cursed speech users. That's why his mouth has those little markings, even though they're a little faded. They're the symbol of our family, the Inumakis." You decide not to tell Geto why your father's marks are faded or why he jumped at the opportunity to sponsor him. That's all stressful, adult stuff.

"And your mom? She can talk, but doesn't?" Geto arches his eyebrow at you and you wonder, does he know that it lets you know he's asking a question? He's already good at nonverbal communication, you don't have to think too hard about what he means when he's facing you.

You shake your head and lift yourself up from your seat with great effort, ready to head back towards your house. "My mom and I can talk, but it's easier when we can all just sign what we mean, together." It's a simple explanation, you hope he accepts it.

Geto pulls himself from his seat to follow you, this time side by side. "What's her technique like?"

You suck air into your cheeks, making a big show of contemplating your answer. "My mother has control over sound and pressure waves at the molecular level." You take your time sounding out the complicated words, you don't actually know what pressure, let alone molecular means. "She can create barriers with sound the same way I can. We can also see the sound waves in the air. My brain is so used to it though that I don't even focus on that anymore. Like when your brain ignores your nose, you know?" You crinkle your nose at him, twitching the tip of it like a bunny. It makes him laugh and you smile, you like the color of it much more than normal conversation. "But because we can see all that stuff, our hearing isn't as strong as other peoples. It doesn't feel any different though, I don't remember a time before it."

You've never had to say all these big words out loud before, you catch Geto laughing at the way you're pronouncing some of them. You tut disapprovingly at him but laugh with him also. You probably do sound a little funny.

He hums and swings his hands back and forth, the effort making his t-shirt sway on his frame like a big pillowcase. "Is it only barriers you can make with sound?"

You hum, thoughtful. "I haven't really tried anything else, but that's why I'm excited to train with you in the spring!"

"Is that what you think we'll be working on when we see each other next?"

You focus on the way he shapes his vowels, how they stretch and flow, before looking back at his eyes. "Mmm, probably not. My dad will make us start with the basics of cursed energy and breathing techniques. Prepare for lots of meditating, my dad loves to put on his jazz music every morning for stretches and quiet time, it's awful. Let's see what else..." You tap your chin, thinking. "Then we might move on to basic fighting forms, which I've barely gotten to practice." You see the familiar notes of your father's records seep from the house as you get closer to the steps of your porch. When you reach them, you each take a seat next to each other.

Geto smiles at you, like his mother it's sly, but more smug than anything. More music escapes into the air behind him as faint swirls of color. Pretty, you think. "I'm already pretty good at fighting, I take after-school lessons. Or, at least I used to." His brow furrows at that last sentence. Suddenly displeased, he turns to stare at the ants crossing near your feet.

You note the shift with a frown. You've never been to a regular school, you've been taught by your mom and dad your whole life. Math, science, reading, all that boring stuff. You've never experienced public school, so you don't know exactly what it is that Geto might miss.

This is an exciting opportunity for you and your family, something you were looking forward to and happy about. Getting to introduce someone to jujutsu society is a great honor, but it doesn't seem like that's how it is for Geto. You lean forward to try and catch his eyes again. "Are you going to miss it?"

He eyes you from behind his dark hair, debating his answer. "I'm going to miss my teacher and my friends. I thought we would all be together until high school or something like that." He closes his eyes and takes a breath. You see his lip shake more than you can hear the quiver in his voice. "I didn't ask to be a sorcerer."

Something hard has formed in your throat watching this boy you were just laughing with almost cry in front of you. You force it down and take a moment to think about what it was like moments after your technique manifested. Chaotic, too bright all at once, and then quiet. You definitely started crying at some point after your joy turned to fear. But your parents had never hid their culture from you, so curses and cursed energy weren't anything new. It was more overwhelming than scary.

Before you can try to comfort Geto, the backdoor slides open and a flurry of color fills your vision. Your mother stands in the doorway, jovial and laughing until seeing Geto's expression.

"What's going on?" She steps forward, displeased.

You jump up to try and rectify the situation. "We were just talking about his school!"

Your mother purses her lips and looks between you both now that Geto is standing on the step above you. "We'll discuss this later. Come inside and say goodbye."

You whine and hang your head in defeat knowing you can't sway your mother. "Yes, ma'am."

You look at Geto and motion for him to go inside first. "Mom says that they're finished. Let's go."

You suck in your lip, chewing on your unspoken words, and trudge into the house behind him. You watch the trail of indigo his footsteps leave behind, he must scuff his feet along the floor. Something pangs in your chest, you don't want him to leave you sad or mad at you. Before that mess about school, you started to get along.

Before he can get too far away from you, you reach out to tug on his shirt. "Geto, wait."

His hands are in his pockets and he's slouching so much you're surprised he's still upright, but he gazes you over his shoulder with an arched brow, a silent acknowledgment.

You drop your hand back to your side, letting go of his shirt. "I just wanted to say that I'm looking forward to seeing you. Next time, you know? This is all new for me, I've never trained with anyone my age so I want this to go well. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings asking about your school." You cringe at how it all spills out. Much too fast and eager, you're not used to speaking out loud so much. But, it gets him to turn fully towards you before entering the foyer.

"I know, Inumaki-san. I'm happy to be training with you too, but leaving my friends and everything else behind isn't easy. Not for me, anyway."

You stare back at him, wanting to comfort him all over again, but all that comes out is, "Okay." You want to smack yourself, you are so lame.

For some reason, he lets a hint of a smile come over his face. "Okay." He nods before continuing, "I'll see you in the new year." 

With that, both of you enter the foyer to be with your parents. You skip past Geto so you can be by your parents' side to interpret their goodbyes. You preen as your father smooths your hair back with his hand. Its warm familiar weight settles on your shoulder. You did a good job tonight, making Geto feel welcome to the best of your ability. However socially awkward you were, you got him to have a solid conversation with you. Next time will be even better.

The three of you walk them out and down the steps of your home. It's later than you thought it was and you're starting to get sleepy. You return Geto's little wave through the glass window of his parents' car.

When you get back inside, you make your parents wait with you until you see the lights of the Geto's car fade from view before you turn off the porch lights. Your father carries you to bed, and your mother tucks you in and sings you a lullaby. Your sister is already asleep in her bed next to yours. It was a good night, you think before letting your heavy eyelids rest.

When you finally drift off into sleep, your dreams are full of inky indigos and soft pink clouds, with little foxes jumping between their misty hiding spots while you giggle watching them.

[kimageddon]

Shaede is a character I have had for probably 20 years at this point. She is my oldest OC and has gone through many changes over the years.

Her full name is Shaedelynn Shianne fa Tra'Vani du Artemi, the eldest daughter of the rulers of a vibrant city named Amiket.

She has two older brothers, two younger and one younger sister. Her bloodline is a mix of two powerful magic families, and supposedly descendants of the Gods themselves.

Her magic is two fold, the first of a vibrant silvery flame with a fiery temper to match. Her eyes too are silver and her strongest power is that over emotions and feelings. She can see into the mind of a weaker being and can influence them with a word or a song.

Colour and dance are practically languages all their own in her home city, and she embraces it with vigour. Her title is Kali Komoreska, meaning simply "High Princess". As the eldest daughter she has a great many responsibilities, as much of her kingdom is a Matriarchy.

Shaede herself is bright, loving to her family and enjoys being something of a backbone to her family. Beloved by her parents and siblings, she can be very sweet and gentle, however that temper does get her into trouble when she feels the need to defend her family.

In a modern timeline her family are explorers and often travel far and wide to make archeological discoveries and investigate ancient ruins, burial sites and supposed cursed items.

They are incredibly wealthy and close knit, sharing time, meals and secrets among the siblings and extended family. Aside from one aunt of course... There's always one.

-|- Page header by space-b33 -|- Masterlist -|- Prince of Dathomir Masterlist -|- Sins of the Father Masterlist -|- Art Masterlist -|- Check out my : Ko-fi / AO3 -|- Commissions Open -|- My Patreon -|- My Linktree -|- Join/Leave my tag list -|-

Tags: (If your name is crossed out then check your settings or username -- Tumblr is not letting me tag you!) @alwayssnivellus @the-chains-are-the-easy-part @ashotofspotchka @justalittletomato @nahoney22 @eloquentmoon @stardustbee @lune-de-miel-au-paradis @nobody-expects-the-inquisitorius @the-rain-on-kamino @bacarasbabe @lifeless-being @lazarithebellydancingmime @robotswithscarves

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[lucindamned]

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Google Doc | Tumblr | Follows back from @bombardanne

Independent Role Play Blog for OC Lucinda Reina Salvatierra of Hogwarts Legacy

The same information is posted below.

Header bg and Ravenclaw border from Hogwarts Legacy site!

READ FIRST

Blog created June 8, 2023. I am 28. I thought, what if Hogwarts Legacy had a Ravenclaw companion for the Sixth Year?? I immediately decided to make this blog after coming up with the perfect url.

For Lucy’s Questline, any OC / MCor canon muse can be her quest companion! It’s totally optional but something I want to try! I’m aware it might be OP if Lucy just somehow knows all 4 of the “Rewards” offered, so we can discuss if she learns it from your muse or if she teaches them to your muse instead but I think at least 2 of the 4 should be explored!

Undesirable anons or asks will be deleted. Not here to fight anyone regarding JKR.

Dark themes and spoilers won’t always be tagged unless it is stated in the rules of other blogs I follow.

Please correct me kindly if I get certain Wizarding World facts wrong.

I don’t do exclusives or mains, I always believed those come naturally over time and regardless of ‘Likes’ for such title.

That’s it? Don’t make me add more bullet points here. Let’s all have fun!

Follows back from @bombardanne

LUCY’S QUESTLINE

LISTEN FOR THE GOLDEN SNIDGET Join tryouts with Lucinda Salvatierra at the Quidditch pitch. ───※ ·REWARDS· ※─── Vulnera Sanentur

UNPLOTTABLE NO MORE Break into The Daily Prophet office with Lucinda in Diagon Alley. ───※ ·REWARDS· ※─── Reductor Curse

CASTING YOUR AFFINITE LIGHT Choose a location to practice the Patronus Charm with Lucinda. ───※ ·REWARDS· ※─── Patronus Charm

YEARNING FOR ROWENA’S WISDOM Travel with Lucinda to release her friend from Azkaban prison. ───※ ·REWARDS· ※─── Apparation

BIOGRAPHY

LUCINDA REINA SALVATIERRA

“A lover’s eyes will gaze an eagle blind. Even Rowena is said to have died of a broken heart. So please, spare me the judgment as I withdraw, hoping to be my own companion in this world. Maybe then I can find my own heaven on Earth, a constant heart beating for myself and not foolishly for another once more.”

───※ ·NICKNAMES· ※───

Lucy, Delinquent of Ravenclaw, Church Girl, Mudblood

───※ ·BLOOD STATUS· ※───

Muggle-born

───※ ·NATIONALITY· ※───

English

───※ ·HOGWARTS HOUSE· ※───

Ravenclaw

───※ ·FORMER ASPIRATION· ※───

Private tutor children of wealthy families, marry her formerly betrothed muggle-born fiance, live an honourable Catholic wife’s life 

───※ ·CURRENT ASPIRATION· ※───

Survive Hogwarts. Become a Curse-Breaker, Obliviator or Unspeakable.

───※ ·FAVOURITE SUBJECTS· ※───

Charms, Flying, Ghoul Studies, Muggle Art and Muggle Music

───※ ·FAVOURITE CLASSMATES· ※───

Everyone muggle-tolerant in Ravenclaw! And anyone else who is muggle-tolerant and kind to her. She especially adores Sophronia Franklin, a studious girl two years Lucy’s junior.

THREADS & AU’S TO EXPLORE

───※ ·LUCY’S QUESTLINE· ※───

Lucy has been a part of Hogwarts since her First Year, but her mind is often somewhere else. Or maybe she needs more to occupy her mind and time while adjusting from the muggle life to a witch’s.

With the return of Quidditch in her Sixth Year, she is excited to make a new friend during tryouts, of whom she can share her knowledge with… and possibly enlist to help break out an old friend who’s been wrongfully incarcerated to Azkaban.

───※ ·LEGACY· ※───

Self-explanatory?

Please specify if you would like Lucy as the new Fifth Year MC.

───※ ·A SHORT HISTORY· ※───

Lucy was once a devoted Catholic, Holy Cross draped over her neck and all. She grew up as the eldest muggle-born daughter of three sisters and two brothers, assuming many domestic duties typically expected of her time. To break out of poverty, her father arranged for her from the age of seven to be betrothed to the son of a wealthy Portuguese merchant. Life was simply predictable and perfectly planned out, or so she thought.

Unfortunately or fortunately, the discovery of her abilities as a witch became a conflict of interest.

While she was eager to attend Hogwarts, she didn’t realize how difficult it would be to part from her mother, who struggles to raise her non-magical siblings when her father walks out. She also struggles to maintain her engagement. In an effort to balance it all, she ends up resorting to using Obliviate on her family members during a heated altercation. She inevitably loses the young man she formerly considered as her “First and For-ever Love”. She got kicked out of Ravenclaw’s Quidditch team by her Fourth Year and is currently at risk of expulsion from Hogwarts.

Sometimes she wonders if it would be easier if she just drops out of Hogwarts to retreat to the countryside as a nun, but through her education and potential as a witch, she is drawn to learning more of how she can lead a more independent and fulfilling life. Who knew Gringotts Bank needed people to break curses to bring gold to the vaults! Who knew a dedicated team is required to scout the muggle world, to erase a muggle’s memories of magic and its existence in honour of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy! Who knew Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries saved lives by tampering with the laws of time?

Alas, who knows if she’ll complete her Hogwarts education… or if she’ll become distracted by something or someone else, and ultimately lose her chance to be properly trained as a witch.

FC: Caoimhe O'Malley

[lovelacedits]

malec aesthetic headers.

like or reblog if you save/enjoy

credits on twitter @/jemcarstaivrs

[wonderariii-lab]

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ALEC LIGHTWOOD! i have a lot of homework but i really want to do something for his birthday ;u; so i made this <3

Rafe and Max help Magnus with the cake haha

@cassandraclare

[mightygwen]

like or reblog if you save it. please DO NOT repost.

[marziblogsworld]

The reason i fell in love with books. My very first fandom😍 @cassandraclare.

[i-have-not-slept-deactivated]

Some Malec and Haline-themed headers I made for pride month 💖

I hope everyone that sees this is having a safe and happy pride ❤🧡💛💚💙💜

Tagging some people that I thought might like these:

@magnus-the-maqnificent @khaleesiofalicante @baby-jessamine-lovelace @a-very-gay-spider @chibi-tsukiko @my-archerboy @wondercels-lab @littleturtle95 @beclynn-herondale

[a-very-gay-spider]

Happy Birthday Magnus 💜💛

(credit if used :D)

Because he deserves nice things.

[ragnaei]

white headers: the red scrolls of magic

some quotes i’ve highlighted in trsom

you know what to do: like and reblog please

[sombreboy]

Love Maze »5

Previous  » Next Series Masterlist ▎ 18+ ▎ pairing: Taehyung x Jungkook ▎ genre: School AU, crack humor, smut, angst, ETL, slow burn, fluff. ▎ word count: 11.4k ▎ ch.warnings: cursing, homophobic slurs(censored), violence/fighting, mentions of blood, they’re both dumb and emotionally constipated. Co-writer & lovely maker of the header: @velvetwicebang​ ♡♡♡

Why was that enough for him to drop everything and fucking run?

~

Jungkook came to a halt by Namjoons front door, taking a moment to catch his heavy breath, his hair clinging to his damp forehead. Cool, now what? He’s here. What did he even plan to do? He decided that knocking would be a good start, so he did. Three firm knocks, anxiously waiting for Namjoon to open the door. Ash, on the other hand, was annoyed. He had planned out this night perfectly. Dinner, arcade, he even kissed kook. He was so close to having him come home with him. Who runs away because of a text?

Maybe, he needed to become a little more strict with Jungkook.

Stiff as a rock, Namjoon was sitting on the end of the couch, close to Taehyung’s feet as he looked at the way Tae’s head was propped up against the armrest. Shit, he should get a pillow or something, right? That couldn’t be comfortable. Before he was given the chance to retrieve one from his bedroom, that’s when Joon heard the consecutive knocks on his door. Oh thank god, he was afraid the wrong touch could break Taehyung on accident. “Too loud..” The drunken male moaned from his spot, hand thrown over his forehead whilst the other gripped the bucket close to him. As if on cue, Namjoon quickly answered, eyes widening when he realized who was waiting on the other side, “Jimin— Wait, Kook?” Joon had a lot of questions. For starters, why was he so sweaty? Did he finish running a marathon this late at night? And the most important, “Uh.. Jungkook, what are you doing here?” On any other day Namjoon wouldn’t have minded seeing Kook at his door, but considering the time, plus the tricky situation he was in.. the timing was off, “Do you need anything..?” He didn’t want to worry another friend with the topic of Taehyung, feeling guilty enough for reaching out to Jimin.

Jungkook seemed just as confused by Namjoon's response, ''What do you mean? You texted me, where is Taehyung? Is he okay? You said he's throwing up, is he sick?'' His doe eyes were glossed over with worry, wiping his forehead with the sleeve of his sweater, slowly catching his breath.

''Well, uh, shit...'' Namjoon realized he must've sent the text to him instead, and it made this situation slightly awkward. But nonetheless, he was surprised that Jungkook came over so quickly, like he was worried for the drunken man groaning on the couch.

''Yeah, he drank too much and is completele out of it, and I don't know what to do.'', He figured at this point, there was no time to argue about whether it was Jungkook or Jimin coming over, stepping aside to let Jungkook inside. The younger stepped inside with his shoes on, not bothering since he just wanted to see the elder on the couch as soon as possible, needed to make sure he's okay. He jogged over to Taehyung's form, dropping to his knees on the floor next to him, grasping Tae's arm to move it from his forehead, replacing it with his own hand to feel him. He was hot, his skin pale. He looked trashed, not at all like the man who's come up with snarky remarks and curses flying his way. ''Taehyung, can you hear me?'' He whispered, so he wouldn't be too loud for his drunken ears.

Namjoon stood a little further away, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the scene unfold. It was almost sweet, and almost heart wrecnhing to see the worry in Jungkook's eyes. It only fed into his suspicions about them.

Taehyung lightly shifted around in his spot, groaning some more at the disturbance. “Jungkook..” He breathed out, melting into the younger’s soft touch on his forehead. Tae didn’t know how much he needed this, someone’s care.. Jungkook’s care. “K-Kook, ‘m fine.” Taehyung tried to reassure him, eyes dimmed as he spoke, or rather whispered. The smallest noise was enough to give him a headache. Fuck.. how much did he have to drink? Taehyung didn’t even know.. The boy was so caught up in trying to forget, that he forgot about himself. Taehyung knew that it was a bad idea, yet he still went through with it despite his previous dealings with alcohol. And for what? A taste of rebelling? Taking him by surprise, he got the sudden urge to vomit, again. Taehyung leaned over the couch once more, going through the familiar routine of throwing up in the bucket. Namjoon visibly grimaced at the sight, but he was more worried than anything. He’s never seen anyone this shit faced before, so fragile.

Luckily, Jungkook was somewhat blessed with a strong gut, so the throwing up didn’t phase him as much as it did Namjoon, he backed off a little to give Tae space to throw up, softly combing his fingers through Taehyungs hair, moving his sweaty fringe out his face, “it’s okay, let it out. You’ll feel better soon...” he hushed him, glancing over his shoulder at the other male, “Get a glass of water.” Namjoon hurried to grab a large glass, filling it up with cold water, half sprinting back to hand it to Jungkook, pinching his nose bridge with the other to avoid the stench of vomit.

“Here, drink.” Jungkook waited until taehyung was done throwing up to put the rim of the glass against his chapped lips, tilting it slowly to make him drink. How much did he even drink? He was a total mess, and it made Jungkooks chest clench with worry. “So, uh... yeah, I don’t know, I can’t really keep him here overnight...” Namjoon caught kooks attention with his low voice, “My parents would kill me. I’m supposed to be studying, but—“ “I got him. I’ll take him with me.” Jungkook interrupted him, his voice determined. He lived alone anyway, so he could let taehyung sleep it off, “Just need to get some water in him before even attempting to have him sit up straight.” Jungkook was awfully good at this, due to experience. He’d either be the one taking care of others, or more often than not, be the one who was shitfaced with alcohol. Especially during the period where he was freshly thrown out, spending every weekend out at parties at who knows where and with who knows whom. Just that it was his way of coping with pain. Was Taehyung doing the same?

Namjoon was wide eyed, staring at Jungkook’s back with bewilderment. Now this he definitely didn’t see coming. The fact that Jungkook didn’t even hesitate on taking Taehyung under his wing seemed like something out of a fictional story; it would never happen in real life. But here Joon was, experiencing it with his own two eyes. “Uh—okay, yeah.” Namjoon dumbly nodded, mirroring a bobble head. From the looks of it, Jungkook was prepared for a situation like this; unlike him, who had no clue where to start. After Taehyung had enough water in his system and somewhat managed to sit up, it was back to work. Thankfully, there were no set of stairs to tackle this time around. “Up and at ‘em, Tae.” The eldest of the group ushered, steadying Taehyung on his wobbly feet before carefully walking towards the door, car keys ready to go, “Okay..” Namjoon breathed out when Tae’s body plopped down onto the seat, the latter’s lips pursed out as he mumbled, “are we..” another unnecessary pause,  “gonna get i-ice cream?” For the first time since this whole thing uncovered, Joon laughed. “No, Taehyungie. We are taking you to Jungkook’s place. He’s gonna take care of you.” He looked through the rear view mirror, the smile had yet to leave his face. Moments later, and they found themselves in front of Jungkook’s apartment, Namjoon going around his car to help Kook with Taehyung, only to drag him to the younger’s doorstep. After he was situated on Kook’s couch, looking like he was about to fall asleep at any minute, that’s when Joon turned to look at Jungkook. “Oh, uh, since Taehyung will most likely not be at school tomorrow.. there’s something I need to give you to give to him. If that makes sense.” Namjoon knew how he was, he was going to forget if he didn’t pass it over to Kook. But then again, he hesitated if he should.. He reached into the pocket of his jacket, taking a hold of Mila’s note before extending it out for Jungkook to take. “This girl at the party wanted me to give it to him. When, uh, he felt better.” For some reason, the taller felt guilty. He knew there was no reason to be, after all, Jungkook went out with Ash. If there was something going on between the two, it was over by now.. right? The small note had her phone number inside, along with a neatly written,    ‘I’d like to get to know you better :) this time not so drunk... call me!’ - Mila Kuznetsov

Jungkook grabbed the paper from Namjoon with a nod, but didn’t look at it until after he said his goodbyes to the team captain, closing the door shut and walking over to stand by Taehyungs half sleeping form. He unravels then note to read it, and he feels weird. Mila? Would like to know him better? Jungkook glanced down at taehyung, still drunk and grumbling something inaudible for the moment, and then back at the note. Did he really feel jealous? Yes...yes he did. Does he have the right to, though? He literally went out with Ash just moments ago— who is he to deny Taehyung the chance to do the same? He put the note in his backpocket, figuring that maybe he would give it to him in the morning. That was a problem for future Jungkook. “Taehyung...” he whispered, not really caring if the elder heard him or not. He was so drunk anyway, he wouldn’t remember. Kook crouched by his face, gaze tracing his gorgeous features once more. He never knew when he’d get a chance to see him this up close again, and he cursed himself for missing it. Even if he looked like crap. “Are you feeling okay?” He felt braver when Tae was in this state, reaching out to stroke his cheek with his thumb. He softly exhaled, his skin still an oddly familiar sensation below his fingertips.

“Hmm..” One of Tae’s eyes slightly peeked open, traveling aimlessly around the blurry details on Kook’s face. Growing tired, he was met by darkness once again, instead leaning into Jungkook’s warm touch, mumbling incoherent phrases that only seemed to make sense to him. Taehyung was spent. He didn’t have the energy for something as simple as uttering a single word. So, he didn’t. He settled for silence, indulging himself in Jungkook’s calming presence.

Jungkook couldnt help but smile, Taehyung was actually... really cute like this. He always thought he was handsome, but cute? His tired response and calm sigh of content from kooks touch was endearing, and jungkook felt like he could finally relax. "I'm glad you're okay...sleep well." He whispered, not expecting a response. After spending another long moment in silence, just watching the elder finally drift into sleep, he decided to get up and head to his own bed, laying down on his back with a sigh. He felt confused. Everything always seems to lead to Taehyung, like a forceful gravity. Or was this simply just a coincidence? "Whatever..." he rolled over to his side, forcing his eyes shut to get some sleep. Tomorrow hed have to deal with Ash and hopefully it wouldn't be too much of a hassle..

~

The next morning came in the snap of a finger; Taehyung barely felt well rested. He was tossing and turning all throughout the night, and he blames the massive migraine that fucked with his head merciless. Shit, there was school today, wasn’t there..? Wait, what day was today? Was this real life.. Forcing himself to sit up on the couch, Tae’s hair was sticking up in all sorts of directions. His hazy, puffy eyes studied around the unfamiliar room. So this wasn’t real life after all.. Where the fuck was he? “Where the fuck am I..?” He voiced out his booming thoughts, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes, hoping that would magically give him better vision. To his surprise, it worked for a split second before everything went blurry again. But that second was enough to take in a few key details. This couch.. His fingers sank into the cushion, chest rising and falling more noticeably after relieving what took place here last time. The cumstain. Almost as if they had a mind of their own, his fingers brushed over the spot, feeling the dried up texture underneath his touch. This was definitely Jungkook’s place, but, where was Jungkook? And where the fuck was his shirt? It was next to him, of course.. Last night Taehyung was sweating like crazy, he was surprised he was still here.

~

Jungkook had quietly left early for practice in the morning, knowing that Taehyung would need to take his sweet time to sleep his hangover off. He probably felt like shit by now. The morning went on as normal the entire morning, and after he had changed back to normal clothes before heading to class, he was stopped by Namjoon,    ''Hey, Jungkookie, how's..'' Joon paused for a moment, taking a quick look around to make sure no one heard him, ''How's Taehyung?'' ''He's sleeping it off, he'll be fine.'' Jungkook replied with a shrug, to which Joon just chuckled, mirroring the youngers movements, ''That's good. I figured he wouldn't come in today. Also, um... thanks for taking him, I don't know what the hell I would've done if my parents had gotten home to that. ''No problem,'' Jungkook smiled, strapping his backpack over his shoulder, ''I'm off to class. I'll see ya.''

Strolling through the school hallway, a familiar face was waiting for him outside of the classroom, ''Kookie! I've been waiting for you!'' Ash waved with a dazzling smile on his face, pulling him in for a hug as soon as he was within arms reach. Kook smiled back, letting himself be embraced by his large arms, ''I'm sorry,'' Kook looked up at Ash with his doe eyes, ''That I left so suddenly.'' ''Don't worry about it. Just never do it again, and we will be fine,'' Ash snickered, but he wasn't joking. But how would Kook know that? ''I'm planning that we could resume this date soon, hm? We didn't even get to the best part of it.'' Ash wiggled his eyebrows at the younger, all whilst his wrap around his waist tightened. ''Sounds good!'' Kook was finally released from the affectionate(possessive) embrace to head into class together, and for the rest of the day, it went fairly smooth. The day was finally over, Ash seemed to be fine, so Jungkook could breathe. They had decided to hangout again tomorrow evening, so tonight he was free to do absolutely nothing. He thought. Jungkook unlocked the door, walking inside of his home and kicking off his shoes with a sigh, today was mentally draining after all. He had momentarily forgotten that Taehyung was in his home, so he took off his shirt due to being hot from the jog home, and headed to the kitchen to scavenge his fridge, scratching his nape in thought as he stared into the empty shelves. He settled for a bananamilk and a proteinbar, slowly sauntering in the hallway as he began to chew his 'meal'.

~

Taehyung had peeked his head in every door frame of Kook’s apartment, giving up on trying to find the latter when it was obvious that he wasn’t home. Either that, or he was deaf, and invisible. He felt awkward lingering around in Jungkook’s apartment, but it wasn’t like he had any other option. Without his car and the massive headache that was still pounding at his head, Tae couldn’t bare to stand still without feeling like he was in a trance. So, for most of the time, he laid on the familiar couch on his stomach, like a puppy waiting for Jungkook’s return. He squeezed in a much needed nap, but was disappointed when he awoke and Kook was nowhere near in sight. Fuck, he still didn’t know what time it was.

A couple hours later when the sound of the door opening reached Taehyung’s ears, he immediately sat up, wanting to seem more put together than he actually was. What should he say? ‘Hey, uh, I’m still in your house. Surprise!’ Right, that wasn’t creepy at all. But he was given little time to think about it, “Jungkook, hey..” Taehyung said when seeing the younger for the first time today, a wave of nerves suddenly crashing over him. He was shirtless. Fuck... “Sorry. For being a bother..” Wanting to enlighten the mood, he mumbled a quiet, “How was school..?” Hoping it would ease the tingly feeling in his body.

~

Jungkook abruptly turns his attention to the man sitting in his couch, cheeks puffy with the food he’s chewing. He swallows it quickly to reply, “Hey, uh—“ he suddenly felt his face slowly burning up. If only it could melt. Why did he have to take his shirt off? “It’s fine, eh..” his eyes roamed the room, spotting a hoodie he’d left on the backrest of the couch. He headed over to sit down, a small space between the two as he puts reaches over to grab the fabric and slip it on, now feeling much less exposed. Taking another sip of his banana milk to wash down the food, he continues, “School was good, but are you feeling okay?” He tilted his head slightly to the side, eyes roaming the elders face, “you were really drunk.”

Taehyung thought about the best way of answering Jungkook’s question. He didn’t want to worry the younger anymore— well, if he was even worried about him; it wouldn’t surprise Taehyung if Jungkook gave zero fucks, Tae knew he deserved it. Damn.. where was he again? Just like that, he lost his train of thought. The elder shook his head faintly, bringing up his middle and index fingers to rub at his temples. He was hungover, there was no room for thinking too much into things. “I have a headache that hurts like hell, so.. I’ve been better.” The elder shrugged, toying with his fingers in his lap, anything to not look at Kook in the eyes. Taehyung left out the part about having to empty his bladder every five seconds, or the times where he’s had to throw up into the toilet.. It was embarrassing. “Anyways, I was gonna ask Hoseok for a ride, so..” He gulped, “I’ll be out of here soon.”

A part of jungkook was screaming for him to just say 'no rush, stay as long as youd like', but he knows that would be too much. It would be straight up dumb to say--as if jk still wanted him or something. Which he didn’t.. At all. "Alright," he nods, not sure what else to say. Suddenly, he was reminded of the note he has stuffed down his back pocket, feeling his stomach drop. Should he give it to him? Give him the chance with a woman he met on this party? He had no right to take that away from him. BUT.... he cant deny that what hes feeling is jealousy. And it was a lot stronger than he expected, so he decided he might just forget about handing it over. Sorry, Mila. "Want something to eat meanwhile? You must be starving.. I don't have much, but hangover noodle soup would help--" he shrugged, knowing that's probably the longest sentence hes ever said to Tae since they 'broke up'.

“No, uh.. I’m fine.” Taehyung declined Jungkook’s offer, ignoring the quiet rumbling in his stomach. The younger male was right, he was starving, but he’d rather not be here— isolated in Jungkook’s apartment, for longer than necessary. The awkward tension made itself known in the air, and Taehyung was very well aware of the fact that things were a bit tense between Kook and him at the moment. How could it not..? They fucked, twice. The second time on this couch.. Tae ran a hand through his black hair, snapping out of it before fishing for his phone. His thumbs tapped rapidly against the screen, finishing his text and pressing send. Hopefully Hoseok would answer him soon.. Fuck, sometime when he felt less frail, he really needed to retrieve his car. If Taehyung somehow had it parked outside during this situation, he would have been gone hours ago. The elder stayed quiet for a few seconds, noticing the way his hands would curl on his lap. “So you’re gay, huh?” Shit, was he still drunk? Tae supposed that.. since the rest of their friends have gotten a chance to talk to Jungkook about it, so should he. He didn’t have to make it weird, it meant nothing. “I-I don’t care, or anything. I was just.. wondering, I guess.” Taehyung sighed, clenching his jaw just like how he would do when he’s nervous. Opening his mouth to free the words at the tip of his tongue, he forced it shut not even a second later. “Uh, when did you know you liked boys?” The male didn’t know if it was because of the lack of sleep, or because of the way his head was throbbing painfully, but.. he was curious to hear what Jungkook had to say. Maybe this way, the uncomfortableness in the air would disappear. It kept them interacting, and that’s what Taehyung wanted.

Jungkook put the empty milk box on the floor by his feet, leaning back into the couch with crossed arms. He prodded the inside of his cheek in thought until the question from the elder caught him off guard. But then again, he’s been repeating the same answer what felt like a hundred times by now, so what is one more? “Yeah.” He nods, as if confirming his own reply. It might be weird, but it felt like there was a huge weight taken off of his shoulders. The whole school knows, but it wasn’t until taehyung for sure knew, that he felt this relief. It wasn’t a secret anymore, “A while.” He shrugs, his eyes once more landing on taehyung to see his reactions. He seemed a little tense, but kook saw no trace of disgust in his face. He kind of waited for tae to make some inappropriate joke about this— or comments about if he’s ever fucked women, but this attitude seemed to have slowly disintegrated since everything. Or was it maybe now? Why has taehyung been so awfully quiet lately. The constant bickering was insane to miss, but he did. He just wanted to hear his voice. “Before you.” He whispered quietly at the end, holding his breath. He figured if he was gonna tell half the truth, he might as well spill the entire thing. It’s not like it would matter in the end, Taehyung wouldn’t care.

Taehyung’s brows furrowed, “What do you mean, before me?” Maybe he was just dumb, or maybe his mind was still fogged up from everything, but Tae was having trouble making sense of Jungkook’s words. Before you. What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Taehyung stared off at the beige wall in front of them, waiting to hear Kook’s explanation. Before he could hold himself back, his lips parted once again. “Did I take your virginity-? Just— what the hell do you mean, Jungkook?” The elder’s eyes were now piercing into Jungkook’s, their color a darker shade of brown. He was getting more needy, and the longer they spent in silence; Taehyung grew more impatient. Shit, why wasn’t Hoseok answering yet? Tae needed to get out of there before he said something he would later on regret.

Jungkook grew frustrated, sitting up straighter in his seat, hands clasped together tightly. He chewed on his lower lip, glancing up at the elder. "Yeah. Before you, I... I didnt know who I was." His breath was shaking as he took a breath, reminded of the day he was disowned for this very fact. "Then, I just... knew.." He felt dumb, he should've kept quiet. He should've lied, but he couldn't. He was tired of hiding within himself. "And that's why I acted up when you-- forget it, it doesn't matter now." Jungkook got up from the couch, escaping the situation is all he wanted to do now, he just hoped tae would let him. His feet are about to move on their own at any second, his mind screaming at him to just shut the fuck up.

Taehyung was quick to clasp his hand around the younger’s wrist, preventing him from widening the space between them. “No! I’m not just gonna forget it. And it does matter because this is about me, Jungkook!” He raised his voice in the heat of the moment, but Taehyung caught himself. With a sigh, he ran a hand down his face. Was.. was Jungkook telling him that he liked him before it all went to shit? If that was the case, Tae didn’t know how to feel. “Just..” Taehyung began, his tone gentle in hopes of redeeming himself from before, “You didn’t know who you were? Until you met me..?” The simple thought of that was enough to sent shivers up his spine. “I’m having a fucking hard time understanding you ‘cause of this headache so— just be straightforward with me, please.”

Jungkook flinched when Taehyung raised his voice, but he calmed down quickly when the elders tone became softer. Kook hated confrontations, he hated exposing his emotions. But he felt like now, hes already revealed too much too soon. There was no point in keeping them hidden, especially when tae seemed to practically suffer from the confusion. "Okay.." he slowly slumped back down on the couch next to Taehyung, still feeling the grip around his wrist, looking down at it as he took another deep breath to gather his courage, "When I met you... I couldn't understand what it was, but... I wanted to be around you. I mean-- you were an asshole. You always teased me, but.. I liked being around you. I knew I liked you, differently.. " his voice was lowering as he spoke, "I asked my parents about this. I just.. thought they'd know what it means, and eventually I came to terms with the fact that I just like guys... and I got thrown the fuck out."

He gestured around the room, "and here I am, barely able to scrape through. I hated you for it, I hated myself for feeling this way about you."

Another pause, glancing at the elder to make sure hes keeping up before continuing with his eyes staring at his trembling hands, "Then we did what we did... it was my first time, and it was with you... I couldnt.. help but feel like maybe this was something more than a fuck."

He looks back up at Taehyung, overwhelmed with himself, his entire body is now shaking, eyes glossed over, "But it wasnt, you made that clear. So fuck me for being hurt, right?" Tears were now escaping the corners of his eyes, both relieved and terrified that he spilled his heart out. "Sorry, I..." that was it. He fucked everything up. Now taehyung wouldnt even want to be around him, not even as a friend. He bent over to bury his face in his hands, too ashamed to even look at Taehyungs reaction, "I'm a fucking moron!"

Taehyung’s mouth went dry, not a single inch of his body dared to move as he indulged himself in Jungkook’s rant, picturing everything he went through. Tae was numb.. So numb that the vibration of his phone went unnoticed, receiving a message that read, ‘on my way.’ “Jungkook, I..” No other words would come out, and Taehyung felt his own eyes begin to sting. This was a lot to take in. “You liked me..” He repeated to himself, still having a hard time believing that was the truth. But Tae trusted Jungkook, the latter was much too vulnerable to lie. “And you got kicked out of your house..” The last part affected him the most, it physically pained Taehyung to hear that. It was his fault that Jungkook was left to fend for himself. It was his fault that the younger was crying, his face buried in his hands. Taehyung’s eyes glazed over, becoming dull and losing all expression. For the first time in a while, he felt regretful. Regretful because.. maybe he should’ve asked this question sooner. Maybe he should’ve voiced out his thoughts instead of hogging them all to himself! Maybe.. if he would’ve done all of those things, Taehyung might have had a chance with— no, no.. God, he really had too much to drink. Literally and figuratively; he couldn’t think straight. “Uh, I.. I’m gonna go wait for Hoseok outside.” Tae brought a hand to roughly wipe at his eyes, leaving Jungkook’s shivering form alone on the couch. The younger needed some time for himself; Taehyung was doing him a favor.

Jungkook didn't move, didn't even look up the entire time, and when he heard the door close behind as Taehyung left, Kook was left alone to pour out his feelings in the form of tears, his shoulders shaking with every sob. He ruined everything, didn't he? But at least, now there were no secrets. Nothing to keep hogged within his mind.

After a moment, he calmed down, wiping his swollen eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie, the occasional sniffly inhale. ''Shit, Im such an idiot...'' He leaned back into the couch, staring into the cailing with his arms crossed over his chest, taking deep breaths. What now? What was the point? ''I don't understand myself, so how could he..'' He sighed, momentarily distracted by his thoughts when his phone vibrates with a text message.

Ash: Hey Kookie! I miss you ;* I was thinking, wanna come over? Im soo bored, and I cant wait until tomorrow...

Jungkook rubbed his stinging eyes to read it more clearly. Right, Ash... He was such an asshole, sitting here spilling his heart out to taehyung when he had ash right there, waiting to shower him in affection instead. His fingers hovered above the screen, thinking of a response of whether he should or not... Yeah, why the fuck not? Its not like anything else was a better option.

Kookie: Yeah, I'll come over in a bit. Ash: Cool, I'm looking forward to seeing you baby!

~

It was when Taehyung finally got home that he spared a glance at the time, 4:03 in the afternoon. Fuck.. it felt like an eternity was spent in Hoseok’s car. The elder was too busy playing the ‘Hyung’ card throughout most of the ride, calling Taehyung out for drinking so irresponsibly. Something about, ‘what if you would’ve gotten hurt? Or someone tried to poison your drink? That happens, you know!’ Apparently, Joon couldn’t keep his goddamn mouth shut. This was embarrassing enough as it was; Taehyung didn’t need the whole school knowing. Thank the heavens up above that when they finally pulled up to Tae’s home, that was when Hobi decided to ask him why he looked so down. He never got his answer. Taehyung slammed the door shut from behind him and went up to his bedroom, where he did the same thing before plopping down on his bed. Tae was glad it was Friday, he desperately needed the weekend to recharge. Maybe to forget, but something told him that was easier said than done.

~

“Hey kookie!” Ash chimed with a dazzling smile, wrapping his arms around the younger to pull him inside of his house, “I missed you a lot..” he whispered into his ear, giving kook a small smirk. Jungkook smiled, he really needed that hug, so he relished in it for as long as possible, letting himself be guided to the kitchen. “I figured you’d be hungry so I made some dinner for us~ no parents home so I’m glad I have some company. Eating alone sucks.” Jungkook nods, the food smelled delicious. “Thank you.” He wasn’t sure what he was thanking him for. For a lot of things; the food. Housing. Hugs. Food, for sure. Distraction. “It’s almost done, so keep me company while I finish?” Ash pecks a kiss on his cheek before returning to the stove, kook jumps up on the marbled kitchen counter to watch. His mind wanders, he wonders how taehyung is thinking about everything. He really shouldn’t worry so much about what he thinks, but it’s impossible not to.

“What’s on your mind?” Ash sauntered up to him again, positioning himself between kooks legs to look into his eyes, “You didn’t even notice when I asked you questions. Are you okay?”

Jungkook nods, but ash wasn’t convinced, “is this about that Taehyung guy again?” He sounded annoyed, his hands wrapping around kooks waist in a possessive manner. “Uh...no”

Ash still wasn’t convinced. He frowned, “I don’t like the way you always seem so distracted with him around. I think you should stop hanging out with him.”

~

Forgetting about what took place a few moments ago was fucking hard. It hadn’t even been two hours since Taehyung stepped foot into his home, and he was already daydreaming of him. About how much bullshit he’s been through; how he didn’t deserve any of that.    How could Jungkook’s parents look into those doe eyes of his and tell him to get lost? To find his own place and juggle school life with the new responsibilities.. Taehyung was getting angry just thinking about it. He brought the last of the beer bottle up to his lips, turning off the TV before walking over to the fridge, hands itching to get a hold of another one. Should he..? No, he shouldn’t. But it was Friday, after all. One more wouldn’t hurt.

~

Ash & Jungkook had a fairly cozy dinner, curled up together in his grand couch while watching some action comedy. It was nice, peaceful, and the food was actually delicious. But then again, anything is delicious to Jungkook, he rarely got to eat full meals like these. After a few hours of just enjoying eachothers company, empty bowls on the coffee table, Ash started to make small advances towards the younger, hands travelling from his knee to his inner thigh, leaning in closer to whisper into Kook's ear, ''I really like you, Kookie...'' Jungkook smiled, a small blush creeping on his lips, ''I like you too. This is nice.'' ''Yeah? You like me?'' Ash smirked wolfishly, his hand moving further up to smooth over the fabric of Kook's crotch. The younger tensed up, the elder was very blunt and forwad with what he wanted, but he didnt expect it to happen so soon. ''What are you--'' ''Hush, Kookie.. let me take care of you, okay?'' Ash's fingers played with the hem of Jungkook's pants, slowly sliding his hand underneath his pants to smooth over the velvety skin of the younger's length, ''W-wait..'' Jungkook liked him, but he... he wasn't ready for this yet. It felt uncomfortable. He wrapped his fingers around Ash's wrist, halting his movements. ''What's wrong?'' Ash's eyebrows were furrowed, his smile faltered. But he didnt move his hand. ''I don't... I don't want to. Not yet.'' ''You don't want to? What does that mean?'' Ash withdrew his hand at last, but instead he pushed Jungkook down on his back, towering over him with his large frame, ''Of course you want to. How could you not? I've done nothing but treat you well.'' Jungkook's eyes widen. This guy... Expected sex just because he treated him well? ''I can't, Ash...'' ''Why not?!'' Ash gritted his teeth, leaning down closer until his lips were grazing kook's with each word he hissed out, ''I could have anybody, Kookie... Anyone would be happy to have me. but I chose you!’’ So? Did Ash expect Kook to be grateful for being chosen? What the fuck was going on?! ''Get off me!'' Jungkook whined, but Ash wouldn't budge, pressing a kiss against Jungkook's lips to silence him. The younger squirmed, ''Get the fuck off, what the fuck!'' The elder scoffed, ''It's because of Taehyung, isn't it?'' As he stared down at the younger, his frown grew, ''I fucking knew it. I should've never let you leave from our date, huh? What did you two do, hm? Fuck? Maybe with him, you let up easily?'' Ash's tone was hurtful, angry, and Jungkook had enough. For once, he forced himself to use his strength to violently shove off Ash from his body, getting up from the couch to stand. ''You're crazy!'' Ash grinned, getting up to follow the younger. Jungkook felt scared. he was strong, but he knows ash is stronger. He rushes towards the door, but he wasn't fast enough, feeling the larger male grab him by the arm to pull him in and shove his back against the door, one hand firmly on his chest and the other landing a firm smack on Kook's cheek, ''What the fuck do you think you're doing?! Leaving me again?!'' Jungkook's eyes were wide, this Ash was not the man he knew. He raised his hand to smotoh the skin of his cheek, ''Ash, stop...'' He felt tears well up in his eyes, but the elder didn't care. He leaned back in for a kiss, the saltiness of tears not a bother whatsoever. Jungkook lets him, but only for the moment, and when he feels Ash's body relax a bit, he takes a chance to punch ash in the gut, he takes a step backwards with a grunt at the impact. Since the door was not an option, Jungkook makes a fucking run for it and rushes towards the bathroom, slamming the door shut and locking it. His body was shaking, tears running down his face as he leans against the tile wall, slowly sliding down on the floor, listening to Ash's angry growls outside, banging on the door. ''Get the fuck out here, Kookie! Let's talk about it!'' Like hell he was gonna get back out there. But what the fuck would he do? What can he do? He takes the phone out of his backpocket with trembling hands Jungkook scrolls through his contacts. There's nobody that he trusts. Nobody that he knows would come and help him, he had nobody. He halted when his eyes caught the familiar name on the screen. Taehyung.. No, he couldn't... Another loud bang on the door caused him to jump with a small yelp. He was terrified, this was dangerous, he didn't want to be here. He had no choice, he needed to try. He didn't want to anger ash even further by making any noise, so he decided to text instead,

Jungkook: I have nobody else.. Please help. I'm scared!

He provided the address to Ash's house in the following text message, pressing the phone against his chest as he kept shaking, hoping, praying, that things would just stop. ''I'm gonna break the fucking door if you don't come out!''

~

Oblivious to Taehyung; seconds turned into minutes, and minutes turned into hours. By now, the internal debate if he should drink another beer or not was thrown out of the window; he was on his fourth bottle, living his best life whilst tuning in and out of reality. Suddenly, his plan ‘to forget’ seemed a lot more doable. Little by little, Taehyung began to relax, body sinking into the cushions of the couch. He wasn’t drunk yet, just a little tipsy. But if he kept this up, he would be wasted in no time. As opposed to what others thought, Taehyung wasn’t a lightweight. He knew how to handle his alcohol. Yesterday at the party.. that was a different story. He downed one cup after the other; the exact number was still hazy, but it had to be enough for Taehyung to listen to a random girl sob about her cat’s death. Lola, was the name. Died by choking on a hairball. Fuck, sometimes Tae hated his brain for remembering something as worthless as that. Parts of his memory regarding last night were blank, there were no puzzle pieces to connect. He faintly recalled staying in the kitchen, having someone else’s company by his side as they talked about whatever came to mind. She was blonde, blue eyes.. Taehyung remembered that much. Also, ‘Mila’. He was pretty sure that was her name; she was cool. Gorgeous, too. The boy sighed, taking another gulp of his now warm beer when his phone buzzed. It was a message from Jungkook.. Did he not say it all this afternoon? What else could he possibly want. Part of Taehyung thought about ignoring it. What did Kook have left to say..? That he’s loved him all along? Tae snickered, but, he couldn’t give Jungkook the cold-shoulder. The younger wasn’t the biggest ‘texter’. Maybe it was serious.. And it was. Taehyung’s grip on his phone tightened, if he would’ve held it any tighter, it might’ve burst like an apple. He read over the message again, trying his best to imprint the given address into his head. Tae’s heart was pounding as he quickly threw on a hoodie, tying his shoes. The elder had no car, so running it was. Too out of it to lock the door behind him, Taehyung sprinted in the right direction, chest heaving since the start from anxiety. Fuck.. what the hell was going on?! Why was Jungkook at a random house this late into the night.. If he would’ve payed more attention to the way his body was reacting; Taehyung would’ve noticed that his eyes were watering. Not once did he stop to catch his breath, a second wasted was another second spent not knowing where the hell Jungkook was. His legs were getting sore, but that didn’t matter. A couple stirring minutes later, Taehyung turned onto the street that Kook had given him, panting as he tried to point out the details of the houses. ‘The one with a red mailbox at the front.’ Red mailbox, a red mailbox.. Where the hell was it?! When Taehyung’s eyes fell on a vibrant, red color a couple of houses down, he ran the fastest he’s ever ran. He tried opening the door, but it wouldn’t budge. His hand desperately turned on the doorknob, and when it was obvious that wouldn’t get him anywhere, he banged his fist angrily against the wooden surface. “Open the fucking door!” Taehyung yelled in his deep voice, his demanding tone filled with anger. He was worried out of his mind; Jungkook was in the lion’s den, scared and helpless.

From the other side, Ash simply let out an airy laugh, leaning his body against the bathroom door to taunt Jungkook. “You called your boyfriend over? How sweet, Kookie.” The male’s words laced with obvious sarcasm, desperate to mask his own anger but like a kettle without its lid; his true intentions had overfilled past the rim moments ago. The banging on his door didn’t falter, and if it didn’t sound like Taehyung was trying to break his door down, Ash would’ve taken his sweet time with it all. “I just wanted to talk, Jungkook. See what you fucking did? Because of you, this whole shit’s gonna get blown out of proportion!” He growled, fixing his hair before calmly walking towards the door, not even finishing unlocking it all the way when Taehyung barged in. If it wasn’t for his quick reflexes, Ash would’ve had a concussion from the impact. “Where the fuck is Jungkook!” The younger hissed, harshly pulling Ash’s body close to his by the collar of his shirt, gripping at the fabric as Taehyung bore his piercing eyes into his. All he saw was red. He was furious. “You better tell me before I beat the shit out of you.” Tae snarled, growling through his teeth. Ash, on the other hand, smirked. It was amusing to see Taehyung like this. So.. worked up. The veins running along the latter’s neck popped out, skin glistened with sweat. “He’s in the bathroom. Hiding.” Ash breathed out through his nose, unfazed. “Why the fuck is he hiding from you, huh?” Taehyung harshly shoved him by the chest, causing the elder to stumble back a couple of steps. Tae’s jaw was clenched, his eyes narrowed as he walked over to Ash, shoving him some more. Having grown tired of being pushed around, Ash shoved Taehyung back. “You wanna know why?” He began, taking notice of how Taehyung’s hands were balled up into fists, knuckles the color white, “Because he wouldn’t have sex with me, can you believe that? He’s a little bitch who—“ “Say that shit again, I dare you.” By now, they were face to face, Tae’s nostrils flaring up. Ash prodded his tongue against the side of his mouth, scoffing. “I barely touched him! Alright? I figured that since we liked each other, it wouldn’t have been that big of a fucking deal! But the little f*ggot had to go and make it one.” That was the last straw, Taehyung’s fist acted on its own after the slur, tackling Ash to the ground before taking a hit to his nose, jaw too. “Don’t. Fucking. Call. Him. That.” He threw a strong punch after every word, face red from the rage that controlled him. Taehyung was like a vicious animal, watching how the blood seeped up from Ash’s visible bruises, still not holding back. Despite the beating, the elder managed to take a hold of Taehyung’s wrist, flipping them over so that he was on top of him. It was his turn to punch him mercilessly, a little smile on his lips after hearing Taehyung’s every grunt. He aimed at the latter’s nose, chin, and throat. Tae gasped, having trouble breathing but he pushed through. He broke free from underneath Ash’s weight, and before he had time to react; Taehyung threw a blow at him again, and again, and again, and again... After he saw that it was enough to knock the elder out, that was when Taehyung stood up. His fists were bloodied, and so was his face. Tae’s chest heaved, staring down at Ash’s limp form with empty eyes. The anger had slowly subsided. It was then that he remembered about Jungkook. “Jungkook, it’s me..” He panted, knocking on the bathroom door. “You’re fine— shit..” Taehyung hunched over, a stream of blood dripping from his nose.

~

Jungkook was frozen in place, as if he was in a trance until the knock on the door startled him. He didn’t move, scared it would be ash once more, but it wasn’t. In complete disbelief, taehyung actually came. He actually came for him. Jungkook clumsily got up on his legs, hands still trembling as he unlocks the door, letting it fall open slowly. His eyes were red from cryin, hair disheveled, and a faint mark on the skin of his cheek from Ash’s palm. He was mess— well, then he saw Taehyung. He looked like a madman. His fists were covered in blood, his nose dripping heavily, staining his chin down to the fabric of his shirt. Bruises, the whole shebang. All because of Jungkook. He did this because he wanted someone to come save him, like a fucking baby. “Taehyung...” kooks voice was shaky, and even though he felt guilty for the state the elder is in, he was grateful. He didn’t hesitate to throw himself into Taehyungs arms, not a care in the world for the red staining his clothes. He nuzzles his cheek against Tae’s shoulder, which seemed to be mostly dry, and choked out a sob. And another. And eventually he was just crying. “Thank you, thank you... I’m sorry.” He kept whispering out alternations of the two, grateful but guilty.

Taehyung’s weak body stumbled back a couple of steps at Jungkook’s sudden embrace, arms awkwardly hanging in the air. The boy’s chin quivered, and his bottom lip trembled. Partly because of the pain, and the other from relief. Jungkook looked terrified. A wave of raw emotions took over Taehyung, but he stayed strong for the both of them. Jungkook was sobbing; he didn’t need him crying as well. His heart was beating extremely fast, and eventually, Taehyung’s arms fell down to Kook’s form. They wrapped around his waist, Tae’s face lowering to the crook of Jungkook’s neck. “It’s fine. I’m fine.” He mumbled, wanting to reassure Jungkook that it was no use to continue apologizing. The damage was already done, what mattered was that he was safe. And in his arms.

They stayed like this for a while, Jungkook crying his heart out into the one shoulder he always wanted. Needed. The only person who's ever made him feel completely safe, despite the shitstorm he went through because of him. When he finally regained his breath somewhat to normalcy, he pulled back just enough to look at the elder with his puffy eyes. "Are you okay? That's a.. lot of blood." He didnt think clearly of it until now, now it's his time to worry. But then again, most of the blood probably wasnt even his own... His lip trembled once more, so overwhelmed by everything that's been happening today.

“I’m okay, Jungkook. I just..” For the first time, he softly smiled; that feeling of happiness Taehyung was so desperately waiting for finally hitting him. Everything was okay. They were both safe, and he only had a couple of bruises on his face. The outcome was nothing compared to previous fights he’s gotten into. Ash was weak as fuck. “I’m glad you’re safe.” Tae’s thumb gently brushed over Jungkook’s trembling lip, chuckling before wiping at the younger’s face, brushing away his stray tears. “Did that fucker hurt you?” Taehyung’s worried eyes raked over Jungkook’s figure, looking but not hoping for any reason to walk over there and kick Ash in the stomach. When his gaze went up to Kook’s face, the mark on his cheek caused Taehyung’s chest to tighten. He had to physically hold himself back, not wanting to worsen the situation. Ash was going to wake up sometime soon, and as much as Tae despised him; he wasn’t going to kill the guy. He just needed to teach him a lesson, and that’s what he did. “I ran here, so.. are you fine with walking back? We could stop at one of the stores nearby. They have some medical kits, and noodles. I’m hungry.” Taehyung clutched at his stomach, wanting to divert Jungkook’s attention away from the bleeding.

Jungkook glances down at Tae's stomach as he clutches it, now feeling his own gut rumble. A small, scrunched bunny smile appears on his face, "You're hungry after this? Me too, actually... I'm fine," He grabs taehyungs hand out of instinct, not really thinking about it, and pulls the elder with him towards the door. He sees ash laying on the floor, he tensed up for a moment as he watched how beaten he was. Taehyung sure messed him up... "Let's go." Jungkook breathes out, stepping around the unconcious fucker before heading outside with his savior. It was late, streetlights illuminating the streets as they slowly strolled towards the nearby shop. It was a comfortable silence, kook doesnt mind it. He needed it, actually. Everything has been so loud lately. But as they were almost there, jungkook broke the silence, "So.... are we good? I'm sorry for everything I threw at you earlier.. it must've been a lot."

“I’m always hungry, Kook. You should know that by now.” Taehyung playfully rolled his eyes, allowing Jungkook to take him by the hand. It’s been a minute since they’ve been this close.. It was nice. Really nice, actually. Taehyung didn’t know how much he’s missed this until now. As they silently made their way towards the shop; Tae couldn’t help but wonder what people thought. He was nearly covered in blood, for fucks sake, and Jungkook wasn’t in a very good condition either. Bonnie and Clyde? More like Taehyung and Jungkook.. Tae’s always been afraid of people’s opinions about him. Sure, he strived for the attention. But.. some attention was not always welcomed. He snapped out of his thoughts at Jungkook’s question, looking over at him. “Yeah, we’re good. It’s all in the past, anyways.” Taehyung smiled, but it didn’t fully reach his eyes.

Jungkook nodded, the silence came back as he had nothing else to say. He wasn't entirely convinced, but it was good enough for now, he didn't want to stir anything up while things finally had calmed down. As they finally made it to their destination, Kook still had Tae's hand in his, not really giving it a second thought as he pulls him inside the store, bell chiming. ''Welcome-- uh...'' The young male cashier's friendly smile fell as he saw the boys' condition, eyes falling lower. He wasnt sure if something had happened, or if they were dangerous, so he didn't want to meddle, keeping a low profile. It was weird, however,  how two boys were a mess, yet holding hands. It was a completely new sight. The things you see while working in retail, huh.

''I'll get the medkit stuff, you pick out some noodles. I know your taste is probably better than mine,'' Jungkook jokes, he's never been picky after all, but something he does know is medical supplies.

“Alright.” Taehyung uttered, eyes glancing over the options of noodles until they caught sight of the beef ramen. It was simple, but that’s what Tae needed most at the moment. He reached for two of them, seemingly proud with his choice as he walked over to the check-out. The young cashier was still weary, but, who wouldn’t be? “Don’t worry, I didn’t kill anyone.” Taehyung breathed out with a deadpanned expression, fishing for the money in his front pocket before sliding it over to him, not caring that his hand was bloodied. “Uh.. h-here’s your change.” The cashier squeaked out, wide-eyed as he watched Taehyung walk away. Fuck, he definitely shouldn’t have picked up an extra shift.. While waiting for Jungkook to get back, Tae began microwaving the noodles, the delicious aroma filling the air.

Jungkook headed to pay for his medical supplies, a simple mini medkit that he knew would be enough to treat minor wounds. He dug through his wallet to pay for it, internally cursing himself. He really needed to get a part time job. While done, he sauntered over to stand next to Taehyung, inhaling deeply. His stomach grumbled even louder, a soft sigh escaping his lips, ''Noodles has never smelled better than right about now.'' He glanced at Taehyung, watching his content expression staring at their fast food being microwaved, impatient for it to be done. For the first time in a while, the elder seemed to look relaxed, and it rubbed off on Kook, his anxiety reduced to barely noticable. It was just nice. With him.

Taehyung’s eyes lit up at the sound of the microwave’s beeping, subconsciously licking over his lips as he took it out. He only had a few beers today; Tae’s stomach was practically begging to be fed. After their meal was ready to eat, Taehyung pulled two seats over to a small table, plopping down on one with a groan. He was exhausted, he ran all the way to Ash’s house only to use more of his energy. It was worth it, though. Because of it, Jungkook was here, safe and sound whilst about to treat his wounds. “Do you know what you’re doing, Kook?” The elder teased, bringing up a hand to his busted nose, preventing more droplets of blood from staining his shirt, and the table. Thankfully it wasn’t broken, just a little swollen. “It doesn’t even hurt that bad, so..” Taehyung shrugged it off, internally feeling squeamish at what was to come. The boy slightly tilted his head back, anxiously waiting for Jungkook to do whatever he had to do.

Jungkook crooked an eyebrow, his bratty attitude shining through his small grin, “Not that bad? Then I really don’t wanna know what really bad would be.” He grabbed the other chair with a squeak as he pulled it closer to sit next to taehyung, medkit in his lap, “First, I gotta clean all that blood up...” he looks up at Taehyungs nose, “and clog that.” He grabs small pieces of cotton with one hand, using the other to grab Tae’s hand, removing it from covering his nose before putting the little rolled up chunks into his nostrils. He hums in thought, that should keep the blood from dripping until it stops. Now, he had to clean up all the blood and disinfect the wounds— the less fun part. He grabbed some regular wet wipes to clean up Taehyungs skin, gently wiping him until all that is visible is the small cuts and bruises on his face. These small touches and the close proximity was almost intimate, Kooks big eyes so focused. At last, he pulled out the small tube of disinfecting ointment, squeezing out a small amount on the pad of his finger, “This one stings... but it’s okay, it’s supposed to.” He whispers out the words with a low voice, his finger gently dabbing into the cut on the elders cheek, hoping it doesn’t hurt too much.

All throughout the while that Jungkook spent cleaning off his face, stuffing those cotton balls into his nostrils— which, made him want to sneeze; it brought Taehyung back to the day in the empty gym. Him on top of Jungkook as they laid on the dirty floor, that being the least of their worries as they granted the lust power to consume them whole.. That was when Taehyung first took notice of the small scar on the side of Kook’s cheek, as well as the latter’s faint moles. Now, the elder felt like he was reliving it all over again. “Ah..” He winced, the pain was stronger than he’d like to admit. But, he wouldn’t show that in front of Jungkook.

Jungkook delicately finished up the work on tae face, a small smile on his face when he knows he did a good job, "Okay, all done. You already look less swollen," Kook takes one last time to examine the elders face, roaming his festures so up close had a wave of emotions and thoughts crashing down on him. He held his breath, trying to keep it contained as he leaned back into his chair, finally exhaling when he moved back to give them a normal distance between them, "Let's eat before it gets cold!"

With a brief nod of his head; Taehyung dug into his ramen, savoring the delicious taste whilst keeping a close eye on Jungkook. He just hoped that the younger was fine, after everything that took place, it was kind of hard to be. Though, the food surely helped. “Thanks.” He spoke, referring to the medical help. “You didn’t fuck it up like I thought you would.” Taehyung snickered, anticipating a reaction from Jeon Jungkook himself. Damn, he’s missed this. Their countless bickering, it was enough to cheer Tae up. Never in a million years did he think that would be the case.. As Taehyung ate his food, the young cashier watching over them; he snuck a glance up at Jungkook. Fuck.. why was he so relieved? It didn’t make any sense; any of it. “Uh..” He began, treading carefully with his words. Taehyung didn’t want to seem interested, or like he cared. But, for some reason; his mind was set on knowing. “So.. you liked me?” Tae took another bite of his noodles, “Why? I was a complete asshole..”

"You're lucky, I had no idea what I was doing," Jungkook joked back, a crooked eyebrow thrown the elders way. He swallowed a mouthful of his noodles, slurping some of the soup up when he taehyung surprised him with the next question, this time both his eyebrows raised. He swallowed down his food, taking a moment to think. He wasnt expecting this conversation at all-- honestly, he thought the elder would just drop it all together.. "Yeah," but he felt like at this point, what was there to hide? Nothing. "You were a total asshole. But..." he was trying to find the reasoning himself, why did he like him? "Even if you were, you were the only one to treat me like an actual person as well. Like I wasnt this... fragile thing. It was refreshing." He wasn't sure it made sense, "I dont know. I just do. You are you, and I admired that-- still do."

“Huh..” Taehyung pursed out his busted lips, merely cursing himself off when he felt his cheeks get overtaken by an unexpected warmth. Tae wasn’t expecting Jungkook to be so blunt about the whole situation, but then again, he was the one who asked the question. Kook only answered him truthfully, and that’s what Taehyung wanted. “Well.. what kinda guys do you like?” Internally, Tae wanted to smack himself. Why was he so goddamn noisy about this? Jungkook was gay; it wasn’t like he was some sort of alien. “If you’re, uh.. comfortable with answering that.” He quickly added on, trying his hardest to not make any eye contact with Kook by tilting the plastic bowl up to his lips, slurping on the remaining soup. Maybe Taehyung had yet to come down from the alcohol in his system, or maybe, he was just curious. Either way, he wanted to know. For the first time in a long time, they were talking again. Well, at least those couple of days they spent not uttering a word to each other felt like eternity.

Jungkook stirred his noodles with his chopsticks, humming in thought. Well, he guessed he didnt really have a type. He just liked Taehyung. Sure-- he thought he had a crush on ash too; but maybe that was just to distract himself. He really didnt feel the same way about him. "My type?" His eyebrows were drawn together, a small grin growing on his lips, "I guess I like assholes that would beat someone unconscious to keep me safe." He tilted the cup to swallow the rest of it, glancing at taehyung to see if he got the memo. He really didn't know he liked any guy until he met him. But then again-- he never had any interest in the opposite gender to begin with. Not even the slightest thought in anything regarding his sexuality came to his mind, but with this guy... "Why the sudden interest in my hopeless infatuation? Does it make you uncomfortable? We can.. just pretend it doesnt exist if it does." He wanted to keep tae in his life..  whether it was just as a friend or not.

Upon hearing Jungkook’s answer, it was too late for Taehyung to take notice of the cocky, lopsided smile tugging at the corners of his lips. He rubbed at his nape, not knowing what else to do as he looked down at his empty cup of ramen, giving himself enough time to gather his thoughts. “Well.. if your next boyfriend’s too big of an asshole, I might just have to beat the shit out of him as well.” Tae comfortably leaned back into his chair, eyes focused on Jungkook like they always seemed to be. He had yet to fully come down from his high; Taehyung was still angry about.. everything. When he came across Ash in school, he didn’t know if his self restraint would be enough to stop his fist from acting up. “What? Oh.. no, it doesn’t make me uncomfortable. It’s all in the past anyways, I uh— I was just curious.” Taehyung attempted to soothe Kook’s worries, getting up from his chair. “C’mon, I’ll walk you home.”

Jungkook looked a little dumbfounded. Didn’t Taehyung get the hint? Or maybe he did. He just gave a hint back that there was nothing there, no hope between them. He felt dumb for even having that vague gut feeling that maybe he would get a different reaction. Either way, it was really late, and Kook was exhausted. At the end of it, the elder didn’t seem disgusted nor hate him for who he is. He’s taking it... way too well. “Okay,” Jungkook got up and pushed the chair back by the table, running his fingers through his tangled locks. He’s grateful that he’d get a little more time with taehyung, and even more relaxed knowing he wouldn’t have to walk all the way home by himself. Grabbing the plastic bag containing the medkit, he heads out the door and down the street with his company. It had gotten fairly cold, and kook had forgotten his jacket at ash’s... fuck, there’s no way he’d ever go reclaim it. Guess he /really/ need that part time job. He wrapped his arms over his chest to keep his body heat intact, gritting his teeth to keep them from clattering together. Luckily his apartment wasn’t too far away.

With his hands buried in his pockets, Taehyung stepped out of the small shop with Jungkook at his side, immediately getting engulfed by the night’s chilling breeze. He was thankful for the hoodie he had on, despite it not being the warmest; it was still better than nothing. But then, there were people like Jungkook who couldn’t relate. The younger looked like he was shitting himself from the cold. Without another thought, Tae slipped off the extra fabric before urging Jungkook to take it. “Here, you baby.” Taehyung chuckled, stopping in his track to make sure it was on right, zipping the zipper all the way up and throwing the hood over Kook’s head. Whilst the elder took care of Jungkook, he couldn’t help but wonder where his gray sweatshirt disappeared off to. It would’ve been a lot more snug. Almost instantly, his own skin got taken over by goosebumps, but Taehyung didn’t mind. By the looks of their surroundings, they where close to Jungkook’s apartment. He would get his hoodie back relatively soon. “Feeling better?” Taehyung cocked an eyebrow questioningly, the tip of his nose an adorable hue of red.

Jungkook's cold cheeks instantly warm up at the sweet gesture, wrapping his arms around the hoodie to hug himself. It almost felt like it was Taehyung hugging him, his scent wrapping around him like a warm embrace. But he wouldn't tell him that out loud. ''Thanks...'' He nods, he definitely felt better already, however guilty that the elder now has to be the one freezing. As they made it to his front door, Jungkook comes to a halt, turning to the elder, ''You going home?'' He wasn't sure why he asked this. Of course he would go home. He pulled the zipper down to take off the hoodie, handing it over to Taehyung along with the plastic bag containing the medkit, ''You should take this, you still need to apply another layer of the disinfectant for your face and hands..It'll make the healing faster.''

“Yeah.. I should.” Taehyung answered with a sigh, having a gut feeling that his father would be there. The last thing he wanted was to go home to a drunken mess, but, he figured enough had happened today. It would be weird if Tae stayed over at Jungkook’s place. Sure, both boys were back to talking terms (somewhat) but, something still felt a little off.. “Thanks.” Taehyung took the medkit and his hoodie, his slender fingers brushing against Jungkook’s for a split second, “See you on Monday..?”

Jungkook wasn’t sure if it was the cold, or the soft brush of their skin for a mere moment, but he felt a shiver run down his spine. He smiled lightly, nodding, “See you Monday.” He unlocked his door, stepping inside as he turned back to look at Taehyung, “Again, hm... thank you.”

© sombreboy 2020. Do not repost, edit or translate.

[elwinged]

etaaaaa!!! congratulations on 300 lovely! you deserve the world and moreeee ilu :D 🍀+marvel, tsc, narnia 🤍 (also 🌼,, the witcher last wish) WHEEE

aaahhh harls thank u ily!!!!!! <3<3 

blog compliment: I LITERALLY ADORE YOUR BLOG SM. the theme? iconic. i love it. the reds and pinks? GORG. the layout? hot damn. and your mobile theme? the header? the colours? stunning. oscar worthy. also slightly unrelated but your urls are always!! top tier!!

marvel-

original avenger: tony stark | steve rogers | natasha romanoff | clint barton | thor odinson | bruce banner

guardian of the galaxy: peter quill | gamora | rocket raccoon | drax | mantis | groot

x-men member: charles xavier | erik lehnsherr | jean grey | logan | scott summers | ororo munroe | hank mccoy | raven darkholme | pietro maximoff | wanda maximoff | lorna dane | anna marie darkholme | kitty pryde | remy lebeau

location: stark tower | avengers compound | asgard | wakanda | the milano | x-mansion | sokovia | leipzig airport

infinity stone: power | space | reality | soul | time | mind

the shadowhunter chronicles-

series: the mortal instruments | the infernal devices | the dark artifices | the last hours | the bane chronicles | tales from the shadowhunter academy | ghosts of the shadow market | the eldest curses

main characters: clary fairchild | tessa gray | emma carstairs | cordelia carstairs | magnus bane | simon lovelace | jem carstairs | alec lightwood

institute: new york institute | london institute | los angeles institute | paris institute | rome institute | shanghai institute | melbourne institute

weapon: heosphoros | seraph blade | cortana | elecktrum whip | bow and arrows | sword cane | crossbow | balisong | throwing knives

rune: angelic power | parabatai | strength | speed | mnemosyne | mourning | fearless | farsighted | tracking

narnia-

books: the magician’s nephew |  the lion, the witch and the wardrobe | the horse and his boy | prince caspian | the voyage of the dawn treader | the silver chair | the last battle

location: cair paravel | aslan’s how | lantern waste | glasswater | dancing lawn | the ford of beruna

female character: polly plummer | lucy pevensie | susan pevensie | aravis tarkheena | lasaraleen tarkheena | ramandu’s daughter | jill pole

male character: digory kirke | edmund pevensie | peter pevensie | prince cor | prince corin | caspian x | eustace scrubb | rilian | tirian

narnian: fledge | mr beaver | mrs beaver | mr tumnus | oreius | glenstorm | reepicheep | puddleglum | jewel

want one?

[aveaveria]

Mekkah on Ao3 asked about some SlaDick fic recommendations (then @gravesecret make sure to check out their art did as well). And I’m here to deliver.

Klarion’s Curse by ilyena_sylph, Merfilly

Slade hunted the wrong witch, and gets an interesting curse.

I love this one, it got me into the ship and it has so much DC lore in it! ilyena_sylph and Merfilly originally wrote it back in 2006/2007, it’s a blast full with pre-N52 canon. When I read it for the first time the DCU was like a strange new world I had only just stumbled into and it did not matter that I only understood half of it after my first read. This fic (and the creators’ other works) is one of the reasons I learned to love the DCU lore, especially the small things, the things canon likes to ignore. Additionally, the fic has a unique SlaDick dynamic and Dinah is a fun and refreshing support character.

Waiting To Be Claimed by firewolfsg

Deathstroke is unexpectedly offered custody of a depressed and lost Dick Grayson, and the two make some interesting discoveries as they plan for the future.

Fic Setting: Takes place a couple of months after Nightwing #100 and is an AU where Dick does *not* join the mob.

Written October 2005

Together with Clarion’s Curse, this is the fanfiction that pretty much defines how I view Slade’ and Dick’s relationship. It basically is what it says on the tin plus some surprising boners, ya know. There’s just a certain type of magic in old works like this, that make the relationships ring true, which is partially due to the different canon and partially due to a certain type of nostalgia. After all, what can beat “the good old days”? What can beat the magic moment of falling in love with something new?

In The Shadow Of The Bat by meyari [Trigger Warning: Slavery]

The secret sale of Bruce Wayne's slave Jason Todd to Slade Wilson set off a series of events that changed everything for everyone who lived in the shadow of the Bat. Fortunately for them, Slade wasn't the man that they'd been trained to think he was.

No story is for everyone and in this case, we dive a bit deeper into the morally dubious decent that is SlaDick. Despite the slavery theme, the story is tame. In the end, it is much more a story about choosing roles than it is about being forced into one.

That LiveJournal Fic No Search Engine Wants To Admit Hides In the Depths Of The Internet  

There was that one story in which Slade and Dick hit it off and Adeline warned Dick not to fall for him, which ended with Slade and Dick having you-know-what in front of the mirror. But for the life of me, I can’t find it anymore. 

Dark Origins by coldfiredragon [no romantic relationship]

A/U, what if Slade Wilson, rather than Bruce Wayne found and raised Dick Grayson?

This is a cheater but I love it too much to leave it out. Especially A Mother’s Decision. I’d die for that part. Additionally, it has some good Roy/Dick in it and beautifully retells Dick’s former canon through AU fanon lenses. As a rule of thumb: Definitely check out LiveJournal if you crave more &s and /s to your SlaDick stuff.

The Sensation of Falling by rocket_dreaming3D [Trigger Warning: Rape/Non-Con]

Dick decides to start down his own path as the vigilante Nightwing after a powerful falling out with his adoptive father Bruce Wayne (aka Batman). Dealing with heavy emotional issues he hunts down the mercenary known as Deathstroke (Slade Wilson), searching for either proof of his worth or a way to end it all. What happens when he finds that there are more layers to the merc than he'd ever seen in his time as the Boy Wonder, Robin?

The first ongoing of this ship I ever read. Let’s just say this: It is an Injustice AU, Deadpool is Slade’s brother, Killer Frost is the best friend Dick ever had. It’s hilarious in that “feels-like-sunshine” way, despite the warnings.

Yonder Heart and Somber Lover by overratedantihero

Dick's taken from his father's garden to join Slade in Hades, the realm of the dead. A retelling of the Abduction of Persephone.

Persephone is the perfect myth for SlaDick and orah has such extensive knowledge of Greek mythology, that the story flows nicely in a way that is all greek tragedy mixed with DC, which brings me back to the nostalgia I have mentioned before, only that this fic is so very modern despite it.

What No Man Wants to Lose by Firefright, Skalidra

Getting a call from Slade's new team, Defiance, saying that they need his help in rescuing Slade is not the call that Dick expected to get on a random Tuesday morning. But rescuing is what he does, especially when it's a team of young heroes asking. The fact that it's Slade in need of rescuing? Well, that's different, but it doesn't change anything.

Firefright and Skalidra are going all out with both recent comic canon and fanon in this one. An established relationship is always fun to explore with this pairing and if there is a real comic-y plot, even more so. It is basically a shippy love letter to Priest’s Deathstroke run.

There’s Magic in You by TimmyJaybird [Trigger Warning: Cannibalism]

Dick has a pension for nightmares, for the creatures that stalk the nights in tales that should have lulled him to sleep as a boy. Now, face to face with a beast straight from fairy tales, he's shockingly at ease with the knowledge that this could be his end... if the beast wills it. 

A dark re-telling of Red Riding Hood with a witchy twist because even as a human eating werewolf Slade cannot quite instill fear into Dick. It gets hot pretty fast, and gross, pretty gross. Check out her other works if you are in need of transgender/ftm!Dick.

Stars and Cinders-Series by victoriousscarf 

Bruce Wayne makes a really awful Jedi. His padawans are not much better. That Batman Star Wars AU no one asked for.

The package makes the deal here and you should definitely not only look into this for the pairing but for the world that victoriousscarf built. There is rape in one part of the series, so be mindful of the tags.

Blood and Iron by Zillabird

The War has been going on since Dick wasn't much bigger than his adoptive father's knee.

Dick had done a lot of things he's not proud of in search of an end to the bloodshed. Things that give the turncoat orc, Slade, every reason to dislike him. Not that Slade's hands are clean, not even close. That's why he's here at Lord Wayne's camp under the watchful eye of the man's eldest. Waiting patiently for the chance to get his revenge. Secrets are so embroiled in this world they are forged into the very steel that the armies fight with, and they may be the reason that Slade loses the chance to start a new life. One with the half-elf healer that he's fallen for in Lord Wayne's camp.

584 Days is the fic that everyone knows but this one should be loved just as much.

I’ve kept my recommended to one story per author because otherwise, the list would explode but generally speaking: If you liked one of the author’s stories, it is worth checking out more of their stuff.

That being said, I hope you enjoy reading the recs!

(Header: http://ao3commentoftheday.tumblr.com/post/173752189329/want-to-make-a-fic-rec-post-grab-yourself-a)

[choiceslife]

Christmas in Hartfeld (Aaron and Zig Ortega)

Disclaimer: Based upon characters in Choices - The Freshman/Sophomore/Junior/Senior series. All characters presented are the property of Pixelberry Studios. I claim no ownership. This story is purely the work of the poster as fanfiction.

Story Note: This fic is for the #achoiceschristmascarol hosted by @choicesseasonalprompts @blackcatkita and @darley1101 . I’m using the prompt ‘Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas, particularly the version by Rumer. This is the result and I hope you enjoy.

Story Rating/Warning: Mature (To Be Safe)/Adult Language and Content. It’s Fluffy, but this story is intended for an Adult audience.

Summary: Zig scrambles to salvage his roommate’s holiday after learning of Aaron’s predicament.

Author’s Note: This story follows the events of my fic, Constant Craving, and takes place before MC heads off to London. It is a part of my Chromatic AU. The link to my Master List is in my bio header.

Tag List: @cinnamonroll-duffy @darley1101 @debramcg1106 @brightpinkpeppercorn @ladynonsense @katurrade @regrettingnathan @teamtomsato @luxurylives @akrenich @kenjikatsoros @riseandshinelittleblossom @kinkykingliam @tmarie82 @jlouise88 @eileendannie @marshmallow-ortega @littlecrookedheart @i-choose-liam @bobasheebaby @boneandfur @europeanguy @walkerismychoice @jellybean-marshmellow @pixieferry @sstee1 @endlessly-searching-for-you @3pawandme

***

Winter break in Hartfeld was always relaxing and peaceful. Gone were the throngs of undergrads packing the local establishments to capacity. In their place, the slower pace of local residents catching their collective breaths from the busy fall semester. Unlike many college towns, Hartfeld residents had a great relationship with the University that resided within its borders. Even still, the quiet downtime of the holiday season was instrumental in maintaining that symbiotic relationship between students and locals.

Zig Ortega was part of a small percentage of Hartfeld University students that grew up in the towns within a few miles of the school’s property. His close proximity to campus was both a blessing and a curse. While it was great that he could get a home cooked meal every night rather than the typical student’s cafeteria fare; it also meant that he wouldn’t get the full college lifestyle by living at home. Thankfully, the Second Chance Scholarship changed all that by coming with a housing stipend that allowed him to live in a campus apartment. Zig loved his mom and sisters, but he was glad to have some independence when he first enrolled.

Being close by also meant that there were less baristas available to work shifts at the coffee shop, so if someone called out, Zig was one of the few around to cover. Which is exactly what happened the week leading up to Christmas.

“I promise I’ll be home on Christmas Eve mom. The shop we’ll be closing early. I’m just gonna stay on campus this week. I worked a double today and I have to be back early tomorrow morning since we’re short staffed.” Zig took long strides up the stairs to his third floor apartment, fishing for his keys as he readjusted his backpack onto the opposite shoulder. “Yes mom.... I love you too. Okay...Bye.”

“Ziggy Pop? What are you doing here?” A shocked Aaron jumped up from lounging on the couch as his roommate entered their living room. Aaron clearly hadn’t expected anyone to be around over winter break. A couple of empty pizza boxes and discarded fast food wrappers littered the coffee table in the living room. Aaron’s appearance was slightly disheveled compared to his usual well kept look, as if he had been stressing over something.

“Brandon called me this morning asking if I could cover his shifts this week.” Zig placed his backpack down on the floor beside the front door. He took in the sight of the clutter around the apartment. Typically the place was spotless. Aaron and Zig were both pretty meticulous about maintaining a clean abode. “Apparently his brother bailed on Christmas and his mom is pretty upset, so he wants to spend more time with her. What are you doing here? I thought you left for home yesterday?”

Panic set in as Aaron began to rub the back of his neck wracking his brain for an answer, any answer, to Zig’s inquiry. But he couldn’t. Aaron knew he finally had to come clean to his roommate and best friend. “I’m sorry Ziggy-O. I should have told you sooner...”

___

“Mijo!” Linda Ortega exclaimed as her only son entered the front door. She wrapped her arms around her strapping baby boy, pulling him away from the bitter cold and darkness outside. Linda hadn’t been expecting Zig to return for another few days based upon their earlier conversation, but when he called with an emergency and needed her help, she didn’t hesitate to take action. “And you must be Aaron,” Linda said to the young man standing behind her son with a small book bag strapped to his back and a canvas laundry bag in his hands.

“Yes ma’am,” Aaron replied as Linda yanked him into a motherly embrace.

“We are so happy to have you with us for the holidays, Love. We put some fresh linens on Zig’s bed, where you’ll be staying. He can take the couch. Oh and there’s a change of clothes in the room as well. Stuff Zig hasn’t worn in a while. They should fit you.”

“You didn’t have to go through all the trouble Mrs. Ortega. I’m okay to take the couch...”

“Oh it’s no trouble at all Honey,” Linda interrupted. “And guests in this house do not sleep on the couch. Zig is totally fine with you taking his room for a few days.” Aaron noticed Ziggy-Pop nodding in agreement as Linda took a hold of the laundry bag in his hands before patting him on the behind and ushering him up the stairs behind her son. “Now go. Zig will show you to your room and you can freshen up. Dinner will be ready in fifteen minutes. I’ll get this load of laundry started. And please, call me Linda.”

Aaron smiled brightly at the enthusiastic Mrs. Ortega, before following his best friend upstairs. In that moment, he felt love. Zig’s mom was pure delight and it became absolutely clear just where Zig got his warmth and compassion. Aaron truly lucked out getting assigned as his roommate; he just wished that it could last for Zig’s final semester.

___

The next couple of days were a whirlwind in the Ortega household. Linda and her eldest daughter, Marie, enjoyed cooking and baking with Aaron; Sophie enjoyed getting his advice on which professors’ classes to avoid; and Lucy and Mila enjoyed binge watching Beautiful Tiny Fibbers on WebFlicks with him. For Aaron, it just felt nice to feel like he belonged somewhere again.

Zig returned home one afternoon, a couple days before Christmas, in a fluster. “Aaron. Come on. I need you to come with me to the store. I forgot to grab a gift for Britney and Chris.” Zig shot a knowing looking to his mother as Aaron retrieved his garments from upstairs. Linda acknowledged her son, ready to set their plan in motion.

“Do you have an idea of what to get them?” Aaron asked as he descended the stairs while pulling on his coat.

“Not a clue. This could take a while.”

“Have fun boys,” Linda bid farewell as her son pulled his friend out the door. She waited until she heard Zig’s car leave before giving her daughters the all clear. “Ok girls. Operation: Merry Zigmas is a go!”

“Really Mom? Merry Zigmas?” Lucy questioned as her oldest sister, Marie, went to grab the new gifts that her mom and brother secretly bought for Aaron the other day.

“Well this was Zig’s idea and Aaron is his best friend,” Sophie answered. “We have been blessed, but Aaron is going through some tough times with his family right now. Zigster just wants him to have a great holiday like the rest of us.”

“Yeah. He’s a sweetheart and deserves to feel loved,” Marie chimed in as she returned with the gifts. “I can’t believe his parents disowned him for being true to himself.”

A brief quiet washed over the Ortega ladies as they contemplated the internal struggle Aaron must have been going through. But soon, they each realized, without saying a word, just how much they wanted to bring joy to his holiday. A flurry of wrapping paper and ribbon soon took over the living room as Zig’s mom and each of his sisters set to wrapping a variety of gifts for their holiday guest; knowing just how important their small gesture would mean to their brother’s best friend.

___

Love, laughter, and Christmas music filled the air of the Ortega household on Christmas Eve. Zig was fortunate that the café owner decided to keep the shop closed today, allowing all of the employees to spend more time with their families for the holiday. And quality family time is exactly what happened all day, afternoon, and evening.

As night set in and the hours got late, Linda finally got everyone’s attention for the final Ortega Family Tradition. “Okay my babies, the time has come for you all to open one gift before Christmas Day arrives. This year, however, I’ll be the one randomly picking the gift from beneath the tree for each of you.” Linda caught her son’s eye and winked as the words left her mouth.

Aaron watched as each of Linda’s children unwrapped the gift she handed to them. Marie received a pair of tickets to next year’s Aurora Music Festival, while Zig was gifted a book on Japanese culture and customs with a link for downloadable language lessons. Each of Zig’s three younger sisters received Surface tablets, which Mrs. Ortega was quick to point out, was to help them with their school studies. Linda then stood before Aaron with a small envelope with his name on it. “Oh Mrs...erm, Linda, you didn’t have to get me anything.”

“Nonsense Honey,” Linda scoffed. “Everyone with the Ortega’s for the holidays partakes in our family traditions.”

“She’s not gonna take no for an answer Aaron,” Zig added with a smile while gesturing for his roommate to open the gift.

Aaron nodded and proceeded to peel open the envelope. Inside was a formal note on fancy letterhead. He was a bit confused, but as he started to read, tears began to form in his eyes.

“What’s it say?” Mila finally asked; the suspense killing her.

Aaron hitched his breath for a moment before speaking. “Prescott Industries is offering to pay my tuition, room, and board for the rest of my time in college. And they’re inviting me to join their Summer Intern Program this summer to see if the company is a good fit for my career goals.” A chill ran down Aaron’s spine as tears streamed his face. He rose from his seat without saying another word and wrapped his arms around Linda. The petite mom hugged the sobbing, athletically built young man as best she could before being joined by her daughters and Zig.

“I hope it’s okay that I told your story to my boss,” Linda said the moment the group hug ended. “He overheard me talking with my co-worker when we were discussing some gifts we could get for you. I left out your name because, well, people don’t need to know your name, but Mr. Prescott was upset with your predicament and just wanted to help. He is such a wonderful man and a fantastic boss.”

“He is wonderful and I can’t thank him enough,” Aaron managed to utter between sobs while trying to regain his composure. “But you and your family... you’re amazing. I never...” Aaron began crying again, unable to find words as he was completely overcome with emotions by the incredible gesture of the Ortega’s and Mr. Prescott. Linda, her daughters, and Zig all encircled Aaron in another group hug and soon his tears turned to laughter. “Thank you all.”

The night wore on and eventually the excitement and joy subsided; being replaced with yawns and tiredness from all of the day’s festivities. Zig hugged each of his sisters and mom goodnight, letting Linda know that he’d clean up the mess in the living room before going to bed. Aaron stayed back to help him.

The two friends scooped up discarded wrapping paper and boxes in relative silence as soft Christmas music continued to play lowly in the background. For a moment, Aaron watched as Zig stuffed the festive remnants into a trash bag. He appreciated everything Zig and his family had done for him, and Aaron realized that it was time for him to tell his friend the whole truth. “I love you,” Aaron blurted out. His face turned three shades of red when Zig turned towards him and Aaron realized that he skipped right over his explanation. He shook his head and refocused his thoughts. “When I came out to my parents, I didn’t say to them ‘I think I might like a guy’ like I told you I did. I told them that I was in love with you. They shamed me. Told me that I was violating your trust as a friend. And then my dad told me that he would not accept a son with an alternative lifestyle.”

Zig dropped the trash bag and wrapped his arms around his roommate as tears began to form once again in Aaron’s eyes. Only this time, Aaron willed them away.

“For years I wanted to tell you Zig, but I felt like I couldn’t risk losing your friendship,” Aaron continued. “And then after how my parents reacted, I thought it would be best to just finish out this semester with you on a happy note; that when you came back from winter break and I wasn’t there would be easier than trying to explain my situation.”

When the words finally stopped flowing, Zig spoke up. “I love you too Aaron. If I’m being honest, I was afraid to tell you my feelings as well.”

The two friends looked at each other; Zig still holding Aaron in an embrace, before softly chuckling at their shared behavior. Had they spoken sooner, they would have realized their mutual love. Aaron got lost in Zig’s eyes as ‘Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas’ by Rumer began to play softly.

“I love this song,” Aaron commented as he placed his forehead against Zig’s.

“Shall we dance?”

Aaron smiled with a slight nod, before snuggling even closer to Zig. The two men swayed in time with the slow and classic ballad, both happy to finally be honest with the other. All of their fears and worries washed away as the song played because they both knew they finally had each other.

The song came to an end, but Zig still softly rocked with Aaron for a few more moments. When he finally opened his eyes, he realized that the two were standing beneath the festive red and green plant that his mother loved to hang about the house at this time of year. “You know what we’re supposed to do when we’re beneath this don’t you?” Zig inquired as he tilted Aaron by the chin to gaze upon the decor above.

Without hesitation, Aaron crashed his lips to Zig’s, enjoying the softness and the warm sensation from the man he long craved. Aaron savored the taste as he drug his tongue along his partner’s tongue before pulling back slowly. He caught Zig’s lower lip gently between his teeth and playfully nibbled before placing one last quick peck on his roommates luscious mouth. “Damn. I have waited so long for that and it did not disappoint.”

Before Zig could answer, someone cleared their throat behind them. The guys turned to see Sophie sitting on the stairs. “Thought you guys should know, but that’s holly you’re kissing under. The mistletoe is the white and green plant hanging over the couch.” Sophie got up from her seated position and started to make her way back upstairs, before turning back. “I can’t imagine what you two would do with each other under actual mistletoe.” She shot her brother a sly grin.

“Goodnight Sophie,” Zig said flushed with embarrassment.

“Goodnight boys.”

Aaron kissed Zig on the cheek, pulling his attention back from his departing sister. “I know what I’m imagining I’d do to you under the mistletoe,” he chuckled as he pulled Zig onto the couch.

***

(The End)

[whatdoyouexpectthistime]

THE Wedding - Miho and Goto Tie the Knot

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A collaborative effort with @hifftn, @smutmylifeup and @smile-smile-ichthys

“You know,” Miho sniffed, standing in front of the full length mirror as Jazz tried to pin flowers in her hair, “I don’t know why I couldn’t have just eloped...ow!”

“Sorry,” Jazz smirked after sticking her with a bobby-pin a little too hard. “Sit your tall ass down.”

Grumbling way too much for her wedding day, Miho complied.

“And you know why,” Jazz continued, repositioning a rogue curl. “As mother and father of the bride, not to mention your BFF, it would kill me not to be able to celebrate this with you properly.”

“My revenge is going to be so sweet,” Miho promised, grinning that evil grin.

“Bah, quit acting like this isn’t the happiest day of your life,” Jazz scoffed, and Miho sighed. “Sorry, still can’t quite kick the old defence mechanism. I can’t help but think I’ll step out of here and all that’ll be waiting is…”

“The man who is crazy enough to love you,” Subaru finished, having snuck in behind them with Rose and H hot on his heels.

“Come on Subaru,” Rose growled. “You’re supposed to be keeping Goto calm.”

“Kurosawa has everything under control,” he declared.

“Be the first time,” Miho laughed.

“Okay, Issei is managing affairs and Kurosawa is already sobbing,” Subaru admitted, moving in beside Jazz and peering at Miho’s reflection. “But I couldn’t risk Jazz messing up your hair.”

“I’ll mess you up,” Jazz hissed, and Miho snickered.

“Okay, it’s worth it just for this sideshow,” she grinned. “Especially you in the pinstripes.”

Subaru glanced down at his grey pinstripe suit and shrugged.

“Yeah, but it looks good on me,” he pointed out.

“You’re right,” Miho volleyed. “Seiji looks better without it.”

“Seriously, no dragging him off to any dark corners under the reception is over,” Jazz warned.

“They don’t have to be dark,” Miho announced, and Rose and H chuckled.

Then another person peeked in.

“Oh my!” Haruka exclaimed, scuttling in and snatching up Miho’s hand. “You are a vision.”

“Thanks Mum,” Miho smiled, though it was still a bit weird calling someone that after so many years.

“I think I’m going to cry,” she whimpered, and Subaru put an arm around her shoulder.

“You’ll be in good company,” he told her.

Then Miho stood.

“Okay, time to get this show on the road before I forget all my lines.”

“How many are there?” H asked.

“Umm… I didn’t count,” Miho admitted. “Honestly, my memory is crap. Performing my vows in interpretive dance would have been easier.”

“Your style of ‘interpretive dance’ isn’t suitable for anyone other than Goto,” Jazz reminded her, and they all laughed, even Haruka, though her cheeks had grown a little pink.

“Get out there Subaru,” Miho instructed. “Tell Goto I’m coming.”

SILENCE.

“Oh for…” Miho nearly cursed, but held it in for Haruka’a sake. “Get out before I kick you out.”

“Oh my, my Seiji is in big trouble,” Haruka beamed, and Miho relaxed as the woman hugged and kissed her cheek.

“The best kind of trouble,” Miho whispered, then straightened, watching Haruka and Subaru leave before inhaling.

“Well ladies,” she exhaled. “Don’t trip and ruin this for me, or you’re both fired.”

Rose and H knew Miho well enough now to know she was kidding, but Jazz gave her a dig in the ribs anyway.

“Fiiiine,” Miho huffed. “I love you all and thank you for being here with me today.”

A group hug ensued, then, after frocks were straightened, Rose headed out, followed by H, then Jazz offered Miho her arm.

“If I do forget my lines,” Miho said, only now seeming jittery. “Do something embarrassing to buy me some time.”

“You won’t forget,” Jazz assured her, patting the back of her hand as they exited the room into the hall and turned to the garden doors. “And even if you do, just look into his eyes and say what’s in your heart.”

Miho grinned broadly.

“Just keep it clean,” Jazz added, and Miho’s grin only widened as attendants opened the garden doors to the bright sunshine.

“No promises.”

  In the beautifully manicured garden, bathed in dappled light filtering through tall branches wreathed in green, Seiji and his groomsmen waited before the assembly of friends and family. There was no ‘his and hers’ side, just a mixture of people they held dear, and who knew them as a couple in varying ways.

As music indicated the true commencement of proceedings, Haruka sniffled into her handkerchief at her husband’s side, both dividing their gaze between their eldest son and the imminent arrival of the bridal procession. Ishigami, his hand discreetly in Liana’s, watched on with less stoicism than usual, the faint hint of a smile widening as his wife squeezed his hand.

“Never thought I’d see this happen,” Kyobashi muttered, and Baba nodded.

“Me either,” he agreed quietly, as Rose appeared at the far end of the aisle. “I wonder if he really knows what he’s getting into.”

With a confident, if subdued smile, Rose began her slow walk to the music, making a point to make eye contact with Goto who shifted his weight. Seeing the man a little on edge made her want to grin, but she fought it back on account of the occasion. Kyobashi next drew her attention, and she had to try really hard not to roll her eyes when he winked at her - she was saved, however, when she spied Inui.

He peered at her with an expression of embarrassed awe, the blush in his cheeks suggesting he might like to look away, but his growing smile and wide eyes an indication he simply couldn’t. That look made Rose forget, even if for the moment, what he did for a living, who he worked for, her stoush at the Tres Spades that had definitely ruffled feathers. That boy - not, that man - was worth hanging onto despite the questionable nature of his employment. Somehow, they’d make it work.

H followed, swishing along in her deep blue dress, that like Rose’s matched the groomsmen’s ties. She looked for her own date, Atsumu, and found him beaming at her cheerfully. She’d been a little bit unsure, ultimately, about whether to invite him, but the glimmer in his eyes as he looked at her made her feel more sure… until another familiar figure nearly caused her to stumble.

What the hell was Luke doing here?

It was a question she couldn’t ask right now, but his slightly creased brow and the way his lips slowly parted as he stared at her, made her feel less mad about his presence. By the time she reached Rose’s side at the front of the group of guests, she had focused back in on her task as a bridesmaid and looked back up the aisle as Miho and Jazz appeared.

“Did you breath yet?” Jazz whispered as they paused, but Miho didn’t answer.

Her eyes gazed forward, fixed, completely fixed upon charcoal grey that reached out across the space between them and coiled around her heart.

“You’re going to pass out in front of everyone if you don’t inhale soon,” Jazz prompted, and finally Miho breathed in.

From his place at the front, the moment Goto locked eyes with Miho he was awash with a deep and jarring despair. On the happiest day of his life to date, he beheld his future wife as if the distance between them was suddenly insurmountable; dread made him cold, from somewhere tackled by the echo of a painful realisation they could not be together.

Then Miho took a step toward him.

Warmth returned, shattering the dark foreboding that had settled around Goto, and Miho’s smile reassured him they would be moving forward into the future together.

This was the second time for Miho, and as she walked, happy and proud to have Jazz with her - not even thinking about her parents at all - she made a momentary comparison. Did this feel the same as when she’d married Daisetsu?

No.

It felt now, despite how trouble she still was by her part in his death, that it had been destined. Ultimately, there was a distinct rightness to her being in that place, approaching the man she approached, with the intention she had. To be with him forever.

Sure as he was also about what he wanted, when Jazz took Miho’s bouquet and bride and groom joined hands, his hold on her was light, tentative, like he thought she might disappear in a puff of smoke.

“I’m sorry for breaking tradition,” he said suddenly, before the wedding officiator could open his mouth, and Miho felt the soft warmth of Goto’s lips on hers.

Both Jazz and Subaru shook their heads wryly, while there was a ripple of quiet laughter from other guests.

“Hey you two, save it for the honeymoon,” Subaru grumbled, and sheepishly, blushing profusely, Goto slid his hands back into Miho’s and stepped slightly back.

“Who cares about tradition anyway?” Miho grinned, entirely unabashed as usual.

Official words were spoken, though for the most part in Japan marriage did not required any particular ceremonial formalities. This allowed Miho and Goto to agonise over their own vows, and finally it was time for Miho to open her heart in front of her lover, and all the people who loved them.

Slowly she inhaled, looking down as she gathered her thoughts and her emotional courage.

“I loved once – so much – I thought it was the definition of happiness,” she began after a deep breath, after lifting her eyes to Goto’s once more. “And when it was taken from me, the world fell away so far I didn’t dare imagine loving again.”

Silence - even the birds in the garden seemed to have hushed.

They were sad words, and most people in attendance knew what she was talking about; Goto knew all too well.

“So I went in search of happiness for others,” she continued soberly, her eyes shining though she was determined not to cry, “because dreaming of it for myself, the idea of giving everything only to fall into the abyss of loss all over again, was far too great a risk.”

Now, the squeeze of Goto’s fingers around hers almost undid her, she almost had to bite her lip.

“And then, here is this guy,” she huffed out. “So honest and genuine, so dedicated to justice, to doing right by people… he made me realise something.”

For a few seconds she paused.

“I realised,” she resumed in the quiet, “I would brave that darkness, that agony, a thousand times… for just one kiss. I realised living without him would cause me far greater pain than any distress the future might hold, and that I would rather live one second with him, than all eternity without.”

In unison, Kurosawa let out a loud sob that broke the magic of the moment, and while Issei passed the blubbering grown man a tissue, Goto glared over his shoulder until Miho tugged on his hands.                     

“See? Our love is so beautiful it makes grown men cry,” she smirked, adlibbing a little while others dabbed their eyes here and there. “And I know that no matter what we face in the future it won’t break me, because we will work through it together, always. Let me be your wife.”

A brief silence ensued though Goto knew that was his cue. Again he was searching her eyes, a deep familiarity that extended well beyond the time they had spent together in this life.

“There is something in your eyes, that leaves no room for doubt,” he said finally, soberly. “I saw it the first time we met, and though I lack the words to… to truly describe it…”

Though he’d surely rehearsed his vows a hundred times, Goto found the words sticking in his throat now he was there in the very moment their happiness would be validated before friends and family.

“There is a timelessness to my love for you,” he continued finally, releasing one of her hands in order to tenderly cup her cheek, “an immeasurable amount stretching all the way back to the first spark of our existence, burning all the way to this moment. Burning beyond it. Forever.”

Miho’s lips trembled and her eyes stung - she was completely transfixed by him. Haruka was already weeping, Shinichi lightly, discreetly caressing her hand. Liana, sitting beside her own husband, inhaled a deep, sighing breath and dropped her head against Ishigami’s shoulder, causing his lips to twitch into a reserved but genuine smile.

And Kurosawa snorted inappropriately into his handkerchief, his eyes all puffy and red from crying.

“I promise to face every challenge with you, beside you, together, no matter what,” Goto declared, finally smiling, and that broke Miho’s composure. “Let me be your husband.”

“I love you so much,” Miho sniffed, stepping against him and kissing him fiercely.

Subaru sighed.

Jazz offered the officiator an apologetic look.

No one laughed this time though - they were either beaming at the power of the couple’s spoken sentiments and physical reflection of them, or moved to, or beyond the point of tears.

When they parted, Goto brushed Miho’s tears away, holding back his own with all his willpower.

“And I love you, so much,” he whispered, and the master of ceremonies inched closer to them again before they could resume snogging.

“I have been asked to omit what is traditionally included in western ceremonies about asking if anyone has objections to this union,” he announced. “Instead, anyone who does find themselves in disagreement, should take it up with Ms. Mann and Mr. Ichiyanagi.”

“And us,” Rose and H added staunchly.

“And us,” Issei and Kurosawa added with severe nods.

But not a single person dared.

“In that case,” the officiator stated, “please join me and congratulating Mrs. and Mr. Goto.”

While everyone applauded and cheered, Goto and Miho found each other again, and remained that way, long after hands had become sore from clapping.

“Completely oblivious,” Subaru muttered.

“It’s so beautiful,” Kurosawa snivelled to Issei, who chuckled and put his arm around the other man’s shoulder.

“How long before they tear each other’s clothes off you think?” H asked Rose quietly.

“I give them about ten minutes,” Rose smirked, unable to help but glance out to where Inui was sitting, still clapping but staring at her, not the happy couple.

As Miho and Goto began back down the aisle, accepting personal well wishes as they went, H glanced across the heads of those seated to find Luke at the end of one row… now sitting next to Atsumu.

Oh jeez.

Luckily she wouldn’t have to deal with that for a little while longer, and at some point during official photographs, H would make a point of asking Miho why she invited Luke, when she’d known for a fact Atsumu was coming as her date.

Typical Miho - matchmaking even on her own wedding day.

“Creating drama more like,” H murmured to herself as she followed Jazz and Rose in Miho’s wake.

  In the majestic Japanese garden, the bridal party posed for innumerable photographs in order to immortalise the occasion. Rose felt her fingers itching the whole time, wanting desperately to sketch each precious moment, rather than be standing still for Jinpachi to capture.

There was not a second that husband and wife were not physically connected in some way, and Rose thought that occasionally she caught sight flashes of fear in them that if they did, one or the other would disappear.

Rose understood this feeling now, truly understood it.

“What’s that look for?” Rose asked H, when the group photos were done and they were excused to join the rest of the reception by the pond.

“I invited Atsumu,” H replied, though Rose already knew that. “But… Luke is here.”

“Ooh,” Rose cringed. “You want to grab a drink before you handle that one?”

“Just one?” H sighed, then inhaled and squared her shoulders. “Nah, I got this.”

  The ceremony part of the wedding had been a huge success, and H hadn’t tripped or fallen, or made a fool of herself on Miho’s big day. Now it was just the reception she had to get through, with Atsumu…and for some reason Luke. Who the hell had invited him? Why was he there? She had no idea, but one thing was for certain, she was going to try her best to avoid him. And that’s what she was doing, hiding, right in one corner of the garden, with her glass of champagne, making sure Atsumu was covering her from anyone’s view.

“You sure you’re ok?” Atsumu asked for the 100th time.

“Huh? Oh yeah of course I am!” she grinned widely.

“It’s just you’ve refused to move from this spot since we got here,” he chuckled.

“Sorry!” she replied, genuinely feeling bad.

“It’s ok, I don’t mind, but the bride and groom deserve some of your attention too,” he smiled.

He was way too kind; she was thankful that Jazz and Kuni had set her up with him and she obviously had some doubts, but bringing him to the wedding just proved how patient and kind he was. Maybe this time she wouldn’t lose interest.

“You’re right. Should we go say congrats?” she asked.

“Why don’t you go over and I’ll follow? Just need the bathroom,” he said, kissing her forehead briefly.

Too sweet.

“I erm…ok,” her eyes shifted round the space, analysing everyone within it.

If she found him, she could avoid him, if she didn’t then maybe he’d left. She spotted Miho and her new groom not too far away at the head table ready for the next activities to begin. Their first dance would be soon, so she had to act fast. Mentally, H planned a route in her head, gave the area one last glance for red hair before she rushed over.

Using her fancy footwork, she scooted and dodged over to the newly-wed couple, quite literally bumping into Miho.

“Oh sorry darlin’!” she said, quickly turning to apologise, but keeping low in the crowd.

“H, you ok?” Miho asked, looking further down to her than usual.

“Fine! Just fine, congrats you two! Such lovely vows!” she said, still half crouching.

“…Thanks, but are you sure you’re ok?” Goto asked.

“Oh just fine sir, honestly!” she laughed.

The couple looked at each other with a doubtful expressions, but smiled nonetheless; this was H, she was just plain weird, this was normal for her.

“Well, thank you H, thanks for being here,” Miho chuckled.

“Nah, thanks for inviting me! You two are so meant for each other, but make sure you look after her Mister Goto sir, because Miho’s pretty awesome!” H said, and that’s when she spotted the ginger hair not too far.

Uh oh. She had to get out and back to her safe corner before he saw her.

“Well, it was good seeing you to congratulate you both, and may I can steal Miho for a dance later sir but right now, I gotta go pee!” she said, zipping off again, leaving Miho and Goto a little confused.

“She’s…interesting,” Goto laughed.

“That’s H for you,” Miho smiled. “But you’re way more interesting right now,” she grinned, pulling him in for yet again another kiss.

Almost back at her corner, H keep ducking around people, apologising to those who she bumped into. She could see safety in sight, her spot wasn’t far, and yet...

“H?”

GODDAMMIT!

“Yes?” she turned, still slightly crouched.

“Why are you crouching like that?” Luke asked.

“And I could ask what you’re doing here, but I’m not!”

What kind of come-back was that?

“Erm, the bride invited me,” he explained and H stood up.

“What? How do you know Miho?” she asked.

“You’d left your necklace in the car, I was just returning it to your offices and Miho thanked me by inviting me,” he explained.

Damn it Miho! If it wasn’t her wedding she was totally…well, she was in big trouble after this. Wait, he knew where she worked?

For a moment she occupied herself with guests twirling and swaying on the dancefloor, but then saw Atsumu looking for her. Oh no. No, he couldn’t see her talking to this guy, he’d wonder what was going on and she had to explain everything and…no too much effort for a possible new relationship. So, once the song ended and couples parted, new couples formed, she grabbed Luke by the collar and took him to a corner.

“How do you know where I work?” she asked.

“A butler has ways of finding things out...Master Jan explained,” he said blushing.

“Oh…”

“So, why were you crouching?” he asked again.

“None of your business,” she said simply. “Look, just because Miho invited you doesn’t mean I want you to be here, ok? You’re a pain in the neck! And you were a right dick to me when we first met, so stay away from me alright?”

“I wish to apologise for that! I didn’t know your job then, I didn’t know you then.”

“You don’t know me now!”

She saw Atsumu getting closer, she wanted to go back to him, to someone who hadn’t seen her the way Luke had. “If you’ll excuse me”

“A dance?” he asked as she pushed past him.

“What?”

“May I have one dance? To apologise? I know you can so…”

His cheeks blushed bright red.

“I have a date who’ll probably want to dance,” she replied.

“Oh, you came with someone, of course you did, my apologies, please, excuse me then,” he said in a rush, hiding his blushing face before he quickly left.

Relieved, H made her way over to Atsumu who promptly asked her to dance which she fully accepted.

Luke on the other hand, gave his congratulations to Miho and Goto before heading out of the venue. He knew he was in trouble, not from H, or his highness, or even his grandfather, no, more from the feeling in his chest seeing this woman he didn’t know all that well, dancing with another man. He’d fallen for her, and he’d fallen hard.

  Rose watched H disappear into the crowd before she turned her attention back to the beautiful Japanese garden she was stood in. Everyone stood over by the pond and from the distance away from everyone, it was almost like she was an ‘onlooker’ intruding on such a joyous occasion.

She smiled.

It was nothing like that. Over by that pond were her friends and people she considered as close as family. It was a beautiful moment and she wished she had her sketchbook on her, but unfortunately it had been confiscated.

The happy couple glowed compared to everyone else. Even their faint smiles appeared like broad grins. Rose was a little surprised they actually hadn’t sneaked off yet. Good thing she didn’t make an actual bet with H, she would have lost.

It was such a happy day.

“It’s a really pretty venue, and um, you, you look really beautiful too.”

A shy and familiar voice sounded next to her.

Instantly she smiled in response.

“Thank you,” Rose whispered and leant into Ryosuke’s side. “Thank you for coming.”

She looked at him, his skin that cute shade of blush he always wore whenever she was affectionate with him. He looked good in a suit, more masculine and mature despite the colour of his face.

He looked straight ahead as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder and allowed her body to melt alongside his.

She let out a soft sigh.

Somehow, after watching Miho and Goto and all the shit they had gone through together, she realised they would be okay. His job didn’t make him the person he is, nor did Mr. Oh. Ryosuke Inui was still that soft hearted, sweet and gentle boy she’d grown to adore entirely. And the person she realised she couldn’t be without.

“Well, even if I didn’t want to come, I figured if I didn’t, you wouldn’t be the only one to come after me.”

He let out a little chuckle and his head turned towards Miho and Goto and even Jazz.

“I still can’t believe you did that, y’know came looking for me. You even went to the penthouse while Mr Ichinomiya was there!”

Ryosuke seemed to grimace at the mention of that name and Rose’s hackles went up too. He was not a man she wanted to have frequent encounters with.

“Do you still not get it?” Rose asked and Ryosuke turned so he was fully facing her with a questioning brow and a slight cock of his head. Like a puppy.

“I will go through the depths of hell - in this case that penthouse lounge. Thankfully Kisaki wasn’t there or I may have been arrested before I got to you, but that’s besides the point.”

Rose took a breath to get to the point she was trying to make.

“I love you and I want to be with you.”

The sound of everything around them dulled out the palpable tension. They had this conversation already but Ryosuke still seemed to doubt a little - understandably so, but that didn’t mean she had to like it.

Warmth surrounded her as Ryosuke encased her in his arms. His smell drifted into her nostrils and the strength of his arms kept her pressed to his.

“I love you too,” was all he said as he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

They stayed like that for a moment before Miho, probably annoyed that because she was centre of attention she couldn’t sneak off for private Goto affection, called Rose over.

Ryosuke took Rose’s hand and they walked together towards the happy couple.

They were going to be alright.   

  “And now, ladies and gentlemen,” Subaru said into the microphone, and the noise of the reception fell away, “our newly-weds will share their first dance as husband and wife.”

Placing her hand in Goto’s, Miho allowed him to lead her to the now otherwise empty dance floor. There, in the centre, with all eyes on them, he pulled her body gently against his.

“How you doing being the centre of attention?” Miho whispered, her lips curled into a teasing smirk.

“So long as I’m the centre of your attention,” he replied easily, sliding his hand along the soft satin of her gown to the small of her back, “I can put up with the other gawkers.”

“That’s my brave husband,” she grinned, as the gentle rhythm of Savage Garden’s ‘I Knew I Loved You’ began to play.

“I love the sound of that,” he told her frankly, leading and Miho followed.

“Well, it’s reality now whether you like it or not,” she chuckled.

(Miho and Goto Wedding Chibis, by @saekimchi)

Around them seemed somehow to grow dim, though the multitude of candles in the garden continued to burn brightly. The only thing that seemed to illuminate was them, was each other; the dark coiled around them created by their absolute focus, on each other; they were alone, moving to the sound of the other’s beating heart, and completely comfortable with that.

“Still feels like a dream,” Goto exhaled, spinning her gracefully.

“Right?” she responded. “If I wake up, I’m going to throw the biggest tantrum.”

“Nobody wants that,” he laughed, tightening his grip. “You know I really meant what I said in my vows,” he continued. “Ever since I first saw you, I’ve had this inexplicable feeling of loss.”

“Loss?” she repeated, her brow twitching into a frown.

“Like I’ve been living my life all this time incomplete, and only realised it when I met you - that missing piece.”

Miho blinked. His vows had been powerful enough, but this addition, the sheer absoluteness of his gaze, rocked her completely - all the way back to a moment in time very long ago she couldn’t quite remember, when they had said their goodbyes but promised one day to be happy.

“You’ve already ruined my makeup once,” she grumbled, her voice wavering as she pressed her cheek to his and closed her eyes.

“Still beautiful,” he smiled, ceasing his movements to distance her face a little, his thumbs brushing her cheeks. “And mine.”

“I’m not much for being considered a possession,” she told him quietly, but he could hear her perfectly, her voice the only thing echoing in the world, “but I’m going to let you get away with it, just for today.”

Again they kissed… and kissed… and kissed… until Jazz poked Miho in the ribs.

“Even for you, sex in the middle of a dancefloor would be over the top,” she said, and though Miho seemed unbothered by the remark, Goto’s face flushed. “And it’s my turn to dance.”

Naturally, Miho thought she meant Jazz wanted to dance with her, but it was to Goto she turned.

Still blushing, he smiled and nodded, but was definitely reluctant to let Miho go.

“Rude,” Miho huffed, then looked to her left to find Kuni standing there.

“Would you do me the honour?” he asked flashing his best smile and bowing a little.

“Well, since Jazz stole my husband, it only makes sense,” she shrugged, and allowed Kuni’s hand to rest on her hip.

For a really loooong thirty seconds they danced without speaking, until Miho broke the silence.

“I forgive you,” she declared, “if you care. I mean, if Jazz can, and marry you, then I don’t want there to be any enmity between us. But don’t think I’ll ever forget though; Jazz is my best friend; it’s my job to protect her.”

“Think maybe we could share that responsibility?” he enquired hopefully, and Miho let out a snort.

“Sure,” she conceded.

“I’m pretty certain Goto is getting told something similar,” Kuni laughed, relaxing a little. “Seriously, you girls are scary.”

“Best not to forget that,” Miho grinned.

Only a couple of feet away Goto was putting his hand on Jazz’s waist, clearly not as comfortable as he had been when holding Miho.

“So, you know that I am her best friend,” Jazz casually said when Goto started to dance with her, a bit wooden but at least he wasn’t stepping on her toes.

“I know.”

“And you know that I consider her my sister, right? That makes you my brother-in-law.” She let him twirl her once before he nodded.

“That is fine with me.”

“And since I’m practically the mother AND the father of the bride today, that also makes you my son-in-law. Twice.”

He hesitated, this was getting scary.

“Just to make this clear: I love her. She’s part of my family, and with marrying her, so are you. You are a good man, Seiji Goto. Now you better be good to her.”

With a smile she stepped aside when H came to ask for the next dance with Goto.     

For some time the bride and groom were separated, as everyone wanted their chance to dance with them.

By the time main course was served, Miho was glad to return to the bridal table and lace her fingers back through Goto’s.

“It would be wrong of us to disappear before cake and speeches, right?” Miho asked rhetorically against Goto’s ear, and he turned his face.

“You dreading them that much?”

“Are you kidding?” she scoffed. “Jazz and Subaru have been at each other’s throats the whole planning process - I get the horrible feeling this is going to be a contest.”

“That might be amusing,” Goto smirked, his hand leaving hers to give her thigh a squeeze under the table.

“That depends how many embarrassing stories Subaru knows about you,” Miho pointed out. “And I can guarantee Jazz knows some real doozies about me.”

“You think they’d do that?” he frowned a little. “I mean, this should be about us, not, separately, but together. We’re not that embarrassing.”

“We could be,” Miho grinned wickedly.

“Miho…”

“I could just…” she began to sink in her chair. “... just slide under the table here and…”

Goto caught her just as Jazz looked over at them.

“Don’t even joke about it,” he grumbled. “Believe me, all I want right now is you wrapped around me.”

“I heard that,” Issei muttered from behind them.

“Don’t start with me Issei,” Miho smirked. “I saw who you were cuddling up with.”

Goto raised an eyebrow, while Issei blushed - the same way Goto did when he was embarrassed.

“Who was he cuddling up with?” Goto questioned, eying his brother like the answer might be written on his face.

To that, Miho did not reply, but if the guy was going to flirt with the dessert maker in a busy space filled with family and friends, it wasn’t as if he was hiding his same sex attraction.

“Who?” Goto persisted, and Issei put his hand on his brother’s shoulder.

“I’ll tell you all about it when you get back from your honeymoon okay?” he offered with a smile and a nod to Miho, who grinned back.

“Oooh it’s a happinessalanche,” she squealed, squeezing Goto’s arm. “Ah, Christ you smell good.”

“Happinessalanche?” he repeated with a chuckle.

“Totally a thing,” Miho shrugged, and inhaled deeply against him.

“Stop sniffing the groom,” Jazz chastised, next to come up behind them.

“Weirdo,” Subaru added smugly, arriving at Jazz’s side.

He then clinked a spoon against his glass, drawing the attention of the guests to the small group of bridal couple and their closest friends.

“Dear guests, Mr. and Mrs. Goto – annoying wedding planner – we are here tonight not only to celebrate the love of two people who obviously can’t keep their hands off each other-“ he began only to get interrupted by some ‘awww’s and a ‘gross’, much to the amusement of most of the guests. “-we are also here test the bond between Miho and Paja- I mean Seiji.”

“Usually the best man holds an embarrassing and totally overblown speech on the groom and the bridesmaid holds a sickly sweet and emotional speech on the bride. Well, as some if you might already know, Miho isn’t a fan of sickly sweet and Goto isn’t a fan of – well, I’m not even sure if he’s a fan of anything other than Miho.” This time Jazz earned some laughter.

“So we decided to change things up a bit, fitting to this not really traditional wedding and definitely not traditional couple.” Subaru was looking at Miho intently before his gaze flitted to Goto.

“So instead of telling you how the couple met and how they fell in love – I’m sure we are all tired of that story already – and the nature of the groom’s job doesn’t allow us to say too much-“ Jazz was just saying when Subaru interjected: “Just as the bride’s job, too.”

“Yes, thank you, Subaru. So since confidentiality and honest speeches just don’t go well together, we thought we are going to tell you a tale. A tale of olden times.”

Just on cue Kuni joined them, a paper model of a sailing boat in hands.

“So, once upon a time in a far off land there was a feared pirate,” Jazz began and pulled a doll out of a bag she was holding. “As some of you might know, Miho was an assassin in a past life. But she was also a pirate in – well, in another past life. Pirate Miho was sailing the seven seas, following her whims and wishes, but she was more like a Robin Hood with a tricorne.” She held the small pirate doll over the ship that Kuni kept moving on imaginary waves.

“She was strong and beautiful, desired by many and feared by many other more. But she was also just and fair, her crew loyal not only because of her generosity, but because she genuinely cared. Of course she mostly showed it in a roundabout way, she was blunt and honest to the point of hurting sometimes.”

H and Rose chuckled at this, and Miho laughed out loud, squeezing Goto’s hand while he smiled at her, mostly enjoying seeing his wife happy and carefree like that.  

“But most of all she was lonely, the life of a pirate princess not an easy one.”

The audience erupted in a collective ‘awwww’ before Subaru took over.

“At the same time there was a small island, one mostly unbeknown to men, inhabited by a single – let’s call it person. A creature of legend, wearing a pinstriped fishtail whenever it entered the sea.”

Subaru pulled a mermaid doll out of the bag and let it float in the air over his palm that represented the island.

“On the land he looked like a normal man...”

Subaru tugged at the merman’s tail, pushed it up to reveal a pair of pinstriped clad legs. Miho whispered something to Goto, probably something inappropriate judging by his reaction.

“... But in the water he was completely different, practically undercover.”

Even Ishigami’s lips curled into a tiny smile at that one.

“He was just as lonely as pirate Miho was, and after some disappointing encounters with humans he decided it was better that way. He was a siren, a creature that lured others in, but never let them come close.”

“Although pirate Miho was a human woman, made of flesh and bones – she was pretty much a siren herself.”

Jazz let the doll navigate closer to the siren island and someone hooted in the audience. Subaru nodded knowingly. Jazz shot him a glare and he cleared his throat.

“So what do we have so far? Two lonely souls, fated to a life in solitude? That would be too much of sad tale for such a happy occasion, so let’s bring the story along.”

He nodded towards Jazz who gave Kuni a signal.

“One day Miho was sailing in rough sea, and she went overboard. Of course her crew was trying to find her, save her, but alas! Miho stayed lost.”

She let the doll jump from the ship and Kuni whispered something to her before he stepped away, taking the boat with him.

“She held onto a barrel – formerly filled with whiskey – and floated helplessly around. Especially frustrated by the ‘helpless’ part.”

“Damn right!” Miho shouted and Goto chuckled, and pulled her back into his arms before she could stumble into the display in front of them.

“Yes, thank you for your affirmation of this part. Anyway, while she was floating around, angry that the whiskey was already gone, when she came close to the island of Goto.”

Jazz waved the small doll back and forth, getting closer to Subaru’s hand with each turn, something he noticed with a smug grin.

“Siren Goto was living a rather dull life, one boring day followed the other. But then he noticed something drifting in the sea, close to his home. There was a woman dancing on the waves or so it seemed, the first sign of something different and new. And after an eternity alone he couldn’t help but get excited. He jumped into the water and swam to the barrel, only to find the feistiest and prickliest creature he had ever seen.”

Another bout of laughter, some ‘hey’s and a ‘booo’ from Miho.

“Give her a drink, maybe that’ll shut her up!” Rose suggested only for H to grab a bottle and walk over to Miho.

The bride first first the bottle, then an unladylike swig, followed by a hearty ‘arrrr’.

“With her natural charm and her loveliness, however, she charmed him, and he sang her songs of love and devotion to make her stay.”

Now both dollies hovered over Subaru’s outstretched palm, forcing Jazz and Subaru to stand closely together.  

“We could tell you now about how Miho’s pirate heart yearned for freedom, how much she longed to go back to her old life, with her crew and her ship – but let’s face it, that would be a lie. And although her crew did miss her dearly, they knew she was happy somewhere, no longer alone but with someone who loved her and who she loved in return.”

Jazz shrugged apologetically.

“Sorry, we can’t do this without a bit of sappy romance stuff after all.”

“And the moral of this story is, sometimes two people, different as they may seem, are just the perfect match.”

Subaru closed their story, nudged Jazz’s shoulder, and with a sigh she moved the doll when he moved his doll, making them kiss.

The bridal couple copied their dolly versions, although thanks to Miho’s effort their kiss wasn’t as innocent.

“Now let’s raise our glasses to a love that obviously was meant to be, in this life and in others before.”

Jazz took a glass of champagne from a tray that the servers were carrying around.  

“To Miho and Seiji!” Subaru said, and everyone repeated the toast.

After a sip he whispered towards Jazz: “See? We are make a good team, you and me. If you weren’t that stubborn all the time we could have lots of fun. You know, the best man and the bridesmaid…”

Jazz chuckled dryly.

“I’m not stubborn, I just have standards. And now excuse me, I’m going to kiss my own husband now.”

With a nod she left him standing there, the Goto doll still in his hand.

“Yoink!” Miho chirped, plucking the Goto dollie from Subaru’s grip. “I’m going to keep him for when Seiji is on an op.”

“Size is about right,” Subaru snickered, and Goto narrowed his eyes at him. “What? You don’t want the Miho doll?”

“No thanks,” Goto volleyed. “That doll is the only thing of her I’m going to let you have.”

“Harsh,” Issei chuckled, joining them.

“Come on you guys, get your butts out there for the bouquet toss,” Miho encouraged.

“That’s for the girls,” Subaru sniffed, and Miho too his arm and shoved him into motion.

“Don’t gender stereotype,” she chided, then called attention to the other guests. “Okay folks, if you’re single and looking for marital bliss, here’s your chance this evening to get yourself a little luck - though I do have to say as a professional matchmaker, that the effectiveness of catching the bridal bouquet in landing you the perfect partner is not yet proven.”

Guests once again laughed, as the single female guests began to move to the centre of the dancing area, the men, and couples watching on with amusement. The only exception seemed to be Kurosawa, who had positioned himself in the middle of the large group of women.

“That guy,” Subaru said, shaking his head, but at his side, Issei felt like he’d really like to join them too.

When almost every single woman had gathered in the middle – even Rose and H had been dragged off with a group of other young women – Jazz was still standing at the side.

“Hey, Miss Wedding Planner, won’t you come and join us? You know the tradition, don’t you?” Kurosawa loudly shouted over the heads of the women around him, drawing the attention towards Jazz who just sighed and shook her head.

“Oh, come on! We are here, too!” H grumbled.

“I can’t,” Jazz cheerfully yelled back, eyes flitting once to Kuni who shrugged with a grin, then to Miho who mirrored that gesture.

“Why not? Don’t want to put pressure on your barkeeper?” someone else asked.

Was that Atsumu?

Again Jazz shared a glance with Kunihiko who put the glass down he was holding and came over to her.

“Now?” he whispered.

“As good as any other time.”

He reached into his pocket and handed her something. Jazz took a deep breath.

“So, there’s something we have to tell you…” Jazz announced and took Kuni’s hand, sliding a wedding band on this finger before he did the same for her.

There were some cheers and confused questions but before the crowd could actually scatter Jazz shook her head.

“Time for congratulations and questions is later, now there is a bouquet to catch!” she laughed, when Kunihiko pulled her close and kissed her.

“So it’s official now?”

He was still holding her in his arms, not caring about the people around them.

“I guess it is. The next party I’m planning is our reception, huh?”

“Jazz, are you married yet?” Miho called, looking over her shoulder. “Can I throw it now?”

“Yeah we’re done, go ahead,” Jazz grinned, giving Kuni a squeeze, whispering the last to him. “We’re so not done.”

“Okay, here we go!” Miho announced, loud and clear as she turned her back to the group. “One, two, three!”

It wasn’t like she needed to worry about hitting a ceiling or anything, being out in the garden, and perhaps that’s why her throw was somewhat unreserved. It was so enthusiastic in fact, that it sailed clean over the heads and reaching arms of the women - and Kurosawa - and landed in the reflexive clutch of Subaru’s hands.

Goto laughing was what Miho saw first before she, and everyone else, turned to stare at Subaru, as he looked at the lovely flowers in his hand, then over at Miho - who smirked - then at Issei to his left as if for an explanation or perhaps help.

What he got, however, was a wink and a grin.

“Well I guess there’s hope for everyone now,” Miho chortled, leaning back against Goto who wrapped his arms around her again.

“Did Issei just wink at Subaru?” he against against her ear.

“That’s the sexiest thing you can manage to whisper to your wife?” she grumbled, deflecting the question.

“The moment we’re alone,” he began again, quietly, a deep and penetrating rumble, “I’m going to peel that dress off you... with my teeth.”

“Better,” Miho sighed, nudging her hips back against him. “Let’s just go now, no one will notice.”

“There’s still the cake,” he groaned, both wanting her to grind on him and not, considering where they were and who was watching.

“Everyone!” Miho said loudly once more. “Who wants CAKE?!”

“You want the cake, now?” Jazz queried with a slight frown, since it was a bit early for that.

“No, I want to smear it all over Seiji’s chest and lick it off,” Miho stated, and Ishigami, who had been standing within earshot, nearly spat out his mouthful of champagne.

Liana, beside him, however, glanced at her husband, then rolled her eyes upward as if imagining that scenario.

“That may be a little… too much,” Ishigami admitted a little shyly.

“You’re terrible, you know that?” Jazz hissed at Miho, but she was shaking her head and couldn’t stop herself from grinning.

“Come ooon,” Miho whined. “I’ve been good right?”

“It’s your wedding! You’re supposed to be here and have a good time all night.”

“She will,” Goto assured Jazz, in a comment more bold than usual. “I promise.”

“Hey, you eloped for a reason,” Miho pointed out. “Instant honeymoon, and don’t tell me you didn’t instant honeymoon.”

“A ridiculous amount of times,” Jazz grinned, and Miho actually stomped like a petulant child. “Oh for fuck’s sake, have your cake and eat it,” Jazz conceded, but she was contemplating grabbing a handful of the carefully crafted wedding cake, and smushing it in Miho’s face.

The real reason she didn’t, is because she knew Miho would only exact revenge, and turn the wedding into a massive food fight.

So Jinpachi lined up once more to get some great photographs of Miho and Goto cutting their cake, that had two little weddingy Domo-kun figures on the top - Miho’s request of course. Goto took that opportunity to thank everyone for coming on behalf of himself and his wife, especially the bridesmaids and groomsmen, and the wedding planner, even though she’d had to fight with Subaru most of the way.

Miho then demanded everyone drink all their booze and party on into the night.

For a little while longer the happy couple circulated, but eventually slipped away. According to Miho’s wishes, however, the party did continue in their absence. Jazz and Kuni basked in their own now openly known marital status; Rose danced against Inui’s chest while he both blush and tried to glare at any man who got too close; Atsumu drew H out of her irritation and had her laughing thanks to his dorky ways, and while dark corners were usually Miho’s thing, it was Issei who found himself willingly cornered, the lips of Yuto Tsuruya weakening the hurt of his unrequited love for Subaru.

  “Think anyone will notice we’re gone?” Miho queried in a giggle, as Goto led her by the hand down the flare-lit path to the bridal accomodation - a traditional Japanese building at the back of the property, secluded from the main area.

“Of course they will,” Goto chuckled, glancing back at her.

“Hmm, Lieutenant Goto, you look like you don’t care,” Miho grinned smugly. “Like the cat who got the cream.”

“In a few minutes we’ll find out if that’s true,” he responded, and Miho actually blinked a little in shock.

“I am rubbing off on you,” she laughed as he pulled her up behind him onto the veranda.

“Come here and rub a little more,” he instructed, opening the door to their suite and drawing her inside.

There MAY be a smutilogue... maybe... or maybe just honeymoon - cooking other ideas right now also. Thanks to my girls for their part! <3

@belxsar @mirandaflamel @kiniloves

[marziblogsworld]

OKAY MY PEEPS....... I AM RIGHT THERE WITH YOU NOW!!!!!!!

This is how my delivery guy wants me to start my mornings

GOOD THINGS ARE COMING BUT I AM SCARED AND I AM HAPPY AND THERE IS JUST LIKE TOO MANY EMOTIONS. 😭😭😭

MALEC LETS GO ON AN ADVENTURE🌋🌋

@cassandraclare i just love u soo much for giving me books about malec ❤️

I will post my reviews on this but in a different way and a different style soo stay tuned.